Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: SIlver Surfer

  • Marvel Animation’s Roadmap to the Stars: How X-Men ’97 Could Lead to Marvel’s Greatest Cosmic Stories Being Told on Screen

    Marvel Animation’s Roadmap to the Stars: How X-Men ’97 Could Lead to Marvel’s Greatest Cosmic Stories Being Told on Screen

    Marvel Studios waded into the shallow end of the nostalgia pool with X-Men ’97. It was a low-risk project for them in that it had a very high floor thanks to the deeply revered X-Men: The Animated Series. Through three episodes, ’97 has performed well above that floor and the only question left to answer is just how high of a ceiling the project has, especially with new viewers. Once the wistful sentiment wears off of those who grew up watching TAS on Saturday mornings, the series still has to keep the attention of a new, younger audience in order to sustain success into a second season.

    Should it do so, however, Marvel Studios May have found a new recipe to success in Grandma’s ’90s cookbook and may just decide to continue to go backward to go forward and revive some of their other ’90s animated series. While there’s currently no indication they are planning to do so nor any guarantee they could replicate the microwaved hype of X-Men ’97, previous animated series such as Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four and, yes, Spider-Man preemptively and unknowingly put the pieces in place for Marvel Animation to adapt some of Marvel Comics greatest hits of the ’00s.

    It’s in the DnA

    Beginning in 2006, Marvel Comics published a related series of cosmic crossover events largely created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, aka DnA, with a kickstart from Keith Giffen. Over the course the next five years, Marvel’s publishing house redefined the cosmic corner of Marvel Comics for the first time since Jim Starlin‘s decade and change time as the defining voice of their space operas. Through Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, Realm of Kings, The Thanos Imperative and The Annihilators, the House of Ideas revitalized old heroes and villains, reimagined others and reminded readers just how broad the the cosmos is. Serendipitously, Marvel Animation could be poised to repeat the success of their publishing partner by simply retelling these incredible stories on a stage that has already been set for them.

    More than five years passed between the end of the run of Marvel and Saban Entertainment’s animated series (X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man Unlimited and Avengers: United They Stand) and the publication of Annihilation; however, those series laid enough foundation to allow Marvel Animation to orchestrate a run through Abnett and Lanning’s cosmic opus. Incredibly, most of the main players of the DnA’s cosmic stories were introduced in the ’90s animated series and those who weren’t could easily be worked into an episode of one of a few series that would most likely be revived.

    The Dope Old School ’90s Animated Series Introduced Some O.G. Peeps Who Will Play a Phat Part in the Cosmic Stories

    Before looking at how Marvel Animation could move ahead, let’s take a quick look at the work that was done in the ’90s that could provide the springboard into the Cosmic crossover events.

    X-Men

    The granddaddy of them all, as it were, X-Men: The Animated Series brought new life to Marvel’s properties in 1992, paving the way for Fox to roll out their X-Men films which, along with 1998’s Blade, put things into place for Marvel Studios to roll the dice on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ironically, the success of X-Men ’97 may now convince Disney to further invest in animation. The circle of life. X-Men: The Animated Series largely took its inspiration from Chris Claremont‘s work on Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Men but also drew on plenty of other issues and runs. Outside of the core X-Men themselves, the original animated series introduced several characters and locations during its five-season, 76-episode run that would be key players in an animated Cosmic arc.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series
    • The Shi’ar (Season 3)
    • The Starjammers (Season 3)
    • The Blue Area of the Moon (Season 3)
    • The Kree (Season 3)
    • The High Evolutionary (Season 4)
    • Moondragon (Season 4)
    • The Phalanx (Season 5)

    Fantastic Four

    Paired with Iron Man as part of the Marvel Action Hour, Fantastic Four ran for 26 episodes over two seasons from 1994-1996. For the most part, the series adapted the earliest adventures of the team from the comics and introduced dozens of characters that would fit neatly into Marvel Animation’s Cosmic narrative.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in Fantastic Four
    • Skrulls (Season 1)
    • Silver Surfer (Season 1)
    • Galactus (Season 1)
    • Firelord (Season 1)
    • Terrax (Season 1)
    • Kl’rt, the Super-Skrull (Season 1)
    • The Negative Zone (Season 1)
    • Annihilus (Season 1)
    • Blastaar (Season 1)
    • The Inhuman Royal Family (Season 2)
    • Attilan (Season 2)
    • Darkhawk (Season 2)

    The Incredible Hulk

    The Jade Giant was given 2 seasons of his own animated series that totaled 21 episodes which aired in 1996 and 1997. Though neither Banner nor Hulk are key characters in any of the Cosmic stories, his children are and including him also allows for some great stories to be told in the revivals which can’t just be about the Cosmic stories.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in The Incredible Hulk
    • Bruce Banner/The Hulk

    Silver Surfer

    Possibly a bit too far out even for the ’90s, Silver Surfer ran for only one, 13-episode season after a legal dispute between Saban and Marvel killed the partially developed second season. Though it wasn’t connected to Fantastic Four and aired after the cancellation, I’m not entirely sure it contradicts any story arcs from it either. Silver Surfer introduced so many of Marvel Comics’ major Cosmic players in its one and only season, making it an integral part of the foundation needed for Marvel Animation to tell the DnA stories.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in Silver Surfer
    • Thanos
    • Drax
    • Gamora
    • Ronan
    • Nebula
    • Adam Warlock
    • Beta Ray Bill
    • Kree Supreme Intelligence

    The Avengers: United They Stand

    The last of the series to be produced through the collaborative efforts of Marvel Entertainment Group and Saban Entertainment, The Avengers: United They Stand pales in comparison to the superior Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes; however, it put one key character in play (sparing us all another origin story) and a revival for a second season could carve out an episode or two for an adaptation of a mid-2000s crossover event that could be used to help us out.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in The Avengers: United They Stand
    • Ultron

    Incredibly, without any possible way of knowing what they were doing, the folks at Marvel Entertainment Group introduced almost every main player in DnA’s Cosmic run. A few big guns are missing but that can all be easily fixed in subsequent revival seasons of the shows listed above.

    POV: How Letting Marvel Animation Cook and Giving the Cheugy ’90s Series Glow Ups Will Lead to a Bussin Shared Universe

    No cap: making this revival work as a way to adapt the DnA stories through the animated series is my Roman Empire. So, how do we get there based on what’s been done in X-Men: The Animated Series, Season 1 of X-Men ’97, Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer? That’s the easy part and it just requires giving a few key individuals that main character energy. Here’s a road map to make sure we’re all eating good in our revival era.

    The reality is that even if this were to happen, it would be years before it unfolds on our small screens. (Cue Invincible reference): Animation takes a long time. However, with two more seasons of X-Men ’97 already ordered up, Marvel Animation seems like it’s here to stay for at least a while. For the purposes of this totally made-up series of events, we’re operating under the assumption that Season 2 of X-Men ’97 streams before the first DnA domino falls.

    The Incredible Hulk Season 3

    There’s no such thing as too much Hulk. A third season of the animated series could continue the exploration of his fractured psyche, introduce the animated iteration of the Illuminati and send him off to Sakaar in a cliffhanger episode where he could meet a familiar face. The continued adventures of The Sentinel of the Spaceways will be an integral part of the infrastructure of the shared universe simply because he can be any and everywhere. Season 1 of Silver Surfer ended on a cliffhanger and it provides the perfect opportunity to open Season 2 with him unaware of how he’s come to be on Sakaar and under the control of the Red King. This could be a classic Marvel Animation two or three-parter to wrap up the third season of The Incredible Hulk with an adaptation of Planet Hulk.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in The Incredible Hulk Season 3
    • Caiera the Oldstrong

    Silver Surfer Season 2

    In the comics, Surfer’s time on Sakaar immediately preceded the awful chain of events that befell the galaxy and having Season 2 of Silver Surfer spin out of Season 3 of The Incredible Hulk provides the perfect opportunity for the first big event to unfold. Assuming a 10-episode season and the pace at which stories are told in animation, Season 2 could open with a two-part adaptation of Kurt Busiek‘s Maximum Security crossover event. Though it preceded Planet Hulk in publication, it could serve as a great way to integrate the X-Men, Fantastic Four and some cosmic heavy hitters into the narrative. A few changes could introduce the Kyln and one of its prisoners, Star-Lord, who will play a big role later in the season. A flashback episode somewhere along the line can introduce Mar-Vell to the mix, paving the way to explore his legacy later. A quick stop on Xandar in Episode 5 could introduce Xandar, Richard Rider and the Nova Corps and then a three-part season finale could adapt the incredible Annihilation event.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in Silver Surfer Season 2
    • The Blood Brothers (Maximum Security arc)
    • Quasar (Maximum Security arc)
    • The Kyln (Maximum Security arc)
    • Star-Lord (Maximum Security arc)
    • Xandar
    • The Nova Corps
    • Richard Rider
    • Mar-Vell
    • Phyla-Vell
    • Genis-Vell

    The Avengers: United They Stand Season 2

    The first season only introduced a handful of Avengers and the focus was on the West Coast team. A second season could add to the roster but its real purpose is to allow for an adaptation of Secret Invasion that involves the X-Men. Sure, that story was done in Avengers: EMH but it fits so well here and allows for an interesting path to Annihilation: Conquest being adapted as well. According to its creator, Brian Michael Bendis, Secret Invasion was the result of the Skrull homeworld being destroyed in Annihilation, so let Season 2 of The Avengers: United They Stand handle that story while working as a huge crossover while revealing that the Richard Rider who found himself back on Earth and involved in the battle was a Skrull.

    Fantastic Four Season 3

    Following the events of Secret Invasion and the revelation that the man Earth’s Mightiest Heroes thought to be Nova was a Skrull, the third season of Fantastic Four will open with an episode dedicated to recovering all heroes that had been simmed by the Skrulls. What a story Richard Rider will have to tell once he comes around. Told during an extended two-episode flashback, Rider, reunited with his brother Robbie, will detail his role as the central hero in the fight against the Phalanx and its leader, Ultron, following the fight against the Annihilation Wave. These episodes are a huge payoff from storylines set in motion both in the ’90s series and in the revival seasons. As the episodes draw to a close, Rider can reveal that as the war against the Phalanx came to an end, his ally Kl’rt alerted him that the Skrulls were planning to invade Earth and that as he attempted to return home to warn his friends, he was captured by the shapeshifting aliens.

    Annihilation: Conquest is arguably the best story in the Cosmic series and plays a pivotal role in the future of the universe. Should Marvel Animation be so inclined, they could use it to launch a Guardians of the Galaxy animated series that would be far different from the MCU’s live-action films and prior animated series featuring the team. The Guardians still have a major role to play in the next act.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in Fantastic Four Season 3
    • Zak-Del/Wraith
    • Robbie Rider

    X-Men ’97 Season 3

    Without knowing what stories Season 2 of X-Men ’97 will explore, we can’t really be sure how this will go but we’re just playing here so it’s fine. To keep things on track, Season 3 will need to bring back the Starjammers and update the story of Chris Summers, aka Corsair, to include his third son, Gabriel. A nice, three-episode arc could tell the Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire and put Emperor Vulcan on the throne just in time for a war.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in X-Men ’97 Season 3
    • Gabriel Summers/Vulcan

    Guardians of the Galaxy Season 1

    A brand new series with a heavy load to carry, Guardians of the Galaxy Season 1 can take a the majority of its episodes to get rolling and give the feel for the team before a two-episode adaptation of War of Kings. The Shi’ar, the Inhumans, the Starjammers and Blastaar, King of the Negative Zone, all get big payoffs in a crazy, all-out war that heavily involves the Guardians and Nova. The mid-season two-parter should leave audiences on a cliffhanger as the consequences of the war are made clear when Quasar’s exploration of “The Fault” leads to his disappearance.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy
    • The Fraternity of Raptors
    • The Universal Church of Truth

    The Incredible Hulk Season 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Season 1

    Quite a proposal here but if Marvel Animation could pull it off, it would be epic! While audiences have been following events of War of Kings in the middle of Season 1 of Guardians of the Galaxy, Season 3 of The Incredible Hulk will have been setting the stage and telling the tale of World War Hulk. Following the WWH story, an episode or two of The Incredible Hulk will be spent revisiting the planet of Sakaar and its people, including the Hulk’s two sons, Skaar and Hiro-Kala. The stage is now set for part of the story of Realm of Kings to be told in The Incredible Hulk and part to be told at the end of Season 1 of Guardians of the Galaxy.

    Key Characters and Places Introduced in The Incredible Hulk Season 3

    • Hiro-Kala

    Silver Surfer Season 3

    DnA’s Cosmic run ended with two limited runs: The Thanos Imperative and Annihilators. There’s no better place to tell these two stories than in the third season of Silver Surfer. By this point in time, all the main players for both stories are not only on the board but also incredibly well-developed. Characters such as Thanos, Adam Warlock, Ronan and Beta Ray Bill–who first appeared in the ’90s Silver Surfer series–all get major payoffs through the two stories and the audience gets to see one of the great Marvel Comics’ teams in action. While it marks the end of the great Cosmic confluence, a final episode “stinger” could reveal that Thanos is still alive and set the stage for a return to Earth-bound stories based on Jonathan Hickman‘s Infinity story.

    This is an ambitious road map, no doubt, and not something anyone should ever expect to see; however, it shines a light on the animation’s ability to adapt great Marvel Comics’ stories a little more faithfully and tell some of them that are likely not going to unfold in the MCU anytime soon…if ever.

  • Matt Shakman Rumored to Have Struck Fantastic Deal with Marvel Studios

    Matt Shakman Rumored to Have Struck Fantastic Deal with Marvel Studios

    Following his work on WandaVision, Marvel Studios turned to director Matt Shakman to take the lead on their Fantastic Four project when original helmer Jon Watts departed. With Fantastic Four now casting ahead of a 2024 start of production, news comes that Shakman may already be lined up for a pair of Marvel Studios projects in addition to the film.

    During a segment on the Hot Mic Podcast, Jeff Snieder indicated that Shakman may be Marvel Studios choice to lead a Disney Plus streaming series focused on the Silver Surfer and is lined up to direct a portion of the Disney Plus streaming series Vision Quest. While there has been no official word from Marvel Studios concerning a Silver Surfer project, a Special Presentation introducing the character has been rumored for some time . Vision Quest, on the other hand, is known to be in the works and is reportedly headed into production in 2024.

    Shakman has a strong background in TV beyond WandaVision, having worked on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Given Vision Quest is all but guaranteed to be a sequel to WandaVision, Shakman’s participation in the series would provide an opportunity for narrative continuity and consistency to be present in the new series.

    Source: YouTube

  • The Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V2

    The Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V2

    Trying to predict what 2025 might look like when changes to 2023 are still happening is just ridiculous! But here we go…

    *NOTE* we are no longer tracking animated projects nor including them on the hypothetical calendars.

    Though this has not been officially announced by Marvel Studios, rumors suggest that this is in the works and that it will stream on Disney Plus ahead of Fantastic Four. For now, Fantastic Four is slated for Valentine’s Day so giving the Sentinel of the Spaceways his own project a month or so out would allow plenty of time for audiences to get to know him.

    Fantastic Four was shuffled into 2025 since our last update, but with Matt Shakman on board to direct based on a script from Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, it seems like things are headed in the right direction! Fans are understandably hungry for this movie and by the time it releases, nearly 6 years will have passed since Kevin Feige announced it at SDCC ’19!

    Nova has a writer and is rumored to be a project that’s destined to become a Special Presentation. It’s time for The Man Called Nova to enter the MCU.

    Reiterating old news here, but way back in the day the word was that the studio expected whoever it was that ultimately took on the role of Kamala Khan to shoot Season 1, a movie and Season 2 all in a fairly short amount of time. Iman Vellani is that actress and she’s going to be pretty busy as it’s expected she’ll play a rather vital role in the overall story of the Multiverse Saga, too.

    This is one of the bolder moves on the calendar, but since it’s hypothetical, it doesn’t really matter. I know absolutely nothing about the plot of this movie and the only thing I’ve ever heard was that it would arrive before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Until I know something else, I’ll stick with that nugget. That means shuffling around the slate a bit and bumping The Kang Dynasty to a new spot even though Marvel Studios has it slated for May 2nd.

    Oscar Isaac and Mohamed Diab seem to want everyone to know a second season of Moon Knight is in the works and we believe it is. Logistically, placing it on the slate before The Kang Dynasty makes quite a bit of sense as it would allow the character to emerge from his own shadowy world into the larger shared universe and help audiences understand how he might get involved with the Avengers.

    Tom Holland will have a new deal with Sony and Marvel Studios. Spider-Man 4 is happening and some rumors suggest it could happen as soon as 2024. However, if it really will involved Daredevil and Kingpin, it will have to happen after Daredevil: Born Again streams on Disney Plus and as indicated in version 4 of our 2024 hypothetical calendar, that series may not roll out until mid-2024 and that would have a domino effect on this film. Sony’s done the July 4th long-weekend release before with Spider-Man: Far From Home, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them do it again. Of course, if they do release it then Marvel Studios would have to shuffle one of their release dates just a tad.

    Originally intended to be the May 2025 film, we’ve moved Avengers: The Kang Dynasty down the road a piece as a result of the shuffling of other projects. As it currently stands, August 1st isn’t even on the slate, but if Spidey 4 does drop in early July, Marvel Studios could push the July 25th date a week to let Spidey 4 do its thing before dropping the fifth Avengers film. One would think Spidey will certainly be in it, so having his story first is fine and all nonsense aside, it doesn’t matter when Marvel Studios releases this film. It’s going to make its money in any month on the calendar.

    As of our last update, this project was totally unknown, but given the rush to put together a writer’s room for it before the end of 2022, it would seem like a project that could easily stream on Disney Plus in 2025. We like to think of this one as a little Young Avengers, a little West Coast Avengers and a little “let’s keep Paul Bettany around because he’s that good.”

    This wasn’t even a film the last time we ran this exercise! As far as we know, the story of Armor Wars has always had a role in the Multiverse Saga so until we hear otherwise, the project will stay part of it even as the winds have shifted. Its connection to the events of Secret Invasion also helps us place it here, where it’s not too far away from the 2023 streaming series.

  • Quentin Tarantino’s Long History With Comic Book Movies

    Quentin Tarantino’s Long History With Comic Book Movies

    Quentin Tarantino, the acclaimed creative behind indie megahits like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, has been on a bit of a tear lately in regards to superhero cinema. A recent interview with the Los Angeles Times saw the director call filmmakers who work with Marvel Studios “hired hands“, and claim that modern auteurs like himself “can’t wait” for comic book movies to fail. Not long after, Tarantino continued his tirade to imply companies like Marvel Studios had killed the “movie star”, effectively making characters more famous than the actors who play them.

    This is, of course, not a surprising stance for the famously old-fashioned talent to take, but it is unexpectedly harsh for someone with a long history of almost working on comic-based projects. Throughout his career, Tarantino has been attached to four separate superhero adaptations and has admitted to using comic-adjacent concepts as the basis for some of his released projects. Kill Bill, one of Tarantino’s seminal works, famously includes a comic-inspired monologue, and the director is known to have rows of superhero books stored in his home. He even recently revealed that Inglorious Basterds, another fan favorite from his resume, was heavily inspired by Marvel’s Howling Commandos line from the 1940s.

    For what it’s worth, Tarantino does not seem to despise the idea of adapting comics. He once said that, in his 20s, the idea of making films based on his favorite superheroes was all he wanted to do, but that he’d since “grown out” of that phase and moved on to focusing on original concepts. It would appear that his true qualms with superhero adaptations stem more from their unexpected impact on the film industry, and his perception that they’re produced at a high rate with low quality. As such, it’s intriguing to look back on the films his name was once attached to, and ponder what could have been different in a world where Tarantino was among those who had left their mark on the history of superhero cinema.

    Luke Cage: Hero For Hire

    Perhaps the closest Tarantino ever came to actually making a Marvel movie. The Jackie Brown filmmaker spoke with MTV in 2013 and dropped the bombshell he had once actively attempted to get a Luke Cage: Hero For Hire film off the ground. He claimed the idea for the project came very early in his career after he completed production on his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. That puts Tarantino’s pitch somewhere around 1992, nearly a decade before Blade, Spider-Man, and X-Men put comic book movies back on the map, and a lifetime before Netflix’s Luke Cage series made the character a household name. At the time, Marvel Studios had not yet been created, so Cage’s film rights were among the countless of their kind being bounced from company to company. As it turns out, however, Tarantino nailed down their then-owner, and a potential star, in a strong effort to get Hero For Hire made:

    After ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ I had considered doing a ‘Luke Cage: Hero For Hire‘ movie. Ed Pressmanowned it at that time and we talked about it. And I talked with Larry Fishburne about being Luke Cage and he really liked  that idea.

    Quentin Tarantino

    In the same interview, Tarantino explained that Hero For Hire fell by the wayside when the idea for Pulp Fiction grabbed his attention. As time continued to slip by, Hero For Hire suffered a quiet creative death. Much later, in a 2020 podcast interview, Tarantino added that some of his geekier pals were to blame for the Luke Cage film’s demise. Apparently, they felt dramatic actor Laurence Fishburne was not suited for the title role and had pestered Tarantino about casting action star Wesley Snipes instead. Never a fan of being told what to do, the director said this back-and-forth “ruined the whole damn thing”, despite Cage being his “absolute hero” at the time. Ultimately, Tarantino said he felt like he “made the right choice” in committing to Pulp Fiction as his second feature.

    Silver Surfer

    Around the same time, after Reservoir Dogs and before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino is reported to have written a full-blown script for a film based on Marvel’s cosmic mascot, the Silver Surfer. What’s more, he supposedly brought the script to German studio Constantin Film, who owned the rights at that point. In the early 90s, several creatives saw the immense potential in a Silver Surfer adaptation, but most studios – Marvel included – felt there was no money to be made in Silver Surfer on the big screen. The visual effects required to bring a movie like that to life were considered too expensive, and as a result, every attempt to develop a cohesive film was shot down. This, unfortunately, included Tarantino’s treatment, which was supposedly around 500 pages long.

    Green Lantern & Iron Man

    Years later, after superhero films had gained steam but prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s emergence, Tarantino was offered two separate major adaptations from big-name studios. Green Lantern and Iron Man, both in varying stages of development in the late 2000s, were pitched to the Django Unchained director by their respective producers as his first tentpole picture. Obviously, he passed on both. While Tarantino has never publicly commented on his opportunity to bring Iron Man to life, which came at a time before the involvement of Robert Downey Jr. or any of the factors that eventually made it a huge hit, it likely came to him in a scenario similar to what he described for Green Lantern:

    I was offered the ‘Green Lantern’. Not since it’s been a script, but just like, ‘Hey we own the ‘Green Lantern.’ Would you like it?’

    Quentin Tarantino

    Again speaking to MTV, Tarantino conceded that, by the time Green Lantern and Iron Man arrived at his door, he had fully grown past his phase of wanting to adapt other people’s material. He elaborated, saying if he were to ever make a superhero film, it would have to be something entirely of his own design:

    It wouldn’t be an existing comic book character. I’m a writer. I’d want to use my imagination and not have to fight with geeks’ memories of how this character should be and, ‘Oh, I cast an actor as opposed to a bodybuilder’ or it’s not as good as the way Neal Adams drew him.’ If I were to do something like that, I would want the fun of coming up with the superhero myself.

    Quentin Tarantino

    With only one film left in his 10-film career plan, Tarantino will likely never make a superhero movie. Unless, of course, he decided he wanted to contribute to the trend, and use his imagination to show the current crop of directors how he thinks it should be done.

    Source(s): The Digital Fix, Screen Rant, MTV, The Hollywood Reporter, Indie Wire, Yahoo!, Comic Book Resources, The Los Angeles Times, 2 Bears, 1 Cave Podcast

  • 5 Marvel Comics Stories We’d Like to See Adapted for ‘Doctor Strange 3’

    5 Marvel Comics Stories We’d Like to See Adapted for ‘Doctor Strange 3’

    Doctor Strange: Into the Dark Dimension

    Doctor Strange #68 (1984)

    The contents of the mid-credit scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness give the impression that this is the direction Marvel Studios will take the threequel. However, we also all thought a Doctor Strange sequel would include 616 Mordo hunting sorcerers and we definitely didn’t get that.

    As Marvel Studios likes to do, they can lift the title right from an existing story. In 2011, Marvel Comics published a hardcover novel, written by Roger Stern, that saw Stephen Strange team up with Clea to overthrow her mother, Umar, in the Dark Dimension. The novel also included an appearance by the Black Knight and really laid out some nice mythology around his sword and the Dark Dimension. Of course, Marvel Studios isn’t much for direct adaptation, so there’s plenty of room to change it up, but a film that really explores the Dark Dimension and the nature of the Faltine could be quite a ride!

    Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme

    Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #80 (1995)

    With Clea making her way into the MCU, there’s really one other major character in Strange’s circle that feels like a must: Jericho Drumm. Brother Voodoo was rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but obviously never showed. It’s time to get him off the sidelines and, if you’re going to bring him in, you might as well do it right.

    Multiverse of Madness ends with Strange developing a particularly nasty case of an extra eye, thanks to his use of the Darkhold. Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme could be a really great cautionary tale about the warning issued by Mordo in the first film: the bill comes due. And in Strange’s case, the Vishanti are probably collecting.

    In the MCU’s present, Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme but fans have expected Strange to fill the role and eventually, he probably will. What would be fascinating would be for him to finally be named as Sorcerer Supreme only to have the title ripped away from him and handed over to another of Earth’s most powerful magic wielders: Jericho Drumm.

    Marvel Studios could adapt War of the Seven Spheres (making a few changes along the way of course) and introduce the major Mystic principalities of the multiverse. In that arc, Strange renounced his powers after refusing to participate in the War, causing him to be stripped of many of his powers. If that were to happen in the MCU, the Vishanti would need a new Sorcerer Supreme. It’s not as glamorous as some others on the list, but it could introduce some other magic users (Doctor Druid, Salome, Cadaver, Kaluu, and more) as avatars of the principalities and turn out to be a pretty trippy film.

    Strange Tales

    Doctor Strange #13 (2016)

    Multiverse of Madness included one very important detail about Stephen Strange’s origins that was cut from 2016’s Doctor Strange: the drowning death of his sister, Donna. While this might have seemed inconsequential, it could have been a hint to the future of the franchise. While this isn’t an adaptation of a specific arc, it’s absolutely bringing the comics to the screen.

    Scott Derrickson always wanted Nightmare to be part of the Strange franchise and, to be fair, he’s arguably one of Strange’s most important villains yet to be adapted. The film could see Strange haunted by nightmares of failing to save his sister, orchestrated by The Lord of Darkness. Parts of the film could visit the Dream Dimension, of which the Nightmare Realm is a corner ruled by Nightmare. It could also introduce Sleepwalker and allow for Sam Raimi to really continue to deal with some of the really off-the-wall visuals he dished out in Multiverse of Madness.

    Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment

    Marvel Graphic Novel #49 Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment (1989)

    An adaptation of the 1989 graphic novel Triumph and Torment would take the most set up ahead of its release, but it could also have the biggest payoff of any of the potential story lines Marvel Studios might adapt for Doctor Strange 3. Triumph and Torment sees Doctor Strange team up with one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful sorcerers: Victor Von Doom. The two good doctors, Strange and Doom, travel together to Hell to free the soul of Doom’s mother from her captor, Mephisto.

    As stated above, it would take some set up to get here, especially since Doom doesn’t exist in the MCU yet. Much like the do with the Fantastic Four, Marvel Studios has a big job to do in making sure that their version of Doom stands apart from Julian McMahon’s version and even farther apart from Toby Kebbell’s “Hacker Doom.” One way for them to ensure that is to develop the side of Doom’s character that Fox always ignored: his mastery of the mystic arts. Over the years, the retconning of Doom’s origin story has refined it into one of Marvel Comics’ most well-developed. If any villain deserves his origins to be told, it’s Doom, and Marvel Studios could do so through a D+ series that could serve as the precursor to this film. Of course, audiences who don’t watch it might miss out on a few finer points, but if they beginning of Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment explains that the two Doctors are headed to Hell to save Doom’s mom, it’ll be enough. Assuming Benedict Cumberbatch isn’t going to be around the MCU forever, this is the chance for the MCU to team up two major mystical powerhouses and bring one of Roger Stern’s best stories to the screen.

    Doctor Strange and The Defenders

    The Defenders #3 (1972)

    I’ll never NOT want to see the original comic book Defenders lineup together on screen. By the time a third Doctor Strange film heads to theaters, the trio that first formed the Defenders in the early 1970s will all have been introduced into the MCU, with Namor set to debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year. Clea and Valkyrie, who were also often members of the non-team, are also on the board, leaving only really the Silver Surfer as a well-known member who isn’t quite yet primed to appear.

    If Raimi is going to return for the third film, the original Defenders’ arc (which was spread out over issues of Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, and The Incredible Hulk) would be easily adapted and allow Raimi to work with the Lovecraftian concepts that inspired him to make Within the Woods (which allowed him to make The Evil Dead) and that he revisited in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In that arc, the Defenders came together to battle an invasion of the Undying Ones, a collection of ancient demons who existed between worlds and served The Nameless One. Adapting the arc would even allow for Raimi to introduce the MCU’s version of the Necronomicon, which would serve as the bridge from Strange to Namor, whose people could have a history with either the book or the Undying Ones themselves.

  • Twelve Days of X-Mas, Day 7: ‘SILVER SURFER’

    Welcome to another installment of what I hope is an enjoyable, extended look at a series of films that I’d like to see used as a way to bring the X-Men and Fantastic Four universes into the MCU. I’ve spent a troubling amount of time in my own mind thinking about this and figured that if I was going to spend that much time, I might as well write it up and feel accomplished! In doing so, I know that I’ll push some buttons with some readers, so let’s be clear about a few things: these are only MY ideas and do not, in any way, represent insight into what we should expect; of all the films I end up writing about, there’s a very small chance ANY of them get made; you’re free to write your own fan-fiction about films you want to see.

    With so much time between now and when we will first see the X-Men enter the MCU, there’s a lot of time for things to change (including my own mind); however, this “blueprint” is my current idea and one that I’ve attempted to base both in the kind of decisions Marvel Studios has made to date and on the types of changes we’ve seen recently. Unfortunately, in writing these I’ve discovered I am NOT cut out to do screenplays, so some of these  stray from convention in a few ways.

    In the first installment, I took at look at how The Starjammers could potentially kick off Marvel Studios’ inclusion of the X-Men characters into the MCU. Then I took a shot at introducing Charles Xavier to the world and explaining just why he needed the X-Men in the first place. Next, we introduced arguably Marvel’s greatest character, Victor von Doom. We then caught up on the adventures of Corsair and crew and met the poweful Shi’ar Imperial Guard. We finally gave Marvel’s first family the film they deserve and then brought the X-Men into the MCU, making good on our several movie long build up to a true-to-comics Scott Summers. Today, for our 7th day, we are taking a trip into the cosmos and discovering the origins of one of Marvel’s most powerful players: the Silver Surfer.

    This is one that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since the deal went down. In my head, Taika Waititi in charge of this film would make it one of the great space adventure films of all times. While this story has some pretty serious bits to it, Waititi is the one guy who could make Surfer’s trip through the Cosmos a must see for me. Once again, I’m going with a less is more approach, so forgive the jumps; they’re there for your convenience and to make the reads a bit easier.

    The thing I love most about this film is that while it’s going to be Norrin Radd’s story (a story worth telling as much as anyone’s), it’s going to take us back to the beginning of time in the MCU and it’s going to be Galactus’ story as well. This is VERY unconventional film as well because it’s going to tell the tales of two men (humanoid beings at least) whose similar decisions in similar circumstances intertwine their fates. There’s a villain in here, but it’s not one they’ll fight in this movie. In this movie, the conflict is with nature: the unforgiving nature of the universe itself. This is Marvel Studios The Martian or Apollo 13 or whatever other film you like in which man isn’t fighting man; this film is about what happens when the universe puts up a fight. In that scenario, you may fight back, but you’re going to lose something.

    We’ve begun to get a sense of just how old the universe might be, but this film is going to show us the day it all began and for that, we start our story on the planet Taa, in a time before our time began…

    Immediately upon seeing Taa we realize it is utopia. A perfect paradise that represents the pinnacle of potential and progress. It’s citizens travel in spheres that seem to be created by their thoughts and the landscape seems ever changing (thanks for writing that, Stan Lee!…Thor #169). Even in a place like Taa, where everyone and everything is magnificent, there are those that rise even higher and in this place that being’s name is Galan.

    A man of science, Galan has held grim news from his people for some time, but his conscience tells him that the time for secrets is gone. For years he’s seen the evidence, seen life around the universe die out as it contracts upon itself and he’s hoped to find a way to save the people of Taa from the same fate. At this time, Galan and his fellow sciencemasters realize there is no hope in staying where they are: EVERYTHING DIES. If they stay, they die, but Galan believes that if they could find the center point of the contraction of this universe, they could possibly survive into the expansion of a new one and so they begin construction of a “life raft” meant to shield them from the enormous energies that will surround them. With the life raft complete, a group of them make their way into the center of the universe and we can pretend things looked good for a minute, until the inevitable happened. As the ship and his people are destroyed, Galan feels something else, something different pulling at him and as he lets go, we cut to black.

    As the lens reopens, we are returned to utopia but as the camera works its way through the surface of this planet, we see it is not Taa at all: we are on Zenn-La, more than one billion years after the destruction of Taa. We learn that Zenn-La is everything Taa was. With their civilization at it’s peak, Zenn-Lavians, unlike the people of Taa, had given up their quest for knowledge, believing the pursuit of advancement trivial when they had so much already. Instead, the Zenn-Lavians preferred more hedonistic pursuits and spent their time chasing their own happiness. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and so it’s here we meet our hero, Norrin Raad, perhaps the noblest soul in the entire universe and one that longs for escape and adventure. Sparing you some time here, we’ll meet all the key Zenn-Lavians, most importantly, Shalla-Bal, Raad’s lover, and all the key details including how Norrin’s father, Jartran, was given the Copernicus treatment for his theory that this universe was but one of many in a true multiverse, and then took his life. And of course, we get to know Radd, so full of wisdom yet so bereft of experiences, and truly discover his love for Bal.

    Surely there are no souls more desirable to the demon Mephisto than those as noble as the soul of Norrin Raad and so, once again, we see the demon in Hell, in the presence of many poor tormented souls, including Raad’s father. In a flash, Mephisto reveals himself to Raad, who is busily reading yet another story of a past in which Zenn-Lavians sought adventure. Curiously, Raad’s conversation with the demon reveals this is not their first encounter and though Mephisto offers him several deals, including the return of his father, in exchange for his own soul, Raad dismisses the demon again, telling him to torment someone else. As Mephisto disappears, all seems well on Zenn-La in the year 1900.

    A ship moves through space. It isn’t until a planet comes into view with it that we get a sense for the sheer size of it as it dwarfs the planet. A technological wonder, Taa II hovers above the gasesous dwarf planet for a moment before, pulling away. Inside the ship, a nearly 30 foot being storms away to sit. As he removes his very distinct helmet, we recognize the face of Galen, but much else has changed. We learn from his ship’s log that it’s been some time since they found a suitable planet to which Galen replies, “I know. Galactus hungers!” Time to save time again! I want to catch up on how Galen became Galactus and do it some justice without doing too much. Most importantly, I want to explain how and why Galactus exists and flashbacks to when the Fallen One was his herald and to set up the fact he does not have one now. As we cut back to the present (I guess it’s actually the past), Taa II sets its sights on Zenn-La.

    Zenn-Lavians had long since forgotten how to defend themselves and what weapons they did have proved futile as Taa II set up in orbit. Galactus emerges, briefly touching the surface of the planet. As he does, an entire ocean dries up, and Galactus seems pleased and returns to his ship. As he uses a machine on his ship to begin converting the planet to the energy he must consume, Norrin Raad realizes that this is the moment for which he’s been longing his entire life. He enters a shuttle and approaches Taa II and as the camera pans away, we notice he’s attracted an interested observer: Mephisto.

    Raad approaches Galactus who after failing to recognize him, attempts to dismiss him. Raad begs him to explain why he is doing this and why an entire civilization must die. Galactus, reminded of his own origins, pauses and reflects on the oath he once made to himself to feed only on planets where no sentient life existed; however, Galactus hungers and he must eat and he explains this to Raad. Raad quickly and easily makes the deal he never made with Mephisto because Galactus offers the one thing Mephisto never did: the survival of his people and, above all, Shalla-Bal. As Mephisto leaves, Galactus imbues Raad with the Power Cosmic: the Silver Surfer is born!

    In the order of saving time, we’ll see nearly 100 years of Silver Surfer adventures, allowing Raad to explore the cosmos and become the adventurer he always wished to be. Early on, Raad would return to Zenn-La while his master was full and visited with Shalla-Bal, but as time went on, his master used his powers to make him forget about his home and his love and his sense of adventure and wonder: the Surfer was little more than another slave to the hunger of Galactus. Though he knew Raad untouchable under the eye of Galactus, Mephisto never quit watching and it was, with one eye on the long game, that he approached Shalla-Bal, who still pined for the return of her lost love and so a deal was made: Mephisto would return her love to her side in exchange for the price of her own soul at the time of her death.

    As we move towards the the end credits, we see the Surfer as he speeds into a familiar spiral galaxy.

    Post-Credit Scene #1: Earth. The Baxter Building.

    Post-Credit Scene #2: Elsewhere…We see the manifestation of the cosmic being known as Eternity. Inside of it, a great darkness grows.

    Post-Credit Scene #3: Elsewhere yet…in a space seemingly between spaces, sits a prison cell. Inside the cell sits a massive being, completely different from anything we’ve seen, composed of dark matter: the Fallen One.

    Fan Cast: There are two roles that I can see people in here. I love Joel Edgerton as the Surfer. He’s got the perfect bone structure and soft spoken nature. I know it’ll be heavy CGI, but with the advances they’ve made in make-up (look how good Nebula looked in GotG Vol. 2), you could get away with some of that. If not, he’d still be just great as Raad. As far as Galactus, call me crazy but I love Ralph Fiennes for it!

    Thanks for hanging in thus far! Tomorrow we’ll reunite the Summers family and wrap up the Starjammers triology!

    The Silver Surfer and Galactus will return!