Tag: TV

A Dozen Characters Ready to Be Saved From Mediocrity Now that ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Isn’t Canon
For seven seasons starting in 2013, Marvel Television and ABC Studios’ soap opera, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., adapted characters and story lines from Marvel Comics that were unlikely to ever make their way into any of the company’s mainstream films. With former head of Marvel TV, Jeph Loeb, stepping aside and the company falling under the oversight of Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Fiege, the series was not renewed following its seventh season, which received rave reviews from all 15 critics who took the time to watch it and share their opinions with Rotten Tomatoes.

In late-2018, Marvel Studios began developing its own series which were set to become key central to Disney’s efforts to enter the streaming wars. By early 2019, development on several series had begun, including Hawkeye, which would be officially announced by Feige at SDCC ’19. Hawkeye recently concluded its 6-episode streaming run and, in its finale, clearly identified Laura Barton, played since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron by Linda Cardellini, as a former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. More specifically, it was made clear that Laura was Agent 19, a designation that belonged only to Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, also known as Mockingbird, the one-time wife of Clint Barton. This revelation indicated to fans that the events of the long-running ABC soap opera, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., could no longer be considered canonical in the Sacred Timeline of the MCU since that show had its own Bobbi Morse who had a very different story.

With the startling revelation that Marvel Studios would choose to tell its own stories with the character it controls, we thought it a good time to take a look at other characters from the ABC series who could be recast and see their stories retold in the Sacred Timeline.

The Secret Warriors

In the mid-2000’s, Marvel Comics’ writer Brian Michael Bendis went on a hot streak the likes of which was rarely seen before it and has rarely been seen since. Beginning in 2004 with Secret War, Bendis weaved a fascinating story with Nick Fury at the center. After killing one his old friends, Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, and finding out she was a Skrull, Fury began assembling, in secret, a team of under-the-radar powered warriors to fight back. These individuals were called Caterpillars and were split up into 3 teams each of which were led by agents who Fury deeply trusted. First appearing in Mighty Avengers #13 during the company’s line-wide Secret Invasion event (overseen by Bendis, who wrote the event series), Fury’s Secret Warriors eventually headlined their own series (co-written by Bendis and Jonathan Hickman). Starting in 2009, Secret Warriors took readers on an absolutely insane ride that slowly unraveled a wild story that included Leonardo da Vinci’s secret council of spies, known as the Great Wheel of the Zodiac.

The third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was loosely based on parts of Bendis and Hickman’s Secret Warriors as it saw Agent Coulson and Daisy Johnson assemble a group of Caterpillars who, in the show, were Inhumans, to battle Hydra and the Hive.

In May of 2020, it was revealed that Marvel Studios has been developing their own Secret Warriors project. Should this project go into development and stick a little more closely to the source material, Marvel Studios could chose to repurpose the following five characters, all of whom were integral to the Secret Warriors comic book though not all of them appeared in the Season 3 Secret Warriors arc of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Daisy Johnson/Quake
- Elena Rodriquez/Yo-Yo
- J.T. Slade/Hellfire
- Madame Hydra
- Daniel Whitehall/Kraken
Ghost Rider

Season Four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. featured Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes in one of the most beloved arcs of the series. Earlier this year, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. VFX supervisor Mark Kolpack revealed that the creators turned to Reyes’ character after abruptly being told they could NOT use original Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze, whose story they had already been prepping and planning to tease at the end of Season 3. And so, Robbie Reyes showed up for 10 episodes before picking up the Darkhold (which was also recently recast in WandaVision) and pissing off for Hell, never to be seen again.

As Kolpak indicated in the interview, Feige has plans for Marvel Studios to use Blaze (in fact, they may have found their guy) and are developing a solo Ghost Rider project.

Deathlok

One of the first teasers for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. featured a character jumping out of a building and cracking the concrete beneath his feet. Fans speculated WILDLY about who it might be. Was it Luke Cage? Nope. It was legendary Marvel Comics’ character Mike Peterson, portrayed by J. August Richards. Peterson, a one-time Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., volunteered for the Centipede Project which was meant to build an army of super soldier for Hydra. Apparently a big project guy, Peterson then became a subject in Project Deathlok which turned him into a laughable version of the comic book character. I mean he had a rocket launcher in his forearm.

Interestingly enough, in 2019 Deadline reported that Marvel Studios was looking to use the character in an upcoming project. Presumably, the studio would do so by using one of the five comic book characters who have become Deathlok and not creating a new character to act as a poor substitute.

Victoria Hand

In another pretty poor page-to-screen adaptation, Victoria Hand went from a S.H.I.E.L.D. accountant fired by Nick Fury in the comics to a Level 8 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the show. Hand’s time on the show was short, thankfully, as she was betrayed and murdered by Grant Ward. In the comics, Hand became the right hand of Norman Osborn as he rose to power in the aftermath of the Skrull Invasion of Earth and helped him create the Thunderbolts. She later became an Avenger and was killed by a ghost, which not many people can say.

Production on Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion is underway and there’s no telling how messy things will get in the MCU following the events of the paranoia-driven series and who will be left standing to pick up the pieces. Obviously S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn’t existed in years, but that doesn’t mean a version of Victoria Hand doesn’t exist in the MCU, waiting to be redeemed for how she was handled in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Antagonists

If there was one thing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did incredibly well, it was utilizing interesting comic book villains in incredibly uninteresting ways. Franklin Hall, Graviton, a one-time Master of Evil, A.I.M.’s Minister of Science and an Avengers-level threat was forgotten about after being introduced in Season 1 before his powers were, inexplicably given to Glenn Talbot. Mr. Hyde was turned into a homeless, junkie and the father of Quake (and then the comics retconned Daisy’s whole past to line up with the show). Small-timers Blizzard and Blackout were unceremoniously dispatched. And that brings us, finally, to Carl Creel, the Absorbing Man, who ended up being used by Talbot to turn him into Graviton?
- Franklin Hall/Graviton
- Calvin Johnson/Calvin Zabo/Mr. Hyde
- Carl Creel/Absorbing Man
- Marcus Daniels/Blackout
- Donald Gill/Blizzard
- Glenn Talbot
Of these characters, it’s possible that Carl “Crusher” Creel could show up in the MCU in the next year. Creel’s wife, Titania, plays a major role in She-Hulk and the two have been nearly inseparable in the comics over the past several years. Creel’s power set, much like many of the rest of the villains on the list above, would play much, much better in the big budget world of Marvel Studios television than they did on the melodrama budget of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And Talbot has been a thorn in the side of Hulk since the 1960s; hell, he was even included in Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk. He deserves an upgrade, too.

Fingers crossed, True Believers! Some day some of your favorite heroes and villains will make the jump to the big leagues and join the MCU, just like Agent 19, aka Mockingbird, aka Bobbi Morse, aka Laura Barton.
December 23, 2021
‘Hawkeye’ Rumor Review

Correct: Kingpin Will Appear

This one was a well-known fact among many in the “scooper” community and made its way into the public via a Reddit post. After being referenced regularly and teased in Episode 3, Kingpin was seen at the end of Episode 5 before making his grand entrance into the MCU in Episode 6.

Incorrect: A Combo of a Fat Suit and CGI Will Be Used to Make Kingpin Appear Huge

This one spread like wildfire after RPK News shared it and ended up generating the ridiculous looking picture above. As it turned out, it was just D’Onofrio who, at 6’4″ and 250+ lbs., is plenty big enough to be physically menacing.

Correct: Clint Barton Would Need an Audiologist

One of our own and one that was never in doubt since it came from a casting call. Clint’s hearing loss played an integral part in the beginning of the series and, as expected, he had to visit an audiologist. This visit was also seen in set pics taken during filming.

Incorrect: Madame Masque Would Appear in a Supporting Role

Shared last Fall by The Direct, this one turned out to be inaccurate. To add to it a bit, there were also rumblings that Kate’s Mom, Eleanor, would be revealed to be Madame Masque: this was never the case and not something that was “cut” from the series.

Partially Correct: Trickshot and the Tracksuit Mafia Would Appear

An old rumor from MCU Cosmic suggested that Trickshot, the brother of Clint Barton, would appear in Hawkeye. In what seems like a missed opportunity to introduce that character, he was not included. The same report also indicated that the Tracksuit Mafia would appear in the series. Of course, they did appear and were one of the highlights of the series.

Correct: Carlos Navarro Joined the Cast

Another one of ours and it was spot on. The MM team was tipped off and a quick check of social media gave us enough confidence to run it. At the time, we thought maybe Navarro would be playing one of the NYC detectives in the show but, as it turned out, he got to be one of the bros in the Tracksuit Mafia instead!

Correct: Ace Ventura Villain Simon Callow Joined the Cast

This past summer, The Cosmic Circus correctly reported that Simon Callow joined the cast of Hawkeye. Callow, who played one of the Armand’s, was fantastic in his short time in the series.

December 23, 2021
How the ‘Hawkeye’ Finale Sets up Swordsman to Surface in a Second Season

Criminal. Mentor to Clint Barton. Avenger. Strategic genius. Father of the Celestial Messiah (in a really creepy way). In the comics, Jacques Duquesne, the master of bladed weapons known as Swordsman, was all these things before he ultimately gave his life in defense of the love of his life, Mantis.

Broke rich guy. Witless buffoon. Guy who bought a book on being a step-father. In the Marvel Studios streaming series Hawkeye, Jack Duquesne, the avid collector of bladed weapons known as, well, Jack, was all these things before he was used as a fall guy by the love of his life, Eleanor Bishop, to cover her tracks.

Hawkeye showrunner Jonathan Igla and directors Rhys Thomas, Bert and Bertie did the character of Jacques Duquesne dirty over the course of the six-episode series; however, the series’ finale did redeem the loveable moron and provide an opportunity for the character, played wonderfully by Tony Dalton, to return down the road. And should we see this daringly-different Duquesne again, whether it be in a second season of Hawkeye or another project, the creatives also left him in the perfect position to suit up as his swashbuckling self from the comics.

Desperately in need of some new friends after being manipulated and used by his fiancee, Duquesne finds himself in the company of one of the show’s First Responders, Adetinpo Thomas’ Wendy, following the big events of the finale. Before becoming distracted by the blood on his tie (Balls!), Duquesne was talking with Wendy about a potential “leisure activity”: LARPing.

Throughout the series, the window to the First Responders’ hobby provided comic relief and Clint’s original meeting with them provided fruit down the road as not only did they help out the heroes in the final battle, but also created the great new outfits for Clint and Kate. And while Jacques and Wendy don’t get to finish their conversation, the creatives of Hawkeye have certainly set the table for Jack to give LARPing a shot if/when we see him again. And if we do see Jack (there’s no way they don’t bring Dalton back if there is a Season 2) and we do see him LARPing, the creatives could do the character a solid (though a ridiculous looking solid) by having his LARP in something resembling his classic Swordsman suit, first seen in Avengers #19.

At this point, it seems obvious that the Duquesne of the MCU won’t ascend to the ranks of Avenger and he likely won’t have his dead body possessed by a tree-alien who then uses it to copulate with Mantis (he could, however, meet Mantis, I suppose, if the Guardians where to say, come to Earth at some point) and conceive a child. But we saw enough from the guy over the course of the season to know that he has a big heart, probably way too big, and is always up for a good time. Given that (and the fact that the creatives actually included Hawkeye’s original comic book costume in a LARPing scene before cutting it), it doesn’t seem to far-fetched of an idea at all that we might see a swashbuckling Swordsman braving the battlefield with bladed weapons some time down the road. En garde!

December 23, 2021
‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down ‘Shang-Chi’ To Keep Hope Alive for the Return of Colleen Wing

Netflix’s Iron Fist seemed to finally be finding its identity when it was canceled following its second season. A big part of that identity was giving then budding star Jessica Henwick more to do. By season’s end, Henwick’s character, Colleen Wing, wielded the power of the Iron Fist of K’un Lun and, presumably, would have had a major arc in a third season.

Henwick is now starring in the recently released Matrix Resurrections and revealed that, in order to land that role, she passed on one in Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. After that report, fans speculated, wildly as always, that Henwick was set to reprise the role of Wing in Shang-Chi. Thankfully, in an interview with a trade,Henwick clarified that not only was she NOT going to be playing Wing in Shang-Chi, but also that she passed on the role in order to keep hope alive that she might reprise the role sometime down the road.

If I did [Shang-Chi], I would effectively be putting Colleen to bed. It wasn’t the main factor, but it definitely came up in conversation. I love Colleen. She changed my life. Of course, if I was given the opportunity to revisit her, I would, but I just don’t know how likely that is. Charlie [Cox] knew about that opportunity years ago. He already knew it was happening. I think I would have heard by now if there were any plans with Colleen.

As Henwick noted, plans for Daredevil star Charlie Cox to return were in place for some time ahead of his work on Spider-Man: No Way Home and the fact that she hasn’t heard anything about a potential future for Wing could easily be construed as the end for the character; however, as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye have proven, there can be life after Netflix death for these characters.

December 22, 2021
Michael Keaton Returning in ‘Batgirl’

For a while now there’s been a lot of back and forth regarding just who would be donning the cape and cowl as the main universe Batman. Ben Affleck is set to reprise the role, for what’s believed to be a brief cameo in The Flash, while Michael Keaton will co-star alongside Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle in the film. The big question is just what actor will continue on forward in the DCEU following The Flash and Warner Brothers 2022 press release may have given us the answer we were waiting for.

Warner Brother released a slew of tidbits on upcoming DC projects, including Batgirl. In the press release for the film, Warner Brothers has officially listed Michael Keaton in the cast, seemingly confirming that he will be the Bat to stick around following the events of The Flash. A while back the directors of Batgirl confirmed that Batman would indeed appear in the film, but when asked who would only disclose that it was “The Real Batman.”

Batgirl credits and synopsis from WB’s 2022 Preview press release reveals Michael Keaton will be appearing in the HBO Max film 🦇 #Batgirl pic.twitter.com/ST4fzHNman
— Batgirl Film News (@BatgirlFilm) December 22, 2021

The DCEU will definitely be taking an interesting path forward with Keaton reportedly taking on a ‘Nick-fury type’ role following his return in The Flash.

Batgirl currently has no set release but with a Christmas theme in many of the photos, it does seem like it could indeed be a December 2022 release. The film will be direct by Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi with Leslie Grace starring in the titular role.

SOURCE: Twitter

December 22, 2021
‘Hawkeye’ Finale’s BIG “Death” Explained
Marvel fans waited patiently to see Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin make a big splash in Hawkeye and their patience paid off in the season finale. Wilson Fisk proved to be a major physical threat and pretty damn hard to kill. He shrugged off an arrow to the chest, showed almost no ill effects to being hit by a car and was able to walk away from an explosion that would have left a normal person in pieces. His reward for all that? Being shot at point-blank range by Maya Lopez at the end of the episode. Is it over for the Kingpin? Did Marvel Studios bring D’Onofrio back simply to kill him off? Absolutely not.

The final meeting between Lopez and Fisk in Episode 6 of Hawkeye was nearly identical to the way things went down between the two characters in David Mack’s Daredevil (Vol.2) , Issue #15, entitled “Vision”, published in 2001. In both cases, Maya took her revenge on Fisk by shooting him at point-blank range.
As we saw in Hawkeye, the Fisk from the comics has also been notoriously hard to kill. In “Visions”, as Fisk is brought into the hospital following his encounter with Maya, readers learn that he was shot multiple times, including once in the head. The medical staff concludes that while he might live, they won’t be repair the damage done to his vision, leaving Kingpin blind. Of course, Fisk didn’t say blind forever and, after having surgery in Sweden to repair the damage done, he returned to his criminal ways.

Given the combination of the way the event went down in the comics, the fact that Hawkeye’s Fisk was essentially indestructible and that we didn’t actually get a look at what transpired, it is reasonable to assume that Fisk is not dead and will be back in action in Echo.
December 22, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Hawkeye’ Finale – So This Is Christmas?

It is still not clear if another season of Hawkeye is to come, but the disney+ series “season finale” titled “So This Is Christmas“, is the strongest installment of the series on almost all fronts including humor, character work, and action. The finale is also highly representative of the series as a whole. While it has several great components, it ultimately felt somewhat anti-climactic due to the weakness of the overarching plot. This episode emphasized how the series is more of a collection of other stories rather than its own. At the end of the day, the actual plot was Kate Bishop stepping into the shoes of a superhero, but it was flanked by the vague and stagnant criminal storyline.

By the end of the episode, it does not feel as though much has happened throughout the series. Even though there was an Echo, Black Widow, Kingpin, and a Kate’s-mom-is-actually-the-bad-guy reveal, none of these potential adversaries were genuinely essential to the story. Most of what happens in Hawkeye comes across as a string of crazy coincidences. As such, the lack of a central and strong adversary left the finale and the series needing more. Many interesting narratives turned out to essentially be interesting cameos rather than meaningful additions to the story. For example, the fact that the Rolex first encountered in the first episode revealed that Laura Barton was once an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is cool, but much of the underlying mystery was centered around that watch for the entire series for little to no plot payoff. There was a lack of connection why this watch was so relevant to the Tracksuit Mafia.

Kingpin’s use was a bit confusing in the finale. At first, it seemed like he was going to be grossly underutilized, but did have a solid fight scene with Kate where it was made clear that he is a military tank in human form. His ending with Maya supposedly shooting and killing him isn’t convincing given the importance of his character, but it would be quite a wild decision for Marvel to have made.

This episode and Hawkeye as a whole aced the character work, though. Clint got the first real development the MCU has given him other than a haircut, and he became a fleshed-out character that stayed true to what he experienced before the series. He’s a traumatized, mildly retired family man, and Jeremy Renner never really missed on his portrayal of the senior Hawkeye. The moments between Clint and Kate, including some of the more poignant conversations, were always strong and drove both characters’ development, and pushed the theme of what it means to be a hero.

The introduction of Kate Bishop was obviously the series’ main purpose, and while it felt plenty forced and contrived, Kate genuinely grew over the course of the series. By the time she did her leap of faith down the side of the building, the viewer was plenty invested in watching her true hero moment. The finale made it unambiguous that she had crossed the line from idolizing superheroes to embodying one herself. It doesn’t hurt that Hailee Steinfeld’s character already had twice the amount of personality that Clint did, and her personality was fairly fresh and unique when looking at MCU frontrunners.

The series also handled its other characters well. Yelena, while only making appearances in the final three episodes easily outshined the main characters and will likely forever be considered one of the most iconic parts of Hawkeye. While her quest to kill Clint was a bit shallow at first, her ultimate resolution with him evoked a great performance from Florence Pugh. It added a lot of color to Natasha Romanoff’s death and absence. The series offered us a decent epilogue to Black Widow, but that is another example of how Hawkeye juggled other stories more than its own.

Maya Lopez’s introduction in the series was similarly used as a vehicle for another project, which was evident in her waning presence after her initial appearance. The future for Echo is bright, but setting up her series was clearly the priority for the character rather than a focus on what she brought to Hawkeye.

Unfortunately, the least interesting character at the end of the day was also – in terms of the main Kate storyline – the “big bad”. Eleanor Bishop was fine, but there was not much about the character that was overly compelling. She worked well as a narrative tool to push back on Kate’s ambition, but Eleanor being the vague reason why all of the events of the series happened is not particularly memorable. The episode even managed to fully redeem and solidify Jack as a bonafide lovable guy, but the easy switch from the main suspect to completely in the clear was too uneventful to make any of it thrilling.

What the finale did prove is that Hawkeye is funny. From character personalities, LARPers to Tracksuit bros, this episode and the series as a whole had plenty of humor to go around on a higher level than simple comedic relief. The inclusion of the full Rogers the Musical musical number in the credits is a testament to the lightness of the series and the more upbeat approach to its production.

The finale’s extended skyscraper-to-ice rink scene joins episode 3’s car chase as one of two truly memorable action sequences of the entire superhero series. Between the trick arrows and the arrival of every character – other than Lucky the Pizza Dog – to the area felt like a worthy payoff. The archery and hand-to-hand choreography were very well done. The final Hawkeye suits were extremely corny, but fitting for the tone of the series and the weak gravity of the actual plot situation.

Hawkeye’s series (or season) finale capitalized on all of the things that the show did well. The character development and humor that it consistently mastered across all of its episodes are fairly unique to the MCU’s slate of Disney+ series, which makes Hawkeye a welcome addition for that alone. The action here is the series’ best, but overall that element was limited. Unfortunately, Hawkeye suffered a bit from a loose and varied narrative that lacked much punch. But overall the street-level, dog-loving holiday romp was a fun ride that brought plenty of lovable characters to the table.

December 22, 2021
Marvel Studios Decanonizes ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ in ‘Hawkeye’ Finale

The writing was on the wall. Our first clues came in Episode 4 and those clues allowed for a reasonable claim to be made that Laura Barton was, at one time, an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; And now, following the events of the season finale of Hawkeye, it’s been made very clear: Laura Barton is S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 19, aka Mockingbird.

Since Avengers: Age of Ultron, fans have theorized that Laura might once have been an Agent. The finale of Hawkeye put any doubt to rest by revealing that the watch fans have been speculating about since Episode 1 did, in fact, belong to her. The back watch, which Clint indicated was “tied to her identity”, bore a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the number 19. As established in the comics, Agent 19 was the designation of Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, a level 6 agent who also went by the code name Mockingbird. Morse went on to marry Clint, joined the Avengers and founded the West Coast Avengers before “dying” and then playing a key role in the Secret Invasion event. In the 2010 series, Hawkeye and Mockingbird, it was also revealed that, with the help of Nick Fury, Morse faked her death, left S.H.I.E.L.D, had her files classified and went off the grid for 8 years before her past with Barton brought her back into action.

It’s not much of a stretch, given the emphasis placed on the watch and its ties to someone’s identity who Clint says has “been out of the game for a while”, that the MCU’s Laura Barton once went by a different name and similarly relied on the help of Nick Fury, who we know helped set up Clint’s family with a nice farm house. Laura was Agent 19; Agent 19 was Mockingbird; Mockingbird was Bobbi Morse; “Laura” was Bobbi Morse.

Of course, this creates quite the conundrum. Over two seasons of the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bobbi Morse was played by Adrianne Palicki. Her Morse had no ties to Clint Barton and has never appeared in or been referenced in any other MCU projects. The character was supposed to co-lead an AoS spinoff, Marvel’s Most Wanted, but that project was canceled in 2016. Marvel Studios with no hope of being picked up down the road.F

While fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are scrambling to come up ways to explain it (Palicki’s Morse wasn’t called Mockingbird in the show, Laura hasn’t been called Mockingbird either, etc.) It seems incredibly unlikely that Marvel Studios would have both a Bobbi Morse and a separate character who goes by both of Morse’s aliases, Agent 19 and Mockingbird. In almost all cases, the simplest explanation is almost always the best one and, in this case, the simplest explanation is that the events of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are not canon, at least not within the so-called Sacred Timeline. It is far, far more likely that, like the events of Spider-Man or The Amazing Spider-Man, the events of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. took place in another universe and that in the Sacred Timeline, Laura Barton EXACTLY who Hawkeye told us she was: Agent 19, aka Mockingbird, ask Barbara “Bobbi” Morse.

December 22, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Centaurworld’ Season 2 Ends on a Strong Note

Centaurworld is a weird series to talk about. Megan Nicole Dong’s very different take on an animated musical series explores the story of a warhorse named, appropriately, Horse, as she ends up lost in an unlikely world filled with mystical, singing centaurs of different species. We move from a rather dark story as she believes her rider has fallen to her death, as she struggles with this very bizarre take on a fantasy world. The second season has arrived and picks up where the previous one ended. Does it continue the wackiness of the first, or take a different direction?

The biggest change in this storyline is that we spend quite a bit more time in the “regular” world with Jessie Mueller‘s Rider. While teased as a darker side of the storyline, it does take some wackier directions. It mainly serves to give us a look at the struggle on their side to introduce a new horse going by the name Becky Apples to add some drama for Horse getting jealous and Brian D’Arcy James‘ General.

There are some great moments, especially during her infiltration of a castle with Becky Apples, but it seems just as wacky rather than playing a stark contrast to the wackier Centaurworld. It’s a bit of a shame, as one of the selling points for my viewing in the first season was that stark contrast Horse highlights while trying to make sense of her new surroundings. As we have now gotten beyond the “fish out of water” storyline, they tried to find a balance to still keep a certain level of comedy going.

Speaking of, it feels surprisingly reserved this time around which works to its favor. There are still some wacky moments, mostly continued with Glendale and Durpleton, but there are fewer of those “what just happened” moments throughout. Early on it felt like a stark contrast, but it seemed deliberate as this time around we take a closer look at our characters. Durpleton has a cute story arc where he sees a dying Lizardman as his son, and it even builds into a newly discovered backstory of the character.

Horse was teased quite a bit to be a magical being and she has seemingly adjusted to her new body. So, her new ability to jump into people’s flashbacks is quite convenient but does offer an excuse for the team to offer some insight into our cast and especially for the strongest moments of the season later on. It also is built upon from the previous season which was a clever way to confirm it as foreshadowing.

The wacky characters of Centaurworld are the highlight for most of the season. We get introduced to the wacky Aristocrat centaurs, who are seemingly the most random element in the season, especially with their design. Though I could’ve done without the birdtaur influencers, who had one or two jokes that dragged out. Still, some of the returning casts are still as hilarious as they were last time. You can never go wrong with more Comfortable Doug, voiced perfectly by Flula Borg once again. Also, I’m embarrassed it took me until this season to realize the Tree Shamans were First Aid Kit.

Where the show shines once again is in the music, voice acting, and animation. There’s a lot of attention to detail to make sure these two worlds feel distinctive. Each centaur’s design seemingly gets crazier and crazier the more characters we meet. While I do feel like some of the songs dragged out, especially the final one, they were also great to listen to with some great stand-outs, such as the “Last Lullaby” from the finale.

The show’s greatest strengths lie in the exploration of its main antagonist, the Nowhere King. Brian Stokes Mitchell is a standout in the season, whose voice just adds a lot to the powerful design bringing this unholy being to life. Getting to figure out why he is the way he is and building upon the hints from the first season worked incredibly well. The show’s antagonist is so good that it’s a shame we don’t spend enough time with him throughout the season, or even get a lot of hints at the revelation.

While more subdued than the previous season, the final season of the series ends on a strong note. It does fall into old habits early on, but once we build-up to the final confrontation with the Nowhere King it certainly finds its groove. Plus, we get more insight into our usually wacky sidekicks that feel more centered with their own little plot points. There are some great laughs to have, and some mesmerizing music to surely make you want to stay a bit longer in the insanity that is Centaurworld.

December 21, 2021
Marvel Studios Calls ‘Hawkeye’s Upcoming Episode a “Season” Not Series Finale

A new and potentially final poster has dropped ahead of the release of Hawkeye‘s finale. It shows off most of the main players outside of the returning Kingpin, who is still purposely held in the shadows even though we got a glimpse at him in a photograph. Yet, there’s a rather curious detail in the Instagram post, as it includes the rather curious detail that this is, in fact, a “season finale” and not a series finale.

The season finale of Marvel Studios’ @HawkeyeOfficial starts streaming tomorrow on @DisneyPlus

View this post on Instagram

There are no set rules in what series gets a continuation over at Disney+. Not every show requires a follow-up season, as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were never given a greenlight. The first time we got any confirmation was during the post-credit sequence of Loki. What If…? was renewed ahead of its release and only hinted at during interviews. Some time ago, we even got a hint for the upcoming She-Hulk series, whose first season still has no release date.

While calling it a “season finale” doesn’t directly confirm that we’ll get a second season of Hawkeye, but there are many plot threads that have the potential to become the center of a second season, especially if we continue exploring Kate Bishop’s journey. Our very own Hunter Radesi has explored the potential of a second season, which you can check out here.

December 21, 2021