With 34 films under its belt (and three more coming this year alone), Marvel Studios has released more movies than any other franchise across its 17 years and counting — but even Kevin Feige stumbles sometimes and the MCU’s history is littered with the corpses of Marvel movies that never were. R.I.P. Vin Diesel’s Inhumans. Fly with the angels, The Incredible Hulk 2. Sucks to be you, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. 6k602v

Now it seems we can add another to this select, ignominious list. Marvel’s Multiverse Saga is infamously cluttered with projects that have been announced but have yet to materialize. Still, in most cases, we’re hoping that given enough time they’ll sort themselves out. Yes, even Blade. When it comes to this particular production, though, the latest intel is suggesting Marvel is definitively washing its hands of a film it’s been trying to bring to life for at least five years.

A solo project for one of the MCU’s oldest heroes has supposedly been scrapped 356u4w

Anyone out there still desperately waiting for news on Armor Wars? Well, if you are then I have some bad news for you. The most recent updates on the long-struggling War Machine-centric project indicate that the House of Ideas has run out of ideas on this one and it’s now officially canned.

First of all, scooper MyTimeToShineHello obliquely suggested Armor Wars was fated never to test its mettle (or metal) when they responded to a GIF of Don Cheadle’s Rhodey with the tweet, “Wish his movie wasn’t cancelled.” ComicBookMovie then did some digging of their own and their sources told them that the film was “as good as dead.” Yikes. Obviously, it’s entirely up to you how much stock you put into such uncorroborated information, but it’s certainly not looking good.

Originally announced in December 2020, Armor Wars began life as a Disney Plus series, but Marvel soon felt confident enough in the concept to bump it up to a feature. Comedian, actor, and writer Yassir Lester was attached to provide the screenplay, whose story was set to see Cheadle’s Rhodey confronting “one of Tony Stark’s greatest fears when Stark’s tech falls into the wrong hands.”

We never did find out whose hands were the wrong ones, but we do know who would’ve given them the Stark tech. Two-time Emmy nominee Walton Goggins was due to reprise his role as black market broker Sonny Burch from Ant-Man and the Wasp (and What If…? season 3). At one point, shooting was pegged for early 2023 in London, but needless to say that never happened.

The death-knell for Armor Wars was likely Cheadle’s prior MCU return in Secret Invasion, the universally panned streaming embarrassment that implied Rhodey had been a Skrull imposter since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. That left Armor Wars with the need to rescue (or perhaps retcon) that highly controversial storyline, which may have ultimately proven too great a task.

Who knows, maybe reports of Armor Wars‘ death have been greatly exaggerated and it’ll assemble on our screens eventually. What with the production troubles of this year’s Ironheart, however, it sure seems like all of Marvel’s attempts to spinoff the Iron Man franchise are proving a lot trickier than you’d think. No wonder they brought Robert Downey Jr. back for Avengers: Doomsday (aka The Kang Dynasty‘s murderer).

The MCU has effectively handed off its magic touch to DC. The once-blessed studio has been subjected to many failures in recent memory.

Unlike the new direction of DC, headed by former Marvel director James Gunn, Marvel is flailing to find a cohesive vision. The outlier is Agatha All Along, a Disney+ original that is impossible not to love. Recently, Yassir Lester spoke to movieweb.com about the future of his project, Armor Wars. The story was originally slated to be a television series but has since been relegated to a feature film. It has been some time since audiences have heard any updates, but that isn’t up to Lester. The writer confirmed with the outlet that the film was still in active development, though that is a tricky situation.

“In the same way Blade [starring Mahershala Ali] goes away and comes back the next day, Armor Wars is — it’ll be a thing that happens every few months, then it won’t happen, then it’ll happen again.”

The Mahershala Ali led supernatural film was the most anticipated new project from the studio. It has been two decades since Wesley Snipes put on the shades of the iconic Daywalker. Adding Blade to the MCU would have raised the franchise to new heights. While magic has been acknowledged in the superhero franchise, the subject of vampires has not. Blade is an iconic comic book character that Oscar winning Ali would be perfect for.

It was heartbreaking as fans watched the prospects of the film get pushed further and further away until it was axed altogether. As it turned out, Snipe’s premonition in Deadpool & Wolverine would be correct. There’s only ever going to be one Blade.

Secret Invasion hasn’t helped the future of Armor Wars 2q736g

Blade has undergone creative overturn and delays since it was first announced but there is no real reason why it shouldn’t be moving forward. For whatever reason, those at Marvel can’t seem to make it work. Armor Wars is getting the same treatment but as unfortunate as it is, the film always had the odds stacked against it.

Armor Wars follows the continuity of the much-maligned limited series, Secret Invasion. Premiering in 2023, the series came at a time when the Marvel brand was still exciting. On the heels of WandaVision and Loki, Secret Invasion had the potential to be another Captain America: Winter Soldier. Based on the comic run of the same name, Secret Invasion follows a secret sect of the shapeshifting Skrulls who infiltrate Earth on every level. In the comic, this had grave ramifications and genuine surprises.

Disney+’s Secret Invasion ultimately turned out to be less of an espionage film and more of a predictable six-episode run that killed off beloved characters for shock value. The series endes with Talos’ (Ben Mendelsohn) daughter G’iah (Emilia Clarke) absorbing practically every ability known to man, making her extremely overpowered. The series doesn’t follow what made the comic so terrifying and the Skrull invasion didn’t have any impact on the MCU, unlike the Hydra plot of Winter Soldier.

One of the strangest developments in the series was the revelation that Rhodey (Don Cheadle) had been impersonated by a Skull. It is unclear where the MCU was planning to take this plot after, but it was supposed to segue into Armor Wars with the world at odds following the Skrull attack. The visceral reaction against Secret Invasion may have made Marvel heads reconsider the plan. But this misstep is consistent with almost every problem with franchises.

Studio executives don’t have a great understanding of what fans want. Marvel was never about alien invasions or big explosions. Viewers just want their stories to be character-driven and have real consequences. Armor Wars has the potential to work. Marvel just has to return to what made it great in the first place.

It’s decision time. You might think that after Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel would have money to burn on a couple of projects they’re not entirely sure about, but in actual fact it seems the situation is the exact opposite — with one mega-smash rehabilitating the franchise’s image, the studio is keen to keep as high a hit rate as possible, so that means some movies on the bubble might get popped.

Two such films whose futures are in frenzy? The long-suffering Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker, and the oft-forgotten Armor Wars, which would finally give Don Cheadle his own vehicle as War Machine. Both of these films have been in the works for half a decade at this point, but it might all end up counting for nothing. That is, if the latest rumored intel is to be believed. Insider Daniel Richtman has shared that Marvel will allegedly make a final decision on the fates of both Blade and Armor Wars by the time 2024 is out.

Unsurprisingly, fans are using this as an opportunity to hand Marvel some unsolicited advice over what they should do with these two projects. The studio’s getting so many two cents thrown at them, in fact, that they might just want to open a wishing well. For starters, many seem to think that if one has to die so the other can live then the survivor should be Armor Wars.

Some believe Blade‘s pre-production purgatory means it should be sent straight to hell.

Not that folks hate the idea of Ali playing Blade. Other suggested retooling Blade as a Midnight Sons team-up movie.

Some more cynical sorts think that this talk of a final decision is just hot air and the fact Marvel hasn’t made either of them yet means their fates have already been sealed.

If Marvel is really planning on cancelling both, however, this is not exactly a great look, considering that these are two projects featuring Black leads — something that’s still a rarity in the MCU, even in a post-Black Panther world.

If Marvel could get their act together on these films then the fans would embrace them with open arms, but as it is, their hype has been curtailed thanks to to studio “mismanagement.”

To date, Ali’s sole contribution to the MCU is an uncredited voiceover cameo in the Eternals post-credits scene (a planned crossover with Kit Harington’s Black Knight was written out of the movie long ago). Cheadle’s Rhodie, meanwhile, was last seen in Secret Invasion, which heavily implied the real War Machine had been replaced by a Skrull since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, so that’s something we definitely need addressed, whether that’s in Armor Wars or otherwise.

In an unfortunate coincidence, fears that Marvel is cancelling its Black-led projects is coming hot on the heels of fired X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo accusing studio execs of making racist comments and establishing a prejudicial working environment. Even if both Blade and Armor Wars do bite the bullet, though, it should be stressed that Disney Plus series Ironheart and Wonder Man both have Black actors in the lead.

Yikes, this is awkward. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Tony Stark kinda died saving the universe in Avengers: Endgame back in 2019. Yeah, it was considered one of the most iconic moments in superhero films ever and his death has been heavily referenced in pretty much every subsequent MCU release.

This means Iron Man 4 is probably not happening as Tony Stark is dead. And dead in the kind of “Disney doesn’t want to pay Robert Downey Jr’s no doubt extortionate salary demands to reprise the role” kinda way. Kevin Feige even ruled out the idea of a resurrection saying, in reference to Stark’s death:

“We would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

So, as of writing, there is no Iron Man 4 release date as there is no Iron Man 4 and there probably never will be.

The future of the Iron Man franchise, explained 4q4w46

That said, even though Tony Stark is brown bread, his legacy lingers on. The closest we’ll get to an Iron Man 4 is either the (and long-delayed) Disney Plus show Ironheart, which will center on Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, a Stark-inspired hero who debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As of writing that’s due on Sept 3. 2025.

That show will lead into Armor Wars, which was once a TV show but is now being redeveloped into a theatrical release. Little else is known other than that Don Cheadle will be back as James Rhodes/War Machine and that Thorne will return as Riri Williams.

So, while Iron Man 4 isn’t happening and Tony Stark’s story is over, his tech will continue to impact the MCU for years to come.

It’s becoming more and more clear that Marvel Studios is as desperate for the MCU to return to its glory days as the fans are.

The latest reports are claiming execs are even considering inviting back first-generation heroes last seen in Avengers: Endgame. But could that cause projects to be retrofitted into established brands? While there’s no official indication of that just now, in the wake of the shocking info that Marvel is tempted to bring back Robert Downey Jr., folks are wondering… could Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars become Iron Man 4?

As per a lively discussion on the /MarvelStudios subreddit, Redditor u/WhatIsAName88 pondered, “Would an Armor Wars film do well or far better if it was released as a fourth Iron Man film with a lot of mention of Stark or what about a lot of cameos of Avengers and other big name characters">

It’s nice to see that Rhodey’s role in the universally panned Secret Invasion hasn’t hurt his reputation among the fandom, but it remains to be seen how the chips will fall with Armor Wars, which might’ve been bumped up from a Disney Plus drop to a theatrical release but has yet to be assigned an official place on the slate.

the days when we could just sail from one Marvel Studios release to the next, as care-free as a Kree on a killing spree, without an overriding, constantly gnawing concern that it might be bad? Sure, the Infinity Saga served up the occasional stinker, like Thor: The Dark World, but these were generally few and far between. Unfortunately, that’s not so in the Multiverse Saga, with numerous entries in the franchise since 2019 falling among the worst-rated MCU films on Rotten Tomatoes.

But you know what’s really terrifying? We’re only about halfway through Phase Five, and then there’s all of Phase Six still to go. Well, OK, I suppose that could also be encouraging, as it gives Marvel time to course-correct and turn this saga into another overall winner, but the headline you’ve just read makes it clear this is a kind of “glass half empty” kind of listicle. On the flip side, the many movies still to come from the Multiverse Saga have us hyped, but the stakes are also higher than ever for them to succeed.

As of the time of writing, Marvel Studios has nine officially confirmed movie productions in various stages of development, arriving across the fall of 2023 to spring 2027. I wish I could say I was 100% confident each and every one of them will be paragons of superhero cinema, like in the halcyon days of yore, but after what we’ve been through recently — the sight of M.O.D.O.K.’s bare behind in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania still haunts me nightly — I just can’t. So here’s all a wholly personal ranking of all nine, rated by how apprehensive I am about their existence.

9. Armor Wars 23l1g

Nice going, Armor Wars, you are the Marvel movie I am scared is going to suck the least. That said, this is something of a double-edged sword. Part of that is because this project is so nebulous right now that it’s hard to get excited for it much. On the other hand, after what Secret Invasion did to Rhodey’s character, surely the only way to go is up? However it deals with that controversial retcon, it’s going to be hard pressed to be worse than the literal most savagely reviewed Marvel production ever made.

8. Avengers: Secret Wars z2zk

This is a curious one, right? Surely Avengers: Secret Wars, the grand finale of the entire Multiverse Saga, is the movie I should be the most terrified is going to be terrible. Well, yes, in one way that’s accurate. Except that when it comes to these kind of epic Marvel Studios events, conventional quality standards are thrown out the window. They’re excercises in fan-pleasing spectacle not well-told stories, as such. Just look at the baggy, muddled, and in some places poorly edited jumble that is Avengers: Endgame, which also happens to be widely beloved and the second highest-grossing film ever made. To mangle a Vision quote, an MCU finale isn’t beautiful because it’s good.

7. Captain America: Brave New World 143n3q

Brave New World hasn’t exactly been controversy-free so far, but it’s fair to say Marvel fans are pretty uniformly excited for Sam Wilson’s first solo movie as our new Captain America. Especially as we have the living legend that is Harrison Ford ing the MCU as freaking Red Hulk (imagine traveling back in time 15 years and telling that to your younger self who’s just seen The Incredible Hulk at the theater?). Sure, if you want to be pessimistic, it could break the unbroken run of epic Cap movies we’ve had so far, but BNW is very much it’s own thing, too, so it’s free to be as good or as bad as it pleases.

6. Thunderbolts 1x6m23

Similar logic applies to Thunderbolts, albeit in the reverse. Much of the discussion around Thunderbolts to date hasn’t been what you’d call glowing, but it’s such a niche corner of the MCU that it hardly matters all that much if it’s any good or not. Quantumania was such a disappointment because it was supposed to launch Phase Five on a high. Thunderbolts, meanwhile, is… going to bring back a few characters from Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. If it’s great, then — fantastic, we have a new cult favorite MCU flick on our hands! If not, the Multiverse Saga can easily limp on without it.

5. Blade 292z62

The reason Blade is dwelling somewhere in the middle of this ranking is because it’s hard to imagine the long-delayed, production issue-plagued reboot of the vampire slayer’s cinematic adventures ever actually happening. It’s occupied such a vague space of being on the cusp of existing for four full years now that trying to force myself to ponder if I’m worried it’s going to be bad is a bit like being asked if I’m excited for The Flash 2 or the next good live-action Sony superhero movie. It takes too many mental hoops to jump through.

4. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty 3324r

In contrast to Secret Wars, the fate of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is a lot more concerning. Say what you like about Endgame, but Avengers: Infinity War is an incredible achievement, whichever way you slice it. Perhaps even Marvel’s most impressive production of the lot. Not only did it manage to balance an overloaded ensemble cast, Infinity War also deserves all the credit for finally delivering on the promise that Thanos would be a truly great villain. Kang Dynasty must do exactly the same for its own titular antagonist, then, if the Multiverse Saga’s big bad is ever going to live up to his illustrious purple predecessor.

3. The Marvels 4j4d3x

The Marvels is deceptively important for the ongoing narrative of the MCU, both the one on the screen and the one going on off it too. As the third and final Marvel flick of 2023, it has to make it two for two in the win column to make up for the aforementioned Quantumania. Plus, it’s not just a sequel to Captain Marvel, the last non-team-up MCU entry to reach $1 billion, it’s actually a follow-up to five different projects, if you can believe it. And yet rumor has it that it’s going to have a teeny-tiny runtime, feature kooky musical moments, and the director has proudly proclaimed it to be “wacky and silly.” I’d love for this one to soar higher, further, faster than the first, but the jury’s still out on if it will.

2. Deadpool 3 1z6b19

“Deadpool 3‘s gonna be great,” you might be thinking, “why the heck is it rated so high on this list of potential screw-ups">infamous unreleased version from the ’90s). Arguably, no other origins movie in the MCU has had so much riding on it since Iron Man. It’s truly criminal that the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first family, haven’t been gifted the truly great cinematic adaptation they deserve in over 60 years. OK, it can’t be worse than Fant4stic, but not making us question where the Thing’s, er, thing is while watching is a very low bar to clear.

Say what you will about Secret Invasion, but you can’t deny that it’s bound to keep the MCU faithful talking for the time being.

We say “faithful,” but that could change very quickly if Marvel doesn’t go the necessary miles to prevent disasters like Secret Invasion from here on out. For a show that seemed at least forgivable for the most part, there’s just no recovering from that absolute stinker of a finale; one the internet seems determined to not let the MCU live down.

So, naturally, when a conversation surrounding Armor Wars – a film pegged as one of Secret Invasion‘s sequels alongside The Marvels – cropped up on r/marvelstudios, it didn’t take long for the ethos of “just make it better than that” to take over the conversation.

Simply wanting it to be good may seem like an unhelpful contribution at first, but don’t forget that this is a fandom at its wits’ end right now, and they’re ready to put their foot down for better storytelling before even thinking about cameos or events.

And, if the studio can spare it, a bit of logistical cohesion would be more than welcome as well.

There was, however, one legend bold enough to steer the conversation away from Secret Invasion, daring to list their nigh-undeniable demands for Armor Wars beyond the fundamentals.

In any case, here’s hoping that season two of Loki can course-correct Marvel’s Disney Plus ship later this fall, because the sour taste of Secret Invasion looks to be getting out of hand.

Actress Linda Cardellini has made multiple appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including boasting the rare distinction of playing two different characters within the franchise. Though there’s no guarantee of any plans to bring Cardellini back, it nevertheless appears pretty open-ended. Thus, we could easily see her return for various MCU movies and TV shows.

Part of what makes Cardellini an interesting actress is her versatility. You see, though most people would probably recognize her as Laura Barton — the wife of Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye — she also plays a main character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This proved to the world that Cardellini could not only play a devoted wife and ex-spy in Avengers: Age of Ultron and other films, but also a genetically enhanced creature known as Lylla the Otter, Rocket Raccoon’s love interest in James Gunn’s space adventure.

Sadly, Lylla did not survive the torturous conditions that she was subjected to as one of the experiments of Chukwudi Iwuji’s murderous High Evolutionary in Vol. 3. This means Cardellini isn’t likely to reprise that character unless it is in some sort of prequel capacity or perhaps if they brought the sweet-natured otter back to life somehow.

With that said, plenty of plot could still unfold for Cardellini’s Laura Barton. Her seemingly ordinary life as a mom was revealed to be a cover for her past as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent 19, when a stolen Rolex watch revealed secrets from her time as a spy. In the comics, Agent 19 has a rich history, including transforming into the Huntress and Mockingbird.

With this backdrop in mind, which seems like Marvel’s obvious tease for Laura’s further adventures even as her husband eyes retirement, let’s countdown eight MCU movies and TV shows that could easily see Cardellini’s return.

Echo 3r95f

Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, AKA Echo, was a deaf character introduced in Hawkeye, a show in which Cardellini also appeared. Not only that, but Echo adorned Laura’s stolen watch and even researched the Barton family at one point. Though Laura never actually crossed paths with the martial artist and ex-Tracksuit Mafia member in the show, maybe there is enough of a jumping-off point for the two actually to confront each other in the subsequent spinoff.

Echo seemed more interested in getting revenge on Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk for killing her father by the end of Hawkeye, but who knows, maybe she still has some unfinished business with the Barton clan, too. After all, she knows where they live. Heck, It may even be possible that Echo seeks out Laura for her help with the former Agent 19’s espionage skills.

Loki season 2 722f

This may sound like a stretch, but we may see Laura show up in Loki season 2. What makes us say that is Mockingbird’s history in the comics with that show’s antagonist, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. 

As a member of the West Coast Avengers, Mockingbird was flung into the past by Kang, bringing the entire team to the Old West at one point. The trailers for Loki season 2 seem to parallel this plotline somewhat, as it indicates both the God of Mischief and Owen Wilson’s Mobius similarly find themselves in the past, where they encounter Kang as a mystic in a circus setting.

The Marvels 526x4

Whatever Laura’s future in the MCU might hold as either the Huntress or Mockingbird, it is clear at this point that her past involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent 19 is canon. Given this fact, wouldn’t a conversation between Laura and her former boss, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, make sense?

Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury is confirmed to appear in The Marvels, so perhaps we could finally see a candid conversation between the two as the eyepatch-wearing super spy maybe convinces Laura to help out in the latest mission to save Earth. At the same time, Clint enjoys retirement at home to watch the kids. This could also make up for the fact that Mockingbird is a prominent character in the Secret Invasion comic storyline, but she made no appearance in the recent Disney Plus show of the same name.

What If…? Season 2 6r1j1t

If there is one show we could potentially see Cardellini’s Lylla character get revived, it is in the Season 2 of the animated What If…? As one of the all-time best Disney Plus MCU shows, What If…? grants the storytelling luxury of imagining alternative dimensions where a minor detail or two is slightly different.

For instance, they could do a storyline where the High Evolutionary murdered none of Rocket’s friends, and instead, they killed him and became the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves. We could easily see Cardellini reprise her Lylla role in such a scenario since other big-name actors have lent their voices for the show before, such as Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange Supreme and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final appearance in the MCU as T’Challa.

Captain America: Brave New World 3i68u

Traditionally, the Captain America films in the MCU have heavily tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D. mythos, as seen in the paranoid spy plot of 2014’s The Winter Soldier. Since Laura has a connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. as its former Agent 19, perhaps she could return to the world of spycraft in some way for Captain America: Brave New World.

What’s more, part of Mockingbird’s arc in the comics involves getting injected with a variation of Captain America’s Super Soldier Serum at one point. The same thing could happen in this film if her return to espionage causes her to get injured throughout the plot, with the Serum being the only remedy to save her, just like in the comics.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars 5u3i5v

Let’s not forget that Mockingbird was an Avenger herself in the comics. True, it was usually with a sub-group, like West Coast Avengers or New Avengers, but the moniker still counts for something. For that reason, we could easily see Laura the Avengers in the MCU if they developed her as Mockingbird in the franchise sufficiently enough by the time Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars come out in 2026 and 2027, respectively. After all, Laura has already appeared in two Avengers films so far.

Armor Wars 3d7256

Let’s say, in theory, that the MCU has developed Laura as Mockingbird in various projects and has even been injected with a version of the Super Soldier Serum at one point. The enhanced strength and agility could make her analogous to Captain America. Given Laura’s past involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D., we could totally see the super-powered Mockingbird teaming up with another government agent, Don Cheadle’s Rhodey, AKA War Machine, for the Armor Wars film.

Spider-Man 4 6bz4v

Why would Mockingbird team up with the likes of Spider-Man, you may ask? The pair actually had a few adventures together in the comics. In fact, the two even briefly dated at one point. Assuming Tom Holland would return in the role of Peter, we can’t necessarily see him hooking up with Laura in the MCU for Spider-Man 4.

However, perhaps she could fulfill some kind of mentor role — similar to Robert Downey Jr.’s presence as Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming — if the webhead ever has to ask Laura’s help doing spy stuff. I’m calling it now: injecting some scenes of Holland’s Spider-Man doing sneaking missions similar to the Insomniac video game’s stealth levels, but with Mockingbird giving him tips in his earpiece, would absolutely rule.

The MCU fandom needed a pick-me-up after the lows of Secret Invasion‘s finale last week, so big thanks to Marvel for kicking off this week on a high with the release of a new trailer for Loki season two. In fact, the studio possibly made a bold swing in said trailer that could assure us that the Jonathan Majors recasting that we’ve been half-expecting to happen for months… isn’t going to happen. Meanwhile, speaking of Secret Invasion, against all the odds, its follow-up is making headway in record time.

Marvel doesn’t shy from hyping up Jonathan Majors’ return in Loki season two, despite imminent court appearance 5g475

After Jonathan Majors became at the center of a storm of domestic violence allegations, Marvel seemed to take a widespread approach of pretending he wasn’t the all-important Kang the Conqueror, the key player for the entire Multiverse Saga. And yet the new Loki season two trailer is practically built around the reveal that he’s playing a fresh Kang variant in the Disney Plus show, which feels like the closest the studio is going to come to an outspoken comment in Majors’ defense. , the actor is set to appear in court very soon on Aug. 3, so the situation should become clearer after that.

Armor Wars finds itself a director brave enough to attempt to follow on from Secret Invasion 54273r

Armor Wars has a tough job of it after Secret Invasion tore up Rhodey’s entire MCU character arc, with the Don Cheadle-starring movie having to make sense of the nonsensical twist that War Machine’s been a Skrull since Captain America: Civil War and having to essentially be an Iron Man 4 without Robert Downey Jr. That’s probably why Marvel’s maybe had some difficulty in finding a director to helm it up until now. And yet it’s now being reported that Damian Marcano (American Gigolo, Step Up: High Water) has signed a deal with the studio to bring the film to the screen. Smart money is on Armor Wars dropping sometime in 2025.

Move over, Taika Waititi, the perfect candidate to rescue the Thor franchise may have been located 1m5p4u

After even Chris Hemsworth itted Thor: Love and Thunder was too silly for its own good, it’s clear the Thor franchise needs a relaunch if a fifth movie ever happens. So, as much as we enjoyed Ragnarok, Taika Waititi probably shouldn’t return to direct this hypothetical Thor 5. But, luckily for Marvel, the perfect candidate for his replacement has now stepped forward. Elizabeth Banks, the Spider-Man trilogy star and director of Pitch Perfect 2, Charlie’s Angels, and Cocaine Bear, has itted she’s a huge fan of the Asgardian Avenger and her “door is open” to bringing Thor back to his best. The ball’s in your court, Kevin Feige.

As debate rages over whether the MCU is even a cinematic universe anymore proves, you never know what’s coming out of the Marvel news machine next, so stay tuned.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been placed into a tricky situation entirely of its own making after the dismal Secret Invasion finale, with Don Cheadle finally set to take center stage and headline his own solo movie when Armor Wars comes to theaters.

Six weeks ago that would have sounded fine, but the franchise’s worst-reviewed TV series yet has managed to blow a substantial hole in canon by intimating that Rhodey has been a Skrull since as far back as Captain America: Civil War, which raises major questions over his contributions to Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

If we infer that he has been assimilated by the alien race since Civil War, then he’s got no idea his longtime best friend Tony Stark is even dead, which surely requires an entire subplot all to itself. Suffice to say, Armor Wars has a lot of work to do in order to win over the skeptics as the direct continuation of the MCU’s least popular storyline ever, but it may at least have found a director brave enough to take it on.

The Cosmic Circus uncovered an update to the film’s IMDb page, which briefly had Damian Marcano listed as director prior to being removed, along with the addition of Marvel veterans Beau DeMayo, Zak Penn, Brian Tucker, and Malcolm Spellman for “script continuity and consulting” purposes. Yassir Lester remains the credited screenwriter, but it’s an ominous sign that Tucker could be getting carried over given the response to his plotting of Secret Invasion.

Warning: Spoilers for Secret Invasion to follow.

Secret Invasion has finally ended, and we haven’t seen consequences of studio meddling this egregious since those Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania reshoots; indeed, while it’s difficult to definitively pin the blame for Secret Invasion‘s exhaustingly poor finale, it’s looking more and more likely that the MCU’s poorly-timed edits to the continuity went a long way in squandering Nick Fury’s solo showcase.

Speaking of continuity, the ending of the show means we can look ahead to what’s next, namely the second season of Loki and Secret Invasion‘s theatrical follow-up The Marvels, but the latter won’t be the only place where the political thriller’s seeds will begin to grow.

Indeed, ing The Marvels on the list of Secret Invasion‘s direct follow-ups is Armor Wars, the still-gestating feature film that’s set to gift Rhodey his long-overdue solo outing after being one of the MCU’s most prominent mainstays since his first appearance in 2008’s Iron Man. And, apparently, Rhodey had to suffer a very specific consequence in Secret Invasion to set him up for Armor Wars, according to series director Ali Selim in a recent interview with Screen Rant.

I was given some requirements for the next movie. You have to put Nick Fury up in space. For the next beat, you have to make sure that Rhodey’s legs don’t work for Armor Wars.

Rhodey, of course, was freed from one of the Skrulls’ stasis chambers at the end of Secret Invasion, having spent several years being impersonated by the Skrull Raava. Upon his release, however, he appeared to have trouble walking, and we know now that that was no small detail.

Indeed, the fact that Armor Wars will apparently require Rhodey to not have use of his legs is infinitely curious; why make something like that such a key hurdle for your protagonist, and how many ways might it manifest in whatever plight Rhodey finds himself in once Armor Wars drops? Whatever the case, here’s hoping the MCU boat will have steadied itself a bit more by then; it needs all the luck it can get at this rate.

Secret Invasion is now streaming in full on Disney Plus.

Secret Invasion has a lot to answer for, but something we can be grateful about is that the otherwise underwhelming Disney Plus series gave us two exciting new additions to the MCU. Fans were overjoyed when both Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke were added to the Marvel universe, hoping for big things from both of them. While theories might’ve been way off — Clarke didn’t turn out to be Abigail Brand, for instance — thankfully the Secret Invasion finale leaves the door open for more from both of them.

As both characters — SIS chief Sonya Falsworth and Talos’ daughter G’iah — are original creations for the screen, there’s really no roap that we can look to when guessing how these two could return in the MCU. But, knowing what we do about the future of the franchise, as well as pulling some relevant concepts from the comics, here’s some spitballed suggestions for how Clarke and Colman could factor into the ever-growing multiverse of Marvel.

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With Secret Invasion clearly sliding into The Marvels in various ways, naturally we’re wondering if some of the characters from the recent series could show up in the Brie Larson sequel. And G’iah is clearly right at the top of the list, given that she now has an exact copy of Carol Danvers’ abilities. We’re desperate to see these two battle it out, so we can finally ascertain if G’iah really has dethroned Captain Marvel as the MCU’s new most OP character, although intel suggests we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.

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A role for Emilia Clarke and/or Olivia Colman in The Marvels does seem a tad far-fetched unfortunately, as we’ve not heard a peep about such a crossover, but if it does fail to happen then there’s always Armor Wars. Although Sonya and G’iah didn’t interact with the real Rhodey in Secret Invasion, if you think about it, the amnesiac Avenger could form a bond with G’iah as their lives have both been impacted by the Skrull invasion. Plus, Stark technology falling into the wrong hands and causing a threat to the world is just the kind of thing that would fall on Sonya’s radar.

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You gotta feel sorry for Kit Harington and Dan Whitman, a character who looked set to take the MCU by storm but is now threatening to go the way of the Dodo. In an ideal world, though, despite his Blade cameo not panning out, Black Knight would get his own solo project somewhere, preferably a Disney Plus series. If that ever does happen then we could easily see him being recruited by Sonya and perhaps forming an unlikely double act with G’iah.

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There’s one school of thought about Emilia Clarke’s MCU future that suggests she’s about to become a villain. Well, this would be in keeping with the original Super-Skrull from the comics, one of the most dangerous foes of the Fantastic Four. So could G’iah return as an antagonist in the Fantastic Four reboot or perhaps a sequel? It’s harder to see how Sonya would fit in alongside her, but maybe Colman could drop by for a cameo to explain to the foursome how G’iah broke bad and now they need to stop her.

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As I’ve previously argued, G’iah getting souped-up on the Avengers’ powers makes her a primary candidate for A-Force hip, whenever Kevin Feige finally decides to make the all-female Avengers team a thing in the MCU. Likewise, given that the predominantly male OG Avengers line-up was assembled by Nick Fury, it only makes sense that A-Force should have their own female Fury-like figure. Enter Sonya Falsworth.

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The curious thing about G’iah’s Secret Invasion transformation is that she’s actually aping an iconic member of the X-Men. Well, if that’s Marvel’s game then maybe she should go ahead and become a founding member of Excalibur. Marvel’s primary British superhero team, Captain Britain’s crew is often bolstered by numerous mutant characters. As mutants are still working their way into the MCU, G’iah would make for the perfect candidate for ission into a pre-X-Men Excalibur lineup.

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Alternatively, if Marvel wants to save Excalibur for when the X-Men are around, there’s always MI-13. The British government’s spy network tasked with investigating extranormal phenomena, MI-13 is basically the U.K.’s answer to The X-Files and is crying out to be made into a Disney Plus series. As a super-powered spy, G’iah would be right at home in their ranks and Sonya Falsworth would be a natural pick to be the team’s taskmaster. Plus, Black Knight and Blade are on their roster in the comics, so the crossovers are staring us in the face.

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Despite folks fan-casting Henry Cavill as the character for years, Marvel seems to have no interest in bringing Brian Braddock to life in the MCU. So here’s a left-field idea; what if G’iah becomes Earth-616’s answer to Captain Britain herself? Betsy Braddock, Brian’s sister who’s better known to X-Men fans as Psylocke, has become a female Captain in the comics, so the precedent has already been set. All I’m saying is, it’s about time the U.K. had its own hero in the MCU — Captain Carter doesn’t quite count — and G’iah could easily rise up as the surprise chosen one.