Blog

  • Theory Thursday: The Halloween Episode

    Theory Thursday: The Halloween Episode

    After last week’s bombshell ending of the episode of WandaVision, all eyes are on this week’s episode, which is perhaps the one fans have been looking forward to the most: The Halloween episode. Ever since fans got their first glimpse at Wanda and Vision wearing the classic comic costumes, fans have been pondering the possibilities of how that episode might play out, since it’s been an episode that’s been teased the most in trailers alongside the 1950’s episode. And now that we know that Wanda and Vision are going to be accompanied not only by their kids; Billy and Tommy, but also the recently revived Pietro Maximoff (portrayed by Evan Peters), one can only wonder what exactly might happen on this episode. And it is exciting. So let’s begin.

     

    The Theme Song

    Undoubtedly, the dynamic duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have not missed with the theme songs of each episode. They’ve nailed the scoring of each era to a tea. There was something very interesting to note about the “nature of the lyrics.” At first, the songs start out as very bright and joyful. But as the episodes progress, you notice that the songs start to take a more sinister tone. For example, in the most recent episode, you have lyrics like “Crossing our fingers, singing a song. We’re making it up as we go along.” At first, their nature seems to be about how Wanda and Vision are inexperienced in being parents, raising a family and they’re making it up as it goes along. That’s the face value of the lyrics. But if we think about it in a deeper sense, it’s possible that they’re trying to send us the message that from here on out, whoever is behind the WestView anomaly (the primary suspect being Wanda) is making up this reality as it goes along. So there is a chance that the next episode might follow suit with this style of lyric. Making a song that can have a double meaning but it’s definitely much more noticeable and blunt than its predecessor.

     

    The lyrics seem to follow the line of addressing what happened in the last episode. For example, Episode 3 is about “We’ve got something cooking”; referencing Wanda’s pregnancy at the end of Episode 2. Episode 5’s theme had to do with the kids and their birth and how they’re making it up as it goes along. So, if Vision has become aware of what Wanda is doing by the end of the last episode, then there is a possibility that the next theme may be about ignoring distractions like what might be outside of WestView’s barriers or anything that might cause Wanda’s reality to break.

     

    Let’s talk about the costumes

    We know based on the trailers that Wanda and Vision are going to obtain their classic costume for Halloween. The question still remains about how they actually obtained it. Like, where did the idea for it come from? Is it a “Logan” type of scenario where comics about these characters exist in their universe and they based themselves on that? Could it be tossed aside to a gag like it’s just the first random thing they could find and it just so happens to be their classic costumes? Perhaps there’s an in-universe connection to it, perhaps tied to their personal history.

     

    I’m betting on the idea behind the costumes to have some sort of attachment to their personal history while at the same time representing who they are. Like for example, we know Wanda’s abilities are tied to magic and as the episodes have gone on, she’s been less perceptive and more open about her magic use in public, going as far as to showcase her abilities in front of Agnes. So, maybe she dressed as a witch from Sokovia, explaining the weird choice of a headdress rather than wearing what we know as a traditional witch’s hat. Vision could probably be like an updated version of Illusion, with a cool cape and such. This also begs the question about the kids’ costume choice. Chances are that if Wanda and Vision are wearing traditional versions of their costumes, there’s a possibility Billy and Tommy could wear traditional versions of their own costumes as well. We could maybe even see Pietro donning a classic version of his costume.

     

    Map-Out

     

    In WandaVision, there seem to be 4 main storylines that branch out to the rest of the storylines. We have Wanda, Vision, Agnes, and Monica. So I do this thing called a “map-out.” Essentially, I take the scenes from the trailers as the big puzzle pieces and then try to fill in the blanks with either elements I believe make the most sense based on comics or patterns or ways that can coherently connect one story to another.

    Wanda: Wanda’s story is going to keep maintaining the sitcom reality alive. She’ll play out the episode the way she wants to by following the sitcom trope that we’ve seen in previous eras from the other episodes. With this episode being set in the 90s and coincidentally Halloween, I expect Wanda to spend the episode trick or treating with Billy and Tommy, and possibly Pietro might tag along with her so that we may get some sort of exposition as to how he’s back. I however don’t suspect to get anything clear and concrete on who he might be. Given that the kids are growing at an accelerated rate and that we’ve already seen them display powers in the previous episodes, I suspect the twins might start to show their respective powers from the comics, albeit it’ll probably be brief moments, but still a display nonetheless.

    Vision: Whenever we see Halloween trailers, we always see Vision on his own, walking around Westview. Given that Vision is a part of the neighborhood security watch from Westview (and basing myself on childhood Halloween experiences in suburbs), this could explain why Vision is on his own during this episode, as he will be looking around the neighborhood to make sure that nothing is amiss since Halloween tends to be a time of mischief in the neighborhoods during sitcoms. It will also give Vision the chance to be doing some investigative work about the WestView anomaly and try to get to the bottom of it all. This will lead him to two places. The barrier of Westview (which I’ll explain later on) and to Agnes in her car.

    Agnes: She’s been one of the most theorized characters regarding WandaVision, especially after Episode 4 where S.W.O.R.D. was unable to ID her. Up until last week, she’s served a very “nosy neighbor”/ “side character” trope in the show. But this week might change all of that. We know from the first trailer that Vision will unlock her mind, similar to the way Vision unlocked “Norm”. So, if Agnes is the personality that was created for the sitcom reality, what personality might Vision unearth the moment Agnes is broken free? Based on the trailer, she’ll clearly recognize Vision and ask if he’s an Avenger and if he’s here to help them, them possibly meaning the citizens of Westview. We also know she’ll ask him if she’s dead because he is before laughing maniacally. So, I believe that this episode will reveal Agnes’ true identity, which is possibly Agatha Harkness. Whether or not she is “locked back” like Norm remains to be seen, but I don’t think she’d want to be locked back into Wanda’s spell, so she might leave before Vision has a chance to do so. I definitely see Agnes leading Vision to the barrier as we see in the trailers, which leads me to the final storyline.

    Monica: Out of everyone in S.W.O.R.D., the only people who seem willing to help Wanda at this point are the trio of Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy. Everyone else, including Director Hayward, seems to have branded Wanda as the villain and are going in guns blazing to take her down by any means necessary. This contrast in ideals may cause some friction and arguments between them and how to handle this situation. Clearly, Hayward doesn’t seem to care much about trying to help Wanda, given he tried to launch a missile at her and her children in the last episode, so if Monica and the rest do try to find ways to help Wanda, they may just fall onto deaf ears.

    There is also the possibility that given that Vision is at the barrier of Westview, he might try to communicate with the people outside of the barrier, giving us our first interactions between Vision and S.W.O.R.D. Thanks to the trailer shot above, we know that Vision may try to penetrate the barrier to see what is outside. I do think it is possible that we may see him go beyond the barrier and see the S.W.O.R.D base outside. What might happen next could quite frankly be anyone’s guess. If he steps out of the barrier, will he look as he normally does in the MCU? Would he be the pale Vision we saw in Episode 4, with the hole in his head? And how might S.W.O.R.D. react? Will they take him away? Will Wanda be able to sense someone left the barrier since she pretty much made the barrier impenetrable in the last episode? Only time will tell when WandaVision airs tomorrow on Disney+.

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Reportedly Set for Early 2022 Release

    ‘Peacemaker’ Reportedly Set for Early 2022 Release

    Hot off the production of The Suicide SquadJames Gunn got right to work once more and began writing and developing a series based around John Cena’s Peacemaker. The series would reportedly follow the origin of the character following his debut in the upcoming film. The series will see Cena reprise the role of Christopher Smith, the man who seeks to achieve peace no matter the cost. Not much else is known about the series aside from it being a prequel and the involvement of Vigilante, possibly hinting at a Janus Directive Inspiration, but now it seems we may just know when we’ll be getting a whole lot more Peacemaker.

    During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, HBO and HBO Max content chief Casey Bloys confirmed that Peacemaker was one of the first DC projects that he greenlit as well as confirming that the series is set to be released in January of 2022. The series has just begun filming and is still adding members to its cast, with them quite recently casting Nhut Lee as the classic Charlton comics character of JudoMaster. Bloys’ full statement from the interview can be seen below and offers some insight into how they’ve begun to shape the DC universe moving forward at WarnerMedia.

    I just started to get involved with the DC content in August. Peacemaker is one of the first shows I greenlit and one of the first shows coming out, in January 2022. It’s a great example of what HBO Max can do with DC content in that we’re producing at al level we haven’t seen DC content on TV do thus far. It’s been one of [WarnerMedia CEO] Ann Sarnoff’s priorities to organize the DC world for exactly what you’re talking about — to make sure that the universe is logical and makes sense. She talks about the flywheel: that the movies speak to the TV shows that speak to the movies — that it’s all connected. There’s a lot of work going on in that at DC and Warner Bros. That is very much something that Ann has made a priority and the company is doing. It’s one of the things in terms of WarnerMedia today vs. Time Warner five years ago, I have regular conversations now with [Warner Bros. film chief] Toby Emmerich and [DC content chief] Jim Lee and we talk about all things in way that never would have been discussed before. That’s probably how you got a little DC over here, a little of DC over there, etc. The idea going forward is that we’re talking with one voice about the DC universe. It’s a really valuable world to have and we want to make sure we’re using it correctly.

    It’ll be interesting to see how Peacemaker helps to bring order to the chaotic DC Universe.

    SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

     

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 6 Primer

    ‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 6 Primer

    Episode 5 of WandaVision was so packed full of great stuff that it overloaded my brain! On one hand, S.W.O.R.D.’s acting director Hayward fully believes that Wanda is in control and up to no good; however, on the other hand, we see that she can’t control the twins at all. And then the episode ended with a huge shocker when Wanda’s dead brother Pietro was at the door. I don’t know about you but Wanda’s reaction didn’t seem staged to me, she was genuinely surprised to see him, meaning she didn’t make him appear. Looks like there is ANOTHER layer to the mystery of this show!

    Episode 5 really begins to make it feel like there is more to it than just Wanda being in charge. Let’s look into the clues that this could be true. It was very weird that Wanda suddenly got her accent back after it being “gone” for so long.  Director Hayward (who I don’t trust very much) showed his agents a clip of Wanda breaking into S.W.O.R.D. headquarters to get Vision’s body as evidence she’s up to no good. Later, he ordered his agents to kill her. He obviously wants her dead. What if he is not telling us everything? What if Wanda was breaking into “rescue” Vision’s body from S.W.O.R.D.? We don’t know what was going on, maybe S.W.O.R.D. is doing some kind of experiment to rebuild him. Hayward trying to kill Wanda makes me that maybe she isn’t the bad guy afterall and he’s trying to keep her from revealing something about S.W.O.R.D. Finally, Agnes always seems to be around when the kids are growing and are very interested in what’s going on with them. One popular theory that Agnes is a very powerful witch named Agatha Harkness. I think that maybe she is getting close to the kids so that he can steal Billy’s powers for her own.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    Image result for wandavision episode 5

    Episode 5 showed signs that Monica Rambeau has already gained her powers. The question is when will she start to notice her powers? I think she will get an idea of how her powers work and will use them before the end of the season. Another good question is when will the twins start to show their powers? I think the boys might show it in these next couple of episodes. I thought about this and thought maybe if Pietro isn’t actually Pietro that there might be someone else controlling this reality other than Wanda. In thinking about it, I made a parallel to The Children’s Crusade when Doctor Doom took control over Wanda and I think that this is what is happening here. Not by Doctor Doom, but by someone very powerful.

     

    The next episode of WandaVision streams tomorrow

  • What We Heard This Week: The Villain of ‘INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE 2’

    What We Heard This Week: The Villain of ‘INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE 2’

    The complicated notion of the Multiverse has long been a staple in high-concept fiction but in the world of comic book films, it was only until the last couple of years that the idea became a lucrative prospect, when it culminated in the box-office and critical success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film was Sony’s rare diamond in a consistent streak of roughs so it came as no surprise that a sequel was put in the works shortly after. Since then, we haven’t heard much about the sequel until this week when a source tipped us off to the identity of one of the sequel’s key baddies: obscure Spider-Man and Daredevil villain, The Spot.

     

     

    For the uninitiated, The Spot is one of those obscure Spidey villains who occasionally showed up here and there to terrorize the likes of Spidey and DD with his goofy yet powerful abilities. The Spot has the ability to access and manipulate portals in any space (drawn as spots in the comics) which he uses to transport himself or any part of his body. He commonly uses it to have his foes punch their own faces or to assault them from all directions but it has oftentimes been used for more sinister purposes. In Mark Waid’s Daredevil run, the Spot appeared in a key role, wherein his power gets harnessed by another villain called Coyote, who then uses it to operate a global human trafficking empire by kidnapping victims remotely. The science behind his powers is never fully explained but they mimic some of Cloak’s ability to access a different dimension. The potential of his abilities is also beyond what’s been depicted so far, not to mention he has close ties with Kingpin so he’s absolutely a perfect fit should this be true.

     

    As always our What We Heard This Week reports, take this with a grain of salt. We’re working with a new source on this and have yet to confirm this with another source as of this writing but thought it was exciting enough to share with you guys. We certainly believe that a character with ties to Spider-Man who has powers like The Spot makes so much sense to incorporate in the Spider-Verse sequel. Production on the sequel began last summer and it is expected to hit theaters on October 7, 2022.

  • How WandaVision’s 1980’s Episode Does The Sitcom-Meets-MCU Thing Right

    How WandaVision’s 1980’s Episode Does The Sitcom-Meets-MCU Thing Right

    After taking a break from the inner workings of Westview to explore the goings-on outside the town, WandaVision picked up right where it left off in sitcom history and tackled the 1980’s “On a Very Special Episode…”.

    I discussed at length in my “Now in Color” analysis about how the time period of the 1970s is incongruent with the episode’s pregnancy and childbirth storyline. People were still giving birth in that era, obviously, it just wasn’t as common a trope seen in sitcoms as the decades before and after it. Fortunately, this episode’s 1980’s theme works very well with the plot it plays backdrop to, and goes beyond period-accurate clothing, a Growing Pains living room replica, and a nice homage to the classic intro of that show and other 80’s sitcoms like Family Ties and Full House. This is the part of WandaVision I’d been looking forward to the most; the sitcom is in full swing but now we have the MCU mystery to juxtapose it against. The choices made in emulating and subverting tropes often seen in 80’s media are a key part of the story; they’re less fluffy and more meaty than some of the antics seen in earlier episodes.

    Kids Grow Up So Fast

    Image result for wandavision billy and tommy

     

    To start off, we get to see Billy and Tommy at three different ages in this episode: babies, young children, and 10-year-olds. The babies suddenly advancing a few years in age during the show’s cold open is a nod to how many old sitcoms would introduce a new baby to the central family unit only to age them up a few years the next season, but it’s also a key part of the plot, as is the inclusion of the “can we keep him?” trope with the dog. Hopefully, this episode made a lot of viewers understand why Marvel chose to go all-out on the sitcom stuff and that it’s more than just a stylistic choice.

    The twins are 10 years old for most of the episode, which is just the right age for them to learn one of the cheesy life lessons that were a hallmark of 80’s family media, complete with some gentle, sappy music to underscore it. But of course, despite being the one to deliver said lesson to her children, it’s Wanda who is having the most trouble applying it to her life. While Westview is supposed to be an idyllic and quaint town, there are some sad things that can’t be fixed even there. But Wanda knows there’s a world outside of Westview, and things are a lot more complicated outside her self-imposed bubble. She says one thing to the boys about not being able to revive the dead, while simultaneously doing the opposite of what she’s preaching with Vision.

    The Bubble is Ready to Pop

    Wanda obviously wants everyone in town – especially her family – to live in ignorant bliss, but the façade is starting to crack. The S.W.O.R.D. team is figuring out increasingly effective ways to break in (this week they sent in what they wanted using technology from Westview’s current era so it wouldn’t be altered upon entry) and Vision is catching on to what Wanda is doing. The biggest subversion of an 80’s trope in this episode comes when Wanda rolls the credits on Vision’s concerns about their life but he continues his confrontation anyway, and eventually, the credits stop. Sitcoms may be known for their ability to resolve any problem in half an hour, but this scene makes it clear that those days are over in Westview.

    In discussing the episode’s presentation of how sitcom tropes aren’t really true-to-life I have to mention everyone’s favorite neighbor, Agnes. Her frequent and well-timed stops by Wanda and Vision’s home are still humorous, but Vision’s comments about how she shows up with exactly what the family needs, exactly when they need it point to something being up with her. We see early on in this episode that she definitely knows what’s up to a degree, but it seems like she’s more attuned to Wanda and her family more than everyone else in Westview and Vision pointing out how odd her convenient behavior is means we’re going to find out more about her down the line.

    WandaVision only has two more decades to cover (well maybe three if the 2000’s and 2010’s are combined). If these kinds of parallels between the era and the situation continue, the cynicism of the 1990’s and beyond is going to play a role in these next episodes and things are going to break down even further.

  • ‘The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal Joins HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’

    ‘The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal Joins HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’

    Just a few hours after we covered the rumor that HBO’s upcoming adaptation of The Last Of Us has offered Maharshala Ali the role of Joel, Variety reports that they have officially cast Pedro Pascal in the iconic role. The news follows directly after the announcement that Game of Thrones veteran Bella Ramsey has joined the series. She will be playing the role of Ellie in the HBO adaptation. This announcement is another win for the actor, who has seen a massive surge in popularity over the last few years. His starring role in Disney+’s The Mandalorian already dives into a story of a lone wolf having to take along an unlikely companion, so he has some experience in that kind of role.

    As pointed out in the Ali story, the production seems to be picking up speed with Russian director Kantemir Balagov set to direct the show’s pilot. Naughty Dog’s in-house writing team is also heavily involved alongside the original game’s director Neill Druckman, who took to Twitter after the announcement.

    https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann/status/1359710048302206976

    At this rate, we might see more casting news of other iconic characters, such as Joel’s brother Tommy, the firefly leader Marlene, his smuggling partner Tess and survivor Bill. It looks like the series will follow the original game’s story rather closely but could still add its twists and turns to make it stand out from the 2013 original. No matter which direction they decide to go, the casting is perfect for the roles, and here’s hoping we get an official look at them in costume once production starts.

    Source: Variety, Twitter

  • BREAKING: Gina Carano Has Been Fired by Lucasfilm

    BREAKING: Gina Carano Has Been Fired by Lucasfilm

    It was only a matter of time until her batshit comments caught up to her but Gina Carano has now been fired by Lucasfilm, in an exclusive report by io9. The outlet received a statement from a Lucasfilm spokesperson saying, “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” The report was also seconded by The Hollywood Reporter, whose sources revealed that an announcement unveiling Carano as the star of her own show was quickly scrapped when the controversy first started a couple of months back.

     

     

    Gina made waves again this week after posting photos on Instagram comparing the political divide in the US to the horrors and atrocities in Nazi Germany. That post was taken down quickly as the fan outrage deservedly started pouring in and the hashtag #FireGinaCarano surfaced. Carano, over the past few months, has been on a streak of controversy, sharing misinformation on mask-wearing, the vaccine, BLM protests, and the 2020 elections, in addition to the transphobic comments she previously posted online.

    There’s no word yet on what happens to her Mandalorian character, Cara Dune, but given the scale of the Star Wars galaxy, we imagine it won’t be tough to write her off the show.

    Source: io9

  • HBO’s ‘THE LAST OF US’ finds its Ellie in ‘GAME OF THRONES’’ Bella Ramsey

    HBO’s ‘THE LAST OF US’ finds its Ellie in ‘GAME OF THRONES’’ Bella Ramsey

    Mentioning either The Last of Us (2013) or The Last of Us Part II (2020) means talking about one of the best and most impactful games of the past decade. It came with little surprise when it became official that HBO had secured the rights for a small screen adaptation last March, managing to secure Neil Druckman to write the story, he who is arguably the mastermind behind the game series. Last November the show got officially picked up for an entire season and we are now getting our first news regarding the cast.

    The biggest roles will obviously be the ones of Joel and Ellie, and it now seems that HBO has found the right actor for the latter in Game Of Throne‘s Bella Ramsey, who caught the eye of audiences worldwide for her incredible portrayal of Lyanna Mormont. Bella Ramsey is currently 17 years old, a bit older than Ellie was when we first met her in the first game and this might give some credence to the rumors that the show will not try to retell Joel and Ellie’s story, but will perhaps try to fill some of the gaps in the story that both games didn’t quite fill.

    We can certainly understand how Ramsey is seen as a good fit for the role, taking into consideration what we saw from her in Game of Thrones and how Ellie evolves through the games, becoming a force to be reckoned with, much in the same light Lyanna was regarded throughout Westeros.

    HBO’s The Last of Us doesn’t yet have a release date but with casting choices being made, we should probably get updates on the production’s timeline in the coming weeks.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next-Gen Release Might Be Around the Corner

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next-Gen Release Might Be Around the Corner

    We are only a week away from the new Marvel’s Avengers Deep Dive showcase. Crystal Dynamics will get a chance to highlight their next DLC character, Clint Barton. We’ve been anxiously expecting his reveal, especially after his protégé took over as the first new character. Luckily, they also confirmed that we will get our first showcase of the next-gen upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The only question that remains is when we can expect both updates after the reveal next Tuesday. Well, it seems that perhaps it is sooner rather than later. It seems that the trophies for the game’s PlayStation 5 version have already been made available, which hints at the release being potentially around the corner.

    When this information is made available online, they seem to commonly hint at the game releasing a few weeks later. Yet, keep in mind this is not an official confirmation in any way. We will get the official release date once the next War Table video is released. The question is also if the plan is to release alongside their next DLC character. Hawkeye is getting a lot of attention with tweets on his comic history and a showcase of the new Wasteland biome by the developers. It would make sense to promote the next-generation update alongside their latest hero. Hawkeye was in high-demand that they even created a petition. Now, we are only a few days away from our first look at him in action and his different abilities. Here’s hoping the wait afterward isn’t too long and we get to try him out in all his glory.

    Source: GameRant, Change

  • RUMOR: HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Eyeing Mahershala Ali for the Role of Joel

    RUMOR: HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Eyeing Mahershala Ali for the Role of Joel

    We’ve been hotly anticipating any information on the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Last Of Us. HBO will adapt the acclaimed video game series into a series alongside its original creators. Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckman and his writing team will be working on the series with Chernobyl‘s Craig Mazin. Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov joined the production to direct the pilot in January, so we expected some casting rumors in the coming weeks. Originally, Johan Renck was going to direct it but had to drop out due to scheduling conflict. Just a month after they got their director, it seems they are already getting their casting together. Illuminerdi revealed that HBO offered the role of Joel to Mahershala Ali.

    It looks like while the series will stick to the original game’s storyline, they are flexible when it comes to the casting. Ali is a powerhouse in the industry right now, so he would be a fantastic find for the franchise. His character will remain mostly the same, as he’ll face the same dramatic backstory from the original game. Joel’s morality has faded, but a sign of hope in the form of a 13-year-old Ellie, who is the key to solving the fungus-infected future.

    Illumerndi also points out that they’ve offered the role to Matthew McConaughey, who turned it down. It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll accept the role, as he will join the upcoming MCU adaptation of Blade. There is a chance that the potential casting of Ellie is also in the works. This casting rumor might hint at the show potentially taking a unique direction to distinguish itself from the original game.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Illuminerdi