With a universe (or rather, universes) as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are always a multitude of stories unfolding at the same time. This has always been the case with Marvel, and it is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Having concluded Phase Four last year, the superhero universe has now kicked off its Phase Five with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. There are 13 projects on the roster for Phase Five, and four – so far – for Phase Six.
With tons of projects being worked on simultaneously, here are this week’s updates on the MCU.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
With the release date less than a month away, Sony Pictures España recently released the Spanish trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and, in the process, gave us a glimpse of the main antagonist’s powers.
At 00:57 in the trailer, The Spot can be seen standing in what looks like the Spotted Dimension. Then, at 01:17, his arms simultaneously protrude out of different portals to catch Miles Morales’ Spider-man.
While teleportation may not seem to be the most powerful of abilities, The Spot can use it to his advantage to trick and defeat Morales.
Secret Invasion
Set to be released on June 21, 2023, Secret Invasion chronicles Nick Fury’s return to Earth to fight a rogue group of shapeshifting Skrulls who want to conquer the planet.
Featurette released
On May 10, Marvel released a behind-the-scenes featurette for the series. The 2.5-minute clip gave fans an insight into the series’ creation and also offered the casts’ 2 cents on the plot of the show.
Emilia Clarke, who plays Talos’ daughter G’iah, said that the story is beyond the audience’s wildest imagination. She said,
“You can’t predict it, and you can’t preempt it. And you can’t fathom it until it happens.”
Olivia Coleman’s superpowers
The British actress is set to play MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, an old acquaintance and now opponent of Nick Fury. In an exclusive interview with Empire magazine, Coleman explained how her calls to have superpowers in the show went unanswered. She said,
“I kept asking if I could be bitten by something, or fall into a vat of something.”
She continued,
“They were having none of it.”
Connected to The Marvels
Marvel’s stories are interconnected in a way that no other franchise is. Reaffirming this, lead actor Samuel L. Jackson revealed that Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan’s The Marvels cannot happen without the events of Secret Invasion taking place.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, he said,
“This series has to happen so that The Marvels can happen. All these things are connected in an interesting sort of way.”
Rhodey vs Fury
Don Cheadle will reprise his role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine in Secret Invasion. In a career first for him, he will get to share the screen with his long-time friend Samuel L. Jackson, something they’d both been looking forward to for a while.
However, they’re on the opposite sides of the conflict. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cheadle said:
“In this one, he finds himself not directly at odds but somewhat on the other side of where Fury is.”
No Avengers
Since time immemorial, the Avengers have been at the center of Marvel’s stories, and Nick Fury has played the secondary role. However, this time around, the Avengers won’t be the Earth’s sole protectors.
While the possibility of cameos can never be ruled out with Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that normal-bodied civilians will be at the forefront of this battle.
In the BTS featurette released by Marvel, he said,
“Nick comes back having lost whatever power he had before. So, we try and solve things without being too superhuman.”
Doubling down on his comments, he told Empire Magazine,
“[Nick]’s trying to solve a problem without people who have superpowers… there’s a very good explanation for that.”
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
A spin-off to fan favorite WandaVision, Agatha: Coven of Chaos will focus on Agatha Harkness aka Agnes.
Aubrey Plaza > Elizabeth Olsen
Aubrey Plaza is reported to be playing Morgan Le Fay, the oldest and most powerful sorceress in the universe. This means that her character may be stronger than Scarlet Witch herself, and fans haven’t taken that news well.
What paper? pic.twitter.com/Q3UWwuRuws
— sena (@pluemonac) May 10, 2023
Patti LuPone, who will be playing a “450-year-old Sicilian witch” in the show, seemingly dropped a hint in an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Agatha: Coven of Chaos will be a musical.
When asked if the witches sing, she said,
“They do. Our lead singer is Kathryn. I’m singing backup, and the songs have been written by Kristen and Bobby Lopez.”
James Gunn’s Twitter explosions
On May 7, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn hosted a QnA on Twitter, and some of his revelations were more explosive than you’d expect.
I have a few minutes to answer some questions and will do so below. 2 rules: 1) It must be a question with a yes or no answer and 2) it must be about #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol3. Commence!
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
The future of the Guardians
While GOTG Vol. 3 marks the end of the current actor-writer-director combination of the Guardians as we know them, Gunn confirmed that this is not the end of the Guardians themselves.
Yes
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
He also revealed that there are plans for the Guardians to be featured in DC movies.
Yes.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
The battle of the antagonists
While the High Evolutionary made the final cut as the film’s main antagonist, Gunn revealed that they had considered other Marvel villains to play the role as well.
Specifically, he answered a question about Annihilus, an interdimensional villain who was first seen in Fantastic Four Annual #6 in November 1968.
Yes.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
Marvel’s slip-ups
James Gunn seemingly took a dig at Marvel’s continuity (or lack thereof) after a fan asked him why Star-Lord aka Peter Quill didn’t have his helmet in GOTG Vol. 3. He first explained that Quill’s helmet was left in Knowhere, but after another fan pointed out that he had broken it in GOTG Vol. 2, Gunn pointed to a continuity error in Avengers: Infinity War.
“It did but then he somehow had a new one in IW.”
It did but then he somehow had a new one in IW.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 7, 2023
Blade is not happening anytime soon
Despite significant excitement from fans about Mahershala Ali-starrer Blade, the universe just does not seem to be taking Marvel’s side on this one. Even though the movie was announced back in 2019, the studio has not been able to make any progress.
Marvel Studios’ BLADE with Mahershala Ali. pic.twitter.com/IqCWq41Kfn
— Marvel India (@Marvel_India) July 21, 2019
The film was finally set to begin production next month, but with the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America strike, Marvel has had to pause preproduction. The studio had hired True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto for the script, but they were unfortunately unable to complete the writing work before the strike.
Fantastic Four
Jon Watts will direct the new feature film for Marvel's First Family, Fantastic Four! pic.twitter.com/Eu26ghxbGT
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020
One of the most anticipated Marvel projects, Fantastic Four will be a new rendition of one of the Marvel comic universe’s oldest superheroes – Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm.
Reed Richards
Fantastic Four has been prone to some intense casting rumors lately, and the creators have not said anything to confirm or deny them.
Another name that has been added to the list is Adam Driver, who has reportedly agreed to join the film as Reed Richards.
A tweet from popular scoop account @MyTimeToShineH, which has since gone viral, reads:
“It’s done. Adam Driver is our Reed Richards.”
It's done. Adam Driver is our Reed Richards.
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) May 6, 2023
Oscar-winning production designer
In what is arguably the only solid lead on the team’s cast and crew in recent times, 3-time Oscar winner Dante Ferretti has been added to Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot as a production designer to the film’s IMDb Pro page.
The return of Dr. Christine Palmer
Dr. Strange’s on-and-off love interest, Dr. Christine Palmer, made a stronger impact on fans than some would’ve initially thought. Rachel McAdams’ work as the surgeon in Doctor Strange left fans wanting for more, and that call was answered in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, although that took a while.
Now, in a somewhat positive update for Marvel fanatics, McAdams has revealed that MoM may not be Palmer’s last appearance.
While she did not confirm anything, she told Empire Magazine,
“You never know what’s going to happen with the MCU, right? It’s vast and endless, so — to be continued.”
That is it for the updates on the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week. This side of the internet is always hot and happening, so fans are never starved for content. Make sure you tune back in next week for more!
