Tag: Disney Plus

RUMOR: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 May Feature Chewbacca’s Wookie Race

The wait between the first two seasons of The Mandalorian was a long one. What didn’t help was that Disney+, at the time, barely had any high-profile content to make the year go by faster. Well, 2021 will certainly shake that up with various Marvel Studios productions and new Star Wars entries filling out the year. As such, the story of Din Djarin will be delayed by a bit as its first spin-off takes center stage, The Book of Boba Fett. News has been sparse on the upcoming Star Wars series outside of May’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Luckily, it seems that the Bespin Bulletin was able to get their hands on some interesting info, as they revealed that the third season will see the return of Chewbacca’s Wookie race.

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They point out that it is uncertain if this may be a familiar face or a brand new character for this series. There is a chance that it is just a background character. So, it is hard to say if the Wookiees will have any relevance to the series’ plot. We’ve seen various alien races in background shots and the galaxy is quite connected for them to appear. Now, there is also some production information regarding the two series, as The Book of Boba Fett was still in production as of April at the same location that The Mandalorian uses. They may still be filming at Manhattan Beach Studios. As such, it is hard to say if the third season will enter production any time soon, but they seem to be slowly wrapping up the Fett-focused spin-off. For now, it would be great to see Mando visit Kashyyyk to add some variety to his usual revisits to Tatooine.

Source: Instagram

April 20, 2021
Marvel Studios’ Nate Moore Hints at a ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Season 2

Ever since WandaVision kicked off a new era for Marvel Studios. They’ve now explored the ventures of long-form storytelling with series that run over multiple episodes. Of course, any series has the potential to expand with future seasons. There have been some hints that Loki might be the first to explore a multi-season run, but it looks like Marvel Studios is already eyeing a second series to expand. In an interview with IndieWire, Marvel Studios VP of Production and Development, Nate Moore, offered the following insight on Falcon and Winter Soldier getting a sequel season in comparison to Wanda’s take-over of Westview.

I think ‘WandaVision’ is a show you can only do once. She can’t go back into that reality. That is such a complete arc of what that character can do and what that story wanted to do, whereas ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ is really about dealing with, to me, the legacy of what a superhero is, through the lens of Captain America and his shield, but ultimately through the lens of all these different characters. And that’s a story I think you can revisit in subsequent seasons because it’s an evergreen story. It’s a conversation.

It’s certainly an interesting approach and there is a lot they can explore about the title of Captain America in future seasons. We only scratched the surface with Bradley’s story and they could also revisit the storyline of Nuke. There have been countless failed experiments to revive the super-soldier serum. So, it offers a lot of opportunities to expand upon that. Plus, there was the hint that maybe Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres may take on the mantle of Falcon. With Sam Wilson most likely taking on the title of Captain America, Torres has to live up to a brand new legacy. It’s not a confirmation just yet, but certainly, a pretty big indicator that a potential future season is on Marvel Studios’ radar for Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Source: IndieWire

April 19, 2021
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Marvel Studios Teases Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Future Role in the MCU

The latest episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced the world to a Marvel legacy character. Julia Louis-Dreyfus entered the scene and introduced the world to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character has deep ties to the comics as she was a member of SHIELD, Nick Fury’s lover, temporarily Madame Hydra, and so much more.

Now, with a resumé like that, it is a miracle she hasn’t had a larger role earlier in the series, but it seems her timely appearance to aid John WAlker at his low point may have a darker implication for the future. Marvel released a new interview with the team over at Marvel Studios discussing her addition. Executive producer Nate Moore discusses the parallels between her and Fury, as well as teasing her future.

Whenever we talked about Valentina, even in the writer’s room, she was sort of a more acerbic, funnier, but darker Nick Fury. Someone who knows her secrets, who’s not afraid to operate in the moral gray area, but maybe who isn’t as inherently altruistic. Having a character like Valentina in the show, and actually in the MCU, is interesting because I think she’ll be making more waves sooner rather than later.

Of course, if you compare a character to Nick Fury, it leads to a rather interesting parallel. Just like the eye-patch-wearing SHIELD agent, she seems to be recruiting people for something. It looks like the possibility of a Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers team has become a reality. Of course, Moore also hinted that we’ll get a lot more of Valentina shortly. He could be referencing that the character was originally to appear in Black Widow, which may hint at her return in July. There are also the other Disney+ shows that offer Valentina some new potential recruits.

Source: Marvel

April 19, 2021
Olivia Colman In Negotiations to Join ‘Secret Invasion’ Disney+ Series

It looks like Marvel Studios is continuing its reign as the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion is adding Olivia Colman to its cast. She is currently in negotiations for an unknown role, as Marvel Studios remains silent on the series’ plot. The series will continue where Captain Marvel left off with Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos returning, as the Skrull infiltrate Earth. About a month ago, Kingsley Ben-Adir has also been cast as the series’ still-unnamed villain.

Colman has been nominated for the best-supporting actress Academy Award for her work in The Father. Her work alongside Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz on The Favorite landed her an Oscar and other projects. Many might recognize her for her role as Queen Elisabeth II on Netflix’s highly-acclaimed The Crown series. She will also lend her voice to the upcoming The Mitchells vs the Machines animated film.

Kyle Bradstreet will follow up his work from Mr. Robot as the show’s showrunner, as they still are on the search for the series’ directors. Marvel is still keeping a lot of details bout the series close to the chest, which will most likely lead to the Captain Marvel sequel. There is a chance she could be playing a villainous role, as there is no word on the potential appearance of Queen Veranke. If they do stick to the evil Skrull storyline from the original, we might see some betrayal left and right throughout the series. Yet, there are also some friendly cast members potentially joining the series. So, anything is possible at this point. It’s going to get interesting once we get our first look at this new series, as we’ll never know who to trust.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

April 19, 2021
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: The Truth Of It All

The landscape in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has shifted after the fifth Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode titled “Truth” was released. The stakes have been raised, and the pieces on the board get set up for the finale. So, let’s take a closer look at where our protagonists are.

Sam Wilson

The journey for Sam has been about realizing why Steve Rogers gave him the shield. Through it all, Bucky questioned him, and he got confronted by John Walker. It got exacerbated by Walker’s actions in which he tainted the shield with blood. It was time to get it back. There was more to the lesson. His world view is similar to Barack Obama‘s when he said: “Yes we can.” He believes in his way of not only fighting but figuring things out. More importantly, he believes that there’s a better way to do so. It wasn’t until he speaks to Isaiah Bradley that the truth and the context push him forward. Isaiah is steadfast in his belief that:

They will never let a Black man be Captain America. And even if they did, no self-respecting Black man would ever wanna be.

The heartbreaking tale of Bradley’s past would’ve deterred most men and maybe it should have, but Sam thought otherwise. He empathized with what he went through but understood that by avoiding the reality of things, he wouldn’t be able to make a change.

But what would be the point of all the pain and sacrifice, if I wasn’t willing to stand up and keep fighting?

It was time for Sam to become Captain America. He had to live his truth beyond what Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, or Isaiah Bradley thought. As Sam gets ready to take flight with an assist from Wakandan technology, he’s finally in a position to take on Karli and the Flag-Smashers. This time, he’ll do it his way on his terms.

Bucky Barnes

Bucky has had to come to grips with his reality. Steve Rogers is no longer there to be his crutch to lean on. He’s not aimless, but he’s struggling to find his place in the world. Sam confronted him with the cold-heart truth to stop depending on others. Ultimately we’ve seen Bucky start to make his own decisions to varying results.

The moment he freed Zemo to locate the super-soldier serum as a means to an end ended up as a betrayal. Ayo and Wakanda took care of Bucky at a very vulnerable time in his life. He’ll have to live with that decision. There’s still a part of him that believes it was the right movie. It’s why, even though Zemo gets taken into custody, Bucky’s path is more open-ended than Sam’s. There’s a chance that these two will eventually cross paths again. It feels like those two are destined to work together in some capacity.

Finally, Bucky learned a bit about accountability. There was the ignorance that he had towards Sam’s plight and the complexity of becoming Captain America. There’s also the idea that just because you’re trying to make amends doesn’t mean you’re making them. As Sam advises: “Start with one.” We can surmise that in the finale, Bucky may try to give some closure to Yori. As Bucky promises to help Sam with Karli, we also know there’s always a bit of Winter Soldier inside of him.

John Walker

John Walker started the season as the face of propaganda. Now he’s the symbolism of Captain America’s values. They’re tainted, like the blood on the shield. After losing the fight to Bucky and Sam, John immediately got shunned. He loses his rank, title, and pension. The same government who trotted him out as the savior has discarded him like trash.

After he met with the senate, what perhaps could be an important nod to his future, Walker is greeted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) or “Val” for short. She offers him not only sympathy for what he’s done but a role in the future. In the comics, she’s known for a spell as Madame Hydra. In this iteration, she could be the Fury for a team of villains. So, we might finally get the Thunderbolts in the MCU. One has to think Walker will take her call.

Walker’s dishonorable discharge also led to him lying to Lemar’s parents about getting revenge for their son. His lying dishonors Lemar’s legacy and continues his denial of truth. Walker isn’t down for the count, as we see him mid-credits creating his shield. It looks like John is going to be an agent of chaos.

All roads lead toward Karli and the Flag Smashers in the finale. One can only wonder how our main characters handle their new personas as they try to live their truth.

April 18, 2021
‘What If’ Concept Art Leaks Online Teasing the Return of Ultron

It looks like some concept art for the upcoming What If series has found its way online teasing some iconic characters in new designs. It isn’t the first time something related to Marvel Studios’ first animated series finds its way online, as recently a poster was released prematurely featuring our first look at various characters. The art teases some recognizable faces, such as Loki in his Thor get-up and Tony Stark riding a makeshift Hulkbuster. To be fair, we can’t make out his face so anyone could be in that suit.

We even will have the return of Benicio del Toro‘s Collector. Now, what stands out is that it showcases Gamora in Thanos’ armor. It would hint at her embracing the legacy her adoptive father decided to pass on to her rather than running away with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yet, the biggest reveal is the return of Ultron, who hasn’t appeared since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

🚨New concept art from #Marvel's #WhatIf series includes Gamora, Ultron, the Collector and more. https://t.co/hmomIesImX pic.twitter.com/SyTRQS35Pd

— Marvel Studios Spoilers (@MSSpoilers) April 16, 2021

Now, it doesn’t confirm if James Spader will return to take on the character, but if you consider most of the MCU staff are returning for their characters it is rather likely. His design seems to imply he has become a ruler and could hint at a story if he won the battle for Sokovia. Now, that would imply that his meteor did exactly what it was intended to do and the world was reshaped in metal.

Now, that is a fun idea to play around with as it would be the MCU’s way of introducing the Wasteland from the Future Imperfect and Old Man Logan series. It recently introduced in the Marvel’s Avengers game as part of the Hawkeye DLC. What If is starting to shape into a must-watch once it releases some time this summer.

Source: Twitter

April 16, 2021
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Surprise Character Was to Debut in ‘Black Widow’

Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave viewers quite a surprise in the latest episode, as Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus made a grand entrance. After John Walker hit a low point, she arrived on the scene introducing the world to the MCU’s debut of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character might be familiar to long-time fans of the comics. Introduced in Strange Tales #159 by Jim Steranko, Fontaine was a love interest of Nick Fury and a leading member of SHIELD. Dreyfus was actually inspired to take on the role by Veep showrunner, David Mandel as pointed out by her co-star Tony Hale:

It was Mandel, specifically, who suggested she might play a Marvel villain. Louis-Dreyfus had no choice but to play along saying: “Swinging around on wires and kicking people in the face…shooting fire out of whatever you shoot fire out of. I would dig that.

In a report by Vanity Fair, it seems that Dreyfus was going to be introduced in Black Widow initially. As we know, the film continuously got postponed and will now release in July. The way she was introduced would hint at her being a villain, which automatically connects to Contessa’s other alter-ego. In the comics, she turned out to be a Russian mole and takes over the mantle of Madame Hydra. Now, that might be why she was chosen to first appear in the Black Widow.

Vanity Fair does point out it is uncertain if she was potentially edited out of the film with her introduction in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Her appearance and offering Walker a card could be our first set-up for a potential Thunderbolts team-up in the future. She could connect the various projects to form her own team as a counterpoint to Fury’s Avengers Initiative.

Source: Vanity Fair

April 16, 2021
‘FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’: Who is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine?

Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has debuted and we can all stop guessing the identity of the mystery actress and character that we’ve been teasing for over a year and has been the source of quite a lot of buzz since showrunner Malcolm Spellman first teased the appearance several weeks ago. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by 11-time Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is now in the MCU and unless you’re a pretty dedicated reader of the comics, you might be wondering just who she is. Fortunately for you, we’ve got your back.

First appearing in a couple of panels in 1967’s Nick Fury story in Strange Tales #159, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has undergone a few retcons over the years that have made her one of Fury’s most acquaintances. The Contessa made her debut as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who, over the years, had an on-again, off-again relationship with Nick Fury. She has an incredible tactical mind, is a formidable fighter, and became one of Fury’s most trusted allies over the years.

Her story took a turn for the more interesting during the Secret Invasion event and the subsequent Secret Warriors series, written by Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman. Early in the series, Fury meets with a “retired” Val with the hope that after he does one last job, the two of them can finally be together. As the series goes on, Val’s true past is revealed. After joining Hydra as its new Madame Hydra, Val betrays them, joins Leviathan, and reveals that she and her parents were long-term Russian sleeper agents working as plants. She currently resides in a prison somewhere and hasn’t emerged in the comics for some time.

While her comic book story is currently in an interlude, her MCU story could just be getting started and, should the Marvel Studios Parliament wish it to be, could tie into a number of properties old and new. In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, she’s certainly connected to some big names and helps Walker with his post-Captain America career. If that’s all we see of her, it will have been a nice cameo by a big-time actress in Dreyfus; however, should Dreyfus be open to continuing on with the character, we could see her again very soon. As a friend of Fury, the Contessa could play a role in Secret Invasion, perhaps as an old ally of Fury’s that he thinks he can trust. Perhaps more interestingly, should the MCU writers make her a triple agent, Val’s story could tie into even more projects.

If Leviathan sounds familiar to you, it’s because it has already appeared in MCU continuity in Agent Carter where it had deep ties to the Red Room and the Black Widow program. If she has ties to Leviathan in the MCU, it’s possible she could be referenced or even show up in Black Widow (who knows what they got up to during all these delays). Of course, we also know that Marvel Studios is developing a Secret Warriors project which would be the BEST place for us to see more of JLD as Val. At this point, we’ll have to wait and see what direction they are taking her in the MCU before knowing more but it must be nice for them knowing they have the talents of Louis-Dreyfus on deck whichever way it goes.

April 16, 2021
RUMOR: First ‘Ms. Marvel’ Costume Tease Could Hint at Her Gaining a New Ability

Here’s a rather interesting coincidence. One of Ms. Marvel‘s directors, Bilall Fallah, shared a drawing of the young superheroine on his Instagram. He is taking over directing duties for at least one episode alongside his Bad Boys for Life co-director, Adil El Arbi. Now, the design of Ms. Marvel is pretty iconic and is easily recognized by many fans. So, we were rather surprised when the character is sporting a purple scarf in the latest image rather than her usual red one. Luckily, user @sayyidbentley was able to grab the Instagram Story image before it expired.

a lot of people pointed out the domino mask is black instead of blue… valid but i do like the cat-eye shape of it

— fatima 🗝️ lady parts pr team (@karmasbow) February 20, 2021

Now, purple is a rather curious choice that is new to her usual color palette in the comics. It could be a visual decision that might tie to something in their story. We also see that she has her golden bangle on the arm. It just seems to be slightly smaller than the usual designs, but that could be out of practicality. Now, a recent rumor in combination with this purple scarf may be hinting at a considerable change for the character and add some validity to it We have to take every rumor with a grain of salt, but it hints at Kamala gaining a new ability. She will use a variety of constructs that connect to her bangle in some form or another.

Now, Kamala doesn’t have these abilities in the comics, and it would be in addition to her Inhuman Embiggen powers. We do see the mentioned bangle in the design. Her purple scarf could add to the rumor, as these constructs supposedly also have the same color. Its validity is a bit questionable, but the director’s tease of the costume could give it some credence.

There is one more hint that purple will play a key role in the Disney+ series. During Disney’s Investors Day, we got a brief sizzle reel for the project. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the newly designed “S” in the logo switches from purple to gold at the end of the sizzle reel. She also actively wears the color during some of the footage.

Ms. Marvel will release in 2021. So, we might get our first look at the series in the upcoming months, which will hopefully offer a glimpse of these new abilities and how they might tie into the character. It would be a rather daring move to move away that far from the character’s comic depictions. For now, we can only take it as a rumor and see if we get more hints in the future.

Source: Instagram via Twitter, YouTube

April 15, 2021
How Disney+ STAR May Hint at ‘Deadpool 3’ Being a Soft-Reboot for the MCU

Marvel Studios is venturing into new territory with their first R-rated project. The third entry in the Deadpool franchise will continue where the latest left off with the same vulgar we’ve come to love from the character. Yet, unlike the previous entries, we know that this new entry will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even with the R-rating. Ryan Reynolds will return to tackle the role of the merc with a mouth. As far as we know, he is the only confirmed returning character from the previous films, and it opens up the question if the upcoming threequel will soft reboot the franchise. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin are hard at work on the script. So, nothing is set in stone for now. Yet, there is a chance that Marvel Studios and Disney may have accidentally hinted that the upcoming Deadpool film will work on its own merits.

A few months ago, Disney+ expanded in specific markets through the STAR brand. It was a gateway for adult and R-rated projects to find their way into the usually family-friendly platform. Marvel already included a variety of the 20th Century films under the tagline “Marvel Legacy.” They had two separate stacks for the films and animated projects. Interestingly enough, the TV shows Legion, Agents of SHIELD, and others are titled “Marvel Live-Action Series.” Now, as you can see in the image below, even though the third entry of Deadpool will be an MCU project, its first entry is classified as a Legacy film in the Disney+ selection.

The list goes out of its way to highlight which projects are part of the MCU. Now, there is a chance that they might not have a placement for Deadpool, as his films tie into the other Legacy films from the X-Men franchise. Yet, that is a loose connection at best, because it seems to take place in the modern era, but we see the cast from X-Men: Apocalypse, which takes place in the 80s. Plus, the second film ended in a sequence where the merc with a mouth jumps through time. If it remains the same character from the previous films, they can easily retcon the character into the main timeline of the MCU as a result of his actions.

So, he still has his fourth-wall-breaking mentality and experience from the previous films, but he ended up screwing the timeline that he ended up breaking through the multiverse. That way, they can write off the previous entries as Legacy films while the third is a soft-reboot into the MCU. It’s just speculation but with the Star Wars Vintage branding separating non-canon Star Wars projects, it seems quite deliberate that it was given the Legacy title. We’ll have to see how they approach the project, as there are rumors of a Hulu Deadpool series in development that may be hinting at a bright and bloody future for the iconic mercenary.

April 14, 2021