As word came that Titans and DoomPatrol were coming to the end of their run on HBO Max, fans of the two DC streaming series voiced their displeasure online. One such fan took to Twitter to blame newly christened co-chairs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, for the cancellations. As usual, however, Gunn used social media to set the record straight.
“The decision to end the series precedes us,” said Gunn. He added, “But I certainly wish the best for the talented group of creators, actors and the rest of the crew that produced both shows.“
The decision to end the series precedes us. But I certainly wish the best for the talented group of creators, actors, and the rest of the crew that produced both shows. https://t.co/jdqDc9TqU1
The two series have grown devoted followings over the years with DoomPatrol routinely being among the most well-received DC projects. Gunn is expected to make news soon by revealing some of the projects on the new DC Studios’ slate.
New information from insider Daniel RPK seems to have indicated that a Variant of Kang known as Victor Timely is set to make his debut in the MCU in 2023. Via his Patreon, Daniel RPK shared that Loki Season 2 will feature another new Variant of Jonathan Majors‘ Kang who is “an inventor from the past wanting to buy stuff from people to affect the future.” Though RPK added he could not confirm that this Variant will be Victor Timely, speculation about the character has revolved around that identity. This isn’t the first time the character’s name has come up, either, given that the insider teased a mention or appearance of Timely in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Who is Victor Timely and why are so many fans sure this is him? Fascinating questions to which there are probably multiple great answers, to be sure, and while we can’t provide the correct answer we can theorize!
Who is Victor Timely?
Interior art from Avengers Annual #21(1992)
Kang is a complex villain and the convoluted and continuous retconning of the character in the pages of Marvel Comics over the years has made a true understanding of him daunting. In one respect, that’s actually worked in the favor of those penning whatever the latest adventures of the character are because they can be as mysterious and crazy as they want given pretty much nobody knows exactly what went on with Kang to begin with and when time travel is involved, anything is possible…and that is the essence of Victor Timely.
Victor Timely’s origins come from a retcon to Kang’s story first published in 1992’s Avengers Annual #21. The issue tells the story of what happened following Kang’s first defeat at the hands of the Avengers. Kang retreated to the past, where under the alias of Victor Timely he founded a city and rose to fame as an inventor and industrialist. His work as Timely quietly shaped the century while he built a fantastical and quasi-temporal base of operations, Chronopolis, from where he could access timelines that other versions of himself had conquered. On Earth, Timely worked from a location–complete with a door that transported him to Chronopolis–and his advancements in technology ultimately put his products into every robot, cyborg and computer, allowing him full access to nearly every piece of technology on the Earth.
Why Does Victor Timely Make Sense for the MCU at This Point in Time?
The short answer is time. One of the reasons fans debated whether or not Kang would make for an appropriate villain in the MCU is the convoluted nature of the character’s comic book past. Marvel Studios seems to have addressed that fairly well in Season 1 of Loki by indicating that He Who Remains was the victor of a Multiversal War among Kangs who has since spent his time pruning timelines and making sure that the Multiverse doesn’t come back into existence and bring Kang Variants back with it. When Sylvie killed He Who Remains, it set loose a chain reaction of events (the repercussions of which will be explored in Season 2 of Loki) including the emergence of an infinite number of Kangs. It’s all pretty confusing, but by the time Loki Season 2 comes around, the Kang Variant that we are theorizing to be Victor Timely will have already lived a life full of experiences and opportunities we are unlikely to see in full on screen.
By following the rules of time travel and the Multiverse as they are currently understood, should a Kang Variant travel back in time (as Timely did in the comics), it would create a Nexus Event and a new timeline. The new future for the Variant, which takes place in the past, can’t change what happened on his old timeline, but it certainly can be conquered in the new timeline. So the Avengers may have beaten that Kang, but can they beat this Kang? And what is this Kang up to? The comics–and an Easter egg from Season 1 of Loki–could give some hints.
While the Variant of Kang set to appear in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Kang the Conqueror, is stuck in the Quantum Realm, he also seems to have lived quite a life already and is well aware of his multiple pasts. It’s possible that this Variant is an older version of Victor Timely. In the comics, Timely traveled time to get a head start on the Avengers by cornering the market on technology while also secretly constructing Chronopolis from where he could access all timelines. The fantastical city within the Quantum Realm that’s been seen in promotional material for Quantumania is almost certainly Chronopolis and Kang almost certainly used it for its intended purposes for a long, long time before being trapped there. It’s possible that the Victor Timely Variant of Kang set to appear in Loki Season 2 is there, in part, to explain to audiences how Chronopolis came to be and to fill in the gaps about who the Conqueror that fans meet in Quantumania is.
If that half of Timely’s story could be adapted from the comics, the other half could be adapted just as easily. RPK’s information suggests that Timely is an inventor in the past and in a very Back to the Future twist (that’s Kevin Feige‘s favorite movie, by the way) is looking to impact the future. That future, a future in which Timely’s technology, not Tony Stark’s, is what drives the world may have already been glimpsed in the Void in Season 1 of Loki. The fifth episode of Season 1, entitled “Journey into Mystery”, revealed an alternate version of Stark Tower, Qeng Tower, had been cast into the Void following the reset of one timeline. That timeline would have been reset at the behest of He Who Remains, whose main purpose was to keep other Variants of himself from taking control. In the comics, Timely continued on by feigning death and “handing down” the company from Victor Timely to Jr. to III. It wouldn’t take much imagination to change it up in the MCU and have him “sell” the company to a new owner who might rename it Qeng.
So why is Victor Timely right for the MCU right now? Telling his story in Season 2 of Loki after meeting him in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania not only tells the past of the Conqueror trapped in Chronopolis but also why he’ll be a threat to the Avengers in the future as the man behind Qeng Enterprises.
What is Qenq Enterprises?
Qeng Enterprises appeared in just a couple of comics during Mark Waid‘s 2015 Avengers: Ultron Forever but could be set to play a much larger role in the MCU. In the comics, Qeng Enterprises was the Earth-bound base from which Kang planned to launch his New Qeng Dynasty. In the MCU, it could be the equivalent of the point from which he accessed Chronopolis in the comics and the temporal location that the Avengers choose to target him as he wages his Multiversal War. In Loki, the tower has clearly taken heavy damage and given the crazy time-traveling shenanigans in play now, fans may already have seen the outcome of the Avengers’ war on the Kang Dynasty in a blink-and-you-miss-it Easter egg.
Why is Kang Stuck in Chronopolis?
How does a man like Kang, who has conquered so many timelines become trapped in a city of his own design? in the comics, the ability to move discretely between timelines was powered by an object of unfathomable chronal power: the Forever Crystal. More than one theory has discussed the possibility that the Forever Crystal has already been seen in the promotional footage for Quantumania and that it is the McGuffin of that film. If Scott Lang retrieves the Forever Crystal for Kang, he could put into motion the events of The Kang Dynasty.
Summary
The Kang Variant known as Victor Timely sets up shop on Earth, shapes a century or two through his own technology while building and then using Chronopolis to conquer other timelines. At some point in his journey, he becomes trapped in the Quantum Realm. Once he escapes, hehas enough power and/or weapons at his disposal to take on the Avengers, who had previously defeated him, he launces his attack from Qenq Tower. Looping in a previous theory, the Avengers have acquired powerful weapons (potentially created by other Kang Variants) and defeat Kang. What impact could an assault on Qeng Tower and or Chronopolis have on the Multiverse? That’s a theory for another day.
It looks like something big is happening over at ABC, as Krista Vernoff has officially stepped down as the showrunner of the long-running Grey’s Anatomy and its spinoff Station 19. While responsible for both series, she’s spearheaded the medical drama for six years and its spinoff for another four. Vernoff has shared the following statement in regard to her leaving the two series behind for someone new to take over.
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four. The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week.
Krista Vernoff
Vernoff has been involved with Grey’s Anatomy since its first seven seasons, where she went on to rise the ranks and then return once again in 2017 for its 14th season. It’s also no small task that she was responsible for a second series on the side, and it seems that she’s definitely not leaving ABC, as her production company Trip the Light Productions has several projects already in development, one even eyeing a streaming release on Hulu.
There is currently no one set to take over the next seasons but it seems like a deal is currently being finalized. Currently, veteran Meg Marinis is the favorite to take over with Station 19 to be supervised by executive producer Zoanne Clack who’ll act as a co-showrunner with Peter Paige of Good Trouble and The Fosters fame. So, we might get an announcement sooner rather than later.
A dangerous quest for a mythical item through unknown territory, fortune favoring the bold, complex puzzle solving, major characters splitting up in a dark tunnel system, an explosive third act, and a terrifying monster guarding valuable treasure that contains a hidden purpose. All of these elements sound like the key ingredients for a classic Uncharted adventure, but in actuality, they’re far from it. So far, far away, one might even say they’re in another galaxy. The aforementioned story traits actually come from this week’s episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which does its best to replicate the intrepid wonderment of the famed video game franchise and, more specifically, its genre.
Titled Entombed, the fifth episode of The Bad Batch‘s second season sees its titular group of rag-tag runaways searching for a lost treasure alongside Wanda Sykes‘ Phee Genoa, a pirate associate of their benefactor, Rhea Perlman‘s Cid. Their journey, and the obstacles they encounter, are obviously designed to evoke the quintessential Lucasfilm feeling of adventure, likely with Star Wars‘ sister franchise Indiana Jones in mind. However, the execution and outcome of their experience fall more in line with Naughty Dog’s aforesaid Uncharted series, specifically in how it uses its plot to convey its ultimate message. The Uncharted games, and tangentially their film adaptation, always end the same way – with the heroes giving up their newfound discoveries and riches for the benefit of the world and those they love.
Entombed does more or less the same thing, with a wide-eyed Omega and her grumpier adult counterparts allowing a ticket to a wealthier life to slip past them in an effort to keep each other, and the galaxy, alive and well. This is something that The Bad Batch has done before, as recently as this season’s premiere episodes, but its blunt framing and straightforward narrative in Entombed work in conjunction to drive the point home with greater relative ease. Also, plainly put, it’s a lot of fun to watch Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Echo go treasure hunting because Star Wars has always and will always work best as a science-fiction take on pulp storytelling.
It’s been enjoyable to see the creatives behind the series break formula this season and apply the age-old recipe for Star Wars success to multiple different genres. The result has been a fairly entertaining early group of Bad Batch escapades, but unfortunately, the show’s biggest issue remains. Entombed, for all its likability, still does very little to progress the series or its characters as a whole. It often feels like the series is going in circles, with Omega and the crew learning the same lessons on repeat, and never truly moving forward to their next stage. It’s difficult to stay invested in characters that don’t change, and it’s frustrating when every episode comes with several opportunities to make it happen.
Entombed might have been more exciting if, as an example, it also laid the groundwork for Omega to take a future interest in treasure hunting herself, as many of the episode’s best moments involved her growing ingenuity and childlike amazement. The potential behind this show is there and is evident in thrilling stories like this one, but The Bad Batch is still just one cohesive throughline short of living up to its predecessors’ standards. Even so, it proves itself an interesting, easily-digestible, adventure-of-the-week style project on a weekly basis. If that’s all one is looking for in this, they’ve found it in spades.
Rick and Morty will be looking for a new Rick and Morty. Co-Creator and the voice behind the show’s two main characters– and all their variants–Justin Roiland has been cut loose by Adult Swim. The series will continue without Roiland, who was recently charged with felony domestic abuse.
Rick and Morty was created by Roiland alongside Dan Harmon. It become so popular that Adult Swim made an ambitious 70-episode order back in 2018. At this point, that deal hasn’t even hit its halfway mark and the controversy surrounding Roiland had many wondering how exactly they’ll move forward.
It seems that the series order is not going to get dropped anytime soon and rather they’ll simply recast the voices of the maniac genius Rick and his grandson Morty. There’s no statement if they already started the process of finding the successor, but they’ll likely try to move forward as fast as possible.
We also don’t know if they’ll keep some existing recordings from Roiland or completely replace any work he may have done for the next season of the series. The last episode of Season 6 released in December and we’ll have to see how far along the next season already is.
Of course, Rick and Morty isn’t the only project that Roiland is involved with, such as his work on a variety of characters in High on Life. There’s also his other spinoff series Solar Opposites, where he voices Korvo and the recently released KoalaMan. For now, we’ll have to wait for more information to arrive on the other projects.
Netflix is no stranger to shorter season episode counts, as they reshaped the way drama and comedy series would be structured. The once 22-episode runs from broadcasts started to go down to the famous 13-episode era that kicked off when Daredevil was released. Yet, we’ve seen that episode count continue to decline with more ten-episode seasons and as of late, a focus on eight episodes.
As it turns out though, this isn’t something that a group of creatives indirectly decided together but rather a new mandate set by Netflix. Warrior Nun showrunner Simon Barry revealed it in an interview with Be More Super Podcast that around the time they were writing their second season, that mandate was introduced and allowed them to adapt their scripts.
We knew it was going to be eight in the writing room because the Netflix mandate wasn’t a budget thing. It was Netflix shifting all their shows to eight-episode seasons, their studio shows I should say, not the shows they acquire and broadbust but the ones they make inhouse as a studio. So, we knew that Netflix decided to make this shift across the board but it wasn’t something Warrior Nun was being punished for anything, we existed long enough to see it go from 10 to 8 for everyone.
Simon Barry
The first season of Warrior Nun was still part of the ten-episode era and many worried that perhaps the episode reduction was due to some criticism of that first entry. Yet, it seems they merely swiftly adjusted before entering production and had to rewrite the entire show; even if that sadly didn’t help them from getting canceled after the second season was released back in November.
Given the timing, this news also matches with our exclusive a year ago that the live-action One Piece series has also reduced its episode count to eight. It was initially announced with ten episodes all the way back in 2020 but the timing would match with the new mandate. The Witcher also was quite a success with that same episode count back in 2019 and may have inspired the new standard.
Marvel Studios has been in the focus for a variety of reasons. No matter where one lands, the discussion may never truly end especially on the wide vast internet. Still, there are many sides to any production company, and it seems that the former Game of Thrones star has some kind words for Marvel Studios.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Emilia Clarke got a chance to look back at her past with Disney’s other major franchise Star Wars while also sharing some excitement about her time with Secret Invasion. It seems that she’d a “wicked time” working with them and calls them “absolutely brilliant.”
I’m genuinely having a wicked time on Marvel, though, they’re absolutely brilliant.
Emilia Clarke
It’s certainly high praise for Marvel Studios, which has tended to be under flack from Social Media and some industry experts. Some veteran directors even take shots at the modern blockbuster style that these comic book film adaptations offer. Ethan Hawke did point out that the studio “loves actors“ and their studio approach gives the various directors that work on their films more flexibility in adapting elements by normalizing reshoots.
The biggest issue facing Marvel Studios has been the growing demand for CG work on their projects and with last-minute changes happening frequently, it adds more pressure to an industry that has a difficult model similar to marketing agencies. Not everything is as black and white but it always remains interesting to see just how varied experiences are on any project in Hollywood.
Netflix hasn’t been doing its best at keeping enthusiasm alive for the streaming service. After canceling quite a few shows, it almost feels like a rarity when one does eventually make its return. Luckily, the ambitious and beautiful The Sandman was able to get that rare Season 2 renewal and is already preparing to start production on its second season according to Mason Alexander Park, who recently offered some insight into what’s heading our way during the Fan Expo in San Francisco.
Park plays Desire in the DC series, who has a big role going into the next part of the series. During the panel, they highlight though that there’s a reason this won’t be called “Season 2” as it traditionally would. So, we’ll have to see what they’ll title this continuation but they do highlight that production is set to start this summer.
There is more Sandman coming in a really cool way and it can take many forms, so we’re starting shooting in the summer and we’re gonna tackle the next huge chunk of stories in however long that might take. And I’m really excited to share the format of what that might be with everybody eventually.
Mason Alexander Park
The highlight of the format of this continuation does sound interesting and perhaps they will split the seasons up according to various story elements to keep the tale of Morpheus coming out in multiple steps. We had the additional episodes that expanded the original series and there’s also the fact that Netflix experiments with establishing two distinct parts for some of their biggest releases. So, we might see this trend continue.
It looks like Marvel Studios is pushing forward quickly, as they are ramping up on one of their most ambitious Disney+ series yet. Daredevil: Born Again will be the longest Disney+ series with 18 episodes and their first attempt at living in the shadow of a previous adaptation with returning actors. Now, we may have a better idea of what they may have planned for the series with som newly revealed writers.
Daredevil‘s Disney+ series may have added some former lawyers to its cast with David Feige, who was a public defender in New York City but also went on to work on series like Raising the Bar or The Firm. Former attorney Thomas Wong also joins after working on Bull and Michael Weatherly. Queens prosecutor Zachary Reiter has also joined, who worked with Feige on The Firm as well as on Law & Order: Organized Crime
She-Hulk, Attorney at Law also relied on former lawyer Charles Soule to offer some insight into how to bring the legal comedy to life. That isn’t all, as the report also points to former Arrowverse writers having joined the production with Jill Blankenship and Grainne Godfree. Blankenship was a showrunner on Naomi but also worked on a variety of Arrow episodes while Godfree was involved with The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
The addition of Arrow writers is definitely interesting, as this extensive writers’ room may hint at a very grounded and legal-heavy drama. It would match why the show has up to 18 episodes. They join showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who have the challenging task of bringing back the iconic franchise while adding their own spin to it.
At this point, we may have more versions of Lex Luthor in the DC Extended Universe than almost any other character. Superman & Lois has still been going strong with its third season set to premiere later in March. Yet, it seems the first major casting news has finally arrived with the CW series having added Michael Cudlitz in the role of the iconic DC villain bent on taking down his superpowered archrival.
The character description has hinted that Cudlitz‘s take on the iconic character will explore the duality of the character. By day, he’s a “visionary billionaire behind LexCorp” but the criminal underworld knows that he’s actually a “brutal psychopath.” It seems this version of the character has not been in the public for some time and has set his eyes on revenge towards Tyler Hoechlin‘s Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch‘s Lois Lane.
Even the nice family life of the Clarks won’t be safe from his new take on Luthor, which seems to be leaning more into a darker place for the character. We’ve just recently got a new version of the character played by Titus Welliver in the fourth season of Titans back in November. The Arrowverse had Jon Cryer in the role, who gave his unique take in the role.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
