Murphy's Multiverse

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  • Marvel Studios’ Fail-safe: Spider-Man Enters the Multiverse

    Marvel Studios’ Fail-safe: Spider-Man Enters the Multiverse

    The announcement of Electro joining Spider-Man 3 had everyone theorizing. Is he the same character we meet in The Amazing Spider-Man 2? If so, why did he announce that he won’t be blue this time? There were a lot of hints pointing to this potentially being a live-action adaptation of the Spider-Verse. Yet, it could just be that they are reintroducing Electro with the same actor to build-up to the Sinister Six. Just yesterday, it could’ve gone anyway. Well, I did say that was what we thought yesterday. Now, we know that Benedict Cumberbatch will join the upcoming Spidey threequel. Now, it is hard to deny that there is some Multiverse aspect in play. I am not here to discuss the story implications, our very own Superhero Theorist will tackle that. In my case, I want to write about the reason this is happening. In my view, this storyline may be the result of Sony’s latest deal to keep the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in Marvel Studios’ hands.

    Let’s return to last year when the world was less chaotic. In a sudden twist, Sony announced they will not renew their contract with Marvel Studios. Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige would only remain as a consulting producer rather than have full control. Negotiations fell through, and it seemed like Sony Pictures was taking back their creative rights. Luckily, they managed to come to an agreement that would let Marvel Studios finish the trilogy. It even includes an additional cameo. For now, there are no more plans for Spider-Man within the MCU. This could very well be his last appearance for some time if no new contract is finalized. Funn enough, Kevin Feige may have already hinted at the character’s development last year.

    He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.

    Doctor Strange’s involvement in the unnamed Spider-Man sequel may have strong ties to this contract. Today’s news would also confirm that the additional cameo will be in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. If no new deal is reached for the character’s return tot he MCU, it is a risk for Marvel Studios to set up future appearances and sequels. They might be trying to set-up a storyline that could keep the door open for a future return. If there is no new deal, Spidey’s absence makes sense in-universe. As such, they aren’t closing the door on a future contract but are wary of it potentially falling apart again. As Feige mentions, he can cross cinematic universes, so he is not ruling out a return in some form.

    Why does this matter? Well, Sony wants to develop its franchise surrounding Spidey’s expansive cast of character. They’ve already started with a Venom film that already has a sequel underway. It is noticeable that this film did not have any references to Spider-Man or his larger universe. It wasn’t until the Morbius trailer that we got any connections. It revealed a short sequence that features Michael Keaton‘s Vulture. There was also an image of Spider-Man graffiti with Murderer painted over it. At face value, this is an obvious connection to the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Yet, someone chose an image with the costume from the original Sam Raimi trilogy. It wasn’t even from the film but ripped straight out of PlayStation’s Spider-Man game.

    There is one more thing that adds to the confusion. Spider-Woman director Olivia Wilde let slip that she is in contact with Kevin Feige while developing the film. So, it seems like some cooperation is happening behind the scenes. The way it’s mentioned, it sounds like a consulting position. It seems odd he is her first reference point. There is a chance that we could see some of Sony’s characters officially being part of the MCU as they expand the contract beyond just the titular web-head. I doubt we will see Morbius in Blade, but there seems to be some kind of connection. The Strange reveal today would lean on this being an alternative universe with similar set-ups just without the Avengers. Whatever it may be, this storyline seems to be the result of that contract and the uncertainty of the future. Feige wants the character’s trilogy to end on a high-note while keeping the potential of sequels open. Hopefully, they will find some agreement as the franchises continue to grow.

    Source: Variety

  • Sarah Shahi Reportedly In Talks for ‘BLACK ADAM’

    Though having recently been taken off the release slate, Black Adam doesn’t seem to be slowing down its development behind the scenes with casting becoming more and more frequent as of late. With the recent addition of Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, that only leaves a few more to be cast out of the characters we know will have a presence in the film.

    Recent casting news points to Sarah Shahi being in talks to portray the female lead of the film, Adrianna Tomaz, better known as Isis in the comics. Tomaz is Teth-Adams love interest in the film and is also a mother to a son who has yet to be cast. Adrianna was once a slave who was freed by Black Adam. After he killed her slavers, she served as council to Adam as he ruled over Kahndaq and the two soon wed. Adrianna wields the amulet of Isis and when she speaks the words “I am Isis” is infused with the powers of the goddess and given the ability to control the forces of nature as well as speed, strength, and durability.

    Black Adam will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and currently has no set release date but is set to begin filming early next year. The film will feature the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the titular character along with introducing the Justice Society America currently made up of Aldis Hodge as Hawkman and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, with Dr Fate and Cyclone remaining uncast.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • Theory Thursday: Doctor Strange’s Role in ‘SPIDER-MAN 3’

    Theory Thursday: Doctor Strange’s Role in ‘SPIDER-MAN 3’

    Just a few moments from when I started writing this post, it’s been confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch is set to appear in the upcoming “Spider-Man 3” film. Doctor Strange’s involvement in this film, for the meantime, remains unclear, though it certainly isn’t hard for one to speculate what his casting in this film means. And with the timing and direction that Marvel wants to take Phase 4 for, his involvement is certainly no mistake. So, in honor of the Superhero Theorist motto, we’re going to discuss the possibilities of the role the Master of the Mystic Arts could have in this film, starting with the main question on everyone’s mind.

     

    A. The Multiverse

    Right now, probably the biggest question on everybody’s mind is if Spider-Man 3 is setting itself up to be a Spider-Verse film, and rightly so, this needs to be addressed. Up until a few hours ago, if you would have asked me, I would have said no. But with every news confirmation that keeps coming out, it’s becoming more and more apparent that there is a possibility we might see a Multiverse plotline play out in this film. Considering this film is set after the events of WandaVision, and that the events of the show will transcend its own boundaries and affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, there is a massive possibility that Spider-Man may have to face the aftermath of Wanda’s “reality-altering” powers.

     

    But how does Strange fit into all of this? Well, we know from the Marvel Studios panel last year at SDCC that the next Doctor Strange sequel in 2022 will have the Master of the Mystic Arts delve into the Multiverse of Madness, so we know that the Multiverse is the direction that Marvel Studios is aiming for. And by having Doctor Strange appear in the upcoming Spider-Man film before his own titular appearance, it’s entirely possible that Doctor Strange will attempt to help Peter in handling the conflicts that Spidey faces on the more multiverse front.

     

     

    We already know that Jamie Foxx is set to return as Electro for Spider-Man 3 and that while he has confirmed he “won’t be blue in this one”, it is becoming more and more possible that Marvel is trying to incorporate the same actors to portray different iterations of the characters they were originally cast as. The perfect example of this was JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson during the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Simmons had already portrayed Jameson before during the Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, but he gave a different portrayal of the character for the MCU. It could be entirely possible that, as I mentioned in my Phase 4 theory, the lines between universes become blurred when the events of WandaVision take place, causing universes to merge into one another and introduce characters that we have never seen before in the MCU until now. From Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s own interpretations of the web-slinger, Kirsten Dunst’s “Mary Jane”, Alfred Molina’s “Doc Ock”, Williem Dafoe’s “Green Goblin” to Emma Stone’s “Gwen Stacy”,  Rhys Ifans “The Lizard”, & Dane DeHaan’s “Harry Osborn”, the Spider-Man franchise has had its fair share of web-slingers, love-interests, and villains for many years across many forms of media. So if Jamie Foxx and JK Simmons can return as Electro and J. Jonah Jameson respectively, what’s to stop other characters from possibly joining the fray?

     

    B. He’s the mentor figure in this Spider-Man film

    Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

     

    As fellow writer John Sabato mentioned in his piece earlier today, Doctor Strange “may fill the mentor role that was once filled by Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark (in Spider-Man: Homecoming), and then by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (in Spider-Man: Far From Home). Considering the relationship these two characters have had in the comics (and their relationship off-screen in interviews), it isn’t necessarily hard to picture Doctor Strange acting as a sort of mentor (or ward as Strange would put it) and watch over Spider-Man as both Stark and Fury did in the previous films.

     

    C. He might cameo in the film and help move the plot forward like in “Thor: Ragnarok”.

    Thor in Thor: Ragnarok.

     

    Now, another possibility is that he might come to Spider-Man’s aid in a similar fashion to how he aided Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. He may present himself in the form of a cameo, where he might come to Spider-Man’s help in his time of need and may require some sort of magical assistance to either face of an enemy threat or simply deal with the plot thread of his identity being revealed to the world and may require Strange to wipe everyone’s mind.

     

    Whatever the case it may be, it’s becoming apparent that with Doctor Strange being involved in this film, things are about to get more mystic and weird in ways that we can’t possibly imagine. Who knows? We might be one step closer to seeing this become a reality one day.

  • Benedict Cumberbatch To Return in ‘Spider-Man 3’

    Benedict Cumberbatch To Return in ‘Spider-Man 3’

    With filming on the third installment in the Sony-Marvel Spider-Man universe set to begin filming sometime this month, It seems the studio is rounding out its cast with the newest addition of Benedict Cumberbatch who is set to return as the socerer supreme in the upcoming untitled Spider-Man film.

    Cumberbatch’s Strange may fill the mentor role that was once filled by Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, and then Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Cumberbatch will join Holland and recent addition Jamie Foxx, who previously played Electro is Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man 2, and will reprise the role in the film. Strange’s involvement in the film may add to the running theories of the film dealing a possible multiverse level threat seems to be making its way too the MCU.

    Spider-Man 3 is being directed by Jon Watts and is set to release December 17, 2021 and will feature the return of Tom Holland’s Webhead along with the rest of the supporting cast from the previous installments.

  • Phase 4: Reality Checked

    Phase 4: Reality Checked

    From director picks, casting confirmations for Electro, Kang the Conqueror, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel to release date postponements, and WandaVision trailers, Marvel Studios has certainly been its most active since the pandemic arose back in early 2020. And while we won’t have any theatrical releases from Marvel until May 2021 with Black Widow, Phase 4 is definitely set to kick off in late 2020 with the premiere of WandaVision on Disney+, with evidence suggesting it might come out this November.

    Now, since the announcement of Phase Four back in SDCC 2019, I was particularly intrigued by two projects in that lineup: WandaVision (2020) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

    Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Strange.

    We know from the Marvel Studios panel last year at SDCC that the events of WandaVision are going to tie directly into the Multiverse of Madness and based on what we know from the plot synopses of these projects (& the LITERAL title of the Doctor Strange sequel):

    PHASE 4 WILL delve into the multiverse

    Kevin Feige at SDCC 2019.

    To quote Kevin Feige: “Just because Quentin Beck makes up lies about the multiverse, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.” When Feige announced these two projects and said they would tie directly with each other, the first thing that immediately came to mind was House of M, a comic book event where Scarlet Witch managed to alter the reality in the comics, something that has already been teased to occur during the WandaVision Disney+ show. What makes this show so important is that the events in which the show is based on affected not only Wanda and Vision but pretty much the entire 616 comic universe as a whole. So, we can predict that the events of WandaVision  will transcend the boundaries of the show and affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.

    HOW DOES THE MULTIVERSE ACTUALLY WORK IN THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE?

    We know that based on Professor Hulk’s and the Ancient One’s descriptions of how the flow of time works that whenever someone from the future alters the events of the past, they don’t necessarily affect the events of that timeline, but rather create another timeline based on the alteration of those chain of events, essentially creating a brand new universe. An example of this will be shown in the upcoming Disney+ show; Loki (2021), where we’ll see Loki, presumably in an alternate timeline (and therefore an alternate universe) with the Tesseract following the events of the “The Avengers” (2012).

    BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF REALITY BREAKS?

    In the multiverse theory, each separate universe exists in a different plane of existence from another universe, meaning all of these alternate universes exist, but they are separate from each other. But let’s say that the events of one universe are so powerful, that they can alter the fabric of space-time, to the point where the spaces between universe begin to blur and those alternate universes begin to converge onto one another. That would mean that theoretically if Wanda Maximoff is indeed the catalyst that will break reality by the series finale of WandaVision, then Wanda could be so powerful that not only could she tear a rift in her universe, but create a rift in reality itself, which could allow the merging of other universes into our own. And the results of these rifts could bring about so many exciting possibilities to the MCU. For example:

    we could see some old faces:

    We already know from our very own Charles Murphy that Evan Peters will be joining the ranks of the MCU for WandaVision in a secret role. Now, he could be playing a number of different things. He could be playing a brand new villain, or just another character entirely. However, there is the possibility that he could portray a new version of Wanda’s brother, Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver, last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), portrayed by Aaron Taylor Johnson. This is a popular theory amongst fans because Peters has already portrayed Quicksilver in the “X-Men Fox Universe.” And while I don’t think it will be the exact same character from that specific universe, it could be a sort of “soft reboot” where a character is portrayed by the same actor, but the actor gives a completely different portrayal from the previous iteration. An example of this was JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson during the post credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Simmons had already portrayed Jameson before during the Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, but he gave a different portrayal of the character for the MCU. The same could be said for Jamie Foxx’s ‘Electro’ who portrayed the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and will now be returning as the character in Spider-Man 3 (2021). I also discussed the possibility of Morbius (2021) being the film that could connect the SMCU to MCU in my San Quentin Prison Theory. And lastly, we could see the incoporation of characters that have already existed in alternate universe and portray those very same iterations within the MCU. And while there a number of rumored characters out there that could potentially reprise their roles for a spectacular event, the best example I could think of his Ryan Reynolds’ “Deadpool”, a character that has been known to break the 4th wall from time to time.

    we could see some new ones too:

    In a Multiverse, anything is possible. We could see the introduction of characters like America Chavez, who’s comic origins are deeply rooted in the concepts of the Multiverse. And since we know that the multiverse bases itself on the premise of time-travel, we could possibly see the introduction of a character known for his time-travel shenanigans, Kang the Conqueror.

    CONCLUSION: THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT BIGGER

    With the concept of the Multiverse finally being explored in the MCU, chances are we might have to change its name from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. Without a doubt, the idea of the concept being introduced to these franchises is something that should excite fans because we might finally be able to see stories that have never could have been possible to bring to the big screen before now, like an MCU adaptation of the Marvel Comics event, Secret Wars. Or who knows? Maybe if the universes align, we might get to see a live-action Spider-Verse film play out. With the multiverse, anything is possible.

  • Marvel Studios ‘BLACK WIDOW’: Who is Taskmaster?

    Marvel Studios ‘BLACK WIDOW’: Who is Taskmaster?

  • New ‘MORTAL KOMBAT’ Trailer for Kombat Pack Reveals Rain, Mileena, and Rambo

    New ‘MORTAL KOMBAT’ Trailer for Kombat Pack Reveals Rain, Mileena, and Rambo

    Finally!

    After months of waiting to hear or see what’s next for Mortal Kombat 11, a game I’ve been playing every day this year, Netherrealm Studios has released the trailer for their upcoming Kombat Pack. The trailer confirms the datamine leak from last week with revealed the inclusion of characters like Rain, Mileena and John Rambo. Titled Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate just like the old days, the DLC comes in a little over a month Take a look at the trailer below!

     

    I’m sort of whelmed at the whole thing. While the announcement looks sick, I’m sure if NRS released this before someone was able to datamine the information last week, my reaction would be way different. NRS has been really bad at giving us information regarding the future of this game while the rest of the fighting game community has been constantly inundated with information on games like Tekken and Street Fighter. I’m really curious how Rambo’s moves will look like. A lot of fans seem to be up in arms with another gun-toting character so I’m hoping they do something really interesting with it.

     

     

  • ‘THE NEW MUTANTS’ Headed to Homes Next Month

    ‘THE NEW MUTANTS’ Headed to Homes Next Month

    Fox’s final X-film, The New Mutants, has had about as weird of a journey as any film this side of Wonder Woman 1984, but it’s finally coming home to rest on November 17th. Digital and physical copies will be available the same day allowing fans to finally feast their eyes on the film.

    As big of a fan of the property and characters as I am (especially ‘Yana), I made no effort to trek out to the theaters in the midst of the pandemic to see it and, according to the box office receipts, not too many of you all did either. Given director Josh Boone’s controversial takes on quite a few subjects, the lackluster reviews and some of the typical nonsensical Fox hack jobs done to the characters, I’m not sure I’ll be rushing out to snag a copy, but should we all get locked down again for the Winter, it might provide me with a good, cleansing cry.

     

  • First Look at Netflix’s ‘Godzilla: Singular Point’ Anime Revealed

    First Look at Netflix’s ‘Godzilla: Singular Point’ Anime Revealed

    Godzilla is one of my favorite franchises. I grew up with the original Toho films as a kid when they showed re-runs on our local channel on weekends. The American 2014 remake is a personal favorite, as it highlighted just how massive of a titan he truly was. Netflix has also been investing in the franchise, as they released the Planet of the Monsters film trilogy. Well, it looks like 2021 will be adding one more anime in the Godzilla franchise titled Godzilla: Singular Point. The series announcement also includes our first look at the characters and new Godzilla design.

    Not going to lie, this looks fantastic. Character designer Kazue Kato is well-known for his manga Blue Exorcist and he has a very unique style that really makes the characters stand out. Eiji Yamamori, who is well-known for his work as a Ghibli animator, also reveals a very unique and detailed design for the iconic lizard. it will be interesting to see if they stick to this level of detail once they animate him. I am in general happy that they seem to be sticking to a 2D animation style, as the before-mentioned trilogy was made with a very stiff 3D animation.

    The concept of a series based around Godzilla is actually nothing new. The first attempt at an American film had an animated spin-off that ran for three seasons. We even got an animated series by Hanna-Barbera that was produced together with Toho back in 1978. It will be interesting to see how they balance the characters and monster action. Of course, we will hopefully see some of the iconic monsters fight Godzilla like King Ghidorah, Destroyah, Biollante, or Hedorah. They have enough material to run for a few seasons. Hopefully, we get a trailer reveal that teases the giant in action in the coming months.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Eyeing Early 2021 Production Start

    ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Eyeing Early 2021 Production Start

    With its second season just about to wrap up, The Boys looks to be eyeing an early production start for its next season. Of course, Amazon won’t waste any time, as the show has become a smash hit for the streaming service. According to Forbes, The Boys was the first streaming show to break into Nielsen’s top ten streaming shows as a non-Netflix series. It came in at third place with 819 million minutes streamed. It is only beat out by Lucifer and Cobra Kai. The shows highly anticipated third season received an early renewal prior to the current seasons’ debut back in September. Now, they aim to begin production in early 2021.

    The meta superhero drama is set to begin filming on February 12th in Toronto and wrap around August 12th. The upcoming season will introduce Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles. He is one of the first superheroes to hit the scene during World War Two. We haven’t heard any other casting news, so they might roll out once they film. Shawn Ashmore‘s addition was quite a surprise in the later half of the current season, so they might have quite a few secrets under lock and key. For now, The Boys’ second season will finish up its eight-episode run this week. The highly anticipated finale “What I Know” will surely blow many fans minds (pun intended).

    Source: Forbes, Variety, IATSE 873