Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • The Skinny on Marvel Animation’s ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’

    The Skinny on Marvel Animation’s ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’

    Marvel Studios will kick off a very busy 2025 on January 29th with Marvel Animation’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Originally intended as a canonical prequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, the series, which was initially titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, underwent some significant changes in 2022, morphing into a multiversal adventure when the creative team, led by Jeff Trammell, realized setting it on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline limited their storytelling. “It started out as ‘Okay it’s Spider-Man’s freshman year, he’s going to be a freshman, can we get away with this being entirely in the MCU?’ and very early on in the development process, we realized how locked in that actually made us,” said Marvel Television’s head honcho, Brad Winderbaum. “We couldn’t really use his rogues gallery, we couldn’t really use his origin,” Winderbaum continued, “It was not fun, honestly. We would’ve had to put so many limiters on our story to get it to lock into canon.“

    Retitled as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the retooled series now includes an impressive aggregation of supporting characters, including some not traditionally a part of Peter Parker’s circle. The overhaul also allowed Trammell to include some classic Spider-Man rogues, such as Rhino and The Scorpion, which would not have been available to them had the series remained set in the Sacred Timeline.

    “You’re going to see some familiar faces — and if you’re a fan of Chameleon, you’re going to see a few of his faces,” teased Trammell. “You’re also going to see Scorpion, as well as a few characters who may seem new, like Speed Demon or Butane. We have a huge rogues gallery to play with, and so we’re looking forward to putting some of them in the forefront.”

    Though Trammell and company ditched the original pitch for the freedom offered by the multiversal setting, they did hold onto some familiar bits and pieces of Tom Holland’s MCU-set Spidey’s story. In some ways, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will play out like an extended episode of What If…? in which one change will lead to a cascade of changes for Peter Parker, including the identity of his mentor. Rather than Parker, voiced by Hudson Thames, being taken under the iron wing of Tony Stark, he’ll find himself under the tutelage of Norman Osborn, voiced by Colman Domingo.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) and Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    Well, like we said, in the panel, it follows the pattern that you see in [Captain America:] Civil War. Down to Peter getting the broken Blu-ray player from the trash and he walks into his department for the famous moment where Tony Stark is waiting for him to offer him the stark internship and take him to Berlin. But because of things that happen in the multiverse because of new, random occurrences, it’s not Tony Stark who’s waiting for him there. It’s Norman Osborn and that sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    “It was Jeff Trammell who had the idea to cast Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn,” explained Winderbaum. “The character is such a rich and complicated mentor for Peter, so we really needed an actor who could deliver many different dimensions. You can see in his work that he’s so multifaceted, so I can’t wait for the world to see his version of Norman.”

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an animated series that follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots.

    -Official synopsis, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    And so, perhaps for the best, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, morphed into a hybrid drawing from Spidey stories across all mediums. “It does have a lot of DNA that is very similar to the MCU depiction of the Tom Holland Spider-Man, but it really also draws all the way back to Steve Ditko,” Winderbaum explained. “It’s adjacent to the main continuity but really speaks to what is inherent about the character.”

    And while many fans certainly know and love Holland‘s Spider-Man and have enjoyed his stories in the pages of Marvel Comics for decades, others, including Trammell, were introduced to the Wallcrawler through previous animated efforts such as the beloved mid-90s animated Spider-Man series. “We have the privilege of following the movies and shows, so we pay homage to them as well as the comics,” he said. “We build on things we’ve seen before but present them in new ways. We use those expectations to our advantage and turn things away from where you might expect.“

    With the events of the series rearranging the pieces of Peter’s life, fans will find that everything has changed, including his friend group. Without MJ and Ned by his side, Peter will find himself befriending some characters that even longtime Spidey fans may not be familiar with. “I’m excited for people to see new twists on classic characters, and I’m also excited to introduce characters that aren’t normally featured in Spider-Man stories.”

    (Second from Left-R) Pearl Pangan (Cathy Ang), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) and Nico Minoru (Grace Song) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. ?? 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    And so while Peter will find some familiar allies in Doctor Strange and Daredevil, voiced by Charlie Cox, he will also be hanging out with Runaways mainstay Nico Minoru and Pearl Pagan, a character relatively new in the pages of Marvel Comics. According to Winderbaum, despite being new to Spidey’s sphere, they’ll follow the longtime pattern of being more than just sidekicks and one-note page fillers in Peter’s story. “There’s a reason why we changed the title to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It’s about the neighborhood. It’s an ensemble show. Every character is well-defined and has amazing arcs, from Peter and Nico to Lonnie and Pearl.”

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a 10-episode series, begins streaming on Disney Plus on January 29th.

    The voice cast includes Hudson Thames, Colman Domingo, Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy, and Charlie Cox. The head writer is Jeff Trammell and Mel Zwyer is the supervising director. Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, and Trammell serve as executive producers. 

    Sources: Phase Hero, The Walt Disney Company

  • Kathryn Hahn Addresses the Future of Agatha Harkness

    Kathryn Hahn Addresses the Future of Agatha Harkness

    Kathryn Hahn‘s performance as the wicked witch of Westview, Agatha Harkness, has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving. After a show-stealing performance in 2021’s WandaVision, Hahn took the lead in the spinoff Agatha All Along and once again left audiences asking for more. Despite what appeared to be the end of the road for the character, the final scene of Agatha All Along saw the spectral sorceress embark on a new journey, showing there’s still some “life” in the old gal yet.

    While whatever the future holds for the wraithlike witch may not have been divined, it certainly seems as though the next chapter in her story will be closely tired to the next chapter in the story of Joe Locke‘s Billy Maximoff. And while we all wait for official word about what that shape that might take, Hahn has shared her thoughts about returning to the role.

    “Am I personally done with playing this witch? No,” said Hahn when asked by TV Line about her future as Agatha. However, the star stopped short of confirming the recent reports and rumors that Marvel Television was close to moving forward with Season 2 of Agatha All Along. “We’d have to let the powers that be make those decisions,” said Hahn when asked if Marvel had given the go-ahead for another batch of episodes.

    Of course, even if Marvel and Hahn are attempting to keep a sophomore season of Agatha All Along a secret, some omens do seem to augur well for an extra season of the witch. Series creator Jac Schaeffer‘s abrupt exit from the Paul Bettany-led Vision series led many to assume she had moved onto another project. And while speculation seemed to center on the rumored Scarlet Witch solo project, a greenlight given to a second season of Agatha All Along would certainly provide a reasonable explanation for her choice to bail on Vision, especially since Schaeffer indicated that she had plenty of unused Season 1 ideas which could be repurposed for Season 2.

    There was more [of Agatha and Rio’s backstory] in the writer’s room. There was never any more on the page. It was our story instinct, I would say, that getting too far into their backstory would sort of be too much of a counterweight to the Nicky material. And so, we really included what we felt was vital to this chapter.

    -Jac Schaeffer on ideas cut from Season 1 of Agatha All Along that could be explored in a potential Season 2

    Beyond that, there’s the interesting decision by Marvel Studios to submit Agatha All Along as a comedy series rather than a miniseries in an effort to snag awards for the project. It’s a strong indication that they plan to make more episodes, something Hahn herself acknowledged. “It does suggest that,” said Hahn, though she held tight to her claim that she had no idea of future plans for her character. “I am as in-the-dark as you are. There’s going to be a Vision show, so that could be of a trilogy [with WandaVision and Agatha All Along]. But who knows?”.

    Despite Hahn‘s hesitance, reluctance or inability to confirm Marvel Television’s plans to move ahead with a Season 2 of Agatha All Along, it’s starting to feel like there’s a growing chance of more purple in the near future.

    Source: TV Line

  • Marvel’s Hidden Champion

    Marvel’s Hidden Champion

    While no official announcement has been made, enough rumors and reports concerning Marvel Studios long-gestating Young Avengers project are accumulating that it seems as though some sort of news should be imminent. Whether or not that happens, fans have been and will continue to be excited about the possibility of the studio assembling a team of young heroes even if it happens in a project titled Champions rather than Young Avengers.

    While the latest report indicated that telhr studio was closing in on landing a showrunner and had begun locking in the core cast of Champions, it would be foolish to assume that the six heroes identified in Daniel Richtman’s scoop won’t have company from some other young heroes. Though Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, Billy Maximoff, America Chavez, Riri Williams and Cassie Lang would make a formidable team, there are plenty of other potential Champions-in-waiting.

    Given that the rumored roster of the team is a mash-up of comic book Champions and Young Avengers, it’s unlikely that EVERY character from either team who is either in the MCU already or believed to be on the way could possibly play a major role in what’s likely to be a six-to-ten episode series. And so while Eli Bradley, Amadeus Cho, Hulkling, Speed or even Viv Vision might make the team, they aren’t the only options out there. In fact, one potential recruit who supplies the team with something they desperately need may be hiding in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

    Though none of the events Netflix’s two-season run on Luke Cage had impacted the MCU so far, the decision by Marvel Studios to retcon all of the Defenders-verse series into the Sacred Timeline allows for them to ripple through the narrative fabric of the Multiverse Saga and beyond. And with the studio now bringing together a team of young heroes, it might be the right time to explore the legacy of one of Luke Cage‘s most compelling supporting characters.

    Over the course of two seasons, Theo Rossi‘s chillingly serene Shades stayed in the game while nearly every other baddie went by the wayside. Though no mention was made of it in the Netflix series, Shades comic book counterpart had a son, Victor Alvarez…and following a terrible tragedy, Victor gained some incredible power, man.  And while it might take some creativity on Marvel Television’s part, the perfect opportunity exists to bring Victor into the MCU and give the Champions their Power Man.

    In the comics, Victor was the sole survivor of an building explosion rigged by Bullseye. During the disaster, his father’s bioelectric visor shattered with pieces of it embedding themselves in Victor’s skin, giving him the unique ability to absorb chi from his environment and then manipulate the energy similarly to the way Danny Rand uses it in Iron Fist.

    Given the disparity between the MCU’s version of Shades and the one from the comics, a new origin story for Victor’s powers would be in order. However, it is very doable and tying a new hero to Luke Cage would be a step in the right direction in ultimately fully embracing it the way the studio has Daredevil and The Punisher. Though Victor Alvarez, aka Power Man, hasn’t racked up the same number of comic book appearances as the other characters rumored to be leading the team of Champions, he has been an Avenger and, for a time, a member of the comic book Champions. If his time isn’t now, it may never be.

  • Marvel Has Reportedly Locked In the Core Cast of ‘Champions’

    Marvel Has Reportedly Locked In the Core Cast of ‘Champions’

    As 2025 gets underway and Marvel Studios looks to begin production on two major pieces of the final phase of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4, Kevin Feige and the Parliament must also continue to keep an eye on the future of the franchise. Though nobody is quite certain just what to expect from Avengers: Secret Wars in terms of the impact it will have on whatever the next Marvel saga is, rumors and reports of projects in development do provide some pieces of the puzzle.

    With Michael Lesslie hard at work on a script for the first Marvel Studios-produced X-Men film, it is safe to say the next saga will have its fair share of mutant heroes and villains. And while most of the focus might fall on whatever version of Charles Xavier’s uncanny team of heroes make their way into the MCU, another project featuring the MCU’s first mutant also looks to be gaining traction.

    According to Marvel insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios’ D+ streaming series, Champions, is close to landing a showrunner and has begun locking in key cast members. Richtman reports that in addition to Iman Vellani and Hailee Steinfeld, who appeared together in a credit scene for The Marvels meant to tease Champions, Joe Locke, Dominique Thorne, Kathryn Newton and Xochitl Gomez have also joined the project. Though the report indicates that those six actors are the series’ leads, it does not indicate that other young heroes won’t join the project in supporting roles.

    Previously, Richtman reported that the search for a showrunner had begun and that the studio had an eye on beginning production on Champions in 2026 to have it ready for a post-Secret Wars release on D+. Given the studio’s desire to move to only two streaming projects per year, Champions likely would not be released until the second half of 2027 or even 2028. By that time, many of the actors playing the heroes would be closing in on turning 30 years old. That reportedly played a part in the decision to retitle the project, originally being developed as Young Avengers.

  • Marvel Reportedly Reviving a Second Netflix Series for D+

    Marvel Reportedly Reviving a Second Netflix Series for D+

    After deciding that a creative overhaul was needed to correct course on Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Television’s upcoming D+ streaming series became a revival of Netflix’s Daredevil rather than the “whole new deal” it was originally intended to be. As a result, Daredevil co-stars Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson found themselves written into Daredevil: Born Again after initially not having been part of the story. While spoilery set photos with another Netflix returnee certainly provided some reason to be concerned about the well being of Foggy and Karen, they’re not the only members of Matt’s supporting cast back for more.

    Following rumors that he would return in Daredevil: Born Again as Frank Castle, trade reports confirmed that Jon Bernthal had indeed boarded the project. It wasn’t long before photos from the New York City set caught Bernthal in action alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil with the pair apparently under fire from an anti-vigilante task force assembled by Mayor Wilson Fisk. And while Castle certainly didn’t appear to survive that encounter unscathed, it seems as though he’ll live to see another day…in fact, several of them.

    According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, following his appearance in Daredevil: Born Again, The Punisher will return to kill more people that need killing in his own Disney Plus streaming series.

    It’s already been nearly five years since the second and final season of The Punisher debuted on Netflix and given the pace at which Marvel Television is now developing and producing streaming series, it may be another five before the next chapter in Frank’s story is told. With very few loose threads left hanging from the series’ two-season run on Netflix, it’ll be interesting to see which characters, if any, are brought back into the fold on D+ or if Marvel Television sets up Frank’s new story in Daredevil: Born Again and goes in an entirely different direction.

  • Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    With the D+ premiere of Daredevil: Born Again creeping closer each day, fans of the Netflix Daredevil series are rejoicing over Marvel Studios’ decision to canonize the Defenders-verse projects. After an admitted period of being “a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not“, the studio’s willingness to embrace the characters, stories and tone from Netflix’s Marvel series–a decision that was heavily influenced by stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D‘Onofrio–seems to have benefitted Daredevil: Born Again both creatively behind the scenes and with fans.

    During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, “Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.” So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.

    –Vincent D’Onofrio

    While fans of the Defenders-verse are feeling satisfied with the studio’s change of heart, fans of the MCU’s first TV series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., are still waiting for those same warm fuzzies. After recently rethinking the way its streaming projects were branded and marketed, Marvel Studios has put a significant amount of space between itself and the previous “It’s All Connected” era in which Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted.

    According to Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, the decision was made to make the ever-expanding MCU more accessible to new fans. “There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything,” Winderbaum explained. “Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand.” And so far, Agents of S H.I.E.L.D. remains part of what the public should not feel obligated to watch.

    While Winderbaum enthusiastically supported the canonization of the Netflix series, he’s been unable to give any of Marvel’s ABC series, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the same support. “I want to go down this road with you, you know I do, but we’re just gonna take a deep breath for a second,” said Winderbaum in August 2024 when asked about the series place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. Four months later, the Marvel TV boss was no closer to canonizing the long-running series, saying “It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon.” Now a new rumor making the rounds could indicate that Winderbaum has found a way to square things up…or that he’s decided to move even further away from adopting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Sacred Timeline.

    According to the always industrious insider My Time to Shine Hello, Marvel Studios is developing a Ghost Rider streaming series. While there’s no mention of which of several comic book Ghost Riders would be the series’ lead, AoS fans will undoubtedly hold onto hope that the D+ series will feature Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes, who debuted in Season 4 of the ABC melodrama.

    I died, and there’s nothing, there’s just darkness. Then I heard a voice, asking me if I wanted a second chance, did I want to punish those who hurt my brother, did I want to avenge my own death. I answered yes, more than anything, yes. I was alive again, and you’re right, there was someone there when I came to. But it wasn’t a Good Samaritan. It was the Devil. Whatever was inside him, he passed it into me.

    -Robbie Reyes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 4

    While there’s no official word from Marvel on a Ghost Rider project, Winderbaum did recently reveal his desire to get the Spirit of Vengeance into the MCU. However, should Marvel Television’s big cheese have his way, it would not feature Reyes. “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” Winderbaum revealed, adding “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.“

    Should Marvel Television indeed be moving ahead with a Ghost Rider series, it could quietly serve as the final judgement on the Sacred Timeline canonicity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., putting to rest one of the final lingering debates of a different era of Marvel entertainment.

  • Marvel TV Boss Addresses the Canonicity of Marvel’s ABC Shows

    Marvel TV Boss Addresses the Canonicity of Marvel’s ABC Shows

    It’s all connected. For a decade, that tagline defined the MCU to the extent that it used as the subtitle for the first Marvel Cinema Universe Guidebook. Fans fawned over every fragment of connectivity, theorizing which character might show up where and how each post-credit scene might set up the next big thing. However, as Marvel Studios moved into the Multiverse Saga and a new era of streaming their own series on Disney Plus, comfort turned into confusion with the rapid expansion of projects and characters.

    In an effort to combat the confusion, Marvel Studios began rebranding its streaming projects. Beginning with a pair of special presentations (Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special), the studio quietly moved from an era of “required reading” and toward a choose your own adventure model. Projects created under the Marvel Spotlight banner, such as Echo, were devised in order to ensure that “viewers don’t have to watch any other Marvel series to understand the plot.” Further rebranding of projects under newly formed Marvel Television or Marvel Animation banners were an effort by the studio to “signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand,” cementing a less connected, more diacritical experience in which “the characters still live and breathe in the same universe, but the interconnectivity is not so rigid that you need to watch Project A to understand Project B,” according to Marvel TV head honcho Brad Winderbaum.

    There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand. Some will be more comedic, some will be more dramatic, some will be animated, some will be live-action. Marvel is more than just one thing — it is actually many different genres that just happened to coexist in a single narrative.

    Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, on the studio’s rebranding, May 2024

    One of Marvel Television’s most anticipated upcoming projects, Daredevil: Born Again, may provide the first real opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the rebranding. Though the events of the news series will spin out of the events of the Netflix Marvel series from the mid-2010s,baudiences should not need to watch the 39-hour-ish long episodes of Netflix’s Daredevil in order to enjoy the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again, even though all of Netflix’s Marvel series were recently retconned as Sacred Timeline canon.

    Now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    And while Winderbaum gave his stamp of approval to the canonicity of the Netflix series, he dodged, ducked, dipped, dove and dodged the issue of another fan-favorite series from the mid-2010s: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “I want to go down this road with you, you know I do, but we’re just gonna take a deep breath for a second,” said Winderbaum in an August 2024 interview with Screen Rant. Hardly a strong show of support for Phil Coulson and crew.

    As one might expect, Winderbaum‘s comments weren’t warmly received by AoS fans; however, given his position at Marvel, he would certainly be the one to know…and four months later, it seems nothing has changed.

    In a new interview with Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier, Winderbaum was pressed once more about the canonicity of Marvel TV’s  ABC shows and he hasn’t budged on his stance. When asked by Deckelmeier if Marvel TV’s Agent Carter, which ran for two seasons on ABC, was considered MCU canon, not only did Winderbaum refuse to confirm that it was but he also lumped it in with all of Marvel’s ABC shows.

    “Well, I’ll tell you this, and put it to you like this. It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon,” said Winderbaum, indicating that while he has thought about how to canonize Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Inhumans, he hasn’t figured out how to do so just yet.”That, to me, if you know me and the way my brain works, that is fun territory to imagine,” confirming that for now, imagination is the only place in which those series should be considered canon.

    While that’s made quite clear on Disney Plus, where those shows, along with a few others, can be found in an “Agents and Inhumans” category rather than in the “Complete MCU Timeline” category, fans of the series still find plenty of ways to make the events of the shows tie into the ongoing story of MCU. And at the end of the day, that’s just fine and what being a fan is all about.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • Marvel Studios Releases Official Synopses for All Eight Episodes of the Final Season of ‘What If…?’

    Marvel Studios Releases Official Synopses for All Eight Episodes of the Final Season of ‘What If…?’

    The final season of Marvel Animation’s multiversal adventure, What If…?, is almost upon us and Marvel Studios has begun the final marketing push. The studio recently revealed the titles of the final eight episodes of the show, giving away a surprise or two in the process. Now, just four days away from the debut of the first episode, official synopses for each episode have been released by Disney.

    Episode 1: What If…The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?

    Captain America/Sam Wilson must suit up in a colossal mech suit to battle Bruce Banner after an attempt to cure himself of the Hulk goes horribly wrong. Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Moon Knight, and others must join Sam as his new team of Mech Avengers.

    Episode 2: What If…Agatha Went to Hollywood?

    Howard Stark may have helped the Allies win World War II…but what he really wants to do is direct! On the set of Stark Pictures’ first production, the playboy auteur quickly finds himself enchanted by his bewitching lead actress, Agatha Harkness. Little does she know there will be another superpower co-star on the call sheet…Kingo.

    Episode 3: What If…The Red Guardian Stopped The Winter Soldier?

    It is 1991, and the Red Guardian takes it upon himself to join a high-profile mission and prove himself to his Red Room superiors. When his antics interfere with the Winter Soldier’s own mission to kill Howard Stark, the two Soviet supersoldiers must form an alliance to escape the United States.

    Episode 4: What If…Howard the Duck Got Hitched?

    Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis find themselves on an intergalactic pleasure cruise. When dangerous factions from across the galaxy descend to threaten their trip, they must discover their own cosmic powers to withstand the onslaught.

    Episode 5: What If…The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?

    In a Universe where The Eternals never stopped The Emergence, the birth of an incubating Celestial shatters the Earth. Civilization endures on the rocky remnants of our planet, where Quentin Beck leads an authoritarian regime until freedom fighters recruit Riri Williams on a deadly mission to take him down.

    Episode 6: What If…1872?

    In a universe where the heroes of the MCU live in the Old West, Shang-Chi and his pistol-packing partner, Kate Bishop, traverse the frontier, saving the innocent from the evils of The Hood.

    Episode 7: What If…The Watcher Disappeared?

    The Watcher must stand trial for his many interventions.

    Episode 8: What If…What If?

    The end of the beginning… 

    The third and final season of What If…? begins streaming daily episodes on December 22nd.

  • Hogwarts Rip-off Series Reportedly Being Developed at Marvel Studios

    Hogwarts Rip-off Series Reportedly Being Developed at Marvel Studios

    The stan culture that has developed around Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda Maximoff and the impressive success of Agatha All Along should serve as strong indicators to the Marvel Parliament that there’s an interest in more stories set in the mystical corner of the MCU. Though strong performances by Olsen and Agatha star Kathryn Hahn are huge factors, audiences were just as enchanted by Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone, whose performance earned her a Critics’ Choice Award nomination. In this instance, it’s not just big names but good stories to which fans are responding and it’s clear they want more.

    With that in mind and HBO preparing to bring Harry Potter back to the pop culture forefront with a new streaming series set to debut in 2026, it sounds as though Disney may be preparing to take advantage of the buzz.

    According to a report from MCU insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Television is developing an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Strange Academy for Disney Plus.

    Created by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, Marvel Comics Strange Academy debuted in 2020 and focused on a new generation of magic users being trained in the mystic arts at a Hogwarts-esque school opened by Stephen Strange. Classes at Strange Academy were led by an array of Marvel mages including Doctor Voodoo, Wanda Maximoff, Wong, Magik and, yes, Agatha Harkness and covered a range of topics from astral projections to interdimensional geography to xenoanatomy.

    The report calls to mind a nearly two-year old rumor that indicated Marvel Studios was developing the IP with Benedict Wong and Xochitl Gomez as co-leads. Given the recent restructuring behind the scenes at Marvel Studios, it’s likely that whatever plans may have initially been in place for Strange Academy have changed. Additionally, it’s always worth repeating that Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, has cautioned fans that a project being in development does not mean it will ever be realized on screen.

  • Major Marvel Villain Reportedly Set to Debut in D+ Streaming Series

    Major Marvel Villain Reportedly Set to Debut in D+ Streaming Series

    As Marvel Studios struggled to string together consecutive hits from 2021 through 2023, fans not only believed those struggles signaled the end of the studio’s time on top was near but also began to embrace some disturbing revisionism. While fans and critics alike piled on their reprovals of Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumanaia, Secret Invasion and more, they bemoaned the loss of the good old days of the Infinity Saga, when Marvel didn’t miss…except that’s not exactly how it went down.

    The mind has a way of distorting memories of reality as time moves on and remembering the Infinity Saga as a perfect bundle of projects is a perfect example. Not only did Marvel Studios produce some duds during its first saga (Thor: The Dark World, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 still stand among the least-loved MCU films), but it also had an ongoing problem pitting its heroes against incredibly weak villains for the better part of an entire phase. “Marvel has a villain problem” was an ongoing criticism of Phase 2 in which the studio dropped the ball adapting some of Marvel Comics’ great baddies such as Malekith, Ronan the Accuser and Advanced Idea Mechanics. The studio heard the criticisms, addressed them behind the scenes and moved forward with an improved lineup of antagonists. In 2017, the studio’s capacity to challenge its heroes increased exponentially with an influx of available characters following the acquisition of the live-action rights of the sizeable stable of characters previously owned by Fox. Now, a new report reveals that the studio may finally have found the right project in which to unleash one of Marvel Comics greatest threats for his live-action debut.

    According to long-time MCU insider Daniel Richtman, the interdimensional nihilist Annihilus will serve as the primary antagonist of Marvel Television’s Nova.

    It’s been over half a decade since Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, called Marvel’s greatest cosmic hero, Nova, a character that had “immediate potential” to show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Immediacy is relative, apparently. Despite Marvel Studios giving a Disney Plus Nova series the green light in March 2022, the project–written by Moon Knight scribe Sabir Pirzada—was rumored to be headed to the big screen before being unceremoniously shoved to the back burner as other projects took precedence. Earlier this year, Richtman reported that the studio had finalized plans to develop Nova as a streaming series and to have the original Human Rocket, Richard Rider, as the lead alongside a team of young Nova Corpsmen. Adding Annihilus to the mix would indicate the studio plans to pull no punches as it rightfully looks to set up Rider as its greatest Cosmic hero.

    Originally introduced as a Fantastic Four villain, Annihilus has grown in power over the years and has become a threat to the existence of the entire universe. The ruler of a pocket dimension known as the Negative Zone, Annihilus, with the power gifted to him by wielding the Cosmic Control Rod, set his sights on conquering Earth and then the entire “positive” galaxy. Thus, in 2006, Annihilus was the main antagonist of the Cosmic crossover event, Annihilation, in which he lead his Annihilation Wave out of the Negative Zone and wreaked havoc on the galaxy as he attempted to extinguish all life within it.

    Of course, any use of the Nova Corps would require some significant changes to the organization which was first introduced in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, especially if they are going to take on The Lord of the Negative Zone. Though it wasn’t seen on screen, Thanos likely provided the first steps in that direction when he took the Power Stone from Xandar before attacking Thor, Loki, Hulk and a shipful of Asgardians between the events of Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

    With production on Nova expected to begin in 2025 and Marvel Studios looking to reduce its output of streaming series to two per year, it seems reasonable that the series may not make its way to Disney Plus until 2027, making a full decade between the acquisition of the live-action rights to Annhilus and his MCU debut. Given the potential, however, for the First-born Son of Oblivion to be an ongoing threat for a new saga, it may end up having been worth the wait.