Marvel News & Notes

The final Black Widow trailer dropped and it's quite good (up until now the marketing has been mediocre). The trailer efficiently gave us the plot, illustrated the relationships in the film, and provided Natasha's motivation. The previous trailer/teaser had only bred confusion (the only buzz was Red Guardian's weight and wardrobe jokes). In terms of set-up, it's made clear Taskmaster is in charge of the Red Room and creating more Black Widows--that is what Nat wants to stop and to do so she needs the help of her former family. The only element we're not clear on is why she's not making a call to Cap, but I think that's a minor issue.

One thing I'm curious about: since the 'reveal' of O-T Fagbenle as Taskmaster has been an open secret for months, I wonder if the re-shoots will de-emphasize the mystery. One other Taskmaster thought related to the rumours about him both dying and showing up in a post-credit scene: as the main antagonist he has to be out of commission so that Black Widow's story can both end satisfactorily and without him remaining a threat throughout Endgame. He needn't die to achieve that (capture works and is better than a fake death), but if they want to continue using the character he can't actually die. In relation to this, Murphy wrote a long theory post where he posits:
1) Taskmaster's daughter is in the Red Room program
2) He is killed in the film
3) She takes over his mantle seeking revenge on the murderer (presumably Yelena)
This is plausible and would make sense of the 'he dies but is in the post-credit scene' via leaks.

Daniel has described the Eternals trailer on his Patreon and the description has filtered out. Here's the paraphrase:

"The trailer doesn’t have a lot of dialogues as it won’t give us what the story is about, but it does feature a lot of set shots which are split equally between time periods as fans know from set photos the film will take place millennia ago as well as the present day. Furthermore, the film’s stars will also be seen equally dressed in civilian clothing and their superhero outfits. Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman can be seen suited up as Black Knight. In the trailer, he will be seen riding a horse. Even though Gemma Chan’s Sersi and Harrington’s Black Knight are the film’s leads, the trailer focused on Angelina Jolie’s Thena and Richard Madden’s Ikaris."

This sounds a lot like the footage shown a few months ago at Brazil's ComicCon. The approach is very interesting and exactly what I would do in Marvel's place when it comes to marketing. Neither Chan nor Harrington are proven, bankable stars, but Jolie absolutely is (or was) and her character's key relationship is with Ikaris, so those are the characters to focus on initially. I still think the mountain to climb for marketing the film is huge because it's so busy and so weird (Guardians was obscure, but the genre was not--it's like Firefly and similar shows). I still dread the love triangle we'll see in the film--romance is usually so poorly done I fear it will sidetrack the story.

Murphy continues to push for the validity of the Reddit plot leak from October; it might be accurate (even if Shang-Chi having Multiple Man's powers is bizarre), but I think he's reaching to validate it --there's a scene involving a fight on a bus trip--he wonders if this is on the way to the tournament (?!).

Daniel echoes the rumours that Fin Fang Foom will appear in the film. He also believes the tournament idea (just as ubiquitous on the rumours).

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons (neither of whom I've heard of before) reports that a source has told him Florian Munteanu (Creed II) has a secondary villain role in the film (he is in Australia where the filming is taking place). Excluding cameos and children (below), we have 11 or 12 of 14 cast members who are Asian, meaning Feige's "98% Asian" isn't that far off.

Tessa Thompson told Entertainment Tonight that Christian Bale is part of the Thor 4 cast, which seemingly makes it official (it's been confirmed by Daniel, so the concerns I'd have over her Valkyrie show boondoggle have been put aside--only Sutton, in October, ever repeated it). There's a lot of wild speculation on Bale will play, even though the comments made by Murphy (and TI) narrow it down considerably:

• It's not a cameo because Bale is unavailable while Thor 4 is being filmed
• The role isn't 100% motion capture, but motion capture is involved
• An agent wanted to know who 'Dario' was, because that was the role Bale was playing
• He's an alien and the lead villain--as per usual, TI didn't quote the actual description which is 'an intergalactic villain' (via Daniel, which you can see below)
• We can be reasonably sure Bale won't commit to more than one film

Most fans reject the Dario Agger/Minotaur identification because he's a relatively new character (2014) and not that interesting (he's the head of Roxxon, which from set photos we know is appearing in Loki). However, as I mentioned previously, the character is involved in the Jane Foster Thor story.  On the flipside of that argument, he's not an alien, the 'Dario' name could be a placeholder, and a character like Gorr is also involved in the aforementioned story, so the jury is out. Bale notoriously rejected the idea of doing Marvel films for years and when speculating what might have changed his mind, one thing I didn't include previously were his kids (he has two, with his daughter old enough to be a fan). Much like the Harry Potter franchise years ago, for many older actors the enthusiasm of their children (or grandchildren) can play a part in wanting to participate.

It's being reported that the Guardians of the Galaxy will appear in Thor 4, which makes a lot of sense given the ending of Endgame. I'd expect a cameo, although Daniel (below) suggests more than that.

We have a description of the clip shown at the Disney's shareholder meeting:

The footage shown felt like an extended trailer, starting with Bucky paying a visit to Baron Zemo in a state of the art prison, who tried to unsuccessfully activate his Winter Soldier programming. Bucky told him that someone has recreated the Super Soldier Serum.
Another clip showed some kind of a rally where cheerleaders and a stage were decorated with red, white, and blue Captain America insignia. The announcer introduced the new Captain America and then the camera cut to someone backstage in silhouette with the shield. It was unclear if it was actually Falcon in the suit. [This is John Walker, as we've seen set photos of this scene]
A montage of action sequences included Zemo fighting in his iconic mask from the comics. It wasn’t clear from the short clip if he was fighting with Falcon and the Winter Soldier or against them.
Lastly, we saw Bucky approach Sam Wilson and discussed that they’re not really friends. More like two guys who had a mutual friend who now need each other.

It's nice to see a bit more Bucky here, although it remains to be seen how much he's actually co-staring in the show.

Murphy posted up videos from the filming of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and posits that it depicts the Grapplers, a group that includes Songbird (cf; aka Screaming Mimi), Titania (I thought I remembered hearing her name in rumours before, but realized I brought her up in my unpublished theory article--she's the most obvious inclusion for She-Hulk given her sparse rogue's gallery), Poundcakes, and Letha. One thing their inclusion might clear up is those Deathlok rumours we heard from Deadline last April--the group first appeared in a Marvel Two-in-One that featured that character, so if word got out that Marvel was researching that comic someone jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Murphy also discussed one of the plot elements revealed by set photos, which is that a G20 summit will be under threat during the series and that Walker and Bucky will be working together to defend it.

Murphy, while discussing Samson development, brought up the likelihood that Flag-Smasher would appear in the show. This has come up previously back in February via set photo of graffiti. When that came out both Conrad and Murphy referenced it to a 4chan post from the previous January (link above) which both believe is credible. When discussing this before I didn't go into the background of Flag-Smasher (who has been dead in the comics since 2006), but his name is in reference to him believing that nation states are outmoded in the pursuit of world peace and unity. In essence, he (and the group he later joins in the comics, ULTIMATUM) believe in using violence to achieve world peace. Whether he would have the same goals in the show is unknown (it feels a bit too radical for the MCU).

Discussing Film reports that Richard E. Grant will appear in the show in an unknown role (Variety clarified it will be for only one episode). Slipped into the bottom of the article was that actress Sasha Lane may also be in the cast, which I hadn't heard before (I'm not sure what role the young LGBT actor would be targeted for).

There's a rumour on Reddit that Enchantress will be Loki's biological daughter, which is possible, although I'm not sure what the point of that would be (the poster also claims that Di Martino is playing the adult version of her).

Writers have been signed for Hawkeye, as Katrina Mathewson and Tanner Bean (of Pitch and Versus) Tweeted out that they've been hired. The two writers worked with Hawkeye showrunner Jonathan Igla on Pitch.

Braxter with She-Hulk info: "The logline for the show she is described as being successful in her profession and specifically seeking cases in superheroic law. Furthermore, the description goes on to state that she occasionally throws down in superhero battles as the She-Hulk."

He adds they are looking for a "26-28 year old" actress as her best friend, which is oddly specific. Braxter speculates this is for the role of Jill Stevens (a very short-lived best friend), but I'd take that with a grain of salt.

The show is seeking a "29-35 actress" called 'Meg' who plays another lawyer. Braxter speculates she's Mallory Book--given how MCU casting calls have steered away from matching the first letter of the call to their comicbook counterpart, I'm leery of this idea. It's difficult for me to speculate who this is because I'm largely unfamiliar with the IP (it's important to remember that She-Hulk has mostly been a secondary character in other people's comics).

Braxter confirmed Hulk (Ruffalo's) appearance in the show. This has always seemed like a lock to me--very much like Clint Barton in Hawkeye--it's a way to anchor interest in the show via original Avengers. I mentioned last time that this show and Ms. Marvel would need an assist from an established MCU-character to help generate interest. I would expect, given the cost of using Hulk, that we won't see Ruffalo that much (perhaps using flashbacks to when he's Bruce Banner for a good chunk of his screen time).

Incidentally, Braxter includes this throwaway line, "Could we one day see Walters actually defend Peter Parker if Sony and Disney keep playing nice?" This is a direct reference to an old Conrad rumour from July (which claimed Matt Murdock would be Peter's lawyer, but if not Daredevil it would be She-Hulk). This was echoed by LotLB, but it hasn't had any other resonance (outside of places like Cosmic Book News and WGTC, who in late December were touting the original Conrad idea, even though Marvel can't legally use Daredevil while Spider-Man 3 will be filming).

We have what I think is fanfiction posing as a rumour from 4chan:

• Marvel's Quake is an upcoming MCU film for phase 4 among other surprises that will pop-up very soon. Please, don't ask me how I know, I'm not going to tell you but it's up to you whether you believe it or not. Here's what I know about the plot so far.
• PART I
• Agent Johnson is following a lead on a mysterious organization named Serpent Society that imposes itself on global domination with the aim of converting the entire human race into a host for a "symbiotic cybernetic exoskeleton" program and prepare humanity against future alien threats. [The appearance of Quake echoes LotLB in July and more particularly August; since then only a solitary 4chan post from November has chimed in; I haven't seen the Serpent Society mentioned by anyone, other than a 4chan F&tWS post from November that included the Rachel Leighton Diamondback]
• H.A.M.M.E.R. industries created a snake-like Iron Man suit built from stolen Chitauri and Stark technology. The Serpent Society is led by former Hammer Industries CEO Justin Hammer who is now known as the terrorist King Cobra and press an infusion of vibranium with his symbiotic cybernetic exoskeleton to ensure an indestructible global military power.
• Agent Johnson's lead leads to an underground organization in New York City.
• Anaconda, a Serpent Agent invades a Wakanda port and steals the Vibranium needed to create an army. Shuri contacts the former White Wolf, Bucky Barnes, and asks for his help since T'challa is overseas on an important business trip.
• Bucky tracks down Anaconda to New York City with the device Shuri planted on her airship before she left the Wakanda airspace. Bucky encounters Agent Johnson in the Serpent Society underground base and they defeat Anaconda who had an experimental symbiotic cybernetic exoskeleton suit.
• Daisy takes a sample of the material to some old friends from S.H.I.E.L.D. who are living in the countryside and they create a device capable of deactivating the symbiotic technology without having to fight the host. This measure is taken because the hand-to-hand combat against the symbiotic cybernetic exoskeleton is almost impossible thanks to the properties of the amorphous liquid matter of the suit.
• PART II
• Bucky follows the plan of the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who seeks help from her childhood friend, Matt Murdock, the Daredevil of Hell Kitchen to track down the Serpent Society who have been using old routes that The Hand used to use.
• Bucky, Johnson, and Murdock arrive at an oil platform where they acquire plans that lead to the symbiotic liquid being released into the ocean from a freighter that's headed for the UK.
• Arriving at a port facility in England, they find Tanya Hammer, daughter of Justin Hammer connected to an experiment tube in a lab. Justin Hammer arrives and confronts them letting them know that his daughter has cancer and the symbiotic technology is the only way to keep her alive.
• Marc Riemer who is Hammer's right hand betrays him after learning that his wife Blanche Sitznski (Anaconda) is dead and takes all the vibranium liquid into himself and becomes Boomslang.
• A Hulk-sized Boomslang fights Agent Johnson who uses her vibration powers to weaken the vibranium. King Cobra is taken down by Daredevil and Bucky uses an "anti-vibranium" serum created by Agent Johnson's scientist friends to stabilize the symbiotic cybernetic exoskeleton and takedown Boomslang.
• In the end, Justin Hammer is taken back to prison, Marc and Blanche die, and Tanya Hammer is taken into special custody for treatment. Matt Murdock part-ways with the team and gives them both his business card in case one of them needs a lawyer. Agent Johnson and Bucky report back to Nick Fury. Agent Johnson gives Murdock's lawyer card to Fury and speaks highly of her friend. Fury keeps the subjection in mind and initiates project S.W.O.R.D.

This is mostly original, but I don't credit it. Feige has no interest in Marvel Entertainment's IP (Agent Carter being the exception, as he was involved with that) and Chloe Bennet's constant complaining about being excluded won't have been received well (Charlie Cox has been much smarter in trying to curry favour with the MCU, but I think there's no hope any of Jeph Loeb's material is ever incorporated).

I'd assumed that with social media and sites like Full Circle Cinema that all of Daniel's content was out on the Internet for broad consumption. This assumption was checked when going through Pierre Chanlieu's scoop list I used to contribute to and I saw a number of items that I wanted to go through (both to track various rumours as well as explore things no one seems to have discussed). The funny thing is, the meatiest content Daniel provides are cast lists that the other major scoopers have, but often they sit on them (for whatever reason) and when they do use them its paraphrased rather than the raw information. With that preamble away, let's dig into the interesting bits.

September

• Silver Surfer movie is now in active development. [It's unclear if he's stealing GWW's scoop, vice versa, or if they heard the same thing from the same source; regardless, only LotLB and Sutton keep repeating the information]
• Marvel have plans for the characters Phyla-Vell and Moondragon. [The former I've only seen come up before in KC's theory video in May, which is unlikely to have impacted Daniel; LotLB put the latter on a reserve list in August]
• Marvel have plans for The Savage Land in the MCU. [LotLB said as much back in May and I suspect they are the ultimate source of the information (only WGTC repeated it, saying it's a Phase Six movie)]

October

• Marvel are [going] to use the Ms. Marvel show to reboot the Inhumans into the MCU. Feige also want [wants] to use some of the Netflix characters and reboot others into the MCU. Iron Fist is being talked about for a reboot. [He seems to be the source of the GWW story that came out not long after; he reiterated the former idea to LotLB (same link) and the latter was repeated by Sutton a few weeks later, presumably with Daniel as the source]
• Nova is now in active development [I don't think this idea ever goes away]
• Marvel have plans for Dark Legion [This is a minor Ghost Rider character whose mother is Lilith (who came up in Discussing Film speculation in January), but I've not seen this idea repeated elsewhere]
• Marvel started test screening for actresses for Ms. Marvel and in the script they got for the audition Ms. Marvel is being interviewed by [Captain Marvel] and she's talking about watching the New Avengers on the news and how she got her powers and that she's an Inhuman. [This is the content of the leaked video that came out c.November; the actress would be reading a dummy script for casting, so I'd ignore the specifics]
• Open casting, 30s-40s for She-Hulk. While it's early I also heard they plan to have General Ross in it and maybe even bring back Liv Tyler as Betty Ross! [We can see how the age request has changed below; no one else has pushed the latter suggestion]
• They are considering casting Vin Diesel and Aaron Taylor Johnson in different roles in the MCU. [This was aggressively rejected by a Redditor afterwards; putting the former in another role would be easy, but it's hard to imagine the latter getting Gemma Chan'd into another role]
• Marvel are talking to Josh Brolin about reprising his role as Cable in the MCU [for Deadpool 3]
• I'm hearing Secret Invasion and Annihilation are the next big arcs they are aiming towards. [Rich Johnston confirmed the former in January; the latter echoes a Sutton scoop from September that's attached to Nova, which likely comes from Matt McGloin's post about the IP in July--there he posits the Fantastic Four were part of the MCU's Hank Pym era but have been frozen in time in the Quantum Realm--possibly being responsible for the release of Annihilus (and thus leading to Annihilation)]
• I hear Feige wants ti [to] bring Jon Bernthal back as Punisher to the MCU. [Fits his earlier idea about the Netflix IP, which was echoed Sutton/LotLB not long after, but the latter had been pushing the general idea since August; I have a hard time seeing the MCU using Punisher or validating the Netflix shows and Murphy said in January that nothing official was going on with them (not that anything official could go on until the rights expire); the ultimate source of the Netflix reboot idea seems to be Matt McGloin of Cosmic Book News, who put out the story in July]
• Fantastic Four movie is now in active development news should come soon not sure how soon. ['Soon' hasn't happened yet; there's nothing paralleling this, although in June Conrad and GWW claimed a film was coming in 2022, something Roger Wardell actively debunked]

November

• [Ms. Marvel casting:] (Muneeba Khan) 40s-50s, Female. Pakistani-American; (Yusuf Khan) 40s-50s, Male. Pakistani-American; (Amir Khan) 20s, Male. Pakistani-American. [Discussing Film got this cast sheet out just before Daniel did]
• They [have] started casting She-Hulk. [In response to a question in this post Daniel claimed there was a chance Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin could return, which fits his Netflix posts above, but I think that's extremely unlikely]
• They are currently casting an unnamed female character [for Moon Knight] who in the audition script talking about a magical mirror and is offering it to someone. [This is almost certainly Stained Glass Scarlet, whose appearance Sutton scooped in September, which Conrad either stole just before Daniel's post or used the same primary evidence for it]
• Repeats that Nova is in active development [Did he forget that he already said it in October?]
• [Ms. Marvel casting] [Male Lead] Pakistani male 17 - 25 years old, can have American or Pakistani accent.

December

• Sparky the dog from the Tom King Vision run is in WandaVision. [I believe this was on a LotLB long-term spec list, but I left it out because of how goofy and irrelevant it seemed]
• Daniel Radcliffe is one name in the mix for Moon Knight. [In response to a question he said so were Andrew Garfield and Shia LeBeouf; WGTC made the Radcliffe claim in September, but Radcliffe himself debunked the idea in February]
• [Ms. Marvel casting] They are casting four main leads for the series, two Pakistani, 17-25, male and female. One black woman and one adult man as the villain open casting. Kamala herself is in the final stages of casting an offer will be coming soon for one actress. Casting announcement likely in Jan. [The latter idea was echoed by Conrad in January, but as of yet we've heard nothing; the leads are presumably Kamala herself, her two love interests, and the main villain]
• Werewolf by Night [Jack Russell] and Dracula will be in the Moon Knight show [The first echoes LotLB in early summer who thought the former would have his own TV show, and then GWW in August who guessed the former would appear in the show; LotLB also had the latter first, again on Hulu, back in July]

January

• [A now dated Doctor Strange 2 description] Cast: Christine Palmer: Rachel McAdams, Script: Jade Bartlett, Director: Scott Derrickson, Seeking: [Female Villain Role] 30s-40s, Female. Open Ethnicity; [Male Villain Role] 30s-40s, Male. Black. [Three things to note here: 1) Christine Palmer returns, 2) Bartlett's script was current, 3) Mordo isn't listed--see below]
• [Dated MCU Disney+ Production:] Ms. Marvel will start shooting in April. They are casting her family, villain and two classmates. Moon Knight in August, they are casting the lead, female lead, female and male villains. She-Hulk still TBD but this year as well and they already started the casting for the lead. No other casting yet [We can see the adjustments to this schedule below]
• They are casting Teddy [Hulkling] for an upcoming Untitled Marvel project. 15-20. Not sure which project but my guess would be WandaVision, Ant-Man 3, or an upcoming untitled D+ show. [GWW either lifted this from Daniel or simply made the same connections with the same source]
• As my friend Joe Dekelmeier [That Hashtag Show] reported America Chavez will make her MCU debut in Doctor Strange 2. With a Disney+ show to follow. Another set up for Young Avengers! [Vicky Depledge is the name on GWW's article from August, but the news about a show to follow hasn't been repeated; TI echoed the former news in January]
• [A] new and more updated grid that one of them is indeed Brother Voodoo. Working on getting the other one confirmed. [Later post] Clea is the female character and an offer went to A-List actresses for the role. [The appearance of both these characters was revealed by Wardell way back in December of 2018]
• Awhile ago I got a grid and posted about it here for a female trans character they are casting for an upcoming Marvel project. Now we [got] a new Loki grid [so that] I know the character was for Loki. But it does say on the grid the character could show up in the movies as well. [TI repeated this information subsequently from the same grid]

February

• A production grid is saying [Guardians 3] will start filming on Jan 2022 until May 2022. UPDATE: Sorry my bad the date on the grid seems to be a placeholder. Still looks like it'll shoot sometime in 2022 for a 2023 release. [I've included this simply because we see a plethora of supposed dates for the film and to demonstrate sometimes official grids are placeholders]
• A new production grid says Ms. Marvel will now start filming on June this year. [see below]
• On a recent casting grid for Ms. Marvel it is said they'll need the actress to be available from June 2020 till July 2022. Since the show will only shoot from June till September this should mean multiple cameos/roles for Kamala in other Marvel projects they'll need the actress for. Captain Marvel 2 is clearly one of those. As for the rest could be anything. Young Avengers? She-Hulk? Something else? [This filming info was also echoed by TI]
• Christian Bale to play an "Alien Villain" via a new grid. [Again, echoed by TI]
• I hear the reports are true and there really is a kind of Secret Invasion related show in development for Disney+ that will lead straight into Captain Marvel 2 which I told you awhile ago would likely be Secret Invasion. I hear the show would likely focus on SWORD and the Invasion from the side of the Skrulls and Kree and Captain Marvel 2 from the side of the heroes. [See above; no one has echoed the story details as yet]
• [MCU Production Slate] Ms. Marvel; August 2020; She-Hulk; August 2020; Moon Knight; TBD Fall 2020-Early 2021; Hawkeye; TBD Summer-Fall 2020; Thor: Love and Thunder; August 2020; Ant-Man 3; TBD Early 2021; Black Panther 2; March 2021 [Differences from Murphy's Disney+ slate posted a couple of weeks later: Hawkeye in September; She-Hulk in November; Moon Knight in November]
• [She-Hulk] New casting breakdown confirm they are open to any ethnicity for the role, 25-34. Comedy experience a plus. Confirms Bruce/Hulk is in it [see above] and that She-Hulk will join the Avengers. [We can see the shift in age down from 30-40 to someone younger]
• Ross as Red Hulk is set to appear in the MCU in an upcoming project. [GWW say She-Hulk, something LotLB scooped back in August]
• [Loki cast] TI posted the same casting call sheet, so the notable thing is that in the comments Daniel confirmed the male lead role was Owen Wilson's
• [Shang-Chi cast] (Mom) Rosalind Chao Role description under wraps. [Her casting was scooped by TI in January]; (Clive Reston) Supporting Male 40-50 Caucasian An old friend of Shang-Chi's and member of MI-6. Formerly [Shang-Chi's] partner. (Leiko Wu) Supporting Female Late 20s-30s. An elite MI-6 agent. She is Shang-Chi's ex and Clive Reston's wife. She had strong feelings for Shang-Chi but after his departure from the world she chose Clive. (Black Jack Tarr) Supporting Male Caucasian. 30s-40s. An MI-6 Agent who works with Clive. He's an elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of battle. (Kwun) Supporting Male 50-79 Chinese A leader of his village. Speaks Mandarin fluently. Martial arts ability a plus. [Seems to be a film invention] (Younger Brother) Supporting Male (16) Asian Chinese-American; as of now he ONLY speaks English in the pages they've seen, but they're confirming if he'll need to speak Mandarin as well. (Kid Wiz [Wiz Kid]) Supporting Male Asian 11 years old, male, Chinese. Computer whiz/hacker with big glasses. Speaks English. Ability to speak Mandarin a plus. [This information was put out on social media by Daniel, but he didn't mention the character was being changed from Japanese to Chinese] (Amy) Supporting Female Asian 4-5 years old, female, Chinese. Ability to speak Mandarin a plus. (Eric) Supporting Male Asian 7-8 years old, male, Chinese. Speaks Mandarin fluently with accent of native speaker. Martial arts ability a plus. (Nathan) Supporting Male Asian 10 years old, male, Chinese. Accomplished martial artist. Speaks Mandarin. (Steel Claw [aka Tiger Claw]) Supporting Male 20s-40s, male, imposing physical presence (over 6'1). Athletic/fight experience required, martial arts experience preferred. (Yaeko) Supporting Female 20s-early 30s, female, open to any ethnicity. Fun, and has a sense of humour. Simu's partner. Standard US accent required. [She seems to be a film invention and I don't know if 'partner' indicates love interest, MI-6 agent partner, or current associate] (Henry) Supporting Male, Open Ethnicity, 20s - 40s. An avid member of the neighborhood watch club. Enjoys bowling, spending time and gossiping with his friends. (Ming) Supporting Female This role works heavily throughout the shoot. Character details will be sent directly to actor. ([Moving Shadow] Shadow) Cameo Male 20s-50s, male. Athletic/fight experience required, martial arts experience preferred. (Ghost Maker) Cameo Male 20s-50s, male. Athletic/fight experience required, martial arts experience preferred (Razor-Fist) Cameo Male 20s-50s, male. Athletic/fight experience required, martial arts experience preferred. (Comedic Cameo) Cameo Unknown (20 - 40) can be either male or female, they are only looking East Asian for the moment. (Kane) Cameo Male (25 - 30) one scene; comedic, 20's male (any ethnicity) who's on a bus with the main characters as they get into their first large scale fight - and he livestreams and narrates the whole event. [Seems to be a film invention] [This long list clarifies that the metric ton of characters appearing in the film are largely cameos for the fight sequences; none of the descriptions of the fighters designate ethnicity, but it may simply not be included in this list; I have no idea why a bunch of kids are also included--flashbacks? We also have the love triangle more clearly stated]
• [Doctor Strange 2 casting] (New Female Role) Lead Female (30 - 45); contemporary to Benedict. Was offered to an A-List actress [dating back to Wardell, link above, this was for an Asian actress, but the sheets we've seen have listed the role as 'open'--my guess is that decision was made before Shang-Chi was pushed up the slate]; Mordo; [Black/African-American Male Role] Supporting Male (25 - 45) Black Should “feel like a star”. Not necessarily a physical part, but a great actor. [Young Latina] Supporting Female (16) Hispanic / Latino definitely needs to feel like a teenager and not an adult; maybe they could cast 18 but not older. [Compared to the previous cast list we've lost Christine, added Mordo and the Latina role that's assumed to be America Chavez--it's fair to say the latter two might have already been part of the cast and simply didn't appear on the grid above (or they had smaller roles initially)]
• SOME of the Squadron Supreme are indeed planned for Loki. I don't know who but not the whole team I hear [This seems to be in response to Rich Johnston's article]

March

• [Thor 4 casting:] Male Lead 1 (35 - 50) Villain role. Alien and other-wordly (Christian Bale); Male Lead 2 (35-45); Female Role (26-44) Any ethnicity; Villain Lead Unknown [This doesn't tell us very much]
• Heard [the] Owen Wilson character in Loki is Justice Peace agent of [the] TVA [This was my guess a month earlier]
• [Thor 4] I hear that not only will the Guardians of the Galaxy be a part of the film but Rocket will actually have a good supporting role. [The latter would fit the relationship the two developed in Infinity War]

This was a massive amount of content to go through, but I think it served a useful purpose. At minimum nearly all of these items made their way out into the world (and some clearly game to him from others), but there are exceptions and in some cases less detail was included externally.

Sony has tapped Amazing Spider-Man 2 writer Roberto Orci to write an unknown Sony Marvel film. This is only notable because Palak Patel is behind the project and his films are the only ones that have been made thus far--my guess is that this is for the Madame Web film announced in September.

Patreon Update for the big scoopers:
Daniel 260 (+34)
Murphy 202  (+81)
Conrad 39 (-1)

Conrad's Patreon is essentially dead (much like his YT channel, which hasn't experienced growth since Endgame--his videos have less viewership than LotLB despite a higher sub count). Daniel's growth is solid, while Murphy's is transcendent.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel News & Notes

I wanted to take a snapshot of interest in upcoming Marvel IP to gauge how effective marketing has been thus far (keeping in mind Google Trends is just an indicator, not a smoking gun; the graphs are huge so the writing is clearer). I've split the films and the Disney+ shows (I want to thank Marvel for picking some horrendous titles for tracking --it's impossible to simply use terms like 'Falcon,' 'Loki,' or 'Thor' since those can apply to other things). The expectation is that the films/shows furthest along should have generated the most interest and this is broadly true, so rather than focus on the expected, let's address what's outside that pattern:

• Black Widow: My impression that the trailer/teaser were simply average are born out by the declining interest; however, as an established character with a star actor, I don't think this matters as much as it would for other IP (but a good trailer would help)
• The Eternals: Outside of spikes for casting announcements, it has faded into the background--not off the charts like Shang-Chi, but it requires a good trailer to achieve engagement (this isn't a surprise to me, but a lot of MCU-wonks seem to think their excitement is more generally shared than it is)
• Shang-Chi: Has made virtually no impression at all--he's admittedly an obscure character and there's been no footage and few casting announcements, but it means there's a big hill to climb for the IP (despite a lot of scooper enthusiasm, even from people who loath each other like Murphy and LotLB)
• Doctor Strange 2: Outside the announcement in the summer there's just background noise (even the departure of Derrickson and arrival of Raimi made little impact)
• Thor 4: Virtually impossible to track, due to both its clunky title and the fact people can simply use 'Thor' to find it; after all the good will from Ragnarok and the Infinity Saga films, however, it's in a strong position

I think for Eternals and Shang-Chi there's a much larger need for marketing to create hype, with the latter two risking Ant-Man-like numbers should that fail.

As for the shows:

• Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Thus far has leaned hard into Falcon for the marketing and I'm not sure why given how popular Bucky is (it comes across as a Falcon show--which, perhaps, it is)
• WandaVision: Has done very well and its incredibly brief teaser is the best received of all the Phase Four marketing material thus far; I read a number of finger-wagging articles in the past about how Wanda hadn't been given her due in the MCU, but the interest shown here reject that idea
• Loki: This is incredibly difficult to track, but the character is so popular I think it's safe even from bad marketing (something which has barely started)
• Ms. Marvel: I've mentioned previously that she's a niche character the public isn't familiar with, but when I used 'Kamala Khan' as a search term (the third chart) I finally got spikes from the various bits of marketing we've seen for her and she does (with that term) stretch beyond She-Hulk below (without reaching the heights of Kate Bishop); casting and teasers for the show are still going to need to be strong to draw people in
• Hawkeye: using 'Kate Bishop' as the work-around for the noise associated with the title, outside the official announcement the only other news was the potential casting, but that spike was lower than similar events for the first two shows above (albeit, that was potential casting as opposed to an announcement); anchored by an original Avenger I think the show is safer than others from the impact of marketing
• She-Hulk: Outside the announcement there's been no effort to promote the show; despite that it's managed to stay in the background noise as well (or a little better) than Shang-Chi; there's more familiarity with the character, but promotion (and casting) will be vital here; adding the Hulk (which I expect) will help considerably
• Moon Knight: The spike for this announcement dwarfs all the other shows by a considerable margin (even the WandaVision teaser doesn't reach those levels), and despite no marketing and very little news, it lingers in the cycle as much (usually more) than the shows currently in production--this speaks to the general popularity of the IP (making it a safer product, but also adds more expectations from fans)

The biggest surprise to me was the resonance of Kate Bishop (particularly in comparison to Kamala Khan, who appears in the press much more frequently); it's also apparent that Wanda is more popular than Falcon, and that of undeveloped IP Moon Knight is a significant addition (making me wonder why Feige sat on him for so long). On the surface the biggest hills to climb will be for Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk, who will likely require strong supporting casts in a way that the other shows do not.

From Reddit:

• I've seen some footage of The Eternals, to protect my job I can not reveal my identity: Here's what I learned:
• Thousands of years ago, The Eternals form to stop The Deviants, led by Kro. Kro (David Oyelowo) wins and splits the team of Eternals to Titan and Earth, which leads them to both of them leading new lives on the planets. [I see no holes in Oyelowo's schedule to participate in the film]
• Present day, The main Eternals of Titan, A’Lars (Keanu Reeves), Eros (Dan Stevens), and Pixie (Millie Bobby Brown) get a distress call From Earth. They come across a ruined forest, and battle Druig (Barry Keoghan). Druig kills all three of them, and The Eternals of Earth soon find out about their deaths. [Neither Brown nor Stevens have apparent availability in their schedules for this; Reeves theoretically does for a cameo]
• Thena, Ikaris, Sprite, Gilgamesh, Sersi, Kingo, Phastos, Makkari, and Ajak come out of the shadows by avenging the deaths of the three Titans.
• Film is like a Space version of “Lord of the Rings”. [This reminds me of the Endgame rumour that Thor's journey would echo Aragorn's from Return of the King]
• Several flashbacks including the birth of all Eternals, Eternals at several points of history, Thanos has a cameo.
• The Eternals realize how important family and Earth is.
• Thena (Angelina Jolie) is revealed to have an affair with Kro, as their child was secretly killed by Ajak, who forbids love.
• Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) is Sersi’s (Gemma Chan) boyfriend who is cursed with something similar to a deviant trait.
• Ajak (Salma Hayek) is killed by Druig, and Ikaris (Richard Madden) becomes the new leader.

It's hard to credit something that proposes Marvel would immediately kill Millie Bobby Brown--what would be the point of signing her? And if she is appearing, why hide her from the marketing? This isn't like Brad Pitt's cameo in Deadpool 2 or Matt Damon's in Ragnarok, as both are older, more famous actors who aren't interested in signing long term deals for superhero IP. I don't buy it.

We had a post from 4chan that, when mirrored on Reddit, the poster thought was just a synergy of other rumours--let's investigate. The major Shang-Chi rumours thus far are from 4chan in October, Reddit in October, and 4chan in January (there's also a reserve list from LotLB in January); I'll reference them below with 4C1, R1, and 4C2:

• Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), the Master of Kung-Fu, is the estranged son of The Mandarin (Tony Leung), leader of the terrorist organization known as "The Ten Rings". [4C1; 4C2 calls him a surrogate son, while R1 doesn't include a familial relationship]
• Shang-Chi once worked for the MI-6 - the UK’s secret intelligence service - against the Ten Rings, but has since abandoned that world, until a deadly conspiracy draws him back into a dangerous battle. [4C1 simply says he's aided by MI-6, while R1 and 4C2 don't reference it at all]
• Clive Reston is a seasoned veteran and Shang-Chi’s old partner and friend, who is now married to Leiko Wu, an elite operative who once had strong feelings for Shang-Chi. [4C1 and R1, but without reference to a relationship--R1 has them as agents of SHIELD; LotLB's list includes all three MI-6 characters, including Tarr below]
• Takeshi Matsuya is a young computer hacker who becomes Shang-Chi's associate after he leaves the MI-6. [Referencing the latest Daniel scoop]
• Reston recruits Shang-Chi to infiltrate an underground martial arts tournament organized by the Mandarin and learn what he is planning, forcing Shang-Chi to work alongside Leiko and Black Jack Tarr, an elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle. [All the other posts have involved a tournament, but emphasize the purpose is to win the Ten Rings; 4C1 had the older version of Tarr, who is the director of MI-6]
• Shang-Chi's opponents include his siblings, Cursed Lotus (Awkwafina) and Moving Shadow, and the Mandarin's enforcers Steel Claw, Midnight Sun, Razorfist and Ghostmaker. [The half-siblings 4C1; the list is directly from a casting call reported on in October with GWW's idea in July about Midnight Sun added to it]
• The Mandarin has his rings of power, and his masterplan is to awaken the legendary dragon Fin Fang Foom to help him conquer the world. [4C2; 4C1 and R1 echo the idea, albeit without the context; in all the other rumours, Mandarin is seeking the rings of power, rather than has them already]

What isn't included from the other posts:
4C1: Mention of M'Nai, Lancaster Zhang, Zhu, or Nick Fury (Mei Ling also isn't mentioned, but there's no reference to his mother at all above).
R1: Mention of an alien spaceship as the source of the Ten Rings (or the Avatars or the Ancestor), Shang-Chi's ability to duplicate himself, or reference to Foh Lo Suee, Trevor Slattery, or Chao.
4C2: Mention of the Ten Rings being an ancient alien artifact, Spiral, T-Ray, Omega Red, Batroc, Baron Mordo, Kree and Skrull fighters.
LotLB (keeping in mind this list is for a purported trilogy, not just this film): No White Tiger, Fah Lo Suee, Pete Wisdom (who they put on a Excalibur spec list three months earlier), Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Sword Master, Korain, Skullbuster, Warfist, Silver Samurai, or the Shadow Council.

The Redditor seems to be on the money here, as there aren't any unique elements. It seems to be largely based on earlier information mixed in with Daniel's recent scoop. I'd give it more credit if it included details about what Shang-Chi is doing after he leaves MI-6, or really, any detail that hadn't already been brought up by someone else.

Set photos from the show are starting to leak out and among them is one of Sophia Di Martino (the first cast member announced) dressed up as Loki, which seems to confirms the Lady Loki rumours (from Reddit this January as well as Murphy around the same time)--although there's some speculation she's Enchantress instead (I hope not--she doesn't look like Cailey Fleming or the character). Unlike the Kid Loki idea (which has rumour antecedents back to Murphy last January, as well as WGTC of all people), I actually think this is an interesting idea--the Norse-version of Loki was able to shape change (he's the mother of several mythological beings), so bring it on. That said, on the surface I'm not a fan of the kid version (I have mixed feelings about the Young Avengers in general, largely because of how poor the writing usually is for teen-based shows).

From a set video we've seen that actress Wunmi Mosaku is part of the cast as a member of the TVA--she's in a scene with Di Martino in a sequence where the latter is dressed up as Loki.

A listing on IMBD Pro has 12-year old actress Cailey Fleming as 'Young Sylvie,' whom everyone assumes means Sylvie Luston, aka Enchantress. The character has come up a few times over the last fourteen months:

• First last January when a 4chan post claimed she'd appear in a Sif show (something Discussing Film claimed was coming at the time)
• In October on Reddit (link above) it was claimed she was the villain of Loki and would appear in Doctor Strange 2
• This January 4chan claimed Jodie Comer was up for the role (link above)
• This January Reddit claimed the same as the earlier Reddit post
• Shortly after that Conrad speculated that a search for a blond stunt double pointed towards her (first link)
• The IMDB Pro listing above

If the IMDB post is correct it's hard to doubt she's playing a young version of that character. Enchantress is traditionally blond, but I have no idea how much Marvel cares about that for C-list characters (Fleming's hair could be dyed or she could wear a wig). If true this largely affirms the Kid Loki idea above, but doesn't guarantee he'll carry on into the Young Avengers (it could be flashbacks, after all)--a younger version of Enchantress has been both an antagonist and member of that group.

Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) posted on Instagram that he's getting ready for Hawkeye--this seems absurdly early for that if it's either in July (the original expected date) or September (Murphy's date); most actors are just a few weeks out of 'game shape,' so what's the point of the announcement if filming is 4-5 months away? The only immediate thing I can think of is hyping the (now pushed) announcement Marvel was going to make today (March 5th). It raises another possibility: of production being pushed forward to match the paired production we see everywhere else--in this case, paired with Loki--I'm just speculating, however.

Mark Ruffalo recently clarified that the Hulk rights are unchanged--they are still at Universal. This directly repudiates Conrad's claim back in January that both it and Namor's IP were back at Marvel (technically only the former, in fairness). Something else Ruffalo repeated was his desire to interact with Wolverine, but the comment suggests that such a move has not been decided on yet (as expected he's implied he'll be in She-Hulk).

Murphy put out a long post about the various production dates for Disney+ and here are the points of interest:

• Hawkeye is slated for late September (refuting Conrad et al), but keep in mind Renner's post above
• She-Hulk's filming has been pushed from August to November
• Moon Knight will film in the UK in November (confirming an earlier report)
• His thesis is Marvel is learning (on the fly) the various tricks of TV-production and that that is the primary cause of all the shifting dates.

We'll have to wait and see on this information, but as presented it seems credible. What's puzzling about this is why there's no tandem filming alongside Loki (unlike everything else). Falcon and Wanda have filmed virtually at the same time, as will Ms. Marvel/Hawkeye and She-Hulk/Moon Knight, so why would Loki be left all alone? If Ms. Marvel stuck to its original schedule, it would fit that slot (as would She-Hulk with Hawkeye). There's also a big production gap with no Disney+ starting for nearly six months after Loki (although if I'm interpreting Renner's post correctly than Hawkeye is coming sooner than later). One thing we can say with certainty is that Disney+ is fully capable of filming more shows than this a year if they wish.

Conrad weighed in on the Batroc rumours that have been going around and while he doesn't organize where they come from chronologically, I will:

• In January 4chan said he'd be in Shang-Chi
• Late January Georges St-Pierre posted an image of himself on Instagram flying to a new project (Conrad's link)
• Two different 4chan posts referenced him twice in late February (my link)
• The Weekly Planet podcast discussed him this week (Conrad's link)

It's entirely possible that the original 4chan post is the source for everything here (and who knows where St-Pierre was going?). What's interesting is, if this is correct it bypassed the usual scoopers until now.

Conrad self-owned himself in the Batroc post by referencing 4chan, because four months ago he proudly told Reddit "I don't read 4Chan" (in response to him lifting material from there). That's a sentiment he's said repeatedly, but clearly, even if its second hand, he does read 4chan.

This makes me wonder: was Conrad's rumour about Crossbones based on the 4channer's contention that various villains will be seen in the film (as in, did he see the Batroc rumour and wonder if he might be joined by other Captain America villains)? Food for thought.

LotLB long term spec list for Silver Surfer (all of whom are deeply embedded in the IP):

• The Elders of the Universe - this would normally include already introduced characters like the Collector and Grandmaster, although since they seem depowered in the MCU Tim wasn't sure if they would be included with them or not
• Galactus - he's coming to the MCU one way or another
• Shalla-Bal - Surfer's love interest and the reason he becomes the Silver Surfer
• Tenebrous - a minor but very powerful character
• Khoon - there's no chance whatsoever this name is kept--he's basically a thug
• Blackbody/Blackbodies - a device for collecting souls for the Uni-Lord (who isn't included on this list, for whatever reason, but is another antagonist)
• Geatar - a minor space pirate character with a romantic connection to Nebula
• Tyrant - a robot created by Galactus who becomes his enemy; back in August Conrad claimed he would be the first Herald of Galactus
• Morg the Executioner - a Herald of Galactus who wields an axe
• Terrax - another Herald of Galactus who wields an axe (albeit a more popular one)
• Annihilus - a classic Fantastic Four villain who hits the rumour cycle periodically
• Unrelated to the list, they restated that Frankie Raye (Nova) will be part of the Fantastic Four and follow her arc of being in love with Johnny Storm before becoming the Herald of Galactus

What's interesting about this list is that it hints at a throughline for introducing Silver Surfer via The Guardians of the Galaxy. If the Nebula connections are used it allows someone from the MCU to participate in his introduction.

A Redditor posted up what he claims was the Spider-Man 3 script prior to the renewed deal with Marvel. The problem with this idea is that the writers (McKenna and Sommers) had started the script before the deal broke down in August, leaving just seven weeks for a non-MCU script to be completed--I find this highly unlikely. However, in order to keep tabs on things we might hear in the future (or those we've heard in the past), I'm included his post:

• Based on an earlier script during the SONY/Mravel breakup [Aug.20-Oct.1]. Most of this will probably be changed. I didn't read the whole thing, most of the script was being rewritten because the deal was repaired, but the parts I could read predate the new deal.
• Film is much darker than FFH/Homecoming, but is still incredibly comedic
• Any refrencss [references] to avengers [Avengers] is done by calling them "the company." Stark is referenced as "The Savior" and the blip [Blip] is referenced, but they called it "the blippening" I guess so they can get around it.
• Uncle Ben did have a role in the movie via a tombstone Peter visited while hiding from the police. He says something along the lines of "No matter how many times I try and fill the void you left, I can't because they all leave me too. It hurts." I'm paraphrasing, but it's along those same lines.
• Michelle's legal name is actually Mary Jane, she just didn't like it so she continuously asked to be called Michelle.
• Ned was forced to change his name and move to Brooklyn as his parents were afraid of Peter. He was transferred to "Brooklyn Heights"
• The villians [villains] are Kraven, who is dying of cancer is after Peter so he can claim his last score, before dying. [Despite the plural for villains, this is the only one mentioned; it references Kraven's Last Hunt which was going to be Sony's Kraven-film (announced back in 2018)--although as I pointed out in October we've heard nothing about this film since]
• There were a few planned PCS [post-credit scenes], and Sony wasn't sure which one to use. The mid-crecit [credit] scene was of Mysterio watching from the distance as Peter scrambles to his feet and tries to escape the angry crowd after his identity was revealed, and he had a smirk on his face. The PCS they were deciding on, were Ned moving in with his roommate, Miles, under a new name, "Ganke" - as Troy Barnes [the strike through is from the post] Aaron Davis helps Miles move in. We don't see Miles' face, it's only from behind, and Davis calls him out by name. He grew up during the blippening. And the other was of Joseph H. (Hammerhead) delivering the bounty to an "unknown buyer" for Spider-Man. I don't believe it was Osborn, I think it may have been Fisk because the mysterious buyer was decribed [described] as a "heavier set man with a black and white suit, holding a cane." [It'd be a little puzzling introducing a Miles Morales at hero-appropriate age when Peter Parker is still in high school]

I believe the writer is either trolling {the MJ element strikes me as such), believes this is what Sony would do (all of the weird elements here are certainly within the Tom Rothman/Amy Pascal wheelhouse), or this is what he would do--in spirit it's a lot like another Reddit post from November.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)