Murphy's Multiverse

Category: Rumors

  • Newly Greenlit Marvel Television Series May Feature a Surprising Star

    Newly Greenlit Marvel Television Series May Feature a Surprising Star

    Marvel Studios may not continue releasing live-action streaming projects at the same rate they will in 2025, but that doesn’t mean they’ve slowed down the development process. Outside of Nova— which was confirmed by Marvel Television’s head honcho, Brad  Winderbaum, to be in development–the studio has been tight-lipped about which projects are in the works. Rumors and reports persist that Champions, which will bring together a new generation of heroes led by Kamala Khan and Kate Bishop, and Strange Academy, a Harry Potter-esque series featuring young magic users, are priorities for the studio despite lack of official word from anyone at Marvel.

    We have a new system behind-the-scenes at Marvel Studios. We’re more like a traditional studio now. We’re developing more than we actually will produce.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    In the case of Strange Academy, Marvel Studios insider Daniel Richtman recently reported that Winderbaum and his team had given the project the green light which could mean work on the series could get underway this year. Now, another insider has come forward with some information that calls to mind a two-year old rumor about the series.

    According to social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, Wong, the MCU’s current Sorcerer Supreme, will serve as the star of Strange Academy. Additionally, Benedict Cumberbatch will reportedly have a “small role” in the series, if he appears at all.

    Though the Sorcerer Supreme has proven himself, having Benedict Wong as the lead would certainly seem to indicate that the studio sees Strange Academy as somewhat of a light-hearted adventure. Despite facing off with the Scarlet Witch and her demonic minions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wong has far more often served as comedic relief. And while the series would feature a fairly large cast of kids and offer the potential for cameos from all types of MCU magic users, it could also allow for the return of the vacuous Madisynn King, Wong’s bestie last seen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

    Created by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, Strange Academy was first published by Marvel Comics in 2020 and focused on a new generation of magic users being trained in the mystic arts at a Hogwarts-esque school opened by Stephen Strange. Classes at Strange Academy were led by an array of Marvel mages including Doctor Voodoo, Wanda Maximoff, Wong, Magik and, yes, Agatha Harkness and covered a range of topics from astral projections to interdimensional geography to xenoanatomy.

  • ‘Nosferstu’ Star Rumored to Be Up for a Second MCU Role

    ‘Nosferstu’ Star Rumored to Be Up for a Second MCU Role

    Don’t call it typecasting but Bill Skarsgård continues to land villainous roles and deliver his best performances. Whether as Pennywise, Marquis de Gramont or, most recently, Count Orlolk, Skarsgård inhabits sinister roles in a way few have been able to do consistently.

    You’ll be forgiven if you don’t recall that Skarsgård also played a (sort of) big bad in a Marvel Studios films, having voiced the Deviant leader, Kro, in 2021’s Eternals. While the actor recently generated some buzz after expressing his opinion of his ability to pull of a “pretty cool Joker” in Andy Muschetti‘s The Brave and the Bold, a new rumor suggests he may be in line for another turn in a new MCU role.

    According to social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, “Marvel Studios is interested in Bill Skarsgård for a new MCU role. Not his Eternals role.”

    While that’s all the scooper had to share, with Marvel Studios finally turning its attention to the X-Men and Mister Sinister strongly rumored to be an ongoing antagonist, it’s easy to imagine Skarsgård becoming the fabulous supervillain.

    Of course there are plenty of other roles, both heroic and villainous, that Skarsgård might fill as well (The Beyonder comes to mind) and it must be remembered that this is simply a rumor. However, with the mutant movement underway and the studio potentially looking to introduce at least one key member of the X-Men before the end of the Multiverse Saga, it’s believable enough that the Marvel Parliament may also consider introducing a major new villain as well.

    Source: My Time To Shine Hello

  • Details from Scrapped ‘Spider-Man 4’ Script Reveal a Pair of Abandoned Villains

    Details from Scrapped ‘Spider-Man 4’ Script Reveal a Pair of Abandoned Villains

    Like Spider-Man: No Way Home before it, Spider-Man 4 has become a rumor mill circus. Rumors have truly ranged from the most mundane to the most magnificent and everywhere in between; however, recent rumors suggest that the script is still a work in progress even as the film barrels toward a summer start of production.

    Whatever story the film ultimately ends up telling, there will always be interest in what it might have been. And while fans wait to learn whether or not it’s a street-level civil war, features Knull invading the MCU’s Earth-616 or something entirely different, a new report from a trusted insider has revealed that at least one scrapped draft featured two classic Spidey rogues who had already debuted in the MCU…and one of them is a villain fans have been hoping to see more of since 2017.

    According to Marvel Studios insider Daniel Richtman, before the most recent round of rewrites, Spider-Man 4 would have seen Tom Holland’s  Wallcrawler take on Shocker and Scorpion, both of whom appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

    While Bokeem Woodbine‘s Herman Schultz became “the Shocker” in Homecoming, Michael Mando‘s Mac Gargan seemed prime to become a major thorn in Peter Parker’s side before becoming another bullet point on the list of unfulfilled post-credit promises. Fans have continued to hold out hope that Gargan would return as the Scorpion and will certainly be disappointed to hear he may have been cut from the film.

    Spider-Man 4 is currently on track for a July 24, 2026 theatrical release.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Recasting a Major MCU Hero Ahead of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Recasting a Major MCU Hero Ahead of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Recasting key actors is hardly a novel idea at this point in the MCU. Edward Norton and Terrence Howard were rather unceremoniously removed from their respective roles as Bruce Banner and James Rhodes after just one outing each. More recently, Harrison Ford joined the MCU as Thaddeus Ross following the passing of William Hurt, who portrayed the character in five films. Multiple actors have also portrayed Cassie Lang, Billy Maximoff and even Thanos, among others. However, one beloved MCU character seemed off limits to a recast…until now.

    According to a report from Jeff “The In” Sneider, “Marvel is looking to recast its Black Panther hero T’Challa ahead of the two Avengers movies and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3.“

    Following Chadwick Boseman‘s death, Marvel Studios weighed its options about how to move forward in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, ultimately deciding to work T’Challa’s death into the sequel rather than attempt to recast the role. Though it would seem problematic to recast the character now, Sneider ‘s report could be interpreted at least a couple of different ways.

    As the studio approaches the end of the Multiverse Saga, the most logical option for “Recasting” T’Challa would be the introduction of a multiversal Variant of the character. Certainly any attempts t resurrect the Sacred Timeline’s T’Challa would be incredibly controversial and, frankly, unnecessary. Presumably, as Avengers: Secret Wars draws near, more alternate universes, or at least more heroes and villains from the ones that have already been introduced, will come into play and a Variant T’Challa would be a great addition to any team of heroes taking on Doctor Doom.

    Of course, another option for the “recast” might involve the studio searching for an older actor to step into the role of T’Challa II, played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While it’s unclear when Avengers: Doomsday will be set, if the studio does indeed have a three-film arc in store for the character, they may be looking to age the character up a touch.

    In either case, it would seem that Letitia Wright‘s Shuri, who took up the mantle of Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is headed for a reduced role despite delivering a fantastic performance in the sequel. That is, of course, unless the studio chooses a third option: introducing a multiversal Variant of T’Challa who is aligned with Doctor Doom and finds himself at odds with Shuri, T’Challa II and the rest of the Wakanda.

    With production on Avengers: Doomsday set to kick off this year, it’s likely fans will have some clarity on the reported recast of T’Challa relatively soon.

  • Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    With the D+ premiere of Daredevil: Born Again creeping closer each day, fans of the Netflix Daredevil series are rejoicing over Marvel Studios’ decision to canonize the Defenders-verse projects. After an admitted period of being “a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not“, the studio’s willingness to embrace the characters, stories and tone from Netflix’s Marvel series–a decision that was heavily influenced by stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D‘Onofrio–seems to have benefitted Daredevil: Born Again both creatively behind the scenes and with fans.

    During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, “Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.” So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.

    –Vincent D’Onofrio

    While fans of the Defenders-verse are feeling satisfied with the studio’s change of heart, fans of the MCU’s first TV series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., are still waiting for those same warm fuzzies. After recently rethinking the way its streaming projects were branded and marketed, Marvel Studios has put a significant amount of space between itself and the previous “It’s All Connected” era in which Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted.

    According to Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, the decision was made to make the ever-expanding MCU more accessible to new fans. “There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything,” Winderbaum explained. “Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand.” And so far, Agents of S H.I.E.L.D. remains part of what the public should not feel obligated to watch.

    While Winderbaum enthusiastically supported the canonization of the Netflix series, he’s been unable to give any of Marvel’s ABC series, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the same support. “I want to go down this road with you, you know I do, but we’re just gonna take a deep breath for a second,” said Winderbaum in August 2024 when asked about the series place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. Four months later, the Marvel TV boss was no closer to canonizing the long-running series, saying “It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon.” Now a new rumor making the rounds could indicate that Winderbaum has found a way to square things up…or that he’s decided to move even further away from adopting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Sacred Timeline.

    According to the always industrious insider My Time to Shine Hello, Marvel Studios is developing a Ghost Rider streaming series. While there’s no mention of which of several comic book Ghost Riders would be the series’ lead, AoS fans will undoubtedly hold onto hope that the D+ series will feature Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes, who debuted in Season 4 of the ABC melodrama.

    I died, and there’s nothing, there’s just darkness. Then I heard a voice, asking me if I wanted a second chance, did I want to punish those who hurt my brother, did I want to avenge my own death. I answered yes, more than anything, yes. I was alive again, and you’re right, there was someone there when I came to. But it wasn’t a Good Samaritan. It was the Devil. Whatever was inside him, he passed it into me.

    -Robbie Reyes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 4

    While there’s no official word from Marvel on a Ghost Rider project, Winderbaum did recently reveal his desire to get the Spirit of Vengeance into the MCU. However, should Marvel Television’s big cheese have his way, it would not feature Reyes. “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” Winderbaum revealed, adding “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.“

    Should Marvel Television indeed be moving ahead with a Ghost Rider series, it could quietly serve as the final judgement on the Sacred Timeline canonicity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., putting to rest one of the final lingering debates of a different era of Marvel entertainment.

  • Moon Knight Rumored Set to Return for a Trio of Upcoming Marvel Studios Projects

    Moon Knight Rumored Set to Return for a Trio of Upcoming Marvel Studios Projects

    From the time the first trailer for Marvel Studios Moon Knight debuted to a whooping 75 million views in its first 24 hours online, it was clear that the ambitious Oscar Isaac-les streaming series was going to make a major splash. Indeed, when its six-episode run was finished, it was one of the studio’s most-watched series with its finale being its most-watched episode, bucking a trend most TV series battle. However, over two years later, none of Isacc’s characters have made their way back into a Marvel Studios project. Despite obvious interest from the creative team, Isaac and the fans, a second season doesn’t seem to be in the cards just yet.

    Of course, the lack of movement on Season 2 of Moon Knight doesn’t mean Isaac won’t suit back up. Director Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was rumored to feature the character, along with Hulk, She-Hulk and Shang-Chi as members of a team of New Avengers that set out to take on the titular villain; however, with Marvel going back to the drawing board for Avengers 5, Moon Knight’s future remains uncertain…or does it?

    moon knight costume

    According to a new tidbit shared by frequent social media rumor monger My Time To Shine Hello, Marvel Studios may have outlined Moon Knight’s next steps in the Multiverse Saga. Should the information prove accurate, Isaac will find himself a busy man over the next few years as the rumor has him potentially suiting back up for both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Additionally, MTTSH reports that Moon Knight is also expected to be a part of the team of heroes who assemble to tackle supernatural threats in Midnight Sons, a film which has not yet been confirmed to be in development by the studio but around which quite a bit of talk has buzz has been generated over the last year.

    Both Avengers films are expected to sport massive character rosters and Isaac is among the biggest stars in Marvel Studios’ impressive stable, so one or both of the films does feel like a safe place to see the return of not only Moon Knight but other Multiverse Saga heroes who have been hiatus such as She-Hulk and Shang-Chi. In the case of Midnight Sons, Loonie Moonie’s inclusion on the team is all but a sure thing…if the project ever makes its way to theaters.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Planning the Return of the Mad Titan

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Planning the Return of the Mad Titan

    He is…inevitable. As the Avengers learned in Avengers: Infinity War, there’s no more dangerous foe than Thanos, the Mad Titan. And though they had some measure of revenge against him and were able to defeat another Variant of the villain in Avengers: Endgame, Earth-616 was forever changed because of his machinations and was left without several of its mightiest heroes. Simply put, although the Avengers avenged, Thanos won.

    After being introduced in a relatively minor role in James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos became the central villain of what came to be known as the Infinity Saga. With Josh Brolin on board to bring Thanos to life, Marvel Studios did the unthinkable by making a villain the protagonist of Avengers: Infinity War. Now, as the studio prepares to shine the spotlight on another of Marvel Comics’ great villains in Avengers: Doomsday, a pair of convergent reports claim that the MCU is also turning back to Thanos.

    You Couldn’t Live with Your Own Failure, Where Did that Bring You? Back to Me.

    After social media scooper MTTSH claimed that Thanos was headed back to the MCU “sooner than you think”, ComicBookMovie.com followed up with their own claim: Marvel Studios has plans for the Mad Titan to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.

    After originally being developed by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, the script of Avengers: Secret Wars is now in the hands of Stephen McFeely who co-wrote both Infinity War and Endgame, making him very familiar with Thanos. Add in the fact that the brothers Russo are back in the directors’ chairs for Doomsday and Secret Wars and the idea that the return of Thanos in the latter could put him against Robert Downey Jr. again and you have the makings of a believable rumor.

    For those wondering, Thanos has squared off against Doctor Doom in the pages of Marvel Comics before. In fact, in the 2015 event series Secret Wars, Thanos squared off against God Emperor Doom and found himself wanting. Though the reports don’t provide any details about what to expect from Thanos’ appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see a Multiversal Variant of the character find himself in a similar predicament.

  • Marvel Studios Has Reportedly Assembeled Its New Avengers

    Marvel Studios Has Reportedly Assembeled Its New Avengers

    Throughout the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios churned out Avengers films every three years to mark the transition from one Phase to another…and that’s if you don’t count Captain America: Civil War–which featured more Avengers than either of the first two Avengers films–as an Avengers film! Over seven years from 2012 to 2019, fans were treated to The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (and Captain America: Civil War!), three of which are among the top 15 rated MCU films according to Rotten Tomatoes (four is you count Captain America: Civil War!) and all of which are top ten box office earners for Marvel Studios (except Captain America: Civil War, probably because they didn’t call it Avengers: Civil War). To recap, Avengers movies are well-made and make big money.

    Given the successful track record of Avengers films, it would seemingly stand to reason that as the studio moved into an all-new, all-different era of storytelling in the Multiverse Saga, it would stick to the pattern; however, three plus years and one Phase transition into the new saga, fans still haven’t seen the Avengers assemble on screen, not even in a quasi-Avengers film like, say…Captain America: Civil War. But according to a new report, that’s all about to change in 2025.

    According to a pair of online personalities regarded as insiders, Marvel Studios will roll out its team of New Avengers next summer in director Jake Schreier‘s Thunderbolts*.

    First reported by GWW to be in development in 2021, Thunderbolts* was confirmed by a trade report in June 2022 before being announced by Kevin Feige at SDCC ’22 as the final installment in Phase 5 of the MCU. During 2022’s D23 event in Anaheim, Feige revealed the film’s ensemble cast which features Julia Louis-Dreyfus returning as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, and Hannah John-Kamen also reprising their characters from previous projects. So even though they passed on tradition at the end of Phase 4, could Thunderbolts* actually be a quasi-Avengers film?

    The gist of the new report is that by film’s end, the collection of offbeat antiheroes who Val covertly collected to run top secret missions will be hailed as Avengers after accidentally being revealed to the public while saving the day. The report suggests that the reveal is tied to the asterisk that was added to the film’s original title, Thunderbolts, earlier this year. Should this be the case, it’s unlikely that all the characters involved in the film would end up as the MCU’s New Avengers. It’s rather more likely that John Walker, Yelena Belova, Ghost and Taskmaster form the core of the team, giving the group analogs for some of the original team of Avengers. Just how that will be received by the members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes who are still shown to be in contact with one another during one of the stingers in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings remains to be seen.

    Marvel Studios Thunderbolts* is set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering Canceling Two Major Projects

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering Canceling Two Major Projects

    After a nearly decade-long run as the undisputed champion of pop culture, Marvel Studios has faced its fair share of adversity over the past several years. The return of Bob Iger following a string of films that weren’t quite up to the studio’s own lofty standards and a streaming project that could just have easily stayed in the idea stage led to some big changes behind the scenes. After taking some time to reflect on what went wrong, the studio adopted a new way of doing business behind the scenes and rolled out some flashy rebranding in public in hopes of recapturing the magic that made the brand.

    One change clearly stated by Iger was that the studio would no longer seek to push out 4 movies and 4 streaming projects each year. With so many projects already known to be in various stages of development at the time of Iger’s mandate, it seemed a certainty that some projects would be pushed well down the road while others might never made at all. According to a new report, two projects that have been in development for several years are on the chopping block.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios is currently considering the fates of both Armor Wars and Blade with a decision on the future of both projects expected by the end of the year.

    Armor Wars

    Originally announced as a streaming series during Disney’s 2020 Investor Day presentation, Armor Wars became a theatrical project in 2022. Marvel Studios’ Parliament member Nate Moore explained that the decision to shift gears to a movie was due in part to “some great ideas that were coming out for that show but that, to be quite honest, felt too big for that show.” Big ideas mean a big budget and, as Moore explained, it became more realistic to develop Armor Wars as a feature film.

    Our Disney+ shows are awesome and we love them, but the budgets are not the same as the features, that’s not secret. And when you’re talking about a show that wants to be about seeing all the cool armors, and Don Cheadle interacting with all these armors, and the legacy of Tony Stark, that became cost-prohibitive to do as a show.

    -Nate Moore on Armor Wars

    At that time, the story of Armor Wars was also explained to be very connected both to what came before (which turned out to be Secret Invasion) and what was coming next.

    And we realized as a feature, not only can we get into some of the beautiful imagery that is from publishing and there’s certainly an Armor Wars run, but also there’s ways then to leverage the ideas of that movie that affect other movies down the line. So it becomes a multiplication really of, once you figure out what is cool about something…

    -Nate Moore on Armor Wars

    However, with Secret Invasion being an abysmal failure and the entire back half of the Multiverse Saga being rethought following the poor reception to the concept and the firing of Jonathan Majors, Armor Wars has gone from a necessary bridge to potential collateral damage.

    Blade

    Easily the biggest surprise of SDCC ’19, the studio’s Mahershala Ali-led Blade film has gone through well-documented turmoil and seems no closer to being made now than it was five years ago. Despite Disney still holding a November 7, 2025 date aside for the film, Blade is currently without a director and has already gone through at least six different writers.

    Director Yann Demange‘s decision to leave the project was the end result of a tumultuous six months full of upheval and uncertainty. As recently as January 2024, Demange expressed excitement over the project and explained why being given the green light to make an R-rated film was so crucial to the project.

    They gave me the R, which is so important. We are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor.” “I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.

    -Yann Demange on the R-rating of Blade

    At this point, it seems more likely that Blade–whose voice was heard in a post-credit scene to Eternals–may appear in the rumored Midnight Sons film before a solo Blade project gets off the ground.

  • ‘Lanterns’: New Report Reveals More Stars on DC Studios’ Short List for Hal Jordan

    ‘Lanterns’: New Report Reveals More Stars on DC Studios’ Short List for Hal Jordan

    DC Studios’ Lanterns is shaping up as a major HBO prestige series. With a series “bible” created by a writers’ room loaded with talent, the studio is now targeting Prime Time Emmy Award-winning director Stephen Williams to helm the pilot and star Josh Brolin to fill the role of Hal Jordan, one of the series’ two leads. However, should he pass, it sounds as though DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran have more big-time talent in mind to bring Jordan to the all-new, all-different DCU.

    Alright, Alright, Alright…

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, should Brolin turn down the role of Jordan, Matthew McConaughey is one of at least two big names DC Studios has interest in approaching. Though he has only recently dabbled in superhero fare as the voice of Cowboypool in Deadpool & Wolverine, McConaughey is no stranger to working with HBO on a prestige series. McConaughey’s role as Detective Rust Cohle in the first season of True Detective landed him ten award nominations, making him one of the series’ most recognized talents. McConaughey would be a bold choice for the role of Jordan and would certainly bring with him the requisite charisma and brashness of the former test pilot turned space cop.

    Hello There!

    If McConaughey‘s name appearing on a short list of actors for the role of Hal Jordan surprised you, Ewan McGregor would certainly do the same and then some. Alas, Sneider shared the news that Obi-Wan Kenobi is on DC Studios’ radar for the role of Jordan. McGregor most recently starred in the Hulu series A Gentleman in Moscow and also received rave reviews for his work on Fargo and won a Primetime Emmy for his role in the Netflix limited series Halston.

    While there’s been no official timeline provided by Gunn or Safran, with a casting search underway for the series’ leads, it would seem reasonable to assume that production on Lanterns could begin in early 2025.