Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU

  • Anthony Mackie Teases Looming Conflict in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Anthony Mackie Teases Looming Conflict in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    After having moved the release date of Avengers: Doomsday back several months, Marvel Studios gave themselves more time to make sure the first Avengers film in the Multiverse Saga is every bit the blockbuster fans are hoping for. With a massive cast–half of which was revealed in March and half of which remains rumored as of now–and a plot that’s likely to span the Multiverse, it’s still unclear just who the leads of the film will be. However, it seems that Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America is set up to play a large role as it sounds as though he’s going to be filming in the UK for some time yet.

    “No. Hell no. No, we are in the midst of it,” Mackie replied when asked by Screen Rant if he was nearly done with his work on the fifth Avengers film, perhaps indicating his character will log some major minutes.

    “I mean, it’s such a big, moving set piece, and it’s such a big story,” the star teased about the film’s plot which has been kept almost entirely under wraps by Marvel Stduios. He continued, “The best part of shooting a Marvel movie is that it’s always an ever-evolving canvas. There are those staple pieces, and then there are the pieces that circulate throughout the course of the shoot.”

    After a strange interlude about the number of sheep nearby the London studio, Mackie then teased the conflict brewing between his Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky Barnes.

    “I talked to Sebastian [Stan] yesterday. We’re still butting heads. All we do is fight,” said Mackie, referring to the turbulent ongoing relationship his character shares with Barnes, which may turn briefly contentious again in Avengers: Doomsday as was first hinted at during a post-credit scene of Thunderbolts*.

    Set 14 months after the conclusion of the film, post-credit scene–which runs a Marvel record 2 minutes and 54 seconds and was filmed by the Russo brothers as part of Avengers: Doomsday–finds the team, complete with fancy new uniforms–regrouping at their new HQ, The Watchtower. Though it’s not clearly stated, the New Avengers seem to have an assistive AI helping them out as that may well be an homage to C.L.O.C. or Centrally Located Organic Computer, who helped run The Watchtower in the pages of Marvel Comics. While the team’s discussion about Sam Wilson filing a lawsuit to prevent them from calling themselves The Avengers leads Shostakov to reveal his “New Avengerz” outfit, Yelena’s conversation discloses that they are aware of a “space crisis.”

    While there are clearly going to be far more important things happening than worrying about who the official Avengers are, given their past work with the characters, you can be sure the Russos will spend at least a few minutes of the film’s screentime to give Mackie and Stan a chance to trade shots.

    Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters On December 18, 2026.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • New Details Emerge on Marvel Studios “Complex” Take on the X-Men

    New Details Emerge on Marvel Studios “Complex” Take on the X-Men

    After helping bring the X-Men to the screen in the early 2000’s at Fox, Marvel Studios Head Honcho Kevin Feige is preparing to do so again, this time as a flagship property at Marvel Studios. With a script being written now, X-Men is primed to launch the studio’s post-Multiverse Saga plans in 2028.

    Feige has entrusted the first of what will be many X-projects to Jake Schreier, whose work on Thunderbolts* helped boost Marvel back toward the stratosphere the studio had inhabited for well over a decade before coming back down to Earth following a string of disappointing projects. Ahead of the release of Thunderbolts* on physical media, Schreier met with The Playlist and, for the first time,  discussed taking on X-Men.

    Jake’s going to make a youth-focused reboot. That may be reflected in mutant castings, and it’ll definitely be felt in the tone and perspective of the film.

    -Kevin Feige

    “I mean, yeah, without going into too much—really almost any detail,” said Schreier when asked if he could talk about his involvement with the new Marvel Studios project. “What I can say is, it’s just inherently interesting and complex material. The core idea of what X-Men is involves complexity,” he added.

    Since launching during the Civil Rights Movement, X-Men stories have always been subtextually complex, featuring characters who are often feared and hated for being different, something Schreier looks to putting front and center in his film. “It’s an incredible opportunity with super interesting characters and [much] internal conflict. These characters are wrestling with their identity and place in the world—that’s inherently interesting and complex material,” said Schreier.

    They have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong. That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going.

    As with Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps, X-Men will need to be fundamentally different from Fox’s previous big screen efforts. While Schreier chose not to elaborate on how the studio will accomplish that, he did confirm the studio’s plans to set the new film apart from the films in the Fox franchise. “Yeah, I think that’s fair to say,” said Schreier when asked if his film would be “recognizably different” from the prior projects, adding  “There’s that red sniper dot out there somewhere, you know…“

    It seems unlikely that Marvel sniper will be coming for Schreier, however, as he seems not only to have a handle on how to bring a fresh perspective to a genre that continues to fight audience fatigue (whether real or imagined) but also stay true to the stories that made fans fall in love with the characters. “…to be able to explore all of the ideas that are inherent to that rich source material, but also at the scale inherent to the source material, that’s like a very rare and fortunate opportunity. That’s very exciting,” he said. With enough ideas in the source material to last a decade or more, it is indeed a very exciting time for X-Men fans.

    Sources: The Playlist

  • ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Set Photos Reveal Film’s Place in the MCU Timeline

    ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Set Photos Reveal Film’s Place in the MCU Timeline

    As production on one 2026 MCU blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday, continues in the UK, preparations are well underway for another to get started soon as sets are now being built in Glasgow, Scotland for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As has been the case before, it seems as though Glasgow will serve, at least in par, as a stand-in for New York City and some signs spotted on set have answered one frequently discussed aspect of the new Spidey film.

    As seen in the photos below, the fictional A.J. Huntley Construction Corps will have a pair of projects underway during the film and both are expected to be completed by December 2027, meaning at least part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be set before New Year 2028.

    Connecting the dots we have, that means that the events of the fourth installment in the MCU-set Spidey franchise will take place BEFORE the post-credit scene of Thunderbolts* which has been confirmed to be a scene from Avengers: Doomsday. To summarize, Spider-Man Brand New Day will take place before Doomsday, not during or afterbas had often been rumored.

    Setting the project before Avengers: Doomsday also provides an opening for star Tom Holland to appear in the next Avengers film, something that has also been subject to rumors and debate for the past year. Whether or not that will happen or how large of a role Holland might play if he does appear in Doomsday remains to be seen but for now, there’s finally some clarity about the new Spidey film.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Moving Ahead with Long-Delayed Project

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Moving Ahead with Long-Delayed Project

    Six years ago, Kevin Feige stunned Hall H with the announcement that Marvel Studios was developing a Mahershala Ali-led Blade film. Six years later, fans are still waiting for the Daywalker to see the light of day.

    You can start and have a good script and make it a great script through production, but we didn’t feel confident we could do that on Blade. We didn’t want to do that to Mahershala and didn’t want to do that to us.

    -Kevin Feige on Blade

    Production on Blade has been delayed multiple times beginning with the decision of original director Bassam Tariq to leave the film in 2022. At least five different writers have taken a turn on the script after original scribe Stacey Osei-Koffour parted ways with the project with Marvel Studios’ vet Eric Pearson (Black Widow, Thunderbolts*) having most recently penned a draft. Without a director since Tariq’s replacement, Yann Demange, bailed in June 2024, there was simply no way Blade was making it in front of cameras and was ultimately removed from the studio’s 2025 theatrical slate. Fans have begun to believe that they may never see the film but according to Feige, that’s simply not the case as the studio and Ali remain committed to the project.

    We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on [Ali] and have him start killing vampires.

    -Kevin Feige on why Blade has been so difficult to get underway

    In January 2024, rumors of the latest version of the film’s script, written by Michael Green, surfaced and it sounded pretty badass. At that time, the film was said to be a period piece in which Mia Goth‘s villainous character was hunting for Blade’s daughter to use her blood to create an army of Daywalkers. Goth’s character was also rumored to be sporting the Ebony Blade, seen in the post-credit scene of Eternals to be in the home of Kit Harrington‘s Dane Whitman. Feige recently confirmed that the studio had considered a couple of different versions of the film that would have been period piece before the studio “landed on modern day and that’s what we’re focusing on.” Without further comment from Feige, fans remained skeptical that cameras would ever roll on Blade; however, a new report indicates the studio may be closer to starting up production than believed.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios is currently looking to begin principal photography on Blade in 2026.

    Should production actually get underway in 2026, Blade could find itself in theaters in July 2027, though it seems much more likely to end up as part of the studio’s 2028 theatrical slate at this point. With Ali also expected to play a major role in the supernatural event film Midnight Sons, it looks as though the future is suddenly much brighter for the MCU’s Daywalker.

  • Matt Shakman on the Cut Fantastic Four Villain Fans Will Never See

    Matt Shakman on the Cut Fantastic Four Villain Fans Will Never See

    As first revealed in November 2024, John Malkovich was cast in The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Marvel Comics’ villain and twisted genius Ivan Kragoff. First introduced in January 1963’s Fantastic Four #13, Kragoff is better known as the Red Ghost, a recurring foe of Marvel’s First Family who often used his army of Super-Apes to aid him in his plans. Unfortunately, as recently revealed by director Matt Shakman, Malkovich‘s role was cut from the film. Now, in a new interview, Shakman has detailed why the decision was made and explained that it’s unlikely the footage will ever be seen.

    “We wanted to get the sense of history. We wanted these characters to feel lived in. We wanted the city to feel lived in. This is a real family, and they’ve been doing this for four years. Part of that was showing all the things they’ve done along the way,” said Shakman of the film’s opening act montage that replaced the classic origin story.“Building the Future Foundation, defeating Red Ghost, Mad Thinker, Mole Man…it was part of building the history for them so we could jump in and see them change as a family when a child is introduced.”

    “We had an opening that involved a lot of action about the Red Ghost,” Shakman continued. “We had an incredible performance from John Malkovich. It was just so much material when we were trying to get to that present-day moment when their world changes and Franklin’s arrival becomes imminent.“

    There were a lot of things that ultimately ended up hitting the cutting room floor. When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version.

    -Matt Shakman

    “We had Red Ghost trying to steal a rocket ship with his apes, Reed trying to defeat him and outwitting him,” he said of the cut scene. “They had a lot of really fun stuff. We used snippets of it in that montage you see where he’s kicking one of the Super-Apes into the water.“

    While Malkovich‘s take on Kragoff didn’t make the final cut, the character did appear in the film’s post-credit scene, as did his Super-Apes. “You can see in the credits Reed getting his face pulled by a baboon, which is an homage to Alex Ross,“ said Shakman. It’s unlikely that Marvel Studios has current plans for Earth-828’s Red Ghost in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, but perhaps–and hopefully–there’s a way for Malkovich to bring the character to the screen in some way before long.

    Source: Phase Zero, Variety

  • Leaked ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Stinger Reveals Marvel’s Greatest Villain

    Leaked ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Stinger Reveals Marvel’s Greatest Villain

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps has begun its global run and it didn’t take long for the leaks to hit social media. Ahead of the film’s opening domestic weekend, clips and stills of one of the project’s stingers have landed online, providing a first look at the ultimate villain of the Multiverse Saga.

    The mid-credit scene, directed by The Russo brothers, shows Franklin Richards looking up and touching the face of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom while the cloaked and hooded villain holds his iconic mask in his hand.

    The leaks are fairly easy to find at this point and the scene truly serves as nothing but an incredible tease for the character’s first full appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps has opened to incredibly strong critical consensus, currently sitting at an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is projected to open to a $200+M take globally. With Doom and the First Family both set to take center stage in Avengers: Doomsday, the film has already established itself as a must-see as the Multiverse Saga begins to move toward its end.

  • ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Hit With More High Praise Following World Premiere

    ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Hit With More High Praise Following World Premiere

    The world premiere of Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps took place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21st, just a few days away from the film’s global release. While the review embargo lifts at noon on July 22nd, those in attendance shared their thoughts on social media and much like the sentiment that came from an earlier preview of the film, there’s a lot of high praise for director Matt Shakman‘s retrofuturistic take on Marvel’s First Family.

    LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 21: (L-R) Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, Louis D’Esposito, Co-President, Marvel Studios, Matt Shakman, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson speak onstage during The Fantastic Four: First Steps World Premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on July 21, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney)
    LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 21: (L-R) Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal attend The Fantastic Four: First Steps World Premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on July 21, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney)

    It’s rare for those in attendance at world premieres to speak ill of projects on social media and full reviews by critics will certainly set the narrative for the film; however, with many of the reactions highlighting the performance of the film’s cast, the score by Michael Giachinno and the fact that it truly stands alone and requires no prior knowledge of the MCU, it’s sounding as though The Fantastic Four: First Steps may well be a huge hit for Marvel Studios.

  • Kevin Feige Confirms ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Co-Star

    Kevin Feige Confirms ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Co-Star

    Jon Bernthal may currently be busy filming scenes in New York City for The Punisher Special Presentation but according to Marvel Studios’ One Above All, Kevin Feige, it won’t be the only project the actor films this summer. Earlier this year, rumors and a trade report indicated Bernthal was set to star alongside his buddy Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Now, in an interview with Collider, Feige has confirmed that is indeed the plan.

    “I think there’s a promise at the end of No Way Home, that for as sad as it is that Peter is forgotten by everyone in his life, we are seeing for the first time in the Tom Holland Spider–Man stories him being a proper Spider-Man,” said Feige of how the previous Spider-Man film has set up the story for the upcoming fourth installment in the franchise, set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. “Him being by himself, dedicated to saving the city, and dealing with — for lack of better terms — street-level crime, as opposed to world-ending events,” he added.

    And with the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man fighting crime on the streets of New York City, it’s only a matter of time before he runs into Frank Castle. “So when you do that, you say, ‘okay, who are the other street-level characters that we’ve never seen him interact with?’ And of course, I love that The Punisher started in a Spider-Man comic. That great cover… I don’t want to say too much, but Destin — I will say too much — Destin is doing an amazing job right now on that movie, which starts shooting very soon. And he’s got eight or nine comic covers up on his wall in his art department that he is bringing to life in this movie, which is super cool.”

    Additional rumors indicate that Bernthal won’t be the only established Marvel Studios star joining Holland in the film. While it’s yet to be confirmed, Mark Ruffalo has been linked to the project as well, with more than one rumor suggesting that his Hulk will go savage and take on Spider-Man and Punisher for at least some portion of the film. Throw in Sadie Sink’s yet-to-be-revealed role and it sounds as though Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be quite the entry in the MCU-based Spidey franchise.

    Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently set to swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.

    Source: Collider

  • Kevin Feige Teases Marvel’s Post-‘Secret Wars’ Slate Which Runs Through 2032

    Kevin Feige Teases Marvel’s Post-‘Secret Wars’ Slate Which Runs Through 2032

    Marvel Studios won’t be making a splash by revealing its upcoming slate in Hall H during SDCC this weekend but that doesn’t mean the powers that be at the studio aren’t working hard on putting it together. As of now, the studio has only scheduled films through 2028, but as always, Marvel Studios’ One Above All, Kevin Feige is kicking the can quite a bit further down the road. “It’s traditionally a five-year plan,” he said. “I think it goes to 2032 right now.”

    With the studio looking to release between 1 to 3 films a year and having only officially commented on a few projects in the works (Black Panther 3, X-Men and the long-delayed Blade film), that leaves quite a few holes to fill on that new slate. Given the looming success of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a sequel to that film seems all but a sure thing and there are plenty of other projects that have either been rumored or known to be in development but, as of now, Feige would only offer up a tease of how the studio hopes to return to one of its greatest strengths.

    “We were talking about a structure of an upcoming post-‘Secret Wars’ movie that I won’t name,” he said during a recent press event. “But I will say, like Shang-Chi, [it’s] getting back to what genre haven’t we done and want to do and how could this movie be that genre? [We would] focus on a singular storyline by embracing a certain genre we haven’t seen in a while. [It’s] remembering what cinema is and what movie going is and what entertaining audiences is,” said the Marvel boss.

    While that’s about all he gave away in terms of teasing upcoming projects, Feige did reveal that the seven-year plan will see 2027’s Multiverse Saga finale, Avengers: Secret Wars, “reset” the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than reboot it.” “Reboot is a scary word,” said Marvel’s Big Cheese. “Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.”

    According to Feige, resetting the MCU means recasting roles, some of which have been filled by beloved actors for more than a decade…or two. “X-Men is where that will happen next,” he revealed while talking about the studio’s upcoming film, which he confirmed will be helmed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier. However, the future won’t just feature new actors as Cyclops and Jean Grey; it will also include the studio eventually recasting the roles of Captain America, Iron Man and Black Panther, among others.

    They have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong. That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going.

    -Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios X-Men

    “Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now searching for a new James Bond,” said Feige of Sony’s efforts to relaunch the 007 franchise. “David [Corenswet], the new Superman — he was awesome. That will always be the case,” Feige said of seeing new names take over roles from previous stars. “I think it’s hard for anybody to do that when an actor has done such a great role,” he said of replacing actors such as Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. in iconic roles before adding. “How are they going to ever replace Sean Connery [as James Bond], right?“

    It’s interesting that Feige chose to sat down with reporters rather than attempt to thrill fans at SDCC; however, given the major changes to the plans the studio revealed at SDCC ’19 and SDCC ’22, the days of the major slate reveals may be behind Marvel Studios or, at the very least, they’ll be done in much smaller doses. For now, it’s clear that the bulk of the studio’s attention is being directed toward making sure Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars leave fans satiated with the Multiverse Saga before taking yet another step into the unknown in 2028.

    Source: Variety

  • Kevin Feige Reveals Why Miles Morales Has Yet to Appear in the MCU

    Kevin Feige Reveals Why Miles Morales Has Yet to Appear in the MCU

    Since first appearing in Marvel Comics Ultimate Fallout #4 in 2011, Miles Morales has become one of Marvel’s most popular and important characters. In addition to becoming a major player for the publisher, Morales is also the centerpiece of both a video game franchise and an animated movie trilogy by Sony, while also appearing in a handful of other animated projects. In less than 15 years, Miles Morales has developed into one of Marvel’s most marketable characters and has popped up everywhere…except in a live-action film.

    In 2023, producer Amy Pascal indicated that Sony was developing a live-action Miles Morales feature film and in 2024, Marvel Studios’ Big Cheese, Kevin Feige, shared his hopes that the character would one day appear in a live-action MCU film once the animated Spider-Verse trilogy concluded. Now, in a wide-ranging press event, Feige has revealed why the character has not yet appeared in a Marvel Studios film despite being referenced in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

    When asked to update the status of the live-action Morales-centric project, Feige provided a blunt response. “That is nowhere,” he stated, before adding some context.”Sony has their brilliant, genius, incredible Spider-Verse animated franchise going and until that finishes, we’ve been told to stay away,” Feige explained, dampening hopes for the character to make an appearance in next year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

    Sony’s Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the finale of the Spider-Verse trilogy, will release on June 25, 2027, six months before Marvel Studios wraps up the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027. Perhaps coincidentally, both films have seen their release dates changed in the past few months, creating the opportunity for Morales to debut in Avengers: Secret Wars, should Sony and Marvel Studios be able to agree upon a fitting entrance. Given the lengths Marvel has gone to include characters from non-MCU films in the Multiverse Saga and the fact that the Spider-Verse franchise is also rooted in the Multiverse, it’s entirely possible that there’s more than serendipity at work and that a dovetail from the Spider-Verse to Secret Wars may be carved, allowing the popular animated version of the character to enter the live-action fray.

    Source: Variety