Murphy's Multiverse

Author: John Sabato

  • ‘Arrow’ Spin-Off ‘Green Arrow and The Canaries’ Cancelled

    ‘Arrow’ Spin-Off ‘Green Arrow and The Canaries’ Cancelled

    One of the first DC superheroes to take the world by storm ended his eight-season with a backdoor pilot. It teased the franchise’s future, which would become the series Green Arrow and The Black Canaries. The show was going to feature the return of Mia Smoak as she takes up the mantle following her father’s death. Oliver Queen in the battle with the Anti-Monitor. She was joined by Laurel and Dinah, the titular Canaries. They would set out to honor the legacy of the original Team Arrow.

    Sadly, it got revealed that the planned spin-off would not be moving forward at the CW. It’s been a year of silence on the series development. It’s unknown if it will get shopped to a different platform, such as HBO Max. At this point, however, it seems unlikely considering Marc Guggenheim‘s past comments on the possibility of continuing their story in the form of a comic.

    The show was going to answer many unanswered questions from the original show, such as Dinah ending up in the future. There was also the question of who kidnapped Mia’s brother William at the end of the pilot. It looks like these answers will only be revisited in the form of a comic, if at all. It also joins the now canceled CW shows Supergirl and Black Lightning. These will end with their upcoming seasons. It doesn’t look too bright for the DC show’s future on the CW, but it may be a sign that they are more interested in producing HBO Max Originals. Comic characters aren’t easy to adapt, so a bigger budget certainly helps. It isn’t the end of the line for this franchise, but they might be trying to refocus as they move forward.

    Source: TV Line  

  • How Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman May Reshape the DCEU

    How Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman May Reshape the DCEU

    For a while, fans were wondering who would be the DCEU’s primary Batman after Ben Affleck exited the franchise. We’d received confirmation that Robert Pattinson would be taking his crimefighting to another Earth within the ever-expanding multiverse. For a while, many fans clung to the chances that Ben Affleck would miraculously change his mind and hop straight back into the cape and cowl, harboring a newfound passion for the role. However, What fans received is a small role reprisal in the upcoming Flash film starring Ezra Miller.

    The Flash will mark the return of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne. This is the first time he is returning to the role since Batman Returns. It got confirmed that Keaton will take over as the Bruce Wayne of the main timeline. They’ve called it the DCEU Earth-1, as the primary universe of the Arrowverse shows is serving as Earth-Prime. It got confirmed during the surprise cameo by Miller in the Crisis on Infinite Earth‘s crossover. He shared a short scene with Grant Gustin‘s Barry Allen, which was a welcome surprise to see the TV and film universes crossover. Nevertheless, The Flash will shake up the DCEU in massive ways, so who knows how long the current multiverse will last.

     

     

    Barry Allen is set to find some familiar faces in the multiverse and ends up working alongside the Bruce Wayne of Earth-89 at some point in the film. It stumped me a bit trying to put the puzzle together. How could a multiverse film affect the status of the DCEU’s Batman? Luckily, DC is pretty famous for its fascination with resetting their multiverse through Crisis events. A previous report mentioned that Keaton was in talks to stick around the DC universe for a while and take on a Nick Fury-type role. So, he will not have an active role but pull the strings from behind-the-scenes. However, Ben Affleck‘s departure as the caped crusader left a bat-shaped hole that needs filling.

    Luckily, the Batman lineage doesn’t end with Bruce, as he has long moved on from his singular crusade. The Bat-Family becoming one of the most prominent groups in comics. So, let’s take a look at who would be the perfect choice to fill that hole. Of course, the most obvious option would be Barbara Gordon, who’s long had a project in the works. Just recently, the project gained steam again. Christina Hodson, the writer behind Birds of Prey, has been actively working on two DC projects. Those are The Flash and, most notably, Batgirl. Naturally, this led to theories that this is no coincidence. It would surely keep things consistent behind the scenes when you’ve got one person hive-minding this shift of power between some of the most iconic characters in comics.

     

     

    Recently, DC Films’ President, Walter Hamada, mentioned Batgirl alongside Static Shock as two of the riskier films that will be made available via HBO Max. The film seems to still be in development. Also, in the past few years, female-Led superhero projects have changed the game. Batgirl shouldn’t be any different, as she is by far one of the most iconic female superheroes. Hell, why stop at one? As mentioned above, the Bat-Family has become an iconic and integral part of DC. Now that Bruce is seemingly out of the game, he’d make sure Gotham was in the right hands.

    As many DC fans know, the introduction of an older Bruce Wayne opens up the potential to a very iconic storyline. It might be the right time to introduce Terry McGinnis to cinema-goers. Many fans have been wishing for a live-action adaptation of Batman Beyond. Many fans are crossing their fingers that Keaton‘s return is a sign that it is finally happening. Love him or hate him, Batman is the heart of DC. He’s an integral part of a universe that spanned decades. The potential and future of this character is bright and will not be ending any time soon.

  • How Cheetah Can Return in ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’

    How Cheetah Can Return in ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’

    One of the best parts of Wonder Woman 1984 was the inclusion of Kristen Wiig’s Dr. Barbara Minerva. Throughout the film, she slowly evolved into the villainous Cheetah. We didn’t get much of her Cheetah-form in the movie. Yet, they left the door open to her returning in the future, so the character has the potential to appear further down the line. It would be befitting to her status as one of Wonder Woman’s most iconic villains.

    The origin of the Cheetah we saw in the film was quite a bit different than any we’ve seen before. The first two iterations of the character were Priscilla Rich and Deborah Domain. They were simply socialites who donned outfits with a cheetah print and went about as your run-of-the-mill cat burglars. It wasn’t until we met Barabra Ann Minerva that we met our first version of the iconic character that possessed superhuman abilities.

     

     

    The simplest way to bring Cheetah back into the fold would be via Circe. The witch is known for her Projective Animal Metamorphosis, which would transform Minerva back into her animal form. However, if they were looking to make things a bit more complicated, we might see the introduction of a fan-favorite villain: Veronica Cale. In Greg Rucka‘s recent Rebirth run on Wonder Woman, Cale financed Minervas expedition to Africa to investigate the plant god, Urzkartaga. Of course, she found him and ended up marrying the deity. As a wedding gift, he bestowed her with the curse of the Cheetah.

    Barbara isn’t the only route they could take, as there are plenty of other options in the Cheetah selection. Sebastian Ballesteros was the only man to take on the Cheetah title that we’ve seen so far in comics. He obtained the curse after convincing Urzkartaga that a male Cheetah would be much more effective. Sebastian was also instrumental in creating Vanessa Kapatelis or better known as Silver Swan, another popular villain of our favorite Amazonian. It would be simple to replace Barbara with any of the previously-mentioned Cheetah’s if they plan on going down the Rebirth route. Yet, it feels as if we haven’t seen the last of Barbra Ann Minerva.

     

     

    No matter which comic you open in Wonder Woman history, there is always a Cheetah to be found. The character is, by far, one of Diana’s most iconic foes and makes an appearance in every solo title she had. All good superheroes have their mirror opposite. Ever since her debut, Barbara Ann Minerva has been the most consistent Cheetah and has become an essential part of the character’s history. It just wouldn’t feel right to replace her right after she got introduced. It’s unclear if Barbara will return in Wonder Woman 3. The film was only recently fast-tracked by WB, but Jenkins has been teasing that we haven’t seen the last of Wiig‘s incarnation of the iconic character.

  • DC’s ‘PEACEMAKER’ May Be Adapting the Janus Directive

    DC’s ‘PEACEMAKER’ May Be Adapting the Janus Directive

    With plot details still being held tightly under wraps by Gunn and company, all we know is that the HBO Max streaming series, Peacemaker, will be a prequel to Gunn’s upcoming film, The Suicide Squad. Recent casting breakdowns tease what we could see unfold in the series which will most likely show us the origin of John Cena’s character, Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker. Some recent character breakdowns have teased the appearance of a few classic characters and the shady organizations they work for.

    In this fresh take from DC, Smith would be reinvented into a Vietnam war criminal and would be sentenced to life in prison for his actions. Smith would be offered early parole for his participation in the Peacemaker Project, a top-secret anti-terrorist task force for the US government that would ultimately be shut down, but wouldn’t stop Christopher from taking up the mantle of Peacemaker and combatting terrorism himself as a one-man army.  This is where the story begins to pick up and where I believe Gunn would be adapting for his upcoming series focusing solely on this character

    Since it was announced that he would be picking up this project, Gunn has praised the work of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad and mentioned multiple times that he’s based a lot of what we see in those books as the inspiration behind his adaption. Well, Ostrander had another story and that story was The Janus Directive. This story saw multiple top-secret intelligence agencies from the DC Universe pitted against each other including The CBI, lead by one Sarge Steele, who we previously reported may have a role to play in the show. But that isn’t the only group I believe to be present in this and fueling the Janus Directive theory. The Agency, and that is its full name, was another top-secret group that was able to figure out the identity of Peacemaker and coaxed him into their service, but not alone, Peacemaker was also joined by Adrian Chase, aka the Vigilante, another character who’s been confirmed to appear in the upcoming series, to be played by Chris Conrad. Originally I believed that the CBI would be the only agency included but it wasn’t until the breakdown for a new character named “Keeya” was released. The production is looking for a black female, Late 20’s/ Early 30’s, gay supportive but tired wife, reluctantly dealing with her wife’s new government job and the secrecy it requires. We know at least one agency will be present and looking like this could be THE Agency considering the inclusion of Vigilante.

    Here’s where it gets even more interesting though, when the leader of the Agency, Valentina Vostok, left the organization, someone was right there to pick up the pieces. The person was none other than Amanda Waller, who would take the remnants of the agency and turn it into Checkmate, an all-new covert agency. The inclusion of Amanda Waller in this series could lead her to a possible appearance in the show in which we see how Peacemaker came to be on the Suicide Squad after the downfall of the agency, possibly even seeing her fold the Agency into Argus.

     

    Source: The Illuminerdi

     

  • ‘The Flash’ Eyeing Early 2021 Production Start

    ‘The Flash’ Eyeing Early 2021 Production Start

    The Flash is the best example of development hell. Since its announcement, the film has seen countless directors and screenwriters tackle the project. It finally settled on It director Andrés Muschietti and Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson. The film will see the return of Ezra Miller in the role of Barry Allen. Inspired by the Flashpoint storyline, we will join the Scarlet Speedster as he makes his way through the multiverse. He will team up with Michael Keaton‘s Batman. This marks his first return to the role for the first time since 1992. Not just that, it will also see the return of Ben Affleck’s as the Batman, who got introduced n Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

    The film was going to enter production in March, but it looks like it will now start a month later. It will film at the Warner Bros. Leavesden studios, but no further details are available if they will primarily film at this location. Sound studios will be the primary filming location as long as the pandemic could interrupt production at any point. Backstage also states that the project has also picked up casting directors Rich Delia and Kate Ringsell.

    The Flash is currently set to release on November 4th, 2022. Ezra Miller, Billy Crudup, Ben Affleck, and Michael Keaton are confirmed to return. It is unknown if Kiersey Clemons will return to reprise her role of Iris West. We might see some casting announcements and information on returning actors from the DCEU once we near production in April.

    Source: Backstage

  • First Look: Leaked ‘ETERNALS’ Lego Sets

    First Look: Leaked ‘ETERNALS’ Lego Sets

    With the film originally set to release this past November, Marvel’s Studios Eternals was another film that was hit hard by the delay due to the ongoing pandemic. Considering its previous release date, much of the merchandising for the film was prepped and put into production long before the delay, which means most could be sitting on shelves in warehouses waiting for the green light to hit stores around the world. Recently, more leaks surfaced focusing on more of the film’s merchandise, this time offering us a closer look at the film via Legos. Lego sets have a pretty mixed history as to just how accurate they depict the events of the film, so it’s best not to expect these to be direct adaptations of the events of the film.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZKMpxp-In/

    The first set, titled ‘Eternals Aerial Assault’, offers a look at Ikaris and Sprite as the two engage in combat with a winged Deviant. This set offers our first look at a different form of Deviant, as we’ve already seen previous leaks of Kro.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZKBT-JRSt/

    The second set, titled “Rise of The Domo”, gives us our first look at the Eternal’s ship, which we assume is named Domo after one of the minor Eternals from the Kirby run. The set includes figures for Phastos, Thena, Druig, Sersi, Makkari and Ikaris as well as two Deviants, one of which is likely Kro based on the description and his hands, which look much like the Marvel Legends leak we saw earlier.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZJ39mJUe9/

    The third set titled ‘Deviant Ambush’ features yet another form of Deviant, as well as figures for Gilgamesh, Thena, and Makkari

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZJ7mJJQxp/

    The final set is titled ‘In Arashem’s Shadow’ and gives us a good look at the Celestial known as Arishem. The leader of all four Celestial hosts on Earth, as he makes his way to Earth. The set also includes another Deviant as well as figures of Ajak, Kingo, Ikaris and Sersi

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZL7UvpC3J/

    Marvel Studios Eternals is currently set to release in theaters on November 5, 2021. The film is directed by Chloe Zhao and features an all-star cast that includes Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Ma-Dong Seok, Gemma Chan, Barry Keoghan, Lauren Riddof and Kit Harrington.

    Source: Nino Leaks IG

     

  • ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: Who is Simon Stagg?

    ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: Who is Simon Stagg?

    Following multiple delays, Wonder Woman 1984 finally made its debut and while audiences seem pretty split on the film, it did include some memorable scenes and awesome easter eggs tucked away while others were quite obvious. One surprise appearance in the film came from a scene between Max Lord and a character known as Simon Stagg. For those who don’t know, Simon is quite the character in the DC Universe and an unethical and immoral businessman himself. Stagg was portrayed by British comedian and playwright Oliver Cotton.

    Simon Stagg first appeared in Brave and the Bold #57 all the way back in January of 1965 and was created by Ramona Fradon and Bob Haney. As shown in the film he’s the owner and CEO of Stagg Industries, but who we don’t see is his daughter, Sapphire Stagg. Sapphire ends up becoming romantically involved with Rex Mason, an adventurer who’s hired by Simon Stagg to journey to Egypt to acquire the Orb of Ra. Mason was betrayed by Stagg’s bodyguard, who’d accompanied him on the trip, and left dead in an attempt to keep him from furthering his relationship with Sapphire. Laying near the orb for an extended amount of time caused Rex to develop abilities and completely change his appearance. Upon returning, Rex took up the mantle of Metamorpho and would go on to join Batman, Katana, Black lighting, and Geoforce to form The Outsiders.

    Simon Stagg has appeared in many DC projects including Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Beware The Batman, The Flash, and Batman: Arkham Knight. It’s unknown if we’ll see Stagg return in the DCEU as his first and only appearance so far has been all the way back in 1984. Given he wasn’t the most youthful of the bunch, an origin for Rex Mason may have to take another route.

    Wonder Woman 1984 is in theaters now and the first of many WB films to stream alongside its theatrical release on HBO Max.

  • ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: What is Bialya?

    ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: What is Bialya?

    Following multiple delays, Wonder Woman 1984 finally made its debut and while audiences seem pretty split on the film, it did include some memorable scenes and awesome Easter eggs tucked away while others were quite obvious. One surprise appearance in the film came from a scene in Cairo where we saw Max Lord asking Emir Said Byn Abydos would what he would wish for if he had to choose just one wish. Emir responds with the wish that he could once again lay claim to his ancestral homeland of Bialya. Bialya is a fictional country within DC comics that made few appearances within the DC Universe.

    Bialya is a Middle Eastern country located north of Iran and Saudia Arabia and would be the area in which the original Blue Beetle would uncover the Scarab that would give him the powers of the Blue Beetle. The Scarab would eventually be passed down to Ted Kord and later on Jaime Reyes. Bialya would come to fall under the rule of Colonel Rumaan Harjavti, the country would develop into a police state stricken with poverty. Harjavti would conspire with Queen Bee who would go on to betray and assassinated him, before usurping his role and developing Bialya into a world power.

    Queen Bee would go on to transform Bialya from a poverty wrought police state to a paradise with aggressive methods that paved the way for open commerce and trade along with free medical and food programs and high employment rates. But these results were via unethical methods. Queen Bee would place implants within her people that would raise endorphin levels that brainwashed them into believing Biayla was a perfect nation. Queen Bee would come to butt heads with the Justice League International on multiple occasions, but the team couldn’t risk causing a international affair which stopped them from intervening themselves.

    Considering Emir’s wish, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume that Bialya was under the rule of Colonel Rumaan at the time and at this point in the timeline could have fallen under the control of Queen Bee

  • Pitching ‘Wonder Woman 3’: Enter Circe, The Wicked Sorceress

    Pitching ‘Wonder Woman 3’: Enter Circe, The Wicked Sorceress

    With the masses now able to view and enjoy the highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s hit hero flick, Wonder Woman 1984, queue the talk of a now confirmed sequel. Director Patty Jenkins confirmed that the future of the character’s solo endeavors would be set within the present day if she were to return for it (which we all know she will). Wonder Woman 3 has the potential to be an event-type film and take us back to Paradise Island while also embracing the Greek roots that have been present within her stories for many years. Now, it is time for the movies to embrace it. The next installment in the Wonder Woman franchise should see the heroine go up against Circe, one of the character’s most iconic villains.

     

     

    Circe was the daughter of the god Helios and Perse. She is a sea nymph and was known to be an almost Goddess level sorceress with an almost limitless range of abilities from projective animal metamorphosis, mind control, immortality, reality manipulation, and so many more. The Goddess Hectate would eventually leave the realm and chose to transfer her soul into her most devoted follower, Circe. Yet, before she did so, she left her with the following warning:

    Upon the death of witch and the birth of witch, Hecate, by name and choice, shall repossess her soul.

    At one point, she came to realize that Wonder Woman shared the name Diana with Hectate and became worried that she would be the one to usurp this newfound power from her. As such, she set her sights on anyone that could take this power from her. Circe would also come to learn via an Oracle that the daughter of Hippolyta was sure to be her undoing and, after Diana made her presence known following the events of Justice League, she’s just about painted a big target on her back.

     

     

    Wonder Woman 3 needs to go big and embrace the roots of Greek mythology. George Perez‘s work on the character would make for a great template. Let’s imagine the threequel takes us back to Themiscyra. We get introduced to characters like Nubia and Donna Troy. The film reveals that Circe has made her way to Themiscyra with Hectate’s remnant abilities. Arriving on Paradise Island, she controls the Amazons and turns them into the terrifying beasts of Greek Mythology, such as Minotaurs and Harpies. Circe would acquire Hippolytas Golden Girdle of Gaea to ensure a swift and easy takedown of those who oppose her. This event is where I’d like to see Nubia and Donna come into play. We see them set off from the island to find Diana, as she would be their last hope to save the island from the hell that’s it become under Circe.

     

     

    Of course, Circe knew about their plan and let them escape, as she believes she can use them to send Diana to the depths of Tartarus. That way, Wonder Woman would no longer pose a threat to her. Throughout the events of the story, Diana makes her return but has to face a great tragedy, her mother, Hippolyta, dies at the hands of Circe. She would face a warrior’s end before her daughter would defeat the sorcerers. After the dust has settled, she would rise to become the new queen of the Amazons. Her rule would open up the Island to the world of man and allow Nubia, Donna, and Diana to act as the ambassadors of their people. It would open up the door for other DC Universe villains, such as fan-favorite Veronica Cale from Greg Rucka‘s Rebirth run. Now that Jenkins’ return has been confirmed, hopefully, the third entry will finish the trilogy by embracing the character’s Greek history and the many characters that donned the title of Wonder Woman.

  • ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Fast-Tracked by Warner Bros.

    ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Fast-Tracked by Warner Bros.

    After numerous delays, fans were finally able to see the next installment in the Wonder Woman franchise. With the return of director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot, we entered a new era of Diana Prince’s life with Wonder Woman 1984. Luckily, it seems fans won’t be on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment much longer. The third film has officially been greenlit with both Jenkins and Gadot set to return. The third entry will conclude the trilogy that started in 2017.

    Warner Bros. announced today that the project has been fast-tracked after an impressive $17 million domestic debut. WW84 even managed to garner $85 million worldwide in its three-day opening weekend. We still don’t know how well it did on HBO Max, but for a sequel to be announced this quickly, it must’ve certainly left an impression. Warner Bro’s chairman Toby Emmerich announced the sequel with the following statement:

    As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able continue her story with our real life Wonder Women – Gal and Patty – who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy

    Wonder Woman 1984 is available in theatres and is available through HBO Max. It is currently the first film in WB’s new digital strategy to offer an alternative to their theatrical release of 2021 via their streaming service. There are no details given on what direction the third entry will be heading into, so it’ll be interesting to see if it will continue to remain in the past or bring Diana’s story to the modern age.

    SOURCE: Variety, Deadline, Twitter