Marvel News & Notes

A reader provided me with a couple of links I hadn't seen before. Let's start with this, a supposed Tweet from Rodri Martin where he claims he's dubbing the voice of Evan Peters as Quicksilver in WandaVision. Martin did the Spanish dubbing for Peters in the Fox films, so it's a done deal, right? Not exactly, because this kind of thing can be faked. We have some clues that it was manufactured--he's referred to as Pietro in the Tweet and Fox films only called him Peter; there have also been issues validating the Twitter handle. We have a recent example of a fake similar to this from just two months ago, so we're in the weeds on its veracity. To the basic point, having Evans reprise the role can work via the Multiverse, but only in that context. Incidentally, after this image floated around the Internet for a few days, Daniel jumped in to say Peters had the role.

The same reader sent me this, which is being claimed as proof Richard E. Grant's role in Loki is as an Older Loki. I'm assuming this is meant to come from IMDB Pro, because it's not how stunt performers are listed on IMDB (the line would typically read: "stunt double: Richard E. Grant (1 episode, 2021)". This type of screen grab is easily faked--that doesn't mean it is, just that we can't automatically take it at face value.

Matt Damon will be in Thor 4, but no one knows how much or in what role. Given how pointless (if funny) his cameo was in Thor 3, I'm indifferent to it. The only theory I've seen is that Gorr wants to kill him because he played a god...in a play. Seems like a stretch to me, but its wacky enough that Taiki might like the idea.

Deadline (Andreeva) reports that Ginger Gonzaga has joined the cast of She-Hulk to play the titular character's best friend. We know from the casting call that this is 'Susie', a 30ish role slotted for a BIPOC with a preference for Asian-Americans. The 37-year old Gonzaga is half-Filipino and has the requisite background in comedy. An interesting question to ask, because I've noticed it in a lot of Marvel casting calls, is why the MCU seems to be trending towards Asian supporting actors for their diversity quotient. The kneejerk reaction would be to say its for the Chinese market, but there's no specific push for Chinese actors, so I don't buy that. Everything boils down to economics, but I'm unsure what the angle is (I'm assuming its related to internal market research).

Production List claims Secret Invasion will begin filming in April and I see no reason to argue the date. According to the site the project summary is: "While in the grips of paranoia, Earth’s mightiest heroes have to band together to fight off an armada of Skrull ships carrying an army of super-charged alien warriors." Not much of this fits the 'secret' part of the title, but perhaps it's simply describing the ending (if its accurate).

After this came out Murphy, who doesn't reference PL, talked about how it seems as though the series is going to be produced sooner than later because the production company created for it was created before the others. As an interesting add, he notes that there's one more production company than known Marvel projects, meaning there's an IP on its way that has yet to be announced.

Caleb Williams claims Spider-Man 4 will be shot back-to-back with Spider-Man 3. Williams is another presumed Daniel-information peddler, although he's isn't claiming this is a scoop but simply something he's heard.

The above Tweet is a result of WGTC-clone Full Circle Cinema making up a rumour in 2019. We know this is clickbait because those characters were not being cast then, so why did Murphy poke his head into the debate? I'll let you figure that out, but his point is that the Holocaust is just another genocide and therefore can be replaced by any other such event is relevant because of thought I had about Moon Knight: I thought--and, ironically, so did Murphy--that casting a Jewish actor as Marc Spector would be important to Marvel. As it turns out, that's not the case. After the casting was announced, I theorized that one of the reasons for this was that there were plenty of Jewish actors already in the MCU which may have trivialized that representation. The other possibility, and this is why I included the preamble above, is that Marvel may simply see everything in broad sets of 'types'--Moon Knight therefore isn't so much Jewish as he is 'diverse'. If that's correct, perhaps Murphy's idea that they see the Holocaust not as a specific event but as a 'type' (to be equated with events like the Armenian Genocide etc), is correct--meaning what I saw as a tone deaf and possibly offensive comment was simply accurate. It will be a couple of years before we find out, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Sutton dropped a pair of scoops:

1) Ghost Rider, when he appears in the MCU, will be possessed by Mephisto, with the latter to debut or be revealed in WandaVision, planting the seeds for Ghost Rider.

Funnily enough, a Redditor back in December, 2019, proposed that Ghost Rider would appear in WandaVision--not what Sutton is claiming, but it's the only prior connection I'm aware of between the show and the character. Sutton has been consistent about which iteration of Ghost Rider is coming (Johnny Blaze), but the ideas above are new (while not contradicting his basic idea of first appearing in Blade and being a member of the Midnight Sons).

2) Actor Tanner Buchanan is being considered for Iceman in Spider-Man 4 (as you'll recall, Sutton believes that film will borrow from the animated Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends and, as such, include that character along with Firestar). Note the language he uses here:

"Sources have revealed to me that Iceman could be among the first X-Men cast for Disney. His debut is being discussed for an upcoming Spider-Man movie. … Insiders stress that no negotiations have yet begun with the actor, and he hasn’t been approached yet. … Which Spider-Man movie will feature Iceman, Buchanan or not, remains to be seen." 

That's four caveats--maybe the character will appear in the upcoming film and maybe with that actor who hasn't been approached yet. As scoops go, that's about as shaky as it gets, but the basic idea has been very consistent from Sutton (cf, with the concept originating with LotLB's TBK).

From his rumour file, Daniel brings us this:

• Daredevil will be mostly rebooted. Same actor and character but some parts of his show and the other Netflix shows will be ignored [This comment caused so much confusion he added this clarification outside his rumour file: "Only stuff they will ignore is everything related to the Defenders. Kingpin's history with Daredevil will remain"]
• Dracula to have a Disney+ show [This is an old idea that originates with LotLB in 2019, cf]
• "Evans in talks for 3 different MCU projects. Heard Hydra Cap from another earth and real Cap in the past fighting with Wolverine are two of them."
• Feige wants Jennifer Lawrence in Doctor Strange 2 as Mystique [Odd]
• Doctor Strange will fight Wanda and Hydra Cap in Doctor Strange 2 [The former is a common rumour, but I still believe WandaVision will have a nominally happy ending]

Originally Daniel was reporting a rumour about Daredevil, but since his clarification was separate from that, I have no idea what he's saying about the quality of the information. There's no universe where I want the entire second season of Daredevil canon (specifically the goofy Elektra story and the actress playing her--given the integration that has into the plot of The Defenders, perhaps it deletes her as well).

As for the Wolverine theory: I hope not. I hate prequels at the best of times and I never liked Wolverine's revised (2003) origin (whose only purpose seemed to be to Americanize the character). The general idea isn't Daniel's--it's been floating around for awhile. I hadn't heard the Hydra Cap theory before (it seems redundant given the scene in Endgame--how much can you really do with Evil Cap, especially if you have John Walker essentially playing that role in Falcon and the Winter Soldier?). In general, the endless prequel theories miss the point that there's no narrative purpose to reliving old Cap stories or events--it doesn't move the MCU forward. Let's also remember Fox already did a similar Wolverine-origin film and Feige doesn't like repeating things.

Incidentally, Daniel's decision to constantly flood news/rumours has worked in terms of his Patreon, as his numbers have soared.

Going back to our friendly reader, he linked a 4chan post from November that I hadn't seen before. Let's go through it (I'm only going to comment on elements that are unique or significant):

WandaVision

The main villain is Nightmare.

Evan Peters appears as Quicksilver. [See the supposed Tweet above, although this idea is far older than the 4chan post]

Doctor Strange appears.

9 episodes of varied lenght.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The main villains are the Baron Zemo and the Flag Smashers, an anti-government radical group.

Carl Lumbly plays Isaiah Bradley, the black Captain America.

Elijah Richardson plays Eli Bradley, Isaiah's grandson who becomes Patriot.

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

Loki

Jack Veal plays Kid Loki.

Richard E. Grant plays Old Loki. [See the supposed screen grab above]

The main villain is Loki's daughter Enchantress, played by Sophia Di Martino. [I don't recall hearing that she's his daughter anywhere else; the general sentiment is that she's Lady Loki (set photos and the trailer seem to confirm that)]

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

Hawkeye

The main villain is crime lord Madame Masque, played by Vera Farmiga. [We've known since October, from The Direct (aka Daniel), that she's in the show; the Farmiga speculation is new, but already debunked--Variety reported she's playing Kate's mother--barring, I suppose, that her mother is also the villain]

Trickshot, Hawkeye’s evil brother, will appear.

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

Ms. Marvel

Captain Marvel will appear in one episode.

The Inhumans will appear in several episodes.

10 episodes of 30-40 minutes.

Moon Knight

Raoul Bushman, Werewolf By Night, Stained Glass Scarlet and Dracula will appear.

Egyptian actors are being cast to play different versions of Khonshu in Moon Knight’s visions. [I've never heard this theory before; while it's interesting, I don't buy it]

The show will be action-heavy with lots of big stunts.

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

She-Hulk

The Leader will appear in one episode.

Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock will appear in one episode.

Kristen Ritter's Jessica Jones will appear in one episode.

Bruce Banner’s abusive childhood will be explored. [What?]

10 episodes of 30 minutes.

Armor Wars

Ensemble show led by War Machine

Ironheart will be introduced here ahead of her spinoff. [It's not clear from the slate that her show comes after, although I think that makes more sense]

Sam Rockwell in talks to return as Justin Hammer.

Robert Downey Jr. in talks to cameo as Tony Stark.

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

Ironheart

RDJ is in talks to voice Ironheart's suit A.I.

Episode count TBD.

Secret Invasion

Ensemble show led by Nick Fury and Talos.

Won't be as massive as the comic event and focus on "political paranoia" as the Skrulls seek to replace world leaders rather than superheroes.

Hulkling will be introduced. [Last January TI (aka Daniel) reported that he would be introduced in WandaVision]

Captain Marvel will appear.

6 episodes of 40-60 minutes.

Young Avengers

Disney+'s biggest and most expensive Marvel series.

Preliminary lineup is Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, America Chavez, Wiccan, Speed, Hulkling, Stature and Patriot

Episode count TBD

Most of this consists of prior rumours, with Armor Wars, Ironheart, and Young Avengers having no new information whatsoever. I think we can safely ignore it.

Speaking of 4chan, here's yet another post (which, because of its specificity, we may be able to debunk on Friday); this person is claiming a leaker provided them with this information:

WandaVision

• Episode 3 is 36 minutes (with credits), features a Brady Bunch style opening sequence
• Episode 4 is 45 minutes (with credits), plenty of Jimmy and Darcy screen time in second half.
• Doctor Strange will appear in the final episode.
• Mephisto's presence will be felt, but the main villain/the heavy of the series is an original/composite character.
• Billed as a single-season miniseries.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

• All six episodes are almost exactly one hour long (with credits).
• The Flag Smashers are the main villains. Songbird is the big bad's main henchwoman, played by Erin Kellyman. Leader is Guy Thierrault, played by Carl Lumbly. [I've never heard this theory for Lumbly before--the near universal assumption is that he's playing Isaiah Bradley]
• Zemo has a history with Guy. Bucky guilt-trips him into helping him and Sam. He suffers another tragedy which sets him up as a major villain in the future. [Can you guilt-trip a guy who was a member of a Sokovian death squad?]
• John Walker is an absolute nutjob. Think Homelander [The Boys] inside Cap's body.
• Features a flashback scene of Steve and Sam before Civil War. [As far as we know, Steve won't appear in the show, but a flashback isn't unreasonable]
• Will feature a massive battle in the streets of a currently-in-rebuild Sokovia.
• Billed as a single-season miniseries.

Loki

• Very standalone. While it will feature a lot of cameos and references, it will do its own thing rather than connect or set something up. [I don't believe that--integration is what defines the MCU]
• Six episodes, ranging from 35 to 60 minutes.
• A surprisingly dark tone, but with a lot of expected humor. Much of it will come from Loki's numerous failed attempts to con and escape the TVA.
• The main villain is potentially another, way worse Loki. The TVA is using 2012 Loki to find and catch him.
• The hooded figure is one of the Enchanters Three. [Not sure what this reference is--there are a group of four called Enchanters, but otherwise I could find nothing related]
• The TVA is an odds with SWORD. [I can't imagine how]
• "Vote Loki" is a con that Loki is playing on the TVA. It's supposedly the funniest thing Marvel Studios has ever filmed.
• Billed as a multi-season series.

Hawkeye

• Filming is 90% complete, post-production about half. They are doing both simultaneously due to Covid.
• Planned to be seven episodes. Length unknown.
• Adrianne Palicki will return as Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird. Size of role unknown. [This is a Devin Colson rumour from October]
• Will reference Agents of SHIELD quite a bit. [We can hope not]
• Will also have flashbacks of Clint's time with SHIELD. Leaker thinks they might squeeze in a few AoS characters for these scenes. No word if Clark Gregg will return.

Ms. Marvel

• VERY early in production. Script being written as they shoot. Still casting. Might not make 2021 date. [It's been filming for over two months--the idea of missing its release date is absurd]
• Like the Spidey films, it's specifically aiming for a teenage audience, but everyone can enjoy.
• Will reference/connect to Agents of SHIELD. Leaker guesses those fish pills might play a role. [I seriously doubt it; the pills are presumably a reference to something from the ABC show]
• Some creatives at Marvel are thinking of reintroducing Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in the series. Supposedly, Kamala will meet a lot of established heroes throughout the first season. Nothing set in stone. [Tonally it's hard to think of characters less appropriate other than the Punisher and Deadpool]
• Lol, all other leaks are bullshit because the series is too early into production for anything substantial to get out. [Let me restate: it's been filming for over two months]

Clearly this guy loved Agents of SHIELD. It's amazing how desperate that tiny fanbase is for continuation (consider MCU Exchange's Charles Villanueva nuking himself in August when he claimed only characters from AoS would carry on into the MCU as opposed to those from Netflix)--seven seasons isn't enough? That aside, I think we can dismiss this as inside information--one of the basic problems is its specificity--why does he only have the run times for episodes 3 and 4 of WandaVision? Pretty odd not to have the full list.

TI (Nebens), aka Daniel, reports that Sony is developing a film for the obscure character Dusk (similar, in a way, to Daniel's self-reported claim that Stunner was in development). Sony has a habit of announcing projects that go nowhere and with no talent is attached, the likelihood of it manifesting is low.

I wanted to briefly touch on my expectations for the Snyder Cut (and the possible Ayer Cut). For me, Snyder is a B-grade Christopher Nolan--a distinctive director visually who is clueless about plot. Given that, I don't expect the Snyder Cut to be a good film, but I do think it will be a coherent vision with the usual Snyderian mishmash of good moments mixed with headache-inducing plot problems. I'm not as familiar with Ayer, but suspect we'll get something similar from his cut of Suicide Squad--the film won't be 'good', but it will be more coherent. I'm glad there's a chance both of these items will appear simply because the Frankensteinian mess we received from WB execs/Joss Whedon--while unintentionally hilarious at points--is boring and bombastic (I suspect the reason Whedon took the Justice League assignment was to get Batgirl, incidentally). I'd like the Snyder Cut to do well just in the hope that it will nudge the DCEU into something more coherent. With the recent move to make it a four-hour movie, however (instead of a mini-series), I just don't know how many people will ultimately watch the film.

A related note: it's funny what you discover when you research things. Unbeknownst to me, the Snyder supporters (and by that I mean the Youtube fan community that's grown around releasing his film) has been at war (cf) with Andy Signore (of Fandom Wire, but best known from his days at Screen Junkies). This battle has allowed Matt Jarbo (who made his name in GamerGate before becoming a pariah for false flagging people) to become an ancillary figure within the Snyder community because he has a beef with Signore (possibly over Star Wars, but I'm not sure). This is much ado about nothing--Youtubers fighting one another is par for the course, but this specific drama had escaped my notice until now.

While I referenced this in the past, I apparently never went through it in detail and since its come up again I wanted to address it. Some of you are aware that after the Roger Wardell Twitter feed went silent (mid-2019), a new account (WardellRoger) cropped up and started posting about the MCU. I haven't mentioned the account in a long time because there's good evidence that it's fake, but let's go over that evidence (this was put together by Pierre Chanliau, then a Reddit mod, now a writer for The Direct):

1.) The username is reversed from the typical username, @RogerWardell

Well, that's odd. Why the sudden reversal? It's almost like someone grabbed this account name because the normal one was already taken since...

2.) @RogerWardell has not been deleted

You'd think after making a new account they'd delete the last one first, right? I mean...

3.) They've actually deleted their account in the past, while retaining @RogerWardell

Someone actually very helpfully pointed out to me that the username @RogerWardell has been used in the past by means of the wayback machine. Notice that THIS @RogwerWardell was created in 2012 while the one today was made in 2018.

It looks like they deleted their account (likely an easier way, in their mind, to wipe the tweets) and then proceeded to quickly grab @RogerWardell again and made that new account.

4.) This new account...doesn't know how to use the # hashtag at all...

This one is what make it fake the most.

This new account keeps using the @ sign instead of the # hashtag key when posting tweets. Something that @RogerWardell did all the time CORRECTLY.

This is pretty damning--you have to resort to special pleading to answer his points (what possible benefit could Wardell have in changing accounts so superficially--if he wanted to hide that it was him, he'd make a completely different account). Funnily enough, within the last 24-hours WardellRoger actually changed his Twitter handle (perhaps he's been debunked enough that there's no point in pretending to be the real deal anymore).

For those of you who aren't familiar with the real Wardell's background, here's a biography of sorts I found and posted back in 2019:

There were two accounts, RogerWardell and RogerWardell2. RogerWardell stopped posting regularly around 2015 [in May], prior to Age of Ultron’s release and even then, he only ever posted information rarely [fourteen Tweets in three years ]. RogerWardell2 popped up prior to Age of Ultron’s release and remained active for years posting all kinds of shit while the original RogerWardell account continued to tweet rarely and then vanished from Twitter completely. I followed both accounts during this time. RogerWardell’s information always ended up being legit while RogerWardell2’s information was completely fake nonsense. The fact this new RogerWardell ended up tweeting accurate information leads me to believe he is the original RogerWardell.

The RogerWardell2 account sounds exactly like the WardellRoger account--neither can shutup. While I have not used the wayback machine to investigate Wardell's veracity from 2012-15, Chanliau has. While not 100% accurate [19-5 currently], he clearly has access to genuine inside information and doesn't spam scoops. There's no comparing that to the unending stream from the alternative accounts.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)