Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Hawkeye

  • RUMOR: Florence Pugh to Return as Yelena Belova in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    RUMOR: Florence Pugh to Return as Yelena Belova in ‘Hawkeye’ Series

    So, here is an interesting surprise. We are only a few days away before Hawkeye finally starts filming. We are still waiting for an official word on who might be playing Kate Bishop with Hailee Steinfeld still the biggest contender for the role. The story would be strongly inspired by Matt Fraction‘s run on the character. It was still uncertain what other characters we could see make a return from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, it looks like one important character that has yet been introduced will appear in the series after making her film debut. According to The Direct, Florence Pugh will return as Yelena Belova at one point in the series.

    That is not all, as they also state that she will don a Ronin-inspired costume. Now, this is interesting for multiple reasons. We saw Clint Barton wear the iconic suit during Avengers: Endgame, as he killed various Yakuza, which was teased to haunt him in this series. We also had the rumors of Echo making an appearance, who had also donned the suit at one point in the comics. The mantle was worn by various characters but this is the first time that it is connected to Yelena. We believed that she would carry on the mantle of Black Widow once she makes her debut in the upcoming film, but it looks like her journey won’t be an easy one.

    There is also the question of how her story will lead to the Disney+ series. We got a short teaser of her on a desk during the Black Widow trailer, so maybe she gets mind controlled and ends up in a similar situation to the Winter Soldier. Yet, there is a time difference between the film and the Disney+ series that opens up so many questions. There is a chance that she has met with Clint during his time as Ronin, who may have passed not he mantle to her rather than Echo. It’ll be interesting to see how it all connects once the show finally airs. Now, we just need to find out who is playing Kate Bishop.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘HAWKEYE’ Production Headed to the Big Apple

    ‘HAWKEYE’ Production Headed to the Big Apple

    We’ve seen plenty of bread crumbs but now we have our first outright evidence that principal photography on the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Hawkeye, is FINALLY about to get underway. While the production will be using Tyler Perry Studios in Georgia for most of its work, cast and crew will be headed to New York City next week to film on location!

    https://twitter.com/chriswelch/status/1332100795366596612?s=09

    According to the public notice in the Tweet above, the series under the working title Anchor Point, will be filming in Brooklyn beginning next week. Fans of the Matt Fraction Hawkeye run on which the Disney Plus series will largely be based will remember that the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn was home to the small apartment building that served as the setting for much of the series.

    A quick check of the area shows any number of buildings that could easily stand in as Clint’s apartment in the series, including one that’s been undergoing some recent renovations (not that construction work in NYC is uncommon, it’s just curious that it happens to be taking place on the same block where Hawkeye will be filming).

    Filming in New York City is guaranteed to attract a crowd, so we could expect to see some set photos make their way online next week, giving us our first look at the much anticipated Marvel Studios project. Could we finally get confirmation of Hailee Steinfeld joining the MCU as Kate Bishop? We’ll keep an eye on things for you as the develop!

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: Kate Bishop to Release Early December

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: Kate Bishop to Release Early December

    Finally, the first Marvel’s Avengers post-launch War Table has arrived. We got our first look at Kate Bishop’s story in further detail, as well as more of the first major update to the game. We also finally got a release date, as she will be available as of December 8th. It looks like Kate will be forced to travel through time so that she can save her mentor Clint Barton, who will be the focus of the second patch.

    Her operation “Taking AIM” will feature our first new villain, which is the Super Adaptoid. A machine that combines the various abilities from the Avengers and also seems to work as a mini-raid. They highlighted that her final mission will be replayable at a higher difficulty. It also had a short tease that maybe we get another match with the Kree Sentinel from the Reassemble campaign.

     

     

    She uses AIM tech to teleport around and can make use of a sword to take on enemies’ close-up alongside her classic bow. Yes, she has unique arrowheads that can be used in a variety of ways. Her base abilities utilize quantum energy, so she can create an afterimage that also does damage. Kate can even upgrade her abilities to create portals for allies, which will be a great addition to the game.

    Clint Barton’s operation “Future Imperfect” is finally confirmed. It will be available in early 2021, which will teleport our heroes to the future to fight an evil version of Hulk named Maestro. Actually, if you look closely at his throne, you might even notice a Wakandan helmet, who will take center-stage after this game’s release.

    Strangely enough, there was no mention of the AIM Cloning Labs, which we assumed would be released in advance. This was a fantastic trailer that really showcased her abilities and Clint’s story looks really promising alongside Kate.

     

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Hawkeye’

    Premiere: November 24, 2021

    The Marvel Studios Disney+ series looks set to adapt Matt Fraction’s award-winning comic series and see Clint Barton become a mentor to Kate Bishop, a young and similarly unpowered hero and a member of the Young Avengers. Hawkeye will also reportedly give us a further look into Barton’s time as Ronin, which could possibly play out similarly to this Connecting Imaginary Dots piece I wrote a while back. A report by the Illuminerdi has indicated that the series will see the duo take on the Clown, a European assassin who caused them a lot of problems in the comics.

    Originally scheduled for Fall of 2021, production on the series was indefinitely delayed in January of 2020. Just one month later, Disney set September 28th as a tentative start of production but with all the COVID delays it looks like that date may have been pushed into October.

    In late September 2020, it was reported that Madame Masque would make an appearance in the show, further adding to the idea that Matt Fraction’s run will have a big influence on the series’ storyline. Around the same time, we learned of a casting call that seemed to validate an earlier piece of ours, regarding the possibility of Maya Lopez, aka Echo, making her MCU debut in the series.

    Some weeks later a casting sheet surfaced that stated that production was looking for someone to play an audiologist. That seemed to indicate that, in the show, Clint might have some trouble with his earing, something that further ties the show to the Matt Fraction run.

    Hailee Steinfeld was confirmed as being the choice to portray Kate Bishop by Murphy’s Multiverse on our December 2, 2020 report. The following day six more cast members were announced, including Vera Farmiga who will be playing Kate Bishop’s mother, Eleanor. Among the other names are Tony Dalton, who will portray Jack Duquense a.k.a. Swordsman, and Alaqua Cox will play Maya Lopez/Echo, a role we first reported here. Florence Pugh will also make an appearance, reprising her Black Widow character, Yelena Belova

    According to an Instagram post featuring Alaqua Cox, the series is set for a Fall release. This was later confirmed when, on July 29, the show’s premiere date was official announced to be November 24, 2021. Alongside the announcement, an exclusive first-look was released. Subsequent promotional material confirmed the return of Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, a role she last played in Avengers: Endgame.

    Cast

    • Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
    • Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop
    • Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop
    • Tony Dalton as Jack Duquense / Swordsman
    • Fra Fee as Kazi / Clown
    • Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
    • Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo
    • Zahn McLarnon as William Lopez / Crazy Horse
    • Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin
    • Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton
    • Brian d’Arcy James as Derek Bishop
    • *Unknown actress as Madame Masque

    (* indicates RUMORED additions to the cast)

    Promotional Material

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    The content drought continues for Marvel’s Avengers. Yes, the game is at a low-point with its Steam player count. Its current peak is at around 700 players, which isn’t a good look but also understandable with a lack of an update or additional content. Gamstat has a direct API connection to the game, which highlights how many people earned trophies within the last month. So, according to their system, at least 320,000 players are still active on the console. The site only provides data for the total amount of players for Xbox. You have to consider that it only showcases players that have played the game, so it doesn’t directly correlate to sales. Still, without any new content, there isn’t much reason to return to the game currently, a challenge I’ve been facing myself. Their latest update did provide quite a lot of performance fixes.

    Their latest weekly blog did not include any details on upcoming content again. Yet, we noticed that last week they started sharing screenshots alongside the Priority Missions. We saw the mission count almost triple as they showcased the developer’s build of the game. This week, we had one more tease with the reveal of this week’s Priority Missions.

     

     

    If you look closely on the left side, it includes a new symbol that we haven’t seen before. It is difficult to make out from this distance, so luckily, @PlayAvenger shared an image zoomed in to highlight that it is Kate Bishop’s symbol that was teased in the initial War Table. Surprisingly, it seems they did end up giving her a unique icon, as the launch video showcased her operation with Clint Barton’s.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1326995398452506625?s=20

    At face value, it is a little tease that Kate’s development is further along. These teases are nice, but it would’ve been better earlier on. Many of us are desperate for content, so this tease without any timing reminds players about the long wait. Once they get the ball rolling, however, I do hope they continue with these teases. This reveal is rather interesting. If you look closely, the symbol has the same outer rim as that behind the Avengers Initiative. It just includes a globe as its main symbol, just like the Reassemble campaign uses the Avengers’ A icon. We normally select the story operations through the tab above. Now, it looks like you can even choose them directly in the War Table.

    Just based on speculation, this may be a result of them developing the New Game+ mode. This icon would enable players to replay the story directly in the War Table. We know Crystal Dynamics hasn’t started the mission, as the image highlights that a new operation is available. It isn’t much, but it feels deliberate that they are teasing this icon. Plus, this could confirm that you can replay story missions of the various operations in addition to the Reassemble campaign. It would give players an incentive to revisit some of the best parts of the game and not just restrict them to a New Game+ with the Reassemble campaign. Hopefully, we will get more clarity in the coming week(s).

    Source: Steam Charts, Gamstat (PS), Play Avengers (War Table #10), Play Avengers (War Table #11), Twitter, YouTube

  • EXCLU: Clint Barton Set to Lose His Hearing in ‘HAWKEYE’

    EXCLU: Clint Barton Set to Lose His Hearing in ‘HAWKEYE’

    We’ve all been waiting for some kind of news regarding the upcoming Hawkeye show. We still don’t know who is playing Kate Bishop even though She-Hulk and even Moon Knight were just recently cast. Still, we may have a minor detail that could further tie the show to the Matt Fraction run. In a recent casting sheet, we saw a variety of side characters being looked for to join an untitled production that started in November. There was one interesting giveaway that connects it to the archer’s upcoming Disney+ show.

    They are actively looking for a middle-aged Chinese audiologist, who works in a rundown building and is off-the-books. Now, many fans of the archer might know that he is actually deaf and uses hearing aids. He destroyed his eardrums after using a sonic arrowhead on a villain. So far, it didn’t seem like Hawkeye had that issue in the MCU, well, at least until now. There is a good chance that in the show he makes the same mistake and is forced to use old contacts to get in touch with the audiologist.

    This casting also could hint at the story featuring the famous archer on the run at some point. There is also a chance that the audiologist could turn out to be someone who treats Echo, who is also deaf in the comics. She was deaf from an early age so it could be someone she visits for a check-up. The casting also includes an elderly lady, or man as well as an Eastern European kid. These could turn out to be other patients from the audiologist. Still, it’ll be interesting how they approach Clint’s loss of hearing if they do go that direction.

  • The Biggest Stories of Year One

    The Biggest Stories of Year One

    If there’s one thing I’ve proven myself capable of over and over again, it’s the ability to never have a clue what’s going to be a big story. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve told Charles V. how excited I was to run something only to find out that pretty much me and two guys in Jersey actually cared about it. The top 10 most viewed articles of the first year of Murphy’s Multiverse make one thing very clear: most people don’t care too much about Marvel Studios’ scoops. If you had asked me a year ago, I’d never guess that only 1 of the top ten would be associated with a Marvel Studios project but that’s exactly what we have here in the Top 10 Biggest Stories of Year 1!

     

    1. ‘MARVEL’S AVENGERS’ LEAK OFFERS FIRST LOOK AT ‘AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.’S JEMMA SIMMONS

    When I started Murphy’s Multiverse, it never crossed my mind to cover gaming. It had been years since I felt like a part of the gaming community and knew I was out of touch with modern gamers. Thankfully Charles and Joseph are part of the team and found a way to connect with gamers because the results are clear: gaming needs to be a big part of the future of the site. This one made its way to the top in just over 3 days, forcing me to reshuffle the top 10. The combination of Marvel Avengers with Jemma Simmons, star of the beloved Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series proved to be of great interest to readers as Year 1 came to a close.

     

    2. FIRST GLIMPSE AT ‘MARVEL’S AVENGERS’ BLACK PANTHER LEAKED

    Marvel’s Avengers game has brought a lot of new readers to the site and Joseph has worked hard to find any and all new information on the game. Fans are so hungry for info on the game that 7 of the top 10 most-read pieces of the year are about it, including this one which gave fans their first look at Black Panther.

     

    3. EXCLUSIVE: ELISABETH SHUE TO APPEAR IN ‘COBRA KAI’ SEASON 3

    As mentioned in the top scoops post, this one was essentially ignored when I wrote it a year ago but once Cobra Kai hit Netflix, the flood gates opened. Shue’s role on Amazon’s The Boys certainly represents a departure from her Ali Mills persona, so it’ll be interesting to see the actress occupy two very different prominent pop culture roles at the same time. Cobra Kai’s enormous popularity got fans searching for more info on Shue’s return and there was only one place to find it: right here at Murphy’s Multiverse.

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘HAWKEYE’ to Film at Tyler Perry Studios

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘HAWKEYE’ to Film at Tyler Perry Studios

    Productions on the first two Marvel Studios streaming series, WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, are coming to a close and production on Loki has resumed in Atlanta following the COVID-related hiatus. Up next for the studio are Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye and with Spidey 3 also taking up studio space in Atlanta, Disney found themselves looking for some additional space and have found it! Marvel Studios Hawkeye will be using Tyler Perry’s Atlanta studios when it begins filming later this year.

    Hawkeye Concept Art Reveals First Look at Marvel Disney Plus Show | Collider

    Pre-production on the series has been ongoing for the past month and the studio is currently taking aim at a post-Thanksgiving start of filming and hoping that the series has the same good fortune as the others that recently resumed filming without any further delays. Expected to explore the fallout of the Avenging Archer’s time as Ronin, Hawkeye will introduce Kate Bishop, Maya Lopez and, most importantly, Lucky the Pizza Dog to the MCU and is also rumored to bring in classic Marvel villain Madame Masque. The series is said to be heavily influenced by the award-winning 2012-2015 run on the book by Matt Fraction. Should filming avoid any significant delays, the series could debut in the second half of 2021.

     

  • Black Panther May Have Been ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First DLC Character

    Black Panther May Have Been ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First DLC Character

    Marvel’s Avengers players are starving for content. So far, we only got the Mega Hive as post-launch addition with more on the way. Just recently, the community manager took to Reddit to share that they are taking current concerns seriously. It was a necessary touch to give players some reassurance. They did confirm we would receive a confirmation for the timings by next week. To build up to that moment, I’ve been rewatching old War Table videos. My goal was to get a feeling for what the plans may have been for the game. As such, I just felt like playing around with a theory as we wait for the official reveal of future content by the developer Crystal Dynamics.

    The game’s release kicked off with quite a few bugs, so a delay is part of the course in the Games-as-a-Service model. Yet, we wouldn’t get our first real addition until the end of October with Kate Bishop. The reveal trailer at the time included a brief tribute to Chadwick Boseman with the info that Black Panther would not be included as originally planned. I started wondering when they planned to reveal him, as we haven’t heard anything about the character in over a month. I was rewatching the War Table that gave us our first DLC reveal, and something caught my eye while going through the initial reveal for Hawkeye. His symbol was the second among the four.

    Every Avenger has a unique symbol in the game, which is used in the character select menu. It seemed like initially, they were planning to reveal four characters at one point. Optimistically speaking, maybe they planned on four DLC characters for 2020. There is no confirmation for that, but it could’ve been a monthly release once the game was made available. Still, what we are focusing on is the placement of Hawkeye’s symbol.

    This visual would confirm he was always going to be the second addition. A month later, we learned Kate Bishop would be our first official post-launch character. As mentioned previously, Black Panther seemed to have a larger role in that War Table’s reveal until he was delayed. Both Bishop and Hawkeye’s operations are confirmed as a double feature so he may have been the third DLC character. Yet, something doesn’t quite add up once you take a closer look at later showcases of the video. If you rewatch the brief tease of Bishop’s operation, you’ll notice a similarity between hers and Clint Barton’s. The unique symbol is identical to the one we saw during Hawkeye’s reveal.

    The initial reveal video showed something more akin to the Fraction comic’s bullseye logo. Even early leaks seemed to reveal a unique logo for potential echo characters like War Machine. So, it would’ve made sense for her bullseye visual to be Kate Bishop’s unique design. Even if the Hawkeye stories are a double-feature, why give characters one-of-a-kind visuals if they aren’t the operations? In reality, we never actually saw her symbol transition into an in-game design. It was just a visual flair during the video to call back to the comics. It also opens up the question of how character selection would include both characters. Crystal Dynamics might be giving you the option to chose Hawkeye with an additional choice between the variations. If this is the case, why is Hawkeye’s symbol the second one if both characters share it in-game?

    It seemed that Black Panther was going to be an aspect of the first character reveal. At one point, he may have been the first DLC in the game. It may also explain why Kate’s DLC release is delayed until the end of October. There is also the addition of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero operation will lead to Kate’s storyline. It will introduce us to the Tachyon Rifts that will play an important role in the Avengers Initiative campaign. So, if Black Panther was going to be the first released, his story may have built up towards these rifts. The delay also could mean that some parts of the story had to be rewritten or adapted, which added to the current content delays.

    Keep in mind, this is nothing more than a theory but it is an interesting one with the information that was originally given by the developers. In some way, maybe the lack of a release date for Kate Bishop may also be caused by the upcoming Disney+ show. Marvel Studios confirmed her inclusion in Hawkeye, so they were forced to wait for the official reveal of the actress to build upon that hype. The synergy between Marvel’s ventures is great for the shows but may have also added to the issues that plagued the game’s release. No matter what may have been the reason, it is interesting how these things come together.

    Source: Reddit, YouTube

  • ‘HAWKEYE’ Searching for Young Echo, Crazy Horse Lincoln and More

    ‘HAWKEYE’ Searching for Young Echo, Crazy Horse Lincoln and More

    Marvel Studios streaming series Hawkeye has made quite a bit of news lately and now it looks like they are ready to start filling some supporting roles ahead of what looks to now be a November start of production.

    Most notable among them, the series is searching for an actress, 8 years old, to portray a young version of Maya Lopez, whose addition to the MCU we first reported here and was confirmed just last week. The studio is seeking a deaf, Indigenous girl described as “independent, athletic and bright” which, coincidentally are the same descriptors used for Echo in the original call. Additionally, they are also searching for an Indigenous American to portray “a loving father and fierce protector”, a description that fits the bill for Echo’s father, Crazy Horse Lincoln. In the comics, Lincoln worked for and was killed by Wilson Fisk. As he died, he places his bloody hand on his daughter’s face, creating the look for which Echo is famous.

    The series is also casting several recurring roles including an Eastern European henchman, an NYC police detective, an “oddball” that sounds suspiciously like Grills (Clint’s neighbor from the Fraction run), a “smart and scrappy” young, Midwestern woman, a pair of young kids (anyone remember Clint babysitting?) and a “professional and ambitious career woman.”

    It’ll be interesting to see how this adaptation of the Fraction run works Maya Lopez’s origin story into it. Could Madame Masque fill the role of Kingpin and be the mob boss that sets her on the path to becoming Echo? While it might not be popular with fans, it’s a fairly easy change to have Madame Masque raise Echo and make her believe Barton was responsible for the death of her father, perhaps during his time as Ronin. We’ll have a bit of a wait to find out as it doesn’t seem like we’ll be seeing Hawkeye until late 2021.