Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • Marvel’s “Oscars Reunion” Is a Stealth ‘Doomsday’ Marketing Blitz

    Marvel’s “Oscars Reunion” Is a Stealth ‘Doomsday’ Marketing Blitz

    Don’t let the tuxedos fool you—Sunday night at the Oscars is the first unofficial press stop for Avengers: Doomsday.

    The Academy has confirmed a Marvel reunion for the March 15 Oscars. Pedro Pascal, Gwyneth Paltrow (will she know if she was in a movie with any of these folks?), Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and, most importantly, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are all presenting together.


    As cool as it might be, this isn’t just a tribute; it’s a soft-launch for the full-scale marketing of Avengers: Doomsday. With Evans and RDJ on stage together for the first time in years, Marvel has an opportunity to lean into the Steve vs. Doom hype that they simply cannot pass up.

    Rumors are swirling that we might get a surprise drop during the ceremony—specifically, the first footage of Doom and Cap face-to-face. Even if we don’t get a trailer, the optics of  Doom standing next to Steve Rogers is the most powerful marketing image Marvel could ask for. By putting RDJ and Evans center stage, they’re reminding the world that the heart of the MCU is back.

  • ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Trailer Rumors Hit Fever Pitch

    ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Trailer Rumors Hit Fever Pitch

    If you’ve been refreshing your feed waiting for Tom Holland to suit back up, you might want to clear your schedule for next week. While Sony and Marvel have been playing their cards closer to the vest than usual, the rumor mill for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has stopped spinning and landed on a date.

    According to several reliable corners of the internet—including the incredibly accurate Cryptic4KQual—the first official trailer for the fourth Holland-led Spidey flick is slated to drop on Wednesday, March 18.

    With a locked-in release date of July 31 just over four months away, fans are rabidly anticipating a first-look teaser. Marvel and Sony traditionally kick off the 100-day marketing sprint around this time, and with the Brand New Day subtitle signaling a fresh start for Peter Parker after the multiversal madness of No Way Home, first time franchise director Destin Daniel Cretton has taken the opportunity to put together a completely different take on the Wall-Crawler…and maybe get a hint or two about the identity of Sadie Sink‘s mysterious character.

    Fans were disappointed when Marvel skipped a trailer drop during the 2026 Super Bowl, but the consensus is that Sony wanted a standalone window to dominate the conversation without competing with the big game’s noise. And with the studio’s Project Hail Mary set to dominate the box office, pairing the teaser with that film will ensure it meets plenty of eyeballs.

  • Mask On? John Campea Claims RDJ’s Face Won’t Be Seen in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Mask On? John Campea Claims RDJ’s Face Won’t Be Seen in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    The discourse around Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom just took another turn. Recently, the consensus among the scooper community has been that while Victor Von Doom would keep his mask on when in front of the 616 heroes, the audience would get that meta moment of seeing RDJ’s face—likely to hammer home the tragedy of a man who looks exactly like the hero we lost in Avengers: Endgame.

    However, John Campea is now throwing a monkey into that wrench. On a recent episode of his show, Campea stated that he has confirmed Marvel is keeping the mask firmly in place for the duration of Avengers::Doomsday, saving the face reveal  for the grand finale in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

    One of the rumors about Doomsday that we did confirm for people is that they do not reveal Robert Downey Jr.’s face as Doctor Doom… they don’t reveal Tony Stark’s face or Robert Downey Jr.’s face in Doomsday, and that the repercussions of that and the reasons for that and all that kind of stuff is something they’re saving for Secret Wars.

    -John Campea

    To mask or not to mask, that is the question but it’s hardly a new debate. But with Robert Downey Jr. in the role, it seems hard to believe that Marvel invested that kind of money just for a voice-over performance and a stunt double in a green cape.

    If Campea is right, Marvel is making a bold, narrative-driven choice. By withholding the face, they’re forcing the audience to treat Victor as a separate entity from Tony Stark. It builds tension so  when that mask finally comes off in Secret Wars, it’s a tactical emotional nuke designed to break the heroes, perhaps mirroring the division in Captain America: Civil War.

    This contradicts several other reports that suggested the audience see a scarred version of the 616-Stark-lookalike early on. If Campea’s info holds water, it means the brothers Russos are leaning into the horror of Doom, which does match up with  Film Threat’s Chris Gore’s claim that Doom’s face will be disfigured and, in his opinion, looks to be inspired by the look of creatures from “classic Universal Monster movies.”

    If they’re saving the face for Avengers: Secret Wars, they’re betting everything on a singular moment of shock to carry the entire Multiverse Saga finale.

  • Sadie Sink Is Reportedly the MCU’s Jean Grey—and She’s Debuting in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

    Sadie Sink Is Reportedly the MCU’s Jean Grey—and She’s Debuting in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

    For over a year, the Marvel fandom has been playing a high-stakes game of “Guess the Redhead.” Since Sadie Sink was first reported to be joining the MCU back in early 2023, speculation has swung wildly from her playing Songbird in Thunderbolts to being a Multiversal variant of Mary Jane Watson.

    However, following a series of massive leaks over the last 48 hours, the mystery appears to be solved. Trusted scooper Cryptic HD QUALITY has doubled down on earlier reports from Jeff Sneider, explicitly stating that the Stranger Things star is portraying the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Jean Grey.

    The journey to this confirmation has been anything but linear. When Sink officially joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in March 2025, she was famously cagey, calling the Jean Grey rumors “cool” but stopping short of a confirmation.

    As production moved through Glasgow and eventually back to Pinewood Studios, the “Insider Info War” reached a fever pitch. We saw theories ranging from Sink playing a Mark Millar-inspired Ultimate Jean Grey to a live-action version of Spider-Gwen from Earth-65. But as we noted back in August 2025, the sheer scale of Sink’s casting suggested someone much more pivotal to the MCU’s future than a one-off Spider-Man supporting character.

    Why Jean Grey? Why Now?

    The most common question among fans is: Why introduce one of the most powerful X-Men in a Spider-Man movie? According to the latest leaks, the answer lies in the Department of Damage Control (DODC) and the fallout of the Multiverse Saga.

    Reports from the Glasgow set suggest a sequence where Sink’s character is being hunted by the DODC. Insider Daniel Richtman has indicated that Sink’s character utilizes telepathic mind control—a hallmark of Jean Grey’s power set—to manipulate guards and potentially even turn Bruce Banner into the Hulk. And then, there are on-set descriptions that have consistently noted Sink wearing green and yellow—the signature colors of Jean Grey’s Marvel Girl.

    By introducing Jean as a street-level mutant being persecuted by the government, Marvel Studios is effectively setting the stakes for the Mutant Saga before the X-Men even have a team. This grounds Jean in the 616 reality, making her a sympathetic figure Peter Parker feels compelled to protect. And it also makes one ask what might have happened to the Jean Grey from whatever universe the X-Men appearing in Avengers: Doomsday are native to.

    The Road to Avengers: Secret Wars

    Perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence for the Jean Grey reveal is Sink‘s reported future in the franchise. It has been widely reported that Sink will reprise her role in Avengers: Secret Wars, which begins filming in London later this year.

    Casting an actress of Sink’s caliber for a multi-film arc—especially one that leads into the climax of the Multiverse Saga—only makes sense if she is playing a true heavy gitter. Jean Grey isn’t just a mutant; she is a cosmic entity. If the MCU plans on adapting the Phoenix Force in a post-Secret Wars world, Sink is the perfect anchor for what could unfold as a decade-long narrative.

  • Rumor: Stephen Strange to Serve as Doom’s Right Hand in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Rumor: Stephen Strange to Serve as Doom’s Right Hand in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    As the Marvel Cinematic Universe hurtles toward the collision of realities in Avengers: Doomsday, the power vacuum left by the Multiverse’s decay is beginning to fill with some familiar, yet formidable, faces. While fans have been catching up on plot leaks detailing Victor von Doom’s plans, a new report from industry insider Daniel Richtman suggests that Doom won’t be ruling alone.

    According to Richtman, Stephen Strange is set to serve as Doom’s primary lieutenant—a move that mirrors one of the most iconic dynamics in modern Marvel Comics history. Richtman’s report claims that “Doom’s right-hand man is “a wizard who can use a sling ring. He wears a mask similar to Doom’s, but with a slot for a third eye on his forehead.”

    For those well-versed in Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, this development feels like destiny. In that storyline, Strange takes on the mantle of Sheriff Strange, the high justice of Battleworld who serves at the right hand of God Emperor Doom. Strange’s decision wasn’t born of a heel turn, but of a desperate pragmatism; he believed Doom was the only being capable of stitching together the fragments of a dying multiverse. If this rumor holds true, Avengers: Doomsday may find our Master of the Mystic Arts making a similarly impossible choice—sacrificing his morality to preserve what’s left of existence.

    Strange’s absence from the recent round spoilers left many with questions about why the only 616 hero with intimate knowledge of Incursions was nowhere to be found in the action. Richtman’s report would go a long way in explaining this, while setting up what would likely be a key reveal either late in Avengers: Doomsday or in its follow up, Avengers: Secret Wars.

  • Mhor Thor: Chris Hemsworth Teases Life Beyond the Multiverse Saga for the Odinson

    After a series of projects took everything away from him, Thor saw the tide begin to turn in the final act of Thor: Love and Thunder. Though he lost Jane Foster following a brief reunion with his old flame, the God of Thunder found a renewed purpose, choosing to watch over Love, the daughter of Gorr, as his own.

    As seen in one of four teasers for Avengers: Doomsday, that relationship looks to be central to Thor’s arc. The prayers said by Chris Hemsworth‘s character in the short look at the upcoming film have led to fans theorizing that the upcoming film will be the final chapter for the MCU’s Thor, however, a new interview with Hemsworth would seem to offer some hope for further adventures.

    “I was talking to Kevin Feige about it, and he said it’s cool because the audience now expects dramatic turns with the character,” Hemsworth told the SmartLess podcast. “And whatever we do next—we’ve got some ideas to do something pretty unique again and hopefully be [different].“

    While it’s certainly far from official confirmation that Thor 5 will ever make it to the big screen, Hemsworth seems to be fully invested in finding a way to continue on in the role, adding that after the critical and fan response to Thor: Love and Thunder, he’s learned “you need to be careful” with the direction of any new projects. However, given how much of Thor’s comic book history has yet to be explored in the MCU, Hemsworth and whoever comes on board to write and direct any further installments, will have plenty of material from which to choose.

  • Scorpion’s Mech Suit Revealed as ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Leaks Continue

    Scorpion’s Mech Suit Revealed as ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Leaks Continue

    Nine years after teasing Mac Gargan’s vengeful vendetta against Spider-Man, Michael Mando is returning in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and it looks like hell is coming with him!

    Following recent leaks which teased Gargan’s Scorpion suit, a fully detailed look at Mando in his new gear has finally emerged online.

    Though it’s not an exact replica, the suit looks to have taken some inspiration from the one worn by the character during the “Big Time” arc of Dan Slott‘s Amazing Spider-Man. Following his time as one of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, Gargan was serving a prison sentence on the Raft. He was broken out by Allistaire Smythe and given an all-new, all-different Scorpion suit and turned loose with other newly-created Spider Slayers to take down J. Jonah Jameson. And of course, Spidey intervened…

    Notably, Gargan’s Brand New Day mech suit is represented here without a helmet but rumors and reports that came before the leaked image indicated that one will indeed be present when the character is fully suited up in the film.

  • First Look at Several ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Villains Emerge Ahead of Rumored Trailer Release Date

    First Look at Several ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Villains Emerge Ahead of Rumored Trailer Release Date

    Without even having seen an officially released trailer, fans are starting to believe Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be something special.

    It’s long been known that the fourth installment in Marvel Studios and Sony’s collaborative Spider-Man franchise will feature a multitude of villains but in recent days, merchandise and promotional art for the project has emerged, providing first looks of various quality for some of the key antagonists. A backpack teased the designs of Boomerang, Scorpion and the Hulk–all present as shadowy background figures behind a clear look at Spidey. Now, new art has been uncovered, providing a more detailed look at many of the film’s baddies.

    Possibly the most impressive reveal comes from what looks to an unfinished shot from the film, providing the first look at  Tombstone, played by Marvin Jones III. Though fans are skeptical, multiple accounts are standing behind its legitimacy.

    Additonally, artwork for Brand New Day surfaced revealing the designs for Tarantula, Boomerang and the new-look Hulk, who will reportedly become a big problem for the Webhead.

    In other news, fans won’t be waiting too much longer for the first teaser, according to director Destin Daniel Cretton. “I think it’s so funny how people really want a trailer. Of course it’s gonna come. It’s gonna be really good when it comes. It’s coming,” said Cretton in an interview with Majic 102.1.

    When will then be now? Insider Cryptic HD Quality, who has long been a reliable source of intel on trailers, shared that he’s heard rumblings of a March release for the teaser.

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day is slated to swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.

  • Hi-Res Look at Merch Provides First Look at Troublesome Trio from ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

    Hi-Res Look at Merch Provides First Look at Troublesome Trio from ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

    With just over five months until the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Sony has yet to release so much as a teaser trailer for the all-new, all-different fourth installment in the franchise. Fans have been treated to plenty of photos and videos from the set, however, and now as retailees begin to prepare for merchandise hitting their shelves, a first look at three of the film’s characters has found its way online.

    After low-res photos of a backpack made the rounds recently, Twitter user @JuanEditzs provided a higher-resolution look at the bag, which provided clear-but-shadowy first looks at a trip of characters set to cause trouble for Peter Parker in the upcoming film.

    Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Michael Mando’s Scorpion and Boomerang–recently rumored to be played by Tom Holland‘s brother, Harry–can all be seen by zooming in on the pack.

    Mando‘s Mac Gargan–who will return to the series for the first time since Spider-Man: Homecoming–has been rumored to be sporting a suit that’s a mix of the classic comic book Scorpion suit and the one seen in Insomniac’s Spider-Man video game franchise. The tail on the suit from the film can clearly be seen to have some significant mechanical structure to it.

    The appearance of Boomerang on the bag confirms the character will appear after he was first reported to be in the film in May 2025. It will be interesting to see if first-time franchise director Destin Daniel Cretton has chosen to the recent relationship dynamic between Parker and Boomerang that saw the two as roommates with Boomerang unaware of Parker’s alter ego.

    And as for the Hulk, it’s long been reported that Brand New Day will feature a more savage Green Goliath doing battle with Spidey. A recent Lego set leak seems to have confirmed this and the shadowy appearance of the character on the bag, where he looms behind Spidey, hardly makes the case he’ll be a hero.

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day will hit theaters on July 31st!

  • ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Promo Provides Detailed Look at Doom’s Iconic Mask

    ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Promo Provides Detailed Look at Doom’s Iconic Mask

    Soon, Marvel Studios’ stars will be back in London preparing for additional photography on Avengers: Doomsday ahead of the film’s December release. A series of short, character-driven teasers for the film successfully built much-needed hype, though fans are still eagerly awaiting a true teaser trailer.

    As much as we run at fun in terms of what these films can be, we also run at the complexity and difficulty of what these movies can do at a narrative level. I think we’ve found a new level of that in Doomsday.

    -Anthony Russo via Empire Magazine

    Despite the lack of said teaser, fans have had ample opportunity to get a peek at the film’s villain (and protagonist), Victor Von Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. And with just 10 months until the film hits theaters, those opportunities will continue to increase as marketing begins and merchandise hits shelves. And right on cue, a new piece of promo art for the film has provided a detailed look at Doctor Doom’s iconic mask.

    According to reports, the mask will be hiding a disfigured Victor whose look was inspired by “classic Universal monster movies.” In an interesting twist, it’s been rumored that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will not see Doom’s face, though the audience will, keeping a potential reveal to the Avengers in place for the follow up film, Avengers: Secret Wars, which will hit theaters in December 2027.

    Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December 18, 2026.