Marvel News

I've mentioned previously that I try to avoid Sony's marketing for the Spider-Man films because they are too spoilery. However, I checked out the latest trailer due to its Endgame connection. I was not expecting Mysterio to be from another reality, but if that's true it makes me wonder if a new Disney-Sony deal will have the Sonyverse as an alternative Earth--such that, while Venom et al aren't part of the MCU in the traditional way, it means that Spider-Man can go back and forth in the multiverse. Alternatively, if there is no deal, he can simply remain in the alternative Earth. It reminds me of how Iron Man 3 ended in such a way that if Robert Downey Jr. didn't resign with Marvel his story would have reached a conclusion. I don't think this arrangement is necessarily likely, just that it opens the door for it.

This could allow the new X-Men films to exist in a different reality as well--I dislike the idea, but it could preserve things like Magneto's origin in World War II or whatever element of Wolverine's increasingly ridiculous origin they want to use (I'm hoping for his early. simpler origin). It's also possibly we get a Witcher-style Convergence, where an alternative reality including mutants gets combined with the main MCU (very unlikely, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there).

Going back to Far From Home, there's a theory floating around (eg) that Michelle is Nick Fury's daughter. The evidence is based on the Homecoming end credits where she's depicted with an eye patch--take that for what it's worth. Do I think this is true? It's possible--the character was controversial (some fans didn't like the MCU trying to reinvent Mary Jane Watson as Michelle--I went over my theory that the push for a new MJ came from Amy Pascal, but that's just my speculation). What attaching her to Fury does is connect her to a popular character, possibly making her more palatable for those who are unhappy--if that's the intent I don't think it actually helps, since the objection is primarily how hamfisted it's being handled (even fans of the character don't find her worth mentioning when discussing the latest trailer). I never understood the point of having her be MJ but also Michelle. Regardless, good writing is the way to ameliorate the situation.

One thing I've been wondering about, since Sony wants its Sinister Six movie, is how Michael Keaton's Vulture will fit into that (given the events of Homecoming). He owes Peter Parker a debt, such that something has to change for him to become a villain again (assuming he's not simply blackmailed into joining). I wonder if Liz Toomes (er, Allen), his daughter, will get Gwen Stacey'd and die with Spider-Man blamed for it. This idea, if it has any merit at all, will have to wait for a third film, as it's been confirmed that neither Vulture nor his daughter will be in Far From Home.

THR is reporting that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is expected to film in 2020, earlier than previous speculation and meaning it will appear no later than 2022 (it debunks Karthik Prasad's claim last fall of a 2021 production date, although in fairness to him this was presumably before James Gunn was re-hired).

The now famous Roger Wardell has made some claims about the upcoming film on his second account:
1) Rocket's creator is the High Evolutionary
2) Drax's daughter is alive
3) Rocket gains a love interest in Lylla
4) Nebula and Star Lord become friends

The last element makes a lot of sense--there aren't any other relationships for Peter Quill to explore among the Guardians; the first and third seem highly plausible; Kamaria (presumably Moondragon) would be a good development for Drax, who has no motivation left now that his revenge has been satisfied by the death of Thanos. Charles Murphy confirms the idea of the High Evolutionary being present, saying he heard about it two years ago (presumably via the massive leak that went to his buddy Charles Villanueva, see below--he says his information is from an early draft of the film).

Variety reports that Richard Madden is in negotiations to play Ikaris in the film. In addition, Jim Starlin dropped that Kronos is supposed to be in The Eternals (which reminds me of a debunked Conrad theory I forgot in my Endgame reaction post, as he claimed back in July that Kronos would appear in Endgame).

Wardell also has claims about the Doctor Strange sequel:
1) It will include time travel to the 1980s (I'm assuming that's what he means by "1980's Boogaloo" and the point below)

2) Tilda Swinton is in negotiations to return as the Ancient One

3) Jericho Drumm (Doctor Voodoo) and an Asian-Clea will appear

If Mordo's threat of consequences for using the Time Stone from Doctor Strange are true, a trip to the past makes sense; I'd welcome a return of the Ancient One (Swinton is fantastic); Clea is the usual love interest for Strange and it makes sense to have her there--the race-swap to Asian could be intended to mollify those upset by Swinton's casting in the first Doctor Strange.

We have a bunch of MCU dates officially announced, so let's quickly go through them with my guesses as to what films they represent:

• May, 2020 - This is Black Widow given that production has either started or is about to start
• November, 2020 - The Eternals, because it's the only other MCU film currently casting
• February, 2021 - This is probably Shang-Chi, although Ryan Coogler has had as much time to work on Black Panther 2, so it could be here as well (the arguments for the former is that it would hit during the Chinese New Year, but it's also Black History month, so take your pick)
• May, 2021 - Either Black Panther 2 or Shang-Chi
• November, 2021 - Doctor Strange 2 (it could be the May date as well, but I'm guessing it will echo the slot it had in 2016)
• February, 2022 - unknown (possibly Captain Marvel 2, although it might be something brand new)
• May, 2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (we know it's a 2020 production date, which could actually see it out earlier, but I think it will be a summer release and I don't think can make the 2021 date)
• July, 2022 - unknown (possibly Thor 4 or something new)

I last went through the hypothetical Marvel slate back in January, which hasn't really changed here, but there are a number of interesting things to note in regards to it:

• Spider-Man films won't appear in this sequence because they are Sony's dates; if the deal is renewed expect it to be in 2021 (as Sony wants the films every two years)
• No third 2020 film has been added - I and many others had been speculating that the MCU would not want to simply lose an expected release date next year, with most speculating that the fast-tracked Shang-Chi would be that third film, but there's no sign of that date here (that could still change, however)
• We don't expect a Deadpool or X-Force film to show up on this slate as part of the MCU, but it was puzzling that Disney gave New Mutants a new date--I'll expand on that below

Myself and others had been expecting Marvel to expand to four films a year--with Fox's added production capabilities it's logistically possible (and if Marvel continues making Spider-Man films, we'll get that in 2021 regardless), but there isn't a clear sign of it now and I wonder if that's because Disney wants to leave space for it's other blockbuster properties (Star Wars, the inherited Avatar, etc). I'll be interested to see if this arrangement (three films a year, which began in 2017) will remain static.

I'm rethinking what the MCU is going to do with the X-Men. For a long time I (and a few others) thought Dark Phoenix and New Mutants (or at least the latter) would be cancelled to protect the IP. This opposed the conventional wisdom which was: the Fox films cost a lot of money, so to recoup as much of that as possible the completed films will be released. That, certainly, is the case of Dark Phoenix, which comes out shortly, but what about New Mutants? A film described repeatedly as a mess and one Fox thought needed reshoots back in January, 2018, which have never occurred. Will Disney simply fund those predetermined changes and roll out the film as-is (this is it's fourth release date, incidentally)? It may very well be that simple--New Mutants isn't being added to the MCU slate, so it doesn't seem like Feige will change the film to suit him, but it's very odd for such a late, dead-on-arrival Marvel-related release. Could it be hitched to the Deadpool franchise? That seems unlikely given the very different tones of those films. It's difficult to parse their intention (is that world going to be another alternative reality?).

Going back to the MCU X-Men, we've heard it could be five years before we see the X-Men on film (even if X-characters could appear sooner). I thought this might simply be a bluff on Feige's part to avoid distractions before Endgame, but if not then it's certainly long enough for people to have purged their memories of the wildly uneven second stage of the Fox X-films (meaning some of the characters I was excising from the MCU due to their use by Fox might remain in play).

THR reports that Hulu is getting Ghostrider and Helstrom shows. I'm unfamiliar with the latter, but it's the Robbie Reyes' Ghostrider from Agents of SHIELD, with Gabriel Luna reprising the role. The Ghostrider move is no surprise, as Kevin Feige has dumped every minor IP previously on film to Marvel Entertainment--ie, outside the MCU. I frankly have no interest in either show--I like my MCU interconnected, not marooned on Jeph Loeb island.

We've learned that virtually all of Endgame leaked May, 2018, via a phone call to Charles Villanueva of MCU Exchange--he in turn informed a small group of people (including the oft-referenced Charles Murphy and presumably Roger Wardell among others). Whoever the source was is very connected, as other MCU scoops were dropped at that time. Whether Villanueva retains that connection I have no idea, but I do respect the fact that he didn't simply dump all the info and spoil the film.

It turns out the Umberto Gonzalez scoop back in October (claimed by Conrad as his own) about Katherine Langford appearing in Endgame has some basis after all. The Russo's divulged there's a cut scene where Langford appeared as an older Morgan Stark and forgives her father for not being there for her because of his sacrifice (this mirrors the Thanos and Gamora scene from Infinity War). The scene didn't test well--it was too confusing--so it was cut (undoubtedly it's from these test screenings that the scoop is derived). The screenings are also undoubtedly the source of the rumour Conrad reported that her role was as Tony's adult daughter (although Conrad's interpretation, that she'd have to be sacrificed, remains erroneous).

I was thinking about where Endgame leaves the Phase One characters--mostly thinking about how it will reflect forward to the new era (Kevin Feige doesn't want to call it Phase Four, but it's going to be hard to break that terminology).

Iron Man - Dead; leaves behind Pepper (who, according to Paltrow, is basically retired out of the MCU), and his very young (4) daughter Morgan (it's difficult to parse how Langford's older version could be used without time travel)
War Machine - Alive and with rumours of a Disney+ show; as a very undeveloped character I'm not sure what they'll do with him, especially given Don Cheadle's age (55)--perhaps he passes the torch? Could he be the avenue to Ironheart?
Hulk - Crippled (making space for the Amadeus Cho Hulk, if they want to go that way); now that he's Professor Hulk they can keep Mark Ruffalo and the character around for as long as they want (the CGI means Ruffalo's age is largely mitigated)--I would expect him, however, to revert to a background role

Black Widow - Dead, but with a forthcoming prequel film--I have no interest in that unless there's a definitive link to the present (I've seen other people wonder if it's an alternate reality version of the character, but I don't think the MCU will want to void the stakes of her sacrifice in Endgame)

Thor - Gave up his his royal position (to Valkyrie), which brings his character full circle into being a more humble version of the character he was in the first Thor; tied in with the Guardians of the Galaxy and it's clear there are more films to come for him
Hawkeye - We know his Disney+ show will have him train his replacement in Kate Bishop, which will sunset the character outside of cameos

Captain America - Retired (his role taken over by Falcon), but not dead; if Chris Evans didn't want to come back he surely would have died in Endgame, so I suspect he'll serve as an adviser/friend in the future

All of these changes leave room for a completely new set of Avengers. It seems like the new team will consist of Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man (if the deal is renewed), and possibly Ant-Man and the Wasp (I remain unsure what Marvel wants to do with the latter pair given that the solo films have not done well in MCU-terms).

Amy Pascal is leaving Sony for Universal. No one seems to know whether this impacts a renewal of the deal with Marvel or not, but what it does mean is that the projects Pascal were spearheading (like Silk and separate Silver Sable and Black Cat films) are likely dead, because unlike the MCU, Sony's properties were divided into three advocates (with Palak Patel's getting the most attention thus far; Avi Arad is the other). Will the move help Marvel's situation with Universal? That remains to be seen, as Comcast (which owns Universal) is not fond of Disney (thus their competing bids for Fox).

I mentioned back in December that one of the reasons Jeremy Conrad faces a lot of criticism is because of how he behaves on social media. I'd heard, although I'd never researched it, that he proactively blocks people who criticize him. Apparently this is true, as he has me blocked despite not interacting with him (he probably found the site through my talking to Kinda Culty on Twitter)--it's a funny thing, because I don't really check his feed (most of which is devoted to fighting with people who dislike The Last Jedi). I don't know if his much more popular buddy Danile Richtman does the same thing, but unlike Conrad (who I considered very reliable initially), I looked into Richtman first and knew he was very hit and miss (much like Umberto Gonzalez).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)