Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU Features

  • What If…Marvel Studios Sticks to Its Current Multiverse Saga Film Slate?

    What If…Marvel Studios Sticks to Its Current Multiverse Saga Film Slate?

    After more rounds of shuffling and reshuffling than anyone cares to count, it seems as though Marvel Studios has settled on a plan for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga. While it seems more likely than not that things will shift around again, the latest update to Disney’s theatrical slate shows 1 film in 2024 (Deadpool 3), 4 films in 2025 (Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and Blade) and 4 in 2026 before getting to Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Should Marvel Studios somehow stick to that schedule, that leaves one untitled film between Blade and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty/Avengers 5 and two more untitled films between Avengers: The Kang Dynasty/Avengers 5.

    Rumors suggest that Deadpool 3 will do some heavy lifting in terms of advancing the overall narrative of the Multiverse Saga but what other projects NEED to happen before the big finale? What projects WILL happen because they’re the most ready to roll? We take a look at what 2026 might look like if nothing were to change between now and then and how it gets us all to Avengers: Secret Wars.

    February 13, 2026: Armor Wars

    With the news that Marvel Studios is finally searching for a director for the film, it would seem that Armor Wars is the most likely project to be on deck which means it would have the best chance of being ready to hit theaters in February 2026. That slot would make it the last film to hit theaters before Avengers 5. Guardians of the Galaxy was the last film fans saw in theaters before Avengers: Age of Ultron, so there’s precedent for a non-related film to precede an Avengers films.

    Armor Wars doesn’t seem like the kind of film that would have a direct impact on the plot of Avengers 5 but there are plenty of unknowns about the film that could change that perception. Originally conceived as a streaming series, Armor Wars reportedly got too big for D+; presumably, there’s an interesting reason why and maybe that has factored into it getting moved down the road a bit. Could some of the events of Captain America: Brave New World lead into Armor Wars? What about Ironheart? Those are things we might not know for well over a year but regardless, Don Cheadle’s solo Rhodey flick seems like a good bet to fall here and potentially be a step in the direction of assembling the MCU’s New Avengers.

    May 1, 2026: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

    The only 2026 film on the slate with a title, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently being written by Michael Waldron.

    July 24, 2026: Shang-Chi 二

    Destin Daniel Cretton’s departure from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could be taken to mean that his sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was going to need to be ready to go as a follow-up to the fifth Avengers film (it could also mean it needs to be ready to be the lead up to Avengers 5 but we’re staying the course here…). Cretton’s work on Wonder Man will keep him tied up for the first half of 2024 but he’s been working on the script for quite some time and it’s very likely that not only will this one be ready to begin production in 2025 but that it is one of the KEY films in the Multiverse Saga and that it NEEDS to release before the MCU starts its Secret Wars.

    The MCU origins of the Ten Rings remain a mystery and plenty of theories have posited that they may somehow be connected to Kang. If that’s the case, it makes sense that Cretton left Avengers 5 to get to work on Shang-Chi 2 in order to have the latter ready to roll out sometime in 2026.

    November 6, 2026: Doctor Strange 3

    The one project on this list that the least is known about, Doctor Strange 3 also feels like one project that absolutely has to be part of the Multiverse Saga. While Marvel Studios is developing plenty of other projects that could easily roll out AFTER they wrap up their current saga, it would be incredibly strange not to have Doctor Strange’s next film play a crucial role in sorting things out.

    Strange has been described as a key figure in the Multiverse Saga, yet so far he’s had some animated appearances (Seasons 1 and 2 of What If…?),a cameo (Spider-Man: No Way Home), one solo film which only truly served as a set up to whatever comes next (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Adding a second Strange film to the Saga–even in some sort of larger crossover event–would allow the character to be used similarly to how Captain America was in the Infinity Saga.

    May 7, 2027: Avengers: Secret Wars

    The final film of the Multiverse Saga, Avengers: Secret Wars–like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty–is currently being written by Michael Waldron.

    The Denouement of the Multiverse Saga

    Should Marvel Studios stick to its current theatrical slate, the projects listed above truly seem to make the most sense and provide the path of least resistance to the big conclusion in 2027. Again, it seems far more likely that Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga slate will undergo at least one more round of restructuring; however, for once it seemed like a fun idea to play it by the books at take things at face value.

  • How Marvel Studios Defenders Decision Changes the MCU’s Required Reading

    How Marvel Studios Defenders Decision Changes the MCU’s Required Reading

    An already massive shared universe became supermassive in early January when Marvel Studios retconned Marvel Television’s Netflix series into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following the release of Echo, three seasons each of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, two seasons each of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher and one season of the crossover event series The Defenders were added to Disney +’s MCU “Timeline Order” subsection, indicating that the events depicted within those series are now part of the Infinity Saga. For fans of those Netflix series, January 5th will be a day long remembered as great characters like David Tennant‘s Kilgrave, morons like Finn Jones‘ Danny Rand and the events that took place at Midland Circle now stand on the same footing with Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki and the Battle of Wakanda. However, for fans who are just now coming on board, the idea of catching up on even more content can be a bit daunting. Is it necessary to consume all 161 episodes of Marvel Television’s Netflix Defenders-verse series in order to keep up with the MCU’s current events?

    What is The Defenders-Verse?

    In 2013, 5 years after the MCU kicked off with Iron Man, Disney and Netflix reached a deal that allowed the streaming service to develop four live-action series based around some of Marvel Comics’ “street-level” heroes: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. The original deal called for a 13-episode series to be developed for each character with their stories intersecting in a crossover events series, The Defenders. Ultimately, each of the series were granted at least a second season and, in 2016, following the character’s debut in Season 2 of Daredevil, a spinoff series centered on Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, went into development.

    In late 2018, Netflix began cancelling the series individually and by February 2019, the Defenders-verse died a quiet death in the trades. In March 2022, the series were all removed from Netflix’s streaming platform and appeared on Disney Plus as The Defenders Saga and were not included in the MCU Timeline or the Infinity Saga.

    The Defenders Enter The Multiverse Saga

    After Avengers: Endgame put a bow on The Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios began a new chapter in its shard universe. Comprised, like its predecessor, of three phases of storytelling, The Multiverse Saga simultaneously continues the stories of characters from The Infinity Saga while also introducing brand new characters into the narrative tapestry. The new saga also came with a major change for Marvel Studios as they began to develop and produced both live-action and animated canonical streaming series for Disney Plus. Though there had been some talk of the Netflix series being revived on Disney Plus, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige indicated in 2021 that the studio was focused on their own series but also–as is the way of The One Above All–said he’d “never say never” and that the characters could now appear in MCU projects.

    In November 2021, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk made a surprise appearance in the streaming series Hawkeye, who he said he believed to be the “same character” from the Netflix series. One month later, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In July 2022, it was revealed that the two stars were set to reunite in the Marvel Studios streaming series Daredevil: Born Again. In September, Feige made it clear that Born Again was not a continuation of the Netflix series, something that was reiterated by Cox a month later when he referred to the series as “a whole new deal.”

    Despite the apparent clarity on the issue, for two plus years, Marvel Studios remained mum on whether or not the characters appearing in their projects were the same versions of the characters depicted in the Netflix series or Multiversal Variants. In October 2023, a foreward from Kevin Feige in Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline made a distinction between projects that he considered Multiversal canon and ones that were set on the the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, indicating that the book only contained projects that took place on the latter. None of the Netflix series were included in the book.

    On the Multiverse note, we recognize that there are stories – movies and series – that are canonical to Marvel but were created by different storytellers during different periods of Marvel’s history. The timeline presented in this book is specific to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline through Phase 4.

    On January 3rd, 2024, Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the Netflix series were now considered canon, just two days before they were moved to the MCU Timeline Order section of Disney Plus. “So, I can say that up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not,” said Winderbaum. “That was born, frankly, out of a period at the studio where we were like ‘we have to stick the landing with Avengers.’ It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff; we were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but it was a lot.. it was a lot to balance anyway,” he explained. “But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.“

    Ahead of the resumption of production on Daredevil: Born Again—which was paused due to the WGA and SAG strikes, allowing for a complete creative overhaul on the project—D’Onofrio revealed that the studio had made the decision to reverse course and directly connect its new project to the events of Netflix’s Daredevil and so, the retcon was on.

    During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, “Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.” So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.

    Vincent D’Onofrio speaking to Adam Barnhardt on Born Again

    On January 13 2024, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll were added to the cast of Daredevil: Born Again after having been reportedly left out originally. On January 23, 2024–one day after production on the series resumed–Wilson Bethel, who portrayed Benjamin “Dex” Pointdexter in Season 3 of Daredevil, joined the cast as well.

    The Verdict

    With the Defenders-verse series having been firmly established as pre-Multiverse Saga canon, fans have begun to question if they’ll need to take in all 39 episodes of Marvel Television’s Daredevil series in order to understand and enjoy Daredevil: Born Again and potential future streaming series and films. The answer is no.

    As the MCU continues to grow, fans–especially those who are new to the shared universe–are feeling the burden of the ever increasing number of projects as”required viewing.” Indeed, a common refrain online, from fans and critics alike, is that the MCU has become too big and that an understanding of new projects is too dependent on having a deep understanding of those that came before. In adding the Netflix series to the Sacred Timeline, Marvel Studios just added 161 episodes of “homework” that would take 144 hours and 6 minutes to consume. Even if a fan wanted only to watch all 3 seasons of Daredevil to prepare for Daredevil: Born Again, it would take them over 34 hours to do so. Asking fans who haven’t already seen those to do so in order to understand and enjoy what’s going on in your new show is unreasonable and would only further the negativity already building towards the studio on message boards and on social media.

    And if you think Marvel Studios isn’t aware of what’s out there and listening, you’ve got it wrong. Over the course of its 3 season run, Daredevil built an enormous online following. In October 2018 when it was announced that Netflix had canceled the series, the Save Daredevil movement began online. In 2021, when Cox and D’Onofrio returned to their respecitve roles, and again in 2022 when Daredevil: Born Again was announced, the group, now known as We Saved Daredevil, celebrated, assured that their passion and online presence helped force Marvel Studios decision. Simply put, if you think Marvel Studios was listening then, you have to think they’re listening now and they hear loud and clear that “required reading” is not something fans want to spend days, weeks and months catching up on to enjoy a show. And so…

    Marvel Spotlight

    marvel spotlight

    With Echo, Marvel Studios debuted a new production banner: Marvel Spotlight. The purpose of the new banner was made very clear by Winderbaum and Marvel Studios: “viewers don’t have to watch any other Marvel series to understand the plot” of a Marvel Spotlight project.

    Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity. Just like comics fans didn’t need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn’t need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what’s happening in Maya’s story.

    Brad Winderbaum on Echo’s Marvel Spotlight branding

    Prior to the revelation of when Marvel Studios chose to make the Netflix series canon, D’Onofrio stated his belief that Daredevil: Born Again, like Echo, would be produced under the Marvel Spotlight banner. While he was clear that the statement only reflected his opinion, given the growing public sentiment that the MCU’s supermassive runtime is making it hard for fans to feel connected, it would certainly work in Marvel Studios’ favor to roll Daredevil: Born Again out as a Marvel Spotlight project. That doesn’t mean that the events of it can’t dovetail into other projects (indeed, it’s very likely that its plot will tie directly to Spider-Man 4), only that everything fans NEED to know to understand and enjoy it will be explained within the series itself. While Marvel Studios clearly designed Marvel Spotlight on the fly and could have done a better job with the exposition necessary to understand Echo, they have plenty of time to get it right in Daredevil: Born Again, which isn’t expected to debut until 2025.

    By making it a Marvel Spotlight project–and hopefully continuing to make sure fans know what that means–Marvel Studios subsequently makes the consumption of Marvel Television’s Netflix series, which all took place during The Infinity Saga, an option rather than a requirement. Fans who have watched them or chose to watch them ahead of Daredevil: Born Again will obviously find themselves with a deeper, more full understanding of character relationships and interactions and, as a result, may find themselves feeling fulfilled and content as completists. However, knowledge of 34 hours worth of story should not be used to gatekeep and prevent new fans from enjoying the next live-action story of one of Marvel Comics’ greatest characters.

  • The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2026 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

    The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2026 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

    Release slates have never been more fluid than they are now. As productions get up and running again around the world, projects that were supposed to drop in 2024 have already been moved to 2025 and the butterfly effect is in full…effect. Only a crazy person might try to hypothesize when projects might actually see the light of day…so let’s look at one possible Marvel Studios’ release slate for 2026

    January: Wonder Man

    After a little creative retooling, Wonder Man resumed production in mid-January which means it will likely complete principal photography no later than Summer. With that in mind, it could easily be ready to roll out in 2025 but with Marvel Studios looking to space out their D+series and with very few new streaming projects far enough in development to get in front of cameras anytime soon, we’ve decided to put the Simon Williams solo series here.

    February 13th: Blade

    If you’ve checked out the latest version of the All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, you already know why this is here. While everyone would love to see Mahershala Ali’s oft-delayed Blade as soon as possible, production delays on other projects look to be causing the Daywalker’s MCU debut to slide into 2026.

    May 1st: Armor Wars

    Initially revealed to be a streaming series, Armor Wars is now a feature film and the first one on any of our hypothetical calendars to not have a release date set aside by Marvel Studios. That makes this spot as purely hypothetical as it gets. With the news that Marvel Studios’ search for a director is underway, it seems likely that cameras could roll on this one in either late 2024 or early 2025 since the script seems to have been in place for some time. IF that’s the case (that’s the nature of these hypothetical calendars, after all), this one would have no problem making this May 1st date…which was most recently set aside for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    July 24th: Spider-Man 4

    Nobody knows it better than me: Sony sets the date for the Spidey movies that they make in collaboration with Marvel Studios. So why are we placing Spidey 4 on one of Marvel Studios’ tentative release dates? Because it seems increasingly likely that Spidey 4 (once believed to be a 2025 film) will be released in 2026 and it also seems increasingly unlikely that Marvel Studios will be able to roll Avengers 5 out in 2026.

    September: Vision Quest

    Even with Marvel Studios pumping the brakes on their streaming projects while they figure out how to make TV, it does seem Vision Quest is still going to happen. Who is making it and what exactly it will end up looking like are still questions we all have. Originally, it was going to be heavily influenced by Tom King’s excellent 12 issue Vision book but it’s been some time since anyone has had an update. Because this project COULD serve as a sequel to WandaVision and a prequel to the rumored Scarlet Witch solo project, it seems like something the studio would want to make happen and make happen right.

    November 6th: Shang-Chi 2

    Another project that has yet to be officially given a spot in Marvel Studios Multiverse Saga, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi sequel seems like a priority for the studio. Cretton dropped out of Avengers 5 to spend more time preparing this which, hypothetically, could be because the studio wants to roll it out first. Interestingly enough, that’s consistent with info we heard a couple of years ago which makes us inclined to buy it.

  • The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V2

    The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V2

    Though there have been no official announcements by Marvel Studios, the outlook for 2025 may have changed significantly in the very short amount of time that has passed since we published The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1. And that means it’s time for an update!

    January 15th-March 12th: Daredevil: Born Again, Part 1

    New directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have completed taking stock of the footage that was shot last year and seem to have come away with a little less work to do than fans thought. The latest word is that the directing duo and showrunner Dario Scardapane were able to condense what was filmed into 6 episodes and that they’ll be getting to work on filming a new pilot episode and two additional episodes to complete Part One. However…

    According to star Vincent D’Onofrio, this highly anticipated streaming series may no longer be 18 episodes…but will it be more or will it be less?

    It seems like there are a few shows that could work with more episodes, then some that just need eight or 10 or six. Echo is like five. I think this show [Born Again] could definitely work with more episodes and I know that Charlie [Cox] is, and I am too, happy to do that.

    -Vincent D’Onofrio on the Daredevil: Born Again episode count

    Whatever the final total ends up being, it seems Part 1 is still on track for an early 2025 release.

    May 2nd: Captain America: Brave New World

    The great release date shuffle may never end but a new round may start with Captain America: Brave New World. At one point in time, the studio set aside 5 months for additional photography to take place and brought in Matthew Ortman to script those scenes. While the hope is to start in mid-2024, we’ve heard cameras will not roll again until the powers that be are content with what’s been written rather than trying to course correct on the fly. Whether or not they actually film for 5 months, this project cannot afford to be a miss so expect them to take their time which may just mean it gets bumped off its February date and lands in May.

    July 25: Thunderbolts

    Steven Yeun dropped out of the film in early January and though the studio reportedly offered fellow TWD alum Austin Abrams the role of Sentry, the film is still without its Robert Reynolds as now. It’s not quite crunch time yet, however, as principal photography isn’t due to start for another 8-12 weeks. So–for now–this one stays here and can easily make its July release.

    September 3rd-October 8th: Ironheart

    As was the prevailing belief, star Dominique Thorne confirmed that Ironheart has completed filming. That means it’s just sitting in the can waiting to be released at Marvel Studios’ pleasure. Given all the concern over many of the projects the last few years, that’s a welcome change. It sounds like a very safe bet that this will roll out in Fall 2025.

    November 7: Fantastic Four

    In an effort to accommodate the schedule of yet-to-be-announced-as-Reed-Richards star Pedro Pascal, it seems as though the start of production on Fantastic Four has been bumped into the second half of 2024. If that’s accurate, there’s absolutely no way this makes its May 2025 release date and there’s no need to rush it out in July when Thunderbolts SHOULD be completely ready to go. And so, the first family’s MCU debut will have to wait…perhaps until November. There should be no concern about WHEN MCU movies debut anymore (Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever all did very well at the box office in November) but rather that they release when they are ready to release. That might just mean Mahershal Ali’s Blade gets bumped to 2026 but that might just do the studio a favor as its one and only announced 2026 project might need some more time to cook anyway.

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’

    Premiere: August 6, 2025

    In March 2023, a report indicated that Ryan Coogler was developing an animated series for Disney Plus called The Golden City. In December 2023, at a press event for Season 2 of What If…?, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the series, now called Eyes of Wakanda, was set to stream in 2024.

    Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story

    -Official Synopsis for Eyes of Wakanda

    Eyes of Wakanda was pitched and developed by Todd Harris who had been working on the project since 2022, though it was unclear at the time exactly what the nature of the project was.

  • ‘The Defenders’ in the MCU: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

    ‘The Defenders’ in the MCU: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

    The (less than) great debate is over: Marvel Television’s Netflix Dedenders-verse series have been revealed to have taken place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. That means that though nobody at Marvel Studios was involved with the creative choices made over the course of 13 total seasons, they’ve decided to retcon them into the Infinity Saga. And so major moments like the War for New York, the War for Harlem and Wilson Fisk’s arrest following his fight with Daredevil at the Presidential Hotel all took place between the events of Captain America: The Winter Solider and Avengers: Infinity War. With that now the case, we look at the best and worst parts of the Netflix series that are now MCU canon.

    The Good

    Krysten Ritter IS Jessica Jones

    As great as Jon Bernthal, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio were in their respective roles, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Krysten Ritter portraying Jessica Jones. There have been plenty of rumors of Jones returning for projects such as Echo and Daredevil: Born Again but so far, nothing has come of those. The latest in the long line of scoops has her joining the cast of Spider-Man 4 and siding with Spidey, DD and more in a “street-level Civil War” against Kingpin. Get Ritter back in the torn jeans and leather jacket and get her in the Multiverse Saga!

    Misty Knight

    Simone Missick’s Misty Knight was by far one of the best supporting characters to appear in the Netflix series. While that rumored Daughters of the Dragon series may never get off the ground, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left for Misty to do. In fact, it might be the perfect time for the character to jump into the Multiverse Saga and team up with another one of her frequent comic book collaborators: Sam Wilson. In the comics, the two have been in a romantic relationship for quite some time as they’ve worked through some of the many issues Sam has faced as Captain America. In this case, the timing couldn’t be any better with Sam about to make his big screen debut as Cap in Captain America: Brave New World.

    K’un-Lun Can Be Redeemed

    While any effort to include Danny Rand in an MCU project would have to start with recasting Finn Jones, the Netflix series didn’t do any damage to K’un-Lun that can’t be undone. The end of Season 2 of Iron Fist set the stage for the third season to adapt Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction‘s absolutely epic run on The Immortal Iron Fist and if there’s any other Iron Fist story that NEEDS to be told, it’s that one. Almost certainly better told episodically, any adaptation of that series could explore the long history of the hidden city and its protectors, introduce the other Capital Cities of Heaven and the fascinating characters associated with them such as Fat Cobra, The Prince of Orphans and Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter. As wehave already noted, Marvel Studios has already established the idea of hidden cities in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings which should only provide an even easier retconning of K’un-Lun into the Multiverse Saga.

    The Bad

    Typhoid Mary

    Though plenty of the Man Without Fear’s antagonists are still out there waiting to be brought to justice, it’s tough to swallow that Alice Eve‘s version of Typhoid Mary is canon. It’s not to say that she can’t find her way back as an upgraded version of herself but making her just a highly trained soldier rather than loading her up with her comic book psionic power set was a disappointing move.

    Danny Rand

    This isn’t necessarily yet another in a long line of knocks against Finn Jones… though it may sure sound like it. Jones‘ talent as an actor aside, Danny Rand was easily the most poorly written of the Defenders. Impulsive, reckless and–in the words of Sowande–“the dumbest Iron Fist yet.” While it was certainly intentionally built in as a character flaw, Rand’s blatant stupidity was fully displayed when he allowed himself to be manipulated by Elektra in Midland Circle. Danny Rand is an idiot and the character deserves better. And the issue of the character’s idiotic nature doesn’t even address the fact that as the Immortal Iron Fist, Rand should have been one of the world’s best hand-to-hand combatants–capable of defeating multiple enemies at once without breaking a sweat. Instead, he often found himself having to rely on the glowy fist to beat up baddies.

    The Ugly

    The Hand

    The Hand was a prominent threat in the Defenders-verse until finally being defeated by the Defenders beneath Midland Circle. However, nothing showed the Netflix series’ lack of deference to the comics more than the way they handled the ancient organization. A clan of zombie ninjas that worship an ancient demon known as The Beast is a can’t-miss concept…and Netflix missed terribly. There’s some hope that the ancient cult could be done right in the MCU but it seems more likely that they’ll never be heard from again, joining AIM as victims of the worst live-action interpretations of a Marvel Comics organization.

    Repeat Casting

    In Season 1 of Luke Cage, Mahershala Ali’s Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes ran the Stokes Crime Family from Harlem’s Paradise. Over two seasons of Luke Cage, Alfre Woodard‘s Mariah Dillard, Cottomouth’s cousin, served as the primary antagonist of Harlem’s Hero for Hire. Both Ali and Woodard gave powerful, inspired and unforgettable performances in their respective roles–arguably among the best of any talent that worked on the Netflix series. That already made it hard to see Woodard in a different role in Captain America: Civil War and it will make it even harder to see Ali as another main character when Blade finally hits theaters. While it’s likely true that many fans who turn out to see Blade may not have watched a second of Luke Cage, adding it to the MCU timeline on Disney Plus increases the possibility that more folks will and ultimately have questions about Ali’s dual roles.

  • How to Watch the Netflix Marvel Shows Now That They’ve Been Retconned as MCU Canon

    How to Watch the Netflix Marvel Shows Now That They’ve Been Retconned as MCU Canon

    In October 2023, Marvel Studios published The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline. Featuring a foreword by the studio’s One Above All, Kevin Feige, the book was said to be “the go-to resource for fans who are hoping to connect the dots and truly understand the complex web of interconnections between the different Marvel movies and television series.” While fans seemed to clearly understand that films that were not made by Marvel Studios were not part of the MCU’s so-called Sacred Timeline, there was much less clarity on where television series that were also no made by Marvel Studios stood. And so, projects such as the ABC melodrama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hulu’s Runaways and the 13 seasons of the Defenders-verse series that streamed on Netflix from 2015-2019 have always been the subject of online debate. When none of those series were included in The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, fans believed they had some clarity…and then Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios shared his belief that the events of the Netflix series took place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. And then, as Echo made its streaming debut, Disney Plus added all the Defenders-verse series to the Official Timeline order of the MCU. Winderbaum’s belief became the official word: the Netflix series are now MCU canon.

    But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.

    Brad Winderbaum on Marvel Television’s Netflix series

    With the revelation that all 13 seasons and ALL 161 nearly hour-long episodes are now part of the Infinity Saga. While that makes the uber-cool MCU rewatch damn near impossible, there are still those among you who are sure to try it. While it is in no way as cut and dried as it appears on Disney Plus–flashbacks are a storytelling staple of the Marvel Netflix series and each of them (other than The Defenders) has more than one season–it’s still possible to place each of the Netflix series right where they belong in the MCU. And if you’re looking for such a thing, you’re in luck. Though none of the events of the Netflix series impact the known MCU in any way, we can still place them among the Marvel Studios projects…so we did.

    The biggest thing to realize if you’re about to dive in is that without going minute by minute of each episode and of most of the films, there is no TRUE chronological order. For instance, parts of Doctor Strange take place in 2016 but the bulk of it takes place in 2017 and parts of each of these series take place all over the timeline. For the purposes of this list, each project is placed where MOST of the events take place. It’s also worth noting that while most of the films that were released in the Infinity Saga were set when they were released, that’s not the case with the series. For example, Season 1 of Daredevil was released in 2015 but takes place in 2014.

    Daredevil Season 1

    Daredevil 1.10, “Nelson v. Murdock”, features several flashbacks that take place in August 2014, well over two years after the Battle of New York in The Avengers. In that episode, which also takes place a few months after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Foggy and Matt are interns at the law firm Landman and Zack and together turn down full-time jobs there to pursue more fulfilling work by opening their own firm which they eventually do in January 2015. The episode also includes Matt’s first time putting on the homemade, black suit.

    Outside of the flashbacks, the events of Daredevil Season 1 all take place between January and mid-February 2015 which means–as is indicated on Disney Plus–that it fits after Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I Am Groot, all of which take place in mid-to-late 2014.

    Jessica Jones Season 1

    Jessica Jones 1.01, “AKA Ladies Night”, is set in March 2015, just a few weeks after the events of Daredevil Season 1. The events of the season finale are set in mid-April 2015, head of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    Daredevil Season 2

    Though some flashbacks in episode 2.09, “Seven Minutes in Heaven”, take place earlier in the year, episode 2.01, “Bang”, takes place in October 2015 and the season wraps up by November 2015. Chronologically, the events of Ant-Man take place BEFORE Daredevil Season 2.

    Luke Cage Season 1

    Much of the first season of Luke Cage takes place simultaneously with the second season of Daredevil. Though there are plenty of flashbacks, episode 1.01, “Moment of Truth”, is set in early November 2015 and the final brawl with Willis Stryker on Malcolm X Boulevard takes place in early December 2015.

    Iron Fist Season 1

    After succeeding in the trial of Shou-Lao the Undying, Danny Rand became the Iron Fist in 2015. His return to New York, as seen in episode 1.01, “Snow Gives Way”, takes place in February 2016. The season wraps up in March 2016 when Danny and Colleen Wing arrive in K’un-Lun.

    The Defenders

    Netflix’s crossover event series, The Defenders, brought Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand together against the Hand. The series kicks off in early May 2016 and is all wrapped up by mid-May 2016, meaning part of takes place concurrently with Captain America: Civil War.

    The Punisher Season 1

    After debuting in Daredevil Season 2, Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle took center stage in his own series. Episode 1.01, “3 AM”, is set in November 2016 and the season concludes before Christmas 2016. That window fits in nicely between Spider-Man: Homecoming and Doctor Strange.

    Jessica Jones Season 2

    Sort of free of Kilgrave, ace PI Jessica Jones returned to Netflix in 2018 for a second season. Episode 2.01, “AKA Start at the Beginning”, is set in April 2017 and the finale, “AKA Playland”, takes place in June 2017.

    Luke Cage Season 2

    Like Jessica Jones Season 2, the sophomore season of Luke Cage rolled out on Netflix in 2018. Mike Colter’s bulletproof hero of Harlem found himself up against the wonderful villain Bushmaster. A lot happened in a short amount of time as 2.01, “Soul Brother #1”, was set in August 2017 and the events of Season 2 came to an end in September 2017.

    Iron Fist Season 2

    Season 2 of Iron Fist, which hit Netflix in September 2018, seemed to find its creative groove, especially compared to the low-rated Season 1. The ten-episode second season was set ALMOST entirely in October 2017. Much of the latter part of the season, including 2.10, “A Duel of Iron”, which sees Danny defeat Davos, takes place concurrently with Season 3 of Daredevil. Danny’s search for Orson Randall is set in early 2018.

    Daredevil Season 3

    The third and final season of Daredevil was released on Netflix was the fourth Marvel TV series to hit the streaming service in 2018. Set in October and November 2017, Season 3 of Daredevil wraps up just a few weeks before Thor’s escape from Muspehlheim as seen in the opening of Thor: Ragnarok.

    The Punisher Season 2

    The final season of The Punisher was the second to last of Netflix’s Defenders-verse. Essentially, the events are happening right alongside those of Season 3 of Jessica Jones, though those darn flashbacks make for a fun time sorting out the details. Episode 2.02 of The Punisher takes place right about the same time as Episode 3.01 of Jessica Jones and the season wraps up in mid-May, less than weeks earlier than JJS3. However, the epilogue of the final episode, “The Whirlwind”, takes place in August 2018…which kind of matters.

    Jessica Jones Season 3 (April 26-May 28)

    The third and final season of Jessica Jones kicks off in April 2018 and largely takes place at the same time as the second season of The Punisher. 3.13, “AKA EVERYTHING”, the last episode of the Netflix-produced series, ends with Jones deciding to stay in New York City and embrace her role as a hero. The first episode of the series, “AKA The Perfect Burger”, takes place just ahead of Cassie Lang’s weekend at Scott Lang’s house as shown the in beginning of Ant-Man and The Wasp. Indeed, much of the series takes place concurrently with the main events of Ant-Man and The Wasp, which, of course, includes the post-credit scene that includes the impact of Thanos’s snap.

    TL;DR

    The Netflix series all take place between the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Canonically, the snap takes place on May 31st, 2018, so all the events of the Defenders-verse take place within the Infinity Saga.

    The Ultimate Order

    Daredevil Season 1
    Jessica Jones Season 1
    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Ant-Man


    Daredevil Season 2
    Luke Cage Season 1
    Iron Fist Season 1


    The Defenders

    Captain America: Civil War
    Black Widow
    Black Panther

    Spider-Man: Homecoming
    The Punisher Season 1
    Doctor Strange

    Jessica Jones Season 2
    Luke Cage Season 2
    Iron Fist Season 2

    Daredevil Season 3
    Thor: Ragnarok
    The Punisher Season 2

    Jessica Jones Season 3
    Ant-Man and The Wasp

    Marvel’s Jessica Jones

    Avengers: Infinity War

    Sources: Marvel.com, MCU Fandom

  • How the ‘Echo’ Season Finale Post-Credit Scene Sets the Stage for 2 Major MCU Projects

    How the ‘Echo’ Season Finale Post-Credit Scene Sets the Stage for 2 Major MCU Projects

    For the first time ever, a Marvel Studios streaming project had all episodes debut at once when Echo premiered on Disney Plus and Hulu. That meant plenty of fans stayed up late binging all five episodes of the TV-MA project with many taking to social media indicating it caused them to reminisce about the days of binging Netflix’s Marvel series just less than a decade or so ago. While Echo included a couple of connections to Netflix’s Daredevil, it also hinted at a major plot point for Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again and one of the studio’s most anticipated films.

    After the credits rolled on the fifth and final episode of the series, titled “Maya”, a post-credit stinger showed Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk–greatly changed by his encounter with Maya–headed back to New York on his private plane. After instructing his assistant to assemble “all the remaining heads” (presumably of New York City’s crime organizations) to “stabilize the situation before it spirals out of control.” The Kingpin’s attention then shifts a television where some Spectrum News talking heads are discussing the lack of a clear frontrunner in the race for a new Mayor of NYC. As the news anchors explain New Yorkers are looking for a “fighter” who can understand the pain and frustration they’re experiencing rather than a traditional politician, one says that a “bare-knuckle brawler” willing to “take on the establishment” would “do well” in the race for Mayor. As Fisk–clearly captivated by the idea of running for Mayor–leans forward, the camera cuts to black. What does this mean for the next time we see D’Onofrio’s character in Daredevil: Born Again?

    Though Born Again has undergone significant creative restructuring, the post-credit scene would seem to ensure that one major plot point will stay intact when filming resumes. Several months before filming originally began, a rumor circulated that the series would feature Fisk running for Mayor of New York City (and eventually winning the race), as seen in author Charles Soule‘s acclaimed run on Marvel Comics Daredevil. In that run, as Mayor of NYC, Fisk launched a massive anti-vigilante campaign aimed at taking out long-time nemeses such as Daredevil and Spider-Man without lifting a finger. Further rumors about Daredevil: Born Again have consistently indicated that Fisk will launch a similar campaign in the series which will have some major implications for the MCU.

    Shortly after Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted in theaters, Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige, confirmed that development on a fourth film had begun. By early 2023, the story for the film had been cracked as star Tom Holland was rumored to have agreed to a new deal to return as Peter Parker. Though development of the film was slowed as a result of the WGA strike, rumors of the film’s plot began to circulate in late 2023. Prominent among them was that Spider-Man 4 would be a street-level Civil War that would feature Spidey, Daredevil and Ant-Man leading other heroes against Mayor Fisk. Given that D’Onofrio and Holland have consistently expressed their desires to see Spidey and Kingpin face off in the MCU, the post-credit stinger in Echo feels like the first step in that direction though it’s unlikely fans will see it play out before 2026.

  • Champions

    Champions

    Premiere: TBD

    Known to be in development for several years, Marvel Studios’ Young Avengers became a reality the moment Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan met Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop in The Marvels.

    In May 2024, it was reported that production on a Young Avengers film was expected to begin in 2025. Later in 2024, reports circulated that the studio had decided to retitle the project Champions.

    Rumored Cast

    • Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan
    • Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop
    • Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
    • Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez
    • Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan
  • Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

    Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

    Premiere: March 4, 2026

    During the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23 2024, Daredevil: Born Again star Charlie Cox confirmed that a second season of the series was set to start production before the end of 2024.

    Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again kicked off in late February in New York City. On March 1st, Matthew Lillard was confirmed to join the cast and was later revealed to be portraying an international power player named Mister Charles.

    Krysten Ritter will return as Jessica Jones.

    Cast

    • Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin
    • Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher
    • Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
    • Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
    • Matthew Lillard as Mister Charles
    • Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
    • Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn
    • Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake
    • Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie
    • Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Pointdexter/Bullseye
    • Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk
    • Genneya Walton as BB Urich
    • Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman
    • Unknown actor as Muse