Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU News

  • Marvel Reportedly Fast-Tracks ‘One Last Kill’ Sequel; May Feature Punisher’s Most Terrifying Rogue

    Marvel Reportedly Fast-Tracks ‘One Last Kill’ Sequel; May Feature Punisher’s Most Terrifying Rogue

    The Netflix renaissance is no longer a phase—it’s a takeover. Fresh off the wave of positive response to the TV-MA Special Presentation The Punisher: One Last Kill, industry insider Daniel Richtman has reported that Marvel Studios is moving full steam ahead on a follow-up project for Jon Bernthal’s lethal vigilante.

    While it’s currently unclear if this next step is another tight Special Presentation a full-scale limited series or a feature film, the narrative trajectory is obvious. One Last Kill intentionally left Ma Gnucci on the board, setting up a comic-accurate turf war that will feature Frank shielding Sadie Sink’s mystery MCU character from the ever-present Department of Damage Control in Spider-Man: Brand New Day before heading up another Punisher project. And it looks as though whatever they project it is, it will feature one of Punisher’s most lethal villains.

    Though he had a small role as Barry in Punisher: One Last Kill, fans were convinced that Jamal Johnson was actually playing the merc known as Barracuda in the special presentation. Thanks to an Instagram post from Johnson, it seems fans were indeed correct…and Johnson is teasing the potential for him to return in the role.

    Introduced by writer Garth Ennis in the 2006 Punisher MAX series, Barracuda isn’t just one of the Punisher’s most formidable physical threats—he’s also one of the few villains who genuinely enjoys the chaos as much as Frank enjoys the punishment. Barracuda is the “anti-Punisher”—a military-trained killing machine who represents what Frank Castle might have become if he actually enjoyed the slaughter instead of viewing it as a tragic, solemn duty.

    Bernthal has made it clear there’s more in the pipeline for the character and though he refuses to give it away, there’s plenty of news crumbs for fans to start imagining what’s next for The Punisher.

  • ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Production Schedule Sparks Delay Rumors

    ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Production Schedule Sparks Delay Rumors

    Fans are beginning to worry that te road to the end of the Multiverse just got a little longer. Though the information had been known and available for quite some time, confirmation from a member of the cast about thefilming schedule for Avengers: Secret Wars has sparked widespread industry speculation that the massive crossover event may miss its current December 2027 release date.

    In an interview with Dog Day Afternoon, Fantastic Four star Ebon Moss-Bachrach confirmed that he’ll be able to do a play until mid-June because Avengers: Secret Wars won’t begin production until August.

    While Marvel Studios has yet to officially move the needle, the logistical realities of filming back-to-back Avengers epics are beginning to settle in, and fans believe there might be a push to May 2028 which is coincidentally the 20th anniversary of the MCU.

    Avengers: Secret Wars is the reset button for the entire MCU. If the Russos and Kevin Feige feel they need more time to get the ending of a 20-year narrative right, they will take it. After the fluid script updates reported by Joseph Quinn and the secret names mentioned by Alan Cumming, it’s clear the scope of these films has ballooned beyond Marvel’s initial 2022 projections.

  • The Future of Frank Castle After ‘One Last Kill’

    The Future of Frank Castle After ‘One Last Kill’

    As fans prepare to dive into The Punisher: One Last Kill on Disney+, a new report from The Direct is fueling speculation that this Special Presentation might be the final audition for a full-blown theatrical Punisher movie.

    While the current project is a standalone, 40ish-minute Marvel Spotlight entry, the conversation is rapidly shifting toward Frank Castle’s big-screen potential—especially with Jon Bernthal already confirmed for a major role in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

    The Punisher: One Last Kill isn’t just another MCU spin-off; it’s a mission statement. Bernthal didn’t just return as the lead; he also co-wrote and executive produced the special alongside director Reinaldo Marcus Green. This level of creative involvement suggests Marvel is trusting Bernthal to define the adult tone of the character’s MCU future.

    Moving forward. I think, speaking for myself, I know Jon, and I would love to make a movie, something that could go worldwide and be on screens everywhere. But obviously, that’ll be Marvel’s decision.

    -Reinaldo Marcus Green

    Green admitted that while One Last Kill is a streaming event, both he and Bernthal “would love” to see Frank Castle lead his own theatrical film. “Obviously, that’ll be Marvel’s decision,” Green noted, but emphasized that the demand for an R-rated theatrical Punisher has never been higher.

    To be honest, I can’t speak to that. I don’t know what the plans are for the future of the Punisher. The only thing that we hope that we were able to accomplish is the demand for more if we were able to accomplish that. Hopefully Jon [Bernthal] and Marvel will come together to make something worthy of what the audience would want to see out of that character.

    -Reinaldo Marcus Green

    Following the success of Deadpool & Wolverine and the two TV-MA  seasons of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios is reportedly no longer afraid of the R-rating in theaters. With Disney pivoting back toward theatrical releases and away from aggressive streaming slates, Frank Castle is the perfect candidate to lead a lower-budget, high-impact, R-rated Marvel Knights cinematic line.

    Source: The Direct

  • New ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Footage Said to Add Critical Link to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    New ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Footage Said to Add Critical Link to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    When Avengers: Endgame hits theaters again this fall, it won’t be the same film fans saw in 2019. According to director Joe Russo, fans will be getting an all-new, all-different version of the film which will include footage set within the narrative of Avengers: Doomsday.

    “It’s critically important to re-release the movie, and, in fact, we’ll be re-releasing the film with footage that is set in the Doomsday story that we have added to Avengers: Endgame,” explained Joe Russo.

    “It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from Endgame to Doomsday in a very unique way, and because the movie was so successful, we have an opportunity to re-release it. You don’t always get the chance to re-release because it costs money, so the fact that we can enhance the story of Doomsday by bridging it to Endgame and these characters that we worked with for years that we love so much, and continue their story: It’s a really unique opportunity.”

    As Russo explained further, he described the Avengers: Endgame re-release as a “critical companion story” and a “setup for what you’re gonna watch in December when you see Avengers Doomsday.”

    With Chris Evans back in a central role, one can imagine that at least some of the new footage would address Steve Rogers journey through time and which, if any, Avengers, might have known about it.

    Avengers: Endgame will be back in theaters on September 25th and Avengers: Doomsday will follow on December 18th.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios’X-Men’ Film to Draw Inspiration from Seminal Uncanny Run

    The Beef team isn’t just bringing the drama to the X-Mansion; they’re bringing a specific, fan-favorite era of the comics with them. As part of his Collider sit-down, director Jake Schreier has finally revealed the North Star for the MCU’s X-Men reboot: The 1980s Chris Claremont Uncanny era.

    Famous for turning the X-Men into a serialized drama where the characters’ interpersonal lives were just as high-stakes as their battles with Sentinels, the Claremont era not only saved the book but also elevated it. Whether through the creation of hundreds of characters–dozens of which have stood the rest of time–or simply enriching the fan favorites who already existed, Claremont cemented Marvel’s mutants and heroes as a brand that resonated with fans then and still does so today.

    In talking to Collider, Schreier explained that he’s been searching the source material for a way to tell a story that feels “new” and sets itself apart from Fox’s “incredible cinematic tradition.” And it seems that, at least in part, Claremont’s seminal run provides that opportunity.

    I also think just having the time to kind of sit back, and I’ve just been digging into so many of the old comics and the entire Claremont run, and just going through stuff and really trying to think about what can we do well that feels new and feels different, and that hasn’t been done well before? Obviously, there’s such an incredible cinematic tradition of these comics, but what can we do? And how can we put our own spin on what that is?

    -Jake Schreier

    Claremont spent 16 years building the X-Men into a global phenomenon by focusing on their humanity. By choosing this as the blueprint, Schreier is signaling that the MCU mutants won’t just be another hero team. They will be a complex, diverse family dealing with societal prejudice and internal heartbreak—the exact kind of storytelling that made the Infinity Saga so resonant.

    Using the Uncanny run as inspiration allows the studio to focus on some heroes who were never really given a fair shot in Fox’s Wolverine and Friends films; it also provides the opportunity to select wildly different villains instead of another round of Magneto. While Mister Sinister and Apocalypse have been rumored to play major roles in the MCU Mutant Saga, other villains such as the Brood,  Mojo, Nimrod, the Phalanx or the Reavers could also be lifted from the pages of Claremont’s work. There’s also plenty of room for Alpha Flight, the Braddock family, the Shi’ar and the Starjammers to be weaved into the narrative tapestry being spun by Schreier and the Beef-ed up writing team.

    While Jonathan Hickman‘s recent run thrilled longtime fans of the comics, Claremont’s run is THE standard and if the creatives behind Marvel Studios X-Men choose wisely, MCU fans could find themselves back on top.

    Source: Collider

  • The Mutant Decade — Jake Schreier Confirms Marvel’s Plan for “Multiple” ‘X-Men’ Films

    The Mutant Decade — Jake Schreier Confirms Marvel’s Plan for “Multiple” ‘X-Men’ Films

    The mutants are coming. Fresh off the news that the creative dream team behind Beef and The Bear is handling the script, director Jake Schreier has officially confirmed what we’ve all suspected: Marvel Studios is planning an entire X-Men Saga, not just a one-off reboot.

    In a wide-ranging interview with Collider, Schreier revealed that the conversations with Kevin Feige aren’t about a single movie, but about building a multi-film architecture for Phase 7 and beyond.

    “I think that, obviously, first things first: We have to make one great movie. But we always have an eye as we’re talking about it too,” Schreier explained. “What are the different places this can go? What are the places that [have] been in the comics? What hasn’t been explored as much, and how can that be incorporated? And what are some of the different avenues that we could take that feel like the kind of less-trodden path that we could go down? But those ideas are always out there, as we have the discussions.”

    Given that Fox flubbed the Dark Phoenix story not once but twice while choosing not to explore other interesting avenues such as the Starjammers, Shi’ar, Brood among others, there are numerous “less-trodden” paths the Mutant Saga could take.

    By announcing the plan for multiple movies before the first one has even finished its script, Marvel is signaling a return to the “long-form storytelling” that fans felt was missing in Phase 4 and 5. They aren’t just making an X-Men movie; they are building a world where mutants are the primary lens through which we see the MCU.

    Source: Collider

  • Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo Reunited to Beef Up MCU’s ‘X-Men’

    Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo Reunited to Beef Up MCU’s ‘X-Men’

    Marvel Studios isn’t just looking for superheroes to lead Phase 7—they’re looking for the best storytellers in the business. In an exclusive update first reported by Collider, Thunderbolts* and X-Men director Jake Schreier has confirmed that he is bringing his heavy-hitting Beef and The Bear collaborators into the X-Mansion.

    Lee Sung Jin (creator of Beef) and Joanna Calo (showrunner of The Bear) are officially working on the latest draft of the X-Men reboot script.

    “We’re still developing. You know, one of the exciting things that’s tying into Beef is that Sonny [Lee Sung Jin] and Joanna [Calo] both worked on this season,” Schreuer explained . “Obviously, I mean, Beef is Sonny’s show, and Joanna worked on the season as well, and we worked together on Season 1 of Beef and on Thunderbolts*. They have come in and are working on a draft right now, which is really exciting to be able to put that group of people together again.”

    Marvel has leaned into prestige TV talent lately, but this move reunites the creative trifecta that turned Beef into an Emmy-sweeping phenomenon. Schreier, confirmed that Lee Sung and Call are currently “in the room,” refining the story originally penned by Michael Lesslie (Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes).

    Schreier and Calo already have MCU chemistry, having worked together on the script for Thunderbolts*. Schreier explained that Lee’s “ability to take small interpersonal dynamics and explode them into a much larger canvas” made him a perfect candidate to work on an ensemble film like X-Men. Additonally, Schreier believes that the melodrama that defined a few decades of X-Men comics plays into the strengths of the new pair of writers.

    When you go back and read X-Men [comics], there’s ideology but also interpersonal drama, almost of a soap opera quality. Having writers who understand both how to drive ideology from personal stakes, if we get that right, that’s what will feel most honest to what X-Men can be.

    –X-Men director Jake Schreier

    For years, the complaint against the Fox X-Men movies was that they focused too much on the spectacle and not enough on the school or the family. By hiring the people responsible for two of the most intense character studies on television, Marvel is signaling that the MCU mutants will be defined by their relationships first, and their powers second.

    Source: Collider

  • Marvel Television Officially Moving Forward with a Second Season of 2025’s Surprise Animated Hit

    Marvel Television Officially Moving Forward with a Second Season of 2025’s Surprise Animated Hit

    Though Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies wasn’t the studio’s highest-rated streaming series, the four-episode mini-event captured a massive audience. Ahead of its debut, streaming skipper Brad Winderbaum teased that while there were certainly more zombie tales to be told, viewership numbers would determine whether or not the studio would move forward.

    It wasn’t long before Winderbaum confirmed that Bryan Andrews had begun development on a new batch of episodes, though he cautioned that the studio had not quite given the green light to head into production. Now, on the heels of the announcement that Marvel Television was moving ahead with a second season Wonder Man, Winderbaum has confirmed that fans will indeed get a second season of Marvel Zombies.

    During an appearance on the Escape Pod Podcast, Winderbaum revealed that he had seen the first animatic for the first episode of the new season, teasing that Season 2 will deliver on “an MCU thing that has really never happened before.”

    The first season was a lot of fun and included “a truly all-time great zombie apocalypse moment that sits right there with 28 Days Later and World War Z.” Given the rate at which animated series are developed and produced, it’s unclear if Season 2 of Marvel Zombies will be available on D+ in 2027, 2028 or beyond.

  • Robert Downey Jr. May Have Confirmed an Additional Pair of Heroes for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Robert Downey Jr. May Have Confirmed an Additional Pair of Heroes for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Since returning to Marvel Studios to play Doctor Doom, Robert Downey Jr. has often posted Doom-themed holiday images to his personal Instagram account. This Easter weekend, he did so again and fans believe some “hidden Easter eggs” have revealed a pair of characters whose presence in Avengers: Doomsday has, so far, not been confirmed.

    The image features Doom holding an Easter basket loaded up with eggs decorated with the symbols of the heroes from across the Multiverse set to face the villain in the upcoming film: Shang-Chi, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Black Panther, Thor, Namor, Ant-Man, Loki and Captain America. However, tucked in the back of the basket behind the other eggs are a pair of eggs with the symbols of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

    Benedict Cumberbatch was not among the 27 stars revealed as part of the primary cast during last March’s 5-hour Livestream reveal; however, he has often been rumored to be in the film, with Cumberbatch‘s Strange said to have filmed “pivotal, high-security scenes” as Doom’s “wizard sidekick.”

    While the Strange logo leaves no room for debate, it might be worth pointing out that the Spider-Man logo more closely resembles the only typically associated with Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man than that seen on the suit worn by Tom Holland‘s Wall-Crawler. And, in fact, it is Maguire‘s Spidey who has often been linked to the project, with claims of a scene filmed with Deadpool and Wolverine having stirred up fans over the past few months.

  • Secret Defenders: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ S3 Set Photos Revel Major Cast Additions

    Secret Defenders: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ S3 Set Photos Revel Major Cast Additions

    The renaissance of the Netflix Defenders-verse been confirmed. After months of speculation, photos from the New York City set of Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 have revealed that the new season will indeed reunite the Defenders.

    Twitter user jadames1775 was able to capture Mike Colter, Finn Jones and Krysten Ritter on set, leaving no further room for argument that the heroes for hire will reassemble in 2027.

    Updating…