Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel

  • Ant-Man, Wasp & Young Avengers: All-Out Kaiju Attack

    Ant-Man, Wasp & Young Avengers: All-Out Kaiju Attack

    It has been a bit quiet on Marvel Studios’ front. There were some tidbits here and there but nothing major. Well, looks like we got our biggest news just a few days ago. It was finally quasi confirmed that the next installment in the Ant-Man and the Wasp will be released in 2022. We still don’t know much about the project as of now but there are so many possibilities. Ant-Man showed what is possible when a man can shrink. We got a story inspired by classic heist films. The sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp played around with a stronger comedy-vibe. Director Peyton Reed got a chance to play around with Pym tech to highlight what is possible. Now, the question is where does he go from here? Well, I believe the next installment should take its inspirations from Kaiju films. 

    Young Recruits

    There have been a lot of rumors floating around about what the next film will be about. One rumor pointed to the film being the introduction of the Young Avengers. Most of the team members are being introduced in their own series. Avengers: Endgame also gave us an aged-up Cassie Lang. It is a great way to introduce her to the team and give her a chance to become her own heroine. We are about to enter the next generation of heroes. They will need some guidance and the Pym family are a perfect choice. Who knows how many young heroes are out there in the world without someone to help them control their abilities. What if one of them might be much more dangerous than they know?

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    The upcoming Ms. Marvel show will reintroduce the Inhumans to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While nothing is confirmed, there is a good chance we might see the Terrigen bomb go off. This won’t just affect Kamala Khan but many other unsuspecting people. Among them is a young man named Kei Kawade a.ka. Kaiju Kid. He played a major role in Marvel’s Monsters Unleashed storyline. The reason for his name is due to his ability to summon monsters through his drawings. He later even learns that he can fuse or create new monsters at will. Not only would he make for a great addition to the Young Avengers but also create a unique challenge for the young heroes to face under the tutelage of Scott and Hope.

    Size-Able Match

    We know that M.O.D.O.K. was featured in an earlier draft of the third installment. The leader of A.I.M. could still fit into a story with Kaiju Kid. I am getting inspired by the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game here. That games’ story sees George Tarleton trying to save Inhumans before turning into the iconic giant head in a floating chair. They can still use this base concept and flip it on its head, A.I.M could still be in the script. With a sudden spike in monster appearances since the Terrigen incident, A.I.M is hunting down its source of origin. The organization filled the void that Tony Stark left behind after his death in Avengers: Endgame. After purchasing Hammer Industries, they became the #1 weapon manufactures and even added their own private army. It is unclear who took over the company after their original founder Aldrich Killian passed away. Still, someone is pulling the ropes behind the scenes.

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    It becomes a race for Ant-Man and Wasp to locate who they believe might be behind it. Scott is forced to turn into Giant-Man multiple times to take down a variety of different monsters. They also get interrupted by A.I.M that are overly vigilant towards the young team. As time goes by, the mysterious mastermind starts to get more involved as he realizes that Pym is also a part of the hunt. It all comes to the moment that an unsuspecting Kawade gets confronted by the private army. Scott tries to come to his rescue but also ends up captured. Both are brought in front of the man behind the scenes, M.O.D.O.K. He reveals that he once worked alongside Pym for S.H.I.E.L.D. His own ventures into the Quantum Realm opened his eyes to a new world and took a toll on his body, but his mind now knows everything he needs to know.

    Kaiju Showdown

    In his elongated speech, M.O.D.O.K. reveals that he has no interest in the Inhuman gene. The reality is that he was focused on the Quantum remnant that was found on each of the monsters. A part of his Inhumanity is connected to the realm, which allows him to imagine the kaiju he summons. He doesn’t have full control over them but it is something Michelle Pfeiffer‘s Janet van Dyne can help him control. Sadly, Kawade is worried he will hurt someone. He doesn’t want to lose his parents and feels threatened by both groups. He starts frantically finishing a drawing he’s been working on throughout the film so that they would leave him alone. The final monster he summons will be the biggest yet. Maybe he will even be someone we’ve met before.

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    Earlier this year, we heard a rumor that an iconic dragon of the Marvel universe will make his debut in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It is none other than the giant dragon that was introduced in Strange Tales #89, Fin Fang Foom. Yes, in the middle of the final battle between A.I.M.. and the Young Avengers, Kid Kaiju accidentally summons the MCU’s version of Godzilla. The young team fights a group of robots and Beekeepers, as Scott is forced to fight the colossal dragon. They could pay a great tribute by having them fight through miniature buildings that get destroyed throughout their fight. Part of me wished they’d even have a few shots of Fin Fang Foom being a guy in a rubber suit because Scott gets electrocuted and can’t see clearly. It all ends with Cassie joining the fray and calming down Kei, as A.I.M. retreats to fight another day. Foom gets transported back to where he came from, as Scott managed to keep him at bay. Janet promises to help him hone his abilities and he becomes a member of the now officially formed Young Avengers. Scott looks on in pride as his own daughter joins them.

    Quantum All The Way

    This concept continues where we left off. Hank and Janet are still researching the Quantum Realm, especially after the Avengers managed to travel through time during Endgame. M.O.D.O.K. being connected to it also adds to why the character is quite unhinged throughout the story. Pym has a similar track record like Tony for former colleagues turning evil. This way, the resurgence of A.I.M. also fits into the story and gives them a reason to be an active participant. Kid Kaiju’s ability of inter-dimensional vision in the comics. We know that this has been connected to the Quantum Realm, so it makes sense to connect these abilities. It also opens up a whole new world to explore as Hank might try to decipher what connection the Inhuman gene might have with the realm. MCU isn’t a stranger to tweaking some origins, so the film could also be introduced to explore how exactly the Kree has created this new race of humans long ago. Still, this is just an idea by connecting various dots that have been preventing themselves during the pandemic. Whatever Peyton Reed may have planned, I cannot wait to see it.

    Source: DisInsider, Digital Spy

  • Data Leaks Reveal Spider-Man & Black Panther Coming to ‘Fortnite’

    Data Leaks Reveal Spider-Man & Black Panther Coming to ‘Fortnite’

    Once again we are diving into the world of data leaks. To add some variety, we are going to explore a different game. Today’s focus will be one of Twitch’s most popular games, Fortnite. Yes, even Epic’s game isn’t safe from data miners. They just entered their fourth chapter that was titled Nexus War. It is a massive crossover with Marvel that features characters like Thor, Iron Man, Galactus, and many more. The iconic Battle Royale map has also been completely overhauled for the event. Looks like there is still more to come, as a few data miners have uncovered achievements that hint at the addition of Spider-Man at some point.

    It all started when it was uncovered that a variety of costumes are included in the game from Marvel that has yet to be confirmed. Not too long ago, it was leaked that a potential Silver Surfer outfit would be added at some point. Most of the design already seemed ready to launch.

    These were confirmed by data miners ShiinaBR and HYPEX, who then also shared the visuals of the in-game bundle in action. These users have been actively sharing details on the massive crossover event. It doesn’t end there, as they also found unique sounds that would also confirm the appearance of a Black Panther skin.

    Now, let’s get to the big reveal with the least evidence so far. The inclusion of Silver Surfer and Black Panther does confirm some credibility to what they found within the game’s data. In addition to these reveals, there was a curious inclusion of achievements for Spider-Man. Most notably, one that includes his iconic logo. There is also data that suggests that Carnage is also a potential skin within the game’s code.

    Unlike Silver Surfer, we have no idea what designs these characters will have. Still, Fortnite art design is great in translating these characters into 3D models. Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Doom look great in-game already. So, these additions are going to fit right in. This season has been a massive event with countless new characters being added to the game. It will be interesting to see just how big this will end by the time Marvel and Epic have revealed all their plans.

    Source: GameRant, Forbes, Twitter (Fortnite News), Twitter (Spider-Man HYPEX), Twitter (Spider-Man ShiinaBR), Twitter (Black Panther)

  • Sandra Saad Talks Playing ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Kamala Khan

    Sandra Saad Talks Playing ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Kamala Khan

    Kamala Khan is slowly coming into the spotlight. She was first introduced in 2014 in Captain Marvel #14. She got her own series that focused on her struggles balancing her life as a Pakistani American and an Inhuman. She idolizes Captain Marvel and takes over her former mantle as Ms. Marvel. It’s a story that found a lot of appeal in the market, especially with her being the first real Muslim to headline her own comic.

    She has seen a spike in popularity after appearing in Marvel Rising series. Kathreen Kavari voice the character in this series and many others, which include Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, and Marvel Future Avengers. Now, she will also headline her own MCU series on Disney+ and will be playable in Marvel’s Avengers. Actress Sandra Saad performed the mo-capture for the character and voices her. In an interview with GameSpot, she talked about taking on the role of the freshly initiated Avenger. The biggest challenge was how to play someone who can embiggen.

    I think I just did whatever I wanted. There was a lot of like, ‘Hey, what do you think it feels like to embiggen? Do that.’ And thankfully it worked out. Crystal Dynamics does a really good job of showing me the abilities and showing me the stuff that they’ve come up with. And that really helps inform what the movements are supposed to be. There’s only so much a human of my actual size can do, but I try.

    She also discussed what is in store for Kamala in the story. Even the Beta teased that she and Hulk will share quite a few moments. Seems like we can expect a lot of emotional moments once we get our hands on the full game.

    I’m not going to give anything away, but she does have special moments with everyone because it’s an Avengers story. It’s not just the Hulk and Kamala story. She relates to all of them just from her own abilities. And just from knowing everyone’s abilities already, you can see how they all relate to her as her heroes. But the Hulk, as you know, he’s a monster who has this thing about him that he can’t really control and Kamala does, too. She has this new power and she’s like, ‘What do I do with it? Is this weird? How do I even use it? Do I use it for good? Is this a disease? What is it?’ And so in that way, you can see that they both have a lot of similarities.

    Saad has already given us a great interpretation going by the Beta experience. She gives Kamala a lot of energy, as she tries to reassemble the Avengers. There is a moment in the Beta where she finds old gear from the team and her inner fan leaking out was quite the joy to see. We are only over a week away from the game’s official release. Just recently it was revealed that we will get one more War Table that will tease the post-launch content. Let’s see what the future holds for Kamala and the Avengers.

    Source: GameSpot

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Had an A-Day Problem

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Had an A-Day Problem

    I’ll start this off by saying that I am excited for the full release of Marvel’s Avengers. I had a blast playing the Beta for three weekends. Sunk about 20+ hours into this version alone. This is more than I have put into other games and still waiting for the actual release. There still was something about this game I just wanted to explore. To some degree, it’s been talked about since the initial announcement. I am not here to discuss people’s preferences. Everyone has their own opinion This article is also not to bash the game itself. What I want to talk about what I believe was Avengers’ biggest misstep. The game mismanaged its marketing that it created an A-Day problem.

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    When the game was initially revealed, I became cautiously optimistic. The way they tried to sell this game was that it would continuously expand. You buy the game once and every expansion is for free. I have experience with Destiny that tried something similar. Just lost interest as I had to pay extra for each additional season. The fact that this isn’t the case here had my attention. It makes its profit off of additional costumes or trinkets that you can buy through a market place. So, it is up to you to spend money on the game if you really want a specific look.

    That did make some people quite nervous. The timing was terrible for this announcement. Anthem and Fallout 76 had performed terribly in their release with the same promise. It took them years to get to that point they promised but lost many players along the way. Its main focus on multiplayer made the actual content feel rushed even when it worked. Now, everyone feared the same for Avengers.

    Our first experience with the game was a story trailer. Taskmaster attacks the Avengers on A-Day. We get a glimpse of gameplay as they fight on the Golden Gate bridge. At the time, we had no idea about Kamala Khan being playable as she narrates the trailer. There were small glimpses of other story missions but it primarily focused on the opening act. This was our inciting incident for the story that kickstarts a global adventure. Still, these glimpses didn’t tell us much about what kind of game or story we can expect.

    To be fair, neither did the original 2016 reveal trailer for Spider-Man. That just teased some confrontations but purely focused on the titular character in costume. What Insomniac did nail was the true turning point of hype for the game. At E3 2017, they didn’t just give us another trailer but a total of 8-minutes of gameplay. It was a mission set during the game rather than just the opening. Plus, we only see one singular character’s face model, which was Martin Li. After recently playing both games back-to-back, I noticed similarities between their models. Most notably, how the hair is designed. It wouldn’t be surprising that they are working from the same engine. 

    Either way, back to Avengers. Crystal Dynamics ended their E3 panel with the announcement that there will be more content post-launch. The thought of additional heroes and maps for free is a great selling point. The only issues are that players were jaded by past experiences with such promises. Worst of all, they didn’t say what these expansions meant for the game. Is it an unfinished story that keeps expanding? Would each expansion add a new main threat? There was no transparency about what additional content would mean. Especially as they barely showed the base game. What could’ve been a selling point became a promise for more. It was that fact that got people nervous and it made people question the game from the start.

    Okay, that isn’t quite fair. We did get a massive 19-minute demo of A-Day. This gave us a look at how the core Avengers played. It was rough around the edges but it looked promising. My only gripe was that the HUD seemed to lack personality. At the time, a lot of people were asking for more characters. They never revealed anything as people shouted for Hawkeye but demand was there. What was important was to build on this momentum towards the April release. Well, that’s how it should’ve been.

    The original release date of May got delayed until September. More time meant they could polish the game. The only thing they really revealed was that Ms. Marvel was a playable character. Each trailer continued to just tease brief glimpses of actual gameplay. It only showed you in missions running around and beating up minions. In a way, it was the marketing that started the feeling of “repetitive” long before we got to play it. What was revealed about the story? A-Day of course, repeating mostly what we’ve already seen with some snippets of the aftermath. Whoever was already skeptical just felt justified based on the lack of content presented.

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    What’s worse, it created a feeling that they weren’t at a point to show much more. Most notably, nothing was revealed for how multiplayer worked. The question would arise about how would it balance a single-player? They made promises of years worth of content. Yet, it seems that they are embarrassed to show more of the base game. It felt like the only true story mission is A-Day with maybe some scenarios here and there. Most of the game would be multiplayer which added to the fear of repetition. The game barely showed anything and that first impression has cemented. Some believed it just focused on single-player it would’ve been better. Just like I did, comparisons to Spider-Man are inevitable.

    There was a turning point though. The first marketing push that went beyond A-Day was the first War Table in June. That means since it’s announcement back in September 2019, it took them around 10 months before we got anything substantial about what exactly Avengers is. One could point out that the pandemic didn’t help matters. Still, there were only. a few months left until launch day. Personally, the June War Table was what sold me initially on the game. It was my jumping on point so I believe it was a great direction. Especially with the promise of consistent updates through this format.

    It finally revealed how the game plays. We got a feeling for the customization options and what mission types will be included. Crystal Dynamics also used comic panels as a reference to show their research. This was a great touch to show they paid attention. I loved that the gear has different effects from comic history, like Pym Particles to shrink enemies. Yes, it would’ve been nice if there were actual visual changes. Still, it also goes against the whole unique costume approach. It wasn’t until this moment that the game finally felt like it was coming together. The only thing is, it did so two months before release. For most, this was already too late to change that first impression that dominated since the announcement. I will point out though, that I have actively seen much more enthusiasm and enjoyment since the Beta launched.

    So, the game was finally picking up steam. Then, Sony announces that Spider-Man was exclusive to PlayStation. For some, this was a boiling point that just enhanced the already negative first impression. Square-Enix slowly started rolling out movie-level tie-in products. These created this feeling of disconnect or “anti-consumerism” as some called it. Keep in mind though, this is not a new practice. PlayStation has used the exclusivity model even back in 2009 with Batman: Arkham Asylum. PS owners were the only ones able to play as Joker at the time.

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    The reality is, it is a selling point. Also, Sony wants to remain consistent with its brand. Spider-Man is an exclusive franchise on their console. They probably went into heavy negotiations to ensure it remains that way. Actually, Sony generally has an obsession with exclusivity deals. Destiny 2: Forsaken and Fortnite have an extreme amount of exclusive skins or weapons. The spotlight on a major brand like Marvel just made Sony’s model stand out more. If it weren’t for Spider-Man, the other promotional items would’ve been ignored. Yet, no matter how the Internet reacts, the pre-orders for the game skyrocketed because a character as iconic as Spider-Man will draw in attention. It’s not a good practice but it sadly just works.

    Everything calmed down a bit as the Beta was finally made available. Reactions seemed more positive with the usual outliers just reiterating their existing concerns. Naturally, the Beta is a very chopped up version of the game. People that are concerned about a lack of story will get that same feeling here. The Beta rushes through A-Day without warning the player. It once created the image of this is how the game works. Besides, one concern was the mission diversity. Naturally, by the time the third week rolled around, people were still playing it. At that point, it could only be repetitive. Let’s be honest, the bugs and re-used assets didn’t help. Nothing was added throughout the week that just limited the experience. It probably would’ve been better off with just two weeks. This most likely was extended to three because Sony had to have an extra weekend exclusive to them.

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    I am not here to discuss what the Beta is or isn’t. Mainly wanted to point out how this early access also paints the picture from a marketing point-of-view. Especially with how they are heavily advertising that people can access it. Also, this gave us an important opportunity to get a vision for how involved Crystal Dynamics will be. How would they handle critique from the player base to ensure longevity? The inclusion of a Discord network and open communication via Social Media took away some of my concerns. They were actively communicating and adapting according to feedback. Hell, they even updated the Beta regularly throughout all three weeks. This gave some a sense of security that was sorely lacking before.

    The game has flaws and it is uncertain if they will be able to fix everything by the time it is released. We don’t know how frequently we can expect new updates. Luckily, a leak did show that there are quite a few heroic additions planned. Everyone has their preference. I believe that marketing did create a lot of bias that is hard to overcome. The models were rough. We barely knew anything about it. All we knew, was 5Gum gets you a free Emote. Their promotion team just took the wrong angle. They believed A-Day alone could sell the game until shortly before launch. Its focus on exclusivity deals and brandings watered down the work Crystal Dynamics put in for some.

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    Yet, saying it would’ve been better as a single-player game does the same thing. I believe it when they said this game ambitious. They approached it from the beginning as an expanding adventure. If done right, this could be an amazing experience. Sadly, they just didn’t really sell it for a long time. Avengers had a chance to grow out of the shadows of those that came before. I believe that if they stick to the War Table updates, continue to communicate with their active players, and clean up the bugs, this game could be a long-term experience many will not want to miss out on. Here’s hoping we get one more War Table before launch that just maybe teases that ambition a bit more.

    Source: Polygon, PlayStation (Joker), Forbes, Fortnite Insider

  • ‘THE GOOD PLACE’S” William Jackson Harper to Narrate ‘Black Panther’ Audio Series

    ‘THE GOOD PLACE’S” William Jackson Harper to Narrate ‘Black Panther’ Audio Series

    We’ve talked about video games, films and comics so far. Now, it’s time to explore a completely new part of the media multiverse, audio dramas. Marvel is no stranger to these kinds of projects. They’ve created a series focused on everyone’s favorite Wolverine titled Wolverine: The Lost Trail. There also is an audio drama focused on the king of Wakanda, T’Challa. The story Black Panther: The Young Prince explored his childhood.

    It seems that they aren’t quite done yet with the cat-friendly superhero, as they are expanding with one more titled Marvel’s Black Panther: Sins of the King. It will be released in January, as it follows the T’Challa facing a reality where his father was accidentally brought back to life. Now, it was revealed that The Good Place‘s William Jackson Harper will be narrating the story. He shared his enthusiasm in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

    “I remember seeing Black Panther in the theatre and just being giddy about how many kids like me will have this be one of their first and formative sci-fi experiences, and how open they will be to seeing all kinds of people inhabiting these worlds as they grow older, which is why I am thrilled to be a part of this project.”

    It’s always great to see companies branch out and try new approaches to reach audiences. Stories that focus on characters like Black Panther are especially important to share, as Harper points out. DC has also started exploring the world of audio drama with its recent release of The Sandman on Audible. Hopefully, this could also kickstart Harper‘s chancing of joining the upcoming sequel to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther. He was amazing in The Good Place and would make a great addition to that film’s cast. Either way, it will be exciting to hear his narration once Marvel’s Black Panther Sins of the King releases.

    Source: Wolverine Podcast, Penguin, The Hollywood Reporter, Audible

  • Thor Confirmed for ‘Fortnite’ Season 4

    Thor Confirmed for ‘Fortnite’ Season 4

    Fortnite somehow has become the center of all pop culture. The game has just ended it’s fourth season Splash Down. Players got the chance to unlock Aquaman as a skin in the game. He isn’t the first hero to join the free-to-play giant. The game already includes various pop culture icons like Joker, Batman, Catwoman, Deadpool, Captain America and many more.

    They had an event where one person got to play as Thanos. If a player found the Infinity Gauntlet on the map, he would become the mad titan. Just recently, anyone who plays through Marvel’s Avengers beta even can unlock unique weapons from Hulk and the Hulkbuster. Looks like Marvel isn’t quite done yet as they revealed that the God of Thunder will arrive for the game with an announcement coming later this month.

    No matter how one feels about Fortnite, the game has grown at an astounding rate. Personally, never got into it but did love the way it handled world building. Every season leads into the next and is teased throughout the previous one. This announcement also confirms the leaks that Galactus will show up at one point. It is uncertain if he will be a skin or just part of that seasons’ storyline. The reveal of Thor also confirms that he will be wearing his latest design. Will point out though, that there is a still a chance that we get his more iconic costume. Still, this might be a way for Marvel to get more people interested in checking out his latest series. Also, it may have some tie-ins to the upcoming release of Avengers.

    Source: Epic Games, Twitter, Forbes

  • ‘New Mutants’ Originally Pitched as a Trilogy With Potential Crossovers

    ‘New Mutants’ Originally Pitched as a Trilogy With Potential Crossovers

    New Mutants had quite a rough journey. They finished filming while Fox got purchased by Disney. As a result, it constantly got delayed. Then, it finally seemed like it would see the day of light until the pandemic hit. Once again, the potentially last Fox X-Men entry was on hold. It is unsure how it will fit into the new structure, as Marvel Studios continues its MCU expansion. We still do not know if this will become part of the MCU or just be treated as the ending of another world. Director Josh Boone offered some insight into what the original plans were.

     “When we sold it originally, we conceptually sold it as a trilogy, with the second one being an alien invasion movie set in Brazil where Roberto is, where his dad is, who is part of the Hellfire Club. Then, the last one was hopefully going to dovetail with the X-Men movies and we were going to do Inferno, that crossover, which had all these supernatural, satanic horror elements. The idea was to try to do a different genre, subgenre, of horror movie with each of these movies. That was the idea, but it wasn’t something we thought much about because of the merger and everything else.“

    The concept sounds amazing. Each film would’ve been focused on a different horror genre? That sounds like a great concept to explore. It also is quite the selling point for the New Mutants that it dives into horror rather than stick to superhero conventions. As the article by CBM points out, this also means we would’ve gotten Darkchilde at one point. This is the final transformation of Magik, who played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Plus, the potential of crossovers is always a bonus. The potential of seeing X-Men from other movies stuck in a horror story is quite enticing.

    It will be interesting to see how the film performs and what it will mean for the future of the Marvel franchise. We know that Kevin Feige has plans for the X-Men within the MCU at one point. At the same time, we might see the introduction of the Inhumans through the Disney+ show Ms. Marvel. They could also use the multiverse concept teased for the next Doctor Strange installment to connect the worlds as a final tribute to the bygone era of the Fox X-Men.

    Source: ComicBookMovie.com

     

     

  • ‘Captain Marvel’ Script Originally Included Talos’ Death

    ‘Captain Marvel’ Script Originally Included Talos’ Death

    It’s always fascinating how much films change throughout productions. While the scripts originally plan out the entire story, changes are still going to happen. This could either be the actor’s performance or just some pacing issues fixed through re-shoots. Looks like one change actually saved a fan-favorite character from Captain Marvel a gruesome fate. It is none other than the Skrull Talos.

    The character played by Ben Mendelsohn had some of the best lines in the film. It also was really clever casting by Marvel Studios. He is known for his villainous roles, so it was a nice twist when he turned out to be a decent person in a terrible war. As a bonus, he made a surprise cameo at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home teasing more of the character in the future. In an interview with NME, the actor revealed that Talos was originally going to die in the film.

    “That truly exceeded my expectations. [Talos] was gonna die at around page 60 [in the script] originally and he survived that, so he’s done pretty well. And if that fucking shapeshifter rears his ugly head again, I’ll do my best to be inside it.”

    It was a great decision to keep him around. Especially the enthusiasm that Mendelsohn has for returning in future projects. If the Far From Home post-credit scene is anything to go by, we will see quite a bit more of him in the future. He will most likely be an integral character throughout the rumored Secret Invasion plotline for Captain Marvel 2. There was even the rumor that the storyline would get its very own show. It would be cool to explore a Skrull invasion from the point-of-view of a Skrull, who lived alongside humans. Talos being torn between his own alien race and his friends could make for a great story.

    Source: NME, Illuminerdi, MovieWeb

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: A Kinnaman-Kraven Connection

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: A Kinnaman-Kraven Connection

    A few days ago, Charles Murphy reported in a What I Heard This Week report, that Sony-Marvel are looking for a Joel Kinnaman “type” for a certain role in the third Spider-Man movie. It appears there is a chance that Kinnaman himself may not only fit the part, but could very well be cast in the film after all. This is by no means official, and mostly speculation based on a bit of detective work, but please read on and judge for yourself.

    It is known that Joel Kinnaman and Tom Holland worked closely together on the film Edge Of Winter back in 2015. That film premiered the following year, along with Suicide Squad and Captain America: Civil War. The two became friends, mutually follow each other on Instagram, and Tom even popped up on the set to the Suicide Squad, via a now deleted post on Kinnaman’s Instagram.

    Now, it would be easy and kind of silly to just say, well they’re friends so Kinnaman is definitely in Spider-Man 3 for that reason. But it is a small piece of evidence which is clear and undeniable. So while I wouldn’t rely on that solely for conclusions, I’ll just leave it out there.  

    What is also undeniable is that the much rumored, much anticipated, appearance of Kraven the Hunter in the Spider-Man universe, makes a hell of a lot of sense for the sequel. The way Spider-Man: Far From Home left off, with the cliffhanger of Peter’s secret identity being outed by one very loud mouthed J. Jonah Jamesson, plus Peter being framed for Mysterio’s murder, it seems only natural that the next installment would feature someone trying to capture the webslinger whether it be for justice, or just for the thrill of the hunt!

    So Kraven the Hunter is extremely likely to be in it. In fact, our own Charles Murphy surmised as much in a Connecting Imaginary Dots feature back in February.

    Also undeniable, is the fact that Kinnaman is a just about perfect casting choice to play the Russian born hunter Sergei Kravinoff as strongly hinted at in Charles’ other previously mentioned article.

    So, there’s the age old question, if they are or were looking for an actor or actress who is the perfect type for a role, then why in the world don’t they just hire that actor? Of course contract negotiations, and availability can play a big part in whether or not an actor gets or takes a role, but in this case I think there is a strong possibility he might actually already have it. A check of Kinnaman’s IMDb seems to show his schedule clear for the time being.

    There is also some interesting connections revealed courtesy of Instagram.

    The man you see Tom Holland praising in the Instagram post above is George Cottle. He is the stunt co-ordinator and assistant director for Spider-Man: Far From Home as well as the upcoming Spider-Man film, and stunt co-ordinator for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Very interestingly, Cottle also follows Kinnaman on Instagram. I checked and it doesn’t appear they had worked together before, tho perhaps they are friends through Tom Holland. However, the fact that it didn’t take much scrolling to get down to Kinnaman’s name on his following list makes me think that follow may be fairly recent. 

    Perhaps I’m leaping to a conclusion, a bit too enthusiastic whilst stalking my prey of new information, but I would say there is a strong chance Kinnaman is in Spider-Man: the threequel possibly aka… ugh… Homesick. And yes it is very possible, since he’s just about perfect for it, that he is actually playing Kraven the Hunter himself!

  • Are The Infinity Stones Truly Gone?

    Are The Infinity Stones Truly Gone?

    With Avengers: Infinity War recently being added to Disney Plus, Marvel took the opportunity to give a rundown of the history of each of the Infinity Stones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

     

     

    Noteworthy is that the IG post by Marvel Entertainment lists the status of each of the stones as “destroyed”, a description which has caused a little debate online. To clarify, the stones in question here are those from the Prime Timeline and not the ones that were acquired as part of the time heist in Avengers: Endgame; each of those stones is clearly still in play in its individual timeline which explains why we have a Loki show coming up on Disney Plus eventually.

    As Thanos told the Avengers, he “used the stones to destroy the stones” as they served no further purpose than to pose as a temptation; however, as the Russos described in an interview in May of 2019, even in the MCU the stones follow the very important scientific principle of the conservation of mass so the true fate of the stones was, as Thanos further described it, isn’t quite so simple and incredibly important. Even the power of the Infinity Stones can’t change the simple fact that matter can neither be created nor destroyed, but Thanos did use that power, and the particulate nature of matter, to reduce the stones into their individual atoms.

    Why was the Ancient One not willing to give the Time Stone to ...

    This is good news for the MCU because, as the Ancient One told Bruce Banner, the stones are essential to the flow of time and their removal or destruction would portend very, very bad things for the timeline. So while the stones aren’t big chunks of matter anymore, all the matter that made up the stones still exists which means the world can keep on keeping on. We will see what implication, if any, this has on the future of the MCU, other than allowing it to have one, when Phase 4 gets going sometime in the next 4 months to a year.