Tag: Loki

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Confirms ‘LOKI’ Has Resumed Production

A new interview with Gugu Mbatha-Raw with Forbes.com confirms filming on the Loki series has resumed after being put on pause last March.

Life is starting to return to somewhere near normal for Mbatha-Raw, who is now back at work filming the upcoming Marvel TV series, Loki, for Disney+ in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I was in the middle of filming when the pandemic happened, so I had a real break, I’ve been painting and reading. Like so many others, I was at home for a long time,” she said. “Not to make light of the suffering going on, but in some ways, it has been an opportunity for me to get a fresh perspective on things. It is downtime that perhaps I might not have had, and now I’m thankful to be back to work. It’s been a journey for everyone, but it’s all for a greater reason and the greater good.”

Typical of MCU actors, Mbatha-Raw isn’t giving up any details on the production, however it’s more welcome news for Marvel fans eager to see what the God of Mischief gets up to next.

“I’m obviously sworn to secrecy about everything to do with Loki, but it feels great to be back. Everyone is trying to do it as safely as possible under the circumstances, and it feels good. I’m excited. It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see it.”

Editing to add a quick additional quote from another new interview with Vulture where Mbatha-Raw is a bit more specific about when they resumed filming. Previous reports were they would begin on September 14.

Where are you right now?
I’m in Atlanta. I’m filming here, for work — Loki the Disney+ series. We just restarted a few weeks ago.

Source: Forbes, Vulture

September 23, 2020
Kid Loki Actor Possibly Revealed

Several days ago, I was made aware by one of my followers Lea, about some interesting social media activity by Sophia Di Martino, among others involved with the Loki series. After further thought and considering the evidence, it seems a strong likelihood that child actor Jack Veal has the part of young Loki in the series.

Earlier this year, Murphy’s Multiverse reported that there was a casting call for a boy and a girl for the Loki series. The girl’s part has seemingly has been filled by Cailey Fleming (playing “Young Sylvie” per IMDb). The boy’s description draws a striking resemblance to a younger version of the God of Mischief, and is a good match to Jack Veal, who has appeared in The End of the F***ing World, The Favourite, and Call the Midwife.

Does this mean a version of Kid Loki from the comics is coming to the MCU? Very possibly. It has long been rumored we’d see various versions of Loki in the series. The Lokis could even be interacting with each other when you consider time travel and the TVA is involved. The role of young Sylvie, who seems to be a young version of Di Martino’s character, is curious tho, and makes me wonder if there could be a flashback between them as children. On the other hand, the part of the boy being “recurring” does point to him having a significant role in the series.

Bear in mind, this casting and role has by no means been stated officially yet. Whoever Jack is playing, I hope he has great fun filming and enjoys every minute of being part of the MCU.

September 19, 2020
‘THE FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER’ Still Planning a Return to Prague

Here is a quick update for all you fans of the Disney Plus Marvel series currently trying to finish up filming. Both WandaVision and Loki were expected to have resumed very recently, however no definitive proof, such as images of them filming, has popped up on the internet yet. Bear in mind, that just because we don’t see proof of them filming, doesn’t mean they are not. Both of those series have done much more on stages and backlots than on location, so we may not get much for these in comparison to others. We certainly have not seen much in the form of paparazzi or fan snagged images or details from the start of those series filming.

As for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we have certainly seen definitive proof of them filming a few times this past 2 weeks alone, due to them filming in Atlanta and being caught by both paparazzi and fans. There are still a few weeks left to film in Georgia before they travel back to the Czech Republic to finish work there. COVID-19 numbers have been rising in that country, unfortunately, so that is still very much a concern, and could certainly change plans for travel.

However, I was informed by @FFilmu (Twitter) that a permit for the production to film in the Czech Republic has finally been spotted. The permit is valid from September 29th to October 12th, and seems to be mainly for parking, possibly for some filming nearby during that period. This news, plus recent posts by the Czech casting agency for the series stating that the project would be filming “soon,” and in October, certainly supports the idea that plans are still going forward for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to return and finish up there.

I will also note here, that the casting agency has also remarked that the crew is “regularly tested for COVID-19, so I am certain many precautions are being taken. Whether or not the whole crew and cast must go, or it will be a much more limited group, to pick up some exterior shots, stunts, and 2nd Unit stuff, remains unclear at this time.

September 17, 2020
Dissecting the Disney Plus Business Model

There is a sad reality to streaming. At one point, you probably noticed that there is a lack of longevity. It is well-known that Netflix sees no value in long-term investments. As such, they created the two to three season benchmark. There are some exceptions like Bojack Horseman, but that is their tendency. Most Marvel fans remember the cancellations of shows like Daredevil or Luke Cage at their peaks. Daredevil showrunner Erik Oleson even pitched a fourth season. Sadly, they still decided to cancel the show on a cliffhanger. At first, people believed this was due to Disney entering the market with Disney+. Surprisingly, this wasn’t a key factor in this decision. matters worse, they create deal contracts that keep other networks from continuing these shows.

In an article by Business Insider, they explored the reasoning behind Netflix’s cancellations. The streaming giant’s decision is based on its business model. Unlike conventional television, they focus on driving subscriber growth. They don’t primarily focus on maintaining viewership. As such, they are required to consistently pump out new shows. Netflix’s straight-to-series model also restricts them. They cannot cancel a show mid-season that didn’t bring in new subscribers. Plus, they can keep the momentum going by cheaply producing a follow-up season. However, as soon as they hit the 30 episode mark these costs aren’t covered anymore. Netflix sets up its contracts that make them too expensive beyond that mark. It would be easy to renegotiate these terms but that only works if Netflix allows it.

So, why am I bringing this up? Well, there is a good chance that Disney+ will face similar issues. Unlike Netflix, the service has just started. Luckily, they are way ahead of their early predictions with 54.5 million subscribers. Still, they are nowhere near Netflix’s subscriber count yet. We also can’t forget that the only major brand release so far was The Mandalorian. We did get a variety of Disney+ Originals but none for their major brands that are their main selling point. As such, Disney spent $75 million to get their hands on the exclusive streaming rights to Hamilton. Disney’s investment paid off, as their subscriber base saw a great boost during the release weekend.

The next project everyone is waiting for is the Marvel Studios’ series. Originally, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as WandaVision, were scheduled for this year. They will kick-off Kevin Feige‘s expansion into long-term storytelling. So far, there don’t seem to be any plans for future seasons. There is, however, one show that does. In an interview from May with Clark Gregg, the Agents of SHIELD actor accidentally revealed how many episodes Tom Hiddleston was filming.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say, boy, that would really be interesting to start the experiment over. Doing 10 episodes or 12 episodes the way Tom Hiddleston told me he was doing [on Loki] with that kind of budget and that Marvel Cinematic production team.”

We know that these shows are planned to have between six to eight episodes. So, the reveal of ten to twelve just seems to confirm that it was renewed for a second season. The involvement of the Time Variance Authority could open up the show to countless story opportunities. Yet, while we got a small glimpse at the show in the Super Bowl teaser, we never got an official word since. Even What If was confirmed for a second season by Feige in an interview. Ironically, both 2021 shows are confirmed to have an extended runtime. Perhaps these shows have deeper ties than we know of.

How does this connect with Netflix’s model? The thing that sticks out the most is the costs of these productions. They are rumored to have around $25 million an episode. These are $10 million more than The Mandalorian had. Let’s not forget, that the Star Wars show was considered ambitious. The MCU shows are including major actors from their films. Tom Hiddleston isn’t cheap. He has come a long way from his $160.000 pay for the first Thor film. Also, he won’t always have the schedule to return for continuous seasons. Even Agents of SHIELD had scheduling issues to include mainstay Ian DeCaestecker in the last season. Plus, they can re-use props and assets for the TVA that will be a recurring element in the series. It makes sense to film two seasons in one to minimize production budgets.

If the business model depends on drawing in new subscribers, they won’t stick to a lot of long-format shows. As such, Loki will also be a mini-series that just happens to consist of two parts. To make a comparison, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina also consisted of parts rather than seasons. This was mainly a result of the show being ordered by episode count. It shows how our understanding of television is changing in the streaming era. This also explains why Marvel Studios announced a total of seven different shows that will all enter production throughout the next years. Just like their approach to the films, they aren’t focused on getting seasons out every year for every series. Rather, the main character of one show continues their story in another. It might also explain the strong focus on the next generation of characters like Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, or Ms. Marvel. It doesn’t mean there won’t be any additional seasons. Just that they might spread them out more rather than strictly sticking to a yearly schedule per show.

Does this mean we won’t have any long-term shows? Not necessarily, as a show like What If is a perfect example for multiple seasons. Every simple concept can be twisted in multiple ways. Even Kevin Feige even used the wording of season for this show. There are other concepts that could be explored in an ongoing format, like the once rumored Damage Control show. With smaller budgets, they can be used to keep an audience on the platform and add some consistent content. That way, if a larger show needs more time to finish production, they can plan around it and keep a consistent schedule. Moreover, if they tie-in to larger events, it can be a selling point to get new subscribers that loved a specific film. This concept is actually what many expected Agents of SHIELD to be when it aired seven years ago. While I believe Loki will sadly just consist of 10 to 12 episodes it doesn’t mean the Time Variance Authority couldn’t have a chance to spin-off into its own thing. It could offer the opportunity to explore more of the MCU’s history and alternative timelines. Loki could return as a recurring character to better fit his schedule.

Sources: Business Insider, Digital Spy, Deadline, CNBC, Cheatsheet, Variety, ScreenRant, Business Insider, Men’s Health, ScreenRant (Agents of SHIELD), Variety (Sabrina), ScreenRant (What If)

August 18, 2020
Wunmi Mosaku, the Time Variance Authority and ‘LOKI’

If you’ve never read an installment of Connecting Imaginary Dots, allow me to explain the idea. Connecting Imaginary Dots was the title I came up with for my speculation pieces when I was writing at MCU Exchange. These types of pieces basically allow me to unload a bunch of junk that’s circulating in my brain in a way that should never be confused for things I actually expect to happen. I basically take a bunch of facts that are almost always entirely unrelated and do my best to connect the dots with by stretching my imagination. In the past these types of pieces have resulted in me theorizing that the Spider-Man sequel which became Far From Home might end up being a team-up outing of Spidey and Hulk in the Savage Land; however, I also wrote one theorizing that Sterling K. Brown would be playing the father of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther LOOOOOONG before anyone else was considering it and one in which I theorized that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell when everyone else still thought Jude Law was playing the character. The bottom line is this: these are fun spec pieces that allow me to just be a fan. With that out of the way…

We are already aware that the Disney Plus Marvel Studios streaming series Loki will introduce the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Through set photos published by Just Jared back in March, we know that actress Wunmi Mosaku will be working with the TVA in some capacity. Additionally, according to IMDB (and yes I am well aware that it cannot always be counted on for legitimate information), a stunt woman worked 3 episodes as a stunt double for a character called simply “B15.” Taken independently, these are some interesting tidbits but that’s not what we do here and that’s not why these features are called “Connecting Imaginary Dots”, so here it goes…

After waking from a fever dream the other night, I decided that the dots here lead to the conclusion that Wunmi Mosaku will be playing a TVA Chronomonitor (though I’m not sure they’ll be using that title in Loki) labeled B15. For those rightly asking “What in theeeee hell is a Chronomonitor?”, here’s what you need to know. The massive halls of the TVA headquarters (The Halls of Chronometry) are filled with employees known as Chronomonitors, beings who are responsible for monitoring divergent timelines. In the comics, Chronomonitors are created on every occasion where a timeline “bifurcates” and it becomes their duty to monitor said timeline. These monitors even have the power/authority/responsibility to further split their timeline should events take place that they deem important enough to create another divergent timeline; of course such an act would also create an opening for another Chronomonitor, so you can imagine there are quite a lot of them…and there are, as you can see in the pictures below. When Chronomonitors locate disruptive entities within their timelines, they alert the Minutemen (the TVA’s time cops) to clean up the mess. We know the Minutemen are appearing in Loki so having the Chronomonitors makes sense as well (it’s also entirely possible that Marvel Studios has combined the two types of characters in an effort to simplify what might be a confusing plot device in the first place). Given the size of the role (at least 3 episodes), I’d say this particular Chronomonitor is pretty important. My guess here is that Mosaku’s Chronomonitor has been tasked with monitoring the bifurcation that occurred when Hulk smashed Tony’s face after descending the stairs, allowing the Tesseract to end up in Loki’s possession.

Chronomonitors are not named, but given a “letter-number” label, so B15 is right in line with how one might refer to them in the comics or in the Loki series. Now in all honesty, there’s not anywhere near enough evidence here to truly make claim that Mosaku is playing B15 and it’s unclear if any other Chronomonitors will be playing a role as large as Mosaku’s. That begs the question just how many Chronomonitors are we going to see in Loki which would be a direct result of just how much mischief the Prince of Lies can cause. We’ll find out when Loki hits Disney Plus in 2021!

August 12, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios Has Come Back to Atlanta!

Marvel Studios crews returned to work this week in Atlanta to begin preparation for the resumption (or in some cases the beginning) of filming.

Crews for The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Loki and Hawkeye moved back into town and got the ball rolling again on the three upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, joining the crew for the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel, which had previously begun prep work.

The past week saw crews return to their projects’ offices, stages being built and preproduction steps taken that should ensure both The Falcon and The Winter Solider and Loki are able to resume filming sometime in late-August or early-September. Back in early July, the studio had hoped to resume filming on those projects by August 17th (a date I reported in my Patreon).

A recent report indicated a late-October start for Hawkeye and, as I reported a few months ago, the Spidey sequel is expected to begin filming in September (though the recent release date shift does give them a month to play with). WandaVision, you may have noticed, is glaringly absent from the list but we continue to hear they have work to complete in Los Angeles.

The return of crews to the area is incredibly encouraging as it continues to give fans hope that production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be completed in enough time for the series to stream before the end of 2020, giving content-starved fans an epic introduction to Kevin Feige’s plans for the streaming service. It also means casting news might begin to trickle out for Hawkeye and Spidey 3 over the next several weeks, giving us some insight into what exactly we can expect from these projects. This is just the kind of great news we needed headed into the weekend.

August 7, 2020
‘MS. MARVEL’ Production Update

Now more than ever, production dates seem to be “best guesses” rather than chiseled in concrete but, as we’ve seen recently in the case of Uncharted, things can get back underway and “on time” in this new normal. While we wait for Marvel Studios to resume production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki, we now have something new to look forward to as the studio has set a NEW start date (verified by Discussing Film) for Ms. Marvel. As of this week, Marvel Studios plans to roll cameras in Atlanta on the streaming series from November through March of 2021!

This new, November start date replaces what was originally supposed to be an August start. Not only does it track with other information we’ve been hearing (such as the studio beginning to zero in on their Kamala Khan) but it also might give us some insight into some other aspects of production. If Marvel Studios is looking to get Ms. Marvel started in November, that might mean that, as of now, that’s when they expect to have studios space open once production on Loki wraps in Atlanta. Additionally, we might deduce that if production on Ms. Marvel is kicking off about 3 months later than originally expected that we could, potentially, see Hawkeye, originally scheduled for a September start, get in front of cameras before the end of 2020 as well!

Keep in mind there are still a lot of obstacles to clear before any productions get underway, but we can tentatively start piecing things together here under the assumption that things get running again soon. Before I go, I’ll leave you with this incomplete tidbit as to why Marvel Studios is keen on casting Kamala Khan sooner than later even though her series isn’t set to film until November: Ms. Marvel won’t be the first time we meet Kamala Khan. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll already know why.

July 22, 2020
Sorting Through ‘WANDAVISION’ and ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Conflicting Updates

Well it’s certainly been a befuddling couple of days for fans of the MCU, and in particular for those looking forward to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. While its finally been revealed that FaTWS will NOT make an August release date, as expected considering the state of… well, everything; there has been continued confusion basically all day about whether or not WandaVision will be pushed back as well. I will do my best to sort it out for you below. But if you want the quick answer, it is plainly, I dont know. No one really does at this point in time. In all likelihood, not even Disney Plus or Marvel do.

That being said, if you want to read the long answer where I sort through the several conflicting reports to try to clarify things on this front, and then give my at least somewhat educated OPINION of what might happen, then continue on.

First and foremost, no, I’m sorry to say, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is not going to make the previously announced August 2020 release window. This was completely expected due to the pandemic shutting down filming and continued troubles with that, paired with the series having several weeks left to film at least (expect it to be longer with the current guidelines). However, if they are able to complete filming even as late as by end of September, maybe even October, that should still allow for a late 2020 release for that series. Chances are the studio is working out how and where to do that already.

Thursday, The Laughing Place reported, not surprisingly, that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was not on a list of titles sent to the media for the Disney Plus streaming service for August. This was despite Disney Chairman Bob Iger himself announcing a few months ago during an earnings call that FaTWS would stream in August, WandaVision in December, and Loki in 2021.

Early Friday afternoon, a post by Deadline reporting on the delay news about The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, stated at first that WandaVision was “on track for a previously set October premiere date.” This was seemingly confused by the writer with the second season of The Mandalorian. They have since corrected the article to say “WandaVision remains on track for a 2020 premiere date” instead. So still probably streaming in December 2020, right? Well, hold off those party plans for a moment Wanda stans…and read on.

A bit later, an Entertainment Weekly article came up talking about The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s delay, stated: “A source close to the situation confirms to EW that the premiere has indeed been delayed due to the global pandemic. If all goes well, a new premiere will be announced soon.” Note the “if all goes well” part there. Yeah, that’s a pretty big IF right now unfortunately. And I’m not exactly sure how they’re defining the word “soon” because we are certainly months away from seeing if “all goes well” with the series finishing up their filming. In other words, don’t expected a new release date announced too “soon,” and even then, everything is very very “wait and see” for all these series until they finish all the filming. Their only mention of WandaVision, by the way, was about the Bob Iger comment I mentioned earlier here. It was to air in December 2020, straight from the horse’s… um… mouse’s…uh…big time guy at Disney’s mouth. (Hold up. Keep reading Wanda stans…)

Then late afternoon The Hollywood Reporter posted an article about Hawkeye being the first Disney Plus Marvel series to have multiple directors (Rhys Thomas, Amber Finlayson, and Katie Ellwood), which threw a monkeywrench into all our WandaVision hopes and dreams.

Hawkeye is part of the first wave of Marvel shows that was due to hit Disney+ starting in fall 2020. The first show was to have been The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but the series has been delayed to the coronavirus pandemic affecting production. Other shows include WandaVision (spring 2021, if things go as planned), Loki (also spring 2021),then Hawkeye. All will see the silver screen thespians toplining the series.

So now if that’s correct and up to date, we seem to be back to the original plan when the shows were announced last year, WandaVision and Loki in 2021. Or are we? Or is it simply the reporter guessing and/or going by old information about the release dates? The fact that he says Loki in Spring 2021 makes me think the latter. The reason being, Loki has kind of a lot left to film, especially compared with the other two. And again, we’re in the middle of a pandemic which complicates everything, including making filming take longer from what I understand. What I’m saying is, I’m rather skeptical that Loki is going to make a Spring 2021 release. I could be wrong, but I suspect late Summer or Fall is much more likely for the God of Mischief to appear again.

As for WandaVision, and again this is my OPINION, and I could be totally wrong, and I could see something that makes me change my mind next week or month or whatever… However my opinion is that WandaVision will likely be pushed back to early Spring, (or maybe late Winter okay? Don’t hurt me.)

The reason I think this is for one thing, while I’m sure Disney Plus is desperate for new content for their subscribers, they also are going to want to be smart and space out their releases a bit. This way subscribers have a continued feed of new stuff, not just one giant but delicious Marvely chunk and then nothing for months and months because they can’t be completely sure when they can get anything else filmed right now.

Secondly, as we all know, Marvel likes to link their films, and these Disney series are also going to be linked both to the films and to each other. The order of things was in place for a while now: Black Widow, then Falcon and the Winter Soldier, then The Eternals, then WandaVision, etc… Assuming they want to keep that order in tact, due to connectivity, then WandaVision should air some time after The Eternals, and Falcon and The Winter Soldier after Black Widow... Do I know for sure that there are connections between all of these films and series? No. As I stated at the beginning, this part is my at least somewhat educated opinion.

And lastly with the shifting back of release dates for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to March 2022, and the fact that WandaVision will definitely influence what happens in that film, they may not want to air WandaVision that far ahead of that film. Better to keep the events of WandaVision fresh in the audience’s mind for that.

I hope I’ve helped clear up some of the confusion of the day for you, I did my best to, even if it’s not something some of you want to hear. Let’s just all of us wear masks for a while longer and then hopefully we can still get our beloved Marvel stuff this year, okay?

Correction: One day later the Hollywood Reporter writer put out a correction on his Twitter @boris_kit: “I’ve made a correction to the article saying WandaVision is due to come out in 2020. Thanks to the Brandons for keeping me on my toes.”

July 18, 2020
10 “Fox” Characters Marvel Studios Can Turn Into Gold

With the acquisition of 21st Century Fox last year, Disney saw an already incredible stable of Marvel characters grow even more impressive. While we are all excited for Dr. Doom, Magneto, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, there are hundreds of lesser known characters waiting in the wings for their first shot on the silver screen. Let’s take a look at 10 of them that could shine in the MCU.

Blastaar

When you think of the Negative Zone, it’s understandable that Annihilus comes to mind first. We’ll certainly see Annihilus and the Negative Zone at some point and, when we do, Blastaar had better be there, too. First appearing in Fantastic Four #62, the brutal Baluurian warlord has a ton of potential as a possible entry-level threat from the Negative Zone and an ongoing presence that presents himself as a thorn in the side of the Living Death that Walks (that’s Annihilus to you and me, kids). Blastaar saw a major resurgence beginning with 2006’s Annihilation and played a major role in some big cosmic stories over the next several years. The Living Bomb-Burst could be an MCU mainstay and help sell a lot of toys as well.

Diablo

Though he first appeared in Fantastic Four #30, Esteban Corazon de Ablo (get it, de Ablo/Diablo?!) is a character who could show up in any number of other properties and cause some chaos. Despite having been notoriously named by Stan Lee as the one character he regretted creating (Stan couldn’t remember why he even created him in the first place), the ancient alchemist could pop up just about anywhere throughout history and his history with the vampires of the Marvel Universe could make him an interesting choice when they come flying into the MCU. His true chance to shine, though, might be as part of Mephisto’s Legion Accursed or the Masters of Evil where he can team up with some other truly disturbed minds, some of which are found on this list as well.

Dragon Man

What can you say about Dragon Man that hasn’t already been said…honestly, quite a bit because I’m not sure too many people know he exists. Originally an android foe of the Fantastic Four after being manipulated by the aforementioned Diablo, Dragon Man’s recent reformation allowed him to be a part of the Future Foundation where he worked as a guide the next generation of geniuses. He also served some time as the X-Men’s team mascot and developed a crush on Jean Grey, but it’s his newly formed relationship with the Richards’ children and their friends that could give him the chance to shine in the MCU.

The Fallen One (and all the other Heralds of Galactus)

As I’ve written in the past, for the Silver Surfer and Galactus to work in the MCU, they’re going to require a very different sort of introduction. Galactus deserves more than a one-off appearance and the Surfer could easily carry his own trilogy; the one character that could serves as the connective tissue between the two is The Fallen One, the first herald of Galactus. The Fallen One first appeared in 2004’s Thanos #11 ahead of a fairly large role in the Annihilation event and instantly changed everything we thought we knew about the Devourer. The Fallen One represent everything the Silver Surfer is not and his sprinkling in his story throughout the shared origin story of Galactus and the Surfer would plant the seed required for him to show up in a solo Surfer film alongside some of the other heralds. If you’ve read my Nova features, you already know how heralds like Air-Walker and Firelord could find their way into the MCU but if we’re going to go the route of working through a few heralds, we better see Terrax show up as well.

H.E.R.B.I.E.

The biggest no brainer on the list is H.E.R.B.I.E. Reed Richards’ Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics (that’s worse than S.H.I.E.L.D., right?) first appeared in the 1978 animated The Fantastic Four as a replacement for Johnny Storm before making his way into the comics the following year. Originally a sleeper agent for some ridiculous evil forces, H.E.R.B.I.E. eventually (on like his third or fourth or twentieth body) found his role in the Baxter Building. This one is all about two things: the comic relief of blowing him up and building him again (see C-3PO) and selling toys. There’s a chance we won’t see H.E.R.B.I.E. when the First Family lands in the MCU, but I wouldn’t bet against the little guy, especially not if we see a Future Foundation streaming series on Disney Plus.

The Mad Thinker (and Awesome Andy!)

The Mad Thinker’s fascination with probability, his 99.9% recall rate and his mechanical genius make him an interesting yet overmatched foe of the Fantastic Four. Like others on the list, he’s more well-suited to teaming up (hello Puppet Master or maybe a different version of the Frightful Four) than trying to take anyone one individually and there’s a good chance that if we do see him, it would be in that way. I’m actually more excited about seeing The Awesome Android than I am the Mad Thinker and, for that reason, have been curious about him potentially teaming up with someone like Thundra and showing up in She-Hulk where Awesome Andy could really shine!

The Puppet Master

At first glance, Phillip Masters doesn’t seem like the kind of villain worthy of making his way into the MCU because the idea behind his bad guy powers really isn’t going to translate into something worth seeing on the big screen. Despite all that, I think it’s possible he shows up and not just as the father of the love of Ben Grimm’s life, Alicia Masters. Marvel Studios plans for the Fantastic Four remain totally hidden from view, but with Disney Plus now able to serve up exciting, high quality projects that add to the depth of the worlds these characters inhabit, the Puppet Master would be an excellent antagonist for Dragon Man and the Future Foundation in a limited, streaming series.

The Red Ghost

As much as I would love to see Ivan Kragoff’s Super-Apes on screen, it’s hardly that aspect of the character that could easily allow him into the MCU. Sure, he’s associated with the Fantastic Four, but it’s Ed Brubaker’s The Winter Soldier that could open the door for the Russian mad scientist. Kragoff’s work brainwashing sleeper agents for Department X could really come in handy with Yelena Belova set to take over the mantle of Black Widow in the MCU. Krafoff is exactly the type of character Marvel Studios could retool and give purpose, maybe working for AIM or with the Thunderbolts.

Thundra

If the rumors about the Squadron Supreme appearing in the Loki streaming series are true, then there’s a path to the MCU for Thundra. Her traditional origins as a time traveler probably don’t work out very well, but there’s no reason she can’t be a multiversal character who ends up in the present day MCU at some point. Of course they could totally redo her origins and introduce her in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier as a member of the Grapplers. It’s almost like stunt actor Vanessa Cater would be just right in the role…

Wyatt Wingfoot

The college roomie and good buddy of Johnny Storm, Wyatt Wingfoot walked away from his destiny as chief of the Keewazi tribe to chose a life of adventure with the Fantastic Four. During that time, Wingfoot began a relationship with Jen Walters that would continue on and off for decades. Wyatt would work well as a window to the craziness that the Fantastic Four experience day to day, allowing us to see their adventures through someone without their incredible powers.

July 10, 2020
Sophia Di Martino Seemingly Prepping to Resume Filming ‘LOKI’

A new Instagram post by Salma Hayek yesterday signaled that she’s expecting reshoots for The Eternals to begin soon, now actress Sophia Di Martino seems to indicate that prep for filming her series Loki is beginning to ramp up as well! See the post below!

While we’ve been hearing that the Disney plus Marvel series might resume in July, along with the other Marvel shows WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, further evidence like this is certainly an encouraging sign! On top of that Tom Hiddleston was spotted by a fan in Georgia a few days ago. They are perhaps not quite ready to start up again yet but it seems the production wheels are indeed turning again!

June 18, 2020