MarvelBlog News for April 18th, 2022
This week, we learned Ms. Marvel’s powers, She-Hulk’s updated release, and the time placement of Moon Knight on this installment of MarvelBlog News.
What Can Khan Do?
Source: Marvel Studios
This edition of MarvelBlog News starts with the reality that internet has waged war since the announcement of Ms. Marvel. Fans drew lines in the sand regarding Kamala Khan’s powers.
After all, in the comics, Khan discovers her powers during the Inhumanity story arc. Yes, she’s an Inhuman. No, the MCU doesn’t have those.
You may recall that Marvel television shows claimed the rights to the Inhumans after Ike Perlmutter and Disney had a falling out.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast several Inhumans. Also, nobody remembers it, but there was an abomination of a series named Inhumans as well.
The Disney+ MCU shows don’t utilize Inhumans to avoid the matter entirely. For this reason, everyone wondered how Kamala Khan would develop her superhero abilities.
The trailer for Ms. Marvel suggested that she would wield some sort of cosmic power.
Source: Marvel Studios
Also, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that she was wearing unique bangles while fighting. So yes, we’ve got a Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings scenario here.
Khan finds some bangles which provide her with two abilities: she possesses “cosmic superstrength” and the “ability to manifest purple crystals.”
The trailer shows Khan using the latter skill in a manner reminiscent of video games. She creates jumping blocks for herself, providing her access to almost anywhere.
Source: Marvel Studios
Now, we do have questions about whether the bangles provide Khan with all her power or if they accentuate pre-existing abilities. That’s something we likely won’t learn until the series begins.
However, the one thing that’s certain is that her abilities won’t stem from Terrigen Mist, the Inhuman power generator.
The She-Hulk Rumor
Source: Marvel
Okay, I want to emphasize that this next story counts as a rumor rather than a news update, at least for now. However, some sources I trust have all heard the same rumor, and it seems viable to the point of reliability enough for us to explore on this MarvelBlog News .
The special effects process for She-Hulk has proven more intensive than anyone could have expected. For this reason, She-Hulk may face an extended delay, possibly even until the end of 2022 or, in the worst case, the first quarter of 2023.
As I stated here on several occasions, Hollywood special effects teams have suffered a work crunch. The change to work from home has led to a creative reimagining of the entire industry.
Source: Marvel Studios
Unfortunately, the downside is that many SFX houses remain woefully understaffed. Demand vastly outweighs supply. I cannot recall whether I have mentioned the countless job postings in the industry, but it’s a thing.
In fact, one special effects company reached out to me not that long ago and asked me to amplify their hiring board. Unfortunately, the situation is that desperate.
Remembering this information, let’s circle back to She-Hulk. The plan calls for the character to appear with CGI virtually the entire time she’s onscreen.
Source: Marvel Studios
Let’s say that the show includes six episodes that are 40 minutes long each. That’s 240 minutes of CGI work, with each second requiring hundreds of labor hours.
Also, as a reminder, Disney is considering A-Force as a project with Jennifer Walters as the leader. That idea collapses if the She-Hulk TV series fails.
Source: Marvel
So, Disney must protect its new IP. But, conversely, the company hasn’t been forthcoming about its MCU releases anyway. We may not hear anything about this one for sure until the summer. Still, I don’t think you should expect it until November.
The Moon Knight Update
Source: Marvel Studios
Okay, this edition of MarvelBlog News won’t do any spoilers here, as I reserve those for the episode recaps. Still, we’re three weeks into Moon Knight, which means it’s halfway done.
The show hasn’t announced ratings yet, but Nielsen should do that in time for next week’s update. My understanding is that it’s performed exceptionally well. Something we possibly learned is that Marc Spector survived Thanos’ Snap. Attentive viewers noticed the date on Spector’s passport.
Presuming the information is accurate, Spector would have taken his passport picture after The Snap. However, I’m couching my language here for a reason. Everything about Moon Knight has remained secretive thus far.
Source: Marvel Studios
We have an unreliable narrator in play, and the start of episode three included the making of a fake passport.
So, I’m not necessarily buying what others are selling here. I’m not the only one, either. Here’s a tweet:
A lot of people have asked this, but I have no idea, sorry. We didn’t know when our show would debut in relation to their other shows and films, so the timeline was intentionally left vague.
— Jeremy Slater (@jerslater) April 8, 2022
Yeah, that person developed Moon Knight. If they don’t know, there’s not a definitive answer at the moment. I suspect they don’t want to give away any clues here rather than legitimately lack the information.
The reply does reflect the uncertainty throughout the MCU during the pandemic, though. With so many projects changing dates due to circumstances, Disney/Marvel probably loved the vagueness of Moon Knight.
Source: Marvel Studios
This show could fit anywhere in the timeline. Expect a retcon later if the series never fills in the blanks about the date.
I’ll add that the official Disney timeline lists the series as occurring a year after Hawkeye. I…don’t buy that. But we’ll see!
Marvel Miscellany
James Gunn was recently dodgy in replying to a question about the Ravagers returning to the MCU:
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1512516536531103745
I take this to mean that Disney has noticed how well Everything Everywhere All at Once has done this year and would like to bring Michelle Yeoh back.
Speaking of people Disney wants in the MCU, Andrew Lincoln of The Walking Dead has friends all over Atlanta, the de facto home city of Marvel productions. As such, his joining Marvel has always appeared inevitable to me. Sure enough, new rumors suggest that he’s doing just that.
The timing makes sense, given that the main Walking Dead series has ended, and his planned spinoff movie got delayed. Lincoln hasn’t worked on Walking Dead in nearly four years, giving him plenty of time to unwind before taking on new projects. I think there are teeth to this rumor.
Source: Marvel Studios
Speaking of Atlanta filming, a different film’s scheduling suggests that Captain America 4 won’t go into production this summer as planned.
Finally, I always take these things with a grain of salt, but…
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER test screened internally not too long ago and people LOVED it. pic.twitter.com/tjtKvwGQMN
— BSL (@bigscreenleaks) April 9, 2022
That’s it for this edition of MarvelBlog News, have an awesome week everyone!
