The announcement of Daredevil: Born Again as an 18-episode streaming series brought a lot of questions with it. Would the series stream for 18 consecutive weeks? Would the episodes be broken into groups or pods? How long will it take to film something like that? Thanks to a report from The Illuminerdi, it looks like we have an answer to one of those questions.
Daredevil: Born Again is one of three Disney Plus streaming series set to film in the first half of 2023, joining Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Wonder Man. Early word had the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led Daredevil series headed to New York City for production, returning to the familiar locations fans grew accustomed to over 3 seasons of the Netflix series. The new report from the Illuminderdi confirms that and adds that production is expected to last nearly all of 2023, beginning in February and wrapping in December. A short break is scheduled in August, but it looks like fans will have plenty of time to catch a glimpse of the production as it goes on.
While Marvel Studios uses the Atlanta area for much of their stateside productions, Daredevil: Born Again won’t be the first project to be out and about on the streets of New York City. Hawkeye filmed a significant portion of its six episodes in the Big Apple, allowing for fans and paps to catch actors on set, including the first look at Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. There’s no way of knowing just how much fans can expect to see Cox and D’Onofrio on the streets, or across the skyline, but regardless of that filming in New York City rather than turning the streets of Atlanta into a replica will bring a bit of verisimilitude to the project, which is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2024.
Marvel Studios Eternals served as a departure from the “Marvel formula” that has often been at the center of criticism of MCU films. Ironically enough, the departure from that formula became the center of criticism of Eternals, leaving fans wondering when, and maybe even if, a sequel might happen. Earlier this year, however, Patton Oswalt, who voiced Pip the Troll in a sequence that could set the stage for a potential sequel, claimed that a sequel was in the works. Shortly after that statement, it seemed clear that Oswalt was just repeating something he’d read online and not prematurely sharing any official info.
In an interview with The Playlist, Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani gave a little insight into what the situation with Oswalt may have been all about.
I have no idea. I don’t think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website – one of those where it’s like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that’s what Patton saw.
Kumail Nanjiani
While Nanjiani obviously isn’t able to speak for Oswalt, it does sound like he may have a little better grip on exactly what happened. While Eternals 2 doesn’t seem to be a sure thing, Nanjiani’s Kingo, who was one of the film’s brightest spots, will be referenced in two upcoming MCU projects and, according to the star, he’d love to continue playing him.
I honestly don’t know anything. I would love for Kingo to come back. I love playing that character…That one’s very fun to play, you’re just in a good mood. You do finger guns, you’re like a movie star – what’s not to love? You’re just in a good mood the entire time.
Kumail Nanjiani
Having a group of characters such as the Eternals in the shared universe without them ever showing up again or interacting with corners and characters is certainly hard to imagine; however, there’s no guarantee that any future interactions or arcs involving the characters will be part of a sequel. Some of the characters have been Avengers in the past and with two Avengers team-ups on the slate, they could show up there as the Multiverse Saga concludes. Until official word comes down from Marvel Studios, it remains best practice to remember that the actors are often the last one’s to know what’s going on behind the scenes.
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.
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.
Aubrey Plaza has joined the MCU. The actress has landed an as-yet-unnamed role in the Disney Plus streaming series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, which will reportedly kick off production with a short stint in 2022 before really getting the wheels turning in January 2023. Though the plot of the series has yet to be revealed, it’ll feature the return of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, who fans fell in love with in 2021’s WandaVision, and likely continue to flesh out the mystical corner of the MCU. With that in mind we decided to take a stab at which powerful magic user Plaza might portray!
Morgan Le Fay
Morgan Le Fay stands as the top choice for Plaza and, in all honesty, any other option will be a little disappointing. Morgan is one of the oldest and most powerful mystics in the Marvel Universe and, should Jac Schaeffer and the creatives behind Agatha: Coven of Chaos choose to use it, has a comic book history with something Agatha held dear: the Darkhold. In the comics, it was Le Fay and her followers, the incredibly creatively named Darkholders, who originally bound Chthon, the Elder God of Chaos who wrote the Darkhold, to Mount Wundagore. The potential connectivity to the individual and collective histories of both Agatha and Wanda Maximoff make Morgan a great choice for the show and Plaza seems a wonderful fit for the ageless, sultry sorceress.
Jennifer Kale
Though not a villain, Jennifer Kale is a prime candidate to show up in Agatha: Coven of Chaos for multiple reasons, her being a witch among them. Kale comes from a long line of family connected to the Cult of Zhered-Na. One group of cultists led by Jennifer’s father, held in their possession a collection of magical scrolls whose power may have been on par with that of the Darkhold. Kale also has ties to a number of mystical and magical beings in the comics including Man-Thing and a pair of Ghost Riders. Having a strong witch like Kale introduced in the series would allow the character to pop up again as Marvel Studios builds out that corner of the MCU. Plaza could fill that role nicely and set a few appearances on her schedule.
Satana
Maybe the longest of long shots, but also maybe one of the most potentially entertaining fits for Plaza would be Queen of Hell, Satana. In the comics, Satana is a succubus and a human-demon hybrid fathered by the demon Marduk who believes himself to be the Satan. It doesn’t really matter what Satana does, what’s important is that she always has fun doing it. Plaza would knock this role out of the park, even if it’s a little hard to imagine this character in the MCU at the moment.
Natalya Maximoff
One interesting possibility that doesn’t necessarily fit the bill of “villain” is Natalya Maximoff, the biological mother of Wanda and her predecessor as the Scarlet Witch. Introduced in James Robinson’s fantastic Scarlet Witch solo series, Natalya is integral to Wanda’s journey along the Witches’ Road. While the legacy of the Scarlet Witch seems a little different in the MCU than the comics, it’s still possible to introduce the character and shine a little light on how Wanda came about her natural affinity for magic.
Lilith
A pretty popular choice for the villain role, Lilith, the Mother of Demons, is as powerful of a sorceress as anyone from the pages of Marvel Comics. She served as one of the main antagonists of a Marvel Comics mini-series entitled Witches that delved into some of the history of witchcraft in the Marvel Universe. She has produced an entire race of demon-spawn, the Lilin, who have long been at war with humans. Should Agatha: Coven of Chaos look to put a little more positive spin on Agatha Harkness, she could find herself and her coven up against Lilith and her children. Or, should they want to keep Agatha a little shadier, she could be working with them.
As with any list like this, there’s a better chance of Plaza playing a character who is not on it rather than a character who is. With filming set to kick off over the next couple of months, we can hope word or set photos trickle out that offer some clues as to who the talented actress might be!
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.
In the photo, a sign for a bookstore reads, “Stanton’s Sweets, Reads, & More.” In the comics, Zelma initially joined the sorcery world as Doctor Strange’s librarian, so the fact that the character is linked to a bookstore signals that the character may be introduced in her early stages as the Sorcerer Supreme’s ally.
Zelma is a relatively new character to the comics anyway, first appearing in 2015 in Jason Aaron’s Doctor Strange run. After being helped by the sorcerer, Zelma becomes the librarian for the Sanctum Santorum. After several adventures in this capacity, she decides to practice magic as Strange’s apprentice. The series already features The Hood as the main antagonist, and Sacha Baron Cohen is heavily rumored to play Mephisto in the series, so having another magic-related character in Ironheart further fuels the technology versus magic theme or plot for the series.
Check out the set photo below:
It seems like Zelma Stanton will run her own book store in the MCU, from this new set photo for #Ironheart!
This seemingly confirms the rumors of Regan Aliyah playing Zelma in the series. In the comics, she is a magic user who serves as #DoctorStrange’s apprentice/librarian. pic.twitter.com/0IOZHgVYiF
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the third and final solo Spidey film to come out of the unprecedented collaborative agreement between Sony and Disney. With it becoming the #6 all-time highest-grossing film, it seemed like a no-brainer that the two studios would ultimately renew the deal and get to work on not only a new trilogy of films starring Tom Holland but also on finding other Marvel Studios projects in which he could appear. In late 2021, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that he had begun working with Amy Pascal on developing the future of the character, however, without a new deal in place no official progress could be made, causing fans to wonder if they’d ever see Holland swinging through the MCU again.
A new rumor might help some fans feel a little better in that regard. According to one YouTuber, Sony and Disney have apparently been at the negotiating table and are closing in on a new collaborative arrangement. The rumor states that once closed, the two studios could then begin working with Holland on sorting out the terms of his deal, which would likely consist of another Spider-trilogy of Sony films produced by Marvel Studios in addition to scheduling him for appearances in Marvel Studios films. With two Avengers films on the slate for 2025 and 2026, those would seem to stand as obvious choices, but it is possible that Marvel might like to have Spidey appear in their Fantastic Four film, which is also scheduled for 2025.
As it stands, No Way Home could serve as a fine ending for Spidey’s MCU story. Peter made some heavy sacrifices, but by the end of the film, he seemed to have come to terms with them and found himself in a new suit swinging across the NYC skyline during the holiday season. Of course, having Holland back on board during the Multiverse Saga allows Marvel Studios a lot of freedom in exploring Spidey’s relationship with a character that fans have been clamoring to see join the MCU for some time now: Miles Morales.
With no deal in place, there’s currently no timeline set for Spider-Man 4, though given Feige’s comments from late 2021, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the project come together fairly quickly once the deal is in place.
With the confirmation that the legendary Harrison Ford was joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as General Thunderbolt Ross, replacing the late William Hurt, came speculation that Marvel Studios must have plans to have Ross finally become the Red Hulk and take on the Hulk. As it turns out, the studio has plans Ross to end up at odds with another hero: Captain America.
In an interview with Collider, Marvel Studios’ Parliament member Nate Moore confirmed Ford’s casting and gave some insight into what fans can expect from him when he turns up in Captain America: New World Order.
Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play. It’s no secret that Samuel Sterns is making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fantastic because Tim Blake Nelson’s the best. Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and to see Sam Wilson and Thunderbolt Ross, which if you remember actually threw him in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords. There’s going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun.
Nate Moore
With the project not expected to start filming until February or March, Moore’s comments stand as some of the best insight into the plot of the film to date. Director Julius Onah has gone on record in sharing his excitement about Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader serving as the villain of the piece, saying he’ll “put Sam through the wringer” in what he’s calling a paranoid thriller. And now it sounds like Sam might have more than just The Leader standing in his way in his first big screen outing as Captain America.
Captain America: New World Order is currently set to hit theaters on May 3, 2024.
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