Tag: Marvel Studios

12 IMAX Enhanced Marvel Studios Films Now Streaming on Disney Plus

It looks like Disney Plus Day got started a day early. After recently revealing that they’d make 13 of their films available with in IMAX format on November 12th, it looks like they pushed the button a bit early and made 12 of those films available today!

Marvel Studios fans can now watch the following films complete with a larger aspect ratio and DTS sound:

Iron Man (2008)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Black Widow (2021)

2021’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will join the IMAX enhanced parade tomorrow as it makes its streaming debut on Disney Plus…on Disney Plus Day.

November 11, 2021
Official Description of Marvel Studios Disney Plus Day Presentation Promises New Project Announcements

The first ever Disney Plus Day is almost here and thanks to the Disney Plus Day Fact Sheet (which can be located here), Marvel Studios fans can officially get excited. The Marvel Studios presentation, which will become available on Disney Plus at 8:45 AM PT/11:45 PM PT, is said to be a look at the past, present and future of the studio’s content on the streaming service and promises not only a look at some upcoming projects, but also announcements of new, future projects.

Of the known upcoming streaming series, fans have only seen footage of Ms. Marvel and that was nearly one year ago during Disney’s Investor Day. It’s possible that D+ Day could give fans a sizzle reel or trailer for She-Hulk and/or Moon Knight, which have completed production, and a perhaps a look at Secret Invasion, which is currently in production.

As far as new announcements go, the presentation could involve giving an official announcement to Echo and Werewolf By Night, two projects we know are happening and expected to go into production early next year but have not been addressed yet by Marvel Studios, and an update on Season 2 of Loki. We could also get information about the recently revealed Agatha Harkness spinoff and some clarification on what to expect from the discussed Wakanda-related spinoffs.

It looks like November 12th is going to be a jam-packed day full of exciting news for fans of Marvel Studios!

Source: Disney

November 10, 2021
Jim Starlin Envisions Adam Warlock as “Clint Eastwood in Space”

Jim Starlin didn’t create Adam Warlock but he is as associated with the cosmic weirdo as much as anyone. Starlin gave Warlock a starring role in 1991’s Infinity Gauntlet event and kick off a renaissance for the character who had been absent from Marvel Comics for over a decade. From there, Warlock went on a wonderful journey that saw him face off against different versions of himself, lead the Infinity Watch, team up with the Silver Surfer, become linked at the hip with Thanos and, eventually, join the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Needless to say, Starlin knows the character as well as anyone. With James Gunn recently revealing Warlock would be among the new characters joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Starlin sat down with Comicbook.com’s Adam Barnhardt and gave some ideas on how he’d like to see him adapted in the MCU, starting with him having a whole lot less to say than Thanos:

I imagine him dark. He’s like the cosmic Batman. I would keep his dialogue down to a minimum, make him Clint Eastwood in space, or something like that.

The dark, brooding Batman and Eastwood’s Man With No Name (likely the version of Eastwood Starlin is referencing here) are an interesting point of comparison for a character who has been known to be a bit loquacious, but also fit with Warlock’s more mysterious nature. Starlin’s comments also make one think about how a Clint Eastwood Batman film might be the greatest thing we never saw.

Two of Starlin’s creations, Pip the Troll and Starfox, recently made their debuts in Eternals and it sound like he’d like to see them meet up with Warlock on screen as members of the Infinity Watch:

It sounds like they’re going to start off with him probably as a villainous type of character, an antagonist, let’s say, inside the Guardians movie. But we’ll see where they go from there. They’re putting Pip up, bringing Eros in, who knows what they’re going to do. They might bring back the Infinity gems and start the Infinity Watch.

It’s great to see Starlin, whose most famous creation, Thanos, played a major role in the MCU’s past, have a handful of characters who are looking like they’ll play a part in the MCU’s future. Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, will debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it hits theaters on May 5, 2023.

Source: Comicbook.com

November 10, 2021
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Set Photo Seems to Indicate Becky Lynch Has Joined the MCU

As we’ve seen with stars like John Cena, Jon Moxley and Ronda Rousey, the linkages between the squared circle/octagon and your local AMC theatre have always existed. With bigger stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sasha Banks and Dave Bautista, the runway from the WWE to the big screen is more pronounced than ever, and it becomes especially true when we notice that the latter have all now dabbled in the world of comic book movies and properties. Bautista is suiting up as Drax for his sixth go around, Banks joined the Star Wars universe in the critically-acclaimed The Mandalorian, and the Great One will next be seen in DC’s Black Adam. Now it seems we might be adding “The Man” Becky Lynch to that list.

As WWE fans know, Lynch took some time off from the ring to get married to the Architect Seth Rollins and have a new baby. She promptly returned at WrestleMania this year, turned heel and became the WWE Raw Woman’s Champion amidst some controversy. Rumors surfaced last year that the Irish Lass Kicker would be joining the MCU and a set photo from last weekend may have given new life to that rumor.

The picture above, found on Atlanta Filming’s Instagram, looks to be WWE superstar Becky Lynch on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Lynch looks to be dressed for the part of a mercenary for hire which makes sense given the context of the scenes shot this past weekend. Other photos indicate Lynch is part of a larger team of mercs, likely there to protect some researchers working on a vessel that was also photographed and shared on social media. Given that the scenes were filmed near the water, it’s possible that Lynch’s character could find herself face to face with Tenoch Huerta’s Namor or some of his forces.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be in theaters almost one year from now on November 11, 2022

Source: IG

November 10, 2021
Chris Pratt Gives Details on the First Day of Production for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

Once upon a time, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to hit theaters in May of 2020. As it turns out, if things go according to plan, we’ll see what director James Gunn has called the final chapter for this version of the team 3 years after that original date. It’s been a long time coming, both for fans and for the cast of the film, but production finally began on the film yesterday and, according to star Chris Pratt, the wait will be worth it for us all.

Following the first day, Pratt took the time to give some feedback on the first day via Instagram and left us wondering just exactly what went on:

View this post on Instagram

We’ve heard several members of the cast describe the Vol. 3 script as emotional and with Gunn continuing to insist it’s the end of the line for this version of the team and indicating that it’s quite possible some members of the team won’t make it out of this one alive, it’s no surprise to see Pratt share those sentiments.

Films don’t always shoot scenes in the order in which they appear in the film and thank to Gunn, we know what cast members were on set yesterday, including newcomer Chukwudi Iwuji. Given Pratt’s comments and the presence of both Iwuji and Zoe Saldana (whose Gamora will probably need some time to be located and figure out her place on the team since she is the time-displaced version of the character), it’s possible the scene filmed yesterday could be one from later on in the film where one of the characters has met his or her fate. Pratt says the movie will be worth the wait and for now, we’ll have to take his word for it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently scheduled to rock into theaters on May 5, 2023.

November 9, 2021
‘Eternals’: Paving the Way for Mutant Resurrection

Sometimes what’s left out of Marvel Studios movies could end up being just as relevant as what’s left in. Most of the time we’re talking about plot points that are explored in forthcoming sequels, either to allow them to gain relevance and weight over time or simply because the runtime doesn’t allow for everything to be touched upon. But what’s not so usual is for certain aspects of a superhero’s background to be left out in order to use it on another IP.

There are rumblings of how Kamala Khan’s powers might be reinterpreted in the Ms. Marvel series, with the reasoning being that they might be too similar to Reed Richard’s, who’s soon joining the MCU. On the other hand, there never seemed to be any issues with the number of super-soldiers running around the MCU, all with similar strengths and weaknesses, so who’s to say if the rumors regarding Ms. Marvel have any truth to them. What is not a rumor, as we’ve now seen in Eternals, is how a pivotal and intrinsic characteristic these characters have in the comics has been mostly disregarded (primarily in terms of easy access to the technology), something that might end up being used when the Mutants come around.

Even the latest Eternals run, written by Kieron Gillen and launched earlier this year, makes it extremely clear why Eternals have the name that they have. They are, as their name says, eternal. They might die but are quickly resurrected with the help of their own Resurrection Machine, hidden underneath the surface of the Earth. Their bodies are restored with their memories intact, meaning they know why they died, and who might have been responsible for it. By apparently leaving such a defining aspect of the Eternals out of their MCU introduction, Marvel Studios could be setting up something quite big.

When relaunching the X-Men books in 2019, Jonathan Hickman introduced a similar concept. As part of the creation of the mutant island-nation of Krakoa, it became possible to resurrect mutants who had met a premature end. A telepath would transfer the mutant’s latest Cerebro backup into a developing body inside a cocoon, allowing it to be reborn with memories up to said backup. Both the Eternals’ and the Mutants’ intended resurrections could still hit a few snags, as both the Resurrection Machine and the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols weren’t without flaws and shortcomings, so it’s not like there would be no stakes involved in whatever storyline that ends up being put to screen.

It’s doubtful that the MCU, which is already sometimes referred to as a universe where nobody stays dead, will introduce the resurrection possibility in two of its Phase-4-and-beyond teams. Even if the Eternals are referred to as being built (therefore capable of being rebuilt when destroyed), the process seems to imply Celestial intervention. So being, and even if this weekend we were all reminded that Salma Hayek signed up for Multiple Marvel films, it certainly appears unlikely Arishem would bring back entities that rebelled against him. Her future appearances might turn out to be through flashbacks (the timeline certainly allows for that) or even portraying a different iteration of the character altogether, not a resurrection per se.

By rejecting to apply the concept of resurrection to the most obvious of characters (or at least the ease of the process we grew used to) we might get to a point where Marvel Studios end up keeping one of the most groundbreaking changes to the mutant status quo in decades in its X-Men storylines. Hickman’s work has always lent itself to the sort of sci-fi glimpses the MCU has evolved into, and this specific choice would be the perfect response to the no-death complaints: Embrace it. For a while at least. With caveats.

November 8, 2021
Disney+ Day To Feature Scheduled Content

The excitement around Disney+ Day has been growing since Disney announced it would be an event to celebrate their iconic brands. Fans of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars have been excited about the event as a chance to see the future of the storyworlds they love. With Disney+ Day approaching this Friday, there has been a lot of fan discussion about whether there would be a live presentation like Investor Day 2020 or not.

The two year anniversary of the launch of the service will also feature its expansion into Asia-Pacific markets which has had some people thinking they might launch content with friendly schedules to those timezones. It’s now become clear that there won’t be a featured live presentation, but there will be a schedule of content uploads throughout the day instead.

Disney has confirmed via press release that fans can follow along on the Disney+ social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for first looks, trailers, exclusive clips and appearances from stars and creators from Friday November 12th at 6:00am PT / 2:00pm GMT. Subscribers will also be the first to see exclusive on-platform specials from Pixar Studios at 8:00am PT / 4:00pm GMT and Marvel Studios at 8:45am PT / 4:45pm GMT. In addition to this, Disney have also confirmed that new subscribers will have a 75% discount for this month with the cost being $1.99, opening up the platform for fans who want to see this on-platform content.

It will be exciting to see what new things we might learn about the future of the storyworlds we love this Friday. With so much in production it will be exciting to see new characters and worlds. Here’s hoping we get some new announcements of as yet unannounced productions to incite more speculation. What are you hoping to see on Disney+ Day this Friday?

Sources: Disney

November 8, 2021
‘Raya and The Last Dragon’ Writer Qui Nguyen Working on A Marvel Studios Project

Raya and The Last Dragon screenwriter Qui Nguyen seems to be at work on a project for Marvel Studios. According to his bio at Geffen Playhouse, the playwright, author and screenwriter seems to have worked on a television project (likely a streaming series) for Marvel Studios. As you can see, he also lists being a screenwriter for Marvel Studios among his accomplishments on his Twitter bio.

IMDB does not list any Marvel Studios’ projects for Nguyen, so it’s likely that whatever the project is, it has not been released yet. Though he’s a noted and award-winning playwright, Nguyen has recently worked as an executive story editor on AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhere and Netflix’s The Society and as staff writer on SyFy’s Incorporated, so he has plenty of recent experience with episodic TV series.

Marvel Studios has plenty of streaming series in the works, including at least one animated series other than What If…?, so there are plenty of potential projects to which Nguyen could be attached. We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops.

Sources: Twitter, Geffen Playhouse

November 8, 2021
The ‘Eternals’ Post-Credit Scene Hints at a Dark Legacy and An Uncertain Future for the Black Knight

You clicked on an article about a post-credit scene, so proceed at your own risk knowing it will be spoiled.

It’s not just about the post-credit scene. Yes, that post-credit scene, which sees Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman interact with an evil, talking sword before being snapped out of a trance by Mahershala Ali’s Blade, is one of Marvel Studios’ best in recent memory, but it’s not just about that scene. Harrington’s role as Dane Whitman in Eternals turned out to be a lot smaller than most people had originally imagined but it perfectly set up the character for a terrifying future and put Harrington on a path to one of the MCU’s faces over the next decade.

By the time Eternals‘ lengthy runtime expires, Harrington’s Whitman is surrounded in enough mystery to make him one of the more interesting characters to explore down the roads. All the hints are there: his estranged uncle, his “complicated” family history and, of course, the very, very dense post-credit scene all of which leaves a lot to unpack, especially for those unfamiliar with the character’s journey through the pages of Marvel Comics.

While Harrington kindly pretends he doesn’t know what’s next for the character, it’s hard to imagine Kevin Feige and the Parliament do not and Eternals gives fans a pretty clear idea of what to expect in the eventual Black Knight project.

The Funky Uncle

While Facetiming with Dane from the Amazon, Sersi implores him to reach out to his uncle and put whatever it is behind them that’s left their relationship strained. That uncle is Nathan Garrett, a British geneticist and inventor and the ancestor of one of the Knights of the Roundtable, Sir Percy of Scandia. As an ancestor to Sir Percy (the Black Knight of Arthurian legend), Garrett inherited the ancestral Garrett Castle which held within it the Ebony Blade, a magical weapon that carries with it a terrible curse. Garrett was found unworthy of the blade, but found plenty of ways to use his natural gifts to become a villain, even joining the Masters of Evil at one point. Before he died, Garrett, in an effort to make good on his potential and make amends for a life of crime, reached out to his nephew and bequeathed him Garrett Castle and all the remained inside, including his brilliant research and the cursed Ebony Blade.

The Complicated Family Legacy

As mentioned above, Whitman’s uncle is descendant of Sir Percy of Scandia which means so is Whitman. So Whitman is one of a long line of people who have had the cursed Ebony Blade, forged by Merlin himself and gifted to them as a birthright. Percy handed the blade to his nephew, Sir Raston (who was killed by Immortus) and from there it found its way through several owners throughout time, including members of the Knights Templar, before finding its way to Garrett Castle. As complicated as that family legacy may seem, it might be even further complicated in the MCU should they choose to pull a particular thread about some potential familial connections to King Arthur himself. What’s worse is that, as it turns out, it might not be the Ebony Blade that’s truly cursed, but the family itself as it was recently revealed during the King in Black event that the sword simply works with its wielder to reveal an unhealthy set of behaviors common in the line: blood lust, psychosis and extreme violence.

What’s In the Box???

And as you may have guessed, that’s the Ebony Blade in the post credit scene…and Marvel Studios knocked it out of the park. There’s no telling what origin the sword will have in the MCU, but they did their best to let us know it’s a terrifying artifact. As Dane opened the box, which was adorned with the same family crest seen on the ring Sersi gave him in the beginning of the film. the cursed sword began to call to Dane who then reads aloud (and not in modern English) the words “Death is my reward.” If that wasn’t creepy enough, as Dane reaches towards the blade, its surface reacts to what you have to believe is his DNA and behaves similarly to iron filings drawn towards a magnet. What plans Whitman has for the sword or vice versa will have to wait, however, as Blade interrupted their union. Choosing Blade as the interloper here is incredibly interesting as the time the two have shared together in the comics is minimal, but it does seem to indicate that the supernatural aspect of the sword will be something of interest later on.

What’s Next?

Whitman’s Black Knight has been an Avenger. He’s been a part of Excalibur. He’s been a member of MI-13. He’s traveled throughout time. He’s fought Skrulls. He’s found himself on Weirdworld. With Harrington on board in the role, it’s reasonable to assume that not only will we see a Black Knight solo project in the not too distant future, but we’ll also likely see a lot of the young hero in other projects over the next decade or so. He’s a character with a rich enough comic book past to connect more of the MCU’s unexplored history (and could especially help unlock the enormous and greatly unexplored potential of the magic, myth and legends of Britain) while also helping shape its future. For Harrington, it’s not just another guy with a sword. Harrington has said on multiple occasions over the past several weeks that he’s drawn to the darker side of this character. Let’s hope Marvel Studios minimizes the changes and maximizes the potential of a character with an already fascinating and established story.

November 5, 2021
Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar, V2

Earlier this year, we ran one hypothetical scenario for Marvel Studios 2023 release slate. A lot has changed since then (including the reshuffling of the film slate and a streaming series delay), so with Disney Plus Day coming up next week, we thought we’d shoot our shot at predicting how 2022 and 2023 might look. Here’s 2023, V2.

Whereas 2022 started off with a Star Wars series, it’s possible that the late-2021 reshuffling of Marvel Studios projects may have allowed for a perfect bit of Disney synergy.

This could allow the Disney+ Secret Invasion series to kick off the year and lead almost directly into The Marvels, a film with which it will share characters and, potentially, some plot points. If that’s the case, we could see an episode of Marvel Studios: Legends catch us up on Nick Fury and Talos on January 4th ahead of Secret Invasion’s 5-week run (prediction a 2-episode premiere here to keep things from overlapping).

Marvel Studios: Legends episodes for Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and, of course, Carol Danvers are a good bet the week of the release of their team-up appearance in The Marvels. If Disney+ keeps pushing these summaries out, we could see them on February 15th.

The Marvels is starting to sound like another one of Marvel Studios’ highly ambitious team-up sequels, on par with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok. Looking back, those films set not only their main characters but also the supporting cast on new journeys that lead to some amazing, redefining arcs. We could see that happening here when The Marvels drops into theaters on its new date, February 17th, 2023.

It can’t be all Marvel all the time. Season 3 of The Mandalorian would fit in nicely following The Marvels, meaning the next MCU project we could see would be episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends recapping the journeys of the Guardians. There would, by this time, be a LOT to do, so we could see the most loaded Legends day on May 3rd, 2023.

James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, originally supposed to be in theaters in May of 2020, will finally arrive on May 5th, 2023. Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, is set to make his debut and, presumably, give the Guardians a hard time. However, we know that Gunn has said this film will be Rocket’s film and that it’s the final chapter in his telling of the story of this group, so Warlock will certainly not be the only new character we meet.

Following the final chapter of the OG Guardians of the MCU, it’s likely we’ll get a bit of a break from the MCU, maybe for something like the Lucasfilm Ahsoka series in May. Marvel Studios could get back in the game with a Marvel Studios: Legends episode on Maya Lopez (and maybe Wilson Fisk) on June 7th before her series debuts the next week.

We know almost nothing at this point about the solo Echo series other than it is described as a Hawkeye spinoff. There are rumors that both Hawkeyes and Kingpin will appear and that they are searching for Native American actors to, we think, play members of Echo’s family. This one has the feel of something that can be a pretty original spin on the character and it’s key that the focus is on Alaqua Cox’s Lopez. That said, don’t be surprised if some other familiar faces show up throughout the series.

By the time Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters, it’ll have been 5 years since Ant-Man and The Wasp was in theaters. A little catching up on Scott, Cassie, Hope, Janet, and Hank sounds good…oh yeah, and Kang. Expect a few Marvel Studios: Legends episodes to air the week the film hits theaters.

While Peyton Reed remains on board as the director, writer Jeff Loveness came on board AM&TW:Q to put a fresh spin on an existing draft. I’ve always heard this was going to be a much bigger film than either of the first two and having Jonathan Majors’ Kang involved certainly does nothing to dispel that rumor, though I am VERY curious what this one ends up being all about. We’ll all find out together July 28th, 2023.

Another year, another season of What If…?.

Riri Williams is set to make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in July of 2022, so the events of her show will almost certainly be influenced by/spin out of the events of that film. An episode of Marvel Studios: Legends will help new fans catch up on her story and sort through the 3 suits she goes through in the Black Panther sequel.

Even though her series was announced in late 2020, it really does seem like it’ll be mid-to-late 2023 before we see our first episode of Ironheart. It won’t start filming until 2022 and will be part of a backlog of projects when it does. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being pushed to November 2022, it’s all but a sure thing we don’t see this follow-up series until 2023.

This whole feature is an exercise in making wild guesses but by the time we’re at this portion of the 2023 calendar, the guesses are even wilder. Since we’re going with Cap 4 as the final 2023 film, we’re going with an episode or more of Marvel Studios: Legends ahead of time to catch us up on whoever needs to be caught up on.

Captain America 4 is going here simply because, as of writing this, it’s the first movie scheduled to go into production in 2022 (currently set for a June start). Blade is set to go into production one month later, so it’s would be easy to imagine it could be here instead, but I went with the simplest explanation.

Should Armor Wars be the MCU series that rounds out 2023, some episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends will be a necessity to catch up on Rhodey and whomever else they pack in here.

By the time this series streams (hypothetically), it’ll be about 3 years since its surprise announcement at the 2020 Disney Plus Investor Day. Like Ironheart, Armor Wars is, in part, being pushed down the line as other projects get pushed down the line. In this case, we know that as of November 2021, the project was still in the EARLIEST days of development, so it’s reasonable to assume it won’t go into production until late 2022 so a late 2023 release date sounds right. It’s also intriguing that this film could have some themes in common with Captain America 4 (maybe they both deal, to some extent, with Sharon’s work as the Power Broker or with these heroes continuing to work through the legacies of their friends?) Either way, this show has a ton of potential to introduce some wild new characters to the MCU (CONTROLLER AND STILT-MAN!!) and it’s hard to think we still have 2 years to wait on it.

Why anyone would try to guess what’s going to happen in 2023 when we aren’t even sure what’s happening in 2022 yet is beyond us, but we did it anyway. Again, bookmark this bad boy so we can come back to it later for a laugh.

November 4, 2021