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  • ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    “You better be ready.”

    Last Thursday, Disney held its annual Investor’s Day. This year, because of the pandemic, they were forced to shift their event to a virtual format somewhat similar to that of DC Fandome. Among the event’s presenters were Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, Pixar, Hulu, and others. But by far, the heavy hitter of the night was Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige took to the virtual stage to give us an update at Phase 4, announcing new shows, providing us with a more updated look at the Phase 4 slate, and a handful of trailers for the upcoming Disney+ shows. One of those trailers was an exclusive clip for the upcoming show, Loki, coming May 2021.

    Now during the trailer, we were treated to a number of cool shots with the God of Mischief and some new characters, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the three floating heads behind her, but the most ominous figure came in the form of this hooded individual

    We can assume that whoever is behind that hood might be the antagonist (or at least one of them) for this show. Because his/her identity is kept hidden in this shot, you can’t really tell who this person is, unless you tend to look deeper into the frames of this trailer. So let’s break it down piece by piece to see what we find.

    Piece #1: The boots

    Now let’s rewind the clip for a bit. The frame you see above is a frame that comes just 2 shots before the main thumbnail in the image. This is when the hooded figure drops the lamp and sets the grass ablaze. Notice that for a split second, you can see the left boot of the individual on the left-hand side of the image. The person seems to be wearing some sort of high-top lace-up military boot. Keep that in mind as we go on with our analysis.

    Piece #2: The fingerless gloves

    This is a brightened up version of the shot where the individual is putting his/her hands down. The attempt was to see if we could identify the person’s face, but alas we could not. Yet not all was failed because we noticed one big detail in this shot. Notice the fingerless cloth gloves on the person’s hand. This is a big clue. Because the use of the fingerless gloves and the boots are very important indicators as to who this character is, or at the very least the actress portraying this character.

    The Hooded Figure is Sophia Di Martino’s character.

    Didn’t see that one coming did ya? Well, it’s very easy to identify thanks to the set pictures from JustJared. As you can observe in the picture I linked, you can see Sophia Di Martino’s costume, where she is wearing the exact same boot model, the fingerless gloves, and even the same baggy pants for good measure. What exactly her role in the show will be as of yet remains unclear. However, some people have speculated that she may be portraying a female version of Loki due to the similarity her costume has to the God of Mischief.

    Loki premieres exclusively on Disney+ this coming May 2020.

  • Marvel Studios Takes Aim at Taking Over the World

    Marvel Studios Takes Aim at Taking Over the World

    In the wake of last week’s Disney Investor’s Day Presentation comes the realization that the long, angst-ridden waits between Marvel Studios projects are soon to be a thing of the past. Over each of the next 2 years (2021 and 2022), Marvel Studios looks to roll out AT LEAST 10 major projects a year between their theatrical and streaming offerings. 2020 has been a rough year for MCU fans with the COVID-19 related shutdowns eventually keeping Marvel Studios from releasing any of their planned projects. Even before COVID, however, fans endured some pretty significant gaps between projects (almost 2 years between Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk) but it is clear now that those days are over.

    2021

    • WandaVision begins streaming January 15th
    • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier begins streaming March 19th
    • Black Widow debuts theatrically on May 7th
    • Loki begins streaming in May
    • Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on July 9th
    • What If…?, the studios first canonical animated feature, streams Summer 2021
    • Eternals debuts in theaters on November 5th
    • Spider-Man 3 swings into cinemas on December 17th
    • Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye, both currently filming now, are scheduled to stream in Late 2021

    Looking at 3 data points isn’t really enough for a pattern, but it looks like Marvel Studios may be looking to release a new streaming series on Disney Plus every two months. If that pattern were to hold, we’d see What If…? in July, Ms. Marvel in September and Hawkeye in November. Of course, the studio would have to work around other streaming series as well, but that schedule seems fairly plausible and would make 2021 shape up like this:

    • WandaVision in January
    • The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in March
    • Black Widow in May
    • Loki in May
    • Shang-Chi in July
    • What If…? in July
    • Ms. Marvel in September
    • Eternals in November
    • Hawkeye in November
    • Spider-Man 3 in December

    Ideally, Marvel Studios would probably spread these projects out a little more and they very well may as the working premise is just a guess. What If…? could be a June or August release; Ms. Marvel could be an August, September or even October release; Hawkeye, which is set during Christmas, begin streaming following Thanksgiving and lead up to Spidey’s Christmas release. Whatever the case, it’s pretty clear that Kevin Feige has no intentions of Disney Plus subscribers going very long between new episodes of original content.

    2022

    • Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness will make its way to the big screen on March 25th
    • Thor: Love and Thunder is slated for cinemas on May 6th
    • Black Panther II is set for a July 8th theatrical bow
    • Captain Marvel 2 will smash into theaters on November 11th

    Additionally, the following series are currently slated to stream on Disney Plus in 2022, according to a chronological order listed on Disney’s official PDF file from the event:

    • She-Hulk
    • Moon Knight
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • Armor Wars
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

    If we operate off of our premise that Marvel Studios would like to have a streaming series on Disney Plus every two months, a premise that is, as stated above, only plausible and not confirmed, we can get an idea of when they might sprinkle the half-dozen new series in:

    • She-Hulk or Moon Knight in February
    • Moon Knight or She-Hulk in April
    • Secret Invasion in June
    • Ironheart in August
    • Armor Wars in October
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December

    These timelines not only fit our working premise, but they are also very reasonable given what we know. She-Hulk and Moon Knight are both expected to begin filming in March of 2021. If Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel, which both recently began filming, are expected to make late-2021 release dates, two series that begin filming in early-2021 could be expected to make early-2022 release dates.

    Disney has also listed their Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali as set to appear chronologically ahead of Captain Marvel 2, according to the same PDF, which would bump Disney up to an 11th 2022 project. As of today, Blade has neither a release date nor a creative team, but Feige did say to expect some announcements soon. But it’s possible that 2022 could end up looking something like this:

    • She-Hulk in February
    • Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness March 25th
    • Moon Knight in April
    • Thor: Love and Thunder May 6th
    • Secret Invasion in June
    • Black Panther II July 8th
    • Ironheart in August
    • Blade in September
    • Armor Wars in October
    • Captain Marvel 2 November 11th

    Obviously, until we get an official update on Blade, we can only speculate but finding a way to get it out in September would give fans Marvel Studios content in every month but January, and the longest we’d go between projects would be from Christmas 2021 to February 2022.

    2023

    While the films weren’t given official dates, it seems that Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3and Fantastic Four are all headed for theatrical release in 2023. It was also recently revealed that Deadpool 3 found a pair of writers, making it a likely candidate for another of the 4 previously slated 2023 films. Though we have no guarantee, it’s possible the 2023 slate could look something like this:

    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania in theaters for February 17th
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuting on May 5th
    • Fantastic Four rocketing into theaters for July 28th
    • Deadpool 3 bowing on November 3rd

    Marvel Studios is also known to have a handful of other projects that seem to be further developed than others, though it’s not known if they are meant for theaters of are streaming series:

    • Secret Warriors
    • Ghost Rider
    • Illuminati
    • Young Avengers

    Of those, Young Avengers seems MOST like one that could be a film, but any or all of them would make for great streaming series as well. Recent rumors have a second season of Loki headed into production in January of 2022, which would put it on track for an early 2023 release. Throw in a couple of rumored projects such as Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas, Squadron Supreme, another series getting a second season or a surprise or two here and there and you’re right back into double digits for 2023. It also means it’s possible for Feige and Marvel Studios to get to 2024 before even tapping into what is certainly the biggest ace up their sleeve: the newly acquired X-Men and related characters, should they so choose. Sure Deadpool is part of that acquisition, but as the comics have proven, the X-Men can exist in a world all their own.

    Marvel Studios absence may have been felt in 2020, but it looks like The One-Above-All is doing everything he can to take care of us for the foreseeable future.

  • ‘BLACK ADAM’: Who is Cyclone?

    ‘BLACK ADAM’: Who is Cyclone?

    Black Adam is quite possibly one of the most anticipated DC movies in development and is already living up to the hype with the addition of some of DC’s most iconic characters. With such a rich library to pick from, the film will introduce those from the Justice Society and the Black Marvel Family. The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change and Black Adam won’t let anything stand in between him and protecting the kingdom that he’s called home for thousands of years.

    Created by Alex Ross, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, and Dale Eaglesham, Cyclone would make her first appearance back in 1996’s Kingdom Come storyline as an unnamed Red Tornado who could be seen near Ma Hunkel in certain panels. The character would eventually receive a name a new design, being dubbed Maxine Hunkel, granddaughter of longtime JSA member Ma Hunkel, Aka the original Red Tornado. Maxine is a very energetic and bubbly person who excelled at school with a 4.0 GPA, yet she was a very talkative and was a bit of a know it all, resulting in being left out and abandoned by her peers, leading her to suffer from depression. Maxine was invited to join the JSA by Mr.Terrific and Powergirl and lives up to her nature by almost immediately accepting while talking their ears off, Maxine eventually becomes friends with another young girl on the team, that off Stargirl.

    Maxine did not always have her powers and began showing signs of meta abilities when she sneezed and blew part of her grandmother’s home away. Maxine has the ability to fly with her wind manipulation as well as sound wave control. Maxine takes on the name cyclone as an homage to her Grandmother and her sidekicks, the cyclone kids, aka her aunt Amelia and Uncle Mortimer.

    Cyclone has yet to make a live-action appearance but is set to join the ranks of the newly formed JSA in Black Adam and will be played by Quintessa Swindell

  • Quintessa Swindel Cast as Cyclone in ‘BLACK ADAM’

    Quintessa Swindel Cast as Cyclone in ‘BLACK ADAM’

    With delays setting production back and the film’s release date being removed from the calendar, many wondered what was going on with the Black Adam. Recently the Rock took to Instagram to once again tease his intense training for the role and also happened to confirm that the project would begin production in the Spring of 2021. The film was supposed to begin filming mid-to late-2020, but due to the ongoing pandemic filming was delayed significantly as the Rock had prior commitments to projects like Red Notice and Young Rock. Black Adam is now rounding out its cast and looks to be filling the ranks of its JSA with recent casting confirmation on that of Cyclone.

    Today it was confirmed that Quintessa Swindel had been cast as JSA recruit, Maxine Hunkel, aka Cyclone. The character is the granddaughter of former JSA hero, Red Tornado, who’s also set to appear in the upcoming film, this time reimagined as a transgender character and the caretaker of Hawkman’s museum. Swindell previously appeared on the Netflix original series Trinkets, which only ran for one season. Previously it was reported that actresses Isabelle Moner and Leslie Grace were atop the studio’s wishlist for the character, but they obviously decided to go down an alternate path altogether.

    Black Adam currently has no set release date but is set to be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and will star Dwayne Johnson in the title role, alongside Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centenio as Atom Smasher, and Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz. The film will tell the story of Kahndaq legend that is Teth-Adam and how he came to wield the power of the wizard and how he will do anything to protect his home, even going up against the might of the Justice Society of America.

    For more on the character, make sure to check out her character profile right HERE!!

    SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

     

  • Maggie Q Eyed for Key Role in HBO Max ‘PEACEMAKER’ Series

    Maggie Q Eyed for Key Role in HBO Max ‘PEACEMAKER’ Series

    With production on Peacemaker rapidly approaching, slated to being production early next year if all goes to plan. Peacemaker is set to act as a prequel to the upcoming film The Suicide Squad and focus on the character of Peacemaker with John Cena set to reprise the role. Recently casting breakdowns have made their way out and have teased the inclusions of other Charlton characters such as JudoMaster and Sarge Steele, two characters who were included in the purchase of Charlton when DC eventually bought out the company in the mid-’80s. Now it seems that another character from Charlton could be on her way to the DCEU.

    Recently it was reported that actress Maggie Q was being eyed for a role in Peacemaker and could quite possibly be playing that of Detective Vivian Song, Described as a “tough and witty detective” and set in a recurring role in the series. Now at first this is much to go on and is honestly just a stretch but I think some dots may have been connected with some previous breakdown details. With Sarge Steele, another detective character from the comics and a previous leader at the CBI or The Central Bureau of Intelligence. Now based on speculation and what we’ve seen, it’s quite possible that Detective Vivian Song could be a version of the Charlton comics character Eve Eden, aka Nightshade. Nightshade has worked with Sarge Steele in the past under the CBI and it’s even possible that the two could be working together on the show as detectives, and Gunn has been no stranger to tweaking characters to help them better fit within a story.

    Seeing Gunn pull from what seems like C-list characters is not something that would shock anyone either, someone who reinvented the Guardians of The Galaxy and made them all household names would have no problem picking up some lesser-known heroes and making them work. Peacemaker currently has no set release date but is set to release exclusively on the HBO Max streaming service, the show is written and produced by James Gunn with him even sitting in the director’s chair for a few episodes.

     

    SOURCE: Illuminerdi

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Cast and Brief Synopsis Officially Revealed

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Cast and Brief Synopsis Officially Revealed

    Following Disney’s Investor Day presentation on December 10th, Marvel Studios officially released a short synopsis for its 25th feature film, 2021’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. The film, which is currently set to release next summer, will see Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu, “confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.”

    shangchi

    Marvel Studios also officially revealed additional casting for the film. While Tony Leung and Awkwafina were previously announced by the studio, their characters have been unveiled as Wenwu and Katy, respectively. Fala Chen, who Lizzie Hill previously speculated would be joining the film as Leiko Wu, will play Jiang Li. Florian Munteanu (Creed 2) will be playing notable comics villain Razor Fist, Meng’er Zhang will be playing Xialing, Ronny Chieng will be playing Jon Jon and Michelle Yeoh will be playing Jiang Nan; as is the case with Chen’s character, these characters seem to be either original characters or characters whose names have been significantly changed from the comics.

    Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will hit theaters on July 9th, 2021.

     

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Season Finale Theory: Boba Fett Signing Off

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Season Finale Theory: Boba Fett Signing Off

    The ability The Mandalorian has of making almost every single storyline detail matter down the line might help to predict what pay-offs we might be getting this Friday on the Season 2 Finale. But then again, the ability The Mandalorian has of making almost every single storyline detail matter down the line also makes it difficult to zero in on which ones will actually be the focus of this final episode. It goes both ways. We’ve already discussed how Mando’s armor, his beskar spear, the Dark Troopers, and Gideon’s Darksaber might come into play as the season ends. But for now, let’s center on the characters.

    In terms of returning characters, “Chapter 15: The Believer” gave us what is sure to be the main crew that’ll be by Mando’s side, helping him to retrieve Grogu. But there is another character that, ever since its introduction earlier this season, was bound to show up again as her own journey shares the same objective as Din’s. That character is, of course, Bo-Katan Kryze. Both she and Mando are looking for Moff Gideon, as he has something both of them want back and so being, her return shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.

     

     

    On the other hand, we’ve already had characters that were initially introduced only to properly return the following season. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand both showed up for the first time in “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”, and it wasn’t until “Chapter 14: The Tragedy” that they were a bit more fleshed out, with their arc perhaps more deeply explored on this week’s season finale. This could then mean that Bo-Katan’s return in search of the Darksaber might be something we’ll only witness next season. If this is the case, and as her story is so intrinsically connected to Moff Gideon’s, that could mean that this season might end much in the way The Empire Strikes Back did. With the hero having lost the final confrontation with his enemy and having to regroup before going after a missing friend.

    This sort of bittersweet ending isn’t unfamiliar to The Mandalorian. Even though season 1 ended on a high note with Moff Gideon defeated and Din and Grogu leaving Nevarro unscathed, IG-11 was destroyed and Kuiil was killed while protecting Grogu. That showed us that in this world victories come at a price and that no matter the way season 2 wraps up, there might be more loss to endure. Din and Grogu aren’t obviously going anywhere as the show would lose its heart if any of the two were to leave it. Fennec Shand could be a possibility but her previous “death” and the lack of connection to the character would make it a terribly impactful death. That leaves Boba Fett.

    Chapter 14 reintroduced us to the old Boba Fett but it also presented us with a somewhat new Boba. On the one hand, he delivered on the expected toughness of the character but he also came through as an honorable warrior, not just a ruthless bounty hunter. It seemed like after the events of Return of the Jedi, having lost his armor, he went through some sort of rebirth and is now wanting to leave his old ways behind and live a more withdrawn life. “I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy. Like my father before me”.

     

     

    And now, being in Din Djarin’s debt until Grogu is returned safely feels like an opportunity to make good on not only a promise made but also on erasing a few of his own ghosts that might still haunt him, making him much more at peace with his past. As we saw on Attack of the Clones, Boba lost his father Jango while he was still a child. Jango was, as Din found out in Chapter 14, a foundling just like Din himself. That will make Boba see the relationship between Din and Grogu as he did the one with his own father. By reuniting Din and Grogu, Boba will allow for Grogu to have something he missed out on, a life with a father figure, and that might just be his ultimate selfless act, especially if he has to give up his own life for it to happen.

    Jon Favreau has said that he’d like to further explore the character, but having Boba die shouldn’t stop that from happening. The Boba Fett show that is said to be in production could very well be a prequel that either shows us how Fett survived the Sarlacc pit or some of the events that took place before his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. That is perhaps the more enticing option as we would get a full suited Boba Fett in his prime, where the adventures could live up to the character’s legacy. But as far as The Mandalorian is concerned, and considering how the chess pieces are now placed, Boba Fett could go out as the hero no one expected him to be. In the end, it might not happen. But it would be one hell of a sign-off.

  • Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 74

    Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 74

    The 2 Charleses talk about the big DD news, the insanity that was the Disney Investor’s Day presentation and review the latest episode of The Mandalorian! Have a listen below…

  • Sony Players Supposedly Receiving ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Refunds

    Sony Players Supposedly Receiving ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Refunds

    So, I confess I haven’t covered Cyberpunk 2077 as I wanted to. The game has been on my radar for some time, but looking at it graphically, I felt like it was something I wanted to reserve for my next-gen experience. Now that I was not able to get my hands on a PlayStation 5, my plans got delayed even further. From what I’ve gathered, the release has been far from what people expected. CD Projekt RED received great scores from critics, but only for the PC version. As the IGN review pointed out, they weren’t given a console version and couldn’t use their recorded footage. Shortly after release, the console’s reception by fans ended up at a 2.8 on PlayStation 4 and 3.6 for Xbox One. Cyberpunk 2077’s sales were 41% on consoles, so a substantial part of their player base was affected. Many players then took to Twitter to share their frustration with the game’s issues.

    Now, it looks like the game’s reception has hit a boiling point, as Sony is officially issuing refunds for the PlayStation 4 and Playstation 5 version. This kind of refund only occurs in extreme cases on the console, as Forbes points out. It is especially prevalent as they do not have a return policy. I have heard that there are issues even on newer consoles, and the PC version is littered with enough bugs as well that can hamper some experiences. I still want to give the game a chance, as the world you are presented with and the story sounds intriguing. It is strange to see such a high-profile release face these kinds of issues once again.

    Many recent releases, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion have faced bug-related issues. In some way, it felt like Marvel’s Avengers was just the beginning of the pandemic showing its influence on the development cycle. Even Spider-Man: Miles Morales had a variety of bizarre bugs even with Insomniac’s history of polish. Cyberpunk 2077 could have fallen victim to a similar issue that has been a growing trend as of late. It’ll be interesting to see if 2021’s early releases will also be affected moving forward or developers were finally able to adjust to the current situation.

    Source: IGN, Metacritic (PS), Metacritic (Xbox), EuroGamer, Twitter, Reddit via Forbes, EuroGamer, GameCrate, EuroGamer, NerdBot, The Verge, Forbes

  • Aramis Knight Joins Cast of ‘MS. MARVEL’ as Red Dagger

    Aramis Knight Joins Cast of ‘MS. MARVEL’ as Red Dagger

    21-year old Aramis Knight has joined the cast of the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ms. Marvel. Knight, who is best known for his role as MK in AMC’s Into the Badlands, will reportedly portray Kareem, aka Red Dagger, an unpowered, costumed vigilante Ms. Marvel meets when she visits her family in Pakistan.

    With Knight, whose father is of Pakistani descent, taking on the role of Kareem, and a slew of other announcements this week, the cast of the show seems to be nearly complete. Ms. Marvel is filming now in Atlanta.

    Source: Marvel.com