Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV Features

  • Theory Thursday: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Lead to an Incursion

    Theory Thursday: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Lead to an Incursion

    Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel, entitled “Destined”, made it clear that Kamala Khan will be involved in much more than street-level threats. The young hero clearly has connections to universe and multiverse-spanning abilities and those seem related heavily to her family history. In essence, Ms. Marvel may be opening a very large door into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline. In particular, Episode 3 gave hints that the events of the series could lead to an incursion and tie into a future Secret Wars adaptation. 

    Ms. Marvel’s third episode opened with quite the bombardment of new, cosmic-level information and stakes. Najma, Kamran’s mother, reveals to Kamala that the Clandestines are Djinn from a place they refer to as the Noor Dimension. She also tells Kamala that Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha was also Djinn and that the group was exiled from the Noor Dimension and was trying to use Kamala’s bangle as a way to get back. While Najma is clearly an antagonist and some of the details should not be taken at full face value, the lingering implication is that Kamala has the power to create the means for inter-dimensional travel. 

    Ms. Marvel #16 (2015)

    The last time we got to explore multiple realities was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There, we first learn that incursions are happening to some extent throughout the multiverse. Incursions are essentially the colliding of two realities that—as described by Earth-838’s Reed Richards—ultimately lead to the destruction of one or both. We do not know much about incursions, other than that a multiverse-traveling sorcerer can cause one by leaving too much of a footprint in another universe. In Ms. Marvel, the Clandestines are implying that inter-dimensional travel could be at play, which may implicate some of the forces behind incursions.

    Still, Kamala’s abilities are mysterious. When she confides in Bruno about the Clandestines and her plan, his research (based on scholarship by Thor’s Dr. Eric Selvig) leads him to believe that she would essentially need the power equivalent to that of the sun to actually make it happen. In other words, he warns her that “if you help them go home, some things might go boom.” The foreshadowing of destruction certainly brings to mind the idea of the demolition of a dimension or universe. To be fair, the MCU has not been overly clear as to the distinction, if any, between other “dimensions” and “universes”, but the same logic might apply. 

    Ms. Marvel #19 (2015)

    By the end of the series, the inter-dimensional and/or multiversal implications of Ms. Marvel could very well lead to this sort of “boom” Bruno warned Kamala about, and there is plenty of reason to think that the fallout could be an incursion. In the comics, the Secret Wars (2015) storyline was a major influence on Kamala’s story early on. She actually first meets Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel in the lead-up to the final incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Considering an adaptation of Secret Wars has been hinted at in the MCU for quite some time, incursion-related consequences stemming from Ms. Marvel could easily go on to influence The Marvels and an eventual Secret Wars. 

    There are still numerous mysteries to be explored in Ms. Marvel, and Kamala’s family history and connection to the bangle are sure to be big reveals. Considering that Kevin Feige recently promised fans that the direction of the MCU in Phase Four and beyond will soon become clear, Ms. Marvel may very well be laying more groundwork for a Secret Wars event in a direct way, coming right off of Multiverse of Madness. Whether she directly or indirectly causes an incursion herself is yet to be seen, but her presence in the universe is definitely cosmic. 

    The first three episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Easter Egg Opens a New MCU Mystery

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Easter Egg Opens a New MCU Mystery

    Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel, “Destined”, provided an interesting backstory for the bangle that has been at the center of all of Kamala’s adventures thus far. In the opening scene of the episode, a flashback to the early 1940s shows how the Clandestine, specifically Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha, came to be in possession of the bangle. It’s a very informative scene filled with details, including one that ties Ms. Marvel to Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.

    At around the 3:09 mark of the episode, as the Clandestine are discovered at the underground vault by British soldiers, an overhead shot established that this vault seemingly belonged to Wenwu’s Ten Rings as the organization’s symbol is clearly seen carved into the ground.

    As established in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, Wenwu existed roughly one thousand years before the MCU’s present-day and conquered most of Asia, so there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t have made his way to India during that time. Whether or not the blue alien in possession of the bangle came to the vault before or after it was abandoned by the Ten Rings and what else he may have had with him is relevant both to Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi.

    The story of how exactly Wenwu came into possession of the Ten Rings is left intentionally vague, seemingly meant to set up the uncertainty of who or what is being hailed by the rings in the mid-credit scene to Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Could Kamala’s bangle be tied to Shang-Chi’s ten rings? Could this be the “tomb” where Wenwu originally found them? Both artifacts certainly seem alien in nature and grant their users extraordinary power.

    Unfortunately, for now, it seems like fans are left with more questions than answers. The logo could be nothing more than an Easter egg that fits so well given the long lives of both Wenwu and the Clandestine. However, it’s equally possible that its presence in Ms. Marvel hints at a larger mystery that might bring Kamala into Shang-Chi’s world before too long.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3 Primer

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3 Primer

    Episode 2 of Ms. Marvel, “Crushed”, was a very exciting episode. As Kamala comes to understand what her new powers can do, she learns from Bruno that her powers don’t come from the bangle, but that the bangle just triggers something already inside of her. Just as all that starts to come together, Kamala runs into the new kid at school named Kamran. Kamala starts crushing on Kamran immediately, making Bruno more than a little jealous.

    The episode also makes good on the post-credit scene from the first episode that showed the Department of Damage Control taking an interest in Kamala. When Kamala saves a little boy, showcasing her superpowers once again, she not only gets the DODC’s attention again but also has a vision of a lady holding her hand out to her. At the very end of the episode, when Kamran helps Kamala escape the DODC, it’s revealed that this mysterious lady is actually Kamran’s mom.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    Why she was having visions about Kamran’s mom? Well, we don’t know but if I had to guess I think it might be because it is actually also Kamala’s great-grandmother, whose life story was at the center of much of Episode 2. It would be weird if she was just having visions about a random lady, but it would make sense that she would have visions about her if she had the bracelet before, too. In this next episode, I believe that her great-grandmother will explain everything to Kamala. She will help her understand her powers a little bit more and why she has been in her visions.

    The next episode of Ms. Marvel will stream tomorrow!

  • THEORY: Wonder Man Will Make His MCU Debut in ‘Thunderbolts’ 

    THEORY: Wonder Man Will Make His MCU Debut in ‘Thunderbolts’ 

    Wonder Man is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his arrival might be a lot sooner than expected. The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Thursday that Community writer Andrew Guest and Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton will team up to give Simon Williams his own series on Disney+. Cameras are reportedly set to begin rolling in 2023, meaning fans can likely expect the character to make his live-action debut sometime in the following year. Although, should Marvel be inclined to have a little fun with the character’s origin, it’s possible audiences actually see Wonder Man in theaters by the end of next year.

    Early reports indicate the Wonder Man series will focus on his well-known career in Hollywood, an aspect of the character that has been a staple since it was introduced in the early 1980’s. At the time, after years of internal conflict and uncertainty about his future, Williams took his talents to Los Angeles and began an acting career, becoming known for performing dangerous stunts that only his invulnerable body could withstand. Despite this intriguing turn of events, however, Wonder Man has decades of material to work with pre-Hollywood. The character has existed since 1964, when he was introduced in The Avengers #9 as a new member of the Masters of Evil.

    Before he was a hero, Williams was the son of industrialist Sanford Williams, a rival of the world-famous Tony Stark. After his father’s death, Simon is outmatched by Stark and fears he’ll lose his family’s business, an anxiety that results in an ill-advised embezzlement scheme brought on by his villainous brother, Eric (a.k.a. the Grim Reaper). As it goes, Williams is caught, and is sent to prison with a hatred for Stark and his “bodyguard” Iron Man. Seeing an opportunity, Baron Zemo and the Enchantress, the two leading members of the Masters of Evil, spring Williams and offer him a deal – they turn him into a being with enough power to vanquish Stark and the Avengers, and he saves his company and gets revenge on the man who wronged him. Williams accepts, and an experimental procedure turns him into the ion-fueled superbeing known as Wonder Man.

    Of course, Williams quickly sees the wrong in this and reforms, but the brief antagonistic period of his life is perhaps among his most compelling eras. It would be a shame for the MCU to skip over this origin and jump straight to his days on the big screen. Luckily, a major project announced just days ago could very well be hiding its own Wonderous secret that allows for Simon’s story to be told in full. Thunderbolts, a film based on the team of supervillains who masquerade as heroes, was announced as being in development last Thursday by Variety. This is relevant to the Wonder Man conversation for one big, charming, fan-favorite reason: Baron Helmut Zemo, bad guy extraordinaire.

    As previously mentioned, Zemo played a big role in the creation of Wonder Man. He was the man responsible for the whole ion-human ordeal, and decades later, he would also be the person responsible for founding the anti-heroic Thunderbolts. It’s expected that Daniel Bruhl will reprise his role as the MCU’s take on Zemo in Thunderbolts, potentially leading a team comprised of members recruited by Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Contessa Val over the course of multiple Phase Four projects. The names linked to the Thunderbolts thus far give away a possible link to another team of Marvel characters assembled in the late 2000s, known as the Dark Avengers. That group, formed by Norman Osborn, was also a team of supervillains pretending to be good guys, but had each member take over the mantle of a pre-existing Avenger. For example, Venom took on the Spider-Man role while Bullseye wore Hawkeye’s classic costume. With Florence Pugh‘s Black Widow and Wyatt Russell‘s U.S. Agent already on the payroll, it seems completely believable that the MCU’s Thunderbolts might be some kind of amalgamation of the original comic book team and the Dark Avengers concept.

    Running through the potential roster, the MCU Thunderbolts already have their own Captain America and Black Widow, a Hulk in Tim Roth‘s Abomination, and probably even a Vision replacement with Hannah John-Kamen‘s Ghost. Regardless of all this, they lack an equivalent to the most powerful current Avenger, Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel. In the same way the Masters of Evil once had Simon Williams infiltrate the Avengers with malicious intent, the MCU could have Zemo and Val offering a disgruntled Williams the chance to shine by succumbing to a new, experimental procedure that might turn him into Captain Marvel’s equal. In case anyone is confused at this point, the suggestion here is that audiences may very well see Wonder Man’s origin play out in Thunderbolts before he makes the jump to his own spin-off series.

    The timing of the two projects’ filming lines up well enough. It’s not confirmed when Thunderbolts will start production, but if Jake Schreier‘s project starts filming in Summer 2023, it would be on track for a mid-2024 release. As is often the case, the turn-around time on television projects tends to be quicker than with film, so if Wonder Man also begins filming around this date, or even slightly after, it could work out that the latter releases just after Thunderbolts and acts as a direct spin-off. The two could even film in tandem, as a way to more effectively utilize the time of some very busy leads like Bruhl and Pugh.

    This could also be a way for Marvel to include more characters from its larger repertoire. Wonder Man’s comic origin heavily features the original Enchantress, and if Marvel Studios wanted to follow suit, they could bring Sophia Di Martino‘s Sylvie into the fold as the Thunderbolts’ Asgardian representative. On top of this, Wonder Man will almost certainly feature Eric Williams in a supporting role, and the baddie brother of the Williams family could pop up alongside Simon in Thunderbolts initially, before terrorizing the world as Grim Reaper later. Maybe it’s an encounter with Zemo or Val in Thunderbolts that gets those Villainous wheels turning in the first place. Either way, the potential for an easy, world-building crossover is there, and it seems too good for Marvel Studios not to capitalize on while the getting is good.

    Special shoutout to Maggie from Collider for helping to build out this theory!

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 2 Primer

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 2 Primer

    This first episode of Ms. Marvel, “Generation Why”, was incredibly relatable to most teens. The first episode introduced Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani girl, who is obsessed with the superheroes that saved Earth, especially Carol Danvers. She lives a typical teenage life and has a loving- and hilarious-family. While her mother is very conservative and her father is a bit disconnected, they love her very much. Kamala has two best friends, Bruno and Nakia, and seems to spend most of her time at school (all the time really) with her head in the clouds, daydreaming about and doodling superheroes. Day to day, she lives a pretty ordinary life and goes mostly unnoticed.

    That all begins to change quickly once Kamala finds this a bangle that her Grandma gifted her. Kamala and Bruno have been looking forward to AvengerCon and Kamala has spent a lot of effort on her Captain Marvel costume. She needs just one final piece of flair and the bangle is it! Unfortunately, while Kamala’s mother is fine with Kamala going to the Con, she has a problem with her costume: she thinks that it is too skimpy. Because of this, her mother refuses to let her go, so Kamala had to sneak off to the convention. During the convention, Kamala went on stage for a costume contest. As soon as she puts the bangle on, her powers start to show and she immediately has what’s maybe a vision (?) of what looks like hundreds of people walking in a crowd. On stage, her powers are totally unleashed and since she has no control of them, she accidentally puts one of the “cool kids” from her school in danger before saving her with a pretty cool “stretchy arm” that looks like her powers from the comics.

    The big question is obviously why Kamala’s grandmother had a bangle that unlocked super powers just sitting around in a box of stuff. Does the bangle give Kamala the powers? Does the bangle activate powers Kamala already had? In the comics, Kamala was an Inhuman whose powers were activated accidentally. While she’s different in the show, it seems like that part could stay the same. It definitely feels like there’s some connection between the powers and Kamala’s heritage.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    The next episode will definitely see Kamala explore her powers a little more. I’m a teenage girl who loves Marvel movies and the heroes. If I suddenly had powers, I’d spend all kinds of time trying to figure out how they work and see what cool stuff I could do! I also think that she will be in quite some trouble for sneaking out to the convention.

    Episode 2 of Ms. Marvel streams tomorrow on Disney Plus.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Reveals What the Public Does (and Does NOT) Know About the Battle for Earth

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Reveals What the Public Does (and Does NOT) Know About the Battle for Earth

    The newest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ms. Marvel, has made its debut on Disney+. While there is plenty to unpack about the first episode, the charming opening scene brought back questions that have been on the minds of MCU fans since 2019. What do the ordinary people of Earth know about the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame? It is something that has never been directly dealt with, and we have received bits and pieces about it since Spider-Man: Far From Home. But the first episode of Ms. Marvel gave viewers a few more answers.

    The animated opening montage features Kamala Khan’s own reenactment of the final battle of Endgame, apparently termed the “Battle of Earth.” So clearly, the citizens know a good amount about what transpired there—the Avengers fought Thanos, who was trying to use the stones. Even the detail as to Captain Marvel coming in last minute and punching Thanos in the face is common knowledge. How did people even come to learn those kinds of details?

    Far From Home offers one answer to that question. From glimpses of airplane movie options, there were documentaries about “The Snap” floating around. So the Avengers must have made some of their knowledge of the Battle for Earth available to the public. It also stands to reason that those who did survive the Blip would have been given some sort of explanation as to why half of Earth’s population disappeared all at once. So half of the planet post-Endgame likely already had information about Thanos and the stones for years. 

    The Battle of Earth took place without warning and out of the public eye, so it did not seem observable. It is possible that there could have been satellite imagery or that Stark Tech could have recorded parts of the battle, which would make the most sense in terms of the public knowing precise details of the battle, as noted in WandaVision. But Kamala revealed that Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, is a frequent guest on podcasts where he would be interviewed about the battle. So, details about who did what during the fight may make their way to the public from things like that as well. Still, if Scott Lang is a major source of what the public knows, it might make us question the accuracy or version of the main version story circulating.

    So there are some obvious ways that citizens of Earth came to learn some of the information, but just how much do they know? This might be a little trickier, because they certainly do not know every detail of Infinity War and Endgame, and there are good reasons for that. On one hand, they clearly seem to know about Thanos and the Infinity Stones, so information on basic Infinity Gauntlet assembly is probably out there. The public deserved an explanation of what had happened, so this makes sense.

    But they probably were not told in detail about how there are universal threats that could annihilate them at any moment. Do they know what happened to the Stones after the Battle of Earth? This is unclear. Considering it would be worrying to think that the Stones were all still floating around, the public was probably told they were destroyed. But past that, it would be surprising if they knew much more. 

    For them to know that the Stones were returned to their original timelines, ordinary citizens would have to know that the Avengers invented and used time travel, which is knowledge they almost certainly do NOT possess. If time travel was common knowledge, there would surely be more interest in it. And if they knew about it, they would have to completely understand the mechanics of it for there not to be a segment of the population demanding it be used to fix certain events, like the Blip. Plus, it was not fully understood by the Avengers themselves, and a true understanding of it would lead to discussions of the multiverse. Peter Parker, who surely has a bit more information about how the Blip was reversed than others, was shocked that the multiverse was real in Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

    The public knows that Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark sacrificed themselves, but questions would seem to linger about the fate of Steve Rogers. No one seems to believe he is dead, and Sam Wilson was asked in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier if the rumors of Rogers living on the moon were real. Ordinary citizens likely do not know that he aged dramatically, either, as it has never been mentioned and that would potentially require them to know about the time travel. 

    Lastly, will the public learn more as time goes on? The easy answer is yes, as naturally more information comes out over time. But will anything major or of consequence be revealed within the MCU to ordinary people? Probably not, with the exception of Steve Rogers. The MCU does not seem to be wrestling with the concept of keeping certain things from the public. But considering the viewers have yet to find out what happened to Rogers after Endgame, it is possible that the greater reveal (if ever) of that could be simultaneous to the real world and MCU people. For example, if we find out he died or has been dead, we might learn because the public learns and mourns. However, if we find out he has been a secret moon agent, that might remain a secret. 

    You can watch Kamala’s reenactment of the Battle of Earth in the first episode of Ms. Marvel, now streaming exclusively on Disney+. 

  • Creature Comandos

    Creature Comandos

    Premiere: December 5, 2024

    The first project to be given the green light by co-chairs Peter Safran and James Gunn’s DC Studios, Creature Commandos is a seven-episode animated series slated to be released on Max in 2024. , Creature Commandos is already in production working off scripts by Gunn. Safran stated that he was “staggered at the caliber of the scripts” adding “we’ll see how everything else comes, but the screenplays are amazing.“ Based on a comic book team that included a gorgon, a werewolf, and Frankenstein’s monster going to battle in World War II, Gunn’s Creature Commandos will have a little different makeup and will be assembled by Amanda Waller.

    Cast

    • Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
    • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
    • Anya Chalorta as Circe
    • Sean Gunn as Weasel and G.I. Robot
    • Steve Agee as John Economos
    • Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic
    • Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky
    • David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein
    • Indira Varma as Bride of Frankenstein
    • Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorous
  • Waller

    Waller

    Premiere: TBD

    Waller, which was greenlit at WB before James Gunn and Peter Safran created DC Studios, will see the return of Viola Davis to the titular role that she first filled in 2016’s Suicide Squad.  Though it remains to see how it will fit into the all-new, all-different DCU, according to Safran, Waller set between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker and should hit Max before the release of Superman: Legacy.

    In March 2024, Gunn shared the news that the production of Waller had been delayed by the strikes, forcing a shift in production. The events of the series will not take place after Season 2 of Peacemaker.

    Cast

    • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
    • Steve Agee as John Economos
  • Paradise Lost

    Paradise Lost

    Premiere: TBD

    Described as a “Game of Thrones-ish” Max series set on Themyscira before the birth of Diana, Paradise Lost will delve into “the political intrigue behind a society of all women,” according to Peter Safran. While Wonder Woman is a big part of James Gunn‘s plans for the DCU, Paradise Lost is not expected to feature the character but rather serve as the origin story for the Amazons.

  • Booster Gold

    Booster Gold

    Premiere: TBD

    An outright comedy series being developed for Max, Booster Gold is the story of Michael Jon Carter, a character who both James Gunn and Peter Safran have described as “a loser from the future who uses his basic future technology to come back to today to pretend to be a superhero.” Traveling to the present day from the 25th Century, Carter “tries to use this future technology to be loved by the people of today,” according to Gunn who describes the show as “imposter syndrome as a superhero.”

    Cast

    • Unknown actor as Jon Michael Carter/Booster Gold