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  • ‘WandaVision’: Agatha Kind All Along

    ‘WandaVision’: Agatha Kind All Along

    Here’s a crazy theory to throw out. At the end of WandaVision’s seventh episode, it ended with a massive twist. Agnes turned out, as predicted, to be Agatha Harkness. She even got a brand new intro that seemed inspired by The Munsters. As its title implies, she was responsible for some of the actions in the past episodes. It was her that manipulated the drunk Vision and the fake Pietro. Yet, was she really behind it all, as the title states? The latest episode revealed that it was Wanda’s grief that created the Hex. In reality, Agatha may be selfish, but she isn’t the villain that we think she is. There might be a softer side that will get explored in tomorrow’s finale.

     

    WandaVision': Hints that Agnes' character was Agatha Harkness

     

    The catchy musical entry reveals Agatha’s actions throughout the early shows. We see her manipulate Vision so that the townfolks would realize what is happening. She also frees Herb from Wanda’s control. If you look closely, she does it after he already cut through the wall. In a way, she was trying to reveal something to Vision that would make him realize what is happening. As we learned, the Pietro plotline was to get Vision to explore outside of the hex. So, while she was behind some of the shenanigans, she isn’t the root cause of it all. The latest episode confirms that Wanda created the sitcom world in her grief.

    It’s also strange how the episode turns Agatha into a therapist for Wanda. Yes, her ulterior motive is to uncover how she used her abilities, but they tease some humanity. The moment we briefly see her shed a tear when they revisit her time in the Avengers compound solidifies the fact that she isn’t evil for the sake of it. As we are about to enter the final episode, I think Agatha will have a change of heart and support Wanda moving forward. They teased it when she wondered how she had no idea about runes but could put her magic on auto-pilot throughout Westview. She never was a villain in the comics. It was through her that Wanda learned to control chaos magic. The potential of teaching a new incarnation of the Scarlet Witch might be an exciting prospect for her.

     

    WandaVision villain Agatha Harkness, explained by the comics - Polygon

     

    Once the new Vision teased in the post-credit sequence enters Westview alongside SWORD, they have a common enemy. She might end up fighting alongside them, as she has no interest in losing a powerful witch like Wanda. Yes, she does absorb the life force of her fellow witches back in Salem. If you pay close attention, she seems to have no control over it. It almost seemed like the purple magic she was dabbling in was protecting her. At the end of the idea, it was self-defense. She didn’t attack them but retaliated when they tried to kill her. So, she is obsessed with mastering magic and has the perfect pupil. I would love to see her and Doctor Strange get into a dispute over who is the better teacher for her. As such, she would follow her comic roots and introduce Wanda and us to the world of witchcraft. It would be a shame to introduce this part of the MCU without exploring its history. After that brief tease at the beginning of the last episode, I want a history lesson on this crazy universe. Plus, I believe it would be a waste not to give Kathryn Hahn more time to shine in this ever-expanding franchise.

  • REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘X-Men’ Reboot in Early Development

    REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘X-Men’ Reboot in Early Development

    Ever since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, we’ve been waiting for the X-Men to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During Disney’s Investors Day, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that they are adapting Fantastic Four, but the mutants will have to wait a bit. There have been theories that they could appear in WandaVision, as Wanda Maximoff has close ties with Magneto. It seemed unlikely to happen with each passing episode, but it looks like Marvel Studios is finally moving forward with their adaptation of the iconic mutant family.

    Illuminerdi has just shared that the X-Men film reboot has entered the early stage of development. As of right now, there is no talent of any kind attached to the project. It’ll enter development under the working title “The Mutants,” which is beautifully straight-forward. We have no details of how they will approach the project, but it would indicate that we could maybe get some news by the end of the year.

     

     

    It will be interesting to see which direction they go. 20th Century Fox introduced the first film in the franchise back in 2000. So, the franchise has been going for around 20 years. Last year’s The New Mutants marked the end of an era. The original franchise focused a lot on Wolverine. It made sense as he is one of the group’s most popular characters. They might take a different route and focus on the school, as they could take the same path as the Harry Potter franchise did by focusing on the students. No matter what direction they take, we can’t wait to see it unfold on the silver screen.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • Amazon Developing ‘Hellsing’ Adaptation with ‘John Wick’s Derek Kolstad

    Amazon Developing ‘Hellsing’ Adaptation with ‘John Wick’s Derek Kolstad

    Western adaptations of anime have been all the rage. Netflix has been working on a live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda‘s magnum opus, One Piece. They’ve already started casting for the upcoming Cowboy Bebop adaptation. Well, it looks like Amazon Studios also wants to enter the game, as Deadline has just revealed that they are developing an adaptation of Kouta Hirano‘s Hellsing. The Japanese action-horror franchise will be spearheaded by John WIck‘s screenwriter, Derek Kolstad. He gave the following statement on tackling a dream project:

    Ever since my brother introduced me to the Hellsing manga and anime some years ago, I’ve been obsessed with adapting it. And when Mike Callaghan and his team managed to secure the rights to then partner us up with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Amazon, I mean -damn, dude- this is a dream.

    Shōnen Gahōsha published the original series, which ran from 2006 until 2012. The story follows the tale of Alucard, who lies to serve Integra Hellsing, the leader of The Hellsing Organization. They aid England in protecting them from supernatural threats, such as vampires, and ghouls. The viewer’s surrogate is ex-police officer Seras Victoria, who embraces her new future as a vampire.

    Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger are producing alongside Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber. Derek Kolstad has recently penned the latest entry of the John Wick franchise, Parabellum. I am excited to see this adaptation, as the 2001 version of Hellsing was my introduction to the world of anime. It only ran for thirteen episodes and didn’t adapt the later chapters of the manga. It wasn’t until Hellsing Ultimate that they would tell the entire story. The supernatural franchise combined with John Wick‘s

    Source: ComicBook, Deadline, Deadline (Hellsing)

  • Zack Snyder Reveals ‘Justice League’ Sequel Plans

    Zack Snyder Reveals ‘Justice League’ Sequel Plans

    We covered an exhibit that offered our first look at the Knightmare designs of various characters for the upcoming HBO Max release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It showcased Mera, Deathstroke, and Cyborg in their designs that didn’t make it into the original release. He originally planned to split up his project into multiple films that would tell a complete story. Luckily, it seems that Snyder has revealed his initial plans for the film’s sequel in the same gallery, where he showcased suits from the production. @accidentallydan was kind enough to share the images that give us a closer look at the initial plans.

    The images were taken down, so here are a few we were able to save:

    It seems that Lex Luthor’s League of Doom has always been on the table. It would’ve been amazing seeing the team face Dr. Maru, Captain Cold, Orm, Black Manta, and Riddler. The sequel was going to end on a cliffhanger for a third entry in the franchise. It would pick up in the aftermath of the first, as they go their separate ways. The heroes try to live their lives, as Luthor enacts his plans in the shadows. They would face these villains that would slowly reveal what Luthor was up to. He wants to summon Darkseid back to conquer Earth.

    There are quite a few details that we don’t want to spoil here. So, you can check out the thread above to get a full look at the sequel plans. Interestingly, the 2017 version does end with the Legion of Doom tease, which was part of the original plan. Sadly, it seems that Warner Bros. has no interest in continuing to build on it, as they start refocusing on reboots. It is great to see Jim Lee’s artwork bring the concepts to life. Hopefully, there is a chance we may get an adaptation of them at some point, even if it is in comic or animated form.

    Source: Twitter

  • REPORT: ‘Blade’ Reboot Casting Supporting Roles Ahead of Fall Production Start

    REPORT: ‘Blade’ Reboot Casting Supporting Roles Ahead of Fall Production Start

    Just two days ago, we got the first casting details for the upcoming adaptation of Blade. The Mahershala Ali-led project will introduce the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the mystical world of vampires. It will be the second adaptation since Wesley Snipes tackled the role back in 1993. The seemed to hint at the addition of his daughter. She was a character that almost made her comic debut in 2015. Now, POC Culture revealed that Marvel Studios is casting two African-American female roles for an upcoming project. They do hint that there is a possibility they might also be for Black Panther, but it seems pretty likely, going by the descriptions, these belong to Blade.

    Marvel is trying to cast an African-American woman in the age range of 20 to 35 to play Betsy. She aspires to become a heroine, and it seems that her role requests comedic chops from the stress. She would appear alongside Lucy, who is in a similar age range. She is on the run after her mother passed away under mysterious circumstances and living off the grid. It would make sense that the strange occurrence might get tied to a vampire attack, which some might not even believe in a world filled with heroes.

    These characters might have a connection to Ruby, who was the focus of the last casting reveal. They are older, but she could accidentally get involved as the “mysterious circumstance” makes its return to haunt Lucy. It could be how she gets involved as a major supporting character and what leads to her meeting Ali‘s Blade. We still know very little about the story, so it is only speculation. With casting underway, we will hopefully find out who will direct the film in the coming weeks.

    Source: POC Culture

  • First Look at ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s Knightmare Deathstroke and Cyborg

    First Look at ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s Knightmare Deathstroke and Cyborg

    In almost two weeks, fans will be able to sit down and experience what the 2017 film was originally supposed to be. The film will include all new and never-before-seen footage from director Zack Snyder‘s original vision. One of the most elusive parts of Snyder‘s DC films was the mysterious Knightmare timeline. In it, Superman had fallen to the anti-life equation and was turned into an agent of Apokolips. It would lead to Darkseid’s conquest of Earth. We got our first look at the timeline in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. It gave us a brief glimpse of Batman’s rebellion before he was thwarted by Superman’s soldiers and Parademons. It looks as if the story will continue in the upcoming film, as a new gallery of the Justice League has offered us a closer look at the Knightmare designs.

    The images above give us our first look at Knightmare Cyborg. It is shocking to see him in one piece with his armor malformed and rocky. It also seems as if his lights have gone off at some point, but this could be due to the figurine. He also is wearing a brown cloak, which he probably uses to hide his robotic body.

    The next photos from the gallery feature our first look at Mera from this timeline. She is now wielding a trident and has presumably taken the place of Aquaman in the resistance. If you look closer, you can see that she is wielding a Parademon rifle as well. There is also the reveal of a worn-out Deathstroke armor that is covered in sand. We also get a closer look at Jared Leto‘s Joker, reprising the role for the first time since Suicide Squad back in 2016. This Joker seems to be dressed on a surgical gown of sorts, with a kevlar vest covered in bloody police badges, as well as his signature gun, featured in Suicide Squad.

    The gallery includes a variety of other costumes, such as the Flash costume that we briefly saw in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We’re eager to see where the Knightmare sequence takes the story, and how this motley crew came together. Former enemies putting aside their feud for a chance at a better future. Zack Snyder’s Justice League will begin streaming globally on March 18th exclusively on HBO Max.

    Source: @AccidentallyDan

  • First Look at ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Teases LeBron James’ Biggest Game Yet

    First Look at ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Teases LeBron James’ Biggest Game Yet

    Warner Bros. has quite the line-up planned for 2021. We will see the return of some iconic franchises. They recently released a new Tom and Jerry film, and Godzilla vs. Kong will release in the coming weeks. There is one more legacy franchise making a grand return, and that is Space Jam. The Looney Tunes are back in action with a new basketball star to help them defeat the latest threat in a game of basketball. LeBron James is joining the franchise that started with Michael Jordan back in 1997. After a long wait, we finally got our first look at the film in some new images and the film’s main story. It also finally teases who the enemy team will consist of, and it seems like we have Warner Bros. attempt at a basketball version of Avengers: Endgame.

    If you take a close look at the blurry background, you’ll notice some Warner Bros. icons hiding in the background. Entertainment Weekly also confirms that characters like Batman and King Kong will be courtside watching the biggest game of James‘ life. He will face the Goon Squad, which consists of a variety of powered-up pros. The story will see him play himself, as he and his onscreen son end up trapped in a strange digital world, where they meet a rogue artificial intelligence.

    He is struggling to connect to his son, who ends up getting the attention of Don Cheadle‘s Al G Rhythm, who wants to obtain the king’s massive follower count. To find a way out of the virtual world, LeBron must gather the Looney Tunes to face the Goon Squad. So that he can accomplish this task, he will be traveling through various classic franchises, but they wouldn’t confirm which ones we can expect. They confirm that this isn’t a sequel but rather a brand new entry using the same template.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly (Interview), Entertainment Weekly (Pictures)

  • Theory Thursday: The Spider-Verse Paradox

    Theory Thursday: The Spider-Verse Paradox

    Multiple topics are trending amongst Marvel fans. The upcoming finale of WandaVision and the premiere of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are on everyone’s mind. Yet, perhaps nothing riles up all four corners of the fandom quite like Spider-Man. Last week, the official title for the upcoming threequel got revealed via a social media post, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The title reveal has sparked multiple theories ever since. They range from possible plotlines based on crossed-out names to the suspicious use of hexagons across the board.

     

     

    Yet, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Spider-Man: No Way Home will incorporate the multiverse. Kevin Feige confirmed that the events of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will tie into the third entry. As such, there is a high probability that we will witness some multiverse shenanigans. With that in mind, it would imply that we could see former iterations of the character return to the silver screen. Yet, Tom Holland has denied any potential cameos by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield on multiple occasions.

    The rumor of a live-action Spider-Verse has gotten rumored for quite some time. This time, the concept seems plausible. So, in the case that Spider-Man: No Way Home does go that route in December, we might wonder how they would approach this storyline. We are talking about characters that haven’t been on the silver screen for some time. Andrew played the character around seven years ago, while Tobey hasn’t donned the suit since 2007. Keep in mind that Far From Home takes place in 2024. So, how do we bring them from their respective timelines into the MCU? Let us try to answer this Spider-Verse Paradox.

     

    The Timelines

     

    In my Phase 4: Reality Checked feature, I talked about how Marvel Studios explicitly defined the MCU’s time travel concept by taking the multiverse approach. In essence, any alteration in the past would create a new timeline, which ruptures the flow of time into a new universe. It’s pretty much a butterfly effect on a larger scale. So far, we know that it will get presented in the upcoming Disney+ shows Loki and the animated What If…? series. They seem to exist in alternate timelines (and therefore alternate universes), proving the existence of a Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. That theory is for another day. Now that we have a clear picture of the MCU timeline. So, let’s take a look at other universes.

     

     

    Let’s apply the concept of the multiverse to another franchise: Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy. Based on the multiverse concept, the Raimi films exist in another timeline and therefore are pretty straightforward. The same principle would apply to The Amazing Spider-Man films, which exist in a separate timeline and universe. Now, how will Marvel Studios bring them all together for Spider-Man: No Way Home?  

     

    Spider-Verse Paradox

    The Spider-Verse Paradox Theory refers to the diagram above. In essence, all of the alternate universes have their separate timestreams. When that flow gets disrupted by an event caused within the MCU, whether it’s caused by Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision or something else entirely, we will have a convergence-style event. It will be similar to the one we witnessed in Thor: The Dark World. Yet, instead of the nine realms, multiple universes converging towards the center of the singularity. At the center of it, all will be the MCU’s New York City.

    What is the point I’m trying to make? The timelines of each universe will flow linearly and converge during Spider-Man: No Way Home. As it is set in 2024, then that means that the other timelines have to be in the same year. It means that Andrew Garfield‘s Peter Parker would have been Spider-Man in the TASM universe for about ten years, and Tobey Maguire‘s version will have existed for nearly 20 years. It would be interesting to revisit the character after that many years on the job.

    We can only imagine how many stories they could tell. There is also the possibility they hung up on the mantle. Perhaps Maguire‘s Peter settled down with Mary Jane Watson and started a family. What happened after Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man came back in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and took on Paul Giamatti‘s Rhino? The possibilities in those stories are endless. It’s all just a matter of waiting to see if it comes to fruition.

    Source: Walt Disney

  • RUMOR: Michael Korvac to Appear in ‘Captain Marvel 2’

    RUMOR: Michael Korvac to Appear in ‘Captain Marvel 2’

    Marvel Studios seems to be quite busy casting for its upcoming Captain Marvel sequel. We got the reveal that they are currently looking to cast the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Blue Marvel. Now, we got another revelation about an iconic Marvel character joining the film that kind of conflicts with the before-mentioned Blue Marvel reveal. That Hashtag Show believes that the role, which is described as a supporting male role between 20 to 30 years of age, will turn out to be Michael Korvacs.
    They reference that the casting looking for a Michael B. Jordan or Jon Boyega type actor also included Timothy Chalamet for reference. As such, they’ve heard that the character will be one of the multiple villains, like Zawe Aston. He will have a supporting role throughout the film before turning out to be the main threat, Michael Korvac. It looks like he was part of the original script written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Nicole Perlman before Megan McDonnell rewrote it.
    In the comics, Korvac was from the alternate universe Earth-691, where he was turned into a cyborg by the alien race Badoon. They are the same race that we saw alongside Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. His transformation has given him the ability to absorb any energy. He even absorbed Galactus’ cosmic energy at one point, which made him a dangerous existence in the multiverse. He would make for a formidable foe for Captain Marvel to face, as we haven’t seen her get pushed to her limits yet. It does conflict with the Blue Marvel news, so we’ll have to take it with a grain of salt for now.

    Source: That Hashtag Show

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 9 Primer

    ‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 9 Primer

    The last episode of WandaVision helped us see how we got to where we are. There are two major things that were presented clearly in the flashbacks. 1: Wanda has always had powers, 2: Her grief has shaped everything that has happened to her. The combo of those two things led to the BIG psychotic break that recreated the whole town of Westview to fit Wanda’s ideal life, including creating Vision out of nothing.

    What Fate Awaits WANDAVISION's Twins, Billy and Tommy?

     

    There are a few unresolved things that are going to have to get worked out in the finale. Vision is headed back to the house where the twins are being held captive by Agatha. Also, Woo, Monica, and Darcy have to wrap up their stories in some way. We also saw that they took Vision apart only to put him back together and create White Vision. Seeing this new version of her dead husband could really add another weight to Wanda’s shoulders.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    WandaVision' Episode 9: Predictions for Finale | Hollywood Reporter

    The episode is probably going to be pretty intense right away with so many things to work out. Monica is sure to escape “Fietro” and find some way to try to help and finally show off her new powers but is she powerful enough? I think the series is going to end off with Dr. Strange showing up and teaming up with Wanda and the real Vision to defeat White Vision and Agatha. This will end up being a big fight scene that might mess something up in this reality. My one concern is who will fix it? Well there is a new Dr. Strange movie coming out and maybe the whole plot will be trying to fix what Wanda messed up in this reality. Real Vision will not make it out of this mess as the show has proven that he will fall apart outside of the HEX, so if this reality were to fall then he would die. But what about the twins?! With all the loss Wanda has already experienced, losing them too would be too much.

    The final episode of WandaVision streams tomorrow