Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV Features

  • ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    ‘Hawkeye’: Maya’s “Uncle” Explained

    Today’s episode of Hawkeye, “Echoes”, jumped right into Maya Lopez’s backstory. The first 5 minutes of so of the episode gave us everything we need to know about the character and introduced the two most influential men in her life: her father, Willie Lopez, and her “Uncle.” We later find out that her “Uncle” is also the big boss of organized crime in New York City, a man, as Clint explains it, will “do anything to grow the operation” and is “someone you don’t want to mess with.” Who is this “Uncle” and what does his presence mean for the Hawkeyes and the future of the MCU? Read on, True Beleivers.

    In this case, the term “Uncle” is clearly not a strictly familial term but rather a way of recognizing the close relationship between Maya’s father and the man in black that we meet at about 5:18 into the episode right before Maya’s karate match. As the episode explains, Maya’s father worked for “Uncle” as upper management in the Tracksuits, meaning he was someone that the man trusted very much. His death, at the hands of Ronin, not only interrupted operations but also may have been a very personal loss for both Maya and her “Uncle.” In putting all the pieces together and digging into the comics for some support, it’s clear that Maya’s “Uncle” is Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of New York City.

    While there are some pretty significant changes to the story and the relationship in Hawkeye, the Kingpin was a similarly significant figure in Maya’s life in the comics. In her origin arc, which was told beautifully over several issues of 1998’s Daredevil, we learn that Maya’s father worked for Fisk and was, in Fisk’s words “a good friend.” It’s that close friendship between the two men that’s being interpreted as Fisk being Maya’s “Uncle” in the series.

    Rumors of Kingpin appearing in Hawkeye, with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising his role from the Netflix Daredevil series, have swirled for months; today’s episode laid any doubts to rest. At the 5:18 mark when “Uncle” touches young Maya’s face and chuckles, the chuckle discernably belong to D’Onofrio. With such a blatant tease in Episode 3, it won’t be much longer before the series fully reveals the identity of Maya’s “Uncle.” The arrival of the Kingpin on the scene will mean that Kate and Clint will now be faced with a ruthless and powerful adversary, much more competent and deadly than his Tracksuit goons.

    With Wilson Fisk operating in the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before he crosses paths with Daredevil and, potentially Spider-Man; in fact, D’Onofrio, who took to Twitter to share his excitement for the upcoming series, mentioned in a recent interview that if he were to reprise the role of Fisk, he’d love to square off against Spidey. Now it seems that’s not only possible, but maybe even inevitable.

  • Hawkeye Episode 3 Primer

    Hawkeye Episode 3 Primer

    In the first two episodes of Hawkeye, “Never Meet Your Heroes” and “Hide and Seek” we saw Clint Barton trying to spend time with his kids in New York City after having lost them to the Snap and then getting them back. At the same time, we meet Kate Bishop, who is portrayed perfectly by Hailee Steinfeld, when she comes home to find out her mom is getting married to Jacques Duquesne, who Kate isn’t fond of. He tries so hard to shove himself into Kate’s life but she isn’t having and she is suspicious of Jacques and his mysterious ways. Kate gets into a little bit of trouble with the Tracksuit Mafia, forcing Clint to send his family home and bringing the two heroes, and the Pizza Dog, together.

    This upcoming episode should belong to Maya Lopez, aka Echo. We met Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, in the last few seconds of “Hide and Seek” and while we don’t really know her all that well, we know is she is the boss of the Tracksuit Mafia. This episode should be more of an introduction for the character who is a very special character with some very special abilities. As we saw, Echo is deaf and can only feel vibrations and/or read lips, which kind of gives her something in common with Clint. She’s also a great martial artist and has some pretty interesting connections to some really interesting people. If we get to know more about Maya in this episode, it won’t be long before one of those people turns up.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    kate-bishop-echo-hawkeye-series.jpg

    In this upcoming episode, I am very positive that Clint and Kate will escape. Wouldn’t be much of a Hawkeye show if they didn’t. Marvel has shown a lot of footage of the big car chase which I think has to be in one of the next two episodes. We’re also getting to the perfect opening where Yelena and Kingpin can come into the show, which I talked about last week. Yelena heard about Natasha and how she died and is out to kill Clint for “killing her.” It’s perfect timing for Yelena to get involved and complicate things even more. And as for Kingpin, it might be a little early for him but if Clint and Kate escape Echo and the Tracksuits, I don’t think he’ll be very happy, do you?

  • ‘Hanna’ Season 3 Doesn’t Know What To Do With Hanna

    ‘Hanna’ Season 3 Doesn’t Know What To Do With Hanna

    There are spoilers of the final season of Hanna in this feature. Only continue at your own risk if you haven’t yet seen it.

    Hanna explores a world where the government is training young girls into becoming deadly weapons. That was until Joel Kinnaman‘s Erik Heller broke into a facility to save a young baby from that fate. He raised her hidden in the forest into a strong warrior that could take on anything in case the organization he stole her from found them. After she is set out into the world, we learn that the facility, UTRAX, was still active in the world and a new generation of girls was being trained to do the government’s bidding. Everything culminated in the second season about finally ending its existence. Yet, the third season seems oddly disconnected as a “final season.”

    Motion-thriller Hanna Season 3 Sequence Finale Premiers Novemb

    As fast as Hanna infiltrates the group of girls, the series sends them all out into the world to take on various goals. We spent the last season building up to the moment that Hanna is forced to join them and questioning her place in it. There was a great emotional growth throughout that season, as most of the series so far was about Hanna finding a “home.” Most of the first season explored that with the question surrounding Heller’s parentage. His death capped off her question of finding an identity, especially after being rejected by most girls who were part of the program when she tried to save them. Clara, the only one to join her, was a showcase of her goal

    In the third season, we had a clear goal: take down UTRAX and everything involved with it. The big mystery remained around who exactly was running the facility. Marissa Wiegler, who had a somewhat motherly obsession with Hanna, is the catalyst for that development. So, the show titled Hanna isn’t about Hanna but rather Marissa’s ties to the organization. Outside of her father, our actual protagonist lost her role in the story the moment all the girls got sent out into the world to take down their targets, which happens early in the season. For a final season, it’s an incredibly dangerous undertaking to disconnect plot elements and scatter them across the world.

    Hanna Season 3 Trailer: Hanna's Life As An Assassin Comes To An End

    Yet, that is handled quite well even if they conveniently find their way to the same location in the final view episodes. The issue lies in the fact that Hanna is “given” a reason to be involved in this story through a new love interest. He’s her first target and she starts developing feelings for him. It’s not a terrible idea, as it adds a personal level to the actions she takes, even making some harsh errors throughout. What makes it stand out negatively is that his existence takes her agency. She serves to protect this character rather than to follow through with the initial plan. There’s no direct conflict between these worlds, as most of her actions are mainly to serve other characters.

    It’s quite the departure from her rebellious actions in the first season kicking off the events that would unravel everything. Yes, she still has moments where she takes action but it feels like she became a side character in Marissa’s story. The “end goal” is even simplified to offer a clean cut for the series to end on instead of weaving more of this world’s darkest corners. Hanna was a point of hope, as she believed in the good of people. Helping Clara finds her mother was a clear indication of that. Yet, once she leaves the Meadows, it seemed that goal was completely forgotten.

    Amazon releases season 3 trailer for Hanna

    The character of Sandy is never truly given a chance of redemption after she takes quite a lot of screentime throughout the second season. Jules’ turn isn’t even true given time to develop but rather is a sudden twist in the story that Hanna has no direct influence over. That’s kind of the issue at the end of the day, she’s not an active participant in the story outside of the new romantic subplot introduced early in the season. While I adore that it doesn’t end on the note that you’d expect, it doesn’t make up for an entire season moving further away from what the series was about. The series didn’t end on a strong note but doesn’t undermine what came before either. It just felt like Hanna was noticeably absent within this story and it’s a shame given Esme Creed-Miles continued strong performance in the series.

  • How ‘Masters of The Universe: Revelations’ Part 3 Could Introduce She-Ra

    How ‘Masters of The Universe: Revelations’ Part 3 Could Introduce She-Ra

    What was thought to be the final installment in the Revelations series has seemingly been flipped on its head, as the final moments unveiled the return of the leader of the Horde, Hordak. The Motherboard cult, which was teased in the first part, infects and mechanizes Skeletor to showcase the change in power moving forward. We don’t get his actual appearance in the series outside of a very familiar logo, but it does open up one question: are we going to see the arrival of She-Ra in the sequel?

    It would certainly add some interesting drama for Princess Adora, better known as She-Ra and the twin sister of Prince Adam, to make a sudden return. She-Ra was kidnapped shortly after her birth by Hordak, who took her to the realm of Etheria and made her one of his underlings. Eventually, she would break free from his army to lead a group of rebels to fight the Horde to defeat him once and for all.

    Many have become much more familiar with this story thanks to Netflix’s 2018 reboot of the series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The series was an extensive retelling of the character and reimagined for a modern-day audience. It brought back Adora alongside her extensive supporting cast that includes Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Catra, Entrapta, and, of course, Hordak. However, that series was confirmed as a standalone story and doesn’t rely on any pre-existing Masters of The Universe lore.

    It’s very likely Kevin Smith and his creative team will add their own spin to the story and build upon the revelations of the latest entry of the series. We don’t know if She-Ra and Hordak are a known presence in this take on the classic franchise. So, perhaps Adora is the revelation that the title is hinting at, as she helps Adam and Teela against this new threat aiming to end Grayskull once and for all.

  • ‘Masters Of The Universe: Revelations Part 2’ Ending Explained

    ‘Masters Of The Universe: Revelations Part 2’ Ending Explained

    Kevin Smith brought us back to the world of Eternia. Masters of the Universe: Revelation resurrected the childhoods of an entire generation in a modernized take on the iconic franchise. It was assumed that the series would serve as a two-part finale to the original, as it would explore the final battle between He-Man and Skeletor. With the release of Part 2, Smith and his team may have found a way to catch us off guard and keep the door open for an additional part.

    In the first part, we are introduced to a cult that follows the Motherboard and took over Snake Mountain after Skeletor’s dissapearance. The group rose to power following the loss of magic in Eternia through its tech-based sludge that upon ingestion would turn those who’ve consumed into weaponized cyborgs. They make their return in the final minutes of Part 2’s finale, as a bitter Skeletor attempts to destroy the Motherboard idol.

    Yet, he ends up restrained by Trapjaw and Triklop, as the technological menace latches its wires into his body. As Skeletor is mechanized the idol projects a hologram revealing a familiar face to fans of the franchise. It signals the return of Hordak, leader of the Horde and Skeletons old master. He also was famous as the main antagonist in the spin-off series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and continued that role in the 2018 remake.

    The ending certainly hints at Revelations returning for a third part as Hordak may have set his sights on Castle Grayskull and the heroes that protect it. Skeletor was once a protégé of Horda, before eventually banishing him to the realm of Etheria so that he may begin his own conquest of Eternia. It’ll be interesting to see how the newly introduced Motherboard connects to his origin and what the future has in store for Skeletor as a minion of his former master.

  • ‘Hawkeye’s First Episodes May Already Hint at the Series’ Main Threat

    ‘Hawkeye’s First Episodes May Already Hint at the Series’ Main Threat

    After a long wait, the first two episodes of 2021’s last MCU Disney+ series have finally been released. Hawkeye introduces the world to Clint Barton’s protégé Kate Bishop played by Hailee Steinfeld. While we spend quite a bit of time with the Tracksuit Mafia, the second episode ends with the introduction of Alaqua Cox‘s Echo in very familiar red lighting. Yet, as hilarious as they are, the Tracksuit Mafia aren’t big enough bad guys to really be the big threat in this series. Perhaps a single line in the first episode could be our first real hint at a kingpin pulling the strings in the shadows.

    I’ve got powerful friends, too. The kind you don’t want to mess with.

    This quote, delivered to Eleanor Bishop by the elder Duquesne, would seem innocent enough except throwaway lines aren’t given this much attention normally. We also are teased with an evil side with Eleanor’s future husband, Jack Duquesne, who might also have close ties with these “powerful friends.” The murder that Bishop Ronin got framed for is our first real hint that something sinister happening in NYC’s high society.

    There is one iconic figure that has always had a powerful hand in these actions, especially with the first episode featuring a black market deal for dinosaur bones and the Ronin’s costume. Of course, the inclusion of his adoptive daughter, Echo, in the second episode’s ending is enough points to set up the appearance, or rather reappearance, of Wilson Fisk.

    If there is anyone that is running the New York City underbelly and has close ties to the rich and famous, it’s very likely Fisk. There are enough rumors pointing to Vincent D’Onofrio‘s return as the iconic character and with Charlie Cox‘s return as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home. We may only have to be patient for a little bit longer until the true man in the shadows reveals his face.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Found Its Anchor Point in Hailee Steinfeld

    ‘Hawkeye’ Found Its Anchor Point in Hailee Steinfeld

    Will she or won’t she? Until Murphy’s Multiverse got the first look at Hailee Steinfeld on the set of Hawkeye last year, nobody knew if the actress was really going to play Kate Bishop or not. Now we know and it’s clear that Hailee Steinfield is a good representation of the Kate Bishop in the comics, so good, in fact, she’s not only an anchor point for this series but could be one for the future of the whole MCU.

    Through the first two episodes of Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfield portrays Kate Bishop as a determined, outgoing, 22 year old. She has grown up idolizing Hawkeye because he saved her life in the battle of New York. Ever since then, she has been protective of her mother. Over the course of the first two episodes, you see Kate openly reject any attempts by her mom’s fiance, Jacque Duquesne, to bond with her while attempting to force herself into Clint’s life.

    While her relationship with Clint is very similar in the comics, the death of her father is a change to the story that allows for her to connect with Clint on an even deeper level. If the Battle of New York would have never happened and her father wouldn’t have died, she wouldn’t have gotten so into archery and self-defense. The absence of her father has left her searching for someone to fill that role. While Jacque is all to happy to force himself into the role, Kate is more interested in forcing herself into that relationship with Clint. Daughters seek the acceptance of their fathers, but they don’t just want to be accepted without reason; they want to prove that they are worth accepting. This is what we see from Kate in the first two episodes: the refusal of one father figure’s empty gestures, in exchange for having to prove to Clint that she is worth accepting. Steinfeld is super believable in both those relationships, to the point where she could almost be playing two different characters.

    Steinfeld’s talents as an actress allow this to resonate with the audience. There is a subtleness to her hatred towards Jacque even though she loves her mother. On the other hand, there is an over eagerness to her attempts to make Clint like her. In the first two episodes of the show, Hailee presents a character that is funny and outgoing. Even though her mom warned her to stay out of trouble, Kate’s stubbornness has gotten her into exactly that kind of trouble, which ironically involves her mom’s fiance and his family. Her stubborn determination led her into the scene of the murder of Armond and right into the crosshairs of the Tracksuit Mafia. In the end of episode two, Kate is in some serious trouble and we will have to wait and see if her personality traits will do anything other than get her in deeper and deeper trouble.

    Even though her story has been changed from the comics, the stubborn determination the character has in the show comes straight from the pages of the Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung’s Young Avengers and Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye. In the Young Avengers Kate is always trying to help people and get things done efficiently. In Hawkeye, she is always curious and wanting to learn something new. Almost from the moment they meet, Hailee portrays the character as trying to learn from Clint, much to the displeasure of her unwilling mentor. In doing so she nails one after another of Kate’s key character traits. Steinfeld was a great choice for this role because, in my own opinion, she is very likeable and has a wide range of talents. I am looking forward to seeing Steinfeld continue to bring Kate to life in the MCU and become a key player in it.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 2 Ending Explained

    ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 2 Ending Explained

    After Kate’s bungled rescue attempt of Clint left both of our heroes hostage at the hands of the Tracksuit Mafia, Episode 2, “Hide and Seek”, briefly introduced a woman, dressed in black and surrounded by booming speakers, before abruptly ending. Who was that woman and what does she have to do with the bigger picture of the season of Hawkeye? Read on true believers.

    During the black market auction that serves as the inciting moment for much of the plot of the first 2 episodes, the auctioneer mentions that “the Ronin decimated the criminal underworld” of New York, “almost completely annihilating the status and power of the head of organized crime.” As fans of the comics know, that “head of organized crime” is very likely Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, who has long been rumored to appear in Hawkeye with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising the role he first played over 3 season of the Netflix’s Daredevil. As the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that the Tracksuit Mafia, who can barely stay out of their own way, are foot soldiers who answer to someone else-the someone else Clint set out to see when he allowed himself to be captured by the Bros. The closing moments of the episode lead the audience to believe that boss is the mysterious woman in black, but that’s almost certainly a very clever misdirect on the part of director and executive producer Rhys Thomas. The woman in black is Maya Lopez and while she’s not the big boss, her comic book counterpart is directly linked to the man that most likely is.

    Maya Lopez, aka Echo, is played by newcomer Alaqua Cox, and will spinoff into her own Marvel Studios streaming series which will probably stream in 2023. While we don’t get to see much of Lopez in episode 2, her presence (accompanied by a killer beat) seems to imply bad things will be coming for Barton and Bishop. First introduced in 1999’s Daredevil, Vol. 2 #9, Lopez was raised by and worked for the Kingpin…after he murdered her father. Marvel Studios isn’t big on direct page-to-screen adaptations of stories or characters, so the dynamic and history seems like it’ll be a little different here with Lopez seeming to serve as a lieutenant for the Kingpin, getting her hands dirty so he won’t have to.

    To that end, Lopez has an impressive skill set that will almost certainly be sampled in Episode 3. Born Deaf, Lopez displayed what the comics called “photographic reflexes” from an early age. Simply put, Lopez demonstrated the ability to watch someone do something and then repeat is at an expert level. This ability allowed her to master musical instruments, despite not being able to hear them, drawing, dance and, relevant to her position as someone who kicks ass for the Kingpin, martial arts.

    The end of the episode gives us just enough information to know that the MCU iteration of the character is Deaf and, like in the comics can read lips, and is to be feared as a physical threat (one of the Tracksuits ominously says “you’re in trouble now, Bro”, before cutting to our first look at Lopez-which is a really funny and self-aware comment because he realizes that Barton was never “in trouble” before despite being surrounded by half a dozen bros). We also know that her father, played by Zahn McClarnon, will appear in the series (see this old, exclusive set video of ours which shows her visiting her father’s residence), so it’s important to note that we are just at the beginning of Lopez’s journey. While Lopez may start the series in the employ of the “head of organized crime”, it’s highly unlikely she finishes it that way and even more unlikely she’s on good terms with “whomever” that is.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Gives the MCU Its Own Stormtroopers in the Loveable, Laughable Tracksuit Mafia

    ‘Hawkeye’ Gives the MCU Its Own Stormtroopers in the Loveable, Laughable Tracksuit Mafia

    In Star Wars, George Lucas introduced audiences to the Stormtroopers. Faceless, uniformed goons who accept their (literal) marching orders from their unseen overlord without question. When we first see them board the Tantive IV, they’re presented in overwhelming numbers and, since they’re accompanied by Vader, seem pretty terrifying. Over time, however, they’ve become so well-known in pop culture for their ineptitude (especially when it comes to shooting) that they were the butt of a meta joke in an episode of The Mandalorian. Whatever Lucas’s original plans, Stormtroopers have become weak-minded canon fodder for the heroes of the Star Wars universe, falling for every trick in the book and only mildly threatening because there seems to be no end to how many of them can be marched out.

    Whether intentionally or by happy accident, Marvel Studios newest Disney Plus streaming series, Hawkeye, has introduced a group of similarly buffoonish foot soldiers to the MCU in the Tracksuit Mafia and, over the first two episodes, the delivers HEAVY Stormtrooper vibes. The parallels are astounding. Similar to the Stormtroopers, they explode onto the scene in a terrifying fashion as they rob the basement black market auction…and they do so as faceless, uniformed goons. Even in large numbers, the Tracksuits can’t handle Kate Bishop and are only successful in their quest for the enigmatic watch by accident-and that doesn’t even go well for them. Their next attempt to catch Kate ends with them taking another ass-beating at the hands of both Bishop and Barton but it’s not until their Molotov assault on Kate’s loft that we see their ineptitude on full display and it only gets worse from there. Clint’s conversation with the Bros following his “capture” reveals that much like the Stormtroopers, they’re none to bright, much to the frustration of Hawkeye.

    Through two episodes, the Tracksuits have accomplished absolutely nothing of note…other than to become absolutely loveable for their stupidity. Hats off to the group of actors, led by Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk and Carlos Navarro, for bringing the Tracksuits to the screen straight from the pages of Matt Fraction and David Aja’s epic run. Their interactions with the Hawkeyes and each other, both during the fire bombing and “interrogation” scenes, deliver an ignorance-is-bliss type of humor that will continue to be low-hanging fruit for the remainder of the series. As they botch their jobs and argue among themselves in their matchy-matchy tracksuits, the lack of indistinct personalities, which Barton mentions himself as he’s begging to talk to their boss, only strengthens them as Stormtrooper analogues: it doesn’t matter who is who, bro, they are all equally as useless as the next one.

    Thankfully, it seems we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg with these loveable idiots. Trailers and TV spots have show that a future episode will bring the iconic car chase from the comic run to life, meaning we’ll get to see Kate unleash all manner of trick arrows on the Tracksuits and we’ll never know which ones are getting flipped off a bridge or crashing into concrete. And at no point in time will anyone ever believe Clint and Kate are in any real danger. One after another, the legion of Tracksuits will serve as cannon fodder for the Hawkeyes, only to be replaced by another Bro as they follow the marching orders of their unseen overlord. And let’s be honest, that’s who we’re really hoping to see anyway. Until then, here’s to the Tracksuits, Bro, the Stormtroopers of the MCU, Bro.

  • ‘Hawkeye’: Rogers the Musical Brings Magical Meta to the MCU

    ‘Hawkeye’: Rogers the Musical Brings Magical Meta to the MCU

    The MCU has become self-aware. The opening episode of Hawkeye brings the Avenging Archer and his children to the Big Apple for what we can assume is maybe opening week of Rogers the Musical, a stage show dedicated to the life of Clint’s friend and fellow Avengers, Steve Rogers. The musical itself isn’t important to the plot of the show other than being the plot device that brings Clint to New York and getting him involved with Kate Bishop and the Tracksuit Mafia. It is, however, important in that it represents a fabulously funny step forward for the MCU: it’s learned to laugh at itself.

    In a wonderful bit of meta humor, the musical reenacts the Battle of New York (in song form!) and puts, at its center, one of the real internets most memed MCU moment: Captain America’s “I can do this all day.” The musical gives each of the Avengers their moment to shine, even putting Ant-Man who, as Clint points out was NOT there, a moment in the spotlight, but its shining moment is when the actors who plays Cap belts out the character’s signature line. Hulk’s smash moment comes in a close second, but for the creators of Hawkeye to put one of Rogers core traits at the center of the musical and use it for a laugh shows that they are deeply connected with their fandom.

    To be fair, this isn’t the first time the line has been used for a laugh. Avengers: Endgame saw one Steve say the line to the other which led to a light moment. This feels different, however, as it’s not a moment between Caps. It’s a great meta moment because once you’re done laughing at it, you immediately think, “Wait a minute! He never said that at the Battle of New York. And how’d they know he said that anyway?” and that, folks, is the joke. Turning the Battle of New York, the moment the Avengers came together as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, into the plot of a musical that gives an historically inaccurate representation while one of those Avengers sits in the audience is the kind of laugh that can’t be built in a day. It’s the kind of laugh that only long-time fans of the MCU are going to truly get; it’s so layered and nuanced that the fan who is watching Hawkeye because they like Hailee Steinfeld would need a 20-minute long lecture from a friend to explain why it was funny in the first place; it’s the kind of laugh that lands hardest because it’s the world’s most successful franchise laughing at itself.

    The MCU has become self-aware and if this is the type occasional meta humor fans can expect to see, then Feige has transitioned from MCU overlord to MCU memelord, cementing himself as The One-Above-All.