Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV Features

  • The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Agatha All Along’

    The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Agatha All Along’

    After stealing scene after scene alongside MCU veterans Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany the 2021 Disney Plus Streaming Series, WandaVision, Kathryn Hahn‘s wonderfully wicked Agatha Harkness is set to make her return in Agatha All Along. Hahn takes the lead in the nine-episode series which picks up right where the final episode of WandaVision, The Series Finale, left off: with a depowered Agatha trapped in a spell cast by Wanda that left her believing she was the most neighbor Agnes from the sitcom portion of the show. Challenged by a figure from her past to regain her strength, Agatha collects a coven of witches and sets out to travel the legendary Witches’ Road in hopes of taking back what was hers.

    As has become the norm, Agatha All Along will debut with two episodes before moving into the familiar weekly format. With the series premiere set for September 18th, it’s time to start prepping for launch and so, as is our way, we bring you…THE ULTIMATE LIST OF WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE AGATHA ALL ALONG.

    Tier One

    Getting yourself prepared to enjoy Agatha All Along is not quite the same titanic task as it has been with other Marvel Studios properties. Hahn‘s witch has only appeared in WandaVision and only one MCU project would seem directly related to what is expected to go down in Agatha All Along. Since we consider Tier One projects to be the bare minimum, non-negotiable prep, we have only selected two properties for your required reading.

    WandaVision (2021)
    wandavision agathe

    Excluding credits and recaps and other assorted business that’s part of every project, a full rewatch or first viewing of WandaVision will only take right around four and a half hours. The early episodes certainly set the stage for the series’ twists and turns and the back half of the season has all sorts of juicy bits that you might need to take in before watching Agatha All Along. Trailers for the series have made it clear that in addition to the difficulty of traveling the Witches’ Road, Agatha will be dealing with the repercussions of her wicked past. And if that’s not enough, it’s widely accepted that Joe Locke’s character, Teen, is the re-embodiment of Wanda’s son, Billy. Though Billy, and his brother Tommy, were magically created within the Westview Anomaly, aka The Hex, and disappeared when Wanda lifted her spell, they have had plenty to do with Wanda’s story and are very likely to play a large role again down the road.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

    The post-credit scene following Episode 9 of WandaVision, “The Series Finale”, showed Wanda studying an ancient text known as the Darkhold. The consequences of her time with the tome became clear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where it was revealed she had been corrupted by the book and been transformed into the Scarlet Witch.

    According to Wong, the “Scarlet Witch is a being of unfathomable magic” who “can rewrite reality as she chooses, and is prophesized to either rule or annihilate the cosmos.” In a Multiversal search for alternate-dimension Variants of her children, the Scarlet Witch used her power to Dreamwalk into other realities, threatening their existence. We know how it all ended but it is likely not to be the end of Wanda’s story and while it’s unclear exactly how much of this will be referenced in Agatha All Along, Wanda will absolutely have an impact on the series.

    Tier Two

    With so little connectivity to the rest of the MCU, Agatha All Along occupies rarified air. New fans often seem overwhelmed by the amount of work it would take to catch themselves up to speed on the MCU’s next big thing but, in the case of Agatha All Along, the two projects in Tier One are the only ones that are truly necessary. However, given that magic is the heart of the series, there are a couple of other projects that might add some context to the series or, at the very least, give viewers a more comprehensive view of how magic works within the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Thor (2011),Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
    thor 5

    Millenia before Agatha Harkness was doing her dirty work in Salem, the Asgardians began to study and understand how to harness the energies of the universe and use them to their advantage. Asgard itself was a blend of magic and technology and many Asgaridans, such as Frigga and Loki, were known to be powerful magic weilders. The Thor trilogy also includes multiple weapons, relics and other assorted artifacts that are enchanted via spells by Odin and, perhaps, others as well.

    Your ancestors called it magic and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they are one and the same thing.

    -Thor

    Watching the original Thor trilogy is certainly not necessary for fans to enjoy Agatha All Along but it does provide some historical context for magic within the MCU and features one of its most powerful practitioners in Loki. An argument could be made that if one was going to watch these films they could watch Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and both seasons of Loki; however, there’s probably enough to be gleaned from the first three films to satisfy the need.

    Doctor Strange (2016)

    Doctor Strange not only introduces the titular Doctor but also the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Hidden in Kamar-Taj and led by The Ancient One, the Masters of the Mystic Arts are an order of sorcerers, founded thousands of years ago by Agomottos, who have learned to harness the energies of the alternate universes to protect Earth from mystical threats.

    The language of the Mystic Arts is as old as civilization. The sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language ‘spells,’ but if that word offends your modern sensibilities, you can call it a program; the source code that shapes reality. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse to cast spells, to conjure shields and weapons, to make magic.

    -The Ancient One

    The film introduced different types of magic and warns against the use of many. There are some similarities between the way the Masters of the Mystic Arts harness and wield their magic and the way Agatha’s witchcraft is portrayed in WandaVision. If nothing else, Doctor Strange will open your third eye as to the great possibilities of magic used by humans.

    She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
    she hulk wong

    Any efforts to catch up on the use of magic in the Multiverse must include the latest adventures of the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616: Wong.

    I need to make an example of Donny Blaze. Set a precedent that no unlicensed persons ever attempt to practice the Mystic Arts again.

    -Wong

    Episodes 3, 4 and 9 of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law follow up on Wong’s friendship with Emil Blonsky–as first seen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings–and see the Sorcerer Supreme target Donny Blaze, a former student of Kamar-Taj who was expelled and now works as a stage magician. Wong crossed Blaze’s path when the latter opened a portal and sent Madisynn King to another dimension where she met a demon named Jake…

    Tier Three

    Tier Three inclusions are never, ever necessary for anyone to enjoy an upcoming MCU project but they can sometimes increase viewing pleasure by adding context, providing thematic connections or allowing viewers to watch films or shows that have inspired the creators of their new favorite Marvel thing! We’ve broken this very different Tier Three into two parts.

    Part 1: More MCU Magic

    While the Tier Two projects can help new viewers understand more about how magic works in the MCU, they are far from the only projects in which magic was used. To that end, we present a list of MCU projects in which magic played a role. NOTE: This list is intended to be comprehensive, however, if any projects have been left off please let us know and we’ll be happy to add them!

    • Avengers (2012)
    • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) mid-credit scene
    • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
    • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
    • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
    • Loki, Season 1 (2021)
    • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
    • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
    • Moon Knight (2022)
    • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
    • Loki, Season 2 (2023)

    Part 2: Other Inspiration

    As the press junkets and interviews used to promote Agatha All Along have started to emerge over the past few weeks, the cast and crew of the streaming series have named various projects that served as inspiration for the show.

    • The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    • Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
    • Poltergeist (1982)
    • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    • The Goonies (1985)
    • Hocus Pocus (1993)
    • The Craft (1996)
    • Practical Magic (1998)

    About Agatha All Along

    In addition to Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, with Debra Jo Rupp, with PattiLuPone, and Aubrey Plaza.

    In Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…

    The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Jac Schaeffer. In addition to series creator Schaeffer, episodes of Agatha All Along will be directed by Rachel Goldberg (Mayans M.C. and Gen V) and Gandja Monteiro (Wednesday, The Witcher and The Walking Dead: Dead City).

  • The Power 15 List: Which Franchises Have the Most Juice With Fans Right Now?

    The Power 15 List: Which Franchises Have the Most Juice With Fans Right Now?

    1. Marvel Cinematic Universe (Disney/Sony)

    On the heels of winning San Diego Comic-Con with the Avengers news that shook the fandom, and with a film at the box office in Deadpool and Wolverine which is breaking records, the MCU is riding high. And this weekend’s D23 event may provide an additional jolt of enthusiasm about the franchise. However, with only Agatha All Along on Disney Plus to sustain content appetites for the rest of the year, we can expect to see some loss of momentum, particularly when the next shoe drops with respect to the beleaguered Blade film.

      2. Game of Thrones (WBD)

      This weekend’s House of the Dragon finale will likely cap a season that undoubtedly restored the feeling for the television franchise that reigned over the monoculture like a Targaryen Dynasty. And with additional spinoffs in the works, all skepticism about sustainability has been melted away with dragon flame. Warner Brothers Discovery’s flagship franchise is flying high, and we continue to whistle that iconic theme.

      3. Star Wars (Disney)

      The mixed reaction to The Acolyte and the continuing Culture War noise surrounding this franchise have really left Star Wars vulnerable. A Skeleton Crew trailer release is imminent, and maybe an infusion of Stranger Things energy into the graying, embittered fandom will do it some good. This is a franchise built on childlike wonder, and much of the recent content has been lacking in that regard.

      4. The Boys (Amazon)

      Head-to-head against The Acolyte, the most recent season of The Boys held its own in terms of mindshare, and even though Season 4 didn’t hit the highs of previous seasons, that hasn’t stopped Amazon from greenlighting a prequel spinoff to go with the Mexico-set spinoff announced a while back. The fact that the next season will be its final one will center it even more firmly in the discourse, as fans and critics will wonder if it can “stick the landing.” If anything, The Boys’ biggest Achilles heel might be the extent to which real-life steals its absurdist thunder.

      5. Dune (WBD)

      With one of the most critically and commercially successful films of the year, a sequel expected to be fast-tracked, and the spinoff prequel Dune: Prophecy series set for November on HBO, 2024 has been quite the year for the Dune franchise. And that’s before the memes. However, it does still remain to be seen how far the franchise climbs in the pop cultural consciousness, or whether this year will be its apex, given that other franchises were hobbled by the pandemic and the strikes, and given that things get extra weird on Arrakis from here on out.

      6. DC Elseworlds (WBD)

      While James Gunn‘s DCU prepares to pull out of the station, fans of those characters will get to visit Gotham twice this fall, as the HBO series The Penguin returns us to the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga. And although Robert Pattinson’s Batman is unlikely to feature heavily in the series, his shadow will likely loom over the story. And at the cinema, the highly anticipated sequel to the billion-dollar grossing Joker will offer us another glimpse into Todd Phillips’ Scorsese-tinged hyper-reality, as Lady Gaga‘s Harley Quinn enters the fray. Other alternate universe projects have yet to be announced, and details remain limited on the proper sequel to The Batman, but needless to say, the more successful these two projects are, the more likely that others will also see the light of day.

      7. DCU (WBD)

      Superman has recently wrapped, the first teaser trailer for Creature Commandos (dropping in December) has been released, and news items about upcoming projects continue to surface. Still, while anticipation for what James Gunn is cooking up remains high, excitement is muted. There was no SDCC panel, and it’s possible that audiences won’t get non-set leak Superman footage until 2025. So for the remainder of 2024, we could very well be in “wait and see” mode.

      8. Star Trek (Paramount)

      Although it’s been many years since the last Star Trek film (despite Quentin Tarantino‘s best efforts to give audiences “Hard R Trek”), the franchise has been flourishing on streaming, with a number of well-regarded series on Paramount Plus, and more on the way. And the recent announcement of the first live-action comedy in the franchise’s history could push Star Trek further into the mainstream than it’s been in years.

      9. MonsterVerse (Legendary/WBD)

      Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was moderately successful at the box office, and the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters streaming series was well-received, albeit underappreciated, with a second season on the way. This franchise still has its drawing power, but its days at the top of the zeitgeist may be behind it.

      10. Spider-Verse (Sony)

      Tom Holland‘s MCU Spider-Man franchise is represented elsewhere, but through the power of the Spider-Verse franchise, every possible Spidey and Spidey-adjacent character — be they in the Amazon researching spiders before dying, bonding with goopy alien symbiotes in San Francisco, or…doing whatever Kraven is doing — is connected via multiversal web. And Beyond the Spider-Verse very well might connect these divergent threads. There’s still no word on when that movie will drop, but for now, fans of the Venom films can look forward to the conclusion of that trilogy in Venom: The Last Dance, which releases in October.

      11. Transformers/GI Joe (Paramount)

      Last year’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts revealed that the two franchises were being merged, and while there’s a degree of uncertainty as to when we’ll get that film, next month’s Transformers: One animated film will give longtime fans the robot-centric big screen adventure they’ve clamored for since they first discovered Stan Bush’s “The Touch.”

      12. Lord of the Rings (WBD/Amazon)

      While technically, the rights to the Tolkien books have been bifurcated, and the Rings of Power series will likely never cross over with the LOTR projects in the works at Warner Brothers, each is capable of elevating the overall excitement around the stories told on Middle Earth. But unfortunately, Season 1 of Rings of Power, despite its budget and the advertising blitz around it, never really hit the mainstream, and it’s hard to see Season 2 breaking through.

      13. Jurassic Park/World (Universal)

      Yes, they’re still making these, and yes, the films still have a billion-dollar upside. But with less than a year until the next film, directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, is slated to hit theaters, it’s hard to see what new ground this franchise could stake out to fire up the fanbase.

      14. Harry Potter (WBD)

      Putting aside the toxic JK Rowling of it all, this franchise needs a cultural reset, and indeed, WBD is looking to introduce a new generation to the world of wizards and wands. They’re still a few years away from getting that project out, though, and who knows what nonsense JK could say or do to further sully the franchise’s legacy before then.

      15. Anne Rice Immortal Universe (AMC)

      Yes, The Walking Dead has been an AMC mainstay, but while that seems to be limping along, the series based on the Anne Rice novels seem to be gathering momentum. However, despite their highly engaged fan followings, particularly for Interview With the Vampire, the media landscape for these shows doesn’t seem favorable for a jump into the mainstream anytime soon.

      Honorable Mention:

      The Walking Dead (AMC), Mission: Impossible (Paramount), Fast & Furious (Universal), Mad Max (WBD), John Wick (Lionsgate), Ghostbusters (Sony), James Bond (EON)

    1. Ranking Season 2 of Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’ Episodes

      Ranking Season 2 of Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’ Episodes

      The second season of Marvel Studios canonical animated adventure, What If…?, took viewers on another trip around the Multiverse, exploring alternate realities where things play out a little–or a lot–differently than on the Scared Timeline. Marvel’s second go-round with the idea produced a stronger season overall, though occasionally the creators weren’t quite as far “out of the box” as they could have been. With all 9 episodes now streaming on Disney Plus, we took a stab at ranking them all…

      9. What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?

      Unfortunately, like its predecessor from Season 1, “What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” fails to diverge enough from the film that inspired it. While there were a few changes, including having the Red Room play a role in the episode, it’s still just Captain America: The Winter Soldier but with Peggy in Steve’s boots. Peggy’s given much more to do in the two-part season finale and the character would be better served with more original ideas. Let’s hope we don’t have to see “What If…Captain Carter Started a Civil War?” in Season 3.

      8. What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?

      Strange-Supreme in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      “What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?” featured some really cool concepts. The multiversal Sanctum Infinitum. Universe Killers. The Forge. However, the concepts fell victim to lackluster execution and the Universe Killers turned out to be a bunch of characters we’ve all seen before. While this episode certainly feels like a little preview into how Avengers: Secret Wars might adapt the Battleworld concept into the MCU, here’s to hoping Michael Waldron’s script includes at least a couple of characters we haven’t already spent a bunch of time with. Please, stop including the Black Order in things.

      7. What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?

      Nebula in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      Marvel’s film noir episode, the heavy-handed Blade Runner vibes in “What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” hide some of the blemishes present in the story itself. With the opportunity to diverge entirely from James Gunn‘s Nova Corps mall cops and create something more aligned with the comics, the episode sails along in mediocrity with half-baked ideas. No episode of the season has a more “could, woulda, shoulda” feel than this.

      6. What If…Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?

      The “Lost Gamora” episode of Season 1 made its long-awaited debut and did not disappoint. Part The Running Man and part Death Race, the episode reminds the audience that no matter where he is in the Multiverse, Tony Stark is a force to be reckoned with and one of the MCU’s true heroes. It could have benefited from straying a little further from the events of Thor: Ragnarok but it still landed well.

      5. What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?

      1602 Wanda Merlin in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      As the creators of the episode pointed out, sometimes a story just needs to be fun. And there’s no doubt that “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?” is a lot of fun. It’s fun because the voice cast is having fun–Jon Favreau really leaned into Sir Harold “The Happy” Hogan and Paul Rudd is always a treat–and because it features some great moments. It lacks the bigger bang of the 2003 Neil Gaiman limited series that inspired it but that may boil down to the inability to include some of the characters and ideas explored there. Still, it’s entertaining and gave a little more insight into the idea of Incursions, reminding us of the possibility that any of these realities–and the characters that inhabit them–could return down the road.

      4. What If…Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?

      (L-R): Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-vell, Bill Foster/Goliath, Black Panther/King T’Chaka, and Hank Pym/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      Alternatively titled “What If…Yondu Did the Job Ego Hired Him For?”, this episode takes a pretty sweet left turn and explores an alternate reality where there came a day unlike any other when Earth’s mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat. The all-new, all-different Avengers that assemble in the episode are a fun gang (it’s great to see Bill Foster and hear Lawrence Fishburn!) and there’s a wonderful theme present about the true nature of a hero, in this cast Peter Quill. While you could call into question why some of the characters were included at all–will Marvel Studios ever tell a cool Mar-Vell story?–this is a great example of the type of stories What If…? can deliever.

      3. What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?

      Tony Stark/Iron Man in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      If “What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?” is an example of an episode with a great concept that didn’t work well in execution, “What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” is an example of an episode with a ridiculous concept that was executed to perfection. There’s no reason this episode should have worked as well as it did…but it did and it was a blast. Favreau’s willingness to go all in on the crazy as The Freak deserves praise as does the work done by Sam Rockwell in his return as Justin Hammer.

      2. What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?

      (L-R): Xu Wenwu and Hela in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      It’s hard to imagine how an episode like “What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” can exist in the same season as something as creative as “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?”. It’s especially hard when the beginning of the episode seems to be stepping in the same wrong direction of the Carter story by putting Hela in Thor’s unworthy shoes; however, it takes a hard left turn and tells one of the best stories in the anthology to date. It also has produced an alternate reality as different as any the series has created short of the one in which Kahhori lives. This type of story is why the studio should continue to produce more seasons of What If…? but only if they take care to curate them in the way they did here.

      1. What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?

      Kahhori in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

      The best episode of the season and of the series to date, “What If…Kahhori Shaped the World?” proves what’s possible when creativity is unleashed. Unrestrained by trying to rhyme with any beats from any particular MCU story before it, the episode introduced the beautiful Mohawk Skyworld, explored the nature of the power of the Space Stone and gave the MCU its first original hero in Wolf Clan member Kahhori. With another season of What If…? on the docket, here’s to hoping the wonderful reception this episode received from fans inspires more stories of its kind.

            Two 9-episode seasons of What If…? are now streaming on Disney Plus. Check out our rankings of the first season’s episodes right here!

          1. ‘What If…?” Episode 4 Finally Reveals the Origins of the Alt Universe Gamora

            ‘What If…?” Episode 4 Finally Reveals the Origins of the Alt Universe Gamora

            Season 1 of What If…? introduced a Variant of Gamora who served among other heroes as one of Uatu’s Guardians of the Multiverse. Debuting in the Season 1 finale, “What If…The Watcher Broke His Oath.”, this Gamora seemed to have quite an interesting backstory as its revealed that she killed Thanos; however, that was about the only information revealed about the character before she went about the business of defeating Infinity Ultron. Unlike the other heroes, there was no Season 1 episode dedicated to Gamora’s story but that’s not because one didn’t exist in some form.

            An episode about the hero which became known as the “Lost Gamora Episode” was written and was originally said to be included in Season 1. Writer AC Bradley confirmed the existence of the episode– which at some point must have been in the Season 1 lineup because a Lego set was created for it–and indicated that it would finally be released in Season 2…and now it has been. Episode 4, “What If…Iron Man Crashed into The Grandmaster?”, finally gives Gamora a proper introduction while following Tony Stark on an interesting adventure.

            Set in the semi-immediate aftermath of The Battle of New York (time works real different on Sakaar), the events of theepisode veer from the Sacred Timeline when the Armored Avenger’s mad dash with the nuke as seen in The Avengers ends with him not making it back through the portal. Stark finds himself on Sakaar, face-to-face with The Grandmaster and ,as you might expect, things get weird. Riffing on scenes from both Iron Man and Thor: Ragnarok, the episode puts Stark in real jeopardy when Gamora, still the daughter and Hand of Thanos, comes for revenge on the man who foiled the Mad Titan’s plan.

            Delayed in killing Stark by one of the Grandmaster’s obedience disks, Gamora ultimately sees the good in the hero and finds her way to redemption by helping him overthrow the wily Elder of the Universe. As the episode ends, Tony is seen helping Gamora put an end to Thanos using Topaz’s Melt Stick. Unfortunately, even with the full scope of Gamora’s heroic journey now having been laid bare, no further chapter in her story is told over the rest of Season 2. That definitely makes the decision to pull the episode from Season 1 a little stranger but the episode is fun enough on its own, especially with the wonderfully eccentric Jeff Goldblum back as the voice of The Grandmaster.

            The first four episodes of What If…? Season 2 are now streaming on Disney Plus. A new episode will debut each day through December 30th.

          2. The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

            The All-New, All-Different Hypothetical 2025 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V1

            Bob Iger‘s return to Disney and a pair of strikes have rendered nearly everything we once thought we knew irrelevant. Movies once slated for 2023 or 2024 have been moved to 2025 and the domino effect has probably only just begun. With so much having changed since last we ventured into the waters of the hypothetical calendar, it’s high time to relaunch them anew…and adifferent.

            January 8th-March 5th: Daredevil: Born Again, Episodes 1-9

            Following a major creative overhaul, the first episodes of Daredevil: Born Again–which were originally slated to debut in the Spring of 2024–are now TENTATIVELY on track to drop in January 2025. Though they didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water, it sounds like showrunner Dario Scardapane and new directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are going to take their time and make sure the MCU’s first Daredevil project does the character justice and given Bob Iger‘s demands that the projects live up to the high standards previously set for Marvel Studios, that might mean this gets pushed even further. We’ll know more shortly after the first of the year as we’ve recently heard that production is meant to get underway in January.

            February 14th: Captain America: Brave New World

            Reports of significant reshoots on Cap 4 lined up with Disney’s decision to move the film into 2025. Those reports suggested that the film will undergo roughly 5 months of additional photography which is a longer period of time than the film was in production for the first time around. Now, the studio has brought on a brand new writer in Matthew Orton and though they are targeting a mid-2024 restart, production will not resume until his work on the script is done. Throw in the amount of time it’ll take to make the VFX hold up–especially with an appearance by the Red Hulk in the cards–and the February 2025 date makes all the sense in the world.

            May 2nd: Fantastic Four

            Fantastic Four was announced at SDCC ’19 and two long work stoppages have kept pushing it further and further down the road though it’s continually in the news cycle. At this point, all anyone wants is for the casting rumors around this project to come to an end and for cameras to roll. According to a relatively recent interview with director Matt Shakman, production should get underway next Spring and be ready to serve as the studio’s tentpole film for 2025 and launch the summer movie season…just as it should.

            June 27th: Spider-Man 4

            No project on this hypothetical calendar is more hypothetical than this one. If all the rumors are true, its release is partially dependent on Daredevil: Born Again–and that’s IF the creative threads that originally tied the two projects together stay in the series with the new showrunner taking over. Throw in that there’s been no official announcement from Sony about this project and that Tom Holland‘s “new deal” hasn’t been officially announced either and you’ve got even more reason to think this one may not happen in 2025 at all. However, a script has been in the works for most of the year, Sony has this date on the calendar for a Marvel film and, at the moment, doesn’t have any other projects that seem to fit the date. On the other hand, rumors persist that Jon Watts may be on board to direct and plans are being made to film next summer…

            July 25th: Thunderbolts

            By the time production finally starts on this project, the entire plot will have been leaked online. Despite multiple creative retoolings and a revolving door of writers, Thunderbolts is ultimately only delayed by a year from its original July 26, 2024 release date. Production is currently set to get underway in the spring with a TENTATIVE April start on the books.

            September 3rd-October 8th: Ironheart

            A project that has been in the can for quite some time, Ironheart is on track to release 2 full years after it was originally slated to hit Disney Plus. It’ll be interesting to see if Disney ever addresses exactly why this series took so long to release (not even VFX touch-ups and reshoots can explain away a 2-year move), especially when the footage shown at 2022’s D23 looked pretty fun.

            November 7th: Blade

            Mahershala Ali has the patience of a saint. Ali is the driving force behind this project which, like Fantastic Four, was announced over 4 years ago, and is staying the course despite several changes to the creative team over the past year or so and the delays due to the strikes. As of now, Blade looks like it’ll actually start production in the second half of 2024 and be ready for theaters, complete with an R-rating, by November 2025!

            All in all, this is a major revamp from the last time we rolled out a hypothetical 2025 calendar. With things at Disney never having been in flux more than they are now, it’ll be fun to see just how much of this holds true.

          3. The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘What If…?’

            The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘What If…?’

            Marvel Studios’ first canonical animated series, What If…?, is returning to Disney Plus for a second season. Season 2 will feature 9 more multiversal adventures that put a spin on familiar events from the Sacred Timeline. Season 1 memorably featured a universe where a quantum virus set zombies loose on Earth, one where Ultron won and another where Thanos was a Ravager and Season 2 promises to bring even more variety to the ever-expanding multiverse.  

            Marvel Studios is experimenting with an all-new, all-different rollout for Season 2 of What If…?, dropping one episode a day beginning on December 22nd. Before you start taking in that holiday treat, you’ve still got some time to prepare and so–as you’ve no doubt come to expect–Murphy’s Multiverse has put together The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of What If…?.

            Given the premise of What If…? is unlike that of any other Marvel Studios project, it only makes sense that the Ultimate List would reflect that and so it’s a little different than what we usually roll out.

            How It Started…

            Loki, Season 1: Episode 6-For All Time, Always

            The multiversal adventures of What If…? would never have taken place if Sylvie had not gotten all stabby-stabby with He Who Remains in the Season 1 finale of Loki. There’s no shame in rewatching every episode of both seasons of Loki, however, if you want to cut to the chase and get to the moment that each of the new timelines in which the adventures in What If…? take place, then you simply need to check out Season 1, Episode 6.

            How It Went…

            What If…?, Season 1

            Season 1 of What If…? originally seemed like an anthological collection of disparate stories spread out all over the newly formed Multiverse. Episodes dedicated to Captain Carter and Star-Lord T’Chall were entertaining on their own merit but as the series progressed, the storylines began to converge as Uatu assembled great heroes from around the Multiverse. Some of those characters are set to return for Season 2 and reacquainting yourself with their stories will only add to your enjoyment of following their next steps.

            Where It’s Going Next…

            Undoubtedly, venturing back onto the branches of the multiverse to recall the events of Season 1 will be beneficial to your enjoyment of Season 2…but why stop there? New episodes means Uatu will be narrating stories from other branches–or maybe further exploring branches already seen in Season 1. While we refuse to get spoilery here, a list of episode titles made its way into the wild, allowing us to direct you toward some projects that might be worth revisiting before they become Nexus Events in Season 2.

            Listed in Disney +’s Timeline Order:

            Captain America: The First Avenger

            The Tesseract will play a major role in at least one episode of Season 2 when a Mohawk woman named Kahhori–at totally original character created for the show–discovers it on Earth centuries before TFA. Watching TFA provides some background on the object which continues to play a big part in the MCU throughout the Infinity Saga.

            Iron Man 3

            Happy Hogan saves Christmas!? An entire episode of Season 2 is dedicated to Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan and given that it’s set at Christmas it’s possible that it spins out of the events of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 which takes place at Christmas because it’s Shane Black’s Iron Man 3. The Forehead of Security spent most of Iron Man 3 in a hospital bed after being near an Extremis soldier that went boom so this may be a way to give the character a new adventure during that time though we cannot confirm Iron Man 3 is the backdrop.

            Guardians of the Galaxy

            A pair of Season 2 episodes will deal with events from the Guaridans franchise but rewatching James Gunn‘s first–and best–MCU film should provide all the information you need about Peter Quill, Nebula and the Nova Corps.

            Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron

            Before Season 1 of What If…?, a leak indicated that one episode would find Tony Stark on Sakaar rather than the Hulk and Thor. That episode will be part of Season 2 but how did Stark get there? Our best guesses are that the wormhole created by the Tesseract in Avengers led him there OR he switches places with Hulk at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron and somehow finds his way to the junk heap. Watch them both because there’s no downside to watching the first team up again or rewatching a film that has held up much better than folks thought it might!

            Thor: Ragnarok and Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

            As if she needed to be any more awesome, an episode of Season 2 will give Thor’s sister Hela, the Goddess of Death, access to the powerful Ten Rings! Her story as told in Ragnarok was absolutely fascinating and it’ll be very interesting to see how the rings augment her already unique powers.

            Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

            What If…? is a show about the Multiverse and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness taught the audience that there’s no bigger threat to said Multiverse than Stephen Strange. Rewatch it because it’s awesome; rewatch it to meet some of those scary Strange Variants; rewatch it because Sam Raimi might be doing a lot more work with Marvel Studios in the future. One of those Variants–Strange Supreme–didn’t appear in the film but was a major player in Season 1 of What If…? and is confirmed to return in Season 2 so it’s good to remember that not all Stranges are good Stranges and also that good is relative in the Multiverse.

            Bonus Reading

            Marvel 1602

            A first in our Ultimate List series! For decades, Marvel Comics has been known as the House of Ideas. While Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created an enormous sandbox full of rich characters, many writers over the years have thought outside the (sand)box and told stories in alternate universes much like the ones imagined in What If…? One of the most divisive efforts to tell these alt-universe stories came from the mind of Neil Gaiman who decided to bring about the age of heroes 400 years earlier than Lee and Kirby! Published in 2003, Marvel 1602 reinterprets the origins and lives of characters such as the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Captain America and more during a time when superstition reigned supreme over science. If you have time for a quick, 8-issue romp through the 17th century from the mind of one of comic’s most singular authors, pick up Marvel 1602 at your LCS or check it out on Marvel Unlimited before seeing how it’s adapted in Season 2!

            About What If…? Season 2

            The Watcher returns to season two of Marvel Studios’ What If…? when the animated series
            begins streaming on Disney+ on Dec. 22. And in the spirit of the holiday season, fans are
            invited to unwrap a new episode nightly for nine nights.

            Season two of What If…? continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the
            vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series
            questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Featuring fan-favorite characters this season like Nebula, Hela and Happy Hogan, episodes are directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews with executive producer AC Bradley as head writer.

          4. Marvel Studios is at a Crossroads

            Marvel Studios is at a Crossroads

            Marvel Studios’ has faced its worst opening weekend with The Marvels. Is it a simple discussion surrounding superhero or Marvel fatigue? Going by just how varied the discussions are online, it’s very likely not as simple as anyone wants it to be. One could discuss the impact of the last few years, a rough 2023 box office for blockbusters, the SAG as well as WGA strikes, and many more factors. So, there might simply not be a singular reason and just a lot of elements coming together.

            Of course, these kinds of numbers establish the expected “end” of Marvel Studios’ discussion online. Articles have dropped announcing that the films are no longer events which is why no one is watching them. Certain subsections proclaim the end of Marvel due to “wokeness” and whatever personal reason one has when leaving the franchise behind as “it should’ve ended with Endgame” echoes throughout the dark corners of the web. For years, the discussion was that superhero movies would go the way of the Western and if that point has been reached, we’ll likely see a very different Marvel Studios moving forward.

            As such, it seems like the perfect time to discuss what exactly the future might hold for Marvel Studios and likely the results that’ll come from this blow at the box office. We have no insight into what Marvel Studios will truly do moving forward but there are already some minor hints that may tease what the future has in store and what we can expect from the studio that reinvented blockbusters for over 15 years. We’re at a crossroads and potentially the beginning of a new era moving forward.

            First Signs Exist in 2023

            Bob Iger returned as the CEO of Disney, which saw Bob Chapek try his best to figure out what exactly they would be doing during a pandemic. He carried over the Disney+ goals that were started by his predecessor only to buckle under the weight and get replaced. Yet, Iger’s run since hasn’t been something one would describe as a “return to form” but he has pointed out that a reduction of releases is something they are definitely going to review the future.

            At the time the pandemic hit, we were leaning into a huge increase in how much we were making. And I’ve always felt that quantity can be actually a negative when it comes to quality, and I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost some focus.

            Bob Iger

            2023 was still a big push from all studios to make bank after a rough pandemic, but it has led to many films fizzling out. As much as we want to point to Barbenheimer and Super Mario Bros. Movie as a showcase of how strong the year was: it simply wasn’t. Many films have bloated budgets due to filming during COVID and subsequently were never going to truly make their money back outside of some massive numbers. Prices are on the rise and with a cost of living crisis affecting people’s decisions, it becomes clear that people are far more selective than they’ve ever been (a reason it’s not as simple as just fatigue).

            One thing is clear though: we’ll see fewer releases moving forward. We already saw the reduction of output in 2023 with only two Disney+ series hitting the streaming service with quite a bit of time between each release; even if Secret Invasion didn’t quite help matters. The Marvels was pushed from July to November, which ended up hurting it due to the actor’s strike heavily hampering its promotion build-up. So, we’re already in the middle of a transition phase for the studio.

            New Disney+ Strategy

            Actually, there is one new highlight I ended up leaving out and that is Marvel Spotlight. Out of nowhere, Marvel Studios unveiled an entirely new banner just for their “grounded” stories that aren’t necessary for the major storyline being told throughout the phases. It was a strategic move that definitely left some ripples alongside a strong first impression with Echo’s trailer. Ever since there’s been a bit more positivity in the air that was definitely needed for the franchise that has been. Of course, outlets were still ready to say it’s too late or won’t fix any of the issues it’s facing. Head of Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, shared the inspiration for this new brand:

            Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity. Just like comics fans didn’t need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic.

            Brad Winderbaum

            It’s unclear if this might just become the de facto banner for the Disney+ shows and the way it is being described is to ease viewers into it. The fact of the matter is: there’s a lot of debate about Disney+ and the film’s connections potentially muddling viewership a bit, especially with The Marvels that technically ties into multiple stories. While many have been quick to point out that every Marvel film quickly introduces elements from these shows and doesn’t require audiences to do the homework they complain about online, it’s a clever way to just visually create a distinction and ease audiences in.

            Still, one thing that the Disney+ shows should do is focus primarily on becoming the venue of exploring either side stories from movie characters or simply setting up its own subset within the grander universe. In a way, they could take the Defenders approach from Netflix and simply have its own little build-up with various characters that can bleed into Avengers releases that tie the entire Phase together. Small references here or there could ease viewers in but not lead to discussions of: “why is Ms. Marvel headlining a movie, does it mean I need to watch her show to know who she is?”

            Daredevil and Echo could become the grounded, street-level heroes on Disney+ that are visually and much more distinct from what they do with the movies. That would also help make the films stand out more, as these shows are no longer just as bombastic and expensive as their main counterparts. Agents of SHIELD worked as a complementary series that looked like it was part of the universe but distinctively is a TV series.

            New Cinematic Strategy

            2024 will only give us Deadpool 3 and that likely is mainly due to the writer’s strike but also potentially a deliberate choice to restructure next year. The only question is if they will stick with their 2025 schedule, which now includes three releases as is the usual norm for the studio. Yet, we might see them move away from that once they start reshuffling moving forward.

            The biggest problem that plagues these films is the production costs that have ballooned since COVID. The Marvels marks the final production that occurred during that time with everything heading our way in the coming years once again being under somewhat normal production rules for the studio moving forward. Though the SAG and WGA strikes are definitely going to show their thorns with Captain America: Brave New World which is getting extensive reshoots and Deadpool 3.

            Still, it would seem wise to perhaps pull back a bit going into 2025. Once again rolling out three films and who knows how many Disney+ series might just set them right back to where they are currently. Perhaps going back to the days of two releases a year to slowly build up momentum again might be the best way forward.

            Hell, if they do it right they could have one major event release per year with a bigger budget behind it, something we might see with Captain America 4, and then try to focus on a smaller project in that same year which can make back its money with even a softer release. Blade is rumored to have a $100M production budget and would perfectly fit that very bill. Once things “normalize” we might see the old MCU budgets back in action, as the current ones are definitely not intended. That way they can build up relevance and still given minor characters a spotlight even if they carry a bigger box office risk.

            No Single Solution

            Even making these examples and ideas of how Marvel Studios could move forward; mostly based on what signs are already there; there’s no true single solution to it all. Every franchise will eventually end up in a slump and the box office developments between The Marvels and previous projects are still showcasing a distinction. The current slump may remain an anomaly due to multiple factors affecting its release and the question will be if Deadpool 3 can draw in a crowd given where Marvel stands.

            Going into 2024, I wouldn’t expect many more releases outside of Echo and perhaps one more Disney+ series. There’s a chance the binge model works for them so they do make use of it to avoid the series occupying too much time and potentially not leading to the consensus of overwhelming audiences. Yet, this year has proven that they can have a massive success like Loki’s second season and a mild reception like Secret Invasion.

            The clear thing is: that once they show more consistency moving forward for audiences as they build toward Avengers: Secret Wars, we might see audiences once again return to theaters to not miss out on the latest Marvel movie. The studio is at a crossroads rather than an immediate stop. Whatever happens, moving forward depends on how they react to this current status and how they decide to build upon it moving forward.

            Source: The Verge, CNBC, Deadline, Variety, ComicBookMovies.com

          5. Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ and the Road to Season 2

            Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ and the Road to Season 2

            Netflix is infamous for being very specific on what show will return for a second season, especially regarding high investments. So, there are a lot of questions surrounding One Piece and its chance to get a renewal potentially. The adaptation surprised many by getting a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a high IMDb score, while also now flaunting the #1 spot in 84 countries, which is higher than what was reported for Wednesday and even Stranger Things. Yet, that isn’t the “Season 2” confirmation quite yet that some might be hoping for.

            Fair Wages

            As long as studios aren’t paying writers and actors any fair wages, we’re not going to see any shows go into production anytime soon. So, Netflix might either wait it out completely before even making a decision. As of now, the discussions between the WGA, SAG, and AMPTP remain at a standstill and there’s likely still going to drag out going into the rest of the half year. So, some shows’ future remains a big question mark at the moment.

            However, Netflix did renew XO, Kitty for a second season while the writer’s strike was still going on. They can always make an announcement to keep interest in the project and ride the discussions online. In May, they also gave The Witcher two additional seasons even though Liam Hemsworth is going to replace one of its main stars and one of the show’s draws, Henry Cavill. At the time, WGA was the only one striking so who knows if they are more hesitant now that SAG also is fighting for a fair wage.

            Budgetary Concerns

            The big concern is the high investment for this series. It reportedly is more expensive than even Game of Thrones and while we don’t know how it compares to Stranger Things or Wednesday, it still will need to impress with its viewership. We are still only a few days in and there’s also the factor that the series’ completion rate showcases an ongoing interest in the series beyond just its first season. What’s On Netflix has a great breakdown of how exactly the streaming service decides what is worth continuing and not.

            The recent news on the #1 placements in the world is a great start but doesn’t reflect the exact viewership quite yet. Netflix changed its metrics recently and is also hopeful for these binge series to last for multiple weeks (instead of ensuring that with an actual weekly release). So, the next few weeks will give us a better look at how well the show holds up and if word-of-mouth might keep the series at the top spot for weeks to come.

            The one additional factor that may give One Piece some benefit is that the series already includes a variety of merchandise. So, an additional income source may give the series some additional potential for the streaming service to decide if it is worth continuing. The original manga and anime series supposedly generated $3 billion in merch sales alone. So, Netflix might be hopeful to accomplish the same with this new adaptation given how fast they are rushing them out around the series’ release.

            Cautiously Optimistic

            For now, it’s just too early to say if One Piece is going to face a renewal or not. The positive reception gives it the potential to grow through strong word-of-mouth and we’ll have to see if the series also had people watching the full way through. The inclusion of elements from future seasons and a variety of Easter eggs for new and familiar fans of the series could give some incentives to rewatch the series.

            They also added the Japanese dub later on that could have some hardcore fans give it at least one more watch. There is enough here that its audience can grow throughout the next few weeks, as there is also no real competition with other major releases. So, we’ll also have to see if Netflix makes a grand statement on its performance similar to what they did with Wednesday shortly after its release.

            Source: What’s On Netflix, IndieWire, Own Your Own Future, NetflixLife, Deadline, Twitter

          6. The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘Loki’

            The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘Loki’

            With the recent news that Marvel Studios had once again reshuffled their streaming slate, fans have just one more live-action adventure to look forward to on Disney Plus in 2023. The good news, however, is that it’s the second season of what was undoubtedly one of the studio’s strongest beginning-to-end streaming series to date: Loki!

            With a strong core cast returning and Season 1 writer Eric Martin taking over as showrunner, Season 2 of Loki should prove worthy of the lofty expectations fans have for it. While it certainly has some heavy lifting to do in terms of furthering the ongoing narrative of the Multiverse Saga–especially filling in some more of the background of its big bad, Kang–the second season also promises more of what made the first season so great: the bromance between star Tom Hiddleston’s redeemed Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius.

            With Season 2 of Loki slated to premiere on Disney Plus on October 6th, it’s time to start your rewatch and, as always, we’ve prepared THE only resource you’ll need to get you started.

            Tier One

            Tier One projects are non-negotiable essentials to be watched/re-watched before streaming Season 2 of Loki. If you want to understand what’s happening, these two projects–listed in chronological order– are all you truly need.

            Loki Season 1

            Since first appearing in 2011’s Thor, Tom Hiddleston has curated one of the MCU’s most enduring and beloved characters in Loki; however, one of the most interesting and certainly most important things to remember while watching Season 2 of Loki is that this iteration of the character, for the most part, isn’t the one fans got to know so well through his five film appearances. This Loki is a Variant–Variant L1130, to be exact–created when Loki escaped with the Tesseract during the Battle of New York during the Avengers’ time heist. While an argument could be made, then, that Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012) could be included in Tier One, those projects don’t seem to have a significant amount of influence on the streaming series so for folks who need their rewatch to be short(ish) and sweet, those can probably be avoided.

            Of course, Loki isn’t just the story of Hiddleston’s Loki Variant but also the wonderfully spicy L1190 Variant, Sylvie Laufeydottir, played by Sophia Di Martino. It was her actions, after all, that allowed the timeline to branch and create the Multiverse and set the MCU on the path toward Secret Wars. Her relationship with Loki Laufeyson was one of the most interesting aspects of Season 1 and she once again plays a massive role in Season 2. There are also the to-be-continued stories of Wilson’s Mobius, Wunmi Mosako’s Hunter B-15 and Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna Renslayer (please give her something more to do) that will play a role in the sequel season as well. And, of course, there’s Jonathan Majors‘ incredible debut as He Who Remains which provides as much insight into the Multiverse and the Multiverse Saga as anything so far. There’s just no way you can watch Season 2 without at least refreshing yourself on the highlights on Season 1!

            Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

            Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.

            Jonathan Majors‘ Kang Variants haven’t really accomplished too much onscreen just yet but relative to what Thanos got done at the same point in time in the Infinity Saga, the new Saga’s big bad has the edge. The death of He Who Remains in Season 1 of Loki allowed for Kang the Conqueror to menance Scott Lang, the Ant-Family and the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and his death (or disappearance) at the hands of those allied forces put the Council of Kangs on watch. When the Multiverse Saga is all said and done, Kang is going to play/will have played a key role which makes Quantumania must. The film also helps to get an understanding of how the MCU’s Multiverse works and with how little we actually know, it’s worth it for that alone. Additionally, at least one more Kang Variant, Victor Timely, is known to appear in Loki Season 2 and their are rumors that He Who Remains will find his way back into the mix. It’s possible other Variants will pop up, too, and it’s also very likely that the Conqueror plays some role as well.

            Tier Two

            As mentioned, these three films are the prelude to the opening of Season 1 of Loki. As such, they certainly inform who the character is when he’s apprehended by the TVA’s Minutemen in the Gobi Desert. That Loki underwent significant character development in Season 1 but it’s still worth your time to revisit these projects if for nothing else than to enjoy Hiddleston’s devilish performances as the God of Mischief.

            Thor

            After originally auditioning for the role of Thor, Hiddleston accepted the role of Loki after Chris Hemsworth was named as the God of Thunder…and Marvel fans everywhere have benefitted from it for over a decade. While it took Hemsworth a couple of projects to grow on fans as Thor, Hiddleston owned the role of Loki right away. While Thor may not be at the top of everyone’s rewatch lists, simply ask yourself what the MCU would have been without it and then sit down and enjoy.

            Avengers

            By the time Loki arrived on Earth in the opening of 2012’s The Avengers, Hiddleston’s legend had already taken on a life of its own…and it grew greater as the Prince of Lies became the driving force for the Avengers to assemble for the first time. While he ultimately found himself on the business end of one of the MCU’s most memorable beatings, he was still a dirty, rotten scoundrel with designs on fulfilling his glorious purpose.

            Avengers: Endgame

            Endgame is always worth the rewatch but in this case it provides the Nexus Event that allows for the divergent timeline on which the events of Season 1 of Loki took place to be created. While you really only need to rewatch the film’s retelling of the Battle of New York, feel free to relive one of the MCU’s greatest films in its entirety.

            Tier Three

            These six Tier Three projects are unlikely to have much of anything to do with the plot of Season 2 of Loki; however, if you’re a completist, you’re going to want to do all of your relevant homework!

            The first three projects on the list complete the story of the redemption of Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson who ultimately died at the hands of Thanos. They also give you an opportunity to see Hiddleston fully inhabit the character in some of his best work.

            Thor: The Dark World

            Admittedly one of the toughest films to rewatch in its entirety, it’s no fault of Hiddleston; if anything, he makes it watchable. The Dark World begins to truly dive deeply into who Loki is and what is motivations are, creating a version of the character that you love, hate, trust and fear all at once.

            Thor: Ragnarok

            Like everyone else, Hiddleston was having a lot of fun in this one and gave one of his most complete performances as Loki. Ragnarok gave Loki a chance to be the god and hero he always longed to be…but Loki’s gonna Loki and by taking the Tesseract, he sealed his own fate.

            Avengers: Infinity War

            As painful as it might be to watch Loki have his godly neck snapped by Thanos, it’s one of the most important deaths in the entirety of the MCU. Audiences learned quickly that Thanos was a threat to be taken seriously and Thor was given all the motivation he needed to avenge his newly-redeemed brother’s death.

            Spider-Man: No Way Home

            Eh…it talks about the multiverse.

            Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

            Though this movie doesn’t reference any of the Loki Variants, it does introduce the idea of Incursions and it’s likely that idea will be revisited or further explored in Season 2.

            What If…?

            Season 1 of Loki created the Multiverse in which the stories told in What If…? exist and Loki features as major character in one of the series’ most interesting episodes. The series also gave fans a look at Loki fully realized in all his frost giant glory, something that after being teased briefly in Thor was never really addressed again. So rewatch the entire season or just the episodes with Loki, if you want, but don’t leave these animated stories off your list!

            Frost Giant Loki in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

            There you have it! Now put down your phone, pick up your remote control and get to it!

          7. ‘Ahsoka’: Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir?

            ‘Ahsoka’: Who are the Nightsisters of Dathomir?

            Ahsoka featured the return of Diana Lee Inosanto’s nefarious Morgan Elsbeth. First seen in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, “The Jedi”, Elsbeth was the magistrate of the small, walled city of Calodan on her home planet Corvus. The episode revealed that Elsbeth was loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn and had some knowledge of where he had disappeared to. In the hopes that finding Thrawn would help her find Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano sought out, battled and defeated Elsbeth, who proved a capable adversary. When last seen, Elsbeth was headed to a New Republic prison for her crimes as an Imperial Loyalist.

            The first episode of Ahsoka, “Master and Apprentice”, reveals that not much has changed for Elsbeth since she was last seen. While headed to trial for her crimes, she’s freed by Dark Jedi mercenaries Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. By the end of the second episode, “Toil and Trouble”, Elsbeth’s plan to find Thrawn by following the Path to Peridea is revealed. The first two episodes also touch on something even more sinister: Elsbeth is a descendant of the Nighsisters of Dathomir!

            Who are the Nighsisters of Dathomir?

            First introduced in Season 3, Episode 12 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Nighsisters are a clan of witches from the planet Dathomir–the same planet from which Darth Maul and Savage Oppress’ Zabrak species hailed. While neither Sith nor Jedi, the Nightsisters were adept Force users who gave little care to the duality of the Force so often chattered about in Star Wars projects. The clan was often caught up in the Sith’s plans, however, due to their powerful connection to the “magick” they wielded. Darth Sidious coveted Maul, the son of the Nightsister’s leader, Mother Talzin. Another powerful Nightsister, Asajj Ventress, became the apprentice of the fallen Jedi-turned-Sith Count Dooku before being betrayed. Upon returning to her people, Ventress was hunted down by General Grievous who massacred the Nightsisters, putting an end to their small civilization.

            The revelation that Elsbeth is a descendant of the Nightsisters instantly makes her a much larger threat than she was previously revealed to be and gives Ahsoka further room to explore different interpretations of the Force. Elsbeth is seen tapping into the familiar green magical ichor that the Nighsisters manipulate as part of their connection to the Force. Using the ichor to help power the map to Thrawn, Elsbeth speaks of finding the lost Grand Admiral among an “ancient people from a distant galaxy.” One of Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni’s favorite themes is exploring alternate explanations and understandings of the Force. It’s something he explored through not only the Nightsisters but also Bendu. Elsbeth’s connection to the Nightsisters provides an immediate reminder that while the Jedi (and thus the audience) have one very strict interpretation of the Force, it’s not the only interpretation and it seems possible–even likely–that Ahsoka is about to unveil another new take.