Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Spider-Man

  • Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie is an international superstar and, more recently, a Marvel superhero. The actress joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021’s Eternals as the semi-immortal warrior Thena, but as it turns out, this almost wasn’t her first venture into the world of Marvel comics. An upcoming novel by Sean O’Connell, titled With Great Power, gives some of the first in-depth details on the development of Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4, and may have revealed an alternate timeline where Jolie was attached as an original supervillain. It’s well-known that actor John Malkovich was in line to play the film’s main baddie, the Vulture, and that Anne Hathaway would have appeared as a new love interest for Tobey Maguire as the Black Cat. Now, it would seem Jolie was being sought by Sony to portray Adrian Toomes’ vengeful daughter – The Vulturess.

    According to an early access report from The Direct, the studio wanted the former Mr. & Mrs. Smith star to take over as the movie’s main villain after Malkovich‘s Vulture met an untimely demise. Jolie‘s unnamed potential character would have played a role throughout the film, as “an accomplished executive representing a venture capital firm that was trying to buy the Daily Bugle.” After her father’s death, presumably in the second act, Jolie would have put on the Vulture suit herself and taken up the mantle. Notably, this information falls in line with a longstanding rumor that Hathaway‘s Felicia Hardy would have been revealed as Toomes’ daughter and set up as the Vulturess instead of Black Cat. It’s unknown if Black Cat and the Vulturess were separate characters in the story, or if Hathaway simply slipped into Jolie‘s role when the part became vacant. Either way, it makes for a fascinating look into a world where Spider-Man 4 actually happened.

    Source: The Direct.

  • RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ May Feature 2 Familiar Spider-Men

    RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ May Feature 2 Familiar Spider-Men

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sadly got postponed into the next year, but it hasn’t lost any momentum in regards to what we can expect from the latest entry of the animated Spider-Man franchise. There have also been many theories that concepts like the Spider-Verse would simply open up the potential crossover with existing franchises from Sony’s hope to expand the license alongside their MCU counterpart.

    If a new rumor is to be believed, we may see at least two pre-established Spider-Men in the upcoming sequel. There seems to be an opportunity that the Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent of Peter Parker will appear though it’s unclear if Tom Holland will actually voice the character. What makes this interesting is that this would mark the first time he appeared in a Sony-developed project rather than one from Marvel Studios.

    The other returning face might be the one we met in Insomniac’s Spider-Man gaming franchise. The character was famously voiced by Yuri Lowenthal though his face design got changed in the remaster and Miles Morales spinoff. Supoposedly there have been ideas thrown on the table of also including other returning characters. Not only Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but also former animation voice actors Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes.

    They definitely would make for an interesting addition, especially if they might even offer Spider-Verse‘s Miles potentially entering live-action. There’s a lot of potential with this expansion and here’s hoping they make full use of it, as each universe also is set to be animated differently.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • ‘No Way Home’ Director Teases Spider-Man’s Unexplored Origin in the MCU

    ‘No Way Home’ Director Teases Spider-Man’s Unexplored Origin in the MCU

    The advantage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s introduction of Spider-Man was that we skipped a big part of his origin. Most viewers already know the story of a kid that was bit by a radioactive spider. So, it made sense not to retread the same ground that the previous two entries did. Yet, it seems that while they had an idea of how they’d set the origin o the character, but never truly worked out the details according to director Jon Watts in Sean O’Connell‘s new book With Great Power.

    I mean, God knows there would have to be something not unlike that, probably… But no, I wouldn’t say… I mean, I think he was bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip. We never talked about that either, but I think that’s what happened.

    Jon Watts

    It’s curious that they never set the idea of how he got his powers and does make you wonder if they are keeping it open to potentially explore it in the future. There are ties to the character of Silk that could potentially be explored if they wanted to return to the fateful day of the spider bite. Still, Watts was quite happy not to retread that same ground.

    It was just so nice to skip past it and just deal with more with the repercussions… and just explore it from the perspective of someone else finding out about it and having a lot of questions.

    Jon Watts

    That freedom definitely gave the trilogy a more distinct storyline, especially with how No Way Home essentially gave the MCU’s Spider-Man his Uncle Ben moment. While some hardcore fans weren’t the biggest fans of the character’s place in the bigger universe, it was a clever take on his mythos that combined older elements from the comics’ earlier days with some modern takes.

    Source: The Direct

  • Latest ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Conner

    Latest ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Conner

    We’ve gotten quite a few set photos from the sets of Madame Web but the latest batch might be our best looks yet. As shared by @DakotaJBRA on Twitter, more photos offer a clear look at the film’s main cast. We get a good look at Dakota Johnson‘s comic-inspired outfit as the leading lady herself while being joined by Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Connor, whose roles still haven’t been confirmed as of yet.

    We still know very little about the project,t but the set photos have teased that Madame Web is likely visiting Spider-Man’s home turf of New York City quite a bit. Of course, there’s the question of who might be their version of the character. Set photos that recently surfaced seemingly hinted at the adaptation of the character that may have a big role in the story, but there never was an official casting for a “Spider-Man” in the spinoff.

    Whatever they may be doing with this project, it could become their most unique take on a Spider-Man spinoff. Morbius didn’t quite pull in audiences as they hoped but perhaps a project that focuses primarily on the mythology based around the webhead could be something people would flock to theaters for. Here’s hoping that first trailer might be able to grab our attention and showcase what Sony has in store for us with this project.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Spider-Man’ Beyond ‘No Way Home’: A Balancing Act

    ‘Spider-Man’ Beyond ‘No Way Home’: A Balancing Act

    As Marvel Studios prepares its future phases and the Multiverse Saga, there is still one key character seemingly missing on the horizon. After making a massive splash at the box office during the pandemic, Spider-Man: No Way Home took our favorite wall-crawler to his limits as he faced Variants, tragedy, and a world that has forgotten who he is. It raised the question of what the future might have in store for him beyond the lurking Symbiote left behind by a multiversal visitor.

    The ending of that project highlighted a potentially new direction, as Spider-Man was no longer a well-recognized face without his mask. The entire world has forgotten Peter Parker and he’s lost everyone dear to him. Without Aunt May or his friends by his side, he now has to do his best to cover rent, follow up on his education, and balance life as Spider-Man. The future seems difficult and challenging for our favorite hero.

    At the same time, it opens up a new challenge for Marvel Studios and whoever may take over the franchise. While Spider-Man: Homecoming was a bit more grounded, he still was shackled under the shadow of his mentor and an Avenger. His first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had him take on Captain America, he would travel into space, take down Thanos alongside his army, fight fake elementals, join Nick Fury’s mission, and so much more.

    No Way Home brings magic and the multiverse to Spidey’s corner of the MCU, which seemed like the perfect high point for the development of this trilogy. Yet, it opens up the question of: where do you go now? Any higher and we might lose any fabric of what defines Spider-Man. We already had five films before this trilogy. So, it seemed fitting that they’d take him to new places and further explore his time in the comics, where he ended up getting wrapped up in other characters’ plots in various team-ups. Plus, if you introduce Peter Parker into the MCU, it comes with the territory.

    Yet, the answer is still not there for what to do next. A fourth entry is definite after the last film’s success and Sony’s ongoing deal with Marvel. They both want Tom Holland‘s take on the character to remain a sturdy figure in the franchise. With the ending of No Way Home leaving the young man on his own, it seems like perhaps the best strategy is to take a step back rather than continue to push forward. In a world without Avengers, there are no more ties to a bigger world but a whole new one to explore.

    Swinging throughout the snow-covered New York City, Peter is on his own. Yet, it comes with a new freedom that no longer sees him as part of what he once was. It seems fitting that perhaps his time in college also comes with a more grounded time as the wall-crawler. He’s no longer in a place where he has to face world-ending threats but rather help the locals. Everyone still remembers the webhead and he is no longer in a place where the Avengers will just call for him. Now, he has time to figure out his place in a world that doesn’t remember him.

    The sequel will likely be a story in a smaller scope even with the Symbiote on the horizon. Its tease actually sets up the perfect comic tribute with him potentially getting his hands on it during Avengers: Secret Wars as he did in the comic. We shouldn’t expect that storyline to instantly kick off, as Marvel Studios has a challenging balance to keep moving forward. We’ll see him in Avengers films but we’ll likely not see him in the same capacity as before.

    He’s no longer an Avenger and none of the remaining members would even know that he is Peter Parker. So, he’s just a guy in a costume that helped out. So, moving forward we’ll still have these bigger-than-life stories with Spider-Man but his own franchise will take that step back to ground him even more. The balance that Marvel Studios and Sony will have to balance moving forward is the very notion of his two worlds. No matter how you look at it, it’s going to be a tough balancing act, and either they once again restart a trilogy that continues to escalate or try to create a distinct line between Peter Parker’s two alter-egos: Spider-Man and forgotten Avenger.

  • Jacob Batalon Says He May “Not Necessarily Be a Part of” ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Jacob Batalon Says He May “Not Necessarily Be a Part of” ‘Spider-Man 4’

    While Tom Holland has yet to officially sign up for another solo Spidey adventure in the MCU, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made it clear to fans that they planned to continue collaborating with Sony to develop Spider-Man 4. The fourth installment of the franchise has been in active development for nearly a year, but short of Sony execs making it clear they want Holland, Zendaya and director Jon Watts back for the project, there’s been next to no news on the project made available to fans. And if one of the original trilogy’s stars is to be believed, the actors are in the same place.

    Actor Jacob Batalon, who played Peter’s best friend and man-in-the-chair, Ned Leeds, recently spoke with Collider and indicated that while he’s sure there will be a Spider-Man 4, he isn’t sure if there’s a part in it for him. Discussing the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw his character’s entire history with Peter wiped from his memory, Batalon described the conclusion as “poignant”, adding that it “ really puts an exclamation on the continuance of Spider-Man, but maybe not with us, and I think that’s a great thing. We may not necessarily be a part of it, in the end, but it was a beautiful ride anyway.”

    The film’s final scenes depict Peter moving on, creating a new, more comic-accurate suit and swinging above New York City during the holiday season, seemingly promising more adventures for the Wall-Crawler within the MCU, even without the word of Feige. But with Ned and Zendaya’s MJ no longer having their formerly strong relationship with Peter, it’s natural to wonder what role, if any, the characters might play. And given Ned’s importance to the first three films in the franchise, it would also be natural to think he’d have some sort of a heads up as to what the plans might be for his character. But according to Batalon, that’s not the case.

    I feel like actors are the last people to know. I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don’t know anything. But again, if it’s the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we’ve been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We’re open to the idea, but we’re not hoping for it.

    Jacob Batalon

    As Batalon points out, Marvel Studios actors are often thought to be dissembling, if not flat out lying, about their involvement in future projects, so he’ll have to forgive those of them who aren’t quite buying what he’s selling. That said, it’s hard to imagine a long-term plan for Spidey in the MCU that doesn’t eventually loop Ned back into Peter’s life…one way or another.

    Source: Collider

  • New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    While all eyes are on Marvel Studios, there are still quite a few projects over at Sony hoping to capture that same light. Morbius couldn’t quite keep the same momentum that Venom and its sequel did; leading to some uncertainty if they might shift their plans to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Still, they have projects in some form of production like Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web.

    The latter actually is currently filming and has many rumors surrounding what direction it might potentially take. While nothing has been confirmed, it definitely has a lot of hopes to tell a unique tale within the Spider-Verse but there has been a lack of updates. While nothing major, it seems that a new photo from Madame Web’s crew has found its way online featuring them wearing some crew merch with a new logo. The image has been shared by u/Parking-Balance111 on Reddit.

    The Madame Web crew and their hats from the movie MadameWeb
    byu/Parking-Balance111 inMarvelStudiosSpoilers

    It should be noted that crew merchandise isn’t something officially licensed by the studio. Commonly, it’s used as a thank you gift using elements from the Internet highlighting elements from the project. There’s some likelihood that this new logo is based on something someone found online. It’s unclear though if this is something used for the production crew while they are filming, or if it’s already a present as they slowly wrap up.

    Still, it’s great to see that filming is coming along. We’ll hopefully get some kind of hint at what exactly Sony is going for with Madame Web, especially with them giving a minor supporting character their entire film. It still feels uncertain what Sony is going for, as they still never confirmed which Spider-Man is part of their universe and what they hope to accomplish besides a potential Sinister Six team-up, as hinted in Morbius‘ post-credit sequence.

    Source: Reddit

  • RUMOR: New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Funkos to Include All 3 Spideys

    RUMOR: New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Funkos to Include All 3 Spideys

    Sony probably was quite excited when they saw the hype surrounding the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home. They were fan favorites for a reason and if they didn’t have to keep it a secret, the marketing executives probably would’ve been quite happy to get merchandise ready just in time to bank on that hype. Yet, the wait was a long one for anything related to the two characters.

    Luckily, there’s a chance that Funko Pop collectors might be able to get their hands on Peter 2 and Peter 3, as @mariobros612TWT has shared that a new line of Funko’s from that film is going to get released. These will feature some exclusives but it does seem like all three Spider-Men are getting their own Funkos alongside Green Goblin with a pumpkin bomb.

    It’s hilarious that Ned Leeds is also getting his own Funko just for the few seconds the Cloak of Levitation helped him out, but it feels perfect for those that want something a little unexpected in their collection. It’s great to see some additional Funkos in production and if they had these planned for the initial premiere, they’d likely have leaked early on confirming the many rumors already making the rounds.

    Source: Twitter

  • Sony Delays ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Release Dates

    Sony Delays ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Release Dates

    It looks like we’ll have to wait just a little longer for the upcoming Marvel projects from Sony, as they have now pushed back quite a few releases. While they’ve also updated their upcoming schedule to include a new Karate Kid film, which we exclusively revealed just last month, and the sequel to Searching titled Missing (here’s hoping the third one is named Finding), it seems their various Marvel films have also been delayed.

    Kraven the Hunter is now eyeing a release on October 6th, 2023, quite a few months away from its initial January 13th release date that same year. It took over Madame Web‘s original release which is now scheduled for 2024 on February 16th. Both films are set to also screen in IMAX. The delay also affected one of its untitled Marvel films which were initially planned for June 7th, 2025 but it is now a July release. Some have theorized this might be the next Spider-Man MCU entry, but there hasn’t been an announcement so far.

    Sony is still moving forward with its projects even after Morbius didn’t quite make it the first two rounds it attempted in theaters. It’s uncertain how their relationship stands with Marvel and what the future has in store for Spider-Man. We haven’t heard anything about a new trilogy or even if the character will appear in Sony’s own universe. There are a lot of unknown variables at the moment and we can only hope that an update isn’t too far away.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ May Be Heading to Disney+ in October

    ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ May Be Heading to Disney+ in October

    It’s felt like half an eternity ago when Sony announced that they’ve made a deal with Marvel to release some of their projects on Disney+. The first-look deal with Netflix had many wondering if that limits what they’ll add in but slowly throughout the last few months, we saw the iconic Spider-Man franchise find its way home to Disney+. Now, one of the most popular animated shows is finally getting the same love.

    As shared by Discussing Film on Twitter, it looks like Spectacular Spider-Man‘s first season is heading to Disney+ on October 19th. There’s no word when we might expect the second season but there’s a chance that is still a few more months out. Its addition to Disney+ and the upcoming X-Men: The Animated Series revival might have many hoping that this could give the classic animated series another chance on the platform with a third season.

    Disney+ is “the Home of Marvel” according to Disney and they seemingly are trying to make sure every property under the sun ever produced with that brand makes it there. The Sony deal is the first time they’re able to bring Spider-Man back and the cooperation for the Home-themed trilogy definitely played a big part in that movement. Perhaps the fallout that almost sank No Way Home‘s original vision made their connection stronger and led to the current climate of these projects getting released on the platform.

    Source: Discussing Film