Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel TV

  • Expect More Courtroom Scenes in Daredevil’s Disney+ Series

    Expect More Courtroom Scenes in Daredevil’s Disney+ Series

    Marvel Studios is about to tackle their first Netflix sequel in Daredevil: Born Again. The Disney+ series is set to bring back Charlie Cox in the title role of Matt Murdock, who has een slowly making his grand return ever since a small came in laster year’s Spider-Man. No Way Home. We even got a little taste of Murdock back in court during his brief appearce in She-Hulk, Attorney at Law. With Daredevil: Born Again set to have the most numbers of episodes for a Marvel-produced Disney+ series, it seems we’ll be spending a lot more time in court.

    In an interview with GQ Magazine to promote his new Netflix series Treason, the star also got a chance to share his excitement for the future of Daredevil. He’s been very vocal of his love for the character and it would be an understatement to say that his return was welomced with big arms by everyone involved and those that first witnessed his return in theaters. In the interview, he got a chance to share that we’ll see al ot more of Murdock in the courtoom.

    I think because of the number of episodes they’ve committed to, there’ll be a heavy influence of courtroom stuff—Matt Murdock, the lawyer in the new show. So I’m heavily focused on researching that area of this character and his life. It was one of the areas we didn’t do a huge amount of exploration around before. Even my accent is probably really rusty.

    Charlie Cox

    In the same interview, the actor shares his overall excitement about returning to the role and even going out of his way to re-read most of the comics. He’s been a big fan and he does say that he might be a bit rusty. So, he has to get “back into shape for a role like that” but going by what he provided so far, he is definitely going to be back in action the moment he walks on set.

    Source: GQ Magazine

  • Hope Springs: As ‘Eternals’ Blazes its Post-Zhao Trail, A Prestige Series Would Represent A Bold New Path

    Hope Springs: As ‘Eternals’ Blazes its Post-Zhao Trail, A Prestige Series Would Represent A Bold New Path

    2021’s Eternals was a divisive film. With an Academy Award-winning director at the helm, it boasted an all-star cast while exploring themes of humanity, spirituality, and sacrifice. It also used Z-list Marvel characters that very few audience members had a connection to, and the course of the movie’s runtime proved inadequate to develop that connection with any of them. Add in a very underdeveloped primary antagonist, and the result is an extremely low consensus as to its quality, with a Rotten Tomatoes score that reflects that.

    But one recurring comment in discussions about the film’s scope was that the story might better have been served by a series instead of a film. And considering that the film stretches from 5000 BCE to the present, there’s a lot of jumping around in the timeline that makes it harder for a viewer to find proper grounding. That being said, Chloé Zhao had a vision, and it’s doubtful that she would have signed on to do the project, nor would have had the ability to attract the wide range of global stars for it, if it was “just” a show.

    But as we reach the cusp of 2023, things have changed quite a bit. A new rumor suggests that Zhao is not expected to return for the Eternals sequel, and the progression of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga has shifted the focus to its Big Bad, Kang. Whatever our interest in the ongoing exploits of our synthetic lifeforms cosplaying as deities while being the harbingers of worldwide cataclysm, they have surely been diminished, Harry Styles notwithstanding. That isn’t to say that these exploits aren’t worth getting into, though. There’s rich storytelling ground and fantastic actors who deserve the opportunity to be showcased. That’s why Eternals should return as a “prestige” series, telling the stories of individual Eternals in an anthology format.

    There are a number of reasons that this is preferable to greenlighting a sequel, shepherding it through the development and production process, and trying to promote it against the backdrop of much more high-profile and anticipated projects featuring more beloved characters. Because of the narrative around the first film, getting people out for the sequel is going to be an even tougher sell. Even though the next director they might choose brings a certain amount of differentiation, it’s hard to do better than the previous year’s Best Director. And the cast was already top-notch. What possible new actor could enter the mix and move the needle?


    But for a streaming show, you’re not getting people to load up the family and settle in for two or three hours in the cinema. You’re asking them to boot up Disney Plus at their leisure and watch something poignant, thought-provoking, and moving. We just recently saw that with Andor, Star Wars was able to reset the narrative around that franchise because of the elevated quality of the storytelling and filmmaking of Tony Gilroy, even with lower-than-average streaming numbers. The calculus was that if you make something truly great, people will find it eventually, even if it isn’t fully steeped in the zeitgeist.

    The Eternals, by their very nature, have stood apart from the MCU meta-narrative until now. And with 7000 years to explore for each character, each Eternal should easily be able to command his or her own standalone narrative, shaped around a different director’s vision, and showcasing that character in more depth. And for each cast member, instead of having to find the time in their busy schedules for a full movie shoot, they can carve out their availability in tandem with the production, unconstrained by the continuity of one main story.

    Just think of the different styles that could be displayed, and the levels of experimentation that would allow them to deviate from the oft-derided “Marvel House Style.” Shooting one episode could be a way to get daring filmmakers like The Daniels in the door without holding them to the parameters of traditional MCU guardrails. And the endpoint of this experimentation would be the differentiation of each Eternal to a greater degree, and a bigger investment in those characters in the future, regardless of whether they appear together or apart.

    As much as we love Marvel, it’s really hard for them to make prestige television that still feels like it fits within the same universe as the films — especially when, for the most part, connectivity is a draw. But in the case of Eternals, they already leaned into the idea of these characters’ limited connections. So stories told in that space can just concentrate on being as interesting and powerful as possible. And Marvel should be able to attract interesting and powerful storytellers and filmmakers as they deepen and add more texture to the world of the Eternals. And that, in many ways, would do a lot more for the Eternals brand than any sequel film could.

  • Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira ‘s Okoye’s journey through the MCU has been as rough as anyone’s. Following T’Chaka’s death in Captain America: Civil War Okoye was present for T’Challa’s defeat at the hands of Killmonger in Black Panther. She then found herself on opposite sides of her husband in the fight for the throne. Thanos’ snap took another Wakandan King from the Dora Milaje General and though the Avengers’ battle against the Mad Titan resulted in T’Challa’s return, fate cruelly took him again, this time permanently, prior to the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. T’Challa’s death was followed by the abduction of Princess Shuri which led to Okoye’s dismissal as General at the command of Queen Ramonda who was killed by Namor a short time later.

    With little left to lose, Okoye rolled the dice and wore one of a pair of prototype Midnight Angel armors created by Shuri to aid in the battle against Talokan. As Wakanda Forever came to a close, Okoye used the armor to help free Everett Ross from custody, indicating that whatever the future holds for Okoye, it’s likely going to be tied to the powerful suit. That nebulous future might have something to do with one of the World of Wakanda spinoffs reportedly in the works. It’s long been thought that Gurira’s character would be the focus of one of those spinoffs and according to the actress, Okoye’s arc in Wakanda Forever originally ended in a way that set her character up to go on a journey of self-discovery.

    During a round of 20 questions with Deadline, Gurira told the outlet Okoye’s final moments in Wakanda Forever were meant to set her off to walk the Earth like David Carradine‘s Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu. Gurira relayed that the original ending of the film saw Okoye in Haiti with Nakia, T’Challa II and Shuri. As Okoye parted ways with the group, Shuri inquired about her future asking, “Are you going back to the Dora?” “My character says no.” continued Gurira, “and [Shuri] said, ‘Where are you going to go?’ and I was like, ‘Wherever my blue suit takes me,’ and she just walks off.” Gurira called the scene between Shuri and Okoye a “beautiful moment” and went on to describe director Ryan Coogler’s vision of what the future holds for the character.

    [Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.

    Danai Gurira

    Whatever the MCU future for Okoye turns out to be, it may be some time before fans see it. Executive Producer Nate Moore revealed that the Wakandan spinoff series is “probably not as far along as people want it to be” and Gurira has a full slate of Walking Dead-related projects ahead over the next few years. However, given Coogler’s passion for developing the World of Wakanda, there will certainly be more adventures including its characters while fans wait for the return of Okoye and her “blue suit.”

  • 12 Days of X-Mas: Day 2, Havok

    12 Days of X-Mas: Day 2, Havok

    The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.

    The X-Factor

    One of Fox’s most mysterious decisions in rebooting their own X-Men franchise in 2011’s X-Men: First Class was the choice to make Alex Summers the older brother of Scott and a member of Xavier’s first team of X-Men only to sideline him fairly quickly. Without being able to access the depths of Simon Kinberg’s mind, it’s impossible to know why Alex was underutilized but it really just seemed like Fox didn’t have a long-term plan for him. That’s good news for Marvel Studios because it allows them to make the easy choice to introduce Alex alongside Scott and then set him on his own path; a path that sets him on course to become the leader of his own team: X-Factor.

    Telling the best version of Alex’s story means having him separated from Scott. Rather than being given the advantages provided to Scott by Xavier, Alex’s struggles with his self-confidence and his emerging powers result in an alpha-level mutant whose lack of control makes him fairly dangerous. Ultimately though, like Scott, Alex is a born leader and allowing him to grow into his powers and then put together his own team would be a fantastic way to set him apart from Lucas Till’s forgettable version.

    Among its many failures, foremost of Fox’s foul-ups was that it never allowed its X-Men universe to grow and evolve beyond the core X-Men teams. The comics are loaded with mutant teams outside of the X-Men: X-Force, Excalibur, Generation X, hell even X-Statix all exist. Other than the brief assemblage of X-Force in Deadpool 2 and the ill-fated New Mutants, Fox stayed away from these teams. That means Marvel Studios can (and almost certainly will) dive headlong into developing them and Havok’s X-Factor should be one of the first and most important. While the team was originally just Scott’s X-Men working with the government, Alex put his own squad together and that squad is among the most memorable and powerful versions of X-Factor to have existed.

    Marvel Studios would be wise to let Alex grow into a leader of X-Factor and ultimately come into opposition to his brother and his more authoritarian approach to leadership. Though the brothers can’t harm one another with their powers, they could certainly go toe-to-toe and break out the fisticuffs should Havok still be around long enough to see his brother cause a schism among mutantkind. Marvel Studios certainly loves brother vs. brother drama. Beyond that, a Havok-led X-Factor team provides a fantastic way to grow the mutant-corner of the MCU beyond the adventures of the core and introduce some other incredibly important characters who were criminally underused by Fox: Polaris and Jamie Madrox. Whatever it is Marvel Studios has planned for the mutants, they should certainly make room for a proper portrayal of Alex Summers.

  • Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 28: Marvel’s Most Wanted 2023

    Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 28: Marvel’s Most Wanted 2023

    Marvel Studios 2022 slate was as uneven as any the studio has put out in some time. Strong streaming offerings such as Ms. Marvel and Werewolf by Night gave in-home entertainment a boost while theatrically Marvel put out one of its biggest duds in Thor: Love and Thunder. Will 2023 be a stronger year? Like 2022, all of the studio’s films are sequels but unlike 2022 none of the streaming series will add new heroes to the MCU. For 2023 to be a success, Marvel Studios had better have some good stories ready to roll!

    Which stories are the members of Team MM looking forward to the most? We ranked them by most anticipated movie, most anticipated series and most anticipated overall…and asked our Twitter followers to do the same! Here’s what we found out…

    Charles Murphy

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ironheart
    • Secret Invasion
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Loki, Season 2
    • The Marvels
    • Ironheart
    • Secret Invasion
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

    Torbjorn Frazier

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Secret Invasion
    • The Marvels
    • Ironheart

    Meghan Hall

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart

    Brandi Blahnik

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • Loki, Season 2
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2

    Darian Scalamoni

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Ironheart
    • The Marvels

    Joao Roque Pinto

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Secret Invasion
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Secret Invasion
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ironheart

    Shashwat

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • The Marvels
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart

    Anthony Canton III

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • The Marvels

    Hunter Radesi

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • The Marvels

    Dalbin Osorio

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • Loki, Season 2
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2

    Jeffrey Peterson

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • The Marvels
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • The Marvels
    • Ironheart

    MTF III

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • The Marvels
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Secret Invasion
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Secret Invasion
    • Loki, Season 2
    • The Marvels
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ironheart

    Jared Kirschenbaum

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    • Secret Invasion
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Loki, Season 2
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Ironheart
    • Secret Invasion

    Lanfranco

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • The Marvels
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Secret Invasion
    • The Marvels
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • Ironheart

    Mary Rowe

    Most Anticipated Movie
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    Most Anticipated Series
    • Secret Invasion
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ironheart
    Most Anticipated Project
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    • The Marvels
    • Secret Invasion
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    • Loki, Season 2
    • Ironheart

    MM Twitter Followers

    Over the course of the week, we ran 3 different polls asking our followers to vote on the same 3 categories. Here are the results…

    Most Anticipated Movie (4,930 votes)
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (38.8%)
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (37.4%)
    • The Marvels (23.8%)
    Most Anticipated Series (1,873 votes)
    • Loki, Season 2 (54%)
    • Secret Invasion (40.3%)
    • Ironheart (5.7%)
    Most Anticipated Project (3,983 votes)
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (35.3%)
    • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (34%)
    • Loki, Season 2 (16.1%)
    • Secret Invasion (14.6%)
  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Has a Big Advantage Over Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Has a Big Advantage Over Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    As Charlie Cox makes the media rounds to hype his upcoming Netflix spy thriller, Treason, he’s spending quite a bit of time answering questions all about another project of his: Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Daredevil: Born Again. The highly-anticipated and ambitious 18-episode series will see Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil take the lead in a project for the first time since bringing the character to the MCU and for the first time since Netflix’s Daredevil was canceled following its third season.

    In the months since the new series was announced, Cox has made it clear that Born Again won’t be a continuation of the Netflix series, calling it a “whole new deal“ and indicating that Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, “has been very clear about it being Season 1, not a Season 4.” He’s also made it clear that fans should expect the Disney Plus series to “tell some of the stories over and over again, in the same way that they do in the comics,” including, potentially, the character’s origin story making it very clear that Marvel Studios has plans to put their own, distinct mark on the character in order to set it apart from the Netflix series that was made without input from them.

    While speaking to Metro UK, Cox related that one big advantage the Disney Plus series will have over the Netflix one is that by being set within the MCU, it has “opened to door” for potential appearances of literally thousands of comic book characters that could never have appeared on Daredevil.

    I don’t know anything. I haven’t read anything from any scripts. So I don’t know. I have no idea. But the only thing that’s fun going forward for the Daredevil show is that of course when we were on Netflix, we didn’t have the opportunity to really have the crossovers other than the characters that we knew we had in that Netflix Marvel world.

    Charlie Cox

    For Cox, the possibility of characters crossing over into Daredevil: Born Again carries a lot of excitement with it because it brings the experience of the show closer to that of reading Daredevil comics, of which Cox is a big fan.

    Now that door is wide open to all sorts of possibilities and that, for me, as someone who’s become a great fan of the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s really exciting that that door is open and that we can have cameos from other characters that we couldn’t before.

    Charlie Cox

    Of course, unlike the Netflix series, Daredevil comics aren’t all dark, bloody and brooding. In fact, in the comics, Daredevil often finds himself squaring off with ridiculous villains with ridiculous gimmicks. As it turns out, one such character, who Cox refers to as a “ludicrous villain”, is high on the actor’s wishlist to appear in Born Again.

    The one I occasionally joke about – but I probably shouldn’t, because I don’t envision a world where it’s actually realistic that he shows up in our show – but I’ve always thought it’d be funny if Stilt-Man showed up. It’s such a ludicrous superhero, such a ludicrous villain that I just think it’d be funny if we found a way of doing that without it massively denting our credibility as an authentic truthful superhero show.

    Charlie Cox

    Should Cox’s advocacy for Stilt-Man result in the character actually appearing in Daredevil: Born Again, the beloved actor will have played a major role in fulfilling the childhood dreams of many a fan of Daredevil comics. Charlie Cox, Man of the People.

    Source: Metro

  • Charlie Cox Ready for More Fun with She-Hulk in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Charlie Cox Ready for More Fun with She-Hulk in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Charlie Cox‘s work as Matt Murdock and Daredevil in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law put an all-new, all-different spin on the character. For fans of the Netflix show, the carefree and funny Daredevil was a far cry from the morosity of the character in that series that they didn’t readily accept; for Cox, it was an enjoyable turn and one, it seems, he might like to revisit again.

    Following his brief appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Murdock is expected to next show up in Echo before getting back in the business of being the main focus of a series in Daredevil: Born Again, currently set to stream in 2024. Born Again, which was announced as one, 18-episode series starts production in February 2023 and is rumored to have its fair share of cameos and guest stars. In a new interview with Metro UK, Cox revealed that one guest star he’d like to see make the cut is She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany.

    “I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge fan of Tatiana’s and the fun we had on She-Hulk was some of the best fun I’ve had as that character,” said Cox. “I thought she was amazing as Jennifer Walters,” he continued, “and I would be a huge… certainly an advocate of her showing up in our show if she’s free and available and willing and all of those things. So I would love for that to happen. I have no idea if that is possible.”

    The two certainly shared a fun, onscreen chemistry in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and seeing Jen step into Murdock’s world of Hell’s Kitchen would present the opportunity for an intriguing contrast to their time together in San Francisco. As Cox points out, the possibility of such an appearance isn’t really up to him and while Maslany’s future in the MCU isn’t in question when her character appears next absolutely is. However, with Born Again filming for the majority of 2023, maybe the actress can find some time in her schedule to fit a few days of filming in.

    Source: Metro UK

  • The Road Map to ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    The Road Map to ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    For nearly two years, fans of the MCU took to social media to voice their concern that Marvel Studios’ post-Infinity Saga era lacked direction. Those criticisms seemed misplaced at the time (imagine pretending to know that Thanos was coming following 2011’s Thor) but once Kevin Feige rolled out the first look at the Multiverse Saga at SDCC ’22, they became completely irrelevant. Feige’s ambitious plan for the new saga included another double-dip of Avengers films among the current total of 13 unreleased films (expect Spidey 4 to join that number eventually).

    Even with the One-Above-All’s plan laid out in plain sight, it’s still a bit hard to see how the MCU gets from here to there. After all, at this point in the Multiverse Saga, only a handful of projects have been…Multiversal. So which projects in Phases 5 and 6 are shaping up to be the most important on the road to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty? Here’s our best guess…

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

    This one isn’t much of a guess as it’s all but confirmed to lead directly to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. But how? Our best guess is that the events of Quantumania won’t actually result in Kang getting turned loose into the world just yet. Why not? Because there’s just too much story to get through between Quantumania and The Kang Dynasty to have Kang running about all willy-nilly in the MCU for 2 years. What Quantumania can and will do, however, is establish Kang the Conqueror as a major threat to the Multiverse and it might also serve as the Multiverse Saga’s “Thanos is coming” moment. Whichever members of the Ant-Family make it out of the Quantum Realm will surely relay their knowledge of the villain to whoever it is that makes up the new team of Avengers. Sounds like it’s going to be Cassie Lang’s turn to follow in her father’s footsteps and make up for a big mistake…

    Loki, Season 2

    Season 2 of Loki both is and is not exactly what you think it is. As details about the villain of the series start to trickle out, fans are starting to put together some pretty great theories about what might happen…but most of those theories get off to a false start. Though Season 1 lead writer Michael Waldron is off working on Avengers: Secret Wars, Eric Martin (who did a great deal of work on Season 1), took the lead. The continuity from Season 1 to Season 2 is going to pay major dividends as Season 2 picks up directly where Season 1 left off. It’s just that Season 1 didn’t leave off in the way many believe it did. Season 2 will also deal with the now out-of-control Multiverse and see Sylvie faced with the consequences of the choice she made when she shanked He Who Remains. He warned her. She didn’t listen. What happens when she finds out just how bad it’s gotten? Finally, Season 2 looks to include Jonathan Majors‘ Kang. Is he the same Kang as the one in Quantumania? Has he escaped from the Quantum Realm or is this before he became trapped there? Is he a new Variant? Season 2’s gonna be a trip.

    The Marvels

    It’s likely that every project in Phases 5 and 6 will have something that is ultimately somehow related to one or both of the Avengers’ films in the Multiverse Saga. Whether it be plot points, character developments or threads left hanging, most of the projects will tie into them one way or another. The big rumor for The Marvels is that it will actually delve pretty heavily into the idea of incursions that was introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That’s a pretty important bit as Reed Richard’s explanation of what they are might not have given the entire picture, but just what he knew about them at the time.

    Captain America: New World Order

    Don’t expect Kang to pop in here or for a world-ending incursion to happen in the first act. Do expect this to be the first global-level story of the Multiverse Saga and for it to clarify some details that have been fairly casually thrown into different Phase 4 projects. The Sokovia Accord were established in Captain America: Civil War and the Avengers spent an entire movie fighting over them; those same accords were casually revealed to have been repealed in one line of dialogue spoken by Matt Murdock in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. So what happens when there’s something worth fighting over now? The present-day MCU has no Avengers. But they’ll need some in 2025 otherwise calling it Avengers: The Kang Dynasty would be pretty silly. Will the New Avengers be formed during this movie? Or will this movie be the pivot point for the Multiverse Saga in that it will make it clear that the time has come for the New Avengers to come together?

    Deadpool and Wolverine

    Hugh Jackman‘s revelation that whatever this movie is called will involve time travel all but confirms that it will be an incursion-fest. I actually love the idea of Deadpool causing a whole mess of incursions that accelerate the destruction of the Multiverse. He’s not a serious character who should be trying to face off against Kang, but it is in keeping with the character that his actions, as noble as he may think they are, would create a major mess that others would have to clean up. If this film becomes the adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe which has been theorized here and there, it would be a wonderful way to build a true, all-inclusive Multiverse while capitalizing on Ryan Reynolds‘ popularity and love for Deadpool.

    Fantastic Four

    It’s hard to imagine a Fantastic Four film taking place in the MCU that doesn’t somehow connect to the Multiverse Saga. The current rumblings around the plot point toward it shaping up to be a little Cosmic in nature and to involve the Silver Surfer. Of course, at this point in the game, there’s no context for what his purpose in the film might be. Whatever the case, he’s certainly no villain but one of his comic book powers might serve an interesting purpose in Fantastic Four. When gifted with the Power Cosmic by Galactus, the Cosmic Wanderer gained Cosmic Awareness. This power allowed him to sense things about the universe that others couldn’t. He could perceive changes in energy in the universe and determine the location of said changes. If the 616 reality were in some jeopardy through an incursion, it’s incredibly likely that the Surfer would know about it first. From there it’s not much of a…stretch…to think he might find himself working with one of the smartest people on the planet to determine the nature of the incursion. From there it follows that Reed might create a device that would allow him to peer into other realities to see if they’re in similar danger. From there it’s possible he might meet other Reeds. Having a plan for dealing with incursions and/or Kang would seem like a pretty major deal. Could an evil Reed be the villain here? Another version of Kang, such as Immortus? Too many unknowns at the moment, but if Marvel Studios wants to set this apart from Fox’s efforts with the First Family, this would do the trick.

    Shang-Chi 2

    The rumored title of Shang-Chi and The Wreckage of Time opens up some fascinating possibilities for the sequel to 2021’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. More importantly, it also established one of Marvel Studios’ newest heroes as one of the key figures in the Multiverse Saga. The Wreckage of Time would seem to point directly at Kang’s involvement in this movie and, as indicated earlier, he still has to get out of the Quantum Realm somehow. I still think this movie takes place before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, though the current slate does not show that. I’ve been asking for a Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel team-up and this could be it. Theories that those two characters have weapons that are ultimately a major part of the Multiverse Saga might be on to something, but instead of them being part of taking down Kang, what if they somehow end up being part of how he’s freed from the Quantum Realm. Just because Kang can’t get out doesn’t mean he might now have allies on the outside. Once freed from the Quantum Realm, Kang would certainly be at liberty to do some serious damage to the timestream.

    Nomad

    Source: MCU Exchange

    Is Nomad even happening?! There’s still no official word on the project that we first reported was in the works over 2 years ago, but it really is…right? Is it a TV series? A film? Nobody seems to know but if it were a film about Steve Rogers’ time returning the Infinity Stones, it could turn into an incursion-palooza that, much like Deadpool and Wolverine, could speed up the timeline toward Avengers: Secret Wars. As detailed here, a guy like Steve Rogers visiting these other timelines could be a way worse idea than you’d think. If he chose to right some minor wrong while he was in each of those alternate timelines (as nicely detailed in the image from MCU Exchange), this project could serve as the ultimate connecting piece between Marvel Studios’ two Sagas and show fans just how time messes back, as Tony Stark warned.

    It’s not exactly the Yellow-Brick Road, but these projects could easily set the stage for the events of The Kang Dynasty. How does the story go from there to Secret Wars? Stay tuned, True Believers…

  • ‘Echo’ Showrunner Confirms Disney+ Series’ Delay

    ‘Echo’ Showrunner Confirms Disney+ Series’ Delay

    Marion Dayre, the showrunner of the upcoming Marvel Studios’ series Echo has recently joined Ben Blacker‘s The Writers Panel and during the recording she seemingly confirms that the upcoming Disney+ series may have been postponed. Not only that, but it might be quite a bit longer until we see the series premiere.

    In her interview, she reveals that it’ll release “probably a year from when this comes out.” There have been rumors swirling that Echo might be facing some challenges behind-the-scenes, and a delay by a year might be a sign of heavy reshoots in its future. The reasoning for this delay? We might never know and there are always multiple factors to why these decisions are made.

    It’s part of the mystery with these projects and delays aren’t as uncommon as one might think. Marvel Studios is likely going to shift its release schedule quite a bit moving forward, SDCC was always more for the fans that wanted to know what’s heading their way. Still, they aren’t rushing any project out to take its release date or haven’t announced anything. Perhaps a new Special Presentation could be filmed in time for the summer?

    Also, Marvel Studios already had a pretty massive 2023 planned. So, one project getting pushed back may not be the end of the world for the production studio. They’ve been taking their time to get Blade just right, and with Echo having already filmed, they are using the time to put the pieces together. For now, we only have a rumor mill and Dayre‘s confirmation of it not hitting its originally revealed Summer 2023 release.

    Source: Writer’s Panel

  • ‘Loki’s Harsh Reflection of New Employment

    ‘Loki’s Harsh Reflection of New Employment

    Last year, Marvel Studios released Loki on Disney+. Most of the time spent with the series, we explore Tom Hiddleston‘s return as the reluctant hero, as he finds himself beyond time with not much left ahead. The only way for survival? Join the Time Variance Authority and try to find his purpose once again in a world he’s unfamiliar with. He’s a fish out of water, stuck at a desk job with small moments of looking beyond. He starts realising that there’s more at play, as some big shot at the top is guiding everyone’s stories and seemingly determining whatever fate has ready for everyone across the timestream.

    Loki is a science fiction story at its hear that offers a unique tale even among the already varied Phase 4 of projects. Yet, looking back, there’s something that perhaps got lost in the usual Marvel flair. There are many interpretations that could stick with someone looking at Loki’s journey alongside his new mentor Mobius. He’s asked to do one simply thing: work within the perimeters set by the TVA, become a member of its overarching cause and belief in the leadership of the Time Keepers.

    It’s not difficult to make the connection that the TVA’s monotony and the way they only know what’s important to their job reflects the way we assimilate to the job’s that help us afford a livinig. If we want to exist, we need money to pay for everything. So, we get stuck with the work and at one point find ourselves in an endless cycle that seems almost impossible to escape. Mobius represents the man who’s been there long and starts to see what’s going wrong to finally embrace a new freedom. Perhaps he’ll finally make that dream come true and find some peace; no matter how short-lived it might be.

    Yet, like clockwork, everything resets and he’s exactly where he was just under new leadership. In some ways, we’re creatures of habits stuck in routine and a little hope that one day we can ride that jet ski ourselves. Loki represents those that are searching for purpose in a new position. Perhaps trying something different, leaving the familiar is a way to find that purpose one couldn’t seemingly grab before. You try the usual but it doesn’t really seem to work like it used to. You’re asked to adjust and figure out how things work, but you’ll never truly feel “at home.”

    So, you start to question what exactly are you doing here. Suddenly, he gets a chance in the form of a free pass out of this world he thought could give him what he wanted. Sylvie gives him exactly what he was looking for or had no idea he might need at the time. It begs the question, would you take it? May it be a new job or a business opportunity, isn’t Sylvie just that same reflection back at us? Not just that, doesn’t she also represent the self-doubt that we face ourselves making that very decision, may it be before or even after. Could it be that we’re just replacing one cubicle with another?

    Even as you build a connection with someone like Loki and Mobius did, there might be that feeling of something being off. The purpose you hoped to find and prove it to the person that brought you on, the one that believed in you, may just be a raindrop leaving its ripples in an ocean. Sometimes you may have a chance to take that experience with you, but there’s also the chance you’ll be walking a rather lonely path. Sometimes the harsh reality is just: you don’t quite fit in as you’d hoped you would.

    It’s not a universal issue. Some might be that person that fits in perfectly. They find their own purpose in taking that deep dive into a world they can feel comfortable in. Yet, there are also those that may not realize just how their old stomping grounds shaped them to not fit in anywhere else. No matter if the discussion becomes about nature vs. nurture, there’s still a place out there for us. Sometimes leaving the familiar forces us to accept that very fact. The question always remains: what are we willing to sacrifice along the way?

    The things we love won’t always stay that way, as our mental health may take its toll through every new hardship we are confronted with. Even places we once felt at home will potentially change and leave its own sour taste. So, any venture outside will not be easy and there will be bumps along the way. If it doesn’t work the first time, one might try and try again. The biggest challenge is not to lose yourself along the way or get too stuck with who you were; especially not who you wanted to be if it’s not in sight. We all have our moment of sitting there, reflecting on our life and the future that lies ahead. The future we envisioned may never came to pass with a simple snap, and it becomes even harsher if the new one we try to shape doesn’t quite measure up to it. But, just like Loki, perhaps Season 2 can lead us down the path we’re looking for. One can always hope.