What is the update on Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
Not too much has been revealed about Sony Pictures Animation‘s third Spider-Man at this point in time; however, a recent update reveals that this movie will be making a big change from the first two.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony’s Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville said that, for the first time in the franchise, they’ve brought a live-action DP, Alice Brooks, to direct the camera in a way the franchise hasn’t done before.
Belson said when asked if working on Beyond the Spider-Verse was as “straining” for animators as the reported work conditions of Across the Spider-Verse, “Nobody has to work on a show they don’t want to work on. Even though you’ll hear — whether it’s Spider-Verse or other shows — that people go through these really difficult crunch times, everybody wants to be on the most ambitious and most exciting shows.”
De Froberville added, “We made some changes to the pipeline to, not avoid — because Chris and Phil are always going to iterate late — but to lessen the amount of iteration on the back end. We brought on a live-action DP, Alice Brooks. She’s been directing camera in a way that we hadn’t done on Spider-Verse before. We’re in animation on Spider-Verse now. Because the directors and Chris and Phil have a chance to iterate so much early on while we’re in story, and truly visualize what it’s going look like by the time those sequences flow into the Imageworks pipeline, there’s way less changes.”
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is currently expected to be released on June 18, 2027, in the United States.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
Wonder Man is one of Marvel Studios’ most low-key and peculiar television experiments to date. Created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, the Disney+ miniseries follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an up-and-coming actor in Los Angeles whose biggest dream is not to save the world, but to book the lead role in a remake of his favorite childhood movie, Wonder Man. It’s a concept that immediately separates the show from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and yet, by the end of its run, it also feels emblematic of Marvel’s current creative malaise.
The opening episode sets the tone well. Simon lands a small role on American Horror Story, but loses the part after overanalyzing his character to the point that production is delayed. It’s a painfully relatable moment for anyone who has spent time in the entertainment industry, and the show smartly leans into that specificity. Dejected, Simon attends a screening of Midnight Cowboy, where he runs into Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the once-infamous actor behind the fake Mandarin persona in Iron Man 3. Trevor reveals that he’s auditioning for the Wonder Man remake — a revelation that sends Simon into a spiral, as Wonder Man is a film he watched with his father growing up. The role represents not just career success, but emotional closure and validation.
The central hook of the series is genuinely interesting: Simon is secretly superpowered, but enhanced individuals are banned from acting due to skyrocketing insurance costs. His goal, therefore, is to land the role of a lifetime without anyone discovering what he can do. It’s a clever inversion of the traditional superhero premise. Simon has no interest in vigilantism, crime-fighting, or public heroics. He simply wants to act. In a genre oversaturated with masked crusaders and multiversal stakes, Wonder Man earns points for attempting something smaller, quieter, and more human.
That relatability is clearly intentional. The series is designed to resonate with struggling actors — the constant self-tapes, the anxiety of distractions during auditions, the feeling that one missed opportunity could change everything. In that sense, Wonder Man often feels more like an industry satire or a backstage comedy-drama than a superhero show. It’s also notably light on action, which will either feel refreshing or disappointing depending on your expectations.
One of the undeniable highlights is Ben Kingsley’s return as Trevor Slattery. While Iron Man 3 was initially divisive, particularly due to its Mandarin twist, time has been kind to the film (I watch it every Christmas), and Kingsley’s performance has only grown in stature. Marvel clearly knows it struck gold with the character, bringing him back in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and now positioning him as the emotional counterweight to Simon. Trevor is once again chasing relevance, still clinging to his love of acting while carrying the baggage of his past mistakes. The dynamic between Kingsley and Abdul-Mateen is the heart of the show, and their evolving friendship gives Wonder Man its most effective moments.
There is some added tension courtesy of the Department of Damage Control, which pressures Trevor to spy on Simon without Simon’s knowledge. While this subplot adds a layer of intrigue, it never quite escalates into anything particularly gripping. That’s emblematic of the show as a whole: the ideas are solid, but rarely pushed far enough.
Tonally, Wonder Man aims for a low-stakes, ground-level superhero comedy, though it never commits fully to being laugh-out-loud funny. It isn’t trying as aggressively to be comedic as She-Hulk, and that restraint ultimately works in its favor. While the humor doesn’t always land, the show avoids the tonal whiplash and overindulgence that plagued some of Marvel’s recent TV efforts. There are flashes of screwball comedy and moments of genuine absurdity, but overall, the series elicits more mild smiles than big laughs.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II carries the show with ease. He brings warmth, insecurity, and quiet desperation to Simon Williams, making him an instantly sympathetic protagonist. You believe in his dream, even when the show itself struggles to elevate that dream into something dramatically compelling. Supporting characters, particularly Simon’s skeptical older brother, hint at deeper emotional conflict, but those threads are never explored with enough depth to truly resonate. The drama is present, but always feels slightly undercooked.
That sense of incompleteness defines Wonder Man. It’s not bad — far from it — but it’s also not exceptional. Everything is “fine.” The writing is competent. The performances are solid. The themes are clear. And yet, there’s always the feeling that the show is missing that one defining element that would justify its existence.
Compared to Marvel Television’s earlier highs like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Wonder Man feels slight. It also suffers from arriving at a time when Marvel’s output no longer feels essential. Once, every MCU project was framed as a must-see chapter in a larger narrative. Now, as the franchise slowly builds toward Avengers: Doomsday — with teases of Steve Rogers, Thor, the X-Men, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four — Wonder Man feels almost completely disconnected. It has no meaningful ties to the looming threat of Doctor Doom, and no impact on the broader MCU story. The main hook isn’t, “Will Simon Williams become the superhero he was meant to be?” It’s “Will Simon Williams become the Hollywood star he’s dreamed of?”
As a result, the series comes across as disposable streaming content designed to pass the time rather than move the franchise forward. Diehard Marvel fans will watch it out of obligation. Casual viewers can easily skip it without missing anything important. Ultimately, Wonder Man is a show that actors might deeply relate to, but one that general audiences will likely forget. In a crowded landscape of superhero content and prestige television, “decent” simply isn’t enough anymore, but it’s undeniably easy to watch, and occasionally charming.
SCORE: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received screeners for our Wonder Man review.
Marvel Phase 7 may already be quietly taking shape. A new report suggests a long-absent MCU hero could be gearing up to return in a major ensemble project tied to the long-rumored Midnight Sons movie.
Moon Knight to play a major role in rumored Midnight Sons movie
While never officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, the Midnight Sons movie has accumulated substantial rumors since whispers of its development began in 2022. The latest update comes from MyTimeToShineHello, who tweeted, “Moon Knight will have a main role in Midnight Sons.”
The claim has fueled renewed interest in the character’s MCU future, especially since Moon Knight Season 2 remains unconfirmed and there has been no indication of the character appearing in Avengers 5 or Avengers 6. As a result, Midnight Sons increasingly appears to be the most logical continuation of Moon Knight’s story.
Momentum around Midnight Sons intensified following a reported update on Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot. Industry insider Jeff Sneider revealed on The Hot Mic podcast that the solo Blade film announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 may no longer be moving forward.
During the discussion, Sneider said, “Blade is dead,” later clarifying that the information was “a rumor.” He then added, “I’m hearing Blade is dead and that it is a Midnight Sons movie. He will not be introduced in a solo movie. He’ll be introduced in Midnight Sons.” The MCU already teased Blade with a voice cameo in the post-credits scene of Eternals. An alternate version of the character later appeared in Marvel Zombies.
Moon Knight debuted in his solo Disney+ series in 2022, with Oscar Isaac in the lead role. The character has yet to appear elsewhere in the MCU. With no confirmed follow-up project, the rumored Midnight Sons movie appears to be the most viable platform for his return in Marvel’s Phase 7.
As of writing, Marvel Studios has not officially confirmed Midnight Sons.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.
Marvel fans are all set to witness Doctor Doom vs Ultron in the new one-shot Doom 2099: Rage of Doom #1. Written by Frank Tieri in collaboration with Von Randal, the one-shot is a sequel to the former’s popular work, Doomed 2099. Moreover, the cover art for this one-shot is done by Junggeun Yoon, Derrick Chew, and Peach Momoko.
Doctor Doom vs. Ultron set up for Doom 2099: Rage of Doom
Two of Marvel’s biggest antagonists, Doctor Doom and Ultron, are all set to face off against each other in Doom 2099: Rage of Doom.
The one-shot is a sequel to the highly popular Doomed 2099. Tieri’s work is based on a future version of Doctor Doom, who goes on a quest to undo his cruel fate and travels to the present.
According to a report by ComicBookMovie.com, Tieri recently gave a press release in which he said, “Behold the battle of two of comics’ all-time greatest villains! After the shock ending to the last one-shot—that Doom 2099 was responsible for wiping out his timeline and all life on Earth—fans of that book were clamouring to find out how things got that way. Well, they need wonder no more because we reveal it here in Doom 2099: Rage of Doom #1. And we’ve brought none other than Mr. AI terror himself, Ultron, along for the human life-ending ride.”
The synopsis of the Doctor Doom vs Ultron reads, “Doctor Doom’s spell didn’t just annihilate his enemies – it wiped out all life on Earth, leaving even him to regret the cost. In the desolate future of DOOMED 2099, Doom discovers Ultron’s buried head and risks everything to repair his time machine. But awakening a dangerously powerful machine intelligence invites new rebellion, and the path to redemption may demand a price even Doom never anticipated.”
Originally reported by Ishita Verma on SuperHeroHype.
Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday is currently in post-production. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, also known as the Russo Brothers, the movie will be released in United States theaters later this year. The sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, is scheduled for 2027.
Why do MCU fans think Sebastian Stan’s Bucky will die in Avengers: Doomsday?
It has been confirmed that Stan will reprise his MCU role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in Avengers: Doomsday, though whether or not he’s also part of the cast for Avengers: Secret Wars remains to be seen.
In light of the news that Stan is now in talks to play a character in Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2, also known as The Batman Part II, many Marvel fans are now convinced this means Bucky will die in Doomsday.
THE BATMAN PART II and AVENGERS: SECRET WARS will be shooting at the same time on different continents. I suddenly don’t love Bucky’s chances of surviving DOOMSDAY. https://t.co/w4TDiLIFIV
The logic behind this reasoning seems to be that Avengers: Secret Wars and The Batman 2 will be filming at the same time. While this very well may be true, it’s still entirely possible that Stan could appear in both films. Avengers: Doomsday, in comparison, began filming at the end of April 2024, and production lasted all the way to mid-September. The entire ensemble cast was not on set during that whole time, meaning Stan could theoretically do both projects.
For now, MCU fans will have to wait until December 18, 2026, to see who survives Doomsday and who doesn’t. Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027.
As for The Batman 2, that movie — which is part of Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga — is scheduled to be released between Doomsday and Secret Wars on October 1, 2027. Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, while Scarlett Johansson has also been cast in the film.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
James Marsden makes a fiery return as the comic book character Cyclops in the latest preview for Avengers: Doomsdayahead of the movie’s December theatrical release.
As the X-Men return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the teaser, which dropped on Tuesday, mostly features Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto in a somber dialogue about death. “The question is: Who would you be when you close your eyes?” Professor X questions at one point in the teaser.
Marsden appeared as the Marvel character in X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), though his character died in the latter film. Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in theaters Dec. 18.
“I’m getting a little long in the tooth to put on the superhero costume,” he said, laughing, in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I was excited because you’re a part of something gigantic. I’ve spent 20 years listening to people say, ‘When are you coming back? When are you coming back? Are you coming back?’ I’m dead. Well, maybe not. I’m going to have a tough time struggling to get into costume if they waited a couple more years. So it’s been a blast. It really has. It’s been a nice little homecoming to a role that really put me on the map. It was the first real event project that I was ever a part of, and a very beloved character, this icon from the comics. And so to step back into that role was pretty special.”
That will be preceded by the theatrical rerelease on Sept. 25 of Avengers: Endgame. Endgame was part of an epic story involving the villain Thanos and the culmination of Marvel’s phase three of its movie release slate.
A new year brings with it plenty of traditions, but one of the most threatening to our wallets each passing year is that, after months of relative peace and quiet, Lego just decides to put out tons of new sets every January 1. There are over 150 new sets hitting shelves today, so here’s our roundup of the biggest and best.
January is one of the most important release months for Lego, so it’s no surprise that we’re getting releases from practically every line the brick-builder makes sets for, from brands like Star Wars and Marvel to staples like the Architecture, Ideas, and Icons lines. There are plenty of heavy hitters all over, but of course, one big highlight is Lego marking the end of Stranger Things yesterday with its lavish new set based on the Creel estate—a big set among plenty of big sets landing today. Read on for our breakdown of all the big releases coming starting today!
Lego is getting a little late on the Crossworlds collab train with its latest Sonic sets (or is it just chasing after its own Mario Kart sets?), as Silver, Knuckles, and the main man all hit the road.
Lego Minecraft Sets
Minecraft‘s offerings this month include sets big and small, as well as a few fun non-traditional builds, like a display model of a pixelated fox and another small diorama replicating the many environments of the game’s biomes.
The Architecture line gets a bit clever with its latest diorama, an artsy wall-art-style rendition of the Parisian skyline, featuring notable highlights like Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, and more centered around the Eiffel Tower at its core. ($80, available here)
After many years away, Stranger Things Lego is back in style in time for the show’s final episode. Not only is there the lavish Creel House, packed with fun features and minifigures inspired by the final season of the show, but if you aren’t quite in the mood for such a pricey set, there’s also a new set of BrickHeadz figurines inspired by the last episodes.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Sets
After many a quiet month, the Marvel line is back in a big way this month with something touching every corner of the Marvel multiverse, from plenty of Spidey sets to movie stalwarts and a lavish new buildable Iron Man.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner now, so the latest addition to Lego’s vast array of community-supported sets is a perfectly fitting set of little birds nestled on a branch to gift to your loved one. ($50, available here)
Lego Ninjago Sets
The year 2026 is a big one for Ninjago, as it looks back on 15 years of sets with a nostalgic wave that mixes up sets inspired by the latest season of the Dragons Rising show and recreations of classic sets complete with special bonus anniversary minifigures.
We’ve finally reached a year with a Star Wars theatrical release on the way for the first time in almost seven years, so it’s unsurprising that the Mandoverse is firmly the focus of this new wave—but Grogu aside, there’s fodder from the prequels and sequels to go with it, including a new buildable BB-8 to celebrate 10 years since his debut in The Force Awakens.
The latest Lego Art set takes a bit of a sideways step away from replicating iconic artwork from history with this original piece inspired by Japanese spring, with an idyllic view of Mount Fuji and a small temple alongside a 3D waterfall seeping out of the frame. ($140, available here)
Lego Disney Sets
The theme of the latest Disney princess sets is not minidolls, but mini… minis: little chibi brick-built figurines that give the feeling of almost like a little vinyl toy compared to the BrickHeadz/Funko comparison. But aside from the world of princesses, there are a few highlights, like a new buildable Olaf.
Lego Speed Champions Sets
It’s not too often that Speed Champions dips into licensed genre collabs, but this month’s wave has not one, but two: for kids, there’s a Champions-scaled build of Cars‘ Lightning McQueen, while for the kids at heart, there’s the latest Lego spin on the iconic DeLorean from Back to the Future.
Lego’s latest wave of blind-box minifigures is perhaps somewhat controversial to anyone who dreaded the costume animal representation showing up as part of past waves… because this one is all about them. Fish, peacocks, monkeys, parrots, dogs, and dolphins, oh my—a veritable ark’s worth! ($5 per box, available here)
The New Year is here, and in a few weeks, so will Wonder Man. Marvel’s next TV series left its December 2025 for later this month, and a new trailer reminds you it’s not that far off, and finally establishes some big stakes.
Plot-wise, we’ve known Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is looking to book the title role in a superhero reboot of the old pulp movie Wonder Man. As the trailer says, he’s got a problem: he’s got superpowers, and he’s trying to hide them so they don’t hurt his chances of becoming a big-shot actor. His efforts to hide his secret leads him to former Mandarin Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), and it seems like things go well!…Right up until the point we see Damage Control out in LA and agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) calling Simon an “extraordinary threat.”
Previous trailers have played coy about what Simon can do, and this new one gives a deeper look at his power set, namely his super strength and a tease of his ionic powers. (How much of a handle he’s got on them, and how he got them, remains to be seen.) It also wants you to watch the show because of its big award-winning cast: along with namechecking Mateen II’s Emmy win and Kingsley’s Academy award, the trailer highlights Guldbagge Award winner Zlatko Burić, previously seen in Superman and here playing Von Kovak, director of the in-universe Wonder Man remake.
All episodes of Wonder Man will drop January 27 on Disney+.
Aside from a regular injection of heroes and villains from the Marvel multiverse, Rivals‘ cosmetic skins have been keeping the game fresh with riffs on iconic comic looks, homages to movies from the MCU (and beyond), and plenty of fun original ideas. But one of its most lavish skins yet is a wonderful merging of inventiveness and comics know-how to make one of the game’s most dastardly support heroes into a divine goddess.
After a few teases here and there in recent weeks, today NetEase revealed the first official look at one of its most fascinating ideas for a skin yet: a complete gender-swap take on Loki. Inspired by Lady Loki’s appearance after her post-Ragnarok rebirth in 2007’s Thor run, the new skin isn’t just a model change for Loki as he currently appears in-game; she comes with her own unique animations and voice acting, provided by Dan Da Dan‘s Abby Trott (who is already familiar to the Rivals community as the voice of Illyana Rasputina, aka Magik). On top of that, she has some fun, unique emote flourishes and the usual special MVP animation.
🐍 Lurking and ready to strike!
“The fates do have their little surprises, do they not? No less so for me than you, as my appearance gives stark testimony.”
Be reborn as a reckoning force and show the battlefield what true power is with the striking Lady Loki costume, first… pic.twitter.com/qkJtJ6jd3j
There have been plenty of Rivals skins in the past that have tweaked voice lines and sound effects already, and plenty that give some radical overhauls to the silhouette of a given character. And, of course, there have been plenty of skins covering all of Rivals‘ cast, male and female alike, with a bit of risque skin showing. But what makes Lady Loki stand out is what she represents in terms of completely gender-swapping the character, which Rivals hasn’t done before (outside of creative PC modders doing it themselves for fun, that is).
It opens a very interesting set of floodgates for what the game could do next in terms of similar skins for other members of its roster. Loki’s sibling Thor is an easy potential next step, of course, giving us a skin based on Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor. Even though they’re distinctly separate characters in the comics, the arrival of Deadpool to the game in the next few weeks could leave us open to a Gwenpool variant, or one of the many female Spider-heroes could become a stand-in for Peter. It doesn’t just have to be gender swaps but could even reflect shared identities and mantles like Jean Grey and Madelyne Pryor, skinning over Jean’s fiery phoenix abilities with the demonic powers of the Goblin Queen.
You can’t go too far with it, of course—otherwise you risk disappointing fans of characters who could be interesting mirrors to, or twists on, current members of the cast seeing their faves reduced to a skin rather than their own fleshed-out, unique member of the roster (no one would want to see She-Hulk, X-23, or Sam Wilson’s Cap not get their own unique selves alongside Bruce, Logan, and Steve, for example). But it’s still a fun new avenue for Rivals to start exploring, now that the seal on the proverbial Pandora’s box has been cracked open by Loki herself.
Lady Loki will grace Marvel Rivals starting January 1, purchasable throughout the month from the in-game store.
Marvel released a first look at the return of Thor in the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday.
The teaser trailer (below) focused on the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) follows the similarly sentimental first look at the return of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).
Here Thor is shown with his daughter (India Rose Hemsworth) and then praying to his father to protect him before, presumably, doing battle with Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) so he can return safely home to her.
“Lend me the strength of the all-fathers so that I may fight once more, defeat one more enemy and return home to her — not as a warrior, but as warmth, to teach her not battle, but stillness, the kind I never knew,” he says.
The Thor footage has been circulating online for days, however, having leaked from theatrical preview screenings.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo wrote on Instagram: “When even a god has to pray for strength.” The marks the return of RDJ to Marvel after famously played Tony Stark/Iron Man over the course of numerous MCU films. In Doomsday, however, he is playing classic villain Doctor Doom.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.
Get ready for a potentially busy time at theaters next year: both Dune: Part 3and Avengers: Doomsdayare coming December 18, 2026.
While the dates for these two films aren’t new, what is is that Dune, at least, is currently sticking to this date. According to reporter Jeff Sneider on a recent “Hot Mic” episode, Warner Bros. currently has no intention of delaying the film, and reporter Matt Belloni separately mentioned recently on his own podcast “The Town” that “neither of them” are budging on the date. Now that Doomsday has put out one of its four teasers for the general public, it’s looking like we’ll be getting another Barbenheimer-type phenomenon in “Dunesday“, as Marvel actor Simu Liu recently declared.
Avoiding whether Dunesday is another Barbenheimer in the making—it’s not, they’re two sides of the same coin where Barbie and Oppenheimerwere on different ends of the blockbuster spectrum—the big question is whether the two films will keep the same date or if one of them will budge. Admittedly, WB was the first studio to pin down a date for Dune: Part 3, and it’s certainly a gutsy move to put its young sci-fi franchise against the more established MCU. But as Sneider noted, first dibs on the release calendar may as well not matter in the court of public opinion—Avengers: Doomsday has teasers to hype up its incoming release, complete with a countdown timer, and Dune doesn’t even have a poster or anything to tease.
On the other hand, Disney’s had no problems moving around release dates for several Marvel movies, Doomsday included. Back when it was still subtitled Kang Dynasty, it was meant to come out this past May, and even after the retitling, it was kicked back to May 2026 before being pushed again to the current December slot. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if it had to be moved around once more, even if it’s weeks before Dune to steal some of its thunder. There’s a good chance either could move up, actually: aside from Spider-Man: No Way Home, MCU movies tend to stop at early November, while the Dune films have landed (or tried to) in September or October of their respective years.
At time of writing, Dune: Part 3 and Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18, 2026. Let us know which one you plan to see, if not both, or whichever one you think will get out of the other’s way.
Simu Liu took to Threads on Sunday to post a fiery message about the “backslide” of Asian representation in Hollywood. In the post, he included social media reports about Asian actors struggling to find fulfilling roles.
“Put some Asians in literally anything right now,” he wrote. “The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is fucking appalling. Studios think we are risky.”
Despite this perceived risk, Liu listed several films starring Asian actors that were critical successes, including “Minari,” “Farewell,” “Past Lives,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and his Marvel tentpole “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
He added, “Every single one a financial success. No Asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to 100 million dollars but a white dude will lose 200 million TWICE and roll right into the next tentpole lead. We’re fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it SUCKS.”
Liu has a history of being vocal on social media, especially when it comes to speaking out against right-leaning politics. He told Variety in a recent interview that he “should probably be more scared” of backlash, but his appetite to speak his mind and stand up for what he believes often overcomes his fears.
“I just feel like there’s something about the internet that makes people just crazy,” Liu said. “There’s something about the publicness of it and where people love being the guy to put someone else down [or] put an entire group of people down. I am so not for that energy.”
Everything old is new again: after living on a sentient island (and Mars) and splitting up into various teams around the country, the X-Men are coming back together to teach the next generation of mutants and be messy as hell.
Marvel recently announced X-Men United, which comes from Exceptional X-Men writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Tiago Palma (New Avengers). Not to be confused with the 2004 movie, the new ongoing series “forms the centerpoint of the mutant world,” said Marvel editor Tom Brevoort. Emma Frost has founded the new school Greymatter Lane, which aims to “take mutantkind to the next step in their evolution.” The school’s teachers include Wolverine, Magneto, and Rogue (and some non-mutant guest stars), and the location itself is meant as a hub where “all the major players of the X world will come together to fight, hook up and hash out their differences.”
Marvel considers United the flagship book of the X-books’ “Shadows of Tomorrow” initiative first announced during New York Comic-Con, and Ewing called the book “some of the most fun I’ve had writing comics ever. Greymatter Lane is so cool because the psychic space allows for things to be weirder and more surreal, while still building on the classic Xavier’s School energy we’ve all loved for decades.”
The X-Men are no stranger to schools, and the introduction of a new one sets the mutants up for their first MCU movie whenever that arrives. (Not to mention the X-veterans hitting the big screen again with these next two Avengers movies.) Hopefully Greymatter doesn’t get blown up as much as the Xavier Institute.
We’ll be going back to the world of Wakanda soon enough, as Ryan Coogler has announced Black Panther 3 as his next project.
During a panel for Sinners at Deadline’s Contenders Film event, the writer/director confirmed the threequel is “the next movie” on his schedule. “If it was anybody but you, I would say, ‘I can neither confirm nor deny.’ But we’re working on it hard.”
It’s never been a question of if Coogler would go back to Black Panther, but when: Marvel’s got quite a few heroes waiting on their sequels and have been MIA for a minute. Even so, the two Panther movies have done pretty well at the box office, and Shuri, M’Baku, and Namor are locked in for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. A third film was all but a given, especially after last November when Denzel Washington teased Coogler was eyeing him for a mystery role, something the director later confirmed.
Marvel previously laid some flags for unannounced MCU movies on its incoming schedule spanning the next few years, particularly four movies expected to land in 2028. We’ll see where Black Panther 3 ends up on the slate, and how it’ll be affected by whatever the Wakandans get mixed up in during Doomsday and Secret Wars. Until then, the first two films and the recent Eyes of Wakandaanimated miniseries are there to watch over on Disney+. But if you’d like some more Coogler, there’s always Sinnersand his upcoming take on The X-Files.
Elizabeth Olsen has addressed ongoing speculation about her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actress offered a lighthearted response when asked if fans will have to wait an “eternity” for Scarlet Witch’s return. She hinted that her comeback may depend on fan demand, sparking speculation about her character’s fate in the MCU.
Scarlet Witch’s Marvel return might need a fan petition, says Elizabeth Olsen
Elizabeth Olsen has hinted that her return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe could depend on fan demand. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, when asked if audiences would have to wait “an eternity” to see her reprise her role as Wanda Maximoff, the actress responded, “I mean, I don’t know. They might. Maybe they can petition.”
Olsen also addressed whether she would consider returning if it meant reuniting with her Agatha: Coven of Chaos co-star Aubrey Plaza. “I would love to. That would be so fun,” she said. The actress also added, “I’d love to be reunited with so many people. I mean Aubrey and I, our characters have never met in that world. But it would be so nice to be reunited with all those people.”
Olsen also explained that one of the advantages of being involved in a franchise is the chance to return to a familiar cast and crew. She said, “Its so nice being a part of a franchise, because you get to return, you get to go back to a family.”
The Marvel star has previously spoken about her attachment to the role. While promoting her film Eternity, she reflected on her Marvel journey, saying, “It is something that I love, and it’s something I always want to return to.” She added that there are still character arcs from the comics she hopes to bring to screen (via PEOPLE).
Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, was last seen in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where her fate appeared uncertain.
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on SuperHeroHype.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been delayed again. The project had already been pushed back in May from a planned 2025 release date to a rough early 2026 window. In a post on X today, Skydance Games said the title won’t be ready for even longer. “We’ve made the decision to shift our release window beyond 2026,” the statement reads.
Amy Hennig’s studio, which is part of Skydance, is the main driver of the project, which we know is a story-driven title with a quartet of Marvel characters in occupied Paris during World War II. Hennig was a core part of the creative team behind the Uncharted series, and was more recently a story consultant on Forspoken. She’s also been long tied to some mysterious Star Wars title, but that game has also been pretty light on details for a few years.
That’s two high-profile AAA delays in one afternoon. Fans worldwide will have to wait longer for the eventual arrival of Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar’s eventual mega-hit has been pushed to a November 19, 2026 launch date.
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* was released in United States theaters this past May. Directed by Jack Schreier, who is now helming Marvel’s X-Men movie, Thunderbolts* stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as Robert “Bob” Reynolds/Sentry, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, HannahJohn-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
What Oscars is the MCU Thunderbolts* movie campaigning for?
On Disney’s For Your Consideration page, it’s been announced that Thunderbolts* is campaigning for the Best Picture. If it were to win, the award would go to Kevin Feige.
Thunderbolts* is also campaigning for Best Director (Schreier), Best Actress (Pugh), Best Supporting Actor (Stan and Pullman), Best Supporting Actress (Louis-Dreyfus), Best Casting (Sarah Halley Finn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo), Best Cinematography (Andrew Droz Palermo), Best Costume Design (Sanja Hays), Best Film Editing (Angela Catanzaro and Harry Yoon), Best Makeup & Hairstyling (Kimberly Jones and Lane Friedman), Best Original Score (Son Lux), Best Production Design (Grace Run and Gene Serdena), Best Sound (Samson Neslund, Daniel Laurie, Onnalee Blank, Michael Semanick, and Chris Giles), and Best Visual Effects (Jake Morrions, Chad Wiebe, Mat Krentz, and Nikos Kalaitzidis).
The Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026, with the ceremony then being held on March 15, 2026.
At the same time, Marvel is trying to get Captain America: Brave New World some Oscars love, as that movie has been submitted for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.
Thunderbolts* is now streaming on Disney+.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
The first trailer for VisionQuest was shown at New York Comic Con.
VisionQuest, sometimes referred to as Vision Quest, is the forthcoming Marvel Television series arriving on Disney+ next year. Serving as a spin-off to WandaVision, the show is created by Terry Matalas and will once again see Paul Bettany reprise his role as Vision.
What happens in the VisionQuest trailer?
While the VisionQuest trailer that was shown at New York Comic Con hasn’t been released online, Variety has a description of the footage, which offers some insight as to what MCU fans can expect from the new show.
“The trailer showed Bettany back as White Vision from the ending of WandaVision, plus a regular-looking human version,” the article reads. “There was also human versions of Ultron, who was voiced by James Spader in the second Avengers movie, and the AI programs Jarvis, Friday, and Edith. At the end of the trailer, there was a brief shot of an adult Tommy, Vision, and Wanda’s son that appeared as a child in WandaVision.
“Vision Quest was described as the third part of a trilogy that included WandaVision and Agatha All Along. In the trailer, Bettany walks up to a white mansion and is greeted by human servants who are really just recreated AI programs. They include Jarvis, who was Tony Stark’s AI program that later became Vision; Friday, who replaced Jarvis and was the AI assistant to Stark and Spider-Man; and Edith, the AI program in Stark’s sunglasses from Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
In addition to Bettany and Spader, the cast of Marvel Studios’ VisionQuest includes Todd Stashwick as Paladin, Ruaridh Mollica as Thomas Shepherd, T’Na Miller as Jocasta, Emily Hampshire as Edith, Orla Brady as Friday, Faran Tahir as Raza, and more.
Marvel’s VisionQuest will premiere on the Disney+ streaming service in 2026, though an exact premiere date has not yet been set.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.
Here’s everything we learned about Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Zombies, The Punisher, and more at the 2025 New York Comic-Con.
Phase Zero’s Brandon Davis moderated the panel, which featured special guests including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Sir Ben Kingsley, Paul Bettany, and the head of Marvel Television, Brad Winterbaum.
The introduction, a video narrated by Mayor Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) himself, vaaaaaaguely teased the return of Mike Colter as Luke Cage and/or Power Man. However, it was only a tease. The Defenders aren’t all back yet.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2might get venomous…
An exclusive teaser gave fans in the convention center first look at Season 2 and the introduction of Gwen Stacy, symbiotes, more Harry and Nico, some more Doc Ock goodness, and the return of Daredevil.
X-Men ‘97 is going there with Jean and Scott
The new executive producers, who worked on the original animated series, are finally going to get to do a storyline from back in the day. That storyline? Jean Grey’s pregnancy. The exclusive Season 2 trailer teased Apocalypse, time travel, and Polaris.
Oh, and the show is returning for Season 3.
Daredevil: Born Again is assembling a team.
Yet another exclusive trailer showed Krysten Ritter’s triumphant return as Jessica Jones. There was also plenty of glimpses at Foggy (?), Bullseye, Karen, Mayor Fisk in the boxing ring, and a gleefully violent vibe. Cox and Ritter talked about their sibling vibe and natural friendship and chemistry. (Cox calls her character “JJ,” how cute is that?)
The ‘Wonder Man’ trailer promises some meta comedy and the return of a fan favorite.
The teaser, which you can watch above, sets up the premise of the series. It’s about Simon Williams starring in a reboot of Wonder Man, a fictional character within the MCU. Williams is not a superhero. He just plays one on TV. We see the director explain his vision over Zoom. We see some skeptical fans. There’s even, I think, a joke about Marvel’s silly working titles: the movie within the show shoots under the fake title Cash Grab 2. We see the nonconventional audition process as well as his dynamic with Trevor Slattery.
VisionQuest surprised the panel completely.
Finally, Bettany appeared on stage to talk about the third piece of the Wanda, Agatha, and Vision puzzle. He talked a bit about White Vision’s journey through memory (and lasers) and showed another exclusive teaser. We got a first look at Ruaridh Mollica as yet another mysterious teen. As many have expected the show will give us human versions of various MCU AI including:
Leah Marilla Thomas (she/her) is a contributor at The Mary Sue. She has been working in digital entertainment journalism since 2013, covering primarily television as well as film and live theatre. She’s been on the Marvel beat professionally since Daredevil was a Netflix series. (You might recognize her voice from the Newcomers: Marvel podcast). Outside of journalism, she is 50% Southerner, 50% New Englander, and 100% fangirl over everything from Lord of the Rings to stage lighting and comics about teenagers. She lives in New York City and can often be found in a park. She used to test toys for Hasbro. True story!
Season 1 did a Heat, will season 2 do an Irishman? Photo: Disney+/YouTube
Daredevil: Born Again was always set up to end in a cliffhanger. Good news, Disney decided to be kind and not leave you (and the residents of New York City) hanging. We already have confirmation from showrunner Dario Scardapene that we’re getting more Matt Murdock. Here’s everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
The official trailer for season two isn’t public yet, but we can hear about it — basically, the Matt Murdock experience. Krysten Ritter surprised the crowd and confirmed her return as Jessica Jones. But she wasn’t the only surprise in the trailer. Elden Henson is back (?) as Foggy Nelson (??) even though he died in the season 1 premiere (???). We need an explanation. While we wait, we can watch Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin enter his boxing era as he’s seen fighting someone in a boxing ring.
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ends with Kingpin and Mrs. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio and Ayelet Zurer) ruling over New York City under flimsy fascist pretexts. Timely! But Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) is back. AS is Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, a.k.a. Medium Pun, r.i.p. Big Pun (Jon Bernthal). Together they’ll fight the police state and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) will take back the city.
According to Disney+’s official MCU timeline, Daredevil: Born Again is a part of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is the most recent piece of MCU material released. Does that mean New York will still be under martial law during Thunderbolts*? Unclear. We do know that a Punisher special coming to Disney+ soon, co-written by Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green.
On Instagram, Scardapene let it be known that Daredevil: Born Again would come to Disney+ in March 2026. Just in time for Lent.
