Murphy's Multiverse

Author: John Sabato

  • Ryan Potter’s Beast Boy Would Work Much Better on ‘Doom Patrol’

    Ryan Potter’s Beast Boy Would Work Much Better on ‘Doom Patrol’

    It is not news to anyone that Ryan Potter is quite underutilized in Titans, with the character constantly being sidelined and given little to no character progression. The show introduced Beast Boy as one of the original four members of the new Titans when Rachel stumbled upon a green tiger in the woods. Doom Patrol remains one of Titans’ most exciting episodes, introducing us to one of comics’ most outlandish heroes, and paving the way for their inevitable spin-off. But I believe things would’ve been much better for Garfield Logan if he never left Doom Manor, and carried over into Doom Patrol.

    Now, of course, our main Doom Patrol is not the same one from Titans, a brand new universe that saw Crazy Jane in what could be considered Beast Boys’ spot, and bringing in Cyborg as an additional member to the team. But with how Titans has handled Ryan Potter’s character, he would’ve fit so much better on Doom Patrol, and would’ve been given an actual storyline aside from meandering around Wayne Manor like a lost puppy. 

    Doom Patrol should be able to introduce its very own iteration of the character, bringing back Ryan Potter, and allowing that friendship between Beast Boy and Cyborg. The two work incredibly well together, especially with Cyborg’s current internal turmoil as he struggles to find the line between man or machine. Beast Boy is an orphaned survivor of a mysterious illness. It’s this illness that allows him to unzip his genetic structure and become whatever animal he can think of; an unlimited and outlandish potential that could result in such a wild storyline if actually given the focus. It’s something Doom Patrol can handle, unlike Titans. 

    Beast Boy obviously never ended up at Doom Manor in this universe. If he had, it would allow the show to welcome a fresh take on the character. The series tends to include a sort of ‘revolving door’ approach to its characters each season — introducing Jane in season 2, and Madame Rouge in season 3. Ryan Potter‘s take on the Garfield Logan is wasted on Titans. The actor brings so much charisma and excitement to the role. Unfortunately, though he has become one of the show’s many punching bags, and is given nothing to work with. It’s time to let him shine over on Doom Patrol.

    A new episode of Doom Patrol drops every Thursday on HBO Max.

  • Theory Thursday: Could Larry Become Positive Man in ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3?

    Theory Thursday: Could Larry Become Positive Man in ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3?

    Larry Trainor, aka Negative Man, has been a constant member of the Doom Patrol since its inception – both in the comics and the series. The character has become quite the fan-favorite since his debut in Titans season 1, only growing more and more interesting as the series progressed. Things may never be the same for Negative Man, as the beginning of Season 3 saw Larry split off from The Negative Spirit, also known as Keeg Bovo, and begin to sprout an odd bump that’s got him baffled and quite worried. 

    Something is different this time around, ever since Season 1, it has been known that once the spirit and Larry separate, it renders Trainor immobile until Keeg bonds with him again. It feels almost as if something could’ve rooted the Negative Spirit out of Larry, possibly even taking its place.

    However, this bump may not be much of a worry for Negative Man and could change his life forever. Fans of Gerard Way‘s run on Doom Patrol may know just what is going on with Larry this season, and how after three seasons, Negative Man may be no more. In Weight of The Worlds, Larry became much more accepting of his state and more comfortable with his new team, much like Doom Patrol‘s Negative Man has adapted and overcome throughout the past three seasons. In the comic, Larry sprouts some similar bumps revealed to be excessive positive energy within Larry’s body that had begun to build up and once supercharged by Lotion the Cat, pushes Keeg out, and turns Larry Trainor into the Positive Man.

    It seems as though in the series, Keeg became aware of Larry’s new outlook on life and realized his time was up, with the positive energy beginning to take up much of Larry. In the comic, it was Larry’s dog, Hank, that provided him with all that positive energy, but I think here it could be the healing of his past trauma, realizing it wasn’t at fault with what happened with his family, and more importantly finding a new family that accepts him for who he is, especially Rita Farr.

    Larry is probably one of the characters in Doom Patrol that really needs that push lately, and to see some significant development. With the new situation at Doom Manor and Larry really closing the chapter on much of his past, this new, much more positive path, seems adequate for him as one of the show’s most beloved team members.

  • Sabrina The Teenage Witch is Coming to Riverdale

    Sabrina The Teenage Witch is Coming to Riverdale

    The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was a fun and relatively darker take on the character of Sabrina Spellman but ultimately met its end a bit too soon. The Netflix original ran for two seasons on the streamer, with each season split into two parts. After Part 2 of Season 2 hit, Netflix ultimately decided not to renew the series for a third season. Upon cancellation, however, it was revealed there were already plans in the works for the next chapter and even a possible Riverdale crossover. 

    And it looks as though those plans have are finally underway. Riverdale showrunner, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed Shipka’s return to Entertainment Weekly and went into detail on the character’s return.

    “We’ve been talking about having Sabrina visit Riverdale since season 1, so it’s thrilling that this is finally happening, as part of our ‘Riverdale’ special event. It’s also perfect that she shows up to help Cheryl Blossom during her hour of greatest need. Everyone lost their minds- I think fans will, too. It’s really fun and special.”

    Perhaps the biggest and most baffling part of this news is the fact that Sabrina Spellman is dead. Sabrina dies to save everyone else from the void, a ritual that brought her to the brink of death and resulted in her being too far gone. So Kiernan Shipka’s return is a surprise, and a welcome one at that, but it’ll be interesting to see how they bring her back.

    Shipka will make her Riverdale debut in the sixth season’s fourth episode “The Witching Hour(s).” Sabrina will arrive in town to help Cheryl, who is in the process of performing a very dangerous spell, one that could mean life or death.

    Both seasons of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are streaming on Netflix now.

    SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly

  • How ‘Titans’ Continues to Waste Its Superboy

    How ‘Titans’ Continues to Waste Its Superboy

    Ever since it first premiered, Titans has struggled to handle all of the characters it insists on introducing every other episode. This first became evident in the first season when we were introduced to Beast Boy. He was an instant fan favorite but was quickly sidelined and used as the series’ punching bag. It only got worse in the follow-up season, as it continued to introduce more and more characters. The tragedy was that it only continued the trend when it introduced Superboy.

    WATCH] 'Titans' Season 2 Trailer: Meet Superboy & Krypto The Superdog – Deadline

    In his first appearance, Connor Kent stayed true to his origins. He’s a clone of Superman and Lex, who was created by Project Cadmus. While Joshua Orpin is in no way a bad fit for the role, the issue lies in that he’s not given anything to do. Even to this day, the character that can see through walls, punch holes through a wall, and so much more has no story arc.

    We will tackle spoilers from Titan’s third season in the rest of this article. If you haven’t watched the series yet, only continue at your own risk.

    In this season of Titans, we see Connor meander around Wayne manor. He only serves the story as a plot device. He even makes a device in hopes to stop the bomb that’s been bolted into Hanks’s chest. As such, he spends an entire episode doing nothing else. When he is unable to save Hank, he’s obviously quite distraught but the series quickly abandons that. Now, Superboy is suddenly in a relationship with Komand’r. There’s no real build-up outside of a minor flirt and oddly just happens.

    Titans" Conner (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb

    This fling seems to only be used as a means to bring back a chipper versionConnor. At first, you just kind of assume Blackfire could be using Connors solar energy to restore her abilities. Our indication was the inclusion of purple energy around the room, but that doesn’t seem the be the case after all.

    Titans had the chance to expand upon how Young Justice approached its Superboy, a person who didn’t know their place in the world. He was constantly at odds with himself as the models of his makeup are in a contrast, causing his excessive anger issues. Instead, this Connors genetic origin is used simply to push the story forward in a lackluster and uninspired way.

  • ‘Black Adam’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Hawkman Armor

    ‘Black Adam’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Hawkman Armor

    After years in development hell, the Black Adam solo film has finally been set into motion, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. With the film now in post-production, it’s poised to have quite a large appearance at DC Fandome with most of the leading cast in attendance for the event. We’re eager to get our first real look at the film after the brief teases Fandome gave us last year, like our first looks at the Justice Society of America suited up and the fallen champion himself, Black Adam in action.

    New leaked photos from the production of Black Adam have given us the best look yet at Black Adam’s suit and also some of Hawkman’s armor like his iconic golden-winged helmet and his harness that features some bold pauldrons as well as some belt straps. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from these photos is the first look at Teth-Adam’s champion suit, looking strikingly similar to Supermans Kryptonian suit with the hieroglyphics detailing. The suit does seem to be a bit grayer than it is black, but could just be touched up in post.

    https://twitter.com/ishaansangha/status/1445579777457328129?s=21

    This year’s DC Fandome event will hopefully give us an official look at the characters and their suits in a sort of “Roll Call”, like what The Suicide Squad did last year. Dwayne Johnson, Quintessa Swindel, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, and Pierce Brosnan will all be in attendance for the Black Adam panel where we should see a much deeper dive into the film than we did last year.

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • CW’s ‘The Flash’ Leaked Set Photos Offer First Look of Osric Chau’s Atom in Costume

    CW’s ‘The Flash’ Leaked Set Photos Offer First Look of Osric Chau’s Atom in Costume

    In the crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, we got a glimpse of the multiverse that was plunged into chaos by the Anti-Monitor. To stop the crisis, seven paragons had to come together. Among them was Ryan Choi, played by Osric Chau. The character would briefly show up in this event before going back to his normal life after many thought he’d be suiting up and replacing Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer. Luckily, it seems they are making up for it soon, as revealed by a leaked set photo shared by @Themyscirabound.

    Chau‘s Ryan Choi is sporting a very different look than the previous Atom. He’s finally ditching the exoskeleton and embracing the character’s original red and blue spandex. It’ll be interesting to see how Choi developed technology and if Palmer passed on the mantle. Brandon Routh is set to return as Ray Palmer in the Armageddon crossover event. The special will consist of eight individual and smaller crossover episodes between the heroes of the Arrowverse.

    Chau and Roth will be joined by many fan-favorite characters. The list includes Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Catherine McNamara as Mia Queen, Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Tom Cavanagh as Eobard Thawne, and Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk. Hopefully, Chau will join the Arrowverse permanently. Perhaps there’s a future for the character as part of Team Flash moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • Will Smith Explains Deadshot’s Absence in ‘The Suicide Squad’

    Will Smith Explains Deadshot’s Absence in ‘The Suicide Squad’

    Perhaps one of the brightest spots in the original Suicide Squad film was Will Smith, who played Floyd Lawton, AKA Deadshot. Smith however did not return for the follow-up, and initially was almost recast. Early reports indicated that Idris Elba would take over the role of Deadshot, but that ultimately didn’t pan out so that the door may be left often for Smith’s return. Elba would go on to play Robert Dubois, aka Bloodsport, with no mention of Deadshot in the film.

    Recently Smith participated in a special interview with GQ in which he’d gone incognito on social media to answer some of his fan’s questions. One of the many questions that came up was “Why is Will Smith’s Deadshot not in the Suicide Squad, Maybe bc he didn’t want to reprise the role??”. Smith responded to the question with the following quote.

    Yeah, I was working and they were ready to shoot. It was a timing issue, I can come back.

    It seems he was aware of the initial reports that the studio was eyeing Elba as his replacement, as he ask those around him about the status of Deadshot in the DCEU.

    They didn’t cast anybody in Deadshot? they left Deadshot out, right?…So Idris playing a different character he’s not playing, or is he playing Deadshot? Different character? Alright cool so I can come back!

    It’s great to see Smith so excited that the door is still open for him to return as Floyd Lawton, maybe in another Suicide Squad film or a potential Secret Six project. While there’s no current plan to bring Will Smith back in any upcoming project we sure hope he pops up again somewhere in the DCEU.

    SOURCE: GQ

  • ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Moving Forward With New Showrunners

    ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Moving Forward With New Showrunners

    About a year ago, around the time the second season of The Boys premiered, it was announced that a spinoff series was in development. The series would follow America’s only university exclusively for supes, run by Vought International, everyone’s favorite superhero conglomerate. Developments on the series have been silent since the project began adding names to its cast, but that was pretty much it.

    The series, which has yet to be given a proper title, has received a full series order at Amazon with some new talent jumping aboard. The series has replaced its previous showrunner, Craig Rosenberg, who left the project due to creative differences with Sony and Amazon. Taking over will be the writing duo of Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas. They are best known for their work on the ABC Marvel series, Agent Carter.

    The series will follow a contemptuous group of students at the university who are full of raging hormones and constantly at each other’s throats as they compete to be the best. Their end goal is to get the prime contract deal with Vought. Current cast members include Jaz Sinclair, Aimee Carrero, Reina Hardesty, Shane Paul McGhie, Maddie Phillips, and Lizzie Broadway. The series has yet to round out its cast as more news will follow at a later date. Serving alongside Butters and Fazekas as executive producers will be Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, and Garth Ennis. As the series now is moving forward, we might hopefully get an official title in the near future.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • First Look At John Wesley Ship in ‘Stargirl’ Season 2

    First Look At John Wesley Ship in ‘Stargirl’ Season 2

    Right off the bat, Stargirl threw us into a fight between the Justice Society of America and the Injustice Society of America. It left us with the question if we’d seen the last of the golden age heroes. The series would continue to explore a new generation of heroes, led by Courtney Whitmore. She picked up the cosmic staff in order and assembled a new JSA to defeat the ISA.

    While brief flashbacks would give us glimpses at the heroes of the JSA in action, we’d never really see them in their prime. The second season of Stargirl seems to be giving fans a glimpse into the past with episode nine set to feature the return of not just the JSA, but Jay Garrick. It was announced a while back the John Wesley Ship would be reprising his role as Jay Garrick for the series sophomore season.

    Ship is best known for portraying Barry Allen back in the 90s during the original Flash series. He would later play Henry Allen on CW’s The Flash, picking up the role of Jay Garrick of Earth-3 shortly after. This time around Garrick will be from Earth-2 following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths in which the multiverse got a reboot. It lead to Earth-2 getting reshaped into the home of Stargirl and the JSA. The upcoming episode may tie into the overarching threat that is Eclipso and how he ended up imprisoned in the black diamond.

    Source: EW via Twitter

  • ‘Aquaman’ Sequel Adds 3 to Its Cast of Characters

    ‘Aquaman’ Sequel Adds 3 to Its Cast of Characters

    The king of the seven seas is set to make his big return in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Plot details are still very much under wraps and much of the films casting has yet to be made public but looks to be making some moves as multiple new cast members have joined the upcoming sequel to the 2018 hit.

    If you couldn’t get enough of King Shark in The Suicide Squad, another shark seems to be making their way too the DCEU as Indya Moore has been cast as Karshon. Jani Zhao will play Stingray, an original character created for the movie, though it is unknown if she will be friend or foe.

    Vincent Regan will play King Atlan in a recast from the original film. The role was originally played by Graham McTavish and is unknown why the role was not reprised, possibly due to his involvement in House of the Dragon. Randall Park will also return as Dr. Stephen Shin who featured in a smaller role in the original film.

    Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Is currently set to release in theaters on December 16th, 2022.

    Source: THR