Category: Features

Doctor Strange May Enter the Wasteland In the ‘Multiverse of Madness’

WandaVision is only a week away from premiering. It will kick-off a new era of multiversal stories. The first teasers already are teasing that not everything is as it seems. Yet, it will only be the beginning, as Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness will be the franchise’s first horror film. It will affect many other films and projects, such as Spider-Man 3 and the upcoming What If series, whose recent trailer teased the existence of Marvel’s zombies. It gave me an idea about what other comic elements we could see get adapted in the film. They can explore so many aspects of the diverse multiverse. I had so many ideas that I will primarily focus on one short story featured in the film. I also had to consider what was already on the horizon, as we know that Blade will introduce us to the likes of vampires. Without

Welcome to the Wasteland

I confess that part of this idea came from the recent Marvel’s Avengers reveal that Hawkeye’s storyline will be Future Imperfect. It inspired me to revisit the Old Man Logan storyline, which introduced us to a screwed-up post-apocalyptic world known called the Wasteland. With some wondering, if they might bring back characters from the Fox universe, the Wasteland would be a perfect remnant. Perhaps the part of the multiverse that they explore is the consequences of when they failed X-Men: Days of Future Past. Everyone is gone, and the Sentinels won. From the ashes of the world, a fractured civilization was trying to cling to whatever was left. In its remnants, a new leader emerged who would rule it under his own rule of violence.

Doctor Strange finds himself lost in the middle of what seemed to be a desert. There he meets a man named Logan. Unable to continue his travel for the time, he is welcomed by the kind stranger, who has an eerie resemblance to Hugh Jackman. He tells him the story of how the Sentinels destroyed mutants and humanity all the same. After some time, they were no longer a threat after being deactivated by a random EMP blast. Finally, mankind had some hope. Well, at least that was until a sudden invasion of monsters from beyond the stars. Creatures that everyone calls the Brood, who would infest one city after another. They replace the symbiotes that were present during the Old Man Logan storyline. In their wake, a hero emerged, who saved them from this new threat. In a way, he started becoming the leader of the Wasteland.

Facing a Familiar Face

Strange realizes that there is one object he needs to continue his multiversal travel, and it so happens to be in the hands of that very ruler. The only issue was that they were looking for lives beyond an area infested with the Brood. Luckily, Logan offered his help as a guide through the Wasteland to find the mysterious leader. As every good film needs an action sequence, they soon realize that the Brood has still been expanding. It seems that the mysterious leader wasn’t able to keep them at bay after at all. In the middle of the plague, there stood the one that was supposed to destroy them. In reality, he was controlling them through a strange device. Strange instantly recognized who the ruler is, but at the same time, it seemed like someone else. It was the Hulk. It was a version of the character we haven’t seen since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

Once he noticed his visitors, he sends the Brood after them. Suddenly, Logan pulls out three claws on each hand to protect Strange from the onslaught, whose magic was facing its limits. He realizes that the item he needs is the thing that lets Hulk control these beasts. As they get closer, Logan confronts the Green Goliath. The good doctor tries to cry out to Banner and uncover why he would do this. The now-bearded titan reveals that the post-credit sequence from the original film meant that Hulk was slowly taking over Banner’s mind. The Sentinel and Brood invasions were merely stepping stones for him to finally taking over so he could take his vengeance on the world. He would stand above everyone else so that they would learn fear.

In their conflict, Strange can get the missing piece but doesn’t want to leave Logan behind. He tells him he has nothing to worry about as the confrontation rages between two immortal beings surrounded by what seems to be an endless horde of alien bugs. Strange leaves the Wasteland behind, scared of the realization of what horrors could unfold once Banner loses control someday. He swears to make it up to his new-found friend. Perhaps the man known as Logan exists in his world as well. These thoughts remained in his mind as his travel through the multiverse of madness continues.

January 6, 2021
How Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman May Reshape the DCEU

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 6, 2021
Patreon Preview: James Bond

Every now and then, I come across some information that I share just with my Patrons. With the betting line on the next James Bond finding its way into the news, I thought it might be a good time to share some rumblings I first shared with my Beyonders back in mid-November, 2020. This info found its way to the UK Express just a few days later. At the time, word had begun to circulate the Tom Hardy had landed the role. A new source reached out to me and shared some info to the contrary. What follows is just a cut and paste from that November Patreon post, with no edits or exclusions.

What I Heard This Week: James Bond

Unfortunately, I have taken a lot of grief about these types of posts in the past. Unfortunate because often times, they turn out to be true or partially true. It’s the nature of these rumors, because until I can verify them with other sources that is all they are and all they have ever been, that some will be untrue. People just don’t seem to be able to handle that, so I’ve decided that WIHTW pieces will be exclusives to Patreon from now on and I am starting off with a doozy.

This obviously isn’t my usual jam, but when you get some good information about one of the world’s most popular franchises, you go ahead and run with it.

We know Craig’s done with the 007 role and we also know that Bond isn’t. With that said, here are 2 interesting rumors that came my way.

1. Even with the release date for No Time To Die in flux, the EARLIEST stages of work have begun on the next Bond film. Everyone fell in love with Cary Fukunaga and they’ve publicly expressed that they hope to bring him back. I’ve been told they have extended an offer to him to helm the next installment.

2. While we’ve heard all sorts of rumors about who might be the next Bond, I was told just the other day that the producers are open to exploring some really interesting options. One possible route is to take Bond down a totally different route by bringing in someone MUCH younger than anyone we’ve seen so far. Craig was 38 when he took over the role and, I am told that the studio is open to going even younger than that and also willing to look at some unconventional choices. Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson types. Be careful to understand that this does not mean either Chalamet or Pattinson are actually on the list of names they’re exploring but that they are open to actors like them who we might not think would fit the role, much like Pattinson was unexpected as Bruce Wayne.

That’s it for this one and it is in the very early stages but I think that’s what’s so cool about it. We’ll see how it develops and come back to think about this one again when we know more.

End preview. Rege-Jean Page certainly meets the criteria for #2. He is 31 years old, he is not Tom Hardy and, to my knowledge, was not famously considered as “the next Bond.” I certainly have no idea if he’ll get the part, but it’s interesting to see that there are still names out there other than Hardy.

January 6, 2021
How Cheetah Can Return in ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’

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

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

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

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

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

January 5, 2021
The 5 Best Daredevil Stories You’ve Probably Never Read

With a murderer’s row of writers and artists throughout the years, it’s no surprise that Daredevil has consistently been one of the best titles from Marvel. The title, in many ways, has served as a platform for writers and artists to explore a wide spectrum of storytelling opportunities. Some of them have gone on to be benchmarks that transcend the medium – Frank Miller’s run is still highly regarded as one of the medium’s best – while some have gone on to achieve massive critical acclaim. And with an array of good stories to his name, it’s understandably easy for some stories to get overshadowed by their more popular cohorts. So here are some of the best Daredevil stories you may have never read.

DAREDEVIL: REDEMPTION

In a small hick town in the backwoods of Alabama, a child is murdered in what is believed to be a Satanic ritual. Local law enforcement is quick to charge three outcast goth kids with the crime. The mother of one of the suspects pleads for New York bigshot Matt Murdock to give her son, who she claims to be innocent, a chance to fight for the truth.

Based on the true events of the West Memphis Three, Daredevil: Redemption is a haunting portrait of a hysteric God-fearing town’s faith and the rotting corruption underneath it. The story stands among Daredevil stories not for the spectacle but for how focused it is on Matt Murdock’s character as a man of faith, law, and righteousness and how it challenges those tenets of his being. In fact, there’s barely any Daredevil in the story nor is Matt Murdock the star of it.

If you’re a fan of neo-noir detective mysteries like True Detective or Zodiac, this is an absolute must-read. Artist Michael Gaydos and writer David Hine absolutely knock this one out of the park, writing a Daredevil story that’s wholly unforgettable.

DAREDEVIL: FATHER

As the son of a single dad, stories about fathers hit differently. It’s a big reason why Daredevil’s journey resonates so much for me. So it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Joe Quesada’s tribute to his late father in the form of a Daredevil comic named Father is one that I highly recommend.

In the midst of a terrible heatwave crippling Manhattan, a killer on the loose goes on a rampage and mutilates the eyes of his victims. Matt Murdock is hired by an ailing cancer patient to sue a company for poisoning her land. Meanwhile, a new group of mystical vigilantes has a territorial dispute with Daredevil.

Joe Quesada fires on all cylinders as he flexes his storytelling prowess by masterfully weaving these seemingly unrelated moving parts into a shocking revisionist tale of the circumstances behind Matt’s accident. Seriously, this story contains one of the biggest twists I’ve seen in a comic. Plus, if you’ve ever wondered what a hulking Daredevil looks like, look no further.

DAREDEVIL: DECALOGUE

Brian Michael Bendis’ Daredevil run is arguably my favorite run of all time. I think it surpasses *gasp* Frank Miller’s on every level that it’s become the modern gold standard on how gritty Marvel crime stories should be. Over the course of 80 plus issues, Bendis and Alex Maleev took Matt Murdock to new lows and had him rise up from the pits of hell. That said, I think there’s one particular story in Bendis’ 80-issue run that stands out like a diamond in a sea of gold; Decalogue.

Decalogue stars a group of Hell’s Kitchen locals attending a support group in the wake of Matt Murdock’s ascent into the Kingpin of their borough. The comic dissects the essence of Hell’s Kitchen, the people in it, and Matt Murdock’s place in their lives as its self-appointed protector. Some lives have changed for the better, while some have irrevocably worsened. Layer by layer, the grime, and muck that binds each person to this fabled New York borough unravels as each member in the support group tells the story of the time they crossed paths with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

Another thing I love about the comic is how it sheds light on not just Matt Murdock, the superhero, but also Matt Murdock, a practitioner of Eastern mysticism. I feel like the idea of Daredevil being a ninja first and foremost gets overlooked by a lot of interpretations.

DAREDEVIL: ANGELS UNAWARE

There’s never a shortage of superheroes punching their way through their problems so it’s always nice to see a comic that puts the superhero in a scenario where conflict is futile. In Angels Unaware, Daredevil is faced with the insurmountable task of getting a donor’s frozen heart across a terrible blizzard engulfing Manhattan to a dying child.

It’s a beautiful story that shows the full extent of Matt Murdock’s resilience to save lives. It doesn’t matter to Matt that he’s on the brink of hypothermia or that Kingpin’s armed forces are after him. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen will move mountains to save someone’s life even at the cost of his own.

3 JACKS & GAME ROOM

I’m lumping these two stories together because a) they’re both really short stories and b) they’re by Ann Nocenti and David Aja, two of the most prolific comic creators of their generation. Nocenti, some of you may know as one of the watershed writers for Daredevil, having created characters like Typhoid Mary and Aja as the star of the fabled Hawkeye run of Matt Fraction. That creative pairing alone merits a place in this but that’s not the sole reason why these two stories are in this.

In Game Room, Aja and Nocenti ditch the comic format and craft a short story with Aja’s subdued art serving as flourishes to the story. With no paneled art, Nocenti does the heavy lifting and tries her damnedest to have the audience visualize every single detail in the comic through prose. She does it in spades and the result is a nice little story about Daredevil investigating a suicide that might have been foul play.

3 Jacks captures Matt Murdock at a point in time at the height of his beef with Bullseye. Two bystanders witness Daredevil get brutally beaten by Bullseye and spend the day nursing him back to health. It’s a heartwarming encounter amidst a bloodied backdrop that surprisingly tugs the heartstrings as much as it satisfies anyone looking for a good comic fight. Aja, as always, destroys with his art as he crafts an amazing fight with Bullseye that’s one for the books as far as visuals go.

January 5, 2021
Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2022 Release Calendar

Earlier this week, we looked at one hypothetical 2021 release calendar for Marvel Studios. That possible calendar saw Hawkeye wrapped up on Christmas Eve 2021 and it seemed like a bad place to stop thinking. Following the same premise of trying to get new content out on as many Fridays as possible, here’s one totally made up and hypothetical way Marvel Studios could do that in 2022!

***NOTE***

Please read and share responsibly and don’t latch your hopes and dreams onto this. Don’t take it seriously and don’t start marking your calendars. This is one possible option with the only real intention behind it being to see if it could be done well.

After originally thinking Hawkeye would carry over into 2022, we learned that the series is only 6-episodes, meaning it will conclude on Christmas Eve 2021 and they’ll probably skip out on New Year’s Eve content. If we assume Marvel Studios follows a similar start to WandaVision in that it allows the studios to return from the 2-week holiday layoff, get whatever press events and social media teases up and running in the week leading up to release, the 2022 Marvel Studios onslaught will kick off on January 14th!

She-Hulk is going to get to kick off 2022 in style. The Tatiana Maslany-led comedy series begins filming in Atlanta in March 2021 and could easily turn episodes around in time for a mid-January 2022 release. The series is filming for quite a long time and we’ve seen some information that leads us to believe they could be filming as many as 10 episodes next year. Whether that is one long season or two is unknown, but should it be one, long 10 episode season, it could run from January 14th until March 11th, which fits nicely in our big puzzle.

Should Marvel Studios continue their Marvel Studios Legends series, they could stream a Doctor Strange episode the weekend of March 18th, one week ahead of the release of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness. By the time this film comes out, it’ll have been 6 years since the first film and almost 3 years since we last saw the Sorcerer Supreme on the big screen, so it wouldn’t be the worst idea to catch fans up and tell the story to new audiences. We would also expect the final trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder and the first trailer for Black Panther II to be released ahead of this so theater audiences could preview them ahead of the film.

The sledding gets a little rougher here with Moon Knight potentially running into the theatrical release of Thor: Love and Thunder. Thankfully, I am reminded that Season 1 of The Mandalorian took a Friday off so that audiences could head to theaters to catch The Rise of Skywalker (big high five to The Machine for helping me get out of my mental rut). That same idea could work here and who knows, maybe a film that includes a God Butcher could unexpectedly tie-in to a series about a guy working as the Earthly avatar of an Egyptian god…

Thor: Love and Thunder promises to be an absolutely wild ride. Taika Waititi is back and has made no bones about the fact that he’s turning everything up on this one. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is the first Marvel Studios solo character to move beyond the trilogy structure meaning all bets are off. Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster to become the Mighty Thor is the biggest news, but adding Academy Award Winner Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, bringing back Jamie Alexander as Lady Sif alongside Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie AND having the Guardians of the Galaxy along for the ride make this the studio’s biggest non-Avengers film to date.

An episode of Marvel Studios Legends for Nick Fury and Talos seems like a must leading into Secret Invasion. We know Talos has posed as Fury in the past and it’d be alright if Marvel Studios cleared some of that up heading into Secret Invasion and that could stream on May 13th, one week after Thor 4 hits theaters. Secret Invasion is still in the earliest stages of development, so there’s no word on an episode count, but for the purposes of this calendar, we’re sticking with the standard six; hypothetically, if Secret Invasion kicked off a six-week run on May 20th, it would conclude on June 24th, just ahead of Black Panther II.

It’s still tough to think about a sequel to Black Panther happening without Chadwick Boseman, but Marvel Studios has a plan and a date. An episode of Marvel Studios Legends ahead of this film could serve not only as a tribute to Boseman, but also as a way to highlight whomever Marvel Studios has chosen to focus on from the World of Wakanda. Black Panther II is currently set to premiere on July 8th, which means it would be accompanied in theaters by trailers for Blade and Captain Marvel 2.

While there was no direct indication that What If…? Season 2 would stream in 2022, Kevin Feige did mention in an interview in December of 2019 that they were already hard at work on the 10-episode second season. As was the case with What If…? Season 1, there’s no indication of whether or not Marvel Studios will stream a new episode of the animated series each week or drop them all at once, but given the nature of the premise is to slot new content on as many Fridays as possible, I’m going with the former.

Like Moon Knight before it, Ironheart could be headed for a one-week hiatus to get Blade in theaters on October 7th (something that is yet to be announced by the studio but we’ve included in our little experiment). Marvel Studios could get Riri Williams’ story started on September 23rd and 30th before taking the week of October 7th off for Blade.

Though there’s no word on when Blade would hit theaters, the official Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet lists it chronologically ahead of Captain Marvel 2 and Disney still has the October 7, 2022 date set aside for a Marvel Studios project. With those things in mind and for the purpose of our hypothetical calendar, we are putting Blade right here.

Ironheart returns from its one-week hiatus and jumps back into action, concluding its run with a 4-episode stretch from October 14th through November 4th.

Following the pattern of Marvel Studios preparing audiences for the return of popular characters through episodes of Marvel Studios Legends, a Captain Marvel episode could stream on November 4th. With Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan joining Carol Danvers in the film, a Legends episode could prove pretty useful to catch fans up to speed ahead of the November 11th debut of Captain Marvel 2.

While he’s never been the centerpiece of his own project, James Rhodes has been in 7 Marvel Studios films. His story is one worth recapping in a War Machine episode of Marvel Studios Legends on November 18th one week before he takes the lead in Armor Wars!

Breaking from the mold just a little here, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special can debut on Thanksgiving, which is the kickoff of the U.S. holiday season.

Boom, you looking for this! The final Marvel Studios project of 2022, Armor Wars, could begin its six-week run on November 25th and run right up until the final Friday of the year on December 30th.

Piecing this one together meant taking quite a few liberties, including adding a film that has not officially been given a date. But again, the working premise here was to get new Marvel Studios content on as many Fridays as possible. As things developed, keeping streaming series from dropping new episodes on the same days as films would make their theatrical debuts became a secondary concern and that meant having to color outside of the lines a few times. However, it looks like we mish-mashed together a way to get 51 weeks of Marvel Studios content in 2022!

January 2, 2021
Pitching a ‘God of War’ Series

Long ago, in 2005 A.C., Santa Monica Studios unveiled a story that marked the video game industry forever with their game, God of War. It was the story of Kratos, a Spartan General with a thirst for war and a champion to the Gods. As the years went by, the game developed into one of the most critically acclaimed video-game franchises of all time. Multiple games from the story have gone on to win Game of the Year, and the original God of War game has even been named one of the best PlayStation 2 games of all time. So, with Sony recently announcing that they will be developing seven TV Shows and three films based on their library of games, I’m here to pitch God of War as one of the seven series that is currently in development.

Why a series instead of a film?

One of the biggest challenges when adapting a story is the limited runtime of cinema. It tends to put a heavy constraint on the story that the film tries to tell. God of War would need to branch out beyond these restrictions. An example of an adaptation that did really with this format is Netflix’s The Witcher. I like the idea of a series is that you can play around more with the storytelling meta. For the series, I would love to create a sort of modern retelling of old Greek myths. Greek myths are told in verse, with muses serving as narrators (such as Disney’s Hercules for example). A great narrator for this series would be the original one from the games, the titan Gaia. I’ll be splitting up the story into three distinct seasons to follow the classic three-act structure.

Season 1: The Rise

The first season will focus on the games God of War: Ascension, Chains of Olympus, and the original God of War game. The season starts with the telling of a terrible prophecy. The Father of the Gods, Zeus, learns that he will die at the hands of one of his sons, the marked warrior. We begin the series with the abduction of Kratos’ brother Deimos, and his growth into the famed Spartan Captain. We will see Kratos pledge his allegiance to the God of War, Ares, in exchange for the power to slay his enemies. As Ares’ servant, he went on to conquer anything in his sight. That was until Ares tricked him into killing his own wife and daughter. The ashes of his wife and daughter form a white layer above his skin, marking him with his failure.

Kratos vows to exact revenge against Ares and pledges allegiance to the Gods of Olympus. During his quest to have his sins forgiven and erased from his mind, he carries out multiple tasks and killing various mythological Greek creatures in the name of Mount Olympus, eventually enacting his revenge on Ares and killing him by using the power within the Pandora’s Box. In the end, even after killing Ares, the memories of killing his wife and child will continue to haunt him for all eternity. Seeing no other alternative, Kratos attempts to end his life, but the Goddess Athena has other plans and grants him a chair as one of the Gods of Olympus, as the brand new God of War.

Season 2: The Betrayal

The second season is based on the God of War: Ghost of Sparta storyline and leads into God of War II. For the first half of Season 2, we’ll focus on Ghost of Sparta, where Kratos finds out that his mother is alive and held prisoner in Atlantis’ Temple of Poseidon. There he uncovers that his brother Deimos is alive and trapped in the Realm of the Dead. Tragically, his mother transforms into an evil creature, which forces him to kill her. Kratos makes his way to free Deimos from his prison. He accomplishes his task, but bad blood between them leads to Deimos attempting to kill his younger brother. Suddenly, Thanatos takes him away and plunges him off the highest cliff in the realm. Kratos manages to save his brother, and they both reconcile to take on the God of Death. They are victorious, but Deimos dies in battle. This final death is the moment when Kratos swears his vengeance upon Olympus.

Kratos aids his Spartan army in their conquest of Greece. This act leads the Goddess Athena to plead to Kratos not to go through with this plan, as it will anger the Greek deities. In his rage, Kratos refuses to listen to reason, and he heads to the city of Rhodes. His attack is interrupted by Zeus, who finally makes his debut to confront the Spartan God. He strips Kratos of his powers and kills him using the famed Blade of Olympus, sending him to the underworld once more. Suddenly, our narrator Gaia feels that she cannot allow Kratos’s story to end here and aids him in his quest to defeat Zeus. Gaia revives Kratos and leads him to the Island of Creation, where he must find the Sisters of Fate and travel back in time to stop Zeus before he dies.

Using the Thread of Fate, he accomplishes his task and claims the Blade of Olympus, but before he can deliver the final blow, Athena casts herself between the two and sacrifices her life. When Kratos asks why she did this, she says she did it to prevent the cycle of fathers killing their sons, revealing that Kratos is indeed the son of Zeus. Wounded, Zeus retreats to Mount Olympus to rally the other gods in an attempt to stop Kratos once and for all. Meanwhile, he once again uses the Thread of Fate to bring the Titans to the present timeline. The season ends the same way God of War II ended. Kratos leads the Titan Army up Mount Olympus to face the gods of Olympus.

Final Season: The War

The final season is essentially ripped straight from God of War III. This season will have the most effects work in it. It kicks off right where the last one ended. Kratos is scaling Mount Olympus to face off against the Gods alongside his army of Titans. During this season, we’ll see Kratos’ pent up rage and anger finally take hold, as he kills the Gods one by one. He’s aided by the Ghost of Athena, who sends him on a quest to find and put out the Flame of Olympus, which is powered by Pandora, whose box he used to kill Ares in the first season. Along the way, he makes his wrath felt across Olympus by killing anyone who stands in his way, both Gods and Titans alike. Kratos’s murderous rampage let him take on Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Perseus, Hercules, Hermes, Cronos, Hephaestus, Hera, and Gaia, who all fall before Kratos finally manages to take on Zeus. Blinded by his rage, he does not realize what plagues he unleashed upon Greece. Kratos finally reaches the Flame of Olympus, and Pandora sacrifices herself to quench the Flame. Then, the final battle begins as father and son take each other on for the fate of the world.

Kratos manages to win the battle, but Greece is left in ruin by his actions. Upon seeing the end of the world, Kratos has his final encounter with the Ghost of Athena. She asks Kratos to hand her over the power he used to kill Zeus, a weapon that she put in Pandora’s Box along with the Flame of Olympus. Kratos, however, tells her that the box was empty. She realizes that when he opened Pandora’s Box in the first season, he unknowingly released an evil. It infected all the Gods of Olympus. This is why Zeus and the rest of the Gods were out to kill Kratos in the first place. The power he had taken was Hope. She begs him to return the power, so she can rebuild everything. Since Kratos no longer trusts any of the Gods, he stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus, releasing it into the world. Instead of returning it to Athena, he gives it to the rest of the world. The Goddess takes the Blade of Olympus and leaves Kratos to die. Yet, after the credits, his body has strangely vanished, opening up to exploring more stories in the future.

Source: IGN

January 2, 2021
How Yozora May Have Been Set-Up Since 2005’s ‘Kingdom Hearts 2’

I am an avid fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. At first, the base concept sold me, as I could never imagine how Final Fantasy would mesh with Disney. The first time I ever saw the game was on a demo disk that came with Final Fantasy X. I’ve fallen in love with the bizarre concepts introduced with each new entry ever since. The latest entry, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory added a musical spin-off that, in classic Tetsuya Nomura-style, is canon to the ever-growing story of the franchise. What started with a young kid named Sora trying to save his friends from ever-lurking darkness has turned into quite the convoluted chaos. We git introduced to beings known as Nobodys, who are the bodies whose hearts turned into Heartless. Our Keyblade-wielding heroes can jump into dreams, back through time, and who knows what else nowadays. Yet, the latest revelation has given me a feeling that this may have been set-up in 2005.

Keep in mind, if you haven’t played Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory yet, you will get spoiled for the major revelation in that game. Only continue at your own risk.

The ending of Melody of Memory gave us an essential bit of information on what happened to Sora after he vanished. He now exists in a world beyond the light, darkness, and everything in-between. At first, they describe it as a fictional world known only as Unreality, or Quadratum. The name is Latin for Square, which connects to the new character revealed in Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind named Yozora. His name translates to Night Sky in Japanese, which is the same in Latin for Noctis, who was originally the protagonist of Nomura‘s Final Fantasy Versus XIII. We briefly visit this location in the secret boss against Yozora, which looks like a replication of real-life Shibuya. We get introduced to it in the base game for the third entry, as Yozora was a video game character for our heroes. It fits with the fictional world description. It is a world beyond that of light, darkness, and everything in-between. In a way, it is fiction, as it never existed. There was a location we visited a long-time ago that actually might be connected to it.

Now, playing around with that thought, I came to realize we visited a location that technically did not exist. It became the home base for the first incarnation of Organization XIII but was never really fleshed out. It only held the name The World that Never Was, where one could find the Dark City. We never really get a backstory on why this place was the hiding spot for the Nobodys in Kingdom Hearts 2, but it made for a memorable trip. I think many still remember Memory’s Skyscraper, where Sora and Roxas had their final confrontation in that game. It probably was chosen by Xemnas, who was the Nobody of our main protagonist, Xehanort. Going into detail on that character’s history will take quite a lot of time. The reason I bring this up connects to the post-credit sequence of Melody of Memory. Keyblade Master Yen Sid pointed out that the ancient masters could travel between realities, which means that Xehanort was aware Quadrantum existed.

So, how does it all connect? I believe that The World That Never Was is a remnant pulled from Unreality through the Realm of Darkness. That caused it to turn into the Dark City. A newer character known only as Master of Masters, or MOM, shaped the moon above Quadrantum in a post-credit sequence, which fans know means he is after the True Kingdom Hearts. He may have passed on this knowledge to Xehanort at one point in history, as we briefly see them interact as master and student. This connection would also explain the mystery surrounding the Organization XIII member Luxord. So far, he is the one character who is still shrouded in mystery. Well, that was until the good ending from the Yozora fight. Robin Atkin Downes, who voices Luxord, reappears when Yozora awakes from his battle with Sora in Quadrantum. As such, we can only assume he may have been brought with the city when it turned into The World That Never Was. It’s just a theory, but if it turns out to be correct, I might repeat Luxord’s words from Re:Mind:

Impressive, is it not?

January 1, 2021
Murphy’s Multiverse: 2021’s Least Anticipated Projects

We cover a lot of things here at Murphy’s Multiverse and one of the absolute best things about having a team is that we all get to cover the things we love and know that the rest of the team will cover what we are…less interested in. Have a look below at the 2021 projects that are causing each of us to experience different levels of existential dread.

Joao Pinto

Considering the movie’s relevance and the amount of interest it’s not getting from me, it has to be Spider-Man 3. I understand all the hype surrounding the number of characters coming back to the franchise. Spider-Man is, and always has been, a character so many connect with, and to be able to see three of them on screen at the same time is indeed crazy. But this is perhaps getting too much in the way of the Tom Holland-centered movie I want to see. I get that that Tom will still end up being the heart of the movie, but I really can’t bring myself to become excited every time another name is added to the cast. If anything, it’s really making me feel less interested in the movie.

Julia Delbel

The thing I’m most nervous for in 2021 is anything with strong potential for obnoxious and hostile discourse. Obviously, everything has that potential, but things like Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Spider-Man 3, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier seem like they could be overrun with it. Some of these projects themselves are actually exciting to me, but I’m worried they could end up being overshadowed by negativity.

Joseph “The Machine” Aberl

Had to give this one a bit more thought. I think the one thing I am not too enthusiastic about for next year is the Tom & Jerry film. Yes, this may sound dumb but the cat-mouse duo were a big part of my childhood. So, the rather questionable animation designs with a strong emphasis on human characters just seems odd. The original 1992 film was bad but I loved it as a kid. So, seeing the latest rendition just feel a little hollow does not place it on my “must-watch” list of 2021.

Lizzie Hill

I’m not too excited for the Peacemaker series, but I have enjoyed James Gunn’s work elsewhere so we’ll see!

Edward Rose

I genuinely don’t know how to answer this question since I’m excited for everything that’s gonna happen with all of the films, series and projects coming up. If I had to pick one, I’d probably say The Snyder Cut of Justice League. Not that I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m not going to elevate my expectations too high for the project’s debut.

Arlyn Murphy

I am least excited for Boss Baby 2. I don’t think that the first movie was very good so I don’t have my hopes high for this one.

Charles Murphy

There are actually a lot of things I’m not looking forward to in 2021, but I’m trying to keep this to things we’ve been and will continue to cover on the website. When I work within those parameters, it’s easy: I’m going to have to watch Morbius and I hate it already. I am no fan of Jared Leto’s and I’ve long been vocal about how I don’t really understand Sony’s approach to these films. I think the success of Venom (much of which was due to Tom Hardy) emboldened them to keep going and I just don’t see the same interest in Morbius as there was for Venom (of for the sequel to Venom, for that matter). Maybe all this multiverse business will make these make sense and I’ll change my mind. I’d be happy for that. But for now, this one takes the cake.

Charles Villanueva

The Snyder Cut. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll probably watch it the day it comes because of how significant it is. But as far as being excited for it, I’m not drooling to see what Snyder has in store for us.

Dalbin Osorio

Venom 2. Venom part one, where Tom Hardy loves Jen Lindley, was not a good movie at all but it did box office numbers that have made Sony go forward with some really bad decisions. We’re getting a Morbius that seems like it’s set in the MCU, but only because Sony needs us to think it is, except there was that Vulture cameo, so who really knows? Either way, I have no interest in Woody Harrelson and Tom Hardy slugging it out in front of a green screen.

John Sabato

Morbius is by far my least anticipated project of 2021. I genuinely do not see a redeeming aspect of this film. The trailer looked bland and when I saw it was delayed, the only reason I was sad was because I knew I’d have to see more marketing for this film than we’d already seen.

December 31, 2020
What I Loved in 2020

2020 has been quite the year, and that may be an understatement. Still, even throughout the pandemic and other crazy happenings, life goes on. I think many of us have uncovered a wide selection of media to keep us going. As such, I thought with the year ending, let’s take a look back at some positive things that helped me get through the year. As such, here are four stories that stuck with me even until the year came to an end and helped me not lose my sanity. Keep in mind that not everything on the list will be from 2020. I had to catch up on some things throughout the year. So, being stuck at home did have its advantages. So, without further ado, here are the things I loved about 2020.

Love after World Domination

Have you ever wondered about what would happen if Rita Repulsa was a high school student and fell in love with one of the Power Rangers? Well, you are in luck, as author Noda Hiroshi and artist Wakamatsu Takahiro have created just that story. The manga Love after World Domination (恋は世界征服のあとで) got released in 2019, but I didn’t find it until April. It focuses on the group Gerato 5, who are trying to keep world peace alive while fighting the evil society only known as Gecko. One of their leaders, Magahara Desumi, ends up falling in love with the Gelato Red Ranger, Aikawa Fudou. As they are from two sides of the conflict, they use their various clashes to sneak away on small dates. The monthly series parodies Super Sentai, which is the basis for the Western Power Rangers while giving a lighthearted romantic comedy. It humanizes the villains in a way that makes them just as endearing as the members of Gelato 5. Just like us in 2020, we are all just trying to keep everything together as best as possible while facing incredible odds.

The Queen’s Gambit

I think pretty much everyone has been praising this series, but I just had to throw in my two cents as well. Netflix is a fascinating streaming service. As the most dominant streaming service, they do not have to rely on pre-existing intellectual properties like HBO Max or Disney+. Yet, they somehow are obsessed with purchasing the rights to well-known properties, even though they have some truly stand-out original series. Among them is this year’s sleeper hit The Queen’s Gambit. Scott Frank and Allan Scott introduce us to chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. After the tragic loss of her mother, she uncovers her talent with the board game. The story is based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, which I confess I have never read but certainly will do now. What makes this series stand out is Taylor-Joy‘s performance combined with the slow breakdown of a prodigy. She faces her inner demons, addiction, and what it means to be the best. The mini-series teaches us a lesson I believe we all needed to hear in such a year. Sometimes we lose ourselves in those that seem to be perfect in the eye of the public but may not realize how much pressure lies on their shoulders.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

In my opinion, Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best 2020 release. I do confess I have a strange history with the Final Fantasy franchise. I did not grow up with the original version of VII. Actually, my first Final Fantasy game was the ninth entry that I played at a friend’s place. It wasn’t until the tenth that I played through an entire game. I got hooked ever since. My introduction to Cloud and Sephiroth was actually through Kingdom Hearts, which sparked my interest in these characters. So, I went into the game already knowing the story without ever playing the original. We knew that the remake would have a stronger emphasis on the Midgar arc, which was the intro to the original game. I loved the idea as it allows them to flesh out the city and its inhabitants before it opens up to the rest of the world. Luckily, the game did exactly that and even went a few steps further. The retooled combat system was a refreshing combination of classic RPG turn-based combat and action. The performances for these incarnations of the characters were some of the best in the industry. It certainly made me anxious for what the future may hold and helped me through the beginning of the first lockdown. I could get lost in the city of Midgar and forget I was stuck at home for who knows how long.

Soul

Now, to cap off the year, let’s talk about the most recent release. Charles already prepared a great review of the film, but after just watching it, I just had to talk about it too. Pixar’s latest film, Soul, is a beautifully done story about purpose. It focuses on a music teacher Joe, who prematurely dies just as he believes he has found his dream to play in a jazz band. His journey into the afterlife leads him to meet 22, who gets dragged into a wacky adventure about finding the spark that inspires your life. It tackles the many questions of our existence in a light-hearted but relevant manner. It doesn’t shy away from making its audience question what was their spark. We felt sympathy with Joe, as many of us lost our path far away from the passion that once drove us. Many moments in this film hit me personally. As someone struggling to find a way into a creative industry, you never realize you lose sight of everything around you. You become so obsessed with the end goal that you forgot the experiences along the way. If you ever needed a film that makes you feel that 2021 is a new beginning, this is the film for you.

December 30, 2020