Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • Daniela Melchior Set to Appear in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Daniela Melchior Set to Appear in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    After being at the center of speculation for months, Daniela Melchior has been confirmed to have joined the cast of Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    Melchior’s social media activity had fans convinced she would be a part of the expanded cast for the threequel, with many speculating that she would be playing Moondragon, who is canonically the daughter of Drax in Marvel Comics. And while director James Gunn ruled out the idea of her playing Moondragon, he never outright denied Melchior would have a role in the film.

    With her casting now confirmed by a Hollywood trade report, speculation will begin anew about who Melchior, who first worked with Gunn on the DC Comics film, The Suicide Squad, might be playing. While there is no guarantee she’s playing a member of the Guardians, rumors have persisted that this film will see a new group of heroes take over for the current team. Should those rumors turn out to be true, Melchior could be playing the MCU’s version of Phyla-Vell (a character who I have heard is due to appear in the MCU), a one-time member of the Guardians and a character with connections to several characters in the larger MCU.

    In the comics, Phyla is the daughter of the Kree hero Mar-Vell. The character played a large role in the Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest events and, eventually, wore the Quantum Bands and took on the mantle of Quasar. Speculation has already begun that the bracelet worn by Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel might be one half of the pair of Quantum Bands, and it’s been revealed by Marvel Studios that the changes to Khan’s powers were made to make her inclusion in the upcoming feature film The Marvels make a bit more sense. The inclusion of Phyla-Vell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could put her on the board as someone who might eventually try to lay claim to the bands. All speculation, of course, but sensible.

    Melchior joins Chukwudi Iwuji as actors to have worked with Gunn on a DC Comics’ adaptation and make the jump to the MCU. Iwuji, who starred in the HBO Max streaming series Peacemaker, looks to be playing the High Evolutionary, the main antagonist of Vol. 3.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters on May 5, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Adds Griffin Matthews In Recurring Role

    ‘She-Hulk’ Adds Griffin Matthews In Recurring Role

    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel will soon debut the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest hero, but plenty of eyes are still on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which will premiere later this summer. The 9-episode event is set to focus on Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman law. The series will include several notable actors such as Mark Ruffalo, Charlie Cox, Tim Roth, and Jameela Jamil. Entertainment Tonight just confirmed another addition to the cast. Actor Griffin Matthews, known for his role in the Emmy-winning The Flight Attendant will reportedly join She-Hulk in a recurring role. The actor revealed his excitement to join the series:

    Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would join the Marvel Universe! This was never a genre that I thought an actor like me (in my package) could fit into…The most exciting part of joining the MCU was being told by our director and writers: ‘Do not try to fit. Just be you.’ And that gave me the freedom to run wild…

    Griffin Matthews

    Matthews will star opposite Maslany, though his exact role has not been revealed. There are numerous options, but the fact that he will be a recurring character may mean his character is fairly significant. He could play one of the other lawyers or workers at Jen’s law firm, or he could even be someone she meets on the dating app we see in the trailer who sticks around some.

    Matthews’ role will be confirmed when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ on August 17, 2022.

    Source: Entertainment Tonight

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Glow’ Actress Shakira Barrera and ‘Ironheart’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Glow’ Actress Shakira Barrera and ‘Ironheart’

    As the calendar rolls over into Summer, production on another round of Marvel Studios projects will shortly be underway. Among those projects is the Disney Plus streaming series Ironheart, which was first announced by Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, during 2020’s Disney Investor Day presentation. Dominique Thorne will lead the project as Riri Williams, a genius inventor who will make her MCU debut this November in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

    Aside from Thorne, however, little news about the cast of Ironheart has made its way outside of Marvel Studios despite production set to kick off in June. In the Heights star Anthony Ramos has joined the series in an unannounced role, as have Harper Anthony and Lyric Ross. Rumors have circulated that Ramos might by portraying the villain of the project, Parker Robbins, better known in the comics as the Hood, and it’s known that Marvel Studios was looking to cast the son or daughter of Jeff Bridges‘ Obidiah Stane, the villain of 2008’s Iron Man. But as is almost always the case, Marvel Studios has stayed mum on any official announcements about the cast.

    And while fans debate if Ramos is the Hood and wonder who will be cast as “Ezekiel Stane” (while Obidiah had a son in the comics, the studio is open to casting a woman in the comedic role), there is certainty around the creatives behind the project. Marvel Studios brought in Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes to helm the project as co-directors, with Chinaka Hodge, Sev Ohanian, Zoie Nagelhout and Zinzi Coogler working as the team of executive producers. As it turns out, one actress who recently revealed she is prepping for a secret role happens to follow nearly the entire creative team on Instagram.

    GLOW and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Shakira Barrera has recently connected with Bailey, Barnes, Hodge, Nagelhout and Ohanian (we were unable to find Zinzi Coogler on IG) and, just 6 days ago, posted the video seen below to her IG story.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cd67M2NpVX5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    In the video, she thanks her fitness coach for helping her prepare for an “amazing role” that the actress can’t share, but promises will be “worth it.” Given the mounting evidence, it’s reasonable to suggest that Barrera could have joined Ironheart in yet another unannounced role. And while it might not be announced, the comics might provide a reasonable suggestion as to whom she might be playing, should we begin by entertaining that Ramos is playing Parker Robbins.

    Part of what makes Robbins such a fascinating and despicable villain in the comics is that his descent into villainy and dark magic cost him his family: his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Breanne. Robbins was always a poor husband, cheating on Sara whenever he could, but when he began trifling with magic, Robbins began to see Dormammu in everyone, including his daughter. After finding Parker shaking their daughter, Sara left Parker behind.

    Should Ramos be playing Robbins, casting Sara alongside him would go a long way for making fans of the MCU develop the same dislike for this version as they have for the character from the comics. The logistics work out, with Barrera currently prepping for a secret role (and no roles are more secretive than Marvel’s) and she and Ramos are very close in age (he’s 30 and she’s 32).

    Should you take this one to the bank? Absolutely not. While it seems pretty safe to conclude that Barrera has been cast in Ironheart, who she’s playing can only be taken as purely speculative, given that it’s based on a connections to a character who is only rumored to appear in the series in the first place. So while her casting might be confirmed sooner rather than later, it might be a year or so before we find out who she’s portraying in the series. As always, we’ll check back in then.

  • Three Ways ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Tie Into ‘The Marvels’

    Three Ways ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Tie Into ‘The Marvels’

    Now that Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness has released on the big screen, and Moon Knight has concluded its 6-episode run on Disney+, eyes have naturally pivoted to the next double entry in the MCU: Thor: Love & Thunder and the introduction of Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel is about three weeks away from dropping, and as we have seen, the Disney+ shows are FIRMLY connected to the wider MCU (even Moon Knight had a reference to the GRC that debuted in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier). Ms. Marvel will be no different, forging ties to the 2023 theatrical release, The Marvels.

    The 1-2 punch of Ms. Marvel/The Marvels seems in line with WandaVision/Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. As such, the speculation train is rampant as to how this story about a young hero from New Jersey can connect to the sequel for one of Marvel’s highest grossing films ever. We can start to answer that by going back to the source: the comics.

    Based on the trailer, Kamala Khan’s power source seems incredibly reminiscent of the Quantum Bands. The Quantum Bands, gifted in the comics to Mar-Vell as he became Protector of the Universe, may offer us our first connection to Carol Danvers.

    In the MCU, the Bands are likely Kree tech with a connection to the Quantum Realm. The Kree came to Earth-616 to bring Carol Danvers back to Hala, and it is entirely possible that they left some tech that Kamala Khan stumbles upon. The last time we saw Carol, in the post-credit scene for Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, where she was quickly distracted and had to run off. It’s incredibly likely that will coincide with the timeline of The Marvels.


    The Disney Plus streaming series Hawkeye may also provide a template for a connection to form between Kamala and Carol. In that, we see a young Kate Bishop inspired by Hawkeye after watching him from her parents’ apartment as he fought off the Chitauri. In the comics, Kamala looks up to Carol in the same way, and you see hints of that transferring over from the page to the screen in the footage that Marvel has released. Kamala idolizes Carol, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a similar scene in Ms. Marvel that allows for Kamala to develop a deep respect for Carol. Keep in mind that, at this point in the MCU, Carol’s adventures have taken place off-world, so Marvel is going to have to show why Kamala feels this deep connection to Carol.

    Lastly, we can’t talk about how Ms. Marvel will connect to The Marvels without discussing the third “Marvel”: Monica Rambeau. Imbued with powers from thrice crossing “The Hex”, it is possible that Monica Rambeau will be the one to remind Kamala that Carol is not the hero that she thinks she is. Monica blipped when her mother was alive, returning only to have her mother pass and Carol, her mother’s best friend, nowhere to be found. In Wandavision, we see a Monica that is very clearly not too fond of Carol, and now she’s going to be with a person in Kamala who adores the person she cannot stand.

    Given that Carol didn’t Blip, and thus won’t understand why Monica is so pissed, it’s even likely that Kamala is who tells Carol that Monica has a reason to not be happy with her. Given Carol’s stubborn nature, this will most likely be needed. At the end of WandaVision, we also see that Monica is told by a friendly Skrull that someone wanted to see her, and that someone could be a Carol who has now recruited a kid into space (if Ms. Marvel ends with Kamala Khan being beamed up in order to be protected). Imagine her anger when seeing that Carol came to protect Kamala, but not her.

    With her power source potentially being Kree tech, the idolization of one of the heroes, and potential role as an intermediary between Carol and Monica, Ms. Marvel will most definitely be required watching for anyone preparing to watch The Marvels.



  • Ranking Marvel TV: The Best and Worst Shows In MCU Canon Limbo

    Ranking Marvel TV: The Best and Worst Shows In MCU Canon Limbo

    Long before Marvel Studios started creating series set in the MCU for Disney+, there was Marvel Television. Marvel Television is now under the Marvel Studios banner, and the effects of that have been pretty clear. The Disney+ series, such as WandaVision and Loki, have been wholeheartedly welcomed into the greater MCU family. It only emphasizes how the previous Marvel TV’s connection to the universe is definitely unclear.

    Marvel Studios had consistently steered clear of establishing television series outside of Disney+ originals as canon, the recent news that a “new” but “continued” Daredevil series is in the works at the streaming service. The often bitter debate about which or whether Marvel TV shows are canon is likely only about to get more heated. The easy answer is to enjoy the shows you like (if you like any), consider them headcanon if you want (or ignore them completely), and move on with your life until Marvel Studios ever wants to make it more clear.

    But since many will still wake up every day and choose violence on Twitter instead, here are the Marvel TV shows ranked from best to worst. Marvel Studios can make any of these canon at any time (yes, I can hear those of you already yelling that some are), but will they? This list does not include the few shows originally made as part of the old Fox X-Men universe, nor the animated M.O.D.O.K. or Hit Monkey series.

    1. Daredevil

    Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ (2015)

    It is no surprise that Netflix’s Daredevil tops this list. The #SaveDaredevil crowd is celebrating the announcement of a Disney+ series for Matt Murdock. It certainly seems like canon territory for the original series, but it really is yet to be seen how the upcoming show might actually adapt the previous one so as to be formally part of the MCU.

    But the fact that Daredevil is the first “revival” of old Marvel TV on Disney+ is a testament to the quality of the series. While never entirely consistent across its three seasons, the show features exciting action, violence that generally surpasses that in the MCU, solid performances by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, and a gritty emotional layer that films struggle to achieve.

    2. Jessica Jones

    Jessica Jones was made with the type of quality that Daredevil brought to the table. Krysten Ritter’s Jones was one of the first leading women in Marvel TV (Agent Carter premiered months before) and would have been one of the first in the MCU as well by years. She was not forced, and her struggles and traumas related to David Tennant’s chilling antagonist hit a tone that many were afraid to explore—especially at the time. The series also had plenty of upbeat notes with Jones’ personality, and the street-level detective work was a fresh addition to the Netflix Defendersverse.

    3. Luke Cage

    Luke Cage may not go down in history for nailing all of its storytelling elements, but the action-packed and star-studded show is a solid watch. But the series truly excels at putting the spotlight on Black experience and culture through both its subject matter and in the way the show was made, especially with music. One thing that Marvel TV was able to accomplish before the greater MCU was pushing boundaries of representation and actually developing a character within that perspective.

    4. Agent Carter

    Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’

    Yes, Agent Carter was canceled after two seasons on ABC due to low viewership. And the show was not particularly phenomenal. But where it did succeed is that it made sense as a piece of the MCU puzzle. It has been by creators more recently that the show was made specifically to be canon to the MCU, while others like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may not have necessarily had that same attention. But the series kept Captain America: The First Avenger’s 1940s story going. It was fine. It had its charm and it stayed consistent. It never tried to do too much, which is a major problem with some other series on this list.

    5. Runaways

    As noted above, Runaways definitely felt like it was trying to do too much at times. The Hulu show came at a time when MCU fans started to get a bit tired of keeping up with shows that were beginning to feel less and less relevant to the film universe. But Runaways also felt like it was exploring a corner of the comics that Marvel TV and the MCU had not touched, and the focus on younger heroes certainly gave it a fresh perspective. Like other shows on this list, it pushed representation boundaries—particularly with LGBTQ+. The whole series might not be the most enjoyable experience, but the first season or so isn’t too bad.

    6. Defenders

    Something about the story and writing in Defenders really felt like a flop, but plenty enjoy Marvel TV’s first crossover event. It definitely came across as the Avengers of television, but it was nowhere near as cool. In any event, now that Daredevil is eyeing Disney+, that just begs the inevitable question of whether the Defendersverse as a whole is headed there with it.

    7. The Punisher

    I’m sure many would argue that The Punisher should be higher on the list. Marvel TV got arguably its darkest and most violent here, and it brought a very popular character to the screen. Plenty were not fully satisfied with the portrayal of Frank Castle, but some really appreciated the character development the show afforded him. But the show overall felt like a drudge through a relatively one-note anger fest with lots of guns. While maybe the point of the show, it could still be much better.

    8. Cloak & Dagger

    Cloak & Dagger has some meaningful moments filled with heart amongst a pretty forgettable series overall. Where it shined, it did well, but at the end of the day, it felt like another victim of ABC mediocrity, albeit on Freeform.

    9. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

    I will start by saying that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a dedicated fanbase that loves the show. I am very happy for them, enjoying stuff is fun. But listen, as someone who has watched the show due to the fact that it was the first Marvel TV show that half-promised it was in the MCU, it is so bad.

    Of course, some moments across the bloated 7 seasons are naturally better than others. But watching this show was work. It fell prey to the ABC network television level of “meh” before the writing and story made it so nonsensical and ridiculous to the point where it is extremely difficult to understand how someone would like it. Considering where the series took itself, the likelihood of the show itself being canon to the MCU is so incredibly low. But if it is, I like the MCU less.

    But there is no strong reason to think that none of the AoS characters or actors will make actual MCU debuts. The fanbase is odd but strong, so the MCU would naturally get some boost of morale if someone like Chloe Bennet’s Quake got a firm reboot somewhere.

    10. Iron Fist

    Iron Fist basically failed before it even tried to fail. But at no point did the series feel like it was trying to succeed. Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing managed to feel like a positive at the end of the day, but overall this show is known as one of the worst across the board. Still, it exists within Netflix’s Defendersverse, so it has some staying power.

    11. Inhumans

    Marvel’s ‘Inhumans’

    Inhumans is Marvel’s most infamous failure. From premiering the first bad episodes in IMAX theaters to releasing the rest of the horrible episodes on television was just absolutely unredeemable. But Anson Mount’s Black Bolt made a multiversal cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the series is getting some renewed attention it does not need.

    12. Helstrom

    Honestly, does anyone know about this show? Apparently, the Hulu show suffered from a severe lack of marketing as well as not being good. It definitely debuted in that awkward space of late 2020 when Marvel Studios was gearing up to premiere its Disney+ slate. Marvel Studios took over Marvel Television while Helstrom was filming, meaning it was the last cry of Marvel TV that was too late to stop.

    Only time will tell how Marvel Studios intends to use (or not) these shows, and Daredevil‘s “continued” series will be quite the eye opener as to how these properties could be formally integrated into the MCU.

  • Chris Hemsworth Calls ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ the “Greatest Thing” He’s Ever Worked On

    Chris Hemsworth Calls ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ the “Greatest Thing” He’s Ever Worked On

    Thor star Chris Hemsworth took to social media ahead of the release of the Thor: Love and Thunder official trailer to hype up fans for the drop on Monday, May 23 during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Not only does the veteran Marvel Cinematic Universe actor tell fans that the trailer itself will “blow your mind,” but he goes on to say that Love and Thunder is the “greatest thing” he has ever worked on. In his video, he states:

    This trailer is going to blow your mind! It is something that I am so so proud of… [the film] is the greatest thing I have ever had the pleasure and honor of working on.

    Chris Hemsworth

    That is high praise coming from a prolific actor who—just in the MCU—has starred in 7 major movies between the Thor and Avengers franchises. So, Hemsworth is hyping up Love and Thunder as, in his experience, greater than films like Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Of course, the marketing push for the fourth Thor film is ramping up, so naturally, the stars and creators are going to say things to get fans interested. Still, it is poised to be quite an interesting film that could live up to Hemsworth’s praise. Check out the actor’s full video below:

    Fans will soon be able to decide for themselves whether the official trailer blows their minds, but here are some of the things we hope to see in it.

    Thor: Love and Thunder is set to release in theaters on July 8, 2022.

    Source: Twitter

  • What We Want to See In the ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Trailer

    What We Want to See In the ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Trailer

    The Thor: Love and Thunder teaser trailer dropped just weeks ago, and now Marvel Studios is gearing up to release the official trailer for the fourth Thor film this upcoming Monday. While the teaser trailer certainly gave viewers their first look at several things, including Chris Hemsworth’s cross-fit Thor, the guest-starring Guardians of the Galaxy, Tessa Thompson’s King Valkyrie, as well as Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor… it ended up leaving plenty to be desired. 

    Some are confused about the tone of the Taika Waititi-directed follow up to Thor: Ragnarok, but the teaser trailer also left out major elements of Love and Thunder, including any hint at the plot. Of course, the official trailer will not give away the entire film, but there are without a doubt certain things that fans are hoping to see most in the Love and Thunder trailer on Monday.

    First and foremost, the thing everyone wants to get their first glimpse at is Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. As the antagonist of the film, getting a good look at him will surely help viewers get a stronger sense of what to expect. More importantly, who wouldn’t be excited to see how the filmmakers ended up designing and creating the Academy Award-winner’s look for the role? Assuming it took any inspiration from the comics, it should be quite the gnarly look for Bale. Past the appearance, it would be great if the trailer gave the villain a little time to be, well, villainous. As a butcher of gods, the guy is set to be fairly frightening, so hopefully the trailer will build him up ahead of Love and Thunder’s July release.

    As the trailer and promotional images have made it clear, the Thor movie is about two Thors—Hemsworth’s and Portman’s Mighty Thor. Jane Foster was present as the biggest tease of the teaser trailer, so her presence could be confusing or mysterious to those less familiar with the character from the comics. Even the comics aficionado is pretty much in the dark with respect to how Jane ended up with a pieced-together Mjolnir given where the character left off in Thor: The Dark World almost a decade ago. It would be great if the trailer made her return a bit more understandable and also give her the proper foundation as one of the most important players of the film. Seeing her interact with Thor after all this time could also be quite entertaining.

    Considering Waititi has described the upcoming film as a full-blown love story, the trailer could certainly spare to share a bit of the “love” in Love and Thunder. The writer-director also teased that the romantic pairings may not be what viewers expect. The trailer does not need to and will not give away any surprises meant to be revealed in the actual film, but giving away a smidge of the “love story” could also give shape to the film and help set the tone.

    Any additional information on King Valkyrie’s role as leader of New Asgard would be fun. We have seen brief shots of her at what looks like some global political council or conference, so an update on how New Asgard has integrated into Earth’s society would be interesting and set up Valkyrie’s role a bit more.

    Lastly, of course, where is Miek? We need some Miek.

    Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8, 2022. You can catch the official trailer on May 23, 2022 during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Damage Control Actor Will Appear in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Damage Control Actor Will Appear in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    In an intricately intertwined universe like the MCU, small connections and crossovers are constantly building to larger things. The official fact sheet for Disney+’s Ms. Marvel has revealed one of these potential connections.

    Listed in the cast is actor Arian Moayed. MCU fans would recognize Moayed as Department of Damage Control Agent P. Clearly, who interrogates Peter Parker early on in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While Moayed had only a minor role, the fact that he will make his way to Jersey City in Ms. Marvel could suggest a growing presence of Damage Control in the MCU.

    The Department of Damage control first made its MCU appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming as a joint venture between Stark Industries and the federal government in response to the damage left behind after Avengers battles.

    While Moayed’s character is not officially confirmed to be Agent Cleary, it only makes sense that the character could act as sort of a figure head for the slowly-growing presence of Damage Control, similarly to how Clark Greg’s Phil Coulson teased S.H.I.E.L.D. across several films. The Department is even set to appear in August’s She-Hulk.

    The full scope of Damage Control’s presence in the MCU going forward is not yet known, but superheroes and the destruction they inevitably leave in their wake has certainly been on people’s minds following films like Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Far From Home. As Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel rises as a superhero, she may find herself in a climate much more hostile to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes than those who came before her had to deal with.

    Ms. Marvel premieres exclusively on Disney+ on June 8.

    Source: Disney

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Almost Featured Too Many Iron Man References

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Almost Featured Too Many Iron Man References

    As the next installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all eyes are on the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan, whose admiration of Captain Marvel leads her to don the Ms. Marvel mantle after she discovers she has mysterious abilities. Khan is primed to be a major heroic force for the future of the MCU, so it will be interesting to watch the growth of a superhero who came of age admiring them herself.

    Vellani herself is a well-known MCU superfan, and apparently, Iron Man is her go-to comfort film. Considering the 2008 film began the MCU, her love of it is fitting for both her and Kamala Khan. The actress explained:

    The first thing I did when I got cast was watch Iron Man again. It’s like my comfort movie. Any big milestone we would hit in the show, whether it was filming the scene where Kamala gets her costume or her powers, I would watch Iron Man. “It was my reminder that this character exists in the same universe as Tony Stark, which was just the coolest thing in the world for me.

    Iman Vellani

    It turns out that that love made its way into Ms. Marvel in the form of references to the late Tony Stark and Iron Man easter eggs. In a world full of Stark fans and those grateful for his sacrifice to defeat Thanos, it makes perfect sense. Apparently, though, there got to be too many references for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to agree to. According to the actress, Feige stepped in to limit the number of references to Iron Man eventually:

    I’m a huge, huge Iron Man fan. I know Kamala is more Captain Marvel, but I was very much asking for more Iron Man references in there. Like, ‘I think she needs an Iron Man action figure, more Iron Man.’ There was a point where we got to too much Iron Man, that was the note from Kevin!

    Iman Vellani

    Even though Tony Stark is dead and gone, fans still can’t get enough of him. But Feige had plenty of reasons to limit the easter eggs, including to possibly avoid the possibility that some viewers would accuse Marvel Studios of making a younger hero an Iron Man mini-me, like the “Iron Boy Jr.” nickname for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

    Ms. Marvel first premieres on Disney+ on June 8, 2022.

    Source: SFX Magazine via The Direct

  • How Marvel Studios Can Continue Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    How Marvel Studios Can Continue Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    Daredevil lives. After years of wishful thinking on the part of both fans and star Charlie Cox, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will bring Daredevil back to life with a brand new season of television on Disney+. The news was just made official by the outlet Variety, which also revealed writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord have been tapped by Marvel Studios to tackle the story. Almost immediately after, The Hollywood Reporter let slip that the show would be a “new but continued series” from the critically acclaimed three-season run the character previously enjoyed on Netflix. While this is pretty vague phrasing, it likely means that Kevin Feige is hoping to produce a show that can work as a soft “fourth season” of Daredevil while also standing alone as a fresh take on the character.

    You can almost imagine Corman and Ord huddled in a dark room somewhere, furiously attempting to craft the next big solo adventure for lawyer and vigilante Matt Murdock. After all, the duo have a gargantuan task ahead of them. It’s not easy to follow in the footsteps of something so immensely popular, especially while balancing the expectations of fans who want more of the same with a studio that wants something new. Luckily, the pair have two major things going for them – Daredevil is a wildly multifaceted character with decades of tonally varied storytelling to pull from, and the last season of Netflix’s Daredevil ended in a place that allows them to go in almost any direction they please.

    The first three seasons of Daredevil draw heavily from the work of Frank Miller. Each one is darker and more brutal than the last, adapting elements from famously depressing arcs like The Man Without Fear, Born Again, and Gang War to bring the protector of Hell’s Kitchen to life one beatdown at a time. Murdock’s violent origin, Wilson Fisk’s steel-fisted rule as Kingpin, and the tragic demise of Elektra Natchios. Even when it strayed from the path of Miller, it still found ways to be generally hard-hearted. The second season used imagery directly from Garth Ennis‘ stress-inducing Punisher comic The Choice, while the third season only broke away from Born Again long enough to copy a famous death from Kevin Smith‘s Guardian Devil.

    The series finale, however, concluded the show with a scene that was seemingly pointing toward a disparate future. Cox‘s Murdock and Elden Henson‘s Foggy Nelson welcome Deborah Ann Woll‘s Karen Page as the latest partner in their ramshackle firm, with all three, perhaps for the first time, looking at a brighter tomorrow with a shared smile. Though many people associate pain and suffering synonymously with Daredevil, this has never been the case in the comics. Miller‘s elongated era of writing the character has, for some reason, become the default representation of how all Daredevil stories should be. Of course, this has led many to forget that his earliest escapades involved villains like The Matador and Leap-Frog, or that more recent comics involved him casually wearing a sweater that read “I’m not Daredevil.”

    This occasional goofiness is something Marvel Studios would be smart to exploit going forward. Erik Oleson and the previous Netflix team couldn’t have teed them up any better. Both in metaphor and in the title, Matt Murdock was born again in Daredevil‘s third season. He comes out the other end of his conflict with Fisk a more optimistic person. In 2013, Mark Waid began a run on the character that aimed to explore the potential of this exact concept in full. Murdock attempts to cope with his traumatic past by forming a renewed sense of adventure, returning to his swashbuckling roots in a classic example of overcorrection. The arc added a new dynamic to Daredevil’s long history, but it never fully ignored the brutality of his past. Adapting this element from Waid‘s run would be an ideal way to give Daredevil a new coat of paint without having to dismiss its former seasons.

    So, Marvel Studios’ Daredevil could begin with a reinvigorated Matt Murdock joyfully taking on crime in Hell’s Kitchen while his best friends keep their struggling law firm afloat. Naturally, there would have to be a conflict that uproots this, and the perfect inspiration can be found in the work of acclaimed creative Brian Michael Bendis. The writer had a run almost on par with Miller in the early 2000s, and some aspects of his comics found their way into Netflix’s live-action show. A key plot point in Bendis‘ Daredevil legacy comes in the form of Out, which saw Matt Murdock’s secret identity discovered by the FBI and eventually leaked to the press. The third season of Daredevil also had a member of the FBI learn about Murdock’s double life, and while he never leaked it to the press, it’s not too much of a stretch to say a fellow agent could find proof of Daredevil’s identity while sorting through Ray Nadeem’s old files and decide to make some extra cash.

    The ensuing chaos would understandably cause some problems in each of Murdock’s two lives. Forced to face the same kind of scrutiny he had just helped Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker escape, Murdock’s fresh outlook on life would be tested. It would also put somewhat of a target on his back for any criminal who might be wanting revenge for a prior defeat, especially one who always hits his mark. Last we saw Wilson Bethel‘s Benjamin Poindexter, he was crazier than ever and in the middle of receiving a fancy new Cogmium spine. All these years later, it’s entirely possible he would be up and operating as the criminal underworld’s most effective assassin. No longer Poindexter, now simply Bullseye (hopefully in an MCU-worthy, comic-accurate costume). Should he need more resources to get even, he would have no problem finding a wealthy benefactor whose thirst for vengeance could equal his own.

    Hawkeye shocked fans by revealing Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Kingpin was still active in New York City. It seems likely he would make an appearance in the next season of Daredevil, but perhaps it wouldn’t be him pulling all the strings this time. The last Fisk was seen prior to Hawkeye, he was being arrested alongside his wife, Ayelet Zurer‘s Vanessa. The last season of Daredevil proved Vanessa wasn’t as innocent as she once appeared, and is potentially more ruthless than Wilson himself. If his most recent arrest is the reason Fisk now operates out of a garage, and Matt’s final threat of ruining Vanessa if Wilson came for Foggy or Karen is the reason all three heroes are still alive, then perhaps a spiteful Mrs. Fisk could be the one hiring Bullseye and calling the shots as the public face of the Fisk fortune. Waid‘s run also had Murdock’s identity being revealed, that time purposefully announced by Matt to avoid being blackmailed. Maybe Vanessa attempts to use the information about Murdock’s identity against him, only for Matt to surprise her by unmasking himself in the court room.

    These hypothetical plot points may not always line up perfectly with the Netflix Daredevil series, but there’s a really good chance the new show might not always follow the previously established canon. At least, not exactly. Bullseye may have a Vibranium spine, the aforementioned arrests may not have gone down quite the same way, and Kingpin might be a little more durable than Netflix remembered to show. Aside from the mention of Ray Nadeem or the FBI, all of these elements could be explained away with a line or two of vague dialogue. Either way, they’d be a fantastic way to give Charlie Cox‘s take on Daredevil a proper continuation whilst also giving Disney+ a fresh tone to work with. I mean, if Matt reveals his identity and ends up disbarred in New York, he’s always got that comic book move to San Francisco waiting in the wings.