Murphy's Multiverse

Category: Features

  • Latest ‘Peacemaker’ Trailer Includes Quite a Few Easter Eggs

    Latest ‘Peacemaker’ Trailer Includes Quite a Few Easter Eggs

    The brand new trailer for Peacemaker has finally arrived and gave us a much more in-depth look at the DC Extended Universe’s first TV series. John Cena will reprise the role of Christopher Smith, the man who will stop at nothing on his quest for peace. James Gunn returns after his work on The Suicide Squad to continue his journey and you can always bet that there’s going to be a ton of Easter eggs when he’s involved with a project. Even the latest trailer offered some great teases. So, let’s dive right into all the secrets the latest trailer offers us.

    The Extreme Temperature Helmet

    When we first enter what has personally been dubbed “The Peacecave”, we’re greeted by a slew of Peacemaker helmets, which are all seemingly special and unique in their own way. One that’s noticeable for a split second is the helmet Peacemaker developed and donned back in The Peacemaker #5. The helmet was used to fight a molten lava monster and featured his iconic fin as a mohawk. It was styled after Vulcan, the God of Fire.

    The Classic Peacemaker Helmet

    The Peacemaker we’ve seen so far in both The Suicide Squad and bits of Peacemaker have featured a more modernized take on the character’s look. But if you take a closer look in the Peacecave, you can spot quite a few takes on the character’s original helmet that feature an excessively large fin from one end to the other. While his helmet in The Suicide Squad keeps that base design, it certainly was quite a bit larger at one point.

    The Butterflies

    Now, for a non-helmet-related Easter egg, we get our first look at something called “the butterflies.” Not much is known about them aside from that they’re small white bugs that are only glimpsed at in the trailer. Perhaps they are connected to the people we see with inhuman strength breaking through the glass. Civilians in the trailer can be seen acting like zombies in an almost mob mentality. We even see a woman who throws Peacemaker through a wall. It’s unknown where the butterflies come from, but they seem to be quite similar to Starro but are an original idea for the series.

    The X-Ray Helmet

    Another helmet within the lineup is the so-called X-Ray helmet, which is pretty self-explanatory as to what its intended use is for. But It seems like Peacemaker could use the helmet to see who’s been taken over by a butterfly. We see him wear the helmet later on and it might be his best bet to uncover who has or hasn’t been affected by this new threat.

    The Privateer

    Briefly in the trailer, a poster can be seen for what looks like a movie called “The Privateer.” It may have ties to an existing character within DC Comics. The Privateer was an alias used by Mark Shaw, better known as the Manhunter. It was his heroic alter-ego, joining the Checkmate organization and running it at one point. But the character also joined the Suicide Squad at one point, even going on to work for ARGUS.

    Task Force….What Now?

    Early on in the trailer, we hear newcomer Leota Adebayo mention that they aren’t an officially sanction Argus Task Force and that they are “on their own”. This is strange considering they have been operating teams with much worse people than that for years now. We also see in the post-credit sequence from The Suicide Squad that they were given the mission to look after Peacemaker. Perhaps the events of the story may have led to them becoming their own splinter team.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Seth Green On a Possible Howard The Duck Solo Project

    EXCLUSIVE: Seth Green On a Possible Howard The Duck Solo Project

    Since 2014’s Guardians of The Galaxy, Howard the Duck has popped up here and there as an Easter egg for the die-hard fans. Voiced by Seth Green, Howard made his return this year, not in live-action, but in Marvel Studios’ first, animated project, What If…? The character played a supporting role in the T’challa Star-lord episode, but what many fans want to know is if there’s a potential solo project for the character in the future.

    While there hasn’t been much about a potential Howard the Duck project, Lea Thompson, star of the original movie, has expressed interest in directing a reboot for the character over the past couple of years. But it seems like a solo project for the duck isn’t something Green would find all too interesting. 

    “I heard that she pitched it and I know that shes been directing a ton of stuff, I love the original but I gotta imagine that, and again this is just my imagination, I’ve always thought Howard works really well as part of an ensemble or in more of a co-star, the same way the Hulk does, you know? like the Hulk, making the whole Hulk movie is always more challenging, and I think Howards that kind of character. Hes good in a group.”

    While Green seems to be entirely interested in Howard taking the spotlight, he definitely doesn’t seem to be against playing the character in a much larger capacity. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe spreading like wildfire in the next couple years, who knows where he could pop up next.

    Crossing Swords returns for Season 2 on Hulu on Dec. 10.

  • Amazon’s ‘Harlem’ Draws Inspiration From Living Single and That’s Not a Bad Thing

    Amazon’s ‘Harlem’ Draws Inspiration From Living Single and That’s Not a Bad Thing

    In the 90s, there was an incredibly well-received series called Living Single. It aired on Fox for five years and starred Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, and the one and only, Queen Latifah. It followed the story of a group of friends and the trials and tribulations of their careers and love lives as they navigated a world not really accepting of strong Black women. It won four Emmys and, as fans watched Friends essentially Wally Pipp the premise and splash a fresh white paint on it, there has always been a clamoring for a revival or reboot. 

    Well, friends, that reboot/revival has arrived on Amazon with Harlem. Created by Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver, the 10-episode series stars Meagan Good, Jerrie Johnson, Grace Byers, and Shoniqua Shandai as four girlfriends who now have to navigate a world that doesn’t particularly care for strong Black women. Does that sound familiar? Harlem gets kudos for showing all different kinds of Black love, too, whether it is Black queer love or strong, independent love. Even in the way it depicts Black vulnerability, Harlem hits the right notes, and it’s no surprise given how Oliver carefully simultaneously handled the comedic and serious moments of Girls Trip. 

    While the four ladies are vital to the heart of Harlem, there is undoubtedly a fifth main character in the show: Harlem, the mecca of Black culture in New York. As a New York resident for most of my life, Harlem has always been a mythical place to me. However, having worked on 140th Street and 8th Avenue for a long time, I saw firsthand the impact Harlem had on its residents. By extension, I saw the pain when gentrification came to take away what was theirs. Harlem captures that essence through introspection and funny moments. Meagan Good’s character, for example, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University, and so she’s teaching in an area already gentrified while living in an area that hasn’t been claimed yet. As the season goes on, her character, Camille, is forced to accept that Harlem as she’s known it is changing – for better or worse, and the only way her voice will be hard is if she lets it.

    Harlem is a celebration of Black culture, what it means to be a Black woman, and how success is defined for them. Like Living Single before it, Harlem is not hesitant to break the stereotypes that are often associated with its leads, but what makes it work is its willingness to address them head-on when they’re hinted at. It is incredible television with a cast that brings it every scene.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3: The Clint Barton Convergence

    ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3: The Clint Barton Convergence

    The latest episode of the Marvel Studios Disney Plus series Hawkeye picks up the pace and presents probably the most complete and best episode so far. Part of picking up the pace meant speeding through flashbacks to tell the origin story of one of the series’ main characters, Maya Lopez. Much like the flashbacks that told the tragedy of Kate Bishop’s early life, Maya’s flashbacks take up about 5 minutes of screen time and end in a similar tragedy. Through the use of these flashbacks, the episode draws some intriguing parallels between the two young women and gives them a common point from where their paths through life diverged.

    Paterfamilias

    In the cases of both Kate and Maya, Hawkeye establishes a loving relationship between father and daughter. Both Derek Bishop and Willie Lopez are shown to share special bonds with their daughters. In Kate’s case, it’s made clear that her childhood relationship with her father is stronger than that with her mother. When it’s noticed that she is eavesdropping on her parents’ argument, her mother indicates to her father that he’s the one who will have more success communicating with Kate while she’s upset. In Maya’s case, it’s implied that her father is a single parent but it is clear that the two share a special bond. When Willie is unable to send Maya to a deaf school, he teaches her to embrace her disability and assures her that she’ll be stronger for it. He’s portrayed as a father who teaches his daughter to refuse to use her disabilities as an excuse and one who wants the best for her, even if his station in life doesn’t make it possible for him to deliver.

    Essentially both girls look up to their fathers as heroes but the two fathers’ lives are very different. Derek is portrayed as an optimistic silver spooner while Willie is equally optimistic but seems to have to scrape for every penny and chooses to do so as part of a criminal organization. And make no mistake about it, the difference in the circumstances in which Kate and Maya were raised lead directly to the divergent paths they took in life.

    For both characters, the relationships with their fathers have truly made them who they are. Both are shown to be uniquely skilled and driven; both are shown to be determined and dynamic; both are also shown to have apply those characteristics in very different ways.

    Death of a Father

    In the case of any child, the death of a parent is traumatic. Hawkeye draws another parallel between the two characters by having them both experience the deaths of their fathers. However, the responses of the two character to the death’s of their fathers are entirely different. The death of Kate’s father (bit mysterious, don’t you think? I’m not convinced her mom didn’t kill him) during the Battle of New York set Kate on her journey to be a protector, a hero, like her father; the death of Maya’s father (much less mysterious) set her on a journey to become a violent, vengeful criminal.

    The New Father Figure

    After suffering the loss of their fathers, Kate and Maya have father figures step into the void. In Kate’s case, Jacques Duquesne tries to charm his way into her life, going so far as to brag about buying a book about being a stepdad. In Maya’s case, her not-so-mysterious “Uncle” is still looking after her and she find herself in his employ. On one hand, we see Kate rail against allowing someone as slimy as Jacques into her life; on the other hand, we see Maya, choose the life of a mob enforcer. Simply enough, one chose the light while the other chose the dark.

    The Clint Connection

    The two characters have walked divergent paths following the losses of their fathers but those divergent paths have now converged thanks to a common interest: Clint Barton. The ending of Episode 2 and beginning of Episode 3 really highlight the entirely opposite interests the characters have in Barton: Kate comes crashing into the abandoned KB Toy Store warehouse to save Clint just as Echo makes her way to interrogate him about the Ronin. Clint Barton is the intersection of these characters lives and the revelation of his secret, which he’s holding from both of them, will greatly impact how both of them view him.

    How will Kate look at her hero when she finds out he was Ronin? How will Maya deal with discovering the identity of her father’s murderer? While it was Clint that brought the two together, the answers to those questions could well set them on divergent paths once more in the aftermath of Hawkeye.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Has Yet to Fully Utilize Fra Fee’s Kazi

    ‘Hawkeye’ Has Yet to Fully Utilize Fra Fee’s Kazi

    We’re only halfway through the latest Marvel Studios series on Disney+, but we’ve gotten a glimpse at the main players throughout the rest of the series. Yet, it’s also noticeable that an iconic part of the original My Life as a Weapon run. While teased in the first two episodes, Kaz Kazimierczak finally had an actual role in the story but he’s quite a departure from the comics. While still an interesting character, it seems like they are going down a different route with him.

    In the comics, Kazi was better known as the mercenary Clown. He’s shown to be quite ruthless and even emotionless while shooting down anyone he’s contracted to do so. He also doesn’t have a connection with Echo directly but was contracted by the Tracksuit Mafia and Wilson Fisk in the comics. He also normally wears noticeably absent clown make-up.

    With more hints going around that the Kingpin will make his appearance soon, and the “uncle” mentioned by Kazi, it seems he’s generally a part of the Tracksuit Mafia rather than a hired hitman. He’s also an emotional anchor for Echo, whose story was adapted for the series quite a bit to fit the overarching MCU. Yet, it feels like his role could’ve been replaced by almost any other character.

    So, there is the possibility that he may potentially be turning into the character we’ve met in the comics. Live-action adaptations of any kind tend to showcase origin stories to give characters arcs. The events of this storyline could end with Kazi taking on a new personality and covering his face with the clown make-up at some point. The show does highlight his role in the story and perhaps he is taking a backseat before taking over in a potential future storyline.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Makes a Major Change to Echo’s Story

    ‘Hawkeye’ Makes a Major Change to Echo’s Story

    Episode 3 of Hawkeye, “Echoes”, delivered on last week’s tease and gave us a full introduction to Maya Lopez, aka Echo, played by newcomer Alaqua Cox. While the translation of the character to the MCU from the comics stays faithful to her Native American heritage, her deafness and her connection to Wilson Fisk, the series makes one major change to her origins that will have a huge impact on how the remainder of the series plays out.

    Episode 3 introduces not only Maya, but her father, Willie, and lays out that he works in “upper management” of the Tracksuit Mafia for the head of organized crime. This, too, is true to the comics were her father, Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln, works for the Kingpin. And in both the comics and the series, Maya is forced to watch her father’s life in crime catch up with him as he dies in her arms and places his blood-soaked hand on her face. However, Marvel Studios has chosen to make a major change to that event and the consequences of that change are already becoming obvious.

    In the 1998 Daredevil series, Maya’s father is killed by the Kingpin. While Kingpin called Willie his “good friend”, he ruthlessly shot him for an undefined mistake. Willie’s dying wish was for Kingpin to take care of his daughter, a promise he kept by raising her and affording her every luxury. Twenty years after her father’s death, Maya was told by Kingpin that it was Daredevil who murdered him, setting the two up for an epic clash. Eventually, Maya learns the truth about who murdered her father and takes her revenge my shooting the Kingpin in the face at point blank range.

    Hawkeye tells a very different version of Willie’s death, making Clint Barton the man responsible for it. In the series, Maya sees her father take the business end of Ronin’s blade and then holding him as he dies. The first two episodes of the series made it clear that the Clint and the Tracksuits had a history; this episode clarifies the extent of that history and now puts Clint not only in Maya’s crosshairs, but also potentially the Kingpin’s. In episode 3, Clint tap danced around the identity of Ronin both in conversation with Maya and Kate; it probably won’t be long before his secret comes out. How will the series choose to deal with the reveal? What will be the cost of Echo and Kingpin finding out? Hopefully Clint doesn’t meet the same fate as Fisk did in the comics, but it is clear that these changes will result in some very different takes on both Echo’s existing relationships and those she might forge along the way.

  • ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    Today’s episode of Hawkeye, “Echoes”, jumped right into Maya Lopez’s backstory. The first 5 minutes of so of the episode gave us everything we need to know about the character and introduced the two most influential men in her life: her father, Willie Lopez, and her “Uncle.” We later find out that her “Uncle” is also the big boss of organized crime in New York City, a man, as Clint explains it, will “do anything to grow the operation” and is “someone you don’t want to mess with.” Who is this “Uncle” and what does his presence mean for the Hawkeyes and the future of the MCU? Read on, True Beleivers.

    In this case, the term “Uncle” is clearly not a strictly familial term but rather a way of recognizing the close relationship between Maya’s father and the man in black that we meet at about 5:18 into the episode right before Maya’s karate match. As the episode explains, Maya’s father worked for “Uncle” as upper management in the Tracksuits, meaning he was someone that the man trusted very much. His death, at the hands of Ronin, not only interrupted operations but also may have been a very personal loss for both Maya and her “Uncle.” In putting all the pieces together and digging into the comics for some support, it’s clear that Maya’s “Uncle” is Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of New York City.

    While there are some pretty significant changes to the story and the relationship in Hawkeye, the Kingpin was a similarly significant figure in Maya’s life in the comics. In her origin arc, which was told beautifully over several issues of 1998’s Daredevil, we learn that Maya’s father worked for Fisk and was, in Fisk’s words “a good friend.” It’s that close friendship between the two men that’s being interpreted as Fisk being Maya’s “Uncle” in the series.

    Rumors of Kingpin appearing in Hawkeye, with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising his role from the Netflix Daredevil series, have swirled for months; today’s episode laid any doubts to rest. At the 5:18 mark when “Uncle” touches young Maya’s face and chuckles, the chuckle discernably belong to D’Onofrio. With such a blatant tease in Episode 3, it won’t be much longer before the series fully reveals the identity of Maya’s “Uncle.” The arrival of the Kingpin on the scene will mean that Kate and Clint will now be faced with a ruthless and powerful adversary, much more competent and deadly than his Tracksuit goons.

    With Wilson Fisk operating in the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before he crosses paths with Daredevil and, potentially Spider-Man; in fact, D’Onofrio, who took to Twitter to share his excitement for the upcoming series, mentioned in a recent interview that if he were to reprise the role of Fisk, he’d love to square off against Spidey. Now it seems that’s not only possible, but maybe even inevitable.

  • Hawkeye Episode 3 Primer

    Hawkeye Episode 3 Primer

    In the first two episodes of Hawkeye, “Never Meet Your Heroes” and “Hide and Seek” we saw Clint Barton trying to spend time with his kids in New York City after having lost them to the Snap and then getting them back. At the same time, we meet Kate Bishop, who is portrayed perfectly by Hailee Steinfeld, when she comes home to find out her mom is getting married to Jacques Duquesne, who Kate isn’t fond of. He tries so hard to shove himself into Kate’s life but she isn’t having and she is suspicious of Jacques and his mysterious ways. Kate gets into a little bit of trouble with the Tracksuit Mafia, forcing Clint to send his family home and bringing the two heroes, and the Pizza Dog, together.

    This upcoming episode should belong to Maya Lopez, aka Echo. We met Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, in the last few seconds of “Hide and Seek” and while we don’t really know her all that well, we know is she is the boss of the Tracksuit Mafia. This episode should be more of an introduction for the character who is a very special character with some very special abilities. As we saw, Echo is deaf and can only feel vibrations and/or read lips, which kind of gives her something in common with Clint. She’s also a great martial artist and has some pretty interesting connections to some really interesting people. If we get to know more about Maya in this episode, it won’t be long before one of those people turns up.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    kate-bishop-echo-hawkeye-series.jpg

    In this upcoming episode, I am very positive that Clint and Kate will escape. Wouldn’t be much of a Hawkeye show if they didn’t. Marvel has shown a lot of footage of the big car chase which I think has to be in one of the next two episodes. We’re also getting to the perfect opening where Yelena and Kingpin can come into the show, which I talked about last week. Yelena heard about Natasha and how she died and is out to kill Clint for “killing her.” It’s perfect timing for Yelena to get involved and complicate things even more. And as for Kingpin, it might be a little early for him but if Clint and Kate escape Echo and the Tracksuits, I don’t think he’ll be very happy, do you?

  • Kate Bishop and Pizza Dog ‘Hawkeye’ Funko Pop! Up for Pre-Order

    Kate Bishop and Pizza Dog ‘Hawkeye’ Funko Pop! Up for Pre-Order

    If you’re watching the Marvel Studios streaming series Hawkeye, chances are you’ve already fallen in love with the Pizza Dog…and Funko new you would. Available for pre-order now is a Funko Pop! and Buddy set including Kate Bishop and the loveable Pizza Dog!

    The duo is available for $11.99 at Entertainment Earth with an estimated ship date of February 2022. If you’re so inclined, you can also pick up the Clint Barton Pop to complete the Hawkeye hero set! Hawkeye is now streaming on Disney Plus.

    Click here for Kate and Lucky

    Click here for Clint

    Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ From Page to Screen: Episode 2

    ‘Hawkeye’ From Page to Screen: Episode 2

    Following the Episode 1 introduction of Lucky The Pizza Dog, Hawkeye‘s second episode saw Clint go against at least a few vans worth of Tracksuit Mafia bros. This sequence bears some fairly obvious similarities with the one from Hawkeye #6 (probably one of the best issues of the entire run), where Clint Barton presented himself in a way the Mafia couldn’t miss him, inviting a much-needed confrontation.

    In the Disney+ series, Clint made this decision as a way of getting to the bottom of the issues Kate stirred up by wearing the Ronin suit out in public. By facing the Mafia head-on, allowing them to take full control of the situation, he managed to get himself caught without much hassle. Finding himself in their hideout will then lead to uncovering the woman making all the calls, someone he’ll have to go through to make it home for Christmas. What he didn’t count on was that by not making his intentions clear to Kate Bishop, his actions might have ended up making her find herself in a much more dire situation than the one he was trying to get her out of.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 2
    Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 2

    Just like in the series, the comics show Clint placing himself in harm’s way by tacking on the Tracksuit Mafia head-on to protect people he learned to care about. By issue #6, we’d come to realize how Clint had become somewhat protective towards his neighbors with who he shared a building. With the Mafia endangering their enjoyment of the holiday season, he stepped up. As two full vans of Tracksuit bros drove up to the building he, unlike in the Hawkeye series, put up a fight and got himself captured against his will. He is then dragged to the Mafia’s hideout and we see him, much like we did in Episode 2, tied up to a chair as the Mafia brings forth their leader who presents Clint with an ultimatum: Leave the city in 24h or all-out war against himself will be a reality.

    ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
    ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
    ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
    ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)

    Episode 3 isn’t out yet so we’re yet to know what happens to Clint and Kate. In the comics, Barton is released and decides to, once again, stand his ground by not leaving town and living up to the idea of what a hero should do by protecting those who can’t protect themselves. In Hawkeye that would mean again postponing his trip back home and putting an end to the Ronin mix-up once and for all.