Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga has definitely not landed with everyone. While there have certainly been some wonderful projects theatrically and streamed on Disney Plus, projects such as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder were largely considered misses for the studio. With the return of Bob Iger to Disney came a mandate for the company’s larger studios to throttle down and focus on quality. Combined with a lengthy work stoppage in 2023, Marvel Studios was left with only one theatrical offering in 2024: Deadpool & Wolverine.
With all eyes on the project (and a growing number of people who simply want Marvel to fail), Marvel Studios marketed the hell out of the project, putting Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman everywhere over the last month, ensuring a major box office take. However, big bucks alone wouldn’t be enough to prove to critics that Marvel still has what it takes, nor would the Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The true test, as always, is how the film lands with fans and now we know that answer as well.
Following its true opening night, fans gave Deadpool & Wolverine and A Cinemascore. That score is higher than Logan, which many consider one of the best superhero films of all time, and on par with Deadpool and Deadpool 2. What does it mean? While the film has been hammered a bit by critics for feeling a tad empty, audiences are having a good time in the theater which is, of course, the point of going to a theater in the first place.
Is Marvel Studios back? One good Cinemascore certainly doesn’t prove anything but Deadpool & Wolverine landing with fans on the heels of a few well-regarded projects such as X-Men ’97 and Echo can only help keep the positive momentum going.
From the sounds of the reviews of critics who were able to catch early screenings of Deadpool & Wolverine, the movie is no Quantumania but it’s no Endgame either. Wherever it ultimately lands in terms of fan and critical reception, there’s no doubt left that it will blow up the box office and that Hugh Jackman‘s return to inhabit the role of Wolverine once again has a lot to do with that. Jackman famously believed he had fully left the role behind him after 2018’s Logan gave the character an incredibly well-received send-off; however, a call from Ryan Reynolds and a long drive gave Jackman the clarity to decide that Deadpool & Wolverine provided a way back in without having to disturb the legacy of Logan.
Jackman’s return as Wolverine (along with FINALLY donning the iconic comic-accurate costume) has been central to the film’s marketing since the beginning and seems to have been worth the wait. Even before the film’s debut, fans were already begging for more of Jackman in the role, hoping that he’d star in one or both of the studio’s upcoming Avengers films. While that’s not been confirmed by Marvel yet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take advantage of Jackman’s presence in San Diego to make a major splash at their Saturday Hall H panel. However, even if Jackman does come back for another appearance or two, he can’t go on forever and whoever does ultimately replace him will have their claws full.
In an interview with Discussing Film, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, addressed the topic of Hugh Jackman‘s future as Wolverine and the idea of replacing the actor in a role he has owned for more than two decades. “Yes,” Feige answered bluntly when asked if someone other than Jackman would ever portray Wolverine in the MCU. “You know, Marvel is celebrating its 85th anniversary later this summer. That’s just the first 85 years, and Disney just celebrated 100 years as well. I think these characters will be around for another 100 years, long after all of us,” he continued, “so, for sure, there will be [eventually another actor as Wolverine]. I think it will be in a very different style and in a different way.” Feige finished the answer with a warning for whoever takes the handoff from Jackman, saying, “I also think if somebody were to attempt to do a Hugh Jackman as Wolverine impression, that would be a pretty big mistake.”
As Marvel Studios moves closer to launching their own take on the X-Men, it’s all but a sure thing that Wolverine (one of the most popular X-Men ever) will ultimately be part of their plans. It sounds as though that’s something Feige has already thought quite a bit about and that the folks behind the MCU’s X-Men reboot will be delivering their own take on Wolverine which will help distance it from Jackman’s iconic portrayal. “As comic readers know, there have been various and very, very different versions of these characters over the decades,” began Feige. “It would be fun to explore different ones someday down the line. Again, we don’t have immediate plans by any means. But in the decades to come, I think it’s inevitable. If that happens, it would have to be a very different and bold reinterpretation of [the character] because no one will be as great as Hugh Jackman at doing his version of Wolverine.”
So while it seems we’ve not seen the last of Jackman in the role just yet, it also sounds like a plan is in place to make sure the next guy in the suit doesn’t have to bear the weight of being compared too closely to him. Check out Jackman’s latest turn as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine, in theaters now.
Marvel Studios’ Eternals opened to incredibly poor reviews when it hit theaters in 2021. At the time, seeing an MCU project miss so badly with critics was a bit of a shock. While several other projects have joined the Chloe Zhao-helmed film in the past few years that haven’t been well-received, it still stands out among the duds. More than other projects such as The Marvels or Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Eternals doesn’t truly seem to fit into the MCU mold despite its storyline having some major consequences for the shared universe.
Though rumors persisted for some time that a follow-up project or two were in the works, the gravity of its failure to land with anyone made it seem like a longshot to ever have a direct sequel. Now, as Marvel Studios looks to reestablish itself as the box office bull it once was, studio head honcho Kevin Feige has addressed the future of the franchise.
In an interview with Inverse, Marvel Studios One Above All made it crystal clear that the studio is not looking to develop a sequel to the 2021 film saying, “there are no immediate plans for Eternals 2.”
While Feige did also confirm the major world-changing events of Eternals will be addressed in the MCU–“There are, and I think you’ve seen maybe in a trailer we’ve released recently, an acknowledgment of some of those events. Certain giant things came out of the ocean,” Feige told Inverse–it’s unclear if any of the film’s ensemble cast will have any role in future projects. That’s not entirely surprising as Kumail Nanjiani, whose Kingo was one of the highlights of Eternals, indicated in a 2023 interview that he hadn’t heard of any plans to move forward with a sequel.
Yeah! I mean, listen, I have plans today. I don’t know if they have plans. I would love to come back. But I’m sort of waiting to hear when or if that’s going to happen. I’m hoping I get to do more. I had a great time playing that character. It’d be a shame if he’s a sort of one and done. But, you know, the decision’s not mine to make.
-Kumail Nanjiani on the future of the Eternals franchise
As it stands, it would seem that the loose ends of Eternals will stay loose and have no significant impact on the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.
It seemed…inevitable. Just hours after THR broke the news that directors Joe and Anthony Russo were in talks to return to Marvel Studios to helm Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars, rumors began to swirl that another pair of key contributors to the Infinity Saga may join them. According to multiple outlets, the Russos may be accompanied in their new venture by another creative tag team well-known to MCU fans: writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
According to both Daniel RPK and Jeff “The In” Sneider, Markus and McFeely–who teamed up to write the screenplays for a half dozen MCU films in Phases 1 through 3–are set to pen Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars. Interestingly enough, word of the duo’s return comes on the heels of unconfirmed reports that writer Michael Waldron had left Avengers 5.
While the Russos faces may have been more familiar to fans of the MCU, Markus and McFeely were every bit as much involved in the scaffolding of the Infinity Saga as the directing duo. In addition to writing the screenplays for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Markus and McFeely also penned Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
There are all sorts of characters that would be fun. Joe and Anthony keep saying Secret Wars and I keep going, “really, you want to take on another giant multi-character [crossover]?” I would personally be more drawn to setting up a single character again and taking them from the beginning.
While the Russos often shared their desire to adapt Marvel Comics Secret Wars for the MCU, Markus and McFeeley were less keen on the idea in a 2019 interview, suggesting they’d rather work with X-Men characters, with Cyclops at the top of their list. Should they start from scratch on Avengers 5, an adaptation of Marvel Comics 2012 crossover event, Avengers vs. X-Men, could scratch that particular itch and fit nicely into the ongoing Multiverse Saga plot, especially given where things left off in The Marvels.
With the creative team for the next Avengers films now seemingly complete (again), it’s reasonable to assume Marvel Studios will include the projects in their Hall H panel at SDCC ’24 on Saturday, July 27th.
Since Shira Haas was first revealed to be playing Ruth Bat-Seraph in Captain America: Brave New World, the character has been the center of online controversy, including calls for her to be removed from the film. In 2022, Marvel Studios made it clear that rather than remove her from the film, they took a “new approach” in reimagining her for the MCU. Now, shortly after the first look at the film hit social media, that new approach is becoming very clear.
While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago.
-Official Statement from Marvel Studios on Ruth Bat-Seraph in Captain America: Brave New World
Haas‘ brief appearance in the teaser trailer for the film didn’t give much away about what changes may have been made to the character, however, a follow-up piece on Marvel.com shed some light on what to expect. Rather than appearing in the MCU as a member of the Israeli Secret Service, Ruth is described as “a former Black Widow,” who “is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross.” Given how Black Widow played out, the change works just fine but according to a new trade report, the changes don’t stop there.
In the comics, Ruth Bat-Seraph also went by the alias Sabra; however, according to THR, the studio chose to drop that code name entirely as well as her allegiance to Israel. Essentially, Marvel Studios’ new approach to the character was to keep the name and recreate her entirely–and it’s hardly the first time they’ve done such a thing. Though it’s unlikely that the changes made by the studio will relieve any of the tension online, it does show at least some semblance of awareness by the execs while also calling into question why the chose to use the character in the first place when an original character would have worked well in her place.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters February 14, 2025.
Marvel Studios rolled out the first look at 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World which looks to be a high-octane thriller. While the teaser trailer gave away quite a bit, including the inclusion of Red Hulk, it held back quite a bit as well, including leaving out some key cast members. One of those members of the cast, Shira Haas, is set to play Ruth Bat-Seraph, known in the comics as Sabra, who has become the center of some controversy. Fans have threatened to boycott the film over her inclusion and some rumors arose that the character would be taken out of the film entirely. As it turns out, that is not the case as Haas was included on the list of cast members sent out by Disney in an official press release.
“Captain America: Brave New World” stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Despite backlash from fans, Haas‘ character was never going to be removed from the film. In 2022, the studio released a statement indicating that they were “taking a new approach” with the character.
While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago
With only a brief hint of the character in the teaser, fans will have to wait to see what that new approach is and how they incorporate her into the MCU despite the controversy that has surrounded her since she was first revealed to be in the film.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025.
Following the release of the teaser trailer for Captain America: Brave New World, Disney unveiled the first official synopsis for the action-packed 2025 film. The film has been described as a political thriller in the past and the synopsis indicates fans should expect just that.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Official Synopsis for Captain America: Brave New World
Though he’s only briefly seen in the teaser, that “true mastermind” is certainly Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns who is returning to the role for the first time since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Brave New World director Julius Onah teased Sterns’ role in the film in an interview with ComicBook.com in 2022.
One of the things that really drew me to this project is The Leader is a man who operates from intellect. And it’s so great to have an adversary who is working with this incredible intellect to really put Sam through the wringer in this story. And again, it’s a paranoid thriller; it’s this grounded adventure where I think everything that happens in this film feels so real and intense because of who this adversary is. What he’s going to have to go through in this film is because he’s got an adversary who is so terrifyingly intelligent.
-Jullius Onah
The teaser trailer lays out how Sam Wilson moves ahead following the events of the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Solider as President Thaddeus Ross looks to make Captain America an official position within the United States military. Onah previously talked about the challenges Wilson would face in that role saying, “He is in a new position. Stepping up to be the leader as Captain America is going to be a new set of challenges for him. And in this story, a big part of his journey is how do you define that leadership? That’s the thing that he hasn’t had to deal with just yet. As the Falcon, he was always there supporting the rest of the team, but now he’s the man leading the team and I think that’s going to be a really exciting journey to go on with him.”
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14th, 2025.
It’s an all-new, all-different era at Marvel Studios. After years of being obnoxiously secretive, the studio has experimented with different methods of revealing news about upcoming projects. Whether the constant changing of titles of KathrynHahn’s Agatha All Along, the social media reveal of Hugh Jackman‘s return for Deadpool & Wolverine or the surprise Valentine’s Day cast announcement, or the April 4th reveal of concept art featuring the Human Torch which also launched an neat viral campaign for The Fantastic Four, the once taciturn studio has taken a new, more forthcoming approach to connect with fans as they try to rebuild their image.
Another new initiative taken by the studio to reach the fanbase is the launch of The Official Marvel Podcast. Perhaps in an effort to put the podcast on the map, Marvel came out swinging with its first episode by having Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, launch the venture. And while the boss had quite a bit to say about the studio’s upcoming slate, he was most effusive about the long-awaited film, The Fantastic Four.
The co-host of the podcast came out swinging by asking Feige which upcoming project excited him most and after giving a typical Big Kev response, the head honcho changed gears and gave some surprising insight into The Fantastic Four.
“Well, you know, the corporate answer is: they’re all our babies and we love them all equally. And I’m very excited for Deadpool & Wolverine, and then Agatha All Along, and Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts with an asterisk, and the new Daredevil. And that’s true,” started Feige. “But if you want the real answer – if we’re trying to get real on this podcast,” he continued, “the answer is The Fantastic Four.“
Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure. We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.
-Kevin Feige on Jon Watts departure from The Fantastic Four, April 2022
“Matt Shakman, our Director who did WandaVision for us, is working on [The Fantastic Four]. He’s already moved to London, and we start filming at the end of July,” revealed Feige. “Funny story: we start shooting the Monday after Comic Con. The day after Comic Con is the first day of filming on Fantastic Four,” he added, perhaps teasing the studio’s presence in San Diego. Feige then expressed his excitement for the 2025 film.
“And I’m extremely excited by it, because I think those characters are mainstays… are legendary pillars of the Marvel Universe that we’ve never got to play with or explore in any significant way – apart from Multiverse Of Madness and a few fun teases – before, in the way that were doing in that film. So I’m extremely for that.”
-Kevin Feige, June 26 , 2024
While that amount of information alone from Feige would have been enough, Marvel’s Big Cheese took things one step further. When pressed by the co-host, Feige addressed fan speculation over the setting of The Fantastic Four, which fans believe will be a period piece–something which Feige directly confirmed before addressing another bit of speculation about the retrofuturistic setting of the film.
“Yes. Yes, very much so. It is a period, and there was another piece of art we released with Johnny Storm flying in the air making a 4 symbol, and there was a cityscape in the corner of that image, and there were a lot of smart people who noticed that cityscape didn’t look exactly like the New York that we know and the New York that existed in the ’60s in our world. And those are smart observations, I’ll say.”
After years of being fancast in multiple MCU roles, Giancarlo Esposito finally joined the cinema’s largest interconnected universe. It’s been just under a month since it was revealed that Espositio‘s character was set to debut in Captain America: Brave New World when it hits theaters in early 2025 and as reshoots on that project have wound down or moved out of the public eye, the buzz around the debut has died down a bit. However, at the premiere of his next film, MaXXXine, Esposito was asked about the role and teased that he’s set to be a real badass.
Giancarlo Esposito on his character and making his MCU debut in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ : “I’m a real badass” pic.twitter.com/Jx4HkEIRfp
“When you see me in the MCU, you’re going to see a badass and I’m excited for that,” Esposito told Deadline. “Acting is using every part of your body, your emotions, your senses, your feelings to portray something. But when you…you haven’t really seen me use my body in a way I’ll be using it. The MCU is exciting. I can’t tell you who I play but you’re gonna be excited when you see it,” he teased.
The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards.
While Esposito has done plenty of teasing of his character over the past couple of months, the identity of the agent of chaos has yet to be revealed. A set photo released online in early June showed the character will be heavily armed and led to wild theorizing and speculation by fans who believe he’s playing every Marvel character from Bushman to Willis Stryker to Shatterstar. To date, I’ve not seen an accurate guess of Esposito‘s character.
As the final countdown for Marvel Studios one and only theatrical release of 2024 begins, preparations for the studio’s next Avengers movie continue. Word recently came down that Kevin Feige and crew have begun the search for a director and thatDeadpool & Wolverine‘s Shawn Levy may be in contention for the job. Typically Marvel prefers to begin working with directors a year or so before the start of production which would indicate that filming should be on track to get underway in mid-2025. And it turns out that may just be the case, according to one of the film’s expected stars.
While reflecting on his time as Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch indicated that he’s expecting to suit back up for production on Avengers 5 next year.
Benedict Cumberbatch talks about the joy and perks of playing Doctor Strange (Doctor Sparks) 💫 "He's a gift in my life in many ways as a producer, as an actor. I'm very much looking forward to Avengers which is cooking up a storm." pic.twitter.com/3YOtUYrlkd
— thelostsmiles ꫂ Phil Burbank's scarf (@SmilingBenedict) June 21, 2024
Originally known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Avengers 5 remains on track for its May 2026 release despite a complete overhaul behind the scenes which included a new writer and director and, reportedly, a new main character.
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