Marvel News

Murphy, first on his Patreon and subsequently on his blog,* posted a rumour that Doctor Strange will appear in the last episode of WandaVision. Whether the rumour is true or not, it's a common assumption given that the show will lead into the film (in other words, it would be strange if he didn't appear).
*He's embracing the Daniel RPK/Jeremy Conrad business model, which is an interesting transformation from a guy who, just 18 months ago, was repeatedly Tweeting that he'd retired from the scoop business

Murphy also posted a rumour that Guardians 3 will be released February, 2023. This comes on the heels of Marvel announcing new film dates about a month ago. At the time I guessed GotG3 would occupy the July, 2022 slot (with Captain Marvel 2 in February). Gunn recently said he'd begin filming in a year or so (ie, late 2020/early 2021), which leans into a 2022 release, but doesn't rule out early 2023.

Screen Rant's Thomas Bacon wonders if Olivier Richter's role in Black Widow is Ursa Major. His theory is derived from two separate items: 1) Richter having a role in the film, 2) an image from the trailer that seems to show a tiny bear. The character in the comics is a werebear affiliated with the Red Room/Soviet Super Heroes--however, he's huge, not small. Ursa Major is also a Mutant, so only available once the Fox sale was complete--requiring script changes around the time of production and guaranteeing it's a minor role (which fits the parts Richter gets). We'll need more information before we can put faith into the idea, but we can't reject it outright.

Yet another rumour from Murphy, who says there's evidence that the Reddit leak from October may be true (because he has confirmation the film is looking for a ring announcer and that leak included one). When that rumour dropped I doubted it's veracity because it sounded like Enter the Dragon mixed with Karate Kid (both now tired formulas for martial arts films). The post had another problem in that it included SHIELD when we know SWORD is what's relevant (SHIELD is only possible if Shang-Chi takes place in 2014 or earlier). The latter is a small issue, as what's meant might be the same, but it needs to be noted. We'll need more evidence before we can buy into the scoop (although a cheesy premise that rips off Iron Fist's Tournament of Champions is definitely within the writer's wheelhouse, see below).

This is a good time to bring up a rumour from June that the film required reworking (via a different writer) because David Callaham's initial script was considered dull. This 'scoop' came from Redditor TMSM, who stopped posting months ago, but Callaham's credits include a number of disappointments that are weak on plot, so it's plausible (I didn't realize Callaham had done production re-writes on Ant-Man, which undoubtedly helped him land this gig). TMSM's information has never been confirmed by anyone else, but tweaks are common with Marvel films (Black Widow needed last minute tending by a different writer, for example), so it will be interesting to see if it is true (and, if so, what was originally called for in the film and who was called on to fix it).

Murphy also talked about filming locations for Shang-Chi, which I normally wouldn't care about. I bring it up because, if correct, Marvel is skipping Hong Kong due to democracy protests (instead filming in Malta).

Ryan Reynolds confirmed that work on Deadpool 3 is in full swing at Marvel Studios. Note that he isn't referring to production, but discussions. There have been a lot of rumours about when (or even if) the film was coming to the MCU, but this implies that it is. My previous guess is that we'd see the film in October, 2022, but if it's still without a script that's almost certainly too early. It should be clear that whatever plans Reynolds had for the film originally have to be thrown out as he transitions into the MCU. Variety (the initial link) notes that Emma Watts (Fox's president of production), who survived Disney's purchase, won't be involved (unlike the first two films). Without knowing what her impute was, however, it's difficult to assess how (or if) that changes things.

We're finally getting set leaks from WandaVision and these include images that seem to confirm the appearance of Agatha Harkness as well as the official reveal of S.W.O.R.D. (which replaces SHIELD). The agency was implied by Spider-Man: Far From Home (as well as the version of Captain Marvel that's being used), while the Harkness rumours trace back to 4chan in January. Photos also imply that Monica Rambeau works for the agency (a 4chan post in November claimed she'd work for them).

A Murphy rumour I think we can debunk: supposed actress Sheila Knox said she was joining WandaVision and hinting that the role involved Latveria (Doomstadt), suggesting she could be Cynthia Von Doom (the mother of Doctor Doom). Murphy didn't look into this very hard (or at all), as her now-locked Twitter feed suggests she's trolling (she has #MAGA as a tag and is listed as one of the 'Women for Trump')--there's no chance a woman with zero acting credits on IMDB and that ideology would be hired by Marvel.

A Redditor has dropped supposed episode descriptions of the show (I've fixed some of the atrocious grammar):

• EP 01 Wanda is completely sad after the events of "Infinity War" and "Endgame” and utterly alone, after years of working with the Avengers and the death of her great love [Vision], her brother [Quicksilver], and her trainer [?] Natasha Romanoff, she receives an unexpected visit from a witch, Agnes. She offers Wanda sorcery classes, which would lead her to a reality creation where she lives her perfect life. [When] it happens, she got into the 50's years and the series works as a sitcom. We have Aaron[-Taylor] Johnson participating as Quicksilver. Meanwhile, Agnes seems nosy about Wanda's life and works for a powerful villain.
• EP 02 At Universe 616, S.W.O.R.D soon notices Wanda Maximoff's disappearance and invites Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis to investigate the disappearance of the hero after their successive work with Ant-Man and Jane Foster & Thor [presumably referring to Darcy being in the first two Thor films], they soon encounter Agnes, going deeper into the story of the mysterious woman, who reveals herself as Agatha Harkness, a Salem witch. Monica Rambeau [realizes] that people from around the world are suffering from nightmares during their sleep and summons a team to investigate it. At the same time Wanda becomes pregnant with Vision in her universe, giving birth to Wiccano [Wiccan] and Speed. The children have powers and count on Agnes's help to develop them, as does Wanda, who [becomes] better and better [with] her skills.
• EP 03 With time passing in a peculiar way in Wanda's reality, it's Halloween and Wiccano [Wiccan] and Speed ​​are already teenagers. Vision is possessed by a demon, Mephisto, and we can see more of his powers during the night's events, which feature great battles between the couple and villains, every situation happens like a 70's sitcom. With the help of Monica Rambeau, Darcy and Jimmy finds out that Agatha Harkness works for Nightmare [because] of blackmail, they also get transfered [transferred] to Wanda's reality. They are the key for Wanda [to find] out that the dream life is all a big illusion.
• EP 04 Agatha Harkness discovers that [her] farce has been revealed and enters a great battle with the heroes, killing Vision, causing his third death. Wanda freaks out and generates a strong power break between the two realities, transferring Wiccano [Wiccan], Speed, Darcy, Jimmy, Pietro and Agatha to Universe 616. Stephen Strange discovers that a large door in the multiverse has been opened and assists Wanda Maximoff in controlling her powers, but the witch is seized by Nightmare. Monica Rambeau discovers the whole story between Nightmare and Agatha Harkness.
• EP 05 Stephen, Wiccano [Wiccan], Speed, Monica Rambeau and Pietro all help Wanda in controlling her powers, which has been manifesting throughout the multiverse and causing a huge mess, forcing her to fight with her own mind. A scene [cut] from Age of Ultron “Wanda” vs WandaVision “Wanda” is included. At the end of the episode, Wanda takes control and promises revenge on Nightmare.
• EP 06 Wanda adapts to the versions of the people she created in her reality [?]. Monica Rambeau shows more of her powers. Nightmare's ambitions are revealed. Stephen becomes an advanced level magic tutor for Maximoff, that at the end of the episode, is declared as Scarlet Witch and receives a new uniform, similar to those of the Comics.

Clearly the person who wrote this was not a native English speaker, yet there are fragments of text clipped from someone with an educated grasp of the language. I believe the above is doing what the Redditor from my previous post did: taking various rumours and constructing a narrative from them. The poster seems to have Portuguese as their first language (given the consistent use of 'Wiccano'). There's not much unique here (the main change from other rumours is that Agatha Harkness is a reluctant villain whose deal with Nightmare is discovered by Monica). I don't take it seriously.

Loki has entered pre-production (in my previous post Murphy said filming would begin February 1st). The turnaround for the Disney+ shows seems to be about a year (as in, from filming to release), so that suggests Loki will appear c.February, 2021. It's beginning to look like what the MCU wants to do (since episodes will be released weekly) is have a Marvel episodes running more or less continuously throughout the year (or at least come close to that--see below).

Speaking of 4chan, here's another plot summary (the last is from almost two months ago):

• The Eternals are created by the Celestials to defend humanity from the Deviants. After a vicious battle, they defeat and exile the Deviants, then give up their powers and memories to live among humans. [The opening premise echoes the second 4chan post from October, while the idea of them losing their memories/powers to one from November (an idea borrowed from the Neil Gaiman run)]
• In the present, Dane Whitman discovers the ruins of the Eternals’ citadel and activates a beacon that awakens them. He is attacked by the Deviants and rescued by Sersi. [The idea of Dane being an archaeologist goes back to the first post via the link above]
• The Eternals reunite and learn that the Deviants are searching for the “Tomb of the Gods.” Dane has the map, so the Eternals must protect him and count on his help to find it first. [The Tomb idea first came up in the earliest 4chan post referenced above, but ultimately hails from the original Kirby comic where it's called "The Chamber of the Gods"]
• The Deviants were freed by rogue Eternal Gilgamesh. However, Sersi and Dane learn Gilgamesh is being mind-controlled by Druig, who is the true traitor alongside Thena (Angelina Jolie). Thena secretly had a child with the leader of the Deviants, Kro, but the humans murdered him. She hates them ever since, and wants to reach the Tomb of the Gods to reclaim the power of the Celestials to destroy them. [The idea of manipulation is via the earlier 4chan post, Thena's relationship with Kro via the Roy Thomas run of Eternals, but the human murdering angle is new]
• Sersi is divided between Dane and her old lover, Ikaris, but ultimately chooses Dane. [The idea of a love triangle goes back at least to Daniel in August--her desire for a relationship with Dane to Bob Harras' Avengers run]
• Ikaris has a close friendship with Makkari.
• Kingo befriends Dane and teaches him how to fight.
• Dane becomes the Black Knight in the final battle.
• Sprite befriends Gilgamesh and convinces him to rejoin the Eternals.
• Phastos is gay. Thena tries to convince him to join her and punish humans for their prejudice, but he refuses because he still has hope for humanity. [The reveal about which character is gay goes back to a pair of 4chan posts in October]
• In the end, the Celestials awaken and possess the leader of the Eternals, Ajak. They decide humanity must be destroyed before they become too powerful, due to the mutations awakened by Thanos' snap. The Eternals stand against them, and Ajak sacrifices herself to stop them, and Ikaris becomes the new leader. [Given the bloated cast, a death or two would not be surprising.]

The only things unique about the post is part of Thena's backstory and some of the specifics about Black Knight. In that way, it's like many other plot leaks recently (largely composed or prior leaks). It's a plausible plot, but I'm not convinced (I remain concerned about Marvel leaning into a love triangle). So far, through all the announcements and leaks, this is the Marvel film I'm least interested in (partially because of the IP and partially because of the uninspired cast--many lazily compare the film to Guardians, but Chris Pratt was a charmer and there's no one with his charisma in this lineup--Angelina Jolie is the only real star and she's not the lead).

Murphy says the production date for Ms. Marvel is locked for April, 2020, which he believes means the show will air before Hawkeye (representing a change from what we've been told). It's possible for the show to film first and air after (The Punisher season one filmed before The Defenders, but was released afterwards), but it is uncommon. If the turnaround estimate I make above is accurate, I'd expect it to air c.April, 2021.

Murphy speculates that Moon Knight will film sometime in early 2020. This matches my own speculation that the Disney+ shows are coming far sooner than most believe. There's no reason, other than cost, for Disney not to double down on Marvel shows. If we're getting production slates two months apart, then perhaps it will begin in June (after Ms. Marvel).

Incidentally, I've ignored casting speculation for the show because it's all all been fan generated (Murphy keeps pushing for Shia Labeouf, who is more of a caricature than an actor, and now there's a push for Daniel Radcliffe, who isn't suited either--at 5'5 he can't pull off the pseudo-Batman look).

Given the above I wanted to look at the MCU Disney+ production schedule as we know it (I've included film dates in italics as points of reference):
2020
Black Widow (May 1)
Falcon and the Winter Soldier - late 2020 (two months into filming)
The Eternals (November 6)
2021
Shang-Chi (February 12)
WandaVision - early 2021 (almost two months into filming)
Loki - early 2021 (filming begins February, 2020 [Murphy])
Doctor Strange 2 (May 7)
Ms. Marvel - unknown (filming begins April, 2020 [Murphy])
Moon Knight - unknown (possibly early 2020 [Murphy])
What If? - mid-2021 (currently in production)
Spider-Man 3 (July 16)

Hawkeye - late 2021 (unknown)
Thor 4 (November 5)

She-Hulk - unknown (unknown)

Marvel wants their shows to lead-in and lead-off the films, so if there are 4 films a year from 2021 onwards, a multitude of shows are needed to support that. Both The Eternals and Shang-Chi seem off this track [as does the animated What If?], but I think that's because they were set into motion before Marvel had fully decided how it wanted to integrate their shows (I don't think the latter will impact anything near it, but there's a chance Shang-Chi will have relevance for Moon Knight--nothing else seems remotely similar to it). My guess is, excluding animated productions, we'll have 6-8 live action shows per year (by either 2021 or 2022)--the CW currently has six with a Stargirl show on the horizon (which seems like a slap in the face to the WB's Titans), so the amount isn't unreasonable.

Conrad believes Power Pack will be an animated series, which makes perfect sense. Back in May he claimed the IP was in full development, but no one else has reported it. If we're really getting the team on screen, an animated version (especially on Disney+) would explain the lack of news elsewhere.

Daniel claims Tom Holland is in talks to cameo in Venom 2. This idea is something that's been around for a long time, so I'm not sure what this adds to the discussion (it may well be that Daniel is making a safe guess that he can trumpet as a scoop if its right, but avoid being called out as wrong if it isn't because these are just 'talks').

Director Josh Boone has apparently been given the reins to finish New Mutants. There's no sign of the reshoots Fox wanted two years ago, which suggests the film will largely represent Boone's original vision (with Marvel's requested cuts of Fox-related easter eggs included). It will be an oddity when it appears in early 2020, but this approach costs the least amount of money (which seems to be Disney's primary interest).

We have a 4chan post talking about the MCU in general:

• Ray Winstone plays Ivan in Black Widow [her father]. Jermey Renner has a cameo as Hawkeye in the middle of the film. Linda Caradelini returns as Laura Barton in a cameo, likely dealing with Barton escaping [Civil War-induced] house arrest to help Natasha.
• Druig, Gilgamesh, and Sprite are the villains of Eternals. Thanos, Odin, and Ego appear in small roles. Neil Gaiman filmed a cameo in the film.
• Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings revolves around a tournament to win the Ten Rings. Sam Claflin, Kelly Marie Tran, Zhang Ziyi, Pierce Brosnan, Harry Shum Jr, and BD Wong are cast in supporting roles. [Tran/Wong via September 4chan, Claflin/Brosnan via October (1) 4chan, Shum Jr via October (2); Ziyi I haven't seen before]
• Namor appears in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, played by [Crazy Rich Asians lead] Henry Golding. Cillian Murphy is the favorite for the role of Nightmare. Wanda creates the Multiverse of Madness due to the events in WandaVison. [The idea of Namor in the film goes back to a deleted Tweet by Scott Derrickson back in March]
• Spider Man 3 will have Kraven as the main villain, with Hugh Jackman in talks for the role. JK Simmons returns as JJJ. Peter and MJ break up for a while.
• Thor: Love and Thunder features Thor making a new team of Revengers. Finn Wolfhard, Ryan Gosling, and Jennifer Lawrence are in talks for roles. [Wolfhard/Gosling via September 4chan; Lawrence is simply a popular pick for many roles]
• Ant-Man 3 is set for February 2022 and will feature Hulk and Kate Bishop teaming up with Ant-Man, Stature, and Wasp. TI’s Dave has been written out of the script due to recent controversies [Referring to him taking his daughter for virginity checks; apparently saying a woman can't be president in 2015 was no impediment, although he did apologize for that].
• Black Panther 2 is based off Doomwar. Ryan Coogler wants Denzel Washington for Doctor Doom, though Marvel wants someone younger. [Denzel is 64; it would also be puzzling for an African-American to be the ruler of a small, Eastern European country--this idea reminds me of the clickbait from September pitching a race-swapped Magneto]
• Fantastic Four is set for July 2022, with Travis Knight in final talks to direct. Marvel wants to cast A List actors as the Fantastic Four. Mole Man will be the main villain. [Knight via a November 4chan post]
• Blade is set for October 7th 2022. Several A-List directors are already having talks with Marvel to direct the film because of Mahershala’s involvement.
• Deadpool 3, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3, and Nova are set for 2023.

This strikes me as a mix of repeated rumours and fan-casting (it would be especially odd to have Sprite as a villain in a Disney-movie given that she's being played by a 12-year old). There's nothing here that hasn't already been rumoured or isn't simply borrowed from the comics and some of it is genuinely odd (the Revengers in a film featuring Jane Foster Thor? Where's the room for both those elements to coexist?).

As he did in October, Mikey Sutton spread out a series of scoops among friendly Youtubers. These are the MCU elements:

• Sutton says a Disney+ Clea show is in the works (the villain being Umar), which is intended to help spin off a Brother Voodoo show (where a rebooted Cloak & Dagger would appear). [This echoes LotLB's rumour from August, which had the former pair in a show together called Strange Tales; LotLB also said the latter would be rebooted back in November]
• Disney wants Hugh Jackman to reprise the Wolverine role for his finale as the character in a 48 Hours-style film with Deadpool--Sutton says this is purely in the discussion phase. [Jackman's potential return is something LotLB claimed back in September]
• There are discussions about adapting the Parker Industries scenario for Spider-Man down the line [I believe LotLB had something about this in the summer when they discussed Tom Holland having a nine-film arc for the character]
• Fantastic Four is in early development and Johnny Storm's love interest in Fantastic Four will be Frankie Raye, who will then become the Herald of Galactus, taking the place of Silver Surfer (which follows the John Byrne run on the comic) [Frankie's appearance echoes LotLB's rumour from August]

All these items are repeats or an evolution of LotLB rumours from earlier in the year (ones that may have come from Sutton). I'm highly skeptical of the idea of shows based on B-list supporting characters (Clea/Voodoo)--it's the kind of thing you do after you see really positive reception to them (neither has ever supported their own comic, which would make the idea unprecedented for the MCU).

A side note: it's interesting how LotLB's scoops from their own source have largely dried-up since Sutton started talking to them. There are a few possibilities: 'The Black Knight' hasn't had any scoops lately, he's an invented name for Tim's own speculation, or that's what Sutton called himself before he returned to making Marvel scoops on his own.

I've brought up HBO's Watchmen a few times (eg), largely out of curiosity over how it would perform given that Lindelof was the showrunner. The final two episodes saw a modest increase in viewership (0.822 13th/0.935 9th, although it remained low in the key demographic--older viewers are its bedrock). For context I wanted to compare it to something, so I thought another recent genre adaptation would suit (in this case The Witcher--which I've been covering it here).

Beyond relative critical praise (RT 96% and 56%, both of which are ridiculous; fan scores 52%/93%), how are they being received comparatively? Netflix doesn't release numbers, but viewer scores and social media for The Witcher has been very positive and the ancillary content (reaction videos, analysis, etc) is far more popular than the HBO show (just one example, YTer Rawrist's final review for Watchmen sits at 3.5k, while her recent Witcher review is 10.4k). The weather vane called Emergency Awesome makes this very apparent when you look at his two recent videos about each (his overview of episodes 1-4 has 550k views, while his final video on Watchmen, released over a week earlier, sits at 272k, well behind the highest viewed of his videos on the series (episode one), which is also far lower than The Witcher video).

All that this establishes is that The Witcher is more popular, but that doesn't mean Watchmen hasn't been successful in HBO-terms and despite lukewarm reception will almost certainly get a second season. To briefly go back to the critical response, there's little doubt that in both cases the scores represent an axe to grind from critics (both The Guardian and Entertainment Weekly in particular embarrassed themselves with nonsensical reviews)--I don't understand the animosity towards The Witcher (which tried hard to appease critics with diverse casting, female co-leads, overt depictions of racism, etc). Economically, however, Netflix is the winner despite the critical drubbing, as both it (and HBO) are subscription-based and popularity is what feeds new subscribers.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel News

At Brazil's Comic Con scenes from Black Widow were shown and here's a description of them from Reddit:

• There's a crashed helicopter scene with Black Widow, Red Guardian and Yelena, where the Red Guardian asks about "him" (Captain America), and if he told war stories about [the two of them]. He also mentions he is his "geopolitical adversary".
• A cut before the trailer table scene shows Melina Vostokoff saying that his suit "has an incredible smell" and that she never washed it, apparently showing that she was the one who kept it.
• Red Guardian and Melina Vostokoff were (fake) married, possibly for a mission. They both play mother/father figure-like characters. Melina says that they can't really use the "family" word, because they're a fake family. Melina also mentions that Yelena had become a beautiful woman, despite the big nose she had as a child.
• Natasha replies [to] Red Guardian's question saying that his first question after 20 years [1996 or 1997 given that the film is 2016 or 2017] [of] not seeing each other is about himself. In another cut, he mentions that he recently left prison and is full of energy.
• Quick shots showing a black set with Natasha fighting with Taskmaster (with mask and now the hood).
• Feige also said that Black Widow will reveal [to] us a secret for the future of the MCU, and that [it] is confirmed that what happened in Budapest will be explained.

If this is accurate there are a number of interesting points:
1) I'm a little confused about Red Guardian's interactions with Steve Rogers; the Soviets and Americans were allies in WWII, so presents no obvious point of conflict; Steve was unfrozen in 2012, four years before Civil War, but it's difficult to imagine what interactions they could have had over that period of time (when presumably Alexei was in jail and half of which Steve was hunting down Hydra). There's another possibility, which is that the two are aware of each other as cultural icons, although there again the time available for that to cause conflict is limited--either I'm missing something, the Redditor is missing something, or the writers didn't think through the timeline for this to make sense
2) If Red Guardian broke himself out of jail, it debunks the Reddit post from just a few days ago (which claimed Nat breaks him out); given the unclear language used, however, we can't be sure how literal the transcription is and certainly the latter is more dynamic
3) I'm probably alone in not caring about what happened in Budapest--I'm quite content with some mysteries from a character's past remaining mysteries (they rarely live up to the hype)

After the trailer Murphy engaged in some speculation and wondered if the film could introduce Latveria (Doctor Doom) and/or Mutants. This was spurred on, presumably, by Feige's comments about a secret being revealed that impacts the future of the MCU. Given that the scripts were written before Marvel had the rights to either, this is only possible if they were late adds. Murphy's response to this problem was: scripts get tweaks all the time during production, so little references could be included. I like his reasoning behind the Latveria reveal, as that country is supposed to be a little piece of Hungary (ergo, Budapest nearby). Given how ubiquitous easter eggs are, one or both could be true, but it's not that interesting unless it directly ties into something (which Murphy doesn't attempt to do--given that he's had a scoop about a film in 2024 since August, he might be reverse-engineering to arrive at this speculation).

We learned from Brazil ComicCon that, indeed, the Deviants are the antagonists (or, at least, among the antagonists) of the film. This confirms, in part, the rumour Murphy posted recently (as well as his original summary from October, 2018, which included the Ikaris and Sersi love story--seemingly complicated by Black Knight). Feige said The Eternals will take place over 7,000 years, as the characters go to different periods in time. Conrad adds (presumably from other comments) that the Eternals are aware of the Avengers; the Deviants will be depicted differently from the comics (which I take to mean they will be less monstrous); and that we'll see the Celestials in all their glory. Murphy re-confirmed that Richard Madden's Ikaris is not the gay character in the film (his romance with Sersi makes that clear).

After the above dropped, Box Office Theory offered it's own description which added some details.

As it is preliminary, the trailer did not focus on action scenes or set pieces with visual effects. It was more accompanying image, with parts focusing on each of the Eternals. The first scene is the team being welcomed by Druig in a kind of camp. I also remember scenes of Kingo performing in a Bollywood film, Ajak riding a horse, Sersi passed out on Ikaris' lap, Phastos inside a well with kids and holding hands with a man (who looks like to be his husband) and an action scene with Thena. There was also a knight all in black, and masked, riding in an ancient period. Maybe it's an earlier version of the Black Knight, character from Kit Harrington.

The new elements involve the scene with a knight and the specifics of Phastos. Two different 4chan posts in October broke that he was the gay character on the team and if this description is accurate it's confirmation of that fact.

More actors have been announced for Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Desmond Chiam (who, among other roles, was on the fantasy flop The Shannara Chronicles) and Miki Ishikawa (whose career got boosted via Hit). These are likely bit parts, given how large the cast is, but we'll have to wait and see.

Murphy has scooped that Josh Stamberg has joined WandaVision in a small, supporting role, as an FBI agent (part of Jimmy Woo's team if the November 4chan rumour is true).

In a now deleted post a Redditor offered up the following:

• WandaVision is loosely based on House of M, and it features Wanda creating a pocket dimension to help herself deal with the grief caused by recent events. [The idea of House of M goes back at least to LotLB in June; echoed by 4chan in October; the pocket dimension via October Reddit and echoed by November 4chan; although all of these are echoing elements from the comic stories being drawn on for the series: House of M, Avengers Disassembled, and Tom King's Vision]
• She creates a pocket dimension where she and the Vision are a married couple, and other important people such as her brother, Pietro, are still alive. [The latter via LotLB in August and repeated by the October Redditor; the pocket dimension via the Redditor and November 4chan, although that's also via the source material]
• Her reality resembles a classic sitcom, and the first three episodes pay homage to sitcoms from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The final three, less-silly episodes are set in something resembling the 80s, which is what Roger Wardell was talking about when he mentioned the film [Doctor Strange 2] being an "80s boogaloo" [The Wardell Doctor Strange stuff is from May; the era feel from 4chan in May; the sitcom aesthetic from released artwork, but echoed by Daniel in October; suggesting eras (plural) rather than just the 50s--the latter repeated by the October Redditor--echoed by Conrad in November, which is also derived from concept art shown in Expanding the Universe]
• Kathryn Hahn is playing a loose version of Agatha Harkness, and she is working with Chthon. [Harkness goes back to January 4chan and has been echoed repeatedly--only Murphy dissented from this view, but has finally changed his mind, given up on his goofy idea of an original character named 'Agnes']
• Jimmy and Darcy are working for the FBI, and they are investigating Wanda's mysterious disappearance when they wind up trapped in her world. [This is similar to November 4chan, except it included Monica as part of that FBI team]
• However, Wanda gets tempted by Nightmare's servant, Chthon, which causes her to open a rift in reality itself, causing the "Multiverse of Madness" to open. [The latter echoes a second 4chan post from October]
• As said before, Quicksilver will return, whether or not Aaron Taylor-Johnson chooses to reprise his role. Marvel may recast him. [This is exactly the LotLB rumour from August mentioned above]
• Nightmare eventually takes control of Wanda, turning her into his servant and giving her a more comic-accurate costume. [The villain appearing in the show first popped up in LotLB in August, echoed by a broad MCU 4chan post from early October, then the main October 4chan post, repeated by the second, as well as by the Redditor]
• Baron Mordo is helping Nightmare because he promised to help him rid the world of sorcerers. Unlike Wanda, he is acting mostly out of his own free will. He, like Wanda, gets a new, more comic-accurate costume. [Mordo's involvement appeared in a 4chan post back in May; his motivation is either cribbed from the first Doctor Strange or his comicbook source material]
• Brother Voodoo and Clea are from other Sanctums from around the world, and they are called into action by Strange to help him fight Nightmare and his servants. [Wardell is the antecedent of this]
• Nightmare's main cronies are Chthon, the self-proclaimed "Lord of Darkness", and Shuma-Gorath, a bizarre extradimensional creature with the power to drive reality itself into madness. [The latter was first rumoured in an October 4chan post, the former from November 4chan]
• The movie is a superhero movie at its core, but from what I'm hearing it's gonna be SCARY. It'll be PG-13, but you should NOT take your little kids to see it.
• It's not like any Marvel movie that came before it in the least bit. One movie my source is comparing it to is The Cell [2000], due to a similar sense of trippiness and "nightmare fuel".
• Ghost Rider may have a cameo in the film, and I'm hearing that he's possibly going to get a Disney+ limited series. Whether or not Gabriel Luna will return to the role is up for debate. Marvel might recast him, seeing as he's already 37 and Marvel wants to keep the character relatively young. [This sounds like the October Redditor, whose claims were repeated by Daniel (same link) at that time]
• Nightmare is basically a Marvel version of Pennywise, and he manifests in the form of his opponents' greatest fears.
• Loki isn't in the movie, but his series is affected by the events of the film, so it does "tie into" the movie in a way. [In November Feige said they would tie-in]
• All in all, my source is absolutely loving the script. He says MCU fans and horror fans alike will have a blast seeing it.

This is, from what I can tell, a conflation of many (but not all) rumours that have come beforehand (as I've illustrated above). The only original elements are the nod to Pennywise from It (because of the lack of originality & an inability to verify himself, the post was removed). Here are other rumoured elements of the show that were not included above (just for context):

• Children - released art (September, 2018) that teased WandaVision immediately generated theories that their children would appear, particularly Wiccan because of the upcoming appearance of Cassie Lang in Endgame (scooped by Murphy that April), as the two are both Young Avengers; LotLB put him on a long-term spec list in September; Conrad reported a rumour about kids in early October; October 4chan has a grown-up version helping Doctor Strange fix things in his movie (no mention of his brother); November 4chan has he and his brother; Conrad echoed the idea in late November
• Mutants - LotLB (June) say they will be introduced
• The story will borrow from the Avengers Dissembled storyline - Kinda Culty (June)
• 4chan (October) - Jericho is a necromancer whose parents are evil voodooists [the family angle is new]; Clea is from Hong Kong [matches the Wardell's comment that she'd be Asian]; Jimmy Woo etc carry over from WandaVision into Doctor Strange 2; a powered Monica is from another reality; Marvel Zombies (!) will play a big part in the movie
• 4chan 2 (October) - Mordo is helping Strange and forms a friendship with Wong; this is the only rumour to not have Clea played by an Asian actress
• 4chan (November) - Wanda is homeless; Rambeau, Ultron (archive footage), and Doctor Strange will cameo in WandaVision; The Grim Reaper is another of Nightmare's minions
• IMDB (November) - John Walker (U. S. Agent) is currently listed for WandaVision

To reiterate: I don't think the Reddit post above is a scoop, it's simply a serious of rumours cobbled together from various sources. What it does do is serve as an excuse to go through all the rumoured material for the show while touching on Doctor Strange 2.

Murphy says that Loki will begin production February 1st. We've heard surprisingly little about the show given how soon it will film (one casting announcement a month ago and only one plot rumour via Reddit).

Production List, who got the Shang-Chi filming date wrong (by at least two months) is claiming Ant-Man 3 will start filming January 6, 2020. We know pre-production has started, but Michael Douglas said it would film in January of 2021. Their date is very soon and seems preposterous--why film it at the same time as Shang-Chi when it's released after Doctor Strange 2 and Thor 4?

Feige said that Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk will be 'ready' towards the end of 2020--I presume he means ready to film (meaning they will start being available to air in late 2021).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel News

The first Black Widow trailer dropped and on the whole it was a solid, but not spectacular first look at the film (it's clear from watching it that the 4chan poster from October saw this trailer, as all the specific scenes mentioned are from it). I'd call it better than the early Captain Marvel and Ant-Man trailers, but nowhere near as strong as the Doctor Strange or Black Panther initial trailers. The dialogue was fine, but didn't stand out, and the action was pretty routine (featuring awkward cuts in the kitchen fight). I liked the white costume and wished we'd seen more David Harbour. I'm not sold on Florence Pugh yet (based on the trailer), but it's far too early to make assessments. As a villain Taskmaster wasn't threatening. I feel like the trailer was far too focused on setting up a character fans already know (repeated footage from Age of Ultron was a mistake). With that said, the next trailer is bound to be better and I'm still looking forward to the film.

In a now removed post by a new Redditor comes news from 'his source' about this film (the grammar and other issues are courtesy of the poster):

• Natasha Romanoff goes back to Budapest after betraying the Sokovia Accords to retrieve Foxcharger, a device created by the Red Room that would allow her to erase all digital records of her prints, DNA,face in any government databases. [Copied from a 4chan post from November, although there is't 'Foxcharge', not 'Foxcharger']
• The Red Room Program created by Natasha’s [adopted] father, General Ivan Petrovich, who trained both Yelena and Natasha to become Black Widows. [Copied from a 4chan post in October, although the idea of Ray Winstone as that character is via a 4chan post in September--although that post also claimed Viggo Mortensen was playing Taskmaster (!)]
• The Red Room is now led by Melina Vostokoff, another operative who is abducting young woman to turn them into a new generation of Black Widows. [Via the October post]
• Melina eventually suits up as a Iron Maiden [Via the November post]
• Natasha meets her “sister” Yelena Belova, and like i said was trained in the Red Room and was assigned to kill her. [November post]
• Natasha realizes that someone has lured them into a trap just as the Taskmaster attacks them. [This motivation is unique to the post--possibly implied by them or by how the trailer was cut, but it's not stated as such.]
• Now we see [as per the trailer] Natasha and Yelena fleeing on a motorcycle while Taskmaster chases them. [Also via the October post]
• He [Taskmaster] has a tank/mobile command center that drives itself. Kinda like Idris Elba's badass motorcycle in Hobbs and Shaw, it's gonna be insane. [November post]
• They escape and hide with Natasha’s old lover, Rick Mason , a fixer for international spies who also previously worked for SHIELD. [October post.]
• He reveals that Taskmaster is eliminating people connected to the Red Room, and He also reveals that Melina is evil and is working with him [Taskmaster]. [The goal of Taskmaster is unique to this, although it's not a difficult logical leap.]
• Taskmaster kidnaps Mason and forces Natasha to rescue her “brother”, supersoldier Alexei Shostakov [Red Guardian], from a gulag in Russia. Yelena joins and they both succeed [Again, the motivation provided is new.]
• Afterwards BW [Natasha] finds out that Mason is Taskmaster,Then is betrayed by Yelena who was working with the Taskmaster and Melina. [The idea of Mason as Taskmaster goes back to speculation from Murphy in July; both prior posts had the twist, but this post is the first to suggest that Yelena was also working for Melina--although the former working for someone seems logical and the latter makes the most sense given their histories]
• Natasha and Alexei learn that Melina has revived the Red Room and employed Mason to capture young women so Melina can turn them into Black Widows [Reiterates a point above, except that it's Red Guardian and Nat who team up to stop it, rather than Nat and Yelena]
• Melina plans to use Alexei’s blood to reproduce his supersoldier serum and enhance her soldiers, and brainwash Natasha into training them. [This is new]
• Yelena made a deal to help Melina and Mason capture Natasha and Alexei in exchange for her own safety, but she did not know that Melina planned to create more Black Widows. Having bonded with Natasha and unwilling to let others suffer what they have suffered, Yelena joins Natasha and Alexei [It's difficult to parse when this transition occurs the way the poster has written out the plot]
• Then there is a huge fight,Natasha fights Iron Maiden (her suit is awesome) in a laboratory, Red Guardian fights the Taskmaster. [The latter was shown in the trailer, but both ideas are in the November post]
• While Yelena frees the black widows and sets the facility to explode , The black widows turn on Iron Maiden and lock her in her own Red Room torture chamber to die. [November post.]
• Mason kills the Red Guardian and nearly kills Natasha before Yelena managed to shoot him in the hole he had in his helmet, seemingly killing him. [November post]
• Natasha and Yelena then escort the prisoners to safety before the facility explodes. [Original]
• The prisoners to start new lives and Natasha retrieves Foxcharger, but gives it to Yelena. [November post]
• After the events of the movie Nat rediscovers how important her family she gained through the recruitment of SHIELD, so at the end of the movie she contacts Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson and goes back to meet them. [Both posts mention this]
• The post credits scenes show that Mason is alive and working with General Ross on a secret project. [This idea appeared first in the 4chan post described below]
• Small detail on the Taskmaster: He always seems to know where they will be. He is able to perfectly mirror/mimic the opponents fighting patterns. [November post]
• We will get to see a standard suit, a white stealth suit for snowy environment and a combat suit. [October post]
• Flashbacks include Natasha's childhood, training, escape and recruitment by SHIELD. [Seen or implied by the trailer]

When I started breaking this down I thought all of it would be cribbed from what's already been rumoured (which is the reason why mods removed the post), but it does have a few original elements: Natasha realizing that she and Yelena have been lured into a trap when they meet (while implied, no one else has specifically said it); the Taskmaster's goal (eliminate Red Room participants); the capture of Mason requiring breaking out Red Guardian; Yelena working for Melina (again, potentially implied, but it's never been said); the implication that initially Red Guardian and Nat are working together to stop Taskmaster; the reasoning for Melina wanting Red Guardian (his blood); Nat and Yelena rescuing prisoners before a bomb explodes.

While this might be inspired speculation, it generally makes sense--so credit for story logic. I'll still be unhappy if David Harbour's Red Guardian is killed (whether I like his portrayal or not, I like the actor and dislike Marvel's tendency to randomly kill off characters). I won't be happy if Taskmaster is 'killed' only to be revealed alive--it's a cheap trick. It's also a bit hard to believe that Melina will be allowed to die in a torture room--that seems pretty grim for the MCU (and why bother?).

We have a 4chan claim about the post-credit scenes for Black Widow:

• Mid credits you see Yelena Belova arrive at a warehouse on a motorcycle. She goes inside and tells someone off screen that she got a device from Natasha. That's revealed to be Taskmaster, but in a different, more traditional costume. He turns around and asks if they've done enough, and General Ross tells them that they are just getting started.
• The post credit scene is Hawkeye on his farm with his son. He watches him play and looks at a picture of Nat, saying to himself that he misses her.

Besides being underwhelming, the second scene is an odd one since Hawkeye's children make more sense to be seen rather than just one of his sons (particularly as the focus among his children has been his daughter). As for the first, this only makes sense if Ross is going to be featured in upcoming films--the only ones that seem likely are on Disney+: Falcon & the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye., and She-Hulk.

On the theme of the movie, Comics Explained (in his video looking at Red Guardian), after saying he thinks the character will be killed off (both because of his limited comic history as well as the way he's being portrayed--old, out of shape), thinks he's a way to introduce Colossus (directly or indirectly). It's an interesting theory, but given when the script was written (before the Fox sale was complete), that idea could only be added to the script shortly before filming began, meaning it can't be the reason Red Guardian was picked for the film.

Conrad is echoing the old rumours that Jack Russell (aka Werewolf by Night) will appear in Moon Knight (he doesn't say why he thinks this is true now, but I think it's because Daniel believes it). The character was originally pitched as appearing by LotLB in July on Hulu, then in August GWW said he'll appear on Disney+ and probably in Moon Knight; a 4chan post in October echoed this idea and not long after Daniel reiterated the idea in LotLB's chat. Because the idea hasn't been debunked since Daniel put it out, I think Conrad feels safe enough to put it out there (without attribution, naturally).

On a positive note, the planned adult-themed animated Tigra & Dazzler show is on hold, as the Showrunner (Erica Rivinoja) and her writing stuff were fired 75% through their production cycle (with all their material jettisoned). I'd much rather have live-action versions of both characters (however unlikely that may be), so my hope is that it's dumped entirely for that purpose. THR says originally the show "[featured] exec producer Chelsea Handler in one of its leading voice roles [Tigra] — is a story about two woke superheroes and best friends, Tigra and Dazzler, as they fight for recognition among powered people." Handler (who was in Jeffrey Epstein's black book--I haven't heard an explanation for that yet), is presumably still attached and THR says the decision wasn't made due to Feige's takeover of Marvel Entertainment's properties (something I find preposterous). My feeling is we'll soon hear that all the other three animated shows have been put on hold or cancelled. It's a strange premise for the show regardless, as female characters haven't had a need to fight for recognition in the MCU since Ike Perlmutter was removed from their process.

Murphy is posting up rumours he's hearing from just one source--things from the 'maybe' pile.

First

"Victor Von Doom will began expanding his empire, conquering parts of Africa and, ultimately, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda and the Black Panther."

That's what Murphy was told--if it seems odd that a fictitious Central European country would invade central Africa (as it does to me), apparently this was part of the plot of 2010's Doomwar, so the theory is the story would be partially based on that. Do I believe it? No. It's possible, sure, but it's such a weird plot (LotLB, below, also reject it).

On the heels of the above a Redditor said the following:

• Doctor Doom will be main villain, he wants vibranium for some big purpose. He have a strong motive in the film like Thanos.
• Also, it was Doctor Doom who wanted Hank Pym's lab in AMATW [Ant-Man and the Wasp], Sonny Burch was working for him.
• Studio is discussing how they should introduce Strom [Storm] in the film, she will have big role.
• A new tribe called Desturi are in story, they act as secondary bad guys. T'Kan is Desturi leader who wants the throne and he didn't like T'Challa's return. He help Doom to get into Wakanda.
• Erik Killmonger have a brief appearance but its not flashback it is astral plane.
• Shuri, T'Challa and strom [Storm] work together to regain Wakanda from Victor's control.
• M'Baku, Dora Milaje, [General] Ross are all set to return, Nothing is confirmed about Nakia.

The Desturi are a Wakandan faction introduced in 2009 who were isolationist and wanted the nation to go back to the old ways. This plot seems inspired by Murphy and sounds more like Doom using a surrogate to steal Vibranium, rather than an invasion--which makes more sense. Speculation that Storm will appear here is very common (I've done it myself repeatedly), but the entire plot seems similar to the original Black Panther (a fight for the throne and outsiders chasing Vibranium) and the Desturi are the only unique inclusion. I don't buy it as insider information.

Second

"The Eternals will focus on the 'War of Evolution' story."

Charles believes this refers to Jack Kirby's original iteration of the comic (the name itself isn't tied to a particular Marvel storyline), which is about the war between the Eternals and the Deviants. If this is the case then Marvel has locked down casting the latter, because we've heard nothing about the Deviants amongst an already bloated cast (including in Murphy's own casting scoop from October, 2018). I find the idea pretty unlikely.

Third and Fourth

"Nightmare has been cast and will be revealed as the villain of WandaVision"

Murphy says this is only part of what he's been told (again, only from one source, which I believe could be Daniel), but this is what he's publishing. This is a popular rumour--either that Nightmare is ultimately responsible for what happens in the show or the show leads to his reveal in Doctor Strange 2. It's plausible because we know how much Scott Derrickson likes the character and that the show and film are connected.

Murphy is also teasing Namor on social media (which Conrad immediately followed up on without referencing him). Other than Dwayne Johnson casting rumours, here's the sequence of rumours since the possible hint in Endgame (the earthquake):

• March - Scott Derrickson Tweets out an image that includes Namor (which he quickly deletes); WGTC quickly posts an article saying the character will appear in Doctor Strange 2 or Black Panther 2
• April - Murphy (same link) reports on a rumour that a solo film had been worked out and that locations were being scouted for filming; he subsequently learned the location scouting was for Shang-Chi, nixing his idea
• August - GWW scoops that Marvel is casting for a character named 'David' which they guessed was for Namor (Conrad agreed)
• September - 4chan post says he'll be the main antagonist for Black Panther 2
• November - another 4chan post says he'll be introduced in Black Panther 2 (but not what his role is)

The character is coming--the distribution rights Universal still holds only block a solo film. Nothing we've heard (yet) makes it clear in what context he'll appear, with Black Panther simply having the greater probability given the rumours.

Daniel claims Bushman (Bush Man?) will be the primary antagonist for Moon Knight. It's hard to see this as a scoop (if correct), since he's the villain most firmly associated with the IP. We still have no clear idea what the story will be (Jeremy Slater was hired as the head writer November 8th), or precisely when it will occur in the MCU sequence (other than after Ms. Marvel, which is after Hawkeye and before She-Hulk). There's been this very strange idea that the only Disney+ shows in 2021 will be Loki and Hawkeye, but that makes no sense at all, so I'd expect Moon Knight to air in late 2021. That being said, Bushman is as core to the IP as you can get, so while he likely won't have that name (ie), I expect him to appear.

Karen Gillan revealed that James Gunn has completed his Guardians 3 script. This is interesting, because Gunn had a completed script before he was fired in July of last year--clearly revisions have occurred since his return in March. He would have to adjust a little because the film was supposed to be a 2020 release, but it will be interesting to find what other changes (if any) have occurred.

4chan on Guardians 3:

• Set for release in July 2023
• Takes Place after Love and Thunder. How Thor’s role in this film is to be determined by the events of Love and Thunder, though Gunn has a draft without him. [The original draft likely did not include him]
• Rocket and The Guardians Face the High Evolutionary, who is the creator of Rocket and Lylla.
• Drax adopts a surrogate daughter, Cammi. Mantis gets jealous at first but Cammi and Mantis form a bond.
• 2014 Gamora changes her personality, similar to Vol.2/Infinity War Gamora after one of the members makes a sacrifice. I’m hearing it’s Nebula.
• Quill’s Zune music includes hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Chris Pratt suggested Fat Quill but James Gunn turned down the idea.
• Ayesha creates Warlock to destroy the Guardians but he rebels against the Sovereigns. He helps the Guardians in the third act.
• Gunn has talked to Pete Davidson and John Cena about making cameos after becoming close on the set of The Suicide Squad.
• James Gunn, though Casting has not begun, has Lucas Till for Adam Warlock, Millie Bobby Brown for Cammi, Liam Neeson for The High Evolutionary, and An Oscar Nominated actress for the voice of Lylla in mind for when Casting begins.
• Actresses being considered for the voice of Lylla include Lady Gaga, Helena Bonham Carter, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, and Demi Moore.

The roster of big celebrity names casts a lot of doubt on this. Some of the components echoes Wardell's (and subsequent 4chan) rumours, with the only change being Cammi (aka Camille Benally) being added--she is connected to Drax in the comics. I have no idea what the point of having Gamora forget Quill and then immediately reverting as a character (what's the point of the Endgame reboot if nothing changes?). I think this is all speculation.

More LotLB rumours:

• No Doctor Doom in Black Panther 2 (the Murphy rumour above)
• Claim Ryan Coogler asked if Namor was available before writing his script
• Repeated their August Obnoxio the Clown spec (intended for the Kevin Smith-run Howard the Duck animated show on Hulu)
• Spec on Bats the Ghost Dog

Most of the speculation about Namor has him in Black Panther 2 (largely due to the Endgame easter egg), and Doom in a Black Panther film is a very odd choice for an iconic Fantastic Four villain. As for the latter two, they remain extremely odd, but Howard the Duck and animation is certainly a home for them.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)