Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Features

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’: Who’s Going to Die?

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’: Who’s Going to Die?

    Director James Gunn has promised an emotional ride for fans when they finally sit down to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film is set to act as the finale for the titular team and their time together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as a goodbye from Gunn to his years working at Marvel Studios. A trailer for the threequel, which recently debuted at Brazil Comic Con, embraced the poignant tone set by the occasion and featured plenty of footage that seemed to hint at somebody not making it out of the film alive. The previous entries in the franchise have both been full of heartbreaking moments, the circumstances of which usually have something to do with a major character taking their last breath, and it would stand to reason Gunn wouldn’t finish off the trilogy without taking at least one more cast member with him.

    With the future of the Guardians currently so up in the air, it feels like any one of the lovably dysfunctional, intergalactic misfits could end up biting the stardust. Nobody is truly safe, but it’s likely some are probably safer than others. Not every character feels quite as poised to end their on-screen journey, even if nothing is really off the table. As such, the situation begs for a ranking of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy in order of their likelihood to face an untimely demise at the hands of Vol. 3.

    Here’s how it all shakes out:

    1. Rocket

    This is the one everyone has been assuming for a while, and honestly, everyone has a good chance of being totally correct. While there’s been a lot of talk about certain characters “meeting their maker” by the end of Vol. 3, Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket will be the only one taking the phrase seriously. Gunn‘s trilogy capper is confirmed to explore the origins of Rocket in the MCU and will bring the anthropomorphic animal face-to-face with the man who created him – Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. The film will deal with the fallout of this reunion and dig into its impact on the team as a whole, something that may feel familiar to fans of the franchise. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 pulled a similar move in expanding upon the origin of Michael Rooker‘s Yondu Udonta before killing him off in a soul-stirring sequence of self-sacrifice. At this point, it really feels like Gunn might do the same with Rocket in the follow-up.

    To elaborate just a little further, Rocket has thus far enjoyed one of the most well-developed character arcs the MCU has been able to offer, and a definitive conclusion to that arc in Vol. 3 would be a natural way for the unlikely hero’s story to end. If that weren’t enough, Gunn himself has gone on record multiple times to state Vol. 3 would be a “send-off” for his favorite protagonist, repeating himself as recently as last month in an interview with Deadline:

    The reason why I needed to finish this is because I love the character of Rocket more than any character I’ve ever dealt with before, and I needed to finish his story and that is what Volume 3 is about. I absolutely needed to do it, and I think we’ve done it in a spectacular way that I can’t wait for people to see.

    James Gunn

    It’s possible this is all one big ruse to hide the actual big death in the movie, but if that’s the case, it’s one of the better cons ever pulled by a director. This one feels too obvious.

    2. Drax

    There isn’t much story-wise that directly points to a coming expiration for Dave Bautista‘s Drax the Destroyer, but a few real-world instances have shot the character to the top half of the “probably going to die” list. To put it plainly, Bautista himself has been very open about his intention to leave Drax behind after Vol. 3, and with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special fulfilling the dream of a Drax/Mantis project coming to life, Gunn has been able to do pretty much everything he’s publicly stated he wanted to do with the blood-loving, soft-hearted space warrior. Bautista, never one to mince words, has been referring to Vol. 3 as his last ride for a while now and even posted a farewell message on his Instagram back in May.

    The only reason Drax isn’t a more surefire bet than Rocket is because there’s still a decent amount of comic book material the MCU could work with in the future. At this point, the films have not yet drawn from the comic return of his long-thought-deceased daughter in the form of Moondragon, which could prove to be a wonderful plotline for a future movie or series. However, that could simply be a surprise twist Gunn is hiding for Vol. 3, and if so, her appearance may seal Drax’s fate immediately. After all, Bautista‘s career is on the rise, with several other projects on his plate. He may be on board to leave the MCU on a high note. Also, #GoodbyeDrax doesn’t sound all that promising.

    3. Nebula

    Perhaps a sleeper pick for the film’s big passing, Karen Gillan‘s Nebula actually has evidence going against her survival both on the screen and off. Much like Rocket, Gillan‘s rough-and-tumble space pirate has undergone a bit of a transformation since audiences first saw her in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula started as an antagonist for the titular heroes, but has since become a trusted member of the team, and even served as an impromptu Avenger for a brief period of time. Also like Rocket, Gunn has gone on record in the past to say Nebula’s dramatic development over the course of his three films has been planned from the very beginning. Standard knowledge of plot structure would imply that, if her story was conceptualized as having three parts, an end for the character is, at the very least, somewhere in sight.

    Furthermore, both Gunn and his buddy, actor and comedian Seth Green, have stated that Vol. 3‘s script is quite heavy on Nebula. An increased amount of screen time in the last project a character is planned to appear in is, often, not a great sign for anyone hoping to see them continue living. Green specifically commented on a lot of the plot revolving around the relationship between Nebula and her sister, Gamora. If one of those two had to sacrifice themself for the other, as will be outlined later, there’s a higher chance of it being the former. Gillan herself may have also put a final nail in the Nebula coffin, taking a page from Bautista‘s book and giving her character a send-off on Instagram:

    Sure, she says it’s possible this is Nebula’s “final chapter”, but at least she left a little room for hope at the beginning.

    4. Star-Lord

    What better way to close a trilogy than to kill off the main character? Of course, the answer is giving them a happy ending everyone can enjoy, but something like that might not carry the kind of gut-punch Gunn is aiming for with Vol. 3. Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill, the self-proclaimed Star-Lord, has been the heart and soul of the Guardians since the franchise launched in 2014. He is, for all intents and purposes, the lead of the trilogy, which automatically puts him in contention for a big death to close it all off. This is especially true when one considers how willing Quill has been to die for his found family at the end of both previous films, and how absolutely heart-wrenching Gunn and company know it would be to have him meet his mother again in some sort of afterlife. Not saying that will happen literally, but the internet does love to make edits.

    The major thing holding Peter back from the top of the list is the massive potential he holds for the future of the MCU’s cosmic storytelling. Even if he’s no longer a leader of the Guardians, Star-Lord is a central figure in most of the comics’ best intergalactic stories and is complex enough to transform for a new era in much the same way as Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor. It may feel like Quill is destined to end with the trilogy that made him a star(lord), but it might actually just be the conclusion of one book before another is opened. It seems just a little more likely that Pratt gets some time off from playing Peter before coming back as a changed man down the line.

    5. Mantis

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special just gave Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis a pretty big emotional connection to the heart of the franchise’s story and did a great job of engraining her forever as a Guardians fan-favorite. While this is all well and good, they could also just be setting it up to hurt more when Mantis is offed by the end of Vol. 3. Truthfully, though, Mantis is probably safe. She’s a newer character to the franchise, with a lot of room left to explore. That doesn’t instantly save her from death, but it would make her a pretty good through line between the next iteration of the Guardians and the team that came before. Also, there isn’t much in the way of evidence to point toward curtains in Mantis’ near future. In fact, there’s more evidence going the other way, with Klementieff recently making an appearance on the D23 Inside Disney podcast and making a few comments that hint toward a continued existence in the MCU.

    When asked if there would be more adventures for Mantis in a post-Vol. 3 world, the actress replied carefully, not giving anything away but not really hinting at a demise either:

    I can’t say much because, you know, the movie’s going to be released a long time from now, in May. But what I can say is that, again, it’s going to be very funny but also extremely emotional. And it’s going to be, in some ways, you know, the end of a chapter, as the Guardians of the Galaxy family. So we’ll see what happens after, you know? It’s not like ‘over over’ but, you know, it’s still…it’s going to be different after.

    Pom Klementieff

    When asked a follow-up about starring in a Mantis solo project, Klemetieff responded, “Yes! Oh, that’d be fun for sure“. It doesn’t really sound like she’s expecting her journey to end in Vol. 3.

    6. Gamora

    Reader, Gamora has already died in the MCU. That’s the main argument to be made against Zoe Saldana‘s space assassin having a big, dramatic death in Vol. 3. Granted, one might be able to see the storytelling advantages of killing her off a second time. She means a whole lot to several members of the main group, and the idea of getting her back – against all odds – just to so quickly lose her again could work in the way of total devastation for fans and the film’s cast alike. It’s also possible that the team finds themselves in a situation where someone has to go, and Gamora volunteers herself knowing she’s displaced from her real timeline anyway. It’s just that all of that comes off as cheap on paper, and Gunn isn’t going for anything cheap in his final Marvel outing. Unless there’s a fantastic concept for a second Gamora death scene, it isn’t supremely likely that the creatives behind the Guardians double down on tears for Saldana.

    7. Kraglin

    One might assume Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin is disqualified from death in Vol. 3 because he’s not a big enough character to elicit the proper audience reaction, but that’s pretty silly thinking. At this point, everyone should have grasped the concept that no character is too small to bring tears to viewers’ eyes. Especially in James Gunn‘s hands. The real reason Kraglin is disqualified from death is that he’s the obvious future of the Ravagers, and he can’t perish before nailing down how to control that darned arrow. When Vol. 3 opens, Gamora will be in charge of the Ravagers, but there’s only a very tiny chance that is still true by the time credits roll. If she doesn’t remain as captain of the Ravagers, it only seems fitting that Kraglin finally ascend to his rightful place. This is the ending he deserves, and both Gunn brothers know it.

    8. Groot

    Vin Diesel‘s Groot will probably survive Vol. 3 on the same clause keeping Gamora alive, and that’s the simple fact that Gunn has already killed him off once before. The original Groot met a perfect and beautiful end during the climax of the first film, and it’s hard to imagine his son topping it at such a young age in Vol. 3. The more interesting plotline would be Groot finding his way in the galaxy without Rocket by his side, something that feels more and more bound to happen as the release date draws near.

    9. Cosmo

    After making a short cameo in the first film and landing a supporting role in the Holiday Special, Maria Bakalova‘s Cosmo will become an official member of the Guardians when Vol. 3 eventually lands in theaters. The thing is, there’s almost no way she dies in the movie. Not only is she essentially still a brand new character, who has massive potential as a founding member of the Guardians 2.0, but there is not a soul attending the premiere of Vol. 3 who wants to see the adorable talking dog eat it so fast? That seems harsh even for noted horror connoisseur James Gunn.

    Source(s): Collider, Instagram, Entertainment Weekly, GameRant, Inverse, Disney,

  • THEORY: Bob Odenkirk is the Main Villain in ‘Wonder Man’

    THEORY: Bob Odenkirk is the Main Villain in ‘Wonder Man’

    Casting is underway for Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man, and it’s already insanely interesting. News broke recently that Aquaman breakout Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would star as the title character Simon Williams, a stuntman and actor with incredible ionic powers, and now it would seem Breaking Bad favorite Bob Odenkirk is in talks to play his manager. If this comes to fruition, Wonder Man would be coming out of the gate with two top-tier talents on board. Yet, it is a little odd to think that Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel would sign such massively gifted performers for minor characters. Abdul-Mateen II would, of course, be around for the long haul, likely joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than a few projects. Odenkirk appearing in the role of “Wonder Man’s agent,” however, almost feels like a downgrade following an award-worthy stretch on Better Call Saul. That is unless there’s more to the character than initially meets the eye.

    While not specifically named in the article revealing Odenkirk‘s potential casting, Wonder Man did have an agent in the comics that could also fill that role in the Disney+ series. Neal Saroyan, created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Johnson for Wonder Man’s second solo run in 1991, appeared as Simon Williams’ slimy talent manager for on-and-off stints over multiple years. At first, Saroyan was used mostly as a Hollywood caricature, designed to satirize the kind of awful behavior industry veterans have long been known for. For example, not long after becoming Simon’s agent, the established sleazeball purposefully orchestrates conflicts that endanger the lives of civilians so his client can look like more of a hero when he arrives to save the day. This style of promotion originates without Simon’s knowledge, but even after he learns the truth, Saroyan sticks around as a “this-is-how-the-business-works” foil for Wonder Man’s back-and-forth ethics.

    Neal spends nearly a decade in comic book obscurity, occasionally popping into Wonder Man stories as a means of driving the plot forward with his specific brand of chaos. Whether it be hiring Simon a fake sidekick to boost his image, booking appointments with supervillains, or trying to force Simon’s love interest to write a film based on tragic Avengers-based events – Saroyan was usually the man pulling the strings. It wasn’t until 2007 that he became something a lot more sinister than just a shady businessman. In a miniseries titled My Fair Super Hero, Simon’s third solo run, Neal steps up and quietly takes the part of main antagonist.

    Writer Peter David and artist Andrew Currie concoct a story in which Saroyan convinces Williams to star in a documentary reality show called – believe it or not – “My Fair Super Hero“. The premise stems from an earlier comic when Simon created a foundation known as “Second Chances”, where, being a former villain himself, he aids in the rehabilitation of criminals who want to be better. In My Fair Super Hero, Neal persuades Simon to publicly work with a superpowered assassin known as Ladykiller. Williams’ goal would be to reshape her image into a hero, under the new name “Ladyfair,” with the process being filmed as a way of bringing attention to both Wonder Man and Second Chances. A reluctant Simon agrees, and the remainder of the story revolves around Williams’ televised, eventually-romantic, relationship with Ladyfair as the duo fight off her dangerous former employers, “The Nobility”. The plot culminates in the surprise twist that Neal is not just a talent agent, but the secret leader of The Nobility and a hidden supervillain with brainwashing abilities. Saroyan waits until Simon brings Ladyfair into the presence of the Avengers, and then busts out his powers on the assassin in an effort to kill as many of the heroes as possible. Obviously, this doesn’t work, and only results in Neal’s untimely demise.

    My Fair Super Hero was not an overly memorable comic arc when it was released, but the notable casting of Bob Odenkirk as – possibly – Saroyan could mean it’s destined for an MCU makeover in the near future. Odenkirk excels at portraying fast-talking men with a secret, so it makes sense that Marvel might want him in a similar kind of role in Wonder Man. The fact that the studio would shoot for an actor of Odenkirk‘s caliber also indicates that “Wonder Man’s agent” will likely be a bigger factor in the series than originally imagined, and if that character is actually a live-action version of Saroyan, what better story to adapt than the one where he takes center stage? Depending on how Marvel chooses to implement Simon Williams’ origin in the MCU, My Fair Super Hero could actually be their best route in bringing a Disney+ series to life. It would only take some slight adjustments to fit perfectly in the context of the world they’ve established.

    Murphy’s Multiverse has already speculated that Abdul-Mateen II‘s hero could first debut as a villain in 2024’s Thunderbolts film. If this occurs, it will give Williams a genuine reason within the MCU to have founded an organization like Second Chances before aligning himself with a rather convincing representative of Hollywood. Furthermore, early reports on Wonder Man stated it was possible the series adapts the popular “mockumentary” style of television, another concept Murphy’s Multiverse got a jump on before its time. This idea was made more realistic by the hiring of Andrew Guest, a well-regarded mockumentary-style writer, to work on the show’s scripts. A My Fair Super Hero adaptation, which, as previously stated, sees Williams starring in a documentary reality series, would work naturally with this type of television.

    As for Williams’ partner and love interest in the arc, Ladykiller, Marvel Studios could choose to keep the character for the show. Alternatively, they could go for something a little bit bigger. My Fair Super Hero, the comic, begins with a discussion between Simon and Neal about the odds of Scarlet Witch’s redemption. At the time, her public image had just taken a turn for the worst, as it has recently done in the MCU. The conversation happens because Simon, who shares brain patterns with the Vision, is the other major romantic partner for Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel universe. So, putting all the pieces together, one comes up with quite the pitch for Wonder Man on Disney+ – Abdul-Mateen II’s Simon Williams founds Second Chances and hires Odenkirk’s Neal Saroyan as his agent to build upon a burgeoning career in Hollywood. Saroyan convinces Williams to create a documentary series in which he attempts to turn around the biggest public fall from grace in history and reestablish the Scarlet Witch as an Avengers-worthy superhero. Simon and Wanda begin to fall for each other as their mockumentary leads them on comical adventures around the MCU, culminating in a moment where Saroyan reveals himself as the villain and tries to force Wanda into once again losing it.

    Odenkirk gets his moment in the Marvel spotlight as a big bad, flexing his best entertainment muscles as a smooth-talker with the power of mental manipulation, and is more satisfyingly used in his one-off appearance. Simon develops his place in the MCU and solidifies his code of morals, while Wanda returns to superhero status. All wrapped in a fun, She-Hulk-style series on Disney+. It’s a win all around, and it only takes an obscure storyline from 2007 to get it done.

  • 1 of These 3 Children of Logan Should Become the MCU’s Wolverin

    1 of These 3 Children of Logan Should Become the MCU’s Wolverin

    Wolverine is one of the most popular comic characters of all time. Given the character’s long life, it is no surprise that there are more than a few successors to the Wolverine mantle kicking around in Marvel Comics. And with the recent announcement that Hugh Jackman will be returning to the role once again in Deadpool 3, now is as good a time as any to look at the most prominent of Wolverine’s “children” that could be adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Right off the bat, there are quite a few “mini-Logans” running around in the comics. So many that one was able to round up an entire team of Wolverine offspring called “The Mongrels.” The MCU shouldn’t bother with every single clone, but they should focus on a few. However, 3 of Wolverine’s kids from the comics are primed to make an appearance in the MCU. Starting with…

    Laura Kinney, aka X-23/Wolverine

    Laura is a weapon, but she does not have to be. She’s basically a second shot at Wolverine. On the comics side, a group known as “The Facility” wanted to recreate Weapon X by cloning Logan. In the real world, Laura was a shot at giving audiences a younger Wolverine who could be hip and cool with the kids. In her short time as a comic character, Laura Kinney has gone by many names. She has been known as Wolverine, X-23, and even Talon for a while. She actually debuted on X-Men: Evolution (the best show) as a young clone of Wolverine seeking out her progenitor. Laura is the mutant “Pinocchio.” She was created for a single purpose: to be the assassin for The Facility, the ultimate killing machine. But like Pinocchio, she wants to be a real person. So, she cut her strings and found her humanity.

    Laura is sad – her short life has been filled with trauma. The Facility broke her spirit and tortured her, all so Laura could be the perfect killer without any physical attachments. So, when she escaped, Laura realized that her childhood was taken from her. In spite of this, Laura is surprisingly well-adjusted; more so than Logan was at her age. Part of this has to do with her loving mother that sort of raised her, but it’s probably largely attributed to her relationship with Logan and the rest of the X-Men. Laura does not have these centuries of trauma that come with Logan, so she’s able to change and grow.

    Laura played a part in the X-Force, Avengers Arena, and currently is representing all of Krakoa as a member of the X-Men. And when Logan was killed, Laura took up the mantle as the All-New Wolverine. Laura is also not necessarily one-of-a-kind. She’s the 23rd clone of Wolverine, but there are a few others that popped up out of the woodwork. Four found Laura during the all-new Wolverine storyline. Three were perfect copies, and one was a younger version known as Gabby. But Laura helps the clones like family and is able to be an older sister to Gabby once all the clone business is finished.

    But Laura is not without her issues. A big one comes from something known as the “trigger scent.” Obviously, Laura can be violent under the right circumstances. She is, after all, a clone of Logan. But Laura’s creators gave her a physiological reaction to a specific scent. She’s programmed to destroy anything bearing that scent. This was originally perceived as a way to make her more emotionless and more of an assassin, but it has been used by her more sadistic enemies to just mess with Laura; dumping the smell on an entire town or even a friend. It’s a doomsday scenario for Laura. She even killed her mother after her mother was tagged with the scent. This causes Laura extreme emotional pain, although she has gotten over the scent recently. Just like Pinocchio, she’s got no strings on her.

    Previously, Dafne Keen played Laura in Logan, and there is so much to like. Most notably, she was angry and psychotic, ripping the Reavers to shreds; that’s very Laura. The biggest liberty they took with Laura was her age as she’s traditionally a bit older. It’s unclear canonically how old, but she’s at least maybe in her late teens. So, Laura played by an actor who was around 10 when they filmed was a bit of a stretch. Her age puts her a little closer to Laura’s sister Gabby. But the spirit and character of Laura were there. She was angry, sad, and wanted a family. There’s a strong case to be made for bringing back Dafne Keen. Audiences loved Keen in Logan. She’s a young star on the rise, is used to physical roles like in Logan (which is incredibly important), and has a real edge. She is able to get angry in that classically Wolverine way. And it would be a fun way to acknowledge that Hugh Jackman did pass the torch to Keen in the movie.

    Akihiro, aka Daken

    Akihiro is a bad boy. Daken is like Wolverine, but angsty, vengeful, and sexy. Now, there are 2 Akihiro’s that exist in the comics, or more appropriately there’s Daken and Akihiro. Daken is the edgy and evil son-villain, while Akihiro is the superhero. When the character was originally introduced, he was called Daken; it’s a slur in Japanese that translates to “mongrel.” He went by that for a very long time. Only recently has Akihiro caught on as the generally accepted name for the character.

    Akihiro is Logan’s son, born from a relationship with a woman named Itsu. Unlike Laura or Gabby, he is not a clone. Itsu was killed and it was assumed that her child also died since it was never born. But the child’s incredible healing factor let it survive outside the womb. The child was taken by Romulus, that archenemy that’s been pulling all of the strings in Wolverine’s life; the architect of all his pain. Unfortunately, for one to understand the character of Akihiro, Romulus, a villain that should not be acknowledged further, must be touched upon. Romulus dropped the baby off with a Japanese family, and that was that. Until his adopted family imploded when Akihiro found out his mom did not love him, and killed their newborn baby and his adopted mother before his adopted father committed suicide. This is what the Akihiro comics were like in the 2000s (SO edgy).

    Then Romulus came back. Romulus is some ageless wolf-man who has existed since the dawn of humanity. He is the same Romulus who founded Rome, and he is particularly obsessed with Logan because of the whole wolf thing. Romulus raised Akihiro with the hopes that Akihiro would defeat his father Logan and take Romulus’ place at the top of the food chain (it’s very dumb). But from that point on, Akihiro was the dark Wolverine trained by Romulus and manipulated to believe Wolverine killed his birth mother when it was actually (fun fact) Bucky, the Winter Soldier. But, Akihiro spent the next 50 years training and preparing to meet his father and avenge his mother.

    This version of Akihiro is very much a 2000s, edgy, emo version of Wolverine with a mohawk and tattoos, who does bad stuff because he loves to be bad. It really doesn’t work, probably due to the fact that he is very predictable and silly in that way. The more interesting secret Logan-child running around is Laura, and when her story is put next to Akihiro’s, it just makes his look dumb. He’s just doing what she did, but edgier, and constantly being manipulated by villains like Romulus, Mystique, Ms. Sinister, Norman Osborn, and even just some actor named Marcus Ralston. He’s sort of a dummy. Yes, he’s a very clever tactician with lots of plans and schemes, but it takes a while for Akihiro to really feel like his own character, with agency and personality outside of all the Romulus revenge stuff.

    Over time, Akihiro worked with Logan and Laura, but it was not until the recent comics on Krakoa that Akihiro became someone unique. He is still Wolverine’s son and still in his shadow, and is still kind of a jerk, but he’s very serious now. He seems to have gotten over himself. A lot of that probably comes from making peace with his father, as well as Krakoa’s calming effect that makes all the villains a little less “villain-y.” However, the biggest difference is that the new Akihiro is like Wolverine, but sexy. Yes, Wolverine is plenty sexy. But, Wolverine is sexier than your average man. Akihiro is sexier than your average superhero. He is superhumanly sexy. Part of Akihiro’s mutant ability allows him to emit pheromones that can control the emotions of others, usually making them feel the way Akihiro does. Akihiro is also bisexual. Originally this was part of his schemes. He used sex as a way to get what he wanted and didn’t see partners as anything but a means to an end (boring). But since then, Akihiro has matured. In X-Factor, he has a flirty relationship with Aurora, and in Marvel’s Voices: Pride, Akihiro also has a fake lifelong relationship with Somnus, the new mutant who can control dreams. So, while Akihiro can be vengeful, that’s not enough in MCU. He also needs a personality. A great avenue for Akihiro could be that he’s just a super sexy mutant; the X-Men Mr. Steal Your Girl.

    Gabrielle Kinney, aka Honey Badger/Scout

    Gabrielle is a kid – the zoomer Wolverine. Gabby first showed up in All-New Wolverine back in 2016. In that storyline, Laura found out that even though she was the first successful clone of Logan, Laura was not the last. She tracks down a team of several clones, all of which looked exactly like her – except Gabby. Gabby is a younger clone and the younger sister of this group. Once all of the rest of the clone sisters are either liberated or killed, Gabby is the one that stays with Laura and becomes her adopted little sister. Gabby also has a pet – one of only a few X-pets besides Lockheed, Amazing Baby, and Jeff the Land Shark. In All-New X-Men #7, Squirrel Girl brings Laura a wolverine that Gabby adopts and names Jonathan. It’s adorable and it needs to be translated to live action.

    Gabby is optimistic, idealistic, and silly. Her powers are similar to Laura’s, with one big difference: Gabby – and all of her sisters – cannot feel pain, which, when coupled with a healing factor, is a huge plus. So, while she has lived a very tough life, Gabby is able to roll with the craziness of the X-Men life pretty well. She’s also sometimes known as “Honey Badger” or “Scout”, and that’s cool. New characters should be given new names. Or if legacy characters are given the original name, that name should not be given back to the original character. If Laura is Wolverine (which is great), Logan should now be Logan, otherwise, it is not a mantle – and it’s a pretty useless call sign.

    A case is made for each of three Wolverine children that would be best suited to show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Once Marvel Studios establishes their own Logan, perhaps we’ll see all of them.

  • 5 Reasons Why Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk Would Make the Best MCU Team-Up

    5 Reasons Why Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk Would Make the Best MCU Team-Up

    There’s a term in baseball to describe an all-around great player. You can describe it as someone who can do a bit of everything. Hitting, defense, athleticism, intangibles, and a great locker room presence combined. That’s a five-tool player. In the MCU, Iman Vellani is a five-tool player. 

    With a report circulating that Ms. Marvel is getting a Season 2, the idea of expansion immediately came to mind: give Kamala Khan more to do. Embiggen her role! Yes, we’re getting The Marvels next July and that should be a grand team-up. However, let’s think beyond that; let’s think bigger. There are so many fun stories that can be told with Ms. Marvel by teaming her up with other characters, but one mean, green and straight poured into these jeans hero stands out.

    As we’re more than halfway through She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it’s truly been a refresher for the MCU. In terms of storytelling, humor, and tv structure it’s hitting home on a lot of levels. So you’re probably asking yourself why Jennifer Walters and Kamala Khan would work together. Let’s break it down.

    1. A Vacation Visit!

             Early in Season 1, Bruno Carrelli got accepted to Cal Tech. That’s not far from Los Angeles so if Kamala wanted to visit her pal it’s incredibly convenient storyline-wise. Set season 2 during the summertime. The Khans can go on a family vacation. You can continue to explore the Bruno/Kamala dynamic and potential romance whilst Ms. Marvel fights crime in the city of angels.

    2. The defense will not rest 

             Let’s say the Wrecking Crew decides to stick around, or any other type of villain. One particular one that comes to mind is Graviton. Give him an introduction here as a villain that maybe a future West Coast Avengers team would have to contend with. In this instance, Ms. Marvel enters the fray and in the midst of fighting accidentally damages some property. Kamala gets sued by the owners of the building. She’s gonna need a really good lawyer. Enter She-Hulk.

    3. Banter and character development

             Just imagine if you dropped the Khans in She-Hulk’s world. It’d be such an incredible fit. As we presume Kamala and Jennifer would share some camaraderie we could get a great dual-family dinner. So many questions about superhumans, and maybe mutants? Yusuf and Morris as well as Muneeba and Elaine’s banter would be exquisite. Add a court case into the mix and you have the bones of a really fun season of TV. Jen can be a bit of a mentor to Kamala, and in-kind Kamala’s heroic nature might rub off on Jen. 

    4. Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel meet

     With the plot thread from Season 1 seeing the Ten Rings symbol, Shang-Chi’s inclusion would be quite the tease. With She-Hulk already referencing the events of Shang-Chi, there’s an immediate connection. Charles Murphy, in a past team-up, mentioned Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi as characters he wanted to see together. If Marvel wanted to push their story forward, that would be a very fun way to begin that relationship.

    5. Kamala, go break that fourth wall!

     The fourth wall breaks in She-Hulk have been exceptional thus far. Granted, it’s not something that’s for everyone. However, if there’s anyone who can do it, Iman Vellani fits the bill. It’s hard not to laugh in advance as Jen and Kamala disagree on something and then it’s Kamala who breaks the fourth wall instead. That would be comedy gold.

    Ms. Marvel can tell many stories in its second season, but this version would be the talk of the MCU for a long time if it ever came to pass.

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Evidence Further Supports the Jake Lockley Theory

    ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Evidence Further Supports the Jake Lockley Theory

    The second episode of Moon Knight continued to explore and emphasize the relationship between personalities Steven Grant and Marc Spector. With the confirmation that Moon Knight and Mr. Knight are simply the costumed versions of Spector and Grant, rather than separate personalities, the question lingers whether any other alters associated with Spector’s dissociative identity disorder from the comics will make an appearance in the Disney+ series.

    It is a strong bet that Spector’s third classic identity in the comics, Jake Lockley, could be revealed at some point. While Moon Knight has been silent on the matter, Episode 1 may have hidden some nods to Lockley’s existence. Episode 2 followed suit, though, and there are fresh hints at Spector’s third personality.

    The Reflections

    While many are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments, there are numerous times Steven or Marc’s reflection in a mirror is split into three or the mirrored identity seems to have an extra with him. That might seem trivial, but considering how Moon Knight uses mirrors and reflections as the nearly exclusive means of navigating the separate identities, the visuals likely carry much more meaning and intention than the average reflections.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Marc Spector’s Freak Out

    Perhaps one of the most interesting potential clues comes with Marc’s and Steven’s argument near the very end of the episode. Things got heated, and Marc ultimately goes into a mini-rage to smash the reflection he is seeing Steven in. Marc so far has certainly been depicted as more serious and violent than Steven but never before has he expressed any heightened anger or animosity towards Steven. It certainly stood out as a somewhat out-of-nowhere expression of hostility, frustration, and brutality. So, while this moment could be a moment where Marc is overwhelmed and simply acts out, we possibly just saw Jake Lockley in action.

    In the comics, Jake has more recently become known as the hyper-violent, somewhat more psychopathic identity. He is willing to take the violent or darker action that even Marc, the ex-mercenary, hesitates on–and he does so without a guilty conscience. If Moon Knight does bring Jake to screen, there is a good chance this is the interpretation of him viewers will see. This moment in Episode 2 may be a tease at Jake’s ability to take control of their body when he sees fit.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Side Comments from Layla and Arthur Harrow

    Nothing that any character has said would definitively confirm or deny that Marc and Steven are the only two personalities in their bodies. If Moon Knight does want to introduce another identity in some “surprise” reveal, spoiling it now would not make sense. Still, a couple of comments in Episode 2 are curious.

    First, and most interesting, when Layla meets ad confronts Steven for the first time, she asks: “Is this Steven the latest fake identity for you?” That would imply that Layla was aware of other times Marc went by another name. Considering he seems to have a shady background, it would not be surprising if he used fake names to stay out of trouble or go places Marc Spector could not go. But Layla could also be referring to a time when Jake was in control of Marc’s body and told her his name was Jake Lockley.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Arthur Harrow also makes a comment that is less convincing but perhaps also speaks to how much Harrow knows about the protagonist. He says to Steven: “It must be difficult having all those voices inside one head.” He refers to Marc and Khonshu, but he could be hinting that he knows more about the current Moon Knight than we see. After all, he is Khonshu’s former avatar, plus his cane somehow let him know that there is “chaos” in Steven–maybe it told him much more than that. Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that Harrow knows more about our protagonist than we do, and almost certainly more than Steven.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    The first two episodes of Moon Knight are streaming on Disney+.

  • Morbius Before Leto: The Original Plan for ‘Blade II’

    Morbius Before Leto: The Original Plan for ‘Blade II’

    Sony’s latest entry in its Universe of Marvel Characters, Morbius, is finally set to hit theaters on April 1st. The film, which follows in the weirdly popular footsteps of Venom, will feature the origin story of its leading character, a pseudo-vampiric antihero by the name of Dr. Michael Morbius. With the casting of Jared Leto in the title role, and constant studio hints at some sort of coming crossover event, it’s likely the movie will set Morbius up as a major recurring player in the future of superhero cinema (or at least, Sony’s future of superhero cinema). Yet, despite the many years it spent in development hell, a solo Morbius flick was not always the plan for the character’s first live-action appearance. In fact, his cinematic roots date back over two decades to a franchise that helped start it all.

    Blade, a 1998 Wesley Snipes vehicle based on the iconic Marvel character, is still a cult favorite with fans. Not only did it permanently redefine its titular vampire hunter, but it also ushered in a new generation of comic book adaptations that would eventually transform into the cultural powerhouse that it is today. It told the story of Blade, a vampire-human hybrid known as the “Daywalker,” who funneled his supernatural abilities and born hatred for the bloodsuckers into a lifelong war aimed at their extinction. Its success would lead to two sequels, Blade II and Blade: Trinity, before the franchise petered out and entered an extended hiatus. The trilogy’s chief creative, David S. Goyer, would eventually go on record to say that it was always his intention to craft a three-film saga, and a little-known deleted scene from the end of the first film might just prove it.

    After defeating the villainous vampire lord Deacon Frost and getting his love interest, Dr. Karen Jenson, to safety, Blade is offered the chance to cure his vampirism and live a normal life. As the finished product goes, Blade rejects the offer and travels to Russia to continue his eternal war against the damned. However, an alternate version of the ending was filmed in which, after hearing Blade’s rejection, Karen looks across the rooftops to see a shadowy figure watching them from afar. Though the mystery man is not wearing any identifying clothing, he was meant to be none other than Dr. Michael Morbius – in the flesh.

    The scene was available on YouTube for quite some time in low-quality, though it seems to have been recently removed. Obviously, the stinger would have laid the foundations for a sequel with Morbius as the big bad, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe popularized this method of promoting films that haven’t been made yet. Unfortunately, the ending was cut in favor of the Moscow action bit, which Norrington later revealed to be the studio’s choice. While no real reason has ever been given for this, it’s likely that New Line simply wanted a safer epilogue in case the project flopped and the story was never continued.

    Speaking on the cut scene after Blade‘s release, Goyer confirmed that Morbius was always his plan for the second installment. Though some have speculated that the change in directors between films resulted in a creative overhaul of Blade II that kicked Morbius to the curb, that doesn’t seem to be the case. When filmmaker Stephen Norrington, who actually played Morbius in his brief cameo, backed out of his involvement with the sequel, the idea was still for maestro Guillermo del Toro to use a version of the character in his movie. Plans only changed when Marvel told del Toro and New Line outright that they would not allow the use of Morbius in a Blade film, as they wanted to reserve the villain for another franchise. Ultimately, del Toro and Goyer would rewrite their script to replace Michael Morbius with an original villain named Jared Nomak, a genetically enhanced vampire who gives Blade quite a lot of trouble.

    Though not revealed specifically, it would make the most sense if the “other franchise” Marvel referred to was its then-upcoming Spider-Man series with Sony. As the new films will probably spell out, Morbius is truly more web-head adjacent than he is connected to Blade, despite the evident vampire relation. Known as “The Living Vampire,” Michael Morbius made his debut in a Spider-Man comic as a scientist with a rare blood disease. A series of unfortunate events would lead to Morbius becoming less of a true mystical vampire and more of a failed biology experiment, but dangerous nonetheless. He’s spent the majority of his history both fighting and partnering with the wall-crawler on numerous occasions but has had a few notable encounters with Blade as a member of the Midnight Sons. In the comics, he’s even the one responsible for biting Blade and turning him into a “Daywalker,” an ability the character was shown to birth within the movies.

    Whatever the case, the Spider-Man franchise would go through two reboots and multiple versions of the same villains without ever once using Morbius like they claimed might happen in 1998. Now, all these years later, Sony has retained the rights to the character and is giving him his own picture, with a big screen meeting between Living Vampire and Human Spider a fairly certain deal down the line. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios has given an official Blade reboot the go-ahead with Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali now wearing the famous leather ensemble. With the way the Marvel multiverse is going, it seems any character interaction is on the table, so perhaps fans may one day get to see Blade and Morbius duke it out in cinemas after all. Funny how that works out.

    Source(s): Revolutions, Bloody Disgusting, Take a Look Around

  • ‘Midnight Sons’: Would Daredevil Work With the MCU’s Line-Up?

    ‘Midnight Sons’: Would Daredevil Work With the MCU’s Line-Up?

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a long history of building towards team-ups. After crafting its entire first phase around slowly forming the Avengers, the franchise doubled down and began to rapid-fire its groupings. Since 2012, fans have been treated to live-action versions of nearly everything, from classic assemblies like the Guardians of the Galaxy to original creations like the Revengers. Now, after years of speculation, fans are gearing up for what looks to be the next Marvel super team to transition from page to screen – the Midnight Sons. With all the supernatural projects currently in development at Marvel Studios, it seems like a give-in that the company will eventually bring its mystic heroes together for a grand battle against the dark arts. The only real question still lingering is who might make the final roster.

    One character that seems like an obvious choice is Oscar Isaac‘s Moon Knight, whose titular Disney+ series is set to debut at the end of this month. The character is a longtime member of the team in the comics, and has strong ties to the worlds of mythology that the team’s stories often pull from. Isaac confirmed his interest in a hypothetical Midnight Sons project during a recent interview, in which he listed other members of the team he’d like to interact with as Blade, Ghost Rider, and Daredevil. This all sounds fine and dandy at first glance, but becomes more interesting upon a further look. While Blade and Ghost Rider are both founding members of the group in the comics, Daredevil has never once actually been part of the roster. Also, it’s sort of up-in-the-air if it even makes sense for him to play a role on the team in the first place.

    It’s entirely possible that Isaac, a relative newcomer to comics, made a mistake in assuming Matt Murdock would join the line-up. After all, the character often operates in close proximity to many of the team’s famous faces, and has come into conflict with supernatural forces before. A more intriguing option, however, is that Isaac has been briefed on an unannounced Midnight Sons project and accidentally let slip that Daredevil will be involved. A longshot, of course, but not a total reach. Daredevil has become massively popular with fans since his Netflix (now Disney+) series began in 2015, and was just formally introduced to the MCU with a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios will likely want to include him on some sort of team in the future, and something like the Midnight Sons would make a much better fit for the Avocado-at-Law than the highly public, large-scale Avengers.

    Daredevil has spent time with the Avengers before, most notably as a member of the early 2010’s New Avengers, but his time with the team never felt permanent or overly characteristic. The Man Without Fear is traditionally a “street level hero”, dealing mostly with local threats that wouldn’t even hit the Avengers radar. For the most part, aside from the occasional team-up with Spider-Man or former flame Black Widow, Murdock operates as a lone vigilante. Marvel Television attempted to reconcile this local hero concept with their desire to pull off a crossover event by making Daredevil a central figure in a new “street hero” iteration of the Defenders. While the limited series flopped with critics and the team dissipated after a single outing, it did do something sort of interesting. It proved that Charlie Cox‘s take on Daredevil, the one we will continue to see in the MCU going forward, is actually pretty darn charming in a group setting.

    So, if anyone was wondering if MCU Daredevil can exist on a team, the answer would be yes. As both a constituent and a leader. The next step in over-analyzing Isaac‘s verbal slip is determining if Daredevil can function as a member of the Midnight Sons, specifically. For those who are still confused, the Sons are a group of Marvel heroes and anti-heroes who came together to fend off dark, powerful, supernatural threats that regular heroes are ill-equipped to handle. Typically consisting of characters like Ghost Rider, Blade, Man-Thing, Hellstrom, Werewolf by Night, and even Doctor Strange, the team has done battle with villains like Lilith, Mother of All Demons, Zarathos, and Mephisto. One might consider these baddies out of Daredevil’s paygrade if he hadn’t had a history with his own mystic threats, often coming out of conflicts with The Hand, or if the Midnight Sons hadn’t successfully recruited fellow “regular vigilante” The Punisher in the past.

    Ultimately, whether or not Daredevil works as part of the MCU’s Midnight Sons feels like it might depend on what sort of story Marvel would like to tell when the time comes. If they’re going with a massive, world-ending Darkhold tale, then it might be best for them to focus on their heroes with magical powersets and supernatural expertise. However, if they go back to the realm of Defenders-level threats, a la resurrected assassins and shadowy martial arts figures, then Daredevil would be a welcome addition to the crew. The horned do-gooder was once famously part of a collective that was somewhere in-between the Midnight Sons and Defenders, known as the Marvel Knights. This group was made up of existing MCU heroes like Shang-Chi, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and Blade, and an adaptation could be a good Midnight Sons offshoot further down the road, should Marvel really want to make Daredevil a team player again.

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ and Cadre K Could Lay the Groundwork for Mutants in the MCU

    ‘Secret Invasion’ and Cadre K Could Lay the Groundwork for Mutants in the MCU

    Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion is set to wreak havoc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by exposing an Earth invasion by the shape-shifting Skrulls. Details on the series are somewhat scarce. While we won’t know the full extent of who is or isn’t a Skrull until the series debuts, we have managed to discover a few of the character identities of the star-studded cast. Actor Killian Scott’s role, who we previously reported would be playing a Skrull, is reported by The Direct to be playing a Skrull named Fiz in the limited series. 

    Interestingly, in Marvel Comics, Fiz is no ordinary Skrull. While obviously human mutants and the X-Men are widely known, Fiz is actually a Mutant Skrull. Like human mutants, the mutation gives Skrulls other abilities in addition to their ability to shape-shift. Fiz, in the comics, has the additional abilities to increase and decrease his size at will. Mutant Skrulls in the comics also faced contempt from their non-mutant counterparts. The Skrull authorities named Mutant Skrulls “K-Class Deviant Skrulls” and the common population simply referred to them as “Deviants”. 

    Charles Xavier gathered Fiz and other Mutant Skrulls in space to train them, eventually forming Cadre K as an equivalent to the X-Men to fight to Skrull Empire to rescue their kind from being killed at birth and to advocate for mutant rights. Cadre K fought against the Skrull faction whose purpose was to keep the Skrulls “pure”, also known as the Purifiers. Other Cadre K members include Z’Cann (telepath and telekinetic), Spunje (energy absorption and energy blasts), Nero (plasticity), R’tee (can extend spikes from his body and fire them, enhanced strength, and accelerated healing), and Goroth (unknown mutant power).

    Despite all of this, it was later revealed during the Secret Invasion comics event that Cadre K was still rejected by the Skrull Empire. Cadre K later settled on a rural farm in South Dakota, believing they had nowhere else to go where they would not be hunted. Cadre K protects the “Skrull Cows” on the ranch—yes, Skrulls that have been turned into cows on Earth by none other than Mister Fantastic himself, Dr. Reed Richards. 

    The fact that Scott’s Skrull character is named Fiz could simply be a matter of Secret Invasion using the name only and otherwise rewriting the character. Still, it could also mean that the series has a few tricks up its sleeves, and Mutant Skrulls, or even Cadre K, could be introduced. Considering Cadre K’s connection to Charles Xavier, and mutants in general, Secret Invasion may lay the groundwork for mutants in the MCU. Either way, if Fiz is introduced as a Mutant Skrull, it will be interesting to see how this affects the character’s role in the series. After all, it doesn’t seem like the Skrull Empire is a big fan of his kind. 

  • Murphy’s Team-Up, Volume 3: One Change to the MCU

    Murphy’s Team-Up, Volume 3: One Change to the MCU

    Last weekend, we looked at which characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were worthy of their own spinoff. In this week’s installment of Murphy’s Team-Up, we take a look at one thing we’d all change about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Dalbin: I would change the order of the films to represent a more linear and chronological release and utilize the Marvel One-Shots to fill in some gaps. Captain America: First Avenger would’ve been first, then Captain Marvel, then maybe a Black Panther prequel with King T’Chaka as the protector of Wakanda. Maybe Guardians of the Galaxy takes place much earlier in the regular timeline, with an accompanying One-Shot showing Peter being taken and groomed by Yondu. 

    Marvel Studios has done an impressive job handling all the plates in the air, but there have been some small missteps in the canon: the Incredible Hulk end-credits scene comes to mind, as well as the revelation that Odin had a fake Infinity Gauntlet in his treasure room. A more streamlined narrative may have avoided those while utilizing a different medium to support the stories being told. 

    Anthony Canton III: If there was one thing I’d change in the MCU I’d keep Ultron around. What if? opened up an interesting door involving the multiverse and Ultron’s potential to be a lasting villain. One of the issues in superhero movies generally run into is villains normally die. Even the most compelling villains tend to hit the dirt and while there are good logistical reasons for it we need some more Zemo types in our lives. Bring Ultron back, have him show up again and make him a more significant threat than he actually was. Change that, and you always have something you can go back to. It can be in different ways too, we have time travel and the multiverse. More Ultron means more fun.

    Joāo RP:

    If I could go back and change one thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would have to be turning the time travel approach used in Avengers: Endgame from the Multiverse Theory to the Fixed Timeline theory. The Multiverse Theory means, as its name states, that by traveling in time you create bifurcations in the time stream, making it branch out into new, separate timelines. Just like we’ve all seen it explained in Loki. Even if it all ended up laying the groundwork for the aforementioned Loki series, it has led to a convoluted mess we’ll explore more of in Phase Four.

    Had Marvel Studios used the Fixed Timeline theory, it would ask for a more clever way of dealing with traveling back in time. This is because the actions of the time travelers would have already taken place in the previous movies, and so these would have to be retrofitted onto those scripts’ gaps. It would also give the Infinity Saga a bit more closure, instead of trying to get ahead of itself in setting up what would come next. The Multiverse could wait, as there were many possibilities to still have it come to fruition down the line, without having to compromise the ending of a 23-movie-long overarching story.

    Mary Maerz: I always wish they had found some way to adapt Demon in a Bottle for Tony. I know why the studio did not do that, and I think the order of films currently could have made that extra tricky, but they did try and put some mental health elements in Iron Man 3—and they hinted at his possible problem in Iron Man 2. If you did everything to set up Demon in a Bottle in Iron Man 3, then Age of Ultron and his role in it could have been the big moment where it all comes to a head, considering he really screwed the pooch there. It would also explain some of his significant character growth and maturity between Age of Ultron and Civil War, where he seems like he had to sit with himself and figure out what he’s doing with his life anyway. Considering we had sort of less/sporadic character development for him after 2013, it could have given his arc some real punch in Phase 2-ish and let the results play out naturally in Phase 3.

    Nathan Miller: My use of time travel to change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be more meta than changing something within the story-universe. I would have decision-making executives in charge of greenlighting early Marvel films give the go-ahead to the early projects Kevin Feige and team wanted to make in the mid-2000s. It would have been amazing to have had films centered on Shang-Chi, Black Widow, Black Panther, Cloak & Dagger and Doctor Strange in Phase One. It’s fascinating to imagine how different the MCU might look in that context!

    Hunter Radesi: If I had the power to alter the cinematic Marvel timeline and change one thing, I would make Peter Parker a protégé of Steve Rogers instead of Tony Stark. I typically tend to stay away from this topic, as I truly love the version of Tom Holland’s web-slinger that we got. However, I always felt that Steve’s values were better suited for a young Parker who may have needed to hear the “plant yourself like a tree” speech at that point in his life.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Lia McHugh on Sprite’s Future Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    EXCLUSIVE: Lia McHugh on Sprite’s Future Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    When most actors sign on to appear in a Marvel Studios film, they do so without a clear idea of how long their character will be around. In the past, Marvel Studios was known to sign actors for six-picture deals, however, that has since changed. Still, it’s hard to imagine most actors don’t envision a future for their characters within the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe at one point or another. For Eternals actor Lia McHugh, she’s unsure of Sprite’s future but seems hopeful.

    In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, McHugh briefly discussed her future as Sprite. While she can’t comment on future appearances, the actress does discuss how she has earned the distinction of being the youngest superhero within the Marvel Cinematic Universe – despite playing a character well over thousands of years old.

    You know, as a kid you sort of daydream about different, crazy things that don’t ever really come true. And I never thought in a million years that I would play a superhero because there’s never really been a kid superhero, especially at this level in the MCU. So, when I got this part, I was absolutely shocked and its been special that I’m the youngest superhero in the MCU. I’ve officially gotten that title. I really can’t comment on any future movies, they don’t tell me anything. So, you probably know more than I do.

    She is open to doing voice work in an animated project, though. When asked if she would voice Sprite in an animated series for Marvel, McHugh kept it simple.

    I mean, I don’t know. I would probably be open to anything.

    Fans can meet McHugh’s Sprite when Eternals hits theaters on Nov. 5.