Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Avengers

  • Namor and the Invaders: Marvel Studios’ Best Chance to Rewrite History

    Namor and the Invaders: Marvel Studios’ Best Chance to Rewrite History

    Before there were Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, there were The Invaders. The group, created in the 40s and branded as the “All-Winners Squad,” came together during World War Two to help American forces take down Hitler and the Axis powers. The team has since been a recurring presence in the comics, often appearing in flashbacks showing the valiant efforts of heroes now lost to time. Captain America: The First Avenger was riddled with references to the Invaders, but with Cap’s time in WWII coming and going, it seemed we missed our chance to see the team in live-action. That is, until it got reported that Namor, the Sub-Mariner, will make his live-action debut in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Namor’s arrival to the MCU opens the door for this team to join him in the public eye, and with some tweaking, that bygone group could become Marvel’s most timely heroes yet.

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed us Marvel isn’t afraid to retcon their own history. Revelations about Isaiah Bradley showcase how they can introduce characters and stories that we haven’t seen before. The filmmakers at Marvel seem to have made the bold and geographically correct decision to make Namor and his Atlanteans descendants of the Mayan Empire, as evidenced by the hiring of Tenoch Huerta. As such, he wouldn’t fit the norm of that time’s propaganda. If the Sub-Mariner had emerged from the depths to fight Nazis, it’s a fair criticism to say the government might have covered it up to prevent societal panic and added these victories to Steve Rogers’ legacy. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. does seem to know something important is in the Atlantic. With that in mind, what’s stopping the same logic from extending to the whole team?

     

     

    Marvel Studios has a golden opportunity to craft a film, or Disney+ series, about of group of outcasts who come together to end a war in the wake of Captain America’s disappearance. A team consisting of heroes that hid from the world, and whose legacy would eventually be swept under the rug by an ungrateful nation. An Invaders project can potentially be a perfect thematic extension of the “hidden heroes” concept presented via Isaiah Bradley in FATWS. I think Marvel should seize the opportunity to rewrite MCU history.

    Outside of Namor and Captain America, the Invaders roster has always been populated by lesser-known names from Marvel’s vast library. Due to the timing of their creation, these characters were often on the campy side with wacky origin stories and outlandish adventures. It wouldn’t be too difficult to take costumed vigilantes of the day and change their features to make them a little more interesting for the modern audience. Some changes could even use ideas that have existed in comics and connect the story to the grander MCU with ease. A good example of this would be one of the Invader’s most frequent members, Union Jack.

     

     

    The most well-known Union Jack is James Falsworth, who made his singular MCU appearance as a Howling Commando in The First Avenger. He never went by the Union Jack moniker, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still exist in the Falsworth line. His daughter, Jacqueline, also became a costumed vigilante for a time. She went by the name Spitfire, inspired by the warplane because the form-fitting uniforms women were obligated to wear in comics at the time did not allow for the Union Jack to fit across her chest. In the MCU, Jacqueline could be reimagined as James’ younger sister, who joins the war in his honor after his tragic death. Because of her gender, she would be forced to operate under the guise of testosterone, wearing a mask and using the “Union Jack” name to hide her own.

    Now, take this line of thought and apply it to the whole team. A Miss America who’s perfect in every way, except for her sexuality. A Blazing Skull whose flaming head spits in the face of Christianity, and whose Japanese origins scare the white Allied forces. The list could go on, but you probably get the point. Much like they did with Bradley, the United States would alter their history books to ensure school children did not learn about these sedulous heroes. Like it or not, comic adaptations have become a primary source of entertainment for today’s youth. In the same vein as HBO’s Watchmen unveiling the horror of the Tulsa Massacre to a brand new audience, Marvel’s Invaders could be a way to teach family-friendly viewers that what they learned in school wasn’t always the whole truth.

  • E3: First Look at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther in Action And Teases Upcoming Content

    E3: First Look at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther in Action And Teases Upcoming Content

    Finally, after a long wait, we got our long-awaited look at Black Panther in action for Marvel’s Avengers. He’s been teased ever since the game got released in September and we’ve been anxiously awaiting what he’d look like in action. Crystal Dynamics confirmed that he will drop as one of the biggest content updates they can offer, which includes brand new enemy factions, villains, and so much more.

    Now, we finally get our showcase of what is to come. We got our first look at Cosmic Cube and the brand new Villain sector, which looks really impressive and like quite the challenge to tackle against Monica. They even revealed that we can search for clues in the new Patrol Mode that may help prevent the dark future that awaits the Avengers. We get randomized elements like Villains showing up. Cosmic Cube will finally drop on June 22nd.

     

    The big reveal, of course, is the final confirmation of Black Panther. They even briefly tease Klaue, who seems to be bombarding Wakanda. Not just that, it seems we’ll even get to take down the sound version of the character. The best part, the official Twitter page confirmed his August release.

     

    Source: Twitter (Cosmic Cube), Twitter (Black Panther)

  • E3: New Look at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther Released Ahead of Square Enix Panel

    E3: New Look at ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Black Panther Released Ahead of Square Enix Panel

    Marvel’s Avengers players have been anxious about the upcoming Square Enix segment from E3. Not only will it finally unveil the long-rumored Guardians of the Galaxy game, but we finally get a closer look at what awaits us in Black Panther’s upcoming expansion. It seems Crystal Dynamics is just as excited as the official German Instagram released a brand new image of the titular hero ahead of tomorrow’s conference. Of course, they are sparse with any details regarding the character, but that will change once the official event starts.

     

    It seems they wanted to integrate more of the purple that the Black Panther film highlighted in the game and the overall design looks amazing. If you look closely, you can even see his symbol on the chest. So far, this might be the best-designed character for Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers game. It‘s uncertain if this is the finished product that started with the concept art leaks from around nine months ago. There is a chance that this original design may turn out to be just one of the many skins that will be released.

    Overall, the design looks great and seems like it combines different elements from the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe costumes. The mask looks very sleek and the detailing is really nice to add that element of royalty to it. We’ll most likely get a closer look at him in action and what skins he’ll get once he joins the film. Here’s hoping we also get a clear release date alongside an updated roadmap to see what the next half of the year has planned for us.

    Source: Instagram

  • Latest ‘Eternals’ Merchandise Hints at a Thanos Connection

    Latest ‘Eternals’ Merchandise Hints at a Thanos Connection

    Even after the first trailer was released for Marvel Studios’ Eternals, we still know very little about the film’s plot. There have been rumors giving us a small hint at how it comes together. We see the alien race of humanoids help in humanity’s evolution as they claim to have never intervened in the events of people. There was only a brief glimpse at the main antagonists, the Deviants, but nothing concrete of where they came from, or their creation at the hands of the Celestials. In Avengers: Infinity War, we got a brief glimpse at their comic homeworld, Titan, yet there was no hint if they have some connection to the Mad Titan. Luckily, Twitter user @Eternalsupdate noticed a new listing on Amazon that revealed their homeworld.

    Living on Saturn’s moon, Titan, the Eternals protect Earth from the Deviants–and all other forms of cosmic evil.

    It is the first time that their origin is tied to Titan in some capacity. Of course, it is merchandise so it could change or not be addressed in the film directly. Yet, the same Twitter user also noticed in the MCU-canon Marvel’s Avengers Station exhibit that there is a mention he was the last of his species.

    Now, the latest trailer confirmed the timing of the film, or at least part of it, will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps it was the Mad Titan that banished them to Earth and stripped them from their memory, which is why they weren’t involved in the mess. It also opens up the possibility of Thanos potentially appearing in the film in some capacity. In the comics, he has part of the Deviant gene and is the reason for his purple appearance, which could get explored in some capacity as we uncover what exactly these mysterious villains truly are. No matter what direction they are heading with Eternals, it’s exciting to see how it may influence the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s also great that more evidence is hinting at their connection to Thanos and Titan, which seemed oddly sidelined so far.

    Source: Amazon, Twitter

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Reveals an Incoming Mega Hive Revamp

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Reveals an Incoming Mega Hive Revamp

    Marvel’s Avengers‘ Red Room Takeover is nearing its end, and we’re already throwing our guesses to what the future holds for the Marvel game. There have been continuous worries about the lack of endgame content that, sadly, is still uncertain when it will officially release. Still, the latest stream with Crystal Dynamics offered some minor updates on what is to come and even teased a complete revamp of the Mega Hives moving forward.

    • They are aware of the current Red Room issue that enemies don’t spawn. The event will end accordingly on May 31st, and they can’t fix it in time. CD hasn’t disclosed any current plans to address this, but they ensure that this won’t occur again once the event returns.
    • We will receive a small patch titled 1.7.1 that will correct the issue of players over Power Level 130 still receiving gear with stats lower than 130.
    • They are still testing out Omega-Level Threats, but the first to release is mainly getting fine-tuned to ensure a challenging experience. It will not be made available with next week’s patch, but still possible in the next major one.
    • They will be taking a closer look at the Champion Level issue, which has been a hotly discussed topic within the community.

     

    Avengers will feature skill trees & customizable gameplay styles for each hero | Shacknews

     

    • There won’t be an MCU skin next week. Avengers: Endgame‘s Hulk and Iron Man skins got pushed early, as they wanted to keep their promise to make them available as soon as they can. They were signed off earlier than expected.
    • We can expect a rework of the Mega Hive in the next week or two. It will include more things to do and offer an overall better experience according to the community team. They also teased that Multiplayer Mega Hives are further down the line and may even be on the same stage as the first OLT. Multiple projects are running simultaneously.
    • They are still actively working on the cosmetic vendor rework. Their goal is to offer more control over what you can purchase.
    • Once we are closer to the release of War for Wakanda, we will get weekly updates during their streams.

    The rework of the Mega Hive is an exciting prospect, as it is the main access to Exotic gear. It would be great to see it get released alongside the first OLT, which we’ve been waiting anxiously to provide some more diversity to the content. They couldn’t test anything for June’s Cosmic Cube or Patrol Mode, but they are underway. Hopefully, we will find out what is heading our way once E3 starts. 

    Source: Twitch

  • Square Enix Reportedly Developing ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game

    Square Enix Reportedly Developing ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game

    Square Enix made waves last year among superhero fans when the fabled gaming company that brought us classics like the Final Fantasy franchise published its first Marvel game, Avengers. Starring the most famous superhero IP on the planet, the game was unfortunately plagued by mixed reactions due to the early technical issues and the lack of endgame content. The game’s developer Crystal Dynamics has since made efforts to remedy some of these issues. But in spite of all the pushback the game has been getting, it seems that that isn’t deterring Square Enix from furthering their own Marvel IP, as gaming insider Jeff Grub is reporting that a Guardians of the Galaxy game is in the works.

     

     

    There’s no word on what a Guardians game could look like under Square Enix. However, word on street is that Eidos Montreal is the company developing it. We can only hope that they learned from the good and bad that came out of the Avengers rollout and end up with a really solid game. Like the Avengers, there’s so much to mine from that side of Marvel Comics. Even the films have barely scratched the surface of the full potential of Marvel’s cosmic universe. Having a game explore that definitely works on all fronts.

    Source: Jeff Grub’s YT via DisInsider

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases a Big Summer

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases a Big Summer

    Marvel’s Avengers released its second event with the Red Room Takeover. Of course, that also means we get our weekly developer stream that offers insight into what is happening with the game. They went through the usual bug discussions. Yet, there was also some curious teases about what we can expect this summer. Without further ado, let’s jump into the updates

    • They have discussed some ongoing bugs. Some Red Room Takeover players have an issue with loading the second wave, which is getting looked at. There is also a bug that you won’t receive the reward that is getting looked at.
    • Champion levels have a UI issue, where they say +3 rather than 3%. They work as intended but will offer clarification soon.
    • The largest hint involved future updates, especially regarding new enemy types. It got confirmed that we will get a large batch of new enemies this summer, which could hint at Black Panther’s release. A brief mention also mentioned multiple villain sectors getting included in the expansion. There was a brief tease that Wakanda will be the most comic-inspired of all their design.
    • If you haven’t unlocked the nameplate for the Hulu MODOK show, you can unlock it by finishing the boss battle with the iconic Marvel villain.

     

    Marvel's Avengers gets a Black Panther expansion later this year • Eurogamer.net

     

    • Patrol Mode will not include a mini-map, but you can expect a new update that helps guide you through the open world.
    • Omega-Level Threats may release in the next patch, but that is not definite. They are currently working on three with the Cloning Lab to follow the first one’s release. There is also a big maybe in regards to a MODOK multiplayer mission.
    • They are looking into implementing the possibility to play multiple heroes as a permanent addition due to its popularity after the Tachyon Anomaly event.
    • Crystal Dynamics is taking a closer look at the feedback on the skins, especially regarding hair.
    • Elevator conversations are being looked into due to newer generations’ faster loading time skipping the elevator sequences.
    • Gear 2.0 will see incremental changes that offer more flexibility on how to establish your build.

    It sounds like some larger updates are definitely in development. Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the current event was intended as a minor update, as they are trying to focus their work on what is heading our way. Here’s hoping the upcoming E3 and Summer Game Fest events will offer more details on what the future holds for the game.

    Source: Twitch

  • MCU Production Timelines: Infographic & Methodology

    MCU Production Timelines: Infographic & Methodology

    In this piece I’m just going to explain a few of the finer points behind the data I put together for the Phase 3 and Phase 4 production timeline infographic, which João has again so excellently put into a graphic.  My purpose in working with João on this one is just to help people understand another piece of the puzzle of how MCU movies tend to get put together.  Fans understandably love to obsess over the release slate, particularly what’s coming next and when it is coming.  It can get a little confusing as to what is and isn’t further along in the timeline. Hopefully, we’ve laid that out in an understandable format.

    A couple of notes I want to make on the data.  First of all, this is a relatively imprecise set of information.  What I’ve put into the spreadsheet is largely the dates as combed from the Wikipedia entries for each film (I did trace back the references in those articles to trade reports in most cases). Now if a director is hired in a forest and it doesn’t make a sound, are they still the director?  In other words, these dates for when writers and directors are hired are based on trade reports.  It may be that someone was hard at work for weeks or even months before the media found out.  I’m taking the information that is publicly available.  In particular, I assume the “filming start” dates are very approximate.  Captain Marvel, for example, filmed a few things before the official start of filming for weird tax purposes.  Also, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did some kind of plates filming already this year, but the filming hasn’t really started in earnest yet. Again, I’m taking the Wikipedia dates in most cases and there will be some imprecisions there.

    As far as director and writer hirings, I have listed the first hiring for each in most cases.  Directors in the MCU haven’t changed that much in recent years.  The major exception that will come to mind for most astute readers is the change from Scott Derrickson to Sam Raimi for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.  As such we’ve included that change as a separate item.  Writers, however, switch with much more frequency.  The process for hiring writers, managing rewrites, and then deciding who gets the final credit for both writing and story is byzantine at best.  To keep it simpler, we just took the first report of any writer or any director, regardless of their final involvement or non-involvement in the project.  I also am somewhat arbitrarily determining what counts as this production.  For some projects, development on the IP might have happened decades ago, but I’m treating those as a different project altogether.

    It’s worth noting that sequels are pretty obviously different.  Often the director and lead actor are already in place and returning for the sequel.  As such directors get “named” essentially as soon as the project is greenlit.  This is also the case of writer/directors like James Gunn.

    Release dates are a little tricky on this graph, given the interference of COVID.  We’re giving you both the original date and the final date in most cases.  Black Widow, for example, was almost totally finished when the pandemic started.  As such it isn’t that the production really took longer, it just all got delayed.  Sorting out a movie like Thor: Love and Thunder is a much more complicated matter.  We’ve done our best to give you a sense of the normal operating procedure and hide the confusion pandemic delays caused.

    Two other major exceptions deserve a mention.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is another one that looks rather weird due to the firing and rehiring of James Gunn.  The movie never officially got a release date, but I think before the whole mess it was likely that the May 2020 date would have been Guardians Vol. 3’s planned landing spot.  Also, Avengers: Endgame was shot pretty tightly with Infinity War, so there is some weirdness in its extended production time.  I think it is highly likely that those two Avengers productions mixed and mingled quite a bit.  Certainly, the screenplays seemed to happen at the same time.

    I think that is all the details. I hope you all enjoyed this. Again, this is all an exercise with approximation. I’m sure some slight variance in the data is possible if you look at different reports. Enjoy!

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offer Further Details on Champions System and Upcoming Event

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offer Further Details on Champions System and Upcoming Event

    Crystal Dynamics has offered some details on the upcoming updates in the latest Marvel’s Avengers dev stream. A few days ago, we got our first details on the next part of the Red Room Takeover event alongside the new Champion system.

    • Next week’s patch 1.7 will feature various fixes, such as Hulk’s Tropical outfit, Hawkeye’s Counter-Earth mask, and Black Widow’s Outrider. Mega Hives are still being worked on.
    • Red Room Takeover is built on a storyline that was teased in the Rooskaya Protocols. The event will include five unique HARM Rooms that will challenge your actions. The layouts will be unique and mix up the gameplay in single-player missions. You can die instantly if you fall into the techno lava pits but the same goes for your enemies. It’ll kick off their focus on offering more challenging gameplay that will continue with the Omega-Level Threats. They also want to use these opportunities to offer new content and learn as they work on bigger drops.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1393315660214771713

    • It’ll add new Mission Chains that reward gear, polychoron, animated nameplates, and XP bonuses to push the Champion system. Once you reach Level 50, all the XP you collect will be used for Champion XP, which will be gold on your nameplate. It’ll be made available as of Tuesday with the latest patch. In total, you can reach up to Level 372 as each level increases. The long-tail system provides players unique customization per character, which is why it is unique per character. Once you invest a Champion Skill Point you cannot retract it.
    • The addition of new consumables in the form of Hero’s Catalyst will add new options for players. The first will upgrade XP gain and will be made available for free with plans to make them earnable in-game.

    They teased that the Champions system might be the foundation for future additions. Gear 2.0 was teased throughout various dev streams to offer more customization. It’ll be interesting to see how the game continues to grow with further updates.

    Source: Twitch, Twitter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Reveals First Red Room Takeover Details and New Champion System

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Reveals First Red Room Takeover Details and New Champion System

    Marvel’s Avengers second event had a soft launch with the Rooskaya Protocols, which was a small tie-over event to farm some resources. With only one more week to go, Crystal Dynamics offered some more details on the second half that will see the true Red Room Takeover. It will kick off after Jimmy Woo notices that anomalies are in the HARM Rooms that seem to be linked to a virus. It turns out it’s the same hacked IP address as the Rooskaya Protocols, which were all manipulated by Yelena Belova. Players will get access to new mission chains and play through the single-player event, as multiple of the hacked rooms will be available to play. They will scale from one to 120 in power level.

     

     

    The interesting aspect is that these aren’t just battle simulations, but will also test traversal and evasion abilities. There will be various hazards including Techno Lava that can kill you instantly. Red Lightning can also cause a lot of damage if you get too close. They did confirm you can get some tips and tricks in next week’s weekly blog, but each HARM room will have a unique layout. The event will reward an exclusive animated nameplate, a lot of XP. That is actually important, as they are introducing the first post-Level 50 content, the Champion System.

     

     

    Every hero’s level is capped at 50 at the moment. So, to expand your character’s capabilities, you’ll be able to gather so-called Champion XP. It’ll upgrade you to receive a unique Champion Skill Point that can be used on various skills. These are available in the menu and add permanent increases to your character’s perks. It’ll release next Tuesday before the Red Room Takeover event starts on May 20th. The hacked HARM Rooms will be playable until May 31st.

    Source: Play Avengers