Category: Marvel

Marvel Comics and their properties

Marvel Comics Upcoming Stories

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Geekville Radio #226: Upcoming Marvel Stories

At C2E2, Marvel unveiled their upcoming major storylines that will take place in 2019.

War Of The Realms (1:55)

The major universe-wide crossover is called War Of The Realms. As the name implies, it is all 10 Asgardian Realms. The last one left is Midgard, aka Earth. This may be an attempt to put Malekith on the level of a Dr. Doom or Kang, as he will be the central villain.

Marvel’s teaser for War Of The Realms

House Of X (7:55)

Every few years, Marvel does something to refresh the X-Men franchise. This summer brings two new X-Men titles, House Of X, and Powers Of X. Both set to be written by Jonathan Hickman.

As usual, Marvel was tight lipped over what will happen, but the presentation did have an interesting piece of art showing many characters from, as they put it “Past, Present, and Future”.

Official artwork for House Of X and Powers Of X hint characters from the Past, Present, and Future

Absolute Carnage (14:30)

Yes, Cletus Kassidy is back from the dead… again!

This time around, Carnage is hunting down everybody who has EVER used a symbiote suit. This means not just Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, or the other usual suspects. Even The Guardians Of The Galaxy, Deadpool, and dinosaurs are potential targets.

Admittedly, I could only think of about 20 off the bat, but there were others who fit the bill of using a symbiote

  1. Peter Parker (obviously)
  2. Eddie Brock
  3. John Jameson (He brought symbiotes to Earth in the first place)
  4. Ben Reilly (Spider-Carnage)
  5. Scorpion
  6. Scream
  7. Flash Thompson (dead, but dead characters always come back in comics)
  8. Norman Osborn
  9. Dr. Octopus
  10. Maniac
  11. Toxin
  12. Scream
  13. Punisher
  14. Deadpool
  15. Captain Marvel/Ms. Marvel
  16. Hybrid
  17. Silver Surfer
  18. Knull

I’m curious how Carnage would last against those last two, wince their cosmic level characters

The others that I forgot were (and this is by no means a complete list)

  1. Wolverine
  2. Rocket Raccoon
  3. Groot
  4. Drax
  5. Gwen Stacy
  6. Thunderbolt Ross
  7. Tony Stark (if artificial symbiotes count)

Not only that, the special variant covers seem to imply other Marvel heroes may bond with symbiotes. Including Captain America, Black Panther, and Thor.

As discussed, I attended C2E2 with Clint from Geek Dig Podcast, and Joe from Beside The Point.

And Norko from The Wrestling Brethren Podcast did have this unintentionally hilarious post due to Autocorrect.

Can’t wait for that Ryan Rembrandt Deadpool

Mark Hamill’s Role In Guardians 3?

Science Fiction icon Mark Hamill is allegedly back in negotiations to appear in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3. It was widely reported last year that Hamill had talks with director James Gunn, but what role they had discussed remained under wraps.

Of course, Gunn was famously fired by Disney last year over controversial tweets made a decade previously. Gunn was re-hired earlier this month, but no major casting news came about in the interim.

Now the site We Got This Covered is reporting that Hamill may in fact be in talks to play Rocket Raccoon’s creator. This could easily be an original character, or a take on secondary or tertiary characters from the Marvel Universe.

In the comics, Rocket has no specific creator. He came from a planet called Halfworld, in which animals were genetically enhanced by robotic users to have human-like characteristics. Rocket served as a law enforcement officer for the Keystone Quadrant, thus literally making him a Keystone Cop. He and his then counterpart Wal Russ (Yes, a talking walrus) once infiltrated the planet to rescue their friend Princess Lynx from Lord Dyvyne. They battled with Blackjack O’Hare’s Black Bunny Brigade (Yes, a mercenary group of bunnies) while making their escape.

Rocket was also at some point held captive by a villain called The Stranger, and managed to escape his clutches.

To be clear, these are all speculative possibilities based on Rocket’s history. The true role Hamill will play, if hired, has not been publicly discussed.

Hamill is no stranger to the comic book world. He most famously provided the voice of The Joker for many years in various Batman productions. He portrayed James Jesse, aka The Trickster in the short lived 1990 Flash TV series. A role he recently reprised for the current CW show. He’s also voiced various characters including Wolverine and Hobgoblin for Marvel, and Darth Bane for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Currently, he is a regular in Season 2 of The History Channel’s series Knightfall.

So what character could the Jedi Joker be playing on the big screen? Personally, our money is on the mercenary bunny…

New X-Men Titles Due In June

Over the years, Marvel had revamped the X-Men franchise several times. At C2E2, the next X-Men revamp was announced, and it will be hitting shelves this summer.

House Of X, and Powers Of X will launch in June, and will both be written by Jonathan Hickman. The rest of the creative team will be Pepe Larraz, R.S. Silva, and Marte Garcia. It is important to note that the X in Powers Of X is the Roman Numeral 10, so its proper pronunciation is “Powers Of Ten”.

While the entire premise of these new titles was still under wraps, artwork teased at the panel showed several characters from X-Men past, present and future.

Just looking at that image, you can see Mr. Sinister, Wolverine as Weapon X, Wolverine in his 80s brown suit, Apocalypse, Emma Frost as Black Queen, Dazzler in her disco tights, and a ton of others.

C2E2 Report: Marvel’s War Of The Realms

At Friday’s C2E2 panel, Marvel announced the next epic story to span across the Marvel Universe will be called War Of The Realms. The proper series drops in April, and will consist of six issues. Like with most Marvel Universe tie-ins, multiple heroes will be affected in their own ongoing titles.

As the name implies, this involves Asgard and all the other realms in Marvel lore. Malekith The Accursed, the Dark Elf Lord, will be the main force behind these wars. All but one realm has felt the effects of these wars. The last one left untouched is, of course, Midgard aka Earth.

This means Asgardians, Frost Giants, Dark Elves, Light Elves, etc… will all be wreaking havoc on Earth, in it will be up to the Marvel heroes to deal with it. It also seems to be an attempt to make Malekith an “A-Lister” on the level of Loki, Dr. Doom, or Kang.

Marvel has pulled out all the stops with this tale, including releasing an official theme song for this comic event. It is linked below for listening

Squadron Supreme will be re-introduced and will be based out of Washington DC, making them “DC’s Finest Heroes” (ba-dump CHING!). Not to be outdone, fan favorite Phil Coulson will be a part of the war as well in the Avengers title.

War Of The Realms will be written by veteran Thor writer Jason Aaron. art will be by Russell Dauterman and Natthew Wilson. The first issue hits April 3rd and the series will run through the summer. Aaron did state that this will end his seven year run on Thor, and he will be part of a new (presumably ongoing) Valkyrie stand-alone title.

Overall, this is looking like another solid epic story from Marvel. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this becomes the basis for a future Thor film, should Chris Hemsworth stick around for Phase Four or Five.

Geekville Radio #225: Disney/Fox

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It’s a mega-sized collection of news on this episode of Geekville Radio. Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return to talk some of the major headlines

Disney/Fox Merger and The MCU (1:27)

This week, Disney’s merger/buyout of 21 Century Fox properties still has the world buzzing because it has finally become a reality. The effects that this could have on some of their franchises could be felt for years to come.

Perhaps the biggest news, possibly even bigger than the obvious Star Wars distribution rights, is the Fox owned Marvel properties that can now be incorporated into the MCU.

The most obvious addition would be that of The X-Men. One of fans’ biggest complaints about the MCU is it never incorporated Marvel’s famous mutants. Now, that plethora of of characters can be introduced in Phase Four.

The other Fox owned Marvel property is The Fantastic Four. While the three movies may not have been as successful as most MCU movies, two characters linked to that specific brand could easily become major players as villains in future films. Those are of course Doctor Doom and Galactus.

While many fans are understandably thrilled about this, it is very possible there may be some major changes in store for the franchise.

First off, it is not a given that the existing X-Men actors will carry over into The MCU. And yes, that includes Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Despite already having five films’ worth of Spider-Man films, Marvel still recast Tom Holland in the role.

There is also the possibility that, by using the same actors, continuity just would be less sensical. After all, if the X-Men movies are considered part of the MCU, why didn’t The Avengers assist with any of those world-threatening situations.

Deadpool may stay according to reports, though as Train points out, the studio change may legally be a recasting of the role to Ryan Reynolds, just under a new company.

Disney/Fox Merger and Star Wars (19:20)

Another fan friendly wish that may become a reality is the re-release of the Original Trilogy, aka “Non-Special Editions”, Star Wars films. As discussed before, Fox owned the distribution rights to Star Wars. Thus, any theater or home video release could only be through Fox, unless some deal was worked out with Disney. That of course is no longer an obstacle.

Disney Rehires James Gunn (32:10)

Disney announced the return of director James Gunn to Guardians Of The Galaxy vol. 3. Was the reaction to past controversial tweets overblown? Did Disney cave? Was it just trolls? Or did they have this planned all along? There is evidence for all of these possibilities.

Gunn will still be writing and directing Suicide Squad 2, so Guardians 3 will have to wait for that project to finish before it starts filming.

Arrow will end with Season 8 (40:40)

Actor Stephen Amell broke the news via Twitter that Arrow will be ending after a 10 episode season 8.

Oliver Queen himself revealing that Arrow is coming to an end


We already know that Crisis on Infinite Earths will be next years crossover. We also know they’ve been teasing Crisis since the pilot episode of Flash.

In the comics, Flash and Supergirl die during Crisis. Does this mean their respective TV shows will end as well?

Speaking of deaths, Oliver Queen did die in the DC Universe, but was brought back by Hal Jordan as Spectre. So it is very possible that Ollie may bite the big one, and be brought back in some capacity later on.

Bill And Ted 3 (52:40)

The last segment off the show is devoted to the long-awaited confirmation that a third Bill An Ted movie, now titled Bill And Ted Face The Music, has begun filming. Could a sequel to a 30 year old cult classic work in mainstream 2019?

As always, we welcome your thoughts on all these stories. Let us know in the comments section or on our social media

The Disney Acquisition Of Fox Is Complete

At midnight tonight, the merger between Disney and 20th Century Fox will be complete. This means Disney will officially own many of the biggest franchises in history.

Variety reports, as expected, that Disney shareholders are happy with the news. Meanwhile, Fox shareholders are less enthusiastic.

The good news is, of course, that movie distribution rights for previous Marvel and Star Wars properties are now all under one roof. This means that The X-Men can be formally introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Fox also had rights to Fantastic Four, which means A-Listers like Doctor Doom and Galactus could be part of the next MCU phases as well.

And, as classic trilogy fans have wanted for 20 years, it could conceivably mean that Disney could release “Non-Special Editions” of the original three Star Wars films. It also means the 3D releases, hyped a number of years ago before LucasFilm sold to Disney, could become a reality as well.

Conceivably, Disney could do crossovers with the properties. Could we see a Guardians Of The Galaxy crossover with Star Wars? Or The Deadpool Goofy Movie?

Like with many mergers, there is a downside. In this case, as many as 4,000 people could be laid off. No major business deal goes without losses.

Do you have any hopes for the new Disney/Fox era? Let us know in the comments.

James Gunn Releases Statement About His Return To Disney

James Gunn made the following tweet in response to his re-hiring as director for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1106633508657651712
Tweet from James Gunn’s official Twitter

Gunn was famously fired last summer over controversial tweets he made in 2009. The cast of the previous two films petitioned to have him reinstated. Warner Bros. then hired Gunn to helm Suicide Squad 2 for rival DC Comics movie universe. Disney Chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn and officially re-hired him this week.

James Gunn Rehired For Guardians Of The Galaxy 3

Nearly eight months after being fired by Disney, James Gunn has reportedly been rehired to direct the third installment of the Guardians Of The Galaxy film series.

Deadline reports that Disney chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn to discuss his return to the franchise. Gunn was of course fired last summer over controversial tweets he made a decade previously.

According to the Deadline report, it was Gunn’s public apology and the way he’s handled himself since that persuaded Disney to rehire him.


The social media messages were indefensible, but the filmmaker never did anything but blame himself for poor judgment displayed at a time when he was emerging from the Troma film factory and attempting to be a provocateur.

-Deadline Report

Since Gunn has committed to writing and directing Suicide Squad 2, Guardians 3 will likely have to wait until that project has finished before production can begin. All of the main cast will likely return, as they were very vocal in their support of Gunn during the controversy.

Avengers: Endgame will release next month, which will wrap up Phase Three in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 will be part of Phase Four, which will include Spider-Man: Far From Home, Doctor Strange 2, and a standalone Black Widow film for Scarlett Johansson.

Latest Avengers Endgame Trailer Brings A Case Of Supergoosebumps

Marvel unleashed the latest, and probably final, trailer for Avengers: Endgame. Several classic moments from all the characters’ past are recapped. Including Steve Rogers carrying Peggy Carter’s casket, Tony Stark falling for Pepper, and Clint Barton training his daughter archery. It’s a very emotional recap of the last decade in Marvel movies.

That of course brings us to the imminent final battle with Thanos. And new costumes…

The latest Avengers trailer really brings The Feels

Avengers: Endgame opens on April 26th and will wrap up Phase Three in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Captain Marvel Review

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The last film on the MCU docket before Avengers: Endgame has finally come. Of course, it has not come without controversy.

Captain Marvel opened nationwide this past weekend to the tune of $153 million dollars nationwide, and $450 million internationally. This amidst the attention comments made by star Brie Larsen have gotten to certain fans. You can listen to our previous episode for a rundown on that story.

As for reviews, it is currently sitting at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 63% audience approval. So it may not be the highest ranking entry in the MCU family, but it has been overall well-received.

So does Captain Marvel live up to expectations and continue the near flawless record of MCU films? Short answer, yes. Captain Marvel may not be the most must-see adventure in the MCU family, but it is an entertaining, if not a little predictable, superhero origin story.

But the biggest news may be how the movie retconned the history of the previous films. More specifically, the acquisition of The Infinity Stones that Thanos eventually got possession of.

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick give a more through (that means SPOILERS) review of the film.

Oh, and according to the person who designed it, Carol’s Nine Inch Nails shirt is a bootleg…