Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU News

  • New Rumor Explains the ’60s Setting of ‘The Fantastic Four’

    New Rumor Explains the ’60s Setting of ‘The Fantastic Four’

    On Valentine’s Day, Marvel Studios revealed the cast, release date and new title for 2025’s The Fantastic Four via social media. Though the talented group of actors that were cast as Marvel’s First Family wasn’t truly a surprise (rumors had all four of them in the roles for months ahead of Marvel Studios’ announcement), the concept art that accompanied the reveal did hint at something very interesting about the film’s setting. Both the magazine being read by Ben Grimm and the portrait of him pre-cosmic ray incident seemed to indicate that the events of the film were going to be set in the 1960s, something that could be a bit problematic in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. If the Fantastic Four had ben around since then, why had nobody heard of them? Why didn’t Hank Pym or Peggy Carter ever mention them? Now a new rumor about the Matt Shakman-helmed film might clear up all those problems.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four will be set in an alternate universe somewhere in the MCU’s Multiverse.

    Should this rumor turn out to be accurate, it’ll certainly be controversial; however, it’s a wise choice by the studio as it gives the project room to breathe and truly set itself apart from other MCU projects. By simply setting it outside of the MCU’s 616-universe, Shakman has the creative freedom to completely ignore any and everything fans know, love and hate about the “Marvel formula.” Assuming this universe it not one that we’ve seen in the MCU so far, the characters don’t have to play by any of the rules or be painted into a corner by any of the stories told so far. The family of explorers can be allowed to explore new corners of the universe, just as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby intended.

    Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four is currently set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.

  • Marvel Studios Makes a Title Change to Another 2025 Film

    Marvel Studios Makes a Title Change to Another 2025 Film

    As part of the cast reveal on Valentine’s Day 2024, Marvel Studios made a tiny change to the title of their Fantastic Four film. Introduced in 2019 as Fantastic Four, the Matt Shakman-led project- –which is set to begin principal photography this August–became The Fantastic Four. As changes go, adding an article to the beginning of the title is pretty minor; however, a change is a change and the news is the news. In that regard, it’s worth pointing out that Marvel Studios has  made another minor, but interesting change, to the title of another 2025 film.

    After quite a few delays as part of Disney’s 2023 slate shuffles, filming is finally underway on the Jake Schreier-helmed Thunderbolts project. In a surprise but welcomed move, star Florence Pugh took to social media to post a “sneaky” video from the set of the project. During her trip around the stage, Pugh bumped into Schreier whose director’s chair revealed a new logo and title for the film. Later, the video was reposted to social media by Marvel Studios apparently confirming that the film is now called Thunderbolts*.

    Again, as title changes go, placing an asterisk at the end of the pre-existing title is about as minor as it gets; however, it’s also fairly puzzling because it came with no explanation. Typically when placed at the end of a word, an asterisk indicates some sort of footnote is being cross-referenced. That does not seem to be the case here which leaves a little mystery around the minor change to the title. It’s possible the asterisk indicates some additional context is needed to understand the title of the film which is also the title of the team of antiheros who undertake a secret mission in the film. Given all the online hubbub about one purported explanation for how the team gets the name, it’s possible that the asterisk is indeed a reference to how the team chooses its moniker.

    As for the video itself, it’s fairly harmless and other than a quick peek at the vault in which Lewis Pullman‘s Robert Reynolds is being held at the beginning of the film, it doesn’t give away much. However, it’s part of a welcome change in the way Marvel Studios has gone about the business of revealing information about their projects for quite some time. It cleverly takes advantage of Marvel well-known and incredibly obnoxious secrecy on set and gives fans a little reason to be excited which ultimately builds hype for the project.

    Thunderbolts* is currently slated to be in theaters on May 2, 2025.

  • Marvel and Sony Moving Fast(ly) and Furious(ly) in the Search for the Director of ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Marvel and Sony Moving Fast(ly) and Furious(ly) in the Search for the Director of ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Director Jon Watts delivered three highly successful Spider-Man films for Marvel Studios and Sony but as the studios look to take the character and franchise in a new direction, it seems they are also looking for new talent behind the camera. As news comes that the studios optimistically hope for production on Spider-Man 4 to begin this Fall, a surprising name has emerged as a potential director to take the helm.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Justin Lin is among the names being considered to take the lead on Spider-Man 4.

    Best known for directing six films in the Fast & Furious franchise, Lin certainly fits the bill as a change of pace from Watts. Lin has made his mark by elevating the Fast & Furious franchise from a fun, street-level wrenchfest into one of the world’s highest-grossing action franchises. Lin also directed 2016’s critically successful Star Trek Beyond and worked as an executive producer on Space Jam: A New Legacy, providing additional experience generating new ideas on beloved IPs.

    Sneider was quick to point out that Lin is only one name on a list of possible directors and that no decision has been made as to who will ultimately take control of the creative vision for Spider-Man 4. However, with a potential Fall start of production, Sony will need to move fast and furious to find their director.

  • Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    A fourth film in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise has always been a certainty. The same day that Spider-Man: No Way Home released in theaters in 2021, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, attempted to put fans at ease by assuring them that he and producer Amy Pascal had already begun collaborating on the next installment in the the highly successful franchise.

    Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home.

    -Kevin Feige

    2022 was chock full of rumors and speculation about whether or not Holland signed a new contract to reprise the dual roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man but entirely devoid of any news about a new film. 2023, on the other hand, was full of news and rumors with Feige revealing that the film’s unidentified writers had begun “putting pen to paper” having cracked the story for Spidey 4 which scoopers have said could revolve around anything from a street-level Civil War pitting Spidey and his amazing friends against Kingpin to a blockbuster full of Multiversal madness. While the WGA slowed the development of that script, a new report claims that not only has the project picked up steam, but also that it’ll be ready to enter production much sooner than most people believed possible.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Marvel Studios and Sony are hoping to begin principal photography on Spider-Man 4 this Fall, targeting a September/October start.

    According to Sneider, the time frame fits with the increasingly stuffed schedule of franchise co-star Zendaya, whose commitment to Spidey will not coincide with a delay in production on HBO’s highly successful series, Euphoria. Should cameras indeed roll on Spidey 4 this Fall, it’s possible that the film could hit theaters in 2025, though with Avatar 3 slated for a December 19, 2025 release, 2026 does seem more likely. Interestingly enough, Sony has June 27, 2026 already set aside for an Untitled Marvel movie which would keep the film in theaters for the Fourth of July weekend which Sony seems to prefer.

  • ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    It’s no secret that a good portion of Marvel Studios Deadpool and Wolverine will take place in The Void. Introduced in Season 1 of Loki, The Void is a massive space located at the end of time where people, places and things end up when they or their timelines are pruned by the TVA. It’s a fun concept that allowed for the Law of Conservation of Mass to remain intact even in a wild sci-fi romp like Loki; however, once pruned Variants end up there, they have to contend with the trans-temporal entity Alioth, a construct of Kang’s who feasts on those sent to The Void. It’s a scary place to be sure but it’s definitely survivable and it looks as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce a slew of Variants who have done just that. Now, some new promo art for the film gives a pretty clear picture of who some of the Variants who occupy the Void will be.

    A piece of art making its way around social media found an interesting way to tease five total Deadpool Variants, including three that haven’t been revealed until now.

    Embedded in the classic “SNIKT” of Wolverine, a baby version of Wade Wilson and Variants, Kidpool, Deadpool, Dogpool and Headpool can be seen, left to right. Those are certainly not the only Variants we’ll see in the movie (Lady Deadpool is noticeably absent) but it does seem as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce some version of the Deadpool Corps. In the comics, the Deadpool Corps was a team of alternate-universe versions of Deadpool that assembled to take on a multiversal threat. That sounds pretty much what they’re likely to do in Deadpool and Wolverine where they will have to take on, Cassandra Nova, the deranged twin of Charles Xavier.

    Deadpool and Wolverine is set to hit theaters on July 26th!

    Source: X

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    With praise gushing forth from all corners of the internet for X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation finds itself in the catbird seat. Following an improved second season of What If…?, X-Men ’97 is the first of three animated series slated to stream on Disney Plus in 2024 and has fans buzzing about the possibility that Marvel Studios May not be dead after all.

    Though no release date has been revealed yet, Eyes of Wakanda has already caught the attention of fans. First announced at the What If…? Season 2 premiere, the animated series produced by Ryan Coogler will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.” Other than that, little was know about the show but that’s changed now thanks to Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum.

    In am interview with Men’s Health, Winderbaum revealed quite a bit of new information about the series, including where it fits into the sometimes confusing Multiversal continuity. According to Winderbaum, Eyes of Wakanda “fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity.” Winderbaum also confirmed that the series had been directed by Todd Harris which also seems to have confirmed an interesting rumor about the series.

    In 2022, we learned that Harris was creating an animated series about “a secret society of humanoid aliens living on earth dispatches a team of spies across the world to collect a series of missing artifacts that threaten to influence mankind…” and that the series would feature a Mandarin-speaking character named “Jin.” The strong similarities between the official description of Eyes of Wakanda and the original description of Harris‘ show are obvious and further information about Jin seems to mesh nicely with a very interesting rumor about Eyes of Wakanda.

    Scooper CWGST shared a rumor that Eyes of Wakanda would introduce an Iron Fist by the name of Janora, an original character created just for the show, who would be working with a Wakanda named Basha. This lines up nicely with the information we shared in 2022 that indicated “Jin” was a “Chinese warrior” and “perhaps the best trained martial artist in the world.” Her story begins, it seems, when another character named “Bosco” steals one of the series’ MacGuffin artifacts. Connect the dots and it sounds like Basha may head to K’un Lun to retrieve some type of Vibranium artifact and then find himself at odds with Janora.

    Though we can’t confirm the connection, combined with our old Connecting Imaginary Dots piece,the new information seems to support the rumor that Eyes of Wakanda will feature an Iron Fist. Should it all work out, that Iron Fist will show up in the third episode of the series, as per the original information. Either way, it sounds like Eyes of Wakanda is lining up to be a blast!

    Source: Men’s Health

  • ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    Though it seems highly unlikely that Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres will evolve into a vampiric falcon-human hybrid anytime soon in the MCU, he’s certainly due for an upgrade. Having been given Sam Wilson’s EX0-7 Falcon suit in the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Air Force First Lieutenant Torres is ready to step into the world of superheroics in Captain America: Brave New World.

    Set photos from last May gave fans a very low-res and very unrevealing glimpse of Torres’ new and improved Falcon suit but now some promotional art for the film, similar to the recent art of Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader, provides clear look at one of the upgrades.

    As is the case in the comics, Torres will be sporting a full helmet in Captain America: Brave New World and that helmet is front and center in the artwork. The image also confirms that the MCU’s new Falcon will be decked out in an all-new, all-different color scheme that is consistent with the character’s recent look in the comics.

    With Captain America: Brave New World set to undergo some significant additional photography this summer, fans may be treated to more set photos which could come with a better glimpse of the suit. Rumors have circulated that the scenes from which the set photos linked above were captured have been removed from the film which means Torres will have to find another reason to break out his new gear.

    Captain America: Brave New World is currently slated to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Provides First Look at Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader

    ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Provides First Look at Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader

    2008’s The Incredible Hulk still stands as one of the MCU’s most critically panned films. Outside of Bruce Banner’s ongoing plight and a small recurring role for Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the characters and ideas introduced in the film were phased out of the MCU. Then, in 2021, a brief appearance by the Abomination in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings kicked off a renaissance for the project.

    Tim Roth returned as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which also put Banner’s blood–a key plot point in The Incredible Hulk–back in the spotlight. The renaissance is set to continue in Captain America: Brave New World where one of the MCU’s longest-gestating set-ups will finally pay off when Tim Blake Nelson will return as The Leader. While some photos from the set confirmed Nelson’s Samuel Sterns would be green in the new film, three been no good look at the character’s trademark massive dome, which audiences saw beginning to from after Banner’s blood dropped into an open head wound in The Incredible Hulk. Now, a new piece of concept art for the film, which was originally set to hit theaters in 2024, has found its way online.

    It’s certainly not the most revealing look but it does make clear that Sterns’ cranium has undergone some cosmetic changes since he was last scene.  The Leader’s role in the film has yet to be revealed but given his role in creating the Red Hulk in the comics, it’s possible he’ll find himself together with Harrison Ford’s Ross.

    Captain America: Brave New World is CURRENTLY set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

  • Release Schedule & Episode Titles for ‘X-Men ’97’

    Release Schedule & Episode Titles for ‘X-Men ’97’

    The release of the highly anticipated revival of X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97, is just around the corner. Beginning on March 20th, the first season of Marvel Animation’s new streaming series will hit Disney Plus. Ahead of that, Disney has provided a look at the full release schedule and the titles of all 10 episodes.

    As is often the case with series developed for its streaming network, Disney will roll out X-Men ’97 with a two-part premiere,”To Me, My X-Men” and “Mutant Liberation Begins.” From there, fans can look forward to one episode a week through May 15th. Season one of the new series is set to wrap with a 3-part story, “Tolerance is Extinction.”

    Given the streaming strategy, X-Men ’97‘s run will overlap significantly with the third and final season of Lucasfilm’s animated Star Wars series, The Bad Batch. The Bad Batch’s 15-episode run ends on May 1st, roughly one month before Star Wars next live-action series, The Acolyte, is rumored to premiere on Disney Plus.

    About X-Men ’97

    Marvel Animation’s X-Men’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

    The all-new series features 10 episodes. The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura, and the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo. Featuring music by the Newton Brothers, Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 begins streaming on Disney+ on March 20, 2024.

  • Disney +’s Streaming Strategy for ‘X-Men ’97’ Revealed

    Disney +’s Streaming Strategy for ‘X-Men ’97’ Revealed

    Marvel Animations revival of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 will hit Disney Plus beginning March 20th. The new series–which is NOT MCU canon–will pick up where the nostalgic 90s series left off and will see the team try to keep the dream of Charles Xavier alive after he was shuttled off to space by Lilandra Neramani following an attempt on his life. While the release date was officially revealed in mid-February, some questions have remained about HOW it will be released on Disney Plus. Now it seems those have been answered.

    According to an official listing on Disney Plus, it looks as though fans can expect episodes of the series to be released weekly beginning on March 20th rather than the entire series becoming available that day. Barring any two-parters that could be released on the same day, that means the tenth and final episode of Season 1 will hit Disney Plus on May 22nd.

    About X-Men ’97

    Marvel Animation’s X-Men’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

    X-MEN ’97, exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 MARVEL.

    The all-new series features 10 episodes. The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura, and the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo. Featuring music by the Newton Brothers, Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 begins streaming on Disney+ on March 20, 2024.

    Source: Disney Plus