Tag: Marvel Studios

Wanda Maximoff: The Story So Far

It’s been over a year now since the last time fans got treated to some brand new MCU content. With the release of WandaVision, the wait is nearly over. So, we thought it might be a perfect time to catch up with our favorite characters before the premiere of the Disney+ series. We have a surprisingly extensive cast returning to the series, so we decided to focus on individual characters as we near the show’s release on Disney+. Today, we’ll explore the history of the MCU’s resident witch, Wanda Maximoff, or better known as the Scarlet Witch.

Wanda Maximoff entered the MCU during the post-credit scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She and her brother, Pietro Maximoff, were the only survivors of Wolfgang Von Strucker’s experiments. They got imbued with the powers through Loki’s scepter, which later revealed to contain the Mind Stone. It seems it was a hotspot for genetic irregularities and that the cosmic rays of the Mind Stone managed to activate their dormant powers. These powers were the driving force once they fought the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron. She played with the minds of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Both led to some dire consequences. One of them being the creation of Ultron, who persuaded them to join his cause. It wasn’t until he revealed his plan that they would help the Avengers take him down. However, it came at the cost of her brother’s life, which led to us a glimpse of her powers going out of control. Afterward, she becomes a full-time member of the Avengers and starts a new life in the States.

Wanda’s life as part of the Avengers wasn’t a simple one, especially in Captain America: Civil War. The mercenary Crossbones was trying to blow up everyone with a bio-weapon in Lagos, which she tried to contain. Sadly, she couldn’t hold it forever. These events resulted in the Sokovia Accords. Wanda signed them out of guilt for her actions. For PR reasons, she remained at the Avengers mansion with Vision acting as her guardian. It was the spark that started creating a bond between the two. After Hawkeye helped her escape, she found herself siding with Captain America. It ended up in her getting arrested and trapped on the Raft. That was until Rogers returned and broke them out.

The next time we revisit the unusual couple is during Avengers: Infinity War. She remains on the run while periodically meeting up with Vision, as their love started to blossom. Suddenly, they are attacked by the Black Order, who are after the Mind Stone. They barely manage to get away with their life once Roger arrives to help them. Their journey takes them to Wakanda, where the Wakandan princess Shuri attempts to remove the stone while preserving Vision’s consciousness. However, that plan fails once Thanos arrives with the other stones in his possession. This forces Wanda to make the ultimate sacrifice, as she manages to destroy the Mind Stone alongside her love. Unfortunately, the effort was all for null, as Thanos used the Time Stone to bring back the Vision and retrieve the Mind stone to complete his mission. The moment he snapped his finger, Wanda was among those to vanish into dust.

After the Avengers managed to turn the tide on Thanos in their battle in Avengers: Endgame, they managed to return those that got dusted. Wanda returned to fight alongside her friends to defeat those that hurt her. She even got her chance for revenge, as she faced the Mad Titan once more with all she had. In the aftermath, the heroes mourn the loss of Tony Stark. In a moment of reprieve, she and Hawkeye discuss those that were lost, where she hints at Vision knowing they succeeded. that was the last moment we saw Marvel’s sorceress. At some point, she ended up trapped in a sitcom dimension. It seems that somehow Vision was even revived. We’ll find out more once the Disney+ show premieres on January 15th.

January 14, 2021
Vision: The Story So Far

After a year-long hiatus, WandaVision is ready to kick off the MCU’s Phase 4 in a massive way. So, we thought it might be a great time to recap fans on the various big players that will return in the upcoming series. In this article, we’re going to focus on a character that has been a part of the MCU since its conception back in 2008’s Iron Man. What once started as a simple voice-over job turned into something much bigger. So, without further ado, let’s kick off our blast to the past by exploring Vision’s history in the MCU.

Vision was once Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence known as Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. Of course, it was an acronym inspired by his father’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. He ran security at Stark’s home before becoming an essential part of his Iron Man suit. It wasn’t until Avengers: Age of Ultron that he would become the android we know and love. After believing Jarvis got destroyed by his newly created A.I. known as Ultron, Stark found him subconsciously protecting nuclear codes. At the same time, Ultron created an organic body that would become his new vessel. Well, that was until the Avengers got their hand on it and decided to upload J.A.R.V.I.S. into the system. With some help from Thor, Vision is born and greets a new world. He went on to aid the rest of the Avengers in the Battle of Sokovia and got the upper hand above Ultron before joining the team officially.

In Captain America: Civil War, Vision acts more like the voice of reason (and inspirational quotes), convincing the Avengers that registering for the Sokovia Accords is a reasonable and smart decision. Trying to reduce tensions after Wanda lost control in Lagos, Vision was assigned to watch over her at the Avengers headquarters. During that time, the two managed to bond over their powers, the Mind Stone and Paprikash. Eventually, Hawkeye came in to recruit her for Cap’s side, but not without Vision trying to stop them. These events led to Wanda making the choice to temporarily incapacitated Vision and escaping with Clint. The pair met one last time in Germany, where both sides took a stand against each other. During the battle, Vision accidentally injured War Machine while aiming for Falcon.

In Avengers: Infinity War, we find out that Vision had been evolving ever since he eloped with Wanda. During their time in hiding, they fell in love. Suddenly, the Black Order hunts down Vision for his Mind Stone and only managed to survive with some help from Steve Rogers, Black Widow, and Falcon. Their mission now becomes to find a way to safely remove the stone from Vision’s head without killing him. They seek refuge in Wakanda. Scientist and part-time princess Shuri uncovers a way to separate them but can’t finish it in time before the Black Order get in the way. Once Thanos arrives for the stone, he begs Wanda to destroy the stone in a last-ditch effort, as he proclaims he loves her. Sadly, Thanos already had the Time Stone in his possession and brought him back to life. Without mercy, he ripped the stone out of his head and left behind an empty grey husk.

We all believed his story ended, but it seems to have only begun. From the trailers, it looks like Vision and Wanda are living their perfect lives. They are happily married, with kids, living peaceful, quiet lives in a suburban neighborhood. But there are still so many questions that remain from all of this. How is Vision back when he was destroyed during Avengers: Infinity War? Hopefully, all of these questions and more will get answered when we delve into the world of WandaVision this coming January 15th.

January 13, 2021
Marvel Match-Up With 6 Confirmed Production Companies

A couple of months ago, Arlyn Murphy dug up what she believed to be 3 newly formed Marvel Studios production companies: Blueberry Waffles, Log Jam and Standoffish. Last month, just ahead of Disney’s Investor Day, we also discovered that Frequent Productions was set to begin work in Atlanta sometime this year and were able to confirm it as a Marvel Studios project. Today, I can confirm that Blueberry Waffles, Log Jam and Standoffish are all 100% Marvel Studios projects, joining Frequent, Grass-Fed and Solve Everything as production companies for upcoming Marvel Studios projects. With Marvel Studios having recently announced a slew of new projects, it seemed like a great time to try to make some sense out of which company each project might be!

While Marvel Studios has a lot of upcoming projects, there are 6 without production company pairs. (5 if we’re being honest because Solve Everything is DEFINITELY Fantastic Four). As it turns out, there are also 6 production companies we haven’t paired up with films (again, it’s really 5). With that out there, it seemed time to have a little fun trying to work out the best pairings between production company and project and…solve everything.

Blueberry Waffles Armor Wars

Frequent Blade

Grass-Fed Fantastic Four

Log Jam I Am Groot

Solve Everything Ironheart

Standoffish Secret Invasion

As stated above and described in detail here, it’s pretty easy to pair up Solve Everything with Fantastic Four. Beyond that, the next most likely pairing is between Log Jam and I Am Groot, a series of original shorts separate from the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. During Investor Day, Kevin Feige mentioned that they would be filming the Holiday Special during production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, meaning it wouldn’t need to be given its own production company, whereas I Am Groot, as a separate entity, would.

As we continue on, the only certainty is increased uncertainty in which goes with which. Early on in Riri Williams’ Marvel Comics appearances, her mother made a reference to her often making breakfast for Riri and having it go uneaten as she was always more interested in tinkering in her shop (I think I’m remembering that correctly. For the sake of argument, let’s make that a really good reason to pair Blueberry Waffles with Ironheart. Arlyn’s original premise was this it might be pointing towards a Young Avengers project, but that’s clearly farther off now and Ironheart is coming soon, so it could work.

While I can’t make the case for it to be as good of a fit as the ones already paired up above, Standoffish could pair with Secret Invasion, though I can also make a case for Grass-Fed pairing up with Secret Invasion as a reference to the four Skrulls who did time on Earth as cows following their run-in with the Fantastic Four. However, standoffish could absolutely refer to Fury’s personality, making this a bit of a toss-up. Bringing Blade into the mix muddies the water even further, but even Fury is more personable than Blade, so Grass-Fed for Secret Invasion and Standoffish for Blade as the most current, but totally wild guess.

That leaves Frequent to pair with Armor Wars and no good connection. Often times, as was the case with Pandemic Productions and Static Productions (the production companies behind The Falcon and The Winter Solder and WandaVision, respectively), the companies aren’t comic book references but refer very specifically to the events of the series. Perhaps that’s the case here or perhaps it’s a joke in reference to how often Tony’s armor is compromised in the comics.

Whatever the case, this important news here is in that following up on the newly formed production companies, I was able to confirm that they are all for Marvel Studios projects, meaning production on all of them is likely to get underway sometime this year.

January 12, 2021
Darcy Lewis: The Story So Far

If you have been watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Phase One, chances are you already know Ms. Darcy Lewis. She’s the one that decided to rename one of the most powerful weapons in the world as “Mew-Mew”. Darcy was a pioneer in establishing the concept of an intern having an intern. Oh, did we mention she also helped save the world from a Dark Elves invasion? The young assistant is making her return after seven years in WandaVision, so let’s take a look back at her MCU history.

After studying political science at Culver University, she started working with scientists Jane Foster and Erik Selvig. At the time, she was interning for Selvig and joined them on their trip to New Mexico. The point of their travel was to study several spatial anomalies, which would end up leading them to run over the God of Thunder. To make sure, she also tased him when he started to ramble about the Bifrost and Mjolnir. After running him over a second time, they helped him learn the lesson Odin wanted to pass on to him when he sealed his hammer. After Thor got stranded in Asgard, Darcy supported Jane Foster in her research to find a way to get to see him again.

Years later, Darcy and Jane found themselves researching anomalies once again. This time it was connected to an event only known as the Convergence. To help their work, Darcy went out of her way to hire Ian Boothby as her intern, an intern for an intern if you will. The trio followed the abnormal signals to an abandoned warehouse. There they witnessed the laws of physics going haywire. It also led to the random creation of various portals. Following that, Foster disappeared and got possessed by the Aether, which prompted Thor to return to Earth. Now, after a short visit, the God of Thunder took Jane back to his homeworld to find out how to extract the red substance from her body. Darcy and Ian were left behind on Earth, so they set out to find Dr. Selvig to solve the Convergence issue. The poor doctor, meanwhile, has lost his mind after being possessed by Loki. Eventually, they find him and reunite with Thor and Jane. They returned to Earth after the Dark Elf Malekith tried to destroy the planet in the wake of the Convergence.

Now, we have no idea how exactly she will play into the story. Charles did share some ideas for why she might be returning. In his article, he theorized that she is involved with uncovering what is happening inside Wanda’s sitcom bubble. Her background in researching anomalies alongside Jane Foster, who in the MCU became a serious candidate for the Nobel Prize. She could play a key figure in bringing Vision back. For now, we can only wait until the show finally airs this Friday and finally shows the world what has happened to Wanda and Vision.

January 12, 2021
Frank Grillo Confirms Crossbones Return in ‘What If’

All eyes are on the upcoming Disney+ series. WandaVision is going to finally air this Friday. Falcon and the Winter Soldier is eyeing a release in March before Loki takes over in May. Those aren’t all the shows we can expect this year. 2021 is going to be huge for Marvel Studios after last year’s hiatus. Among them, What If is going to be their first venture into animation. The series is set to re-explore the films from the first three phases, but with a twist. They have teased that a wide variety of MCU actors will return to voice the characters they made iconic. Well, it looks like one more is joining the fray.

In an interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, actor Frank Grillo revealed that he will be involved with the upcoming What If project. Of course, he didn’t give away what we can expect from his return as Crossbones, but he did give us a hint for how many episodes he’ll be around.

CAA called, my agents called and said, ‘They’re doing this thing, What If…?, and they have four or five episodes planned out, you can do it all in one [day].’ I’m like, ‘Whatever, I don’t care what the money [is], it doesn’t matter, yes I’m going to do it. Absolutely. All day, every day.’

Grillo‘s enthusiasm is certain infections. We still don’t know much about What If, which primarily seems to focus on different scenarios with simple twists. So far, we’ve seen an evil Doctor Strange, Peggy Carter replacing Steve Rogers, and a Zombie Captain America. There is a good chance he is involved with the Zombie episode, which could be connected to Crossbones bio-weapon that was originally meant to kill Cap during Captain America: Civil War. At this point, it is just pure speculation, but it certainly is going to be exciting to see how they’ll twist our understanding of the stories we’ve spent so much time with in the last twelve years.

Source: Collider

January 11, 2021
Disney May Be Considering ‘Black Widow’ Disney+ Premium Access After All

The pandemic hasn’t been easy on Hollywood. Most of their 2020 releases got delayed as it was uncertain if worldwide quarantines would end anytime soon. Yet, there is the question if people would be willing to return to cinemas as long as that uncertainty remained. Marvel Studios had to push back its entire Phase 4 slate by a year. Most of the releases have been shifted around as a result as well. One of those releases was Black Widow.

It was supposed to kick off Phase 4 in May of last year only to get postponed into 2021. Now, WandaVision is officially taking over that duty in the next few days. Even after all this time, the pandemic still looms over our heads. Studios, as well as theaters, are still reeling from the heavy losses of 2020. So, there was still hope to hold the 2021 release dates. It seems that the latest strategy with Raya and the Last Dragon may be signaling a new direction after all.

Raya will premiere in March simultaneously on Disney+ Premium Access and theaters. It isn’t too dissimilar from how Warner Bros. currently has mapped out their entire 2021 release plan. Still, Disney has denied that any such whispers but happened, but we’ve seen them deny such claims once before. Pixar’s Soul went through a similar development before getting released on Disney+. It’s not an easy decision for Disney, as constantly postponing their releases doesn’t help their current plans. It leaves many to wonder if Disney would be willing to pull the trigger and risk it all with a Hollywood blockbuster such as Black Widow come May 2021. Right now, there are too many factors to say if theaters will return to what they once were by May.

Source: Variety (Raya), Variety (2021)

January 11, 2021
Marvel Studios’ ‘X-Men’ Still Being Actively Discussed

Disney Investor’s Day was filled to the brim with major announcements. We got the reveal of some new Disney+ shows, such as Secret Invasion and Armor Wars. However, probably the biggest surprise was the announcement of a Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four film. There was still no sign of their take on the X-Men, however. We do have the confirmation that Deadpool, who is closely tied to the franchise, will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his upcoming third film, but no word if we can expect, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and all the other mutants to make their appearance any time soon. Now, with the WandaVision press junket underway, ScreenRant used this chance to ask him if there is anything he can say about the franchise:

You know how much I love the X-Men. I already said that’s where I started. I can’t tell you anything before we actually announced it, but rest assured, the discussions have been long and ongoing internally.

Well, it looks like there is still some time before they will explore that aspect of the MCU. It does make sense, as they will not want to rush these characters out while they map out what will make their version of the characters unique from 20th Century Fox’s run. There is also the question if they will focus on the Inhumans for a few years, who might make their reappearance in the upcoming Ms. Marvel Disney+ show. There has been no confirmation on their appearance, however, so anything is still possible. WandaVision may also open up the introduction of mutants, as there were teases that the Mind Stone released dormant abilities within Wanda. Whatever Marvel Studios decides, it is good they are not rushing out the characters after only just getting the rights. There is a chance some of them might make cameo appearances early on before rolling out into their own film. Marvel’s future is bright, so why rush it now.

Source: ScreenRant

January 11, 2021
Jimmy Woo: The Story So Far

Agent Jimmy Woo is one of the more recent characters introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He made his on-screen debut in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. We got introduced to the cheerful FBI agent, who was assigned to oversee Scott Lang’s house arrest. Beyond that, we know very little about Jimmy Woo’s backstory. Going by his comic origin, there might be quite a lot more to unpack that the films have yet to explore. Especially, as we now know about his involvement in the upcoming Disney+ show, WandaVision, it might be a good time to take a look back at his short-lived story so far.

We are first introduced to the character officially when he checked in on Scott Lang, who accidentally broke through his fence. He arrived shortly on the scene after Lang’s house arrest ankle monitor accidentally exited his house’s perimeter. Here we learned that Woo doesn’t know how to talk with kids, as he tells Cassie Lang her father’s legal rights in full detail. He is fascinated by Scott’s magic tricks before warning him that violating the rules would get him sent to prison for twenty years. Throughout the film, we see Woo hot on Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne’s tail, as they get an anonymous tip about their whereabouts at Berkely. He has a brief interaction with Bill Foster trying to get information out of him.
During this time, he is unaware that Scott had escaped his home. Meanwhile, a giant ant is copying his daily routine to get the FBI off his trail. At one point, he checks in on Lang. Cassie delayed him long enough for her father to get back in time. Woo was also part of the team that captured Hope and Hank during their confrontation with Ghost, which he called his first win in a long time. Later on, the FBI would see Giant-Man on television and assume it was Lang. After another goose chase, he ends up running into Scott one last time at his place. So, he took his ankle bracelet and was just about to ask him if he wanted to hang out before leaving again.

Funny enough, Jimmy Woo got briefly mentioned in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It seems he used to work for the spy organization and worked alongside Melinda May. As the show’s canonicity is uncertain, we do not know if that will remain part of his background. He was a member of Agents of Atlas alongside Shang-Chi at some point in the comics, so it could be in his future. For now, he will return in this week’s WandaVision. Still, his appearance is a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. With his appearance in the show, chances are he will be one of the more prominent federal officers that will be in charge of “strange occurrences” in the town of Westview. And he’ll be working with the likes of the FBI and S.W.O.R.D., who we know will be present in the show. Whatever his role may be, we’re sure this agent is ready to take on any challenge that comes his way.

January 11, 2021
Kevin Feige Teases Multiple Seasons For Upcoming Disney+ Shows

We are only a few days away from WandaVision finally airing. It’ll be the first in a wide variety of new shows that will kick-off Marvel Studios’ expansion into long-form storytelling. At first glance, it seemed like they were focusing more on mini-series than trying to focus on a yearly seasonal turnout. Disney+ is no stranger to it, as The Mandalorian just released its second season. However, that show also proved how flexible the streaming service is, as the upcoming third season will release later after a new show titled The Book of Boba Fett takes over its yearly release date. So, it made us wonder if Marvel Studios may embrace multiple seasons after all. Luckily, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed this is very much a possibility:

It will vary. There are some shows that have been built to further expand our storytelling and then go into features. We’ve already announced Lizzie Olsen being a part of “Doctor Strange 2.” We’ve announced Teyonah Parris being part of “Captain Marvel 2.” There are some shows that, while always interconnected, are being built with multiple seasons in mind. So it’ll vary the way a lot of I think great TV now varies, whether it’s a couple of years between seasons of “Game of Thrones” or “Stranger Things,” or one offs like — what did I just watch? — “Queen’s Gambit.” One of the fun things about streaming is the rules are loose, which allows for you to just follow creatively, where you want to go.

Sadly, Feige is as tight-lipped as ever and did not give away which season could potentially be mapped out with multiple seasons. Interestingly enough, almost a whole year ago, our very own Charles Murphy did break the news that Loki was very likely to get a second season. It seemed like many of the lead and supporting roles were given options to return. A few days ago, the news broke that Loki showrunner Michael Waldron was also inking up a massive deal with Disney that would include a potential second season. So, it seems very likely that at least the God of Mischief was going to explore this. As Feige points out, they aren’t as restricted with their seasonal turn-out so they will adapt each show’s future season to fit within the overarching storyline, as they switch between Disney+ and feature films. So, we’ll see if WandaVision, Hawkeye, and the many other series might also return for multiple seasons.

Source: Variety

January 11, 2021
Monica Rambeau: The Story So Far

Finally, we have only a few more days until WandaVision gets released on Disney+. So, we thought it would be the perfect time to catch you guys up on some of the essential players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the upcoming series. To kick it off, we’re taking a look at a character that appeared around two years ago on the silver screen for the first time. Canonically, she has been in the MCU for over 20 years, so she’ll be quite different when she makes her return to the franchise. So, let’s not waste time and take a closer look at Monica Rambeau.

Monica Rambeau made her debut in 2019’s Captain Marvel. She grew a close relationship with Carol Danvers, who she saw as part of their family. Monica would often refer to her as Auntie Carol. She, however, got the adorable nickname Lieutenant Trouble. When Carol was presumed dead after the accident with Lawson’s plane, young Monica refused to believe that her aunt died that day. She kept all of Carol’s things, so it would be ready when she made her eventual return. A few years later, they were finally reunited. Monica was essential to help jog Carol’s memories, which got jumbled after the explosion and her time with the Kree. Even at the age of eleven, Monica had quite a lot of insight and handled the sudden introduction to aliens almost better than her mother. Carol gave her the honor of choosing which color she should use for her former Kree uniform, which ended up being the iconic colors we know from her comic run.

All these events happen in 1995, so we won’t see her again until she’s all grown up. As far as we can tell, she is working for a government agency known as S.W.O.R.D. We’ll get a chance to possibly delve more into her personal history and story once we get into WandaVision. Lieutenant Trouble’s past experiences as a child and her interest in the bizarre make her the perfect character to help pull Wanda out of whatever strange sitcom-inspired dimension she is trapped in. Going by her comic origins, her inclusion might also tease a bright and heroic future for Rambeau.

January 11, 2021