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‘GLOW’s Fourth Season Retroactively Canceled Due to COVID Pandemic

Netflix has been canceling shows left and right long before the pandemic was a thing. We have talked about their overall strategy in the past of axing shows around the second or third season. So, many were relieved when it was announced that GLOW was at least renewed for a final fourth season back in August of 2019. Now, over a year later, Netflix has decided to cancel the show after all due to COVID restricting productions. . Series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch did offer a statement regarding the sudden news.

COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus. COVID also apparently took down our show. Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW. We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There’s a lot of sh*tty things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again.

This sadly makes sense. The main focus of the series is on wrestling, which requires a lot of physical interaction. It is quite the risk to film this project, especially if it consistently has to shutdown production. It wouldn’t even air until 2022 at the earliest which would mean that fans would’ve waited two and a half years between seasons. Keep in mind, the fourth season already started production and was suspended mid-March. So far, only one episode had been completed before they could move on to the second one. Also, this reveal comes at a point were many other shows have just returned to their production. GLOW isn’t the only COVID-affected show as the renewed shows of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This were also cancelled. It is uncertain if other shows might share the same fate moving forward.

Source: Deadline

October 5, 2020
‘She-Hulk’ Could Introduce Hulk’s Greatest Enemy: His Father

Just today, The Direct revealed that a 10-year old Bruce Banner is being cast for She-Hulk. At face value, it’s something we could’ve guessed given that they are cousins. It wouldn’t be too hard to imagine some minor flashback sequence between the two. Yet, once you start thinking about it, this is Marvel’s chance to tell a Hulk-centric story since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. That film skipped through his origin and creation. We get scenes reminisced of the original 1978′ The Incredible Hulk TV show, but it didn’t spend much time on Banner. The MCU was mainly focused on his relationship with the Hulk. We never truly spent a lot of time with Banner before he was facing his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scenario. Well, if the casting rumor is true, we might get

Throughout the MCU, Banner never much talked about his family history. We have seen this story told in the original Hulk film by Ang Lee. The 2003 film focused on Bruce’s relationship with his father David Banner, who started his experiment in gamma radiation. He isn’t the father of the year, as he believes Bruce owes him for putting him in this world. This ends up becoming his obsession by stealing Bruce’s ability before transforming into Zzzax.

In the comics, his father’s name was Brian. Sadly, the comics did not share a happier story for the Banners. He was quite abusive towards his son, as he believed his family had a “monster gene”. His work in nuclear energy drove him to alcoholism. He even swore never to have children but, of course, broke that when Bruce was born. He neglected him believing he shared the same monster gene, which he felt confirmed when Bruce showed a hyper-intelligence. It all led to the moment that Bruce had to witness his father kill his mother. These moments were what would truly shape the rage monster that he was holding within.

It’s a very dark story that was never delved into within the MCU. The recent news might be a small inkling of how we may uncover why rage is what fuels the Hulk. We might get to meet Brian and his mother, Rebecca. She-Hulk‘s protagonist Jennifer Walters is his cousin on his father’s side. We don’t know how close they are since he was on the run for most of his life after the transformation. He may have tried to get back in contact with her since he joined the Avengers. This forced him to face his past, which will be at the center of the story.

Jennifer’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be a jumping-on point in exploring more of Banner’s past and his relationship with his family. It opens up the question if we will get the introduction of Brian, who in the comics even transformed into a Hulk-like monster during the Chaos War storyline. Whatever they may have planned, it’s looking like Bruce will have to face his past one way or another.

Source: The Direct

October 5, 2020
Marvel’s 10 Most Terrifying Horror Characters

It’s October and that means it’s time for monsters, ghosts and all time of spooky stuff to get their just due. For me, that means taking some time to celebrate some of Marvel’s most terrifying characters and, as an additional bit of fun, compare their Magnitude of Terror to some of my favorite horror films.

Avi Arad

Much of modern horror cinema relies on the main character making a series of terrible decisions that everyone else in the audience can see coming. Nobody related to Marvel has done a better job of tapping into this mojo than Avi. He’s fortunate enough to have his name attached to films like Iron Man and Into the Spider-Verse and some of Marvel’s best animated series, but his real legacy will always be his inability to strike gold with Marvel’s most popular character (Spider-Man) in the midst of the great comic book movie renaissance of the 2010s. His struggles led to everyone’s gain, however, when Sony struck a deal with Marvel Studios to help produce Spidey flicks but it also emboldened him to go off and make whole new series of horrifying decisions like trying to make an Aunt May spy thriller.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Shining. Much like the Overlook Hotel, too much time around Avi will drive you completely insane making you capable of unimaginable atrocities.

Blade

Marvel Comics didn’t invent the vampire but Marv Wolfman certainly came up with something spectacular when he thought up Blade. I don’t know enough about the entire history of vampire literature to know if Wolfman invented the idea of the Daywalker or if he was just smart enough to borrow it and incorporate it into Eric Brooks’ story but I do know it made for one of hell of a character. A daywalking vamp that lives to kill vamps and starred in what stands up as one of my favorite Marvel films to this day, Blade has shared the page with big timers like Spidey, Doctor Strange and the Avengers without ever really seeing an incredibly popular solo series. With a Mahershala Ali led reboot/retcon on deck, the character is about to get another chance to bite into the mainstream market.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Lost Boys. Frenetic and fully immersed in the terrifying world of vampires but somehow appealing enough to lure you in, Blade absolutely deserves his place on this list.

Dracula

Of all the classic horror characters adapted by Marvel Comics over the years, Dracula has been used to the greatest effect since Gerry Conway brought him into the universe in 1972’s Tomb of Dracula. In addition to having a handful of other great Marvel characters introduced in his comic (Blade among them) Drac has had some legendary run ins with the X-Men and the Avengers. The transition from the blood thirsty monster of folklore to the calculating, scheming power player he’s become in universe has only added to the character’s legacy and h

e’s back again in Ben Percy’s current Wolverine run proving that much like the legend says, he never dies.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Silence of the Lambs. Equal parts intellectual, insidious and iniquitous, Marvel’s Drac can get into your head or your throat with ease. As we all sit around and wonder who the MCU’s next “big bad” is, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be more than one and that Dracula could fill the role of one of them in the future.

Elsa Bloodstone

The most underrated character on this list, Elsa Bloodstone is Marvel Comics’ version of Buffy the Vampire on steroids. The daughter of the immortal monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Elsa burst out of the mind of Dan Abnett and onto the pages of the comics in 2001 and has, sadly, been an all too infrequent flyer since; however, she’s always made a big impact on me when she’s been on page and seems incredibly well-suited to find her way into the MCU. Say what you will, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a tremendous success in the late 90s and a Bloodstone series would be straight fire on Disney Plus in the 2020s.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: 28 Days Later/Zombieland. Rude, irreverent and deconstructionist, Elsa IS the next generation of Marvel horror even if you don’t know it yet. Like 28 Days Later, Elsa’s story changes the pace of the genre (monster hunter, not zombie, in this case) and produces an underappreciated gem.

Hulk

When the Hulk first hit the pages of Marvel Comics in 1962, he did so as Stan Lee’s amalgamation of two great horror icons (okay, maybe three): Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and Frankenstein’s monster. Lee thought the idea of a giant monster who was actually a hero was a winner and the first couple of decades worth of stories explored the duality of Banner and his jade-jawed alter (that duality has since expanded significantly into something harder to desribe) who took over once the sun went down. For quite some time those aspects of the Hulk took a backseat as other creators took over and took the character down other different but often interesting paths (the Maestro says hello), but now Al Ewing has brilliantly brought the character back to his roots while finding ways to expand his mythology along the way.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Fly (1986). Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle has at least some commonality with Bruce Banner and the Brudlefly and Hulk certainly both have a problem with controlling their primal urges. Of course there’s not a perfect parallel between the two, but the idea of a science experiment going wrong and creating an unimaginable beast who loses control line up and and put them among one of mankind’s most commonly explored themes: the duality of man and the “beast” within us all.

Johnny Blaze

Cursed from birth, Johnny Blaze’s early life story was horrific enough before he made a deal with the devil (Mephisto) to save the soul of his foster father. Through his deal, Blaze became bonded with the demon, Zarathos, the Spirit of Vengeance, transforming him into the Ghost Rider each night. It’s hard for me to think of a Marvel Comics series that deals more directly with the horror concepts of Hell, the devil and the evil of men than Ghost Rider. Of course there have been several other Riders throughout the years, but Blaze stands out not only as the original but as the archetypal innocent whose life was forfeit through no fault of his own. Now the King of Hell, Blaze has changed a lot through the years but he’s arguably one of Marvel’s most iconic characters and has dealt with all manner of demons, witches, magic and the like.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Johnny’s soul was a bit more pure than Vlad’s when he struck his deal with the devil but they both remain men cursed to be monsters by night because they made deals to save the souls of people they loved. While Dracula himself feeds off the blood of others, Johnny’s bonded to a demon who feeds on the souls of sinners and stands as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.

Magik

At first glance you might not think that Ilyana Rasputin belongs on this list but a deeper look into her character reveals someone who has gone through Hell. The mutant sister of one the X-Man Colossus, Ilyana’s mutation gifted her the ability to teleport but that’s about the most boring thing about her. As a child, she was taken to the dimension of Limbo by the demon Belasco gained power while he corrupted her soul. Though she initially escaped, Belasco found a way to bring her back which eventually led to her transformation into the demonic Darkchilde and her ascending to the throne as the Demon Queen of Limbo. Also a powerful sorceress, Magik has teamed up with Doctor Strange and other mystics over the years to take on some formidable threats.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Babadook

Magik’s childhood trauma would rip the soul from any of us but ‘Yana, with some help from her friends and family, found a way to pull through and become stronger even learning to use her own life force to create her formidable magic blade, the Soulsword. Magik, for the most part, has learned to control the monsters that sought to use her and has become one of the X-Men’s most fierce warriors.

Man-Thing

“Whoever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!” A terrifying creature created from the minds of Marvel legends like Stan Lee, Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, the Man-Thing is another victim of a science experiment gone wrong. The man that was Ted Sallis became the Man-Thing after working on, among other things, a new version of the Super Solider serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Though he survived an attack by A.I.M. on his lab, Sallis crashed into a swamp where the combination of the serum he injected into himself and the mystical properties of the swamp (it was later revealed to be the Nexus of All-Realities) collaborated to turn him into the monstrous Man-Thing. The original Man-Things stories saw the creature take on the role of hero by accident as criminals often found themselves up to no good in his swamp. Drawn to the violence through relatively confusing means, Man-Thing’s body would manifest a physical (maybe mystical) reaction to those who fear him and causing them to burn if he touched them. If you’ve never read through these early 70’s gems, do yourself a favor and check out a few on a cold, rainy night this October.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Halloween (1978)

Emotionless but inexorably drawn to violence and impossible to stop, the Man-Thing has much in common with Michael Myers. His body count, while comprised almost entirely of bad people doing bad things, is probably higher than Michael’s but he remains silent, inhuman killer nonetheless.

Nightmare

One of Marvel’s most conceptually chilling villains, Nightmare has been mostly known as a thorn in the side of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange but has caused plenty of problems for the rest of the Marvel Universe as well. A demon and one of the ancient Fear Lords whose power comes from the fears of other beings, Nightmare carved out his own chunk of the Dream Dimension to lord over and from there he used his power to capture and torment the astral forms of beings while they slept. Given that he draws his power from dreams, he’s essentially indestructible as he’ll continue to exist as long as people dream. His ability to torment sleeping souls doesn’t always end when they wake up either and he’s been proven to be powerful enough that those he torments take their terrors into their waking hours forcing them to question whether they’re asleep or awake.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The only horror film that ever truly traumatized me was Wes Craven’s OG Nightmare film. The idea of someone like Freddy Krueger who could haunt your dreams, kill you in your sleep and drive you the the brink of insanity while you were awake honestly kept me up at night for months after I first watched the film. Like Krueger, Nightmare loses much of his power outside of his own dimension, but can still provide a formidable threat. Done well, Nightmare could almost be TOO scary for the MCU.

Simon Kinberg

Some recent horror films such as Scream and Cabin in the Woods have successfully gone meta by having the characters aware of horror movie tropes only to have some of those characters ignore the established source material and drive head first into disaster. That pretty much sums up Kinberg’s tenure with the X-Men films which culminated in him somehow making a worse Phoenix film than the original dumpster fire that was X-Men: The Last Stand. Despite having the ability to work with some of Marvel Comics deepest and richest source material, Kinberg seemed to continue to shoot from the hip and never really hit the mark. In addition to whiffing on Phoenix twice, he also managed to screw up Apocalypse, hire Miles Teller to play Reed and turn Doctor Doom into a computer hacker…it’s hard to imagine anything more horrifying than his tenure with these characters.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Night of the Living Dead. Despite moving at what seemed to be a snail’s pace, Kinberg found a way to make his mark on almost everything you held near to your heart and morph it into something completely unrecognizable and devoid of life through his relentless and unyielding assault on these IPs.

As tough as it was to limit it to 10, I think I nailed it. What characters are in your top 10? Let us know in the comments.

October 5, 2020
Pitching a ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Inspired S.H.I.E.L.D. Game

We have entered a new era of Marvel’s gaming. Sony’s Spider-Man kickstarted a brand new franchise. Marvel’s Avengers attempted a new style of game for the franchise. Now, many of us wondered if we could see any other games based on iconic characters. Spider-Man had the advantage of learning from the games that were released years ago. So, I started wondering if there is any template that would be perfect to use for the Marvel universe. At one point, I was replaying Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and I then realized it. Hideo Kojima could bring us an amazing game based on the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. I do doubt he would ever tackle a third-party IP like this but it is still a fun experiment. So, here are the reasons I believe that Kojima would be perfect to bring Nick Fury and the spy organizations into the gaming world.

Tactical Espionage Action

So, the most obvious reason is the stealth-gameplay from the Metal Gear Solid. Just imagine being able to take control of iconic S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Quartermaine, or Jimmy Woo. You’ll have a set of different characters available with unique aspects. Quartermaine might be more of a combat-focused character. He has more ammunition available while Jimmy can hack specific doors. You can access different missions where you infiltrate locations from comic history like an underwater HYDRA base. Maybe you even have to sneak through the Avengers mansion. They are spies so they will do anything to get access to the information they need. They also are regular people so they won’t be able to just take on superpowered individuals. So, it makes sense that they are more stealth-based.

Let’s imagine a scenario of Maria Hill having to get her hands on valuable intel. It would reveal the whereabouts of Baron Zemo, who has gone off their radar. So, you infiltrate the location while stealing one of the soldier’s uniform. Halfway through the base, you realize you don’t have the required key card to continue. So, you have multiple choices. You can use Maria’s knack for disguises to take over from a higher ranking member. Of course, you have to learn the enemies’ patterns and find the perfect time to steal it. Or, you try to squeeze your way through an air duct through which you uncover a discussion between Zemo and the Grim Reaper. You could risk jumping in to take them out, or you focus on your mission.

Heroic World Building

There is one more reason that Kojima‘s approach to storytelling would work well with a S.H.I.E.L.D.-based game. He has this style that easily blends supernatural worlds with military action. To give an example, the original MGS focuses on the character of Solid Snake. The story slowly eases us into a world filled with supernatural characters. Many players fondly remember the moment Psycho Mantis takes over our controller. The entire game ends in a battle on top of a giant Metal Gear mech. He isn’t a stranger to this type of storytelling that would help players jump into a world filled with superheroes, magic, and other dimensions. Plus, he has a way of handling even the most absurd characters. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. has its fair share of strange members like Dum Dum Dugan sticking around since the 1940s.

It would be such a perfect opportunity to let Kojima‘s sometimes insane writing style enter this expansive world. Marvel already did all the world-building over its history. Death Stranding is quite a confusing story, but it does work on an incredible world-building. You start a simple espionage story before you realize people aren’t who they seem to be. You are facing villains with abilities beyond your comprehension, but there is no way around them. Some of your teammates are Skrulls in disguise. It also lets the boss fights get crazier as the story progresses. It opens up the question if S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes too dependent on the heroes to come to the rescue. Nick Fury wants to take things into his own hands and prove that humans are capable of so much more. If there is anyone that can keep the balance of realism and surrealism.

Just a Pipe Dream

Even as I write this article, I know it is a pipe dream. Kojima Productions is focusing on unique IPs. Marvel would supervise soo much that Kojima would get flashbacks to the times working at Konami. Moreover, Konami still has the rights to the Metal Gear Solid franchise. A similar build would get the attention of their lawyers. Still, a part of me hopes that this concept could see the light of day at one time. They can create a roster of unique characters that would include Inhumans or Mutants. Your roster grows as the game’s world starts to expand with new threats. You can be part of S.H.I.E.L.D. growing throughout the game and seeing it adapt to the world around it. It also forces you to adapt your playstyle along the way, as each new mission or encounter comes with its own new challenge. In a world filled with wonders, wouldn’t you want to prove the world you can stand among the mightiest?

October 5, 2020
‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Journal: Importance of Taking Breaks

You read that title correctly. I have taken a break from playing Marvel’s Avengers until the next major update. No, I have not found any exotic gear. I didn’t max out any character cards. So far, I’ve only really gotten Thor and Hulk past the 110 Power Level. In reality, I have a lot more grinding to do so that I could proclaim I’ve maxed out all my characters. I am also not a person to chase down PlayStation’s platinum trophies. The story was great, and I enjoy playing as the different Avengers. Not everyone will share my outlook on the game. That is why I started this series, and I am taking a bit of a break. Crystal Dynamics promised future updates, so I don’t feel the urge to burn myself out early. From what I’ve seen online, I would recommend it to anyone reading this right now

A Current Limitation

The Avengers Initiative is currently barebones. I have repeated this statement multiple times throughout these entries. After releasing their latest patch 1.3.1 the general mood seemed to be in an upswing. All players wanted now was more content, but that didn’t happen this week. Right now, theories are that we will get something by the end of next week. This would include the S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero and the A.I.M. Secret Lab. These are great additions that hopefully are also accompanied by new mission chains and environments. I’ve finished the last mission chain titled “Reigning Supreme”. It will build-up towards the new cloning technology that Monica Rambeau has been cooking up. My motivation was to finish up this mission chain as it contained small story hints, teases of future content, and even unique animations. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it felt like the story was moving forward. I finished it around 50 to 60 hours in as I took my time to grind a bit to adjust to specific mission caps.

Afterward, most people hit the “now what” phase of the game. From what I’ve seen and discussed, a lot of players continue to focus on the additional checklists. There is a lot to do, but you are going to repeat existing missions to do so. The only new content added was the single-player focused Mega Hive. It’s the same as the sixteen-floor Epic Hive that was the final mission of the last mission chain. It is a single-player experience that rubbed people the wrong way, as it was new content that recycled existing concepts. Personally, it is a fine addition, but it felt like a quick way to add more content as they focus on fixing bugs. As long as matchmaking has issues, there is no point in adding a Raid mission. Technically, it was a safe move by Crystal Dynamics. Still, people wanted those Exotics that rarely drop, and kept playing it even if they were vocally frustrated. We want to play the game with friends to make the repetition easier. There are multiplayer options, but it just drops Exotics at a much lower rate. Right now, getting the best gear won’t serve any specific purpose outside of a stat increase. There is no point focusing on getting something that will only end up frustrating you. If there is a mission that would require these stats, then it might be worth the time.

A Personal View

As much as I enjoy the combat, attempting it multiple times with Mega Hive’s 40 floors and crash issues, no wonder someone will get mad. Plus, if you manage to finish it and don’t get the reward you want, you will be frustrated. My approach to the Mega Hive is to try it out now and then. I generally only play one or two missions every other day if I feel like it. Sometimes I try to get in some mission cards. I’ve gotten to the point with now 40 more hours in that it’s a bit repetitive now. Also, I have other games and projects I need to spend time on. Currently, I feel no drive to play the game for long sessions, and I don’t see any issue with that. It’s been only a month, and the game will only grow from here. I don’t lose anything by taking my time. Crystal Dynamics has been working hard on the game to get it where it needs to be. Should it have released like this? No, absolutely shouldn’t have, but we can’t change it now as it is already released. I respect the work they put in with consistent updates. I do hope we get more transparency in the future. It all depends on the reveal of the roadmap, which will give us a better feeling of what the future entails.

Right now, my future investment depends on what content they plan to add. The selling point of this game is the potential of what it may offer in the future. I enjoyed my time with the game and spent countless hours playing it. This is only the third game I put in more than 100 hours into the game. So, how could I proclaim the game wasn’t worth my investment? Plus, future additions are for free, so that covers a lot of additional hours. I’ve seen some state that this game is predatory with its time-based missions to force people into paying for it. In the end, it is all just optional. The game wants you to play for a long-time rather than rush through it. So, why rush through the experience? At some point, you will hit the limitation of content with any game. There is no point forcing yourself to play through everything now if it only ends up frustrating you. Of course, it is easier said than done. I am just sharing my own approach to the game.

A Look to the Future

This is a bit of a different journal entry. I am not focusing on the game’s content, as I covered most of what was available. Even I felt like I played through it faster than I initially expected. People are proclaiming the game’s death as they focus on Steam numbers and Twitch streams. There is no point in doing so. We don’t know how many people are actively playing it on other consoles. Who knows how many are just sitting it out until new content drops. In the end, the developers need to know if enough players are around to make it worth investing in it. All of us want the same thing, to have a good time playing Avengers and see it succeed so we can see it expand throughout the coming years. This sentiment is shared by the man responsible for saving Final Fantasy XIV Online. I look forward to what the future holds and to continue to share my experiences with it, as I leave you with Naoki Yoshida‘s quote:

It’s not about forcing players to keep playing the game consistently. If you just consume everything with each major patch then you’ve played everything, then you can play other games, you can spend your time and plan around your timing. If you want to come back to Final Fantasy XIV, you can come back and catch up easily. Everybody has different hobbies and ways they want to spend their time, they’re quite busy.

Source: WCCFTech

October 4, 2020
FIRST LOOK: Meister Watches Doctor Strange Ambassador X

A couple of months ago, I had to opportunity to get my hands on the MSTR Spider-Man Ambassador X watch and give you guys a first look at it. Meister has now added to there already incredibly impressive line of Marvel watches with another great looking piece: the Doctor Strange Ambassador X.

The face of Meister’s new entry to their Marvel line is among their best looking yet. Including both the iconic Sanctum Sanctorum window and the MCU’s visual representation of the energy channeled by the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the golden circled watch face absolutely catches your eye. I love that Meister went with the green color scheme allowing MCU fans to have their own version of the Eye of Agomotto’s Time Stone spell on their wrists!

The watch has the same scratch resistant lens and comfortable rubber band and buckle as the Spider-Man X and I’m a big fan of them choosing black as it allows me to wear this timepiece almost every day. As with the Spidey piece, this one comes in a box fit for collectors with the inner case showing off the Sanctum logo.

As with many of MSTR’s products, there’s a limited number available (150 in this case), so if this Sorcerer Supreme inspired piece has caught your EYE, don’t wait because unlike Strange, you won’t be able to turn back time to get your hands on one. Take a look at the official specs below and visit the site HERE to check this and all MSTR’s great watches out.

There’s nothing strange about our latest Marvel Ambassador X, only mystical. Constructed in an ultra-lightweight, incredibly strong polycarbonate case in black, the Doctor Strange timepiece features matching gold stainless steel accents. The green design of the dial, second hand, and subdials channel the power of the Time Stone, and reveals a fully functional chronograph. Equipped with a Japanese Miyota JS20 movement, the wizard’s watch is water resistant up to 50 meters. The Doctor Strange Ambassador X is limited to only 150 pieces with each individually numbered on the back case.

October 4, 2020
Sasha Lane Interview Seemingly Confirms Role in ‘LOKI’

Early this year, stuntwoman Kelly Bellini was listed on IMDb as actress Sasha Lane’s stunt double for episode 2 of the Loki series. Unfortunately, IMDb is sometimes not the most reliable source of information, and Sasha had not actually been confirmed as being in the show as of many months later. Now a new interview with Sasha Lane with GoldenGlobes.com about her other series Utopia, has seemingly confirmed the IMDb listing.

Lane made her film debut in the award-winning movie, American Honey (2016), starring opposite Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough, after being spotted on a Miami beach by the film’s director, Andrea Arnold. She followed up with roles in Hearts Beat Loud, opposite Nick Offerman, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Hellboy, and will next appear in the superhero series, Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston.

While there has been a few articles previously speculating Lane was in the Loki series, largely coming from that IMDb listing, it hadn’t really been confirmed; assuming Golden Globes wasn’t working off of that same listing, it looks like Lane’s presence in the series may have been confirmed.

Source: Goldenglobes.com

October 4, 2020
Marvel Legends First Look: Marvel Studios ‘ETERNALS’ Villain Revealed

Marvel Studios Eternals was originally due out just about one month from now before COVID-19 eventually pushed it all the way to November 2021. Of course the Marvel hype machine for these films starts well before fans ever see any footage and one branch of that machine that requires a large head start is the production of merchandise including collectible action figures. Thanks to one of Marvel’s most popular brands, the 6-inch Marvel Legends, we now have our first look at one of the villains of Eternals, the Deviant warlord Kro! An earlier leak of Funko Pop collectibles based on the film gave away the presence of the character in the film, but now we have our first look at the Deviant leader.

The Deviants and Eternals were opposite ends of the spectrum that was Celestial experimentation on Earth during the earliest age of mankind. Kro is one of the first of the line of Deviants and, in Marvel Comics mythology, is responsible for archetypal Devil of many religions due to his appearance. As you can see from comparing the picture below to the one of the figure above, it seems that Marvel Studios has significantly redesigned the look of the character for the film.

As explained here, Kro carried on an eons long secret relationship with Thena, the daughter of the Prime Eternal, Zuras, as conceived twin hybrid children of incredible power. We’ve heard some rumblings about the Deviants being redesigned for the film and this gives us an idea of just how different they may look from their comic counterparts; however, it’s still unknown what role they will play in the film and if the potential KroThena ship might come into play.

Eternals is now set for a November 5, 2021 release.

October 2, 2020
Jamie Foxx Teases A New Electro in ‘Spider-Man 3’

Just yesterday we had the massive reveal that Jamie Foxx would return as Elektro in Spider-Man‘s third MCU film. This was huge news as it opens up a lot of questions. Electro was already featured in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 played by the same character. We have seen MCU recastings of actors from other Marvel films before but nothing like this. There were rumors that WandaVision or Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness might be the cause of the crossover. Well, Foxx took to Instagram to confirm his addition to the film with a rather interesting addition in the comments. This might not actually be the same character we saw back in The Amazing Spider-Man sequel.

Yeah, he confirms that he won’t be blue this time. This probably confirms he was shown some artwork of his upcoming design, and that this is a new version of the character. We might get him in a more comic-accurate version with the yellow and green costume. Yet, will they go through his entire origin story once again, or is he from a completely different universe? It also opens up the question of how he will tie into the story. Spider-Man is a public menace and at large. There were rumors pointing to Kraven the Hunter having some kind of role in the film. Electro’s addition could be a sign that we will be one step closer to the forming of the Sinister Six in the MCU. So far, we have Vulture, Mysterio, Electro, Shocker, and Scorpion confirmed.

Yes, technically Mysterio died in Spider-Man: Far From Home but that never stopped the master of illusion. Electro could just be along for the road, as he has his own history with a version of Spider-Man. There could even be the chance he is only referenced in the film to be used later on. In the Ultimate universe, the character was yellow and created by Justin Hammer. through bioengineering. His addition also opens up the door for other actors to return to their iconic roles. There were many hopes that Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio could return from Netflix’s Daredevil series. This truly opens up a whole new world of possibility once Spider-Man 3 is hopefully released in 2021.

Source: Instagram

October 2, 2020
Billy Crudup In Talks to Rejoin ‘The Flash’

So, this might be a confusing piece of news. Billy Crudup was originally cast in the role of Barry Allen’s father. He made a brief appearance in Justice League behind bars. The DC Extended Universe continues the arc that Barry’s father was framed for the murder of his wife. We only get a few heartfelt moments with him and Barry. Naturally, we assumed he was going to reappear in the upcoming Flash film. It looks like he was already on-board back in 2016 but left the project once the director debacle happened.

As such, he has now rejoined negotiations to return as Henry Allen. There is no word what his role might be. Most likely, Barry will try to prove his father’s innocence by traveling back in time. This will kick-off the events that lead him to unravel the multiverse through which he meets a variety of new and familiar faces. So far, we know that Michael Keaton is confirmed to return in his iconic 1989 role. Of course, you can’t have Henry behind bars withou the original culprit. Reverse Flash is a definite addition and most likely the driving force behind Barry’s multiversal travels.

Also, with Watchmen being a DC-owned IP, there is a chance we could have a cameo by Dr. Manhattan. Crudup played the iconic character in Zack Snyder‘s 2009 adaptation. It would be a great little easter egg to throw in a brief run through that timeline. Barry recognizing Manhattan and thinking it’s his father from a different timeline would be quite confusing and hilarious. We will see how extensive Crudup‘s role will be once the film is released

Source: Hollywood Reporter

October 2, 2020