Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Without Denny O’Neil, We Wouldn’t Have Gotten the Best ‘DAREDEVIL’ Run

    Without Denny O’Neil, We Wouldn’t Have Gotten the Best ‘DAREDEVIL’ Run

    Daredevil is probably the most consistently great comic book of the past twenty or so years. I mean, it’s had its middling to average runs here and there but for the most part, it’s the one book whose pedigree of writers and artists have yet to be matched. This was mostly in due part to Denny O’Neil, the man who gave Frank Miller the reigns to not only write the comic but to draw it as well. Frank Miller, of course, paved the way not only for future Daredevil writers by reinventing the character for subsequent stories to come. Being the progenitor of talent he was, O’Neil likely saw the potential in creators like Miller that early on.

    In addition to his work on Marvel, O’Neil’s stint on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow with artist Neal Adams became nothing short of legendary. The duo dusted off the Caped Crusader’s campiness brought on by the 60s TV show and pulled the character back down to the darkest pits of Gotham where the character started. The response to this back-to-roots change to the Batman was acclaimed. Villains like Two-Face and the Joker saw a resurgence in their popularity and super iconic Batvillain was Ra’s Al-Ghul introduced. With Green Lanter/Green Arrow, O’Neil tackled social problems head-on, exploring themes of drug use, radicalism, and activism unlike any other writer of the time.

    Denny O’Neil passed away at the age of 81 yesterday. His work will be remembered forever. Our hearts go out to his loved and to all those who admired him. Rest in peace, king.

     

  • DC To Announce New Projects At Fan Event on August

    DC To Announce New Projects At Fan Event on August

    Geeks World Wide reported yesterday that DC is hosting a free, virtual fan event on August 22nd. According to the report, the event, titled “DC FanDome”, will go live at 10:00 AM PDT/1:00 PM EST and will include new announcements related to WB Games, films, TV and comics as well as interviews with the creators and cast of the DC Universe over a 24 hour period.

    “FanDome” is a great idea and happening at the right time as fans are eager for any news to come their way. The fan experience here is unprecedented as we will all have the ability to personalize our own experiences and enjoy the content in which we are most interested. This news comes on the heels of SDCC announcing Comic Con at Home and it certainly makes one wonder if DC will have any presence at that event when they can dominate the news cycle just a month later at their own event.

    Disney’s D23 convention, which has been held in-person every other year, could look to put together something similar and generate its own news cycle as well. However, given the fact that all Marvel Studios productions have been on hold since March and there is continued uncertainty as to when things will resume and if productions will meet their currently scheduled release dates, it seems unlikely such an event from Disney would include announcements of new projects. That being said, things like interviews, concept art and even some interactive Q&As might be just what fans need to lift their spirits.

    In this case it looks like DC is blazing a pretty cool trail by giving fans who are starving for anything the content they need. Bravo, DC! Let’s see if other studios follow suit.

  • HORIZON: FORBBIDEN WEST is the Sequel We Cannot Wait For

    HORIZON: FORBBIDEN WEST is the Sequel We Cannot Wait For

    I came late to the next-gen wave of video games. The last console I owned was a Playstation 2 and it wasn’t until late last year that a buddy of mine lent his Playstation 4 to me. The first game I played right out of the gate was Final Fantasy 15. As a lifelong Final Fantasy fan, the game was mostly ok for me. Didn’t really hit the right spots for me unlike some of its superior predecessors like Final Fantasy 9. I thought to myself if this was next-gen gaming, I guess I’m not missing out that much.

    That was until I played Horizon Zero Dawn. Boy, what an experience. Never has a video game mesmerized me since maybe, Chrono Cross on the PS1. From start to finish, I was immersed in this intriguing and beautiful world inhabited by cults, tribes, and cybernetic beasts. The lengths one would go through to single-handedly take down a Behemoth or a Frostclaw was nothing short of breathtaking. The story, for all its sci-fi clunkiness, manages to find its heart with Aloy, an outcast warrior seeking a place to belong to and her quest to find the answers behind this crazy post-apocalyptic, primitive, hi-tech world she lives in.

    DLC included, I clocked in about 90+ hours by the time I finished the game and I’m ready to clock in more than that seeing this brand new reveal for the game’s sequel, HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST. 

     

     

    Good Lord does this look fantastic. As if the first game wasn’t mesmerizing enough to look at, they went ahead ad made it look crazier. There’s so much to pick up here as a fan. The swimming mechanic which I thought was oddly missing from the first game is finally being introduced here. The cyborg crocs or Snapmaw’s as they call them in the game, are back. Lance Reddick as the mysterious Sylens is back and he’s leading a tribe seemingly hellbent on overriding these beasts with some unseen tech.

    But by far the biggest talking points here are the new creatures. The giant-ass tortoise, the pterodactlys, and those fucking mammoths at the very end. I’ve always imagined Aloy as Legolas every time I tried taking down a Thunderjaw in the first game and it looks like this sequel will finally make that fantasy come true as you take down these monstrosities.

    The idea of venturing further out into this world is super exciting. One of my favorite aspects of the first game was figuring out just where exactly this whole story was set. I was more than surprised to find out via an in-game collectible that the story takes place around Colorado. So to move further west means to head to California, which I’m sure will be very interesting. Some people have figured out that the Chinese references are in San Francisco’s Chinatown and that the sand dunes are what remains of Nevada.

    I never buy any product at launch but man is this game tempting me to get a PS5 as soon as it’s out.

  • ‘SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES’ Looks Wild

    ‘SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES’ Looks Wild

    For as far as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed Spider-Man games, even the ones from the terrible web-swinging mechanic era. I distinctly recall 10-year old me typing ‘EEL NATS’ in the cheat section to unlock all those costumes in PS1’s Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro. Seeing obscure costumes like Ricochet and Amazing Bag Man for the first time was one of my first educational deep-dives in learning all about Spider-Man. The first movie tie-in Spidey game was fun for me simply because of the movie it was based on and that game was terrible.

    So it comes as no surprise that once the web-swinging issue was solved and the sandbox open-world notion was introduced with Spider-Man 2, these Spidey games started hitting differently. The freedom to swing all over Manhattan, explore the sights, and fight crime along the way, was era-defining for a superhero fan in me. The cel-shaded Ultimate Spider-Man adaptation was my jam and those challenges where you had to race against Johnny Storm blew my mind. Even the lesser-known Spidey games like Shattered Dimensions and Web of Shadows, I had a blast playing just for the world-building.

    This latest Spider-Man game on the PS4 is something I just played fairly recently. Experiencing the web-swinging mechanic I fell in love with in 2004, now dolled up with modern technical ambition was an absolute blast. But what really got me was the attention to world-building. How the characters weave in and out through the story and how their are contemporized for this new generation of Spidey fans (I would often message Charles during my playthrough on how the films could take some cues from this game). Their handling of Miles Morales’ origin, in particular, was pretty amazing.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzuHo80U2M

     

    Today, it was revealed that the next installment in this series would revolve around Miles. Sony unveiled stunning footage where we get to see Miles in action, showcasing some of the abilities he has. Peter Parker’s suit in the first game had pretty much Iron Man-levels of technological advances which gave him access to all kinds of abilities beyond his physical powers. Here, the trailer showcases Miles’ ability to stun enemies and to cloak himself, powers ripped straight from the comics.

    It’s unclear who Miles is facing off against in this trailer but true to its predecessor’s form, they look like the same tech-enhanced grunts you endlessly fought in the first game. Like with any good Miles Morales origin story, it’d be amazing to see their take on his uncle, Aaron Davis, also known in the comics as the villainous Prowler. We got a pretty great take on the character in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and I’m hoping they do the same here. Seeing a bit of that purple-scheme on the grunts makes me think he’ll be at least involved in this.

    There was initially a lot of talk about whether this is a full-on game or just a standalone expansion in the vein of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, given how the first game came out 2 years ago and how it takes way longer than that to produce a complete game. Since this trailer, Sony has spoken out and confirmed the latter, stating the game will be both an “expansion and enhancement to the original.” The representative also went on to tease some of the big enhancements they game will undergo with the new PS5 engine.

    Narratively, it makes sense for this game to be the connecting tissue to the official Spider-Man sequel as Peter Parker does have a personal crazy story ahead of him with Harry and the symbiote. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to complain about this not being a full game because the fact that we get to play a fully realized Miles makes this more than worthwhile. Even if it’s a game half as long as the first one, as long as you’re playing Miles, it’s all good.

  • SDCC is Still Happening This Year But With a Twist

    SDCC is Still Happening This Year But With a Twist

    San Diego Comic-Con will break a 50-year old tradition this year as the company ventures into the unknown: live streaming. Titled Comic-Con At Home, pretty much everyone who’s never gotten the opportunity to attend this iconic event, myself and Charles included, will finally get their chance, albeit at the comfort of our couches. There’s a first time for everything, right?

     

    Obviously, the biggest question here is what kind of news we’d be getting or if there’ll be any substantial news at all. It’s a tough guess. Hollywood, for the most part, has halted dealmaking and filming. With the exception of some in-house pre-production, there hasn’t been any movement in the stuff we’re all interested in. So what is there for us to chew on? Is Marvel even gonna bite when so much of their properties are in limbo?

    At the most, I could see them putting out something Eternals related to keep the discussion going. If they want to keep the Disney+ hype rolling, a solid confirmation on when Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Wandavision premieres this year could work, given how the former has yet to finish filming and therefore will not make the original August date and the latter will soon begin reshoots.

    As far as new announcements go, I can’t see them doing any new project announcements like they did last year given how delayed the schedule is. As much as I want to hear about an official Fantastic Four announcement, I think Marvel Studios will keep things close to the chest this year.

    Source: Twitter

  • A ‘Black Widow’ Actor May Have Made the Jump to ‘Shang-Chi’

    A ‘Black Widow’ Actor May Have Made the Jump to ‘Shang-Chi’

    I came across something kind of interesting during a recent check of IMDb for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. One of the Widows in the upcoming Black Widow film is listed as a stunt performer on Shang-Chi as well!

    Jade Xu and the other Widows in the Black Widow trailer.

    A quick double check of Jade Xu’s Instagram confirms that she was indeed in Sydney Australia for a new Marvel adventure there beginning March 1st until at least March 8. Good enough to confirm for me that the listing can be trusted.

    Could it be one of the Widows survives the events of Black Widow and appears in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Or is she simply doing some miscellaneous stunts? Her height and build, I believe, would make her a good candidate to double Awkwafina’s character, widely rumored to be Shang-Chi’s sister Fah Lo Suee, so this is another strong possibility.

    The reason I’m really excited by this stunt performer being listed for these projects is the very high level of skill she possesses. We are certain to get some great fighting sequences with a stunt actress like this involved!

    Jade Xu, per her IMDb listing, is a 3 time Wushu/Kung Fu World Champion and began her martial arts training at 6 years old. You can find examples of her athleticism and grace on her Instagram, YouTube channel, and website jadexu.com

    Jade Xu

     

  • Matt Reeves ‘BATMAN’ Trilogy To Introduce New Joker

    Matt Reeves ‘BATMAN’ Trilogy To Introduce New Joker

    According to a report from The Direct via insider Daniel RPK, Matt Reeves‘ planned Batman trilogy will introduce its own, unique version of the Joker to square off with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight! The report indicates that Reeves will tease the character in 2021’s The Batman before bringing the latest Jester or Genocide into play in the second and third films.

    Should the report hold true, we would be seeing the fifth version of the Joker on the big screen and the third version in, presumably, less than a decade. Jack Nicholson’s Joker was the first to hit the stage in 1989’s Batman, followed by Heath Ledger‘s legendary performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight. More recently, Jared Leto‘s Joker was more of a a joke in 2016’s Suicide Squad and Joaquin Phoenix took an entirely different turn as a plodding, down-on-his-luck schmuck who had bad day in 2019’s Joker. Given the look of Reeves’ new series, it seems his Joker is more likely to follow his own path than to take inspiration from either of the latest incarnations

    While a third Joker in 5-7 years may seem like a lot, I’m firmly in the camp that Batman can’t be fully realized without the Joker. While I’m eager to see new interpretations of the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman, it’s the Joker that has driven the majority of the great Batman arcs in the comics. Of course I’m also firmly in the camp that you can’t have a fully realized Batman without Dick Grayson, but so far there’s no sign of the Boy Wonder getting another shot to shine in this new adaptation.

    The Batman is set to hit theaters in 2021 and, apparently, spawn a trilogy of films that will span the first half of the decade.

    Source: The Direct

  • Karen Gillan Talks Rebuilding Nebula in ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3’

    James Gunn has taken a lot of liberties in adapting the Guardians of the Galaxy to the screen. From turning Yondu into a space hillbilly to making Ronan more of a popcorn fart than a Cosmic powerhouse, Gunn’s MCU versions of some classic characters haven’t always landed with me. One character who puts a check in the plus column, however, is Karen Gillan’s Nebula. After being abused and tortured at the hands of Thanos, Nebula is finally free of her father’s cruelty and able to move in a new direction. Gillan talked about Nebula’s past and potential future recently at GalaxyCon Live.

    During a GalaxyCon panel, Gillan said, “I’m interested to maybe try and take her to a place now where she’s starting to rebuild her life,” something which, after killing her old, murderous self, should be interesting. She noted that ever since her introduction in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula has “just had a really hard time of it.  Though she started off as a villain, the audience has come to see her with “sympathy and empathy” now that we’ve seen how terribly she was treated by Thanos.

    I was able to use a lot of psychology essays on that character, because she’s someone who has dealt with abuse from her father from such a young age. Not to make it too heavy, but he pitted the siblings against each other — she would be inferior and the scapegoat, while the other one was the golden child. It’s actually a quite common thing to happen within families and siblings. I don’t have any siblings, so it’s something I really had to read up on.

    To Gillan, watching Thor separate Thanos from his head in Avengers: Endgame seems to be a pivotal, if not cathartic, moment in Nebula’s life, freeing her up to think about her future for the first time.

    In Avengers, she had to face the source of her abuse, then actually watch him get eliminated from her life. I’m sort of thinking about future Nebula in the sense like, ‘What is she going to be like now that that person’s abuse has gone out of her life? How is she going to build herself back up again?’ Because it’s an odd feeling, I think, for someone who’s been abused by a parent, because they still love them and they’re sad that they’re gone, but also they hate them and they’re glad that they’re gone.

    Gillan’s portrayal of Nebula as the character has grown has been a highlight of Gunn’s films. Her transformation from villain, to begrudging ally to full on hero now complete, we can look forward to her next steps as someone trying to move on from an incredible amount of trauma as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy!

    The release date Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is, like everything else, is currently unknown but it is believed we will see it in theaters in 2023.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Evan Peters Playing Mystery Role in ‘WANDAVISION’

    EXCLUSIVE: Evan Peters Playing Mystery Role in ‘WANDAVISION’

    The world needs some good news. Thanks to a familiar and trusted source (the same L.A. based source who told me about Peyton Reed signing on for Season 2 of The Mandalorian), I have learned that Evan Peters (American Horror Story, X-Men) signed on for a key role in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series WandaVision. The 33-year old Peters landed the role late last year and filmed his scenes shortly after.

    Evan Peters' Quicksilver is back for another "X-Men" run

    The nature of Peters’ role is being kept under wraps and that is likely to generate a great deal of excitement and confusion among fans given that the actor has thrice portrayed Wanda’s brother, Pietro, in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Of course Peters is also well-known for his portrayal of several terrifying villains over the course of 8 seasons of American Horror Story, opening up the possibility that he’s landed a role as WandaVision’s big bad. Given the nature of the series, Peters could be playing anyone from Nicholas Scratch to Mephisto.

    The waters would seem to get muddy quickly should Peters be reprising his role as Pietro and then crossing over into the MCU, but rumors have persisted that WandaVision will somehow feature Wanda’s deceased brother though Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played the speedster in Avengers: Age of Ultron, has made it very clear that we shouldn’t plan on seeing him suit back up as Quicksilver any time soon. So if Taylor-Johnson isn’t back and Quicksilver is, that would mean a recast, something Marvel Studios has done successfully in the past, and Peters would be an interesting choice given the majority of fans seem to gravitate towards his portrayal of the character. This is just one possible option, of course, and perhaps not even the most likely, but it’s the one that quickly comes to mind.

    Time will tell exactly what role Peters is playing, but given his American Horror Story fan base and his resume as a superhero, this is, most definitely, some good news!

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ Production News and The Czech Republic Reopens for Filming

    ‘WANDAVISION’ Production News and The Czech Republic Reopens for Filming


    I’m delighted to bring some positive Disney Plus/Marvel news to you all today, I’ve heard through a trusted source that WandaVision has finished filming after all and possibly VFX on the series is done as well. All that’s left is the editing (barring any reshoots, of course). Previous information was that there was still a bit of filming left, signs indicating that it had to do with references and changes to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier pandemic storyline. But it sounds like it will be straightened out in editing, at least in WandaVision’s case.

    What does this mean for when we might see the Scarlet Witch and her beloved Vision on our TV screen? Well, we may need to keep our feet on the ground a bit here, as it seems unlikely they’d air the show very far ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which is currently scheduled for release on March 25, 2022. There is also the matter of finishing up The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s filming, 3 weeks at least, before WandaVision airs. The shows were originally scheduled in a certain order for a reason, and if WandaVision has things that spoil The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, even without the reference to the pandemic story line in it anymore, it is unlikely that WandaVision would be moved ahead of it unless there are major changes and reshoots to that show.

    In other tentatively positive news, it was reported today via The Hollywood Reporter that the Czech Republic will now allow productions to resume filming there. The testing, guidelines and sanitation standards that need to be followed in order for everyone to be safe, however, would certainly complicate The Falcon and The Winter Soldier returning to finish up. No word yet on when they may.