Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel News

  • ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Directors on What They’re Bringing Back to the MCU

    ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Directors on What They’re Bringing Back to the MCU

    When Anthony and Joe Russo completed their work on Avengers: Endgame and turned their attention toward getting their studio, AGBO, up and running, there was always a belief that they’d return to Marvel Studios. Over the years, the brothers talked about what it would take to get them back in the directors’ chairs, indicating that their work with their own studio would keep them busy “until the end of the decade.” Things change, of course, and ultimately the story that drew them back to the MCU is the same one they’ve said would all along in Secret Wars.

    To get there, however, there’s some work to do, primarily in Avengers: Doomsday which is set to kick off production soon ahead of a May 1, 2026 release. Before work begins on the first Avengers films this decade, the brothers are making the rounds promoting their latest AGBO project, The Electric State. In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Times, the directing duo explained what brought them back to the MCU while addressing a few things that have changed since they left and one thing they would like to bring back in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

    SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: (L-R) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios speak onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

    “Well, we love the genre,” said Anthony of why they’ve returned ahead of schedule. “Some people wrote it off as a less comprehensive form of storytelling that’s more for children. But we think of it as relevant for adults, if it is treated with maturity and complexity. That’s really all it is — a commitment to storytelling.” And despite some missteps with their recent projects, the Russos have yet to tell a poor story in the MCU. However, things have changed quite a bit since Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the Infinity Saga, including an overwhelming expansion of characters, stories and settings. However, the brothers didn’t come back without a plan to address the changes.

    “Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue,” Anthony explained. “But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you’re talking about. There needs to be more of a central narrative.” The director’s comments harken back to all time when it was easy to trace the MCU’s main plot thread from 2014 straight through 2019, something that’s been possible in the Multiverse Saga and was actually complicated by the Russos‘ return and the pivot away from Kang the Conquerer to Doctor Doom as the main villains of the finale.

    That lack of continuity is something about which the Russos are keenly aware. Furthermore, it sounds as though they have sat with it for some time and have a plan to return the MCU to its former storytelling glory. “That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before],” said Anthony of a central MCU narrative. “We would like to bring the focused narrative back.” And from the sounds of things on social media and message boards, fans would like it brought back, too.

    Source: The Sunday Times

  • Sadie Sink’s MCU Role May Have Been Revealed…And It’s the Worst Possible Option

    Sadie Sink’s MCU Role May Have Been Revealed…And It’s the Worst Possible Option

    After being rumored for multiple MCU roles for the past couple of years, Stranger Things and The Whale star Sadie Sink finally joined the club, signing on to co-star alongside Tom Holland in Spider-Man 4. The fourth installment in  Marvel and Sony’s collaborative Spidey franchise has been subject to some pretty interesting plot rumors since Kevin Feige first announced it was in development in 2021 but it’s clear that at the moment, nobody seems quite sure what the film will be about. To that end, Sink‘s role in the project was also a pretty tightly kept secret, right up until it wasn’t.

    Hollywood insider Jeff “The In” Sneider, who originally reported that Marvel was interested in Sink for the role of Jean Grey in their upcoming X-Men reboot, has now shared that a source informed him that “it sounds like” Sink will be playing Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man 4.

    Let’s face it, Tiger, Marvel didn’t hit the jackpot here. Sink is a talented young actress and will certainly perform wonderfully in the role; however, given some of the other options on the table, even without knowing the plot of Spider-Man 4, it seems as though Marvel has chosen…poorly.

    One of the most consistent rumors about Spider-Man 4 is that given it’s position as a direct follow-up to Avengers: Doomsday, it won’t be set on Earth-616 but rather in Battleworld. First seen in 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1, Battleworld is a heterogenous hodgepodge planet made up of bits of various realities from around the Multiverse. More or less, on Battleworld, just about anything is possible and just about anyone could show up.

    Marvel and Sony took considerable heat over the years for casting Zendaya as their franchise’s MJ, Michelle Jones-Watson. Casting Sink as Mary Jane Watson, even as a character from another reality, could be read as the studio giving into the noise from online trolls. It remains to be seen in the residents of Battleworld–should it truly be the setting of Spider-Man 4–are aware of their own pasts; however, if the studio’s next move after wiping everyone’s memory of Peter Parker is to wipe Parker’s memory as well, it will likely only further fire up the fandom, many of whom were looking forward to seeing a street-level, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

    Spider-Man 4 will begin production later this year and is currently slated to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

    Source: The Hot Mic Podcast

  • ‘Stranger Things’ Star Sadie Sink Joins ‘Spider-Man 4’

    ‘Stranger Things’ Star Sadie Sink Joins ‘Spider-Man 4’

    For over two years, Sadie Sink has been the subject of multiple rumors suggesting that the Stranger Things star was considered for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In January 2023, Sink was rumored to be eyed for the role of Melissa Gold/Songbird in Marvel Studios Thunderbolts* which hits theaters in just under two months. More recently…and perhaps much more interestingly…Sink had emerged as the frontrunner for original X-Men member Jean Grey as Marvel looks to get their own spin on the team of mutant heroes to the big screen following Avengers: Secret Wars. As it turns out, Marvel has been looking for the right role for Sink and now, according to a trade report, they have found it.

    According to Deadline’s Justin Kroll, Sink has joined the cast of Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4 and will co-star alongside Tom Holland.

    While Kroll’s report doesn’t nail down the identity of Sink’s character, it leans heavily into the Jean Grey talk while not-so-subtly hinting that she might be playing Mary Jane Watson. While it is the Multiverse Saga and anything is possible, having two MJs seems a bit much for Peter. For the older crowd, another option that readily comes to mind is one of Spider-Man’s original amazing friends, Angelica Jones, aka Firestar. Like Grey, Firestar is a redhead, a mutant and an X-Man. However, Firestar was created for early 1980s NBC animated series, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, before making her way into the pages of Marvel Comics.

    Spider-Man 4 is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who is taking the helm of the franchise after original trilogy director Jon Watts departed. Expected to film later this year, the fourth installment in the MCU-set Spidey franchise will hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

    Source: Deadline

  • Jon Bernthal Promises New ‘The Punisher’ Streaming Special Will Match the Netflix Tone

    Jon Bernthal Promises New ‘The Punisher’ Streaming Special Will Match the Netflix Tone

    With the proliferation of MCU scoopers on the scene over the past five years, it’s become increasingly rare that Marvel Studios can ever truly pull of a surprise. Plot points, castings and even new projects are typically shared by social media scoopers before the trades or Disney get the news out. However, 2025 has been full of surprises with the trades announcing that Marvel had paused development on a series nobody new was being developed, leaked concept art revealing all kinds of interesting plans and news of a Special Presentation featuring Frank Castle, which came straight from the Marvel TV boss’s mouth.

    After revealing the project was in the works, Marvel’s head of TV, animation and streaming, Brad Winderbaum, also shared that Jon Bernthal, who will return as Frank Castle in an upcoming episode of Daredevil: Born Again, will co-write the Special Presentation with Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also direct it. Now, while promoting his new film The Accountant 2, Bernthal has shared some more information about the project.

    It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story.

    -Brad Winderbaum on The Punisher Special Presentation

    In an interview with THR, Bernthal described the story of the Special Presentation as one that “this character deserves.”

    I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve. We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.

    -Jon Bernthal

    It also sounds as though fans who enjoyed the two seasons of the Bernthal’s hyper-violent Netflix series, The Punisher, will also enjoy the new project, which is reportedly debuting in 2026.

    “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy,” said Bernthal when asked how the Special Presentation would compare to the original Netflix series. “I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”

    Source: THR

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’: Marvel TV Boss Confirms a Shocking Season 2 Return

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’: Marvel TV Boss Confirms a Shocking Season 2 Return

    When Marvel Studios brought Dario Scardapane on to overhaul the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, the new showrunner’s first instinct was to bring back Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, both of whom were not originally part of the revival. His second instinct, apparently, was to have Henson’s Foggy murdered, throwing Matt Murdock’s life into chaos. Scardapane was so preoccupied with whether or not he could, he didn’t stop to think if they should.

    But what’s done is done, of course, and such a catastrophic event should never be undone. And so Foggy, who was Murdock’s best friend and partner and, according to Scardapane, one part of the “heart and soul” of Daredevil, has gone to heaven, hopefully a half hour before the devil knew he was dead. However, Scardapane has also made it clear that he believes “you can’t do this show without Foggy and Karen, so as production begins on Season 2, he seems to have created a bit of a conundrum. But apparently he’s also already solved his own problem.

    In a post-premiere interview, Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation, Brad Winderbaum addressed Foggy’s death and let slip a bit of information that is sure to cause fans of the show to head into a tizzy.

    “Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that both Deborah and Elden are coming back for Season 2,” Winderbaum revealed to Phase Hero’s Brandon Davis. Woll‘s return was already confirmed but news of Henson‘s return will certainly cause a frenzy of wild theories and assorted nonsense.

    In the world of comic books and in particular the world of Daredevil, deaths are routinely undone. In this case, it would seem an incredibly poor choice to undo Foggy’s death given it’s the catalyst for Murdock’s all-new, all-different life. Wild theories aside, Henson‘s return could easily–and probably more reasonably–be necessary for flashbacks to the good old days of Nelson, Murdock and Page because, you know, we never saw those days.

    This is a type of new origin story for Matt. He’s the type of character that in just like all classic Marvel stories, they’re affected by some sort of tragedy.

    -Dario Scardapane

    For his part, Scardapane isn’t giving anything away. “Listen, he’s not gone forever. That’s all I can say – it’s not the last thing you’re gonna see of him,” he said of Foggy, while claiming that the creative team, who decided to kill Nelson, love him too. “So, I understand. We also understand the heartbreak, and we did not take this lightly. I get upset. We were upset on the day, we were upset watching it. All of these things are true.“

    Perhaps Franklin has just been hanging out at the butcher shop all this time..

    Sources: Games Radar, Phase Hero

  • Funko Strikes Again! Marvel Studios Sentry Revealed Via ‘Thunderbolts*’ Merch

    Funko Strikes Again! Marvel Studios Sentry Revealed Via ‘Thunderbolts*’ Merch

    Marvel Studios has a merchandising problem. No studio works harder to keep its secrets than Marvel does, however, on multiple occasions, those secrets they worked so hard to keep have been spoiled by toys, T-shirts and promotional images. Now, it’s happened again, revealing the identity of a character the studio worked so hard to protect in production despite multiple leaks.

    Ahead of coming available for purchase online this week, pictures of the line of Funko Pops for Thunderbolts* have appeared online. While 4 of the beloved  collectibles reveal nothing, the fifth provides the first look at Sentry, the super-powered Super Soldier unwittingly set loose by the team in the film.

    Ultimately, unless the studio plans to drop another trailer very soon, it’s poor planning by Marvel to let fans’ first look at Sentry come via merchandise pre-order. While most hardcore Marvel Studios fans have been aware that the character was part of the film for quite some time, this may be the first time that a different group of fans learns that Lewis Pullman’s Bob is actually Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.

    The latest blunder comes on the heels of Funkos confirming that Joe Locke‘s Teen was indeed Wiccan/Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along and McDonald’s Happy Meals giving away Diamondback toys despite the character being cut from Captain America: Brave New World.

  • Leaked Concept Art Reveals Another Comic Book Avenger Is Being Considered for Marvel’s ‘Vision’ Series

    Leaked Concept Art Reveals Another Comic Book Avenger Is Being Considered for Marvel’s ‘Vision’ Series

    Marvel Studios Vision series is shaping up to be one of the studio’s most unique projects to date. Originally developed by WandaVision and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, Vision was passed off to Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas in May 2024. Matalas wasted no time rebuilding the show according to his new…vision…and from what can be gleaned by going through the confirmed cast–which includes Ultron voice actor James Spader–and team of directors, Vision may end up being a tense psychological thriller with notes of existential crisis. And it looks like it might have a lot of artificial intelligence types as well.

    As part of the Great Concept Art Leak of 2025, concept art for the AI known as Jocasta was revealed. The file name included the phrase “tmn” which indicates that the art is for Tin Man, the working title of the Vision streaming series.

    As a backup AI unit created by Tony Stark and seen briefly in Avengers: Age of Ultron, J.O.C.A.S.T.A. technically already exists in the MCU. However, it looks as though the character, who was created by Ultron in the comics, will be finding her way into a physical body in Vision.

    Though she was designed as “The Bride of Ultron”, Jocasta has long been an ally of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and an Avenger herself. It’s unclear if Ultron will be responsible for the creation of her body in the MCU but it is starting to feel like Vision will see a proliferation of artificial beings with rumors that characters such as Viv Vision and Victor Mancha may also appear.

    Vision is set to begin production this month and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2026.

  • Leaked Concept Art Reveals a Look at One (Likely) Scrapped Team of Heroes from ‘Avengers 5’

    Leaked Concept Art Reveals a Look at One (Likely) Scrapped Team of Heroes from ‘Avengers 5’

    In February 2023, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness described his next Marvel Studios project, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, as “the biggest movie in the world.” However, whatever “big, sweeping” ideas Loveness had for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty are likely lost to time as he was replaced as the film’s writer by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron in November 2023. By July 2024, original director Destin Daniel Cretton had also left the project and was replaced by Anthony and Joe Russo, who brought along old pal Stephen McFeely to work on the script for what became Avengers: Doomsday. Two writers and a pair of experienced Marvel Studios directors later, it’s hard to imagine there’s much meat left on the bones of Loveness‘ original ideas.

    I have this opportunity to write a vast, American epic–I’ll use American in a general term–but a big, American movie. I don’t take it lightly and I want to make it this big, sweeping and exciting, funny movie and I think we have the best actor in the world as the most complicated villain in comic books. So I can’t say too much, but we’re really swinging for the fences and I can’t wait for you to see what Jonathan does.

    -Jeff Loveness

    Loveness became a bit of a fall guy for the unfortunate bomb that Quantumania became and even if his entire story for The Kang Dynasty was scrapped, it doesn’t mean there may not have been some fun ideas in store. One early rumor about the film indicated that it would include multiple teams of heroes and now some leaked concept art for the film may have revealed the makeup of one such team.

    One particular piece of concept art from Marvel Studios Senior Concept/Visual Development Mushk Rizvi’s now removed Art Station folder provides a look at designs for a bar scene that feature an incredibly diverse cast of characters.

    The concept art, which is dated March 20, 2024, shows Benedict Wong‘s Wong and Chris Pratt‘s Star-Lord hanging out with Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan, Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop, Kathryn Newton‘s Cassie Lang, Joe Locke‘s Wiccan and an unknown actor as Speed. It looks as though the plan was–and may still be–to introduce the MCU’s Champions/Young Avengers in Avengers 5, now known as Avengers: Doomsday.

    As exciting as concept art is, it’s important to remember it’s not always indicative of what will be seen in the final cut of a film. Even if the scene made its way into the final draft of the script and was filmed, there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t end up on the cutting room floor. Furthermore, in this particular instance, this concept art was from nearly a year ago and there’s no telling whose script it was from but it’s definitely not from McFeely’s draft, so counting on it still being part of the plan for the new film is probably a bad move. Nonetheless, the conceptualized scene, which also features Doop, has fans excited online and is creating more positive buzz than most Marvel projects.

    Avengers: Doomsday is currently slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

  • Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Bob Iger‘s return to the Disney throne may have come with a mandate for the company’s major production studios to slow their respective rolls in terms of the quantity of streaming projects being released per year but in the case of Marvel Studios, no slowdown has been detected just yet.

    We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.

    -Bob Iger

    A busier than expected 2025, featuring three films and a total of six streaming series, has just gotten underway and is about to ramp up significantly with the highly-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again set to launch on March 4th. Following the return to Hell’s Kitchen, fans still have plenty to look forward to the rest of the year and it’s starting to look as though 2026 might be nearly as busy, including second seasons of two of the studio’s most well-received streaming series to date.

    According to Marvel TV chief Brad Winderbaum, the sophomore seasons of both X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are planned to hit D+ at some point in 2026.

    Of course, in the world of animatied projects things can often move a little slower than expected; however, Winderbaum reminds, at the very least, cautiously optimistic that Season 2 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be ready for next year. “Season 2 in ’26, I think,” said Winderbaum before addressing the studio’s even grander plans for the hit series.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    “We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it,” said Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation. “What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully. “

    Pragmatically speaking, a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man might not hit arrive on D+ until mid-2026. That’s ok, however, considering fans are already looking forward to a jam-packed follow-up which will introduce Gwen Stacy, follow Peter and Harry’s plans with the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, follow Tombstone’s rise in Harlem and, hopefully, address how Peter’s father ended up in prison, among other things. It’s also ok because it sounds like another amazing animated adventure might be on track to return sooner than that.

    (L-R): Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    “Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now,” Winderbaum told Collider, confirming previous reports. The longtime Marvel exec then explained that as part of Marvel Television’s new approach, the hope is to have X-Men ’97, like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, ready for yearly release. “To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on,” he said. “This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on.”

    The season finale cliffhanger set the stage for multiple major storylines to unfold in Season 2 of X-Men ’97; however, with Ms. Marvel and What If…? writer Matthew Chauncey taking over for a fired Beau DeMayo, the new season required a little more time to prep as Chauncey redirects it from the original 5-season plan.

    As it stands, fans have 4 streaming projects confirmed to arrive in 2026 (X-Men ’97 Season 2, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, The Punisher Special Presentation, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2) with another likely (Vision). Theatrically, the studio has set dates for Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4 while still keeping dates set aside for a pair of untitled films. All told, 2026 does indeed look to be another busy year for Marvel, Iger’s mandate be damned.

    Source: Collider and Collider

  • Marvel Studios Exec Ends Speculation about Plans for ‘Black Panther 3’

    Marvel Studios Exec Ends Speculation about Plans for ‘Black Panther 3’

    Since Denzel Washington revealed that Ryan Coogler was writing a part for him into Black Panther 3, reports and rumors about the film have come at a constant clip. While Kevin Feige confirmed that the project is in development and that Nate Moore will serve as a producer despite preparing to leave Marvel Studios, there’s been no other news from official sources. But that hasn’t stopped the usual suspects from sharing what they’ve heard.

    Whether it be rumors about recasting either T’Challa or T’Challa II, Washington‘s potential role or generalized statements that could later be proven true with the wave of a hand, online scoopers have had plenty to say about Black Panther 3…and according to Nate Moore, none of it is true.

    “It is, honestly, so early,” Moore told EW when asked about the online buzz. “We’ve had a couple of conversations with Ryan Coogler, our filmmaker who’s coming back, but he’s finishing up his film.“

    Moore then went out of his way to make it clear that despite the abundance of rumors circulating about Black Panther 3,  the studio has not begun work on the film and won’t be for some time.

    “We are still figuring out again exactly what [the next] Avengers is going to be, so we haven’t had any real story conversations,” Moore explained. “I know there’s been a lot of chatter online about casting and villains. None of that’s true. We just haven’t gotten there yet, to be honest, but I am very excited to start those conversations hopefully this year.”

    The truth is, there’s no truth to those rumors. Never say never to anything, we haven’t really had a lot of creative conversations with Ryan Coogler yet, because he’s finishing his film Sinners, which comes out this year. We’ll get into it later this year, but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started.

    -Nate Moore via Comic Book

    When pressed further about the studio’s willingness to recast the role of T’Challa, Moore doubled downvon his previous claims without closing the door to the possibility. “We don’t know what the story is, so I couldn’t tell you whether or not we’re open to recasting. It certainly wasn’t our instinct for Wakanda Forever,” said Moore. “I’ll never say never to anything, but it’s too early to talk about any of that stuff. We have to figure out what the story’s going to be.”

    With Coogler still working on his script, it can be inferred from Moore‘s comments that Black Panther 3 might not be ready for theaters until after Avengers: Secret Wars. Of course, that’s not going to stop the rumors from flying but it’s good to have someone from the studio provide a little clarity on where things stand with the anticipated project.

    Source: ComicBook, EW