From Goonies To Deadpool 2

Okay, I know that the title was a little below the belt...but only if you didn't like The Goonies!  And that was an AWESOME movie, I don't care what anybody says!  But let's get back to the topic at hand...

Josh Brolin, kick-ass Goonie, and even more amazing "Younger K" in Men In Black 3, Thanos in the MCU, and now Nathan Summers/Cable in the upcoming Deadpool 2...or whatever they decide to call the movie...this guy brings his A-game every time he shows up!  He's already finished up filming for Avengers: Infinity War, and now he's moved on to Deadpool 2.  They've only moved about 12 days into the shooting for his scenes, but already the director and the writers are saying that he's nailing the role!  In fact, director David Leitch recently sat down with IGN to talk about how things are progressing with the movie:

“When he graciously agreed to do the role, Ryan and I were through the roof; we love him. He’s such a great actor, he brings a humanity to Cable, but he also has the depth of acting chops to hang with the comedy when needed. He’s bringing that character to life in the short
12 days we’ve been shooting and I couldn’t be happier.”


Brolin is about to do double duty for the two different Marvel Universes, the one for Marvel and Disney, and then the one for 20th Century Fox.  Right now, he's filming his scenes for Deadpool 2, but soon filming for Avengers 4 will begin.  In an unusual form of cooperation, both Marvel and Fox are working with one another to allow Brolin to film both projects.  He's got to be one of the hardest working men in Hollywood right now, but the interesting part of this is how Marvel and Fox are working with one another with him.  Like I said, this is an unusual cooperation between the two studios.  Could this possibly lead to more cooperation in the future?  Maybe broker a deal like the one between Marvel and Sony somewhere down the line?  Probably not, but it would be pretty cool to see the X-Men in the MCU at some point.  Feige has said that his goal is to get all of the Marvel properties back  at some point.  Maybe this is the beginning of that actually happening.


You can see Josh Brolin appearing as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018, and in Deadpool 2 on June 1, 2018.  He'll also be appearing in Avengers 4 which comes out May3, 2019.

While Brolin is jumping into the role as Cable, he has been having to work with Disney and Marvel to work between playing Cable and Thanos, Marvel's big baddie that looks to be focused in on for the Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 movies.

Iron Spider-Man To Appear In Avenegers: Infinity War

If you were one of the many people that went out and watched Spider-Man: Homecoming, then you know that at the end of the movie Peter Parker was gifted a new Spider-Man suit by Tony Stark.  That makes the total for the movie three different Spider-Man suits in one film.  New record.  Okay, we only saw him wear two of them, but the Iron Spider-Man suit did make it's first appearance in it, and it's going to play a huge role in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.  Just to be sure, know that I'll be talking a little bit about Spider-Man: Homecoming in the next few paragraphs, so ***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***

Let's go over each of these suits.  The first one we see a couple of times in Captain America: Civil War when Tony Stark is viewing some videos involving the new superhero.  It's hard to really see what it looks like, but we get the impression that it's definitely a home made suit.  The second suit, which is the primary one used in both Civil War and Homecoming, was also given to Peter Parker by Tony Stark.  Let's call it the "Mark I Spidey Suit."  It has eye pieces that allow him to see things better, at night, zoom in, all of those fun little tricks.  It also has an A.I. that he's able to access halfway through  Homecoming (voiced by Jennifer Connelly!  I love watching her movies!) that helps him learn how to use all of the little bells and whistles that Stark included in on it.  After Peter pisses Stark off, he takes back the suit, and Peter is forced to go back to his home made one, which is actually the first time that we get to see it in action.  Of course, Parker redeems himself, and Stark presents him with the Iron Spider-Man suit.  It has a lot of the same features that Stark's Iron Man suit has, with a few added additions.  In the comic book, he has several mechanical appendages that he can use while in the middle of a fight.  I'm not sure if they are going to add them to this suit in Avengers: Infinity War, but we do know that he ends up using it from the teaser trailer that fans were treated to at both D23 and San Diego Comic Con.

If you get a chance to watch the trailer, check it out.  Be warned, though, all of the video from the D23 and SDCC of the Avengers: Infinity War teaser trailer are pretty bad, but you can get a pretty good idea of what you're watching.  To be honest, I'd just wait until the release the official trailer in the next month or so.

Avengers: Infinity War will be released on May 4, 2018.

Reality Gem To Be Focus In Avenegers: Infinity War

When Avenegers: Infinity War comes out next year, we now know that the Reality Gem will be found, and will pretty much play front and center in the movie.  The Reality Gem was first introduced in Thor: The Dark World and the Aehter, something similar to a parasitic entity that could attach itself to a host, allowing it to attack with incredible force at anyone who tried to interfere with the host body.  By the end of the movie, it ended up in The Collector's possession, but was also seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron during Thor's vision.  The Reality Gem has the power to "control dark forces, manipulate reality, and even raise the dead."  Because of it's powers, the Russo brothers came up with the problem of properly explaining the Reality Gem and it's powers up on the silver screen for the audience.  We know that they showed the Reality Gem in the trailer that was released at D23 and San Diego Comic Con, and while it hasn't been released on the web yet, from what we've been told by people that saw the trailer, it played a fairly large part of it.    

While the Reality Gem will undoubtedly be front an center, all of the other Gems will be playing a part in the film as well, considering Thanos is tying to collect them all to complete his Infinity Gauntlet.  While at SDCC last weekend, Joe Russo (one half of the directing team for the movie) talked about the upcoming film:

“Each gem has its own special power. We had to put a lot of thought into how we would represent those powers so it was clear to the audience. Not only are you dealing with a lot of characters, you are also dealing with the stones, the gems, and there’s a lot of them. So for people to keep track of all of it, we had to get really specific. I won’t divulge how we use the Reality Stone, but we do use it.”
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While the movie sounds like it will focus on Thanos' quest to collect all of the Infinity Gems, we know that he'll eventually make his way to Earth, considering that Vision has one embedded in his forehead.  Whether or not Thanos is able to collect them all by the end of the film remains to be seen.  He may be able to gather them all up by the end of the movie, but we might not see it's destructive power in all it's glory until the fourth Avengers movie which will come out the following year.

Avenegrs: Infinity War comes out May 4, 2018, and the as of yet untitled Avengers 4 will come out May 3, 2019.

Why Colossus Fans Should Be Excited For Deadpool 2

One of the best things that we got out of Deadpool was a Colossus character that X-Men fan's have been wanting and waiting for.  Yes, he was in a few of the X-Men movies, but his appearances were just so fans would go, "Wow!  There's Colossus!"  and then he was gone again.  They wasted the use of a good character.  Thankfully, Deadpool fixed all of that, and his appearance in the movie wasn't just a one and done, either.  He's going to be coming back for the sequel, too.  It sounds like we can expect him to have a larger role in the movie, as well.


The actor that plays Colossus in the Deadpool movies' name is Stefan Kapicic, and he recently sat down to talk about Deadpool 2 with THR.  Here's what he had to say about his part in the movie:


"He didn't have time at all in the X-Men movies, and he's one of the iconic characters. He needed that space, and thank God [director] Tim Miller and Ryan and Fox decided to give him a spot, which will continue to grow. That's the thing I can say ... the sequel will answer many questions, which people are asking right now. Because all the questions I can see on the net are answered in the sequel."


Colossus' first appearance was in X2, and it lasted basically for about 5 seconds.  In X-Men: The Last Stand, a movie that we'd all like to forget ever happened, his role expanded a bit, but he didn't get many lines at all.  He was just there.  That's about it.  Luckily, with the arrival of Deadpool, Colossus finally got the recognition and screen time that he deserved, and he was great.  In fact, he basically stole ever scene that he was in, he was that good.  We can thank both the actor and the writers (the real heroes of the movie) for that happening.


We won't have long to wait to see him on screen again.  Deadpool 2 is scheduled to be released into theaters on June 1, 2018.

Hulk Channels Banner In New Thor: Ragnarok Trailer

Last weekend at SDCC a whole bunch of trailers were dropped by a number of studios, but the one that stood out the most for me was the new Thor: Ragnarok trailer.  The reason?  We got to hear Hulk have an actual conversation with Thor. Full sentences, too, not just grunts.  So are we seeing the MCU move towards an intelligent Hulk like we saw in the comic books back in the 80's?  Too early to say, but the director for the film had a lot to say on the matter.

Taiki Waititi sat down with IGN to talk about the upcoming film over the weekend, and gave his thoughts on the Hulk's evolution.

“I was always fascinated by the duality of Hulk and Banner, and seeing how their brains could be interconnected. Could we sometimes see Hulk and could we have a bit of Banner’s voice in there? Could we see Banner and have Hulk’s personality through there?”

He continued:

“I think in this film we’re going to see that for the first time, where the two are fighting — really fighting this time — for control of the body. And Hulk talking, this idea of a more cognitive Hulk who can say sentences — that obviously has existed in the comics, but I think it’s something the fans want to finally see. It’s exactly what fans want to see, and what I wanted to see too.”

While Hulk isn't quite as "intelligent" as Bruce Banner is at this point, I think it's a smart move to have him start to think, so to speak.  The reason?  From what I understand, after Hulk left at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron and was picked up by Valkyrie, he was taken to Sakaar to fight in the gladiator arena.  While he's been there, he hasn't been able to change back into Bruce Banner, so he's been Hulk for the last...what, two years?  I guess time is relative in different parts of the universe, so it might seem longer to Hulk.  Banner hasn't stayed in the Hulk form for this long of a period of time before, so it stands to reason that Hulk starts to become aware, while still raging when he needs to.  However it happens, I think the "smart Hulk" is going to be a fun change for the movie.

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3, 2017.

Confirmation (?) That Avengers Are Going To Die In Infinity War/Avengers 4

Rumors, rumors, and more rumors...that's what's surrounding next year's Avengers: Infinity War.  The culmination of 10 years worth of movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will start it's two-part climax starting May 4, 2018, ending with Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019.  What happens after that, we have no idea.  We don't even know who will still be around to entertain us afterwards, either.  I know that it seems unlikely that we'll lose any of the core characters from the MCU, but after last week's San Diego Comic Con, that certainty is beginning to waver. 


One of the two directors for the movie, Joe Russo (Anthony Russo is the other), sat down with MTV to talk about the movie while he was at SDCC over the weekend, and when asked about the rumors that some of the Avengers might not make it out of the fight with Thanos alive, Joe had this to say:


“My brother [Anthony Russo] and I believe in stakes. I believe that everything has to have an end at some point in order for it to have value. The audience should be prepared.”


That makes a lot of sense...if you go in to a movie knowing that your hero isn't going to die, then it takes a lot out of the climatic battle.  On the other hand, if you have no idea whether they are going to live or die, your feelings and emotions are invested in the fight.  And it's not just Joe Russo that's preparing fans for the loss of one or more of the Avengers, it's Marvel Entertainment's head honcho Kevin Feige who's mirroring Joe's comments on the matter.


"It'll be emotional for a lot of different reasons.  As all our films try to do, we want to have the laughs, we want to have the heart, we want to have the humor, and Infinity War has all of that."


Okay, so he didn't come right out and say it, but a lot could be read into his statement.  Joe says that their has to be stakes involved in order for it to have value, and Feige said that it will be a very emotional movie.  Both statements put together says that no matter what happens in the end, we'd better prepare ourselves for the worst.

Does The Announcement Of A "Flashpoint" Movie Explain A Few Things?

There have been more rumors this past year about the future of the DCEU's Batman, both the movie, and who will play him.  Will it continue to be Ben Affleck, or is WB looking to replace him?  It all started when Affleck dropped out as the director for the upcoming Batman solo movie.  From what I understand, it was because of issues involving his personal life and the separation from his wife, Jennifer Garner.  Makes sense, and who could blame the guy?  After that, it was announced that the script that he had written for the film was being chucked, and that they were going to start from scratch.  Then the web blew up with rumors that Affleck wanted out of the role and was leaving the DCEU franchise.  I don't know how or where these rumors begin, but that's what they seem to be...just rumors.  Affleck himself tried to put them to bed this past weekend at SDCC, and if you go back to this past Monday's post, you can watch the video of him shooting them down.  So that clears everything up, right?  No more rumors of Affleck leaving the role of Batman.

Unfortunately, now the rumor mill is saying that while Affleck wants to stay on as Batman, it's actually Warner Bros. that want him out, and are looking at another actor for the role of Batman.  While this may sound like a bunch of crap, especially after Affleck said what he did on the panel he was sitting in on, there may be a grain of truth to it.  Let me explain...

One of the big announcements that was made over the weekend was that the upcoming Flash movie was going to involve the comic book storyline Flashpoint.  This is where Barry Allen goes back into the past to save his mother, but ends up altering the future in drastic ways.  Now some people are saying that this is WB's way of 'rebooting' the DCEU, but they've made it clear that that's not what's happening here.  So where does this new Batman fit in?

In the comic book series, Barry going back into the past to save his mother changes the events of the night that Bruce Wayne's parents died.  In the alternate 'Flashpoint Universe' it was Bruce who was killed, not Thomas and Martha Wayne.  Because of Bruce's death, it was Thomas Wayne that became the Batman, and he's not as nice as Bruce was in the role.  If they follow this model, could it be possible that we'll get to see Jeffery Dean Morgan don the Batman suit in the Flashpoint movie?  He seems to think that maybe he will.  He sent out a Tweet which read, "Did you say...#Flashpoint?"   Morgan played Thomas Wayne in the flashbacks showing the night that Thomas and Martha got killed, and since he's a fan favorite on AMC's The Walking Dead where he plays Nagan, his popularity is on the rise, so it would make sense that WB would want to use him if it was at all possible.

Look, right now these are just rumors and suggestions as to where they could take the Flashpoint movie, but as far as Affleck getting pushed out as the current Batman?  That doesn't look to be happening.  I want to thank my buddy Ken for bringing this whole thing up to me, you can check him out on YouTube at BYBI.  Check out his videos!



We're One Step Closer To Learning What Happened To Hulk

One of the biggest mysteries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just what the hell happened to the Hulk at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron?  The last we saw of him, he was flying off in a Quinjet and hasn't been seen since.  Well, at least not until the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok was released.  In it, he's decked out in a gladiator outfit ready to kick the crap out of Thor.  So how did he get from point A to point B?

This past weekend at the San Diego Comic Con, one of the panels that dealt with the MCU's Thor: Ragnarok  may have given us the fist hint as to what happened to the Hulk, and how he ended up on Sakaar.  Sakaar was the name of the planet from the Planet Hulk comic book series, but in the movie is run by Jeff Goldblum's "Grandmaster."  So how did he get there?  It looks like Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie had a lot to do with it.

Apparently, the planet Sakaar is surrounded by a lot of cosmic gateways, and occasionally people or objects fall through these gateways and sometimes they get picked up by a group called "Scrappers."  In fact, Valkyrie is called "Scrapper 142" by The Grandmaster.  Because of this information, we can surmise that at some point the Hulk fell through one of these cosmic gateways and got picked up by one of the Scrappers, presumably Valkyrie.  If Valkyrie was the one that picked up the Hulk, that tells us that she is one powerful badass!  We don't know all of this for sure, but it makes sense.  We just don't know when or where the Hulk ended up falling through one of these cosmic gateways.  I'm guessing that we'll learn more as soon as the movie comes out in a few months.

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3, 2017.

A Few Highlights From SDCC 2017



Yesterday finished up this year's San Diego Comic Con, and there was a lot of interesting things to talk about, but instead of one thing each day for the rest of the week, here are a few videos that I uploaded that came from SDCC.  The first one here is the second Thor: Ragnarok trailer.  Did you know that the director (Taika Waititi) recently said in an interview that roughly 80% of the film was improvised?  You wouldn't know it from watching the trailer!  Check it out:

The next trailer that I loaded is from the movie that I was talking about last Friday, Ready Player One.  If you don't know anything about the book, and are not sure about the movie, then watch the trailer, and prepared to be blown away.  See how many old movie references you can spot from the trailer (like the DeLorean from Back to the Future!)  Let me know what you think of it:

This next video isn't a trailer, but shows Ben Affleck discussing the rumors of him being replaced at WB and DC as the Batman.  Can we finally get off of this rumor please?  This should finally put it to rest:

Warner Brothers also released a new trailer for Justice League at SDCC 2017, but I'm having trouble uploading it, so instead...here's the link to the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DblEwHkde8U

There were other teaser trailers at SDCC 2017, like for Ant-Man and the WASP, Black Panther, and Aquaman, but like the Avengers: Infinity War trailer, movie studios have decided against making them available to the public at this time.  I know, that sucks, but what are you going to do, right?  Hope you enjoyed these trailers and videos, and tomorrow I'll be back with my regular posts!

This Was Pretty Freakin' Cool From SDCC 2017!

There's really not a lot to say in this post.  I LOVE Archer, and I loved The Kingsman.  I can't wait for the sequel to come out!  ANYWAY...check out this crossover that they released this weekend at SDCC!

Marvel Returning To SAKAAR Before Thor: Ragnarok

Before Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3, Marvel is going to return to Planet Hulk to drum up excitement for the film, considering that it may be the closest thing that we'll get to a Planet Hulk movie.  The difference this time?  It won't be Bruce Banner (who has been absent from the comics for a while now) who returns there, but Amadeus Cho...the Totally Awesome Hulk.

Before I go on, I have one question to ask...who came up with that stupid name "Totally Awesome Hulk?"  Sounds like it should be a valley girl with an anger issue instead.  But I digress...Wait...no I don't.  Really? Who came up with this name?!? So Bruce Banner isn't around any more (which is totally Marvel'ss owm fault, like evil Captain America!), who's fault is that?  Marvel's!!!  Okay, now I digress...

ANYWAY...so Bruce isn't around, so they're focusing in on Amadeus Cho.  Here's the "official" synopsis for the comic book storyline:

"When Amadeus Cho picks up a distress call from a distant planet he’s shocked to find out it’s from SAKAAR. As the Totally Awesome Hulk, he’s been trying to avert the curse of anger that haunted Bruce Banner. But SAKAAR is a place for warriors and gladiators… a place where the Hulk fought brutally in the Imperial Arena… who is calling Cho for help?"

So Marvel's "generations" and "legacy" events are leading up to this storyline, and we really don't know where they are going with this storyline, but if rumors are true, it may bring back Bruce Banner to the Marvel universe.  There's not really a lot to talk about right now, except that it appears that Marvel is wanting to build up excitment for the Thor movie.  Look, they're not stupid.  People like Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, and fans are really wanting a Hulk centered storyline.  Thor: Ragnarok may be the closest that we get to a Hulk movie, which means that comic book fans are getting pretty jazzed about this movie.  And to please the Hulk fans out there, it sounds like the next two Avengers movies will focus not only on Thanos, but Hulk as well.  I'm heading off subject.  Okay, if you are interested in the next chapter in the Planet Hulk storyline (which I am!) then make sure you look for it when it gets published October 4, 2017.

Spielberg Adding/Removing Some Things From "Ready Player One" Movie

If you are a person that loves to read books and go to watch movies, it has to be frustrating watching a movie that's been adapted from a book that you've read.  It never seems to live up to the story from the book.  Steven Spielberg realizes this, and is planning on using it to his advantage for his upcoming movie Ready Player One.  One of the movie's actors, Marc Rylance (who will be playing James Donovan Halliday) recently sat down Vanity Fair to talk a little bit about the movie.  He said that Spielberg is going to throw in a few extra challenges that weren't in the book to keep the movie exciting for those who have already read the book.


"The book has a lot of puzzles and keys that the characters have to figure out, and Steven has introduced new puzzles and keys so that the people who read the book will still not know how it's going to work out. It's a marvelous story with twists and turns and many thrilling moments."


He went on to say that the movie will "very faithful" to the book, but also an "original story."  With the added challenges and keys, it will keep people that have read the book in just as much suspense as the people who haven't read the book and are learning about the story for the first time.  They are also adding new characters to the movie that weren't in the book.  The most publicized one being T.J. Miller's character I-R0k.  There was no I-R0k in the book, but he sounds like he'll be one of the main characters in the movie.  His character has been described as a "Boba Fett" type bounty hunter that takes out players in the OASIS world for a fee.  Ben Mendehlson, who will be playing Nolan Sorrento, said that his character won't be an exact representation of the Sorrento from the book, but he will still be the main antagonist.


So I told you what's been added and changed up, but what's going to be removed?  Spielberg has said that he plans on removing a lot of the references from the book that dealt with his previous works from the movie, because he didn't want the movie to look like he was bragging about all of his past accomplishments.  Humble as ever, and I can't say that I blame him.  In fact, I think it's kind of refreshing to see someone not wanting to brag about what they've done, even when given the chance...especially in Hollywood.


I've read the book, and knowing all of the things that will/are going to be changed for the movie, I'm still really excited to see this one.  We won't have to wait long to see it, either.  Ready Player One will be released in theaters on March 30.

Will Nomad Replace Captain America In Avengers: Infinity War?

The last time we saw Steve Rogers at the end of Captain America: Civil War, he had just beaten Tony Stark, who (in a fit of anger) yelled at Rogers that he didn't deserve to carry the vibranium shield that his father had made for him.  So Steve drops the shield and walks away.  When he broke out all of his friends from The Raft at the very end, he wasn't wearing his red, white, and blue uniform.  It looks like Steve Rogers has become disillusioned by the leaders of the country that he has sworn to protect after disagreeing with them over the Sokovia Accords.  Next time we see Steve Rogers, which will be in Avengers: Infinity War, it looks like he won't be appearing as Captain America.


So where are they going with this?  Well, if it follows any of the history from the comic books, he may be returning as a character known as Nomad.  The MCU draws inspiration from the comic book history of the characters that they use, but they don't quite follow it to the letter, changing things up so it fits the "real world" of the MCU better.  That's what it looks like they are doing right now with the Steve Rogers character.  Let me explain...


Back in 1974, Steve Rogers dropped the mantle of Captain America after discovering that on of the leaders of the country (it was hinted at being the President) was leading the Secret Empire terrorist group.  Still out to do the right thing, he donned the costume of Nomad, which lasted only four years.  See the similarities here between the comic book and the MCU?  Both Caps had issues with the government and walked away from the Captain America identity.  While Rogers probably won't be wearing the costume of Nomad from the comic books in the movie (thank Gawd!) pictures of Chris Evans in the Infinity War footage show him sporting a beard (Think Snowpiercer) and wearing civilian clothes.


While it's still to soon to guess what has happened to Steve Rogers since he quit being Captain America, we might be able to get a better idea after the teaser trailer (which the Russo's are saying will be released "soon") is released to the masses.  Once it does, though, I think we'll have a better idea on what direction Marvel will be taking with Steve Rogers...maybe.


Avengers: Infinity War will be released in theaters May 4, 2018.

What If The Joker Was Cured And Became Gotham's Hero?

Have you ever wondered what the Joker would be like if he was cured of his insanity?  Apparently Sean Gordon Murphy, the writer/artist who is working on a new limited series for DC called Batman: White Knight.  Murphy originally wanted to call the comic Joker: White Knight of Gotham, but was overruled by the higher ups at DC.  This will be a stand alone comic that will not be part of cannon, but more of an alternate universe type story.  Murphy recently sat down with Wired to talk about the new comic.  He says that the motivations between Batman and Joker aren't necessarily as "black and white" as people believe.

“My main goal was to undo the comic tropes while changing Gotham from a comic book city into a real city—a city dealing with everything from Black Lives Matter to the growing wage gap… rather than write a comic about the wage gap, I gave those ideas to the Joker, who leads a kind of media war against Gotham’s elite by winning people over with his potent observations and rhetoric.”

While the comic will focus on Batman and Joker going head to head, albeit more through the law and courts than in a knock-down drag-out fight, it will also feature other Batman characters, like Nightwing and Batgirl.  He went on to explain where the comic will be heading:

“We know Joker’s a genius, we know he’s relentless, and we know he can play the crowd, so why not make him a politician? Why not strip away the psychosis (the thing that’s holding him back) and let him challenge Batman unimpeded? And to make it even scarier, what if he did it legally and without breaking any rules, so that Batman couldn’t stop him?"


“Seeing Gotham for the first time with clear eyes, his psychosis now cured, he starts to understand the absurdity of vigilantism and how Batman’s actions are only contributing to Gotham’s endless crime cycle. Joker sets out to beat Batman by becoming the White Knight that Gotham really needs.”


Murphy also went on to say that while there will be other "Heroes" from the Batman comics that will be making appearances, other Batman "Villains" will be showing up, as well.  Characters like Bane, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Roxy Rocket, and Killer Croc.  Harley Quinn will be showing up, too, and Murphy promises that she will “get the Joker she always wanted. No more abuse.” 


A Joker politician...who'd of thunk it?


Batman: White Knight will be released October 4, 2017.

Sneak Peek Of Avengers: Infinity War Played At D23 This Past Weekend

While I'd like to say that I was able to head over to California this past weekend for D23, I unfortunately was on the other side of the country.  It sounds like the people that were able to go were treated to a sneak peek of next year's Avengers: Infinity War and it was mind blowing.  One person that was able to see it was Eric Eisenberg, who writes for Cinemablend.com, and he broke everything down from start to finish.  Here it is in his own words:

Following a quick look back at the Marvel movies of the past, the footage began with the Guardians of the Galaxy flying out in space, with Mantis (Pom Klementeiff) telling the group that they are arriving at their destination. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) warns everyone to put on their game faces thanks to the danger they may face -- but as they slow down they realize that they're not seeing what they expect to see. Instead, the Milano arrives to space filled with destruction -- and the group is surprised when a body hits their windshield. Rocket screams, "Wipers, wipers!' but this is no ordinary body: it's none other than the God of Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

Thor, who is still unconscious, is brought into the ship and put down on a table, and Mantis uses her abilities to wake the Asgardian up. As she does, he rockets up from the table, and has a serious look of concern across his face, asking "Who the hell are you guys?" As they continue to fly through space, Thor joins Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in one of the ship's portholes, and as they look out, the former mutters, "Something is very wrong."

From there, the footage gave us a closer look at some of the other major things happening in the Marvel Universe -- primarily wrapped around the image of a giant ship seemingly crashing towards Earth. We hear a voice (possibly Mantis) explain that "Death follows him like a shadow." We see Loki (Tom Hiddleston) presenting the Tesseract like a prize finally won; the hair on the arm of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) standing on end as his spider-sense tingles while riding the bus; and the voice of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) explain that the one advantage they have is that "he's coming to us." As the aforementioned ship continues to fall, we hear some voice-over from Thanos (Josh Brolin), who notes "Fun really isn't something one considers while balancing the universe, but this does put a smile on my face."

As we see a few more clips, including Gamora (Zoe Saldana) in what appears to be the destroyed museum of The Collector, and Star-Lord letting out a seriously-concerned, "Oh man," we see a black cloud form with blue electricity around it. It's from this shadow that the Mad Titan exits. Thanos has arrived on Earth.

Getting seriously dramatic and thrilling, the footage got into some of the action, and it looks dark and intense -- from Star-Lord jumping around on what looks like platforms that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is generating, to Spider-Man not wearing his normal costume, but instead the specially designed armor featured at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. As Thanos says, "I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right. But you'll fail all the same," we then see Captain America (Chris Evans) for the first time, sporting a heavy beard. A dejected, defeated, de-masked Peter Parker sits on the battlefield with Iron Man saying, "Tony, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, " and in a one-on-one battles with Thanos we watch Thor's head get basically palmed by the Mad Titan and twisted, and Iron Man get punched crazy hard.

The big showstopper arrived at the end of the footage, however, as we finally got to see the full power of Thanos. While people have joked about him just being a purple alien who sits on a throne, the last shot fully demonstrated his amazing power, as he literally pulls a planet/moon out of the sky and creates a giant wave of meteors raining towards Earth. "Run from it," Thanos says, "But destiny still arrives."


I would have loved to let you know what I thought in my own words, but since I haven't seen it yet, I'd like to thank Eisenberg for doing such a great job of describing it to all of his readers.  He's a great fan boy, and if you ever see his name come up, make sure you read what he's writing.  He also said that when the trailer was finished, his hands were trembling and his mouth was agape from his amazement at what he just saw.  It sounds like the Russo brothers have seriously outdone themselves with this film.


Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on May 4, 2018.

Jodi Whittaker Is The New Doctor

The announcement has been made and the secret is out...we have a new Doctor Who, and she's going to be brilliant!  I'm sure that you knew that I was going to be writing about this this morning, considering in Doctor Who's long and story life, this is the first time that the Doctor has regenerated as a woman.  The actress that will be taking up the role is Jodi Whittaker, and she won't be the only newcomer to the show.  Doctor Who's show runner, Steven Moffat will be leaving and Chris Chibnall will be taking up the reigns.  Chibnall and Whittaker have a profession history together, they both worked together on the series Broadchurch.  The choice of Whittaker as the new Doctor excited many, but there were some grumblings from certain fans that think that the Doctor should always be a man.  Unfortunately, you're going to get that from some area or another, but how does Whittaker feel about taking up the mantle of Doctor?


“To be asked to play the ultimate character, to get to play pretend in the truest form: this is why I wanted to be an actor in the first place. To be able to play someone who is literally reinvented on screen, with all the freedoms that brings: what an unbelievable opportunity. And added to that, to be the first woman in that role.


“It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. It feels incredible.”


While she was going through the interview process (and after she was told that she got the role) the only person that she was allowed to tell was her husband.  That meant that she had to lie about not knowing until the official announcement was made.  She said that Chibnall was the one that actually asked her to audition, and that she was his first choice for the role.


“There was no persuasion needed. If you need to be persuaded to do this part, you’re not right for this part, and the part isn’t right for you. I also think, for anyone taking this on, you have to want to fight for it, which I certainly had to do. I know there will have been some phenomenal actors who threw their hats in the ring.”


So what is the one thing that she wants to tell fans about her upcoming debut as the new Doctor?


“I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”


Whittaker will make her debut during the Doctor Who Christmas special later this year.

Okay...THIS Will Be The Last Spider-Man: Homecoming Post!

I know, I know, I know...I said that Tuesday's would be the last time that I talk about Spider-Man: Homecoming, but I read an interesting article on WeGotThisCovered.com that I thought was interesting and should pass along.  It deals with one of the post credit scenes that we were treated to.  Actually, it was the first of the two after credit scenes, which is really part way through the end credits.  So again...If you haven't seen this movie yet (and if you haven't, why not?) ***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***


The scene in question shows Adrian Toomes being confronted in prison after being arrested by Mac Gargan, who got arrested earlier in the film after a deal with Toomes goes wrong due to Spider-Man's interference.  Instead of being angry with Toomes, though, he comes up to him and says that he wants to take out the Spider-Man.  "I've got some boys on the outside who would love to meet him and slice his throat.  I heard a rumor you know who he is."  This doesn't sound like much at first glance, but once you delve deeper into what's being said and who's saying it, it takes on a whole new meaning with one amazing possibility!


Before I explain, it should be mentioned that even though Toomes actually does know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, he doesn't give him up.  Instead, he says, "If I did, he'd be dead."  Right now, we don't know if he kept Parker's identity a secret because Spider-Man saved his life, or he wants the chance to take him out himself in the future.  Either way, it was a cool exchange between the two.  So let's look at the other guy, Mac Gargan.  If you recognize his name, then it's because you know in the comic books, Gargan goes on to become the super villain "The Scorpion."  Plus, it looks like Michael Mando (the actor who plays Gargan in the movie) will be back in the sequel, and he recently posted a picture on Twitter showing a LEGO "Scorpion" that says, "STING Over the moon to be playing my favorite super villain!  Heading to #SpiderManHomecoming premier tonight to cause some ruckus."  Does this mean that he's heard something about his role in the next film already, or that he's just excited to have been Mac Gargan in the movie?  Not sure right now, but let's look at the first part of his exchange with Toomes from prison.  He says, "I've got some boys on the outside..."  How many "boys" on the outside does he have?  The article thinks that there may be six friends on the outside...


It's no secret that Sony was wanting to do a "Sinister Six" movie that took place in their Amazing Spider-Man universe, but after the sequel bombed at the theaters and with fans, that movie got shelved.  Could it be that they might be working towards a "Sinister Six" that takes place in the MCU?  If this is the case, then the partnership between Sony and Marvel might be a lot stronger than I thought, and it could continue well past the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.  Of course, this is all just speculation, but if it turns out to be true, then the next few Spider-Man movies could be pretty freaking cool!

Wonder Woman Sequel To Take Place In The 80's

With the Wonder Woman movie still steamrolling along in the box office, reports on it's sequel are already making the rounds, and the main question about the sequel is, will it take place in the past again, or will it pick up after Justice League?  Now it seems like we have an answer.  Oh, if you haven't seen Wonder Woman yet, be warned...***SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AHEAD!!!***


Still with me?  Okay, good!  Like the first Wonder Woman movie, the sequel will take place in the past, prior to the current DCEU timeline.  In fact, it will take place during the 80's, and from what we're hearing, it will put Diana Prince up against the forces of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.  The same production team is on board for the sequel, and Geoff Johns is writing the script, with the help of Patty Jenkins.  Jenkins hasn't been officially signed to direct the sequel, but all indications point to her returning for the follow-up.  Someone else that might return for the sequel is Chris Pine, which brings about a couple of questions, but the main one is...how?


Near the end of the movie, Steve Trevor die in an explosion to save thousands of people's lives.  His death hit Wonder Woman hard and helped her in her fight against Ares.  If they were to bring him back, some are suggesting that he didn't really die in the explosion.  If this is the argument, he'd still be 90 years older than he was in the first movie, so that wouldn't really be a plausible scenario.  Plus, it would cheapen what everyone saw and felt (mostly Diana) from the first movie.  Others are suggesting that one of the gods or goddesses will bring Steve back from the dead for Wonder Woman.  I don't know why a god or goddess would do this for her, or what would bring it about, so I don't know if this is a plausible one either.  The third thing that I have heard is that Pine will play a descendent of Steve Trevor that looks just like him.  That could make for an interesting plot line in the sequel when Diana runs into him, but that still sounds like they're reaching.  Still, it might be the best scenario for bringing him back in the sequel that I've read.


It's still not 100% that Pine will be returning, but the chemistry that he and Gal Gadot had on the screen is hard to deny, so rumor or not, they should find a way to get the two to share the screen again.  Do you think that I'm wrong and that they should just leave the Trevor character alone and move on to something (or someone) else?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Thor: Ragnarok Will Tie Right Into Avengers: Infinity War

Just like the Spider-Man sequel will pick up right where Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok will tie directly into the start of Infinity War. 

Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, has long said that the original 22 movie storyline, which began back in 2008 with Iron Man, will conclude the upcoming Avengers movies.  The storyline was first hinted at in 2012 when Thanos appeared during the end credits for The Avengers, and outside of making a small appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has been holding on to the Mad Titan until his unleashing in Infinity War. 

In addition to the end of the story arc for the "original 22," Ragnarok will conclude the Thor trilogy.  Not only will it conclude the trilogy, but it will "drastically" change the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe heading into Infinity War.  Feige, who has been out promoting the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, had this to say about where things are heading:

“I think that we are finding ourselves as we complete Phase 3 and finish this 22-movie narrative that it’s working out that way. We did three Iron Man films, three Captain America films, three Thor films. Things change drastically in Ragnarok and then build directly into Infinity War.”

According to Screenrant.com, they've come up with a couple of things that could help Ragnarok set up Infinity War, and they are two very good points.  First, there's still one more infinity Stone that hasn't been found, and it's something that Thanos is looking for to complete his Infinity Gauntlet.  They're thinking is that since Thor has been "keenly aware" of the Infinity Stones and what their powers hold, the final Infinity Stone will play a part in Ragnarok.  The second thing that they suggest will take place deals with Doctor Strange.  Since it's already been announced that Benedict Cumberbatch's character will appear in some form in Ragnarok, and since Doctor Strange plays an important role in the battle against Thanos, it's being suggested that Thor will recruit the Sorcerer Supreme to join the Avengers in their fight against Thanos.

Which direction they decide to actually take with the movie to set up Infinity War won't be known until Thor: Ragnarok comes out on November 3, 2017.  Whatever it is, this movie looks to be a fun watch.

This Will Be The Last Spider-Man: Homecoming Post...I Promise!!!

So Zendaya's character in Spider-Man: Homecoming is...wait, before I go any further let me just say ***MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***  I don't want to give anything away without giving you a head's up! Oh, and by the way...it pulled in around $265 million worldwide, and $117 million domestically on it's opening weekend.


"Michelle's" debut into the MCU was a muted one, to say the least.  She was in the movie, but she seemed to just be there.  She didn't care about anyone or anything, and would have been forgettable if it wasn't for her last line in the movie..."My friends call me MJ."  Marvel had done there best to convince us that Zendaya was NOT Mary Jane Watson, and they weren't lying...but she is MJ.  Spider-Man: Homecoming dug deep into the history of Spider-Man for this movie, and his first love interest is Liz Allen.  Many comic book readers may not realize this, but she was the original crush that Peter Parker had all the way back to Amazing Fantasy #15.  She wasn't given a name for nearly a year, but she made a number of appearances over that time.  To be honest, it was a nice switch between his usual crushes of MJ and Gwen. 


The second surprise of the movie (at least for me) was Jennifer Connelly "showing up" in this movie.  Okay, she wasn't actually "in the movie," but she did the voice of Peter Parker's Spider-Man suit, who he called "Karen."  I was afraid that I wouldn't see her in another MCU movie after The Incredible Hulk movie (which starred Ed Norton) and pretty much kicked off the whole MCU.  It wasn't made by Marvel, though, so Iron Man is usually referred to as the MCU's starting point.  Just an FYI.  So glad they brought her back!  She awesome!


Next, I was really surprised at how little the movie used Donald Glover.  He's an A-lister and he only showed up sparingly throughout the film.  He did confirm Kevin Feige's comments about Miles Morales   At one point during the movie, Glover's character (he plays Aaron Davis) says that he hopes Spider-Man gets the weapons off of the street, because he has a nephew he's worried about.  That nephew?  Miles Morales!  It should also be mentioned that Aaron Davis is also The Prowler, so we may get more Glover in future Spider-Man movies.  It was kind of alluded to when he was out looking to buy from Toomes' men and they told him that they had "grappling gear," which really peaked his interest.  He says his name is "Alex" in the movie, but his screen credit shows him as Aaron Davis, so it was an obvious attempt to conceal his identity.


There are a crap-ton of Easter Eggs in this movie, and there's no way for me to go over all of them without this becoming a short novel, so go and see the movie for yourself.  Just for the record?  The very last line of the movie had me laughing out loud...not something that happens very often.  I know I mentioned this already. but it was worth saying again!

Spider-Man: Homecoming Was Awesome!!!

This movie was just plain fun!  Considering that this is the THIRD incarnation of the web-slinger, there was a lot to lose if they didn't get this right, but...thankfully for the fans of the MCU...they nailed it!  And not only did they get Spider-Man right, they gave us a villian that is worthy of bringing back!  So far, the only ones that I'd consider bringing back would be Loki (which they've done) and Red Skull (which they haven't)!  Adrian Toomes is the best baddie that the MCU has given us in nearly 20 films!  But before I go any further...***MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***  Just giving you a head's up!

This was probably the most refreshing "reboot" of Spider-Man that 've seen.  Considering that this is the third version of our favorite web-slinger that we've seen in under a decade (I know, I already said this), I have faith in this version.  It was fun, it was true to the comic book (with some liberties) and it wasn't an "origin" movie.  They did make references to how he got his powers, but we didn't have to sit through him getting bit by the spider and learning how he got his powers.  There were, however, some head-scratching moments...

The one that stood out the most was the appearance of Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, as she came out to ask where Spider-Man was before a press juncket that was going to introduce him as the newest member of the Avengers team.  The last we saw, her and Tony Stark had split, but then there they were locking lips...what happened that they got back together?  Something that they really needed to touch on, not just throw in there, you know?  

One of my favorite parts of this movie was the addition of Marisa Tomei as Aunt May.  She is perfect for this role, and really shines as Peter's aunt.  It brought some of the best comedy for the movie when people were talking about Peter...and his aunt.  She was amazing.  In fact, she got the (well, technically) the last line of the movie, and it had me laughing out loud!  She stole every scene that she was in!

Micheal Keaton was the second surprise for the film.  He didn't seem to appear in a lot of scenes, but everytime he showed up, you payed attention!  And there is a definate chance that we'll see him reprise his role as the Vulture in future projects.  Not only was he the "bad guy" in the film, they made you actually feel sympathy for the character and relate to him and why he's doing what he does.  Keaton was a huge coup for the film, and he nailed it!

I'm not trying to give anything away.  In fact, I'm doing my best to not give anything away.  All I can say is that you need to go see this movie, because if you think you've seen Spider-Man on the big screen before, you'll be in for a huge surprise!  Spider-Man: Homecoming is playing in theaters now.

A Sad Day For The Marvel Universe...

When Stan Lee was just a kid, he used to draw a picture of a woman that he'd dreamed about at night, over and over again.  When he was a young man his cousin tried to set Stan up with a girl named Betty, who was a hat-model working in New York.  When Stan went to meet her, Joan, who was also a model, answered the door and Stan Lee fell in love with Joan immediately, because she was the girl that he had dreamed about and drew all of those years ago...

Sounds like the start of a movie, right?  This all actually happened.

Stan took Joan out for lunch that same day, and fell in love with her Newcastle-accent.  She was the most incredible woman that he had ever met.  There was a problem, though.  Joan was married to a U.S. serviceman whom she married off an impulse after finding out that her childhood sweetheart had married another.  She didn't even know him, really.  They got married and she flew to New York to live with his parents while he was serving over seas, until he got back.  She was finally granted a divorce in Las Vegas, and on that same day, Stan and Joan got married.

They had two children together.  The oldest, J.C. ("Joan" is her birth name), was born in 1950.  Their second child, Jan, was born three years later, but sadly died after only being three days old.

Joan helped convince Stan to not give up on his dream.  Stan was frustrated with his work in the comic book industry and was ready to quit.  Joan told him that before he quit, write a comic book that he could be proud of, for him, not for everyone else.  This led to Stan and Jack Kirby creating the Fantastic Four, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Joan and Stan have been married the past 69 years, and sadly, Joan passed away yesterday at the age of 93.  After the news of her death was reported, Marvel paid their respects with the following statement:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and daughter. We are so saddened to hear about the loss of Joan Lee. We lost a member of the Marvel family today and our thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and his daughter Joan in this difficult time.”

Kevin Smith also released a statement, having been a long time friend of the comic creator and his wife.

“He told us tales of heroes but Joan was Stan’s personal superhero – and without her, we never get our modern mythology. They say behind every great man is a great woman. In this case, the great woman was always standing right beside him. Joan and Stan were best friends for 70 years. My heart goes out to my hero Stan, his daughter JC, their right hand Max and anyone who ever met Joanie. Thank you, Marvel Muse. We’ll miss you, Madame Web.”

Smith and Stan Lee became friends after Stan made one of his most favorite and memorable cameos in Smith's movie Mallrats back in 1995.  The news of her death hit Smith, and the world of comics, pretty hard.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joan's family and friends.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Will Get Early DVD/Blu-ray Release

So ComicBook.com was search around the web, and it notice something interesting...an online Target listing for the Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 is set for August 22.  No listing on bonus material or deleted scenes or anything like that, but the fact that it's scheduled for release near the end of August is pretty exciting.  It's not just the digital platform, but DVD and Blu-ray, as well.


The reason that they are doing this may just be simple marketing.  WeGotThisCovered.com suggested that it's to keep fan's interest in the MCU after Spider-Man: Homecoming finishes it's run in the theaters, and before Thor: Ragnarok comes out.  You know, as a "late-summer treat," as they put it.  It makes sense, and is a plausible theory, most likely true.


That's it for today, really.  I thought it was worth mentioning before heading into the weekend. I'm going to go see Spider-Man tomorrow, so I'll let you know what I think about it next week.

Hulk And Black Widow Reunion Set For Avengers: Infinity War

The last time we saw Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk) was at the end of the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the next time we'll see him will be in the year's Thor: Ragnarok.  Right now we have no idea where he went or how he got there between the two movies.  We might find out in the upcoming Thor film, but we might not.  If we do get some sort of explanation as to what he's been up to, it might not come until Infinity War.  The third Avengers movie will bring both Thor and the Hulk back to Earth and reunite them with their old teammates.  This might be a little awkward for the Hulk, considering that he was kinda involved in a relationship with Black Widow, and according to Scarlett Johansson, it'll be an emotional reunion.


“I just finished Avengers: Infinity War. The first one. My character has this ongoing relationship with Mark Ruffalo’s character. I had such devastation that day. I don’t know why. I was so devastated. It was something about this character that Mark plays, and this is something that should feel so solid and suddenly doesn’t or there’s – and it reminded me of so much of the things going on in my own life at the time.”


It's hard to tell how things are going to go when they do meet up in Infinity War, and from what Johansson said in her interview with Bravo on Inside the Actor's Studio, we don't know if it will be a happy reunion or an angry one.  If it's the latter, let's hope that it's Black Widow who's the angry one, Banner getting mad wouldn't be a good thing.  Before we find out, though, we'll get to see him rage out in Thor: Ragnarok , and as you can see from the photo above, it will be the closest thing we'll get to a Planet Hulk movie from Marvel.


Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3, 2017, and Avengers: Infinity War will come out May 4, 2018.