Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: Merchandise Teases a Larger Role for Doctor Strange

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: Merchandise Teases a Larger Role for Doctor Strange

    It’s been quite a day, as one piece of merchandise after merchandise has gotten released online for Spider-Man: No Way Home. First off, we got a closer look at Spidey’s new suit with magical webbing. Then, there’s also a tease of Mysterio’s legacy living on through his believers that seemed to have even created their own visuals. That wasn’t all, as there’s also quite a bit of merchandise teasing a much larger than an anticipated role for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. Quite a bit of the merchandise features the Doctor alongside Spidey as if they are parallels of each other. The visuals also are built up similar to Homecoming’s use of Iron Man in its promotion.

     

     

    His design in this merchandise is quite different from the Funko that got released earlier last month. In it, he was wearing snow boots and a shovel alongside his classic cape. It was believed he had a minor role, but it seems he could be a strong force throughout the movie after all. They certainly want to highlight that he is indeed in the film, while also playing around with some iconic Spider-Man visuals. Spidey and Strange’s faces combined pays tribute to an iconic visual from the comics that we briefly saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    It would be curious if he takes on a more antagonistic role. Spidey is a hot-headed teenager who has the world trying to hunt him down. Perhaps he believes that his magic could help him solve the issue at hand. Once he gets his hands on a magical item, he might end up getting chased by Strange throughout the film. At this point, anything is possible, as we still anxiously wait for any trailer to tease what the film has in store for us. Either way, it looks like we’ll get a lot more of Doctor Strange before he heads into the Multiverse of Madness.

    Source: Hot Topic, Hot Topic, Amazon

  • Mysterio’s Legacy Lives in New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merchandise

    Mysterio’s Legacy Lives in New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merchandise

    The hype surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home is surreal, as we are still waiting for a trailer almost weekly at this point. Sony postponing the upcoming release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage in New Zealand has some red flags. Still, it looks like the film is not wasting any time getting merchandise, as we got a closer look at Spidey’s black-gold suit with magic webbing. That’s not all, as some more merch on Amazon offers a look at some familiar designs featuring Mysterio’s legacy that’ll carry on after the finale of Far From Home.

     

     

    The new merchandise features drawings of the iconic villain with a question mark and the bold statement: “We Believe Mysterio.” So, it looks like the Daily Bugle’s work has influenced the masses way more than we thought, and Spidey won’t have an easy time. It’s still uncertain how much of the film will follow his story facing the public’s belief in him as a murderer before magic gets involved.

    We’ve actually seen this “Believe” design before. It was first teased when the first set of photos of the film hit the internet almost seven months ago. It was part of a poster on a newsstand with a bit more detail. Furthermore, it seems almost as if they are taking inspiration from Qanon followers to bring this to life in the upcoming film, and build upon the strong messaging from the first film on fake news. It’ll be interesting to explore how far Mysterio’s powers reach even after his death in the last film.

    Source: Amazon

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merch Showcases Peter Parker’s Magical Webbing

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merch Showcases Peter Parker’s Magical Webbing

    We’re still anxiously waiting for any sign of life from Spider-Man: No Way Home. At this point, we know more about the film through merchandise than anything else. It’s been a month since we got our first look at a suit that seemed inspired by the Spider-Man game. The golden-black design stood out from the rest, and it looks like the suit will give our favorite wall-crawler some new magical abilities. Hot Topic has released a new shirt that holds the name”Magic Web.” It confirms that Peter is getting quite the upgrade in the upcoming film.

     

    Marvel Spider-Man: No Way Home Magic Web Hoodie

     

    Interestingly enough, there’s a second shirt that is called the Gold Web Shot with a red variant of his costume, but it’s very likely just a recolor for the shirt. Still, the high-quality look at his magical webs makes you realize that his high-tech suit’s Funko Pop also includes a blue magical circle. So, these two suit designs might be more connected than we think. It’s also interesting that this might be the second version of Spidey to utilize magic in the MCU, as Zombie Hunter Spider-Man wields Strange’s cape in the upcoming What If series.

    If we look at other shirts featuring the black-gold costume, it seems that the red lining on his fingertips isn’t always included. It only seems to be available when he uses magic. Perhaps the black suit is connected to these abilities, and his original costume pops out while using it. As more merchandise is finding its way online, it hopefully means we’ll finally get a trailer to see if all these rumors surrounding the film are true.

     

    Source: Hot Topic

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’ is HBO Max’s Second Most Viewed Film During Theatrical Opening Weekend

    ‘The Suicide Squad’ is HBO Max’s Second Most Viewed Film During Theatrical Opening Weekend

    The Suicide Squad had to face an uphill battle with the Delta variant roaming the world and adding some doubt in people willing to visit a cinema. So, our only point of orientation on its potential success would be how popular it was on the HBO Max streaming service. It could give us an inkling how well the same-day release strategy is working for Warner Bros. and it seems it might’ve been far more popular than expected. HBO Max chief Andy Forssell shared that the film was their second most-viewed film during its release weekend.

    As the country faces new challenges due to the COVID variant, we’re happy to continue to offer fans the option of viewing movies in their homes. Many chose to do just that as Suicide Squad emerged as the second most viewed film over an opening weekend on HBO Max since we began day-and-date releases with theaters.

    Of course, they didn’t share any exact numbers and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Mortal Kombat is currently holding the top spot. Samba TV shared an analysis yesterday that on Thursday, 363K US households watched the film, but it doesn’t offer a direct point of comparison for the entire weekend. Still, it’s good to see the film is prospering through streaming and might be a hint that R-rated projects have a good home in streaming media.

    The Delta variant is still adding a lot of uncertainty for cinemas. So, the upcoming weeks will give us a better idea, especially with early September still locked in. It’ll be curious if major Marvel Studios like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings might push beyond the current threshold and offer some more trust in movie-going audiences, as some delays are still happening for major releases.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: ‘XCOM’ Developers Marvel Game May Not Feature Marvel Characters

    RUMOR: ‘XCOM’ Developers Marvel Game May Not Feature Marvel Characters

    Here’s something you don’t expect every day. Journalist Jeff Grubb shared some exclusive insight into publisher 2K’s mysterious Marvel project. The game is being developed by XCOM developer Firaxis and would add a strategy game to Marvel’s growing repertoire. It looks like there is more to this game than we initially expected. It seemed we might hear something about it during this year’s E3, but it was a no-show. Now, it seems that this Marvel game will not even include any Marvel characters. He also goes on to include its focus on the supernatural side of the franchise:

    The game is going to focus on the supernatural elements of the Marvel universe,” he said. “I don’t know if that necessarily means like Blade, but I do think there will be vampires in it, and I don’t know if it means mystical Marvel [characters]… but I think you might see enemies of that type that you’re fighting.

     

    MCU: 10 Supernatural Heroes Who Could Make Marvel Millions

     

    It’s strange to think the game wouldn’t want to include iconic Marvel villains, but they might try to make the strategy game stand on its own merit while utilizing the different mythologies throughout the comic franchise. Yet, not to include any Marvel characters seems odd and could be in reference to the main characters you follow through the game. It seems you’re playable character, as in XCOM fashion, is a customizable character.

    I do think that the character that you’re playing will be a customisable superhero, or at least the team might be customisable, so it’s still going to have XCOM in that way, but that’s why it’s not going to be taking place in any existing lineage of franchises. So I guess they might consider this a new property.

     

    Bilder zu Xcom: Chimera Squad 2/7

     

    There has been no official word on the game. So, we still have to take it with a grain of salt. There’s a chance that the game will follow XCOM’s overall structure, with you building a team of SHIELD agents that face off against unlikely foes within the Marvel universe. Still, not including any iconic Marvel characters seems like a strange direction, but could be their attempt at trying to make it stand out from other entries. Until we get an official word, we’ll have to see what the future holds for this new entry in Marvel’s gaming library.

    Source:  Giant Bomb via Video Games Chronicle

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’ Falls Short With $26.5M Domestic Weekend Amid Growing Pandemic Concerns

    ‘The Suicide Squad’ Falls Short With $26.5M Domestic Weekend Amid Growing Pandemic Concerns

    It looks like The Suicide Squad ended up falling short of its early $30M+ predictions, as the film ended up debuting with $26,5M domestically. It also garnered an additional $45.7M internationally, putting it at a $72.2M worldwide Box Office. These results are slightly higher than yesterday’s prediction, which saw it making $1M less. Even with it hitting a lower than expected BO, it still took the top spot. It was closely followed by Jungle Cruise with $15.6M and Old with $4.14M. Black Widow has been keeping steady at the fourth spot with another $4M.

    Overall, the Box Office results prove that Delta concerns are still dominating. Ever since Marvel Studios’ release, the overall numbers have steadied out for bigger releases at $30M. Yet, each film faced harsh drops in its second weekend. Trends would reflect non-pandemic numbers, but digital releases are showing their fangs. James Gunn’s DC film is available on HBO Max for no additional costs. So, even after a strong Thursday showing, people were hesitant over the weekend as pandemic numbers continue to rise again.

     

    The Suicide Squad - Kritik: Hektisch, aber höllisch unterhaltsam

     

    Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn also argues that the confusion regarding Suicide Squad’s position as a soft reboot and sequel may also add some confusion to audiences’ willingness to risk viewing it. Of course, the first film’s negative reception also adds to that factor. Will Smith was the big selling point of the original, and he is absent in the sequel. Combine that with an R-rating and there are a lot of wild factors this film had to face.

    Still, the film received a very positive reaction from critics and fans alike. Yet, it did face a B+ in its CinemaScore rating. Of course, we can’t compare it to Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which opened to $133M without facing any of these issues. We’ve already seen Sony delay Venom: Let There Be Carnage in New Zealand. So, there’s a lot of uncertainty moving forward into what the future holds for cinema as we face the current development.

    Source:  The Numbers, Variety, Variety (Updated), Forbes, Twitter

  • ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s New Zealand Release Delayed Until October

    ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s New Zealand Release Delayed Until October

    It looks like Clifford the Red Dog’s big delay could be the start of many. Currently, the pandemic is facing another upswing through the Delta Variant. As such, there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding if the upcoming September releases will keep their slot. Well, it seems that Sony might already be taking the first precautions, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage got postponed in New Zealand.

    The site Event Cinemas has now listed the sequel as a release on the 14th of October, rather than its initial 23rd September release. When the Sony Pictures New Zealand account released the initial trailer in May, it included the international release date but was noticeably absent with the second trailer.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiAju6ojIuM

     

    Even the US version did not include a release date in the second trailer. It already raised some concerns that it might signal an eventual delay. It looks like that is indeed the fact. Curious enough, some countries already included an October release, such as the Austrian Cineplexx site having it slated for 21st October. Looking back at the May trailer for this market, it was slated for that release date in local German-speaking markets.

    This is mainly due to the film market opening up later due to lockdown restrictions. Still, there’s a high likelihood that the film also faces a delay in the US. Early September releases seem quite safe in their current time slot, but anything eyeing the end of next month will likely get pushed back. So, Daniel Craig’s No Time to Die might suffer a similar fate with its currently planned release on the 30th of September.

     

    Venom 2: Neuer Trailer zeigt brutalen und makaberen Blockbuster des Marvel-Antihelden | STERN.de

     

    Of course, it also threatens a delay for December’s release of Spider-Man: No Way Home if Sony is already considering pushing back its current releases. It’s uncertain if Eternals will keep its November release, and we might see a continued push back until the Delta Variant’s growth is halted. Box Office numbers have also gone down over the past few weeks signaling that it still needs some time before we return to some normality.

    Source:  USA Today, Event Cinemas, HOYTS, YouTube (NZ), Cineplexx, YouTube (GE)

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’s Thematic Tie-In Comic Delayed Until December 2021

    ‘Ms. Marvel’s Thematic Tie-In Comic Delayed Until December 2021

    There’s been much discussion on Ms. Marvel’s possible delay. The official release date for Hawkeye in November with the upcoming What If episodes didn’t leave much room for the debut of the iconic hero. TVLine even recently reported that the series is now eyeing a potential early 2021 release, but there hasn’t been an official announcement from Marvel Studios or Disney. Well, it seems another piece of the puzzle may hint at the delay once again, as a thematic tie-in comic titled Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit got delayed until December.

    Samira Ahmed and Andrés Genolet’s comic was originally announced for a September 15th debut, but will now release on December 1st. It’ll be the first time a South Asian writer will take over a Ms. Marvel series. It’ll act as a mini-series that’ll run for five issues and explores the origins of Kamala’s abilities. The story will see her travel to Bollywood as she takes on a doppelganger and her abilities go haywire. So, Kamala Khan has quite a lot of trouble heading her way.

    Ms. Marvel: Disney+ verpflichtet muslimisches All-Star-Team

    It’s interesting that this was planned as a thematic tie-in, which might be a further hint at this new development regarding her abilities. Our first full look at Iman Vellani as Kamala teased her with a purple energy construct, which is a far cry from her comic iconic Embiggen-based abilities. It might be that Marvel Studios already adapted the series to include these new abilities that were planned by Marvel, or it’ll add a new layer to the abilities she’s famous for. It’ll be interesting once we get an official word on what the future holds for the young heroine.

    Source: Games Radar, EW

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Reveals UI Relaunch for Black Panther DLC

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Reveals UI Relaunch for Black Panther DLC

    It looks like the upcoming Black Panther release will include quite a bit more than expected. In the latest Marvel’s Avengers stream, Crystal Dynamics assembled alongside their UI director, who offered a closer look at their complete revamp of their menus. A big takeaway from the stream is that this new layout got established to also further expand it with their plans for gear and other additions to the game.

    The first major change to enable this was to create the possibility of a Loadout, which has been a highly requested feature since the game launched. They did confirm that the function won’t yet be available with the launch of War for Wakanda, but it will follow. It’s the first step to enable its functionality. Here’s the first look at the new character UIs:

     

     

    The first takeaway is how they centralized all options surrounding your character are. So, your loadout is not just a specific gear set but also what takedowns, emotes or skin you want to support that specific design. That’s not all, as we also have a more visual flair depending on which character you play, as when you switch characters, it’ll change the overall color layout. We also got a better look at Black Panther in the stream and his color template.

     

     

    The entire set-up is grid-based moving forward, and everything was united here. Skills are currently a separate element, but will also play into the structure of the Loadouts moving forward. It also is optimized to allow D-Pad use, which has been requested a well. There’s also a noticeable gap with skins and gear, which could hint at some future planned expansions. There’ also the naming of “Emotes” and this set-up will enable the inclusion of an emote wheel in the future. If you want to manage your gear, you can do it in a separate menu.

     

     

    They’ve upgraded the number of gear pieces you can keep. So, it’s now eleven pieces rather than the usual nine. You can also access the storage at any point in this menu and are no longer dependent on going back to the Helicarrier to access it. The true highlights here are the options to lock gear. So, you no longer can accidentally delete it. You can now also just hold a button to go through all gear, rather than doing it individually. They’ve also included the mass dismantling function alongside a mass moving option to add it into the storage. So, gear management was given a complete overhaul. They also added pulsating arrows to let you know instantly what gear you can upgrade.

     

     

    Furthermore, they’ve acknowledged that the text was too small. So, it’s now given a bigger spotlight and is also not hidden away in other menus. It’ll make going through the various Codex entries much easier instead of leaning forward on your couch. The overall UI changes will affect multiple sections of the game, as they even updated the Faction

     

     

    Yes, you no longer have to switch between machines to select your Faction missions. It’s all accessible through one computer, and it’s uncertain if there will be a new icon to highlight this option. It’ll take some time to adapt to the changes, but it’s very promising to see these adaptations moving forward. Crystal Dynamics said this is the first step towards a lot more functions and adaptations.

     

  • ‘Shang-Chi’s Secret Actor Behind Death Dealer’s Mask Revealed

    ‘Shang-Chi’s Secret Actor Behind Death Dealer’s Mask Revealed

    It looks like we finally found out who is behind the mask of Death Dealer in Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. There has been a curious focus on keeping the identity of the character a secret, but it turns south the actor ended up leaking his involvement with the project. Martial artist Andy Le took to Instagram to share the official character poster for the character and hinted at his involvement with the character.

     

    That is not all, as POC Culture also noticed that fellow Shang-Chi actress Awkwafina shared an Instagram story that confirmed he is indeed playing the role, as she tagged him. Of course, it doesn’t confirm if we’ll even find out the identity of the character at some point in the film, and it simply is a silent role. Death Dealer is Wenwu’s right-hand man and could just be a silent opposition for Shang-Chi as he learns to finally face his father. We got a tease of their confrontations in the trailers.

     

    Awkwafina's Instagram Story Confirming Andy Le as the Death Dealer

     

    Marvel Studios has been actively keeping their identity a secret, and we see that they’ve been around since Shang-Chi was a kid. They were heavily involved in his training into adulthood. So, who knows if the same version of Death Dealer exists throughout the entire film. Marvel Studios has also kept the identity of Taskmaster for quite some time, and it’s uncertain if Le is also portraying the character, or was mainly the stunt double. We’ll probably only know once the film releases in September.

    Source: Instagram, POC Culture