After a long wait, the first trailer finally arrived for Disney+’s She-Hulk. We’ve only gotten a glimpse at the project during last year’s Disney+ Day alongside a new logo, but that was only the tease of what’s to come. The project also got a new logo at the time, which was closer to its Law & Order inspirations rather than the comic-inspired logo. It seems that it got another revamp and a new logo going along with it, as the Marvel Studios series is now titled She-Hulk, Attorney At Law.
Now, the title certainly highlights the comedy series’ strong focus on procedural, as we’ll likely spend a lot of time with the titular heroine trying to fight her way through one lawsuit after another. Yet, it also may have caught the attention of some that are fans of Cartoon Network’s earliest Adult Swim era. The title seems like a tribute to Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
If it is intended, the tribute makes a lot of sense given the way that the animated series featured a former superhero acting as an attorney. He would have various iconic characters from Hanna-Barbera’s animation history pop in for various lawsuits, no matter how crazy they may have been. We’ve even written a piece in December of 2020 about how She-Hulk should echo that series given its perchance to also break the fourth wall. Maybe we even get some appearances of Gary Cole or Stephen Colbert, which would be a nice little touch to pay tribute to the iconic Adult Swim series.
She-Hulk will begin streaming on Disney+ on August 17th.
The highly-anticipated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has finally been released and has given fans a taste of the MCU’s vast multiverse. In the midst of all the madness, it is easy to forget where the multiverse began. The Season 1 finale of Loki showed the infinite branches of reality cracking open after the death of Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains.
Loki created far more than the multiverse, though, as it also introduced the Time Variance Authority to the mythos. The season finale threw a wrench in viewers’ ability to predict Season 2 because Tom Hiddleston’s Loki found himself in a very different TVA at the end. Anything seems to be possible. Recently, actress Sasha Lane told Collider that her character Hunter C-20 could possibly return in Loki Season 2, even though Hunter C-20 appeared to meet her end in the first season.
I remember telling the producer, because they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll see,’ and I was like, ’If I happen to make it back, can I just be hiding behind a little rock somewhere? Just squatted behind a rock just like, ‘Hey! Missed you guys. It’s been a while.’ I’m desperately hoping to be hiding behind a rock somewhere because you don’t know where I went! You don’t know. So, to me, I’m not dead, so I’m just trying to project it out there that there’s a rock that I’m sitting behind just, ‘Is anybody gonna stop by soon?’
Sasha Lane
While bringing characters back from the dead has always been an option in these stories, there are plenty of other avenues for Hunter C-20 to return. For example, Owen Wilson’s Mobius did not know who Loki was at the end of the season finale, implying that he could be a different Variant of the Mobius we met initially. So, with all the complications of the multiverse, there is no reason a Hunter C-20 Variant could not exist. Still, it could be the case that the character never died in the first place, as Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer’s actions were shady enough that there is room for interpretation as to what exactly happened to the TVA hunter.
There’s been a lot of questions on what exactly the future has in store for Disney+’s ad-supported model. It was announced that they were planning on expanding it worldwide and in an interview with Wall Street Journal, Disney’s President of Ad Sales and Partnerships, Rita Ferro, explained their approach to the new model. It seems their base plan is to keep it at four minutes for every hour, which is quite a bit smaller than traditional TV and other streaming rivals.
Peacock is only a minute longer while traditional television has between 18 to 23 minutes per hour. The other Disney streaming service, Hulu, has double the amount while HBO Max also sticks to four minutes per hour as well. The big statement Ferro instantly made is that they are not collecting data to target kids using the service. That was a big concern given its family-friendly focus that this could be seen as its USP for advertisers, but they are staying true to it. They’ve also already confirmed that they won’t allow advertising involving politics or alcohol on the service. They also are excluding rival ads, which isn’t unusual.
They are also highlighting that they will exclude ads when it involves pre-school audiences, which is seemingly running through the profile rather than the actual content being watched. Of course, the cheaper option for those uncertain about subscribing and with a limited amount of ads at 4 minutes may not sound too bad. There’s no word how it may affect GroupWatch functions.
It’s important to note that child advertising is illegal in specific countries, which is why an international release for the ad-supported version may be rolled out in different stages. They likely may test it out with internal ads for their own shows and offerings, as a way to fill space and see how people respond to the ad tier before rolling it out. The data provided in the service is definitely going to be a big question mark, as it’s not uncommon in the US that this information is sold. They will also have to abide by the GDPR in Europe, which could lead to some challenges on how they integrate ads, but we might find out more as they build up the model.
All eyes are on Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk as the next Marvel Studios releases on Disney+. Yet, they’ve also been really busy working on other shows such as the Samuel L. Jackson-led Secret Invasion. Nick Fury finds himself at odds with a Skrull invasion and it looks like the series will take the character to places that we haven’t seen from him yet.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he talked about learning new things about Fury, and also giving him the chance to “explore something other than the badass-ery” sounds like a promising direction for the series.
There are things that even I really didn’t know about Nick Fury that I just found out, that the minds behind what happened during the Blip are fantastic. That’s part of what we’re uncovering when we do this series now. The place that Nick Fury is in, the evolution of his story, or the devolution of his story, as maybe we wind it down or maybe we crank it up. It’s kind of hard to tell. But, giving me an opportunity to explore something other than the badass-ery of who Nick Fury is. I’ve had a good time doing that, and I’m looking forward to people sharing that aspect of who he is when this series does happen.
Samuel L. Jackson
It definitely sounds like a promising direction for the series, as it was unclear if it’ll act as an ensemble piece or further develop Nick Fury, who has been the guiding light of the franchise since his first appearance back in 2008’s Iron Man. Jackson‘s excitement to continue playing the character also pushes him to be the currently longest member of the MCU and we’ll see just what is heading his way once we get a first look at the series trailer.
The Mandalorian was the series to not only kick off Disney+ but also redefine Star Wars storytelling. With Jon Favreau at its head, the same man who kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve started to see a new expensive network of shows all based around this series, such as last year’s The Book of Boba Fett and Dave Filoni‘s upcoming Ahsoka.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy talks about what it’s like working with him and how ended up developing The Mandalorian.
I knew that Jon Favreau was always deeply interested in Star Wars. He was the first person I went to. He said, ‘Not only would I have an interest, I have an idea.’ What’s unique about Jon is his commitment. He’s had a sole focus pretty much on this for the last several years. That’s been a godsend.
Kathleen Kennedy
She reveals that after they met in her office in Santa Monica, Favreau already started working on the series. He ended up writing up around four episodes even though he didn’t even have a contract at the time. Interestingly enough, there were multiple conflicts when he started developing the series based on a Mandalorian. Not only was James Mangold originally developing a Boba Fett-centric film, but Dave Filoni also had plans for it.
So, Kennedy had a simple way to remedy this issue, as while Mangold went on to tackle Indiana Jones 5, she simply had Filoni and Favreau sit down and talk about their visions. Once they started exchanging ideas, they started combining them into what would eventually become The Mandalorian.
“They got along instantly, like gangbusters,” Kennedy revealed but there was one element they couldn’t fully decide on. It seems that Favreau’s idea of Grogu, who many dubbed Baby Yoda early on, was quite a ferocious discussion point between the two. Yet, she highlighted this as them trying to challenge each other to truly refine the concept and it led to us getting the series that became a staple of Disney+.
On the heels of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, much of MCU fandom is focused on the phases to come, particularly the next Avengers: Endgame-level event. For most of them/us, “Secret Wars” seems to be the destination. But trying to figure out exactly what form the MCU storytelling will take as it prepares to adapt Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 epic has been thorny, especially because the most recent Doctor Strange film gave us another thing to chew on: The Illuminati.
New Avengers #2 (2013)
The Illuminati featured prominently in the Hickman New Avengers run that preceded Secret Wars, but unlike in Marvel Comics, where the Fantastic Four and X-Men have been mainstays since the 1960s, the appearance of Reed Richards and Charles Xavier in the MCU (albeit in its Earth-838 universe) was a momentous event, one that jump-started speculation as to how and when we’d see both the F4 and mutants properly introduced into the narrative. And while I do have my ideas about the role the Fantastic Four will play, I think that the bigger question centers on the mutants, and their biggest brand, the X-Men.
Back in November 2021, Marvel announced during its Disney Plus day special that a revival of the popular 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series, often referred to as “X-Men ‘92,” would debut in 2023 under the title X-Men ‘97. Storylines and continuity from the original series would be picked up on, as the timeline would press ahead. However, now that the MCU Multiverse is firmly in play, questions about the canonicity of these new episodes abound. Which brings us back to Secret Wars.
Avengers #44 (2015)
In Hickman’s “Time Runs Out” storyline, the narrative that led directly into Secret Wars, “incursions’” of alternate universes into the main 616 universe led to the Illuminati, among others, taking drastic steps to eradicate those universes so that ours would survive, until only two universes were left — the 616 and the Ultimate Universe, designated 1610, home to Miles Morales, the evil Reed Richards known as The Maker, and others. The finale, which immediately preceded Secret Wars, was an all-out battle between the two universes, which, although ultimately fruitless for both universes, was epic.
The MCU doesn’t have an Ultimate Universe; if anything its 616 universe, what with its Samuel L. Jackson-inspired Nick Fury and its teenage Peter Parker, shares quite a few similarities to it. And with a 15-year head start, there’s no time for Marvel to build up a new Marvel Universe for us to grow attached to. But what they can do is bring back a universe that we have a preexisting attachment to: the X-Men animated universe.
Once that classic theme song hits, our nostalgia feels will come rushing back, and an audience that has been fed a steady diet of uneven live-action X-Men content by Fox will be reminded of how good they once had it, and how good it could be again. By the end of the first season, I’m sure that fans will be fully reinvested in the characters and their universe. By the end of the second or third season, when their universe faces an incursion by the 616 MCU, fans won’t be eager to see that universe be sacrificed. And if that means X-Men battling Avengers, so be it.
Introducing X-Men into the MCU this way has many advantages. For the mutant concept to maximize its potency, the weight of history — of a world where they have been hated and feared for years, and where some characters have formed relationships over decades — should be maintained. That can be highlighted and reinforced, and the animated series can do that far better than the Fox films, which admittedly still have some goodwill, but are nowhere near as universally loved and revered.
Now, will it be tricky to eventually bring the characters from that animated series into live-action? For sure. But one needs to look no further than Marvel’s Disney Plus sister property, Star Wars, to see that it can be pulled off, and be well-received by audiences. And given the stakes of this universe-destroying cataclysmic battle, Marvel can be forgiven for a stunt casting or two alongside longer-term castings of characters who will return after Secret Wars and the eventual Multiverse realignment. But many of us have been waiting decades to see comic-accurate, iconic looks in live-action, so one should expect the fan reaction to those characters making the transition be massive.
After Avengers: Endgame, fans and media alike have been trying to figure out how Marvel could top itself, and Secret Wars could definitely be that. But more so than seeing different versions of the MCU heroes squaring off against one another, seeing Avengers face X-Men with their respective universes at stake would be a spectacle unlike any we’ve seen to date. And X-Men ‘97 could play a vital role in bringing that about. Both universes can encounter Kang variants, and both could experience Incursions that would lead the heroes of their respective universes to do whatever it takes to preserve them. It would be a massive, epic storyline, with the potential to energize and galvanize fans. And of, course, it could be the biggest Marvel event of all time.
Production on Marvel Studios’ Echo is currently underway in Atlanta, and in order to announce the new, Marvel Studios has shared a brand-new image from production.
Along with the image, the studio has announced a slew of cast members set to join Alaqua Cox’s Echo. As previously mentioned, the series will also star Devery Jacobs (ReservationDogs) and Graham Greene. Joining them will be Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), Cody Lightning (Four Sheets to the Wind), and Zahn McClarnon (Reservation Dogs), who will undoubtedly reprise his role as Maya’s dad, Willie Lopez.
Fans will surely note that both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are not listed as being a part of the cast. It is of note that the above cast more than likely only teases a fraction of the show’s cast. And let’s not forget, Marvel Studios never announced D’Onofrio or Cox would return for Hawkeye or Spider-Man: No Way Home, respectively, so it’s entirely possible the rumors of their returns are accurate.
Echo, a spinoff series from Hawkeye, will see the character forced to face the consequences of her ruthless behavior in New York City. As she tries to face her past, the character will need to reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she plans on moving forward.
Echo will premiere exclusively on Disney+ sometime in 2023.
Now, a big part of the upcoming Disney+ series is about Alaqua Cox‘s Echo retracing her Native American roots. As such, a big part of the series is also dedicated to exploring the meaning of cultural heritage and one’s Indigenous roots. McKenzie is an Indigenous Australian director, who is Gunaikurnai. She’s worked on a variety of series such as How to Get Away With Murder, Supernatural, and The Walking Dead.
Sydney Freeland is of Navajo descentand has worked on a variety of projects, which includes Rutherford Falls, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Fear the Walking Dead. She’s also one of the creative minds behind FX’s Reservation Dogs, which included all Indigenous writers and directors.
It’s great to see the talent they are pulling in for this project, especially with the series making it an important push for the representation given its main character’s background. It’ll be interesting to see how it might tie to her upbringing under Wilson Fisk and how visiting her hometown might change her way of looking at her past and future.
Disney+ is continuing to expand at a rapid rate. While its subscriber numbers have slowed down, there are expectations it could pass Netflix within the next few years. As they grow, so is also their need to keep content pumping out at a considerable rate. In the new Star Wars special from Vanity Fair, they have unveiled that Disney+ is expecting “three separate Star Wars shows within a year.”
It’s unclear if that includes releases that move into the new year, such as The Book of Boba Fett which is technically a December 2021 release but premiered its finale this year. With uncertainty surrounding The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian Season 3 releasing this year, it would still match their strategy if that spinoff series counts alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi in a few weeks and Andor later this summer.
Of course, the statement that they demand three does not mean they are open to having more releases within a year. The question remains what else might release next year, as the only production confirmed for a 2023 release is Ahsoka. If The Mandalorian finds its way to Disney+ in that same year, it would mean that the animated series The Bad Batch also perfectly fits to match that demand.
The Acolyte seems to still be in very early development and is likely not going to release until 2024. No definite release window has been stated, but it does seem like we shouldn’t expect it until then. For now, whatever project starts production soon is very likely going to be the next 2023 release, but we may find out more during the Star Wars Celebration.
Marvel Studios has been busy working on its various spinoff series to further explore the different corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve just recently started work on some of their next productions, such as the Hawkeye spinoff series focused on Alaqua Cox’s Echo. The deaf former gang leader has made peace with what happened to her father and the events that transpired at the hands of Clint Barton as Ronin, as she now visits her hometown. There, she must face her past and reconnect with her Native American roots, as she learns what it means to be part of a family and community once again.
The Disney+ series is confirmed to release in 2023, but no exact time window has been given. With Secret Invasion already wrapping up work, it’s very likely it might take the summer spot going by what is currently in production. Yet, that also depends on when we might expect the next season of the animated What If…? series, which we’ve heard very little about in the past few months. We also got a first look from the series, giving us a look at Echo back at home, seemingly helping out.
It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how they tackle this series, as it may be similar to Moon Knight, as it may exist in its own little pocket. The small town location is also a nice change of pace with most Marvel stories taking place in cities or across the world. So, getting to not only spend time with a smaller and more intimate cast of characters but also sticking to one location could benefit the story pacing, which has been some criticism put against the Marvel Studios productions.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
