Category: Features

Exploring Riddler’s True Goal in ‘The Batman’

The latest trailer for The Batman has finally dropped during 2021’s DC FanDome. After around three-and-a-half hours, we got a sneak peek behind the scenes and then a new look at the second trailer to build up to its March release. It still kept quite a few secrets as it kicks off with Paul Dano‘s Edward Ashton getting arrested by the Gotham PD, but it only builds the mystery from there. After the first trailer teased his role in the story, it was a curious way to start the new trailer this way. His face is purposely obscured throughout the trailer, as we get a better look at Matt Reeves‘s noir-inspired story. There is one shot in particular that may open up a bigger question: who is the true villain of The Batman?

Last year in August, we theorized that perhaps this version of the Caped Crusader’s mythology is building up to his eventual meeting with the Court of Owls. Reeve‘s even hinted at a deeper corruption in the 2020 DC FanDome panel. His version of the Riddler even asks the question “If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?” So, one could assume that Ashton’s role in this story is to bring something far sinister to Bruce Wayne’s attention throughout the story. The second trailer highlights this fact when you notice that he’s obsessed with a mystery surrounding his parent’s death.

As the screenshot from the trailer highlights, he’s highlighted the statement hinting at the sins of his father. What is interesting is that this might be a callback to Batman: The Long Halloween, where his father saved a young Carmine Falcone from a bullet wound. Perhaps this one action would end up unleashing the crime wave that established the darker side of this corrupted city. So, Ashton may be one of many victims of John Turturro‘s Falcone throughout history. Selina Kyle’s inclusion in the story with The Long Halloween ties would add to that potential storyline intersecting. Riddler’s actions in this story are to leave the breadcrumbs to bring the darker history surrounding the Falcone family to the forefront.

It doesn’t seem like this version of Batman will face off against rogues like Mr. Freeze or Clayface any time in the future. So, we might have a much smaller story for now. Falcone is the prelude to the bigger picture, as his downfall could open up to a much larger story. I’ll still hold on to the belief that the Court of Owls will have a role of some kind in this trilogy, but there’s also a possibly simpler explanation. Perhaps it’s truly the tale of Batman taking down organized crime by dismantling Roman’s empire throughout Gotham. In reality, this might be Riddler’s goal by the end of the story. Not too dissimilar from Alberto Falcone’s storyline in the original comic. It’s not uncommon for adaptations to fuse characters.

This concept sets up some incredible future storylines and breaks up The Long Halloween story throughout the initial trilogy. Riddler’s story may simply be the prelude, as once Falcone is taken down, the rest of his family tries to take over. Pattinson’s version of Bruce Wayne might have to take on other mob bosses that are fighting for power to fill that vacuum. We’d get the Maroni family, who have an important role in turning Harvey Dent into Two-Face. It could setups the Sinois family with Black Mask and White Shark entering the field. The trilogy could end in an all-out turf war where Batman has to learn what it truly means to be Gotham’s hero.

October 17, 2021
What to Expect at 2021’s DC FanDome

DC FanDome is set to hit tomorrow, October 16th. The 2020 event was one of the good things that came out of the pandemic, allowing fans across the world to tune in to live streams from the biggest names that DC had to offer. With the event returning this year were set to get some closer looks at many upcoming projects like The Batman, Peacemaker, Black Adam, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, The Flash, and Shazam: Fury of The Gods.

The Batman

After shaking FanDome to its core and breaking the internet after that trailer drop, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson will return to FanDome 2022 to do it all over again. A trailer has already been confirmed to premiere at the event, one that comes after the film completed production, unlike the first trailer that was comprised of things from just 25% of the film. Fans can probably expect to get a closer look behind the scenes of the film and how Reeves created Gotham in his own unique vision.

Black Adam

After 14 years, Dwayne Johnson will finally don the lightning bolt as the fallen champion of the wizard Shazam. We can expect to get a real good look at the film but I don’t think a trailer is in order just yet. We will probably get our first real look at Johnson in the Black Adam Suit alongside the Justice Society of America. But who knows, The Rock loves to put on a show just like he did last year, so we could get a bit of footage from the upcoming blockbuster.

Peacemaker

After the release of The Suicide Squad, James Gunn and John Cena are another pair that’ll be making their return to FanDome this year. Peacemaker is set to debut sometime in January with Cena reprising his role as Christopher Smith, the man who won’t let anyone get in the way of his quest for peace. A trailer for this HBO Max series seems to be in order as its release is only just a few months away. The series was written by Gunn, who also directed the bulk of the episodes.

Doom Patrol and Titans

Both series are currently in their third seasons and will wrap both up within the next few weeks. There’s been no word on if one or both or neither series had been officially picked up for season 4, but it seems like if one or both were to score a renewal, it would be announced during their respective panels.

The Flash

While The Flash still has a little over a year before it releases, that doesn’t mean we can’t get a bit of a tease of what’s in store as the film just recently wrapped production. Both Andy and Barbra Muschietti have confirmed a surprise is in store for fans at FanDome, which could be a behind-the-scenes look at the film as well as our first looks at Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, and Michael Keaton suited up.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom

There might not be much here as the project is currently still in production, but we could expect a look behind the scenes look at the film and a little insight into just what the Lost Kingdom is. It would be great to get a new look at some new as well as some returning characters in the film as well.

Shazam: Fury of The Gods

The sequel to the hit 2018 film Shazam has just recently finished production a few weeks ago with Zachary Levi reprising his role as the titular character. While the film is still quite some ways away we’ll probably get something like a BTS reel and maybe an official look at Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and Rachel Zegler as the daughters of Atlas.

Gaming:Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Both were revealed at last year’s DC Fandome event, hopefully, this year we can expect a much closer look at each project, hopefully, gameplay from both projects as well as release dates. Gotham Knights was originally supposed to release sometime this year but was hit with a delay and it is unknown when the game will release, but most likely sometime early next year.

DC FanDome is a worldwide digital event that is sure to have something for everyone. DC and WB might have even more to show off this year than they did last year. With so many big-name blockbusters in the works and close to release, it’s surely going to break the internet once again.

October 15, 2021
‘Stargirl’ May Have Just Set Up Its Big Bad for Season 3

The third season of Stargirl just recently began production after scoring an early renewal ahead of its second season premiere. Since, we’ve seen the return of Eclipso, who has abused the Justice Society of America’s member’s insecurities and fears to slowly break them. While the JSA is still struggling to take down their current threat, it seems that the most recent episode may have given us a bit of hint as to who next season’s big bad could be, and its even more obscure than their previous foes.

Courtney and Pat set off to find Jenny, the daughter of the Green Lantern. Their travel leads them to Civic City, the home of the first Justice Society of Amerca headquarters. There they found papers leading them to the Helix Institue among her things, which is a youth rehabilitation facility located. Jenny seemingly set out to find her brother Todd there. The name already might have some DC fan’s attention but it’ll get cemented when head nurse, Louise Love, calls Mister Bones to inform him that Todd has a sister, and she came looking for him.

Mister Bones is one of six children raised by Benjamin Love, who secretly injected pregnant women with a serum that would genetically alter their children. They would become Penny Dreadful, Kritter, Baby Boom, Tao Jones, Arak Wind-Walker, and the previously mentioned leader. Together they would form a supervillain group known as Helix. There’s also the story that seemingly seems abandoned in Stargirl is Yolanda’s origin, whose mother was one of Benjamin Loves test subjects.

It does seem that the team could see a bit of a revamp, as they were originally foes of Infinity Inc, a young group of heroes that are basically Stargirls current JSA. Mister Bones could be running the show alongside Louise Love, and testing on and maybe even recruiting young metahumans for a new and reimagined Helix. We shouldn’t expect Stargirl to revisit Helix this season, as they’ve got their hands full enough with Eclipso. Yet, this would leave Jennifer’s quest to find her brother unfinished, and save it for next season as Helix will definitely seemed to take an interest in her.

October 14, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Doom Patrol’ Episode 6 – “1917 Patrol”

By going backward, Doom Patrol’s “1917 Patrol” manages to move the season’s plot forward significantly. The episode filled in much of the blank space the first half of Season 3 created surrounding Laura DeMille and the Sisterhood of Dada and in doing so actually gave Doom Patrol what feels like a concrete and cohesive storyline.

Episode 6 sends Rita back in time to 1917 to explore the origins of the Sisterhood of Dada, which is helpful and welcome after the vague and mysterious way we met them last episode. Rita forgets who she is like we saw Laura do after using the time machine, but ends up at the Bureau of Normalcy which houses a small number of metahumans. Now known as Bendy, Rita finds a happy life working in the mailroom and connecting with the other metas.

The group is mostly the same as we saw in the last episode, including Fog, Frenzy and Quiz. Additionally, Laura is a part of the Sisterhood, as well as a man named Malcolm who can turn invisible and has a birdcage and canary for a heart. Rita/Bendy finds a quick home in the Sisterhood, who gather in a place created by Fog to express themselves and be creative—but it’s essentially a speakeasy. In particular, she grows quite fond of Malcolm. The Sisterhood certainly does not come across as any kind of threat yet, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens between 1917 and the present day to lead us to their confrontation of the Doom Patrol and talk of “The Eternal Flagellation.”

“1917 Patrol” does a phenomenal job in developing both Laura and Rita. While we’ve spent time with an amnesiac Laura and normal Rita, we haven’t had much development for half of a season. Ironically, this episode ramps up the two characters by mind-wiping Rita and putting Laura in a place where she knows who she is. Laura is a recruiter at the Bureau who classifies metas as either weapons or not weapons. She clearly has a soft spot for some—and she is a shapeshifter herself—as she protects the Sisterhood from being used as soldiers. On the job, she is indifferent, professional, and rigid, but once with the Sisterhood she comes alive like the rest of them. Rita, without her memories, is a much more confident and secure person who easily finds a family and a sense of belonging with the quirky group.

The episode seems very intentional in how it uses this episode to frame the two women, and it pulls off probably several episodes-worth of character development in just this one. We now have an actual grasp on who Laura is and she is much more of her own person rather than just filler at Doom Manor now. Rita feels reinvented but is actually just being interpreted in terms of who she would be if she was not riddled with shame and insecurity. We spend a lot of time with both in the past after we spent a decent amount of time with them together in the present day—their individual growth is intertwined with their chronologically messy relationship, and the ultimate payoff of that, if this continues to be executed well, could be huge.

Elsewhere in the present-day episode, the other members of the Patrol are handled similarly to how they’ve been dealt with so far this season. They are very separate from one another and are taking stabs at small bits and pieces of their own stories. Some of it feels a bit repetitive, and some of it feels slow—they certainly have not been folded into the newly revealed overarching story yet.

Larry stands up for himself against his son who hates him for leaving the family after his accident. While Larry has normally let his own guilt weigh down his every move, he delivers a solid rebuke and tells his son that he can’t take his fatherhood from him. Cliff is still living in a haze of black-market Parkinson’s drugs, and he is addicted to online gaming, gambling, and girls.

Jane lets Kay go up to the surface to buy her own shoes, and Kay teaches herself how to ride a bike and experiences some joy for once. The other personas are not happy with Jane’s interest in helping Kay grow, and there’s an obvious setup to a bigger referendum on Kay’s trauma on the horizon. Vic is again questioning why he is Cyborg, or why Cyborg is Cyborg, or why Cyborg is Vic—take your pick. This time, though, he’s doing something explicit about it by looking into replacing his technology with synthetic skin.

Episode 6 ends with Laura being ominously and threateningly contacted by the Sisterhood of Dada in the present day. Something has clearly changed from 1917, but like Laura, we are still in the dark. It’s noticeable, though, that Laura is for sure no longer being set up as the obvious and staunchly established adversary of the season. The mysterious but clearly rocky dynamic between her, the Sisterhood, and the Doom Patrol calls into question whether we will even have that kind of villain at all. The lack of that in the past hasn’t been particularly positive, but the seemingly more well-rounded and complex plot might have a fresh take on it.

October 14, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Titans’ Episode 12 – Prodigal

Over the course of the season, and particularly with the past few episodes, Titans has dug a hole for itself with many of its questionable (if not cringe) character and plot decisions. The penultimate episode of Season 3 carries on much of this legacy—the rough parts of the episode are very rough—but somehow Tim Drake and Donna Troy are still hanging on as a glimmer of hope for the show. By the end, though, we still aren’t put on an obvious path to a finale.

For much of Titans‘ third season, there hasn’t been much to add to the Crane and Jason villain arc. Both of their motivations—and often personalities—change dramatically each episode. In “Prodigal,” Crane has started speaking in poems with his focus on destroying Gotham and killing everyone in it. In the last episode, we were still working with the “Gotham’s savior” version of Crane. But perhaps cutting up the pizza guy can change a person. Shockingly, Jason soon realizes that he does not want to help Crane, perhaps for the final time given the swiftly approaching end to the season.

Last episode ended with Dick presumably dying at the hands of random Gotham citizens, and Rachel and Gar confirm that. What follows is absolutely bonkers. Through watching it all happen along with Rachel’s later description, we come to find out that the bats that have been following Gar around for quite a few episodes did so because they knew that Gar loved Dick. After discovering Dick’s body, the bats swarm Gar who then inadvertently changes into a bat and leads the bat swarm to lift and carry Dick’s body to the Lazarus Pit. Congratulations to Gar for being given the green light by the series to actually change into an animal, but the rest of that is rough.

The episode hits again on the fear theme—Gar confesses that fear is what unlocks his ability to change. At this point, it feels like this is an after-the-fact excuse as to why Gar essentially does nothing in the series. But Dick also has to work through fear in the Lazarus Pit. There, he encounters a nightmare Crane who tells him that he let his father down and that he also hates Jason and wants him dead. After miming the Joker and beating Jason to death in the Pit fever dream, Dick realizes that he does not actually want to do that, which is a huge revelation and personal breakthrough.

He then sees and talks to his late father, and his father telling Dick that he loves him really does the trick—Dick then sees a young girl who calls him her dad. It’s not clear if this is supposed to be a sort of vision of the future or a manifestation of hope and love. Either way, we don’t learn that the girl’s name is Mar’i or anything crazy, but it seems implied that Kory could be the girl’s mother. Lastly, Dick has a very strangely shot and edited conversation with Crane again in his dream, which mostly consists of close, straight-on shots of both of their faces. With terrible editing, Dick goes to punch Crane and simultaneously in the real world punches through the Lazarus Pit to revive from the dead. While there were some decent elements of Dick’s psyche involved in this whole sequence, it’s a letdown that his dramatic fight to live ultimately prevailed because he just wanted to punch Crane of all people.

Blackfire reunites with Conner thanks to a little help from Krypto. She’s still a hard character to really embrace, but giving her the “fire” actually makes her a bit more enjoyable. Her dominating and confident personality type is complimented by her being more powerful, and it seems like she was immediately given better visual effects and better mastery of the power than Kory ever had. Blackfire convinces Conner that the two should be some sort of super duo. Conner doesn’t take too much persuading after Dick’s betrayal, so we get a couple of “Fuck the Titans” quotes and Conner is now the rebellious type.

Kory and Blackfire have a solid moment of sisterly love after Kory explains to Blackfire what their parents did to them as kids. Blackfire is ready to return to Tamaran alone to face her destiny as queen. Conner, newly minted as a bad boy, gets the last laugh of the episode as he psychotically blows up Blackfire’s ship because he is mad she would be leaving him. Honestly, it’s a fun last shot of the episode because Conner’s evil Luthor-side appearance was a surprise in the moment and gave Superboy some (immature) edge.

Tim and Donna’s side plot with the Drake family ends up being a mild letdown because instead of holding their ground and revolting against the corrupt GCPD, they end up choosing to escape instead. Still, the dynamic between Tim and Donna is the strongest element the show has going for it currently. Tim is gearing up to try and be a superhero-type, but Donna’s big sister energy very clearly tells him it’s a terrible idea and that he wouldn’t be able to cut it. Tim, though, does not doubt that he needs to fight and that he at least has to try. His holding his moral and personal ground against Wonder Girl is a solid way to give his resolve credibility. He may also have the benefit going forward as a hero that his mentor happened to be one the most reasonable and well-qualified around.

Finally, Jason and Dick—both Lazarus Pit alumni—come together in an agreement to take down Crane. Considering the intended storyline of the season, this should not have felt as hollow as it did. It is too easy, and there is no appreciation for what the characters have been through or what they have done to each other. Any character build-up or side arcs are easily forgotten, and apparently, there are generally no consequences of anyone’s actions. They all simply come back together no questions asked when the plot needs them to. All of the in-between moments are pretty much confirmed to be filler.

Episode 12 took some interesting liberties with how it moved the plot forward. While the theme of fear has been around for some time, we are now getting some hints of “love conquers fear” — which isn’t exactly where this seemed to be going. Overall, though, this episode felt at least somewhat better than the last few. Perhaps that’s because it did decide to drive itself into a corner where it has no choice but to pick (at least the end of) a plot. It still does not feel like a finale has really been set up, which is probably not a good sign.

October 14, 2021
Dissecting “Dada Patrol” with ‘Doom Patrol’ Writer Shoshana Sachi, Part Two

In Part 1 of our Q&A with Doom Patrol writer Shoshana Sachi, we discussed how “Dada Patrol” came together. Here we discuss some of the most important character arcs with Jane and Vic. Also, Shoshana tells us about who she identifies with the most on the show and gives a little advice.

Murphy’s Multiverse: Vic’s meeting with Frenzy has sent him on a different path emotionally. This was as angry as we’ve seen Vic on the show. What was the thought process behind lighting that fire under him?

Shoshana Sachi: The mask Frenzy made that was a reflection of how he saw Cyborg, was titled Approximate man– which as you can imagine, got under Vic’s skin. I believe Vic has been on this path since season one. He’s always been aware that he’s different, and has always had preoccupations about his humanity vs his machinery.

He found it hard to speak to women, and there was hesitation when it came to being intimate with Roni. He’s very self-conscious about his humanhood and the way his body looks mostly mechanic (even though there’s a man underneath).

Frenzy was pushing Vic to face up this question once and for all and came at it from a Black identity perspective. Which, as you can imagine, was harder to hear. But ultimately, it’s this sort of conflict that we hope will finally push Vic full force into figuring out his existential crisis for real.

MM: How did the sweets metaphor come into play as far as Jane’s(and Kay) wants and needs go? Was it something specific?

SS: I actually enjoyed your read on the sweet shoppe metaphor; a desire for something satisfying but ultimately dangerous. To be honest with you, the sweet shoppe was just how I saw The Fog’s inner sanctum. I didn’t want to give her something too serious or clinical. I wanted to showcase her fun side, and her indulgent side that was more open to frivolity, sensuality and decadence.

MM: Which character do you identify with the most on the show?

SS: Jane for sure. She’s the reason I was drawn to writing for Doom Patrol. I’ve experienced physical and emotional abuse and trauma, so I felt very capable of tapping into that side of her experience. In Episode 5 of Season 1, we see her in her element: at a punk club in New Jersey, and that was such an expression of who I was in my early 20s’/ late teens. I used to go to underground punk clubs and throw myself into the moshpit. I was also used to being the only brown face in those spaces.

MM: And finally, What advice would you give to aspiring tv/film writers?

SS: I always like to say that if this is really what you want to do, make sure everything you do is in service of this. Just do it, write and learn the craft inside and out. Some young writers don’t want to listen to criticism or learning, I’ve come across that when I used to teach screenwriting– and the only thing that is a barrier to you becoming better at that point (As a writer) is yourself.

Be humble, be open, and listen. I’m always reminding myself I have a ways to go and things to learn. I feel like with every season I’ve grown as a writer, and if I hadn’t been open to learning to improve my craft, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That being said, helpful criticism and purely critical attacks are two different things.

You’ll hear a lot of rejection and I’ve faced a lot of it myself. It’s a tough business for creatives because we wear our hearts on our sleeves. It’s important to find a way to support yourself and seek support in others (therapy!), in order to keep your motivation up. Don’t take shit from anyone, if this is your dream, do it.

Just like Doom Patrol, Shoshana Sachi is making waves in her own way. Doom Patrol airs every Thursday on HBO Max.

October 14, 2021
How Joel McHale’s Starman Can Fit into ‘Stargirl’ Season 3

Before the sophomore season even premiered, Stargirl was picked up for a third season at the CW Network, following its move from DC Universe. The Series quickly added stars one of which was the one and only Joel Mchale. Many were ecstatic to see the Community star suiting up as a Sylvester Pemberton, aka Starman. However, there was one downside to Mchale’s role in Stargirl. His character dies, almost immediately.

Starman’s presence in season 1 of Stargirl serves as more of a goal to strive towards for Courtney as she learns to wield the Cosmic Staff and live up to the heroism the Justice Society of America strived towards. At the tail end of the first season, however, we learned that Sylvester Pemberton is, in fact, not dead and has been off doing who knows what and is looking for Pat Dugan.

While we don’t know Starman’s motives and just how he survived just yet, we have to question how he can fit into a dynamic that’s become based on honoring the past and not looking back. Pemberton could serve as a sort of mentor to Courtney and the other members of the JSA, teaching them how to become better heroes, something Pat in which doesn’t have much experience. We could also see the origins of the Cosmic staff explored on-screen. It would allow viewers to learn how the staff was created, and how Courtney became its newest wielder.

After all, it’s still unknown just how the Cosmic Staff came to be, as the series has cemented Sylvester Pemberton as the first and only Starman. It has so far neglected Ted Knight’s story as the creator of the staff and the actual first Starman. If the show would like to move in the direction of Starman jumping into action once again, we could see him develop and wield the gravity rod, the precursor to the cosmic staff and would allow a similar powerset.

Joel Mchale’s return to the series as a series regular is definitely a big win, and will surely attract a community of new fans to the series. Season 2 of Stargirl is currently airing on the CW with hopefully some light shed on Starman’s fate coming soon.

October 13, 2021
Dissecting “Dada Patrol” with ‘Doom Patrol’ Writer Shoshana Sachi, Part One

In Doom Patrol’s latest episode of season 3, titled “Dada Patrol,” the team is tested mentally and emotionally in various ways. As character arcs shift, our favorite misfits have to find a way to deal with these new challenges. Murphy’s Multiverse was fortunate enough to talk to Shoshana Sachi, the writer of this episode for a two-part Q&A. Sachi talked to us about pitching the episode, introducing new characters and plenty more!

Murphy’s Multiverse: What was the thought process in pitching this episode, and then writing this episode as you’re introducing new characters in the sisterhood of Dada?

Shoshana Sachi: At the beginning of the season we as a writers room pitched on what we would like to see in the season, and plotted out the arc of the entire season. Jeremy (Doom Patrol EP) assigned me to episode 5, where we had plotted the Doom Patrol would intersect with the Sisterhood of Dada. From there, I took leadership for my particular episode and continued to have discussions/pitch sessions with the rest of the writers’ room to discover how we wanted to present the Sisterhood, and what conversations we wanted them to have with the Doom Patrol.

It felt organic to me that the Sisterhood of Dada wouldn’t be a smash, bang, pow sort of group– they would more likely defer to psychological warfare so to speak. They’re interested in having existential conversations. For me, it was more of a task of finding where the Doom Patrol characters’ journeys intersected with the thoughts and preoccupations of the Sisterhood, and how they could have meaningful conversations that threw the Doom Patrol off their game.

Writing in hyperbolics and poetic speech is most fun and interesting to me, and I’m excited that Jeremy always indulges me in doing so. It seemed to match the sort of energy the Sisterhood had, so I believe it worked, though I’ve become aware that some found it esoteric, and I understand that.

MM: What’s one of the biggest challenges for you as writer when you’re trying to figure out what works and doesn’t thematically?

SS: I guess it’s finding ways to make sure everything we do is true to the character and makes sense for what the characters are going through at that moment in time. We also want to make sure we give the characters a respectful amount of time to get to where they need to go and not rush them. Sometimes it might seem like we’re moving them slowly, sometimes it may seem like characters backtrack a little, but I believe we’re always working in service to a truthful place that the characters are at emotionally.

MM: Who do you find the most challenging character to write for on the show?

SS: All of the characters have such different points of view and come from different backgrounds/ traumas. It’s always hard to navigate social issues or traumas because you want to make sure you portray it in the best way possible, with the best intentions– while being as truthful to what the trauma is. It can be a hard tightrope to walk, but I think because we have such a diverse room, we’ve managed to always find the right conversations and resources to navigate these things in a way that felt honest and eye-opening.

Be sure to check out Part 2, where we talk to Shoshana about some of the character arcs on the shows, along with her advice for aspiring screenwriters.

Season 3 of Doom Patrol is on HBO Max now.

October 13, 2021
No Time to Die: How Existing Characters Can Give New Life to the World of James Bond

In an interview with Fandango, James Bond producer and head decision maker, Barbara Broccoli, stated that the studio doesn’t have any future plans to create spinoff projects for other characters in the franchise, saying, “We have not done [a spinoff] in the past and I don’t think we have any plans to do it in the future.” While nobody can argue with the success of the Bond franchise, the unfortunate “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mindset (the TTWWADI mindset known as “the most dangerous phrase in business”) leans far too heavily into the past at the expense of the future.

There’s been a lot of conversation lately about genderbending and/or racebending the character of James Bond in the future. The idea was met with a definitive response by outgoing Bond actor Daniel Craig who explained why he was not in favor of either of those ideas:

The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?

And the reality is that those characters already exist within the orbit of James Bond, a character who, since 1953, has traveled the globe in adventures at which he has always found himself rightfully at the center. But those adventures have always been made more interesting by his supporting cast and, in the Craig films, that cast has become increasingly more diverse. No Time to Die introduced Lashana Lynch’s Nomi, a new 00, to a cast that already boasted Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Wishaw as Q. Each of those actors not only represents an underrepresented segment of society, but also potentially fascinating characters that could expand the world of James Bond from within. Craig said “there should simply be better parts” and there already are…it’s just that Broccoli is refusing to move forward with them.

There are plenty of films, film franchises and parts of films that serve as homages to the Bond franchise; unfortunately, none of them have been developed by the Broccolis. Wright’s Felix Leiter is a CIA agent who was introduced alongside Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale. Leiter has bailed Bond out and been responsible for bringing him back into the world of espionage but the character, especially with a talent like Wright behind him, has to potential to spinoff into his own world and his own adventures worthy of a Bond-esque treatment. If Leiter can hang with Bond in a Bond film, he can be the man of action in his own.

Wright’s Leiter is just one example of how Broccoli and the creatives behind the Bond franchise don’t have to work too hard to give new life to the franchise. Bond films, on average have come out every 2 years or so with the exception of a 6-year gap between License to Kill and Goldeneye. Since Craig has been in the suit, however, that average trended closer to 3 even before the pandemic delayed No Time to Die. At a time when there are more shared cinematic universes than ever before, why not fill that time between Bond films with films about characters like Leiter, Moneypenny or Q? Why not develop those characters to a place where we’re having discussions 30 years from now about who might be the next actor in a line of great actors to have played them? For now, the only answer we have is because that’s they way it’s always been…and that’s no answer at all.

October 12, 2021
The Black Knight’s Legacy and Kit Harrington’s Future

Will Poulter’s casting as Adam Warlock dominated the afternoon news cycle yesterday, but earlier in the day, multiple sites published Eternals set visit reports and disseminated quite a few interesting tidbits. Key among them and certainly the one that produced the strongest reaction on our social media was the revelation by Executive Producer Nate Moore that Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman was going to be “just a dude” in Eternals rather than the Black Knight. To sum it up, people were angry. Angry that this news seemed to slight both Harrington and the character, who has a rich legacy in the comics; however, it’s possible that everyone is jumping the gun a little bit and possible that while Kit won’t be swinging the Ebony Blade in Eternals, Marvel Studios might have even bigger plans in store for him. In short, you know nothing, angry fan.

Marvel Studios has plans for the Black Knight. They have for the better part of a decade. Barry Gibbs, longtime Marvel Studios prop master and not Bee Gees falsetto, once told the tale of how the Ebony Blade, the cursed weapon of the Black Knight, was originally set to appear in 2016’s Doctor Strange (presumably in the room in the Sanctum Sanctorum where other artifacts are seen) but was taken out of the script for unknown reasons. They didn’t take it out for no reason. There’s been buzz about the Black Knight in insider circles for several years, so while WHERE they chose to introduce him might have been a little surprising, it wasn’t surprising that they did. And when it’s all said and done, introducing Whitman through his relationship with Sersi-which is comic accurate, by the way-will leave all kinds of stories to be told down the road, something Marvel Studios is very keen to do with new characters on Disney Plus.

You won’t see the Ebony Blade in this movie. He’s not going to be Black Knight necessarily, but that is something that we get to play with down the road.
Nate Moore

Moore’s quote above says as much but it seems that, in anger, fans may have overlooked the last part. Marvel Studios didn’t cast Harrington, a face that is both instantly recognizable and associated with swinging a famous, fictional sword, to have him be Sersi’s man candy. We will see Whitman pick up the Ebony Blade (a long-circulating rumor claims that will be a part of one of the film’s two post-credit scenes) and explore the legacy of the Black Knight. In the comics, it’s a long and dark legacy. A recent merch leak indicates that we’ll see part of that legacy teased (maybe explored a bit) through a ring worn by Whitman bearing the Raven crest worn by all iterations of the character over the years. They pulled the Ebony Blade from Doctor Strange for a reason; they cast Harrington for a reason; they are using the ring to tease the legacy for a reason. I would be absolutely shocked if shortly after Eternals premiers there wasn’t some sort of announcement about a Black Knight series being in development for Disney Plus (perhaps this is the project that goes with the recently formed Speyside Productions LLC: Harrington’s wife was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the starting point for most Speyside Whisky tours).

A Black Knight series has the potential to change the narrative fabric of the MCU in much the same way as Loki has done. If Eternals is the portal through which Whitman enters the MCU, his series could serve as the portal through which the King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred and Morgan Le Fay join him through their connections to the original Black Knight and Dane’s ancestor, Sir Percy of Scandia. An introduction to those characters could set the stage for Pete Wisdom, MI13, Captain Britain, Excalibur and more…all because Harrington likes Sersi in Eternals. The series could also introduce Whitman’s uncle, Nathan Garrett, and explore the dark side of the nature of the Black Knight, something that will surely be explored as Whitman’s character grows over the years-and make no mistake, the 34-year old Harrington didn’t sign on Marvel without a vision of what he might do over the next decade. At his age, a steady job with Marvel Studios sets him up for life.

So don’t despair, fans of Whitman. While he might take a back seat in Eternals, he’s going to get his time to shine.

October 12, 2021