MarvelBlog News for December 3rd, 2023

by David Mumpower · December 3, 2023

Bob Iger just made some interesting comments, as did Taika Waititi and Tom Holland.

Most importantly, Marvel has made the right hire for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Let’s discuss all the intrigue in MarvelBlog News.

From Loki to Kang

Victor Timely needs to go faster in Loki Season Two, Episode Six

Image: Marvel

There’s no rest for the weary, especially not when it comes to superheroes.

Michael Waldron is still in the middle of his victory lap for what he accomplished with the two seasons of Loki.

Marvel isn’t going to let the writer finish taking his bows, though.

Source: Marvel Studios

Instead, Kevin Feige has provided Waldron with his next assignment, and it’s a doozy.

Waldron is now in charge of the screenplay for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

I know that you have questions, but I’ll be blunt that we don’t have many answers yet.

Here’s what we do know. Waldron created the two seasons of Loki to bookend one another.

Loki started at one place as a recently deceased villain who viewed humans as insects.

After taking a long look in the mirror – and at several of his variants – Loki evolved into someone willing to sacrifice everything for humanity.

Loki tries to bend the Sacred Timeline to his will in Loki Season Two, Episode Six

Image: Marvel

While the failure of The Marvels muted some of the praise for Loki, many critics regard its season two finale as one of the high points of the MCU to date.

Waldron turned Loki into a hero – or possibly an antihero – by pitting him against an even scarier force, He Who Remains, the final Kang variant.

The two characters faced off at the end of season one and again in the climactic episode of season two.

Source: Marvel

So, who would be better to write an entire movie about Kang than Waldron?

That’s Marvel’s thinking here, and it’s not as big a risk as you might expect.

(L-R): Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

After all, Waldron has already written one successful Marvel movie, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which earned $956 million in box office.

Of course, Marvel expects much more from an Avengers movie. So, Feige has tasked Waldron with course-correcting the MCU.

What to Expect with The Kang Dynasty

Source: Marvel

Waldron will focus on the script, which was already a work in progress.

As a reminder, Jeff Lovegood just left the project as its writer, and Destin Daniel Cretton won’t direct the film, either.

So, Waldron is technically taking over for others, but he really has something of a clean slate here.

Source: Marvel

Marvel is currently awaiting the outcome of the Jonathan Majors trial, which started the other day.

In the interim, Waldron must create a screenplay that will conclude – or possibly elevate – the story of the Kang variants.

Presumably, he’ll set up another writer to complete the Multiversal Saga in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Source: Marvel

However, it’s equally possible that Waldron will work on both projects. After all, he is the hottest storyteller at Marvel right now.

Recent reports suggest that Doctor Doom will work as the backup plan if Marvel ditches Kang, although my understanding is that both will participate.

We should know more once the Majors trial ends. If he gets convicted, I just don’t think Marvel can stick with him. Should he win, well, who knows?

Iger Said What?

Source: Marvel

I have a dear friend who owns a comic book store, and he recently called on several of his friends to explain something he’d heard.

A somewhat misconstrued report had suggested that Bob Iger, the CEO of Marvel’s parent company, Disney, had thrown Nia DaCosta under the bus.

Specifically, he’d heard that Iger suggested DaCosta hadn’t run the set for The Marvels effectively.

Image: Marvel

That’s mostly true, albeit with a caveat. Here’s what Iger actually stated at a recent financial event:

“The Marvels was shot during Covid. There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.”

Critics pointed out that Iger made no such comments about Peyton Reed, the director of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is objectively the worse movie.

Image: Marvel

Similarly, Iger didn’t mention James Mangold, who worked on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the time.

Instead, Iger’s comments unintentionally singled out an African American female, which is a bad look.

However, I believe that’s not what the CEO intended here. Instead, he was discussing the unprecedented challenges of filming during a pandemic.

Kamala Khan has quite the active imagination

Image: Marvel

Every day, filmmakers had to wait for COVID-19 tests to know who would be available to work in front of and behind the camera.

As longtime industry veterans, Mangold and Reed had previously worked on massive blockbusters.

Before The Marvels, DaCosta’s biggest budget was $25 million for Candyman as opposed to $220 million for the Marvel film.

You won't believe why Carol Danvers is wearing this.

Image: Marvel

As such, Iger is saying that she could have used more help. Given the performances of Quantumania and Dial of Destiny, Mangold and Reed could have, too.

The pandemic really set back everyone in the industry, and it’s Iger’s mistake to single anybody out.

Marvel Miscellany

Source: Marvel/ Getty Images

We’ve got a couple of other big stories this week, one of which will make you smile. The other will cause your inner cynic to howl with derision.

The funny story involves Taika Waititi, whom Marvel recently wished well in his future endeavors.

No, Marvel hasn’t fired the director, but he also won’t be returning for Thor 5 despite having helmed the two most recent Thor films.

Source: Marvel San Diego Comic-Com 2019

I guess Gwyneth Paltrow would call that a conscious uncoupling?

Anyway, Waititi has taken an honest approach in describing his Marvel relationship.

According to the director, he wasn’t the least bit interested in filming Thor: Ragnarok. So, why did he make the movie? Here’s his explanation:

“It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.’”

That’s right, folks! He did it for the children! What a hero.

The more ridiculous assertion comes from Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland.

Source: Marvel Studios

For no apparent reason, the actor has come out and said that he’ll only return as Spider-Man if the story “find(s) a way to do justice to the character.”

Do you know he’ll find that justice for the character? Sony and Marvel will wire $20 million to his bank account. At that point, he will love the story.

Also, this is the type of quote that gets held against somebody if/when they make a sequel that isn’t up to snuff.