Category: Features

‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: Episode 2.08, “Dad Patrol”

The final countdown has begun and Armageddon is imminent for the ghastly Candlemaker charges forward in ‘Dad Patrol.’ The penultimate episode throws the dads into the limelight and if you know anything about the Doom Patrol, it’s that daddy issues are in abundance. The standout of this episode, once again, the incredibly faultless Dorothy Spinner, played by the flawless Abigail Shapiro. Gracefully tossing her into the mix for Season 2 was probably one of the best decisions made for the story in a show already so full of potential and showstopping performances.

Chief, still denying that fact that Dorothy will inevitably grow up, decides that a ‘Dorothy Day’ is in order as in a few short hours she must be given to Kipling and the rest of the Knights Templar to ensure the fate of the word. As unintentional as it was it was, watching the Doom Patrol go through some of their lowest moments this season showed Dorothy just how rough it was to be a grown up. She had spent a majority of this season doing everything possible to escape the inescapable threat of growing up. In this one day, Chief attempts to make up for years of not being with Dorothy and try to relieve some of that guilt hes feeling before his time with Dorothy is up. Yet all throughout this day Dorothy is haunted by the spirit of her mother who beckons her forward to claim the red boots and grow up.

Still reeling from the return of Miranda, Jane sets off to acquire a stuffed animal that once brought comfort to a sorrowful Kay, that had been forced deep into a well as a form of punishment from her abusive father. As primary its first priority to do what makes the girl happy, and with the return of Miranda and her claim that Kay is ‘Healing’, Jane goes into panic mode and she fears that if Kay really did heal she would cease to exist, this leads to her to the farm, where she believes that if she can acquire Kay’s stuffed animal, it can help her see that Kay needs her personalities. She’s joined by a confused Larry, stuck at a crossroads after an encounter with the negative woman, who told him that freedom from his cloth prison was an option, but he would need to become one with the negative spirit instead of just a host. But becoming someone new would mean letting go of his past, a past that has since defined who he is and he would once again be deserting his family, but this raises another question, would the negative spirit even want to merge with Larry? how do you coexist with such a being when you have little to no communication except for painful flashbacks.

Shifting the focus to an even more depressing topic, Cyborg, on the hunt for a now wanted Roni Evers, is joined by an eager Rita, who has dubbed herself ‘The Bee Keeper’ after having her ego blown back up to superstar proportions by a local paper. Roni, using Uma jelly she nabbed from the scants, sought out revenge on the men who poisoned and irreversibly damaged her body. this leads to an altercation in the sub shop where the two had their first date. Vic had become so attached to Roni, thinking he finally found someone who liked him for him, cybernetic enhancements or not, he so blindly ignored the many red flags that even she warned him about. After being betrayed and hurt by so many people Roni had reached a point where she thought she was truly the only person looking out for her and would do anything she had to survive.

Ending on a lighter note, were treated to a real reunion between Cliff and his daughter, Clara, who showed up to Doom Manor out of the blue. After showing her the tape of Nile’s confession the two really began to make progress. Seeing Cliff truly win for once was a satisfying enough as he had dealt with the loss of time and his family since he went operational. what really stuck with me was their final interaction, that of Clara offering Cliff an invitation to her wedding and the chance to be involved in a crucial point in his daughter’s life, and one true win for The Robotman.

With the finale up next and the threat of the Candlemaker approaching rapidly, ‘Dad Patrol’ lays the character development on hard and once again doesn’t fail to flesh out these outlandish characters while exploring the wild and eccentric history of one of DC’s oldest teams. With the ongoing pandemic the show was unable to finish filming its sophomore season meaning next weeks finale is sort of a place holder until further notice, with the seasons tenth episode which would likely be folded into the shows third season when it undoubtedly gets the greenlight.

August 8, 2020
‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: Episode 2.07 “Dumb Patrol”

Never being one to stray from the most illogical of choices, ‘Dumb Patrol’ proves that they don’t have a care in the world, and with this type of freedom skies the limit, and as usual it pays off. ‘Dumb Patrol’ may not be the best episode of the season but it furthers the point that ‘Doom Patrol’ can do quite literally anything and still show us focus on and develop these characters that we’ve all become so attached too in such boisterous ways. With the impending threat of the Candlemaker still looming over the team and Chief’s life slowly fading from him, will they be able to wrap it up by the end of this quickly fleeting second season?

Following the return of Vic Stone, accompanied by Roni Evers, to Doom Manor, they’re met with the arrival of a mysterious crate from the illusive and mysterious Willoughby Kipling. Once opened Vic, Roni, and Larry, are infected with Shants, side affects? the uncontrollable urge to make bad decisions, weirdly Jane (currently hosted by new primary and recently resurrected Miranda). Once infected they must go into the canvas and find the Shant queen to break the irresistible impulse to do make a bad choice. This happens to be one of the more lighthearted episodes and didn’t hesitate to keep it meta, with the return of a semi nude Beard Hunter, dressed in Teen Titans Go underwear with a cartoon Beast Boy slapped on the back, while it wasn’t what fans had in mind when they asked to see Beast Boy and Cyborg on screen together, it was pretty funny. When asked where Mr.Nobody happened to be, Beard Hunter mentioned that he picked up a gig on some animated show, they then proceed to project an advertisement for Harley Quinn, another show on DC Universe in which Alan Tudyk, who played Mr.Nobody, voices Joker. This really puts the spotlight onto Vic and Roni’s relationship, acknowledging how fast they’re moving and how little they really know each other, and just how dangerous that can be for a guy like Cyborg.

Still dwelling on the acts of her mother and questioning the past life that she so proudly presented to all those who crossed her, has thrown herself into the role of the beekeeper in the towns local production of the events of the pilot episode. Rita’s subconscious has pushed her deep into this role, she believes that she needs to really dig deep and prove that she has the talent and the ability to really bring a character to life even if its even the smallest of roles. This is the only way for her to really deal with what she witnessed as a child and without the ability confront her mother she must thinks this is the way to really deal with what has been eating her up inside. It’s not until the end of the episode when she is able to successful hone her elastic abilities and thwart a mugging that Rita finally begins to feel as if she had done something her self and has found a new path to travel in life.

It’s the how the episode ended that really stuck with me, Chief’s journey through Yukon to find answers as to the origins of the Candlemaker and why Dorothy must carry this burden. When he comes face to face with the ugly truth. Chief is faced with a decision he had been dreading to make, learning that the Candlemaker was created and bestowed upon Dorothy by Oyewah’s people, Niles doesn’t see much of a choice anymore and in the final moments of these episode, Nile’s meeting with Kipling ends with a uncommon silence for the show, almost if Nile’s last light had went out and he has just about lost his world, like a candle being extinguished.

August 8, 2020
RETRO REVIEWS: Arkham City

The downtime caused by this quarantine has offered me some opportune time to get back in touch with my gaming roots. The last console I owned was a Playstation 2 which should give you an idea of what generation of video games I peaked on. Everything that came after, I missed out on. So as I relive the carefree gaming days of my youth, I thought it’d be a fun idea to review some of the games I missed out on. Spoilers ahead.

A huge fortified wall is built around the slums of Gotham, with psychiatrist Hugo Strange leading the project with a shoot-to-kill strike team called TYGER, in an attempt to quell the criminal element of the city for good. Bruce Wayne publicly lobbies to shutdown this inhumane fortress, now called Arkham City, and is arrested by TYGER forces. Bruce is brought right into the belly of the beast and therein begins his investigation into this fortress of misery.

I should preface my thoughts on the game with the fact that I clocked in 36 hours of gameplay – DLC and all Riddler challenges completed – when I finished it. Suffice to say I got the most out of Batman: Arkham City.

It’s no surprise that the game’s biggest star is the core gameplay. You put a character like Batman with all his fancy gadgets and skills in a sandbox as huge as Arkham City, you’re bound to spend hours just trying to parkour across rooftops, gliding to the next district, hanging on to patrolling helicopters, divebombing from tall structures, Batarang-ing unsuspecting villains, and drop-kicking enemies from the roof. The mobility you’re given with the character is just too damn fun.

Of course, you got the signature Arkham combat which has become the gold standard for games of this kind. There’s almost nothing new left to be said about it at this point: it’s fluid, dynamic, graceful, stylish, and whatever adjective applies to fighting mechanics. The game does a great job of keeping it dummy-proof which incentivizes players of all skills to really excel with the combat. Being able to utilize gadgets like the Batarang and grappling hook in the middle of combos takes the whole thing to another level. The combat almost has a relaxing addictive component to it; you fight waves of bad guys and it slowly becomes this choreographed dance where it becomes a fully instinctual exercise for your fingers on the controller. If I didn’t have other games queued up on my list, I would have definitely spent more time topping those Riddler combat challenges.

The stealth component is also stupid fun. The game gives you the freedom to either just brutally assault enemies head-on like the tank Batman is in a room or to use some of his League of Shadows ninja skills. Granted, I do wish the stealth mechanics were more developed (more options on how to ninja your way around a room and better level designs that accommodate it) but it’s just absolutely hilarious to watch goons react to dangling unconscious bodies from your grappling hook. I’m curious on how succeeding Arkham games improved on this component.

Much like the groundbreaking first game, one of Arkham City’s biggest strengths is how it builds on the Batman mythology. There’s a slew of classic villains waiting to ruin Batman’s day. Two-Face, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Mad Hatter, Victor Zsasz, Solomon Grundy, Clayface, Ra’s Al Guhl, Deadshot, Hush and Riddler all make an appearance in this game. For someone like me who rarely gets to read Batman comics and see his villains, anytime I get to see pop culture’s best rogues gallery showcased is always a win.

Going through from point to point and seeing villains in different parts of the story (main mission and side missions alike) felt like I was playing various episodes of the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. There’s an episodic quality to the way the rogues gallery are spread out in the game and it keeps things varied and fresh. Overall, I do wish some villains were given the limelight more than others which brings me to the game’s biggest weakness: the actual story.

Arkham City doesn’t really know what story it wants to tell. The game oscillates between two arcs: the titular one centered on Hugo Strange’s Arkham City and a continuation of the Joker story from the first game. Now, this wouldn’t generally be a problem if these two arcs intersected in some way but they don’t. The momentum constantly shifts between you dealing with neverending Joker problems and getting to the heart of Hugo Strange’s sinister Protocol 10 plot that neither end up being a fully satisfying story. It also doesn’t help that you’re forced to play Catwoman at times in a plot that also doesn’t connect to the main story, save for one or two scenes.

The main plot, which is the Hugo Strange one, is by far the more interesting one. On paper, the notion of Arkham City as a whole sounds ridiculous. More than anything, it feels like a cheap attempt to keep the Arkham name alive in the franchise but the game actually manages to explore some intriguing ideas that pertain to incarceration, criminality, fascism, and human rights. Even though you don’t actually see Strange until the third act of the game, him being a constant voice you hear in the prison’s PAs reinforces those themes as he recites the inhumane laws that govern this city and counts down to his endgame: Protocol 10, an order to kill all inmates inside the prison.

Sadly, beneath this mammoth of a plot lies a narrative foundation that’s basically made of straws and the entire thing collapses once the nature of Strange’s role in the story is revealed. Turns out, he’s an errand boy for Ra’s Al Guhl. Now, if you’re a comic reader or have a semblance of basic Batman knowledge, you know that Ra’s and the League of Shadow masterminding the plot to get rid of Gotham’s crime makes sense. The problem is that the game doesn’t make an effort to tell you this. Ra’s makes a 10-minute appearance as a boss mid-game in a subplot that has nothing to do with Arkham City. Suddenly, he’s the big bad pulling the strings and the game just expects you to go with it. Strange is reduced to a bumbling lackey. Even worse, within like a minute of the reveal, both Strange and Ra’s die and you’re back to dealing with Joker’s bullshit. The game doesn’t care to explore Ra’s and the League of Shadows’ twisted sense of righteousness.

Joker’s bullshit by the way is just as frustrating. The effects from hulking out from the previous game are killing Joker so he devises a plan that leaves Batman and the rest of Gotham poisoned. The Caped Crusader is forced to find a cure via the Lazarus Pit which is how Ra’s comes into the picture. Of course, the pit becomes the Joker’s eventual endgame of immortality. It’s not a bad story in itself but in the wake of the more interesting Arkham City plot, it ends up being a detriment to the big picture. If the developers managed to find a way to blend the two stories and have them connect in a big way (what does Joker think of Strange’s attempts to get rid all criminality? Surely, Joker has some things to say about that!), my feelings would be a lot more different.

All that said, the weak story does not take away from how fun and immersive of a game Arkham City is. With so much to do and explore as the Dark Knight, the shortcomings of how the story comes together feel inconsequential. I groaned when I was about to face off with the Joker in the final fight but was jolted with excitement when Clayface surfaced as the final boss. The Riddler challenges were painfully grueling but the promise of getting to knock the shit out of Nigma was enough to get me to complete the damn thing. The game truly is greater than the sum of its parts. I’m probably not gonna play any more Arkham games given how this and Arkham Asylum checked those boxes for me but I am more than excited to check out Rocksteady’s next offering which is the Suicide Squad game that was just announced.

August 7, 2020
Florian Munteanu is Playing Black Jack Tarr in ‘SHANG-CHI’

Before you go any further, please note that this is what we call a “Connecting Imaginary Dots” feature. We are not claiming any insider knowledge; this article is PURELY speculation.

If you’re not familiar with the “Connecting Imaginary Dots” features here at Murphy’s Multiverse, these are speculative pieces, and so although we’ve gathered evidence to support our conclusions, we cannot officially or 100% prove them at the time. The speculation may turn out to be right or wrong, but we still think it’s worth sharing with you all for considersation.

In this Connecting Imaginary Dots, I will explain why I believe that in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu is playing another mountain of a man: Black Jack Tarr.

Why do I believe this? Well, back on January 30, Murphy’s Multiverse broke the news that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would introduce 3 significant MI-6 characters: Leiku Wu, Clive Reston, and Black Jack Tarr. In the previously mentioned article by Charles, Tarr is described as “an elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.” That certainly sounds like a good fit for “Big Nasty” doesn’t it? Tarr is a bit of a rough, gruff, hot head who starts out as a combatant to Shang-Chi, but later becomes a friend and ally. That would most likely mean the actor who played him would be filming a significant time, and judging by the panel above, it would require another “mountain of a man” to play the character.

In addition, the amount of time Munteanu has spent in Australia this year while they were filming seems significant. We know via his Instagram that he arrived in Sydney in mid January and was there until at least March 19th. It is shortly after he arrives in January that Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu started following him on Instagram and liking and replying to many of his posts. Awkwafina too, started mutually following and liking his posts. All of this, and other hints and winks from Munteanu along the way, gave pretty much anyone who was paying attention the idea that he was more than likely in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

A more recent mutual follow, post, and interaction with Munteanu made me all the more suspicious that he is in fact playing Tarr. Check out the post below about his return to Sydney to finish what they started and the reply by actress Fala Chen who seems to have started mutually following him fairly recently.

What the reply and likes and mutual follow here tells me is that they probably have some screen time together, and if Fala Chen is indeed playing Leiku Wu, as we have surmised (and currently who she is listed as playing in IMDB), then the most likely character he is playing is Black Jack Tarr.

An edit to add: A quick search online puts Black Jack Tarr at 6’6″ and 300 lbs. Now, how many well established actors out there can even come close to that? Not many. A search for Florian Munteanu puts him at 6’4″ and 235-245 lbs. If they want to come close to “the man not even Kung Fu can smash” then “Big Nasty” certainly sounds about right!

August 3, 2020
‘StarGirl’ Review: 1.10, “Brainwave Jr”

After Barbra’s shocking discovery at the end of last week’s episode that left us all hanging, Stargirl picks up right as the staff hit the ground. ‘Brainwave Jr’ cements itself as possibly one of the best episodes of the season so far, its got the best juvenile JSA teamwork we’ve seen all season, stellar character development, and yet another classic cliffhanger. With Courtney’s future in Blue Valley and as Stargirl in doubt, she’s looking to do whatever it takes to finish off the ISA and stop their nefarious plan that could see the very way of life in America changed forever.

One of the biggest revelations of this episode was Barbra’s discovery of Courtney’s alter ego, driven into immediate shock Barb doesn’t hold back and begins to question everything about her new life in Blue Valley. I think a reaction like Barb’s would be natural when you take into account what her life had been like the past 15 or so years and finally having a real family and a real home, I just think she clung to that feeling of “I did it on my own before, I can do it again”. Watching her come around at the end and begin to believe that Jonah was Icicle was exciting to see. Although we don’t know what her final thoughts are on the topic of Courtney playing superhero with her friends, I think if she realizes what lengths Pat went to, to keep her safe, that she would be fine with it knowing she had someone watching her back.

The standout of this episode and cementing himself as one of the best characters on the show, Henry King Jr. took the spotlight here. After realizing that Icicle may have had something to do with the death of his mother, who is also revealed to be the sister of Starman, he takes a complete turn around and goes searching for Courtney to take up that offer she’d given him in the previous episode. When Courtney attempts to bring Henry into the fold once more it causes even more tension among the group, while they’re not for it, the team suits up and heads down into the tunnels previously discovered by Beth. This is where they confront Dragon King, who is hard at work on trying to restore the memory of Henry’s father, Brainwave. The team’s position is given up by a captive Shiv, whose been put in time out by her father, which I wasn’t too fond of her being sidelined like that when she really could’ve helped her father, especially when his only backup was Brainwave and his minions that move at a snail’s pace. But alas the ISA forces proved to be more than enough for the JSA to handle, having only escaped due to Henry’s sacrifice. This scene had to be the highlight of the episode, Jake Austin Walker knocks it out of the park, his final moments had a genuine amount of regret and the guilt he felt for what he did to Yolanda shined through in his apology to her before he was seemingly crushed under falling rubble that his father brought down upon him. The death of Henry was something that I didn’t expect at all, but this is a comic book based property, so does anyone ever really stay dead?

With an ending like that and only 3 episodes remaining this season, the repercussions of this episode will undoubtedly shake the team to their core. Seeing how it affects the team dynamic or even if it makes some of them question if they belong on the team, but hopefully help some of them get their head screwed on right and be able to focus on the mission and honor Henry’s’ noble sacrifice, many of them have spent their time as heroes focusing on what they want to do, this would be the perfect thing bring them together and stop the ISA.

July 24, 2020
‘DOOM PATROL’ Review: Episode 2.06, “Space Patrol”

Jumping straight into the aftermath of Candlemaker’s assault on the underground, we’re shown Dorothy in shock as to what she’s just done and the immediate regret in her choice to make a wish. With the supposed death of baby doll and the rising coup within Jane’s subconscious ‘Space Patrol’ offers yet another change of pace and shows us the much stronger and developed characters being able to face what’s been bothering them and attempting to find freedom in their lives and take back what they’ve lost.

When it comes to living in the stationary freak show that is Doom Manor, Nothing seems to phase the team, so when the long lost cosmonaut gang known as the Pioneers Of The Uncharted, lead by Valentina Vostok land on their front yard, Chief’s first reaction is to hide. Using their ship and fearing what could happen if she was ever to make a wish again, Dorothy steals Valentina’s ship and takes off for the vast and unforgiving vacuum of space. This leads Chief and Cliff to take off in their very own cosmic shuttle tailing Dorothy to the moon.

One thing I really love about this episode was seeing Chief being able to really face what he has done. Feeling as is life had been devoid of normality he saw Dorothy as his one chance to finally have something normal for once. He only saw few ways to do this and in doing so pushed her farther and farther away from him. This leads us into Dorothy and her reluctance of growing up, her desire to remain youthful has become a burden on herself and is beginning to take a toll on her, as she becomes weaker Candlemaker becomes stronger and stronger and once hes strong enough to take a permanent form Dorothy will have to face her biggest consequence yet. This season Cliff has reeled with the fact that Chief is the reason behind all his struggle and the loss of his family, through that he’s taken parts of his anger out on Dorothy, but being the only one who can safely venture out onto the surface of the moon, he must console Dorothy leading him to see this as another chance at raising a child while still hanging onto the past.

Taking more of spotlight this episode, Larry finds solace of some sort in Valentina. When she reveals to also be housing a negative spirit within her, its ironic to see after all this time that Larry has spent searching for some sort of comfort to rescind his years of built of guilt, that person comes right to him. She informs him that it takes awhile but once you’re able to bond with it and see yourselves as one then you can truly be free and comfortable in your own skin. Larry takes this advice and believes that he may still have a chance to reconcile with his family, and thinks he can make it right.

After decades of being hidden away from the world and working towards conquering her own inner demons that have plagued her since adolescence, Rita has taken back control of her ever expanding issues, and attempting to venture back into the real word would be no easy task. Joining a community theater production, Rita finds herself in a retelling of her first time back in society, the day she lost control and rained havoc onto the town. Towards the end of rehearsal, Rita meets with the actress that will portray the ‘Blob Monster.’ The actress continues to describe her ideas of the role and goes into full grotesque detail, seeing the pain in Rita’s eyes, it doesn’t seem like an easy task, but she hold its together. An excellent and quite cathartic callback to season one where a waitress describes how Rita Farr’s career fell apart, where shes unable to keep it together and commits the onslaught that the play is based on.

With only three episode left in this season its strange to see how much is still being setup, I am unsure if they weren’t able to complete a episode or two due to the worlds current unfortunate circumstances. The developments within Jane are interesting to see but I feel as if more if needed to justify whats happening with her character, and this episodes cliffhanger is surely something that’ll leave you scratching your head.

July 24, 2020
SCOOP: ‘WANDAVISION’ To Be Loosely Based on John Byrne’s Vision Quest

Thanks to the Disney Plus feature Expanding the Universe, we already know that House of M, Tom King’s Vision, James Robinson’s Scarlet Witch and the 1985 limited series The Vision and The Scarlet Witch are among the comics from which the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series WandaVision will draw inspiration. Now it looks like we can add another run to the source material as a series subplot will be very loosely based on John Byrne’s run on West Coast Avengers (currently in a collected edition titled Vision Quest) as I have learned that WandaVision will indeed see Wanda go on her own Vision quest.

When Byrne took over writing duties on the title with issue 42 in March of 1989, he kicked it off with Vision going missing from the compound and Wanda went looking for him. Over the next 8 issues, Wanda comes to learn he’d been taken by a multinational group called Vigilance, finds him totally deconstructed on a table, and learns that all his memories (data) have been wiped and he has no recollection of their life together. There’s more to it of course but it certainly isn’t all relevant to the upcoming streaming series.

This information comes from a pair of valuable sources we have worked with in the past but, as is often the case, it’s missing a bit of context that would be incredibly helpful in understanding the big picture. With that being said, here’s what we know:

We’ve long been aware that WandaVision will be taking place both in what seems to be an altered reality (inside the TV) and in the real world where organizations like S.W.O.R.D. have a presence. It looks like one of the subplots in the real world centers on Wanda going Humpty Dumpty and trying to reassemble Vision after his parts have been scattered around the world. This is the part where a little context would go a long way but, unfortunately, none exists. The last time we saw Vision, he was “dead” but fully intact after Thanos plucked the Mind Stone out of his noggin.

Missing the hows and whys of Vision being in pieces is a bit frustrating, but knowing he’s in pieces and that Wanda is on the hunt for those pieces still provides a key piece of the story. I think it also might go a long way towards explaining some old set photos that saw Wanda outside a S.W.O.R.D. building. To me there are two choices here: they are either helping Wanda put Viz back together again or they’re responsible for taking him apart. Either way, to nobody’s surprise, Wanda is going to find the pieces and reassemble Vision but, as it happens in West Coast Avengers, he won’t be the same Vision he was before and will be missing some key bits of data including any knowledge of the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

It’s also worth mentioning that Byrne’s Vision Quest run introduced the white Vision and produced one of the most iconic Marvel Comics covers with issue 45. If you’ll recall, Marvel employee Shawn Sendio, who often uses his Instagram to tease various elements of upcoming productions, posted a picture of that cover last year.

This was, at the time, interpreted as a hint that we would see the white Vision in WandaVision and we just might, though I have no information on that. However, the symbolism behind the white Vision is probably just as important as the look and that’s something that might be missed if you haven’t read Byrne’s run. As the West Coast Avengers start work on getting their Vision back, Hank Pym explains that while he can recreate Vision’s mind, the data is gone, leaving Vision a blank slate, a plain white canvas waiting to be filled in.

And so the pieces of the puzzle are on the table and we can all start moving them into place. You can imagine Wanda’s passion as she searches for the parts to her synthezoid lover and you can imagine her disappointment when the recreated Vision is, symbolically and literally, a blank slate. How would you react? Hopefully we’ll find out later this year when it streams on Disney Plus (fingers crossed!).

You can pick up a copy of Vision Quest by clicking the Amazon link below!

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July 24, 2020
‘Avengers: Secret Wars’
Premiere: December 17, 2027

Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Avengers: Secret Wars may well prove to be Marvel Studios’ most ambitious project ever. Set to conclude not only Phase 6 of the MCU but also the entirety of the Multiverse Saga, it’s easy to refer back to the tagline promoting the 2015 comic event: “When everything ends, there is only Secret Wars.”

Avengers: Secret Wars ended up being of the Marvel feature films affected by an October 2022 shift in release dates. It moved from its initial November 2025 slot to May 1, 2026. As part of a total slate shift by Marvel Studios, the film was once again moved, this time to May 7, 2027.

During Marvel Studios Hall H panel at SDCC ’24, Kevin Feige introduced Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors of Avengers: Secret Wars.

In May 2025, the film’s release date was moved to December 17, 2027.

Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
July 23, 2020
Avengers: Doomsday
Premiere: December 18, 2026

Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 as being part of Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Kang Dynasty will focus on Jonathan Majors‘ Kang, who was first introduced as a Variant referred to as He Who Remains in the finale of the first season of Loki, is set to become the MCU’s next big bad. And so being, a big confrontation with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is, like their previous antagonist Thanos, inevitable. As the Multiverse Saga develops over the course of the next couple of years, Avengers: Kang Dynasty may not only serve as the culmination of Kang’s presence in the MCU but also set things up for the following Avengers entry, due to be released six months afterward.

Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) was announced as the director just three days after the feature film was announced. In late 2023, as part of a total creative overhaul, Cretton left the project and writer Michael Waldron (Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Avengers: Secret Wars) took over writing duties. Before the end of 2023, Marvel Studios fired actor Jonathan Majors after he was found guilty of assault and harassment. The studio is currently looking to recast the character.

On February 21, 2024, THR reported that in the wake of Majors’ legal troubles and the poor response to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the studio was dropping the subtitle The Kang Dynasty and looking to rename the film.

As part of their SDCC ’24 presentation, Marvel Studios announced that the fifth Avengers film was set to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and had been retitled Avengers: Doomsday. Infinity Saga star Robert Downey Jr. is set to play Doctor Doom.

In May 2025, the film’s release date was moved to December 18, 2026.

Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
- Chris Evans in an unknown role
- Tom Holland as Spider-Man
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
- Florence Pugh as Yelana Belova
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent
- Lewis Pullman as Sentry
- David Harbour as Red Guardian
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
- Letitia Wright as Shuri
- Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
- Winston Duke as M’Baku
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast
- Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier
- Ian McKellen as Magneto
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
- Channing Tatum as Gambit
- Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres
July 23, 2020
How the MCU’s Illuminati Could Take Shape

When the Illuminati were introduced in 2005, Brian Michael Bendis dropped a nuke in arguably the most wide-sweeping retcon in the history of Marvel Comics. Bendis’s concept idea that these heroes shared a secret history worked brilliantly at the time and though the roster has changed some over the years, the group has continued to be an integral part of several major story lines since. Yesterday’s report by the Illuminati that The-One-Above-All is developing an Illuminati-centric project is hardly surprising (fans have been speculating about it for years), but the timing of the project is.

We know that when Kevin Feige and the creative team of Marvel Studios adapt comic properties they aren’t out to make exact replicas of the books and that is going to have to be the case with the Illuminati as well. Out of the original comic book crew there’s only one member alive and well in the MCU and 4 who don’t exist in the shared cinematic universe (sorry guys, the ABC Black Bolt is NOT a legit MCU character), so the make up of the group will certainly have to change but the notion of forming a secret society does not. So who could make up the MCU version and what would bring them together? Let’s take a look…

The Team

A few current members of the MCU seem to be locks to me: Carol Danvers, Bruce Banner and Stephen Strange. Noticeably absent from the list is T’Challa, but I absolutely love the idea of him being ideologically opposed to the formation of such a group and standing apart from his allies. In addition to these 3 “gimmies”, I think you might well see someone like Salma Hayek‘s Ajak join the team as a replacement for Black Bolt. That gives a lineup that keeps some of the ideas Bendis had about the structure of the group intact and looks something like this:

Carol: representing the Cosmic corner of the MCU

Bruce: representing the science sector of the MCU

Stephen: representing the mystics of the MCU

Ajak: representing the long history of super humans on Earth

However, that leaves one fairly large missing piece: the common man. As strange as it seems, that was Tony Stark’s role on the original team. While everyone else was gifted with incredible powers, it was Stark’s ingenuity that made him Iron Man. While it might not be a popular choice with fans, I think the best fit among the current MCU roster is actually Hank Pym. Pym has been around for a long time and seen a lot of things and has quite the secret history himself. I don’t know if this makes up for the slight against him by making neither him nor Wasp founding Avengers, but Michael Douglas is enjoying playing Pym and fits the “common man” archetype better than anyone else. So yeah a really different looking team than what Bendis had in mind, but you work with the tools you have.

What Brings Them Together

In the context of the MCU, this SEEMS pretty easy. If you go back and watch the films and keep track of all the stuff the core Avengers held secret from one another and how those secrets started to tear the team apart and lead to Thanos winning, you can see why a group of folks who sort of cover the major bases might decide it’s best to get together with the intention of making sure something like this never happens again.

So bringing them together at a time when there are no Avengers with the intention of avoiding any major, future issues works just fine; however, the best part about the comic book Illuminati is the unwitting part they play in Skrull Invasion of Earth and, interestingly enough, news of the Illuminati project being developed arrives shortly after news of a Secret Invasion project being in the works as well. I don’t believe this to be coincidental and I think, as I am well aware many of you do, that someone among this crew will be revealed as a Skrull sleeper agent and, if I were to choose RIGHT NOW, I’d choose Carol.

We have no idea what Carol has been up to in the years since she left Earth and we have no idea how advanced the Skrull’s have become. We’ve seen Super Skrulls in the comics with the ability to replicate the powers of the Fantastic Four and while Carol’s powers are enormous, they are a part of her and, therefore, could potentially be reproduced with advanced enough technology. The setup for Carol being a Skrull sleeper agent is there should they chose to go that route. Carol being revealed as a Skrull, after her history as a sort of hero to the people, would cause a seismic shift in the MCU.

July 23, 2020