If ‘Ironheart’ was a decently entertaining spin-off featuring the character of Riri Williams, a comic character who got her MCU big screen introduction in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ but got lost in the shuffle of that busy sequel, ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ goes further and broader in a way only animation can achieve.
This series presents as an anthology show set across different time periods, but is ultimately linked by the presence of the Hatut Zaraze –– the “War Dog” operatives who undertake special covert missions outside of Wakanda’s borders (you might recall Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia as one such agent in the original ‘Black Panther’.
The links go deeper than that, but we won’t spoil anything here.
Under the guidance of Harris (with Coogler on hand to offer input) and lead writer Geoffrey Thorne, the series is an entertaining, ambitious look at the War Dogs through different chunks of history, from ancient China to the battle of Troy.
While the stakes are high, the scripts are leavened with wit and lighter touches, and even offer an intriguing new avenue to one character whose legacy is not exactly beloved by Marvel fans. We won’t specify who exactly, but suffice to say they made their screen debut back in the Netflix days, and are presented in very different form here.
‘Eyes of Wakanda’s stories hang together well, and the battles features are exciting. The style of the show certainly fits with ‘Black Panther’s existing design framework and expands the look to include historical touches and inventive tech.
Highlights from the voice cast including Winnie Harlow as Noni, a rebellious former Dora Milaje whose mission is effectively her job interview for the War Dogs, and Cress Williams, who plays a few characters, with the focus on The Lion, a former Wakandan warrior who has turned to the life of a pirate.
Elsewhere, there is good work from the likes of Steve Toussaint and Jona Xiao –– but again, we can’t talk about her character.
Though the major link between the stories aren’t immediately apparent, there is enough connective tissue and watchability within the separate episodes to make them all worth watching.
You don’t really have to have seen anything beyond ‘Black Panther’ to enjoy it, and it’s a healthy dose of diversity within the MCU.
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What’s the plot of ‘Eyes of Wakanda’?
Follow the adventures of brave Wakandan warriors throughout history in this globe-trotting adventure where they must carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from the enemies of Wakanda.
They are the Hatut Zaraze and this is their story.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ launched to $118 at the domestic box office.
It notched the fourth-biggest box office launch so far this year.
Yet its initial figure was behind ‘Superman’s.
In the battle of the 2025 superhero blockbusters, it appears the Man of Steel is still the strongest. Still, despite opening slightly lower than James Gunn’s DC Studios launch, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe still got off to a strong start.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, which finally brings Marvel’s “First Family” into the MCU, made $118 million in its first weekend.
This latest Marvel effort stretched to $218M global opening, with $100 million from international markets..
The overseas debut is 13% ahead of ‘Thunderbolts*’, 11% ahead of ‘Superman’ and 4% above ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ and more importantly, ahead of projections.
For its part, ‘Superman’ has now topped the half-billion milestone, now at $502.7M worldwide, including $213.2M from international.
Now we’ll have to see how ‘Fantastic Four’ performs going forward. In its favor, it only really has ‘Superman’ as direct competition in terms of genre and audience for a few weeks.
What else happened at the box office this weekend?
‘Superman’ slipped to second place after two weeks at the top –– earning $24.9 million from 3,930 screens, a 57% decline from last weekend. The movie has generated $289.5 million domestically and $502.7 million globally.
Third place went to ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ which made $13 million from 3,550 venues in its fourth weekend.
The dinosaur outing has grossed $301 million in North America and $718 million globally, which is impressive, but still behind the other ‘Jurassic World’ franchise entries, which all crossed the $1 billion mark.
Fourth past the post was ‘F1′, the Brad Pitt-starring racing movie set in the world of Formula One.
It took $6.2 million in its fifth lap around the track. That’s a 37% decline from the previous weekend, bringing ticket sales to $165.6 million domestically and $509 million worldwide. Decent, but it carries a hefty $250 million plus budget and anyway, backers Apple are not so worried about theatrical returns as other companies.
Finally, Paramount’s animated musical ‘Smurfs’ rounded out the top five with $5.4 million from 3,504 venues, a 50% drop from its disappointing $11 million debut.
So far, the family film has earned $22.7 million at the domestic box office and $46 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $69 million. Not great!
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
Kevin Feige has given a wide-ranging interview about the state of Marvel.
He touched on the delays with ‘Blade’.
He also admitted that recent disappointments necessitated a change in thinking.
With the studio’s latest giant release –– and one of its biggest gambles in years on the way via ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, Marvel boss Kevin Feige took the opportunity to address some of the topics that have been floating around, including recent underperforming movies and TV series under the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his own future (spoiler alert: he aims to stick around!) and more.
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Among the other subjects? The long-gestating and troubled development of a new ‘Blade’ movie, and his team’s new seven-year plan for new movies and shows and whether we’ll see actors from end credits cameos in the future.
(Left) Mahershala Ali attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images. (Right) Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
Blade, the Daywalking half-human-half-vampire character most famously played by Wesley Snipes, was announced for a reboot back at 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con. Since then, it has been a drawn-out log of multiple script drafts, directors coming and going, different time periods considered and, all through it, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali staying attached to the lead role.
Here’s what Feige had to say about it:
“You can start and have a good script and make it a great script through production, but we didn’t feel confident we could do that on ‘Blade’. We didn’t want to do that to Mahershala and didn’t want to do that to us. we landed on modern day and that’s what we’re focusing on. We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on Mahershala and have him start killing vampires.”
Feige also joked that Ryan Coogler –– who is developing a third ‘Black Panther’ outing for the company –– added to the delay by utilizing some of the costumes the company had created for a Prohibition-era take on the story in his own recent hit, ‘Sinners’.
The executive also touched on complaints that the sheer output and deepened connectivity between the Disney+ MCU series and the big screen outings were feeling like homework and turning off viewers who hadn’t seen them, which in turn hurt the box office revenues of ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Thunderbolts*’:
“Some of them were still feeling the residual effects of that notion of, ‘I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is,’ I think if you actually saw the movie, that wouldn’t be the case, and we make the movie so that’s not the case. But I think we still have to make sure the audience understands that.”
According to Feige, the company has a seven-year plan to take it up to 2032, admitting that while he most much of it will stay on track, projects are on magnets on a board in a conference room so they can move around as necessary.
His answer wasn’t entirely convincing, but he took a stab at explaining the change:
“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades. Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang. And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before ‘Ant-Man 3’ even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”
What’s next for Marvel?
As mentioned, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ lands in theaters on Friday.
Given some recent big missteps, low box office returns for its movies and complaints about the interconnectedness of the Disney+ shows, the team behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe had its work cut out to prove that it still has what it takes to compete in the crowded comic book genre field.
Add to that the pressure to properly –– after two attempts of variable quality back when 20th Century Fox owned the rights –– introduce Marvel’s “First Family” to the MCU, and you have the recipe for one almighty stress headache.
Fortunately, in switching focus from an overloaded schedule and chaotically overstuffed character roster, the studio has found its feet again, with a movie that really works.
Taking Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s work as their inspiration, the various writers who contributed to ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (that would be Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and newcomer Ian Springer) have managed to find a tone and a style of a peppy, retro-futuristic vision that both pays tribute to the characters’ 1960s comics origins and also feels like a fresh approach unmoored (at least until the end) from the wider universe.
Keeping the focus on the leads and ditching a labored repeat of the Four’s origin story (we’re introduced to the characters having already been through their traumatic encounter with cosmic radiation, the backstory helpfully filled in via a TV show about them and montages) proves to be a strength of the new movie, allowing more time for the cast to shine.
Also, this feels like a more human group, foibles and all, even if they have superpowers.
In directing terms, this is the most confident that Marvel has been in years, ‘WandaVision’ veteran Matt Shakman delivering a movie that has the feeling of being finely tooled rather than slapped together to meet a release date deadline.
From the visuals, whose effects feel finished and work for the world the movie portrays to the performances, which all blend together, this is a truly solid effort from the company.
If there are issues to be found, it’s in the creeping influence of the wider Marvel storyline –– it’s hard to truly feel threat when you know that the main cast will be back in future movies. Yes, that’s part and parcel for introductions, and no-one truly expects the company to bring in some of its most famous icons only to slaughter them, but the tropes are tropes for a reason.
But the journey this story takes remains much more enjoyable than the clumsily drawn and edited exploits of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’.
You might be feeling Pedro Pascal overload right now given the sheer amount of recent roles and pop cultural dominance, but there’s no doubting the humanity and sensitivity he brings to super-genius Reed Richards. This is a hero who, despite his incredible smarts, isn’t always as sure of himself as he might be, and impending fatherhood weighs heavy on him.
Pascal is suitably smooth when needed, but enjoyably nerdy.
He plays well off of Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, who is better used than previous takes on the character and benefit from Kirby’s ability to bring life to a woman facing a big life change while embracing her abilities.
Joseph Quinn is an entertainingly endearing Johnny Storm, still a ladies’ man, but here much more well-rounded than the usual hunky version of the hero.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, helped by some excellent effects work, is a less tortured, more assured take on The Thing.
Around the leads, the world is filled out effectively by the threats: Ralph Ineson’s rumbling tones are put to good use as Galactus, while Julia Garner brings steely menace but also real heart to the role of Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer who heralds the arrival of her planet-munching master.
And the likes Mark Gatiss (as an enthusiastic TV host) and Paul Walter Hauser (as a fun, different take on Harvey Elder, the Mole Man of the comics), bring quality to smaller supporting roles.
Though the mid-credits scene feels the strain of setting up the next step in the Four’s adventures, it’s a minor issue for a movie that is well thought-out, purposefully designed and truly fun to watch.
If Marvel can keep up this level of quality over quantity going forward, the prospects are bright, as this is the most purely satisfying MCU effort since the heady days of ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
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What’s the story of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’?
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ introduces Marvel’s First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal…
Who is in the cast of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jake Schreier about the ‘Thunderbolts*’ digital release and his work on the film. The director discussed his initial pitch to Marvel, selecting the characters, the asterisk in the title, the ‘New Avengers’ reveal, the ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ cameo in the second end credit scene, deleted scenes, and Florence Pugh’s opening scene stunt, as well as addressing the rumors that he will direct the MCU’s upcoming new ‘X-Men’ movie.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
‘Thunderbolts*’ director Jake Schreier.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first meeting with Marvel Studios and the pitch that got you the job directing ‘Thunderbolts*’?
Jake Schreier: Well, know the pitching process at Marvel takes a long time. I think there were maybe seven meetings over the course of seven months. So, the first meeting was just me talking to Brian Chapek and just having a very loose conversation about the idea for the movie, which I thought was neat. Eric Pearson and he had come up with this great setup where it was about a set of contract killers being sent to kill each other and to be disposed as opposed to being put together in some sort of team, which was a neat slip on the expectation. I just talked about my favorite movies that related to that and that sense of tension and what you would want to bring to a movie like that. Then the conversation grew month after month. Each time I would bring something a little bit new. I like to pitch on things, show people, if we were already making the movie together, this is the sort of stuff that I would start doing. I think the second one is that I did make a kind of reference reel of movies. Not that the movie should be like this movie, but these are kind of moments of tension within other movies about groups of people that don’t trust each other, and how important that was to what we were building here. I think that included ‘Ronin’, and it included ‘Toy Story 3’, a very disparate group of movies and ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, all kinds of different stuff. Then at subsequent meetings, there was concept art for what the void could look like, and then a storyboard in certain sequences from the film. We had talked about the elevator sequence, this funny idea of if it was all about trust or a trust fall, if they must climb up back-to-back, which is an idea that Brian had, that was fun. I took that and storyboarded it just to show what that might feel like. So yeah, it was more of a long beat by beat process. I think, one thing about working at Marvel was, Kevin (Feige) always says, “Always be fussing.” The movie is never really done until they kind of pry it out of your hands and you must release it. You’re always looking to improve it. So, to some degree, it’s not so much about the specific pitch or everything kept changing after I came on board, but it’s about will this work out as a working relationship? Are the ideas flowing and will you push each other to make it better? It felt like Brian, and I worked so well together in this movie, and that felt like a really strong core to build from.
MF: Was the core cast of characters already selected when you came on board and were there characters you wanted to include but were unable to?
JS: They were mostly chosen. I attempted to give input, which was quickly shot down, which I think on the first one I was like, “What if Man-Thing was involved,” which has now been picked up by the internet as though that was ever going to happen, which it wasn’t. They quickly and politely were like, “He was in ‘Werewolf by Night’, which I didn’t know. So that didn’t happen. But then I think before I came on board, they added Robert Reynolds to the mix. That was the biggest change. Then once that was part of it, I mean even in our pitch conversation, everything really ran towards thinking about what it meant to have a character like Sentry and the Void in this movie, and how that tied into Yelena and what she’s going through, and how important that was to build that kind of connection and have that drive the story.
‘Thunderbolts*’ is available on digital now and 4K and Blu-ray on July 29th.
MF: Was the asterisk in the title your idea, and at what point was it decided that the team would really become the ‘New Avengers’?
JS: So, they were always introduced as the New Avengers. Even in the first draft that I read before I came on board. I did pitch the asterisk thing. I think in my last pitch meeting before I got the movie, but I did not expect it to be in the actual title. I thought, “Oh, maybe there could be a billboard somewhere with an asterisk, and they’ll say, “Until we come up with something better.” But yeah, I mean that was the fun thing about working with those guys, and everyone in marketing. They’re very open and collaborative, and they would take ideas like that and really run with them and put their own spin on it. There was just a lot of openness on this movie, I think, to kind of take risks and try to do something different.
MF: So, this was always going to be a ‘New Avengers’ movie, is that right?
JS: Yes, it was always ended. That moment was always baked in. I mean, at least from the time I met on it, that was always where the story landed.
MF: Did you feel added pressure knowing that this was secretly an ‘Avengers’ movie?
JS: I mean, look, there’s enough pressure on these movies no matter what you’re doing. I think obviously it meant that we felt we had to build a story that at one time was this kind of very different story within the MCU about different characters, but it did need in its own way to live up. It was never going to be at the scale of a normal ‘Avengers’ film. But to the legacy of these kinds of great movies that had been made in the MCU, that when you get to that moment, even if it’s through a route that you never expected, you can kind of splint. Even if at first, you’re like, “Wait, what?” You kind of think about it and you’re like, “Okay, no, maybe this could work.” Or at least I want to see them try and see what happens going forward.
MF: Can you talk about the second end-credit scene that teases ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’? What was your involvement in that scene and when and where was it shot?
JS: That was late. I mean, I was there, I went to London. So that’s on the set, I think of the new ‘Avengers’ movie (‘Avengers: Doomsday’) that the Russo’s are directing. I think that might’ve been, it was one of the first scenes they shot for it. So, the idea was going to be part of that movie, and then also our end credits scene. So, there were things that it kind of had to do for where our story went, but we also wanted it in a way to be this handoff. It was fun to watch them directed and directed in that context and have it been this sort of, leap of seeing. I think Florence said it was like “Being dropped off at school by your parent, and you look back and like, all right, we’ll have fun guys. Good luck out there. You’re in a new grade now.” So yeah, it was just fun to have everyone kind of collaborate on that and get to see them take that next step on their next journey.
MF: Will there be deleted scenes available on the digital and home entertainment releases, and if so, can you talk about why those scenes were ultimately cut?
JS: Yes. I mean, I must be honest, there’s not a lot that was left on the cutting room floor of this movie. There are little things that got cut out. In the edit, we trimmed things down, but it was more really kind of honing the scenes than it was dropping a lot of full scenes. At first, I was like, “I don’t want any deleted scenes.” Then they were like, “You have to have a few.” So, I put them in there. What I can say is that there’s a very extensive behind the scenes featurette, and a very funny gag reel, which mostly is just cute. But I think the behind-the-scenes stuff, again, we did so much practically on this movie and in camera, and practical effects and returning to this old school style of filmmaking. I think I had a lot of fun, and they really did a great job of capturing that stuff, getting to watch the way those things were put together. I think, again, it’s just a testament to how hard everyone works on these movies, and I think that is fun to see.
MF: I understand that Florence Pugh insisted on doing the stunt in the opening scene where she jumps off a skyscraper herself. Can you talk about working with her and the stunt team to make that possible?
JS: I mean, we had this idea for it, Lee Sung Jin, who wrote multiple drafts of the script, had written in this stunt. That was sort of our version of a Bond opening, but it’s more of an emotional stunt, in a way, where it’s like, it almost seems like it could be a suicide. Then it’s just her kind of malaise in her job, but it takes you into this real character beat that then becomes an action sequence. But again, it’s our spin on it, because it’s what the depressed spy would do. So, I think what was exciting about it was obviously the stunt itself and going somewhere and really doing something like that, because it’s Florence having this great acting beat at the start of that shot. In the same take, we watch her step off the second-tallest building in the world. So, she had to take that on because we can’t really ask her to do that. We could say it was an idea we had. We didn’t even know we were going to shoot it. She was like, “I love heights. Let’s do it.” So, through the whole production, it was kind of finding a place that would make sense. Then, Malaysia seemed promising, but Jason Tamez, our incredible line producer, had to do months of work to coordinate getting up there. Then I think it took three different engineering firms to sign off on the rig, and (Stunt Coordinator) Michael Huggins and our entire rigging team. I mean, the amount of trust that Florence had to have in our team, and you can see how much she trusts them. They are the best at what they do. I can’t believe she did that. Florence is amazing, but also the amount of coordination and work that it takes from everyone else involved to pull something like that off and to be able to stand by it and say, “We could do this.” Because again, at first, Disney Health and Safety quite reasonably just said, “No.” So, it took a lot of pushing and a lot of groundwork on everyone’s part to make it happen.
MF: Finally, there have been several online rumors recently that you will be directing the upcoming ‘X-Men’ movie that Marvel Studios is planning for after ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. Without confirming the rumors, do you have a particular take on those characters and is that a world you would be interested in exploring as a director if given the chance?
JS: I think just knowing the way the internet works, for right now, if it’s okay, I’m going to plead the fifth on that question. But I can say that I would be very excited. I had a great time working at Marvel, and I’d be very excited to work with them again.
A group of dangerous, unstable antiheroes and castoffs are set up on a doomed mission by a government operative (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), only to find themselves confronting a powerful new menace that threatens Earth.
Marvel’s TV output continues to be something of a mixed bag, though things have certainly taken an upturn with the likes of ‘Agatha All Along’ and ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’ Now here comes ‘Ironheart’ aiming to maintain that momentum, utilizing the Riri Williams character from the comics whose youthful genius rivals that of Tony Stark even if her bank balance and living situation certainly don’t.
The Williams character was a key component of Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, but couldn’t stop sometimes feeling like she was jammed in to add something else. And in her own show, she’s a definite highlight even if not everything about the limited series around her works as well.
The tone of ‘Ironheart’ can sometimes vary wildly, with some scenes feeling like they come from a gritty, emotional drama about grief, loss PTSD or crime and others looking to bring some wackier, Freeform-level comedy. They don’t always fit together as well as they might.
Still, the team has a clear handle on the Riri character, her desires, frustrations and trauma (her stepfather and best friend were shot dead in front of her), and they launch her on an entertaining new adventure, even managing to find rational reasons why she wouldn’t simply pick up the phone and ask for help from Shuri (Letitia Wright) and the Wakandans when things get thorny.
Riri’s interaction with the AI she accidentally created from a scan of her own brain, which is embodied in the form of her late friend Natalie, is always entertaining, the two written believably as best friends. Likewise, the moments with her mother Ronnie are also effective.
Also on the plus side is the Joe McGillicuddy character, a fun addition to the story who becomes something more –– and has a connection to someone that Riri admires that you might not see coming.
The villains are less well drawn –– Parker Robbins, AKA “The Hood” and his magic outfit can’t help but look like he’s cosplaying as Little Red Riding Hood sometimes, and the character, despite some much-needed depth in some family connections, is often written as one-note, and that note is B-flat.
Directors Samantha Bailey and Angela Barnes bring some varied styles to the show, but it works together as a whole. There are some well-conceived and realised action set pieces, especially one set at a high-tech greenhouse complex.
Dominique Thorne has put in some great performances in the past, including in ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ and brings real soul and depth to Riri. Given the space to explore the character without needing to be part of a bigger blockbuster tapestry, she’s always good here –– whether she’s having a quiet moment with friends or being badass.
Alden Ehrenreich is a highlight, his Joe character one of the more entertaining in the show. While he takes a slightly predictable turn later on, Ehrenreich keeps him entertaining and he plays well off of Thorne in moments such as the pair belting out an Alanis Morissette track or bonding over biotech.
Anthony Ramos struggles slightly with the big bad role, burdened by the fact that, for all of his inventive elements, Parker Robbins is a slightly dull dud as a character. Ramos plays him cool and composed, mostly staying away from campy villain tropes, but it doesn’t really register.
Lyric Ross is an energetic delight as Natalie –– or at least the AI drawn from Riri’s memories –– bringing needed energy to the series, but also a healthy dash of emotion that helps supplements our lead’s storyline.
Around Ramos is a varied bunch of criminals who are fine for what they need to be, but the group does rather waste the comic talents of Eric André as tech guru Stuart, who so desperately wants to be known as “Rampage”.
Finally, Anji White makes an impact in a smaller role as Riri’s mother, Ronnie Williams, a woman with her own grief, but also a deep amount of care for –– and no-nonsense attitude to –– her daughter.
Despite its tonal issues and a frankly unsatisfying final scene that falls into the Marvel trap of nodding to the future without really resolving the present, ‘Ironheart’ makes better use of the Riri Williams character than ‘Wakanda Forever’ ever could.
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What’s the plot of ‘Ironheart?
Set after the events of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Marvel Television’s ‘Ironheart’ pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) — a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world — returns to her hometown of Chicago.
Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, AKA “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).
(Left) Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios. (Right) Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal is boarding ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
Destin Daniel Cretton is directing.
Tom Holland is returning to star as the titular web-crawler.
This casting is a happy full circle moment for Holland and Bernthal; the duo were working on the 2017 movie Pilgrimage when preparing to audition for their Marvel roles, and helped each other with their audition tapes.
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Given that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
Here’s what Holland said to The Hollywood Reporter about the movie:
“The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why.”
What is that reason? It’s only known to those involved with the movie right now and soon to anyone who talks to Tom Holland if his talent for divulging spoilers accidentally continues to hold.
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Who else will appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Even with the spell affecting Peter, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still likely to return.
Yet with ‘Stranger Things’Sadie Sink’s casting earlier this year, that throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life?
Sink’s role is a mystery, one that Marvel and Sony will look to keep that way as long as possible.
But speculation has already begun, with a few potentials floating out there.
Sink could be playing Jean Grey, the hugely powerful mutant character from the ‘X-Men’ comics who has enjoyed a variety of storylines in the pages and on screens, including the memorable “Dark Phoenix” arc.
The X-Men, are, of course, the next big group for Marvel to incorporate into the MCU and we’ve already seen examples of them in the dimension-spanning likes of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’‘The Marvels’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ though none have been pointed up as the official versions of the characters to make the leap to Earth-616.
Using the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie to introduce one or more characters could work, as the Marvel team has a history of seeding new recruits in other movies.
But if the focus is more on Peter’s story, there’s a chance that Sink might be Gwen Stacey, another famous love interest for our hero, who has appeared in other Spider-stories. Another option is Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat.
And, of course, Sink’s red hair could make her a natural fit for classic Peter partner Mary Jane Watson, but with Zendaya’s MJ (albeit not using the same name) filling that role, it seems unlikely.
Elsewhere, ‘The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also scored a role in the movie, but her character is a mystery for now.
Bernthal has been the small-screen version of Marvel’s Frank Castle –– AKA vigilante character The Punisher –– since he showed up on the Netflix version of ‘Daredevil’ back in 2016.
Since then, he’s appeared in his own eponymous spin-off show, which ran on the streaming service between 2017 and 2019, then came a break until he was brought back in to the fold for this year’s Disney+ continuation series ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
The story is under wraps for now, here’s what Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, told EW about it:
“It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting.”
A bigger question for The Punisher in the world of Spider-Man is how his grittier, more violent tone will fit with the family friendlier feel of Spidey and co.
When will ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ be in theaters?
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ will swing into theaters on July 31st, 2026.
Thanks to some recent release date shuffles, the movie will be the next MCU entry to follow ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’, which lands on July 25th.
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Spider-Man Characters:
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther in 2018’s ‘Black Panther.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
Marvel Comics has revealed a new Black Panther named Ketema, who is T’Challa’s son and caucasian.
The story should not be adapted for the big screen for several reasons.
Ryan Gosling has been fan-cast, but he can (and should) play someone else in the MCU.
When Chadwick Boseman passed away, he left a hole in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, let’s be honest, likely no one will be able to fill. He perfectly embodied T’Challa in ‘Black Panther‘. He knew how to light up a room with his smile and laugh.
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There has been a lot of debate about whether the role should ever be recast or if there should be a new Black Panther altogether. For now, Shuri (Letitia Wright) has taken up the mantle, as fans saw in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘. She fit seamlessly into the story, and it makes all the sense in the world for her to continue representing Wakanda.
While many have been calling for a new Black Panther to step into the MCU, the recent Marvel Comics’ storyline is not the way to do it. Here’s why.
New Black Panther In Marvel Comics Explained
T’Challa’s son, Ketema. Photo: Marvel Comics.
In ‘Marvel Knights: The World To Come #1’ fans were introduced to a new Black Panther. Ketema is the son of T’Challa and Monica Lynne, or so it appears with panels flashing back to images of a pregnant Monica.
In the comic, T’Challa and Ketema engage in a tribal challenge, during which Ketema gets the upper hand on his father. When he takes off his mask, it is revealed that he is caucasian with blond hair. Both T’Challa and Monica are Black, leading readers to believe this cannot be the same child that Monica was pregnant with while married to T’Challa.
Is Ketema T’Challa’s biological son? Is he a son from a previous relationship with Nicole Adams, a caucasian woman T’Challa was involved with? There are a lot of questions, but not a lot of answers, as the limited series comic book run is just getting started. Over the next few month those answers will come, but in the meantime, this story does not come across as one that should be adapted for the big screen.
Why This Story Would Not Translate Well To The MCU
The first reason Marvel should choose not to adapt this storyline is probably the most obvious one. We already have a Black Panther in Shuri. Letitia Wright is confirmed to reprise her role as Shuri in ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ so it makes no sense for Marvel to replace her and bring in a new Black Panther. At least not yet. She has a lot more to give us.
We also already have another Black Panther lined up to take her place, when the time comes. In the post-credit scene for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ it is revealed that T’Challa had a son with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o). He is named Toussaint and he is being raised outside of Wakanda.
For Marvel to set a storyline up in a post-credit scene and then completely abandon it is not unheard of, but it would be particularly frustrating this time around. They cannot get away with never talking about him again, and if they do decide to retcon his part of the story, fans will likely be outraged. Rightfully so.
Realistically the studio can do whatever they want and claim that it works within the story because of how they have set themselves up. With the multiverse blown wide open, there is no reason they can’t have a new Black Panther step through a portal from another universe and try to take up the mantle.
That said, to do so would be extremely lazy writing. Even with the multiverse established, Marvel needs to stop relying on it to explain away situations. Viewers are getting sick of it, and for good reason. Surely this is how The Fantastic Four is going to enter the MCU. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is probably going to use that explination a lot, and honestly, that should be the last time Marvel leans on the multiverse for help.
Ryan Gosling Might Not Be The Next Black Panther, But He Should Join The MCU
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
With the reveal of the new Black Panther to be white, fans immediately started choosing their dream cast. Ryan Gosling ended up at the top of the list, unsurprisingly. Years ago there was a meme of him as Black Panther, now fans are hoping it will become a reality.
Rumors of Ryan Gosling joining the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ cast had already been circulating, making this casting even more likely. While he is an incredibly talented actor, and should absolutely join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are plenty of other roles he could take on.
Prior to Marvel Comics releasing this issue, many thought he had been offered the role of Ghost Rider. Not only does this seem like a much better fit for him, it would ensure that he could stick around for a while longer. If Marvel decides to adapt this version of Black Panther, the odds of that character continuing on the mantle for long is highly unlikely.
Nicolas Cage in 2007’s ‘Ghost Rider’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
As we said above, T’Challa’s son and heir to the throne has already been teased. Shuri is currently protecting Wakanda and does not appear to be stepping down any time soon. If Ketema was to come to the big screen, it would likely be as an antagonist for a third Black Panther film. Ryan Gosling would be such a great get for the MCU that it would be unlikely for them to use him in this way.
While there are many Marvel characters he would be great at playing, Ghost Rider is the perfect choice. Not only has he expressed interest in portraying the character, Ryan Gosling would be instantly believable as someone who is vengeful but just and often finds himself displaying empathy, despite his terrifying exterior.
Emily Hampshire is joining the ‘WandaVision’ spin-off focused on Vision.
She’ll play the AI tech system E.D.I.T.H. as seen in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’
Paul Bettany returns to star as Vision.
The cast continues to grow for Marvel’s second spin-off from successful original MCU Disney+ offering ‘WandaVision.’ Though the title has officially yet to be confirmed, we do know that it’ll be focused on Paul Bettany’s Vision following the events of the show.
According to both sources, Hampshire is aboard to play E.D.I.T.H., the sophisticated artificial intelligence (the name is an acronym for Even Dead, I’m The Hero), Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) augmented reality security and defense system.
In the MCU, E.D.I.T.H. was originally created by Stark and bequeathed to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) following Stark’s death and seen in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’ It provides access to Stark Industries’ global satellite network along with an arsenal of missiles and drones.
It remains to be seen how E.D.I.T.H. shows up in the series –– in the Spidey movie, the system was voiced by Dawn Michelle King, who served as first assistant editor and presumably was only going to serve as the initial version of the role, but was good enough that director Jon Watts kept her performance.
Hampshire’s casting, though, suggests we’re likely to see a humanoid version of the tech.
There are no concrete plot details about the new show yet, but back when it was first mooted, there was talk of the “White” Vision looking to reclaim his memories, in a continuation of his storyline.
After Vision died at the hands of Thanos in 2018’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ he returned twice over in 2021’s ‘WandaVision,’ first as a spectral creation by his beloved, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), through magic powered by grief; then as a rebuilt, nuts-and-bolts android with a ghost white appearance and zero memory of his past life.
When the two Visions battled in the ‘WandaVision’ finale, Wanda’s Vision restored the “ghost” Vision’s memories, then Wanda allowed her Vision to fade from existence. The new show will take place after those events, as ghost Vision presumably explores his new purpose in life.
Unlike last year’s ‘Agatha All Along’, (one of Marvel’s bigger successes in 2024) the new show is being handled by someone other than ‘WandaVision’ creator Jac Schaeffer.
Marvel has hired Terry Matalas, who has worked on shows such as ’12 Monkeys’, ‘Terra Nova’, but rose to acclaim thanks to his efforts overseeing ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3, which definitely pleased fans more than earlier seasons, to run the new ‘Vision’ series.
His work on ‘Picard’ certainly caught the attention of avowed ‘Trek’ fan Kevin Feige, and so Matalas now has the job. The only people who might be upset are those eagerly awaiting the much-talked-about ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ show seemingly set up by the finale of ‘Picard’.
Who else is in the ‘Vision’ series?
James Spader as voice of Ultron in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
So far, we’ve learned that James Spader, who played the rampaging AI who caused so much trouble for the Avengers in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and effectively created the original version of Vision, will once more be back in performance capture gear to play the speechifying villain.
Known for playing stern authoritarian types and generally grouchy personalities (witness his superbly sarcastic –– but ultimately heroic –– Captain Liam Shaw in ‘Picard’), Todd Stashwick will be an assassin who is on the trail of the android and the technology he possesses.
Faran Tahir will reprise the role of the villainous Raza, leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings who tried to kill Tony Stark in ‘Iron Man.’ Though quite how his connection to the Rings organization works in the wake of ‘Shang-Chi’ remains to be seen.
Then we have Ruaridh Mollica, who will play a character named Tucker.
And, most recently, ‘Foundation’s T’Nia Miller was added as Jocasta, described as cunning and vengeful, with a grudge against Ultron. In the comics, she is a robot Ultron builds to be his bride who eventually sides with the Avengers. We’d have to imagine that Matalas and his writers have some other ideas for her storyline in the show.
Where else have we seen Emily Hampshire?
(L to R) Sirena Gulamgaus, Emily Hampshire, and Enrico Colantoni in Caitlin Cronenberg’s ‘Humane.’ Courtesy of Robin Cymbaly. An IFC Films & Shudder Release.
Hampshire played Stevie Budd for the entire run of ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ scoring plenty of acclaim, including several Canadian acting awards.
But perhaps more pertinently for this series, she was also a key component of the cast for Matalas’ ‘12 Monkeys.’
Marvel has opted out of a Hall H panel at SDCC 2025
This decision doesn’t mean they don’t have confidence in upcoming projects
James Gunn’s DCU will likely be the big headliner
Marvel has announced that they will not be hosting a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025. After last year’s incredible line-up, this does not surprise me. While I still think it is possible for them to have a surprise screening of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘, just like they did for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ last year, their skipping out on a full panel this year makes perfect sense.
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Superhero fatigue is real. ‘Thunderbolts*’ is a great movie – audiences and critics agree – and yet it did not perform at the box office. It would not be smart for Marvel to spend a ton of money putting on a massive panel (because there is no point in doing one and not going all out) when they need to save all the pennies they can right now.
Marvel has three more projects left to release in 2025: ‘Ironheart‘, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, ‘Eyes of Wakanda‘, and ‘Wonder Man‘.
‘Ironheart’, which admittedly Marvel seems to be trying to make people forget about, will be all released by the time San Diego Comic-Con rolls around. The first three episodes come to Disney+ on June 24th, and the final three follow just a week later, on July 2nd. It has been a long time since viewers have seen Riri Williams, so this series needs to be good to make viewers care about her again.
In Marvel comics, she has a close relationship with Tony Stark. Of course, he is no longer alive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has some fans a little bit worried about how her story is going to play out. The trailer for the show looks great, but there will be no need to promote it at SDCC a couple of weeks after it is already streaming on Disney+.
The same can be said for ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, although it comes to theaters the week of SDCC, on July 25th. In 2024, Marvel hosted a “surprise” screening of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ on Thursday evening to celebrate its release that week. It is highly likely that they do the same with ‘First Steps’ this year. One would almost think that they had this planned all along, and that is why they like to take the release slot for the week of San Diego Comic-Con.
This saves them from having to pay for an entire panel, but they will still be able to promote their final big project of 2025. If they follow suit from last year, they just might have the cast in attendance as well.
The only 2025 projects that Marvel would be showcasing at a Hall H panel would be the upcoming animated show, ‘Eyes of Wakana’, and ‘Wonder Man’. While we have heard very little about both, there is no reason to save an entire Hall H panel for two projects, and streaming series at that.
‘Eyes of Wakanda’ is a four-episode series, which is premiering at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 9th. Since it will already be old news by the time SDCC comes around, even though the series comes to Disney+ in August, there is no need to do an entire panel just for a short animated series that, unfortunately, Marvel fans do not seem to care about too much anyway. ‘Wonder Man’ would be the only real draw and even that one fans seem to not be too excited for.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ was recently pushed from May 1, 2026, to December 18, 2026, which is a brilliant move for several reasons, including that the studio will not need to rush out a subpar movie and can take a little bit more time to ensure it has the same impact that ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ did.
During last year’s Marvel San Diego Comic-Con panel, they went all out for this film. Marvel invited out the Russo Brothers to tease the movie, but the biggest surprise was the reveal that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU, not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. It would be extremely difficult to top that, so why even try?
Filming is already underway in London for ‘Doomsday’ and is not expected to wrap until August. It would be disruptive for Marvel to shut down production (even for a day or two) in order to bring some of the cast to SDCC just for a photo opportunity and what would likely be a behind-the-scenes look at the movie. Add in the cost to fly talent back to the States for a quick appearance, the return on investment would simply not be worth it for Marvel.
Plus, now that it is releasing after San Diego Comic-Con 2026, they are likely going to wait until then to show off what they have come up with, while teasing ‘Avengers: Secret Wars‘ at the same time. It is the most logical decision for Marvel to make.
Will DC Take Over SDCC Hall H?
James Gunn at CinemaCon 2025. Photo: Warner Bros.
With Marvel out of the picture, San Diego Comic-Con is DC’s time to shine. While there is no official confirmation at the time of writing, there is a good chance that Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will take the stage at Hall H to share what they have in store for fans over the next couple of years.
It is well known that they have a detailed plan for the DC Universe, which kicks off on July 11th with ‘Superman‘. Sure, the movie will have been out for two weeks by SDCC, but this just means they can go into detail about all the characters that make appearances and their future projects. We already know that ‘Peacemaker‘ is heading to the convention. When confirming this on social media, James Gunn said that while he is focusing on the show, he will, of course, “talk about everything.”
It would make much more sense for DC to take advantage of Marvel skipping Hall H this year and host a large panel detailing the upcoming DCU slate. It would mean that they come out on top of the discussions that week, which would certainly not hurt, considering that ‘Superman’ will still be in theaters (and going up against the first week of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’).
Marvel might be skipping San Diego Comic-Con in 2025, but chances are, this means they are going to come with incredible announcements, first looks, and reveals in 2026. Their decision does not mean that they think any less of their upcoming projects; it actually makes a whole lot of sense. This also opens up a window for James Gunn and the DCU to step in and take over this year, which fans would love to see.
San Diego Comic-Con will take place at the San Diego Convention Center July 24th through 27th, 2025.
