Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • Sorting Through ‘WANDAVISION’ and ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Conflicting Updates

    Sorting Through ‘WANDAVISION’ and ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Conflicting Updates

    Well it’s certainly been a befuddling couple of days for fans of the MCU, and in particular for those looking forward to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. While its finally been revealed that FaTWS will NOT make an August release date, as expected considering the state of… well, everything; there has been continued confusion basically all day about whether or not WandaVision will be pushed back as well. I will do my best to sort it out for you below. But if you want the quick answer, it is plainly, I dont know. No one really does at this point in time. In all likelihood, not even Disney Plus or Marvel do.

    That being said, if you want to read the long answer where I sort through the several conflicting reports to try to clarify things on this front, and then give my at least somewhat educated OPINION of what might happen, then continue on.

    First and foremost, no, I’m sorry to say, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is not going to make the previously announced August 2020 release window. This was completely expected due to the pandemic shutting down filming and continued troubles with that, paired with the series having several weeks left to film at least (expect it to be longer with the current guidelines). However, if they are able to complete filming even as late as by end of September, maybe even October, that should still allow for a late 2020 release for that series. Chances are the studio is working out how and where to do that already.

    Thursday, The Laughing Place reported, not surprisingly, that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was not on a list of titles sent to the media for the Disney Plus streaming service for August. This was despite Disney Chairman Bob Iger himself announcing a few months ago during an earnings call that FaTWS would stream in August, WandaVision in December, and Loki in 2021.

    Early Friday afternoon, a post by Deadline reporting on the delay news about The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, stated at first that WandaVision was “on track for a previously set October premiere date.” This was seemingly confused by the writer with the second season of The Mandalorian. They have since corrected the article to say “WandaVision remains on track for a 2020 premiere date” instead. So still probably streaming in December 2020, right? Well, hold off those party plans for a moment Wanda stans…and read on.

    A bit later, an Entertainment Weekly article came up talking about The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s delay, stated: “A source close to the situation confirms to EW that the premiere has indeed been delayed due to the global pandemic. If all goes well, a new premiere will be announced soon.” Note the “if all goes well” part there. Yeah, that’s a pretty big IF right now unfortunately. And I’m not exactly sure how they’re defining the word “soon” because we are certainly months away from seeing if “all goes well” with the series finishing up their filming. In other words, don’t expected a new release date announced too “soon,” and even then, everything is very very “wait and see” for all these series until they finish all the filming. Their only mention of WandaVision, by the way, was about the Bob Iger comment I mentioned earlier here. It was to air in December 2020, straight from the horse’s… um… mouse’s…uh…big time guy at Disney’s mouth. (Hold up. Keep reading Wanda stans…)

    Then late afternoon The Hollywood Reporter posted an article about Hawkeye being the first Disney Plus Marvel series to have multiple directors (Rhys Thomas, Amber Finlayson, and Katie Ellwood), which threw a monkeywrench into all our WandaVision hopes and dreams.

    Hawkeye is part of the first wave of Marvel shows that was due to hit Disney+ starting in fall 2020. The first show was to have been The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but the series has been delayed to the coronavirus pandemic affecting production. Other shows include WandaVision (spring 2021, if things go as planned), Loki (also spring 2021),then Hawkeye. All will see the silver screen thespians toplining the series.

    So now if that’s correct and up to date, we seem to be back to the original plan when the shows were announced last year, WandaVision and Loki in 2021. Or are we? Or is it simply the reporter guessing and/or going by old information about the release dates? The fact that he says Loki in Spring 2021 makes me think the latter. The reason being, Loki has kind of a lot left to film, especially compared with the other two. And again, we’re in the middle of a pandemic which complicates everything, including making filming take longer from what I understand. What I’m saying is, I’m rather skeptical that Loki is going to make a Spring 2021 release. I could be wrong, but I suspect late Summer or Fall is much more likely for the God of Mischief to appear again.

    As for WandaVision, and again this is my OPINION, and I could be totally wrong, and I could see something that makes me change my mind next week or month or whatever… However my opinion is that WandaVision will likely be pushed back to early Spring, (or maybe late Winter okay? Don’t hurt me.)

    The reason I think this is for one thing, while I’m sure Disney Plus is desperate for new content for their subscribers, they also are going to want to be smart and space out their releases a bit. This way subscribers have a continued feed of new stuff, not just one giant but delicious Marvely chunk and then nothing for months and months because they can’t be completely sure when they can get anything else filmed right now.

    Secondly, as we all know, Marvel likes to link their films, and these Disney series are also going to be linked both to the films and to each other. The order of things was in place for a while now: Black Widow, then Falcon and the Winter Soldier, then The Eternals, then WandaVision, etc… Assuming they want to keep that order in tact, due to connectivity, then WandaVision should air some time after The Eternals, and Falcon and The Winter Soldier after Black Widow... Do I know for sure that there are connections between all of these films and series? No. As I stated at the beginning, this part is my at least somewhat educated opinion.

    And lastly with the shifting back of release dates for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to March 2022, and the fact that WandaVision will definitely influence what happens in that film, they may not want to air WandaVision that far ahead of that film. Better to keep the events of WandaVision fresh in the audience’s mind for that.

    I hope I’ve helped clear up some of the confusion of the day for you, I did my best to, even if it’s not something some of you want to hear. Let’s just all of us wear masks for a while longer and then hopefully we can still get our beloved Marvel stuff this year, okay?

    Correction: One day later the Hollywood Reporter writer put out a correction on his Twitter @boris_kit: “I’ve made a correction to the article saying WandaVision is due to come out in 2020. Thanks to the Brandons for keeping me on my toes.”

  • EXCLUSIVE: New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Videos

    EXCLUSIVE: New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Videos

    Just as we get word that filming on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to restart in Prague this Fall, we have gotten our hands on some videos of prior footage. Filmed last year by James Brown, the new videos give us another look at a familiar scene and the different angle provides a closer look at one of the female villains and a better view of Bucky’s hostage rescue that raises an interesting question.

    The first video is more of a behind the scenes look at Sebastian Stan and his stunt double preparing for a scene and Stan gregariously shaking hands and hugging crew members on set. While it doesn’t give away too much, fans always love to see this kind of BTS action!

    Another behind the scenes video which shows either Wyatt Russell or his stuntman preparing for action as John Walker, aka U.S. Agent, preparing to jump in and help out with what we believe is a hostage situation taking place around the 2023 G20 Summit (you can check that out more here).

    This next video shows Stan working on some of those moves he was practicing as he takes on one of what we believe to be a hostage taker before heading towards the SWAT vehicle where the hostages are held.

    https://youtu.be/aR8jG0E8TuE

    The next video gives us a look at U.S. Agent fighting one of the female villains we first saw in our earlier post and suspected might be the Grapplers. Though it’s really hard to see, it’s possible that the female taking on U.S. Agent could be Erin Kellyman, who we believed joined the production, possibly as Thunderbolt member Melissa Gold, aka Songbird.

    The final video is the most interesting. While we’ve seen another angle of this scene before, this look provides a clue that one of the hostages being released from the vehicle might be more important to the plot than the others. Around the 9 second mark, a hostage stumbles and falls. After she’s helped up, you can clearly see the crew lower a boom mike over her head so that her conversation with Bucky and Walker can be recorded. Given the situation at hand (hostages taken at the G20 Summit), it’s highly unlikely this is casual, “thanks guys type of comment and more likely that this unknown character is someone of significance in the series.

    It’ll be incredibly interesting to see just what these set videos turn out to be when we finally get to see The Falcon and The Winter Soldier when the Marvel Studios production airs on Disney Plus!

     

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ To Have More Than 6 Episodes

    ‘WANDAVISION’ To Have More Than 6 Episodes

    Since Kevin Feige revealed Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus slate at SDCC ’19, fans have prepped themselves for 6-8 episodes of streaming goodness. In the case of WandaVision, it’s been the belief of fans that the show would be a 6 episode event set to change the Marvel Cinematic Universe; however, according to some new evidence, it looks like we might be in for at least NINE episodes of the show.

    If you’ve been following me a while you probably figured out that sometimes I get bored, and when I get bored I go internet hunting for interesting comic book movie stuff to share with you all. Lately, with filming on hold currently, the hunt for Marvel movie or series news and tidbits is often a total bust. But occasionally I find some interesting reveals. This is a potentially great one for Wanda Maximoff and the Vision fans.

    Last night I came across the resume for a stuntperson in the WandaVision series, and in it I found this…

     

     

    I’m protecting the source a bit here, but trust me this is definitely a person who has worked on WandaVision, and I sincerely doubt they made a mistake in their resume listening. Possible, but I doubt it.

    As you can see, the stunt person is listed for”WandaVision Ep. 109.” It’s standard procedure for the numbering system to show the season number first (1) and the episode second (09), meaning this actor worked on episode 9 of WandaVision!

    There have been indications that Loki should have a second season, and we know that at one point there was planned to be a continuation of Sam and Bucky’s adventures on Disney plus, yet we’ve heard no word on that for WandaVision so far. Of course we don’t know how long to expect each episode to be, so we can’t expect 9 or more hour long episodes yet, but the possibility of an extended season is great news for fans thirsting for anything MCU related.

  • Kathryn Hahn Hoping To Resume Work on ‘WANDAVISION’ Soon

    Kathryn Hahn Hoping To Resume Work on ‘WANDAVISION’ Soon

    Kathryn Hahn, who is cast as a key but mysterious character in WandaVision, (more than likely the witch Agatha Harkness), was interviewed on The Playlist podcast today and dropped a few tidbits about the series.

    For starters, she has confirmed that she has a bit more to film, and The Playlist reports that she’s hoping to resume filming this summer.

    “I’ve got a little bit left on WandaVision.”

    When asked what it’s like joining the “Marvel machine” she said:

    “It is another like surreal awesome swing into another genre… but so fun…so fun…”

    “I wish I could tell you a thing about it, but I can’t, or I would just disappear from this Zoombox.”

    She was also asked about how crazy WandaVision looks, she replied:

    “It’s gonna be fabulous, yeah. I can’t say anything else!!”

    You can listen the full interview on The Playlist podcast here.

  • Marvel Studios May Be Casting Their Echo

    Marvel Studios May Be Casting Their Echo

    As the production wheels start turning again, news has started trickling over the past couple of weeks. Today brings what might be some of the biggest news to date as it looks like Marvel Studios may be in the early stages of casting for one of Marvel’s more extraordinary characters and one time Avenger Maya Lopez, aka Echo.

    Sarah Finn put out the call for a deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older, to play the role of “Malia” in an upcoming Disney Plus series set to shoot this Fall. Finn is looking for someone “independent, athletic and bright” to play a 20 something character.

    It’s obviously important to note that this casting call does not indicate what series the role is for, so we can only speculate that it’s for Echo, one of Marvel’s most prominent deaf characters, speculation made much easier by the fact that the description checks just about every box on the Maya Lopez checklist. However, while Finn is Marvel Studios casting director, she has also worked on Star Wars projects as well including The Mandalorian, so it’s possible the role could be for one of the Star Wars series in development as well.

    A top level martial artist with photographic reflexes and co-created by Joe Quesada and Dave Mack, Echo first appeared in 1999’s Daredevil #9. Raised by Kingpin after he murdered her father, Echo fell in love with Matt Murdock while simultaneously trying to take out Daredevil. After besting Daredevil and discovering he was Murdock, Echo turned on Fisk, shooting him in the eye, and then fled the country. 

     

    Marvel Studios will have full control of the rights to Daredevil back from Netflix by November 2020, making it possible that this is the first sign of their plan to reboot the Man Without Fear. However, there have been no signs of development on a Daredevil series and there is another part of Echo’s comic book past that may point in the direction of her showing up in Hawkeye, a series that was, at one point, on track for a late-Summer/early Fall start of production and may still get a chance to do the cameras of things go well. In Brian Michael Bendis 2004 New Avengers, Maya fought anonymously alongside the Avengers in Japan as the mysterious Ronin before revealing herself to them. Of course Clint Barton later took on the same persona, one we saw on screen in Avengers: Endgame.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Though it might necessitate quite a retelling of her origin story, it’s possible that Echo could show up as an antagonist in Hawkeye, presenting an interesting parallel to Kate Bishop, before finding her way back to the light. Again, all we can do is speculate here, but the potential certainly exists for Echo, a character whose dark journey might be pretty similar to Barton’s and who bore the same mantle as the Avenging Archer, could show up in the series, especially given Kevin Feige’s statement that we would, in fact, see more of Barton’s time as Ronin. 

     

    I’ve been working hard trying to dig up more information on the casting call, which I’ve now seen circulating on Twitter, but at the time of publishing this article, I’ve been unable to find anything more. Stay tuned as I will update this situation as it changes.

  • Victor Mancha: Hulu’s ‘RUNAWAYS’ Reject, Future MCU Big Bad

    Victor Mancha: Hulu’s ‘RUNAWAYS’ Reject, Future MCU Big Bad

    Going back through some old notes recently, I came upon some info I had collected about Season 1 of Marvel’s Runaways, a show which recently concluded its run following its third season. Those notes, accompanied by an early project breakdown and casting grid, indicated that one of the most interesting characters from the comic series was intended to be a part of Season 1 and, according to the notes, the studio may have even had an actor lined up for the role. That character, Victor Mancha, never physically appeared in the Hulu streaming series and his presence in the show was reduced to his last name appearing on a note in the final episode of the series. How did a character, who during pre-production in 2017 was, apparently, supposed to play a significant role in the series, end up being a being an afterthought? I’m not sure and I’m not really here to think too much about that. I am, however, interested in how Marvel Studios might now be able to use the character now that Runaways has ended.

    A little background first and I do mean a little. Victor Mancha first appeared in Runaways Vol. 2, #1 in 2005. A cyborg combining some cloned DNA with some of Ultron’s metal bits, Mancha was destined to become one of the Avengers greatest villains (there was a lot of time travel in Runaways) but, for the time being, has mostly stayed on the heroic side of things showing up in Avengers A.I. and Tom King’s solo Vision series among other places before returning as a head in a box in the recent Runaways book.

    We know that Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, isn’t big on panel-for-panel remakes from the comics and, in Victor’s case, that works to everyone’s advantage. Keeping Victor who he is at his core (basically Ultron’s sleeper agent, but a hero at heart) makes him the perfect big bad to square off with the Young Avengers in their first big team outing. Whether it’s in Ant-Man 3 or the solo Young Avengers project currently in development, having the Young Avengers come together by taking on a villain with ties to the villain who tore the Avengers apart would be poetic. Maybe they destroy Victor; maybe they find a way to reprogram him and add him to their ranks; maybe he lives to fight another day. Whatever way it goes, the resonance is intriguing and very “comic booky.”

    I have no idea what the Runaways show runners had in store for Victor, neither in his season one appearance that never was nor with the neat little note they left as the show went off the air; however, what is clear is that Feige has an opportunity to put a new spin on an intriguing character and who could be a powerful, teenage villain who fits the Goldilocks model for the MCU adaptation of the Young Avengers. Sure, people want to see Kang and Iron Lad, but I wanted to see Starhawk and Vance Astro. We don’t, every time, get what we want but in some cases (not Starhawk, definitely not Starhawk), the version we do get is an upgrade. Victor Mancha might just do that for the Young Avengers. 

    There is, of course, another way for Victor to make a splash in the MCU: turning up in the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, WandaVision. If Victor were to become aware of his unique nature, he would certainly seek out Vision, as he did in the comics. If you’ve read King’s run, you know that Victor was sent by the Avengers to spy on Vision and, though his intentions weren’t evil, he was responsible for the death of Vision’s son, Vin and met his “end” at the hands of Vision’s wife, Virginia, who is kind of a serial killer. While this particular story is unlikely to unfold, it’s entirely possible that we could see Victor introduced in WandaVision, a project we know to be a central hub from which the stories of Phase 4 and beyond will be spun, acting, as he was in the comics, as a sleeper agent of Ultron’s sent to wreak havoc on Ultron’s great dissapointment: his Vision.

    As always, it’s far more likely we don’t see Victor in the MCU at all or, if we do, it’ll be in some way altogether different from either of these options. It’s interesting, nonetheless, to think about how a character like Victor, who checks an awful lot of MCU boxes, might be used by Feige as he expands the universe.

  • What I Heard This Week: Ms. Marvel Auditions

    What I Heard This Week: Ms. Marvel Auditions

    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. The news about Peyton Reed working on Season 2 of The Mandalorian came from an article just like this, but I’ve also heard some pretty wild stuff of which we have no proof, like Doom showing up in Black Panther II. Over the past week, we’ve seen unions give guidelines for safely returning to work, plans start to come together for projects to resume filming and an increase in the number of actor/actresses who are signing on to new projects as the film industry attempts to get the big wheel spinning once again.

    It’s been mostly quiet on the Marvel Studios front, however, as we still don’t have any definite timeline for when they will finish production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (though yesterday did bring some good news on that front), Loki or Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. And while we heard that Spider-Man 3 is aiming to start up in late-September or early-October, we still don’t know when other projects which missed their intended start dates, such as Ms. Marvel and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, will get the green light. However, there is another glimmer of hope that was shared with me and that I’m happy to share with you now… MCU Will Eventually Introduce Kamala Khan, A.K.A. Ms. Marvel ... What I heard this week: after shutting the process down due to the pandemic, casting has resumed for the role of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel! The casting process for this one has been wild and taken a long and winding road but I was told that actresses were recently being called back in to continue the auditioning process. The casting of Kamala Khan is certainly one that is of great interest to many (my Twitter DMs are proof as they are filled with questions about when and who and if) and one that Marvel Studios is clearly taking great care to get right.

    The timing of the resumption of the process is also of note. As the state of Georgia begins to open back up and film and TV production gets rolling again in and around Atlanta, where Ms. Marvel is slated to film, it’s possible that an imminent casting could lead to cameras rolling on the Disney Plus streaming series before the end of Summer! This is one to keep an eye on over the next several weeks. Should Marvel Studios land the actress for the role, a casting announcement via the trades would be major news and lift the spirits of fans who have had little good news the past few months.  

  • The Real Deal with Ogun

    The Real Deal with Ogun

    After sitting on it for months, we recently released an image from the Madripoor set of Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier that revealed what appeared to be a biker gang logo. Shortly after running the story, we were contacted by Twitter user and Murphy’s Multiverse reader @AmzingShite, who believed he had a match for the face on the jacket; he believed (and in subsequent conversations on Twitter it became clear that a lot of folks share the same opinion) that the face was incredibly similar to a red demon mask worn by one of Wolverine’s oldest acquaintances: Ogun.

    First introduced in the 1984 series Kitty Pryde and Wolverine, Ogun is a ninja who once served as friend of Logan’s and mentored him in the Art of the Samurai. During their time together, Ogun revealed to Logan that he had mastered the forbidden art of cheating death. Ogun could copy his psyche and then upload it into the bodies of others where it would slowly begin to erase their personalities and install his, a process he intended to do to Logan before the X-Man departed. Following Logan’s departure, Ogun fought all over the world wearing the red mask seen in the picture above, one that presents a common depiction of demons in Japanese art.

    That connection to Logan has people plenty excited as fan-generated rumors were already circulating that Wolverine would pop up on location in Madripoor, but what’s more interesting is the relationship Ogun himself as to the island, specifically to an underground tournament fought there at one point…

    Apparently bored killing people on his own merit, Ogun joined the Yakuza as an enforcer. Already shown in Avengers: Endgame, the Yakzua are expected to appear in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in the episode where the gang visits Madripoor. In that regard, it’s possible that we see Ogun as the head of a Yakuza biker gang, thus explaining the symbol on the jacket.

    There is, however, one more interesting possibility that could connect The Falcon and The Winter Soldier not only to someone from Logan’s long history, but also to a long-standing rumor about the plot of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings! During an arc in Wolverine, Vol. 2, Ogun found himself in Madripoor at the time a secret, underground martial arts tournament was being fought. It’s a crazy tale that involves him trying to take over Madripoor by taking over the body of Viper, but it checks enough boxes to at least bring it up here.

    Admittedly a blurry picture of a biker jacket is absolutely not enough evidence to suggest that Ogun is showing up and that’s not what I’m suggesting here. It’s likely that this is either just an Easter Egg for Ogun or completely unrelated; however, to me, the images are similar enough that not taking the time to point out the potential connections would be silly given we originally published the picture and had some great followers from our community (including @hradesi14 who gave a nice summary of Ogun’s character) point it out to us.

    This is one we’d love to hear about in the comments. Do you think we’ll see Ogun in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier? Are we just a few degrees of separation away from the MCU version of Wolverine? Get a discussion going in Disqus and let us know.

  • What Anthony Mackie’s ‘FALCON & THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Update Means

    What Anthony Mackie’s ‘FALCON & THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Update Means

    A recent interview by Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show with Anthony Mackie sparked an expected burst of articles in comic-book-movie-blogger-land quoting Anthony on the status of his upcoming TV series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Unfortunately, it seems like there is some confusion about how much the series has left to film and when they might go back, so I thought I would try my best to bring clarity to some of that based on what I know.

    Let’s start with Anthony’s quote from this interview:

    Well, I’m happy to say, we are not cancelled, we are on hold. So we’re going back hopefully sometime soon and finish it up. We have very little stuff to do. I’m very happy with it. We have a little bit more we can go back and do but everybody rest assured, it will come out. We are not cancelled.

    When Anthony says “very little stuff” and “a bit more” please bear in mind that the man was filming this series for close to 5 months before they were put on hold. “Very little stuff” in comparison could certainly still amount to several weeks at least, which is what has been previously reported. And certainly it could be his “bit more” is just in reference to his character’s part, while stunt crew and other actors may have much more to do beyond that to finish up.

    Case in point, in a Sebastian Stan interview with SAG AFTRA Foundation interview last month, Seb said they had “roughly a few weeks of shooting” left on FaTWS.

    That is certainly “a bit more” than some might think going by the “very little stuff left to do” headlines I’ve seen recently. Please understand, I don’t say this to tear down my fellow bloggers, only to make clear that there is indeed a significant amount of work left to do on Falcon and The Winter Soldier and I don’t want to give fans a false hope about it finishing up super fast and being ready for an August 2020 premiere. This seems to me and other much more “in the know” types I’ve spoken to, to be near impossible. I hate saying that, many who’ve been following me on Twitter a while know this show is my #1 I’m looking forward to the most. But I can’t deny it seems unrealistic the show will make August 2020, and perhaps not even the Fall.

    On March 6, Czech extra casting company Extrafilms posted on Facebook that there was specifically 3 weeks of filming to be done in and around Prague. The casting call for active runners and bike riders to film at a stadium there mentioned the shoot had a filming date of March 20th. My friend from the Czech Republic @FFilmu on Twitter had also found street permits revealing that the production would likely have been there until March 23. The production was shut down and began leaving around March 10-11, meaning nearly 2 weeks should have been remaining to film in the Czech Republic.

    Around this same time, I also spoke to Atlanta resident @loburger, the same guy who caught some great footage of them filming at Atlantic station and more set images referencing Samson Development, about what was going on at his location. He told me, via a couple friendly security guards watching over things, that the series was meant to return for a bit more filming at that location at the end of month. So it was going to be two more weeks in Prague and then back to Atlanta for at least a little more. He also mentioned to me on March 10th they still seemed to be constructing more stuff for sets there. As of May 16th, according to @loburger everything was still there at that point. In other words, definitely more planned to do in Atlanta, I’d say. Whenever that may be.

    You might at this point say, “Okay, there’s only 3 weeks left to film. No problem, they can finish that in July for August or in August for September. No problem.” Except, there are some pretty damn big problems. One of the biggest for pretty much everyone worldwide being COVID-19.

    Even if they’ve completely straightened out the script to remove some or all of the “pandemic” elements to the story which we believe would have involved a Madbomb storyline, and they have the same amount of planned reshoots left as they did before the shutdown, there is the risk of everything shutting down again. There is also the high likelihood that everything will take significantly longer to film based on new COVID safety guidelines limiting crew, extras, and actors and dictating what they must do to stay safe. So maybe approximately 3 weeks left becomes 4 to 6 weeks? Maybe cases spike and they have to stop again for several months? Or maybe they plan to start and have to throw out those plans last minute, make different plans, or just keep waiting. While I have heard that perhaps mid to late July is the expected time filming will resume for many productions, including the Disney Plus shows, there is no set start dates that we’ve heard about yet, and even if there were it could very well change at the last minute. All we can do is wait and see.

    Because unfortunately, there are much bigger problems and caveats in the way of the series finishing. COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Georgia all the while the state continues to loosen restrictions on social distancing and other preventive measures. This is all very worrisome and as much as I want the shows, I want the people making them to stay safe more.

    While things currently seem to be more stable over with my friend in the Czech Republic @FFilmu, and some filming has resumed there with plenty of guidelines. That could change quickly for the worse as well. And yes, I do believe that they want to return to Prague to complete filming there. But that would again involve a smaller crew, less extras, and in all likelihood take longer than the estimated 2 weeks left to film there unless other plans are made.

    So what happens if Georgia and Prague are not feasible or too dangerous due to this virus spiking? Los Angeles has been trending poorly with the virus as well. On top of that, a significant problem is studio space is hard to come by all over. This is yet another big problem for any of these shows to get finished this year. Everybody wants to finish their movies and TV series that have been paused, not just Disney and Marvel.

    Now that I’ve depressed everyone including myself here. I do think there is hope that both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision are completed and air in 2020. But we must be cautious with our optimism to avoid a very possible let down with further delays. You may now understand why Disney/Marvel have refrained from officially announcing changes to the release dates of these shows. I suspect that it is due to continued uncertainty due to the virus about when these series can be completed. Even with filming done there would still editing and vfx to finish on new footage, scoring, and I’m sure other elements to complete. That all takes time. And I’m sure most if not all of you reading this wouldn’t want them to rush it.

    I truly believe these shows will be worth the wait tho. So hang on, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and those of us longing for our favorite MCU characters to return will get there. I am very hopeful of that.

  • Jeff Lemire’s HAWKEYE May Be A Big Influence on Upcoming Series

    Jeff Lemire’s HAWKEYE May Be A Big Influence on Upcoming Series

    Even though we don’t know when production will begin much less when it will air, fans are very excited for the Marvel Studios series Hawkeye to drop on Disney Plus. Kevin Feige has told us two very important things: it will introduce Kate Bishop and it will feature some more of Clint Barton’s time as Ronin. Rumors have swirled about other potential plot point and characters, but those two tidbits from Feige are key. Additionally, if we’ve learned anything from the limited information available to us about the other Disney Plus series, it’s that they will truly build a world, full of supporting characters, around the leads. For The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, that means we’ll meet Sam Wilson’s family and get some more details about Bucky’s history; the same is very likely for Hawkeye.

    Executive Producer Trinh Tran has promised that the show will paint a picture of Clint Barton’s past and while it’s been retconned a few times over the years, there are some parts and people that seem to stand the test of time. Clint’s story is rooted in an abusive childhood, depends on a relationship with his older brother, Charles Bernard “Barney” Barton and time spent at a carnival where the brothers met some criminals who influenced the rest of their lives. It’s also likely we’ll see a deeper dive into Kate Bishop’s history which means a look at her father, Derek, and his dirty dealings.

    We already know that Matt Fraction’s acclaimed Hawkeye run is going to heavily influence the series. What you’ll see here are some panels from other classic and recent runs that could help us get deeper into the pasts of our Hawkeyes. I have no insider knowledge here, just a lot of comic books, a decent memory, a subscription to Marvel Unlimited and a little more free time than normal. So, enjoy the read and let’s see if we can spot these influences when the show airs!

    Hawkeye, Vol. 3 (2003). Fabian Nicieza and Stefano Raffaele.

    Why They Might Use This Run

    As you’ll see, each of the books here that take a deep dive into Clint Barton’s background will have a few things in common. First of all, they’ll focus on the relationship between Clint and his older brother, Barney, Secondly, the books will show the time the Barton boys spent living the carnival life. Finally, they’ll tell some version of how they were influenced by Swordsman and, in almost every instance, Trick Shot, a couple of carnival showmen with criminal proclivities. In this case, this is probably my favorite iteration of the Clint/Barney relationship, which could make for a really interesting plot device.

    Possible Influential Panels 

    The flashback, as many do, starts with Clint stumbling upon Swordsman embezzling money from the carnival. In this version, Swordsman chases Clint, causes him to fall and break his legs and prepares to kill him before he’s stopped by Trick Shot.

    Following the unfortunate series of events, Barney invites Clint to join him in enlisting in the Army. Clint, at first reluctant to go, changes his mind but misses the bus. Barney goes on to become an FBI agent after leaving the service and, in a cruel twist of fate, meets up with his brother while undercover and is shot in the chest by Clint!

     

     

    Hawkeye: Blindspot (2011). Jim McCann and Paco Diaz.

    Why They Might Use This Run

    McCann’s series, as many of the others here, give us some insight into the early days of the Barton boys. We get a little different version of things each time, but here their abusive father dies and the boys run away and, of course, end up at the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders. While the carnival life really seems like an odd thing to put into the series, it’s hard to imagine the boys not being influenced by Swordsman and Trick Shot. This limited series gives us a brief look at the original Trick Shot, Buck Chisolm, training Clint. It also sees Clint square off with Barney, who is working for Zemo as the new and improved Trick Shot. Should Barney feature in the series, it’s possible they go with this version of the character and take the sibling rivalry to a new level.

    Possible Influential Panels 

     

    All-New Hawkeye, Volume 1 (2015). Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez

    Why They Might Use This Run

    This 5-issue limited series details  (and retcons) the early days of Clint Barton and his brother Barney and Jacques Duquesne, aka the Swordsman, as their paths converge at the Carson Carnival of Travelilng Wonders. The events that take place here, during Clint’s formative years, put him on the road to becoming Hawkeye. While this retcon removes Trick Shot from the early days, it makes Duquesne an even bigger part of Clint’s early years and considering that we saw Barton’s skill with a blade in Avengers: Endgame, it seems very likely that we’ll see Duquesne’s early influence on the Bartons and this version is a little more mild than some of the other options.

    Possible Influential Panels 

    Lemire’s run made some alterations to the Barton boys’ history as told in Hawkeye: Blindspot but he did shine a little more light on the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father and, after his death, their foster dad. The flashbacks show us the day where Barney has finally had enough and fights back. The ordeal leads to the boys running away and stumbling upon the Carson Carnival.

    After the boys fall in love with the wonders of the carnival, their foster father shows up and begins to rough them up until he’s interrupted by Duquesne. Duquesne runs their foster father off and immediately becomes a hero to the boys.

    Duquesne takes Clint under his wing, teaching him to shoot a bow and quickly realizes the skill of the young man. In fact, Duquesne begins to train Clint to join his act. Unfortunately, Duquesne takes Barney under his wing, but instead of teaching him archery, he teaches him to become a criminal. Clint discovers what’s going on and confronts Duquesne. Thought it doesn’t turn violent, it leads to Clint and Barney going their separate ways.

     

    All-New Hawkeye, Volume 2 (2015-16), issues 4-6. Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez

    Why They Might Use This Run

    These 3 issues give new insight into Kate Bishop’s early years and establish just why she and Clint Barton have such an incredible bond. Just like the 2015 series, the events that take place in Kate’s formative years put her on the road to becoming Hawkeye.

    Possible Influential Panels 

    Lemire continues to use flashbacks to give us the goods. The second half of the series fills in some serious gaps in Kate’s past. We find out her father, Derek, hasn’t made all his money through his publishing company and that he’s involved with some dangerous-though-D-list-criminals, mostly notably the infamous El Matador. Kate decides to snoop on her father’s dealings, finds herself stranded in the top secret meeting location, found by someone who looks suspiciously like Tarantula and then held for ransom by the wily Matador!

    As it turns out, Clint and the Avengers have been tailing El Matador and rescue Kate. After being saved by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Kate is fascinated that Hawkeye, using just a bow and arrow, can hold his own a team of super-powered or suited up heroes. Given a few tweaks here and there, these scenes could easily be retconned into the MCU. We know that, for at least part of Hawkeye, we will see some more of Clint’s adventures as Ronin. We also know, thanks to Rhodey’s exposition in Avengers: Endgame, that one of Clint’s adventures ended up leaving a bunch of dead criminals in Mexico. It doesn’t take much imagination to tie that brief description to the first meeting of the Hawkeyes!

    These final issues of the series build up to the Hawkeyes going their separate ways after sharing some honest moments about how much each one means to the other. The great takeaway here is that Clint, through all his troubles and daddy issues of his own, has provided Kate with the positive father figure she was never going to have in Derek.

    When you’re dealing with a character like Clint Barton, who has been around for so long, there are so many possible stories from which to draw. If you’re looking for one that seems most ready made for Disney Plus and that keeps as many of the key points as possible, it’s certainly Jeff Lemire’s. Lemire’s work on Kate Bishop’s background is equally well-done and likely to inform the MCU version of the character. At this point it’s likely to be a while before we start to uncover some plot points for the series, so as we sit around and speculate, it’s great to have these panels in mind!