Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Gotham’s Alex Morf Cast as Victor Zsasz in ‘Batwoman’ Season 2

    ‘Gotham’s Alex Morf Cast as Victor Zsasz in ‘Batwoman’ Season 2

    Looks like Batwoman‘s second season will start introducing some more iconic Batman villains. In general, the upcoming season will see a massive shift with series lead Ruby Rose being replaced by Javicia Leslie. She will play a new character named Ryan Wilder with Kate Kane’s disappearance being at the center of the second season’s story. Rachel Skarsten remains as the villainous Alice but will be joined by Shivani Ghai as Safiyah Sohail. Now, they are also adding the classic character of Victor Zsasz. He will be played by Gotham veteran Alex Morf, who played the gang leader Sykes. He also appeared in Mindhunter and Daredevil. His version of the character is described as follows.

    A charismatic, skilled hitman with high, unpredictable energy. He proudly carves tally marks onto his skin for every victim he kills.

    Well, it certainly sounds like Zsasz. The character’s iconic aspect is the carving of his victim count into his skin. We will see just how many people he has killed by the time the show rolls around and unveils his scars. The character has also appeared in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn played by Chris Messina. Anthony Carrigan got a chance to play him in Gotham. It will be interesting to see what Mof brings to the table as the iconic character. We are curious how they will tie Wilder’s character to the larger Batman mythos that was teased throughout the first season. We did get introduced to this universe’s version of Hush, so there is a good chance he works for him throughout the season.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • New Datamine Leak Confirms Rain, Mileena, and John Rambo in Upcoming ‘MORTAL KOMBAT 11’ DLC

    New Datamine Leak Confirms Rain, Mileena, and John Rambo in Upcoming ‘MORTAL KOMBAT 11’ DLC

    It’s been a while now since Mortal Kombat 11’s smash-hit DLC Aftermath came out. Since then, fans have been heavily anticipating any new information on the game’s next kharacter offerings. Game director Ed Boon gave us hints all through the past week which fans lost their minds over trying to figure out what Boon’s cryptic teases were. Well, thanks to the MK community’s resident dataminer, thethiny, we now know that not only are fan-favorites Rain and Mileena returning but the next DLC is also set to feature the debut of John Rambo.

     

     

    As one of those MK fans biting at the chomp for any news on what’s next for this game, holy shit. Rain was last playable in the game’s reboot Mortal Kombat 9 but made an appearance in the subsequent Mortal Kombat X’s story mode. Until now, Rain’s presence in MK11 was limited to some easter egg, skins, and one of Shang Tsung’s special moves. Mileena is arguably the most requested kharacter in this game, with her stans flooding the mentions of any person remotely connected to Netherrealm Studios asking for her return. Those fans will undoubtedly be very happy. John Rambo is by far the biggest surprise here. Everyone’s predictions for the guest kharacters were generally limited to horror icons like Ash from Evil Dead. But with 80s action icons Terminator and Robocop already in the roster, it makes a ton of sense to add Rambo into the mix.

     

    Now if only Netherrealm would give us some actual news on this!

     

    Source:  Twitter

     

  • New Report Seemingly Confirms Echo for ‘HAWKEYE’

    New Report Seemingly Confirms Echo for ‘HAWKEYE’

    A few months back, we discovered that Marvel Studios was searching for a deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older, to play the role of “Malia” in an unspecified Marvel Studios project set to go into production this Fall. At the time we felt strongly that the role was that of Maya Lopez, aka Echo, and that she was most likely to appear in Hawkeye. Today, a new report from the Illuminerdi seems to confirm just that as it indicates that a casting call for Hawkeye featured that same description.

    The news, which comes on the heels of learning that the series will also feature Madame Masque, starts to bring the possible premise of the series into focus. We’ve heard that show will deal with the repercussions of Clint’s time as Ronin and now that we know Lopez, who was the original Ronin in the comics, is definitely part of the show, things are starting to crystalize. I’ve long felt and often discussed that Rhodey’s chat with Natasha about the messes Clint had made were more than just filler for Avengers: Endgame. We’ve heard that we’ll see more of Clint in the costume and now it seems that the backstory of Maya Lopez may well be tied to Clint’s time under the mask. Could Lopez be someone that comes back to haunt Clint? Could she have been a protege of his before he met Kate? More questions than answers at this point as we know so little about the series, but with filming starting soon, we should learn more by the day.

    Hawkeye seems on track to hit Disney Plus in the Fall of 2021.

  • Disney Dates Next D23 Convention for 2022

    Disney Dates Next D23 Convention for 2022

    2020 saw the pandemic force the cancellation of almost every major convention that we have grown accustomed to as fans. While many cons opted to do some sort of online option, including the very well-watched DC FanDome, the general consensus was that fans and talent alike missed the con experience and couldn’t wait to get back. However, as we head into the Fall and COVID cases continue to creep back up around the world, it seems that at least one con we all expected next year won’t be there: Disney has announced the date for the next D23 and it looks like they’re sitting out next year.

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    The D23 Expo is a biennial event that began in 2009 and taken place every 2 years since. Last year’s Expo was a huge hit for Marvel Studios fans as Kevin Feige showed up to announce some unexpected new streaming series and casting info and setting fans abuzz. The expectation would be that they’d be back next year sometime but as experts continue to inform us that life won’t be quite back to normal by next summer, it seems Disney is taking the safe approach by delaying its next D23 Expo until September 9-11, 2022.

    While this news may come as somewhat of a shock to fans, it’s good to see Disney, who recently took Marvel Studios entirely off the 2020 theatrical slate, take a proactive approach. We’ll have to see what other changes are yet to come to the film slate, but as of right now we can expect 2022 to be an absolutely wild and jam-packed year for Marvel Studios with at least 4, if not 5, films set to release. Imagine them capping it off with a huge info drop of what to expect in 2024 and beyond (X-Men anyone!).

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Casting Four More Supporting Characters Including Sheikh Abdullah

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Casting Four More Supporting Characters Including Sheikh Abdullah

    Looks like the upcoming Disney+ show Ms. Marvel is still getting its supporting cast together. We are still anxiously waiting for the reveal of the main character’s casting. Still, Kamala Khan has such an extensive cast of supporting characters that it will help flesh out the world of our young hero. Not many of the Avengers we’ve met so far have to deal with family drama. In addition, her religious background will play a key factor in her character and growth. As such, it isn’t surprising that one of the best characters from the comics will appear, Sheikh Abdullah, according to a new report from The Direct.

    SHEIKH, Male, 50 – 70s, Middle Eastern, he’s the Sheikh at the local Mosque. Warm, kind, and understanding, he’s always there to lend an ear. 4/6 eps

    He will most likely have the same role as in the comics. Kamala will most likely confide in him regularly throughout the show’s runtime. It is interesting that his episode count isn’t determined, as they may film additional sequences in case they need to shift it around.

    Of course, we have three more characters that will support Kamala in her journey. There is the mention of a character known as Auntie Ruby. In the comics, Kamala has an aunt named Ayesha but the character is cast to be between 50 – 70. As such, it could be that she is just another person from her mosque or a family friend that Kamala talks to about her problems. There are also the characters Fariha and Aadam included, who are both to be from Sudanese backgrounds and in their 30s. These may also be family friends, especially with Aadam being described as comedic, funny, and smart. Hopefully, this is getting us closer to the official casting of our heroine, as the show is about to enter production soon.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Dum Dum Dugan for Future Update

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Dum Dum Dugan for Future Update

    There truly is no rest for the wicked. In the last few days, we have been getting a lot of unofficial leaks for upcoming characters. Don’t worry, this time it actually is an official tease by the developers. Now, it seems that Marvel’s Avengers’ official Twitter account is starting to be subtle about future updates. In an official tweet, they asked players what their favorite quote was and included a GIF from the game. Nothing too big about it. Yet, the moment it starts repeating you realize that two areas are being shown off. The first is the underwater base that is the focus of Black Widow’s mission chain. It’s the last few seconds that really grab our attention.

    Yeah, that is Dum Dum Dugan in the green sweater and bowler hat. We haven’t seen this character in the Avengers game outside of a short tease. The first joint mission in the Snowy Tundra reveals that Nick Fury has vanished. He left messages for the remaining members of S.H.I.E.L.D. So far, we’ve only met Hill through mission briefings and she will be the main focus of the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero that was featured in the last major War Table video. If we compare the teases from that video, this area in this GIF are definitely the Substation. The overgrowth in the background is the dead giveaway.

    So, why does this matter? Well, this confirms that the character will be around in the Substation rather than as his own faction. He was a prominent face during Fury’s speech so many of us thought he would be splintered off into his own section. Even the recent leaks of UI visuals teased a War Council faction that seemed fitting for the Howling Commando. There is still a chance he splinters off into his own storyline so this might be a set-up. It is just interesting that the character only showed up now after being teased early on in the Reassemble campaign. Also, it is strange to include him in a random GIF. There is a good chance they are teasing an upcoming update to officially build some hype for the Outpost and A.I.M. Secret Lab update.

    Source: Twitter, YouTube

  • RUMOR: Madame Masque to Appear in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    RUMOR: Madame Masque to Appear in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    A new report from The Direct indicates that Madame Masque is set to appear in Hawkeye, the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series set to move into production this Fall. I can add that the production was searching for a female for a “flashy” role opposite Clint Barton’s Hawkeye and Madame Masque, who served as one of the primary antagonists in Matt Fraction‘s Hawkeye run, certainly fits that bill.

     

    Hawkeye 14 | Retcon Punch

     

    First appearing in Tales of Suspense #97, Giuletta Nefaria has gone by many names over the years and though primarily thought of as an Iron Man villain, she has been a thorn in the side of many Avengers and a part of the West Coast Masters of Evil. Matt Fraction used her brilliantly in his run on Hawkeye where she had a long-standing bout with Kate Bishop. This bout began when Kate moved to Los Angeles after a falling out with Clint in New York so it is nice to get an idea as to what aspects of the Fraction run they’re drawing from. The character also went by the name Whitney Frost and a version of that character appeared in Agent Carter, so it’ll be interesting to see what tap dancing they do around that if this report turns out to be true.

    Hawkeye is set to begin production next month and stream on Disney Plus in 2021.

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Artwork Teases the Coming of the Inhumans

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Artwork Teases the Coming of the Inhumans

    You’d think the tease of Black Panther’s design would be the highlight of the day for Marvel’s Avengers news. We’ve been anxiously waiting for the reveal of the game’s roadmap. It would finally confirm when we can expect various heroes and new mission types. The last War Table video was released during the launch at the beginning of September. Now, as most have gotten to the Endgame we are wondering what the future may hold. It’s not just about characters but mission types, customization options, and many more. Luckily, it seems that Senior UI artist Rick Stalder released some images of his work on the game. They offer a variety of looks at the early stages of the game’s User Interface development. There is, however, one aspect that truly stands out. We might get an expansion to let us create our own gear at some point.

     

     

    There isn’t much to go by with different visuals. It seems that there are four layers that might be connected to the four gear slots of each character. We know this must’ve been early on as J.A.R.V.I.S. design is quite different in the main game. The dead giveaway is the different menus of Create, Customize, Quantize, and Key Forge. The resource designs are a bit unique in this version but there is a good chance this is still part of the development. Most players, including myself, are hoping to create their own builds. For example, I am trying to create a Thor that uses cryo, or freeze-based technology. This would make this a much easier process and incentivize using old gear.

    That’s not the only thing this showcase includes. The UI designer also uploaded character and faction symbols. What stands out are the two symbols for Black Panther and War Machine. These were leaked early on by @mmmmmmmmiller, who provided us with the War Machine design leak. So this also confirms that the Royal Inhuman family would become an additional faction within the game.

     

     

    The symbols are mixed and if it was a specific member of the Family it would most likely be Black Bolt. The story focuses on the new era of Inhumans after the A-Day incident. Now that A.I.M. has been shaken up, it makes sense to introduce the Royal family. Hank Pym is currently leading the Inhuman faction but he can only help them so much. I really hope they get included sooner rather than later, as they would be an amazing addition. Black Bolt or Crystal would also be great additions with their unique attributes. I must point out that both the current Inhuman faction and the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction isn’t included. It is uncertain if the New Coalition Alliance, War Council Military, or Dual Helix Science might be future additions down the road.

    It also looks like there was a plan to introduce missions at the Gold Coast. In an image of an older War Table, we see some familiar set pieces with different names. The Gold Coast is only revisited in the final story mission at the ruins of the A-Day incident. There might have been plans for you to revisit that location at some point. The Golden Gate bridge is shown to be unharmed so who knows how much the story has changed throughout the development.

     

     

    There are many more images in this collection. We see some of the UI during action sequences. They don’t look much different from our final results. The one thing that really stands out is that the main menu seems to have only been adapted slightly. The marketplace and news were adjusted but there always was the plan to split up the single- and multiplayer elements. The only thing is that at some point the Avengers Initiative was to be titled “Sky Watch” which could be a temporary name. Also, the visual includes a comic-accurate Maestro skin for Hulk that I haven’t seen in-game yet. So, we might expect a lot more comic-accurate skins coming our way in the future.

     

     

    If you’re interested in checking out more be sure to click here to Rick Stalder‘s ArtStation entry on the game. There is a surprising amount to take away from here and I cannot wait to see what is coming our way. Crystal Dynamics released the game buggy but has been very active in getting it where it needs to be. Sadly, we are still waiting for that official road map. We do not know how detailed it is but it will be an indicator of what the coming months or even year have in store for us. These leaks have been great to hype up what may be coming our way and I hope these elements like the gear customization and the Inhuman Royal Family will be early additions.

    EDIT: Here’s a shoutout to @spyder4lyfe1994 for finding the info before me!

    Source: Art Station

  • EXCLUSIVE: New Details on Fin Fang Foom’s Lair in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: New Details on Fin Fang Foom’s Lair in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    A couple of months ago, prior to the production on Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings getting back underway, set photos made their way around the usual channels of a huge set being built in Sydney. Seen below, the set features around a dozen smaller huts surround one larger, central hut all partially surrounded by a large green screen. Murphy’s Multiverse has learned some exclusive details about this set which we now believe to be The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon!

    First seen in Iron Man #261, The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon is exactly what you expect it to be: the resting place of Fin Fang Foom. In the comics, the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon has been the resting place of Foom, “He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun”, since he and his fellow Makluans came to conquer Earth. Since then, it has been the job of a group of warriors to keep his terrible power at bay by keeping him asleep. This job has been passed down from one generation to another throughout the ages.

     

    Our source describes the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon set as a hilly, seaside location with a temple at its center with the greenscreen serving as the seashore itself. The other huts each serve their own purposes but the other noteworthy feature is the large, bamboo structure known as the battle dome which is surrounded by an area where the village’s warriors hone the skills necessary to protect Fin Fang Foom.

    As mentioned here by MCU Cosmic, it does seem that Foom is central to the plot of Shang-Chi; however, we’ve been able to dig up some additional details that give quite a bit more context. As in the comics, The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon has been under the protection of the descendants of a group of warriors dating back hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, giving a little more context to why the production was casting for ancient warriors as detailed here.

    These elite warriors have devoted their lives to keeping at bay what is described as an ancient evil bent on the destruction of mankind. But, it seems, they are not alone in keeping this ancient evil asleep as our source indicates that while they are keeping a shapeshifting alien that looks like a dragon tucked away they might just have their own dragon to help them fight off invaders! The warriors wield shields and spears made from dragon scales (see our staff artist’s rendition of them below) in addition to one more incredibly powerful weapon: chi. The MCU Cosmic report mentioned we might see some magic users in Shang-Chi and, from what we can understand, these elite, ancient warriors, much like the Masters of the Mystic Arts, have learned to harness energy through a series of movements but instead of it being magic, it is chi.

     

     

    In addition to the set description, our source adds that the village is led by an elder known as “Huang Bo” (this may or may not be his actual name but it most certainly is the character described in an old casting call searching for a male, 40-60 known as a wise, old statesman and the leader of his village) and he is joined in the village by another fierce protector: Michelle Yeoh’s character. It’s not hard to imagine this location being central to the Mandarin’s end goal, with a living weapon of mass destruction sleeping beneath it and all.

     

    How to trek to Vietnam's Hang En and Hang Son Doong caves

    We’ll stop here as going any further into detail will certainly tread into spoiler territory, but it’s absolutely fantastic to see Marvel Studios mining the comics and bringing The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon to life in an absolutely incredible practical set with a touch of green screen. Perhaps the seaside set will include a nice, dragon-sized cave like the Hang Son Doong cave pictured above. Either way, the hype dial for this film better go to 11 as this set will feature some of the best action sequences in an MCU film to date. We can’t wait to see it in person when Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on July 9, 2021.

     

     

  • First Glimpse at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther Leaked

    First Glimpse at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther Leaked

    Crystal Dynamics can’t really get a break. Their potential Marvel’s Avengers DLC line-up gets leaked during the Beta with around 16 characters revealed. Just yesterday, their War Machine design leaked online. We thought that might be it until the next major update by the developers. Well, looks like we were wrong as one more character has been leaked. Sadly, it isn’t as detailed as War Machine was but it does offer a glimpse of what a major upcoming character will look like. The Twitter user @Jleffel22 was so kind to share with us two images that tease what Black Panther will look like in the game. They’ve started circulating recently without a specific source being named.

    There is not much to go by with these images. They are very small but it is easy to make out that it is Black Panther. The ears and eye design are a dead-giveaway. Still, it was hard to say if this was actually official from the game. Well, that changed pretty quickly as this leak has been confirmed by @mmmmmmmmiller. This user is the one who originally released the image that featured War Machine and many other smaller leaks.

    https://twitter.com/mmmmmmmmiller/status/1310009260961656832

    Black Panther was originally going to be revealed in the last War Table. Crystal Dynamics chose to postpone this reveal in honor of Chadwick Boseman‘s tragic passing. So, we were expecting our first look with the release of the next one that will include a roadmap for the game. Interestingly to note, a while back Miller also released an image of what Wakanda might look like in-game. He pointed to it being the first big addition that will feature a variety of new missions and a raid. That raid would lead your Avengers team into the Vibranium mines to fight Klaue. We cannot wait for the official reveal of what is to come.

    Source: Twitter (Leak), Twitter (Confirmation)