Daredevil: Born Again opens with a devastating tragedy as Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) murders Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in front of his friends. In the aftermath of this loss, a grief-stricken Matt crosses a moral line when he throws Bullseye from a rooftop in a rage-fueled attempt to kill him. Though Bullseye survives the fall, Matt’s Catholic faith is profoundly shaken by his willingness to commit murder. Overwhelmed by guilt and moral conflict, Matt makes the difficult decision to hang up his Daredevil horns, focusing solely on his legal career alongside his new partner, Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James). For much of this season of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt struggles with this self-imposed restriction, attempting to pursue justice exclusively through legal channels while the city around him descends into chaos under Mayor Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) influence. This internal battle between Matt’s two identities reaches its breaking point in Episode 6, when he finally dons the Daredevil suit again.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 6

Matt’s path back to vigilantism begins with his defense of Hector Ayala (Kamar De Los Reyes) in Episode 2. The situation escalates when Matt discovers Hector is secretly the White Tiger, another vigilante protecting New York’s streets. This revelation immediately parallels Matt’s abandoned dual identity, forcing him to confront the very lifestyle he’s rejected. When corrupt officers threaten to eliminate Nicky Torres (Nick Jordan), the key witness who could exonerate Hector, Matt physically confronts them in Nicky’s apartment. Though he doesn’t wear the Daredevil suit, this moment marks his first return to vigilante-style violence since Foggy’s death, leaving him with bloodied knuckles that serve as a visual reminder of the violence still within him.

[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Fixes Marvel Fan’s Problem With Netflix Punisher]

Despite Matt’s legal victory in securing Hector’s freedom, the White Tiger is executed shortly after resuming his vigilante activities. This devastating turn of events deepens Matt’s internal conflict. He successfully worked within the system to prove Hector’s innocence, only to see him killed. This sense of failure compounds when Angela Del Toro (Camila Rodriguez), Hector’s niece, approaches Matt in Episode 4, seeking help to continue her uncle’s investigation into mysterious disappearances around an abandoned subway line. Matt’s refusal to step outside legal boundaries leaves him unable to offer meaningful assistance, causing Angela to storm out in frustration after pointedly reminding him of her uncle’s belief that sometimes you must take action yourself. 

The breaking point comes in Episode 6 when Matt learns that Angela has disappeared while investigating the tunnels beneath the city. Matt’s first instinct is to place a 911 call, but he knows that the system he’s committed to cannot respond quickly enough to save her from the serial killer Muse. The weight of his accumulated guilt — over Foggy’s death, over Hector’s murder, and now over Angela’s disappearance after he refused to help her — culminates in Matt putting on his Daredevil costume again. As such, his return to the mask isn’t a rejection of his earlier moral stand but a recognition that both parts of his identity are necessary to truly serve justice.

Matt’s Return to Daredevil Represents a Reconciliation of His Dual Identities

Daredevil: Born Again constructs a deliberate pathway of escalating moral challenges that ultimately lead Matt back to the Daredevil suit. First comes Hector’s case, where Matt witnesses firsthand how corrupt officers fabricate evidence and intimidate witnesses, revealing the system’s vulnerabilities. Then Hector’s murder following his legal exoneration drives home that sometimes courtroom justice isn’t enough to protect the innocent. Angela’s subsequent visit forces Matt to confront the consequences of his inaction as she berates him for hiding behind legal protocols while people continue disappearing. The steady accumulation of these experiences creates an inescapable moral calculus: when Angela goes missing and becomes Muse’s latest victim, Matt must acknowledge that adherence to his self-imposed restrictions would make him complicit in her death. 

Because of this gradual approach, Matt Murdock’s decision to reclaim the Daredevil mantle in Episode 6 of Born Again marks a critical evolution in his understanding of his dual identity. Matt becoming Daredevil again isn’t portrayed as a moral compromise but as the necessary integration of the lawyer who believes in the system and the vigilante who acts when that system fails. Unlike his previous approach of compartmentalizing his life, this new integration suggests a more mature acceptance that justice sometimes requires working both within and outside established systems, especially when people in power explore legal loopholes to enact their tyranny. The timing couldn’t be better, as Wilson Fisk keeps abusing his mayoral power to oppress the people of New York City.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.

What do you think about Matt’s journey back to becoming Daredevil? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Daredevil: Born Again Finally Gives Marvel Fans What They Want (And There’s No Going Back for Matt Murdock) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Throughout the early episodes of Daredevil: Born Again, viewers have observed mysterious murals appearing across New York City, all bearing a distinctive signature. The graffiti is the obvious work of Muse, a Marvel supervillain teased in the marketing material of Daredevil: Born Again, but who has remained in the shadows for most of the season. This slow-burn introduction has allowed the series to develop tension around Muse while Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) uses the public’s growing fear of masked vigilantes to advance his political agenda. In Episode 6 of Daredevil: Born Again though, Muse finally becomes a primary antagonist. However, comic readers familiar with the character from Charles Soule’s Daredevil run might notice the series is taking a different approach with the villain.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 6

Muse debuted in Daredevil #11 (2016) as a superhuman villain with extraordinary abilities. The Marvel Comics version of the villain possesses enhanced strength and speed, allowing him to physically overpower Daredevil in combat situations. His most distinctive power, however, is his ability to remain completely undetectable to Daredevil’s radar sense — making him effectively “invisible” to Matt Murdock’s heightened perceptions. This unique advantage makes Muse an exceptionally dangerous opponent for Daredevil, who relies heavily on his enhanced senses to compensate for his blindness.

[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Fixes Marvel Fan’s Problem With Netflix Punisher]

In Daredevil: Born Again, Muse lacks these supernatural elements. When Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) confronts the villain in Episode 6, the character proves to be a formidable combatant, capable of temporarily standing his ground against the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Yet, he possesses no superhuman abilities that would make him “invisible” to Daredevil’s senses. Despite this significant change, the series preserves crucial aspects of the character’s methodology from the comics. Specifically, Muse still uses victims’ blood as the medium for his artistic creations, mixing it with an epoxy that makes the murals nearly impossible to remove. Episode 6 also maintains the horrific scale of his crimes, revealing that over 60 people have been murdered to supply blood for his murals across New York. This grounded approach fits with the show’s overall tone while retaining the horror elements that made the character memorable in the comics.

Muse Retains the Villain’s Thematic Purpose in the MCU

Although Daredevil: Born Again significantly alters Muse’s power set, the series maintains the character’s narrative function. The comic book Muse emerged during Mayor Fisk’s administration, with his crimes providing justification for anti-vigilante legislation that hampered Daredevil’s activities. Similarly, the MCU’s Muse creates the perfect opportunity for Mayor Fisk to establish his Anti-Vigilante Task Force, giving him greater control over the city and legal means to target his enemies. This parallel demonstrates how the MCU preserves Muse’s thematic importance while modifying his personal attributes.

In addition, the decision to remove Muse’s supernatural abilities aligns with the established tone of Daredevil in live-action. The original Netflix series rarely ventured into overtly superhuman territory, focusing instead on relatively grounded threats like Wilson Fisk, Bullseye, and various criminal organizations. Even when adapting The Hand, the show downplayed many supernatural elements, ignoring the demonic associations of the ninjas. This approach distinguished the “street-level” corner of the MCU from the cosmic and magical threats faced by other Marvel heroes, establishing Hell’s Kitchen as a more realistic setting despite existing within the same universe as gods and aliens.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.

Are you happy with how Daredevil: Born Again depicts Muse? Or would you prefer the MCU Muse to have his supernatural abilities? Join the discussion in the comments!

The post Daredevil: Born Again Makes Big Changes to Muse’s Comic Book Powers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 5.] “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” Marvel’s Daredevil began with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in a confessional booth, recounting something his grandmother, a God-fearing Catholic, used to say: “‘Be careful of the Murdock boys. They got the devil in ’em.'” For his father, boxer “Battlin'” Jack Murdock, that meant he would batter his opponents into the corner of the ring and “let the devil out.” For Matt, that meant battling his demons as the guardian devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

Matt hasn’t let the devil out since Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) shot and killed Foggy (Elden Henson), and a wrathful Daredevil sinned by breaking his no-kill rule. Bullseye survived only because of his Cogmium-reinforced skeleton, but a line was crossed, and Matt still has yet to suit up as Daredevil a year later.

That nearly changed in Tuesday’s “With Interest” episode of Daredevil: Born Again. On St. Patrick’s Day, Matt visits New York Mutual Bank to secure a loan for his law firm, Murdock & McDuffie, which is regretfully turned down by assistant manager Yusuf Khan (guest star Mohan Kapur, reprising his role from Ms. Marvel and The Marvels).

RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again May Have Just Hinted the Biggest Fan Theory Is True

When five armed robbers storm the bank, each wearing a different colored balaclava — Green (Cillian O’Sullivan), Red (John Ford-Dunker), Yellow (John Anthony Gorman), Blue (Cameron Moir), and Purple (Ryan Ward) — Matt feigns the role of an unassuming blind man to embed himself within the group of hostages rounded up by Green (a.k.a. Devlin).

They’re Luca’s (Patrick Murney) men, there to steal a diamond worth the $1.8 million that Luca owes Viktor (Gino Anthony Pesi) as restitution to keep the peace among New York’s Five Families. (Devlin is the gunman who committed a double homicide in a truck hijacking at Red Hook Port back in episode 3.)

He Who Is Without Sin

Wearing a green balaclava and wielding an assault rifle, Devlin’s look resembles Sin-Eater, a short-lived villain who had a run-in with Daredevil and Spider-Man in “The Death of Jean DeWolff,” a four-part storyline spanning 1985’s Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110.

After Spider-Man’s friend, Captain Jean DeWolff, is found murdered in her apartment as the victim of a double-barrelled shotgun blast, the wall-crawler investigates her murder with Detective Stan Carter. But it’s blind defense attorney Matt Murdock who is the first to encounter Sin-Eater in Spectacular Spider-Man #107, when Matt’s radar sense detects the assassin lying in wait in Judge Horace Rosenthal’s chambers.

Matt’s old friend is gunned down as Sin-Eater’s second victim, making him the target of both Daredevil and Spider-Man. Sin-Eater’s next kill is a reverend in a confessional booth, the third victim of the masked murderer proselytizing about his mission to purge “sinners.”

Spider-Man and Daredevil both turn to Wilson Fisk, Kingpin of Crime, for information on the Sin-Eater, who’s next target is The Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. The Sin-Eater turns up at the Bugle offices with a shotgun and takes hostages, but he’s disarmed by editor Robbie Robertson and an uncostumed Peter Parker. Unmasked as Emil Gregg, Daredevil’s hyper-senses determine that the schizophrenic Emil is a copycat.

Guilty as Sin

In Spectacular #109, Spider-Man and Daredevil discover that Stan Carter is the real Sin-Eater just as he targets the Jameson residence. When he instead finds the Bugle‘s Betty Brant with Marla Jameson, Sin-Eater reveals his reasons for killing: He killed the “sinner” priest for opposing capital punishment, he killed the judge for coddling criminals, and he wanted to kill Jameson for opposing masked vigilantes.

When Daredevil tries to stop an enraged Spider-Man from brutally beating Carter, the two costumed vigilantes come to blows, and Spider-Man nearly leaves Carter at the mercy of mob justice before pulling him out of the crowd. Once the Sin-Eater is exposed as a police sergeant and Carter is back in custody, Spectacular #110 ends with another unmasking: Daredevil deduces that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, so he reveals his secret identity as Matt Murdock.

All My Sins Remembered

Carter was eventually released from a mental hospital, and the voices in his head caused him to resume his Sin-Eater alter-ego (who he came to believe was a separate person). To free himself of the Sin-Eater, he took a young boy hostage and was gunned down by the police in 1987’s The Spectacular Spider-Man #136. It was then revealed that Carter never loaded Sin-Eater’s shotgun.

While other masked men took on the identity of the Sin-Eater, Stan Carter remained dead until 2020’s Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude. It was revealed that Carter was in Hell for his sins, only to be resurrected as a sins-cleansing supervillain by Spider-Man’s demon archvillain Kindred (in the Nick Spencer-penned “Sins Rising” arc in Amazing Spider-Man #45-48).

New episodes of Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again air Tuesday nights on Disney+.

The post Daredevil: Born Again Pays Homage to a Spider-Man/Daredevil Villain appeared first on ComicBook.com.

To star in comic book adaptations is to know you’re about to face some big challenges. It’s not always guaranteed that a production will take off, whether it’s because of staying true to the original material or even the depth of the plot on screen. Josh Brolin has become one of the most memorable actors in comic book movies, bringing characters to life across different franchises. Whether it’s playing the ruthless Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the scarred bounty hunter Jonah Hex, he’s always been praised for his versatility when it comes to playing heroes, anti-heroes, and villains in these kinds of adaptations.

But not all of his films have had the same level of quality or success, ranging from massive hits to completely forgettable flops. Each one had its highs and lows, but which one was really the best and worst of his career?

7. Jonah Hex

Anyone who thought Brolin had only been in the MCU is mistaken. An adaptation of the DC comics, Jonah Hex (2010) had Brolin in the titular role. The plot follows the ex-soldier of the same name who becomes a bounty hunter, haunted by his violent past and gifted with supernatural abilities after a near-death experience. The US government soon hires him to stop Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), a terrorist planning to use a weapon of mass destruction. Although it’s a very good premise for the big screen, when it comes to the script, everything was a mess.

Despite a renowned cast that includes Megan Fox and Michael Fassbender, the film suffered from criticism for its plot and even the shallow development of the characters – behind-the-scenes issues and numerous rewrites contributed to this. With an estimated budget of $47 million, Jonah Hex grossed only about $10.5 million worldwide, making it a box office flop. Many have said that Brolin does his best, but it’s not enough to give the film something to stand for.

Jonah Hex is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

6. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

[RELATED: Josh Brolin Shares Condition for Bringing Back Thanos in Avengers: Secret Wars]

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) was released as a sequel to the original 2005 film. Here, Josh Brolin played Dwight McCarthy, a private detective who finds himself once again involved with Ava Lord (Eva Green), a woman who manipulates him and drags him into a world of betrayal and violence. However, its success wasn’t great compared to its predecessor, largely because it contained unpublished plots written especially for the sequel and thus didn’t follow the comics’ original material one hundred percent.

Despite bringing together a very stellar cast and maintaining the iconic visual aesthetic, critics pointed out that, although the film was faithful to the tone and visuals, it still lacked more innovation in the narrative. The long gap of nine years between the two films may have contributed to the loss of the initial impact on audiences as well. Besides, Brolin’s role is still quite small, so it’s certainly not one of his most outstanding productions.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is available to stream on Starz.

5. Deadpool 2

Another sequel that Josh Brolin acted in was Deadpool 2 (2018), one of the films that most entertained audiences. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) faces new challenges after suffering a personal tragedy right at the start of the plot. The story revolves around his attempt to protect the young mutant Russell (Julian Dennison) from the time traveler Cable (Brolin), who seeks to eliminate the boy due to catastrophic future events. This is a high point production for the actor, as, in general, Merc with a Mouth adaptations have always done well.

The film was very well received by critics and audiences, maintaining the usual acid humor and breaking of the fourth wall that characterized the original, as well as adding more emotional layers. The chemistry between Reynolds and Brolin is one of the highlights, with Cable serving as a serious counterpoint to the main character’s irreverence. However, the movie’s proposal ends up being less ambitious in terms of narrative compared to the great epics of the MCU.

Deadpool 2 is available to stream on Disney+.

4. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Of all the incredible four Avengers films, one that gets the least love is Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), even though it is one of the greatest films in the MCU. Here, Brolin only appears in the post-credits scenes as Thanos, but it’s the moment that sets the stage for the chaos and danger that would come later. Bringing together Earth’s greatest heroes, the Avengers must face the threat of Ultron, an AI created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner with the intention of maintaining world peace. However, he ends up interpreting his mission in a distorted way, deciding that humanity is the greatest threat to peace and devising a plan for its destruction.

The production is the first time we’re introduced to characters like Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his sister, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who would become a fundamental part of the franchise. It grossed more than $1.4 billion at the box office worldwide but also received some mixed reviews, with criticisms such as an overloaded narrative and flaws in the rhythm and cohesion of the story. It’s still a good start to introduce the whole plot of the Mad Titan and the Infinity Stones, though.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is available to stream on Disney+.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

James Gunn’s trilogy for Marvel is one of the best projects, and certainly the first Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) movie stands out as the best of them. The plot introduces us to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a space adventurer who, after stealing a mysterious orb, finds himself the target of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), a fanatical villain with plans to destroy the universe. To escape, the hero forms an unlikely alliance with four misfits: Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel). Brolin’s role as Thanos is small but significant.

This is another film that explores irreverent humor, charismatic characters, and a nostalgic soundtrack. The production is, to this day, one of the most successful in the MCU and considerably broadened the scope of the studio’s entire universe of superheroes. It’s also very easy to fall in love with characters who, compared to others, were less well known – they became favorites of many through the film. It’s an excellent movie in Brolin’s career, and his presence, although short, fulfills the role of establishing connections that would become very important later on.

Guardians of the Galaxy is available to stream on Disney+.

2. Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the culmination of more than a decade of interconnected narratives in the MCU. The film is the last with the original line-up of Avengers, revolving around a time-travel mission in which the heroes left behind by the Blip return to key moments in their own timelines to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos does. With a totally impactful and unforgettable plot, Brolin’s participation is essential, especially at the end with the iconic battle between him and a host of heroes.

The movie broke records with over $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office, making history. Applauded for its ability to balance intense action with emotionally profound moments, it’s a satisfying conclusion to a variety of characters developed over the years. However, if you really consider the productions of Brolin’s career, this isn’t exactly what made him shine. Endgame is certainly the climax of an epic saga, but in this particular ranking, putting it second seems like the right thing to do.

Avengers: Endgame is available to stream on Disney+.

1. Avengers: Infinity War

When it comes to Josh Brolin’s best comic book movie, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) certainly takes the prize. This is because the production combines being one of the most relevant and memorable in the MCU with the size of the actor’s role in the narrative. The film is the third in the Avengers franchise and brings together an array of heroes. The story basically begins with Thanos and ends with him. In search of the Infinity Stones, the plot is divided into multiple groups of characters trying to stop him from completing his goal of decimating half the world’s population.

The movie serves as a precursor to its acclaimed sequel and is definitely a milestone in the history of cinema for the shocking success of the villain at the last minute. Brolin’s performance is fundamental in driving the whole story, almost acting as the central engine for everything to be cohesive. Not far from Endgame‘s success, Infinity War also surpassed the $2 billion mark at the box office, proving to be the actor’s best project in terms of adaptation.

Avengers: Infinity War is available to stream on Disney+.

The post All 7 Josh Brolin Comic Book Movies Ranked Worst to Best appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Daredevil: Born Again is about to cross the halfway point of Season 1, and Marvel Studios is letting fans know with a new midseason trailer that makes one thing abundantly clear: Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) will be back in the suit. The new sizzle reel of footage actually teases more than that: we get scenes of Matt in his civilian clothes, facing a squad of robbers in some kind of bank heist situation; then, of course, we see Matt as Daredevil, taking on the likes of the serial killer Muse. In the midst of all that, we get some pretty intense-looking (if only brief) teases of things boiling over for Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), and more from Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who looks like he will be suiting up and teaming with Daredevil for some pretty brutal action. Oh, and Bullseye looks like he’ll be coming back, too.

Daredevil: Born Again Two-Episode Special Event

Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 5 and 6 will both be released on Tuesday evening, March 25th, and will only be available to stream on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again Midseason Trailer

This midseason trailer for Born Again is almost like a focus grouped response to all the biggest criticisms that Daredevil fans have had with the series, thus far. If nothing else, it’s also a pretty big promise that the back half of the series is going to be (as one critical quote advertises) “worth the wait.”

The footage looks exciting, no doubt, but it’s also a somewhat somber reminder that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still mired in some choppy waters. Born Again was the breaking point where Disney and Marvel Studios executives began to reassess what was happening with the franchise and its production strategies, going so far as to completely retool the entire show.

Punisher actor Jon Bernthal drove the point home wth his recent quotes about how the first version of Born Again was so divergent from the original Netflix version that he wanted no parts of it.

[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Proves Netflix’s Bing-Watch Release Was Better]

“It was like, let’s see if this works. Let’s see if there’s a real openness and a hunger to let Frank be what Frank is… Ultimately, I didn’t see it,” Bernthal said about those initial return talks. “I didn’t see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn’t] really make sense to me, and I thought it would not appeal to the fans and wouldn’t be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing.” When the show was put on production hiatus and retooled, Bernthal found himself in a very different sort of creative position: “They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank’s at physically.”

Admittedly, this footage from the back half looks a lot more like the Netflix Daredevil (and Punisher) than the Disney+ Daredevil, which could mean the showrunners and Marvel Studios land the plane on a good runway, leading to the already-confirmed Season 2.

The post Daredevil: Born Again’s New Midseason Trailer Drops (Before Tonight’s Two-Episode Release) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Deadpool & Wolverine, cameos are clearly the name of the game for MCU movies, especially ones exploring the possibilities of the multiverse. Audience expectations for these titles now firmly involve unexpected figures from past Marvel adaptations showing up (particularly ones that weren’t previously in the MCU) and making an auditorium full of moviegoers explode with joy. Undoubtedly, the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars will include any such cameos given that it’s basically the ultimate multiverse Marvel story, and frankly the possibilities are endless.

There are a bunch of Marvel characters who should show up in this feature to really exploit the multiversal possibilities of this universe. These ten specific must-see Secret Wars Marvel characters, though, aren’t just past 21st-century Marvel movie adaptation stars. They’re some weird figures from all corners of the Marvel multiverse. Why settle for just routine cameos when you can go big and brash? If Secret Wars wants to really tap into its multiversal potential, let’s see these ten Marvel characters grace the silver screen.

Some Version of Storm

Ororo Munroe/Storm has never gotten her due in live-action X-Men movies. Despite being played by a deeply talented and Oscar-winning performer like Halle Berry, Storm has always been a background figure in X-Men motion pictures. Avengers: Secret Wars would be an optimal time to correct this flaw by giving some incarnation of Storm a chance to shine. There are so many different Storms across the multiverse to choose from, including Berry and Alexandra Shipp’s live-action versions and X-Men ’97’s Storm. Whichever one is picked, give Storm a grand Secret Wars set piece please!

Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home broke the seal of using Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in MCU movies, why not bring him back for the grand multiversal showdown that is Avengers: Secret Wars? Even if it’s just for another brief appearance, it’d be wise to bring back this character given that Maguire’s varying cameos in No Way Home and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have intertwined his Spidey with the multiverse. Plus, the potential for seeing Maguire share the screen with other Marvel heroes would be welcome.

Madame Web

In 2024’s Madame Web, Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) only gets to suit up as Madame Web in brief flickering images of the future. It’s just one of many weird elements of that S.J. Clarkson movie that’s become a punchline for moviegoers everywhere. Still, No Way Home’s use of the various Amazing Spider-Man characters proved that bad comic book movies can be redeemed in multiversal movies. Maybe a brief appearance from a comics-accurate Madame Web could give Dakota Johnson some redemption in this cinematic realm.

David Haller/Legion

The acclaimed TV show Legion followed the trippy exploits of mutant David Heller/Legion (Dan Stevens) across three seasons. That project came to an end years ago, but who’s to say Heller couldn’t return for a brief Secret Wars appearance? After all, the MCU has been clearly intent on exploiting every possible piece of pre-existing mutant media in recent years. Why not shift the focus to a small screen X-Men property? Plus, Legion’s fluid reality means briefly intersecting it with the MCU wouldn’t capsize its atmosphere.

[RELATED: Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars Directors on Whether MCU Movies Are Still Major Box Office Draws]

Darryl Jacobson

After heading various Taika Waititi-directed short films like Team Darryl, Darryl Jacobson (Daley Pearson) finally appeared in a proper MCU movie in 2022 with Thor: Love and Thunder. Now working as a New Asgard tour guide, his close proximity to all things fantastical makes it inevitable that Jacobson’s path will cross with a superhero adventure. Perhaps even Secret Wars, which could use a fleeting Darry Jacobson appearance to solidify to viewers that anyone from the MCU, no matter how throwaway, could show up here.

Lockjaw

Lockjaw is a very good boy who deserved better than the 2017 Inhumans show, which couldn’t think of anything better to do with this character than knock him unconscious with a dirtbike. While it’s impossible to imagine Marvel is bringing the Inhumans Royal Family into Secret Wars, surely Kamala Khan will appear in this Avengers installment. Given her close bond with Lockjaw in the comics, it would only make sense for this teleporting bulldog to show up in some capacity during Secret Wars. Heck, maybe Lockjaw could even get revenge on that fateful dirtbike with his big screen debut.

Japanese Spider-Man

Tobey Maguire isn’t the only past version of Spider-Man that absolutely needs to appear in Secret Wars. If directors Anthony and Joe Russo want to get really wild with the multiversal cameos of this blockbuster, then let’s make room for Japanese Spider-Man. A wild reinterpretation of Spidey from the Toei Company in the late 1970s, this incarnation of the character is such an unpredictable blast. The possibilities of seeing this Spidey Variant rubbing shoulders with Tom Holland’s web-crawler are endless and conceptually enthralling.

Matt Salinger’s Captain America

For years, the 1990 Captain America movie starring Matt Salinger as the titular superhero was treated as nothing but a joke. However, in late 2024, director Albert Pyun’s original version of the feature finally screened for the public and garnered a significantly better reception. With the restored reputation of this feature, why not find a way to bring back Salinger’s Cap for Secret Wars? Whether it’s Salinger reprising the role or some new actor wearing the costume from this 1990 feature, Captain America’s redemption tour should really continue into Secret Wars.

Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl

Squirrel Girl’s been overdue to come to the MCU for ages now, especially since a proposed and promising-sounding MCU New Warriors TV show starring Milana Vayntrub as Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl never made it past the pilot stage. With Avengers: Secret Wars being an “all hands on deck” situation for the multiverse, why not call in Vayntraub’s Squirrel Girl to help save the day? Plus, it’d be so fitting for Squirrel Girl to make her overdue MCU debut in a project as massive as Secret Wars.

1986’s Howard the Duck

Seth Green’s Howard the Duck has proven a resilient member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe across the three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and multiple episodes of What If…? Now that the MCU has made room for one Howard, though, why not have two in Secret Wars? That’s right, this multiversal blockbuster should, however briefly, feature the star of 1986’s Howard the Duck once more, preferably still in creepy puppet form and accompanied by his rollicking theme song.

Once an embarrassment for Marvel as it was their first movie, the feature is far from the worst adaptation anymore, thanks to subsequent films like Dark Phoenix and Fantastic Four. Between this and Howard’s new MCU incarnation, why not have Secret Wars provide a tip of the hat to one of the earliest live-action Marvel movie adaptations? Especially since this means audiences could hear that groovy Howard the Duck song in IMAX speakers!

Howard the Duck is now available for rental or purchase from digital retailers.

The post 10 Marvel Characters That Need to Be in Avengers: Secret Wars appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Fandango has released its list of the most anticipated movies this summer, and the film claiming the top spot may surprise you. The Top 10 list is filled with familiar franchises and superhero fare, from Marvel to DC to Mission: Impossible to John Wick to Jurassic World, just to name a few. One would assume that big-budget remakes of Fantastic Four and Superman would fight it out for box office dominance, but a surprising contender has risen to the top to be the #1 film on the minds of moviegoers for the summer. But that doesn’t mean these superhero films are far behind, still making it into the Top 5.

The Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movies in Fandango’s list is led by Jurassic World Rebirth, followed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps in second place, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in third place, Superman in fourth place, and Thunderbolts* in fifth place. The list is rounded out by From The World of John Wick: Ballerina in sixth place, 28 Years Later in seventh place, How to Train Your Dragon in eighth place, Lilo & Stitch in ninth place, and Freakier Friday in tenth place. You can check out the full list below.

The top 10 most anticipated summer movies are:

1. Jurassic World Rebirth
2. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
3. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
4. Superman
5. Thunderbolts*
6. From The World of John Wick: Ballerina
7. 28 Years Later
8. How to Train Your Dragon
9. Lilo & Stitch
10. Freakier Friday

These results come from Fandango’s annual Moviegoing Trends & Insights Study as the industry gears up for CinemaCon, running March 31-April 3 in Las Vegas. The online movie ticketing service surveyed over 5,000 moviegoers and split them between Loyal Moviegoers — those who saw five or more movies in theaters in 2024 — and Casual Moviegoers — those who saw fewer than four movies in theaters in 2024.

“As consumers’ appetite and interests continue to evolve, understanding moviegoing behaviors is essential to find new areas of opportunity and help drive industry growth,” said Jerramy Hainline, EVP of Fandango. “With a diverse slate of upcoming films, from superhero epics to action thrillers to cult classic sequels, this summer is proving to have something for all movie fans.”

[RELATED: Superman Star Teases What James Gunn Movie Is Really About (and It Sounds Perfect)]

Loyal Moviegoers made up 41% of the survey sample, seeing an average of 10 movies in 2024. The statistics say they are most likely to be millennials or Gen X, and most likely male. Casual Moviegoers represented 59% of the survey sample, saw an average of two movies in 2024, and are likely to be Gen Z and female. 

It may come as a surprise that neither The Fantastic Four: First Steps or Superman is the most anticipated movie for Summer 2025. Comic book fans like to think that the world revolves around their favorite heroes, but apparently, that isn’t the case. The Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise continues to churn out films that audiences look forward to.

Jurassic World Rebirth is something of a soft reboot for the franchise. Its narrative takes place five years after the events of 2022’s disappointing and critically panned Jurassic World Dominion. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda.

Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters on July 2nd. Let us know what your most anticipated movie of Summer 2025 is in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated Summer Movie of 2025 Will Surprise You appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Pedro Pascal and Isabela Merced are having a friendly rivalry for their upcoming superhero movies, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, respectively. This summer will see Marvel and DC compete outside of comics with the release of new Fantastic Four and Superman films. Both movies reboot their respective properties and feature stars of HBO’s The Last of Us in central roles. Pedro Pascal leads The Last of Us as Joel, with Isabela Merced joining Season 2 as Dina. Pascal is also playing Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards, and Merced suits up as Hawkgirl in Superman. But which superhero film will dominate at the box office? Let’s find out from the stars themselves.

The stars of The Last of Us are out doing press in anticipation of Season 2. After Isabela Merced discussed her new character Dina, she transitioned into promoting Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps both coming out this summer. “See you this summer!” Pedro Pascal teased his The Last of Us co-star, with Merced jokingly responding, “I hate you!”

[RELATED: Superman Star Teases What James Gunn Movie Is Really About (and It Sounds Perfect)]

The Last of Us announced Isabela Merced’s addition to Season 2 as Dina in January 2024. For those who haven’t played The Last of Us Part II, Dina is a new love interest for Ellie and travels with her throughout her latest adventure. She’s also the ex of Jesse, which makes for an interesting and complicated situation that plays out between Dina, Ellie, and Jesse. 

“Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” said showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann in a joint statement. “You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family.”

Merced previously spoke of her role in The Last of Us and called out how Dina is the only character who gets a decent ending. “[TLOU’s Dina is] sort of a light in Ellie’s life, in Ellie’s world. I think that’s the general consensus, because you look at the video game, too, and she is really the only one who actually gets sort of a decent ending,” Merced told Total Film. “Everyone else gets kind of screwed or dies!”

[RELATED: Will Marvel and DC Movies Ever Cross Over? (And Should They?)]

As for Merced’s starring role as Hawkgirl in Superman, she teased what fans can expect from Hawkgirl’s superhero costume. “Well, there have been some leaked pictures online,” Merced told Deadline. “However, I think James [Gunn] knows what he wants, and this specific suit is for this specific timeline in the story. I don’t know what else I can say, but I gotta say, the helmet was my absolute favorite. It’s so sick. It’s so badass. It’s perfect.” 

Fans finally got to see Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards in the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in February. Concept art for Fantastic Four and Avengers: Doomsday made its way online, featuring a more comics-accurate look at Reed Richards. Pedro Pascal has a trademark mustache, but was missing Mister Fantastic’s signature white sideburns in the FF trailer. However, the leaked concept art featured Pascal ditching his mustache for the white sideburns fans have come to love.

Which superhero movie are you looking forward to the most between The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Pedro Pascal, Isabela Merced Hype Fantastic Four, Superman Box Office Rivalry appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Spider-Man is about to have his first team-up with his new sidekick. Ultimate Spider-Man has been a runaway success and arguably the breakout hit of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe reboot. Watching Peter Parker learn how to be Spider-Man as a married adult with two kids has been a joy to watch, but there’s also been a steep learning curve for the web-slinger. The Sinister Six is breathing down his neck, and a result of this is the loss of Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin. But help is on the way in the form of a new sidekick wearing the infamous black suit.

Marvel released a preview of Ultimate Spider-Man #15 by Jonathan Hickman, David Messina, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Cory Petit. It picks up after the previous story arc that featured Peter Parker and Harry Osborn as prisoners of Kraven the Hunter. The duo was hunted by Kraven in the Savage Land, with only Peter making it out alive. But Kraven knows their secret identities, which means Peter’s family is now in danger. Luckily, Peter’s son Richard Parker stayed busy while Peter was missing by dressing up as Spider-Man in the black suit.

[RELATED: Why I Think Ultimate Spider-Man is the Best Thing Marvel’s Done in Years]

Peter takes his family on a vacation out of New York City to get away from all the danger waiting for them back home. The preview of Ultimate Spider-Man #15 finds Richard standing alone on a tall rock cliff, texting with his new BFF, Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat. Richard encountered Black Cat while out on patrol one night. They started as adversaries and then discovered they have a lot more in common, so now they’re texting. Richard lets out some bad words when his text doesn’t go through because of a bad signal, forcing Peter to reply, “Language!”

It appears that Peter has brought Richard out somewhere alone so they can do some training as Spider-Men. Peter doesn’t want what happened to Harry to happen to Richard. Richard reminds Peter that he has the black suit, which is what Peter wants to have a chat about. When Richard says they are talking about it, Peter responds that he’s not talking to his son, he’s talking to the suit. It’s a pretty brief preview, but it’s enough to send Ultimate Spider-Man fans into a flurry of excitement to see what kind of drama Peter and Richard get themselves into.

The black suit in Ultimate Spider-Man is different from the symbiote readers are used to in the main Marvel Universe. They both have a consciousness, but the Ultimate Universe black suit is a picotech costume that is AI-driven. It has a download of Peter’s consciousness, which is why it so quickly bonded with Richard while Peter was gone. That parental gene knew it had to protect the family, which is why it pretended to be Peter so they wouldn’t know he was missing.

Peter’s time away allowed Richard to get some reps in as Spider-Man, and he even had his first supervillain fight with Black Cat. There are some obvious sparks between Richard and Felicia, which should make things awkward and uncomfortable down the line once Peter finds out. Future issues of Ultimate Spider-Man reveal a team-up of Spider-Men to fight the Sinister Six.

“THE ULTIMATE SANDMAN ATTACKS!” the solicitation for Ultimate Spider-Man #15 reads. “As the dust settles from the events of recent issues, Peter, MJ and the kids take a family vacation — but nowhere is safe for Ultimate Spider-Man!”

Ultimate Spider-Man #15 goes on sale Wednesday, March 26th. Let us know what you think of the preview in the comments below!

The post Spider-Man Finally Has the Ultimate Team-Up Fans Have Been Begging For appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Elizabeth Olsen has confirmed she will not be appearing in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, putting to rest fan speculation about Scarlet Witch’s potential return in the highly anticipated Multiverse Saga conclusion. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Olsen revealed that she has already returned to the United States after completing work on Sam Esmail’s Panic Carefully in London and is moving on to a different project entirely. This news is a significant development for Marvel fans who have theorized about Wanda Maximoff’s fate since her apparent demise in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The timing of the production schedules and Olsen’s clear statement about her immediate career plans effectively confirms that Scarlet Witch will not be among the heroes facing Doctor Doom in the 2026 blockbuster, despite the character’s deep connection to the multiverse narrative that has defined this phase of the MCU.

“No, I’m back [in the States],” Olsen said unequivocally when asked directly if the Russo brothers were extending her stay in London for the Avengers production. “I just finished [Panic Carefully]. I’m moving on to filming a pilot for FX [called Seven Sisters],” she added, explaining her future commitments beyond the MCU. Olsen’s straightforward answer contradicts widespread fan theories that Scarlet Witch would play a pivotal role in the upcoming Avengers films, especially considering her character’s reality-altering powers and her significance in the multiverse storyline established through WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

[RELATED: Avengers: Doomsday Theory Predicts Spider-Man’s Pivotal Role After No Way Home]

The absence of Scarlet Witch from Avengers: Doomsday is surprising, considering Wanda’s central role in expanding the MCU’s understanding of alternate realities. After Wanda apparently sacrificed herself to destroy all copies of the Darkhold at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the character’s status has remained deliberately ambiguous. However, Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer revealed that she was specifically instructed to use the word “gone” rather than “dead” when referring to Wanda, suggesting Marvel has maintained flexibility regarding the character’s eventual return. During a November 2024 interview, Feige stated, “We are excited to find out when and how Scarlet Witch can return,” suggesting the Scarlet Witch would eventually make a comeback without committing to any specific timeline or project.

How Marvel Could Reintroduce Scarlet Witch Without Avengers: Doomsday

With Scarlet Witch now confirmed to be absent from Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios has several potential pathways for reintroducing the character that would maintain narrative coherence while honoring her previous development. The most obvious possibility would be saving her return for Avengers: Secret Wars, where her reality-warping abilities would be particularly relevant to a story about colliding universes. The Russo brothers have described their approach to the upcoming Avengers films as establishing “a new beginning” for the franchise, and Wanda’s return could serve as a bridge between phases of the MCU.

Another avenue for Wanda’s return exists through the upcoming Vision series, which continues the story of the synthezoid character last seen flying away in WandaVision. While few details about this project have been confirmed, the deeply intertwined stories of Vision (Paul Bettany) and Wanda make this series a natural entry point for reintroducing Scarlet Witch, potentially in a cameo that wouldn’t require the extended commitment of an Avengers film. This approach would allow Marvel to address Wanda’s fate while maintaining focus on Vision’s independent journey.

The groundwork laid in Agatha All Along provides yet another pathway for Wanda’s eventual return. The series established that Billy Maximoff has been reincarnated as William Kaplan, with the implication that Tommy exists somewhere in the world as well. The twins’ presence in the MCU creates a natural narrative pull for their mother to return, especially given that Wanda’s search for her children was the primary motivation for her actions in Multiverse of Madness. A storyline focused on the reunion of this magical family could serve as an emotionally resonant way to bring Scarlet Witch back into the fold.

Whatever route Marvel chooses, Olsen’s comments make it clear that fans will need to be patient for Scarlet Witch’s return. In the same interview, the actress also reflected on her approach to balancing Marvel roles with other projects. “I didn’t realize this until about six years ago, but because Marvel and its influence takes up so much physical time and space in the world, it’s really important for me to make choices outside of Marvel that reflect my own taste,” Olsen explained. “Your taste does create the artist that you are, and that wasn’t something I was thinking about when I first started working.”

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on May 7, 2027.

Would you like the Scarlet Witch to return to the MCU? Which project do you think is most likely to feature Elizabeth Olsen? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Marvel’s Elizabeth Olsen Has Surprising Answer About Avengers: Doomsday Return appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get access to the one franchise that every Marvel fan wants to see: the X-Men. They were once Marvel’s most popular property, selling millions of comics, starring in animated series, and helming big-budget movies that grabbed fans’ imaginations and showed what Marvel could be on the big screen. There are hundreds of great heroes and villains on the X-Men side of the Marvel Universe, and many of Marvel’s best stories have had the name “X-Men” on the cover. The X-Men have all the potential in the world in the MCU, and the franchise could bring the team back to the top of the superhero charts.

Obviously the MCU doesn’t straight-up adapt comic stories, but instead uses them for inspiration. The X-Men have over 60 years of amazing stories that can inspire modern MCU content, and supply fans with what that they want from Marvel Studios.

These five X-Men stories would make the best MCU movies, showing off the flavor of the X-Men comics to a wider audience.

X-Men (1963) #1

One of the biggest questions about the X-Men is how the MCU is going to approach the team. Will they start out with more popular characters like Wolverine and Storm, like Fox did, or will they start at the beginning? An argument can made that they should start at the beginning, and that means taking inspiration from the team’s first appearance, X-Men #1 from 1963, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

This story introduced the world to Charles Xavier and his X-Men, and started the saga of Magneto. It sees the X-Men trying to stop Magneto’s attack on Cape Citadel, and is the perfect way to introduce the heroes and villains of the series. Magneto’s disposition in the MCU is another big question, and using this story first would answer that question, giving the MCU time to develop Magneto in whatever way they want. It’s a great starting place that can be easily modernized and serve as a perfect re-introduction to the X-Men.

X-Men (1991) #1-3

X-Men (1991) #1 is the bestselling comic of all time, and kicks off a three-issue story, by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, that resets the relationship between Magneto and the X-Men for an entirely new generation of fans. A group of mutants is chased to Magneto’s Asteroid M by S.H.I.E.L.D., which draws Magneto back into the conflict between mutants and heroes. The X-Men spring into action, with the group’s Blue Team battling Magneto’s Acolytes and Magneto himself, leading to an X-Men versus X-Men battle and a surprising end for Magneto.

This is another story that does an amazing job of setting out the relationship between Magneto and the X-Men, and is full of amazing action-packed scenes. If the MCU wants to start with the X-Men already extant, this is the perfect tale to begin with. On top of that, the X-Men Blue Team has some of the most popular mutants of all time — Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Gambit — giving moviegoers a fan-favorite team to root for in the battle against Magneto. It’s a win-win.

God Loves, Man Kills

God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, is one of the most important comic stories of all time. It introduces readers to Reverend Stryker and the Purifiers, a group of religious bigots who start killing young mutants. This spurs the X-Men into the action, where they are joined by an unforeseen ally — Magneto. It’s a monumental story, using the underlying themes of the X-Men to take a look at bigotry in society and the problems with organized religion.

The MCU isn’t exactly known for its depth. The franchise’s superheroes are quippy and sarcastic and the stories are light, breezy action-comedies. This has been a major stumbling block for the MCU and God Loves, Man Kills is the way to change that. Superheroes like the X-Men are perfect for social commentary and the MCU needs to go in this deeper direction. God Loves, Man Kills, if done right, could change the way everyone looks at the MCU forever and use the X-Men in the exact way they should be used.

“The Brood Saga”

“The Brood Saga”, by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, is a classic X-Men story that showed just how versatile the team could be. The X-Men are called for help by their allies in the Shi’Ar Empire for help against a new alien threat — the Brood. Based on the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise (years before Marvel’s parent company Disney bought it), the X-Men are tested to their limits by this savage race, and one member in particular has to dig deep to save the day.

“The Brood Saga” is another example of a story that would take the MCU out of its comfort zone, which is exactly why it should get adapted. Superhero horror is an important part of comic history, and “The Brood Saga” is one of the best examples of it from Marvel. The MCU needs to broaden its horizons, and “The Brood Saga” is exactly the kind of story that could do so. While the MCU may not be able to pull off the more serious X-Men stories, it can easily pull off “The Brood Saga”.

“E is for Extinction”

“E is for Extinction” stands tall among the best X-Men stories of all time. The story relaunched X-Men as New X-Men, courtesy of the revolutionary creative team of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. The story sets up a new, more mutant-centric direction for the team, with the X-Men eschewing traditional superhero activities to become mutant teachers and rescue workers. However, a new threat rears its ugly head, Cassandra Nova, who wants to destroy everything her brother Professor X loves.

“E is for Extinction” is a great place to start with the X-Men. Sure, it doesn’t have the traditional superhero costumes, but it serves to set up everything else about the team. Cassandra Nova is already known to MCU fans, which is a good thing; the story features Wolverine, which is another feather in its cap – and it’s just a casually brilliant story. Going in this direction would allow the MCU to set up the school status quo, and have a great roster of X-Men, including Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Beast while also introducing Emma Frost to the team. And, hey, if Marvel wants the X-Men in their more traditional costumes for the movie, that’s an easy tweak. New X-Men is the best reboot of a Marvel franchise in the last twenty-five years and would make for an excellent MCU reboot movie.

X-Men films and MCU films are streaming on Disney+.

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A villain with a deep history in the Marvel Universe is getting a Wolverine-level upgrade. Wolverine is keeping pretty busy nowadays, with appearances in Uncanny X-Men, Deadpool/Wolverine, his own solo series, and now Weapon X-Men. The series brings together some of the X-Men‘s heavy hitters like Wolverine, Deadpool, Cable, Thunderbird, and Chamber. The first issue is already in stores and the second issue of Weapon X-Men releases this week, but writer Joe Casey is already spilling the beans on his future plans, and how they relate to former Hydra leader Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker.

Joe Casey wrote about creating and leveling up supervillains in a Substack post. After going over the history of creating Zodiack for Marvel’s Dark Reign publishing initiative and his return more than 13 years later in Moon Knight, Casey transitioned to revealing similar plans for Baron Von Strucker in Weapon X-Men.

“Over the subsequent fifty plus years, he’s shown up every so often with new — albeit minor — tweaks to his character but, to me, he’s been stagnant for quite a while,” Casey wrote. “And he didn’t deserve to be. So, when I was finally cleared to use Baron Strucker, I immediately went to work on leveling him up a few notches.”

[RELATED: Marvel Almost Rebooted the Original X-Men With New Names, Costumes (and It Could Have Worked)]

Casey then spoils a bit of Weapon X-Men #2, where readers will meet a new, more dangerous iteration of an LMD (Life Model Decoy), which will be rebranded as Wolverines of Mass Destruction, or WMD. Baron Von Strucker has uploaded his consciousness into the WMD, along with Wolverine’s berserker rage, to turn them into the ultimate killing machine. The end result is Baron Von Strucker taking on a new form and identity.

Weapon X-Men turns Marvel villain Baron Von Strucker into Weapon Exile

“Ultimately, as the result of events that I don’t want to completely spoil here, Strucker’s mind will end up in a single WMD… which will itself further evolve into a unique, autonomous, pure engine of destruction that he alone occupies. He even takes on a brand-new name to mark the occasion — ‘Weapon Exile.'”

Weapon Exile will serve as the ultimate arch-nemesis for Weapon X-Men, akin to how the Avengers have Ultron, the Fantastic Four have Doctor Doom, the X-Men have Magneto (when he isn’t on the team), and the New Teen Titans have Trigon.

“And Weapon Exile is formidable, possessing all the berserker savagery of the WMD’s as well as the cunning mind and ruthless personality of Baron Strucker,” Casey teased. “Not to mention, he’s got Wolverine-style claws and he knows how to use them. And, as a cherry on top, he’s got additional adamantium-based powers unlike any ever seen before in Marvel Comics.

The artwork that Joe Casey shares is of a Life Model Decoy that takes on Wolverine’s design, right down to the pointy ears on its head. It’s robotic in nature, but we know that this LMD (or WMD) is what Baron Von Strucker will eventually become: Weapon Exile. Surprisingly, Casey decided to spill the beans so quickly and not save Weapon Exile as a big reveal, but Marvel may have already given it away in future solicitations for Weapon X-Men.

Weapon Exile’s first appearance comes in April’s Weapon X-Men #3. Let us know what you think about this new development in the comments below!

The post A Classic Marvel Villain Is Getting a Major Upgrade as a Twisted Version of Wolverine appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s has been a busy month for Hasbro who kicked off March 2025 with a wave of Marvel Legends figures at NY Toy Fair along with a wave of Spider-Man Gamerverse figures, Collector Con exclusives, and more. With Robert Downey Jr. set to return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday as Doctor Doom, it’s no surprise that a comic book-inspired Victor Von Doom Helmet roleplay helmet was featured in the lineup. We’re also getting a Fan Channel exclusive X-Force Archangel figure, An X-Force 2-pack with X-23 and Warpath figures, and a figure inspired by the new Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. At this point, all of these figures have launched and are available for pre-order now. That leaves us with one remaining release – the Gamerverse Kingpin figure inspired by Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Below you’ll find a complete breakdown of these figures complete with pre-order links. The Kinpin figure is the final release on the list, and it is expected to launch this Thursday, March 27th at 1pm ET right here on Amazon as an exclusive. A direct link will be added after the launch time, so stay tuned for updates.

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES DAREDEVIL / $24.99/ Pre-Order on March 5 at 1PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: Inspired by the MCU Daredevil: Born Again series that serves as a revival of the original and much beloved Netflix show. Features include series accurate details and 5 accessories. The series is streaming on Disney+ now.

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES X-FORCE ARCHANGEL / $39.99 | Pre-Order on March 6 at 1PM ET at Entertainment Earth (Fan Channel Exclusive): “This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character from Marvel’s X-Force comics. Archangel action figure is fully articulated with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Horseman of Apocalypse action figure set comes with 11 accessories, including 2 alternate hands, alternate head, flechette feather blades that attach to poseable wings.”

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES DOCTOR DOOM PREMIUM ROLEPLAY HELMET / $99.99 | Pre-Order on March 6 at 1PM ET at Entertainment Earth ($124.99) / Amazon ($99.99): “Hasbro Marvel Legends proudly presents this 1:1 scale reproduction of Doctor Doom’s classic helmet! Roleplay helmet with premium design and deco is inspired by the character’s signature look in Marvel Comics. Marvel roleplay set comes with a green fabric hood inspired by Doctor Doom’s signature robe. Includes a stand and is great for displaying in fans’ collections or wearing with a Doctor Doom Halloween costume or Marvel cosplay. Imagine pitting the brilliant mind of Victor Von Doom against Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four!”

Marvel Legends Pre-Orders For March 12th:

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES X-FORCE X-23 & WARPATH  / Price: $49.99 | Pre-Order on March 12 at 1PM ET here at Entertainment Earth (Fan Channel Exclusive): “These collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figures are detailed to look like the characters from Marvel’s X-Force and X-Men comics. The X-23 and Warpath action figures feature over 20 points of articulation with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Marvel action figure set comes with 9 accessories: X-23 features 4 alternate hands and alternate head; Warpath features 2 alternate hands and 2 knife accessories.”

Marvel Legends Pre-Orders For March 13th:

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES GAMERVERSE SPIRIT SPIDER  / Price: $24.99 | Pre-Order on March 13 at 1PM ET exclusively on Walmart: “This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character’s appearance in the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game. The Spirit Spider figure features over 20 points of articulation with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Marvel action figure set comes with 4 accessories, including a set of alternate web-slinging hands.”

Marvel Legends Pre-Orders For March 27th:

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES GAMERVERSE KINGPIN  / Price $39.99 | Pre-Order on March 27 at 1PM ET exclusively on Amazon: “This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character’s appearance in the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game. The Kingpin figure features over 20 points of articulation with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Marvel action figure set comes with 4 accessories, including alternate head, alternate hands, and cane.”

The post Marvel Legends Spider-Man Gamerverse Kingpin Exclusive Drops This Week appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ultimate X-Men #13, by Peach Momoko, kicks off the beginning of the X-Men’s second year and the issue definitely brings it in with a bang. The Shadow King was finally able to get the best of Armor, stealing her from her friends and bringing her to the Children of the Atom. This sees her friends, the X-Men of the new Ultimate Universe, come running and what follows is a battle between Dark Armor, the Shadow King, and the Maester, the leader of the Children of the Atom. Ultimate X-Men has so far been a rather different take on the X-Men, one that eschewed the action of the mainline X-Men books or even the ones from the old Ultimate Universe. Ultimate X-Men #13 throwing in a big fight isn’t what fans of the book expected, which is part of what makes this issue yet another example of why Ulimate X-Men is so great.

Peach Momoko’s art might not seem like the best for a big battle between the most powerful mutants in Japan, but there’s something about it that makes the fight work all the better. This is an epic issue, but what truly makes it stand out is the ending, showing readers that not everything is as it seems.

The Ultimate X-Men Give It Their All…

Ultimate X-Men #12 ended with Shadow King and Armor battling. Shadow King is able to use the tragedies of Armor’s past to get into her mind, the two of them melding as the Shadow King tells Armor that they are same. As this was happening, the X-Men felt their friend’s defeat and raced to her side, which brings us to the latest issue. Natsu, Nico Minoru, Mori, and Kanon attack Dark Armor, but right away, something seems off, as Kanon yells that they knew what Armor had done — a reference to her role in her friend’s suicide, which readers just learned about last issue — and the fight begins. Armor uses her powers to shift her energy armor, and the X-Men are able to hold their own against her attacks, even knocking her down. As the fight goes on, it’s revealed that the Shadow King is controlling Armor, so that every time the X-Men beat her down, she’s able to get back up into the fight, her armor shifting forms and making her more powerful, her puppet master pulling her back up.

RELATED: Marvel Introduces a Tragic Version of X-Men’s Cyclops

The Shadow King brings the Maester into the fight, all in order to hurt Natsu, but her optic blasts make short work of him, bringing even more Children of the Atom into the battle. With the X-Men surrounded, Maystorm jumps in, helping the X-Men win their fight. Shadow King tells them that the whole family is together, and this leads to the end of the battle. Armor screams about hating always hearing about mutants, and hating her friends, unleashing her armor’s energies on the team. The X-Men are able to hold their own and fight back, blasting Armor over and over again to no avail. Mori is captured by the Children, the X-Men free her, and than Kanon decides to release her oni to end the battle. Kanon attacks Armor, and the whole time Shadow King smiles behind her. Then readers learn the truth about what’s been happening — or rather what wasn’t happening.

…But None of It Is Real

The issue ends with Shadow King and Armor in a tank being watched by the Maester, talking about how he can use them to control the world. The fight never happened; it was all part of a test by the Maester in order to see how far his control Armor and Shadow King — and perhaps the rest of the team, although there’s clues that they were also part of the simulation. In fact, there were clues that the whole thing was a simulation right from the beginning. The first page of the book matches the page right before the reveal, which is a liquid medium with bubbles floating up. The X-Men know things that there’s no way for them to know; add to that the fact that the Maester and Children of the Atom just appear out of nowhere not once, not twice, but thrice, and it all makes sense.

Ultimate X-Men has been its own book from the beginning, and giving readers a big fight issue could be seen as a concession to the fans who hate the book for it not being standard X-Men fare. However, Momoko finds a way to do what everyone wants her to in her own way, telling the story that she started with the first issue in 2024. Ultimate X-Men #13 is a test and it’s as much for the reader as it for Armor and Shadow King.

Ultimate X-Men #13 is on sale where ever comics are sold.

The post The Ultimate X-Men’s First Fight Is a Fiendish Test appeared first on ComicBook.com.

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was both a literal and figurative sendoff to the beloved team of Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes, as it marked Gunn’s final collaboration with Marvel and marked many characters’ final appearances in the franchise. Even though Gunn might not return, Adam Warlock actor Will Poulter recently confirmed that he’d happily stand by for Marvel to confirm they needed him to return to the franchise in either the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. As fans wait to see if Poulter will reprise his otherworldly role, they can see him in Death of a Unicorn, which hits theaters on March 28th.

When asked by ComicBook if he would be open to a Marvel return, Poulter confirmed, “Oh, dude, I’d love it. I had so much fun playing my character, and so, yeah, if they come calling, I’m definitely picking up.”

Poulter’s Warlock has had an interesting trajectory in the MCU, as his overall significance in the world of Marvel Comics has been quite different from his role in live-action Marvel Studios projects.

[RELATED – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Reveals Deleted Adam Warlock Scene]

Warlock was first teased in a post-credits scene of 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, signaling his impending arrival in the franchise. The figure was a key component in the miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet and even obtained possession of the titular weapon. This also meant Warlock was an important figure in the subsequent comic series Infinity War and Infinity Crusade. Understandably, when it was announced that the MCU would deliver fans Avengers: Infinity War, fans assumed Warlock would be an important character in that adventure, only for the movie to deviate from the source material quite significantly.

While fans were excited to see Warlock get more screen presence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he remains a figure with a wealth of storytelling potential, so Poulter’s willingness to reprise the role, even in a project disconnected from Gunn, means there’s still a chance to explore the figure’s potential.

As fans wait for updates on Poulter’s potential MCU return, they can check out Death of a Unicorn.

Death of a Unicorn is described, “A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. “

Death of a Unicorn was written and directed by Alex Scharfman and also stars Teá Leoni, and Richard E. Grant.

Stay tuned for updates on Poulter’s potential return to the MCU. Death of a Unicorn hits theaters on March 28th.

Would you like to see more of Warlock? Let us know in the comments!

The post Guardians of the Galaxy Star Weighs in on Returning for Avengers (Even Without James Gunn) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Budgetary concerns kept Hank McCoy/Beast out of the initial live-action X-Men films, despite his character being part of this superhero group since its inception. Thankfully for comic book geeks everywhere, X-Men: The Last Stand corrected this erasure with the inspired casting of Kelsey Grammer as Beast. From there, Beast has been a constant presence in live-action X-Men movies, particularly with the Nicholas Hoult version of the character introduced in X-Men: First Class. Heck, Grammer’s Beast even became only the second X-Men movie character (following Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier) to appear on-screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to a mid-credits scene in The Marvels.

Beast’s ubiquity, though, could’ve been increased even further in the 20th Century Fox era of mutant cinema. There were once plans to give this blue superhero a solo movie that would’ve finally let Beast take center stage. Though the production never materialized, X-Men: Fear the Beast is a fascinating “what if?” scenario reflecting a volatile era in X-Men cinema.

What Was X-Men: Fear the Beast?

John Ottman is most known for working as a film composer, a career that’s included multiple X-Men installments like X2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, Ottman is also an editor, screenwriter, and director, and he would’ve possibly utilized all of those talents for a project focusing on Hank McCoy/Beast. Coinciding with Dark Phoenix’s release (and thus the demise of all future non-MCU X-Men movies), Ottman recalled to THR how his assistant Bryan Burton came up with an idea for a solo Beast movie.

Initially dubious of the notion, Ottman became enamored with Burton’s script and began pushing for it passionately. The gist of this feature would’ve been that Beast in the 1980s (presumably the Hoult version established in First Class) is torn between his most monstrous and human impulses. A potential friend, Dr. Paul Cartier, who also suffers from the same Beast-ly circumstances, turns out to be a nefarious foe Beast must stop. This situation would lead to Beast teaming up with Wolverine and both mutants putting their most monstrous tendencies to good use.

[RELATED: 10 X-Men Movie Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee]

This would’ve been a smaller-scale exercise in the vein of Logan, Deadpool, and The New Mutants, while everything about Beast’s storyline in Fear the Beast sounds reminiscent of classic werewolf stories. In the late 2010s, when Fox was enamored with giving X-Men characters like Gambit, Kitty Pryde, and Multiple Man solo movies, the idea of giving Beast his own motion picture didn’t sound so ludicrous. After all, this guy had already been in several First Class-era movies and was played by an acclaimed actor on the rise in popularity (Hoult). Why not hand this staple of X-Men stories a more modestly budgeted solo movie?

What Killed Fear the Beast?

In 2019, Ottman recalled that the biggest obstacle facing Fear the Beast was the approval of producer/writer Simon Kinberg, who was in charge of all things X-Men at Fox. Kinberg declined to read the project, allegedly because he didn’t want the screenplay to influence his own grand plans involving a new post-Hugh Jackman version of Wolverine. Even after this setback, Ottman still harbored ambitions of directing Fear the Beast if it ever got the green light, though that day never came. This proposed Beast movie stalled out after a first draft, thanks to the Disney/Fox merger.

Disney and Marvel Studios had their own X-Men plans and they certainly wouldn’t involve a Hank McCoy/Beast solo movie. With that, X-Men: Fear the Beast was dead, though nobody could be surprised at this outcome, especially given how the production never got very far. After all, that solo Gambit movie never got off the ground despite having a major star attached (Channing Tatum), and getting years of development including securing countless release dates. The significantly lower-profile X-Men: Fear the Beast was a no-brainer casualty in the corporate shenanigans that reset the X-Men movie franchise’s trajectory.

If nothing else, the very existence of Fear the Beast speaks to how much allure and power Beast has as a fictional character. Having existed in the comics for over 60 years, the dissonance between a big burly blue guy with the brain of an intellectual continues to captivate screenwriters and audiences alike. Given his enduring popularity, it was only inevitable that someone in Hollywood would try giving Beast his own solo movie. That kind of feat makes it inevitable that audiences haven’t seen the last of Beast on the silver screen, though it’s doubtful future appearances will involve Fear the Beast.

X-Men: The Last Stand and The Marvels are now streaming on Disney+.

The post  Remember When Most Unexpected X-Men Character Almost Got Their Own Movie? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced Thanos into the franchise, fans wondered how any member of the Avengers could be powerful enough to take down the Mad Titan, with Ant-Man’s unique powers resulting in fan theories about an unconventional way to destroy the villain. Years later, actor Paul Rudd is still pondering whether Scott Lang could really shrink down, enter Thanos’s anus, and then turn into “Giant Man” to essentially explode Thanos from inside his gastrointestinal system. If you’ve never heard of this theory, you’re not alone, as Rudd’s costar in the upcoming movie Death of a Unicorn Jenna Ortega was also unfamiliar. Death of a Unicorn lands in theaters on March 28th.

“I often wonder, though, could he really have stopped Thanos in that way? Because didn’t he, at that point, have the Space Stone or whatever?” Rudd shared with ComicBook when asked if this “Thanus” plan could be used to take down Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. When Ortega appeared visibly confused, Rudd questioned, “Do you know what we’re talking about? There was a theory — going against Thanos, why didn’t Ant-Man just … instead of Thanos, it was ‘Thanus,’ go up Thanos and then expand.”

Ortega questioned, “I thought he was already big … the purple one?” Rudd clarified, “I get really small,” with Ortega then remembering, “Oh, that’s right, you’re called Ant-Man!”

[RELATED – Avengers: Endgame Directors on That Ant-Man and Thanos Butt Theory]

Given that Doctor Doom and Thanos have different strengths and vulnerabilities, it’s likely Ant-Man wouldn’t need to go to quite these measures to take down Doom. As evidenced by the conversation, Ortega doesn’t quite remember all the details about the MCU, despite the actor recently reminding fans that she had a small role in a previous entry into the series.

“It was one of the first jobs I ever did, and they took all my lines out,” Ortega recalled with Entertainment Tonight. “They even took my name away.”

As fans wait to see how Rudd’s Scott Lang could use his unique abilities to battle against Doom and potentially see if Ortega could ever return to the franchise in some capacity, they can see the actors in their new A24 movie.

Death of a Unicorn is described, “A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. “

Death of a Unicorn was written and directed by Alex Scharfman and also stars Will Poulter, Teá Leoni, and Richard E. Grant.

Stay tuned for updates on Ant-Man’s return to the MCU. Death of a Unicorn lands in theaters on March 28th.

What do you think of the theory? Let us know in the comments!

The post Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd Still Wondering if “Thanus” Plan Could Have Really Worked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One World Under Doom #2, by Ryan North and R.B. Silva, is stuffed with big moments. Doom’s hold on the world keeps getting tighter, as the people of the world find their lives better than ever under the rule of Doctor Doom. The Fantastic Four decide to try to make Doom look bad, but are completely outclassed by their longtime foe. Doom outmaneuvers them, and ends the whole affair by using his new Sorcerer Supreme powers to cure the Thing of his powers, transforming him back to Ben Grimm. Meanwhile, the Avengers watch as Doom outsmarts the heroes once again, leading them to make their own plans. Part of this plan involves trying to figure out if Doom has the leaders of the world under mental control of some kind. However, there’s another aspect to their plan, one that teams the Avengers up with a group of enemies that has been trying to destroy them for years — the Masters of Evil.

The Masters of Evil first came together back in the early days of the Silver Age, with Baron Heinrich Zemo bringing together a team that was powerful enough to fight the Avengers. Some of the best Avengers stories of all-time starred the Masters, and the history between the two teams is one of constant conflict. That makes this team-up especially precarious.

The Masters of Evil Have Tried to Destroy the World and Kill the Avengers Numerous Times

The Masters of Evil come from a time when most villains were “villainous opposites”. The Avengers were the ultimate heroes, so the Masters of Evil were the ultimate villains. They were the most dangerous enemies of their day and every time they’d return, there would be new members of the Masters. There was very little loyalty in the Masters of Evil; the team’s leaders — Heinrich and his son Helmut, Ultron, Egghead, Doctor Octopus, Crimson Cowl, Max Fury, Lightmaster, and Madame Masque — basically brought in anyone they thought would help them defeat the Avengers. A list of the Masters of Evil would read like a who’s who of the B and C-list of Marvel’s villains, with A-listers at the head of the team. The Masters of Evil have mostly disappeared in modern comics — for some reason, the evil superteam seems to be a thing of the past, at least in the Marvel Universe — but the group did hand the Avengers their worst loss until Scarlet Witch decided to get mad about her children.

RELATED: Steve Foxe Unravels the Mysteries Behind Doctor Doom’s Superior Avengers (Interview)

The ’80s classic “Under Siege”, by Roger Stern and John Buscema, saw the largest roster of the Masters of Evil brought together by Helmut Zemo. Helmut made the perfect plan and sprung it on the Avengers, with his Masters destroying the Avengers at every turn. They were even able to kick the team out of their headquarters at Avengers Mansion. Cap was taken prisoner, Jarvis was tortured, and Hercules was beaten into a coma. While the Avengers were eventually able to defeat their enemies, the scars of what the Masters of Evils did to them would always be there. The Masters under Zemo would also return a few later, when the Avengers were thought dead, posing as the Thunderbolts. That was basically the last hurrah of the Masters as any kind of force, so their return at the end of One World Under Doom #2 was a big surprise.

Can the Avengers Trust the Masters of Evil?

The Avengers don’t have the best luck with Doom, and Captain Marvel’s two-pronged plan is the group’s best hope to defeat the Latverian monarch. Teaming with the new Masters of Evil — consisting of Doctor Octopus, MODOK, Mysterio, Baron Mordo, Arcade, and Madelyne Pryor — feels like an action motivated by panic, and it’s one that can bite the Avengers if they’re not careful. While this new roster of the Masters doesn’t have anyone who hates the Avengers too much — MODOK is the only one who is technically an Avengers villain — Doom has been able to keep the Avengers and the FF on the back foot. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine that Doom has already suborned the Masters.

Regardless of what happens, seeing the Avengers and the Masters team together is something that no one ever expected. The closest that ever came to happening was with the Thunderbolts, and even that was after Zemo had been kicked off the team and Hawkeye was leading them. This is a huge moment in Avengers history.

One World Under Doom #2 is on sale where ever comics are sold.

The post The Avengers’ Greatest Foes Returns… To Help Them Fight Doom? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Spider-Man: India spins a Web-Slinging adventure with the Web-Head of another universe, and it deserves a great deal more recognition. Originally published in 2004 into 2005, Spider-Man: India‘s title is very self-explanatory, with the Wall-Crawler re-imagined as Mumbai teenager Pavitr Prabhakar, who lives with his Uncle Bhim and Auntie Maya while harboring romantic feelings for Meera Jain and craving something more out of life, such as becoming a Bollywood movie star. Pavitr ends up getting his wish when his is granted to powers of the spider and becomes Mumbai’s superhero protector Spider-Man, right as a villainous threat of immense proportions arises.

Spider-Man: India is a classic case of taking an established and popular character and re-working their backstory into something completely fresh, with Pavitr Prabhakar subsequently returning in the Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon comic book stories. That makes it all the more baffling that Spider-Man: India has never quite broken out as big as other alternate universe Spidey stories. With that said, Pavitr Prabhakar’s big-screen debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may have the first step in changing that.

Spider-Man: India Gives The Web-Head (& The Green Goblin) A Supernatural Origin Story

Apart from transporting the Wall-Crawler to India and re-imagining him into Pavitr Prabhakar, Spider-Man: India puts a whole new spin on how both Spidey and the Green Goblin acquire their superhuman powers. In Spider-Man: India, Norman Osborn is re-imagined as Nalin Oberoi, a Mumbai crime boss who comes into possession of an ancient amulet which unleashes a demonic entity and transforms him into the book’s version of the Green Goblin. This is a huge reworking from the sci-fi origins of the Green Goblin’s powers and personality in the comics, and Spidey himself gains his abilities in a similar fashion.

Following Nalin’s transformation, Pavitr is granted the abilities of a spider by a wise yogi, tasking the young Pavitr with stopping Nalin before he unleashes more demons into the world. That’s a major switch from the radioactive spider bite that gave Peter Parker his arachnid powers, but like Nalin’s origin, it perfectly fits the tone established in Spider-Man: India. Deeply rooted in India’s culture of Hinduism and spirituality, Spider-Man: India‘s re-invention of Spidey and the Green Goblin is a wholly captivating one indeed.

RELATED: Spider-Verse Star Has Major Tease for Third Movie (And We’re Worried)

Spider-Man: India Is A Comic Book Visual Feast

Flipping through the pages of Spider-Man: India, one of the graphic novel’s greatest attributes immediately jumps off the page. To put it simply, Spider-Man: India is a visually enthralling, astonishingly captivating comic book. Artist Jeevan Kang and colorists Gotham Studios Asia bring the book’s vision of the vibrant metropolis of Mumbai to life in gorgeous, colorful art bathed in seemingly perpetual sunsets, but they don’t stop there. With supernatural versions of Spider-Man and the Green Goblin on hand and Hindu elements to integrate into the story, Spider-Man: India captures all three with phenomenal and impactful artwork on each page.

Spidey and the Green Goblin’s looks themselves are fittingly re-designed, with the the Green Gobin himself changed into an outright goblin. Spider-Man: India also treats the reader to an unusual abundance of one or two-page action shots of Spidey swooping through the city and battling the Goblin and other villains to stop a demonic invasion. The artwork of comic books is an essential component of comic book storytelling, and here too does Spider-Man: India bring nothing but pure Web-Slinging flair to its re-imaging of Spidey as a teenager in India chosen to become a superhero. Spider-Man: India truly is an instance where a comic book’s artwork alone makes it a worth read and new chapter into Spidey’s Wall-Crawling adventures.

Pavitr Prabhakar Cemented His Legacy in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

With Peter Parker as the mainline Spider-Man and Miles Morales as his 21st century successor, it would be easy to assume that Pavitr Prabhakar wouldn’t be making it to the big-screen any time soon. But, of course, the multiverse – or, more specifically, the Spider-Verse – is the ultimate rebuttal to any such limitations being placed on comic book stories being adapted to movies or TV. 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse took the multiverse story of its 2018 predecessor Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and turned it up to 1000, introducing the Spider-Society consisting of hundreds of Spider-People from throughout the multiverse, including none other than Pavitr Prabhakar.

Voiced by Karan Soni, Across the Spider-Verse‘s Pavitr builds upon his origin story in Spider-Man: India, the teenage Web-Head a fully confidant, skilled superhero who teams up with Miles Morales (Shamiek Moore), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfled), and Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya) to put a stop to the multiverse-spanning crime spree of The Spot (Jason Schwartzmann). Pavitr’s costume also gets an update in Across the Spider-Verse to reflect his cool persona as his universe’s Spidey, while the visual splendor of the movie is gloriously on par with that of Spider-Man: India.

With Pavitr set to return in the forthcoming Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, he seems to be gradually catching up with Miles and Gwen as non-Peter Parker Web-Heads with an ever growing scale of popularity. While Pavitr seems poised to become more and more of a break-out character in his Spider-Verse adventures, it all began for him the multiverse one-off tale of Spider-Man: India, a visually astounding and narratively engrossing alternate universe tale that every Spider-Man fan should give a read if they haven’t already.

The post Spider-Man: India Needs Way More Love appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The final battle between Logan and his longtime nemesis Sabretooth is about to go down in Wolverine: Revenge. Superstar creators Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo are teaming up on Wolverine: Revenge, an out-of-continuity limited series that swings for the fences. We’ve already seen the deaths of Captain America and the Winter Soldier, along with Wolverine following the title’s name by seeking revenge against his greatest rivals (and one former teammate on the X-Men). Of course, you can’t tell a Wolverine story without Sabretooth. While Victor Creed may not be up to his old fighting form, he still holds a grudge, and Wolverine is ready to bring their feud to a bloody end.

Marvel released a preview of Wolverine: Revenge #5 by Jonathan Hickman, Greg Capullo, Tim Townsend, and Alex Sinclair. One unique part of the limited series is that there has been a time jump in each issue, and the Wolverine and Sabretooth preparing for battle are a lot older than what fans are accustomed to. Wolverine is in his trademark brown costume with a noticeable grey beard seen under his mask. As for Sabretooth, he’s relegated to moving around in Professor Charles Xavier’s gold hoverchair. But Sabretooth isn’t coming to fight Wolverine alone. He’s brought Colossus’ son along with him.

[RELATED: Ultimate Wolverine Reveals the Fate of an MCU Avenger (Exclusive)]

Wolverine has been periodically checking up on Sabretooth and cutting off parts of his body, which is why Sabretooth is left to use the hoverchair to move about. So we have to assume Sabretooth no longer has his legs and lower body. Plus, he’s missing his right eye. Colossus’ son wants payback against Wolverine for killing his father in a previous issue. The boy looks just like Colossus and has Magik’s Soulsword strapped to his back.

Wolverine tries to goad Sabretooth by calling him a coward for having someone else fight his battles for him. The tactic seems to work, cause Sabretooth lets out a vicious howl before telling the boy, “Do it now, kid!” What that is remains a mystery for now, as the preview of Wolverine: Revenge #5 comes to an end.

Wolverine: Revenge is one of the titles to get the red band treatment from Marvel. The publisher began releasing red band editions of its comics with the debut of the vampire-centric Blood Hunt, with the individual issues being polybagged and flagged as containing explicit violence and blood. 

“TIME HEALS NOTHING! Not even a mutant healing factor can restore the gouge in WOLVERINE’s soul,” the description of Wolverine: Revenge #5 reads. “Generations later, revenge is served cold, as the unspeakable crimes are paid for. SNIKT, @$#&$s! Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo’s legendary conclusion to their already legendary miniseries!”

Wolverine: Revenge #5 goes on sale Wednesday, March 26th. Let us know what you think of the preview in the comments below.

The post Marvel Teases Wolverine’s Final Showdown With Sabretooth appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Comics’ super-healing superhero Wolverine has a gruff outward demeanor due to the trauma he’s gone through in his long life-span, but Mark Millar‘s comic book tale Old Man Logan puts Wolverine through his greatest tragedy by far. Logan a.k.a. Wolverine is one of the most popular X-Men and Marvel characters around, with his powers including three deadly claws in each hand along with his famed healing factor, which enables him to survive virtually any injury or disease that would have easily killed a normal human. Wolverine’s healing factor not only regenerates his body to normal, but also slows his aging process to a crawl, enabling Logan to live for centuries. However, this also forces him to not only endure the pain of his many injuries, but witness and experience more tragedy than any other man ever has.

Logan’s extended lifespan and the sheer degree of physical and mental trauma he has endured has contributed to his famously grizzled personality among the X-Men. Even with that being a staple of Wolverine as a character, the Old Man Logan mini-series of 2008 to 2009 gives Logan a level of tragedy to be truly bitter and destroyed about. At the same time, it also sets up Logan’s climb from despair to become a true hero again.

Old Man Logan Shows Wolverine At His Lowest Point

Old Man Logan takes place in a dystopian future on the alternate universe of Earth-807128, in which the Marvel superhero community has long since been defeated by the villains, who have divided the United States into a collection of territories ruled by different villains (with some also overtaken by other villains.) Logan lives with his wife and two children as a farmer in Sacramento, California in the territory known as Hulkland, before he is recruited by the elderly and blind Hawkeye to help him transport a package across the country (later revealed to be a batch of super-soldier serum, which Hawkeye and the surviving heroes hope to use to start a resistance against the ruling villains.)

Old Man Logan makes a point of emphasizing that Logan has not unsheathed his claws in decades, and he eventually reveals the reason why to Hawkeye and the reader. On the night that the villains brought the superhero community down, Wolverine single-handedly defended the X-Mansion from an assault by dozens of villains. However, Wolverine discovered too late that the attack was an illusion created by Mysterio, and that he had instead been slashing and clawing at his fellow X-Men the whole time, all of whom lay dead and strewn across the mansion in a massive pool of blood.

Wracked with trauma and guilt, Logan sought to punish himself by placing his neck on a railroad track in the path of an incoming train. Fully aware that he would not die due to his healing factor, Logan inside wanted to take the pain and bloodshed he inflicted upon his fellow X-Men (however unknowingly) upon himself. Since then, Logan has made a vow to never pop his claws again.

RELATED: 3 Times Wolverine Should Have Died (And His Healing Powers Worked Overtime)

Old Man Logan Tells The Ultimate Wolverine Redemption Story

Obviously, with Wolverine being tricked by Mysterio into slaughtering his fellow X-Men, Old Man Logan is not a redemption story in the sense of Logan going from villain to hero. However, the story’s Western-esque dystopian future setting brings Logan out of hiding for one more mission to re-awaken the hero that has laid dormant inside of him for decades. Logan only takes the job with Hawkeye reluctantly and with the promise that it won’t call upon to do anything but drive them across the country, but Logan nonetheless frequently finds himself forced to help Hawkeye out of tight spots and in fights against villains, including Hawkeye’s own treacherous and newly web-slinging daughter Ashley Barton. Old Man Logan also has a lot of fun with disgraced heroes turned villains Old Man Banner, driven insane by Gamma radiation poisoning, and the Ghost Riders, along with fresh villains like a symbiote-bonded T-Rex.

In the end, after Hawkeye is killed and Logan’s family is murdered by the Hulk Gang, Wolverine finally breaks his vow and pops his claws, fittingly coated in blood after their first unsheathing in decades. Logan was understandably repelled by the thought of inflicting pain or violence on another human being after being tricked into slaughtering the X-Men, but the deaths of Hawkeye and his family don’t just inspire feelings of vengeance within him, but make Logan remember the cost of doing nothing in the face of evil, as well.

In the end, after defeating the Hulk Gang (in quite graphic fashion, with Logan being eaten by Old Man Banner before clawing his way out of him), Logan adopts the infant Bruce Banner Jr. and makes a new vow to bring down the villains ruling over the land. Once destroyed by the tragic demise of the X-Men, Wolverine is re-born in Old Man Logan as a hero with a renewed sense of purpose and justice.

How 2017’s Logan Adapts The Story Of Old Man Logan

James Mangold’s Logan famously drew inspiration from Old Man Logan, though it is hardly a one-to-one adaptation. Like its source material, Logan is set in the future, specifically the year 2029, but the movie’s first big change is that the United States is not ruled over by villains, instead focusing on the fact of no new mutant being born in decades. Hugh Jackman’s Logan works as a limousine driver, tending to the ailing Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Caliban (Stephen Merchant). The older Logan also faces a major problem with his healing factor significantly weaker, and as a result, his adamantium skeleton beginning to cause metal poisoning inside of his body.

Logan and Xavier find themselves on the run from Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and mercenaries employed by Transigen Industries after a young, clawed mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen) comes into their care. It turns out, Laura is the genetically engineered “daughter” of Logan, determined to reach a mysterious safe haven for mutants known as Eden near Canada. In a nutshell, Logan takes the essence of an older Wolverine on one last cross country mission and shapes it into its own story, and it also reworks the tragedy of the X-Men in one major way. In Logan‘s version of events, the aging Professor Xavier experiences seizures that cause telepathic paralysis upon anyone in the immediate area, with one such seizure years ago leading to the tragic death of all of the X-Men save for Logan.

With Logan drawing inspiration from Old Man Logan, both show Wolverine put through extremely tragic circumstances. However, as dark as the backstory of the X-Men’s deaths in Logan is, it is a far greater tragedy for Wolverine himself in Old Man Logan since it all happened by his hand, and helped lead to the downfall of the superhero community and the United States. In the end though, Old Man Logan may put Wolverine through his greatest tragedy, but it also sends him a true hero’s redemption story with his return to finally being Wolverine once more.

The post Old Man Logan Put Wolverine Through His Biggest Tragedy Ever appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Charlie Cox sustained a finger injury while filming the legendary hallway fight sequence from the first season of Netflix’s Daredevil, a scene that has since become one of the most celebrated moments in superhero television history. The actor shared this behind-the-scenes revelation during a recent GQ “Action Replay” video where he and co-star Vincent D’Onofrio rewatched pivotal moments from the original series. The corridor fight, which appeared in the second episode of Season 1, revolutionized action choreography in streaming television through its ambitious one-shot approach and gritty realism, setting a standard that subsequent Marvel productions have tried to match. As the actor reprises his role in Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again, his candid reflections offer fans new insight into the physical challenges behind creating one of the character’s defining moments.

“We shot it very early on,” Cox explained. “It’s the end of Episode 2, but I was still playing catch up in terms of all of the stunts and getting used to doing some martial arts. I was not really in a position to do much of that particular fight because it all takes place as an oner [aka one-shot sequence]. In one of the early takes, I swung a punch and caught my little finger on the pole. I got injured in that fight scene.” While talking about his physical challenges during Season 1 of Daredevil, Cox also praised his stunt double, Chris Brewster. “And Chris is, like, doing a hundred moves over the course of the day.” 

[RELATED: All 5 Daredevil Hallway Fight Scenes Ranked From Worst to Best]

“Do you know that microwave that hits the guy in the head?” Cox asked D’Onofrio during the scene, highlighting a moment Daredevil uses a microwave to hit a goon in his head. “I’ve signed about 10 microwaves.” This offhand comment reveals the extraordinary level of detail that fans have celebrated from the sequence, with some viewers chasing Cox during conventions for the actor to sign their microwaves.

Daredevil: Born Again Continues the Legacy of Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear

Daredevil: Born Again, which premiered on March 4, 2025, on Disney+, directly continues the story established in the Netflix series while integrating the titular character more firmly into the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe. The revival arrives after a substantial creative overhaul that saw Marvel Studios canonizing the Netflix productions, replacing the original showrunners, and revamping the series’ approach midway through production. After filming nearly six episodes under the previous creative team, Marvel brought in Dario Scardapane, a writer from Netflix’s The Punisher, to serve as showrunner. In addition to Cox and D’Onofrio, the revival has brought back several original cast members, including Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), and Wilson Bethel (Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye), creating a stronger sense of continuity between the two iterations.

The first four episodes of the nine-episode first season have already established significant story developments, with the show picking up several years after the Netflix finale. The series opens with the shocking murder of Foggy Nelson at the hands of Bullseye, leading Murdock to temporarily abandon his Daredevil persona. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk has been elected mayor of New York City, creating a new power dynamic between the longtime adversaries. Daredevil: Born Again has received positive reviews due to its mature tone and character-driven storytelling, with Cox and D’Onofrio’s performances drawing particular praise.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.

Do you think Daredevil: Born Again will have a scene that surpasses Netflix’s iconic hallway brawl? Let us know in the comments!

The post Marvel’s Charlie Cox Reveals Injury Sustained During Daredevil’s Most Iconic Scene appeared first on ComicBook.com.

[Warning: This article contains Daredevil: Born Again season 1 episode 1 spoilers.] “His heart is still beating.” That’s what Matt Murdock repeatedly told himself from behind bars as his heightened senses heard his lawyer and friend, Foggy Nelson, be stabbed to death in the pages of 2006’s Daredevil #82. After Brian Michael Bendis’ character-defining Daredevil run ended with the Man Without Fear imprisoned in Ryker’s alongside his arch-nemesis — Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime — Ed Brubaker’s six-part “The Devil in Cell-Block D” began with the shocking death of a character who had been a part of the book since its very first issue in 1964.

Just as shocking was the death of Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson in the opening minutes of Daredevil: Born Again, which saw the assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) shoot and kill the attorney at law during a night out with partners Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). Suited up as Daredevil, Matt battled Bullseye as he listened to Foggy’s heart slow — and once his heart finally stopped beating, threw Foggy’s killer off a roof.

Bullseye survived his four-story plummet to the street below, but Foggy bled out and died. Or did he? The official Daredevil Instagram account cites artist Michael Lark’s panels from Daredevil #82 as inspiration for the “Heaven’s Half Hour” episode of Born Again, in which Foggy is apparently killed.

RELATED: Daredevil’s Shadowland Made Matt Murdock the Deadly Devil of Hell’s Kitchen

Fans were blindsided by Foggy’s death, which happened onscreen and resulted in Matt trading in his horned Daredevil cowl for a braille obituary program from Foggy’s funeral (which happened off-screen). It seems that Foggy Nelson is dead and buried, never to return… except that’s exactly what happened in the comics.

Just issues into Brubaker’s run, Daredevil #87 concluded the “Devil in Cell-Block D” arc by revealing that Foggy survived the attempt on his life when he was locked in a cell and shanked by prison inmates. (Although Matt heard Foggy’s heart stop beating as he bled out and died, it was revealed later Foggy was resuscitated in an ambulance.) Matt — who had been arrested by the FBI after his alleged secret identity as Daredevil leaked in the press — even attended Foggy’s funeral in handcuffs.

But Daredevil #88, “The Secret Life of Foggy Nelson,” revealed the truth: that FBI higher-ups had Foggy recovering from his injuries in protective custody under the assumed name “Everett Williams” (a homage to Daredevil co-creator Bill Everett, who was born William Blake Everett).

Because Foggy was targeted by Daredevil’s enemies, he was whisked out of surgery and into witness relocation. Foggy tried to contact The Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich and alert Matt (who had already escaped prison with the Punisher’s help and was overseas chasing Foggy’s killer), but the Feds stashed Foggy in a safehouse in the suburbs. Who was it that targeted Foggy Nelson?

Vanessa Fisk, the Kingpin’s terminally-ill wife. In Brubaker and Lark’s Daredevil #92, it was revealed that Vanessa Fisk faked Foggy’s death and had her FBI connections stash him in witness protection in an attempt to get a wrathful Matt to kill her husband in prison.

RELATED: Daredevil, Punishment and Pain: An Elegy for Foggy Nelson

After she exposed the FBI’s “Framegate” scandal to put Daredevil’s secret identity back in the bottle, Matt returned home to Hell’s Kitchen and heard a familiar sound: Foggy Nelson’s heartbeat.

New episodes of Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again air Tuesday nights on Disney+.

The post Daredevil: Born Again May Have Just Hinted the Biggest Fan Theory Is True appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The superhero genre is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – in movies and TV. Back when they weren’t even being adapted and only existed in comic books, they were already a huge deal. Now, in 2025, we all know that just one Marvel Cinematic Universe movie can easily turn into yet another record-breaking hit. There was a time not too long ago when the pressure was building, with people feeling that the whole heroes vs. villains thing was becoming oversaturated. But it looks like everything’s going back to how it used to be – or at least, that’s what all the fans are hoping for.

When The Avengers hit theaters in 2012, it kicked off a massive era. With it came the unwavering loyalty of a massive audience and a fandom that, although it had existed long before, exploded in size and passion. To this day, it just keeps growing, building traditions, making memes, freaking out together, and coming up with a million wild theories. This community has been going strong for over a decade, and even now, there are things that only MCU fans truly get.

No Middle Ground Feedback in the MCU Fandom

Every fan knows there’s no middle ground when it comes to MCU movies and shows – just like everyone knows the expectations for these productions are insanely high. It’s normal for huge fandoms to have clashing opinions, but it’s rare to hear balanced feedback that actually weighs the strengths and weaknesses of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, or Captain America: Brave New World, for example. Before 2019, this wasn’t as intense, but Avengers: Endgame set the bar so high that every movie after it was bound to struggle.

This isn’t exactly new, though. The backlash was so massive that even now, most fans either love or completely trash whatever Marvel Studios puts out. Let’s face it: when it’s good, the praise is through the roof, but one tiny flaw in the script or CGI? Instant flood of criticism.

The Collective Trauma of Avengers: Infinity War

[RELATED – Every MCU Movie Ranked From Worst to Best (According to CinemaScore)]

The four Avengers films have been incredible, but there’s no denying that the last two completely shook audiences. Infinity War, in particular, was a turning point for the MCU, leaving a deep and pretty traumatic mark. Sure, Tony and Natasha’s deaths in Endgame are still a touchy subject for fans, but losing half the heroes at the end of a movie, all at once? That was pure devastation. The helplessness of watching Thanos snap his fingers created a worldwide, collective emotional breakdown. The impact of the film went beyond just the story itself – it took a whole year for fans to even begin forgiving the Russo brothers.

Watching beloved characters like Bucky, Wanda, T’Challa, Groot, Doctor Strange, and so many others vanish into dust out of nowhere still haunts fans to this day. But Peter? Terrified, clinging to Tony, begging for help? That scene hit on a whole different level. Even now, it feels like something we’ve never fully recovered from. After the movie dropped, every fan needed a long moment just to process the sheer weight of what had just happened.

Iconic Dialogue That Became Jokes

“On your left,” “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain,” “I can do this all day,” “We have a Hulk,” “Who the hell is Bucky?” – just a few examples of how iconic the writing and, more importantly, the performances in the MCU have been. Some of these lines were only said once, yet they transcended their original moments, becoming memes and inside jokes within the fandom. Quotes that were originally packed with emotion and drama have been reinterpreted in hilarious ways, turning into some of the most well-known running gags in the community.

To put it in perspective, this has gone so far that if you don’t have at least half the lines from the Guardians meeting Tony, Peter, and Stephen in space memorized – or Thor struggling to activate the Quinjet – then, do you even know the MCU? It’s just another testament to how deeply connected fans have become to these characters over the years.

Legendary Quotes and Habits from the Cast

Just like the fans, the MCU cast has had their fair share of fun. Especially during the studio’s golden age – when everything revolved around the Avengers – the actors did an avalanche of interviews, and in the age of the internet, those clips spread like wildfire. Mark Ruffalo accidentally dropping spoilers for Endgame while Don Cheadle panicked next to him; Benedict Cumberbatch acting as Tom Holland’s personal spoiler filter; Anthony Mackie constantly roasting Sebastian Stan; Chris Evans’ absolutely chaotic laugh; and Robert Downey Jr. casually slipping into Tony Stark mode – all became legendary moments that fans never let go of.

Some interview lines even turned into inside jokes, like Paul Rudd naming Thor’s hammer “Jonathan.” And who could forget Mackie comparing himself to Cinderella and hitting up Chris Evans for 20 bucks? These moments feel uniquely MCU – almost like every piece of this wildly successful franchise just clicks together perfectly.

The Milestone That Was Spider-Man: No Way Home

Deadpool & Wolverine certainly shattered records, but when it comes to pure fan service and absolute mind-blowing moments, no movie did it better than Spider-Man: No Way Home. Theaters were packed, and the crowd’s reaction to Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s appearances was so loud that you could barely hear their first lines. Even before the movie dropped, the rumors were out of control, and if there’s one lesson every MCU fan learned from that experience, it’s this: never trust what the cast says about future projects – anyone could be lying.

No Way Home made MCU history, pulling in nearly $2 billion at the box office. And while its success was undeniable, no one outside the fandom will ever truly grasp just how massive that moment was. It wasn’t just a movie – it was an event, a defining milestone for the superhero genre and the multiverse narrative, all while uniting entire generations of Spider-Man fans.

Crazy Theories That Became Famous

The MCU has always been a breeding ground for wild theories, and some have reached “classic” status within the fandom – either because they went viral or because they actually made sense. Long before certain twists were revealed in the movies and shows, fans were already speculating about hidden connections, secret characters, and future plotlines. Some of the most talked-about theories included a Venom prequel back in 2017, Tony’s arc reactor secretly being an Infinity Stone, Thanos resurrecting major villains, and even Stan Lee being Uatu.

For years, these and countless other theories have circulated all over the internet, with content creators dissecting every frame to explain the most convincing ones. This kind of speculation has basically become a geek ritual – it’s what makes the audience truly immerse themselves in the franchise rather than just passively watching. The fact that some of these have become so legendary that they’re practically MCU folklore is one of the coolest things about the fandom.

The Ritual of Waiting for Post-Credit Scenes

Maybe this isn’t as much of a thing anymore, since the MCU’s massive popularity has broken the bubble and made a lot more people aware of how it all works. But how many times have you gone to see a superhero movie and been the only one in your group still sitting through the credits? It’s a tradition that started from day one and has basically turned into a ritual. If you’re a Marvel fan, you have to stay and watch – no matter what, even if it’s just a throwaway scene like in Guardians of the Galaxy.

What’s funny is that this habit has spread so much that now people expect any movie, no matter the genre, to have a post-credits scene. Marvel started this. And even today, it still feels like a little reward for the most dedicated fans. Sure, they usually tease what’s next in the universe, but they also fuel speculation and keep the theory train rolling. If post-credits scenes aren’t one of those things only an MCU fan truly gets, they’re definitely a prime example of what it means to be an MCU fan.

Easter Eggs from the Comics

Everyone knows the MCU takes its own path, separate from the comics. But the comic book easter eggs? Those are gold. They make fans feel like they’re part of an exclusive club, catching little details that others might miss. Whether it’s a quick glimpse at an iconic object, a setting pulled straight from the panels, or a famous catchphrase snuck into a scene, these references remind us just how deeply the movies stay connected to their roots. And it’s one of the most rewarding things about being a fan.

Wolverine rocking his classic yellow suit in Deadpool & Wolverine; Wanda and Vision’s spot-on Halloween costumes in WandaVision; the nod to Thor’s first-ever comic appearance in Thor: The Dark World; or even Rhodey’s phone playing the Invincible Iron Man theme in the first Iron Man movie – this is the kind of stuff that makes fans lose their minds. For many, finding an Easter egg isn’t just fun, it’s like uncovering hidden treasure.

Stan Lee’s Cameos

Before Stan Lee passed away, any chance the MCU got, there he was – making a cameo. Whether it was a quick one-liner or just a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance (especially in the Spider-Man films), every time he showed up, it brought a smile to fans’ faces. His cameos were always packed with humor, but today, they carry an immense sentimental weight. With Lee, we weren’t just seeing a fun Easter egg – we were witnessing the heart and legacy of Marvel itself.

More than just one of the main visionary minds behind the comics, Lee became a living symbol of the Marvel fandom. His presence in the films wasn’t just a running gag – it was a reminder of Marvel’s history, a tribute to its roots, and a piece of the franchise’s identity. Seeing him pop up on screen, sometimes even interacting with the main characters, was always a special moment. He produced many films, but in the eyes of fans, he wasn’t just a creator – he was the God of Marvel.

Symbolic Numbers Hidden Across Productions

Numbers have always held a special, symbolic significance within the MCU, appearing in subtle but meaningful ways across various productions. Who doesn’t recognize the iconic “3000” immortalized by Tony Stark? It has become synonymous with affection and is proudly repeated by the fan base. Along with it, numbers like 42 and 616 also carry meanings far beyond just being a simple count, appearing multiple times in the studio’s films and series.

Each time these numbers show up, they’re carefully analyzed and interpreted as intentional elements, reinforcing Marvel’s commitment to maintaining a cohesive universe full of intricate details. This is one of the unique aspects of the MCU, almost like an Easter egg, but more than just a nod to fans. Compared to other franchises like DC or Star Wars, which may use numbers in a more structured or functional way, the MCU integrates them in a manner that goes beyond homage or fan service. They’re woven into the narrative so seamlessly that, even if they aren’t the main focus, they add layers to the world and keep fans engaged at all times.

The post 10 Things Only Real MCU Fans Will Understand appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Comics is rallying its biggest heroes to stand up against bigotry for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month this year. The publisher just announced this year’s pride anthology one-shot — Marvel United: A Pride Special #1, featuring at least five stories about characters from The Avengers and X-Men. The giant-sized issue goes on sale on Wednesday, June 4th, and is available for pre-order now at local comic book shops. It will also be included in the Marvel Unlimited app for digital readers. Read on for a bit about each of these stories and the creative minds driving Marvel’s sixth consecutive Pride Month celebration this year.

Marvel dropped the cover art for Marvel United: A Pride Special by artist Lucas Werneck, but there are four variants coming later this year as well. The artist behind hose are Jan Bazaldua, Ernanda Souza, Luciano Vecchio, and Rickie Yagawa. As for the stories themselves, the first is about Captain America of the Railways, Aaron Fischer, going up against Hate-Monger. It’s written by Al Ewing with art by Kei Zama.

The next story is about Captain America and his ally Arnie Roth fighting against Hydra during World War II, with implications for the Avengers Academy Infinity Comic. The writer behind that seires, Anthony Oliveira, is penning this one-shot along with artist Pablo Collar.

[RELATED: Why Marvel Fans Think She-Hulk Returns in Avengers: Doomsday (Could They Be Right?)]

The third story in the anthology also has a tie-in — it relates to Mystique and Destiny’s marriage in last year’s Pride special, as we will now explore their parenthood journey along with their son, Nightcrawler. The story comes from author Wyatt Kennedy and artist Bayleigh Underwood. In the fourth story, Black Cat is on a heist that goes so wrong, she winds up caught in a battle between the hero Sera and the demon D’Spayre. That one is written by Zoe Tunnell with art by Federica Mancin.

According to Marvel, there are more stories to be announced for this anthology, as well as interviews and essays on the significance of Pride to the comic book fandom. This is already an all-star lineup for this yearly special, so there’s no telling what the publisher is keeping secret.

Marvel’s previous Pride specials are still available in print and digital formats now. The books have been well-received, and are always celebrated as a sign that discrimination has no place in superhero comics. This year’s book, Marvel United: A Pride Special #1, hits shelves and apps on Wednesday, June 4th, 2025.

The post Marvel’s Heroes Unite Against Hatred for New Pride Special appeared first on ComicBook.com.

“And there came a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes were united against a common threat. On that day the Avengers were born — to fight the foes no single hero could withstand.” Foes like the Masters of Evil, a supervillain alliance that Baron Heinrich Zemo first formed to destroy the Avengers with the Black Knight, Melter, and Radioactive Man in 1964’s Avengers #6. Over 60 years, the ever-changing ranks of the Masters of Evil would go on to include the likes of Baron Helmut Zemo, Ultron, Moonstone, the Wrecking Crew, Doctor Octopus, and… the Avengers?!

In this week’s One World Under Doom #2 by writer Ryan North and artist R.B. Silva, the Avengers — Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Storm, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Captain Marvel — are on the backfoot after Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Doom declared himself the Emperor of the World, decreed all nations provinces of the new United Latveria, and then granted his subjects the gift of open borders.

RELATED: Avengers: Doomsday Villain Doctor Doom Will Lead the Avengers in the Comics

Emperor Doom already killed Baron Helmut Zemo while squashing a Hydra rebellion and magically cured the Fantastic Four’s Thing (leaving Ben Grimm without his powers). Now that the world’s leaders have declared fealty to Doom, Earth’s mightiest heroes are losing.

Captain Marvel mounts the Avengers’ two-pronged attack: while magic users led by Scarlet Witch and espionage experts like Black Widow infiltrate capitals to liberate the world’s leaders from Doom’s influence, another team of heavy-hitters will bring the fight to Doom as a distraction.

“What’s happening here is huge, and it’s global. As such, it transcends many of our old differences,” Captain Marvel tells the heroes. “Which means, Avengers, that we now find ourselves with an unconventional group of allies… all of whom stand ready to assist us in the final battle against Doom.”

They are the Masters of Evil: M.O.D.O.K., Doctor Octopus, Baron Mordo, Mysterio, Madelyne Pyror/Goblin Queen, and Arcade. “Heya, Tony,” M.O.D.O.K. tells Iron Man. “Welcome to the Masters of Evil.”

RELATED: Superior Avengers: Marvel Reveals New Look at New Villain Avengers Team in One World Under Doom

And so came a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes — and villains — were united against a common threat. On that day the new Masters of Evil Avengers were born to fight the foe no single hero — or villain — could withstand. After welcoming the Masters of Evil to their ranks, the Avengers and their enemies-turned-allies will join forces to take on Emperor Doom in One World Under Doom #3 in April. (See preview pages below.)

“It was a ton of fun to write, and even more fun to see drawn when R.B. Silva was done with it,” North said of the third issue (of nine). “And it doesn’t go the way you might think, and actually leads to an even BIGGER fight in the next issue! It’s got some Doom moments I’m super proud of. How could it not, when you’ve got characters like M.O.D.O.K. and Doctor Octopus trying to take down Doom for their own reasons?”

One World Under Doom #3

The Avengers have faced Doom…and they LOST. But Earth still needs avenging – and it’s not just the heroes who dislike having Doom in charge. And so heroes and villains unite against Doom, intent on taking him down once and for all! But that’s not all: A simultaneous magic attack reveals the shocking truth of HOW Doom took over the world – with terrifying implications for how others might – or might not – take it from him. However, Doom’s mind – vast and cool and unsympathetic – is not the only one regarding Earth with envious eyes…

On sale: April 23

One World Under Doom #3 Preview

The post The Masters of Evil Just Joined the Avengers in a New Marvel Comic appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Disney+ series Agatha All Along was a massive hit for the streaming platform and MCU in general. Premiering last September, the series quickly earned praise from Marvel fans and critics alike, in particular thanks to its LGBTQIA+ representation with storylines about Billy Kaplan/Maximoff (Joe Locke) and the relationship between Agatha (Kathryn Hanh) and Rio/Death (Aubrey Plaza). A popular fan theory that has been circling around the show has to do Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch, and what his actual parentage was since the series only alluded to it.The series shows Agatha giving birth, but never gives any indication who Nicholas’ father is, with Agatha simply saying that she made her son “from scratch.”

As a result, Marvel fans have theorized that Rio – who is the living embodiment of death – is Nicholas’ father, given how much the actor who plays Nicholas looks like Aubrey Plaza as well as the way Nicholas and Rio interacted on the series. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer finally gave fans a clear cut answer about the theory, and they’re going to love it.

Nicholas Scratch’s Parentage Revealed

At the Agatha All Along cast panel at PaleyFest held on Saturday, March 22, Schaeffer and the cast discussed how fans received the show. Sasheer Zamata, who played Jennifer Kale, said her favorite theory was that “a lot of people think Rio is Nicholas’ mom.”

“When we were developing it, we got a lot of questions. ‘Who’s the dad?’ We were like, ‘Why do you wanna know?’” Schaeffer said. “It was something that was important to the writers, and that was important to me. It was really lovely, that was something the fans said that we could confirm.”

The audience attending the panel erupted in enthusiastic cheers, as Schaeffer had never explicitly confirmed or denied the theory before now. Previously, Schaeffer took a more cloak-and-dagger approach when discussing it, stating that the directors were well aware that they cast a young actor who looked like Aubrey Plaza to play Nicholas. Schaeffer has also previously confirmed that Agatha and Rio were essentially married, which added further fuel to the theory that Nicholas was a product of that relationship.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Agatha?

The implications of Nicholas being the child of a powerful witch and Death herself is massive for the MCU, opening many paths for further exploration down the line. While Schaeffer and the rest of the cast have denied that there will be a second season of Agatha All Along, there have been rumors that Agatha, Rio, and Billy will all return for another series that focuses on Billy and Agatha’s quest to find Billy’s twin brother, Tommy Maximoff.

While that series may not necessarily be Agatha All Along Season 2, the storylines established in Agatha All Along would clearly play a significant role, as it ended with Agatha and Billy joining forces to do exactly that – find Tommy. Considering the fact that Rio wanted to collect Billy’s soul since Billy cheated death, it would make sense that she would view Tommy’s reincarnation the same way.

For now, fans will have to wait until Marvel either officially confirms a second season of Agatha All Along, another related series, or a film continuation.

The post Agatha All Along Showrunner Confirms Popular Marvel Fan Theory appeared first on ComicBook.com.

X-Force #9, by Geoffrey Thorne and Marcus To, deals with the team battling their new foe La Diabla. However, that’s not all that happens in this issue. It’s also a tie-in to “X-Manhunt”, the X-Men crossover that has seen Xavier escape from Graymalkin Prison, smack around Rogue’s X-Men, and then get to Storm to bring him to San Francisco’s Utopia, all because his daughter Shi’Ar Empress Xandra is attacked. X-Factor #8 showed why Xavier was in San Francisco — to retrieve the last Krakoan resurrection egg. Xavier, pursued by Cyclops’s X-Men and X-Factor, turns to a member of X-Force for help — his longtime ally Sage. Sage is X-Force’s tech support, and she decides to help Xavier instead of keeping an eye on her team.

Sage and Xavier’s history goes back to even before the X-Men even existed. Sage has always trusted and respected Xavier, and the two of them have worked together in the shadows before. Sage betraying X-Force for Xavier is a huge deal, but it definitely plays into Xavier and Sage’s history together.

Sage Was Xavier’s Secret Agent in the Hellfire Club for Years as Tessa

Sage was born Teresia Karisik, living in the Balkans. She would be forced to flee her home village after years of invasions and war, when her mutant powers manifested. Sage’s powers basically made her mind into a computer. She had perfect recall of everything she’s seen or heard in her life and her mind analyzes information like a computer, allowing her to survive the war-torn areas she found herself traveling through. Eventually, like many mutants, Sage found Charles Xavier, although the circumstances of their meeting were quite unique. Sage found Xavier in the Hindu Kush mountain rage, after his legs were crushed in battle with the alien Lucifer. Sage was able to save him and Xavier decided to take Teresia in, training her in the use of her mutant powers.

RELATED: 10 Best X-Men Stories of all Time

This was around the time that the original X-Men formed. The X-Men and Sage were two different sides of Xavier’s dream. The X-Men were the public face of the dream, fighting against threats to humanity and mutantkind, and meant to make humans think that mutants weren’t monsters. Sage was the dark side of Xavier’s dream, working from the shadows with her powers to do what needed to be done. Xavier decided that Sage would be best used as a spy, and sent her into the Hellfire Club, where she became known as Tessa. Tessa became Sebastian Shaw’s assistant, her mutant powers making her indispensable to Shaw, all while feeding information to Xavier. Sage acted as Tessa for years, but eventually joined the X-Men and has since worked with the mutants to protect her people.

Sage and Xavier’s Bond Has Proven Unbreakable

Sage has proved herself many times over the years, including her stint with X-Force in the Krakoa Era, eventually rising to the head of the mutant CIA. The whole time, she was loyal to the team, despite developing a drinking problem, and constantly worked to make Xavier’s plans a reality. Xavier and Sage’s bond comes from the fact that they saved each other; Sage would have died in the mountains eventually if she never left with Xavier and Xavier would have died with his legs crushed if Sage never came along. The two of them have a life debt to each other, which is why Sage drops everything in order to help Xavier.

Sage recruits a powerful teleporter for the job — John Wraith, a former ally and enemy of Wolverine — sending him to San Francisco to grab Xavier and the final Krakoan egg. Sage dropped everything in order to save Xavier, betraying X-Force for the first time since she joined the group back in the Krakoa Era. Xavier knew that she would help him no matter what, and Sage felt that by helping him this time, it paid off all the debts he owed her. Sage and Xavier’s bond has always been as strong as adamantium, and it will be interesting to see how this betrayal affects Sage’s place with X-Force.

X-Force #9 is on sale where ever comics are sold.

The post X-Force Just Suffered a Shocking Betrayal (And You’ll Never Guess From Who) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, hasn’t been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law aired its finale in October 2022, but fans think they know when the character will make her return. Actress Tatiana Maslany was one of the scheduled guests to attend Comic Con Liverpool 2025, which runs from May 3rd-4th. Sadly for people hoping to see the She-Hulk star at the convention, she had to cancel that appearance due to what Comic Con Liverpool’s official social media refers to as “filming commitments.” In the post, it was confirmed that fans who already paid for photo ops and/or autographs will be refunded.

Because of this, Marvel fans are starting to think She-Hulk will be part of Avengers: Doomsday. Comic Con Liverpool coincides with principal photography on the massive MCU blockbuster, so many are theorizing that if Maslany has to skip the event due to “filming commitments,” odds are it’s to shoot her role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo plan to begin production in the near future, and filming will run through the summer before the cast and crew take a break prior to reconvening for Secret Wars. Even though shooting starts soon, a full official Doomsday cast has not been announced at this time. Fans have pieced the ensemble together through various confirmations from stars like Anthony Mackie and Benedict Cumberbatch. The cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will also be reprising their roles.

[RELATED – Daredevil: Born Again Ignores She-Hulk With Matt’s New Love Interest]

Earlier this month, Avengers concept art leaked online, and one of the images clearly depicts Bruce Banner and Jen Walters in what appears to be a period setting. This led fans to believe that She-Hulk would factor into the Doomsday narrative somehow. However, the Russo brothers later clarified the artwork is not from their pair of upcoming Avengers films and nothing has been spoiled.

Maslany does have a few non-Marvel projects in pre-production listed on her IMDb page, so it’s possible one of those has taken a step forward and will begin shooting soon. That said, her cancelation happening so closely to the start of Avengers: Doomsday production feels too big to be just a coincidence. The Russos have said that “anybody” who’s a part of the MCU is fair game to return for these Avengers movies, so it wouldn’t be surprising if She-Hulk had a part to play. Bruce is one of the few Original Six Avengers left still active in the MCU, and it would be strange if he was on the sidelines during a significant event like Doctor Doom’s arrival. And if Bruce comes back, it’d only be logical for his super-powered cousin to join the fray as well. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law hasn’t been renewed for a second season yet, so Marvel could opt to use Doomsday as a means of continuing Jen’s story.

If that happens, it will be interesting to see how She-Hulk fits into the overall narrative of an Avengers movie. Fourth-wall breaking was an integral part of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and that aspect would likely have to be tuned down for something like Doomsday. Jen talking to the camera fits within the framework of a comedy, but might be jarring in a story with dire stakes — even considering Marvel’s penchant for injecting levity into films and TV shows. Unfortunately, fans might have to wait a bit before finding out if their theories about Maslany’s return are true. The Russos are going the extra mile to ensure there are no set leaks during Doomsday production, so it sounds like casting information won’t be revealed until the studio is ready to share it.

The post Why Marvel Fans Think She-Hulk Returns in Avengers: Doomsday (Could They Be Right?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One World Under Doom has seen Doctor Doom succeed in taking over the world, and he’s done it without firing a shot. The leaders of the world have ceded control to Doom, and the world has become a part of the Latverian kingdom. Doom started out rather well, telling countries around the world that they have to give their people healthcare and education, even destroying Hydra. Doom is seemingly serious about helping the world, but the Fantastic Four and the Avengers do not believe that what Doom is doing is in any way altruistic. This leads to One World Under Doom #2, by Ryan North and R.B. Silva, which sees the Fantastic Four trying to figure out a way to show the world that Doom is the monster they know him to be, which leads to them deciding to pull a sneak attack on Doom later.

However, this isn’t the first time that the Fantastic Four and the Avengers have tried to make Doom look bad since he took the throne of the world and Doom is ready for them. He confronts them with a group of civilians who have pledged their lives to protect them, and even lets Invisible Woman know that if she tries to destroy their weapons, the weapons will explode and kill them. The Fantastic Four stand down, but Doom isn’t done yet. He turns his eyes to the Thing and decides to do something that Mr. Fantastic has never been able to do, which feels like the entire point of everything that Doom is currently doing.

Doom Cures the Thing Because Mr. Fantastic Can’t

The Fantastic Four gained their powers from cosmic radiation. Reed, Sue, and Johnny all got powers that made their lies better, but Ben Grimm was transformed into a monster. Reed promised his best friend that he would find a way to cure his friend but he never did. In fact, there have been times where Reed could actually cure his friend, but he chose not to because Ben’s powers and presence as a hero were more important than him having a life as Ben Grimm. The Thing has come to terms with being the Thing, and currently has a life that he only could have dreamed in the old days; he’s married to Alicia Masters and has a loving family. The Thing doesn’t want to go back to his old life. However, Doom doesn’t care because he’s trying to prove a point and cures the Thing of his “curse”.

RELATED: Avengers Directors Tease RDJ’s Take on Doctor Doom (& Claim No One Else Could Do It)

Doom wants the world to know how smart he is, and his actions in One World Under Doom all feel like the actions of someone trying to prove a point. Curing the Thing looks like Doom going back to his favorite pass time, and that’s making Mr. Fantastic look bad. For years, Doom has had to deal with Mr. Fantastic being better than him in every way; even when Doom became God Emperor Doom, he knew that Mr. Fantastic would have done a better job of fixing the multiverse than Doom did — something that Mr. Fantastic proved by rebuilding the multiverse with his family and the Future Foundation. Doom’s actions in One World Under Doom all seem like the actions of someone trying to prove that they’re as great as they think they are. For Doctor Doom, that means trying to show the world that he can do things that Mr. Fantastic can’t, and that includes curing the Thing.

Doom Has Something to Prove

Longtime Marvel fans’ jaws dropped when they read Secret Wars (2015) #9. This was the battle between God Emperor Doom and Reed Richards, where Doom admitted that Richards would have done a better job. No one ever thought they’d see Doom say anything like that. Reed Richards will always have that over Doom. While in the years since Doom has been a bit less villainous than he was before, there’s no way that moment doesn’t stick in his craw. It’s easy to see that Doom would want to do anything to prove that he could do something better than Mr. Fantastic, hence his actions in One World Under Doom.

Look at Doom’s actions, even beyond curing the Thing. All of them are Doom succeeding at things that Mr. Fantastic either has failed at in the past or would never try. Doom wants everyone to know that he is better than Mr. Fantastic in every way and One World Under Doom feels like Doom doing everything he can to erase the memory of him telling Reed Richards that he was better than Doom.

One World Under Doom #2 is on sale every where comics are sold.

The post Doctor Doom Just Made a Massive Change to the Fantastic Four appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s actually way more common than you’d think for movies to have connections in some way. Transformers and G.I. Joe, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Split and Unbreakable – these are all examples, whether through crossovers or just little references. But when it comes to the MCU, people get really hyped, especially if there’s even the slightest hint that one of its productions is linked to a movie completely outside the franchise. That’s exactly what happened in 2017 when the trailer for Life dropped, and eagle-eyed Marvel fans noticed something oddly familiar. For a while, people actually thought Life was a prequel to Venom, which was set to come out the following year.

Life is a sci-fi thriller starring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Rebecca Ferguson. The movie follows a team of astronauts on the International Space Station who discover a soil sample from Mars containing a single-celled life form. At first, they’re fascinated, watching it evolve rapidly. But soon, things take a dark turn as the organism becomes dangerous, threatening both the crew and life on Earth. So far, just another alien life thriller – nothing too wild, right? But then, a post on Reddit sparked a wildfire of speculation.

One of the Life trailers showed a scene where people on Earth look up at the sky in shock. The catch? That exact shot had already appeared in Spider-Man 3 (2007), directed by Sam Raimi. At the time, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) was also in theaters, which – although not directly tied to the buzz – only fueled the discussion. Theories exploded online, with fans even comparing it to the surprise connections in M. Night Shyamalan’s films. “I know, right? It makes sense. And after Split, anything is possible,” one Reddit user commented.

So, what does this have to do with Venom (2018)? Well, every Marvel fan knows about the alien symbiote’s connection to Spider-Man – it’s straight out of the comics and was even teased in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Originally, Venom bonds with Peter Parker during “Secret Wars,” giving him the iconic black suit while also messing with his personality. Later, the symbiote moves on to Eddie Brock.

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Since Spider-Man 3 followed this exact storyline, the buzz around Life seemed pretty legit. Plus, a movie dropping under a different name and only later being revealed as part of something bigger, had already happened – just look at the Cloverfield films. So why wouldn’t fans think it could happen again? After all, Marvel Studios is notorious for keeping secrets and dropping surprises, and around the time Life hit theaters, they were already gearing up to blow everyone’s minds with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

And then there’s Sony – the same studio behind both the Spider-Man franchise and Life. On top of that, the film’s screenwriters, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (who also wrote Deadpool in 2016), had previously been hired by Sony to write a Venom spinoff. That movie never materialized, but MCU fans love crafting theories that actually make sense. When asked about it, the writers even played along in an interview with ComicBook. “Yes, the answer is yes!” Wernick joked. “We are tied to Venom! We are the prequel to Venom!”

Obviously, they were just messing around, but at the time, they never outright denied it either. Eventually, the truth came out – the Life trailer and Spider-Man 3 clip weren’t some secret MCU connection; it was just a case of Hollywood reusing generic footage. As wild as it sounds, this happens all the time. Why film extras looking up at the sky when you already have a perfectly good shot of that sitting in the archives? In the end, that scene didn’t even make it into the actual Life movie – it was likely just a clever way to spice up the trailer and grab attention.

In the end, the whole rumor turned into free marketing for Venom, which ended up being the highest-grossing film of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff series, raking in $856 million worldwide. In a way, Life‘s plot could have worked as a prequel to the villain’s origin story, and while that would’ve been an insane reveal, to this day, it remains one of the best and most hilarious MCU-related rumors of all time.

Life is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

The post This Ryan Reynolds Sci-fi Movie Has a Hilarious Marvel Connection appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The X-Men are in a rather strange place. Marvel’s lack of the X-Men’s film rights meant that they got heavily marginalized in the comics. It wasn’t until Marvel parent company Disney purchased 20th Century Fox that they regained them and everything changed for the X-Men. Marvel got superstar writer Jonathan Hickman to bring together a group of creators to reboot the X-Men and readers got the most inventive X-Men comics ever in what became known as the Krakoa Era. The X-Men were back at the top of the sales charts, but this wasn’t to last, as the departure of Hickman began the fall of the Krakoan status quo. Sales came back down to Earth, and the coming of X-Men ’97 meant that Marvel wanted a status quo that was more familiar to casual fans. Thus came “From the Ashes”, the latest X-Men status quo, led by legendary Marvel editor Tom Brevoort.

“From the Ashes” began with a lot of fanfare, and some big sales successes, but it also came at exact wrong time. DC released their Absolute line and that, along with the successes of the Marvel’s Ultimate line, quickly squeezed the X-Men books out of the top ten, and now they’re mostly back where they were at the end of the Krakoa Era, with several X-Men books getting cancelled already. “From the Ashes” is on the ropes, and it’s time to ask — has this newest status quo failed the X-Men?

“From the Ashes” Borrows From Giants but Rarely Impresses

Let’s start with the pros of “From the Ashes”. This won’t take long, honestly. Uncanny X-Men is phenomenal, Wolverine is doing interesting things with the character’s mythos, and Storm is finally making Storm feel like the goddess she’s always been. That’s basically it. That’s not to say that there aren’t people who like some of the other books — Jed MacKay’s X-Men gets some praise from fans — but there’s a huge problem with much of “From the Ashes” and that problem definitely hurt the comics in the days after the Krakoa Era. “From the Ashes” is basically a Frankenstein’s monster of previous X-Men status quos.

Uncanny X-Men is basically the Claremont book, starring characters made famous during Chris Claremont’s landmark first run on the original Uncanny X-Men and feeling like one of his later status quos where the team was no longer at the X-Mansion. X-Men lifts the Brian Michael Bendis Uncanny X-Men status quo whole cloth — Cyclops leading a militant team of mutants from a base in a frozen tundra that used to belong to the team’s enemies — then combined it with some of the elements of Morrison’s New X-Men, like Cassandra Nova and the U-Men. X-Force and X-Factor, two of the books on the chopping block, are basically just the ’90s status quos of both books with a few different characters. Wolverine takes Wolverine back into the woods, hearkening back to every savage Wolverine status quo since he first got his own solo book. “From the Ashes” brings very little new to the table.

RELATED: 10 Best X-Men Stories of all Time

Now, this sort of thing isn’t rare when it comes to status quo reboots in superhero comics. It’s not even all that rare with the X-Men; for example, Morrison’s New X-Men isn’t remarkably different from what came before, and uses concepts like the Phoenix Force, the Xavier Institute, the Shi’Ar Empire, and Weapon X. However, there’s a feeling that Morrison is taking familiar pieces and using them in new ways, something that never really shines through with “From the Ashes” books. So many of the books reuse ideas in exactly the way they were used before. Plus, it all feels like it’s leading back to the X-Mansion.

See, Marvel does this thing that annoys comic readers to no end. Since the MCU is more popular, Marvel seems to believe that if they change the comics to be more like the movies, then movie fans will start picking up comics. This never works; the amount of bleedthrough from the movies to the comics is infinitesimal at best. “From the Ashes” feels like it’s trying to subtly maneuver the X-Men back to the X-Mansion, with Xavier back as their mentor, for the first time in ages. The reasoning for this is simple — Marvel is definitely going to start the X-Men in the MCU in the classic status quo and the comics have to be brought into line with that. “From the Ashes” doesn’t have any ideas behind it, unlike Morrison’s era or the Utopia era or Krakoa, and it shows through in every comic. So, while there are some decent X-Men stories in the bunch, none of them are going to be remembered in twenty or thirty years.

“From the Ashes” Forgets the Fundamental Rule of Mutation — Change

Looking at the history of the X-Men, there is one constant — change — and when things stop changing is when the stories get stale. This is exactly what happened in the ’90s; the X-Men were the highest selling book, so Marvel basically just let them coast along, never really changing, and the quality of the books suffered immensely. “From the Ashes” has somehow managed to make the line feel stale and it hasn’t been going on for even a year yet. There are some bright spots, but they’re lost in a morass of X-Men cliches that longtime fans of the franchise have seen a million times before.

“From the Ashes” has failed the X-Men books. Now, one could make the argument that if the Absolute and Ultimate books weren’t taking up all the oxygen in the room, then “From the Ashes” would still be at the top of the charts. However, the fact that three of the books are already being cancelled shows this not to be the case. “From the Ashes” just doesn’t have anything to really hook readers; sure, many older reader hated Krakoa and they’ve come back, but a lot of the younger readers, drawn to the energy of the Krakoa Era, have left. The usual suspects — Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, and Wolverine — all sell well (though they’re selling nowhere near what Krakoa Era books were in their first year), but the rest of the line is limping along. Marvel obviously wants the X-Men to be a success, but if they think that “From the Ashes” is going to path to that, they have another thing coming. It feels like 1996 in the X-Men books and that’s a bad thing.

The post Has “From the Ashes” Actually Failed the X-Men? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One of the strangest parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after 2019 is how the franchise’s film output has eschewed an emphasis on obscure characters. Once Shang-Chi and Eternals were out of the way, Marvel Studios focused on sequels to pre-existing franchises like Spider-Man and Deadpool. The days of taking risks on characters largely unfamiliar to the general public like Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and even Black Panther have vanished. Instead, Marvel Studios has focused on making fourth installments of decade-old characters like Thor and Captain America.

Inevitably, some of the MCU’s risk and excitement have vanished as a result. The flurry of anticipation over seeing whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy could get launched, for instance, has been replaced with trepidation seeing another Ant-Man movie done in a familiar Avengers style. It’s time for Marvel Studios to take risks again with who headlines its movies, an operation that could intersect with a character that’s been long overdue for the big-screen. It’s frankly shameful Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl hasn’t gone nuts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.

Who Is Squirrel Girl?

Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #8 in winter 1991. Created by writer Will Murray and artist Steve Ditko, her initial appearance saw her tagging along with Iron Man and unexpectedly defeating Doctor Doom. As her name implies, she has superpowers related to squirrels, such as her ability to communicate with these critters and her gigantic furry tail. Constantly by her side are squirrel sidekicks like Monkey Joe and (in later comics) Tippy-Toe. Initially seeming like a one-off character, Squirrel Girl returned in a mid-2000s Great Lakes Avengers storyline.

Eventually, after a smattering of other comic appearances, she headlined the 2015 comic series The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, which increased her popularity tenfold. Previously, Squirrel Girl had been an offhand punchline character in throwaway Deadpool comic lines or mocking visual gags in Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes. In the mid-2010s, though, Squirrel Girl became a fixture of Marvel media, showing up in animated programs like Marvel Rising and the first two LEGO Marvel video games. Most recently, she’s become a fan-favorite character in the video game Marvel Rivals, which has further broadened her appeal.

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It’s not hard to see why Squirrel Girl has quickly become a beloved character. Sometimes you want a dour, weighty hero like Frank Castle/The Punisher. Other times, you want a character like Squirrel Girl, who revels in being a superhero and getting into silly adventures. There’s infectious fun in how Squirrel Girl’s been executed in comics, video games, and animation, with these incarnations making no attempts at “grounding” such a ludicrous crime fighter. This confidence-imbued quality has made her extra irresistible to the general public. Plus, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’s art style, pioneered by Erica Henderson, was so unique and fun in the realm of Marvel Comics imagery that it helped the character stand out even more.

We Almost Got Squirrel Girl in the MCU

Post-2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has focused largely on grand cosmic adventures and grim meditations on death on the big screen. Such exploits haven’t made room for Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl, which is really to the franchise’s detriment. A fresh burst of fun and excitement like Squirrel Girl on the big screen could really lend a jolt of unique energy into a franchise that’s spent Phases Four and Five trying to recreate the successes of Thor: Ragnarok and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s extra frustrating that Squirrel Girl hasn’t manifested in the MCU given how she came ever so close to appearing in this saga.

In 2017 and 2018, a New Warriors TV show from Marvel Television (set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) was in development at Freeform. The program would’ve starred Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl leading an ensemble cast of ragtag superheroes. New Warriors got far enough to film an acclaimed pilot episode, but Freeform eventually dropped the show and no other networks would pick up the Marvel property. While glimpses at the show’s Squirrel Girl outfit (and visual effects used to realize Tippy-Toe on-set) have made their way online, New Warriors has otherwise never seen the light of day.

The live-action MCU incarnation of Squirrel Girl was nipped in the bud before it could even hit the airwaves. Vayntrub, though, has gone on to become a go-to voiceover actor for Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl in media like the Marvel Rising shorts, a podcast, and even the Marvel Rivals game. Her ubiquity as this character in the years since New Warriors fizzled out demonstrates Squirrel Girl’s undying appeal, which Marvel Studios desperately needs to tap into. Recent MCU projects like Captain America: Brave New World haven’t resonated with the public despite trying so hard to channel past MCU victories. It’s time to go nuts with somebody new who’s taken over the last decade of Marvel media for a good reason.

Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters.

The post Squirrel Girl Needs to Finally Come to the MCU appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We’re less than two months away from Thunderbolts* landing in theaters to close out Phase Five of the MCU and introduce the antihero team that has been teased for years at this point. The film is set to be a sequel to Black Widow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and a few other properties due to the involvement of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She’s the Nick Fury for this team, showing up to add other names to the fold and invite them into the organization. Plenty of questions are still lingering shortly ahead of the film’s premiere, including the nature of Sentry in his MCU debut. But we’re hopeful the movie will help solve and close the book on another lingering issue we’ve had since the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Fans are now well aware that de Fontaine is the latest owner of the Avenger’s former home in Stark Tower. What still lingers are questions surrounding how and why the building ended up in the hands of the shadowy power player.

Battle of New York

The building was introduced in The Avengers. It was originally known as Stark Tower, until after the invasion of Manhattan, when it was made the headquarters for the Avengers through the end of Age of Ultron, with the building being torn to shreds by the end of both films.

Before Infinity War and Endgame, the building had been mentioned in connection to the team’s move to a Stark warehouse in Upstate New York, as seen at the end of Age of Ultron. Before the team takes on Thanos, the tower is mentioned one final time during Spider-Man: Homecoming when Vulture (Michael Keaton) attempts to steal several weapons and Stark tech. The building avoids most of the action this time around, but it does give us a firm timeline for when the building was still in Tony Stark’s control and that it was on the way to being sold.

[RELATED – How Thunderbolts* Can Turn the MCU Around After Captain America: Brave New World]

So, the question that lingers for Thunderbolts* is an explanation about how the building landed under the control of de Fontaine. We’re also curious if this is going to be an official change or if the building will fall victim to Sentry in the new film. It does seem like there are quite a few pieces of a building strewn about the New York streets in the trailer.

After the Endgame

What we do know is that by the events of Hawkeye, Stark has sold the building to a mystery buyer. It’s not clear if Stark himself did the sale or if it was after his heroic demise in the Battle of Earth against Thanos. We do know there were plenty of running theories, including the introduction of Oscorp to the MCU and that Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin bought it upon his return shown in Daredevil: Born Again. These turned out to be false.

The building also got a bit of a makeover in Spider-Man: Far From Home, hinting that the sale came closer to Stark’s death than Hawkeye would indicate. By the time of Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, de Fontaine had taken over the building and renamed it “The Watchtower.”

“We know what that tower means,” Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier told Empire. “Who’s the person you would least like to own that tower, that means so much to so many people? Can you use that as a symbol of things taking a darker turn?”

The CIA owning the former home of the Avengers is certainly a scary prospect in the real world. It’s a little more concerning in the MCU when the unstable Sentry is brought to the building to reveal his power. It could be a short run for The Watchtower if what is hinted at by the trailers happens. We’ll see how that plays out once Thunderbolts* lands in theaters on May 2nd.

Do you have a theory on what happens to the former Avengers tower once the Thunderbolts move in? Let us know in the comments.

The post Marvel’s Thunderbolts Needs to Answer This Avengers Question appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Marvel Legends line has turned so many of Marvel’s biggest and lesser-known characters into action figures, and that roster continues to expand each and every month. Whether you’re huge names like Spider-Man and Thor or cult favorites like Speedball and Maggott, there’s seemingly a place for you in Hasbro’s incredibly popular toy line, at least if you’re not this one Spider-Man villain. That villain is none other than Cardiac, who is a personal favorite, and he’s also a favorite of Valaverse President Bobby Vala. Vala is behind the popular Action Force toy line and is also a former designer for Hasbro, previously working on the Legends line. In his new video, he reveals the real reason why Marvel has never made a Cardiac figure.

Vala has been discussing and spotlighting some of the Marvel Legends waves he previously worked on, and in his new video, Vala focuses on the 2019 Marvel Legends Kingpin Build-A-Figure wave. That wave ended up including Spider-Man (Symbiote Suit), Scarlet Spider, Night Thrasher, Black Cat, Silver Sable, Red Goblin, and Tombstone, but Vala reveals he pushed for Cardiac, both in this wave and the other Spider-Man wave he worked on.

In both cases, Marvel said no to Cardiac, and here’s why. “When you’re picking the stuff, I’ve talked about this before several times on podcasts and stuff about how like you weren’t allowed to do…you know the whole library wasn’t available, the whole Rogues gallery. Some things were like off-limits certain years, and that’s like because Marvel didn’t want to pay certain creators royalties,” Vala said.

“So each year we would get like, know about who was off the no-fly list. The one character…my all-time favorite Spider-Man villain is Cardiac, and I pushed for him every wave, the two waves I did. And we got told no every time, and to this day he’s still a no, they haven’t done Cardiac,” Vala said. “And I think because whoever the creator is, maybe Erik Larsen, they don’t want to pay a royalty to. So that’s why you can’t do Cardiac.”

[RELATED: 10 Wild Marvel Rivals Characters We’d Love to See (But Probably Won’t)]

Cardiac was co-created by Larsen, David Michelinie, and Randy Emberlin back in 1990, making his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #342. Technically that was his first appearance in civilian form as Dr. Elias Wirtham, but he would make his full costumed debut as Cardiac in Amazing Spider-Man #343, which was released in November of 1990.

Cardiac has been both a villain and an ally to Spider-Man over the years and sports a design that screams ’90s and yet I adore it. The blue and white are instantly recognizable, and he could actually do some damage too thanks to an artificial heart that allows him to control the output of electrical energy through his hands or through a power staff, and the concussive force was able to take down some big targets. Cardiac even worked Vibranium into his suit, so he wasn’t a pushover in the least.

At this point we’ve had so many of Spider-Man’s villains turned into figures, so it’s a shame that we might never get a Cardiac added to the roster. Granted, not every Marvel character has a figure yet, but with deep-cut characters like Kaine and Marrow getting figures in the past few months, Cardiac certainly deserves some shine.

The video also brings some surprising insight into the Kingpin Build-A-Figure, which was initially met with some resistance behind the scenes. It turned out to be incredibly popular, so it all worked out, but it’s still interesting to know some of what goes into bringing some of your favorite characters to the toy aisle. You can check out the full video above.

Do you think we’ll ever get a Cardiac figure, and who is the figure in Marvel Legends that you are still waiting for Marvel to make? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Marvel and action figures with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post The Real Reason Why Marvel Hasn’t Made One Spider-Man Villain Into an Action Figure appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel has introduced readers to some of the greatest superteams of all time. The Fantastic Four’s super-science/Cold War American exceptionalism welded to a family dynamic showed readers that Marvel wasn’t just DC in different clothes. The Avengers took the idea of the Justice League/Justice Society — combining the greatest heroes of their respective universes — and kicked it to the next level, giving readers great character focused superhero action. Both of these teams aren’t exactly original; the Avengers are a well-worn comic trope and the FF are basically DC’s Challengers of the Unknown, down to co-creator Jack Kirby. However, there is one classic Marvel team that is not only completely original, but also holds one of the most important messages in comics: the X-Men.

The X-Men rose from their humble origins as the teen hero book that barely sold into the most popular team in the history of comics. Their ’90s animated series made them household names, and the 2000 X-Men film was Marvel’s biggest cinematic success and paved the way for every superhero movie that came after it. The X-Men have rose through the ranks, but even if one takes away the plaudits of being the bestselling comic team of all time, the X-Men are easily Marvel’s most important team.

The X-Men Changed the Direction of Comics Multiple Times Over Their History

The X-Men was different from other superhero comics right off the bat because of the team’s mission. The X-Men weren’t just a bunch of heroes out to save the world; they had an important societal message in the ’60s — equality. The whole point of the X-Men is Charles Xavier’s dream of peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants. Mutants were used as a catch-all for racial, and later sexual, minorities. At the time, with the Civil Rights movement heating up, this message was extremely important. Kids read comics and the X-Men taught them that everyone, despite their differences, was equal and deserved respect. This was a lesson that spoke to the core of what superheroes were meant to be, but it was also one that had fallen to the wayside. Comics weren’t a deep medium when it came to social messages by the time the ’60s hit, so having a comic that’s whole premise revolved around one the the most important social issues was a huge deal.

This a big part of what makes the X-Men such an important concept. Looking at the various other superteams in superhero comics, there really wasn’t anything like the X-Men on stands. Most of the time, superhero comics are more about the action and the drama than the message, despite what a legion of anti-fans like to think. There are many who like to use an old Stan Lee quote to prove that the X-Men weren’t “woke”, but there’s no other way to think of the team’s message. Lee had a lot of deficiencies as a writer and a human being, but as a creator, he wanted to talk about the United States as he saw it. Marvel was always much more contemporary than their distinguished competition. Their Silver Age hero line is basically Cold War American Exceptionalism personified, so Lee knew what he was doing when he made the X-Men a civil rights metaphor.

RELATED: What the Heck is an Omega-Level Mutant (and Why Does It Matter?)

An argument can be made that the X-Men’s central metaphor didn’t come to the fore until the legendary run of writer Chris Claremont. Many of the greatest X-Men stories of all-time were written by Claremont and Claremont found new ways to use the premise of the X-Men. Claremont’s writing is heavily queer-coded and Claremont’s work had no problem taking a “warts and all” look at bigotry, something that was very rare in comics at the time. Claremont’s work brought the X-Men to the next level, and also played a much bigger role in the maturation of the comic medium than it gets credit for. One needs look no further than the monumental classic “The Dark Phoenix Saga”. Comics and drama always went together, but there’s a maturity to the story that comes through on every page. “The Dark Phoenix Saga” dug into a vein of tragedy that comics had rarely hit at the time, as Claremont used the story to explore themes of friendship, love, and responsibility in a way that comics never had before. Claremont’s stories were often like this; something like God Loves, Man Kills is a story about bigotry and religion that is still extant to this very day, over forty years after its publication.

Claremont changed the way comics worked forever; his soap opera approach to the X-Men became the rule for comic superteams as time went on, and his focus on social issues made X-Men comics into something unlike everything else on the stands. Claremont wasn’t writing simple morality plays, he was writing about very adult themes in the guise of superhero comics. Uncanny X-Men isn’t usually lumped in the with the classics of the mediums like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, but it definitely deserves to be. The X-Men has been consistently revolutionary, leading into the present day with the X-Men’s Krakoa Era, and easily outstrips its fellow superteams.

No Other Superteam Has Been as Important as the X-Men in Comic History

Looking at the history of superhero comics, there are several superteams that have very important places. The Justice Society was the first time that the top heroes of a universe were brought together, the Legion of Superheroes were the first major teen team. The Fantastic Four kicked off the Marvel Universe proper and the Avengers have become the most popular superteam in the world, the first team to make a billion dollars in one go. However, none of them really compare to the X-Men.

The X-Men have been the home of the best social commentary in superhero comics for decades. They showed that superheroes could do more than save the day from supervillains; they could bring an important message to readers that the world needed to hear. The X-Men have helped young readers come to terms with themselves in a way that no other comics have, and their metaphor has proven quite malleable; just look at the way X-Men books have gone from their original Civil Rights Movement roots to becoming the most queer friendly comic on the stands. The X-Men changed the comic industry in numerous ways over the years. While they may not be as big as the Avengers are today, the X-Men actually mean something.

What do you think? Let us know in the coments!

The post The X-Men Are Marvel’s Most Important Team (And You Can’t Change My Mind) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Deadpool/Wolverine brings the fan favorite duo together under the aegis of creators Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara, who handled the characters in X-Force. Deadpool/Wolverine is already a wild ride, as a strangely lucid Deadpool is able to capture Wolverine and bring him to a graveyard in Deadwood, South Dakota, leading him into a secret lab. Down there, Deadpool reveals he’s something called an “X-Cutioner”, a familiar phrase for longtime X-Men fans that leads to the first issue’s major reveal — the return of the evil Cable clone known as Stryfe. The book’s second issue sees Wolverine and Deadpool fight some more as Wolverine tries to figure out what exactly is going on and Stryfe makes preparations for his master plan. Deadpool/Wolverine #3 does a lot more heavy plot lifting, but Deadpool’s X-Cutioner form should give fans pause.

Deadpool is a comedic character, but he’s also one of the most dangerous heroes around. Wade Wilson has been a killer for most of his life, first as a member of special forces, then as the Weapon X-enhanced mercenary Deadpool. Deadpool enjoys joking around, but when he’s serious, there are few that can beat him. Deadpool’s X-Cutioner form, with its cold rationality and brutal use of Deadpool’s skills brings to mind another version of Deadpool, one who cut a bloody swath through the Marvel Universe in his own reality.

A Serious Deadpool Is Extremely Dangerous

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe dropped in 2011, by Cullen Bunn and Dalibor Talijic, It took the funny anti-hero who everyone loves and showed off the darkest side of him. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe is a multiverse story and in this universe, Deadpool was put into the Ravencroft Institute, the Marvel version of Arkham Asylum, but instead of having an actual doctor trying to help him, Deadpool had the mind-controlling Psycho-Man. Psycho-Man was trying to make the inmates into slaves, and as a result took away all of the voices in Deadpool’s head. However, instead of making Deadpool more malleable, this made him a thousand percent worse. Deadpool kills Psycho-Man and then goes on to go after nearly every hero and villain on the planet, using brilliant tactics to kill every one of them.

RELATED: Marvel Teases Wade Wilson’s New Love Interest (And Villain) in Deadpool #350

At this point in Deadpool/Wolverine‘s story, we have no idea how Stryfe has control of Deadpool. It seems like there’s a Weapon X connection, but whatever it is, it gives him somewhat complete control over Deadpool. However, as revealed in Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, trying to mind control Deadpool is definitely one of the worst things that can happen. Deadpool’s madness actually does a lot for him; it keeps him grounded, for lack of a better word, in a more heroic mold. Taking this away from Deadpool is a very dangerous thing. X-Cutioner Deadpool is very close to the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe version of the character. The X-Cutioner Deadpool has proven to be very dangerous in the past three issues, but the fact that he flips back and forth between Deadpool and X-Cutioner is the only thing that has kept him from being as monstrous as he could be. However, the goals of the X-Cutioner makes this whole plot development even more dangerous not only to Wolverine, but also the world.

X-Cutioner Deadpool’s Purpose Is Human Genocide

Wolverine has been trying to figure out what the point of Deadpool’s X-Cutioner side, leading him to interrogate Deadpool in issue three. Eventually, after fighting and figuring out how to make the X-Cutioner portion of Deadpool’s mind come out, Wolverine finds out exactly what the X-Cutioner is there for and Deadpool’s answer is chilling — the X-Cutioner’s entire mission is to destroy the human race.

Readers have seen how deadly Deadpool can be when the voices in his head are quiet. Right now, Deadpool can still gain control of his body from the X-Cutioner, but what would happen if Stryfe was able to make the X-Cutioner ascendant? Stryfe would have one of the most dangerous and skilled killers on the planet alongside him, and even if his plans fail, he can use Deadpool to commit genocide on a terrible scale.

Deadpool/Wolverine #3 is on sale where ever comics are sold.

The post Is Deadpool Heading Towards Genocide? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The feud between Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four has reached critical mass. Of course, there’s a good reason for this, and it all has to do with Doctor Doom’s takeover of the Marvel Universe. After stealing the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, Victor Von Doom has somehow made all of the Earth’s leaders bow down to him, which has understandably left Earth’s Mightiest Heroes scrambling to figure out what Doom is up to. The Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom have a long history with and against each other, but what Doom was just able to pull off will leave Marvel’s First Family reeling. WARNING: Spoilers for One World Under Doom #2 below.

One World Under Doom #2 is from the creative team of Ryan North, R.B. Silva, David Curiel, and VC’s Travis Lanham. It features a showdown between the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom at the United Nations. It comes a day after Doom met with his goddaughter, Valeria Richards, the daughter of Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman. She wanted to hear directly from Doom on what his goals are and why he’s gone down this route. We never learn if Valeria is buying in, but it is a fascinating conversation to be a fly on the wall for.

[RELATED: Marvel Reveals the One Character Worthy of Doctor Doom’s Respect (And It May Surprise You)]

Back to the United Nations, the Fantastic Four make quick work of some Doombots outside, while Doctor Doom whines and dines the dignitaries inside. Once the FF make it inside, a group of waiters point handguns at the heroes in support of Doom. Victor claims they are civilians acting on their own, with no outside influence from him. The Fantastic Four decide not to attack, so Doom extends his mercy even further by doing something Reed Richards has never been able to do.

Doctor Doom turns The Thing back into his human form of Ben Grimm

Doctor Doom taunts his longtime rival Reed Richards with the cold hard truth: Reed has never been able to undo the accident that turned his best friend, Ben Grimm, into the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. Doom calls it a “staggering failure” by Reed, though Ben tries to play it off. The Thing says he’s come to terms with his condition and holds no animosity towards Reed. However, Doctor Doom won’t let the matter go and says he wants what’s best for everyone — even his most hated enemies.

Doom then casts a spell that engulfs Thing in a circular ball of energy, and once Thing emerges his rock-hard skin is gone, leaving him in his human form of Benjamin J. Grimm. He’s left shocked as the rest of the Fantastic Four tend to him, with Doctor Doom making his escape during the chaos. It’s a pretty big development for the Fantastic Four, and will surely affect how they counter Doctor Doom moving forward in One World Under Doom.

The majority of the fallout of Doctor Doom’s actions will continue in Marvel’s Fantastic Four series as a tie-in to One World Under Doom. Future issues tease the Fantastic Four’s numbers dwindling from four to three to two to one and ending with zero. The solicitation for Fantastic Four #33 teases the team going back to the Big Bang to find a way to defeat Doctor Doom. This also marks the end of this volume of Fantastic Four, with Marvel relaunching the series with a fresh #1 in July just in time for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The post Doctor Doom Fundamentally Changes the Fantastic Four Forever (and It’s Probably for the Best) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

New images from Marvel Studios’ upcoming TV series Ironheart showcases Riri Williams’ upgraded Iron Man suit in action. Though there isn’t much context, it looks like these photos could be from a sequence where Riri tests her new armor. In the first image, she appears to have a somewhat nervous expression, almost as if she’s unsure how things are going to go. Later on in the gallery, Riri takes off and is seen flying through the air. In the final image, she is soaring above cars positioned along the street.

Aesthetically, Riri’s armor is different from the suit she used in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. When one looks closely, there are traces of blue and red paint, but it does not appear to be as colorful overall as that previous version. Check out the images in the space below:

Ironheart is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in June. The story follows Riri as she returns to her hometown of Chicago; star Dominique Thorne has said the show explores Riri’s roots and sees her figure out how she’s going to use her knowledge and skills to help her community. The cast also features Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins/The Hood, whose backstory has been changed for Ironheart. In the comics, Parker is from New York, but in the show he’s from Chicago like Riri.

[RELATED – Ranking Every Marvel Studios Series on Disney+ (Including Agatha All Along)]

While Marvel hasn’t fully kicked off a proper Ironheart marketing campaign yet, it has provided fans with glimpses over the past several months. Looks at Riri suited up have been featured in special trailers teasing Marvel’s 2025 output and Disney+’s slate for this year.

Similar to those earlier looks in the Disney+ trailers, these images don’t reveal much, but it’s still exciting to get another taste of Riri’s update in action. Giving a character a new costume isn’t anything new for comic book adaptations (it’s an easy merchandising opportunity), but it seems like there are storytelling reasons for Riri’s upgrade. In the limited Ironheart footage that’s been revealed, Riri says she wants to “build something undeniable.” In her pursuit of that goal, she likely feels it’s necessary to design a new suit of armor, forging her own path while using Iron Man and War Machine as a template to build off of.

With only a few months left until the show’s premiere, Marvel should give audiences a proper look at Ironheart in the near future. Daredevil: Born Again is in full swing, so the studio may opt to wait until that show is over (the finale airs in mid-April) before drawing more attention to Ironheart, highlighting what’s coming next for Marvel fans to enjoy on Disney+. Whenever that first official trailer is released, Riri’s updated armor will likely be a main focus. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes in the show for Riri to don this suit. The miniseries is set to run only six episodes, so viewers hopefully don’t have to wait too long before they get to see it in all its glory. Perhaps Riri builds it early on and it plays a role in her overall arc; it would be a shame if the amor’s screen time was limited.

The post New Ironheart Images Show Riri’s Upgraded Iron Man Armor in Action appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to helm Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but they almost passed on the opportunity. In an interview with Omelete, the two discussed how their return to the franchise came to be. They shared that it was Kevin Feige’s idea to bring back Robert Downey Jr. as villain Doctor Doom, which initially wasn’t enough of a reason for the Russos to sign on. Despite Downey’s attempts to convince them, the brothers opted to turn it down since they couldn’t crack the story. It wasn’t until screenwriter Stephen McFeely came to them with an idea that they saw the potential.

“Then Robert tried to talk us into doing [the Avengers movies] and we said ‘no,'” Joe Russo said. “Weirdly, because we said we wouldn’t come back. We just didn’t have a story. We didn’t have a way in. We were resistant for a while.”

Russo later explained how McFeely helped the directors change their minds. “One day, Stephen McFeely, one of our chief collaborators, said, ‘I have an idea.’ We went, ‘That’s the story!’ That story has to be told; it’s a really powerful story!”

[RELATED – Avengers Directors Tease RDJ’s Take on Doctor Doom (& Claim No One Else Could Do It)]

The Russos have mentioned that a main reason why they returned to make Doomsday and Secret Wars is to help the MCU get back to telling a central, focused narrative. They intend to challenge audiences with the films’ story, bringing together a multitude of Marvel characters for the fight against Doctor Doom. Interestingly, while the upcoming Avengers movies serve as the culmination of the Multiverse Saga, the Russos consider them a “new beginning” for the franchise.

Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled to open in theaters in May 2026. Production will start in the near future. The cast has not been officially announced, but we know it includes the likes of Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, the stars of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and more. Secret Wars, which films next summer, follows with a 2027 premiere.

The Russos have been behind some of the best-received MCU films, and with that track record, it makes sense story would be the driving force behind their decision to come back. While the prospect of reuniting with Downey on an Avengers movie was probably tantalizing, it’s encouraging to know the Russos resisted the temptation until the right plot was in place. Doomsday will be juggling several elements as it introduces audiences to Doctor Doom and picks up on various narrative threads from other MCU projects. Having a tight, focused narrative established is paramount. More than most filmmakers, the Russos know what makes these Marvel films work, and it would have been a shame if they came back just for a quick paycheck. The MCU desperately needs Doomsday to be a success, and it sounds like the Russos have the right approach.

Obviously, specific details about the story are being kept under wraps for the time being. However, the Russos have hinted that Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame factors into Doctor Doom’s arc, which sheds some light on how Marvel will address Downey’s surprise return to the franchise. It will be very fascinating to see how Doomsday unfolds when it debuts next summer. There’s clearly a lot of potential for an intriguing, epic story uniting all corners of the multiverse, and if anyone can pull that off, it’s the Russos.

The post Why The Russo Bros. Almost Turned Down Avengers: Doomsday (and What Changed Their Minds) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

McFarlane Toys is prepping their 4th wave of Marvel Comic Cover statues. Specifically, they’re set to release two 1:6 scale statues inspired by Iron Man #256 with an impressive classic Iron Man figure, while the second features the particularly gruesome Venom in a pose meant to re-create the Venom #5 cover. The collectibles have only been teased at this point, but you’ll be able to pick them up March 21st at 9am PT / 12pm ET here at Entertainment Earth and, most likely, here on Amazon. Additional details can be found below, including info on the Wave 3 lineup. UPDATE: The figures are live via the direct links below.

• Marvel Collection 1:6 Scale Wave 4 Venom Venom #5 Comic Cover Statue – See here at Entertainment Earth / Amazon
• Marvel Collection 1:6 Scale Wave 4 Iron Man Iron Man #256 Comic Cover Statue – See here at Walmart

In January, McFarlane Toys released the third wave of this line, complete with beloved Marvel heroes like Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and more. In general, the statues are based on iconic Marvel covers from artists such as Jim Lee, Steve Ditto, John Romita Jr., Rob Liefeld and, of course, Todd McFarlane. So, the Comic Cover line is bringing more attention to the comic roots of these characters and shining some much needed light on the artists responsible for their iconic looks. Some of these figures are still available here at Entertainment Earth and here on Amazon.

• Marvel Collection 1:6 Scale Wave 3 Thor Mighty Thor #177 Comic Cover Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:6 Scale Wave 3 Spider-Man Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 Comic Cover Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:10 Scale Wave 3 Spider-Man Amazing Spider-Man #302 Comic Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:10 Scale Wave 3 Cyclops X-Men #1 Comic Cover Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:10 Scale Wave 3 Daredevil #600 Comic Cover Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:10 Scale Wave 3 Storm Marvel Tales Featuring Spider-Man and the X-Men #235 Comic Cover Statue
• Marvel Collection 1:10 Scale Wave 3 Captain America All-New Captain America #1 Comic Statue

Back in May of last year, Todd McFarlane, the comic creator, president of Image Comics and CEO of Mcfarlane Toys, exclusively told Comicbook about the launching of this new line. McFarlane had the following to say to ComicBook about the future of the lineup:

“Eventually, I’d like to tip my hat to some of the people that inspired me a ton, George Perez and John Byrne,” McFarlane said. “But I also know that there’s a whole generation that have come in who those aren’t the guys they grew up with, right? It’s more of people that they’re looking at right now. And whether it’s the interior artist and, or the cover artist, I’ll be sort of looking at what they’re asking for and giving them that.”

Want to stay up to date with all the latest collectible news? Then keep an eye on our Gear Page!

The post McFarlane Toys Marvel Comic Cover Wave 4 Is On Sale Now appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Jonathan Majors is still in the midst of a comeback tour attempt, following his very public and scandalous accusation, trial, and ultimate “guilty” conviction for domestic assault and harassment against an ex-girlfriend. In 2023, Disney and Marvel Studios made the bold move of firing Majors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise – an actor that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige had once claimed was carrying the entire MCU “Multiverse Saga” on shoulders: “I said to him there’s nobody’s shoulders I’d rather be putting the multiverse saga on than his,” Feige told ComicBook back in 2022.

Well, since being dropped from his role as Kang the Conqueror – a reality-conquering warlord of the Marvel Multiverse and all his mad variants – Majors has managed to preserve his career in Hollywood, with his long-awaited star vehicle, Magazine Dreams, now set to hit theaters. With the buzz Majors is getting from the film, it’s looking like his future as an actor may not be as doomed as many predicted. So what does that mean for Disney and Marvel Studios, who already have a track record of re-hiring controversial figures after some bad controversy has passed them by (see: James Gunn)?

In his latest interview with Complex, Majors addressed where things stand with him and Marvel – specifically with his former colleagues and castmates from the franchise. When asked about whether or not he still hears from any of the other MCU stars, directors, or producers, Majors demurred a bit, before revealing that the low-key still maintains some of those relationships:

“Well, now we get into the world of like, ‘Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.’ Yeah. The answer is yes. Directors, castmates. Definitely. I got congratulations from a few of them,” Majors explained. “A couple days ago when the Magazine Dreams trailer came out. I had a really nice one from a really cool buddy. His last name is “Man.” But no, they’ve been around in our quiet vestibules of communication where no one can be targeted or shamed for communication with me.”

But while Jonathan Majors may still get acknowledgment from some of the other actors in the MCU franchise, the same cannot be said for the man in charge: Kevin Feige.

“I really respect the man, and what he’s trying to do is extremely difficult. He literally is the architect, and he trusted me and he gave me a job. He changed my life,” Majors said in regards to Feige. “My letter to him, I won’t go into the details, but it was just to let him know, ‘I appreciate you,’ and ‘I know this is hard,’ and ‘I’m here if you need me.’ But he’s got a million other things going on. So it was like a little flare.”

[RELATED: Avengers: Doomsday Directors Want The MCU to Get Back to Connective Stories]

Majors went on to say that this letter was the last bit of communication he’s had with Kevin Feige, as the Marvel Studios never responded. “But what are you going to do? That’s all I needed,” Majors explained. “There are no question marks in the message. I wasn’t asking him to do anything. I was just letting him know, ‘Hey, man, I understand. I feel you.’ I love Marvel. Love, love, love, love, love Kang and all my variants.”

Majors appeared in both seasons of Marvel’s Loki Disney+ series, as well as making his big screen debut as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. That threequel ended with the promise that an entire army of Kangs from across the multiverse had gathered and were prepared to wage war – how the MCU intends to pivot away from that story arc, remains to be seen. There’s even been some speculation that Marvel has been kicking the proverbial can down the road until it can be seen if Magazine Dreams catapults Majors back onto a trajectory toward stardom, free of the shadow of his legal troubles. If Majors gets to that point, then some (cynical) fans believe that Marvel Studios would possibly re-hire him to play out his arc as Kang.

Would Jonathan Majors be willing to work with Marvel Studios again, after everything that happened? In his own words: he would:

“Yeah. I mean, yeah, of course. I just love acting. I love the stories. I love the worlds that they build. That’s the beauty of being a part of, at least while I was there, they made a couple pictures since I’ve been gone. But Loki, season one, season two, we built incredible worlds. I’ve kept my eye out to see what’s going on, how it’s going. I still care about ’em. I’m still tracking it. But yeah, of course. Of course. I’ll take a cape, right? Bring the green screens back.”

It’s hard to gauge the shade level of that final comment about the green screens, but it seems as though Majors is still willing to play ball with Marvel Studios.

That said, this interview is coming out in the same week that Majors is back in the spotlight of scandal and backlash, after alleged audio leaked of him admitting to the physical assault he committed against ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Given the level of vitriol Majors is once-again receiving, his willingness to spin the block with Marvel may be very one-sided…

The MCU continues with Daredevil: Born Again now streaming on Disney+. Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 6th.

The post Jonathan Majors Addresses Marvel, Kevin Feige, and His Potential MCU Future appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Amanda Seyfried had the opportunity to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe by taking on a role in Guardians of the Galaxy, but she passed on the project for a reason that turned out to be completely wrong. While appearing on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, the actress recalled the time she was offered the chance to play Gamora in James Gunn’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. Seyfried explained that she turned it down because she was leery about spending lots of time under green makeup, and she was concerned that Guardians of the Galaxy was poised to become the MCU’s first bomb. She opted to make A Million Ways to Die in the West instead.

“I was really scared of the idea of being stuck and painted a different color because of the amount of time [it takes],” Seyfried said. “I definitely got the offer for it and I mulled over it for a couple days. I didn’t want to live in London for six months out of the year … Let’s also remember that being a part of the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career. I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon that it would be Marvel’s first bomb and me and Chris Pratt would never work again. I was wrong! But I was just being smart. It’s not brave.”

Released in 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy became one of Marvel’s biggest hits, turning the obscure comic book characters into household names. Bolstered by enthusiastic reviews, the film grossed $773.3 million worldwide and spawned two sequels. The Guardians became key figures of the Infinity Saga, also appearing in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In the wake of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s success, Pratt rose to the top of the A-list and headlined the Jurassic World trilogy.

[RELATED – Marvel’s Chris Pratt Reveals Requirement for Star-Lord Return]

While A Million Ways to Die in the West earned a mixed reception, Seyfried has found plenty of success with other notable projects in recent years. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Marion Davies in David Fincher’s Mank and won an Emmy (among several other accolades) for playing Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout.

In retrospect, it’s easy to say Seyfried was wrong when she passed on Guardians of the Galaxy, but hindsight is 20/20. At the time that film was coming through the pipeline, it was far from a guaranteed success. Even though Marvel was riding high off The Avengers (which proved the shared universe concept worked), there were questions about whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy could be commercially viable. Making a Seth MacFarlane comedy was definitely the safer bet during this period. Few people could have predicted how Guardians of the Galaxy would turn out.

Zoe Saldaña’s tenure as Gamora was very memorable, but it would have been interesting to see how Seyfried would have tackled the role, bringing the no-nonsense warrior to life. She has the range to handle comedy and drama, so she would have been a good fit in the Guardians of the Galaxy universe. While she missed out on playing this particular character (barring some kind of multiverse variant casting), perhaps Seyfried will eventually take on a different comic book part down the line. Gunn is now overseeing the DC Universe, which has a plethora of movies and TV shows in development. Knowing what she knows now about Gunn’s vision, Seyfried might be willing to jump onboard.

The post Why Amanda Seyfried Passed on Guardians of the Galaxy (and Was Dead Wrong) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Comics is gearing up for a new era of Star Wars storytelling this spring, and ComicBook got to speak to one of the creatives helping to steer the starship. It’s been 10 years since the Star Wars franchise returned to Marvel, and for the most part, the ongoing series and events that captivated readers have taken place during the Original Trilogy. However, all of that is about to change with May’s Star Wars #1. The new ongoing series by writer Alex Segura and artist Phil Noto will follow the unexplored period after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and feature fan-favorite characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and more.

ComicBook spoke to Star Wars writer Alex Segura about his plans for this fertile playground in a galaxy far, far away. The best-selling writer teased his plans for Luke, Han, and Leia, the type of threats the New Republic will face after the demise of the Empire, the introduction of new characters, his collaboration with Phil Noto, and more. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages of Star Wars #1

[RELATED: Kathleen Kennedy Provides Updates on New Star Wars Movies (And We Don’t Know What to Make of It)]

ComicBook: Getting to tell new Star Wars stories in a fairly unexplored part of the franchise has to be an exciting assignment. What’s been your approach to fleshing out the histories of iconic characters like Luke, Han and Leia?

Alex Segura: It has been really exciting, and a nice contrast to Battle of Jakku – which I loved, but which was also weaving through a lot of established canon. Now we’re in a relatively wide open era, and to be able to explore what Luke, Leia, Han, and more folks were up to is a huge honor and thrill.

In terms of my approach, I think the goal is to make each story feel fresh and unpredictable, and to show how the universe is changing – how the threats of this era are different than the monolithic danger of the Empire, but no less dangerous. We want to keep the heroes on their toes, and that means making sure the threats they face feel fresh and surprising.

With the Empire defeated, what challenges and roadblocks are the New Republic running into as they attempt to forge a new path? Particularly with Luke restoring the Jedi Order?

I think you’ll see the core three – Luke, Leia, and Han – grappling with different responsibilities and goals. Like you said, Luke is eager to rebuild the Jedi Order – but how does he get there? What happens to spur him on? Leia is trying to govern during an unstable and volatile time, while Han is trying to find his place in it all. It’s a potent mix, and that’s where we find them as a new player appears on the universal stage. Instead of the New Republic getting a breather after finally defeating the Empire, we’ll see a new, unexpected threat rise up to challenge what the Republic stands for, calling their entire being into question. At the same time, we explore some of the underworld unrest left in Return of the Jedi‘s wake, with some fun cameos and a few interesting surprises. 

What new characters can fans look forward to meeting? With Dark Vader and the Emperor gone and years (decades) before the rise of Kylo Ren, who are the new threats terrorizing the galaxy?

I think one of the themes of these early issues is really – it never gets easier. The heroes have seen the Empire fall, Vader and the Emperor are dead – but now the work begins, right? You have to govern, you have to rebuild your identity, you have to decide what it’s like to be a diplomat vs a smuggler… And a lot of this soul-searching and introspection is happening while part of the New Republic itself decides, ‘hey, what is the benefit of being a part of this?’ It creates problems from the drop, but as the heroes explore the ‘why’ of it, they uncover something much darker. Each issue will very much be a standalone, and almost explore a genre unto itself – we’ve got a very “western”-style story, a murder mystery, a heist – but when read together, you’ll see the bigger mystery shape up and hopefully pay off after the first arc.

You’re working with Phil Noto, who has delivered some epic work already in Marvel’s Star Wars comics. What has Noto brought to the table during your collaboration?

Phil is just a master. I’ve known him forever and always admired his work and his work ethic. He’s a super pro, and it just feels like having him on this book immediately blesses the series, you know? It’s not just his likenesses – it’s the pacing and structure. He takes my words and certifies them as Star Wars. I’m so lucky to be working with him on this.

Star Wars is the flagship title, but are there any characters or storylines that will be ripe for crossover events or even spinoff books down the line?

The comics team is in pretty constant contact – but the crossover thing is more an editorial question. That said, I’m sure we’d play well together!

Star Wars #1 goes on sale May 7th. Let us know what you’re most excited about seeing in this post-Return of the Jedi era in the comments below!

The post Star Wars: Alex Segura Offers a Look at Marvel’s Post-Return of the Jedi Relaunch (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Professor X has become one of the most controversial X-Men characters ever. Xavier started out as the perfect older mentor, a man with a wonderful dream that would change the world for the better. However, recent year have seen Xavier played more as a villain, as creators have started to reveal more and more about his past. Superhero comics have become much more complex than before, so saintlike characters like Xavier have been given a heaping helping of nuance. The sins of Xavier are a major part of the character’s history, and have changed the way that fans look at the character. Professor X is no longer everyone’s favorite father figure, instead becoming someone just as likely to smack around the X-Men as he is to give them his years of hard-earned knowledge.

However, even looking at Xavier’s most despicable acts, it’s actually hard to say that he’s completely a villain. Sure, Xavier has done monstrous things, but are they the acts of a villain? Xavier has definitely become a more complex character, but does that complexity actually make Xavier a villain or have many fans been wrong about the character?

Xavier Has Been Something of a Dark Character For Longer than Many Fans Realize

X-Men (Vol. 2) #53 was one of the precursors to the Onslaught story and it showed readers a moment from the early days of the X-Men that has been debated more and more as the years have gone by. Onslaught shows Jean the past, a scene from X-Men (Vol. 1) #1, where Xavier professes his love for Jean Grey in his thoughts. Now, there’s always the chance that Stan Lee meant for this to be platonic love, but ever since X-Men (Vol. 2) #53, it’s been taken as an example of Xavier’s villainy. It’s a moment that was meant to illustrate that Xavier was more complicated than we imagined, something that had already started in the ’90s. That brings us to the story of Ameila Voight.

Amelia Voight was a nurse who helped Xavier after his legs were crushed. They ended up falling in love but eventually things sour and Amelia tries to leave. Xavier grabs her telepathically and stops her, something that he had promised to never do. This moment, in Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #309, was a huge moment for fans. We had seen Xavier mindwipe bad guys or bigots or people who were evil. We had never seen Xavier mess with the mind of someone that he actually loved. This moment planted the seeds for the Xavier we’ve gotten in the 21st century, a character for whom the ends justify the means to an extent. It showed that Xavier wasn’t the saint we had thought and made us question who this character really was.

RELATED: The X-Men’s Most Complicated Villain Is Back (But What Does He Want?)

Since then, we’ve seen just how bad that Xavier could be. He sent a team of mutants to die saving his first class of X-Men from Krakoa, and then mindwiped everyone of their existence. When the Danger Room computer became sentient, Xavier enslaved it because it was more useful to him training the X-Men than being its own being. He spent years secretly working with Moira MacTaggert and Magneto, mindwiping and manipulating in order to build his mutant utopia on Krakoa, then lied and kept secrets from his “equals” on the Quiet Council. He propped up his daughter Xandra as Shi’Ar Empress, but never visited her or even treated her as anything other than distant ally. Xavier’s actions can be quite monstrous when laid out, but there’s an argument to be made that all of these things were necessary.

All of Xavier’s terrible acts are in service to his dream. They’ve saved lives time after time, all because Xavier was willing to make the hard decisions that no one else was willing to. There’s something noble about Xavier taking these sins upon himself, all to keep his students pure. However, let’s look at what he’s put those students through. Xavier’s dream boils down to mutants risking their lives so that humans will stop hating them. Xavier’s dream of “co-existence” will always make mutants into servants of the humans. Say what you will about Magneto and what he’s done over the years, but he’s never tried to make excuses for his genocidal urges. Xavier is telling mutants to be second-class citizens and risk their lives for the humans, whose existences are somehow more precious, and yet Xavier has pretended that he was a saint. Is this really the kind of dream that should be fought for? Is it the kind of dream that a good person would have? Are these the actions o good person?

Xavier May Not Be a Villain, but He’s Definitely a Monster

The question of whether Xavier is a villain or not is a more complicated one than it just being a yes or no answer, and it depends on how you personally look at Xavier’s actions. All of Xavier’s most despicable actions at least have good intentions behind them, and those terrible acts have often saved many, many lives. Xavier is, at the least, altruistic in his actions, which isn’t something that can be said about villains. Xavier wants to make the world a better place, and will commit any sin to make his dream a reality. This is quite pragmatic, even noble, but these actions aren’t those of a heroic person.

However, the thing about Xavier is that he is a monster. His dream seems great, but scratch the surface and it’s honestly kind of racist. Xavier decided that child soldiers were the way to go with his X-Men, and has had no problems over the years using his powers to change the minds of anyone who doesn’t agree with him. It’s easy to say that everything Xavier did was the for right reasons, which makes it all worth it — that’s basically how the X-Men fandom looks at Magneto now a days — but his actions alone are exactly the kind of thing a villain would do. At the very least, Xavier has become an antagonist for the X-Men, his actions making life harder for his students.

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Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes released weekly on the platform. Following in the footsteps of the Netflix Daredevil series, (which aired three seasons from 2015 to 2018), Born Again sees Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock return to fight for justice in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page, Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher/Frank Castle are also among the returnees from the original show. Much like its predecessor, Daredevil: Born Again delves into Matt’s dual lives as a lawyer and vigilante, as he comes face to face with old foes, familiar friends, and a new love interest. After four episodes, Daredevil: Born Again holds an 87% critic approval rating and 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that this new era of Daredevil can stack up to Netflix’s past rendition of the character’s story.

Disney+’s weekly release strategy for its shows differs greatly from Netflix’s longstanding binge model, and the disparity is apparent when watching Daredevil vs. Daredevil: Born Again. Even though Disney+ dropped the first two episodes of Born Again on the same day, as it will also do with episodes 5 and 6, the remainder of Season 1’s nine episodes are scheduled to air according to the typical one-per-week model. At the midway point of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, it’s clear that Netflix’s binge-watch method is superior.

Why Netflix’s Binge Release Model Worked so Well for Daredevil

Netflix’s Daredevil and Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again develop plots and characters much slower than most other Marvel and MCU shows. This slow-burn narrative style greatly contributed to the widespread praise for Daredevil, and Netflix’s binge-release model helped avoid complaints of the series dragging too much. Watching one Daredevil episode after another in quick succession enabled viewers to absorb plot development without feeling like each installment was a “filler” episode. In the same way, audiences could cut to the chase without waiting weeks for each season’s action-packed finale.

[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Confirms the MCU’s Worst Show Is Still Canon]

While Daredevil flourished under the binge-release model, Born Again is struggling with Disney+’s weekly approach. Through Born Again‘s first four episodes, Matt has scarcely donned his iconic Daredevil attire. In the grand scheme of things that’s not a big deal, (given that Season 1 contains five more episodes and Season 2 is on the way), but the lack of Daredevil action seems much more glaring when the series’ release schedule stretches across many weeks.

There’s nothing wrong with a show taking its time to flesh out characters and build toward a major payoff, as proven by Daredevil, but this kind of series will always be more enjoyable as a binge-watch. When an entire week passes between one or two episodes, the slow pace grows frustrating, and fans yearn for a greater sense of plot progression in each episode. Netflix used its quintessential binge-release model to its advantage with Daredevil, and as a result, fans took no issue with the show’s slow-burn pace. Daredevil: Born Again may face an uphill battle making the Disney+ weekly episode drops each feel worth it.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Weekly Release Strategy Working, But Disney Can Still Fix It

A weekly release schedule is far from the worst of shortcomings when it comes to TV shows, but Disney+ should recognize that Daredevil: Born Again could benefit from a different release strategy. Of course, the streaming service would then have to contend with the cons of a binge release such as fewer cohesive discussions among audiences and a shorter window for attracting fan engagement online, but the drawbacks may be worth it. Even if Disney+ refused the binge model and went with the ‘batch model’ (three episodes released every week), viewers would certainly appreciate the semi-return to form. Disney and Lucasfilm learned from their mistake of releasing Andor Season 1 weekly; as a course correction, Season 2 will be released in three-episode arcs each week. If it works out for Star Wars, why not Marvel?

Daredevil: Born Again has brought a refreshing spark to the MCU, and it would be a shame to see the excitement surrounding the new series dwindle due to its slow pace, paired with its lengthy release schedule. Despite Born Again‘s home on a new streaming platform, fans should have the chance to enjoy the show the same way they watched the original series. The phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may be overused, but it rings true in the case of Marvel’s Daredevil shows.

Daredevil: Born Again releases new episodes on Tuesdays on Disney+. All episodes of the original Daredevil series are also available to stream on the platform.

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Spider-Man has one of the most iconic rogues galleries in comics, and several of the character’s memorable antagonists have already been featured in the live-action films. As Marvel Studios ramps things up for next summer’s Spider-Man 4, fans believe they know who Peter Parker will be facing off against this time around. A rumor originating from scooper @MyTimeToShineH claims Spider-Man 4 has a female villain, with a casting announcement planned in the near future. That tidbit indicates the character is different from Sadie Sink’s mysterious role. Since the villain is said to be a woman, fans believe an iconic Spider-Man character is about to make the jump to the big screen.

In reactions to the rumor, Twitter users are speculating Black Cat will be in Spider-Man 4. It is important to remember that this is just fans theorizing about potential storylines in the film, so take all this with a grain of salt.

Introduced in 1979, Black Cat has gone on to become one of the most popular characters in the Spider-Man mythos. Over the decades, she’s appeared in multiple TV shows and video games (including Insomniac’s recent Spider-Man series for PlayStation). The closest Black Cat came to being featured on film was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, when Felicity Jones was cast as Felicia. Any plans to further develop that character fell apart when the series was discontinued in favor of the MCU reboot starring Tom Holland.

[RELATED – Spider-Man 4 Theory Predicts Major Crossover Between MCU & Spider-Verse Animated Films]

For a while, Sony was developing the movie Silver & Black, which would have teamed Black Cat up with Silver Sable. That project was pulled from the studio’s slate back in 2018 and never came to fruition. Following the box office disappointment of Kraven the Hunter, Sony put its Spider-Man spinoff series on ice.

Black Cat being in Spider-Man 4 would be a plausible development. There’s been considerable interest in seeing her adapted for a live-action film, and there’s a lot of storytelling potential with the character. At various points, Black Cat and Spider-Man have been everything from enemies to lovers, meaning there’s fertile ground here for a compelling arc (perhaps one spread over multiple films). It remains to be seen how Spider-Man 4 deals with the fallout of No Way Home‘s emotional ending; due to Doctor Strange’s spell, MJ and Ned no longer have any memory of Peter. Marvel could use that as a gateway to surround Holland with a new supporting cast, with Black Cat filling the role of love interest. Since the character hasn’t truly appeared in a live-action film yet, this would be a fresh, exciting direction for the movies to take.

Many fans are also hoping Spider-Man 4 deviates from Marvel’s multiversal craziness to tell a smaller, street-level story about Peter being a friendly neighborhood hero. Bringing Black Cat into the fold would be a way to accomplish that, pitting Spider-Man against a burglar. However, it’s difficult to predict how the Spider-Man 4 story will unfold. Since it arrives just a couple short months after Avengers: Doomsday, it could weave a larger-scale narrative that helps set the stage for Secret Wars. Spider-Man 4 will begin shooting in the summer, so hopefully there’s some clarity on the cast by then.

The post Marvel Fans Think They Know Spider-Man 4’s Villain (and They Might Be Right) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Victor Von Doom is one of the greatest “villains” of the Marvel Universe for good reason. Whether he’s written as an iron-fisted despot or a misunderstood Latverian whose pride gets the better of him, his Marvel comic history has made one thing clear. At the end of the day, if Dr. Doom were to rule the world, the populace would ultimately be better off. Thanks to the recent crossover, One World Under Doom, readers have been able to see some of the benefits of Victor’s reign but we figured that we’d go one step further and examine instances in his past that prove he should reign supreme in the 616.

For those who haven’t been following the events of the Marvel Comics recently, Dr. Doom became the new Sorcerer Supreme thanks to a deal struck with Dr. Strange during the vampiric crossover event, Blood Hunt. While Stephen Strange believed that Doom would give him back the mantle, Victor had plans of his own and bent their arrangement to allow him to keep the title. In One World Under Doom, the Latverian Monarch has used his new magical abilities to take over the world at large and his reign, so far, hasn’t been all that bad for both the common folk and the heroes that protect them.

Dr. Doom’s New World

Announcing himself to be the new ruler of the world, Dr. Doom didn’t immediately start slapping people into Doombots and/or rallying them to be a part of an army to defeat the Fantastic Four. In fact, Doom even addresses this point in his first speech to the United Nations. Instead, Doom began taking measures that would, arguably, help society and everyone who lives within it. Victor immediately outlaws all wars between nations, creates “true” universal health care for everyone on the planet, and free “elite-tier education” for anyone who desires it. The good doctor also allows anyone from any country to move to anywhere they wish in the world, adding another major benefit to his rule in the form of “open borders.” The real cherry on top is when Victor uses a variant of himself, which happens to be a T-Rex, to take down members of Hydra and Baron Zemo, one of Marvel’s most nefarious antagonists.

In the second issue of One World Under Doom, Victor has an in-depth debate with Valeria Ricahrds, the daughter of Reed and Sue Richards, about whether he should rule, and in all honesty, he makes a fairly good argument. Doom truly believes that he is simply the best person to rule the world, warts and all, shunning the idea that he is a fascist thanks to the benefits his actions have brought to the world so far. In the final pages of the recent issue, Doom even takes Ben Grimm’s “curse” away from him, doing something that Reed has never been able to do in turning the Thing back into a human being. Granted this fact is most likely to leave Reed with an emotional black eye but the act still stands.

Marvel History Backs Doom

Of course, there’s the argument to be made that Dr. Doom will push past his “gifts” to the world and demand more but, as of right now, the Earth is seeing a peace that might have never come otherwise for this comic book universe. Marvel Comics’ past even foretold this very fact in the 2010 crossover known as “Doomwar.” During this crossover event, countless Marvel heroes are dragged into a war between the kings of Latveria and Wakanda as Dr. Doom and Black Panther go toe-to-toe. Victor is presented with a challenge unlike any he faced before thanks to facing down the Panther God Bast.

Looking into Doom’s past and his reasoning behind why he wants to rule the world, Bast comes to learn that of the many alternate futures that might arise, there is only one where the Earth not only survives but excels. Under Dr. Doom’s rule, the planet Earth would be “united” and give its people all the benefits necessary to live in peace. Not only does this explanation save Doom’s life but the Panther God even goes so far as to hook Victor up with a serious amount of Vibranium to help him in his quest for world domination. If even a god can back Doom in his reasoning for world domination, what arguments do mortals have?

This isn’t to excuse the evils that Dr. Doom has done in his comic book career as he certainly has his fair share of deaths hanging over his head. Doom’s rule in One World Under Doom most likely won’t turn out to be peaches and creme for the Marvel Universe but as it stands right now, the crossover is living up to one of its biggest slogans.

“Only Doom Can Save Us.”

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Ryan Reynolds celebrates the 10th anniversary of Deadpool beginning production by posting all three of the character’s solo movies on his official Twitter account. Of course, this was done in a humorous manner befitting of the franchise’s comedic sensibilities. In the video Reynolds posted, the Deadpool trilogy is sped up, plays backwards, and is presented in black and white. The entire video runs for just 32 seconds, illustrating Reynolds’ comment that so much time has flown by since he (properly) first played the Merc with a Mouth all those years ago. You can check out his Twitter post in the space below.

“A decade really zips by,” Reynolds wrote. “Deadpool started filming 10 years ago.”

Getting off the ground thanks to positive reception for some “leaked” test footage, the Deadpool franchise has become one of the premier comic book adaptations of the past decade. All three installments were massive box office hits and earned positive reviews, with much praise going to Reynolds’ pitch-perfect turns as the character. Last summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine was a much-needed success for Marvel Studios, breaking box office records en route to a $1.3 billion worldwide gross.

[RELATED – The MCU Hasn’t Used Its Multiverse Correctly (But Comics Have Show Us The Way)]

Though Deadpool is now officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s unknown what the plan is for Deadpool moving forward. A Deadpool 4 hasn’t been announced, and Reynolds has voiced his interest in keeping the Merc with a Mouth an “outsider” who isn’t part of a team like the Avengers.

Considering how successful the Deadpool franchise has proven to be, it’s hard to believe there was a time when Fox was leery about making that first film. In some ways, Deadpool was a risk, as most comic book adaptations strive for a PG-13 rating in order to maximize their potential audience. Deadpool was a game changer for superhero movies, showing that an R-rated approach was commercially viable with the right creative team in place. Without Deadpool becoming such a hit, Fox may not have signed off on an R rating for Logan. After Deadpool’s first live-action film appearance (2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine) was much-maligned, it was nice to see Reynolds come back and earn redemption by bringing an accurate depiction of Wade Wilson to life.

Disney and Marvel probably won’t want to keep Deadpool on the shelf, but there’s still a lingering question of when audiences will see him again. Reynolds is currently developing a new, non-Marvel movie for him and Hugh Jackman to star in, and the Marvel Studios slate is full as we build towards the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. It might not be until after 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars that Deadpool returns to theaters (assuming Reynolds doesn’t have a role in the upcoming Avengers films). An extended wait between installments could be disappointing for some, but that’ll also make Deadpool 4 feel like a special event worth celebrating. Whenever the character’s next cinematic appearance is, hopefully the next 10 years are just as fruitful as the previous decade, delivering plenty of laughs for moviegoers.

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One of the original Avengers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has an interesting connection to Ultimate Wolverine. Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe entered its second year with the release of Ultimate Wolverine, which reimages Logan as the Winter Soldier. Instead of working with the X-Men, Ultimate Wolverine is hunting them as an agent of The Maker, the evil Reed Richards who created the Ultimate Universe. We’ve already seen Ultimate Wolverine versus Ultimate Mystique and Nightcrawler, but his next mission will involve taking down two more of his former teammates on the X-Men. But as we learn, an Avenger may have switched sides to help Marvel’s merry mutants.

ComicBook has the exclusive preview of Ultimate Wolverine #3 by Chris Condon, Alessandro Cappuccio, Bryan Valenza, and VC’s Cory Petit. The preview opens with a debriefing taking place, where we see photos of Remy Lebeau (Gambit) and Katherine Pryde (Kitty Pryde) as wanted individuals. The nation formerly known as Russia is hunting the X-Men, now known as the Opposition. Gambit and Kitty Pryde have been committing raids on the territory run by Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red.

[RELATED: Marvel Reveals Wolverine’s Ultimate Form (and It’s Terrifying)]

In particular, Gambit is responsible for what’s called “the Mikhail Massacre” that killed Colossus and Magik’s brother, Mikhail Rasputin. The trio of villains also lost one of their prized assets, Natalia Romanova, alias Chyornaya Vdova. This is the Russian name for the Black Widow, who the Republic now believes is working with the Opposition. Gambit, Kitty Pryde, and Black Widow are believed to be hiding in a nearby Opposition base, and the Republic sends Ultimate Wolverine and a team of soldiers to take them down.

Wolverine and the team enter through an underground sewer tunnel. The soldiers are armed with Adamantium bullets, just in case the Winter Soldier gets out of line. One of the soldiers spots chess pieces lining the sewer walls, and when he picks one up it starts glowing with purple energy. Of course, these chess pieces have been juiced up by Gambit’s mutant power over kinetic energy. It appears Remy LeBeau has set a booby trap for any trespassers. The Winter Soldier grabs the soldier and tosses him up ahead to trigger the traps, which is where the Ultimate Wolverine #3 preview comes to an end.

“When Wil Moss called me and asked me if I wanted to take on this title, I jumped at the chance and immediately had an idea of what to do with it,” said Condon when Ultimate Wolverine was announced at New York Comic Con. “I’m bringing my essence of storytelling from That Texas Blood to the Marvel Universe with Wolverine, looking back at what came before and bringing us something new.”

“You might notice that there’s a Red Star on his costume and you might wonder why,” he continued. “If you look at that mask, there’s a muzzle on him and that’s because he’s wild”

“WOLVERINE VS. GAMBIT & KITTY PRYDE! The Winter Soldier leads a strike against two members of the Opposition: Kitty Pryde and Gambit! But do the duo recognize the man behind the mask?” the description of Ultimate Wolverine #3 reads.

Ultimate Wolverine #3 goes on sale Wednesday, March 26th. Let us know what you think of the preview in the comments below!

The post Ultimate Wolverine Reveals the Fate of an MCU Avenger (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.