Murphy's Multiverse

Author: John Sabato

  • How Iron Maiden and Dungeons and Dragons Could Inspire a ‘Stranger Things’ Characters Return

    How Iron Maiden and Dungeons and Dragons Could Inspire a ‘Stranger Things’ Characters Return

    It’s almost a tradition at this point with Stranger Things that the Duffer Brothers make sure to introduce a loveable supporting character each season that the fandom becomes obsessed with, only to ultimately crush our hearts with their untimely death. It started back in Season 1 with Barb, who still has yet to get her justice, followed by Bob Newby, and then Alexei. So, the show has made sure that we should try our best to not get too attached to new characters even if we still repeat the same mistakes.

    Season 4 introduced Eddie Munson, the metal head-loving dungeon master of the Hellfire Club. Like those who came before him, Eddie met his fate in the season 4 finale after being swarmed by Demobats while trying to buy more time for those who went after Vecna. While Eddie is seemingly dead, some evidence and dot-connecting could hint at resurrection for the character, with some help from the lore of Dungeons and Dragons, as well as one of Munson’s favorite metal bands.

    Following the death of Eddie, Max seems to be up next on the chopping block, having just barely escaped Vecna’s grasp after Steve, Robin, and Nancy were able to take him down. Unfortunately, due to her wounds, Max does indeed die. At least, that is what we assumed until Eleven miraculously uses her abilities to bring Max back to life. If Eleven can do this, someone with the same powers would be able to do that as well. With Vecna surviving his encounter, he’d most likely be able to bring Munson back to life. However, after being mangled by Demobats, his body presumably being left in the Upside Down, he’s not likely to be the guy we came to love throughout Season 4.

    This is where the Iron Maiden and Dungeons and Dragons inspirations come in. Hawkins’ resident metal head shares his namesake with an icon of the metal scene in the ’80s, the undead mascot of Iron Maiden. Of course, the only connection they share is the name and that he’s a fan, protecting their honor and declaring them as real music. Yet, there’s the potential that a resurrected Munson could sport a similar look to the band’s undead mascot, especially after what he went through.

    This could lead to a storyline hinted at the beginning of the season, as their current campaign in Dungeons and Dragons always tends to hint at future storylines. At the Hellfire Club’s big session, the group is ambushed by Vecna within the game, and Mike, startled at the monster’s appearance, mentions that Vecna is dead. He was killed by Kas, the human vampire and trusted lieutenant to Vecna, who betrayed and killed the Arch-Lich within their stories’ canon.

    In a way, Eddie would be quite the valuable asset in Vecna’s mission of revenge and furthering his invasion into the overworld. At first, he’s used as a ploy to mess with and break those who seek to oppose him. We’ve seen in Season 4 how Vecnas breaks his victim’s minds, and preys on their darkest memories, using them against them. Eddie would definitely be the perfect puppet for him to get into everyone’s head, especially Dustin’s.

    The D&D character of Kas was dead. And after spending too much much time near the negative energy plane, he was transformed into a vampire. In Stranger Things, they could use the Upside Down as its equivalent, where Eddie died after fighting off a horde of Demobats. His weapons of choice are also clues. His weaponry is similar to the flaming sword and shield Kas uses, even if Eddie’s don’t ignite, the flaming sword can be seen in the Hellfire Club logo.

    Some may also notice his Tattoos may hint at his return, with one being a demon puppeteered by a floating hand, possible as a reference to the hand that Kas cut off of Vecna and the control he would have over a risen Munson. Plus, it also matches the tease of him playing Metallica‘s Master of Puppets during the finale episode of Season 4. On top of all of this, he has a swarm of bats on his arm, foreshadowing his demise and possibly resurrection.

    The fifth and final season of Stranger Things has even yet to be written and will most likely not release until sometime late in 2024. Still, in the meantime, we can all theorize just how our beloved metal head could return to Hawkins and further prove to be the hero he never thought he was. Getting one more chance to save his friends would seem like the perfect way to give him one last hurrah.

  • ‘Only Murders in The Building’ Scores Season 3 Renewal

    ‘Only Murders in The Building’ Scores Season 3 Renewal

    Just last year the very first season of Only Murders in The Building hit Hulu earning unanimous praise from critics and viewers. The show was quickly renewed for a second season following the first season’s initial run and was quickly in front of cameras. Following tradition, the streamer has announced that the podcast escapades of Mabel, Oliver, and Charles will continue as a third season has been ordered midway as the second season continues.

    Fans can expect things at the Arconia to get even more interesting as surely another resident is set to meet an untimely fate as the series will indeed be returning, With Hulu sharing their excitement through this statement from president Craig Erwich.

    Only Murders in The Building is the true crown jewel of our slate. Its appeal across generations, the intersection of humor and heart, and its truly original approach are a hallmark of and testament to Dan [Fogelman], John [Hoffman], Steve, Marty, and Selena’s work. We are grateful to be able to continue telling the stories of Charles, Oliver and Mabel to viewers that have consistently shown us they crave more of this story.

    Craig Erwich

    There is currently no word on when the third season will begin rolling into production or just what new faces we’ll see around the Arconia. John Hoffman previously talked to The Hollywood Reporter and told them how if they’d make it to season 3, they’d really want to “up the stakes” for the trio. Considering how the second season started, they’d have to pull something even crazier in this finale than they did the first to up that.

    Source: THR

  • ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Wasted The Sparrows

    ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Wasted The Sparrows

    When the second season of The Umbrella Academy came to a close, fans were left on the edge of their seats as they’d believe the Hargeeves siblings had escaped the apocalypse that had brought them into the 1960s. Upon their return to what they thought to be their childhood home, the Hargeeves siblings were met with confusion. After all, their father Reginald Hargeeves, whose death brought the family back together in Season 1, was now alive and well. As it turned out, though, this Reginald was not their father. The place they’d thought to be their home was actually none other than the Sparrow Academy. The end of the season gave fans a glimpse at the Ben of their timeline, as well as silhouettes of the Sparrows.

    With the tease of the Sparrows, fans were thrilled at what Season 3 might have in store. After all, it was a brand new mystery featuring a new set of mysteriously powered children born on Oct. 1st, 1989. As the Sparrows are the children that Reginald was unable to get in the original timeline, Season 3 seemed full of promise and quickly proved it would be unable to handle this new ground of characters as evident by Marcus being wiped from existence by episode’s end,

    The show begins quickly doing away with many of the Sparrows as quick as they can, spacing it out so that it does not seem like they really want them gone. Marcus was the one member that actually showed some development as he was willing to work with the Umbrellas to try and fix what was going on, but the show didn’t seem to have someone else taking up precious screen time from any of the Umbrellas. Sure, his powers weren’t all that interesting, as he had similar abilities to Luther, minus the gorilla DNA that malformed Luther’s body.

    Perhaps the biggest issue with many of the characters is how one-note most of them feel. In fact, many of them don’t get much development besides Ben and Sloane, with Ben constantly bumping back and forth like the writers weren’t fully committed to what they wanted to do with this new version of a previously beloved character. Alphonso , Fei, and Jayme are kind of just there to serve as the muscle and never really expanding behind that. We even see that, at one point, Alphonso is not as deformed as he once was, but the show does little to elaborate on that. This is in no way on the actors and actresses, as they all look great and do the best that they can with what they’ve been given.

    Christopher was probably the biggest misfire of the season. Of course, he is a living flesh cube, but no one ever cares to ask why and the show doesn’t care to make any explanations. In some ways, it works, as none of them really give it a second thought after all the crazy shit they’ve all seen the past few days. That doesn’t excuse that he is solely used as a plot device here and there in the season. 

    Now of course, it is The Umbrella Academy and not The Sparrow Academy, so naturally, the focus would still remain on the main characters. However, it felt like such a major cop out with the Sparrows. The characters were hyped, and we were led to believe they’d be the main antagonists of the next season. Instead, they decided to completely pivot from what could’ve been a unique entry in the series with yet another apocalypse to try and fix. 

  • ‘Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Adds Six More to Prequel Cast

    ‘Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Adds Six More to Prequel Cast

    Things are ramping up over at Lionsgate as the Hunger Games prequel continues to add to its ever-expanding cast of tributes and mentors. The project recently added Hunter Schafer, Rachel Zegler, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera and Laurel Marsden and today announced six more names.

    Deadline is reporting that six new actors have joined the prequel cast: Max Raphael as Festus Creed, Zoe Renee as Lysistrata Vickers, Ayomide Adegun as Pliny “Pup” Harrington, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi as Domita Whimsiwick, and Amélie Hoeferle as Vipsania Sickle, who will all be playing mentors to multiple tributes from different districts. Sofia Sanchez is the only one of the newly added members to the cast who will be playing a tribute, known as Wovey.

    The film will be an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name, serving as a prequel before the days of Katniss Evergreen. Instead the story will follow future President Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, as he struggles to restore his once-proud family’s lineage and serves as a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, played by Zegler, in the upcoming Hunger Games.

    Francis Lawrence, best for directing the original Hunger Games films, and others such as Constantine and I Am Legend, will return to direct the prequel with a script from writer Michael Lesslie. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are serving as producers on the project alongside Lawrence. The film is currently slated to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

    SOURCE: Deadline

  • Prime Video’s ‘Fallout’ Adaptation Adds Kyle MacLachlan to Cast

    Prime Video’s ‘Fallout’ Adaptation Adds Kyle MacLachlan to Cast

    Amazon Prime has released some very impressive comic book adaptions over the past few years with shows like The Boys and Invincible becoming the talk of the town. Next up, Prime seeks to venture into adapting a new medium, video games. Fallout, the post-apocalyptic set video game franchise is set to be adapted into a live-action series at the streamer, and has already begun adding some big names.

    The upcoming series has added three more to its expanding cast with Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan joining the cast alongside Xelia Mendes-Jones and Aaron Moten. The three join the previously announced Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell, who will play the series leads.

    It’s unknown if the story will follow any of the games or take on an entirely original story in the series but it may not be a bad thing to tell an original story in such a rich world. The project could instead exist in canon alongside the games.

    Filming on the series is currently set to begin at some point later this year with Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet serving as co-showrunners on the series. Todd Howard is involved with the project as well, serving as an executive producer via Bethesda Game Studios with James Altman serving alongside him via Bethesda Softworks.

    SOURCE: Variety

  • ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Sequel Set For Late 2023 Release

    ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Sequel Set For Late 2023 Release

    Fans of the Ghostbusters franchise can rejoice as a fourth installment in the franchise is indeed on its way and even closer than you may think. Fans of the third installment will be delighted to hear that the story will be making a holiday release next year on December 20th, 2023.

    The film is reportedly set to return to Manhattan and the famous firehouse that the Ghostbusters once called their headquarters. Fans will remember that at the end of the previous film, the Ecto-1 is seen pulling into the garage at the fire station with Winston Zeddmore there to greet it.

    It’s currently unknown if Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, and Mckenna Grace will return for the sequel but something paranormal seems to be brewing in New York and the Ghostbusters are gonna need all the help they can get.

    Source: THR

  • A Musical ‘is a Brilliant Choice for the Sequel to ‘Joker’

    A Musical ‘is a Brilliant Choice for the Sequel to ‘Joker’

    Nobody ever thought the Joker, of all characters, would be getting his own solo film, but here we are, over a billion dollars and a few Academy Awards later. Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips proved everyone wrong. No matter what you think about the film, it was a unique project set within a sea of other comic book media that has flooded the mainstream and become a staple in pop culture. Arthur Fleck’s story seemingly ended, so the thought that a sequel could exist much less should exist, seemed crazy. However, that’s what’s happening and the latest word on the project could turn out to be the best possible situation for a sequel.

    The most important part of a sequel to Joker, a rather complete, and self-contained film, is that it really needs something to set it apart from anything that has come before it. Phillips and DC have to make this special and something super aberrant; to do so, they have to go out of the box. This makes a musical the absolute best path for the sequel; it’s something entirely unexpected and puts the project on a whole new playing field. The first film was a deep character study into who Arthur Fleck was, and what led him down this path to becoming the man who toppled a city in mere few hours. A musical is the opportunity to explore who this new Arthur Fleck is, presumably becoming, solely, the Joker from now on.

    There were brief moments where we’d seen Arthur break out into random spurts of dance, experiencing moments of freedom for himself, after feeling so contained and restrained his entire life. The musical numbers could act as true expressions of who he is and who he has become; it’s an idea that is so far out of the box that could allow Phoenix to kick his performance into the next gear, and bring out some of that musical talent that we saw in Walk The Line.

    Perhaps the most interesting avenue that this musical concept could tackle is the romance between Joker and Harley Quinn. The news that Lady Gaga is in talks to potentially portray Harley Quinn in the film, a character who has risen to even higher levels of popularity via Margot Robbie’s portrayal, was as surprising as the news that the sequel was in development. The film could tackle the relationship between the characters that the DCEU had only scratched. The sequel could explore the blossoming relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn, the early moments where their love seemed so perfect. Their relationship, of course, is one of the most toxic and abusive in the DC Universe, but the film can actually focus on the romanticization of the situation between the two by tackling that early love through Joker’s manipulation of Quinzel in helping him escape, and him turning her into Harley Quinn. Imagine it as something akin to the “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend” number from Birds of Prey, where Harley imagines her interrogation as a dance number, just on a larger scale throughout the sequel. It can be a play on the classic rom-com, a massive course change from the first film, portraying a “perfect romance” which in reality is just as awful as expected.

    Developing Joker: Folie À Deux as a musical is a creative and brilliant pivot from the first film, moving it into a completely new atmosphere and ensuring it doesn’t have to worry too much about riding the tails of the first film. It’s a fun idea that if executed well could be yet another unique, and fresh entry into the ever-expanding world of comic book media.

  • Taking a Look Back at How ‘The Batman’ Reinvented The Riddler

    Taking a Look Back at How ‘The Batman’ Reinvented The Riddler

    Batman has possibly one of the best rogues galleries in comic book history, featuring characters like the Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and, of course, the Riddler. Many of these villains have been adapted to live-action, and some even got the special treatment on multiple occasions; especially the Joker. There often has been a criticism that the redundancy is dragging down the potential of

    Matt Reeves may have taken that to heart when he began developing his take on the Batman mythos. Riddler is a character that has seen a few adaptions, which include the 1966 Batman series with Frank Gorshin, Batman Forever with Jim Carrey, and Gotham with Cory Michael Smith. The Batman, however, features a Riddler that is a vast departure from those who came before with Paul Dano playing a sadistic and ominous version that at times felt like he was an actor on a horror movie who showed up on the wrong set.

    One of the very first things you learn to understand about this Riddler is the horror film angle of the reinvention. We first see the character when the light from the television illuminates the figure in the shadows, reminiscent of Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise. After that Riddler devolves into a Saw-inspired agent of chaos, who uses intricate devices like a rat maze mask and a bomb collar to torture his victims.

    The most notable inspiration here is that this Riddler seems to be inspired by the Zodiac Killer, the notorious serial killer that terrorized the United States in the late 60s. He is sporting an extreme cold weather mask as well as a German military parka with simple question mark symbols painted onto it. At the scenes of his crimes leaving behind ciphers for the police and Batman to communicate with them. Along with the greeting cards left behind, the real-life Zodiac was known to have done something similar with ciphers that were sent to the press so they’d print his messages for the country to read.

    This Riddler believes in Batman’s crusade of vengeance and is, ironically, inspired by him. Riddler doesn’t see him and Batman as foes, he sees them as partners. They are two sides of the same coin that Batman doesn’t realize until it’s too late. He thinks he’s doing the hard part of the job, the line Batman won’t cross to truly cleanse the city of its corruption and bring vengeance onto those who’d taken part in the city’s criminal underworld. The little cards left behind at the scenes of the riddled murder were not meant to be hints, but progress updates that Edward Nashton leaves behind so that he can fill Batman in on how the plan is going. Riddler believes this Batman would be able to catch on quicker and be safe within Arkham as the city is cleansed of its sins.

  • Paramount Sets Lindsey Beer to Write and Direct ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Reboot

    Paramount Sets Lindsey Beer to Write and Direct ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Reboot

    A staple film around the Halloween season is one of Tim Burton’s best, Sleepy Hollow. The story follows constable Ichabod Crane, as he travels to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders, each one found decapitated by an unknown assailint. The film was quite the hit, pulling in over $200 million at the box office back in 1999. The movie starred some of the biggest names at the time, including Johnny Depp alongside Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Lee, and Ian McDiarmind. Now it seems Paramount is ready to return to the little town and feel the wrath of the Headless Horseman once more.

    Deadline reports that Paramount is working on a reboot of the 1999 film with Lindsey Beer set to both write and direct the film. Details remain underwraps, with no other talent currently attached to the project. The film is set to be produced by Todd Garner and Spencer Walker for Broken Road Productions.

    Beer has made quite the name for herself as a writer in Hollywood these days, as shes has written multiple upcoming films such as Hello Kitty, Bambi, and even the upcoming Star Trek film for Paramount. She’s even working as the showrunner and creator for The Magic Order on Netflix, a series adapted from the comics of the same name by Mark Millar.

    Sleepy Hollow will be her second job as a director, having recently just wrapped on Paramounts Pet Sematary film, which is now in post-production and eyeing a release later this year.

    SOURCE: Deadline

  • What “Folie à Deux” Could Mean For the ‘Joker’ Sequel

    What “Folie à Deux” Could Mean For the ‘Joker’ Sequel

    2019’s Joker was a box office hit that was met with equal measures of controversy and praise. The film grossed over $1B worldwide, but the real surprise was the performance Joaquin Phoenix put on, which earned him the Best Actor Award at the 2020 Academy Awards. The news of a sequel comes as a shock for many as first of all, Phoenix has really never been much for sequels. Secondly, Joker’s ending didn’t seem to leave a lot for the character to do in a sequel, but the film’s title could provide some clues to how it might play out.

    When translated to English the subtitle for the film’s sequel translates to “Madness for two”, but is often defined as “an identical or similar mental disorder affecting two or more individuals, usually the members of a close family.” With that in mind, here are a couple of ways that could apply to the plot of the sequel.

    The Imposter

    One avenue this film could follow is to pick up immediately following the events of Joker, and focus on the effects of Arthur Fleck’s influence on Gotham. Following the riots his debut as the Joker unleashed, the sequel could portray a Gotham up in flames and full of citizens in clown masks, inspired by Arthur to turn life in Gotham on its head. The sequel could directly tackle this by introducing a faux Joker, someone who fills the void left by Arthur’s absence and continues to raise hell in the city while Fleck sits in Arkham.

    Interestingly enough, in an interview with GQ, Willem Dafoe pitched the idea of a sequel following an imposter alongside Phoenix’s Fleck. Dafoe clarified that it was merely a hypothetical, but Folie a Deux could provide an opportunity for WB to cash in on the popular fancast of Dafoe as the Joker, similar to how Marvel Studios brought in John Krasinski to play Reed Richards in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.

    Casting another major star alongside Phoenix and pitting him against Fleck for the title of Clown Prince of Crime could be a lot of fun on screen. The idea also seems to fit with the film’s subtitle, teasing a counterpart with a mentality similar to Fleck’s.

    Family Conflict

    Alternatively, the chip away at the part of the definition of Folie a Deux that ties in nicely with one of the most controversial reveals from the first film. In Joker, it is hinted that Arthur Fleck is the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne and half-brother to Bruce Wayne. While Thomas deflects these claims and tells Arthur his mother was delusional and crazy, the sequel could explore this claim and set up a confrontation between Fleck and Wayne.

    The first film included the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne that sends Bruce down the path to becoming Batman. However, the fact that the killer was wearing a clown mask and was clearly inspired by Fleck can allow Bruce to focus his vengeance on the man who lit the fire in Gotham.

    Such a plot for the sequel could feature a time jump and be set sometime in the 90s, which would allow for it to feature a grown Bruce Wayne, who has become somewhat of an insane vigilante. It’s a crazy and ambitious idea to hypothetically introduce yet another Batman while we’ve got Michael Keaton, Robert Pattinson, and Ben Affleck still running around in the cape and cowl, but it could work.

    No matter what they do with a potential sequel to Joker, it’ll be very interesting to see where Phoenix takes the character and just how he elevates and changes the performance for the return of Arthur Fleck.

    SOURCE: GQ