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The nostalgia-heavy first teaser for DC Studios’ Superman certainly provided plenty for fans to talk about over the next seven months while they wait for its release. The cleverly edited teaser gave first looks at not only Clark Kent/Kal-El and Lois Lane but also several other heroes who are already established in the all-new DCU, a villain or two and several members of Superman’s supporting cast. It also revealed the first look a several familiar settings, including Metropolis and the Fortress of Solitude, which will obviously be integral not only to the story that unfolds in Superman but also the larger DCU narrative. Additionally, a closer look at the teaser reveals a third setting that serves both as a call back to one of Superman’s earliest comic book adventures and may ultimately be tied to the film’s central conflict.

While addressing the opening shot of the teaser, which sees a bloody Superman crash into the Arctic tundra likely near his Fortress of Solitude, director James Gunn explained the symbolism of portraying the hero who has always fought for truth, justice and the American way in such a state. “We do have a battered Superman at the beginning, and I think that is our country,” explained Gunn. “I believe in the goodness of human beings,” he added, “and I believe that most people in this country despite their ideological beliefs or politics are doing their best to get by and are trying to be good people despite what it might seem like to the other side or what that other side might be, and I think this movie is about that.” And if Gunn didn’t hesitate to include commentary on the current state of politics in America, it’s reasonable to assume he may have drawn from other ongoing sociopolitical conflicts as well.

The latter third of the trailer contains an eye-catching moment in which a little boy, surrounded by gunfire and explosions, struggles to raise a flag adorned with the symbol of the House of El while seemingly calling out for Superman’s help. Later in the trailer, the same brave boy can be seen on a Luthorcorps monitor as part of GBS News’ coverage of a border dispute involving Boravia. Though it’s not explained in the trailer, additional casting along with a reference in this week’s fourth episode of Creature Commandos have led to the theory that the country on the other side of the border is Jarhanpur and the front page of the Daily Planet seen in the teaser indicates that Boravians–perhaps led by Gorilla Grodd– are likely preparing to invade Jarhanpur when the movie starts which means that’s probably what’s happening when the boy cries out for Superman. And while that invasion may or may not have taken inspiration from a significant real-world border dispute, Superman has found himself involved in disputes in both nations in the pages of DC Comics and his visit to Boravia over 80 years ago may give some insight into what’s happening in the film.

In a story titled “Superman Champions Universal Peace” contained in 1939’s Superman #2, the Man of Steel found himself amid a civil war in Boravia after following a character by the name of Bartow into the country. Bartow, as it turns out, was hired by a Boravian warlord to deliver a horrific chemical weapon to him to help turn the tide of the civil war. As the champion of universal peace, Superman chose to put a stop not only to the usage of the weapon but also the civil war by helping speed up the negotiation process between the two sides.

Gunn has stated that while both Superman and Lex Luthor have been active in their own individual ways for some time when the movie begins, they have not met each other. It’s possible, and potentially supported by another scene in the trailer, that should Superman heed to young boy’s call and intercede in the Boravian invasion of Jarhanpur, he and some of the film’s other heroes may stumble into some nefarious involvement in the invasion by LuthorCorp. Though it’s purely speculative, it’s possible that the scene in the trailer in which Mr. Terrific finds himself under fire by LuthorCorp goons in what appear to be prototype warsuits could reveal Lex Luthor’s involvement in the Boravian invasion. And should Superman choose to step in and, as he did in Superman #2, put an abrupt end to the war, that would certainly garner the attention of Lex. Of course, there are numerous other scenarios that could explain Lex’s disdain for Kal-El; however, given Gunn’s respect for all of Superman’s history, it would not be surprising in the least to find out he drew inspiration from one of the Man of Steel’s earliest comic book adventures.

Source: Deadline

Though much has been made recently of Lucasfilm’s indecision around what direction they wish to advance theatrically, especially with Daisy Ridley‘s Rey, struggling to develop ideas into finished Star Wars films is truly old hat for the studio. One such example of the slip betwixt cup and lip is Rogue Squadron, originally announced during Disney’s 2020 Investor Day presentation and was on track for a December 2023 release with Patty Jenkins directing from a script by Matthew Robinson. Since then, the film has been reported to have been delayed, scrapped, unscrapped, delayed again, back in development and dead in the waters of Dagobah. Now a new report indicates has added another ring to the circus that Rogue Squadron has become.

According to insider Daniel Richtman, Lucasfilm has once again set its sights on getting Rogue Squadron into theaters, putting the project back into active development.

Though previous reports indicated Lucasfilm had moved on entirely from Rogue Squadron, meshes with a 2022 statement from Jenkins. “[Lucasfilm] made a new deal with me. In fact, I am still on [Rogue Sqauadron] and that project has been in active development ever since,” said Jenkins via social media. “I don’t know if it will happen or not. We never do until the development process is complete, but I look forward to its potential ahead.” Jenkins explained that her commitment to WB’s Wonder Woman 3 had taken priority and she planned to return to Rogue Squadron once her work on the DC project was done. With a new era underway at DC Studios and Wonder Woman 3 no longer part of their plans, Jenkins seemingly went back to work with Lucasfilm on Rogue Squadron.

Of course, making any guesses, educated or otherwise as to when Rogue Squadron or any other Star Wars film might start production, much less land in theaters, is a fool’s errand. As of now, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars slate is made up of The Mandalorian and Grogu, in theaters May 22, 2026, and an Untitled Star Wars film dated for December 17, 2027. To that end, Rogue Squadron may or may not have as good of a chance of landing in theaters in 2027 as James Mangold‘s Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni ‘s “Heir to the Empire”, the first film Simon Kinberg‘s recently announced trilogy or Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy‘s Rey-led, New Jedi Order film, if that project is even still part of the studio’s plan.

It’s been five years since Fox botched one of Marvel Comics greatest stories for the second time in Dark Phoenix. To be fair, the film–along with 2020’s New Mutants–was dead on arrival following the Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which was completed less than 3 months prior to the Simon Kinberg-helmed flop’s June 7th opening. By the time SDCC ’19 came around in July, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, was teasing the addition of the X-Men to the MCU; however, five years later fans are still waiting for the Sacred Timeline’s own uncanny team of mutant heroes. And it looks as though the wait will continue just a little longer.

Less than a week after teasing the MCU future of the X-Men, Feige addressed the topic again during a virtual drop in at Singapore’s Disney APAC Content Showcase. “I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize,” said Feige of the potential for some of Fox’s X-Men to continue to appear in the MCU as Charles Xavier, Beast and, most recently, Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine have done.

As entertaining as that has been for fans, most are ready for a new take on the heroes now that Disney owns the live-action rights to them. A massive X-Men fan himself, Feige promised the audience in Singapore that “a new age of mutants” is on the horizon. “Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men,” teased Feige. “Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.“

Feige’s tease is consistent with his recent comments in which he teased that the X-Men were poised to be “an important part” of the studio’s post-Secret Wars future. While that future will almost certainly remain undefined for some time, the studio did strike a deal with Michael Lesslie to write the script for the MCU X-Men’s debut which should mean Feige‘s promised age of mutants should be ready to kick off in 2027 where Marvel has staked out dates in July and November.

Source: Deadline

The Multiverse Saga has opened the door to some bizarre new worlds. Through projects such as Loki, What If…?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Marvels and, most recently, Deadpool & Wolverine, the MCU has expanded to include dozens of parallel universes and alternate timelines populated with Variants of characters drawn from 25 years of Marvel superhero films. As the studio’s second saga enters the home stretch toward Avengers: Secret Wars, fans should expect the multiversal madness to continue, including in one of its most anticipated 2025 projects.

In development since Disney’s 2019 merger with Fox, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to bring Marvel Comics First Family into the MCU on July 26, 2025. Directed by Matt Shakman, Marvel Studios take on the superhero team looks to be vastly different than Fox’s mostly maligned efforts at bringing them to the big screen. The Marvel Parliament certainly knew they had to go to great lengths to set the new film apart from its predecessors and, in doing so, made a bold and brilliant move that helped take the team back to its comic book roots.

Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the first MCU film fully set in a timeline other than Earth-616’s Sacred Timeline. Sure, Deadpool & Wolverine spent some time on Earth-10005 but was, for the most part, set in the Void which exists beyond the reach of time. Shakman’s film, on the other hand, is expected to take place almost entirely in a 1960s retro futuristic universe that, as of now, has been given no specific designation. However, as more information about the film continues to make its way online, it’s starting to sound as though that universe may be based on one of Marvel Comics’ most incredible and diverse parallels to Earth-616.

Designed by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger as an alternate, future dystopian version of the Marvel Universe, Earth-9997, also known as Earth-X, offers one of the publisher’s boldest reimaginings of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s vision to date. Full of wonderfully redesigned characters, wild story lines and  one of the most creative twists in the history of Marvel Comics. And, as evidence starts to pile up, it’s becoming increasingly possible that Earth-X may be making its way into the MCU, even if it’s not quite a one-to-one adaptation.

The possibility of The Fantastic Four: First Steps being set on the MCU’s version of Earth-X first arose when Julia Garner was revealed to be portraying a female version of the Silver Surfer known as Shalla-Bal. Traditionally, Bal is the lost love of Norrin Rad who, as the Silver Surfer, serves as the Herald of Galactus. However, in the Earth-X continuity, Bal does indeed become the Silver Sentinel of the Spaceways. Now, interestingly enough, recent rumors May add more fuel to the fire that the 2025 film is set on Earth-9997.

In Earth-X #2, it was revealed that Franklin Richards, the son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman and arguably the most powerful being in the Marvel Universe, eventually became Galactus. It was one of many shocking twists to the established canon of Marvel’s Earth-616 and, eventually, the twists became so twisty that the original plan to establish Earth-X as the future of Earth-616 were abandoned. However, as one of the publisher’s most imaginative and fertile storytelling environments, it was only matter of time before it’s elements made their way into the MCU…and now it seems as though The Fantastic Four: First Steps may well have borrowed that big Galactus shocker.

As the plot for the story begins to take shape, a new rumor indicates that Franklin Richards will be a major player in The Fantastic Four; First Steps despite being only four-years old. The news, shared by reliable Marvel insider Daniel RPK, calls to mind an old rumor about the film which had Franklin as the focal point of Galactus’ trip to Earth. In that scenario, it was rumored that Galactus was interested in the child because in the alternate timeline of the project, Franklin was Galactus, just as in the Earth-X books!

Should the rumors about Franklin and Galactus be true, they might go a long way on explaining why the Fantastic Four have to find a new home after the events of the film. In the Earth-X continuity, the Celestials seed planets with eggs which are ultimately consumed by Galactus. This idea isn’t too far removed from what was seen in Eternals and could readily be adapted to explain why the native Earth of the MCU’s Fantastic Four ceased to exist and why the team at ultimately seek out a new home where they can save the day from the threat of Galactus. Of course, it’s all speculation until it’s not but it’s worth a think!

When DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed the initial plans for the DCU in January 2022, they made it clear that animation would play a central role in the shared narrative. True to their word, the co-chairs are launching the DCU this December with an animated series, Creature Commandos, and now Gunn has shared news of another animated project in development.

Via Instagram, Gunn revealed that the studio has greenlit Dynamic Duo, which will tell the origin stories of two of Batman’s most well-known Robins, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.

Written by Coco and Lightyear scribe Matthew Aldrich, Dynamic Duo will tell the story of “the early days of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd aka the Robins. The duo call themselves the Dynamic Duo. They’re orphan thieves, best friends who share dreams of a better life, but their friendship will be tested by competing visions of a future out of which will come a new Dynamic Duo.“

DC Studios will be working with Swaybox, a new and innovative animation studio that uses a “Momo animation” process that Deadline described as “a cross between CGI animation, practical elements of stop-motion, and live-action real-time performance.”

The Batman Epic Crime Saga creator, Matt Reeves, will produce the film through his 6th and Idaho production company though according to Deadline the project is not part of Reeves’ Elseworlds narrative. Swaybox co-founder Arthur Mintz is set to direct the project.

Source: Deadline

It truly must be the season of the witch! After spending a little more time brewing in the cauldron, the WandaVision spinoff, Agatha All Along, finally made its anticipated debut on Disney Plus with a release schedule that will see it wrap up on October 30th, also known in some parts of the United States as Devil’s Night (Mephisto!). While the Kathryn Hahn-led series starts off by wading in the familiar waters of its predecessor, it quickly becomes something different..and scarier, sharing more in common with Marvel’s Werewolf By Night than WandaVision. Though she’s not expected to appear in the series, Elizabeth Olsen‘s Scarlet Witch still factors heavily into the plot of Agatha All Along, with her death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness allowing Agatha to begin to break free from the spell placed on her by Wanda in the WandaVision finale. With Wanda seemingly having met her fate and her spell broken, now is as good of a time as any for the studio to move on from the character; however, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen.

Despite her apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, even the typically tight-lipped Kevin Feige teased that more adventures were in store for the character but as the years have gone by, rumblings of an Olsen-led project begin to quiet down. Recent reports have revived the hope that a Scarlet Witch solo film is back on Marvel Studios’ front burner with WandaVision and Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer reportedly working on a script with the help of Megan McDonnell, who worked on both those projects and wrote the screenplay for The Marvels. When asked recently about those reports, Schaeffer not only didn’t deny them, but she also struggled to conceal her excitement. Now we may understand why.

While speaking with The Wrap during a press event for Agatha All Along, Schaeffer may have tipped her hand a bit about the future of Wanda Maximoff in the MCU.

When asked by The Wrap if it’s possible that the collapse of Mount Wundagore killed the Scarlet Witch but not Wanda, Schaeffer not only once again did not say no, she came awfully close to confirming the theory. “I am keeping such a good poker face,” said Schaeffer, adding “What I will say is like, I really like how your mind works. That’s my response to that theory.“

Should that theory truly hold some water, it would be congruent with Feige’s 2022 tease about the possibility of more in store for Wanda. “There really is so much more to explore. We still haven’t touched on many of her core storylines from the comics,” said Feige. “I don’t know that we saw her under rubble? I saw a tower coming down, and a little red flash. I don’t know what that means.“

While it’s harder than ever to divine the future of Marvel Studios, it truly is beginning to look like there’s plenty of room for another chapter in the story of Wanda Maximoff.

Source: The Wrap

Though it wasn’t intended for fans outside of the Anaheim Convention Center, the first look at Daredevil: Born Again found its way online following Marvel Studios’ portion of the Disney Entertainment Showcase. The trailer featured plenty to be excited about including a look at Matt Murdock’s growing collection of cowls, including a pair that have never been seen before. While the footage only shows off one costume combo, set photos revealed that The Man Without Fear would be sporting at least one new suit at the end of Season 1. So while there’s no guarantee Matt will bust out each of the new cowls and their coordinating costumes, it’s still worth taking a look at the comic book inspiration for the two previously unseen cowls.

Purified Daredevil Suit

Furthest left, the coordinating cowl to the most recent addition to Murdock’s extensive collection can be seen. First seen while Daredevil battles Wolverine in Saladin Ahmed‘s Daredevil #6 (March 27, 2024), the all-white Purified Daredevil suit signifies “a complete change of pace” for Matt. Given that Daredevil: Born Again is drawing heavily from modern runs on the character in addition to some classic runs, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find out it was a late add to the production after the series’ creatives saw artist Aaron Kuder‘s design.

Shadowland/Armored or Back in Black Suit

Though the cowl second from the right is a little harder to make out than the rest, that’s probably because it’s all black! While the Twitter account that put the screenshot out into the world posited that the black cowl must belong to the “Back in Black” suit from the 2015 Charles Soule and Ron Garney run, there’s no way to verify that, especially since there are two other black cowls that were part of suits featured prominently in the comics. The Shadowland suit, which debuted in the 2010 street-level event of the same name, seems unlikely given it comes with a certain set of circumstances yet to be seen in the MCU Matt’s life. It’s far more likely that the suit is either an armored version of the suit, first worn by Matt in 1993’s Daredevil #321, or the the Back in Black suit, the first appearance of which does line up with some rumored plot elements of Daredevil: Born Again.

Early rumors about Daredevil: Born Again had The Man Without Fear having access to as many as seven different costumes which means it is possible that the impressive collection seen in the trailer isn’t even complete! Of course, there’s no guarantee Matt will put each of the cowls on during Season 1 nor that they’re they belong to the comic-accurate suits described above; however, it’s nice to see Matt continuing to be a fashion-forward hero as he makes his way through the MCU.

Daredevil: Born Again debuts on Disney Plus in March 2025.

Source: Marvel.com

After not being discussed at Marvel Studios’ SDCC ’24 Hall H panel, Daredevil: Born Again was heavily featured during Kevin Feige‘s portion of the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23. To the delight of the crowd, cast members Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll came on stage to tease the series, which will stream on Disney Plus in 2025. And if seeing the stars of the series assembled on stage wasn’t enough, fans in attendance were treated to what was supposed to be an exclusive first look at the series.https://x.com/MarvelStudios/status/1822124700035879042

Though Disney has not officially released the trailer for Daredevil: Born Again online, it quickly made its way onto different social media platforms in relatively high resolution. The video pulls no punches, providing a peek at the deranged serial killer Muse and also spends quite a bit of time up front on what’s believed to be a major plot point early in the season. The trailer opens with a bystander stepping in to stop an attack on the subway. Moments later, that bystander is seen suiting up as street-level vigilante Hector Ayala, aka White Tiger.

In January, videos and photos from the set of the series provided a first look at the character in costume but it was unclear who was under the mask. Shortly after the video made its way online, fans believed that they identified the actor portraying Ayala as Kamar de los Reyes.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico–just like the character he portrayed in the series–De los Reyes began his acting career in 1994. While he had a recurring role on the daytime soap One Life to Live, most of the fans who recognized the actor attributed it to the familiarity with his voice which he lent to Raul Menendez, a recurring villain in the Call of Duty video game franchise. Sadly, De los Reyes passed away in December 2023 following a battle with cancer.

While the character first appeared in 1975’s Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19, Hector Ayala crossed paths with Daredevil in 1998 when writer Brian Michael Bendis put the vigilante on trial with Matt Murdock as his lawyer. That three-issue arc, “The Trial of the Century”, saw Ayala arrested and wrongfully convicted of murder and then killed while attempting to flee following the guilty verdict was leveled against him. Following his Hector’s death, his niece, Angela Del Toro, took up the mantle of White Tiger.

From what can be gleaned from the first look at the streaming series, it would appear that Daredevil: Born Again took inspiration from Bendis’ run in bringing Murdock and Ayala together.

Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again is set to debut on Disney Plus in March 2025.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is underway in Annency, France and while it’s not typically one that receives a lot of coverage during the summer convention circuit, this year it’s delivered some breaking news.

As has been known for some time, the animated series Creature Commandos will serve as the official launch of the all-new, all-different DCU. While the project has its own panel planned for Friday, it was revealed today that the series is set to stream on Max in December.

James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking a unique approach to the DCU, signing up talent to flesh out their characters across all genres including video games, animation and live-action. For example, Frank Grillo, who originally joined the DCU as the voice of Rick Flag Sr., was recently announced as part of the cast of Season 2 of Peacemaker, where he will bring Flag Sr. into live-action.

With The Penguin set for a September release and, now, Creature Commandos headed to Max in December, DC Studios’ new slate is starting to take shape and Max will continue to play a large part in it.