Murphy's Multiverse

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  • “Spider-Man: Homemade”: A Disney+ Series Pitch

    “Spider-Man: Homemade”: A Disney+ Series Pitch

    So the resident Charles(es) of the Multiverse, Charles M., and Charles V., have this sort of article where they make pitches for projects they’d like to see on screen. They’ve done these types of pitches before for Iron Man 4, Captain America 4 (twice), and so on. I wanted to toss my hat in the ring and bring to the table something that I’ve thought of for a while now. Earlier in the year, I had conducted a study where I asked people what they considered to be “The Best Adaptation of Spider-Man in Mainstream Media”. We asked people multiple questions about it, such as who had the best Peter Parker, the best Spider-Man, the best soundtrack, the best story, and so on. Over 1,700 people had taken part in that poll and when we tallied up the points, these were the top 3 results we obtained:

     

     

    What immediately stood out to me in regards to these results was that people responded better to The Spectacular Spider-Man, the Spider-Man Playstation game, and the 90s animated series than the film incarnations. When you think about it, it makes sense. The common characteristic that these 3 adaptations have in common is that these adaptations were allowed to develop beyond the typical 2-hour time constraint in film.

    So, it got me thinking. The current Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has been a bit divisive when spoken about amongst fans. Some like his portrayal, because of his interactions with the Avengers within the scale of a larger universe. Others find the character relies too much on the likes of Tony Stark and his technology rather than fending for himself. The beauty of Spider-Man as a character is that he alone can have a cinematic universe based on his story and characters. His lore is rich in villains, locations, side-characters, and storylines. Perhaps the best way to adapt these is not in a 2-hour blockbuster, but rather in the form of a live-action Disney+ series.

     

    Adaptation

    Whatever happens after Far From Home and the untitled Spider-Man 3 sequel, chances are Spider-Man will still be around in the MCU. After facing off against world-ending, reality-shattering, Multiverse scale events, it would be nice for the series to explore a more grounded side for Peter in his own little world. So my story would be centered around New York City, and Spider-Man serving as one of its protectors while the rest of the MCU’s heroes are away. Basing the series on a loose adaptation of these classic comic story arcs is pretty much an excellent way to introduce Peter Parker into the next chapter of his life. You’ll get why in a few moments.

     

    Plot

    The introduction is essentially ripped from the source material. Peter is just about to start college at Empire State University. He’s trying to get settled into his new life and we get introduced to new characters that are essential to the Spider-Man lore: his fellow classmates Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. He’ll start to develop a relationship with both of these characters, which will eventually blossom into a trio of best friends.

     

    He was accepted into the university after the admissions board found his achievements with the Stark Internship worthy of an acceptance letter. During his first day of class, he’ll get settled in and meet many of his professors. Some of the more notable names he’ll meet are his biochemistry teacher Dr. Miles Warren (who eventually becomes the Jackal in the comics) along with Dr. Curt Connors (who many might remember as the Lizard). For all intents and purposes of the series, their eventual villain roles will be teased throughout the series, but they will mainly serve as supporting characters and mentor figures to Peter for the time being. He’ll also meet his Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Edward Lansky, who will take an interest in Peter due to his time with the Stark Internship. He’ll give the students a tour of the facilities in which he’ll present the students with a state of the art solar panel system that powers the entire school, in an attempt to reduce the use of electrical generators (and lower the power bill).

    During the first episode of the series, we learn that the Mayor is planning to issue some budget cuts, which would heavily impact the university. Dr. Lansky is attempting to convince the local government not to force cuts onto the university so the staff, nor the students will be laid off. In order to help convince the government that the school requires funds to help with the infrastructure and programs, Dr. Lansky will promote the students to develop a project that can help better the university in a similar way that his project did. This would also help viewers see more of Peter’s inventor side and give it an opportunity to be explored during this series. However, Dr. Lansky knows that there is no possible way to change the Mayor’s mind, so in a move of desperation to save the university, he will get into contact with a very shady individual named Frederick Foswell, who many might recognize as The Big Man. He’ll ask Frederick to carry out some kidnappings on civil servants of the city government and University administration to prevent the budget cuts from happening. In order to do that, The Big Man will hire a small team of career criminals known as The Enforcers to carry out these deeds throughout the show.

    This is where we’ll start to see a bit more of Peter trying to live out the double life and attempt to find the balance between saving the world and saving his reputation amongst his friends, all the while trying to balance his university work and project that Dr. Lansky requested. Seeing how in the upcoming Spider-Man 3 film Peter will have to take on Electro, I would not be surprised if, during that film, he develops a sort of insulator so he could take on the villain. In an homage to that, Peter might find a way to reverse engineer his design so that it doesn’t actually nullify electric currents, but rather a design that is able to absorb not just electricity, but solar and light energy to boost the university’s solar panels capabilities.

    However, as reports of kidnappings and crimes start to rise, it’ll garner the attention of Spider-Man, which will eventually lead to him facing off against the villain group. Seeing as how Spider-Man is interfering in his plans, Lanksy will ask Foswell to take out Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Dr. Edward Lanksy will be working on developing a “secret project”. Eventually, Spider-Man will take down the Enforcers after multiple failed attempts to kidnap the civil servants, but The Big Man manages to escape. Still, Spider-Man is able to follow him and find out who’s behind the kidnappings. This forces Lansky’s hand to see his plan play out to the very end by himself. He uses an experimental suit that he created to take on the masked vigilante. Spider-Man intervenes to foil Lansky’s plan. Unfortunately, after trying to short circuit the suit, his plan backfired and only ended up boosting the experimental suit, transforming Lansky into a being of pure light. He has now become the Lightmaster.

     

     

    As Lightmaster escapes, Peter starts to get frustrated. He starts to lose his sense of responsibility, as he misses classes and avoids the friends he made. There is also a notable absence of Spider-Man for a few days. He feels responsible for the creation of a new villain and it’ll put Peter to question his motivations. As such, he poses the question of whether or not being a hero is something that’s important in an age where the Avengers exist and can handle these things. Meanwhile, Lansky plans his revenge against Spider-Man and the people who have wronged him. Near the end of the series, there will be an event at ESU where the University administrators and the Mayor will be present their new plans for the school. This is the time that Lightmaster decides to exact his revenge by taking the mayor out in the process.

    At the event, his classmates and professors are put into danger during Lightmaster’s attack. When Peter gets wind of what’s happening, he puts his moral dilemma aside for the greater good. The question is, how will he be able to take on a villain which is essentially a being of pure light? At this point, he remembers the project that he was developing at Dr. Lansky’s request and realizes that it might be useful in a fight against the Lightmaster. So, with experimental technology in hand, he takes on his newly created nemesis and tries to figure out a way to defeat him. As the fight develops, Peter remembers the solar panel system that Dr. Lansky developed. If Peter manages to lure him and uses his device to amp up the absorption capabilities of the panel, he might be able to deponer Lightmaster. He lures him to the panels so that Lansky can recklessly shoot his energy at them. As he is now a being of pure energy, he will get absorbed by the device. Unable to stop the panels from absorbing his energy, Lansky eventually dissipates and is held captive within his own creation.

    The series ends on a positive note, with Peter realizing that in a world where heroes face off against greater threats to save the world, it can sometimes leave “the friendly neighborhood” unguarded. So he vows to keep his promise to “fight for the little guy” and defend New York from any dangers that might present themselves in the future.

  • Marvel Studios Multiverse: Who is Mephisto?

    Marvel Studios Multiverse: Who is Mephisto?

    The Lord of Lies. Master of the Realm of Lost Souls. Hell-lord. Simply put, Mephisto is one of the most relevant villains in all of Marvel Comics history and pretty much Evil Incarnate. Mephisto is a being from another dimension and its ruler. “Mephisto’s Realm” poses as a sort of “hell”, or another realm of the dead so to speak. He often tends to pose as Satan but he’s not really “the devil” that people often tend to think, so try not to get those confused.

     

    A little backstory

    Mephisto has existed for nearly hundreds of millions of years and his power rivals and goes beyond that of any magic-user in the comics. He has the ability to alter space and time, possess the souls of those who hand over them willingly, godlike strength and durability, and unlimited ability in the mystic arts. His most unique trait is that Mephisto is known for cutting deals with many of our Marvel heroes. He tends to strike deceptive bargains with beings whose souls are either extremely powerful or exceptionally pure. Those deals usually tend to backfire or hurt the heroes in some shape or form, even binding someone’s soul to another demon to create the hellish Ghost Rider.

     

    His ultimate desire is to capture as many living souls as possible to dominate the world. His most famous rivalry is that with the Silver Surfer, as he considers his soul the purest of them all and has repeatedly tried to claim it. He’s also gone toe to toe in the comics with the likes of Thor, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Scarlet Witch, and so on.

    Mephisto is surely bound to make his appearance in the MCU at some point. The question is when?

    Rumors and speculations of Mephisto appearing in the MCU have grown over the past few days, with the appearance of a devil creature in a stained glass window, and many suspect that it may be Mephisto being depicted on that glass design. While I believe that Marvel could be teasing the character in this shot, I suspect that Mephisto may play a bigger role than we realize in this phase of the MCU, particularly an arc of this phase which I dubbed “the Multiverse Arc.” Now, I’ll be explaining later on in another article what I suspect Multiverse Arc to be, but simply put, a character with such an interesting backstory, powers, and repertoire such as Mephisto has to take his time to be built up, so I suspect that Mephisto might be appearing in a number of Phase 4 projects and a lot of these projects have very deep ties to Mephisto.

     

    WandaVision (2021)

    WandaVision definitely could have the seeds for Mephisto’s first appearance in the MCU. In the comics, Wanda aka The Scarlet Witch used fragments of Mephisto’s soul so she could conceive her children; Billy and Tommy aka Wiccan and Speed. When Mephisto came to reclaim the fragments of his soul (and by consequence, remove her kids from existence), Wanda went insane, which resulted in her altering all reality. The events of this comic precede those of House of M, a storyline that is very well known and is expected to be adapted in WandaVision. Our very own Joseph Aberl actually presented the theory that we may have already gotten our first look at Mephisto in the WandaVision trailer, in the form of a certain ominous beekeeper. So check that out if you haven’t already.

     

    Loki (2021)

    The idea of the God of Mischief facing off against the Lord of Lies definitely is an interesting one, to say the least. Both of these characters have such similar qualities that in the end, the only thing that could differentiate them is their morals, where Loki may indeed have a set of beliefs while Mephisto has none. There are a lot of fans who speculate Mephisto could make his appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series. This is due to the tease of a devil creature in a stained glass window that we saw earlier in the article. There is a connection to the comics between Loki and Mephisto where Loki intervened with Sigurd the Everglorious to avoid having him be trapped in Mephisto’s Realm forever, so it’s interesting to see whether we’ll see that play out or if we’re setting up something else entirely.

    Spider-Man 3 (2021)

    Once again, Joseph Aberl presented another potential way for Mephisto to make his presence known in the MCU, and that’s through a loose adaptation of One More Day. To quote Joseph on what exactly happened during that comic; “One More Day may play a small part in the story. Plus, the whole point of the original was that Mephisto made a deal with Peter. He took off his mask in front of the world during the Civil War storyline. It ended up getting Aunt May shot in the process. It came at the cost of his marriage to Mary Jane. MJ also makes sure that Peter’s identity would remain a secret.” We all know that Spider-Man’s identity was pretty much exposed at the end of Far From Home and with everything confirmed and rumored to be happening in this film, adding in Mephisto seems like a bit of a stretch, but it’s entirely possible to have the dealmaker appear for a short cameo in the series and offer Peter the opportunity to fix everything, but Strange may advise against it due to the nature of Mephisto.

     

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

    Stephen Strange and Mephisto have gone tow to toe many times in the comics. Both are incredibly powerful in the mystic arts and their abilities rival each other. The most recent encounter was in Doctor Strange: Damnation, where Doctor Strange travels to Las Vegas to resurrect the people that died there during the events of Secret Empire, but Mephisto had already gotten there first and took many of those souls, including some heroes’ souls and turned them into Ghost-Rider like creatures. Seeing Mephisto take on Doctor Strange in this film would truly be an antagonist worthy of the Multiverse scale this film is trying to set up and a worthy successor to Dormammu’s appearance in Doctor Strange (2016).

     

    Would you like to see Marvel’s Devil make his appearance in the MCU?

  • Marvel Studios Reveals New “Legends” Disney+ Series

    Marvel Studios Reveals New “Legends” Disney+ Series

    Looks like Marvel isn’t done just yet.

     

    Fresh off their massive panel from Disney’s Investor Day last Thursday, with dozens of new shows and projects in development, it looks like we’re also getting one more additional new series for Disney+. In an official tweet, they revealed Marvel Studios: Legends, which will recap the most iconic moments from various character’s history in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We can also expect the show to be added soon, as it is slated for a January 8th release with two episodes.

    Based on the description, it seems that this is going to be a highlight reel for the MCU characters. It could also showcase their comics origins, the MCU adaptation, their journey across the Infinity Saga thus far, and what the future might hold for them. Since the first two episodes are about Wanda and Vision just a few days before the premiere of WandaVision, Marvel’s strategy for this could be that it acts as a quick recap for those catching up on the franchise’s 10+ year history.

    So, there is a good chance that we can expect the next episodes to focus on Falcon, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Loki, and Hawkeye. They could also use this to highlight characters connected to newer introductions, such as Carol Danvers getting featured shortly before Ms. Marvel airs. We have no exact info on the format or length of these episodes, but they probably are kept short going over the character’s biggest moments. We will find out more once the first two episodes air next year on January 8th.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    “You better be ready.”

    Last Thursday, Disney held its annual Investor’s Day. This year, because of the pandemic, they were forced to shift their event to a virtual format somewhat similar to that of DC Fandome. Among the event’s presenters were Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, Pixar, Hulu, and others. But by far, the heavy hitter of the night was Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige took to the virtual stage to give us an update at Phase 4, announcing new shows, providing us with a more updated look at the Phase 4 slate, and a handful of trailers for the upcoming Disney+ shows. One of those trailers was an exclusive clip for the upcoming show, Loki, coming May 2021.

    Now during the trailer, we were treated to a number of cool shots with the God of Mischief and some new characters, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the three floating heads behind her, but the most ominous figure came in the form of this hooded individual

    We can assume that whoever is behind that hood might be the antagonist (or at least one of them) for this show. Because his/her identity is kept hidden in this shot, you can’t really tell who this person is, unless you tend to look deeper into the frames of this trailer. So let’s break it down piece by piece to see what we find.

    Piece #1: The boots

    Now let’s rewind the clip for a bit. The frame you see above is a frame that comes just 2 shots before the main thumbnail in the image. This is when the hooded figure drops the lamp and sets the grass ablaze. Notice that for a split second, you can see the left boot of the individual on the left-hand side of the image. The person seems to be wearing some sort of high-top lace-up military boot. Keep that in mind as we go on with our analysis.

    Piece #2: The fingerless gloves

    This is a brightened up version of the shot where the individual is putting his/her hands down. The attempt was to see if we could identify the person’s face, but alas we could not. Yet not all was failed because we noticed one big detail in this shot. Notice the fingerless cloth gloves on the person’s hand. This is a big clue. Because the use of the fingerless gloves and the boots are very important indicators as to who this character is, or at the very least the actress portraying this character.

    The Hooded Figure is Sophia Di Martino’s character.

    Didn’t see that one coming did ya? Well, it’s very easy to identify thanks to the set pictures from JustJared. As you can observe in the picture I linked, you can see Sophia Di Martino’s costume, where she is wearing the exact same boot model, the fingerless gloves, and even the same baggy pants for good measure. What exactly her role in the show will be as of yet remains unclear. However, some people have speculated that she may be portraying a female version of Loki due to the similarity her costume has to the God of Mischief.

    Loki premieres exclusively on Disney+ this coming May 2020.

  • What To Expect from Disney’s Investor Day

    What To Expect from Disney’s Investor Day

    Disney’s Investor Day will be held virtually this year on December 10th, 2020.

    2020 has been quite an unconventional year, to say the least. Especially if you’re a big Hollywood studio. Movies and movie studios have taken a heavy hit this year with the pandemic forcing theaters worldwide to shut down. As time went on, some studios tried to return to a sense of normality by reopening some theaters and distributing their movies there. Others adapted and tried a more “direct-to-streaming” PVoD approach with their films. But no matter the case, it’s forced some studios to delay their projects and production slates. But now, we’ll able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as the Walt Disney Company will hold its virtual Investor Day tomorrow.

     

    What exactly goes down on Investor Day?

    Disney’s Investor Day is this particular event where Disney gathers its assets and fellow production companies to discuss their current status and what’s ahead for the company either next year (2021) or in the foreseeable future. Now last year, Disney focused its Investor Day on its “Comprehensive Direct-to-Consumer Strategy”, giving presentations for Disney+, Hulu, Hotstar, ESPN+ and of course, they also discussed how Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic fit into their program at the time. That presentation lasted for about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This year, it is expected that they will follow suit to last year and discuss the future of Disney+ in a presentation that is expected to last a total of 4 hours. Deadline has also confirmed that they will announce “new projects from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar that will encompass TV as well as theatrical.”

    Expect “Expansion”

    We can expect Disney to shed some light on exactly how well the streaming platform did for its first year of service since debuting on November 12th last year. As of September of 2020, Disney+ had gained a net total of 73.7 million subscribers, and that number is before Disney+ was made available in Latin America, so we expect that number of subscribers to grow by the time the event rolls around tomorrow. Not only that, but we can also expect Disney+ to make some expansion announcements tomorrow, specifically to Southeast Asia. Twitter User @DrewsClues found this very interesting information, with Disney making a search in Southeast Asia, hiring personnel for Disney+ in Southeast Asia.

    https://twitter.com/drewsclues/status/1335442360667426817?s=21

     

    Expect some shifts from Disney’s theatrical slate.

    We might see Disney officially confirm projects that were originally slated to release in theaters shift to Disney+. Some of those projects include the likes of Cruella, and the live-action remakes of Peter Pan and Pinocchio.

    We may also hear announcements of possible Disney live-action remakes that may be making our way to the big screen soon, as well as possible announcements to future Disney+ original shows. Speaking of Disney+…

    Expect more details on ‘premier access’

    We all know of Disney’s experiment with Mulan and Premier Access from way back when in September and it seems the experiment really took off. Let’s take a look at what Bob Iger had to say regarding Premier Access during their Q4 2020 Earnings Results Webcast back in November:

    Based off on what we’re reading, it seems that those ideas of Premier Access being a “one-off” are certainly untrue and that we can expect more titles to be released on Premier Access. However, I find it possible that Disney might consider reducing the price tag on the films they might release under their platform considering the reception Mulan received. Now, what titles could Disney release under the brand? There’s a number of potential candidates that could be released via this format as a way to compete with Warner’s decision to push their entire 2021 slate to HBO Max.

    Expect the announcement of ‘Disney+ Star’

    Joseph Aberl could probably tell you more about this project than I can but one of the most exciting parts of this upcoming Investor Day is the announcement of a new section in Disney+ called “Disney+ Star.” Now, Disney+ Star is rumored to essentially be a section of Disney+ that’s more focused on adult content and that it will require a pin code to access such content. We might see the addition of films from some of the companies Disney managed to purchase in recent years such as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, A&E, and more. To read more on that, feel free to check out Joseph’s article on Disney+ Star.

     

    Expect announcements/trailers from Marvel Studios

    As we mentioned earlier in the article, Deadline confirmed that we can expect announcements regarding new projects from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar that will encompass TV as well as theatrical. So let’s start with Marvel Studios. Right now, Marvel Studios has been extremely silent and rightfully so. It is the first time since 2009 that we go an entire year without a Marvel Studios production. The entire Phase 4 slate has seen a bit of mix up these past few months, with a lot of projects currently left up in the air without an official date. Now that the pandemic is starting to lift the pressure off studios and we see the light at the end of the tunnel, with the rollout of vaccines across the world, it might be a good time for Marvel to set some of its dates in stone.

    1. We’ll see a new Phase 4 slate (Extremely Likely)

    As of today, these are ALL of the projects Marvel Studios has OFFICIALLY announced, and before the pandemic, most of their production and premiere dates were all set in stone. But since the pandemic, a lot of these projects were forced to delay their releases, with no official dates in sight outside of WandaVision, which premieres on January 15th, and Black Widow which premieres in May. Notice how originally, Black Widow was meant to kick off Phase 4 but with the pandemic forcing its delay, it pushed WandaVision to the front of the line. We may expect to see some new dates set for these films and perhaps a slight shift here and there.

     

    2. We’ll get our first looks at some of the upcoming Disney+ shows (Likely)

    With WandaVision set to debut on January 15th, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Loki finally having completed filming, and the animated What If? show well into nonstop production since its announcement, 2021 is completely stacked in terms of Marvel Studios content for Disney+ shows. Now that nearly all of these projects are pretty much completed in production it might be a good time to present investors (and fans) with another trailer for the upcoming WandaVision show. We believe that Marvel has been setting up a sort of countdown in these past few days with some posters for WandaVision so be sure to check out that theory piece. It’ll also be a good time for Marvel to give us our first trailers for shows like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and the animated What If?. I also expect Feige to give us an update on shows like Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel, which just started production as well as the upcoming Moon Knight and She-Hulk series, starring Oscar Issac and Tatiana Maslany respectively.

     

    3. We’ll get some more Disney+ series announcements (Likely)

    Charles Murphy had taken up the task of creating an incredible article about what to expect from the future of the MCU and when to expect it, so do be sure to check that out! But back at the matter at hand, it is likely that Marvel might also take the time to announce some projects, some that we already know of like the Nick Fury Disney+ show. Marvel might also take the time to address some of the Disney+ rumors of characters that might join the MCU via these types of shows like Ironheart, S.W.O.R.D., Secret Warriors, and Ghost Rider.

     

    4. We’ll get some more theatrical news (Unlikely)

    If you’ve been paying attention to the news as of late, you might have noticed that multiple trades and blogs have been dropping Marvel news these past few months regarding the MCU films such as Kang the Conqueror being confirmed for Ant-Man 3, Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the massive bombshell that dropped yesterday regarding Spider-Man 3 with the castings of Alfred Molina, Andrew Garfield, Kirsten Dunst and the rumors of Tobey Maguire and Emma Stone joining the film for what seems to be a live-action iteration of the Spider-Verse. We’ve discussed the possibility of Marvel making the move to push Black Widow to a possible hybrid release both in theaters and Disney+ via its Premier Access service. AND not only that but Marvel has yet to address any details regarding films like Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, Blade, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Deadpool 3, and so on. Whether or not Kevin Feige takes the opportunity to announce any details regarding any of these projects remains to be seen, but I at least find it unlikely.

     

    Expect announcements and details from Lucasfilm

    Apart from Marvel Studios, we also expect Lucasfilm to announce some of its upcoming slate as well. They might tout some of the massive success that the second season of the Mandalorian has generated and will discuss what might be in store for the future of the show as well. Our very own João Pinto had also taken up the task of creating an incredible article about what to expect from the future of Star Wars and when to expect it, so do be sure to check that out! In there, we discuss A TON of goodies that Lucasfilm might discuss tomorrow. Among those are the series focused on Boba Fett, Cassian Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Bad Batch. We also might get the confirmation of series that have been rumored to be in development for some time, such as a show focused on Bo-Katan as well as a show around Ahsoka Tano. And of course, there is the possibility that Kathleen Kennedy might possibly discuss the future of the Star Wars films as well, so we’ll have to stay tuned for that one.

     

    Expect announcements from Pixar

    We are also expected to take a peek at what Pixar has been working on behind the scenes in terms of future animated films (and possibly even series). They may discuss the upcoming movie Soul, which is expected to be released on Disney+ this coming December 25th, as well as discussing their upcoming project, Luca.

     

    Whatever happens tomorrow during Disney’s Investor Day, you can be sure that Murphy’s Multiverse will be sure to keep you all covered on all the announcements the event brings.

  • Andrew Garfield, Kirsten Dunst, And More To Return in Untitled ‘Spider-Man’ Threequel

    Andrew Garfield, Kirsten Dunst, And More To Return in Untitled ‘Spider-Man’ Threequel

    It seems like today is an incredible day to be a Spider-Man fan. Just a few minutes ago, THR confirmed the rumor by the GWW that Alfred Molina will be reprising his role as Doctor Otto Octavius, a role he previously played in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 in 2004. And now, Collider has just confirmed that not only is Alfred Molina returning, but Andrew Garfield and Kirsten Dunst are coming back as well. Yes, you have read that correctly. The Amazing Spider-Man actor is going to reprise his role as Peter Parker Spider-Man. They expect him to return as the character from his previous installment, but there are no further details provided. Considering the rocky relationship Andrew has had with Sony in the past, it’s good to see him donning the red and blue webs once again.

    Collider is also reporting that Kirsten Dunst will return as Mary Jane Watson, presumably from the original Sam Raimi trilogy. They are set to appear in the untitled Spider-Man 3 sequel alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori, and Marisa Tomei. Benedict Cumberbatch is also reprising his role as Doctor Strange alongside Jamie Foxx, who will return as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. They have also pointed out that there is a deal going on to have Tobey Maguire reprise his role as well. Emma Stone also seems to be in talks, but it is uncertain in what capacity given her pregnancy. Spider-Man 3 is still due to hit theaters on December 17th, 2021, so we still have quite some time to see if more details get revealed by then.

    Source: Collider

  • Theory: Marvel Studios is Counting Down to a New ‘WANDAVISION’ Trailer

    Theory: Marvel Studios is Counting Down to a New ‘WANDAVISION’ Trailer

    Tick Tock.

    There’s an interesting premise that’s called the “Rule of Three”. The rule of three states that the first time you see/say/do something, it’s known as an isolated incident. If it occurs a second time, then that’s known as a coincidence. But if it happens a third time, then it becomes a pattern. The rule of three can be applied to many things in life. But today we’re going to be applying that logic to Marvel Studios’ recent activity concerning WandaVision. Now on November 12th, Marvel revealed the release date for WandaVision with this teaser of the TVs shifting through the eras:

    I had written up a piece about this trailer, breaking down its most important shots and details. So if you haven’t read up on that, check it out here. Now, Marvel Studios suspiciously started posting some content on Social Media recently. 2 days ago, they posted this poster, which is in turn, the last shot of the trailer they posted back in November.

    Then the day after (yesterday), they posted a second poster.

    Now a lot of people might not recognize the second poster but it was actually the second to last shot of the trailer, which is when the TV starts to go into static and the room starts to blend into another before going back to normal. Remember this shot?

     

    (*NOTE: Now here’s where things get interesting and I put my name as Superhero Theorist to good use. I’m writing this part the night before it happens at 11:54 pm my time. But I wanted to write this in case it does happen. If Marvel Studios posts another poster today at 2:00 pm my time (1:00 pm EST), and it follows the pattern in my head, then the next poster should be the one in the 70s).

     

    Present-day Superhero Theorist here and it turns out I was right. Marvel posted yet ANOTHER WandaVision poster today at exactly 2:00 pm my time, the one based on the 70s portion of the show.

     

    Ok. But what does it mean?

    Well, let’s start with the key points that make up this pattern. What do they have in common? Well:

    1. They’re all shots from the trailer Marvel posted back in November.
    2. They each belong to a particular era that will be explored in WandaVision. First with the 60s, then the 70s, and now the 80s.
    3. They’re going in progressive order from the trailer.

    Now, that last point is very important. They’re posting shots from the trailer from each era, every day for the past three days at 2:00 pm EST. There’s a pattern, which means the next posters for the next 2 days are going to be the last remaining shots from the trailer. Specifically, the 80’s and modern eras trailer shots shown below.

    But the most important part of all this is the progressivity of it all. It’s almost like they’re counting down to something as each day passes by. So, if we take into consideration the trailer from November, there are 6 key shots. And if it is a countdown, then each poster signifies a day in the countdown:

    1. The last shot [50’s] (posted on Friday)
    2. The glitch shot [60’s] (posted yesterday)
    3. The 70s shot (posted today)
    4. The 80s shot (might be posted tomorrow)
    5. The modern Halloween shot (might be posted on Tuesday)

    So, if Marvel Studios is indeed doing a countdown as I predict it’s doing, then what happens when the trailer shots/posters run out? That’s where things start to align. They could post another poster on Wednesday outside of the scope of Wanda’s Imagination and we step out of the realm of sitcoms and into the realm of the MCU. Or they could post another trailer, the day before Disney’s Investor Day on Dec. 10th to hype up the fans and investors for what’s to come. The focus of that event will be “the Company’s direct-to-consumer streaming services” aka Disney+. Now whether or not we will get another look at WandaVision before, or during Investor Day remains to be seen, though I find it hard to believe that Marvel posting these would be a coincidence. One way or another, I’m certain that we’re bound to get a new look at WandaVision soon.

     

    Official Plot Synopsis: Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, “WandaVision” is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The show features the return of Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis & Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, as well as the introduction of new faces, such as Teyonah Parris as an adult Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as the nosey neighbor, Agnes.

     

    WANDAVISION PREMIERES EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+ ON JANUARY 15TH.

  • ‘HAWKEYE’ THEORY: The Bartons and Others Attend Memorial Event for Natasha

    ‘HAWKEYE’ THEORY: The Bartons and Others Attend Memorial Event for Natasha

    The first week of filming for Hawkeye has passed, and we were treated to a massive bounty of set photos and casting news along with it. While a great deal of attention has gone to a confirmation of Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, and the introduction of Lucky the Pizza dog, it was some pictures of Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton and his kids that caught my attention and got my “theory” juices flowing. Could Clint and his family be attending a memorial or benefit to honor Natasha in New York? And who else is likely to attend?

    So I’m clear, the following is based on theory, based on me scouring some set images. I haven’t asked any sources about this, and so, no, I don’t know if this happens for sure. Please read with that in mind.

    While looking through the multitude of set photos from this past week, I was struck by images of Jeremy Renner filming with Clint’s kids Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel, seemingly at some kind of event or fancy party at a hotel. There were also several images of Renner crouched down and looking very serious and sad. It’s sometimes hard to tell between acting and in between filming in some of the set images, however, some did look to me like they were probably acting moments and not just his usual between shots behavior. Additionally, Clint and the kids are dressed nicely in dark clothes, including a black bowtie on the youngest Nathaniel. I was reminded by someone in our Patreon’s discord that there is a fancy event that Clint attends with Kate in the second issue of Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run.

    At this event which takes place at a hotel in lower Manhattan, Kate and Clint are investigating some shady goings on and run into a bunch of baddies in the process. Among those baddies, is a fellow former student of Jaques Duquesne with whom Clint is familar. Now if you’ve been following recent casting announcements, you will know that Tony Dalton was announced as being cast as Duquesne in the Hawkeye series this past week.

    It is possible that a similar event might happen in the show with Duquesne showing up as Clint’s mentor or as a familiar contemporary with a grudge instead. We know that the screen versions of the Marvel universe almost never follow the comics story exactly. In any case, an event where Clint runs into certain people from his past like this certainly makes sense for the series, and the fact that the Swordsman is cast in the show could mean the blast from the past will come directly from him at an event like this.

    Strongly going against the idea that this is a similar event to the one in issue #2 is the fact that it is Clint’s kids that are there with him, not Kate. Clint is certainly not purposely bringing them along somewhere he’s investigating dangerous bad guys. In addition, there is no evidence that he’s fought anyone during the course of the event, unlike the comics version.

    Although a great deal of the Matt Fraction run is expected to influence the Hawkeye series, something still bothered me about this idea about the event. Why so much black on the kids and Clint for some kind of hotel party or show? And a BLACK bowtie on the little one? Why wouldn’t they have a bit more color? Why not a more colorful purple bowtie for little Nathaniel? And why does Clint look so sad and contemplative in some shots which seem to me to be after the event? There are additional apparent acting shots with the kids that also look a bit melancholy. So again, this behavior doesn’t really make sense for an exclusively happy event or occasion.

    But then I realized that, of course, they would wear darker clothes, and would be looking sad in some shots, if they were going to a memorial or benefit in memory of a loved one they lost. That memorial or benefit more than likely being held for someone very close to Clint Barton and his family: Natasha Romanoff. 

    To tie it all in with the Fraction run, and that previously mentioned hotel event, certainly it would make a great deal of sense for certain old friends and some less savory types that Clint and Natasha may have known or had run-ins with, to show up at such a memorial. The Swordsman Duquesne himself has substantial links to both Clint and Natasha in the comics.

    Other potential attendees could include Kazimierz Kazimierczak aka The Clown (Fra Fee) and maybe, very, very possibly Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). She will, after all, show up in the Hawkeye series at some point. For Yelena to appear at an event in honor of her “sister” Natasha seems only right. It also makes sense that the series would show Clint and his family continue to honor Natasha and her very personal sacrifice in this way.

    I will just point out that it would not at all be necessary for Pugh to be in NYC now to film those scenes if her appearance takes place inside filmed on a stage in Atlanta instead. This could also explain why Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) is not seen in any of the set pics, if she’s already inside handling some part of the memorial for Natasha.

    That’s it, that’s my theory. In the Hawkeye series, Clint and his family will attend a benefit event or memorial for Natasha Romanoff in NYC and there they will meet up with some significant figures from Clint and/or Nat’s past. 

    Check out the Hawkeye set images at Getty Images.

  • CCXP: Todd McFarlane Offers Update on ‘SPAWN’ Film

    CCXP: Todd McFarlane Offers Update on ‘SPAWN’ Film

    AT THE OMELETE STAGE AT CCXP WORLDS.

     

    During an interview in the Omelete Stage at CCXP Worlds, the creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane, interviewed with Affonso Solano to discuss his career as a writer, comic artist and what working on his iconic character has meant to him. During the interview, Todd was asked about the upcoming film adaption, which stars Jamie Foxx as the titular character alongside Jeremy Renner, who will be playing Detective Twitch Williams. He confirmed that the production had gotten a lot of work done during the quarantine period. Not just that, but he also teased that the film adaptation has a couple of “big names” attached, which are sure to capture the attention of fans and make people extremely happy. While the project has been in development for years, Jamie Foxx has maintained an interest in the project.

    As of now, the Spawn film has been in development for years at Blumhouse for quite some time. It dates back to 2016 when Todd first teased the idea of a Spawn reboot. Even after all this time, we haven’t received any real insight into the film. We are still anxiously waiting for any details that may tease if we can expect another origin story, or we jump straight into the action. Here’s hoping they also give Michael Jai White a minor role as a tribute to his time as the iconic hellspawn in the cheesy 1997 adaptation. Not much has been known about the project’s plot, production schedule, or much of the casting since then, but it’s good to know that the project is still in the works.

    Source: Deadline

     

  • CCPX: Iron Studios Offers First Look at ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘WandaVision’ Collectibles

    CCPX: Iron Studios Offers First Look at ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘WandaVision’ Collectibles

    Iron Studios held one of their panels at the virtual event CCXP Worlds: A Journey of Hope. There they discussed what kind of collectibles they are cooking up for next year. The panel, hosted by Marcelo Bassoli and Renan Pizii, kicked off the show with a look at their brand new Mandalorian collectible figure, which also includes Grogu in his pod from the first season.

     

     

    During the panel, the team at Iron Studios talked about the future of the Star Wars collectibles. They seem to be looking into capturing moments that haven’t happened yet, or we have yet to see in the franchise, such as Lando Calrissian on Tatooine. They also mentioned Obi-Wan on the famous sand planet, so they might be hinting at the upcoming untitled Kenobi show for Disney+. The panel then shifted towards Marvel and Marvel Studios’ collectibles. Now before the panel even started, they teased the future slate of films that would be coming in 2021 by presenting the logos for Spider-Man, Venom: Let there be Carnage, Eternals, Black Widow, and Shang-Chi.

     

     

    Not only did they tease the upcoming Marvel film salte, but they also talked a lot about how Iron Studios would be involved with developing collectibles for the Disney+ series. They echoed the words of Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige that fans will have to follow the movies and the Disney+ series for this upcoming phase of the MCU. They will be making collectibles based on all of the Disney+ shows before showcasing the various logos once more.

     

     

    Iron Studios teased that they have already 3 new collectible figures created for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but that they are still not allowed to show them. It’ll most likely be figures of Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Baron Zemo. As for WandaVision, they gave us a brand new look at Wanda and Vision’s comic-accurate costumes for the series from the Halloween episode.

     

     

     

    Notice the WandaVision icon at the bottom of the statues with the combined W and V. They did repeat a few words about the series that we already heard before. Marcelo and Renan talked about how the Disney+ series will be something we’ve never seen before from the MCU in terms of visuals and storytelling. They also mentioned that they’re going to be working on new concepts for Vision and Wanda, as everything we’ll see was created from Wanda’s imagination. This is a surprise reveal, as it once again confirms that most of the events throughout the series will be the result of Wanda’s vision. Alongside this announcement, they confirmed that more figures are being developed based on the Infinity Saga.