Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU

  • Latest ‘What If’ Trailer May Confirm ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Main Villain

    Latest ‘What If’ Trailer May Confirm ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Main Villain

    We’ve been anxiously waiting for confirmation when Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation with the new What If series. After a long wait, they finally dropped an official trailer and the news that it’ll release on August 11th. The Disney+ series was originally thought of as a simple exploration of different scenarios across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it seems it’ll be even more than that.

    The trailer confirms that we’re about to head out into the multiverse and it could hint at a stronger connection between the Disney+ series and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If you take a closer look at the trailer, you might even get a glimpse at a heavily rumored villain that is planned to appear in the sequel. In a blink-or-you-miss-it moment, Sharon Carter is fighting a strange set of tentacles.

     

     

    Why is this relevant? Well, the rumored villain is the multidimensional tentacle monster known as Shuma-Gorath.  His design is quite iconic with green tentacles and a giant eye. The visuals hit that first box quite well and might even explain the brief sequence teasing a team-up of the various heroes from across the multiverse. He might even be the reason they unite. It makes us wonder if we might even get the What If characters, or rather Variants as we learned in Loki, might make a live-action return in the upcoming film. If Scott’s head in a jar is anything to go by, there’s going to be some crazy stories heading our way so Shuma-Gorath might be the most normal aspect of the series. Of course, it could also end up being a Flerken or another tentacle beast, but it does seem suspicious.

    If you haven’t had the chance yet, you can check out the new trailer right here:

     

    Source: YouTube

  • Pitching a Black Suit Trilogy After ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Pitching a Black Suit Trilogy After ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Believe it or not, it’s already been six years since Tom Holland was cast as the MCU’s version of Peter Parker. The actor has since appeared in five films with the final installment of his trilogy set to drop in December of this year. While the series capper, No Way Home, promises to be a jam-packed delight for fans of the iconic character, it does come packaged with a loaded question: what happens to Spider-Man once it’s over? Holland seems to be far from done playing the role. The occurrence of more films, set during Peter’s college years, has been theorized by fans for ages. Marvel boss Kevin Feige once used the Harry Potter franchise as a reference for the MCU’s take on Spidey. So, a collection of sequels with a darker tone doesn’t feel like it’s completely off the table.

    Luckily for Marvel, there actually happens to be a famous plot device in the Spidey mythos that could do wonders for shifting the character in that mature direction. That’s right, I’m talking about a certain famed alien symbiote. Venom bonding with Holland‘s Peter is something fans have wanted to see for a long time, but unfortunately, the two entities currently exist in separate cinematic universes. Luckily, Loki and the What If series are teasing a colliding multiverse. As such, there is a perfect opportunity to tell a “Black Suit Trilogy” inside of a bigger picture that includes three different franchises. The story would start with:

    Avengers: Secret Wars

     

    The creatives at Marvel Studios have been alluding to an adaptation of the classic event series Secret Wars for years now. Loki creator Michael Waldron even gave Murphy’s Multiverse a cheeky “We’ll see,” when asked about the concept during a recent interview. That storyline has had a few iterations, but the multiversal trajectory of Phase Four indicates the MCU may go with a project inspired by Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 series. That story dealt with the fallout of multiple Marvel universes colliding with each other and becoming a single continuity.

    This is something that could translate well on screen, with an array of live-action Marvel franchises already in existence. If this movie were to come to fruition, there is a chance that Tom Hardy‘s Venom may find his way into the Sacred Timeline. The event would be a great way to bring Venom and Spider-Man into the same universe. Holland‘s Parker finally getting the symbiote in Battleworld would be a wonderful homage to the original 1984 Secret Wars comic. It would act as his first step into his new life.

     

    Spider-Man: Identity Crisis (or Last Hunt)

     

    Before a live-action Spider-Verse was on the table, it appeared the third MCU Spider-Man film would focus on the consequences of Peter’s identity being publicly revealed. Michael Mando felt poised to don a Scorpion suit, and there was heavy speculation Marvel’s ultimate hunter Kraven would come to NYC to find new prey. Despite not ending up this way, that plot would still make for a pretty good movie. Should the story of Peter’s unmasking not be concluded in No Way Home, it wouldn’t be hard to shift this concept to a fourth film.

    If Secret Wars were to bring all the cinematic universes together, we would already have an established Kraven ready to go. Throw in the idea that Peter’s family and friends would also have targets painted on their backs, you’ll have a pretty good amount of physical and emotional threats to test Peter’s morals while influenced by the Venom symbiote. Just imagine the story of J.M. DeMatteis‘ Kraven’s Last Hunt combining with J. Michael Straczynski‘s Back In Black. 

    Venom: Separation Anxiety

     

    If Let There Be Carnage does as well as the first Venom flick, you know there’ll be another sequel. After going through his origin story and duking it out with a redheaded Woody Harrelson, what’s left for a symbiote to do? It’s logical to assume the third movie is where we’ll finally see Holland‘s Spider-Man confront Hardy‘s Venom. If Peter has the symbiote, Eddie Brock is going to want it back.

    The project could even take inspiration from the mid-90’s Separation Anxiety storyline, in which a Venom-less Eddie finds himself up against a horde of spawns created by the Life Foundation. If Peter were wearing the black suit in a world of rampaging symbiotes, it stands to reason he’d be attracted to the carnage. Once he meets back up with Eddie? Game, set, match.

    Source: Collider, Marvel, Good Reads

  • Marvel Studios ‘HAWKEYE’ on Track for a Fall 2021 Streaming Debut

    Marvel Studios ‘HAWKEYE’ on Track for a Fall 2021 Streaming Debut

    In May of 2019, Kevin Feige took to the San Diego Comic-Con stage to announce that one of the founding members of the Avengers, Hawkeye, would get his own series on Disney+. The series will star Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton and see him team up with another iconic archer from Marvel Comics, Kate Bishop, who will be portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld. In terms of release date, all we know is that the series is set to release at some point in late 2021. But thanks to a recent social media post from another Marvel Studios actress, we now have a potential idea of when the series could drop on Disney+.

     

    Lauren Ridloff, who is currently set to portray Makkari in the upcoming Marvel Studios’ Eternals, took to Instagram to post this picture of her alongside Alaqua Cox, who was cast as Maya Lopez, aka Echo, in the upcoming Hawkeye series with the caption: “Echo and Makkari looking at you, Fall of 2021″. This caption is particularly significant given that we now have a far more approximate estimate of when we could expect Hawkeye to debut on Disney+. Having a Fall of 2021 release date would place Hawkeye to release sometime between September and November. With What If…? and Ms. Marvel still slated to debut sometime before Hawkeye this year, it’s more likely than not aiming for a November release date alongside Marvel Studios’ Eternals, similar to how the Disney+ series Loki and Marvel Studios’ Black Widow have overlapping releases in July.

  • REPORT: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ to Film at MIT

    REPORT: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ to Film at MIT

    We’ve seen many iconic locations throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s filmography. Our favorite Avengers have visited Wakanda, fought in New York City, and even South Korea. So, they’ve been across the world quite a bit. Surprisingly though, it seems that Marvel loves revisiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s Tony Stark’s old university where he studied physics and electronic engineering has been a part of the MCU since it was first mentioned in 2008’s Iron Man. Well, it looks like we’re going to revisit the famous tech school in another project, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is setting out to film there according to Cosmic Circus.

    It’s not the first time we’ve visited the location since the first film was released. We then got a brief sequence there in Captain America: Civil War where Stark presented his BARF technology. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, we revisited the location from a different perspective, as we saw the scene from Quentin Beck’s perspective. We even found out in Black Panther that Michael B. Jordan‘s Erik Killmonger studied there. Perhaps there is a tribute to him involved. There is also a high likelihood we’ll visit it in the Ironheart Disney+ series.

    Principal photography has already started on the film but it’s uncertain what they’re filming there, but given Shuri’s affinity for technology, she might be presenting. At the end of the first Black Panther film, the fictional country opened up to the rest of the world. It wouldn’t be too surprising if she is holding a seminar on Wakandan tech to ambitious students. Who knows, even Cosmic Circus seems to think there’s a good chance Riri Williams might be in the crowd. Dominique Throne has been cast for some time and won’t enter production until 2022.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Talks New Approach to the MCU Actor’s Contracts

    Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Talks New Approach to the MCU Actor’s Contracts

    It looks like Marvel Studios has changed its approach to their actor’s contractual obligations. In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some actors would be signed up to six or even nine films, which was long rumored to be the case with Samuel L. Jackson and Sebastian Stan. Since Avengers: Endgame released, we’ve seen many long-time Marvel actors leave the franchisee.

    There are many hints that Black Widow will be the last time we see Scarlett Johnasson on-screen as Natasha Romanoff. We have seen exceptions, such as many of the MCU actors lending their voices to the upcoming What If series. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discussed their new approach after acknowledging the earlier contracts in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

    It varies, project to project, cast to cast. Really, what we want are people that come in, are excited to be in the universe, are excited at the opportunity to do more things, as opposed to being locked into contractual obligations.

    We’ve seen in the past that many of the franchise’s actors are open to returning even for minor roles. There have been times where these even led to actors having a bad experience with the studio, such as Idris Elba openly stating not wanting to return as Heimdall in Thor: The Dark World. Luckily, Thor: Ragnarok seemed to change his mind on the matter as he had fun filming it. Still, the new approach is a showcase that they want to build long-term relationships with actors in a way that doesn’t restrict them either.

    We’ve seen that flexibility more and more, such as adapting their schedules to allow James Gunn to finish his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. There was even mention of contracts being set up for “theme park attractions,” which might hint at the voice-acting roles they have done to bring some of their beloved characters to life in various rides or videos in Disney’s theme parks. So, it’s a clear sign that Marvel Studios has continued to expand since the early days o a small studio risking it all on a C-list character.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Telegraph

  • ‘Loki’ and The Real-Life Mysteries of the Void

    ‘Loki’ and The Real-Life Mysteries of the Void

    There’s a lot to unpack from the latest episode of Loki. We followed up directly where the last left us off, as we learn more about the many Loki Variants that inhabit a strange land known as the Void. We get a lot of creative references to the comics and former Marvel Cinematic Universe films. You get a giant helmet from Ant-Man villain Yellowjacket, the Helicarrier, and even Red Skull’s escape pod from Captain America: The First Avenger.

    Yet, they went one step beyond and gave us even more amazing Easter eggs that reference real-world mysteries. Let’s dive in as Marvel Studios may have solved humanities’ biggest mysteries. We even get some comic references like Throg and the amazing Thanos helicopter. That wasn’t all, as Loki has answered some real-life mysteries in the latest episode, and it’s time to take a closer look.

     

    Oak Island Mystery

     

    I’m cheating with this one a bit, as I want to talk about one detail before we even enter the Void. The episode opens on a sweeping shot through the TVA that gives us a glimpse of their timeline monitor. It states the location of Oak Island in Nova Scotia. That location is of historical value as it has been rumored since the 18th century that various treasures and artifacts got buried there. It included the Ark of the Covenant, long lost Shakesperean manuscript, and even the Holy Gail. Yet, to this day, nothing has been found. That didn’t stop people from digging all over to find treasures and the mysterious money pit.

     

    Lighthouse of Alexandria

     

    When we enter the Void, we get introduced to a strange-looking tower before the camera enters the city-like landscape in ruin. Of course, our eyes instantly get drawn to the Stark Tower, and some even noticed the Sanctum Sanctorum in a corner somewhere. Yet, the biggest mystery is the first building we see hidden within the fog. The design hints that it’s the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the tallest man-made structure of its epoch. Its ruins were uncovered in the Mediterranean Sea in 1916 alongside the rest of the port of Alexandria.

     

    UFO and the Mary Celeste

     

    One of the first images we see is of an old brigantine alongside a stereotypical UFO. The latter is a pretty obvious nod to long-time conspiracies that got linked to Area 51 for some time, but the boat is a rather curious addition. It’s very likely the mysterious Mary Celeste, which got deserted in 1872. What makes it strange is that the ship still had plenty of supplies on board, and personal belongings were left behind undisturbed. To this day, no one knows what happened to the crew of this ship. What goes against this real-world inspiration is the fact that the entire ship is in the Void. So, it could even be the lost shipwreck of Santa Maria. Still, the Celeste might be the most famous mystery due to the strange disappearance of its crew and captain.

     

    Polybius

     

    This urban legend has been teased in the series since the first trailer dropped, but I wanted to mention it here. In the early 2000s, there was a rumor going around about an arcade game that got planted by the government. The experiment supposedly took place in Portland, Oregon back in 1981, where the government was using these gaming devices to hypnotize people. It even goes as far as referencing men in black suits visiting these devices periodically to data-mine them.

     

    Philadelphia Experiment

    This little history nugget is an interesting one. The moment the DEE-173 USS Eldridge dropped, it brought up many memories of the strange disappearance of a U.S. Navy destroyer escort. There’s a tale of an entire ship disappearing in 1943 as the result of a military experiment. The theory was that they tested out a new cloaking device. Yet, the ship suddenly vanished. To this day, some people believe it was dimensional or even time travel. The story is widely considered a hoax due to the Navy never confirming any experiment of the kind. Yet, it still has caught people’s attention to this day.

  • Principal Photography Underway on ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

    Principal Photography Underway on ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

    Kevin Feige recently informed us that production on Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was underway in Atlanta and now we’re happy to report that principal photography is underway on the film.

    The film is set to move forward after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will now have to do so without star Chadwick Boseman who tragically passed away nearly a year ago. The movie, shooting under the working title Summer Break, is rumored to introduce one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters, Namor, the king of a civilization long thought lost (they call it Atlantis in the comics but will they here?). Following the passing of Boseman, Feige revealed that they would not recast the role, turning attention to which character will now take on the mantle of Black Panther. The thought has fans divided over who that should be with a dead Killmonger, M’Baku, Shuri, Nakia and Okyoe all being popular choices, even if they don’t all make as much sense.

    Black Panther': First Look At Killmonger's Golden Jaguar Suit

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due out July 8, 2022, will see Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Lupitia Nyong’O return in lead roles and Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and Martin Freeman (whose backstory will get an interesting jolt) return in supporting roles, among others. Tenoch Huerta is rumored to bring Namor to life in the MCU and will be joined by a pair of currently unknown actors in the roles of Namora and Attuma. The film will also feature the first appearance of a major MCU character who will play a key part in the film.

     

  • ‘Loki’s Head Writer Michael Waldron Reveals the Inspiration for Classic Loki’s Backstory

    ‘Loki’s Head Writer Michael Waldron Reveals the Inspiration for Classic Loki’s Backstory

    The latest episode of Loki explored the many sides of the character. It quite literally gave us multiple versions of the God of Mischief that each managed to survive the bizarre Void. We already meet three individuals last week which included Kid Loki, Boisterous Loki, and a comic look-a-like in the form of Robert E. Grant‘s Classic Loki. Luckily, Marvel offered some insight into the inspiration for their characters. What stood out was a comment by head writer Michael Waldron on the backstory of Grant’s character.

    What if Loki did in fact survive the events of Avengers: Infinity War? And I thought, ‘Well, what if that did happen? And if it did, in fact, how could he have aged up? How could he have lived out his years in a way that the TVA would never come find him?

    It’s a simple idea that offered some insight into the character, as we learn that the TVA only found him because he missed his brother and family. There’s a theme that many Lokis get pruned due to their will to change. Even Kid Loki remarks this during the episode after proclaiming earlier he killed his brother. Perhaps it was a prank gone wrong, and he’s been living with that regret all this life.

    This change of heart is at the core of this show and even using a post-Infinity War fan theory as the basis for one Variant is a genius move. It seemed in his nature to dodge the deadly bullet, and luckily, we meet a version that does exactly that. It would’ve been nice to explore the history of Boisterous Loki a bit more, as he gets sidelined in the episode. The man running around with a makeshift hammer has a lot to tell. Perhaps we’ll get a special episode of What If in the future or a different spin-off exploring the multiverse.

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘LOKI’ Episode 5: The Man in the Castle

    ‘LOKI’ Episode 5: The Man in the Castle

    Episode 5 of Loki, Journey Into Mystery, made its case for being not only the strongest episode of this series so far, but also potentially the best episode of any Marvel Studios Disney Plus series to date. A collection of “moments” came together to make something that felt strange and uncomfortable but still left you feeling hopeful that our Variants can follow the lead of Richard E. Grant’s Loki (what an absolute blast he seemed to be having in this role!) and the advice of Mobius and find a way to change. And in the episode’s final minutes, it sure seems like that’s what they’ve done. Loki gives a long-overdue embrace to his best bro, Mobius, and willingly takes Sylvie’s hand and lets her lead the way in an effort to reveal who the big bad behind the TVA truly is by enchanting Alioth. It seems like there are 2 prevailing hypotheses among fans as to who the man in the castle is going turn out to be: a version of Kang the Conqueror or a sort of old man version of Loki. Let’s lay out the evidence to support those claims and see how it goes.

    King Loki

    Who Is Richard E. Grant's Variant? Classic Loki Explained

    It’s a show named Loki telling a story about Variants of Loki, so it’s no surprise that fans have come to expect to find another version of the character behind the curtain of the TVA. Today’s episode probably brought us to a total of maybe 15-20 different Variants that we’ve seen on screen but fans are holding tight to the idea that we might just see one more in next week’s final episode. But does it make sense for another Loki to be pulling the strings and protecting the Sacred Timeline? Streamlining things to avoid chaos seems like most un-Loki thing I can imagine but we did just see a few Lokis undergo some pretty cathartic moments in Episode 5 (albeit as a result of a bunch of Lokis doing very Loki things), so maybe what we’re dealing with here is another Loki (a superior version) who has done it all and seen it all and made his way through the wasteland, built himself a fancy castle, wrangled up Alioth and created the TVA to keep other Lokis from becoming successful by pruning them from the timeline. If that were the case, would that superior Loki really want to risk bringing all those Variants that close to his castle? Would that be in his best interests? As Grant’s Loki said, Lokis are survivors so, as a Loki, superior Loki would know this about Lokis and might not want to risk it.

    If we’re being objective, there really isn’t any other evidence to support the idea that we’ll see another version of Loki inside the castle. None of the bread crumbs, save the fact that the series is titled Loki give us reason to believe that another Variant is behind this. Additionally, the God of Mischief becoming the shepherd of the Sacred Timeline really doesn’t jibe with the what Loki is all about. It seems like letting all the other Lokis do their thing and cause more chaos would leave him more secure in hanging out in his castle and the end of time.

    Kang, or some version of him

    Kang the Conqueror is Officially Marvel's Most Over the Top Villain

    Before the show even debuted, rumors indicated Loki might feature a potential appearance from Kang. Jonathan Majors was cast as the Master of Men and set to appear in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, but the fact that he was cast 10 months before the start of production on that film but while production on Loki (which filmed under an LLC titled Limbo Productions) really backed up those rumors. Prior to the show’s release, Disney revealed that Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character to be Ravonna Renslyaer, a Marvel Comics character with DEEP ties to Kang that have extended into other mediums such as Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 video game. And while today’s episode certainly seemed to indicate that Ravonna has not been in on the con and not in league with whomever is running it, that actually helps make a stronger case for it to be Kang because their relationship started off on very rocky ground after Kang conquered her father’s empire. It’s unclear what’s truly up with Ravonna (is she a Variant that many Kangs have fallen in love with?) but that’s not the point of this exercise. Her presence here, running the TVA in a place outside of time and space, helps steer things towards Kang being the man in the castle.

    Journey Into Mystery introduced fans to Alioth, described as the guard dog to the man in the castle. Alioth doesn’t have anywhere near as long and twisted of a history in the comics as Kang does, but what history does have is closely tied to Kang. We saw Alioth can basically destroy any and everything it touches, which fits with its comic book counterpart, which originated in Temporal Limbo (there’s that word again), a location RULED by Kang. So we have a little bit of an original take on the character here, but it is another character which leads us down a road that ends with Kang standing there, hands on his hips, waving hello like Forrest Gump.

    Alioth’s job is to go around and clean up the Void, a wasteland where Variants who have been pruned and the realities they’ve altered go. The principles of the Void are cool because they follow science (neither energy nor matter can be created or destroyed) and so these beings and objects are transported to a new place where the Variants become food for Alioth. But what about the objects? Alioth doesn’t seem to like concrete and thankfully he didn’t eat one of the episode’s biggest Easter eggs and another neon arrow pointing in the direction of Kang: the Qeng Enterprises Tower. Qeng Tower is honestly a pretty obscure reference and the tower itself made only the briefest of appearances in the episode; however, it’s another BIG hint at Kang. In the comics, Qeng Tower came into play 500 years in the future during the 3 issue Avengers: Ultron Forever series. The tower was overseen by the CEO of Qeng Enterprises, Mr. Gryphon, who was just another one of Kang’s alters. As mentioned above, it’s such an obscure reference and passes so quickly but it’s another great reason to thing the O.K. (Original Kangster) is the man in the castle.

    A final piece of evidence for the man in the castle being Kang is the castle itself. Kang is nothing if not a modest man and ruled Temporal Limbo from a quaint tri-level named Tenebrae, or Castle Limbo. The version of Kang who lived here went by the name Immortus and spent his days shepherding the timeline by pruning Variants (mostly of himself) to make sure it all ended in peace and tranquility. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, it means you’ve been paying attention to the previous episodes of Loki where they described that as the job of the TVA.

    Once again, if we’re being objective in our analysis of the evidence, we can find all kinds of support for the hypothesis that Kang, or one version of him, is going to be revealed as the man in the castle when Episode 6 streams next week. Strongly sourced rumors, Limbo Productions, Ravonna, Alioth, Qeng Tower and Castle Limbo make a much, much stronger case than “didn’t you learn anything from WandaVision.”

     

  • New ‘What If’ Funko Pop Teases King Killmonger vs. Ultron

    New ‘What If’ Funko Pop Teases King Killmonger vs. Ultron

    Marvel Studios is set to begin its first foray into animation with What if. It’ll be an animated anthology series that follows multiple alternate outcomes of important events within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve heard about just a few episodes that will feature the return of Ultron, a Gamora who never joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, and even an interesting alliance between Tony Stark and Erik Killmonger. Now, a new Funko Pop from the upcoming series featuring Michael B. Jordan‘s character may offer a closer look at the events of one of two episodes.

    The Funko gives him the title King Killmonger, as he is wearing the golden jaguar suit once again. What’s most interesting is him holding what looks to be a decapitated Ultron head. It’s unclear just what is happening here but it looks like it could have something to do with an episode in which Ultron won or the episode in which Killmonger and Stark will work together. The former will feature a post-apocalyptic wasteland in which the Avengers lost to Ultron. He succeeds and drops Sokovia to turn Earth to dust. That episode is set to be led by Black Widow, and no other characters have been confirmed to join her in the aftermath.

     

     

    What If? currently has no set release date but will exclusively release on Disney+. The series will feature the return of many notable actors and actresses from the MCU like Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, Natalie Portman, and of course Michael B. Jordan. The series will also feature the debut of Jeffrey Wright as Uatu the Watcher in the MCU.

    Source: Instagram