Murphy's Multiverse

Category: Features

  • Theory Thursday: Welcome to New Salem

    Theory Thursday: Welcome to New Salem

    It’s been known that comics usually take inspiration for their stories from our world and the times that we live in. And Marvel Comics is no exception. After all, Stan Lee himself once said; “Marvel is the world outside of our window”. During the week, I started to look around for any sort of clues that Marvel Studios could tell us about WandaVision and the town that it’s going to be set in, which is WestView. Now, while looking around, I noticed something really interesting in Google Maps. There are multiple WestViews across the United States, but the one in particular that caught my attention was WestView, Indiana. The reason why it caught my attention was that in Indiana, WestView is “an unincorporated community in SALEM Township…” And then my brain clicked.

     

     

    For my US History nerds (and for those forced to read The Crucible in High School), we know that Salem (in Massachusets) was infamous for the Witch Trials they held in 1692. Many “witches” were persecuted, tried, and executed as part of those trials. And Marvel Comics acknowledges Salem as well in the comics, but where real-world history ended, Marvel Comics continued to write the story their own way. After their persecution, many witches sought refuge near Colorado and founded their own community known as “New Salem”. Now, in order to keep themselves safe, they isolated themselves from the rest of humanity and made their community only accessible to those who possess magical abilities. Now, why is New Salem so important to Marvel Comics and possibly to WandaVision? Well, it’s the home and residence of one of the most powerful witches in Marvel Comics, Agatha Harkness.

     

     

    Theory: ‘New Salem’ might be an important location in WandaVision.

     

    Going back to the Google Maps research I did, whenever I looked up Salem across the US, nearly every Salem location was associated with WestView. WestView Drive, WestView Ave., WestView Manor, the community of WestView, etc. While I am hesitant to say that WestView is specifically a “dummy” location and that WestView is actually the community of New Salem, I am certain that we might see the community of New Salem appear at some point during the show. Most of Agatha Harkness’ story in the comics is set around the community of New Salem and the strain she possesses with the members of that community, who have branded her a traitor for leaving them and deciding to interact with the commoners, mainly the Fantastic Four. Wanda and Vision also play very pivotal parts in the comics after Agatha Harkness’ spirit contacted them to come to New Salem during the 2nd series of comics for “The Vision and the Scarlet Witch”. 

     

     

    In this particular comic above, Wanda and Vision faced off against Vertigo and the “Salem Seven” after Agatha Harkness contacted them to come to New Salem. At one point, Vertigo absorbed the power of all of the residents of New Salem and lost control, killing the residents of New Salem in the process. But Wanda actually tried to contain and redirect the power after Agatha Harkness had taught her how to channel magic or “hex”. Eventually, Agatha’s astral form in that comic had told Wanda not just to channel that power, but to actually use it and she actually succeeded in using her power to redirect it to the mountain and destroying New Salem. If we were to see this portion of the comic play out in WandaVision, it would actually be a nice callback to Captain America: Civil War (2016) when Wanda couldn’t contain and redirect her power properly causing the explosion in Lagos and the death of dozens of innocents which brought about the events of that film.

     

    WandaVisionIS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO PREMIERE AT SOME POINT THIS YEAR On Disney Plus.

  • Season 3 of ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Could Introduce Hondo Ohnaka

    Season 3 of ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Could Introduce Hondo Ohnaka

    Besides debuting all-new Star Wars characters, Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian is also focusing on introducing a number of characters, coming from other media such as novels, comics, and cartoons, to live-action. We’ve already met one of those, Cobb Vanth, a character that we first read about in a novel, and it shouldn’t take long before we get to a few others such as Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze.

    Going into season three it’s fair to think that Din Djarin will keep crossing paths with similar characters, especially ones whose life story in the period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens isn’t yet thoroughly explored. And now, according to a report by Skyler Shuler and an update by Production Weekly, we might just have gotten a small hint on who one of those characters might be, going into season three.

    The working title for The Mandalorian season three apparently seems to be “Buccaneer”, and that brings one specific character to mind: Hondo Ohnaka. Hondo is a Weequay space pirate that was very active during The Clone Wars, having crossed paths with the likes of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano. After the war, with the rise of the Empire, his gang was dissolved and he ended up working closely with the rebellion. We last saw him at the end of Star Wars: Rebels, but we know he lived through the events of The Last Jedi since he was stationed at the Black Spire Outpost, in Batuu, when the Millenium Falcon landed there, sometimes after the Battle of Crait.

    With The Mandalorian being set about five years after the events that lead to the destruction of the second Death Star, we know Hondo was alive at the time. With the power void created by the fall of the Empire, the circumstances might just be right for a pirate and smuggler to thrive, and eventually make his live-action debut in the third season of the hit Disney+ show.

  • Theory Thursday: Wild ‘WANDAVISION’ Wonderings

    Theory Thursday: Wild ‘WANDAVISION’ Wonderings

    WandaVision may be the first MCU project of Phase 4, but Marvel Studios has managed to keep the series relatively under wraps compared to shows and movies coming out further down the line. This series is supposedly a personal favorite of Kevin Feige’s, one he wants to keep as much of a surprise as possible for fans until it’s officially released. But the crumbs of content we’ve gotten thus far have provided much area for speculation and theorizing. Take this piece of official art for the show drawn by Director of Visual Development Andy Park, which combined with the caption on Instagram may be hinting at a concept I’ve had a feeling WandaVision may be dipping into for awhile now.

    //www.instagram.com/embed.js
    That “I won’t give details on specifically why I did this, but you’ve seen the trailer so you’ve seen them in these costumes,” line nods to this design being more meaningful than just simply art for merch (though those t-shirts featuring it are admittedly fantastic). And it tells us that the mystery here isn’t supposed to be the “reveal” of the costumes, since we’ve already seen those in the trailer.

     

    As has been discussed and teased aplenty by now, WandaVision will pay homage to various sitcom eras, with even some direct references to specific shows. And anyone who’s seen the 1964-1972 ABC series Bewitched will feel a sense of…familiarity when looking at Park’s piece.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOFdNWPP04

    Wanda and Vision are wearing the Halloween costume versions of their classic comic outfits in Park’s drawing. It hasn’t been confirmed when exactly the Halloween-featured episode of WandaVision will take place (in terms of which sitcom era or episode number). However, we do know that it will be an important one for the series and one in which things look to be taking a turn into a whole new level of crazy (remember: as seen in the trailer, Halloween is when Vision runs into Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness and is informed of his death).

    There have been a couple of different theories as to when the episode will take place; some have pointed out that the staircase and house setup behind Wanda in the shots when she’s wearing her Halloween costume are quite similar to those seen on Bewitched, and Park’s Halloween art taking clear inspiration from that show gives weight to this idea. On the other hand, the episode being a turning point in the series combined with the snippet of children out trick-or-treating in the trailer dressed in costumes one might see today points to it taking place in the modern era, or one at least a few decades removed from the 1960’s-70’s era during which Bewitched originally aired. Given that the trailer shows Wanda consciously manipulating eras at her will, it’s very possible that both these eras could be prevalent in the episode and the changing of decades through the series might not be as linear or rigid a format as one episode = one era as some have been thinking.

    Bewitched was a live action series, but like a few other sitcoms of the era such as I Dream of Jeannie, it’s intro was animated. We don’t know whether or not WandaVision or any of Marvel’s other Disney+ series will have a theme song or official intro of some kind, but with the changing nature of eras and genres in this show it would be super cool to see a different style of introduction for each episode, perhaps one of them being an homage to Bewitched or just the type of theme song segment prevalent in that era in general. This would work if the Halloween episode is set in the 1960’s (or begins there and switches to the modern day later on).

    If the episode is set entirely in a post-Bewitched time period, however, this art could be part of something even more wild. As previously stated, the drama and zaniness in Westview look to be getting kicked up a notch in some way come Halloween, and I think there will be quite a few big surprises we haven’t even seen hints of yet. If they showed us how the eras change in the trailer as well as someone (Monica Rambeau) travelling from the sitcom world to the real one…what aren’t they showing us?

    The Super Bowl spot and official series trailer have shown WandaVision tackling sitcoms from all eras. But what if Wanda’s power over her reality go beyond that? What if she can alter not only the time period of the sitcom, but its medium?

    Yes, folks, I’m saying the world of WandaVision might get a little bit animated.

    This is something that has been marinating in my head since before the art was released. Once television reached the 1990s and beyond, a lot of the most famous sitcoms released – The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc. – were animated. If the eras proceed in a linear fashion, at least for the first few episodes of the series, things will likely hit a fever pitch as we get close to modern day. And what would be crazier than reaching an alternate dimension? (Going from 3D to 2D, that is.)

    If this were to happen, it would probably only be for a brief scene or two, but it would be a great way to keep the audience on their toes and potentially create a truly memorable moment in the MCU. (Or is it the Marvel Multimedia Multiverse now?) And there’s a lot they could do to play around with this idea. I’ve focused heavily on Bewitched because of the drawing and footage hints pointing towards it but there certainly could be elements of other shows mixed in as well. I mentioned animated sitcoms growing in prominence seeing a resurgence around the 1990’s and the most famous of all, The Simpsons, is another show available on Disney+. While I wouldn’t expect a direct crossover between the two shows, I think an animated segment paying homage to the long-running series would fit right in with the ones for live action shows of the past we’ve already seen snippets of in the trailer.

    One thing I think would be less likely for them to do with the concept of animation but interesting if they did would be to use it to introduce the concept of What If? to the uninitiated. The sitcom world in WandaVision is sort of like Wanda’s own personal “what if” scenario in terms of Vision still being alive and the two building a life together so it would be fitting in a way. I don’t think this will happen considering we’ve seen the animation style of What If? and it’s nothing like Andy Park’s drawing of Wanda and Vision, but if they end up using multiple animation styles they could take the advantage of being able to backdoor-promote the upcoming animated series (which will also be on Disney+).

    It’s very difficult to predict anything about a potential animated piece in WandaVision considering how close to the chest Marvel is holding their cards with this particular project. I highly doubt any footage of such a sequence would be revealed before its official in-show debut and there’s really not much more they could do to tease it without totally giving it away. As I said before, if animation really is incorporated into the series I’m expecting it to either be as part of its intro sequence(s) or a scene where the alternate reality goes totally bonkers and off-the-wall. But as of now I don’t have a clear direction on what the details could be, only that my suspicions of it coming to fruition are increasing as the show grows closer to its debut.

  • BOBA’S BACK: What’s Next For the Mythic Bounty Hunter?

    BOBA’S BACK: What’s Next For the Mythic Bounty Hunter?

    Just like a year ago, the new The Mandalorian season premiere left us with a very cool cliffhanger. Last time we were all left wondering who that little Yoda-looking creature was and how it could impact not only the show’s storyline but the entire ongoing Star Wars narrative. This year it’s all about reconnecting with Boba Fett making his way back to Star Wars live-action. Chronologically, the last time we saw him was in Return of The Jedi’s opening act, falling into a Sarlacc Pit as Luke rescued Han Solo. But similarly to what happened with Darth Maul, the character connected with audiences in a way that was bound to lead to its return, even though we were supposed to have watched both of them die on screen.

    Back in 2015, the Star Wars: Aftermath novel gave us a few hints on what could have happened with Boba Fett’s iconic armor following the events of Return of the Jedi, but nothing was said of the man himself. But now, we’ve got official confirmation that Fett lives and five years after his supposed demise is still living on Tatooine. So what has he been up to? Where does he go from here?

     

     

    Be it because the explosion of Jabba’s Sail Barge killed or injured the Sarlacc that was supposed to have eaten him, or his beskar armor managed to protect him long enough to escape the monster’s grasp, the fact is Boba escaped. Either way, it’s hard to believe he would then leave his armor behind for no apparent reason. With the fall of the Empire, it’s perhaps reasonable to think that he would decide to stay hidden (a planet like Tatooine would certainly allow for that), and with everyone thinking he had died he shouldn’t expect too much trouble keeping it that way. And so, stranded in the desert, somewhat like Cobb Vanth a few years later, it would be in his interest to shed his bounty hunter garments and trade them with the Jawas for Tusken Raiders’ clothes so that he wouldn’t stand out from the usual Tatooine desert crowd. The fact that the Jawas had is armor in their possession and that, on that last shot when we see Boba for the first time, he’s got a gaderffii stick and a cycler rifle on his back (both usually used by Tusken Raiders) help support this idea.

    This also makes it less weird that, five years later, he wouldn’t have already found Cobb Vanth and his old armor. One would expect that if someone off-world like Gor Koresh knew a Mandalorian was seen in Mos Pelgo, Boba would too. And if he did know, and did nothing about it, there would be a reason for it. Cobb would then serve as bait for Boba to know who might come looking for him, keeping himself at a safe distance through it all.

     

     

    But now, after the events of “Chapter 9: The Marshal”, it becomes obvious that Boba is ready to take a step forward and reveal himself a bit more to the outside world. And there are two events that seem to be the catalysts to that decision. One being Din Djarin’s exploits on this last episode, the other the death of Fennec Shand in “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger.” The final shot of that episode was someone approaching Fennec Shand’s dead body in Tatooine’s desert, wearing similar clothing to Fett’s. Shand was an elite assassin making it easy to understand how she could have been Boba’s associate, perhaps serving as the only connection he had to the outside world all through his exile. Intrigued by how such a highly-skilled fighter could have been killed, and witnessing what Din Djarin did to the Krayt dragon, should make Boba assume that Din was the one who killed Shand, and that might mean he could be coming for him in the future. Him wearing Mandalorian armor would certainly add to his interest in Mando’s figure.

    In the, now non-canon material, Boba Fett evolved to become a sort of anti-hero in the Star Wars universe, even fighting alongside Han Solo. With news of a possible live-action Boba-centered spin-off being developed by LucasFilm in the near future, it’s only natural that that could be the direction he’ll be headed from now on as well. That would mean that any sort of confrontation between himself and Din Djarin would be decided without any of them having to die, perhaps even leaving each other on good terms. His spin-off show would also indicate that his presence in The Mandalorian won’t be an extended one, being used mainly to reframe his character in a way that when the new show starts, there are just enough familiar elements to it that the story flows naturally.

  • Untitled Vision Series

    Untitled Vision Series

    Premiere: TBD 2026

    Initially mentioned by Jeff Sneider on The Hot Mic with John Rocha, the series was confirmed to be in development by Deadline in October 2022. It will supposedly follow Vision on his path to regaining his memories and humanity, with Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) rumored to be making an appearance.

    In April 2024, it was reported that production on the streaming series was slated to get underway in the UK in October 2024. In May 2024, Variety reported that Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas had taken over as showrunner for the series and that the studio has slated it for release in 2026.

    In August 2024, James Spader signed on to reprise his role as Ultron. In September 2024, Todd Stashwick joined the series as a mysterious assassin.

    Faran Tahir, who portrayed Ten Rings terrorist Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar in 2008’s Iron Man, was announced to be returning to the role via trade reports in January 2025.

    Cast

    • Paul Bettany as The Vision
    • Ruaridh Mollica in an unknown role
    • James Spader as Ultron
    • Todd Stashwick as Paladin
    • Faran Tahir as Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar
    • T’Nia Miller as Jocasta
    • James D’Arcy as Jarvis
    • Kerry Condon as F.R.I.D.A.Y.
    • Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H.
  • Looking Back to What Could’ve Been ‘Silent Hills’

    Looking Back to What Could’ve Been ‘Silent Hills’

    A few years back, I started this tradition of replaying the franchise of Silent Hill. The PlayStation franchise reinvented our understanding of survival horror, as it introduced us to a much more personal nightmare. Each entry in the franchise puts you in the shoes of a new character. Their visit to the quaint town of Silent Hill leads them to face their demons. The suburban town is invested with manifestations of their innermost nightmares, as it forces them to accept their past actions. It wasn’t scary because of a lack of ammunition or a creepy monster. It was what it forced us to think about while playing it.

    We haven’t seen the franchise return since its last mainline entry Silent Hill: Downpour in 2021. Even then, the original team that developed the franchise, known as Team Silent, hasn’t worked on a game since Silent Hill 4: The Room. Konami hasn’t shown much love to the franchise since, as it shipped from one external developer to the next. There was a glimmer of hope in 2014. A secret teaser at the end of the Playable Teaser, or P.T. for short, revealed that it was for a game titled Silent Hills. Hideo Kojima started work on a project together with the film director Guillermo Del Toro and acclaimed horror manga artist Junji Ito. It seemed like the perfect team for such an ambitious project, but suddenly Konami pulled the plug on the game.

    So, the wait continues with the franchise making a somewhat return in Dead by Daylight as DLC. The upcoming The Medium game also pays tribute to the franchise with its former composer Akira Yamaoka joining the production. It almost seems like we are at the point where the franchise will live on through tribute games. Yet, there are rumblings of PlayStation potentially working on a brand new entry for their upcoming next-gen console. Sadly, we never got an announcement or official tease, so it could just be a pipedream. There was even the rumor that Sony wants Kojima‘s new development firm Kojima Productions to work on the project that he once had to delay after purchasing the rights from Konami.

    I would love to see Kojima‘s Silent Hills project come together. Junji Ito is one of my favorite manga artists, whose works, like Uzumaki or Tomie, will brand themselves into your mind. At the time, we even got a concept trailer that showcased what kind of insane and horrific visuals we could’ve experienced once the project was released. It would’ve been interesting to see how Japanese horror would’ve meshed with the Western influences the original games were inspired by. Yet, no matter how interesting the monsters could look like, the game still is a character study at heart that uses the foggy town to explore the inner workings of regret, depression, and whatever may affect our fragile minds. Well, sometimes specific imagery and memories are enough to get the gears turning.

    Source: Metacritic (Downpour), IGN, Game Informer, CNet, RockPaperShotgun, Inverse, YouTube (Teaser), YouTube (Concept Trailer)

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9: Filoni and Favreau Further the FANtasy

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9: Filoni and Favreau Further the FANtasy

    In the case of Boba Fett’s death, had I known he was gonna turn into such a popular character, I probably would’ve made it a little bit more exciting. Boba Fett was just another one of the minions, another one of the bounty hunters and badguys. But, he became such a favorite of everybody’s that, for having such a small part, uh he had a very large presence. And now that his history has been told in the first trilogy, y’know, it makes it even more of a misstep that we wouldn’t make more out of the event of his defeat, because most people don’t believe he died anyway. I’d contemplated putting in that extra shot in where he climbs out of the hole, but y’know I figure that’s . . . it doesn’t quite fit, in the end.

     

    When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to be spoiled enough that my parents paid for me to be a part of the official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter, Bantha Tracks. I couldn’t tell you how many of them I had before they stopped coming, but I can tell you that what I read in the issues I did have may well have been the genesis of what has apparently been my lifelong pursuit of “insider knowledge.” I read those newsletters front to back and back to front over and over again; I felt like I was in the cool club because I was exposed to a wealth of knowledge, straight from the brain of George Lucas; knowledge like the bit below:

    Bantha Track #5, "Introducing: Boba Fett," Edited (Summer 1979) - Image Galleries - Boba Fett Fan Club

    Not much is known about Boba Fett.

    At the time that issue 5 of Bantha Tracks was published in 1978, there was no way Lucas could have predicted how deeply rooted this minor character would become in pop culture. And while the mystery of just how and why Boba became such an integral part of such an otherwise richly develop mythology is a conversation worth having, it’s not the one we’re having here. The bounty hunter accumulated 392 seconds of screen time in the films but has taken up a lot more space in my brain and the brains of fans than that. Did he escape the Sarlaac pit? What are all those symbols on his armor and what is that braid? Mandalore? What’s a Mandalorian? And people who I always assumed were just as obsessed with all these things as I was thought about these things too and now, as it turns out, a couple of people just like that in Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, have created an entire series that seems like it may have spun out of the mind of a kid who sat on his floor reading Bantha Tracks, watching the movies and trying to figure out just who this mysterious bounty hunter was. And now, with the first episode of Season 2, they’ve reached out to all of you who sat around and overthought every minute detail of every film and they’ve said this: “That time you spent wasn’t wasted. We spent time doing it too and have built an entire world around those thoughts.” It’s validation and as Boba turned and faced me on screen in the twilight of the twin suns of Tatooine, it felt amazing.

    The Mandalorian' season 2 premiere reveals a surprising character | EW.com

    Boba is back but as excited as I am, he’s not truly at the heart of this piece either. Chapter 9 wasn’t enthralling just because we have a now-canonical expansion of the legend of Boba Fett that actually only adds to the mystery but also because, as they do, Favreau and Filoni made an entire episode out of in-universe things that only the truest of fans would love to see. If Seinfeld was a series about nothing, then The Mandalorian is a series about making nothing into something. The creative duo behind the series just gave us 54 minutes of glory by creating a story around a pile of bones that were seen onscreen for 2 seconds, a strange noise Obi-Wan made to scare off some Tuskens and a bounty hunter who “died” in his last chronological appearance. This is what they do and this is the heart of Star Wars. George Lucas created a world, a universe, that was already fruitful when we first saw it in A New Hope. If all we ever got was that film, it would have been enough. But Lucas didn’t just give us the fruit up front, he also planted seeds and, over the years, those seeds have come to bear fruit in the minds of creators like Favreau and Filoni. Creators who just like you and I, probably have spent hours reading character profiles on StarWars.com and know all about those shiny pearls inside a Krayt dragon.

    And that’s what The Mandalorian has been since it debuted last year: a series of shiny pearls, the value of which might only be apparent to the staunchest of fans. That’s not to say that a new fan wouldn’t enjoy Chapter 9. But for fans who have invested countless hours talking, arguing, theorizing and speculating about how big a Krayt dragon would be and what happened to Boba in that Sarlaac pit, this episode felt like a non-contact hug from minds behind Mando. The hug that tells us that all that time spent fantasizing and building a Star Wars encyclopedia in your head was time well spent. In furthering the fantasy, Favreau and Filoni push all the right buttons and hit all the right notes because they’ve walked those same miles. Hell, I bet they read Bantha Tracks, too.

     

     

     

     

     

  • X-Men

    X-Men

    Premiere: TBD

    After the live-action rights to Marvel’s uncanny mutants were acquired in 2019, Marvel Studios’ One Above All, Kevin Feige, teased plans for them to make their way into the MCU at SDCC ’19. Those plans were slow developing but in Fall 2023, the studio began taking pitches from writers. In May 2024, Michael Lesslie, who wrote the screenplay for Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, landed the job.

    Cast

  • How ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9 Turns Nostalgia Into World-Building

    How ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9 Turns Nostalgia Into World-Building

    Finally, after a long wait, the second season of The Mandalorian has released. The show did not waste any time and continues where the first left off. Our new favorite Mandalorian Din Djarin is now responsible for a young child that is somehow related to Yoda. Now, he sets out into the galaxy to find others of his kind to bring back the young force-sensitive child home. The last season was filled with Easter Eggs and references to the first two trilogies. It expanded the universe in a way we had yet to see, but there is something about how the second season opens that confirms how well this show handles nostalgia. The Mandalorian isn’t just an Easter egg hunt, as it uses these familiar elements to further build upon a galaxy we once believe to know like the back of our hand.

     

    Before you continue, be wary that there will be some major spoilers for the episode. So, only continue at your own risk if you have yet to watch it.

     

    After the infiltration of an underground fighting arena goes wrong, Mando once again returns to Tatooine. In a way, this planet might be the most visited place in the galaxy. At first, we get some familiar shots from the original trilogy and the last season. The fifth episode Gunslinger, which took place on the same planet, was heavily criticized for focusing too much on nostalgia, and it almost feels like it is going down the same path again. Yet, after we briefly catch up with Amy Sedaris‘ Peli Motto and get a nice moment of character growth, it splinters off from the familiar. The story truly starts the moment he enters the village of Mos Pelgo. Finally, we visit a new location on this desert planet with its history and characters.

    Now, the selling point of this episode is the appearance of Cobb Vanth, played by a former gunslinger Timothy Olyphant. I believe fans from the Extended Universe will recognize that name. The first time we meet him, he is wearing a very familiar outfit. Yes, it is, in fact, that of Boba Fett, who we last saw fall into a Sarlacc Pit. The moment that showed how this series pays tribute to the Star Wars history and its last season is the moment Vanth takes off the helmet. In the Mandalorian creed, you cannot take off your helmet. We physically see Din shocked even if we can’t see his face. The show doesn’t hold our hands and have Pedro Pascal explain that no Mandalorian should do such a thing. Din seems to have no connection with Fett, so there was also no in-universe reason for point out the original owner of the Beskar armor. Those that have seen the original will make the connection automatically. Viewers, who are new to the franchise, might even be inspired to read up on it.

    There are a lot of great little ways it uses visuals from the franchises’ history. Vanth’s speedster was made out of one of Anakin’s pod racer engine. Mando used a similar cry that Obi-Wan used in A New Hope to communicate with the Tusken Raiders. Yet, this time they aren’t just chased away but spent time with, which had got teased in the previously mentioned episode. Now, we get to explore how Raiders survive in the desert and what traditions they have. We saw glimpses of this worldbuilding when they spent more time with the Jawa’s in the first season. We also get introduced to the ecosystem of Tatooine, such as the various creatures that live there. The Sarlacc Pit was a giant creature that lived under the sand that seemed beyond our understanding. Well, we now get introduced to its natural enemy, the Krayt Dragon, which is the main focus of the episode.

    All of these elements not only pay tribute to the franchise’s history but uses them to extend our understanding of this universe. The smartest aspect is how everything in this episode is due to their connection to Boba Fett. His armor creates this immediate connection to the Sarlacc Pit and Tatooine. It takes place in the desert, so it uses some old Western film elements to ease you into the new season. So, the logical next step is to finalize that connection with a massive reveal at the end of the episode. It only truly works if you know anything about the franchise’s history. Yet, it also works for new viewers, as one can make most of the connections from the episodes’ general set-up based on nostalgia. It is hard to believe that this is only the first episode, and I am curious how they expand the Star Wars galaxy in the future.

    Source: IndieWire

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ is Growing Up

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ is Growing Up

    The title is both referring to The Mandalorian (the show) and the Mandalorian (Din Djarin, the character). Chapter 9 shows us what appears to be the natural evolution of both, in their own way.

    When a successful tv show gets to its second season, or when a movie gets a chance for a sequel, there’s sure to be some debate on what path to follow next. Some argue that it should stick to what audiences reacted to so well, while others may claim that it should develop into something new, something fresh. This involves a lot of second-guessing, and it is bound to be hard to keep the creators’ vision untainted by outside feedback. Disney+’s The Mandalorian, like few other shows, managed to bypass most of that since Season 2 was already being written and shot before Season 1 even premiered. This being the case, the new season’s inception began as the first one did, with the creative minds behind the show not being influenced by anyone but themselves, and so far the end result seems to also mimic Season 1’s in its resounding success.

    The plot is still keeping it pretty simple and straightforward. We’re not getting multiple storylines being focused on at the same time, with added locations and various active characters. We’re still focused on only following the story of Din Djarin and The Child. That’s how the show began and that’s how it thrives. What seems to be an obvious step forward in terms of scale isn’t the story itself, but the way it’s being shown to us. I greatly enjoyed the number of establishing shots we got throughout the episode. The way the world Din Djarin in moving through seems bigger than ever, with the episode taking its time in showing us not only the new locations but how one gets there, portraying Tatooine in a way that felt the most satisfying since.. well, ever? If the show manages to keep the storyline concise and the environment and locations at such a grand scale, it may probably continue to tap into that A New Hope gold. A simple story, relatable and easy to follow that is set in a wondrous universe filled with possibilities.

    When it comes to the main character, one has to feel that it has experienced a natural growth of his own. When we first meet Din, he was but a solitary bounty hunter, looking for a payday any way he could. Even his fellow Mandalorians managed to get in his way, doubting his allegiance to the Mandalorian creed. Through season one he began to understand that to survive in such an inhospitable part of the galaxy he would need the help of others, as his own kind so emphatically showed him. It all began with Kuiil, that moved by a hint of self-interest helped him reach The Child so his valley could be free of mercenaries. And like this one relationship, all the other he developed throughout season one were also mostly devised out of a sense of common interest. A mutual enemy being the usual reason.

    But then comes Season 2. Faced with a dispute that could probably be easily resolved with a laser blast, allowing him to be on his way and not get involved any further in the dealings of a small town in the middle of Tatooine’s desert, Din decides to go above and beyond and do the right thing with little self-interest to it. And in doing so, he not only helps to resolve the problem facing Mos Pelgo, but he serves as an intermediary in the resolution of a long-lasting feud between two hostile communities. This brings Din Djarin even further away from his violent beginnings, making him not just someone that looks to do the right thing, but one that looks to inspire that upon others. The makings of a hero.