Tag: Movie Features

How ‘Black Panther’s Themes Can Inspire An Indigenous Mesoamerican Atlantis

Black Panther is the highest-rated Marvel Studios film by critics. The themes of the film are powerfully and efficiently woven into the characters and plot. Ryan Coogler is celebrated for his worldbuilding with production designer Hannah Beachler. They spent 10 months weaving real-world African history and culture into a 500-page guide to Wakanda and will likely repeat the process for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Namor, Attuma, and Namora will reportedly be joining Coogler’s sequel with Indigenous Mesoamerican cultures as worldbuilding inspiration. All of this might help us speculate what direction the story and characters might take in the highly-anticipated sequel.

Colonization is a theme that is inherently entwined with Wakanda’s history as the animated sequence that opens Black Panther shows. Vibranium enabled Wakanda to defend itself from the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade and the colonization of Africa by European nations. The threat of it intensely affected T’Challa’s perception of his father, T’Chaka, who killed his brother to keep Wakanda hidden. He states that all of his ancestors were wrong to turn their backs on their neighbors. He speaks about interdependence and taking care of others as he rejects isolation to open up Wakanda. The cultural trauma of colonization provides the personal connection to the film’s themes that Coogler has described as bringing him “closer to [his] roots.”

With the MCU’s Atlantis being inspired by Indigenous Mesoamerican cultures it seems likely that these themes will also be present. Rooting Atlantis in the history of an ancient cataclysm could mirror the real-world colonial destruction of Aztec and Maya civilizations. The Yucatan Peninsula’s historical connections to meteorites hint at a hidden society, mirroring Wakanda’s creation legend of a vibranium meteorite. A sunken yet technologically advanced state like that might be of particular interest to the U.S. In Namor’s first comic appearances he wages a war against the “surface-dwellers” (Motion Picture Funnies Weekly Vol 1 #1, 1939 Bill Everett). Yet the cultural-historical inspiration suggests Atlantis will be the state to be discovered and attacked for its resources. Like T’Challa in Black Panther, Prince Namor’s leadership will likely be tested in the face of colonial tension.

Wakanda’s leadership tensions set the stage for more complex explorations of governance. Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing impacts the sequel in such a way, suggesting Wakanda might use more collective leadership going forward. If Shuri, Nakia, Okoye, and M’Baku can unite in a leaderful way, there may yet be hope against the rising tide of Atlantis. Prince Namor’s leadership in contrast could be challenged as Namora and Attuma have different intentions in their comic histories. Namora, despite being Namor’s cousin, has spent much time away from Atlantis with surface-dwellers. Attuma is a barbaric warlord banished from Atlantis who wants to conquer it. While undiscovered in the MCU, Atlantis’ leadership could be somewhat united, splitting as the world becomes aware of its existence. How these once hidden societies treat outsiders interested in exploiting them will tell us a lot about their leadership.

Much of Black Panther’s plot is driven by outsiders discovering Wakanda. In the case of Erik Killmonger, he uses his “blood right” as T’Challa’s first cousin to challenge for the throne. The question then becomes whether birthright or culture is the maintaining force in bringing people into society. The cultural trauma of America’s exploitative culture which he grew up in, clashes with the more supportive culture of Wakanda. Killmonger sees no future beyond himself, burning the heart-shaped herb, stating “the sun will never set on the Wakandan empire.” By contrast, T’Challa opens Wakanda up with a learning center in Oakland rather than violent empire and colonialism. The consequences of opening Wakanda’s resources, potentially placing them in the scopes of America’s military-industrial complex is an open question.

Similarly, Atlantis might have resources that place them under the spotlight of outsiders to their society. They might even have outsiders within their existing ranks. Conflicting identities play a role in Namor’s life as they did with Killmonger. He is a mutant in the comics and has a mixed heritage from his human father and Atlantean mother. In the film, Namor will likely have to negotiate with elements of Atlantean society that frown upon his human origins. Similarly, Tenoch Huerta who is reportedly playing Namor has Indigenous origins through Purepecha and Nahua heritage. In the comics, when allied with mutantkind, Namor attacks Wakanda with the full weight of the sea. Whether outside incursions from surface-dwellers or aggressive internal factions will compel him to do so in the MCU is unknown.

Cultural trauma, whether it be from historical colonial violence or exclusion leadership policy, is a rich vein for powerful themes. It seems clear Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will continue some themes of the first film in the worldbuilding for Atlantis. Various other comic adaptations could also take this route. A British-Indian Braddock family would organically confront colonial themes, and provide a strikingly powerful Captain Britain. Similarly profound, could be, a Romani writer writing a Scarlet Witch film, introducing a Romani actor playing Victor von Doom. Magneto’s Jewish heritage could be part of a multi-heritage background. It’s exciting to think that Ryan Coogler’s films can act as a blueprint for how themes of cultural trauma are explored across the MCU.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, NPR, Thomson Reuters.

October 7, 2021
No Sequel, No Problem: 5 Ways to Build Out From ‘The Cabin in the Woods’
Spooky Season is upon us and like everyone else, the Murphys celebrate appropriately by cramming as many horror films into the month of October as possible. While we’re always on the lookout for new ones, there are those that have stood the test of time and are rewatched annually. One such film is 2011’s The Cabin in the Woods. Written by superhero standbys Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon and directed by Goddard and starring Chris Hemsworth (if I recall correctly, it was Hemsworth’s work in this film that made Whedon give him a vote of confidence for the role of Thor), The Cabin in the Woods took what seemed like a derivative and trope-laden slasher film and turned it into something deconstructionist and spectacular. From the 9-to-5 humdrum attitudes of Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford’s characters, Gary and Steve, as they supervise an ancient ritual to the shocking sub-basement of horrors, the film’s recipe of humor and horror make it a classic.

Whedon and Goddard have both gone on the record saying they were asked to do a sequel but neither of them felt that it was worth messing with what’s inarguably a perfect ending that sees the Ancient Ones rise and, presumably, destroy the world. I’m not here to convince those two to make that sequel because I agree that the ending is one that shouldn’t be messed with. However, my annual obsession with revisiting that film led me to believe that while a sequel isn’t in order, there might by some ways the mythology they created and the world they built are worth revisiting in other ways, especially in the age of the cinematic universe.

The Other Failed Rituals

As the film progresses, the audience comes to understand that the fate of the world hinges on the successful completion of the American ritual. The whore, the athlete, the scholar, the fool have to die to placate the Ancient Ones because the rituals in other countries have failed. Gary and Steve’s overconfidence in their abilities as the maestros of the ritual despite their monitors showing failed attempts in Sweden, Argentina and Spain and a desperate situation in Japan lead to some of the film’s funniest moments but also make it clear that there are other supervisors just like them in those countries. The film gives us very little information about the rituals in those areas, but we can glean enough to understand that each one probably has a very different and unique set of rules than the one in the U.S (for example, the Japanese ritual seems to depend on the death of children). If the U.S. ritual follows “cabin in the woods slasher-based” archetypes, the other rituals could follow other horror archetypes (a giant Kaiju-esque creature appears briefly in Argentina). Should Goddard and Whedon be so inspired, they could create films or an anthology in which they could satirize those genres to similar success. Rather than a sequel, it would simply be an exploration of events that took place either just prior to or simultaneously with the original.

The Buckners

The creepy basement in The Cabin in the Woods was full of all sorts of terrifying shit and, as we find out with the characters (why won’t they listen to Marty?!) those tempting artifacts end up being how the characters chose their means of death. In this case, after Dana reads a diary and chants some Latin (does nobody watch Evil Dead?), she brings a family of murderous zombies, the Buckners, to the surface to kill her and her friends. The diary itself is a good start to a Buckners prequel film that could flesh out the backstory of the Zombie Redneck Torture Family that won Maintenance and Ronald the Intern some cash in the ritual betting pool. We know the Buckners have a 100% clearance rate as a zombie family in the yearly Ritual, but seeing the faith-based, sadistic settlers (who may be in part based on the real life psycho serial killing family known as the Bloody Benders who, it is believed, killed at least a dozen people in Kansas in the early 1870s) at play in their hay day has the makings of a terrifying The Hills Have Eyes/Texas Chainsaw Massacre type of film that could spawn its own frightening franchise.

The Ancient Ones

The plot of The Cabin in the Woods revolves around the barely talked about and briefly seen Ancient Ones, a race of giant, god-like beings that once walked and pretty much owned the Earth. They live “below” and are kept satiated by the annual rituals which, as the film tells us, have existed since the beginning of time. Over time the rituals have grown more complex and seem to be more about keeping the Ancient Ones appropriately amused rather than full on the blood of the victims. This one might not make it at the box office, but a series developed around the Ancient Ones and how they acquired their violent appetites might be something people would want to see.

The Excellent Adventures of Gary and Steve

The everyday nature of dynamic and dialogue shared by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford throughout the course of The Cabin in the Woods stands out in stark contrast to the wild events unfolding in the film. The Ritual, to these guys, is not only old hat but it’s how they pay the bills. As they prepare for the day, we see them go through the motions and hear Whitford’s Steve bemoan his wife’s baby-proofing strategy while being completely ignored by Jenkins’ Gary as he fixates on his coffee. A couple potential options present themselves here:
1. A film revisiting a previous year’s ritual at the cabin. This would allow for us to not only get more of Gary and Steve, but also give another one of the horrors locked away in The Organization’s sub-basement its time to shine except, of course, for the Merman.
2. A Gary and Steve commentary track that runs with the film but sees the two take tangent after tangent while the shocking events of the film take place.
The Merman

There just aren’t enough Creature From the Black Lagoon-type films out there but it is time that the Merman got his due. As the film draws to an end, Whitford’s Steve learns why the saying “be careful what you wish for” exists as he finally gets to lay eyes on the Merman he’s been longing to have selected to complete the Ritual…right before it kills him and expels his blood through its blow hole. As mentioned above, a film about a prior year’s ritual would present one option to give us more of Merman (we can assume he’s been summoned at least once in the somewhat recent past because Gary seems to have some knowledge of how nightmarish the cleanup is when Merman is done) but Whedon and Goddard could go beyond that and give fans something spectacular at a time and in a place when the Merman would have ruled his domain. If we can have an Aquaman film, we can have a Merman film! Hell, team him up with the unicorn and let’s get nuts.

The Cabin in the Woods is one of modern horror’s most complete and perfect films, so it’s easy to see why the creators wouldn’t tempt fate and mess with that perfection. On the other hand, if it’s satirical exploration of the slasher genre could be applied a decade later to another genre with the same love for the material that was shown here, fans not only of this film, but of horror in general, would be in for a treat.
October 5, 2021
‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’: How Sony Weakened Its Strongest Villain

The following article contains spoilers on the film’s plot, ending, and post-credit sequence. If you still haven’t seen the film, only continue at your own risk.

Perhaps the greatest strength of Venom: Let There Be Carnage is its willingness to embrace the absurd. A symbiote makes pancakes, a man licks a spider, and a combination of the two bellows the film’s title before credits roll. It’s pure scripted chaos, mixed with appropriately goofy performances from stars Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson. This is why the film’s choice to not fully embrace its villain is so baffling.

Carnage has long been one of Marvel’s meanest rogues, and that doesn’t change here. The red symbiote is portrayed as giddily sadistic and all-out ill-willed as one would hope. Yet, something about the character feels less imposing than it should. The lack of R-rated violence, which some fans have wondered about since the announcement, is an easy first guess when it comes to pinpointing the problem. Yet, it’s not a loss for blood that throws Carnage out of whack. It’s something much deeper than that, in connection to the film’s central themes. It’s the relationship between Carnage and host buddy Cletus Kasady that truly serves to incapacitate the first live-action adaptation of Venom’s greatest adversary.

It feels ridiculous to say, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a relationship drama first and comic book action second. This is not an issue with the movie, which actually uses the love and bond between protagonists Eddie Brock and Venom to its advantage on many occasions. Unfortunately, where the story knows exactly how to play to Eddie and Venom’s strengths, it fails to understand what makes Cletus and Carnage so unique. Whereas the Venom symbiote has spent much of it’s existence bouncing from host to host, viewing itself as a separate entity from the bodies it inhabits, the Carnage symbiote was born to one man and one man alone. Unlike his father, Carnage has never been a “we” guy, and neither has Cletus.

While Carnage’s erratic fighting style and lust for death are a major part of what makes him dangerous, it’s his absolute unified bond with Cletus that truly makes him so terrifying. Their perfect relationship is the chainmail protecting an already pretty-dang-powerful set of armor. In an attempt to make their antagonist more susceptible to defeat, and perhaps even a little more relatable to audiences, the film stripped the character of his hallmark and turned “them” into an emotionally cruel couple. This works to a degree for the movie’s lovesick, abused version of serial killer Kasady, but it certainly weakens the screen presence of a character that should have been among Sony’s biggest bad guys.

The link between Cletus and Carnage could have been used as a dark foil for Eddie and Venom. A sickened, Terminator-esque peek into what a symbiote can do when left unchecked or even urged on, by its host. The Carnage symbiote’s parricidal feelings towards Venom are hinted at but left unexplored, despite the overwhelming potential of balancing that hateful association with the loving parallel Venom finds in Eddie. All of this is thrown to the wayside so that Cletus may have a love interest of his own, acting as a mirrored reflection of Eddie’s own relationships and an easy out for concluding character arcs in the third act.

It’s almost shameful that the film chooses to end Carnage’s story so soon after it begins, with both host and symbiote receiving an unceremonious death at the hands of their progenitor and rival. At the very least, Let There Be Carnage had the potential to serve as a functional origin story for Carnage, with his more threatening aspects set to be fleshed out in a later franchise installment. Nevertheless, the multiversal implications of the film’s post-credits scene offer hope at another shot with Carnage down the line. It’s possible that audiences will one day see the character in all his merciless glory, but until then, we’re left with a take on Carnage that feels like a decent impression at best.

October 4, 2021
How the MCU Is Using the Multiverse To Explore Themes

The multiverse is an unwieldy storytelling device with potential positive and negative impacts. For example, meeting alternate variations of favorite characters has the potential to undermine earlier stories. However, it could also potentially provide emotional flourish to stories that haven’t been possible previously. Some fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s consistency are concerned about how the multiverse could fray the cohesion of the MCU. The multiversal elements of Loki and What If…? have shown us hints of how the multiverse stories we might be seeing in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can be kept tight and concise.

Loki’s head writer Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron have both spoken in multiple interviews about the themes of their series. Loki spends much of the season up against the bureaucratic order of the TVA. He also finds himself grappling with his identity in the face of Loki variants from alternative universes. Order versus chaos. Self versus selves. The structure of these debates brought up in the show also show another theme Waldron and Herron have spoken about, in the gray space between villainy and heroism. It’s clear that these themes are present even without confirmation from interviews because of how tightly woven into the narrative action they are.

On the surface, an anthology show like What If…? shouldn’t necessarily have a narrative or thematic coherence between episodes. Yet we have seen enough to know we are getting a conclusion to some of the previous episodes in the finale. In this context, should there be a thematic reverberation between the heroes of each episode? It’s not easy to point one out. Loki’s themes are much tighter as almost every scene has a thematic resonance. An anthology show doesn’t need coherent themes but where there is a continuing story, What If…? is perhaps missing something thematic to bring the season together.

So perhaps if Spider-Man: No Way Home can use the multiverse to weave themes tightly, it can produce an impactful story regardless of multiversal incursions. Much of the trailer is connected to Spidey’s identity as Peter Parker. The public release of that information and Peter’s going to Doctor Strange to have it erased from public consciousness. It’s clear that they “tampered with the stability of [the] space-time” continuum when performing the spell. The full impact remains to be seen but it is easy to see how themes of identity, responsibility, and fate can be tied to this spell gone wrong and possible multiversal variants. It remains to be seen how tightly woven those themes might be into the story.

So can we spot the themes for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as clearly and easily? Given Wanda Maximoff was last seen studying The Darkhold, also known as The Book of the Damned, it stands that she might face some corrupting forces. To some extent, this is a theme that can be extended from Doctor Strange as Kaecilius became corrupted by Dormammu. Corruption, alongside the fraying of the multiverse which Strange admits he knows “frighteningly little” in the No Way Home trailer, can also point in the direction of balance as a theme. How will Strange weigh up the dilemmas of the incursive multiverse? In a meta-sense, if the film can get that thematic balance right, then the rumoured cameos won’t seem as uncoordinated as some fans fear they might be.

Parenthood and family are themes that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could manifest. With Kathryn Newton taking on the role as Cassie Lang it seems as though she might play more of a role with the heroes, with Scott, Hope, Janet, and Hank having to figure out parental decisions related to that. It’s not immediately obvious how Jonathan Majors’ Kang will connect to that, though being a citizen of the future, it’s possible an ancestor of his might be involved in the story. How they will connect the multiversal elements to the existing Ant-Man themes will be the test for how tight of a story we’ll be getting.

Beyond the second seasons of Loki and What If…? there are no major clues about what other Marvel Studios projects the multiverse incur upon. It will be interesting to see whether Loki can keep up its thematic resonance during its sophomore season. Similarly What If…? could either fully embrace the anthology format or increase the thematic and narrative continuity between the episodes. The multiverse certainly won’t be vanishing so other characters like Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff, and Ant-Man might still have to contend with it. Wherever it does emerge though, using the multiverse concisely and closely connected to the themes of the project seems like it will be a successful approach.

Sources: ETOnline, Grazia.

October 4, 2021
Breaking Down the Venom 2 Post-Credits Scene

In an odd move for any film, in the weeks leading up to the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Sony put a lot of effort into marketing the movie’s post-credits scene specifically. Marvel movies are, of course, no strangers to including exciting material throughout a film’s credits, but generally, the movie itself is what studios advertise. While it may have been one of the worst-kept secrets around, the post-credits scene does have major implications for future Marvel projects. This article goes into detail on the Venom 2 post-credits scene (technically, it’s a mid-credits scene) and why it caused such a stir. As should be obvious, there are MAJOR SPOILERS below.

***SPOILER WARNING!***

After the events of Let There Be Carnage, Eddie and Venom are lying low and hiding out in some hotel room watching a soap opera. This leads Eddie to ask Venom if he’s been hiding stuff from him. Venom gets a bit ominous and suggests if he told him everything, it would blow his mind. “80 billion years of hive knowledge, across universes, would explode your tiny little brain.” He then offers to give Eddie a taste of “the smallest fraction of things” symbiotes have experienced.

Just as Venom starts to do this, something that can be best described as an almost earthquake-like happens. A bright light shines into the room and the entire place seems to phase in and out and alter itself in a dramatic, jarring fashion. Once it stops, the two are in a similar but differently-colored hotel room and with all new furniture. A man then steps out of the bathroom and asks Eddie why he’s in the man’s hotel room.

We see that both Venom and Eddie are completely confused. Venom then tells Eddie that “it wasn’t me.” The next part is where people go crazy. J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson, last seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home, reporting from his Daily Bugle show on the TV. It’s the same information we heard him give us before–Spider-Man is a murderer named Peter Parker. It’s not just any Peter Parker, though, and Tom Holland’s maskless Spider-Man is shown on screen. Venom gets close to the screen, says “this guy…,” and then licks the screen.

There’s obviously a lot that can be read into this scene. It creates countless questions with essentially no answers. What we do know, most likely, is that Eddie and Venom apparently found their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the MCU opened its own multiverse with Loki’s finale and is exploring it more in What If… ?, this is the first time that any Sony-owned character — that didn’t debut in the MCU itself alongside Holland’s Spider-Man — has been confirmed to exist within the MCU.

It’s also the first official live-action multiverse “jump” of the MCU, if that is indeed what happened. It certainly raises a lot of questions over the mechanics of multiversal travel considering how random, unintentional and yet relatively smooth it seemed. With Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how this squares with depictions of the multiverse in those films.

Marvel Studios and Sony deciding to, at least in part, cohabitate in the same universe may have a huge impact on the MCU going forward. If the door is open, Sony could bring more of its Spider-Man properties in–including Jared Leto’s Morbius, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter, and Olivia Wilde’s Spider-Woman project. The Morbius teaser trailer that dropped in January 2020 include details suggesting it could potentially have tie-ins to the MCU.

But will we see Venom again in the MCU anytime soon? Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis thinks so. He recently said that Venom and Spider-Man would “of course” meet at some point. But he also hinted it might not be as soon as the post-credits scene would suggest:

Look, it depends when you want to get there, and also, what the appetite is. If people want more Venom stories, then, to jump straight to Spider-Man, you could be missing out on so many great supervillain characters in between now and then. So, in a way, by rushing to it, you might be closing the door.
Andy Serkis

The Venom 2 post-credits definitely sent fans into a spiral of excitement and speculation. It seems clear that Sony and Marvel Studios have the intention to play nice together in the near future. This, of course, is a big win for both studios. The Marvel Cinematic Multiverse gets to be a bit more comprehensive, and Spidey fans get to see his world expand. As to the potential, and likely, Venom and Spider-Man meet-and-greet, though, people might need to be a little patient.

Source: GQ

October 4, 2021
Venom & Eddie: A Match Made In Heaven

“You call it madness, I call it love.”

In Venom: Let There Be Carnage the examination of Eddie Brock’s relationship with the symbiote is fascinating. In all loving relationships, there’s a level of give and take that exists naturally. With these two, though, the give and take is tested in a way that exemplifies the meaning of love.

As the film goes along eventually there’s resentment between both Eddie and his alien paramour. Venom feels like it has made Eddie a better journalist and it wants a say in how things get done. (The super strength and healing powers don’t hurt either, of course.) Eddie wants the symbiote to chill out and not eat people’s heads, but instead stick to the chickens. It’s almost like leaving the toilet seat up. Nonetheless, that relationship does reach a crossroads when the two separate.

Sometimes distance creates perspective. Both parties got to see what it was like without the other. Eddie had a harder time figuring out Cletus Kasady’s story, and the symbiote couldn’t bond with just anyone. Even if they bicker like an old married couple, the two need each other. They’re at least smart enough to recognize that fact and eventually overcome their own issues and Carnage.

The biggest thing that the two of them learn is the classic relationship story of compromise. Working together and making the situation not only more tenable but meaningful in reality. These two iconic characters are in it for the long haul. As Venom’s story continues, the lethal protector has to be more together than ever. Whether it’s another Symbiote, or a certain wall-crawler Venom and Eddie will sink or swim together.

As the saying goes, “We can only learn to love by loving.” This relationship is truly a romance. Eddie Brock and the symbiote are a complete package, and with that comes a world of endless possibilities.

Venom: Let There be Carnage, starring Tom Hardy, is exclusively in theaters now.

October 3, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Filming in Iceland

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently busy filming since late July as it’ll close out the trilogy that started back in 2015. Director Peyton Reed has teased some of its production, such as its use of The Mandalorian’s famous Volume, where he also worked on the Disney+ series the second season. Back in February, we even heard that they are filming something in Turkey, as revealed by its Tourism minister at the time. After some digging, some crumbs also seem to be hinting that production is heading to Iceland.

The company TrueNorth has a list of films and TV series they work with on their website. It offers production services to help overseas studios film in the Nordics, which includes Norway, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Finland, and Iceland. TrueNorth has quite the filmography, as they’ve worked with The Mandalorian, Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow, Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga, and many more in the past. In one of their latest updates, it seems that Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s third entry is also working with the company. They are listed after Mission: Impossible 7, which recently wrapped up production. Of course, it doesn’t pinpoint where exactly they were filming, but IMDb might have just the answer we need if we take a closer look at their Location Management.

The listing does include a supervising location manager for Iceland by the name of Thor Kjartansson. Taking a look at his page, he’s no stranger to working with Marvel Studios, as he also had the same role in Iceland for the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Avengers: Endgame, and Captain America: Civil War. So, the updates may hint they are or already have filmed in Iceland. There’s a chance that production was done by the film’s second unit but either way the Icelandic landscape offers some beautiful backdrops for the upcoming threequel.

Source: TrueNorth, Collider, IMDb, IMDb (Location Manager)

September 28, 2021
The History and Future of Superheroes at Award Shows

Superhero movies and television have dramatically increased in quantity in this early part of the 21st century. Where only the most iconic heroes used to be recognized by the general public – think Superman, Batman, Spider-Man – even non-comic book fans now can list their favorite superheroes by the dozen. While DC entertainment and its characters seem eternally well-known and loved, the change in the conversation around superheroes on screen is in no small part due to the wild success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Superheroes and their film and television exploits in particular have found their way into what feels like nearly every part of society. They routinely bring in over one billion dollars per film at the box office and inspire millions of fans. Still, the biggest award shows in the game, the Academy Awards and the Emmys, have long notoriously snubbed superheroes, or anything comic book-related. While WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have managed to secure Marvel Studios’ first Emmy nominations, its WandaVision’s astonishing 23 nominations – and currently 2 wins – are making headlines and history. So, is Marvel Studios’ first Emmy-winning series simply an anomaly? Almost certainly not. Looking at the history of how superhero visual entertainment has fared at major award shows, it’s pretty clear that the trend going forward is more critical recognition of the genre. In honor of WandaVision, let’s look at the Emmys. It’s an incredibly shortlist of winners.

In 1978, Mariette Hartley was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Incredible Hulk and actually took home the same Emmy in 1979, marking the first nomination and win for a comic book superhero franchise. The Incredible Hulk’s success remained the only Emmy recognition for a whopping 42 years until DC’s Watchmen opened the floodgates in 2020. The series won 11 Emmys out of 26 nominations including Best Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series. Watchmen’s resounding success after virtually no recognition of the genre hasn’t slipped away quietly.

This year’s Emmys have recognized several comic book adaptation series including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Boys, and The Umbrella Academy. WandaVision (along with The Boys) also follows Watchmen’s recognition in major above-the-line categories. Those include Outstanding Lead Actress, Actor, Limited Series, Supporting Actress, Directing, and Writing (twice) for a Limited or Anthology Series. The door for comic book superhero movies apparently blew right open for the Television Academy.

Historically, superhero films have fared slightly better as the Academy Awards, or Oscars. Still, only nine comic book superhero movies have actually secured a win—and they are not at all what you would guess. Superhero movies have been recognized, generally, in technical categories, such as Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, etc. In fact, Suicide Squad (2016) is an Oscar-winner for the former category, and Spider-Man 2 also took home an award in the latter. Two wins have been as Best Animated Features. In 2009, The Dark Knight became the first to win an Oscar in a major, above-line category with Heath Ledger’s posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor, and boasted 8 total nominations.

It was not until ten years later in 2019 that Black Panther, among its seven nominations, became the first comic book superhero movie to be nominated for the coveted Best Picture category. It also took home 3 awards, giving Marvel Studios its first Oscars. In 2020, though, Joker, the iconic DC character made history again with a superhero record-breaking 11 nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography. The film nabbed only two awards though, including Best Score and Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.

It is clear that award shows are beginning to recognize the superhero genre. Still, it has not been a gradual increase over the decades. Instead, it arguably did not begin until the 2000s, and truly not until the late 2010s and early 2020s. As clear with this year’s Emmys, superhero film and television are finally getting the official acclaim that is arguably long overdue. The question is why, and more importantly, why so much seemingly all at once. Are superhero series and movies actually getting better or are more and more critics simply becoming fans themselves? The answer is probably both.

The superhero genre of the past was traditionally represented by flat “popcorn” flicks that simply brought comic book characters directly off the pages they came from. The goal was pure, simple entertainment with “shiny” action and larger-than-life science fiction-type stories devoid of much else. To some, the genre still carries that stigma and the assumption is that these movies and television series are nothing more than fun money-making ploys. However, as anyone who has watched enough of them can tell you, there is so much more going on lately.

The sheer amount of films and shows have created an entirely new following and system of storytelling. An easy explanation is that, with countless properties being adapted and created, each one has to fight its way to being better than others in order for itself to stay afloat. A better explanation, though, is that the world has become so accustomed to superheroes and their stories that film and television makers can now shift their focus away from the classic empty but shiny plots to showcase and deliver deeper and more meaningful stories, using the genre as a vessel to do so.

While award shows have not traditionally been kind to comic book superheroes, the change can be seen, particularly just in the past few years. If this year’s Emmys, with WandaVision’s already noteworthy success, are any indication of what is to come, these beloved stories might be poised to be at the podium in record number in the near future.

September 19, 2021
Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2022 Release Calendar, V2

Back in January, we looked at one hypothetical 2022 release calendar for Marvel Studios. We’ve been through another round of production delays and release date shifts and with 2022 just a few months away, have a little bit better idea of when we might expect to see Marvel content next year. With that in mind, here’s version 2.0 of a totally made up and hypothetical way Marvel Studios 2022 release schedule might look.

Originally set to stream on Disney + in 2021, rumored production delays pushed Ms. Marvel’s MCU debut to 2022. With the number of streaming series Marvel Studios has to get through in 2022, it would seem like they’d want to kick off the new year with a bang, debuting Ms. Marvel as soon as possible, dropping the first of the expected 6 episodes on January 5th.

Now that Wednesdays are the new Fridays, we know that Marvel Studios has no aversion to dropping a new film while a series is streaming. With that in mind, it’s possible that the they get She-Hulk’s 10 episode run started as early as February 23rd, one week after an episode of Marvel Legends catches fans up on the stories of Bruce Banner and Emil Blonsky, two characters who will have big roles to play in the series.

While She-Hulk is in the middle of its run, fans will FINALLY get the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange on March 25th, 2022 when Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness hits theaters. Marvel Studios will almost certainly have a few episodes of Marvel Legends ready to view to prep fans to remind fans not only of what Stephen Strange, Wong and Mordo have been up to, but also to remind them of the journey of the film’s primary antagonist, the Scarlet Witch.

Right after She-Hulk finishes its extended run (remember, it’s 10 episodes and will stretch from late-February through late-April), fans will be able to head to theaters for the next chapter in the saga of the God of Thunder when Thor: Love and Thunder comes crashing in on May 6, 2022. Marvel Legends episodes covering the journeys of Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are almost a sure thing and we’ll certainly need to catch up on Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will have been absent from the MCU for almost a decade when this film releases.

From the God of Thunder to the avatar of the Egyptian God of the Moon…Marvel Studios Moon Knight, featuring Oscar Isaac in the lead role(s) could hit Disney Plus as early as May 11th. In our first draft, we had Moon Knight streaming about one month earlier, but with Ms. Marvel moving to 2022, it got pushed. Realistically, should Marvel Studios wish to do so, they could move Ms. Marvel to this slot, much closer to the character’s next appearance in November’s The Marvels.

We’re not sure if Marvel Studios will go this route, but interestingly enough the mythology of Moon Knight has some ties to the mythology of Black Panther. Should Kevin Feige and crew wish to make that explicit on screen, there could be some small connection between the two that would make Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fit nicely in order after the completion of Moon Knight’s expected 6-episode run. Wakanda Forever is one to keep an eye on as well, as production delays due to an injury to Letitia Wright have pushed the expected completion of principal photography into early 2022.

Marvel Studios intends for the animated series What If…? to occur annually and we know they’ve already done a lot of work on Season 2, so it’s likely it’ll be ready for a Summer 2022 debut. Season 1 was 9 episodes, so we’ll go with that for now and slot July 20th as the drop date for the first episode of Season 2, which will see the return of Haley Atwell’s Captain Carter and adapt a scenario from this year’s Black Widow film.

Marvel Studios seems to be aiming to have Secret Invasion ready to stream just ahead of The Marvels. Production on the series in kicking off in earnest in October in the UK, allowing for some actors to complete work on The Marvels before shifting over to Secret Invasion. If everything goes smoothly, the series should be ready for Disney Plus by September 28th, 2022, leaving a week to recover before the Captain Marvel sequel hits theaters on November 9, 2022. Truthfully, we have no confirmation that the two projects are tied together, but we’re pretending they are for the purposes of this experiment. Presumably, both of these projects would be preceded by some Marvel Legends episodes recapping the adventures of Nick Fury, Talos, Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau before telling the next chapters of their stories.

While Secret Invasion is doing it’s thing, Marvel Studios might have to find room to drop the first of its Holiday Specials. Rumor has it that the Halloween special might just feature Werewolf By Night, a character originally believed to be starring in his own streaming series. Production on the special is set to take place early next year, so it shouldn’t be a problem to have it ready to go for, let’s say, October 26th.

Even though the entire piece is hypothetical, this one has the greatest uncertainty. I’ve recently heard a rumor that production on Echo might get pushed JUST a bit, to April 2022, making it almost impossible for it to stream in 2022. Should it hold to its originally reported January 2022 date, however, we could easily see it debut on Disney Plus by November 16th.

Should the calendar hold, Marvel Studios could wrap up 2022 with its second holiday special, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This one will film during production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so it’ll be ready to drop whenever they choose, maybe even on December 28th, 2022!

September 17, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Shuma-Gorath May Appear in ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’

Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next threat seems to be emerging from within the multiverse. The ending of WandaVision kicked off a new era that saw its expansion in Loki. While all eyes were on the newly introduced Kang, it seems the rumored foe of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might have an early appearance. In the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, eagle-eyed fans may have spotted the first glimpse of Shuma-Gorath.

In the trailer, Doctor Strange creates a spell to wipe everyone’s memory of Peter Parker being Spider-Man. As it usually does, something goes wrong and it unleashes something from the multiverse. Eagle-eyed Twitter user @MSpector_JM noticed that in the rift you can spot a rather strange and familiar eyeball with what seems like tentacles. The design is very reminiscent of Shuma-Gorath and continues to tease his presence.

https://twitter.com/mspector_jm/status/1438175666457890816?s=21

Rumors point to the multiversal being as the main threat in the upcoming sequel and it is after America Chavez’s abilities, who is confirmed to make her live-action debut in Multiverse of Madness. As such, Strange’s actions in No Way Home may break a hole in the newly established multiverse, which gives Shuma the power to finally find the source of power he requires to dominate every reality.

Yet, this brief tease may not be his actual debut within the MCU. Giant green tentacles can briefly be seen in the premiere episode of What If…?, as they try to break through a portal opened by Red Skull before being pushed back in by Captain Carter. He even has a showdown with a Variant of Doctor Strange in a later episode, where he fuses with him. As the show deals with the multiverse and the fact that tentacles are the only connective tissue besides the Watcher, it may be Shuma-Gorath.

Marvel Studios is building up to his full debut in next year’s Doctor Strange sequel. The various teases and this small detail in the Spider-Man trailer could hint at a post-credit sequence involving Strange facing the creature. While the trailer implies it was Peter’s nerves unleashing the multiversal villains, there’s a chance that this small glimpse builds up to the first confrontation as we learn the true reason why the multiverse broke in the first place.

Source: Twitter

September 16, 2021