Category: Features

The ‘Eternals’ Post-Credit Scene Hints at a Dark Legacy and An Uncertain Future for the Black Knight

You clicked on an article about a post-credit scene, so proceed at your own risk knowing it will be spoiled.

It’s not just about the post-credit scene. Yes, that post-credit scene, which sees Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman interact with an evil, talking sword before being snapped out of a trance by Mahershala Ali’s Blade, is one of Marvel Studios’ best in recent memory, but it’s not just about that scene. Harrington’s role as Dane Whitman in Eternals turned out to be a lot smaller than most people had originally imagined but it perfectly set up the character for a terrifying future and put Harrington on a path to one of the MCU’s faces over the next decade.

By the time Eternals‘ lengthy runtime expires, Harrington’s Whitman is surrounded in enough mystery to make him one of the more interesting characters to explore down the roads. All the hints are there: his estranged uncle, his “complicated” family history and, of course, the very, very dense post-credit scene all of which leaves a lot to unpack, especially for those unfamiliar with the character’s journey through the pages of Marvel Comics.

While Harrington kindly pretends he doesn’t know what’s next for the character, it’s hard to imagine Kevin Feige and the Parliament do not and Eternals gives fans a pretty clear idea of what to expect in the eventual Black Knight project.

The Funky Uncle

While Facetiming with Dane from the Amazon, Sersi implores him to reach out to his uncle and put whatever it is behind them that’s left their relationship strained. That uncle is Nathan Garrett, a British geneticist and inventor and the ancestor of one of the Knights of the Roundtable, Sir Percy of Scandia. As an ancestor to Sir Percy (the Black Knight of Arthurian legend), Garrett inherited the ancestral Garrett Castle which held within it the Ebony Blade, a magical weapon that carries with it a terrible curse. Garrett was found unworthy of the blade, but found plenty of ways to use his natural gifts to become a villain, even joining the Masters of Evil at one point. Before he died, Garrett, in an effort to make good on his potential and make amends for a life of crime, reached out to his nephew and bequeathed him Garrett Castle and all the remained inside, including his brilliant research and the cursed Ebony Blade.

The Complicated Family Legacy

As mentioned above, Whitman’s uncle is descendant of Sir Percy of Scandia which means so is Whitman. So Whitman is one of a long line of people who have had the cursed Ebony Blade, forged by Merlin himself and gifted to them as a birthright. Percy handed the blade to his nephew, Sir Raston (who was killed by Immortus) and from there it found its way through several owners throughout time, including members of the Knights Templar, before finding its way to Garrett Castle. As complicated as that family legacy may seem, it might be even further complicated in the MCU should they choose to pull a particular thread about some potential familial connections to King Arthur himself. What’s worse is that, as it turns out, it might not be the Ebony Blade that’s truly cursed, but the family itself as it was recently revealed during the King in Black event that the sword simply works with its wielder to reveal an unhealthy set of behaviors common in the line: blood lust, psychosis and extreme violence.

What’s In the Box???

And as you may have guessed, that’s the Ebony Blade in the post credit scene…and Marvel Studios knocked it out of the park. There’s no telling what origin the sword will have in the MCU, but they did their best to let us know it’s a terrifying artifact. As Dane opened the box, which was adorned with the same family crest seen on the ring Sersi gave him in the beginning of the film. the cursed sword began to call to Dane who then reads aloud (and not in modern English) the words “Death is my reward.” If that wasn’t creepy enough, as Dane reaches towards the blade, its surface reacts to what you have to believe is his DNA and behaves similarly to iron filings drawn towards a magnet. What plans Whitman has for the sword or vice versa will have to wait, however, as Blade interrupted their union. Choosing Blade as the interloper here is incredibly interesting as the time the two have shared together in the comics is minimal, but it does seem to indicate that the supernatural aspect of the sword will be something of interest later on.

What’s Next?

Whitman’s Black Knight has been an Avenger. He’s been a part of Excalibur. He’s been a member of MI-13. He’s traveled throughout time. He’s fought Skrulls. He’s found himself on Weirdworld. With Harrington on board in the role, it’s reasonable to assume that not only will we see a Black Knight solo project in the not too distant future, but we’ll also likely see a lot of the young hero in other projects over the next decade or so. He’s a character with a rich enough comic book past to connect more of the MCU’s unexplored history (and could especially help unlock the enormous and greatly unexplored potential of the magic, myth and legends of Britain) while also helping shape its future. For Harrington, it’s not just another guy with a sword. Harrington has said on multiple occasions over the past several weeks that he’s drawn to the darker side of this character. Let’s hope Marvel Studios minimizes the changes and maximizes the potential of a character with an already fascinating and established story.

November 5, 2021
Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar, V2

Earlier this year, we ran one hypothetical scenario for Marvel Studios 2023 release slate. A lot has changed since then (including the reshuffling of the film slate and a streaming series delay), so with Disney Plus Day coming up next week, we thought we’d shoot our shot at predicting how 2022 and 2023 might look. Here’s 2023, V2.

Whereas 2022 started off with a Star Wars series, it’s possible that the late-2021 reshuffling of Marvel Studios projects may have allowed for a perfect bit of Disney synergy.

This could allow the Disney+ Secret Invasion series to kick off the year and lead almost directly into The Marvels, a film with which it will share characters and, potentially, some plot points. If that’s the case, we could see an episode of Marvel Studios: Legends catch us up on Nick Fury and Talos on January 4th ahead of Secret Invasion’s 5-week run (prediction a 2-episode premiere here to keep things from overlapping).

Marvel Studios: Legends episodes for Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and, of course, Carol Danvers are a good bet the week of the release of their team-up appearance in The Marvels. If Disney+ keeps pushing these summaries out, we could see them on February 15th.

The Marvels is starting to sound like another one of Marvel Studios’ highly ambitious team-up sequels, on par with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok. Looking back, those films set not only their main characters but also the supporting cast on new journeys that lead to some amazing, redefining arcs. We could see that happening here when The Marvels drops into theaters on its new date, February 17th, 2023.

It can’t be all Marvel all the time. Season 3 of The Mandalorian would fit in nicely following The Marvels, meaning the next MCU project we could see would be episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends recapping the journeys of the Guardians. There would, by this time, be a LOT to do, so we could see the most loaded Legends day on May 3rd, 2023.

James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, originally supposed to be in theaters in May of 2020, will finally arrive on May 5th, 2023. Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, is set to make his debut and, presumably, give the Guardians a hard time. However, we know that Gunn has said this film will be Rocket’s film and that it’s the final chapter in his telling of the story of this group, so Warlock will certainly not be the only new character we meet.

Following the final chapter of the OG Guardians of the MCU, it’s likely we’ll get a bit of a break from the MCU, maybe for something like the Lucasfilm Ahsoka series in May. Marvel Studios could get back in the game with a Marvel Studios: Legends episode on Maya Lopez (and maybe Wilson Fisk) on June 7th before her series debuts the next week.

We know almost nothing at this point about the solo Echo series other than it is described as a Hawkeye spinoff. There are rumors that both Hawkeyes and Kingpin will appear and that they are searching for Native American actors to, we think, play members of Echo’s family. This one has the feel of something that can be a pretty original spin on the character and it’s key that the focus is on Alaqua Cox’s Lopez. That said, don’t be surprised if some other familiar faces show up throughout the series.

By the time Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters, it’ll have been 5 years since Ant-Man and The Wasp was in theaters. A little catching up on Scott, Cassie, Hope, Janet, and Hank sounds good…oh yeah, and Kang. Expect a few Marvel Studios: Legends episodes to air the week the film hits theaters.

While Peyton Reed remains on board as the director, writer Jeff Loveness came on board AM&TW:Q to put a fresh spin on an existing draft. I’ve always heard this was going to be a much bigger film than either of the first two and having Jonathan Majors’ Kang involved certainly does nothing to dispel that rumor, though I am VERY curious what this one ends up being all about. We’ll all find out together July 28th, 2023.

Another year, another season of What If…?.

Riri Williams is set to make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in July of 2022, so the events of her show will almost certainly be influenced by/spin out of the events of that film. An episode of Marvel Studios: Legends will help new fans catch up on her story and sort through the 3 suits she goes through in the Black Panther sequel.

Even though her series was announced in late 2020, it really does seem like it’ll be mid-to-late 2023 before we see our first episode of Ironheart. It won’t start filming until 2022 and will be part of a backlog of projects when it does. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being pushed to November 2022, it’s all but a sure thing we don’t see this follow-up series until 2023.

This whole feature is an exercise in making wild guesses but by the time we’re at this portion of the 2023 calendar, the guesses are even wilder. Since we’re going with Cap 4 as the final 2023 film, we’re going with an episode or more of Marvel Studios: Legends ahead of time to catch us up on whoever needs to be caught up on.

Captain America 4 is going here simply because, as of writing this, it’s the first movie scheduled to go into production in 2022 (currently set for a June start). Blade is set to go into production one month later, so it’s would be easy to imagine it could be here instead, but I went with the simplest explanation.

Should Armor Wars be the MCU series that rounds out 2023, some episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends will be a necessity to catch up on Rhodey and whomever else they pack in here.

By the time this series streams (hypothetically), it’ll be about 3 years since its surprise announcement at the 2020 Disney Plus Investor Day. Like Ironheart, Armor Wars is, in part, being pushed down the line as other projects get pushed down the line. In this case, we know that as of November 2021, the project was still in the EARLIEST days of development, so it’s reasonable to assume it won’t go into production until late 2022 so a late 2023 release date sounds right. It’s also intriguing that this film could have some themes in common with Captain America 4 (maybe they both deal, to some extent, with Sharon’s work as the Power Broker or with these heroes continuing to work through the legacies of their friends?) Either way, this show has a ton of potential to introduce some wild new characters to the MCU (CONTROLLER AND STILT-MAN!!) and it’s hard to think we still have 2 years to wait on it.

Why anyone would try to guess what’s going to happen in 2023 when we aren’t even sure what’s happening in 2022 yet is beyond us, but we did it anyway. Again, bookmark this bad boy so we can come back to it later for a laugh.

November 4, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Wishes New ‘MARIO’ Film Was More Inclusive

In September, Nintendo shocked the world when it announced Chris Pratt would be taking the iconic role of Mario in a new animated Super Mario Bros. film adaptation. The casting quickly became a hot topic on social media, mixed with discussions surrounding the reveal of popular names like Jack Black, Seth Rogan, and Anya Taylor-Joy in supporting roles. Now, the actor who played Luigi in the original live-action Mario film is weighing in.

During an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, John Leguizamo was asked about his thoughts on the new movie. He responded by explaining his mixed feelings about a new take on the story and its casting process:

Y’know, Super Mario Bros. holds a special place in my heart. It’s twenty-five years, I think, since it was made, and they’re remaking it. So I’m glad that the movie was good enough that they want to make a remake. That’s a good sign. I wish they would have been more inclusive and had more Latinx in it, like as innovative as the first one was.

The Ice Age actor is referring, of course, to the casting of a Latinx man like himself as the traditionally Italian Luigi. The role will be occupied by Charlie Day when the new animated film arrives. However, Leguizamo does seem open to the idea of returning to the franchise in another form. Of course, the decision ultimately belongs to executives at Universal. When asked if he would participate in the new Mario or a potential sequel, he responded:

Yeah, I think I know how to fix what didn’t work in the original. I think I’ve got all the secret sauce. If they come to me, I’d be willing to help out.

Leguizamo is historically a big proponent for Latinx representation in the film industry. He can next be seen in Disney’s next big animated feature Encanto when it hits theaters on Nov. 24.

Along with the release of Encanto, Leguizamo is set to make his comic book writing debut with PhenomX, hitting shelves later this month.

November 4, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Talks New Comic ‘PhenomX,’ Hopes to See Adaptations

John Leguizamo is a talented multi-hyphenate, best known for his work as a comedian, film star, and voice actor. By the end of the year, fans will also be able to refer to him as a comic book writer. His new comic, a collaboration with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane titled PhenomX, debuts on Nov. 10. The story centers around protagonist Max Gomez, who is wrongfully imprisoned and agrees to become the subject of government experimentation to regain his freedom. Gomez finds himself with incredible shape-shifting abilities, which he uses to survive a superhuman war on the streets of New York.

Leguizamo was asked about the project during an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, and his response was ecstatic:

Oh my God, I’m so excited about PhenomX. I mean, yeah, I didn’t see any Latin superheroes and I felt like, y’know, we have them in real life. I mean, half the Mets are Latinx, half of the Astros who went to the World Series are Latinx, and the Braves are Latinx. You have AOC, half the MMA. We have real life heroes, why aren’t they in comic books? So, I wrote this character and I took it to Todd McFarlane, the greatest comic book maker in the world, and he fell in love with my story and he’s going to publish it November 10 at Image Comics.

Leguizamo previously worked with McFarlane when he played the villain known as Violator in 1997’s live-action Spawn film. Now, it appears he’s using the connection to further his work towards Latinx representation in the mainstream. When asked if he’d be interested in any adaptations of PhenomX, the star of Disney’s upcoming Encanto film revealed he’s hoping for much more:

Y’know I’ve got big hopes. I have hopes that it’ll be turned into games, video games, movies, animation. Everything. I hope I can get it across the board, just make it everywhere.

Read PhenomX on November 10, and then catch Encanto in theaters on Nov. 24.

November 4, 2021
DAREDEVIL: What Could A Hypothetical Game Look Like?

There’s a new AAA Marvel game being developed by industry legend Amy Hennig, whose previous work includes the Uncharted franchise, which she created, and Legacy of Kain, which she wrote, and a lot of fans seem to think it’s a Daredevil game. The reason why is because not too long ago, a rumor surfaced saying that Wolverine and Daredevil games were in the works. And because it’s been confirmed that there is a Wolverine game happening, fans think there might be credence to the Daredevil side of the rumor.

Let’s assume there is a Daredevil game and it happens to be the “narrative-driven, blockbuster, action-adventure” that Hennig described, just what kind of game does Daredevil need to have? What kind of game could it be?

Looking at the numerous video games based on comic books within the past decade paints a picture of what it could look like. The Arkham and Spider-Man games have their open-world and traversal. Square Enix’s Avengers has its co-op feature with multiple characters and builds to choose from. The new Guardians of the Galaxy game has a choice-driven narrative. The upcoming Midnight Suns is a deck builder. The Batman Telltale games are point-and-click detective adventures.

The most obvious one that comes to mind is the Arkham series. Given how that game pretty much serves as the gold standard for your defacto open-world game that has an emphasis on button-mashing combat makes it a very canvass to imagine Daredevil in. After all, Daredevil and Batman do share a lot of similarities; both were written by Frank Miller (but Miller turned Daredevil into Batman first a few years before he wrote Year One); both are trained ninjas; both rely on their physical acrobatic prowess; both use some form of radar sense (Bruce has his tech while Matt has his ears).

Combat-wise, Daredevil could certainly use some cues from the Arkham series but a system that automatically lets you snap to an enemy by mashing feels incredibly shallow and boring. The 2018 Spider-Man game really does a good job of taking the free-flowing fluidity of the Arkham-style combat while keeping the skill ceiling somewhat high. You also don’t want Daredevil to be a battle tank that runs over goons like Batman but you want a system that shows his graceful precision in taking down squads of enemies. You want his skills to have their limits and not feel unstoppable every step of the way.

A lot of people forget just how much of a traversal-heavy character Daredevil is. He’s a skyscraping acrobat that goes on joyrides with Spider-Man using his billy club. The 2018 Spider-Man has one of the most satisfying open-world experiences thanks to its freeing traversal system. While Daredevil is no Spider-Man when it comes to zipping through New York at 50 mph, you want a game that lets players use the billy club to explore to verticalities of whatever location he’s in. Amy Hennig‘s work on the Uncharted franchise could lead to some really robust platforming and traversal mechanics.

Thematically, a Daredevil game would benefit from some form of morality system. Be it one that changes the course of the story or one that has smaller changes in gameplay. Part of any Daredevil story are themes of faith and ethics so it’s a mechanic that would fit like a glove for any potential game. Should you beat this goon to a pulp or knock him out to get information? Should you stop Bullseye from assassinating a congressman or save the civilians he has hostage? Dilemmas like this should inform what happens to Daredevil.

Daredevil is a creature of the night, trained in the art of ninjutsu. So as a huge stealth game fan, I definitely would like to see a really effective stealth component in it. I know stealth mechanics aren’t a lot of people’s cup of tea but I especially love it when games offer the stealthy sneaky route as the more efficient solution. Games like The Last of Us had great stealth aspects that when utilized, tipped the scales to your advantage, as opposed to Ramboing your way out of an infected encounter and having your ass handed to you. You don’t have to sneak but sneaking makes everything a lot smoother.

Quite possibly the most important aspect is Daredevil’s signature radar sense. It’s his defining ability and a game that doesn’t take advantage of it would be a huge blunder. It’s a feature that should be incorporated in every aspect of the game including combat. It’s a mechanic so crucial unto itself that mechanics akin to the radar sense have served as cornerstones of certain games (LA Noire famously incorporated an interrogation mechanic that had players read whether a character was lying or not based on their facial expressions).

Having a radar sense mechanic leads to more varying gameplay opportunities such as branching dialogue trees and the like. It’s not unreasonable for a Daredevil fan to expect gameplay incorporating Matt Murdock’s lawyer life. Imagine a minigame where the player gets to work a witness on the stand during a high-profile court case by using your radar sense and other investigative abilities. It’s a no-brainer.

As far as the story goes, Hennig teased a completely new original story and take on the Marvel Universe. It’s hard to tell what she could mean by that but if I had to imagine a Daredevil story that was a completely new take, I would start with the setting. A Daredevil game set in Asia that looks visually looks like Ghost of Tsushima sounds too good not to imagine; picture Daredevil quietly infiltrating a Yakuza highrise in Madripoor. A story where Daredevil has to deal with a lot of occult Hand mysticism also sounds good; have him deal with the influence of the Beast as the player makes more corrupt choices.

Whatever the case is, whether it’s a Daredevil game or not, the idea that an industry legend like Hennig is working on a big Marvel game is more than exciting. We’re finally in an age where we have current-gen video games based on comic books that we can be proud of. For the longest time, it felt like the opposite.

But please be Daredevil.

November 2, 2021
Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2022 Release Calendar, V3

Marvel Studios rendered our previous 2022 hypothetical release calendar meaningless when they shuffled their entire release slate a couple of weeks ago, so we took another shot at it. Of note to this new effort is that we have considered that it looks like Disney does not want to stream live-action Star Wars series and live-action Marvel Studios series concurrently. And so while this isn’t a hypothetical Star Wars calendar, we will mention some of those series along the way.

It looks like Marvel Studios will have to wait a bit to start streaming in 2022 as a Lucasfilm series is going to start in late-2021 and carry over into early-2022. The Book of Boba Fett could end up completing its run on February 16th, allowing Marvel Studios to kick off its 2022 Disney Plus release calendar with a couple of episodes of Marvel Legends. We could catch up not only on Bruce Banner but also on The Abomination. It’ll be interesting to see what other characters, if any, they cover and to see how much of the events of The Incredible Hulk are part of the story that leads us to She-Hulk.

She-Hulk is set to be Marvel Studios’ longest streaming series to date, with 10 episodes scheduled. Placing it here allows Marvel to stream one episode per week, should they choose to, and helps it avoid overlapping any other live-action projects.

We should have several episodes of Marvel Legends leading up to the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In addition to catching up on Stephen, we’ll almost certainly see a Wanda-centric one. Given the role Wong is set to play in the film, he may get one of his own, too. And then there’s Mordo…and yeah, we’ll see how these turn out, but it seems like they’ll stream the Wednesday of release week.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first domino in the wave of release date shifts for Marvel Studios. It’s a wildly ambitious film from a director who is noted for both his pursuit of perfection and his understanding that perfection is never achieved in the first draft, so waiting a little longer to have someone like Sam Raimi put together the best version of his vision isn’t he worse thing for fans. Hopefully, come May 6th, 2022, we all walk out in awe and forget that the film was delayed for an entire year.

Following the Strange sequel, we might not see another Marvel Studios series until mid-June. Recent rumors suggest that the Lucasfilm Obi-Wan series is slated for May (I mean May 4th IS a Wednesday); what’s curious is that if we allow for it to run for 6 weeks, we run into June and that’s when Mohan Kapur, one of the stars of Ms. Marvel, recently said he expects that streaming series to begin! Even though Ms. Marvel is introducing Kamala Khan and a WHOLE bunch of new characters, it will also feature an appearance from Carol Danvers, so we might get an episode of Marvel Legends on June 8th; either way, Ms. Marvel could kick off its run on June 15th and conclude on July 13th, coinciding nicely with Kapur’s comments.
*Note we are predicting a two-episode premiere for Ms. Marvel to avoid overlap with Moon Knight.

While we might not get an episode of Marvel Legends for Ms. Marvel, we’re sure to get a few for Thor: Love and Thunder. In addition to keeping up with Odinson’s adventures, fans could also use a refresher on Jane Foster, Korg, and Miek, Valkyrie, and the Guardians of the Galaxy before they hit the screen together.

Thor: Love and Thunder, like Doctor Strange 2, was bumped down the road a few months giving director Taika Waititi time to really fine-tune this film which, coincidentally, was supposed to come out just about one year ago on November 5th!

In this hypothetical situation, Moon Knight does some big moving. I originally thought Moon Knight might run in May, but it’s getting bumped 2 months (seems like a pattern, right?). It’s reportedly a 6-episode series which means if it follows up Thor 4 and doesn’t have any ties to any existing characters that we know of, so it can go just about anywhere. For what it’s worth, this could easily switch places with Ms. Marvel, moving Ms. Marvel a little bit closer to The Marvels which was bumped into 2023.
*Note we are predicting a two-episode premiere of Moon Knight to avoid overlap with Season 2 of What If…?.

We got a few episodes of Marvel Legends ahead of Season 1 of What If…?, so there’s no reason to think we won’t see some ahead of Season 2.

What If…? is, according to Disney, set to be an annual event and it would seem totally possible that they could even keep it in the same general slot every year, too. Season 1 kicked off on August 11th, and this hypothetical would see Season 2 debut on August 24th. This timing would work out well for Marvel Studios because this same time could also see Lucasfilm’s 12-episode Andor hit Disney Plus as well. As stated in the opening, keeping Star Wars live-action away from Marvel Studios’ live-action was a priority here and the whole calendar works out very nicely if we have What If…? and Andor going around the same time.

What If…? could wrap up just in time for Marvel Studios to stream one of its two 2022 holiday specials: Werewolf By Night. Now to be clear, we aren’t 100% sure exactly what is going on with this project, but if it is just a one-shot holiday special, its February start of production would give the team plenty of time to have it ready for October 26th, just ahead of Halloween.

Marvel Legends episodes for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever should hit D+ on November 9th, a couple of days ahead of the film’s release. We’ll certainly need to catch up on T’Challa’s journey along with Shuri, Ramonda, M’Baku, Okoye and the Doras and even Killmonger, you know just in case he shows up.

Of all the films getting shuffled around, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever might have needed it the most. Production was delayed when Letitia Wright sustained an injury and it was in mid-production when the new IATSE/AMPTP agreement went into place, meaning some adjustments were made on the fly. You can absolutely guarantee that Ryan Coogler will use these extra 4 months to put together an absolutely amazing sequel in memory of Chadwick Boseman.

It looks like Marvel Studios’ offerings for 2022 will end with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on November 23rd. James Gunn has said he’ll be introducing an important new character in it and while a lot of folks believe that’s going to be Santa, I’ve heard rumblings (nothing concrete, so I’m not too excited myself just yet) that the new character might be one of the shinier ones in Marvel’s toybox.

After the GotG special, Disney Plus could stream something from Lucasfilm (a second season of The Bad Batch is reportedly coming for 2022) and it’s also important to note that the now Disney owned Avatar 2 is still slated for release on December 16th, 2022, meaning the parent company will still have a lot going on even if there’s no other Marvel Studios’ series ready to stream. Of course, we’ll have a much clearer picture of things in just two weeks following the first annual Disney Plus Day, so bookmark this and come back and throw tomatoes at us then!

November 2, 2021
Murphy’s Team-Up, Volume 4: Favorite Horror Film

Last weekend, the team shared their MCU mulligans. This week’s topic is a little more seasonal as the team shares what makes their favorite horror movies their favorite. We’ll get started with the choice of this week’s special guest, author Richard Newby.

Richard “New Nightmare” Newby:

There are an endless number of scary movies that I love but when it comes down to the one I think about most often, the one that has had the greatest impact on my love for the genre and my own writing, David Cronenberg’s The Fly(1986) looms large. While horror will seemingly always live in the shadow of the notion that remakes are bad, The Fly, alongside The Thing (1982) and The Blob (1988) serves as a counterpoint, a reminder that even the seemingly familiar can be made frighteningly new with a bold visionary at the helm. Cronenberg, who developed so much of the language surrounding body horror, questions what it means to be human and to age from one’s own perspective and that of loved ones in The Fly. There’s a universality to the story being told, which makes the experience of watching it all the more emotionally involving. From the central performances from Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, to the incomparable practical effects work by Chris Walas, The Fly is a showcase of the best of what horror can offer. You can have your gore and shock value and get genuine character development along with it. It’s the emotional sincerity of Seth Brundle and Veronica Quaife’s romance that binds the film even as Brundle goopy transformation takes center stage and races towards its inevitable and tragic end. Yes, The Fly is a scary movie but it’s also a love story, one that demands empathy for the monster, even as he grows increasingly monstrous. And what’s scarier than facing the monster inside of us all?

Arlyn “Angel of Death” Murphy:

My favorite scary movie is Halloween (1978). I like that movie because I like the jump scares and I like all of the sequels as well. They all are just very exciting. I like it so much that I will be dressing up as Michael Myers this year for Halloween.

Charles “Chop-off” Murphy:

As always, I have my daughter’s back here. John Carpenter’s Halloween has long been my favorite scary movie. Despite the 7 older sequels, the 2 Rob Zombie remakes (I think those are quite a bit better than they’re given credit for) and the 2 most recent sequels, the original remains a classic. When I was a kid, Freddy Krueger scared the hell out of me; over time, Michael Myers has made Krueger an afterthought. Myers is every parent’s worst nightmare and a being or pure evil whose motives and means aren’t clear. Myers is terrifying because while they don’t all wear masks, there are Michael Myers all around us. And to date there’s still few horror movie scenes as memorable for me as him sitting up in the background just after Laurie thinks she’s ended the threat again. Pure terror!
Note: Cabin in the Woods, Alien and Trick ‘r Treat are all right there for me.

Anthony “The Big Grizzly” Canton III:

Get Out is my favorite horror movie as it reflects the realities of the black experience. It’s one of the greatest horror movies ever because of the truths in its messaging. Daniel Kaluuya’s portrayal of this experience is excellent in its fear and desperation to get out. The truth about being black in America is exemplified in this film. Thinking psychologically and emotionally this film attacks white liberalism in subtle and not so subtle ways. Get Out is a horror movie the likes of what we’ve never seen or will probably see again. Jordan Peele’s vision here was bold in a way that changed the paradigm of what horror films can be.

Nathan “Satan’s Manifestation” Miller:

Although the first film I remember being scared of was Terminator 2: Judgement Day, I think the next scary film I remember seeing, before I should have, is my favourite. I have a vivid memory of my parents raving about From Dusk till Dawn after getting back from the cinema when I would have been too young to go myself. It didn’t disappoint when I did get to see it! I love the genre blending and referential elements of it, as well as the morbid humour. It’s also fun seeing such a great cast in some different roles to where their careers would then go. The scares are perhaps my least favourite part of the film, though the funnier ones are probably my favourites of them. I still tell people they’re missing out if they haven’t seen it, hoping they haven’t heard much about it! Finally, an honourable mention for favourite scary film: Cabin in the Woods.

Joseph “Didn’t You Learn Anything from WandaVision” Aberl:

When I was a kid, the first horror film I ever saw was A Nightmare on Elm Street. Ever since it has stuck with me no matter how goofy future entries have become. There’s something about the simplicity of the first film that lingers with you. The idea of “if you die in your dreams, you die in real life” was nightmarish when I was younger. Any dream I had could be my last. So, an overactive imagination added to that very scare. Yet, as an adult, the horror of dying in your sleep takes on a new meaning. In a world filled with anxiety, Freddy Kruger may simply be an allegory that haunts us when we’re awake and asleep. The film may have aged but what seems like a typical 90s slasher flick with a creative idea, still remains a relevant scare to this day, just not in the way we might remember.

DA “Nightmare Before Christmas” Osorio:

For me, hands down, it’s the original Candyman. As a young Afro-Latino, I didn’t fully grasp the mythology but understood that there was something inherently off about a Black woman being labeled crazy because of what was happening to her. In that respect, I came to view Candyman as a hero because he was fighting for the innocent and the marginalized. However, as young as I was I was terrified of the guy who opened his jacket and had bees come out and had a hook for a hand. It was absolutely terrifying, especially with a name like Candyman. Saying his name 5x became like a myth, something only the bravest did. And I’m not even brave enough to write his name again.

Joao “Agents of SHIELD is Canon” Pinto:

Before launching one of the biggest Disney franchises of the early 21st century, Gore Verbinski directed The Ring, starring Naomi Watts. It was a north-American remake of the original Japanese Ringu, which was an adaptation of an early 90s novel by Koji Suzuki. It was one of the first times I came in touch with an Asian horror sensibility, albeit through a more Western-friendly cinematic language which helped to embrace the ambiance. Watts delivers an incredible performance, something I’d never really associated with the horror genre and that really helps selling the entire movie. By not revolving the plot around jump scares but on a sense of suspenseful eeriness that still managed to linger after that initial viewing made for a may more impactful experience than I would have hoped for at the time. The fact that twenty years later I still associate TV static with The Ring speaks volumes.
Seven days.

John “Jeph Loeb” Sabato:

Favorite horror movie has to be Hereditary. Ari Aster crafted such a suspenseful and horrifying story inspired by demonic mythology. What really sells it for me is the cast. Toni Collete, Nate Wolf, and Milly Shapiro are amazing with Collete giving one of her absolute best performances in this. The movie is top notch and terrifying and something I can always rewatch.

Hunter “An Upstate Werewolf in New York City” Radesi:

I was never much into the horror genre until recently, so it tracks that my favorite film in the category would be a recent one. I had the pleasure of seeing James Wan’s Malignant in theaters, and it hit all the boxes for me. Creative, unexpected, and thrilling, with the appropriate amount of camp surrounding some genuine frights. I’ve started recommending it to every friend I have.

Nicole Sobon:

My favorite horror movie is Child’s Play. It’s not as gory as some others named by my colleagues and leans into humor a bit more. However, I grew up on Child’s Play. As a toddler, Chucky quickly became a favorite of mine and at 3-years-old, I liked to utter his catchphrase. “Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?” (To be fair, my parents did try to keep me from the film. It just didn’t work.)
While I’ve come to adore the horror genre as a whole as I’ve gotten older, Child’s Play still remains my favorite. Even now, I find myself re-watching it – along with the terribly stupid, yet great, Leprechaun films – every Halloween.

October 31, 2021
The Tivan Collection: Marvel Legends Kro

Marvel Studios Eternals hits theaters this week. The film features a strong ensemble cast bringing to life some of Jack Kirby’s most curious creations, including the Deviants, the changing people who find themselves in an everlasting battle against the Eternals. The Deviant warlord Kro serves as one of the film’s more unique antagonists and was made into a deluxe Legends figure apart from the Eternals wave.

Kro is among the most unique Marvel Legends of the past few years. The sculpt on the figure is nothing short of one of Hasbro’s most intricate and detailed to date. Each Deviant is unique and, in this way, Kro stands out not only among the Eternals Legends figures but also of Hasbro’s offerings over the past year. The deluxe figure comes with 2 accessories (tendrils the character uses in the film to multiple ends) but it’s not the accessories that make the figure worthy of joining your collection. This is one MCU figure that captures the magic of the movies.

Kro is available for purchase at Entertainment Earth. You can catch Kro in Marvel Studios Eternals beginning on November 5th.

Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

October 31, 2021
The Tivan Collection: Marvel Legends Makkari

Marvel Studios Eternals hits theaters this week. The film features a strong ensemble cast bringing to life some of Jack Kirby’s most curious creations. Among those making the jump to the MCU is the speedster of the group, Makkari. Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff, is the first deaf superhero to hit the big screen and the first of the Eternals wave we’ll look at in the first installment of the Tivan Collection.

The Eternals wave, as a whole, presents as one of Hasbro’s most minimalist. Each figure comes with few accessories other than the BAF piece; however, this is a case of less is more as the attention to detail on the character sculpts is superior to some of their other MCU efforts. Each Eternal has very unique and elaborate costume design that, while not Kirby-esque, is very distinctive. In this case, Makarri’s looks great as does the face sculpt.

The Eternals wave might be an all or nothing proposition for some collectors; however, I have a feeling Makkari is going to be one of the more popular characters plucked individually off store shelves; not because her costume is the flashiest, but because she represents a major paradigm shift for heroes. The changes the MCU made to Makkari will make her very important to a lot of people. For those collecting the entire wave individually, you’ll need her to complete the Gilgamesh BAF.

If you’re looking to add Makkari to your collection, you can find her here at Entertainment Earth. You can also pre-order the entire Eternals wave here. Marvel Studios Eternals hits theaters November 5th.

Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.

October 31, 2021
Marvel Comics New Iron Fist Revealed
Over the past week, Marvel Comics teased the coming of a new Iron Fist. First, a drawing, reminiscent of John Romita’s famous Spider-Man No More panel teased Danny Rand abandoning the identity; that was quickly followed up the next day by another sketch of a mysterious character sporting the classic colors of the Immortal Weapon of K’un-Lun. Now, after a closer look at the details of the two drawings, it seems the identity of the new Iron Fist can be deduced.
A closer look at the “Iron Fist No More” teaser shows turquoise shards scattered around the dumpster in which Danny Rand has deposited his Iron Fist costume. Those shards share an uncanny resemblance to the Sword of Fu Xi, the millennia-old sword wielded by Lin Lie, aka Sword Master. It’s probably then no coincidence that the character on display in the follow-up image is sporting the very same belt worn by Lie since he first appeared in Marvel Comics.

The Sword of Fu Xi, much like the Ebony Blade wielded by the Black Knight, gives its owner incredible power while also leading them down a dark road. Both blades were recently used to help dispatch of Knull in the King in Black event. The sword’s destruction and the appearance of the demons in the “Iron Fist No More” sketch (take a close look) could explain both how Lie gains his new powers and the threat he will face in the new 5-issue limited series.

Marvel Comics Iron Fist will be on shelves in your LCS in February and available for pre-order soon!
October 30, 2021