Marvel News & Notes

Deadline (Justin Kroll) reports that Xochitl Gomez will be part of the cast of Doctor Strange 2. The speculation is that she's America Chavez and, while that's not the only possibility, she fits the age range included in the casting call for Chavez (Gomes is 14). If the speculation is correct, it would prove that the casting sheet referenced (from Daniel) is newer than the one The Illuminerdi reported on in January (which also came from Daniel). What this suggests is that the plans for Doctor Strange 2 evolved, almost certainly due to the change in director (we know the script was getting a re-write in February).

Fandom Wire (Andy Signore) claims that Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield are now signed to appear in the third Spider-Man film (if true, confirming Devin Colson's recent article from FW). I've seen people speculate that the site is using Daniel's Patreon for its scoops, but that's not nearly as clear to me as The Direct, The Illuminerdi, etc who are given information directly by him. I believe this particular article is derived from Sutton, who has been talking about this idea since at least May. As Signore has no proven track record as a scooper, we have to take his scoops with grains of salt (his prior Shang-Chi scoop seemed largely derived from a 4chan post). Speaking of FW reminds me of another Marvel-related report from them: the long deleted scoop from James Troughton in January that claimed Sony's Silver & Black would become a TV-series.

After the Signore story dropped, Daniel claimed that Sony might go all-in with the multiverse and do new films with the previous Spider-Men. Sony considers all kinds of projects that go nowhere, so it's possible, but I doubt Daniel has a good source for this information and is just speculating.

Murphy believes Dr. Spencer Smythe (and, possibly, his Spider-Slayer robots), will appear in Spider-Man 3. He doesn't divulge the specific information he was given that drew him to that conclusion, but from the way the article is written, it seems like the Smythe information is solid while the robots are an extrapolation.

Sutton says Ned Leeds will be the Hobgoblin after Spider-Man 3 (based in part on the actor's weight loss), believing part of the reason for this move is for his betrayal to be Peter's emotional loss of innocence (echoing the death of Gwen Stacy). While it's an interesting argument, I don't think it works--what the portrayal would actually echo is Harry Osborn's transformation into the Goblin, and I could see Feige wanting to use a different character for that purpose since the Raimi films already did that (this desire to be distinctive is why we get the limp Michelle romance as opposed to Mary Jane Watson or Gwen--although the latter is probably being saved for Miles). To me the better question is: will Michelle get the Gwen Stacy treatment (as in, die tragically)? I don't think so, as Marvel would fear people would view it as fridging, but there's no other way to really echo the Stacy death.

Murphy discussed a now-deleted purported audition tape for Spider-Man 3. The tape implies Miles Morales will appear in the film, but I'm very dubious of this idea. While the scoop community loves Miles even more than Quake, there's no point in introducing him while Peter Parker is still a teenager. The whole point of the Miles' arc, like most successor characters, is to have the original iteration well established to function as the point of reflection. Tom Holland hasn't reached that point yet--indeed, I'd say he's far from it and I see little need for Marvel to rush to inserting Miles. I will say, just to counter my own point a little, that Kamala Khan is being introduced long before Captain Marvel has been firmly established. That said, that pair is a poor comparison because Kamala isn't a normal successor character--while she's inspired by Carol Danvers, she's actually a Peter Parker-clone, so when she's impacted by Captain Marvel doesn't matter for the kind of character she is (in fact, her similarity to Spider-Man is yet another reason to hold off on Miles).

Speaking of Miles, Conrad says a source tells him that Sony has found their actor for the character. Conrad admits he doesn't know if this is for the MCU or Sony's films. I'm dubious that Conrad has inside sources anymore, but it's more probable that if this is true it's for Sony rather than Marvel.

Sydney Sweeney put it out on social media that she's filming in a secret location for two months and fans quickly put her in Spider-Man 3; others believe she's filming the mini-series The Players Table. We frankly need more information before we assume she's doing something for the MCU.

Tatiana Maslany denies she's She-Hulk. This comes almost a full month after Deadline (Kroll) claimed she had been cast. Kroll is dismissive of her comment, which means he still believes it, and the scoop community (sans Sutton) also puts their faith in Deadline. As far as I'm aware, Kroll is a dependable source, so for now I'll see Maslany's comment as simply not wanting to blow the announcement from Marvel. Personally, I think there could be a better choice, but it does seem like she's pulling a Paul Rudd and denying it until it's announced.

In a deleted post, Comicbook.com claimed 37-year old Matt Lanter had been cast as Moon Knight. Typically when something like this gets pulled it's because it's incorrect and, given that Lanter is not Jewish, that seems likely. However, on occasion an article gets pulled because whoever leaked it demands it--time will tell.

THR (Mia Galuppo) says Danny Ramirez is part of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier in what's called 'a pivotal role'. Without more context, I have no idea what that could be, keeping in mind that the enormous size of the cast at this point makes it difficult to imagine him being pivotal.

Speaking of the show, Murphy believes (through social media activity and a casting call) that Tyler Dean Flores is part of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast. I see no reason to disagree with him, but what's more interesting to me is this:

Late last Fall/early last Winter, a casting call was shared for me that indicated Marvel Studios was searching for an Hispanic/Latinx actor to play a supporting role in the series. I couldn’t dig up the communications to find the date, but I know it was around the time we broke the news that Adepero Oduye has joined the series [November]. I know that some other “scoopers” and one Hollywood trade were also in possession of the info and trying to find out who had landed to role as well.

This is an odd bit of information. If the casting call went through the usual channels, Daniel and all the trades would be well aware of it. As far as I know Daniel has never mentioned this particular casting info, and while he does sit on things for periods of time, it's surprising that he's never mentioned it (or farmed it out to his buddies). My assumption is that Murphy saw the list via an agent, as it remains unclear if Daniel shares his info with him. In fact, Murphy accidentally posted a big spoiler on his Discord, but thus far no one has shared what it was (this seems to be information he has exclusively).

The Ronin reports that Veronica Falcon is in the show (based on social media activity). Sure? By and large these casting reports don't mean much to me without an associated character to work with.

Actor Asif Ali confirmed on his Instagram that he's appearing in WandaVision (without revealing the role).

Murphy brought up the rumoured Agents of Atlas Disney+ series, something GWW (Thomas Polito) and HN Entertainment floated in February (on the same day, so I don't know who posted it first)--both gentlemen based the theory largely on Shang-Chi filming in San Francisco (where the Asian-iteration of the team resides). We know that Polito (now at Cinema Spot) gets his info from Daniel, but the latter has never talked about the IP. I remember that LotLB talked about Agents of Atlas even earlier, but I apparently did not write it down at the time--the best I can do is reference this post in January related to this video where Tim says he'd mentioned a few months earlier (October-ish) that Agents of Atlas would appear in the Shang-Chi sequels with the possibility of a spinoff. This is seemingly his own extrapolation of what he'd heard and if he made definitive statements about it afterwards I missed it. While Marvel isn't inherently put off by IP that isn't popular (like Agents of Atlas), and Disney+ is the right fit for Shang-Chi, I remain unconvinced there's an appetite for the show.

This seems as good a time as any to briefly discuss an assumption many have about Shang-Chi: that it's the next Black Panther. Marvel is certainly approaching it that way, but I don't think the two IP are remotely comparable. Here are just a few key differences: 1) There is no shortage of Asian-lead, big budget films (they are rare from Hollywood, but in terms of what matters--the Chinese market--that's not enough to draw people in by itself), 2) Black Panther is a much more popular character than Shang-Chi, 3) Black Panther was aimed at the US market, where African-Americans are a much more significant part of the population (over 12%, with the overly simplified 'Asian' number sitting at 5%--keep in mind Shang-Chi is being aimed at a Chinese audience, not 'Asians'); 4) Black Panther was touching on racial issues that are front and center in the US, while Shang-Chi is giving us a dated, 1970s-era martial arts flick (at a time when you can watch MMA any time you want), making it old fashion and quaint rather than topical. That doesn't mean Shang-Chi won't be a hit, just that it's not uniquely hitting a market the same way Black Panther did.

Back to Shang-Chi news: we have a description of the film's tournament from 4chan (I fixed some of the language below). The substance lightly reflects ideas from this 4channer (January), but the direct source seems to be this 4channer (May)--it's either the same guy or, more likely, cribbed from that post:

I have limited knowledge about the plot of Shang-Chi
Tournament is 16 people. Obviously Shang-Chi and Fah Lo Suee are both in the tournament. Mandarin stacks the deck in his favor so he can be sure to win the rings.
Spiral - 6 armed mutant. Doesn't get a lot of story dedicated to her
Baron Mordo - he doesn't actually fight in the tournament because Wong takes him out, but he wanted the 10 rings to help rid the world of sorcerors. His place in the tournament is taken by Clive Reston, who is eliminated and captured by Mandarin (that's sort of a twist though) Wong sticks around to guide Shang longer than you'd think
Batroc the Leaper, unclear who he is working for but he's definitely a hired gun. Him and Omega Red have a fun dynamic like buddy cops.
Omega Red - needless explanation. Seeks the 10 rings for Russia
T-Ray - some c-list deadpool character who can teleport who gets a weirdly huge amount of focus before being defeated by Shang Chi
A Black Widow named Felicia - not really a character
Whiz Kid [Wiz Kid] - some kind of techno mutant. Develops a good friendship with Shang. Fahlee demolishes him [The poster seems unclear who Whiz Kid is, as the character is not someone who would be fighting in the tournament (he's eleven and in a wheelchair); his appearance in the film was confirmed by a casting sheet put out by Daniel in February]

White Claw - some native american warrior guy? Idk

Daneka - a female Asgardian who has been sent by Valkyrie to investigate and compete in the tournament. She is killed by Omega Red [In the May 4chan post this is Dane the Asgardian]
Avok - a vampire who is the funniest character in the entire movie. Takes out Omega Red due to not having any life force to drain or something?
The other 4 people are just martial artists who may or may not be named. I've seen them have various different names genders and ages at different points in the script. One of them was originally an old man who was really disciplined and was a lesson from Mandarin to Shang, but most recent draft I saw that was cut.
As you can guess, it comes down to Shang-Chi and Fah Lo Suee at the end. Shang defeats her, wins the ten rings. Fin Fang Foom is accidentally unleashed. Mandarin, Fah and Shang defeat him together. Fah and Shang defeat Mandarin

This includes the exact same characters as the 4chan post from May, albeit with the Dane misspelling and a lack of awareness over who Wiz Kid is (the misspelling above comes from the original post). The conclusion of the film is also the same, but the poster cut out the beginning portions and the claim that Fah Lo Suee was in the tournament is the poster's. All-in-all, this is not an insider, just a (poor) imitator.

Daniel claims both a Deadpool 3 and 4 are in development. He does not make it clear if this information comes from Production Weekly (where he gets his info), but it could be so we have to put this in the 'maybe' pile. If it's correct, it suggests the MCU finally knows what they want to do with the character.

Sutton R&D list for Secret Wars (recall that the information they receive is what comics Marvel has asked to see, so what follows are their deductions based on that); it includes things they've said before because it relates to the same thing:

• Wrecking Crew - A Redditor claimed in October that they and Enchantress (below) would appear in Loki; this was followed by LotLB (via TBK, also in October)
• Battleworld (two different types depending on the series) - Comes with any Secret Wars rumours
• Black Suit Spider-Man (specifically described as such to Tim, which is interesting, since it avoids referencing the symbiote or Venom) - This is new (in this way); there's no easy way to integrate the Tom Hardy Venom in this as-such
• Beyonder - Comes as part of any Secret Wars rumours
• Hyperion - He first came up as part of a Squadron Supreme rumour from Rich Johnston in February who said they'd appear in Loki; this was echoed (without attribution) by Daniel in March, who said the IP was in development; Sutton put him on an R&D list in August
• God Emperor Doom (as in, Doctor Doom) - Comes as part of any Secret Wars rumours
• Sheriff Strange (as in, Doctor Strange) - This is new
• Thor Corps - This echoes what LotLB (I believe via TBK in September) put out
• The Illuminati - The group first came up in rumours in January (via Sutton) who said they'd appear in Doctor Strange 2; then in May Sutton revised this and said they would appear in Secret Wars (as he continues to say here); this idea has been repeated by Daniel (and his surrogates) since, beginning in July
• Enchantress - It's widely believed that Cailey Fleming is playing a young Enchantress on Loki; beyond that, the character appeared in rumours on 4chan in January, 2019, for the non-existent Sif show; that October Reddit said she'd be the villain of Loki and appear in Doctor Strange 2 (these all via this link); Reddit then claimed in March that Sophia Di Martino had the role; Sutton put her on an R&D list for either future Thor or Hercules IP in August; finally, in September Sutton said Kathryn Winnick was considered for the role

The Secret Wars rumours are old (many thought Endgame would echo it in some fashion), but the current stream of them goes back to LotLB (TBK) in August, which at the time claimed it would be a three phase arc, but by October (Sutton) said it would be launched off the backs of WandaVision and Doctor Strange 2.

For those unfamiliar with Secret Wars it refers to two different series: the first in the 1980s from Jim Shooter (1984-86) and then from the lauded Jonathan Hickman in 2015. The two stories are very different--in the former an omnipotent being called the Beyonder is at the heart of the plot (which was written at the behest of Mattel to sell toys), whereas the latter is a merging of the various Marvel universes (bringing the Ultimate universe together with the 616, among others). The motivations of both series' are vastly different and when the Russo's refer to them I think they mean Hickman's (a sentiment echoed by others).

More Sutton R&D: repeated that Secret Wars will be like a comicbook crossover with it transpiring slowly over multiple IP before a big finale. Says the event will be various heroes fighting alternate versions of themselves on one of the Battleworlds (including the MCU X-Men facing their Fox counterparts). The finale is 6-7 years away. The list:

• Maximus (Black Bolt's brother) - Has come up previously, attached to the Ms. Marvel IP (with GWW, via Daniel, as well as Reddit saying he was being cast for the show last October, and then Reddit the same thing in January)
• Technopolis - Hasn't come up in rumours before
• Arno Stark - ibid
• Jamie Braddock (Captain Britain's older brother) - Hasn't come up in rumours before
• Maestro - Hasn't come up in rumours before
• Spider-Woman (Tim says probably Jessica Drew, but possibly Julia Carpenter) - I won't revisit every rumour associated with the character, but Julia has come up before, with Sutton implying her back in April in an R&D list that included the team Force Works (a kind of discount West Coast Avengers); Sony owns Julia's rights exclusively, but according to Murphy Sony is making a Jessica Drew Spider-Woman film, so it seems unlikely Julia is being referred to
• Captain Britain - Has come up before (last August LotLB (TBK) said he was coming, then Sutton in November said he'd be part of Excalibur)
• Spider Island - Hasn't come up in rumours before (a caveat in that I think LotLB might have brought it up before, but I'm not positive)
• Molecule Man - Hasn't come up before (Kinda Culty brought him up in speculation about a hypothetical Secret Wars, but that's different than someone offering a scoop)
• Sunfire - Sutton is the only person to bring him up, but in an X-Men context (in May he put him as part of the initial MCU lineup)
• The Grandmaster - While often bandied about for future projects, the only rumour for him previously is from LotLB (TBK) in March where he would appear in a Silver Surfer film
• Darkstar - Has come up from Sutton twice before: first indirectly in April as the Winter Guard group was part of an R&D list, then in August as for either Thor or Hercules IP

It's a fairly distinct list, but we can't make much of it now--more news will have to come out.

This is as good a time as any to mention something I think I've only put out on social media previously: I'm indifferent to Spider-Man and the associated IP. I don't dislike the character, but he doesn't rank very highly. I like some of his villains and I like Jessica Drew (what little I remember of her from the 80s), but that's about it. I thought the first two Raimi films were fine, but skipped the third because it looked awful and didn't bother with the Andrew Garfield outings. I bring this up because my view is in the minority among comicbook fans so it's worth keeping in mind (it may explain my utter indifference to Miles--I do like the aesthetics of Spider-Gwen, but that's detached from who the character is).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)