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  • The Witch’s Road: What’s Next for Wanda Maximoff

    The Witch’s Road: What’s Next for Wanda Maximoff

    One could argue that few characters have had a more difficult and emotionally scaring tale told in the MCU than Wanda Maximoff. To date, Wanda’s story has been heavily shaped by loss: her brother, her love and, most recently, her twin sons. Despite the loss, Wanda has perseverated, however, and after 4 major film appearances and the Disney Plus series WandaVision, she’s only just starting to truly understand who she is.

    First introduced in a post-credit scene to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wanda’s origins were explained briefly in Avengers: Age of Ultron where it was explained that she, and her twin brother, Pietro, were given powers as a result of experimentation with the Mind Stone at the hands of Baron Strucker. In true comic book fashion, that origin was heavily retconned in WandaVision when it was revealed to Wanda that she had always possessed the ability to wield Chaos Magic-an ability that was simply enhanced by the Mind Stone-as she was the embodiment of the mythological Scarlet Witch, a being capable of spontaneous creation. Already incredibly powerful, Wanda began her studies of the Darkhold, a book which not only prophesied her ascension to a level of power great than that of the Sorcerer Supreme, but also her destruction of the world. This is the Wanda fans will next see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and she’s a far cry from the orphan first introduced in 2015.

    Unsurprisingly, her path in the MCU is deeply-rooted in Marvel Comics. While she was once the mutant daughter of one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, modern day Wanda’s comic book story, like her MCU counterpart, has been heavily retconned. No longer a mutant, Wanda is a born witch whose powers were amplified by scientific experimentation, though in the comics it was the High Evolutionary who did the work. Her powers were inherited from her mother, the previous holder of the title “Scarlet Witch” and her maternal grandfather, the “Scarlet Warlock.” This “new” family history was explored in James Robinson’s Scarlet Witch solo series, which ran for 15 issues from December 2015 through February 2017, a series which fans of the character may wish to explore, or reexplore, as they prepare for the character’s post-MOM chapter.

    While we haven’t seen her character arc in Multiverse of Madness unfold just yet, the trailers and plot rumors have given us a good sense of what to expect in the film: Wanda’s continuous studies of the Darkhold, where she seeks for an answer of how to get her sons back, have corrupted her and, in combination with her incredible powers, made her a threat to anyone who might stand in her way. Without delving too deeply into spoilers, it’s safe to say from the trailers that she’s not necessarily there to support Stephen Strange. Skipping through that heavy spoiler territory, recent rumors have her surviving the film and appearing in a pair of projects over the next several years. The firsts of those projects, a solo Scarlet Witch project, is rumored to go into production at some point in 2023 and could well be an adaptation of Robinson’s Marvel Comics’ series.

    Such a story would certainly further into her past, only briefly glimpsed in flashbacks in WandaVision, and potentially involve the return of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, a witch whose long life-span would make her perfectly suited to lead Wanda through further explanation of her true nature: after all, fans only know that Wanda IS the Scarlet Witch, but not what the really means about her outside of being extraordinarily powerful. In the comics, Wanda’s journey lead her to the Witches’ Road, an alternate plane of existence accessible only to powerful mages, where she faced numerous dangers and discovered the true nature of Chaos magic and witchcraft.

    Robinson’s solo series is a wonderful character study that is ripe for adaptation in the MCU. It would allow for all sorts of interesting characters to be introduced and all sorts of wild visuals and explorations. It could also, if done correctly, lead Wanda down one very specific road that leads to another incredibly powerful magic user…but that’s a story for another day, or for the adaptation of The Children’s Crusade.

  • New ‘Black Adam’ Merch Offers First Look at a New Costume

    New ‘Black Adam’ Merch Offers First Look at a New Costume

    Just a few weeks ago, the state of the DC Extended Universe saw quite another shake-up with multiple films on the slate being delayed and moved up. Black Adam was one of those films, with its July debut getting hit with a three-month delay so that VFX could be properly completed. We’ve seen very little from the film so far, but it looks like some merchandise for the film has begun to trickle out.

    Every year Hallmark releases a catalog of all upcoming holiday ornaments with tentative release dates, usually featuring decorative items from the year’s biggest movies and shows. Some pages from this year seem to have made their way online, featuring a brand new look at Black Adam in what seems to be an updated suit from what we have previously seen. The suit, while similar to the one featured a few weeks back, is updated with golden boots, bracers, and a belt, a much more vibrant and even closer to accurate look for the character. The ornament will hit shelves in November, just a few weeks after the film’s release.

    The suit previously seen was much dirtier and looked to have wear and tear over the years Adam presumably spent imprisoned. It’ll be interesting to see how the suit changes over the course of the film, from ancient Kahndaq to the modern-day. Fans are gonna have to wait just a little longer to witness the hierarchy of power within the DC Universe change as Black Adam is now set to hit theaters on October 21st, 2022.

    Source: Hallmark via Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    If you want to remain spoiler-free for Morbius then only continue at your own risk.

    We’ve all been questioning why director Daniel Espinosa is spoiling most of the film’s major plot points a week ahead of Morbius‘ release. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he has pretty much confirmed that the trailer’s teased appearance of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture is indeed the same version we saw in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only that, but he also pretty much confirmed that the character is recruiting people to join a team. CinemaBlend instantly made the Sinister Six connection, but while he won’t name them directly he does hint that this is what Sony is setting up.

    It’s a bit head-scratching that Vulture is the one recruiting people. We don’t know if he still has the memory that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, or even why he’s in a different universe. Plus, he seemed to have no ill will towards the kid when he was confronted if he knows his identity. So, why would he gather a team of villains to take on Spider-Man, especially if he’s in a different universe where it isn’t even the version that he met.

    The director teased that they have a different Spider-Man already roaming in this universe, and the logo of Daily Bugle does seemingly hint at it potentially being Tobey Maguire. But the trailer also included references to the Oscorp we saw in Andrew Garfield, which also seems like a possible option. We’ll have to see if Sony might reveal it at some point, but with their current strategy they might just flat-out announce it.

    Source: Twitter

  • Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    To this day, the fact that Disney and Square Enix worked together on a game that combined both worlds into one with Kingdom Hearts remains one of those things that seem like pipedreams. Somehow, we’ve got three main titles and countless spinoffs. And in a surprising twist, it seems that Disney is starting to include references to the project, as eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Mickey Mouse’s Kingdom Key D was included in a brief sequence in the new Disney+ special The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse.

    The fact it appears while they are busy spring cleaning is a hilarious idea, as it seems that his time with the Keyblade was in the past. IThe brief tease also includes Yen Sid’s famous hat that he briefly borrowed, a character that also appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series. The inclusion is a great tease, as there have also been quite a few rumors that Disney+ was developing a series based on the franchise. We’ve sadly never heard much on it and it seemingly has vanished since.

    It would be fun to see Sora appear in one of these specials, as the art style would offer a very creative take on the character. Plus, it would just be surreal to actually see them interact outside of the games. Here’s hoping that the appearance is also a tease that we may get some hints on the project as we are currently in the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

    source: Disney+ via Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    The director of Morbius talks about major spoilers ahead of the film’s release. If you want to remain spoiler-free, only continue at your own risk.

    We just published the piece that the director of Morbius, Daniel Espinosa, confirmed that the film isn’t part of the MCU and is part of the same Venomverse we were introduced to in the 2018 film. Yet, it seems that that doesn’t mean we’ll get a crossover between the two franchises, as the director seems to imply that Michael Keaton‘s return as Vulture in the trailers is indeed the version we were introduced to in the MCU. He goes out of his way to confirm that it is indeed the one from Spider-Man: Homecoming and even gives away how he ends up in the film.

    So, it seems that No Way Home sent various heroes to other dimensions and accidentally also teleported Vulture in the process. Yet, that makes no real sense as the film was all about sending people back to their respective universes based on the fact that they knew Spider-Man is Peter Parker. It almost would imply that Vulture was already from a different dimension from the get-go, but that was never part of his story when we first meet him.

    In a way, it seems like Sony wanted an excuse to have the character return and used the loophole surrounding the spell to explain why he’s part of Sony’s universe. We might expect them to pick and choose whoever landed in whatever universe so they can build whatever they are trying to attempt, but the fact they reveal it ahead of the release makes no real sense. Perhaps they have a trick up their sleeve once the film hits theaters, or they are banking on that connection selling the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    While there’s still sometime before Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff film Morbius releases in theaters, it seems the director is quite open to spoiling quite a few elements from the film. CinemaBlend has shared a Twitter thread with some curious details about the film from director Daniel Espinosa. With the many discussions surrounding the film’s continuity, most notably due to how many Easter eggs were added into the initial trailers from across all of Spidey’s multiverse, the director has confirmed that it is part of Venom’s universe and not the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Sony has been quite actively teasing that all their projects take place in the MCU, but with Marvel Studios actively talking around the topic it never got confirmed. That was until Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed that Venom is part of the greater multiverse. He also confirmed that the universe they inhabit has its own Spider-Man, but would not give away which one that is. He only highlighted that “It is my understanding that audiences will discover the answer soon.” So, we might find out once the film either hits theaters or get an announcement from Sony as they try to build their own universe.

    The bizarre part is that we did see Michael Keaton‘s Vulture make an appearance in the trailers, which makes you wonder if he is just a Variant that’s exactly the same. If they have their own Spider-Man, there’s likely a chance that they’d want to either nab Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, as their return has been welcomed with quite a lot of fanfare. Just introducing another new actor in the role may be a bit chaotic.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Gunn Confirms ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Will Release This Christmas

    James Gunn Confirms ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Will Release This Christmas

    When Disney+ and Marvel Studios teased their line-up for 2022, there were some interesting projects missing. We still never got an official announcement for the untitled Werewolf by Night project even though it has already started production. And, there was no mention of if The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which James Gunn is going to direct while working on the third entry of the franchise, would release later this year.

    Luckily, Gunn not only tased how “ridiculous” his take on a Holiday Special is going to be but also confirmed that we can definitely expect it to release this Christmas. His full quote is as follows:

    It’s totally ridiculous, and every day we can’t believe that we’re making it. We all completely love it. It is unlike anything that anyone’s ever seen before. I can’t wait for people to see it. And it’s out pretty soon. You know, it’s out this Christmas. It’s not like people have to wait that long.

    James Gunn

    He even calls the project the “greatest thing I’ve ever done” which sounds quite promising after his success with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. It’ll be interesting to see how it might not only connect into the third entry but also just how crazy he was able to make the story. Seems like Marvel Studios gave him complete free control and it wouldn’t be too surprising to even see the MCU’s version of Santa Clause make an appearance at some point in the special.

    Source: RadioTimes

  • James Bond’s First Spinoff Series Ordered by Amazon As a Competition Show

    James Bond’s First Spinoff Series Ordered by Amazon As a Competition Show

    The first TV series based on James Bond has finally been ordered by Amazon shortly after purchasing MGM studio, but it turns out it’s not quite what you might expect. The series 007’s Road to a Million isn’t a continuation of Bond’s journey or world but rather a reality TV show. It’ll see contestants trying to win £1 million by following in the footsteps of the character with endurance and intelligence tests. Teams of two will take on the challenges while traveling the world.

    Former Channel 4 executive Dom Bird will supervise the project for Amazon. The channel has been collecting quite a few UK unscripted projects like Clarkson’s Farm, All or Nothing, and more. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are working on a project that will consist of eight parts. There aren’t more details given, but it’s certainly a surprising direction for the first project to be part of the deal mainly in the form of a reality TV series.

    Ironically, the project has been in development for quite some time and it’s just a coincidence that it is moving forward now that the purchase has wrapped up. It seems that it was stuck in some form of production for around four years, but it’s likely that as a result of COIVD a lot of the production was pushed back given its world traveling focus.

    Source: Variety

  • First Tease of the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    First Tease of the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    Just recently, we got a tease of what may be a hint that we’ll get our first official look at the upcoming live-action Netflix series for One Piece. It was part of what would end up being six tweets to hype up an announcement on March 28th. Yet, it seems like that was only part of it all, as more tweets arrived teasing even more details such as the upcoming film RED, collectibles, and the manga. Now, it seems that a new duo of photographs has arrived that include a very distinctive visual style similar to One Piece World Seeker. It may be our very first look at the long-rumored One Piece Odyssey game.

    As per usual, the photos are only a glimpse into what is coming, but it looks like something happened to the Thousand Sunny that led to our team getting stranded on a new island. The trademark for Odyssey was first revealed back in June of 2021 but wasn’t officially confirmed until July. Around the same time, it was leaked that Spike Chunsoft was supposedly developing the game.

    What made it interesting is that you can make an original character, who joins Luffy in a war. It seems that the plan is to turn it into a GaaS like game with future expansions, multiple islands, and RPG elements. Battles would work as a 3D Fighter in the vein of Burning Blood with Devil Fruit and Haki abilities. Originally it was supposedly eyeing an early 2022 release, but it still was never officially announced until our first glimpse today. We’ll see if Monday comes with more news on the project.

    Source: Twitter, Play3, AltChar

  • Oscar Isaac Offers Update on ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie

    Oscar Isaac Offers Update on ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie

    Oscar Isaac has been busy promoting his upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight, but that didn’t stop IGN from asking him for an update on the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of the popular gaming series Metal Gear Solid. He was cast back in December but we haven’t heard anything since and luckily the actor offered a small update on the project.

    We’re searching, we’re searching like Solid Snake. We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story.

    Oscar Isaac

    It looks like the film is still in its early stages, as director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is getting the script together. He has hinted that the series’ creator Hideo Kojima has also been involved in some capacity, but it’s unclear if he’ll also have a say in the film’s overalls story and script. We also don’t know if they will directly adapt Snake’s infiltration of Shadow Moses, or take a more unique approach to make the adaptation stand out from the original. Still, it’s good to hear that they are still actively working on the project and it seems Isaac is having fun with some callbacks to the game.

    Source: IGN