Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Cinematic Universe

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Sony’s ‘SPIDER-WOMAN’ Film Will Be Set in the MCU

    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…

    I know there’s a lot of conflicting info out there and a lot of theories, so I am hoping to shed some light on that here.

    Over the past week, I’ve read that Spider-Woman is set in the MCU, that it’ll feature Julia Carpenter and that there is no Spider-Woman film, but that there is just a Madame Web movie using the character.

    Here’s what I can tell you:

    Spider-Woman is a Sony Pictures film and it is entirely separate from Madame Web. But there is something very interesting. Amy Pascal is producing the film for Sony, but it’s also being overseen by executive producer Rachel O’Connor. This is interesting because O’Connor has not been associated with Venom, Morbius or Venom 2, but she has been associated with both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. I don’t think you need me to tell you why this is interesting, but at the moment, all I can do is speculate as to what this might mean.

    Jessica Drew is set to be the star of the Spider-Woman film. That is a stone cold fact. The character is co-owned by Sony and Disney. Marvel Studios can use Jessica Drew but cannot call her Spider-Woman. In conjunction with the information I stated above, this situation becomes much more interesting to me. I have to leave open the possibility that Sony and Marvel Studios could be working together on this film, meaning we could get a fully realized Jessica Drew rather than a half ass one from either Sony or Marvel Studios.

    Be careful though because, as of now, there’s no proof of this. The closest we can come is tying O’Connor to it and speculating that the October 7, 2021 release date that Sony just claimed was actually a sign of cooperation by Marvel Studios, who had originally claimed that date. Of course this would put Drew on the board for some of the big, upcoming MCU story lines, including a potential Secret Invasion adaptation, so…fingers crossed.


    My guess is that if there is something to this, we will know very soon.

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Evidence for Kraven as the Villain in ‘Spider-Man 3’

    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…

    Plenty of people have written up plenty of spec pieces on how and why Kraven is the perfect villain to take on the Web Slinger in the upcoming MCU Spidey film. I’m not here to rehash all that because, for the most part, I agree. I’m here to discuss one SMALL piece of information that may have, to this point, have been overlooked.

    The recent report from The Illuminerdi indicated that Sony’s plans for a Kraven solo film revealed that Sony was reimagining the character as a “Bourne-like bounty hunter.” That’s a great take. Sounds tough. But one detail that stands out to me is that as of last Spring Sony had hoped to get production on Kraven rolling no later than the 2nd quarter of this year. That means that their original plans were to begin filming by June…which as of today is just 4 months away. And Sony REALLY wanted to get this film going, but there’s no record anywhere of it being close to filming. So unless Sony is going all JJ Abrams on this production and hiding everything, Kraven isn’t filming any time soon.

    It’s the fact that Kraven-a film Sony was so eager to get moving at one point that they had started trying to line up some big name directors (Antoine Fuqua comes to mind)-is NOT filming in June which I find interesting. I find it even more interesting because in addition to Kraven not filming this summer, the third Spider-Man film is.

    So, connecting the dots here, I think it’s highly likely that Sony’s plans for a Kraven solo were derailed when they went back to the bargaining table with Disney, at which point the Hunter became the villain of Spidey 3. To me, the nearly year-long lack of any movement on Kraven is as good of an indicator as any of what we can expect to see when Spidey 3 hits theaters in 2021.

    Now, as to what role he’ll play and if he’ll be the only villain in the film, I’d say that’s a discussion for another time…

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Another Potential Addition to ‘SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS’

    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…

    Last week I was able to get my hands on some Shang-Chi info. As you probably know by now, I was able to confirm that Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr, allies of the Master of Kung Fu, were all in the script. For the last week, I’ve been doing some thinking about another character and I think I may have figured it out.

    I’m writing this as sort of retelling of my thought process and I also want to be clear that the best I’ve been able to do here is connect some dots using my pre-existing knowledge of Shang-Chi comics and the info I was able to get last week.

    Here we go…

    In addition to the characters mentioned above, the studio was also casting for a character named “YAEKIO.” Now there is no Marvel Comics character of whom I am aware named Yaekio. There’s a Yukio and I’m sure a lot of people would have made the jump to this being that character, but there’s more to the story: they’re open to any ethnicity for this AMERICAN character and, as you know, Yukio’s Japanese origins are crucial to developing that character. None of that is really the important information here, but it is background info that will help fill out the rest of the story. The important information is that Yaekio is described as the partner of a character referred to as Su-Mi.

    I spent a few days doing some thinking that kept taking me down the same path. Between Yaekio sounding like Yukio and Su-Mi being similarly constructed to Shang-Chi, I was sure that these were Asian characters who were just codenamed and I was just not thinking of the right ones. Then, I started to go down an different path, focusing more on the “American” and “partner” aspects of the casting and it was down that path that I found the character who I think makes the most sense. Rufus Carter, aka Super-Midnight!

    Image result for marvel rufus carter

    Rufus Carter is a CIA agent who first appeared in Master of Kung Fu #96 who met Shang-Chi and Leiko Wu when their separate missions intersected on a mission in London. Shang-Chi and Wu were already left MI-6 at the time and were working for the private consulting firm known as Freelance Restorations (the name of this film’s production company). Carter left the CIA and continued to occasionally cross paths with the gang from Freelance Restorations and was an ally to Shang-Chi in the way the Felix Leiter often was to James Bond. 

    Image result for marvel rufus carter

    For those reasons alone, Carter makes a lot of sense for Su-Mi, but there’s one more thing about Carter that really helps push me closer to believing it’s him. Carter is an elite fighter, skilled in both kickboxing and martial arts. If this “tournament” leak is true and the Ten Rings are the prize, you can be sure that the CIA would do what they could to send an undercover agent in to fight for the prize. If we connect ALL THOSE DOTS, and to be sure that’s all this is, some really crazy guess work, Super-Midnight is the guy! 15 Likes

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’ Confirmed to Introduce Multiple MI-6 Characters

    Production on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to get underway shortly in Australia and some casting information has begun to leak including some very exciting, if not expected, news: the film will introduce MI-6 agents Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr.

    MI-6 or Military Intelligence, Section 6 is the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service and has played a major role in the Master of Kung Fu comics on which Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is based. After coming to understand the true nature of his father, international terrorist and crime lord Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi worked alongside and then with MI-6, most frequently teaming up with agents Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu, with whom he also had a romantic relationship.

    The film will apparently introduce the idea that Shang-Chi worked for MI-6 at one time, but has since made his “departure from the world.” Reston (whose now confirmed presence in the film was first rumored by HNE) is described as Shang-Chi’s old partner and friend who is now married to Leiko Wu, an elite MI-6 operative who once had “strong feelings” for the Master of Kung Fu. Fellow MI-6 agentBlack Jack Tarr, always up for a fight in the comics, is described as an “elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.”

    The studio was searching for a Caucasian male, 45-50 for Reston; a Chinese female, 26-39 for Wu; a Caucasian male 30-49 for Tarr. It is believed that these roles have been filled at this time though I was unable to get responses from representatives of several actors.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters February 12, 2021.

  • What I Heard This Week (Well, Not Really THIS Week But This Is the Week I’m Talking About It): Emily Blunt

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

    Image result for emily blunt age"

    So, thing I heard this week (well, I heard it months ago but this is the week I’m talking about it): While filming the Disney picture Jungle Cruise, Emily Blunt met with Marvel Studios about a role in an upcoming film.

    That’s it. That is all I heard. Don’t know if she signed or passed on yet another Marvel Studios role. I don’t even know what the role they discussed was. However, with the new character description (which many of us are ASSUMING is Clea) now out there, it seemed the right time to mention the meeting.

    This is a story that maybe isn’t really a story because if nothing ever comes of it, then it was nothing. It is, however, interesting and I’m choosing to share it now after not doing anything with it for several months because of the latest round of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness casting calls which call for a VERY strong “leading lady type”. late-20s to early 40s, who can be a “contemporary” to Strange.

    Image result for marvel clea"

    Blunt is 36 years old and one of THE premiere female action stars in Hollywood. She not only fits the age requirement, she has all the chops and a long list of hits to be the new “leading lady” and certainly someone who can go on screen with Benedict Cumberbatch and be seen as his “contemporary.” She can do more than that. She can go toe-to-toe with Cumberbatch and knock his Stephen Strange down a few pegs when the time is right. Strange fans have longed for Clea to be a part of this sequel and a part of Strange’s MCU journey; Emily Blunt might be just the right actress for the role.

    Of course there’s no way for me to know if she was talking about Clea, Sue Storm, Medusa (just in case those Inhuman reinvention rumors were true) or even a character in Eternals or another property I don’t even know about. What I do know is that the more I think about a list of actresses who can give what it takes to portray Clea appropriately, I can’t make that list without her on it.

  • Marvel Studios Disney Plus Series ‘LOKI’ Will Reportedly Feature Transgender Character Sera

    A new report from the Illuminerdi suggests that the Marvel Studios Disney Plus Series Loki will introduce Sera, a transgender character first introduced in 2014’s Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, to the MCU in a strong supporting role.

    Image result for marvel comics sera"

    Should this report prove to be correct, Sera would be the first transgender character to be heavily featured in a Marvel Studios project. In the comics, the character is an Anchorite, a group of male angels from the previously unknown Tenth Realm: Heven. She was featured heavily in Angela: Asgard’s Assassin as she first helped, then fell in love with Angela before eventually marrying her. Sera’s inclusion in the series could very well indicate that it will introduce Heven and, potentially Angela. Though the trades suggested she might be playing a female version of Loki, actress Sophia Di Martino’s role in the series has never been clearly defined, so it’s possible that she could be playing Angela, if they are including that character in the series.

    Image result for marvel comics sera"

    Loki is now filming in Atlanta and is currently scheduled to stream on Disney Plus in the Spring of 2021.

  • Marvel Studios Hunt for Its Ms. Marvel Continues

    In early January, I had heard that Marvel Studios had settled on an actress for the role of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel for its upcoming Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel. At the moment, it appears that search is ongoing.

    Early this afternoon I learned that Marvel Studios had either reopened or extended the search for an actress to play Khan. This means one of two things: the original actress either didn’t sign on/dropped out of the role or one was never found in the first place. I’m inclined to lean into the former as the source who shared the news with me originally has been incredibly reliable.

    Regardless of the scenario, this is an important character for the studio to cast and one that will come both with great fame and great stress, especially for a young woman 15-20 years old. As of now, it appears we may not find out the identity of that young woman any time soon.

  • Marvel Studios Searching for Their Brother Voodoo

    The illuminderi have come out of the gates swinging and, on Friday afternoon, launched another haymaker with the report that Marvel Studios is searching for a Caribbean actor for a lead role in next year’s Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness. While the character was not identified, it seems like a safe bet that it is for Jericho Drum, aka Brother Voodoo. I can confirm that the studio is searching for an actor in his late 20s to early 40s for the role.

    Image result for marvel brother voodoo"

    First appearing in Strange Tales #169, the Haitian born Jericho Drumm left for America to become a psychologist. Upon returning home, he found his brother, Daniel, the local Houngan or Voodoo priest, dying from a spell cast on him. Before he passed, Daniel made Jericho promise to study to become a Houngan, starting his path towards eventually replacing Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme.

    The inclusion of Jericho Drumm has been expected for some time. His brother, Daniel, the keeper of the New York Sanctum, was killed by Kaecilius in Doctor Strange, setting the stage for him to learn the mystic arts as he works to keep the memory of his brother alive.

    Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is due in theaters May 7, 2021.

  • Noah Mills Joins Marvel Studios Disney Plus Series ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

    Actor Noah Mills (The Enemy Within, The Brave) has joined Marvel Studios upcoming live-action series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in an undisclosed role.

    Image result for noah mills"

    Mills, who was seen on set recently, joins Desmond Chiam and Miki Ishikawa as members of the cast whose roles have yet to be revealed. The series seems to have taken quite a bit of inspiration from Mark Gruenwald’s epic 80’s run on Captain America that introduced characters such as John Walker, Lemar Hoskins, Rachel Leighton, Crossbones and more to Cap’s roster of supporting characters.

    The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is filming now and is expected to stream on Disney Plus this Fall.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ to Resume Production in a Caribbean Paradise

    After filming in and around Atlanta, Georgia for the past several months, production on Marvel Studios Disney Plus series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is set to move to a bit more “exotic” location when filming revs back up after the holiday break. When filming resumes after the holiday break, it will be in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico!

    Image result for beautiful puerto rico

    While work has begun on a film district in Puerto Rico, it is not expected to be complete until next Summer; however, films such as Bad Boys 2 and Fast Five and Captain America: Civil War have filmed on the island before.

    The studio has filed paperwork to shoot there under Pandemic Productions PR LLC.