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The New Normal For MCU Solo Movies
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland recently referred to the upcoming third film in the series as, “the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made”. I’m not sure if that’s an accurate statement; the movie is sure to be ambitious, but if the rumors about this film are true it’s hard to think of the movie as a “standalone” picture.

Marvel Studios, like many other franchises, has a tendency to take what fans love about their projects and run with it. Usually they do a better job of it than most; audiences loved the comedy in Guardians of the Galaxy? Let’s bring in more to the other sub-franchises! New markets successfully tapped into with Black Panther and Captain Marvel? Let’s make future content even more diverse and inclusive!

If one aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has stood out above all else, it’s the interconnectivity of it all. The Avengers rocked the world in 2012 and the blockbuster industry has never been the same since. But it was 2016’s Captain America: Civil War that pushed this concept to a whole new level; here was a “Captain America” movie that not only spent nearly equal time focusing on Iron Man, but also featured the majority of the other Earth-based heroes we’d been introduced to in the eight years since the MCU was born, even serving as the introduction to multiple new ones who would soon go on to star in their own solo flicks.

They did something similar in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok. That film didn’t just feature the two Avengers who weren’t present in Civil War, but included a one-scene appearance from Doctor Strange, who’d made his MCU debut in his first solo movie the previous year. Of course, since then, Marvel Studios has put out even more ambitious crossovers (and become even more popular as a franchise) with the third and fourth Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame…and it’s likely that the scale and success of those movies is what has the studio returning to the crossover-in-a-solo-vehicle model for so many Phase 4 projects.

Looking at the film slate alone, at least four of the upcoming solo movies will feature at least one other character who has headlined their own film or Disney+ series:
- The untitled third Spider-Man movie will feature Doctor Strange (and most likely a slew of characters from previous Spidey movie franchises)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will feature Scarlet Witch
- Thor: Love and Thunder will feature (most of) the Guardians of the Galaxy
- Captain Marvel 2 will feature Ms. Marvel
And that’s not even counting characters who have made major appearances in other franchises, like Monica Rambeau, or may do so in the future, like Miss America. It’s pretty obvious that this style of team-up has become the norm for MCU solo movies…or more specifically, MCU solo sequels.

All of the films on the above list will be either the second, third, or fourth solo outing for the characters in question. While we haven’t seen any promotional clips from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or Eternals quite yet, both of those films seem to be relatively insular, without a lot of huge nods to previous MCU projects, at least not on the level of the ones listed above.

This is, potentially, very telling of how Marvel Studios plans to balance maintaining audience interest while still being able to bring in new fans, and is likely why the goal seems to be for Marvel Studios to introduce at least one new franchise per year. It appears to be a safe bet that new solo movies starring characters who have yet to have one will be the prime “entry points” for those new to the MCU. Even heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panthers who made their MCU debuts in someone else’s movie had solo films that could be understood by newcomers, though the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts engagement stuff at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming may have been a bit weird for those not “in the know”.

And once a new hero’s first outing has hooked in those new fans? Anything is fair game. They’re free (at the studio’s discretion) to be crossed over with seemingly any other character and appear in pretty much any MCU project going forward. There isn’t really a safety net of a middle area to bridge the two together, it’s zero-to-100.

We’ve seen this work out when it comes to a singular medium (think of the people who saw Black Panther as their first Marvel movie and a few months later cheered when Wakanda was first shown in Avengers: Infinity War) but it might be trickier to achieve when working across multiple mediums. I have a feeling Marvel’s plan there is to not worry about having to hand-hold the audience when it comes to the Disney+ stuff, except for when introducing a new character; however, they’ll probably be willing to play catch-up for said projects in the movies when need be, the assumption being everyone watching the Disney+ series has seen the films, but the same might not be true the other way around.

This is probably why the scene of Sam Wilson being given the Captain America shield was included in Avengers: Endgame; even though he’s not technically “Captain America” right now, he more than likely will be by the end of the series, and this scene gives the movie-only viewers the context needed to understand why he’ll have taken on the mantle in later big-screen projects. Disney+ debut characters like Ms. Marvel will probably require a bit more catch-up work when they debut in films, but Marvel surely has a plan for this and things will hopefully go smoothly in that regard.

So there we go. There will probably be three “tiers” of MCU movies going forward: solo debuts largely focusing on a single character (or “always-together” group like the Guardians), “solo” sequels featuring team-ups between a few major heroes, and Avengers-level events. Sequels used to be more on a similar level to debut films, but after several aforementioned Phase 3 projects and a wider gap in time between Avengers movies than fans have grown accustomed to, Marvel knows that typical comic book movies aren’t always going to cut it anymore: now that fans have gotten a taste of what’s possible in terms of interaction between their favorite superheroes, they want more. And thus, the bar for “regular” has been raised.
February 7, 2021
Sony Eyeing Keanu Reeves for Unspecified Role in ‘KRAVEN THE HUNTER’

The Hunt Begins.

Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter. A fierce huntsman from Russia and one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes in his comic book history. He prides himself on the thrill of the hunt and is quite the honorable villain when compared to the rest of Spidey’s rogue gallery. By now, you might have heard that Sony Pictures is moving forward with the production of a solo spin-off film for the famed hunter, set in their own cinematic universe: Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (or SPUMC for short). J.C. Chandor was brought on to direct the film last August so now the question remains as to whom Sony might be considering for the role of the Russian antagonist. And it seems they’ve got their sights set on closing in with a certain boogeyman to fill his shoes.

That’s right. Keanu Reeves is apparently being eyed by Sony Pictures for a role in the film. The rumor comes from DeuxMoi’s Instagram story, seen here below. Unfortunately, there is no information about whether they are looking at Reeves for Kraven or another character.

Sony's looking to have Keanu Reeves star in Kraven the Spider-Man spin-off 👁 Doesn't say if he's meant to be Kraven or another character.

Source: @deuxmoiworld

Note: Take things like this with a pinch of salt.#Marvel #Sony #Spiderman pic.twitter.com/5iWQ6e6U6y

— Thiccschach (@BlindWanda) February 6, 2021

At this point, it almost feels like a joke with people fan-casting nearly every character with either Keanu Reeves or Tom Holland, but picking Reeves for the role of Kraven the Hunter would be an interesting choice. We’ve already come to expect the type of range Keanu can provide in terms of his acting skills, and with his recent roles in the John Wick franchise, it seems that he might be quite the fit to play Sergei Kravinoff, should that be the role in question.

February 7, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’: The Theory of Knowing Nothing

Spoiler Warning ahead for Episode 4

For years, people on the internet have gone out of their way to make theories and speculations about the upcoming MCU films and for a time, people started to get a sense of the direction that Marvel Studios wanted to take these films in. Albeit being by reading the source material the films base themselves on, seeing set pictures, breaking down trailers and clips frame by frame. These are all standard things fans and writers do when they try to unravel the mystery behind any project. I include myself in the list of people who spend their time trying to piece together a story based on these facts. And it would help me predict many plot points from previous MCU projects at the time. But WandaVision truly is a challenge to many theorists. Mainly because Marvel has broken its standard formula and genuinely surprises us each week with every episode that comes up. And Marvel truly wasn’t lying when they said “We just don’t know what to expect.”

The mind of a theorist can be truly interesting at times. For example, when watching the first minute of the 4th episode and seeing Monica “return”, I thought of a number of different theories in a span of a minute. At first, I thought we were following the events of what happened after the 3rd episode and that what we saw was just Monica’s mind coming back after being “Geraldine” in Westview for so long. Then I thought that what was happening was that Monica had actually obtained her powers and didn’t know how to control them. As we cut to the hospital room, my theories started to fall apart as I realized that we were back at the time of Avengers: Endgame, when the snapped or “blipped” were brought back by Bruce Banner. What happened there was a brilliant example of what happened to everyone who had been theorizing about WandaVision and the direction this show will take. And it did a brilliant job of changing up the script on all of us.

There’s a scene in Episode 4 where pretty much every single theorist gave a collective sigh as they had to erase everything they thought they knew about WandaVision and start from scratch. And you can tell Marvel had a lot of fun making that episode as a lot of us could potentially relate to being in S.W.O.R.D.’s position. When S.W.O.R.D. started identifying the people in Westview and revealed0 that they were just “cast” in Wanda’s reality, so many theories about this show just collectively went out the window. Herb as the High Evolutionary, The Harts being amalgamations or demons that are after Wanda’s children, Phil Jones, and the possibility of Arcanna Jones appearing in this series. The point being that Marvel really flipped the script on us by making us think that we know everything when in reality, we practically are still in the dark about this show, and every episode introduces a new aspect that leaves fans just buzzing with new ideas. “What happened to the beekeeper after Wanda said no? Who is censoring the broadcast of what’s happening in Westview? Why is it even being broadcast in the first place? Is Wanda literally imagining all of this happening with Vision’s dead corpse?” And that’s just from this last episode alone.

This is why WandaVision is so interesting in the first place. We’ve grown used to expecting big Marvel fight scenes and straightforward stories in the films. But by having a story like WandaVision play out as it does, it allows fans to make theories and try to look back at what the big mystery of the show truly is, only to realize that most of what they thought they knew was wrong. Having scenes like the ones where S.W.O.R.D. is at the command center watching the first episode of WandaVision as if they were us really allows for fans to have more of a connection to the characters of the show and its what keeps bringing back fans for more to try to uncover the mystery of what’s really going on in WandaVision. So maybe, in this new phase of the MCU, Marvel’s new plan isn’t really to follow the same ol’ strategy, but rather explore the universe it’s established with new characters and different storytelling formats that could make the films and shows less predictable.

February 4, 2021
Theory Thursday: Ding Dong! Guess Who?

Small Spoilers for Episode 4 and Potential Spoilers for Episode 5

Last week’s episode blew the mystery of behind Westview wide open. A barrier that transforms things that go in it into “TV-friendly” props or people. A sitcom starring two Avengers. The town of WestView being cast in this sitcom as other people. Something clearly wrong with Vision, but it’s going over my head. And Wanda at the center of it all. Thanks to *DR.* Darcy Lewis (put some respect on her name), we know that the town of Westview is emitting a high level of CMBR, aka Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. For those of you not familiar with the term, Director of S.W.O.R.D. later referred to the term as “relic radiation dating to the big bang.” If are unfamiliar with the term, then perhaps you’ll remember a certain Collector talk about how “before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots…” Yes, I’m talking about the Infinity Stones, particularly the Mind Stone, which is the stone that “activated” Wanda’s abilities, as per the Wakanda Files. If Wanda is indeed doing this, then Wanda’s abilities are clearly going beyond anything that we’ve seen previously in the MCU and it seems she’ll only grow more and more powerful, which leads me to today’s theory.

The 80s episode looks like things will go wild.

Amongst fans, the 80’s episode is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated episodes because collectively, it’s perhaps one of the sitcom episodes with the least amount of footage shown in the trailers. And the little amount we’ve seen seems crazy. Wanda and Vision tending to their newborn children, Agnes popping in for a visit, the possible first look at the family dog, Sparky, and what looks like Wanda and Vision having a somewhat heated argument that escalates to the use of their powers. A possible foreshadowing of Wanda and Vision facing each other later on as the series progresses? Apart from all that, there’s a certain scene that’s really interesting to me.

In the scene depicted above, Wanda is opening the door to someone and she has a bit of a stricken look on her face. Marvel included that scene in a recent promotion called “Triumph.” It appears right after Vision says “Did you really not see what I just saw?” This line carries a double meaning because the intent of that line is to make us focus on this scene in particular, but it’s actually a misdirect from the scene where Wanda and Vision are with Agnes and she asks if they should take it from the top and starts acting weird around them. So, who could Wanda be opening the door to? Let’s discuss that.

It’s NOT Agnes

I want to kick off this theory straight off the bat by saying that I don’t think it’s Agnes. We can see Agnes visiting Wanda and Vision earlier in the trailer and, in nosy neighbor fashion, lets herself in. So I don’t really see Wanda having the need to open the door for this neighbor in particular.

It could be whoever Evan Peters is playing.

We know from way back that Charles talked about Evan Peters having a mystery role in the show. Now, what character he could play is the million-dollar question. The most prevalent theory at the moment is that Peters could be portraying Wanda’s deceased brother, Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver. Peters is no stranger to the role, given that he already portrayed Quicksilver before in the X-Men Fox franchise. I suspect that his arrival to the show was foreshadowed in Episode 3 when Wanda talked about Pietro and sang that lullaby. Could she have wished him into the reality? Time will tell, but having him appear as Wanda’s brother could be quite the surprise, given that it might be a complete recast of the character, who was previously portrayed by Aaron Taylor Johnson in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Others believe that Peters could be portraying whomever the antagonist of this series is, whether it’s Mephisto or Nightmare.

It could be James Spader as Human Ultron.

This more of a personal wish, but I’d love to see more of James Spader as Ultron in the MCU. Just imagine the shock on Wanda’s face seeing some random stranger at her home, not recognizing him and the moment he opens his mouth and speaks, she recognizes his voice, having her flashback to her trauma during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. I still wanted to include it here as a possible appearance. Though I did want to share a more likely theory for Ultron’s possible appearance in WandaVision in a totally different manner via one of the commercials that appears during the sitcoms. A theory our fellow writer Lizzie Hill shared is that we could have Ultron appear in a possible toy robot commercial and he speaks quotes from his previous appearance. Imagine your kid playing with a robot that sings “I had strings, but now I’m free. There are no strings on me…” or says “I was designed to save the world.” That toy robot may have already made his appearance during the trailers as seen below. Look inside the basket.

Of course, Marvel does enjoy playing its game with us and it could potentially be nothing just to keep up guessing. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens when WandaVision‘s newest episode airs tomorrow on Disney+.

February 4, 2021
Don Cheadle Reveals ‘Armor Wars’ Eyeing Next Month to Start Writing Scripts

With all the projects Marvel Studios has announced lately, it’s kind of hard to keep track of everything that’s coming in the next few years for the MCU. There are a few standouts that are still in the early stages of development, we’ve been anxiously waiting for some kind of update. Luckily, that day has come, as Armor Wars star Don Cheadle has offered an update in a recent interview with BroBible. He will reprise the role of James Rhodes, who has to face Tony Stark’s biggest nightmare. At some point, his tech seems to have gotten into the wrong hands, which could connect to Falcon and the Winter Soldier for which he confirmed an appearance in the same interview. While the show doesn’t have an official release date yet, it seems that they are aiming for March to start writing the scripts.

He also offers a little insight into what we can expect in Rhodey’s journey moving ahead past the events of Endgame.

Where we’ve been sort of progressing Rhodey—even in the last film where he’s now up again and he’s now walking again and he’s now mobile again—so as the technology continues to develop and we keep making innovations in the suit and what happens, I imagine there’s gonna be another elevation and another way that we’re going to keep digging into that part of Rhodey.

Of course, a story focused on the iconic Armor War storyline will have some connection to Tony Stark. There is also the confirmed series focused on Ironheart that may have a larger role moving forward. We could expect some kind of news on the head writer in the coming month. There are still a lot of different aspects we have yet to explore within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially after the events of the Blip. WandaVision gave us a small glimpse of how it might continue being an important factor in the story moving forward, so the five-year gap could’ve also given many of Tony’s enemies a chance to upgrade. It seems that Tony’s prediction in Iron Man 2 on when they might catch up has finally come true.

Source: BroBible

February 3, 2021
REPORT: Variety Teases ‘Spider-Man 3’s Setup is Similar to ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’

Spider-Man‘s third Marvel Cinematic Universe entry is a mystery to many. The story is set to take place directly after Spider-Man: Far From Home. In that film, Mysterio exposed Peter Parker’s secret identity to the public and made him a wanted man. It seems that we might get some answers sooner rather than later. In a recent report by Variety, they were listing the most anticipated performances for 2021. In it, Tom Holland was particularly highlighted for the upcoming untitled Spider-Man threequel.

In it, they highlight that the setup and execution of the upcoming film will be quite similar to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which would continue solidifying the Multiverse storyline the casting news is suggesting. They don’t give away anything but do tease that their upcoming Variety Awards Circuit podcast on February 4th will include some teases and what we can expect from the project.

The film will see the return of director Jon Watts before he tackles the upcoming Fantastic 4 project based on a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. In their report, they do highlight once again that Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina are set to appear in the film. They will most likely reprise their respective roles from previous films. Now, the events in WandaVision may become the cause for how the story starts exploring a live-action Into the Spider-Verse storyline. Either way, fans will just have to wait and see what Sony and Marvel have up their sleeves when this film drops in December 2021.

Source: Variety

January 30, 2021
Where ‘WANDAVISION’ Soared – and Slipped – In Paying Tribute to the 70s

This week’s installment of WandaVision took us to another decade as the story was set in the fully-colored sitcom world of the 1970s. The transition from the black-and-white palette of the two premiere day episodes to this comparative rainbow of an aesthetic was far from the only change in the manner the decade of choice’s sitcom elements played into, though, so let’s take a look at how WandaVision tackled the era of the Third Great Awakening.

Now in Color

I’ve already mentioned how this episode was the first time during the series in which we saw color other than the credits and ending of Episode 2. I appreciated that the palette of the 1970s was different from the one for the scene we saw at the end of the 1960s. That one was more muted with lots of neutrals like white, beige, and plenty of shades of brown, with only the colors seen on the characters and their clothing really popping out (most notably, the purple of Vision skin and the red of Wanda’s lips and clothing).

Conversely, the 1970s is full of bright hues from Wanda’s multicolored striped number to many of the walls in the house. However, what I appreciated about this was that the designers went with colors that were particularly big in that decade, with plenty of yellows and oranges abound, as well as some darker greens and lighter blues. Here’s hoping that now that the show is in color, these deliberate palette decisions will continue every week to match the era.

A Less Derivative Approach

Aesthetically, the episode does a bang-up job at capturing the 1970s, especially the hairstyles and aforementioned color choices. When it comes to the area of sitcom-specific material, though, the episode is pretty light on that compared to the first two. A lot of Marvel fans have been waiting for more emphasis on the action and mystery elements of WandaVision, and while we got that this week the majority of the show was still rooted in the sitcom antics but didn’t feel like it was supposed to be paying homage to other shows for the most part.

There are only two very obvious references to specific shows here: the house inspired by The Brady Bunch (which isn’t quite an exact recreation but it’s clear that an homage to the show is what they’re going for) and the theme song similar to The Partridge Family’s “Come on Get Happy”, which can actually be heard in Marvel’s own Ant-Man and the Wasp. Unlike the previous two episodes it’s mostly just the music that’s similar; since the entire Partridge Family opening sequence consists of animation and stylized photos the only specific visual emulated in this opener is The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s sprawl of colored copies of the program’s name before transitioning into live-action footage.

Unlike the first two decades, there’s no specific episode of a classic 70’s series like The Brady Bunch or The Jeffersons I could point to as the inspiration for this episode’s storyline. It seems like it’s almost supposed to be an homage to pregnancy and childbirth storylines, which have been present on sitcoms ever since their inception (though this episode is far enough along into the decades to allow the characters to acknowledge the pregnancy directly without having to dance around it with terms like “expecting” like they did back in the 1950s). I think this is actually a better method as it allows WandaVision to carve out its own identity rather than present itself as simply a tribute to old shows, but to do this after two episodes with more specific references makes this one feel as if there’s just a little something missing and I wish they would have just gone their own way a bit more from the get-go.

The Dilemma of The Decade

As I said, I appreciate the show going its own way with this episode but I think part of the way the sitcom elements contribute to the overall story is each potentially highlighting or offsetting a certain mood or attitude present in its episode. Ideally, this wouldn’t be directly lifting a story from a sitcom episode from that era, more like how the “wholesome” 1950s showcased Wanda and Vision’s innocence to the whole situation, and the changing attitudes of the 1960s taking the episode from silly fun to giving us (and the characters) a bit more of a hint as to the overall plot; the beds moving together and color being added to this world is intercut with clues as to what might really be going on.

This sort of thing isn’t really present in the 70’s episode, but the creators were probably in a tough spot here. The sitcom eras naturally have to go in order (at least for now, since it appears Wanda will discover the ability to mix them up at some point as showcased by some of the trailers) so the birth of the babies had to happen now. But unlike the decades before and after it, the 1970s didn’t really have a lot of iconic sitcoms with babies in them, even ones focusing on family dynamics like the aforementioned Brady Bunch and Partridge Family.

Women had also gained many opportunities in the working world by this point (which was nodded to in this week’s WandaVision via Geraldine telling a story about her job promotion) and things like divorce and single-parenthood were much less taboo. Therefore, a lot of the most popular shows of the era were workplace sitcoms like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, politically charged ones like All in the Family and Maude, or shows featuring non-nuclear family living situations like Diff’rent Strokes, Three’s Company, or The Odd Couple. So it’s understandable why the episode’s storyline doesn’t utilize a lot of 70s-based tropes, as they didn’t really fit with the whole childbirth plot.

Hopefully, WandaVision will be able to find a nice balance between paying homage to shows of the past, telling its own story, and including more creepy and mysterious elements in its remaining three sitcom era-based episodes.

January 27, 2021
How ‘WandaVision’ and the Mind Stone Could Set Up the MCU’s Future

Like a lot of MCU fans, for some time I’ve been trying to figure out what is going on in WandaVision. Where’s this series heading? What’s Wanda’s state of mind? Who is the villain of the show? How will this lead into Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness? How exactly is Vision alive? Is he alive? How will Monica get her powers? What will happen in the last big final battle? How might mutants figure into this show, if at all? And how can everything fit together to make a coherent story?

Possible major spoilers for WandaVision below!

To be clear, the following is based on my own speculation, based on trailers and such that is already out there, not insider information. That being said, after a lot of thought about a lot of things WandaVision, I believe I’ve figured out one key piece to the puzzle. I believe Wanda will attempt to recreate the Mind Stone in the hopes of making her fantasy life with Vision and her children a reality. This will very, unfortunately, backfire on her, in spectacular fashion, as is seen in some WandaVision trailers. The destruction of this Mind Stone will likely create the mess that awaits Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, may open a door for Billy and Tommy and maybe even Papa Vision to survive the series, could tie into Monica gaining powers, and quite conceivably could inadvertently lead to the creation of more mutants. The latter making Wanda Maximoff, in a way, the mother of all mutants. Kevin Feige really does love Wanda, doesn’t he?

You may have some questions about how I came to these conclusions, so if you’re curious, please read on…

As I mentioned, I’ve been mulling over many aspects of WandaVision for a while now. Utmost in my mind was: How is Vision alive? Is he really alive or her imagination? Is he of his own free will or not? In regards to the last question, there are lots of hints and clues within the show so far, pointing both to Vision having some free will within the sitcom fantasy, and to him being under Wanda’s control. His restraint was shown during their dinner with the Harts, his looking to Wanda for her okay to help, when Mr. Hart was clearly in danger of choking to death, being chief among them. As I mentioned in an article about this last week, we all know if Vision was fully in control he would have helped Mr. Hart right away. Another moment comes up during the third episode, where Vision begins to think something is wrong during his conversation with Agnes and Herb. He is exhibiting free will there, in his curiosity and questioning. This appears to be happening again in other trailer footage of future episodes where he seems to be going on his own and investigating things. Considering Wanda would probably not want him to investigate here, this is a clear indicator of free will. It is possible that in the beginning, he had less free will but as time goes by, and he “reboots” so to speak, he begins to exhibit more of his old self, and his own free will to do things that are not necessarily going to make his beloved Wanda pleased.

I say “reboots” as in, yes I think this is Vision’s body, repaired either by Wanda’s own reality-altering powers or through attempts to bring him back without the Mind Stone. The Mind Stone was not, after all, a requirement of him living, it’s just the fact that it was so viciously ripped from his head that he appeared dead. I believe there is no reason to not think that some of Vision’s programming, the essence of who he was, could still be in that body just awaiting a spark of life to bring him back for real. Certainly, there is no reason to think that Wanda would not believe that as well. This is perhaps why we see her at the SWORD facility. She may have been working with them to try to bring him back to life, only to find they could not, and perhaps taking his remains with her for safekeeping until a solution could be found. So if that theory of mine is correct, this might explain why she’s imagining him alive again, and perhaps using her powers to try to bring him back “online.”

Vision and Wanda were always deeply connected not only through the power of the Mind Stone stuck in Vision’s head but through love. So with all of that in consideration, what if because of her love and grief, Wanda attempts to use her powers to bring Vision back to life, and to some extent succeeds in “rebooting” him? And does so to the extent that his body comes to life again, with his personality, and free will, and love for Wanda very much intact? Wanda and Vision are connected through the Mind Stone’s power, even tho it is no longer lodged in his head, there may be residual energy from it infused his is vibranium imbued body. Wanda’s connection to the Mind Stone may be the one thing she has that can actually save him, through repowering and rebooting. But what if that’s still not enough?

What would Wanda do then? And what about her children with Vision that were born in episode three? What if the outside world threatens them? Because it definitely will. What would Wanda do then? I think everyone knows not to mess with a mother protecting her children, and Wanda is certainly no one to mess with, as Thanos himself learned. So what can she do to protect Vision, her children, and their alternate reality with the likes of Monica and SWORD figuratively and literally knocking at her door? What can she do, how can she protect them, and how does this all lead into Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness?

Some deep thoughts and a rewatch of WandaVision trailers on Youtube later and the solution starred me and Wanda right in the face. Look at that moment in the “Daydream Believer” trailer where Wanda is staring at what appears to be a levitating Mind Stone. One might think it’s a flashback but for the fact that she wouldn’t have seen the yellow stone inside of Loki’s scepter when Hydra was experimenting on her. She appears ragged and distraught, she stares at the seemingly forming stone. It may be a trailer maker’s trick but it seems as if the yellow light and particles and dust are gathering to form the stone in front of her. Then it explodes with a flash, sending Wanda back for a split second in the trailer. It really looks to me as if she’s actually using her powers to form the stone, but she fails and it cracks and explodes in front of her. This is no flashback. It’s her present. If I’m correct about this, there is only one reason why she would attempt to recreate an Infinity Stone, and that’s in a desperate attempt to save Vision and her children.

The Mind Stone appears to form right before Wanda’s and our eyes in the second WandaVision trailer.

Could she even do this? Can she actually form an Infinity Stone? Her stans often refer to her as the “most powerful Avenger” and even Wanda Maximoff superfan Kevin Feige has conceded he thinks she is the strongest Avenger after she nearly took out Thanos in Endgame. That was just because Thanos killed her Vision, she has his kids now. I don’t doubt Wanda will find the strength to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. However, if you can’t quite buy that she could form one with her powers alone, think about this possible route they could take, as set up in Avengers: Endgame. As Thanos pointed out in that film:

Gone. Reduced to atom…. I used the stones to destroy the stones. It nearly killed me, but the work is done.

Technically the Infinity Stones still do exist in the prime MCU timeline, they are merely reduced to dust. Could Wanda, with her very specific and strong connection to the Mind Stone and her incredible powers combined, somehow reach out and pull together the remnants of the Mind Stone from across the universe and form the stone again? Is that an explanation that viewers would accept? I think I would.

It would also prevent the whole issue of having more than one Infinity Stone of the same type in a timeline at once, which I’d think would cause a certain amount of chaos as well. Either way, the Mind Stone exploding, could bring on a catastrophe that creates or opens up various realities, and multiverses among other important, consequential, events for the MCU. Now, I’m aware the stone exploded before, when Wanda destroyed it in Avengers: Infinity War, and nothing seemed to happen as consequence. However, Thanos pushed rewind fairly soon after, so we didn’t really get to see the consequences. Also, some of this might depend on what Wanda’s trying to do with the stone at the time. For instance, if she’s trying to use it to bend reality to the extent that she’s expanding her Westview bubble to encompass the whole world, and the stone explodes due to instability, then that could believably fracture reality, and set up the multiverse for Doctor Strange 2. It may also set up a scenario where Vision, Billy, and Tommy, live beyond the last episode of this series.

In the second WandaVision trailer, the Mind Stone appears to explode in front of Wanda.

Lastly, a note on Mutants and possibly Monica as well. Depending on what exactly Monica and S.W.O.R.D. are up to during the course of the series, it’s possible that Monica gains her powers as a result of the explosion of the Mind Stone, or equally likely as a way to try to combat a certain “scarlet witch” who is angry, protective, and not willing to just talk things out.

As for Mutants, and how they could come into the MCU here, I believe that the effects of the Mind Stone exploding could provide a suitable explanation. Wanda and Pietro are mutants in the comics, even if they are not yet referred to as that in the MCU. Ultron commented in Avengers: Age of Ultron, that they were the only ones who survived Strucker’s experiments with the Mind Stone. There’s been some debate for a while why that was, and whether or not the Maximoff twins were in fact Mutants (even if they weren’t calling them that). It’s long been speculated that the Mind Stone triggered latent abilities in the twins which may be connected to their mutation. This would explain why the twins don’t have the same powers. More recently, I’ve seen many speculate that the HYDRA soak, commercial in the third episode might be a hint at this as well. The “Release the Goddess within” catchphrase is a pretty strong wink to the idea that the Hydra experiments on the twins with the Mind Stone are what unlocked the twin’s latent abilities.

This line of thinking about the twins and the effects of the Mind Stone on them certainly makes the how and why Wanda might “create mutants” much clearer. This notion that Wanda might somehow create Mutants has been around for a while now. How and why has been more difficult to answer. It occurred to me that if exposure to the Mind Stone brought out Pietro and Wanda’s mutant powers, then it would do the same for other Mutants that have not had their powers activated yet.

My first thought was that perhaps Wanda tries to expand her fantasy world’s bubble to encompass the world, and exposure to her powers triggers other mutants. It’s certainly one possible scenario. But then I realized that Wanda may actually be attempting to form a Mind Stone and use it to protect her family. With the Mind Stone exploding in front of her, it appears she was unsuccessful. Now, what if the Mind Stone explosion lets loose a shock wave of the Infinity Stone’s energy throughout the world, and this energy triggers mutant genes in certain humans? What if that’s the last thing we see evidence of during WandaVision? That would be a pretty mind-blowing result and an incredibly exciting note the end WandaVision on, right? And something I think I could and would like to see happening. We shall see.

Source: Youtube

January 27, 2021
REPORT: Disney May Consider a Hybrid Release for ‘BLACK WIDOW’

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected different industries worldwide. And Hollywood is one of those industries that took a heavy hit. Many of these studios are still holding their films back, with many of them having been delayed into 2021 and are now being pushed even further into 2021 or 2022. As the global film industry loses billions of dollars as months push by and these films keep getting delayed, many have been looking at another approach to distributing such projects for the audience to see in a post-pandemic world. At the beginning of the pandemic, studios seemed to be reluctant to release the movie on a different online platform instead of a theatrical release, making it tough for them to choose the right platform to release their films. But, in times of desperation, more and more studios have started to opt for releasing their films on streaming platforms, some even going as far as making a hybrid option to release their films on theaters and streaming platforms on the same day, at no additional cost. And this has been a heavily debated topic during this past year, some calling the move bold and great for fans of these films, while others seem to think otherwise. Well now, it seems that Disney and Marvel may follow suit with the upcoming release of the Black Widow film.

According to Variety, following the slate shift Walt Disney Studios did last week and seeing how the MCU films were practically left untouched, there exists a strong possibility that Marvel Studios could be considering a hybrid release for the first film of Phase 4: Black Widow. What does this mean? Chances are they’re waiting for the release of Raya and the Last Dragon, due out on March 5th. Raya and the Last Dragon is opting for Disney’s first hybrid release, so to speak, by releasing the film in theaters and via Disney+’s Premier Access service on the same day. Depending on how the film does with that hybrid business model, there is now a real possibility that Black Widow could opt for that option as well. And with the weight that this is a Marvel Studios film, chances are that this film could make some real gains in a post-pandemic world.

The film has already been delayed twice this past year, and in any other normal case, the film could be delayed again no problem. But there is a catch and it is ultimately Marvel’s Achilles heel. By having these “Phases” into check, and by pushing the films further and further back, not only would Black Widow be delayed, but that would cause a domino effect that could shift the entire current MCU Slate back. There have been murmurs that the reasoning behind Black Widow‘s delay is due to the contract clauses that some actors have regarding this film, asking for a theatrical release rather than a full Disney+ Premier Access. So now, with this hybrid release becoming a possibility, there may exist a loophole to these clauses and there is a real chance that we could be seeing this on our devices really soon.

January 26, 2021
Why Kong will Rule after ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’

The long-awaited sequel of Godzilla vs. Kong is only a few months away. And with the trailer that just came out, we cannot wait to see the legendary throwdown between these two iconic monsters. However, the history behind this battle spans multiple decades. It has been an old-age question, and fans have different arguments in favor of their personal favorite. Most people underestimate Kong and speculate that it would be a one-sided battle. Let me brush you up on Kaiju cinematic history if you still think Kong has no chance. It isn’t the first time the two Kaijus are at odds against each other. In Toho’s 1962 film, King Kong vs. Godzilla, it was Kong who stood victorious once Mount Fuji ended. Therefore, calling Godzilla vs. Kong a one-sided battle is a bit premature. Now, let me make the case why I believe Kong will be victorious and become the true king of monsters.

People have been attributing Godzilla’s victory to their size, which is misleading. The last time we saw Kong was during the events of Kong: Skull Island (2017). It took place in 1973, so the big feller was still growing during that time. The trailer confirmed that once we reach Godzilla vs. Kong, we will see a taller and more mature Kong. Although Godzilla has shown better resilience and endurance in his previous films, Kong has the advantage of incredible strength, durability, and long arms. In addition to his speed and skills, he has an upper edge over his competitor.

Godzilla is slow due to his bulky size. In contrast, Kong has more mobility to move around. We’ve seen him demonstrate his flexibility and how he makes short work of enemies with his long arms. He is also able to leap very high, so he can easily dodge any attacks. While Kong and Godzilla are great fighters, Kong gets a competitive edge with his skills to jump over mountains and durable buildings. Moreover, the Toho original has imbued the Kong with the ability to absorb and zap out lightning with his hands that add to his already impressive physical attributes. I do, however, believe that this won’t be adapted in the upcoming film.

We also have to consider their intelligence. It is subjective, but we have seen it in previous films. Godzilla’s fighting still adapts to whoever he is facing. Meanwhile, Kong shows a higher understanding of who his allies are and who isn’t. He also forms strategies and focuses on his enemies’ weak points by utilizing tools to gain an advantage. It just proves that this won’t be as one-sided as people believe it to be, so anyone can win. The important thing to consider here is that they might not kill each other, as Legendary has some big plans for these characters. My point is that Kong is capable of defeating Gojira in a fight. We will have to wait until March 26, when Godzilla vs. Kong drops in theaters and on HBO Max.

January 24, 2021