Tag: Movie Features

One Cancelation After Another: Netflix May Be Pushing Subscribers Away

There’s something bizarre about the streaming age. We’ve hit a point where some aspects are being dialed back to make it more financially safe. Up until now, Netflix had free reign over the industry and could invest wherever they see fit. We commonly could always expect a second season for any project no matter how good or bad it was. They also became the home for many series that ended up getting canceled; some even hoped that their favorite show could get picked up to this day as Lucifer did some time ago.

Yet, we’re not in that same era anymore. There’s so much competition out there with heavy hitters like Disney+, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO Max; the latter imploding in its own way. There are also various smaller offerings on the table trying to establish their own market with Peacock Paramount+, ESPN+, and many more. Even internationally some networks are establishing their very own streaming options to build their own markets. It’s slowly turning into a free-for-all that is making the investment quite a bit more difficult.

So, the question becomes how Netflix can establish itself in that market. Would they innovate to offer something unique like their attempt to try interactive games in the platform? Would it be to invest in more unique IPs like a Power Rangers cinematic universe or other popular IP like Avatar: The Last Airbender or even One Piece? They are doing all that but it’s being overshadowed by one simple fact: most of their new shows don’t survive beyond a single season.

We just got the news that 1899, a supernatural mystery series by the creators of Dark, has been canceled after one season. While some smaller releases simply don’t pull in an audience like Blockbuster and are more flexible with their format, it’s bizarre to see a high-investment like 1899 not even being given a longer run to truly bank on its entire mystery concept. The show was pitched with multiple seasons in mind and it pulled in an audience going by its performance on the streaming service. Yet, there’s no clear reason given on why the series was passed on.

Netflix seemingly wants to recreate the virality they’ve seen with select projects. To some degree, their strategy seems to be to throw out as many shows to ensure that one or the other manages to pull in some massive viewership numbers. Wednesday was a huge success, even managing to compete with Stranger Things. Yet, it’s an external production and may even end up on a new platform if they don’t invest enough money; adding more pressure to the series to keep up its high viewership with future seasons.

There is the other issue that Netflix doesn’t own all rights to their projects. There’s a reason that the various Marvel series left the streaming service with them having a prominent placement on Disney+. Wednesday even currently sits in an uncertain spot as MGM is now owned by Amazon and they could end up losing the rights to what would’ve been their next major hit franchise. Even The Sandman was on shaky ground due to it being a DC project and requiring Warner Bros. Discovery’s approval to move forward.

So, Netflix is slowly losing the projects that would make it stand out while nuking anything that would have a chance to grow throughout multiple seasons. But that’s not all, as viewers are slowly losing interest in whatever they are offering if this trend continues. Why even invest any time into watching their newest series if the chances of a show surviving are so slim? There’s also the fear that shows one is invested in like the live-action One Piece or Avatar: The Last Airbender if their chances to survive are so minimal.

Netflix opened up for transparency in how shows perform, but their actions don’t seem to fully reflect what they are looking for in how a series performs. Unlike Disney, they are far more dependent on the success of their series as they don’t fully invest in the merchandise until after it was proven successful; see how long it took before Squid Game or Stranger Things offerings found their way out into the market. Their wait-and-see approach goes against their high-investment gamble, as it creates a bizarre mixture of risk-averse actions with money being thrown out left and right.

Some franchises are given quite a bit of time such as One Piece being in some form of production since 2017. A Power Rangers cinematic universe is being developed for quite some time now as well, which would indicate they are in for the long haul. Yet, their recent actions don’t seem to truly match some of their investment choices. It creates this feeling of a lack of commitment to these projects they invest in, which reflects upon the viewers as well.

We also can’t forget Netflix’s desperate attempt to keep users from password sharing, which they hope would lead to an increase in subscribers. Yet, it doesn’t truly ensure any churn for the streamer, and may likely lead to some not wanting to return. It’s been ingrained into our culture by this point that it would push away subscribers without any true benefit for them to sign-up. At this rate, Netflix is becoming its own worst enemy and may push people away, as enough alternatives are on the market.

January 4, 2023
Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 31: Most Anticipated Movie of 2023

2023 is set to be a wild year at the box office. The month of March alone features four major theatrical releases and none of those are from Marvel, DC or include Tom Cruise! Team MM got together to share each of their most anticipated films of the new year!

Torbjorn Frazier

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is my most anticipated film of the year. The notion of now 80-year-old Harrison Ford leading an action-heavy film is, if nothing else, wildly fascinating and will likely make for a compelling spectacle regardless of its quality. As well, Phoebe Waller-Bridge being part of a marquee cinematic film is only a good thing in my eyes and should automatically elevate the quality going in. And of course, Dial of Destiny will mark the final film score of the legendary figure John Williams, a fact of massive importance to any fan of music in film. No matter what though, the film certainly would have to have a lot go wrong for it to be worse than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Hunter Radesi

The greatest film of all time is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so how could I not be excited for the sequel? There’s a lot of amazing stuff coming this year, but nothing is going to top another animated Spidey movie for me. Peak cinema.

Jeffrey Peterson

Most excited for Creed III. Jonathan Majors is doing great work right now so it’ll be fun to see his energy up against Michael B. Jordan. Jordan’s last few outings felt slightly stale, so if he can do good work behind the camera, maybe he’ll find a second wind there. The only downside is Sylvester Stallone not being involved, so I’d love for this film to still be successful so Jordan can create another lane for them to work together or even muscle the overall IP away. Fingers crossed for the latter and maybe Stallone can get his work back.

MTF III

Pass me a Corona and unearth a long-lost or presumed dead family member (Brie Larsen is definitely playing Brian’s sister, right?), but the DVD thieves turned masters of international vehicular mayhem are back, and I’m living for their return, a quarter mile at a time. Justin Lin’s absence gives me some pause, but mostly, after seeing the gang go to space in the last one, I need to see how they top themselves with this movie’s central stunt.

Charles Murphy

No film on the docket for 2023 has me as excited as Indy 5. Something feels more magical about this one and seeing Harrison Ford in action as Henry Jones Jr. will always be appealing to me. James Mangold put together a nostalgia-driven trailer that makes it seem like he understood his assignment here and put together a fun last ride for Indy.

Dalbin Osorio

House Party, because I grew up on Kid & Play, and, dammit, the reboots of Fresh Prince and Saved By The Bell were money. For a long time, reboots were just ways to cash in, but the last couple of years have seen much more quality efforts being put out, and House Party is set up to be no different. The premise is exciting (they’re partying at LeBron’s house!?), the cast has some exciting young talent, and I’m always going to support more representation in films. Super pumped for this one!

Joseph Aberl

There is quite a list of exciting projects to look forward to in 2023. It’s almost impossible to truly nail down a scenario if one only has the choice to watch one film, but there is one project I am extremely excited about: the new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, Mutant Mayhem. As of now, we know very little about what the project has to offer and only got a logo tease and its cast. With the co-writer of The Mitchells vs. the Machines and a Gravity Falls veteran attached to direct, this film could become one of the best-animated entries of 2023. And that’s saying something with the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the same year.

Shashwat

James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy movies are one of the best releases to date. Everything from the writing to visuals, the movies are miles ahead of other comic book media. Even though they don’t compare with the best movies out there, I am most hyped for the threequel because it will feature a galaxy of fan-favorite characters, from Star-Lord to Groot. It will also introduce us to new characters such as Adam Warlock and The High Evolutionary.

The Guardians are a family, which we don’t see much of in other 2023 blockbusters. Watching this family ever since 2014 makes this movie an emotional goodbye. Other factors which affected my choice were the fact that most of the other movies haven’t released any promotional footage, and that I’m very biased toward the MCU!

Brandi Blahnik

My most anticipated film of 2023? It’s not Marvel or DC! It’s the long-awaited follow-up from mastermind director, Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part 2. The 2021 installment gave us stunning visuals, a masterful score, and thoughtful, inspired casting. Plus, I can’t wait to meet the sociopathic Feyd-Rautha Villeneuve has in store for us. It’s sure to be a masterpiece.

January 4, 2023
12 Days of X-Mas: Day 10, Forge

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts or, in this case, an X-Men fixture that Fox left on the bench.

The Genius

The Cheyenne Indian known as Forge never appeared in Fox’s X-films and that’s probably a blessing in disguise. Every super team needs an idea guy and Forge is an idea guy on a level that would rival the greats like Tony Stark and Reed Richards. The kind of work Forge would do was either completely absent from the X-films or relegated to Hank McCoy who while also a genius in the comics, wasn’t the intuitive engineering genius that Forge was.

Described best in his own words, Forge’s true mutant gift was “to make the impossible real” something he often did without possessing a true understanding of the process he was working through. Thanks to his mutation, Forge sees what others cannot and what Forge can see, Forge can create. As you can imagine, this gift can be both beautiful and terrifying and Forge has made more than his fair share of terrifying devices, including one that neutralized mutant powers. Forge has recently played a major role in the X-Men’s resurrection protocols and has found a new outlet for his talents in creating bio-organic weapons with the help of Krakoa.

Adding Forge to the mix of X-Men in the MCU shouldn’t be a problem. His status as a member of the Cheyenne Tribe works well with Marvel Studios’ ongoing efforts to add diverse characters to the MCU, something very in line with Stan Lee’s original work with the X-Men. His past as a wounded soldier who experienced severe trauma also adds a layer of depth to the character and one not much different from current MCU fan favorite Bucky Barnes. Like Barnes, Forge sustained some gruesome war injuries; unlike Barnes, Forge is essentially part cyborg now but that mixture of man and machine fits so well with his mutant power that it must be part of his story. Beyond that, he’s a must-have character whose brilliance as an inventor will allow the X-Men to stay sharp and develop weapons to take on the alien races they’re sure to encounter (and that Fox decided to ignore). Including Forge also provides the opportunity for one of his inventions to fall into the wrong hands and endanger mutants everywhere. Forge has been a member of the core team, X-Force and X-Factor and has a pretty underrated relationship with Wolverine. It’s truly hard to believe that he hasn’t somehow been brought to live-action yet, but Marvel Studios should definitely change that in the very near future.

January 3, 2023
Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 Gamble in a Post-‘Endgame’ World

In 2022, Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 ended after a volume of projects were released in theaters and on Disney+. It wasn’t going to be easy moving beyond the Infinity Saga, as it would always be in the shadow of Avengers: Endgame wrapping up what some may have felt was the franchise’s true end and the weight of expectation that erupted from it. Going by the Internet’s usual reactionary tale, there have been some mixed emotions at times in regard to how exactly Phase 4 has wrapped up. There have been highs and lows, but there’s something curious about the way the franchise has been developing for over ten years in.

Lightning in a Bottle

Cinema has been dominated by superhero films; there’s no denying that fact. Not just by Marvel Studios but any other studio trying to replicate the style and base concept that led them to what they are today. The Cinematic Universe remains a distant dream for some studios even as others built their own take that allowed them to at least attempt a similar style of world-building to make use of that glimmer of replication they’d been searching for.

Even Sony struggled to somehow get the Marvel license to work in their favor with various strange choices in characters to headline their own Spider-Man spinoff. After the DC Extended Universe failed to truly get going, they now are simply wiping the slate clean with Peter Safran and James Gunn spearheading the entire cinematic universe. As of now, they are Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s only hope to create what Kevin Feige kickstarted back in 2008.

Going by how desperate the attempts have been throughout the years, it’s easy to just forget how insane it’s been that Marvel Studios’ held up a cinematic franchise for over ten years. It even ends in a grand finale that wraps up so many stories in a way that almost seemed impossible to accomplish a few years ago. Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were game-changers for this approach and only Marvel could pull it off.

Limitations of a Studio

Imagine you’re in the same shoes as a production study that already managed to do the impossible. They build a cinematic universe and managed to wrap up its initial storylines in a way that had many come together in joy. What do you do next? They pretty much have to set up a sequel that not only welcomes a new era of heroes with some legacy actors leaving their respective roles behind while also paying tribute to what came before. It’s not an easy task for any studio to just whip up while still trying to leave one legacy behind.

Wherever one feels about Phase 4, Marvel Studios took on way more risks going into the latest generation. Not only did they have Disney+ but also had the opportunity to reshape the way we view what makes a Marvel film what it is. The Marvel formula trope has been around since the first Phase of the MCU, and just doing the same thing over and over again would not always yield results.

Don’t forget: Marvel Studios only has Marvel. The Internet may complain about the number of projects they put out and have the IP Marvel brand slapped onto it, it’s all this one production studio can use. They aren’t Lucasfilm that developed other projects based on various IPs besides their anchor of Star Wars. They aren’t Warner Bros. that can publish Don’t Worry Darling and Black Adam in the same year as distinct projects. Marvel is in their name and it’s all they can use.

Disney’s Plus on Pressure

Plus, the expectation of any project being part of the MCU adds to that pressure. Disney+ is a Disney-owned streaming service that needs to become competitive fast. It would’ve been dumb not to make use of your biggest brand to ensure its growth can compete with the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and more. So, Marvel Studios now stands at the challenging crossroad to help Disney grow its streaming service while remaining bound to its MCU structure.

Marvel Studios didn’t just up their production without any forethought; no matter how some tried to paint that very picture. They absorbed Marvel TV, who had barely any projects moving forward and facing challenges long before they entered the streaming game, to make use of their experience. They had long-time employees that were involved since the early days take on producing roles to help these developments.

Now, they wanted to offer something unique while former Disney CEO Bob Chapek tried to shape the streaming service with his own unique team; something Bob Iger‘s return swiftly wiped out. There’s a lot that happened behind the scenes throughout the years that definitely made Phase 4 way more challenging than it truly needed to be. We don’t know all the details but somehow Marvel Studios still managed to produce some high-quality productions as they adapted to a new format under very challenging circumstances.

A Pandemic of Issues

Speaking of, we can’t forget that there’s another elephant in the room that is still showing its fangs to this day. COVID-19 changed everything we know and hampered many productions throughout the years. It forced the newly developed Volume technology, made popular through The Mandalorian, to take on a much bigger role for projects like The Batman, Thor: Love and Thunder, and more. VFX artists are forced to work from home trying to keep up the usual pace we saw before the pandemic.

Productions like Black Adam pushed back its release to work on its VFX longer, but this still led to the similar issues anyone has accused Marvel of throughout the year. There’s a bigger issue at play with how VFX artists and the industry’s general abuse of its systems, but it’s not a singular problem even if the most popular franchise became a quasi-popular choice to point it out. Productions like Moon Knight or Falcon and the Winter Soldier couldn’t film in locations due to travel restrictions, forcing them to adapt as quickly as possible.

All these small issues add up and can be seen in some productions. Not just that, Marvel Studios even with its TV merger was still new to this game. They not only had to adapt their usual structure to a format they weren’t adjusted to but during times when you’re not given many choices in how you adapt. Most productions that have released up to this point were all still filmed during the high point of the pandemic. There’s an interesting irony in how two of the only productions to beat box office expectations in 2022, Minions: Rise of Gru and Top Gun: Maverick, are holdovers from 2020.

Phase 4’s Gamble

Under all these circumstances, there’s something fascinating about how Phase 4 felt the most creatively free of any phases. Fittingly, it felt like a callback to the early days when Marvel Studios was still learning the ropes during Phase 1. The studio took a gamble with Phase 4 by simply diversifying rather than relying too much on what worked in the past. In a way, they may have worried that the superhero fatigue would set in eventually; even if it has been mentioned since Avengers: Age of Ultron all the way back in 2015.

So, they seemingly took more chances with their projects. She-Hulk had a very specific audience in mind that opens up their portfolio to new viewers. Moon Knight was an actor-driven project while Secret Presentations introduced a more open concept for further exploration of the MCU in short film form. Even the films had some rather strong director-driven elements like Chloé Zhao introducing indie filmmaking elements with Eternals, Sam Raimi doing his thing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Taika Waititi going full comedy in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Playing the Long Game

As much as people want to focus on the now, this gamble is something more for the long term. If they diversify and try out new things now, they’ll benefit from it further down the line as the new Saga, confirmed to be the Multiverse Saga, finds its legs. Still, they haven’t lost all their momentum and power at the box office, especially after a harsh year like 2021.

2022 was the first year of recovery for the box office since the pandemic hit and Marvel Studios still stands strong at the box office with most of its entries pulling in strong numbers. People tend to point to them not passing a billion with any of the projects as one warning sign, but it’s not too surprising given China’s exclusion, two key markets currently at war, still adjustments post-pandemic, and a generally dead year for releases.

Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun Maverick are the only films this year showcasing any strong legs; ironically both being the same type of nostalgia-driven entry building upon a long absence combined with good word-of-mouth. Marvel is still going strong and all that in a post-Endgame blues phase that would require some reshaping and reorganizing to keep going.

Phase 5 and Beyond

We’re about to enter Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s got a lot of interesting projects that seem like they continue this trend of what we saw before. The projects may continue to get more interconnected moving forward as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania builds upon the main antagonist of the saga, who may also appear in the second season of Loki. Secret Invasion and The Marvels may build upon each other reshaping our understanding of the world; perhaps even past projects. Daredevil: Born Again and Echo act as a pair further exploring more grounded elements of this world with Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts‘ rumors hinting at the MCU continuing to expand in creative but exciting ways.

The MCU is not going to end anytime soon and we may slowly see a shift back to those elements that people fell in love with. Marvel Studios may also adapt its pacing with the shows and films; especially after taking some lessons from what they learned. Bob Iger is back in charge at Disney and he may give some more freedom back to the studios that were lost during Chapek‘s reign and the needs built around Disney+. We may also see some lessons learned from the pandemic on how to best optimize and further develop their projects.

Change isn’t something immediate, just like how the Phase 4 gamble may not pay off for everyone right now. While the outcry machine that is the internet remains the way it is, there’s more to what is currently happening. Fatigue may be building up for some but others may have just found themselves joining a world they only heard about from friends. Maybe everyone is just waiting for that one project to catch their attention like the franchise used to; especially with our nostalgia for what once was many years ago. Like any long-running franchise, we sometimes remember “what once was” with different glasses than when it was released especially after the emotional rollercoaster that was Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps there’s a good reason why there hasn’t been another Avengers film since and won’t be until 2025.

January 3, 2023
12 Days of X-Mas: Day 9, Psylocke

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.

The Twin

Betsy Braddock made a token appearance in X-Men: The Last Stand and was then drastically underutilized in X-Men: Apocalypse. Given the poor adaptation of pretty much every character introduced in Apocalypse, including the titular mutant, it’s safe to say Simon Kinberg and Bryan Singer must have Googled “sexy X-Men costumes” and gone from there in developing Psylocke for the film. For a character with such a rich and complex history, she was reduced to cleavage and butt cheeks. While there’s certainly precedent for that in the comics, Fox really wasted a fascinating character.

Part of Betsy Braddock’s comic book history is muddled with some uncomfortable body-swapping business with another mutant, Kwannon, that was recently resolved following the mutant move to Krakoa. Marvel Studios would be wise to skip over all of that and keep the focus on Betsy as the gateway character to a completely unexplored corner of the world in the Fox movies: jolly old England. Betsy’s comic book history as an agent of S.T.R.I.K.E., her twin brother Brian just so happening to be Captain Britain and her connection to Excalibur make her the perfect character to open the door to the weirdness that takes place on that side of the pond.

One of the most powerful psychics on Earth, Betsy’s comic book time as a S.T.R.I.K.E. psi-agent could be reworked to make her an agent of MI13, Marvel’s X-Files division. Having her story begin there would allow for Marvel Studios to introduce the mystical wonders of England and Otherworld and characters such as her brothers, Brian and Jamie, Pete Wisdom and her royal pain in the ass, Majestrix Saturnyne. Whether through a Psylocke series, a Braddock series or an MI13 series (I’ve been pitching that one for almost 7 years now!), Betsy should be the star of the show before moving on to join the X-Men. Once with the X-Men, Betsy should be one of the founding members of the MCU’s X-Men strike team: X-Force. Of all of Betsy’s rich history, her time on X-Force in Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force stands about among her adventures as one of her most memorable. Marvel Studios is sure to expand beyond the core team of X-Men, including teams like X-Factor and X-Force in the MCU, and an X-Force team of Psylocke, Angel, Fantomex, Deadpool and Wolverine is exactly the kind of deadly strike team the MCU deserves. Psylocke has 10 years of interesting stories in her past. By allowing her to develop in her own world before joining the X-Men, Marvel Studios could smartly open up a whole new world of stories while bringing Betsy along on her own arc before she joins X-Force. This one almost writes itself!

January 2, 2023
Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 30: One Must-Have Character in James Gunn’s DCU

James Gunn has a big job ahead of him in creating a shared cinematic universe out of the ashes after nuking the old guard. While he’ll smartly focus on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, he’ll also have to keep it fresh by bringing some new blood to the DCU. With that in mind, we have a handful of suggestions for Mr. Gunn as he gets things moving ahead in 2023.

Joao Roque Pinto on Mister Terrific

Dream casting: John Boyega, John David Washington, Scarlett Johansson

When thinking of a character that will allow for interesting storylines (be it through solo outings or as part of a team), with interesting powers without them being too out there, someone who big screen audiences have little to no knowledge of who it is and its back story, and that will be able to play well with the biggest names in the DC catalog, Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) came immediately to mind.

Gunn usually thrives when defining characters within team dynamics and Mister Terrific can be integrated into several teams the character has been a part of over the years. From the Justice League to the Justice Society of America, from Task Force X’s subdivision Checkmate to The Terrifics. His Genius-level intellect, “a natural aptitude for having natural aptitudes”, can also allow for a more plot-driven type of story, moving away from the spectacle that most team-up movies tend to be.

Not discounting his use of T-Spheres, he remains a character that can easily be combined with almost any sort of comic book movie approach, from the more grounded to the most fantastical, all while also bringing to the table a representation factor into the larger DC Universe that should never be dismissed.

Jeffrey Peterson on Clayface

Dream casting: Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, or Brad Pitt.

An origin story that starts in the 60s, maybe 70s, but definitely after the ‘golden age’ of cinema. Automatic buy-in through casting a respected Hollywood star that’s on the older side, but the film also gains the benefit of really only effects of makeup or CGI when really necessary. The film can still use noir and thriller elements of The Batman while leaning into a more physiological terror space. The movie has the opportunity to discuss body dysmorphia and alteration, self-help, generational trauma, and the arts, specifically film, without doing any of it too directly. The other golden opportunity is that Clayface’s abilities only have to be hinted at since those actors are good character actors anyway. The more monstrous reveal once the powers get out of hand can naturally happen in the third act or the first, depending on the classic film a director (Jordan Peele or Alex Garland) wants to reference.

Dalbin Osorio

I know there’s going to be a consensus for all sorts of Green Lanterns to show up, so I’m going to get in front of that and say that Simon Baz is the Lantern we need to see. As a hero who ends up wielding a fusion of Sinestro and Hal Jordan’s power ring, and as the Corps’s first Arab-American member, Simon has the chance to bring some much-needed diversity to a DC Slate that is predominantly cis hetero white men. Showing Simon’s street racing, and racial persecution following a subsequent car accident, would make some amazing TV.

Now, who to play him, you ask? How about 40-year-old Lee Majdoub, who played Agent Stone in Sonic The Hedgehog? You’ll next see him playing the villain in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, and he’s still young enough to where he could theoretically play this Lantern for 10 years.

Jared Kirschenbaum

Bat-Mite, as John Economos puts it in Peacemaker, is “a two-foot-tall interdimensional imp who stans Batman.” There are many interesting things DC Studios could do for a Bat-Mite project or an appearance elsewhere. Bat-Mite is similar to the Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk, with a very different characterization. He is a being from the Fifth Dimension, which means Bat-Mite has access to phenomenal cosmic powers. And while Mister Mxyzptlk uses his powers to toy with Superman, Bat-Mite uses his powers to “help” Batman, because Bat-Mite is at his core, not a bad guy. His biggest problem is just that he is irritating. Basically, Bat-Mite is the fan from hell. He critiques Batman, makes things more difficult, and ruins Batman’s plans. The closest thing to Bat-Mite is probably Syndrome from The Incredibles. And in the wrong situation, Bat-Mite is dangerous. Sure, he likes Batman and wants Batman to succeed, but if Bat-Mite gets angry at Batman or wants to make a task more difficult for him to make it more fun to watch, there really are not many limits to what Bat-Mite can do. He is a nerd who just cannot help himself. Sometimes he is more bad than good, but a lot of the time, in his heart, he does just want to help.

To be fair, since he is not showing up in a Batman movie anytime soon, James Gunn could totally make a Bat-Mite movie and it would probably be a lot of fun. However, this is not really where he would be the most useful in the DCU, especially since Bat-Mite has already come up in Peacemaker. And since a second season of Peacemaker will probably factor into whatever Gunn is cooking as Co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios and is more of a lock than the majority of other DCU projects, Bat-Mite should 100% show up as part of season 2. Imagine, Bat-Mite shows up floating next to Peacemaker. Only the audience and Peacemaker can see or hear Bat-Mite as he spends most of the show telling Peacemaker that he is not as cool as Batman. Is Bat-Mite real or is he a figment of Peacemaker’s imagination or some subconscious manifestation of his inadequacy? Who knows? But a stylized cartoon or weird CGI-man thingy floating around Peacemaker in season 2, telling him how he needs to do a better job of being a hero like Batman is the totally out-of-left-field choice that Gunn would absolutely make. When season 1 started, nobody thought that Peacemaker would be fighting aliens. So, why not throw in a being from the Fifth Dimension, especially one who would not really work in many other movies or shows? Bat-Mite as the angel and devil on Peacemaker’s shoulder in Peacemaker season 2 would be so much fun.

MTF III

Who better to be an entry point character for the present state of the Batman Family and all of its tentacles than Bruce Wayne’s son, raised by Ra’s Al Ghul in the world of assassins, then introduced into the world of vigilantes as the next to carry on the legacy of Robin? Through him, we can meet all of Bruce’s surrogate sons and daughters and explore a different dynamic with Bruce, as he needs to find his softer side to connect with an offspring who might be more intense than even him.

My #2 choice would be Nubia. While the idea of a “Black Wonder Woman” might seem at first glance to be one note, through her we can learn about the secret history of the lost Amazon tribe of Bana-Mighdall, who left Themyscira’s magical protection and gave up their immortality to create a society of warrior women in the Amazon way, but amidst the tumult of Northern Africa. Through interactions with Diana, Nubia could be a doorway into juxtaposing a more militant vision of the Amazons against the utopian one we were exposed to in some of the previous Wonder Woman outings. Nubia’s heroic journey can be about her learning to inspire hope in Man’s World rather than instilling fear.

Charles Murphy on The Spectre

As Marvel Studios’ fans wait for Ghost Rider to make his way into the MCU, DC’s own Spirit of Vengeance could serve an important role in James Gunn‘s new DCU. The being known as Aztar is as old as the universe and serves as the hand of divine vengeance for DC’s One Above All. There have been a whole lot of different iterations of the character over the years and Aztar has been bound to a few different human hosts, but a combo of the New 52’s modern version of Gotham PD officer Jim Corrigan mixed with the brilliant work done by John Ostrander in the 1990s offers the perfect mix of a character tied into the connected universe Gunn is building while also being able to do his own thing. Is this the right superhero role for Gunn’s bestie Nathan Fillion?

January 2, 2023
12 Days of X-Mas: Day 8, Shadowcat

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts or, in this case.

The Kitten

Another victim of Fox’s focus on cool displays of powers rather than proper characterization, Kitty Pryde was reduced to meme status after being Juggernaut bitched in X-Men: The Last Stand. The character returned in 2014 for a role in X-Men: Days of Future Past where she got to touch Logan’s temples for a while and then became a teacher in the new timeline established at the end of the film. In essentially every way possible, Fox wasted a top-tier X-Men character who was portrayed by an incredibly talented actor. Outside of correctly using her phasing ability, Fox seemed to have absolutely no understanding of Kitty nor how important of a character she could be. That’s something that Kevin Feige will almost certainly remedy when he brings his version of the X-Men to the MCU.

A bit of a child prodigy, Kitty showed genius-level aptitude in computer science and attended a prestigious engineering school as a child. She joined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and became a member of the X-Men when she was just 13 or 14 years old. Kitty is just about the perfect poster child for Wolverine’s side of the debate with Cyclops over using teens as “soldiers” in Xavier’s crusade. Over the years, Kitty has grown close with Storm, Wolverine and Colossus, with whom she’s had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship. Kitty has arguably had one of the most chaotic and interesting lives of any X-Man and has battled demons, vampires, aliens and all other sorts of baddies and has always emerged from her battles as a central figure to the success of the team.

What Fox failed to understand about Kitty Pryde is that despite being introduced in the comics as a teenager, she’s no sidekick. In fact, used appropriately, Kitty is probably the perfect point-of-view character to launch the MCU’s look at the inner workings of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. That’s not to say that the other characters aren’t incredibly important, only that Marvel Studios could take the unique approach of giving the audience Kitty’s perspective of entering the madness of the mutant world. Though Fox’s X-Men were always in danger, the question of whether they should have been was never fully explored in the Singer or Kinberg films. The Fox films never explored the true nature of Charles Xavier (as detailed here), something that could be done wonderfully by changing the lens through which he’s viewed. Marvel Studios has many characters from which to choose as they think about which character they want to be the eyes through which they meet the larger world of the X-Men, but there’s no better choice than Kitty Pryde. Shadowcat should be right out front as mutants step into the spotlight in the MCU.

January 1, 2023
2023’s Must-See Movies With Surging Stock

With so many movies to look forward to in 2023, it’s hard to know which ones to invest your time in. Murphy’s Multiverse has curated a list of must-see movies that should be on your list, including some that may surprise you.

February

17th-Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

The ageless Paul Rudd and his crew are back for the witty, action-packed franchise that is Ant-Man. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania features some new faces including Jonathan Majors as “Kang the Conqueror” and (checks notes) Bill Murray as a character from Janet Van Dyne’s past.

March

3rd-Creed III

Jonathan Majors has been a busy man! He plays another villain, this time in the boxing ring as Adonis Creed’s opponent in Creed III. Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are also back in this installment alongside Michael B. Jordan, who reprises his role and makes his directorial debut.

10th-Scream VI

Scream VI is the sequel to 2022’s Scream, but this storyline is a bit different for the franchise: there is a new killer, a new city, and new rules. Some names to keep an eye out for include Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere, Melissa Barrera and Courtney Cox. Unfortunately, franchise staple Neve Campbell won’t make an appearance after contract negotiations broke down.

17th-Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Zachary Levi is back to give us more Shazam. Levi will bring along a star-studded cast this time that includes Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler joining returners like Asher Angel, Adam Brody, and Megan Good. New villains played by Liu and Mirren will give the Shazamly all it can handle.

24th-John Wick: Chapter 4

Like fine wine, Keanu Reeves gets better with age. After a two-year pandemic-related delay, Reeves is front in center in John Wick: Chapter 4. Fans will see John Wick in the throws of a war with the High Table, one that could prove to be costly.

31st-Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

If you’ve played the game Dungeons & Dragons, this movie is the stuff dreams are made of. Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, and Justice Smith will star in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves dropping Spring 2023.

April

7th-The Super Mario Bros. Movie

From the producer who created Despicable Me, The Super Mario Brothers Movie is also hitting screens this spring. Chris Pratt stars as Mario and Charlie Day will play Luigi. Keegan-Michael Key will voice Toad with Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. Finally, the crew rounds out with the hilarious Jack Black and Seth Rogen voicing the characters of Bowser and Donkey Kong.

May

5th-Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Chris Pratt is back as the beloved character Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Franchise staples Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klmentieff are also back for one more ride. Quill is still mourning the loss of his Gamora and asks the crew to help him defend the universe as their fate could depend on it.

19th-Fast X

“I don’t have friends. I got family,” says Dominic Toretto. Family has been the theme of the Fast and Furious franchise and Fast X will likely be no different. The tenth installment brings back Toretto’s crew in an assumed two-part franchise finale that is sure to thrill.

26th-The Little Mermaid

Singer Halle Bailey stars in The Little Mermaid as the red-headed mermaid beauty and is sure to bring a soulful and powerful twist to this endearing classic. Joining her is Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Javier Bardem as King Triton. The Little Mermaid becomes part of your world Memorial Day Weekend.

June

2nd-Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

What’s better than one Oscar-winning movie? Two! Well, we’re probably a bit early in predicting that, but there are high hopes for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfield, and Oscar Isaac are back as Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy and Miguel O’Hara. The thrilling Issa Rae from HBO’s Insecure is also joining the cast as Spider-Woman.

16th-The Flash

DC Comics is joining the plunge into multiverses with Andy Muschietti’s The Flash.

30th-Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

James Mangold will direct Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the follow-up to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Harrison Ford is joined by Antonio Banderas, Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Shaunette Renée Wilson.

July

14th-Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One

Does Tom Cruise age? The man has matured as Ethan Hunt for nearly 30 years. Cruise returns to the big screen in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One with some familiar faces. Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Czerny, and Vanessa Kirby are all back, with Esai Morales playing the film’s main villain.

21st-Barbie

There isn’t anything Margot Robbie can’t do and that includes playing Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation. Ryan Gosling joins Robbie as her character is expelled from Barbieland and joins the real world in search of happiness.

28th-The Marvels

In case you didn’t get enough of the phenomena that is Brie Larson, she returns to the big screen in The Marvels. Larson will be joined by Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani and the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the sequel to Captain Marvel.

November

17th-The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the prelude to the original film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutchinson. The film details the life of Coriolanus Snow before he became the brutal dictator of Panem. Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Tom Blyth, and Jason Schwartzman round out the cast.

December

15th-Wonka

In a world of pure imagination, Timothée Chalamet plays a young Willy Wonka as his world collides with the Oompa-Loompas. The cast of Wonka also includes Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan Michael-Key, and Rowan Atkinson.

20th-The Color Purple

The Color Purple was originally released in 1985, featuring a star-studded cast. The 2023 adaptation has some serious shoes to fill, but it’s off to a good start. Pulling in a smorgasbord of talent, the cast features Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Fantasia-Taylor, Taraji P. Henson, Louis Gossett Jr., Corey Hawkins, Deon Cole, and H.E.R.

25th-Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom-December 25th

More Jason Momoa? Yes, please! Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom should be a treat for fans as it’s slated to debut on Christmas Day. Momoa will reprise his role and will be joined by Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Amber Heard as Mera.

December 31, 2022
12 Days of X-Mas: Day 7, Krakoa

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts or, in this case, an X-Men fixture that Fox left on the bench.

The Island That Walks Like a Man

If you’ve been reading along throughout the 12 Days of X-Mas, you may have noticed that many of the characters from the first six days have something in common: they all first appeared in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1. Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus were among the group of mutants Charles Xavier sent as an extraction team when two previous teams of X-Men disappeared on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The events of Giant-Size X-Men #1, which introduced the sentient, mutant island of Krakoa, were monumental in 1975, set in motion the events of Chris Claremont‘s iconic run on Uncanny X-Men and led to the modern era’s greatest X-Men stories in Jonathan Hickman‘s House of X/Powers of X run. Any self-respecting live-action adaptation of the X-Men must include a proper representation of Krakoa.

Hickman has displayed a penchant for devising clever retcons in his time at Marvel Comics, providing rich new history for characters as important as Apocalypse and Reed Richards…and he did it again with Krakoa. At NYCC ’22, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski made mentioned an interesting bit of symbiosis happening at Marvel now that Kevin Feige has truly become the One Above All. According to Cebulski, the comic branch tries to stay “about 10 years ahead” (which seems to really mean 7-12 years ahead) of Marvel Studios and that timeline puts Hickman’s Krakoa retcon on track to be fair game for the studio right around 2026 which, coincidentally, is probably when the Marvel Studios mutant takeover will begin.

Fox really teed up Marvel Studios when they failed to use Krakoa in their X-films. Certainly, nobody could have predicted Maestro Hickman’s genius being turned loose and retconning Krakoa into one half of the ancient island, Okkara, that once was home to Apocalypse and his family before being torn asunder and separated as the other half, Arakko, was sealed away in another dimension. Whether the Marvel Studios Parliament chooses to introduce Krakoa as it was in 1975 and then develop the backstory or jump right into the new history of Krakoa as relayed in 2019, the reality is they have a can’t-miss character with a rich and fascinating history that truly relays the weirdness that is and has always been the X-Men. Of course, by bringing The Living Island into modern day, Marvel Studios gets the added benefit of easily working in one of the coolest and most underappreciated X-Men: Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher. Thanks to Fox and much like Ryan Day, Marvel Studios finds themselves on third base without having to have legged out the triple.

December 31, 2022
12 Days of X-Mas: Day 6, Colossus

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.

The Russkie

Piotr Rasputin was given a pretty fair shake in Deadpool and was characterized pretty much in line with who he’s been in the comics since first appearing in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1. However, much like his buddy Nightcrawler, Piotr’s best work comes as part of a team, something which he wasn’t able to be in Deadpool and was certainly robbed of in the nearly criminal portrayal of him in the X-Men films. A metal man with a soft heart, Petey may be more defined by his relationships with others than any other member of the team. Time and time again, Colossus has proven his willingness to sacrifice himself for those closest to him, including his sister, Ilyana, his friends Nightcrawler and Storm, his fastball special buddy, Wolverine, and the love of his life, Kitty Pryde.

Colossus was central to many of the X-Men’s major adventures in the pages of Uncanny X-Men over the years and again in the early 2000s in the pages of Astonishing X-Men. Astonishingly enough, not only did Fox fail to utilize Colussus to his full capacity, they also didn’t adapt any of the wonderful stories to which he was so vital. From the rescue mission on Krakoa, to the major conflict with the Shi’ar, to his “adventures” in the Savage Land, to the horrors of Inferno and the sacrifice of his own life to help cure the Legacy Virus, Marvel Studios will have its pick of great stories involving Colossus thanks to Fox’s desire to make Wolverine and the X-Men films.

Marvel Studios should have no problem providing a prominent role for Piotr in their X-plans. A proper presentation of Колосс may not require a story spread out over several solo projects, like Storm, for example, it’s essential that any stories being told involving Colossus touch on a few key things. Peter’s place as a mountain of a man who would rather not stand out in a crowd has always been an interesting part of his group dynamic. His bashfulness in the comics has always played such an integral role not only in his reluctance as a leader but also in the development of his romantic relationship with Kitty Pryde. His fearlessness in the face of danger, especially where his sister, the X-Man known as Magik, is concerned has often found him on the frontline where even his strength and stamina are stretched to their limits. Finally, the conflict that often brews within him as he balances his desire to live a peaceful life with the rage he feels when he sees wrong being done in the world. His inner conflict and sense of duty have pulled him in many directions over the years and are among the reasons he and Kitty drift apart and find each other again. It won’t take much planning for the creatives at Marvel Studios to find their way to a much more complete portrayal of the X-Men’s Chrome Dome should they choose to bring him into the MCU.

December 30, 2022