Marvel Movies & TV: Phase 17

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Discuss Marvel on screen here.

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There’s Cassie as well. I suppose they might just have them be “Avengers”.

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Todd

Relatively Young Avengers, coming to cinemas in 2031

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Todd

Way younger than the people who keep the comic book companies alive Avengers.
While true, it might be a little much.

Marvel does have a fair number of young characters to choose from who could be “Young Avengers”:

Young Avengers Cast: 16 Potential Members Already Set Up In The MCU

More than half of those are characters that are unlikely to appear in YA, or ever again. But yeah, they certainly have enough young – and legacy – characters for a team at this point.

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Todd

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Todd

This is actually a pretty decent trailer I think. It captures a Winter Soldier like tone and the Harrison Ford Hulk doesn’t look as terrible as I thought it might. Not sure if some of the more interesting editing choices like the split screen stuff (reminiscent of Ang Lee’s Hulk) will make it into the finished movie but even so this looks a little more interesting than I expected.

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Dave wrote:

This is actually a pretty decent trailer I think. It captures a Winter Soldier like tone and the Harrison Ford Hulk doesn’t look as terrible as I thought it might. Not sure if some of the more interesting editing choices like the split screen stuff (reminiscent of Ang Lee’s Hulk) will make it into the finished movie but even so this looks a little more interesting than I expected.

Yeah, that split screen thing felt more like it was just for the trailer. But as such, it was very nicely done, and nice to see someone trying something new in a movie trailer. Anyway, I like what they convey of the mood of the movie; it feels like an old-school Cold War thriller or something. So yeah, I guess I’m in. Almost surprisingly.

(For the record, I hated the Ang Lee split screen in the movie itself. I think it fundamentally misunderstood how comics work.)

And I actually liked the Thunderbolts trailer, too. Looks like a good time.

Much more excited about thunderbolts and their fake Caps than the real one right now.

Is anyone ready for a weird, niche MCU complaint? Take a look at the opening bit of that Thunderbolts trailer, where the Humm-Vees are attacking the limo.  There’s nobody visible, nobody manning the guns on top, when the gun pokes out the window near the end we don’t see the people inside.  The MCU often feels like an 80s cartoon where human enemies are literal faceless goons, anonymised and notably absent when there’s death so it can be implied rather than explicit.

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Todd

Oh, absolutely. I mean, they had zombie-like aliens for the first Avengers movie and for the Guardians movies (so Gunn could do his splatter thing). But, I mean, that’s only to be expected.

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The characters fight in the middle of a horde of CGI blobs is 100% part of the problem, yeah

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Christian, Todd

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lorcan_nagle

Chris Evans Returning to Marvel for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ – Hollywood Reporter

Sean Robinson wrote:

Chris Evans Returning to Marvel for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ – Hollywood Reporter

Wow, he hasn’t been in a Marvel film for… well, a couple of months at least.

They’re really going back to the old formula for this one, aren’t they? Russos, Evans, Downey.

That’s fine I guess but it’ll be interesting to see whether they’ll also manage to move the franchise forward.

They’re in a tough situation. The post-Endgame output has been mostly poor, and their only two big $1bn+ blockbusters post-Covid have been the movies that brought back tons of old Marvel stars from earlier movies for multiversal cameos.

Given this, it’s easy to see why they’re resorting to the safety of that formula for Secret Wars too – but it can’t help but feel regressive and creatively bankrupt.

I have seen some talk that test audiences are not liking Captain America: New World Order.

Avengers: Endgame really was a jumping-off point for a lot of people, and it’s understandable. It wrapped up the huge Thanos arc, and 10 years of movies. I think a lot of people were sticking around to see its conclusion. Once it was over, they felt their commitment was, too.

And for the most part, the majority of Marvel’s recent output has been pretty weak. The buildup of the multiverse and Kang had a lot of eyes rolling. Jonathan Majors’ legal problems also messed up their plans so much, they had to revise them on the spot. The streaming shows have been very hit or miss.

I think Marvel trying to build second- and third-tier heroes as the new majors was just not executed well. They did not have the surrounding support of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Guardians of the Galaxy wouldn’t been as successful if it weren’t part of the cluster of Avenger-related movies. Instead, they were tossed out with the hope that the Marvel branding alone would be good enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. It also didn’t help that a lot of those projects simply weren’t good.

I think to a certain extent; “superhero fatigue” is real. People pushed through for Endgame and called it a day. They were ready to move on to something new. What Marvel announced was not enough to keep them on board. I do wonder if they had pulled the trigger on Fantastic Four and X-Men a lot sooner, if things wouldn’t be so dire overall.

I did see one person suggest that with the end of Phase Three, Kevin Fiege should have stepped down and let someone else take over the direction of the MCU. I understand why that didn’t happen, but maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad decision.

Hopefully, Fantastic Four and X-Men will be good and reinvigorate the MCU.

I do think we’ll get an announcement in the next year or so that Fiege will step back from running the show full time, probably with a successor named as well.

That way they can promote Secret Wars as being another finale to his whole tenure and whatever comes next as a “new era”.

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Glad its over…

Sony Spider-Man Universe Reportedly Done as Kraven the Hunter Targets Opening Worse Than Madame Web – IGN

Sony is reportedly giving up on its Spider-Man universe, which includes universally panned films such as Venom and Morbius, as Kraven the Hunter is projected for a worse opening weekend than the disastrous Madame Web.
A leading talent agent told The Wrap that Sony has “developed what they want to develop for now” and is instead focusing on the next actual Spider-Man film under Marvel Studios, which was confirmed by star Tom Holland to begin filming in 2025.

Kraven the Hunter, the latest and potentially final entry in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, arrives December 13 and is already expected to be as meek a release as previous offerings. As reported by Deadline, it’s targeting a mere $13 to $15 million at the box office in its opening weekend. By comparison, Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in $587.2 million in its weekend box office debut.

Though final numbers won’t emerge until next week, this would put Kraven the Hunter lower than Madame Web’s $17.6 million opening weekend performance, which broke records as the worst opening for a Sony Spider-Man film ever and was the first Marvel film since Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot to not open at number one.

Kraven the Hunter stars Kick Ass and Bullet Train actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular villain, a skilled hunter who sets his sights on Spider-Man after conquering all other prey in the animal kingdom. Its director J.C. Chandor asked fans to please give Kraven the Hunter a chance.

Sony’s Spider-Man universe officially includes six films: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and soon Kraven the Hunter. Only one of these has so far earned above a 5/10 in IGN’s review, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage earning a 7/10. The rest have managed between 4/10 and 5/10.

Sony has the aforementioned Spider-Man 4 to look forward to, at least. It arrives on July 24, 2026 as a continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy again starring Holland. It may even introduce Miles Morales into the MCU, something Holland is personally invested in.

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Todd

The only thing Sony got right were the Spider-Verse movies. I just wish they would release the third movie!

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JRCarter, Dan, Sean Robinson

Good fucking riddance. I hope they finally sell the bloody rights to Marvel now.

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JRCarter, Todd

‘Avengers: Doomsday’: Hayley Atwell Reprising Agent Carter Role In Marvel Studios Pic – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: With Chris Evans likely reprising his Steve Rogers role in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, it looks like a former partner in crime with be joining him. Sources tell Deadline that Hayley Atwell is expected to reprise her Agent Carter role in the film, which Anthony and Joe Russo are returning to direct and Marvel president Kevin Feige on board to produce.

Marvel did not respond for comment. Plot details are unknown at this time. The film will bow in theaters on May 1, 2026.

Deadline was first to report in 2021 that Marvel and Evans were discussing a return in some form to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the belief was Atwell was also part of that plan to potentially return for a stand-alone movie. A story for that film could not get nailed down, but in recent months both sides saw the new Avengers film as the perfect opportunity to bring back both characters.

Atwell can be seen next reprising her role of Grace in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, which bows in May.

Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse Gets A Disappointing Release Date Update

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has received a major release update. Miles Morales’ animated adventures have earned Sony several awards and two movies that fared quite well at the box office. Both films are among the best Spider-Man movies of all time, with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse being set up to be a multiverse event like no other. The Spider-Verse trilogy finale was initially scheduled for a March 29th, 2024, release. However, the Sony Marvel movie was indefinitely delayed, being taken off the studio’s release schedule. A new update points to that delay lasting longer than expected.

According to Deadline, Sony has no plans to release Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2025. The report mentions how the studio is “taking a lot of tender loving care” when it comes to concluding Miles Morales’ story. So far, there have been few concrete signs related to Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s release date. In September, a bombshell report claimed the movie was unlikely to be released before 2027 and that a lot of it had been scrapped for creative reasons. That report was refuted by producer Christopher Miller and composer Daniel Pemberton.

What Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse’s Release Update Means
Another Year Becomes Likely For The Spider-Verse Finale’s Release

While there might not have been any truth to the report that large portions of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse had been scrapped for creative reasons, the report could help pinpoint when the movie will be released. Producer Christopher Miller and composer Daniel Pemberton called out its inaccuracy, which means the part about the film being unlikely to release until 2027 is also wrong. That becomes especially interesting in the context of the new Spider-Verse finale update, as the upcoming Sony Marvel movie now has a likely year to arrive.

The reason for that is simple. The new update states that Sony will not release Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2025. With key personnel on the movie discrediting the rumor that it would only be released by 2027 at the earliest, a 2026 release window for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse becomes likely. Recently, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s Miles G. Morales actor Jharrel Jerome spoke to ScreenRant about whether he had already recorded his lines for the threequel. According to the star, he still has not recorded anything for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which fits the film’s delayed nature.

Our Take On Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse’s Release Update
Sony Should Take Its Time With The Movie

Both Spider-Verse movies have advanced the animation medium in innovative ways while also telling some of the best Spider-Man stories we have ever had outside the comics. As such, I’m not that bothered by the reveal that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will not come out in 2025. After Sony faced issues with its three Spider-Man-related movies in 2024 — Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter — I’m okay with giving the studio as much time as it needs to make sure that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse finds the perfect way to ends Miles Morales’ animated story.

I saw Kraven, which was awful. I’ve loved some of J.C. Chandor’s past movies, so I had a tiny bit of hope, but nope. Not even as goofy bad as Madame Web, just dour and uninteresting.

There’s no plot to the movie at all, and the story still feels like a mess. It wastes half an hour on an unnecessary and convoluted origin flashback, which leaves no time for a present day story. So we get some vague talk about how Alessandro Nivola didn’t want to wait for Kraven to hunt him down and decided to kidnap his brother to lead him into a trap. That’s the entire plot that remains in the finished movie.

Ariana DeBose, the only woman in the movie with more than one scene (the only other women are her mother and grandmother in the flashback sequence) is only in about a half-dozen scenes and she feels like she’s playing a different character in each of them, none of whom are at all interesting. She barely has a name, and even that I’m not sure of, given she reacts to Kraven calling her “Calypso” as if it were some secret codename.

Fred Hechinger as Kraven’s brother feels like he’s playing a proto-version of his Gladiator II character, coincidentally alongside Russell Crowe, wasted as the Kravinoff patriach. There’s also what definitely feels like a Gladiator reference when Kraven is near-death in the flashback, which probably would have played differently if this wasn’t coming out weeks after a Gladiator sequel.

The action scenes are the only good part of the movie, and there’s not many of them. They’re not great, but they kept my attention at least. There’s some extra gore and two f-bombs that are clearly an attempt to piggyback off Deadpool’s R-rated success.

There’s a terrible scene at the end threatening a sequel that everyone knows will never happen, but no credits scenes referencing Morbius thankfully.

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Todd

paul f wrote:

I saw Kraven, which was awful. I’ve loved some of J.C. Chandor’s past movies, so I had a tiny bit of hope, but nope. Not even as goofy bad as Madame Web, just dour and uninteresting.

There’s no plot to the movie at all, and the story still feels like a mess. It wastes half an hour on an unnecessary and convoluted origin flashback, which leaves no time for a present day story. So we get some vague talk about how Alessandro Nivola didn’t want to wait for Kraven to hunt him down and decided to kidnap his brother to lead him into a trap. That’s the entire plot that remains in the finished movie.

Ariana DeBose, the only woman in the movie with more than one scene (the only other women are her mother and grandmother in the flashback sequence) is only in about a half-dozen scenes and she feels like she’s playing a different character in each of them, none of whom are at all interesting. She barely has a name, and even that I’m not sure of, given she reacts to Kraven calling her “Calypso” as if it were some secret codename.

Fred Hechinger as Kraven’s brother feels like he’s playing a proto-version of his Gladiator II character, coincidentally alongside Russell Crowe, wasted as the Kravinoff patriach. There’s also what definitely feels like a Gladiator reference when Kraven is near-death in the flashback, which probably would have played differently if this wasn’t coming out weeks after a Gladiator sequel.

The action scenes are the only good part of the movie, and there’s not many of them. They’re not great, but they kept my attention at least. There’s some extra gore and two f-bombs that are clearly an attempt to piggyback off Deadpool’s R-rated success.

There’s a terrible scene at the end threatening a sequel that everyone knows will never happen, but no credits scenes referencing Morbius thankfully.

I just watched this analysis of the movie last night:

Wow, that sounds even dumber than you’d think it would. Especially the random magic power-giving potion stuff. (Which is pretty close to the comics, of course, but even dumber.)

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Todd

Marvel Studios Recasting T’Challa 4 Years After Chadwick Boseman’s Passing (Rumor Report) – The Direct

“With Marvel reshuffling the deck in advance of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ and Robert Downey Jr. coming back not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom, I’m told that the door is firmly open for T’Challa to be recast via the magic of the multiverse.”

About damn time, if it’s true. Marvel should have delayed production on “Wakanda Forever” and recast T’Challa later.

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Sean Robinson

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I’m slightly more hyped about Jon Bernthal being back as the Punisher

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Ben, Sean Robinson, Todd

That was quite a good trailer, I thought. I am looking forward to this.

It also makes me a bit happy that they’re even using a variation of the old theme. They’re certainly giving the DeKnight version of the show its due. Seems like it was a good decision to completely change direction and hire a new team mid-filming.

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It looks to be more along the lines of the Netflix productions with its fight scenes and blood. Not like typical Disney at all.

Never forget, Disney released Pulp Fiction.

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Christian, Todd

I know Disney bought Miramax from (won’t say their names). And they founded Touchstone but I digress…

I will say this : DD in the trailer is not like the DD in the She Hulk show 🤣

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Al-x wrote:

It looks to be more along the lines of the Netflix productions with its fight scenes and blood. Not like typical Disney at all.

The new showrunners did state explicitly that they wanted the new show to be more closely tied to the Netflix one when they took over.

Tobias Radesäter wrote:

They clearly sound different!

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Todd

is this the teaser for the teaser?

Dan wrote:

is this the teaser for the teaser?

My friend went off on me for sending that out.
I responded it’s merely the “Teaser Trailer Announcement Trailer”.

What the real bullshit is there wasn’t any “Teaser Trailer Announcement Trailer Foreshadow” the day before.
Like seriously, how can I plan my life without knowing whats coming?

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Dan, Uncle Retrospective

Hugh Jackman canceled a concert due to an “unforeseen conflict” and everyone has jumped to the same conclusion: Wolverine will return in the next Avengers movie – GamesRadar/Newsarama

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Visually, it looks good.

But for me, I just can’t get past the “retro-future” aesthetic and setting. It’s something that will be dropped pretty quickly, then quickly forgotten.

To me, it honestly feels like a complete waste.

I honestly hope we find out they’re from the main MCU timeline and somehow got trapped in that universe. I doubt it will happen, though.

Galactus looked pretty cool though.

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Todd

We still can’t make stretching powers look good, but we have a few months to figure it out. In the meantime, look at the strong rock, the fire and the invisibility!

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Todd

“What if Wes Anderson directed a Marvel movie?”

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njerry

Todd wrote:

I honestly hope we find out they’re from the main MCU timeline and somehow got trapped in that universe. I doubt it will happen, though.

Aren’t we expecting the opposite though? That they get thrown into the main MCU at the end of the movie from their reality?

Personally, I like this a lot. It looks very much like the F4 should, there’s a family friendly and gently funny tone that I think fits what they should be about, the aesthetic works for me… plus, I mean, there’s John Malkovich looking like fucking Gandalf, who wouldn’t love that?!

I really like the trailer. I honestly wish they would keep the F4 and the X-Men in their own universes and not merge with the MCU. The MCU is boring, this place looks fun.

I guess Malkovich is probably playing Nathaniel Richards, but he does look really like da Vinci from Hickman’s SHIELD.

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wait, isn’t Nathaniel Richards Kang?

so confusing!

paul f wrote:

I guess Malkovich is probably playing Nathaniel Richards, but he does look really like da Vinci from Hickman’s SHIELD.

I thought the consensus was that Malkovich is playing the Red Ghost.

JRCarter wrote:

paul f wrote:

I guess Malkovich is probably playing Nathaniel Richards, but he does look really like da Vinci from Hickman’s SHIELD.

I thought the consensus was that Malkovich is playing the Red Ghost.

I’ll be honest: I have absolutely no idea who that is.

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JRCarter

John Malkovich’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps character might be The Red Ghost, a Russian cosmonaut who hangs out with three super-powered apes – and I couldn’t be more excited – GamesRadar/Newsarama

…Created all the way back in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Kragoff is actually one of four cosmonauts embroiled in the Space Race of the ’60s who gained super powers after exposure to Cosmic Rays, just like their American counterparts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.

The twist is, the other three cosmonauts who gained powers alongside Kragoff are actually great apes, collectively known as the Super-Apes. Yes, that’s right – the original comic book concept of an anti-FF was a weird old ghost man and his three monkey pals…

JRCarter wrote:

I thought the consensus was that Malkovich is playing the Red Ghost.

That’s what a lot of the speculation says. But I’d rather have Nathaniel Richards in the movie, I have to say.

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Sean Robinson

Sean Robinson wrote:

John Malkovich’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps character might be The Red Ghost, a Russian cosmonaut who hangs out with three super-powered apes – and I couldn’t be more excited – GamesRadar/Newsarama

…Created all the way back in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Kragoff is actually one of four cosmonauts embroiled in the Space Race of the ’60s who gained super powers after exposure to Cosmic Rays, just like their American counterparts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.

The twist is, the other three cosmonauts who gained powers alongside Kragoff are actually great apes, collectively known as the Super-Apes. Yes, that’s right – the original comic book concept of an anti-FF was a weird old ghost man and his three monkey pals…

I have memories of those folks being in Fantastic four cartoons in the 70s – but that might just be in my brain

[Dan]

oh yes, here we go!

Red_Ghost_Fantastic_Four_1967

Super-Apes_28Fantastic_Four_2819672929

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 3 days ago by Dan.
• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 3 days ago by Dan.
• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 3 days ago by Dan.

[Sean Robinson]

Yup (although beaten to the punch by Dan)

Red Ghost (Fantastic Four (1967)) | Marvel Animated Universe Wiki | Fandom https://search.app/V2yaiKg5Exnx9XyG7

Marvel Animation Age – The Fantastic Four (1967) – Episode Review – The Red Ghost https://search.app/cmR6sUK8Vo2ZBPcB7

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 3 days ago by Sean Robinson.

I largely recall the Red Ghost from the Fantastic Four Roast.  Though to be fair, I’ve only read about 20 Fantastic Four comics, including that one.  And another one was an issue of Damage Control

I do remember Red Ghost and his apes, but I have no idea where from. I don’t think it was the old comics, probably something newer where he popped up again…

The Red Ghost and his Apes fought Spider-Man twice in the 80’s or early 90’s.

(But one of them is a monkey!)

paul f wrote:

JRCarter wrote:

paul f wrote:

I guess Malkovich is probably playing Nathaniel Richards, but he does look really like da Vinci from Hickman’s SHIELD.

I thought the consensus was that Malkovich is playing the Red Ghost.

I’ll be honest: I have absolutely no idea who that is.

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Ivan_Kragoff_(Earth-616)

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Todd

Marvel Producer Gives Disappointing Update on War Machine’s ‘Armor Wars’ Solo Film – MSN

…
While speaking with Collider ahead of the release of Captain America: Brave New World, producer and Marvel Studios’ VP of Production & Development Nate Moore touched on the topic of Armor Wars.

“That’s not my project, to be honest. But, I do know, as Marvel [Studios] continues to go through this phase, we want to make sure whatever we’re making is awesome. So that means we had to slow down some things that were on the front burner. It doesn’t mean we’ll never make it, but it does mean we just have to be a little bit more considered so that every time out, audiences are guaranteed quality.”

More in link…

Sean Robinson wrote:

Marvel Producer Gives Disappointing Update on War Machine’s ‘Armor Wars’ Solo Film – MSN

…
While speaking with Collider ahead of the release of Captain America: Brave New World, producer and Marvel Studios’ VP of Production & Development Nate Moore touched on the topic of Armor Wars.

“That’s not my project, to be honest. But, I do know, as Marvel [Studios] continues to go through this phase, we want to make sure whatever we’re making is awesome. So that means we had to slow down some things that were on the front burner. It doesn’t mean we’ll never make it, but it does mean we just have to be a little bit more considered so that every time out, audiences are guaranteed quality.”

More in link…

I honestly forgot about Armor Wars.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets dropped completely. I could see it as a D+ series, as it was originally envisioned. I could even see it as D+ exclusive movie. I just don’t think it will be a huge hit as a theatrical release. Don Cheadle will turn 61 this year. He’s kind of aging out. This project should have been completed a few years ago. I think it might be too late for it.

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Sean Robinson

Sean Robinson wrote:

It doesn’t mean we’ll never make it

= We’ll never make it.

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I’ve skipped all of the recent Marvel animated shows except X-Men ’97, and had little interest in the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man show, but I am intrigued by the promo image from the Disney+ carosel that shows that the Slingers are in it:

I have a soft spot for that era of Spidey comics (though I’ve never actually read the Slingers series).

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Todd

paul f wrote:

I’ve skipped all of the recent Marvel animated shows except X-Men ’97, and had little interest in the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man show, but I am intrigued by the promo image from the Disney+ carosel that shows that the Slingers are in it:

I have a soft spot for that era of Spidey comics (though I’ve never actually read the Slingers series).

Slingers was a good series. I remember enjoying it.

paul f wrote:

I’ve skipped all of the recent Marvel animated shows except X-Men ’97, and had little interest in the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man show, but I am intrigued by the promo image from the Disney+ carosel that shows that the Slingers are in it:

I have a soft spot for that era of Spidey comics (though I’ve never actually read the Slingers series).

I haven’t watched it yet but as I understand it they’re just costume designs Peter comes up with, rather than used as characters/.

If it gets us a Slingers complete collection, I’m all for it though.

Martin Smith wrote:

If it gets us a Slingers complete collection, I’m all for it though.

I’d be happy with them just adding it to Marvel Unlimited.

The important thing to remember about the Slinger characters is they originally started out as different superhero identities for Peter Parker when Spider-Man was falsely accused of a crime, and he couldn’t be Spidey.

Having Peter wear the different suits is an actual homage to the comics.

Todd wrote:

The important thing to remember about the Slinger characters is they originally started out as different superhero identities for Peter Parker when Spider-Man was falsely accused of a crime, and he couldn’t be Spidey.

Having Peter wear the different suits is an actual homage to the comics.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was around the point I started reading Spider-Man in the UK reprints, when I was 13 or 14.

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Uncle Retrospective

I like it. Thunderbolts keeps looking like it’ll be a lot of fun.

So, it’s official now: They’re fighting The Void. Right?
I like that, too. But I’m wondering how much of the Sentinel’s backstory they’ll actually put in the movie.

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Uncle Retrospective

Christian wrote:

But I’m wondering how much of the Sentry’s backstory they’ll actually put in the movie.

Fixed that for you

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Christian, Todd

Reviews out at 5PM GMT, but early reactions to Brave New World are mostly quite bad. Not unexpected (Falcon and Winter Soldier was a mess, and this seems to be a continuation of that), but disappointing.

I took a quick peek av the reviews in the two largest morning papers in Sweden: “you need super-powers to not get bored” and “is this the death blow to super-hero movies?”

So less than enthusiastic.

Yeah, I think pre-sales and MCU-zombiness will guarantee a good opening weekend.

But bad word of mouth can halt that momentum in a heartbeat, and there seems to be some quick bad word of mouth.

[Sean Robinson]

Oh wow. I did a quick Google search and judging by the headlines CA:BNW is getting hammered.

Unless Disney forgot to pay Google this month?

• This reply was modified 1 week ago by Sean Robinson.

[Sean Robinson]

• This reply was modified 1 week ago by Sean Robinson.

Honestly, maybe my least favourite MCU movie. Previously that was Incredible Hulk, but this is just a worse sequel to Incredible Hulk, in which they don’t even have the Hulk.

All the political conspiracy stuff raises comparisons to Winter Soldier, and none of those comparisons do the movie any favours. It’s a very stupid movie that has clearly had all the edges sanded off in reshoots and editing.

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Todd

“The entire franchise’s inability to balance substance with pleasure crashes into its inept conclusion. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve hated an ending to a movie more in recent memory than this one.”

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Todd

Christel and I saw CA: BNW Saturday.

I thought it was okay. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but it certainly wasn’t the worst Marvel movie I have ever seen. (That would be Thor: Dark World. I have never been able to sit through a rewatch of it.) I agree that some of the edges were softened. But to be fair, I truly didn’t go in expecting it be John LeCarre. It’s a Marvel superhero movie. It was never going to be at that level. Could it have been a little edgier? Definitely, but it was fine for what it was. It’s not as awful as many critics are making it out to be.

Christel enjoyed it and said she would watch it again. I can take or leave it.

I give it a C+/B-.

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lorcan_nagle

I saw it yesterday and thought it was fine. Given all the reshoots, I was expecting a mess, but it holds together fairly well. I liked Sidewinder quite a lot and thought they did well presenting him as a threat (the bass on his gunfire helped a lot). The big problem is that it has no surprises. Partly that’s on me for having checking what the cast of Incredible Hulk were up when I rewatched that a few months ago and saw that Sterns was in this, so maybe that would have hit differently if I hadn’t expected it (though Sterns’ great plan isn’t especially devious or complicated, frankly). The finale is a fight against the Red Hulk, who is in all the posters (and there can’t be that many people who don’t know the identity of) and the film has zero new ideas about a fight against a Hulk, so it just eventually gives up. There’s some decent spectacle in that, but it doesn’t really go anywhere and it wraps up far too neatly.

I thought Mackie did well as a lead though and I like the new Falcon, so that’s good. Weird there was no establishing shot (I think) of their HQ given there seems, from the inside, to be a big Captain America symbol on the outside and across the windows. Presumably its some big public facing base of operations, but there’s no context for it.

So yeah, I agree with Todd. It’s far from the worst MCU movie (Love and Thunder, Eternals) but I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to rewatch it.

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Todd

Marvel Pauses Development On ‘Nova,’ ‘Strange Academy,’ & ‘Terror, Inc.’ TV Series

EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Television has paused development on three projects: Nova, Strange Academy and Terror, Inc.

Sources stressed to Deadline that these projects were never officially greenlit, and may still come to fruition at some point. The studio has simply shifted its priorities at the moment.

We’re told the decision is also reflective of a new model for producing television that’s emerged at Marvel in recent years. Originally, Marvel approached series development in much the same way it handled features: a slate was announced, and what was teased was more or less what got made. A couple of years ago, senior leadership decided to retool the development process, as they were also revamping their new Daredevil series, Born Again.

Marvel’s new approach to TV development is more traditional, with many more projects being developed than will ultimately be made, and showrunners being brought in to oversee each. Shifting to a more typical greenlight process made sense, as the studio looked to maintain audience engagement amid new realities facing the industry. In addition to the prospect of superhero fatigue and content oversaturation, there was the reality of a market contraction, which led the studio to pull back significantly on the amount of projects released each year.

Marvel has spoken publicly about the overhaul of its development strategy, as in a Screen Rant interview published last August with Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation.

“We’re developing more than we make now, so we’re actually have a few different things brewing that we might see through to at least a pilot script to see if we want to make it,” said Winderbaum. “But, there’s a lot of opportunity out there, it’s hard to choose favorites… We’re really being careful about what we choose to do next.”

Originally, Marvel turned to Sabir Pirzada to pen an adaptation of Nova, as we revealed in 2022. Boasting multiple aliases — the original and most famous being Richard Rider — Nova is a character created by Marv Wolfman and John Romita Sr., a cosmic-powered hero and last survivor of the intergalactic military and police force known as the Nova Corps, who wields the Nova Force to protect the universe. The character first appeared in Nova #1 in 1976. Marvel was active on the project as recently as this past December, announcing then that Criminal Minds alum Ed Bernero had been hired as the writer and showrunner for the series, replacing Pirzada.

If Nova was the most concrete of the three projects put on pause, Strange Academy and Terror, Inc. were also rumored for some time to be in development as series for Disney+. Strange Academy would have been an adaptation of the eponymous comic book series, created by Skottie Young and artist Humberto Ramos, which debuted in March 2020. Set in New Orleans, it centers on a school founded by Doctor Strange to educate young individuals with magical abilities. The show was expected to focus on Wong, portrayed by Benedict Wong, and his leadership of the school. It’s not clear who was attached to develop the show.

Launched in 1992, the comic book series Terror, Inc. centers on an antihero by the name of Terror, who possesses the ability to incorporate the body parts of others into his own form, gaining their memories and abilities. Created by Dan Chichester, Margaret Clark, and Klaus Janson, the character first appeared under the name Shreck in St. George #2 in August 1988 before being reintroduced as Terror in the 1992 series. Again, no word on who was involved with development.

Up next for Marvel Television is Daredevil: Born Again on March 4. Elsewhere, live-action series coming up for release this year include Ironheart, on June 24, and Wonder Man, which is expected to debut this December. On the film side, the studio launched Captain America: Brave New World on Valentine’s Day and has so far seen the film pull in over $204M globally. Thunderbolts is next up on May 2, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps following on July 25.

I was honestly surprised they were going to do a Terror, Inc. project. I had forgotten about that.

What Marvel needs to do with Terror, Inc. is let Blumhouse make a hard R movie or TV series on their low budget model. I think that would work.

I hadn’t even heard they were planning Strange Academy. Not sure that would work in the MCU, frankly.

Martin Smith wrote:

I hadn’t even heard they were planning Strange Academy. Not sure that would work in the MCU, frankly.

Yeah, there’s a lot of characters and concepts that work better when you have around 80 years of history and thousands of comics to draw upon. The MCU is less than 20 years old with a few dozen projects. Add to that the MCU is significantly different than the MU, some things are just not going to translate well. You have to cram so much backstory just to get to get to the starting point, and television and movies have a very finite amount of time.

I look at Terror, Inc. and think, “Yeah, he’s cool, but he really doesn’t fit in the MCU we currently know.” That’s not to say he can’t exist in it, but the nature of the character is such a tonal divergence from what has been established. I just do not see it ever happening.