Marvel News & Notes

GWW's Thomas Polito had this to report:

The studio has been taking virtual meetings with various actors, writers, and directors over the past weeks, and one of those people is none other than John Krasinski. Krasinski and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige have both said they’d love to work together, and it seems that’s now closer to happening than ever before. While I’m not sure of the role he’d take in the MCU, whether it be that of a director, writer, or actor, I do know they discussed a multitude of projects during their meeting. As far as I’m aware, this is the first time they’ve formally met, but Krasinski is not currently in talks for any MCU project.

There are three key points to this: 1) Feige talked to Krasinski, 2) This is apparently the first formal talk they've had, 3) The talks are not specific to a MCU project. That makes this an exploratory talk--significant because it occurred, but Marvel talks to a lot of people, so it's far too early to jump to conclusions.

When this news came out Sutton said Krasinski will be Reed Richards (popular speculation for years), but that his wife Emily Blunt is less certain because she's hesitant about making the lengthy contract commitment (this echoes what he said back in February). Sutton says the MCU is considering Krasinski not just for Fantastic Four, but as writer/director of the rumoured Midnight Sons film (cf). Sutton repeated the idea that Richards would be the mentor for Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 (an idea he first floated in September), which if true would add a lot of urgency to get him signed (the planned film date for that was July, see below, but even if delayed it would have to be arranged soon--I frankly don't buy the idea, which I suspect Sutton got from the purported FF easter egg in Far From Home).

Variety put out a puff piece on Mark Ruffalo and he said three things of substance, one of which we've heard before and another that's heavily rumoured:

“There’s nothing completely at a place where it’s a done deal. There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in [the Disney Plus series] She–Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting. Right now that’s about it. That’s all there is on the table.
“There’s an idea that I think could be really interesting. We’ve never really followed him into his life. He’s always kind of off on the side. He’s like the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Avengers [referencing Tom Stoppard's play Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead]. It’d be interesting to fill in all the blanks about what happened to him in between all these movies.”
“Maybe Hulk and Wolverine could hook up.”

The final comment we heard back in the fall; the first is something we've been aware of for quite some time, but clearly either Ruffalo hasn't signed on for She-Hulk or (more likely) isn't allowed to announce it yet. What's new is his idea for a Hulk solo project (which would have to be on TV), which sounds like the 70s TV show--a concept that could work if kept to just a season. Whether Marvel has any interest in that, however, remains to be seen.

A Redditor posted screen shots from his phone that seem to show two production dates: She-Hulk for July 6th and Spider-Man 3 for July 13th (both of these are via Production List). I think it's likely that these are the original planned dates for both IP. Murphy and Daniel both had She-Hulk shooting in August, but the former made the July claim back in January (before shifting the slate to November afterwards, link above). What do I think? I believe Sony will want to start filming Spider-Man 3 the second restrictions are lifted, such that the production date won't move much. As for She-Hulk, if Murphy's date shift is correct, than nothing will change and it will begin shooting in November. If, conversely, either Daniel or this screenshot is correct, it's probable that production will shift (presumably Disney would want to finish the re-shoots for Falcon and Winter Soldier as well as continue Loki first--they have the capacity to shoot another show at the same time, but that's more likely to be Ms. Marvel (given the chronology of the slate we have).

Production Weekly has Moon Knight's production start date listed as November 16th and to take 26 weeks. It's important to be aware that PW has been wrong before (cf), but the month matches what we've heard from Murphy (link above). If the length of the shoot is correct, that's longer than you need for a six-episode show (it's about the same length as the 13-episode Marvel Netflix shows). I have no idea how many episodes for MK are planned, but if accurate this would mean more episodes (keeping in mind, again, that PW has been wrong before).

Conrad posted a rumour that Captain Marvel 2 will lead into the next Avengers film. Conrad sites no sources for this rumour, which historically indicates that he doesn't like the person responsible for it, or (more commonly) that the source is not considered reputable. Pierre Chanliau has struggled to keep his big list of rumours up-to-date (I'm still here to help Pierre), so I went hunting on the Google machine. I found nothing as an obvious basis, so this either means the source is months old (ala his recent Eternals rumour) or it's from chatter/speculation on social media, youtube, and what have you.

One funny result I had in doing the research for this was coming across a site I'd never heard of called The Arkatech, which is floating a rumour that Captain Marvel will appear in Shang-Chi (because Skrulls will be part of the tournament that takes place in the film). The idea of Skrulls appearing in the film comes from a Reddit rumour in January, but that's been an isolated piece of speculation.

Murphy put out a Tweet wondering if an Instagram post from Tze Chun (showrunner for Gremlins) was a hint for Agents of Atlas. I think this is speculation or him hoping, but in terms of rumour antecedents there is one: back in February GWW claimed Shang-Chi would set-up an Agents of Atlas show or film. At the time I said if that was true it made a lot of sense, because Shang-Chi has limited appeal, so by putting him in a group you aren't just leaning on him to sell the film/show.

Disney's financial woes have come up a great deal, but I'm not that interested in Marvel's corporate owner except for how it impacts the MCU (I think Bob Iger's return as CEO is as much to stabilize the stock as anything else). In a way, the fortunes of Disney aren't as relevant to the MCU as they are to the other parts of the company, because Marvel is the golden goose--it generates tons of revenue. As such, no matter what happens to the House of Mouse, that part of the company is the one that will receive the most support and protection regardless of what else goes on.

This is mostly a tangent from the MCU, but it came to mind while writing this. One of the things I'm exposed to when tracking entertainment news is a small but very loud group of Youtubers--specifically, those whose channels are based on outrage. With one exception I don't typically name them, because I don't think they warrant the attention, but I wanted to briefly go over something I've noticed lately about their popularity. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list, just the biggest fish in the pond I'm aware of (all of whom are quite friendly with one another); I put a star next to the ones who bought the fake story about Amazon's The Lord of the Rings (cf):
Mr. H Reviews 241k*
Nerdrodic 234k*
Geeks + Gamers 224k*
Midnight's Edge 168k
Overlord DVD 151k

Let's acknowledge that these are modest channels--Emergency Awesome has 3.45 million subscribers, as a point of comparison. They are specialty channels run by people whose numbers are built out of angry, hardcore nerds. I'm not saying these channels are identical--Midnight's Edge actually does good reporting, but they pair that with lazy clickbait.  What's true of all of them, if you look at Social Blade, is they are declining (see above--it looks like Overlord got caught viewbotting and there are signs some have resorted to buying subscribers--for those who don't know, blocks of subs at even numbers (100, 1,000, etc) are a sign of that). Why the downward trend? There's not much to be angry about right now, as I'll get into below (some have tried to attack the MCU, eg, but there isn't resonance for that yet). I'll briefly bring up The Critical Drinker (341k), who is friends with the above and does a lot of the same content (and seen a similar drop): he's not included because I'm less familiar with him and he seems a bit more independently minded.

So what made these channels as big as they are? There are some fundamental differences in their scope, but in general two properties standout: Star Wars and Star Trek. These are the white whales for views--both have older, well-established fanbases that feel unappreciated and exploited by their corporate masters (Disney in the former case, CBS in the later). I'm in the demographic targeted by these channels, but as just a casual fan of both IPs I don't feel personally attacked in the same way (I'm not crushed like the guys at Red Letter Media--RLM isn't included above because they are a very different channel). Why have these YTers been able to make so much hay off both IP?

I think two elements are the primary reason: 1) Belief that they are getting a weak and disappointing product, 2) The combative approach by those responsible towards all criticism. What's surprising to me is just how low the bar is to please the fanbase seems to be--Member-berry The Mandalorian and the Rebels make Star Wars fans happy (many also defend the prequels, Geeks + Gamers being one, which boggles the mind). Star Trek seems to have a slightly higher standard to reach, as shows like Voyager and Enterprise (both done faithfully in the spirit of the IP) did not perform well and ended the franchise's long run on television.

This brings us to the current predicament for these channels. Disney Star Wars is shifting away from what upsets fans, so the rage is dying away (ie, MauLer (281k), abandoned his Force Awakens series due to lack of interest and refuses to produce a critique of Rogue One because his fanboys like it so much). Changes at CBS also mean the end is neigh for Kurtzman's projects (Discovery and Picard), with a push to get back to what worked in the past (and sold merchandise). The only incalcitrant left is the BBC and Doctor Who, but that's a tiny audience. The creators can't switch to a positive videos because that arena is already overcrowded with much bigger channels--they are dependent on, not just negative news, but news that impacts the IP of a large enough fanbase. This isn't to say these channels are dying--they can putter along just fine profiting from live shows--but they seem to have peaked.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel News & Notes

Taika Waititi answered some questions about Thor 4 and the biggest takeaways were:

• 1) No Silver Surfer
• 2) Wants to do Beta Ray Bill, but can't confirm if he'll appear
• 3) Will use Starsharks
• 4) Can't say if Loki will appear

Two of these (#2 and #4) are no surprise. We all expect Loki to appear (why else keep an iteration of him alive?), and Taika tried to have BRB in Ragnarok, but had to cut him. What's interesting is the inclusion of Starsharks (which debuted in the X-Men as a Claremont creation, but are heavily associated with the Jason Aaron run on Thor that Taika likes so much). The Silver Surfer debunking specifically addresses a Sutton rumour from January (Sutton has put him in a few places, but at that time had him in Thor 4). As fun as this was it doesn't carry our understanding of the film forward very far (I never bought into the Surfer idea).

We have casting news from Discussing Film, who scoops that Ronny Chieng will be in Shang-Chi, but not in what role. Going back to the cast breakdown via Daniel, I'd guess he's either 'Henry' or the the bus scene character.

An article from The Direct (which I've never heard of) came out discussing The Eternals and includes one interesting item:

According to The Direct's contributing insider Daniel Richtman, The Eternals pre-production was rushed in order to meet the movie’s filming schedule, meaning costumes were not finished, sets were not completely constructed, and even parts of the script were incomplete at the start of filming. Specifically, Kit Harington's Black Knight costume was unfinished when scenes with him in the suit were being shot

I see this as a sign of a couple of things. It reflects how abrupt the decision was to pull the IP from Marvel Entertainment (cf); how much the firing of James Gunn interrupted the planned schedule; and how The Eternals was not originally part of Phase Four and I doubt will get a sequel (barring immense financial success, of course). All of this, I think, can be inferred by this scenario. It also means the new delay is more helpful for it than any other film.

4chan on The Eternals:

• I working vfx from home for Marvel's new Eternals movie. I don't know shit about comics so I'm not sure what a lot of what I saw was. I only worked on specific scenes in the movie so I can't tell you a lot about the plot.
• There's big ass robots in the movie. Like bigger than planets. Three of them are having some kind of meeting in space and Richard Madden's character [Ikaris] is floating in front of them.
• Kit Harrington has a laser sword/lightsaber thing and he was dressed like Judge Dredd. From googling I guess he's this Black Knight guy. The look is clearly inspired by the picture I linked.
• Kumail [Kingo] can shoot beams out of his hands. Looked a lot like Captain Marvel's beam shit.
• Salma Hayek like...dies? I don't know. She shot at bunch of energy stuff out of her whole body and exploded. [cf her death]
• That's all I got. No idea where any of it fits into the movie at all. Just thought I'd share.

I'm dubious of this. There's nothing new here, either insight or specific elements. I think the poster is mimicking the FX guy who has been posting on Reddit and including a few rumours that have been floating around.

More 4chan on Doctor Strange 2:

• The infinite stones [Infinity Stones] will return for phase four for a short frame.
• Doctor Strange encounters the Time Stone when he gets back to the New York Sanctum and remembers that he sent it to himself after seen all the alternative futures in Avengers Infinity War.
• Traveling to the future will be explained differently from traveling back in time by Doctor Strange as he continues his research on the Time Stone.
• Doctor Strange goes to the Garden and uses the Time Stone to restore Thanos gauntlet with all the infinity stones.
• The Time Stone that was sent to the future by Doctor Strange in Titan had a timer, similar to the loop he used on Dormammu, and the time stone returns to Doctor Strange's hands in the past when the Infinity gauntlet is restored.
• Doctor Strange keeps the Infinity Gauntlet in the New York Sanctum and the Time Stone.
• The rest of the Infinity stones are thrown into different parts of the universe by different sorcerers of the mystic arts with sling ring to keep them safe.
• Space Stone is sent into a black hole. Power Stone is sent to a planet made of lava. Mind Stone is sent to a water planet with no land. Reality stone is sent to an acid pocket realm. Soul Stone is sent to the Keeper but he is no longer there.

This is a very odd post and I have no idea what the point of bringing the Stones back is. The MCU just spent ten years dealing with them, so why bring them back so quickly?

Disney+ France put out a press release that had Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight listed as 2022 releases. A lot of people are taking this as gospel and, while it's certainly possible, I will point out it wouldn't be the first (nor the last) time a press release has put out incorrect information (this happened repeatedly with the release date of Cyberpunk 2077, for instance, and that's not an isolated example). Keep your grains of salt handy.

GWW's Vicky Depledge says the Young Avengers IP that the MCU is planning will feature its original lineup and not include Kamala Khan or America Chavez (who were part of the second iteration). It's funny to note that this matches WGTC's idea from January of last year (not that they were the only ones to make that speculation). Having no attachment to the IP I have no reaction to the information, other than (if true) it means the two other characters are being included for other reasons. It's worth keeping in mind that a spec script for the IP was written a couple of years ago and leaks we hear might be based on that (which would have little to no relevance to whatever the MCU is doing now, cf all the early Black Widow scoops based on the Hayter script from 2004).

Sutton says a War Machine Disney+ series is coming, which repeats an old 4chan rumour from January of 2019 (which LotLB repeated in August). Attached to this was a long term spec list which has no relation to the aforementioned scoop (that references the supporting cast for War Machine):
Dirge - alien villain who served Kang
The Winter Guard - a Russian villain group (Steel Guardian, Vanguard, Sibercat, Darkstar, Vostok, Fantasma, Powersurge)
Magma (Jonathan Darque) - villain with ties to Roxxon
Thunderball - villain part of the Wrecking Crew*
The Living Laser - villain
Force Works - hero team [inheriting a lot of West Coast Avengers members: Iron Man, Cybermancer, Century, Moonraker, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), U.S. Agent, War Machine, and Wonder Man]
Riri Williams (Ironheart)
*The Wrecking Crew has come up before in October, beginning with Reddit (claiming they would appear in Loki) and then by LotLB themselves who had them on a long term spec list

When this idea came up originally my problems were: 1) Don Cheadle's age (56 in November), 2) the obscurity and relative lack of popularity of the character, 3) his unknown subset of supporting characters and villains. However, these are not impossible obstacles to overcome. If there was another significant character either sharing the spotlight (ala Falcon and the Winter Soldier) or being introduced (like Black Knight in The Eternals), it's doable--the inclusion of Force Works suggests the beginnings of a team. I do not think that Riri Williams would be enough to boost the IP, although introducing her here is a much better origin for the character than her comicbook beginnings. So, is this scoop plausible? I believe Marvel discussed a show (that 4chan scoop seemed reliable), but this isn't enough for me to believe it's coming (yet).

This one is a long one from 4chan that debunks itself, but I'm including it to keep track of rumours [I've fixed some of his errors, but the misspelling of 'shield' is so persistent I've left it in]:

The movie takes place immediately after the events of Civil War, and the government is almost finished completely dismantling SHEILD following the events of The Winter Solider. However, after the events of Civil War the complete dismantling of the Avengers Initiative is taking priority.
As such, SHEILD is being allowed to run for the time being as a very small, and strictly government enforced/over-sighted agency until the Avengers are all accounted for aka "captured"...this is why Black Widow flees back to her home county of Russia - so that see can potentially seek political asylum.
As for Taskmaster: He isn't a woman. He doesn't die at the end. He's played by O.T. Fabenle. Taskmaster is indeed Tony Masters, but his fake SHEILD alias is Rick Mason. Its an amalgam of both his Ultimate version (Black Person) & Recent 616 Rewrite (Former SHEILD Sleeper Agent). The Tony Master character as played by OT Fabenle appears throughout the movie as Natasha's SHEILD Contact. The Rick Mason alias poses as a SHEILD sleeper cell acting on behalf of Nick Fury (which is actually true, he fools Fury as well), during SHEILD's current dismantling process.
There is a reference in the film made by the Mason alias (that Rumlow aka Crossbones) was his former partner.
Later on Taskmaster remarks that he trained Rumlow to become Crossbones, and thats how he got his gear & henchman - it is also why he chose to wear a Skull on his suit as homage.
The Rick Mason character is given a "heroic death" during the third act, as the result of an apparent Taskmaster attack. Taskmaster never unmasks until a Mid-Credit scene in which he reveals himself to indeed by OT Fabele - having fakes [faked] his own death previously in the film.
Rachel Weiz's character end's up being Iron Maiden, and is behind the "Red Room" program -  Taskmaster is being used to train the new Widows for malicious means.
Taskmaster is actually using Iron Maiden and the "Red Room" gathering data to add to his fighting repertoire.
Iron Maiden ends up coming to Natasha's aid towards the middle of the film, but is killed by Taskmaster.
Taskmaster also kills Red Guardian (David Harbor), and the rest of the Widows (young girls in training)
Taskmaster has been using SHIELD Technology, under the guidance of a computerized Armin Zola (which Taskmaster carries around inside a USB device), to build The Super Adaptoid.
Taskmaster can actually upload Zola into his suit to act as an "Evil Jarvis" like AI.
This actually is the purpose of Taskmaster's Goggles, as they act like Iron Man's helmet interface.
In fact, Taskmaster has taught himself how to quickly build/mass manufacture super adaptoids by studying pirated spy footage from SHEILD of Tony building his Iron Man Armors (also Ultron)
Actually his copying of Tony's style is depicted through his ability to multi-task large fights while also interacting/strategizing w/ his AI.
Taskmaster actually takes the time to study/copy styles that he can't physically imitate, like Vision's Phasing or Ant-Man's shrinking...the reason as to why is left a mystery for a while but eventually it is revealed that...
Taskmaster has been studying and fighting various heroes within the MCU in order to steal their fighting styles and then (w/ the help of Zola) computerize that data.
Which is then uploaded into the Super Adaptoid.
Being able to run this Adaptoid program in secrecy despite SHEILD's spying of the world is  hilariously explained as being untraceable by SHEILD because Taskmaster hides the program through a public Blockchain & a "dime a dozen" Cryptocurrency program...which is also how he funds his operation.
Taskmaster wishes to make an army of Super Adaptoids and use them to take over the main SHEILD Helicarrier (the only one still semi-operational as SHIELD is still in the process of being dismantled).
Taskmaster is going to use the Helicarrier as his base of operations, and then use SHEILD's system's against them to program his army of Super Adaptoids w/ orders to hunt down and kill all current and former agents.
Taskmaster is using SHEILD's dismantling process as an opportunity to basically takeover SHEILD and "remake it in his own image" - his plan/strategy does pays homage to his comic "henchman for hire" (Supervillain Training School) origins.
Taskmaster hates SHEILD because he blames them for his current predicament.
Taskmaster is suffering from a form of Alheizmers Disease, in which every time he learns a new skill he forgets and old memory, and no longer knows who is true identity is.
Taskmaster believes himself to be the result of a SHEILD's failed attempt to recreate the Super Solider serum that spawned Captain America.
Taskmaster believes that SHEILD knew of the memory loss side-affects, and purposely kept him undercover as an active sleeper cell agent, so that they could slowly wipe his personality and "re-make him in their image" as a loyal drone...kind of like what the Russian's did to Bucky w/ their Winter Solider program!
Speaking of which Taskmaster recalls being undercover within that program, as well as AIM, Hydra, The 10 Rings, and The Hand - which has all helped contribute to his loss of his identity, and also worked to corrupt his morality. [The Hand?]
A big theme of Taskmaster's motivation is that he believes himself to have at one point been a superhero himself.
As such he is jealous/envious of The Avengers, and their hero shenanigans - especially being supported through SHEILD, while still being allowed to act and behave as individuals.
On that subject, Taskmaster claims he used Crossbones to start the chain of events that led to Civil War, which effectively dismantles the Avengers - an accomplishment he his really proud of.
Still, he ultimately blames SHEILD for his loss of identity, and eventual corruption by proxy from his various sleeper cell missions - particularly Hydra.
In fact it is revealed that Taskmaster became self-aware of SHEILD's intentions to remake him into a "mindless drone of their own image" while undercover as a Hydra Agent.
It was Taskmaster that decided to become a "double agent" and orchestrate Hydra's (Robert Redford) eventual takeover of SHEILD during the events of The Winter Soldier.
Natasha & Yelena work together as a tangent tag-team to defeat Taskmaster in battle.
The catch is that Natasha & Yelena use to train together as young children, and together had developed a unique fighting style unique to only the two of them...to only be used in conjunction with each other (like a tag team)
The two had been separated for so long, that there was no footage of this style for Taskmaster to memorize. Especially, since each one possesses their own unique individual style that Taskmaster had been preparing for.
Taskmaster eventually does catch on to the tangent style, but then both Natasha & Yelena switch each other's style. Meaning Natasha now fights w/ Yelena's style, and Yelena now fight's with Natasha's.
They continue to constantly switch between the three different styles (Natasha's, Yelena's, Tag-Team) confusing Taskmaster and causing him to retreat.
Taskmaster eventually unleashes his Super Adaptoid prototype on the Widows, but w/ the help of Nick Fury, Natasha reveals to Taskmaster his real name of Tony Masters...bringing forth a rush of old memories. They mention his wife, and kids.
This causes Taskmaster to self destruct the Super Adaptoid (and his army, still in production), causing a huge explosion that also seemingly results in Taskmaster killing himself. But he does eventually return for the unmasking scene during the mid-credits.
The themes of this movie are: Family, Sisterhood, Never forgetting ones roots (where you come from), The importance of ones family, and upbringing in the formation of ones core values, personality, and identity (which conflicts with the next theme), The ultimate realization that it is "free will" that creates who one is as an individual, in spite of where they've come from, or any previous upbringings, Government Spying & Privacy Infringement (NOT Subtle at all)
Taskmaster possesses the powers of all the Avenger's from Civil War (and then some) including: Natasha (Active), Captain America (Active), Iron Man (Active), Black Panther (Active), Hawkeye (Active), Winter Soldier (Active), Whiplash (Active), Crossbones (Active), Thor (Passive), Hulk (Passive), Spider-Man (Passive), Vision (Passive), Scarlet Witch (Passive), Quick Silver (Passive), War Machine (Passive), Falcon (Passive), Ant-Man Lang (Passive), Ant-Man Pym (Passive), Wasp Janet (Passive), Loki (Passive), Ultron (Passive), ...as well as a few other characters whom, have not even debuted in the MCU yet...
Most Notably:
Moon Knight (Moon Shaped Shuriken's, Bo Staff, and a reference to hating the style because it means he has to take a punch in order to give one)
Blade (Heart Thrusting Stakes, that Silver Boomerang thing, and a reference to having perfected the style because he isn't distracted by spilt blood)
Deadpool (Duel Katana's and a reference to a foe whom never shuts his mouth)
Wolverine (Pantera Claws, and a reference to needing to be nearly invincible in order to use them effectively)
Ghost Rider (While evading/attacking on a Motorcycle he mentions that he can't figure out how to make it climb up walls, but he's perfected how to use it as a weapon)
Daredevil (Grappling Hook Baton, and a reference that he may not be able to hear where its going to land but at least he can see it)
Luke Cage (When busting through a door, and then football plowing through a group of agents Taskmaster references that he can't use that technique often because he isn't "Bullet Proof")
Iron Fist (After hitting an agent through a wall he mentions that the punch would work better if he could figure out how to make his fist glow)
Jessica Jones (After leaping from a balcony and landing on the ground, Taskmaster mentions that that style is meant to be used while intoxicated, but if he wasn't sober he'd blow out his knees)
The Punisher (Taskmaster mentions that gunplay is cheating, but it can be used as a tool to set up his hand-to hand combat styles, and that it works so much better when their isn't a visible target on his chest.)
Taskmaster also apparently talks like an Anime character while in the midst of combat. His voice is muffled, sounds like a bit like Ghostface from Scream.

We know this is fake because of the Netflix inclusion (the MCU cannot, legally, use them yet). Beyond that, it's an overly busy mess that's presented as a Taskmaster film, not a Black Widow film.

Reddit on the MCU's plans:

Many of you are still in shock over hearing the news that, due to Covid-19, all Marvel movies have been pushed back a few months. However, I have been informed by exclusive inside sources that Marvel intends to make up for lost money and keep their long-term plans intact by releasing five films in 2022. Now, as we all know, we already have three films on the docket for 2022. My sources have told me that one of the other two films releasing in 2022 will be the untitled third Ant-Man film, and it will receive a release date in between the release of the Captain Marvel sequel and the October film. As for the October film, my sources have told me that Marvel is currently debating whether to release Blade or the Fantastic Four reboot on that date. At this point, it could be either, though my personal bet is that the daywalking vampire will enter theaters around Halloween.

This is plausible speculation, but the idea that Marvel would still be debating what film is being released in October of 2022 busts this as being from an insider.

Sutton (via LotLB) says New Mutants will be put on Disney+. When I asked Tim about the HBO situation with Fox (cf), he pointed out that Artemis Fowl was in the same predicament and was released on Disney+ without issue (cf)--Disney was able to do so because that film was never released theatrically. This sounds like a loophole for Disney to use if they choose to do so.

Kinda Culty's latest and here are the things that stuck out to me:

• Why was General Ross at Tony's funeral? KC thinks it's a bit of a tease and I think that's a plausible idea--hinting at his role in forming the Thunderbolts and being involved going forward
• The super soldier serum used on John Walker will also allow for mind control (matching what was done with Bucky) [Mind control first came up in a 4chan post in November, although in that it's specifically Zemo who is responsible for it; the idea was echoed on Reddit in February, but this time exactly matching KC's idea]
• We know from a deleted scene in The Incredible Hulk that Ross has been experimenting on super soldiers for sometime (in my opinion this was probably, originally, an easter egg for Wolverine, but the MCU can do whatever they want with it now)
• Thinks the Black Widow trailer reveal that Taskmaster is running the Red Room is only partially true, with Melina or Ray Winstone's character being truly in charge--the weight of the various scoops would say the former, but in general I think that's correct (if, as is rumoured, Marvel wants to keep Taskmaster around, he has to be redeemable)
• I agree with KC that Marvel is not going to do a full Dark Reign story, but rather adapt certain elements of it going forward; he believes Black Widow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Spider-Man 3 and She-Hulk will tie into that. The Spidey inclusion is a bit surprising to me, since Marvel has kept the Sony films in a box thus far (with no real resonance elsewhere). I also agree with him that if we're getting the Thunderbolts we won't see Dark Avengers, as the two properties are far too similar
• KC is 50-50 on Ross as Red Hulk, but I think Hurt is simply too old (70) to do so reliably for more than one film (if it's just one film, and that film is soon, then sure)

If you've paid attention to my thoughts the last year or so you'll note I was originally skeptical about the Thunderbolts because of how dependent they were on either 1) Norman Osborn, or 2) older Incredible Hulk actors we haven't seen in over a decade. Neither concern is an issue now (since neither the actors nor the Sony character are involved) and I have no doubt such a project is coming. The biggest bombshell (to me) in KC's theory about is the idea of Spider-Man being involved with the IP--not that it doesn't make sense, but that Marvel has intentionally kept his films only tangentially attached to the MCU (due to Sony's ability to walk away the moment the deal ends).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel News & Notes

Disney has finally re-arranged their film release dates as a result of the corona outbreak (in the process debunking some unfounded rumours--see below). Clearly they want the MCU to have its usual worldwide approach, or they wouldn't have shifted the slate so far back. Here's the new schedule (keeping in mind that Spider-Man is a Sony date and therefore not included):
2020
Black Widow - November 6 (the release date of:)
2021
The Eternals - February 12 (the release date of:)
Shang-Chi - May 7 (the release date of:)
Doctor Strange 2 - November 5 (the release date of:)
2022
Thor 4 - February 18 (the release date of an unrevealed title now pulled from the schedule--conventional wisdom says this was Ant-Man 3)
Black Panther 2 - May 6 (no change)
Captain Marvel 2 - July 8 (moving up three weeks)
Unknown - October 7 (general sentiment says this is Blade)
2023
Unknown - February 17
Unknown - May 5
Unknown - July 28
Unknown - November 3

Murphy has heard that the MCU is aiming to gear up full production again in September, which strikes me as a conservative guess, but given how terrible the situation is in the US, it's plausible.

I'm not sure what the shifting schedule means for Ant-Man 3, but the film now has a writer--yet another Rick & Morty alum, Jeff Loveness. He joins Michael Waldron (Loki/Doctor Strange 2) and Jessica Gao (She-Hulk) from Rick & Morty. We also learned there was an earlier version of the script from Paul Rudd and that it included MODOK. What interests me is that Marvel is choosing to bring someone in to either update or completely re-write Rudd's script. Ant-Man 2 suffered in the script department (compared to the original film, which had five writers), so I welcome the move.

Funko Pops may have revealed some appearances in The Eternals, specifically that of Kro and Arishem the Celestial. The latter isn't surprising, given that Marvel has shown off concept art of the Celestials and Arishem is the most obvious member to appear. However, Kro is a villain (a Deviant) who hasn't come up much in rumours. By my count we've only heard of him twice, once in December and then March. Only the original is a potential scoop because the latter is a mix of fan-casting with an absurd plot. What was that December rumour? It came from 4chan and, at the time, I said it was similar to a November post, but re-reading it that's not a fair assessment (the latter is clearly speculation based on the comics). Without repeating it entirely:

• 1) The Eternals were created by the Celestials to defend humanity from the Deviants [this was revealed by Richard Madden months earlier]; the latter are defeated and exiled and the former give up their powers to live among the humans, forgetting who they were (this is very similar to the Neil Gaiman run on the comic)
• 2) Dane Whitman discovers an Eternal citadel and activates a beacon that awakens them; Deviants attack him and the Eternals arrive to save him (this is similar to Jack Kirby's run on the comics, with Whitman in the Margo Damien-role and, I'd guess, Sersi in the Ikaris role)
• 3) The Deviants were freed by a rogue Eternal, there are twists and turns of the plot, but the key element is the inclusion of Kro as the principal Deviant who has a relationship with Thena
• 4) In the end the Celestials return and Ajak sacrifices herself to stop them

I was skeptical of this plot at the time, but returning to it I think it's plausible, making use of various elements we've heard about (eg Phastos etc). Let's keep in mind, the Funko Pops aren't an absolute guarantee we'll see those characters, they simply make it probable.

Murphy put out a Tweet reply where he said: "So you're still going to get Sue [Storm], probably in near proximity to AM3 [Ant-Man 3] coming out and, for all you know, whoever brings the FF [Fantastic Four] to the MCU might do a better job. You didn't lose." This is a fascinating thing for him to say, as to my knowledge he's never discussed this before (at least, outside the realm of speculation). From the context he doesn't just mean Sue Storm but the entire FF. The implication is that he thinks they require Ant-Man 3 to appear, but I'm taking that as his speculation. I wouldn't call this a scoop at this point, but it's interesting to note.

We have a Reddit post from a guy who has previously put up others that have not been deleted (meaning the mods have accepted that he is who he says he is--not the biggest hurdle to overcome, but it gives him more credibility than most):

Hey guys! Long time no see, but I figure with all the delays that everyone could use some cheering up right now. If you don’t already know, I’ve been working as an editor on both Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, typically just working on trailers, but with the start of remote work, I’ve been working on Falcon as a part-time editor and got to see some interesting scenes. I’m not gonna spoil anything monumental, but given that some of these scenes may straight up have to be cut, I figured I’d share some of their contents with you all. (And for all those wondering, Marvel is eyeing a December 2020 release date, and is likely pushing Wandavision to July 2021 in order to be in close proximity to Doctor Strange--the delays affecting Doctor Strange made them want to push those two closer together as well so a Doctor Strange trailer featuring Wanda can build hype.) [This would be a significant delay and put a drag on MCU momentum for Disney+, but it does make sense to synergize the two related IP]
Some scenes I’ve seen for Falcon:
Bucky will work with US Agent as part of a government-mandated parole of sorts in exchange for charges against him being dropped. He is, however, highly suspicious of the serum given to US Agent, and starts his own spy work mirroring Widows’s Captain America: Winter Soldier arc. This leads into the information I gave in the last leak (Bucky warning Sam about the serum [link above].)
As part of this parole, Bucky also sees a government-mandated therapist who is revealed to be corrupt. He has a few flashback scenes with her in which more of his time as the Winter Soldier is revealed, including him finding out about Steve Rogers’ “death” and momentarily breaking programming, as well as him being ordered to kill Sam and other members of the Falcon program.
Bucky winds up deciding to go on the run rather than work with US Agent and be complicit in further danger to society.
Sam and Bucky go to an airport together undercover and there’s a funny scene involving Sam’s wings and Bucky’s arm going through TSA.
There’s a big reveal involving Steve opening a training academy in the alternate timeline. [I'm not sure what this portends--the phrasing suggests significance, but I'm not clear what that is]
Really cool team-up scene with Sam and Isaiah [Bradley] once Sam takes back the shield, with the 2 of them passing the shield back and forth.
Zemo, Sam, and Bucky will team up before it’s revealed that Zemo was involved in the creation of the mind altering serum used on US Agent.
Battlestar will turn against US Agent after seeing him brainwashed and go rogue.
The Madbomb rumors were true, but those scenes are certainly being cut and possibly being replaced with a new side villain for US Agent and Bucky to take on. [Presumably in reference to the plot changes being made in response to the corona outbreak]
Each episode will have a post-credit scene!
That’s all! I’ll respond to a few questions in the comments as usual. Stay safe everyone, and remember that delays only mean you’ll be getting an even better product. Safety is the priority right now. Shooting is being eyed to resume in June if things have improved.

The idea of the 'Madbomb' plot isn't new (eg, LotLB had it in November and it's been common speculation; the storyline is from Jack Kirby in 1976), but if this is correct it sounds like it's not just being adjusted, but completely replaced. This must be the reason the re-shoots aren't complete, since the show is replacing the plot entirely (a radical decision and, in my opinion, an overreaction). As for what's here in general, it sounds plausible and we're finally learning more about Bucky's storyline. What's not clear from is where the Zemo storyline is going or the end game for US Agent, but the poster did say he was trying to avoid major spoilers.

Daniel claims a Young Avengers project is in active development, without saying if it's a film or Disney+. Rumours about the IP aren't new and they aren't even new for Daniel, who reported the exact same thing back in September. So why is Daniel repeating himself? This isn't the first time he's done so, but I think the trigger was GWW's Thomas Polito saying "Sounds like Marvel Studios is gearing up to take pitches from writers for Young Avengers" on Twitter.

On March 27th Grace Randolph claimed Disney was considering putting Black Widow on Disney+, something that Conrad echoed the next day and Murphy echoed obliquely on his Twitter feed. I pay next to no attention to Randolph, as her unending bitterness towards her former employer and lack of inside sources makes her completely unreliable (cf). A few days after this came out Deadline's Anthony D'Alessandro said this idea was hogwash, something that would be more definitive if D'Alessandro himself hadn't fallen on his face previously. Any doubt this was invented was crushed with Disney's revised slate (above), but I'm surprised that Conrad/Murphy gave someone as unreliable as Randolph credit (or that either thought on a business-level such an option was acceptable).

In a now deleted Tweet from Atlanta Filming there seemed to be an accidental casting leak:

"What does 'Must See Thursday' and Fox's X-Men have in common? They both started actors/actresses that are villain in upcoming Marvel shows."

There's no guarantee the person running the Twitter feed is accurate, but its possible, so let's go down the rabbit hole. For those who don't know, the Must See Thursday moniker was NBC's brand for its 1990s nighttime lineup (launched in 1993--you can see the full list here). People on Reddit (link above) missed the 'starred' part of the quote and included everyone who made an appearance--including those from when NBC changed the name to Must See TV, so keeping to our boundaries, here is your option: Kelsey Grammar (Frasier (93-94, 98-00); X-Men 3; Days of Future Past (cameo)). That's it. No other starring actor within that timeframe also appeared in the X-Men films. Could he be appearing? It's certainly possible, but I'd take it with a grain of salt.

Conrad referenced something I hadn't heard of regarding New Mutants (cf above):

"...some have said that HBO has some kind of deal in place for the newer [Fox X-Men] movies (such as Dark Phoenix) until 2022. That would likely rule out New Mutants too."

This is surely why Disney has stubbornly pushed releasing the film theatrically, unable to dump it on Disney+ and, therefore, the only way outside of VOD to make any money on it. In going through comments about this on Reddit people pointed out that the deal only applies in the United States, but that's a significant enough market to give Disney pause.

Here are the highlights from Kinda Culty's latest video for me (some of this is already known, but I felt was worth repeating):

• I was reminded that Feige said the film goes back 7,000 years, a very specific number that none of the early leaks got correct (their estimates ranging from millions to 30,000); Feige also hinted at a Thanos connection (which is expected, but worth repeating)
• From set leaks Loki seems to be working with the TVA; he's rumoured to visit ancient Egypt and KC thinks this is for a Kang connection (he goes through all the different iterations--default Kang, Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Iron Lad, and Immortus), perhaps being a backdoor to Fantastic Four, Mutants (possibly Apocalypse in Egypt), and Young Avengers
• Thor 4 will be like Ultron or Civil War; including maybe Loki, some Eternals, and SWORD; there will be a main villain with a bunch of secondary ones--he leans towards Gorr as the main villain (borrowing elements from Mangog), due to Taika's attachment to the Jason Aaron run on Thor (he likes the recent 4chan leak)
• Black Knight hinted to continue on from The Eternals (which makes sense--of all the leads appearing in that film, he's the only character with any popularity from the comics)

We had more from the fake Roger Wardell:

• Inhumans to undergo complete recast. Ms Marvel will refer to ABC's flop as a TV series of that universe. It will appear several times throughout the show in a form of billboards and TV spots.
• Heroes for Hire Disney+ show planned for Phase 5. It will serve as a binder between some of the Netflix and Disney+ characters. [The idea of the Netflix characters appearing is fairly common, with LotLB, Mikey Sutton, Daniel, Conrad, WGTC, and Cosmic Book News all floating the idea]
• Return of the Darkhold will be fundamental for upcoming WandaVision. Captain Britain and Ghost Rider in Doctor Strange 2. Events of both the show and movie will prepare the ground for Doctor Doom's debut. [Rumours about Ghost Rider in Doctor Strange 2 are quite common, but Captain Britain is not; Murphy brought him up in November in what, in retrospect, seems like his guess over what the 'Limbo LLC' was going to be about--which, as it turned out, was Loki; then in January I speculated he might be one of the 'character they've always wanted to use' Feige teased for Doctor Strange 2]

None of this seems plausible to me, as Feige has shown no inclination to acknowledge the Marvel Entertainment properties, and Disney doesn't even own the Netflix shows, so why empower their competitor?

A couple of thoughts I've had lately:

• I wonder if we'll see a young Daredevil with the Yelena version of Black Widow in the aftermath of Black Widow. Netflix, while it included an origin for the character, used a much older actor and largely skipped over his origins--given Florence Pugh's age, it would be an easy fit if the MCU wants to go there, since the two are heavily connected in the comics
• No Deadpool in the MCU? I'm beginning to wonder if he'll ever truly be part of the universe. We've had nothing announced for Phase Four and surely the third film is coming within that timeframe, Bob Iger said it would be part of the MCU, but I wonder if he's going to occupy the same space Netflix/ABC did in being 'adjacent but ignored'

One of the most popular actors in the MCU rumour-mill is Ryan Gosling--according to rumours he's playing anything and everything. This speculation isn't just based on his popularity, but also because he hasn't had any known upcoming projects on his slate. We have a bit of an update on that from Daniel, who says he's signed on with Universal for their Monsters franchise (rebooted, presumably, from Tom Cruise's disastrous The Mummy in 2017). The project has also (according to him) signed John Krasinski to write/direct, which could signal he's been passed over by Marvel, or that the Fantastic Four is a long way off.

Amidst all the shuffling due to the pandemic, one of the more surprising delays is Sony's Morbius. The film has jumped all the way from July 10th to March 19th of next year (while the gap is similar to Black Widow, its notable because Sony didn't need to push it that far). The shift brings to question just how interconnected it is with Venom 2, whose October 2nd date is unchanged. There were a lot of assumptions that Morbius would help set-up Venom, but this change implies there were simply easter eggs or trivial references.

For those interested, via the Sony hack, here are the Marvel characters they can use (including those shared). The document is from 2011, but there were no important adjustments made through to the time of the hack in November, 2014.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)