Murphy's Multiverse

Category: Features

  • ‘Daredevil’ Should Kick-Off Disney+’s Expansion

    ‘Daredevil’ Should Kick-Off Disney+’s Expansion

    Spider-Man 3 is going to be quite the film. It is bringing together so many corners of Marvel franchises that it feels like it might reinvent our expectations of a Spider-Verse film. João has offered an overview of how this concept could work for the untitled threequel. There was one piece of news that may have caught everyone off-guard. Charles V. has revealed that Charlie Cox will return to play Matt Murdock once again. This reveal is massive, as not too long ago, the rights moved back to Marvel, as the last season of the Netflix series released two years. Now, we are also left with the question: will Daredevil finally get a continuation or new series?

    Even after its cancellation, the series was the third most popular series on the streaming service with an average of 25M viewers. It brought the character to the forefront of the popular consciousness and defined Charlie Cox in the role. It also introduced us to a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that broke beyond the PG-13 barrier. Sadly, it got canceled after its third season pushed the franchise to new highs. Erik Oleson, who took over the role as showrunner duties for the final season, even pitched a fourth one before Netflix axed it. It was also no coincidence that Disney was looking into developing its streaming service at the time.

     

     

    Disney+ introduced us to a familiar-friendly streamer, so it seemed unlikely it would get added to its library. From that perspective, it seemed like there was no chance that Daredevil would make it to the service. Well, that was until the recent developments may have changed the playing field. Rumors are going around that Disney+ will combine with Hulu in the US while Europe gets the Star branding. It allows them to include R-rated content that will help grow their subscription numbers exponentially. It seems probable that they could announce this at the upcoming Investor’s Day, which Edward points out in his latest article.

    Such a massive announcement could use a headliner series. So, why not explore the return of Daredevil as a big selling point. They could even include Moon Knight in this expansion to explore the character’s darker side in a future season. If they also buy the rights to stream the original Netflix shows via this service, we could get a confirmation that this is a continuation of the character we already know. There have been hints that Spider-Man 3 is bringing back the iconic actors to play new versions of existing characters. Plus, the whole multiverse aspect could also add to the confusion whatever direction they go with the character. I am sure Daredevil returning with a brand new show on Disney+ Star will certainly get everyone’s attention at the streaming service expansion.

    Source: Forbes, Business Insider, Digital Spy

  • 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.

  • How ‘SPIDER-MAN 3’ Turned into the Ultimate High-risk/Low-reward MCU Project

    How ‘SPIDER-MAN 3’ Turned into the Ultimate High-risk/Low-reward MCU Project

    It’s pretty much confirmed that the MCU’s third Spider-Man movie will have one incredible cast list. Besides the names coming back from the previous two movies (that include J.K. Simmons‘ J. Jonah Jameson), we’ll get Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), Alfred Molina (Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus), and perhaps Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) returning from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. As for the Marc Webb films, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Jamie Foxx (Max Dillon/Electro) will be reprising their roles while Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) is still in negotiations. Besides all these, Benedict Cumberbatch is also set to show up as Dr. Stephen Strange, Kraven the Hunter is rumored to be making an appearance, and Charlie Cox will finally bring his take on Matt Murdock/Daredevil into the MCU.

    These seem like a lot of characters to cram into a single feature, especially one that is not an Avengers movie where the focus is expected to be on multiple characters. We’ve already seen how Marvel Studios successfully managed to deal with the increasingly large ensembles they had to work with from Captain America: Civil War to Avengers: Endgame, but to focus too much on characters other than Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man on his own movie could be seen as a disservice to what is arguably the best Peter Parker ever to be put on screen and also the version of the web-slinger the franchise should be converging on both now and in the forthcoming years.

    But Marvel Studios’ record when dealing with large casts does make it seem like, in the end, this might not be that big of an issue, as long as they manage to follow their own unwritten rules from previous projects. 

     

    INTRODUCE AUDIENCES TO CHARACTERS IN ADVANCE

    Even though we’ve gotten a few event movies in the MCU that came with large casts, most of those characters weren’t exactly being introduced in said features. The fact that Marvel took the time to debut almost everybody in their own movies made the team-ups all about the interactions between previously introduced personalities, allowing for the movies to have a faster pace while still allowing audiences to be emotionally invested in most of the characters. That’s part of why those movies worked so well, even if the prospect of having 10+ characters sharing the screen at once seemed like a preposterous one, to begin with.

    This is most likely something that Spider-Man 3 doesn’t need to worry about too much. The Raimi and Webb series were both well-received, people are familiar with their characters, even if both series ended on a more sour note. When seeing Garfield, Dunst, or Foxx onscreen, audiences won’t need much to instantly understand who they are and what they’re all about. This should allow for the movie to flow seamlessly while packing a huge emotional punch.

     

    HAVE A CENTRAL FOCUS AND LIMIT SCREEN TIMES

    Avengers: Infinity War was one of the biggest movies ever and going into it Captain America was one of the MCU’s biggest stars. And yet, his screen time wasn’t even in that movie’s top 10. That didn’t stop it from becoming the success that it was because it was understood that the movie should stay true to the story it meant to tell while being almost indifferent to the characters driving it. Steve Roger’s presence managed to bring more weight to the story being told but without pulling rank and asking for more protagonism, something that might have hindered the final product. As such, the success of Spider-Man 3 might be defined by how much Marvel manages to hold back on the time devoted to cameos from previous Spider-Man movies. This should still be Tom Holland‘s movie and the place in which we find his Peter Parker should allow for his continuous growth into someone who can deal with his own issues, without Tony Stark or Nick Fury around to help out. Spider-Men from other timelines could be there to guide him towards the path he needs to be on, but never to hold his hand and/or deal with his problems in his place. So, even though I wouldn’t assume these cameos to be equal to Benedict Cumberbatch‘s in Thor: Ragnarok, I also wouldn’t be expecting they’ll turn out to be much more than that. Even though celebrating legacy characters is never a bad thing, one should not do so at the cost of relegating the franchise’s present (and future) to the sidelines.

     

    It’s a little over a year until Spider-Man 3 is released, so there is plenty of time to try and begin to make sense of how all of this will come into play, and if it will end up being worth it. Marvel Studios has an excellent track record in terms of understanding how best to develop its movies, but they are now dealing with characters that mostly don’t belong to them. And it does seem like a huge gamble to focus on a Multiverse storyline with these many Sony characters at a time when the MCU has already enough characters that could easily help bring the Multiverse into focus on a non-Spider-Man centric film, thus making its own character grow. This makes it seem that in case the movie turns out great, it’s Sony that’ll gain the most, even if not considering the money involved. With Sony’s interest in developing its own cinematic universe based on the Marvel characters they own, this project might end up being a huge boost to those interests. For Marvel Studios, it’ll be just another regular Thursday. But in case the movie ends up feeling bloated, with a convoluted storyline that earns it a bad reception, that dark cloud will mostly fall on Marvel Studios, hurting their brand. This way this project is surely looking like a bigger risk for the MCU than even Infinity War and Endgame, as the ceiling seems a bit lower than the one those projects had, and the floor isn’t exactly higher.

  • Kate Bishop Won’t Save ‘Marvel’s Avengers’, But It Is a Good Start

    Kate Bishop Won’t Save ‘Marvel’s Avengers’, But It Is a Good Start

    Tomorrow is the big day. Kate Bishop finally joins Marvel’s Avengers. It has been quite the wait, but we finally get our first DLC that showcases what we can expect from this brand new entry in the Games-as-a-Service market. It’s been a very rough start to get to this very point. The game once was littered with bugs, and many questionable business practices have shed the game in quite a negative light. It was followed by quite the drop in players, especially on Steam. It just recently saw a small increase after the Black Friday sale, but all eyes were on the first real addition to defining the game’s future. Now, as the title has already revealed, I do not believe Kate Bishop will suddenly save the game from its player base loss. However, I do think that it will have an essential role in the game’s future development to get it to where it needs to be.

    How will Kate’s addition do that? Well, the whole point of GaaS is that it continues to grow as time moves on. It got revealed that they were planning multiple years that would expand the game with an ongoing narrative and new heroes. Kamala Khan introduces us to this world’s Avengers and the aftermath of A-Day. Once they have taken down M.O.D.O.K., the story has only just begun. In our last minor update, we were introduced to Tachyon Rifts. They were not just a brand new mission type but also teased that something will be affected by a time storm. Our first War Table since the game launched then confirmed that Clint is going to travel through time to face a future version of Hulk, who is known as Maestro. They both face-off in the ruins of what once was Earth.

     

     

    The original campaign had a more grounded storyline, so the first major DLC expansion to already jump into time travel and multiverse is quite the development. Kate is going to be our introduction to this brand new storyline that will finally get the ball rolling on future additions. The important thing is that future updates come at a good pace to ensure that the issue of repetition is solved. They have also confirmed that they are working on various reworks of systems that still seem a bit unrefined as of now. Kate is just a pebble in comparison to what is to come but an important one. There is also the argument that the character isn’t as popular as, let’s say, Black Panther or Captain Marvel. Yes, the character isn’t as big a name as those that were popularized in the public conscious by Marvel Studios, but she still has been a well-established character in the comics for some time. They also don’t have to get their biggest players out just yet, as even the Marvel Cinematic Universe was built on what were once B or even C-list characters.

    Now, the true test will be once they finally release the multiplayer-focused Omega-Threat levels. Next year, we will kick off with the addition of Hawkeye, who will introduce us to brand new environments and is a direct follow-up to complete Kate’s story. Leaks have also teased that Black Panther, who will most likely be the third DLC character. Speaking of, Crystal Dynamics and Square-Enix have the perfect opportunity to promote the game with high-profile characters. It would even be the perfect opportunity for a soft launch to get new players into the game. They have a lot of opportunities to build up their audience with each major character release. It’ll take time until we get to that point, but Kate’s release is the moment it finally gets rolling. Her addition is going to be our first taste of what we can expect and also the moment for Crystal Dynamics to build up the momentum they’ve been working for all this time.

    Source: SteamCharts, IGN

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Boba’s Back and He Ain’t No Joke(er)

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Boba’s Back and He Ain’t No Joke(er)

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Theory: Armors, Troopers & Sabers

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Theory: Armors, Troopers & Sabers

    With the number of characters introduced in its second season, it’s fair to say that everything is fair game when you’re theorizing about The Mandalorian‘s upcoming episodes. But what this season has also shown us is that by the end of it there won’t be a single episode from season one that you could skip without missing something crucial to the overarching storyline. This means that not only do the most obvious story elements tend to come back in some way but that even the smaller details gain importance throughout the show.

    We’ve already written how the focus given in Chapter 13 to how beskar can deal with lightsabers obviously wasn’t innocent. We got two fights where that became clear, and so audiences are now feeling that Mando’s armor is almost impervious to almost whatever Moff Gideon throws at it. But we’ve also mentioned why Gideon’s Darksaber might be able to slice through beskar and now Chapter 14 might have given us another hint on how the final confrontation between Din Djarin’s posse and Moff Gideon’s troopers might unfold. We were deprived of something that, had it not been left out, might have diminished the impact of that final fight and that was seeing the Dark Troopers in battle.

    We know that beskar became highly sought after by Mandalorians after the Empire took most of it, as spoils of war, after the Great Purge. We also know that Empire operatives are still holding on to great amounts of the Mandalorian alloy. With the metal at hand, it would make sense that someone like Moff Gideon, who is highly knowledgeable of Mandalorian culture and weaponry, would make use of a material with such unique properties when building himself his own Dark Trooper unit.

    In the previous episode, Din Djarin managed to defeat the Magistrate’s assassin droids with a single shot, showing us how droids can still be fairly easily killed. But had Mando and Fennec Shand reached the top of the mountain in time to engage beskar-armored Dark Troopers, we might have seen how their blasters wouldn’t harm them. And that is something that wasn’t really needed for Chapter 14, as Grogu being kidnapped was enough anguish for the moment. Leaving such a revelation to the last two episodes will make Mando’s situation even worse than expected, which will only make his expected retrieval of Grogu even more cathartic.

  • ‘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.

  • UNBOXING Marvel Collector Corps’ Infinity Saga End Credits Scenes

    UNBOXING Marvel Collector Corps’ Infinity Saga End Credits Scenes

    You may have noticed us branching out on the site more and more over recent months. Today, we are putting out the first of what we hope to be MANY unboxing/opening videos! As many of you know, I am an over-zealous collector so we decided it would be pretty easy to share with you all.

    As you’ll see, Charles V., who edited the video, put a couple of his own touches on the video below. I was lucky enough to get Arlyn Murphy to help me out with this one and I hope that, over time, she takes over the narration. Enjoy and please give your respectful criticisms so we can improve the process.

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ CHAPTER 14: Making Previous ‘STAR WARS’ Movies Even Better

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ CHAPTER 14: Making Previous ‘STAR WARS’ Movies Even Better

    In the eight years since Disney bought Lucasfilm, there have been several projects developed under the Star Wars brand. The three movies making up the Sequel Trilogy (S.T.) were naturally the ones that received the most attention, even though their reception wasn’t exactly at the level Disney probably foreseen. Solo also had a few problems of its own that perhaps hindered its final result, the directorial change mid-production being the more prominent one. In what live-action is concerned, this leaves us with both Rogue One and The Mandalorian.

    Gareth Edwards‘ movie also had to endure some issues, mostly script related, but it ended up being very well-received. It was a movie with a very predictable end and, unlike Solo and the S.T., introduced characters that the audience had no previous connection to. Apart from the enormous quality in several departments, one of the things Rogue One did very well was a certain something The Mandalorian is also succeeding in, and that “Chapter 14: The Tragedy” made abundantly clear. They both manage to make previous installments of the franchise better movies.

     

     

    Rogue One made us want to dive straight into A New Hope again after the initial chase sequence offered us a chance to look at the original film with new eyes, re-evaluating character motivations and their attitudes. The Mandalorian takes it to a whole new level and offers the perfect type of fan service. The addition of previously established characters, such as Boba Fett, rewards long-time fans while also expanding the story and the characters themselves. All fan services should aspire to take this route. We have now found a new appreciation for the bounty hunter, a character that weirdly was often both under and overappreciated, with little to justify either end of the spectrum. 

    Now, we finally know more about both his and Jango’s past. We saw him kicking some ass instead of just being pushed by accident into a Sarlacc Pit. It explained why his allegiance wasn’t with Mandalore or the Mandalorian way, even as he has strong ties to his Beskar armor. It showcased that he values his past and how it connects to his present-day dealings. The Mandalorian has now added a little more weight to Fett’s enduring appreciation, making both Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi better movies, at least on what concerns the mythic bounty hunter.

     

     

    As we near the end of the season, it’s now time for The Mandalorian to stick the landing. This season has managed to bring fans together in a way few Star Wars projects have done in the past. It managed to draw in people from all mediums and ages. It’s a thing of beauty to see how Star Wars has managed to reinvent itself while bringing the most valued aspects of its past along for the ride in a meaningful way, by expanding on them at a time most wanted to leave such things behind. And the final two episodes will most certainly double-down on this.

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Teases Grogu’s Conflict with the Force

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Teases Grogu’s Conflict with the Force

    The latest episode of The Mandalorian has raised the stakes, as Din was given instructions by Ahsoka Tano on where he can find someone to teach the Child. Oh wait, I guess we are calling him Grogu now. Din was having fun seeing the little guy’s reaction when he called him by his name. Now that they finally found their way to Tython, they face some rather harsh changes. There is a good reason why this episode is titled “The Tragedy” after all. The episode’s chain of events may be continuing a path that was briefly teased last season for our young Grogu. It may be up to Din to save the abandoned Padawan from a dark fate.

     

    Here is your spoiler warning. I will be spoiling the major twist of this episode, so only continue at your own risk. If you don’t want to get spoiled, then be sure to watch the episode before you continue reading.

     

     

    So, the episode ends with Grogu getting captured by the now-confirmed Dark Troopers. Din is too late to save him and can only watch as they leave. Our favorite Mandalorian is heartbroken but quickly tries to find a way to get him out of there with the help of some unlikely allies. The episode did not end there as we also saw little Grogu on the ship. He had his first confrontation with Mof Gideon, who seemed oddly giddy about Grogu throwing the Storm Troopers around the room. We learned from Ahsoka that he purposely hid his abilities, but now it was as if he didn’t care. He was going to take them all down to get back to his father, and he didn’t care how often he has to fling a Storm Trooper across the room. Sadly, he is still tiny and falls asleep after exceeding his limits. The episode ends us with the question of how Din will try to save the kid and whatever Moff has planned for him.

     

     

    It is Grogu’s actions that confirm something Ahsoka Tano said in the last episode. She hinted at the consequences of a force-wielder with a strong personal connection. Their emotions can get the better of them. Something she saw someone close to her went through in the past. It looks like Grogu might be facing a similar path. Just last season, he used the Force to chock Cara, as he believed she was going to hurt him. So far, we’ve only ever seen people on the dark side use that kind of ability. Yes, Grogu seems like an innocent child, but it was shocking to see him slam the Storm Troopers around. He was letting loose, and who knows what else he would’ve done if he didn’t get tired. It certainly will be an interesting conflict once Din can save the little guy, and what implications it may have for his future. Now, we can only wonder if the message will be heard by a Jedi that can bring him back to the light, or perhaps a Sith is ready to answer the call.