Spider-man: No Way Home Teaser Trailer Released

After attempting to deal with the fallout from Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker approaches Doctor Strange seeking help. When Peter interrupts the spell, a multiverse of threats are unleashed and as Peter's attempts to fix things cause it to get worse, he finds himself faced with some of his greatest foes: The Sinister Six.

Spider-man: No Way Home is set to be the third installment of the MCU Spider-man series featuring Tom Holland as Spider-man. The series started with Spider-man: Homecoming in 2017, although notably Spider-man appeared prior in the MCU in Captain America: Civil War.

Eternals trailer released

 

'After the return of half the population in Avengers: Endgame (2019) ignites "the emergence", the Eternals—an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years—reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants'. The film is currently set for a release in November 2021.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings expected to perform poorly at box office

In the wake of Black Widow failing to break-even, with the lead actress attempting to sue Disney, the box office tracking for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been revealed. The film is currently expected to earn between $35-$55 million domestically over the course of its opening weekend. Naturally this would not be good for a film estimated to have a budget of around $150-$200m which also racked up additional costs during production delays.

In an attempt to try and acknowledge this, while playing damage control, Bob Chapek CEO of The Walt Disney Company has remarked on using Shang-Chi as an experiment in regards to it having a 45 day theatrical release window before the film is added to Disney+, a move which may result in many skipping the movie in cinema.

Simu Liu who plays Shang-Chi in the new film has struck back against Bob Chapek:

 

Although many feel that Simu Liu is trying to politicise Shang-Chi in the hopes of drawing attention to the movie in the hopes of increasing box office returns. It remains to be seen how the studio and Simu Liu may react if the movie does indeed underperform - however I would expect more Phase 4 delays are a possibility.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage gains new poster

Confirming the recent delay to October 15th 2021, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has recieved new posters depicting the title characters Venom & Carnage. The film is set to feature Tom Hardy reprising his role as Eddie Brock with his symbiote Venom while introducing Woody Harrelson playing the serial killer Cletus Kasady who gains the Carnage symbiote.

Moon Knight Costume Concept art & set photo revealed

 

 Images and concept art of the costume for Moon Knight in the Disney+ series has been revealed. The costume will be worn by Oscar Isaac who will portray Marc Spector/Moon Knight in the series.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage delayed to October 2021

As previously reported, Sony Pictures has delayed the release date for Venom: Let There Be Carnage from its planned September 24 premiere to October 15, 2021. Although it is worth noting that Sony also considered moving the release date back to January 2022. 

The reason behind these delays is attributed to the continued lack of a box office recovery which has been most evident recently with Black Widow failing to break-even at the box office. With Shang-Chi still planned for a September release date at the current time, the box office of that film could determine if more big budget films are pushed back even further with the most notable being Eternals and Spider-man: No Way Home which I personally feel will be pushed back for a summer 2022 release.

Hyundai spoils 'What If...?' finale?

 

A recent advert for Hyundai's TUSCON has seemingly spoiled aspects of the finale of Marvel's What If...? which is currently airing weekly on Netflix and not set to culminate until October 6th 2021.

The advert features The Watcher using his powers to help Captain Carter, T'Challa (Star-Lord), Doctor Strange and Thor face off against an army of Ultron drones presumably led by the perfected final version of Ultron that we have seen in Vision's body harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones in promotional images for the show.

Dave Bautista voices anger at Avengers portrayal of his character

"That whole Drax, Thanos history seemed to get swept under the rug"   

Dave Bautista who plays Drax The Destroyer, has recently spoken his anger at his characters portrayal in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame remarking on his character arc being completely ignored.

"Always wondered why but every reason I could come up with just makes me shake my fucking head. It is what it is"   

I am also curious as to why Drax's character arc was seemingly abandoned for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and will await Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which will hopefully explore the fallout of the death of Thanos and it's impact on Drax as a character.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes Announced for Nintendo Switch

Warner Bros. Games, TT Games, The LEGO Group and Marvel Entertainment have announced that the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch on October 5th 2021. The With the game, you’ll get the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Super Pack and Asgard Pack DLCs which will include both Super Heroes and Villains characters you can play as.

"LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Asgard Pack: Wreak havoc as the vengeful Malekith and the villainous LEGO minifigure, Kurse. Play as Jane Foster and the shield-maiden of Asgard, Sif. Defend the Universe with Odin and the Warriors Three: Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral."

"LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Super Pack: Get ready for brick-smashing action with more Super Heroes and Super Villains, plus new vehicles and races. Play as fan favorites Dark Phoenix, Winter Soldier, Symbiote Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Falcon, and Beta Ray Bill."

Venom: Let There Be Carnage delayed to October?

It appears that Venom: Let There Be Carnage might be impacted by a recent round of delays as the film has been listed as releasing on October 14th in New Zealand, despite the film being previously intended to have a September 23rd release date there.

It's unclear at the moment as to if the movie will be delayed internationally, however with Paramount Pictures recently delaying 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' and the box office from Black Widow, it is possible that studios feel the box office has not recovered enough yet for releases. 

It is possible that Sony and other studios are waiting to see the box office of Shang Chi, which releases September 3rd before commiting to a global delay.

Spider-man: No Way Home teases Magic, Mysterio and Identity Crisis

 

New merchandise for Spider-man: No Way Home has revealed Spider-man using Doctor Strange's magic confirming the web slinging hero will dabbled in sorcery in his newest outing.

 

Although the images do not reveal much that we have not seen already, they do tease the team-up between Spider-man and Doctor Strange along with confirming that the film will carry over the Mysterio reveal and further explore the complications caused by his identity being made public.

 

Spider-man: No Way Home is currently set for release this winter, although with the recent potential delay for Venom: Let There Be Carnage it's possible Spider-man: No Way Home might also wind up pushed back.

What If...? dropped concept included Man-Spider?

In a recent interview with 'What If...?' writer A.C. Bradley it has been revealed that a scrapped episode would have featured Spider-man turning into a real spider. The concept was apparently dismissed due to its body horror nature.

"A couple of episodes that were a little too dark. There was an original 'What If' run where Spider-Man turns into a real spider, and that was just too dark and too body horror for the PG-13 [rating]."

Personally, while I can understand why the concept was not done, we've seen Spider-man mutate into a Spider-like being in the past and in the comics we've also had characters like Spiders-Man (Below), it would have been nice to see them push the boundary of the PG-13 rating for some more horror inspired moments.

What If...? poster teases Marvel Zombies

 

A new poster for 'What If...?' has appeared teasing the premise of Marvel Zombies.The series is set to air weekly from August 11th and will have nine episodes in its first season. The show is expected to tell a variety of 'What If' concepts exploring what would happen in the MCU if a singular aspect was altered which eventually spirals out of control.

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit tie-in comic delayed

Marvel has announced it will delayed its planned comic book limited series Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit. The comic was timed for release alongside the Disney+ series which is also expected to be delayed to late 2021/early 2022.

Eternals actress Gemma Chan talks Sersi

Gemma Chan has recently remarked on her role in Eternals where she plays 'Sersi', currently set for release later this year.

"Sersi's not necessarily the best fighter, she doesn't have the most obviously impressive powers. The main thing is she's an empath, she has a connection with humans, and with the world and the earth. That is her strength, so I leant into that."

Gemma Chan previously played the role of Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel.

Eternals tells the story of a group of superpowered individuals who have lived on Earth for thousands of years who team-up once again to battle against a race known as the Deviants.

Lego Marvel's Avengers

Lego Marvel's Avengers was released on January 26th 2016. The characters are Lego versions of themselves along with some of the environments, enemies and vehicles also being built-brick.

The game itself is primarily a warped retelling of the first two Avengers films, however also features solo levels inspired by Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier - along with DLC for other films in the Marvel franchise.

It features a large open-world hub environment of New York City along with several significant areas you can travel to including Asgard, Malibu, South Africa, The Helicarrier, The Bartons' Farm, Washington D.C. and Sokovia.

Lego Marvel's Avengers is available on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

 

The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008 was directed by Louis Leterrier, produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd & Kevin Feige, written by Zak Penn. The film focuses on the gamma infused Bruce Banner who transforms into a green monster known as the Hulk when enraged.

Plot:
During an experiment gone wrong, Bruce Banner is exposed to gamma radiation - in the process he becomes Hulk killing several people and injuring General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and his daughter Betty Ross, who was dating Bruce at the time. Bruce attempts to apologise but General Ross is motivated by almost losing his daughter and makes Bruce a fugitive of the U.S. Military, at the same time hoping to weaponise the Hulk for the military.

After five years, Bruce has managed to control his transformations using Yoga and other techniques to prevent his heartbeat rising above 200 beats per minute which is the trigger for him becoming Hulk. He is also in contact with 'Mr. Blue' a mysterious individual who is also researching Hulk. He is now working at a factory in Brazil, however when he injures his finger a drop of his blood is enough to cause someone to get Gamma sickness resulting in him being tracked down by the U.S. Military once again - this time led by Emil Blonsky.

After failing to capture Hulk, Emil Blonsky is injected with a similar serum resulting in improved speed, strength, agility and healing. Bruce returns to the university where he encounters Betty again, however is attacked by General Ross and the U.S. Military forcing him to transform into Hulk. Having improved since the last fight, the military use sonic weapons to try and subdue Hulk but they fail. Emil Blonsky is slowly losing his sanity and in the process taunts Hulk resulting in him getting severely injured.

After fleeing with Betty, Bruce and Betty meet with 'Mr. Blue' who is revealed to be a cellular biologist known as Samuel Sterns. Sterns has synthesized Banner's blood and provides him an antidote, however the antidote might be needed for each specific transformation so Sterns has mass produced the blood.

In a third attempt to capture Banner, Emil Blonsky ends up tracking down Samuel Sterns and injects himself with synthesized blood from Bruce. In the process he begins to transform and some of the blood spills on Samuel Sterns, warping his head implying he may become the super villain known as 'The Leader'

Meanwhile Emil Blonsky has become the Abomination, attempting to cause chaos in Harlem to draw out the Hulk. After a battle through Harlem, The Hulk manages to defeat Abomination almost killing him however Betty manages to break through to him and get him to spare his life. Hulk flees New York.

A month later, Bruce is in hiding but manages to perform a controlled transformation smirking as he does. In a post-credit scene Tony Stark is shown approaching General Ross mentioning that a team is being put together, tying into 'The Consultant'

All Hail The King

All Hail the King is the fifth in a series of Marvel One-Shots. It was attached to Thor: The Dark World physical media release on February 14th 2014 and takes place after the events of Iron Man 3.

An interviewer by the name of Jackson Norriss has been attempting to interview Trevor Slattery, an actor who convinced the world he was a terrorist known as The Mandarin, at Seagate Penitentiary. Trevor has generally been oblivious to his interview attempts and has gotten caught up in his newfound fame, using it as a method of exerting control over the other prisoners.

Jackson Norriss reveals what he knows about Trevor so far; That he is an actor, his first acting role was October 12th 1964 in Shakespeare's Tempest, his mother died in 1986 while he was filming a TV pilot called 'Caged Heat'. 

While Trevor remains oblivious of the events, Jackson Norriss remarks on how Trevor's portrayal of the Mandarin might have angered people - potentially a commentary on how the twist in Iron Man 3 had a mixed reception in real life also. Jackson Norriss continues by revealing that his portrayal has angered the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings.

Jackson Norriss reveals that he is a follower of the Ten Rings, arming himself with a gun and a baton concealed in his camera equipment. After killing everyone else in the room, it is revealed that Jackson is at Seagate Penitentiary to break out Trevor and take him to the real Mandarin for execution. In a post-credit scene Justin Hammer is shown in Seagate Prison commenting on Trevor.

All Hail the King is designed as a self-stated apology from Iron Man 3 director Shane Black to the fans; "Marvel saw so many negative things they made a whole other movie just to apologize called Hail to the King. In which they said, 'No, no, the Mandarin is still alive. That wasn’t him. There’s a real Mandarin.' The only reason they made that was an apology to fans who were so angry."

In that sense, All Hail the King does attempt to build on the mystery of the Ten Rings, implying it is sort of a religious terrorist organization with Jackson remarking on Trevor being an insult to his faith. It's also implied that the inclusion of The Mandarin in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may have been influenced by the backlash that Iron Man 3 recieved. Let's hope Marvel deliver on the Mandarin this time around...

Agent Carter

Agent Carter is the fourth in a series of Marvel One-Shots and was attached to the Iron Man 3 physical media release on September 3rd 2013. The one-shot is set after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger.

 

After revisiting Captain America's sacrifice during the events of Captain America: The First Avenger we see that Peggy Carter now works for John Flynn at the Strategic Scientific Reserve. She is generally avoided being selected for missions and treated poorly by her colleagues and her boss.

As her boss and colleagues go to get drinks after another failed mission, Peggy Carter winds up recieving a call detailing a mission - in which recommends 3-5 agents. She rejects this notion as the other agents are all out drinking. She end up going alone taking a briefcase filled with weapons including a smoke bomb, using her combat training to take out the guards.

She ends up acquiring Zodiac which appears to be a chemical vial however she is ambushed and almost killed, barely managing to survive by reaching for a knife concealed in her briefcase. 

While she was succesful her actions were reckless and she did not follow any form of procedure, resulting in her boss criticising her. It's revealed that he felt she was being kept around because she was the love interest for Captain America and did not feel she had a use.

Getting a phone call from Howard Stark, who appears to have monitored the situation, John Flynn is instructed to inform Peggy Carter that she will be running S.H.I.E.L.D - as Peggy Carter heads to Washington to work with Howard Stark. In a post-credit scene Dum Dum Dugan is shown with Howard Stark commenting on the invention of the Bikini.

While her near death shows she is competent rather than infallible, her recklessness was born from a desire to prove herself in order to focus on the episode's commentary on the nature of sexism in the mid 1900's. The basic concept of depicting everyone around her as incompetent does not really demonstrate the Strategic Scientific Reserve as competent.

While her mission success proves that she should have been viewed as an equal, at the same time her lack of following protocol almost ended in her death which somewhat weakens the message of the one-shot as her doing the right thing. It would have made more sense if she was gifted this mission via Howard Stark as a method of proving herself - leaving her boss no excuses for his actions against her. Instead it falls a little flat as a commentary, but the overall one-shot delivers on Agent Carter action and works well as a follow-up to Captain America: The First Avenger.

Team Darryl

Team Darryl is a follow-up of the promotional self-parody mockumentary-style short films Team Thor and Team Thor: Part 2. It was attached to Thor: Ragnarok's physical media release on February 20th 2018.

Team Darryl follows Darryl Jacobson after Thor has left to return to Asgard for the events of Thor: Ragnarok. In the wake of that film, the Grandmaster, now without his servant Topaz has travelled to Earth and became Darryl's new roommate.

Mourning the death of his former servant, the Grandmaster becomes obsessed with Darryl including drawing him. Eventually the Grandmaster discloses that he wants to rule over the Earth, prompting them to make a video advertising the idea, however the video is not remotely popular and only gets viewed by the two roommates.

 

In an attempt to increase the popularity of the video announcing his plans to take over the world, the Grandmaster encourages Darryl to invite his work friends over - which results in them attempting to make music for the new video he intends to make. Disappointed by the quality of the music, the Grandmaster proceeds to melt one of Darryl's colleagues, David. Darryl ends up remarking on how much he misses his previous roommate Thor.

Team Darryl continues to explore the growing desperation of Darryl as his life spirals. It is currently the last in the Team Thor series although this series was directed and written by Taika Waititi who worked on Thor Ragnarok and is currently working on Thor: Love and Thunder, meaning we may eventually see some form of continuation in the future.