Murphy's Multiverse

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  • A Look at How ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Could Set up the Future of the MCU

    Kevin Feige was in Brazil over the weekend to bring exclusive footage to CCXP and while audiences outside of the convention won’t be seeing what was show any time soon, Feige also had plenty to say about the future of the MCU including something very interesting about next May’s Black Widow.

    Following the screening of some new Black Widow footage, Feige explained that the film will not only further explain her past, but also set up the future of the MCU. The second part of that comment could mean something as obvious as introducing Yelena Belova as the new Black Widow, but it could also mean something bigger. Let’s do some thinking about some ways in which Black Widow might change the MCU landscape moving forward. To be clear, this is purely speculative and not meant to be informative about what to expect in the film.

    The Introduction of Latveria

    If Black Widow is going to set up the future of the MCU in a meaningful, long-lasting way, introducing Latveria and it’s benevolent monarch would be among the most interesting ways to do so.

    Image result for doom latveria"

    In the comics, Latveria was a piece of land annexed from Southern Hungary. Given that much of Black Widow is set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, it doesn’t seem too crazy to believe that we could, at the very least, hear mention of the growing threat coming from Doomstadt, get a Victor Von Doom name drop or even have a post credit scene teasing Doom’s future role. Remember that we first saw Thanos in a post credit scene in 2012’s Avengers, then again briefly in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and that it wasn’t until 2018 that we saw him fully realized, so introducing Doom, a character who would, like Thanos, be a decade long threat to the MCU, is not entirely crazy.

    Thunderbolts…Assemble?

    Image result for ross black widow trailer"

    William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross is the lone holdover from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and while his presence in the film makes plenty of sense superficially, it’s more fun to think about how it might grow into something more than just chasing down Natasha after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

    The recent Black Widow trailer is cut to make it sound like Ross and Nat are having a friendly chat, but given Ross’s line of questioning, he could just as easily be talking to Yelena Belova in an attempt to recruit her to his own band of heroes. Sure there are some hoops to jump through with the 5 year leap in time, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Ross decides to assemble his own team in a post-Endgame world without Avengers. Hell, who’s to say he doesn’t already have some members and that he’s not the one who sent Taskmaster after Nat?

    Mutants?

    Image result for marvel comics mutants"

    This is as far fetched and unlikely as anything I’ve ever come up with, but it’s possible (though highly unlikely) that the Eastern European setting of Black Widow could allow it to be the first MCU film to broach the subject of mutants. Sokovia was the site of a nearly cataclysmic tragedy at the hands of Ultron. While Ultron planned for extinction, it’s possible that his mechanism could have triggered the next stage of human evolution.

    In 1999, Jim Krueger and Alex Ross wrote a limited series called Earth X in which every human has now acquired some form of super powers. Among the many fascinating ideas in the alternate universe take is one that sees Reed Richards attempt to use Vibranium to solve the world’s energy crisis. During the series, Richards explains his belief (though it turns out to be wrong) that his failed vibranium experiments caused the mutation of the human genome and the dystopia followed. While it was later revealed that Terrigen Mists released by Black Bolt triggered the changes, the idea has always stuck with me.

    Ultron used huge amounts of Vibranium in the device that lifted part of Sokovia towards the atmosphere. We’ve seen the immediate consequences of the disaster, but what if, much like a meltdown at a nuclear plant, there were longer lasting implications from the Vibranium crashing into Earth. It’s an alien substance that we know affected the flora of Wakanda and that when that flora is consumed can grant superpowers to its consumer. Could Vibranium that’s been in the soil for almost a decade be the catalyst to the mutant explosion on Earth? Probably not, but it’s an interesting conversation.

    What ways can you imagine Black Widow setting up the future of the MCU? Let me know in the comments!

  • Details on ‘WANDAVISION’ That Will Drive You Into Madness

    While we have seemed to learn a great deal about Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, much about the production of Kevin Feige’s brainchild, WandaVision, has remained under wraps as the majority of the filming has taken place on stage. Fortunately, production has moved off stage over the past couple of days and while we can’t be sure what was filmed as Disney’s snipers are patrolling the perimeter, we can speculate about what they might have been filming at two recent locations.

    Over the past few days, WandaVision has filmed off stage at two primary locations: the Southern Regional Medical Center, located in Riverdale, Georgia and Starr’s Mill High School, located in Fayetteville, Georgia.

    I have been told by multiple sources that the first half of the series will pay homage to great sitcoms over the years and span the course of time from the 50s until present day. I Love Lucy and The Brady Bunch have been cited as inspirations for the first half of the show and I’ve given some details on that in the past. We know from Feige that, at some point, the show will evolve into a full-on Marvel Studios action film and, if my recent rumor is correct, could introduce the villain Nightmare into the MCU. Additionally, it is widely believed that Wanda and Vision’s comic book twins, Tommy and Billy, will appear in the show. If all those things are to be believed, we can being to speculate about what might have been happening on set over the past few days.

    It’s possible, though unconfirmed, that WandaVision has completed production on the first half of the series (the sitcom homage was expected to last 3 episodes) and have begun production on Episode 4. If that’s the case, there are a couple of options for filming at the hospital and fewer for filming at the high school.

    Though it’s expected that the series will film in chronological order, it’s possible that the hospital is being used as the location where Wanda delivers her twins. It’s equally possible that hospital is being used for an entirely different type of scene. I’ve been told to expect “a great number of cameos and the introduction of several characters” from WandaVison, so it’s certainly possible that Doctor Strange, Christine Palmer or any number of other Marvel characters could appear here.

    As for the high school, it seems a little more likely that one could deduce the types of scenes being filmed. If the information about the quick passage of time during WandaVision is correct, we would, by the end of Episode 3, see Tommy and Billy as teens. It’s entirely possible that Starr’s Mill High School, which looks a whole lot cooler than mine, could serve as the chosen place of illumination for the children of Wanda and Vision.

    Of course filming things and those things showing up in the series are two entirely different things, but given how tight security has been around WandaVision, I’d wager that we’ll all find out exactly what was happening at these two locations when WandaVision hits Disney+ in the Spring of 2021.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Josh Stamberg Joins ‘WANDAVISION’

    Actor Josh Stamberg (Nahsville, The Affair) has joined the cast of WandaVision in a small, supporting role as an FBI agent.

    While Stamberg’s role will be minor, he will likely be working alongside Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo as FBI agent (possibly joined by Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau?) in the series. One might ask why the FBI might be involved in this show at all and what relationship, if any, Monica Rambeau’s powers might have to this series. Those would indeed be fine questions to ask.

    WandaVision is currently expected to air on Disney + during the spring of 2021.

     

  • VIDEO: Watch Daniel Craig Return as 007 in ‘NO TIME TO DIE’

    The 25th Bond film stars Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux and Lashana Lynch. Retired from active duty, Bond is pulled into a new mystery by Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).

    No Time to Die, Daniel Craigh’s 6th Bond film, is set to hit theaters on April 8, 2020.

  • Marvel Studios Drops the Official ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Teaser

    Marvel Studios jumped the gun a little early this morning and gifted us the official teaser for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. Check it out below and look for a breakdown later on today.

    Black Widow hits theaters on May 1, 2020.

  • ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set to Explore Life After the Blip

    A video, in which Twitter use Stephen Sweet toured a set from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier which was built to recreate what appears to be Brooklyn, provides some evidence that at least part of the series will potentially take a bit of a deeper dive into the impact of the Blip on the day to day life of every day people.

    https://twitter.com/sweetstephen55/status/1199744095507353600

    The video reveals some ads and signage for the fictional Samson Development company whose logo reads “Rebuilding Your City After the Blip.”

    The signs, posted around the ubiquitous types of construction sites to which New Yorkers are accustomed, are in indication that the series will, in some way, explore the post-blip world, as writer Derek Kolstad previously indicated in an interview with Discussing Film. Kolstad, who was answering fan questions, said of the series, “We’re a post-blip. There’s a lot to explore” and “In a post-blip world, while touching upon the darkness of it all, there’s got to be some resilient fun to it.” Just how much, if at all, Samson Development might play into the main plot of the series remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a solid indicator that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will take Bucky and Sam away from the major, world-changing events of Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and explore the way these events have reshaped the world.

    The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will stream on Dinsey + in the Fall of 2020.

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘WANDAVISION’ and ‘DOCTOR STRANGE: IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS’

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

    This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

    Things I heard this week: Nightmare has been cast and will be revealed as the villain of WandaVision.

    Unlike the other rumors I shared with you, I am not telling you everything I heard in this case, but I am sharing one of the more tantalizing tidbits I heard this week. I know that by sharing this part of the rumor, it’ll fuel speculation and generate some pretty interesting fan theories, but I am not, in this case, at liberty to say anything more.

    This is an interesting rumor because, if I’m not mistaken, it’s already a popular fan theory and for good reason. When Kevin Feige revealed that WandaVision and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness would be related projects, many folks remembered that Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson wanted to use Nightmare in the first film and that writer C. Robert Cargill had indicated that the sequel would probably feature the villain, so they connected some dots. In that way, and others, this rumor makes a lot of sense.

    We know that WandaVision will be part-sitcom homage and part MCU spectacle and that it will lead directly into Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness, said to be Marvel Studios first true foray into the horror genre. The Disney + feature, Expanding the Universe, along with casting calls seemed to indicate that WandaVision will introduce Wanda and Vision’s twin sons, Tommy and Billy, and that they might grow up awfully fast during the sitcom portion of the show. It seems entirely possible that the reason they exist and grow so fast is that they are part of a sort of dream-like reality in which Wanda has found herself, perhaps even at the mercy of Nightmare. Imagine how unhappy Wanda would be to awaken from reality where she’s been reunited with Vision and has been raising a family. Given everything she’s been through, one might imagine losing all that would be the tipping point for her, launching the MCU spectacle portion of WandaVision and, should that tipping point unleash some sort of large-scale use of her growing power, be reason enough to call Doctor Strange in to help.

    Image result for marvel nightmare vs doctor strange

    Feige has said repeatedly that he is not interested in direct adaptations of the comics, so we shouldn’t limit our imagination of what might happen in the MCU because “it didn’t happen that way in the comics.” This rumor is probably my favorite one of the week because it ties the two projects together and forces me to ask the question of who the true antagonist of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness will be: Nightmare or the Scarlet Witch?

    I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one and all of its implications. Please chime in below and tell me how you see this unfolding IF it’s true.

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘ETERNALS’

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

    This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

    Things I heard this week: The plot of Eternals will center around the “War of Evolution.”

    Related image

    That’s it. Nothing more to it than that. It’s probably important that you notice it’s in quotes, but beyond that I have nothing more to give. I think it’s important to note the quote does not say “Evolutionary War”, the title of a 1988 Marvel Comics crossover event featuring the High Evolutionary, but says the “War of Evolution.”

    If this tidbit is true, it’s actually pretty informative. If the “War of Evolution” truly does describe the central conflict of Eternals, then I think it’s probably a pretty clear indicator that we are getting, at least in part, a film inspired by Jack Kirby’s original take on the characters and that it will feature the Deviants. Eternals features an incredible ensemble cast and we already know of 11 lead and major supporting roles, including 10 actors or actresses portraying members of the Eternals. The film has been in production for over two months now and not much has leaked out and security around the film is pretty beefed up so, if the Deviants are in fact in the film, we probably wouldn’t have seen them anyway given the secrecy and the fact that most of them would probably be CGI creations.

    The idea of the “War of Evolution” fits with the very little we do know about the film at this point. During SDCC, concept art was revealed that featured the group of alien “gods” known as the Celestials.

    To make a very long and interesting story short (you can read the longer version here), the Celestials came to Earth and played mad scientist with early man, performing a series of experiments produced 3 evolutionary branches: the Eternals, the Deviants and the Latents.

    For millennia, the Eternals and Deviants warred on and off, giving rise to myths and legends of god-like heroes and grotesque monsters that permeate all cultures. Upon returning to Earth, the Celestials, unimpressed with how their creations had evolved, attacked the Earth causing the “Great Cataclysm” and driving the Deviant land of Lemuria to the bottom of the sea (you can read the longer version of that story here).

    The Deviants

    At some point, the Eternals and Deviants agreed to a truce and faded into obscurity. Then, in modern times, the Deviant warlord Kro broke the truce, leading his army of monsters into conflict with humans, forcing the Eternals back into action.

    The “War of Evolution” certainly sounds plausible to me. Thanks to set photos that have leaked, we know the film is set to span millennia and that, eventually, some of the Eternals are likely to run into Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman, an archeologist who is likely to help with some expository details. It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the film center around the long-standing war between the Eternals and Deviants, leading to some sort of doomsday scenario in which the Celestials threaten the Earth. And of course any Marvel Studios film that deals with evolution could always set the stage for the next step of the evolution of man, Homo superior (you can read more about those mutants here).

    At this point, I’m thrilled to turn this over to you and see where it goes. To be clear, I have no idea if this is going to turn out to be the case, but it’s a fascinating rumor and, as a fan, I’d love to be a part of the discussion about how awesome it could be if it were true. Let me hear your ideas below and be responsible with how you share and present this to other friends and fans! Enjoy!

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘BLACK PANTHER II’

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

    This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

    Things I heard this week: Doctor Doom will be the villain of Black Panther II when it hits theaters on May 6th, 2022.

    Victor Von Doom will began expanding his empire, conquering parts of Africa and, ultimately, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda and the Black Panther.

    That represents the entirety of what I was told. That’s how it works sometimes. I was given no additional context, no additional details…nothing. At this point, you know what I know. From what I was told, however, one can begin speculating and having some fun thinking about how something like this might play out if it were actually true.

    We don’t know when and where we’ll be introduced to Latveria or Victor, (a post credit stinger, a solo movie or in another film) but the events of Avengers: Infinity War and the 5 year jump in Avengers: Endgame provide ample opportunities for some exposition on the Latverian Monarch. Given the state of things after Thanos’ snap, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine someone like Victor expanding his kingdom by taking advantage of the absence of world leaders and of most of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. If Victor survived the snap, it’s entirely possible that he could have made his way South through Europe, through the Middle East and into Africa by the time 2023 rolls around.

    If the film does take place in the MCU’s present day (no information on that was given), it would mean that T’Challa is back on the throne of Wakanda just in time to help defend his people and his country’s most valuable resource: Vibranium. This is, of course, the reason Doom invades Wakanda in the 2010 event Doomwar, and you can very easily imagine Marvel Studios adapting this story to the big screen. While the comic featured characters from all corners of the Marvel universe, it could be told on a more intimate scale in the MCU and would have to be in order for it to be told on screen in a reasonable time frame. A big screen Black Panther: Doomwar would put the focus on T’Challa, Doom and, of course, Shuri.

    Marvel Studios certainly has big plans for Doom. Feige was willing to meet with Noah Hawley and discuss his much-talked about script and while it doesn’t appear that Hawley’s script survived the Disney-Fox merger, it doesn’t mean that we couldn’t see parts of it in either a different Doctor Doom solo film or worked into whatever film Feige sees fit to use as Doom’s MCU introduction. Marvel Studios has yet to make a solo film for one of their villains, but if they were ever going to scratch that itch, Doom, one of their most fully-developed and fascinating characters, would be worthy of being the trailblazer. Additionally, Marvel Studios would be wise to make sure that their Doom and their Fantastic Four are presented as differently from the Fox films as possible, so introducing Doom on his own, using another villain for the Fantastic Four film and then having Doom try to take over the world in another film would be a great start. Obviously we need to see the Fantastic Four and Doom come into conflict eventually, but while Victor is the arch enemy of the First Family, he is also much more than that. Finally, using Black Panther II as Doom’s coming out party would all but guarantee another monster box office for the franchise while giving T’Challa an antagonist who could truly challenge him.

    At this point, I’m thrilled to turn this over to you and see where it goes. To be clear, I have no idea if this is going to turn out to be the case, but it’s a fascinating rumor and, as a fan, I’d love to be a part of the discussion about how awesome it could be if it were true. Let me hear your ideas below and be responsible with how you share and present this to other friends and fans! Enjoy!

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘ANT-MAN 3’ Slated to Film at Pinewood UK

    The third film in Marvel Studios Ant-Man franchise is set to go into production across the pond with Pinewood Studios UK serving as home base! Disney made the decision to move forward with the film late this summer and it was recently revealed that Peyton Reed, who directed the 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp, would return to helm the three-quel.

    It is expected that the production film at yet unspecified locations around Europe, in addition to doing some additional photography in and around Atlanta. Michael Douglas has indicated he believes production to begin in January of 2021 and I have been told to expect pre-production to begin on the film as soon as January of 2020.

    The yet to be subtitled Ant-Man 3 will hit theaters in 2022.