Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU

  • The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Ironheart’

    The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Ironheart’

    After a nearly two-year delay, Marvel Television’s Ironheart will debut on Disney Plus on June 24th. Originally intended to stream in 2023, the project will  feature Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams as she returns to Chicago after being swept up in the war between Talokan and Wakanda. The six-episode series will introduce Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos, and Sacha Baron Cohen’s “mystery man”, believed to be Mephisto.

    We’re getting to see her in her element, which is quite literally the opposite of what we saw of her in Wakanda Forever. We’ll get more time to see what the other colors are and to see how she leads her life, rather than how she is when life is leading her.

    -Dominique Thorne

    The second of three live-action Marvel series set to hit D+ this year, Ironheart looks to veer significantly from the source material as it will see Riri’s formidable mind and technological genius up against dark magic. In order to prepare audiences around the globe for the show, we present to you THE ULTIMATE LIST OF WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE IRONHEART!!

    Tier One

    As is always the case with an Ultimate List, Tier One projects are considered “must see.” In this case, it’s pretty straightforward.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

    🍅 84%

    The first appearance of Riri Williams, 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Dominique Thorne‘s character to the MCU and immediately traumatized her by throwing her into the middle of the Talokanil-Wakandan War. Set after the events of the Black Panther sequel, Ironheart will follow Riri as she attempts to navigate an entirely different type of conflict.

    Riri is carrying the experience that she had in [Black Panther: Wakanda Forever]back home to MIT & there’s some interesting repercussions to her adventures that will set her on a fun course.

    -Marvel Studios Parliament member Nate Moore

    Tier Two

    If Tier One projects are essential, Tier Two projects are supplemental. Any important events from Tier Two projects are likely to be covered in the body of the film, making watching/rewatching those projects non-essential; however, seeing them in their original context is always better than having them explained to you from someone else’s perspective. In this case, you get to treat yourself to the movie that started it all and remains one of the best the MCU has to offer.

    Iron Man (2008)

    🍅  94%

    She’s dumpster-diving, whereas Tony Stark [was] this bajillionaire. What she’s able to accomplish is remarkable.

    -Dominique Thorne

    Who knew Obidiah Stane had a son? Solo: A Star Wars Story star Alden Ehrenreich joins the MCU as Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane, who, in the pages of Marvel Comics, was raised to hate anything related to Tony Stark. Should Ironheart follow that path, it will be incredibly interesting to see what Zeke’s take on the Duel of Los Angeles might be, given that it resulted in his father’s death. Whatever the case, Jeff Bridges‘ performance as Obidiah Stane is always worthy of a watch and Iron Man, the film that launched the MCU, remains one of the best films in the series as its 20th anniversary draws nearer.

    Tier Three

    Ironheart stands as a unique project at this point in the 17-year history of the MCU in that it really is not deeply connected to much of what has come before it. However, the series will delve into the realm of magic, which means some connections to prior projects, either set in the mystical corner of the MCU or featuring magic, might be worth a look. However, Tier Three projects are intended for completists only, so don’t sweat it if you can’t fit them in.

    Thor (2011),Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

    🍅 77%, 67%, 93% and 63%, respectively

    Asgard existed blend of magic and technology and many Asgaridans, such as Frigga and Loki, were known to be powerful magic weilders. The Thor films included multiple weapons, relics and other assorted artifacts that are enchanted via spells by Odin and, perhaps, others as well. With Anthony Ramos‘ Parker Robbins known to be sporting an enchanted cloak and Ironheart‘s central conflict billed as a battle between technology and magic and dealing with ancient forces, their may be some value to taking a peek at the Thor franchise.

    Your ancestors called it magic and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they are one and the same thing.

    -Thor

    Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

    🍅 89% and 74%, respectively

    As explained to Stephen Strange by the Ancient One, the Masters of the Mystic Arts simply utilize extra-dimensional energy to “make magic.” Given that her statement is the foundation for the understanding of magic in the MCU, it’s possible–perhaps even likely–that Riri Williams’ survival may depend on using her own technology to disrupt or take advantage of that energy flow.

    The language of the Mystic Arts is as old as civilization. The sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language ‘spells,’ but if that word offends your modern sensibilities, you can call it a program; the source code that shapes reality. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse to cast spells, to conjure shields and weapons, to make magic.

    -The Ancient One

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

    🍅 79%

    Possibly the last project one might expect to see on this list, Episodes 3, 4 and 9 of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law see Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, target Donny Blaze, a former student of Kamar-Taj who was expelled and now works as a stage magician. Wong crossed Blaze’s path when the latter opened a portal and sent Madisynn King to another dimension where she met a demon named Jake…and in Ironheart, there be demons.

    About Ironheart

    Marvel Television’s Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.

    Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).

    -Official Synopsis for Marvel Studios Ironheart

    Ironheart was created by Chinaka Hodge, directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes and produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Star Addresses Marvel Television’s Plans for the Streaming Series

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Star Addresses Marvel Television’s Plans for the Streaming Series

    Against all odds, Daredevil: Born Again delivered a frustratingly fantastic season, arguably the best in the series history dating back to its 2015 Netflix origins. Showrunner Dario Scardapane, who took over mid-production, found a way to utilize the pre-overhaul material while steering the revival back into the familiar and bloody waters fans were asking for in the season’s final two episodes.

    Daredevil: Born Again is, from start to finish, a fantastic series. With its hero and its villain equally saturated in blood and emotional trauma, the show examines the futility of pursuing sustainable change without addressing the deeply nested layers of human behavior.

    Scardapane’s finale left New York City–and the Man Without Fear–in a very dark place as Mayor Kingpin declared Martial Law and his Anti-vigilante Task Force rounded up the City’s heroes. Those developments set up a very tough path for Matt Murdock in Season 2, which was already well into production by the time Season 1 wrapped its run on D+. With he sophomore season looking as if it will draw inspiration from Marvel Comics recent Devil’s Reign event, it seems clear that yet another confrontation between Daredevil and Kingpin is inevitable. And with Daredevil: Born Again set up as Marvel Television’s flagship IP in its new approach to developing and releasing series, it sounds as though there’s much more story left to tell in and around Hell’s Kitchen…maybe.

    Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2025 MARVEL.

    Season 2 will come out next year, and then hopefully season 3 and season infinity after that. I think this world is extremely rich, and there are many stories to be told on the streets of New York.

    -Brad Winderbaum

    In an interview with Awards Buzz, series’ co-star Vincent D’Onofrio explained that while the studio does have plans to move forward with a third season of Daredevil: Born Again, fans are going to have to continue their strong support for the project to ensure it continues.

    “If they let us do it, we have a plan,” said D’Onofrio. “It is up to the fans to watch and to get excited. And it is up to us to please them and get the story right. We are looking forward in a big way.“

    D’Onofrio’s comments are hardly surprising as now, more than ever, studios are making decisions based on viewership and online responses to projects. That said, a third season of the series feels like a very sure thing given the passionate fan base and the interest of its stars to move ahead.

    Source: Awards Buzz

  • The Rumored Additions to the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast May Hint at Major Story Details for the 2026 Film

    The Rumored Additions to the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast May Hint at Major Story Details for the 2026 Film

    In late March, Marvel Studios captivated the world for hours by revealing part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday in an unannounced live stream across Twitter and YouTube. Shortly afterwards, the studio made it clear that more stars would join the impressive list of 27 talented actors and actreses, though they didn’t give any indication of when or just how many more there would be. And while we still don’t know what Marvel’s plans might be, a recent leak by a familiar insider may have let the cat(s) out of the bag.

    Longtime Hollywood scooper and shortime Marvel shit lister, Jeff “The In” Sneider, recently rolled out a list of 33 stars that he was told would join the film, bringing the total number to an impressive 60. While even Sneider was a bit skeptical, if for the purposes of this exercise, we take the list at face value, it could shed some serious light on what to expect in Avengers: Doomsday.

    Let’s break down what each of the 60 MCU stars might bring to the landscape of the 2026 team-up. The rumored new members of the cast are in green.

    The Villain

    Robert Downey Jr./Victor von Doom

    In what will remain the studio’s most controversial casting decision ever until fans finally see Avengers: Doomsday, Kevin Feige and crew brought the actor behind the MCU’s greatest hero back to play on of the greatest villains ever created. Nobody will argue that Downey is one of the most versatile and talented actors working in Hollywood now but it’s still very much a concern for fans that he’s not right for the role of Doom and it’s just a nostalgia-driven marketing ploy.

    The Fantastic Four

    (L-R): Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

    Vanessa Kirby/Sue Storm

    Ebon Moss-Bachrach/Ben Grimm

    Pedro Pascal/Reed Richards

    Joseph Quinn/Johnny Storm

    The New Avengers

    David Harbour/Alexi Shostakov

    Hannah John-Kamen/Ava Starr

    Florence Pugh/Yelena Belova

    Lewis Pullman/Robert Reynolds

    Wyatt Russell/John F. Walker

    Sebastian Stan/Bucky Barnes

    As revealed by director Jake Schreier, the Thunderbolts* extended post-credit scene was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and is indeed a scene from Avengers: Doomsday. That confirmation makes the exposition-heavy scene even more important, though we don’t know at what point in Doomsday it takes place. However, it does lay out that Yelena’s New Avengers are aware of a “space crisis” and will be the first heroes on Earth-616 to meet up with whichever members of the Fantastic Four are aboard the Excelsior.

    The TVA

    Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Sophia Di Martino/Sophie

    Tom Hiddleston/Loki

    Wunmi Mosaku/B-15

    Ke Huy Quan/Ouroboros

    Owen Wilson/Mobius

    While it may have been mildly surprising to see Hiddleston’s name among those originally revealed, it’s no surprise at all that the Time Variance Authority, which first appeared in Loki, will have a role in Avengers: Doomsday. Before the studio pivoted from the original idea for the project, first known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the TVA likely would have played a more integral role in the film. Still, given Loki’s position as the God of Stories and the nature of the TVA, these characters and their stories still easily connect to a film about the collapse of the Multiverse…and Loki may just be set for another, other death.

    The Old Avengers


    Don Cheadle/James Rhodes

    Chris Hemsworth/Thor

    Samuel L. Jackson/Fury, Nicholas J.

    Brie Larson/Carol Danvers

    Chris Pratt/The Legendary Star-Lord

    Jeremy Renner/Clint Barton

    Paul Rudd/Scott Lang

    Mark Ruffalo/Bruce Banner

    Tessa Thompson/Valkyrie

    Benedict Wong/Wong

    Even as new teams form in their absence, there’s no possibility that the surviving members of the Avengers who defeated Thanos would stay on the sidelines while their reality falls apart. Certainly, some of these heroes my join up with either Sam or Yelena’s team, but it’s also starting to look like there will be plenty to do for all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. At this point, it seems like Avengers: Doomsday will likely mark the end of the road for a few Marvel lifers.

    Champions

    Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios’ MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

    Xochitl Gomez/America Chavez

    Kathryn Newton/Cassie Lang

    Hailee Steinfeld/Kate Bishop

    Dominique Thorne/Riri Williams

    Iman Vellani/Kamala Khan

    Concept art revealed that this group of young heroes was set to assemble in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty; however, when the original idea was scrapped in favor of whatever it is that Avengers: Doomsday is all about, it wasn’t clear how many, if any, of these characters would still show up. Interestingly, this lineup matches nicely with insider Daniel Richtman’s January 2025 report that indicated the studio had locked in its roster of Champions…with one notable exception: Joe Locke was not among those listed by “The In” Sneider.

    The Wakandans + 1

    Winston Duke/M’Baku

    Danai Gurira/Okoye

    Tenoch Huerta Mejia/Namor

    Letitia Wright/Shuri

    With Wakanda likely still recovering from the Talokanil-Wakandan War, it’ll will be very interesting to see what Anthony and Joe Russo have in mind for the country. With M’Baku currently sitting the throne as the King of Wakanda, Okoye working as a Midnight Angel, Shuri out of the country and Namor pledged to aid them, the Wakandans have some things to sort out before they are ready to help save the world once more.


    Sam Wilson’s ©️ Avengers

    Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.

    Simu Liu/Shang-Chi

    Anthony Mackie/Sam Wilson

    Tatiana Maslany/Jennifer Walters

    Danny Ramirez/Joaquin Torres

    Yahya Abdul Mateen II/Simon Williams

    Outside of Torres’ inclusion on the team, this roster is nothing but guesswork and could be composed of all of these heroes listed above, none of them or some of them and few from the OG Avengers. All we do know is that Sam is putting his own team of Avengers together quite separate from the Thunderbolts/New AvengerZ and that not everyone is going to be able to stick around on Earth to defend the planet.

    “Binary Universe” X-Men


    Halle Berry/Storm

    Alan Cumming/Nightcrawler

    Kelsey Grammer/Beast

    Famke Janssen/Jean Grey

    Lashana Lynch/Binary

    James Marsden/Cyclops

    Ian McKellen/Magneto

    Rebecca Romijn/Mystique

    Patrick Stewart/Charles Xavier

    The MacGuffin

    Teyonah Paris/Monica Rambeau

    Seemingly made possible by the divergent timeline created in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the original Fox X-Men trilogy stars will reunite in Avengers: Doomsday. It seems likely, though far from certain, that their universe is the one in which Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau became stranded in during the final act of The Marvels which means she should be playing a central role in the film. Carol Danvers will certainly be trying to bring her home and the X-Men will likely learn the consequences of prolonged Multiversal travel. Will the result be Avengers vs. X-Men? Or will Doom best everyone to it and expedite the end of the Fox universe?

    Incursion Experts

    Benedict Cumberbatch/Doctor Strange

    Charlize Theron/Clea

    If both these characters are indeed in the film, it stands to reason that they’ll be the walking, talking expository devices of the film, explaining Incursions to the audience and Avengers alike. When last seen, the pair we’re headed out to “fix” one of the Incursions caused by Strange’s Multiversal adventure. Can Incursions be fixed? Will the Dark Dimension, where Clea is from, be a key setting in the film, allowing teams and individuals to travel inter-dimensionally?

    The New Guardians of the Galaxy


    Maria Bakalova/Cosmo

    Bradley Cooper/Rocket

    Vin Diesel/Groot

    Karen Gillan/Nebula

    Will Poulter/Adam Warlock

    Kai Zen/Phyla

    A relatively surprising choice to be part of Avengers: Doomsday, it seems as though the New Guardians May find themselves working with Captain Marvel and crew to solve their part of the “space crisis.” But where is Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin and why do the Russos hate him?

    The Wild Cards

    Hayley Atwell

    Chris Evans

    Channing Tatum/Gambit

    Evans has been rumored and reported to be part of Avengers: Doomsday before the project has a title. Will he be Nomad? Will he be the original Steve Rogers, whose decision to travel to and remain in the past with Peggy Carter will lead to an Incursion? Will he be Hydra Cap? Will he be all of the above?

    Like Evans, Atwell was reported to have joined the cast in December 2024 but was absent from the first round of reveals by Marvel. And also like Evans, Atwell could be playing regular old Peggy, Captain Carter or another Variant we haven’t met yet.

    Tatum‘s card-throwing Gambit presents an entirely different type of X-factor than either Atwell or Evans. As seen in Deadpool & Wolverine, Tatum’s Le Diable Blanc doesn’t know what universe he used to call home, positing at one point that perhaps he was even born in the Void at the End of Time. With that in mind, perhaps he has a much larger and surprising role to play in Avengers: Doomsday than you might expect…or perhaps he’s just there because he made a name for himself as Gambit after waiting so long to bring the character to life.

    With such a large cast and so many others left out entirely, it seems highly unlikely that all 60 of these folks will make it to Avengers: Secret Wars and the end of the Multiverse Saga. With Marvel’s own X-Men set to take center stage for the next decade, fans should start preparing to say goodbye to some old favorites.

  • ‘Thunderbolts*’ Writer Reveals the Film Originally Had an Entirely Different Big Bad

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Writer Reveals the Film Originally Had an Entirely Different Big Bad

    Lewis Pullman‘s performance as Bob/Sentry/The Void has been roundly praised following the opening weekend of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* The New Avengers. And while Bob will indeed be back for more in Avengers: Doomsday, it turns out he was originally not part of the film, leaving the Thunderbolts to teamnup against an entirely different antagonist.

    “The original drafts of this had John Walker as the punching villain at the end,” said Pearson. “The idea was that part of Val’s manipulation was that she had told him that his serum was wearing off, and she was doing these medications to keep him going,” added the writer. Given Walker’s fragile mental state, it’s easy to imagine Val working U.S. Agent into a frenzy to do her dirty work.

    In reality, he was a time bomb; a Hulk kind of thing. There was going to be a bit of a ‘Sun’s getting real low’ moment because from the beginning of this, it was like, “I want to end our third act fight with a hug.“

    -Eric Pearson

    Fortunately, Marvel and Pearson made a decision to head in another direction, choosing Bob as the subject of Val’s manipulative machinations, leaving the team up against a foe they could never take on physically. “That version was kind of fun, but ultimately didn’t work and didn’t feel right tone-wise,” he explained. “I had already kind of layered in the whole Breakfast Club thing, so I was like, ‘I want someone that they can’t beat in a punching fight and that they have to connect to in an emotional way.’“

    While Val is the film’s true baddie, she would pose no threat to any of the team of Thunderbolts without someone else there to do the heavy lifting. While Walker might have made for an interesting punching bag, he’d have truly stood no chance against a pair of Super-Soldiers teaming up with Ghost and Yelena. Moving away from Walker to The Void is just one example of the very positive changes made to the script during the pre-production process that allowed it to become one of the studio’s best films in the past several years.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • Marvel Studios Begins Unprecedented Wave of Marketing Madness for ‘Thunderbolts*’

    Marvel Studios Begins Unprecedented Wave of Marketing Madness for ‘Thunderbolts*’

    Long before Thunderbolts* hit theaters, fans had plenty of theories about the asterisk added to the film’s title in early 2024. At the time, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, made it clear that the studio would not address the change until after the movie hit theaters. That time is now and the studio is addressing it in an unprecedented way.

    Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts. That is the official title of Thunderbolts and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.

    -Kevin Feige

    Following the film’s very solid opening weekend in which it pulled in $162.1 M globally ($76 M domestic, $86.1 M overseas) and managed to secure an A- Cinemascore, the studio has begun a bold marketing move that officially reveals the meaning behind the asterisk.

    In the film’s third act, the film’s titular team of lonely losers are introduced to the press as The New Avengers after saving New York City from The Void. It’s a move made solely to allow Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to save face but as the film’s post-credit tag reveals, the team is still active as Avengers 14 months later.

    Retitling a film after release, even unofficially, isn’t something Marvel Studios has dabbled with in the past and it remains to be seen just how serious the studio is about the change. It appears, however, they’ve invested at least some capital in a second wave of marketing the film as The New Avengers begging the question if the film will indeed be rebranded for digital and home release.

  • ‘Thunderbolts*’ Director Confirms Major Changes to the Film’s Original Script

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Director Confirms Major Changes to the Film’s Original Script

    Rewrites, reshoots and additional photography have become routine partsof the Marvel Studios production machine. It’s safe to say that no two projects undergo the same amount of changes and that they’re not always all-encompassing nor always favorable.

    Both Captain America: Brave New World and Daredevil: Born Again were significantly reworked following the 2023 Hollywood work stoppages to varying degrees of success. Brave New World reshot its first act battle, gave The Leader a concerning makeover and shot a very awkward post-credit scene, none of which were well-received by fans. On the other hand, the creative retooling of Daredevil: Born Again, intended to connect it to the original Netflix series, seemed to please the bloodthirsty legion of edge lords who believe the character should suffer in darkness and misery. However, perhaps no project underwent a more complete overhaul than Thunderbolts*.

    Originally drafted by Eric Pearson as a sequel to Black Widow, the project’s script was handed off to both Joanna Calo and Lee Sung Jin. Typically, it’s never made clear by the studio just how much a script changes from beginning to end; however, director Jake Schreier veered from the norm in an interview with EW, explaining that very little of the film’s original conceit survived.

    According to Schreier, the only big idea from the original script that made it to the big screen was the idea of the mismatched team of damaged people being revealed as the MCU’s New Avengers at the end. The idea was “in the script from the very first draft,” Schreier told EW, adding “Even though a lot of things, almost everything, changed around it.“

    “There was the core idea of these operatives sent to kill each other, which I thought was such a neat twist on people expecting Marvel’s Suicide Squad,” Schreier explained. “And then that was the ending, and it went to a very different place, but that was the one thing that was like, no matter what we do, it’s going to end in that place.” Whatever the original version may have been, there will be very few fans disappointed with the direction the studio ultimately chose for the film.

  • The ‘Thunderbolts*’Post-Credit Scene Just Became Even More Important to the Future of the MCU

    The ‘Thunderbolts*’Post-Credit Scene Just Became Even More Important to the Future of the MCU

    As is Marvel Studios’ tradition, Thunderbolts* included some additional scenes during the credits. Though the first scene featuring David Harbour‘s Red Guardian was played for laughs, the second scene jumped 14 months into the MCU’s future, providing a look at the New Avengers regrouping at The Watchtower. Unlike several of the studio’s post-credit scenes, this one felt important, providing information about Captain America and his team of Avengers while also teasing the arrival of the Fantastic Four on Earth-616. Yelena’s New Avengers were decked out in new uniforms, including Bucky sporting a new star logo very reminiscent of the one his character recently sported in the pages of Marvel Comics as The Revolution, and were just learning about a “space crisis,” which is almost certainly an Incursion.

    TL:DR, the 2-minute and 54-second scene is doing a lot of table setting for Avengers: Doomsday and it turns out that’s because it was filmed by the directors of the upcoming Marvel project.

    In an interview with Comic Book, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier revealed that the post-credit scene was filmed on the set of Avengers: Doomsday while strongly hinting that Joe and Anthony Russo were behind the camera for it.

    So a couple things about that. I didn’t film that scene. I was there when it was filmed and I can say that it comes from the set of a production that might be starting production right around now. So that might be fun for people to stay and watch.

    -Jake Schreier

    The knowledge that the Russos filmed the scene adds a little extra weight to the information contained within. Too frequently, the studio’s stingers are poorly thought out and following up on them becomes the problem of “the next guy.” Since the Russos directed this and are “the next guys,” this scene can more or less be thought of as part of Avengers: Doomsday, which we can safely assume begins a year and two months after the events of Thunderbolts*, set in 2027. With that, we now know that the next Avengers film will be set in 2028, keeping the MCU timeline ahead of the real world by a couple of years.

    Thunderbolts* is now in theaters and Avengers: Doomsday is now in production ahead of its May 1, 2026 release.

  • ‘Thunderbolts*’: Explaining the Film’s Two Credit Cookies

    ‘Thunderbolts*’: Explaining the Film’s Two Credit Cookies

    Marvel Studios took a chance with Thunderbolts* but all signs point toward the film, directed by Jake Schreier, opening to a solid weekend at the box office following very positive reviews by critics. With the surviving members of the eclectic group of anti-heroes already confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, it looks like the Thunderbolts are here to stay…at least in the short term. But in what capacity?

    As explained here, following the team’s battle against The Void–the omnipotent dark shadow of Lewis Pullman‘s Sentry–Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is facing impeachment charges, saves face by introducing the group as The New Avengers…and Bob. With that big reveal, the 2-hour and 6-minute run time of Thunderbolts* draws to a close but, as audiences have come to expect from Marvel Studios’ projects, there’s more in store for those who stick around for the credits.

    Mid-Credits

    Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2025 MARVEL.

    The film’s Mid-Credits scene features David Harbour‘s bombastic Alexi Shostakov and makes good on the Wheaties box premise of one of the project’s promotional posters. While out grocery shopping, a cleaned-up Alexi proudly shows off a box of The Breakfast of Champions, which features the New Avengers on the front. Though it’s mostly there to add another laugh when Alexi fails to convince a woman to purchase a box, the scene implies that the cast of castoffs have indeed become the public-facing heroes Yelena aspired to be, completing their redemption arcs.

    Post-Credit

    Set 14 months after the conclusion of the film, the second scene–which runs a Marvel record 2 minutes and 54 seconds–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.” As they process that, the computer warns them of an extra-dimensional ship entering Earth’s atmosphere. That ship? The Excelsior, belonging to The Fantastic Four!

    Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bob (Lewis Pullman), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2025 MARVEL.

    While it’s not entirely clear what circumstances bring The First Family from their Earth to Earth-616, trailers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps have shown Reed Richards to be working on the math behind inter-dimensioal travel and with both The New Avengers and Fantastic Four slated to play big roles in Avengers: Doomsday, the scene teases the first meeting between the two.

  • Here’s Why ‘Thunderbolts’ Became ‘Thunderbolts*’

    Here’s Why ‘Thunderbolts’ Became ‘Thunderbolts*’

    During Marvel Studios’ CinemaCon presentation in April 2024, a minor change was confirmed to the title of one of the studio’s 2025 films, sparking interest among MCU fans. Without addressing its meaning, Marvel’s Head Honcho, Kevin Feige, revealed that the official title of Thunderbolts now included an asterisk. And the wild speculation about Thunderbolts* began.

    Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts. That is the official title of Thunderbolts and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.

    -Kevin Feige

    As is always the case, speculation ran from absurd to astute, with many deducing a chance in the team’s name as the reason behind the mysterious addition of the symbol.

    Now that the film has finally made its way into theaters, we can finally talk about why the asterisk was added to the title and it is exactly what we thought it was: a name change for the titular team of heroes.

    After discovering that her Project Sentry was not a complete failure and that Lewis Pullman‘s Bob survived the process, Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine plans to reveal Earth’s Mightiest Hero, The Sentry, to the public in a bid to make herself untouchable amidst her impeachment hearing. As the Thunderbolts arrive at the old Avengers Tower, now owned by Val and known as The Watchtower, in hopes of stopping her and helping Bob, Val reveals an all-new, all-different Bob, one who she’s not-so-subtly manipulated and attempts to use to kill the Thunderbolts, riding herself of the people who made up her CIA wetwork network…only Bob realizes he doesn’t have to play by the rules.

    The asterisk tells us there’s so much more to the story.

    -David Harbour

    After saving Bob and all of New York City from The Void, the dark and powerful shadow of The Sentry that took control of Bob, the team turns its attention to Val who leads them directly to the press she had assembled for Sentry and introduces them as The New Avengers, revealing the meaning of the film’s cryptic asterisk.

    With the Multiverse Saga headed toward its conclusion and Sam Wilson assembling his own Avengers, it’s not quite clear what the future holds for Yelena, Bucky, John Walker, Ava and Alexi; however, as promised during the credits of Thunderbolts*, The New Avengers will return with Avengers: Doomsday next up on their docket.

  • First ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ BTS Photo May Reveal a Familiar Setting

    First ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ BTS Photo May Reveal a Familiar Setting

    One month after Marvel Studios slowly revealed over two dozen members of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, principal photography on the film has officially begun in the UK. Though it’s only just getting underway, photos of the construction of a large-scale practical set and rumblings of an opening scene at the X-Mansion have made their way online in recent weeks; now, a behind-the-scenes photo released by the Russo brothers looks to confirm the latter.

    Shared on Instagram, the first official look from the set of Avengers: Doomsday does not seem to give much away at first glance, though some might argue that seeing “Victor Von Doom” on the director’s chair might settle some concerns that Robert Downey Jr. is playing a Stark Variant. However, a closer look at the background could indeed confirm that the first scenes to be filmed for the movie are set at Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

    Given that it’s been some time since the interior of the X-Mansion has been visited on screen, it might be easy to overlook that Downey’s chair is positioned to intentionally provide a look at the wall of what can be assumed to be the location for filming on day one…and that wall does indeed look like it belongs inside Xavier’s school. The oak paneling is consistent with how the school has looked in the Fox films and with a large chunk of the cast of the original X-Men trilogy returning for Avengers: Doomsday, that’s unlikely to be a coincidence.

    While it’s safe to assume the Russos won’t be following the exact formula they used in making Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it is likely there will be some resonance in some of the choices they make. Opening Avengers: Doomsday by having Victor Von Doom take on and possibly take out Fox’s OG X-Men would serve the same purpose as having Thanos easily defeat the Hulk and Thor while killing Loki. With X-Men: Days of Future Past having created a divergent timeline in which the events of the original trilogy were undone and the team was alive and well in 2023, the X-Men should be an incredibly formidable superteam and if they can’t stop Doom, who can?