Murphy's Multiverse

Category: Features

  • EXCLUSIVE: Yssa Mei Panganiban on Being A Filipina Black Widow

    EXCLUSIVE: Yssa Mei Panganiban on Being A Filipina Black Widow

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be 13 years, 27 films, and 5 TV shows deep but even Kevin Feige‘s billion-dollar franchise has its fair share of ‘firsts’ this late in the game. Case in point, this week’s episode of Hawkeye that gave Filipino audiences a Black Widow of their own. Yssa Mei Panganiban, appears as Sonya, a Black Widow working alongside Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova in a mission to save the remaining brainwashed Black Widow assailants in the world.

    We got to speak to Panganiban about her experiences working on the set with directors Bert and Bertie, Florence Pugh, and what it’s like to be a Filipina in the MCU.

    The works of directing duo Bert and Bertie have been unanimously praised by fans these past 3 episodes of Hawkeye, prompting some fans to rally behind the call to have the duo direct the next Spider-Man films. Panganiban had nothing but nice words to say about the duo, who made sure her first time on a Marvel set was a warm experience.

    Everyone on set was so kind. They mentioned to me, “This is your first time? It’s not gonna be your last time for sure.” They were so sweet because at the time, I had no credits on IMDB but they just said, “That doesn’t matter to us.” The fact that Marvel took so many green artists onboard for Hawkeye was unbelievable. They were super kind enough to bring me on.

    Florence Pugh makes up most of Episode 5’s memorable moments, sharing the screen with not only lead Hailee Steinfeld but also Panganiban herself. The two share a very intense fight scene with another Black Widow named Anna yet filming that sequence with Pugh was anything but, according to Panganiban.

    She’s so kind. Yelena and Florence are kind of the same person in terms of their humor. It was really lovely working with her. She hyped me up the whole time. I let her know it was my first time on set. She was so supportive the entire time. When I wrapped, she had everyone clap for me. She was just the kindest soul.

    Sonya is one of a handful of Filipino characters to appear in a speaking role in the MCU, with the most notable ones being Dave Batista‘s Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jacob Batalon‘s Need Leeds in the Spider-Man series. For Panganiban, she hopes for the role to resonate among her Filipinx peers who want to see more of themselves in the industry.

    To give Sonya a voice has been so amazing. To be a Pinay Black Widow is so amazing. I hope Filipinos can go, “She has the same skin tone as me. I don’t have to whiten my skin.” I really just want people to feel seen. To feel like they can love themselves as they are. I think that’s the whole thing of being an actor and an artist.

    Our interview can be watched below:

  • How The ‘No Way Home’ Mid-Credit Scene Could Lead to ‘Secret Wars’

    How The ‘No Way Home’ Mid-Credit Scene Could Lead to ‘Secret Wars’

    In 1984, Marvel Comics published Secret Wars, it’s first ever line-wide crossover event and, in fact, the first event of its kind by any comic book publisher. Secret Wars saw all of Marvel’s heroes and villains transported to the mysterious Battleworld by the Beyonder, one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and hosts of villains, Doctor Doom key among them, were grouped into teams to do battle with one another with the promise that the Beyonder would grant them their every wish should they “slay” their enemies.

    It was an incredible premise that sold more copies than anything Marvel had published in 25 years and spawned two direct sequels and, in 2015, another sprawling, line-wide Secret Wars event orchestrated by Jonathan Hickman. In Hickman’s Secret Wars, inhabitants of Earth-616 and Earth-1610 found themselves on an all-new Battleworld after the collision of their respective universes destroyed each of them. Hickman’s event once again featured Doctor Doom but leaned much heavier into the concepts and constructs of the multiverse. At the conclusion of the event, Earth-616 was restored and, for a time, served as the only Earth in the Marvel Universe.

    In 2019, it was first brought to my attention that Marvel Studios had an eye on developing Secret Wars. In the two years since, there have been multiple, significant developments on that front. The Russo brothers, who once indicated that it would take an event the size of Secret Wars to bring them back, have entered into negotiations with Marvel Studios to return for an unannounced project; Marvel Entertainment recently made moves to secure the rights to characters featured in the original Secret Wars events; the concept of the multiverse was deeply explored in Loki and head writer Michael Waldron may have tipped us off that the studio was headed in the direction of a Secret Wars project; finally, stories began being told through What If…?, Spider-Man: No Way Home that allowed multiversal variants of characters to begin interacting with one another. And it is one such interaction from the mid-credit scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home that might be the biggest piece of evidence yet that a Secret Wars project is headed our way.

    We learn from the mid-credit scene of No Way Home that while most of the characters who came through portals during the miscasting of Doctor Strange’s spell ended up converging in New York City, Eddie Brock spent his time drinking in Mexico and getting a brief history lesson about the heroes and villains of this dimension. When Strange’s new spell sent everyone back where they belonged, a piece of the symbiote was left behind. It certainly doesn’t make any sense given how we saw Strange’s spell work on everyone else, but the symbiote is here and once Peter finds it, it’ll set the stage for Secret Wars.

    Marvel Studios has often indicated that they don’t intend to create projects that are direct adaptations of the comic books on which they are based. They are more likely to grab onto catchy titles and moments from those arcs. For example, Captain America: Civil War was nothing like the comic book event but it did recreate an iconic comic book panel. The studio is likely to do the same with Secret Wars and nothing from that event is more iconic than Peter Parker first donning the black, symbiote suit with the large, white Spider logo across the chest.

    Getting Parker in the black, symbiote suit is almost certainly a key precursor to Marvel Studios Secret Wars project. so the symbiote fragment being left behind in No Way Home to eventually be found by Parker is the first big step in preparing him for whatever version of the story they choose to tell. As was pointed out during the premiere of No Way Home, Tom Holland’s contract calls for one more appearance in a Marvel Studios film and there’s no bigger project in the works than Secret Wars. It could potentially reunite Holland with the Russo brothers, who introduced his Spider-Man to fans in Civil War and made him a significant player in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Given what we’ve already seen in Loki and what the post-credit scene teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggested, the multiverse is going to be in disarray and it’s all but certain that a major battle between universes is in the cards. The pieces are all in place now, including Spider-Man looking the part. All we need now is the official announcement.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Reveals Director Matthew Vaughn Invented Rasputin’s Unique Fighting Style

    EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Reveals Director Matthew Vaughn Invented Rasputin’s Unique Fighting Style

    Perhaps the most mesmerizing character in The King’s Man is Grigori Rasputin. The real-life historical figure has a fictional counterpart played by Rhys Ifans in Matthew Vaughn‘s prequel to the Kingsman franchise. Like any good installment in the series, The King’s Man features many riotous moments of action. One of these sequences has Rasputin in a prominent role, in which he uses a rather bizarre form of combative dancing to fend off his enemies.

    In a recent interview, I was able to ask Ifans about this unique method and how it came about. He revealed the idea originated with the film’s director. It came about as they were looking for a “physical language” to use for the character. Vaughn ended up coming up with the combative dancing one day, and the rest is history.

    Matthew [Vaughn] came up with the idea in the middle of the process. We were trying to find a language for Rasputin, a physical language. Y’know, we had one which was kind of a martial art-y thing but there wasn’t anything specific. Of course, it had to be humorous as well. It had to entertain, thoroughly. This is what Matthew does well. He stormed into the stunt room one day and said, ‘I’ve got it! Russian dancing and martial arts.’ And then he stormed out and the stunt team are going, ‘What!?”

    Rhys Ifans

    Ifans continued to explain just how difficult it was for production to get the choreography right:

    Even these highly trained stunt men couldn’t pull [the moves] off, so we had to get a couple of Georgian dancers in from Georgia. And these guys trained from the age of two to do these moves. It takes an incredible kind of core to cross a room with your [butt] two inches off the floor.

    Rhys Ifans

    See the moves for yourself when The King’s Man hits theaters on December 22nd.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Luke Evans on Redemption for King Merriman

    EXCLUSIVE: Luke Evans on Redemption for King Merriman

    Amongst the colorful cast of characters in Crossing Swords, it’s pretty obvious early on that they’re all very bad people. The show is ultimately about a young man named Patrick who is clawing his way through the mud, trying to be the best squire and future knight that he can be. Of course, under the heel of King Merriman, though, it’s a bit harder as he’s just an awful ruler. 

    While making the press rounds to promote the second season, we had the chance to talk with Luke Evans on his character, King Merriman. During our interview, we asked if he felt there could ever be redemption on the rise for him, specifically after botching Chill Society, a gathering of royals from around the lands that hosted by a different king each year. For Evans, the actor doesn’t think it’s going to happen as he’s just a bad person overall.

    Redemption? He’s going to hell, that guys going to Hell. Yeah, he’s not living on the same planet as everyone else, he thinks he can get away with anything and sorta does. He is like the worst kind of King, the worst kind of leader. The wrong person with power and money and ego. You know, I mean what he does in season 2, I can’t even start to begin to imagine what you will be thinking of him by the end of episode 10.

    That’s the fun of it, you have to have someone like King Merriman in a story like this. I mean he sorta just fits the bill in all the wrong ways, and I think that’s where the joy of him comes from and the fact that you laugh at the things he’s saying. You shouldn’t really be laughing at those things, but isn’t that the fun of adult animation?

    Luke Evans

    Those that have watched the series, of course, will note Evans is right in his description of King Merriman. He’s a terrible character that doesn’t deserve redemption, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

    To get more of Evan’s boisterous performance as King Merriman, make sure to check out season 2 of Crossing Swords, streaming now on Hulu.

  • Marvel Legends ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Wave Available for Pre-Order

    Marvel Legends ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Wave Available for Pre-Order

    The newly revealed wave of Marvel Legends based off of Marvel Studios upcoming film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available for pre-order both individually and in its entirety at Entertainment Earth.

    The wave is comprised of 7 figures with Rintrah serving as the BAF for the wave. 4 of the figures are based on the film, 1 seems to be based on the first film and 2 are comic book figures (D’Spayre and Sleepwalker).

    Links for individual pre-orders below:

    America Chavez
    Doctor Strange (Astral)
    Doctor Strange (Mom)
    Mordo
    Wong
    D’Spayre
    Sleepwalker

    Pre-orders for the entire wave are available from Entertainment Earth right here.

    Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

  • Recast, Reboot, Retire or Reprise: What’s the Right Choice for Other Marvel Netflix Characters

    Recast, Reboot, Retire or Reprise: What’s the Right Choice for Other Marvel Netflix Characters

    With Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprising their respective roles as Kingpin and Matt Murdock this week and rumors swirling that other cast members from the Netflix Defenders-verse series might join them, we decided to take a look at who should come back and who should be left behind. Note that this is not all-encompassing and that there’s no real metric here, much less any consistency. Sometimes we want the actor and not the role; other times we want the role but not the actor; other times we want neither. To make it easy, we cast a verdict on each character: recast the role, reboot the character with the same actor, retire the character or have the same actor reprise the same role. Because the world is hard, sometimes had to pick more than one.

    The Big 4

    Each of the following actors led at least 2 seasons of a solo series on Netflix as well as popping up in either Defenders or another series.

    • Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle
      Whether or not Marvel Studios plans on using the Punisher in the near future is certainly a great topic for debate, but that debate is for another day. The topic here is whether or not Bernthal is the man for the job should they chose to bring the character into the MCU and, fortunately, there’s not much of debate to be had. As he almost always does, Bernthal inhabited the role of Castle in a way that many actors just couldn’t do. If we are going to see the Punisher again, it has to be Bernthal.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Mike Colter as Luke Cage
      Colter is a case of Netflix missing the mark on why they cast the character. Colter is a solid actor. His work on CBS’s Evil has been excellent; however, he seems to be, in general, more comfortable in roles that require a more subdued persona and, to me, that’s just not Luke Cage. If Cage is coming back, the actor has to have BIG energy and charisma. The man lead the New Avengers and as much as I love Colter, I can’t see him effectively convincing Dr. Strange, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel that they should be following his orders.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Finn Jones as Danny Rand
      In a shared universe that includes Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, there’s simply no place for Jones as the Iron Fist. While part of the problem with the character was the way he was written (Rand should be able to kick multiple asses all the time without ever having to use the Iron Fist), it’s impossible to give Jones a pass. He notably didn’t want to train and he’s also just not that great of an actor. If they give Rand another chance, it has to be with another actor.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
      Ritter’s situation is nearly the opposite of Colter’s in that the role of Jones fits her specific talents incredibly well. She looks the part and believably acts the part. While the series ended on a really poor note, Ritter’s time as the character would make it incredibly hard to imagine someone else in the role.
      Verdict: Reprise

    The Supporting Cast

    Simone Missick: Actress, Misty Knight in Netflix's Luke Cage | Howard Magazine

    Each of these characters played a major, supporting role in at least one season of the Defenders-verse series.

    • Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich
      After giving one of the best performances in Season 1 of Daredevil, Curtis-Hall didn’t get a chance to come back in the role because, well, Kingpin killed off the character. One of the best cases we can make for why the Netflix series should not be canon is so Curtis-Hall can return in a role that could expand beyond Daredevil’s stories and into the greater MCU.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Rosario Dawson as Clarie Temple
      Keep the actress, ditch the character. Dawson is lights out in pretty much everything she does. Fans would love to see her jump into a bigger role like Mahershala Ali, who starred in Luke Cage, was able to do. Sorry, Claire, you stay behind, but bring Rosario into the MCU in a new role.
      Verdict: Retire
    • Scott Glenn as Stick
      One of the most unforgivable offenses made by Netflix over the course of their Defenders-verse series was their portrayal of the Hand. As Charles V. has said over and over again, “it’s really hard to screw up undead ninjas”, but they did it. If there’s one Daredevil-centric thing they could fix that would really spice up the whole MCU, it’s the Hand. And if the Hand is back, Stick should be back and if we’re getting Stick, it’s gotta be Scott Glenn.
      Verdict: Reboot
    • Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
      Foggy is such an important part of the story of Matt Murdock that he absolutely must be involved in whatever stories are told going forward. Henson, however, never seemed the right fit and it’s almost certain a recast would land better with fans.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing
      Henwick was one of the brightest stars over the two seasons of Iron Fist. It was recently revealed that she had to pass on a role in Shang-Chi in order to land her role in the upcoming Matrix sequel, so obviously Marvel Studios is keen to work with her again. Henwick should absolutely be in the MCU. Whether that’s as Collen Wing or in another role is the question. Should she enter into the MCU in another role, that would really make it hard to consider Iron Fist “canon”, however. There is certainly a great Daughters of the Dragon story to be tole with Wing and Misty Kinght, should they want to keep Henwick in a version of the same role.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Simone Missick as Misty Knight
      Speaking of…Missick was dynamite as Misty Knight, bringing some of the charisma to Luke Cage that Colter did not. Seeing Missick return as Knight, perhaps to team up with Sam Wilson as she has recently in the comics would be fantastic.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Debra Ann Woll as Karen Page
      The vote here is no, but not for the reasons you might think. Woll was great as Karen Page. She was better than great. But as the story of Matt Murdock/Daredevil moves on, Marvel Studios would be wise to move away from the dark, Frank Miller inspired arcs that we integral to the Netflix series and adapt some other authors’ work. Modern day runs by Charles Soule and Mark Waid would top the list and wouldn’t require more of Page, a character whose continued story would only continue to drag Matt through Hell.
      Verdict: Retire
    • Elodie Yung as Elektra
      Yung checked all the boxes as Elektra: sleek, sexy, dangerous and talented. If they should choose to do another story with the Hand or just with Elektra, it’d be hard to find someone who both looked and played the part as well as Yung. Bring her back!
      Verdict: Reprise

    The Villains

    David Tennant Would Love Purple Man to be in an Avengers Movie
    • Wilson Bethel as Bullseye
      Bethel’s time as Bullseye was just getting started when the plug was pulled on the Defenders-verse. He gave a great portrayal and would be fully capable of holding his own on screen again with Cox. Bring back Bullseye and bring back Bethel.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Alice Eve as Typhoid Mary
      Eve seemed like an out of place casting at the time, but she did fine in the role. Moving forward, however, it seems appropriate to have an entirely different version of the character and I don’t think anyone would be upset to see a new actress in the role.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsley
      Love Gunton, but he was playing the comic book Owl in the same way that Fra Fee is playing comic book Kazi, which is to say not at all. There is certainly room for the Owl in this newly carved out corner of organized crime in the MCU, but not for this version. A younger actor and totally different characterization are in order.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Theo Rossi as “Shades” Alvarez
      You might think that with all the characters and actors we didn’t include on the list, that Rossi is a surprise. He might be but his son, Victor Alvarez, could join the MCU’s other young heroes down the road. Rossi was creepy and slimy in the role. It would only be a bit part if he came back, so let’s see him back so we can get to his much more important offspring.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • David Tennant as Purple Man
      Tennant joins D’Onofrio and Ali in the trinity of great Defender-verse performances as villains. Ali has moved into the MCU in larger role as Blade. D’Onofrio is back. It might be a stretch to bring Purple Man into the current MCU unless the want to do the big Breakout arc from New Avengers, but getting Tennant back on board in that role or any other would be fantastic.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Wil Traval as Nuke
      Nope. Give us a real Nuke in a future Cap movie. Scrap the actor and forget the character ever existed.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna
      Zurer was fire as Vanessa. Both the actress and the character were amazing. However, the MCU’s Kingpin isn’t going to have 13 hours of time to tell a bunch of personal stories, so unfortunately, unless we get a Kingpin series, neither Zurer or Vanessa need to make the jump.
      Verdict: Retire

    Make sure to sound off in the comments on who you’d like to see reprise their roles and who you think should be left behind.

  • How Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin Could Be an All-New Variant of the Character

    How Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin Could Be an All-New Variant of the Character

    After an Episode 3 tease, the closing moments of Episode 5 of Hawkeye officially introduced Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin into the series as an acquaintance of Eleanor Bishop. Called by name by Clint Barton, Kingpin is the big boss behind the Tracksuits and the “Uncle” of Maya Lopez. Kingpin, as it turns out, is a lot of things but the one thing he is not is the same character from the three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil.

    When he was first introduced in Season 1 of Daredevil in 2015, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, was already a major player in the organized crime scene of New York City. Season 1 ended with Fisk in prison from where he began to suspect that Matt Murdock and Daredevil where one in the same. Fisk worked over agent Nadeem, found his way out of Ryker’s and was eventually freed and reunited with is love, Vanessa. The series wrapped following a major fight between Murdock and Fisk that ended with Fisk on his way to prison, again, his organization dismantled and Murdock having enough evidence to make sure Fisk would never see the light of day again, much less regain his status as Kingpin.

    The events of Daredevil Season 3 took place in 2018, shortly before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. We know this Fisk wasn’t Blipped and that at some point between 2018 and 2023, he was a big deal in organized crime in New York and known as Kingpin. While a reasonable argument could be made that Fisk was broken out of prison during that time, him moving around in the open in 2024 and continuing to operate as Kingpin would represent a complete and utter failure on the part of Matt Murdock. By the time Hawkeye takes place in 2024, even if Murdock had been Blipped, he surely could have brought forth enough evidence to get Fisk back behind bars. More to the point, if following the Blip, Fisk was still actively running crime in New York where the one man who could bury him was around (we don’t know if Murdock was Blipped, but we know he’s around at the same time) he’d be a pretty incompetent Kingpin of crime. If this Kingpin is the Netflix Kingpin, the MCU Daredevil is already a moron…and so is the MCU Kingpin.

    Of course fans of the Netflix character came out in droves today to point out just how much this Kingpin looks like the version who rocked the white suits in Daredevil. That version of the character was more of an all-white suit type of guy and, though it’s potato cam quality, that’s not they style of this all-new, all-different version of the character; the version we kind of saw today seemed to be more of an ascot-sporting, cane-wielding and quite possibly shade-of-purple pants wearing type of guy, much like the classic comic book version of the character. I’m not going to go back and rewatch all 39 episodes to make sure, but I don’t recall that Fisk being a fan of neckwear, which he certainly has as part of his ensemble here.

    On the topic of style, Daredevil’s Wilson Fisk was a big cuff link guy. As seen below, he owned two dozen or so pairs of the handy accessories but, as you might remember, fancied one particular pair that he picked off the corpse of his dead father.

    The first tease of this all-new, all-different version of Kingpin came in Episode 3 and, funny enough, they made sure to give us a look at this version’s cuff links.

    And, as it turns out, not only was he not wearing his favorite pair (who doesn’t love wearing stuff that reminds them of the day they murdered their dad with a hammer?), he wasn’t wearing any of those in his possession last time we saw him. If the creators of Hawkeye wanted to send a VERY clear message to the fans of the Netflix Daredevil series, those cuff links would have been on FULL display in that tease. They weren’t because this isn’t that guy.

    What Hawkeye has introduced is (as Loki taught us) a Variant of the character fans met in Daredevil. From what’s been revealed, Fisk didn’t seem to be returning to the “throne” during the Blip; it seems much more likely that he used that time to establish himself as the Kingpin by eliminating the remaining competition, including his best, good friend Willie Lopez. It’s important to note that it only benefits Marvel Studios to continue to obfuscate whether or not this Fisk and the Murdock that appears in Spider-Man: No Way Home are the same characters from the Netflix series. The hype, the discussion and debate only fan the flames of fandom. Maybe next week will deliver a clear answer, but don’t be surprised if the truth isn’t revealed until She-Hulk, or Echo, or never. But for now, there’s certainly enough evidence to rationally argue that Hawkeye has introduced a new version of a classic comic book character whose story is JUST getting started.

  • How Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin Could Be the Netflix ‘Daredevil’ Character

    How Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin Could Be the Netflix ‘Daredevil’ Character

    Finally, after a long wait, Vincent D’Onofrio has made his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some still believe that the upcoming adaptation will be a soft reboot for the character, there are some curious hints at his character potentially being the same we last saw during Daredevil‘s third season. With Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock set to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the upcoming reintroduction of the Netflix characters might finally confirm that the final season of the series is canon.

    Let’s start with the most obvious connection. While not in person, we got our first look at D’Onofrio’s Fisk through a video taken by Yelena Belova. The video quality seems a bit off, but what we can make out is that he’s wearing a similar suit that he wore during the final season of the original series. He has a white suit with a black shirt underneath, which offered a modern take on his comic book version. He seems to be rocking the same style.

    Speaking of, Hawkeye also calls him by the same name that he got during that season. In the first season, Fisk tried very hard to keep his name out of everyone’s mouth. Hell, a man killed himself because he accidentally let that slip and put him on Matt Murdock’s radar. It wasn’t until the final season that he was given a codename Kingpin. Of course, there is the question of how the name that was given to him by Agent Poindexter, the future Bullseye, managed to find its way into the public, but he might’ve loved the weight it could carry.

    So, there are quite a few hints that this is, indeed, a continuation of the original series and hopefully also means we won’t have to wait long for Wilson Bethel to also make a return given the set-up that was left open during the final scene of the series. Of course, Fisk and Murdock’s return does open up the question of when we can expect their arrival and eventual clash. He was arrested during the finale and lost everything, but if Daredevil vanished for five years due to the snap, he had enough time to rebuild his empire without his arch-nemesis being the wiser. Here’s hoping we get some hints in the finale.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Luke Evans on Developing the King Merriman’s Persona

    EXCLUSIVE: Luke Evans on Developing the King Merriman’s Persona

    Perhaps one of the strongest aspects of Crossing Swords is its voice cast. The roster of talent features the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Seth Green, Tara Strong, Yvette Nichole Brown, Tony Hale, and Luke Evans. One of the biggest shocks of the series was Evan’s work as King Merriman, whose voice work in the series is almost unrecognizable until the credits begin to roll and the realization hits.

    We recently had the chance to chat with some of the cast behind Crossing Swords and asked Luke Evans just how he went about developing the character of King Merriman and commented on just how unrecognizable he was in the role. For Evans, it was fun for him getting to figure out how he wanted to present this absurd character. In fact, there were various versions he went through before landing upon the crass King we now from Crossing Swords now.

    Well, thank you, I’ll take that as a compliment that you didn’t know it was me, that was part of the challenge, I think. Well it’s, I got to see an image of him when I said yes and they send me a couple of pre-vis images of Merriman, I then went through and they said “you can do what you want, you can try anything, come with lots of options and we’ll choose one that fits.” I narrowed it down to probably like three or four, one was British, one was cockney, one was very well spoken and upper-class.

    But the one that fit was, I mean, cause you know Nick Hoult is British and he’s doing this American and I thought well maybe I should find some sort of rough, cigar-smoking, heavy-drinking, gravely sounding voice and then you know I saw this character come to life with his little mustache that moves and I was like “Oh, okay yeah that fits,” you know?

    Luke Evans

    We previously spoke with the creators of Crossing Swords on what made them initially want Evans for a role, and how he landed it. As they previously teased, Evans was always on their radar for the role because his work on Robot Chicken. Evans surprised the heck out of them with just how much of himself he’d thrown into such a ridiculous role, that they were determined to work with him more going forward.

    Season 2 of Crossing Swords is streaming now on Hulu.

  • How ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 5 Sets the Stage for ‘Echo’

    How ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 5 Sets the Stage for ‘Echo’

    Long before fans were introduced to her in Hawkeye, plans were already in place for Maya Lopez to have her own series. That series, Echo, was officially announced on 2021’s Disney Plus Day, but had been revealed by the trades months earlier. Hollywood newcomer Alaqua Cox impressed the Marvel Studios brass early on and will star in the series, tentatively set to go into production next April ahead of a likely 2023 release. While Echo still has a role to play in the conclusion of the events of Hawkeye, Episode 5, “Ronin”, seemed to put some things in place that should dovetail nicely into Echo.

    Thought it’s been obvious since he was first teased in Episode 3, Episode 5 finally put a name and a face to Maya’s “Uncle”: Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Kingpin in the biggest and most important piece on the board. In Episode 5, Clint reveals to Maya that her father’s death at his hands was the result of a setup by Kingpin, who used an informant to tip off Clint to the location of the Tracksuits. While it takes a little more convincing to make Maya believe that Kingpin could have set up her father to be murdered, it’s clear by the end of the episode that Maya’s life is about to head in a totally different direction.

    That extra convincing she needs comes, unfortunately, from an unwitting acknowledgement of the set up by the person closest to her: Kazi. It’s not explicitly stated in the episode, but it’s heavily implied that Kazi may have in fact been the informant that Fisk used to tip off Clint. When pressed by Maya about why someone is his position within the Tracksuits wasn’t at the meeting where her father and others were killed, Kazi gives a half-baked excuse that Maya clearly doesn’t buy. In a short span of time, Maya is faced with the realization that she’s been betrayed by the two people closest to her.

    As the conversation between Clint and Maya points out, the two characters are similar: deadly weapons pointed at other people. Throughout the series, Maya has been pointed at Clint and Kate; the revelations of Episode 5 will clearly give her new targets, but it seems unlikely given everything a show about Hawkeye(s) has left to accomplish, that fans will have a satisfying conclusion to Maya’s new arc. Rather it seems that Episode 5 serves to set the table for Maya’s continued story in Echo.

    The most pressing unresolved issues for the Hawkeyes all now revolve around Kate’s mom, Eleanor Bishop, who was (in the least surprising twist in modern history) revealed to be the series’ “big bad.” Episode 5 revealed who was on the other end of that phone call Eleanor made last week (Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val) and that she is in business with Kingpin. If that’s not bad enough, she was willing to throw her fiance, loveable doofus Jacques Duquesne, under the bus to save herself! Eleanor is no small fish and while the end of her story in Hawkeye will involve Kingpin and the Tracksuits, it’s her story and the impact it’ll have on Kate that should be the focus of Episode 6. Maya’s new path will certain and obviously intersect with Kate’s (a since-deleted set pic of Maya with Clint proves this), but it now seems much more likely that her involvement in the big “end battle” will more than likely set up her spinoff series and the villains in it.

    When Maya and Kazi part ways in Episode 5, it’s not on good terms. Maya knows he betrayed her and Kazi, who’s much more perspicacious than the rest of the Tracksuits, knows that she knows. With the final battle set to involve Kate, Clint, Maya and the Tracksuits, Maya and Kazi seem destined to face off and Maya is going to have a whole lot of anger to take out on Kazi. This could well become the origin story for Kazi as the Clown. As for Fisk, it’s entirely unlikely that his hands get dirty here. Yes, we’ll see more of him in Episode 6, but it would be very unlike him to get tangled up in a very public fight that ties him to a criminal organization: he wouldn’t be much of a Kingpin if he was involved every time his goons get beat up. That points to him getting to walk away from this and, along with Kazi, being on Maya’s shit list heading into Echo. Unfortunately for Maya, that means she’ll be on his shit list, too, and that’s pretty exciting because Fisk has all sorts of criminals on his payroll that he could send after Maya. I won’t tell anyone if you won’t, but at one point in time, Echo was casting for two white, female roles, one of whom was described as a criminal and one of whom who sure sounded like another criminal. Leaving Fisk to be developed further in Echo is a good, albeit frustrating choice for the studio, that allows for him to continue to be a looming menace until he’s ready for a big-time showdown, perhaps in a future Spider-Man film.

    Ultimately, Hawkeye will do exactly what is was intended to do for Maya Lopez. The character will have a redemption arc and get set on her new path ahead of her own series. While fans might feel slighted at her story not being resolved within the confines of Hawkeye’s 6 episodes, they also have to remember that Marvel Studios is in the business of pumping out content and resolving every story, every time doesn’t lend itself well to that.

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