Marvel Studios has blown away every Marvel fan with the first look at the upcoming Spider-Man series, an animated look into the first year that then MCU’s Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man:
It’s beyond insane that Marvel Studios is going ahead to announce one of the most landmark animated series to date, primarily based on the absurd amount of characters that are becoming canon.
Given that this new series is animated, Tom Holland will most likely not be returning due to the fact of the actor’s busy schedule and Hudson Thames taking over the role of Spidey in What If…?
Spider-Man: Freshman Year is hitting Disney+ in 2024, joining the upcoming What If…? season two and Marvel’s Zombies, the franchise’s first TV-MA series coming to the streaming service.
In a new art book for “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Valentina Allegra de Fontaine played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus is described as “taking the reins from Nick Fury.”
Executive producer Nate Moore wrote in “Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Art of the Series” about casting Louis-Dreyfus and developing the character:
“The Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a character that has a rich publication history… and to some degree, figuring out who can fill those shoes, which in our mind is in a way taking the reins from Nick Fury, was tough. But when we thought of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, there was a fun energy to her that immediately you realize this person has a weight and a gravity, but they’re not the same as Nick Fury. It’s a completely different energy.”
“There’s a snark to the character that I think sets her apart from what’s come before,” Moore continued. “And yet you still feel like she commands the room. So if you’re talking about a new leader, to some degree, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we were very lucky to find Julia Louis-Dreyfus.”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously said Valentina is currently in “recruitment mode.” She has, so far, recruited John Walker a.k.a. U.S. Agent. She also tried to recruit Yelena Belova at the end of “Black Widow,” but Yelena ultimately didn’t kill Clint Barton as Valentina wanted. It’s possible Val — who is also known as Madame Hydra in the comics — could play a role in the villains-centric “Thunderbolts” series currently in development.
Of course, Marvel isn’t done with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. In the next few years, the character will appear in the live-action series “Secret Invasion” and in the “Captain Marvel” sequel, “The Marvels.”
Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios has a long and complicated history of changing plans, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye series.
In a recent announcement, Marvel has quietly confirmed the fate of the acclaimed Avenger-led television show.
Marvel Phase Four has issued a lot of firsts for the superhero studio. What began with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008) has exploded into a behemoth blockbuster franchise spanning big and small screens. It was last year that Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe officially transitioned into streaming Original series with the release of WandaVision on Disney+. The Marvel studio that was once exclusively restricted to movie theaters now allowed fans to experience the MCU in new and interesting ways.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier quickly followed WandaVision, with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson shedding his feathers as Falcon and becoming the new Captain America, taking the mantle that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) left behind. Then came Loki, the MCU’s biggest streaming release to date, with Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie) taking viewers across the Multiverse and introducing the Sacred Timeline.
Marvel had another first when Summer came around. The first animated canon television series debuted and while What If…? seemed like a filler at first, as the episodes continued, it may just be the key to the MCU’s entire future.
November brought Jeremy Renner back into the fold as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. This is the first time fans have seen Hawkeye since the devastating events of Avengers: Endgame (2019) — Black Widow (2021) aside — and, along with Hailee Steinfeld’s debut as Kate Bishop, the series drew acclaim from fans and critics alike as Hawkeye explored Barton’s Ronin persona amid Christmas season in New York City.
But, what about a Season 2?
Hawkeye Season 1 seemingly left off in a place where the story of the Avenger could continue, it even debuted Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the MCU, but it would seem Marvel has decided the fate of the series with a recent Emmys announcement.
After initial plans to submit it in limited series, Variety has learned exclusively that “Loki” will seek Emmy love in the drama categories.
Disney’s original plan was to submit the third MCU TV series in the limited series field alongside its other MCU counterparts “Hawkeye” with Jeremy Renner and “Moon Knight” with Oscar Isaac. But, unfortunately, that’s not so simple because of “Loki’s” post-credits scene in the final episode that reads: “Loki will return in season 2.”
From creator Jonathan Igla, and Rhys Thomas, who led the directing team, Hawkeye was always pitched as a limited series, but, many of the other Marvel Phase Four TV shows were also. As the report notes, Loki was going to be submitted in the Limited Series category, but that post-credits scene signaling a second season for the popular show eradicated that possibility. Likewise, last year Marvel Studios opted to submit The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Drama Series, despite it not having yet received an order for a sophomore season.
It was recently confirmed, although not surprising considering her next appearance as Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), that WandaVision was one and done. Michael Waldron and Kate Herron’s Loki was seemingly the same until the development of the series proved there was more to Loki than first thought (isn’t there always?).
In a similar vein, Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could have been moved to Drama Series in 2021 to avoid competing with WandaVision, or it is more likely that Feige’s team wants to tell more of the buddy-cop-style story before Captain America 4 releases some time in the future.
That being said, Hawkeye fans will likely not see a second season of the Marvel Comics action-drama, but a spinoff series, Echo, was already confirmed a while ago. Native American Deaf actress, Alaqua Cox, brought Maya Lopez AKA Echo to the MCU and will continue her story in this self-titled series, most likely releasing in 2023. It is rumored that D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) will star alongside Cox.
Marvel confirms the Black Widow series will be scrapped, bringing the project to an untimely end.
Black Widow is one of the most recognizable parts of the Marvel Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avenger first appeared in Kevin Feige’s MCU in Iron Man 2 (2010) alongside Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), where Scarlett Johansson originated the character for the blockbuster movie franchise as an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agent working for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
Natasha Romanoff’s time was seemingly up after last year’s Black Widow (2021), from director Cate Shortland, which acted as a solo sequel to Chris Evans’ (Steve Rogers/Captain America) Captain America: Civil War (2016) and a precursor to the tragic events of the Russo Brothers’ Infinity Saga conclusion, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The latter Marvel film saw Natasha sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone on Vormir during an intense sequence with Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye.
Johansson’s much-awaited solo installment in Marvel Phase Four faced multiple delays due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately releasing last July in movie theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously from the Marvel studio — a move that forced the Marvel actress to sue The Walt Disney Company due to contractual agreements allegedly being broken regarding box office receipts and the star’s salary.
However, before Shortland’s spy-thriller, which introduced characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle), the Marvel Universe also began its new “Black Widow” run in 2020.
Marvel Comics began its new comic book series, “Black Widow” in 2020, but after 15 issues, Marvel is pulling the plug on this fan-acclaimed outing from the former Red Room assassin. On its announcement back in 2020, Marvel said: “Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson (CAPTAIN MARVEL, STAR) and rising star artist Elena Casagrande (Catwoman) launch a new BLACK WIDOW series that changes everything!”
Now, the series that was set to “change everything” has been canceled. Thompson released a statement to Substack announcing the news. Her statement reads (via ScreenRant):
So, this IS the final issue…for now. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk about it, a lot of you have been asking, and it has deeply pained me to take a pass on those questions, especially since this is a book I love so much (maybe my favorite book I’ve ever done at Marvel), but there’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes and it’s not always something you can talk about publicly. To be honest, I still can’t talk about as much as I’d like, but what I can say is… there ARE plans for a bit more story from this creative team. Things are still being wrangled, but I am optimistic it will work out AND be worth the wait.
Our legendary run is ending for now. We could not be more grateful to the collaborators who made this book extraordinary and the fans who picked up our book month and month. From the very first day 1 sat down next to Kelly at an editorial retreat and said “so what about Black Widow” to the day we got Elisabetta D’Amico on board to ink Elena’s pencils, I’ve known we had a special book on our hands. We’ve become a close-knit group, and it’s a bittersweet feeling to see our collective work realized here.
We have some sad news to report on coming out of Hollywood. Iconic actor William Hurt has died at the age of 71. At this time, his death is being reported as “natural causes. The news was reported by the actor’s son, Will Hurt. Hurt shared:
“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Throughout his extensive film career, the Oscar-winning actor was in a number of notable films, including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, and Lost In Space. He also appeared in a number of television shows, including Damages, Humans, and Pantheon, which was in the middle of filming when the actor passed. While Hurt appeared in a number of successful Hollywood films and shows, he also made his mark on both the Disney and Marvel universes.
Disney fans may recognize Hurt from his role in the 2002 film Tuck Everlasting — which also starred Alexis Bledel and Jonathan Jackson, Sissy Spacek, and Victor Garber. Hurt played the Tuck family patriarch Angus Tuck. The film was a wonderful, sad love story that was a hit amongst Disney’s younger female audience. If it’s been a while since you have seen the film, or have yet to see it (which you definitely should), here is a summary from Disney:
Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper life and domineering mother, escapes into the woods only to get lost. Soon she happens upon Jesse Tuck – a boy full of life and adventure who’s unlike anyone she’s ever met – and falls in love. The Tucks, a kind and generous family, have a powerful secret – a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life. And now Winnie must choose to live life as she knows it or drink from the spring.
While Disney fans may recognize Hurt, Marvel fans around the world will recognize him even more. Hurt had an extensive career within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has appeared in a number of films — The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Avengers Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow. In all of those films, he played Secretary Thaddeus Ross, a former Lieutenant-General of the US Army, who then becomes Secretary of State. Ross was responsible for attempting to recreate the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America, and in turn, the serum that created Bruce Banner AKA The Incredible Hulk.
During his illustrious career, Hurt was nominated for multiple Academy and Golden Globe Awards. He also performed on Broadway and was nominated for A Tony Award. Hurt is survived by his four children.
