Category Speculation & Analysis

Oct 27 2024

Venom, Spider-Man & Sony’s Upcoming Crossover Film Event

The latest Spider-Man-related venture by Sony Pictures, Venom: The Last Dance, has teased viewers with an attempt to create a crossover storyline that spans several different films. Sony has tried for years to create their own cinematic universe but failed miserably for the most part because they weren’t able to deliver anything cohesive or high quality. Unfortunately, that problem will continue.

WARNING: Spoilers will be revealed related to Venom: The Last Dance.

Ever since the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the emergence of other cinematic universes, Sony wanted in on the action given the massive box office success of the MCU. On paper, it seemed easy to copy the MCU’s success: have a bunch of films interconnect with each other with some kind of B-plot storyline running throughout the films that will culminate in an epic crossover event like Avengers: Infinity War. But as the cliché goes, easier said than done.

Sony first tried creating a shared universe with The Amazing Spider-Man films with the last one dropping obvious hints of a film featuring the supervillain team, the Sinister Six. However, given the bad reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and announcement for a Sinister Six film, those plans fell by the wayside. But Sony would not give up. Afterall, they hold the exclusive film rights to Marvel Comics’ most popular character and all related characters, and they would lose those rights if they did not pump out some kind of Spider-Man-related film every few years.

This is how we got the Venom films. By no means are they superhero film classics, but they are entertaining enough (including Venom: The Last Dance with its plot holes and other flaws) and more importantly to Sony, financially successful. This encouraged them to greenlight other films related to Spider-Man, but the dreck they released could not match the success of the Venom films. Still, they plowed ahead as seen with that non-sensical post-credits scene in Morbius where the title character met the Vulture, who was transported over from the MCU. What was so baffling was that for reasons unknown to us, Morbius decides to join Vulture in attacking Spider-Man, even though Morbius never met the superhero! It seems as if Sony is still hellbent on their Sinister Six film and more will probably be revealed in December with Kraven the Hunter, where there will most likely be some post-credits scene that has Kraven meeting the Vulture. Thankfully this did not occur in Venom: The Last Dance.

Instead, the third and (for now) final Venom film introduced the beginning of an adaptation of the King in Black comic book event. That storyline was the culmination of Donny Cates’ Venom run which explored the backstory of the Venom symbiote and introduced the supervillain, Knull, who created the symbiotes and invaded Earth. While it was tantalizing to see Knull on the big screen, he didn’t receive much screen time and was a background menace who drove the action. In the film’s prologue, it’s revealed that Knull is being held prisoner by the symbiotes he created and only Venom can break him free through some biological MacGuffin. After Venom and other symbiotes defeats the small army of alien creatures sent by Knull to Earth, the Venom symbiote is killed and a still-imprisoned Knull vows in a post-credits scene to escape and wipe out all life in the universe.

That sounds great but this development happens in the so-called final Venom film. Where else can this Knull story continue? Well in a Spider-Man film, of course.

There are reports that Sony and Marvel have been at odds over the story for the next Spider-Man film. Marvel wanted it to be a grounded film involving Spider-Man with street-level threats and heroes like the Kingpin and Daredevil and fans have been demanding this since such a plot would return the character back to his grounded, street-level roots, which has been missing from the MCU Spider-Man films. However, Sony is demanding the character be involved in universe-threatening events as seen with Spider-Man: No Way Home since it is the best platform for crossovers with the characters the studio has the film rights.

The current rumor is that the next Spider-Man will not only feature the non-MCU Spider-Men teaming up with the MCU Spider-Man but that at long last Venom will meet Spider-Man. This was something that was teased in Venom: Let There Be Carnage when Venom was transported to the MCU, but that turned out to be a disappointment because Venom returned without meeting Spider-Man.

So, why would the two meet? To fight Knull, of course! But wait didn’t the Venom symbiote die in Venom: The Last Dance? Yes, but a post-credits scene teased us with an offspring of Venom that was loose, who will probably seek out Eddie Brock to bond with him. Or the offspring that was left behind in the MCU during Spider-Man: No Way Home be the new symbiote for Eddie to bond with. Maybe this time, the new Venom will sport the iconic large white spider symbol on his chest.

While there is some potential with this plot, given Sony’s inability to give us a coherent Spider-Man-related film without the help of Marvel Studios, there is the possibility that the buildup to this event will be bungled, and we’re seeing that already. Knull should have been introduced in the Venom films much sooner or made a more prominent menace in the current Venom film. He also should have appeared in the other Sony Spider-Man-related films like Madame Web, which would have been natural given Madame Web’s psychic powers that enabled her to detect him.

Then there is the problem in that Knull is a Venom villain, having him being the main foe in a Spider-Man film does not feel right. Also, the King in Black story involved all of the Marvel heroes with Venom leading the fight against Knull. Forcing Venom to share this burden in a Spider-Man film takes away from Venom’s transformation in the comic book story into a full-fledged hero and the new King in Black of the symbiotes after defeating Knull.

Also, the meeting of Spider-Man and Venom should be a film event unto itself and jamming it with the dense King in Black storyline will make this event feel rushed. That is unless Sony plans to split the King in Black story into a couple of Spider-Man films. The first film would have Spidey meeting and fighting Venom, then the second film they would team up to fight Knull along with the other crossover characters. As to how this story would mesh with the MCU’s Infinity Saga and the upcoming Avengers films, who knows at this point? But do not be too disappointed if Sony drops the ball, but on the other hand, since Marvel Studios will be involved with the Spider-Man films, hopefully the result will be better than expected.

Sep 25 2024

Increasing Optimism For The MCU

It’s been commonly accepted that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been on a downward spiral given the mediocre results of their recent offerings such as Secret Invasion and The Marvels. But the powers that be (Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios) have taken corrective steps to rectify the situation with the MCU and from what we are seeing, we fans have cause for optimism.

As most of us know, Feige has restructured the slate of films and TV shows to the point of redoing them as was done with the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again and next year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Feige took an honest and hard look and admitted what was working with the MCU projects and what wasn’t. Marvel Studios has also reassessed which film and TV projects, which were planned and announced previously, would actually go forward. This meant that some anticipated and announced projects will not see the light of day, at least for the near future.

However, while we can mope about the lost projects like Armor Wars and the endangered Blade, we can rejoice with recent concrete developments and the current and upcoming releases.

Of course, Deadpool & Wolverine was a smash success that delighted fans and critics alike as it reveled in Easter eggs, raunchy humor and unfiltered violence. The film is now the second biggest hit of the year and the most successful R-rated film ever released. Seriously, Deadpool & Wolverine could not have arrived at a better time. The film demonstrated that Marvel Studios was still capable of producing quality films that could engage audiences, which translated into box office success.

Then Marvel Studios just began streaming on Disney + the TV show Agatha All Along, the sequel/spinoff to Marvel Studios’ best TV show, WandaVision. Even though the spinoff TV show about the witch Agatha Harkness wasn’t highly demanded by fans, it so far has exceeded expectations with its witty, clever and imaginative early episodes. Sure the jury is still out and we have to see if it sticks the landing, but Agatha All Along is off to a great start.

Another reason to be optimistic is due to the success of the animated TV show X-Men ’97, which captured the essence of the classic X-Men animated TV shows of the 1990s and the best X-Men stories and characters. Even though X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine are not actually part of the MCU, they were produced by Marvel Studios and both projects showcased the talent from the studio that could still deliver the goods.

While there has been leaked footage of upcoming TV shows like Daredevil: Born Again and of sizzle reels for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans have not had much else to sink their teeth into. But what they have at the moment is more than enough. The trailers for Captain America: Brave New World look very promising, which is a bit of a relief given the behind-the-scenes reports of a troubled production that practically had to be reshot. Hopefully, the actual film, which comes out in February next year, will be half as good as the trailers promise.

Also promising with the release of just one trailer is Thunderbolts*, which can be best explained to non-fans as the MCU answer to the Suicide Squad. Essentially, a bunch of misfit anti-heroes and low-grade villains teaming up to fight a powerful foe and becoming actual heroes in their own right. The trailer that was just released a couple of days ago perfectly captured this theme and the film looks like it will be a lot of fun. Hell, even the first official poster for Thunderbolts* is great and captures the mood the trailer is selling of misfits who can’t get along with each other but are forced to cooperate. Take a look, below.

All we need now is a sneak peek of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but all in good time. Then there is the constant stream of news and speculation about the upcoming Avengers films featuring Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Doom. Surely, once confirmed plans for the X-Men come out the fans will go ballistic. The only news and speculation giving us a pause has to do with the troubled Blade film and whatever Sony Pictures plans to do with future Spider-Man films. But we’ll see how that situation works out.

Sure, the upcoming films and TV shows could wind up being huge disappointments but let’s stay optimistic, shall we? That is because for now it’s a thrill to be excited for the MCU again.

Sep 1 2024

The Bell Riots, September 1, 2024: A Critical Moment In Star Trek History

Once again reality has caught up and will pass science fiction at the time of this post, in this case with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Fans of the TV show know all too well that this date marks the time of the infamous Bell Riots.

In the two-part episode, “Past Tense” Commander Ben Sisko, Dr. Julian Bashir and Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax accidentally time traveled to San Francisco on August 30, 2024, and were pivotal figures in the Bell Riots on September 1, one of the most violent periods in American history.

For anyone who has not seen these episodes, the Bell Riots were an important event in American history that influenced the country to seriously tackle its social problems. During this time period of the 2020s, the homeless and jobless were forcibly housed in so-called Sanctuary Districts, which were essentially walled-off, overcrowded internment camps were the residents were poorly treated and lived under harsh conditions. Things came to a head on August 31, 2024, when Bashir was attacked by a gang of thugs. One man, Gabriel Bell, tried to help Bashir but was stabbed and killed for his action. Bell’s death created a ripple effect in history were the United States deteriorated and ultimately the United Federation of Planets was never formed.

It turned out that Gabriel Bell would have become a key figure in an uprising in the San Francisco Sanctuary District that took place on September 1, 2024. Bell became the face of the riots and his actions by protecting District employees who were taken hostage and giving a sympathetic face to the homeless residents. Unfortunately, Bell was killed by national guardsmen who took back the District, but his actions were publicized and turned public opinion against the Districts and swayed the United States to find long-term solutions to its social problems.

Bell was killed near the conclusion of the first episode and Sisko quickly realized the devastating effect Bell’s death would have on history. Thus, when “Past Tense, Part I” concluded, Sisko and Bashir took part in a takeover of the District’s processing center where the hostages were held and announced that he was Gabriel Bell. The dilemma was that in order to carry out Bell’s life to its conclusion, Sisko had to die. But how was this resolved in “Past Tense, Part II”? Well, this is Star Trek. 😀

“Past Tense, Part I and II” was one of the better time travel episodes in the Star Trek franchise because of its unique nature that it took place during a then-future period in our history (the episodes aired in January 1995, which was a risk. After all, it was very likely at the time of filming that the future portrayed in “Past Tense” would not come to be and fortunately the Districts do not exist in our reality. Obviously, the now-contemporary Earth depicted in those episodes are set in an alternate timeline. Yet, the social issues are still with us.

Homelessness is a major social issue affecting many communities in the United States and is getting worse partly because of the affordable housing crisis. San Francisco has been demonized by many who decry it as the epicenter for urban decay as it faces homelessness. Thankfully, no one has advocated for rounding up the homeless population and dumping them into so-called sanctuaries. Then again if things get worse, this can happen in our future.

At least unemployment is low and not a major issue as depicted in those Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes. It should also be pointed out that the episodes did not and could not have predicted that the world was recovering from a pandemic or that a woman was running for president of the United States. But the episodes did hint that democracy was at risk based on the authoritative actions of the California governor in the episodes (who was not Gavin Newsom). Sure it was inevitable that predictions would turn out to be incorrect, but at least it did get correct that housing and homelessness would still be issues and as a bonus the episodes did get correct that the internet would be prevalent in our culture.  

While these episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine may have been a bit heavy handed when it tackled the issue of homelessness and social and economic inequality, it carried out the noble Star Trek tradition of examining current issues facing our society in a sci-fi setting. The backdrop of the social messaging capably added to the tense drama of Sisko and his companions trying to survive a savage period of time. More importantly the issues it brings up were not easily solved and still provide food for thought to this day.

Aug 3 2024

The Return Of Robert Downey, Jr. To The MCU…As Doctor Doom!

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage at the Marvel Studios Panel during 2024 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 27, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Marvel Studios, as usual, figuratively exploded fans’ minds last weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con with their announcements of their upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. But the biggest jaw-dropping revelation at Hall H was that MCU mainstay Robert Downey, Jr. would return to the MCU in the next Avengers film as Marvel Comics’ most infamous villain Doctor Doom.

As wild and flabbergasted fans were when the announcement first came out, it was inevitable that questions and second guessing followed soon after the announcement. People wondered if this was the best casting decision and if it meant that Marvel Studios was desperate to rekindle the excitement and attention the MCU had just a few years ago during its heyday.

Marvel Studios couldn’t find an actor qualified enough to play Doctor Doom? Did it have to be Robert Downey, Jr.? Let’s be clear here, Downey is a gifted actor, he’s so great he even won an Oscar for his work in Oppenheimer, and he is the face of the MCU because of his portrayal as Tony Stark/Iron Man, which put the MCU on the map to greatness. But there are many other actors who could’ve easily portrayed the villain. Some have complained that the casting is lazy, unless if some reports are true about Doom’s identity in the upcoming MCU films.

Doctor Doom is traditionally, Victor Von Doom, the armored, despotic ruler of the fictional Eastern European country Latveria, who became a bitter rival to the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards. Now, Downey was introduced as Von Doom by Marvel Studios, but there are rumors that the actor will actually play an evil variant of Tony Stark from another reality, in fact it will be the same universe where the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in. This makes a lot of sense and circumvents the complaints by fans about how the other characters in the films are ignoring the fact that Doom looks just like Stark. Otherwise, if he plays Von Doom, then that will raise questions from viewers, which will take them out of the film.

In the recent comic books, Stark has become Dr. Doom and vice versa because the two characters are very similar to one another. So, there is precedent for this to occur. Maybe, in the MCU timeline, Stark came into existence earlier in the Fantastic Four’s universe and did not have the same redeeming experiences that the MCU Stark had and became evil but shares the same goal as the MCU Stark had: to protect the Earth using armor. During his Comic-Con appearance, Downey did say “New mask, same task,” which implies that he will play a variant of Stark.

If this pans out, it will be an ingenious way to bring the actor back to the MCU and allow him and the screenwriters to do something different with the character. It can work and it probably will. But many will be disappointed that the traditional Victor Von Doom with the same backstory from the comic books won’t be in the MCU. However, people should not give up hope.

Marvel Studios probably decided to bring back Downey because of his star power and the twist that will guarantee that people will rush to theaters to see Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, while the actor will excel as Doctor Doom, it’s doubtful he will play the villain in the long term. He is being paid a hefty amount to appear in these films and it will be hard for the studio to afford his paycheck forever. What could happen is that Doctor Doom will get killed off in Avengers: Secret Wars and be replaced by another variant i.e. another actor. This variant could possibly appear in a post-credits scene and be introduced as the MCU version of Doom, who will be Victor Von Doom with the comics-accurate backstory. Going forward, this new version of Doom, portrayed by a different actor, will be the go-to MCU version of Doctor Doom that the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the other MCU heroes will contend with.  

Whatever develops with Doctor Doom, Downey’s casting brought much-needed publicity and excitement for the MCU. Surely, once we see him in his green robes and armor, we can pass final judgment, which will most likely be very favorable.

Jul 7 2024

Beyond A Quiet Place

With the success of A Quiet Place: Day One, the future of the series seems promising. especially since there are plans for A Quiet Place, Part Three, though if that sequel actually happens expect the title to change to avoid confusion with A Quiet Place: Day One. Even though A Quiet Place: Day One is the third film in the series it’s actually a prequel to the first film and has little connection to the first two films.

Part of the reason for the success of A Quiet Place: Day One is because it expanded the horrifying world we were introduced to in the first film. We the audience got to see how the worldwide invasion of the blind savage aliens, who are called the death angels, began. While the film was an excellent study about the need for companionship and finding solace in the simple things in life, it still left audiences with many unanswered questions about the alien invaders. We do know they arrived in meteors and their arrival was too abrupt for the authorities to handle before most of humanity was wiped out. We also know from the previous films that ways to defeat the death angels were found and used, which could set up a final confrontation between humanity and the aliens in a future film that concludes the series.

Future films, aside from A Quiet Place, Part Three, should take place in other corners of the world. Having A Quiet Place: Day One take place in New York City was a smart move since the first two films were set in rural communities. Where can other films go? How about a different country? The suburbs? Given that the death angels are vulnerable to water, have a film set in a makeshift community made up of ships filled with survivors and present their plight as they try to get supplies in the ravaged world. How about the perspective of surviving scientists and military trying to devise a means to fight back? That could be the focus of a final film.

But before the series finishes, more explanations about the death angels are warranted. Were they part of an advanced wave meant to wipe out our defenses and soften our world for an actual invasion? Or were they sent to herd humanity for their masters in the same way humans use dogs during hunts? There is evidence for that in that the death angels are never seen eating their victims and as shown in the third film they only ate food that came with them in the meteors. There is so much that needs to be explored with these savage creatures that would captivate audiences and give us some kind of explanation as to their motives. Or maybe they are just uncontrolled animals like the Xenomorphs in the Alien films that have no purpose other than to survive and multiply.

Another appealing aspect with the A Quiet Place films has to do with the characters that we quickly sympathize with, which is vital to get us invested during their dangerous plight. While the focus on the characters must remain in place with the film series, going forward, more development and explorations about the death angels has to be covered. But we don’t have to know everything all at once. We could use a few more terrifying entries like A Quiet Place: Day One before we get our answers. 😀