Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU

  • How Marvel Studios Latest Reveals May Hint at the End of Phases

    How Marvel Studios Latest Reveals May Hint at the End of Phases

    We’ve kicked off the week with a rather curious reveal. May 2nd is the anniversary of when the first Iron Man was was released back in 2008. In addition, recent films like Godzilla vs. Kong and Mortal Kombat have helped continue the revival of cinemas. So, in a way, Marvel Studios wanted to use this chance to highlight the future of the franchise alongside the silver screen’s return. In it, we got the release dates and titles for the Black Panther and Captain Marvel sequels. We even got the confirmation that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will release in 2023. Now, these continuous reveals make us wonder how the classic “Phases” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will work without any information on it. Is this perhaps the end of their classic format?

     

     

    Let’s start with the noteworthy absentees. Of course, the cinema celebration trailer did not reference any of the Disney+ series. Yet, it didn’t showcase every single film. The upcoming Blade film, which stars Mahershala Ali, wasn’t mentioned at all. The film had a prominent role during Disney’s Investors Day among the line-up. Yet, it somehow was not referenced as Marvel Studios builds up into its 2023 slate. They even included the same teaser for Fantastic Four that got revealed during the December event. Even the Sony-owned Spider-Man: No Way Home had a teaser. So, it would imply that the film may have gotten pushed back. Stacy Osei-Kuffour has joined the project to pen the script. So, it definitely has entered a form of pre-production. We also have no sign of Deadpool 3, which also was confirmed to be part of the MCU moving forward. Now, this move may hint at these projects not releasing until after May 2023, but we’ve seen their scheduled shift before. There is also that mysterious slate for a Marvel project in October 2022, which had many wondering if it might be a placeholder for Blade.

    We’ve seen things change frequently. At one point, it was planned for Phase 4 to end with Thor: Love and Thunder. Suddenly, we’re talking about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being part of the slate in May 2023. It could be part of Phase 4, but there is a possibility they’ve already teased their fifth phase. Marvel Studios’ new strategy might have made the phases a thing of the past. We no longer have a strict slate but an ever-changing development cycle. Especially since the pandemic hit, they’ve had to adjust their focus with Disney+ growing in importance. So, we might not see the phases we are used to. There is no overarching saga for now, even if some points are hinting at a Multiverse arc. Yet, we’ve also seen many different storylines getting set up. WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier have offered many new avenues for the franchise to explore. It won’t be as straightforward as the Infinity Saga moving forward. So, we may be talking in Arcs rather than Phases as the MCU continues to expand.

    Source: Twitter, Marvel

  • Kevin Feige Opens Up About Doctor Strange’s Original Role in ‘WandaVision’

    Kevin Feige Opens Up About Doctor Strange’s Original Role in ‘WandaVision’

    It looks like WandaVision still had a couple of secrets that haven’t seen the light of day yet. The latest issue of Rolling Stone had an in-depth analysis of the Disney+ limited series. In it, Kevin Feige revealed that Doctor Strange was originally meant to appear in WandaVision but was ultimately written out. This change caused rewrites for both the limited series and the upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

    He even revealed that he would’ve had a bigger role in the story. Interestingly enough, the “commercials” that appeared during the various sitcom episodes were originally intended to pose as messages to Wanda Maximoff from the Sorceror Supreme. These messages were Stephen Strange’s attempts at piercing through her sitcom pocket reality in WestView. They even mentioned that Marvel Studios had finalized a deal with Benedict Cumberbatch to appear in the final episode of the show before being ultimately written out. Feige went on to explain why the Sorceror Supreme was ultimately cut out:

    Some people might say, ‘Oh, it would’ve been so cool to see Doctor Strange. But It would have taken away from Wanda. We didn’t want the end of the show to be commoditized to go to the next movie – here’s the white guy, ‘Let me show you how power works.

    This scenario is similar to how Falcon and Winter Soldier briefly considered including Spider-Man in the finale but decided he didn’t fit into the series’ story. While we never had the opportunity to explore this premise in the show, it will be interesting to see if Marvel Studios plans to include this concept regarding Strange trying to intercept Wanda in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sequel or part of the rewrites for the sequel will not include Strange being aware of Wanda’s abilities at all. Feige went on to describe the overall process of writing, plotting, and rewrites at Marvel Studios as:

    [A] wonderful combination of very dedicated coordination, and chaos. Chaos magic.

    Still, it doesn’t take away the fact that WandaVision was an excellent opener to Phase 4 of the MCU and fans certainly cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Wanda Maximoff, Doctor Strange, The Vision, and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Rolling Stones via Movieweb

  • Marvel Studios Unveils First Look at ‘Eternals’ in New Trailer

    Marvel Studios Unveils First Look at ‘Eternals’ in New Trailer

    We’ve been highly anticipating any sign of life from the upcoming Eternals film. After getting postponed by an entire year, we’ve been wondering what we can expect from the film. We’ve been wondering how Chloé Zhao would bring one of Marvel’s many alien species to life on the silver screen. After a long wait, Marvel Studios drops a brand new trailer to celebrate the return of cinema and the anniversary since the release of Iron Man back in 2008. In the trailer, they suddenly reveal their future slate with release dates and, to top it off, offer our first look at the Eternals film. The first look showcase Angeline Jolie ready for battle and the Eternals together:

     

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’: Set Photos Reveal First Look at Iman Vellani in Full Costume

    ‘Ms. Marvel’: Set Photos Reveal First Look at Iman Vellani in Full Costume

    We’ve been waiting a long time for our first look at Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel in full-costume. In one of the first set photos, we got her in a Halloween costume inspired by Captain Marvel. Well, the set photos have finally found their way online, as Just Jared has shared our first official look at the actress in full Ms. Marvel gear on the set of the Disney+ show.

    As we aren’t allowed to share these images, you can check out the images directly on Just Jared.

    It is our best look yet at the iconic costume and it also seems to strongly match the drawings from one of the directors. Yet, there is one detail that is quite different. She isn’t wearing a purple scarf but the red one we know from her comic. perhaps this takes place after she meets Red Dagger and receives it from him.

    Overall, the costume looks quite a bit more modern. So, we might see a homemade one at one point in the series. Even in the Marvel’s Avengers game, her first costume design was based on a burkini. So, it might develop as she grows into her powers. We don’t know yet how they will portray her Embiggen abilities and if they might explain how her costume doesn’t rip when she grows in size. We cannot wait until we get more footage, as we got a brief glimpse at the series in a small sizzle reel during Disney’s Investors Day.

    Source: Just Jared

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Eyeing ‘Damnation’s Killian Scott in Undisclosed Role

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Eyeing ‘Damnation’s Killian Scott in Undisclosed Role

    As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands, it continues to attract new talent to the franchise. According to Deadline, actor Killian Scott is currently in negotiations to join the upcoming Disney+ show Secret Invasion. He joins the ranks of Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, who are reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Talos respectively. They will be joined by other newcomers, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who is rumored to play an antagonist, Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke, and The Crown actress Olivia Coleman. Killian Scott‘s role is being kept under wraps.

    The upcoming Marvel Studios series’ plot is still shrouded in mystery. However, we can assume that the show will be an adaptation of the comic book event of the same name. In it, the Skrulls slowly infiltrated Earth and replaced several important individuals. They took over parts of the government and even our favorite heroes. As a result, they were pitted against each other in a thrilling event that questioned everyone’s identity. Anyone could’ve been a Skrull.

    It is unknown if Marvel Studios plans to use any of its vast arsenal of heroes (or even villains) in the series, but as this stellar cast continues to grow and expand, we certainly can’t wait to see what Marvel has up their sleeves for the series. There is also the question of it might tie into the upcoming Captain Marvel 2, which first introduced the world to the alien species. We might even see the Kree make an appearance of some kind, who are no strangers to infiltrating worlds. Here’s hoping we get more info once production starts.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Finale Almost Included Spider-Man At One Point

    ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Finale Almost Included Spider-Man At One Point

    In an ever-expanding franchise like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it almost seems like the possibilities are endless. You have such a long list of characters to choose from to explore the vast corners of the universe. Well, it seems that the Falcon and Winter Soldier team were just as ambitious when they were mapping out the story. At some point, they originally wanted to include Peter Parker in the season finale, as it took place in New York City. Well, it seems that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was the one to shoot down that idea. Malcolm Spellman revealed in an interview with Inverse:

    Then Kevin Feige tells you, “No. Stop it.” Listen, when you first show up to these projects, in your mind you think you’re gonna get to use everybody in the MCU. But Marvel always asks, “Does this person belong in this story? You cannot just geek out and put all of our characters in your project because you like them. They have to occur organically.” So Spider-Man did not make it.

    The inclusion of Spider-Man would’ve made sense with it being his home turf, but the approach says a lot about how Marvel Studios approaches their characters. Instead of forcing every hero to show up in every project, they need to fit the story organically rather than getting forced in. Falcon and Winter Soldier already included Zemo, Sharon, and the Dora Milaje. At one point, it could take away from Sam and Bucky’s story. It is interesting to note that Feige didn’t exclude the fact that Tom Holland‘s Peter could appear in the Disney+ show, which opens up a lot of other questions if you consider the recent dealings between Disney and Sony. We’ll see if more is to come to this aspect of the franchise. Luckily for Sam, he won’t be able to steal the shield again.

    Source: Inverse via The Direct

  • How an MCU Adaptation of ‘Dark Phoenix’ Could Be the X-Men’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    How an MCU Adaptation of ‘Dark Phoenix’ Could Be the X-Men’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    The Dark Phoenix Saga is perhaps one of the most controversial topics when discussing comic book movies. The story has been adapted twice in modern film media, and, frankly, those interpretations were not the best translations from comic books to film. Earlier in the week, a question by Twitter User @TheHexTown inspired me to look back at these films. When comparing X-Men: The Last Stand to X-Men: Dark Phoenix, we have to consider that they’re both very different interpretations of the same story. When we boil it down, they are very different in how the world-building connects these films to the overarching X-Men franchise. It will also help us understand how a potential future adaptation can avoid these very issues.

     

    Two Sides of the Same Coin

     

    Famke Janssen had three films to develop her interpretation of Jean Grey. She had already learned how to control her powers and worked as the team’s doctor. Not only that, she was an active fighter for mutant rights and defended the lives of both her students and mutant-kind in general. So, in part, the first series of X-Men films gave us backstory and context to who Jean Grey was before teasing her true nature at the end of X2. It made her inevitable fall to the dark side in The Last Stand even more tragic. Meanwhile, Sophie Turner only had two movies to develop her version.

    In  X-Men: Apocalypse, she was already struggling with the Phoenix Force in her dreams, and they were already setting Jean up to take up the Phoenix mantle from the get-go. That made Jean’s character development far too rushed to be able to see any cohesive structure. We barely spent time with this version of the character. I would love for Sophie Turner to get another shot as Jean Grey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a soft rebooted version. Let’s take a closer look at how both versions failed to adapt the Phoenix Saga and how the MCU could avoid its pitfalls.

     

    It’s All About the Build-Up

     

    The original comic run got divided into two parts. Firstly, Jean Grey encounters the Phoenix Force for the first time while the X-Men repaired the M’Kraan Crystal on the planet of Shi’ar. The second part occurs a few issues later, and we witness the Phoenix Force consume Jean Grey and usher in her run as a villain. She would ultimately sacrifice her life to save her friends and the world once she regains control. The complexity of the comic arc highlights how it isn’t easy to shove into a two-hour film. Dark Phoenix was meant to be two films but got cut down after the Disney-Fox merger. Kinberg did have the right idea on how to adapt the story, but his hands were tied.

    Marvel Studios isn’t a stranger to a two-arc storyline. With the recent expansion into Disney+, they could even take a series approach. Still, it needs time to build up before it gets the spotlight. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame was such a success, was because they were the culmination of a story told over eleven years. Of course, we also need to get our official introduction into the MCU’s version of mutants first. They could already plant the seeds once the rumored The Mutants project is adapted. They might even set up multiple arcs from the iconic franchise to explore in the future. Their introduction into the ever-expanding franchise finally allows them to adapt the interconnected stories we’ve come to love from the comics. Nevertheless, we can’t wait to see what Marvel showcases when the Mutants finally arrive in the MCU.

    Source: IndieWire

  • Leaked ‘Hawkeye’ Set Photos Reveal New Comic-Inspired Hawkeye and Echo Outfits

    Leaked ‘Hawkeye’ Set Photos Reveal New Comic-Inspired Hawkeye and Echo Outfits

    We’ve all been wondering if Hawkeye might get a new costume in the upcoming series. We know that it will introduce Kate Bishop and will be strongly inspired by Matt Fraction‘s My Life as a Weapon run. It will also introduce us to the Daredevil character Echo, who will be played by Alaqua Cox. We did get a first look at her some time ago at the actress but the costume only had some elements from her original design. Well, a new posting on Instagram reveals a more comic-accurate design but also a new look for Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye, which might be familiar to comic fans as well. Echo even has some leftovers of her iconic white hand face paint, which may hint at it also appearing in the series.

     

    Let’s start off with Cox‘s Echo costume. It’s interesting that we only really see the fingers of the facepaint but not the rest. The second image in the gallery also adds. lot more color to it that echoes (pun intended) Hawkeye’s color scheme. It may point to her all being a student of the archer. The costumes shown later seemed a bit darker n color,w which could also be due to the lighting. Still, it looks like we’ll get the evolution of her costume throughout the series’ run. Renner‘s new costume looks like it was stripped straight from the comics with the purple arrow. It may be the costume that many connect with the character. So, it is perfect that it gets a spotlight in his upcoming original series. Hopefully, we might also get a look at the comic-accurate costume for Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop that was teased by Marvel Studios in the series’ reveal.

    Source: Instagram

  • Kevin Feige Confirms That Gemma Chan’s Sersi is ‘Eternals’ Lead

    Kevin Feige Confirms That Gemma Chan’s Sersi is ‘Eternals’ Lead

    Marvel Studios’ Eternals has been touted as an ensemble film from the beginning. The movie features a sprawling cast of characters, played by some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Understandably, this has led many fans to believe that the project would not be centered around a specific lead. However, in a recent interview with Variety, Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that wasn’t exactly the case. In the midst of discussing director Chloé Zhao’s big win at the Academy Awards, Feige dropped a special little nugget of information:

    […] It came down to casting. So for Sersi, for instance — and if there was a lead in this ensemble, it is Sersi, it is Gemma Chan — we looked at and read all sorts of women for that part. And ended up really believing that Gemma was best for it. And thankfully, she’s proven that to be the case in the final movie.

    That’s right, it seems Gemma Chan’s Sersi will be the main focus of Eternals. This is a departure from the comics, which traditionally showcase Ikaris, who is set to be played by Richard Madden, as the major protagonist. While this news is previously unconfirmed, it doesn’t come as a total surprise. We’ve known for quite some time that Sersi’s romance with Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman would be a major focus in the film. Using Sersi’s affinity for humans as a link to the Eternals that leads them to protect modern society makes a lot of sense. Plus, the character has a history as one of the only Eternals to join the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, so this may help to set that concept up down the line as well.

    Source: Variety

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Malcolm Spellman Talks How Madripoor and Fontaine Were Added to the Series

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Malcolm Spellman Talks How Madripoor and Fontaine Were Added to the Series

    We got a chance to talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier‘s head writer Malcolm Spellman, where our very own Charles Murphy discussed the introduction of a Marvel Comics icon, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She was played by the talented Seinfeld and VEEP actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her character was originally going to premiere in Black Widow, but due to the pandemic, she ended up in the Disney+ series first. In the interview, Spellman revealed that Val’s character evolved in the writing room:

    The way it happens was: Everything that Marvel wants you to create first and they want you to do it without worrying about it. Like, if there is obvious threads to the greater MCU, by you all put them in, they don’t oppose them on you. So, that character existed as a shady-ass CIA operative person as we were mapping out the story. Gradually, she became the Contessa, she became Val. We’ve already created the character first.

    The way she is introduced, it seemed like they were setting up a team-up project shortly, especially with the potential of a Dark Avengers story being considered at one point. Well, it seems that Val’s introduction was only added later. It is great to know that they didn’t force any story elements into this series but rather added them organically into the already mapped-out story. He also confirmed the same happened with Madripoor.

    That’s the same thing with Madripoor. Madripoor was described, it was named after a real-life city initially imagined as a real-life city where the restaurants on the streets serve endangered species and there are open gun bazars. Once we created that city, they smiled because they know, a nerd moment: “What if it is Madripoor?” and everyone freaked out.

    It makes you wish you were in these meeting rooms when their faces light up the moment they realized they could introduce Madripoor. Of course, this does mean that if we want to see the character or the fictional city return in the future, it will depend on the story that is being told. It’ll be interesting to see what other projects end up carrying on the torch set by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.