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  • ‘Black Widow’: Cate Shortland Talks the Importance of Taskmaster’s Real Identity

    ‘Black Widow’: Cate Shortland Talks the Importance of Taskmaster’s Real Identity

    The following article contains a major twist from the film. Only continue reading at your own risk. This is your final spoiler warning.

     

     

     

    Black Widow has finally arrived. The wait has been a long one, but somehow the real identity of Taskmaster has remained tightly under wraps. In an interview with Total Film, director Cate Shortland finally was able to open up about that reveal after a whole year of silence. There have been countless theories that it was Rachel Weisz‘s Melina or O.T. Fagbenle‘s mysterious character.

    It turned out, we were all wrong. In reality, it turned out to be the man antagonist’s daughter, Antonia Dreykov. She was a sacrificial lamb when Natasha joined shield and had been referenced since the first Avengers film while Loki was taunting her from his cell. While sadly it wasn’t Tony Masters, we did get a very personal twist and Shortland offered some insight on the inspiration:

    What’s great in the film is, you see that [Natasha] physically has to face what she’s done. It’s not a fragment [of that]. It’s real. And so she’s really facing her worst nightmare. I almost see Taskmaster as being her psyche, ‘This is what I’ve done, and it’s coming back to get me.’ The androgyny of the character is really interesting.

    She also goes on to talk about Natasha sticking out from the other heroes due to her ambiguity. She’s done some terrible things but the film also gave us insight into how she was able to make the sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. Yelena was an important part in her finally accepting her past and Antonia’s return let her apologize for the things she’s done. The Taskmaster Protocol might still make a return in the future and Marvel Studios has returned to some projects in the past to further explore them. So, we might see the legacy that Natasha left behind in the MCU’s future.

    Source: Total Film

  • New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Concept Art Teases Black Panther’s ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

    New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Concept Art Teases Black Panther’s ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

    Marvel’s Avengers has some major updates heading our way with August’s Black Panther expansion being a highlight. Currently, the Red Room is back to celebrate the release of Black Widow, but all eyes are on the upcoming Omega-Level Threat that finally releases after getting teased since the release of Kate Bishop. Sadly, we’re still waiting for the secretive Cloning Labs but it’s even more exciting to think we can tackle it with Black Panther once he releases August. We’re still a month away but Crystal Dynamics shared a glimpse at the upcoming expansion. Let’s start with some key visuals offering a glimpse at

     

     

    They’ve offered some details on the game, especially that they reworked every asset to fit the Wakandan-theme. So, you can expect some classic items adapting to the new environment, which will make it stand out from the AIM theme we have had throughout the year. We’ll also see the blending of modern Wakandan technology with some traditional elements, which is highlighted in the temple that we got a brief glimpse of in the latest trailer.

     

     

    We’ve also got a look at their approach to the new environment. they’ve promised explorable caves with various secrets hidden within. We got a brief glimpse of Vibranium-infused glyphs. They even showcased an in-game screenshot to showcase there will be more verticality with this new biome. So, the traversal will be more dangerous, as they are trying to make the environments more engaging.

     

     

    There was also a tease of the new Outpost, which will be in the capital of Wakanda. Overall, the concept art is very promising and truly feels like it could be part of its own game. Crystal Dynamics teased a special guest for next week, which might finally be the reveal of the character’s voice actor, who has been heavily rumored to be Christopher Judge. Hopefully, we’ll also get some gameplay soon as a new trailer and War Table video got teased for the near future. We’re only a few weeks away before we finally visit Wakanda.

    Source: Twitch

  • Disney+’s ‘What If’ Teased As The First of Many Marvel Studios Animation Series

    Disney+’s ‘What If’ Teased As The First of Many Marvel Studios Animation Series

    Ever since the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 with the premiere of Iron Man, Marvel Studios has kept expanding and keeping Stan Lee‘s vision alive on the silver screen. Over the years, Marvel Studios has found ways to entertain us with its shared universe franchise across 24 films. They’ve produced new and innovative stories that often expand across all 4 corners of their universe.

    With the development of Phase 4, Marvel Studios has gone on to find new ways to tell its stories beyond movies and expanding into long-form storytelling. In the case of the upcoming Disney+ series, What If, Marvel took a chance on creating its first animated series for the MCU. It seems it may not be the only animated show coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as revealed by production and development executive Dana Vasquez on LinkedIn.

     

     

    This is our first hint at the franchise expanding with other animated series. We already know that Marvel Studios is already developing a second season of What If, but this post indicates the production studio saw a lot of potential in this new format. And they’ve definitely been looking for more animators to join their teams. Daujenae Harps, a Senior Recruiter at The Walt Disney Company, shared several job listings for animators to join Marvel Animation Studios.

    It appears as though Marvel Studios is looking to tell stories that would often seem impossible to tell via their movie formats in the form of animated series. Whether or not these series could tie into the larger scale MCU remains to be seen. If Marvel Studios is responsible for these series, it would seem likely they might tie into the multiverse in some way.

    It does open doors for characters to make their way to the small screen of the MCU and tell stories that would, more often than not, be omitted in the films. There have been rumblings of a potential series based on Power Pack and we could even see What If characters get their own spin-offs. Either way, we can’t wait to see what more Marvel has to offer in the future with its animation team!

    Source: LinkedIn (Animation) LinkedIn (Job Listings)

  • ‘Star Wars: Visions’: New Spin-Off Novel ‘Ronin’ to Focus on Former Sith

    ‘Star Wars: Visions’: New Spin-Off Novel ‘Ronin’ to Focus on Former Sith

    Not too long ago, we got our first look at Star Wars: Visions. It was a brand new anthology series heading to Diseny+ that would feature original short films by famous Anime production studios. It was a new direction for the franchise and allows them to break away from its canon. It seems that one of the short films has inspired a novelization, as the official Star Wars site just revealed a brand new novel titled Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel written by Emma Mieko Candon. Here’s a first look at the book’s cover:

     

     

    It’ll focus on a former Sith who is now known as Ronin. It’ll act as an expansion of the short film titled The Duel, which is directed by Takanobu Mizuno for Kamikaze Douga. Lucasfilm Story Group’s James Waugh, who also acts as an executive producer of the Vision anthology series, shared the inspiration to expansion:

    Out of all the shorts, The Duel felt most rife for an ongoing story in a novel. Another one of Ronin’s adventures. One of the things I always loved about the short was that it was clear there was a larger history at play. That this wasn’t the first adventure this warrior had been through and it certainly won’t be their last. What are those stories?

    He went on to share that Kamikaze Douga even pitched in ideas to expand the story’s lore. It’s Candon‘s first foray into the franchise. She went on to state that the story will dive into Japanese period dramas, also known as jidaigeki. So we can expect Japanese monsters and folklore. It’s an exciting prospect to dive into a unique take on the galaxy far far away that also acts as a character study on the dark side of the force. The novel will arrive on October 12th.

    Source: Star Wars

  • ‘Black Widow’s Thursday Box Office On Par With Pre-Pandemic Marvel Studios’ Releases

    ‘Black Widow’s Thursday Box Office On Par With Pre-Pandemic Marvel Studios’ Releases

    It looks like Marvel Studios has not lost its steam at the Box Office after not releasing a film for two full years. Black Widow was originally set to release in May of 2020 but got continuously pushed back due to the pandemic. Still, the long wait is over and it is finally available in theaters, as well as on Disney+’s Premier Access. There was some uncertainty that its availability would dampen its Box Office success, but early predictions already had it eyeing a potential $110M domestic opening.

    These predictions hinted that it would pass F9‘s $80M. We’ve seen an uptick in Box Office performances since Godzilla vs. Kong gave us our first glimpse of hope in its Easter weekend release. It looks like the digital release didn’t hurt Marvel Studios’ first Phase 4 film in the slightest, as it already garnered $13M in ts preview nights.

    That alone is already signaling a $100M+ opening. The release is even on par with other Marvel titles, as it’s only slightly below Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s $15.4M and ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s $76M. The former garnered a $117M opening and it looks like people have been anxiously awaiting the return to cinemas. It’s uncertain if the general release might be influenced by the Disney+ release. So, there is a chance it’ll lose momentum over the weekend. Disney and Marvel are still hoping for a $120M+ release. Perhaps word-of-mouth

    Now, HBO Max’s similar release showed its fangs in the second weekend. Their films would commonly see a harsh drop, but they were also freely available for subscribers. Disney+’s additional fee could end up pushing people towards rewatching it in theaters to also get that experience they’ve missed out on during the pandemic. All eyes will be on the film#s weekend and then what it may mean for September’s Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings release.

    Source: Twitter, Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘LOKI’ Originally Contained an Additional and Hilarious Throg Scene

    ‘LOKI’ Originally Contained an Additional and Hilarious Throg Scene

    Episode 5 of Loki, “Journey Into Mystery”, introduced audiences to the Void, a vast wasteland where anyone and anything pruned by the TVA goes to be devoured by Alioth. Given the Void’s purpose, it was no surprise to find it filled with Variants and remnants of their branched timelines, making an Easter egg-rich environment that thrilled fans. Among the many blink and you’ll miss it appearances that got the most attention was Throg, a Thor Variant who was briefly seen trying to get out of his jar prison (labeled T365 in reference to the character’s first comic book appearance in Thor #365) and get hold of a variant Thor’s hammer (probably Frogjolnir).

    It was a great Easter egg and it does establish Throg as MCU canon but according to staff writer Eric Martin, there was originally more planned for the Frog of Thunder, including a scene of him kicking Loki’s ass that sound like it might have been reminded fans of Hulk’s thrashing of the God of Mischeif from Avengers.

    https://twitter.com/MrEricMartin/status/1412987552324145152?s=20

    Throg, first introduced in 1986, has gone through a few retcons but the first story was part of an arc in which Loki turned Thor into a frog (at the end of Thor #363) who found himself on Earth, being attacked by rats and then going on to, of course, meet other frogs before finally transforming into the fully-powered Throg when he found Mjolnir. Simonson had some wild ideas when he was writing Thor, so if nothing else, use this as an excuse to get into the 300s of Thor and do some reading.

    Now that Throg is canon, let’s hope we see him in Season 2 or somewhere else in this multiverse.

  • How ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Can Fix the Iron Boy Jr. Perception

    How ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Can Fix the Iron Boy Jr. Perception

    Spider-Man is a very polarizing character with countless interpretations across multiple forms of media. So, as the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home grows closer, fans have started to become more vocal regarding multiple aspects of this film. With the rumors of the upcoming sequel potentially bringing in the previous iterations of the character, fans have started to point out the differences between the three live-action versions. The debate has begun on how one counterpart is better than the other. What stands out is that the harshest of criticisms definitely focusing in on the MCU’s interpretation of Spider-Man. Many believe that Tom Holland’s version of the character lacks many qualities about what would normally characterize the web-slinging hero. All of these critiques however can be neatly wrapped up into one singular question: Who is Spider-Man in the MCU really?

     

    Identity Crisis

     

    For the MCU Version of Spider-Man, you could argue that he is often opaqued by his connection to Tony Stark. In a way, making his character an extension of the MCU founder. The reasoning behind this train of thought is because when compared to the rest of the characters in the MCU, whose history always was part of an extended universe, Spider-Man had no connection. He was the only one to protect NYC in his past films. In most forms of media, he’s been perceived as this individual that understands what it’s like to be someone on opposite sides of the spectrum.

    An individual who knows what it’s like to be powerless to do anything and someone who has superhuman powers, but also understands the responsibilities that must come along with them. In a way, it’s what makes Spider-Man relatable and appealing to many audiences. When it comes to the MCU version of the character, some vocal Spider-Man fans have argued that this iteration of Peter Parker has a sense of dependence and reliance on others, rather than assuming responsibility wholeheartedly.

     

    The Solution

     

    Ironically enough, in a film that is rumored to be so jampacked and filled with characters, references, and nostalgia, Spider-Man: No Way Home may very well be the perfect film to make up for that past perception. Given what we already know about the film, Peter Parker’s secret identity has been ousted to the world. As he stands trial for Mysterio’s murder, he’ll have to step up and defend himself. That is a lot of responsibility to carry for a kid of his age.

    And with the worst kept secret being that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are set to reprise their respective roles in this film, then we are putting the MCU Peter Parker where he’ll learn what it means to hold that mantle from his true counterparts, or at least a Variant of himself. He’ll have the opportunity to learn what exactly inspired or motivated each Peter Parker to gain that sense of responsibility. It would give him the chance to re-evaluate his own perception of the responsibility he mentioned in Captain America: Civil War. As his character moves forward, we might get a clearer picture of what makes Tom Holland’s Spider-Man truly Spider-Man.

  • ‘What If’: Seth Green Confirms His Return as Howard the Duck in the Disney+ Series

    ‘What If’: Seth Green Confirms His Return as Howard the Duck in the Disney+ Series

    The new What If trailer offered quite a glimpse into Marvel Studios’ first animated series. What seemed to be independent episodes taking a closer look at different scenarios across the franchise’s timeline, might be way more interconnected than we thought. Many iconic actors are returning to voice their respective characters with some noticeable absentees, such as Robert Downey Jr. not lending his voice to Tony Stark. Luckily, one can easily sideline this fact by pointing out that these are Variants from another timeline, but it’s still sad to see not everyone make a return. The new trailer also revealed the grand return of Howard the Duck and his voice actor Seth Green confirmed he’ll reprise the role on Twitter.

    The actor originally voiced the cameo in a brief post-credit sequence from the first Guardians of the Galaxy film featuring Howard and Benicio Del Toro‘s Collector, who is also slated to return. The character would go on to make a brief cameo in the sequel and can even be sighted alongside the Ravagers rocking a gun in Avengers: Endgame‘s final fight. Willard Huyck once directed a film based on the Marvel character back in 1986 that introduced the world to a darker twist on Donald Duck.

    He originally was going to get his own Hulu series alongside the recently released MODOK. It was going to see the two series alongside another canceled project titled Tigra & Dazzler crossover into The Offenders. Kevin Smith and Dave Willis were executive producers alongside former Marvel TV head, Jeph Loeb. While he never got his own series, it seems that the character has a bright future in the MCU moving forward.

    Source: Twitter, Deadline

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Angela Bassett Reveals Ongoing Script Rewrites During Production

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Angela Bassett Reveals Ongoing Script Rewrites During Production

    Marvel Studios has a variety of films and Disney+ series in production. Yet, many eyes are on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film is facing a challenging situation as their main star, Chadwick Boseman, tragically passed away last year. Of course, director Ryan Coogler still set out the continue the story and honor the actor’s legacy. The film recently started principal photography. There are already hints that the production will head to MIT as well. So, the term has been busy preparing the film which is slated for a July 8th, 2022 release. In an interview for Netflix’s upcoming Gunpowder Milkshake film, Angela Bassett, who plays T’Challa’s mother in the film, offered some insight on the film. She praised Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, who is co-writing the script, for their work on continuing Boseman‘s legacy.

    Of course, with our dear king going on to glory, a lot of things had to be shifted and changed, so thankfully, Ryan [Coogler] and Joe Robert Cole, they’re just such masterful storytellers that they’ve found a way into this world and hopefully it will be satisfying, I think, for the fans and it will be honorable of our Chad. We love our king.

    Yet, there was another quote that also caught our eye. She highlights that the film has been burning through various scrips with a sixth version already in the works:

    I don’t know what it’s going to look like at all. There have been about five incarnations of the script and I hear another one’s coming.

    It’s not uncommon that rewrites occur throughout the production. Of course, there is also a chance that some of these scripts are fake to avoid any more spoilers leaking online. We don’t know how big of a role Bassett will have as Queen Ramonda. So, she might only get parts of the entire script. We still don’t know how they’ll tackle Boseman’s death. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed they won’t recast the role, but didn’t elaborate who would continue the mantle. It looks like we’ll have to wait until that first trailer drops before we find out.

    Source: ET

  • Latest ‘What If’ Trailer May Confirm ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Main Villain

    Latest ‘What If’ Trailer May Confirm ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Main Villain

    We’ve been anxiously waiting for confirmation when Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation with the new What If series. After a long wait, they finally dropped an official trailer and the news that it’ll release on August 11th. The Disney+ series was originally thought of as a simple exploration of different scenarios across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it seems it’ll be even more than that.

    The trailer confirms that we’re about to head out into the multiverse and it could hint at a stronger connection between the Disney+ series and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If you take a closer look at the trailer, you might even get a glimpse at a heavily rumored villain that is planned to appear in the sequel. In a blink-or-you-miss-it moment, Sharon Carter is fighting a strange set of tentacles.

     

     

    Why is this relevant? Well, the rumored villain is the multidimensional tentacle monster known as Shuma-Gorath.  His design is quite iconic with green tentacles and a giant eye. The visuals hit that first box quite well and might even explain the brief sequence teasing a team-up of the various heroes from across the multiverse. He might even be the reason they unite. It makes us wonder if we might even get the What If characters, or rather Variants as we learned in Loki, might make a live-action return in the upcoming film. If Scott’s head in a jar is anything to go by, there’s going to be some crazy stories heading our way so Shuma-Gorath might be the most normal aspect of the series. Of course, it could also end up being a Flerken or another tentacle beast, but it does seem suspicious.

    If you haven’t had the chance yet, you can check out the new trailer right here:

     

    Source: YouTube