Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: MCU

  • Early Reactions Call ‘Thunderbolts*’ Marvel’s Best Since Endgame

    Early Reactions Call ‘Thunderbolts*’ Marvel’s Best Since Endgame

    Once upon a time, Thunderbolts* seemed to be on track to be a relatively run of the mill Marvel Studios movie that would serve as a sequel to 2021’s Black Widow. A few rewrites and an almost totally unknown director later, it sounds as though the studio’s work behind the scenes may have transformed Thunderbolts* into an MCU all-timer.

    Without giving away too much, a lot of what David [Harbour] and Florence [Pugh] are working with as material in this movie relates to that past relationship. And there’s resonance to that, so I think it’s important to everyone to preserve that legacy of something that emotionally meant so much to people and make sure that we refer to that in the right way, and we protect it and make sure that it means something. I think we’re pulling from all of their histories and then trying to tell something new. I don’t think that it feels like a Black Widow sequel. I think it feels like it’s a sampling of people from different parts [of this universe]. It’s definitely a part of our story but it’s not the driving force that leads into this film.

    -Jake Schreier

    Following the film’s European premier and series of early screenings Thunderbolts* is being hailed as an overwhelming success, featuring the kind of heart missing from many recent efforts.

    According to multiple socmed accounts, Thunderbolts* is carried by strong performances across the board with Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman leading the way.

    While early screenings always generate “best ever” reactions, reading between the lines here reveals that Jake Schreier‘s approach to the project injected the film–and perhaps the MCU–with the shot of adrenaline it needed as it heads into the final phase of the Multiverse Saga.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Showrunner Teases Matt Murdock’s Season 2 Army

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Showrunner Teases Matt Murdock’s Season 2 Army

    The Season One finale of Daredevil: Born Again left Matt Murdock–and all of New York City– in the shadow of Mayor Kingpin. “Straight to Hell” left no doubt that Wilson Fisk won the battle but it also made it clear that Matt Murdock is regrouping and preparing for war. Faling back to Josie’s, Murdock is now looking to put together an army to take on Fisk and his Anti-vigilante Task Force, an idea that has fans of the Netflix Defenders-verse convinced Jessica Jokes, Luke Cage, Danny Rand and more will ultimately be featured in Season 2.

    With the sophomore season already well into production, there’s been no sign of the Defenders yet; however, in a recent interview, showrunner Dario Scardapane made it clear those characters–and others from Matt’s circle of friends–arent far from his mind as he continues work in the show.

    “Without giving too much away…when you’re working in what I would call the Hell’s Kitchen corner of the MCU, those iconic characters are always in your mind,” said Scardapane of Jones, Cage and Rand…but those heroes aren’t the only characters with ties to the Kitchen.

    “The thing is that — and this is kind of hard, I’m trying to thread a needle here — you want to bring in people and relationships and past figures in Matt’s life because they help the story, particularly in terms of a story where Fisk has taken over the city. And there is a resistance and a rebellion, so to speak, rising. So there’s going to be people, vigilantes, superheroes that are involved in that. There has to be because this is happening to their city,” Scardapane explained. Of course, as integral to his story so far as the Defenders have been, nobody has been a more important figure in Matt’s past than Elektra. However, bringing her back from the dead or even bringing in living Defenders just because isn’t something Scardapane is willing to do.

    “…you also want to create a completely organic story for that. So who comes in and why has to be beyond anything earned. So the easiest answer to your question is, yes, those characters that you just listed off are absolutely in my head and everybody’s head as we’re working,” said Scardapane of the trio of heroes who helped save New York City in the Defenders crossover event.

    “How that manifests itself is both really tricky writing-wise and a pretty closely guarded secret at this point,” he continued. “So I’m being intentionally cagey, but I’m also saying, ‘Hell yeah!’ in terms of it’s something we’re thinking about.“

    Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again will hit D+ in March 2026.

    Source: EW

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’: [SPOILER] Returns as Action Moves to Key Netflix Series Location in Latest Set Photos

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’: [SPOILER] Returns as Action Moves to Key Netflix Series Location in Latest Set Photos

    Ironically, as Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again enters into its Netflix era, production on Season 2 of the D+ streaming series has returned to one of the Netflix series’ key locations. After what seemed like a daily onslaught of set photos early on, production on the new season of the Marvel Studios revival hadn’t been gathering much attention; however, that’s certainly changed now.

    For the past few days, photos from the New York City set revealed that as part of his New York: Born Again campaign, Wilson Fisk was set to take part in a charity boxing match against someone called Matter Horn. Now, new photos and video reveal that the match takes place at Fogwell’s Gym.

    Fogwell’s, of course, is the home gym of the Murdocks. It’s the place where Jack Murdock trained and where Matt learned to fight. It would almost certainly seem that since Fisk knows Matt is Daredevil, that he’s chosen the venue to draw the hero out as he continues his anti-vigilante agenda. And further video from the set shows that if that was indeed the plan, it worked.

    https://twitter.com/chrisagwrites/status/1910600134141870341

    Wilson Bethel‘s Bullseye has been on set the past few days as well and now we know why…sort of. While it’s not entirely clear what is intent is, the crazed assassin can be seen arriving at Fogwell’s in his tactical suit, once again loaded with knives. And then he can be seen quickly leaving…through the front window!

    It would seem that showrunner Dario Scardapane is intent on having Daredevil and Bullseye crash through the front window of every location near and dear to the heart of Matt Murdock. With the frenzy taking place outside Fogwell’s just before the two exit the gym, it’s clear the action inside was likely just as intense as what went down inside Josie’s in Season 1. However, no spoilers have escaped the set just yet but given who was in attendance, it’s incredibly likely Bullseye was there to take someone out…but who?

    The Season 1 finale of Daredevil: Born Again streams on April 15th on Disney Plus. Season 2 will debut in 2026.

  • Possible Peek at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom Reveals an Absolutely Absurd Take on the Character

    Possible Peek at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom Reveals an Absolutely Absurd Take on the Character

    Of the 70,000+ characters created by Marvel Comics over the years, Doctor Doom is arguably the most well-crafted among them. Years of retcons have resulted in a flawed megalomaniac who remains entirely relatable to the Everyman. When Marvel Studios acquired the live-action rights to the character in 2019 as part of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, hopes wre high that after a pair of poor representations of Doom were brought to the screen in 2005 and 2015, Marvel might get it right. Those hopes have begun to fade.

    How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations? And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked into this character. Later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right.’

    -Robert Downey Jr. on Kevin Feige’s pitch for him to return to the MCU

    After what has since been revealed to be nearly a year’s worth of planning, Robert Downey Jr. was revealed to be Marvel Studios choice to bring Doctor Doom to life in the MCU. Questions about the choice haven’t really stopped since the announcement was made at SDCC ’24 and now a possible peek at Downey’s Doom look has generated even more concern.

    Downey’s 60th birthday celebration took place in the UK where the star has been for some time in preparation for the beginning of principal photography on Avengers: Doomsday and a very special invitation was sent out to those lucky enough to be in consideration to attend. Joined by a pair of Doombots, Downey’s Doom appears to be wearing combat fatigues, sporting a pair of black gauntlets and a gold mask. His ensemble is topped off with a fancy purple cape.

    While it would be easy–and perhaps best–to pass this off as simply some artistic choices, the fact that the character’s hair resembles the new look Downey was seen sporting at his party has led people to believe the invite is based closely on how Downey’s Doom will look in the film. And if that is the case, it’s unlikely to relieve concerns about this iteration of the character. Though the invitation does seem to indicate that this Doom will, like his comic book counterpart, be a mastrr of the mystic arts and a scientist, at some point it’s ok to wonder when Marvel Studios will stop attempting to reinvent the wheel each time they bring a major character into the MCU. Simply put, there is only Doom and he doesn’t need to be altered to be great.

    Avengers: Doomsday will be in theaters on May 1, 2026.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 7 Review: Devil By Day

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 7 Review: Devil By Day

    Pablo Picasso once sort of-famously explained that “the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” That idea put him squarely at odds with the 19th century philosophy of “art for art’s sake,” which valued aesthetics over the idea that art should have some larger utility within society. It’s then worth pondering how Picasso might have felt about Episode 7 of Daredevil: Born Again, “Art for Art’s Sake.” Despite featuring a Daredevil daring to buckle his swash in broad daylight and some shooting and some blood and shit, “Art for Art’s Sake” somehow feels more like the “filler episode” fans seemed convinced Episode 5 would be.

    Though it’s not a poor episode, “Art for Art’s Sake” is the first time—and truly the only time—that Daredevil: Born Again felt like a stitched-together show. It seems unlikely that Disney ironically placed the title it did on the episode; however, that’s essentially how this episode fits into the bigger picture. It exists to exist and nearly all of what happens within its runtime has no larger utility in the structure of the series other than to put a disappointing end to the one arc that was beginning to approach entertaining.

    Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2025 MARVEL.

    While screening the series in early March, it was right about the time that Muse died that I began to realize that not only does Daredevil have a Kingpin problem, but also that Daredevil has a Kingpin problem. For the third time in four seasons (and early returns from production on Season 2 would indicate it’ll become the fourth time in five seasons), Wilson Fisk is the primary antagonist of a Daredevil series. Yes, Dex was the physical opponent in Season 3 of Daredevil and Matt got to fight crazy buzzsaw costume guy once but with Muse, the creatives had a chance to do something really special…and instead they made him into background noise so that we could get to some more Matt and Wilson stories. I understand the place Fisk holds in the Daredevil mythos; however, it’s ok to let the Fat Man take a break and give Matt something else to do.

    And so, rather than having an episode that washed the dust of daily life off of our souls, it seemed to just add another layer. Hope does spring eternal, however, and photos from the New York City set of Season 2 have revealed that somehow, some way, Muse will return and showrunner Dario Scardapane also revealed that the character will be a multi-season problem for Matt. However, without any solid idea of what the future holds of the character, it’s easy to feel disappointed in the way he was incorporated into Season 1. Already changed from the (probably) Inhuman-ly powered character in the comics, Hunter Doohan‘s Muse deserved to be a bit more than the catalyst for another round of Daredevil vs. Kingpin.

  • Chris Evans’ Next MCU Appearance Reportedly Revealed

    Chris Evans’ Next MCU Appearance Reportedly Revealed

    All Chris Evans wants is to be done with his Marvel roles…but he won’t quit coming back. While he’s yet to step back into to MCU as its First Avenger after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Evans reprised the role of Johnny Storm for a foul-mouthed appearance in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Beyond that, Evans has been true to his word, having yet to pick up the shield again despite regular rumors to the contrary.

    Yeah, maybe. I’ll never say never, just because it was such a wonderful experience. But I’m also very precious with it. It’s something that I am very proud of. And like I said, sometimes I can’t believe it even happened. And I wouldn’t want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab or if it didn’t live up to expectations or if it just felt like it wasn’t connected to that original thing. So, no time soon. And ultimately I really hope to just maybe act a little bit less in my life. I have a lot of other interests.

    –Chris Evans on potentially returning as Captain America

    Late last year, a new round of rumors indicated that Evans–who in 2023 stated that if he did return, it would be “no time soon”–would be joining fellow MCU megastar Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday. If that’s the case, it’s news Marvel will is holding onto for another day as Evans was not part of the 5-hour livestream that introduced 27 members of the cast for the 2026 film. However, online buzz has grown recently that while an appearance in Doomsday certainly isn’t off the table, Evans may be headed back to the MCU even sooner.

    First shared by social media’s busiest bee, My Time To Shine Hello, then given support by other similar online personalities, the latest rumor has Evans suiting up in an unknown role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

    Treating it simply as nothing more than an interesting possibility, one can quickly wonder if Evans‘ return in that film might well be as the Sacred Timeline’s Steve Rogers. Much has been made of the retrofuturistic 1960s setting of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and that could tie neatly into Steve Rogers’ decision to leave the Sacred Timeline to live a life with Peggy Carter in 1949. While there are plenty of other options, such as Evans appearing as Hydra Supreme or even another Variant of Johnny Storm, reprising his original role would neatly dovetail Marvel’s two Sagas together. Given what’s been explained about Incursions so far, it would seem Captain America’s presence in another timeline would be somewhat problematic.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 6 Review: Renaissance

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 6 Review: Renaissance

    For some, the first four episodes of Daredevil: Born Again fell short of expectations. Others, it turned out, enjoyed the lighter tone and lighter tones. Wherever your tastes fell on that spectrum, with Episode 6, “Excessive Force”, the series pivoted aggressively, starting down a far darker path. Episode 5, “With Interest”, bridged the gap between light and dark, allowing Charlie Cox to collect some serious aura farming, slinging  and swinging swag instead of billyclubs but by the time Angela del Toro goes missing, the devil that Matt Murdock let out for a brief romp in the daylight just can’t be out back in the bottle.

    Simply enough, “Excessive Force” IS the episode fans of the Netflix series have been waiting for: the renaissance of The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Complicating the matter, however, is that the rebirth of Daredevil coincides with the rebirth of the Kingpin. With his fractured relationship with Vanessa healing quickly, Wilson Fisk finally lets his darker half resurface. Complicating things for both men is the revelation that the City’s most popular street artist, Muse, is a sadistic serial killer with a body count of at least 60 bodies.

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

    The series has consisted of a series of parallels and the creators allowed those to play out without rushing the inevitable right turn those paths would take, putting the two on an inevitable collision course. As it’s played out, Muse catalyzes collision by becoming something neither man can ignore and neither man can stop without resorting to the depths of their own darkness they had both sworn to leave behind.

    In Matt’s case, Muse’s abduction of Angela del Toro forces him back into his armored suit. The result is a violent confrontation with the killer in his lair which Matt clearly enjoys…perhaps a bit too much. For Fisk, Muse’s spree gives him reason enough to pull together a goon squad of corrupt cops, far more akin to the type of people he “worked” with as the Kingpin than NYC’s finest. And, of course, the episode wouldn’t be complete without Fisk resorting to his own use of “excessive force”, reminding the audience of the brutality of the Fat Man…who is getting fat again. It’s taken some time but through the work of an artist with his own distinct style, Daredevil and Kingpin each experience a renaissance that will certainly put them as odds.

  • New Rumor Suggests Marvel Studios May Have Landed the Perfect Director for the (Un)Dead ‘Blade’

    New Rumor Suggests Marvel Studios May Have Landed the Perfect Director for the (Un)Dead ‘Blade’

    Despite chicken little claims about superhero fatigue, superhero projects remain king in the 21st century. Advancements in technology have allowed studios to tell stories, through films and streaming series, that 80s and 90s kids always dreamt of seeing. However, even as Hollywood continues to seek to advance and elevate the genre, the first modern superhero film still sets the standard in at least one aspect.

    Released in 1998 (yes, the previous century), Stephen Norrington‘s Blade, starring Wesley Snipes, jumpstarted the superhero craze, making way for Sony to bring Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man franchise to live and allowing for Fox to dream big with the X-Men. But despite the dozens of comic book movies that have followed it into theater’s, Blade continues to hold the championship belt for having THE best opening scene. Unmatched nearly 30 years later, the iconic “Blood Rave” blitzed unsuspecting audiences with a raw and visceral introduction to Blade’s world. Replete with hard-pumping music and harder-pumping action, the “Blood Rave” left its mark on fans and film makers alike.

    Though it’s never been said outright, one of the last decade’s most beloved action franchises often feels as though it could have drawn inspiration from Blade‘s opening scene. Three of the four films in Keanu Reeves‘ John Wick franchise has featured an action-packed scene set in some sort of club that, like Blade’s “Blood Rave”, feels like it was crafted with the intention to overload the audience’s senses. And now, a karmic circle moment may be right around the corner.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Marvel Studios May have lielned up John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski to inject some life into its (un)dead Blade reboot.

    A series of events that seems to long and painful to relive again here has resulted in Marvel Studios’ Blade remaining in development hell after first being announced in 2019. It’s enough to know that after years of stops and starts, the film was removed from the studio’s 2025 slate and never given a new release date. As director after director have left the project, fans have often called for Marvel to being in Stahelski, who has plenty of experience in both the superhero genre and with vampire projects and went on record in 2022 calling Blade “the one interesting thing” he would like to do at Marvel Studios, under one condition.

    And he [Kevin Feige] actually asked me, ‘What could we ever do?’ I was like, ‘Look, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know if I fit that kind of studio mold, but Blade would be the one interesting thing I’d like to do. I don’t know if I would’ve been the best choice for that in the direction they wanted to go. If you want to do the edgy rated R version, yeah, give me a call. If you want to be non-apologetic, yeah. That’s me. But I think they’re protecting their brand, they’re doing their thing. The individual they selected, I think is a very good director, and I think will do a great job in the direction that I think they want to take the property.

    -Chad Stahelski

    With the studio now in the business of making R-rated content and having granted previous director Yann Demange‘s version of the film the R-rating in an effort to help “unleash” the ferocity of film’s star, Mahershala Ali, it sounds as though Stahelski‘s one and only request has been met. Whether or not Stahelski, or anyone else, ever actually makes the film is, of course, an entirely different matter.

  • Fresh ‘Spider-Man 4’ Rumor Explains Tom Holland’s Absence from ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Fresh ‘Spider-Man 4’ Rumor Explains Tom Holland’s Absence from ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Marvel Studios’ impressive Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal had fans immediately wondering where the majority of the MCU’s biggest stars were. Sure, long-timers Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Sebastian Stan but plenty of questions arose about why Chris Evans, Lizzie Olsen, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland didn’t get their own fancy chairs. It wasn’t long before Marvel Studios calmed some of those concerns by teasing further casting announcements down the road. Even then, concerns arose over how big of a role any of those stars might play in the film with the already loaded cast. As it turns out, despite being consistently rumored to be a big factor in Avengers: Doomsday, one star may not have any role at all.

    According to a report from Jeff “The In” Sneider, the omission of Holland from the casting reveal for Avengers: Doomsday was not because the studio planned to announce it at a later date but rather because the Spider-Man star won’t be in the film at all.

    Every Marvel Studios’ project finds itself subjected to a near endless onslaught of reports, rumors and straight up bullshit but since Marvel struck a deal with Sony to incorporate Spider-Man into the MCU, the character seems to have a special place in the rumor mill. Since confirming Spider-Man 4 was set to head into production this summer, the status of Holland’s role in Doomsday has seemingly been in chaos. One day, Spidey is a main character; the next, he’s not. And now, he’s not in it at all because, as Sneider shared, Spider-Man 4 will be set synchronously with the events of Avengers: Doomsday. It would seem that Holland’s work on Christopher Nolan‘s Odyssey, in which he plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus, may have ultimately made it too tough to write his character into the script.

    Should this indeed be the case, it would seem a near certainty that Holland will be ready to play a key role in Avengers: Secret Wars, closing out the Multiverse Saga and, perhaps, his time as the Web-Slinger. With Kevin Feige recently teasing the addition of Miles Morales to the MCU, it would seem as though the time is near for Holland to unburden himself of the great responsibility that comes with bringing one of Marvel’s most beloved characters to life.

  • ‘Manhunt’, ‘Outer Range’ Star Joins Season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    ‘Manhunt’, ‘Outer Range’ Star Joins Season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    As principal photography on the second season of the Disney Plus streaming series Daredevil: Born Again continues in New York City, the project continues to add to its already impressive cast.

    With set photos revealing that NYC is under martial law with Mayor Wilson Fisk’s Anti-vigilante Task Force turning the Big Apple into a police state, some political pushback will be necessary and it seems as though Marvel has found an opponent.

    According to Deadline, three-time Emmy nominee Lili Taylor has joined the cast as as yet unidentified “political foe” of Fisk.

    Taylor’s role looks to have her board as a series regular in the eight-episode second season. After a creative retooling of Season 1, Season 2 will be run, start to finish, by Dario Scardapane with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead returning to direct a block of episodes.

    Source: Deadline