MarvelBlog News for September 1st, 2024

Disney is getting the band back together again, as various “retired” Avengers plot their next career moves.

I’ll explain in this week’s MarvelBlog News.

The Witches of the MCU

Agatha All Along debuts on Disney+ this month. It’s not a drill, folks.

On September 18^th, Disney+ will stream the first two episodes of the Agatha Harkness stand-alone series.

Marvel and Disney’s intentions here are clear. The hope is that Disney can create an MCU version of the Sanderson sisters.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Hocus Pocus franchise, you’re clearly a Marvel fan, not a Disney fan.

Even though the first Hocus Pocus movie is, well, hokey, an entire generation of Disney Channel fans grew up watching and rewatching it.

Now, Hocus Pocus is popular enough that when the sequel finally debuted on Disney+, it dominated the streaming charts.

Hocus Pocus 2 shattered records and its popularity highlights Disney’s ambition here.

In a perfect world, the already-popular character of Agatha adds a coven of popular new witches to the MCU.

Along the way, fans hopefully grow addicted, thereby creating a new generation of Marvel and Disney lovers, many of whom are female.

The excitement for this project is off the charts, with social media accounts like Scarlet Witch Updates posting every new detail.

That site has posted details about the show’s initial airing and the run-time of the first four episodes, which you can read here:

Episode lengths for ‘AGATHA ALL ALONG.’

* Credits are 5 minutes long.
** Episode 4 might end up slightly longer. pic.twitter.com/TiJvpbsOM7

— Scarlet Witch Updates (@ScarletWitchUpd) August 26, 2024

As for the start time, all of us can start watching Agatha All Along at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on September 18^th.

First two episodes of ‘AGATHA ALL ALONG’ will stream September 18 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET on Disney Plus. pic.twitter.com/DbnpFHKiYO

— Scarlet Witch Updates (@ScarletWitchUpd) August 27, 2024

However, that’s not the only witchy update I have for you this week.

The pieces are starting to fall together for what Marvel has planned for the mystical side of the MCU, and it’s quite tantalizing.

Familiar Faces

In the Deadline article about Ultron’s return to the MCU, the reporter casually mentions something I’ve previously discussed.

When Marvel first announced the so-called Vision Quest project – that won’t be the show’s actual name – a rumor surfaced.

Honestly, I’m not even sure I should call it a rumor since it was Marvel insiders saying it while hyping the project.

The early reports suggested that Elizabeth Olsen would appear in Vision Quest.

Now, I’ll point out that a LOT has changed behind the scenes at Marvel since then. Ergo, plans might have changed.

Also, based on the Robert Downey Jr./Doctor Doom thing, Olsen’s casting doesn’t guarantee that Wanda Maximoff will be back.

Olsen theoretically could portray another character who looks like the Scarlett Witch but isn’t.

I mean, she already kinda did that in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Instead, what we’re witnessing is a Disney-wide movement toward the familiar.

After the studio’s challenging 2023 box office campaign, Disney leaned heavily on known brands and intellectual properties.

Pixar has stated that most of its upcoming titles will be sequels, and Disney has announced Frozen and Toy Story sequels, too.

The same sentiment applies to Marvel, but Kevin Feige would like to keep some originality in the content.

So, we may get recognizable celebrities portraying variants or entirely new characters.

Then again, with Vision Quest, Olsen portraying Maximoff makes the most sense, in my opinion.

There’s a LOT of this going around at Marvel right now, with phone calls being made to allegedly retired Avengers.

That’s a stark contrast from Disney’s previous stance that they could turn any actor into a beloved Avenger.

The results of that theory have proven…well, let’s politely say inconclusive.

Who, When, and Where?

Perhaps the biggest mysteries in the MCU right now aren’t the ones I would have guessed 18 months ago.

Sure, Moon Knight could show up at any moment and, frankly, should appear in a Blade movie or something else mystical.

However, what fans really want to see are the characters and actors they love like Thor/Chris Hemsworth.

Not that long ago, I reported that Disney had moved away from the idea of a sequel to Thor: Love and Thunder.

Now, they’re apparently circling back to Hemsworth as Thor in…something.

Where does this leave beloved actor Brett Goldstein, who briefly appeared as Hercules in that film? Who even knows at this point?

Even though basically everyone you’ve ever met loves Ted Lasso, fans aren’t clamoring for Goldstein as Hercules right now.

No, what they want is for Elizabeth Olsen and Chris Hemsworth to return, and it’d be nice to see Chris Evans again, too.

No, I’m not counting that thing. You know the thing I mean, but it’s a spoiler if I say it.

The retired Avengers are suddenly taking calls again as Disney and Marvel align their plans for the next two Avengers movies.

I have no idea who will show up where or when, but most of the rumors I’m chasing right now are NOT about unknowns.

Instead, agents are receiving texts about getting the band back together because that’s where the money is for Marvel and Disney.

Marvel Miscellany

The Wonder-Man production has experienced a strange week.

Just the other day, the show paid a pittance of $36,000 as a fine for the death of a crew member, which makes me angry.

The accident never should have happened, and it’s the type of thing that’s indefensible.

However, the cast has kept its spirits afloat throughout a troubled production.

Recently, a photo surfaced of director Daniel Dae-Cretton and showrunner Andrew Guest playing Ping-Pong during the final days of filming.

‘WONDER MAN’ Showrunner Andrew Guest shares a picture of him and Director/Producer Destin Daniel Cretton BTS finishing post production on the series.#WonderMan is expected to release on Disney+ in 2026! pic.twitter.com/a7voL1qp3R

— The Cine Geek (@CineGeekNews) August 25, 2024

So, the show has nearly wrapped up and only needs special effects to be ready for streaming.

Disney still insists the show will air in 2026, but it could easily be ready during the second half of 2025 if needed.

Finally, we have this YouTube video, which any fan of Marvel should watch.

(You get a special treat if you watch until the very end!)

 

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Featured image: Marvel