Tag: Black Panther

5 Marvel Comics Events Fit For the MCU

Marvel Comics most recent event series, Empyre, is in the midst of its run and has received mixed reviews to this point. It’s place in the long and storied history of Marvel’s major events will ultimately be determined by how it ends and what impact it has on the future of the line but I’ve already seen a lot of fans speculating how it could tie into the MCU down the road. While we’ll have to wait to see how that goes, let’s look at some other events that could also be great fits for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Secret Wars (2015-16) by Jonathan Hickman

Jonthan Hickman’s work has trended toward the cinematic and Secret Wars is probably the most definitive example of that: it is a story absolutely intended to be adapted to the screen. While a lot of people would argue that a film adaptation of this is over a decade away, I would counter that it might not take quite that long (though I do think the film might benefit from the decade long build up-complicated thoughts, I know). Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is the first step towards this film becoming a reality and the addition of Disney + as a medium on which to tell additional stories will allow the requisite foundations to be laid.

The story itself is one of Marvel Comics all-time gems: as the Multiverse destroys itself, Doctor Doom saves fragments of each world and creates a new world where things are as he makes them but not everyone has forgotten their past lives. Now I see no road to a film adaptation that doesn’t go through Doom, but the idea of bringing characters from their disparate universes into one created by God Emperor Doom would certainly challenge, if not top, the Infinity Saga. Ten years from now will we see the Doctor Strange sequel as the beginning of the Secret Wars Saga? We could only be so lucky.

The Korvac Saga (1978) by Steve Gerber

One of my all-time favorite events that’s really more of just a long run in Avengers (issues 167-177), The Korvac Saga is a fascinating story that calls into question the nature of good and evil and refuses to give an answer, forcing the reader to look inward for the answer.

Michael Korvac, a spacetime refugee from an alternate universe where the Badoon turned him into a cyborg before he defeated them and tried to destroy Earth, arrives in the 616 universe where he immediately hacks into Galactus’ ship and finds himself loaded up with the Power Cosmic. Basically, Korvac finds himself with the power and knowledge of a god and heads to Earth planning to make it his own, personal paradise. The story, which sees the original 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy team up with the Avengers, forces the reader to think about what they would do should they have to power to truly “heal” the world. Why are the Avengers, a group that have spent their entire collective history fighting against evil, trying to stop Korvac from acting in a way that essentially completes their mission for them by eliminating it?

As I said in the open, the event will make you question your beliefs and might even make you a bit uncomfortable. It would take quite a bit of work to retcon the OG Guardians from hillbilly space pirates to the kind of heroes that they are here, especially Starhawk, but that’s a possibility when you have an entire multiverse of characters at your disposal. So yeah, there are a few things to work out, but this one is absolutely meant for the screen!

Siege (2009-10) by Brian Michael Bendis

As soon as we visited New Asgard in Avengers: Endgame, this one entered the realm of possibilities. Everything about New Asgard fits into the pre-existing politics of the MCU and it isn’t much of a stretch to consider that people are not going to feel good about a group of alien refugees living on Earth, especially if things go south there as I expect they will in Thor: Love and Thunder.

In the comics, Siege sees Norman Osborn, manipulated by Loki, invading Asgard which, at the time, is located in Broxton, Oklahoma. While it is increasingly unlikely we’ll see Osborn involved if Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All decides to adapt this even for the MCU, we can take comfort in knowing that the studio has already adapted some major events with some major changes and it’s worked out ok so far. In this case, I would fully expect General Ross and his Thunderbolts to be the aggressors; at the same time, I could easily be talked into Tom Hiddleston’s unreformed Loki finding his way into the mix, just like the comics. If there’s any reason I could come up with for seeing more of Hiddleston, it would be to see him in a purely evil role and that could be offered to him here.

Siege is a crazy, visceral event with some really memorable panels (Sentry ripping Ares in half is definitely the best example) and it includes a cast of characters that would be tough to assemble on screen in the current MCU, but given just how well it fits thematically, I think it’s got a decent shot of making the jump from page to screen.

Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest (2006-08) by multiple writers

Annihilation was the comic event that brought me back into the fold as a Cosmic junky and, arguably, elevated Marvel’s Cosmic characters to a new level. It’s hard to follow up something as sprawling as Annihilation, but Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning not only did it but topped it with Annihilation: Conquest, an event that saw the return of Ultron and led to a new version of the Guardians of the Galaxy coming together, the team that ultimately inspired the MCU version that everyone has grown to love.

The two stories are truly massive, drawing in nearly every major Cosmic character, race and entity from Marvel’s vast stable and redefining some of them in ways that fans didn’t even know we needed. From Galactus to the Space Knights to the Shi’ar to the High Evolutionary, these events truly touched all the bases. Should they be adapted to the MCU, Disney + series may be a better fit than trying to squeeze them into a pair of 2.5 hour films and there’s certainly some work to do to get the existing universe from here to there, but it’s all doable and should absolutely be done.

The road to Annihilation begins with the introduction of the Fantastic Four and the Negative Zone, allowing for the cinematic debut of The Living Death Who Walks along with some other key characters. If you’ve read my 5-part Nova series, you know that Richard Rider would have a big part to play in these stories as well and, along with what would certainly be some new members of the Guardians, would bridge the gap to Conquest. The return of James Spader as Ultron there would be a major selling point for fans who felt he didn’t get his just due in Avengers: Age of Ultron and would also help tie the Earth-bound stories to the Cosmic corner. If Marvel Studios has any hopes of correcting course on their Cosmic stories, these two stories should be their North Star.

Rise of the Midnight Sons (1992) by multiple writers

A six-issue event that spanned five different title, Rise of the Midnight Sons brought together nine occult-related characters (also called the Mystic Nine) to take on Lilith, the mother of demons. While we are unlikely to see all nine original comic book members on the team should it appear in the MCU, it certainly seems like Kevin Feige could be lining up an adaptation. The effort to bring Ghost Rider and his associated mythology into the MCU proper, the development of Blade, which is almost certain to stick closer to the source material than the prior iterations, and the rumors some other “horror-based” characters such as Dracula, Werewolf By Night and others all at least give us hope.

The original event, to be honest, is a little all over the place, but that’s what happens sometimes when you have too many cooks in the kitchen and it’s something that could easily be straightened out by the studio. This story could easily be adapted into something nice like, Doctor Strange: The Rise of the Midnight Sons, and work as the same sort of event film for that franchise as Civil War did for Captain America. The big selling point for this is event would be the idea that it would serve as a launch pad for the other characters’ properties by giving them the spotlight in the film. I think we’d be likely to see it do for some characters what Civil War has done for Sam, Bucky, Zemo and Sharon. This one would be a VFX extravaganza, but it’s definitely something that would put butts in seats and be worthy of a few buckets of popcorn.

August 9, 2020
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Wakandans Will Appear in ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

The question that has been nagging at me pretty much since it was announced that Helmut Zemo would be a significant presence in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series is: Will we see or hear from Wakanda in the series? How could they possibly have Zemo on the loose and not involve or at least hear from Wakanda? He killed their king after all. I believe I have found evidence for an answer to this very question. Since nothing is officially confirmed here, please feel free to treat this as a “connecting imaginary dots” type speculation post, but based on quite a bit of evidence that I’ve gathered below.

As I’ve pointed out, Zemo killed Wakanda’s King T’Chaka during the events of Captain America: Civil War, and it was clear in Black Panther that not everyone there agreed with T’Challa’s decision to not make Zemo face justice in Wakanda. So it really makes no sense for Wakanda not to be involved with recapturing Zemo should he escape, and of course we also have a bond formed between Bucky and Wakanda for helping to save his life from the Winter Soldier programming. Surely Shuri would want to check on her patient, right? It only makes sense that someone from Wakanda should appear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, even if briefly.

As for my other supporting evidence Wakandans will show up in the series, I have spotted several stunt actresses now who seem to be involved with FaTWS, AND previously played stunt doubles for Wakandans in the films.

Stunt Actress #1: Sadiqua Bynum is listed in IMDb to appear as a stunt person in episode 1 of FaTWS. She was previously a Dora Milaje in Black Panther. At first I thought perhaps she was stunt double for Adepero Oduye’s character, and that’s still entirely possible. But this timing would also line up perfectly for when Zemo is seen in the beginning in prison.

Stunt actress #2: Jenel Stevens on her Instagram was definitely with the FaTWS stunt team in Prague while the series was briefly filming there and enjoying some sightseeing with her stunt family. She previously was a stunt double for Okoye in Avengers: Endgame and a Dora Milaje in Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. It’s unclear what episode they were working on there, but Daniel Bruhl recently confirmed in a German interview on Instagram that he was in Prague filming briefly before he had to leave. Perhaps Jenel is there doing stunts for someone completely separate from Wakanda, but I do have to wonder.

Stunt Actress #3: Janeshia Adams-Ginyard. This one is not listed in IMDb for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier yet, but other evidence within her Instagram shows her filming some significant stunt work in Georgia at the end of November/early December. Coincidentally, the same time period Daniel arrived and immediately started filming German prison scenes and a probable Zemo escape in the show. Other evidence she is involved with FaTWS and may be playing a Dora Milaje is some video on her Instagram of her performing a fun dance at the same location that Aaron Toney and other FaTWS stunt people have been rehearsing AND another interesting video at the same location during that time of her practicing her staff twirling. Check it out, especially the tags.

On top of that, this stunt actress had to remove her lovely purple hair and go around with a beanie most of the time while she was there! Sounds kind of like a Dora Milaje doesn’t it? Well she also played Okoye’s stunt double & Dora Milaje in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame!

So, we now have at least two stunt actresses who have previously played Dora Milaje or Okoye, probably 3, definitely involved with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. It is certainly possible they are doing stunts for other characters (for Adepero Oduye’s character, for instance). I definitely can’t rule that out, but that all together with a clear need to hear from Wakanda in this series in regards to Zemo, and Bucky to a lesser degree, it seems a pretty good bet to make that Dora Milaje if not Okoye herself is appearing in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier!

April 26, 2020
What I Heard This Week: ‘BLACK PANTHER II’

Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

Things I heard this week: Doctor Doom will be the villain of Black Panther II when it hits theaters on May 6th, 2022.

Victor Von Doom will began expanding his empire, conquering parts of Africa and, ultimately, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda and the Black Panther.

That represents the entirety of what I was told. That’s how it works sometimes. I was given no additional context, no additional details…nothing. At this point, you know what I know. From what I was told, however, one can begin speculating and having some fun thinking about how something like this might play out if it were actually true.

We don’t know when and where we’ll be introduced to Latveria or Victor, (a post credit stinger, a solo movie or in another film) but the events of Avengers: Infinity War and the 5 year jump in Avengers: Endgame provide ample opportunities for some exposition on the Latverian Monarch. Given the state of things after Thanos’ snap, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine someone like Victor expanding his kingdom by taking advantage of the absence of world leaders and of most of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. If Victor survived the snap, it’s entirely possible that he could have made his way South through Europe, through the Middle East and into Africa by the time 2023 rolls around.

If the film does take place in the MCU’s present day (no information on that was given), it would mean that T’Challa is back on the throne of Wakanda just in time to help defend his people and his country’s most valuable resource: Vibranium. This is, of course, the reason Doom invades Wakanda in the 2010 event Doomwar, and you can very easily imagine Marvel Studios adapting this story to the big screen. While the comic featured characters from all corners of the Marvel universe, it could be told on a more intimate scale in the MCU and would have to be in order for it to be told on screen in a reasonable time frame. A big screen Black Panther: Doomwar would put the focus on T’Challa, Doom and, of course, Shuri.

Marvel Studios certainly has big plans for Doom. Feige was willing to meet with Noah Hawley and discuss his much-talked about script and while it doesn’t appear that Hawley’s script survived the Disney-Fox merger, it doesn’t mean that we couldn’t see parts of it in either a different Doctor Doom solo film or worked into whatever film Feige sees fit to use as Doom’s MCU introduction. Marvel Studios has yet to make a solo film for one of their villains, but if they were ever going to scratch that itch, Doom, one of their most fully-developed and fascinating characters, would be worthy of being the trailblazer. Additionally, Marvel Studios would be wise to make sure that their Doom and their Fantastic Four are presented as differently from the Fox films as possible, so introducing Doom on his own, using another villain for the Fantastic Four film and then having Doom try to take over the world in another film would be a great start. Obviously we need to see the Fantastic Four and Doom come into conflict eventually, but while Victor is the arch enemy of the First Family, he is also much more than that. Finally, using Black Panther II as Doom’s coming out party would all but guarantee another monster box office for the franchise while giving T’Challa an antagonist who could truly challenge him.

At this point, I’m thrilled to turn this over to you and see where it goes. To be clear, I have no idea if this is going to turn out to be the case, but it’s a fascinating rumor and, as a fan, I’d love to be a part of the discussion about how awesome it could be if it were true. Let me hear your ideas below and be responsible with how you share and present this to other friends and fans! Enjoy!

November 27, 2019
Charles Murphy Takes On The ‘BLACK PANTHER’ and ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequels

Note this article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on December 20, 2018.

As Phase 3 and the saga of the Infinity Stones comes to a close, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has begun to come into focus. Though Kevin Feige has stuck to his guns and made no official announcements about what to expect after Avengers: Endgame, it’s nearly impossible to hide things anymore and the post-Thanos slate has started to fill up.

Black Widow and The Eternals are set for 2020 and the gears are in motion for sequels to Black Panther and Doctor Strange to occupy two of the three 2021 films. While the first two have scripts and are in different stages of pre-production, the latter have only recently secured directors with Ryan Coogler and Scott Derrickson returning for their respective sequels. Coogler is set to write the sequel to Black Panther and the search for a screenwriter for a second Doctor Strange film is underway, but both directors have indicated in the past that they have plenty of ideas where their characters might go next. Of course, as fans, we all have our ideas too and that’s what this is all about…my takes on what I would love to see in the next installments of Black Panther and Doctor Strange. These are just some ideas that have been floating around in my head. You may like them or you may not. That’s how ideas work.

Black Panther: The Conscience of the King

Had I written this up 6 months ago, I’d have had an entirely different take on this one. For a long time, I’d thought that a Black Panther sequel would be an ideal time to introduce Namor. I don’t claim to understand the intricacies of his live-action rights, but I’ve always assumed that, like Hulk, it would be easier for Marvel Studios to include him in another film than to make a Sub-Mariner solo. That may or may not be true, I’m just explaining my thinking here. However, the impending arrival of the Fantastic Four has changed my thinking on Namor as has the evolving structure of the landscape of films happening post-Endgame. At this point, I’m not so sure we might not FINALLY see a Sub-Mariner film, but if we don’t, I’d love to see Namor come into the picture as a Fantastic Four antagonist and then develop over time. So that’s a long way of saying what the sequel won’t be about, so let’s move on to what I’d like to see.

Black Panther left things pretty well set up not only for Wakanda’s role in Avengers: Infinity War, but also for the sequel to take any number of routes. With Wakanda fully-revealed to the world and establishing a Wakandan outreach center in Oakland, any number of new issues could arise and I think that turning to Christopher Priest’s acclaimed run gives us an idea of what they might be.

Between 1998 and 2003, Priest wrote 60 issues of Black Panther for Marvel Comics and, to this day, they are considered among the seminal work done on the character. Priest’s run began with T’Challa in an interesting pinch: a girl who was a part of T’Challa’s Tomorrow Fund, an organization he founded in the United States to help clean up some inner cities, has been found murdered. Meanwhile, refugees flock to Wakanda’s border, led by the enigmatic Reverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-hajj Achebe. When T’Challa chooses to leave to investigate the murder of girl, Achebe makes his move to overtake Wakanda.

Achebe represents an entirely different type of threat to T’Challa and Wakanda. A master manipulator willing to go great lengths to remove T’Challa from the throne, his motives and means are vastly different than those of Killmonger’s. Achebe is a villain that many fans have longed to see brought to the screen and who has been described as the Joker to T’Challa’s Batman. It’s entirely possible that not only could Coogler make him a memorable villain, but also that he’s already set things in motion to work Priest’s arc into a sequel.

The Wakandan outreach center in Oakland could quite easily become the Tomorrow Fund. T’Challa’s descision to open Wakanda’s borders could very easily result in a refugee crisis (something that we are all too familiar with and that would allow Coogler to inject a measure of social commentary into his film). Achebe’s goal is to essentially destabilize T’Challa and Wakanda, allowing him to take over. He hits the King from all fronts, leaving nothing off the table. Unlike Killmonger and M’Baku, he presents no physical threat to the King which would allow for Coogler to show audiences what fans of the comics have known for years: T’Challa is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe. Of course we’d like to see him do some fighting too, so bringing in a secondary antagonist, like arms dealer Moses Magnum and his crew, would allow for some nice action, but if Coogler wants to separate this film from the last one, Achebe has to be the threat and he has to be as different from Killmonger as possible. If we stay with the Batman analogy, this would be Coogler’s chance to make the MCU’s The Dark Knight. For all Killmonger’s physicality and emotion, he didn’t stretch T’Challa to his breaking point: that’s what a man like Achebe could do.

There are plenty of other characters that could be added (Queen Divine Justice has already been rumored to appear) and plenty of twists and turns to take, but on the whole, I’d love to see this film end with T’Challa having reclaimed the country, handing the throne to Shuri and becoming the King of the Dead, living in the Necropolis.

Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme

Director Scott Derrickson has gone on record that his original Doctor Strange pitch included Nightmare, the first villain Stephen Strange faced in the comics. He was talked out of it by Kevin Feige who believed that if the first film took place partially in another dimension, it might require too much exposition and bog down the film. With the idea of alternate dimensions know established, it’s very likely that Derrickson gets to bring Nightmare into the sequel.

Nightmare is a fascinating character who lives in the Dream Dimension (aka the Nightmare Realm) where he has long tortured people in their sleep. While his appearance in the comics has changed over the years, he’s relatively terrifying to look at and would afford Derrickson the opportunity to push the film into some darker corners that he’s familiar with as a director of horror films. I have no inside info here, but I’d say the fact that Derrickson is back on board is a fairly good indicator that we will be seeing Nightmare in the sequel.

I’m 100% on board with Nightmare being in the film but I hope that Marvel Studios takes the opportunity to mess around within the dreams of people to introduce the Sleepwalkers, the protectors of yet another sleep-related dimension known as the Mindscape. Nightmare was long-considered an enemy of the Sleepwalkers in the comics and it wouldn’t take much tinkering to make things a little less complicated in the sequel. In 1991, Marvel Comics began a short-lived Sleepwalker series which focused on one of the guardians of the Mindscape who became trapped in the mind of a man named Rick Sheridan while protecting him in his sleep. One of the fascinating things about old school Doctor Strange comics is that he seemed to frequently be teaming up with other heroes. If Derrickson wants to make this an entirely quirky and unsettling horror film, the combo of Nightmare and Sleepwalker would do the trick.

Nightmare is the perfect villain to keep Strange busy in the sequel while the real villain of the piece does his work. When last we saw him, Karl Mordo was in a bad place and we can only imagine that things will have gotten much worse in the time that passes. Though Mordo walked away from Kamar-Taj and Strange after learning of what he considered to be a betrayal by the Ancient One, we all know Mordo is on a path to become Strange’s ultimate challenge.

Mordo is not only reducing the number of sorcerers in the world, he’s also stockpiling their power. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a changed Mordo here, perhaps one who has been mislead again and has entered into an agreement with Dormammu that would benefit them both: if he can deliver Strange to Dormammu, Mordo can take Strange’s power. Mordo enters into a deal with the Lord of Chaos that keeps him from breaking his vows. Though distasteful to Mordo, it serves his purpose. This scenario would require something to trap Stephen, someone in whom he doesn’t suspect evil intentions. This scenario allows for the introduction of Clea, the niece of Dormammu, and Stephen Strange’s one, true love…perhaps the girl of his dreams.

There are other characters I’d love to see make their way into Strange’s life eventually (Rintrah chief among them), but if you could slap together a plot where Strange has grown comfortable following the events of Infinity War and Endgame, is distracted by Clea, weakened by his battle with Nightmare and has to somehow team up with Sleepwalker to overcome Mordo before losing his powers, that would be a super fun film full of opportunities to scare the hell out of anyone.

There they are. The two worst ideas for sequels that you’re likely to read today! It’s always fun to do this kind of thing, but also it’s a lunatic mission because the ideas I come up with are the least likely to end up in a film written by actual professionals. At any rate, thanks for reading and have a great holiday season!

December 20, 2018
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Sterling K. Brown Was Just Cast as Erik Killmonger’s Dad

This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on January 6, 2017.

Yesterday the already stellar cast of Black Panther grew by one with the addition of rising star Sterling K. Brown. The official press release from Marvel revealed that Brown would play N’Jobu, a character from T’Challa’s past. The character of N’Jobu wouldn’t turn up in any Google searches of the Marvel Universe, but that wouldn’t stop us from digging a little deeper and connecting some imaginary dots. After some thinking, I believe that Brown’s N’Jobu is the father of the film’s presumed primary antagonist: Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger.

In the comics, Killmonger’s hatred for T’Challa comes from a long-held grudge against the Wakandan Royal Family. During an attack on Wakanda by Ulysses Klaw, Killmonger’s father (a native of Wakanda) was forcibly enlisted into Klaw’s invading army and forced to fight against his own country. In the conflict, Killmonger’s father was killed and when Klaw’s army was defeated, Killmonger’s remaining family was exiled from their home country. Taking up residence in America, Killmonger began his path of vengeance against the Wakandan Royals, setting his sights on T’Challa, the new king.

In a tremendous case of me really stretching some already thin fabric, I believe the beginnings of this conflict have already been seen in the MCU and that the Black Panther film will fill in the blanks with some flashbacks. How do we get there from here?

Erik Killmonger is a native Wakandan, so, as you may have guessed, he probably wasn’t born Erik Killmonger. In fact, his birth name was N’Jadaka. I’m no expert on Wakandan naming traditions (the only experts on the subject were busy at the time of publishing and had not returned our calls), but it seems an easy thing to draw a parallel to other Wakandans and their names. T’Challa, son of T’Chaka. So, could it be N’Jadaka, son of N’Jobu? In my mind, he will be.

I’m guessing we will see a flashback to Andy Serkis‘ Klaue’s time in Wakanda (referenced in Avengers: Age of Ultron), see the death of Brown’s N’Jobu and the subsequent exile of his son, giving us the necessary exposition for the main conflict of the film which should pit Killmonger against T’Challa. Framed in this way, you can really see Jordan in the role. In some ways, he’ll be able to channel some of the same things that made his performance in Creed so memorable and will become more than another one-note villain. Jordan’s Killmonger will be the equal of T’Challa in every way and may just make for one of the MCU’s best villains to date.

What do you think about this entirely ridiculous speculation? Let us know in the comments and be sure to share this with your friends!

January 6, 2017