Tag: Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios Seeking Mayan Warriors for ‘Black Panther 2’

Marvel Studios has been quite busy since the New Year started. We finally got our first Disney+ show from the studio with WandaVision. There is still a lot of uncertainty if Black Widow will get released in May after being delayed by an entire year. They just released a brand new trailer for Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as other projects are slowly entering production. It looks like one secret Marvel project has started its casting process, as POC Culture has learned that one Marvel Studios film is looking to cast two Mayan characters. They also confirm that this isn’t for a Disney+ series but a film project, a fact we can also verify.

Marvel Studios casting director Sarah Finn is on the search for actors to portray characters named” Zyanya” and “Cadmael” in strong supporting roles. Zyanya gets described as a fierce warrior whose actress should have a background in fighting and dance. The role of Cadmael is seeking someone above six feet tall, who is strong and loyal. There are no established Marvel Comics characters with these names, so as usual these are likely codenames. They are open to accepting actors with North and South American indigenous backgrounds for these roles.

The timing of this casting matches Black Panther 2 upcoming production start in July. There was also the rumor that Namor and Atlantis might play a role in the upcoming sequel, so, we may get to visit other cultures that are hiding from the outside world. Perhaps the history of the underwater city is directly tied to Mayan culture. Either way, it’s great to see the diverse casting continue by Marvel Studios, as they seek to represent indigenous voices in their future projects.

Source: POC Culture

February 13, 2021
Billy Takes Center Stage in ‘WANDAVISION’s All-New Halloween Spooktacular!

For the Children! Ever since the Disney Plus Expanding the Universe documentary hinted at the arrival of Wanda and Vision’s twins in WandaVision, fans have eagerly awaited the MCU debuts of Wiccan and Speed and this week, in Episode 6, we saw Tommy and Billy’s powers come into play for the first time. While the episode made great use of the super speed of both Tommy and his “uncle Pietro”, it was the awakening of Billy’s powers that really hit hard…and might be a key to what’s happening in the series.

The events surrounding the birth of the twins in Episode 3 were certainly abnormal, up to and including the fact that nobody, including Wanda, knew she was having twins. When Tommy arrived, several minutes went by before Wanda became aware that another bun was in the oven and there was something very disconcerting about Wanda during his delivery. I can’t quite explain it, but we all watched it and we all know what I mean. So to some extent, Billy was the bonus baby but with the nature of the twins already in question, I’m beginning to wonder if he was actually there all along or if his birth was a function of Vision choosing to name the first baby Tommy.

As I discussed last week, there’s something very strange about Agnes’ interest in the Maximoff twins, an interest that predates their conception and became very obvious in Episode 5. No offense to Tommy or to fans of the character, but as cool of a character as Speed is and as much as I look forward to seeing him develop over the next several years in the MCU, Billy has always kind of outshined his brother in the comics and it’s possible that a similar fate may be in store for the twins in the MCU. In the comics, Billy is destined to become one of Earth’s most powerful mages, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and, eventually, the all-powerful Demiurge, a being essentially responsible for maintaining the universe. Short version: Billy is fated to wield an enormous amount of power. And with great power comes great effort by those trying to steal it. And this episode showcased that, even if it was a bit more subtle than we’d like. While Tommy ran around with his asshole uncle, Billy’s ability to sense that his father was in danger was a far more impressive display of power for a kid who only found out he had powers in that moment. As cool as super-speed is, precognition and clairvoyance are the types of abilities wielded by witches, warlocks and make him a prime target for any power-hungry baddies out there.

In the comics, Billy’s powers were lusted after by Loki but I don’t think that’s the case here. As Arlyn Murphy mentioned in her Primer, it’s becoming more clear that while we are made to believe Wanda is in control, that she’s not actually the one in the driver’s seat, which means someone is using her power and, at this point, I think they’re using it to get to Billy’s. Who was talking about Wanda having kids before Wanda had kids? Who has been responsible for Billy (and Tommy…sorry Tommy) choosing to age up, making him old enough to begin to realize his power and “speed” him on his way to becoming omnipotent? All signs point towards Agnes being the power-hungry witch pulling the strings and out to either take Billy’s power for herself or manipulate him into using it for her (maybe that’s what is going on with Wanda?). Of course, this could be going totally down the wrong path, but with only 3 episodes left to go, we’ll all find out together very soon.

February 12, 2021
Theory Thursday: The Halloween Episode

After last week’s bombshell ending of the episode of WandaVision, all eyes are on this week’s episode, which is perhaps the one fans have been looking forward to the most: The Halloween episode. Ever since fans got their first glimpse at Wanda and Vision wearing the classic comic costumes, fans have been pondering the possibilities of how that episode might play out, since it’s been an episode that’s been teased the most in trailers alongside the 1950’s episode. And now that we know that Wanda and Vision are going to be accompanied not only by their kids; Billy and Tommy, but also the recently revived Pietro Maximoff (portrayed by Evan Peters), one can only wonder what exactly might happen on this episode. And it is exciting. So let’s begin.

The Theme Song

Undoubtedly, the dynamic duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have not missed with the theme songs of each episode. They’ve nailed the scoring of each era to a tea. There was something very interesting to note about the “nature of the lyrics.” At first, the songs start out as very bright and joyful. But as the episodes progress, you notice that the songs start to take a more sinister tone. For example, in the most recent episode, you have lyrics like “Crossing our fingers, singing a song. We’re making it up as we go along.” At first, their nature seems to be about how Wanda and Vision are inexperienced in being parents, raising a family and they’re making it up as it goes along. That’s the face value of the lyrics. But if we think about it in a deeper sense, it’s possible that they’re trying to send us the message that from here on out, whoever is behind the WestView anomaly (the primary suspect being Wanda) is making up this reality as it goes along. So there is a chance that the next episode might follow suit with this style of lyric. Making a song that can have a double meaning but it’s definitely much more noticeable and blunt than its predecessor.

The lyrics seem to follow the line of addressing what happened in the last episode. For example, Episode 3 is about “We’ve got something cooking”; referencing Wanda’s pregnancy at the end of Episode 2. Episode 5’s theme had to do with the kids and their birth and how they’re making it up as it goes along. So, if Vision has become aware of what Wanda is doing by the end of the last episode, then there is a possibility that the next theme may be about ignoring distractions like what might be outside of WestView’s barriers or anything that might cause Wanda’s reality to break.

Let’s talk about the costumes

We know based on the trailers that Wanda and Vision are going to obtain their classic costume for Halloween. The question still remains about how they actually obtained it. Like, where did the idea for it come from? Is it a “Logan” type of scenario where comics about these characters exist in their universe and they based themselves on that? Could it be tossed aside to a gag like it’s just the first random thing they could find and it just so happens to be their classic costumes? Perhaps there’s an in-universe connection to it, perhaps tied to their personal history.

I’m betting on the idea behind the costumes to have some sort of attachment to their personal history while at the same time representing who they are. Like for example, we know Wanda’s abilities are tied to magic and as the episodes have gone on, she’s been less perceptive and more open about her magic use in public, going as far as to showcase her abilities in front of Agnes. So, maybe she dressed as a witch from Sokovia, explaining the weird choice of a headdress rather than wearing what we know as a traditional witch’s hat. Vision could probably be like an updated version of Illusion, with a cool cape and such. This also begs the question about the kids’ costume choice. Chances are that if Wanda and Vision are wearing traditional versions of their costumes, there’s a possibility Billy and Tommy could wear traditional versions of their own costumes as well. We could maybe even see Pietro donning a classic version of his costume.

Map-Out

In WandaVision, there seem to be 4 main storylines that branch out to the rest of the storylines. We have Wanda, Vision, Agnes, and Monica. So I do this thing called a “map-out.” Essentially, I take the scenes from the trailers as the big puzzle pieces and then try to fill in the blanks with either elements I believe make the most sense based on comics or patterns or ways that can coherently connect one story to another.

Wanda: Wanda’s story is going to keep maintaining the sitcom reality alive. She’ll play out the episode the way she wants to by following the sitcom trope that we’ve seen in previous eras from the other episodes. With this episode being set in the 90s and coincidentally Halloween, I expect Wanda to spend the episode trick or treating with Billy and Tommy, and possibly Pietro might tag along with her so that we may get some sort of exposition as to how he’s back. I however don’t suspect to get anything clear and concrete on who he might be. Given that the kids are growing at an accelerated rate and that we’ve already seen them display powers in the previous episodes, I suspect the twins might start to show their respective powers from the comics, albeit it’ll probably be brief moments, but still a display nonetheless.

Vision: Whenever we see Halloween trailers, we always see Vision on his own, walking around Westview. Given that Vision is a part of the neighborhood security watch from Westview (and basing myself on childhood Halloween experiences in suburbs), this could explain why Vision is on his own during this episode, as he will be looking around the neighborhood to make sure that nothing is amiss since Halloween tends to be a time of mischief in the neighborhoods during sitcoms. It will also give Vision the chance to be doing some investigative work about the WestView anomaly and try to get to the bottom of it all. This will lead him to two places. The barrier of Westview (which I’ll explain later on) and to Agnes in her car.

Agnes: She’s been one of the most theorized characters regarding WandaVision, especially after Episode 4 where S.W.O.R.D. was unable to ID her. Up until last week, she’s served a very “nosy neighbor”/ “side character” trope in the show. But this week might change all of that. We know from the first trailer that Vision will unlock her mind, similar to the way Vision unlocked “Norm”. So, if Agnes is the personality that was created for the sitcom reality, what personality might Vision unearth the moment Agnes is broken free? Based on the trailer, she’ll clearly recognize Vision and ask if he’s an Avenger and if he’s here to help them, them possibly meaning the citizens of Westview. We also know she’ll ask him if she’s dead because he is before laughing maniacally. So, I believe that this episode will reveal Agnes’ true identity, which is possibly Agatha Harkness. Whether or not she is “locked back” like Norm remains to be seen, but I don’t think she’d want to be locked back into Wanda’s spell, so she might leave before Vision has a chance to do so. I definitely see Agnes leading Vision to the barrier as we see in the trailers, which leads me to the final storyline.

Monica: Out of everyone in S.W.O.R.D., the only people who seem willing to help Wanda at this point are the trio of Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy. Everyone else, including Director Hayward, seems to have branded Wanda as the villain and are going in guns blazing to take her down by any means necessary. This contrast in ideals may cause some friction and arguments between them and how to handle this situation. Clearly, Hayward doesn’t seem to care much about trying to help Wanda, given he tried to launch a missile at her and her children in the last episode, so if Monica and the rest do try to find ways to help Wanda, they may just fall onto deaf ears.

There is also the possibility that given that Vision is at the barrier of Westview, he might try to communicate with the people outside of the barrier, giving us our first interactions between Vision and S.W.O.R.D. Thanks to the trailer shot above, we know that Vision may try to penetrate the barrier to see what is outside. I do think it is possible that we may see him go beyond the barrier and see the S.W.O.R.D base outside. What might happen next could quite frankly be anyone’s guess. If he steps out of the barrier, will he look as he normally does in the MCU? Would he be the pale Vision we saw in Episode 4, with the hole in his head? And how might S.W.O.R.D. react? Will they take him away? Will Wanda be able to sense someone left the barrier since she pretty much made the barrier impenetrable in the last episode? Only time will tell when WandaVision airs tomorrow on Disney+.

February 11, 2021
How WandaVision’s 1980’s Episode Does The Sitcom-Meets-MCU Thing Right

After taking a break from the inner workings of Westview to explore the goings-on outside the town, WandaVision picked up right where it left off in sitcom history and tackled the 1980’s “On a Very Special Episode…”.

I discussed at length in my “Now in Color” analysis about how the time period of the 1970s is incongruent with the episode’s pregnancy and childbirth storyline. People were still giving birth in that era, obviously, it just wasn’t as common a trope seen in sitcoms as the decades before and after it. Fortunately, this episode’s 1980’s theme works very well with the plot it plays backdrop to, and goes beyond period-accurate clothing, a Growing Pains living room replica, and a nice homage to the classic intro of that show and other 80’s sitcoms like Family Ties and Full House. This is the part of WandaVision I’d been looking forward to the most; the sitcom is in full swing but now we have the MCU mystery to juxtapose it against. The choices made in emulating and subverting tropes often seen in 80’s media are a key part of the story; they’re less fluffy and more meaty than some of the antics seen in earlier episodes.

Kids Grow Up So Fast

To start off, we get to see Billy and Tommy at three different ages in this episode: babies, young children, and 10-year-olds. The babies suddenly advancing a few years in age during the show’s cold open is a nod to how many old sitcoms would introduce a new baby to the central family unit only to age them up a few years the next season, but it’s also a key part of the plot, as is the inclusion of the “can we keep him?” trope with the dog. Hopefully, this episode made a lot of viewers understand why Marvel chose to go all-out on the sitcom stuff and that it’s more than just a stylistic choice.

The twins are 10 years old for most of the episode, which is just the right age for them to learn one of the cheesy life lessons that were a hallmark of 80’s family media, complete with some gentle, sappy music to underscore it. But of course, despite being the one to deliver said lesson to her children, it’s Wanda who is having the most trouble applying it to her life. While Westview is supposed to be an idyllic and quaint town, there are some sad things that can’t be fixed even there. But Wanda knows there’s a world outside of Westview, and things are a lot more complicated outside her self-imposed bubble. She says one thing to the boys about not being able to revive the dead, while simultaneously doing the opposite of what she’s preaching with Vision.

The Bubble is Ready to Pop

Wanda obviously wants everyone in town – especially her family – to live in ignorant bliss, but the façade is starting to crack. The S.W.O.R.D. team is figuring out increasingly effective ways to break in (this week they sent in what they wanted using technology from Westview’s current era so it wouldn’t be altered upon entry) and Vision is catching on to what Wanda is doing. The biggest subversion of an 80’s trope in this episode comes when Wanda rolls the credits on Vision’s concerns about their life but he continues his confrontation anyway, and eventually, the credits stop. Sitcoms may be known for their ability to resolve any problem in half an hour, but this scene makes it clear that those days are over in Westview.

In discussing the episode’s presentation of how sitcom tropes aren’t really true-to-life I have to mention everyone’s favorite neighbor, Agnes. Her frequent and well-timed stops by Wanda and Vision’s home are still humorous, but Vision’s comments about how she shows up with exactly what the family needs, exactly when they need it point to something being up with her. We see early on in this episode that she definitely knows what’s up to a degree, but it seems like she’s more attuned to Wanda and her family more than everyone else in Westview and Vision pointing out how odd her convenient behavior is means we’re going to find out more about her down the line.

WandaVision only has two more decades to cover (well maybe three if the 2000’s and 2010’s are combined). If these kinds of parallels between the era and the situation continue, the cynicism of the 1990’s and beyond is going to play a role in these next episodes and things are going to break down even further.

February 11, 2021
How Mjolnir May Return in ‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’

In 2019’s SDCC, it got announced to thunderous applause that a fourth Thor film is in production. Titled Thor: Love and Thunder, the film will draw heavily from writer Jason Aaron‘s early work on the character where the God of Thunder fights one of his greatest foes, Gorr the God Butcher. He also lost his title and hammer to his former romantic partner, Jane Foster, who went on to take the mantle for herself as the Mighty Thor. As such, one could surmise that Love and Thunder exist mainly to be a passing-of-the-hammer tale in the MCU. Unfortunately for Natalie Portman‘s character, the hammer was in multiple pieces the last time we saw it. Director Taika Waititi made a concerted effort on the Comic-Con stage to let fans know that Jane Foster would indeed be holding Mjolnir when she arrives in theaters in 2022. So, how the heck are they going to pull that off? Let’s dig into three of their most likely options in an increasingly wacky order.

Eitri and Nidavellir

Let’s face it. It isn’t the first time we’ve seen Mjolnir in shards. Thor has lost his trusted sidepiece on multiple occasions in the comics, whether it’s at the hands of the aptly-named Destroyer or his grumpy grandfather Bor. More often than not, he realizes that he can make a new Mjolnir. Marvel comics have commonly found Odinson making his way to various forging locations to put the pieces back together. Magic isn’t even always required, as the Thunderer once even managed to reconstruct the legendary hammer in a steel mill in Pittsburgh. The MCU’s Thor wouldn’t have to resort to such methods, as he’s already pals with an answer to fixing Mjolnir. We met the last of the dwarves on the dying star Nidavellir, and it doesn’t seem like a reach that he could put the hammer back together if the remnants get found in that fateful Norwegian field. Sure, the last time we saw Eitri, Nidavellir was a little worse-for-wear, but who’s to say Thor hasn’t gone back to help in the time since Thanos’ defeat? With any luck, Hulk might have even been able to bring back some of the dwarves when he reversed the Snap. This direction might be the quickest explanation for Mjolnir’s return and a great reason to give us more of giant Peter Dinklage.

Time-Travel

Marvel Studios has already brought back Mjolnir once before through time travel. While that hammer had to be taken back to its original point in time, Waititi may attempt to go two-for-two on those shenanigans. After all, there is a precedence for this in the comics that the film is adapting. The arc that introduces Gorr takes place throughout several millennia, bringing him into conflict with a younger Thor from the Viking Age, a modern Thor we all know and love, and an older Thor who lives alone on a desolate Asgard. Gorr’s rather unusual abilities lead to all three versions of Thor fighting side-by-side against the God-Butcher on his home planet. Set photos have already leaked showing what could potentially be our first look at the said planet. If that’s the case, we could see a younger Thor bring his Mjolnir to the present-day, where it somehow ends up in the hands of Jane Foster. That reminds me, there is still an entire Disney+ series on the way based around Loki. It’s unlikely that he ends up worthy of carrying the hammer, but we may see him pull off his greatest trick and deliver Mjolnir through time and space. Actually, now that we mention Loki.

Multiverse

If there’s one thing we know the MCU is delving into in the coming years, it’s the multiverse. Between recent revelations on WandaVision, all the rumors surrounding Marvel and Sony’s third Spider-Man film, and the literal title of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, you can bet we’re in for some “alt-u” impacts moving forward. Although complicated, we could hypothetically see a Mjolnir pop in from somewhere else in Marvel’s massive catalog of alternate worlds. Our very own Ms. Lizzie Hill suggested the idea that the hammer-wielding Jane we meet in the film could hail from a different universe, where Gorr had already done away with the Odinson, and his Mjolnir ended up in Jane’s possession. The resulting pairing between Portman and Hemsworth against Gorr could be a fitting substitute for the Thor Trio team-up from the comics, though this could lead to more questions than answers. If Kevin Feige did want to commit to a hammer from the multiverse, it would be on my wish-list that it came from Beta Ray Bill, a legend among man and horse alike. It could be unlikely, but it is just too much fun to theorize on his potential appearance.

February 10, 2021
New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Trailer Smashes 24-hour Record

Sunday’s trailer for the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is now the most viewed trailer for a streaming series and it blew the previously held record away. The new spot had 125M views in the first 24 hours, more than doubling the previous record of 53M which was held by another Marvel Studios project, WandaVision.

The marketing approach for the series seems sure to capture the attention of younger audience and is, in some ways, reminiscent of the way Marvel Studios marketed Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The new trailer gave away very little about the plot of the series, but showcased some serious action and the bright, flashy lights of Madripoor while keeping the focus on the strained relationship between the two series leads that fans loved in Captain America: Civil War. The series is set to debut on Disney Plus on March 19th.

February 10, 2021
Jac Schaeffer Talks Evan Peters Inclusion in ‘WandaVision’

WandaVision has been an insane ride. Its sitcom-based premise was strange enough, but it started to throw in one twist after another. The fifth episode probably gave us the biggest surprise yet, as Wanda welcomed her brother Pietro back to the living. While it did turn out to be Quicksilver, it wasn’t Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Knocking on Westview’s door was none-other than Evan Peters. Yes, the very same that played the iconic character in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. It was also one of the site’s biggest stories written by Charles Murphy some time ago, which finally got confirmed.

The fifth episode’s title: “On A Very Special Episode…” was certainly fitting. Luckily, everyone who is still confused about the reveal and what it might mean, head writer Jac Schaeffer offered some details on how they managed to cast him.

This show is such a mind scramble, and because it’s working on so many levels, and there’s so many notions of what’s real and what’s not, and performance, and casting, and audience, and fandom, and all of that, we just thought it would be the biggest thrill to bring Evan over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We thought like, how do we give him this entrance, and then enjoy that, and then make it crazy? And we had long had the idea of the trope of the brother, or the relative, or whoever comes to town and like, stirs things up with the family — that sitcom trope.

The idea came from Schaeffer and executive producer Mary Livanos, who wanted to make it a reality. His inclusion was at a perfect time, as Wanda and Vision were at a standstill. They truly utilized the 80s cliché to its fullest potential. Of course, Peters brought along an accent to make the trope fully come to life. She also discusses how difficult it was for his inclusion to make sense within the larger story that is getting told. They worried how organic it would be, especially as they had so many different ideas already bouncing around. They confirmed that Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige was adamant that his inclusion had a reason. Hopefully, it will play out in the upcoming episodes. It also seems that Peters was excited to join the MCU, as we are to see what his character’s inclusion might be setting up for the franchise’s future.

Source: Marvel

February 8, 2021
Sam and Bucky are Back in Action in New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLIDER’ Trailer

Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is under 6 weeks away from debuting on Disney Plus and they used the big stage of Super Bowl LV to give us a new look at the action-packed streaming series.

Our first look at footage from the series came during the 2020 Super Bowl and we saw the first full trailer just about 2 months ago but this new trailer REALLY puts the focus on Sam and Bucky’s relationship and gives us our first idea about what it is Zemo is up to!

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to begin streaming on Disney Plus on March 19th.

February 7, 2021
The New Normal For MCU Solo Movies
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland recently referred to the upcoming third film in the series as, “the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made”. I’m not sure if that’s an accurate statement; the movie is sure to be ambitious, but if the rumors about this film are true it’s hard to think of the movie as a “standalone” picture.

Marvel Studios, like many other franchises, has a tendency to take what fans love about their projects and run with it. Usually they do a better job of it than most; audiences loved the comedy in Guardians of the Galaxy? Let’s bring in more to the other sub-franchises! New markets successfully tapped into with Black Panther and Captain Marvel? Let’s make future content even more diverse and inclusive!

If one aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has stood out above all else, it’s the interconnectivity of it all. The Avengers rocked the world in 2012 and the blockbuster industry has never been the same since. But it was 2016’s Captain America: Civil War that pushed this concept to a whole new level; here was a “Captain America” movie that not only spent nearly equal time focusing on Iron Man, but also featured the majority of the other Earth-based heroes we’d been introduced to in the eight years since the MCU was born, even serving as the introduction to multiple new ones who would soon go on to star in their own solo flicks.

They did something similar in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok. That film didn’t just feature the two Avengers who weren’t present in Civil War, but included a one-scene appearance from Doctor Strange, who’d made his MCU debut in his first solo movie the previous year. Of course, since then, Marvel Studios has put out even more ambitious crossovers (and become even more popular as a franchise) with the third and fourth Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame…and it’s likely that the scale and success of those movies is what has the studio returning to the crossover-in-a-solo-vehicle model for so many Phase 4 projects.

Looking at the film slate alone, at least four of the upcoming solo movies will feature at least one other character who has headlined their own film or Disney+ series:
- The untitled third Spider-Man movie will feature Doctor Strange (and most likely a slew of characters from previous Spidey movie franchises)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will feature Scarlet Witch
- Thor: Love and Thunder will feature (most of) the Guardians of the Galaxy
- Captain Marvel 2 will feature Ms. Marvel
And that’s not even counting characters who have made major appearances in other franchises, like Monica Rambeau, or may do so in the future, like Miss America. It’s pretty obvious that this style of team-up has become the norm for MCU solo movies…or more specifically, MCU solo sequels.

All of the films on the above list will be either the second, third, or fourth solo outing for the characters in question. While we haven’t seen any promotional clips from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or Eternals quite yet, both of those films seem to be relatively insular, without a lot of huge nods to previous MCU projects, at least not on the level of the ones listed above.

This is, potentially, very telling of how Marvel Studios plans to balance maintaining audience interest while still being able to bring in new fans, and is likely why the goal seems to be for Marvel Studios to introduce at least one new franchise per year. It appears to be a safe bet that new solo movies starring characters who have yet to have one will be the prime “entry points” for those new to the MCU. Even heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panthers who made their MCU debuts in someone else’s movie had solo films that could be understood by newcomers, though the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts engagement stuff at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming may have been a bit weird for those not “in the know”.

And once a new hero’s first outing has hooked in those new fans? Anything is fair game. They’re free (at the studio’s discretion) to be crossed over with seemingly any other character and appear in pretty much any MCU project going forward. There isn’t really a safety net of a middle area to bridge the two together, it’s zero-to-100.

We’ve seen this work out when it comes to a singular medium (think of the people who saw Black Panther as their first Marvel movie and a few months later cheered when Wakanda was first shown in Avengers: Infinity War) but it might be trickier to achieve when working across multiple mediums. I have a feeling Marvel’s plan there is to not worry about having to hand-hold the audience when it comes to the Disney+ stuff, except for when introducing a new character; however, they’ll probably be willing to play catch-up for said projects in the movies when need be, the assumption being everyone watching the Disney+ series has seen the films, but the same might not be true the other way around.

This is probably why the scene of Sam Wilson being given the Captain America shield was included in Avengers: Endgame; even though he’s not technically “Captain America” right now, he more than likely will be by the end of the series, and this scene gives the movie-only viewers the context needed to understand why he’ll have taken on the mantle in later big-screen projects. Disney+ debut characters like Ms. Marvel will probably require a bit more catch-up work when they debut in films, but Marvel surely has a plan for this and things will hopefully go smoothly in that regard.

So there we go. There will probably be three “tiers” of MCU movies going forward: solo debuts largely focusing on a single character (or “always-together” group like the Guardians), “solo” sequels featuring team-ups between a few major heroes, and Avengers-level events. Sequels used to be more on a similar level to debut films, but after several aforementioned Phase 3 projects and a wider gap in time between Avengers movies than fans have grown accustomed to, Marvel knows that typical comic book movies aren’t always going to cut it anymore: now that fans have gotten a taste of what’s possible in terms of interaction between their favorite superheroes, they want more. And thus, the bar for “regular” has been raised.
February 7, 2021
Kat Dennings Teases Future Marvel Projects

Here’s a nice little weekend surprise. It seems that Kat Dennings will have a larger role with Marvel moving forward. In an interview with ExtraTV, she let slip that she has already been involved with some things that aren’t WandaVision related. The actress returned for the first time to the franchise in Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ show since her appearance in Thor: The Dark World. Her character Darcy Lewis and Randall Park‘s Jimmy Woo have become some fan-favorites, so there is a lot of hope for her to make a return in some form or another. There is the fact that she doesn’t really especially say that she is involved with Marvel Studios, so there is a chance these are involved with their other ventures.

Marvel has been pushing out various small documentaries on Disney+, such as their 616 series. She also pulled back from saying anything else before getting into any trouble with the infamous Marvel snipers. It would make sense for her to appear in more future Marvel Studios’ projects, as Darcy might become the leading researcher for multiversal effects. She does confirm that she most likely won’t appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, as she has no information on the project and it already has started filming. Teen Wolf‘s Stephen Ford has also shared his interest in pitching an X-Files show that features Jimmy Woo. Dennings would be a perfect addition to the show and here’s hoping that her return signals many more projects in the near future.

https://twitter.com/StephenSeanFord/status/1357847408789495808

If you are interested, you can check out her interview with ExtraTV here:

Source: ExtraTV via The Direct, Twitter

February 6, 2021