Author: Nathan Miller

Kevin Feige Discusses the Changes to Ms. Marvel’s Powers

With Moon Knight having concluded, we can further turn out attention to Ms Marvel premiering at the beginning of June. Being such a new hero in the Marvel Universe at large, there has been a lot of fan discussion about how Kamala Khan might be adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Feige has been speaking to Empire and confirmed some details about Kamala’s powers in the Disney+ show.

The continuity of Marvel’s comics and films and shows storyworlds move at different paces and are on different journeys. The difference between these storyworlds at the time Kamala joined both has led to a slightly different kind of adaptation of Kamala’s powers and their aesthetic Feige tells Empire:

We adapt the comics; it’s not an exact translation. [Kamala] came about in a very specific time within the comic-book continuity. She is now coming into a very specific time within the MCU continuity. And those two things didn’t match. […] She’s interested in knowing, ‘Great, does that mean I’m an Asgardian? Did I get hit with gamma rays?’ No, it’s seemingly none of those things. It goes to her own past and her heritage and lineage.
Kevin Feige

Continuing, Feige suggests Kamala’s awareness and integration with the superhero media industry will point her in the direction of learning more about her powers as the show unfolds:

What we will learn about where those powers come from, and how they come about, is specific to the MCU. You will see great comic splash panels in some of our action sequences. If you want big, giant hands and arms, well they’re here in spirit, if not in stretchy, plastic-type ways.
Kevin Feige

Finally, Feige gives a clue as to why this adaptation of Kamala is altering her powers somewhat:

It taps into the future of her story as it connects to her other friends that she will meet in the upcoming film The Marvels
Kevin Feige

It seems like lots of thought has gone into the context in which Kamala Khan will appear in the MCU. Feige’s mention of lineage is also particularly intriguing when we think about the lineage and origin of her powers in the comics. It strikes me that Feige and the Parliament might be playing the long game with revealing exactly where Kamala’s powers come from, perhaps. Without a weekly Marvel Studios Disney+ show on right now, the anticipation for Ms Marvel is building, and it will be exciting to see Kamala’s story start to play out in early June.

Source: Empire

May 9, 2022
‘The Marvels’ and ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Swap Release Dates

Two of Marvel Studios’ 2023 films have swapped dates. Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels was previously dated for release in February 2023, and will now release in July 2023. While the third film in the Ant-Man series, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania which was previously set to release in July 2023 has moved up to February 2023.

Deadline reported that both films are moving along well but that the Paul Rudd film was a little further along in the process. Both films started filming last Summer in London, and are equally set to continue stories on a wider stage than the films before them. With Quantumania potentially having connections to Loki Season 2 through Kang, it will be interesting to see where they connect in the timeline. Similarly, it is expected that Secret Invasion will connect to The Marvels through the Kree-Skrull tensions. The Samuel L. Jackson-led series seems like it may have a more direct connection, where Kang’s variants are separate people. Yet it is unclear exactly when Secret Invasion will take place in relation to The Marvels. Lots still yet to be discovered.

In terms of the productions, it’s great to hear that both films are moving along nicely. Keeping the Marvel Studios dates means fans aren’t really losing anything. The swap of dates means there will be more for fans to discuss and theorize in relation to what happens when. It will be an exciting slate for 2023 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe regardless of the date swaps.

Sources: Deadline

April 29, 2022
‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator on Iman Vellani’s Casting

With the premiere Ms. Marvel coming at the start of June, we’re starting to hear a bit more about the show. Sana Amanat, who co-created the character, is working on the show as an executive producer. She has been talking to Total Film about Iman Vellani’s audition as the titular character and Kamala Khan’s place in the Marvel Universe. Amanat describes Vellani’s acting prowess in her auditions in parallel to how she views Kamala Khan:

She just had this energy, and this innocence, and this quirkiness to her […] In one of her auditions, she really went from being very nerdy and quirky, to emotional and almost like she had this understanding of a world that someone beyond her years should have.
Sana Amanat

Similarly, Amanat describes Kamala’s place in the Marvel Universe as one going from a fan to a powerful person in her own right:

She’s this young character who is very much a fan of the bigwigs of the Marvel Universe like the Avengers, and she doesn’t feel necessarily like she can stand toe to toe with them. But I think, ultimately, she can, and she does.
Sana Amanat

Ms. Marvel is the second Marvel Studios Disney+ this year to introduce us to a new character in the MCU. Kamala Khan is more instantly connected to the universe around her as a fangirl. The multitudes of identities she embodies as a superhero, fangirl, teenager, and Muslim will be fascinating to see play out. Similarly, Iman Vellani’s career will be fascinating to watch as she takes off from Ms. Marvel and into The Marvels.

Source: Total Film

April 27, 2022
Letitia Wright Returns to Film ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

After almost five months, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took an extended break for the holidays, its leading star has returned. Letitia Wright returns to the set of the Marvel Studios sequel months after her serious injury. At first, it seemed like she only had a minor injury but later turned out to be a fractured shoulder and a concussion with severe side effects. So, it’s no wonder that production was forced to take an extended break, as they wait for her to recover.

A spokesperson for the star has told the BBC that Wright has now returned to the production in order to complete the film, which is scheduled for release in November of this year. Her character Shuri is set to be a lead character for the film which will focus on Wakanda and its place in the world amidst pressure from the outside after the events of the first entry. With Spider-Man: No Way Home wrapping production at the end of March 2021 for a December release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever should have plenty of time now that it has resumed production, as they are probably catching up with scenes that involve Wright.

Source: BBC

January 14, 2022
Gemma Chan Comments on Sersi’s Future

Last year, Marvel Studios released Eternals in theaters, launching a potentially brand new franchise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the film wasn’t as well-received as Spider-Man: No Way Home, or even Black Widow, the film has left many fans wondering when they’ll next get to see the Eternals. Thankfully, thanks to one of the stars of the film, it seems likely we’ll see more of these heroes soon.

Gemma Chan recently spoke to W Magazine to promote the film’s release on Disney+ tomorrow. In the interview, she talked a bit about her character’s journey, as well as her future. In relation to the film itself, Chan made note of the learning experience that Sersi had:

In Eternals, she starts out shy and then discovers her power as a leader. That was fun.
Gemma Chan

Furthermore, Chan confirms that we will see her as Sersi again, with a joke:

Yes. Marvel owns us for life.
Gemma Chan

Seeing the character’s learning journey and confirmation that we will see her again at some point brings up a familiar MCU feeling. Some characters in these feel like modern adaptations, only to become closer to their more comic book classic character as we go further into a story through various projects with them. This suggests to me, despite the cosmic ending to Eternals, we will see the Avengers team-member that Sersi is further down the line.

As it stands, a sequel has yet to be announced, however, it’s worth noting that Shang-Chi was confirmed for a sequel about a month after it hit Disney+. Hopefully, we’ll have Eternals sequel news with Chloe Zhao this time next month. For now, fans can revisit the film when it arrives on Disney+ tomorrow.

Source: W Magazine

January 11, 2022
How Marvel and Sony Pitched ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ to Andrew Garfield

The open secret of multiple Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally no longer a secret. While many fans believed Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would join Tom Holland as variants of Peter Parker, it had not been fully acknowledged in the media until the film finally released. Variety has managed to speak to Andrew Garfield about his role in the film and how it came about. It’s the first time the actor can openly discuss it since being forced to deny it for months. In the interview, he highlights how Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige, and Jon Watts provided an exciting and empowering pitch for him to join the project:

I wasn’t expecting to ever have a conversation again about potentially playing Peter Parker. I felt very excited to just to be a fan again. But I got this call from Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige and Jon Watts with this idea. It was immediately undeniable. It sounded incredibly fun, incredibly spiritual — trippy and thematically interesting. On a base level, as a Spider-Man fan, just the idea of seeing three Spider-Men in the same frame was enough. The pitch was really, really enticing. They said, “You played this character in your way and what would you want to explore if you had an opportunity? If you were dumped into this other universe and faced with this younger you and this older you, how will you respond?
Andrew Garfield

It seems like there were multiple levels to Garfield being excited about the project, especially as a fan of the character. The way they let him as an actor explore the future of the character he once played is in keeping with the film’s themes of identity and responsibility. That exploration and the success of his iteration of the character specifically from this film has proved fruitful. How well those successes have landed with audiences suggests Garfield might like another go around if he can create similar thematic and emotional resonances with his role in future projects.

Source: Variety

January 7, 2022
Andrew Garfield Improvised A Key ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Line

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home was released a few weeks ago, more behind-the-scenes stories from the production are beginning to emerge. While it was an open secret that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would appear alongside Tom Holland, there was lots of uncertainty about how they would each play their version of Peter Parker. In relation to Marvel and Sony’s initial pitch to him Garfield spoke to Variety about how he approached his Peter in relation to the others:

We talked a lot about mentorship. We talked a lot about brotherhood and about what it is to be the older brother, younger brother and the middle brother. There’s also a thing of seeing someone you love walking down a path that you’ve already walked down, and you know it doesn’t lead [to] the place where you ultimately meant to go.
Andrew Garfield

Having each played the character of Peter Parker, Garfield said that the three actors had “deeper conversations” about their experiences with the character. It might have been these that prompted an unscripted moment in the film:

There’s a line I improvised in the movie, looking at [Maguire and Holland] and I tell them I love them. That was just me loving them.
Andrew Garfield

It’s great to hear that one of the most heartwarming moments in the film was improvised and speaks to a warmth between the actors as well as the characters. It was also probably a feeling that many people in the audience had while watching alongside the characters. It’s exciting for fans to know that the actor’s comradery translated from their characters to the actors themselves.

Source: Variety

January 7, 2022
Tom Holland Hopes For Spider-Man to Clash With Wilson Fisk After ‘No Way Home’

Spider-Man: No Way Home finally releases next week. With numerous villains returning from previous Spider-Man franchises there has been a lot of discussion about future adventures for the webhead. Sony producer Amy Pascal has even suggested there is another trilogy starring Tom Holland in the works. Such a rich comic history means there are lots of suggestions out there about where this Peter Parker could go next. Vincent D’Onofrio recently revealed he’s hoping, if those returning rumors turn out to be true, his Wilson Fisk could go up against Spidey at some point in the future. Holland himself has even had a few similar ideas.

In an interview with Fandom.com Tom Holland was asked about some of his ideas for a fourth Spider-Man film could be. He mentions thinking it would be fun to do either an anti-hero version or a low-budget “film about Peter Parker that has nothing to do with Spider-Man.” Both of these suggestions seem in the realms of possibility somehow. His suggestions at a villain are also quite interesting:

I think there are some interesting villains, I think Madame Web could be something that is really interesting and we could do it in our own way. I’d really like to come up against Wilson Fisk.
Tom Holland

Sometimes fanciful ideas during the promotion of the previous film are worth taking note of to see whether they remerge as genuine continuations of the story. Spider-Man fighting the Kingpin would certainly be an exciting street-level story for Marvel fans. There are numerous rumors about Netflix Marvel characters joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Kevin Feige has teased that. It could be the perfect time for Spidey to reorient himself away from multiversal Avengers level threats back down tackling crime on street level.

Source: Fandom.com

December 10, 2021
Kevin Feige Teases The Future of the Netflix Marvel Characters in the MCU

With Charlie Cox’s return as Daredevil confirmed by Kevin Feige, there were always going to be further questions about whether other characters from the Netflix series could follow suit. Fans have been clamoring for some of the actors to jump into the MCU since the cancellation of the various shows. Now with Cox emerging as Matt Murdock once again, the chances of some of those other characters also appearing might go up. Screenrant spoke to Feige about the possibility of those Netflix Marvel characters appearing in the MCU, who had a rather curious statement on their potential future:

I always say that whenever a character comes back into the Marvel sandbox, it becomes another tool in the storytelling ability of the MCU. As I said before, the good news is, all will be revealed when people actually finally watch.
Kevin Feige

Feige suggesting that the MCU is ‘the Marvel sandbox’ suggests a clear line in the sand for characters outside it. It could be suggested that characters outside of the sandbox may not get the full range of freedom those inside do. It still remains to be seen whether those Netflix Marvel characters will be exactly the same ones we previously saw on screen, but with Marvel Studios liking to do things their way, as with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, it seems clear that these actors could be playing MCU variants of their previously played characters. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for these characters.

Source: Screenrant

December 6, 2021
How Kevin Feige and Trinh Tran Marshalled Hawkeye in the Wider Marvel Cinematic Universe

The first episodes of Hawkeye shot onto our streaming screens last week with aplomb. The confidence with which the show mixed character moments within the shared storyworld of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is worthy of a bullseye. The story feels contained so far in connecting to Clint and Kate while also allowing for small flourishes of a wider world. One of the show’s directors Rhys Thomas spoke to The Ringer-Verse podcast about how Kevin Feige and Trinh Tran managed to help the show create that contained yet subtly expansive quality.

While speaking to The Ringer, Thomas was asked about whether Marvel Studios gave those working on the show existing characters and storylines they had to integrate into the story. He goes on to say, while there were some natural elements like that, a lot of the show is created without knowledge of the storyworld. Knowledge of other MCU projects would only arrive through pitching something similar to what was being produced at the time.

There’s sort of these character packets and some storylines, but they do, interestingly, I think, allow the shows to kind of exist within their own little sandbox for, you know, for quite a while. And sometimes the only way you find out about what might be happening in another show is just when you come in excitedly in the morning and pitch an idea, only to discover that it’s already happening somewhere else. And, again, that happened multiple times, where in the middle of the night, like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it. This is the thing that’s gonna fix the thing.’ And then you come in, and they’re like, ‘No, we can’t do that.’ Sometimes Kevin will be the only one that knows that. So you might even get a few tiers in and finally pitch it. And then it’s like,‘No buddy.’ That’s what you’re relying on is Trinh and Kevin. They will come in with certain things, whether it’s a character crossover, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was always there at the beginning. That’s what’s kind of amazing about what they’re doing. It’s such a vast enterprise now, in terms of all the shows, and that, I think, it’s kind of a moving target. And they do allow room, I think, for the show’s to evolve.
Rhys Thomas

It’s fascinating that the shared storyworld aspect of the MCU is marshaled by the producers. While Trinh Tran focused on guiding Hawkeye’s writers, directors, cast and crew to make the best show it can be in a self-contained way, it’s also clear she and Kevin Feige are looking out for project crossovers. There are clearly some elements of the story that Rhys Thomas pitched that were also happening in other projects so those ideas didn’t move forward beyond. Even more fascinating still, is that some of these ideas might have made it past an initial pitch with Trinh Tran before Kevin Feige revealed something similar was happening elsewhere in the MCU. There are some interesting levels of secrets to crossover aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe! It’s intriguing to think about how Marvel Studios’ producers keep that shared momentum up, as well as what aspects of Hawkeye could exist elsewhere in the upcoming MCU.

Source: The Ringer

November 29, 2021