Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Looks to Have Found Marvel Studios Hulkling

    ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Looks to Have Found Marvel Studios Hulkling

    Production on Marvel Studios’ first project of the new year, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, kicks off next week in Atlanta and after months of unofficial announcements, the studio worked with THR to unveil the talent working on the streaming series. Tucked away in that announcement may have been one of the studio’s most important new castings in relative newcomer Miles Gutierrez-Riley. As the slow march toward a Young Avengers project continues, Gutierrez-Riley may be filling the role of one of the last remaining original members of the team.

    In October of 2022, a pair of casting calls for Agatha: Coven of Chaos seemed to indicate that Marvel Studios was set to introduce two founding members of the Young Avengers: Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman. While the casting of Joe Locke as the “witty”, “astute fanboy” momentarily made absolute nobody Nicholas Scratch everyone’s favorite character, it’s much more widely accepted now that he’s playing Billy Kaplan, aka Wiccan. The case for Locke as Wiccan is significantly strengthened by the presence of a pair of casting calls for Jewish parents, a description matching Billy’s parents from the comics and accepting Locke as Wiccan goes a long way toward making the case for Gutierrez-Riley as Hulkling, assuming he’s been cast in the other role revealed in October.

    That role called for a gay actor 18-20, described as “a kind soul” with a “great sense of humor” who is totally in love with his boyfriend and has an athletic build. While Gutierrez-Riley doesn’t hit the age range (he graduated from Fordham University in 2020), the age ranges have always served as guidelines and Marvel Studios has routinely reached outside of them when they find the right fit. To that end, Gutierrez-Riley, who was a Denzel Washington Scholarship Recipient at Fordham before landing role in Amazon’s The Wilds and director Sanaa Lathan’s On the Come Up, certainly could fit the bill.

    Whether or not that role is Teddy Altman/Hulkling, of course, is a different matter entirely as is the nature of that character in the MCU. In the comics, Hulkling is a Kree/Skrull hybrid with a powerful heritage on both sides. As the grandson of Skrull Emperor Dorrek VII, Teddy (Dorrek VIII) is heir to the Skrull empire; as the son of Kree hero Mar-Vell, Teddy carries on a legacy valued greatly by the people of Hala. Marvel Studios has made a series of choices, however, that all but eliminate any of that background. Dorreks don’t exist yet in the MCU and Mar-Vell had no super powers nor was she a revered hero of Hala, so short of creating an entirely new backstory for Teddy, it seems that being Wiccan’s boyfriend (and likely being able to shape-shift) is the role for the time being. Of course, with Secret Invasion and The Marvels coming in 2023, there’s still time to add a little more depth to the Kree-Skrull War and give Teddy something more to do.

    Agatha: Coven of Chaos is currently slated to stream on Disney Plus in late 2023 or early 2024.

  • Danai Gurira “Gently Allude” a ‘Okoye’ Disney+ Spinoff May Be In Development

    Danai Gurira “Gently Allude” a ‘Okoye’ Disney+ Spinoff May Be In Development

    With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever last year, discussions started instantly on what the future of this franchise will look like. One avenue set up from the film is following Okoye on her journey as a Midnight Angel after her dismissal from the Dora Milaje. It has been hinted at in May of 2021 that an Okoye-based project was in the works, but no one hypothetically involved had commented up until this point.

    However, while being interviewed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actress Danai Gurira referred to the reports of her leading a Marvel Studios Disney+ project. This is what Gurira had to say about the subject:

    I have been told that I can gently allude to this possibility. So, I am gently alluding. Just gently.

    Danai Gurira

    While not much can be gleaned from this quote about specific details, it’s notable to have confirmation that something pertaining to an Okoye-led project is in development for Disney+. Based on the description of deleted scenes for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s digital release, more direct allusions to the project were almost made in the film.

    A logical direction would be to follow Gurira’s Okoye and Michaela Coel’s Aneka as they independently serve tactical missions for Wakanda. The show or special could also dive deeper into the dynamics of the Dora Milaje, especially with Florence Kasumba’s Ayo being a romantic partner of Aneka.

    With Letitia Wright confirming that Black Panther 3 won’t be for “a while”,  it makes sense for the stories of Wakanda to continue through the perspective of different characters. Especially with the potential of some sort of invasion of Vibranium happening in the future, it would be important for audiences to see more of the sovereign nation before that sort of project.

    Source: The Direct

  • Marvel Studios and a Cinematic Déjà-Vu of 2022

    Marvel Studios and a Cinematic Déjà-Vu of 2022

    We’ve entered a new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise continues to grow in new ways while showing some slowdown in its box office development. The films are still successful and big hits, but they’re not taking the box office completely by storm. Discussions online are talking about a franchise that is “watering down” what it has to offer while general audiences according to the Internet are facing fatigue.

    Films are seemingly losing momentum at theaters as people question how the franchise can continue moving forward and likely end in the coming years. Two iconic franchises make a grand return and dominate theaters with stronger legs than any frontloaded Marvel film. Things are looking shaky for Marvel Studios after the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man in 2015.

    Oh wait, it’s not 2015 but 2023 has just started. We’ve entered Phase 5 of the MCU with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania about to release in theaters. The only major difference is the effect of the pandemic has taken its toll on theaters during 2020 and 2021, the last year seemed like an uplifting new direction for cinema. We saw some truly great films ranging in variety with some surprise big hits in Top Gun Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. Two nostalgia-filmed films making a comeback with a legacy sequel.

    Instead of enjoying this newfound momentum at the box office and in cinematic offerings, it feels like we’re retreading old ground once again. Marvel didn’t take the top spot this year at the box office and so we’re analyzing the sheer success of these two entries plus the Jurassic World threequel also banking on the nostalgia of a returning cast. It’s great to see these films flourish after years of uncertainty for non-IP-driven projects but there’s a feeling in the air that we’ve gone through this all again.

    2015 saw the release of two major legacy sequels. Jurassic World returned us to a dinosaur-filled world that we last saw in 1993; a sequel 22 years in the making. That same year, December saw the breakout release of Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens which brought us back to a true sequel of the iconic franchise just under new Disney leadership to pull in $2 billion worldwide over Christmas. Jurassic World didn’t do so shabby either with a strong $1.6B.

    Ironically, here we are again with Avatar: The Way of Water releasing in December under a now Disney-owned banner on its way to passing $2B with strong legs at the box office. Earlier in the year, Top Gun Maverick pulled in $1.4B at the box office as a sequel to a long-dormant franchise with a few more extra years on its back with Tom Cruise at the forefront selling the film.

    It feels like a strange sense of déjá-vu, especially if you take into account the discussions surrounding Marvel and superhero fatigue. While some points of these discussions have evolved, it’s still the same argumentation at its basis. Comparisons were drawn to how Marvel needs to evolve or take a step back; now especially popular with its Disney+ streaming offerings doing what many have begged the Netflix shows and ABC series do years ago.

    We have comparisons drawn to how Jurassic World makes a better showcase of franchise building than Marvel. It’s something a recent article does as well with Avatar: The Way of Water which is a hard comparison to make if you consider one has multiple franchises under its belt since 2008 and the other had its first sequel release after 13 years; as such only really getting started as a franchise. We have no idea if Avatar will work long-time as the charm of exploring Pandora could also one day lose its vanity.

    What we should learn and not repeat from 2015 is what these franchises can learn from each other. Long-running franchises always hit a slump but even Marvel Studios is back to performing as they did during Phase 2. Their last phase had that extra build-up momentum towards what was deemed a “finale” of sorts for the Infinity Saga. They also serve a very different purpose if seen as films. So, they can only learn and evolve from each other if we take the right lessons from everything rather than chasing coattails once again.

    Both franchises build familiarity in different ways. Marvel creates a cast of characters that draw in their audience and become selling points to try out new parts of their franchise. The MCU has always been misunderstood as one singular franchise, but in reality, it’s just the umbrella term for multiple franchises or ongoing stories. Yes, some crossovers can interrupt specific stories but we’ve seen the “you need to do your homework” complaint back in 2015 when people complained that “they could’ve just called the Avengers” in every self-contained story or franchise.

    Will Marvel run out of steam? At one point, it’s very likely but they still remain strong performers in the market. Even with a big drop in its second weekend, some of the MCU releases in 2022 showed stronger legs later on; something that surprised me even with the Disney+ re-release always imminent due to COVID’s influences on consumer behavior and Bob Chapek‘s desire to grow its streaming service no matter what.

    Yet, one cannot deny that it’s also the franchise that has shown the most growth throughout the years. There’s a reason it cannot be emulated, just as much as why Avatar’s performance won’t easily be replicated just because Marvel doesn’t release a film for a few years. They’re a production studio that works independently and has its own quotas to meet. James Cameron released a film in the 20th Century that also is responsible for many other franchises.

    If we compare 2022 and 2015, films with massive worldwide performances and impressive legs have something in common: nostalgia. They are legacy sequels to projects that have been long dormant. They make good use of familiar ground while adding some additional elements to still make them stand out. They feel like “self-contained” stories but they are also continuations that anyone can rewatch. Of course, it’s easier to just catch up on one film to get ready for another, but that tune changes once Avatar 7 releases and we have six almost three-hour films to catch up on.

    Of course, it’s conjecture to some degree but there’s still a curious thread of these major performers that are “leaving Marvel in the dust” with their strong box office legs. 2015 and 2022 are just so eerily similar with general discussions and it’s no wonder franchise fatigue would set in with a franchise that has been a consistent part since 2008. No one can blame them for feeling a bit overwhelmed at times and if the MCU still remains a strong performer, we’ll likely have this exact same discussion once Phase 8 kicks off with Stinger and the New Avengers.

  • Ryan Reynolds Teases a Collision of Icons in ‘Wolverine and Deadpool’

    Ryan Reynolds Teases a Collision of Icons in ‘Wolverine and Deadpool’

    The third installment of the Deadpool franchise is quickly becoming one of Marvel Studios most anticipated projects if not one the most talked about. Since star Ryan Reynolds revealed that Hugh Jackman was coming out of retirement from the character of Logan to co-star in the untitled film, the project has been in the news fairly consistently. While there are plenty of theories about what the plot of the film will include (and what the title might be!) little is known about the film which goes into production in the Fall of 2023 and plenty of questions about how the very R-rated Deadpool will fit in the very PG-13 MCU.

    The tone of the first two Deadpool films, while incredibly different from the average MCU film, is partly responsible for their popularity. Jackman’s last outing as Wolverine in Logan was extremely violent. The irreverence and violence associated with the characters may not seem to fit in the MCU, but according to Reynolds, fans should expect an “authentic” representation of the characters they’ve come to know and love and one hell of a team-up.

    It’s really kind of finding a way to service both of these characters that feels extraordinarily authentic to each of them, and I think these two wrongs actually will make a right in a pretty great way.

    Ryan Reynolds

    As for how he expects to blend the sensibilities of the Deadpool films with Marvel Studios more family-friendly films, Reynolds calls the process of figuring that out a “tightrope walk.”

    I think it’s a tightrope walk. I mean most of these movies are always a tightrope walk of tone, so in this instance, though, you have a collision of two pretty iconic characters that exist in the Marvel Ancillary Universe [laughs] — we’re in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point.

    Ryan Reynolds

    Kevin Feige has gone on record to indicate that Deadpool 3 will have an R-rating, like its predecessors, so it seems fans can still expect more of what they loved. It’s also clear that the “collision” of the two characters is not only the film’s biggest selling point but also the point from which the film is being built out. Deadpool 3 is starting to sound a bit like Lethal Weapon and there’s nothing wrong with that!

    Source: The Wrap

  • Giancarlo Esposito is Ready to Roll into the MCU

    Giancarlo Esposito is Ready to Roll into the MCU

    It’s not a surprise that Giancarlo Esposito became one of the “top actors” that fans want to see joining the big Marvel family because of his excellent performance in shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Mandalorian, to the point that the actor himself it’s interested in receiving that Disney money but not in the way that MCU fans think. 

    Even though everyone is on board to see Esposito on the big screen as Dr. Doom, he recently expressed interest in taking on a very different role; the 64-year-old actor is keen on playing Charles Xavier, leader of the X Men.

    “I love what Marvel does. I love that the fans can see me in this universe and are proposing not only one character, possibly Magneto, possibly [DC’s Dr.] Freeze. And the biggest ask is Charles Xavier”

    Giancarlo Espocito on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    Some people may find this statement confusing since we recently saw Charles interpreted by Patrick Stewart in the latest installment of the Doctor Strange franchise, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And yes, that’s a valid point. Still, we must remember that we saw him coming back as the Professor because Feige wanted to give the fans what they had been praying to see for years; this doesn’t mean that he might be Professor X from the MCU universe. He might be a variant. Hence, the door for someone different to play this character is still wide open (as we know).

    “I want to play a good guy. Charles is smart. He’s good. But I feel as if there may be some mileage with me and Marvel. I know I love what they do. I know I love creativity. So who knows what could happen? Keep putting it out there”

    Giancarlo Espocito on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    As Mr. Esposito said, the only thing we can do is make our voices heard, so the people at Marvel give us what we want.

    Source: ComicBook

  • 6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    While there are plenty of heroes doing good deeds all over the planet, the MCU is currently without a full team of Avengers. Wong and Banner and Carol seem to at least chat from time to time, but there’s no Avengers Mansion and no discernable lineup. Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. Steve Rogers got a life. Smart Hulk and Hawkeye are semi-retired but willing to mix in the occasional mentoring cycle. Vision doesn’t know who he is. Thor’s off-planet being a Dad. Wanda went all Darkholdy. It’s easy enough to keep going to see that the many of those on the roster of heroes who have served on the team, even for a day, are going to be occupied one way or another when a day unlike any other comes around again. So who might be around to assemble when Kang comes to town in 2025? Here are 6 characters who we think should form the MCU’s New Avengers.

    Captain America

    Sam Wilson will have his hands full in Captain America: New World Order, to be sure, but nothing he faces in that movie will be on par with Kang the Conqueror coming to add present-day Earth to his dynasty. The world will need a new team of Avengers and Sam Wilson should be the well-tested, well-respected and perfect choice to bring them together. There’s no talking Kang down, so Sam will have to put together a powerful team to take down the warlord.

    She-Hulk

    Sam and Jen Walters may meet up in Captain America: New World Order, which would make for a perfect segue to her inclusion on the team in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Jen didn’t want to be a hero but her series taught audiences that she is just about as strong as Bruce’s Hulk and is probably only just growing into her powers. A nearly indestructible Hulk is essentially a must for an Avengers squad and it’s Jen’s time to join the ranks.

    Moon Knight

    As much fun as Oscar Isaac had exploring the multiple personalities of Moon Knight, the safe bet is that Marvel Studios didn’t bring a star like him on board just to do a series. An Avengers film is going to rake in big bucks at the box office no matter what, but having Isaac’s name in the credits certainly isn’t going to drive people away. Adding Moon Knight to the team also provides opportunity for more levity to be written into the script, something Marvel Studios loves to help balance out the tense moments. It also puts Loony Moony shoulder-to-shoulder with Sam Wilson which is the buddy team-up we all need to see.

    Shang-Chi

    Shang-Chi’s rings make him one of the most powerful characters on Earth. They also seem to have some sort of connection to Kang, as does Kamala’s bangle. It’s possible Shang-Chi’s sequel comes before The Kang Dynasty, changing the blueprint a little, but if not, it’s likely that Shang-Chi and his ten rings are right at the center of the plot of the fifth Avengers film.

    Black Panther

    Every Avengers team needs a tech genius and when that genius comes with the added bonus of being powered up and coated in Vibranium, it’s a perfect match. Expect Shuri to play a key role in understanding Shang-Chi’s rings, Kang’s future tech and maybe even helping to arm some of the heroes in the fight against the time-traveling conqueror.

    Spider-Man

    A lot of things could be said about why Spidey belongs on the team but here are the two best reasons (and the only ones you need): Tom Holland isn’t signing back on to a new deal without a couple of appearances in Avengers films and Marvel Studios isn’t going to make Avengers films without their most popular character now that they can use him. I’m not sure how they calculate service time for the Avengers, but Spidey has to be among the most senior members of the team. Wherever he stands, he definitely logged some major experience during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, making him a key member even if nobody remembers who he is.

    Given the number of heroes out there, it’s tough to imagine going 6-for-6. When it’s all said and done, it would be great if even 50% of our list ended up being on the team. Who would you like to see on the new team? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

  • Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Eternals stands as one of the most divisive (and worst-reviewed) projects Marvel Studios has rolled out to date. Nearly 18 months after its release, no official word about a sequel has emerged from the executive offices and only rumors of a potential spinoff, featuring a character only seen for seconds in a stinger, have made their way around the internet. That character, Starfox, was played, however, by one of the world’s biggest stars in Harry Styles and it sounds like those rumors of a Starfox spinoff project may have some legs to them.

    In an interview with Deadline, Marvel Studios Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore confirmed that there are plans for “more stories to be told” with Styles’ character. “We certainly didn’t cast Harry for a tag,” said Moore, who called Styles’ Starfox “a character maybe I have too much affection for because he’s had some problematic runs in publishing.“

    Of course, those issues the character has had in print don’t need to be translated to the screen and Starfox’s ties to Thanos provide the foundations for the type of legacy stories Marvel Studios could easily turn into interesting stories, especially with Styles at the center of them. In fact, to hear Moore tell it, Starfox may just be Marvel’s “next big thing.”

    But there are more stories to be told with that character. He’s fascinating and he has a really interesting connection with Thanos-they’re half-brothers; they share the same father. He has an interesting power set…he’s a complicated character but a really fun character…and I think there’s no limit to how popular that character’s going to be once we get to bring him back.

    Nate Moore

    When and where those stories fit on Marvel Studios ever-changing upcoming slate remains to be seen, but what can hardly be questioned is the studio’s uncanny ability to match actors and roles. To that end, while they might like to avoid some of the atrocious decisions made by Marvel Publishing over the years, there’s no denying the appeal of the Styles!

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore has had an incredible run at Marvel Studios. Moore has worked on four of the studio’s most successful and well-received films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Eternals, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and is currently prepping Captain America: New World Order, which begins production this spring. While nothing has been announced officially, it’s likely that Moore will have a big role in shaping what’s sure to be the studio’s next big thing after the Multiverse Saga: the X-Men! Disney acquired the live-action rights to the X-Men and related characters in 2019 and while they’ve mixed in some of the characters here and there, they’ve yet to dive in other than announcing that “mutants are coming.” But that’s going to change soon…

    In an interview with Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, Moore was asked what stories he’d like to see told in the MCU’s future involving Black superheroes and he didn’t hesitate to name to of the X-Men’s most powerful members. “There’s no secret the X-Men are coming home,” said Moore, “and boy, if you talk about Storm and Bishop, those are two of the great characters in that franchise that I certainly ould pitch you ideas all day.“

    Both characters appeared, in name, over the course of Fox’s reign of terror as the right’s holder and sole producer of the X-Men films. While neither character was given proper treatment, the fact that they sit in the front of Moore’s mind when discussing the future of the MCU gives hope. However, fans shouldn’t get too excited to see them any time soon as Moore reminded Alessandro that Marvel Studios is “early, early, early days” in terms of preparing the X-Men to ascend to their rightful place atop the comic book movie hierarchy.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a game-changer for Marvel Studios. More than just a significant tonal shift from Captain America: The First Avenger, it was a significant tonal shift from pretty much every film that Marvel Studios had released before it and set the path for one of the main plot threads of the Infinity Saga. It’s fair to say that its impact is still being felt as Marvel Studios moves through the Multiverse Saga which will continue when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 on February 17th. There’s been plenty of big talk about the big plans for Quantumania, especially by director Peyton Reed, but according to producer Stephan Broussard, it’s set to be a Winter Soldier-level game-changer.

    Having served as a producer on Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man and The Wasp, Broussard is uniquely positioned to see the similarities between the major shift in directions for both franchises. In describing the impact Quantumania will have on the future of the MCU, Broussard pulled no punches.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a stand-alone movie with a storyline that will have a significant impact on the future of the MCU. We talk about movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which you saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it felt like the entirety of the MCU turned on that. Captain America: Civil War was another film where you saw heroes divided and in camps and battle lines being drawn—it really felt like the future of the MCU was going to be defined by the action of that film. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward.

    Stephan Broussard
    Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    The events of the film will set the stage for multiple upcoming MCU films, something Reed described as “extremely exciting” and not something MCU fans probably expected out of the Ant-Man franchise. Fans of the previous two Ant-Man films should not despair, however, that the third installment will lose focus on the core of what the franchise has always been about: the relationship between Scott and Cassie.

    One of our philosophies that we’ve always applied at the studio is to just go back to character and to root it in character, and the science-fiction and the world-building is fun but ultimately it’s window dressing to the characters who are on this journey. I think as
    long as we never forget that this is a story about a father and his daughter reconnecting, which essentially is what this film is, then the headiness of the multiverse, the headiness of the Quantum Realm sorts itself out because you only need to understand that it’s a father-and-daughter story.

    Stephan Broussard

    Cassie, now played by Kathryn Newton, has always been the apple of Scott’s eye and now that his life has calmed down after the events of Avengers: Endgame, he’s hoping to make up for lost time with his little girl…who is no longer so little. “I really wanted to explore that relationship between Scott and Cassie“, said Reed. “How does Scott relate to her now that she’s an adult?“, he continued. “Cassie is an idealist—she wants to do good in the world, but she’s still trying to figure out what that means for her. She’s trying to find her voice as a young woman. She can be quite critical of her dad, so we had fun with some of the generational divide between father and daughter in this movie.”

    Big action and big heart should make for a big success, giving fans more of what they’ve enjoyed in the first two films while giving others more of what they have been asking for when the film hits theaters next month.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    Jonathan Majors isn’t playing Kang the newly-elected President of the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Rather, the talented actor is playing Kang the Conqueror, who director Peyton Reed calls “the most powerful being in the multiverse”, and the Quantum Realm will have spent a considerable amount of time learning that lesson when the Ant-Family arrives there in Quantumania.

    As much as the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise will tell the story of Scott, Hope, Cassie, Janet and Hank, it will also tell the story of the Quantum Realm and its inhabitants who it would seem are among the first to fall under Kang’s rule. Though it played a major role in the events of Avengers: Endgame, fans have only briefly glmipsed the Quantum Realm so far. Part of that glimpse teased there was more to the subatomic world than handsome tardigrades and Quantumania is set to explore the cities and civilizations of the Quantum Realm. That meant some serious world building had to take place and producer Stephan Broussard said that meant asking a lot of questions.

    What does technology look like down here? What does society look like down here? What does religion and politics look like down here? I think one of the reasons why the MCU has been successful and had the longevity that it has had so far is that we view new characters and new stories as a chance to kick down the door on whole new worlds.

    Stephan Broussard

    The latest trailer for Quantumania gives fans a look around the Quantum Realm, including some parts of it that look like they’ve been through hell and according to Katy O’Brian, who plays a Quantum Realm native, there’s a good reason for that. O’Brian plays Jentorra, the leader of a group of beings whose life in the Quantum Realm was “turned upside down by Kang.”

    (L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

    Jentorra’s band of creatures, known as the Freedom Fighters, were glimpsed in the initial teaser for Quantumania and will serve as the audience’s window to reality of Kang’s rule over the Quantum Realm, one of which O’Brian paints a grim picuture.

    We’re constantly on the move, constantly running, hiding and trying to fight back and reclaim our homeland. We’re fighting a losing battle—he’s got way more people, we’re outmanned, outgunned. But there’s a little bit of hope we have to hold onto.

    Katy O’Brian

    Though the interests of Jentorra and the Ant-Family may not seem aligned at first as Kang and Scott seem to be intent on working together, the trailer teases a betrayal “by Kang leading to the film evolving into what Broussard calls “an epic sci-fi war movie.” That’s not a description MCU fans ever thought they’d hear associated with the Ant-Man franchise, but Reed’s determination to go bigger and bolder in Quantumania steered the film in that direction. Wars, however, mean casualties and when up against an opponent like Kang, there’s no telling how far he’ll go to get what he wants and who he’ll kill to get it.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th.