It is amazing to think a full year has already passed for Murphy’s Multiverse. The team has grown substantially over the year, as we started tackling various new topics in the world of pop culture. Now, we are looking to the future, as we are hoping for many more news stories, leaks, and scoops our team can cover. To celebrate our first anniversary, it was the perfect time for the team to come together and share what they hope to see in Year Two and what they hope to be their next big scoop.
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It’s crazy to me to think that as much time as I spend chasing Marvel Studios stories, they really aren’t the heart and soul of the site. Over the past year, we’ve grown so much, been blessed with a growing team of talented and passionate writers who continue to amaze me with the work they do and it’s that work that has become the heart and soul of Murphy’s Multiverse. However, I still love chasing stories, and looking ahead into Year 2, I can tell you the biggest ones I’ll be anticipating won’t always be Marvel related. I’m really enjoying what I see as a renaissance period for Star Wars, so I would love to learn more about the projects they are developing, but none interest me more than the potential Boba Fett spinoff. On the Marvel Studios side of things, I’ll be continuing to chase, as I have for a while now, what’s “up next” for the studio but I’ll have my sights set on Fantastic Four. Of course, there will be things I’d never know to look for that will fall into my lap and I’ll graciously take them, but if I could nail Boba Fett and Fantastic Four in Year 2, I’d be thrilled. – Charles Murphy
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I’d be remiss if I didn’t give my favorite comic character Matthew Michael Murdock some props for this answer. The live-action rights of the character are reverting back to the Marvel Studios homecourt this month so it’s only logical to expect some semblance of Daredevil news anytime next year. My feelings on whether they should reboot or reuse the Netflix cast has been documented on this site but at this point, I think I’ll be happy to hear any movement on a potential Daredevil project from Marvel Studios. – Charles Villanueva
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If I had to say what I’m looking forward to next year, mine would probably be to see how Marvel Studios decides to tackle the Multiverse akin to the “Marvel Cinematic Multiverse” theory I made a while back for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Just the idea that Marvel Studios could find a way to acknowledge most, if not all, of the films pre-MCU is exciting to me. Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider, Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, Fox’s X-Men, the 2000’s Fantastic Four, the possibilities are endless. Similar worlds all bridged apart by the fabric of the Multiverse and then all of them being acknowledged in 1 scene sounds fantastic. And with WandaVision and Doctor Strange 2 delving into the concept of the Multiverse and with the rumors that Spider-Man 3 might incorporate the “Spider-Verse” with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, it might be the best time to do it. – Edward Rose
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When I was asked to write about what news story I’m looking forward to next year, right away my mind went to the sort of things that would give fans of the MCU the most happiness, hope, and positivity for the future. This led me to think about the heartbreaking loss of Chadwick Boseman and the question of how the Black Panther films continue without its iconic leading man. On a personal note, Chadwick‘s death was right smack in between two very painful losses for me, and thinking about it now, this still feels quite raw and painful. I’m sure that many, many MCU, Black Panther, T’Challa, and Chadwick Boseman fans are still grieving his loss too. Between Chadwick and my own personal losses, somehow “scooping” doesn’t seem so important to me at this time, but finding something to hang onto that gives hope to myself and others do. This whole agonizing question of what to do now, with T’Challa in the MCU and the Black Panther franchise, has been a very painful thing to think or talk about, but at some point Disney and Marvel will have to decide what to do.
My hope is that they come up with a solution that is the best, most positive, most appropriately handled way that they could possibly come up with. Ideally, that would also be something that honors Chadwick’s memory, of course. I know many feel T’Challa should never be recast, many others feel that the character and the film’s impact on society is far too important to just let him fade away into the sunset. I don’t pretend to know Chadwick or his thoughts personally about any of this. But my feeling about who Chadwick was, how he carried himself, the kind, gracious, thoughtful human being he appears to have been, and how he understood T’Challa’s importance and impact particularly on young Black children, I don’t believe he would want T’Challa to never be seen on the big screen again. Not at all. I believe he would want T’Challa to continue to inspire children, touch people’s lives, and both challenge and uplift people’s ideas about what it means to be a person and a superhero of color. So I hope in the coming year we learn what the future is for Black Panther and it’s the best possible solution, that gives fans hope and excitement for the future again. What that might be, I’m not sure. It is still a very painful thing to think about, but if the best possible replacement for Chadwick is announced, someone who would honor Chadwick‘s memory in his performance, as well as his off-screen life, I would consider that a very good thing. I would also consider it a good thing if Shuri were given a storyline and a spotlight in the MCU as the next Black Panther. Perhaps it could be left open somehow for T’Challa to come back at a later time when the idea of replacing a seemingly irreplaceable actor is less raw and painful than it is right now. – Lizzie Hill
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I’d organize the stories I’d love Murphy’s Multiverse to cover this following year in three levels. 1) Street-level, some that could actually come out by the end of 2021: We get some details from Rian Johnson‘s and from Kevin Feige‘s Star Wars projects. Both the Era they will be set in and what MCU actor is Feige bringing into the Star Wars universe (just as he discussed a while ago). 2) Super-hero level, one that might be a bit of a stretch: Alex Garland gets confirmed to direct a Fantastic Four trilogy for Marvel Studios (with Dev Patel playing Reed Richards) as well as oversee/produce a Future Foundation spin-off limited series on Disney+ 3) Cosmic level, one that’s wayyyy out there: We get confirmation that Marvel is developing an “Avengers 1000000 BC” project that’ll shed new light on how and why Earth is a super-hero hotbed since the beginning of time. – João Pinto
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I haven’t been part of the team for that long, but it has already been so much fun covering so many different topics. Somehow, a lot of my coverage has been dominated by Marvel’s Avengers game, as I covered reveals and various leaks. It has been a great deep dive into the gaming market, but I certainly won’t just be covering that aspect of the multiverse this site has to offer. I hope to expand and learn, as well as use my day job’s insight to find new perspectives on things. I cannot wait to discuss and potentially uncover what Marvel and DC-related news might be heading our way soon. Of course, I hope to find out more about what the Avengers game is in store for us, what characters we might see in Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League, or WB Montréal’s Gotham Knights. I’d even be happy as a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to see if I can get my hands on information on the rumored Nick Fury-focused show or Secret Warriors. Trying to piece together the multiverse one story at a time sounds like a fun prospect for the second year. The biggest thing for Year 2 will be something I’ve been cooking up for some time now, so I hope to have that grow and expand in the next year. – Joseph Aberl
There you have our expectations for Murphy’s Multiverse’s second year. We cannot wait for you to join us on this journey as we continue to grow and see what the future holds. Here is to many more years to come and plenty of scoops to find.
