Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Interviews

  • ‘WHAT IF…?’ Episode 1 Tentacle Monster Is The Same One in Episode 4

    ‘WHAT IF…?’ Episode 1 Tentacle Monster Is The Same One in Episode 4

    With so many rumors pointing to a Shuma Gorath appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it comes as no surprise that the tentacle creature that appeared in the Captain Carter episode of What If…? got fans hyped at a possible early tease. While do not know if that was actually Shuma Gorath, we at least know that the tentacle creature Doctor Strange summons in this latest episode is the same as the one Peggy fought.

    We spoke to production designer Paul Lasaine, who told us those two creatures are one and the same.

    We don’t actually say it is [the same one in this episode] but we’re pretty positive it is. In fact, even on a technical level, we used that creature as a template. 

    Regardless of whether it is Shuma Gorath or not, it is peculiar to see a recurring creature throughout the show. It would be weird if it wasn’t Shuma Gorath as we’re dealing with the very things that character is associated with i.e. the multiverse. That creature appearing in the latest episode does make us wonder if it’ll appear again later in the season. With an overarching story for the season, it would certainly make sense to have that consistency.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘WHAT IF…?’ Has A Big Overarching Storyline Yet to Be Revealed

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘WHAT IF…?’ Has A Big Overarching Storyline Yet to Be Revealed

    As we approach the midpoint of the first season of What If…?, a certain subset of fans have wondered what exactly is the endgame of the show, given the anthological nature of the show. Every episode seems to be its own thing with stories wrapping up as the credits roll (except for Captain Carter). But according to the show’s production designer Paul Lasaine, whom we got to chat with, there is an overarching plot that the show is sneakily setting up.

    Obviously, with it being an anthology series, each episode is a standalone. But there is an overarching story which will become more.. [pause] ..without giving spoilers, you’ll see that there is a big storyline going on. 

    Now, this isn’t particularly new. If you’ve been paying close attention to all the details of this show, you know there’s something happening at the conclusion of the show. But if you haven’t and are worried that the show isn’t going to go anywhere cohesively, this should alleviate some of those concerns.

    Based on the remaining episodes we haven’t seen, it looks like the creators of the show are upping the ante in giving us crazier scenarios like Marvel Zombies and Ultron taking over the world. This recent episode alone has started seeding somewhat of an arc for the Watcher. There’s still a lot of stories to build up so that’s something fans can all look forward to.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    Once upon a time, Marvel Studios was looking at several obscure comic properties to bring to the big screen, in an attempt to kickstart some financial backing for the newly-founded studio. One of those properties was Shang-Chi, which comes out later this week in theaters, and Power Pack.

    We spoke with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz about Power Pack, a project he was coincidentally attached to produce at some point in the past decade, and its current status.

    It’s one of those things we look at and talk about every once in a while. We’ll probably get there eventually but it’s not something super active at the moment.

    For the uninitiated, Power Pack is a superhero team made up of pre-teen siblings with powerful cosmic abilities who’d go on crazy cosmic adventures together. The property has been in and out of development throughout the years, with the most recent iteration being the one Schwartz was attached to.

    With so many unique things in development, it is pretty surprising to know that Power Pack is currently not in Marvel Studios’ sights at the moment. Power Pack feels like a property that would be served really well in animation, similar to What If…?. Let’s cross our fingers they finally do something with it because that is a bankable property.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’s Meng’er Zhang Shares She Accidentally Punched Simu Liu in the Face

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’s Meng’er Zhang Shares She Accidentally Punched Simu Liu in the Face

    Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings will be Marvel Studios’ first foray into a martial arts-based film. It’ll follow the story of our titular hero as he has to face his past, as his father Wenwu, the leader of the mysterious organization the Ten Rings, calls upon his return. At one point during his journey, he’ll also meet his estranged sister, Xialing. Our very own Anthony Canton III got a chance to sit down and talk with the actress Meng’er Zhang, who took on the role to play opposite of Simu Liu. She offered some insight into what it was like acting opposite of Liu and revealed she accidentally punched him during the shoot.

    My favorite on-set memory is: I punched Simu in the face. I mean that was the first fight scene between us and it was really nervous, because eventhough we trained a thousand times those movements, but it was the very first time for me, so I was really scared to really throw a punch to him. But he was really encouraging it: ‘Yeah, just go for it. It’s okay, you cannot hurt me!’ So I just got into my character and went for it. And I didn’t mean to punch him, but I did. But I have to say, it felt good.

    Meng’er Zhang
    Shot by Shot with the 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Trailer - Geeky Craze

    She also highlights how she sees Simu Liu as a real brother, and how natural their chemistry was on- and off-screen. It also was interesting to play alongside Tony Leung as the father figure, whose performance truly brought the character of Wenwu to life. The film will focus primarily on this dynamic and it’s promising to hear how much fun they had bringing these characters to life. Here’s hoping we have a long future ahead of Meng’er Zhang and Simu Liu. Just for Liu’s sake, he hopefully won’t have to endure a new accidental punch in each production.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘What If’s Multiverse Concept Wasn’t Restricted by ‘Loki’ or ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘What If’s Multiverse Concept Wasn’t Restricted by ‘Loki’ or ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    In the final episode of Loki, we watched as the Sacred Timeline expanded into madness. It branched off into every possible direction. This new pathway of infinite universe sets the stage for Marvel Studios’s What If. It’ll be our interlude into the multiverse ahead of Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. With multiple different projects tackling this unknown territory, it could become difficult to keep things in line between the many creatives involved.  In an interview with Charles Murphy, head writer A.C. Bradley discussed how they coordinated with other projects like Loki and Doctor Strange.

    When it comes to coordinating between Marvel projects, it’s not as much as you actually think. Weirdly enough because we’re animation and animation is a medium of patience, we started production- I started writing on the show back in the fall, late fall, of 2018, so my job was basically to keep the rules loose, so that the Loki team could if they needed to create anything with the TVA, I hadn’t already set any rules on papers. So, that was kind of easy and fun, it let me run wild, I didn’t have to worry about the TVA and pruning timelines, and I didn’t have to worry so much about Doctor Strange 2. This was just so as much fun in all the weird and wild places that we can go in the multiverse.

    Hearing that the team didn’t feel any restrictions with the multiverse and how they could tell their stories is great and should make for some interesting outcomes. Their concept is also loose enough for them not to be too dependent, as they mainly explore different versions o the multiverse based on stories we’ve witnessed in the past years. It also helps that their early work on the project gives others the chance to work from where they left off, as noted with how they left it vague to ensure Loki’s TVA concept wouldn’t get affected.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘WHAT IF…?’ Creators Originally Wanted to Go 2D

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘WHAT IF…?’ Creators Originally Wanted to Go 2D

    Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation is set to release on August 11th with What If…?, a series that will span a series of countless alternate outcomes within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At a glance, the show immediately stands out with its unique art style and animation. However, the series almost looked like a completely different show at one point. In a recent interview with our very own Charles Murphy, What If…? director Bryan Andrews revealed that when the show first began development, they pictured it in 2D animation but decided otherwise due to the amount of work needed.

    “Originally .it would’ve been awesome to go 2D because cause I love it, but you know, everyones busy. There’s a lot of animation being made right now and a lot of great studios have already been snatched up and the clock was ticking and we needed to do something. We felt a 3D-for-2D style might actually help us because there was a number of studios that were available that could do that. The only thing was that we wanted to lean even more heavily into the 2D part of that 3D-for-2D because most cel-shaded 2D-for-3D stuff I really dislike. We’re trying to push it and they were all excited about trying to push it as well and its an ongoing process that we’re still trying to figure out.”

    With Marvel Studios focusing on more animation, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a 2D animated series down the road to set it apart from What If…? and further expand the possibilities of animation. The art of great 2D animation has been lost in this sophisticated age of 3D animation so a return to form would be most welcome to see.

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: A Father-Son Stark Episode Almost Made the Cut in Season 1 of ‘WHAT IF…?’

    EXCLUSIVE: A Father-Son Stark Episode Almost Made the Cut in Season 1 of ‘WHAT IF…?’

    After screening the first three episodes of Marvel Studios What If…?, I had the chance to talk to the series writer, AC Bradley, and director, Bryan Andrews, to get some insight into the creative process behind the studio’s first animated series.

    Marvel's What If? Trailer Breakdown and MCU Easter Eggs Explained - Den of Geek

    With only 10 episodes and a wealth of ideas from which to choose, I asked Bradley if there were any characters, ideas or places that didn’t make the cut but stood out to her.

    “We had dozens of ideas that, hopefully, some of them will pop up in Season 2. But there’s been a few characters that we just couldn’t touch because we didn’t have room or time. I’m happy that we got Howard the Duck in there because that’s such a fan kind of favorite little character-I said, “Let’s give him a moment”-because I doubt he’s going to be joining the Avengers anytime soon. We did have some great story line for multiple characters, like there was an Iron Man story that I really wanted to do, exploring a relationship with his father, but we already had another great Iron Man story. We only have 10 spots, you kinda gotta spread around the love. I’m a sucker for a good kind of sins of the father on the son kinda story.”

    Tony’s relationship with his father, Howard, was an integral part of the first 3 phases of the MCU and the idea of Howard’s sins coming back to haunt Tony were central to Iron Man 2 but who knows what other hidden sins of Howard’s could have been explored and how they might have impacted Tony in another universe? Like Bradley said, there’s hope that some of these lost ideas make their way into future seasons, so since she was so keen on this one, maybe it’ll make the list for Season 2.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Loki’ Director Kate Herron Explains Marvel’s Interconnected Multiverse

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Loki’ Director Kate Herron Explains Marvel’s Interconnected Multiverse

    The final episode of Loki introduced the world to the multiverse. A single decision unleashed a new Multiversal War and opened up new paths for the once Marvel Cinematic Universe. What If and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be our first visits int the multiverse, but we don’t know quite yet how it works. Luckily, our own Charles Murphy got a chance to sit down with director Kate Herron. She offered some insight into how the Sacred Timeline expanded.

    So, there’s the branches, right, which is like the alternative reality. But then something, you’ll see it, it’s very subtle but in the very last shot where you see the multiverse, there’s like basically other bigger physical timeline branches. So, it’s almost like these different separate trees that are now connecting.

    The visual of the Sacred timeline branching off was quite a memorable moment for those wanting to explore the infinite possibilities o the multiverse. The latest What If the trailer teased a crossover of these different Variants in the form of the Guardians of the Multiverse. Luckily, Herron elaborated that there will indeed be some points where these timelines interconnect.

    It’s almost like a bridge. If you imagine the branch, it is like another reality. But if the branch extends beyond a certain point, it will then connect to other physical timelines. […] That last shot we did, there are other like thicker [branches] that are meant to be like our timeline. And there are other timelines like that and the branches are the connectors basically.

    It’ll be interesting to see if Doctor Strange will be able to clean up the multiverse in the upcoming sequel, or simply witness the results of timelines colliding. We know that Kang is the cause of the Multiversal War. It might end up becoming the final connection point between them. It still seems very likely Secret Wars in our future and we cannot wait to see how the second season of Loki further explores the multiverse.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Director Kate Herron Hopes ‘Loki’ Season 2 Explores Hunter B-15’s Backstory

    EXCLUSIVE: Director Kate Herron Hopes ‘Loki’ Season 2 Explores Hunter B-15’s Backstory

    The season finale of the Disney+ series Loki left quite the impression on fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As it answered many of the questions we had since the show premiered, the finale left us with quite a few cliffhangers. We are left wondering where Judge Renslayer was heading and why the Time Variance Authority can’t remember Loki. Sylvie was last seen in the citadel at the end of time, as Kang’s image replaces the Time-Keepers. In an interview with the show’s director Kate Herron, our very own Charles Murphy asked her about the various cliffhangers, and she even proposed an additional one: What is B-15’s secret past?

    I have no idea. I don’t know the future plans but the other thing I will say to just kind of add on to your cliffhanger pile: “Who is B-15?” I loved that scene when her and Slyvie see her memories but we don’t know who she is and why was she happy? I don’t know, I feel like there’s a lot of unresolved questions in the first season, but as to when they’ll be answered, I don’t know.

     

     

    The focus on Wunmi Mosaku‘s B-15 is quite interesting. It shows that her backstory could hide some interesting secrets than we previously anticipated. In the scene that Herron specifies from the fourth episode, we see Hunter B-15 going to the year 2050 with Sylvie. There she confronts her what exactly she did to her coworker and fellow TVA hunter, C-20. Sylvie then proceeded to unlock Hunter B-15’s memories from before she became a Variant. Now, we are left to wonder what exactly those memories were. There’s also the question of what her Nexus Event was that brought her to the TVA in the first place. Hopefully, by the time we enter Loki‘s second season, we’ll get an answer to all of these questions even though Kate Herron isn’t returning to direct.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Olga Kurylenko Talks Future Taskmaster Appearances

    EXCLUSIVE: Olga Kurylenko Talks Future Taskmaster Appearances

    Regardless of whether you liked the character or not, one thing that rings true with Taskmaster in Black Widow is that the character was underutilized. There’s a lot left to be desired with what they gave us but the character does make it out in the end which leaves the door open for any future appearances. We asked Antonia Dreykov herself, Olga Kurylenko what she thought of a possible Taskmaster come back down the road and she gave a surprisingly candid answer about it.

    Unfortunately, I don’t know if I’ll be returning. It’s not up to me. You can ask Marvel that [laughs]. If I was, obviously what would be great is to know more about the character because she was just kind of introduced here. There was no time and no story to develop. And the thing is there’s so much to explore about the character. There’s a lot to do with it .

    Taskmaster in the comics is a fan-favorite villain who not only brings a lot of killer action with him but also a lot of attitudes. Black Widow reinvented Taskmaster in a pretty big way, one that distances itself from the comics to serve what the writers envisioned for the film’s larger sinister Red Room plot. Kurylenko shared with us what discussions she had with director Cate Shortland on how to portray such a silent character.

    With Cate, we discussed the backstory and all the pain Antonia might have gone through. Things we know, things we don’t know yet. It was about the fact that behind that armor and killing machine, there is a human being. A human who was made to be bad. She wasn’t born bad. She’s manipulated, abused, gone through trauma – both physical and psychological. It was the conflict within one person. We talked about her soul because she does have one. When she’s in that armor, you don’t think there isn’t. That’s what was fascinating.