Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • Sugar Bear Set to Return for ‘Deadpool 3’

    Sugar Bear Set to Return for ‘Deadpool 3’

    X-Force’s most surprising member is back for another round in Deadpool 3! According to Deadline, Rob Delany who played Peter, aka Sugar Bear, in Deadpool 2 has signed on the dotted line for a return to the role.

    Like almost all of the members of Deadpool’s X-Force, Peter met a grisly fate during the team’s first mission in Deadpool 2. While attempting to save Zeitgeist from a woodchipper, Peter was killed by Zeitgeist’s acidic vomit. However, during the post-credit scene to Deadpool 2, Deadpool used Cable’s time-traveling device to save Sugar Bear from his fate.

    In a 2018 interview with Empire, Reynolds explained why Deadpool chose to use the device to save only Peter, the only unpowered member of the team, rather than any of the other members of X-Force. “I love that he just completely ignores this marquee cast that he could’ve saved of useful and wonderful superheroes, but instead went back and saved [Peter],” explained Reynolds, adding, “I always felt that it was important to save Peter, just because in the helicopter before we jump, I say to him ‘I’d never let anything happen to you, sugar bear. I’m just saying this to impress the other guys.’” So, I felt like that was a promise that Wade made early on in the movie, and it was nagging him, so he went back and got Peter.“

    Delany joins Fox holdovers Hugh Jackman, Monica Baccarin, Karan Soni, Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggams in the jump to the MCU. The returning crew will be joined by Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen, whose roles have yet to be revealed. Deadpool 3 is set to begin production later this month.

    Source: Deadline, Empire

  • ‘Fantastic Four’ May Include One of Galactus’ More Ignoble Heralds

    ‘Fantastic Four’ May Include One of Galactus’ More Ignoble Heralds

    Though the Silver Surfer is by far the most well-known of the Heralds of Galactus, he was neither the first nor the last to serve The Hunger That Does Not Cease. Due to his role in the comics, various animated series and his appearance in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he is often at the forefront of most conversations surrounding Marvel Studios Fantastic Four reboot. Given his heroic nature and status as one of Marvel’s greatest cosmic heroes, there’s no doubt that The Sentinel of the Spaceways will be part of Marvel Studios plans, however, it seems that the studio might be willing to explore other of Galactus’ heralds as they introduce the character into the MCU.

    Several beings have been imbued with the Power Cosmic and served as a Herald of Galactus, searching out planets for the Devourer of Worlds to consume. While the more heroic Silver Surfer did so begrudgingly and often sought to lead Galactus to unpopulated planets, not all of Galactus’ Heralds were so noble. According to an interesting bit of info shared by Twitter scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Marvel Studios Fantastic Four may feature one of Galactus’ most immoral Heralds: Terrax the Tamer.

    Sought out by Galactus for his unconscionable personality, Terrax was once a powerful mutant named Tyros who ruled the planet Birj with an iron fist. Unlike the Silver Surfer, Terrax took joy in finding his master fertile and populated planets to destroy, often culling part of the population himself for sport. Though he was a successful Herald, Terrax wasn’t loyal to Galactus and used his power to enslave an entire planet which he then ruled over as their god. Ultimately, he was stripped of his power by Galactus and left for dead.

    At this point, it’s tough to read too much into the inclusion of Terrax in Marvel Studios Fantastic Four. While his time in the comics as Herald of Galactus comes after Silver Surfers, Marvel Studios has continued to stray further and further from the comics as they develop their films so it shouldn’t be assumed that Terrax’s time as Herald comes after the Silver Surfer’s or that the Surfer won’t play a part in the MCU. Rumors persist that a Silver Surfer solo project remains in the works and it’s hard to imagine an MCU that can finally include all the wonderful characters associated with the Fantastic Four would not include one of the most beloved from that group.

  • Joe Locke’s ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Role Revealed Disappointing Dozens

    Joe Locke’s ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Role Revealed Disappointing Dozens

    Ever since he was cast in Marvel Studios WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Joe Locke has been at the center of one of the greatest controversies of our time. Would Locke’s character, described as “a gay teen with a dark sense of humor” and “a fanboy”, be an immensely popular character from the Marvel Comics who fits the description perfectly and, like Agatha, is connected to the events of WandaVision or would he be a character that dozens of fans of Wikipedia skimming recently discovered?

    Despite it making much more sense for Locke to be playing Billy Kaplan, the former of the two characters, more than one insider and plenty of fans were sure he was playing the latter: Nicholas Scratch. The mystery was deepened even further recently when actress Patti LuPone, who admittedly has no clue what the MCU is all about much less too much about the comics on which it’s based, said Locke was playing a “familiar” in Coven of Chaos. LuPone’s words threw fans into a tizzy but fortunately, it seems everyone can relax as Locke’s body double has revealed the Heartstopper star’s role.

    The Scarlet With Update Twitter account uncovered stunt actor Jamie Sears‘ resume which lists Locke’s character as Billy.

    The news comes as a major shot to the gut to the legions of Nicholas Scratch fans out there. If Locke truly is playing Billy Kaplan, it may mean that all of Nicholas Scratch’s great comic book arcs may never be realized in the MCU. Fortunately, with or without Scratch, there’s still plenty of room for Salem’s Seven to appear on Coven of Chaos when it hits Disney Plus next year.

    What’s your favorite Nicholas Scratch story? Let us know in the comments.

    Source: Twitter

  • Rumor: Paul Mescal Offered Major Role In Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’

    Rumor: Paul Mescal Offered Major Role In Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’

    We are closer than ever to the casting reveals for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four, according to multiple insiders. The project was first announced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige during 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con and has been stuck in development ever since. The initially-attached director Jon Watts left the project, and Matt Shackman filled in for him. Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer’s screenplay for the movie is now being rewritten by Josh Friedman.

    According to industry scooper Daniel Richtman, Paul Mescal was offered the role of Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four. It is currently unknown if Mescal turned down the role or accepted it.

    Paul Mescal

    Another name widely rumored for Johnny Storm is Elvis‘ Austin Butler. Last year, Jeff Sneider reported on The Hot Mic that Butler was running for a major role in Fantastic Four and that the actor’s agents were “putting him up for Human Torch.”

    The film is directed by Matt Shakman, while Josh Friedman pens the script. It will commence production in early 2024. No cast members of the movie have been officially announced yet. The movie releases in theaters on February 14, 2025.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Look at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Rotten Tomatoes Score

    First Look at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Rotten Tomatoes Score

    After the red carpet premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in Los Angeles last night, the review embargo for the latest MCU installment has expired and the first reviews of the film have been shared. It’s still very early in the process but so far the film seems to be continuing the recent trend of Phase 4 and 5 films not living up to the expectations of critics.

    While some critics are hailing the film as a fitting conclusion to the Guardians trilogy (including our own Michael T. Ford III), others are seeing the film through a very different lens. Flickering Myth’s EJ Moreno called the film “a tonal mess that relies on Disney-style emotional manipulation” while Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson called Vol. 3 “an odd, lumbering patchwork of a film, occasionally fascinating but otherwise bloated and aimless” and an “awkward franchise finale.”

    The very mixed and disparate reviews for the film are reminiscent of many of the studio’s post-Endgame films which have rarely been universally hailed as successes. Marvel Studios most recent theatrical release–and its first Phase 5 offereing–, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania compiled a franchise-worst 47% Rotten Tomatoes score and of the Phase 4 releases, only Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings resonated with critics in a way that the pre-Phase 4 releases did.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 84%
    Thor: Love and Thunder 63%
    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 74%
    Spider-Man: No Way Home 93%
    Eternals 47%
    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 91%
    Black Widow 79%

    That said, it’s still very early in the game and Vol. 3’s score could still move quite a bit. While it’s unlikely to end up as high as 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy‘s 92%, it could end up comparing favorably to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s 85%.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes

  • REVIEW: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Reminds Us Why We Love the MCU

    REVIEW: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Reminds Us Why We Love the MCU

    With an Awesome Mix of humor, heart, action, drama, and off-the-wall imagination, James Gunn delivers the long-awaited conclusion to the cosmic trilogy that reminded us that We Are Groot. And like the familiar tree guy, this franchise has branched in unpredictable yet fascinating ways but has always remained rooted in themes of found family, redemption, and reinvention.

    In this third film, Gunn feels particularly confident and audacious as a filmmaker, pushing forward with a propulsive plot that knows when to release the tension with comedy and quirky character beats, as well as when to shift gears from heart-wrenching drama to awesome action and sci-fi space opera. There are some really fun set pieces and sequences, and only a couple of instances where things get a little too messy and chaotic. But overall, it’s a thrill ride visually.

    Much like he did in the first two entries, Gunn deftly employs his signature needle drops to guide us through the varying emotional beats and tonal shifts. In the center of the story is Rocket’s journey from raccoon to rogue, as we learn his origin, and that of his first found family of misfits, through a series of flashbacks. The film invites us to peer behind his tragic eyes, and from his perspective, we experience the longing, love, and loss that coalesces into regret, before finally coming to understand that Rocket’s emotional scars truly are as lasting as his physical ones. It is within these flashbacks that we also meet The High Evolutionary, a villain with the kind of god complex his name would suggest, and the capacity to make Rocket’s old wounds fresh.

    If you’re familiar with the comics, then you have a pretty good idea of what The High Evolutionary’s goals are, what lengths he’s willing to go through to achieve them, and just how many people he’s willing to kill or make suffer along the way (Hint: It’s all of them). And Chukwudi Iwuji performs the role to a T, knowing when to strike the notes of cold calculation, when to soften, and when to unleash his wrath. He’s not really an antagonist you root for in any fashion, and the movie never lets him off the hook, so by the time the bill comes due, the catharsis is earned.

    Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Accompanying this main Rocket-centric story is the Peter Quill story, where he can’t get over the fact that Gamora 2, pulled from the timeline in Avengers: Endgame, missed all of the Phase 3 films, and he just can’t bring her up to speed on what she missed. Both Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldaña do a great job here, Zoe in particular. In a lot of ways she represents the viewer who doesn’t “get” the Guardians and what makes them special, but like the viewer, despite herself, she too is eventually moved by the adventure and finds her own groove to jam to.

    But all the Guardians have got moves. Mantis remains the most empathetic and intuitive, and Pom Klementieff‘s comedic chemistry with Dave Bautista‘s Drax remains as satisfying as it was in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The juxtaposition between her emotional openness and Nebula’s cold precision and bluntness provides a different kind of energy, as their dramatic tension helps to balance the hijinks. Even newcomer Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova) and the perennially underrated Kraglin (played by Sean Gunn) get their moments to shine. The family continues to grow, and though they may bicker, when it’s showtime, they find their harmony.

    Another newcomer to the Guardians story is Adam Warlock, played with flourish by Will Poulter as an ultra-powerful yet childlike being, who wants to impress his Sovereign mother figure (the returning Elizabeth Debicki), but whose hot temper constantly gets the best of him. Hardcore comic fans might find him confounding when compared to the cosmic near deity from the page, but the story leaves him with more than enough room to evolve. Keeping with the theme, after all.

    (L-R): Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    What sets this trilogy apart from the other Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogies is that across the three films, the stories really do come full circle. Our heroes acknowledge the painful pasts that forged them, but they each stop being defined by them, and their arcs conclude with them finally being able to define themselves. And their Guardians compatriots, that aforementioned found family, grow to love and accept them, regardless of their respective flaws and scars. It’s a feel-good tale with a hopeful message, and by the end, you’re rocking out, from Knowhere to wherever the Guardians story travels next.

    Thus far, Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU have been polarizing, with very few projects leaving us with the “rah-rah” feeling that makes us want to sing its praises and go back for encores. But Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reminds us why we love these movies and reminds us of way back when, we were first Hooked On A Feeling.

    9.75/10

  • Hunger, If You Dare! Antonio Banderas Rumored to Be Discussing a Massive Marvel Studios Role

    Hunger, If You Dare! Antonio Banderas Rumored to Be Discussing a Massive Marvel Studios Role

    The rumor mill around the cast of Marvel Studios 2024 theatrical release, Fantastic Four, continues to churn out some fascinating information. Shortly after rumors of Adam Driver, Mila Kunis, Jodi Comer and more being on director Matt Shakman‘s shortlist for key roles in the film, a new rumor has emerged that might just be the best of them all.

    Scooper My Time to Shine Hello has revealed an unexpected–and quite frankly brilliant–potential choice for a major Fantastic Four character. According to the account, Antonio Banderas is in talks to play the Cosmic Being Galactus.

    One of Marvel Comics most incredible characters, Galactus has been rumored to be a part of Shakman‘s Fantastic Four for some time now. Originally a scientist named Galan who existed in a previous iteration of the multiverse, Galan survived the transition into the new multiverse and became one of the most powerful beings in it and was reborn as Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds has long been one of the Fantastic Four’s greatest antagonists, though a more complete understanding of the essential role he plays in the universe has been developed over time.

    Banderas has remained a force in Hollywood since making the jump from Spanish cinema in the early 1990s. An action star, a romantic lead and a talented voice actor, Banderas has been nominated for Academy, Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards. While it’s unclear exactly what role Galactus will play in Fantastic Four and the MCU in general, Banderas‘ experiences should allow him to play Galan/Galactus in live-action and also provide voice work for the character should he be a wholly CGI creation. Marvel Studios has not yet commented on the cast of the film but at the pace the rumors are flying, it is possible it could be revealed at SDCC ’23, should the studio decide to attend.

  • James Gunn Updates the Post-Credit Scene Status of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    James Gunn Updates the Post-Credit Scene Status of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    For many Marvel Studios fans, there is nothing more important than the post-credit scenes that follow almost every project. For better or for worse, that is the culture that Marvel Studios has created and although the stingers often distract from a conversation about the events of the film it seems they are here to stay. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was screened in Paris, no post-credit scenes were shown, causing some fans to believe there wouldn’t be any; however, James Gunn has taken to social media to address that concern and indicated that fans of post-credit action would be satisfied.

    Answering a question from papaj_419, Gunn indicated that the audience will want to stick around for not one but two post-credit scenes after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has been confirmed to be the longest film of the Guardians franchise clocking in at just under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

    2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy featured 2 post-credit scenes as well while 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 boasted 5, the most of any MCU film to date. All but two of the films in the Multiverse Saga have featured two post-credit scenes with one running midway through the credits and the other after all the credits rolled.

    Vol. 3 is Gunn’s last hurrah with both the Guardians and Marvel Studios as he moves full-time into his new role as co-chair of DC Studios. Reactions from the Paris screening have said the film is heartbreaking and the best of the trilogy and with further press screenings scheduled to get underway on April 27th, there’s sure to be plenty more reactions on the way.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5th.

  • Disney and Victoria Alonso Settled Over Recent Firing

    Disney and Victoria Alonso Settled Over Recent Firing

    Marvel Studios is going through quite a bit of change. Not only did it have to work its way through the pandemic and Bob Chapek’s leadership, but it also was suddenly seeing a familiar face at the top once more with Bob Iger. The company is undergoing some harsh firing waves and many were shocked when long-time VFX chief Victoria Alonso was fired from her position. While the Internet obsessed with the topic believed this would start a new era for VFX works, many different allegations have come forth on the topic.

    Some stated Alonso was a kingmaker that kind of destroyed their relationship with VFX agencies, while others claimed she played a big role in keeping projects together. Nothing concrete ever came out of it but the firing certainly lead to some wild accusations of “consequences” by Alonso’s lawyers. Multiple statements have been shared on why she was fired, which included her work on a project and seemingly neglecting responsibilities; a report that has never been confirmed.

    Now, it seems that Disney and Alonso have settled with a multi-million compensation over her firing. It was seemingly reached just recently after many discussions surrounding her 17-year tenure at Marvel Studios and work in Argentina, 1985. We’ll likely never find out what exactly the threatening “consequences” are for Disney and Marvel Studios, but perhaps it’s only a matter of time before a report pops up with a claim about what it might be. For now, it seems that there won’t be further discussions or public announcements of Disney moving forward until the next major figure is fired.

    Source: Deadline

  • A Rumored Shortlist of Candidates for Sue Storm Makes the Rounds

    A Rumored Shortlist of Candidates for Sue Storm Makes the Rounds

    Though it’s not expected to begin filming for quite some time, Marvel Studios Fantastic Four film continues to be the subject of casting rumors. Recently, Adam Driver, whose name has been circulated in connection with the film previously, was rumored to be in final talks for the role of Reed Richards. And now another name familiar to those who have been following the rumor mill has popped back up on a list of potential candidates for Sue Storm.

    According to a popular YouTube sensationalist, Academy Award Nominess Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) tops director Matt Shakman and casting director Sarah Finn‘s wishlist for the role of the Invisible Woman. According to the rumor, the rest of that list includes Allison Williams, Jodie Comer and Mila Kunis. Interestingly enough, Kunis was spotted meeting with Shakman in February, sparking speculation that she might be involved with the project.

    A previous trade report indicated that Shakman and crew were looking to find their Sue Storm before casting anyone else, suggesting Sue was the “center” of the team and after finding the right fit, they would build “out the rest of the team.” There’s not a bad choice on the list of rumored front-runners and it’s very likely that the casting process is coming to a close given that it has been ongoing for months.