Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • Orginal ‘Spider-Man’ Editor Bob Murawski Working on ‘Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness’

    Orginal ‘Spider-Man’ Editor Bob Murawski Working on ‘Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness has added another familiar face to its production crew. During a recent interview with Vanity Fair’s Still Watching podcast, the film’s writer Michael Waldron casually revealed that Bob Murawski had boarded the project. The news is significant, as Murawski is a long-time collaborator with director Sam Raimi. The pair previously worked together on all three original Spider-Man films, as well as Oz: The Great and Powerful, Army of Darkness, and Darkman.

    Other notable credits for Murawski include Orson Welles‘ recently finished film The Other Side of the Wind and Kathryn Bigelow‘s Academy Award-winning The Hurt Locker. He joins a growing list of frequent Raimi partners working on Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated movie after composer Danny Elfman was confirmed to return earlier this year. Bruce Campbell has been rumored to cameo, but his involvement has not been officially confirmed.

    Raimi joined the production of Multiverse of Madness early last year after writer and director Scott Derrickson, who helmed the franchise’s first installment, left due to creative differences. The project marks Raimi‘s first comic book adaptation since 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Despite its original reception, there is an immense amount of excitement for his return to the world of superheroes, especially joining a Marvel Studios production. Raimi is a long-time fan of the Doctor Strange character and even included a reference to the Sorcerer Supreme in Spider-Man 2. The large-scale film is set to be one of Marvel’s most explosive entries in Phase 4.

    Source: Still Watching Podcast

  • Vin Diesel Teases Groot’s Return to Planet X in the MCU

    Vin Diesel Teases Groot’s Return to Planet X in the MCU

    Even after being delayed for quite some time, we still know very little about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s plot. We only know that director James Gunn will part ways with the franchise once he finishes his trilogy. Now, it seems that Vin Diesel, the voice of Groot, has confirmed his character’s homeworld will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point. He revealed the news in a recent video interview with ComicBook’s Brandon Davis, which he shared on Twitter. He references the plot development by pointing out it’s a story Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige is quite excited about in an upcoming project. However, he doesn’t outright confirm which one it might be, as the character is slated to appear in next year’s Thor: Love and Thunder, the Disney+ series I Am Groot, and, of course, Guardians of the Galaxy‘s third entry. Going by the interview and Davis‘s tweet, it seems likely he is referencing the next Guardians film.

    In the comics, Planet X is the homeworld of Groot’s species, the Flora Colossi. The location was referenced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film when it was listed on the Nova Corps’ prisoner profile for Groot. Interestingly, the planet was referred to as “Taluhnia” in the initial trailer for the movie, before being changed in the final product. If Diesel was indeed teasing a plot point for the next Guardians, it’s possible Gunn goes back to this alternate name as a way of branching out and exploring the planet’s culture. After all, the filmmaker does have a history of changing his character’s comic origins. Sadly, it may be a while until we know for sure.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Loki’ Creator Further Calls into Question the Canon Status of ‘Agents of SHIELD’

    ‘Loki’ Creator Further Calls into Question the Canon Status of ‘Agents of SHIELD’

    Ever since Marvel Studios merged with Marvel TV with their Disney+ venture, we’ve all been keeping an eye out for clues about the canonicity of the ABC and Netflix series. Now that the franchise is venturing into the multiverse with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, it could get even more complicated. All eyes were on the latest series heading to Disney+, Loki, to offer some kind of details on how it may fit into the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. When the first episode showcased the iconic sequence of Phil Coulson inspiring the Avengers, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to allude to his resurrection in Agents of SHIELD. In an interview with Fandom, the show’s head writer Michael Waldron offered a statement on its absence:

    No, look, that is one other tendril of the multiverse, perhaps. I think just seeing mention of Coulson again, the very fact that it raises those questions, is exciting.

    Now, he seems to kind of confirm that whatever happened in the series might be part of a different multiverse. Yet, as we theorized a few days ago, the first episode introduces us to the Sacred Timeline that exists to prevent another multiversal war. So, it technically doesn’t yet exist because neither does the multiverse. So, it currently wouldn’t be canon but will once the Sacred timeline starts falling apart. Waldron is also the writer of the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel which will explore the fallout of those events.

    Hopefully, when that happens, we also get a visual reference to it in the series, as they might tease the different timelines that might also connect directly into What If. We could get a brief cameo of the resurrected SHIELD from the last season’s finale, or maybe Coulson alongside Chloe Bennet‘s Daisy Johnson. Whatever they decide to do, here’s hoping the picture becomes clearer as the multiverse expands.

    Source: Fandom

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Odin’s Wake and the Reforging of Mjolnir

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: Odin’s Wake and the Reforging of Mjolnir

    Early this morning, Twitter user @fernx18 alerted Murphy’s Multiverse of the following detective work by user @loventhunders:

    Image

    As the original post points out, it appears that the Asgardians have created a monument to Odin at the spot where he died in Thor: Ragnarok. His death allowed Hela to escape her prison and subsequently shatter Mjolnir nearby. While it’s all speculation on our part, it’s possible that the set photos above are part of a longer scene in which the Asgardians say goodbye to the Allfather with a friends-and family-style memorial. Thor has been fairly busy since his father passed away what with Asgard being destroyed, half the universe being wiped out and having to travel through time to fix it, so it’s probably about time to get around to honoring his father. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to assume that the set photos that captured Matt Damon, Sam Neill, Melissa McCarthy and others as they act out an Asgardian drama retelling Odin’s final days could be a part of that celebration (they were shot around the same time); additionally, it also opens up a very organic way for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster to be reintroduced after having been sidelined since the events of Thor: The Dark World.

    The memorial can be used to catch Foster up to speed (as well as new fans of the franchise) and, as we’ve seen in another set picture below, get her in front of Mjolnir where the enchanted hammer can work its magic.

     

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    While a common theory among fans has been that one or to other or both of Jane and Mjolnir would be brought in from the multiverse, the collection of evidence here seems to strongly support the idea that both are the Jane and Mjolnir that we’ve gotten to know. In every way, that makes for a stronger story as both Thor and the audience have relationships with both characters. We’ve seen Mjolnir reforged before in the comics (recently in Jason Aaron’s War of the Realms) and while it seems unlikely that Jane is going to fly it into the sun in Thor: Love and Thunder, the set photos do make it seem like something specific to Jane is the key to reforging the hammer. Perhaps it’s her previous connection to the Reality Stone, but it does seem crucial that the hammer can only be reforged by or for Jane, otherwise half of Avengers: Infinity War would seem to have been a huge waste of time.

    Great catch @loventhunders! We’ll see how all this plays out next year what Thor: Love and Thunder hits cinemas around the world.

  • RUMOR: South Korean Actor Park Seo-Joon Joins Cast of ‘THE MARVELS’

    RUMOR: South Korean Actor Park Seo-Joon Joins Cast of ‘THE MARVELS’

    It looks like Marvel is adding another talented Korean actor to its ranks. According to reports from Korean outlets, dramatic actor Park Seo-Joon will film a role in Nia DiCosta’s The Marvels later this year. The report specifies that Seo-Joon will depart for the United States during the second half of 2021, following the completion of filming for his webtoon adaptation Concrete Utopia. Supposing the rumor is true, Seo-Joon will become the second South Korean star to join the MCU. Ma Dong Seok will appear as Gilgamesh in Chloe Zhao’s Eternals.

    When asked to comment on the report, the actor’s agency Awesome ENT gave a short, simple, and suspicious response:

    No comment.

    The Seoul actor is known for his roles in dramas and thrillers. He found initial success with appearances in 2015’s Kill Me, Heal Me, and The Chronicles of Evil, before rising to stardom with leading roles in 2017’s Midnight Runners and tvN’s romantic comedy series What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. It’s unknown what role he could be taking in The Marvels, but he joins a cast that includes Zawe Ashton, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, and Brie Larson.

    The latter three will reprise their MCU roles as Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and Carol Danvers, better known as all three titular Marvels. The Captain Marvel sequel will act as the first time we see the superhero trio team up, following respective debuts in both the first film and Ms. Marvel. Up-and-coming director DaCosta will helm the film as a follow-up to her new installment in the Candyman franchise.

    Source: movie.v.daum

  • The Introspection Of Loki: When a God Accepts He Is Powerless

    The Introspection Of Loki: When a God Accepts He Is Powerless

    In the series premiere of Loki, our titular character continues his journey post Avengers: Endgame. Well, technically, his story following the first Avengers film from a timeline perspective. It’s easy to get caught up in the exposition of the Time Variance Authority. The implications of the timeline, multiversal wars, and what it all means are captivating, no doubt. There was something else that stuck out in a way that was quite jarring. It was our protagonist with his ego and power stripped away. It was a god reduced to a man, a big fish reduced to a guppie in the grand scheme of it all.

     

    Loki' Episode 1 Recap: The God Of Mischief Goes To Therapy

     

    Part of what makes storytelling impactful is when we get to know the why. Why is this story this way? What compels his actions? Owen Wilson‘s Agent Mobius interrogates Loki in a way that is more therapeutic than invasive. We know what happened in Avengers, but why? Loki has an obsession and a fixation on ruling and lording over. Yet, we never thought to ask why until now.

    Forced to witness his life and its inevitability, Loki is held accountable for his actions. There are no tricks or escapes here. Well, there is that time twister escapade for some escape hi-jinx, but ultimately it’s just a diversion. After finding out that his words directly lead to Freya’s death, we saw a crack in the armor. Then Loki got a trip into his unknown future, a reconciliation with Thor and death at the hands of Thanos. He has a realization at that moment how insignificant he truly is in the grand scheme of things.

     

    Loki' Episode 1 Analysis, Themes, and Theories - The Ringer

     

    There’s a brilliance in the writing team headed by Michael Waldron that needed to get us to a place to care about Loki. Yes, as fans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we will buy into any morsel of story. What is accomplished here surrounds the nuance of this once villainous character. Loki’s past and potential future is summed up perfectly by his brief monologue:

    I don’t enjoy hurting people. I don’t enjoy it. I do it because I have to because I’ve had to. Because it’s part of the illusion. it’s the cruel elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear.

    NIs Loki turning into a good guy and starting a new hero’s journey? Probably not, as he isn’t the God of Mischief just for kicks. What sets this series off in a fascinating direction is the feeling that we know Loki in a way we didn’t before. Sometimes introspection leads us down the most fruitful doors.

  • Marvel Studios ‘Black Widow’ to Release Early in UK Cinemas

    Marvel Studios ‘Black Widow’ to Release Early in UK Cinemas

    It’s hard to believe that Black Widow will finally release n just a little under a month. Well, it looks like some Marvel fans might get their hands on the first MCU film of Phase 4 a little early. Marvel UK just took to Twitter to announce that we can expect the film a few days early on July 7th if you live in the United Kingdom or Ireland. Now, this does not include the Disney+ release via Premier Access but only in theater chains. It is uncertain if this will roll out across Europe, or if this might be exclusively in the UK.

    There is a good chance we might see some advanced screenings around the world, as it is part of Disney’s promise to support cinemas. While there have been hints at shorter theatrical windows by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, they have been openly discussing their wish to keep the medium alive in its original intent. As such, there is also a good chance that Black Widow might be the last Premier Access release we see as of 2021.

    Of course, the pandemic’s effects on cinema won’t go away overnight so it might be a slow process returning to the Box Office numbers we remember from 2019, but the fact that future Marvel Studios projects like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as Eternals, are eyeing pure theatrical releases is a good sign. Here’s hoping we get the news for other countries follows suit to make sure the world finally gets to see the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to cinemas.

    Source: Twitter, Business Insider

  • REPORT: First Details on Gamora’s ‘What If?’ Episode

    REPORT: First Details on Gamora’s ‘What If?’ Episode

    Marvel Studios’ newest endeavor into storytelling will open the door to countless possibilities and answer the long-awaited question, What if?.  We know little about what the episodes of the upcoming series will entail aside from a select few. One will see Thor arrive on Midgard, but instead of following the events of the first film, he will throw one of the biggest parties the realm had ever seen. It’ll be so big that it’ll risk the end of the world as we know it. It seems that another upcoming episode in the series could see another unexpected arrival on Earth, one of the galaxies’ most skilled assassins and daughter of the mad titan, Gamora.

    In a new report from the Illuminerdi, it seems that an upcoming Gamora-centered episode could see her hunting down the one and only Tony Stark. It could be that Gamora is after Stark following the battle of New York. Iron Man flying through the wormhole the Chitauri were invading from and destroyed their mothership. It rendered Lokis’ army, which later turned out to be Thanos’, useless.  Seeing him as a threat in his ongoing search for the Infinity Stones we could see Thanos send his favorite daughter and most skilled warrior after Tony to make sure he wouldn’t be an issue for him in the future.

    Marvel Studios What If? currently has no set release date but will release exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service. The series will feature the return of countless familiar voices from the MCU and even see the debut of Uatu The Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘LOVE AND THUNDER’ Promo Art Offers Closer Look at Thor’s New Outfit

    ‘LOVE AND THUNDER’ Promo Art Offers Closer Look at Thor’s New Outfit

    The God of Thunder is getting some fresh new digs. Brand new promo art for Taika Waititi’s second Marvel project, Thor: Love and Thunder, has given fans their best look yet at the titular character’s latest design. The look, and the neon-colored art that accompanies it, bring more of that 80’s-nostalgia teased by the film’s initial logo reveal. The tone of the movie seems to be going the route of hair metal, with the lightning striking through the center of brightly colored hearts, and Thor wearing a cutoff jacket to go along with his flowing locks. Although, Thor’s actual outfit is more reminiscent of Eric Masteron’s Thunderstrike costume from the peak of Marvel’s 90’s hysteria. The art itself leaked on Twitter after appearing on memorabilia given to the crew as wrap presents.

    https://twitter.com/lovethundernews/status/1403369702261415936?s=21

    Thor: Love and Thunder will be the fourth solo Thor adventure in the MCU, following a trilogy concluded by Waititi’s last Marvel venture in 2017. The film will feature the debut of an entirely different Thor, with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster set to wield the hammer alongside Chris Hemsworth when the movie drops in 2022. While not much is known about the movie’s plot, it is public knowledge that the story will borrow heavily from Jason Aaron’s acclaimed Mighty Thor run. Christian Bale will return to comic book movie acting as the monstrous villain Gorr, the God Butcher. Tessa Thompson will also return to her role as Valkyrie, the surprise breakout star of Thor: Ragnarok and current ruler of Asgard.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Loki’ May Have Hinted at Non-Marvel Studios Films Existing Before the Multiversal War

    ‘Loki’ May Have Hinted at Non-Marvel Studios Films Existing Before the Multiversal War

    Up to this point, we all assumed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe consists of multiple reality branches simultaneously. As such, we all expected WandaVision to kick it off after Wanda created a pocket dimension out of the small rural town of Westview. After countless guesswork, it ended up as a self-contained story, and there were no real signs of the multiverse just yet. Even 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home teased its existence only for it to turn out to be a lie by Mysterio. Yet, we have a What If series heading to Disney+, and Doctor Strange‘s sequel has the subtitle Multiverse of Madness. So, we believed Loki would finally confirm our suspicions only to surprise us even more. It revealed that the TVA serves to prevent new timelines from sprouting into existence. It seems the multiverse we know has already happened and imploded after a war. Now, it made us wonder what exactly was the multiverse before the Time Keepers got involved?

     

    Marvel's Loki: Who are the Time-Keepers of the MCU? - Geeky Craze

     

    There are no hints at what existed before the Sacred Timeline got created. If they follow the comics, the current iteration of the Avengers and their entire journey serve the Time Keepers as they seek to ensure their life cycle remains intact. Mobius also hints at the fact that the timeline exists in a constant loop. So, the end of time will always lead back to the beginning of creation. As such, our heroes will continue down their path no matter what over and over again. It did sound like the world was very different in the original timeline before it got that TVA reboot at some random point in its existence. We have no idea what may have led to that event, but there might be some curious hints through the rumor mill, especially surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

    Everything seems to be pointing to the appearance of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield‘s incarnations of the iconic webhead. Their villains seem almost confirmed at this point. Yet, there is one contradiction their appearance would create. As we saw, branches extend out of the Sacred Timeline when a nexus event happens. Like in What If, any alternative version of the characters will connect to the main timeline. Peggy Carter becoming Captain Britain is only a different event unfolding as some of the same events happened before the nexus that caused the new scenario. So, if we get introduced to two versions of a character with very distinct histories, it would imply that the multiverse was much more unique at one point, as the heroes looked different. Of course, the TVA’s current predicament could contradict this, but it does seem likely that we’re playing with very distinct concepts of the multiverse. Perhaps Garfield and Maguire come from multiversal timelines before the first war, which developed more independently from each other. Miss Minutes used the wording “unique” when discussing their pre-war existence.

     

    Spider-Man:' Andrew Garfield Breaks Silence on 'No Way Home' – The Hollywood Reporter

     

    Whatever happens in Loki, it may see the resurgence of these original timelines that vanished after the first Multiversal War. Marvel Studios already rebranded older movies as Marvel Legacy projects. So, it may be a way to keep them as distinct franchises but open up the door to allow the potential of multiversal cameos without breaking the universe’s canon. So, it won’t make people think if Hugh Jackman has a brief appearance as Wolverine, he will return to the role moving forward. Speaking of the X-Men franchise, the confirmed third Deadpool entry also gives the theory some weight if you consider that it’s a continuation from the Fox universe that continues into the MCU. As such, he may be part of this original multiverse and ends up in the Sacred Timeline. As an outsider, he starts to unravel the universe even more, especially if you consider his ability to break the fourth wall. We know the first seeds for a Secret Wars adaptation got planted. Just like Thanos, it seems inevitable that the next multiversal war will happen, and we might see some other familiar faces join the fray.