Casting Call: MCU update

A brief round-up of new characters cast for the Marvel Cinematic (and televisual) Universe.

Spoilers within, of course. If you don't want to know things you don't want to know... well, don't read them.

Finn Jones
Danny Rand/Iron Fist
Marvel's Iron Fist

Marvel have finally cast the lead for their fourth Netflix series. English actor Finn Jones is best known as Loras Tyrell in the insanely popular Game of Thrones, one of many in the cast who started out on Hollyoaks (because British and pretty). Among other roles, he was Jo Grant's son Santiago in The Sarah Jane Adventures, so he has plenty of genre experience.

Danny Rand, aka the Immortal Iron Fist, is the supreme martial artist of the Marvel world. An American man who trained in K'un L'un, a lost Eastern realm, Rand became the latest in a line of Iron Fists, gaining the ability to channel his chi. This allows him to manifest his natural energies in his hand to punch with an impervious "iron fist," plus the usual superhuman stamina, strength and reflexes. Given the more down-to-earth nature of Daredevil and the urban setting of the Netflix shows, the supernatural angle might be downplayed, although with Doctor Strange now filming, maybe not.

Following the Iron Fist series, Jones will join the other Netflix stars for Marvel's Defenders, although that may be some considerable time off.  Given that Danny Rand is Luke Cage's best mate, and formed the Heroes for Hire with him in the comics, it's more than likely he'll first appear in the Luke Cage series, which will either land late this year or early next. A lot of commentators are upset that they didn't take the opportunity to cast an Asian actor in the role, which is a fair point. The story of an Asian-American kid reclaiming his heritage rather than a white American kid appropriating it would have been preferable.

Pom Klementieff
Mantis
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A French-Canadian actress, Pom Klementieff sounds like a Star Wars character. She's naturally mostly been in French language films, including the very successful (in France) comedy Les Kaira, aka Porn in the Hood. She's most recognisable to English-speaking audiences for a role in the Oldboy remake.

Mantis is a character with a complicated publication history. Created by Steve Englehart for Marvel Comics, she was a short-term member of the Avengers, before leaving the Earth - and Marvel - to start a family. Englehart took the character with him to DC, renaming her Willow and importing her to the Justice League of America. Although under a different name, she was clearly intended as the same character. After that, Englehart went to Eclipse Comics and Scorpio Rose, where Mantis became known as Lorelei, the last issues of which were published by Image. Eventually, she was reclaimed by Marvel, going through all sorts of peculiar adventures and iterations before becoming one of the many reimagined characters who became part of the new Guardians of the Galaxy.

Originally an earthly but mystical character, Mantis was a martial artist not entirely unlike Iron Fist, later developing new abilities after communing with an alien race. She now has multiple ill-defined powers, many of them plant-based, and is, of course, green. The Guardians of the Galaxy sequel is set to hit May next year.

Kurt Russell
Star-Lord's father
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

64-year-old Kurt Rusell surely needs no introduction. If he does, go watch The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and Stargate and feel suitably chastised. In the comics, the father of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is King Jason of the Sparta. Sorry, J'Son of Spartax. Writer-director James Gunn ahs confirmed that this is not the case in the movies, and that Quill's dad - who hired the Reavers to abduct him in the first place - is something quite different. Quill's mother Meredith called him "an angel." Kurt Russell does not look like an angel.

Natalia Cordova-Buckley
Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez/Slingshot
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD has been renewed for a fourth season, just in time for the the third season to resume in the US (it's running a few episodes behind in the UK). Brett Dalton is still on the cast list, but not as Grant Ward. New to the team is Elena Rodriguez, who was part of the original Secret Warriors team in the comics. Her "Yo-Yo" nickname refers to the fact that she can run at superhuman speed but always snaps back to her original position. She also lost her arms and had them replaced by mechanical prostheses, which is obviously possible in the series since Coulson has a cyber-hand. Undoubtedly she'll be an Inhuman in this version.

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.

REVIEW: Agents of SHIELD 2.11 - "Aftershocks"

Each time Agents of SHIELD returns from a break, it comes back better. There's still a way to go until it's unmissable viewing, but there is some definite improvement here. The mid-season “finale” ended on a hell of a cliffhanger, with Trip dead and both Skye and Raina undergoing terrigenesis and metamorphosing into their superpowered selves; very visibly in Raina's case, less so in Skye's. It's wonderful to say that, though – actual superhumans in the series, front and centre. There's a moment when Simmons starts reeling off a list of superpowered characters who've caused trouble, and it's a very, very short list for a superhero show a season and a half in. Now, though, we have Skye showing her Quake powers, Raina transformed into the human rosebush, and Reader zapping about the place like no one's business, with hopefully more to come.


It's a nicely high stakes story, too, which is a relief, since there was a fear we'd have weeks of sitting about discussing the events of the previous episode before anything happened. Not so. While Skye's new powers don't manifest fully, and she keeps the extent of her transformation under wraps, this is one story thread in a busy episode. Both SHIELD and HYDRA are on the rebound from the events in the subterranean city. It's fun to see HYDRA run by a round table of rich masterminds, even if most of them are pretty shallow and one-note; but then, it's not like they last long. Coulson's plan to use his prisoner, Bakshi, as bait in a plan to turn the heads of HYDRA against one another is brilliant stuff. Yes, it's convoluted and over-the-top. So what? That's exactly what I want from a comicbook show. Agents of SHIELD needs more convolution and over-the-top plans! Some commentators have likened it to the sort of ruse that Mission:Impossible used to go for, and they're not wrong. It's unfeasable, but easy enough to follow, effective and entertaining.


You could also make the same observation about the showdown between Coulson and Mac over the former's questionable decisions. The fight between the loyal Couslon-ites and the newer recruits is anything but subtle. That's good; we don't need subtle right now. We need a fast-moving season that lives up to the promise of the series' set-up. Some elements are still uneven. Mockingbird and Mac are playing some secret game that seems one element too many, and is included in a heavy-handed fashion. A major flaw is the resolution of Trip's death. It's all very well played, and the death of a major team member should hit the SHIELD crew hard. The problem is, we never really got to know Trip well enough for his death to matter the same way to us. He was a criminally underused character, and some better use of him leading up to this point could have made all the difference. It's not a fault of this episode, but nonetheless, it's inescapable.


There's some great chemistry between the regulars, now, with most of them settling into double-acts, and not the ones we expected. Coulson and May are at their best when they're fighting side-by-side. It's a shame to see Mac and Fitz's bromance fizzle out, but worth it for the wonderful chemistry between Fitz and Skye. I don't think Skye has really gelled with anyone the way she was supposed to, but this looks set to change matters. Both Chloe Bennet and Iain de Caestecker are so much better as these damaged and altered versions of their characters. There's a lot of potential here, particularly in their relationship, be it platonic or romantic in future. Where Fitz and Simmons will go from here is questionable, and this can only serve to drive them further apart, especially with Simmons on one hell of an over-egged anti-alien, anti-superpower drive right now. Perhaps the best moment, though, involve Raina. Ruth Negga has been something of an unsung star of this series (great news that she's been snapped up for the Preacher adaptation), and the use of her character here is excellent. Finally, she's got exactly what she's been striving for all this time, and it's horrific. The quill-covered, plant-like, almost reptilian make-up for her transformed state is wonderful work. Her scene with Dr Zabo – a still brillaint Kyle MacLachlan, always a highlight – is a particularly strong one, as he casts her aside now that she is of no use to him.


The material introducing the Inhumans is another highlight. Not just the little fanboy thrill from hearing terms like “Terrigenesis” thrown around, but genuinely well-scripted, beautifully directed stuff. It's patently clear now that Marvel are using this as their way of doing an X-Men style storyline, and more power to them. The Inhuman stuff is complicated and hard-to-swallow, yet they're putting it across in digestible little chunks. Philip Labes is excellent as the young Gordon (aka the Inhuman known as Reader), working with some fine direction and visual effects to put across the terror of this poor individual. Terrigenesis is a horrifying concept; if Raina thinks she's got it bad, then poor Gordon can put it in perspective. Blessed with incredible powers, but with the skin grown over his eyes so that he can't even cry. It'll be interesting to see how the relationships develop here: Gordon rescues Raina, who was abandoned and driven to suicide by Zabo, who was married to Jai Ying, who mentored and cared for the young Gordon. It's a complex web.



There's room to improve, most certainly, but this a strong start to the new half-season and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. As long as there are plenty of superbeings to come.

Casting Call: Marvel Cinematic Universe - Television

Charlie Cox

Matt Murdock/Daredevil

Daredevil; The Defenders

The Daredevil trailer is now up, and it's looking grim, gritty and dark. Seriously, it's actually hard to see what's going on in some parts. The thirteen-part series will become available on Netflix in April, and it looks exciting. Charlie Cox is an English actor best known for as the male lead in the excellent Stardust. Matt Murdock is the Daredevil, one of Marvel's most popular heroes. Blinded by a radiactive substance that also has the effect of enhancing his remaining senses, Murdock is by day a defense lawyer but by night protects the people of Hell's Kitchen from its less salubrious characters. 

Ben Affleck played Daredevil in the 2003 Fox movie, but he's off to be Batman now. Cox plays the character for this series, one of four leading up to The Defenders, which will bring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist together. It's also possible that if the series are successful, further series could be made, and Marvel have confirmed that there's the possibility of film installments.

Vincent D'Onofrio

Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin

Daredevil

The Kingpin is, as his name suggests, a crime boss, an old school supervillain who runs the criminal empire in Marvel's version of New York. Initially a Spider-Man villain, he then became the Daredevil's archnemesis. He has no superhuman abilities, but his sheer size makes him a threat; he is enormous and vastly strong. The late Michael Clark Duncan played the character in the Daredevil movie; Vincent D'Onofrio is a fine actor, but will always be Edgar from Men in Black to many of us. His Kingpin should eclipse that though, and I'd be surprised if he didn't reappear in Daredevil's sister series.

Eldon Henson

Foggie Nelson

Daredevil

Going right back to 1964's Daredevil #1, Foggy Nelson is Murdock's right hand man, his law partner and best friend. In the comics, he becomes one of the few people who know that Murdock is Daredevil. Expect him to be in the dark in the series, although he may well learn the truth over the course of the series. 

Deborah Ann Woll 

Karen Page

Daredevil

Also dating back to Daredevil #1, Karen Page is Matt and Foggy's legal secretary. A long-time love interest of Matt Murdock, expect there to be a love triangle between the three colleagues. An occasional sidekick to the Daredevil, Karen is another character who learns his identity. In the later, more uncompromisingly adult Daredevil storylines, things went very badly for Karen, who became addicted to heroin and began working in porn, eventually selling Murdock's identity to pay for a hit. Deborah Ann Woll's version appears in the trailer looking in a not particularly rosy state, so perhaps she's already fallen on ahrd times.

Rosario Dawson

Claire Temple

Daredevil

Rosario Dawson has plenty of experience with comicbook adaptations, having starred in both Sin City and the classic Josie and the Pussycats. Her turn in Daredevil will probably be more like the former than the latter. Claire Temple is a major recurring character in Marvel comics, being romantically involved with, at one time or another, Luke Cage and Bill Foster (one time Giant Man and also known as the Black Goliath). A doctor in training, it appears that the MCU version of Temple will be amalgamated with Night Nurse. In the comics, several characters have gone by the name Night Nurse, but the most significant is Linda Carter (not the one from Eastenders, nor the one who played Wonder Woman). She eventually becomes a sidekick to Dr. Strange. Expect her to make appearances throughout the Netflix stock of shows.

Bob Gunton

Leland Owlsley/The Owl

Daredevil

Better known as the Owl, Leland Owlsley (ah, comicbook names) is a crime boss with various birdlike abilities due to genetic alteration with a special serum, something that eventually leaves him in severely poor health. A major figure in the Marvel crime network, albeit not on the level of the Kingpin, it remains to be seen if the MCU version will share the original's preternatural abilities. Bob Gunton, of course, has been in everything, but is best know as the governor in The Shawshank Redemption.

Vondie Curtis Hall

Ben Urich

Daredevil

A tough, hardbitten investigative journalist, Urich is a recurring character who deduced Daredevil's identity and has a special relationship with Murdock. He also has a similar interaction with Peter Parker, who works with him on the Daily Bugle. Since both the Bugle and Spider-Man are out of bounds for the MCU, the focus will be squarely on his work with Daredevil. He was played by Joe Pantoliano in the 2003 movie, the casting of Vondie Hall displays a gratifying lack of colour-based casting for this version.

Scott Glen

Stick

Daredevil

Perhaps the most significant of Daredevil's allies, the mysterious sensei known only as Stick is a member of an ancient order known as the Chaste. Existing to battle the deadly ninja group called the Hand, the Chaste are responsible for training and recruiting some of the Marvel universe's most formidable warriors. Stick has abilities similar to Daredevil's, only even more refined, as well as mystical arts of telepathy and life-draining. Stick trained both Daredevil and the assassin Elektra, although the latter was kicked out of the Chaste for her vengeful ways. He also has links to Black Widow and Wolverine. He was played by the great Terence Stamp in the awful 2005 Elektra movie, while Scott Glen takes the role for the MCU series, in what is probably extended flashback sequences.

Kristen Ritter

Jessica Jones

AKA Jessica Jones; The Defenders

The second of Marvel's Netflix series is based on Brian Michael Bendis's acclaimed comic series Alias, although the name has been changed due to a certain popular TV series already using it. Like many of the characters above, she has links to Peter Parker, but is far better known for her friendship with Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) and relationship with Luke Cage. Jones was once a powerful super hero under the name Jewel, but after suffering a painful and humiliating defeat, she hung up her cape and became a private detective. Like with Alias, we can expect her time as a superhero to be explored in backstory in AKA.


Jones has become a major recurring character, and a popular one, in Marvel comics, having been involved in the Young Avengers and Mighty Avengers despite her decision not to use her powers, which include enhanced strength and flight. She has, on occasion, taken to the lycra again, either as Jewel, or under new names such as Power Woman and Knightress. She's faced the Owl, among others, but her long time enemy is the Purple Man (below). Jones eventually marries Cage and has his child, who they name Danielle, after their friend Daniel Rand - better known as Iron Fist. Oh, and she lived at Dr. Strange's place for a while. Links everywhere, so expect plenty of crossover between the series. Kristen Ritter is very much hot stuff since her role in Breaking Bad, and is generally considered an excellent choice for the role.

Rachael Taylor

Patricia Walker

AKA Jessica Jones

Tricia Walker is actually one of the oldest characters on the Marvel books. She first appeared way back in 1944, in Miss America Magazine published by Marvel's precursor, Timely Comics. Along with titles like Millie the Model, girlie strips like Patsy Walker and Patsy and her Pals ran right through Timely, Atlas and into Marvel in the 60s. In the 70s, she was brought back to become a superhero (with the earlier comics retconned as being comics withing the fiction of the Marvel universe). Taking on the costume of the Cat (aka Greer Grant, later Tigra), Walker became Hellcat, a hero who would see action with both the Avengers and the Defenders. 

The MCU version of the character is drawing on this backstory by making Tricia Walker a former child star and model under the name Patsy. She is a radio host and best friend to Jessica Jones. There's no news on her becoming a hero, but I'd be surprised if Marvel isn't looking ahead and potentially planning her becoming Hellcat in the future.

Mike Colter

Luke Cage

AKA Jessica Jones; Luke Cage; The Defenders

As mentioned above, Luke Cage - aka Power Man - is a romantic interest for Jessica Jones, and it seems that it is in this capacity that he will be introduced. However, Cage is a major superhero in his own right, and will be heading up his own series, the third or fourth of the Netflix clutch, before joining his fellow heroes in The Defenders. Originating in the 1972 title Luke Cage: Hero for Hire, Cage - birth name Carl Lucas - was falsely imprisoned, and volunteered for experimental treatment based on the supersoldier programme that created Captain America. The result gave him superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The early comics were very 70s, designed to cash in on the Blaxploitation film genre, but this was eased off in time. Cage later co-starred with his best bud Danny Rand in Power Man and Iron Fist, so we can expect crossovers between the two series, although Rand has yet to be cast on time of writing. 

A screen version of Luke Cage has been a long time coming, with Colombia Pictures working on a film version for years (at one point Dwayne Johnson was the hot tip to star). Now it's reverted to Marvel we can expect Mike Colter to be a big player in future productions. After all, comics Cage is currently heading up the Avengers street level team, The Mighty Avengers. Oh, don't worry about his daughter. When he and Jessica Jones are both working, Squirrel Girl babysits.

David Tennant

Zebediah Kilgrave/Purple Man

AKA Jessica Jones

Now, this is casting that everyone's very excited about. Tennant is, of course, everyone's favourite, but be prepared to hate him with a passion. Zebediah Kilgrave is the villain who once defeated Jessica Jones, and he is properly evil. No, really, he's a mind-controlling rapist who gets off on making his victims commit cruel and humiliating acts. We don't know exactly what the details of their past is in AKA Jessica Jones, but the Alias comics visited some very dark territory. He's so monstrous that most other villains won't work with him. Having been chemically altered so that his pheromones allow him to control others' actions, he has brainwashed numerous women into sleeping with him and has a brood of illegitimate Purple Children. And yes, he is purple, although whether Tennant's version of the character will be remains to be seen. 

Carrie-Anne Moss
Harper
AKA Jessica Jones

No idea. Harper is apparently someone in authority who is a potential ally for Jessica Jones, but beyond that, we know nothing about her. She may be an established character under a new name, she may be entirely new. All we know is that big name Carrie-Anne Moss is playing her (well, she was a big name about ten years ago, anyway).

Luke Mitchell
Lincoln
Agents of SHIELD

We also don't know who Lincoln is, other than that he's a member of the Inhumans who is set to induct Skye - aka Daisy Johnson - into the world of these superpowered beings. Whether Lincoln is an established character going by another name, or someone entirely new, we don't know, so we also don't know what his powers are. The Inhumans, if you don't know, are a race of people with alien DNA that, when activated by a substance called Terrigen, endows them with a variety of amazing powers. We can expect a lot more Inhuman activity on Agents of SHIELD gearing up for 2018's Inhumans movie. This will basically allow Marvel to populate its movies and TV series with a variety of people with powers that don't require lots of explanations, without having to fall back on mutants (whose movie rights belong to Fox). 

I don't know who Luke Mitchell is either. Apparently he was in The Tomorrow People, but the only version I've watched is the nineties one.

2014 Telefantasy review-y rambles

Sleepy Hollow

This series shouldn't work. Washington Irving's classics "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" are mashed up into what's basically Adam Adamant Lives redone for a modern audience. Yet it works, because it finds the balance between the ludicrousness of the premise and the drama of the approach. It takes itself just seriously enough, and it certainly helps that the writing on the show is top notch. So Orci and Kurtzman can make some good stuff when they work on it. Sleepy Hollow manages to be genuinely funny and properly scary at times. It also doesn't hurt that Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, as Ichabod Crane and his new ally Abby Mills, as well as being fine actors with some excellent chemistry, are both utterly gorgeous. You've also got Orlando Jones Captain Irving (nice touch there), and he's always a class act (personally, I could see him as the Doctor, but I'm always on the lookout). Then there's John Cho - John moviestar Cho - making guest appearances as a monster, along with John Noble, with his Vincent Price tones, as a semiregular and later regular cast member.

The recurring fish-out-of-water jokes regarding Crane adjusting to the modern world should become boring quickly, but they genuinely work, partly due to some actual originality on the approach and mostly due to some subtle comic skills from Mison. I wonder about the decision to have Crane portrayed as a Briton who switched sides during the American Revolutionary War. In fact, Crane is very little like the original version in the short story, who was a superstitious and selfish character as opposed to Mison's upright and, at first, skeptical hero. But this is a very loose adaptation of those original works, using the basic idea mixed in with Christian apocalyptic mythology and Goetic demonology to great effect. Plus some cracking monsters and a healthy dose of TV-friendly gore, of course. Looking forward to when I can stream season two without paying a premium.

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

A huge improvement on the first season, picking up on the climactic events of those final crucial weeks and carrying on without dropping the pace. I still think Skye is a boring character, so basing the bulk of the ongoing story around her doesn't quite work for me; thankfully, the wider mystery has been enough to keep my interest, particularly with Clark Gregg and Kyle MacLachlan
giving such strong performances as her two father figures. The broader team has also improved, with May becoming a more relatable character without losing her edge, both Fitz and Simmons given some very strong material that has expanded their characters and Ward becoming a sinister background figure. The new team members were slow to come together, but the whole team feels really cohesive now, with Hunter and Mockingbird having genuinely good chemistry. Plus Fitz and Mac's bromance (or maybe romance) is just the sweetest thing. Only Trip has been badly served, and it's no surprise to lose him at the end.

There's far more integration of the comics material this year, but not to the degree that it's impenetrable for casual fans or non-comics readers. I'm pretty steeped in Marvel, so I can smile when I recognise the identity of Skye and her father, but they're obscure characters and the vital dialogue is pretty easy to miss. For anyone who doesn't know who Calvin Zabo and Daisy Johnson are - ie, the majority of the audience - it really doesn't matter. Seeding the Inhumans into the series is a good move on Marvel's part, I feel. They're a weird concept, so drip-feeding information years ahead of the planned movie not only gives viewers plenty of time to come up to speed, it's a good testing ground for concepts that might not work in the film. It also ties the show to the movies in such a way that they don't have to lag behind, as they did with Thor: The Dark World and The Winter Soldier.

Gotham

After a shaky start, this has really built up to be something special. For a while it was very much a case of baddie-of-the-week, who's-that-villain, but it's important to remember that it's a rare series that hits its stride immediately. The generic material was in the foreground while more important elements were being set up in the background, and with episode seven "The Penguin's Umbrella" the series suddenly became a must-watch. Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald remains the best thing in this by a country mile, but all the cast have come into their own as their characters have been refined. Well, except Jada Pinkett Smith's eye-rollingly tiresome Fish Mooney, who is due for a killing off. The ongoing cold war between the Falcone and Maroni organisations is genuinely gripping viewing now, and the series is standing on its own feet more than we'd expected from the early episodes' reliance on recognisable character cameos. Being less into DC than Marvel, I do sometimes wonder if I'm missing important references, but for the most part, I'm recognising characters than are genuinely important. Anthony Carrigna as Victor Zsazs was really rather excellent. Even the initially underwhelming Bruce/Alfred relationship has become a high point. This is becoming something quite interesting. I'm also loving the race, gender and sexuality mix here, which is notable for being almost unmentioned in the series itself.

Constantine

I'm even less knowledgeable about Hellblazer, mostly knowing Constantine from his appearances in other titles such as Sandman. My flatmate, however, is a huge fan, and this has won her over. Again, the pilot was highly flawed, but this is working really well now it's found its feet. To clear something up, this hasn't been cancelled, it just hasn't been renewed, and I think it's unlikely they'll let the intitial thirteen episodes run without renewing it for at least a full season. Matt Ryan is pretty good as Constantine, even if he's a bit too clean and his accent wanders all over the shop, but he's got a good side of bastardly to him. Angelica Celaya is phenomenally watchable as Zed, sharing great chemistry with Ryan. Some people have unfavourably compared this with Supernatural, and while that's fair enough, calling it a rip-off is wrong; Supernatural took its cues from Hellblazer. The mythology is already building up to something very interesting here, and the series is a lot gorier than I expected it to be. Not too much, just enough to give it an edge of genuine threat. Another series which has become something to really look forward to.

Comics Round-Up (January 7th)

Back in the swing, but I'm going to have to drop some stuff to save money. Slimmer update than previously.

Agents of SHIELD #1 (Marvel)

Phil Coulson has already been assimilated into the mainstream Marvel universe, but now the SHIELD TV series has been absorbed and retooled for the comics. This raises some questions concerning what happens if Skye becomes a character, seeing that she already has a counterpart in the comics. For now though, this is all Coulson, with a little material for Fitz, Simmons and May, who are just recognisable as their TV characters. Effective TV characters don't always translate well to the page and vice versa, but Phil comes off well. He's basically the world's greatest comics nerd, now in charge of all his heroes. This is an opportunity to have Coulson rub shoulders with all the Marvel heroes without rights issues getting in the way, and it really goes for it, chucking everything in.

Star Trek/Planet of the Apes #1 (IDW)

So this is the third crossover for IDW's Star Trek series? Fourth if you count the Deep Space Nine storyline running in the main range. We might have hoped for something a little more interesting than another use of a separate franchise as a parallel reality, but still, this is pretty fun. Apes and Trek make a better match than previous crossovers, and it's a nice take that the Klingons are getting round the peace treaty with the Federation by invading Earth in another timeline. Is this just an excuse to use the subtitle "The Primate Directive?" Why didn't they call it "A Primate Little War?"

The Amazing Spider-Man #12 (Marvel)

It's all kicking off now, with prime Spidey leading the mission to recruit as many Spiders from the Multiverse as possible, Big Bad Solus, daddy of the Inheritors comes for the team and storms their safehouse dimension, but Pete turns up with a bunch of guys from multiple Japans. Including Toei TV series Spidey, and his giant robot Leopardon! It's the big smackdown issue, with raised stakes, unexpected deaths and a great twist on the final page. However, the continual habit of starting plotlines and then dropping them with a note to go pick up another title is getting irritating.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 (Marvel)

Ryan North's new comic brings one of Marvel's least celebrated characters to the masses. You know what? Squirrel Girl is fantastic. She's one hell of an underappreciated character. This title is joyous, poking fun at the genre, and celebrating one of the most inventive and weird superhuman powers in the range. And with people actually arguing about the size of Spider-Woman's breasts, it's refreshing to have a superheroine who doesn't look like either a supermodel or a porn star. Plus, it made me enjoy a story about Kraven the Hunter, and he's rubbish. I'm sorry, but he is.

REVIEW: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 2-1 & 2-2

The MCU's first TV series got off to an inauspicious start. For much of the first season, SHIELD seemed to be playing it safe for the first half of its first season. Unoriginal, uninteresting characters, actors failing to gel, no clear direction and a distinct lack of the joyful excitement of the Marvel movies. Things began to pick up mid-season, as the series started tying into the films and invited some supervillains on to play. With more mystery, rejigged characters and more enjoyable storylines saw a general improvement on the series. Things really kicked into gear with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The series had been treading water up until the revelations of that film, with HYDRA's infiltration of SHIELD changing the nature of the series entirely and putting out heroes into genuine jeopardy. Suddenly, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD became required viewing.

Season two continues this revamp, hitting the ground running with a pacey two-parter. Beginning with a fun flashback to SHIELD's formative years, setting up the upcoming Agent Carter series (which Channel Four is not showing... sigh) and introducing seemingly immortal villain Daniel "Kraken" Whitehall. Then it's back to the future... and finally we're in a real superhero show. OK, so there's no sign of any actual superpowered goodies, but what we have got is promising. Skye, although still a tedious character, is no longer sat behind a laptop, instead kicking ass in the field alongside the always impressive Agent May. Coulson (the always watchable Clark Gregg), now Director of the Reduced SHIELD Company, is haunted by demons (or should that be aliens?) Ward is still under lock and key, going quietly insane and dispensing nuggets of intel as the plot requires. Most impressive is the new and un-improved Fitz. Suffering from brain damage after his extended trip to the deep, his prodigious intellect present but short-circuited, Fitz has some of the best scenes of the episode. It's a far cry from the dull individual we had before, giving Iain de Caestecker some strong material to work with. Even his interplay with Simmons is better now that she's nothing more than a figment of his imagination. 

The new additions to the cast are a mixed bunch, but ultimately promising. Somehow, the producers managed to find someone with an even butcher name than Lance Hunter to play the character. Nick Blood is pretty good as the untrustworthy merc, although in the first half he is reduced to irritating quipping. The second episode gives him some stronger material, as we don't know which way the renegade will turn, even given that we know he's a new regular. Lucy Lawless brings some real class as Izzy Hartley... then gets killed off. Which is a bit of a waste, assuming she really is dead (you can never be sure in these shows). It's good to see Adrian Pasdar back as Colonel Glenn Talbot, providing an excellent foil for Coulson, and with whom Gregg has some great chemistry. 

However, best of all is Brian Wade as Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man. After teasing us with introducing potential supervillains early in season one, finally giving us the likes of Deathlok and Lorelei later on, the series goes all out with a proper, classic Marvel baddie. Understandably a TV budget is going to restrict which characters are able to be included, but we need a monster now and again. Wade is great as the simmering, barely controlled Creel, and the combination of stunts and visual effects used to create his attacks are top notch. Although he is taken out by the end of the story, it's pretty clear he's being set up for a return. Let's hope he brings some other favourite villains with him.

On top of this, we have several ongoing mysteries. The nature of the obelisk (aren't obelisks usually bigger?) is left unresolved; at first it seems like it might be one of the invaluable infinity stones, but on balance it seems more likely it's simply an extraterrestrial device. Presumably of Kree origin, tying in with Coulson's resurrection and his fascinating "episodes," scratching out alien glyphs seemingly against his will. Then we have the ever alluring Rayna, now answering to someone known only as "the Doctor" (not him), played with sinister relish by genre stalwart Kyle MacLachlan. This supposed "monster" has been identified as Skye's father, and we might finally gets some answers regarding her origins. The smart money is on her being an Inhuman, and god knows she needs something more interesting about her.

Not without its flaws, Agents of SHIELD continues the path of improvement it displayed in the latter part of season one. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

Marvel Phase Three: What do we know?

Last night while I was out, ahem, socialising, in the States it was mid-afternoon and Marvel was making a buttload of announcement regarding their next wave of movies. They revealed the complete set of films that make up Phase Three, right through to 2019. It's fair to say I am a little bit excited, and was immediately texting and sharing the hell out of the news over my Guinness.

So, what have we got? New bits of info keep coming to light, but here goes, with a little speculation thrown in:

May next year sees the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, for which Marvel released an extremely exciting trailer last week, and now followed up with a clip with a slightly different cut of the trailer. All the main heroic characters from Avengers Assemble are back, along with Don Cheadle as War Machine, potentially setting him up for future Avengers membership. Also included are Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver and Emily Olsen as the Scarlet Witch, briefly seen at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. James Spader is scary as hell as Ultron, seemingly created by Tony Stark in this version of events, but apparently taken from an old weapons programme, so Hank Pym might still have some level of involvement in the backstory. Seeing that he's a major part of the next movie, Ant-Man, this would make sense. Paul Bettany plays the Vision, almost certainly a development of the JARVIS AI. Andy Serkis has an undisclosed role, but it's been suggested that he plays Ulysses Klaw, which would tie into the Black Panther release scheduled. And Ultron will be needing some ultra-hard metal for his new body, and what better than a job lot of Wakandan vibranium?

Black Panther villain Klaw?

Age of Ultron is the eleventh film released by Marvel and finishes Phase Two. Phase Three kicks off in July with Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man and creator of the shrinking suit. Evangeline Lily is Hope van Dyne, who seems to be filling the role as Lang's romantic interest, and is also probably going to be the Wasp in this version of things. Corey Stroll is Darren Cross, the villainous Yellowjacket, and John Slattery is back as Howard Stark. So this would seem to involve flashbacks and potentially tie in to the Agent Carter TV series. 

May 2016: Captain America: Civil War. Marvel did a huge fake-out with this, putting the title up as Serpent Society, which went round the internet and changed to the real title in the time it took me to text someone the false information. I initially thought this would be a difficult one for Marvel to adapt. The Civil War crossover event involved superheroes from all over the Marvel universe, including an absolutely vital role for Spider-Man. The major problem for the MCU is that they smply don't have enough characters set up for a Civil War style event, and those they do have don't really have secret identities to protect. On the other hand, it looks like only the generally gist of the series is being used (it's not like Age of Ultron is much to do with the crossover event beyond having Ultron in it). Marvel Supremo Kevin Feige says "Events of the whole cinematic universe will make all governments in the world want regulation. Not so much about secret identity, but about who reports to who." 

We do know that Robert Downey Jr. will appear, and that he and Cap will go head-to-head. Whether this will be RDJ's last film for Marvel we don't know, but rumours abound that Steve Rogers will end up dying in these events, seeing that Chris Evans is coming up to the end of his contract. There's also the question of the Winter Soldier, who hasn't been mentioned, but surely will have some time devoted to him. We do know that this film will have a significant role for Prince T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. Given how early Marvel have announced the actor playing the Panther, he might even appear as early as Age of Ultron. Now, while there has been a ton of speculation regarding Sony and Marvel finally finding a way to work together and use Spider-Man, any details on this has been conspicuous by their absence. It's no secret that Sony are in a state of crisis regarding their Spider-Man movies, and allowing Marvel to use the character, if only for crossover and team-up movies, would allow them to broaden their scope. If they can agree terms, Marvel could use Spidey in Civil War or future Avengers installments, and pay Sony a stipend; it'll basically be free money for them. On the other hand, there's no news whatsoever on whether this is true, and many have suggested that T'Challa could take Peter Parker's place in the story.

November 2016: Doctor Strange. No confirmation on the lead actor for this feature, but it sounds as though Benedict Cumberbatch has got the gig, but negotiations are still going. This is the first all-out mystical character to make it to the movies, after Thor and the Asgardians were interpreted more as hyper-advanced aliens than gods.No details on the plot yet, but a tenner says Dormammu is in it. May 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2. This will probably deal with Peter's parentage to some degree, and all we know is that he is not the son of the king of Spartax as he is in the comics. Peter's father seems to be something very old, and Den of Geek have suggested he's an Eternal, which might link him to the mad Titan Thanos to some extent. This is all major speculation right now, but Thanos is definitely going to be involved somehow, building up to the big events in Avengers 3. Suggestions are that some new members of the team will be introduced; I'd go out on a limb and say we'll at least get Nova and maybe Adam Warlock. Fingers crossed Howard the Duck and Cosmo will appear, but I doubt it.

July 2017: Thor: Ragnarok. Where's my fiver? Since we caught a glimpse of the realm of the fire giants in The Dark World, it seemed likely we would see Surtr and the Ragnarok storyline for the third Thor film. This will also have to deal with the ongoing thread of Loki's relationship with Thor and his usurping of the throne of Asgard. I dare to suggest it might go some way to tying together Dr. Strange's mystical world and the bigger cosmic side of things. Planets, realms and dimensions being explored. Edit: It's just occurred to me that Ragnarok is not the end of the world in Norse mythology, per se, but the critical step in a cycle of destruction and renewal. What better time, it they so wished, to recast Thor? Perhaps even with an actress in the role?

November 2017: Black Panther. No news about this beyond the casting of Boseman and probably Serkis. There's one issue in that Marvel can't use Storm, who is a huge part of T'Challa's story in the comics, but there's still plenty to be told about the Prince of Wakanda. I'm really looking forward to what they're going to do with this one.

May 2018: Avengers: Infinity War - Part One. July 2018: Captain Marvel. November 2018: Inhumans. May 2019: Infinity War - Part Two

Marvel aren't immune to the lure of the two-part event movie, and it looks like we'll have one huge cosmic war played out over these four films. So happy that Captain Marvel is going ahead, with Marvel confirming that this is the Carol Danvers version of the character. As one of Marvel's heaviest hitters, and a member of both the Avengers and Guardians in the comics, Captain Marvel's introduction into the franchise is big news. I'd say it's also extremely likely the Guardians will show up in her movie, and at least some of them will come to Earth for the final part of Infinity War. The Inhumans will also likely tie a lot of things together. The Inhumans are genetically part-Kree, the alien race who have already appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and are presumably the blue-skinned creature glimpsed in Agents of SHIELD. Also, Captain Marvel gains her powers from an encounter with the Kree, so this big cosmic bust-up is already full of links. The Inhumans are not unlike X-Men's mutants, albeit with a different backstory, and could massively swell the roster of superhumans in the MCU if there was a Terrigen event that caused some unknowing Inhuman descendants to manifest their powers. Kamala Khan, please come to the MCU! It's also implied that Skye's father in Agents of SHIELD is Inhuman, but I'm stuck on UK airtimes for this and so behind the times.

As for the grand finale, all we know is that Thanos is coming, Infinity Gauntlet all ready. Marvel have released a teaser made up almost entirely of old footage and dialogue but one big reveal at the end. What's more, Mssr Feige has suggested that the characters from the Defenders miniseries - including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Charlie Cox as Daredevil - might cross to the movies for this big event. They could also bump up the numbers in Civil War if the series are far enough advanced by then. No news on the long-scripted but unfilmed Black Widow movie, although at least we're getting one female-lead movie from Marvel (DC are actually getting there first, with Wonder Woman set for a 2017 release, but I am yet to be convinced they won't foul that up). It's also unlikely we'll ever see a Runaways movie, despite early work on it, but Feige has suggested that there may be a future for it on TV. Indeed, the addition of magic and more alien races in the MCU makes it easier to bring in (and you'd just make the mutants into Inhumans).




As for Big Hero 6 - it doesn't look like that's part of the MCU, but I'm still excited about it and going to count it until proven otherwise. Frankly, I'm going to count the 1980s Howard the Duck movie until proven otherwise, just to be perverse.

Addendum: While I am very excited for both Black Panther and Captain Marvel, and encouraged to see films headlined by a black hero and a female hero, it is not as if Marvel are pioneering things here. The media are going on as if these things have never been done before. Apparently everyone has forgotten about the three Blade movies released by New Line in the nineties and noughties. Supergirl came out way back in 1984 (a fine year). Then there's the 2004 DC/WB Catwoman movie, which, awful as it was, featured a black female superhero. Indeed, Halle Berry was a major part of the first two Fox X-Men films as Storm, although she was sidelined after that. As excellent as Marvel's output has been so far, and as encouraging as these developments are, let's not forget what came before OK?  

A State of the Universes Report

We haven't yet reached the end of Phase Two, but clues are already becoming apparent regarding Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bits and pieces of Avengers: Age of Ultron have been released at cons, and when this arrives next year, it will no doubt set up further elements of the expanding cinematic universe. Guardians of the Galaxy had no direct teaser for the following film; the post-credits sequence of The Winter Soldier took care of that, introducing von Strucker, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. It did, however, expand the Marvel world further, so that it truly lives up to the appellation of a cinematic "universe." Thanos waits in the background, supposedly set to be the villain of the third Avengers movie, if not an even later instalment. Other elements were seeded that may reappear, such as the Celestials, and the Kree have already been mentioned in Agents of SHIELD.

Phase Three already promises certain instalments. A third Captain America and a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel have been confirmed, as has a Doctor Strange movie. We know certain little fragments so far. James Gunn has just revealed that his take on the Guardians mythology will be something different to the comics, and that Quill's father will not be the King of Spartax, but something quite different. A whole universe is being created. A second series of Agents of SHIELD is on the way, which will hopefully build on the promise of the first. The risk is the same as what happened with that first series, which pootled along not really impressing anyone until The Winter Soldier was released, whereby it could deal with the collapse of SHIELD and the resurgance of HYDRA. There are some big mysteries for season two to explore, not least of which is the exact nature of Coulson's resurrection. It's been suggested that the blue-skinned alien from whom the life-giving element was extracted was a Kree, which would help tie the series to the wider Marvel universe. More importantly, it gives Clark Gregg some strong material to work with, and when he's given good material, he can be impressive. I still have yet to be impressed by Chloe Bennet's character, Skye, but the tease of her father at the end of series one bodes well, especially since it's now been revealed that Kyle MacLaclan is playing him in series two.

So, who are these mysterious fathers? I doubt they're in any way related, what with one being extraterrestrial and the other very much terrestrial. Quill's father may possibly be Starfox, who in the comics is the brother of Thanos, although as yet this is all guesswork. Theories as to the identity of Skye's father range from Ghost Rider to the Man-Thing, who has at least been mentioned a couple of times in the series. Personally, I feel that he may be a member of the Inhumans. There have been hints of Marvel's plans for an Inhumans movie, not least of which has been Vin Diesel's latest teasing tweet, which suggests that his voice role as Groot was indeed a placeholder to get him on contract for an Inhuman role. Without the rights to the X-Men, the Inhumans could become Marvel's answer to this cinematic franchise, providing an array of uniquely powered individuals with a complex mythology to pick from.

Also coming up is the highly anticipated Agent Carter series, which can only be a good thing for two reasons. One: more Hayley Atwell. Two: a chance to further explore the past of the Marvel universe. This can not only seed elements into the contemporary stories, but allow historical stories which have their own self-contained problems and content. There's plenty of room for WWII-era Marvel characters such as Namor the Sub-Mariner to appear. I also wonder who holds the rights to the original Human Torch, the wartime android who predates the Fantastic Four. Add to this the four heroes who are getting Netfix series, including the interesting casting of Charlie Cox as Matt "Daredevil" Murdock, and a rich universe is taking shape. First though, we have Ant-Man. I honestly can't see the point to this one anymore. Ant-Man was always an odd choice to head a movie, and the developments are not reassuring. This was Edgar Wright's own dream project, and it was the prospect of Wright-directed superhero film that gained fans', and actors', interests. With his script rewritten and a new director on board, it's seeming more and more like a dangerous decision to launch Phase Three, and a huge missed opportunity. The script choices are strange, too, and some of this at least must go back to Wright. Hank Pym is one of Marvel's more interesting and flawed characters, yet he is relegated to a supporting role here, with the action going to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang. Janet van Dyne, a great character and a core Avenger in the comics, is apparently deceased before the movie even starts, and though it's possible Evangeline Lily's character will be the Wasp in all but name, it feels like the most interesting elements of the story have been removed.

Surprisingly, while we're waiting for Marvel to make a Black Widow or Captain Marvel movie, it's Sony who look like they'l be the first to produce a film centred on a female superhero. With The Amazing Spider-Man 3 pushed back till after the Sinister Six movie, and possibly after the Venom film (apparently now titled Venom Carnage), Sony are actively pursuing other options for movie series. Spider-Man is the core hero of the rights they own, but there are several female supporting characters who could take up their own adventures. The most obvious is the Black Cat, as Felicity Jones was included in TASM2 as Felicia Hardy. This version of the character has links to Oscorp, and she could be great for a Catwoman-esque antihero movie. There are several alternatives though. One would be Mary Jane, whose introduction has been delayed and has, in the comics, some superhero history (she's Spider-Woman in the Marvel Mangaverse, for example). Other suggestions have been Silver Sable, Firestar (from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends) and Spider-Woman (the original Jessica Drew version). Again, though, it's rights issues. Firestar was created to be a Spider-Man ally, but is first and foremost a mutant, and a onetime X-Man. Spider-Woman has only a tangential connection to Spider-Man, although there were later Spider-Woman, (and the Ultimate Comics version was Peter Parker's clone). Who holds the rights to her is anyone's guess.

As for Fox, Fantastic Four is rumbling along but news is sparse. There's more info on the X-Men franchise, with both X-Men: Apocalypse and Gambit entering pre-production. An eighties set X-Men movie is a fun prospect, and if they don't finally introduce Dazzler, I'll be very cross. Beyond that, we don't know where the franchise is going, but I suspect that numerous other characters will be included to test for audience response so that they can one day head up an X-Force or New Mutants movie. We know that come of the new actors in Days of Future Past have been signed up for long-term contracts. There's also a third Wolverine movie in the works, although there will come a point when Hugh Jackman is to old to play an ageless mutant. Many fans point to Old Man Logan as a possible last movie for him, including Jackman himself, although there are significant rights issues that would stand in the way of a direct adaptation. Hawkeye and the Hulk are major characters in the story, so a great deal of rewriting would be necessary to get round that. Then again, previous films have all been pretty loose adaptations of existing storylines, so this is unlikely to be a major problem.

Oh, and DC are doing some films too.

Marvel Diversity

If you've been on the geeky pages lately, you'll no doubt be aware of the latest big announcements from Marvel. New developments in the Marvel NOW! range (still think that's a naff name) will see a new female Thor, and Sam “The Falcon” Wilson become the new Captain America. This has, predictably, caused protest and praise in roughly equal measure.



Now, we don't know precisely what form the Thor development will take. It certainly sounds like Thor Odinson will step down as the God of Thunder, and another character (established or new, we don;t know), will take over. How this will make her Thor is unclear. In the comics, Thor was originally the alter ego of Donald Blake, a human being into whom the Thunder God's spirit was placed. Nonetheless, Thor was still a distinct identity, not a title or superhero name like Captain America or Iron Man. Other characters have held the Hammer of Thor, having been found worthy, the most famous being the extraterrestrial Beta Ray Bill, who did become known as Beta Ray Thor for a time. Some of the other bearers of Mjolnir have been women. Still, it's never been a case of actually taking the place of Thor the character, so quite how this will be different is open to speculation. To quote Jason Aaron, the writer of the current volume: “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is Thor.”


Gender bending popular characters is usually seen as a fan pursuit, but Marvel have actually been doing it for years. Loki was recently reborn in a female body, although he's now back to his male form. Loki has always been a very fluid character, of course. Mr Sinister was reincarnated as Miss Sinister. It's not unheard of, but rarely sticks.

The unveiling of the new Captain America has been less controversial, and received less publicity. It would have made more of a splash if Marvel had released the news before the Thor revelation, really. In any case, having a black Captain America is no bad thing at all, and has rightly been lauded in most quarters, except for the usual pro-white arseholes. Again, though, it's less of a big deal than it might seem. There have been black Caps before, including, for a short time, Sam Wilson himself. Isaiah Bradley, a black man, was the first or second Captain America, depending on how you look at his retconning into continuity. There have been a lot of Caps over the years – io9 lists most of them here, and the Marvel Database, which covers alternative timelines as well, lists even more. It wasn't all that long ago that Bucky Barnes was the one true Captain, Steve Rogers having been assassinated. However, as we all know, deaths in comics rarely last, and neither do alternative character identities.


Sometimes it's different. Carol Danvers is the current Captain Marvel, a rightly celebrated move. Captain Marvel is a title that has been held by various characters over the years, and that's just in Marvel comics (it's complicated). The current bearer of the power of Captain Universe is Tamara Devoux, an African-American woman, but about half of the major characters in the Marvel universe have been Captain Universe at some point. In the Marvel Mangaverse (Earth-2301, fact fans) Danvers is Captain America, having taken over from Rogers. In the Ultimate Comics line (Earth-1610, trivia buffs), Miles Morales is Spider-Man, and this looks set to continue, in spite of Peter Parker's return from the dead. However, these kinds of changes are rarely permanent in the mainstream Marvel continuity. The status quo usually reasserts itself before long, hence why no one can stay dead.


It won't be long before Steve Rogers is back as Captain America, and Thor is once again male. Comics rarely deviate from the status quo for long, especially with regards to the major characters. However, this may not be the case for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvels' TV and film projects have, so far, done reasonably well when it comes to diversity in their main casts, but still the big star turns are white males. We've got a black Nick Fury (thanks to the Ultimate line casting Samuel L. Jackson long before the movies were on the radar). Marvel's Agents of SHIELD has a good 50/50 mix of male and female core characters, along with great guest turns from Cobie Smulders as agent Hill and Jaime Alexander as Sif. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are both getting online series, and Hayley Atwell will be starring in an Agent Carter miniseries. So there's some good work there. Still, though, there's a long way to go. We've got a Guardians of the Galaxy movie imminent, with aliens, tree people and talking raccoons before we've had a female lead hero or one of colour. It's not that women and minority groups are particularly poorly represented in the MCU, but they aren't headlining it either. There exist scripts for both Black Widow and Runaways films, yet there are currently no plans to actually make either of these. Either of those would be a major push in the right direction. Runaways is a particular favourite of mine, and if it stuck to its comics line-up, would be predominantly female and with a good mix of ethnicities. In spite of fan hopes, there still don't appear to be plans for a Black Panther or Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel movie. We can only hope that the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, gets a movie or series one day (it's a very good comic and I highly recommend it). On the other hand, the details recently released for Disney's new animated feature Big Hero 6 have already brought it under fire for whitewashing the character line-up. I don't know enough about the original team to comment too much on this, other than that some of the characters are mutants who are part of the X-Men property, therefore not available for use by Disney/Marvel. The film isn't part of the MCU, it would seem, and Disney are downplaying it's connection to Marvel comics.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is taking a step in the right direction. With the Scarlet Witch joining the team, Black Widow will no longer be the only female Avenger. Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, the War Machine, is set to feature, and rumours have it that Anthony Mackie will be back as Sam Wilson. None of these actors will headline their own superhero feature in the immediate future, but there could be a long future for the Marvel franchise. I'd previously assumed that Bucky Barnes would take over as Captain America once Chris Evans's contract to play Steve Rogers has expired, but perhaps we could be seeing Sam Wilson donning the red, white and blue instead? Robert Downey Jr. is also coming to the end of his initial contract, so perhaps Rhodey will receive a promotion too. It's not as if black actors can't headline superhero flicks; we've had a whole trilogy of Blade films in the past. Of the predominantly male team at Marvel's film department, Joss Whedon is surely the best at writing for strong female characters, so maybe he'll push for a Carol Danvers film, or a female Thor? He's already said that he'd like Katee Sackoff for the role of the Thunder Goddess (I personally still see her as Danvers).


So, maybe one day we might have a line-up for Avengers 5 that runs like this: Don Cheadle as Iron Man, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Katee Sackoff as Captain Marvel, Gwendoline Christie as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Djimon Hounsou as the Black Panther and Idrid Elba as Blade? An incredible cast without a white male among them.



I tell you one thing: Doctor Who is looking a bit backward now, while we still have a white male Doctor. Pull your finger out BBC.