Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: What If…?

  • Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2021 Release Calendar

    Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2021 Release Calendar

    Marvel Studios sat out 2020 much to the despair of MCU fans; however, one possible timeline for the studio’s release pattern in 2021 could mean we’d only have just a few content-less Friday’s in the next year!

    Last night, Edward Rose noticed that the official Disney Latino page listed WandaVision, Marvel Studios’ first Disney Plus streaming series, as having an 8-week run. That news got the wheels spinning and resulted in a hypothetical release schedule that would leave fans hanging on only 2 weekends. The underlying idea of this hypothetical scenario is putting new Marvel Studios content on as many Fridays as possible.

    2021 will kick off with the first episode of Marvel Studios Legends on January 8th, catching fans up on the adventures of Wanda, Vision and maybe the rest of the returning cast members. The following week, WandaVision would begin its 8-week run (which does not necessarily mean 8 episodes and that really shouldn’t be that controversial of a statement) which would conclude on March 5th. Additionally, we’ll almost certainly get our first look at Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings during this time, with the February 7th Super Bowl being on likely opportunity.

    While we have no confirmation of a Marvel Studios Legends episode for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it seems like a safe bet and if we bet on it happening, March 12th, pinned between the end of WandaVision and the beginning of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, seems like a pretty safe date. So March 12th recaps the zany adventures of Sam, Bucky, Zemo, Sharon and crew and then The Falcon and The Winter Solider would follow, beginning on March 19th and running for six weeks (this was CONFIRMED in the Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet), concluding its run on April 23rd.

    Apri 30th would be a great time to tell the story of Natasha Romanoff with a Marvel Studios Legends episode dedicated to the Black Widow. While this is a Disney Plus series, there’s been no indication that the series will only tell the tales of the characters appearing in the Disney Plus series and in Nat’s case, there’s plenty to tell. This would give old fans and new viewers alike the opportunity to be prepped and ready for Black Widow when it FINALLY hits theaters on May 7th. Black Widow also provides Marvel Studios the opportunity to push out the first look at Eternals. Expect a trailer for the project a week or two before Black Widow’s May 7th release.   ***NOTE*** Should Marvel Studios films open overseas earlier than in the U.S. date, this part of the hypothetical schedule hits a bit of a speed bump.

    The Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Loki, is next up. Loki is set to release in May, meaning Marvel Studios will have two projects out at the same time and as long as Black Widow remains a theatrical release, they’ll want as many butts in seats as possible. To that end, they’ll definitely give Black Widow a little room to breathe. Theatrical releases often make 50% or more of their total box office on the first weekend and rarely do “big money” after the second weekend. With this in mind, they might look to release a Loki-centric episode of Marvel Studios Legends on May 14th (there’s certainly a LOT to tell) and debut the first episode of Loki Season One the following Friday, May 21st. All indications at this point are that the Hiddleston-led streamer will run for 6 episodes, meaning it’ll wrap up on June 25th.

    At this point, it looks like Marvel Studios could realistically release new content EVERY Friday for the first six months of the year save New Year’s Day…and then comes July 2nd, which will launch the 4th of July holiday weekend in the United States. It’s possible that the studio takes the weekend off, has something special in the works for the Fourth (it is Steve Rogers birthday, after all) or, I suppose they could release an episode of Marvel Studios Legends dedicated to the MCU’s brief and confusing history of the Mandarin and the Ten Rings. The last one makes a bit of sense because, on July 9th, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is going to rewrite that history when it debuts in theaters.

    The further down the road and into 2021 this hypothetical schedule goes, the harder it is to predict, but why stop now? Next up for Marvel Studios is What If…?, their first animated project. The only available info on the project is that it’s set to be released next Summer and, according to several reports, is expected to consist of 10 episodes. Placing it on the schedule under the assumptions that they’ll give a theatrical film at least one weekend all to itself and that they’ll release What If…? one episode at a time as well, the animated series could debut on July 16th and conclude on September 17th.

    In thinking ahead, that long gap serves a fairly important purpose if the goal is to provide new content every Friday: it allows Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye to “catch up.” The starts of both of those series were severely delayed by the pandemic and are currently scheduled for “late Fall.” If production continues without delays and the calendar fills out as predicted above, the two series could stream on either side of Eternals. 

    According to the Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet, Ms. Marvel comes first and could start its six-episode run on September 24th. It’s possible that the studio could push out a Marvel Studios Legends episode about Captain Marvel given the connection between Kamala Khan and her, but it’s also possible they just start right up. If they do, the Season One finale of Ms. Marvel would stream on October 29th.

    One week later, on November 5th, Eternals would make its LONG awaited degut in theaters. By introducing an entirely new group of characters, Eternals seems unlikely to be preceded by an episode of Marvel Studios Legends, though anything and anyone could show up in the film.

    ***NOTE*** after finding some new evidence, this paragraph was changed to reflect Hawkeye as a 6-episode series, so it would end on Christmas Eve.

    Following the pattern previously laid out around theatrical releases, November 12th could be a nice Friday for the Clint Barton episode of Marvel Studios Legends. Set photos have indicated that Hawkeye, the studio’s final 2021 project, takes place during the holidays so kicking it off on November 19th would give fans episodes on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Ever. All signs point to this one being a 6-episode season, meaning we’d wrap up before the calendar turns over to 2022. Assuming no production delays, Marvel Studios would have the opportunity to jump right into She-Hulk and continue taking over the world of entertainment.

    Currently set to release on December 17th, 2021, Spider-Man 3 (which is scheduled by Sony and NOT Marvel Studios) throws a monkey wrench into the thought process of not having a film premier compete with an episode of a streaming series, but there are so many workarounds for that issue (Hawkeye taking a week off, the release date for the film being moved since production got off to a late start, Hawkeye not even starting until after Spider-Man 3) that it really becomes a non-issue.

    While the chances of this hypothetical release calendar coming to fruition are approximately 3,720 to 1, the point of this wasn’t to plant a flag so we can do some chest-pounding later, but to extrapolate one possible release schedule based on the idea of having new Marvel Studios content on as many 2021 Fridays as possible. Right or wrong (and let’s be honest, this is almost certainly wrong), an exercise like this makes visible the scale of the studio’s plans and the role that Disney Plus plays in them: Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios will own at least a portion of the news cycle nearly every weekend for the foreseeable future.

  • Phase 4: The Multiverse Arc

    Phase 4: The Multiverse Arc

    Who are you in this vast multiverse?

    Earlier this year, I wrote a theory piece on how Marvel Studios could delve into this idea of the multiverse for Phase 4 of the MCU. At the time, we had a very vague understanding of what the MCU was preparing for us. Since then, we’ve had casting confirmations, trailer releases, interviews, poster art, and after last week’s Disney’s Investor Day, we finally have a clearer picture of what we can expect for this next phase of the MCU.

     

    Brief Recap: What is the Multiverse within the MCU?

    Compared to other franchises that have utilized the Multiverse as a plot device for their stories and films, Marvel went an unconventional route and created their own definition of how the Multiverse works. To quote me from when I first discussed this concept in Reality Checked; based on Professor Hulk’s and the Ancient One’s descriptions of how time-flow works, whenever someone from the future alters the events of the past, they create another timeline based on the alteration of those chain of events, thus creating a brand new universe. It’s a form of the butterfly effect, in which our decisions branch out into two realities, one where we made the decision and another where we didn’t.

     

    What is the Multiverse Arc?

    So, it’s been said that rather than focus on a story told across a large, 23-film saga like “The Infinity Saga”, Phase 4 and beyond would begin to tell stories across small arcs of 4-5 different MCU projects. Now, in my head, I’ve already mapped out a ton of different arcs which we will get into detail later on, but the main arc that’s about to kick off Phase 4 is an arc I’m dubbing is the Multiverse Arc. If I were to give you guys a synopsis of what I think that arc would delve into, it would go a little something like this. “The Multiverse Arc encompasses a set of stories that push beyond the physical confines of time and space within the MCU. As the line between realities start to blur and timelines cross over and collide, the Cinematic Universe we all know and love is about to change forever.” So what projects do I think are part of the Multiverse Arc? Well, let’s see.

     

    1. WandaVision (January 2021)

    This is where the Multiverse Arc and Phase 4 are going to begin. I believe a lot of people are truly underestimating the potential this show is going to have in terms of setting up, not just the Multiverse Arc, but pretty much Phase 4 as a whole.  Now the show has already been discussed a lot theory-wise. Among the things people suspect might happen during the show include the possibility of Elizabeth Olsen’s “Wanda Maximoff” going all “House of M” on the MCU. The most prevalent theory about the show is that Wanda might create an alternate pocket reality around her using her power and imagination. Since she does not possess much control over her powers, she’ll begin to lose control and ultimately affect the MCU reality as a whole when her trauma over the course of the past years starts to seep in. Point in-case being, whatever happens in WandaVision will ultimately be the catalyst for a lot of the upcoming Phase 4 projects moving forward.

     

    2. Loki (May 2021)

    Ah, the God of Mischief, back to his antics once again. While the show’s details are relatively vague, we know that Loki takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame with Tom Hiddleston returning as the titular character alongside Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. The reason why I’ve included Loki here in the Multiverse Arc’s storyline is that the show involves a certain agency known as the TVA. The Time Variance Authority in the comics is this bureau that was formed with the goal of monitoring an infinite number of realities throughout the multiverse and to keep temporal interference to a minimum. Since this Loki, and by consequence the series, exist in a new timeline separate from our Main MCU one thanks to the antics of the Avengers during Avengers: Endgame (2019), it is possible that the TVA intervened immediately after those events to prevent future ruptures in the timeline. We also had hints that the show might explore alternate realities due to a particular of the exclusive trailer, where we saw a dystopian New York City, possibly a timeline where Loki won the Battle of New York (2012). Speaking of which…

     

    3. What If…? (Summer 2021)

    I like to refer to What If…? (2021) as the interlude of the Multiverse Arc. But just because it’s an interlude, it does not make the show any less important to the rest of the Multiverse Arc. “What If…?, which takes inspiration from the comic books of the same name, flips the script on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reimagines famous events from the films in unexpected ways…each episode will explore a pivotal moment from the MCU and turn it on its head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.” The reason why I include this series as part of the Multiverse Arc is that I believe the show’s focus will be to present to us episodes that explain what would have happened if a pivotal moment in the MCU occurred another way, which is essentially a prime example to the definition of the MCU’s Multiverse. This show will provide us with a window into other universes.

     

    4. The Untitled Spider-Man sequel (December 2021)

    Now we need to tread carefully when discussing Spider-Man 3 because there are so many rumors regarding this film that no one really knows what’s going to happen. With villains from other iterations reprising their roles to former Spider-Men gracing the screen one last time, the film certainly is shaping up to be what many consider a possible iteration of a live-action Spider-Verse film. And it certainly doesn’t help when Kevin Feige confirmed during Investor’s Day that the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will tie in with this film. How exactly it all plays out is something fans will have to wait and see when Spider-Man 3 rolls around next year.

     

    5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 2022)

    As the name implies, the Doctor Strange sequel is definitely looking to address the Multiverse and will address the events of WandaVision and the untitled Spider-Man 3 film. Directed by iconic Horror Movie director; Sam Raimi, the sequel is set to see returning cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo). We will also see Elizabeth Olsen return as Wanda Maximoff and newcomer Xochitl Gomez who will portray America Chavez in the upcoming film. Right now, the film is currently filming in London and with a name like the Multiverse of Madness, I expect this film to close the Multiverse Arc off with a bang.

     

    PHASE 4 KICKS OFF NEXT MONTH WITH WANDAVISION ON JANUARY 15TH.

  • New ‘What If’ Trailer Teases The Vast Multiverse

    New ‘What If’ Trailer Teases The Vast Multiverse

    Finally, we got an update on What If series, which looks amazing. They are teasing some brand new episodes beyond the ones we already know about. Of course, we got another look at Agent Carter as Captain Carter. There is a scene on T’Challa being kidnapped into space meeting Yondu. The Watcher was also teased in a storyline featuring Doctor Strange, so he might have a bigger role than we might initially expect. The animation style really works and I cannot wait to find out how they are going to tackle a zombie storyline.

  • ‘What If…?’ Season 3

    ‘What If…?’ Season 3

    Premiere: December 22, 2024

    Announced at the Marvel Animation panel at Comic-Con 2022, season 3 of Marvel Studios’ What It…? is confirmed to be in development as of July 2022. As of then, no release date had been disclosed.

    Following Season 2’s finale on Disney Plus, a sneak peak at Season 3 was made available that teased it would be “streaming soon.” Executive producer Bryan Andrews indicated that the earliest the new season would stream would be “late 2024” but cautioned that could easily change as Marvel Studios is “moving things on the board.”

    On October 30th, 2024, Disney announced that Season 3 was set to premiere on December 22nd and, like Season 2, release new episodes daily.

    Cast

    • Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher
    • Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes
    • David Harbor as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
    • America Ferrera as Ranger Morales
  • ‘What If…?’ (season 2)

    ‘What If…?’ (season 2)

    Premiere: 2023

    Even though season 2 was pretty much a given, it was officially confirmed by executive producer Brad Winderbaum that a second season was in development. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one episode initially developed for the show’s first season would instead be pushed to its second season, thus meaning both would be comprised of 9 episodes each.

    Despite the way season 1 ended, with several storylines coming together at the end, it was confirmed that season 2 would be sticking with the pseudo-anthology format. Regarding its release schedule, and even though many expected the series to become a hallmark of Disney+ summer scheduling, the show was noticeably absent from Disney+’s 2022 line-up.

    It was confirmed at Marvel Animation’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that What If…? season 2 would have its Disney+ premiere in early 2023 and that Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her role as Wanda Maximoff / The Scarlet Witch.

    Cast

    • Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher
    • Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / The Scarlet Witch
    • Haley Atwell as Captain Carter

  • Disney Plus to Update Its Marvel Studios and Disney Slates at March 5th Launch Event in London

    Disney is hosting a launch event in London on March 5th where it is expected to update its series slates for Marvel Studios, Star Wars and the rest of it properties and reveal exclusive information. This lines up with the information I shared with you yesterday but is more exciting as it also includes Star Wars and more.

    Executives from several branches of Disney are expected to be in attendance to update us on their properties and, potentially, reveal new offerings. It is expected that we might hear updates on Star Wars properties such as The Mandalorian Season 2, Obi-Wan and Cassian Andor; additionally, Marvel Studios will likely update its 2021 release schedule which should include new release dates for Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye and, potentially, dates for Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk and Moon Knight.

    Stay tuned for more on this as it draws near.

    Source: Starwarsnewsnet.com

  • What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios Disney Plus Slate

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.

    Image result for marvel studios disney plus

    A thing I heard this week: Marvel Studios will publicly address their upcoming Disney Plus slate in the very near future.

    In July, Kevin Feige gave fans our first look at the Phase 4 slate and it had a heavy dose of Disney Plus shows with seasonal release dates. Just about one month later, The One-Above-All surprised us when he revealed 3 additional shows were headed to the streaming service, though no rough dates were given. It looks like what we saw in July is the equivalent of a rough draft. We’ve already seen the release date of WandaVision from Spring of 2021 to December of 2020 (I’m still buzzing about that great news!) and we have seen plenty of information that indicates the 3 shows revealed at D23 (Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk and Moon Knight) are all going into production in 2020 and, as of now, all of them are starting BEFORE Hawkeye. The bottom line here is that things have clearly changed behind the scenes since Feige’s presentations this past summer.

    Marvel Studios knows that fans are very curious about the upcoming Disney Plus slate. They know fans want content soon and they know that there have been all kinds of rumors and facts going around that have made them question what they’re getting and when. Additionally, the core creative team at Marvel Studios has been meeting quite a bit over the past several months and have busily been setting the course for their properties in 2021 and beyond. With that now behind them, I am told they are ready to begin making some announcements and they will begin by giving an updated slate of their Disney Plus offerings. Unfortunately (and I know this is going to cause disbelief and hatred), I was given neither a specific date nor a format for this update, only to expect it “in the next few weeks.”

    Personally, I find this to be exciting news. There have been so many different things going on with production dates and rumors that it’ll be refreshing to get some official word. As to what to expect, as I said, I have no idea, but it seems like a nice little video similar to what they debuted during the Super Bowl would do the trick. A sequel to Expanding the Universe, if you will, that is maybe 4-5 minutes long, gives some shots of the shows that are in production and an updated idea of when the shows will release. For me, that would hit the Goldilocks range of “just right.”

    As to what to expect from the future of Marvel Studios feature films, I can tell you that I am much more confident in the 2022 slate and that, if Marvel Studios is feeling nice, you might find out more about that and the 2023 slate soon as well, though I was told there was no guarantee the film slate would be updated with the TV slate. Even so, given that Marvel Studios has firmed up their upcoming slate, you can be sure it’ll start to leak out (it already has beginning with the Captain Marvel 2 news) and we’ll all be able to piece it together soon!

  • Kevin Feige Says Season 1 of ‘WHAT IF…?’ Consists of 10 Episodes; Season 2 Already in Production

    In a interview with Buzz Feed Brazil, Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, revealed that Marvel Studios animated What If…? series would launch with a 10 episode first season, a change from what was originally indicated at SDCC this past July.

    The series, which is scheduled to debut in the Summer of 2021, will consist of a series of episodes that riffs of off the Infinity Saga movies, changing one key aspect of some of the foundations of the MCU. Feige recently hinted that Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness would be directly connected to two Disney Plus series, one being WandaVision, leaving fans to speculate if What If…? might just be the other and that each episode may be taking place in the Multiverse explored in the Strange sequel.

    Whatever the case, it’s continuing to look like we could possibly see a shift in the Disney Plus timeline revealed just this past July.