MarvelBlog News for April 14th, 2024

This past week, Marvel revealed exciting details about several upcoming theatrical releases.

You’re gonna wanna read the latest MarvelBlog News to find out more about Captain America, Deadpool, and Thunderbolts*.

Not a Typo

While the story is the least interesting of the three, I’ll start with the one you probably thought was a typo.

Marvel has confirmed that the official title for its 2025 release is Thunderbolts*, including the asterisk.

Kevin Feige was a bit cheeky in describing this odd decision. His exact quote on the weird naming convention was:

“We won’t talk about the asterisk until after release.”

That could mean anything from Skrulls taking over the Thunderbolts to obscure NWA wrestler Thunderbolt Patterson copyrighting the word.

As you might imagine, the internet is having a field day with what the asterisk implies.

A few of them involve jokes at the expense of Steven Yeun, who dropped out of the project.

Some of the better ones focus on the facts, one of which I’ve discussed here on several occasions.

During the many years of planning Thunderbolts* — I hate typing that – the project took on several forms.

I even joked that Marvel itself couldn’t seem to decide whether to make this Dark Avengers or Thunderbolts.

Others claimed that the superhero team was actually the Secret Avengers or Young Avengers.

We can rule out Young Avengers based on the ages of the characters involved, but the other two remain in play.

Could Marvel already have a sequel planned with the same cast but using a different supergroup name? I’m leaning toward yes.

The Deadpool Footage

Okay, I probably should have led with this, but I was too annoyed by the asterisk.

The setting for much of this week’s intel was the recent CinemaCon 2024 event wherein everyone in a dying industry pretends everything is fine.

Since movie theaters are closing left and right, the industry needs Marvel more than ever.

Thankfully, the studio has stepped up to the challenge by discussing highlights of its upcoming projects.

The presentations highlighted films that are already filming or have filmed.

In the short term, the one that matters the most is Deadpool & Wolverine, which is probably a top-three release in 2024.

The film’s director, Shawn Levy, appeared at CinemaCon to show nine minutes of footage.

While we won’t know for sure until the official release, this appeared to be the first nine minutes of Wolverine & Deadpool.

As hinted in the record-shattering trailer, Wade Wilson is going through some stuff as he adjusts to life as normie.

Fate interviews when Mr. Paradox from the Time Variance Authority arrives and hauls in Wilson for a conversation.

Since this is Deadpool’s first Disney movie, the dialogue intersperses a couple of Mouse-related jokes.

Also, the story hints at what the production crew has all but shouted from the rafters.

With Deadpool having access to the entirety of time and space, everything Marvel has ever done is fair play for this film.

Levy brags that the film “was built for audience joy,” an important admission.

Marvel’s corporate owner, Disney, needs to retrain people to watch MCU films in theaters.

So, crowd reactions matter just as they did when Captain America picked up Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame.

If the experience isn’t communal, people just skip the theaters and stream it later.

President Harrison Ford Is Still Tough

Back in the days of Air Force One, Harrison Ford’s performance became oddly political for a time.

Critics lamented the fact that when a certain political party was in the White House, the POTUS was often a conniving backstabber.

Conversely, when the other party was in the White House, the POTUS was someone like Ford played in Air Force One.

I’m talking about a mini-John Wick who just happened to be President.

In the days before things went viral on the internet, Ford’s memorable delivery of “GET OFF MY PLANE” was a television sensation.

Fast forward more than 25 years, and Ford is playing the POTUS again. This time, he’s doing it in the MCU.

Of course, the MCU already had a POTUS, but if you saw Secret Invasion, you may recall that it ended badly…if you remember Secret Invasion.

Anyway, Ford will play the POTUS in at least two upcoming MCU titles, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* (grr).

Even though those two films don’t come out until 2025, the attendants at the event received a sneak preview.

Kevin Feige showed some early scenes while describing Brave New World as “a grounded political thriller.” Color me intrigued.

The headline here is what the POTUS asks of Sam Wilson. The new Captain America will rebuild the Avengers.

So, we’re getting the band back together starting in Brave New World!

Alas, not everything goes smoothly, though. Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley, the previous Super Soldier, becomes possessed and attacks.

So, the villain in this story can brainwash and then control even Captain America-level superheroes. Not good.

With the film coming out in ten months, it’s about time to get a teaser trailer. So, we’ll probably find out more then.

Marvel Miscellany

As typically happens around these events, Marvel saved all the big stories. So, it was a slow news week other than this stuff.

One other story may have broken during the event, though. In the Deadpool clip, the character kept referring to Secret Wars.

That’s the planned Avengers movie, which indicates Deadpool will be involved in some way.

Oh, and Marvel went ahead and spoiled that Chris Hemsworth appears in Deadpool & Wolverine!

Seriously, if somebody has ever played a Marvel character, they’re a possibility for this film!

Also, Kit Harrington has performed a batch of interviews recently. In one of them, the actor revealed something surprising.

Even though we previously had a tease for The Black Knight as a Blade character, Harrington indicates he has no work lined up with Marvel.

That Blade movie sounds messier than a Bravolebrity.

Finally, the recently fired writer of X-Men ’97 is using his unemployment as a method to be open about his work.

My plan was the first half of the season is the OG audiences pre-9/11 days, rife with nostalgia and comfort. Then 9/11 — like Tulsa and other mass tragedies — turned the world upside down and reminded us the whole world unsafe…

— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024

This tweet describes the author’s thinking in writing various stories this season, including the instantly controversial episode 1-5.

I’ll post a recap of it this week, but if you haven’t watched yet, drop everything and get caught up! You don’t want to be spoiled on this one.

 

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