Marvel

July 15, 2021

Loki Season One Finale: The Timelines Are In Shambles, What Now?

Wayne Waldrop Marvel Disney+, Loki, MCU 1

If you haven’t watched the season finale of Loki yet, I recommend reading through this article at a later time. The ending of Loki season one was extremely different from the last two Marvel series on Disney Plus. While Wandavision and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier had their endings wrapped tight like most MCU films, Loki ended with a huge revelation, a cliffhanger, and a timeline in shambles. This will surely impact the MCU in a huge way. There is already some evidence of this in several of the upcoming films and shows. Thanks to Sylvie, we may finally get the multiverse content we have been waiting for. Let’s break down exactly what we can expect in the aftermath of Loki season one. The following article contains spoilers regarding the future of the MCU.

The Aftermath Of The Loki Season One Finale

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Not much (officially) is known about Spider-Man: No Way Home (seriously! where is that trailer!), despite the film releasing in theaters in only five months. However, the internet is full of speculation and rumors, and if you’ve been paying attention to them, it seems the impact of Loki season one will bleed into Spidey’s third outing. We know that Doctor Strange will make an appearance in the film. This is likely to help Peter Parker resolve the issue of his leaked secret identity following the death of Quinton Beck. What does this have to do with the end of Loki? It is likely that Spider-Man: No Way Home will act as a bridge between the end of Loki season one, Wandavision, and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.

A Black And Gold Spider-Man And The Return Of Doc Ock

We know thanks to leaked action figures, that Spider-Man will don a new black and gold suit fitted with mystical Doctor Strange tech. If this doesn’t suggest that Peter will be embarking on a multi-dimensional adventure, I don’t know what is. This co-aligns with statements made by Doc Ock actor, Alfred Molina, in an earlier interview.

In what he calls “the worst kept secret in Hollywood”, Molina revealed his return as Doc Ock stating “It was very interesting going back after 17 years to play the same role, given that in the intervening years, I now have two chins, a wattle, crow’s feet and a slightly a slightly dodgy lower back”. He goes on to explain that fortunately the evil genius uses his tentacle’s in battle, so the role was not physically demanding in his older age. It seems that Spider-Man will be dealing with the mess Sylvie unintentionally unleashed upon the universe.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

If Spider-Man: No Way Home is the start of multiverse madness, the following Doctor Strange film is the deep dive in. There is no way Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness isn’t an insane adventure through a demented multiverse. They even got horror king (and the original Spider-Man trilogies) Sam Raimi to direct. Throw in Wanda Maximoff as a co-lead, and you have a perfect quadruple sequel to Wandavision, Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the original Doctor Strange of course. I am a huge fan of this concept; Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch are the perfect duo to investigate the more nightmarish side of the multiverse.

Loki Season Two

Loki season two is no secret. The reveal was included within the credits of the Loki season one finale. However, an official announcement was never even necessary. The show ended with a huge cliffhanger. None of Loki’s new friends from season one remember him at all, and the show ended by showing an eerie statue of Kang the Conqueror. For those who aren’t aware, Kang the Conqueror is the evil variant that “He Who Remains”warned Loki and Sylvie about. It seems that the multidimensional threat wasted no time in conquering the timelines, as everything changed immediately following the death of “He Who Remains” at the hands of Sylvie.

Loki season two will be a necessary and important inclusion to the latest story arc in the MCU. Considering Loki season one kicked off this major plot point, it is only fitting that the second season will be an important part of the story. There is a lot to see after all. The full impacts of Kang the Conqueror taking over the TVA has yet to be seen; Sylvie is last seen at the end of the timeline; Kid Loki needs to end up with the Young Avengers; Ravonna Renslayer was last scene walking through a time portal; and there are still many more plotlines still left unfinished. I already anticipate the second season of Loki.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man has yet to have a MCU film that drastically alters the series. However, he was a major player in The Avengers: Endgame, and likely was the primary factor in the team’s success (along with Tony Stark of course). This will change with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania. The film features Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. This was the original announcement that had fans anticipating the major villains inclusion in the MCU. This was also one of the many factors contributing to the speculation regarding a multiverse story arc.

If Kang the Conqueror makes a major appearance in the next Ant-Man and The Wasp film, it is bound to be a major film. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is currently the last film in the timeline for Phase Four of the MCU. I can only imagine that the film will be a fitting end for Phase Four, and a great place for Phase Five to pick up from.

What did you think of the Loki season one finale? Do you agree with any of our theories regarding the future of the MCU? Let us know in the comments.

July 12, 2021

Black Widow Is A Prequel That Will Effect The MCU In A Big Way

Wayne Waldrop Marvel Black Widow, Disney+, MCU 0

Black Widow is finally here. After 14 months worth of delays due to the covid-19 pandemic, the highly-anticipated film is now in theaters. The movie also available on Disney Plus with premier access. The MCU has had prequels before, such as Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel; however outside of origin films, the series has never went backwards like this before. Black Widow takes place between Captain America: Civil War and The Avengers: Infinity War. Originally fans expected to see a prequel take place during her dark past, however this was not the case. The film does manage to reveal a lot about her past. This is done through the exploration of her “family” and the infamous red room (where Natasha Romanoff was trained to kill).

Black Widow Trailer

Black Widow is the first film of phase four of the MCU, but as a prequel one might wonder where, how, and why it fits in. Despite these circumstances, Black Widow reveals plenty of revelations that will change the future of the MCU in a huge way. While the Disney Plus shows like Loki are setting up the multiverse, Black Widow is a grounded movie that still makes waves. This article contains spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Five Reveals That Affect The MCU Going Forward

There Is Another Living Super Soldier

Natasha Romanoff spent her childhood in a cover family full of Russian spies. The father of this family, Alexei Shostakov, is the infamous Red Guardian. He is basically the Russian version of Captain America. Yep, that’s right, Alexei Shostakov is a super soldier. Considering The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Helmut Zemo wants to rid the world of super soldier, Red Guardian’s existence is a bit of a loose end. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Zemo and the Red Guardian in the same MCU Disney Plus show or movie in the future. Perhaps Isaiah Bradley, an other living super soldier will make an appearance as well.

Black Widow Had A Family After All

In my mind it always made sense that Black Widow could sacrifice herself over Clint. Even though he was filled with guilt and regret, Clint still has a family to worry about. Natasha would do “whatever it takes” to bring back everyone lost after Thanos eliminated half of all life. Black Widow creates a fallacy with this logic though. Natasha Romanoff did have a family; a family she only just rekindled with five years prior to her death.

For all we know, her family were all eliminated by Thanos’ snap as well. As of writing, we don’t know if this is the case. What we do know is her cover sister Yelena (and likely the rest of her cover family) mourns her dearly. Tony and Steve even discuss whether or not Natasha had a family. After Tony asks if Natasha has a family, Steve replies “yeah, us”. It seems that Natasha was blessed with not one, but two families after all.

Yelena Is Recruited By Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine

Speaking of her sister Yelena, she is likely to become the new Black Widow in the MCU. This rendition of the Black Widow might not start off as an Avenger though. During a post-credit scene, Yelena is recruited by Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. The mysterious woman asks Yelena if she would like to “take a shot at the man responsible” for Natasha’s death.

The Thunderbolts Are Coming

Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine

Judging by the dialogue during the scene, it seems that Yelena is already working for Valentina. The significance of this scene is that this next mission will tie directly into the upcoming Disney Plus show, Hawkeye. This scene has huge implications for the future of the MCU. The Thunderbolts (or Dark Avengers) are clearly forming, Yelena will likely take over the mantle of Black Widow, and Hawkeye will undoubtedly face off against his best friend’s sister. Adding to the significance of this scene, this scene is possibly the most recent one in the MCU timeline.

Black Widow And Hawkeye In Budapest

For years fans have been asking “what happened in Budapest?”. Now we finally have an answer to that question. Black Widow was originally recruited by Nick Fury in Budapest. It seems that she did not go easy though, as the walls of the meeting spot has arrow holes in the walls. This suggests that Natasha and Clint fought before becoming good friends.

The End Of General Dreykov

After breaking free from the control of General Dreykov and his vile red room, Black Widow seeks revenge. In a desperate attempt to free all of the other widows and put an end to the red room, Natasha follows Dreykov’s daughter to his location and sets off a bomb. She believed that she had killed him and his daughter, and while she succeeded in her mission, the death of Antonia Dreykov haunts her forever. Loki even taunts Natasha with this incident during his incarceration in 2012’s The Avengers. Antonia Dreykov ends up surviving the blast, but Natasha doesn’t find out until the events of the movie unfold.

The Taskmaster Is Still Out There

Antonia Dreykov doesn’t just survive the previously mentioned blast. She is turned into Dreykov’s best Black Widow yet. Utilizing a computer chip and robotic suit, the general’s daughter is able to mimic any fighting style. She is also able to read an opponent’s moves and learn how to defeat them quite easily. The wild part is that the Taskmaster is still out there. Rather than kill her foe, Natasha frees Antonia from her horrible father’s control. The Taskmaster is still out there, and it is possible she will follow Yelena’s lead and join the Thunderbolts (or Dark Avengers).

What do you think about these revelations? Do you think Black Widow set up phase four of the MCU well? Let us know in the comments.

June 14, 2021

‘Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Focuses On The Narrative, Not The Microtransactions

Wayne Waldrop Gaming, Marvel Eidos Montreal, Gaming, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Square Enix 0

Marvel fans rejoice! The Guardians of the Galaxy game is finally here. After Crystal Dynamics’ (Square Enix) Microtransaction-heavy Avengers looter shooter failed to meet expectations, Eidos Montreal’s (also Square Enix) Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy may just be the redemption we have been waiting for. The long-awaited game will focus on the narrative in a story-driven experience in vein of Insomniac’s stellar game, Marvel’s Spider-Man. Here is everything you need to know about Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Is A Narrative Focused Experience

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Official Reveal Trailer

The most shocking news following the announcement of Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy is that the game will be a single-player experience featuring Star-Lord as the main character. One comment said “this is like having a Fantastic Four game where you only play as Mr. Fantastic”. This may sound odd as first, but the trailer speaks for itself. The game seems to features all of the charm and chemistry from James Gunn’s beloved series, but with a twist; this time you have the opportunity to flip the script.

Rocket Will Remember This

Like Eidos Montreal’s Deux Ex series, players are able to pick dialogue options of their choice. While these choices will not change the story in a major way, it will change the dynamic of the team. I am sure we will be seeing “Rocket will remember this” throughout the game. The developers opted in for this single-player narrative-focused style due to the colorful personalities of the team members. If the game was co-op or online, it would not be possible to feature these dialogue options and story changing elements (technically it could, but it wouldn’t feel like these characters have personalities of their own). I personally side with the developers choice; hopefully the narrative is strong and proves this decision is a solid one.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Deep Dive

The team in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy have only been together for less than a year. Peter Quill (Star-Lord) is the self-proclaimed leader of the team. Focusing on this period of time is important for the gameplay. In Eidos Montreal’s take on the team, Peter Quill (you) will make decisions that will create heart-warming interactions or haunting and regrettable events. The team seems to lack respect for Quill at this point in time, similar to when the team disobeyed the rock and roll loving leader’s plans on Knowhere in Avengers: Infinity War. The team dynamic will make for endless humorous dialogue as seen in the fantastic gameplay first look trailer embedded below.

Action-Packed Third-Person Gameplay

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Gameplay First Look

While the game features dialogue options, it is not an episodic adventure video game like Telltale’s 2017 take on the team. The upcoming title features third-person shooter-like gameplay, where the player can utilize Star-Lords elemental blasters and rocket boots to shoot and navigate around enemies. The game takes a page from Nintendo’s Xenoblade Chronicles, featuring team attacks, abilities, specials, chain attacks, and more. The gameplay slows down when making a tactical decision or commanding a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Command The Guardian’s of the Galaxy

Each character fits a different RPG like role, with Groot being tank, Gamora being an assassin, Drax being a melee dps that pulls a ton of mobs before the tank has aggro, Rocket being the ranged dps / engineer, and lastly Star-Lord being the dungeon leader and additional ranged dps. This is another strength the game actually gains from being a single-player experience. While we previously touched on this from a narrative perspective, even when considering the gameplay the game gains from being a single-player game. Commanding the Guardians of the Galaxy as Star-Lord looks like a ton of fun. I cannot imagine that the execution will feel any less satisfying than it already looks in the gameplay video.

The 11-minute gameplay video is incredibly impressive and promising, and I look forward to playing the game for myself on October 26th, 2021 when the game releases on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nvidia GeForce Now.

*Edit June 15th, 2021* At the Nintendo Direct E3 2021 Presentation is was announced that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to the Nintendo Switch as well!

The All-Star 80’s Soundtrack of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Last but not least, the game features the 80’s bangers fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy are known to love. The game’s official website reveals that the game will feature music from the “sweet mixtape of Star-Lord’s ’80s favorites”. This mixtape contains songs from Iron Maiden, KISS, New Kids On The Block, Rick Astley and more. The trailers showed that Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero and Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation will make appearances in the game. We can’t wait to see what other tracks appear in this wild game.

Are you excited for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy? I think it has officially made the top of my list for 2021. Let us know in the comments.

June 10, 2021

Loki: Who Is The Mysterious Villain Tampering With The Timelines?

Wayne Waldrop Marvel Disney+, Lady Loki, Loki, MCU 0

Loki is the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series to air on Disney+. Tom Hiddleston returns to star as a time-displaced version of the god of mischief. The series follows Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the third installment of Phase Four of the MCU. The show starts off immediately where we left him in Avenger’s Endgame. During a time heist gone wrong, the God of Mischief got his hands on the tesseract. Utilizing the space stone, he was able to teleport away from Shield custody. This was following his apprehension after the attack on New York in 2012. However, his freedom doesn’t last long; the time displaced villain is immediately captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).

Loki, now labeled a “time variant” for his time displacement, is due to face harsh punishment for his tampering of the timelines. The adopted son of Odin is fortunately spared due to the pleads of one Mobius M. Mobius (played by Owen Wilson, Wow!). The aforementioned character is a seasoned TVA manager that is currently hunting a highly dangerous time variant. Mobius believes that Loki can help the TVA catch this elusive villain. This is all very different from anything we have seen in the MCU so far, but all the charm, emotion, and comedy is all still present.

All The MCU Charm Is Here

The series starts off running. The world building and characters hit immediately. The show does a fantastic job of introducing this new dimension in only one episode’s time. Mobius is already a fan-favorite character and the desk-dwelling Casey is already becoming a meme. Casey (who doesn’t know what a fish is), reveals that even the infinity stones are powerless at the TVA. This has huge implications on the future of the MCU. Loki is a charming devil, so it is only fitting that his show brings plenty with its humor and supporting cast.

The first episode contains a hilarious cutaway gag that reveals that Loki is the infamous D.B. Cooper. For those unaware, this is a reference to the real-life hijacking of a Northwest Orient Airlines (now absorbed by Delta) plane. The real life event plays out exactly as it did in the show, with Cooper showing a flight attendant a note and revealing that he had a bomb. He demanded (what today would be) $1.2 million, four parachutes, and a full fuel tank for the plane. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the shenanigans we will see throughout the show.

Comedy and charm aren’t all the show has going for it, as there is also a big twist at the end of the first episode.

Who Is The Mysterious New Villain?

If you are avoiding spoilers, read no further.

At the end of the first episode it is revealed that the variant Mobius is after is Loki himself. This is the reason why Mobius needs his help to track down the villain. Mobius believes that the god of mischief is not a bad guy and that he doesn’t like hurting people. Loki admits that this is true, and that he only inflicts pain because he has to. This is an interesting development, because the Loki Mobius is after seems to have no problem with burning people to death. What is the main different between the Loki of 2012 and the one committing all of these atrocities throughout time? Who is this estranged version of the god of mischief? We have a couple of theories.

Kid Loki

We know that the MCU has been building towards the introduction of the Young Avengers. Wandavision introduced Wiccan and Speed; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced Patriot; and other future MCU movies and shows will debut young heroes such as Miss America (in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Bishop (Hawkeye), Stature (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), and more. Could the show be working to introduce Kid Loki? It is hard to imagine that a kid is burning people to death, but Thor has mentioned that he was always cruel. If the villain is an adult variation of the character, perhaps he becomes a child one way or another.

There is speculation that Jack Veal will be playing Kid Loki in the series. This could be their way of introducing the character. Perhaps Kid Loki joins the 2012 Loki in tracking down the Loki at-large. Anything is possible in a show that deals with multiple dimensions and timelines. Whether he is a bad kid or not, we suspect that Kid Loki will be making an appearance in the show.

Lady Loki

The silhouette of the shadowy villain looked to be of an adult, so this theory is more likely (unless Kid Loki is manipulating his height). There are plenty of versions of Loki throughout the universe. It is possible we will see Lady Loki in the series. The point has been made that Loki is gender-fluid. What is stopping the cruelest Loki across the timelines from identifying as (or being) female? Actress Sophia Di Martino is also casted in the series in an undisclosed role. It is likely that we will see Lady Loki as the main villain in the series. Who is a better villain for Loki than Loki? We do not know if Lady Loki will be a misunderstood anti-hero or a true villain, but we speculate it is her we saw at the end of the first episode.

What did you think of the first episode? Are you already hooked like I am? let us know in the comments.