One thing that isn't resolved from the episode: what missing person was Woo looking for when he stumbled across Westview? While Agatha Harkness would have been the obvious choice, Woo says he's looking for a man, so it can't be her. The most likely candidate would be the as-yet unseen Ralph.
Another point of curiosity is why Wanda believes Westview is the only place she and Vision can be together. This implies her power itself is not enough to maintain him, otherwise they wouldn't be locked in a geographic location. Darcy's comments about CMBR could imply the Infinity Stones are part of what makes it possible, but we don't know how that can be since Thanos atomized them elsewhere. Murphy (link below) believes this background energy is actually just a sign of magic--something the Ancient One talked about in Doctor Strange. This is plausible and would define Agatha's role as the person who taught Wanda its use (I'll again repeat that Murphy disagrees with one of his sources about who Agatha is, cf). This poses the question of why Agatha is caught inside Westview, and it could be that she's trying to stop Wanda but isn't strong enough to face her directly.
Can we put the Mephisto/villain ideas to bed? Is Wanda the antagonist of the series? That would fit the spirit of House of M, which is the primary source material for the show. What I don't think is that Wanda is the villain of the Multiverse arc, which means the show has to set-up some other foe and end with Wanda more or less a hero. In that sense, I believe there's a villain either impacting what's going on or who is released because of what Wanda is doing.
One of the theories floating around is that Wanda will do a reverse House of M and unlock mutant abilities around the world. No one has talked about why she would do that, but if there's substance to the theory, perhaps it's to create allies as she tries to prevent her reality from being dragged back into the real world.
I mentioned last week that we could quickly debunk a 4chan post that had dropped because of specific predictions in it. Debunking is where we're at because the run times of the last two episodes are wrong (close for episode three, but way off for episode four). This poster was a big Agents of SHIELD pusher, so keep that in mind for the Sutton scoop below. Run time also casts serious doubt on a long MCU-wide 4chan post from a few weeks earlier.
After the episode dropped we had our first major leak, as clips from what looks like the trailer for episode six appeared. This short amount of footage includes major spoilers and have people speculating it might force Marvel to drop two episodes next week instead of one (a decision I'd welcome). What's been seen confirms elements that have long been speculated, but don't give away the entire plot. I won't discuss the specifics yet--I'll wait to see how heavily they marinate amongst the fandom first (all the big scoopers have refused to discuss it thus far).
Sutton jumps into the recent sentiment that Killmonger will become the new Black Panther (his scoop coming after an interview released by People where the actor said he'd love to return). Sutton has not given up on his idea that Shuri will ultimately receive the title later (link below), but admitted there were issues with simply handing it to a character who hasn't earned it (he didn't add, but I will, she also lacks flaws and a character arc). Sutton's idea is that Killmonger gets the title, but winds up training Shuri for the role subsequently. Killmonger, would also replace Black Panther as the romantic partner for Storm. Sutton is unsure how the character could return, but the Multiverse is the simplest explanation. Whether the scoop is correct or not, I think the general idea is excellent--while M'Baku could work (he's a more developed character than Shuri and actually competed for the title), the character hasn't impacted the public the same way. What's almost as interesting to me is that in November, when Sutton made his initial scoop for Shuri, he talked about how 'now was the time' for her, that the zeitgeist was demanding it--apparently that demand didn't last two months. LotLB's Tim (link above) is correct that she works much better as Black Panther's 'guy in the chair'--a role where she doesn't require an arc (or flaws).
I discussed before how Sutton has been pushing content from Small Screen--he's now doing the same for Giant Freaking Robot (cf). Dietsch's scoop is that Emily Blunt is in negotiations for a hero role in the MCU--he guesses it will be for Susan Storm. Sutton adds no new information to this, simply hoping Blunt is cast. It's a plausible guess (if negotiations are indeed occurring), albeit there are other roles that would suit her that are on the slate (Clea comes to mind). The only potential downside to the Blunt/Krasinski rumours are their ages (37/41)--that's not particularly old, but it does eliminate a few things you could do with a younger Fantastic Four (I don't see it as an impediment, just something of note).
With the goal in mind of exploring the MCU’s darker corners, Hellstrom will be tweaked to be the son of Mephisto. After all, Mephisto is Marvel’s version of Satan, and in the comic books Hellstrom is nicknamed the Son of Satan. … From what I’ve been told, Marvel Studios wants a Hellstrom that is more comic accurate. … Helstrom star Tom Austen will be recast. Feige wants a fresh coat of paint with the property. It is not known when and where Hellstrom would reappear under Feige’s creative guidance. Mephisto will make his debut first, possibly on WandaVision. Hellstrom is going to follow. Sources added that Hellstrom’s sister, Satana, would be rebooted as well. Sydney Lemmon played her on Helstrom.
Virtually no one watched Hulu's Helstrom--a dead letter as Marvel Entertainment's plans were cancelled by Feige and it aired only because it was too far along in production. The basic idea of the MCU using the character is an old one from Sutton (cf), who has long believed Feige will take over the basic Jeph Loeb idea of delving into the supernatural (an MCU Blade provides a certain amount of support for the idea--all the major scoopers have at least speculated about it).
Sutton put out a baffling scoop where he claims Agents of SHIELD will be continued (continuity intact!) on Disney+. I want to quote the key parts:
There's a 4chan post going around and it quickly became apparent that the author of it isn't pretending to have scoops about Spider-Man 3, but rather has taken all the things he's heard that he believes are credible and squeezed it into a long post--as such, it's kind of fun to go through:
Sutton put out a baffling scoop where he claims Agents of SHIELD will be continued (continuity intact!) on Disney+. I want to quote the key parts:
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is being discussed to return to Disney+ with new episodes and its previous continuity intact. According to insiders, the ABC TV series could be resurrected with a number of its old cast brought back. This time, the show will delve deeper into the MCU. ... On September 2, 2019 [before the termination of Marvel Entertinament], I scooped on the 3 Buck Theater YouTube channel that S.W.O.R.D. was in development on Disney+ for a show. I’m now told that it will not replace AOS. ... Talks are early still, and nobody seems to know, or at least reveal, how much of the ABC cast will be retained. I’ve heard that some actors will either end up on the new AOS series or with S.W.O.R.D., with Bennet among the most likely. ... Whereas AOS was limited in terms of its budget, that clearly won’t be the case here. If the show is greenlit, it will not be cheap and feature several MCU heavyweights. Just as important, they want it to pick up where the original left off.
There are a number of puzzling elements within this, but let's address something I heard when this idea was questioned: that AoS had good ratings if you factor in all viewings. This is an odd claim because ABC wanted to cancel the show after five seasons (not something that happens to shows with a big audience), but no numbers were provided, so I did the logical thing and looked at them (it's all publicly available) and compared. Let's start with Netflix:
For context, the third season of Daredevil had approximately 30 million viewers (source). I think we all acknowledge the Netflix shows were much more successful than other superhero shows of their era, so what's a more fair comparison? The only option seems to be CW-shows (despite having a smaller available audience):
Supergirl season two (source): 3.55
The Flash season five (source): 3.49
AoS season six (source): 3.23
Supergirl season three (source): 2.94 (-0.61)
AoS season seven (source): 2.48 (-0.75)
The Flash season six (source): 2.23 (-1.26)
In terms of raw numbers late season AoS compares pretty well to The Flash, which surprised me, but all these shows suffer from cascading failure the longer they drag on. More importantly, The Flash has far more resonance amongst fans--how do we know? Just one example: popular YTer Charlie Schneider covers comicbook media on his channel and has produced unending videos for The Flash (even during its moribund sixth season). Agents of SHIELD, conversely, received just two videos for each of its last two seasons (three of which were trailer reviews). Charlie is an AoS fan--he wants to cover it--but the interest isn't there. While he's one example, the basic idea is echoed when you scroll through similar channels. What does the above demonstrate? 1) There was a modest-sized AoS fanbase, but 2) it can't support creator content (which is another way of saying it doesn't have legs--a true cult following). With the numbers argument out of the way, let's move forward and address the substance of the scoop.
Sutton, along with many other Marvel scoopers, have a passion for the show (or at least Chloe Bennet), something I've discussed before (cf). I bring this up because it feels like that emotional attachment effects their coverage of the IP. One of the issues I have with the scoop is how can it be MCU proper if its continuity is intact? The show was never properly part of the MCU and its later development is completely detached. Just like the other Marvel Entertainment IP, Feige won't impose the demand on casual fans to watch prior content (136-episodes!). It's also incongruous to expect a SWORD and SHIELD show (the narrative overlap is cumbersome). It has also been pointed out (in response to the scoop) that AoS started airing on Netflix this summer so that Marvel would have to wait for that to end before it could continue regardless. The other baffling idea is: why would only AoS get its continuity honored, when all the other Multiverse elements we're hearing about (Netflix, Sony, Fox) are different iterations allowing for either soft reboots or to say goodbye? The possibilities that could make this work are both denied by Sutton:
- 1) Rebooting the show as part of the MCU (even though the organization already has a full arc within the MCU)
- 2) Leaving it outside the MCU-proper to continue on as it was (despite a shrinking audience)
The idea baffles me--while Disney wants programming on their platform, everyone who likes AoS is already signed up for Disney+ and isn't going anywhere because we have weekly MCU content. A renewed AoS does not drive or keep subscribers, making it economically pointless. If he's right I'll happily eat crow when it happens, but right now it seems highly implausible.
There's a 4chan post going around and it quickly became apparent that the author of it isn't pretending to have scoops about Spider-Man 3, but rather has taken all the things he's heard that he believes are credible and squeezed it into a long post--as such, it's kind of fun to go through:
["Confirmed" By which I think he means via set photos etc this is all set--it isn't really, so we can take this as what he believes to be confirmed through official means]
>Peter Parker has convinced most of the public that he is not Spider-Man and returns to New York City with Aunt May on Christmas to reconnect with [Michelle], Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson. [It's strange to gloss over what's likely the initial arc of the film like this]
>J. Jonah Jameson claims that Spider-Man murdered Mysterio and the government covered it up. The public is split between those who believe the Daily Bugle and those that do not. [Why this is placed after 'most of the public' has been convinced, I have no idea]
>Doctor Strange recruits Spider-Man for a special mission in the aftermath of the Scarlet Witch “cracking open” the Multiverse in WandaVision and mentors him through his struggles. The mission leads Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to meet Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man.
>Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro are among the supervillains from parallel universes who end up in the MCU because of the Scarlet Witch. They are not playing the same characters from Spider-Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but rather alternative versions with new designs and different personalities. Electro, for example, won’t be blue.
>Martin Starr and Hannibal Buress are set to return as Peter’s teachers Mr. Harrington and Coach Wilson, and Midtown High will reportedly play a “pivotal” role in the movie.
>Casting is underway for Ned’s grandmother, a police detective, a federal agent, a tabloid paparazzi, Midtown students and a character codenamed “Fritz”, described as “an old man who just wants to be left alone”.
>Most of the movie follows Holland’s Peter. The encounter between the three Spider-Men only happens in the third act. [I have heard this before, but for the life of me cannot find the reference]
["Rumoured"]
>Peter’s mission is to find “The Benefactor” who is assembling universe-displaced supervillains. In addition to Doctor Octopus and Electro, there is also Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman and Michael Mando’s Scorpion, among others, with weapons provided by Spencer Smythe. Peter goes up against them all in the third act, so Doctor Strange recruits Maguire’s and Garfield’s Spider-Men to help him. [This is a strange idea because Strange could easily beat the Sinister Six on his own; the idea of the Benefactor is a very old Daniel (via GWW)) scoop we already know is wrong because the idea of Osborn was a guess for a role which filmed in 2019; the Smythe idea is from Murphy (see below)]>Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone would return as Mary-Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy for brief cameos. Maguire’s Peter would be married to his MJ and have a daughter, while Garfield’s Peter briefly reunites with a parallel Gwen after losing his own. Stone’s pregnancy might lead to her appearance being cut. [I have not heard these specifics before, outside of the issues with Stone's pregnancy--given that everything here appears to have a source however, someone must have said it previously]
>Charlie Cox would briefly appear as Peter’s lawyer Matt Murdock, but never actually suit up as Daredevil. [Most scoopers have merely expressed that they don't know if he'll suit up or not]
>The Spider-Slayers would appear as robotic drones created by Smythe to assist the Sinister Six. [This idea comes from Murphy; cf 4chan; there's a 4chan post including the bots that precedes Murphy's, but seems unrelated]
>Michael Keaton’s Vulture and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio would return. While Vulture would have a larger role and maybe even integrate the Sinister Six, Mysterio would only be featured in flashbacks revealing a connection between him and The Benefactor.
>Kraven was reportedly the main villain for the first two acts, hired by The Benefactor to prevent Spider-Man from interfering, and with Marvel Studios eyeing a “Joel Kinnaman type” for the role, but it is now unclear whether he is still involved due to the Sony-produced spinoff directed by J.C. Chandor. [The poster is unaware that Sony's Kraven project pre-dates Spider-Man 3 (announced in August, 2018), unless they believe the inactivity until the new writers were announced this August meant Sony had given up on the project in the interim (for which there's no evidence to support that idea); the Kinnaman idea comes from Murphy who speculated a casting call as being for Kraven]>Dane DeHaan’s Green Goblin is reportedly one of the villains. DeHaan recently denied it, but he could just be trying to keep his appearance a secret. Unlike the others, he would be playing the same character from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. [His potential involvement comes from Daniel]
>Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn is reportedly one of the villains. Unlike the others, he would be playing the MCU’s Norman Osborn, like J.K. Simmons, and would appear in future projects. Osborn would be revealed as The Benefactor. [From Daniel's rumours which was then echoed by 4chan]>The title is Spider-Man: Homeworlds. [This is an Erik Voss idea]
>Garfield would have roughly 20 minutes of screentime and actually appear before the third act, while Maguire would have around 15 minutes. Sony reportedly also wants Maguire to play Holland’s Uncle Ben in flashbacks. [The screen time comes from 4chan; the Uncle Ben is from Daniel who claims that's what Amy Pascal wants]>Dunst and Stone would have roughly 5 minutes of screentime each. Sony reportedly wants Stone to play Spider-Gwen in her appearance, if it happens. [cf the link above for screentime]
>Cox would have roughly 10 minutes of screentime. [Echoing a recent 4chan post]
>Benedict Cumberbatch would have around 15 minutes of screentime, appearing three times throughout the movie (Sending Peter on his mission, checking in on him twice, and arriving in the end with the Spider-Men). [That's actually four appearances; the screen time and appearance count is similar to a recent long 4chan post]>Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch would briefly appear as Strange's new apprentice, helping him return the universe-displaced people to their homeworlds.
>Tom Hardy’s Venom and Jared Leto’s Morbius would briefly appear, confirming that they are “adjacent” to the MCU and setting up Tom Holland's apperance in Venom 3. [cf the frequently mentioned 4chan post for Venom's brief appearance]
>Marvel Studios' Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man 4 are reportedly being filmed back-to-back, which could explain the abundance of character and storylines as they would be spread across two movies. [From Caleb Williams a week ago, although the rationale is the poster's; a cf from Daniel's rumours]
Most of this material is from Daniel (directly or indirectly), and while the way it's laid out is the posters own version of what's come before, it doesn't amount to much.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
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