Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Echo

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3: The Clint Barton Convergence

    ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3: The Clint Barton Convergence

    The latest episode of the Marvel Studios Disney Plus series Hawkeye picks up the pace and presents probably the most complete and best episode so far. Part of picking up the pace meant speeding through flashbacks to tell the origin story of one of the series’ main characters, Maya Lopez. Much like the flashbacks that told the tragedy of Kate Bishop’s early life, Maya’s flashbacks take up about 5 minutes of screen time and end in a similar tragedy. Through the use of these flashbacks, the episode draws some intriguing parallels between the two young women and gives them a common point from where their paths through life diverged.

    Paterfamilias

    In the cases of both Kate and Maya, Hawkeye establishes a loving relationship between father and daughter. Both Derek Bishop and Willie Lopez are shown to share special bonds with their daughters. In Kate’s case, it’s made clear that her childhood relationship with her father is stronger than that with her mother. When it’s noticed that she is eavesdropping on her parents’ argument, her mother indicates to her father that he’s the one who will have more success communicating with Kate while she’s upset. In Maya’s case, it’s implied that her father is a single parent but it is clear that the two share a special bond. When Willie is unable to send Maya to a deaf school, he teaches her to embrace her disability and assures her that she’ll be stronger for it. He’s portrayed as a father who teaches his daughter to refuse to use her disabilities as an excuse and one who wants the best for her, even if his station in life doesn’t make it possible for him to deliver.

    Essentially both girls look up to their fathers as heroes but the two fathers’ lives are very different. Derek is portrayed as an optimistic silver spooner while Willie is equally optimistic but seems to have to scrape for every penny and chooses to do so as part of a criminal organization. And make no mistake about it, the difference in the circumstances in which Kate and Maya were raised lead directly to the divergent paths they took in life.

    For both characters, the relationships with their fathers have truly made them who they are. Both are shown to be uniquely skilled and driven; both are shown to be determined and dynamic; both are also shown to have apply those characteristics in very different ways.

    Death of a Father

    In the case of any child, the death of a parent is traumatic. Hawkeye draws another parallel between the two characters by having them both experience the deaths of their fathers. However, the responses of the two character to the death’s of their fathers are entirely different. The death of Kate’s father (bit mysterious, don’t you think? I’m not convinced her mom didn’t kill him) during the Battle of New York set Kate on her journey to be a protector, a hero, like her father; the death of Maya’s father (much less mysterious) set her on a journey to become a violent, vengeful criminal.

    The New Father Figure

    After suffering the loss of their fathers, Kate and Maya have father figures step into the void. In Kate’s case, Jacques Duquesne tries to charm his way into her life, going so far as to brag about buying a book about being a stepdad. In Maya’s case, her not-so-mysterious “Uncle” is still looking after her and she find herself in his employ. On one hand, we see Kate rail against allowing someone as slimy as Jacques into her life; on the other hand, we see Maya, choose the life of a mob enforcer. Simply enough, one chose the light while the other chose the dark.

    The Clint Connection

    The two characters have walked divergent paths following the losses of their fathers but those divergent paths have now converged thanks to a common interest: Clint Barton. The ending of Episode 2 and beginning of Episode 3 really highlight the entirely opposite interests the characters have in Barton: Kate comes crashing into the abandoned KB Toy Store warehouse to save Clint just as Echo makes her way to interrogate him about the Ronin. Clint Barton is the intersection of these characters lives and the revelation of his secret, which he’s holding from both of them, will greatly impact how both of them view him.

    How will Kate look at her hero when she finds out he was Ronin? How will Maya deal with discovering the identity of her father’s murderer? While it was Clint that brought the two together, the answers to those questions could well set them on divergent paths once more in the aftermath of Hawkeye.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Makes a Major Change to Echo’s Story

    ‘Hawkeye’ Makes a Major Change to Echo’s Story

    Episode 3 of Hawkeye, “Echoes”, delivered on last week’s tease and gave us a full introduction to Maya Lopez, aka Echo, played by newcomer Alaqua Cox. While the translation of the character to the MCU from the comics stays faithful to her Native American heritage, her deafness and her connection to Wilson Fisk, the series makes one major change to her origins that will have a huge impact on how the remainder of the series plays out.

    Episode 3 introduces not only Maya, but her father, Willie, and lays out that he works in “upper management” of the Tracksuit Mafia for the head of organized crime. This, too, is true to the comics were her father, Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln, works for the Kingpin. And in both the comics and the series, Maya is forced to watch her father’s life in crime catch up with him as he dies in her arms and places his blood-soaked hand on her face. However, Marvel Studios has chosen to make a major change to that event and the consequences of that change are already becoming obvious.

    In the 1998 Daredevil series, Maya’s father is killed by the Kingpin. While Kingpin called Willie his “good friend”, he ruthlessly shot him for an undefined mistake. Willie’s dying wish was for Kingpin to take care of his daughter, a promise he kept by raising her and affording her every luxury. Twenty years after her father’s death, Maya was told by Kingpin that it was Daredevil who murdered him, setting the two up for an epic clash. Eventually, Maya learns the truth about who murdered her father and takes her revenge my shooting the Kingpin in the face at point blank range.

    Hawkeye tells a very different version of Willie’s death, making Clint Barton the man responsible for it. In the series, Maya sees her father take the business end of Ronin’s blade and then holding him as he dies. The first two episodes of the series made it clear that the Clint and the Tracksuits had a history; this episode clarifies the extent of that history and now puts Clint not only in Maya’s crosshairs, but also potentially the Kingpin’s. In episode 3, Clint tap danced around the identity of Ronin both in conversation with Maya and Kate; it probably won’t be long before his secret comes out. How will the series choose to deal with the reveal? What will be the cost of Echo and Kingpin finding out? Hopefully Clint doesn’t meet the same fate as Fisk did in the comics, but it is clear that these changes will result in some very different takes on both Echo’s existing relationships and those she might forge along the way.

  • ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    Today’s episode of Hawkeye, “Echoes”, jumped right into Maya Lopez’s backstory. The first 5 minutes of so of the episode gave us everything we need to know about the character and introduced the two most influential men in her life: her father, Willie Lopez, and her “Uncle.” We later find out that her “Uncle” is also the big boss of organized crime in New York City, a man, as Clint explains it, will “do anything to grow the operation” and is “someone you don’t want to mess with.” Who is this “Uncle” and what does his presence mean for the Hawkeyes and the future of the MCU? Read on, True Beleivers.

    In this case, the term “Uncle” is clearly not a strictly familial term but rather a way of recognizing the close relationship between Maya’s father and the man in black that we meet at about 5:18 into the episode right before Maya’s karate match. As the episode explains, Maya’s father worked for “Uncle” as upper management in the Tracksuits, meaning he was someone that the man trusted very much. His death, at the hands of Ronin, not only interrupted operations but also may have been a very personal loss for both Maya and her “Uncle.” In putting all the pieces together and digging into the comics for some support, it’s clear that Maya’s “Uncle” is Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of New York City.

    While there are some pretty significant changes to the story and the relationship in Hawkeye, the Kingpin was a similarly significant figure in Maya’s life in the comics. In her origin arc, which was told beautifully over several issues of 1998’s Daredevil, we learn that Maya’s father worked for Fisk and was, in Fisk’s words “a good friend.” It’s that close friendship between the two men that’s being interpreted as Fisk being Maya’s “Uncle” in the series.

    Rumors of Kingpin appearing in Hawkeye, with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising his role from the Netflix Daredevil series, have swirled for months; today’s episode laid any doubts to rest. At the 5:18 mark when “Uncle” touches young Maya’s face and chuckles, the chuckle discernably belong to D’Onofrio. With such a blatant tease in Episode 3, it won’t be much longer before the series fully reveals the identity of Maya’s “Uncle.” The arrival of the Kingpin on the scene will mean that Kate and Clint will now be faced with a ruthless and powerful adversary, much more competent and deadly than his Tracksuit goons.

    With Wilson Fisk operating in the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before he crosses paths with Daredevil and, potentially Spider-Man; in fact, D’Onofrio, who took to Twitter to share his excitement for the upcoming series, mentioned in a recent interview that if he were to reprise the role of Fisk, he’d love to square off against Spidey. Now it seems that’s not only possible, but maybe even inevitable.

  • REVIEW: ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3 — Echoes

    REVIEW: ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 3 — Echoes

    The third episode of Hawkeye gave the series quite the boost. In fact, Echoes seemed to upgrade nearly every element of the show. The action-packed episode stands out from the first two in terms of its energy level and tone-shifting scenes—Hawkeye now feels like a bonafide superhero romp while its potentially intricate street-level organized crime plot still grounds the episode. While the action is undoubtedly loud, the quieter moments in Echoes spoke volumes and let the characters shine in competition with the high-speed car chase and explosive trick arrows.

    Right off the bat, the episode jumps into action sequences that feel miles beyond Hawkeye’s first two episodes. It emphasizes that Clint Barton is, in fact, pretty cool, and can fight off an entire gang both with and without a bow and arrow. We know that Clint pulled this off as Ronin, but it’s a different experience to see family-man Clint in action. Kate Bishop’s skills were also upgraded and highlighted in this episode, as we see her holding her own hand-to-hand against the Tracksuit Mafia and later showing off her masterful archery skills during the car chase. 

    The car chase was certainly the prized action sequence of the episode, and it gave the series as a whole a needed and appreciated extra dose of adrenaline after a fairly sleepy start to the series. The camerawork and editing allowed it to play out as hectic and wild. The high-speed chase was clearly heavily inspired by Matt Fraction and David Aja’s original in the Hawkeye comic. While the iconic red 70’s Dodge Challenger was inexplicably not used as Clint and Kate’s getaway vehicle, nearly all of the listed trick arrows from the comic—putty arrow, suction arrow, electric arrow, etc.—were given a nod, though with Kate in the archer’s seat this time around. But the episode also fit in a broader MCU reference with Clint’s Pym arrow, which gave an ordinary arrow a larger-than-life moment.

    As given away by the episode title, Echoes prominently features Alaqua Cox’s newcomer Maya Lopez, or, Echo, who is introduced as one of the highest-ranking members of the Tracksuit Mafia. Cox is phenomenal in the role and no doubt was pivotal in the wonderful and stunning debut. Maya’s and the actress’s own deafness was highlighted and portrayed as a personal and physical strength, and Cox’s prosthetic leg—lent to Maya as an unbreakable weapon—took the character to new heights. It was not ambiguous in the slightest whether Maya was a crushing force and an extremely powerful character. 

    The episode also gives the first real “look” at Kingpin, referenced as Maya’s “Uncle” and his iconically large body was briefly teased. Clint hints that this character is at the very top of the Tracksuit Mafia food chain and, more importantly, is incredibly dangerous. It is revealed that Clint killed Maya’s father when Ronin attacked the Mafia during the Blip. This gives Maya her motivation to stay connected to Clint and Kate. Combined with Kingpin’s stronger introduction, this episode gave the Hawkeye plot more shape. While Kate’s own investigation into Jacques remains on the side, Episode 3 painted a clearer picture of the story the series is trying to tell.

    While the action was flashy, the scaled-down moments in the episode were extraordinary. Maya’s origin managed to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking in the same moments, as well as hitting notes purely at each end of that spectrum throughout. It’s not an easy feat by any means, but it was the perfect start to the episode that set the tone for all character moments.

    Clint struggled with his own hearing loss, which the episode used as much to its comedic benefit as it did to Clint’s own development. But seeing an Avenger in such an isolated space added new layers to the elder Hawkeye, which Jeremy Renner continued to excellently portray. The scene in which he struggles to talk on the phone with his youngest son, needing help from Kate, was a standout moment. Not only did we see Clint as a tender father—a role which was barely explored in the larger MUC—but we see his emotional range between the joy of speaking to his son and the guilt of not being with his family. 

    Clint and Kate’s relationship took off, rendering their reported chemistry in the first two episodes virtually void. The two moved past their introductory phase and started to look and act like partners rather than simply two entirely separate characters. Their banter throughout definitely improved, though Clint’s hearing loss did a lot of work at times in that regard. For the first time, Clint compliments Kate, specifically giving her credit for her self-proposed “World’s Greatest Archer” title. It’s refreshing that Clint spent very time or effort trying to dissuade Kate from getting physically involved in the conflict, and he ultimately even casually joins her in her further investigation of Jacques. 

    A particularly noteworthy moment for the two Hawkeyes came as they discussed Clint’s views on heroism. In particular, he says that he is no role model, which Kate vehemently disagrees with. While Kate has her suspicions about Ronin, Clint’s identity as the assassin is still a secret, and it’s unclear what effect the reveal might have on Kate down the line. It highlights a series theme about the Hawkeye symbol being important. What is the series trying to tell us about Hawkeye’s significance and place in society versus how Clint views himself? Like the Captain America mantle—and the upcoming onslaught of other legacy heroes—the MCU has an opportunity to tap into the franchise’s masterful amount of underlying story to truly say something about what makes a hero in this series.

    To sum it up, Episode 3 of Hawkeye delivers on many of the series’ promised elements that had yet to truly be seen in the first third of the show. While the Tracksuit Mafia is still delightfully entertaining, the introduction of Cox’s Maya gave the story a threat to actually care about. The character development, mostly of Maya and Clint, was exceptional. The action in this superhero series went from virtually zero to one hundred almost immediately, giving Hawkeye a much-needed edge. With the episode ending with Jacques holding a sword to Clint’s throat, it seems likely that more physical battles are to come. 

  • Alaqua Cox on Bringing Echo to Life in ‘Hawkeye’

    Alaqua Cox on Bringing Echo to Life in ‘Hawkeye’

    Hawkeye will become the springboard for two important MCU characters moving forward. Not only will we meet Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop but it’ll also introduce the world to the mute assassin Echo. Not just that, the character will also get their series which was officially announced during Disney+ Day. Newcomer Alaqua Cox will bring the character to life and that she wasn’t interested in acting until she saw a casting call for a deaf Native American to tackle the character. With her series on the horizon, the actress shared a bit of her experience on set and preparing for the action sequences:

    Deaf people have really good visual skills. I can easily catch things. During training they were like, ‘Oh, wow, you’re a fast learner.’ I was like, ‘Well, I just watched you.’

    Alaqua Cox

    Speaking of training, Cox‘s right leg is a prosthetic which didn’t restrict her in bringing any of the action sequences or fight choreography to life.

    People with a disability like me can do anything: We can fight, we can flip, we can fall. I’m excited for people to say, ‘Wow, she can do that.

    Alaqua Cox

    She also highlights the support she got for joining the franchise. Marvel Studios has been pushing for more representation in their projects.

    The deaf community is in huge support of this role because they want to see deaf people represented in these deaf roles. Most of the time it’s hearing people that take these roles, but finally authentic representation is here. So I’m excited for that, and so as everybody else.

    Alaqua Cox

    She’s the second deaf actress to join a Marvel Studios project after Lauren Ridloff played Makkari in Eternals, who has become quite a fan-favorite after the film’s release. There’s also the potential of exploring the story of the character in this world, as Hawkeye offers a more grounded storyline within a world with aliens, gods, and magic. She might continue that storyline thread in her series and offer a look into new corners of this franchise.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • EXCLUSIVE: How Newbie Alaqua Cox Convinced Marvel Studios To Star In Her Own Show

    EXCLUSIVE: How Newbie Alaqua Cox Convinced Marvel Studios To Star In Her Own Show

    Alaqua Cox might just be the MCU’s boldest discovery yet. She’s a newcomer with zero experience in acting and performing prior to her supporting role in Hawkeye as Maya Lopez yet Marvel Studios saw it fit to give her a spin-off show in Echo, which was just confirmed this weekend.

    I spoke to Hawkeye producer Trinh Tran on what convinced Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios to give Cox her own series based on her performance alone. Tran’s answer was nothing short of exciting:

    She is such a badass in this series. She really completely impressed us all with her determination and hard work in wanting to make sure Maya Lopez is the way everybody wants. I have to say there was a bit of nervousness at the beginning because Alaqua hasn’t been a part of the industry. To get somebody brand new and pull her into a character like Maya Lopez, it’s a big deal. But she took it in strides, worked hard, and proved to us that there is a character who’s deaf but is able to be a part of the MCU and be a superhero in her own right.

    The Hawkeye trailers haven’t given audiences much Echo at the moment. The first two episodes we got to screen didn’t feature her much either. But the enthusiasm Marvel Studios has for her is nothing short of infectious. The mere prospect of Cox holding her own against rumored Echo co-star Vincent D’Onofrio sounds like a must-watch so we’re hoping to see the full scope of her talent in a few weeks’ time.

  • Marion Dayre Reveals ‘Echo’ Writers’ Room

    Marion Dayre Reveals ‘Echo’ Writers’ Room

    In March, it was revealed Marvel Studios was developing an Echo series as a spinoff from Hawkeye. The news was officially confirmed by Marvel Studios and Disney+ on Friday as part of Disney+ Day. While details remain sparse on the series, we have since learned a bit more regarding the behind-the-scenes of Echo.

    We previously reported on social media clues suggesting Bobby Wilson and Rebecca Roanhorse were part of the Echo writers’ room. Marion Dayre yesterday confirmed that she was the Lead Writer on the show, and has now revealed the writers’ room. Native American and Deaf representation in the room matches the intersectionality of both its lead actor Alaqua Cox and title character Maya Lopez. Writers in the group have worked on Netflix’s Daredevil and The Punisher, as well as shows such as Supernatural, This Close, Reservation Dogs and Stranger Things.

    The group features two Deaf writers in Shoshannah Stern, who also starred in Supernatural, and Josh Feldman, who with Stern co-created and wrote the Sundance show This Close. This suggests the Deaf element of Echo’s identity will be explored further beyond Hawkeye. Of the other accounts tagged in Dayre’s post, many of the writers are Native American. Bobby Wilson has worked as a writer on Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs, the first two TV shows with Native American showrunners. Rebecca Roanhorse is a science fiction author and is currently writing an Echo comic series for Marvel in Phoenix Song: Echo. Alongside Kaitlyn Jeffers, Steven Paul Judd and Jason Gavin it will be great to see more about Echo’s Native American background on the show. Ken Kristensen wrote on The Punisher, Dara Resnik has written episodes of Pushing Daisies and Daredevil, and Jessica Mecklenburg has written on Stranger Things. The mix of drama and comedy within this group suggests that Echo will be emotionally impactful and entertaining. 

    It’s exciting that Deaf and Native American voices have helped craft Maya’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To have a Deaf, Native American amputee as the lead actor in Alaqua Cox is a particularly innovative and thrilling choice that will hopefully push the industry forward. Marvel Studios must have known they had a star on their hands with the Echo’s LLC being incorporated a month before Hawkeye started filming. With Echo officially announced and scheduled to film in early 2022, we should begin to learn more about the series in the upcoming months perhaps. 

    Sources: Instagram, Instagram

  • Marion Dayre to Be the Lead Writer for Marvel Studios ‘Echo’

    Marion Dayre to Be the Lead Writer for Marvel Studios ‘Echo’

    In July of this year, Marion Dayre, who worked on the acclaimed TV series Better Caul Saul for 5 seasons, indicated she was the showrunner of an upcoming but unknown Marvel Studios streaming series. Following yesterday’s official announcement of the Alaqua Cox-led streaming series Echo, Dayre was excited to reveal that she was the lead runner of the new series.

    https://twitter.com/mariondayre/status/1459478204142419968?s=21

    Nothing is known about what shape the Echo series will take, but with the character, who will debut in Hawkeye, has serious ties to organized crime including, in the comics (and strongly rumored to be in the MCU, too), Wilson Fisk. With Dayre’s years of experience working on one of television’s most successful crime dramas, she seems a good fit. It is strongly believed that Native American writer Bobby Wilson (Reservation Dogs) has joined the writers’ room as well. Etan and Emily Cohen were originally reported by the trades to be head writers for the show, which is tentatively set to go into production this April and is currently searching for additional members for the cast, including several Native American roles.

  • DISNEY+ DAY: ‘Echo’ Solo Series Officially Announced

    DISNEY+ DAY: ‘Echo’ Solo Series Officially Announced

    Disney+ Day has finally arrived and a few weeks ahead of Marvel Studios’ next original series, Hawkeye. It’ll have an important role in the MCU, as it’ll introduce us to the character of Echo, which is played by newcomer Alaqua Cox. Not only is she an important character from Daredevil’s side of the comics, but she even was the first newly introduced character to get a spinoff on the streaming service. Disney used the chance to confirm that Cox’s character will spinoff into her own series, which had been reported earlier this year.

    Source: Disney+, Twitter

  • Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar, V2

    Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar, V2

    Earlier this year, we ran one hypothetical scenario for Marvel Studios 2023 release slate. A lot has changed since then (including the reshuffling of the film slate and a streaming series delay), so with Disney Plus Day coming up next week, we thought we’d shoot our shot at predicting how 2022 and 2023 might look. Here’s 2023, V2.

    Whereas 2022 started off with a Star Wars series, it’s possible that the late-2021 reshuffling of Marvel Studios projects may have allowed for a perfect bit of Disney synergy.

    This could allow the Disney+ Secret Invasion series to kick off the year and lead almost directly into The Marvels, a film with which it will share characters and, potentially, some plot points. If that’s the case, we could see an episode of Marvel Studios: Legends catch us up on Nick Fury and Talos on January 4th ahead of Secret Invasion’s 5-week run (prediction a 2-episode premiere here to keep things from overlapping).

    Marvel Studios: Legends episodes for Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and, of course, Carol Danvers are a good bet the week of the release of their team-up appearance in The Marvels. If Disney+ keeps pushing these summaries out, we could see them on February 15th.

    The Marvels is starting to sound like another one of Marvel Studios’ highly ambitious team-up sequels, on par with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok. Looking back, those films set not only their main characters but also the supporting cast on new journeys that lead to some amazing, redefining arcs. We could see that happening here when The Marvels drops into theaters on its new date, February 17th, 2023.

    It can’t be all Marvel all the time. Season 3 of The Mandalorian would fit in nicely following The Marvels, meaning the next MCU project we could see would be episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends recapping the journeys of the Guardians. There would, by this time, be a LOT to do, so we could see the most loaded Legends day on May 3rd, 2023.

    James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, originally supposed to be in theaters in May of 2020, will finally arrive on May 5th, 2023. Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, is set to make his debut and, presumably, give the Guardians a hard time. However, we know that Gunn has said this film will be Rocket’s film and that it’s the final chapter in his telling of the story of this group, so Warlock will certainly not be the only new character we meet.

    Following the final chapter of the OG Guardians of the MCU, it’s likely we’ll get a bit of a break from the MCU, maybe for something like the Lucasfilm Ahsoka series in May. Marvel Studios could get back in the game with a Marvel Studios: Legends episode on Maya Lopez (and maybe Wilson Fisk) on June 7th before her series debuts the next week.

    We know almost nothing at this point about the solo Echo series other than it is described as a Hawkeye spinoff. There are rumors that both Hawkeyes and Kingpin will appear and that they are searching for Native American actors to, we think, play members of Echo’s family. This one has the feel of something that can be a pretty original spin on the character and it’s key that the focus is on Alaqua Cox’s Lopez. That said, don’t be surprised if some other familiar faces show up throughout the series.

    By the time Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters, it’ll have been 5 years since Ant-Man and The Wasp was in theaters. A little catching up on Scott, Cassie, Hope, Janet, and Hank sounds good…oh yeah, and Kang. Expect a few Marvel Studios: Legends episodes to air the week the film hits theaters.

    While Peyton Reed remains on board as the director, writer Jeff Loveness came on board AM&TW:Q to put a fresh spin on an existing draft. I’ve always heard this was going to be a much bigger film than either of the first two and having Jonathan Majors’ Kang involved certainly does nothing to dispel that rumor, though I am VERY curious what this one ends up being all about. We’ll all find out together July 28th, 2023.

    Another year, another season of What If…?.

    Riri Williams is set to make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in July of 2022, so the events of her show will almost certainly be influenced by/spin out of the events of that film. An episode of Marvel Studios: Legends will help new fans catch up on her story and sort through the 3 suits she goes through in the Black Panther sequel.

    Even though her series was announced in late 2020, it really does seem like it’ll be mid-to-late 2023 before we see our first episode of Ironheart. It won’t start filming until 2022 and will be part of a backlog of projects when it does. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being pushed to November 2022, it’s all but a sure thing we don’t see this follow-up series until 2023.

    This whole feature is an exercise in making wild guesses but by the time we’re at this portion of the 2023 calendar, the guesses are even wilder. Since we’re going with Cap 4 as the final 2023 film, we’re going with an episode or more of Marvel Studios: Legends ahead of time to catch us up on whoever needs to be caught up on.

    Captain America 4 is going here simply because, as of writing this, it’s the first movie scheduled to go into production in 2022 (currently set for a June start). Blade is set to go into production one month later, so it’s would be easy to imagine it could be here instead, but I went with the simplest explanation.

    Should Armor Wars be the MCU series that rounds out 2023, some episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends will be a necessity to catch up on Rhodey and whomever else they pack in here.

    By the time this series streams (hypothetically), it’ll be about 3 years since its surprise announcement at the 2020 Disney Plus Investor Day. Like Ironheart, Armor Wars is, in part, being pushed down the line as other projects get pushed down the line. In this case, we know that as of November 2021, the project was still in the EARLIEST days of development, so it’s reasonable to assume it won’t go into production until late 2022 so a late 2023 release date sounds right. It’s also intriguing that this film could have some themes in common with Captain America 4 (maybe they both deal, to some extent, with Sharon’s work as the Power Broker or with these heroes continuing to work through the legacies of their friends?) Either way, this show has a ton of potential to introduce some wild new characters to the MCU (CONTROLLER AND STILT-MAN!!) and it’s hard to think we still have 2 years to wait on it.

    Why anyone would try to guess what’s going to happen in 2023 when we aren’t even sure what’s happening in 2022 yet is beyond us, but we did it anyway. Again, bookmark this bad boy so we can come back to it later for a laugh.