Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • ‘Quantumania’ Mid-Credit Scene Explained

    ‘Quantumania’ Mid-Credit Scene Explained

    Season 1 of Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Loki made it clear that the future of the MCU was going to be full of Kangs. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania introduced one of the most menacing Variants of the character in Kang the Conqueror but the savvy fans who stuck around while the credits rolled got more Kang for their buck. Nothing but spoilers to follow…

    The mid-credit scene of Quantumania took a turn for the weird and introduced fans to an arena full of Variants of Kang. As wild as it seems on screen, the idea of a Council of Kangs was ripped right from the pages of Marvel Comics. There have been a few iterations of the Council of Kangs in the comics and this one feels like a bit of an amalgamation of them all in that it is apparently filled with actual Kangs (not fake Kangs) from different timelines throughout the Multiverse. Though it may well be more similar to the Kang Collective in its composition, we’ll keep calling it the Council of Cross-Time Kangs for now and wait for Marvel Studios to give further details. Whatever the name, this horde of Kangs is coming together for a “code red” situation involving one of their own. While the short scene doesn’t really give enough context as to what exactly the body is all about, there are at least a few identifiable Kang Variants in the group who may provide some hints of what to expect over the course of the Multiverse Saga.

    Rama-Tut

    In the comics, the Rama-Tut Variant comes from a reality in which a young Kang uses a time machine to travel back to Ancient Egypt. Shortly after arriving, Kang conquers the people of the time and installs himself as their Pharoah, Rama-Tut. In the MCU, placing a Variant in Ancient Egypt provides potential for a tie-in to the mythology established in Moon Knight. It also opens the door for the Variant to come across a character that Marvel Studios should be eager to work into the MCU sooner rather than later to wash away the horrid depiction of him done by fox: En Sabah Nur. The two have a fascinating history in the comics that involved Nur being enslaved by Rama-Tut and then being shot and left for dead. Of course, Nur is better known as one of Marvel’s most powerful mutants, Apocalypse, so there’s some interesting potential for this story to evolve in the Multiverse Saga.

    Immortus

    Another easily identifiable Variant of Kang is Immortus. The simplest description is that Immortus is a Variant of the Variant known as Rama-Tut. In one timeline, Kang abandoned his station as Rama-Tut, traveled to the 40th century and attempted to master both time and the realm of Limbo. From his place outside time, Immortus attempted to manipulate all timelines and realities so that only his Variant could end up ascending to become…him. Ultimately, Immortus felt he became a tool of the Time Keepers (who were seen in Loki) and another Variant emerged to make sure he didn’t follow that path. While you probably can’t trust a Kang, this Variant of the character is the most manipulative and untrustworthy of them all and is sure to cause a problem for the other members of the Council at some point..

    While there are certainly other Kangs present (A Skrull Kang, one that may be Mr. Gryphon and one that may be Scarlet Centurion), these two are the ones most likely to get up to no good…along with the other Variant of Kang who didn’t join the council and looks primed to appear in Season 2 of Loki.

  • ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With Lowest MCU CinemaScore

    ‘Ant-Man 3’ Joins ‘Eternals’ With Lowest MCU CinemaScore

    There’s been quite a discourse online about the quality of the recent Marvel movies. The critical reception of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has reawakened discussion points that have been around since all the way back in Phase 2, as the franchise continues to exist in a cycle of quality discussions. Still, even with a mixed critical reception with 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Audience Score is quite a bit more positive with 84% of audiences seemingly enjoying the film.

    Still, the CinemaScore is a classic way to see where the film’s overall word-of-mouth might land and it seems that audiences are also mostly mixed with the very frontloaded scoring. The film has now been the second Marvel Cinematic Universe film to receive a B CinemaScore. Audiences are seemingly a bit mixed on the film but it’s interesting that the second high sci-fi attempt by Marvel Studios ends up with a similar rating.

    One thing often overlooked is that the CinemaScore does not mean people hate the film, they just simply thought it was okay; a general sentiment you see online. There’s also always a chance that certain elements in the film just don’t jive with audiences. Horror films generally don’t do better than a B or B+ due to the elements included in the film that define the genre. Not every blockbuster film pulls in an A ranking like the recent Plane also landed at a B+.

    It’s just unusual for Marvel to have this many B ratings throughout the last two years but also not a complete defining trait of the franchise. They’ve been more experimental and that is reflected by these films not always being “crowd pleasers across the board.” The big thing here is if the film will have legs moving forward though even 2022’s B+ films did manage to pull in quite a box office over its run. We’ll have to see though if this B scoring will slowly come to an end as Marvel Studios reshuffles.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Twitter

  • All Roads LED Here: Marvel’s Future with Stagecraft May End

    All Roads LED Here: Marvel’s Future with Stagecraft May End

    If there ever was a piece of technology that went from being “the future” to having the Internet complain about it ruining experiences, it would be Stagecraft. The technology is quite simple, as it makes use of LED screens and pre-rendered elements to give actors something to act from. The Mandalorian popularized it and it became a useful tool during COVID and put Industrial Light & Magic on the map for many productions.

    Cinematographer Greig Fraser has been a strong proponent against the use of greenscreen (but still uses them heavily for some of his biggest projects under new names like “Sand Screens” in Dune) and was one of the first to push the technology forward. He went on to make good use of the Stagecraft in The Batman after pioneering it for The Mandalorian. Still, even that great film couldn’t avoid some people feeling it was a little flat in its design give or take.

    As its use went on, that complaint started to pick up more and more speed. It got to a point where the main criticism was that this technology creates a lifeless experience and truly only creates something that is “too polished.” Not really great for every project already filming at the time as its criticism took centerstage. Marvel went all in with projects potentially making good use of it, Thor: Love and Thunder, the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the just-released Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Marvel is already constantly under a magnifying glass for its use of a green screen and CG over the years. Especially once the pandemic hit, it felt like a free-for-all on what problems one can find and focus primarily on the few times it just wasn’t 100% right. So, the use of a technology that is already at a stage of heavy criticism during a time when filmmaking was at its most difficult was going to face some new challenges.

    Thor: Love and Thunder was the first to release that technology and the criticism of flat backgrounds has returned. Many discussions online were questioning what was the cause: bad lighting or just generally if the technology is too early for the big screen given how limited it is in scope. Its use, however, was highly praised by those working on the projects in how they combined real set pieces with the technology giving them more flexibility.

    It’s a strange fight, as there’s an expectation that “shot on set is always better,” which is definitely the case given its tangibility, but also downplays the value of this technology and its use. We want to move away from greenscreen but also push away any alternatives, especially for projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that explore a completely foreign world. Director Peyton Reed has experience working with the tech and likely was excited to return to its use.

    The film also received similar criticism due to the technology and the usual CG comments that have dominated Marvel discourse for quite some time now. It starts blending together where it’s difficult to truly tell if it’s Stagecraft or the CG that makes it difficult as a topic overall. Though some have also praised the CG and Quantumania‘s very mixed reception creates a difficult point of discourse. Yahoo’s review of the film just called it “almost wholly on green screens” which just completely sidelines the tech while, for example, CNet‘s just generally praises the world created.

    CG is a sour topic and Marvel became quite the focus given its size and popularity. Post-Endgame, there’s also a big “it’s not like it used to be” mentality that has just been pushed forward by the pandemic’s restrictions on the industry. A film like Quantumania also will rely more on CG given that it takes place fully in a non-realistic world and given its design choices, it wanted to be as wacky as possible; something praised and loathed from one review to the next.

    We know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was initially announced to use the technology; another franchise that makes a lot of use of greenscreens and sets given its space-focused storyline. Yet, James Gunn seemingly decided against its use due to it not being able to bring his vision to life for the final film in his trilogy. So, he would’ve used it if it were fitting for what he was trying to accomplish.

    By all accounts, that would seemingly be the end of its use with this week’s release of Quantumania. Yet, there is one more hint that exists for use on The Marvels. Sadly, it’s just a very unreliable source in the form of IMDb. The upcoming Captain Marvel sequel includes credits for Stagecraft artists Robb Gardner, supervisor Christopher Django Johnston, and more. The only thing is, there’s no real official announcement about the use of the technology.

    So far, we haven’t had any official announcements for future projects and it almost seems like they won’t be focusing their use on the technology moving forward. Select projects like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did not make use of the tech. So, they aren’t forcing it into every project and there’s definitely a surprising silence on its future use after heavy promotion for Quantumania.

    At this rate, it does seem like they aren’t going to rely too heavily on it anymore. It should also be noted that all productions released this year used the technology in 2021 while COVID was still at a high point. Thor: Love and Thunder was produced in 2020 when it was even unpredictable, which makes the expectation of its necessity higher. Yet, we’re about to enter a very different era for Marvel Studios’ productions.

    It should be noted that non of the 2024 releases have even started filming just yet. In a way, we’re returning to some normalcy and their usual production schedule from before the pandemic moving forward. There hasn’t been a single production in 2022, which is curious and perhaps a showcase of rearranging pieces around the board. Quantumania was originally the ending of Phase 4 and the reception seems to hgihlight that.

    Stagecraft might still get used but we shouldn’t expect any major promotions of its use for future titles. It probably will only be a sparing addition to production if there ever is truly a necessity given whatever the production is working on. Perhaps this year will signal the final “COVID era productions” from Marvel Studios with a potential new future going into the next year. Phase 5 may have not kicked off how some wanted, but it doesn’t mean Marvel is truly over, it may just be getting started once again.

    Source: YouTube, GameRant, IndieWire, DisInsider, Movieweb, IndieWire, Total Film, IMDb, ILM

  • BREAKING: First ‘The Marvels’ Poster Reveals New November Release

    BREAKING: First ‘The Marvels’ Poster Reveals New November Release

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like Marvel Studios wasn’t lying about giving their projects more time to breathe. The Marvels has finally received its first poster as many theorized we’d see a trailer soon given its July 28th release. Yet, the poster reveals comes with one major addition: the film is delayed by quite a few months. It looks like The Marvels won’t release until November 10th

    It does seem like a smart move, as it spaces out their projects more evenly throughout the ear. While Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige always talked about having four films a year, their Disney+ ventures may have shifted that plan to a three-films-a-year cycle moving forward. It would give them some strong box office contenders, and stretch out the future phase while balancing it out with whatever series they have planned.

    It should be noted that Disney isn’t keeping that July date open, as they have seemingly decided Haunted Mansion is ready for a summer release. That is quite bizarre given it’s commonly an October/Halloween-centered release for these types of films, but they may just believe it’ll offer the right amount of summer zaniness.

    Marvel Studios is still set to make a splash at the box office and still remains a good seller for anyone wanting to follow along. We’ll expect a sizable drop in Quantumania‘s second weekend, as per usual but could also be a bit lower due to the box office not being as grandiose as last year. Interest in Kang the Conqueror will keep people interested and perhaps even if word-of-mouth isn’t hitting an A on the CinemaScore, it could boost future releases. Whatever it might be, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the releases of this year.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    While it’s on pace to have a nice opening weekend and likely be the highest-grossing Ant-Man film, Quantumania’s Thursday night previews take looks to be coming in significantly lower than any of Marvel Studios’ 2022 theatrical offerings. According to industry estimates, the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise raked in $17.5M on its first night in theaters.

    That figure puts it well below last year’s 3 MCU properties, though those 3 films led the way in Thursday night preview take. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($36M), Thor: Love and Thunder ($29M) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($28M) all opened to much stronger Thursdays than Quantumania, however, 2022’s box office champion, Avatar: The Way of Water, pulled in a comparable $17M on its first Thursday. It’s all a matter of perspective as the $17.5M night (the same amount Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took in back in 2017) places Quantumania’s preview night in the top 40 of all time.

    Quantumania’s Thursday intake is the highest to date for the Ant-Man franchise. Ant-Man and The Wasp took in $11.5M in 2018 while Ant-Man grossed $6.4 in 2015. Some estimates have the new film taking in $120M over its opening weekend, though it remains to be seen what impact the largely negative reviews of the film (you can read ours right here) will have on general audiences.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Rumor Suggests One of Marvel’s Most Powerful Characters is Headed to the MCU’s Phase 6

    New Rumor Suggests One of Marvel’s Most Powerful Characters is Headed to the MCU’s Phase 6

    The MCU’s fifth phase of projects just kicked off with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (you can read our review here) which introduces one of Marvel Comics’ most compelling villains in Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror. The Conqueror is the second Variant of Kang to show up in the Multiverse Saga and we know he won’t be the last as the narrative progresses towards Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. With such a powerful and cunning villain set to antagonize the heroes of the MCU, they’ll need all the help they can get and a new rumor suggests that one of Marvel Comics’ powerhouses may be ready to join the MCU in Phase 6.

    A recent report suggests that the casting process for the 2025 Fantastic Four film is kicking off in earnest and that Marvel Studios plans to start by finding their Susan Storm, adding fuel to the fire that star Mila Kunis could be in contention for the pivotal role. Hot on the tail of this potential casting coincidence comes another intriguing tidbit from YouTube. According to the YouTube personality, Marvel Studios is skipping the origin and angling to introduce a more experienced Fantastic Four who are a bit farther down the road in life and, in the case of Sue and Reed, have already become parents!

    Though the rumor doesn’t specify, assuming Marvel Studios is following comic book canon in this regard, Sue and Reed’s first child is Franklin Richards, a character whose vast set of powers includes reality warping, matter manipulation and time travel. As an adult, Franklin was powerful enough to make Galactus his herald and lived free of the rules of the omniverse. As a child, however, as he would likely be portrayed in the film, Franklin’s powers would often manifest themselves subconsciously making him a wild card. The character played a large role in Jonathan Hickman’s companion Fantastic Four and Future Foundation series and with Hickman’s influence already being felt in the Multiverse Saga, it’s not surprising that his work may inspire Marvel Studios Fantastic Four and, potentially, Avengers: Secret Wars.

    What about the Richards’ second child, Valeria? While it’s unknown just how far into their superhero careers the Fantastic Four are, the unique circumstances of Sue’s pregnancy with Valeria and Franklin’s role in saving his sister’s life–along with Dr. Doom–it would be a shame not to see it on screen. All things being equal, some exposition could fill in the blanks of Franklin’s birth and early life just fine, but Val’s story may require and deserve to unfold on screen.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    Reed Richards is the brains of the Fantastic Four but Susan Storm has always been the heart and soul of Marvel’s First Family. As casting for Marvel Studios Fantastic Four gets underway, it looks as though the studio heads and director Matt Shakman understand just how important of a character the Invisible Woman is to the success of the project.

    According to Deadline’s Justin Kroll, as Shakman and Marvel Studios casting department, led by Sarah Finn, start the search for the MCU’s Fantastic Four, Sue is at the center. Kroll states that “the focus” of the casting process is finding their Sue Storm “and building out the rest of the team” from there.

    Given the importance of Sue to the rest of the cast, it would seem that the character will be the centerpiece of whatever story Shakman intends to tell, something that has long been the case in the comics. The report’s indication that casting is just now gearing up is interesting as a slew of names has been passed around as “top contenders” for months now. It also makes Shakman’s recent meeting with star Mila Kunis a bit more interesting as it could indicate potential interest in Kunis for the role of Sue.

  • ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Film in Development

    ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Film in Development

    No, you read that right. Dean DeBlois is seemingly set on adapting How to Train Your Dragon into live-action for Universal. It seems they are dead-set on repeating the same mistakes as Disney that somehow still end up pulling billions at the box office, such as the “live-action” adaptation of The Lion King and Aladdin. It seems Universal Pictures is dead set on this franchise revival in a new format and already dated the film for a March 14th, 2025 release.

    The surprising thing is that this franchise does have the potential to adapt its own take on the franchise without just recreating the story of Hiccup and Toothless, but it seems they are deadset on remaking the trilogy that was released throughout the 2010s. It’s a shame given that live-action adaptations can be more than just straight adaptations of existing stories, especially in more expansive worlds like these.

    As the franchise mostly focuses on the relationship between Vikings and dragons, it does lend itself to live-action. It should also be noted that DeBlois directed the animated films and has an extensive history with the project. It’s also already in the middle of its casting process. So, they’ve been working on this for some time and it isn’t just a quick announcement. We’ll have to see how this attempt at a live-action adaptation of an animated classic works out.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘I am Legend’ Sequel Will Ignore the Film’s Original Ending

    ‘I am Legend’ Sequel Will Ignore the Film’s Original Ending

    I Am Legend will return with a sequel starring not only Michael B. Jordan but will also see the return of Will Smith. In the original film that was released all the way back in 2007, Smith‘s character sacrificed his life. So, many wondered how exactly the film will tackle that original storyline with this sequel.

    In an interview with Akiva Goldsman, who is returning to Warner Bros. in a new multi-year first-look deal, he revealed to be involved with the upcoming I Am Legend sequel alongside the long-awaited Constantine sequel starring Keanu Reeves once again. In it, he teased what we can expect a return to that world a decade later and compares it to the recent success of The Last of Us.

    This will start a few decades later than the first. I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse. You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the empire state building, but the possibilities are endless.

    Akiva Goldsman

    That is not all, as he also reveals that the upcoming adaptation will just ignore the official ending of the film and jump straight into the alternative ending featured on the physical release. He also highlights they are set to “trace back tot he original Matheson book” potentially hinting at the Vampire-aspect being featured more.

    We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text

    Akiva Goldsman

    It’s definitely a curious decision to just ignore the ending most people watched in theaters. So, it may leave viewers quite confused but it definitely was a better ending and gives them the opportunity to have Will Smith return in the iconic role. Still, this may backfire potentially if viewers are just scratching their heads and wondering if this is some kind of cloning storyline.

    Source: Deadline

  • Kevin Feige Calls ‘Fantastic Four’ A Pillar of the MCU, Teases Forthcoming Updates

    Kevin Feige Calls ‘Fantastic Four’ A Pillar of the MCU, Teases Forthcoming Updates

    It’s been nearly four years since Kevin Feige announced that Marvel Studios was developing a Fantastic Four film. At the time, no details were shared about the project and, unfortunately, in the time that’s passed since the announcement, not much has changed on that front. The studio has provided information on the writers, director and release date but as the project continues to get pushed back, the lack of any solid information about it seems to be wearing on fans. It looks like that may change sooner rather than later, however.

    In an interview with EW, Marvel Studios’ gato grande gave a brief, but promising update on the state of Fantastic Four. Feige revealed that along with the two saga-ending Avengers films, Fantastic Four is one of the projects he is most excited about. “The only other one in terms of me personally and my 23-year history is the Fantastic Four,” Feige said of which upcoming projects peaked his personal interest. “We sort of talked about mutants and that whole aspect to the Marvel world, but Fantastic Four is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics,” he explained.

    Despite the wait, fans are certainly excited as well and, according to Feige, the wait may be ending soon. “People will start to hear more about that [Fantastic Four] soon,” pledged Feige. “We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they’ve been in the comics for 50 or 60 years.” “Soon” is a very relative term. It could mean next week or it could mean July, but with a script complete and casting in the works, desperate fans will hope it’s the latter.

    Source: EW