Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to introduce one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters into the MCU, but with a unique twist. The sequel will see Namor, known in the comics as the Sub-Mariner, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda. However, instead of being the ruler of Atlantis, this iteration of Namor rules an underwater nation known as Talokan.
Namor has long kept his nation secret but the events of Wakanda Forever threaten that secrecy, bringing the winged-footed mutant to the shores of Wakanda. He’s already been seen flying in the trailers and showcasing some pretty impressive resiliency, but from what director Ryan Coogler says, audiences haven’t seen it all just yet.
[There’s] no equal in terms of his capabilities, being able to breathe underwater and breathe at high altitudes and walk around on land. He’s incredibly strong, he’s as strong as Thor, and if he’s around enough water he can be as strong as the Hulk.
Ryan Coogler
Despite all the changes to the character and the creation of a new underwater nation, Coogler’s comments do seem to highlight one of Namor’s classic weaknesses from the old comics: his need to return to the water to regain his strength. If he’s away from the water for too long, not only would Namor be weak, it could be fatal. This is a flaw that was exposed by some of Marvel Comics heroes and villains in the past, so it’s possible that it may come into play in the film, which releases in theaters on November 11th.
Black Panther Wakanda Forever is just around the corner, as it not only continues where the previous left off but also opens up the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a new corner, the introduction of Talocan. Tenoch Huerta is set to take on the role of Namor, who is a major player in the comics but is taking on a more antagonist role in the sequel.
With the prospect of the character being more than just your run-of-the-mill Marvel villain, the actor and director Ryan Coogler had a tough challenge to find the perfect balance on how to explore the character’s story. Huerta opened up on the challenge in the official press conference for the upcoming Marvel Studios release.
It is tricky, when you have a character like this, because you are the antagonist. You gonna destroy something that is not just in the story, but the people, you know? The people outside. A lot of people feel identification with Wakanda, and I’m include myself in Wakanda, and the narrative and representation and everything. So, now I have to play the bad guy who destroy [laughs], or try to destroy that legacy. And but at the same time, I think Ryan, the script, and, you know, he found a way to make it human, to justify why that people do that kind of thing.
Tenoch Huerta
The character taking on Wakanda and the challenge of still keeping a chance of people rooting for the character even after he attacks Wakanda, a place they’ve become familiar with and connected throughout the years. He highlights the beauty of the story by exploring grief from different perspectives, as the story explores “two characters, taking different directions with the grief and the threat” that faces them. In turn, it makes the core of the story quite human.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sadly got postponed into the next year, but it hasn’t lost any momentum in regards to what we can expect from the latest entry of the animated Spider-Man franchise. There have also been many theories that concepts like the Spider-Verse would simply open up the potential crossover with existing franchises from Sony’s hope to expand the license alongside their MCU counterpart.
If a new rumor is to be believed, we may see at least two pre-established Spider-Men in the upcoming sequel. There seems to be an opportunity that the Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent of Peter Parker will appear though it’s unclear if Tom Holland will actually voice the character. What makes this interesting is that this would mark the first time he appeared in a Sony-developed project rather than one from Marvel Studios.
The other returning face might be the one we met in Insomniac’s Spider-Man gaming franchise. The character was famously voiced by Yuri Lowenthal though his face design got changed in the remaster and Miles Morales spinoff. Supoposedly there have been ideas thrown on the table of also including other returning characters. Not only Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but also former animation voice actors Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes.
They definitely would make for an interesting addition, especially if they might even offer Spider-Verse‘s Miles potentially entering live-action. There’s a lot of potential with this expansion and here’s hoping they make full use of it, as each universe also is set to be animated differently.
Welcome to another edition of Murphy’s Multverse’s Sunday Paper. With endless news and content coming to you throughout the week, the Sunday Paper is here for anyone who wants an overview of what happened in the past week. Whether you missed it all, or just want to catch up, this is the article for you. Remember to follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out our website to stay up to date. Check out last week’s Sunday Paper here.
Perhaps some of the week’s biggest news comes from two upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ series. Despite having no release date, Wonder Man has made headlines due to some major casting announcements. For starters, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in talks to star in the titular role. He is well-known for his roles DC’s Black Manta in the Aquaman films has also starred in HBO’s Watchmen, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Nia DaCosta‘s Candyman, and The Matrix Resurrections where he played Morpheus. Not only that, but Better Call Saul’sBob Odenkirkis also reportedly being eyed for a role in the series, and we have a theory as to who he could play.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will introduce the world to Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on Atlantis in the form of Talocan. The Mayan-inspired take on the iconic underwater civilization is a promising direction for the mythology built around the character of Namor, who will be portrayed by Tenoch Huerta. Given that they are a civilization that exists beneath the ocean’s surface, the actors portraying the Talocan people had to do some shots underwater.
During the official press conference for the film, the Namor actor revealed that he actually couldn’t swim before working on the film. The conversation came up when they started discussing who had the record of holding their breath the longest during filming, which led to the actor revealing he couldn’t swim before starting work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A surprising detail if you consider that he was going to tackle a role that would mostly see him underwater.
Yeah, well I didn’t know how to swim before this movie. But now I can hold my breath for five minutes.
Tenoch Huerta
He does reveal that the record of holding their breath underwater is held by Namora actress Mabel Cadena, who seemingly can hold it for up to eight minutes. It definitely sounds like they had an interesting challenge with the production and it’s always interesting to learn details, such as the fact that the actor learned to swim and stay underwater for extended periods just to star in this role. It showcases how much work truly goes into bringing these roles to life for the silver screen.
Quentin Tarantino is a well-established director that has made some fun films throughout his filmography. Each one seemingly pays tribute to a different style of filmmaking and even goes as far as combining multiple genres into one. He was supposedly going to explore a more mainstream project with Star Trek before passing on it. Now, L.A. Times got a chance to sit down with the director and asked if he’d ever want to direct a Marvel film, which led to him giving the following response:
You have to be a hired hand to do those thing. I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.
Quentin Tarantino
One can take away a lot of what he’s described. Some may take this as a downplay of the artistic freedom given by Marvel Studios, or also just say the directors of these projects are nothing more than a cog in the machine. Tarantino wanted to adapt a Luke Cage film in the 90s, but that project never came to be. Of course, that is a very different climate from where Marvel Studios stands today. He also isn’t someone who doesn’t enjoy mainstream blockbusters, as he even highlighted his experience with Star Wars.
Of course, I liked ‘Star Wars.’ What’s not to like? But I remember — and this is not a ‘but’ in a negative way, but in a good way. The movie completely carried me along and I was just rocking and rolling with these characters…. When the lights came on, I felt like a million dollars. And I looked around and had this moment of recognition, thinking, ‘Wow! What a time at the movies
Quentin Tarantino
He also highlights that it’s just not his “favorite exactly type of film,” which highlights the beauty of cinema. There are many types of films available for viewers and everyone finds those that fit their mold better.
Now, that’s not necessarily my favorite exact type of film. At the end of the day, I’m more of a ‘Close Encounters [of the Third Kind]’ guy, just the bigger idea and Spielberg setting out to make an epic for regular people, not just cinephiles. Few films had the kind of climax that ‘Close Encounters’ had. It blew audiences away
Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino‘s quote is less of a direct assault on Marvel and their filmography than other veteran directors have done in the past; Martin Scorcese‘s press tours becoming a renewed inquiry in regard to his thoughts on the film since the op-ed he released a while ago calling them “theme park” films. We’ll likely never hear the end of these quotes.
Marvel Studios really wanted Yaha Abdul-Mateen II to bring Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, to life in the MCU. After hearing that initial conversations between the actor and the studio hit a stumbling block, a recent trade report revealed that negotiations had resumed and it is now expected that Mateen will ultimately land the role. As of now, that means Mateen will headline the Disney Plus series Wonder Man, which is being overseen by Shang-Chi and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton. However, given how keen Marvel Studios was to land Mateen, it seems possible that they have a much bigger plan in place for Simon Williams and part of that plan might lie in the character’s comic book history.
Even though Avengers’ director Joss Whedon wasn’t a big fan of the character, Wonder Man has been an Avenger for the majority of his Marvel Comics’ adventures. But like Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, he didn’t start off as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but rather one of their adversaries. After taking over his father’s company and subsequently running it into the ground, Williams found himself involved with the Maggia. That connection soon found him making his way to prison until he was bailed out by the Masters of Evil and became part of one of Baron Zemo’s schemes. Williams underwent a radical procedure that provided him with incredible powers and worked his way into favor with the Avengers before leading them into a trap set by Zemo. Williams ultimately came to his senses and sided with the Avengers, but the side effects of the experiment took a toll, sending him into a coma. A lot of weird scenarios later, Williams woke up, came to terms with his grief and trauma and joined the Avengers and, later, the West Coast Avengers. While all that sounds great, it’s that opening arc as a villain that has us theorizing!
As of now, Wonder Man has not been put on Marvel Studios’ upcoming slate. Going only off the information available, it doesn’t seem that fans should expect to see it until Fall of 2024 at the earliest. That makes casting Mateen in the role now a little suspect because there’s no information available about when Wonder Man is expected to start production. As of now, it’s known that Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Daredevil: Born Again, Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts are all slated to get underway in the first half 2023, but so far Wonder Man hasn’t been given a definitive start date.
It’s not completely out of the ordinary for Marvel Studios to cast a lead when they don’t have a start date set in stone and just because the public doesn’t know a start date doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. However, Marvel’s eagerness to get the deal with Mateen done might indicate that they have plans for the actor in another project before he begins work on Wonder Man. Sifting through those projects listed above, none of them seem to be quite as good of a fit for a potential appearance of Simon Williams as a villain as Thunderbolts.
From what’s known about the plans for Wonder Man in the MCU, it’s expected that his series will serve as a Hollywood satire and follow his career as a struggling actor and stuntman. How he gets from superpowered experiment to struggling actor is an interesting conundrum to consider. One possibility to consider could be that the MCU’s Wonder Man might share a connection with a few members of the Thunderbolts, specifically the super soldiers. The legacy of the Super Soldier Serum in the MCU was front and center in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and with Thunderbolt Ross set to appear in both Thunderbolts and Captain America: New World Order, it’s possible it remains a prevalent plot point, especially with Samuel Sterns coming back into play.
While the plot of Thunderbolts, and thus the villain, are still tightly held secrets at Marvel Studios, having three super soldiers on the team (Bucky, John Walker and Red Guardian) could be taken as an indicator that despite Zemo’s efforts to eliminate the further development of super soldiers within the MCU, someone else has different ideas. Could Thunderbolt Ross, whose fascination with the serum led to the creation of Abomination, be back in the game? Could Samuel Sterns, who was announced to be the villain of Captain America: New World Order, be making an appearance in Thunderbolts? And how would Simon Williams end up part of an experiment in the first place?
Without details, wild speculation is the best direction. In the comics, Simon’s fall from grace started when he ran his father’s company, Williams Innovations, into the ground and hooked up with the Maggia. However, it was his brother, Eric, who went on to become the villain known as the Grim Reaper, that put him in tough with the Maggia. Given the group of characters assembled for the roster of the Thunderbolts and Val’s coming obsession with metals, it wouldn’t be beyond her to get involved with a little corporate espionage. Having Ghost and Yelena on the team would certainly allow for Val’s team to get involved in some shady business like that. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question to see the first two acts of the film (or less) show the fall of Simon Williams at the hands of the Thunderbolts and his subsequent journey to becoming Wonder Man (classic costume hopefully included). The third act could see the team, and Simon, take on the project’s true villain(s), which could include Eric and/or an MCU-based Masters of Evil. Maybe the aftermath sees Simon less interested in the world of superheroes, but with nothing but his good looks and charm on his side, he decides to try his hand in Hollywood, leading into his Wonder Man solo series.
It’s paper-thin speculation at best, but the reality of the current Thunderbolts’ lineup is that they could never last against an overly-powered and truly evil villain. They don’t have the stopping power of a Hulk or a Thor and despite Walker and Bucky being on the team, they don’t have the leadership of a Captain America. They might be able to take a beating for a short time, but their true villain is going to ultimately be someone…less than thrilling. Of course Marvel Studios’ writer Eric Pearson certainly has something much more exciting in mind for Thunderbolts, which is headed to theaters on July 2th, 2024.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s place in the chronology of the MCU has become the subject of a debate on social media lately. Marvel Studios has quite a job to do in keeping a tidy timeline, especially following the 5-year time jump of Avengers: Endgame which makes the MCU’s “present day” sometime in the year 2025. Some people believe that the film takes place in between the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame while others are convinced it’s not quite so easy to determine when it takes place. Fortunately, Cinema Blend asked Marvel Studios’ Parliament member and Wakanda Forever Executive Producer, Nate Moore, for some clarification.
While hesitant to put a time stamp on it, Moore did place it chronologically amidst other films.
This movie clearly happens after No Way Home and Eternals. I think it probably happens potentially concurrent with [Thor: Love and Thunder]. New Asgard does exist in our universe, for instance, or in our film. And almost concurrent with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is coming out in February.
Nate Moore
Realistically, and in terms of understanding where the sequel fits in the timeline of the connected universe, Moore’s answer gives the only information fans really need. The film, which serves as the capstone to Marvel Studios’ Phase 4, takes place in the “present” of the MCU, making it part of the Multiverse Saga, unlike Black Widow which was clearly placed in the Infinity Saga between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
Fans can do more work on giving it a proper time stamp when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11th.
Joe and Anthony Russo made quite their mark on the filming market by not only directing two great additions to the Captain America franchise but also directing two of Marvel Studios’ highest-grossing films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers. Endgame. When rumors of what may be the next addition to the franchise might be, many threw their names back into the hat. They even teased how they would tackle an adaptation of Secret Wars throughout various interviews promoting films from their newly established AGBO production studio.
While Shang-Chi director Daniel Destin Cretton took over the first of the Multiverse Saga’s Avengers entries, many thought there is still a chance for them to tackle the finale which is Avengers: Secret Wars. So far, Marvel Studios has yet to announce a director to tackle the project but it seems we should definitely not expect the Russo Brothers to tackle the project according to Joe Russo in an interview with Variety.
We won’t be ready to do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade.
Joe Russo
It’s no surprise that they won’t have any time until later in the decade, especially with their many deals with Amazon and Netflix currently moving forward in full force. Marvel Studios ended up giving them the opportunity to establish their name in the industry and push forward on their own passion projects. Of course, there’s also always the question of finding the right project that would catch their interest, and perhaps something pops up throughout the coming years that pulls them in eventually.
The advantage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s introduction of Spider-Man was that we skipped a big part of his origin. Most viewers already know the story of a kid that was bit by a radioactive spider. So, it made sense not to retread the same ground that the previous two entries did. Yet, it seems that while they had an idea of how they’d set the origin o the character, but never truly worked out the details according to director Jon Watts in Sean O’Connell‘s new book With Great Power.
I mean, God knows there would have to be something not unlike that, probably… But no, I wouldn’t say… I mean, I think he was bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip. We never talked about that either, but I think that’s what happened.
Jon Watts
It’s curious that they never set the idea of how he got his powers and does make you wonder if they are keeping it open to potentially explore it in the future. There are ties to the character of Silk that could potentially be explored if they wanted to return to the fateful day of the spider bite. Still, Watts was quite happy not to retread that same ground.
It was just so nice to skip past it and just deal with more with the repercussions… and just explore it from the perspective of someone else finding out about it and having a lot of questions.
Jon Watts
That freedom definitely gave the trilogy a more distinct storyline, especially with how No Way Home essentially gave the MCU’s Spider-Man his Uncle Ben moment. While some hardcore fans weren’t the biggest fans of the character’s place in the bigger universe, it was a clever take on his mythos that combined older elements from the comics’ earlier days with some modern takes.
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