Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • Elizabeth Olsen Delivers Crushing Scarlet Witch Update

    Elizabeth Olsen Delivers Crushing Scarlet Witch Update

    It would seem the rumors of Wanda Maximoff’s imminent return to the MCU have been greatly exaggerated. Wanda stans were devastated when the character was seemingly killed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; however, that tide of grief was soon stemmed when Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige made it clear that the final chapter in Wanda’s story had not yet been told.

    There really is so much more to explore. We still haven’t touched on many of her core storylines from the comics. I don’t know that we saw her under rubble? I saw a tower coming down, and a little red flash. I don’t know what that means.

    -Kevin Feige

    While it’s yet to be confirmed, it seems that while the collapse of Mount Wundagore may have been the end for the Scarlet Witch, somehow Wanda Maximoff surivived. For her part, Elizabeth Olsen had remained fairly tight-lipped on the plans for the character, only recently confirming that she does want to return in the role and teasing that she has a pretty specific idea of what she’d like to do. “Well, honestly, if I were to tell you exactly what I would want I think I would maybe be spoiling something,” said Olsen at a fan convention in November. “Kevin Feige genuinely asks us what we want to do with the character and then he does it [Laughs] so I don’t know if I can share…I just want to come back.” As excited as fans are to have her back and as willing as she is to come back, it seems as though the wait for Olsen’s return as Wanda will be longer than anyone thought.

    In an interview with THR, Olsen confirmed that she will not be part of Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
    scarlet witch spinoff

    “No, I’m back [in the States]. I just finished [Panic Carefully],” said Olsen when asked if the Russo brothers were going to extend her stay in the UK. “I’m moving on to filming a pilot for FX,” she then said, explaining why she’ll be absent from the cast list for Avengers: Doomsday.

    Interestingly, while Olsen’s absence from the next two Avengers films will certainly be disappointing–and likely the final nail in the coffins of quite a few social media scoopers who have been hyping her character’s major role in the films–it may make the long-rumored Scarlet Witch solo film even more likely. Late last year, rumors began to swirl that WandaVision and Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer was working on a script for such a project. When asked if she could talk about the rumors, Schaeffer replied “not right now” which only fueled speculation that she had moved off of the studio’s Vision project to begin work on the Wanda-centric film. Of course, with everything at the studio continuing to be in flux, it may be some time before we find out exactly what the plans are to bring Wanda back to the MCU.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Law & Order’ Star Joins Cast of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2

    ‘Law & Order’ Star Joins Cast of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2

    With principal photography on Season 2 of Marvel Television’s streaming series Daredevil: Born Again underway in New York City, surprises and spoilers are bound to make their way online. While we’re not quite sure whether this is a spoiler or a surprise or how big of a deal it might be, recent set photos have revealed an addition to the Season 2 cast and it’s a face Law & Order fans may recognize.

    Veteran TV actress Annie Parisse, who played Assistant District Attorney Alexandria Borgia for 34 episodes of the long-running NBC drama has joined Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again in an unknown role.

    Photos taken in New York City on March 18th showed Parisse’s character being detained by Wilson Fisk’s Anti-vigilante Task Force. While the identity of her character remains a mystery, being taken off the streets in broad daylight by Fisk’s dirty cops would lead us to believe her character has some ties to Matt Murdock, Frank Castle or another “vigilante” on the Mayor’s list.

    Other photos from the set indicate that in his efforts to did his city of vigilantes, Fisk has improved martial law on New York, much to the displeasure of its populace. Most, if not all, filming done in public so far has been for the second episode of the sophomore season of the series and it seems as though Matt Murdock has gone into hiding, although Charlie Cox was spotted alongside Deborah Ann Woll‘s Karen Page in broad daylight. Given that Fisk is aware of Murdock’s alter ego as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, it might not be long before the Kingpin reveals Murdock’s secret to the world in an effort to drive him out of hiding.

    Daredevil: Born Again is expected to stream on D+ in 2026.

  • Karen Page Returns Alongside an Incognito Matt Murdock in New BTS Photos from Season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Karen Page Returns Alongside an Incognito Matt Murdock in New BTS Photos from Season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Production on Season 2 of Marvel Television’s D+ streaming series Daredevil: Born Again has been underway in New York City for a few weeks and things look bleak for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and his allies. Recent photos from a Brooklyn set seem to indicate that Mayor Wilson Fisk’s beloved city has become a bit of a police state. With Fisk’s Anti-vigilante Task Force patroling the streets in broad daylight, Matt Murdock, Frank Castle and others deemed vigilantes by Kingpin have to watch their every step. Now, new photos from the set show what appears to be a clandestine meeting between Matt and his longtime friend Karen Page.

    Shared on X by Chris Gallardo (@chrisagwrites), the photos show Charlie Cox‘s Murdock and Deborah Ann Woll‘s Page out for a walk in classic some MCU disguises.

    In Cox’s case, it seems it he wears regular old sunglasses, rather than his red-tinted glasses, and pulls up his hood, he’s free to walk the streets despite Fisk knowing his “secret identity.” Even more incredible, it seems by becoming more of a red head, the red headed Page becomes just another face in the crowd!

    Those disguises may not hold up to scrutiny, however, as the new shoot does also seem to hint at a potential car chase and, ultimately, a confrontation between Fisk’s AVTF and Matt and Karen.

    Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again is now underway, with the first three episodes available on Disney Plus. Season 2 of the revival series will debut on the streaming service in 2026.

  • Sadie Sink Finally Addresses Her ‘Spider-Man 4’ Role

    Sadie Sink Finally Addresses Her ‘Spider-Man 4’ Role

    For over a decade now, Marvel Studios actors have participated in one of the most well-recognized and obnoxious traditions in Hollywood: lying about their roles in MCU projects. Established as an art form by Ant-Man franchise star Paul Rudd, the ability to dissemble about something that will ultimately be proven true was mastered by Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star Andrew Garfield who ultimately admitted it had ruined his reputation. It appears, however, that Garfield’s cautionary tale may not have been passed on to Sadie Sink, who was recently revealed to have been cast in the fourth installment of the Spider-Man franchise.

    In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, Sink–whose MCU role remains a mystery–refused to acknowledge having met with Marvel…at least over one role in particular.

    “This is news to me,” said Sink when asked about potentially portraying Jean Grey in the MCU. When the Stranger Things star was pushed a little further about whether she’d ever had a conversation with anyone at Marvel about the character, Sink “No, I can’t…no. I have nothing to say about this.” And so while Sink never denied meeting with Marvel about A role, she certainly wasn’t about to entertain any further conversation along those lines.

    “The rumors are really cool, though,” said Sink, hoping to turn the conversation back toward Grey and, possibly, away from a follow-up question by Horowitz about what role she did have conversations about. “It’s an awesome rumor.”

    Horowitz made one last effort to try to lure the truth out of Sink, asking if she knew the character of Grey before asking if the actress would be up for the type of long-term commitment landing such a role would entail. “Yeah, I know the character…it’s a great character,” said Sink of Grey, who has been a central figure in both Fox’s original X-Men films and the studio’s more recent efforts. “I think that’s super exciting,” said Sink of the possibility of landing a role that would potentially consume a decade or more of her career…and that was all she had to say about that.

    Marvel’s long-standing tradition of holding on to every thread of every secret, no matter how minor, has proven to be frustrating over the years. Recently, it seemed as though they may begin moving toward becoming a little more proactive and lest secretive and that may still be the case; however, for now, at least, Sink can count herself as one of the many actors who have looked the fans in the eye and were less than truthful.

  • ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Directors on What They’re Bringing Back to the MCU

    ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Directors on What They’re Bringing Back to the MCU

    When Anthony and Joe Russo completed their work on Avengers: Endgame and turned their attention toward getting their studio, AGBO, up and running, there was always a belief that they’d return to Marvel Studios. Over the years, the brothers talked about what it would take to get them back in the directors’ chairs, indicating that their work with their own studio would keep them busy “until the end of the decade.” Things change, of course, and ultimately the story that drew them back to the MCU is the same one they’ve said would all along in Secret Wars.

    To get there, however, there’s some work to do, primarily in Avengers: Doomsday which is set to kick off production soon ahead of a May 1, 2026 release. Before work begins on the first Avengers films this decade, the brothers are making the rounds promoting their latest AGBO project, The Electric State. In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Times, the directing duo explained what brought them back to the MCU while addressing a few things that have changed since they left and one thing they would like to bring back in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

    SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: (L-R) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios speak onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

    “Well, we love the genre,” said Anthony of why they’ve returned ahead of schedule. “Some people wrote it off as a less comprehensive form of storytelling that’s more for children. But we think of it as relevant for adults, if it is treated with maturity and complexity. That’s really all it is — a commitment to storytelling.” And despite some missteps with their recent projects, the Russos have yet to tell a poor story in the MCU. However, things have changed quite a bit since Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the Infinity Saga, including an overwhelming expansion of characters, stories and settings. However, the brothers didn’t come back without a plan to address the changes.

    “Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue,” Anthony explained. “But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you’re talking about. There needs to be more of a central narrative.” The director’s comments harken back to all time when it was easy to trace the MCU’s main plot thread from 2014 straight through 2019, something that’s been possible in the Multiverse Saga and was actually complicated by the Russos‘ return and the pivot away from Kang the Conquerer to Doctor Doom as the main villains of the finale.

    That lack of continuity is something about which the Russos are keenly aware. Furthermore, it sounds as though they have sat with it for some time and have a plan to return the MCU to its former storytelling glory. “That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before],” said Anthony of a central MCU narrative. “We would like to bring the focused narrative back.” And from the sounds of things on social media and message boards, fans would like it brought back, too.

    Source: The Sunday Times

  • Russo Brothers Reveal What Exactly Sets ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars’ Apart from ‘Endgame’

    Russo Brothers Reveal What Exactly Sets ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars’ Apart from ‘Endgame’

    Despite having directed four of Marvel Studios’ best Infinity Saga films, Anthony and Joe Russo are still dividing the MCU fan base by returning to direct the studio’s next two Avengers films. While there’s no doubt that the brothers delivered a compelling two-pary finale in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, one faction of the fan base sees their return for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as desperation on the part of Kevin Feige as he tries to save the Multiverse Saga through gimmicks, such as casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and then using him to help lure the Russos back.

    The brothers are no stranger to the derision of Marvel’s fans, however. When it was announced that the directing duo were taking over the Captain America franchise for 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Internet was sure there was no way that the brothers, who were known for their comedy chops, could handle the big action necessary for such a film. The result, of course, was an MCU action film that remains the standard for the ever-growing franchise. And so as the Russos prepare for production on Avengers: Doomsday, perhaps it’s best to wait to see the finish project before judging it.

    Convincing an increasingly divided fan base to be patient is a losing battle, of course, especially in an increasingly volatile social media ecosystem where some are convinced the brothers are going to attempt to cut and paste and sprinkle in some AI magic, making Doomsday and Secret Wars nothing more than pale imitations of Infinity War and Endgame. However, in a recent interview with Omlete, the brothers disputed that notion, revealing one major difference between their last pair of Avengers films and their upcoming pair.

    “What’s compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they’re a beginning,” explained Joe Russo. “It’s a new beginning. We told an ending story, now we’re going to tell a beginning story.“

    Obviously there’s a little to unpack there as Avengers: Secret Wars has been earmarked as the end of the Multiverse Saga for years. While that’s likely still the case, Joe Russo‘s comments almost certainly stem from the idea that the Multiverse Saga will conclude with the birth of a new iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which combines characters from realities across the Multiverse. The brothers recently revealed that Avengers: Secret Wars will take inspiration from both Jim Shooter’s 1984 Secret Wars and Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 very different book of the same name. As for what to expect after this new “beginning” teased by the Russos, Kevin Feige has already let that cat out of the bag…

  • Sadie Sink’s MCU Role May Have Been Revealed…And It’s the Worst Possible Option

    Sadie Sink’s MCU Role May Have Been Revealed…And It’s the Worst Possible Option

    After being rumored for multiple MCU roles for the past couple of years, Stranger Things and The Whale star Sadie Sink finally joined the club, signing on to co-star alongside Tom Holland in Spider-Man 4. The fourth installment in  Marvel and Sony’s collaborative Spidey franchise has been subject to some pretty interesting plot rumors since Kevin Feige first announced it was in development in 2021 but it’s clear that at the moment, nobody seems quite sure what the film will be about. To that end, Sink‘s role in the project was also a pretty tightly kept secret, right up until it wasn’t.

    Hollywood insider Jeff “The In” Sneider, who originally reported that Marvel was interested in Sink for the role of Jean Grey in their upcoming X-Men reboot, has now shared that a source informed him that “it sounds like” Sink will be playing Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man 4.

    Let’s face it, Tiger, Marvel didn’t hit the jackpot here. Sink is a talented young actress and will certainly perform wonderfully in the role; however, given some of the other options on the table, even without knowing the plot of Spider-Man 4, it seems as though Marvel has chosen…poorly.

    One of the most consistent rumors about Spider-Man 4 is that given it’s position as a direct follow-up to Avengers: Doomsday, it won’t be set on Earth-616 but rather in Battleworld. First seen in 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1, Battleworld is a heterogenous hodgepodge planet made up of bits of various realities from around the Multiverse. More or less, on Battleworld, just about anything is possible and just about anyone could show up.

    Marvel and Sony took considerable heat over the years for casting Zendaya as their franchise’s MJ, Michelle Jones-Watson. Casting Sink as Mary Jane Watson, even as a character from another reality, could be read as the studio giving into the noise from online trolls. It remains to be seen in the residents of Battleworld–should it truly be the setting of Spider-Man 4–are aware of their own pasts; however, if the studio’s next move after wiping everyone’s memory of Peter Parker is to wipe Parker’s memory as well, it will likely only further fire up the fandom, many of whom were looking forward to seeing a street-level, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

    Spider-Man 4 will begin production later this year and is currently slated to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

    Source: The Hot Mic Podcast

  • Funko Strikes Again! Marvel Studios Sentry Revealed Via ‘Thunderbolts*’ Merch

    Funko Strikes Again! Marvel Studios Sentry Revealed Via ‘Thunderbolts*’ Merch

    Marvel Studios has a merchandising problem. No studio works harder to keep its secrets than Marvel does, however, on multiple occasions, those secrets they worked so hard to keep have been spoiled by toys, T-shirts and promotional images. Now, it’s happened again, revealing the identity of a character the studio worked so hard to protect in production despite multiple leaks.

    Ahead of coming available for purchase online this week, pictures of the line of Funko Pops for Thunderbolts* have appeared online. While 4 of the beloved  collectibles reveal nothing, the fifth provides the first look at Sentry, the super-powered Super Soldier unwittingly set loose by the team in the film.

    Ultimately, unless the studio plans to drop another trailer very soon, it’s poor planning by Marvel to let fans’ first look at Sentry come via merchandise pre-order. While most hardcore Marvel Studios fans have been aware that the character was part of the film for quite some time, this may be the first time that a different group of fans learns that Lewis Pullman’s Bob is actually Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.

    The latest blunder comes on the heels of Funkos confirming that Joe Locke‘s Teen was indeed Wiccan/Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along and McDonald’s Happy Meals giving away Diamondback toys despite the character being cut from Captain America: Brave New World.

  • Leaked Concept Art Reveals a Look at One (Likely) Scrapped Team of Heroes from ‘Avengers 5’

    Leaked Concept Art Reveals a Look at One (Likely) Scrapped Team of Heroes from ‘Avengers 5’

    In February 2023, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness described his next Marvel Studios project, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, as “the biggest movie in the world.” However, whatever “big, sweeping” ideas Loveness had for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty are likely lost to time as he was replaced as the film’s writer by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron in November 2023. By July 2024, original director Destin Daniel Cretton had also left the project and was replaced by Anthony and Joe Russo, who brought along old pal Stephen McFeely to work on the script for what became Avengers: Doomsday. Two writers and a pair of experienced Marvel Studios directors later, it’s hard to imagine there’s much meat left on the bones of Loveness‘ original ideas.

    I have this opportunity to write a vast, American epic–I’ll use American in a general term–but a big, American movie. I don’t take it lightly and I want to make it this big, sweeping and exciting, funny movie and I think we have the best actor in the world as the most complicated villain in comic books. So I can’t say too much, but we’re really swinging for the fences and I can’t wait for you to see what Jonathan does.

    -Jeff Loveness

    Loveness became a bit of a fall guy for the unfortunate bomb that Quantumania became and even if his entire story for The Kang Dynasty was scrapped, it doesn’t mean there may not have been some fun ideas in store. One early rumor about the film indicated that it would include multiple teams of heroes and now some leaked concept art for the film may have revealed the makeup of one such team.

    One particular piece of concept art from Marvel Studios Senior Concept/Visual Development Mushk Rizvi’s now removed Art Station folder provides a look at designs for a bar scene that feature an incredibly diverse cast of characters.

    The concept art, which is dated March 20, 2024, shows Benedict Wong‘s Wong and Chris Pratt‘s Star-Lord hanging out with Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan, Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop, Kathryn Newton‘s Cassie Lang, Joe Locke‘s Wiccan and an unknown actor as Speed. It looks as though the plan was–and may still be–to introduce the MCU’s Champions/Young Avengers in Avengers 5, now known as Avengers: Doomsday.

    As exciting as concept art is, it’s important to remember it’s not always indicative of what will be seen in the final cut of a film. Even if the scene made its way into the final draft of the script and was filmed, there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t end up on the cutting room floor. Furthermore, in this particular instance, this concept art was from nearly a year ago and there’s no telling whose script it was from but it’s definitely not from McFeely’s draft, so counting on it still being part of the plan for the new film is probably a bad move. Nonetheless, the conceptualized scene, which also features Doop, has fans excited online and is creating more positive buzz than most Marvel projects.

    Avengers: Doomsday is currently slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

  • ‘Avengers’ Concept Art Shines a Light on Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Plans

    ‘Avengers’ Concept Art Shines a Light on Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Plans

    In recent months, multiple reports have combined to paint a muddled picture of Marvel Studios’ plans for the future of the Black Panther franchise. In early January, Jeff “The In” Snieder shared that he had heard that the studio intended to recast T’Challa ahead of Avengers: Doomsday and that the new actor would reprise the role in Avengers: Secret Wars and again in Black Panther 3. Sneider has a pretty high success rate when it comes to scooping Marvel news but admittedly does not keep up with all the inner workings of the MCU; so, when his report was refuted by social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, who suggested that the studio was actually looking to recast the role of T’Challa II, played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, most fans adjusted their expectations.

    In February, Marvel Studios’ Parliament member Nate Moore addressed the rumors of a potential recast of T’Challa and effectively ended the conversation, saying that until the studio knew what the story was for Black Panther 3, they were not able to make a decision on replacing the late Chadwick Boseman in the role. Now, some intriguing evidence has emerged that might well explain the source of the rumblings shared by Sneider without making a liar out of Moore.

    We don’t know what the story is, so I couldn’t tell you whether or not we’re open to recasting. It certainly wasn’t our instinct for Wakanda Forever. I’ll never say never to anything, but it’s too early to talk about any of that stuff. We have to figure out what the story’s going to be.

    -Nate Moore

    In what may end up being one of the biggest Marvel Studios’ oopsies ever, Senior Concept/Visual Development Artist Mushk Rizvi posted a significant amount of concept art from the studio’s upcoming slate to her Art Station account. Among there were several designs for a new Black Panther that looked to be using actor Damson Idris as a model. Those designs have since been removed so we certainly won’t be embedding them here; however, inspecting the details of those files provided details that seem to support Sneider’s claims.

    Each of the six different files includes both a reference to the project they were designed for and the name of the character. The files reference a project coded as “ape” which we believe is an abbreviation for Apple Pie, the working title of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Additionally, they reveal the identity of the Black Panther as T’Chanda. In Marvel Comics lore, T’Chanda was the Black Panther of Wakanda in World War II and the grandfather of T’Challa. And perhaps most interestingly, the file was created in August 2024, after the Russos boarded Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as co-directors.

    Given the nature of the Multiverse, in which the Fantastic Four is set in a retrofuturistic 1960s alternate universe, it is entirely feasible that the studio plans to introduce T’Chanda, potentially played by Idris or another actor of that impressive caliber, as the Black Panther of his own universe in Avengers: Doomsday and find a way to incorporate him and his descendants into the whatever plans they have beyond the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.