Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • Marvel Studios Phase 4: It’s Not Them, It’s You

    Marvel Studios Phase 4: It’s Not Them, It’s You

    Marvel Studios concluded its thirteenth project of Phase 4 this past Wednesday as Ms. Marvel shocked us all with an impactful finale. Revealing Kamala Khan as a mutant was a game changer. More importantly, it was a reminder that the MCU is still evolving, growing, and-pun intended-embiggening. When the pandemic shut things down for 2020 we as a collective were starved for content. Any morsel of footage we were grateful for. We waited for Disney+ day and it came and we got trailers and previews and titles. It was exciting, and then WandaVision happened.

    When WandaVision first aired on a Friday in mid-January of 2021 we were satiated. Everything we missed about the MCU was back, except it was different. We were going week to week as opposed to the normal 3-4 month wait between movies. Simply put, watching WandaVision was a phenomenon. There was a level of captivation that brought the theory boards and connecting of Easter eggs. Remember when we thought that space engineer was Reed Richards? Or how about the calls for Mephisto? Yes, that was us. Now none of those things happened, and WandaVision ended with Wanda Maximoff becoming The Scarlet Witch. That should’ve been enough right? Monica Rambeau’s debut and her getting her powers on screen? Should’ve been enough you think?

    Instead what followed was a collective groan from a vocal part of fans annoyed that their theories didn’t come true. Also even with the explanation from show-runners and producers as to how the pandemic changed filming we didn’t take that into account. It became a demerit. Even if you enjoyed WandaVision-and many did-it didn’t quite hit the same as when it started. Two weeks later, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier debuted. We didn’t have the time to really digest what happened and why we became so hypercritical. It was odd to say the least.

    12 additional projects later, the fandom generally seems ornery. Between leaks coloring fans’ views before things come out and critics mocking the formula of the MCU, we as a collective are in an interesting place. As Thor: Love And Thunder came out last week to mixed reviews the whispers seem to be getting louder. VFX and CGI have become apart of everyone’s vocabulary in a way we’ve never heard before. Now social media should never be the end all be all in judging a product. The bottom line should be. Yet, you almost can’t deny a feeling of impatience amongst the masses.

    Where are we going? What’s the main story? These questions are in blogs, and on peoples’ minds. The answers seem to be there. It feels like Loki told us the answers. Ms. Marvel just gave us more. The truth is the real answer is the MCU is telling new stories. The Infinity Saga is over. It was fantastic. Akin to a dynasty in sports. Now it’s time to rebuild. Kevin Feige is leaning more on source material. We have new characters. These movies are more comic book like than ever dropping us in for a ride and taking us home at the end. Seems reasonable enough. Not to us though.

    We’ve heard the ridiculous and misogynistic phrases like “MidCU” and “MSheU”. Stories of representation are being told and it’s still not enough. So at some point the question needs to be asked, is it them or is it us? Now Marvel does have work to do. They’re still trying to figure out structure on this streaming platform. These finales often seem rushed, undercutting more than one thing even if the overall stories are rewarding. Movies are always subjective so you can always quibble with that. Let’s take a look at what happened to us.

    Endgame is now over three years old. Since then we have experienced a time period of going from no content for nearly two of those years to content all the time. It’s changed us. We view these things differently and it’s not because of fatigue. The truth of it all is that we aren’t the same people we were in 2019. We’ve grown, and we’ve seen a lot of terrible things in the world. All of that is bound to increase cynicism of everything. Plenty of people who consume this content make a living off of it. That trough has only grown. Of course this doesn’t reflect everyone, but with that becomes not only the responsibility to be honest but enough care to zoom out and ask yourself this question. Is it really them, or is it us?

    Essentially what’s happened is paralysis by over-analysis. The fun many of us grew up with reading comics and enjoying that escapism has been replaced by the blurred lines of our lives and the ones of characters on screen. The drug of nostalgia has been dosed with a chaser of “fatigue” and “CGI” and “director choices.” Truthfully, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. When it’s all said and done, we are on the fast train to Secret Wars, Kang The Conqueror, and Mutants. You can make the argument Phase 4 is doing just fine. How are you though?

  • First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    We just recently heard that production has already started on Sony’s Madame Web film. Sydney Sweeney revealed it in a brief interview and right after, it seems we already got our first look at the set. It seems that Sony is turning Boston into New York City of the early 200s0s as shared by Boston’s Kevin Slane. It’s certainly an interesting choice and could be our first hint at where the project is going, most certainly given the connection between Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man having released around that time.

    There’s no confirmation that this is definitely going to tie together, but it’s definitely something interesting to note given the time period. Madame Web has a close connection to the Spider-Verse and it would be a fun way to mix up what we’d initially expect from the Sony film. With hints that Marvel Studios is potentially involved as well, they may be using this opportunity to pull in the characters they’d want to include in a potential multiverse-focused Avengers storyline.

    If they do manage to tease a connection similar to Morbius, who knows if this might connect to those films. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has also taken on the role of Kraven the Hunter which may tie in some way or another to whatever Sony has planned. The post-credit sequence confirmed Vulture is stuck in another dimension and Venom also exists within that timeline, but there are still many questions surrounding how it might all tie together. We can only speculate for now.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been an interesting release, as it was welcomed with some more mixed arms by viewers. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also faced a similar fate, mostly due to its horror roots, the B+ CinemaScore didn’t stop it from reaching creeping closely to $950M. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder may not have opened to thunderous applause, its box office numbers are certainly impressive.

    Just a few days into its first week after a strong international and domestic opening weekend; only missing the third-highest grossing opening weekend of the year by a million. Now, the film has already passed $200M worldwide after pulling in $16.4M. It now stands at $203.5M domestically

    The film opened to a $2.9M bow in France, which was one of the last to release and is an impressive +53% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok‘s release. Only slightly behind Jurassic World Dominion, as we saw domestically as well. Korea is seemingly the one market that has slowed down quite a bit given it got a worse ranking there, which is surprising given its strong standing with previous entries.

    The film is likely to pass $200M domestically by Friday, which sets it up for a strong weekend that could be on the lowe rend of Marvel’s recent high drops. Still, it seems its overall weekend to day seven is on the lower spectrum of the multiplier. A big drop is expected in the second weekend around the 60%+ but leg it out throughout the rest of the summer.

    Even Minions: the Rise of Gru faced a surprising harsh drop in its second weekend with only Top Gun: Maverick defying all expectations. It already pulled in $178.9M and has passed F9‘s $173M. So, it’ll be interesting what the weekend has planned for the latest Marvel venture.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Twitter, Forbes

  • Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    It’s been a wild day, as quite a few rumors have made their way online as of late. Among them was who exactly is going to be spearheading the Fantastic Four movie. After Jon Watts left the project to focus on his Star Wars Disney+ series, many wondered who could fill his shoes. Suddenly, directing icon Steven Spielberg became a wildly rumored choice for the film with some even stating that Marvel Studios reached out.

    Now, Variety’s Adam B. Vary has put out a quick tweet debunking those wild rumors and highlighting that they have never been true. So, it seems we’re still without a clear indicator of who exactly is going to take over the project and give us the third attempt at a live-action adaptation of the Fantastic Four.

    https://twitter.com/adambvary/status/1547641254011293696

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Head Writer Clarifies What Happens in the Post-Credit Sequence

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Head Writer Clarifies What Happens in the Post-Credit Sequence

    The following article will include spoilers on the post-credit sequences of Ms. Marvel. So, only continue at your own risk.

    Ms. Marvel‘s post-credit sequence may be among the Disney+ series’ best, especially given how it offers a curious segway into the upcoming The Marvels while also keeping things a bit confusing to let Nia DaCosta put the pieces together as she needs it. Luckily, Ms. Marvel’s head writer confirmed one thing: that wasn’t Kamala Khan transforming into Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers but rather them switching places.

    Kamala doesn’t turn into Carol. […] It’s an important distinction, just because in the comic books, that’s something that [Kamala] does —  she can change the way she looks and she looks like Carol Danvers in Issue 1 of the comic book. She’s not turning into Carol [on the show]. That’s Carol Danvers standing in Kamala’s bedroom.

    Bisha K. Ali

    It definitely had many wondering what exactly happened, as it opened up many questions about how they swapped places, how it connects to her bangle, and the reveal of her potentially having the mutant gene. At this point, there are a lot of possibilities going into the The Marvels and how they might tackle her relationship with Carol. Who knows how she’ll be meeting her idol who found out she has a room filled with posters of her face plastered across them.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Hopes a Season 2 is Inspired by the ‘Spider-Man’ Franchise

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Hopes a Season 2 is Inspired by the ‘Spider-Man’ Franchise

    Ms. Marvel has sadly come to an end with quite an exciting post-credit sequence teasing her arrival in The Marvels. Many believed the film would just lead into the film, but it is left open in a perfectly ambiguous way for anyone to interpret whatever it might mean. Yet, there’s also hope that Ms. Marvel ends up getting multiple seasons moving forward and it seems the main star, Iman Vellani, shares that sentiment as well. She also hinted she would love to explore something similar to Spider-Man‘s films acting as fallout of big events.

    Yet, it seems that the actress may have also given away a tiny plot point we can expect in the Captain Marvel sequel. In her interview with Stylecaster, the actress reveals that she would love to explore Kamala’s storyline after the events of The Marvel‘s, where “she’s fought with her idol.”

    It would be fun to see Kamala post-’The Marvels’ after she’s fought with her idol. It’s similar to what Spider-Man went through after fighting with the Avengers in ‘Civil War’ and going back to the friendly neighborhood thing.

    Iman Vellani

    We have no idea what the storyline is going to be, but it does seem fitting if they explore her connection to Captain Marvel. Ms. Marvel is definitely among the disney+ shows that deserve a second season and there’s a lot of potential in seeing how she adjusts to doing something more grounded.

    Source: Stylecaster

  • Joe Russo Talks Marvel Studios ‘Secret Wars’

    Joe Russo Talks Marvel Studios ‘Secret Wars’

    It’s no secret that the directing duo of Joe and Anthony Russo have a dream project that could tempt them to return to Marvel Studios where they helmed four films together, including the two-part culmination to the Infinity Saga. Even as they did press for Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the brothers spoke openly about how one project might get them back behind the cameras for Marvel Studios: Secret Wars.

    At the premiere of their new movie, The Gray Man, the Russos were asked, once again, what would bring them back to the Marvel Studios fold. And it was no surprise that Joe Russo gave what at this point is a pretty canned response to the question. This time, however, Joe may have given a little more away than usual.

    Our love for Marvel is based on the books we read as kids and the books that we fell in love with. The one series that we adored growing up was Secret Wars. It’s incredibly ambitious. It would be bigger than Infinity War and Endgame, but it’s a massive undertaking and those two movies were very hard to make. Trying to imagine making another two movies even bigger than those two…we’re going to have to sleep on it.

    Joe Russo

    It sounds like Joe and Anthony may have done more than sleep on the decision to return to co-direct Marvel Studios Secret Wars. In fact, it sounds like they are far enough down the road that they’ve outlined what they believe the story should be and have determined that it would take two films to tell the story the way they see fit.

    Once considered a pipe dream, an MCU-set Secret Wars has become an inevitability at this point. The story was first teased during Loki and further teased in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness when John Krasinski’s Reed Richards introduced the idea of Incursions. The introduction of Incursions makes it more likely than not that the MCU’s Secret Wars will, at least in part, be based on Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 event series, though the Russos oft-professed love for the the original 1984 event almost certainly means that its influence will be felt as well.

    It’s hard to imagine that the brothers, who worked so hard to make sure the two-part conclusion of the Infinity Saga were more than parts 1 and 2, would be happy with a basic Hollywood two-parter. With Joe imagining Secret Wars as a two-part event, it’s safe to assume they have something along the lines of an Infinity War and Endgame split in mind for their next MCU gig, making sure each film can stand on its own spectacular feet.

    Source: Deadline

  • Theory Thursday: What That ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Mid-Credit Scene Might Mean for the Future of the MCU

    Theory Thursday: What That ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Mid-Credit Scene Might Mean for the Future of the MCU

    Thor becoming the first Avenger to get a 4th film in their own series is actually a good thing given that there are still a few adventures for Odinson to go on, and make no mistake: this one leaves him in a very different place than any of the other three before it. The events of Thor left him on Asgard away from Jane and mourning the death of Loki. Thor: The Dark World had him leaving Asgard to be with Jane while again mourning the death of his mother and Loki…a second time. Then along came Ragnarok where he lost his father and sister and home but managed to escape Surtur. I think it is safe to say that no hero in the MCU has lost as much as Thor, and this fourth entry adds even more loss after adventures with the Avengers that saw him lose Coulson and Heimdall and Loki (again!) right in front of him. It should come as no surprise then that Thor’s latest movie ends with someone dying right in front of him then. Tragedy, it would seem, is what propels the God of Thunder forward into different adventures. It’s not just putting the Asgardian at the center of tragedy, though, that usually leads into the next big Avenger’s threat.

    It was Thor’s brother who arrived on Earth necessitating the Avengers to assemble initially, and it was the mind stone located inside Loki’s scepter that led to the creation of Ultron AND VIsion and the Scarlet Witch, which led to the Avengers reuniting. It was Thor sending Loki to light the eternal flame and unleash Surtur that also led to Loki stealing the Tesseract from Odin’s throne room, which drew Thanos to the refugee ship that the Asgardians were on. If you look back at the Infinity Saga, you can rightfully argue that Thor brought the Avengers face to face with their greatest villains (Loki, Ultron, and Thanos). The mid-credit scene of Thor: Love & Thunder hints at that continuing to be the case.

    Zeus, with a lightning-sized hole in his sternum, sends his son, Hercules, on a mission to knock the Odinson out of the sky, reclaiming glory meant for the gods instead of heroes. However, what if there’s more to this scene than meets the eye? What if what we are seeing play out isn’t really telling us everything? What if, to understand what’s really happening, we have to accept that someone else has paved the way?

    In the comics, one of Kang The Conqueror’s variants, Immortus, utilizes what are known as Space Phantoms to go after the Avengers by masquerading as famous heroes from different eras. This included heroes like Merlin, Goliath, and, yes, Hercules. This caused a team of villains led by Baron Zemo, who had enlisted Immortus’s help in defeating the Avengers, to go back in time to the moment where they accepted his help and, this time, refuse it. By introducing Hercules here, as an antagonist for Thor who arrives on Earth seeking the God Of Thunder out, it will undoubtedly bring the Olympian face to face with whoever the new group of Avengers is. What if the Hercules that arrives on Earth looking for Thor isn’t Zeus’s son, but a space phantom controlled by Immortus? Or, what if the Thor that Hercules finds isn’t the God of Thunder himself, but a space phantom?

    We are entering the world of secret invasions and variants. With Thor’s consistent connection to all of the Avengers-level villains, it stands to reason that we didn’t just see who Thor’s next antagonist would be, but that we just saw another piece of the puzzle being laid down by one of Kang’s variants. Hercules may be a son of Zeus, but he may also be a Space Phantom of Immortus.

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Costume Designer Opens Up on Challenges Bringing the Illuminati to Life

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Costume Designer Opens Up on Challenges Bringing the Illuminati to Life

    There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the introduction of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Many were shocked when it was revealed that Black Bolt’s costume was entirely made through VFX, which was quite impressive. Of course, the internet has made its own theories in regards to how it came together, but luckily in an interview with Comic Book Movies, costume designer Graham Churchyard has offered some insight into what exactly happened behind the scenes.

    While many believed that the current releases were safe from COVID, it turn sout that their initial plans for the Illuminati weren’t as easy to bring to life as initially expected. Churchyard reveals that many couldn’t travel due to COVID, and there was also an issue of hopes on who they might be able to include. By the time they could finally, likely also contractually speaking, there wasn’t much time left.

    Yeah, I feel sorry for Janek Sirrs that he had to shoehorn those in at the last moment. We had designs for other characters, and then we didn’t have casting and there were travel bans. When we were shooting the Illuminati in London, actors like Sir Patrick couldn’t come to London because of travel. Richie Palmer and everyone had a big wish list of like who was going to be in the Illuminati. When it came down to those two characters being settled on, it was then even too late to make something locally in Los Angeles. Just way too late and too close.

    Graham Churchyard

    He also shared his thoughts with the VFX teams that had to work on everything at the last second but highlighted how they tried their best to help them as best as they could through the costume design, especially the challenge with Wanda flying around Kamar Taj.

    It was probably too close for comfort for visual effects to really do that because up to that point, everything else had been physically there. All of Wanda when she’s flying around Kamar Taj on a very elaborate wire rig that’s like a spider that goes six ways that can pull you in different directions. Where possible, pretty much everything is physical in the costumes unless they say, ‘Hey, the skirt is getting in the way of the rig.’ It just gives visual effects one less thing to do out of the million things that they have to do in to bring these characters and enhance them in the way you see them.

    Graham Churchyard

    Lastly, they revealed that they had to build Captain Marvel’s costume, played by Lashana Lynch in this alternative universe, from scratch. So, they didn’t have much time but confirmed that a lot was cut throughout the process.

    Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel…we built that entirely from scratch. We start with a 3D scan in a photogrammetry booth, and then we work out a form of the person and start building the costume on top of that and sculpt things in the computer. We’re then printing those out, moulding them, and then get to the point where we say, ‘Let’s bring the actor in for a fitting’ and fine-tune it until you get something like that. I was really happy with Lashana’s costume. The fit and performance, and she was able to fight. All I’m saying is a lot was cut and it’s a very quick end for the Illuminati. We shot a tonne more, but maybe it’ll be on the Blu-ray.

    Graham Curchyard

    There is hope that we’ll get a view behind the scenes from the production in the blu-ray extras, especially some concept art teasing who may have almost joined the Illuminati. Costume design having to throw together something as fast as they could is quite respectable and everyone involved managed to give us a great film even with all these COVID hurdles along the way.

    Source: Comic Book Movie

  • BREAKING: ‘Nope’s Daniel Kaluuya Won’t Reprise ‘Black Panther’ Role in Upcoming Sequel

    BREAKING: ‘Nope’s Daniel Kaluuya Won’t Reprise ‘Black Panther’ Role in Upcoming Sequel

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like one mainstay of the Black Panther franchise won’t be making his return, as Daniel Kaluuya revealed in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes @THATJacqueline. She shared the news on Twitter as the NOPE star revealed he wasn’t able to reprise his role due to scheduling conflicts with his involvement with the latest Jordan Peele film. So, it seems we’ll sadly not get a sequence with W’Kabi, which is a shame given the relationship teased in the first film and the world views that would eventually break them apart.

    We still don’t know exactly what to expect of the upcoming Black Panther sequel. A few promos have teased that we may be looking at war between Namor’s Atlantis and Wakanda. Just how they’ll tackle what happened to T’Challa is still a big question for everyone, but they have openly stated they won’t recast the character. W’Kabi missing is a shame given how close they were and it would’ve been great to see how much the passing of his former friend might affect him, especially after the last time they talked was on different sides.

    Director Ryan Coogler is facing one of the biggest challenges anyone could tackle, especially with how close he was to Chadwick Boseman. Whatever decision he decided to take, it’ll likely be in tribute to his friend. We are still a few months away from it hitting theaters. So, the first trailer reveal will be the one to give us a better idea of how they’ll bring it all together while setting up Wakanda’s future.

    Twitter: Twitter