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New ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Clips Showcase Bucky and Sam’s Frenemies Dynamic

Early reviews are beginning to drop for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and it’s exciting to see the positive reactions pouring out. Today Marvel also dropped a couple of new clips from the Disney+ series, which shows the friendly, yet combative relationship between the two leads.

The first clip entitled “What’s the Plan?” clearly showcases that the two just don’t get along. The staring contest and Bucky’s protest over Sam calling him “Buck” make that point very clear. Bucky and Sam are going to have to build trust and friendship if they’re going to succeed in their mission and survive their series.

The second clip is titled “The Big Three” and is easily my favorite. As a huge Hobbit fan, I loved the reference, and the thought of young Bucky buying the J.R.R. Tolkien classic back in 1937. It makes you wonder if he perhaps let his buddy Steve borrow it to read after. That is just too perfect for me. Also, I’m loving Old-Man-gatekeeper-fan Bucky telling Sam he read it when it first came out. Tolkien burn, Sam!

The fun back and forth dynamic mixes well with the tension and distrust that Bucky probably feels after so many years of being used as a killing machine. When you combine that with Sam’s slightly annoying charm, as he attempts to befriend the Winter Soldier and bring him under his wing (pardon the pun), we have a very promising dynamic. It will be interesting to see how their relationship grows throughout the next Disney+ series by Marvel Studios.

March 12, 2021
Report: ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Episodes to Run 45 to 55

A new article from the New York Times on the upcoming Disney+ Marvel Studios series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, reports that the series of 6 episodes will all be 45 to 55 minutes in length.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” consisting of six 45-to-55-minute episodes to be rolled out weekly, offers timely explorations into the nature of patriotism and extremism and the values of inclusivity, diversity and representation, set in a world striving for stability after a global catastrophe.
NY Times

This is in some contrast with recent quotes from series star Anthony Mackie and Kevin Feige, with Mackie comparing the series to a 6 to 8-hour movie, and Feige correcting that slightly with a “not quite 8 hours.” One assumes the New York Times should have good sources, but as someone who wants as much of the new adventures of Bucky and Sam as possible, I hope it’s a bit more.

Source: NY Times, ScifiNow+

March 12, 2021
‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7’ Adds Five New Cast Members

The cast of Christopher McQuarrie‘s seventh Mission: Impossible film has grown by a quintuple. All five new cast members were revealed by McQuarrie on Instagram, alongside teaser images hinting at their character’s roles. The group consists of Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, and Mark Gatiss. They join an already jaw-dropping ensemble headlined by franchise star Tom Cruise, who is returning alongside Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames. The adventure flick will follow up on the events of 2018’s wildly successful Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which became a popular topic of conversation due in large part to its impressive action sequences and Henry Cavill‘s arm pumping. It will film back-to-back with an untitled eighth installment, which again will be directed by McQuarrie.

The exact nature of their roles is currently unknown. Fans of the series should be excited to welcome such a wealth of talent to the cast’s ranks. Elwes is best known for his portrayal of Wesley in the cult hit The Princess Bride and has since found steady work in cult-hit projects like USA Network’s detective show Psych. As for Varma, she made a name for herself in the popular HBO drama Game of Thrones and recently joined the cast of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series. Delaney is something of a social media celebrity who charmed audiences with his bright smile and bushy mustache in Fox’s Deadpool 2. Famed British actor Gatiss has his following as both a writer and actor in the BBC’s Sherlock and Doctor Who series. Rounding out the newcomers is Parnell, who can be found on television with roles in TNT’s The Last Ship and ABC’s soap All My Children.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

March 11, 2021
‘WandaVision’: White Vision’s Quest in the MCU

The much-anticipated finale of WandaVision provided us with a deep dive into Wanda’s grief. It was beautifully brought full circle to acceptance in her final scene with her Hex-created Vision. There have been some criticisms of the finale, which unfortunately did seem to suffer from cuts in plotlines for certain characters. That seemed to be mainly due to the production trying to finish up during a global pandemic while sticking to its premiere date on Disney+. However, I would like to tackle one criticism in regards to the White Vision’s behavior, which I will respectfully disagree with.

I don’t agree that it was wrong to have the White Vision just up and leave, and not join Wanda’s battle against Agatha Harkness. The main reason I feel it was the right choice, is that it was really Wanda’s battle to win or lose, not anyone else’s. WandaVision was centered around Wanda’s grief and her mourning. It was about how she handles or mishandles it, and so having someone swoop in to win the battle for her, or demand that she let those people go, or defeat her so that the people of Westview are freed, would have taken away from the overarching theme that the real “big bad” in this story was the profound grief she was feeling.

To “win” this very personal battle, especially in light of what she had done wrong as she’d processed her grief, it was incredibly important that Wanda herself decided to let this fantasy world go and at least try to move on with her life. A promise that she could have the kids or Vision with her in the end, would have undercut the bravery and strength it took for her to do the right thing finally. All this so she can let those people go.

As for White Vision’s sudden exit, it made sense to me that this cold and unemotional android would leave. Even if he consists of Vision’s original parts, he is not the Vision who we came to know and love during the WandaVision series. Yet he isn’t the Vision that we met in Avengers: Age of Ultron either. A sudden influx of memories from his life before Thanos led to an interesting change in his eye color. It went from a cold emotionless blue to the much warmer and human tint that reflected Paul Bettany‘s eyes rather than that of a machine. Even if memories and emotions transferred from the Hex Vision to his synthezoid psyche, it would certainly be a lot of “data” to process, even for him.

So, he took off, bursting through the glass of the library instead of phasing. It’s possible that the director just really liked the explosive and dramatic visual effects of this exit and that’s why. However, I think it’s also very plausible that Vision was distracted by these newly discovered memories and emotions – especially if you remember how the Vision has been distracted by thoughts of Wanda before, such as in Civil War, and Infinity War. My assumption when I watched the scene the first time is that White Vision simply needed to go somewhere to figure all of this out. Keep in mind, this exit and his status being unknown, leaves him in a really interesting place, full of potential for character exploration in the future. Here’s hoping this quote from the Hex Vision’s final scene is a hint that there is much more to come from Vision in whatever form.

I have been a voice with no body, a body but not human, and now a memory made real. Who knows what I may be next?

March 11, 2021
Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Adds Jaz Sinclair

It looks like Amazon is not wasting any time, as right after they unveiled Lizze Broadway announced for the upcoming The Boys spin-off, they’ve already announced the next cast member. Deadline has revealed that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star, Jaz Sinclair, has joined the upcoming spin-off as another one of the series leads. She will tackle the role of Marie Moreau.

Around a week ago, the casting details were supposedly released, which offer some insight into what character Sinclair will end up playing. Marie is a young, up-and-coming hero from the Caribbean. She is the first and only hero from that region, so she has a lot of responsibility to make her home country proud. Hopefully, we won’t see her downfall through the negative influence of Vought. We already know they can barely control a group of adults, so who knows how well they can manage hormonal teenagers.

The spin-off still has no official name as of now. It will follow a group of young superheroes, who visit Vought International’s school. The Boys executive producer Craig Rosenberg is writing the series, so that ensures that it will have the same heart, raunch, and satire as the original. At this rate, we might get the casting news for the rest of the cast by the end of the week. Hopefully, it also means we get an official title soon that finally unveils how they can title a spin-off based on The Boys. Its success could also start the development of more spin-offs in the future, so it is certainly a series to keep an eye out for.

Source: Deadline

March 11, 2021
Theory Thursday: How ‘What If…?’ Sets Up ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Marvel Studios is exploring new avenues with this summer’s Disney+ animated series What If..? To those unfamiliar, the anthology comic run that started in 1977 explored alternate realities. It would explore how one detail could change the curse of history. So, now that Marvel Studios is exploring new ventures, such as WandaVision‘s sitcom stylings, the animated series may elevate the MCU to new creative heights by exploring different genres. After Avengers: Endgame introduced the concept of alternative timelines into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it made us wonder if the upcoming multiversal storyline might be more relevant than we might at first expect.

A Multiversal Question

Around a week ago, I discussed the new direction for Marvel Studios’ canonical timeline. At the moment, the main timeline has remained pretty linear over the past decade. Avengers: Endgame changed that two years ago, as we got introduced to this universe’s time travel. The moment they change something in the past, the ripple effect will create a new timeline. As you can see in the visual above, What If is about to split the timeline up into the multiverse. Theoretically, this show might give Marvel fans their first full-on deep dive into the expansion that I believe will be known as The Marvel Cinematic Multiverse moving forward. Not just that, it also will have some deeper implications for the franchise’s future.

Just The Beginning

The first trailer for What If…? gave us a glimpse at multiple alternate universes. If I had to choose, I’m most excited about the one focused on Doctor Strange. I believe that, unlike the other episodes, it won’t retell a previous episode but rather tease one that’s yet to come. So, I firmly believe it will provide a glimpse of his upcoming sequel. Not just that, it will also tease the main villain that will bring madness into the multiverse. He is rather prominent in the trailer, as it teased us with an alternate version of the magical doctor that has fallen to the dark side.

He could bring about the destruction of the world (and possibly the multiverse as we know it). Upon closer examination, he conjures a very familiar form of red magic with black dots swirling around it. I suspect that this may turn out to be Chaos Magic, which we got introduced to in WandaVision. This version of Strange seems to be losing his humanity, as he has tentacles expanding from his hand. I believe that this isn’t Strange but rather someone imitating him. Whoever this individual turns out to be, there is a good chance he might be the main villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After the season finale of WandaVision teased Wanda’s quest, she may have found her way into this alternate dimension. If you take a closer look at the image above, you can see a woman in red staring at this twisted version of Strange. Going by her red outfit, I suspect she could turn out to be Wanda seeking her children.

Anything is Possible

The Doctor Strange sequel is among my most anticipated MCU films to release in the coming years. When the multiverse is involved, pretty much anything and everything is on the table. Perhaps we even get to revisit the alternate realities presented in What If. Just imagine Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff enter an alternate reality centered around Marvel Zombies, which pays tribute to Army of Darkness. It would be a waste not to pay tribute to the film that the same director, Sam Raimi, worked onn. Or, you could have Doctor Strange face off against different versions of characters we know, like a live-action Peggy Carter as Captain Britain. Case in point, you should consider paying attention to What If…?, especially now that the multiverse is about to be blown wide open.

Case in point, you should definitely consider paying attention to What If…?, especially now that the Multiverse is about to be blown wide open.

March 11, 2021
Lizze Broadway Joins Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ Spinoff

In 2019, the first season of Amazon’s hit series, The Boys, was released. The series quickly became a smash hit, gaining critical acclaim and praise from fans alike. A second season got promptly ordered and before it even aired, Amazon already greenlit a third season. With the raging success of one show comes the potential of expanding the franchise. In September, Amazon revealed that the show’s team had begun working on a spin-off focusing on young heroes. Now with the show on the fast track, we’ve already got our first bit of casting.

Not too long ago, the first casting details got revealed for the upcoming series, which gave us breakdowns of the series leads. After a long wait, we finally got the first casting announcement. Actress Lizze Broadway has been cast as Emma, a hero looking to escape the shadow of her mother and finally make a human connection. Broadway‘s character spent the better part of her childhood traveling with her mother, with whom she had a rocky relationship.

The upcoming spinoff to The Boys currently has no set release date and the rest of the cast has yet to be unveiled. The upcoming third season of the boys however is currently in production and will see the return of all of your favorite terrible people that are just trying to make the world an even bloodier place.

Source: Deadline

March 11, 2021
Kiersey Clemons to Return as Iris West in ‘The Flash’

The upcoming Flash solo has been in development hell for quite some time now. It gave development hell a new meaning, as it lost director after director. Finally, it was able to secure the director of the latest It adaptations, Andy Muschietti. The film will see Ezra Miller reprise his role as Barry Allen. He won’t be the only hero returning from the DCEU. Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will reprise their respective roles as Caped Crusaders. There is also the newcomer Sasha Calle, who is set to play Supergirl. Now it seems another familiar face is set to return in the upcoming film, for what is sure to be too many fans delight.

During the production of Justice League, fans were excited to learn that intrepid reporter Iris West would be making her DCEU debut. Kiersey Clemons will tackle the iconic role. Sadly, she eventually got cut from the film after Snyder’s departure. As such, many fans wondered if she’d kept the role. After a long wait, it was finally confirmed that Clemons is set to reprise her role in the upcoming film The Flash. It is uncertain how large her role will be.

The Flash was written by Christina Hodson and is set for a November 4th, 2022 release date. The film will star Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Billy Crudup. You can catch Ezra Miller and Kiersey Clemons in their respective roles in the upcoming release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It will release on HBO Max on March 18th, 2021.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

March 11, 2021
How ‘WandaVision’ Leaves the Door Open for Evan Peters’ Future in the MCU

There are many unsolved stories left when WandaVision ended. Among them is the identity of Jimmy Woo’s missing person. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, I can’t blame you. The line came early in the show’s fourth episode. It was when Woo explains to Monica Rambeau how he discovered the Westview anomaly. He revealed that he was searching for a person in the FBI’s Witness Protection Program, who had recently disappeared. After this, the missing person never got brought up again, understandably overshadowed in the government’s eyes by the giant magical hex encompassing an entire town. Luckily for fans who never stopped wondering, the series finale might have given enough clues to deduce the identity of this protected individual. The best part is that it offers a chance to also to expand Evan Peter‘s role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ralph, initially introduced as a “recast” version of Pietro Maximoff, was theorized from the get-go to be many different characters from Marvel comics canon. Many assumed the unseen husband of Agnes would get revealed as the big bad Mephisto. There was also the theory that the show’s fake Pietro was Peter Maximoff of X-Men: Days of Future Past fame. All of this was eventually proven untrue, as Monica realizes that Peters‘ character is simply another manipulated Westview resident. It left many feeling a bit underwhelmed, wishing that an actor of Peters‘ caliber would have a larger role in future MCU projects. Well, despite all the interviews to the contrary, I think there is more to Mr. Bohner than meets the eye. Although I’ve been a vocal advocate of letting theories go, I’m here to eat my own words and tell you there may be one more worth holding on to. I believe he might turn out to be Simon Williams at one point.

Williams has tried to join the MCU for years. Director James Gunn cast Nathan Fillion in the role for a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cameo appearance, but it got scrapped. There were hints with his addition, such as a blurry image of the character in the first featurette during WandaVision‘s marketing campaign. It led to many assumptions that he would appear in some capacity during the anticipated nine-episode run. Yet despite this heavy pre-show speculation, the former Avenger never popped up. A recent interview with WandaVision showrunner Jac Shaeffer confirmed that there were never any plans to include Wonder Man in the series. However, Marvel Studios has never shied away from a little retroactive continuity change, as evidenced by All Hail the King‘s “fixing” of the infamous Mandarin twist from Iron Man 3. With this precedent in place, I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to evolve Ralph Bohner into Wonder Man.

There are a few details that could be re-worked to line up with Simon Williams’ characteristics. Firstly, the picture held by Monica in Ralph’s home appears to be a headshot. We never learn what Ralph’s profession is, but the presence of a headshot could indicate prior aspirations towards acting. If this turned out to be true, Agatha would make use of a former actor as her double for Pietro, knowing he’d be capable of pulling the character off in a pinch. Secondly, the way Bohner seems to be unfamiliar with his name. Sure, it probably has something to do with him being under Agatha Harkness’s control, but if Ralph is Woo’s missing person, it stands to reason that he might have picked out a name that appealed to his immature side. The former Mr. Williams might have then relocated to the safe and unassuming town of Westview, unaware he’d soon get swept up in magical shenanigans.

Now, why would a goofy thespian like Ralph even be forced to enter witness protection in the first place? Some fans may be aware that Simon Williams isn’t the only masked member of his family. His older brother Eric is the villainous Grim Reaper. He even was once heavily rumored to be involved with Marvel Studios’ debut series. The antagonist even got a maybe-accidental nod during WandaVision‘s second episode, where the silhouette of his mask was included in the animated opening sequence. With that in mind, one could piece together that Ralph may have gotten caught up in his brother’s criminal activities, forcing him to give up his dreams of acting and join the Witness Protection Program.

We never actually get to see what happens to Ralph after his apprehension by Monica. We know that he got freed of Agatha’s control. The shell necklace gave off a purple glow, which isn’t dissimilar from the energy produced by Wonder Man in the original Marvel books, but nothing is shown after that. Evan Peters’ open-ended plotline is perfect to set-up a return of “Ralph Bohner” in the future of the MCU. Perhaps then he’ll be going by a more familiar name, in a town that doesn’t have dueling witches or philosophical androids running amok in the streets. Or maybe he’ll have to deal with them again, who knows?

March 11, 2021
Blade Creator Marv Wolfman “Looking Forward” to Seeing the MCU Reboot…Next Year

Comic Book writer and Blade creator, Marv Wolfman, took to social media yesterday to express his excitement over seeing his comic book creations coming to life in other forms of media beyond the pages of the comic book. With the upcoming release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, “the writer-daddy” of characters like Cyborg and Deathstroke talked about how he was looking forward to the film’s debut on HBO Max, reminiscing on his past of creating those characters and feeling “gratified” about managing to live out his childhood dreams. Among his statements, he talked about how many of his dreams came true with last year’s premiere of Crisis On Infinite Earths on the CW, next week with Justice League, and next year with Blade. You can read his entire statement below.

Now that last part is very interesting as Wolfman believes that Blade might premiere in 2022. If history has taught us anything it’s that not every comic book creator is always entirely aware of the plans for their creations, so this is certainly not iron-clad proof that we’ll see the vampire slayer next year. However, our very own Charles Murphy has talked a lot about this before, stating that Blade is set to start production sometime later this year. With casting already well underway and the playwright Stacey Osei-Koffour penning the script for the MCU, it’s becoming more likely than not that we might see Mahershala Ali debut as the famous vampire slayer on the big screen sometime in 2022.

March 11, 2021