For some time now, Marvel Studios has unfortunately allowed the first look at characters from many of their upcoming projects to come from either merchandise leaks or pre-orders. That is again the case for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as first looks at new wave of Marvel Legends and a Target Exclusive have now made their way online.
Of great interest is the Target Exclusive “Defender Strange” figure. The presence of the figure confirms not only a previous leak relating to upcoming Funkos, but also leaked plot points about the upcoming film. In both cases, “Defender Strange” represents a THIRD variant of Stephen Strange present in the film.
“Defender Strange” joins normie Strange and Strange Supreme (who is reportedly seen briefly in the first look at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness attached to Spider-Man: No Way Home) as variants of the character that appear as the film explores the multiverse. Strange Supreme was first seen in What If…? and “Defender Strange” seems to be based on the character’s look in Matt Fraction’s Defenders. With a trip through the multiverse ahead, there’s no telling how many variants might appear!
It’s standard operating procedure for Marvel Studios to schedule additional photography for all of their projects, however, the recent two month extension caused some stir among fans that the film was in trouble. The film has undergone tremendous changes since its inception, with a new creative team of Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi, taking over from Scott Derrickson, who wrote and directed the first film. As usual, however, Marvel Studios has kept quiet about the upcoming sequel, simply moving the film’s release date from March to May.
The only person related to Marvel Studios to have publicly acknowledged the reshoots was star Benedict Cumberbatch, who also happens to play a major role in the latest MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film’s red carpet premiere was last night, bringing out all the big wigs at both Marvel and Sony, including Marvel Studios’ President of Physical, Post Production, Victoria Alonso. Alonso was asked if that extensive additional photography had wrapped up yet and she was unsurprisingly forthcoming with her response saying, “No we haven’t (finished production). We’re shooting additional photography-we’re almost done.“
Alonso’s comments fall in line with the expected timing of the extended shoot, which was originally reported to take about 6 weeks to complete. Should everything work out, production should wrap on the film before Christmas, giving the studios more than four months to edit in the new footage and get the film ready for its May debut.
After people got very upset at the prospect of a Marvel Studios film undergoing reshoots, some folks with their ears to the ground came through with some info that made a lot of sense. As it turns out, the reshoots aren’t because the film is “a mess”, but rather to get some more cast, who were unavailable during principal photography, into the film.
A New Daredevil Project is In Development
According to a grid leaked by Daniek RPK, Marvel Studios in now developing a solo Daredevil project. There was no indication if the project is meant for theaters or Disney Plus and we still don’t know if Charlie Cox is continuing his portrayal of the Netflix character or starting from scratch. This one looks like it’ll be a ways off yet, but we can all see Cox pretty soon in No Way Home.
Denis Villeneuve is Cancelling Sting
Uber-visionary mega-auteur Denis Villeneuve has finally gone too far. Rather than de-age the nearly ageless Sting, or simply insert his scenes into Dune Part 2, Villeneuve has plans to bring a new actor in for the role of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. This is an instance of the director absurdly believing the character is more important than the actor. Surely this will backfire.
Black Panther 2 Taking an Extended Holiday Break
As Letitia Wright continues to recover from injuries she sustained while filming in August, the production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has wrapped…for the year. A note was delivered to the cast and crew this week that indicated they would all be home for the holidays...all of the holidays…and production would get geared up again in January. The delay is not expected to shift the film’s release date, so stop the drama!
Avatar is Underway
The Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar has begun production and the cast continues to fill in nicely. Fans are eagerly scouring the internet for any kernel of info about the new series and so are we! Keep checking back for more.
Jamie Dornan Has Talked to Marvel Studios about a Clothed Role
50 Shades stud Jamie Dornan has started to break out of the pigeon-sized hole his role in those films put him in and now he’s revealed that he has spoken to Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, about a potential hero role in a Marvel Studios production. It’ll be interesting to see the Irish actor transition from S&M to CBM, but if anyone can do it, it’s Henry Cavill lite.
‘Ahsoka’ Series Has Found a Sabine Wren
Since it was revealed that the general premise of the Ahsoka series would be the search for Ezra, fans have been waiting to find out who would be cast as Sabine Wren. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is the big winner as it was revealed this week she’d be filling the armor and and teaming up with Rosario Dawson in the series.
Marvel Studios ‘Blade’ is Sharpening Up
It’s been nearly radio silent on the MCU’s Blade reboot since Kevin Feige announced it at SDCC ’19. That’s all changing now as the casting process has begun in earnest ahead of a late-Summer of 2022 start of production. Delroy Lindo, simply one of the coolest men on the face of the planet, has been cast in an undisclosed role alongside star Mahershala Ali. Murphy’s money is on Lindo playing Jamal Afari, Blade’s father figure and mentor in the ways of staking vampires.
When Marvel Studios shuffled their release slate for 2022 and beyond, it seemed significant that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first film to be postponed. Now, a new trade report gives some clarity as to why the film won’t be making its intended March 2022 release.
According to Aaron Couch, the film is undergoing a “significant” makeover between now and the end of the year. The film is said to be filming six days a week over the next six weeks in Los Angeles to complete what is being described as both “additional photography” (new stuff) and “reshoots” (new stuff to replace old stuff). Writer Michael Waldron is reportedly writing new material, presumably for the additional photography.
According to the trade, part of the reshoots are simply a function of working around the availability of actors. The production, which took place in London, was also impacted by COVID-related issues that slowed it down. The film is also on its second creative team with Waldron and director Sam Raimi taking over for Scott Derrickson. Despite all the challenges it has faced, the trade says there is still “pervasive enthusiasm” for the project.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now slated to hit theaters on May 6th, 2022.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw its release date pushed back from March to May of 2022 recently in order to allow for another round of additional photography to be completed. As is always the case with the big world of Marvel Studios, however, even when a project is delayed, the big merch machine usually doesn’t slow down. To that end, a couple of items have made their way into online storefronts for pre-order, including a puzzle that gives fans a look at one of the film’s main villains and a coloring book that shows off America Chavez’s star-shaped, multiversal portal! For those of you looking to avoid some first act spoilers, turn back now.
Twitter user @starwarsmcu tipped us off this morning to a couple of products that showed up on several online storefronts. The 1,000-piece puzzle, available for pre-order through Booktopia, shows Doctor Strange in battle with the multiversal monster Shuma-Gorath. Shuma-Gorath is an ancient demon with enormous power; it has been rumored since the earliest days of production on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that Shuma-Gorath would be in pursuit of America Chavez and that pursuit would lead him into the Sacred Timeline where he’d do battle with Doctor Strange. The puzzle also shows an updated look to Strange’s costume, which now sports the classic blue symbol. It’ll be interesting to see how accurate this is to Stephen’s look in the film.
In addition to the puzzle, there’s also a coloring book in the set. While the image on Booktopia is extremely low-quality, Strange, America, Wong (?) and the Scarlet Witch can be seen. The coloring book cover looks the same as an image that was seen earlier this year and showcased America’s star-shaped portal. America’s abilities to hop through the multiverse are a key plot point to the sequel.
The puzzle and coloring book combo go on sale in April and can also be found for pre-order at Wheeler’s and Scholastic. With additional photography underway the next two months, time will tell how accurately this puzzle depicts the events of the film.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first of many dominoes in Marvel Studios recent shift of of their upcoming release slate, moving off of its March 25th, 2022 date to May 6th, 2022. Marvel Entertainment CCO Kevin Feige attributed the shifting slate to production shifts and changes and now we might have a little clearer idea of what he meant thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch.
In an interview with the Today Show, Cumberbatch indicated that the sequel, which began filming last November, is scheduled to undergo additional photography over the next two months.
In a new interview on the Today show, Benedict Cumberbatch reveals there will be additional reshoots for DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS in November and December! pic.twitter.com/W4u30O4oqY
Additional photography is something that Marvel Studios has scheduled into its productions, but in an interview earlier this year, Cumberbatch indicated the planned reshoots were supposed to wrap in September. Whether those reshoots were delayed or these reshoots are in addition to those is unclear; however, in any case, it certainly seems it’s best practice to have the creative team complete the film they want to put in theaters rather than having a new “Release the (insert director here) cut)” movement on social media every 6 months. The Strange sequel has been entirely reinvented since Scott Derrickson left and Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi took over, so letting those two continue to shape the film until they feel its ready to go is in everyone’s best interest.
In a press release, Disney announced a slew of changed to their upcoming slate, including moving all of their upcoming Marvel Studios release dates and removing 2 Marvel Studios dates from the schedule.
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS which was previously dated on 3/25/22 moves to 5/6/22
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER which was previously dated on 5/6/22 moves to 7/8/22
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER which was previously dated on 7/8/22 moves to 11/11/22
UNTITLED INDIANA JONES/Indiana Jones 5 which was previously dated on 7/29/22 moves to 6/30/23
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION which was previously dated on 7/14/23 is removed from schedule
THE MARVELS which was previously dated on 11/11/22 moves to 2/17/23
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA which was previously dated on 2/17/23 moves to 7/28/23
UNTITLED MARVEL which was previously dated on 7/28/23 is removed from schedule
UNTITLED MARVEL which was previously dated on 10/6/23 is removed from schedule
UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY which was previously dated on 10/20/23 is removed from schedule
UNTITLED MARVEL which was previously dated on 11/10/23 moves to 11/3/23
No further information was given by Disney as to why the films were moved. While production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was briefly delayed, productions on DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder have wrapped and The Marvels and Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania have, as far as we know proceeded without problems.
The updates mean Marvel Studios will only have 3 films in theaters in 2022. And while they still look to put 4 in theaters in 2023, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has now been moved to July, meaning it’s release will now be AFTER Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Four films remain on Marvel Studios 2024 slate with flags planted on February 16th, May 3rd, July 26th and November 8th.
In total, one film was removed from the upcoming Marvel Studios slate.
With the changes, the updated release slate looks like this:
November 5, 2021: Eternals December 15, 2021: Spider-Man: No Way Home, in collaboration with Sony May 6, 2022: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness July 8, 2022: Thor: Love and Thunder November 11, 2022: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever February 17, 2023: The Marvels May 5, 2023: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 July 28, 2023: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania November 3, 2023: Untitled Marvel Studios film February 16, 2024: Untitled Marvel Studios film May 3, 2024: Untitled Marvel Studios film July 26, 2024: Untitled Marvel Studios film November 8, 2024: Untitled Marvel Studios film
Captain America 4 and Blade were expected to be the next two films to enter into production, and Fantastic Four and Deadpool 3 are believed to be high up on the list as well.
We’ll continue to update this story as it develops.
Back in January, we looked at one hypothetical 2022 release calendar for Marvel Studios. We’ve been through another round of production delays and release date shifts and with 2022 just a few months away, have a little bit better idea of when we might expect to see Marvel content next year. With that in mind, here’s version 2.0 of a totally made up and hypothetical way Marvel Studios 2022 release schedule might look.
Originally set to stream on Disney + in 2021, rumored production delays pushed Ms. Marvel’s MCU debut to 2022. With the number of streaming series Marvel Studios has to get through in 2022, it would seem like they’d want to kick off the new year with a bang, debuting Ms. Marvel as soon as possible, dropping the first of the expected 6 episodes on January 5th.
Now that Wednesdays are the new Fridays, we know that Marvel Studios has no aversion to dropping a new film while a series is streaming. With that in mind, it’s possible that the they get She-Hulk’s 10 episode run started as early as February 23rd, one week after an episode of Marvel Legends catches fans up on the stories of Bruce Banner and Emil Blonsky, two characters who will have big roles to play in the series.
While She-Hulk is in the middle of its run, fans will FINALLY get the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange on March 25th, 2022 when Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness hits theaters. Marvel Studios will almost certainly have a few episodes of Marvel Legends ready to view to prep fans to remind fans not only of what Stephen Strange, Wong and Mordo have been up to, but also to remind them of the journey of the film’s primary antagonist, the Scarlet Witch.
Right after She-Hulk finishes its extended run (remember, it’s 10 episodes and will stretch from late-February through late-April), fans will be able to head to theaters for the next chapter in the saga of the God of Thunder when Thor: Love and Thunder comes crashing in on May 6, 2022. Marvel Legends episodes covering the journeys of Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are almost a sure thing and we’ll certainly need to catch up on Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will have been absent from the MCU for almost a decade when this film releases.
From the God of Thunder to the avatar of the Egyptian God of the Moon…Marvel Studios Moon Knight, featuring Oscar Isaac in the lead role(s) could hit Disney Plus as early as May 11th. In our first draft, we had Moon Knight streaming about one month earlier, but with Ms. Marvel moving to 2022, it got pushed. Realistically, should Marvel Studios wish to do so, they could move Ms. Marvel to this slot, much closer to the character’s next appearance in November’s The Marvels.
We’re not sure if Marvel Studios will go this route, but interestingly enough the mythology of Moon Knight has some ties to the mythology of Black Panther. Should Kevin Feige and crew wish to make that explicit on screen, there could be some small connection between the two that would make Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fit nicely in order after the completion of Moon Knight’s expected 6-episode run. Wakanda Forever is one to keep an eye on as well, as production delays due to an injury to Letitia Wright have pushed the expected completion of principal photography into early 2022.
Marvel Studios intends for the animated series What If…? to occur annually and we know they’ve already done a lot of work on Season 2, so it’s likely it’ll be ready for a Summer 2022 debut. Season 1 was 9 episodes, so we’ll go with that for now and slot July 20th as the drop date for the first episode of Season 2, which will see the return of Haley Atwell’s Captain Carter and adapt a scenario from this year’s Black Widow film.
Marvel Studios seems to be aiming to have Secret Invasion ready to stream just ahead of The Marvels. Production on the series in kicking off in earnest in October in the UK, allowing for some actors to complete work on The Marvels before shifting over to Secret Invasion. If everything goes smoothly, the series should be ready for Disney Plus by September 28th, 2022, leaving a week to recover before the Captain Marvel sequel hits theaters on November 9, 2022. Truthfully, we have no confirmation that the two projects are tied together, but we’re pretending they are for the purposes of this experiment. Presumably, both of these projects would be preceded by some Marvel Legends episodes recapping the adventures of Nick Fury, Talos, Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau before telling the next chapters of their stories.
While Secret Invasion is doing it’s thing, Marvel Studios might have to find room to drop the first of its Holiday Specials. Rumor has it that the Halloween special might just feature Werewolf By Night, a character originally believed to be starring in his own streaming series. Production on the special is set to take place early next year, so it shouldn’t be a problem to have it ready to go for, let’s say, October 26th.
Even though the entire piece is hypothetical, this one has the greatest uncertainty. I’ve recently heard a rumor that production on Echo might get pushed JUST a bit, to April 2022, making it almost impossible for it to stream in 2022. Should it hold to its originally reported January 2022 date, however, we could easily see it debut on Disney Plus by November 16th.
Should the calendar hold, Marvel Studios could wrap up 2022 with its second holiday special, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This one will film during production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so it’ll be ready to drop whenever they choose, maybe even on December 28th, 2022!
During today’s Hasbro Pulse Fan First Wednesday, the latest wave of Marvel Legends, this time for the upcoming animated series What If…?, were revealed and may have given away more than just a good look at the characters. The wave, which goes up for pre-order this afternoon at 1:00 PM ET, comes with 7 figures and a Build-A-Figure Uatu. Of the 7, 6 are set to debut in the Disney Plus streaming series What If…?, and the other is labeled “Marvel’s Sylvie” from the recently concluded Loki series. A closer look at the packaging for each character reveals that Haley Atwell’s Captain Carter is called “Marvel’s Captain Carter”, an indication that the character may well make the transition to live-action.
There have been rumors that Carter would appear in an upcoming live-action project, but this is the first evidence of that possibility. The labeling seems intentional to set Captain Carter apart from the other What If…? characters, none of which are labeled as “Marvel’s” characters.
The rest of the wave is comprised of T’Challa as Star-Lord, “Heist” Nebula, Zombie Captain America, a Zombie Hunter Spidey and Doctor Strange Supreme. These Variant characters are likely to be revealed as having come into existence following the death of He Who Remains at the hands of Sylvie, making her inclusion here sensible.
If one had to hazard a guess as to when we might expect Atwell’s Captain Carter to appear, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would seemingly be a heavy favorite as it is expected to deal with the fallout of Loki.
What If…? will begin streaming weekly on Disney Plus on August 11th.
The finale of Loki saw an infinite number of timelines break free from the Sacred Timeline. Infinite branches (we think) mean infinite possibilities for new characters and their stories to be told across the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. The Multiverse has existed in the comics for over 40 years and there are hundreds of characters and dozens of stories that have already been told. Here are seven that are ready to join the MCM.
The Beyonder
Perhaps no one character is more synonymous with the idea of the multiverse than The Beyonder. THE Beyonder is one of a race of incredibly powerful beings who can shape reality at will. THE Beyonder is essentially a child by their standards and, like a child, became sort of fascinated by toying with lesser beings…humans. The Beyonder is sort of a big deal in Secret Wars circles and since it seems like that’s where the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse is headed, it shouldn’t be long before we see him or his people (who happen to have a connection to another member of this list).
Captain Britain
Over the last 13 years, the inspiration for the MCU has seemed to lean heavily in certain creators’ directions at times. As Charles Villanueva detailed here, we’ve seen heavy doses of Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and more in the first 3 phases. We’ve gotten a pretty good dose of Mark Gruenwald this year. Now it may be Chris Claremont and Alan Davis‘ turn to see their creations move from the page to the screen. The multiverse means other Earths and other realities and in the comics it is the job of each reality’s Captain Britain to protect it. All realities converge in the pocket dimension known as Otherworld where, occasionally, the Captain Britains from each reality meet as the Captain Britain Corps. We’ve had a Braddock tease in the MCU already and now that the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse is here, it’s time for Claremont, whose seminal X-Men run should also find its way to the MCU eventually, and Davis to shine!
The Exiles
A team consisting of an ever evolving roster of heroes plucked from different realities, the Exiles seem about as sure a thing as any to make the jump from the comics to the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. While the initial team was comprised of mutants from different realities, other teams have included non-mutant heroes like Spidey and a Captain America and even Valeria Richards from a reality where she found her self with the powers of both her parents. The Exiles could be an awful lot of fun as a Disney Plus series and seems just like the kind of team Marvel Studios would be keen to get in the MCM sooner rather than later as they could have several seasons without ever using the same team, allowing them to introduce dozens of characters if they chose.
The Living Tribunal
We first heard the character’s name in Doctor Strange and, we think, saw his head in the Void in Loki, so maybe it’s time we finally meet The Living Tribunal. One of the most powerful Cosmic entities in the Marvel Universe, The Living Tribunal is tasked with keeping the mystical side of the multiverse in balance; in that way, he’s like a Master of the Mystic Arts for the multiverse. That’s great because it means the seeds for understanding what his job is have already kind of been sewn in the audiences heads, meaning we’d need less exposition and, hopefully, get more action. It makes a LOT of sense for this character to make his debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Miles Morales
No character on this list would make thousands if not millions of fans, including myself, happier. A Spider-Man from another Earth that took on the mantle after witnessing the death of Peter Parker, Miles Morales is already well-known thanks to Sony’s animated hit, Into the Spider-Verse. 3 Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home already seems like a lot, so 4 would seem like overkill, but you can’t argue that the road has been paved for Miles to make his way to the MCM; all Sony and Marvel Studios have to do is walk down it together.
Molecule Man
Jonathan Hickman loves nothing more than reinventing Marvel Comics characters (well maybe he likes drawing diagrams and writing appendices more, but it’s close) and his reinvention of Owen Reece, the Molecule Man, was nothing short of genius. During his Avengers run that lead to Secret Wars, it was revealed that a Reece existed on every alternate Earth and that their death would result in that Earth’s premature destruction: Reece was a multiversal constant linked to the existence of his world. Reece is also one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse, with the power to manipulate and reshape matter at the molecular level and the ability to reshape and project energy at will. The new Marvel Cinematic Multiverse gives the Molecule Man a chance to step into the spotlight.
The Squadron Supreme
A group of heroes that seem awfully familiar to DC’s Justice League, the Squadron Supreme hail from Earth-712 where they served as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Despite being JL analogues, the individuals on the team actually end up being pretty interesting in their own rights and if we’re doing alternate Earths, I can think of no better team to bring to the MCM. They were rumored to appear in the first season of Lokiand while that didn’t happen, fans can hold out hope that with the multiverse opened up, we might see them in Season 2.
With new Earths come new story telling possibilities. Let’s hope the story tellers love some of these characters enough to get them into the MCM.
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