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  • Morning After Huddle: June 9th, 2022

    Morning After Huddle: June 9th, 2022

    Let’s recap the day that was for the NFL with The Morning After Huddle.

    • The defending Super Bowl Champions spent the last two days locking up their best players on each side of the ball, as a day after bringing back the best defender ever in Aaron Donald, they brought the WR coming off the best WR season ever in Cooper Kupp. The Rams announced that the All-Pro received a 3-year extension, with Ian Rapaport saying it would pay him about $75M, while Tom Pelissaro said it was more like $80M. This makes Kupp one of the highest-paid WRs in the NFL, and with Eminem’s Super Bowl performance and Luka Doncic’s playoff run, it is proving to be a good time to be an unathletic white dude.
    • Speaking of unathletic white dudes, Baker Mayfield has been excused from training camp by the Cleveland Browns. With players subject to daily fines if they miss camp, Mayfield will not be subjected to any while the team tries to find a trading partner for the former number one pick. Either that or they know they’re going to need him at some point given the 24 cases and counting against Watson. In any event, Mayfield rests in professional purgatory while a team with no interest in playing him this off-season may be relegated to having to.
    • From a team with A LOT of QB questions to a team with none? The Denver Broncos, after an offseason that saw them hire a new coach and trade a boatload for a new QB, now have new owners. Around The NFL reports that the Walton-Penner family’s bid for $4.65 billion has been accepted by the Pat Bowlan Trust and that, pending the acceptance of 2/3rds of the owners, they will become the new owners of the Denver Broncos. They are buying at the right time too, as the Broncos finally have the franchise QB they’ve been chasing since Peyton Manning, an explosive offense, and an opportunistic defense. The return on this investment has the potential to be, you guessed it, bananas.
    • Another team that’s been searching for a replacement to a Hall of Fame QB, the New York Jets, kicked off their 2nd training camp in the Zach Wilson era. By all accounts, the kid looked good. DJ Bien-Amie of the Daily News had this well-written piece about what Robert Saleh has been saying about Wilson and what you are seeing in camp so far. The words “comfortable” are thrown out a lot to discuss QBs as they progress, but that’s exactly what’s been said about and now being seen from Zach Wilson. Russell Wilson once famously said that the game began to slow down for him and that that’s when he knew he was getting better, and based on what’s being said about the other Wilson is that that’s exactly what’s happening. If the Jets are going to end the longest playoff drought in their history, it’s going to because Wilson takes the next step. Shorts and t-shirt football doesn’t count in the record books, but it sounds like he’s progressing nicely.

  • Damage Control and the Legacy of the Sokovia Accords in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Damage Control and the Legacy of the Sokovia Accords in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    The first episode of Ms. Marvel has been released, ushering in the seventh Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series. Whether you like them or not, the first episode brought with it a post-credits scene that teased an interesting development for a so-far minor MCU organization. While the role of the Department of Damage Control has not been well-defined since its introduction, the Ms. Marvel post-credits scene teased an expanded—and darker—role for the group that may be a lasting consequence of Captain America: Civil War.

    Damage Control was first mentioned in Iron Man, where Phil Coulson explained to Tony Stark that the S.H.I.E.L.D. team controls messes like the one left behind at the end of the film’s final battle. Following the events of The Avengers, Damage Control became a department of the United States government in a joint venture with Stark Industries, as learned in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

    While the DODC does clean up super messes like the Battle of New York, it also has quite a collection of technology and other items beyond the normalcy of ordinary society. Peter Parker gets stuck in the Damage Control Deep Storage Vault in Homecoming, where the department has everything from Chitauri technology to the black hole grenades from Thor: The Dark World. 

    While Damage Control has been a background entity at best in the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home saw a new focus for the organization, and Ms. Marvel looks like it is going to dive deeper into that aspect of it. In No Way Home, Agent P. Cleary arrests and interrogates Parker over the death of Mysterio. The change to investigating and arresting superpowered or otherwise extraordinary individuals was new. But Ms. Marvel’s first episode post-credit scene makes it seem as though the new show will build heavily upon that new Damage Control reality.

    In the brief scene, we see Agent Cleary along with Alysia Reiner’s Agent Deever. Deever shows Cleary a video of Kamala at AvengerCon using her new powers, and he says, “Ok, let’s bring her in.” So at least part of the agency is now dedicated to tracking down those with super-abilities and bringing them into custody. So far, the DODC certainly feels like an MCU-ified U.S. Homeland Security. But the agents apparently did not decide to find Kamala because of the damage she caused, but purely because she had powers. So how did Damage Control get here?

    Several things have happened since we saw Damage Control in Homecoming. The Blip is the most obvious example, and it makes sense that governments would be a bit more alert to powerful beings wandering around unchecked. But something happened just before Homecoming that is almost certainly behind this. The Sokovia Accords became international law in Civil War, and they essentially outlawed superhero/superpower-related behavior if not explicitly allowed by the government. Because Avengers: Infinity War was so soon after Civil War, Phase 3 never really dealt with much of the specific aftermath of the Accords.

    It looks like Ms. Marvel might be the first MCU project that actually does just that. While No Way Home definitely demonstrated that even superheroes could be held legally accountable, there was no evidence that the DODC was rounding up individuals at that point. Here, that clearly seems to be the case. The Accords have not been mentioned, but it was confirmed that they are still in effect in WandaVision. Considering Stark was on the government’s side in Civil War, the fact that Damage Control became a Stark Industries joint venture for the purpose of enforcing those laws makes sense. 

    In any event, the DODC so far seems to be an adversary to Kamala rather than anything helpful. In just a short scene, the two agents we see are portrayed fairly menacingly—it certainly brings to mind the very negative views on certain governmental agencies that target immigrants or people of other cultures. Kamala could be the first hero we’ve seen who has to overcome this darker Damage Control, the Sokovia Accords, and the legacy of Civil War. 

    The first episode of Ms. Marvel is now streaming exclusively on Disney+. 

  • Ghostbusters Day: ‘Afterlife’ Sequel Title, New Comic and Animated Movie Announced

    Ghostbusters Day: ‘Afterlife’ Sequel Title, New Comic and Animated Movie Announced

    As part of Ghostbusters Day, Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman announced the “code name” for the sequel to his 2021 film. The sequel, which will seemingly pick up right where Afterlife left off, is in development under the working title “Firehouse.”

    Reitman’s return to the franchise his late father, Ivan Reitman, began in the 80s comes as no surprise. Recently, Sony chairman Tom Rothman indicated the company’s interest in continuing to develop the franchise following the moderate success of Afterlife, which made just around $200M at the box office, with about two-thirds of that coming from U.S. audiences. While no plot details were released, the post-credit scene for Afterlife saw original Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore return to the firehouse that served as headquarters for the original team. “Firehouse” looks sure to capitalize on that nostalgia and continue the story of the Spengler legacy.

    In addition to “Firehouse”, an in-universe limited comic series from Dark Horse Comics and an animated movie were also announced. Jennifer Kluska, who recently directed the fourth installment of the animated Hotel Transylvania franchise, will co-helm the animated film with Chris Prynoski (Motorcity).

  • Booster Gold

    Booster Gold

    Premiere: TBD

    An outright comedy series being developed for Max, Booster Gold is the story of Michael Jon Carter, a character who both James Gunn and Peter Safran have described as “a loser from the future who uses his basic future technology to come back to today to pretend to be a superhero.” Traveling to the present day from the 25th Century, Carter “tries to use this future technology to be loved by the people of today,” according to Gunn who describes the show as “imposter syndrome as a superhero.”

    Cast

    • Unknown actor as Jon Michael Carter/Booster Gold
  • The Brave and the Bold

    The Brave and the Bold

    Premiere: TBD

    Based on Grant Morrison‘s 2006 epic run on Batman, The Brave and the Bold will introduce the DCU’s main continuity Batman alongside his son, Damian, who James Gunn called his favorite Robin. While at it’s center it will be “a very strange sort of father-son story,” according to Gunn, who noted that Damian is “a little son-of-a-bitch,” the film will also introduce other members of the Bat-Family because, according to Peter Safran, “we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.” Rumors had The Flash and It director Andy Muschietti helming The Brave and the Bold for DC Studios and in June 2023, a trade report confirmed that to be the case.

    Cast

    • Unknown actor as Bruce Wayne/Batman
    • Unknown actor as Damian Wayne/Robin
  • Paradise Lost

    Paradise Lost

    Premiere: TBD

    Described as a “Game of Thrones-ish” Max series set on Themyscira before the birth of Diana, Paradise Lost will delve into “the political intrigue behind a society of all women,” according to Peter Safran. While Wonder Woman is a big part of James Gunn‘s plans for the DCU, Paradise Lost is not expected to feature the character but rather serve as the origin story for the Amazons.

  • The Authority

    The Authority

    Premiere: TBD

    Slated as the second theatrical release in Chapter 1, The Authority is described by James Gunn as a project about group of “morally grey characters” who are “basically good intentioned” but think that “the world is completely broken and the only way to fix it is to take things into their own hands, whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments—basically, whatever they want to do to make the world better.” The script, which was outlined by Gunn, was being developed by an unknown writer before the WGA strike.

    The team roster has changed considerably and the DCU iteration of the team has not been revealed but it is very likely that Apollo and Midnighter are among those chosen for the adaptation.

    Cast

    • María Gabriela De Faría  as Angela Spica/The Engineer
  • Waller

    Waller

    Premiere: TBD

    Waller, which was greenlit at WB before James Gunn and Peter Safran created DC Studios, will see the return of Viola Davis to the titular role that she first filled in 2016’s Suicide Squad.  Though it remains to see how it will fit into the all-new, all-different DCU, according to Safran, Waller set between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker and should hit Max before the release of Superman: Legacy.

    In March 2024, Gunn shared the news that the production of Waller had been delayed by the strikes, forcing a shift in production. The events of the series will not take place after Season 2 of Peacemaker.

    Cast

    • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
    • Steve Agee as John Economos
  • Creature Comandos

    Creature Comandos

    Premiere: December 5, 2024

    The first project to be given the green light by co-chairs Peter Safran and James Gunn’s DC Studios, Creature Commandos is a seven-episode animated series slated to be released on Max in 2024. , Creature Commandos is already in production working off scripts by Gunn. Safran stated that he was “staggered at the caliber of the scripts” adding “we’ll see how everything else comes, but the screenplays are amazing.“ Based on a comic book team that included a gorgon, a werewolf, and Frankenstein’s monster going to battle in World War II, Gunn’s Creature Commandos will have a little different makeup and will be assembled by Amanda Waller.

    Cast

    • Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
    • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
    • Anya Chalorta as Circe
    • Sean Gunn as Weasel and G.I. Robot
    • Steve Agee as John Economos
    • Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic
    • Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky
    • David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein
    • Indira Varma as Bride of Frankenstein
    • Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorous
  • Swamp Thing

    Swamp Thing

    Premiere: TBD

    Set to be written and directed by James Mangold, Swamp Thing has been described by James Gunn and Peter Safran as “tonally different” than the other projects in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters but still “interconnected” with the rest of the slate. Not expected to release before 2027, Swamp Thing will “investigate the dark origins” of the Green Man created by Len Wein in 1972.

    Cast

    • Unknown actor as Alec Holland/Swamp Thing