Category: Features

Murphy’s Team-Up, Volume 6: Animated Revivals

This week, we were lucky enough to have Adam Barnhardt join us for the Team-Up. Adam is the creator of the Scout Comics book Sh*itshow and the upcoming Keepers of the Cosmos. Adam also writes at Comicbook.com, where he covers Marvel, comics and Mountain Dew!

If the rollout of Disney+ and the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that we’re more than ready to reboot Gargoyles. The show itself instantly trended once the service launched and now, it’s beginning to dominate collecting circles each time a new toy is released. It was the first of its kind — a dark and gritty series with a world that was intricately crafted and story arcs that lasted any number of episodes. In a world where IP is king, and Hollywood runs on reboots, reimaginations, and continuations, there’s little reason to not bring Gargoyles back into the mix.

Filip Manka

As a huge fan of Marvel’s space side, I would love to see a revival of the Silver Surfer animated series. The 1998 series has its charm and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, thanks to the great voice cast (James Blendick as Galactus!) and the many references to Stan Lee and Moebius’ series. I would love to see a series about Galactus’ herald again, especially since What If…? appealed to me a lot in terms of style and portrayal of cosmic scale. Silver Surfer in a similar animation technique would look insane. Especially since this concept allows for different visual plays and animation techniques. One series that I have in my mind as a potential foundation for animation would be the Silver Surfer: Black series by Donny Cates and Tradd More. This kind of psychedelic and surreal imagery would look great in an animated series that could creatively portray the philosophical dimension of the Silver Surfer story.

Nathan Miller

I’m gonna have to go with another ‘90s show in Spider-Man: The Animated Series as that was not only the Spider-Man of my youth but also some of the first serialised television programming I remember watching. The series showed a great progression in it’s version of Peter over its 5 seasons and covered a great array of comic stories. It also showed an early version of translating the Marvel comics team-ups to screen in a crossover with X-Men: The Animated Series in Season 2. It also featured a couple of memorable multiversal crossovers in Season 5 with Secret Wars and an early version a Spider-verse story which it mashed together with the Clone Saga which started in the comics at the same time, resulting in the ‘90s Peter meeting Stan Lee in ‘our world’ which blew my young mind. Occasionally the ambient themes of the series still pop into my head so I would love to see a return of that or at least see what became of Spidey in that world through X-Men ‘97 perhaps.

John Sabato

An animated series is love to see revived on Disney+ would be Gravity Falls. Whether it be a film or another season I’d like to see those characters return and explore even more of the secrets behind the town. I feel like show needed quite prematurely and still had a lot more room to breath. If they were to bring it back it would be cool to see a bit of a time jump, with adult Dipper and Mable returning to Gravity Falls after all those years.

Charles Murphy

I grew up in the 80s when Saturday morning cartoons ruled. I could wake up and get a couple solid hours of cartoons in before my Mom rolled out of bed: Smurfs, Voltron, Jem (my God was Jem so cool!), Thundercats, Transformers, He-Man and my absolute favorite (which I almost always actually watched on weekday mornings before school) G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. We got 95 glorious episodes that brought almost every one of my action figures to life but it was Doctor Mindbender usurped control of Cobra from Cobra Commander that shit got real. The animated series embraced the surreal aspects of the comics and line of action figures in a way the incredibly disappointing efforts at bringing the characters to life in live-action have been to scared to do and the pinnacle of that was in the beginning of season two when they introduced Serpentor. Seeing that bad sum’bitch flying around in his air chariot, carrying the DNA of the world’s greatest conquerors was the high point of the series and among my favorite memories of cartoons as a kid. With the people in charge of the live-action rights incapable of understanding that G.I. Joe isn’t a franchise that needs to be “grounded in realism”, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is the best version where likely to ever get, so bringing it back with all of its wild ideas is the best bet for the future of the franchise.

Anthony Canton III

One of the more unsung animated series in comic book lore was Green Lantern, as we followed the adventures of Hal Jordan and Kilowog through space. The series only went one season and had a fascinating story with Hal and Kilowog welcoming Razer, a character with shades of gray to the team. The series chronicled battles with the Red Lanterns Corp who was trying to eliminate Green Lanterns. The animation was smooth and the story was sound. The characters were so fun and full of life I’d love to see that series brought back to the screen. Considering the live action Green Lantern series that’s coming, it wouldn’t be a bad companion.

Mary Maerz

The original Teen Titans animated series from the mid-2000s will always be one of my favorite series of all time. Maybe I’m not giving enough credit to the Powerpuff Girls, but I think for me Teen Titans is the reason I ever fell in love with superheroes and their stories. Plenty of it was silly, but they also had some dark storylines from the comics like Judas Contract and introducing Trigon. Deathstroke was only known as “Slade” but he was pretty damn great and is still one of my favorite villains of all time. Unfortunately, Teen Titans got the Teen Titans GO! treatment, so a genuine revival seems like it’s been off the table for a while.

Hunter Radesi

If Marvel Studios wants to revive X-Men: The Animated Series, why not bring back even more of the Marvel Animated Universe and revive Spider-Man: The Animated Series as well? Yes, there’s already an animated MCU spider-series on the way, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that people will take as many versions of the web-head as they can swallow. If the X-Men series picks up where the old show left off, a new Spider-Man cartoon could serve to move the universe forward. I would start the series decades after the end of the last season, with Peter and MJ’s daughter Mayday taking up the mantle as Spider-Girl. Throw in an arc for Miles and use elements of both the MC2 and Ultimate comics to create an original and fresh new take on the Spider-Man mythos.

November 14, 2021
What to Expect From ‘Dune: Part Two’
Dune was only a prelude to a grander and much more complex story in the world created by Frank Herbert. As the film only adapted approximately two-thirds of the first book, many fans were hoping for a sequel to be confirmed sooner rather than later. Especially because of many unfinished plot lines left by director Denis Villeneuve and Chani’s words at the end of the film – “This is only the beginning.” With the second part of Dune officially announced, let’s look ahead to three things we can expect in the sequel.

New Faces

Dune: Part Two will introduce several new characters who will play significant roles in the story. Without a doubt, the biggest addition will be Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen – the brother of Beast Rabann and nephew of Baron Harkonnen. Feyd is a young man, just a year older than Paul, who is being prepared to be the Baron’s successor and who is also part of the genetic plan mentioned by Gaius Helen Mohiam. The filmmakers will have an opportunity to highlight the parallels between Feyd and Paul, who grew up in very different circumstances and have quite a few things in common.

Another character will be, of course, be Emperor Shadam IV who was mentioned a couple of times in Dune: Part One. The sequence on Selusa Secundus itself gave us a bit of a taste of what kind of character the Emperor might be. He’s not another Palpatine, but a slightly more nuanced character who got caught up in the Bene Gesserit and had a lot of doubts about his actions.

Speaking of the Emperor, we have to mention his eldest daughter – Princess Irulan being a Bene Gesserit, who is a very important character in Paul’s story. She is a chronicler, and it’s her words that open the story of Dune. The sequel should also introduce Hasimir and Margot Fenring in the film. Hasimir is the Emperor’s best friend who has been sent to Giedi Prime to look into Feyd-Rautha as well as confront Baron’s plans. Out of the other major characters, we’ll also get to see Alia Atreides – Paul’s sister, whom he saw in one of his visions.

Paul and Chani’s Journey
In one of his interviews for the Italian magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica, Villeneuve mentioned that Chani, played by Zendaya, would be the protagonist of the story in Part Two. This statement outraged many people, but there’s a reason why Chani will be so important in the second part. As Paul moves further and further away from humanity and dives deeper and deeper into his (anti)messianic figure for the Fremen, Chani will be the person who will be his anchor in the present. Through her, Paul will stay in touch with humanity and Chani will act as a beacon of light.

The first part made us step into the shoes of Paul Atreides, and together we began to discover Arrakis and his inner nature. However, Paul’s journey is not a typical Cambellian pattern of the protagonist’s journey. Herbert broke out of that pattern, and Paul is a certain deconstruction of that trope. In the first film, we saw Paul’s potential future, leading to a bloody holy war in his name. Paul himself will want to escape this, but the further into the woods he gets, the more he solidifies that he has fallen into a messiah trap where fanatics have blindly followed his words. It was already evident in Part One how the Fremen had ingrained the fable of Lisan al-Gaib into their culture, which Paul incidentally used to survive. What will be important in this context is the perspective of those around Paul, who will face a persona that is nothing like his father.

Fremen’s society

The sight of a Fremen riding a sandworm in the final scene in Dune certainly sparked the imagination of many viewers as to what might await us next. We’ve only been given a glimpse of Fremen culture, and the second part will only expand that corner of the world. Together with Paul, we will delve into the huge Fremen sietches which can accommodate thousands of people. We will learn about their beliefs and customs, and the second film should open with an extremely psychedelic scene involving the water of life. We should also be introduced to the Fremen’s ecological plan to terraform Arrakis into a green paradise, which is an extremely important theme throughout the series. Villeneuve has shown that he can emphasize the monumentalism and scale of the world, and the second part has much more to offer.

Dune: Part One is currently in theaters.
November 14, 2021
‘She-Hulk’s Origin May Take Place Before ‘Avengers: Endgame’

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded in so many ways, it’s quite difficult to keep up with where everything takes place across its timeline. Marvel Studios still refuses to provide a definite map to keep an overview, but the new Disney+ shows and films shave been hinting at where everything might take place. There are visual cues that commonly hint at where exactly it takes place or even just an outright confirmation such as Eternals‘ Ajak openly discussing the battle of Thanos. Disney+ Day offered us a glimpse into what 2022 has in store for us with the highlights being Moon Knight and She-Hulk. The latter will have the most connective tissue due to Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner having an active role in the story. The teaser also hinted at Jennifer Walter’s origin story and also may have given us a glimpse of when it takes place.

In the trailer, we don’t get a clear look at Tatiana Maslany as the titular character. We do get a tease of her iconic outfit from the comics, but not her actual transformation. In a brief sequence, we see Professor Hulk discussing with Walters what it means to be a Hulk while she is in a containment field. Most likely, Banner used this lab to fuse both personalities together and crate his current alter ego. Yet, what stands out is if you take a close look at both of his arms. In Avengers: Endgame, Hulk makes the sacrifice and snaps half the universe back into existence but sacrifices his arm in the process. While he still can use it, we can see heavy burns that scarred him. Those wounds are noticeably absent here.

There’s always a chance they haven’t finished work on this scene and might add it in post-production, but the detail does offer a look into the series timeline. It’s also worth highlighting due to Bruce Banner’s last appearance post-Endgame in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the film’s post-credits sequence, we see a hologram version of Banner (not his Professor Hulk form mind you) talking about the ring’s mysterious origins. As soon as we get a full view of Banner, he is still recovering from using the Infinity Gauntlet. The sling is also noticeably for his right arm, which is absent above.

Is this a confirmation that her origin takes place before the events of Endgame? Not necessarily, as there’s also the story that She-Hulk builds up a film spin-off exploring the World War Hulk storyline. So, there’s a chance that we catch up with Banner at a point where his wounds have finally healed. Banner’s arm in Shang-Chi does not show any visual scarring, but it’s just interesting that he still has a sling to keep it steady. He’s also back to being a regular Banner again, which simply adds to the confusion. So, perhaps Walters gets the blood transfusion while he is Professor Hulk during an incident. He then tries to help her control the abilities but ends up joining the Avengers briefly. Once he retruns, he learns that she has fully embraced her Hulk-side and makes her way back to her normal life.

November 13, 2021
Josh Gad Fought for Some of His Lines in ‘Olaf Presents’

The upcoming Disney+ series Olaf Presents features the Frozen franchise’s beloved snowman sidekick retelling classic Disney films. Actor Josh Gad famously voices Olaf in the films and will be reprising his role for the series.

While actors and voice actors alike often truly embrace their characters, Gad seems to have gone above and beyond while bringing Olaf to life in Olaf Presents. At a press conference for the series, the actor talked about his recording experience:

“What I love to do is just play and run free, which I’m sure is what [directors] like the least. But they really, you know, gave me the opportunity to just go crazy and [Director Hyrum Osmond] from day one would just let the mic roll and allow me [to do that]. And at first I was recording it all from home–I was my own sound engineer throughout. And it was just one of those things where it was like 45 minutes for a one minute short of just me being an idiot.”
Josh Gad

Even though he was given plenty of leeway in how he went about voicing Olaf for the series, he apparently also had to fight for some of his performances. Gad explained:

“There were definitely a lot of moments where [Producer Jennifer Newfield] and Hyrum said ‘No, Josh. No, no, no.’ My favorite moments [were] early on figuring out what the boundaries were…I was like, oh, no, I’m going to Bob Iger with this. I’m going to the shareholders with this.”
Josh Gad

Olaf and Gad seem to be one of those rare castings where they not only seem inseparable, but the actor has the ability to influence the character in major ways outside of the writing process. Director Hyrum Osmond recognized that many of the choices as to what elements to bring into each episode “came down to we had Josh kind of just say it all.”

Olaf Presents is now streaming on Disney+.

November 12, 2021
Updated: What to Expect From Marvel Studios’ Disney Plus Day Special Look and How To Watch It

We’ve believed for a long time that Marvel Studios news hits hard enough that the studio doesn’t need a convention. Last year’s Investor Day made that point clear, and it seems like the first Disney Plus Day is going to remind us all that Marvel Studios has plenty to share on its own terms.

Yesterday we learned that the inaugural Disney Plus Day, planned for November 12th, would feature special D+ exclusive programming that will include an “exciting look towards the future” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That look was described recently as one that would include the past, present and future of Marvel Studios on the streaming service full of first looks and new announcement. With that in mind, here are a few guesses as to what we can expect from Kevin Feige and company.

A ‘Ms. Marvel‘ Trailer

Last year’s Investor Day Fact Sheet had Ms. Marvel set for a 2021 release on the streaming service. Unfortunately, though, things change (especially during an ongoing health crisis) and we are now going to have to wait until the second half of 2022 for the series to introduce Kamala Khan to the MCU. We don’t have an exact date for Ms. Marvel yet, but it seems like it will be ready to go to kick off the new year. So a full trailer with a release date reveal would be in line.

A ‘Moon Knight‘ Sizzle Reel

Moon Knight has been a tough nut to crack. Any “leaks” have been trickles, with only one leaked photo of a costume hitting the web; at this point, we still don’t know who any of the series leads other than Oscar Isaac will be playing and there’s no plot information to be found. A sizzle reel showing off the costume, the physicality and Ethan Hawke’s villain, who many think might be Dracula, would give fans a lot to talk about.

A First Look at ‘She-Hulk‘

Unlike Moon Knight, info on Marvel’s legal comedy She-Hulk made its way into the world during production. We’ve seen a few glimpses at characters, learned who Jameela Jamil is playing and heard some other awesome rumors about the series that make it sound like it’ll be a blast (Skaar! Daredevil! Seriously?). With that in mind, it would be great for Marvel Studios to give us a first look at it whether it be a trailer or a sizzle reel to give fans a sense of just what’s in store tonally, especially from star Tatiana Maslany.

A Cast Update on ‘Secret Invasion’

Secret Invasion is set to begin filming shortly and while the trades have reported on castings outside of Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, the project remains pretty…secretive. It would be great to get some more info on the project, including learning the roles of stars Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman and Kingsley Ben-Adir (who I know is playing a Skrull).

An Official Announcement for Echo and Werewolf By Night

Among the more perplexing things about the slew of announcements made at 2020’s Disney Investor Day was the absence of a couple of projects from the Fact Sheet that, as it turns out, will go into production and probably stream BEFORE a few that were on there. Echo and Werewolf By Night are now both known to be happening, but Marvel Studios has remained quiet about them despite openly looking for cast members for at least one of them (Echo has been casting for some time). The D+ Day special would be a good time to update fans on them as they go into production early next year and are likely to be included in the 2022 slate.

An Update on ‘Loki’ Season 2

A recent production publication indicated that Loki Season 2 would start work in Atlanta in early 2022. While we have no idea if this is accurate, we might well find out tomorrow!

A Tease of Future D+ Projects

Marvel Studios has about a dozen or so streaming series in development. We know some are animated and some are live-action but we don’t know what any of them are. A little tease can go a long way here in hyping up fans for the future of the streaming service (what better way to get fans to buy a 3-year sub than to tease the awesome stuff they can see over the next 3 years!). The Untitled Wakanda project, Ghost Rider, Secret Warriors, Illuminati, Nomad and more could be among these teases. In fact, we still know very little about Ironheart and Armor Wars, which were announced almost one year ago and are expected to go into production next year.

When and Where to Watch Marvel Studios Presentation

According to Disney, fans are getting pre-recorded features rather than a livestream, so all of the features will be available on Disney Plus throughout the day. While Disney Plus Day officially kicks off at 9:00 AM ET, the Marvel Studios presentation won’t stream until 11:45 AM ET. The good news is that it’ll be available for fans all day, so if you’re not around at 11:45, you’ll be able to watch it at your convenience on your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop or TV. Of course, we’ll be covering all the major news from the event right here, so be sure to check back in with us tomorrow!

November 12, 2021
‘Olaf Presents’ Highlights Disney+’s Collaborative Power

The upcoming Disney+ series Olaf Presents features the Frozen franchise’s famous Olaf the snowman sidekick retelling classic Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Tangled, and The Lion King. While Olaf Presents’ main goal seems to be to get a laugh through less-than-two-minute-long shorts, it highlights the collaborative power of the Disney+ streaming platform.

While Disney is always free to allow collaboration among its different projects and properties, Disney+ might make it easier. At a press conference for the upcoming series, Producer Jennifer Newfield spoke about being able to build on pre-existing Disney tales:

“It’s nice to [be able to build] off of ourselves as Disney, like using some of the tales that we’ve told that are so familiar, and which are building off of fairy tales that existed even before the time of Olaf…so the self-referential piece [] almost like grows with [Olaf’s] knowledge and self-awareness…”
Jennifer Newfield

When audiences have the ability to seamlessly move back and forth from projects like Olaf Presents to the actual films that are presented in the series, it changes the way content is produced and what kind of content is produced. Newfield went on to say:

“Because I think as a lot of people probably noticed the common collective idea of that sequence in Frozen II…we kind of knew that something needed to get bigger and become a bit of some films being integrated. And so [Director Hyrum Osmond] knew that there were other people in the studio, who also had that same thought…[there was] an insane amount of collaborative ideas as we went through every script together.”
Jennifer Newfield

As a relatively young platform, Disney+ is likely only just beginning to realize the new opportunities it has when all of its properties are housed together. Olaf Presents starts streaming on the platform on Disney+ Day on November 12.

November 11, 2021
‘Wheel of Time’ and its Long Journey to the Small Screen

The Wheel of Time is a beloved fantasy series by author Robert Jordan. Yet, despite its continued popularity, the series has had a long road to being adapted. In 2000, the series was initially optioned by NBC, however, a project never came to fruition. Then four years later, Jordan sold the rights to the series to Red Eagle Entertainment. The sale included film, television, video game and comic rights. At the time of the sale, Red Eagle Entertainment assured fans it had plans to bring Jordan’s magical world to audiences worldwide.

Like with the NBC deal, though, things seemed to stall under Red Eagle Entertainment. In 2007, the author wrote a blog post showing his frustration at the lack of movement on a live-action film. Unfortunately, Jordan died about a month later. It wasn’t until 2008 that movement on a Wheel of Time film began to take place, with Universal optioning the title. No movie would come, though. Instead, as a surprise to everyone, Red Eagle Entertainment would go on to produce a ‘pilot’ for a Wheel of Time series. Unfortunately, it was an act merely to retain the rights. The pilot episode aired on FXX, technically fulfilling the contract to keep hold of the rights. However, FXX later admitted it was paid to air the supposed ‘pilot.’

Fast forward to 2016, the series looked to finally be happening, but as fans of the series know: nothing is ever set in stone. Just when they found themselves excited over the prospect of an adaption, something always got in the way. Luckily, this no longer was the case. The series would officially be ordered by Sony Television a year later, before moving to Amazon Studios in 2018.

In 2019, the first cast member for Wheel of Time was announced when actress Rosamund Pike joined the series. Since then, Amazon Studios has taken the time and effort to give the property the attention it rightfully deserves. While some details have been changed, the core of Wheel of Time has been captured finally on film for Jordan’s fans to revel in when the series later this month.

It was a long road to get here, but the Wheel of Time is finally coming.

November 10, 2021
‘Olaf Presents’ is the Latest Example of Disney+’s Creative Freedom

The upcoming Disney+ series Olaf Presents features the Frozen franchise’s famous snowman sidekick retelling classic Disney tales in bite-sized episodes. At a press conference for the series, Olaf Presents’ producer, director and star Josh Gad all praised the creative freedom the show enjoyed. Producer Jennifer Newfield discussed how “Let’s Play” was a guiding creative concept:

“Being able to play I mean, I think I think that was throughout the entire production is let’s play. And I think that our collaboration efforts come in the way that we went about it was in that way. And we knew that we could take liberties which is not often the case, especially in animation, we have to be very precise with our decisions. And I think the playfulness of the whole the whole way through from the script, writing to the recording sessions, all the way to animators really being able to kind of take the reins a little bit and yeah, be able to just enjoy that freedom is so nice.”
Jennifer Newfield

Gad expressed that one of his favorite parts about voicing the titular character is that the creators just “let [him] go crazy.” Director Hyrum Osmond doubled down on the creators’ philosophy in making the show:

“But I think one of the things is so great, you know, we talked about the inspiration of these films, but it’s also just taking the liberty to not take ourselves too seriously. And I think that is just so fun. And especially when you start telling these things, from the perspective of this, the sort of naive Olaf, right, like the way he sees it. I mean, you can’t help but have some of these fun moments.”
Hyrum Osmond

The Frozen spin-off isn’t the only new Disney+ animated series to apparently be allowed extensive creative freedom. Marvel Studios’ What If… ? head writer A.C. Bradley often said similar things about her experience:

“When I took the job, one of my rules was let’s be free. We’re in the multiverse — we should be as free as can be and go and run into the wild, into the stories the movies will never do, into the stories the TV shows will never do, and show both Disney and the fans all the possibilities of these characters.”
A.C. Bradley

Maybe Olaf Presents is another hint as to how Disney+ intends to handle some of its original series, particularly animated ones. Allowing writers and actors to simply have fun with a project can undoubtedly be rewarding for the studio and audience alike.

Olaf Presents starts streaming on the platform on Disney+ Day on November 12.

November 10, 2021
‘Eternals’: Paving the Way for Mutant Resurrection

Sometimes what’s left out of Marvel Studios movies could end up being just as relevant as what’s left in. Most of the time we’re talking about plot points that are explored in forthcoming sequels, either to allow them to gain relevance and weight over time or simply because the runtime doesn’t allow for everything to be touched upon. But what’s not so usual is for certain aspects of a superhero’s background to be left out in order to use it on another IP.

There are rumblings of how Kamala Khan’s powers might be reinterpreted in the Ms. Marvel series, with the reasoning being that they might be too similar to Reed Richard’s, who’s soon joining the MCU. On the other hand, there never seemed to be any issues with the number of super-soldiers running around the MCU, all with similar strengths and weaknesses, so who’s to say if the rumors regarding Ms. Marvel have any truth to them. What is not a rumor, as we’ve now seen in Eternals, is how a pivotal and intrinsic characteristic these characters have in the comics has been mostly disregarded (primarily in terms of easy access to the technology), something that might end up being used when the Mutants come around.

Even the latest Eternals run, written by Kieron Gillen and launched earlier this year, makes it extremely clear why Eternals have the name that they have. They are, as their name says, eternal. They might die but are quickly resurrected with the help of their own Resurrection Machine, hidden underneath the surface of the Earth. Their bodies are restored with their memories intact, meaning they know why they died, and who might have been responsible for it. By apparently leaving such a defining aspect of the Eternals out of their MCU introduction, Marvel Studios could be setting up something quite big.

When relaunching the X-Men books in 2019, Jonathan Hickman introduced a similar concept. As part of the creation of the mutant island-nation of Krakoa, it became possible to resurrect mutants who had met a premature end. A telepath would transfer the mutant’s latest Cerebro backup into a developing body inside a cocoon, allowing it to be reborn with memories up to said backup. Both the Eternals’ and the Mutants’ intended resurrections could still hit a few snags, as both the Resurrection Machine and the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols weren’t without flaws and shortcomings, so it’s not like there would be no stakes involved in whatever storyline that ends up being put to screen.

It’s doubtful that the MCU, which is already sometimes referred to as a universe where nobody stays dead, will introduce the resurrection possibility in two of its Phase-4-and-beyond teams. Even if the Eternals are referred to as being built (therefore capable of being rebuilt when destroyed), the process seems to imply Celestial intervention. So being, and even if this weekend we were all reminded that Salma Hayek signed up for Multiple Marvel films, it certainly appears unlikely Arishem would bring back entities that rebelled against him. Her future appearances might turn out to be through flashbacks (the timeline certainly allows for that) or even portraying a different iteration of the character altogether, not a resurrection per se.

By rejecting to apply the concept of resurrection to the most obvious of characters (or at least the ease of the process we grew used to) we might get to a point where Marvel Studios end up keeping one of the most groundbreaking changes to the mutant status quo in decades in its X-Men storylines. Hickman’s work has always lent itself to the sort of sci-fi glimpses the MCU has evolved into, and this specific choice would be the perfect response to the no-death complaints: Embrace it. For a while at least. With caveats.

November 8, 2021
The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Week of Oct. 31st-Nov. 6th

Gael Garcia Bernal Will Be Hairy and Scary

For some time now, the rumor mill has been buzzing about the possibility of Jake Gomez being the MCU’s Werewolf By Night in the 2022 Halloween Special. Now, with the casting of award-winning actor Gael Garcia Bernal as the lead in the event, it seems even more likely.

Netflix’s Live-Action Avatar is Heating Up

Daniel Dae Kim has joined the cast of Netflix’s adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender amidst reports that the streaming series was searching for some fire benders. The ambitious series looks like it is currently set to stream late in 2022.

What is Dead Can Never Die: ‘Titans’ Season 5 Confirmed

In a move not even the most hardcore DC fans can explain, the HBO Max streaming series Titans is coming back for not only a 4th season, but also a 5th. Nobody is taking the news harder than our own Mary Maerz who is questioning the series of unfortunate events that led her to Murphy’s Multiverse and in the unenviable role of the reviewer of Titans.

‘The Incal’ adapation finds its director in Taika Waititi

At a time when Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune is being hailed as a major cinematic accomplishment, The Incal adaptation is a few steps closer to having its own time to shine on the big screen, with Taika Waititi at the helm. What do these projects have in common? Well, a lot. Alejandro Jodorowsky is famous for having unsuccessfully tried to adapt and film Frank Herbert‘s 1965 Dune in the mid-1970s. After that, one of his projects was a graphic novel series written by himself and originally illustrated by Jean Giraud: The Incal. A project that includes and expands the concepts and artwork from the abandoned Dune film.

Laurie Holden as Crimson Countess in ‘The Boys’ Season 3

Amazon struck gold with its adaption of Garth Ennis’ The Boys, a world where the superheroes aren’t kept in check and act as they please. In the upcoming season, things are set to get even crazier than before with the arrival of Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, and superhero team Payback. But these won’t be the only members of the team making their way to Vought this season, as Laurie Holden is already set to debut as Crimson Countess, their play on Scarlet Witch.

Lucasfilm Seemingly Fast Tracking a Film Based on the Old Republic

A few months back, we got the reveal that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was getting a remake exclusively for PlayStation 5. Now, it seems Lucasfilm also wants to take a look into that timeline in an upcoming film. It is seemingly eyeing a 2023 release set during the Old Republic that is set to enter production sometime next year.

November 6, 2021