Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Loki

  • Phase 4: The Multiverse Arc

    Phase 4: The Multiverse Arc

    Who are you in this vast multiverse?

    Earlier this year, I wrote a theory piece on how Marvel Studios could delve into this idea of the multiverse for Phase 4 of the MCU. At the time, we had a very vague understanding of what the MCU was preparing for us. Since then, we’ve had casting confirmations, trailer releases, interviews, poster art, and after last week’s Disney’s Investor Day, we finally have a clearer picture of what we can expect for this next phase of the MCU.

     

    Brief Recap: What is the Multiverse within the MCU?

    Compared to other franchises that have utilized the Multiverse as a plot device for their stories and films, Marvel went an unconventional route and created their own definition of how the Multiverse works. To quote me from when I first discussed this concept in Reality Checked; based on Professor Hulk’s and the Ancient One’s descriptions of how time-flow works, whenever someone from the future alters the events of the past, they create another timeline based on the alteration of those chain of events, thus creating a brand new universe. It’s a form of the butterfly effect, in which our decisions branch out into two realities, one where we made the decision and another where we didn’t.

     

    What is the Multiverse Arc?

    So, it’s been said that rather than focus on a story told across a large, 23-film saga like “The Infinity Saga”, Phase 4 and beyond would begin to tell stories across small arcs of 4-5 different MCU projects. Now, in my head, I’ve already mapped out a ton of different arcs which we will get into detail later on, but the main arc that’s about to kick off Phase 4 is an arc I’m dubbing is the Multiverse Arc. If I were to give you guys a synopsis of what I think that arc would delve into, it would go a little something like this. “The Multiverse Arc encompasses a set of stories that push beyond the physical confines of time and space within the MCU. As the line between realities start to blur and timelines cross over and collide, the Cinematic Universe we all know and love is about to change forever.” So what projects do I think are part of the Multiverse Arc? Well, let’s see.

     

    1. WandaVision (January 2021)

    This is where the Multiverse Arc and Phase 4 are going to begin. I believe a lot of people are truly underestimating the potential this show is going to have in terms of setting up, not just the Multiverse Arc, but pretty much Phase 4 as a whole.  Now the show has already been discussed a lot theory-wise. Among the things people suspect might happen during the show include the possibility of Elizabeth Olsen’s “Wanda Maximoff” going all “House of M” on the MCU. The most prevalent theory about the show is that Wanda might create an alternate pocket reality around her using her power and imagination. Since she does not possess much control over her powers, she’ll begin to lose control and ultimately affect the MCU reality as a whole when her trauma over the course of the past years starts to seep in. Point in-case being, whatever happens in WandaVision will ultimately be the catalyst for a lot of the upcoming Phase 4 projects moving forward.

     

    2. Loki (May 2021)

    Ah, the God of Mischief, back to his antics once again. While the show’s details are relatively vague, we know that Loki takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame with Tom Hiddleston returning as the titular character alongside Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. The reason why I’ve included Loki here in the Multiverse Arc’s storyline is that the show involves a certain agency known as the TVA. The Time Variance Authority in the comics is this bureau that was formed with the goal of monitoring an infinite number of realities throughout the multiverse and to keep temporal interference to a minimum. Since this Loki, and by consequence the series, exist in a new timeline separate from our Main MCU one thanks to the antics of the Avengers during Avengers: Endgame (2019), it is possible that the TVA intervened immediately after those events to prevent future ruptures in the timeline. We also had hints that the show might explore alternate realities due to a particular of the exclusive trailer, where we saw a dystopian New York City, possibly a timeline where Loki won the Battle of New York (2012). Speaking of which…

     

    3. What If…? (Summer 2021)

    I like to refer to What If…? (2021) as the interlude of the Multiverse Arc. But just because it’s an interlude, it does not make the show any less important to the rest of the Multiverse Arc. “What If…?, which takes inspiration from the comic books of the same name, flips the script on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reimagines famous events from the films in unexpected ways…each episode will explore a pivotal moment from the MCU and turn it on its head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.” The reason why I include this series as part of the Multiverse Arc is that I believe the show’s focus will be to present to us episodes that explain what would have happened if a pivotal moment in the MCU occurred another way, which is essentially a prime example to the definition of the MCU’s Multiverse. This show will provide us with a window into other universes.

     

    4. The Untitled Spider-Man sequel (December 2021)

    Now we need to tread carefully when discussing Spider-Man 3 because there are so many rumors regarding this film that no one really knows what’s going to happen. With villains from other iterations reprising their roles to former Spider-Men gracing the screen one last time, the film certainly is shaping up to be what many consider a possible iteration of a live-action Spider-Verse film. And it certainly doesn’t help when Kevin Feige confirmed during Investor’s Day that the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will tie in with this film. How exactly it all plays out is something fans will have to wait and see when Spider-Man 3 rolls around next year.

     

    5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 2022)

    As the name implies, the Doctor Strange sequel is definitely looking to address the Multiverse and will address the events of WandaVision and the untitled Spider-Man 3 film. Directed by iconic Horror Movie director; Sam Raimi, the sequel is set to see returning cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo). We will also see Elizabeth Olsen return as Wanda Maximoff and newcomer Xochitl Gomez who will portray America Chavez in the upcoming film. Right now, the film is currently filming in London and with a name like the Multiverse of Madness, I expect this film to close the Multiverse Arc off with a bang.

     

    PHASE 4 KICKS OFF NEXT MONTH WITH WANDAVISION ON JANUARY 15TH.

  • RUMOR: Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror To Appear in ‘Loki’

    RUMOR: Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror To Appear in ‘Loki’

    A while back, we got the announcement that Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors was cast as Kang the Conqueror. Now, the interesting thing was that he was set to appear in Ant-Man & the Wasp sequel, which now has the subtitle Quantumania. It was a bit strange that they announced his casting this early, which had many people speculate if he may show up early on. Well, it looks like our theories might’ve been right as the latest podcast @PostCredPod featuring DisInsider’s EIC Skyler Shuler may have confirmed he will show up in the upcoming Disney+ show Loki.

    His potential appearance makes absolute sense with the Time Variance Authority’s heavy involvement. We’ve seen some visuals that already led to a theory that he may have some kind of role in their foundation, which you can check out here. Loki might only introduce the character, so we shouldn’t expect him to appear in multiple episodes anytime soon. We just recently also heard rumblings of Jaimie Alexander‘s Sif returning in the upcoming show, so it’ll be interesting to see who else might show up throughout the show’s series.

    The recent trailer gave us an overall better glimpse of the Disney+ show’s story. We will see Loki mess around throughout history while working together with the TVA. The first trailer alone promises a visual spectacle that will dive into some aspect of the multiverse. So, the series builds upon the multiversal throughline in Phase 4 and could even have some influence over the events. After the Avengers played around with time in Endgame, he might be here to correct what they may have screwed up.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    ‘LOKI’: The Mysterious Hooded Figure Revealed

    “You better be ready.”

    Last Thursday, Disney held its annual Investor’s Day. This year, because of the pandemic, they were forced to shift their event to a virtual format somewhat similar to that of DC Fandome. Among the event’s presenters were Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, Pixar, Hulu, and others. But by far, the heavy hitter of the night was Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige took to the virtual stage to give us an update at Phase 4, announcing new shows, providing us with a more updated look at the Phase 4 slate, and a handful of trailers for the upcoming Disney+ shows. One of those trailers was an exclusive clip for the upcoming show, Loki, coming May 2021.

    Now during the trailer, we were treated to a number of cool shots with the God of Mischief and some new characters, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the three floating heads behind her, but the most ominous figure came in the form of this hooded individual

    We can assume that whoever is behind that hood might be the antagonist (or at least one of them) for this show. Because his/her identity is kept hidden in this shot, you can’t really tell who this person is, unless you tend to look deeper into the frames of this trailer. So let’s break it down piece by piece to see what we find.

    Piece #1: The boots

    Now let’s rewind the clip for a bit. The frame you see above is a frame that comes just 2 shots before the main thumbnail in the image. This is when the hooded figure drops the lamp and sets the grass ablaze. Notice that for a split second, you can see the left boot of the individual on the left-hand side of the image. The person seems to be wearing some sort of high-top lace-up military boot. Keep that in mind as we go on with our analysis.

    Piece #2: The fingerless gloves

    This is a brightened up version of the shot where the individual is putting his/her hands down. The attempt was to see if we could identify the person’s face, but alas we could not. Yet not all was failed because we noticed one big detail in this shot. Notice the fingerless cloth gloves on the person’s hand. This is a big clue. Because the use of the fingerless gloves and the boots are very important indicators as to who this character is, or at the very least the actress portraying this character.

    The Hooded Figure is Sophia Di Martino’s character.

    Didn’t see that one coming did ya? Well, it’s very easy to identify thanks to the set pictures from JustJared. As you can observe in the picture I linked, you can see Sophia Di Martino’s costume, where she is wearing the exact same boot model, the fingerless gloves, and even the same baggy pants for good measure. What exactly her role in the show will be as of yet remains unclear. However, some people have speculated that she may be portraying a female version of Loki due to the similarity her costume has to the God of Mischief.

    Loki premieres exclusively on Disney+ this coming May 2020.

  • Owen Wilson Confirmed as Mobius M. Mobius in ‘LOKI’

    Owen Wilson Confirmed as Mobius M. Mobius in ‘LOKI’

    The Loki trailer presented at the Disney Investor Day presentation was full of major reveals, such as the fact the the Lord of Lies will likely go before the Council of Kangs. One thing that I personally missed upon first viewing was confirmation that Owen Wilson was confirmed to play a member of the TVA’s middle management, Mobius M. Mobius.

    Thanks to closed captioning, the mystery of who Wilson will portray in the series had been revealed and I think I speak for fans around the world when I say, “WOW!” The character of Mobius is an interesting one whose appearance is based on Marvel Comics writer and one-time editor Mark Gruenwald and was one of many cloned TVA management workers. It’s occurred to me that given Wilson’s alleged comedic chops, Marvel Studios might have the man portray several of these cloned characters which would be an interesting time for a guy who has admitted he’s never taken himself that seriously as an actor.

    Loki is set to stream on Disney Plus in May of 2021.

  • ‘LOKI’ Trailer Looks to Bring the God of Lies Before the Council of Kangs

    ‘LOKI’ Trailer Looks to Bring the God of Lies Before the Council of Kangs

    Marvel Studios unleashed a torrent of incredible news on us today, so much so that it’s easy to overlook some of the fine details of the footage they gave us. For instance, in the first teaser for next May’s Loki, it was pretty easy to ignore the faces on the wall in what appeared to be a courtroom.

    On the wall behind Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s unknown character are a trio of faces, all of which bear the unmistakable trademark lines of Kang the Conqueror. The hardest of the hardcore know that Loki was produced by Limbo Productions I and that Kang the Conqueror is the Lord of Limbo. I have LOOOOOOOOONG expected Kang to show up in Loki (going so far as to wonder if Owen Wilson could be playing the character); when Jonathan Majors casting as Kang was revealed by the trades, I mentioned it was likely he would be showing up in something prior to Ant-Man 3. Over the past week, KC Walsh of GWW has HEAVILY teased the presence of the character. Given what we see here, it certainly looks like Loki is the place and that Gugu might somehow herself be on the council, be A Kang or related to the time-traveling despot.

    Council of Kangs (Team) - Comic Vine

    The multiversal Council of Kangs was first introduced in 1986’s Avengers 267 and did a lot of very counter-intuitive but self-preservatory shit. If we’re being honest, nothing about Kang, Immortus or any other of his personas make sense, so let’s not pretend to sort it out in 3-5 sentences. What does seem certain is that Loki will face off against the Master of Men before the end of Season 1!

  • First Look at ‘Loki’ Disney+ Series

    First Look at ‘Loki’ Disney+ Series

    We didn’t just get a trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but also for the third Disney+ series Loki. Kevin Feige described it as a mystery thriller, which is quite an interesting approach to this iconic character. The trailer was amazing, as it unveiled some movie-level effects and set pieces. It looks like whatever Loki will be up to might destroy the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It might be interesting to see how it all ties together, especially as the ending has unveiled he will once again meet Thor and Heimdall. After Heimdall’s death at the hands of Thanos, it opens up a lot of questions if he remains in a separate universe. The series will premier in Mai, which seems to hint at a two-month release window for each show.

  • Council of Lokis: The True Founders of the TVA

    Council of Lokis: The True Founders of the TVA

    Disney+ will be the home for many new shows taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The shows will introduce a variety of characters, but some mainstays are also finally getting the franchise they deserve. Among them, the popular villain Loki will be part of his very own series. Not just any version of the character but one version that escaped after getting his hands on the Cosmic Cube. During the events of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark, and Ant-Man were supposed to steal it. Yet, it ended up falling into Loki’s hands, who swiftly uses the chance to disappear before the events of the original film could take place.

    Now, his disappearance creates a brand new branch in the franchise’s timeline and will take center-stage in the Disney+ series. We even got a teaser that revealed that he’ll get involved with the Time Variance Authority, or TVA. Not too long after, we heard rumors of different versions of the God of Mischief appearing throughout the series. There was even evidence that we would at least see a variation of Kid Loki in the series. Some even believed we got a glimpse of Lady Loki through some set photos, as she has a similar outfit to that of the iconic character. The casting of Robert E. Grant could also be connected, as IMDb has now listed his stunt actor Dave Cutler as “Classic Loki”.

     

     

    How does this all connect to the TVA? Well, the organization has a long history in Marvel comics, but not much is known about its foundation. The casting of Kang for Ant-Man 3 long before the film even enters production could tease his appearance in earlier production. Well, if the conquerer beyond the limits of time is going to show up anywhere, it would be a show featuring the TVA. It wouldn’t be too surprising that he is the founder of the organization, but there is a good chance he isn’t alone. In the comics and even on Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, we got introduced to the Council of Kang. These are different iterations from across the multiverse that consulted each other.

    Prime Kang led the council in the comics, who eventually would become Immortus. There was the rumor that Grant would potentially play that character. Now, some hints might be pointing to him being Classic Loki. Now that I think about it, Classic could also be the MCU version of Prime. Yet, it isn’t connected to Kang but rather Loki. It looks like we might have a Council of Lokis as part of the series. It wouldn’t be too surprising if Classic Loki might be a founder of the TVA. Now that the character is displaced from time, we could see his travel through time and space end up as the founder.

    He could be stuck in a time loop that got created due to the Avengers playing with time. Now, an older version of the character hopes to find a way to break the loop and is using other versions throughout time to solve it. Maybe he even is a version we know very well from his long history from the Earth-616. Perhaps this also inspired Kang to seek out others of his kind throughout the multiverse, as he realizes the damage they have done and sets out to do what Loki couldn’t. Erase the reason their part of the multiverse is lost in time.

    Source: Comic Book, IMDb

  • ‘Loki’ Season 2

    ‘Loki’ Season 2

    Premiere: TBD 2023

    A second season of the original series was confirmed in early 2021 making it the first Marvel Studios Disney+ to do so. There is still no work on production schedules, with one of the few certainties regarding season two being that director Kate Herron won’t be returning. Both Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino are expected to be reprising their roles, and with actors in other lead and supporting roles having options for a second season written into their contracts, it’s very likely we’ll be reunited with a larger number of familiar faces.

    In a February 2022 interview, Owen Wilson stated that production for Loki season 2 would start “very soon”, perhaps hinting at a 2023 release. This was seemingly confirmed when Cinematographer Isaac Bauman shared a picture taken on set in June 2022 marking the beginning of production on season 2.

    With production well underway, fans got their first looks at Hiddleston and Wilson on set, as well as the return of Di Martino‘s Sophie. Composer Natalie Holt was also set to come back following her work on season one.

    Production on the show seemingly wrapped in October 2022, ahead of its 2023 premiere.

    Cast

    • Tom Hiddleston as Loki
    • Sophia Di Martino as Sophie
    • Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius
    • Katie Dickey in an unknown role
    • Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna
    • Eugene Cordero as Casey
    • Ke Huy Quan as Oroboros
    • Jonathan Majors as Kang
  • REPORT: ‘LOKI’ Season 2 Production Slated for 2022

    REPORT: ‘LOKI’ Season 2 Production Slated for 2022

    It’s long been speculated that the Disney plus Loki series will have more than one season. This was mostly based on the Limbo Productions I LLC, and other reports including one from our own Charles Murphy. Now Production Weekly is reporting a January 2022 start to production for the second season of the series.

    Things I heard this week: actors being brought on board for lead and major supporting roles in Loki are having options for a possible second season written into their deals.

     

    Now it’s a fine line between what this does mean and what it does not mean. It does not mean that, as of today, I can confirm with 100% certainty that a second season of Loki will happen. I will say that there’s plenty of evidence which supports the idea that it’s a great possibility.

    January 24, 2020 What I Heard This Week by Charles Murphy

    At one point it was believed that season one and two of the Loki series would film back to back, but this was a plan for pre COVID-19. It appears with this Production Weekly news, if correct, that they have changed those plans.

    While you shouldn’t always trust Production Weekly to be totally accurate, especially with start dates, there is additional information from the website that Netflix series, White Stork is slated to begin filming in the UK in March 2021 (airing in 2022). The series, which also stars Tom Hiddleston, starting production in March supports the idea that production of season 2 of Loki will be pushed back. After all, Hiddleston is a talented actor, but he cannot be in two places at once. He can’t duplicate himself like Loki can so a splitting up of seasons for Loki makes sense. White Stork is expected to be ten 60 minute episodes, so that should certainly keep Hiddleston busy filming that for a good chunk of 2021.

    Now, you may ask, what does that mean for the possibility of Loki popping up his dear brother’s fourth installment of his films, Thor: Love and Thunder? If Hiddleston basically has an open schedule in January, February and at least part of March, then there’s certainly a possibility of him joining the filming, at least briefly, while they film in Australia (or perhaps separate filming just for him elsewhere). However it doesn’t seem to indicate a very large role in the Thor franchise for the God of Mischief this time around.

  • Sasha Lane Interview Seemingly Confirms Role in ‘LOKI’

    Sasha Lane Interview Seemingly Confirms Role in ‘LOKI’

    Early this year, stuntwoman Kelly Bellini was listed on IMDb as actress Sasha Lane’s stunt double for episode 2 of the Loki series. Unfortunately, IMDb is sometimes not the most reliable source of information, and Sasha had not actually been confirmed as being in the show as of many months later. Now a new interview with Sasha Lane with GoldenGlobes.com about her other series Utopia, has seemingly confirmed the IMDb listing.

    Lane made her film debut in the award-winning movie, American Honey (2016), starring opposite Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough, after being spotted on a Miami beach by the film’s director, Andrea Arnold. She followed up with roles in Hearts Beat Loud, opposite Nick Offerman, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Hellboy, and will next appear in the superhero series, Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston. 

    While there has been a few articles previously speculating Lane was in the Loki series, largely coming from that IMDb listing, it hadn’t really been confirmed; assuming Golden Globes wasn’t working off of that same listing, it looks like Lane’s presence in the series may have been confirmed.

    Source: Goldenglobes.com