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  • New Datamine Leak Confirms Rain, Mileena, and John Rambo in Upcoming ‘MORTAL KOMBAT 11’ DLC

    New Datamine Leak Confirms Rain, Mileena, and John Rambo in Upcoming ‘MORTAL KOMBAT 11’ DLC

    It’s been a while now since Mortal Kombat 11’s smash-hit DLC Aftermath came out. Since then, fans have been heavily anticipating any new information on the game’s next kharacter offerings. Game director Ed Boon gave us hints all through the past week which fans lost their minds over trying to figure out what Boon’s cryptic teases were. Well, thanks to the MK community’s resident dataminer, thethiny, we now know that not only are fan-favorites Rain and Mileena returning but the next DLC is also set to feature the debut of John Rambo.

     

     

    As one of those MK fans biting at the chomp for any news on what’s next for this game, holy shit. Rain was last playable in the game’s reboot Mortal Kombat 9 but made an appearance in the subsequent Mortal Kombat X’s story mode. Until now, Rain’s presence in MK11 was limited to some easter egg, skins, and one of Shang Tsung’s special moves. Mileena is arguably the most requested kharacter in this game, with her stans flooding the mentions of any person remotely connected to Netherrealm Studios asking for her return. Those fans will undoubtedly be very happy. John Rambo is by far the biggest surprise here. Everyone’s predictions for the guest kharacters were generally limited to horror icons like Ash from Evil Dead. But with 80s action icons Terminator and Robocop already in the roster, it makes a ton of sense to add Rambo into the mix.

     

    Now if only Netherrealm would give us some actual news on this!

     

    Source:  Twitter

     

  • New Report Seemingly Confirms Echo for ‘HAWKEYE’

    New Report Seemingly Confirms Echo for ‘HAWKEYE’

    A few months back, we discovered that Marvel Studios was searching for a deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older, to play the role of “Malia” in an unspecified Marvel Studios project set to go into production this Fall. At the time we felt strongly that the role was that of Maya Lopez, aka Echo, and that she was most likely to appear in Hawkeye. Today, a new report from the Illuminerdi seems to confirm just that as it indicates that a casting call for Hawkeye featured that same description.

    The news, which comes on the heels of learning that the series will also feature Madame Masque, starts to bring the possible premise of the series into focus. We’ve heard that show will deal with the repercussions of Clint’s time as Ronin and now that we know Lopez, who was the original Ronin in the comics, is definitely part of the show, things are starting to crystalize. I’ve long felt and often discussed that Rhodey’s chat with Natasha about the messes Clint had made were more than just filler for Avengers: Endgame. We’ve heard that we’ll see more of Clint in the costume and now it seems that the backstory of Maya Lopez may well be tied to Clint’s time under the mask. Could Lopez be someone that comes back to haunt Clint? Could she have been a protege of his before he met Kate? More questions than answers at this point as we know so little about the series, but with filming starting soon, we should learn more by the day.

    Hawkeye seems on track to hit Disney Plus in the Fall of 2021.

  • Marvel Studios ‘HAWKEYE’: Who is Madame Masque?

    Marvel Studios ‘HAWKEYE’: Who is Madame Masque?

    Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Hawkeye is set to begin production soon and, as we draw nearer to cameras starting to roll, we’re learning more and more about the project. The recent report that one of Marvel Comics classic female villains, Madame Masque, is going to feature in the project has a lot of folks asking the same question: who is Madame Masque. Murphy’s Multiverse is here to help…in 400 words or less!

    The woman who would become Madame Masque was born Giuletta Kristina Nefaria, the daughter of Avengers foe and made Maggia man Count Luchino Nefario. The Count sent her away and she spent her early years living with a foster family where she was known as Whitney Frost; however, when she discovered her true heritage, she came back to work for her father and eventually took control of the Maggia. A nasty little accident left her face permanently scarred so she had a fancy golden mask constructed for her, popped it on and became known as Madame Masque. For much of her early years in the comics, she found herself at odds with Tony Stark and while there are some great stories there, they’re not really significant in this context.

    Madame Masque made a major resurgence in the 2000s, finding her way into several of the line-wide events such as Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign and Siege and then, beginning in November of 2012, she became a recurring figure in Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run. MM caused quite a problem for Barton when she acquired and subsequently auctioned off a recording of Hawkeye assassinating a world leader (don’t worry, he didn’t actually do it). Both Barton and his protege Kate Bishop went to great lengths to prevent the video from going public and eventually stumbled their way into foiling MM’s plan, stoking her rage and making Kate the focal point of her vengeful plot. Madame Masque then became a constant thorn in Kate’s side even following her to Los Angeles and putting her through the ringer on more than one occasion.

    Given that Hawkeye is rumored to deal with the fallout of Clint’s time as Ronin, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Madame Masque finds her way into the series much in the same way she did in the comics: by having the dirt on the Avenging Archer! We’ll all find out together in 2021!

  • Disney Dates Next D23 Convention for 2022

    Disney Dates Next D23 Convention for 2022

    2020 saw the pandemic force the cancellation of almost every major convention that we have grown accustomed to as fans. While many cons opted to do some sort of online option, including the very well-watched DC FanDome, the general consensus was that fans and talent alike missed the con experience and couldn’t wait to get back. However, as we head into the Fall and COVID cases continue to creep back up around the world, it seems that at least one con we all expected next year won’t be there: Disney has announced the date for the next D23 and it looks like they’re sitting out next year.

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    The D23 Expo is a biennial event that began in 2009 and taken place every 2 years since. Last year’s Expo was a huge hit for Marvel Studios fans as Kevin Feige showed up to announce some unexpected new streaming series and casting info and setting fans abuzz. The expectation would be that they’d be back next year sometime but as experts continue to inform us that life won’t be quite back to normal by next summer, it seems Disney is taking the safe approach by delaying its next D23 Expo until September 9-11, 2022.

    While this news may come as somewhat of a shock to fans, it’s good to see Disney, who recently took Marvel Studios entirely off the 2020 theatrical slate, take a proactive approach. We’ll have to see what other changes are yet to come to the film slate, but as of right now we can expect 2022 to be an absolutely wild and jam-packed year for Marvel Studios with at least 4, if not 5, films set to release. Imagine them capping it off with a huge info drop of what to expect in 2024 and beyond (X-Men anyone!).

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Casting Four More Supporting Characters Including Sheikh Abdullah

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Casting Four More Supporting Characters Including Sheikh Abdullah

    Looks like the upcoming Disney+ show Ms. Marvel is still getting its supporting cast together. We are still anxiously waiting for the reveal of the main character’s casting. Still, Kamala Khan has such an extensive cast of supporting characters that it will help flesh out the world of our young hero. Not many of the Avengers we’ve met so far have to deal with family drama. In addition, her religious background will play a key factor in her character and growth. As such, it isn’t surprising that one of the best characters from the comics will appear, Sheikh Abdullah, according to a new report from The Direct.

    SHEIKH, Male, 50 – 70s, Middle Eastern, he’s the Sheikh at the local Mosque. Warm, kind, and understanding, he’s always there to lend an ear. 4/6 eps

    He will most likely have the same role as in the comics. Kamala will most likely confide in him regularly throughout the show’s runtime. It is interesting that his episode count isn’t determined, as they may film additional sequences in case they need to shift it around.

    Of course, we have three more characters that will support Kamala in her journey. There is the mention of a character known as Auntie Ruby. In the comics, Kamala has an aunt named Ayesha but the character is cast to be between 50 – 70. As such, it could be that she is just another person from her mosque or a family friend that Kamala talks to about her problems. There are also the characters Fariha and Aadam included, who are both to be from Sudanese backgrounds and in their 30s. These may also be family friends, especially with Aadam being described as comedic, funny, and smart. Hopefully, this is getting us closer to the official casting of our heroine, as the show is about to enter production soon.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Dum Dum Dugan for Future Update

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Dum Dum Dugan for Future Update

    There truly is no rest for the wicked. In the last few days, we have been getting a lot of unofficial leaks for upcoming characters. Don’t worry, this time it actually is an official tease by the developers. Now, it seems that Marvel’s Avengers’ official Twitter account is starting to be subtle about future updates. In an official tweet, they asked players what their favorite quote was and included a GIF from the game. Nothing too big about it. Yet, the moment it starts repeating you realize that two areas are being shown off. The first is the underwater base that is the focus of Black Widow’s mission chain. It’s the last few seconds that really grab our attention.

    Yeah, that is Dum Dum Dugan in the green sweater and bowler hat. We haven’t seen this character in the Avengers game outside of a short tease. The first joint mission in the Snowy Tundra reveals that Nick Fury has vanished. He left messages for the remaining members of S.H.I.E.L.D. So far, we’ve only met Hill through mission briefings and she will be the main focus of the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero that was featured in the last major War Table video. If we compare the teases from that video, this area in this GIF are definitely the Substation. The overgrowth in the background is the dead giveaway.

    So, why does this matter? Well, this confirms that the character will be around in the Substation rather than as his own faction. He was a prominent face during Fury’s speech so many of us thought he would be splintered off into his own section. Even the recent leaks of UI visuals teased a War Council faction that seemed fitting for the Howling Commando. There is still a chance he splinters off into his own storyline so this might be a set-up. It is just interesting that the character only showed up now after being teased early on in the Reassemble campaign. Also, it is strange to include him in a random GIF. There is a good chance they are teasing an upcoming update to officially build some hype for the Outpost and A.I.M. Secret Lab update.

    Source: Twitter, YouTube

  • RUMOR: Madame Masque to Appear in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    RUMOR: Madame Masque to Appear in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    A new report from The Direct indicates that Madame Masque is set to appear in Hawkeye, the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series set to move into production this Fall. I can add that the production was searching for a female for a “flashy” role opposite Clint Barton’s Hawkeye and Madame Masque, who served as one of the primary antagonists in Matt Fraction‘s Hawkeye run, certainly fits that bill.

     

    Hawkeye 14 | Retcon Punch

     

    First appearing in Tales of Suspense #97, Giuletta Nefaria has gone by many names over the years and though primarily thought of as an Iron Man villain, she has been a thorn in the side of many Avengers and a part of the West Coast Masters of Evil. Matt Fraction used her brilliantly in his run on Hawkeye where she had a long-standing bout with Kate Bishop. This bout began when Kate moved to Los Angeles after a falling out with Clint in New York so it is nice to get an idea as to what aspects of the Fraction run they’re drawing from. The character also went by the name Whitney Frost and a version of that character appeared in Agent Carter, so it’ll be interesting to see what tap dancing they do around that if this report turns out to be true.

    Hawkeye is set to begin production next month and stream on Disney Plus in 2021.

  • Murphy’s Law Podcast: Epsiode 65

    Murphy’s Law Podcast: Epsiode 65

    Episode 65 is here! Charles and Charles tackle all the wonderful WandaVision news, the new Marvel Studios slate, the Shang-Chi scoop and more! Listen below.

  • ‘AVENGERS: EMH’ 10th Anniversary: 10 Characters We Wanted for Season 3

    ‘AVENGERS: EMH’ 10th Anniversary: 10 Characters We Wanted for Season 3

    Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes did a lot right but what it did right with almost no exceptions was nail the characterization of dozens of heroes and villains. While the core group of Avengers stayed the same, the series introduced the likes of Ms. Marvel, Balder the Brave, Heroes for Hire and Wolverine without a hitch and had the group take on threats on Earth and all over the Nine Realms. Unfortunately the series was cancelled after just two seasons but on the tenth anniversary of its debut, here are 10 characters we’d like to have see on Season 3.

    Note: We are aware that series writer Christopher Yost published his own Season 3 pitches; fortunately, not many of our ideas overlapped with his!

    Other note: I assume some of these characters were used in Avengers: Assemble. I never watched that, so let me dream. These would be used in the continuity built by the first two seasons of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

    Blue Marvel

    Rumor: Marvel Studios Looking To Include Blue Marvel In Agents of S.W.O.R.D. Show - Bounding Into Comics

    An absolute must have character for me, Adam Brashear would put the cherry on top of Season 3. I’m all in favor of an older Brashear who has become reclusive in his undersea base, Kadesh, being a key player in helping the Avengers take on one of its greater challenges: the Sentry! EMH does a great job of zeroing in on the science genius of several of these characters and Blue Marvel would fit right in with Reed, Hank, Tony and the rest.

    Hercules

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Has Plans to Introduce Hercules in an Upcoming Project - The DisInsider

    Of all the characters on this list, this is the one whose classic comic book personality would ensure a great fit. One of the greatest things about Avengers: EMH was the pivotal role that Asgard and the Nine Realms played in the series; with that in mind, an appearance by Herc, possibly used as a tool by Amora, would have made for a killer episode and introduced the Prince of Power to the younger generation of fans.

    The Inhumans

    Inhuman Royal Family | Inhumans | Marvel Comic Reading Lists

     

    The Inhumans didn’t work out in their first foray into live-action but they are made for animation. Avengers: EMH handled the Cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe incredibly well and often made references to Kree experimentation and expansion (Michael Korvac, for one). Being a product of Kree experimentation, the Inhumans would have fit right in whether they were discovered by the Fantastic Four or had to team up with the Avengers to rescue the Earth from one of Maximus’ crazy plans. This would also allow for Lockjaw, Karnak, Gorgon and Triton to look the way their maker intended.

    Jack of Hearts

    Jack belongs here. The amount of reimagining and redesigning that would have to go into making him work in a live-action project might be better spent just creating a new character; however, as is, Jack of Hearts is a perfect fit for Avengers: EMH. His origins as an accident of science fit right in with one of the show’s ongoing themes as would his redemptive arc from the comics. An Avenger who can pull the nostalgia strings of the older audience, Jack deserves his chance at stardom by getting an intro episode and then joining the team as they move through Season 3.

    Jacques Duquesne

    An Avenger from a time in comic history mostly overlooked by the creative team of EMH, Jaques Duquesne, aka the Swordsman, would have made a fine addition to the series both for his connection to Hawkeye (it would be good to see the archer’s origin get a little attention) and for his role in the Celestial Messiah story. Given the importance of the Kree-Skrull conflict to the series, it would be interesting to see its beginnings and bring in the Cotati. Swordsman is a pretty cheesy character that would have to be heavily adapted to fit in a live-action property, but if Hawkeye can look good wearing his classic costume in this series, Duquesne would work out, too.

    Mangog

    Unleash the Beasts: Mangog | Marvel

     

    As mentioned earlier in the article, the series maintained a heavy focus on Thor, Asgard and the Nine Realms over its two seasons (and did so brilliantly). Over the 52 episodes we got more of Thor’s supporting cast than we’ll probably ever get in the MCU along with villains like Loki, Hela, Skurge, Surtur, Ulik and, of course, Amora. Basically the last one left on the list and the one that would fit right in with where things left off is Mangog. A creature of pure rage bent on the destruction of all things Asgardian, Mangog could make for an incredible one-episode baddie.

    Norman Osborn

    The Return of H.A.M.M.E.R. - The Green Goblin's Hideout

     

    Spidey didn’t have a ton of screen time in Season 2 of Avengers: EMH and making one of his big bads the centerpiece of an episode doesn’t really make a ton of sense for Season 3, which is why this would be the Thunderbolts/Siege/Dark Reign version of Norman. As mentioned just above, Mangog could lay waste to what’s left of Asgard (let’s assume Ragnarok happens early on is Season 3) creating an opening for Asgardia to come to Broxton. From here it’s not much of a stretch to introduce Norman as a character primed to cause a lot of trouble over the next 1.5 seasons.

    The Sentry

    The 10 Worst Things Sentry Has Done In Marvel Comics | CBR

     

    One of the greatest parts about the Sentry’s comic book origin is how his existence has been wiped from the memories of everyone who has known him. Obviously the character’s origins would need a retcon, but the story of a forgotten hero would be fun to tell and the Void would be just the type of ominous threat that would test the Avengers and force them to turn to the Blue Marvel for help.

    Shi’ar

    Gladiator's 5 Greatest Battles | Marvel

     

    This portion of the article is brought to you by the letter “S.” We’ve seen some of the Shi’ar in other animated series by Marvel and they look great because, much like the Inhumans, are made for animation. The first 2 seasons focused heavily on two of the great Marvel alien empires (the Kree and the Skrulls), so Season 3 would be the perfect time to introduce the Shi’ar, possibly the most impressive and powerful of them all. I’d be all for a full on Kree-Shi’ar War (the Supreme Intelligence did drop their name when listing the enemies of the Kree Empire) that introduced us to the Imperial Guard led by Kallark and got the attention of Ms. Marvel and S.W.O.R.D. and, most importantly, Thor. A Thor vs Kallark showdown would be most excellent!

    Squadron Sinister

    Squadron Sinister Members - Comic Vine

     

    One of the great teams of baddies introduced in the pages of Avengers comics, the Squadron Sinister would present a huge challenge for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It’s often referenced that Earth has gotten the attention of the rest of the universe and, as such, it would make a lot of sense for the Elders of the Universe to take note of Earth and its heroes. Like a lot of the ideas on this list, the Elders are a concept that would work better in animation than live-action (no offense to Jeff Goldblum and Benicio del Toro, both of whom are wonderful in the MCU) because their true nature and true powers are so off the charts. Seeing the Grandmaster step and and pit the Avengers against the Squadron in a Cosmic Contest of Champions would be amazing.

     

     

     

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Artwork Teases the Coming of the Inhumans

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Artwork Teases the Coming of the Inhumans

    You’d think the tease of Black Panther’s design would be the highlight of the day for Marvel’s Avengers news. We’ve been anxiously waiting for the reveal of the game’s roadmap. It would finally confirm when we can expect various heroes and new mission types. The last War Table video was released during the launch at the beginning of September. Now, as most have gotten to the Endgame we are wondering what the future may hold. It’s not just about characters but mission types, customization options, and many more. Luckily, it seems that Senior UI artist Rick Stalder released some images of his work on the game. They offer a variety of looks at the early stages of the game’s User Interface development. There is, however, one aspect that truly stands out. We might get an expansion to let us create our own gear at some point.

     

     

    There isn’t much to go by with different visuals. It seems that there are four layers that might be connected to the four gear slots of each character. We know this must’ve been early on as J.A.R.V.I.S. design is quite different in the main game. The dead giveaway is the different menus of Create, Customize, Quantize, and Key Forge. The resource designs are a bit unique in this version but there is a good chance this is still part of the development. Most players, including myself, are hoping to create their own builds. For example, I am trying to create a Thor that uses cryo, or freeze-based technology. This would make this a much easier process and incentivize using old gear.

    That’s not the only thing this showcase includes. The UI designer also uploaded character and faction symbols. What stands out are the two symbols for Black Panther and War Machine. These were leaked early on by @mmmmmmmmiller, who provided us with the War Machine design leak. So this also confirms that the Royal Inhuman family would become an additional faction within the game.

     

     

    The symbols are mixed and if it was a specific member of the Family it would most likely be Black Bolt. The story focuses on the new era of Inhumans after the A-Day incident. Now that A.I.M. has been shaken up, it makes sense to introduce the Royal family. Hank Pym is currently leading the Inhuman faction but he can only help them so much. I really hope they get included sooner rather than later, as they would be an amazing addition. Black Bolt or Crystal would also be great additions with their unique attributes. I must point out that both the current Inhuman faction and the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction isn’t included. It is uncertain if the New Coalition Alliance, War Council Military, or Dual Helix Science might be future additions down the road.

    It also looks like there was a plan to introduce missions at the Gold Coast. In an image of an older War Table, we see some familiar set pieces with different names. The Gold Coast is only revisited in the final story mission at the ruins of the A-Day incident. There might have been plans for you to revisit that location at some point. The Golden Gate bridge is shown to be unharmed so who knows how much the story has changed throughout the development.

     

     

    There are many more images in this collection. We see some of the UI during action sequences. They don’t look much different from our final results. The one thing that really stands out is that the main menu seems to have only been adapted slightly. The marketplace and news were adjusted but there always was the plan to split up the single- and multiplayer elements. The only thing is that at some point the Avengers Initiative was to be titled “Sky Watch” which could be a temporary name. Also, the visual includes a comic-accurate Maestro skin for Hulk that I haven’t seen in-game yet. So, we might expect a lot more comic-accurate skins coming our way in the future.

     

     

    If you’re interested in checking out more be sure to click here to Rick Stalder‘s ArtStation entry on the game. There is a surprising amount to take away from here and I cannot wait to see what is coming our way. Crystal Dynamics released the game buggy but has been very active in getting it where it needs to be. Sadly, we are still waiting for that official road map. We do not know how detailed it is but it will be an indicator of what the coming months or even year have in store for us. These leaks have been great to hype up what may be coming our way and I hope these elements like the gear customization and the Inhuman Royal Family will be early additions.

    EDIT: Here’s a shoutout to @spyder4lyfe1994 for finding the info before me!

    Source: Art Station