Was Nick Fury Responsible For Civil War?

Now before you get mad at me for this theory, I'm not saying that he instigated the fight that took place in Captain America: Civil War, but he did help cause it to happen.  Heck, if he hadn't been around at all, it would have probably happened sooner!  Think about it...

Nick Fury, as director of S.H.I.E.L.D., was responsible for bring together the world's mightiest heroes.  With all of the different personalities that were involved, they started to butt heads.  In the fist Avengers movie, there was a scene where they were all arguing on the first day they were together as a group, right before Hawkeye's attack team showed up.  That situation was diffused when the team was forced to defend their Helocarrier.  After Coulson "died," Fury manipulated the facts in order to bring the team together for the fight against Loki, which worked.  In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he was the only one that Rogers would really listen to, even when they disagreed on what should or shouldn't be done.  The two came up with a plan, and they saved the world from HYDRA.  In Avengers: Age of Ultron, when the team was down and out and hiding at Haweye's farm house, who galvanized the team and brought them back together?  Nick Fury.  He even helped save all of the civilians by bringing a Helocarrier out of mothball and flying it up to load everyone onto it.  He wasn't even a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. at that time, but he knew how to bring the team together.  He has been able to help bring the Avengers together each time they were on the verge of collapse.

Then we get to Captain America: Civil War.  Guess who was noticeably missing from that film?  Nick Fury!  And what happens in that film?  They all go bat-crap crazy and start warring against each other!  The Russo brothers have even said that the fallout from that movie will spill into Avengers: Infinity War, so who do you think they'll get to diffuse all of the tension that is sure to be there?  Hopefully, Nick Fury.  When asked if he was going to be in the next Avengers movie, Samuel L. Jackson had this to say on the matter:

“Yeah! For sure, definitely. Why wouldn’t there be? There’s some way of fixing what they created, and hopefully somebody has that going on or Nick Fury is out there — wherever he is, probably hanging out with Jules and walking the world — figuring out what happened and how it got to that particular place. Maybe they’ll find out that all that was part of a ruse to get to something else also. That would be great. They’ll bring me back somehow, some way, for some reason. I mean, they didn’t have me around to referee the kids when they didn’t go to their rooms and got in this big old fight. We’ll see what happens.”

His absences has caused a ripple affect throughout the entire MCU, and the only way that it might be saved is by having Nick Fury come in and clean up the mess that our heroes have caused.  Of course, this is just my opinion, and you are more than welcome to disagree with me, but if you do, make sure you have an argument to back you up against this theory.  Let me know what you think in the comments section down below.

Marvel Working Towards Fixing Their Villain Problem

One of the biggest problems that Marvel has had involving their movies are their villains.  With the exception of Red Skull and Loki, the other ones just don't seem to resonate with the fans, and in turn...fall flat.  One of their problems?  The villains are just evil versions of the main character of the movie.  In Iron Man you've got Obadiah Stane, who has his own "Iron Man" gear, in Captain America you have Red Skull who was also injected with an early version of the super soldier serum, in Thor you've got Loki, also an Asgardian, in Ant-Man you've got Yellowjacket, you can also shrink like Ant-Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier you have HYDRA vs SHIELD, basically the same organization, just on opposite sides of the ball, you see what I'm saying here?  They need to expand their imaginations a little bit more.  Marvel has all sorts of bad guys they could be choosing from, but they are, in my opinion, playing it safe with this formula.  Guardians of the Galaxy was unique, but their bad guy is dead, so he ain't coming back.  They've been building up Thanos, which is a good thing, and that might be the start of changing up their bad guy game...you know, after Doctor Strange, who will undoubtedly be fighting another sorcerer.


All of this isn't lost on Kevin Feige, Marvel's president.  When this was brought up, he had this to say:


“Clearly we will get to that [non-doppelganger match ups]… You want to have characters that inhabit the same world when introducing a new world, a new mythology for lack of a better term. You want to explore that as much as you can.”


Since he's out there promoting the upcoming Doctor Strange movie, he tried to defend their use of Kaecilius, who is the films antagonist (played by Mads Mikkelsen) even though he and Doctor Strange are so similar in character:


“Kaecilius doesn’t know Strange from a hole in the wall. He predates him. But when you’re teaching an audience about sorcerers and that reality and you’re going to talk about the past anyway and you’re going to get into their history anyway, much better to tie-in your bad guy with that instead of laying all this groundwork of parallel dimensions and sorcery and say, by the way, a meteor hit on the other side of the world, it went under the water, and this evil thing developed. What does that have to do with magic? Nothing… That’s not the way we’ve developed them up to this point. “


He doesn't feel it will always be like this, it just seems that they do this when introducing a character to the MCU.  He concluded with this:


“Needless to say as more characters encounter each other in other films they’re certainly going to be up against things that they don’t know anything about and have no comparable to.”


So that's just me griping a little bit about a formula that, in my opinion, has run it's course, yet they keep using it.  It's frustrating.  You think I'm reading too much into these things?  Do you think I'm wrong?  Let me know what you think in the comments section down below, or over on my Facebook page.  Just look up "Comconoclast."

Stephen Amell Teases Deathstroke Return For Episode 100 Of Arrow

Arrow has quickly become the tent pole for the CW, helping them establish a DC universe for the small screen, and is responsible for three other shows appearing on the network.  So, when a milestone for the show (like it's 100th episode) comes around, you want to pull out all of the stops and give fans what they want.  What do fans want?  They want more of Manu Bennett's Slade Wilson (a.k.a. Deathstroke)!  We don't really know in what capacity that he'll return in, but following the post of the above picture by Amell, Bennett posted his own picture, seen below:

Looks like Slade still holds a little bit of a grudge against Oliver Queen!  While Bennett is the actor most commonly associated with the character Deathstroke, the DCEU has been making headlines with the Mercenary when Ben Affleck posted a picture of Deathstroke on the set of Justice League, and then Warner Bros. announced that it had hired Joe Manganiello to play Slade Wilson in the DCEU.  His first appearance sounds like it will be a brief encounter with the heroes in Justice League, and then make a full-on appearance in the upcoming solo Batman movie.  However, Bennett's version is the most recognizable right now, and I can't wait to see him return.  The last time we saw Slade, he was imprisoned on Lian Yu, so it'll be interesting to see how he escapes and starts to antagonize the Green Arrow again.  After all, he only has one purpose in life right now...destroy Oliver Queen!



Doctor Who Will Show Up For Class

Peter Capaldi will be making an appearance this October to kick off the new Doctor Who spinoff Class.  Premiering next month on the BBC in the UK, Class will revolve around four teenagers that go to Coal Hill Academy.  Those four teenagers are Sophie Hopkins, Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, and Vivian Oparah who will be playing April, Charlie, Ram, and Tanya, respectively.  The show is the brain child of Patrick Ness, which ComingSoon.net reports that Ness, "has aimed to create intriguing and complex characters that have to navigate their way through more than just teenage hormones, exams and detention.”  Ness himself reveals:

“Though there are still many, many secrets to come. Many. Like, a lot. But of COURSE, the Doctor is in episode one! That’s how these things are done. Truly, though, I can’t wait for everyone to see the show; we’ve worked so hard and I’m so proud of it. Soon, soon…”

Capaldi's appearance on the show takes place while the students are getting ready for their Autumn Prom, and leaves them having to handle an alien attack on their school.  Bustle says this about the show:

Class will  “allow fans to see the world through the eyes of teenagers who will be forced to see beyond their own troubles when all of the crazy alien, time travel business comes flooding into their lives.”

Classs season one will only be comprised of eight episodes, but will sure to increase if it gets picked up for a second season.  More details to come as I find them out.

Civil War Isn't Over In MCU

At the end of Captain America: Civil War, there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered, so when the Russo brothers participated in an online Q&A recently, it's not surprising that fans wanted to know who really won.  In fact, one fan asked them just that, which side won the fight, Team Iron Man or Team Captain America?  Joe Russo answered the question by saying, "We always thought of this move as the start of the war.  It's not over yet."  So does this mean that we will see the results of Civil War spill over into Avengers: Infinity War, or could we see something much sooner when Black Panther gets released?  Let's look at these two possibilities...

It seems to obvious that we'll definitely see the spill over play a role in Infinity War, if for no other reason than the Russo brothers are helming that film, just like they did with Civil War, but also it will be the next movie that will feature all of the Avengers on screen at the same time.  While Anthony and Joe Russo didn't write Civil War, they were largely responsible for the storyline, and seeing how they are also going to direct Infinity War, it will be interesting to see how all of the Avengers end up fighting together again after the fallout from Civil War.  However, the movie Black Panther will be coming out before Infinity War, so we may find out a little more with that film than any of the other ones that are slated to be released prior to the next Avengers movie.  Doctor Strange won't likely cover anything that resulted from Civil War, since a lot of the film will be an origin story.  Thor: Ragnarok will deal with an Asgard issue, and not focus on Earth's problems.  Spider-Man: Homecoming might touch on things a little bit, since Tony Stark will be appearing in the movie as well, and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 obviously won't deal with the aftermath, since it takes place off-planet, but Black Panther is a whole different situation all together.  At the end of Civil War, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes went to Wakanda to escape the reaches of the world's governments who are after them both, with Bucky being put on ice until they can figure out a way to erase the "trigger" that was planted in his head.  Rogers, who no longer holds the mantle of Captain America, is seen talking to T'Challa (a.k.a. Black Panther) who tells Steve that he'll be safe there.  Does this mean that Steve Rogers will play some sort of role in the film?  Probably not, seeing how Chris Evans' name isn't on the list of actors signed on to appear in the movie, but Black Panther may still address what's happened to him.

What are you hoping to see from the fallout of Civil War?  What do you think will happen?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.  Whatever the case, we'll all find out May 4, 2018 when Avengers: Infinity War comes out in theaters.

Confusing Star Wars News

Okay, so I titled this "Confusing Star Wars News" because I just finished reading two different articles regarding the Star Wars franchise.  The first article intrigued me.  THR was interviewing Bob Iger, who is Disney's CEO, and they were discussing the future of Star Wars.  While talking, Iger said that at present, the third film in the Anthology series (slated for 2020) is the last movie that they have made arrangements for, but he also added:

"I had a meeting yesterday with Kathy Kennedy and we mapped out---well, we reviewed---the Star Wars plans that we have until 2020.  We have movies in development until then, and we started talking about what we're going to do in 2021 and beyond.  So, she's not just making a Star Wars movie, she's making a Star Wars universe, of sorts."

He also said that they have a writer on board for the third Anthology film.  What the third Anthology film will be about is still a mystery, but if they have a writer, then I'm guessing that they have a pretty good idea of where they want to go with it.  The fact that they've got a writer for it already must mean that they have a good feeling that the Anthology films will be a hit with their fans, right?  Not necessarily.

This is the confusing part that I was talking about.  Immediately after reading this story, I read another one that said that Disney and Lucasfilm are trying to downplay the success that they're hoping for when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story comes out.  While I understand why they are doing this, it also troubles me, and I'll get to that in a second, but back to Disney downplaying the movie.  Bob Iger said, "We never felt it would do the level that Force Awakens did."  That kind of seems like the understatement of the year, right?  What I'm taking away from all of this is that they are nervous about the Rogue One movie.  It'll be the first movie that takes place in the Star Wars universe, that isn't part of the "Skywalker Saga," as some people have named the Episode movies.  Technically, it is apart of the Star Wars story, but it won't feature any of the Skywalker's for the first time in a Star Wars movie.  That means that Disney might be a little nervous as to how well it will be received by the fans.  The confusing part for me is, why jump ahead to the third Anthology film so soon when they don't even know if fans are going to like the first one?  They've already begun work on the second Anthology film, which will focus on a young Han Solo, so they can't exactly wait to film that one if Rogue One crashed and burns, but shouldn't they hold off at least until after it's released to see how well it does before announcing that a writer has already been obtained for the third film?  Especially if you're nervous that fans won't embrace it like the other films?  It just doesn't make sense to me.

So what do you think.  Do you think that I'm reading too much into these two separate articles, and Disney does in fact think that Rogue One will be a hit, just not as big of a hit that The Force Awakens was?  Or do you think that they are a little nervous and may be getting a little bit ahead of themselves with these Anthology films, like I do?  Let me know what you think about this in the comments section down below.

Plot Details For Avengers: Infinity War Begin To Trickle Out

Marvel's "Phase 3" is in full swing.  It started with Captain America: Civil War this past May, and it will continue with Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, and Black Panther.  Five more movies until the next installment of the Avengers hits theaters, but it's already been discussed more than the other movies.  Filming for the movie will begin later this year, and with the title that the feature has been given, it's not hard to guess what the movie will be about...if you like to read comic books!  Now LRM has revealed what they are hearing about as far as the plot details go, which they are reporting will borrow heavily from the Infinity Gauntlet storyline (as opposed to the Infinity War storyline) from the Marvel comics.  Here's what they're saying...


LRM is reporting that the opening scene for the movie is going to stay true to the Infinity Gauntlet comic book.  It starts with Thanos the Mad Titan trying to court the personification of Death.  His mindset is that if he brings her souls, that Death would more likely favor him.  His love for Death is the reason he is in search of the Infinity Stones.  Once he has all of the stones, his Infinity Gauntlet will be complete, and he will wipe out half of all sentient life in the universe to try and appease her.  His quest for the stones brings up some interesting questions, though.


The first (and most obvious question) is, "Who's going to play Death?"  There were rumors going around that Marvel was going to have Cate Blanchett's Hela from Thor: Ragnarok end up being Death.  In the Ragnarok movie, Blanchett's Hela is the leader of Hell in that movie, and there are some people saying that her character Hela is actually Death.  Not a far stretch, and Marvel would be wise to use Blanchett in a larger capacity than just for one movie.  However, this rumor, while having not been confirmed or denied by the studios, doesn't seem to be happening, which means someone new will be cast to play Death.  Who will it be?  No idea, but as soon as I hear something, I'll let you know.


The other question that the movie raises is, "Is Vision going to die?"  It seems that in order for Thanos to obtain all six of the Infinity Stones, he would have to take Vision's as well, and if Vision loses his Infinity Stone, won't his character die?  Seems a shame to kill him off so quickly after introducing us to him.  Of course, since he is a robot (technically) if Thanos does acquire his Infinity Stone, then fights the Avengers and loses the stones, could they pit it back in Vision and have him resurrected?  I don't know, but it should be interesting to see how Vision fits into all of this.


What do you want to see in the Avengers: Infinity War movie?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.  Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters May 4, 2018.

Freddy Krueger Responsible Luke Skywalker?

One thing that all true fans of the original Star Wars movies love to hear about are all of the behind the scene stories that took place before and after the movie A New Hope came out.  How did they decide who to cast in each role?  How did they all get along?  Things like this have fueled all of the documentaries about the film and the actors, but there is one story that I had heard about until recently.  I didn't know this, but back in the 70's, before the two were cultural Icons, Mark Hamill and Robert Englund were pretty good friends.  While Englund was out auditioning for a role in a small movie called Apocalypse Now, he learned about a new George Lucas film that was also taking auditions.  Check out his story:

"Well, here's what happened. I auditioned for the surfer in Apocalypse Now, and I was too old. I really thought I was going to nail it. I was 170 pounds of solid muscle, I had long, blond hair down my back, and when I went into the audition I was wearing thrift clothes - a pair of tight green Levi jeans, a pair of work boots, and a military green shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and I had dog tags on, too. So I looked a little military, but I looked like a surfer, too. I didn't get the part, and as I started to leave, they said, 'Wait, Robert, they're doing something across the hall with George Lucas'. And I perked right up when I heard 'George Lucas', because I love American Graffiti. It's a perfect movie. The perfect film about my generation. I love it. So my eyes lit up and I went across the hall. They wanted an older Han Solo at that point. They wanted him to be like that cool uncle who just comes around once a year, you know? Luke Skywalker's cool uncle who smokes a joint with him or something. At least that's what they were talking about in the office with me. They just took Polaroids of me and that was it. I could tell I was too young. I don't think Harrison was on their radar at that point; they were all friends but I don't think he was on their radar for that part yet. So anyway, I picked up the sides [the parts of a script used for actors to audition with], went across the street, had a drink at the old Formosa and sat next to Elvis Presley's sound mixer and shot the s**t for an hour. I drove home in my battered old sports car, up into the Hills."

So Englund goes out and auditions for the two parts in the two movies.  The surfer guy in Apocalypse Now and Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope.  It's what happened next that gave Hamill his big break in films.

"At that time, Mark Hamill was always on my couch. He was a TV star. He was filming a TV series across the street; I think it was called The Texas Wheelers, with Gary Busey. So he was always at my place, and I knew he was home because his cowboy boots were out front. He always left his boots outside. So there he was, halfway through a six-pack, watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I went in and I said to him, 'Look at these sides, I think you're right for this, man. This character is like a space prince, and it's George Lucas!' Mark loved science fiction and horror. I'd been a fanboy, too, but Mark was in arrested development as a fanboy. He'd been an army brat, and he just idolised everything in American popular culture. But he was hip, too! He was into The Kinks, he was into Lenny Bruce, he was into Monty Python before anybody. He turned me on to some of that. So I said to him, 'Mark, you've got to do this, it's George Lucas!' I wasn't even really pushing the space bit, I was just saying, 'Wow, what if you got to be in a George Lucas movie, Mark? You're the kind of actor he loves!' So he got on the phone to his agent and the rest is history. That's the true story. But the internet wants to make it like, you know, I turned down the part of Luke Skywalker for Mark Hamill. I would never have turned it down! F***ing Mark never even paid rent!"

Don't get him wrong, Englund and Hamill are still good friends, he's just busting his chops.  He said that Mark would always grab the check at a restaurant or leave a six pack of beer in the fridge whenever he stopped by.  To me?  That's a pretty good friend to have.

Unfilmed Opening Scene From Firefly Revealed By Nathan Fillion

One of the biggest travesties ever to take place in the world of television was the cancellation of the TV show Firefly.  FOX, being the soothsayers for hit television shows, cancelled the series after only 14 episodes, because they knew that there was no future for it.  The series ran back in 2002, and since it's been off the air, it has garnered more fans than they could have possibly imagined, and their base keeps growing every year with more and more people joining the ranks of the Browncoats.  Even after all of these years, whenever any of the stars from the show appear on panels at Comic Cons, they pack the hall with adoring fans.  One such Comic Con, the Long Beach Comic Con, had Nathan Fillion talking about the series, and he discussed an opening scene for an episode that never got the chance to be filmed.  Here's what he said:

"Joss once described an opening scene to me where we are looking at a planet with a ring around it and as we come in close, we see the ring is actually rocks and pieces of ships and old derelicts. It's a junk ring. It's the junkyards - we mentioned it in Firefly one time. We see little bits and we're jumping slowly from bit to bit and as we get closer we see Serenity floating lifeless and these little people getting on and coming through it. And as they get into the airlock and they close it, they come and there's Malcolm Reynolds, bleeding and cut, strapped down with giant guns and not looking great. He's got these two giant guns, and he says, 'Get off my ship.'"

The scene is easy to picture, if you've ever watched any of the episodes.  Fillion did such an incredible job portraying Captain Malcolm Reynolds, giving him so many different layers over just 14 episodes, that you can play it out in your head.  Unfortunately, we will never get to see this scene since FOX is run by morons.  Realizing their mistake in cancelling the series, FOX tried to make amends with the fans by green lighting the movie Serenity, which was supposed to give them closure, but instead just made them want more.  The closest thing we get to new episodes are from the comic books that come out periodically from Dark Horse.  Since the actors from the show have all gone on to other projects, the possibility of a reunion seems more and more unlikely.  But with Netflix and Hulu bringing back cancelled series to their streaming network, who knows?  We may still get a chance to travel the Verse with the crew of Serenity.

Marvel To Release "Star Wars: Classified" Series

Ever since Marvel reclaimed the Star Wars comic book publishing rights from Dark horse, they have been producing some of the best Star Wars stories ever told.  One of the most popular titles, if not the most popular title, was Darth Vader.  The title will soon end it's run, completing it's tale, and saddening it's readers.  It was a colossal success and it left readers wondering what will fill the void.  Not wanting to discourage their readers for very long, Marvel recently announced that there is going to be a new series beginning in December, with the tentative title Star Wars: Classified.  The series will be ongoing, and is being written by Gillian and Kev Walker (Uncanny Inhumans).  two of the issues have already been written, and there will be numerous variant titles from artists which include Dave Dorman, Jamie McKelvie, Elsa Charretier, Rod Reis, Salvadore Larroca, John Tyler Christopher, Annie Wu, and Declan Shalvey.

Currently, there is nothing known about what the new series will cover, or even if Star Wars: Classified will actually be it's title.  This may have been used to hide the title of the new series because the name may give away what the run will be about.  However, if this remains the title, then maybe the series will be a prelude to the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Since the movie deals with the secret mission that Jyn Erso and her companions have been given (stealing the "classified" plans for the Death Star), then maybe this will be what the comic book storyline will cover.  However, if this is truly an ongoing series, then this may not be the case, because if this covers the lead up to the movie, then one would have to assume that once it reached the start of the film's story, then the run would end.  Of course, it could just jump to another story in the Star Wars universe.  Whatever it covers, the comic book should be an amazing read.

Look for the new Star Wars title this December.



Darryl May Appear In Thor: Ragnarok

Captain America: Civil War was one of the summers biggest hits, and while the movie featured nearly all of the Avengers in one form or another, two of their biggest members were noticeably absent.  Thor and Hulk were nowhere to be seen.  That is, until a small featurette/mockumentary was released that showed us what the Norse God of Thunder was doing in his off time.  It even showed Thor and Bruce Banner catching up and having coffee while the others were off fighting each other, but the person that stole the show was Thor's Australian housemate, Darryl.  Darryl played the straight man to Thor's comedy.  He was the Abbott to Thor's Costello.  So when the topic of Darryl came up during an interview with Thor: Ragnarok's director Taika Waititi, this is what he had to say:

“Thor briefly rented a room in a flat in Australia after the Ultron debacle. Just to get some downtime – to get away from The Avengers, to get away from America. So he had a little downtime in Australian. And he met this guy Darryl and they shared a flat together. So that’s Darryl.  I think you probably could see him again. There may be other little pieces of that thing that everyone saw that may just be a small part of a bigger thing.”

Does this mean that we may get to see Darryl make an appearance in the upcoming Thor movie?  Or does this mean that there was something else that we might have missed in the featurette that will have an impact on what takes place in the film?  It might even mean that we could get a follow up to this short with another one that expands on the two roommates.  When Waititi was asked about specifics regarding the film, he politely declined, but instead offered up some things that won't be in the movie.  Here's what he said:

“OK. A thing that will definitely not happen is…oh man, if I say anything, it might hint at something else. I have to really watch my words nowadays. This is a topic I should really avoid. OK, one thing you can get from me, not being in Thor, is any of our vampire characters and werewolf characters from the other Taika and Jemaine universe. You won’t see any of that.”

We still have a long ways to go before Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters, but from the information that has been trickling out regarding the film, the long wait will be worth it.  Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3, 2017.

Does Spider-Man Get To Visit The New Avengers Facility In Homecoming?

Tom Holland's Spider-Man was probably the biggest breakout star that came out of Captain America: Civil War.  His upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming is beginning to be one of the most anticipated films coming out in 2017.  That excitement only increased when we were told that Robert Downey Jr. would be appearing as Tony Stark in the film.  It makes me wonder, though, what will his role be in the movie?  When Tony first met Peter in Captain America: Civil War, Tony stopped by Peter and Aunt May's apartment to "recruit" Spider-Man for "Team Iron Man."  Their meeting took place in New York.  When Spider-Man: Homecoming comes out, they may be meeting someplace a little bigger.

Tom Holland recently posted a picture to his Instagram account that showed him and two of his friends standing outside of the Porsche Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.  In case you didn't know or weren't aware, the Porsche Headquarters building doubled as the New Avengers Headquarters when Captain America: Civil War was filming down in Georgia.  Filming for Spider-Man was done at Pinewood Studios which is located in Georgia, and they could have just been taking a tour of the place, but the more likely scenario is that they had just wrapped filming there.  So does this mean that Spider-Man will be visiting the Avengers Headquarters at some point in Spider-Man: Homecoming?  If he does visit the place, then what for?  What would be the purpose of him needing to be there?  Is it to pick up some more new gadgets that Stark has whipped up for him?  I guess we won't know until it comes out next year.

I like the fact that they are not trying to make the Spider-Man movie an actual "solo" film.  They truly are making his character a part of the MCU, which is something that the MCU has been lacking for a long time.  Considering that Spider-Man is arguably the most popular character that Marvel ever created, his absence was something that never made the MCU feel completely whole.  Now it is.  His interacting with the other heroes from the MCU just makes it that much better.  And Tom Holland?  He was absolutely perfect as Peter Parker in Civil War, my favorite version of the guy so far.

So what do you think Tony Stark's role will be in the movie, and why do you think that Peter Parker possibly makes a visit to the Avengers Headquarters in Homecoming?  Let me know your thoughts on the whole thing in the comments section down below.

Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters July 7, 2017.

New Batman Tactical Suit Revealed

When Justice League comes out next year, not only will we be treated to the first movie that will feature all of the DC heroes at the same time, but we'll also get to see all sorts of new gadgets that Bruce Wayne uses as Batman.  For instance?  The new tactical Batsuit, and it looks pretty badass.  The new look is a lot different than the one we were given during the dream sequence in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Most notably is the color of the suit and the size of the goggles.  His eyewear is much narrower than the one we saw previously, not nearly as big or bulky.  The other notable "gadget" that Batman will introduce in the Justice League movie is the "Flying Fox," an airship that doubles as the team's portable headquarters.  We were given a look at the interior of the Flying Fox when Ben Affleck released the photograph of Deathstroke last month.  And speaking of Deathstroke, it was recently announced that Joe Manganiello will be playing Slade Wilson in the upcoming solo Batman film that Affleck will be directing.

It's kind of curious watching how DC and Warner Bros. have been changing up their technique regarding the DCEU since the release of Man of Steel.  I really feel that they are listening to the complaints that fans voiced after watching Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  After watching the trailer for Justice League, I had the feeling that they were lightening the tone of the film, giving film goers more levity and humor with their characters, and really staying true to who they are.  I also have gotten the impression that they decided to take a page out of the Deadpool playbook.  They have been more active with social media that Marvel has, and they've been releasing their own spoilers to keep people talking about a movie that is still over a year away (i.e. Deathstroke, and the new tactical Batsuit).  They also seem to be having a lot of fun making this movie.  All of the actors seem like they genuinely feel like this will be a great and fun movie.  I honestly think that, outside of Suicide Squad, this is the first movie that will seriously launch the new DCEU.

These are just my opinions, though.  I'm sure others of you feel differently about this, but tastes are different for everybody out there.  How do you feel about DC and Warner Bros. leaking photos and information about their movies early, as opposed to how Marvel deals with their films?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below, and tell me how you fell.

Batman: The Animated Series Is Getting A VR Upgrade

It can arguably be said that Batman: The Animated Series was one of the most exciting and ground breaking cartoons for kids (even though a lot of adults watched it too!) to have come out in the last 50 years.  With the show's "film noir" styling, it quickly stood out from all of the other cartoons that were being produced at that time.  Starting in 1992 and concluding in 1995. Batman: The Animated Series changed not only cartoons as we see them, but also had a major impact on DC comic books as well.  It is one of the few instances where a TV cartoon character was able to make the jump over to comic book canon.  That character is, of course, Harley Quinn.  The Joker's girlfriend (?) in the cartoon got her own origin story in DC comics and soon became a fan favorite, especially among the cosplayers at Comic Cons.  It also gave us two of the most iconic voice actors ever to do Batman and the Joker, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, respectively.  In fact, their work on Batman: TAS had such an impact on viewers that their talents are still being sought after twenty years after the show ended for direct to DVD Batman movies.  When you think of Batman or the Joker, it's their voices that you hear playing them.

We've now learned that DC and Mattel are going to team up to give the next generation of Batman fans a new look at Batman: TAS.  The two are going to create a new VR experience for the show for use with Mattel's View Master.  Now, this isn't your daddy's old View Master.  When I was a kid, you had to stick a pinwheel with pictures into a viewing device and it just clicked through the photos when you flipped the lever.  No, this one is a Google Cardboard-compatible VR headset that can be used with iOS and Android phones.

It's not really known what exactly will make this a "VR experience," but it could be easily assumed that it will put users in virtual setting of some the more iconic scenes from the series, somewhere like the Bat-Cave.  It's also easily assumed that there will be different characters that the viewers will be able to interact with, as well.  And while this is probably geared towards kids, it's hard to believe that it will only be purchased by children.  There are a lot of adults that grew up watching this show that I'm sure would be interested in using this, too.  No release date has been given for this project.

So what do you think?  Is this something that you'll buy for yourself, or will you buy it for your kids?  Let me know what you think about this in the comments section down below.



Guess Who's In Talks For The Upcoming Predator Movie?

Nope, sorry, not going to give it away with a picture today.  You'll just have to keep on reading!

Back in 1987 we were treated to a new alien movie which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers called Predator.  It was followed up with a sequel that starred Danny Glover, and then it joined forced with the Alien franchise for two more films.  The last time we were treated to a Predator movie was six years ago when Adrien Brody starred in Predators.  Now, 20th Century Fox is wanting to breath new life into the franchise with the upcoming The Predator.  Not much is known about the film, except that the movie will be directed by Shane Black and will be written by Fred Dekker.  Filming is supposed to start either this month or next, except they haven't signed anybody on to star in the film.  If they don't figure out who they want, and fast, then the movie could possibly get shelved for a while.  There have been a few rumors going around on who they want to get, with the most popular rumor being James Franco, but again, no one has been signed.

That all might start to change, if the new report from Deadline turns out to be true.  according to them, Benicio del Toro is in talks right now with the studio to play a part in The Predator.  While is role in the film isn't known at this time, it doesn't sound like it will be the starring role, but rather a supporting role, like Weathers played in the first one.  This is fine with me!  Benicio del Toro is one of the more impressive actors out there right now, and while he can definitely star in and carry a film on his name and acting talents alone, he is an even more impressive supporting actor.  He compliments the actors he works with and makes their performances that much better.  There aren't too many actors that can do that.  Look at his role in Guardians of the Galaxy.  While it was just a small part (though an important one), his performance was one of the best scenes to stand out in that film.  His conversation with Groot, his back and forth with Rocket, his over the top eccentricities while explaining what the orb was is memorable.

Shane Black has said that he wants The Predator to be an event film, much like Close Encounters of the Third Kind was, as opposed to having the same feel as the other movies in the franchise.  That's an interesting choice of movie to compare a Predator film to, but if Black can pull it off, we may witness the rebirth of an old franchise.  What do you think?  Do you think that this movie has a chance of making money and drawing in audiences, or do you think that the franchise has played itself out?  Let me know what you think in the comments section down below.

The Predator is scheduled for release on February 9, 2018.



Wolverine 3 Villian Announced And Teaser Trailer Coming Soon

So can you guess who the villain's going to be?  Oh, right.  The picture gave it away...

Let's go back to the post credits scene in X-Men: Apocalypse for a brief moment.  After the movie had finished and the credits finished rolling, there was a scene that showed a man walking through the Weapon X facility carrying a briefcase.  He walked to the room that contained the files on Wolverine, looked at some x-rays, and took a vial of Wolverine's blood.  He put the vial into the briefcase, along with other vials.  The name "Essex Corp" and it's logo was revealed to be on the briefcase.

This post credit scene got a lot of people talking.  It was assumed that this meant that Mr. Sinister was going to be the villain in the next X-Men movie.  The reason being is that the founder of Essex Corp. is Nathan Essex, who, in the comic books, is also Mr. Sinister.  Fans were half-right in what they concluded.  Mr. Sinister is going to be the villain in the next movie, however that movie isn't going to be the next X-Men movie, but rather Wolverine 3.  Yeah, I know, Wolverine is an X-Men, so technically it's an X-Men movie.  You know what I mean. 

Nathan Essex, a.k.a. Mister Sinister, became one of the most powerful mutants on the planet by experimenting on other mutants.  In the comics, Apocalypse actually had a hand in Essex becoming who is and in Sinister becoming his new name.  Although the movie doesn't hint at the two ever having met or even knowing each other, that could be fixed in the upcoming Wolverine movie.

Now that the movie has finished filming and is going through all of it's final editing, James Mangold is teasing that possibly by the end of September we could be getting our first look at the last Wolverine movie.  Considering that 2016 is quickly coming to a close, and the new Wolverine movie is supposed to be released in March of next year, one would expect to start seeing quite a bit for this movie in the closing months.  Heck, maybe we'll even find out what the movie will be called, since Wolverine 3 isn't it's official title, just what everyone writing about it has been calling it.

So what do you think?  Are you getting pumped up for the first R-rated Wolverine movie that will be the last one for Hugh Jackman to appear in?  Let me know your thoughts about the film in the comments section down below.

Wolverine 3 is due to hit theaters on March 3, 2017.

Black Lightning Coming To Television

The man with the Midas Touch when it comes to DC television shows is eagerly at work on his next project.  When does this guy sleep?!?

Greg Berlanti, one of the executive producers for the shows Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow is hard at work on his next project...Black Lightning.  Unlike his shows on The CW, this one will be airing on FOX and won't be apart of the same universe.  While Berlanti won't be one of this shows EP's, that honor goes to Salim and Mara Brock Akil, he will be sort of a "guiding hand" for those that are developing it.  In an interview with IndieWire, Berlanti had this to say about the project:

“[Black Lightning] was mostly Mara and Salim, who are incredibly talented, and the studio just asked me to godfather them a bit, since this genre is newer for them. But they really have a vision for that show, so I hope I can help them execute it.”

When he was asked about what he could offer them in the way of experience, something that he has ample amounts of when bringing comic book characters to life on the small screen, he said this:

“A few of them would be that the shows have to exist as if they had nothing to do with superheroes as well. What kind of show would it be? What would it be about? What’s the emotional core of the main character and their journey? Inevitably if that stuff isn’t there, everything else feels like noise. I’d say also, your heroes are only as good as your villains. They have to have a great villain as well to challenge the hero. And to not be afraid to make it as specific as possible. Obviously we participate in a lot of these shows right now, and there are a lot of them in TV and movies. The ones that succeed have a real specificity to them. They did that and worked their heart and soul into their pitch. It’s a very personal story for them. I hope people will connect with it.”

That's good advice for the new show.  Something that Berlanti and the others have been able to do is balance a show with real world issues and superhero problems.  It makes the show more relatable to the viewers and the characters easier to understand.  There is no release date for Black Lightning yet, but it is currently in production.  When I find out more information of it's release, I'll let you know.

So what do you think?  Is this something that you'll be interested in seeing, or do you not know enough about the character to care?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Could Captain Jack Harkness Be Returning To Doctor Who?

There have been a lot of changes to Doctor Who over the years, from new and different companions, to fresh new faces for The Doctor, but one face in particular just disappeared from the story.  That face is Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman.  Barrowman has always shown an interest in returning to the role, but his schedule seems too busy to allow for it if the opportunity ever came up.  Turns out that he's already planned ahead for this if the opportunity does in fact present itself.


The reason why it seemed so unlikely that he'd be able to return is because he is currently starring in Arrow on the CW.  Actually, this upcoming television season, he'll be appearing in nearly all of the CW's DC television shows in one capacity or another.  Outside of the producers for the shows, he's one of the hardest working guys in DC's television universe.  His sometimes good guy, always the bad guy character has been there since season one of Arrow, and even though the show likes to kill off main characters to keep the fans guessing, Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn has survived every season, and remains a pain in the ass for the good guys.  However, it now sounds like when he renegotiated his contract, which included him appearing in all four of the DC shows on the CW, there was another stipulation that was included in it as well.


The Radio Times is reporting that Barrowman has a "special deal" in place if the opportunity arises for him to return to Doctor Who to reprise his role as Captain Jack Harkness,  It was something that he asked the producers to include because it's something that he's been wanting to do for a long while, and it sounds like the producers were more than willing to accommodate his request.  When he was asked if he'd return to the show, Barrowman said this:


“The answer is always absolutely. It’s a show and genre that changed my life. I love it dearly and if I’m asked I would do it at the drop of a hat. And also my producers here in the US for the show I’m on at the moment, Arrow, they’ve said, ‘If that did happen, we’d let you do it’. I would love to do it, and I do know that there’s a huge fanbase.”


Even though his character in the show had a relatively small part as a supporting character, only appearing in 12 episodes over 5 years, he quickly became a fan favorite.  His character also help launch the spinoff show Torchwood, which has recently been rumored to be getting revived.  It's strictly just a rumor, though, and Barrowman himself has said that the reason it hasn't moved forward is that there are certain egos getting in the way.  If he does return to the series, it would probably only be as a cameo role, seeing as how busy his schedule is, but it would definitely open the door for more appearances if the fans are enthusiastic about his return.


This is all just speculation, but it would be cool to see him don the duster again.  Would you want to see him return to the role that gave him his big break?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Did The Human Race Develop From Outer Space?

Meet Kenneth and Juliette.  They are two complex organic molecules that were retrieved from the Comet 67P.  I'm getting ahead of myself...let me start over.

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Rosetta spacecraft 12 years ago to study the comet 67P.  The comet is a Jupiter-family body that makes it's way around the solar system around every six and a half years.  While analyzing dust that surrounded the comet, they discovered the complex organic molecules that I mentioned earlier.  While it has been speculated that these types of molecules exist on or around comets, this was the first time that scientists have been able to capture dust from one of these celestial bodies to study.  Last week, their study was reported on in Nature, and it focused on two of these samples which they nicknamed Kenneth and Juliette.  The two molecules turned out to be carbon-based molecules "bound together in very structures, similar to the organic matter found in certain meteorites here on Earth."  Herve Cottin, one of the authors of the paper, said the carbon was "in a far more complex form than expected,” adding, “It is so complex, we can’t give it a proper formula or a name!”  This is pretty big, because up until now, scientists weren't sure whether the organic matter that had been found in meteorites recovered here on Earth had originated off planet, or if they picked them up after landing here.  That opens up the possibility that the organic matter which helped created life on Earth could've come from someplace else in the universe.  If that's truly the case, then it also opens up the possibility that there is life on other planets.

So what do you think?  It's kind of crazy, I know, but pretty cool at the same time.  Let me know your thoughts on this whole thing in the comments section down below. 

Booster Gold Movie Won't Be A Part Of The DCEU

In a surprising move, the producer for the Booster Gold movie, Greg Berlanti, announced that his film won't be linked to the DCEU, in contrast to the upcoming Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern Corps movies which will be part of the DCEU.  So why the change in structure for this film?  There are a few possibilities...

The first one seems to be the most obvious...it just doesn't work with the universe that Warner Bros, and DC have created.  A time-traveling superhero just doesn't seem to work into their formula.  When DC Entertainment chief Diane Nelson was talking about it, she sounded like this might not be the only DC movie that they make that won't be part of the DCEU, and her explanation makes sense.  She said that, " focusing on keeping everything in a single continuity could end up handcuffing our creators into trying to work with the same storyline or force them to hold back characters or introduce certain characters. Ultimately it hinders the ability for someone like (showrunner) Bruno Heller to come in and create Gotham.”  Makes sense, right?  I don't think anyone could have explained it any better.

This next reason that I want to discuss is more of a "hopeful want" than something that will probably happen.  As I said earlier, Greg Berlanti is the movie's producer.  He is also the producer for all of the DC television shows that air on The CW.  One in particular, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, features Booster Gold's son from the future, Rip Hunter.  Wouldn't it be cool if there was some sort of tie-in with this movie and the rest of the characters from CW's "Arrow-verse?"  We could see the actor playing Booster Gold appear in some of the shows, and maybe...just maybe...see some of the actors from the television shows jump over to the big screen in a follow up to the Booster Gold movie!  I'm sure that this will never happen, but it doesn't hurt to hope for it, right?

What are your theories on why they decided to keep Booster Gold out of the DCEU?  Do you have any different ideas on why they are doing this?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.  There has been release date set for this movie, except for it coming out sometime in 2018, and no actors have been signed yet.  All we know about it so far is that Greg Berlanti is going to produce it, and Dan Jurgens and Zack Stentz are writing the film.  By the way, Stents is also a writer for The Flash television show...another connection to the "Arrow-verse!"

Lost Doctor Who Episode To Be Recreated

Doctor Who has been a staple in our lexicon for years...decades, in fact.  The first Doctor to grace the small screen was portrayed by William Hartnell, but because "of a series of unfortunate events," fans have been kept from seeing the very first Doctor Who regeneration of the first Doctor to the second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton.  That's about to change.


This past Tuesday, BBC America confirmed that they are creating a new animated feature that will depict the regeneration of the first Doctor into the second Doctor called Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks.  It will premier on BBC America on November 12th and will be a six-part series.  Not only will it show William Hartnell's Doctor regenerating into Patrick Troughton's Doctor, but it will also feature Troughton's Doctor's companions, Polly and Ben.


The writer and director for this animated feature is Charles Norton, and he brought in some star comic book artist to help with the show's creation.  The two artists are Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon.  When discussing the project, Norton had this to say to the show's fans:


“The Power of the Daleks animation is the most ambitious Doctor Who archive restoration ever attempted and we’re all very honored to be a part of such an exciting project,” he said. “Intelligent, suspenseful and magnificently staged, The Power of the Daleks is one of the great lost classics of 1960s television and a superb example of the black and white era at its finest.”


The Power of the Daleks was one of the shows most popular storylines that ran in 1966 over six episodes, but unfortunately there are no intact recording of these episodes that have survived.  The BBC had destroyed the master negatives while doing an archive cleaning back in 1974.  Why they did this, I have no idea.  They said that some audio recordings and short clips from the shows have been preserved, but the entire storyline hasn't been seen in nearly fifty years.  I guess that an animated feature showing us this story will have to do, eh?


So what do you think about this little piece of news?  Are you excited to finally be able to see The Power of the Daleks?  Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments section down below.

Underworld: Blood Wars Releases Trailer

There have been a few movie franchises that have returned to end their run, most notably the Resident Evil franchise.  Now, another has entered the fray.  Remember Underworld?  I hadn't given those movies much thought until this past weekend when, I think it was FX but I might be wrong, ran three of the Underworld movies over the Labor Day Weekend.  I have to admit, it was a lot of fun to watch these movies again.  The sad thing is that I own the first two on DVD, and I haven't watched them in ages, but when it was on TV and edited for television?  I couldn't stop watching them!

But like I said, there is a new chapter to the Underworld series that will be coming out next year called Underworld: Blood Wars.  The trailer looks like the classic films in tone and photography.  Returning is Kate Beckinsale (the hottest vampire to ever grace the silver screen...and yes, that includes Twilight!)  A war is about to rage between the vampires and the lycans (a.k.a. "werewolves") and our heroine Selene is caught in the middle of it.  It should be noted that there will be one major change to the franchise...Trent Garrett has been hired to replace Scott Speedman as Michael, Selene's love interest.  Also joining the franchise is Theo James (Divergent) as David, Selene's protege, who was introduced in Underworld: Awakenings.  Also joining the cast are two Game of Thrones actors, Charles Dance and Tobias Menzies, so if you're going through withdraw from not being able to see any new episodes, then this should help you get your fix.

So what do you think about a new Underworld movie coming out?  Are you excited, or do you think that they waited too long to give it to us?  If you think the latter, just a head's up...there's plans to bring us a new Shanghai Noon movie called Shanghai Dawn, and it starts filming early next year!  Anyway, I digress...what do you think about this movie?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Underworld: Blood Wars hits theaters on January 6, 2017.

Joe Manganiello Signs On To Play Deathstroke In Affleck Batman Movie

This has to of been something in the works for a while now.  Right after Ben Affleck surprised everyone with footage showing Deathstroke on the set of the Justice League movie, the name "Joe Manganiello" has been attached to it.  Now it's been confirmed that he is in fact going to be playing Deathstroke in the upcoming Affleck solo Batman movie.  Things don't usually move this quick in Hollywood, you know?  I mean it's only been a week since the footage was released.  It makes sense, though.  Affleck was the one that leaked it, there was no "anonymous person from the crew" that leaked the footage.  this was all surprisingly well planned.

There isn't much known about the upcoming Batman movie, and Slade Wilson's role in it remains to be seen, but there are a lot of rumors out there as to what we could expect.  It was previously "reported" that nearly all of rogues in Batman's gallery would be making some sort of appearance in the film, which has led many to believe that the movie will feature Arkham Asylum for part, if not most, of the film.  If this is the case, then maybe we can expect to see some, if not all, of the Suicide Squad making an appearance,  One of the rumors that is going around id that Batman and Deadshot (Will Smith) team up against The Joker (Jared Leto).  Don't expect them to get along, or even want to team up, if this in fact happens, but that would make for a pretty cool story.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that this had happened, that Joe Manganiello has signed on to play Slade Wilson.  What do you think of their choice for Deathstroke?  If you don't like him, who would you rather have seen playing Deathstroke?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Conroy And Hamill Not Quite Done Voicing Batman And Joker

I've always talked about how DC and Warner Bros. create the best animated movies when it comes to their comic book characters.  One of the reasons their animation is in such high demand is mainly because most of us grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series which featured the voice work of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker.  These two have become two of the most iconic and recognizable voices ever to play their parts.  Others have voiced the role, but none have had the same impact as Conroy and Hamill.  It was assumed that when Batman: The Killing Joke was released, it would be the last time we would hear these two together again.  Hamill had retired from the role, and said he would only come back if The Killing Joke was made into an animated feature.  It was, he did, so that should be it for the two of them, right?


Maybe not.  This past weekend both Conroy and Hamill sat in on a panel at Canada's 2016 Fan Expo.  During the question and answer part of the panel, a fan asked them if they were done voicing Batman and The Joker, and what kind of projects they wanted to work on next.  They both answered "no" to the first question, but in answering the second, Conroy turned to Hamill and asked, "What do you think about doing Hush?"  To which Hamill replied, "What do you think about doing A Death In The Family?"  The audience erupted in applause and cheers.


So is this confirmation that these two projects are in the works, and that Conroy and Hamill would be returning to do the voices for them?  I don't know, it could have just been the two teasing the crowd, but if they were to make these storylines into animated features, it would be incredible.  A Death In The Family is probably one of the most famous stories that DC ever created...well, Jim Starlin created.  He was the writer for DC for this story.  It led to the "death" of Jason Todd, who replaced Dick Grayson as Batman's sidekick Robin.  Hush, written buy Jeph Loeb, is a more modern story that follows the villain Hush, who "manipulated most of Batman's most notorious enemies against him in an elaborate conspiracy, including The Joker."  (quote taken from Adam Holmes)


So what do you think?  Would you be interested in seeing either of these storylines turned into an animated feature?  If they could only do one, which one would you want to see more?  Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments section down below.