MarvelBlog News for May 3, 2021
Did you have questions about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s season (series?) finale?
The show’s producers answered one that has bugged a lot of people.
Photo: Disney
This past week, we also learned about a “new” villain who may threaten The Avengers in the coming years. It’s a weirdly Spider-Man intensive MarvelBlog News!
Where Was Spider-Man?
When you think about New York City, several Marvel characters spring to mind.
Photo: Netflix/Marvel
Daredevil lives in Hell’s Kitchen, Luke Cage protects Harlem, and Steve Rogers is Brooklyn through and through.
Well, Daredevil and Luke Cage haven’t officially arrived in the MCU yet, as Netflix shows don’t count…yet.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Meanwhile, Rogers has circled back to the 1930s to dance with his girl, Peggy Carter.
So, none of them should appear at a pivotal moment in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when terrorism occurs in the Big Apple.
Photo: Marvel
However, one other MCU Avenger lives in Queens, which caused some critics to vent about the setting for the show’s final battle.
Fans loudly wondered why Peter Parker didn’t appear when the Flag-Smashers attacked Gotham.
The producers have heard those complaints and felt compelled to explain what happened.
Now, the honest answer here is that Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man, which causes hiccups with any usage of the character.
The stated reason is something else, though. In fact, it’s quite surprising.
Showrunner Malcolm Spellman initially planned to use Spider-Man in the episode! Then, he ran the idea up the flagpole to his bosses.
Kevin Feige and others felt that Spellman’s idea called for cameos merely for the sake of cameos.
Photo: IMDb
Doctor Strange, who also lives in New York, may have been under consideration as well.
However, Marvel doesn’t want cheap tricks with its programming.
Photo: Marvel
The company requires a reason for using characters, and Spellman didn’t have one for Spider-Man. So, the idea fell by the wayside.
If Spider-Man had appeared on a Disney+ show, that would have definitely broken the internet, though.
Speaking of Spider-Man
Instead of news, let’s continue with the Spider-Man discussion for a bit.
Who would you say is the most famous villain in Spidey’s rogues’ gallery? It’s the Green Goblin, right?
Photo: Marvel
Norman Osborn has tormented Peter Parker for the poor kid’s entire life. In the Spider-Man film franchise, Osborn dies right in front of the teenager.
The dying man asks that Parker keep his secret from Harry Osborn, Norman’s son and Peter’s best friend.
Sadly, the Webslinger’s agreeing to this deal leads to later unpleasantness, as Osborn turns into the Green Goblin, too.
Photo: Marvel
The entire Spider-Man franchise has hinged on this dynamic for many years now, and Marvel wants to bring it into the MCU.
A recent rumor from The Hashtag Show, a site I mentioned a couple of updates ago, hints at the future of Norman Osborn.
Photo: Looper
Apparently, the character will debut in the MCU for use as a foe of Spider-Man and The Avengers alike.
If you’ve watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you know that one character appears ready to join either the Thunderbolts or the Dark Avengers.
Well, Osborn created the Dark Avengers in the comics. The amoral businessperson builds an Iron Man suit that displays Captain America’s colors.
Photo: Hobby Consolas
This premise shocked comic book fans and led to a four-year run of Dark Avengers, with the series briefly usurping Thunderbolts.
For this reason, any mention of a Thunderbolts TV show or movie must allow for the possibility of Dark Avengers and vice versa.
Photo: The Cinema Spot
Why Would Marvel Value Norman Osborn So Much?
The comic book series known as Siege could turn into the focus of upcoming Avengers storylines because the premise works so well.
Evil versions of established Avengers take on those roles for a while, causing confusion about who the heroes and villains actually are.
Photo: IGN Espana
Moonstone turns into an evil Ms. Marvel, while Bullseye replaces Hawkeye, and Venom replaces Spider-Man. It’s pretty messed up.
You can understand the appeal of this premise. Marvel could feasibly tell mirror universe stories of its established heroes.
Photo: Marvel Studios
The pieces tie together nicely, and The Hashtag Show suggests that Osborn could even appear in a post-credit scene for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In fact, speculation has centered on a phone call that the Power Broker made at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The person on the other end could be Osborn. Yes, that’s a wild guess as much as anything, but Osborn checks several boxes as a big bad.
Photo: Marvel
The character shares a familial relationship with a current Avenger. Also, he’s the evil equivalent of Tony Stark.
With Stark Enterprises set back by the loss of its namesake, could Oscorp ascend as a corporate power?
Photo: Disney/Marvel
The premise makes sense. Also, having The Avengers battle the Dark Avengers seems like a plausible follow-up to Thanos.
So, I fully expect that Osborn will arrive in the MCU, possibly even by the end of 2021.
Photo: Marvel
The only question is how significant a role he’ll play over the next few years. The betting money’s on “a huge one.”
Marvel Miscellany
I resisted the temptation to talk about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier last week for fear of accidentally ruining any of the finale for you.
Photo: MARVEL STUDIOS: ASSEMBLED
Now that the show is over, I can tell you that ratings have been tremendous. In fact, the show did something remarkable.
For the week of March 22nd through March 28th, it was the number one original streaming program, according to Nielsen.
Art by Salvador Anguiano. Photo: Marvel Studios
The following week, March 29th through April 4th, the Disney+ series fell to second place. However, it kept the same viewing total.
Each week, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier earned 628 million minutes of viewing.
Photo: SzarkaArt/Marvel
The only difference is that a Netflix show narrowly beat it the second week with 643 million minutes.
Overall, we know the range for Marvel’s latest show. It’s a hit and has outperformed WandaVision thus far.
I suspect that’ll change the next two weeks, but it’s still extremely impressive. Unfortunately, we must wait until June 11th for the next MCU series.
Photo: Biography Tribune
However, we have learned that another actor, Killian Scott, has joined the cast of a future project, Secret Invasion.
The actor, best known for The Commuter and Ripper Street, adds to a ridiculous cast, including Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, and Olivia Colman.
Photo: Marvel
In MCU-adjacent news, Sony pushed back Morbius another week.
The antihero comic book film absolutely will come out in theaters on January 28th, 2022…and this time, Sony pinky swears!
Photo: Marvel
Finally, in a story I’ll discuss more next time, Ironheart has chosen its head writer.
The upcoming series will star Dominique Thorn, but the words will come from Chinaka Hodge.
Photo: Marvel Comics
She’s currently a staff writer for Snowpiercer, where she joins her former (current?) bandmate, Daveed Diggs.
Is Diggs coming to the MCU soon? We can all hope!
