SPOILERS!
Showing posts with label Doctor Strange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doctor Strange. Show all posts
Monday, 9 May 2022
Friday, 11 December 2020
Thoughts on the Disney/Marvel announcements
Disney has just emptied a bucketload of new series and film announcements onto the internet to gear everyone up for the next phase of its media empire. Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a new wave of Star Wars properties and more, there's a lot to take on, but he's my thoughts on the MCU revelations. (I'll get to Star Wars eventually, but I'm not even up to date on The Mandalorian yet. However, really suspicious of the idea of bringing back Hayden Christiansen.)
MARVEL PHASE 4
Secret Invasion: Good news, but no surprise. The involvement of the Skrulls in Captain Marvel and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos pretending to be Nick Fury all pointed to the Secret Invasion storyline coming to fruition. Presumably this will have an impact on the films in time, but for now, this is another Disney+ series. Marvel have tried to tie together their TV and cinematic productions before to limited success, but this looks like a far more sophisticated effort. Mendelsohn and Sam Jackson both confirmed back for this.
Ironheart: The occasionally controversial (for small-minded people) new Iron Man comic treatement, Ironheart features Riri Williams as a young genius who creates her own biomechanical armour suit. The Disney+ series will star Dominique Thorne. Could be well worth watching.
Armor Wars: Less interested by this one. Do we need both? This has Don Cheadle back as Rhodey/War Machine dealing with the fallout from Stark's death when his technology falls into unscrupulous hands. Should be good, but just not sure these need to be separate series.
I am Groot: This sounds very silly: a series of Disney+ shorts revolving around Baby Groot, with "new and unusual characters." Could be a good chance to involve the more ridiculous and out-there ideas from the Marvel universe (Howard the Duck please!) No word on whether Vin Diesel will voice Groot.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Now this is just fabulous. Prior to the third Guardians of the Galaxy film in 2023 (finally confirmed to have James Gunn onboard without a doubt), this is a wonderfully daft thing to do. A homage to the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special, this is bound to be all kinds of ridiculous. Lined up for 2022, presumably for Christmas unless they bring it forward for a Thanksgiving drop.
Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel 2
Really looking forward to this one. I adored the first couple of runs of Ms. Marvel comics, and I'm stoked to see her on screen. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan, and from the brief glimpse here, she seems perfect. She'll also appear with Ms. Marvel's idol in Captain Marvel 2, confirmed to star Brie Larson (so much for the stupid rumours that she was being recast), with Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau.
What If? and Loki
Not going to overload this post with videos, but here's the link to the dazzling trailer for What If? and a fun first look at the Loki series. Both are set for Disney+ next year, dealing with the MCU's expansion into the Multiverse. What If? looks particularly fun, with some of the best of the MCU cast involved (although clearly not everyone is voiced by their original actor). Hayley Atwell as Captain Britain? The inevitable introduction of Marvel Zombies? I'm in. Loki looks like it's going to embrace the alt-reality elements as well, with the introduction of the Time Variance Agency. A crime thriller with time travel and Tom Hiddleston? Can't go wrong.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
This is going to be fabulous, but the news today is the casting: Rachel McAdams is returning as Christine Palmer, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Benedict Wong as, well, Wong. We already knew that Elizabeth Olson was onboard as Wanda Maximoff, but the big news is the confirmation that dimension-jumping America Chavez is involved, played by newcomer Xochitl Gomez.
Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania
I love how silly these titles are getting. We expected a third Ant-Man film, but it's good to get confirmation of the title, which implies some exploration of the Quantum Realm, aka the Microverse. It was revealed a little while ago, but I'm still excited for Kang the Conqueror to finally make his big screen debut played by Jonathan Majors.
Fantastic Four
The least surprising but most welcome revelation, the Fantastic Four property is now back with Marvel following Disney's acquisition of Fox. Jon Watts, set to direct the third MCU Spidey film, is on to helm this. No cast news yet, but we can expect some crossover elements, if not with this film, with a follow-up, given the close links in the comics between the FF and Spider-Man, Kang and the Secret Invasion.
Casting round-up!
Almost out of breath now, so a quick rundown of casting news. Hailee Steinfeld is Kate Bishop in the new Hawkeye series on Disney+ (I foresee next gen crossovers with Ironeheart and Ms. Marvel). Hilariously, Christian Bale's role in Thor: Love and Thunder is Gorr the God Butcher, an alien being committed to killing every god in the universe. They won't be recasting T'Challa for the second Black Panther film due in 2022, instead "honouring his legacy." I presume that means a new Black Panther, but I think we can rule out Shuri, since Letitis Wright's in trouble these days for stupid online behaviour.
Spider-Man 3 casting round-up!
Now this is ridiculous and wonderful. The third, as-yet-untitled Spidey film is clearly taking Tom Holland's requested route and piling straight into a live-action Spiderverse story. Presumably they got sick of him spoilering things in interviews so just went with his idea from the outset. Holland is confirmed, of course, along with Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon and Marisa Tomei. But there's also official confirmation that Jamie Foxx is back as Electro (from The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and now Alfred Molina as Doc Ock (from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2). Emma Stone is in negotiations to return as Gwen Stacy, and rumour has it that Andrew Garfield, Tobye Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have been approached to reprise their version of Spider and MJ. Plus Benny Cumber as Dr. Strange, presumably handling the interdimensional stuff.
Monday, 7 May 2018
REVIEW: Avengers - Infinity War
You've seen it, right? If not, go see it first. This review contains SPOILERS and SPECULATION.
Sunday, 5 November 2017
REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok
By
rights, marvel should be slowing down and flagging a bit by now.
Thor: Ragnarok is the
seventeenth movie in the MCU, which has been going for a good nine
years. No one would be surprised if things were becoming stale by
now. Yet somehow, this year has seen a run of films that have just
gotten better and better. After the excellence of Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming,
Taika Waititi has created what may be my comicbook movie of the year.
Waititi
is a real left-wing choice to direct a Marvel movie. Only Edgar
Wright seemed more of an odd fit, and we saw how well that
partnership ended. Nothing in Waititi's previous work, least of all
his celebrated What We Do in the Shadows,
makes you think “this guy needs to do a superhero movie.” In a
weird way, though, he's a perfect choice, and what he does here with
Norse mythology and operatic superheroics is much like his
deconstruction of vampire lore and gothic romantic literature in
Shadows. Hats off,
too, to the writing trio of Yost, Kyle and Pearson, who put together
a script that, for the most part, manages a fine balance of the
grandly dramatic and the overtly comedic.
It's
obvious that Marvel wanted to grab some of the success of Guardians
of the Galaxy in restyling the
Thor movies, which haven't generally been the most popular of the
ongoing MCU series (although I've loved both previous instalments).
Ragnarok explores the
cosmic side of the Thor comics, something that the previous films
have largely overlooked, as well as accepting just how ridiculous a
character he is. Thor is at his best when simultaneously an amazing
hero and a figure of fun, as he is in the best moments of 2011's Thor
and in Avengers
Assemble, and it seems
film-makers have finally realised what excellent comic instincts
Chris Hemsworth has. (Say what you like about Ghostbusters,
Hemsworth made a one-joke character work far better than he should
have there.) Ragnarok combines
Thor's mythical side with the galactic comedy of Guardians,
and also jumps on the same retro bandwagon to great effect. After
all, the eighties are the decade right now, and the Masters
of the Universe, synth-rock, Led
Zeppelin mix just work perfectly. The other obvious comparison is the
1980 Flash Gordon movie,
and Waititi has said that really Queen should have provided the songs
for this film, were it not impossible for obvious reasons.
As
with all the best superhero films, Ragnarok benefits
from an exceptional cast who give their all in playing these absurdly
over-the-top characters. Tom Hiddleston grins that grin to maximum
effect throughout, although his usurping of the Asgardian throne is
dealt with far more quickly than we might have expected, and he's so
perfect as Loki that he can nail the character both as out-and-out
villain and shifty ally. After a fair few ineffective and
underwhelming villains (in spite of some excellent actors) Marvel has
come out on top this year with its baddies, and Cate Blanchett as
Hela, Goddess of Death is the best of the lot. Not only does
Blanchett look incredible in
the costume (damn, now my goth thing is back), she drips with menace
and contempt. As secondary villain the Grandmaster, Jeff Goldblum
basically plays Jeff Goldblum, but frankly, would you want it any
other way? Then there's Karl Urban as Skurge the Executioner, somehow
looking exactly like the comics character, clearly having a whale of
a time as the scurvy thug.
On the
heroic side of things, we have Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, who is
just stunningly good as the tough, beautiful, drunken warrior woman.
She's a perfect foil for Hemsworth's Thor, a far better match as a
potential love interest than either Jane or Sif (both of whom hero
worship him too much), and I'm so glad we'll be seeing more of her in
Infinity War. A fun
cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange makes the brief
terrestrial scenes feel as wonderfully odd as the scenes in other
realms, while Anthony Hopkins makes his surprisingly brief appearance
as Odin his best in the role yet.
And
then there's the Hulk. The idea of a Planet Hulk film
never really appealed to me, no matter how much fans clamoured for
it. I mean, I love monsters, I really do, but the idea of two hours
of green CGI musclemen pummelling each other seems tiresome in the
extreme. Making it part of a larger storyline, though, is a brilliant
move, and dumping Thor in the middle of it is a stroke of minor
genius. Cutting him and his pomposity down to size by leaving him
reduced and defeated is, of course, part of the reason that initial
Thor storyline worked
so well, and he needed a dose of that again. Thor is at his best when
he doesn't have his hammer. His weirdly tender interplay with the
Hulk is a winning factor for the film, and Mark Ruffalo is as
perfectly cast as ever as the uncomfortable Banner, having to
rediscover his balance all over again after two years in Hulk mode.
The Hulk's chattier than we're used to on film, but his intelligence
has always fluctuated in the comics, and it's reasonable that he
would have developed somewhat given longer to learn and explore his
existence.
Sakaar
is an incredible location, a cesspit of a planet in an unstable
region of space/time, where the passage of time is unreliable and
wormholes dump miscreants without hope or warning. It's exactly the
sort of place you'd expect the Guardians to turn up, and they
probably will at some point when they want to link the series
together. (In fact, the time dilation on Sakaar would be a good way
of syncing up Star-Lord's timeline to the Avengers movies, if need
be.) The planet features a colurful bunch of monsters, although the
standout is, of course, is the rock-man Korg, played by the director
himself (although at first we thought it might be Rhys “Murray”
Darby, such is the intense Kiwi-ness).
Bookending
the cosmic hijinks is Ragnarok itself, the end and rebirth of Asgard
and the ultimate battle of Norse mythology. As a huge mythology buff
I adore this aspect of the film, and the storyline, via the comics,
sticks surprisingly closely to the legendary sources. Naturally,
there are some differences even before you chuck all the spaceships
in – Hela is Loki's daughter, rather than Odin's, an aspect that
might stem more from the character Angela than Hela herself – but
the bulk of the material is linked quite strongly to Norse mythology.
And in any case, any movie that not only brings Surtur and Fenris to
the big screen, but has the Hulk punch them both in the face, is a
winner in my book.
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
REVIEW: Doctor Strange
Although Marvel Studios have seemingly reached the point where they can't do wrong, Doctor Strange represented another gamble. Introducing not just another hero, but also magic and demons, into the Cinematic Universe had the potential to alienate viewers. That said, Marvel have successfully translated properties such as Thor, and even the obscure Guardians of the Galaxy, with great style and success, and while they took on sci-fi trappings, they were all essentially high fantasy films full of inexplicable powers and artefacts. It isn't a massive step to say, yes, there's real magic, plus a million other universes, populated by unstoppable forces and devils bent of world domination.
Like Thor, Iron Man and Ant-Man before him, Doctor Strange is another Marvel superhero who isn't unknown, but is far from famous outside the comics-reading community. As with those previous hits, what was required for success is deceptively simple: a reasonable script, a talented director and a charismatic star. Benedict Cumberbatch is perhaps the most obvious choice possible for the role, but sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. Cumberbatch has said that Strange has "smatterings of the same colours" as Sherlock Holmes, but let's be fair. Strange is 100% American Sherlock (or, to put it another way, House). As an arrogant but nonetheless charming genius who, eventually, becomes a good man, Strange will no doubt remind most moviegoers of Tony Stark. Indeed, Strange runs through essentially identical story beats that Stark did in Iron Man, but it's been eight years, it's not a huge sin to be using these tropes again.
Other roles are equally well handled. Chiwetel Ejiofor reportedly also read for Strange, but that casting would have robbed us of his Mordo, actually a more interesting character than the good surgeon. An outright villain in the comics, here we get to know Mordo while he is still a decent, albeit single-minded soldier, and his gradualy disillusionment and loss of faith is powerfully portrayed by Ejiofor. We'll no doubt see him as the villain in Doctor Strange 2: Don't Text and Drive, and he'll provide what so many Marvel films have sadly lacked: a complex, interesting enemy.
Which brings us onto Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, a character so obscure that most comics readres wouldn't recognise the name without checking the Marvel Database. Mikkelsen is, like Cumberbatch, a reliably powerful and charismatic presence, and faces off against him well. Kaecilius, however, is an extremely one-note villain, and without Mikkelsen's charismatic performance would be instantly forgettable. Sometimes, though, there's enough else going on in a film for a straightforward baddie to be perfectly adequate.
While Cumberbatch and Mikkelsen are safe casting choices, Tilda Swinton has to be one of the most controversial casting decision in years. Replacing the venerable, ancient Tibetan with an androgynous Caucasian woman immediately led to cries of whitewashing. I can't say I agree with this. For one, it seems drastically hypocritical to praise the race-blind casting of Ejiofor as Mordo and then criticise another race change. Also, casting a woman as the Ancient One, the most powerful and significant character in the film, makes up for a heavily male-skewed cast. Other than Swinton, the only significant female role is Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and while she is excellent in the role, she never gets to really explore the character beyond her relationship with Strange.
It is certainly true that there should have been a stronger Asian presence in a film predominantly set in the Far East. Conversely, though, it would have been easy to fall into the trap of having sterotyped Asian characters, as indeed the original comics did. The Ancient One was very much a stereotypical "inscrutable Oriental" type, while Wong was a subserviant assistant to Strange. Benedict Wong is the only Asian actor to have a major role in the film, but his performance is also one of the most memorable. (He also manages to be both the only actor to share a name with his character, and makes this one of the very, very few films starring two actors named Benedict.)
What people will no doubt remember most about Doctor Strange is its astonishing visual style. It's certainly obvious that Scott Derrickson and his team were heavily influenced by Inception, but it's not as if that came out of the blue. Inception was itself influenced by The Matrix and many other fantastical productions. Elements of Doctor Strange reveal inspirations that go much further back than that; indeed, one brief sequence surely homages the climactic Star Corridor transport in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Whatever the origins of the film's visuals, the voyages into other dimensions and realms of mind are quite breathtaking, making Doctor Strange one of the very few film's I wish I'd seen in 3D. The director's skilled eye extends to the many fight scenes, including surprisingly effective fisticuffs on the astral plane. I particularly loved the look of the spells themselves, with magical weapons seemingly composed from the magical words used to conjour them. Alongside the visual treats and the mystical arts, there's a very effective current of humour throughout, perhaps the best example of Marvel's deftness of touch in its films compared to its rivals'. While far from being a comedy, there are some very funny moments in Doctor Strange, particularly the eponymous wizard's insistance on being called Doctor. (I'm still convinced he should be called Mr. Strange if he's a surgeon. Don't they do that in America?)
For comics readers and followers of Marvel movies, the script was pretty predictable. While just one of many magical artefacts, alongside the Staff of the Living Tribunal and the Pol'ish Remover of Na'il, anyone could have guessed that the great Eye of Agamotto would turn out to be an Infinity Stone. This leaves just one, I believe, unaccounted for, which will no doubt turn up in Thor: Ragnarok. Equally as easy to call was Dormammu's arrival as the Big Bad, played, uncredited, by Cumberbatch using his best scary monster voice. Dormammu's gigantic presence was another treat on the big screen, although I would have preferred him with his traditional big flaming head. There's room in modern film for demons with big flaming heads.
Like Thor, Iron Man and Ant-Man before him, Doctor Strange is another Marvel superhero who isn't unknown, but is far from famous outside the comics-reading community. As with those previous hits, what was required for success is deceptively simple: a reasonable script, a talented director and a charismatic star. Benedict Cumberbatch is perhaps the most obvious choice possible for the role, but sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. Cumberbatch has said that Strange has "smatterings of the same colours" as Sherlock Holmes, but let's be fair. Strange is 100% American Sherlock (or, to put it another way, House). As an arrogant but nonetheless charming genius who, eventually, becomes a good man, Strange will no doubt remind most moviegoers of Tony Stark. Indeed, Strange runs through essentially identical story beats that Stark did in Iron Man, but it's been eight years, it's not a huge sin to be using these tropes again.
Other roles are equally well handled. Chiwetel Ejiofor reportedly also read for Strange, but that casting would have robbed us of his Mordo, actually a more interesting character than the good surgeon. An outright villain in the comics, here we get to know Mordo while he is still a decent, albeit single-minded soldier, and his gradualy disillusionment and loss of faith is powerfully portrayed by Ejiofor. We'll no doubt see him as the villain in Doctor Strange 2: Don't Text and Drive, and he'll provide what so many Marvel films have sadly lacked: a complex, interesting enemy.
Which brings us onto Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, a character so obscure that most comics readres wouldn't recognise the name without checking the Marvel Database. Mikkelsen is, like Cumberbatch, a reliably powerful and charismatic presence, and faces off against him well. Kaecilius, however, is an extremely one-note villain, and without Mikkelsen's charismatic performance would be instantly forgettable. Sometimes, though, there's enough else going on in a film for a straightforward baddie to be perfectly adequate.
While Cumberbatch and Mikkelsen are safe casting choices, Tilda Swinton has to be one of the most controversial casting decision in years. Replacing the venerable, ancient Tibetan with an androgynous Caucasian woman immediately led to cries of whitewashing. I can't say I agree with this. For one, it seems drastically hypocritical to praise the race-blind casting of Ejiofor as Mordo and then criticise another race change. Also, casting a woman as the Ancient One, the most powerful and significant character in the film, makes up for a heavily male-skewed cast. Other than Swinton, the only significant female role is Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and while she is excellent in the role, she never gets to really explore the character beyond her relationship with Strange.
It is certainly true that there should have been a stronger Asian presence in a film predominantly set in the Far East. Conversely, though, it would have been easy to fall into the trap of having sterotyped Asian characters, as indeed the original comics did. The Ancient One was very much a stereotypical "inscrutable Oriental" type, while Wong was a subserviant assistant to Strange. Benedict Wong is the only Asian actor to have a major role in the film, but his performance is also one of the most memorable. (He also manages to be both the only actor to share a name with his character, and makes this one of the very, very few films starring two actors named Benedict.)
What people will no doubt remember most about Doctor Strange is its astonishing visual style. It's certainly obvious that Scott Derrickson and his team were heavily influenced by Inception, but it's not as if that came out of the blue. Inception was itself influenced by The Matrix and many other fantastical productions. Elements of Doctor Strange reveal inspirations that go much further back than that; indeed, one brief sequence surely homages the climactic Star Corridor transport in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Whatever the origins of the film's visuals, the voyages into other dimensions and realms of mind are quite breathtaking, making Doctor Strange one of the very few film's I wish I'd seen in 3D. The director's skilled eye extends to the many fight scenes, including surprisingly effective fisticuffs on the astral plane. I particularly loved the look of the spells themselves, with magical weapons seemingly composed from the magical words used to conjour them. Alongside the visual treats and the mystical arts, there's a very effective current of humour throughout, perhaps the best example of Marvel's deftness of touch in its films compared to its rivals'. While far from being a comedy, there are some very funny moments in Doctor Strange, particularly the eponymous wizard's insistance on being called Doctor. (I'm still convinced he should be called Mr. Strange if he's a surgeon. Don't they do that in America?)
For comics readers and followers of Marvel movies, the script was pretty predictable. While just one of many magical artefacts, alongside the Staff of the Living Tribunal and the Pol'ish Remover of Na'il, anyone could have guessed that the great Eye of Agamotto would turn out to be an Infinity Stone. This leaves just one, I believe, unaccounted for, which will no doubt turn up in Thor: Ragnarok. Equally as easy to call was Dormammu's arrival as the Big Bad, played, uncredited, by Cumberbatch using his best scary monster voice. Dormammu's gigantic presence was another treat on the big screen, although I would have preferred him with his traditional big flaming head. There's room in modern film for demons with big flaming heads.
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Marvel Comics October Round-Up
October was the month of the big relaunch for Marvel Comics, and while Secret Wars is still stumbling on - in fact, there's even some pre-Secret Wars stuff on the shelves - the main lines have been relaunched with a slew of new issue ones. Some seem to be making the most of the new universe they're launching, others are taking characters back to their core appeal. I've finally managed to catch up on the first bunch, and here are my thoughts. Nearly up-to-date now; The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl relaunched this week too, but I'll hit that with the November titles.
Sam Wilson: Captain America #1: Sam Wilson goes freelance, pitting himself against the corporate facade of American politics and fighting for the under-represented, instead of acting as a weapon for a corrupt national security force. Marvel-America tears him apart, and real America does the same. Sam Wilson pits himself against the forces of hatred and intolerance and defends Mexican illegal immigrants from hate groups. This is exactly what Captain America should be - putting the real America to shame.
Doctor Strange #1: A definite success, relaunching the Sorceror Supreme in a stylish, unnerving way. Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo work brilliantly together, illustrating Strange's deeply unsettling worldview. It doesn't seem that the big reboot has really made any difference to Strange, what with imagery from an early issue being used to illustrate his origins, but that's all for the better. This is a great fantasy comic.
The New Avengers #1: The first lot of Avengers to be introduced into the post-Secret Wars world, this is a mix of the Mighty Avengers and the Young Avengers retooled together as an official team, albeit under the auspices of AIM, which is a questionable authority. Plus, Squirrel Girl, happily acting like she's still in her own comic in spite of the serious chaos around her. There's an intriguing threat masterminded by the Maker, ie the evil Ultimate Universe version of Reed Richards, which is a good use of the melding of continuities that there's a place for now.
Uncanny Avengers #1: And the other Avengers team of the month, the continuing exploits of Steve Rogers and his desperate attempt at unity. It's often hard to see what the difference is between Marvel's various groups of superhumans and why anyone should care, but this does a good job making mutants, Inhumans and enhanced humans distinct, particularly with Rogue, the last of the X-Men to remain while the others have fled, slowly being killed by the Terrigen that has been transforming people into Inhuman beings. Thrown into this is Deadpool, so clearly not Avenger material that he had to join the team eventually.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1: Bendis doing good Bendis. Pletny to enjoy here. Again, I can't see how the reboot has changed anything, since this carries on directly from the events at the end of the pre-Secret Wars run, but I do like the new status quo, with Kitty Pryde as the new Star-Lord and the Everlovin' Blue-Eyed Thing having a whale of a time being an astronaut. Maybe the movieverse Chitauri are a continuity implant? I'm not sure. In any case, this is roughly 300% more fun than the Fantastic Four reboot, and Thing deserves that.
Spider-Gwen #1: Relaunched less than a year after its initial launch, Spider-Gwen looks to be be just carrying on happily as if no universe-collapsing events ever happened, so clearly Earth-65 survived the cataclysm. There's no reason that this needed to start over with issue one, but cool, let's go with it. Gwen continues to juggle her parallel lives while her father tries to clear her name with the NYPD. Meanwhile, the Lizard returns to terrorise New York, except that in this universe, Peter Parker was the Lizard, and died as such. It remains good fun, ticks along nicely. Nothing new here, but why break what's fixed? Oh, and then this reality's Captain America turns up, and she's not happy.
Karnak #1: Karnak of the Inhumans is a hell of an odd character to see headlining his own series. I bought this out of curiosity and on the strength of positive recommendation, but to be honest, it didn't do much for me. Karnak's power - to see the flaw in all things, and exploit it - is intriguing but rather opaque, and I'm not sure it makes for an exciting comic. However, I suspect the problem is with me on this one; I just don't think I really get what it's trying to be.
Sam Wilson: Captain America #1: Sam Wilson goes freelance, pitting himself against the corporate facade of American politics and fighting for the under-represented, instead of acting as a weapon for a corrupt national security force. Marvel-America tears him apart, and real America does the same. Sam Wilson pits himself against the forces of hatred and intolerance and defends Mexican illegal immigrants from hate groups. This is exactly what Captain America should be - putting the real America to shame.
Doctor Strange #1: A definite success, relaunching the Sorceror Supreme in a stylish, unnerving way. Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo work brilliantly together, illustrating Strange's deeply unsettling worldview. It doesn't seem that the big reboot has really made any difference to Strange, what with imagery from an early issue being used to illustrate his origins, but that's all for the better. This is a great fantasy comic.
The New Avengers #1: The first lot of Avengers to be introduced into the post-Secret Wars world, this is a mix of the Mighty Avengers and the Young Avengers retooled together as an official team, albeit under the auspices of AIM, which is a questionable authority. Plus, Squirrel Girl, happily acting like she's still in her own comic in spite of the serious chaos around her. There's an intriguing threat masterminded by the Maker, ie the evil Ultimate Universe version of Reed Richards, which is a good use of the melding of continuities that there's a place for now.
Uncanny Avengers #1: And the other Avengers team of the month, the continuing exploits of Steve Rogers and his desperate attempt at unity. It's often hard to see what the difference is between Marvel's various groups of superhumans and why anyone should care, but this does a good job making mutants, Inhumans and enhanced humans distinct, particularly with Rogue, the last of the X-Men to remain while the others have fled, slowly being killed by the Terrigen that has been transforming people into Inhuman beings. Thrown into this is Deadpool, so clearly not Avenger material that he had to join the team eventually.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1: Bendis doing good Bendis. Pletny to enjoy here. Again, I can't see how the reboot has changed anything, since this carries on directly from the events at the end of the pre-Secret Wars run, but I do like the new status quo, with Kitty Pryde as the new Star-Lord and the Everlovin' Blue-Eyed Thing having a whale of a time being an astronaut. Maybe the movieverse Chitauri are a continuity implant? I'm not sure. In any case, this is roughly 300% more fun than the Fantastic Four reboot, and Thing deserves that.
Spider-Gwen #1: Relaunched less than a year after its initial launch, Spider-Gwen looks to be be just carrying on happily as if no universe-collapsing events ever happened, so clearly Earth-65 survived the cataclysm. There's no reason that this needed to start over with issue one, but cool, let's go with it. Gwen continues to juggle her parallel lives while her father tries to clear her name with the NYPD. Meanwhile, the Lizard returns to terrorise New York, except that in this universe, Peter Parker was the Lizard, and died as such. It remains good fun, ticks along nicely. Nothing new here, but why break what's fixed? Oh, and then this reality's Captain America turns up, and she's not happy.
Karnak #1: Karnak of the Inhumans is a hell of an odd character to see headlining his own series. I bought this out of curiosity and on the strength of positive recommendation, but to be honest, it didn't do much for me. Karnak's power - to see the flaw in all things, and exploit it - is intriguing but rather opaque, and I'm not sure it makes for an exciting comic. However, I suspect the problem is with me on this one; I just don't think I really get what it's trying to be.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Casting Call: Marvel Cinematic Universe and X-verse
Anyone looking for my review of the Doctor Who season opener will have to wait till next week; I'll be reviewing the full two-part story in one go.
Loads of casting news for the latest Marvel adaptations has surfaced since I last wrote on the subject, trickling out until the recent flood of Luke Cage details. Deep breath...
Tom Holland
Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Captain America: Civil War, untitled Spidey movie)
No introduction for the character required here. Spidey's latest reboot has been the subject of much anticipation and aggravation since Marvel made their deal with Sony to co-produce the character's outings. 19-year-old Holland was chosen out of many auditioning young actors, and will be playing Spidey a little younger than his actual age, bringing him back to the high school kid he began as. Kevin Feige and the team behind the movies have confirmed that they won't be rehashing the origin story, which is a relief - pretty much everyone knows the origins of Spider-Man anyway now, so it's hardly essential. Considering how late in the day he was cast, Holland's role in Civil War can't be especially large (unlike in the comic crossover it's loosely based on, in which he's an intrinsic central character). Also, the producers have confirmed that Spidey is already swinging around MCU New York (a throwaway line in Ant-Man supports this). What works nicely in this set-up is that he'd have been about twelve when The Avengers took place, so he'll have been inspired by the various supers charging around his version of New York.
Like the previous film Spidey (Andrew Garfield), Tom Holland is a Brit. He's best known for his time in the lead role in Billy Elliot: The Musical, plus screen appearances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall and How I Live Now. His schedule has become a lot busier this last year. We know that after his Spidey debut in Civil War, he'll have at least one movie to himself (officially untitled, but the smart money is on The Spectacular Spider-Man), with two sequels already optioned. It'd be a big surprise to not see him at least briefly alongside the other heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, but the contract between Marvel and Sony stipulates that he can't appear in any TV properties. There are also talks of an animated Spidey movie or two, but it's unknown if any of the screen actors will take up their roles in the voice studio.
Jon Bernthal
Frank Castle/The Punisher (Daredevil s2)
One of Marvel's most popular characters, but not one who's ever really caught on well on film, ruthless vigilante Frank Castle has been played by various actors over the years: Dolph Lundgren in the 1989 Punisher movie, Thomas Jane in the 2004 reboot (and its unofficial short sequel, Dirty Laundry) and Ray Stevenson in 2008's Punisher: War Zone. So this is just the latest of various unrelated attempts to bring the character to the screen (he's also had various animated appearances, including in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series and the rather good anime Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore. The Punisher lacks superhuman abilities but is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant and tactician, who has found himself both fighting with and against various heroes throughout Marvel's comics since his debut in 1974. Jon Bernthal, best known as Shane in The Walking Dead and Joe Teague in Mob City, is an absolutely spot-on choice for the role. We'll see what side of Daredevil's fight he's on when he appears.
Elodie Yung
Elektra Natchios (Daredevil s2)
One of the most popular and important characters in the Daredevil storyline, Elektra is ninja assassin with an almost superhuman proficiency in martial arts. She's been a longtime love interest of Matt Murdock in the comics, but has almost as frequently been set against him, predominantly because he has a strict no-killing rule while she's, well, a professional murderer. Her mercenary nature has led to her aligning herself with various groups over the years, from SHIELD and HYDRA to ninja groups the Chaste and the Hand. With the Hand seemingly set to be a recurring threat in the new Defenders oriented shows, and Murdock's sensei Stick confirmed to return, Elektra's malleable allegiance could lead to some significant conflict. A line in the first series of Daredevil about a Greek student during Murdock's college days strongly implies he's already met Elektra in this storyline.
This is Elektra's second live-action casting, following on from Jennifer Garner's attempt at the role in 2003's middling Daredevil film and its woeful spin-off, the 2005 Elektra movie. French actress Elodie Yung plays Elektra in the next season of the Daredevil series. A martial artist in real life, she's appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Les fils du vent and as Jinx in GI Joe: Retaliation. Not that that's any reason to go and watch that film.
Tilda Swinton
The Ancient One (Doctor Strange)
Once Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One is a Tibetan mystic, born over five hundred years ago, who is responsible for training Dr. Strange to become the Sorceror Supreme of the modern age. In the comics, he is, unsurprisingly, male, but Marvel have surprised everyone by casting English actress Tilda Swinton in the role. As with Baron Mordo (below), this is some inspired casting that totally ignores established racial and gender characteristics in favour of getting some true talent involved. Doctor Strange is looking like it'll have one of the best and most intriguing casts of any comicbook movie for years. The Ancient One's exact origins and characteristics have varied a fair bit over the years, but he's always been an incredibly aged, astonishingly powerful, albeit physically weak, sorcerer. As well as Strange and Mordo, he's been affiliated with such disparate characters as Eternity and the Black Rider, and while powerful now, is nowhere near as formidable as he was in his prime (hence his training of a new Sorcerer Supreme to take his place). Before training Strange, he almost single-handedly kept the Dread Dormammu from invading the Earth, has travelled to many other dimensions, and has continued to be a major force after death.
The Ancient One appeared, in spiritual form, in the 1978 Doctor Strange telemovie, voiced by Michael Ansara. The great Katherine Mathilda Swinton of Kimmerghame is perhaps the only actor living who is sufficiently talented, strange and remarkably unique to play the great sorcerer. Trying to sum up her career here would be a fool's errand, but for comicbook geeks, she was the Archangel Gabriel in the misguided 2005 WB adaptation of Constantine.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Baron Mordo (Doctor Strange)
One of the great British actors of the current generation, Ejiofor's been attached to this for ages, but only recently has it finally been confirmed that he's playing Baron Mordo. One of Strange's arch-nemeses, Mordo is, in the comics, a Transylvanian of noble birth who was trained by the Ancient One to become Sorcerer Supreme, but was exiled for his treachery. Clearly, casting an Afro-English actor means that the character's origins will be tweaked a little, but the essentials will doubtless remain: Mordo is an incredibly powerful warlock who despises and opposes Strange. His abilities include, but are not limited to, hypnotism, illusionism, the summoning of demons, teleportation, astral projection, martial arts and numerous magical techniques. Plus, of course, he's been studying the magical arts longer than Strange, so he has experience on his side. In his long comics career, he's renounced evil a couple of times, but always been tempted back to the dark side.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is, of course, brilliant, and will bring some pure class to the role. Skiffy fans will know him from Serenity and Children of Men (and there's a rumour going round that he was offered the lead in Doctor Who at one stage), but his greatest roles have been in films such as 12 Years a Slave, American Gangster and Kinky Boots. He also won the Laurence Olivier Award in 2008, making him very probably the best actor to appear in the MCU by a long, long way.
Also confirmed for Doctor Strange is Rachel McAdams, aka Irene Adler in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies, Clare in The Time Traveller's Wife and much, much more. There's no news on who she's playing, but the likelihood is that she's playing Clea, who is both his main love interest and linked closely to the demon Dormammu. There are several other characters she could be playing, though, especially considering the unexpected casting decisions this film is taking.
Mark Willig
Lash (Agents of SHIELD s3)
Lash is very new character in Marvel comics, having been introduced in the Matt Fraction-penned series Inhuman series in 2014. An Inhuman, but not one of the main society who we normally encounter, Lash grew up in an isolated community where very few are chosen to undergo Terrigenesis and mutate into their Inhuman forms. As well as being physically formidable, Lash has the power to absorb and convert any form of energy and release it as whichever form he chooses, often intense heat. In the Inhuman storyline, Lash searches the world for "Nu-Humans" - humans who have unexpectedly transformed into Inhumans following the worldwide flood of Terrigen mist. Unlike some groups, though, Lash is dedicated to wiping out these people, who he sees as underserving of their transformation. Given the similar events at the end of season two of Agents of SHIELD, we can expect something similar to happen here, although Joss Whedon has expressed that things will not be taken directly from the comics, so there may be some surprises. Mark Willig is fairly new to acting, having had roles in NCIS and Year One among others, and was formerly a career footballer.
Also appearing in the third season of SHIELD are Constance Zimmer as Rosalind Price, an agent for a rival organisation who will cross paths with SHIELD in the hunt for new Inhumans; Juan Pablo Raba as Joey Gutierrez as one such newly transformed Inhuman, and Andrew Howard as Agent Banks, who is also set to be on the hunt for Inhumans.
Simone Missick
Misty Knight (Luke Cage)
Misty Knight is a fan-favourite character, and a big part of the stories of both Luke Cage and Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. She's just a much a product of the seventies as Cage, being a combination of both blaxploitation cinema tropes and kung fu martial arts flicks. A former police officer, she boasts both detective skills and martial arts prowess; she lost her arm in the line of duty, receiving a bionic arm from Tony Stark that has granted her various enhanced abilities. How much of this will make it to the series in unknown, although if Phil Coulson can come back with a cyber-arm, I don't see why Misty can't. Knight's had romantic and heroic partnerships with both Cage and Rand (the latter of which has still not been cast), so she's bound to be a major part of not just the Luke Cage series, but the Iron Fist and Defenders series as well. Simone Missick is a fairly new face on screen, but she absolutely looks the part. Playing Misty's police partner Rafael Scarfe is Frank Whaley, who's had minor to middle roles in more or less everything in the last twenty years or so.
Theo Rossi
Hernan Alvarez/Shades (Luke Cage)
Shades was one of the cons sharing Luke Cage's cell during his time, and like Cage, suffered abuse at the hands of those in authority. Since he got out, the Dominican-born Shades has struggled to stay straight, acting on both sides of the law, and as both friend and enemy to Cage. At one point, he acquired a technologically-enhanced visor that allowed him to fire optic blasts (rather like Cyclops in X-Men). In latter stories, he's mostly, but not always, been on the side of right. His son, Victor Alvarez, developed some of the powers of Iron Fist when he absorbed the chi of over a hundred people in the disaster that killed Shades; with the new abilities he displayed, he took on the name Power Man, formerly used by Luke Cage. While I'm not convinced we'll see Shades blasting people with his super-sunnies on TV, I'd be surprised if Victor isn't introduced, if only as a kid. Sounds like Shades will be very much still a street criminal in this version, we shouldn't assume there's no chance for redemption. Theo Rossi has appeared in many popular shows, but is best known for his role as Juice in Sons of Anarchy .
Mahershala Ali
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Strokes (Luke Cage)
A powerful drug lord in New York, Cottonmouth was involved in the drugs sale that framed Luke Cage and led to his incarceration. A man with many enemies, he's been a target of the Hand as well as Cage and his allies. At one point ending up with all is teeth shattered, he got them replaced with razor-sharp gold caps, and has enhanced strength in certain storylines too. Actor Mahershala Ali is familiar from The 4400, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Predators. Also cast is Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard, Cottonmouth's cousin who intends to run for office and bring change to Harlem. Woodard is a familiar face with years of screen roles behind her, most recently 12 Years a Slave and Annabelle, but is best known to genre fans for appearances in K-PAX, The Forgotten and Star Trek: First Contact.
Andre Tricoteux
Piotr Rasputin/Colossus (Deadpool)
It's confirmed that actor and stuntman Andre Tricoteux will be taking over the role of metal-plated Russian mutant Colossus in February's highly anticipated Deadpool movie. The character was previously played by Daniel Cudmore in X2, X3: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past.
Léa Seydoux
Bella Donna Boudreaux (Gambit)
The latest casting news for the Gambit movie has confirmed that French actress Léa Seydoux will be co-starring with Channing Tatum, and although it's not been officially confirmed, it's accepted that she'll be playing Bella Donna Boudreaux, otherwise known simply as Belladonna. A mutant like Gambit, Belladonna has the ability to shoot energy blasts and to astrally project. She shares a long, complex history with Gambit in the comics, and it can be expected she'll be a combination of romantic interest and villain in the movie. Léa Seydoux is a major rising star in Hollywood, soon set to appear in the Bond flick SPECTRE, having had previous English language credits in Inglourious Basterds and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Her most acclaimed performance is alongside Adele Exarchopoulos in the French graphic novel adaptation Blue is the Warmest Colour (aka La Vie d'Adele), an award-winning romantic drama.
Loads of casting news for the latest Marvel adaptations has surfaced since I last wrote on the subject, trickling out until the recent flood of Luke Cage details. Deep breath...
Tom Holland
Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Captain America: Civil War, untitled Spidey movie)
No introduction for the character required here. Spidey's latest reboot has been the subject of much anticipation and aggravation since Marvel made their deal with Sony to co-produce the character's outings. 19-year-old Holland was chosen out of many auditioning young actors, and will be playing Spidey a little younger than his actual age, bringing him back to the high school kid he began as. Kevin Feige and the team behind the movies have confirmed that they won't be rehashing the origin story, which is a relief - pretty much everyone knows the origins of Spider-Man anyway now, so it's hardly essential. Considering how late in the day he was cast, Holland's role in Civil War can't be especially large (unlike in the comic crossover it's loosely based on, in which he's an intrinsic central character). Also, the producers have confirmed that Spidey is already swinging around MCU New York (a throwaway line in Ant-Man supports this). What works nicely in this set-up is that he'd have been about twelve when The Avengers took place, so he'll have been inspired by the various supers charging around his version of New York.
Like the previous film Spidey (Andrew Garfield), Tom Holland is a Brit. He's best known for his time in the lead role in Billy Elliot: The Musical, plus screen appearances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall and How I Live Now. His schedule has become a lot busier this last year. We know that after his Spidey debut in Civil War, he'll have at least one movie to himself (officially untitled, but the smart money is on The Spectacular Spider-Man), with two sequels already optioned. It'd be a big surprise to not see him at least briefly alongside the other heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, but the contract between Marvel and Sony stipulates that he can't appear in any TV properties. There are also talks of an animated Spidey movie or two, but it's unknown if any of the screen actors will take up their roles in the voice studio.
Jon Bernthal
Frank Castle/The Punisher (Daredevil s2)
One of Marvel's most popular characters, but not one who's ever really caught on well on film, ruthless vigilante Frank Castle has been played by various actors over the years: Dolph Lundgren in the 1989 Punisher movie, Thomas Jane in the 2004 reboot (and its unofficial short sequel, Dirty Laundry) and Ray Stevenson in 2008's Punisher: War Zone. So this is just the latest of various unrelated attempts to bring the character to the screen (he's also had various animated appearances, including in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series and the rather good anime Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore. The Punisher lacks superhuman abilities but is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant and tactician, who has found himself both fighting with and against various heroes throughout Marvel's comics since his debut in 1974. Jon Bernthal, best known as Shane in The Walking Dead and Joe Teague in Mob City, is an absolutely spot-on choice for the role. We'll see what side of Daredevil's fight he's on when he appears.
Elodie Yung
Elektra Natchios (Daredevil s2)
One of the most popular and important characters in the Daredevil storyline, Elektra is ninja assassin with an almost superhuman proficiency in martial arts. She's been a longtime love interest of Matt Murdock in the comics, but has almost as frequently been set against him, predominantly because he has a strict no-killing rule while she's, well, a professional murderer. Her mercenary nature has led to her aligning herself with various groups over the years, from SHIELD and HYDRA to ninja groups the Chaste and the Hand. With the Hand seemingly set to be a recurring threat in the new Defenders oriented shows, and Murdock's sensei Stick confirmed to return, Elektra's malleable allegiance could lead to some significant conflict. A line in the first series of Daredevil about a Greek student during Murdock's college days strongly implies he's already met Elektra in this storyline.
This is Elektra's second live-action casting, following on from Jennifer Garner's attempt at the role in 2003's middling Daredevil film and its woeful spin-off, the 2005 Elektra movie. French actress Elodie Yung plays Elektra in the next season of the Daredevil series. A martial artist in real life, she's appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Les fils du vent and as Jinx in GI Joe: Retaliation. Not that that's any reason to go and watch that film.
Tilda Swinton
The Ancient One (Doctor Strange)
Once Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One is a Tibetan mystic, born over five hundred years ago, who is responsible for training Dr. Strange to become the Sorceror Supreme of the modern age. In the comics, he is, unsurprisingly, male, but Marvel have surprised everyone by casting English actress Tilda Swinton in the role. As with Baron Mordo (below), this is some inspired casting that totally ignores established racial and gender characteristics in favour of getting some true talent involved. Doctor Strange is looking like it'll have one of the best and most intriguing casts of any comicbook movie for years. The Ancient One's exact origins and characteristics have varied a fair bit over the years, but he's always been an incredibly aged, astonishingly powerful, albeit physically weak, sorcerer. As well as Strange and Mordo, he's been affiliated with such disparate characters as Eternity and the Black Rider, and while powerful now, is nowhere near as formidable as he was in his prime (hence his training of a new Sorcerer Supreme to take his place). Before training Strange, he almost single-handedly kept the Dread Dormammu from invading the Earth, has travelled to many other dimensions, and has continued to be a major force after death.
The Ancient One appeared, in spiritual form, in the 1978 Doctor Strange telemovie, voiced by Michael Ansara. The great Katherine Mathilda Swinton of Kimmerghame is perhaps the only actor living who is sufficiently talented, strange and remarkably unique to play the great sorcerer. Trying to sum up her career here would be a fool's errand, but for comicbook geeks, she was the Archangel Gabriel in the misguided 2005 WB adaptation of Constantine.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Baron Mordo (Doctor Strange)
One of the great British actors of the current generation, Ejiofor's been attached to this for ages, but only recently has it finally been confirmed that he's playing Baron Mordo. One of Strange's arch-nemeses, Mordo is, in the comics, a Transylvanian of noble birth who was trained by the Ancient One to become Sorcerer Supreme, but was exiled for his treachery. Clearly, casting an Afro-English actor means that the character's origins will be tweaked a little, but the essentials will doubtless remain: Mordo is an incredibly powerful warlock who despises and opposes Strange. His abilities include, but are not limited to, hypnotism, illusionism, the summoning of demons, teleportation, astral projection, martial arts and numerous magical techniques. Plus, of course, he's been studying the magical arts longer than Strange, so he has experience on his side. In his long comics career, he's renounced evil a couple of times, but always been tempted back to the dark side.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is, of course, brilliant, and will bring some pure class to the role. Skiffy fans will know him from Serenity and Children of Men (and there's a rumour going round that he was offered the lead in Doctor Who at one stage), but his greatest roles have been in films such as 12 Years a Slave, American Gangster and Kinky Boots. He also won the Laurence Olivier Award in 2008, making him very probably the best actor to appear in the MCU by a long, long way.
Also confirmed for Doctor Strange is Rachel McAdams, aka Irene Adler in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies, Clare in The Time Traveller's Wife and much, much more. There's no news on who she's playing, but the likelihood is that she's playing Clea, who is both his main love interest and linked closely to the demon Dormammu. There are several other characters she could be playing, though, especially considering the unexpected casting decisions this film is taking.
Mark Willig
Lash (Agents of SHIELD s3)
Lash is very new character in Marvel comics, having been introduced in the Matt Fraction-penned series Inhuman series in 2014. An Inhuman, but not one of the main society who we normally encounter, Lash grew up in an isolated community where very few are chosen to undergo Terrigenesis and mutate into their Inhuman forms. As well as being physically formidable, Lash has the power to absorb and convert any form of energy and release it as whichever form he chooses, often intense heat. In the Inhuman storyline, Lash searches the world for "Nu-Humans" - humans who have unexpectedly transformed into Inhumans following the worldwide flood of Terrigen mist. Unlike some groups, though, Lash is dedicated to wiping out these people, who he sees as underserving of their transformation. Given the similar events at the end of season two of Agents of SHIELD, we can expect something similar to happen here, although Joss Whedon has expressed that things will not be taken directly from the comics, so there may be some surprises. Mark Willig is fairly new to acting, having had roles in NCIS and Year One among others, and was formerly a career footballer.
Also appearing in the third season of SHIELD are Constance Zimmer as Rosalind Price, an agent for a rival organisation who will cross paths with SHIELD in the hunt for new Inhumans; Juan Pablo Raba as Joey Gutierrez as one such newly transformed Inhuman, and Andrew Howard as Agent Banks, who is also set to be on the hunt for Inhumans.
Simone Missick
Misty Knight (Luke Cage)
Misty Knight is a fan-favourite character, and a big part of the stories of both Luke Cage and Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. She's just a much a product of the seventies as Cage, being a combination of both blaxploitation cinema tropes and kung fu martial arts flicks. A former police officer, she boasts both detective skills and martial arts prowess; she lost her arm in the line of duty, receiving a bionic arm from Tony Stark that has granted her various enhanced abilities. How much of this will make it to the series in unknown, although if Phil Coulson can come back with a cyber-arm, I don't see why Misty can't. Knight's had romantic and heroic partnerships with both Cage and Rand (the latter of which has still not been cast), so she's bound to be a major part of not just the Luke Cage series, but the Iron Fist and Defenders series as well. Simone Missick is a fairly new face on screen, but she absolutely looks the part. Playing Misty's police partner Rafael Scarfe is Frank Whaley, who's had minor to middle roles in more or less everything in the last twenty years or so.
Theo Rossi
Hernan Alvarez/Shades (Luke Cage)
Shades was one of the cons sharing Luke Cage's cell during his time, and like Cage, suffered abuse at the hands of those in authority. Since he got out, the Dominican-born Shades has struggled to stay straight, acting on both sides of the law, and as both friend and enemy to Cage. At one point, he acquired a technologically-enhanced visor that allowed him to fire optic blasts (rather like Cyclops in X-Men). In latter stories, he's mostly, but not always, been on the side of right. His son, Victor Alvarez, developed some of the powers of Iron Fist when he absorbed the chi of over a hundred people in the disaster that killed Shades; with the new abilities he displayed, he took on the name Power Man, formerly used by Luke Cage. While I'm not convinced we'll see Shades blasting people with his super-sunnies on TV, I'd be surprised if Victor isn't introduced, if only as a kid. Sounds like Shades will be very much still a street criminal in this version, we shouldn't assume there's no chance for redemption. Theo Rossi has appeared in many popular shows, but is best known for his role as Juice in Sons of Anarchy .
Mahershala Ali
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Strokes (Luke Cage)
A powerful drug lord in New York, Cottonmouth was involved in the drugs sale that framed Luke Cage and led to his incarceration. A man with many enemies, he's been a target of the Hand as well as Cage and his allies. At one point ending up with all is teeth shattered, he got them replaced with razor-sharp gold caps, and has enhanced strength in certain storylines too. Actor Mahershala Ali is familiar from The 4400, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Predators. Also cast is Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard, Cottonmouth's cousin who intends to run for office and bring change to Harlem. Woodard is a familiar face with years of screen roles behind her, most recently 12 Years a Slave and Annabelle, but is best known to genre fans for appearances in K-PAX, The Forgotten and Star Trek: First Contact.
Andre Tricoteux
Piotr Rasputin/Colossus (Deadpool)
It's confirmed that actor and stuntman Andre Tricoteux will be taking over the role of metal-plated Russian mutant Colossus in February's highly anticipated Deadpool movie. The character was previously played by Daniel Cudmore in X2, X3: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past.
Léa Seydoux
Bella Donna Boudreaux (Gambit)
The latest casting news for the Gambit movie has confirmed that French actress Léa Seydoux will be co-starring with Channing Tatum, and although it's not been officially confirmed, it's accepted that she'll be playing Bella Donna Boudreaux, otherwise known simply as Belladonna. A mutant like Gambit, Belladonna has the ability to shoot energy blasts and to astrally project. She shares a long, complex history with Gambit in the comics, and it can be expected she'll be a combination of romantic interest and villain in the movie. Léa Seydoux is a major rising star in Hollywood, soon set to appear in the Bond flick SPECTRE, having had previous English language credits in Inglourious Basterds and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Her most acclaimed performance is alongside Adele Exarchopoulos in the French graphic novel adaptation Blue is the Warmest Colour (aka La Vie d'Adele), an award-winning romantic drama.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Casting Call: Marvel Cinematic Universe - Movies
Aaron Taylor Johnson
Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
Avengers: Age of Ultron (April 2015)
One of two "miracles" introduced at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pietro or Peter Maximoff is capable of superhuman speed. We've already seen him, played with great charm by Evan Peters, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and the character's popularity suggests Fox will try to find a way to include him in a future film. In an unusual situation, both Marvel and Fox have a claim to Quicksilver, since he is both an major member of the Avengers, and a mutant member of the X-Men. In an odd compromise, Marvel can use both him and his sister Wanda but not refer to them as mutants, while Fox cannot make any reference to their association with the Avengers.
Quicksilver and his sister began as villains in the X-Men comics, part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, before swapping sides and eventually joining the second version of the Avengers. In the comics they are probably the children of Magneto, although there has been a suggestion that they're actually the offspring of Golden Age hero the Whizzer, who has similar powers to Quicksilver. (In Days of Future Past it is hinted that Quicksilver is indeed Magneto's son, but that can't be the case in the MCU.) At the end of Winter Soldier they were prisoners of HYDRA agent Baron Strucker, so may be used against the Avengers in their upcoming appearance before joining them. Both have signed up for multiple pictures, so we're bound to see them again, most likely in the big Infinity War double-picture.
Elizabeth Olson
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Twin sister of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful and significant characters in Marvel comics. With the mutant ability to alter probability and reality - essentially magic - she has been part of the Brotherhood, X-Men and Avengers and was responsible for the terrible M-Day event that vastly reduced the mutant population. Unfortunately, none of this is within the MCU's remit, but the trailers for Age of Ultron suggest that she will be playing a significant role.
While she and her brother are mutants in the comics, they have to be something else in this version. It's possible they'll be mutants in all but name, but perhaps it's more likely that either HYDRA will have created them, or that they will be reworked as Inhumans (as Skye/Daisy was in Agents of SHIELD). Given her magical abilities, she may possibly be involved in the introduction of Dr Strange. Whatever happens, I hope they don't follow the Ultimate Comics version of events, in which the twins had an incestuous relationship.
Chadwick Boseman
Prince T'Challa/Black Panther
Captain America: Civil War (2016); Black Panther (2017)
I've seen a black panther, and met a Black Panther, but I'm still excited to see the movie Black Panther. The Black Panther made his debut in a 1966 issue of Fantastic Four, predating the infamous political party by some months (although far from being the first use of the name). The very first black character to be a true superhero, the Black Panther is the T'Challa, the ruler of the advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda. The Black Panther is the ruler of the Panther tribe, and the avatar of the Panther Spirit. He has superhumanly acute senses and enhanced strength, speed and agility, as well as access to Wakanda's magical artifacts and advanced technology.
Wesley Snipes expressed interest in bringing the Black Panther to the screen in the early 90s, before he starring as another Marvel superhero in Blade. It will be Chadwick Boseman who finally gets to bring the Panther to film after years of development stalling. His official first appearance in the role will be in Civil War, although we are expecting a possible cameo in Age of Ultron. Later he will headline his own film as part of Phase Three, and it's almost certain that he will be involved in Infinity War. One element that will sadly be missing from the films will be T'Challa's relationship with Ororo Munroe, aka Storm; as part of the X-Men franchise all cinematic rights to the character belong to Fox.
James Spader
Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The villain of Age of Ultron, if you didn't realise. Ultron is a major Avengers villain going right back to 1968, an artificial intelligence created by Hank Pym (see below) who, upon attaining awareness, continually upgrades himself to become more and more powerful. Hyper-intelligent, supremely strong and capable of hacking both electronic and organic minds, Ultron is a force to be reckoned with. In the comics he is primarily composed of adamantium (like Wolverine's skeletal coating), although vibranium is also used in his construction, and it is this which he is likely built from in the movie. The Age of Ultron comic event was a major crossover piece set in a world where Ultron had conquered the Earth, but the movie seems to have just taken the name and the concept of Ultron to use. We see a lot of Ultron in the trailers for the movie, including various stages of his development, including one seemingly based on the Iron Man armour.
The synopsis of the film states that Ultron is created by Tony Stark in an attempt to "jump-start a dormant peace-keeping programme." This does not preclude the possibility that Pym is responsible for the initial development, although some intel suggests that Stark also utilises salvaged Chitauri technology in the programme. Either way, James Spader sounds extremely evil in the role.
Paul Bettany
JARVIS/The Vision
Avengers: Age of Ultron
There have been several superpowered beings called the Vision in the Marvel universe, but the main one is a mechanical "synthezoid" created by Ultron to fight his own maker, Hank Pym. The Vision's origins are pretty complicated and contradictory, and involve time travel, but he's supposedly based on the systems of the original Human Torch, an android who went by the name of Jim Hammond (and who I'd love to show up on Agent Carter, but this seems unlikely at present). His brain patterns, however, were based on Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. I think, anyway; like I say, it's complicated. He eventually marries Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, and they even have children (with magic). A new version of the Vision has since been created from a fusion of the original's operating system and the mechanical armour of Iron Lad (who is way to complicated to go into at the moment).
The Vision is uber-powerful, able to fly, alter his mass and density, become intangible, regenerate and emit solar energy blasts. Quite what the story is behind the MCU version of the character is we don't yet know, but given that he's played by Paul Bettany, it seems highly likely he's based on the systems of Stark's AI, JARVIS. On the other hand, some publicity suggests he is indeed created by Ultron (perhaps he is freeing JARVIS from his servitude?) Judging by the artwork released, he's going to look bloody perfect. Bettany also suggests that he'll be back in the role for future movies.
Andy Serkis
Ulysses Klaw
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Just confirmed by Marvel, the character Andy Serkis is playing in Age of Ultron. Ullyses Klaw is a perennial enemy of the Black Panther (and also the Fantastic Four and Ka-Zar, one of Marvel's oldest characters). Klaw is a physicist who requires vibranium for his research. Vibranium, being an incredibly durable and rare metal, is extremely valuable material in the Marvel universe, and is used in the construction of both Cap's shield and Ultron's body. As Klaw knows how to get it, it makes sense that he would be involved in the Age of Ultron events somewhere. Vibranium is only found in Wakanda, which is what brings Klaw up against the Black Panther so frequently; in the comics, he is even responsible for T'Challa's father's death. Klaw develops a way of using vibranium to manipulate sound into a physical substance, and event ends up converting himself into a sound-based entity. It's easy to imagine Serkis playing Klaw in his human guise, before using his motion capture skills to perform as the sound-based version. It's almost certain that he'll return as a villain in the Black Panther movie in 2017.
Paul Rudd
Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Ant-Man (July 2015)
Paul Rudd is a big movie star, but he's always going to be Phoebe's husband from Friends to me. Anyway, he's a great choice for Scott Lang, the second and current Ant-Man in comics continuity and the star of the Ant-Man movie. Lang is a good sort but turns to crime when his daughter becomes seriously ill and he needs to pay for treatment, a storyline that looks to be maintained for the movie. He nicks the Ant-Man costume and technology in the comics but it looks like he's being recruited in the movie. As well as joining the Avengers on occasion, Lang becomes part of the Defenders team alongside Dr. Strange. Movie-wise, I think we can assume he'll join the Avengers for the big bash-up in Avengers: Infinity War.
Michael Douglas
Hank Pym
Ant-Man
Michael Douglas is always good value, so if nothing else, Ant-Man should be watchable. Hank Pym is Ant-Man, originally, a physicist and entomologist (as unlikely a combination as that sounds), who discovers Pym particles and uses them to create his shrinking suit, along with a cybernetic helmet that he can use to communicate with and control ants. Pym goes right back to pre-Marvel magazine stories, and as Ant-Man, was a founding member of the adventures. He later finds a way to use his Pym particles to increase in size, and takes on various costumed identities including Giant Man, Goliath and Yellowjacket. Pym is also a schizophrenic and a wife-beater, so he's a pretty divisive character among Marvel fans. He's even more messed up in the Ultimate Universe continuity. In the movie, Pym will revive his Ant-Man programme and recruit Lang to perpetrate a heist that will help save the world.
Evangeline Lily
Hope van Dyne
Ant-Man
Comics-wise, Hope van Dyne, or Hope Pym, is the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, who were founding Avengers as Ant-Man and the Wasp. This seems to be the case with Lily's version in the movie. As she says of her character: "I was raised by two superheroes. So, I'm a pretty screwed up human being. I am also fairly capable, strong, and kick-ass, which is wonderful to play, but the most fun to play was just how messed up she was from being raised by two superheroes. And the clear message sent by my name is that I'm not a big fan of my father and so I took my mother's name."
Considering the shit Janet went through with Hank in the comics, it's perhaps understandable that Marvel are keeping that off screen and instead proceeding with Hope as the main female character. She's being presented as both Lang's love interest and an action character in her own right. In fact, she seems to be set up to become the MCU version of the Wasp, so I guess we'll have Janet van Dyne in all but name, one generation removed. In the comics, Hope goes down a villainous path, so it'll be interesting to see where she's headed on screen.
Corey Stoll
Darren Cross/Yellowjacket
Ant-Man
The main villain of Ant-Man, Darren Cross is the founder and CEO is Cross Industries, a major technology developer in the Marvel universe. This seems set to be the state of play in the MCU too, with Cross set up as someone who worked under Pym on the Ant-Man technology before a major falling out. He develops his own version of the tech, creating the Yellowjacket suit, which is described by actor Corey Stoll as "the next generation of Ant-Man suit." He also stresses that Cross is not wholly villainous, and is very similar to Hank Pym in his outlook. Who knows who we'll be rooting for by the end of this film? A lot of dodgy characters in play. And will the next generation of Ant-Man suit be capable of changing size in both directions? Could we be setting up the creation of Giant Man?
Daniel Brühl
Baron Zemo
Captain America: Civil War
Baron Zemo is a title handed down through German nobility. The 12th and 13th Barons became prominent Marvel villains, commonly enemies of Captain America. The 12th Baron, Heinrich Zemo, was a gifted scientist and top member of the Nazi party, who wore a hood to disguise his face in battle before it was accidentally glued to him with an indelible adhesive (really). His son, Helmut Zemo, continued his legacy as a supervillain under various guises including Phoenix and Iron Cross. Helmut is a rather more complex character than his father, and like many early Cap villains, has been given enhanced strength and slowed ageing to keep up with his nemesis. It's no surprise to see Zemo is to appear in a Cap film, although precisely how he is involved we don't know. Given that Daniel Brühl is thirty-six years old and terribly handsome, I think it likely he is playing the younger Helmut Zemo, although feasibly the MCU character might be a combination of the two Zemos.
Thomas Kretschmann
Baron Strucker
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Seen at the end of The Winter Soldier examining Loki's sceptre and holding the Maximoff twins captive, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is set to appear in Age of Ultron and could be lined up for villainous roles in further films. The long-lived Strucker is a core member of HYDRA in the comics, and we can expect a similarly prominent role in the MCU. I wouldn't eb at all surprised if he returned on television (either in Agents of SHIELD or, if he is as long-lived as in the comcis, Agent Carter). The character was included as a driving force in the TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, which starred David Hasselhoff. Strucker was played, briefly, by Campbell Lane.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr. Steven Strange
Doctor Strange (2016)
Another long-standing Marvel hero, Dr. Strange first appeared in Strange Tales in 1963. Once a surgeon, Stephen Strange lost the fine use of his hands in a car accident. Bitter and resentful of this, he searches for a way to restore his abilities, leading him to a mystic known as the Ancient One. After some hoo-hah, Strange proves he has a noble side and is taken on as the Ancient One's apprentice, before succeeding him as Sorceror Supreme, the most powerful wizard in the cosmos. Strange's adventures lead him to bizarre parallel dimensions and pit him against vastly powerful adversaries, so his movie appearance marks a turning point for the MCU, pushing Phase Three into wilder, more magical arenas. We've only dabbled with magic so far, with the Asgardians' skills being presented more as advanced science than true magic (although we still have Scarlet Witch to come). Everyone's favourite, Benedict Cumberbatch, is confirmed to be taking the role, and he does has form as playing a supremely talented but arrogant arsehole. No word on the villain yet, but Baron Mordo, who is strongly linked to Strange's origin story, seems likely. Rumours are that Chiwetel Ejiofor is up for the part, but that is only hearsay at this stage. One thing though: if he's a surgeon, shouldn't he be Mister Strange?
Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
Avengers: Age of Ultron (April 2015)
One of two "miracles" introduced at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pietro or Peter Maximoff is capable of superhuman speed. We've already seen him, played with great charm by Evan Peters, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and the character's popularity suggests Fox will try to find a way to include him in a future film. In an unusual situation, both Marvel and Fox have a claim to Quicksilver, since he is both an major member of the Avengers, and a mutant member of the X-Men. In an odd compromise, Marvel can use both him and his sister Wanda but not refer to them as mutants, while Fox cannot make any reference to their association with the Avengers.
Quicksilver and his sister began as villains in the X-Men comics, part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, before swapping sides and eventually joining the second version of the Avengers. In the comics they are probably the children of Magneto, although there has been a suggestion that they're actually the offspring of Golden Age hero the Whizzer, who has similar powers to Quicksilver. (In Days of Future Past it is hinted that Quicksilver is indeed Magneto's son, but that can't be the case in the MCU.) At the end of Winter Soldier they were prisoners of HYDRA agent Baron Strucker, so may be used against the Avengers in their upcoming appearance before joining them. Both have signed up for multiple pictures, so we're bound to see them again, most likely in the big Infinity War double-picture.
Elizabeth Olson
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Twin sister of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful and significant characters in Marvel comics. With the mutant ability to alter probability and reality - essentially magic - she has been part of the Brotherhood, X-Men and Avengers and was responsible for the terrible M-Day event that vastly reduced the mutant population. Unfortunately, none of this is within the MCU's remit, but the trailers for Age of Ultron suggest that she will be playing a significant role.
While she and her brother are mutants in the comics, they have to be something else in this version. It's possible they'll be mutants in all but name, but perhaps it's more likely that either HYDRA will have created them, or that they will be reworked as Inhumans (as Skye/Daisy was in Agents of SHIELD). Given her magical abilities, she may possibly be involved in the introduction of Dr Strange. Whatever happens, I hope they don't follow the Ultimate Comics version of events, in which the twins had an incestuous relationship.
Chadwick Boseman
Prince T'Challa/Black Panther
Captain America: Civil War (2016); Black Panther (2017)
I've seen a black panther, and met a Black Panther, but I'm still excited to see the movie Black Panther. The Black Panther made his debut in a 1966 issue of Fantastic Four, predating the infamous political party by some months (although far from being the first use of the name). The very first black character to be a true superhero, the Black Panther is the T'Challa, the ruler of the advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda. The Black Panther is the ruler of the Panther tribe, and the avatar of the Panther Spirit. He has superhumanly acute senses and enhanced strength, speed and agility, as well as access to Wakanda's magical artifacts and advanced technology.
Wesley Snipes expressed interest in bringing the Black Panther to the screen in the early 90s, before he starring as another Marvel superhero in Blade. It will be Chadwick Boseman who finally gets to bring the Panther to film after years of development stalling. His official first appearance in the role will be in Civil War, although we are expecting a possible cameo in Age of Ultron. Later he will headline his own film as part of Phase Three, and it's almost certain that he will be involved in Infinity War. One element that will sadly be missing from the films will be T'Challa's relationship with Ororo Munroe, aka Storm; as part of the X-Men franchise all cinematic rights to the character belong to Fox.
James Spader
Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The villain of Age of Ultron, if you didn't realise. Ultron is a major Avengers villain going right back to 1968, an artificial intelligence created by Hank Pym (see below) who, upon attaining awareness, continually upgrades himself to become more and more powerful. Hyper-intelligent, supremely strong and capable of hacking both electronic and organic minds, Ultron is a force to be reckoned with. In the comics he is primarily composed of adamantium (like Wolverine's skeletal coating), although vibranium is also used in his construction, and it is this which he is likely built from in the movie. The Age of Ultron comic event was a major crossover piece set in a world where Ultron had conquered the Earth, but the movie seems to have just taken the name and the concept of Ultron to use. We see a lot of Ultron in the trailers for the movie, including various stages of his development, including one seemingly based on the Iron Man armour.
The synopsis of the film states that Ultron is created by Tony Stark in an attempt to "jump-start a dormant peace-keeping programme." This does not preclude the possibility that Pym is responsible for the initial development, although some intel suggests that Stark also utilises salvaged Chitauri technology in the programme. Either way, James Spader sounds extremely evil in the role.
Paul Bettany
JARVIS/The Vision
There have been several superpowered beings called the Vision in the Marvel universe, but the main one is a mechanical "synthezoid" created by Ultron to fight his own maker, Hank Pym. The Vision's origins are pretty complicated and contradictory, and involve time travel, but he's supposedly based on the systems of the original Human Torch, an android who went by the name of Jim Hammond (and who I'd love to show up on Agent Carter, but this seems unlikely at present). His brain patterns, however, were based on Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. I think, anyway; like I say, it's complicated. He eventually marries Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, and they even have children (with magic). A new version of the Vision has since been created from a fusion of the original's operating system and the mechanical armour of Iron Lad (who is way to complicated to go into at the moment).
The Vision is uber-powerful, able to fly, alter his mass and density, become intangible, regenerate and emit solar energy blasts. Quite what the story is behind the MCU version of the character is we don't yet know, but given that he's played by Paul Bettany, it seems highly likely he's based on the systems of Stark's AI, JARVIS. On the other hand, some publicity suggests he is indeed created by Ultron (perhaps he is freeing JARVIS from his servitude?) Judging by the artwork released, he's going to look bloody perfect. Bettany also suggests that he'll be back in the role for future movies.
Andy Serkis
Ulysses Klaw
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Just confirmed by Marvel, the character Andy Serkis is playing in Age of Ultron. Ullyses Klaw is a perennial enemy of the Black Panther (and also the Fantastic Four and Ka-Zar, one of Marvel's oldest characters). Klaw is a physicist who requires vibranium for his research. Vibranium, being an incredibly durable and rare metal, is extremely valuable material in the Marvel universe, and is used in the construction of both Cap's shield and Ultron's body. As Klaw knows how to get it, it makes sense that he would be involved in the Age of Ultron events somewhere. Vibranium is only found in Wakanda, which is what brings Klaw up against the Black Panther so frequently; in the comics, he is even responsible for T'Challa's father's death. Klaw develops a way of using vibranium to manipulate sound into a physical substance, and event ends up converting himself into a sound-based entity. It's easy to imagine Serkis playing Klaw in his human guise, before using his motion capture skills to perform as the sound-based version. It's almost certain that he'll return as a villain in the Black Panther movie in 2017.
Paul Rudd
Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Ant-Man (July 2015)
Paul Rudd is a big movie star, but he's always going to be Phoebe's husband from Friends to me. Anyway, he's a great choice for Scott Lang, the second and current Ant-Man in comics continuity and the star of the Ant-Man movie. Lang is a good sort but turns to crime when his daughter becomes seriously ill and he needs to pay for treatment, a storyline that looks to be maintained for the movie. He nicks the Ant-Man costume and technology in the comics but it looks like he's being recruited in the movie. As well as joining the Avengers on occasion, Lang becomes part of the Defenders team alongside Dr. Strange. Movie-wise, I think we can assume he'll join the Avengers for the big bash-up in Avengers: Infinity War.
Michael Douglas
Hank Pym
Ant-Man
Michael Douglas is always good value, so if nothing else, Ant-Man should be watchable. Hank Pym is Ant-Man, originally, a physicist and entomologist (as unlikely a combination as that sounds), who discovers Pym particles and uses them to create his shrinking suit, along with a cybernetic helmet that he can use to communicate with and control ants. Pym goes right back to pre-Marvel magazine stories, and as Ant-Man, was a founding member of the adventures. He later finds a way to use his Pym particles to increase in size, and takes on various costumed identities including Giant Man, Goliath and Yellowjacket. Pym is also a schizophrenic and a wife-beater, so he's a pretty divisive character among Marvel fans. He's even more messed up in the Ultimate Universe continuity. In the movie, Pym will revive his Ant-Man programme and recruit Lang to perpetrate a heist that will help save the world.
Evangeline Lily
Hope van Dyne
Ant-Man
Comics-wise, Hope van Dyne, or Hope Pym, is the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, who were founding Avengers as Ant-Man and the Wasp. This seems to be the case with Lily's version in the movie. As she says of her character: "I was raised by two superheroes. So, I'm a pretty screwed up human being. I am also fairly capable, strong, and kick-ass, which is wonderful to play, but the most fun to play was just how messed up she was from being raised by two superheroes. And the clear message sent by my name is that I'm not a big fan of my father and so I took my mother's name."
Considering the shit Janet went through with Hank in the comics, it's perhaps understandable that Marvel are keeping that off screen and instead proceeding with Hope as the main female character. She's being presented as both Lang's love interest and an action character in her own right. In fact, she seems to be set up to become the MCU version of the Wasp, so I guess we'll have Janet van Dyne in all but name, one generation removed. In the comics, Hope goes down a villainous path, so it'll be interesting to see where she's headed on screen.
Corey Stoll
Darren Cross/YellowjacketAnt-Man
The main villain of Ant-Man, Darren Cross is the founder and CEO is Cross Industries, a major technology developer in the Marvel universe. This seems set to be the state of play in the MCU too, with Cross set up as someone who worked under Pym on the Ant-Man technology before a major falling out. He develops his own version of the tech, creating the Yellowjacket suit, which is described by actor Corey Stoll as "the next generation of Ant-Man suit." He also stresses that Cross is not wholly villainous, and is very similar to Hank Pym in his outlook. Who knows who we'll be rooting for by the end of this film? A lot of dodgy characters in play. And will the next generation of Ant-Man suit be capable of changing size in both directions? Could we be setting up the creation of Giant Man?
Daniel Brühl
Baron Zemo
Captain America: Civil War
Baron Zemo is a title handed down through German nobility. The 12th and 13th Barons became prominent Marvel villains, commonly enemies of Captain America. The 12th Baron, Heinrich Zemo, was a gifted scientist and top member of the Nazi party, who wore a hood to disguise his face in battle before it was accidentally glued to him with an indelible adhesive (really). His son, Helmut Zemo, continued his legacy as a supervillain under various guises including Phoenix and Iron Cross. Helmut is a rather more complex character than his father, and like many early Cap villains, has been given enhanced strength and slowed ageing to keep up with his nemesis. It's no surprise to see Zemo is to appear in a Cap film, although precisely how he is involved we don't know. Given that Daniel Brühl is thirty-six years old and terribly handsome, I think it likely he is playing the younger Helmut Zemo, although feasibly the MCU character might be a combination of the two Zemos.
Thomas Kretschmann
Baron Strucker
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Seen at the end of The Winter Soldier examining Loki's sceptre and holding the Maximoff twins captive, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is set to appear in Age of Ultron and could be lined up for villainous roles in further films. The long-lived Strucker is a core member of HYDRA in the comics, and we can expect a similarly prominent role in the MCU. I wouldn't eb at all surprised if he returned on television (either in Agents of SHIELD or, if he is as long-lived as in the comcis, Agent Carter). The character was included as a driving force in the TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, which starred David Hasselhoff. Strucker was played, briefly, by Campbell Lane.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr. Steven Strange
Doctor Strange (2016)
Another long-standing Marvel hero, Dr. Strange first appeared in Strange Tales in 1963. Once a surgeon, Stephen Strange lost the fine use of his hands in a car accident. Bitter and resentful of this, he searches for a way to restore his abilities, leading him to a mystic known as the Ancient One. After some hoo-hah, Strange proves he has a noble side and is taken on as the Ancient One's apprentice, before succeeding him as Sorceror Supreme, the most powerful wizard in the cosmos. Strange's adventures lead him to bizarre parallel dimensions and pit him against vastly powerful adversaries, so his movie appearance marks a turning point for the MCU, pushing Phase Three into wilder, more magical arenas. We've only dabbled with magic so far, with the Asgardians' skills being presented more as advanced science than true magic (although we still have Scarlet Witch to come). Everyone's favourite, Benedict Cumberbatch, is confirmed to be taking the role, and he does has form as playing a supremely talented but arrogant arsehole. No word on the villain yet, but Baron Mordo, who is strongly linked to Strange's origin story, seems likely. Rumours are that Chiwetel Ejiofor is up for the part, but that is only hearsay at this stage. One thing though: if he's a surgeon, shouldn't he be Mister Strange?
 |
| Fan art, but damned good fan art. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)