Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • ‘She-Hulk’ and ‘Captain America: New World Order’ Connection Explained

    ‘She-Hulk’ and ‘Captain America: New World Order’ Connection Explained

    Episode 6 of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law pulled back the curtain on the series’ one ongoing mystery just enough to send theory-loving fans scurrying on a search for answers as to just who is orchestrating the attacks on Jen. The episode name-dropped a pretty impressive group of villains from the Marvel Comics and linked them directly to the quest to get Jen’s blood. Was it just an Easter egg mean to set fans on a wild goose chase, or did Marvel Studios just give fans their first hint at the plot of 2024’s Captain America: New World Order?

    That name which was so casually dropped is Intelligencia. In the MCU, it’s a website run by “manbabies”, but in the pages of Marvel Comics, it’s a loose-knit group of some of the most brilliant and terrible minds to ever oppose Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Geniuses such as Egghead, M.O.D.O.K., the Mad Thinker and, most relevant to this line of thought, The Leader were among the masterminds who chose to team up to share knowledge, build some cool stuff and, interestingly enough, engineer a way to turn General Thunderbolt Ross into the Red Hulk as a means to combat Hulk when he returned to Earth in the pages of World War Hulk.

    With rumors of a World War Hulk movie in development at Marvel Studios and the return of Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader in Captain America: New World Order, the episode’s reveal of the Intelligencia’s HulkKing working with the still mysterious people behind the Wrecking Crew’s attempt to get Jen’s blood seems fairly significant. Is The Leader the HulkKing? Or is the HulkKing someone more familiar to the series? One potential candidate is clearly slimeball Todd Phelps, who is incredibly interested in Jen’s abilities. Todd certainly is not The Leader, but could he be another member of the Intelligencia that was known to have an alias or two in his time? It would make for an interesting twist if Todd turned out to be The Mad Thinker, a Fantastic Four villain who came up against She-Hulk many times and whose creation, the Awesome Android, eventually became a staple of She-Hulk comics.

    Whoever these people behind the curtain turn out to be, it seems that as the final third of the season of She-Hulk gets underway next week, fans will need to pay much closer attention. Will The Leader make an appearance in She-Hulk? Maybe a name drop? What state of mind will Bruce be in when he returns from his trip to Sakaar and what will he have learned while he’s there? And, most importantly, with the series wrapping up in nine episodes, where will these stories be picked up? Right now, it certainly seems like the connection to the Intelligencia makes Captain America: New World Order the prime candidate to continue the story. Perhaps it’s a World War Hulk movie in disguise. Of course, given She-Hulk’s irreverent tone and disregard for sticking to the comics when it comes to bringing characters to the MCU (the Wrecking Crew, Mr. Immortal and Titania are all far cries from their comic book counterparts), it remains possible that the MCU’s Intelligencia are truly just a bunch of manbabies of little significance.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Teases Season 2 of Disney+ Series

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Teases Season 2 of Disney+ Series

    The future adventures of Kamala Khan beyond The Marvels may be happening sooner rather than later on Disney+. Following the critically successful first season of Ms. Marvel earlier this year, questions had begun to circulate if a season two would be in the works. Fans may now have a more clear answer thanks to the primary directors of the series. Adil El Arbi shared on Instagram a minute-long sizzle reel discussing the success of the first season of the show, though the main point of intrigue comes from his comment of asking “who’s ready for season 2?!”

    It shouldn’t come as any real type of surprise that Ms. Marvel would receive a second season. The format of the show served as one of Marvel Studios’ first real triumphs in capturing the spirit of a television series (as opposed to segmented films) since producing content for Disney+. As well, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response from especially younger audiences towards the Iman Vellani-led ensemble cast.

    One question that can be asked following this potential confirmation is which (if any) other Marvel Studios series will receive follow-up seasons. So far, Loki is the only other project with a confirmed season two, which is currently in production and is slated to air in the summer of 2023. Moon Knight and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law specifically appeared to be primed to have continuing stories set on Disney+. It ultimately remains to be seen when they would officially be announced, though, as with season two of Ms. Marvel itself.

    Thankfully, fans of Kamala Khan won’t have to wait as long as the potential season two for her to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Vellani is set to co-lead in The Marvels alongside Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris. That film is scheduled to release theatrically on July 28, 2023.

    Source: Instagram

  • Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer to Pen ‘Fantastic Four’ for Marvel Studios

    Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer to Pen ‘Fantastic Four’ for Marvel Studios

    Marvel Studios has found its writers for Fantastic Four. Deadline reports that Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer are set to pen the screenplay for Fantastic Four. The outlet notes that the duo have actually been involved with the project for a bit now, having signed on before director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) officially signed on for the project. Kaplan and Springer are said to be “outlining where this next series of films will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe” alongside Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. The writers will now work with Shakman to ensure they’ve all aligned their visions for the film before Kaplan and Springer crack the screenplay.

    Like with many writers Marvel Studios brings on board, the duo is still relatively new to Hollywood. Prior to landing Fantastic Four, they sold Disaster Wedding to Warner Bros. which has Max Barbakow on to direct. They also penned K-Pop: Lost in America, which is set to star Rebel Wilson and Charles Melton.

    The Fantastic Four reboot was first announced in 2019 with Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts originally on board to direct. Watts has since exited the project and Shakman has since signed on, with news of his hiring being announced at this year’s D23.

    Fantastic Four is set to hit theaters on Nov. 8, 2024.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 5

    ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 5

    Welcome back to yet another From page to Screen focusing on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In the show’s first week, we looked at the differences between the comics’ and series’ versions of Jennifer Walters’ origin story. The following week, viewers got a live-action introduction to Jen’s new legal job, taken straight out of Dan Slott’s and Juan Bobillo’s 2004 She-Hulk run—Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H). Episode 3 introduced a reimagined version of comic book villains and in its fourth week, the show decided to focus on Jen’s love life. As for episode five, it shed some light on Jen’s nemesis, Titania.

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1
    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 1

    We had already gotten a quick glimpse of her on the show’s premiere, only for She-Hulk to bring her down with a single punch as she raided a courtroom. This, so far, has been the only actual physical confrontation between the two on Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. As for the comics, the story has been quite different as it is Titania’s strength and endurance that have propelled her into becoming one of She-Hulk’s lifelong adversaries.

    Secret Wars #3 1984

    When a cosmic being known as the Beyonder whisked Marvel’s best fighters to a mysterious realm known as Battleworld during the catastrophic events of Secret Wars, Titania (then Mary MacPherran) saw her life forever changed. She was unintentionally included in the group, just a regular citizen who had grown up being teased by peers for being from a low-income household and diminutive in stature. She and her buddy Marsha are then sent to Battleworld after making up a connection with Spider-Woman when Doctor Doom eventually finds them stuck there. He promises to equip them with cutting-edge alien technology in exchange for their participation in his army, which he intends to use to battle the Marvel superheroes on Battleworld. Once they agree, both of them undergo transformations: Mary becomes significantly taller and gains superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; Marsha can turn her entire body into blazing plasma.

    Secret Wars #3 1984
    Secret Wars #3 1984
    Secret Wars #7 1984
    Secret Wars #7 1984

    Following this, the two of them change their names to Titania and Volcana, respectively, and join forces with Doctor Doom to become villains. Titania then battles She-Hulk for the first time, achieving a rare win that would later develop into a protracted conflict between them.

    As for the show, and per the initial casting call when the character was referred to as Lucy, Titania is described as a glamorous Social Media influencer, a Kardashian-type if you may. Her origin is bound to differ from the comics’ since we’re still a few years away from the events of Secret Wars, with little to no guarantee that the upcoming movie will even play out in a way similar to the 1984 comic run where Titania made her debut.

    Although her super-human strength appears to still play a big role in her character, she has found other ways in which to confront Jen. According to Jameela Jamil, who plays her on-screen, her biggest superpower might actually be “being annoying.”

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 5
    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 5

    Titania stands out because I think she’s the most annoying of them, actually. I think she almost doesn’t need to use her strength; she could just annoy you to death…and I think that is a superpower that we haven’t really utilized enough. She’s also very glamorous… and I like the fact that she’s completely unselfconscious. She’s completely unselfconscious and so, so weird.

    Jameela Jamil

    With Tatania deciding to face off with She-Hulk in a court of law instead of going the more traditional route of punching herself out of a situation, the series has deprived itself of the more action-orientated approach the comics usually go for, but the outcome of said decision is likely going to make her rethink strategy. With four episodes to go, and given the relevance given to the character, it’s perhaps pretty likely that a brawling face-off is in the cards, even if Titania doesn’t quite feel as the big bad the series has been teasing for a while.

    Secret Wars #7 1984

    The first five episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.

  • 5 Reasons Why Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk Would Make the Best MCU Team-Up

    5 Reasons Why Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk Would Make the Best MCU Team-Up

    There’s a term in baseball to describe an all-around great player. You can describe it as someone who can do a bit of everything. Hitting, defense, athleticism, intangibles, and a great locker room presence combined. That’s a five-tool player. In the MCU, Iman Vellani is a five-tool player. 

    With a report circulating that Ms. Marvel is getting a Season 2, the idea of expansion immediately came to mind: give Kamala Khan more to do. Embiggen her role! Yes, we’re getting The Marvels next July and that should be a grand team-up. However, let’s think beyond that; let’s think bigger. There are so many fun stories that can be told with Ms. Marvel by teaming her up with other characters, but one mean, green and straight poured into these jeans hero stands out.

    As we’re more than halfway through She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it’s truly been a refresher for the MCU. In terms of storytelling, humor, and tv structure it’s hitting home on a lot of levels. So you’re probably asking yourself why Jennifer Walters and Kamala Khan would work together. Let’s break it down.

    1. A Vacation Visit!

             Early in Season 1, Bruno Carrelli got accepted to Cal Tech. That’s not far from Los Angeles so if Kamala wanted to visit her pal it’s incredibly convenient storyline-wise. Set season 2 during the summertime. The Khans can go on a family vacation. You can continue to explore the Bruno/Kamala dynamic and potential romance whilst Ms. Marvel fights crime in the city of angels.

    2. The defense will not rest 

             Let’s say the Wrecking Crew decides to stick around, or any other type of villain. One particular one that comes to mind is Graviton. Give him an introduction here as a villain that maybe a future West Coast Avengers team would have to contend with. In this instance, Ms. Marvel enters the fray and in the midst of fighting accidentally damages some property. Kamala gets sued by the owners of the building. She’s gonna need a really good lawyer. Enter She-Hulk.

    3. Banter and character development

             Just imagine if you dropped the Khans in She-Hulk’s world. It’d be such an incredible fit. As we presume Kamala and Jennifer would share some camaraderie we could get a great dual-family dinner. So many questions about superhumans, and maybe mutants? Yusuf and Morris as well as Muneeba and Elaine’s banter would be exquisite. Add a court case into the mix and you have the bones of a really fun season of TV. Jen can be a bit of a mentor to Kamala, and in-kind Kamala’s heroic nature might rub off on Jen. 

    4. Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel meet

     With the plot thread from Season 1 seeing the Ten Rings symbol, Shang-Chi’s inclusion would be quite the tease. With She-Hulk already referencing the events of Shang-Chi, there’s an immediate connection. Charles Murphy, in a past team-up, mentioned Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi as characters he wanted to see together. If Marvel wanted to push their story forward, that would be a very fun way to begin that relationship.

    5. Kamala, go break that fourth wall!

     The fourth wall breaks in She-Hulk have been exceptional thus far. Granted, it’s not something that’s for everyone. However, if there’s anyone who can do it, Iman Vellani fits the bill. It’s hard not to laugh in advance as Jen and Kamala disagree on something and then it’s Kamala who breaks the fourth wall instead. That would be comedy gold.

    Ms. Marvel can tell many stories in its second season, but this version would be the talk of the MCU for a long time if it ever came to pass.

  • New Rumor Indicates Another Major Netflix Character is Set to Join the MCU

    New Rumor Indicates Another Major Netflix Character is Set to Join the MCU

    First Charlie Cox. Then Vincent D’Onofrio. Now, a new rumor has another major player from Netflix’s Defendersverse series set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to KC Walsh, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, whose rumored appearance in She-Hulk was nothing more than speculation, was set to join the cast of the Disney Plus streaming series, Daredevil: Born Again, but was unable to make the commitment because of a scheduling conflict. In her place, Marvel Studios has allegedly decided to bring Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle on instead.

    Though Walsh didn’t mention Bernthal by name, the rumor mill has been active around the actor’s arrival in the MCU for months. Dating back to SDCC ’22, fans were buzzing about the possibility of Bernthal’s Frank Castle showing up in an upcoming MCU project, with some rumors even pointing to a Punisher series being in the works. While no further mention has been made of that possibility, the rumors continue to pile up about Castle’s appearance in Daredevil: Born Again. In early August, fellow Netflix star Rosario Dawson added to the buzz during an interview at the C2E2 2022 when she told the crowd she had recently learned “the Punisher was happening again.” Dawson later recanted her statement saying “I can’t be trusted”, but the rumors haven’t died down.

    Bernthal first played Frank Castle in 2016 during the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil and his portrayal of the character was an instant hit with fans. He went on to star as the character over 2 13-episode seasons of The Punisher before the show was non-renewed in 2019. With the live-action rights to the characters reverting back to Marvel Studios and Cox’s appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and D’Onofrio’s appearance in Hawkeye, it’s always seemed to be a matter of when other characters from the Defendersverse would arrive in the MCU, no if. With Daredevil: Born Again not filming until 2023 and not streaming until 2024, fans may have to wait quite some time to find out exactly when that when is.

  • BREAKING: Marvel Studios Title Pushed 7 Months

    BREAKING: Marvel Studios Title Pushed 7 Months

    After news of the Untitled Marvel Studios film set for February 16th, 2024 failed to come out of either SDCC ’22 or D23, fans began to wonder about the fate of the film. Today, the official word from Disney ended that speculation. The film has now been pushed to September 6, 2024.

    It certainly adds some speculation on what this project may have been. Of course, with quite a few films in some form of production, there are a lot of options to choose from. The good thing is that this is a sign that they are giving productions the time they need instead of forcing something to get rushed out with that initial release date.

    While some feel like Marvel sticks very strictly to its announced release schedules, they have made quite a few shifts throughout the years to adapt however the project needed it. The question of course remains if this is a project that is still being worked out and requires more time as a result. We might never truly know but there’s still some time before they’ll further announce whatever projects they have mapped out in Phase 6 beyond Fantastic Four.

    Source: Twitter

  • Disney Shifts Future Film Slate

    Disney Shifts Future Film Slate

    The wave of Disney pushing back release dates for theatrical projects continues even with the gradual decline of the pandemic. It has officially been revealed that multiple projects are moving around from their initially announced release dates. 

    Most notably, the untitled Marvel Studios film initially scheduled to release on February 16, 2024, has moved back a few months into September 6, 2024. It has yet to be revealed what film would’ve filled this date (especially with the other later releasing 2024 films being revealed earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con), but it has been speculated by some that this would’ve been the date for the Deadpool sequel film in development and apparently nearing the start of production. As well, Haunted Mansion will be moving up from its scheduled August 11, 2023 release to March 10, 2023.

    In addition, Disney has revealed the following release dates for various notable upcoming films in 2024:

    • Pixar’s Elio – March 1, 2024
    • The Rachel Zegler-led Snow White – March 22, 2024
    • Pixar’s Inside Out 2 – June 14, 2024
    • Barry Jenkins’ prequel Mufasa: The Lion King – July 5, 2024

    One point of concern in all these moves comes with the removal of Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron from Disney’s release schedule. The film had previously been earmarked for a December 22, 2023 release, but essentially no updates have been made for the film in an extended period of time. This certainly doesn’t mean that the film is canceled, but it serves as an indicator that the highly anticipated film in the Star Wars franchise is much further away than Lucasfilm had initially planned for.

    Source: Twitter.

  • New Marvel Studios Animated Series Finds Director in ‘Big Hero 6’ Artist Brian Kesinger

    New Marvel Studios Animated Series Finds Director in ‘Big Hero 6’ Artist Brian Kesinger

    Marvel Studios’ animation department has been increasingly busy over the last year and it seems there’s no slowing down now. In a post on his personal Instagram account, Lucasfilm and Marvel illustrator Brian Kesinger announced that he was helming a new animated series for Marvel Studios.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cih8ZFcLddl/?igshid=NDc0ODY0MjQ%3D

    Kesinger has worked with Disney for over 20 years as part of animation departments on projects ranging from Tarzan (1999) to Big Hero 6 (2014) to Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Though he did not name the project, quite a few are known to be in the works at Marvel Studios, including one being developed by Todd Harris which may have ties to MCU artifacts such as the Ten Rings. Kesinger has also illustrated Marvel Comics in the past, including work for “Rocket Raccoon and Groot” and “Groot.”

  • Charlie Cox Wants More Lawyering In ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Than In Netflix Show

    Charlie Cox Wants More Lawyering In ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Than In Netflix Show

    Daredevil: Born Again will reintroduce Charlie Cox’s titular hero alongside longtime foe Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. The upcoming Disney+ series will also make streaming service history with its 18-episode run, the first time a Marvel Cinematic Universe show has done so. Aside from a newly revealed logo at D23 Expo, plot details for Daredevil: Born Again remain sparse, but Cox has already stated that this is a new beginning, with new ideas, and will not be connected to the previous Netflix series.

    Daredevil is set to make his next MCU appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is fitting considering both Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters are lawyers. Still, it has been confirmed that She-Hulk will not be setting up Born Again. That does not mean that Murdock will not embrace his legal roots going forward.

    In fact, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cox said he wants the new series to be more focused on Murdock’s day job as a lawyer, similar to how the first season of the Netflix show was before it started telling more Daredevil stories. With the new show’s extended episode count of 18 episodes, he hopes there will be more time for character beats while maintaining all of the superhero action. The actor stated:

    We know there’s going to be 18 episodes, and that’s kind of mind blowing to me, so there’s even more content than we were doing before, which at the time, felt like a lot. What I hope that does is give us longer to really live in the characters and to spend more time in Matt Murdock’s world as a lawyer and still have all the cool Daredevil superhero stuff, but to really live in his world and ground the show in the day-to-day life of someone who’s a lawyer, I think could be really interesting.

    Charlie Cox

    MCU fans will get some experience with the legal side of the MCU in She-Hulk, so it will be interesting to see if it expands beyond that series. Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere in Spring 2024 on Disney+.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter