One of the most fun aspects of Loki, that they frankly have not done enough of, is when the writers use time travel aspects to explain away historical mysteries. In season one, we learned Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was actually the infamous D.B. Cooper, who robbed an airplane in the ’70s, popped out with a parachute, and vanished for all time. Now, in the second season’s penultimate episode, “Science/Fiction,” the show solved yet another historical mystery, MCU style. One involving the most infamous (and mythologized) prison in American history—Alcatraz.

At the end of episode four of this season, the Temporal Loom exploded, and we learned the different TVA employees who were in the control room, as well as Sylvie, were sent back to their lives before the TVA took them and wiped their memories. Mobius was a single dad named Don who sold jet skis (of course). O.B. was a scientist and an aspiring sci-fi author. Hunter B-15 was a doctor. Sylvie just went back to work at McDonald’s in 1982. But the most interesting true identity of a TVA employee had to be Casey. Turns out, the mild-mannered “guy at the desk” was once a notorious criminal, Alcatraz escaped convict Frank Morris.

When Loki starts time slipping again, Casey appears in 1962, escaping from Alcatraz. We even see the crude dummies the inmates made to appear as if they were sleeping during bedcheck. It’s something that really happened. Casey even says “If they catch us, they’re going to gut us like a fish!” That was a fun callback to season one, when Loki threatened to do the same to him but he had no idea what a fish even was. As they’re trying to escape, a time-slipping Loki appears on the shores of Alcatraz island in San Francisco. He finds Casey, now called Frank, who doesn’t recognize him, along with two other men getting ready to escape in a makeshift raft.

In reality, the two other men were Clarence and John Anglin. They were portrayed by the episode’s directors, Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson. The real Frank Morris was a lifelong criminal who spent much of his life in correctional facilities. Authorities arrested Morris for armed robbery, car theft, and finally, the crime that put him in Alcatraz, bank robbery. However, he had a genius I.Q., and was likely the real mastermind behind the whole escape. Being so smart, it’s no wonder the TVA wanted him as an employee.

Later in the episode, Loki appears to Frank Morris on a beach along with the other two escaped convicts, who made it to dry land. In reality, no one really knows what happened to the three men. Official reports suggest they drowned in the waters of San Francisco Bay, or hypothermia got them. But they never discovered any bodies. Over the past 60 years, some anecdotal evidence points to at least one of the men surviving. We have since mythologized the only successful escape from Alcatraz in pop culture. It was even the subject of the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood playing Frank Morris.

Frank accepts Loki’s offer to help restore the TVA, even though he doesn’t understand what’s going on. Once he realizes that O.B.’s temp pad can take anyone to anywhen, he even asks if it could take him into a bank vault. Even after doing time in the world’s most infamous prison, Frank still can’t get rid of the urge to rob banks. When one of the TemPads vanishes due to reality coming undone everyone thinks Frank stole it. Hey, when you’re famous for robbery, it’s hard to shake that reputation.

While we saw Frank/Casey unravel at the end of the episode, we have a strong feeling it’s not the last we’ve seen of him. If Loki has taught us anything, it’s that there’s always another branched timeline somewhere.

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Victor Timely’s stay at the TVA was both short and long. Soon after arriving he tried to stop the Temporal Loom’s complete failure but before he could, temporal radiation turned him into human spaghetti. What exactly happened to Victor? And what does his demise mean for Loki, the TVA, the Sacred Timeline, and the entire MCU? His un-Timely death just unleashed total chaos—and infinite Kang Variants— on the multiverse.

What Happened to Victor Timely on Loki?

Victor Timely provided the final component O.B. and Casey needed for the device they’d built to expand the Temporal Loom’s capacity. The Throughput Multiplier that Victor designed would ensure the Loom could handle more strands of universes safely, stabilizing the Sacred Timeline.

Just like in the season two premiere with Mobius and the Temporal Extractor, someone needed to physically place that piece of equipment on the Loom. That meant going outside the TVA and risking exposure to extreme temporal energy and “fatal corporeal de-husking.” (A term we know from an official show poster featuring O.B.)

Despite the risk, there was no time to waste. The Loom was ready to burst under the strain of too many branches. Victor, whose temporal aura had unlocked the blast doors, offered to go. Sadly his bravery led to his death. Even with a suit on, the instant Victor stepped outside he burst into ribbons. The amount of temporal radiation had become too much.

Why did Victor turn into spaghetti instead of simply exploding or having his skinned peel off, though? In the show’s season two premiere, Loki asked O.B. what would happen if the Temporal Extractor failed to the pull the Asgaradian out of the time stream. Ouroboros answered with a question. “Well, have you heard about how if you fall into a black hole you turn into spaghetti?” Loki had not, but we have.

What Is “Spaghettification?”

“Spaghettification” is a theoretical concept introduced by Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time. It hypothesizes what the immense density and gravitational pull of a black hole would do to someone or something who crossed the black hole’s event horizon. As NASA explains, “This effect essentially stretches out the object more and more as the object gets closer to the black hole, creating a long, thin shape.”

That is what O.B. warned Loki about, but it’s not exactly what happened to Victor Timely. For one Victor wasn’t caught in the time stream like Loki had been. Victor also wasn’t stretched into one long Variant noodle. Temporal radiation caused Victor to burst into multiple spaghetti-like ribbons, something we’ve seen before in the MCU.

Who Else Was Turned Into Spaghetti in the MCU Before Victor Timely?

Thanos used the Reality Stone in Avengers: Infinity War to briefly transform Mantis into loose ribbons.

The Scarlet Witch also used her dark magic to brutally murder Reed Richards of Earth-838 in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Magic. Wanda stretched Reed out into long spaghetti-like pieces before making his head explode.

Reed Richards’ slower, painful splintering more resembled Victor Timely’s instant death in many ways. However, the Kang Variant’s fate will have far greater ramifications for the entire multiverse. That starts with what Victor failed to stop.

What Happened to the TVA at the End of Loki Season 2 Episode 4?

Without the Throughput Multiplier in place the ever-increasing number of branches overwhelmed the Temporal Loom. The “heart of the TVA” could no longer weave all those strands of existence into one neat timeline. The result was an explosion of all branches and unrefined time that seemingly destroyed the TVA.

Without the Time Variance Authority there is no one to help manage the chaos of a multiverse that also lacks the guardrails offered by the Sacred Timeline. And we know that means because we know what happened before the TVA existed.

What Does the Implosion of the Temporal Loom Mean for Loki and the MCU?

The Temporal Loom’s explosion literally threatens all threads of reality in the MCU. In Loki season two, episode six, we learn that no branch of existence is safe after the Temporal Loom’s meltdown, they are all dying. We see both Sylvie’s and OB’s separate branches disintegrate into nothing before our eyes. Sphagettification is now happening across branching timelines, essentially destroying every MCU universe and every variant in existence.

But that’s not the only threat that exists for the MCU. He Who Remains created the TVA after defeating his Variants in the Multiversal War. Their battle nearly resulted in the end “of everything and everyone.” The TVA was He Who Remains’ solution to avoiding total annihilation, because without the organization, his Variants would always be a threat to existence. Without the TVA, Kang Variants always live since time is a circle. The TVA alone eliminated them as threats forever. (Except possibly Victor, who might have been He Who Remains’ backup plan specifically because Victor was not a threat, though we need more information to know for sure.)

The breaking of the Temporal Loom, and therefore the Sacred Timeline, means the system created to prevent Kang Variants from existing is gone. That means they might all have come back the second the Loom exploded. That would explain the existence of the Council of Kangs at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. All those infinite strands of existence that just broke free of TVA control represent infinite Kangs.

That might ultimately explain why Victor himself turned into strands.

Is Victor Timely’s Spaghetti Fate Related to the Branching Timeline?

Temporal radiation is not a black hole, so Stephen Hawking’s theory doesn’t fully explain why Victor Timely became spaghetti in Loki. There’s also too much we don’t know about how time works in the MCU, specifically at the TVA, to explain exactly what happened to him and why. And since we know the season did not end with the Loom’s explosion, there’s still more to learn. But we can’t ignore that Victor literally branched out right before every branch of reality broke free.

Did Victor splinter into strands because the branches of reality did that to him? Or did the Loom finally burst because He Who Remains’ Variant did? If so, does that mean Victor’s temporal aura spaghetti-ed and brought all the Kangs back? Did He Who Remains actually want that so he’d come back, too? The last thing he told Sylvie after she stabbed him was that he’d see her “soon.” Was Victor his backup plan to restore himself rather than save the TVA? Does He Who Remains just assume he’ll win the next Multiversal War same as before?

Whatever answers await us during the final episode of Loki season two, one thing is clear: the untimely death of Victor Timely unleashed infinite strands of chaos on the multiverse. Fortunately, if anyone knows how to deal with time chaos it’s the God of Mischief, who already knows what it’s like to slip through time.

Originally published on October 26, 2023.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Temporal Loom is central to Loki’s second season, and we learn it’s critical in making the Time Variance Authority function. But what is Loki‘s Temporal Loom exactly? Here’s what we know about the Temporal Loom from Loki season two and what we can glean from Loki‘s various inspirations.

The MCU’s Loom: Loki Season Two’s Temporal Loom

Created by He Who Remains at some unknown point in time, Loki‘s Temporal Loom takes raw temporal energy and refines it into a physical timeline. Part of the reason the TVA prunes the extra timelines is so that the Temporal Loom doesn’t overload trying to “weave” too many timelines at once. Without the Temporal Loom, the TVA can’t function. And if it overloads, the TVA goes boom, and all of reality would soon follow. In episode two, we learn that a meltdown can’t be prevented without the temporal aura, or time signature, of He Who Remains. Who is currently quite dead.

By the third episode of Loki season two, the Temporal Loom is indeed overloading, thanks to the countless branched timelines that are returning with the death of He Who Remains. It simply wasn’t made to handle so many divergent timelines branching off at once. And without it, not only does the TVA cease to function, but chaos will reign in the multiverse. But we also learned of the origins of the Temporal Loom and how they tie into a specific Kang variant.

Victor Timely and the Origins of the MCU’s Temporal Loom

In episode three of Loki’s second season, Loki and Morbius travel back in time to the year 1893. There, they encounter a variant of He Who Remains. This variant, Victor Timely, is presenting his latest invention at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It’s a very rudimentary version of the Temporal Loom, sold to the 19th-century audience as a way of harnessing energy. Victor Timely was able to create this Temporal Loom prototype based on his understanding of the descriptions of the TVA manual. A book that was left for him by Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes when he was a child. Of course, the Temporal Loom malfunctions on stage after a mere few minutes. Yet it shows that as early as the 1890s, a Kang variant was working on the very thing that would make the TVA run.

Loki‘s Temporal Loom Implodes Threatening the MCU’s Multiverse

In episode four, Loki and Mobius bring Victor Timely to the TVA to fix the overloaded Temporal Loom. They need the temporal aura of He Who Remains to open the blast doors to the Loom, which Timely matches. But Timely provided another service, what he called his “greatest invention” in the previous episode. Timley’s greatest invention is something that looks like a primitive version of Kang’s Multiversal Power Core from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He can attach this invention to the Throughput Multiplier and expand the rings of the Temporal Loom. This would allow the new branched timelines to filter through, and save the TVA, and all reality. However, it doesn’t quite work out that way.

When Victor Timely tries to head out and fix the loom, he turns into spaghetti. And the Temporal Loom, well, it overloads and explodes. We don’t know the full extent of what the Temporal Loom’s explosion means yet, but already there are major consequences in the world of Loki and the MCU.

In episode six of Loki, we see that seemingly due to the Temporal Loom’s explosion, every branch of reality is starting to turn into spaghetti and die. Every universe and thread of reality is literally shredding, and there’s nowhere to go. Thankfully, Loki seems to be able to turn back the clock and is trying to head to a time before the Temporal Loom’s complete meltdown. Whether or not he is able to remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it looks like the Temporal Loom being able to do its job is key to keeping existence stable.

That’s the MCU. But does Loki‘s Temporal Loom have a precedent in the pages of Marvel Comics? Well, yes and no. But mostly, no. However, Loki season two’s Temporal Loom found inspiration in various parts of Marvel’s comics and actual myth.

Loki‘s Temporal Loom and Its Mythological Inspirations

In Greek mythology, there is a Loom of the Fates, which also exists in the Marvel Universe. In Norse mythology, that loom is the Loom of the Norns. (Marvel Comics combines these two mythologies together into one.) Essentially, in mythology, the three Fates weave this loom to shape the life and destiny of every being in creation. Thor destroyed the Loom of the Fates in Thor Vol. 2 #85 and broke the thread that holds the destiny of Asgardians, from which Those Who Sit Above in Shadow were absorbing energy. Those Who Sit Above were the silent beings who created the Asgardian Gods. So it’s fitting that a powerful loom that determines how the universe flows originated in Thor comics since the MCU’s Temporal Loom now appears in Loki, thus tying it to Thor’s mythos.

Spider-Man’s Loomworld

In the Spider-Man lore, there’s another powerful loom of sorts, reminiscent of Loki‘s temporal loom. The loom in this instance is a whole world itself, one that accesses all existence. There’s an entire Loomworld, where beings called the Inheritors could access the Web of Life and Destiny to travel across the multiverse and hunt down Spider-Totems. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse especially drew inspiration from this. They created the Loomworld of conquered realms from countless wars fought across realities. Eventually, several spider-people formed the Web-Warriors. They operated from Loomworld and used it as a focal point to protect the multiverse, which is similar to how the MCU’s TVA works.

Temporal Limbo, Chronopolis, and the Heart of Forever

In the comics, Kang did not create the TVA. There was a “He Who Remains,” but as far as we know, he’s not a Kang variant. However, the TVA has a lot in common with the realm of Limbo, a place outside of time historically ruled by Immortus, who was, of course, a Kang variant. Temporal Limbo was a timeless realm facilitating time travel to various points in history. Much like the MCU’s TVA, it existed outside the time stream. And time did not flow there the way it does everywhere else.

Limbo is also part of Chronicles, which has something very similar to the MCU’s TVA. At its heart is the most important component of the city, the Heart of Forever. It’s a trans-chronal engine that enabled Kang’s home to exist in every branch of the timestream simultaneously. While not exactly like the Temporal Loom in Loki, it has key similarities.

In the end, Loki‘s Temporal Loom is a hodgepodge of different elements from the pages of Marvel Comics—not to mention actual mythology itself. Ultimately, though, the Temporal Loom is a unique creation designed for the MCU. However, we’d hardly be surprised to see it retconned into the comics at some point.

Originally published on October 5, 2023.

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Heads will roll in Echo. And get bashed in. And explode. The first trailer for the upcoming MCU series Echo is full of violence, blood, and a whole lot of goodness. The trailer for this five-episode special event honestly looks amazing. Both Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk are delivering. This truly looks like an MCU series like none other, and we kind of love it. Take a look at Echo‘s first trailer below, if you dare.

We first met Echo in the Hawkeye series, which carried a very different tone. And we feel thrilled to see her coming into her own in this outing. It is incredible to see a Marvel show center on a deaf and Indigenous character and for it to have taken care to support this representation in front of and behind the camera.

A logline for the series revealed with the trailer shares more about the show, noting:

No bad deed goes unpunished on Jan. 10, 2024, when Marvel Studios’ “Echo” launches on Disney+ and Hulu. The five-episode streaming event spotlights Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. All five episodes will stream on Jan. 10 on both platforms. They’ll be available on Hulu until April 9. This marks the first Marvel Studios series to drop all entirely bingeable episodes at once. 

The relationship between the MCU’s Kingpin and Echo is fraught, as we’ve seen before and see again in this trailer. But when the chips fall, will Echo end up as much a monster as her mentor? Only time will tell. At one point, rumor had it that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil would also appear on the Echo show. And though he is not mentioned in any official materials so far, we caught a brief glimpse of Daredevil in a montage of shots featured in Echo‘s trailer. Very exciting.

As the description of the series mentions, there are a few interesting aspects of Echo‘s release. Firstly, the series will run on both Hulu and Disney+, likely an homage to its grittier nature. Echo also has the distinction of being the MCU’s first series rated TV-MA. And, of course, all episodes of Echo will land at once. Disney+ has never shared a series in this format before, so it will be interesting to see how it impacts viewership. We can only hope that it helps.

All five episodes of Echo will be available to stream on January 10.

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Are the original Avengers returning? Is Doctor Doom set to replace Kang as the “Big Bad” of the Multiverse Saga? And just what the heck is going on with the Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali? Variety ran a story about the troubles Marvel Studios is having post-Avengers: Endgame, and in particular, post-pandemic. While Marvel has still had tremendous box office success, the glut of series and movies has made the MCU daunting for the casual fan. We’ll break down each of the big reveals from the Variety article, and what these reveals might mean for the future of the MCU as a whole. We should note, we’re focusing on what this means for future films and series here and not any behind-the-scenes drama.

Are the Original Avengers Making an MCU Comeback?

According to the report, there have been talks to bring back the original Avengers back for a film. This would include Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, both of whom were killed off in Avengers: Endgame. While the Variety pieces used the word “revive,” we would be shocked if they literally resurrected the versions who died. It’s far more likely we’ll meet their Multiversal variants in Avengers: Secret Wars, which would mean that they’d still be played by Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson.

Putting on our Nerdstradamus cap on, we think Avengers: Secret Wars, while loosely based on the 2015 comic, will at least feature a Battleworld made of various mashed-up realities and timelines. That puts every character, dead or alive, back on the table. So yes, that means the original Avengers are reunited—in a way. And also probably teamed up with the likes of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and maybe Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. If they ever wanted a real “victory lap” film, likely before Secret Wars reboots everything, something like this might be the only way to come close to the success of Endgame. It’s not something even the most cynical person who grew up with Marvel films would ever miss. And we’d bet it was always the plan too.

Is the MCU Replacing Kang with Doctor Doom as the Multiverse Saga’s Main Villain?

And now, there’s the Kang problem. Between Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki, everything was gearing up to have Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror be the main villain of Phases 5 and 6. But then, all of Major’s personal and legal troubles began (which the Variety article details). It all leaves the MCU in a pickle. How do you make Avengers: The Kang Dynasty with possibly no Kang? The article suggests that at a recent Marvel Studios Palm Springs retreat, executives discussed backup plans, including pivoting to another comic book adversary, probably Doctor Doom.

Victor von Doom is one of Marvel’s greatest villains. Heck, he’s one of the entire comic book medium’s greatest villains. So a pivot toward the megalomaniacal ruler of Latveria makes sense. Also, as will all things MCU, the answers lie in the comics. In the 2015 Secret Wars series, Doom essentially steals the god-like power of the omnipotent Beyonder. It could be that Doom usurps Kang’s role and power in the story in a similar way. The Kang Dynasty could become The Doom Dynasty, and there’s ample Marvel Comics precedent for that. While the original report suggests the upcoming end of Loki forces Marvel to have Kang as the primary antagonist, we bet they have an out planned.

What Is Happening with the MCU Version of Blade?

So what about poor Blade? Things have certainly been contentious in the world of the Daywalker ever since SDCC 2019, when Feige announced Mahershala Ali as the iconic vampire hunter. The project has apparently gone through at least five writers, two directors, and one shutdown six weeks before production. Feige most recently hired Michael Green, screenwriter for Logan, to start from scratch. The hope is that Blade will now make it for a 2025 release date. The supposed budget may have come down to $100 million or so, way less than the standard MCU fare.

We think if that’s the case, it’s a wise move. Blade is a bloody, horror action franchise. Cleaning it up to be a PG-13 tentpole defeats the purpose. If Marvel Studios is releasing an R-rated Deadpool 3, why not do the same for Blade? Nobody wants to see a sanitized version of the character. We would not be shocked if going back to the drawing board for Blade means looking at what worked in the original Wesley Snipes films (well, at least the first two) and giving the Marvel vampire saga a modern spin. The report says Mahershala Ali almost walked away from the project, but we think Kevin Feige is too smart to let that happen.

The X-Men May Be the Focus Post Multiverse Saga in the MCU

The report also mentions Kevin Feige’s trump card is the acquisition of the X-Men library of characters from Fox. Although it is rumored that many of the original Fox-era mutant heroes are returning for Deadpool 3 and possibly Secret Wars alongside Hugh Jackman, we’re guessing this is a big swan song for those iterations of the characters. A reboot of X-Men is inevitable, and we agree Marvel Studios is likely to pivot to all things mutant post-Secret Wars. Feige knows the X-Men world has much unrealized potential. They can make government operative strike teams like X-Factor or mutants in a Doctor Who-style world like Excalibur. A mutant black ops team? There’s X-Force. While we doubt the Avengers brand is going away, we foresee a big pivot towards Marvel’s mutants.

Why We Shouldn’t Count Out the MCU Just Yet

Although the original report has a real “the sky is falling” approach, the truth is more complex. A “failure” for Marvel is a big success for anyone else. If The Flash made as much as Quantumania, they’d be popping champagne bottles over there. But for Marvel, compared to the peak of the Infinity Saga, it paled. Marvel’s biggest enemy is its own success. The first decade of the MCU, from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame was unprecedented in terms of success. We’re talking about a franchise of 23 films, all opening at #1 at the box office. All with Fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores. And all of which collectively made a staggering $25 billion. To expect that kind of wild success indefinitely is totally unrealistic. We’d suggest not writing off the MCU just yet. And even if it dies, what stays dead in comics forever? The answer: Nothing.

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When the Netflix Marvel shows moved to Disney+, fans hoped they might see some familiar faces incorporated into the MCU’s world. Although there were many good iterations of Marvel characters in the Netflix shows, one hero that fans particularly hoped would return for a solo show or movie was Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Happily, Marvel Studios didn’t make us wait very long. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, the studio announced that Daredevil would receive a new MCU series on Disney+, Daredevil: Born Again. Since that announcement, the series had some ups and downs, including an overhaul of its creative team. Here’s everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again.

Title

The title of the MCU Daredevil series will be Daredevil: Born Again. This is also the title of one of Daredevil‘s famous comic arcs.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Plot

We don’t yet know much about the exact plot of Daredevil: Born Again. But in the comics, Born Again is a very dark tale for Daredevil. In it, the man without fear faces down Kingpin, who manipulates Matt Murdock’s feelings for a struggling Karen Page in his attempts to destroy the hero. Whether this storyline will find its way into the MCU, we can’t say for sure. What we do know is that Daredevil: Born Again will have eighteen episodes, leaving a lot of room to explore the MCU version of the hero.

According to a report by Variety, Marvel is planning to overhaul the direction of Daredevil: Born Again. The publication shares that “Marvel Studios has recently parted ways with head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman and is currently seeking new writers to revamp the show. Ord and Corman will still be credited as executive producers.” Additionally, Marvel has released the directors for the series episodes that have not yet already been filmed. Variety reveals that less than half of Daredevil‘s 18 episodes were filmed before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. And that “Some elements of the already shot material will be used going forward, but Marvel is looking to take the show in a new creative direction.”

Behind the Scenes

Originally Daredevil: Born Again was written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. According to Deadline, Clark Johnson was meant to direct two episodes. However, Variety recently reported that Corman and Ord were released from the show and Marvel is seeking new writers and directors for the series.

The Hollywood Reporter shared the superhero crime series has added Dario Scardapane as its showrunner. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will direct the rest of the episodes for the first season. Scardapane has experience with The Punisher, while Benson and Moorhead directed episodes of Loki season two.

While Marvel will apparently retain some episodes and other material that was already filmed, Scardapane will add new episodes and new scenes. It’s unknown how many episodes season one will have.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Cast

So far, Charlie Cox, who, of course, returns as Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio, who will play Kingpin, have signed onto the new series. In addition, reports indicate that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Punisher in the MCU series. No other actors from the original Daredevil show have been confirmed to return.

Also joining Cox and D’Onofrio are Nikki M. James, Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, and Sandrine Holt. Their roles remain unknown. In addition, the publication recently cited Carnival Row‘s Arty Froushan as part of the cast. Clark Johnson, in addition to directing, reportedly has a recurring role in the series.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Release Date

Daredevil: Born Again does not yet have a release date.

Originally published January 5, 2023.

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Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan appears in a major role in season two of Loki. The Everything Everywhere All At Once and Indiana Jones actor just can’t get enough of stories about the multiverse, it seems. His name is Ouroboros, or O.B. for short. But how does Ke Huy Quan’s Loki character tie into the existing Marvel Comics lore? And how does Ouroboros relate to existing mythological roots in our own world? Here’s what we know so far about Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros and his role in Marvel’s Loki season two.

The Ouroboros in Folklore and Norse Mythology’s Jörmungandr

You’ve no doubt heard the turn of phrase “the snake eating its own tail.” Well, that particular iconography comes straight from ancient mythology. That snake consuming its own tail is actually called the Ouroboros, and is found in the mythologies of ancient Egypt and Greece. According to Britannica, “[The Ouroboros] represents a being that is continually devouring itself, and thus reborn from itself. A gnostic and alchemical symbol, Ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation.” The Ouroboros is a fitting mythological reference to invoke in the MCU’s Loki which is all about questions of the destruction, creation, and flow of timelines.

Although the character Ke Huy Quan plays on Loki season two has the name Ouroboros, he might also have ties to a more specific character from mythology, one that even more directly related to our titular God of Mischief. In Norse mythology, the snake that consumes its own tail, a.k.a an Ouroboros, goes by the name Jörmungandr. This Ouroboros is also known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Serpent. In the old Norse myths, Jörmungandr encircles the realm of Midgard, which is another name for Earth. He is the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. He’s also the brother of the great wolf Fenrir and Hel. During Ragnarök, a.k.a, the Twilight of the Gods, Thor kills him.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, the Midgard Serpent has played a big role in several Thor comics. He first appeared back in 1966 and reappeared again and again over the years to fight the God of Thunder. Although the Odinson slays the gigantic beast, Marvel resurrects him more than a few times, and the two battle all over again.

When it comes to a connection with Loki, the god of mischief does ride the Midgard Serpent at one point. But there is never any real indication that Marvel Comics’ version of this Ouroboros is in any way the literal child of Loki. Marvel writers often play fast and loose with Norse myths, changing many things outright. This is another example of that. It will be interesting to see, however, what Loki season two does with the mythological origins of Ouroboros as the show continues to remix and reference mythology.

Ke Huy Quan’s Loki Character O.B./Ouroboros and His Marvel Comics Connections

Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros might be an original creation for the MCU series, not based on a preexisting Marvel Comics character. However, his name does pop up in several comics from the past. And in different forms.

The only Marvel Ouroboros with ties to the TVA is a certain Mr. Orobourous, who made one appearance in a She-Hulk comic in 2005. Created by Dan Slott, Orobourous was a judge for the Time Variance Authority. In Marvel’s She-Hulk comic, Orobourous is spelled a bit differently than the traditional Ouroboros of mythology, but the reference seems to be the same. This character was also a clone of Mr. Paradox, who himself was a clone of several TVA bureaucrats. We already know the O.B. is not a judge in Loki, but it seems the creators took a shine to the name at least.

But She-Hulk‘s judge is not the only Ouroboros in Marvel lore. First, there was the Oculus Ouroboros, which was not a person in Marvel Comics, per se, but a conduit of elemental magic, that depicts a variation on the classic Ouroboros shape of a snake eating its tail by featuring a second snake. It first appears in Doctor Strange #92, back in 1993. The Sorcerer Supreme stops an attempt by Doctor Doom to gain access to its power.

An actual character using the name is Admiral Ouroboros. He made his first Marvel Comics appearance relatively recently in 2015’s Silver Surfer #11. He battled the former Herald of Galactus during an adventure where the Surfer became stuck in a time loop.

The most recent Marvel usage of the name Ouroboros appeared in 2022, in Marvel’s Contest of Champions. In this instance, Ouroboros is an organization in universe 517. This organization came together to oppose the rule of the Elders of the Universe across the reality called Battlerealm.

However, despite all these possible references, we think it’s unlikely that Loki’s O.B. is directly related to the previous Marvel concepts of Ouroboros. It’s far more likely the MCU’s Ouroboros is riffing on one or more of the mythological histories of the creature.

Ke Huy Quan’s O.B./Ouroboros in the MCU and Loki Season Two

The version of Ouroboros played by Ke Huy Quan in Loki is an integral part of the TVA. He’s just someone who rarely gets a visit from other TVA employees. He’s been toiling away, quite literally without sleeping, in the Repairs and Advancement department. O.B.’s office is stuffed in the TVA’s basement. It’s a sprawling mishmash of all kinds of mechanical parts and different inventions. Mobius takes Loki to help with his time-slipping problem. O.B., a nickname for Ouroboros we learn Loki gave to him when he time-slipped into the past, becomes invaluable in helping them. In episode two of Loki, O.B. gives Mobius and Loki the TVA Guidebook to help them.

Here’s How O.B. Connects to Victor Timely and Kang on Loki

In the fourth episode of Loki’s second season, “Heart of the TVA,” O.B. and Victor Timely meet at last. In fact, their meeting reveals an actual ouroboros of sorts for the pair. Timely was taken aback at meeting the man who wrote the TVA Handbook, the book that he received as a child, which inspired all his inventions and career. O.B., meanwhile, was having his own fanboy moment meeting Victor Timely. The man who inspired him to write the Handbook in the first place. As O.B. said, their meeting was “the snake eating its tail.”

Loki’s co-executive producer Kevin Wright said that O.B. is integral to the functioning of the Time Variance Authority. Even if we never saw or heard of Ouroboros in season one of the MCU show. Wright said, “His job is basically every piece of tech, every computer, everything that is running at the TVA… He either designed it, or he fixes it and keeps it running.” None of that sounds remotely like the Marvel Comics versions of Ouroboros. So far, it seems as if the MCU’s O.B. is tied far more to the mythological concept of the character than anything in the comics.

Hopefully, we’ll soon learn more secrets about Ke Huy Quan as O.B. when Loki season two continues on Disney+.

Originally published on October 2, 2023.

The post Who Is LOKI’s Ouroboros? Ke Huy Quan’s Character O.B. Ties Into Mythology and Marvel Comics appeared first on Nerdist.

In the latest chapter of Loki season two, we learned some pretty huge revelations about the relationship between former TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and He Who Remains, a.k.a. Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), thanks to Miss Minutes. But what does it all mean, and how does it tie into some of the earliest Marvel comics? Buckle up, because the Ravonna and Kang romance is a very twisted affair.

Ravonna Renslayer and Kang Were Partners Before the Multiversal War

In episode four of Loki’s second season, Miss Minutes explains a crucial piece of Ravonna Renslayer’s history to her. Information she would not be happy to hear. She explains that Ravonna and He Who Remains were working together as partners during the Multiversal War and were likely romantic partners as well. At some point, he indicated she would lead with him in the aftermath. Together, they’d rule from the Citadel at the End of Time. But He Who Remains betrayed Ravonna. Remember when Victor Timely said he doesn’t work with partners? That seems to apply to He Who Remains as well. So he sends her back to the TVA and erases her memories along with the rest of its employees. As Miss Minutes explains to an angry Ravonna, she says “Maybe we don’t need him. Maybe we never did.” This leads Ravonna to attempt to take over the TVA herself, along with Miss Minutes.

The Complex Marvel Comics Love Story of Ravonna Renslayer and Kang the Conqueror

In the comics, Princess Ravonna Lexus Renslayer made her first appearance in Avengers #23, back in 1965. She and Kang have a rather complicated relationship, to say the least. She was the daughter of King Carelius, who ruled 40th century Earth. Kang tried to destroy any monarch who did not submit to him, like Ravonna’s father. But Kang fell in love with the stubborn and determined Princess Ravonna, and she also fell in love with him, admitting to it only before her death. In fact, she threw herself in front of a deadly blaster bolt meant for him, dying to save his life. But this was not the end of the Kang/Ravonna romance.

Another variant of Kang eventually plucked a version of Ravonna from the timeline moments before her death, while another Kang preserved her body in stasis, hoping to gain the power of Life (or Death) from the cosmic Grandmaster in a game. A Grandmaster who is far more powerful than his MCU played-by-Jeff Goldblum counterpart. He’d then use the Power of Life to revive her. Although he won the game, he chose the Power of Death to get revenge on the Avengers, instead of the Power of Life to revive Ravonna. Grandmaster revived Ravonna anyway, who was now furious and betrayed that Kang had chosen vengeance on his enemies over his love for her. The lovers were now mortal enemies.

In the Marvel Comics, Ravonna Renslayer Becomes the Terminatrix

Now hellbent on revenge, Ravonna eventually infiltrated the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. Not long after, she took on the very ’90s identity of the Terminatrix. She put Kang in stasis, much as he had done to her when she was presumed dead. She then fought a future variant of herself known as Revelation. After many time travel machinations and attempts at altering her own future, Ravonna and Kang were reunited. And she seemingly forgave him. Then, she literally stabbed him in the back. She went back in time to Timely, Wisconsin in 1903 to start things over with an earlier version of Victor Timely, hoping to rewrite their narrative.

He Who Remains Wiped Ravonna Renslayer’s Memories in the MCU

So how does all that comic lore inform Loki? Earlier in the season, we heard recordings of He Who Remains saying “Ravonna Renslayer, you are quite a marvel. I would be proud to lead with you. Thank you, for being on my team.” Now, we know these very words to her were spoken by He Who Remains after the Multiversal War. But He Who Remains betrayed her and sent her back to the TVA and enacted Protocol 42, which saw her and all the other TVA employees have their memories wiped. It’s also why Agent Mobius doesn’t remember He Who Remains. He wiped Mobius’ mind of all knowledge of him and replaced it with false memories of the Time Keepers. We’ll see how this anger and betrayal leads to a changed, and more dangerous, Ravonna Renslayer in the remainder of Loki’s second season. Maybe we’ll see the Terminatrix after all.

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The Infinity Stones were the greatest movie MacGuffins of all time, in the forefront of the first 22 MCU films. Thanks to Thanos’ quest, even your grandma knows about these all-powerful gems, created at the dawn of time. Well, Thanos may have destroyed the stones in Endgame, but now you can own the next best thing. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, Marvel and East Continental Gems announced the launch of the official Infinity Collection of Gemstones. And now, the time has arrived to begin buying… If you have a Tony Stark-sized fortune at your disposal anyway. The set is valued at $25 million.

The real-life Infinity Gems will be on display in New York for a limited time at the ECG Concept showroom. Fans can purchase the Infinity Gems, but ECG will also have more affordable options available. They’ll reveal the Jarvis Series of gems which are 2-carats and start at $225 each. Other MCU-inspired collectibles at the store will include mini Infinity Gauntlet statues and an Eye of Agamotto.

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The Most Powerful Rocks in the Known Universe

Each of the Infinity Stones are remnants of singularities that predated the Universe. Of course, their values in the Marvel Universe cannot be imagined because of the powers each stone carries. But this collection is primed to become one of the most valuable Marvel collectible items. The six stones combined are over 150 carats and come with a total estimated value surpassing $25 million. In a statement, Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Consumer Products said the following.

Fans and collectors are a very important consumer for Marvel, since they truly live the Marvel lifestyle every day and are always seeking to connect with the brand in new and unique ways. We feel this authentic gemstone collection is cool and unexpected and extends the reach of the Marvel brand

Each of the Stones will be displayed in an exclusive Infinity Gauntlet customized to house these gems. Gentle Giant Ltd created the Gauntlet. They are the industry leader in the high-end collectible toys and consumer products sold throughout the world. Below is a description of each of the real-life stones and what they represent in the Marvel Universe:

The Time Stone

The Time Stone is a Colombian emerald that is rare and brilliant in color. Experts suggest they minded this stone at the turn of the century. Somewhere in a location that produces the most desirable emerald green. Documented by four prestigious gemology laboratories, this gem has no treatment, nearing 23 carats.

About the Time Stone in the Marvel Universe. This unique Marvel artifact is at the center of the Marvel Universe itself. The Time Stone has the ability to manipulate time, even in places beyond time.

The Space Stone

The Space Stone is a 30-carat sapphire from the island of Madagascar. Here is what we know about the Space Stone in the Marvel Universe. It allows its user to exist in any location, and move through different realities. Also, it allows one to warp or rearrange space, and teleport across planes regardless of the laws of physics or magical barriers. It even allows for omnipresence.

The Reality Stone

The Reality Stone is a 15-carat oval-shaped, natural ruby from Mozambique, Africa. In the Marvel Universe, things that would normally be impossible to realize are made possible with the Reality Stone. And on a universal scale. In other words, aside from the power to will anything in or out of existence, it can retroactively create alternate realities around those changes.

The Power Stone

The Power Stone is a 35-carat oval-shaped, natural amethyst. About the Power Stone in the Marvel Universe – The biggest mystery of all the Stones may be the Power Stone. The Power Stone allows its users to access and manipulate all forms of energy as well as enhance their own physical strength and durability. At full potential, the Power Stone can even grant omnipotence!

Notably, this jewel also boosts the effects of the five other Stones; it’s like a kind of key to start the engine of the Infinity Stones as a single collective force. The ultimate power behind the Power Stone—and why it sits at a place of honor on the Infinity Gauntlet—does not necessarily come from the Stone itself, but from how the Stone interacts with the others.

The Soul Stone

The Soul Stone is this cushion-shaped, spessartite, exceeding 35 carats. About the Soul Stone in the Marvel Universe – The first to appear of all the Stones, the Soul Stone served as inspiration for all the rest. It can manipulate the soul and essence of a person, control life and death, and contains a pocket dimension called the Soul World.

The Mind Stone

The Mind Stone is a high clarity, intense color rectangular brilliant cut yellow diamond, close to 35 carats. About the Mind Stone in the Marvel Universe – The Mind Stone allows its user to enhance their mind, awaken or heighten psionic abilities like telepathy and telekinesis, and—when combined with the Power Stone—even access all minds in existence concurrently. In the spirit of the Mind Stone, we’re taking a look at the minds responsible for some of the most significant Infinity Stone stories ever!

No word yet on if purchasing all the stones and getting a gauntlet to go with them will unlock the powers of the universe for its wearer. Maybe you can find out if you visit East Continental Gems’ showroom. Get all the details here.

Originally published on October 26, 2022.

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What is canon and what is not to the MCU has been a topic of fervent fan debate for years. Is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which referenced the events of Avengers, actual MCU canon? What about the former Netflix shows like Daredevil, which also made mention of Avengers like Captain America and Thor? Well, we now have an answer to that question from the guy in charge, Kevin Feige. In his introduction to the book Marvel Studios: The Marvel Cinematic Universe—An Official Timeline, he wrote the following:

On the Multiverse note, we recognize that there are stories—movies and series—that are canonical to Marvel but that were created by different storytellers during different periods of Marvel’s history. The timeline presented in this book is specific to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline through Phase 4. But, as we move forward and dive deeper into the Multiverse Saga, you never know when timelines may crash or converge (hint, hint/spoiler alert).

FYI, our own Editor-in-Chief Amy Ratcliffe cowrote that book.

So, in short, everything utilizing Marvel characters, whether produced by Marvel Studios or not, is part of a branched timeline in the overall Marvel Multiverse. Some we already knew about. The original Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and the Marc Webb Amazing Spider-Man films? No Way Home confirmed them as Multiverse canon. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirmed Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Deadpool 3 is set to canonize Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Even if these are variants of the Fox X-Men films, it indicates all those movies are also Multiverse canon.

Also, with clips of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s respective Peter Parkers in Across the Spider-Verse, not to mention the appearance of Donald Glover in his MCU role as the Prowler in that film, those animated films also exist in the overall MCU Multiverse tapestry. Will movies like Ang Lee’s Hulk, Sony’s Ghost Rider films, and others get included in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars? Well, Jennifer Garner as Elektra in Deadpool 3 suggests it’s all on the table now. Heck, why not Howard the Duck? Stranger things have happened.

Right now, the MCU is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. By a lot too, with $29 billion dollars total. By contrast, the #2 slot goes to the Star Wars franchise, which is a distant second at $10 billion. But if the MCU now includes pre-Marvel Studios films? Oh man, then does that number ever go up. The mutant franchise at Fox adds $10 billion to that sum. The non-MCU Spider-Man films? About $8 billion total. Even the Fantastic Four films have collectively made $800 million. Throw in a couple of Blade films, we’re talking about a franchise that has made some $50 billion dollars. Easily the biggest success story in Hollywood history. And a record we’re likely never going to see surpassed in our lifetimes. In the meantime, we’re just excited to see Hugh Jackman take on Tobey Maguire while Deadpool just laughs at them both.

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In the third episode of Loki season two, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief and agent Mobius travel to the 1893 World’s Fair, in an effort to find a variant of He Who Remains. In the World’s Fair pavilion for the country of Norway, they see wooden carvings of their ancient gods. There’s Odin, Thor… and Balder the Brave. In the MCU series, Loki scoffs at Balder’s inclusion in the pantheon, saying “nobody cares about Balder.” But whatever Loki says, in Marvel Comics, Balder is indeed a key member of Thor’s supporting cast who has been conspicuously absent from the MCU. With confirmation now that Balder exists in the MCU, we never know when he might appear in the flesh. But just who is Marvel’s Balder the Brave?

Here’s the comics history of Balder, why he wasn’t in the MCU until this Loki season two mention, and how Balder nearly made his MCU debut previously.

The Marvel Comics History of Balder the Brave

Long before his Loki appearance, Marvel Comics introduced Balder the Brave in one of the earliest Thor stories, 1962’s Journey into Mystery #85. This story was written and illustrated by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who created Balder. This issue not only introduced Balder, but also Loki, Odin, Heimdall, and most of the other Asgardian gods. For years, Marvel Comics portrayed Balder as Thor’s trusted friend and battle companion, even though Balder was described him in Norse mythology as Thor’s brother. (We’ll get to that.) In Marvel’s comics, Thor and Balder trained together growing up, and no one was a fiercer ally to Thor.

The Marvel Powers of Balder the Brave

Like all of Marvel’s Asgardians, Balder’s abilities include heightened strength, speed, and invulnerability, but he also controls vast light powers. Only Thor was arguably a better warrior than Balder. In addition to the other powers, Balder can create powerful light blasts, manipulate light to appear invisible, and make clouds of mist. And just as Thor has his enchanted hammer in the Marvel universe, Balder has an enchanted sword Svraden, that allows him to teleport.

Because of Odin’s paranoia regarding Balder’s prophesied death triggering Ragnarok, he had his wife Frigga place an enchantment on him. One that would make him invulnerable to all harm, at least while in the Asgardian realm. The belief was that if they could not kill Balder, it would not trigger Ragnarok.

Balder the Brave’s One Weakness and Loki

Balder did have one very odd weakness, however. Balder the Brave remained vulnerable to, of all things, mistletoe. So often, his enemies laced arrows and other weapons with it hoping to do harm to the Asgardian warrior. Loki, of course, discovered this weakness in Balder, and sought to exploit it and kill Baldur, but was ultimately waylaid in his attempts.

We wonder if the MCU Loki has created a similar weak point for the MCU version of Balder. Loki exploiting Balder’s aversion to mistletoe sure would make for an interesting Loki Marvel Christmas special.

Is Marvel’s Balder Thor’s Best Friend or Thor’s Brother Like in Norse Mythology?

In the 616 universe of Marvel Comics, Marvel did not portray Balder as a Prince of Asgard like Thor or Loki. He believed himself to be a foundling child, taken in as a ward of the Asgardian court. And that was the official company line on Balder for many decades, Balder was Thor’s friend but not his brother. It wasn’t until Thor Vol. 3 #10 in 2008 that Marvel Comics continuity lined up more with Norse mythology with Balder.

Although Balder believed he was only Thor’s friend and a ward of the Asgardian court, he was, in fact, the first son of Odin and Frigga. Odin abandoned him out of fear because the King of Asgard had premonitions about how Balder’s death would cause Ragnarok, the end of all things. He later regretted that decision and took his child back into the court. But he kept his true parentage a secret.

Thor and Balder fought together in many, many battles. And Balder has died and returned to life several times (as have all the Marvel Asgardians). He’s been a stalwart member of Thor’s cast of characters since the earliest days. At the peak of Thor’s comics popularity, under the direction of writer/artist Walter Simonson, Balder the Brave even received his own Marvel mini-series. In more recent years, he’s even been the King of Asgard itself… at least for a brief time. So if he’s so crucial to the overall Thor mythos, why then no Balder the Brave in the MCU?

Does Balder the Brave Appear in the MCU? His Mysterious Absence, Detailed

When Marvel Studios introduced Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in 2011, they managed to introduce most of his most well-known comic book family and supporting cast. There was Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, of course, but also their parents, Odin and Frigga, Heimdall, the Warriors Three, and Lady Sif. But there was one big omission from the comics in the MCU, and that was Thor’s best friend (and sometimes brother) Balder the Brave. A major character from the earliest Thor comics, Balder previously went unmentioned and unseen in any MCU project. This has led many to believe Balder didn’t even exist in the MCU. But now, thanks to Balder’s mention on Loki, we know that’s not true. Balder the Brave has officially appeared in the MCU and he is even part of the main MCU continuity.

But why didn’t Balder the Brave appear in Marvel’s cinematic world until now? There’s never been a concrete answer for Balder’s MCU omission. However, one can guess that Kevin Feige thought another sibling would muddle the rivalry of Thor vs. Loki. Although the MCU could have made Balder just a good friend, the role of the loyal companions was essentially filled by the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Perhaps the MCU thought of Balder as just superfluous? It’s unknown, but until the third episode of Loki season 2, Balder the Brave just didn’t exist in the MCU’s version of Asgard.

Daniel Craig Almost Played Balder in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

When Marvel Studios was developing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we almost got an MCU appearance of Balder the Brave at last. In fact, he was nearly played by James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. Craig was all set to play Balder as a member of the Illuminati on Earth 838. And that would have officially confirmed that the character existed in the greater Marvel multiverse. Elizabeth Olsen also confirmed in interviews that she saw the concept art of Craig as Thor‘s Balder the Brave. Everything was ready to go, until Craig dropped out due to concerns over the pandemic filming. But he was this close to appearing in the MCU.

A Balder Confirmation in the MCU’s Disney+ Series Loki Might Lead to His Arrival 

Even though evidence of Balder appeared before Loki in a branched timeline in the 19th century, he recognized Balder’s statue and knew exactly who he was. And since the Loki of the series is a variant that branched from the Sacred Timeline, it means Balder exists in the main MCU version of Asgard. But where is he? Balder certainly wasn’t on Asgard during the first three Thor movies and didn’t get a mention in Love and Thunder.

Given that we almost got Balder in Multiverse of Madness and his big name drop in Loki, it feels like Balder the Brave is gearing up for an MCU arrival at last.

The post LOKI Makes a Classic Thor Character MCU Canon appeared first on Nerdist.

Episode three of Loki season two on Disney+ introduced us to a variant of He Who Remains. As a child, this variant, Victor Timely, received a TVA instruction manual in the year 1868. This acquisition of future knowledge led him to become an inventor. In Loki, we meet adult Victor Timely at the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, where he is presenting his rudimentary version of the Temporal Loom. Timley gets caught up in the time-traveling shenanigans of Loki and Mobius, who travel to his branched timeline to find him. But how is the MCU’s Victor Timely different from the one found in Marvel Comics? So far, the Victor Timely in Loki is a totally different character from his Marvel Comics counterpart—aside from both being variants of the despotic Kang the Conqueror.

Victor Timely, the Victorian Era Marvel Comics Kang Variant

In Marvel Comics, the Victor Timely variant of Kang the Conqueror first appeared in 1992’s Avengers Annual #21. Writer Peter Sanderson and artist Rich Yanizeski created him. In that issue, we learned this Kang variant traveled back to Wisconsin on January 1, 1901, the first day of the new century. Once there, he established the town of Timely. He named it after his newly assumed name, Victor Timely. This small town, with its quaint All-American Victorian feel, would serve as a 20th-century base for his future self. From this chronal vantage point, Timely would eventually evolve into the Prime Kang and make life miserable for the Avengers.

The relatively immortal Victor Timely became an industrialist, turning Timely into a boom town of industry. He became a business rival of people like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. As the 20th century unfolded, Timely faked his death repeatedly. He would then assume the identity of his own son Victor Timely Jr., then Victor Timely III, and on and on. He introduced very advanced technology to unsuspecting scientists of the time. Timely was the man who introduced the concept of androids to Dr. Phineas Horton. The same man eventually created the first android Human Torch in 1939. The Torch, in the comics, would also become the basis for the synthezoid Avenger, the Vision.

Timely, Wisconsin and Kang’s City of Chronopolis

Timely, Wisconsin also became the hub from which Kang would create the city of Chronopolis. Existing outside normal time and space, Chronopolis would serve as a hub for Kang’s conquest of all known time periods. Various eras of history intersected in Chronopolis, only perceivable to Kang himself. It eventually bled into the realm of Limbo, which exists outside of time. It’s something very similar to how the Time Variance Authority functions on Loki.  

The MCU Victor Timely and How He Differs from Marvel Comics’ Version

The MCU Victor Timely on Loki does not seem to be a Kang from the future who has settled in the past. That is, unless they throw some last-minute twist at us. From what we can tell, Loki‘s Victor Timely was born in the 19th century when Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes interfered in his life and created the version of Victor Timely we see in 1893. From all indications, it appears the MCU’s Victor Timely belongs to that time and that he isn’t a future Kang who went back in time. The main similarity between the comics and the MCU is that Victor Timely is an assumed name. We may never know what the true birth names of the Kangs really are.

The MCU Victor Timely may actually evolve into Kang during Loki‘s run and may even be the same version from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But for now, Victor Timley’s ultimate MCU fate and future are some of the big questions the Loki series sets up. We’re interested in what we’ll learn about Timely going forward.

The post How LOKI Season 2 Reimagined Marvel Comics’ Victor Timely appeared first on Nerdist.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel’ head honcho’s Kevin Feige announced the MCU’s wild Phase Five lineup and even a little bit of Phase Six. The slate will introduce all new characters and stories, but it will also revisits some of the characters we know and love too—characters like Carol Danvers. Brie Larson will reprise the role of the hero in the Captain Marvel sequel, officially known as The Marvels, and she’ll be joined by Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau.

But there may also be other surprise guests in the movie. The latest trailer for The Marvels teases that a Thor character may cameo in the film. In The Marvels trailer, we see the iconic Asgardian bifrost appear and Captain Marvel notes, “I called a friend.” Interestingly, the beginning of the trailer flashes back to the moment many of the MCU’s women joined forces, including Captain Marvel and a Thor character Valkyrie. Could Carol have called Valkyrie to assist her in whatever struggles take place during The Marvels? We’ll have to wait and see. But we’d certainly be happy if she did.

Here’s everything we know about The Marvels.

Title

The Captain Marvel sequel is titled The Marvels.

The Marvels’ Plot

We don’t quite know what Brie Larson’s intergalactic warrior will be dealing with in her next venture. She became a full-fledged Avenger after the Snap, but she’s served more as a cosmic independent contractor than as one of Earth’s regular protectors. She was busy keeping the entire universe safe, only returning to Earth to help defeat Thanos. But a synopsis for The Marvels, along with its latest trailer, reveals more about what we can expect from the movie. It shares:

In Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” 

Additionally, we know that, unlike the first Captain Marvel film, the sequel takes place in the present.

Behind the Scenes

Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct The Marvels. This is a change from the first film; Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed that one. In January 2023, Marvel revealed the film’s slate of writers including DaCosta, Megan McDonnell (WandaVision), Zeb Wells (Amazing Spider-Man comic series), and Elissa Karasik (Loki). All of these people are obviously well-versed in the Marvel universe, so we can expect this film to fall in line with our MCU norms.

The Marvels‘ Cast

Brie Larson will return. But who’s joining her? Iman Vellani, who played Ms. Marvel in a Disney+ TV series, will appear in The Marvels. Teyonah Parris, who plays a grown-up Monica Rambeau in WandaVision, will reprise her role for the sequel. Nick Fury will return too.

According to Deadline, Velvet Buzzsaw actress Zawe Ashton will play the villain in the film. We don’t yet know which character she’ll play. Park Seo-joon has also joined The Marvels‘ cast.

The Marvels‘ Release Date

The Marvels is scheduled for release on November 10, 2023.

Originally published on January 23, 2021.

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For Marvel Studios’ upcoming film The Marvels, it seems the story is not leaning into some of the more well-known villains from the pages of Marvel Comics. In fact, what appears to be the film’s “big bad” is a fairly obscure character. One that even the most die-hard Marvel fans have likely forgotten about. Here’s what we know about Marvel’s Kree leader Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton in the Captain Marvel movie, their comic book origins, and how they factor into The Marvels and the overall MCU.

Who Is Marvel Comics’ Dar-Benn?

So just who is The Marvels‘ upcoming villain Dar-Benn in Marvel’s comics? Dar-Benn is a very minor Marvel Comics villain in the grand scheme of things, making only two appearances in the early ‘90s comics. The comics introduced Dar-Benn in the cosmic Marvel crossover Operation: Galactic Storm, in 1991’s issue #53 of Silver Surfer. A general in the great Kree Empire, Dar-Benn, along with Kree general Ael-Dann, coordinated a plot to assassinate a Kree leader named Clumsy Foulup. (Yes, that was his name. The ‘90s comics were not subtle). Aliens known as Cotati put Foulup in a leadership position. The generals later assassinated Foulup using an imposter robot Silver Surfer, leaving Dar-Benn and Ael-Dann as co-rulers of Marvel’s Kree Empire. However, this was a brief reign.

A brutal tyrant, Dar-Benn considered himself superior to the previous Kree leader. He saw that ruler as weak and believed they should eliminate him. Even the infamous Kree villain Ronan the Accuser was viewed as weak by Marvel Comics’ Dar-Benn. But Dar-Benn met his match when the Shi’ar leader Deathbird, often a foe of the X-Men and Carol Danvers, killed his right-hand man Ael-Dann in front of him. It wasn’t long after that Deathbird killed Dar-Benn too, and she became the new leader of the Kree Empire, now calling herself Viceroy Cal’syee Neramani. The minds of Dar-Benn and Ael-Dann were ultimately absorbed into the Kree Supreme Intelligence, and that was the end of Dar-Benn in Marvel Comics, at least for now. Often MCU appearances can bring comic book resurrections.

The MCU’s Dar-Benn Is the Villain in The Marvels

In the MCU, Marvel gender-swapped Dar-Benn, who is now an Accuser of the Kree Empire. This is much like Ronan’s title in Captain Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy. It appears that the MCU version of Dar-Benn blames Carol for the fracturing of her planet’s dominance of the galaxy. We assume this is something that happened after the events of the first Captain Marvel movie. So it appears Dar-Benn’s mission in The Marvels is twofold—establish a new Kree Empire, and get revenge on Carol Danvers.

What Are Dar Benn’s Powers in The Marvels?

As a very skilled Kree warrior, Dar Benn is an expert in armed and unarmed combat. Usually, they wield either a gun or a staff that dispels a very deadly energy beam. In images we’ve seen from The Marvels, it seems Dar-Benn holds the Warhammer, or “cosmi-rod,” of a Kree Accuser.

Dar-Benn’s Bangle

Another deviation from Marvel Comics is that the MCU version of Dar-Benn seems to wear a bangle similar to the one worn by Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan. We don’t know for sure yet, but this implies that the mythologies of Ms. Marvel and her ancestors, citizens of the Noor, are tied into the Kree in some way. And also, perhaps, so are the Ten Rings from Shang-Chi. We’ll be interested to see what role the bangle plays in the hand of The Marvels‘ villain.

Who Plays Dar-Benn in The Marvels?

Actress and filmmaker Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn in The Marvels. She’s famous for her roles in Not Safe for Work and the Netflix horror thriller film Velvet Buzzsaw. She has one other rather big MCU connection, though. She and Tom Hiddleston, a.k.a. Loki, are a couple.

The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris, is scheduled for release on November 10, 2023.

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Most characters in the MCU draw inspiration from those in the pages of Marvel’s comics. Sometimes, two characters are combined. But usually, it’s a character or characters with a long history, often going back decades. And then, there’s Prince Yan D’Aladna (Park Seo-joon), soon to star in The Marvels. Prince Yan is joining the MCU and making it to the big screen after only one Marvel Comics appearance in an issue of Captain Marvel. Here is everything you should know from Marvel’s comics about alien royalty Prince Yan D’Aladna and everything we know already about the version Park Seo-joon will play in The Marvels.

Prince Yan D’Aladna’s First Marvel Comics Appearance

In Marvel Comics, Prince Yan of Aladna’s first and so far only appearance happened in 2014’s Captain Marvel (Vol.8) issue #9. The issue has Carol Danvers, who had only recently become Captain Marvel, and her alien sidekick Tic journeying to the distant world Aladna to help a mutant rock star, Lila Cheney, who also happened to be a cosmic adventurer. Lila Cheney had the mutant power to teleport across the cosmos, which led her to many entanglements with the X-Men and Carol over the years. Now, Lila found herself trapped in an unwanted engagement with alien royalty, and needed her old friend Carol to bail her out. In Prince Yan’s world, everyone has to rhyme when they speak. Good times.

Prince Yan’s Connection to an X-Men Character

When she was a child, and her mutant powers first manifested, young Lila Cheney transported herself to Aladna and fell for the planet’s handsome prince. Lila was an Earth mutant of considerable power who once dated Xavier’s student Cannonball. In Prince Yan d’Aladna’s world, only women could choose their lifemates. Being from Earth, Lila didn’t realize that when she chose Prince Yan, it was a real commitment that would have to be honored. When she returned to Aladna as an adult, they forced Lila to marry Prince Yan, even though neither of them wanted that.

Prince Yan asked Captain Marvel to help him stop the ceremony by formally objecting. During the ceremony, Marlo of Sleen, who wished to rule Aladna, appeared, intending to defeat Lila in combat and marry Yan. Carol represented Lila in battle and won. Now officially betrothed to Yan, Captain Marvel offered him the right to choose whoever he wanted to marry. Hoping to avoid the possibility of Yan being denied the crown if he attempted not to marry, Tic volunteered to become Yan’s wife. Once he became king, Yan abolished this rule of Aladna.

What Are Prince Yan’s Powers?

As far as we know, Prince Yan D’Aladna doesn’t have any superpower, at least not in Marvel’s comics. However, like everyone on his home planet, Yan can always speak and carry on a full conversation totally in rhyme. Essentially, all of Aladna’s people speak musically. So, that’s kind of a power? We’ll have to see if Park Seo-joon’s MCU Prince Yan develops any other powers in The Marvels.

Is Prince Yan Captain Marvel’s Husband?

Although Carol Danvers won the right to marry Prince Yan, she decided not to. She allowed the Prince to choose his own consort. Or rather, the consort chose him. So no, Carol is not married to the Prince in the Marvel Comics and is, therefore, not secret alien royalty. However, that did not stop him from being flirty with her. It remains to be seen how the MCU relationship between Captain Marvel and Yan D’Aladna unrolls in The Marvels and if they end up entangled in some kind of marriage plotline.

Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan D’ Aladna in the MCU

We also don’t know yet how Park Seo-joon’s version of Prince Yan in The Marvels will differ from his comic book counterpart more globally. We don’t think Lila Cheney is in this movie, so that aspect of his comic book storyline probably won’t play out in the same way. And Prince Yan doesn’t have the Davie Bowie-esque lightning bolt image over his eye in the MCU. Park Seo-joon’s The Marvels character also definitely feels like a warrior prince in this film, something the 616 universe Prince Yan really wasn’t. Or didn’t seem to be.

We’ll learn more about Prince Yan d’Aladna, his relationship with Captain Marvel, and whether Park Seo-joon is actually playing him when The Marvels hits theaters on November 10.

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Carol Danvers joined the MCU in 2019 with her own standalone movie, but the powerful superhero won’t be the only “marvel” appearing in her sequel. Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau will star alongside the former pilot in The Marvels. How will these three come together? What moments in their past led them to a future working together? And will Nick Fury be a part of their story? Here’s everything you need to remember from Captain Marvel, WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion before The Marvels flies into theaters.

Who Are the MCU’s Marvels?

The Marvels will feature the trio of Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau. While they have shared specific superhero monikers at various times in Marvel Comics, each goes by a different name in the MCU. (One of which we know for sure thanks to official toys.)

Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers

Nick Fury paged Carol Danvers for help in Avengers: Infinity War before Brie Larson even made her MCU debut. Captain Marvel then revealed how the United States Air Force pilot became one of the most formidable cosmic beings in the universe. She gained incredible powers when an explosion of energy exposed her to the space stone inside the Tesseract. The Infinity Stone, along with an infusion of Kree blood, imbued her with super strength, speed, agility, durability, and more.

She also gained the ability to fly (including through space without a helmet), emit energy blasts, and generate intense heat. Once she unlocked her full potential Carol Danvers was strong enough to overwhelm Thanos. He needed the Power Stone to fight her.

The explosion that gave her powers also caused Carol to experience total memory loss. That made it possible for the Kree to manipulate their powerful new soldier, whom they called “Vers” thanks to her partially ruined military dog tag. Vers was loyal and dedicated, but she turned on the Kree after learning the truth about her past and mentor. Carol then became an ally to her former enemies the Skrulls. She and her new friend Nick Fury helped save the Skrulls before she left Earth again. Carol Danvers returned to her home world after the Snap and joined the Avengers, but she soon returned to space so she could help maintain order on other planets. Her many years away from Earth led to a rift between Carol and the daughter of her best friend, Maria Rambeau.

Carol Danvers last appeared in the MCU as a hologram during a Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings mid-credits scene.

Ms. Marvel – Kamala Khan

The Disney+ series Ms. Marvel introduced young Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan to the MCU. Jersey City’s biggest Avengers fan joined the superhero ranks herself after she accidentally unlocked innate powers while wearing a magical wrist bangle. Kamala’s special abilities, which include stretching her own body, let her both manipulate and generate light into physical matter (“hard light”) both big and small. She does that by accessing energy from the parallel Noor Dimension. That extra-dimensional world was her great grandmother’s original home.

Kamala Khan’s abilities do not come solely from the Noor Dimension. Other Noor people like her grandmother had been stuck on Earth for decades without being able to access their home dimension’s powers. In the show’s season one finale, Kamala’s best friend Bruno figured out why. He discovered Kamala is different because she has a strange genetic mutation. If there were any doubt what that meant for both Kamala and the MCU, part of the X-Men: The Animated Series theme song played during the scene. That all but confirmed Kamala as the MCU’s first official mutant.

Read more about the MCU’s superhero-loving superhero with Kamala Khan’s Powers In Ms. Marvel, Explained, as well as our piece Why Ms. Marvel’s X-Men Revelation Is Exciting.

Photon – Monica Rambeau

Monica Rambeau made her MCU debut in Captain Marvel, which took place in 1995. Akira Akbar played the young version of the character in the film. Teyonah Parris took over the role as the adult Monica on Disney+’s WandaVision, set in 2023. The show revealed Monica’s mother Maria had died after the Snap (which turned Monica to dust) and before the Blip. During Carol Danvers long absence, the former pilot Maria had established S.W.O.R.D. Her daughter ultimately followed in her mom’s footsteps by joining the government organization.

(A Variant of Maria appeared in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati. In that world Maria became Captain Marvel rather than Carol.)

On WandaVision Monica passed through the Scarlet Witch’s Hex—the magical barrier around Wanda’s false utopian sitcom city—multiple times. Each time she did it rewrote her body’s cells on a molecular level. Monica Rambeau’s third and final push into Westview ultimately turned her into a super powered being. The Hex tried to rip her apart, but Monica fought back by focusing on her past and her mother. When she emerged intact on the other side of the Hex she had super reflexes, energy absorption, and intangibility, which makes it so she can let objects pass through her. Monica also gained spectral vision that lets her see energy waves. Her eyes glow when she uses her powers.

In WandaVision‘s closing moments Nick Fury had a secret Skrull operative tell Monica he wanted the new superhero to join him on the S.A.B.E.R. station in outer space.

Dive deeper into Photon’s story with our explainers on Monica Rambeau’s Super Powers and our piece on Wandavision’s Mid-Credits Scene.

How Ms. Marvel’s Season One Finale Set Up The Marvels

The story of The Marvels began during a mid-credits scene in Ms. Marvel‘s season one finale. It began when Kamala’s bangle started glowing. Kamala then disappeared as someone crashed into her closet. It was Carol Danvers, whose hands were emanating the same cosmic glow as Kamala’s ancient artifact.

Why Is Kamala Khan’s Bangle So Important?

Kamala’s bangle is one of two we know exists. Ms. Marvel never fully explained where it came from or why it’s so important, other than the Noor wanted both and Kamala’s grandmother used magic to send it to Kamala. It also sends Kamala where she needs to go even if she doesn’t know why. That’s how she went to the past to save her family long before she was born.

We do know her grandmother found it in a temple that has connections to Shang-Chi’s magical Ten Rings (which very well might be of alien origin themselves). More importantly, the Noor ClanDestine outcasts found the bangle on a severed blue hand that looked a lot like a Kree body part. The bangle also shares many traits with Marvel Comics Nega-Bands, which could explain exactly what it is and why it switched Kamala and Carol’s places in the universe.

To learn more about Kamala’s bangle, her swap with Carol Danvers, and the Nega-Bands read Ms. Marvel Finale’s Mid-Credits Scene Explained.

Where in the MCU Timeline Does The Marvels Take Place?

The Marvels will take place after Ms. Marvel, which took place in the fall of 2025. The Captain Marvel sequel will also take place after Secret Invasion. That ended with Nick Fury returning to outer space aboard the S.A.B.E.R. ship. He’ll be working with his old friend and her two unexpected partners in the film. All three of them are stuck in a quantum entanglement together.

Trailers for The Marvels revealed Monica Rambeau not only took Fury up on the job offer at the end of WandaVision, she was also part of the switch that took place with Carol and Kamala. When that bangle began to glow Carol ended up in Kamala’s room, Kamala took Monica’s place in space, and Monica went to wherever Carol was at the moment. When one of them uses their powers it causes all three to swap places across the universe.

Not exactly a marvelous situation for the three of them. Especially Monica who doesn’t have much love left for her “aunt” Carol. But that’s exactly why their entanglement should make for an entertaining film when The Marvels go higher, further, and faster together on November 10.

Get ready for the MCU’s new team with Everything We Know About The Marvels. It explains why the film’s villain might already answer some of our biggest questions.

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The second episode of Loki season two introduced a reference to a very obscure character from the pages of Marvel Comics—the murderous and monstrous Zaniac. We actually learned in Loki season two’s second chapter that TVA Hunter X-05, played by Rafael Casal, actually was an actor who portrayed Zaniac in 1970s movies. It’s something he did when he escaped into the past of the Sacred Timeline. But who is this long-forgotten Marvel baddie? Here’s the comic book history of the killer called Zaniac.

In the comics, Zaniac was a villain who first appeared in Thor #319, back in 1982. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Keith Pollard, this wild villain remains a relatively obscure one from the God of Thunder’s pantheon of bad guys. While most of Thor’s main villains are other mythological beings, occasionally, he battled a more Earth-bound villain like Zaniac. Although, Zaniac’s powers came from otherworldly forces. So god or not, he was definitely more than a mere human.

Who Is Zaniac in Marvel Comics?

In the late 19th century, Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension and mortal enemy of Doctor Strange, exiled an entity to Earth to possess a mortal human to be his agent of chaos. This being attached itself to a deformed and shunned man named Tom Malverne, a man harboring bitter resentment for the way the world treated him. With the power of this entity within him, Malverne went on a murderous rampage in 1888 London, where he butchered five women. He became the serial killer we know as Jack the Ripper. Once the person it possessed died, the entity continued to possess as the decades went on.

Also, this is the basic idea for the original Star Trek episode “Wolf in the Fold.”

Zaniac Fights Thor

This brings us to the modern day. A movie star by the name of Brad Wolfe was filming a slasher movie at the University of Chicago, which was where many early experiments for the Manhattan Project took place. While in costume as the film’s slasher villain, the Zaniac, Wolfe found himself trapped in a nuclear explosion. A pyrotechnics accident on set triggered residual radiation from the Manhattan Project experiments of the 1940s, causing this explosion. Wolfe gained incredible super strength and could create energy knives with a thought. Clad in the killer’s movie costume, he became the Zaniac.

The Entity drove Wolfe to madness; it also amplified Wolfe’s already inherent misogyny. He began to act out the movie’s plotlines. He kidnapped Shawna Lynde, a friend of Thor’s alter-ego Dr. Donald Blake. Thor saved Shawna from Zaniac, but Zaniac got away. He then attempted to act out the movie’s ending in real life, which involved murdering dozens of innocent women. Victims he called his “pretty pretties”. Luckily, Thor ended Zaniac’s plans. Zaniac only appeared a few more times, and Marvel killed him off in 1986’s Thor #372, a story where the Time Variance Authority appears.

How Zaniac Ties into Loki Season Two

In the second episode of Loki’s second season, we found outTVA hunter X-05, upon learning the truth about the Timekeepers, retreated into a new life on the Sacred Timeline, in the year 1977. He used the name Brad Wolfe, which might have been his true name. Much like the comics, this Brad Wolfe was a movie star. He played a character named Zaniac in a film of the same name. However, the similarities ended there with his comic counterpart. Zaniac was just an acting role for MCU Brad, not a being who possessed him. Loki eventually takes him back to the TVA as a prisoner. Will his Zaniac past come up again? Maybe when Marvel Studios does Wonder Man we’ll learn the superhero/actor is now starring in a modern reboot! We definitely think that would be a fun connection.

Originally published on July 31, 2023.

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In a perfect world we’d be waiting for a very specific movie this fall. We’d be waiting for the premiere of a followup to the 2022 MCU Halloween special Werewolf by Night. The creepy black-and-white tale of monster hunters and their prey remains one of the franchise’s best and most original post-Infinity Saga releases. But while we don’t live in a perfect world, it’s not all bad either. Disney+’s 2023 “Hallowstream” lineup will include the newly announced Werewolf by Night in Color, a special version debuting this October.

And it now this colorful rendition has a scary good trailer.

Hulu subscribers can now catch the original Werewolf by Night on the streamer. Disney added the special starring Gael García Bernal to the site as part of its “Huluween” collection. But customers of the Mouse House’s flagship streaming service will be getting a very different version on October 20.

Marvel Studios’ Werewolf By Night in Color will give viewers an opportunity to see the film in a whole new way. Disney is giving its spooky story a companion version that comes in “vibrant color.”

On Twitter X, director Michael Giacchino said they “spent a lot of time working on this color version” because they “wanted to pay homage to the incredible vibrant color in horror films like the ones Hammer made.” Giacchino said the result is “a whole new look for the film.”

Prior to this trailer we had only seen colorized images from the set thanks to the behind-the-scenes doc Director By Night.

Before we learned of this colorized version we were planning to rewatch the black-and-white original a couple times anyway. Now? We’re still going to do that, we’re just also going to enjoy Werewolf by Night in Color.

Hopefully next year we also have a second original movie to enjoy, too. That won’t make the world perfect, but like this special colorful version it will get us one lycanthrope step closer.

Originally published September 15, 2023.

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In 2020, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, would spring to life from comic pages in her own original series starring Dominique Thorne. Ironheart will be part of Phase Five. While details about the series are still pretty scarce, Riri Williams’ comic history will provide its foundation. We finally met Riri “Ironheart” Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, an appearance that set the stage for diving into her story. Here’s everything you need to know about Ironheart. 

Title

The series title is Marvel Studios’ Ironheart. 

Ironheart‘s Plot

Ironheart will focus on Riri Williams, a brilliant Black girl inventor who creates a high-tech metal suit like Iron Man’s. As we discover in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri is a 19-year-old MIT student who is “running” a homework business. Oh, and she also builds a vibranium detection machine that puts her in the path of Namor, the leader of a underwater nation who is willing to kill her to protect his people. Of course, she’s alive and well at the end of the film and heading back to Massachusetts… for now. Right now, there are no solid details about the show. But it is possible that the show will bounce between her native Chicago and MIT, where MJ and Ned also happen to be.

Behind the Scenes 

Playwright, poet, and Snowpiercer writer Chinaka Hodge will lead the show’s writing team as a head writer. According to Deadline, Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes will direct the series. In addition, Proximity, Ryan Coogler’s production company, will serve as one of the show’s producers. Coogler is also onboard the series as an executive producer alongside Kevin Feige. Ironheart finished filming in November 2022.

Ironheart‘s Cast

Dominique Thorne will take on the leading role of Riri “Ironheart” Williams in the MCU. She will be joined by Anthony Ramos of Hamilton and In the Heights fame, who will play The Hood. This Is Us mainstay Lyric Ross will portray Riri’s best friend. In the comics, Riri’s BFF Natalie died way before she became an iron hero but lived on through N.A.T.A.L.I.E. This AI program takes her friend’s form and they work together much like Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S. did. It remains to be seen if this friend will be alive, appear in flashbacks, or operate as AI in the series. Or, perhaps it is not Natalie at all but rather a new character.

Other cast members include Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Zoe Terakes, Shakira Barrera, Jim Rash, Shea Couleé, Regan Aliyah, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Sonia Denis, Paul Calderón, and Cree Summer.

A new Marvel filing with the U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System also reveals that Sacha Baron Cohen will appear in Ironheart as “Mystery Man.” Very mysterious indeed.

Ironheart‘s Release Date

The Disney+ series doesn’t have a release date yet.

Originally published on March 1, 2022. 

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The chaos of Loki‘s season two premiere began during season one’s finale. When Sylvie killed He Who Remains she upended both the Sacred Timeline and the entire TVA. And yet, the rogue Variant responsible for all that turmoil didn’t appear during season two’s debut until it was already over. A post-credits (more specifically a mid-credits) scene in Loki season two’s first episode revealed where Sylvie headed after leaving the Citadel at the End of Time. She went as far away from the royal court of Asgard as possible. At the very end of Loki’s first episode, Sylvie travels back to 1982 and visits a McDonald’s in a small Oklahoma community on a branch of reality that only exists because of her. This Loki season two, episode one post-credits scene location already had major ties to Marvel Comics. Now it’s home to one of the MCU’s most beautiful scenes.

What Happened in Loki‘s Season 2 Premiere Post-Credits Scene?

Sylvie ended Loki‘s first season in He Who Remains’ Citadel. At the time, she also had the dead TVA’s leader’s TemPad, which was how she opened up a Time Door to kick Loki through. Loki thinks that TemPad might have unique abilities (and he’s almost certainly right).

So what exactly did Loki‘s post-credits scene reveal to us? Well, in its only after-the-credits moment, the show’s season two debut shows us where Sylvie went next after the events of Loki season one. In it, we learn that Sylvie used a Time Door to go to Earth on a new branch that broke from the Sacred Timeline after she murdered He Who Remains. That place was Broxton, Oklahoma, in the year 1982. Her Loki armor would have stood out even in the 21st century, but she made for quite a spectacle when she walked into an ’80s-era American McDonald’s.

Sylvie had spent plenty of time on Earth before, but always under the worst circumstances. She successfully hid from the TVA inside apocalyptic events. Her best method of evasion involved mass casualties with no survivors. But in Loki season two’s post-credits scene, inside that normal McDonald’s, she saw peaceful Earthlings eating and laughing with friends. She then asked the young restaurant manager—who admirably did his job under strange circumstances—how “this works” so she could order food. When he asked her what non-rat and non-possum option she wanted to try, Sylvie smiled and said, “Everything.”

Why Did Sylvie Go to Broxton, Oklahoma on Loki?

Sylvie spent her whole life running from the TVA. The organization took her as a kid without ever telling her what her Nexus Event was. She spent decades fighting to survive, all while planning to bring down the TVA itself.

Once she seemingly did that by killing He Who Remains, she opted for a quiet, easy existence in a place that is the proverbial antithesis of an Asgardian god’s life. The place she sees in Loki‘s post-credits scene is also the antithesis of her own experiences. The TVA is a lifeless, emotionless bureaucracy of death where Variants and timelines are pruned to a Void where a monster eats them. The opposite of that is the quiet beauty and ease of a place like Broxton, Oklahoma on Earth in 1982, a time before cellphones and computers that never knew alien invaders.

Even that McDonald’s, a place totally unremarkable from any of the chain’s other locales, had a simple grace to it. A fast-food burger joint is as unpretentious as the TVA is arrogant. It’s a place designed for people to enjoy a simple pleasure that is so easy to take for granted.

But why Broxton specifically? Why an unincorporated community in Oklahoma’s Caddo County (a real place with less than 7,000 residents) versus the countless other similar locals on Earth? Because Broxton’s Marvel appearances aren’t just limited to Loki season two, episode one’s post-credits scene. Broxton was actually a major location in J. Michael Straczynski’s Thor comic series.

You can read more about Broxton’s Marvel Comics history and how it was briefly New Asgard in our own Eric Diaz’s deep dive.

What Was the Meaning of Loki Season 2’s Post-Credits Scene?

He Who Remains had Loki debating the merits of taking control of the TVA as a necessary evil. Sure, pruning Variants and entire branches might be awful, but isn’t the alternative worse? Aren’t some terrible sacrifices in the name of order better than all-out chaos?

It was easy for Loki to think that way because he never had to deal with being one of those sacrifices. But Sylvie had. She had her entire life stolen from her. She was a person with a home and a family, and the TVA took that away from her, just as it had to every Variant it pruned or stole to do its dirty work. A necessary evil is still evil, and it’s not even clear the TVA was necessary.

When Sylvie walked into that McDonald’s in Loki season two’s post-credits scene, she was finally free. No more running. No more TVA. And no more death. Instead, she found a simple life, the kind where you can sit down and eat a cheeseburger without worry. And while those people didn’t know it, they owed their entire existence to her, one brave individual who wanted nothing more than to let others live.

It was the culmination of Sylvie’s entire life. All that hard work fighting for survival and refusing to give in to evil led to a truly beautiful moment of hope and appreciation. And that was before she got to find out just how good Chicken McNuggets are.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Loki‘s first season ended with He Who Remains dead, the Sacred Timeline in chaos, and Mobius not knowing who Loki was. It seemed Sylvie’s decision to kill the TVA’s leader upended the entire multiverse and all of time itself. Even worse, it seemed Kang the Conqueror or one of his Variants had risen to power amid all the upheaval. But the show’s season two premiere revealed that’s not actually what happened. Loki didn’t end up in a new TVA under a different ruler; he ended up in the same exact TVA’s past. How? Why? When? From time slipping to Temporal Looms, here’s what the premiere of Loki‘s second season revealed about the God of Mischief’s struggle to save both himself and everyone.

What Happened at the End of Loki Season 1?

Loki‘s season one finale revealed He Who Remains, the secret head of the TVA, wanted Loki and Sylvie to replace him. Loki came to believe the Time Variance Authority was a necessary evil after hearing about the Multiversal War. However, Sylvie wanted to free the infinite universe from TVA control. After a lifetime of running from hunters and agents she refused to even discuss taking over the TVA. Instead, Sylvie killed He Who Remains after kicking Loki through a Time Door.

When He Who Remains died the Sacred Timeline went haywire. Mobius and Hunter B-15 watched as a monitor showed the neat, orderly stranding of the multiverse began branching off into total chaos.

Moments later Loki found Mobius and B-15 in a different part of the TVA. He warned them about all the terrible Variants who would now be coming. Except the two TVA employees didn’t know Loki at all. It was as though they’d never met. In the midst of their confusion Loki saw the TVA itself had undergone a transformation. It now featured giant statues of someone who looked like He Who Remains.

Why Was Loki Time Slipping?

Loki‘s season two premiere clarified what actually happened in the show’s season one finale. The murder of He Who Remains did not reset the TVA, time itself, or the multiverse. His death did not cause anything that dramatic. At least not yet. When Sylvie kicked Loki through the Time Door he went to the same TVA’s own past. That’s why Mobius and B-15 didn’t recognize him at the end of season one. That’s also why Loki saw those massive statues. Earlier in the TVA’s history He Who Remains did not hide his identity behind robot Time-Keepers. His face was once everywhere, including on the walls inside TVA offices and in Ozymandias-sized public idols.

Loki thinks he might have ended up in the past because Sylvie opened that Time Door with He Who Remain’s special TemPad. O.B. thinks the branching overloading the Temporal Loom might be responsible. It’s possible one, both, or neither contributed to Loki getting ripped across time in the TVA’s past, present, and future.

As painful as it was to watch, though, Loki’s involuntary journey through time also helped Loki save himself. And it also taught us more about He Who Remains and the TVA’s creation.

What Did Loki‘s Season 2 Premiere Reveal About the TVA’s Past?

Loki listened to an old recording while trapped in the TVA’s past. It featured He Who Remains speaking to Ravonna Renslayer. On the tape He Who Remains said, “For us. For all time.”

After she answered “always,” He Who Remains said, “Ravonna Renslayer, you are quite a marvel. I will be proud to lead with you. You made a difference in this war. Thank you for being on my team.”

During season one of Loki, Renslayer did not know about He Who Remains. Clearly, though, she once knew him quite well. She not only fought for He Who Remains in the Multiversal War, she was marked to co-lead the TVA with him. But at some point after that conversation He Who Remains wiped the memories of Renslayer and everyone else in the TVA.

Loki correctly recognized He Who Remains wiped TVA employees’ minds more than once. None of them remembered the prominent He Who Remains paraphernalia that once adorned the organization. Present day Casey also had no memory of how the floor got cracked despite being there when it happened. That blind spot in Casey’s memory shows least one mind wipe happened after Loki showed up in the past, which is why none of the TVA employees remembered meeting him then. And Mobius also did not fully remember visiting O.B. 400 years prior. (Though it’s unclear if Mobius’ confusion is the result of mind wipes, forgetting the details of a four century old encounter, mixing up similar memories, or a combination of all those things.)

It’s not clear how often or why He Who Remains erased everyone TVA workers’ memory more than once.

Who Is Orobourous and What Is the TVA’s Temporal Loom?

Ke Huy Quan’s Orobourous (O.B. for short) is the lone employee of the TVA’s Repairs & Advancements division. He also wrote the TVA guidebook and is an expert on the device currently holding all of time together.

Despite the Sacred Timeline’s countless branches that began to sprout with the death of He Who Remains, the entire multiverse has yet to collapse. That’s because the Temporal Loom is barely keeping the multiverse from exploding. O.B. called that device “the heart of the TVA.” It refines raw time into a “physical timeline.” It’s not constructed to weave together so many new branches, though, so it’s overloading. To keep the TVA itself safe from that possible blowup, O.B. needed to close the building’s blast doors. But first Loki needed access to the Temporal Loom to save himself.

How Did O.B. and Morbius Stop Loki’s Time Slipping?

Time slipping should be impossible in the TVA since time works differently there. It’s a place that is timeless, as people working inside those walls don’t age over eons. Yet, Loki‘s second season has revealed the TVA still has its own linear timeline with a past, present, and future.

Loki’s time slipping also provided him with a solution. It sent him to the past where he met O.B. During that meeting—which O.B. notably only remembered when confronted with its existence—the technician was able to build the Temporal Aura Extractor, a device that ultimately solved Loki’s problem.

At great personal cost to his own skin, Mobius attached the Extractor to the Temporal Loom. When someone or something then pruned Loki—violently ripping the god from “every strand of time and space”—it sent him out of time. The Extractor then pulled him back into the present and crashing into Mobius. That sent them both behind the safety of the blast doors before they closed.

Without the Extractor in place Loki would have been “lost to time forever.” Instead he’s in the present with Mobius, B-15, and the other TVA employees who do not want to prune branches anymore. They know pruning timelines kills billions of innocent people.

Not everyone at the TVA agrees with this new approach. Dox and her band of heavily armed Hunters headed through a Time Door on a mission. B-15 thinks they’ve accumulated too much fire power to only be going after Sylvie, but what exactly they have planned is unclear.

What is clear is that a lot of what we thought we knew at the end of Loki‘s first season was wrong. Clearly we don’t/didn’t/won’t slip into the past ourselves after seeing the show’s season two premiere.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on  Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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In the post-credits scene in the first episode of Loki season two, we finally find out what happened to Sylvie after her killing of He Who Remains. She actually went to a branched timeline, in the town of Broxton, Oklahoma in 1982. She wanders into a local McDonald’s establishment and sees the customers just living their ordinary lives. So she decides to stay there. But why would an Asgardian god want to live in a small town in the American Midwest? Well, there actually is a comic book precedent for Asgardians hanging out in this particular Oklahoma town, believe it or not.

Broxton, Oklahoma Was Home to Asgard in the Thor Comics of J. Michael Straczynski

Broxton first appeared in writer J. Michael Stracyinski’s celebrated run on Thor, which began in 2007. After the events of Ragnarok and the death of all the Asgardians, they are all ultimately reborn once more. Only this time, the Asgardians are mortals with no memory of their godly lives. Thor eventually awakens to his true self and recreates the City of Asgard close to the town of Broxton, OK, a mere few miles away.

For some months, the ordinary citizens of the town had to contend with ancient and powerful gods who were living among them. Asgard actually floated above the ground, making it even more off-putting to the nervous Broxton residents. Thor actually paid for the use of the land with Asgardian treasure, even if it took him some time to do so.

Lady Loki First Appeared During the Broxton Era of Thor

Interestingly enough, Loki during his time in Broxton took the form of a woman. It was the first time they portrayed Loki as female, at least for an extended time. Since Loki is the God of Mischief, when he was reborn he took the form that they originally intended for Lady Sif. But the truth is, in comics as well as actual Norse mythology, they have always described Loki as genderfluid. So the Lady Loki we met in Broxton was actually the same Loki as the one we’d always known in a different form. Unlike Sylvie, who is a variant from another timeline. But it’s fitting that a version of the Trickster God that’s a woman resides in Broxton in both the comics as well as the MCU.

The Sad End of Broxton in the Pages of Marvel Comics

Hopefully, MCU Broxton receives a better fate than the one in the pages of the comics. Obviously, a floating City of Asgard nearby placed a huge target on the small town. The often corrupt company Roxxon, a longtime enemy of the Thunder God’s, started “investing” in Broxton. Sadly, the town became wrecked as a result. It was their evil CEO’s plan to blame the Asgardians for what befell the town. When the Asgardians finally left, they allowed their Everlasting Fountain and Bountiful Tree to remain there. But the town was later totally destroyed when the God of Hammers annihilated it just to spite his nemesis, Thor. Ultimately, this poor small American town paid the price for its association with these higher beings.

The “ancient Asgardian god in a tiny American town” was the basis for the first Thor film back in 2011. Only there, they changed it to a New Mexico town instead of one in Oklahoma. Thor: Love and Thunder also played with the concept of Asgard coming to a small human town and integrating. Now, Broxton has arrived in live-action thanks to Loki. Hopefully, nothing terribly sinister happens to the poor Broxton in the MCU, as it did in the comic books. It seems like a nice chill town. And that McDonald’s that Sylvie pops in gives us all the retro vibes we love. And yes, there actually is a real town named Broxton in Oklahoma, near Caddo County. Hey, if Marvel can use real big cities like New York and Los Angeles, then why not real small towns?

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The Disney+ Loki series is all about Loki, of course. His name is right there in the title. But for fans of the MCU, Loki was a departure from the Loki story they were used to seeing. For so long, Loki and Thor had incredibly interlinked MCU narratives . But in Loki, the trickster god has had to go it alone. Still, the presence of Thor hovers around the character and the expectations of fans. In many ways, it’s good to see Loki without Thor. But after a while, the natural question starts to bubble up. Will Loki and Thor have an MCU reunion? Well, it sounds like even though Thor and Loki might not reunite in the Disney+ series, the show is doing the hard work to get Loki to a place where he could be a meaningful part of a future reunion.

Speaking to Variety in the run-up to Loki season two, executive producer Kevin Wright discussed whether Loki would return to the world of the MCU at large. He offered, “That’s the hope. I don’t want to — yeah. I think the the sun shining on Loki and Thor once again has always been the priority of the story we’re telling. But for that meeting to really be fulfilling, we have to get Loki to a certain place emotionally. I think that’s been the goal of these two seasons.”

Cue the tears from many a Thor and Loki fan. In Avengers: Infinity War, Loki tells Thor, “I assure you, brother… the sun will shine on us again.” And although Loki met his death shortly after, the statement felt prophetic. And now, thanks to the Loki series, the door remains open for Thor and Loki to see one another again in the MCU. It’s interesting to hear that preparing for this reunion has been a subtle goal of the Loki series all along. And we hope we’ll get to see it culminate on our screens. Loki does have to meet his new niece, after all. Uncle Loki, it has a nice ring.

While such a thing could be saved for a movie, Wright also discussed the possibility of a Loki season three. He noted, “I think it’s open-ended. We certainly did not develop this season going, ‘We have to tee up Season 3’ — in the way that we did with Season 1, where there was a very specific, ‘Hey, we’re coming back.’ But I also think that where this show goes, there certainly can be many, many, many more stories told with Loki in the Loki world, and in other worlds connected to Loki, the character.”

Maybe, if we’re lucky enough to get a Loki season three, one of those stories can involve Thor. And hopefully, he’ll even be in his human form… Although we’d settle for Frog Thor in a pinch.

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The first season of Loki on Disney+ brought back Tom Hiddleston as the seemingly unkillable Asgardian God of Mischief. It was a huge success. The series introduced MCU fans to the Time Variance Authority, or TVA, who watch over the timeline of the known universe. Loki also formally introduced the concept of the Marvel Multiverse. We also got a perfect foil for Loki in the form of his variant Sylvie. Perhaps most importantly, it’s the only MCU series to get a second season (so far). But what wild adventures through the spacetime continuum will Loki’s second round include?

Here’s everything we know about Loki season two.

Loki Season Two’s Plot

The first season of Loki ended with Sylvie killing He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), thereby erupting the Sacred Timeline and unleashing the Multiverse in full. When Loki returned to the TVA, it was altered in the timeline, and no one remembered him. Not to mention, statues of He Who Remains (or one of his variants more likely) stood tall in the TVA’s halls.

The synopsis for Loki season two says:

Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

We can see what will go down in Loki season two in this Disney+ trailer.

Behind the Scenes

Season one writers Michael Waldron and Eric Martin are coming back, with Martin now the head writer instead of Waldron, and Waldron serving as executive producer. One of the creatives from season one not returning is showrunner Kate Herron, according to a report from Deadline. Co-directing several episodes in season two, also according to Deadline, are Moon Knight’s Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Natalie Holt is also back as the series composer.

Loki Season Two’s Cast

Tom Hiddleston returns, of course, as the titular Loki. Also returning is Owen Wilson as Mobius, Sophia DiMartino as Sylvie, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer. Eugene Cordero as ever-present TVA employee Casey (he’ll play a series regular in season two), and Tara Strong as the voice of Miss Minutes will also come back. No word yet on Jonathan Majors as one of the Kang variants, although the giant statue of him at the end of season one suggests we will see him again.

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is in season two of Loki, but we don’t know details about his role yet. Additionally, Deadline reports that Game of Thrones‘ Kate Dickie will likely play the villain in Loki‘s second season.

Loki Season 2 Release Date

Loki season two will release on October 5, 2023 and 6:00 PM PT/9:00 PM ET.

Originally published on August 24, 2022.

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Since the moment DVDs first arrived on store shelves I’ve been the world’s biggest sucker for deleted scenes. Even when they aren’t very good they still offer fascinating insights into the making of shows and movies. Plus on rare occasions they’re actually great. Both things are true of deleted scenes from the new Blu-ray of Loki season one. They each show the God of Mischief in physical confrontations. That includes a delightful, angry meeting between Loki and Chris Hemsworth’s frog thunder god, Throg.

Disney has shared two bonus deleted scenes from its upcoming Blu-ray release of Loki‘s debut season. The first, titled “Loki’s Coronation,” comes from Mobius’ interrogation of the Asgardian prince, when the TVA agent showed Loki losing moments from the god’s past. During one attempt to name himself the future king, Loki’s brother Thor turned up unexpectedly as frog thor. (Well, not that unexpectedly. Loki had transformed Thor into an tiny amphibian.) A powerful frog punch to the face ended Loki’s almost-moment of triumphant.

It’s a great sequence that would have expanded Throg’s role on the show. He briefly appeared trapped in a jar underground during the first season. That was fun, but not as good as this unfinished scene.

A second deleted scene, “The Standoff,” doesn’t end much better for Odin’s mischievous boy. It starts with Loki holding Sylvie at knife point and ends with both Variants in TVA custody.

It’s a well-acted, emotional scene, but the omission ultimately makes sense. It would have really changed the powerful moment the two had right before this portion started.

Good. Bad. Terrible. Amazing. I don’t care. I just want more deleted scenes from every show and movie I like. And since I always want more Throg this is an especially good batch.

Loki season one is now available on both 4K UHD Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray.

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After meeting Echo—a skilled fighter and former member of the Tracksuit Mafia—in Hawkeye, fans wanted to see more of her. The MCU is telling a wider array of stories from different backgrounds in its latest offering. And that will continue with this character, who is Deaf and Native American. Now it’s time to focus on Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo’s, story in Echo, a series heading to Disney+.

Here’s everything we know about Echo so far. 

Title 

The title of this series is Echo (more formally Marvel’s Echo.) 

Echo’s Plot 

We don’t know a lot about the plot right now. But Marvel’s synopsis does give us a bit to work with: 

…the origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Behind the Scenes 

Several of the show’s creatives are Native American, including directors Sydney Freeland (Navajo tribe) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai tribe). Executive producers include Kevin Feige (obviously), Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet tribe). Echo’s co-executive producers are Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King (Seminole tribe), and Jennifer Booth.

Echo’s Cast 

Alaqua Cox will return as Maya Lopez/Echo. The Echo TV show also stars Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, and Graham Greene in roles that aren’t clear yet. Zahn McClarnon will portray William Lopez, Echo’s father. And, we are getting some familiar MCU faces in the form of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin respectively. 

Echo’s Release Date 

The Echo series received an official release date of November 29, 2023, but reportedly it will now release in January 2024. And, in an unusual move for the platform, all episodes of Echo will drop at one time. That means we can view the season all at once, which of course, we enjoy doing. Some series are better suited to this format. We just hope that’s the case for Echo and the reason behind this choice.

Originally published in 2021.

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Loki season two will soon arrive on Disney+. It promises us a romp through time as glitches and resets send our main characters in many different directions. But Loki isn’t the only Disney+ series dealing with shifting timelines. Disney+’s upcoming slate of MCU series is seeing a serious calendar shuffle. The result is that only Loki season two will arrive in the fall of 2023. All the other Disney+ MCU shows we planned on seeing soon are heading further down the line. And some of these series seem to have been removed from the calendar altogether.

The Hollywood Reporter shared this news about the shift in release date plans for Disney+ MCU shows. Here’s what was revealed.

Firstly, What If…? season two has shifted from its original early 2023 release to a Christmas 2023 release. Echo, which had a release date of November 29, 2023, appears to have moved to January 2024. All episodes will still drop at once, an unusual move for Disney+. X-Men ’97, meanwhile, originally planned to release in the fall of 2023, will arrive in early 2024. The Agatha series, which The Hollywood Reporter notes has yet another new name, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, will shift to the fall of 2024. In unfortunate news, Disney+ appears to have removed Ironheart from the schedule for now. The Disney+ series will focus on Riri Williams, a delightful inventor introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Daredevil: Born Again and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Wonder Man also do not have clear release windows at this time.

The latest Disney+ MCU series release date calendar shift is unsurprising, given that the studios continue to refuse to pay their actors and writers, forcing the WGA and SAG strikes to continue. In addition, although Disney+ shows seemed to be a highlight of Marvel Studios’ strategy for a while, it feels like they are now less in vogue. Still, some of these shows have been in the works for several years now. So, hopefully, they can come to light just as soon as those who made them receive the respect they deserve.

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Season one of Loki introduced the TVA to the MCU. That secret organization in charge of the Sacred Timeline wasn’t especially ethical. However, as He Who Remains warned, it really might have been a necessary evil. The latest Loki teaser trailer for the show’s upcoming second season features the God of Mischief trying to restore some semblance of order to the multiverse. Again. It seems he’s been working on this problem, repeatedly, for a long time since we last saw him.

The first season of Loki was among the MCU’s strangest installments. That was a big reason for its success. But everything we’ve seen of Loki season two so far, including this wild trailer, indicates we’re in for an even weirder storyline with even bigger ramifications for the entire franchise. When Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie killed the TVA’s original founder she did more than just murder the most powerful figure in the universe. She plunged time itself into anarchy. Now her Variant and former cohort, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, is trying to fix everything.

The worst things get for him, the more entertaining it will be for us. Getting dragged through time means visiting lots of interesting places. It also means Odin’s trickster son will get to show off more of his many powers, which the MCU has not always fully utilized.

Loki‘s second season also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan, and Owen Wilson. Eric Martin serves as head writer. Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw, and Kasra Farahani will all be in the the show’s big chair over its six episodes.

Season two of Marvel Studios’ Loki arrives at Disney+ on October 6. At least that’s the plan now. It’s possible someone screws up the timeline before that. Again.

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The DCU is coming our way, and many fans wonder how it will compare to the all-mighty MCU. Well, according to James Gunn, there will be some significant differences between the DCU and its Marvel counterpart. The co-CEO of DC Studios dove into the topic with Inside of You podcast to give fans more insight. (Thanks to IGN for putting this on our radar.) On the podcast, Gunn shares the DCU will lean heavily on secret identities and fantasy settings, which is certainly not like the MCU.

“If you look at the MCU, there are very few traditional superheroes,” Gunn affirms. “There was never a guy with a secret identity until Spider-Man in the MCU. Their Cap was turned into a soldier even though he wears a mask. Iron Man outed himself at the end of the first Iron Man because they don’t want to deal with the whole secret identity stuff.”

He goes on to explain that the DCU is also more fantasy based than the MCU because many of its heroes, like Superman, are larger than life. To him, Clark Kent and Superman are very much two different characters. And the DCU will find a way to deal with both of them in its world. Speaking of its world, Gunn is excited to explore fictional places like Gotham City. DC’s settings create a much different feeling than putting heroes in our real-life cities as the MCU tends to do. 

“One of the things that I love about DC, that excites me about DC, is that in a way it’s another alternate history,” he notes. “It is Gotham City and Metropolis and Star City and Bludhaven, and all these different places in this other reality, and it makes it a little bit like Westeros in some ways.” And, in fact, Gunn even noted on Threads that he is even planning “an incredibly detailed world map” for his DCU that we can’t wait to see take shape.

The ways that the DCU will be different from the MCU make a lot of sense and will give fans a fresh approach to DC’s roster. In the meantime, we will be (not so) patiently waiting for Superman: Legacy to fly our way in 2025.

Originally published on June 14, 2023.

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Many MCU fans did a full franchise rewatch ahead of Avengers: Infinity War. That meant revisiting 18 movies, roughly ten years worth of Marvel Studios releases. Not an easy task, but far from an impossible one. That’s not the case anymore. As of this writing there have been 32 big screen entries in the series, with a whole lot more on the way. Wading through all of them again would take a whole lot of time. But do you even need to? If you’re not a completist, or simply want to/must cut back on your total viewing commitment, there are some you can omit on your next go-round. These are the nine MCU movies—including some of the best, most beloved in the series—you can now skip on a rewatch.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Right off the bat this list feels sacrilegious because we’re omitting the origin story for one of the MCU’s foundational characters. Plus, the movie is really good! But at this point there are few elements from Captain America: The First Avenger that still matter to the franchise’s future. And those do—like Bucky’s story—are explored in other entries. We gotta start somewhere, and the First Avenger is fittingly our first cut.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Captain America: The First Avenger: Anything you want. And you can do it all day.

Iron Man 3

I’m an Iron Man 3 convert, but before Extremis played a minor role on the very forgettable Secret Invasion, what long term impact did this film have on anything that happened after? It ends with Tony destroying all of his extra suits, which he completely rebuilds by Civil War. His entire Iron Man 3 character arc is entirely undone immediately. None of the villains stuck around for future entries, either. The only real long-term impact came from Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery. He returned for more comic relief in Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, a movie we’re not sure Disney even remembers it made.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Iron Man 3: Read about why it should have been set at New Year’s Even instead of Christmas.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Forget being an Iron Man 3 convert. I am an Age of Ultron truther. The Avengers second film, arguably the one that most captures the feel of the team’s comic dynamic, is much better than it gets credit for. It also has the great James Spader as the titular sentient robot. But unless you just want to watch for pure enjoyment, the only thing you really need to remember from this film is what it means for Vision’s understanding of mankind. That gets covered in future films and shows.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Avengers: Age of Ultron: Watch the Seinfeld episode Spader guest-starred on. It’s still hilarious and only 22 minutes.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Baby Groot, we’re sorry. We love you. We also love seeing Nebula take her first real steps towards becoming a hero. In fact, we love all the Guardians, including Mary Poppins, y’all. But if we’re looking to trim some time from a lengthy rewatch schedule we can leave out the second Guardians film, even if it’s still really good. Infinity War, Endgame, and their Holiday Special give us everything we need to know ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Dance off, bro.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

If you’re angry seeing Tom Holland’s first solo outing included on this list, I don’t blame you. I personally think it’s the best of his three movies. So why is it on this list then? Because the character development Peter Parker undergoes in his next two installments are considerably more important. In Far From Home he has to deal with no longer having his mentor Tony around, and No Way Home marks the death of Aunt May. Everything important from this first film is also addressed in those films. And let’s face it, it’s not like we don’t spend too much time watching Spider-Man movies in general. There’s no shortage of friendly neighborhood Spider-people in our lives.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Spider-Man: Homecoming: Reach out and thank a teacher you definitely scarred as a kid.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

There’s an argument to be made the original Ant-Man is more skippable, especially because the sequel introduces both generations of the Wasp to the superhero franchise. But Scott Lang is still too important to the MCU to omit his origin story. It also matters more to the events of Quantumania than his second movie. And since he series’ third installment also covers all of the important stuff you need to know from Ant-Man and the Wasp, if you pass over it you’re not really missing anything other than meeting Ghost, who won’t seemingly appear again until Thunderbolts. See, you forgot about Ghost! And now you already remember everything you need to know about her.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Ant-Man and the Wasp: We’re not legally allowed to say try your hand at burgling, but we can say, “Try something new and exciting that might be a little dangerous.” Then get back to us in 3-5 years to tell us how it went.

Black Widow

Black Widow is a beautiful farewell to Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, an original MCU Avenger who sacrificed her life to save the entire universe. It also introduced Yelena and Red Guardian to the franchise, both of whom will return to the MCU soon. And yet, you don’t really need to watch this Infinity War prequel if you want to shorten your rewatch. It’s more a goodbye than another chapter in a story, and Yelena’s arc on Hawkeye covers her story.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Black Widow: Visit Budapest, but for pleasure not work.

Eternals

Remember anything that happened in Eternals? No? Me neither, which is weird because I remember going to the theater to see it. Did Disney use the Men in Black Neuralyzer on us collectively to erase it from out memories? The MCU itself certainly hasn’t done anything to remind us that movie existed. Until it does you can leave it off your rewatch list.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Eternals: Watch Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao’s Best Picture triumph Nomadland, a movie you won’t be able to forget.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Unlike Eternals we remember everything about Thor: Love and Thunder. Only by leaving it off our MCU rewatch can we start to remedy that.

What to Do with the Time You Save Skipping Thor: Love and Thunder: Watch Thor: Ragnarok a second time.

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The hallway fight has become a staple of action films ever since The Matrix knocked it out of the park in 1999. Since then, movies like The Raid and others have done their version of the hallway fight scene, taking it all up a notch. And Marvel films and television series are no different. Here are some of the all-time Marvel hallway fights. Whether or not these all count as MCU is debatable. After all, we still don’t know officially if the Marvel Netflix series are MCU canon. But we can make still an argument they are. So for the purposes of this ranking, we are counting Daredevil and the other Defenders shows as MCU.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Spider-Man vs. the Lizard

Ok, this first entry is an MCU adjacent fight, but we say it count since Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker is now officially part of the MCU multiverse thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the first Amazing Spider-Man film back in 2012, the Lizard emerges from the sewers and attacks Peter Parker in Midtown High. The two tussle in a hallway between rows of lockers. Eventually, this Peter puts on his Spidey outfit, and the two wreck the school halls in an all-CG scene. They then take the fight to an overpass, also kind of a hallway, where Gwen Stacy gets involved. Granted, some of the effects are dodgy, but the fighting acrobatics themselves are pretty cool still.

7. The Defenders (2017) Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist vs. The Hand

When the Netflix Marvel shows did their crossover, The Defenders, it wasn’t quite the Avengers-level event we hoped for. Nevertheless, it gave us a pretty cool hallway fight between Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist as they take on the Hand. This scene was good enough to make even Finn Jones’ Iron Fist look cool. Everyone fights in their traditional forms. Matt Murdock and Danny Rand use Martial arts, Luke Cage uses sheer strength, and Jessica Jones tosses dudes aside like paper. One of the best parts of the entire Defenders experience is these four emerging from a high-rise elevator and kicking ass.

6. Iron Man 2 (2010) Black Widow vs. Justin Hammer’s Guards

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) made her MCU debut in Iron Man 2. While not a terrible movie, it is one of the least-loved entries in the Infinity Saga. Without a doubt, Natasha Romanoff had a lot more to do character-wise in future MCU films. However, we cannot deny that her big action scene in Iron Man 2 is one of the greatest Marvel fights ever. Towards the end of the film, Nat and Happy Hogan are looking for villain Ivan Vanko, who is hiding out in the Hammer Industries complex. Nat easily makes mincemeat of every guard that comes at her. She uses every trick both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Red Room taught her. After she’s cleaned all their clocks in the cramped office corridors, she pepper sprays one last guard as if to say “This wasn’t even that hard.” Nat, you were the best.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (2023) The Guardians vs. the High Evolutionary’s Creatures

The most recent hallway fight on this list is more of a corridor on a spaceship, but it counts. When the full OG Guardians roster busts out to free the kids on the High Evolutionary’s ship in this two-and-a-half-minute action scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, to the perfect James Gunn needle drop of the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” audiences wanted to stand up and cheer. Unlike many of the other entries here, particularly the ones involving the Defenders, this one is very CGI-reliant. However, the folks at Weta Digital knocked it out of the park. It may look like one take, but it’s actually 18 separate shots stitched together. We can watch this one on a loop and never tire of it. Just for Rocket’s glee at all the carnage.

4. Daredevil (2016) Punisher vs. Prisoners

In terms of sheer gore and brutality, nothing tops the Punisher’s prison fight in season two of Daredevil. After Wilson Fisk has set him up, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) takes on a metric ton of inmates in the prison corridors. And he murders everyone who gets in his way. The Punisher is not Daredevil. He doesn’t go for the injury, he goes for the kill, and you see it in all its bloody gory. This one is brutal folks, and not for the squeamish. No single fight scene shows the difference between how Daredevil and the Punisher approach a brawl than this one.

3. Daredevil (2015) Daredevil vs. Russian Traffickers

The first season of Daredevil had everyone talking, when in the second episode, vigilante Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) takes on a group of Russian human traffickers to save one kidnapped boy from their warehouse. The whole thing remains impressive for several reasons. First, it’s a three-minute sequence all shot in one take. Daredevil takes on a good ten Russian thugs inside his little cramped hall, bathed in a sickly green light. Unlike so many fight scenes in superhero media, this one looked like it actually hurt. Not just for the bad guys, but for Matt too. You could feel every punch landed, and every punch Matt landed on the bad guys. There have been other great, more grandiose hallway fights, but this one will probably remain talked about as a game changer for a long time.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Cap vs. HYDRA Agents

If we’re extending hallway fight to include any cramped indoor space, then what’s a smaller cramped indoor space than an elevator? And that’s where this entry comes in. When Steve Rogers, realizing he’s in an elevator surrounded by Hydra agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear looking for a fight, asks if anyone wants to get out before the beat-down begins? You just knew it was going to be a brawl for the ages. Steve proves why he’s freakin’ Captain America in this scene. He takes on all these guys who should have beat him ten to one…and he still hands their butts to them. And then jumps through the glass several stories below. This scene will never not be impressive. If it was in an actual hallway, it would be our number one pick.

1. Daredevil (2016) Daredevil vs. Bikers

After all the accolades season one of Daredevil got, especially that hallway fight, the creators clearly felt the need to top themselves. And we argue they did. This fight showed the Punisher trying to show the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen that his nonlethal ways are ineffective. This scene takes place after Daredevil escaped capture by the Punisher. Matt discovers the gun he taped to his hand doesn’t have bullets in it. Subsequently, Matt fights a plethora of bikers, starting in an apartment complex hallway, later extending into the stairwell. And all without full use of his hands! It is one amazing fight, as Daredevil mows through his attackers. This fight scene somehow topped the first hallway fight from season one. And it’s our favorite Marvel hallway fight of all time.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had plenty of unexpected moments. But one truly shocking comment wasn’t quite what it seemed. Groot didn’t actually expand his vocabulary and speak new words in English in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. How can that be when we heard him say something other than “I am Groot?” The understated response of his fellow Guardians reveals what was really going on during their emotional goodbye. James Gunn’s final entry in the franchise lets us hear Groot the way his friends do.

“I love you guys.” Before the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the only words MCU fans ever heard any Groot say were “I am Groot” and “We are Groot.” (The latter was used in countless trailers as a reminder of the original Groot’s ultimate sacrifice.) That seemingly limited vocabulary never stopped his friends from understanding him, though. There’s something about the Groot language—severely limited though it may be in terms of total words—that makes it easier to comprehend the more you hear it. The alternate 2014 Gamora initially accused the Guardians of just “making up” stuff when Groot repeated the same three word phrase. She thought he was simply telling her his name again and again. But by the end of Vol. 3 she didn’t need a translator to understand the way Groot speaks.

We always needed one, including during their last scene together. Without specific translations from other characters, we never knew exactly what Groot was saying when he spoke. The best we could do was make an educated guess based on his inflection and body language. Sometimes that was easy, like when teenage Groot was obviously being a sarcastic a-hole. Other times our lack of comprehension denied us the full emotional weight of Groot’s words. How many fans know his last spoken “I am Groot” before turning to dust in Infinity War was him calling out “dad” to Rocket?

That wasn’t a problem. It was an effective and entertaining way to establish his character and role in the group. Groot’s simple vocabulary reflected his sweet, childlike nature without limiting his inherent complexity and full range of emotions. James Gunn also used those necessary translations effectively for both comedic and dramatic purposes. Sometimes he even pulled off both simultaneously, like in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Rocket told a soon-to-die Yondu that Groot had said, “Welcome to the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy. Only he didn’t say frickin.”

It was only at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for the first—and likely only—time ever, we didn’t need anyone to tell us what Groot actually said. Gunn let viewers experience what it was like for the sentient tree’s loved ones to hear Groot speak. It might not have seemed that way initially because it was so jarring to hear Groot clearly say, “I love you guys.”

But the fact Groot’s other Guardians of the Galaxy weren’t as shocked as we were is the key to understanding the significance of that moment. It didn’t impact them because that was a normal moment for the Guardians; they always understood Groot when he spoke. Groot didn’t actually speak new words to them. He physically said, “I am Groot,” only, like them, we heard the true meaning behind those words. It was like having a galactic translator in our ears that let us hear from Groot directly.

It was only fitting we got to experience that moment, which Gunn has confirmed is exactly what we thought it was. The alternate Gamora only spent one movie with him before she understood him. We’ve been listening to Groots talk for way longer, and we’ve always loved those guys, too.

Originally published on May 4, 2023.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Guardians of the Galaxy had plenty of familiar faces join them for their last ride. The group’s third and final film featured a bevy of returning co-stars from the franchise. It also included some new characters played by some pretty famous stars. Did you catch them all? Or did some fly over your head like a rocket flying into the forever? Don’t worry if you missed any. Here’s every major supporting role and all the cameos—including those we knew were coming, ones we expected, and those we didn’t see coming—we spotted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Cameos We Knew About in Advance

Linda Cardellini, Mikaela Hoover, and Asim Chaudhry as Lylla, Floor, and Teefs

Linda Cardellini, Mikaela Hoover, and Asim Chaudhry’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cameos as Lylla the otter, Floor the rabbit, and Teefs the walrus were among the best.

Batch 89 will forever remain in our hearts.

Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord

Sylvester Stallone once again played Yondu’s former Ravager mentor Stakar Ogord. Only this time he had a new member in his clan. The 2014 Gamora had joined the Ravagers following her departure from Earth in Avengers: Endgame. Stakar helped facilitate Gamora’s (not ultimately) paid mission with the Guardians to break into the Orgoscope. He then warmly welcomed her back to the Ravagers at the end of Vol. 3. It was fun to see this Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cameo in action, even though we already knew it was coming.

Nathan Fillion as Orgoscope Guard Master Karja

When he wasn’t busy dealing with his idiot employee, Nathan Fillion’s easily annoyed Master Karja and his organic orgosentry uniform were trying to capture the Guardians on the Orgoscope. Karja was a good shot, but even he couldn’t fire in zero gravity.

Tara Strong as Mainframe

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Tara Strong, Loki‘s Miss Minutes herself, replaced Miley Cyrus as the voice of the Ravager Mainframe for one of the more sneaky cameos. The floating mechanical artificial intelligence head first appeared in Vol. 2.

Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex T’Naga

Stakar’s first officer Martinex T’Naga, played by Michael Rosenbaum, also returned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The crystal-headed Ravager was glad to have Gamora in the clan.

Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha

Elizabeth Debicki’s Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign was not the powerful figure we first met in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Her peoples’ creator, the High Evolutionary, had her under his thumb (thanks to a box that let him lord over her). She was determined to have her own creation, Adam, capture Rocket for the High Evolutionary to earn the Sovereign his favor. But Ayesha died when the High Evolutionary destroyed Counter-Earth.

Jennifer Holland as Orgoscope Administrator Kwol

James Gunn truly made the film a family affair by bringing his wife and Peacemaker standout Jennifer Holland to the MCU. In Holland’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cameo, she played Orgoscope administrator Kwol who Gamora shot in the leg. Kwol was also shocked by Adam Warlock’s fatal misunderstanding of how to intimidate a witness.

Daniela Melchior as Orgoscope Employee Ura

Holland wasn’t the only DC alum Gunn brought into the Guardians franchise. The Suicide Squad director also found a role for Ratcatcher 2, Daniela Melchior, in the MCU movie. She played the kidnapped Orgoscope employee Ura, who may or may not have found Star-Lord charming.

Krugarr

Another former member of Stakar’s clan, first seen in Vol. 2, was back working with his old leader in Vol. 3. The silent-but-funny sorcerer Krugarr opened the portals his fellow Ravagers used to board the Guardians ship near the Orgoscope.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Surprise Cameos That Weren’t Surprising

Seth Green as Howard the Duck

Just as he had in the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Howard the Duck made a cameo in Vol. 3. He was seen playing poker on Knowhere.

Christopher Fairbank as the Broker

Also spotted at that poker game was Christopher Fairbank’s Broker. This cameo was more than just an Easter egg from the first film. It revealed not every citizen of Xander died during Thanos’ attack when the Mad Titan stole the Power Stone.

Rhett Miller as Bzermikitokolok

The Old 97’s Rhett Miller was still rocking out on Knowhere as Bzermikitokolok, the leader singer and guitarist of the band that performed original Christmas songs during The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. He was also in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s cameo-filled poker game.

Gregg Henry as Grandpa Quill

Gregg Henry made it three-for-three in the Guardians trilogy as he once again played Quill’s grandfather. The two had an emotional reunion and appeared together during the film’s second and final post-credits scene.

Stephen Blackehart as Steemie

Knowhere’s dispatcher Steemie, played by Stephen Blackehart, was still on the job inside the dead Celestial’s skull in Vol. 3, just as he had been in the original movie and in the group’s Holiday Special. The Guardians relied on him to help them during the evacuation of the High Evolutionary’s ship. That was a far cry from when Drax put a knife to his throat years ago.

Actual Surprise Cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Michael Rooker as Yondu

James Gunn kept to his word and didn’t undo Yondu’s death. But that didn’t stop him from finding a way to bring back Michael Rooker and his blue “angel” for one last cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He appeared as a vision to Kraglin, as Yondu told his old friend to use his heart to guide his whistle arrow.

James Gunn as Lambshank, The Definitely Not Scary, Really Cool Looking Amorphous Blob

Blink and you would have missed one of the film’s strangest creatures. But that was impossible thanks to Mantis’s totally real compliment. It brought attention to Lambshank, the weird little blob voiced by James Gunn himself.

Pete Davidson as Phlektik

Another alum from The Suidice Squad made their way into the MCU with a secret cameo. Pete Davidson played Phlektik. And he was really on set to film the role even though it was impossible to know he was really there.

Judy Greer as War Pig

Judy Greer, for reasons we’ll never understand, was not in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But she did become a two-time MCU member in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She voiced the High Evolutionary’s War Pig, the bioengineered muscle who lost its head to Adam Warlock while trying to kidnap Rocket.

We didn’t like War Pig initially, but we can’t hate anyone played by Judy Greer.

Originally published May 17, 2023.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was James Gunn’s MCU swan song, but just because he’s moved to Metropolis doesn’t mean Marvel Studios is closing up shop. The third and final film in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy still featured two post-credits scenes teasing what lies ahead for the group’s members in the franchise. The ramifications and significance of the first were obvious, but the second’s importance wasn’t as clear. At least not initially. What happened and what did it reveal? Here’s what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s second post-credits scene was all about.

What Happened to Peter Quill at the End of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Star-Lord decided Mantis’ advice (delivered via Drax) was right. Peter needed “to learn to swim.” He couldn’t keep running/hopping from his own issues; he needed to face them.

To do that, Star-Lord needed to go back to the place where his mother died, the place he’d left his grieving grandpa behind in 1988 when Yondu kidnapped him as an eight-year-old. Peter Quill ended Vol. 3 by leaving the Guardians of the Galaxy behind and finally returning home to Earth and his grandfather.

Peter Quill wasn’t sure his grandfather (played once more by Gregg Henry) was even still alive. Viewers knew he was in 2014 when Grandpa Quill appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Ego’s Expansion nearly killed Quill’s grandfather, who barely escaped thanks to his grandson’s heroics halfway across the galaxy.

While Grandpa Quill could still drive at that time, he was already accompanied full-time by a nurse. With Guardians of the GalaxyVol. 3 set at least nine years later, Star-Lord’s fears about his grandfather’s age and health were not unfounded. The elder Quill needed live-in assitance.

Old age didn’t stop Peter Quill’s grandfather from recognizing his grownup grandson immediately in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. More than three decades later, he knew exactly who Peter was by sight, resulting in an emotional moment for both of them and for the audience. And that led us right to Vol. 3‘s second post-credits scene.

What Happened During Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s Second Post-Credits Scene?

The movie’s last post-credits scene showed it didn’t take long for the Quill boys to become a family again. It featured the two sitting at a kitchen table for breakfast. Peter Quill ate cereal while his grandpa read a newspaper with a front-page story about Kevin Bacon’s supposed abduction by aliens. That was a direct reference to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special when Drax and Mantis kidnapped the actor.

The rest of the Vol. 3 scene establishes just how normal Star-Lord’s life on Earth had already become. Peter Quill was talking/complaining about how he would happily mow a neighbor’s lawn even though she had a 45-year-old, able-bodied son entirely capable of doing it himself. Peter’s own (reasonable!) incredulity led his grandfather to cryptically reference his issues about the lazy neighbor. That made Peter want to hear his grandad’s unvarnished thoughts on the matter.

The Guardians of the Galaxy post-credits scene was a humorous but seemingly mundane moment that established Peter Quill had truly returned home and developed a familial bond with both his grandfather and his community. He had moved on from Gamora and the Guardians and was now part of a normal little neighborhood. It was the exact kind of life he’d spent over 30 years trying to avoid. Star-Lord, the former Ravager who had once been half-god and helped save the galaxy multiple times, became fully domesticated on the planet that had brought him so much pain with a man he previously wasn’t sure even loved him.

(We can forgive eight-year-old Peter for not understanding why his grandfather didn’t want him to see his mom die.)

What Is Chris Pratt’s (and Star-Lord’s) Future in the MCU After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

The film’s final scene was beautiful in its simplicity. But when it ended, it became far more important than it first appeared. Before we could find out Grandpa Quill’s thoughts on that listless neighbor the scene cut to black. That’s when we found out Chris Pratt’s not done with the MCU just yet. Text appeared at the very end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saying, “The legendary Star-Lord will return.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy as we knew them are over. There’s a new lineup led by Rocket, and the team is protecting civilizations far from Earth, which has plenty of its own heroes. (A fact former Avenger Rocket knows well.) But that little blue marble now has another great hero it can call on in times of danger. Peter Quill might be domesticated and out of the Guardians business right now, but he hasn’t stopped being the MCU’s Star-Lord. Even without his father’s Celestial powers, he remains a smart, cunning, charming, formidable force for good.

The Avengers can always use someone like that, just as Rocket’s new Guardians could always turn to their former captain for help. It’s even possible Star-Lord could lead his own standalone MCU movie in the MCU someday or be a major part of another character’s film.

Until we know exactly what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have planned for Peter Quill, all we can do is speculate on the specifics of his return.

What we do know, thanks to that last Guardians of the Galaxy post-credits scene, is that when Star-Lord returns he will be more mature, more grounded, and probably a better hero. He went back to his home world to face his past and address his pain head-on. He’s no longer jumping from lily pad to lily pad; he’s swimming in Earth’s blue waters while his loving grandfather watches over him. And he’s definitely doing so with an even bigger library of music.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

Originally published May 4, 2023.

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Somebody get Steve Miller on the phone cause the God of Mischief could use his expertise. Odin’s son keeps on slipping through time in the new trailer for Loki season two. But that’s far from the biggest problem he’ll face when his MCU series returns to Disney+. He has to save both the multiverse and the Sacred Timeline from the most dangerous man the past, present, and future have ever faced. Fortunately Loki still has some friends around to help him.

Tom Hiddleston is back for another season of time-hopping adventures, only this time the stakes are even greater. The decision of Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie to kill He Who Remains at the end of season one unleashed so much chaos Loki himself is now getting pulled through time itself. His unplanned trips through the past and future is why he knows there’s a very fine line separating his world and “utter destruction,” in what looks like an action-packed season.

That is unless Owen Wilson’s Mobius can slow things down. He likes to be more methodical in his work. He likes to savor a nice piece of pie when facing annhilation, which, fair.

This Loki season two trailer also features some surprise moments, like the marquee teasing the Marvel Comics’ villain Zaniac. Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan is also getting in on the fun. This teaser also seems to confirm something the MCU has only been alluding to, which is that the TVA and Citadel exist inside the Quantum Realm. And, despite the actor currently facing very serious allegations, the trailer does tease the return of Jonathan Majors’ Kang.

The series also stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, and Neil Ellice. Loki season two debuts on Disney+ on October 6. That is unless someone messes with the timeline. Then it might already have premiered last month. Or it will next year? Or today? Maybe Steve Miller knows?

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Forget Thanos, Carol Danvers, Thor, Hulk, or any other MCU character who might have deserved the title of the MCU’s strongest character ever. Secret Invasion just created a hero whose abilities dwarfs all of theirs. How did the Disney+ show do that? By giving G’iah all of their powers. Gravik unknowingly also imbued his fellow Skrull with the Harvest, making her the franchise’s most formidable figure ever. And that’s why Emilia Clarke is poised for a big future in the MCU.

What Was Nick Fury’s Plan to Defeat Gravik?

Nick Fury sent G’iah in disguise as himself to meet with Gravik at the secret Skrull compound in Russia. Fury wouldn’t have been able to handle the site’s radiation, but Skrulls can. He also let G’iah share the truth about his failures to find the Skrulls a new planet. “Fury” told Gravik there isn’t a planet to find, something Fury discovered long ago. He’d instead spent decades trying to find a way to make Earth a welcoming home for Skrulls.

The final part of Fury’s plan included an offer. Gravik could have the Harvest full of super DNA in exchange for leaving Earth alone. Rather than destroy mankind “Fury” told Gravik to take his Skrulls to another world and conquer that planet’s race. It was a needlessly risky gambit by Fury and G’iah, but Gravik would never get the chance to use his new powers against any planet.

Would Secret Invasion‘s Harvest Work on a Human?

Gravik using the Harvest while Nick Fury was also inside the Super Skrull Machine indicates the device doesn’t work on humans. Humans possibly can’t survive the transformation process. Or, at minimum, the Harvest specifically was too much for a human body to withstand.

Gravik might have been blinded by rage, but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t have made his enemy a supreme being, too. But his rage blinded him to the true identity of the person he was dealing with, and in powering himself up he created someone who could go toe-to-toe with him. He also created the only person who could seemingly kill him in combat.

Which MCU Characters’ Powers Does G’iah Now Have?

These are the MCU characters whose super DNA made up the Harvest. G’iah, who can also shape shift and fully maximize her new genetic abilities, now has the powers of:

• Ghost
• Captain America (Steve Rogers)
• Corvus Glaive
• Thanos
• Outrider
• Proxima Midnight
• Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
• Abomination
• Mantis
• Cull Obsidian
• Drax
• Korg
• Ebony Maw
• Frost Beast
• Hulk
• Valkyrie
• Thor Odinson
• Gamora
• Flora Colossus (Groot)
• Winter Soldier

We saw many of these powers used by both Gravik and G’iah during their fight. That includes phasing like Ghost and hulking out like Abomination. However, those two did not actually fight during the Battle of Earth. Fury simply included their DNA into the Harvest anyway. G’iah also has Extremis from her previous trip in the Super Skrull Machine.

There is one major, unexplained discrepancy from the Harvest loading sequence. Every name that appeared by itself in large letters at the top of the screen also appeared in a smaller list on the side. The single names popped up in the same order as the list until it got to Black Panther. When Wakanda’s hero’s spot came up top of the screen instead read “Chitauri,” even though that DNA is not included in the list.

It’s unclear if this was a case of Nick Fury mislabeling Chitauri blood as the Black Panther’s, the computer making an error, or a mistake by the show itself.

What Avenger DNA Was Missing from the Harvest?

The Harvest had some notable absences from its collection of DNA. The biggest was Spider-Man’s. Peter Parker bled a lot during the Battle of Earth, but Marvel Studios doesn’t own his rights, Sony does.

Some other major Avengers who fought Thanos in Endgame have normal human DNA and rely/relied on machines and their natural ability. That included people like Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Scott Lang, etc. Others use magic, like Wanda, Doctor Strange, and Wong. Their DNA would seemingly be no use to anyone, human or Skrull.

Not that G’iah needs more powers anyway.

Is G’iah the Most Powerful Superhero in the MCU Now?

We thought Secret Invasion might be setting up Emilia Clarke’s G’iah to be its next great hero. We didn’t think the show would make her the most powerful superhero the MCU has ever had. She might end up being the most powerful superhero the franchise ever introduces. Combining the DNA of Carol Danvers and Thanos alone might be enough to make that true, let alone every other character’s DNA she now has.

She’s seemingly has no equal now that she’s murdered Gravik, though his death shows G’iah is not totally invincible any more than a Celestial is. It’s a good thing she will now fight to protect humans and Skrulls alike on their shared planet.

Why Does Olivia Colman’s Sonya Want to Work With Emilia Clarke’s G’iah?

Talos worked with Nick Fury for decades to keep both America and the world safe. Now Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth and G’iah will do the same, only without any of the “mistakes” that led to Talos’ death. The two women won’t be friends; their partnership will be purely professional and pragmatic. America’s president has declared war on Skrulls, which is getting humans and aliens both killed. Skrulls will need G’iah to lead them and keep them safe, just as Sonya needs the type of shape shifting spies Fury had to help keep humans safe. (Neither side can exactly rely on the potential of Kree peace talks.)

By working together and using one another they can both get what they want to the benefit of both species. And with Nick Fury heading back to space and S.A.B.E.R., Earth needs someone like Sonya to take his place. Only, she has a far more powerful ally than Nick Fury ever did. G’iah is a more powerful ally than anyone has ever had in the MCU.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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“So you are responsible for all of this?”
“Yeah.”

Secret Invasion‘s latest episode finally revealed the full extent of Gravik’s plan. He doesn’t just want to create Super Skrulls, he wants to become the most powerful being in the galaxy. The Harvest, a special serum made of superhero DNA, would allow him to gain the abilities of every Avenger who fought Thanos in the Battle of Earth, even Carol Danvers. But while it’s not shocking Gravik would seek out the Harvest, what is surprising is who created something so dangerous: Nick Fury.

Why would someone dedicated to protecting the world create the very thing that might destroy it? The world’s greatest spy had good intentions, but he made the same mistake the MCU’s heroes and villains alike always do.

What Does Gravik Want on Secret Invasion?

The combined powers of Groot, Cull Obsidian, a frost beast, and Extremis are not enough to defeat Earth’s mightiest heroes. Nick Fury’s close friend Captain Marvel could destroy that version of Gravik with minimum effort. If Skrulls can’t beat the Avengers they can’t conquer the world even if they manage to incite World War III between humans. To truly stand toe-to-toe with the Avengers and make Earth theirs, the Skrull general requires far more superpowers. To get what he needs he must find the Harvest.

What Is the Harvest on Secret Invasion?

The Harvest is a secret vial with the ability to create a being so powerful it might make them all but invincible. It contains the DNA of every single Avenger who fought in the Battle of Earth at the conclusion of Endgame. Everyone from Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson, to Wanda Maximoff and Bruce Banner, bled while fighting Thanos’ army. After the victory Nick Fury had the idea to send in Skrull collectors to take their blood from the battlefield. They then harvested all of the blood for super DNA and combined the genetic material into one concoction. (Hence the name “the Harvest.”)

The only people who knew about this work and the resulting serum were those who took the blood and the person who organized the project. And because that organizer was Nick Fury, the collectors were Skrulls disguised as humans. That included Gravik, the collectors’ leader.

Why Is Nick Fury Responsible for Gravik’s Plan on Secret Invasion?

The Harvest put humanity in danger because it led Gravik to hatch his plan. Nick Fury told Sonya Falsworth the very existence of that super vial likely gave Gravik the idea for his Super Skrull Machine. Without superpowers Gravik would never be able to defeat the Avengers and therefore never be able to make Earth the New Skrullos. Nick Fury gave him the means to do just that

If the spy hadn’t been smart enough to hide it from everyone Gravik would already have it.

Why Did Nick Fury Create the Harvest?

The Battle of Earth took place five years after Thanos dusted away half the universe. Nick Fury was among those who vanished. When he came back he was not the same man he’d been before, and it’s no mystery why the Snap seemingly broke him. His life’s work was protecting Earth. Fury was the one who came up with the Avengers Initiative. It was an incredible “idea” he’d successfully put into practice. But in the world’s greatest moment of need the Avengers weren’t there to save it. Nick Fury blamed himself. He believed he failed Earth and everyone on it, humans and Skrull alike.

Did he want the Harvest to create even more heroes? Was it meant to serve as a super backup in case Earth’s mightiest heroes vanished again or needed backup themselves? Both reasons likely motivated Fury, along with a bunch more we can’t even imagine. (This is the spy of all spies, after all. He’s always many moves ahead of everyone.) What we do know is that benevolent intentions or not, the very existence of the Harvest is yet another example of MCU heroes refusing to understand you can’t put a suit of armor around the world anymore than you can rely on the Avengers to always save it.

Order and Chaos in the MCU

Nick Fury created the Harvest for the same reason Tony Stark created Ultron. It’s the same reason He Who Remains created the TVA and Alexander Pierce joined HYDRA. All of them, heroes and villains alike, can’t see the undeniable truth Vision recognized long ago, that order and chaos are the same thing. Each thought it was possible to keep everyone on Earth safe by brute strength and control. But the natural order of life is chaos. To try and control chaos you unleash it.

In his desperate attempt to make sure he never failed Earth again, Nick Fury repeated the same mistake countless others have in the MCU. It’s an idea that remains at the forefront of the franchise. But Fury at least seems to understand what he’s done. It’s why he came back and why he must fight this war alone.

Why Won’t Nick Fury Call the Avengers to Help on Secret Invasion?

Once Secret Invasion‘s penultimate episode introduced the Harvest it could have easily explained Nick Fury’s reluctance to call on the Avengers. Between a Skrull replacing Rhodey and the way Gravik can use super blood to make himself more powerful, there are two very logical reasons for Fury not to call in his most powerful allies.

Instead Fury provided a far better reason. It’s not that this battle is just personal for him because of his role in making it possible. It’s personal for humanity. He now recognizes mankind cannot simply rely on a few super people to “swoop in and save our asses” every time the world is in danger. He tried that once and it didn’t work. A suit of armor, in any form or secret serum, isn’t protection. It puts everyone at risk.

People must instead find the strength to save themselves when the time comes. It took a lifetime for Nick Fury to appreciate how true that is. It’s why he alone can save humans and Skrulls from Gravik. The Avengers haven’t lived the life Nick Fury has and they can’t defend the world the way he can.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 has arrived, introducing MCU fans to Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji as the film’s main villain, the High Evolutionary. But just who is Marvel’s maddest scientist? What are the High Evolutionary’s powers? Get ready to get cosmic, as we’re here to answer all your burning High Evolutionary questions, from Marvel Comics to MCU. 

Who Is the High Evolutionary in Marvel Comics? 

1966’s Thor #133 marks the first reference to the High Evolutionary in Marvel Comics. He would make his debut on the page in the very next issue, which also included a cameo of the mutant twins who would become such a key part of the High Evolutionary’s comic book lore. With Galactus planning deep space destruction as always, Thor is looking for Jane Foster. It’s on his search that he comes across Mount Wundagore, the High Evolutionary, and his New Men. Marvel’s Pietro and Wanda are going to Mount Wundagore to seek answers about their waning mutant powers.

It wouldn’t be until years later that readers learned who the High Evolutionary truly was, thanks to backup stories in The Evolutionary War event. In the Marvel universe, the High Evolutionary’s human name was Herbert Edgar Wyndham, and he had once been a successful academic scientist. As a child, Herbert became obsessed with genetics and the possibility of “evolving” creatures. But it wasn’t until an encounter with a strange man—later revealed to be a rogue Inhuman—who enlightened him on how to “crack the genetic code” that Herbert made his dreams a reality. His experiments made him an outcast in the scientific field, and he moved to Mount Wundagore with his research partner, Jonathan Drew, father of Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. There he built his futuristic home. The High Evolutionary began to evolve animals, creating a series of humanoid beasts known as the New Men.

The High Evolutionary’s Powers and Abilities

The High Evolutionary’s powers are always in a state of flux. When he exposed himself to his Evolutionary Accelerator machine and its unstable Isotope E, it caused him to switch from evolved super being to someone with caveman intelligence levels. But usually, the High Evolutionary has a certain baseline of abilities. These include an artificially evolved human brain, making him one of the smartest beings on Earth. The High Evolutionary also has the powers of superhuman strength, durability, and a healing factor similar to Wolverine’s. Additionally, he can communicate telepathically and shield his mind from other psychics.

Some other powers the High Evolutionary has demonstrated over the years include the ability to levitate, although not outright fly. Body mass manipulation allows him to change his physical size and density at will. Wyndham also has the ability to create force fields, and shoot deadly concussive blasts from his body. He can even evolve or devolve other beings through a form of forced artificial evolution. And thanks to all his evolutionary tampering, the High Evolutionary has effectively achieved immortality, perhaps his greatest power of all.

How Is the High Evolutionary Connected to the Scarlet Witch? 

Herbert’s first appearance alluded to a connection to the Maximoffs. A flashback in 1974’s Giant-Size Avengers #1 teased a vital Mount Wundagore backstory around the twins’ birth. Finally, in 1979’s Avengers #185-187, Herbert’s full impact on the twins’ lives came to light. It was during this iconic arc that readers learned their “true history.” Their mother sought refuge on Mount Wundagore after their father gained powers and went mad, “raving with a desire to rule the world.” The High Evolutionary’s cow creature known as Bova delivered the twins, and soon their mother left the children with the bovine midwife. While Bova tried to give the twins to the hero known as the Whizzer, he chose to run away. Eventually, the Maximoffs came and adopted the twins.

What does all this have to do with Wanda’s powers? Chthon “marked” her at her birth. We learn this as Chthon possesses Wanda. Speaking through Wanda, Chthon tells the Avengers that Mount Wundagore was created to imprison him and the Darkhold. Inevitably, someone used the Darkhold, and Chthon was freed when this knowledge fell into the hands of the wrong person. Eventually, the demon is defeated. But at that moment, Chthon decides to imbue baby Wanda, who was just born thanks to the High Evolutionary’s creation, with his magic, thus arguably creating the most famous origin of the Scarlet Witch. Whether the MCU’s High Evolutionary and Scarlet Witch have any ties at all in the MCU, we must wait to find out.

How Is the High Evolutionary Connected to Adam Warlock? 

In the comics, Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary are deeply connected. Remember how we first met Adam Warlock in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stinger? Adam was in a giant cocoon, looked after by the High Priestess of the Sovereign, Ayesha. Ayesha calls her creation “Him” (as in Adam’s first appearance in the Fantastic Four) before deciding to name him Adam.

1972’s Marvel Premiere #1 brought the story of Adam Warlock to life, and the issue dug deep into his past. Created by scientists on Earth, the High Evolutionary later found Adam’s body floating in a cocoon in space. In the comics, Herbert adopts Adam, names him Warlock, and places an emerald upon his forehead. The comics would later reveal the emerald as the Soul Gem. In the MCU, Adam’s creators, the Sovereign, are creations of the High Evolutionary. It’s more of an indirect line, but still a line.

The MCU High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the MCU’s High Evolutionary does not seem to originate from Earth. He was only referred to ever as the High Evolutionary. The MCU made no reference to the High Evolutionary’s Marvel Comics human name of Herbert Wyndham. On Counter-Earth, he mentioned that he visited Earth once and admired it. The High Evolutionary based his new MCU world on his memories, further suggesting his origins are alien. Of course, he might have taken the name Herbert Wyndham while living on Earth, but it’s not mentioned in the film at all.

Additionally, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 portrays the High Evolutionary as one of the most sadistic villains the MCU has ever seen, torturing animals to further his own experiments in perfection. And he’s worshipped as a god among many alien species, suggesting Guardians of the Galaxy‘s High Evolutionary is far older than his Marvel Comics counterpart.

Although the High Evolutionary appeared to die at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he actually lived. James Gunn confirmed as much on Twitter. Not only did Rocket save the High Evolutionary’s life at the climax of the film, he’s now actually imprisoned in Knowhere.

Gunn notes, “Yes! It’s the whole culmination of Rocket’s journey. His shift comes in that he doesn’t kill him – he goes from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic Guardian. It seems silly & hollow that he’d refuse to kill him [the High Evolutionary] & then leave him on an exploding ship. And, yes, there is a deleted scene. It’s really great actually, but it messed up the pacing of the end. But you’ll see it in the extras eventually.”

And, indeed, the deleted scene revealing the High Evolutionary’s fate is included in the home release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It is titled, “Knowhere After the Battle,”

So yes, it’s very possible we may see the High Evolutionary return again in the MCU and its multiverse. Now that Ms. Marvel established the mutant gene in the MCU, it feels very intentional to introduce a famed geneticist. As to whether the High Evolutionary ever visits Mount Wundagore or creates Bova… well, we can dream.

Originally published on July 27, 2022.

Original reporting by Rosie Knight. Additional reporting by Eric Diaz.

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Playing the fourth lead on a Disney+ mini-series is a far cry from playing Daenerys Targaryen on the world’s most popular show. But an Avenger has the same kind of pop culture standing as a Khaleesi, and Secret Invasion’s fourth episode just made possible for Emilia Clarke to be both. The explosive installment provided a potential origin story for her character. G’iah now has everything she needs to be the MCU’s next great superhero, including a classic tragic origin story.

How Did G‘iah Survive Gravik’s Assassination Attempt?

Just as we theorized, Gravik only thought he executed G’iah. A flashback at the start of episode four revealed she’d previously used the general’s own secret lab program to imbue herself with superpowers.

G’iah recovered from a bullet to the heart thanks to Extremis. It’s the same Iron Man 3 biological nanotech that allowed Gravik to heal his sliced hand in the third episode. It’s also why he was able to withstand point blank bullets to his body and face.

What Other Superpowers Does G’iah Have?

Gravik’s attack on the President confirmed that in addition to Extremis super healing, he also has Groot-like powers. Groot and Extremis were two of the four projects G’iah discovered on the secret Skrull lab’s computer. The other two were a Frost beast and Cull Obsidian. We don’t yet know if Gravik has their powers as well. Nor do we know if his machine can only administer them individually. Gravik’s scientists could have put all four entities’ abilities into a single vial.

As for G’iah, that flashback only showed her using one vial. If it was an Extremis-only serum—which the lab’s computer indicated it was—that’s likely her only current superpower outside of her natural advanced Skrull strength and speed. If, however, she turns her arms into super long tree branches in the show’s final two episodes, we’ll get answers about both her and Gravik’s capabilities.

Is Talos Actually Dead on Secret Invasion?

Skrulls who don’t have Extremis are just as vulnerable as most humans. Talos was also already injured before Gravik stabbed him in the heart. Even under the best circumstances it seems unlikely he could survive such an injury. Nick Fury’s reaction, similar to the one he had when Maria Hill died, made clear he thought the same. If he believed Talos was still alive or could be saved he probably wouldn’t have left his friend behind. It certainly seems like Gravik killed the former Skrull leader at the end of Secret Invasion‘s fourth episode.

But while his death is obviously sad, it’s also part of the reason to think Emilia Clarke’s G’iah is positioned to become a big time MCU superhero. She not only has superpowers, she has a classic superhero origin story.

How Could Emilia Clarke Become a Major MCU Superhero?

Countless superheroes, including some of the most famous ever like Spider-Man and Batman, became heroes in part because they lost someone very close to them. Death, especially of a morally righteous family member, mentor, or friend, has a way of galvanizing those with great power to take on great responsibility. It’s a classic inciting incident in a hero’s journey.

Talos not only had a strong moral center, G’iah’s last conversation with her father put into focus just how right he was. Gravik does not have the caring heart her dad did. Gravik doesn’t value life or relationships. So while she thought (probably correctly) Talos was delusional about how willingly humans will accept Skrulls, his murder might crystallize why she still has to try to do the right thing. If she gives into hate the way Gravik has, she would end up killing the man who saved their entire civilization. G’iah risks being her peoples’ destruction. The question is, does G’iah want to believe in her dad or the man who killed him?

The fact G’iah walked away from her father’s last lesson makes their final conversation even more meaningful. If he’s truly dead it will likely haunt her forever. She walked away from him and left him on his own when he needed her the most. That’s exactly why his death could prove to be the catalyst she needs to become a great leader herself. And that means Emilia Clarke could become the MCU’s next great superhero.

The MCU now has a super powered, shape-shifting alien with a moral compass and a tragic origin story played by a famous, talented performer with experience headlining a worldwide phenomenon. No wonder Marvel Studios wanted a Khaleesi for the part. Secret Invasion is just the start of Emilia Clarke’s role in the franchise and could be setting G’iah up to be a new MCU superhero.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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In the MCU, the motto is “It’s all connected.” This includes the Disney+ series Secret Invasion and 2021’s Black Widow. In the third episode of Secret Invasion, we hear a familiar name, Dreykov. In the episode, we get a flashback scene of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) at a diner in New York City, circa 1998. He was there meeting with his Skrull contact Varra (Charlayne Woodard), and Varra mentions to Fury that the information she’s supplied to him will “put Dreykov’s men on their heels.” Fury responded with, “It sounds like you already have.”

The Dreykov in question on Secret Invasion is General Dreykov, a Russian operative first introduced as the primary villain in Black Widow in 2021, played by Ray Winstone. Marvel movies mentioned Dreykov as early as the first Avengers, as a part of Black Widow’s nefarious past. Given the Black Widow connection, does this mention of Dreykov in Secret Invasion suggest that Nick Fury was aware of Natasha Romanoff as early as 1998? Let’s look at the evidence.

Dreykov, the Red Room, and Black Widow

General Dreykov famously headed the Red Room, a top-secret Russian state program in which they abducted young girls from around the world and brainwashed them into becoming living weapons. The year 1998 would have been a peak time for Dreykov and his operations, surely coming into conflict with agencies like MI6 and S.H.I.E.L.D. These possibly involved the Red Room’s finest agent, Natasha Romanoff. But what was Natasha’s status as a Black Widow in 1998, and wasn’t she barely middle school-aged at the time? Her age, however, would not have been a deterrent.

Natasha Romanoff was born in December 1984 in the Soviet Union. As a baby, General Dreykov detected genetic potential in her and purchased her from her family. We’re not sure what this genetic potential means, but we’ve seen Nat do some amazing things in the Avengers films. In any event, Natasha’s mother immediately regretted selling her child to the state and tried to get her back. For her efforts, Dreykov had her murdered. Natasha would never meet her birth mother or her biological family.

Dreykov: Natasha Romanoff’s Perpetual Nightmare

Dreykov indoctrinated Natasha into the Red Room, where girls with exceptional genetic potential trained to be government operatives. And by training, we really mean they were physically and mentally tortured. It’s unknown what Natasha’s earliest years were like in the Red Room, but when she was seven years old in 1992, she was sent to America along with another Red Room child abductee, Yelena Belova. Together, they lived for several years undercover in the United States as part of a Russian spy operation. They posed as sisters, with Russian agents Alexei Shostakov and Melina Vostokoff posing as her parents.

In 1995, when Natasha was 10, S.H.I.E.L.D. busted the family’s cover. The artificial all-American family had to flee to Russia. They separated Natasha from her “sister” Yelena, and took her back to the Red Room training program. At age 13, she would have entered adolescence, the time when her most extensive period of training would likely have begun. And by then, the year would have been 1998—the same year that Nick Fury needed Skrull intel to stop an operation from Dreykov, as we see in Secret Invasion.

Natasha Romanov, Teenage Black Widow?

Was Natasha Romanoff doing dangerous missions for the Red Room as early as 1998? She would have been very young, only 13 at the time. But the Red Room had no moral quandaries about sending children into dangerous situations. It could be that Natasha arrived on Nick Fury’s radar as early as 1998 while executing missions for Dreykov.

At some point, S.H.I.E.L.D. marked Natasha Romanoff as too dangerous to be allowed to run loose. They sent agent Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, to take her out in 2008. But as she later reminisced in the first Avengers film, “he made a different call” by recruiting her for S.H.I.E.L.D. instead. The two initiated a mission with the intention of killing Dreykov and ending the Red Room. However, it would actually be years later that Natasha would actually accomplish that goal. But it’s quite possible that Nick Fury’s most trusted asset was someone he first became aware of as far back as the ‘90s. We may learn even more about Dreykov, Black Widow, and the rest of the story as Secret Invasion continues to unfold.

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Super Skrulls aren’t coming to the MCU. They’re already here. In Secret Invasion‘s third episode Gravik informed his Council he’s working on turning their species into a race of super powered beings. But he’s already imbued himself with one incredible ability that will let him take on the Avengers: super healing. Gravik instantly mended his sliced hand thanks to Extremis, a genetic mutation featured in Iron Man 3. That explosive serum didn’t work out very well for humans, but it looks totally under control in an alien body. Bad news for mankind, but good news for Talos. Extremis might be why G’iah isn’t as dead as the Gravik believes.

What Is Extremis from Iron Man 3?

Extremis is a type of nanotechnology that rewrites DNA. It uses a body’s own bio-electricity to chemically recode and enhance the part of the brain responsible for healing. Extremis not only makes it possible for users to survive and overcome otherwise fatal injuries—it lets them regenerate entire body parts.

In addition to super healing abilities, Extremis also grants users enhanced physical capabilities similar to a super soldier. The amazing technology also greatly raises its subjects’ standing body temperatures. That’s why Extremis manifests in the eyes and skin as a glowing, fiery red-orange. Only, unlike Steve Rogers, those who could best control their body’s elevated core temperature could also generate great amounts of heat they could then expel in an attack. The most trained Extremis users could even shoot flames out of their mouth.

But what good is a new limb or being a human flamethrower when you’re also a ticking time bomb?

Why Was Extremis So Dangerous to Humans?

Genetic biologist Dr. Maya Hansen originally created Extremis, but she had trouble stabilizing it. The plants she originally tested on exploded shortly after getting the serum. She got a big assist making her work less volatile from a very drunk Tony Stark in 1999. He provided a formula that greatly advanced Hansen’s project, but he did not ultimately solve her problem long term.

Hansen then joined forces with Advanced Idea Mechanics’ founder and CEO Dr. Adrian Killich. (She really liked his money.) Together they strengthened Extremis and moved on to a series of clinical human trials. Most of them involved veterans who’d suffered major injuries or amputations.

Extremis worked in bodies which did not outright reject it. Those subjects who didn’t accept the serum, failed to regulate their body temperature, or did not get assistance in doing so eventually exploded with the force of a bomb. Users would disintegrate in the deadly blast, leaving nothing but scorch marks of themselves behind and killing those nearby.

Why Doesn’t Extremis Seem to Cause Any Problems for Gravik?

Extremis did not make its users invulnerable. In addition to being unstable biological bombs, humans who relied on Extremis were also at greater physical risk while regenerating or healing. A strike to the brain or heart could still kill them, too.

But Gravik does not seem to suffer from any known side effects or dangers associated with Extremis. When he repaired his hand it was the only part of his body that glowed. The overheating that plagued human users in Iron Man 3 aparently isn’t a problem for him. Either he isn’t overheating or can easily regulate his body’s temperature.

Considering Secret Invasion is set in 2026 and Iron Man 3 took place in 2012, it’s more than possible scientists who continued Dr. Hansen’s work greatly advanced Extremis over the intervening years to make it completely stable. (Someone using the serum was seen fighting in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.) It’s also possible Gravik’s scientists also improved Extremis to make it safe.

However, the explanation for Gravik’s lack of issues is potentially far simpler. Skrull DNA is (obviously) very different from human DNA. Skrulls’ bodies likely handle Extremis better than Earth people ever could. And even without any other super powers, that makes him especially dangerous. Gravik is a shape-shifting super soldier who can instantly heal from almost any wound.

But is he the only Skrull who’s taken Extremis?

Is Emilia Clarke’s G’iah Really Dead on Secret Invasion?

In Secret Invasion‘s second episode Emilia Clarke’s G’iah discovered the secret lab where Gravik’s scientists are working to create Super Skrulls. On their computer she found evidence they’re working with DNA taken from Groot, a frost beast, and Cull Obsidian. That’s also where she learned they’re using Extremis.

That super healing serum would be especially valuable for someone who’d decided to double-cross a dangerous figure like Gravik.

We saw in episode three a bullet to the chest will kill a Skrull same as a human. The premiere also made clear Secret Invasion is capable of killing off a major character. But if G’iah secretly injected herself with Extremis she didn’t die during her final encounter with Gravik in episode three. She almost certainly survived a single bullet and faked her own death. Extremis provided her with the perfect way to ensure her safety if/when Gravik learned of her treason and to then get away without him knowing she’s still a threat.

Super Skrulls have already arrived in the MCU. The question is how many of them are already here. If the answer is at least two, Talos’ daughter might not be as dead as Gravik thinks.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Steve Rogers is either dead or a very old man, but the world still needs Captain America. Fortunately for Earth, someone just as worthy of that title as Steve took on the job. No, not John Walker. (Definitely not John Walker.) On The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson finally accepted the mantle his friend tried to give him at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Now Anthony Mackie is ready to lead the superhero franchise into the future with the MCU’s fourth standalone Captain America film. Here’s everything we know about Captain America: Brave New World.

Title

Marvel first announced Captain America 4‘s official title as part of its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. It was originally called Captain America: New World Order. But in June 2023, Marvel changed the movie’s name. It is now called Captain America: Brave New World.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Plot

Marvel has yet to reveal many details about the film. Thus far, the title is our best clue about the film’s plot. It echoes both the main conflict of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic. Marvel executives have shared some tasty breadcrumbs, though.

That began with Nate Moore, VP of Production & Development at Marvel Studios, talking about how Harrison Ford will replace the late William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Brave New World. In an interview, Moore said:

Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play. It’s no secret that Samuel Sterns is making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fantastic because Tim Blake Nelson’s the best. Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and to see Sam Wilson and Thunderbolt Ross, which if you remember actually threw him in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords. There’s going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun.

Behind the Scenes

Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Dalan Musson are co-writing the film. Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) is set to direct.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Cast

In addition to Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s Carl Lumbly will return as Isaiah Bradley. As will Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres.

Additionally, Brave New World will bring back Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) from The Incredible Hulk. Sterns, of course, is also known as The Leader. He will likely act as the film’s villain. Shira Haas will join the film as Sabra. Xosha Roquemore has joined the movie in an unknown role, and WWE wrestler Seth Rollins was spotted in costume on set.

Another original MCU star will also return after a long absence, too. Liv Tyler will reprise her role as Betty Ross. She originated the role in The Incredible Hulk.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Release Date

Captain America: Brave New World will fly into theaters on July 26, 2024.

Originally published on February 14, 2023.

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In Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, we learned that in the MCU, the Kree destroyed the Skrull’s homeworld Skrullos, leaving the entire species as a roaming diaspora around the galaxy. It was one enemy that brought them down to the level we first encountered in Captain Marvel. But the Skrull Empire was much more powerful in the pages of Marvel Comics with several different events to cripple them. Despite their long conflict with the Kree Empire in the comics, it was something far bigger and badder that destroyed the home planet of the Skrulls.

The Skrulls’ Journey From Skrullos to Throneworld

Despite Skrulls having been a part of the Marvel Universe since Fantastic Four #2 way back in 1962, the original Skrull homeworld did not appear in print until 2008’s The Incredible Hercules. Skrullos was where the species originated from, somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy. Their shapeshifting powers were the result of genetic tampering by the godlike Celestials. Yes, the very same beings who created the Eternals and the Deviants on Earth. These shapeshifting powers led to civil wars on Skrullos, where the “changing peoples” dominated the rest of the species. Around 100,000 Earth years ago, the Skrull Empire relocated to a new world, Tarnax IV, more commonly known as the Skrull Throneworld.

It was from the planet Tarnax IV that the Skrull Empire truly conquered their galaxy, and eventually set their sights on the Milky Way. The Skrulls conquered thousands of worlds, becoming a major power in the universe, along with the Shi’ar, the Badoon, and the Kree. But despite their long-standing war with the alien Kree Empire, it was not the Kree who destroyed their home planet. It was Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.

The Coming of Galactus to Destroy the Skrulls

In Fantastic Four #257, writer/artist John Byrne had Galactus’ new herald Nova choose the Skrull Throne World as his next meal. This Nova was a transformed Earth woman named Frankie Raye. She’s not to be confused with Marvel’s other hero named Nova, who wore Nova Corps armor. With her power cosmic, Nova was able to lay waste to the Skrull Empire’s Imperial Starfleet. Or at least the part of it that was present in Tarnax space. Galactus then arrived and consumed the planet entirely. But that wasn’t even the worst thing that happened to the Skrull Empire. Something worse was on its way.

The Annihilation of the Skrulls’ Throneworld

Although the destruction of Throneworld was a huge blow to the Skrulls, they still had thousands of planets in their conquered areas of space. But that too was about to change. An interdimensional invasion from the Negative Zone led by its maniacal ruler, Annihilus, devastated most of the Skrull-controlled space. They called this invasion the Annihilation Wave. The shapeshifting species was now at a fraction of its former power and without a homeworld to call their own.

The Secret Invasion Takes Shape as Skrulls Take Over Other Planets

But an ancient prophecy spoke of a “blue world” that would become the new home for the Skrulls. And many believed that prophesied blue planet was the Earth. This belief was perpetuated by the ultra-religious Skrull Queen Veranke. She implemented a plan to replace heroes on Earth, in preparation for a full-scale Skrull invasion. Veranke actually impersonated the heroine Spider-Woman, and hid among the Avengers for months.

The Avengers thwarted this clandestine infiltration when they and other Marvel heroes teamed up to defeat the Skrulls, repelling the invasion. The Skrulls would later reorganize under a new ruler but Earth would not become their new home. Although we doubt they’re done trying to take the Earth from humanity. It’s only a matter of time before they try again, perhaps in Secret Invasion.

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The ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded all the way beyond cinema entirely. As of early 2021, Marvel Studios began its conquest of the small screen, beginning with projects like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The foray continues, enlisting MCU regulars (namely Loki and Hawkeye) and newcomers alike. And one such new direction will involve a beloved Marvel Comics miniseries: Secret Invasion.

Here’s everything we know about Secret Invasion so far.

Secret Invasion‘s Plot

The project will span six hour-long episodes (per Empire) and will air (presumably weekly) on Disney+. The synopsis for the TV series says:

In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

At D23, Marvel released its first trailer for Secret Invasion. Take a look below.

A recent article from Vanity Fair gave us a few more details about the new heroes and villains we would meet in the show. Among other interesting notes about Secret Invasion, it shared thoughts from star Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson shares of his character Nick Fury, “He told the Skrulls they were trying to find them a place to live… He promised them they were going to find them a planet or somewhere they could be. And that’s not going so well.” And the article adds, “Now a group of Skrull extremists have arisen who are tired of asking, and tired of waiting.”

Jackson also adds, “Nick had a whole Skrull spy network because they could shape-shift and go places that people couldn’t go… They kept their word. They worked for him, but he hasn’t done what he said he was going to do. They want a home. They want to live. They want to live like they are. They want to live in their skin. They don’t want to live in ours.”

Of Nick Fury, he notes, “Even Nick Fury can be shaken, you know? He’s up there [in space] trying to process what the fuck happened, you know? And what his place in the world is…The death of Iron Man, the death of Black Widow, with that stuff going on, he just kind of checked out.

Sounds like a deep conflict is coming in the world of the MCU. We can see it all in the latest look at the series.

What Is Secret Invasion‘s Comic Event About?

Marvel Comics published the eight-issue miniseries Secret Invasion between April and December 2008. Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote the series, developed its story as a direct follow-up to the 2006 storyline “Annihilation.” Beyond its eight issues, the series tied into numerous other concurrent Marvel Comics series, espousing a preemptive “The Infiltration” banner. Members of superhero teams including Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers, Fantastic Four, Secret Warriors, among others, were included in the story.

Bendis’ comic event tells the story of the Skrulls’ attempted invasion and conquest of the planet Earth. Using shapeshifting abilities, Skrulls take the form and identity of innumerous Earthlings, including top dollar Marvel figures. Skrull Empress-elect Veranke adopts the likeness of Spider-Woman, for instance, and sidles up to her superhero colleagues; over time, the Skrulls permeate additional groups like S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Fantastic Four.

That’s just the gist of the rising action. You can read a more in-depth discussion of Secret Invasion here.

Behind the Scenes

Kyle Bradstreet, writer and producer for Mr. Robot, is handling Secret Invasion‘s script. Thomas Bezucha (Let Him Go) and Ali Selim (The Looming Tower) will direct according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Secret Invasion‘s Cast

Samuel L. Jackson will bring Fury to life onscreen for Secret Invasion. Incidentally, this will mark the twelfth MCU project in which he’s played the character (not counting video games). Ben Mendelsohn, who played Talos in Captain Marvel and (briefly) in Spider-Man: Far from Home, will return as the surprisingly kindly Skrull. Cobie Smulders is also reprising her role as Maria Hill once more, per Deadline. Of course, we can’t have Nick Fury without Maria Hill at his side.

Right on the heels of Once Night in Miami’s Oscar nomination, Variety reported that the film’s star Kingsley Ben-Adir would join the Secret Invasion cast. He will play Gravik, the leader of the radicalized Skrull resistance. Carmen Ejogo has also joined the cast. Meanwhile, another Oscar winner is joining the fray. Olivia Colman will play, per Vanity Fair, “a more antagonistic presence in Secret Invasion…an MI6 agent…who’s ostensibly motivated to protect England’s national security interests during the crisis.”

Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke and Dublin Murders star Killian Scott have also been cast. Clarke is set to play G’iah, the Skrull daughter of Talos who is part of the Skrull resistance. Christopher McDonald has also joined the show, though we don’t know the role.

Finally, Martin Freeman confirmed to RadioTimes that he would also be reprising his MCU role as Everett K. Ross in Secret Invasion.

Secret Invasion‘s Release Date

Secret Invasion will release on June 21, 2023.

Originally published March 15, 2021.

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In a superhero multiverse full of shapeshifting aliens, time travel, infinite parallel worlds, and countless Variants, it’s nearly impossible to make an important character’s death feel like a major moment. The MCU has also conditioned viewers to think the biggest consequences, even the ultimate one, probably won’t stick. When someone in the franchise dies, even repeatedly, they don’t tend to stay dead very long. But that’s exactly why the shocking end of Secret Invasion‘s first episode was so effective. It managed to kill off an important person in a way that felt real and meaningful. And that unexpected farewell to Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill made the thriller’s intergalactic invasion feel truly dangerous.

To love the MCU is to realize you should never assume a character is gone forever. Even when they are unquestionably 100% dead they can still return, like Heimdall in Thor: Love and Thunder. Fans especially understand that no one (outside of maybe Loki, the literal God of Mischief) is better at staging a believable death than Nick Fury. He faked his own elaborate demise in Captain America: The Winter Soldier after he’d previously faked his colleague Phil Coulson’s in The Avengers.

Samuel L. Jackson’s spy, a man who is normally at least three steps ahead of friends and foes alike, understands the value in a pretend death. It makes your opponents think they’ve removed you or your closest allies from the game entirely. With that relief comes a vulnerability you can exploit. Sometimes that’s the only way to win.

But that’s not the Nick Fury introduced in Secret Invasion‘s first episode. The veteran spymaster still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but he’s not sure of himself anymore. He’s hesitating when he’d normally already have a plan in place. Even worse than failing to act is that he’s reacting to events. Fury, who’d spent years off world, is completely behind in this war for Earth with Gravik and the breakaway Skrulls.

While some of Fury’s “old man” routine is itself an act, the end of the premiere proved Maria Hill’s worries about him were well founded. Nick Fury at his best would have stopped that bombing. Each explosion revealed how far he is from the peak of his powers. They also made it easier to believe the bullet Gravik put in Maria Hill’s stomach really did end her story when we expected her to be a major part of Secret Invasion‘s. Smulders’ former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent isn’t an MCU redshirt. She’s been a major player in saving Earth for a longtime. The Avengers hung out with her. They trusted her completely.

She was also Nick Fury’s closest and most important friend and colleague. He could rely on her in a way he can’t rely on anyone else, not even Talos or the Avengers. And he’s never needed someone he can trust more. With her dead, the Skrull threat feels real and tangible in a way MCU stories often don’t. If Gravik can get to Maria Hill while she’s working with Nick Fury, Gravik can get to anyone.

The emotional impact of her death won’t go away no matter what happens, either. Even if/when Fury saves the world, he couldn’t save someone he loved along the way. He lost a person viewers care about, too, someone they assumed was entirely safe specifically because she was with him. For someone without superpowers, Maria Hill almost seemed invincible. Making us think someone like that really died is an incredible achievement for a franchise that has always made us believe consequences and stakes are fleeting rather than permanent.

Could her death be a giant ploy by her and Fury and she’s really alive? The entire history of the MCU makes it impossible to dismiss that possibility. But whether she eventually pops back up or not won’t change the fact that in the moment her death feel real. And because it did everything that follows her death will mean more. Truly no one is safe on Secret Invasion.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The MCU’s multiverse is no longer the purview of a handful of characters and a few movies. Avengers: Endgame‘s Time Heist might have saved the universe, but it also set the MCU on a much more complex path. Infinite paths actually, to infinite dimensions and parallel worlds. These branching timelines and other realities are changing the face of the entire franchise for every Marvel Cinematic Universe hero and villain. And that’s true for both new and (very) old characters alike.

Marvel’s multiverse can be a lot to keep track of, even for those creating it. But while all those roads can be confusing, they are important. Especially after Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Fortunately, we’re here to help break down the multiverse’s most important figures, storylines, and innumerable divergent paths. From Doctor Strange‘s dimensions, the Quantum Realm, Loki‘s Variants, and more, here’s everything you need to know about the MCU’s multiverse.

What Is the MCU’s Multiverse?

As laid out by the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and confirmed by He Who Remains on Loki, the MCU exists in a world “without end,” because the MCU’s multiverse is infinite. Vastly different parallel worlds, along with vastly different dimensions, all exist. Anything and everything can happen within them. And they can cause utter destruction to one another. There are differences between other dimensions and parallel worlds, though.

Another dimension is an entirely different plane of existence within a shared reality. It’s also possible to be in one plane while still observing another. However, if you travel the multiverse and go into a parallel world, you have entered another reality entirely. If that’s confusing, here are a couple of analogies to help make sense of the difference.

Sometimes in the MCU, being in another dimension is akin to being a ghost. If you become a ghost, you exist in a different dimension, but you can still see the plane of existence you left behind.

Meanwhile, visiting a parallel world is more like walking through a portal into a new destination. Imagine if you walked into a world identical to our world, except the sky is purple instead of blue. In the purple world, you would no longer see the blue sky of home. Also, your actions in the purple world would impact everyone there instead.

In the MCU, other dimensions in a shared reality sometimes have no ability to impact each other. Even when one can be perceived within another. But both parallel worlds in other realities, along with other dimensions within the same reality, sometimes pose existential threats to other dimensions and worlds in the multiverse.

Marvel’s Multiverse Explained By Dimension, Realm, and Property

Countless dimensions and realities (a.k.a. parallel worlds) also mean countless sinister dimensions and threats too. The Ancient One explained that chilling fact to Stephen Strange when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj in the first Doctor Strange.

“This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some benevolent and life giving. Others filled with malice and hunger. Dark places where powers older than time lie ravenous…and waiting.”

The “infinite dangers” the former Sorcerer Supreme warned of have already been seen in many of the MCU’s dimensions and parallel worlds. But so have other less nefarious places. These are the most important ones—good, evil, and in-between—to appear in the MCU so far. (Please note, this article deals only with the MCU, not Marvel Comics or non-Marvel Studios Marvel movies.)

The Many Dimensions of the First Doctor Strange Movie

Stephen Strange first saw the true scope of existence when his soul traveled through many dimensions in his debut film. Some were beautiful, others nightmarish. His journey took him through wonderfully named planes like the Mandelibus, Actiniaria, Flowering Incense, and Grass Jelly Dimensions.

He then got a glimpse of the diversity of parallel worlds during his unplanned “jump” with America Chavez in Multiverse of Madness. The pair dived through realities of paint, cubism, animation, and more.

These briefly seen places are all visual marvels worth exploring for any sorcerer-in-training. But thus far, these dimensions have been unimportant in the MCU. The first Doctor Strange film did introduce three vital dimensions to the franchise, though.

Astral Dimension

The Astral Dimension, sometimes called the Astral Plane, is “a place where the soul exists apart from the body.” Masters of the Mystic Arts can leave their physical bodies behind and enter the Astral Dimension. Within the Astral Plane they exist as pure energy, though they still look like ghostly versions of themselves. Sorcerers can also push other souls into this plane. The Ancient One did that to Stephen Strange. She also pushed Bruce Banner’s soul out of Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame. And Strange himself did this to Spider-Man in No Way Home.

Marvel’s Astral Plane exists around/next to the physical Earth realm. Souls in the Astral Dimension float through the real world, but the two are not the same place. They are different and independent planes of existence. What happens in the Astral Dimension does not affect the physical world. An astral projection can reveal itself to a physical being, though, as Stephen Strange did to Dr. Christine Palmer.

Time also works differently within the Astral Dimension. A single moment can be stretched out so that a dying Sorcerer Supreme can have a long conversation with the next one. In Doctor Strange, we see a discussion start and end before a bolt of lightning hits the ground.

This plane of existence also lets those who access it multitask. A body can sleep or enjoy a mug of tea in the physical realm while the soul reads a book in the Astral Dimension. Doctor Strange made use of the Astral Realm while studying the Mystic Arts. In WandaVision, Wanda Maximoff also used this aspect of the multiverse to study the Darkhold. And it was also within the Astral Plane where Wanda heard the voices of her sons, Billy and Tommy. (Though what dimension her original kids—not their Variants—currently exist—if they exist at all—is still unknown.)

Non-sorcerers can access the Astral Plane and have done so at other points in the franchise. However, depending on the MCU property, this dimension goes by other names and appears differently. We discuss the Astral dimension’s presence in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Moon Knight, and Thor: Love and Thunder—as well as its overall importance to the MCU’s multiverse—later in the article.

Mirror Dimension

Sorcerers also frequently access the Mirror Dimension. This dimension is an exact copy of the physical world it parallels. “Ever present but undetected,” the Ancient One said. “The real world isn’t affected by what happens here.” It’s why Masters of the Mystic Arts use it “to train, surveil, and sometimes to contain threats.”

A sorcerer working to save the physical world can lock an enemy within the Mirror world. Nearly every person gets stuck in there if they don’t have a Sling Ring, which sorcerers use to access the realm. Without a sling ring they have no way of getting out. That’s how Peter Parker managed to imprison Doctor Strange inside the Mirror Dimension in No Way Home. Only the supremely powerful Wanda Maximoff found a way out of a mirror dimension prison. She escaped by moving through reflections in the real world.

A Mystic Arts master might also learn new skills in the Mirror Dimension that they can then use against an unsuspecting and unprepared enemy. It’s the ultimate secret training ground.

The Mirror Dimension is not invulnerable, though. Doctor Strange attempted to use it in his fight with Thanos on Titan in Infinity War. But Thanos used the Power Stone to shatter the Mirror Dimension and turn it against Strange. And while it can be used for good, the Mirror Dimension can also be used for evil purposes. Those who practice dark magic can also hide, train, and jail foes within it. Their willingness to access another dimension’s terrible power also gives them additional strength within the Mirror world.

Dark Dimension

You don’t get a name like the Dark Dimension because you’re full of sunshine and rainbows. You get that moniker because you belong to the Cosmic Conqueror, Dormammu, Doctor Strange‘s interdimensional monster. The Dark Dimension is also known by the equally unpleasant moniker the Hell Dimension. If that name is not an exaggeration it might also be home to the much-anticipated Mephisto. What it definitely contains, though, are all of the worlds consumed by Dormammu.

This terrible fate awaited Earth, but Doctor Strange struck a bargain with the MCU’s Eater of Worlds.

Earth almost became part of the unnatural Dark Dimension because a former Master of the Mystic Arts, Kaecilius, and his followers fell prey to its promise. The Dark Dimension is “a world beyond time” and therefore a world beyond death. The Hell Dimension is so strong it’s possible to draw power from it to extend your life in other dimensions. Sorcerers who do harness this dark energy, known as the Dark Force, become more powerful inside the Mirror Dimension.

But it’s not just misguided magic users who sometimes draw from the Dark Dimension. The Earth-born Ancient One used the Dark Dimension to live for hundreds of years, violating the natural order. Messing with Dark Force is a dangerous game for everyone and every dimension.

That was equally true for anyone learning the secrets of the Darkhold. That sinister book of dangerous magic was made by Chthon from the Dark Dimension’s dark energy. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showed just how much “the book of the damned” corrupted its users, even those with good intentions. But that wasn’t the only major contribution the film made to the ever-expanding multiverse of the MCU.  

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the Connections Between Realities

We knew about the existence of the MCU’s parallel worlds before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We also knew about Variants. But what we didn’t know was just how connected they can be. The film introduced new concepts that completely change the possibilities for everyone in every universe.

Incursions and the Destruction of Entire Universes

An incursion is when two MCU realities collide with one another. When that happens either one or both of them are completely destroyed. That’s why the Illuminati killed the facial hair-free Supreme Strange of Earth-838. His use of the Darkhold caused an incursion that destroyed an entire universe, killing trillions.

A type of incursion can also happen when someone toys with the fabric of reality itself. Two Doctor Strange Variants did this, bringing about the destruction of their own universe. The first happened on What If…? The other happened in Multiverse of Madness with Sinister Strange. When an entire reality comes apart it fades away into nothingness, like a cloud of ink vanishing into an ever-darkening sky.

The introduction of incursions to the MCU could mean the franchise is now building to its next big event, Secret Wars. That would mean war between every dimension, realm, and parallel world, exactly what He Who Remains warned Loki and Sylvie about.

Waypoints and the Gap Junction

The Book of Vishanti, the antithesis of the Darkhold, rested in a nexus dimension between the infinite worlds of the MCU’s multiverse. That dimension is known as the Gap Junction. Doctor Strange 2 didn’t invest much time explaining why it looks the way it does, but we did see Variants from multiple universes access it. That included Defender Strange and the MCU’s main Stephen Strange, who went there from Earth-838 via a secret portal called a Waypoint.

If a door exists in one world to the Gap Junction, theoretically you can travel to parallel dimensions via that nexus. Or you can rely on the singular nexus being who has the ability to hop between worlds.

The One and Only America Chavez

America Chavez has no Variants. She also has an incredible power. America can move freely between the realities of the MCU’s multiverse, an ability she finally learned to control by the end of Doctor Strange 2. A powerful being can absorb her power, but if anyone succeeds she will die during the transfer.

Others, even the most powerful beings in Marvel’s multiverse, can’t do that. But they do have another way to make their presence felt in other universes.

Dreams and Dreamwalking in the MCU

When someone in the MCU has a dream they aren’t seeing a creation of their subconscious. What they are seeing is the real life of one of their Variants from the MCU’s multiverse. Main Stephen Strange didn’t imagine Defender Strange and America running from a demon in the Gap Junction. He saw what really happened to them. Anytime someone in the MCU has a dream (not necessarily a vision) they are introducing a new Variant to the franchise.

While dreams are passive links between Variants, dreamwalking is an active connection. Not to mention an evil one. The Darkhold allowed its users to remotely control one of their Variant’s bodies across dimensions. Wanda did this from Earth-616, turning Wanda Mom of Earth-838 into a “meat puppet.” Doctor Strange also did this with his Variant’s corpse. Dreamwalking is the darkest of magic (using a dead body is especially forbidden), and whether or not anyone can do it now that Wanda destroyed the Darkhold in every universe is unknown.

Black Panther‘s Ancestral Plane

The Astral Plane is a dimension living souls can access, but we’ve never seen a dead person’s soul there. Meanwhile, the connected Ancestral Plane of Black Panther is a realm where a soul goes after its body dies. It’s not limited to just the dead, though. T’Challa and Killmonger both traveled there while still alive and each spoke to their deceased fathers.

Marvel Studios’ T’Challa and Killmonger each journeyed to the Ancestral Plane after they consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb and had themselves buried alive. This ethereal world appeared differently to each of them. T’Challa went to lands similar to his country, but it was a world of non-Earth-like bio fluorescence and beauty. Meanwhile, Killmonger went to the home he grew up in with his father in Oakland. When each man woke, far less time had passed on Earth than he had experienced in the Ancestral Plane because time moves much slower there.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever added another layer of depth to the Ancestral Plane. When Shuri travelled there she expected to meet her recently deceased mother. Instead she found her cousin Killmonger waiting for her. She was angry to see him sitting in the equivalent of Wakanda’s throne room, but he said she “summoned” him. It’s not clear how much we can trust him, but if he told the truth, those who eat the Heart-Shaped Herb and go to the Ancestral Plane call a family member to meet them rather than their dead loved one coming to them, an interesting twist to that spiritual world.

The Astral Plane and the Ancestral Plane share many of the same traits and are clearly connected. As are other realms of the dead in the MCU.

Moon Knight and the Duat

Marc Spector and Steven Grant went to the Duat following their death on Moon Knight. There they encountered the Ancient Egyptian hippo goddess Taweret. She told them they were not in “the” afterlife, but merely “an” afterlife.

According to her, “many intersectional planes of untethered consciousness exist.” That particular realm of the dead, the one Ancient Egyptians believed in, leads to a soul either becoming forever frozen in the sands of the Duat or living for eternity in the paradise known as the Field of Reeds.

But Taweret still knew about the “gorgeous” Ancestral Plane of Black Panther. Supernatural beings who live in one realm of dead soul still know—and can seemingly visit—other realms of the dead. Unlike the Ancestral Plane, though, there is a way for souls in the Duat to return to the land of the living. Osiris must allow them passage through his gates. If it’s possible to move between “intersectional planes of untethered consciousness” it’s possible for anyone to return from the dead.

As for the Field of Reeds, it’s unclear if all those intermediary planes of the dead lead to one single paradise for all souls. Those who die in the MCU appear to arrive in afterlife connected to what they believed in while alive. That’s what happens to Viking warriors of Asgard.

Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Valhalla

Asgardians believe the souls of warriors who die on the field of battle will ascend to Valhalla. The good news is that they’re only half right. Valhalla exists, but you don’t need to specifically die valiantly at the hands of an enemy. Jane Foster went to Valhalla, where Heimdall greeted her, even though she died of cancer and not from Gorr’s sword. And just like Steven Grant returned from the sands of the Duat, and Marc Spector returned from the Field of Reeds, to go back to the dimension of the living, there’s reason to think those in Valhalla can also find their way back to life.

At the very least, what does seem clear is that each and every realm of the dead belongs to a dimension that contains all souls and their subsequent realms.

Infinity War‘s Soul Stone and Soulworld

When someone uses the Soul Stone, they enter a separate dimension inside the magic space rock. Thanos went there after his Snap in Infinity War. In Soulworld he met his daughter Gamora as a small child. Smart Hulk visited that plane too after the Blip, though we didn’t see what he encountered there. And before he died Tony Stark saw his young daughter as a grown woman in an Endgame deleted scene.

The Soulworld is not only where people go when they use the Soul Stone. It’s where souls go when they die. The Soul World may hold the Ancestral Plane, the Duat, Valhalla, and every realm of the dead. And just because the Soul Stone is not destroyed doesn’t mean it is.

What really matters, though, is that a world beyond life exists in the MCU. It has many names and takes many forms, and it can be accessed in many ways, but it’s all one place, hidden in Marvel’s multiverse.

Ant-Man‘s Quantum Realm and Loki‘s Citadel

The Quantum Realm is so important to the MCU we wrote an extensive primer about it before Avengers: Endgame. Then Scott Lang realized it could be used as a portal through time. (An ability only Kamala Khan’s bangle has also provided.) You’ll definitely want to read our Quantum Realm breakdown, as it explains why that realm is not merely a smaller-scale version of Earth’s realm. It is actually an entirely different dimension. If you shrink your physical form down enough, you leave your own plane of existence and cross over into another one. The MCU’s Quantum Realm is a unique dimension, just as the Astral or Mirror dimensions are. But it’s seemingly more important than both combined.

The Quantum Realm first reshaped the MCU by undoing the Snap. But that was only the beginning of its role in the MCU, especially if the Quantum Realm exists beyond the end of time itself, a place as we saw in Loki‘s finale.

The castle known as the Citadel of He Who Remains exists in a dimension outside and independent of time itself. Where that Citadel is located exactly is still unknown. But its surreal, swirling environment full of color looked a lot like the Quantum Realm. Considering the Quantum Realm can be used to hop in and out of a timeline, it’s the best candidate for where the Citadel exists. If that’s true, He Who Remains and the staff of the TVA are essentially time travelers who don’t age.

For a brief moment Doctor Strange and Peter Parker also entered an identical-looking plane when Strange’s spell broke apart in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That very well might have been the Quantum Realm. And not just because of how it looked. Strange’s spell pulled in other Peter Parkers and their enemies from multiple dimensions. But they each came out of different points in time, even those who came from the same parallel world. That spell didn’t just open the multiverse, it opened up portals through time.

Loki‘s Variants and Parallel Worlds

Loki’s six-episode run on Disney+ took everything we knew about the MCU and flipped it on its head. Then it twisted and spun the entire franchise and its history all around, so we have no idea which way is up. Because as soon as He Who Remains gave us answers to monumental questions, Sylvie created even bigger ones when she killed him. (The show also left some important topics open to interpretation rather than explicitly addressing them.)

Some valuable lessons Loki taught us about the MCU’s multiverse still remain true, though.

The dimension where the Avengers live, now labeled Earth-616 by some and Earth-199999 by others, has an infinite number of parallel universes “stacked” on top of it. Many of those parallel realities look similar to each other. Doctor Strange 2 confirmed that fact which was first introduced on Loki where Variants and the many versions of He Who Remains fought a Multiversal War. Some Variants look like exact copies of each other, and their worlds have similar histories. But even those can have significant differences. Loki can, for instance, lose the Battle of the New York in one part of Marvel’s multiverse but win in another. Sometimes the difference between realities can be a single moment or event that leads to a vastly different world.

The existence of infinite parallel realities has major ramifications beyond even what we’ve seen in the MCU so far. For example, Tony Stark is dead in the universe we know. But an infinite number of Tony Starks must still live in parallel worlds. In some, he could be evil. In others, he didn’t defeat Thanos with the Snap because another Avenger did. Other Variant Tonys never even became Iron Man. Instead, they died in that cave. Or they lived their whole life as an uncaring genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. The same holds true for every character—living or dead—in the main timeline.

What If…? and the Illuminati Show Anything (and Anyone) is Possible

Marvel’s What If…? series introduced some of these alternate realities. On the animated series Peggy Carter stayed in a room instead of leaving it. Because of that one decision she ended up a Super Soldier instead of Steve Rogers, thus changing her world’s history forever. Those alternate realities/parallel worlds can co-exist in peace. It’s even possible to travel between them and share knowledge and technology. So long as multidimensional travelers avoid three potentially catastrophic pitfalls. 1) don’t fight with each other, 2) don’t cause branches to the Sacred Timeline that keeps every parallel world contained, 3) don’t cause an incursion.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also showed famous figures never before seen in Earth-616’s reality exist in the multiverse. Professor X and the rest of the Illuminati showed just how similar yet different worlds can be at the same time. The group included other versions of characters we know from the main timeline alongside important characters that don’t have main MCU counterparts. Yet.

Multiversal War and the Sacred Timeline

He Who Remains won a Multiversal War against his own Variants. (Possibly/likely not the first such war, and definitely not the last.) Once he and his Variants learned inter-dimensional travel between parallel worlds, some versions of He Who Remains sought to conquer the others. That battle threatened to destroy all of reality. That war was nearly the end “of everything and everyone” in every universe and dimension, the ultimate incursion.

To prevent a potential multiverse apocalypse from happening again, He Who Remains organized all of those parallel worlds into one Sacred Timeline. Thus, Variants and parallel worlds co-exist on top of and next to one another in a single loop of time. Different realities have their own existence, but He Who Remains created the TVA to make sure they all stayed on the same path of time to ensure they didn’t destroy one another.

If a Variant causes a Nexus Event, which results in a branch from the Sacred Timeline, they are ripped from their reality and sent to the Void at the end of time. Those branches must be pruned lest they result in another all-out war between dimensions.

The TVA is the MCU’s most Machiavellian creation. It sacrifices the lives of some to protect the lives of everyone. It’s neither inherently good nor bad, and even similar Variants disagree on its merits. Loki ultimately decided the TVA was a necessary evil, a form of control that kept the worst outcomes at bay. Sylvie did not. She believed the universe and its infinite dimensions want to break free from control. Results be damned.

How one world can be so different, to the point Variants can be entirely different species (looking at you—from a safe distance—Alligator Loki), yet not constantly cause branches to the Sacred Timeline is hard to fathom. But that’s how powerful a Nexus Event is. It can destroy everyone everywhere.

That’s because it’s not actually the greatest threat to the multiverse. That title belongs to a very dangerous man and all his Variants.

Quantumania, Kang the Conqueror, and the Council of Kangs

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania fundamentally changed what we knew about the Quantum Realm, the Sacred Timeline, and the most dangerous man of any time or world.

The Quantum Realm is far more diverse and strange than we ever realized. It’s home to an advanced civilization of living buildings where broccoli people live alongside humanoids and goo with no holes. Time seems to work differently there, too, more evidence that’s where He Who Remains built the TVA. The main city of the Quantum Realm also looked like the one seen outside the TVA building.

It was also used to imprison Kang the Conqueror outside of time so he could no longer threaten the multiverse or the Sacred Timeline after he had already destroyed entire dimensions. We know one of He Who Remains’ Variants replaced him after Sylvie killed him. Was that Kang the Conqueror? If so, when exactly did he take over the TVA? Before or after the events of Loki? There are so many questions we don’t have answers to yet, including how Kang survived and when in time he ended up. But Quantumania ended with the Council of Kangs coming together. He Who Remains was right about what would happen if he no longer controlled the Time Variance Authority. Worse versions of him returned.

Only, Kangs now see the Avengers as their greatest threat, not one another. Every world in the MCU’s multiverse now has to countless Variants of the Conqueror to fear. But it’s not like that’s the only danger the multiverse faces.

The Existential Threat of Ms. Marvel‘s Noor Dimension

Kamala Khan’s great grandmother, the ClanDestine Aisha, came from the Noor Dimension. That’s a parallel dimension of Earth. The Veil separates the two, and opening that portal threatens the entire dimension of Earth. Left unclosed the Noor Dimension would completely consume the dimension of Earth.

The Noor is a powerful dimension if someone can harness its powers. Aisha imbued her bangle with her Noor power, and that artifact helped unlock Kamala’s powers and sent the teenager back in time. It was also powerful enough to instantly transport and swap Kamala, Carol Danvers, and Monica Rambeau places across the universe.

Is Shang-Chi’s Ta Lo a Part of the MCU’s Multiverse?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Ta Lo is a pocket dimension that exists parallel to Earth, making it a part of the MCU’s multiverse. The residents of Ta Lo—who put magical dragon scales on their weapons—protect Earth and its people. But getting to this beautiful realm of peace is almost impossible. A shifting, moving maze of trees and dirt keeps its Earthly portal hidden. Access is only possible once a year. However, a resident—either human or one of Ta Lo’s magical creatures—can direct an outsider through the otherwise impenetrable maze any time of the year.

The Ta Lo village seen in Shang-Chi is just a small part of this multiverse dimension. But it long stood guard against a creature that threatened both Ta Lo and Earth. The extra-dimensional beast the Dweller-in-Darkness, leader of the Soul Eaters, waged war against Ta Lo thousands of years ago. Thanks to the Great Defender dragon, the people of Ta Lo locked the Dweller-in-Darkness behind the Dark Gate. It stayed there until it lured Xu Wenwu with the false promise of seeing his wife again. He freed it with the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi ultimately killed the massive leviathan, keeping both Ta Lo and Earth from becoming victims of the massive eater of souls.

Thor Visits Omnipotent City, the Shadow Realm, and Eternity

In addition to Valhalla, Thor: Love and Thunder introduced other new realms to the MCU. The first was Omnipotence City, a secret haven for all gods led by Zeus at the Parliament of Pantheons. Thor, Jane Foster, and Valkyrie also traveled to the Shadow Realm, a land without color and shadow monsters where Gorr the God Butcher resided and drew power.

The God of Thunder also followed Gorr to Eternity, an abstract entity. Gorr and Thor walked through a portal opened by Stormbreaker to reach Eternity, which stands as the living embodiment of all time and space everywhere. It can also grant any wish, which reverberates throughout that world’s reality. And each reality has its own Eternity.

Non-MCU Marvel Movies and the Multiverse 

The parallel worlds of the MCU are no longer limited to only the universes and dimensions created within the MCU and its parent company. Spider-Man: No Way Home made non-Disney Marvel movies a part of the MCU’s multiverse too. Then Multiverse of Madness made it so entirely new actors could play roles still only seen in non-Disney Marvel movies thus far. Reed Richards appeared on the big screen before, but never before by John Krasinski.

And these crossovers are just the start. Kevin Feige has already promised Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will join the MCU. And Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage added another wrinkle to the franchise crossover fun. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also made direct mention of the events of No Way Home. (Though whether or not Disney officially considers every Sony Marvel movie canon for the MCU is unclear. That might just be a one-way street for now.)

That opens the (parallel worlds) door to any and all Marvel movies ever made now being canonically folded into the MCU. Especially when magic—intentionally or not—can bring in anyone from anywhere at any time. It’s why Chris Evans could return to the MCU not as Steve Rogers or even one of his Variants, but as Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. As could another former Johnny Storm, Black Panther‘s Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan.

The (former) Netflix Marvel shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, which no longer seemingly exist in the same universe as the MCU, are already making their way into the franchise proper. Daredevil‘s Matt Murdock and Kingpin are now a part of the MCU. And someone like Wesley Snipes’ Blade could one day help Mahershala Ali’s upcoming MCU version of the character fight vampires from across the multiverse.

And, of course, any and all members of Fox’s X-Men franchise could join Disney’s franchise at any point. Evan Peters’ Quicksilver on WandaVision stands as a bit of stunt casting. But we could soon learn Ralph Bohner’s resemblance to the X-Men character was not a mere coincidence. Ralph might be a Variant of the cinematic X-Men‘s Quicksilver. Now that a Variant of Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier is formally a part of the MCU, more of his former X-Men cohorts could—and likely will—follow.

Thanks to the multiverse, it’s now possible to consider anyone who has ever played a Marvel character in film and TV—for any studio—to be part of the MCU. (Technically Black Bolt already was a part of the MCU, but Anson Mount’s appearance in Doctor Strange 2 was still a major moment.)

The Future of the MCU’s Multiverse

Doctor Strange‘s movies have shown us what the multiverse has to offer, both good and bad. The first two Ant-Man movies showed us how another dimension could upend the entire world as we know it. Avengers: Endgame made good on that promise by manipulating time and reality to save the universe before WandaVision, Loki, and Spider-Man: No Way Home expanded the multiverse in ways that have fundamentally changed the MCU forever. And Quantumania gave us even bigger questions whose answers could mean the destruction of the entire multiverse. For everything we know there’s even more we don’t.

Marvel’s multiverse will only bring more chaos and villains to every version of Earth’s mightiest heroes as the MCU goes forward. From Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to Loki season two and the Avengers Kang movies, the MCU is diving headfirst into infinite possibilities. And with each step the franchise takes down that road, the more complex all the journey will get. But knowing where they are all coming from will help keep the path clear for viewers moving forward.

…We think. It’s not always easy to keep track of infinite dimensions and worlds. Even He Who Remains needed the TVA to do that.

Originally published on August 30, 2021.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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When the Captain America franchise returns to the MCU, it’s going to do so with a new hero. Steve Rogers is an old man who’s either dead, living on the Moon, or playing shuffleboard in Fort Myers. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is now the United States’ signature superhero, the one and only Captain America. But that isn’t the only change the film will deliver. Harrison Ford is stepping into the role of Thaddeus Ross after the passing of William Hurt. We don’t expect any version of ole Thunderbolt to get along with a man of morals like Sam. But the actors who play the characters certainly seem to like one another. They’re having a whole lot of fun together in the first official behind-the-scenes image from the film, which Mackie and Marvel Studios shared to announce that Captain America 4 now has a new title.

New World Order is out. Captain America: Brave New World is in.

Sorry fans of late ’90s WCW. Once again, the New World Order has fallen. Apparently, that Captain America title was not “too sweet” for Marvel. But today is a big day for readers of Aldous Huxley’s classic dystopian novel, as it now serves as the inspiration for the name of the next Captain America installment.

It’s unclear if the Captain America 4 title change is simply a legal matter or if it better reflects the story we’re going to see. The phrase “New World Order” also has some murkier roots, so it’s probably best to see it go. There is a Marvel Comics issue titled Secret Empire: Brave New World, but it seems to largely feature Namor. So it doesn’t really add much insight to the equation.

What is clear, though, is how much Mackie and Ford are enjoying working together in the movie’s first official image.

What are they talking about? On Instagram, Mackie wrote, “When Harrison Ford tells you how kicking ass should look, you listen! LoL… Thanks for the on-set wisdom and laughs my friend! Can’t wait to do it again.” (The film’s production is currently on hiatus.)

Anthony Mackie is basically us if we got to hang out with Harrison Ford.

There are some other takeaways from this seemingly innocuous picture, though. And we don’t just mean that the set chairs already have the new title on them. We mean, like how Ford isn’t sporting Ross’ mustache here. Is that how he’ll appear in the film, or is this just a moment when he didn’t have it glued on/shaved it off? And what exactly are we seeing on the monitor? It’s hard to tell at a squint, but you never know when a really good Easter egg is right in front of you. Could it be the re-emergence of Sam’s original Captain America suit?

Whatever’s going on, we’re thrilled to see Mackie’s Captain America current suit looks so good. (Especially compared to the aforementioned one we saw him wearing on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.)

Clearly, a Brave New World for Captain America means more than a title change; it means better gear when the movie comes to theaters on May 3, 2024. 

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Some truly legendary items from fan-favorite films will soon have the ability to be a part of your private collection. If you can shake out a few million quarters from under the couch cushions that is. The folks at the Propstore are about to start their next big auction, and it might actually outdo some of their earlier ones by a country mile. For this latest auction of iconic movie memorabilia, they’ve got items from Star Wars, the MCU, Nolan’s Batman films, and even Titanic. Here are some items that will soon be up for sale.

The Star Wars item for this auction was actually worn by Hollywood royalty, a princess on and off camera, Carrie Fisher. They also have Princess Leia’s final awards ceremony gown, from the finale of A New Hope.

For MCU fans, the Propstore has Peter Quill’s helmet from Guardians of the Galaxy. Not to mention the reforged hammer Mjolnir from Thor: Love and Thunder, wielded by Jane Foster.

From the DC side of things, this auction will make the Batpod from The Dark Knight available. Imagine having this baby parked in your garage for all to see. (Better get a good Bat-tarp).

This auction’s offerings also will not disappoint horror fans. Not only do we get the infamous “spider-head” from John Carpenter’s The Thing, but also an original puppet from Gremlins. Perhaps most iconic is Jason Voorhees’ actual hockey mask from Friday the 13th Part VII, and the toy clown from Poltergeist that gave an entire generation a lifelong fear of clowns.

Interested fans can head on over to the Propstore’s official site for more information. This Propstore auction will start the live online bidding on June 28-30. The full catalog should be available in the first week of June, but you can check out the premiere pieces for this action already.  

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The MCU certainly knows how to build to a big showdown. Ever since the Avengers first got together to take on Loki the franchise has delivered some epic team-ups. Now LEGO will let fans physically build their own big showdown via two new action-packed sets. Both Endgame and Spider-Man are getting their own final battle LEGO collections.

LEGO’s Endgame Final Battle 794-piece set ($99.99) will bring the iconic war with Thanos at the Avengers compound to your own home. The 360-degree set comes with seven minifigs. That includes: Captain Marvel, Okoye, Wanda Maximoff, Shuri, Valkyrie, Thanos, and The Wasp. The collection also features plenty of spots to place the heroes, as well as other fun extras. Among the wreckage you’ll find Captain America’s shield, Thor’s hammer, the Time Stone, and the portal-opening rat that helped save the universe.

While you can put this set on display, it’s designed for play. It stands 11.5-inches high by 8.5-inches wide and 8-inches deep when closed, but it comes with two handles so you can pull it open. That “causes the battleground to expand for even more adventures.”

But LEGO knows no MCU fan would settle for just one epic showdown, which is why the company has also announced another new 360-degree playset. The Spider-Man Final Battle collection ($109.99) celebrates the last clash in No Way Home in cool LEGO style. And yes, that means it has separate minifigs for each the film’s three Spider-Mans: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Joining them are figures for Electro, Doctor Strange, Green Goblin, Ned, MJ, and Doc Ock.

The characters are just the start of the fun with this set measuring 7-inches high, 8-inches wide and 8.5-inches deep. It also has “three minifigure supports for midair action. It also has a removable roof that opens up to show Sandman’s hand. And there’s “a flip-open rear access to a portal and a soft web element to envelop minifigures.”

Both sets are designed for ages 10 and up. Each will be available later this summer on August 1. But while you have to wait to get your hands on them, you don’t have to build a bunch of other sets before they come out. Only the MCU has to do that before it reaches its final battles.

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The MCU is full of superheroes and supervillains. It also features monsters, living planets, robots, Celestials, and gods of every sort. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe would still be pretty empty without its many, many critters, both Earth and alien alike. With so many to choose from, though, which ones are the best? Whether they’re lovable pets or highly advanced beings, these are the top 10 animals in the MCU.

Honorable Mention

These lovable—and in some cases not-so-lovable—creatures just missed the cut:

Howard the Duck (Guardians franchise), Blurp (Guardians Vol 3.), Alexei the Pig (Black Widow), Abilisks (Guardians franchise), Irina the Cockatoo (Iron-Man 2), Fenris the Wolf (Thor: Ragnarok), every Gus the Goldfish (Moon Knight), Murph the Cat (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Orloni Rodents (Guardians franchise), Sparky the Dog (WandaVision), Rocky the Owl (Hawkeye), Señor Scratchy (WandaVision), and Valkyrie Flying Steeds (Ragnarok).

They all tied for 11th. Any MCU animal we didn’t rank that you think should have been included tied for 12th.

(Note: This list only applies to the MCU proper. Sorry, animals from the Netflix and ABC shows. We still love you.)

10. Goose (Captain Marvel)

When it comes to the MCU’s alien animals, appearances can be deceiving. No one better exemplifies that than Goose the (not really a) cat. This adorable and dangerous Flerken helped save Carol Danvers, Nick Fury, and the Skrulls in Captain Marvel, but Goose would have earned a spot on this list for just being so damn cute. Unfortunately we can’t rank this intergalactic kitty any higher after what she did to a trusting Nick Fury.

9. Alligator Loki (Loki)

Alligator Loki answered one of mankind’s oldest and most important questions: can you turn any animal, no matter how fearsome and terrifying, into a beloved one if you put a tiny little crown of horns on their head and feed them wine? Yes. You can. That is also reason enough to earn a spot on this competitive list.

8. Ant-thony (Ant-Man)

We were tempted to simply include all of the ants from the Ant-Man franchise because they’re all great. But one loyal insect’s heroics clearly elevated him above the rest. Scott Lang’s flying carpenter ant/spy/steed/friend Ant-thony holds a special place in the MCU. We will always remember you and your sacrifice, #247.

7. Tawaret the Hippo Goddess (Moon Knight)

A gigantic, delightful, helpful, friendly, compassionate Egyptian hippo goddess with style and pizzaz? And she’s only number seven!? That’s not an indictment on Moon Knight‘s most wonderful denizen of the Duat. It’s the biggest compliment we can give to everyone ranked above her.

6. Lylla, Teefs, and Floor (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

For this entry we wanted to hire Sarah McLachlan to record a Lylla, Teefs, and Floor specific rendition of her classic “I Will Remember You.” Unfortunately we were told to “stop emailing her about this.”

But that won’t stop us from honoring Rocket’s original friends, the greatest cybernetically-enhanced otter, walrus, and rabbit to ever live on any world.

5. Cosmo the Dog (Guardians of the Galaxy Franchise)

Cosmo is a very, very, very good dog and anyone who says otherwise is a monster. Looking at you, Kraglin! Even if you didn’t mean it that wasn’t very nice.

4. Indigarrian Goats (Thor: Love and Thunder)

If we had to personally fly around space with Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder we would definitely not include them on our top 10 animals list. That’s just too much screaming for any mortal to deal with. But the amount of time we spent with those hilarious goats in Thor: Love and Thunder was perfect, so they rightfully take a spot near the top of our rankings.

3. Morris the Dijiang (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

What this rotund, friendly magical animal from Ta Lao dimension lacks in eyes it more than makes up for in wings and lovability. And also extra sensory perception. Trevor Slattery’s unlikely (not hallucinated) pet also helped save the day in Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, which elevates him into the top five easily. It has nothing to do with Morris being sensitive and us not wanting to upset him, we swear.

2. Lucky the Pizza Dog (Hawkeye)

A golden retriever with one eye who loves pizza and is a remarkable judge of moral character is in the running for greatest dog ever, not just in the MCU. Obviously only a truly remarkable animal could have kept Hawkeye’s Lucky from garnering the number one spot.

1. Rocket Raccoon (Guardians of the Galaxy Franchise)

Rocket Raccoon might be the best freaking character in the entire MCU. Ain’t nobody like him ‘cept him. And that includes being number one in our hearts.

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