Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • Review: ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’

    Review: ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’

    Having been a long-time Wonder Woman fan since Lynda Carter spun around in those star-spangled pants, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Wonder Woman 1984. While it’s not perfect, and certainly there are things I would change if I could, overall, I enjoyed the sequel. It’s at least equal to my enjoyment of the first but for different reasons. 

    ***Beware there are spoilers below!***

     

    On the negative side, the film spent a bit too much time on 80’s nostalgia silliness. Also, I would have really liked it if they had worked a few of the great pop songs of the early 80s into the soundtrack. It seems almost a waste now, to set the film in 1984 and not bring more of the hits that came out that year. I found that the first and second act, dragged a bit, and were less effective than the third, which seems opposite to how I felt about the first film. On the positive side, there were some terrific fight scenes, and a number of exciting new skills Diana used during the film. Pedro Pascal and Kristin Wiig both give strong performances as the antagonists. This is particularly true for Pascal in the last scenes of the third act. 

    As we open on this film, we see Diana recalling her childhood with the Amazons, and the young Diana (Lilly Aspell) joining in with older much larger competitors in a tournament which Diana very much wants to win. An almost faulty desire for the glory of winning is clear on Diana’s face as she looks back from her horse to check where the other girls are, and gets knocked off. It seems Diana has lost, until she finds a shortcut and takes it, and soon she’s back up on her horse and in the lead again. At first glance, this tournament might seem like a bit of extravagant Amazonian filler, but what happens next as Antiope (Robin Wright) takes Diana out of the lead, foreshadows the morale of this story. “No true hero is born from lies” and we must face the truth bravely. Because, in other words, lying and cheating to get what or where you want has consequences.

    In 1984 Diana’s case, what she wants is her lost love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), to return, something which an ancient artifact that grants wishes soon gives her. Pine and Gadot’s chemistry in the first film was a highlight, and that is certainly reignited throughout the film. Sadly, Steve and Diana eventually realize that the cost of her wish, the consequence of believing the lie, is a loss of Diana’s power and strength. She can no longer fight as well, she is much more vulnerable to injury, and if she is to continue to save people, to potentially save the world again one day, she must be a hero and stop believing the lie. She eventually must come to terms with this and renounce her wish and lose Steve for a second time, and forever, or risk letting the world go up in a nuclear war. Diana’s heartbreak in her final scene with Steve is as emotional as their farewell in the first film.

    Then we have Pedro Pascal as Max Lord. At first glance, Lord is the perfect over the top, greasy, greedy, villain for the 80s, a decade known for excess. As we progress and certainly before the third act is finished, we see a bit more clearly into the murk and slime of his character to realize he is in truth a desperate perpetual loser, trying to win and gain power, money, glory, by any means he can. Even as his health is being threatened by the wishes, he still believes more is not only better, but it’s never enough because, as we later learn, he never had much of anything to begin with. If “no true hero is born from lies”, Maxwell Lord has believed the lie to the point of becoming the villain of this story, when all he really wanted was to be the hero of his own story, and as we find out in his final scene, a hero to his son. This added context to the character, beyond him being just some slimeball we can’t wait to see the hero of the story take down, makes him quite compelling in the third act, and significantly more than Ares the villain of the first Wonder Woman film. Pascal’s performance in his final scene with this son in particular, drew tears from me, as he renounced his wishes and ran to save his boy, and as he emotionally told his son the truth about himself, that he wanted his son to be proud of him, that his son doesn’t have to wish for him to love him, that he hopes he will someday forgive him. While it is unclear what happens to Max Lord after that, and it certainly seems that there should be more consequences for Lord in the aftermath of nearly causing a nuclear war, I found this final scene, quite powerful and didn’t mind them ending his story here on that note. After all, if Darth Vader had survived Return of the Jedi and not died after saving and making amends with his son, would we have wanted to see him tried and imprisoned or executed around the same time of the film everyone’s singing happy Ewok songs and celebrating the end of the Empire? That would have been rather jarring, so.. probably not. 

    Barbara Minerva (Kristin Wiig), geologist and new friend of Diana, is similarly seduced by the wishes and the lies of the Dreamstone. Wiig’s performance as Barbara is compelling: from nerdy loser at the beginning, through powerful apex predator, until her final moments in the film. I’ve seen the “nerd becomes the villain” trope a few times now and as a nerdy girl with glasses myself, I’ve become a bit tired of this as I’ve seen it done incredibly poorly a few times. But Wiig and Patty Jenkins got it right, I think, so it works. Barbara starts off shy and awkward, but funny, sweet, likable, endearing, and relatable in many ways. Then came her assault scene. It is unfortunate that even today many, many women can relate to that feeling of being stalked, and unsafe, unable to go out and walk without being leered at, looked at as no more than object to be used, or attacked. When she pays back her attacker later in the film, certainly there is a degree of empowerment of a person who was previously quite powerless, and the satisfaction of her “villain” getting what he deserves. But then the mood and the scene turns, and we see the consequences of her believing this lie, along with the homeless man she had given food to just a few scenes before. What this lie, this wish to be more powerful and “like Diana” is robbing Barbara of is her kindness, her good heart. She is already becoming less human and more predator.

    And in fact, Barbara, Max Lord and Diana are not the only ones who have to deal with the terrible consequences of their wishes and lies. The entire world is facing the consequences of trying to cheat to win, and believing in harmful wishes for personal gain or satisfaction. This is true from the U.S. President, who wishes for more nuclear bombs, then is suddenly faced with the brink of an apocalyptic war, to the man who yells at a woman to drop dead, and then she collapses from a heart attack. 

    During the third act, when I realized that Diana, in her sad, exhausted, desperate, but beautifully performed speech, is asking everyone in the world to renounce their wish, I admittedly felt skepticism. How could that possibly work because of course people are flawed and often selfish? Yet in a way, that made the whole thing even more dire. The final threat to the world felt legitimate and terrifying here, because human nature is at the center of it. Is it a realistic expectation to have the world decide to put aside personal needs, greed, and selfishness to save others? Perhaps not. Reviewing human history would tell us it is not realistic, unfortunately.  But this is why I like superhero movies like this; they give me hope, at least for a moment, that people really can choose to be better, they can win honestly, they can choose truth and kindness, over greed and hate, and sometimes they can turn away from darkness and sincerely try to make amends for their mistakes. Of course, some of you may think that it is in fact believing a “lie.” But hope is an important element of most superhero movies and it’s an incredibly important thing for human beings to retain just to get through life. Hope in good triumphing over evil. Hope in human beings doing the right thing. Hope to get through especially hard times, and major challenges. After this past year, we need inspiration for light and hope now more than ever and this is what superhero movies, more often than not, helps give us.

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ Season 1 Seemingly Set for an 8-Week Run

    ‘WANDAVISION’ Season 1 Seemingly Set for an 8-Week Run

    The information comes from an official Disney site.

    Looks like Twilight Time is gonna go on for a while. After more than a year without any MCU content, Marvel fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the upcoming Disney+ series, WandaVision. The show centers around Marvel’s newly wedded couple; Wanda Maximoff and Vision, living out their lives in the peaceful, suburban town of WestView. A lot of questions have been asked regarding the show since the trailers sometimes tend to leave us with more questions than answers. How is Vision back? What is it with all these sitcom era homages? Is it all in Wanda’s head? Does it have to do with the Mind Stone? All of these questions will hopefully be answered during the series which premieres on January 15th. One of the questions a lot of fans have been waiting answers to is how many episodes the show would have? Many have been reporting that WandaVision would have a total of 6 episodes, but it seems that we’re in for a whole lot more WandaVision content than that.

    Disney Latino, an official Disney site, whose main focus in on Latin America, recently released this article relating to WandaVision’s premiere on Disney+. The translation is as follows:

    “On January 15, 2021, WandaVision opens on Disney + , Disney’s streaming platform. The series starring Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) and Paul Bettany (Vision) will have a new episode available every Friday, and will reach the end of its first season on March 5.”

    A lot of things to take in with this article. So first things first, the site states that following the premiere of the series on January 15th, we will be treated to a new episode EACH friday until the end of the season on March 5th. Meaning that WandaVision will be debuting a new episode each week for 8 weeks. That means there are bound to be AT LEAST 8 episodes from this series. The second important thing to notice is that it mentions that WandaVision will reach the end of “its first season”. Is it hinting at the possibility of perhaps a second season, or continuation of Wanda and Vision’s story? Only time will tell. The site also provided additional details on the series:

    “This new Marvel Studios production is set in Westview. Its protagonists describe it as a sitcom that spans many decades to the present and finds the characters of Vision and Scarlet Witch living an apparent married life in suburban bliss. The new series will not only be a great reunion for those who follow these characters in movies and graphic novels, but it will also allow us to know other sides of their stories.”

    This tidbit provides us with another clue as to what we can expect from WandaVision, teasing the possibilities of their stories being explored more in depth with the show than ever before, perhaps shedding some light on the unclear origins of some of these characters and how they came to be the characters we know and love today.

    Official Plot Synopsis: Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, “WandaVision” is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The show features the return of Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis & Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, as well as the introduction of new faces, such as Teyonah Parris as an adult Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as the nosey neighbor, Agnes.

    WANDAVISION PREMIERES EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+ ON JANUARY 15TH.

  • New ‘WANDAVISION’ Teaser Features An Interesting New Detail

    New ‘WANDAVISION’ Teaser Features An Interesting New Detail

    We are just 3 weeks away from the first episode(s) of WandaVision streaming into our homes and this morning Marvel Studios gave fans a little present with a new look at the show during Disney’s Christmas celebration. Check out the new teaser below!

    This one definitely adds to the mystery of what exactly is going on in WestView, especially the scene where Agnes essentially wants to take the scene from the top after flubbing her lines. You can check out everything we know about the series, which kicks off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here. WandaVision begins streaming on January 15th, exclusively on Disney Plus.

  • The Case for Marvel Studios ‘BLADE’ as the Fifth 2022 Film

    The Case for Marvel Studios ‘BLADE’ as the Fifth 2022 Film

    Like every other studio in the business, Marvel Studios reshuffled its 2020 and 2021 film slates more than once as the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted every aspect of production. Two weeks ago, at Disney’s Investor Day, the studio revealed the latest (and hopefully final) plan that saw it’s 2022 slate rearranged, moving Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther II and Captain Marvel 2 a spreading the release dates of its four films (Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is still set for a March 2022 release) a little more evenly throughout the year. Interestingly enough, the studio did NOT place a film on the October 7, 2022 date that they reserved late last year. That date has remained open, but reserved for a Marvel Studios film, though for many fans, it’s become increasingly hard to believe Kevin Feige would release a film on that date as it would mean going head-to-head with Sony’s animated Spider-Verse sequel, which was moved from April to October of 2022 during the pandemic. And while that logic holds up, an official Investor’s Day fact sheet presents the possibility that Marvel Studios may be at least thinking about dropping Blade, a FIFTH feature film, in 2022 and that October date makes sense for a lot of reasons.

    As you can see in the first image, the fact sheet indicates that the projects are listed in chronological order. The second image then lists Blade between Black Panther II’s July 8th release and Captain Marvel 2’s November 11th date. A quick check of the calendar shows that October 7th happens to fall in between those other two dates. An October 7th date would also put Blade, a film set to reintroduce Marvel’s premier vampire hunter, in theaters during the time of year when audiences are in the mood to watch films about such things. So while it’s a little hard to see Marvel Studios putting out 5 films in one year, the evidence is all there staring us in the face…how we chose to interpret it is up to us.

    11 Things You Never Knew About Marvel's 'Blade'

    Of course, there are quite a few obstacles in the way of Blade making that October 2022 release. Fiege did tease upcoming news about the project during the Investor Day presentation, but as of now, the only thing we know about the project is that Mahershala Ali will star in it. As far as we know, the film doesn’t have a creative team behind it at the moment, and Marvel Studios has historically liked to give the team about a year to work together before filming. They also tend to film about 12-16 months before release, which means they’d like to begin production on the film sometime between June and October of 2021. Now there are certainly exceptions to those rules on either side: sometimes the teams are together longer, sometimes shorter; sometimes films get started closer to expected release, sometimes further out (especially now with all the uncertainty). For example, Destin Daniel Cretton was brought on board to direct Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings just 10 months before filming was scheduled to begin. If Marvel Studios has a good idea of where the film is going and maybe an in-house outline of the script, it’s not impossible to believe that the film could be ready for an October start of production if they were able to get a team together sometime early next month. If such an announcement comes in early January, it could provide a couple more data points to help us make a decision. Of course, the best data point would be an official announcement and in these crazy times it’s best for all of us (even me!) to wait on one of those. But at this point, we cannot say with any certainty that we will not see Ali as Blade in the Fall of 2022.

  • Theory Thursday: The MCU’s next Civil War is a “Secret Invasion”

    Theory Thursday: The MCU’s next Civil War is a “Secret Invasion”

    Trust No One…

    Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Marvel Studios confirmed that the Skrulls were coming to the MCU for 2019’s Captain Marvel. Since that announcement and after the film had been released, for years, one of the biggest questions fans had regarding the alien race is whether or not Marvel Studios would adapt the comic event Secret Invasion. Well, just a few weeks ago, Kevin Feige officially confirmed that Marvel Studios would be adapting the Secret Invasion storyline in a Disney+ Original Series. Samuel L Jackson. is set to return as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn will return as Talos.

    What happened during the comic event “Secret Invasion”?

    After years of fighting wars against the Kree civilization, the Skrulls eventually lost their home planet and were desperately seeking a new place to call home. Their leader, Queen Veranke decided to follow an ancient prophecy that claimed that the Skrulls were the rightful rulers of the Earth, and for years, the Skrulls had infiltrated the planet via multiple sleeper Skrulls agents that were so well hidden that no one could tell who they were. Not even they themselves. Only when a Skrull infiltrator heard the words; “He loves you”, would his original personality resurface. Until then, the infiltrator would not even be aware that he was in fact a Skrull. Once the Skrulls has revealed themselves to each other and united in the Secret Invasion, the heroes (and villains) had to unite on their own front to face off against what was left of the entire Skrull army, who by this time, not only could shift shapes but also had multiple sets of superpowers based on the heroes they were facing.

    How could this event translate into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

    We know that Marvel Studios tends to adapt their most iconic stories and adding their own MCU twist to the story. I sense Secret Invasion won’t be any different. As of right now, the only two cast members officially confirmed to return are Jackson and Mendelsohn. But we need to take Feige’s own words from Disney’s Investor Day into account. “Next to Civil War, Secret Invasion is arguably the biggest crossover comic event in the last 20 years, and we’re bringing it to Disney+.” We need to put into perspective that the world in the MCU right now is pretty much defenseless, as it does not have an actual Avengers team to protect it from otherworldly dangers. Captain America retired, Iron Man and Black Widow are dead, Thor is off-world, Hulk is partially out of commission and Hawkeye has his own matters to deal with in the upcoming Hawkeye series. This sort of lines up with the events of the comics. The world is split apart due to the events of Civil War, the former Avengers are all separate and there is a new wave of heroes that are certainly different from their predecessors. This would be the perfect time for the Skrulls to strike.

    And the idea of a sect of Skrulls having already infiltrated the Earth is something that was already explored since way back in 2015, when Talos was already posing as Nick Fury post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). While the intent of posing as Director Fury wasn’t malevolent per se, who’s to say other Skrulls haven’t already infiltrated the Earth, perhaps as individuals in high ranking positions of power worldwide, including Earth’s very own superheroes. Let me refer you to this panel from Secret Invasion #2:

    As you can see, we’re seeing some of our favorite Marvel Comics heroes take on earlier versions of themselves and even some who are considered to be dead. If Marvel Studios plays their cards correctly, we could potentially see a version of this play out on the Disney+ series, as heroes from the MCU’s past take on the heroes of the MCU’s future. It would even be the perfect opportunity for Marvel to bring back iconic characters from their previous phases back on screen. Just imagine it for a second. Characters like Chris Evans’ Captain America, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, and Scarlett Johanson’s Black Widow taking on the likes of Falcon, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel. And in the end, because the Skrulls are sleeper agents, they wouldn’t be able to tell who’s who in this scenario and could confuse, and potentially convince the heroes (and the audience) that these heroes could actually be back. However this series plays out, I’m certain it’s going to be an absolutely exciting event for Disney+. And as Mysterio would say:

  • Murphy’s Multiverse: The Best of 2020

    Murphy’s Multiverse: The Best of 2020

    As we get closer and closer to putting 2020 in our rear-view mirror, it’s easy to lash out at everything that was taken away from us all in the long, worldwide nightmare we’ve all been living. What’s a little tougher to do is see beyond it and find the things for which we are all grateful…but that’s what we did!

    Here are our best memories of the year that was:

    Joao Pinto

    Without a shadow of a doubt it was season 2 of The Mandalorian. I can’t say I liked the way the Skywalker Saga ended, as The Rise of Skywalker is probably my least favorite Star Wars movie ever, and it bummed me out how, to a degree, it made less of the ones I do love. But with The Mandalorian’s second season, which was nothing short of a resounding success, I felt like I was falling in love with Star Wars all over again.

    Julia Delbel

    My favorite entertainment/fandom thing in 2020 was getting to watch the DC Fandome and Disney Investor Day presentations with everyone. There was so much exciting news on all fronts and the format made the usual divide during con season disappear with everyone getting to watch and get hyped together. I especially loved the portions of those events focused on The Suicide Squad, Pixar, and Marvel Studios.

    Joseph “The Machine” Aberl

    2020 has been a crazy year with many ups and downs. Even still, it is difficult to pinpoint what was the thing that stood out to me all year. On the one hand, I got to cover so many different topics that I am qutie proud of stories coming together the way they did, may it be Marvel’s Avengers or even just the Disney+ Star story. In the end, I have to say my favorite thing of 2020 was being able to join Charles’ site and offer my contribution to help it grow.

    Lizzie Hill

    Obviously, it’s been a tough year, but my favorite thing in 2020 is Wonder Woman 1984 set to release on HBO max as well as theaters on Christmas day! Thank you Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, WB, DC, and HBO!

    Edward Rose

    It’ll sound sappy but joining the team at Murphy’s Multiverse was my favorite part of 2020. Being given a platform for which to voice my theories, pitches and ideas on a weekly basis truly has been a blessing and it’s even more so when you have a wonderful group of people that provide you with feedback, ideas and overall a wonderful time. And also getting the opportunity to interact with the people who support us and just talking with them is just one hell of a fun time.

    Arlyn Murphy

    My favorite series that came out this year was Season 2 of The Mandalorian. It was so thrilling and exciting; I couldn’t look away from the TV. My favorite things about the show are how cute Grogu is, all of the action and cool characters like Ahsoka, Cara and, of course, the Mando!

    Charles Murphy

    I’m so grateful to be at a place in my life where I’m able to share my passion with so many people and easily the best thing about the past year was being able to assemble the team at Murphy’s Multiverse. I know most folks still think of this as a “Marvel scoops site”, but it’s become so much more in the past year and that’s 100% due to the incredibly diverse and talented team members we have here. 

    Outside of that, my favorite Murphy’s Multiverse-related thing from 2020 was being able to absolutely fall in love with the Dawn of X comics and watching Jonathan Hickman turn Apocalypse into arguably the MOST interesting character in Marvel Comics. Hickman’s work is ALWAYS sci-fi heavy and cinematic, but he and the creative pushed their own limits with his recreation of Apocalypse, the incredible expansion of Otherworld and the reintroduction of S.W.O.R.D. (Al Ewing’s #1 was an amazing read and promises big things for 2021). Well done, X-team of writers!

    Charles Villanueva

    It’s hard to think of a favorite thing this year when it’s been real shitty but as I mentioned in our latest podcast, 2020 is the year I returned to my gaming roots. Gaming has always been a huge part of my life growing up and that slowly went away as I hit adulthood. Now that I’m back at it and catching up on all the good games and franchises I missed, it’s been a total blast.

    Dalbin Osorio

    In a year that has been crazier than most, folks have found solace in some really great television and video games. The internet is riddled with Mandalorian and Call of Duty memes: I have a folder dedicated to them. My favorite thing from 2020, nerd-related, was Stargirl. The Arrowverse has expanded into what folks hoped the DCEU would be: let’s face it, even the Fast & Furious movies do a better job of world building than DC has done. As the Arrowverse ended its signature show, i wondered what would ride up in its stead. Black Lightning was incredible, Batwoman had an excellent season one, but the best new show from DC this year was Stargirl. A rocky start couldn’t hinder an inspired cast, and season one ended on a high note. I can’t wait for season two.

    John Sabato

    Birds Of Prey was by far my favorite movie I saw this year. While it was one of the only movies I saw this year, it was a great departure from CBM norms and introduced some fantastic and unique characters to the DCEU. Can’t forget to mention the film’s astounding soundtrack as well.

  • Live-Action Spider-Verse Teased by Paramount Tweet

    Live-Action Spider-Verse Teased by Paramount Tweet

    The news came from the Spanish Paramount Network.

    With the casting confirmations of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx as Electro, and the MANY, MANY RUMORS surrounding the project, many fans grow more anxious and eager to hear any sort of news regarding the upcoming Spider-Man sequel. The biggest rumor that essentially condenses all others is that this film will in fact delve into the Spider-Verse and bring back the previous iterations of Spider-Man; Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Well, it seems that that rumor has just been absolutely amplified by a tweet sent out by the official Paramount Network Twitter account last week. Check the tweet here.

    For our non-Spanish speaking audience, the tweet translates “Marvel gives you their Christmas Gift. It’s a box that, if you open it, all 3 Spider-Men from the 21st century will appear in the same movie.” The picture also states that “Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will return to reprise their roles as Peter Parker” and that “Spider-Man 3 will explode the Arachnid Multiverse (Or Spider-Verse).” This is a similar scenario to that of when an official Latin American Sony Channel seemingly confirmed in a now-private YouTube video that all 3 Spider-Men are uniting for one single movie.

    While it is important to note that this tweet is sent by an official Paramount Twitter account (which is odd, considering that Sony Pictures is the one that owns the franchise), the tweet pretty much amplifies the rumor that many people are anxiously waiting for official confirmation from either Sony Pictures or Marvel Studios. There is also the timing of it all that we have to take into account. It mentions that it’s a Christmas gift from Marvel Studios. It’s a bit of a stretch and I highly doubt it will happen, but maybe Paramount might be hinting that we may get something on Christmas Day regarding Spider-Man 3? Who knows.

    That rumor wasn’t the only one that’s been spread around as of late. Allegedly, there’s word that we’ll also see the returns of some familiar love interests in the form of Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. And if that wasn’t enough, there is also the possibility that the film might introduce the Sinister 6 into the mix with some Multiverse villains, bringing back actors such as Willem Dafoe, Dane DeHann, Thomas Hayden Church to reprise a new take on their villainous roles. The running gag on social media is that everyone that has ever even been a part of the Spider-Man franchise is stepping in to take part of what seems to be a massive Spider-Verse film. We’ll just have to wait and see if this is the case when Spider-Man 3 rolls around December of 2021.

    Could Sony be hinting at Spider-Man 3 becoming the live-action Spider-Verse fans have been asking for? Only time will tell.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Reports 13M+ Sales Even With Refunds

    ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Reports 13M+ Sales Even With Refunds

    It has been quite a turbulent ride for Cyberpunk 2077. Just recently, we took a closer look at the drama surrounding the game’s release. The game was continuously delayed, faced a very buggy launch and even with phenomenal pre-order numbers had to start a refund campaign. Still, many wondered how exactly this could affect their sales numbers, especially with investors even threatening to sue them. So, CD Project Red revealed their latest sales figures to highlight

    According to their latest press release, the game has sold over 13 million copies. These sales numbers cover all platforms and also factor in refunds. The statement also seems to highlight that this being made public is primary to support investment-related decisions. So, this might be CDPR taking action to ensure their investors that even with the bad press, their game has still been selling amazingly.

    Those sales numbers are, of course, fantastic. Any game developer would be happy to boast those numbers. They have shown a strong digital sales funnel, which is a major advantage for CDPR to ensure a bigger cut. Right now, the sales are phenomenal but they could see a quick slowdown with many still waiting to check out the game until most of the bugs have been fixed.

    So, if they are able to fix it with the upcoming major patches that are planned, there is a good chance they can see another boost, especially as many are still waiting for the next-gen upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The only question is, how much has their reputation been hit by these events and news coverage. For now, only time will tell but the game’s foundation will still be a draw for many to return.

    Source: CD Project Red

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Should be Marvel Studios’ ‘Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law’

    ‘She-Hulk’ Should be Marvel Studios’ ‘Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law’

    She-Hulk is an exciting addition to the Marvel world. During Disney’s Investor’s Day, Marvel Studios president revealed that the upcoming story would be a half-hour legal comedy. It made me wonder how they would approach the story and tone of the show. There is one legal-comedy that seems like a perfect template that also suits the character quite perfectly. I am talking of none other than Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The Adult Swim show re-used old Hanna-Barbera assets to create an adult comedy reinventing many of their beloved characters. Our titular hero is a criminal defense attorney that also acts as a parody, especially by making the various characters even more eccentric than they already were in their original renditions. You might be wonder, why would this type of comedy work for She-Hulk?

    Well, many tend to overlook that she is fond of breaking the fourth wall long before Deadpool was around. In 1989, John Byrne introduced a cross-dimensional awareness of the character. She would tear the page or walk through advertisements. Dan Slott‘s run in 2004 also took this aspect one step further. As every comic before 2001 got published with the Comics Code Authority of America, they are considered legal documents that she actively uses in court to represent her clients. She has her own unique blend of destroying the fourth wall, which would be a waste not to explore.

     

     

    She isn’t new to meta-humor and could mix up the formula we are familiar with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the MCU faces an ever-expanding multiverse, they can introduce her “world-altering” abilities through Wanda and Doctor Strange’s adventures. Not only did she transform into She-Hulk, but also at a timing that gave her some self-awareness. We will probably see many characters show up throughout her show. So, each episode could focus on a different client. We could finally meet some of the most bizarre superheroes ever created by Marvel, such as Demolition Man, 3-D Man, or Frog-Man. They don’t have to hold back in mocking some of the hero’s mistakes throughout the last 10+ years. Deadpool offered us a more unfiltered look at the X-Men world, while She-Hulk can expand it in creative ways.

    Not just that, she also is forced to face a variety of cooky characters at her office. Stephen Colbert, who played Birdman’s boss Phil Ken Sebben, is a partner who makes her daily life a living hell. Not just that, she also is trying to adjust to the fact that her cousin’s blood transfusion gave her Hulk-like abilities. We can expect some accidental destruction. One episode can focus on Falcon, who is trying to ensure he can’t lose the Captain America title to the government again. His appearance would make for a great tribute to Birdman and makes for a great sequel to Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Plus, with hints at Charlie Cox‘s return in Spider-Man 3, she might drop a comment if he ever appeared in a competition streaming service before. These are just examples of how She-Hulk can tackle a similar structure to the Adult Swim series, while also making use of a similar type of meta-humor just to flip the entire MCU on its head.

  • The Future of Fandom Conventions and Studio Promotion

    The Future of Fandom Conventions and Studio Promotion

    Much like how the pandemic has put the “neutral ground” of movie theaters in jeopardy in favor of streaming services closely tied to different studios, it’s accelerated a similar situation in how these studios announce and promote their upcoming projects. We all know the pandemic dramatically altered the 2020 pop culture con season. Most smaller cons this year were cancelled and for the biggies, the convention landscape will likely never look quite the same. That’s not to say events like SDCC, New York Comic Con, and CCXP will never be held in person again, but this year we saw a trend that was slowly rising in the convention world finally come to the forefront of the media that may take away some of the relevance and buzz of the traditional headliner events going forward.

     

    When it became clear that the behemoth conventions wouldn’t be able to move forward as usual, they shifted online. This could have provided a great opportunity to allow fans who wouldn’t be able to travel to these events in-person to get the experience of being part of a big moment in pop culture fandom, and it did…but that opportunity didn’t come from any of the big-name cons. Instead, Warner Bros. decided to forgo their planned Hall H mega-panel for the DC movies at SDCC and host their own fully-virtual event in the form of DC Fandome.

     

    DC Fandome was certainly not a perfectly run event; there were plenty of schedule changes – namely, the last-minute announcement of a switch from a one-day thing to a two-day one (with the second day taking place two weeks after the first) – and not every major panel was a slam-dunk (remember when most of the Shazam! Fury of the Gods panel consisted of a Sinbad casting joke which was so oddly executed that many people, myself included, believed it was a legitimate announcement even days later?). But despite a relatively short amount of time for the event to be put together, it managed to excite and please fans with a pretty cool virtual stage-like set-up and did its main job of getting hype in the media and eyeballs on DC’s new trailers and clips.

     

    That’s more than we can say for SDCC, which occurred a month earlier to smaller-scaled panels with little fanfare or NYCC in October which was even less of a blip on the media’s radar. What some fail to realize is that in the past couple of years both of these events have been overshadowed to an extent by CCXP, a Brazillian event which has grown to about twice the attendance size of SDCC and in some years has matched or surpassed it in major announcements and exclusives, like 2018’s Spider-Man: Far From Home footage from Sony shown to attendees or 2019’s Wonder Woman 1984 trailer drop panel with an extended version played for those in the audience from Warner Bros. (Compare that to SDCC, whose only truly memorable panel in the past few years was the Marvel Studios one in 2019.) So the notion of major studios like Warner Bros. and Disney waiting to drop their goodies until the December event wasn’t out of left field.

     

    But then CCXP 2020 happened, with only minor news from Sony, nothing from Disney, and, in a stunningly disappointing example of quantity over quality, a six-hour panel from Warner Bros. with very little new information or material of note coming out of it. What was quickly becoming one of the top events for fandom news sunk just like its peers in 2020.

     

    Just like with DC Fandome eclipsing SDCC At Home, the disappointment of CCXP was quickly forgotten about when Disney put on their second Investor Day. The first, which was held last year, was when the company confirmed projects such as the first Marvel Disney+ shows, but this time they took the event to the next level. Clearly taking inspiration from DC Fandome’s format, Disney pretaped the entire event and made it appear to be occurring on a virtual stage. They didn’t have as detailed a schedule laid out as Fandome, but they made sure the fans knew at around what time they could expect the goods (AKA, announcements and trailers). And they truly delivered on that front, with two-and-a-half out of the four hour event being taken up by an onslaught of reveals and clips (some of these were only shown to the investors the day was said to be for, but Disney knew enough fans would be watching to make a point to mention that there would be plenty in store for them as well, even encouraging them to watch the event on the biggest screen they had available).

     

    This may have been the second “Disney Investor Day”, but it turned out to be more like a hybrid of the spring 2019 Investor Day and a D23 Expo, Disney’s biannual event for news and celebrations covering their entire brand that would not have been held in 2020 regardless of the pandemic, but had its 2021 edition pushed back to 2022 because of it. Disney knew fans were eager for news, and took the opportunity to drop it at a time when they would have everyone’s full attention.

     

    That last sentiment is what entertainment companies have been increasingly trying to achieve as of late. For most studios, dropping major news at an event like SDCC or CCXP where a lot of their competitors also have presentations runs them the risk of potentially being overshadowed, so it only makes sense for them to try to grab the spotlight for themselves. Disney had already jumped on this well before the pandemic with their annual Star Wars Celebration and the aforementioned biannual D23 Expo. And now others are doing the same. When E3, the biggest event in video games, was cancelled for 2020, the gaming companies simply put on their own events (which has made some question E3’s future despite plans for a 2021 edition moving ahead). Instead of presenting at SDCC, Warner Bros. took the opportunity to make their DC announcements their way, and now the DC Fandome isn’t just a single event, but a place for DC fans to “gather” for events online like the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 virtual red carpet. And surely there will be more to come in the future.

     

    So while online events have been the talk of 2020 (and it’s possible they may continue in some form given the success of Fandome and Investor Day) the real story is that the landscape of major conventions – whether in person or virtual – is becoming less about general geekdom and much more studio- and franchise-specific. SDCC and NYCC have been the places to go for star-studded affairs with breaking news in the fandom world, but their format is ideal for most fans but not most studios in all likelihood they will continue to decrease in buzz moving forward in favor of full weekends of Star Wars, DC, Disney, or whatever other companies decide to grab the spotlight for themselves. So short of a big Marvel Hall H panel every couple years or a trailer or two being premiered in Brazil, if you want to be in the room for the biggest announcements in Hollywood you’d be better off saving for D23 or whatever in person event Warner Bros. inevitably mounts in the next few years than a trip to San Diego.