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new video loaded: How ‘Wonder Man’ Can Reshape the Marvel Franchise
By Maya Phillips, Edward Vega and Rafaela Balster
February 14, 2026
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Maya Phillips, Edward Vega and Rafaela Balster
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A big Marvel star has serious allegations levied against him on social media and a recent report lays a ton of claims out there. The Daily Beast posted a lengthy story about Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner allegedly threatening a female filmmaker.
Other details from the report include the MCU actor threatening to “call ICE” on Yi Zhou according to her social media. The Daily Mail also interviewed the 37-year-old filmmaker about her alleged dating history with Renner. She says that he sent “unsolicited pornographic images of himself” in some Instagram posts this week.
In The Daily Beast’s account of the events, Zhou said that she was dating Renner previously. She alleges that during the period they were making a documentary and an animated film together, the relationship began. The filmmaker told The Daily Beast that he introduced himself over WhatsApp and things escalated from there. The Daily Mail says that they have screenshots of her alleged messages with Renner. There are alleged short porn video clips in those records from June too. During a meeting for Chronicles of Disney, Zhou says she feared for her life because of Renner’s temper.
On social media, Zhou wrote, “I’m worried for other women who will be victim and might have been victim being used as a sexual object, abused and destroyed in such a manner. Hollywood hides these men and bad behavior for the sake of money, but do we still need to be a silent victim in the post me 2 era? I thank the media reporters that reached out to me and are willing to support me unpack the truth we need to endure in today’s Hollywood, and help other women to tell the truth.”
The most shocking part of the reporting stems from claims that Jeremy Renner allegedly threatened to call ICE on Yi Zhou after she confronted him for not promoting their movie together. WhatsApp messages obtained by The Daily Mail have Renner allegedly responding “Immigration will be notified of your-” when she pressed him about sending lewd photos of himself in different apps. On social media, the filmmaker is posting all kinds of statements about Renner and about Hollywood in general. Representatives for the Marvel star have not responded to inquiries about the veracity of these claims.
Zhous posted on Instagram, “When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me.”
All of these allegations follow Renner’s legal history with his ex-wife. Sonni Pacheco also accused the Marvel star of abusive behavior. They were married for 10 months, beginning in 2014. Renner would deny those allegations in an interview with The Guardian. The Hawkeye actor currently shares joint custody of his daughter with Pacheco. This is a developing story.
(featured image: Disney+)
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The Mary Sue Staff
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Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps is finally out on digital and there’s a surprise waiting for fans who purchase a copy. The MCU’s introduction to these heroes is absolutely littered with references to the comics and details for eagle-eyed fans. But, the digital release has something really neat for viewers who stick through the end of the credits. And, it’s a surprise that people didn’t really get during opening weekend at the theater.
Fans on social media who picked up the digital release shared that there’s a secret QR code at the end of the movie. Inside the Future Foundation logo, after the credits roll, Marvel tucked in a secret message. It reads, “The Future Foundation extends its thanks” with a QR code attached. It’s interesting and completely unexpected after seeing the movie more than once!
By scanning the code and following that link, viewers are treated to a Future Foundation landing page with some free comics titles to sift through. Marvel calls them “additional materials” for Marvel Unlimited. This is a fun little bonus until The Fantastic Four return in Avengers: Doomsday next winter. These comics also cover a lot of the plot points presented in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. So, let’s dive in and discuss what we’ve found here!
Viewers got a taste of The Fantastic Four’s origins in the Marvel movie this summer. But, by scanning that QR code, they can read the comic that started it all. 1961’s first issue is even part of an homage to the team that played in the promotional material for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But, that’s just the intro to their larger adventures.
Issue #48 heralds the coming of Galactus. And here, the trilogy of issues gets its name for real. The Watcher is on-hand for the Marvel heroes facing their biggest threat yet. The Silver Surfer and Galactus appear first here in the pages of $48. This super family is going to have to find some way to defeat something beyond their comprehension.
Across the pages of The Fantastic Four #48-$50, the team figures out a way to drive back The Devourer of Worlds. And, as an added bonus, the Marvel Universe now has a Silver Surfer flying around to account for. This is the kind of grand storytelling that makes this era of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and more such a delight to read, even now!
Shalla-Bal in the new movie is inspired by Earth X’s take on The Silver Surfer. In the main universe, the tragic love of Norin Radd (Silver Surfer), but on an alternate Earth, a herald of Galactus herself. Julia Garner brings some icy intensity to Shalla-Bal’s plight in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Another big addition to these free comics is The Fantastic Four: Life Story. If you were going to pick one book that really helped form some of the tone for the Marvel movie, this would be a great pick. With all the retro-futurism about, it makes sense to use the Fantastic Four origin story most wedded to the 1960s. The gorgeous art is an added bonus too.
Maybe the most sneaky addition here is the first issue of Jonathan Hickman’s run with Marvel’s First Family. As The Multiverse Saga has lightly riffed on the storyline “Time Runs Out,” a Hickman product through and through, it’s good to see the moment that Reed Richards resolves to “Solve Everything” included for curious fans too. We see tinges of Mister Fantastic’s compulsive drive to perfect things here, but it can get much more dire!
(Photo Credit: Marvel Studios)
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Aaron Perine
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Even before its casting was officially unveiled, Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie was always poised to be a big deal. The First Family of Marvel Comics hasn’t had a movie since Fant4stic nearly a decade ago (despite Fox’s best attempts), and we’re also coming up on 20 years since the studios’ previous go with the 2000s movies. Those two films have an interesting place in the superhero movie canon, particularly since their Johnny Storm was Chris Evans, who went on to become Captain America for nearly a decade.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Joseph Quinn was asked about if any previous version of Johnny colored his approach to the character. While he was a fan of Evans’ portrayal back in the day, he’s chiefly concerned with “making it your own [version].” There’s “big boots to fill,” certainly, but he says discussions with director Matt Shakman made clear that this movie won’t be in conversation with earlier versions like the MCU Spider-Man movies are with their cinematic past. “There are aspects of it that are very much a singular thing and its own thing. […] I’m really looking forward to establishing this familial dynamic with [my costars] and with Matt Shakman’s guidance.”
From the stars to Shakman and writers Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, and Eric Pearson, everyone involved wants to “get [Fantastic Four] right,” continued Quinn. According to him, this new movie will feel different from earlier Marvel movies in ways he clearly can’t explain. But he was hopeful that the end result will be a movie that both does right by the Four and also converts anyone who’s had understandable burnout on superhero movies in the last few years.
In regards to fatigue, Quinn noted that superhero movies have to put the people before the punches and bombast, nothing it’s why people see these in the first place. That’s something Fantastic Four is aiming to deliver on, and something that sounds like the core ethos of the entire film: “We’re not just in a penny, “ he said, “we’re in for a pound with this one. We’re going to go for it.”
The Fantastic Four comes to theaters on July 25, 2025, but Quinn can be seen next in A Quiet Place: Day One on June 7.
[via Variety]
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Justin Carter
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So-called activist investor Nelson Peltz, who’s aiming to win two Disney board seats, has stirred up some controversy by calling out Disney’s recent era of “woke” strategy through diversifying its slate of films at Marvel Studios.
The 81-year-old businessman, whose experience is with food companies including Wendy’s and H.J. Heinz as well as having once supported the DeSantis presidential campaign, had a lot to say about The Marvels and Black Panther in an interview with the Financial Times. “Why do I have to have a Marvel [movie] that’s all women?” Peltz asked the publication. “Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?” Side note: Peltz happens to be the father of Nicola Peltz, who played Katara in 2010’s infamously very white Last Airbender adaptation.
He continued, “People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained. They don’t go to get a message.” Since he also claimed that he doesn’t have experience in media, it’s interesting to note that Peltz’s Trian Partners is pushing for this vote as part of Ike Perlmutter’s hopes for retaliation against Disney CEO Bob Iger, who terminated him from Marvel Entertainment last year. Variety reported that, “Trian controls roughly $3.5 billion worth of Disney stock, 79% of which is owned by Perlmutter.” This goes back to Perlmutter’s feud with Kevin Feige, who pushed for Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Perlmutter fought against diversity in Marvel’s slate until Iger stepped in to force his hand and allow the films to be made.
Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, starring the late Chadwick Boseman, was a hit with $1.35 billion at the worldwide box office; it kicked off the Academy Award-winning franchise and brought more inclusivity to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Proving Perlmutter wrong publicly while revealing the lengths the forner Marvel exec went to in order to stop diverse superhero toys, merch, and movies being made really propelled Feige into the public’s good graces. Recent misses for the studio including The Marvels have caused some Marvel watchers to wonder if Feige’s position should be called into question. When asked by the Financial Times if it should, Peltz responded, “I’m not ready to say that, but I question his record.”
Disney board member George Lucas recently stood up against Peltz by releasing a statement (reprinted in Variety and elsewhere) to support Bob Iger in rejecting his bid. “Creating magic is not for amateurs,” Lucas said in a shot right at Peltz, who also admitted to the Financial Times he’s been a bit of a bully. (“What sense is being a billionaire if you’re not a bully?” Peltz has been quoted as saying.) Which is such a strange stance to bring into Disney, standing directly against all it represents.
Lucas continued, “When I sold Lucasfilm just over a decade ago, I was delighted to become a Disney shareholder because of my longtime admiration for its iconic brand and Bob Iger’s leadership.” He added, “When Bob recently returned to the company during a difficult time, I was relieved. No one knows Disney better. I remain a significant shareholder because I have full faith and confidence in the power of Disney and Bob’s track record of driving long-term value. I have voted all of my shares for Disney’s 12 directors and urge other shareholders to do the same.”
Peltz aims to add more board seats for his hedge fund firm through his Disney bid and support the agenda that Ike Perlmutter, his silent third party partner, has advocated for during his Disney tenure. The Hollywood Reporter disclosed that Perlmutter had this up his sleeve as soon as he was terminated, as he immediately pledged his stakes in Disney to Peltz. Before Iger came back Peltz had attempted a proxy battle with the company as a result of its losses, but was held off by his return. With this seat bid he hopes for round two in having more direct influence on the company board.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Sabina Graves
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Every year, Marvel and DC commemorate June with covers and stories centered around its stable of LGBTQIA+ characters. That tradition continues this year, but in Marvel’s case, it’s been deflating thanks to the messaging getting fumbled pretty badly.
On March 21 (Thursday), Marvel revealed its list of books coming out in June. Most of them are tied to its upcoming Blood Hunt event, and several comics—X-Men #35, Amazing Spider-Man #52, Immortal Thor #12, and others—have “Pride Allies” variant covers. The titling would have you think that Marvel was celebrating Pride Month by focusing solely on allies—aka, “the straights”—of its LGBTQIA+ cast, which went about as well on social media as you’d expect.
Flash-forward to March 22 (Friday), where Marvel put out an announcement about the Pride variants: specifically, the eight covers (four each drawn by artists Betsy Cola and Davi Go) will pair an LGBTQIA+ hero with a prominent straight character (with the former getting primary focus) to “showcase both the spirit of Pride Month and exemplifying the importance of strong allyship.” You can see one such cover by Go below, which sees Northstar share the spotlight with Spider-Man.
On paper, there’s nothing wrong with this—DC’s doing the same thing with Batman and Nightwing, for instance, but these covers just have the standard “Pride” labeling. It also helps that DC got to control the narrative by revealing its Pride output before the solicits rather than the other way around. What’s more, these covers are boosted by another annual Pride anthology celebrating its own stable of LGBTQIA+ characters, along with an one-shot honoring the late Doom Patrol writer Rachel Pollack, who gave the publisher its first trans hero in Coagula.
Supeheroes and queerness have always been linked together—it’s part of why Robin exists. You can (and fans often do!) read A-listers like Spider-Man, Daredevil, et al as queer, either by pulling from scenes in comics or other versions of them found in movies and games. Giving these heroes the “allies” label complicates things even further. What was probably an earnest attempt to celebrate a demographic of Marvel’s audience now has a weird air over it, made worse by the fact that it came straight from the source.
Marvel’s Pride Allies covers will run from June 5 to June 26.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Justin Carter
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a weird phase right now, and no, I don’t mean Phase Five which began with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Over just a few short days, it became clear that the shared movie universe is undergoing a lot of change, and not for the best reasons. From actors to workers and even top leadership, Marvel’s going through it right now.
Marvel as a subset of Disney was just part of a huge set of layoffs earlier this week, with Mickey Mouse and friends slashing over 7000 jobs. Only the first wave of those cuts happened this week, and the final 7000 number is expected to come sometime in April. Company-wide, personnel is being dropped by one of the biggest corporations in the world, but even outside of egregious labor issues, Marvel has been dealing with a few more precise changes in its workforce.
Marvel recently fired Victoria Alonso, who AV Club describes as “one of the biggest architects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” having been with the connected universe project for over a decade before her leaving the company earlier in March. At the time of her departure, she was Marvel’s president of physical production, post-production, VFX and animation. According to a Variety report, this came as part of a joint decision between Disney’s human resources, legal department, and executives including but not limited to Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, reportedly didn’t intervene, and Alonso was “blindsided.” The entire situation is wading into legal territory. Disney says Alonso’s firing came as part of a breach of contract because of her production work on Argentina, 1985, a non-Disney film, though Alonso’s team claims she had permission to do so.
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On top of this, there seems to have been conflict between Alonso and Disney/Marvel in regards to queer issues within the company, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Alonso, who is gay, reportedly clashed over an issue where Disney wanted a scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania altered to blur out a shop window that included Pride memorabilia in Kuwait, which has anti-LGBTQ+ laws in place. This is after she publicly spoke out against then-CEO Bob Chapek at the GLAAD awards for Disney’s reaction to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and was told she would no longer be allowed to do press for Marvel. Attorney Patty Glaser, who is representing Alonso, released the following statement to Variety:
“The idea that Victoria was fired over a handful of press interviews relating to a personal passion project about human rights and democracy that was nominated for an Oscar and which she got Disney’s blessing to work on is absolutely ridiculous,” Glaser says. “Victoria, a gay Latina who had the courage to criticize Disney, was silenced. Then she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible. Disney and Marvel made a really poor decision that will have serious consequences. There is a lot more to this story and Victoria will be telling it shortly—in one forum or another.”
While Alonso’s influence on the MCU is significant and dates back to the earliest films like the original Iron Man, she’s also been named in ongoing reports about the dire state of the animation industry as reported by Vulture and allegedly blacklisted artists working on Marvel projects that she took issue with. In general, Marvel’s animation and VFX workers have been coming forward about apparent toxic work environments and unfair contracts while working on the studio’s projects. This has reportedly been especially difficult on Disney+ projects like She-Hulk, with smaller budgets and shorter turnaround times still expecting movie-quality work.
Read More: Let’s Rank All The Spider-Man Games, From Worst To Best
Another high-profile departure is that of Ike Perlmutter, who was let go from the company this week. Perlmutter has had a long, storied history with Marvel, including a stint on the board of directors (as well as the chairman of the board), working as the vice chairman of the company in the early 2000s, moving up to the chief executive officer position in 2005, then remaining the CEO after Disney acquired the comic company in 2009. He oversaw Marvel Studios up until 2015 while reportedly being very tight on production budgets and also claiming Black people “look the same” regarding Don Cheadle’s replacement of Terrence Howard as James Rhodes in the MCU. He operated as a chairman from 2017 until his eventual layoff.
While executive departures will have an effect on things down the line, the most immediate problem Marvel movies have to contend with is the ongoing domestic violence case against actor Jonathan Majors. The actor, who plays Kang the Conquerer most recently in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was arrested in Manhattan on assault, strangulation, and harassment charges. Majors’ legal team led by attorney Priya Chaudhry claims he’s innocent and released text messages allegedly sent by the victim in the case. The texts say this was “not an attack,” claim fault for the dispute because she was “trying to grab [Majors’] phone,” and disputed the strangulation charges. The alleged texts say the authorities were called due to the woman fainting, and that when there was a suspicion of a domestic dispute, Majors was arrested per mandatory arrest laws associated with domestic abuse cases in New York.
Majors’ future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unclear as the investigation is ongoing, but the U.S. Army has pulled ads featuring the actor until the investigation is complete. The reason this is so significant in Marvel’s view is Majors’ character, Kang the Conquerer, is essentially Marvel’s main villain right now. He’s only appeared in two projects thus far, one being the Loki Disney+ show, and the second being Quantumania. But the shared universe franchise is leading up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, both of which are set to feature Kang as the primary antagonist. He’s a Thanos-style character that Marvel can’t simply pluck from the story. Should the investigation lead to a guilty verdict, it’s likely Majors will be recast.
While all of these developments have happened for different reasons, whether that be corporate greed, office politics, and a domestic violence case, Marvel as a production is seeing some serious shake-ups right now. Not all of it seems to be of the company’s volition, but things are changing for Marvel at a time when the brand has been losing a lot of its staying power. Quantumania is the last movie Marvel released in theaters, and it was one of the series’ most poorly received and is sitting at a 47 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While Marvel movies still make more money than you or I will ever see in a room at once, the franchise has been trending somewhat downward at the box office. Quantumania still made $470 million in its theatrical run, but that’s significantly lower than Ant-Man and the Wasp made in 2018, which was around $623 million. Several Marvel movies have made below the half-a-billion mark in recent years, such as Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Black Widow is one of the lowest-performing movies in the franchise’s lifetime with $379 million but was notably hindered by the covid-19 pandemic making fewer people willing to head out to theaters in 2021. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did manage to bring in over $859 million, but that was even down from the original’s $1 billion.
It’s unclear what, if any, changes this might bring to the franchise, but figureheads and workers that have been with the brand for a long time are gone. Reading over it all now, ultimately, I sympathize most with the workers who were subject to the layoffs. Alonso and Perlmutter will be fine, but the people who worked (and apparently suffered) under them are in a much worse position.
We’ve reached out to Marvel, Majors, and Alonso for comment on this story and will update it should we hear back.
Update: This piece has been updated with information about Alonso’s reported disputes with Disney regarding queer content in its movies.
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Kenneth Shepard
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Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is on the horizon, and it looks like we’re going to get plenty of the brash fan-favorite character Rocket Raccoon. But while more Rocket is always welcome in our lives, the shots we see of him in the trailer are a little disturbing. Is Rocket going to die in the new Guardians movie? Will any of us survive if he doesn’t make it? How are we going to deal with any more bad stuff happening to this little king?
Here’s everything we know so far!
The trailer makes it clear that we’ll be getting a lot of Rocket in this movie. We see him as a baby in a cage, shrinking back in fear as a hand reaches in to grab him. We see him hugging an otter, who’s known as Lady Lylla in the comics.
But then things seem to take a turn for Rocket. He tells Peter he’s “done running,” and then we see him lying on the ground, wounded. As he lies there, he says, “We’ll all fly away together one last time, into the forever, and beautiful sky.”
Then we see him standing somewhere new, without any armor on, surrounded by white light.
Rocket, no!! As our Rachel Leishman points out, one possible plot point in the movie could be Rocket falling in love with Lylla, but then sacrificing himself to save the rest of the team. However, other fans are speculating that he could have a close brush with death, but then ride off with Lylla into the interstellar sunset.
What’s important to remember is that Marvel loves to use their trailers to throw us off the scent. They edit footage in misleading ways, and even include footage that isn’t in the actual movie. Remember when we were all freaking out because it looked like Thor might die in Thor: Love and Thunder? Maybe Marvel won’t throw our hearts out the airlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
But then again, this is the last film in the Guardians series, so who knows what dramatic stuff could happen? The trailer is definitely hinting that someone won’t make it out alive. The movie comes out on May 5, 2023, so even if Rocket survives, get ready to ugly cry in the theater.
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)
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Julia Glassman
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While Pom Klementieff’s Mantis has appeared in a number of Marvel titles at this point, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn has called the Holiday Special her “true debut” in a tweet thanking early reviews on its day of release (November 25).
“Thanks to the early reviews loving the #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial. I’m especially grateful for all the raves about @PomKlementieff’s performance as Mantis,” the director wrote. “This is Mantis’ true debut as her full-fledged self in the MCU, out of the background & out of the shadow of Ego.”
Indeed, this is the first time that Mantis’ character hasn’t been overshadowed by a universe-ending threat or an overbearing slave master who makes up an entire planet. While Mantis and Draz have been fan favorites, both of them do seem have taken the backseat in the Guardians group, with Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and even Groot getting more screentime to flesh out their characters.
By comparison, Mantis has previously been there primarily as comic relief, riffing with Drax in an endearing way but that wasn’t often central to the plot. In the Holiday Special, without giving away any spoilers, Mantis steps up to the plate, given the room to shine outside of a dramatic, world-ending battle.
The Holiday Special sets up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, according to a previous statement from Gunn, so this could mean that we can expect to see more of Mantis in future films, particularly with this glowing endorsement from the director.
(featured image: Netflix)
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Rachael Davies
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MCU fans are returning to Wakanda for the first time since Avengers: Infinity War, to join the fictional African country in honoring the death of Chadwick Boseman, aka King T’Challa. The mantle of the Black Panther will pass on in this film to continue the story but there’s enough returning cast to maintain a cohesive story between the first and second movies.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be available to watch in cinemas next week, with Ryan Coogler returning as writer-director. Other returning stars included Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, and Daniel Kaluuya.
Another returning element is the phrase ‘Wakanda Forever’. The name of the sequel is referenced in the first movie – but what does it actually mean? Here’s what you need to know.
The title of the film is a play on the salute and chant used by the citizens of Wakanda, the MCU’s fictional African country where vibranium is mined. Many fans of the first Black Panther film adopted the salute themselves back in 2018, crossing their arms across their chest and bowing their heads while saying the phrase.
The gesture is also used as a greeting by Wakandans, as well as a symbol of utmost respect and a war cry. T’Challa yells it to encourage his army into action against Thanos’ army in the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War.
Wakanda Forever signifies longevity and meaning well beyond the framework of the first film, while also becoming a symbol for Black pride in real life. As such, the title Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is also testament to the lasting legacy of the first film and Boseman himself, as the first Black MCU lead.
While Boseman cannot continue in his role, he undoubtedly changed the MCU and cemented his place in its history for good. The story may shift away from King T’Challa but in keeping ‘Wakanda Forever’ in the title, it highlights the ongoing connection to the first film and the impact that Boseman and his character had on the franchise.
Ultimately, putting ‘Wakanda Forever’ in the title of the sequel highlights that Wakanda as a people and as a representation of Black identity and power is here to stay, even if the titular character has changed. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to further explore the society of Wakanda and the royal family reside, demonstrating there is still plenty more to discover.
(featured image: Disney)
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Rachael Davies
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