Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Producer: “There’s No Attachment to the Current MCU”

    ‘Moon Knight’ Producer: “There’s No Attachment to the Current MCU”

    In a post-Avengers: Endgame world, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four is as interconnected as ever. Between Doctor Strange having a major role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Widow’s Yelena Belova making an appearance in Hawkeye, and the wild ride Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promises to be, fans are generally expecting to clear crossovers and tie-ins often in the MCU. Despite that, the next MCU entry and Disney+ series Moon Knight will apparently stand on its own.

    Executive producer Grant Curtis stated in a Disney press release that Moon Knight will explore the character without relying on pre-existing MCU lore. Specifically, Curtis noted:

    There’s no attachment to the current MCU. He’s brand-new, and he is going on a brand-new adventure. We really think the fans are going to enjoy it.

    Grant Curtis

    The lack of attachment to the MCU seems to be coming from a place of trying to create an entirely unique character from scratch within the franchise. Curtis compared Moon Knight to Iron Man to explain it:

    There are multiple aspects of Moon Knight that get us internally jazzed at Marvel Studios. But one of the unique aspects of this character is it’s taking Marvel Studios to its Iron Man and Tony Stark roots. That was a character that was obviously built from the ground up, and it is the same with Marc Spector.

    Grant Curtis

    Moon Knight already promises to bring a unique character to light when the series premieres on Disney+ on March 30. Marc Spector is an ex-mercenary who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and the show is expected to directly tackle mental health issues. It’s also anticipated that Moon Knight will be more violent than other MCU entries, honoring the character’s comic book history. While some fans may be disappointed at the lack of other MCU references or influences on the series, Moon Knight may end up being a fresh story that adds to Phase Four on its own merit alone. Despite Curtis’ quote, there is still a rumor that an original Avenger will make an appearance in the series at some point. Still, even if Moon Knight stands alone for this series, it is highly doubtful that the character will do so forever.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘What If’ Season 2 Officially Confirmed for 2022 Release

    ‘What If’ Season 2 Officially Confirmed for 2022 Release

    Marvel Studios’ 2022 Disney+ slate is looking like it might be as packed as 2021’s. We already know that this year will include Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk. The streaming service previously released a sizzle real to tease the 2022 Disney+ projects, but it notably did not include a tease of the second season of What If…? which had been expected.

    It now looks like the animated anthology series is confirmed to debut in 2022 after all. Disney released a production brief ahead of Moon Knight. While noting all of Marvel’s 2021 Disney+ projects, the release goes on to confirm that What If…? is indeed part of the 2022 plan:

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. Feige is building on that success with a host of new series that streamed on Disney+ in 2021, including “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “What If…?” and “Hawkeye.” Upcoming original series for 2022 include “Moon Knight,” Ms. Marvel,” “She-Hulk” and the second season of “What If…?.

    This makes sense given that What If… ? had been previously described as an annual release. While the series has yet to truly interact with the main MCU, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is rumored to incorporate some elements of the animated multiversal series. If it does begin to crossover, the hype will definitely build for future seasons of one of the MCU’s most unique entries to date. It will interesting to see if What If…? Season 2 keeps Season 1’s late summertime slot, considering that Ms. Marvel seems to be looking at a June premiere and She-Hulk is reported to be released after it.

    Source: Disney via The Direct

  • RUMOR: ‘Man-Thing’ Halloween Special In Development at Disney Plus

    RUMOR: ‘Man-Thing’ Halloween Special In Development at Disney Plus

    In an era where Marvel Studios is bringing more and more characters to the big and small screens, it looks like another iconic Marvel character may soon be brought to life. ScreenGeek is reporting that Marvel Studios is currently developing a Man-Thing Halloween special for the Disney Plus streaming service. It is rumored that the special will emphasize the horror aspects of the character and turn the Man-Thing special into a full-on horror-themed project.

    While Marvel Studios is reportedly looking for a big name to take on the role of Man-Thing, there is no indication at this time of who that might be. The only previous live-action adaptation of the character was the then-Sci Fi channel’s 2005 Man-Thing film, which received poor critical reviews. Fans are bound to be excited by the news of a Marvel Studios revival of the character after almost 20 years.

    Man-Thing was introduced in 1971 in Savage Tales #1 and quickly gained popularity leading to his inclusion in other comics, as well as eventually landing his own comic series. Man-Thing centers on Dr. Ted Sallis, a biochemist who is transformed into a large, slow-moving humanoid swamp monster in the Florida Everglades.

    While none of the specials have yet debuted, the special format–rather than a series–seems to be gaining momentum at Disney Plus. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special arrives later this year and a Werewolf By Night–centered special is also rumored to be in development.

    It is also interesting that Marvel is rumored to be focused on making the Man-Thing special a horror-genred project. Horror is relatively new territory for Marvel Studios, but the upcmong Doctor Starnge in the Multiverse of Madness is set to include horror elements from director Sam Raimi. While both Moon Knight and the rumored Werewolf By Night special are also strong contenders to bring darker elements to the MCU.

    Source: ScreenGeek

  • Taking One Last Look Back at Marvel’s Netflix Era

    Taking One Last Look Back at Marvel’s Netflix Era

    It was 2013, Marvel had just recently finished wrapping up their first phase of films with the release of Avengers in 2012. Agents of Shield, Marvel’s first TV program set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had just premiered. After the success of the Avengers team-up, Marvel was obviously looking to capitalize on the momentum by setting up new teams, on the big screen and on TV. With that, Netflix and Marvel announced a smorgasbord of new shows set within the MCU, starting with Daredevil and culminating in a Defenders team-up, similar to the strategy that made Avengers as big as it did.

    Now, all of these years later, the Netflix era is over, with all shows in their wheelhouse being canceled. The shows are leaving Netflix to take their place in Disney’s streaming services, and the characters are being integrated into the MCU proper after debates about their status in the canon. I want to take this time to take a look back on this era of the MCU, to appreciate what it brought us, and to theorize about where we go from here.

    When Daredevil was announced, I was 16 – a teenager already obsessed with Marvel after liking the characters when I was younger – but fell in love with them through the MCU’s first introduction in Iron Man when I was 11. When news came of that these series are M-rated, with blood and gore and more adult themes, you can guess how excited I was. The possibility of Marvel always having something going on. Different themes from action adventures, comedies to even horror seemed promising, especially with the atmosphere promised from the initial reveals and fanfare. We know now that this dream wouldn’t come to fruition until Disney+, and even then, new genres are still only being played with. The hype and possibilities were high over my head in 2013, creating the vision of a perfect MCU.

    Daredevil delivered on its promises. When it was released in 2015, I was a senior in High School. At the time, I was overhyped for the new shows and the anticipation was killing me. Finally, the show launches, and I’m there watching day one. Oh boy, did the show start slow for someone that was hyped as I was. However, after the second episode, I was hooked. Easily becoming my favorite TV show at the time, Daredevil was exactly what I wanted. Following one of my favorite characters, witnessing awesome combat with all the blood a teenager could want, and all set within the MCU. What more could a person ask for? The rest of the shows didn’t matter to me since I didn’t know the characters, Daredevil was what mattered to me, and not only did it deliver, it almost immediately was ordered for a second season. So, I was content.

    I was content until Jessica Jones released in late 2015 and showed me that Daredevil was just the tip of the iceberg. Without any knowledge of Jessica or her villain, it didn’t immediately click with the show as I did with Daredevil. I was, of course, going to give it a try. From the first episode, Jessica’s attitude and sarcasm gripped me. Being a bit of a sarcastic person myself – emphasis on a bit – and growing up with more of the same, I love characters that speak their mind. Not only did her character grip me, but the ominous Purple Man has stood firm in my top 10 villains of all time. The abilities of the character on top of the stellar performance by David Tennant is definitely a force to be reckoned with. However, aside from the two lead characters, Jessica Jones also introduced me to the incredible Luke Cage, and apparently, I wasn’t the only fan impressed with the character. Originally slated to be the last show to premiere before The Defenders, Marvel wanted to ride on the momentum of the new fan-favorite character being introduced in Jessica Jones and fast tracked production.

    Arriving in 2016, Luke Cage followed up the storyline established in Jessica Jones. At this point, I was addicted with Netflix’s Marvel properties during my time in college. After two absolutely steller seasons of Daredevil and the arrival of the Punisher into the fold, as well as a tremendously good season of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage had a lot to deliver. Arriving with positive reception, I look back at that time and remember the fans not welcoming the show with open arms like with the two previous entries. Likely due to Cage’s decline in the second half of the season, the show was great, I even skipped a lab class to binge it in my college library, but it was the first minor dip from Marvel and Netflix. The show also introduced Iron Fist, which fully lead to the decline.

    Iron Fist was constantly criticized and for good reason. The fighting choreography is lackluster at best, the writing was sloppy, and the entirety of the first season is a definite stain on Marvel’s pretty great track record. At this point only having negative reviews for Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk on the movie side of things and the lukewarm reception to Agents of Shield, Iron Fist definitely marked a critical point for Marvel TV. Lead by Scott Buck, the show ended with fans severely disappointed. I remember going into the show incredibly hyped after everything so far. Reviews started to hit the day before, but most of them were only for the first few episodes. So, I thought maybe it gets better. Even with some good characters, the show just did not deliver. Leading into The Defenders, this was definitely a bad look and a momentum killer going into the long promised team-up.

    The Defenders launched on my birthday in 2017. Even after Iron Fist, I remember being cautiously optimistic. Even if that show wasn’t great, this one was no longer in Scott Buck‘shands and has had time to develop. Alas, the show launched to mostly positive reactions, but suffered from pacing issues, a pretty lackluster story, and a crutch of once again using the Hand as villains. The show definitely could have delivered on those initial great seasons of TV that lead us there. It was said to be the least viewed show of the Netflix-Marvel shows, with a considerable drop in viewership. To me, this marked the downfall of the Netflix-Marvel era, even if we still got some great projects after.

    Following The Defenders, Marvel and Netflix attempted to capitalize on the success of the previous shows, without the major team-up this time. Daredevil got an incredible third season, largely considered to be one of the best seasons of Marvel TV to this day. Jessica Jones received two more seasons after an agonizingly long wait. Luke Cage and Iron Fist got another season each. Daredevil even received a spinoff in the form of two seasons of the gruesome series The Punisher. Even a few more spinoffs like Heroes for Hire were rumored. The Netflix shows looked to be getting back on track, and then in October 2018, the cancellations began.

    Shortly after its second season, which started to deliver a more quality experience compared to the first Iron Fist was cancelled by Netflix. Considering it was the worst reviewed show in the bunch, and rumors were flying of a possible Heroes for Hire spinoff, doom and gloom didn’t quite set in yet. Then, just a week later, Luke Cage was the second causality. Once again thanks to the Heroes for Hire rumors, fans felt like this could just be in anticipation of that show, I mean, both of those characters are in the team in the comics.

    Then came December 2018: Daredevil, the flagship show in Netflix’s Marvel arsenal, was cancelled despite a critically acclaimed and adored third season. At this point, we all knew the Netflix era was over. The Punisher and Jessica Jones both ended their final seasons and were also added to the cancellations. By February 2019, all of the Netflix Marvel shows were cancelled, finishing the era for good.

    Up until recently, you could watch the back catalog of these shows on their original home over at Netflix, but as the deal ends, Disney is regaining those rights. They are expected to remove the shows in March 2022 and move the shows to their international streaming services like Disney+, Star+, and Hulu. A definitive home is not yet known.

    While the Netflix Marvel era might be done, the characters they shaped and the stories they have built are not forgotten. From Matt Murdock appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home to Wilson Fisk’s return in Hawkeye, it is clear that the story of these beloved characters may be just starting. The history will always be there for generations of new True Believers to adore, but their return may be some of my most anticipated moments in the MCU even with things like Secret Invasion coming up. I literally grew up with these characters as you can tell from my writing above, and I cannot wait for a new generation of Marvel fans, even if just a few years later, to discover these stories for themselves.

  • New Disney+ Listing Hints Netflix’s Marvel Shows May Not Release Worldwide Simultaneously

    New Disney+ Listing Hints Netflix’s Marvel Shows May Not Release Worldwide Simultaneously

    There’s been a lot of debate about when and where we might see the Marvel Netflix shows finally appear on Disney+. Suddenly, Canadian subscribers were sharing a newsletter that revealed that Daredevil, Luke Cage, and more were heading to the streaming service. There was no mention of the Star branding, which gave hope that it may also appear on the US subscription model with some rumors even adding fuel to the fire. Yet, the official listing from Disney+ Spain may have put a wrench in those hopes.

    The listing, as shared by The Direct, includes all the series and films that are heading to the streaming service in March. As you can see clearly, Turning Red and Moon Knight are listed with their respective international release dates. Yet, the Marvel Netflix shows are nowhere to be found, which may hint that this isn’t a straightforward international release.

    Disney+ Spain

    It’s kind of a surprise that it wouldn’t get an international release, especially if you consider that the series is leaving Netflix worldwide around the same time. There’s still no official word from Disney+, which may signal they can’t really talk about it until it has left Netflix. Either that or they are still figuring out distribution plans and timing windows for the various series. We’ll have to wait and see until an official word drops just what the future has in store after all.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Moon Knight’: Each Episode’s Writers Revealed in New Listing

    ‘Moon Knight’: Each Episode’s Writers Revealed in New Listing

    Only a little over a month and we’ll finally get the next Disney+ series from Marvel Studios. After Hawkeye left us with some holiday cheer. we’re going to enter what may be the company’s darkest story so far. Moon Knight explores the story of Steven Grant, who comes to realize he might have a dark secret that not even he is aware of. We’ve known for some time that Jeremy Slater was taking on the role of showrunner, but a new listing on the Writers Guild of America West has revealed the writer team and what episodes they are tackling.

    • Episode 1 – Jeremy Slater
    • Episode 2 – Michael Kastelein
    • Episode 3 – Beau DeMayo and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada
    • Episode 4 – Alex Meenehan and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada
    • Episode 5 – Rebecca Kirsch and Matthew Horton
    • Episode 6 – Jeremy Slater and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada (based on a story by Danielle Iman & Jeremy Slater)

    There are some interesting names included in this list, such as Kastelein, who recently worked on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. DeMayo is well-known for his work on The Originals and some episodes of The Witcher. He’s also involved with the upcoming X-Men ’97 revival series. Pirzada recently worked on Roswell, New Mexico, and wrote some episodes of Person of Interest. Peter Cameron is also a Marvel veteran, as he worked as an executive story editor for WandaVision. Meenehan worked as a story editor on Bosch, while Rebecca Kirsch had a hand in series like The Exorcist and 2013’s Dracula. It’s quite a diverse team of writers that offer some unique perspectives and it’ll be interesting to see how this project comes together.

    Source: Writers Guild of America West

  • Aaron Pierre Joins Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’ in Major Role

    Aaron Pierre Joins Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’ in Major Role

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on Mahershala Ali‘s upcoming Blade film, as Marvel Studios reintroduces the iconic Vampire Hunter. The last we heard was that Delroy Lindo has joined the project, which will be directed by Bassam Tariq. The news has dropped that Aaron Pierre is set to co-star in the upcoming film. Sadly, there is no information on who he might end up playing in the film, but it is hinted at a major role for the project.

    Blade, also known as Eric Brooks, was originally just a supporting character created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, but eventually became a mainstay in Marvel’s supernatural corner. Wesley Snipes was the first to bring the character into live-action in a film that would define superhero cinema and especially Marvel’s tenure. Considering the strong PG-13 focus of modern-day superhero cinema, it’s funny to think the R-rated project started it all.

    There’s a chance that this project may be Marvel Studios’ darkest story with the introduction of vampires. The Krypton star could be taking on an antagonistic role and will face off against Ali‘s take on Blade. Pierre has also recently appeared in The Underground Railroad and has some stage experience with Othello in 2018 and King Hedley II. in 2019. He made his film debut in M. Night Shyamalan‘s Old. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table and if we find out his role in the near future.

    Source: Deadline

  • REVIEW: ‘Three Swords’ is Good, Yet a Missed Opportunity

    REVIEW: ‘Three Swords’ is Good, Yet a Missed Opportunity

    Sometimes we read a synopsis for a novel and think, “Wow, what a great story this is going to be.” We are excited about the main characters and are fans of the writer, so we think we know what to expect. Then we read the actual story and it fails to meet those expectations. It could be because of the characters, or the writing style, or the pace of the story, or it could even be the reader’s own expectations. With Three Swords, this is one of those novels where the story failed to live up to the expectations set by the synopsis.

    Penned by C.L. Werner, the veteran writer of numerous short stories set in the Warhammer universe and the Black Plague trilogy, Three Swords tells the story of the Warriors Three as they receive an ominous set of predictions from the Enchanters as it pertains to Asgard. The Warriors Three must venture out into the cosmos to stop the Enchanters from enacting their plan to destroy the universe. This takes our titular heroes to many moments in history, from the actual civil war to important moments in England, and it is there where you really get some highlights that you can enjoy, even if you’re not well-versed in Marvel lore. Unfortunately, the story is not given much time to breathe before jumping to the next set-piece, and it seems Werner is ultimately in a rush to just get through the story. As such, the Warriors Three aren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been. Whereas the little Easter eggs while they’re traversing the universe work without you having a vast array of Marvel knowledge, the characters are written as if you do have a vast array of Marvel knowledge. Due to this, it creates a disjointed narrative where characters do things and you’re almost expected to just understand why they did that. 

    The set pieces work pretty well, with Werner doing a great job of using words to paint the story of the action we are seeing. Because each Enchanter has a tower, or lair, it feels like a Mortal Kombat video game where you’re fighting waves until getting to the endgame boss. Fandral is the standout here, as he gets some really cool moments where we are reminded how good a swordsman and warrior he truly is. As I was reading it, I kept thinking “man, this would be a really cool adaptation on Disney+” because it kind of feels like the National Treasure films with their reverence for what came before in both Marvel and modern history with some really good action mixed in. I, also, enjoyed that this story really put someone other than Thor in charge of saving Asgard: too often, in Asgard’s history, the Warriors Three are just along for the ride, but putting them in charge here really makes the story feel small enough (their friendship shines) even though there’s so much at stake. 

    Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the twist ending. No spoilers, but it is telegraphed from the beginning, and that made it feel a bit cheap. It lessens everything that came before the end, and it doesn’t really hold up to the rest of the story: if the story was a B before the ending, the twist is like a D and just soured me a bit on the story as a whole.

    All in all, a solid entry but one that could’ve been substantially better had a cheap twist not been added and had more effort been put into developing the characters beyond what we would know as Marvel fans. Werner deserves credit for writing the action and humor in a strong way, but in the end, the story falls to reach the heights teased.

  • Tom Holland Talks About How Emotional Making ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Was With Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield

    Tom Holland Talks About How Emotional Making ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Was With Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield

    Spider-Man: No Way Home was met with praise from both critics and fans when it was finally released in theaters last month. The film has gone on to become a record-breaking box office success, but the movie will undoubtedly go down in cinematic history for its bold celebration of live-action Spider-Man movies as a whole. In particular, the returns of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker are unforgettable moments for the franchise. No Way Home lead Tom Holland opened up to Maguire, Garfield, and Deadline about how emotional making the film was:

    There definitely was a sense for me, as an actor, that this was the last time that I could potentially don the suit, so a lot of that emotion came from the act of saying goodbye, which is one of the biggest themes throughout this film. But this film also felt like a celebration of three generations of cinema. So, at times, we would be getting into these scenes that were incredibly emotional. They’re very taxing, and I was so happy to be there, that I had to go at it a different way and kind of go, ‘wow, look at my life. Look what’s happened to me. I’m working with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and we’re telling this story’”…And I would get emotional at kind of how proud I was of the situation that we were in and what we were doing and that I really believed in what we were doing. So, yeah, it was tough, but you know, anything hard is worthwhile. I was happy to kind of really push myself and to make this film more emotional than superhero films have been in the past.

    Tom Holland

    Holland has previously praised working with Maguire and Garfield on No Way Home. Now that No Way Home is no longer a secret, we should start to learn more about the making of the movie considering Sony is eyeing an Academy Awards nomination for Best Picture for the film.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Features the Return of Mysterio

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Features the Return of Mysterio

    Despite a global pandemic that has prevented many films from finding financial footing, Spider-Man: No Way Home is still going strong in movie theaters across the nation. Much of this success is due to the excitement of moviegoers over the comeback of multiple characters fans thought to be long dead or past the point of return. While a fair share of Spider–Man characters returned, one of the few past Spider-Man villains who wasn’t included in this roster was Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Mysterio, a master illusionist and the main antagonist of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. It would now appear, however, that the rogue wasn’t always going to be excluded from the latest smash-hit superhero film.

    A brand new piece of concept art has been making the rounds on social media, depicting the supposedly deceased villain doing battle with Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Doctor Strange above the Statue of Liberty.

    https://twitter.com/GeekVibesNews/status/1486045873612247055?s=20

    This is, of course, where the climactic final battle of the film took place. This would insinuate that there was at one point an idea to bring Mysterio back alongside the other bad guys to cause his specific brand of trouble. It’s likely this was a very early thought, and abandoned long ago. Still, it’s interesting to think what might have come of his return. One would think Strange would immediately wipe the floor with someone who isn’t capable of actual magic, but it’s possible this version of Mysterio could have been from one of the many open alternate universes featured in the movie. Perhaps this Quentin Beck was able to cast real spells of his own. Unfortunately, it’s more than likely fans will never know for sure.

    Source: Twitter