Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • What to Expect from Marvel Studios 2023 Films

    What to Expect from Marvel Studios 2023 Films

    Marvel Studios 2023 theatrical release is all sequels, all the time. Two trilogy cappers (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) lead up to The Marvels, the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which is the only 2023 film with a new director at the helm. Only three films, but quite a bit to be excited about, so we thought we’d get you ready by letting you know what to expect from Marvel Studios upcoming slate of films!

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

    Peyton Reed‘s Ant-Man films hold a funny spot in the minds of MCU fans. Some people love them, some people find them incredibly boring and some people aren’t sure why they spent time watching them. While fans may not love Quantumania, it’s unlikely anyone will be bored or wonder why they spent time watching this one as it will advance the longform narrative of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga more than any project to date.

    Expect big action, a wild antagonist in Corey Stoll‘s M.O.D.O.K., some surprising revelations about the Ant-Family and a knockout performance by Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, who is all about getting out of the Quantum Realm to go about…conquering. Also expect some interesting twists, turns, double-crosses and unresolved issues that will set the gears in motion for the big Avengers films at the end of the Saga!

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

    Originally targeted for a May 2020 release date, the final chapter in James Gunn‘s Guardians trilogy (and in his time at Marvel Studios) arrives this Summer with the promise that not everyone will make it out alive and no one will make it out unchanged. The emotionally charged first trailer made it clear that just about every member of the team will face a life-or-death situation as they investigate Rocket’s origins and his ties to the High Evolutionary.

    Expect good music, a day-late-and-a-dollar-short adaptation of Adam Warlock, an unsettling villain in Chukwudi Iwuji‘s oddball High Evolutionary and tears. While death is on the line for all of the Guardians, our money is on Dave Bautista‘s Drax kicking the bucket, especially given his recent expression of relief that the “silly performance” of the character is behind him.

    The Marvels

    The Marvels represents a totally different direction for the Captain Marvel franchise under the direction of Nia DaCosta. It’s a bit of a risky move, having the film’s two co-leads and the main plot device be products of Disney Plus streaming series that not all moviegoers will have watched, but it’s also the kind of change of pace the franchise needs after a less than stellar first outing.

    Expect a much more upbeat, fast-paced film than Captain Marvel and the possibility that Iman Vellani steals the show. Despite the wacky body-swapping premise, it’s not all fun and games, however, as The Marvels has a very real and terrifying tie to the big arc of the Multiverse Saga that will help fans who have so adamantly repeated that they don’t know where things are headed figure out where things are headed!

  • Hugh Jackman Hints at His Wolverine Training and When ‘Deadpool 3’ Starts Production

    Hugh Jackman Hints at His Wolverine Training and When ‘Deadpool 3’ Starts Production

    One of 2022’s most notable stories in the film industry was the surprise announcement that Hugh Jackman would be returning to the role of Wolverine. The face of the X-Men franchise will be entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the upcoming Deadpool sequel in 2024. As Jackman hasn’t played the character since 2017’s Logan, some might be curious about the time it would take for him to get in enough shape to play the iconic character once again. Luckily in an interview on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the star actor confirmed the timetable for when he’ll physically be set to play the co-lead for the Marvel Studios production.

    I‘ve learned you can’t rush it. I’ve learned that it takes time. So we have six months from when I finish (‘The Music Man’ on Broadway) to when I started filming. And I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months. And I’m really fit right now. There’s one thing that about eight shows a week being on Broadway singing and dancing is I’m fit. So I’m healthy. I have a good place to start. And apologies chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I’m coming for you.

    Hugh Jackman

    The notable news from this quote is that Deadpool 3 is apparently set to begin production in six months following the close of The Music Man on Broadway next week. This would mean a summer start for the highly anticipated multiversal romp. With that in mind, fans looking for the inside scoop on what to expect won’t have to wait too long before the first pieces of information about the film are made public. In terms of Hugh Jackman’s preparedness, the physical condition of the star actor shouldn’t be of any concern when production begins and he dons the metal claws for an additional time.

    Source: Collider

  • REPORT: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Will Be The Longest ‘Ant-Man’ Film

    REPORT: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Will Be The Longest ‘Ant-Man’ Film

    If there ever is a tradition with any Marvel Studios project, it’s the long discussions surrounding what runtimes the latest epic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have. With only a month left to go before its next major release, the speculation began on just how long Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might end up being. Would the usually comedy-centric franchise stick to a shorter runtime or expand with its more Avengers-level-style teasing?

    Well, it seems that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the longest entry in the trilogy, as according to Fandango the film will run for two hours and five minutes. That puts it well ahead of Ant-Man‘s one hour and 57 minutes. Ant-Man and the Wasp was only a minute longer than its predecessor. The film’s runtime puts it ahead of other Marvel Studios films like Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more. Though, it’s not going to rival any of some of the major crossover films, which share some of the longest runtimes in the franchise.

    When compared to the Phase 4 entries, the film is only a minute shy of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ runtime. Though, Thor: Love and Thunder remains the shortest entry of that Phase, as it’s still the only film to be under two hours. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 and it’ll be interesting to see if these longer projects remain and only a handful tends to stick to shorter runtimes moving forward; a potential learning from the last films.

    Source: Fandango

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Storyboard Reveals Vulture in Scrapped Finale

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Storyboard Reveals Vulture in Scrapped Finale

    It’s not new that Marvel Studios’ productions go through a variety of changes. Not only do they rewrite the scripts before production starts, but they aren’t strangers to also adapting on the fly if necessary. That especially became a necessity during COVID, as the pandemic didn’t make it easy for any production to stay on schedule or even remain in its original slot, forcing it to adapt story elements to adhere to the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    In the case of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we always wondered just how much was changed throughout production, especially with the inclusion of a variety of actors from legacy projects. There was one aspect that stood out from No Way Home and that was the lack of any villains representing Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man. As it turns out, Storyboard artist Phil Langone shared a drawing from one of the finales that seemingly includes Michael Keaton‘s Vulture as part of the ensemble.

    It was always funny how the film had the opportunity to establish the Sinister Six but ended up short one member. Perhaps during or before production started, they simply couldn’t get the version of the story together as they intended. Perhaps Keaton wasn’t available for the film, as he did end up reprising the role in Morbius. Whatever the case might be, we’re sadly stuck with what could’ve been off seeing a fully formed Sinister Six and the return of a great villain. Perhaps a future project could see his long-awaited return.

    Source: Instagram

  • Hugh Jackman Teases a Wolverine He’s “Never Done Before” in ‘Deadpool 3’

    Hugh Jackman Teases a Wolverine He’s “Never Done Before” in ‘Deadpool 3’

    Deadpool is about to return with his third film entry, which will also mark his arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is still some uncertainty about how exactly they’ll accomplish it and if he might find his own insane way of traveling from the Fox universe.

    The announcement that he’ll be joined by Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine added a lot of speculation and excitement given his return since he hung up the claws back with Logan back in 2017. In an interview with People, he shared what inspired him to return to the role in Deadpool 3.

    When I keep thinking of me and Ryan, of Deadpool and Wolverine, which are classic comic-book rivals, there’s also a dynamic that I’ve never really got to do before as Wolverine. I just thought, ‘This is gonna be fun. Something I’ve never done before. I can’t wait.

    Hugh Jackman

    It seems to be able to do something new with the character was what mainly gave him the inspiration, but he also highlights getting a chance to “be punching the shit out of each other the whole time” may have also become a fun selling point.

    I think being on set with [Ryan] every day and those two on film in every city together everyday…I think it’s fair to say they’ll be punching the sh*t out of each other the whole time. All jokes aside, I’ll probably have more fun on this movie than any other I’ve ever done.

    Hugh Jackman

    There has been some outcry over his return after the finality of Logan, but considering that the first two Deadpool films built up their reality. The sequel even went out of its way to mock the film and we’ve all wanted these two to finally confront each other; a true Wolverine vs. Deadpool clash to get rid of the aftertaste of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

    Source: People via ComicBookMovie.com

  • Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is finally about to get a sequel, which twists the concept of the original. Miles Morales finds himself chased through the multiverse by others of the Spider-Man creed, but the reasoning still remains a mystery. He still has the allies that he met in his first travel before Across the Spider-Verse, but it seems that one member is sadly not returning.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, Nicolas Cage reveals that he did not return to voice the character of Spider-Man Noir in the sequel. There is still a chance they may have animated a cameo for the character, he’ll not have any voice lines going by the statement shared by Cage.

    You’d have to ask Sony. I don’t know what’s going on with that. No one’s spoken to me about that. Ask them. I don’t know. I really don’t. I wish they would. I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that’s a great character. Spider-Man’s the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it’s a great character.

    Nicolas Cage

    It’s a shame that we won’t get his quirky take on the character, but there’s a third entry on the horizon that could see his return as well. For now, most of the work went into the first sequel and who knows how things might’ve changed in the production that sees his potential return. There’s also the question if others besides Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker will appear at all, as there haven’t been any hints at Kimiko or Spider-Ham returning, at least for now.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • 6 Alternate Earths from the Comics We’d Love to See in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    6 Alternate Earths from the Comics We’d Love to See in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    A new rumor suggests that the events of 2026’s Avengers: Secret Wars might revolve around certain key alternate universes within the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. If true, it’s likely that it’ll be on a much larger scale than the universe hopping done by Doctor Strange and America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as it’s been compared to the time heist plot device in Avengers: Endgame. Given the infinite number of choices, we thought we’d whittle it down to a half-dozen from the comics (some popular, some not so popular) that would make for interesting stops on the way!

    Earth-1610/Ultimate Universe

    This one certainly seems like a no-brainer. The most well-known of Marvel Comics alternate universes, a visit to Earth-1610 could be a highlight reel moment for fans. The original home of Miles Morales and an evil version of Reed Richards known as The Maker (both of whom should be long-term characters in the MCU), the Ultimate Universe has already provided a great deal of inspiration for the MCU and could and should continue to be mined for some of its fantastic concepts (just don’t have the Blob eat Janet). Time Runs Out, 2014’s Secret Wars precursor, featured Earth-1610 and Earth-616 paired up in the Multiverse’s final incursion with Earth-1610 taking the L. Interestingly enough, as Marvel Studios prepares its mutant takeover, it may look to dip into the alternate history of Earth-1610 where the mutant genome was an accidental side effect of continued Super Soldier experimentation and Avengers: Secret Wars might give us our first glimpse at that idea.

    Earth-712/Earth-S

    The Squadron Supreme have been rumored to show up in multiple projects over the past several years but have yet to enter the MCU. Avengers: Secret Wars offers the perfect chance to remedy that and introduce the Justice League analogs as defenders of their Earth, Earth-712. A villainous version of the Squadron appeared in Squadron Sinister, a tie-in to 2015’s Secret Wars event, and that would make for an interesting twist should they want the characters to be a one-and-done. Such a one-and-done might also make it possible to cast every member of DC’s Justice League in their analog roles for a good laugh, should The Feigster be so bold.

    Earth-9997/Earth X

    Created by Alex Ross and Jim Kreuger in 1999, Earth-9997 doesn’t need to be a place the heroes of Avengers: Secret Wars visit for long; it just needs to be there to realize some of the greatest character redesigns ever into live-action in what’s probably the only chance Marvel Studios will have to do so. Marvel Studios has already tapped some of Earth X’s potential by introducing the concept of a Celestial growing inside of a planet in Eternals, so it’s possible they could revisit some of the other unique concepts from the different runs in that universe, like the wild designs of the Inhuman Royal Family.

    Earth-311/1602

    Like Earth-9997, Earth-311 is one that only needs to be visited for a brief time to bring one of the more enjoyable alternate Earth’s to the MCU. Courtesy of the legendary Neil Gaiman, Earth-311 reimagines Marvel’s Silver Age heroes living in the year…1602. Steve Rogers, Matt Murdock, the witchbreed (mutants) and their teacher Carlos Javier, Peter Parquagh and more inhabit an alternate Earth with a very different set of origins.

    Earth-65

    Home to the very popular version of Gwen Stacey known as Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider, Earth-65 also has a Peter Parker who turned himself into the Lizard and a Matt Murdock who went from being one of The Hand’s deadliest assassins to becoming the Kingpin of crime in New York City. This is a place where a little cooperation between Sony and Marvel Studios could introduce a live-action version of Spider-Gwen, a character around whom Sony might make a film worth watching.

    Earth-2149/Zombieverse

    It simply must be done in live-action! Marvel Studios has already introduced this Earth in Season 1 of What If…? and is currently developing a Marvel Zombies animated series. Throw a couple of redshirts on a trip to Earth-2149 and push the limits of PG-13 for a few scenes. Zombies are still cool and an trip into the Zombieverse could allow Marvel Studios the opportunity to introduce some alt versions of some old characters (make RDJ’s return worth his time) or some brand new characters who haven’t been met yet…in zombie form!

    With so many alternate Earths to explore, including a dozen or more that could be counted as existing as a result of films like Blade, Ghost Rider and Daredevil that were made before Marvel Studios, Avengers: Secret Wars could be a wild ride should Waldron choose that path!

  • Dave Bautista Confirms ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ is His Last

    Dave Bautista Confirms ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ is His Last

    We’ve long heard hints that Dave Bautista is likely to move on from his role as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. He loved the role and working with director James Gunn, as well as the rest of the crew, but he wasn’t always happy about aspects of the process. Most notably, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the makeup process, but there were more hints than an official confirmation.

    In a new interview with GQ, the Glass Onion actor got a chance to discuss his acting future, where he once and for all confirms that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is his final appearance as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dave Bautista wants to move on from the more comedic role to embrace some more dramatic performances.

    I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.

    Dave Bautista

    He highlights that he’s quite interested to work more with Blade Runner 2049 and Dune director Denis Villeneuve. He’s set to return for the upcoming sequel of Dune and he’s proven to have quite a range as an actor with some of his past performances. It’s a shame we won’t get more of him in the iconic role of Drax moving forward, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gives him a fitting send-off as it’s also Gunn‘s final installment in the franchise.

    Source: GQ

  • Hugh Jackman May Have Revealed ‘Deadpool 3’s New Title

    Hugh Jackman May Have Revealed ‘Deadpool 3’s New Title

    For some time now, there have been many hints that the third entry in the Deadpool franchise may not get a numbered entry. It made sense given that this entry wills and out from the previous entries, as Ryan Reynolds‘ take on the Merc with a Mouth will make his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not just that, but it’ll also see the grand return of Hugh Jackman back in the role of Wolverine, who was teased to have a major role in the sequel.

    In a new video, Jackman seemingly hints at what might be the official title for the Deadpool threequel, as he explicitly references “Wolverine & Deadpool” while discussing his fear of Reynolds winning an award he’ll hold over his head throughout production. Reynolds has reacted to the video by jokingly questioning the fact that Wolverine is getting top billing.

    While the title makes sense given that it was something we’ve seen in the comics s well, it’s not definite. It was confirmed that this is the third Deadpool film, which would mean his getting top billing makes the most sense. Though, Wolverine pushing him out in his own film would make for a perfect jumping-off point in their marketing strategy to mock the fact that it even happened to him.

    We also shouldn’t forget that these projects go through quite a few changes once the camera starts rolling. So, who knows if they might adapt or change the title throughout its production. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store and perhaps they’ll unveil a new logo once the camera start rolling.

    Source: Twitter

  • 12 Days of X-Mas: Day 10, Forge

    12 Days of X-Mas: Day 10, Forge

    The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts or, in this case, an X-Men fixture that Fox left on the bench.

    The Genius

    The Cheyenne Indian known as Forge never appeared in Fox’s X-films and that’s probably a blessing in disguise. Every super team needs an idea guy and Forge is an idea guy on a  level that would rival the greats like Tony Stark and Reed Richards. The kind of work Forge would do was either completely absent from the X-films or relegated to Hank McCoy who while also a genius in the comics, wasn’t the intuitive engineering genius that Forge was.

    Described best in his own words, Forge’s true mutant gift was “to make the impossible real” something he often did without possessing a true understanding of the process he was working through. Thanks to his mutation, Forge sees what others cannot and what Forge can see, Forge can create. As you can imagine, this gift can be both beautiful and terrifying and Forge has made more than his fair share of terrifying devices, including one that neutralized mutant powers. Forge has recently played a major role in the X-Men’s resurrection protocols and has found a new outlet for his talents in creating bio-organic weapons with the help of Krakoa.

    Adding Forge to the mix of X-Men in the MCU shouldn’t be a problem. His status as a member of the Cheyenne Tribe works well with Marvel Studios’ ongoing efforts to add diverse characters to the MCU, something very in line with Stan Lee’s original work with the X-Men. His past as a wounded soldier who experienced severe trauma also adds a layer of depth to the character and one not much different from current MCU fan favorite Bucky Barnes. Like Barnes, Forge sustained some gruesome war injuries; unlike Barnes, Forge is essentially part cyborg now but that mixture of man and machine fits so well with his mutant power that it must be part of his story. Beyond that, he’s a must-have character whose brilliance as an inventor will allow the X-Men to stay sharp and develop weapons to take on the alien races they’re sure to encounter (and that Fox decided to ignore). Including Forge also provides the opportunity for one of his inventions to fall into the wrong hands and endanger mutants everywhere. Forge has been a member of the core team, X-Force and X-Factor and has a pretty underrated relationship with Wolverine. It’s truly hard to believe that he hasn’t somehow been brought to live-action yet, but Marvel Studios should definitely change that in the very near future.