Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel TV

  • Roy Thomas, Co-Creator of Marvel’s Iron Fist, Praises Finn Jones and Netflix Series

    Roy Thomas, Co-Creator of Marvel’s Iron Fist, Praises Finn Jones and Netflix Series

    Marvel Television set the bar high on Netflix when it premiered Daredevil and Jessica Jones in 2015, but the success of those shows was short-lived. Iron Fist dropped two years later to much worse reviews, with many fans and critics feeling that the show and lead actor Finn Jones had failed to live up to the immense potential behind Marvel’s Living Weapon. Yet, during a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Iron Fist co-creator and industry legend Roy Thomas revealed that he actually very much approved of Jones’ performance and the show at large.

    When asked what he ultimately thought of the live-action series, Thomas explained:

    Oh, I watched all of it. Yeah. Iron Fist had a few problems here and there, but I really liked the actor who played Iron Fist. I liked the general concept of it and everything.

    Marvel’s Iron Fist ran for two seasons on Netflix before it became the first of the shows to be axed, in what would eventually be the demise of the entire Defenders franchise on the small screen. The first season of Iron Fist was run by Inhumans showrunner Scott Buck, with showrunner Raven Metzner signing on for an ever-so-slightly improved sophomore effort.

    While the series has plenty of problems, from writing to fight choreography, Jones’ casting was controversial from the start. Many fans hoped an actor of Asian descent would have landed the role. Although Danny Rand’s future within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently unclear, the character remains a hot topic. Since the show’s cancelation, one of the show’s stunt coordinators’ has come forward with claims that Jones did not put in enough effort when it came to training for fight scenes.

    Nonetheless, Thomas continues to have only good things to say:

    Just wonderful. They were all reasonably good. Of course, The Defenders wasn’t that popular, that brief series, but I thought that was great because I’m an old superhero group fan, and I thought that was wonderful. But I really liked them all. I met many of the actors, [Mike] Colter who played Luke Cage, and Iron Fist and so forth…

    Both seasons of Iron Fist are streaming now on Netflix.

    As it stands, no plans for the character’s appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been announced.

    Source: Comic Book

  • Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2022 Release Calendar, V3

    Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2022 Release Calendar, V3

    Marvel Studios rendered our previous 2022 hypothetical release calendar meaningless when they shuffled their entire release slate a couple of weeks ago, so we took another shot at it. Of note to this new effort is that we have considered that it looks like Disney does not want to stream live-action Star Wars series and live-action Marvel Studios series concurrently. And so while this isn’t a hypothetical Star Wars calendar, we will mention some of those series along the way.

    It looks like Marvel Studios will have to wait a bit to start streaming in 2022 as a Lucasfilm series is going to start in late-2021 and carry over into early-2022. The Book of Boba Fett could end up completing its run on February 16th, allowing Marvel Studios to kick off its 2022 Disney Plus release calendar with a couple of episodes of Marvel Legends. We could catch up not only on Bruce Banner but also on The Abomination. It’ll be interesting to see what other characters, if any, they cover and to see how much of the events of The Incredible Hulk are part of the story that leads us to She-Hulk.

    She-Hulk is set to be Marvel Studios’ longest streaming series to date, with 10 episodes scheduled. Placing it here allows Marvel to stream one episode per week, should they choose to, and helps it avoid overlapping any other live-action projects.

    We should have several episodes of Marvel Legends leading up to the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In addition to catching up on Stephen, we’ll almost certainly see a Wanda-centric one. Given the role Wong is set to play in the film, he may get one of his own, too. And then there’s Mordo…and yeah, we’ll see how these turn out, but it seems like they’ll stream the Wednesday of release week.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first domino in the wave of release date shifts for Marvel Studios. It’s a wildly ambitious film from a director who is noted for both his pursuit of perfection and his understanding that perfection is never achieved in the first draft, so waiting a little longer to have someone like Sam Raimi put together the best version of his vision isn’t he worse thing for fans. Hopefully, come May 6th, 2022, we all walk out in awe and forget that the film was delayed for an entire year.

    Following the Strange sequel, we might not see another Marvel Studios series until mid-June. Recent rumors suggest that the Lucasfilm Obi-Wan series is slated for May (I mean May 4th IS a Wednesday); what’s curious is that if we allow for it to run for 6 weeks, we run into June and that’s when Mohan Kapur, one of the stars of Ms. Marvel, recently said he expects that streaming series to begin! Even though Ms. Marvel is introducing Kamala Khan and a WHOLE bunch of new characters, it will also feature an appearance from Carol Danvers, so we might get an episode of Marvel Legends on June 8th; either way, Ms. Marvel could kick off its run on June 15th and conclude on July 13th, coinciding nicely with Kapur’s comments.
    *Note we are predicting a two-episode premiere for Ms. Marvel to avoid overlap with Moon Knight.

    While we might not get an episode of Marvel Legends for Ms. Marvel, we’re sure to get a few for Thor: Love and Thunder. In addition to keeping up with Odinson’s adventures, fans could also use a refresher on Jane Foster, Korg, and Miek, Valkyrie, and the Guardians of the Galaxy before they hit the screen together.

    Thor: Love and Thunder, like Doctor Strange 2, was bumped down the road a few months giving director Taika Waititi time to really fine-tune this film which, coincidentally, was supposed to come out just about one year ago on November 5th!

    In this hypothetical situation, Moon Knight does some big moving. I originally thought Moon Knight might run in May, but it’s getting bumped 2 months (seems like a pattern, right?). It’s reportedly a 6-episode series which means if it follows up Thor 4 and doesn’t have any ties to any existing characters that we know of, so it can go just about anywhere. For what it’s worth, this could easily switch places with Ms. Marvel, moving Ms. Marvel a little bit closer to The Marvels which was bumped into 2023.
    *Note we are predicting a two-episode premiere of Moon Knight to avoid overlap with Season 2 of What If…?.

    We got a few episodes of Marvel Legends ahead of Season 1 of What If…?, so there’s no reason to think we won’t see some ahead of Season 2.

    What If…? is, according to Disney, set to be an annual event and it would seem totally possible that they could even keep it in the same general slot every year, too. Season 1 kicked off on August 11th, and this hypothetical would see Season 2 debut on August 24th. This timing would work out well for Marvel Studios because this same time could also see Lucasfilm’s 12-episode Andor hit Disney Plus as well. As stated in the opening, keeping Star Wars live-action away from Marvel Studios’ live-action was a priority here and the whole calendar works out very nicely if we have What If…? and Andor going around the same time.

    What If…? could wrap up just in time for Marvel Studios to stream one of its two 2022 holiday specials: Werewolf By Night. Now to be clear, we aren’t 100% sure exactly what is going on with this project, but if it is just a one-shot holiday special, its February start of production would give the team plenty of time to have it ready for October 26th, just ahead of Halloween.

    Marvel Legends episodes for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever should hit D+ on November 9th, a couple of days ahead of the film’s release. We’ll certainly need to catch up on T’Challa’s journey along with Shuri, Ramonda, M’Baku, Okoye and the Doras and even Killmonger, you know just in case he shows up.

    Of all the films getting shuffled around, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever might have needed it the most. Production was delayed when Letitia Wright sustained an injury and it was in mid-production when the new IATSE/AMPTP agreement went into place, meaning some adjustments were made on the fly. You can absolutely guarantee that Ryan Coogler will use these extra 4 months to put together an absolutely amazing sequel in memory of Chadwick Boseman.

    It looks like Marvel Studios’ offerings for 2022 will end with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on November 23rd. James Gunn has said he’ll be introducing an important new character in it and while a lot of folks believe that’s going to be Santa, I’ve heard rumblings (nothing concrete, so I’m not too excited myself just yet) that the new character might be one of the shinier ones in Marvel’s toybox.

    After the GotG special, Disney Plus could stream something from Lucasfilm (a second season of The Bad Batch is reportedly coming for 2022) and it’s also important to note that the now Disney owned Avatar 2 is still slated for release on December 16th, 2022, meaning the parent company will still have a lot going on even if there’s no other Marvel Studios’ series ready to stream. Of course, we’ll have a much clearer picture of things in just two weeks following the first annual Disney Plus Day, so bookmark this and come back and throw tomatoes at us then!


  • Miss Minutes Actor Tara Strong on Loki, Season 2 and More

    Miss Minutes Actor Tara Strong on Loki, Season 2 and More

    Marvel Studios’ Loki introduced plenty of new characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The most popular, however, was easily the addition of Tara Strong‘s Miss Minutes. As a character created specifically for the television series, fans were uncertain what to expect from the cartoon clock. However, by the season’s end, she quickly became a fan favorite.

    During a recent appearance at Fan Expo Canada, Strong briefly talked about her role as Miss Minutes and how she didn’t know what she was auditioning for in the beginning. It wasn’t until she was on a Zoom call with director Kate Herron and the Marvel Cinematic Universe team that she had an idea as to what she was auditioning for. “I actually didn’t know what I was auditioning for when I first read for Loki,” she said. “So I recorded one a little more like Siri, and then one a little bit less like that, and the one with the accent. And I didn’t even know exactly what it was until I was on the Zoom with Kate Herron and the rest of the MCU team.”

    Despite her excitement over the role, Strong admitted she didn’t think Miss Minutes would become as big of a deal as she has among fans. “I didn’t know was gonna be that big, and I honestly think it’s my favorite Marvel TV series ever,” she stated. “Like, here’s this animated character, we don’t know her backstory, she’s jumping into a very beloved universe, and people were like ‘oh my God, we love her!’ right away. So I’m so happy and it’s like this gift that keeps on giving that I didn’t know I ordered.”

    As to whether or not she’ll be returning for Season 2 of Loki? Strong is not willing to answer that just yet. “I actually can’t tell you, cause then I’d have to prune you!”

    The first season of Marvel Studios’ Loki is streaming now on Disney+.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Artist On Marvel Studios Poster Homage: “Start paying”

    ‘Hawkeye’ Artist On Marvel Studios Poster Homage: “Start paying”

    One of the more unfortunate realities surrounding the billion-dollar franchise that is the MCU is the startling truth that a lot of the people who create the comics that serve as the MCU’s foundation rarely receive worthwhile compensation from the powers that adapt their work.

    Famed Hawkeye artist David Aja is joining a growing list of creators who have expressed frustration over this issue that seemingly continues to be unrectified behind the scenes. Last night, a brand new poster for the Hawkeye series was revealed, paying homage to one of the iconic posters Aja drew for his seminal Hawkeye run with Matt Fraction. Aja had this to say about Marvel Studios’ recreation of his work:

    David Aja‘s artwork on his run with Matt Fraction is arguably the most important selling point of that run. From his distinct minimalist covers to the inventive visual storytelling methods he brought to the table, there’s no doubt that the book wouldn’t be the classic it is without his touch.

    Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker recently made waves over complaints he made regarding the issue in light of Marvel Studios building a very lucrative franchise based on his work. The check Marvel Studios allegedly gave Brubaker for adapting the Winter Soldier story was a lot lower than the royalties he received for his 1-second cameo in the movie. Howver, according to Brubaker, Marvel has since reached out to him, likely due to the high publicity of his comments, with the hopes of amending the issue.

    The issue is a highly complicated one, given how all the work-for-hire contracts that a lot of these creators signed were drafted at a time when comic adaptations weren’t the world’s hottest commodity. Still, in an era where the studios are making billions off these people’s work, reasonable compensation should not be an issue. We hope Aja and more creators get compensated for their contributions to the MCU.

  • Mysterious ‘What If…?’ Supreme Leader Funko Pop Turns Out to Be Transformed Doctor Strange

    Mysterious ‘What If…?’ Supreme Leader Funko Pop Turns Out to Be Transformed Doctor Strange

    We’ve had quite some fun trying to decipher who exactly was the Funko Pop titled “Supreme Leader.” At first, we believed it was What If..?‘s Ultron given his new status and ownership of the Infinity Stones. Yet, it turned out he was simply given the name “Infinity Ultron” before getting released. So, we’ve been wondering who the mysterious and unannounced New York Comic Con Funko might end up being. Finally, the wait is over, as we got our first look at the character and it is actually Doctor Strange Supreme, but the version possessed by the different beasts and demons he’s absorbed.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CVbP3GgJL5z/?utm_medium=copy_link

    It’s a great addition to the quite diverse line-up of Funko’s for the Disney+ series. What If…?‘s anthology approach did open up the doors for some creative releases. Of course, the most popular and available Funko Pops involved the zombie episode. There’s something fun about the fact that Marvel Studios added these horror staples into the mostly family-friendly franchise.

    We recently saw the zombified version of Captain America appear in Avengers Campus. It makes you wonder if they’ll go all out and include the transformed Doctor Strange at some point. It would make for an imposing addition during Halloween to see Strange mid-transformation, as he tries to find someone at the park to help him return back to normal. It makes you wish you were at the campus during the season of horror to see what they’ll try out.

    Source: Instagram

  • Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Ever since we’ve heard that Marvel Studios might expand its animation department, it opened up the floodgates of how they might tackle future projects. What If…? was our gateway into that very mission with its 3D style that brought iconic actors from previous projects to life. Of course, as they expand it opened up the question of how Marvel Studios may approach future animation projects. Would they stick to the one established in the Disney+ series, or might they take a unique take with each project? Well, a new job listing might give us a better hint at an upcoming project.

    What If...? | Disney+ Originals

    Disney and Marvel Studios are actively seeking a 2D/3D FX Designer. What makes this listing interesting is that there’s a strong emphasis on 2D FX work throughout, such as asking to showcase hand-drawn 2D FX abilities, general design work, and general familiarity with 2D animation principles as well as high-end anime 2DFX style. It’s great to see that Marvel Studios isn’t being restrictive to a specific type of animation. It’s one of the advantages of this new venture, as every artist can add their own distinctive style. So far, the only other animation style we heard of was for the upcoming I Am Groot Disney+ series, which supposedly is going for a photo-real 3D style.

    Of course, the implication of familiarity with anime animation is noteworthy but doesn’t mean we’ll get a One Piece or Naruto-styled series. Series like the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles utilized specific animation queues popularized in Japan to bring its action to life. It’s also generally become a trend to make use of its stylized approach to animation in the West. Some classic examples would be Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Samurai Jack, and even Marvel’s own Ultimate Spider-Man. So, it’s not uncommon for the popular genre to be part of 2D artists portfolio in the West nowadays.

    The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2 Ep. 8 - Clip 1 - YouTube

    This isn’t comparable to Star Wars: Visions, which included actual Japanese anime studios to develop its episodes. Yet, there’s always a chance that kind of cooperation is in the cards eventually for other Disney projects. They most likely simply are trying to find talented artists in the industry that have intimate knowledge of the different genres of 2D animation that are currently popular.

    Source: Disney Careers

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Nathan Hurd May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: Nathan Hurd May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    We’ve been anxiously keeping an eye on Disney+ Day, as it’ll offer our first look into the future of Marvel Studios’ venture into streaming beyond Hawkeye. Ms. Marvel faced quite a few delays and we’re still waiting for an announcement regarding the other announced series. Among them is She-Hulk, a series that might have a much larger role moving forward in the MCU. Casting-wise, the last we heard was Arrow‘s Josh Segarra joining the series back in July. Luckily, a new Instagram post and IMDb might help us connect one additional character.

    We’ve heard for some time that She-Hulk would mainly act as a legal comedy. It makes sense given her perchance of breaking the fourth wall in the comics, which was also confirmed for the series. So, the addition of comedians to add their flair seems like the logical next step. So, when comedian Nathan Hurd posted an Instagram with the caption “You wouldn’t like me if I’m angry” with green lighting it seems like a fun reference to the Hulk.

    At first glance, it seems like the comedian/actor was having fun. Yet, there’s a curious listing on IMDb that might add more to this post. If you look at the stunt casting for She-Hulk, you’ll notice that the stunt actor A.J. Gagliardi is listed as Nathan Hurd‘s stunt double.

    As such, we can assume that Hurd has a role in the upcoming series and he’s teasing it on his Instagram. He’s also not unfamiliar with acting in a Marvel series, as he also had a role as the Monk in Legion. The interesting aspect is that he has a stunt double to begin with, which might be a hint he’ll appear in an action sequence of some kind. Perhaps he is part of the rumored Wrecking Crew. We’ll see if we might get a glimpse at him in the Disney+ series first trailer.

    Source: Twitter, IMDb, IMDb (Hurd)

  • UPDATE: ‘The Story of Marvel Studios’ Author Elaborated on Why ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Wasn’t Included

    UPDATE: ‘The Story of Marvel Studios’ Author Elaborated on Why ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Wasn’t Included

    UPDATE: Author Tara Bennett, who wrote the new book exploring the history of Marvel Studios has shared a new statement regarding her earlier tweet and its coverage.

    There are some amazing little details in the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It revealed that New Girl‘s Zooey Deschanel could’ve been the Wasp in 2012’s Avengers. We got the first confirmation that Agent Carter is technically canon. But the lack of information also says more than what you’d think. There’s a noticeable absence of the ABC show that started Marvel TV’s venture, Agents of SHIELD. Author Tara Bennett took to Twitter and clarified that the book does not explicitly state that the series is part of the MCU.

    https://twitter.com/TaraDBennett/status/1450906836396240898

    This statement will certainly open the floodgates, as there’s been quite a heated debate on the series’ canonicity. Technically, it has built up cases that some actions by the team of SHIELD agents informed the films. Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury even made an appearance and was just one of many cameos from the films. The absence in the book might also be purely due to production reasonings, but it not having a bigger part in exploring its connectivity to Marvel Studios’ MCU is a curious case.

    In June, Loki‘s Michael Waldron even questioned its canon, especially as it expanded into the multiverse at the tail end of the series. Technically, it could exist somewhere in the multiverse and still utilize elements from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The potential return of Charlie Cox as Daredevil also raises the question of the Netflix shows working within the canon, or how they might approach it. Here’s hoping we get a clearer picture in the near future.

    Source: Twitter

  • New Marvel Studios Book Confirms ABC’s ‘Agent Carter’ is Canon in the MCU

    New Marvel Studios Book Confirms ABC’s ‘Agent Carter’ is Canon in the MCU

    There’s been a curious discussion surrounding ABC’s TV series Agent Carter. Just like with Agents of SHIELD, there’s a debate if these Marvel TV shows are canon within the MCU. Back in July, director James Gunn declared that WandaVision was the first MCU show ever produced, which naturally raised some eyebrows. SHIELD was a direct spinoff out of 2012’s Avengers while Agent Carter introduced us to James D’Arcy‘s Edwin Jarvis, who would eventually make his film debut in Avengers: Endgame. So, there were connections there, but a lack of official confirmation. Well, that was until now.

    In the book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a mention of the ABC series featuring Hayley Atwell. Not only that but it’s highlighted as “canon storytelling” that would eventually lead back into future films. Sadly, it was canceled after only two seasons and the character didn’t make her return until the post-credit sequence of Endgame. The paragraph reads as follows:

    Launched on January 6, the series debuted on the ABC midseason slate. Notably, Agent Carter marked the first time an MCU-originated character would transition from the big screen to the small screen, with canon storytelling that would eventually dovetail back into future films.

    The book also reveals that some character rights were not fully under Marvel Studios’ supervision. So, it seems that the Netflix series and other projects by Marvel TV were done completely out of Kevin Feige‘s hands. It also highlights the internal struggle and politics holding the franchise back in its early days. No wonder then that Marvel Studios merged with the TV department as they ventured into Disney+. There is, however, no word on the other series which still leaves their canonicity a question mark.

    Source: The Story of Marvel Studios via The Direct

  • ‘Agent of SHIELD’s VFX Supervisor Passed on ‘Ghost Rider’ Due to Hulu’s Budget Constraints

    ‘Agent of SHIELD’s VFX Supervisor Passed on ‘Ghost Rider’ Due to Hulu’s Budget Constraints

    Agent of SHIELD‘s Ghost Rider project was quite the mystery project. It was the first successful attempt for the series to expand its universe. It already seemed like a miracle that they pulled off the effects in a broadcast network like ABC. So, an entire show featuring the Spirit of Vengeance would be quite costly.

    It seems sadly that very fact played a role in why Agents of SHIELD‘s VFX supervisor Mark Kolpack also didn’t join the production. In an interview with ComicBook.com’s Adam Barnhardt, he revealed that he opted not to continue his work on the character’s design that he brought to life in SHIELD’s fourth season due to budget constraints set by Hulu.

    I had to pass on it because I couldn’t get into a situation, as I told them, where I’m struggling with the budget to try to do the creative and we’re trying to pare the creative down. And it was really unfortunate because Gabe wanted me to do it. I wanted to do it. I wanted to direct some. All this stuff. But I felt I couldn’t do my best with not as large a budget. So I had to regretfully decline and that was sad because I wanted to do it, Marvel wanted me to do it, Gabe wanted it. It was a logical process that I would have, but then it didn’t happen anyway

    Mark Kolpack

    While not confirmed, it most likely played a role in why the series didn’t continue. Without the proper team to bring the effects to life, it wouldn’t have been an easy rode to bring the character to life. Especially considering Kolpack already managed to make it possible on ABC’s network restraints. However, he also confirmed that it ate up quite a bit of their overall budget, hinting as much as half of each Agent of SHIELD‘s episodes investment went into that flaming skull.

    Marvel Studios seems willing to make that investment, as there are enough hints at him potentially joining the MCU in the near future. We’ll see if Gabriel Luna also gets a chance to take on the role, or they try to return to the character’s roots before expanding the mythology. It’s disappointing that the Hulus series didn’t get a chance to move forward, but Luna is currently busy working on The Last of Us for HBO, while Kolpack is continuing his work on the series Raising Dion.

    Source: ComicBook.com, IMDb