Murphy's Multiverse

Category: What To Expect

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Premiere: July 8, 2022

    Taika Waititi returns to the Thor franchise promising to double up on the craziness that made Thor: Ragnarok so rewatchable and to make something even MORE “bombastic” than its predecessor. While the film is certain to pick up where Avengers: Endgame left off, it’s also going to take direction from Jason Aaron’s long-lasting and acclaimed run on the comic and see Jane Foster pick up Mjolnir and take up the mantle of Thor!

    In January of 2020, it was revealed that Christian Bale had entered into negotiations to play a key role in the film. Filming for Thor: Love and Thunder was set to take place in Australia beginning in August of 2020. but with Shang-Chi delayed due to COVID-19, the start date has been pushed back. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was brought in to work on the script which Waititi described as a rom-com.

    Considering the last time the God of Thunder was seen on-screen, aboard the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Benatar, it came as no surprise that Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, is set to make an appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. His amount of screen time and importance to the storyline is currently unknown, being likely that it may mirror Doctor Strange’s cameo in Thor: Ragnarok.

    Christian Bale‘s character was finally disclosed at the Disney Investor Day presentation on December 10, 2020. He is now set to be portraying Gorr, the God Butcher.

    A number of cameos were confirmed as some set photos surfaced in early March 2021. Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, and Sam Neil will be reprising their roles from Thor: Ragnarok, with Melissa McCarthy making her MCU debut as an Asgardian actress playing Hela. A cameo few saw coming was Russell Crowe‘s, in an initially unknown role which was later confirmed to be the first MCU appearance of Zeus. The Kiwi was confirmed to be appearing in the feature in late March 2021 after being spotted spending time with the cast in the weeks prior.

    Following what is expected to be the final post-pandemic reschedule of the Marvel Studios slate, Thor: Love and Thunder has seen its premiere shifted to July 8, 2022.

    The first official teaser trailer came out on April 18, 2022, giving audiences the first taste of what the fourth Thor installment could bring to the big screen. It was soon followed by the first official trailer that gave fans the first proper look at Christian Bale‘s Gorr, the God Butcher, as well as a few other cosmic entities.

    Cast

    • Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
    • Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher
    • Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / The Mighty Thor
    • Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
    • Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif
    • Taika Waititi as Korg
    • Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord
    • Dave Bautista as Drax
    • Karen Gillan as Nebula
    • Pom Klemetieff as Mantis
    • Vin Diesel as Groot
    • Russell Crowe as Zeus

    Promotional Material

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’

    ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Premiere: June 8, 2022

    After originally being scheduled for late-2021, Ms. Marvel is set to stream on Disney Plus sometime between July and September of 2022.

    In a late September report, four new supporting characters, including Sheikh Abdullah, are apparently set to appear besides Kamala on her live-action debut. A couple of days later, Deadline reported that Marvel Studios had found their Kamala, and that newcomer Iman Vellani will be playing the series’ titular character. Matt Lintz was later confirmed to be portraying Bruno Carrelli due to some leaked set pictures.

    Two new characters were confirmed in December 2020 (Kamran and Red Dagger) and a couple of days later the first footage from the show was shown at the Disney Investor Day presentation. Laurel Marsden was announced as being part of the cast in February 2021 and will be playing Zoe Zimmer.

    Alongside the release of the show’s first Official Trailer came definite confirmation of a June 8, 2022 premiere on Disney+.

    Cast

    • Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel
    • Rish Shah as Kamran
    • Aramis Knight as Red Dagger
    • Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli
    • Laurel Marsden as Zoe Zimmer
    • Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan
    • Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan
    • Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan
    • Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir
    • Laith Naki as Sheikh Abdullah
    • Travina Springer as Tyesha Hillman
    • Azher Usman in an unknown role
    • Nimra Bucha in an unknown role
    • Anjali Bhimani in an unknown role

    Promotional Material

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Premiere: May 6, 2022

    5 years after his MCU debut and following his key role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the Sorcerer Supreme will once again headline his own film. As I mentioned above, this film will spin directly out of the events of WandaVision, but will also connect to the Disney + series, Loki. Little is known about the film at this point, but it is widely expected that it will feature the villain Nightmare and, as the title indicates, open the doors to the true Multiverse,which Kevin Feige called “the next step in the evolution of the MCU”, forever changing the landscape of the MCU.

    In January of 2020, a casting call went out for an Hispanic actress, 15-17, to play a major supporting role in the film, generating a huge amount of buzz that the film might mark the debut of America Chavez. A separate report indicated that the film was looking to cast a Caribbean actor for the role of Brother Voodoo, long expected to appear in the film.

    After helming the first film and signing on for the second, director Scott Derrickson left the project, citing creative differences. In February of 2020, Sam Raimi replaced Derrickson at the helm. Subsequently, Michael Waldron (Loki) was brought in to draft a new script. The sequel was set to film sometime in the summer of 2020 before being delayed by COVID. As of early September, Murphy’s Multiverse learned that production was set to begin this November at Longcross Studios under the working title “Stellar Vortex.“

    Following Loki season one, it was reported that Tom Hiddleston is set to make an appearance in the Doctor Strange sequel as Loki, something that taking into account where we left the God of Mischief, is hardly a surprise.

    Following what is expected to be the final post-pandemic reschedule of the Marvel Studios slate, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has seen its premiere shifted to May 6, 2022.

    With the release of the feature’s first full Official Trailer in February 2022, what seemingly was a cameo appearance by Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his Professor X part from the X-Men franchise was confirmed by the actor himself. Julian Hilliard‘s Billy and Jett Klyne‘s Tommy were also confirmed to be returning, following their WandaVision appearances, according to the movie’s promotional material. America Chavez’s mothers will be played by actresses Ruther Livier and Chess Lopez, marking an important milestone for the MCU in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.

    In April 2022 the feature’s runtime was officially confirmed to be 126 min.

    Cast

    • Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange/Strange Supreme/Defender Strange
    • Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo
    • Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
    • Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez
    • Benedict Wong as Wong
    • Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer
    • *Tom Hiddleston as Loki
    • *Haley Atwell as Captain Carter
    • Patrick Stewart as Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X
    • Unknown actress as “Clea”
    • Adam Hugill in an unknown role
    • Julian Hilliard as Billy
    • Jett Klyne as Tommy

    (* indicates RUMORED additions to the cast)

    Promotional Material

  • ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’

    ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’

    Premiere: August 18, 2022

    Showrunner Jessica Gao is currently prepping what appears to be a light-hearted take on Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, for Disney +.

    Marvel was initially looking for an actress in her 20s-mid 30s with comedic chops to portray Walters. On September 15, 2020, Kat Coiro (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia; Shameless) was confirmed to be directing multiple episodes of the show, and just two days later it became official that Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black; Perry Manson) had landed the series’ title role, ahead of an early 2021 start of production.

    During the Disney Investor Day presentation on December 10, 2020, it was confirmed that Tim Roth would be reprising his Abomination role from The Incredible Hulk and that Mark Ruffalo would also be returning as the Hulk himself. Ginger Gonzaga joined the cast in January 2021, in the role of Walter’s as of then-unnamed best friend. In April it was Renée Elise Goldsberry that joined the show playing a lawyer named Amelia. Jameela Jamil was announced to be playing the villainous Titania in early June 2021, with the series also adding Josh Segarra and Director of Photography Florian Ballhaus to its crew the following month. Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant) will also be joining the show in an undisclosed recurring role.

    In April 2022 some rumors surfaced that hinted at a late 2022 / early 2023 streaming debut for the series, a slight delay on what was initially expected. These rumors were later proved to be unsubstantiated with the announcement that the series would premiere on August 17 following the release of its first official trailer on May 17, 2022. Besides the release date, the show got a new title with the Attorney at Law subtitle being added and confirmation that it would consist of nine episodes instead of the initially announced ten.

    Amie Doherty was confirmed as the composer of the show in July 2022.

    According to an official Disney release, She-Hulk will debut with a single episode on August 17th, meaning it will likely have a nine-week run that will conclude on October 12th. This was soon changed with the series being revealed to be premiering on August 18 instead, with a new episode every Thursday. The decision will prevent a bigger overlap with the release of Rogue One spin-off Andor as well as prevent an Obi-Wan Kenobi / Ms. Marvel situation where both series’ episodes were being released on the same weekday.

    Cast

    • Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk
    • Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky / Abomination
    • Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / The Hulk
    • Jameela Jamil as Titania
    • Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil
    • Benedict Wong as Wong
    • Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki
    • Renée Elise Goldsberry as Amelia
    • Griffin Matthews in an unknown role
    • Josh Segarra in an unknown role
    • Unknown actor as Leap-Frog

    Promotional Material

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Premiere: December 17, 2021

    Thanks to Tom Holland we will, at the very least, get a conclusion to Jon Watts’ MCU-based Spider-Man trilogy and the satisfaction of having the cliffhanger ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home resolved on-screen. COVID-19 knocked Spidey all over the place, but set construction and pre-production on the film began in August with an eye on getting in front of cameras in late-September/early-October or whenever Holland wraps filming on Uncharted; however, with the release of the film pushed one month later into December of 2021, it seems that production might now be on track to start in late-October/early-November instead, mirroring the one month delay.

    From October through December 2020 there were a number of reports regarding actors that will be returning to the Spider-Man world. From Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church, and William Dafoe, to Andrew Garfield and Jamie Foxx, all would reportedly be back portraying their characters from both the Spider-Man Sam Raimi trilogy and the Mark Webb movies. But one of the biggest pieces of news was confirmed by Murphy’s Multiverse when we reported that Charlie Cox would be making a comeback as Matt Murdock himself, after his first stint with the character in the Netflix Daredevil series.

    The title of the threequel, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was finally revealed on February 24, 2021, with the first teaser trailer being released exactly 6 months afterward, on August 24. The first Official Trailer was released on November 17, one month before the movie’s scheduled United States premiere, and it confirmed several character appearances that, up until then, had only been rumored.

    Cast

    • Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
    • Zendaya as MJ
    • Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange
    • Marisa Tomei as Aunt May
    • Benedict Wong as Wong
    • Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock
    • Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Earth-96283)
    • *Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson (Earth-96283)
    • Williem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin (Earth-96283)
    • Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus (Earth-96283)
    • J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
    • Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko / Sandman (Earth-96283)
    • Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Earth-120703)
    • Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro (Earth-120703)
    • Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard (Earth-120703)
    • Jon Favreau as “Happy” Hogan
    • Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
    • Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson

    (* indicates RUMORED additions to the cast)

    Promotional Material

  • ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Hawkeye’

    Premiere: November 24, 2021

    The Marvel Studios Disney+ series looks set to adapt Matt Fraction’s award-winning comic series and see Clint Barton become a mentor to Kate Bishop, a young and similarly unpowered hero and a member of the Young Avengers. Hawkeye will also reportedly give us a further look into Barton’s time as Ronin, which could possibly play out similarly to this Connecting Imaginary Dots piece I wrote a while back. A report by the Illuminerdi has indicated that the series will see the duo take on the Clown, a European assassin who caused them a lot of problems in the comics.

    Originally scheduled for Fall of 2021, production on the series was indefinitely delayed in January of 2020. Just one month later, Disney set September 28th as a tentative start of production but with all the COVID delays it looks like that date may have been pushed into October.

    In late September 2020, it was reported that Madame Masque would make an appearance in the show, further adding to the idea that Matt Fraction’s run will have a big influence on the series’ storyline. Around the same time, we learned of a casting call that seemed to validate an earlier piece of ours, regarding the possibility of Maya Lopez, aka Echo, making her MCU debut in the series.

    Some weeks later a casting sheet surfaced that stated that production was looking for someone to play an audiologist. That seemed to indicate that, in the show, Clint might have some trouble with his earing, something that further ties the show to the Matt Fraction run.

    Hailee Steinfeld was confirmed as being the choice to portray Kate Bishop by Murphy’s Multiverse on our December 2, 2020 report. The following day six more cast members were announced, including Vera Farmiga who will be playing Kate Bishop’s mother, Eleanor. Among the other names are Tony Dalton, who will portray Jack Duquense a.k.a. Swordsman, and Alaqua Cox will play Maya Lopez/Echo, a role we first reported here. Florence Pugh will also make an appearance, reprising her Black Widow character, Yelena Belova

    According to an Instagram post featuring Alaqua Cox, the series is set for a Fall release. This was later confirmed when, on July 29, the show’s premiere date was official announced to be November 24, 2021. Alongside the announcement, an exclusive first-look was released. Subsequent promotional material confirmed the return of Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, a role she last played in Avengers: Endgame.

    Cast

    • Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
    • Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop
    • Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop
    • Tony Dalton as Jack Duquense / Swordsman
    • Fra Fee as Kazi / Clown
    • Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
    • Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo
    • Zahn McLarnon as William Lopez / Crazy Horse
    • Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin
    • Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton
    • Brian d’Arcy James as Derek Bishop
    • *Unknown actress as Madame Masque

    (* indicates RUMORED additions to the cast)

    Promotional Material

  • Black Panther 3

    Black Panther 3

    Premiere: TBD

    Following the premier of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, franchise star Letitia Wright indicated that a third film was “in the works at Marvel Studios. Nearly two years later, in November 2024, Denzel Washington revealed that a role had been written into the film for him, though the studio has yet to confirm the project was in the works.

    On December 17, 2024, the project was officially confirmed to be in development by Marvel Studios Chief Creative Office and President, Kevin Feige, Black Panther 3 will be written and directed by Ryan Coogler.

    Cast

    • Letitia Wright as Shuri
    • Denzel Washington in an unknown role
  • Untitled Vision Series

    Untitled Vision Series

    Premiere: TBD 2026

    Initially mentioned by Jeff Sneider on The Hot Mic with John Rocha, the series was confirmed to be in development by Deadline in October 2022. It will supposedly follow Vision on his path to regaining his memories and humanity, with Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) rumored to be making an appearance.

    In April 2024, it was reported that production on the streaming series was slated to get underway in the UK in October 2024. In May 2024, Variety reported that Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas had taken over as showrunner for the series and that the studio has slated it for release in 2026.

    In August 2024, James Spader signed on to reprise his role as Ultron. In September 2024, Todd Stashwick joined the series as a mysterious assassin.

    Faran Tahir, who portrayed Ten Rings terrorist Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar in 2008’s Iron Man, was announced to be returning to the role via trade reports in January 2025.

    Cast

    • Paul Bettany as The Vision
    • Ruaridh Mollica in an unknown role
    • James Spader as Ultron
    • Todd Stashwick as Paladin
    • Faran Tahir as Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar
    • T’Nia Miller as Jocasta
    • James D’Arcy as Jarvis
    • Kerry Condon as F.R.I.D.A.Y.
    • Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H.
  • X-Men

    X-Men

    Premiere: TBD

    After the live-action rights to Marvel’s uncanny mutants were acquired in 2019, Marvel Studios’ One Above All, Kevin Feige, teased plans for them to make their way into the MCU at SDCC ’19. Those plans were slow developing but in Fall 2023, the studio began taking pitches from writers. In May 2024, Michael Lesslie, who wrote the screenplay for Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, landed the job.

    Cast

  • ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    Premiere: December 17, 2027

    Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Avengers: Secret Wars may well prove to be Marvel Studios’ most ambitious project ever. Set to conclude not only Phase 6 of the MCU but also the entirety of the Multiverse Saga, it’s easy to refer back to the tagline promoting the 2015 comic event: “When everything ends, there is only Secret Wars.”

    Avengers: Secret Wars ended up being of the Marvel feature films affected by an October 2022 shift in release dates. It moved from its initial November 2025 slot to May 1, 2026. As part of a total slate shift by Marvel Studios, the film was once again moved, this time to May 7, 2027.

    During Marvel Studios Hall H panel at SDCC ’24, Kevin Feige introduced Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors of Avengers: Secret Wars.

    In May 2025, the film’s release date was moved to December 17, 2027.

    Cast

    • Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom
    • Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
    • Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
    • Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
    • Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
    • Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America