Marvel News & Notes

Murphy reports that two sources have told him John Byrne's West Coast Avengers run (specifically the 'Vision Quest' storyline) has influenced WandaVision. "It looks like one of the subplots centers on Wanda going Humpty Dumpty and trying to reassemble Vision after his parts have been scattered around the world." This is a fascinating revelation because, if true, it invalidates (in whole or in part) all the plot leaks we've seen thus far--none have even suggested this as a story angle. To me it also suggests what Darcy et al will be doing (at least in part)--gathering the parts.

The Illuminerdi posted a casting list for Hawkeye:

[C]ode name, Arek. He is male, 20-30 years old, and is described as having an Eastern European background. The role is currently casting as you are reading this, and Arek is expected to appear in five out of six episodes of the series.

They speculate this is for the character known as The Clown (Kazimierz Kazimierczak, who is Polish), a mercenary. Murphy repeats this without any added analysis.

Daniel, after this dropped, said the show is casting for the Tracksuit Mafia. We've been aware of their inclusion since the show was announced (given their involvement with Kate Bishop's origin), although specific rumours arrived later.

TI followed this up by saying Hailee Steinfeld is officially onboard for Hawkeye ("While we weren’t able to find out the nature of the delayed announcement, or the details of her negotiations, she is now firmly listed as set on the project"). We know that last year Marvel approached her (cf), but her exclusivity deal with Apple prevented the signing. Conrad claims it's 99% done, but nothing is signed, while other scoopers (Murphy et al) are skeptical and have heard nothing either way. Jack McBryan (who co-founded The Direct) claims "it all seems based on an outdated document" (neither he, TI, nor Conrad have provided any documentation). This all comes out a week after Derek Cornell (link above) claimed she was long out of the picture because of the Apple contract which remains my perspective until we hear something different. On a personal note, I have no feelings on who is cast in the role, since I'm unfamiliar with all the actresses rumoured and the character herself.

Alison Brie told THR that the only thing she knows about She-Hulk is what she sees in the press (this is after her agent contacted Marvel when they heard they were casting an 'Alison Brie-type'). I bring this up because I think its illustrative that celebrity campaigning for a role is a non-factor in how Marvel casts major roles. My feeling has always been that Brie wasn't approached because of her age (38), a general issue for Marvel I discussed recently (TLDR: I believe they want younger leads to carry the torch for the MCU going forward).

Both TI and Daniel say The Illuminati is in the works, with the former providing more specifics than the later:

Marvel Studios is in the early stages of developing some kind of project based off Marvel Comics’ Illuminati team. The only confirmed details are that Marvel CCO Kevin Feige is listed as the producer for this project, and the current title of the project is Marvel’s Illuminati. There is no other talent attached and there is no confirmation on whether the project is a movie or a future show on Disney+.

Daniel said: "Heard awhile ago there is an idea for a Illuminati project of some kind and it seems like there's now a grid out for it and it's now in active development." I have no idea why he's saying it seems like there's a grid--there is or isn't--so either he hasn't seen it or what he's seen is ambiguous.

What prior rumour does Daniel refer to without naming it? Back in January Sutton said the Illuminati would appear in Doctor Strange 2 (leading to the resurrection of Black Widow). The only other mention of the group is also from Sutton in May, where he said in Secret Wars the Tony Stark from an alternative reality will be part of its Illuminati. Clearly Daniel is referring to Sutton (whose material he's used before without attribution).

The scoop sparked Murphy to propose what I think is a bizarre lineup for the group (in the comics originally Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Professor X, Black Bolt, and Namor). These are all men, which Marvel will certainly change; one of them is dead (Stark), while four others have yet to be introduced. Here's Murphy's iteration: Strange, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Ajak, and Hank Pym. The first pick no one would question, Hulk isn't a bad idea, and Carol Danvers could work, but the list goes off the rails after that. The idea that Ajak (assuming she survives her film) is going to be a breakout character from The Eternals is simply bizarre (she will have, at best, the fifth-most screen time in that film), although the soon-to-be fifty-four year old actress would be inexpensive to lock down. The Hank Pym choice is even stranger--Michael Douglas turns 76 this year and leaning on an actor who would be filming this in a few years is more than odd. While there have been other members of the group (including Captain America and Black Panther, who are available in one form or another in the MCU), I think we can safely reject Murphy's speculation. My guess is that Feige only wants big characters in the group for it to echo the impact in the comics, and Pym and Ajak do not qualify (ages aside).

Murphy (with confirmation from Discussing Film) says Ms. Marvel will film November-March. He also says Kamala Khan has not yet been cast and guesses these dates are a clue for when Hawkeye will wrap filming (assuming it will end before this begins, which is preposterous since that only gives Hawkeye two months--the MCU has had no problem with overlapping productions for Disney+). Two days after this was posted Daniel echoed it (without attribution). This all but debunks Conrad's claim back in January that the casting was either done or down to a few actresses.

Pete Hernandez (who I've never heard of) drops a purported scoop from a 'reliable source with industry knowledge.' He makes the following claims about Captain Marvel 2 (my comments in pink):

• Ms. Marvel will have a supporting role [This isn't a scoop--there's no point in introducing Kamala Khan unless she's intertwined with Carol Danvers]
• The film will include many important Marvel characters, making it a mini-Avengers [see below]
• It will adapt Secret Invasion [This was scooped by Rich Johnston back in January, with Sutton preceding him with the idea in September (I don't think Johnston's scoop is directly dependent on Sutton)]

There is no scoop here, as the idea of it having an Avengers-like feel is exactly what Johnston and Sutton were saying because it's Secret Invasion. This reminds me of an issue I've had with everything from The Direct thus far--they seem to be imitating Full Circle Cinema is taking other people's content, adding a 'Wow, what do you guys think?' and posting it. I don't agree with that approach at all.

Back on topic, Sutton also talked about the film (which I've shortened a bit):

[T]he Skrulls appeared in both the Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home films [and A]ccording to my sources, all three are set to [feature in] Captain Marvel 2. [In] September [link above] on Lords of the Longbox [I scooped] that Captain Marvel 2 would feature Veranke as the main villain in a loose adaptation of Secret Invasion. The plans for Captain Marvel 2 are evolving with Secret Invasion remaining its nucleus. After the roots of Secret Invasion are planted on Disney+ [cf], Captain Marvel will be battling more than just one Skrull in her sequel. In fact, more than a Skrull but a Super-Skrull. It was revealed to me that this won't be the Super-Skrull with the Fantastic Four's powers; rather, it's a Super-Skrull with Spider-Man's abilities. And thus Marvel Studios will pay homage to Marvel Team-Up No. 62. ... I also leaked [in] September that Marvel Studios wanted Nova to debut in Captain Marvel 2 [link above]; this could either be a brief introductory appearance or, if the Super-Skrull has taken Spider-Man's powers, provide a much-needed power boost. As for Rogue, talk has been to have her cameo as a villain at the end, setting up the third movie with Ms. Marvel appearing as well.

I think Sutton means Ms. Marvel will appear in Captain Marvel 2 as well, as opposed to her appearing in Captain Marvel 3 with Rogue. This scoop echoes, in part, what he said in May. The idea of using Spider-Man to help boost the signal power of Captain Marvel makes sense, although if this is indeed a mini-Avengers he isn't as crucial. I've said it many times before, Carol Danvers needs depth--character development--and an easy way to do that is through Rogue by removing her powers.

In a now deleted Reddit post:

[Sif] is alive, Thor will find her in an icy planet with a complete new look. She dies at the end of the movie.Also, Valkyrie is a supporting character, her sexuality will be explicit. She appears the same amount of time as Lady Sif. Thor goes to Valhalla where dead characters will appear. (This person only confirmed Idris Elba [Heimdall] appearance.) The movie is described as a road-trip comedy around the universe. The [Guardians of the Galaxy] will show up.

The same poster had another 'scoop' (WandaVision) that was preposterous, so the above is clearly made-up (there isn't enough screen time to involve a Sif death arc in the film anyway).

LotLB said Black Panther 2 will feature Namor as the antagonist. This echoes what they said back in December and it's not an uncommon idea, as the two characters have an interesting history of conflict in the comics. That scoop was via their original source (The Black Knight) and I'm not sure if Sutton (who is responsible for most of their inside information these days) shares the same opinion (if he's talked about it, I haven't seen it--in May he said Namor would be a member of The Defenders, and in July that a solo film is in development).

Sutton says the first Fantastic Four film will include Franklin Richards (son of Reed and Sue). The reasoning is to both differentiate the film from the Fox efforts, skip having to repeat the origin, and use Franklin as a way to spinoff into a Power Pack Disney+ series. Not mentioned in the scoop, but this idea would also make it easier to cast older actors in the lead roles (albeit, losing out on younger adventures for the group). The idea of a Power Pack show or film is not new and its known the MCU has been considering it for a long time--having a tie-in to the FF would help boost something I think virtually no one is interested in.

Speaking of the Fantastic Four, or at least IP associated with them, Sutton has jumped on board the Giancarlo Esposito train. A source tells him there are internal discussions considering him for Doctor Doom (whom they envision as a Darth Vader-like character--as in, a redeemable villain). I went over the history of Esposito in the Marvel rumour-mill back in May, something the actor's own comments have helped push forward (he wants to play a Thanos-like role). When going through all of this a fan mentioned that Doom is Romani (something I think was introduced in 1989's Triumph and Torment and I was unaware of)--is that representation Marvel cares about? I doubt it, but if it is, it would eliminate Esposito as a possibility. Esposito is a great actor, but this isn't the role I'd use him for (I'd much rather have an actor of a similar age to Reed Richards than the 62-year old).

Peter Shinkoda (who played Nobu) was on a #SaveDaredevil Youtube hangout (hangouts virtually no one is watching) and said the following (9:46-10:51):

"They [the writers] made me privy to a storyline [about Nobu when filming in 2014] ... that they were prevented from shooting. I'm kind of reluctant to say this, but I'm going to take it and I apologize to Tommy [presumably co-executive producer Tom Lieber] and Jeph [Loeb] and I'm going to take this moment--but I have to because...because I just have to. I'm not really into protecting, you know, uh certain things anymore. Jeph Loeb told the writers room not to write for Nobu and Gao, and this was reiterated [to me] many times by many of the writers and showrunners. The showrunners [presumably Steven S. DeKnight, Marco Ramirez, Doug Petrie, and possibly Drew Goddard] said um, nobody cares about Chinese people--and Asian people--there was three previous Marvel movies, a trilogy called Blade where Wesley Snipes kills two-hundred Asians each movie--nobody gives a shit, so don't write about Nobu and Gao [he seems to mean this was the message being relayed by Loeb to the showrunners]. And they [the writers] were forced to put their storyline down and, uh, drop it."

Subsequently Shinkoda Tweeted that neither he nor Wai Ching Ho (Gao) were invited to the season two premier (they appeared in four and one episode respectively), which they were told was an oversight.

This entire story is bizarre, but before we go into it let's briefly go over the background. Shinkoda appeared in the first two seasons of Daredevil. He was part of subplots involving The Hand that failed throughout the Netflix run--even when the group was the focus, like in The Defenders, the writing for them was a confused mess. Shinkoda's comments, if true, are horrendous (this would be a different level of racism than, say, Amy Pascal's emails). The story does, however, contain strange elements I want to go over.

The first is: why would Blade be Loeb's touchstone for what to do with his story? He had no hand in the New Line productions. I guess the idea is that Blade is about a martial arts character, so that's the parallel? I find it odd, but its a trivial point.

The main issue is Loeb's Asian racism. Why I struggle to immediately accept this is, if Loeb feels this way, why was Elektra race-swapped? This is a major character (impacting merchandising) who receives a ton of screen time in two different shows (the swap itself eliminating the most prominent Greek Marvel character--much like the Romani above, I doubt Marvel cares about representation for them). Elektra is also far from the only major Asian character from Marvel Entertainment--Colleen Wing could easily have been given less to do or cast as Caucasian (her early artwork leans heavily into that). We also have Quake in Agents of SHIELD, who (even if Joss Whedon picked the actress) has been the face of show for a long time (Melinda is another). It's not that you can't create reasons for why Loeb might have made those other choices, just that the more complex it becomes the more you crash into Occam's Razor and wonder if that's what's really going on.

Another issue is Shinkoda is claiming a lot of people were aware of this--the entire writer's room for the first and possibly second season (thirteen people if it includes the second, including the very socially conscious Lauren Hissrich who now runs The Witcher). This would be in addition to Ho and anyone those various individuals might have told. The idea that these folks never said anything or leaked something to the press, while possible, is very strange (especially with a media ready to jump on this exact issue for Iron Fist).

At first I found the timing odd--Jeph Loeb is gone, as is Marvel Entertainment (absorbed into Marvel Studios). However, it's possible that as long as ME was functioning, Shinkoda was either hoping for more work or didn't want Loeb to impact himself or those he respected still working there (I'm speculating because he's said nothing about the timing). By making this statements now, other than adding a horrific rider to the history of ME's productions, it has no impact going forward at all (except, perhaps, on what remains of Loeb's career).

When this story broke I was told on social media that "this is far from the first time Loeb has been noted or accused to some pretty racists comments," so I went looking. Beyond his Karate Kid outfit during the Iron Fist 2 ComicCon panel (shown above), and general unhappiness from some about the Iron Fist IP (accused of cultural appropriation), I found nothing (Deadline, for example, just echoed what I've included here). This is extremely odd--there is no risk for anyone to come forward at this point, but it hasn't happened yet. I also asked a couple of people who had (directly or indirectly) inside sources at ME if they'd heard anything--they had not.

None of this means Shinkoda's story is false, just that we are missing facts supporting it. Racism and sexism are rarely subtle (an easy example is Marvel Entertainment owner Ike Perlmutter: refusing to produce Black Widow toys because he claimed they wouldn't sell; his purported comments about no one being able to tell the difference between Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle when War Machine was recast; his resistance to making either a Black Panther or Captain Marvel film; etc; these internal matters were leaked almost immediately to the press). What's my conclusion? I am baffled. This isn't likely something Shinkoda would make-up, but at the moment his experience hasn't been reflected anywhere else across Loeb's many productions. That might change in time, but I don't like jumping to conclusions.

Does this revelation have any impact on the MCU? For the most part, no, although it may push back (or kill) any chance we have of ever seeing Iron Fist (who I believe can only be presented as a lighthearted version at this stage since Shang-Chi is so similar to him otherwise--this is ironic, because all the people who hated Iron Fist wanted the edgy, Immortal Iron Fist iteration).

We have another Sutton Q&A to go over:

• Dacre Montgomery is being considered for Johnny Storm [Sutton previously brought up Dacre as a possible Adam Warlock]
• Squadron Supreme discussed, but it's not coming any time soon [This first hit the rumour-mill in March when Daniel said it was in development]
• Warriors Three will return for a Journey into Mystery Disney+ show [This idea seems related to a Discussing Film scoop from 2019 which said a Sif Disney+ show was coming (which Daniel echoed a month later); Journey into Mystery has only ever been teased on Reddit back in May (in connection to the Loki show)]
• Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom team-up film still planned (Triumph of Torment) [Echoing what he said in June]

I frankly don't believe the Warriors Three idea unless it's attached to Sif (and even then, she needs help for fans to care). The trio were almost non-existent in the Thor-films and, outside hardcore comic fans, made no impression (otherwise Taika would have faced more resistance in killing them in Ragnarok). The main takeaway is tacit agreement with Daniel's idea for Squadron Supreme.

4chan gives us a preposterous version of Spider-Man 3:

Working title is Spider-Man: Home Run

Peter is attacked by Scorpion in his apartment, the two fight and eventually Peter catches him on fire and he flees.

Aunt May is fine, but Ned is seriously injured after getting thrown across the room as Scorpion busted in, prompting Spider-Man to leave New York.

Secretary Ross hires the world's best bounty hunter, Kraven, to stop Spider-Man. Kraven tracks Spider-Man as he makes his way across the country, before trapping him in Chicago which he has transformed with his own devices and traps.

After running thru a city full of traps, Happy Hogan rescues Peter and they flee to Nebraska, thinking nobody can find them there. Peter ditches his phone so he can't be tracked.

Ross has captured Aunt May, [Michelle], and an injured Ned.

Ross broadcasts a message nationwide, giving Peter 36 hours to turn himself in, or he will drop nuclear bombs on New York and Los Angeles.

The military infiltrate Ross' headquarters, but they are slaughtered by his newly created Spider Slayers.

Kraven and Scorpion ambush Happy and Peter as they approach New York, Happy gets shot in the stomach, just before he dies, he blows up his plane, killing Scorpion as well.

Peter attacks Ross, and figures out that he's not actually Ross, but Mysterio disguising as Ross using his drones. Peter finds the corpse of the real Ross.

Beck betrays Kraven, forcing Kraven and Spidey to work together in the third act. They face the army of Spider Slayers. The Slayers aren't real, it's the projecting drones, who are circulating around the nation demolishing buildings including the Empire State Building, Chinese theater, and the White House, and leveling small towns.

Nick Fury pages Captain Marvel, she arrives to help destroy the drones wreaking havoc across America.

Peter and Kraven prevent both atom bombs from launching. Kraven dies from his injuries from fighting the "Spider Slayers", Peter rescues his friends and Beck escapes.

Captain Marvel helps clear Spider-Man's name. Mid credit scene features Vulture and Morbius contacting Mysterio about a team they're building.

Post credit scene shows Doctor Strange re-enter NY through a portal, he is shocked at all the destruction.

This is ridiculous, but I post it here just to keep tabs on anyone who borrows from it.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)