TV Shows https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feed/rss/ Sun, 05 Nov 2023 03:23:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 TV Shows RSS Generator Invincible Fans Loved Season 2's Brutal Premiere https://comicbook.com/anime/news/invincible-season-2-episode-1-fan-reactions/ Sun, 05 Nov 2023 03:22:00 +0000 Nick Valdez 6d0aa637-39b4-4574-970b-b207472fa22a
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The Boys Season 4: Creator Confirms Franchise Timeline After Gen V Finale https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-boys-season-4-franchise-timeline-gen-v-finale/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 23:47:00 +0000 Spencer Perry 8339c9f4-12bd-4e80-bc19-98d553e89060

Gen V, despite being set in the world of The Boys, didn't really go out of its way to firmly set itself in the timeline of the series. Though the show was clearly set after the events of The Boys season 3, its place was nebulous. Now we have an official update from one of the lead creative voices in The Boys about not only where Gen V lands in the timeline but how it will work with The Boy season 4 and the already announced Gen V season two. Speaking in an interview with Variety, The Boys creator and Gen V executive producer Eric Kripke fully confirmed the timeline of the two shows and how they will interact moving forward.

"In our minds, it's only a couple of days after whatever the events are of Gen V," Kripke revealed about the events of The Boys season 4. "We try to keep the timeline super simple because all that folding-in-on-itself timeline stuff that I think other comic book universes find themselves having to do is just bewildering for me as a viewer. So it's all very modular. It's like there's Season 3 of The Boys, and then after that Gen V takes place, and then after that The Boys Season 4 takes place. And then after that, Gen V Season 2 takes place. It's all more like cars on a train than it is a plate of spaghetti."

Is Gen V connected to The Boys?

Yes, Gen V is set in the same universe as The Boys. A handful of characters appear in both shows including, Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Colby Minifie as Vought's Ashley Barrett, P.J. Byrne as director Adam Bourke, Antony Starr as Homelander, and even Karl Urban as Billy Butcher. The characters that Gen V focuses on all attend Godolkin University, a college that is sponsored and run by Vought International from The Boys, and also has a history in the pages of The Boys comic books.

In the same interview with Eric Kripke confirmed the timeline of The Boys TV shows, he was asked if The Boys season 4 would offer any teases for Gen V season 2 or if any of the characters would make an appearance, simply replying "Shrug emoji? Tune in. I will neither confirm nor deny."

When is Gen V season 2?

Prime Video and Sony Pictures Television have not confirmed any timing yet for Gen V season 2, but in theory we could see the series return around the same timeframe with an August or September 2024 premiere. This remains unconfirmed as of this writing.

When does The Boys season 4 come out?

No official release date for The Boys season 4 has been confirmed, but the new episodes of the series have been shot and it will arrive at some point in the not-too-distant future. Prime Video likes to keep things on schedule, with The Boys typically arriving in a summer release, so something in that window might be where The Boys season 4 lands. No official word has been announced for the release of The Boys season 4, but a spring or summer 2024 release date seems likely.

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Invincible Premiere Introduces Season 2's Big Villain https://comicbook.com/anime/news/invincible-season-2-angstrom-levy-villain/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 23:30:00 +0000 Nick Valdez 0a7b4a43-cb43-499c-b128-12d376e1409e

Invincible has officially returned to screens with Season 2 of the animated series, and the premiere episode of the season has introduced the new big villain that Mark Grayson will be dealing with in the coming episodes! Invincible's first season saw Mark take some huge losses as he not only started out his run as a superhero while figuring out how to use his newly acquired powers, but it was also further complicated by the reveal that his father was actually Earth's biggest villain. With that put aside for now, some new villains are going to enter the fray soon enough.

Omni-Man is still out of the picture as Invincible Season 2 kicks off, and Episode 1 sees Mark trying to recover mentally and physically from everything that happened in his fight with his dad. All the while a new face has popped up, Angstrom Levy, who not only has powers that connect him to a wide multiverse of realities, but by the end of the episode has named Mark as a major threat that must be eliminated as he's been changed dramatically in his first run in with the hero.

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(Photo: Amazon Prime Video)

Who Is Invincible Season 2's New Villain?

Invincible Season 2 Episode 1, "A Lesson For Your Next Life" begins with a look at a different universe in which Mark ended up listening to his father and becoming a conqueror for the Viltrum Empire. Their world has been completely destroyed by Mark and Omni-Man, and it's here that we're first introduced to Angstrom Levy. But it's soon revealed that the one in our Mark's universe has been gathering the other scattered versions of himself for a grand new plan.

Wanting to unite all of their knowledge together with his in order to find out how to better his universe (with a noble pursuit in mind at first), he attaches himself to a large volatile machine to make it happen. It's here that Invincible arrives (on Cecil's orders) and Angstrom ends up interrupting the brain download process when it looks like the young hero is going to die in front of him. Naturally it doesn't go well as it results in an explosion that kills all the other Angstroms.

When Angstrom awakens, his brain has been mutated to a huge new size and the memories of his other multiverse selves blend with his own. Seeing the other evil versions of Invincible and what they've done to their worlds (and blaming Mark his own brain mutation mishap) Angstrom now vows to take out Invincible moving forward.

Now it's just a matter of seeing what Mark will do with this new villain on his tail in Invincible Season 2. What do you want to see? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

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Steven Universe Creator Rebecca Sugar Would Love to Return for Revival https://comicbook.com/anime/news/steven-universe-revival-rebecca-sugar/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 22:25:00 +0000 Nick Valdez 364976ec-ed92-4617-9360-003b4ac2a4d5

Steven Universe first kicked off its memorable run with Cartoon Network ten long years ago, and the creator behind it all has revealed they would love to return for a revival series someday! Steven Universe first premiere with Cartoon Network on November 4th way back in 2013, and the Rebecca Sugar created series remains one of the most impactful animated series releases of the 2010s overall. Running for five seasons of its own before branching out with a full feature film and Steven Universe Future sequel miniseries, fans are holding out hope that there could be more Steven Universe episodes someday,

Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar seems to share that sentiment as they revealed in a recent interview with Variety celebrating Steven Universe's 10th Anniversary (which you can now find streaming on Hulu and Max) that they would "love to return" to the series someday. Urging those who also want the same to make their demands known to the point where it's "impossible to ignore," Sugar hopes fans can make enough noise about a Steven Universe revival so it can get made in the future.

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(Photo: Cartoon Network)

Will Steven Universe Return for a Revival Series?

"I would really, really appreciate it if everyone who would be interested in something like that would make a ton of noise and make it really known -- because I would be thrilled to explore that," Sugar said about a potential revival for Steven Universe. "I think in this current media landscape, if there's a huge amount of public demand, then that is something that becomes impossible to ignore. I love these characters and I love this world, and I would love to return to it. And I hope, if everyone else feels the same as I do, I may have an opportunity to do something like that."

As for what Sugar would do with a Steven Universe revival, the creator explained they have some ideas for what to do next, "I know these characters in this world very well, and there's so many interesting things in store for them and aspects of their personality that they're still grappling with that I'm interested in exploring." But hopes to work with some of the original team to further flesh out the bigger ideas, "It's not an easy answer, because there's so much, and I'm also so grateful to the 'Steven Universe' team, the crew that I worked with for eight years on the show."

"Thanks to them, these characters are so incredibly rich, and this world is so beautifully defined," Sugar continued. "Even just our rules and our lore and the meaning behind why the characters are the way they are is so full that, if I had an opportunity to work with them again, they really take on a life of their own." What would you want to see in a new Steven Universe? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

HT - Variety

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J.J. Abrams-Helmed DC Project Scrapped by Max https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/j-j-abrams-constantine-dc-series-scrapped-by-max/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 22:18:00 +0000 Nicole Drum fd40da13-907b-49f5-9824-6b9a91c81a2c

Back in 2021, it was reported that a new live-action Constantine series was in the work for the then-HBO Max (now simply Max) from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, but now, that project is no more. According to Variety, the Constantine series has officially been scrapped by Max. According to their report, the series had been pretty far along in development with a lead actor in talks to take on the role and four scripts had been written for the contemporary London-set series.

Abrams' Constantine series had been expected to be part of a larger Justice League Dark universe for Max. However, earlier this year, the long-gestating Justice League Dark series was also scrapped, along with another Abrams project, Overlook, a spinoff of The Shining. As for the specific reason why the Constantine series was cancelled, that remains unclear, though most of DC's content now under the leader sup of DC Studios' co-CEOs Peter Safran and James Gunn as well as Constantine 2 moving forward with Keanu Reeves returning to take on the character, both of those factors may have played a significant role.

Constantine Director Recently Offered An Update On The Sequel

Director Francis Lawrence recently offered an update on the long-awaited Constantine sequel, saying that the writers' strike held things up, but the studio has landed the film rights so progress is being made.

"So Constantine 2 got obviously held up by the writers' strike," Lawrence said in a new chat with GameSpot. "And we had to jump through a bunch of hurdles to get control of the character again, because other people had control of the Vertigo stuff. We have control. Keanu and Akiva Goldsman and I have been in meetings and have been hashing out what we think the story is going to be, and there's more meetings of those that have to happen--the script has to be written--but really hoping that we get to do Constantine 2 and make a real rated R version of it."

"One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros., the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language, sexuality. But the ratings board gave us a hard R based on the gray zone of intensity," Lawrence told Collider last November. "And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that's really a PG-13 movie. And if I was going to have to go have an R, I would have really made an R-rated movie. I would have made it much scarier and much more violent and I would have really made an R-rated movie."

What do you think about Abrams' Constantine not moving forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Has Ideas for Movies, Animated and Live-Action (Exclusive) https://comicbook.com/startrek/news/star-trek-lower-decks-movies-live-action-season-4-finale-mike-mcmahan/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 21:54:00 +0000 Jamie Lovett aa362d25-cd7a-4e53-8677-25fd47aa99cf

Star Trek: Lower Decks wrapped its fourth season on Thursday with an episode that brought back some familiar characters and pushed the beloved series protagonists serving on the lower decks of the U.S.S. Cerritos into new places. The episode also featured some cinematic action and a grander tone appropriate for a finale and perhaps more. In the past, the biggest Star Trek shows jumped from television to film. Star Trek: The Original Series did it, with Star Trek: The Next Generation doing the same. Now Paramount+ is plotting new straight-to-streaming Star Trek movies, the first being Star Trek: Section 31 with Michelle Yeoh. ComicBook.com asked Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan if he had an idea for what a Star Trek: Lower Decks movie could look like. It turns out that he has multiple ideas spanning animation and live-action, as well as characters beyond those in Lower Decks.

"I have an idea for an animated Lower Decks movie," McMahan tells ComicBook.com. "I have ideas for live-action Lower Decks movies. And I have ideas for brand new, totally original Star Trek movies that don't tie into anything we've seen before. I think Star Trek is an amazing genre to think about. I love the idea of not micro but small-budget Star Trek movies, where you get the bigness of a movie set, but you get to tell a Star Trek story that drives across a moment instead of a thing that has to be dealt with, like a Khan."

He continues, "I think there are cool ways to make Star Trek movies that aren't quite like the Marvel system and aren't quite like DC or the superheroes in general, but I would love a world where there's going to be Star Trek movies all the time, and when you go, you don't know which crew it's going to be about or if it's going to be a comedy or suspense or a drama. I loved Captain America: The Winter Soldier, that it went from the first one [Captain America: The First Avenger] being a period piece superhero movie to being a spy thriller. I think there are ways to make Star Trek movies like that so that when you go, you don't know what you're going to get, you just know that you trust seeing that Starfleet Delta and that you're going to get a cool movie within that genre."

One might think that Paramount+'s first Star Trek movie project being about Section 31, a morally gray spy unit working largely independently of Starfleet's chain of command, is a step in that direction. McMahan would agree.

"Yes, and I am a big fan of Craig [Sweeny, writer] and everybody with Section 31," McMahan says. "I think it's going to be awesome. And I'm Mr. More when it comes to Star Trek. I want to see Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which sounds awesome. I want to see more Prodigy. I want to see more movies. More, more and more like, let's go."

ComicBook.com also spoke to McMahan more in-depth about the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 finale and what it means for the show's future. Here's what he had to say:

Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Mike McMahan on the Season 4 finale

ComicBook.com: At what point did Mariner's backstory firm up in your mind? Was this always the plan? Because it feels like an explanation for her attitude towards taking responsibility in Starfleet could have gone several different ways. How did you end up landing here?

Mike McMahan: I knew for a long time that Mariner was affected by her time in the Dominion War. There's a lot of earlier hints about that in the series. I always wanted to tie her to that original "Lower Decks" foursome, because it fits into the timeline. I held back for a really long time partially because part of me doesn't want to tell people why Mariner or any character is behaving the way they are. I just think there's a chance that you're jumping the shark at that, and I also wasn't sure if tying Mariner directly to a character from a previous episode would be too distracting or too specific. And oftentimes, I'm too cautious with stuff like, "When can I bring T'Lyn in?" or "When can I promote them?" And I'm really, really careful.

This is such an important show to me, and this is such an important franchise to me, that I tend to maybe be too careful. Part of it is I want people to love watching Lower Decks. I don't want to make people feel like they don't know what's going on. A lot of the time, with the legacy stuff, I am waiting until I can find a way where if somebody has never seen the stuff I'm referring to, it doesn't matter because they still get it. Locarno is a bad guy from the past, Sito was an old friend, things that if you know it all, you'll know it. If you don't know it all, it's fine, or maybe it'll inspire you to go watch more Star Trek, which is even better.

But this season being about Mariner gets promoted, but Ransom won't let her get demoted -- there's that episode earlier on where he is like, "I know what you're up to. I'm going to support you unconditionally" -- that creates Mariner's story arc this season, that she can't do the pressure release that she usually does. And then when she's in that cave with that Klingon in a fight-to-the-death rain delay and she knows she can talk about stuff that will never get out because Ma'ah will die or she will die, it's kind of a win-win for her. That's the first time she's able to communicate honestly about something because she is in a space, weirdly a Klingon therapeutic space, where she can speak about it. It's so painful. That felt earned to me. That felt like a thing where I'm like, "This feels honest, this feels good," and that's when I let myself do that stuff.

I understand that it's not the same thing as what you're talking about, but it's also a little funny to hear you say you're too careful about things after giving us the "Naked Time" orgy scene a couple of seasons ago. I get it, but it's funny.

Well, it's funny too because it's a two-second thing that makes total sense within the world of the show. And I don't think of Star Trek as being a Puritan thing. I think of Star Trek as being human. It's funny. I wasn't the one who put that kind of stuff into Star Trek. But also at the same time, I want to make a show that makes you laugh. That makes you go, "God, that was fun." Or like, "Oh, I've never seen that before." I'm incredibly careful about canon stuff, and I'm a little less careful about, "Is this going to make you laugh out loud? Will this make you love this? Is this something you haven't seen in Star Trek before?" It doesn't have to be a history book. This is a whole different genre for Star Trek. And I am dancing between all the classic Trek and something totally new for Trek, and it just has to be a funny show on its own.

This finale ends up forming this third chapter of what is now a trilogy of episodes that started with "The First Duty" and then the original "Lower Decks" episode. Now we have this "Locarno trilogy" or whatever fans might want to call it. Was that on your mind, this larger franchise meta-story, or was your focus entirely on your characters?

No, I mean, it's a Nicholas Meyer Wrath of Khan. I was trying to make it very clear that Star Trek does this really well, and it did it once with features after an episode hadn't aired for a really long time. Now this is what Star Trek can do animated. You see that people a lot of the time are like, "Oh, animation is good for Star Trek because you can see more squiggly arms on aliens, or go to more places." But another power of it is it is this kind of magic of doing what Star Trek does best and saying that these one-off characters could, possibly, show up again.

You mentioned that Mariner goes through a lot this season. She comes to terms with a lot of things. I know you are deep into Star Trek: Lower Decks Season Five at this point. I know you probably don't want to say too much, but how different should fans expect her to be going forward now that she's resolved a lot of things?

Mariner hasn't resolved anything, but she's been unburdened by them. I think it's important to say that mental health isn't something you solve, it's something that you take care of and that you are aware of, and that communication and there not being a stigma about it and things that you carry don't necessarily have to be heavy. There is a possibility to diffuse them. Going forward, Mariner is Mariner. Mariner is a funny, loving, chaos-creating, sci-fi badass, who is just a little less burdened by the things that she was carrying before. I find, because I'm done writing season five, the Mariner in Season 5 is the Mariner that I love from Seasons 1 through 4, just happier.

As you said, this episode is very Wrath of Khan, including the ships hiding in the clouds sequence. Considering you had done those "Crisis Point" episodes that lovingly made fun of the Star Trek movies, was there any worry going into this about, "How do we get the audience to take us seriously now after we had so much fun taking the piss out of the Star Trek movies?"

No, because even when we're taking the piss out of the Star Trek movies, it's clear we love it and we're doing a cool movie. A lot of it is the framing and the stakes and the music a lot of the time. Something Lower Decks does well in my opinion is makes you laugh and then immediately pivot to real stakes. That's a skill of ours that is partially the performances, the editing, the music, but I'm never worried we're not going to make a moment land because my directors and everybody, they know the score, they know what we're up to and we can pivot like that.

A lot of this episode is about Mariner, but Boimler also gets his big moment in this episode when he gets to captain for the first time, which is interesting because, in one of the earlier interviews I did with Jack Quaid, I asked him about Boimler potentially becoming Captain. He's said something like, "I know he wants it, but I don't know if he actually wants it." Is this a reaffirmation that maybe he really does want it and will be good at it? What made this the right time and what does it mean for him now?

What spoke to me about that moment was that it ties directly to that Redshirts episode in a previous season where, in this moment, Boimler was trusted by Ransom and the Captain to get this done. And what I think is interesting is, people love that they see him in the chair because they believe in Boimler too. But what being a Captain is about isn't about sitting in a chair in the middle of a bridge during a high-stakes moment. Freeman is being the captain there. Freeman is putting herself in danger, flying through a fireball. Boimler is being trusted and he's in that chair, and it's great. But being a captain is more than just that moment, and moving forward, Boimler's now had a taste of the epic part of being a Captain, but you have to earn being a Captain in a lot of different ways, and the thrill of that does not take him across the finish line yet with where we're going.

I have time for one more question. Since I didn't get a chance to ask you about this towards the beginning of the season. I'm going to roll it back to the premiere to have you weigh in on one of Star Trek's biggest controversies: Did Janeway do Tuvix wrong?

Janeway didn't only do Tuvix right, she also did us right. Although, I don't know if she did him right, but look, listen, she's not in the Alpha Quadrant. She's surviving, and she's doing what she has to with the resources that she has. Now, did Tuvix beg for his life, and she still murdered him? Yeah, that was pretty rough. But you know what, dude? Did anybody, did any of us really want more Tuvix? I was relieved. I did not want to watch another five seasons of Tuvix. I didn't want to lose Tuvok for that. I think people are still allowed to argue about the ethics of Janeway's decision, which is fine. Sometimes things are not black and white. Sometimes you're allowed to do the right thing, but it not be good. Sometimes you can do everything right and still not win. But ultimately, I'm glad we didn't have to watch Tuvix again. What a sigh of relief that he wasn't in the next episode, Tuvixing it up.

That is the 100% correct answer. Thank you.

[Laughs] Of course.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Cast

Star Trek: Lower Decks stars "lower decks" crewmembers of the U.S.S. Cerritos Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Ensign Tendi (No?l Wells), and Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). Provisional Ensign T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) joined the crew in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3. The U.S.S. Cerritos' bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell), Lieutenant Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore), and Doctor T'Ana, (Gillian Vigman).

Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites) created Star Trek: Lower Decks. In Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, "an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos isn't important enough for stuff like that! Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and Provisional Ensign T'Lyn are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple caves - all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way."

How to watch Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4

CBS' Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment produced Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4. Secret Hideout's Alex Kurtzman, Roddenberry Entertainment's Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, and Katie Krentz (219 Productions) are executive producers with showrunner Mike McMahan. Aaron Baiers (Secret Hideout) also serves as an executive producer. Titmouse (Big Mouth) serves as the animation studio for the series.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America. In Canada, Star Trek: Lower Decks airs on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Star Trek: Lower Decks will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Korea later this year.

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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Roars With New TV Spot https://comicbook.com/anime/news/monarch-legacy-of-monsters-new-tv-spot-watch/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 21:09:00 +0000 Evan Valentine 870aa04e-ada9-4aa8-886c-d5c54bb85951

One of the biggest new projects focusing on Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse won't be making its way to the silver screen but is still aiming to be a giant addition to the cinematic universe. Set to land on Apple TV+ on November 17th, Monarch: Legacy of the Monsters will take place both in the past and the present to follow a unique story focusing on Godzilla and his fellow titans. Now, a new television spot has given kaiju fans a closer look at the next chapter of the MonsterVerse.

The upcoming television series focusing on Legendary's MonsterVerse will star father and son team Kurt and Wyatt Russel, with the family members set to play the same character at two different times in the character's life. While Godzilla will be making an appearance, the television series will be featuring quite a few monsters that were introduced over the course of the cinematic universe's history. While Kong has yet to be confirmed, John Goodman's character from Kong: Skull Island will be making an appearance in the first episode of the television series.

Monarch: The Legacy of Monsters' Roars

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn't the only place where the lizard king will be making an appearance this year. Godzilla Minus One is the first Japanese film focusing on the king of the monsters since the release of 2016's Shin Godzilla and will feature the lizard king attacking Japan following World War 2. Touted by many as the best Godzilla movie ever made, the film will arrive in North America on December 1st.

If you want to know more about Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the show has put out an official blurb, so you can read its synopsis here: "Following the epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, two siblings, following in their father's footsteps, uncover their family's connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga - spanning three generations - reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives."

Which Godzilla project are you most looking forward to seeing? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of kaiju.

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Cryptic Marvel Post May Hint at Major Loki Finale Theory https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/cryptic-marvel-post-may-hint-at-major-loki-finale-theory/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 20:53:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak 9c2d0340-f4c6-4592-80d9-cd490106e477

The penultimate episode of Loki's second season, "Science/Fiction," was released this week and it's got Marvel fans talking about some major theories. The episode saw Loki (Tom Hiddleston) travel across different timelines to meet his friends in their true times and places. After he reunited everyone in order to save the TVA, many fans think Loki could become the new "He Who Remains" at the end of time while others believe we are witnessing the original formation of the TVA. In the comics, Loki is currently the God of Stories, which could be a clue to the character's MCU endgame. There have been some interesting hints on social media, including the official account for Thor sharing a clip from Thor: The Dark World. Is Marvel Studios teasing that Loki is about to get his "throne?"

"All this because Loki desires a throne," Odin (Anthony Hopkins) says in the clip. "It is my birthright," Loki shouts back. The post was simply captioned with a clock emoji, which has fans reeling in the comments. You can check out the post below:

What Is Loki Season 2 About?

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ComicBook.com's podcast Phase Zero will be recording live episodes every week following Loki season 2's new episodes on Disney+. Each week we will review, break down, and discuss the latest installment of the new Marvel series immediately after the episode's conclusion! The new episodes will be broadcast live on the Phase Zero channel on YouTube before being made available on all major podcast platforms. You can subscribe to the Phase Zero channel now and turn on notifications to make sure you don't miss the Loki Season 2 bonus episodes!

Do you think Loki will finally get his throne and become the new "He Who Remains?" Tell us your theories for the Loki season 2 finale in the comments!

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Invincible Season 2 Episode 1 Recap & Spoilers Discussion | ComicBook Nation https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/invincible-season-2-spoilers-episode-1-recaps-premire-discussion/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 20:19:00 +0000 Kofi Outlaw 119f2ffc-6aea-41e1-8dfd-a6617c652de3

In this BONUS Episode of ComicBook Nation, we are discussing and breaking down the Invincible Season 2 premiere episode in Full SPOILERS!

Was this a good re-entry into Amazon's Invincible Universe? What do we think about the new villains, heroes, and early implications about the Season 2 story arc? How is the production, action, and voice cast of both returning and new actors?

Come listen to our Invincible Season 2 Episode 1 Recap and be sure to SUBSCRIBE as we'll be back to recap each episode of Season 2 each week!

Invincible Season 2 Review

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(Photo: Amazon Prime Video)

ComicBook Nation Guest-host Logan Moore had the following to say in his Invincible Season 2 Part 1 review:

The first four episodes of Invincible Season 2 feel like they barely scratch the surface of where this series is heading. In fact, the long wait between Episode 4 and 5 is likely the biggest problem that I have with Season 2 so far, as I would have preferred to see all of these episodes release in one go. Despite this, Invincible continues to be one of the best and most unique superhero shows around and almost certainly won't disappoint those who have been counting down the days until its return.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Each episode has a deep dive into the current biggest discussion topics and debates within geek culture: movies, tv, comics, and video games are regular features, with genres like sci-fi, anime, and wrestling also featured regularly. The ONLY show covering ALL THINGS Geek Culture!

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(Photo: Producer Pete)

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American Sports Story: Patrick Schwarzenegger Starring as Tim Tebow, Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/american-sports-story-patrick-schwarzenegger-starring-as-tim-tebow-josh-andres-rivera-as-aaron-hernandez/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 20:03:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak 57d29965-910f-4d79-8eb7-7c5a752e2e4d

There have been an array of anthology series from FX and producer Ryan Murphy ranging from American Horror Story to American Crime Story, and the next installment will be American Sports Story. It was revealed at the beginning of the year that the first installment would focus on former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez. This week, Variety shared casting news about the project which confirms The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' Josh Andr?s Rivera will play Aaron Hernandez while Gen V's Patrick Schwarzenegger will play Tim Tebow.

American Sports Story will be another scripted anthological limited series, this time putting a focus on a person or event known for sports. The first season of the series is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from the Boston Globe and Wondery. You can the description of the season here: "It will examine the 'rise and fall' of Hernandez, including looking into his identity, his family, his career, his death, and his legacy. Hernandez was a tight end for the New England Patriots of the NFL before he was convicted for murder. He ultimately took his own life in prison in 2017."

According to the report, production on American Sports Story had already begun earlier this year but was put on hold due to the SAG strike. Rivera and Schwarzenegger were both cast prior to the strike, but FX hadn't announced their roles until now. The 20th Television series will be executive produced and written by Stu Zicherman with Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson also executive producing alongside Martin Woodall, Wondery's Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy of Wondery, and The Boston Globe's Linda Pizutti Henry and Ira Napoliello.

When Will American Horror Story: Delicate Return?

American Horror Story: Delicate Part One came to an end in October, but there is no premiere date for Part Two. However, the second half of the season is expected to arrive sometime in 2024. Production on the series was halted earlier this year due to the SAG strike and still needs to be completed.

Based on Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition, in American Horror Story: Delicate "after multiple failed attempts at IVF, actress Anna Victoria Alcott wants nothing more than to start a family. As the buzz around her recent film grows, she fears that something may be targeting her -- and her pursuit of motherhood." The season stars Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian, Denis O'Hare, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Julie White, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Matt Czuchry, Odessa A'zion, and Zachary Quinto.

Stay tuned for more updates about American Sports Story, American Horror Story, and more.

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Who Dies in Attack on Titan's Anime Finale? https://comicbook.com/anime/news/attack-on-titan-anime-finale-who-dies/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:41:00 +0000 Megan Peters 023572f3-1a41-4a65-9acf-8ddee0c1fecb

Attack on Titan has been with anime fans for more than 10 years at this point, but we know all things must end. Today marks that milestone for the hit anime as Attack on Titan has released its big finale. After a long wait, Eren Yeager has brought his intense journey to an end with a truly spectacular episode by MAPPA Studios. And in true fashion, the final episode of Attack on Titan does feature some massive deaths.

So you have been warned! There are major spoilers below for Attack on Titan. Read on with extreme caution!

If you did not know, the finale of Attack on Titan went live in Japan this morning, and social media was flooded with a deluge of tears. After all, it is hard to say goodbye to a show as good as Attack on Titan, and that does not even factor in its deaths. After all, the big finale features a few main kills, and they hit fans where it hurts.

The first unavoidable death comes at the hands of innocents. It is said that war always hurts the ordinary most, and that is definitely the case. In the final installment of Attack on Titan's anime, dozens more civilians are killed. The Rumbling shows no mercy to those in its paths, and while this latest episode had fewer civilian deaths than the finale's first half, a good few citizens were killed in Attack on Titan today.

When it comes to main character deaths, well - it looks dicey for all our heroes at one point. In the end though, only two lead characters lost their lives: Zeke and Eren. The two brothers were killed in their final stand, and the two went out in emotional scenes.

As for Zeke, Levi made good on his promise to kill the Beast Titan inheritor. The older Yeager brother was killed after an intense battle involving Levi, but it was humanity's strongest soldier who won. Now when it comes to Eren, his death came at the hands of Mikasa. The heroine was able to break through the Founding Titan's defenses to find Eren and his true body. After a brief moment, Mikasa found the strength to slice off Eren's head to stop his war. And not long after, Mikasa is able to share her first kiss with Eren's decapitated head.

From top to bottom, the final battle of Attack on Titan was intense, and its deaths have left many stunned. For years, it seemed as if Eren would make it out of the series alive, but his decision to become humanity's worst enemy sealed his awful fate. Eren knew exactly what he was doing by making himself a martyr, and the deaths of thousands weighs on his soul. His choice paved the path which forced Mikaka to kill her longtime friend and love. But through Eren's death, Attack on Titan sets up a future where Eldians can be seen as heroes rather than monsters.

What do you think about the end of Attack on Titan's anime? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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One of Loki's New Characters Is Based on a Real Person https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-loki-season-2-casey-easter-egg-frank-morris-mcu/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:08:00 +0000 Nicole Drum 8465837e-c9af-4d93-a97f-03c0b58b1430

The first season of Loki included a somewhat heartbreaking revelation about the TVA. All of the agency's employees are themselves variants, each with no memory of the real identities and lives they lived on the timeline. It's a revelation that meant that each of the people that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) had grown close to all had their own unexplored stories and this week's Season 2 episode of Loki, Episode 5 "Science/Fiction", offered a glimpse into those lives thanks to the collapse of the Temporal Loom and as it turns out, the true identity of one of Loki's friends is actually based on a real person -- and one of American history's more interesting mysteries.

Warning: spoilers for the fifth episode of Loki's second season beyond this point.

After the Temporal Loom's explosion, Loki finds himself timeslipping again and one of the first places he timeslips to is a branched timeline at Alcatraz in 1962 San Francisco where he finds Casey (Eugene Cordero). It turns out that in his real life, Casey's real identity was that of Frank who is orchestrating a prison break with two other men. They begin their escape by boat, but Loki timeslips away.

Frank is based on the real-life Frank Morris who had been sent to Alcatraz in 1960 for burglary and larceny and the two men with him are brothers John and Clarence Anglin (played by Loki directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson). In real life, the trio carried out an escape just as what was portrayed in the episode. The real story has become something of legend with the three men building fake heads using sheets, soap, paint, and even human hair and using them to trick the guards into believing that they were still in bed. The Anglins used spoons and a drill that they build from a vacuum cleaner and, along with another man named Allen West slowly cut their way through the concrete walls of their cells under the cover of Morris's evening accordion practice which hit the noise. Eventually, on June 11/12, 1962, Morris and the Anglins made a break for it -- West couldn't get out of his cell in time to join them. The trio set off in a boat made from raincoats and a resin that they learned to make from articles from the prison library.

While the trio's escape was pretty ingenious, it's also one of modern American history's more unusual unanswered questions. While the men appear to have made it off of the island, there is also no actual evidence the made it to the shore. The raft was later found with some of their personal effects in a plastic bag and there are plenty of theories about what actually happened to them, but many believe they didn't make it to shore and drowned. The FBI officially declared them dead in 1979.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that Loki has taken on one of American history's more fascinating crime mysteries. The Season 1 premiere of Loki revealed that the loveable trickster is actually D.B. Cooper, the notorious perpetrator of the 1971 plane hijacking that remains unsolved to this day. If course, in Loki's case, he didn't have a forgotten life as a hijacker; Loki only carried out the infamous crime because he lost a bet with his brother Thor.

Did you catch this Easter Egg in this week's Loki? Let us know in the comment section!

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The Batman Spinoff The Penguin Release Date Delayed https://comicbook.com/dc/news/the-batman-spinoff-the-penguin-release-date-delayed-max-actors-strike-fall-2024/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:48:00 +0000 Nicole Drum 72598c3b-b950-43b6-aa0b-626cf002deec

DC's The Batman spinoff series, The Penguin, has officially been delayed. According to Deadline, the original spring 2024 launch is being delayed by the WGA and actors' strikes. Decider's Meghan O'Keefe clarified on social media that that delay pushes the series from the expected spring release to fall 2024 with no specific window offered. The Penguin had never actually been given a specific release date.

The Penguin isn't the only series that is being delayed due to the ongoing strike. On Friday it was announced that the third season of The White Lotus is now coming in 2025, as has Stephen King's IT prequel series, Welcome to Derry. There have also been delays of various films as well due to the strikes. The WGA strike concluded in October after 148 days with the writers' union reaching a new agreement with the studios. SAG-AFTR, the actors' union, is reportedly nearing a deal that would get Hollywood back to work, but nothing has been finalized at the time of this article's writing.

HBO and Max Executive Casey Bloys Says The Penguin Will Help Fight Superhero Fatigue

During a recent 2024 programming showcase in New York, Bloys argued that The Penguin and the studio's various DC-inspired television shows have a clear sense of style, something that might not be the case in the stories of other superhero competitors.

"I don't know that it's necessarily tentpole fatigue as much as it is a sameness of storytelling," Bloys explained. "I think the key, even within DC, is trying to tell different stories in different styles, to not try to do the same show over and over and over again. I would say Peacemaker is a very different show tonally than The Penguin. So, there's not a uniformity to the storytelling and I think that helps. Unfortunately, Marvel, as good as their shows are, there's probably been a lot of them. That's one of the advantages we have at Warner Bros. is it's not just one set of stories. There's a lot of stories you can go to."

What Is The Penguin About?

We don't have a tone of details yet about The Penguin, but we do know that the series is expected to be set in the aftermath of the events of The Batman.

"We are thrilled to bring audiences a new version of this iconic DC character that they have never seen before," Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement when the show was announced. "It is incredible to be working with Matt, Dylan and Lauren on continuing this story and to see Colin take his already exceptional performance in 'The Batman' to the next level."

"Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in 'The Batman,' and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill," The Batman director Matt Reeves echoed. "Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz's story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham."

The Batman will star Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni, as well as Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O'Connell.

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Attack on Titan Anime Finale Reveals Eren's Fate https://comicbook.com/anime/news/attack-on-titan-anime-eren-death/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:44:00 +0000 Megan Peters 2c5466a7-713e-4761-96d3-ec91fab6f4e5

It is finally over, huh? Today marks the end of an era for the anime industry as Attack on Titan has run its course. The hit anime made its debut more than a decade ago, but all things must come to an end. Attack on Titan has launched its anime finale, and the big episode reveals Eren's fate.

So of course, be warned! There are major spoilers below for Attack on Titan. You have been warned!

If you are familiar with the Attack on Titan manga, well - you should not have been too surprised by Eren's end. The finale kept up with our top heroes as they fought against Eren and his horde of titan soldiers. Just when things seemed bleak for our team, Mikasa managed to break the defenses of the Founding Titan, and it was there she found Eren's true body.

When Eren spoke with Armin in their shared Titan minds cape, Mikasa was forced to do the unthinkable. In order to save the world from Eren, the young woman had to kill her childhood friend and true love. Mikasa managed to cut Eren's head from his body after breaking through the Founding Titan, and Eren was killed with a smile. After catching his decapitated head, Mikasa placed a kiss on Eren's lips, and yeah - you can see why fans are sobbing online over the whole ordeal.

For a decade now, Attack on Titan has made it clear that Mikasa and Eren were an endgame couple. The two have been inextricably linked since youth, and now, Mikasa is the one who brought Eren to his death. And if that kind of love is not tragic, well - what is?

If you are reeling from the end of Attack on Titan, you can always circle back and start Eren's journey from the beginning. The hit series is streaming on Hulu and Crunchyroll; Both services will begin airing the official subbed version of Attack on Titan's anime final this evening starting at 7:00 pm CST. So for those wanting more info on Attack on Titan, you can read its official synopsis below:

"Known in Japan as Shingeki no Kyojin, many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. Only the heroic members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls - but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive. Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill - or be devoured."

What do you think about the ending of Attack on Titan now that it has come to television? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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Echo Will Be An Be An "Exploration of Trauma" Featuring Flashbacks To Maya Lopez's Ancestors https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-mcu-exploration-of-trauma-flashbacks-to-maya-lopezs-ancestors-choctaw-nation/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:43:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak 1c99384c-5dd8-4dfe-875a-c94f33bc399b

Echo's first trailer was released today, and the new Marvel Studios series is set to debut in January on Disney+ and Hulu. The new show continues the story of Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox), the character who was first introduced in the MCU in Hawkeye back in 2021. ComicBook.com recently attended a trailer event for the series, and director and executive producer Sydney Freeland confirmed that Echo is a villain, and teased some of the darker themes in the series. The post-Avengers: Endgame era of the MCU has featured a lot of characters dealing with grief and trauma, and it sounds like Echo won't be a reprieve from those ideas.

"Thematically, this show is sort of an exploration of trauma, how we deal with it, how we cope with it, how it affects us, how we affect it, how it affects those around us," Freeland shared. "The theme of the show is very much, we're trying to be street, we're operating a little more on a street level sort of view. These aren't cosmic consequences. It's not the fate of the universe at stake. This is the fate of family. And what we're going to see is sort of the beginnings of the origin for not only Maya Lopez but then also this sort of seismic sort of fracturing event that's going to affect her entire family. And that we're going to see has ripples and consequences throughout the entire show."

Similar to Ms. Marvel, Echo will also feature flashbacks to the titular character's ancestors.

"One other thread that I haven't mentioned thus far is that we are also going to be, we have this two-pronged approach to the series. There's this family drama sort of driving everything, but then there's this undercurrent of this, there's sort of a fantastical side, which is that we are going to be visiting Maya's matrilineal ancestors ... going quite a bit backward in time. And that is going to those two things, this family drama and these ancestral stories that we're going to see are going to come head to head," Freeland explained.

Sydney Freeland Talks "Authenticity" in Echo:

During the press event for Echo, Freeland also spoke about the importance of representing both the deaf community and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

"Authenticity, I think, well, I think it started in the writer's room was having very much, it's a multi-pronged approach," Freeland answered when asked what was most important to her when making Echo. "It's like we had to have Native representation. That was a must. We had to have deaf representation. That was a must. So it really started within our writers, our writer's room. And then I think with, obviously when I came on board, then we tried to keep that energy going, but we had Native people throughout the behind the scenes and front of the camera as well. But I think another big thing that was important to us is the Choctaw, our partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Early on in the process, once we kind of had our pilot script, we took a trip. It was myself and my department heads, and one of the great things is that none of them have ever been to a pow before."

She explained, "And I think what I realized in that moment was, which I think rarely happens in my experience with being portrayed in Native films, is going to the people and getting their partnership basically it was crickets on the side of the table and basically I said, 'No, no, we're not here to tell you what we're going to do. We are here to create a dialogue so that we can get your input and create a more authentic portrayal of the Choctaw people and culture.' Because again, also speaking for myself, I'm Navajo, I'm not Choctaw, I don't speak Choctaw, I'm not Choctaw culture, but that was one of the big things that was important for us was creating a dialogue with the Choctaw Nation and getting their support."

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10th. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.

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007: Brian Cox "Always Wanted To Play Bond Villain" https://comicbook.com/movies/news/james-bond-007-villain-brian-cox-always-wanted-tv-show/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 17:35:00 +0000 Aaron Perine 74969ecb-d817-4838-b909-fccfbd343549

007: Road to a Million star Brian Cox says that he's "always wanted to play a Bond villain." In a new piece with Variety, the Succession star explains his role in the Prime Video reality series. Cox plays the game master for a group of fans who are charged with completing challenges based on the James Bond franchise. It's all wild stunts and pulse-pounding trials, the exact stuff you expect from a show with 007 in the title. But, this is a funny moment for the actor who had dreams of being on the big screen opposite the titular spy. When asked why he signed on to 007: Road to a Million, Cox joked, "They paid me an enormous amount of money. And that's always attractive."

"I thought 'Oh, 007, finally,'" he mused. "I should have realized that we haven't got a new James Bond so why would they be casting a villain? But I thought: 'This might be my big moment to play a Bond villain.' I've always wanted to play a Bond villain."

The New 007 Show Trailer Highlight Brian Cox

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(Photo: Amazon Studios)

007: Road to A Million shines a spot on Cox as he slides into the role of the mastermind villain. Now, that's a little bit different from his last role that TV fans absolutely loved. Succession was a massive cultural moment for prestiege TV watchers. However, this type of evil is on a completely different path. With all these people hopeful for their chance at a massive cash prize, it's up to Cox and his increasingly dire challenges to stand in the way. If it weren't bad enough to be battling a Bond villain, they other competitors aren't going to sit down and just let you run away with the prize either.

Prime Video provided a synopsis of the show: "007: Road to a Million will see contestants competing in teams of two on a global adventure to win the ultimate prize of up to ?1 million. Filmed in iconic Bond locations - from the Scottish Highlands to Venice and Jamaica - this cinematic format will be a test of intelligence, endurance and heroism. In addition to conquering obstacles, the contestants, who will compete in two-person teams, must correctly answer questions hidden in the different locations around the world to advance to the next challenge."

"The Controller revels in the increasingly difficult journeys and questions the contestants must overcome. He has millions of pounds to give away, but he doesn't make it easy. Whilst he lurks in the shadows, he is watching and controlling everything."

Is There More James Bond TV Coming?

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(Photo: MGM)

As 007: Road to a Million begins, there have been observers wondering if more James Bond TV is on the way. Well, according to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, that's not in the plans a this current time. In a conversation with The Guardian, she explained MGM's vision for the franchise. When it comes to 007, they believe the spy is basically more well-suited to the big screen. That's not to say they won't find inventive ways to get the brand into smaller projects. But, you can probably retire those hopes of a James Bond limited series anytime soon.

"Our focus is making the feature films. When we get going on a Bond movie it takes our full attention for three or four years so that's our focus," Broccoli said when asked about 007's TV future. "We make the Bond movies for the big theatrical screen and everything about the Bond movies is for audiences to see around the world on that format, so we've not wanted to do television."

Do you think Cox would be a good Bond villain? Let us know in the comments!

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Marvel's Echo Episode Count Confirmed https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/echo-marvel-tv-show-series-disney-plus-mcu-episodes/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:25:00 +0000 Jamie Lovett 08856530-7b0a-427c-abfd-8ac97fcad979

Marvel Studios has confirmed the episode count for its upcoming Echo series. Marvel will divide Echo into five episodes, all debuting at once, when it launches in January. Echo marks multiple firsts for Marvel Studios. It is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe series to be released simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu (which Disney recently agreed to acquire outright from co-owner Comcast). It's the first Marvel Studios release under the new continuity-light, character-focused Marvel Spotlight banner. It'll be Marvel Studios' first original series rated TV-MA. It's the first Marvel series to focus on an MCU villain. Picking up after Marvel's Hawkeye series, Echo follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she remains on the run from the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio).

"We wanted something that, again, if you're coming off of Hawkeye, and you have to keep in mind she's a villain," Echo director/executive producer Sydney Freeland said during the Echo trailer debut event. "She's a villain. And so tonally, we wanted to lean into that. I think in talking with the executives and our approach, and when building visual style, it was sort of like, 'Oh yeah, lean into that, lean into that.'"

With the TV-MA rating and focus on street-level characters over MCU continuity, Echo could be the return of Netflix-style dark and gritty Marvel television that fans of Marvel's Daredevil and the other shows from that era may love. Echo will include some references to Marvel's Daredevil as well. Some already popped up in Friday's Echo trailer.

"I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it's great," Freeland said. "And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series ... But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn't that reason."

The timing of Freeland's comments about the Netflix Marvel shows is noteworthy. Kevin Feige recently clarified what is and isn't Marvel Cinematic Universe canon but hinted that those lines may blur as the Multiverse Saga continues.

Marvel's Echo Cast

Echo stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk. The show's supporting cast includes Chaske Spencer, Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, and Cody Lightning. Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie directed the series.

According to Marvel Studios' official synopsis for the series, Echo spotlights "Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. "

All five episodes of Echo will debut on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10th. Fans can see Alaqua Cox in action as Maya Lopez in Marvel's Hawkeye, which is streaming now on Disney+.

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Echo TV Series Will Be Released Under "Marvel Spotlight" Banner https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/echo-tv-series-released-marvel-spotlight-banner-trailer-new-mcu/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 04:28:00 +0000 Jenna Anderson e3671ed9-3be5-485f-93ad-cee11fb3c044

The first trailer for Echo made its debut on Friday, showcasing the latest Disney+ series set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The live-action series will not only be the franchise's first TV-MA showing, but it will air simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu -- and apparently, it will also kick off a brand-new banner. In a recent article about Echo, Marvel Studios revealed that the series is the inaugural title under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner. The label will be used on titles that present a wider variety of stories, which don't require as much prior knowledge of the MCU. The name Marvel Spotlight originates from a Marvel Comics anthology series of the same name, which ran across the 1970s and 1980s and led to many characters' debuts.

"Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity," Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum explained. "Just like comics fans didn't need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn't need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what's happening in Maya's story."

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(Photo: Marvel Studios)

What Is Echo About?

The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet) are executive producers. Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King (Seminole), and Jennifer Booth are co-executive producers.

"I grew up not seeing anyone that looked like me on the screen, so now this generation will be able to have someone -- a person of color who's deaf -- that they can see," Cox explained in an interview late last year. "So having this authentic representation is amazing."

"You will see, once she leaves New York, she's faced with some issues," Cox revealed. "So she goes to Oklahoma, where she originally lives. She will try to find the definition of family and community and what it means to her, because she's been alone for so long. So she wants to try to get back involved with her family, and connect with her Indigenous roots as well."

Are you excited for Echo? What do you think of the new Marvel Studios "Marvel Spotlight" banner? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Echo will premiere exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10, 2024. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here. Note: If you purchase one of the awesome, independently chosen products featured here, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

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Gen V Fans Frustrated By Short Finale, But Still Love Its "Total Chaos" https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/gen-v-fans-frustrated-short-finale-episode-8/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 03:18:00 +0000 Spencer Perry d5e850af-4c5c-45d4-a875-28d108dd9009
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Doctor Who Showrunner Was Asked to Produce a Marvel Show, But Doesn't Know What It Was https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/doctor-who-showrunner-produce-marvel-show-russell-t-davies-mcu/ Sat, 04 Nov 2023 02:44:00 +0000 Jenna Anderson e6fc11dc-3cf5-4725-986a-159535f8bf72

For some, Russell T. Davies has become a ubiquitous part of the television landscape, thanks to his work on Doctor Who and Queer as Folk. As a new interview with Davies, who is about to make his return to Who, reveals, he almost had a role in helping a completely different franchise. In a recent interview with SFX Magazine, Davies revealed that he was asked to showrun a "British Marvel show" -- presumably for Marvel Studios, which has ventured into television in recent years on Disney+. The only caveat is that Davies wasn't told what the show would even be -- and to this day, he still can't figure out what project it might've been.

"I got asked to showrun a British Marvel show, but [they said] 'We can't tell you what it is,'" Davies explained. The director laughs loudly, "To this day, I watch them and I can't work out which show that was going to be. Obviously planning to make a British Marvel show that I haven't seen. Has that happened?"

Who Will Be the Next Doctor Who?

Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa is set to play the Fifteenth Doctor in the upcoming 60th anniversary season of Doctor Who, which will be showrun by Davies. David Tennant, who portrayed the franchise's Tenth Doctor, will also be returning as the Fourteenth Doctor for a string of specials later this fall.

"Oh God, what a force of nature," Tennant exclaimed in a recent interview. "I've caught a little bit of him at work and it's pretty exciting. I mean, what advice would you give someone? You can see Ncuti has so much talent and energy. He's so inspired and charismatic. The thing about something like this is: it's the peripherals, it's not the job. It's the other stuff that comes with it, that I didn't see coming. It's a show that has so much focus and enthusiasm on it. It's not like Ncuti hasn't been in a massive Netflix series [Sex Education,] but Doctor Who is on a slightly different level. It's cross-generational, international, and has so much history, that it feels like it belongs to everyone. To be at the center of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn't come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to if that's not been your life up to that point. I was very lucky that when I joined, Billie Piper [who portrayed on-screen companion, Rose] was still there. She'd lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live life under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie."

What do you think of Russell T. Davies having been asked to showrun a Marvel show? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Dune Prequel TV Series Reportedly Gets New Title, Release Window https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/dune-prequel-tv-series-new-title-release-window/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 22:53:00 +0000 Jenna Anderson 62204b82-0d0d-4cc1-8247-136a067972c8

No only do movie fans have Dune: Part Two to look forward to next year, but the science fiction franchise is set to expand into television. A prequel television is being produced for Warner Bros, Discovery's Max streaming service -- and now, it has a major new update. This week, reports indicated that the Dune television spinoff, which was originally titled Dune: The Sisterhood, has been renamed Dune: Prophecy. IGN has officially confirmed the name change, as well as the detail that the series is expected to debut on Max in the fall of 2024.

While this certainly isn't an official release date for Dune: Prophecy, the window could end up being a safe bet, especially as the series has reportedly been able to resume production in Budapest amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike. Fellow HBO shows like the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon and Industry were also able to continue to film amid the strike, due to the fact that their productions almost-exclusively consist of Equity contract actors, with some SAG-AFTRA members in the mix. According to the guidelines released by SAG-AFTRA, union members working under Equity contracts don't need to stop production at this time.

What Is Dune: Prophecy About?

Dune: Prophecy has been previously described as being told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune. Members of the cast will also include Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen; Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez; Shalom Brune Franklin as Mikaela; Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen; Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline; Chloe Lea as Lila; Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart; Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino; Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia; Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides.

"Oh, that is carrying on and I'm not allowed to talk about it very much," Spaihts previously said during an interview with The Playlist. "But that effort is alive and well. I ended up getting moved off of it to work, not just on Dune: Part Two, but to investigate other cinematic prospects in the Dune universe, which we are still talking about and which, again, I'm not allowed to say very much about. But it is a very rich world in which to play, and I think it is ripe with opportunities for storytelling in every direction. They're well down the road, but I honestly don't know the details of the timing."

What Is Happening with Dune: Propecy?

Back in February, reports indicated that the series had lost star Shirley Henderson, as well as the director of the first two episodes, Johan Renck. These exits occurred after the departure of showrunner Diane Ademu-John, who left the series right before it began production in late November, which reportedly led to major rewrites. According to reports, Renck's directing style also did not line up with Max's vision for the show, and was seen as a "departure" from the style of Denis Villeneuve's films. The Crown star Olivia Williams has replaced Henderson as Tula Harkonnen, while The Witcher's Jodhi May will replacing Creature Commandos star Indira Varma as Empress Natalya, who reportedly stepped away from the part due to a scheduling conflict.

"As Dune: The Sisterhood (wt) has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, there are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material," an HBO Max spokesperson said in a statement. "Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement, Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen."

What do you think of the latest update about the Dune television spinoff? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Loki Season 2, Episode 5 Recap, Breakdown, Review | Phase Zero https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/loki-season-2-episode-5-exlpainded-timesplitting-ending-kang-mcu-podcast/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:28:00 +0000 Brandon Davis 7aa8fae7-0648-4ab8-9668-c473246f128a

Following the latest Season 2 episode of Loki, ComicBook.com's Marvel podcast Phase Zero hosted its latest live aftershow episode immediately following, Beginning just before 10:00pm ET, Phase Zero and its community played host to a recap, breakdown, and review of Loki Season 2, Episode 5. Launch times for the final Loki bonus episodes of Phase Zero will vary, kicking off immediately following the full runtime of Loki finale which has not yet been revealed. The new episode of Phase Zero was broadcast live on Thursday night before being made available on all major podcast platforms, drawing the largest concurrent viewers rating for Phase Zero of the season!

The structure for Loki Season 2 bonus episodes with Phase Zero is a bit different from the traditional Phase Zero episodes which record and release every Wednesday! Each bonus episode starts with a recap of the latest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, focusing in on key points from the new episodes and honing in on the main purpose of the new episode. Then, Easter eggs consume the following breakdown, as well as the questions prompted by the new episode. To round out the bonus episodes, Phase Zero hosts offer up their official reviews (complete with a score) of the newest Loki episode. Theories, Easter eggs, and opinions are glorious! Live viewers are encouraged to bring questions and conversations of their own to the comment section, with listeners encouraged to leave them in their reviews on podcast platforms.

Phase Zero's Loki Season 2: Bonus Episode 5 can be watched in its entirety iin the video above. The Bonus Episode is available now on all major podcast platforms. Links to Phase Zero can be found below:

Why is Phase Zero the Best MCU Podcast for you?

Launching on January 15, 2021, Phase Zero made its goal of building a fun and welcoming community of Marvel fans clear. In the time since, more than 3,000,000 listens across platforms and countless comments from listeners and viewers, the community has become one which celebrates the Marvel fandom and regularly engages in conversation about past and future titles. Having connected fans with some of their favorite actors, provided expert knowledge on upcoming titles, and analysis with comparisons to comics, Phase Zero is the one-stop podcast for all things Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Phase Zero invites you to celebrate all things Marvel, hosting a weekly conversation of theories, speculation, and exclusive interviews and insights. It's the number one spot for MCU fans, welcoming those new to it all and those who think they know it all! New episodes are recorded live on Youtube every Wednesday at 12pm ET before being made available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts can be found. For updates regarding the Phase Zero podcast, follow the official Phase Zero account on Twitter!

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ComicBook Nation: MCU Crisis Report, Echo Trailer & Invincible Season 2 Review https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/marvel-echo-trailer-mcu-crisis-loki-episode-5-invincible-season-2-spoilers-watch/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:00:00 +0000 Kofi Outlaw 898c119e-5cd7-4b1c-badc-e4863df54023

The ComicBook Nation Crew breaks down Marvel's ECHO trailer and asks the hard question: Can the MCU recover from the multiple disasters detailed in a new report? Is Loki Season 2 Episode 5 a hopeful indicator that the series will end strong and make this Multiverse Saga make sense?

PLUS: Amazon Prime Video's Gen V hits its finale just as Invincible Season 2 premieres - and we look back at It Follows ten years later as a sequel, They Follow, is announced!

Invincible Season 2 Part 1 Review

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(Photo: Amazon Prime Video)

ComicBook Nation Guest-host Logan Moore had the following to say in his Invincible Season 2 review:

The first four episodes of Invincible Season 2 feel like they barely scratch the surface of where this series is heading. In fact, the long wait between Episode 4 and 5 is likely the biggest problem that I have with Season 2 so far, as I would have preferred to see all of these episodes release in one go. Despite this, Invincible continues to be one of the best and most unique superhero shows around and almost certainly won't disappoint those who have been counting down the days until its return.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Subscribe to ComicBook Nation!

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(Photo: Producer Pete)

There are several additional ways you can subscribe and/or listen to ComicBook Nation, which are listed below:

  1. SUBSCRIBE to our Official YouTube Page
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  3. Check us out on Spotify or Stitcher
  4. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio

Each episode has a deep dive into the current biggest discussion topics and debates within geek culture: movies, tv, comics, and video games are regular features, with genres like sci-fi, anime, and wrestling also featured regularly. The ONLY show covering ALL THINGS Geek Culture!

https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/CAD6012627240.mp3?updated=1699043082

After every show we'll keep the discussion on Twitter:

Have thoughts to share? Want us to cover something on the show? Let us know in the comments!

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Walmart+ Membership With Paramount+ Is 50% Off Ahead Of Black Friday 2023 https://comicbook.com/gear/news/walmart-plus-memberships-deal-black-friday-2023/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:58:00 +0000 Sean Fallon 03503bd3-5347-49d9-a3f6-8267ae5cb9bf If you don't want to rely entirely on your Amazon Prime membership for Black Friday deals in the month of November, you might want to take advantage of the deal that Walmart is currently running on their Walmart+ memberships, Regularly priced at $98 on an annual plan, you can get a full year of benefits for $49 here at Walmart through November 8th 2023. These benefits include a built-in subscription to Paramount+ (which is $59.99 for the Essential plan on its own if you bought it separately), early access to online deals, free shipping on gifts and groceries with no minimum order, member savings on fuel, special offers, and more.

Speaking of early access Walmart's first Black Friday event for 2023 takes place on November 8th, and members will have early access to the deals starting at 12pm ET. Historically, high demand products like gaming consoles have also been locked behind memberships, so if you're in the market for a PS5 Slim, it might come in handy. Odds are Walmart will run additional Black Friday events throughout the month of November.

Sign up for the Walmart+ Membership Deal

According to the fine print, the deal is "not available to InHome members or current, paid annual members or members with a current plan through a third party offer other than those offers through YouTube, GamePass & Panera". So if you had a Walmart+ plan previously and cancelled, it seems like you might be able to take advantage of the half price offer as well.

What's new on Paramount+

November will see the expansion of the Yellowstone universe with a new series from Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo. Lawmen: Bass Reeves takes place in the old west and follows the story of one of the era's most legendary lawmen. The series is set to make its premiere on November 5th.

If comedy is more your speed, Paramount+ is finally bringing the long-awaited sequel to Good Burger to life. Good Burger 2, which sees Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reprise their roles from the original movie, debuts on November 22nd. You can check out a complete list of new Paramount+ releases for November 2023 right here.

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The Boys Season 4 Gets Big Update After Gen V Finale https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-boys-season-4-update-gen-v-finale/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:56:00 +0000 Jenna Anderson 37c4e00f-5fdf-4024-9e29-488dde0beee3

The first season of Gen V is in the books, after delivering fans some genuinely zany superhero action. The live-action Prime Video series is a direct spinoff of The Boys, and fans have been eager to see how the two entities will connect to each other going forward. In a recent interview with Variety, The Boys and Gen V showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that a lot of creative decisions have been made regarding The Boys' upcoming fourth season, some of which impacted the Gen V cameos from Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr). Still, Kripke confirmed that The Boys Season 4 does not currently have a release date.

"You will not know when "The Boys" Season 4 is airing by the time the "Gen V" finale airs," Kripke explained. "But most of the editing is done, we're now deep into the music and visual effects. Marketing is starting to taxi their planes on the runway. There's a lot happening behind the scenes of "The Boys" Season 4, I can say that."

"For Butcher, by the time they were making the finale, we were pretty deep into breaking Season 4," Kripke said of the cameos. "We knew that we wanted that virus to be a pretty big part of Season 4, and we knew that we wanted Butcher to be aware of it. It seems crazy that he wouldn't be aware of it. It became kind of tricky, because how do we show that he knows about it without it just being dialogue? This idea came up that it probably shouldn't even happen in "The Boys," it should happen in "Gen V." The value of having the [two shows' writers] rooms be in coordination is, our room took it to Michele and her room and said, 'Can we put Butcher in the end, so we can show that he's really hot on the tail of the virus?' It was really cool, because it does a nice little preamble to what's coming next. And Karl and Ant both were willing to come in on their days off to go work on the other show. But the Homelander part was Michele's team."

What Is Gen V About?

Gen V is the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, the hit Prime Video series based on the Dynamite Comics series. Set in Godolkin University, originally a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel's X-Men comics, the series is described as "Hunger Games" at a college and the cutthroat world of young supes trying their best to get on one of Vought's super teams, including The Seven. Former Marvel's Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters showrun the new series, which is executive produced by The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Lizze Broadway lead the new cast of Gen V, which will also see some characters from The Boys make an appearance including Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Colby Minifie as Vought's Ashley Barrett, and P.J. Byrne as director Adam Bourke.

Are you excited for The Boys Season 4? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Echo Director Confirms You Don't Need To Watch Other Marvel Shows To Understand the New Series https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-director-confirms-dont-need-to-watch-other-marvel-shows-daredevil-hawkeye-to-understand-series/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:43:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak a6983238-1fe2-4b6c-acc0-f89273ac6585

Echo is heading to Disney+ and Hulu in January, and the new Marvel Studios series will feature some familiar faces. The show follows Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) as she "struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) AKA Kingpin." Maya was first introduced in Hawkeye, and D'Onofrio is best known for Daredevil. It was previously confirmed that Echo will feature the MCU's next appearance by Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Despite Echo, Daredevil, and Kingpin all appearing in previous Marvel shows, Echo's director and executive producer Sydney Freeland says you don't need to watch anything else to understand the events of the upcoming series.

"Yeah, our hope is that you don't need to have seen any other Marvel show before because - so obviously we have to establish ourselves in the MCU - but then we quickly make our own path," Freeland shared at an Echo press event attended by ComicBook.com. "So it is tough because I've seen so much of the market content, I'm so familiar with Hawkeye. It was something we're very conscious of, I'll say that much. But the goal is that, hopefully, you don't have to have seen anything coming into this."

What Is Echo Rated?

It sounds like Echo will have more in common with the Defenderverse than Marvel's Disney+ shows. Not only is Echo going to be released all at once, but it will be Marvel's first Disney+ series that will be released simultaneously on Hulu. Echo will also be Marvel's first Disney+ series to be rated TV-MA.

"It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at the trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

"We wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show," Freeland explained. "They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit."

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10th. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.

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Loki: New Posters Showcase Mobius and Hunter B-15's True Selves https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/loki-new-mcu-posters-season-2-episode-5-mobius-hunter-b-15-true-selves/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:30:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak ab637b4d-24da-4411-b114-06ff38175ef6

The penultimate episode of Loki's second season, "Science/Fiction," was released on Disney+ last night and saw Loki (Tom Hiddleston) travel across different timelines to meet his friends in their true time and place. It was revealed in the first season that everyone who worked for the TVA was a variant, and now we finally know their stories. Fans were especially excited to learn that Mobius (Owen Wilson) was a jet ski salesman named Don with two sons living in Ohio. It was also revealed that Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) was a doctor named Dr. Willis who was living in New York City in 2012. In honor of these revelations, Marvel Studios has released new posters that showcase Wilson and Mosaku's characters.

"Dedicated workers on any timeline. Episode 5 of Loki Season 2 is now streaming on @DisneyPlus," Marvel shared on Instagram. You can check out the posters below:

Loki Producer Addresses Jet Ski Moment:

Loki producer Kevin Wright recently spoke with Marvel.com about the decision to let Mobius ride a jet ski, which is something fans have been waiting for since the first season.

"We knew in the script [the jet ski] was going to be something funny," Wright told the website. "There was always joke ideas of tags for the end of Season 1 or other things. We knew eventually we were going to have to pay it off, but it was just kind of waiting for the right moment so that it would be its most fulfilling."

"We wanted to find a way to do it in an unexpected way," Wright continued. "I mean, there's been so much anticipation, and I think we could have just plopped him on a jet ski riding around a lake, and people would have been just as happy. Owen said something really funny, which was he compared it a little bit to an old TV romance -- will they, won't they? He's like, well, the second you do it, the thing kind of is done. So he's like, if we're going to do it now, it's got to be really fun and really unexpected."

What Is Loki Season 2 About?

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ComicBook.com's podcast Phase Zero will be recording live episodes every week following Loki season 2's new episodes on Disney+. Each week we will review, break down, and discuss the latest installment of the new Marvel series immediately after the episode's conclusion! The new episodes will be broadcast live on the Phase Zero channel on YouTube before being made available on all major podcast platforms. You can subscribe to the Phase Zero channel now and turn on notifications to make sure you don't miss the Loki Season 2 bonus episodes!

What do you think of Loki's second season so far? Tell us in the comments!

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Loki Season 2 Episode 5 Reveals One Character's Secret Marvel Comics Identity https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/loki-season-2-episode-5-secret-marvel-comics-identity-mcu-verity-wills/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:33:00 +0000 Aaron Perine dd4ad9f3-6a13-447a-b813-630d59eddc0a

Loki Season 2 Episode 5 managed to reveal one MCU character's secret Marvel Comics identity. On Twitter, user @ImSheWhoRemains zoomed-in and discovered that Hunter B-15's true name is Verity Willis. So, that means she's a fun character from Loki's Marvel Comics adventures. Over in Loki: Agent of Asgard, she travelled with the God of Mischief all over the timeline and helped try to save the world from imminent calamity. Verity's powers in the comics center around being able to see through deceptions and divine the truth. A helpful tool when you're crashing around the Marvel Universe with a Loki variant.

In the comics, Verity also accompanies Loki to the end of time where he was in a struggle with King Loki. (He's an evil variant of the trickster god, by the way.) That's not so dissimilar from the plot of the Disney+ Loki show so far. However, what awaits Loki at the end of all this conflict might not be a glaring version of himself... but rather a more sinister figure. Verity's appearance in an MCU show also highlights a Marvel Studios penchant for nodding to the comics around the edges without anyone saying the character's name on-screen. Remixing is as much a part of The MCU DNA as the fanfare at the beginning of these programs or the post-credits scenes.

Life "Before" The TVA Was Different

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(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

Seeing things and meeting people we've met before is the entire vibe of Loki Season 2 Episode 5. The production designer for the series talked to Marvel.com about recreating O.B.'s workshop in his own timeline. Kasran Farahani says that he wanted the viewers to feel that creeping feeling of things being familiar but also unique. Think like deja-vu. So, for all of our time-displaced friends, there are familiar elements to their stories like Hunter B-15 being a helper in her other life.

"I think that was something throughout the episode we were talking about you wanted it to just feel like you're home with these characters, but truly uncanny in the true sense of the word," Executive Producer Kevin Wright said during the piece. "It's home-like, and that is what makes it feel familiar, but also potentially really odd. A lot of that was trying to capture, again-- and this was a through line in Season 1, bringing it through here-- a little bit of that Wizard of Oz feel of, its home, but it's not. It's filled with familiar faces, but they're not the people that you know."

Loki Season 2's Conclusion Is On The Way

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(Photo: Marvel Studios)

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing.

Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Did you pick-up on this Marvel nod? Let us know in the comments!

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Gen V Episode 8 Ending Explained https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/gen-v-season-1-finale-ending-explained/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:28:00 +0000 Spencer Perry 92bd45d2-d239-4b9f-a79f-db0eafaf5165

Gen V episode 8 has wrapped up the first season of the series, but its ending, like some previous episodes, has left viewers with questions. Though much of Gen V season 1 was all about the mystery of The Woods, that mystery was quickly resolved for viewers, but the ending of the season tied it all together. Not only did Gen V episode 8's ending bring the entire narrative of the season together but connected it more to The Boys even bigger than before. Here's what went down in Gen V episode 8:

Things pick up immediately after the events of Gen V episode 7, with Dean Shetty dead at the hands of Cate. She reveals her plan to her fellow Godolkin students, revealing she and Sam will release the supes imprisoned in The Woods as a means for getting revenge on Vought and the School. As a result, things get chaotic immediately at God U

Gen V Episode 8 Ending Explained

  • Things pick up immediately after the events of Gen V episode 7, with Dean Shetty dead at the hands of Cate. She reveals her plan to her fellow Godolkin students, revealing she and Sam will release the supes imprisoned in The Woods as a means for getting revenge on Vought and the School.
  • As a result, things get chaotic immediately at God U. Cate and Sam have freed all the supes from inside The Woods and are taking of Godolkin University, attacking the supes on campus and the regular people alike.
  • Marie Moreau, Andre Anderson, Emma Meyer, and Jordan Li all work together, as "The Guardians of Godolkin," to stop them. The problem is that this fight isn't strictly a physical fight, but a theological one as well.
  • Marie wants to be a hero, a good person, someone her sister could have been proud of.
  • Cate however is hinging her entire uprising to make her fellow God U supes realize that they're just products to Vought and not thought of as people.
  • Marie then uses her powers and channels them to the biggest degree that she's managed ever, lifting up the blood from the corpses littered around campus and turning them into knives to stop one of The Woods supes from hurting anyone else.
  • When Cate then attempts to use her powers on Jordan Li however Marie is forced to act quickly, exploding her arm and leaving her with a bloody stump while the viscera flies.
  • That's when the clouds part and none other than Homelander makes his grand entrance. Marie attempts to speak with him and explain, but he wags his finger and asks, "What kind of animal are you? Do you like attacking your own kind?" He then commands everyone to "stay back," and blasts Marie with his heat vision.

Gen V's Cliffhanger Ending Explained

From there things are short and sweet. A news broadcast on Vought's network reveals that they've put the blame of the entire massacre on Marie, Emma, Jordan, and Andre. Not only that but they've dubbed both Cate and Sam the "New" Guardians of Godolkin. Marie wakes up in a hospital room surrounded by her "Godolkin 4" collaborators, all dressed in gowns and sitting in hospital beds. There's something unique about this room though....there are no doors. Are they trapped in their minds? In a deep Vought vault somewhere? Clearly everyone else but Marie knows....but as for now, we're in the dark.

That's not where Gen V ends though, there's one more scene...

Gen V Episode 8 post-credit scene explained

In a dark hallway a door opens, and a flashlight reveals that someone is exploring the abandoned facility that was The Woods. Footsteps walk down the hallway and we finally see who is the one looking into what happened here, it's Karl Urban's Billy Butcher, he makes a vulgar remark as he is want to do, and the first season of Gen V ends.

This scene was set-up in the last episode, when Dean Shetty revealed to Grace Mallory what her intentions were with The Woods and how they were developing a supe-killing virus in the lab. As that scene ended, Mallory picks up her cell phone from her pocket and asks, "Did you get all that?" Now we know not only was she talking to Urban's Billy Butcher, but that he is aware of the supe-killing virus developed by Dean Shetty.

Will there be a season 2 of Gen V?

Gen V has already been renewed for a second season on Prime Video. The streaming service announced Gen V has been renewed after just five episodes of the series, with another batch of eight episodes scheduled to debut later with no official release date just yet.

"We couldn't be happier to make a second season of 'Gen V,'" showrunner Michele Fazekas and executive producer Eric Kripke said in a statement. "These are characters and stories we've grown to love, and we are thrilled to know people feel the same! The writers are already working on the new season--sophomore year is gonna be wild, with all the twists, heart, satire, and exploding genitalia you've come to expect from the show."

Gen V is the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, the hit Prime Video series based on the Dynamite Comics series. Set in Godolkin University, originally a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel's X-Men comics, the series is described as "Hunger Games" at a college and the cutthroat world of young supes trying their best to get on one of Vought's super teams, including The Seven. Former Marvel's Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters showrun the new series, which is executive produced by The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg.

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Loki Season 2 Episode 5 Has Marvel Fans Feeling the Love and Loss https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/loki-season-2-episode-5-spoilers-reactions-mcu/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:58:00 +0000 Kofi Outlaw 3788b0fb-f5c5-448b-ba97-88d6a86a03e5
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True Detective: Night Country Showrunner Teases Connections to Previous Seasons https://comicbook.com/horror/news/true-detective-night-country-season-4-connections-explained-easter-eggs/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:16:00 +0000 Patrick Cavanaugh 12a63b1b-7824-4c60-91c5-79d186bec7d0

For better or worse, all three seasons of HBO's True Detective have featured standalone storylines that don't directly connect to one another, but according to showrunner of True Detective: Night Country Issa L?pez, the upcoming fourth entry into the series could be changing that, as she teased some direct nods to the show's past. While it is assumed that all three previous seasons took place in same world, there weren't any elements that confirmed that fact, though there also weren't any details that contradicted one another. In Night Country, L?pez hinted that there were connections to the more supernatural glimmers from Season 1 of the series. True Detective: Night Country premieres on HBO in January 2024.

"There are Easter eggs throughout that you will find and there's a big, big thing in Episode 6 that you will discover in time," L?pez shared at an HBO press event, per Entertainment Weekly. "It is its own story, but it's still connected. The spiral is there, the way that there are those dark and ancient gods (perhaps yes, perhaps not) working behind the scenes. It is the same universe."

The first season focused on two detectives trying to uncover the origins of cult-like murders, while Season 2 focused more on corruption and coverups in local government. Season 3 echoed the events of Season 1, in that the storyline spanned decades and focused on the bizarre disappearance of two children in the Ozarks. While the new season will feature connections to other seasons, L?pez confirmed we shouldn't expect the new storyline to feature a time-spanning story seen in previous stories.

"HBO, you guys are incredible in the way that you trust a crazy Mexican," L?pez joked. "They were like, 'You can do it. Whatever you want.' Which is terrifying, it's the worst thing."

She added, "I'm not going to follow the format and I'm not going to follow the way it's shot. I do follow the idea and the aesthetic of this world behind them, and I constantly go back to show you the universe, the world where it's set, which is so unique. This corner of the north, forgotten by the world, Alaska. That I kept. And then the other thing that I thought was brilliant was two characters in a car trying to decipher the workings of the universe and their souls."

The new season is described, "When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) must confront their pasts and the dark truths lying underneath the Arctic ice."

True Detective: Night Country premieres on HBO in January 2024.

Are you looking forward to the new season? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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Marvel's Echo Trailer Reveals What Happened To Kingpin After Hawkeye https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-mcu-echo-trailer-reveals-what-happened-to-kingpin-after-hawkeye/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak e5357e8f-2c8d-48d3-bba6-ee011aa66204

The first trailer for Marvel Studios' Echo was released today, and it teased the return of Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) in addition to Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox). Both D'Onofrio and Cox first played their characters in Netflix's Daredevil, which is not considered part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, they have both been seen in the MCU and are soon getting their own reboot, Daredevil: Born Again, which recently had some shakeups. No one was surprised to see either actor in the new Echo trailer as they were both previously announced as cast members, but some fans have been wondering about Fisk's fate after Maya shot him at the end of Hawkeye.

Although Maya shot Fisk point blank at the end of Hawkeye, no one actually believed the character to be dead. First of all, he didn't die onscreen, which is a pretty big indicator that he would be coming back. Second, Fisk does get shot in a similar way in the comics and survives. Daredevil (Vol. 2) #15 ends with Maya confronting Fisk and shooting him in the head for killing her father. The villain survives but loses his vision for a time. The trailer for Echo jumps around in time, opening with a flashback to Maya's childhood. However, there is a moment in the trailer that sees Fisk talking to Maya while wearing a single eye patch. We can assume that the show decided to follow up the shooting by only damaging one of Fisk's eyes. He's back and he's looking as dangerous than ever.

What Is Echo About?

You can read Marvel Studios' description of Echo here: "Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles," the synopsis reads.

In addition to Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

"It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at the trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10th. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.

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Marvel Releases New Kingpin Echo Poster https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/marvel-echo-kingpin-vincent-donofrio-poster-mcu/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:47:00 +0000 Aaron Perine 6bc7852a-11fc-4f48-a0e5-ff52adfc5133

Echo's big trailer is here, and Marvel just release a new poster for the Disney+ series featuring Kingpin. In the first clips from the show, Vincent D'Onofrio's bruising villain is front and center. Clearly, Maya Lopez still has a score to settle with Kingpin during the Echo show. In the poster, she's out on the road and looking for answers. In a cool touch, D'Onforio's eyepatch forms the sun hanging over the landscape. With some cool colors in tow, Echo is definitely a title that more Marvel fans are looking forward to in the coming months. Having Charlie Cox's Daredevil pop-up and Kingpin as a big bad will certainly help in that regard. Take a peek down below!

Young Maya was having a hard time talking to a street vendor in the trailer for Echo. When the guy ends up being more rude than necessary, "Uncle" Kingpin swoops in to deliver the pain and Maya looks on from the sidelines. Director and producer Sydney Freeland spoke to the collected press about the presence of the Marvel villain recently.

echo-poster-new.jpg
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

"I will say very large," Freeland explained. "Yeah. It's one of the core relationships in the entire series, the relationship between Kingpin and Maya. And we'll come to sort of find out that he becomes a kind of surrogate father to her," she added. "It's one of the core relationships in the entire series, I'll say that much."

Echo's Gritty Tone Comes Into Full-Focus

echo-kingpin-poster.jpg
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

From the tone of that first trailer, it's clear that Echo producer Stephen Broussard wasn't lying when he mentioned a grounded tone. This clip solidified interest for some people that might have ben on the fence with Echo. (Despite there being nothing to base those opinions on but rumors on the Internet.) Still, Marvel Studios has yielded a true TV-MA show that certain sections of the fanbase have been clamoring for over the last few years. The producer teased more to come!

"[Production on 'Echo'] is going well. It's very different. Like, talking about Werewolf by Night to this. It's a very different tonal sort of thing. I don't want to say too much because there's not a whole lot out there in the world, but it feels very grounded, it feels very spiritual in ways that feel fresh for us," Broussard told Collider. "Alaqua as the lead is incredibly compelling. I'm sort of hard-pressed to think of something that it feels like outside in the broader realm of the MCU, let alone within what we've done here. So stay tuned on that really cool stuff."

What Happens In Echo?

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Here's how Marvel Studios' describes Echo: "Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles."

Along with Alaqua Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, Echo's cast also includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

Do you love the new poster? How about the trailer? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Marvel's Echo Trailer Includes Sneaky Reference to Netflix's Daredevil Show https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/echo-trailer-daredevil-kingpin-painting-tease/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:25:00 +0000 Adam Barnhardt baf3a07f-8c6e-4d4b-9354-6e9b445bc696

The first teaser trailer for Marvel's Echo has arrived, taking fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on a journey into street-level storytelling. At least for this show, gone are the days of multiversal threats and journeys across the cosmos and instead, a Marvel series will examine humanity in what appears to be a show with a microscopic scale. The tone of the trailer closely rivals that previously seen in the DefendersVerse, and it even includes a pretty direct reference to Netflix's Daredevil series.

In a blink and you'll miss it moment, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) can be seen looking at a painting on the wall. While a man of Kingpin's stature admiring art isn't all too rare in its own right, it does seem like a direct connection to Daredevil given how integral paintings were to the development of Kingpin as a character.

Immediately after murdering his abusive father, a young Kingpin couldn't help but stare at the closest wall, a blank one painted white. A grown Kingpin then bought "Rabbit in a Snowstorm" from Vanessa Marianna, his eventual partner, because the painting reminded him of the traumatic moment. The villain can be seen several times throughout the series just standing and staring at the painting.

While the painting in the Echo trailer isn't "Rabbit in a Snowstorm," its monotonous tones are comparable to its predecessors, and the moment does seem to be a link between the two properties and the return of the Kingpin of Crime.

"I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it's great," Echo producer Sydney Freeland shared at a press event earlier this month when asked if the intent of Echo was to follow the Defenderverse. "And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series ... But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn't that reason."

In addition to Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

Every episode of Echo will be released both on Disney+ and Hulu simultaneously on January 10, 2024.

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Quantum Leap Bosses On That Big Reveal, Sam Beckett, and Fan Theories https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/quantum-leap-bosses-on-that-big-reveal-sam-beckett-and-fan-theories/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:16:00 +0000 Russ Burlingame 497f6913-559a-49bd-827f-f222722de65a

On the latest episode of Quantum Leap, a new concept is introduced into the show's lore. It's a theory, not necessarily anything set in stone, but since the same can be said about nearly every big idea that the show deals with, it seemed worth paying attention to. In the episode, Tom Westfall (Peter Gadiot) suggests that once someone leaps, there is no way to bring them back. His idea, immediately quotable and something that sent a chill down the spines of some audience members, is that the concept of sacrifice is what really drives the leaps through time. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) might never be able to come back, just like Sam Beckett wasn't.

At the end of the original Quantum Leap, a title card popped up saying that Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) never made it home. In the years since, fans have debated whether that's meant to be a terribly sad ending, or an uplifting one. After all, by the end of the show, it seemed as though Sam was able to control his leaps. If he didn't come home, doesn't that mean he chose to continue his never-ending battle to make the world a better place?

"We talk about the show a lot. We talk about the original show and invariably, people talk about that final episode and that title card," Quantum Leap executive producer Dean Georgaris told ComicBook.com this week. "I know I was bummed out the first time I saw that title card. I just was like, 'Ah, gee, bummer.'"

Still, he said, just like the characters are trying to question everything they know this season -- with a three-year time jump, the supporting cast are now engaging with Ben just days after his previous leaps but they're all at very different points in their lives -- the producers, too, have to ask themselves to reevaluate everything they think about both their own show, and the one that came before it.

"At some point, we just talked about the fact that -- and Deborah Pratt has said this, actually -- Sam's out there doing good and changing the world for the better," Georgaris added. "What if that's not as sad as it necessarily sounds? This is a long-winded way of saying, I think the intention isn't to rewrite the gospel. It's more to point out to people, 'hey, there may be more dimensions to this particular assumption than we've considered before,' if that makes sense."

That is the philosophy that drives Tom Westfall to suggest this notion that maybe there's no return ticket. He isn't saying he's right, but he's suggesting something that makes sense to him, given what little everyone knows about how the leaps work. The producers also want to make the audience ask themselves some hard questions. If Sam Beckett and Ben Song are our heroes, doesn't it stand to reason that they might be willing to make those sacrifices if they knew how much good they were going to do as a result?

"People focus on the /what if sacrifice is basically the price of leaping?,' but to me, the real beauty of that conversation is the next exchange, where Magic says, 'I think even if you know that going in, I think there are a lot of people who would step into that chamber,' and Tom's response being, 'Well, that's the message we need to get out.,'" Georgaris explained. "I think in a way, it's our mission statement, about where we are as people right now. With a lot of strife and depressing things in the world, we still believe that fundamentally, if given a chance to make the world a better place, more people are going to raise their hand and say, 'Let's do it,' than not. I think that's the other half of that conversation, and it felt true to Magic. It feels true to our universe."

Showrunner Martin Gero seems to believe that making stories that feel true to the tone of Quantum Leap is at least as important as building on big "lore" ideas. This season, even before the "sacrifice engine" idea was queued up, fans seemed to be speculating furiously about the show, and both Gero and Georgaris are thrilled to see it.

"That's part of the fun of a show like this, is we're trying to create these emotional mysteries on top of actual mysteries," Gero explained. "I've seen so many really great takes on who Eliza can be, and what is that character. Some of them are absolutely wrong, but really good. I've sent Dean a few, being like, 'This is a good idea. I wish someone had pitched this. It's not what we're doing, but it's just a really nice take.' I think to have an audience that's that engaged is creating a version of their show. I do that with stuff I'm a fan of. I love to talk about what possibly comes next in the shows that I follow. And so yeah, we're thrilled that the audience is that engaged."

Quantum Leap airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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Marvel's Echo Trailer Includes a Blink and You'll Miss it Daredevil Cameo https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/marvel-echo-trailer-daredevil-cameo-mcu/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:09:00 +0000 Timothy Adams a05f44c2-48c5-4f78-9a5e-fc10dca86744

Daredevil makes a "blink-and-you-miss-it" appearance in the first trailer for Marvel's Echo. The gritty, action-packed drama series follows Alaqua Coxl's Maya Lopez, aka Echo, following the events of Hawkeye. The Hawkeye finale saw Echo get revenge on Wilson Fisk \ Kingpin, played by the returning Vincent D'Onofrio, who was responsible for the death of her father. Kingpin was like another father figure for Echo, helping to groom her into the woman she is today. Echo is tied to Wilson Fisk and his rival, Daredevil, in the comics, and there have been rumors and reports that Daredevil will make an appearance in Echo as well. The release of the first Echo trailer seems to confirm those rumors.

At around the 1:27 mark of the Echo trailer, we can see someone leaping away from an attacker. The person diving has the same mask and costume as Daredevil, and the person he is trying to get away from could be Echo. A rumor from back in July 2022 stated Daredevil's Netflix cohort Jessica Jones would also play a role in his appearance. One of the reported plotlines in Echo deals with Daredevil, whose secret identity is attorney Matt Murdock, searching for a former ally, who happens to be Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter portrayed the private investigator across two seasons of Jessica Jones on Netflix, along with The Defenders event miniseries, and Luke Cage. While Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio have already appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, respectively, Echo could offer an avenue for Ritter to reprise her Jessica Jones role as well.

Echo director confirms showdown with Daredevil

Along with having the Daredevil sighting in Echo's first trailer, the show's director and executive producer Sydney Freeland teased a showdown between Echo and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen during ComicBook.com's presence at a trailer event for Echo.

"I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it's great," Freeland shared when asked if Echo will follow the Defenderverse. "And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series ... But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn't that reason."

All five episodes of Echo premiere January 10th on Disney+ and Hulu.

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Echo: Marvel Series Will Have Nods To Netflix's Daredevil https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-mcu-disney-plus-hulu-will-have-nods-to-netflix-daredevil-defenderverse/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:33:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak c941e521-b2c3-45d8-a91b-1a169b5f7faa

Echo is heading to Disney+ and Hulu in January, and the new Marvel Studios show is expected to be a spinoff of Hawkeye. The 2021 series introduced Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) and focused on her relationship with her "uncle," Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio). D'Onofrio's Kingpin was first introduced in Netflix's Daredevil series alongside Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil. It's been confirmed that both actors will appear in Echo ahead of their own reboot, Daredevil: Born Again, which recently had some shakeups. ComicBook.com attended a trailer event for Echo, and director and executive producer Sydney Freeland confirmed that Echo is a villain, and teased a showdown with Daredevil.

"I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it's great," Freeland shared when asked if the intent of Echo was to follow the Defenderverse. "And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series ... But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn't that reason."

What Is Echo About?

You can read Marvel Studios' description of Echo here: "Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles," the synopsis reads.

In addition to Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

"It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at the trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.

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Loki's Marvel Theme Remix Was Last Minute Change https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/loki-marvel-theme-remix-last-minute-change-mcu/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:25:00 +0000 Timothy Adams 7da96ab1-2d6a-4b68-82da-82bf671b8c4b

One of the many surprising and entertaining elements of Loki has been its musical score. Episode 3 of the Disney+ Original Series kicked things off with a remix of the Marvel Studios theme music, to fit in with the episode's 1893 timeline. Loki has carved out a nice niche in Marvel's TV catalog, as it continues to push the boundaries of the multiverse with Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief making for a fine lead character. As for the creatives behind the camera, one got to talk about how they went about crafting the music behind Loki.

ComicBook.com spoke to Loki composer Natalie Holt, who was asked what it was like to play with Loki's musical score. "I did the umpire music with the Loki theme and played in that scene, and Episode 3 the music was kinda honky tonky, and it started with that string quartet at the beginning... it's like such a different sound palette," Holt said. "And then as we worked on the show I had the idea of the score playing and a piano in the background of the He Who Remains speech that he does with the machine that he's built."

She then discussed how she got to remix the iconic Marvel theme music. "And then a really late honor, 'How about we do a new version of the Marvel logo with a piano?' And everyone was like, 'Try it.' And it stuck." She then praised Peter Nichols, who worked on the score as well on Loki Seasons 1 and 2. You can watch Natalie Holt's interview in the player above.

Loki Season 2 premiered with lower ratings than Season 1

According to the latest streaming data from Nielsen, Loki's second season premiere saw a significant drop from the series premiere back in 2021. The company's new numbers reveal that the Loki Season 2 premiere from October 5th rounded up 446 million minutes of viewing time over its first three days on Disney+. The first season premiere pulled in roughly 731 million minutes of viewing time, based on Nielsen's metrics. That's a 39% drop from Season 1 to Season 2.

There are obviously multiple things potentially attributing to that drop, including the fact that the first season of Loki was one of the first MCU projects to be released after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2023 has also seen a couple of poorly reviewed projects from Marvel Studios, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the Secret Invasion series, which may have caused less interest in the overall franchise.

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Loki Production Designer Reveals How OB's Time-Wiped Lab Looks So Different in Episode 5 https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/loki-tva-ob-mcu-marvel-production-designer-episode-5/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:13:00 +0000 Aaron Perine 6cb10da6-d184-4b8a-a6b5-6117ac38cc0d

Loki's latest episode revealed O.B.'s workspace on his original timeline. In the TVA, Ke Huy Quan's character is the designer of every single gadget they use. Marvel.com caught up with production designer Kasra Farahani to talk about some of the engineer's design influences. Viewers got to see A.D. Doug's humble beginnings as a professor and science fiction author. However, he also tinkers on the side, in a room that looks strikingly similar to the Research and Development room in the TVA. That's not on accident according to the production designer.

"It occurred to me that this could be an opportunity for a really fun gag," Farahani explained. "In my mind, when O.B. was brought from the timeline, he'd spent so much time in his real-world workspace, that however much brain wiping was done, the architecture of this space was just so deeply ingrained in the fiber of his mind. When he redesigned R&A in the TVA, he unwittingly recreated that space."

loki-ob-tva-workshop.jpg
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

"I think that was something throughout the episode we were talking about you wanted it to just feel like you're home with these characters, but truly uncanny in the true sense of the word," Executive Producer Kevin Wright chimed-in. "It's home-like, and that is what makes it feel familiar, but also potentially really odd. A lot of that was trying to capture, again-- and this was a through line in Season 1, bringing it through here-- a little bit of that Wizard of Oz feel of, its home, but it's not. It's filled with familiar faces, but they're not the people that you know."

Loki Addresses Mobius' Past Too

loki-season-2-mobius.jpg
(Photo: Marvel Studios)

During Episode 5, Loki decided to give us extended information about all the different variants that we've followed through the TVA. Producer Kevin Wright spoke to Marvel.com about Mobius's life back on the timeline. Episode 5 finally delivered the jet ski action that fans have been craving. The viewers have been asking for Owen Wilson's character to get to ride a personal watercraft since Loki Season 1. On Wednesday evening, they finally got their wish. The executive seems ecstatic about it too.

"We knew in the script [the jet ski] was going to be something funny," Wright revealed. "There was always joke ideas of tags for the end of Season 1 or other things. We knew eventually we were going to have to pay it off, but it was just kind of waiting for the right moment so that it would be its most fulfilling."

"We wanted to find a way to do it in an unexpected way," he added. "I mean, there's been so much anticipation, and I think we could have just plopped him on a jet ski riding around a lake, and people would have been just as happy. Owen said something really funny, which was he compared it a little bit to an old TV romance -- will they, won't they? He's like, well, the second you do it, the thing kind of is done. So he's like, if we're going to do it now, it's got to be really fun and really unexpected."

Loki Season 2 Has More Surprises In Store

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(Photo: Marvel Studios)

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing.

Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Do you think OB's workshop becomes the TVA? Let us know in the comments!

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Letterkenny Ending With Season 12 This December https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/letterkenny-ending-with-season-12-this-december/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:08:00 +0000 Russ Burlingame 4ea1660b-f12c-4d60-951a-28acea87fbcb

Fans will have to ring in 2024 with the knowledge that there will be no new Letterkenny on the way. The acclaimed series from Crave and Hulu is set to draw to a close at the end of its current, twelfth season, which will wrap up in December of this year. The announcement that this was the end of the road came with news that the Canadian comedy's final episodes will drop all at once on December 25 on Crave, and December 26 on Hulu.

Series star Michelle Mylett did her best to soften the blow somewhat for fans. She took to Instagram yesterday with a "final season" announcement video in which she walks through the woods in a faux-leather bikini and cowboy hat.

You can see that below.

Dylan Playfair, who plays Reilly in the series, also shared Mylett's video, with some commentary of his own.

"Letterkenny has been one of the most rewarding experiences of not only my career but my life. I have been blessed to do what I love for a living with people I hold so very close to my heart. You are my small town, big city, hick, skid, Native and hockey family," Playfair wrote in part on Instagram. "I would be lying if I said I am not sad to see this show come to and end. These characters have become a part of me and I know they live on every time one of you amazing people tune in to laugh along with us at the tomfoolery that was Letterkenny."

In Letterkenny, Wayne is a good-ol' country boy in Letterkenny, Ontario trying to protect his home-grown way of life on the farm. According to the series' official website, "The residents of Letterkenny belong to one of three groups: Hicks, Skids, and Hockey Players. The three groups are constantly feuding with each other over seemingly trivial matters; often ending with someone getting their ass kicked."

Created by Jared Keeso, the series stars Keeso, Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett, K. Trevor Wilson, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr, Tyler Johnston, Alexander De Jordy, Lisa Codrington, and Mark Forward. It's produced by Keeso, Jacob Tierney, Mark Montefiore, and Patrick O'Sullivan.

In the U.S., you can stream Letterkenny on Hulu.

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Echo to Release on Disney+ and Hulu Simultaneously https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-mcu-to-release-on-disney-plus-and-hulu-simultaneously-january/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:05:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak 4e4e5074-7e47-4542-b2bc-1dcf6e179a0d

Echo is Marvel Studio's next series and it will serve as a spinoff to Hawkeye. The show follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she "struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) AKA Kingpin." The first trailer for the series was released today, and it was revealed that it will be the first Marvel Studios series to be released on Disney+ and Hulu simultaneously.

Unlike the Marvel Studios series that were previously released on Disney+, the entire first season of Echo will be released in one day. However, the binge model isn't the only thing that makes the series unique. In addition to also being released on Hulu, Echo will be rated TV-MA, which means fans can expect some violence akin to the Marvel shows that were previously released on Netflix. Echo drops on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10th.

"I grew up reading the comics and not everything is mainline Avengers giant, epic storytelling," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at a trailer event for Echo. "What's exciting to us is to tell smaller, intimate character stories, too. And Echo is a huge opportunity for us to do that. It is the story of Maya Lopez, who is an indigenous motorcycle-riding, gun-toting ... She's deaf, she wears a prosthetic leg, she's an amazing martial artist, and she has an incredible history, and our team has brought a lot of depth to her character in this series."

He continued. "It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel. And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

In addition to Alaqua Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.

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Echo Director Confirms Maya Lopez Is a Villain and Won't Have Her Comics Powers https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-mcu-director-confirms-maya-lopez-villain-wont-have-marvel-comics-powers-daredevil-fight/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:05:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak 89c3d989-69ac-4810-8c15-6eee95f50d10

Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) was first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the main antagonists in Hawkeye. The character was looking to avenge her father who she believed was killed by Ronin, Hawkeye's (Jeremy Renner) alter ego. At the end of the season, Maya learns her father's death was organized by her "uncle," Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) and she ends up shooting him. Today, the first trailer for the Echo spinoff was released, and it teases the origin of Echo and Kingpin's relationship. In the comics, Echo is a villain with the ability to mimic anyone's fighting style. ComicBook.com recently attended a trailer event for the series, and director and executive producer Sydney Freeland confirmed that while Echo is a villain, she won't have the same powers from the comics.

"We wanted something that, again, if you're coming off of Hawkeye, and you have to keep in mind she's a villain," Freeland explained. "She's a villain. And so tonally, we wanted to lean into that. I think in talking with the executives and our approach, and when building visual style, it was sort of like, 'Oh yeah, lean into that, lean into that.'"

Freeland added, "Yeah, so her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It's kind of lame, I will say that is not her power [in the show] and I'll just kind of leave it at that."

What Is Echo Rated?

It sounds like Echo will have more in common with the Defenderverse than Marvel's Disney+ shows. Not only is Echo going to be released all at once, but it will be Marvel's first Disney+ series that will be released simultaneously on Hulu. Echo will also be Marvel's first Disney+ series to be rated TV-MA.

"It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at the trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

"We wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show," Freeland explained. "They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit."

Echo is now set to hit Disney+ and Hulu on January 10.

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Echo Willl Be Marvel's First TV-MA Rated Series on Disney+ https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-mcu-willl-be-marvels-first-tv-ma-rated-series-on-disney-plus/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:04:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak a8752d86-e331-4d4b-af4c-daf812c1344c

The first trailer for Echo was released today, and the series follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she "struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) AKA Kingpin." Of course, D'Onofrio's Kingpin was first introduced in Daredevil on Netflix, and it sounds like Echo will have more in common with the Defenderverse than Marvel's Disney+ shows. Not only is Echo going to be released all at once, but it will be Marvel's first Disney+ series that will be released simultaneously on Hulu. Echo will also be Marvel's first Disney+ series to be rated TV-MA.

"It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at a trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."

"We wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show," Echo director and executive producer Sydney Freeland explained at the trailer event attended by ComicBook.com. "They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit."

"It's very different," producer Stephen Broussard previously told Collider. "Like, talking about Werewolf by Night to this. It's a very different tonal sort of thing. I don't want to say too much because there's not a whole lot out there in the world, but it feels very grounded, it feels very spiritual in ways that feel fresh for us," he explained. "Alaqua as the lead is incredibly compelling. I'm sort of hard-pressed to think of something that it feels like outside in the broader realm of the MCU, let alone within what we've done here. So stay tuned on that really cool stuff."

Are you surprised Echo is going to be rated TV-MA? Tell us in the comments!

Echo is now set to hit Disney+ and Hulu on January 10.

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Echo Trailer Released By Marvel, Reveals Focus on Maya Lopez and Kingpin https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/echo-trailer-released-marvel-reveals-mcu-focus-maya-lopez-kingpin-daredevil/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:02:00 +0000 Jamie Jirak d7ab6365-3085-4a3d-a7ae-b4ddb7b2a91c

There are still Marvel Cinematic Universe projects set to be released this year, including the finale of Loki's second season on Disney+ and The Marvels in theaters. The Hawkeye spinoff Echo was originally scheduled to be released in November, but now it's set to be the first MCU project of 2024. Coming in January, the show is scheduled to be the first Marvel show on Disney+ to get released all at once, and it follows Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) and her rise to villainy as she attempts to follow in the footsteps of her "Uncle," Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio). Today, Marvel Studios released the first trailer for Echo, and it teases Maya's relationship with Kingpin.

The trailer sees young Maya struggling to communicate with a street vendor due to her deafness. The vendor is extremely rude to her, which was a big mistake because Maya's "Uncle" Kingpin was watching the interaction from the sidelines. The trailer teases Kingpin's influence on Maya, and how he will help set her on her path. You can watch the trailer below:

"I will say very large," Echo director and executive producer Sydney Freeland told members of the press when asked about Kingpin's presence throughout the series. "Yeah. It's one of the core relationships in the entire series, the relationship between Kingpin and Maya. And we'll come to sort of find out that he becomes a kind of surrogate father to her," she added. "It's one of the core relationships in the entire series, I'll say that much."

What Is Echo About?

You can read Marvel Studios' description of Echo here: "Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles," the synopsis reads.

In addition to Alaqua Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

According to Echo producer Stephen Broussard, the series will be one of Marvel's most grounded entries yet.

"[Production on 'Echo'] is going well. It's very different. Like, talking about Werewolf by Night to this. It's a very different tonal sort of thing. I don't want to say too much because there's not a whole lot out there in the world, but it feels very grounded, it feels very spiritual in ways that feel fresh for us," he explained. "Alaqua as the lead is incredibly compelling. I'm sort of hard-pressed to think of something that it feels like outside in the broader realm of the MCU, let alone within what we've done here. So stay tuned on that really cool stuff."

Echo is now set to hit Disney+ and Hulu on January 10.

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Gen V Finale Stuns With Homelander Cameo https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/gen-v-finale-homelander-cameo-the-boys/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000 Adam Barnhardt ff3e5dcf-1038-4207-97f6-93062d073704

For the most part, The Seven has had its presence felt throughout the duration of Gen V. The first live-action spin-off of The Boys has featured characters from A-Train and The Deep to Queen Maeve and beyond in various cameo roles across the campus of Godolkin University. One character in particular, however, has been missing from the series entirely; missing, of course, until the final moments of Gen V's first season. Spoiler alert for the Season One finale of Gen V! Proceed with caution if you've yet to watch the latest episode.

As most viewers of Gen V were anticipating, it was only a matter of time before Antony Starr's Homelander appeared in the flesh. While the character was previously mentioned, he finally appears to help quell the uprising at God U. With tensions on campus boiling over into a full-on civil war, the leader of The Seven arrives to settle the situation for both sides, wasting no time in choosing the villainous side.

Given the leading ensemble wasn't necessarily pro-supe given their care for both supe and human life, Homelander ultimately sided with supe supremacists Cate and Sam, using his laser vision to knock Marie out. The episode ends as Homelander watches a news report hailing Cate and Sam as heroes while naming Marie, Jordan, Andre, and Emma as the people who murdered everyone on campus.

Pretty evil, eh?

Gen V is the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, the hit Prime Video series based on the Dynamite Comics series. Set in Godolkin University, originally a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel's X-Men comics, the series is described as "Hunger Games" at a college and the cutthroat world of young supes trying their best to get on one of Vought's super teams, including The Seven. Former Marvel's Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters showrun the new series, which is executive produced by The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Lizze Broadway lead the new cast of Gen V, which will also see some characters from The Boys make an appearance including Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Colby Minifie as Vought's Ashley Barrett, and P.J. Byrne as director Adam Bourke.

All eight episodes of The Boys: Gen V Season One are now streaming on Prime Video.

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Gen V Finale Sets Up The Boys Season 4 in a Major Way https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/gen-v-finale-post-credit-scene-butcher-the-boys-season-4/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000 Adam Barnhardt 8439c3f3-27eb-4ccb-8875-bcd008093e0c

Through seven episodes of The Boys: Gen V, not a single episode managed to include a post-credits scene. Now the standard in superhero cinema, Prime Video didn't leave fans hanging. At the conclusion of the show's Season One finale, it included a mid-credits scene setting up the future of The Boys Universe, especially the upcoming season 4 of The Boys. Spoilers ahead for the Gen V Season One finale! Proceed with caution, unless you don't mind spoilers for Gen V.

Gen V Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained

It wouldn't be a spin-off of The Boys without an appearance by the a member of the eponymous group. While last week's episode got close by featuring the return of Grace Mallory, the mid-credits scene features The Boy himself, Billy Butcher. With The Woods emptied of supes, Butcher (Karl Urban) can be seen doing some recon work on the abandoned lair.

The scene itself ties back into Gen V Episode Seven, suggesting it was Butcher on the other end of Mallory's phone call when she met up with Indira Shetty regarding the virus. Even if it wasn't, it stands to reason Butcher caught wind of The Woods and decided to raid it in hopes of getting his hands on the supe-killing virus.

gen-v-postcredit-scene-billy-butcher.png
(Photo: Prime Video)

Gen V is the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, the hit Prime Video series based on the Dynamite Comics series. Set in Godolkin University, originally a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel's X-Men comics, the series is described as "Hunger Games" at a college and the cutthroat world of young supes trying their best to get on one of Vought's super teams, including The Seven. Former Marvel's Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters showrun the new series, which is executive produced by The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Lizze Broadway lead the new cast of Gen V, which will also see some characters from The Boys make an appearance including Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Colby Minifie as Vought's Ashley Barrett, and P.J. Byrne as director Adam Bourke.

All eight episodes of The Boys: Gen V Season One are now streaming on Prime Video. The Boys Season Four has yet to set a release date.

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The Boys: Gen V Episode 8 Recap With Spoilers https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-boys-gen-v-recap-episode-8-finale-guardians-of-godolkin/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000 Adam Barnhardt affcb256-67cf-4e30-8f40-f44cf3940bed

Weeks after first debuting, the first season of The Boys: Gen V has come to an end with Prime Video releasing the finale, "The Guardians of Godolkin.' Even though the episode was the shortest of the season, it wasted no frame, packing whatever it could into the last moments of the show. Full spoilers up ahead for the season finale of Gen V. Proceed with caution if you've yet to see the episode!

It's havoc at Shetty's house as Cate can't stop hearing everyone's thoughts. After a light argument between Marie and Cate, the latter says she wants to be a hero. Sam says he wants to be a hero too against Emma's wishes, hoping to free all the supes in The Woods. He and Cate leave the others behind.

Marie, Emma, and Jordan argue what to do. Eventually the trio decides to try stopping Sam and Cate.

We see that Polarity is at a hospital in Vought Tower. Andre is pacing outside his room. Marie calls, but he ignores her calls. A doctor starts going over Polarity's MRIs with Andre, revealing that every time Polarity used his powers, he'd tear a number of blood vessels in his head. The doctor asks Andre if he's shown any symptoms while using his powers, suggesting it could be a genetic issue. The doctor says Polarity is terminal, but they can slow any further damage.

Polarity finally awakens and talks to Andre. He tells Andre to contact someone in the wardrobe department at Vought and ask them to resize the Polarity costume for Andre. Polarity apologizes for knowing about The Woods and not doing anything, but warns Andre to continue doing whatever Vought wants him to do.

RELATED: Gen V: Is Victoria Neuman Evil?

Back on campus, Ashley Barrett has arrived to meet with Godolkin trustees since Indira Shetty "is nowhere to be found." Ashley says the university needs a big distraction and the group is going to choose a student to make a member of The Seven.

Cate and Sam make quick work of the two guards at The Woods and unlock all of the cells, freeing the supes. On the way out of the compound, Sam stops back by his old room, where he's greeted by a vision of Luke. Luke tries to convince Sam what he's doing is wrong, but Sam locks Fake Golden Boy in his room.

Cate leads the supe to the room where another supe died of the virus. She rallies them against the university. One of the supes the two freed heads to the quad and asks people if they have powers. He kills those who say they're only human. We see through security cameras that the other supes are doing the same across the campus.

One of the supes approaches Social Media Jeff, but he uses a sonic device that's able to explode the supes' head. He then tells someone on the phone that his cover might be blown, only for Cate to arrive and force him to start a livestream.

RELATED: Gen V Reveals Major Connection to The Boys Season One

Back at the trustee meeting, one of the people pitch the idea of Maverick, the invisible RA, of joining The Seven. It's revealed Maverick is actually Translucent's son. One of Ashley's assistants tells her of the situation unfolding on campus.

During the livestream, Cate forces Jeff to eat one of the sonic devices and blow his own brain up. Ashley sees it happen and screams out for Shetty.

Adam Bourke is overseeing drama class. Sam rushes into the class and looks around, after Bourke insults Sam he begins choking the disgraced director. before he can kill Bourke, Emma rushes in and gets him to stop. She tries convincing him to stop hurting people, but Sam explains his stance after being experimented on. Sam brushes her aside, saying she'd do anything so that people like her.

After breaking down and crying, it's revealed her powers have been activated and she's now small, suggesting she doesn't have to purge or eat to use them.

A vision of Luke pops back up and tries to convince Sam against hurting more humans. Just as Luke pops up, so does Cate, who's continuing to push her agenda. After noticing Sam's speaking with someone who isn't there, she asks if he wants her help. He agrees and she uses her powers on him, to make him "feel nothing."

Marie rushes into Indira's office and pushes the alarm, which locks down all of the buildings and emits a sonic whistle that stops the supes from their rampage--only it doesn't last, one of the supes uses their sonic powers to break the whistles.

In the board room, a frantic Ashley orders her helpers to call those they're hoping to invite to The Seven. They say they'll offer the spot on The Seven to whoever manages to kill the rampaging supes. Then cell service gets out.

A helicopter arrives to rescue Ashley and her team, but Cate and a supe flies up to destroy it. Andre arrives right in time, and uses his powers to safely guide the helicopter to the ground.

Andre and Marie try talking to Cate to stop her but she uses her powers on a nearby Maverick to convince him to stop Marie and Andre. Cate leaves, causing Andre to chase her while Maverick and Marie fight. Marie goes to cut herself to use her powers, but she remembers her conversation with Neuman.

RELATED: Gen V: How The Boys' Jensen Ackles Returns as Soldier Boy

Instead of harming herself, she uses her powers to find his heartbeat, using one of the helicopter's broken blades to knock him out.

Andre tries to calm Cate down, saying they can figure it out together. She reaches her hand out, and Andre notices she's not wearing her gloves. As tension grows, Sam appears out of nowhere and starts fighting Andre. As Sam's getting the upperhand, Andre uses his powers to summon a nearby taser, using it to tase and knock Sam out.

Nearby, Marie confronts Cate, again trying to talk her down but it doesn't work.

One of the supes is about to enter the helicopter Ashley and her team are hiding out in, but Marie uses the blood of those killed nearby to kill the supe. Jordan's revealed and goes to hugh Marie, but Cate goes to touch Jordan and control them--Marie sees and causes the blood in her arm to swell and explode.

They hear a sonic boom and lo and behold, Homelander lands on the quad. Marie tries to apologize for the ruckus, but he waves her off. He then chastises her for attacking her own kind. He turn warns everybody to stand back and uses his laser vision on somebody off-screen, presumably Marie.

It then cuts to a news report where it's said four Godolkin students--Emma, Marie, Andre, and Jordan--went on a murdering spree and kill at least 12 people. Cameron Coleman then names Cate and Sam the new Guardians of Godolkin.

Homelander watches the news report and smiles.

Marie wakes up in a hospital bed finds herself in a doorless hospital room with Andre, Jordan, and Emma.

"Where are we?" she asks.

Roll credits.

In a mid-credits scene, someone with a flashlight is looking through a darkened, abandoned Woods lair. Camera pulls in and we see their face: It's Butcher.

All eight episodes of The Boys: Gen V Season One are now streaming on Prime Video. The show's second season has yet to establish a release window.

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Netflix Seeks Live Sports, Wants Jake Paul Boxing Match https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/netflix-livestream-boxing-match-jake-paul/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:35:00 +0000 Liam Crowley 29c72e56-f063-4546-9311-f8e8439aaaa8

The latest evolution of the streaming service era is live events. Hulu set itself apart from the rest of the competing streamers by bringing live sports to the table, and it did not take long for others to follow. Today, streaming giants like Paramount+, Max, ESPN+ and Peacock all host live sports within their service, allowing subscribers to watch games without having a cable subscription. Other subscription services like Sling and YouTube TV mimic the cable set-up, hosting hundreds of traditional network channels, including many which host live sports. The more that streamed live events become popularized, the more it becomes clear that the streamers that aren't already carrying the option are falling behind.

Netflix Seeks Live Sports, Specifically a Jake Paul Boxing Match

NETFLIX-BOXING-LIVE-SPORTS-JAKE-PAUL
(Photo: NETFLIX)

Netflix wants in on the fight game.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the red and black streamer has had talks regarding streaming a boxing match, specifically one featuring Jake Paul. Netflix is also toying with the idea of hosting a boxing match between boxers from Premier Boxing Champions, which is a show currently on Paramount's Showtime. These discussions are "still in a very early stage" and "might not come to fruition."

"We've not seen a profit path to renting big sports," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in December 2022. "We're not anti-sports, we're just pro-profit."

Netflix has flirted with the idea of live sports for years but has always been hesitant to pull the trigger. That will change in two weeks when it streams The Netflix Cup, a live golf tournament on November 14th.

As for Paul, the YouTuber turned boxer is an undeniable draw between the ropes. His latest boxing match, a bout between himself and UFC star Nate Diaz this past August, pulled in over 450,000 pay-per-view buys for a haul of "nearly $27 million." His fight against Tommy Fury earlier this year was said to have done around 500,000 pay-per-view buys.

Paul's next fight is currently scheduled for December. While an opponent has yet to be announced, speculation has run that it could either be a rematch against Tommy Fury, a grudge match against fellow YouTuber KSI, or an octagon battle with Diaz. Most Valuable Promotions recently shared on social media that Paul's next opponent will be "a boxer with a winning record."

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Max Making Major Changes to Ad-Free Subscriptions https://comicbook.com/movies/news/max-making-major-changes-to-ad-free-subscriptions/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:10:00 +0000 Russ Burlingame 54fd62b2-c628-4546-a815-a5b659ac7bb4

Warner Bros. Discovery announced this week that they will be making changes to ad-free subscriptions to Max, the streaming platform that serves as the home to new HBO and DC content. The announcement, which impacts both the number of users who can share the account as well as the features available, suggests that WBD as a whole wants to move toward a return to ad-supported TV content -- something mirrored elsewhere in the industry, with the rise of FAST (free, ad-supported TV) channels and the inclusion of an ad-supported option on Netflix.

The new changes will mean that users on the standard ad-free tier ($15.99/month) will no longer be able to stream in 4K beginning on their next billing date. The number of allowable concurrent streams will also drop from three to two. These changes were actually announced back when the Ultimate tier was introduced in May, but did not formally go into effect yet. This week's email to customers marks a "point of no return" warning.

"On your next billing date, on or after December 5, 2023, the price of your subscription will stay the same, but some of your plan features will change," an email to Max subscribers reads. "You can still stream all your favorite blockbuster movies, fresh originals and iconic series. Or even switch to the Ultimate Ad-Free plan to unlock more features."

The "Ultimate Ad-Free Plan," which is an extra $5 per month, will not change at this time. Both plans can be purchased at a discounted annual rate, which suggests some users will continue to have their old plan grandfathered in for a while. Don't try to game the system now, though, because "your next billing date" would likely become today. The Ultimate plan also allows for four concurrent streams, so if your Max plan is for a family that's pretty active on the platform, that could quickly become the more desirable tier.

Here's how the pricing tiers for Max break down:

  • Max Ad-Lite: ($9.99/month or $99/year) Two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
  • Max Ad-Free: ($15.99/month or $149.99/year) Two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
  • Max Ultimate Ad-Free: ($19.99/month or $199.99/year) Four concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality

h/t Variety

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Will Loki Become the MCU's New He Who Remains In Season 2 Finale? https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/loki-season-2-episode-6-finale-new-he-who-remains-time-loop-mcu-theory/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:57:00 +0000 Kofi Outlaw 4b3ca189-c8ca-4f71-9e53-ee0dd5f51ec4

Loki Season 2 Episode 5 had the monumental task of delivering something epic after that game-changing cliffhanger ending to Episode 4. The TVA was lost in an explosion of time and reality as the Temporal Loom ruptured before Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Mobius (Owen Wilson), Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors), and co. could all execute the plan to expand the loom's scope and preserve the surviving branch timelines of the multiverse.

(SPOILERS) In Loki Season 2's penultimate episode "Science/Fiction", Loki finds himself time slipping again, while stuck in the vacant headquarters of the TVA. As reality starts to turn into spaghetti around him, Loki slips away into different branch timelines where his friends from the TVA have all been returned to their home realities and lives. After a classic heist-style mission to 'get the band back together' Loki and Co. once again find out they are too late to stop all reality from going spaghetti - until Loki shocks himself by finally controlling his time slips and warps away from annihilation to once again give himself a chance to fix the multiverse.

Will Loki Become The MCU's New He Who Remains?

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(Photo: Marvel Studios)

While Loki Season 2 Episode 5 may not feel as epic as some hoped, it does have some notable connections to the Loki Season 1 finale and the debut of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors).

The first thing a lot of fans are pointing out is how Loki's time slipping - especially the controlled version - looks a lot like the powers that He Who Remains displayed when he first met Loki and Sylvie. While it was technology-based and looked like super-speed or teleportation, He Who Remains explained that his Temp-Pad had been loaded with data of how his meeting with Sylvie and Loki would play out - keeping him one step ahead at all times. It now seems clear that He Who Remains harnessed time slipping as a force and weapon that helped him both harness the time beast Alioth to win the Multiversal War.

Even more telling was the proclamation that He Who Remains gave to Loki and Sylvie. He claimed that even though he knew how events would play out, Loki and Sylvie needed to go on the journey to reshape their characters into what was needed. Finally, he offered them a simple choice: kill him or take his place.

...But maybe the choice wasn't so simple, after all?

He Who Remains framed it as a choice of one thing or another - but with two people present, maybe it was always about both choices being made. Sylvie chooses to kill He Who Remains, while Loki (having completed the necessary journey and growth in both character and powers) will end up taking his place.

Avengers: Secret Wars MVP

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(Photo: Marvel Studios)

A lot of MCU fans have theorized that Tom Hiddleston's Loki will turn out to be the true MVP of the big Multiverse Saga culmination in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. How exactly Loki was going to show up to give the heroes the push they needed has been unclear... until now, perhaps. If Loki masters the power of time slipping and essentially becomes the new He Who Remains, he also becomes the one person with the x-factor power to fight back against the Council of Kangs and whatever dark new reality they may create. Theory: in the end, Loki gives the role of He Who Remains back to a surviving Kang variant, who becomes the He Who Remains we know - providing the very "reincarnation" He Who Remains foretold of before Sylvie killed him. That's the kind of time-looping that Loki's storyline has been all about.

It will also give Loki Season 2 and its smaller-scale, more character-focused storyline true meaning, and relevance to the larger MCU Multiverse Saga, which is something fans need to see by the time Episode 6 is over.

Loki Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.

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