Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU Movies

  • 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.

  • New ‘Deadpool 3’ BTS Photo May Tease the Return to a Major ‘Logan’ Location

    New ‘Deadpool 3’ BTS Photo May Tease the Return to a Major ‘Logan’ Location

    As Marvel Studios’ only 2024 film, the currently untitled Deadpool movie will certainly garner a significant amount of attention. With the July 26th release date just over 6 months away, production on the film has seemingly wrapped and fans are anticipating the first look at the film will come during Super Bowl LVIII. While there have been plenty of spoilery set photos, there are likely still plenty of surprises still in store for the audience, though star Ryan Reynolds may have just given another one away.

    In a recent Instagram story, Reynolds shared a black and white photo of a pair of chairs from the film’s set. The chairs, with the names Logan and Wade Wilson on them, are set in front of a corn field that looks like every other corn field…but they may just give away a key plot point from the film.

    Given that his character died in 2018’s Logan, Hugh Jackman’s return to the role immediately generated speculation that Deadpool 3 would end up retconning the events of the film in someway and it’s possible this new photo has revealed when and where. In Logan, Logan, Laura and Charles find themselves guests at the home of Will Munson, a corn farmer in Oklahoma City. It was at the Munson farm where the Logan clone, X-24, found the trio and fatally wounded Charles and killed the entire Munson family.

    Given all the plot rumors that state Wade will pluck Logan from the Logan timeline for their adventure in the Deadpool threequel, it seems VERY likely that this might be the point in time from which he plucks him. It’ll be interesting to see when Wade chooses to become an interloper as on one hand, he could pop up, kill X-24 and save Charles Xavier and the Munson family while on the other hand, he could take Logan after the damage has been done, leaving Laura to fend for herself.

  • New Favorite Emerges for Major Marvel Role

    New Favorite Emerges for Major Marvel Role

    While Marvel Studios will only have one film in theaters and two live-action series on Disney Plus in 2024, it may end up being one of the studio’s busiest ever on the production side. Production is scheduled to restart on a pair of recently retooled streaming series, Wonder Man (indeed, cameras are already rolling again on this one!) and Daredevil: Born Again, in early 2024. Principal photography is also scheduled for at least four films with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and Blade all on the docket. Throw in the potential for cameras to roll on Avengers 5, which is being written by Loki Season 1 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, at some point late in the year and it becomes clear Kevin Feige and crew are going to be busy. However, there’s some important business left to attend to for each of those projects before production can get underway. In the case of Thunderbolts, which is expected to start filming in just a few months, there’s a super-sized hole in the ensemble cast.

    After months of being one the MCU’s most poorly kept casting secrets ever, The Walking Dead and Invincible star Steven Yeun vacated the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts, leaving Marvel Studios scrambling to find a replacement. With production so close to kicking off, Yeun had already done costume fittings for the character, whose backstory in the film had been altered from the comics to uniquely fit Yeun. Now as the studio reworks the script around Yeun’s departure, another Walking Dead alum has emerged as a favorite for the role of Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Austin Abrams–who portrayed Ron Anderson in 9 episodes over parts of Seasons 5 and 6 of The Walking Dead–has been offered the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts.

    Abrams‘ work as Ethan Lewis on HBO’s Euphoria has drawn significant praise and the young actor has already shown an impressive range in his relatively short career. Should he indeed land the role of junkie-turned-Super Soldier Bob Reynolds, it’ll provide another opportunity to showcase his talents and land a potentially major recurring role.

  • The 5 Most (and Least) Rewatchable MCU Films

    The 5 Most (and Least) Rewatchable MCU Films

    With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness now streaming on Disney Plus, MCU fans have the opportunity to rewatch the film-or at least certain parts of it at their leisure. And, according to some recent data, it looks like fans have turned it on more than either of the other two MCU films that also only had a 45-day theatrical window, Shang-Chi, and Eternals. The film is, for the most part, a fast-paced, wild ride through the multiverse, chocked full of crazy cameos and some of Marvel Studios’ most terrifying content to date. But will it, ultimately, be the kind of film fans go back to over and over again? Time will tell, but for now, let’s look at which films already do fit that category…and which don’t.

    The 5 Most Rewatchable MCU Films

    Ant-Man (2015)

    Everyone loves Paul Rudd and his energy makes 2015’s Ant-Man one of the MCU’s funniest films. Of course, Rudd’s not alone in bringing the laughs as he’s joined by Michael Peña’s Luis, whose attention to all the wrong details in his stories makes for laughs every time. Finally, the father-daughter relationship between Rudd’s Scott Lang and his daughter, Cassie, hits home and adds a layer of sweetness to the film.

    Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

    While Avengers: Endgame was received better critically, Infinity War provides fans with a steady flow of rewatchable moments that make it the perfect MCU film to have on in the background. From Cap’s catch of Proxima’s weapon to Thor’s arrival on Earth to the many highlights of the Battles of Wakanda and Titan, Infinity War acts as a highlight reel for the shared cinematic universe.

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2015)

    From start to finish, Captain America: The Winter Soldier puts out a steady flow of some of the best action in any MCU film to date. Beginning with the raid of the Lemurian Star, continuing to the best car chase the MCU has seen and the beautifully shot battle in the streets between Cap and the Winter Solider and finishing up with the emotional battle in the Hellicarrier, the Russo brothers, with the help of a fantastic score, made fans FEEL the action. While the MCU has had some pretty successful action scenes since this film still feels like it’s the best of the best in that regard.

    Guardians of the Galaxy (2015)

    James Gunn changed an awful lot from the way these characters were depicted in the source material and one of them cements this film as one of the most rewatchable MCU films. By giving Peter Quill a Walkman, Gunn found an organic way to incorporate music into the film and from the moment fans saw the first teaser footage, it was the music that drew them in. It doesn’t hurt that Gunn’s strength as a director is dealing with interpersonal dynamics-and he certainly had a lot of fun with that here-but every time fans see Star-Lord dancing on Morag, the good feelings come rushing back.

    Thor: Ragnarok (2015)

    The most dumb fun ever put into one MCU film. Ragnarok began the process of making Thor a lot less Shakespearian and a lot more fun. Director Taika Waititi figuratively and, in one scene, literally, deconstructed everything fans thought they knew about Thor and Asgard, allowing for the Odinson to be reborn-though he certainly had to suffer before he got there. Between the comedy and the fun action, Ragnarok is rewatchable from beginning to end and stands at or near the top of the list.

    The 5 Least Rewatchable MCU Films

    Captain Marvel (2019)

    A less than marvelous plot, run-of-the-mill action, and some really dull and poorly written characters combine to make this one tough to get through more than once. Sure, Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos is pretty great, but for a film starring Brie Larson, Lee Pace, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jude Law, it really misses the mark. Like many MCU first films, this one does a lot of foundational work that will likely allow for a stronger sequel, but even there the film falls short by failing to really dive into the Kree-Skrull War, one of the comic’s longest-standing feuds, and making the Skrulls pretty boring.

    Eternals (2021)

    For a film based on one of Jack Kirby’s wildest ideas, very little is wild here and very little is Kirby here. Wooden and sleepy performances are everywhere in Eternals, with only Kumail Nanjiani and Don Lee escaping that trap. It also may have been a mismatch to put director Chloe Zhao, who works only with natural light, in charge of this group who, in the comics, are as bright and bold as any. Finally, the decision-making around how to adapt the Deviants to the MCU is as baffling as any, giving the name to some incredibly boring and very non-Kirby creatures. A missed opportunity for sure.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

    As fantastically rewatchable as the first one is, the sequel never really comes near to that. While not necessarily a bad movie, outside of the big opening action sequence, it doesn’t recapture the charm of the first film, and parts of the second act can induce one to wonder what’s happening online rather than dig back in.

    The Incredible Hulk (2008)

    Other than introducing Banner and Thunderbolt Ross, this film has really had no reason for existing. Sure, we’re getting more of Abomination/Blonsky now, but adding cool characters to the shared universe doesn’t do enough save this one. As Captain Marvel, this film is full of talented names who fell victim to a story that was simply not that interesting. It’s probably for the best that it’s not available on Disney Plus, though it’s so unwatchable that it’s possible not many people even know it’s not there.

    Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

    Of all the films on this list, this is the hardest one to explain away. It has some of the MCU’s most memorable and creative action sequences, Jake Gyllenhall is a fantastic Mysterio and everyone loves Tom Holland; however, nothing about it screams “watch me again!”. Interestingly enough, the events of it are rendered completely meaningless by the end of No Way Home, so if you find yourself forgetting the big reveal at the end, you’ll be in the same boat as the in-universe population of the MCU.

    What 5 are you taking with you for a weekend retreat? What 5 are you retreating from? Let us know in the comments.