It has been over three years since Marvel Studios branched out into the world of television, telling the stories of characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new medium. The grand experiment has evolved in some fascinating ways in the time since, resulting in Internet-breaking projects like WandaVision and Loki, as well as the forming of the Marvel Spotlight banner for more standalone projects like Echo. This week, during Disney's Upfronts presentation, Marvel Studios unveiled new release dates or windows for its next three live-action shows -- Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart. In the process, these announcements revealed the return of the Marvel Television label, which was previously used as the standalone production company behind projects like Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the "Defendersverse" of shows.

While speaking with ComicBook about the recent Season 1 finale of X-Men '97, Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum explained the decision to resurrect the Marvel Television label, and how it could help future projects be more accessible to audiences.

"We want to make sure that Marvel stays an open door for people to come in and explore," Winderbaum revealed. "On the heels of Endgame, I think there was, maybe, a little bit of an obligation to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. As you know, as a comics fan, they're designed to just pop in, find something that you like, and use that to enter you into the universe, and then you can explore and weave around based on your own preferences. So part of the rebranding of Marvel Studios, Marvel Television, Marvel Animation, even Marvel Spotlight is to, I think, try to tell the audience, 'You can jump in anywhere. They're interconnected but they're not. You don't have to watch A to enjoy B. You can follow your bliss. You can follow your own preferences and find the thing you want within the tapestry of Marvel.'"

What Is the Next Marvel Television Show?

The next live-action Marvel Television project is expected to be Agatha All Along, which will debut on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, September 18th. In addition to Kathryn Hahn reprising her WandaVision role of Agatha Harkness, the cast of Agatha All Along will include fellow WandaVision alums Deborah Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis and Emma Caulfield Ford as Sarah Proctor. New cast members will include Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Sasheer Zamata, and Patti LuPone. Agatha All Along will be directed by head writer Jac Schaeffer, as well as Gandja Monteiro. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Brad Winderbaum serve as executive producers on the series.

"I know a little bit, but I can't say anything," Caulfield told ComicBook in a previous interview. "I can't tell you what to expect, because that would reveal something. I know little, just enough to keep me in the right zone. I think it's all going to be really fun. I haven't seen [Kathryn Hahn] yet. I really love her. She's just the best, effortlessly cool."

The first season of X-Men '97 is now in the books, culminating an epic animated journey for fans of the Marvel Universe. The series is just one of several titles under the Marvel Animation banner at Marvel Studios, with projects like returning series What If...? and new series Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Eyes of Wakanda on the horizon. Earlier this week, Marvel Television announced release windows or dates for some of its upcoming live-action offerings, including Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart. Those announcements did not include the aforementioned projects from Marvel Animation -- but we might have a better idea of what's next on the docket.

While speaking with ComicBook about the recent season finale of X-Men '97, Executive Producer and Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum revealed that the upcoming third season of What If...? could be the next Marvel Animation show released, without confirming an exact release date or window.

"What If...? Season Three is -- that might be the one that comes out next, in terms of animation," Winderbaum revealed. "That is the culmination of a trilogy. We're actually close to completing that one, and it really feels like you've gone through this amazing emotional experience with Uatu, in a way that's... What's great about The Watcher is that he presents himself as uncaring, and cold, and just an observer, but he cares more than everybody [and] anybody. That is on full display in that third season."

What Will What If...? Season 3 Be About?

Early looks at What If...? Season 3 were released shortly after the show's sophomore season wrapped in late 2023, confirming that Sam Wilson / Captain America (Anthony Mackie) Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), Bill Foster / Goliath (Laurence Fishburne), Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Alexi Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour) will all factor into the episodes in some way. Additionally, ComicBook previously exclusively confirmed that America Ferrera will join the cast as Agent Morales.

"She's great," writer and executive producer AC Bradley said of Ferrera. "I'm so glad she is getting her flowers when it comes to Barbie, because -- I shouldn't say this, but hey, I no longer work at Marvel -- Barbie was my favorite movie of the year, my favorite superhero movie, because Barbie's a hero. And, so is America. That was the best. So, we're so happy that she was willing to come in, and do this part in this random episode of What If...?. She was so lovely about it."

The first season of X-Men '97 is now available to stream exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

The season finale of X-Men '97 was released on Disney+ this week, and it's gotten major praise from Marvel fans. The show is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 98% critics score and 94% audience score. ComicBook gave the show a 5 out of 5, and called it "an ideal reboot." While many people deserve credit for making X-Men '97 a success, one important person behind the scenes was the show's creator and showrunner, Beau DeMayo. As fans were gearing up for the release of X-Men '97, the surprising news broke that DeMayo had been fired from the series. Details of his firing have remained under wraps, but DeMayo has still be openly talking about the show on social media. In fact, he recently took to Twitter to clarify his Season Two involvement.

"I did write a lot of Season 2," DeMayo shared. "However, unlike Season 1, I will not be heavily involved or leading production, cast records, design, editorial, post, music, etc., nor doing any production rewrites as it relates to the creative vision of the show."

"This is why I've said I can't really speak to Season 2," he added. "But, looking forward to seeing the final product with you all whenever it airs. I have high hopes."

Marvel's head of streaming, Brad Winderbaum, recently addressed DeMayo's firing in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"I can't talk about the details," Winderbaum explained. "But I can say that Beau had real respect and passion for these characters and wrote what I think are excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that's on screen." When asked if he would consider what happened with DeMayo as a "firing" as had been the wording used in the press, Winderbaum added, "I don't. 'We parted ways' is the best way I could say."

Which Voice Actors Return in X-Men '97?

Original X-Men: The Animated Series cast members Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), and Christopher Britton (Mister Sinister) reprise their roles from the '90s series while returning cast members Catherine Disher (original Jean Grey), Chris Potter (original Gambit), Alyson Court (original Jubilee), and Lawrence Bayne (original Cable) voice new characters.

The new cast includes Ray Chase (Cyclops), Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey), JP Karliak (Morph), AJ LoCascio (Gambit), Holly Chou (Jubilee), Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop), and Matthew Waterson (Magneto).

X-Men '97 director/producer Jake Castorena recently spoke with RadioTimes and explained why some of the voice cast has changed.

"If we're doing this show, we got to do it with the legacy cast - that was the decision from day one," Castorena explained. "[But] time hits us all - it's been 30 years and so, unfortunately, some of the legacy voice cast is no longer with us, and some of the legacy voice cast, voices and things just change."

X-Men '97 is now streaming on Disney+.

The ComicBook Nation crew breaks down the X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale and discusses all the reveals about the Season 2 storyline. We also review the new movie IF (2024).

PLUS: Geek News includes some big renewal news for some of streaming's hottest shows; a breakdown of Amazon's The Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer, and the Spider-Verse expands with Nic Cage's Spider-Man Noir TV show - even as Amazon's Silk: Spider Society series dies in development.

IF (2024) Review

ComicBook critic Jamie Jirak's IF movie review gives the film 3.5 out of 5 stars:

The film does a good job of reminding its audience that there's a kid in all of us, and that time can never truly take away your imagination. It's been a while since I looked around in a theater and saw multiple grown men shedding a tear. Krasinski knows how to appeal to parents, especially dads. While IF may not be a perfectly pieced-together movie, there's enough heart embedded in its core to make it a worthy trip to the cinema for families. The cast is delightful, the IFs are magical, and the warmth is undeniable.

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Ryan Gosling is low-key one of the best in show business when it comes to handling the press. Gosling has mastered a public persona schtick that uses his wit and charm as bait for hungry journalists to bit on, as he dodges their question. But, sometimes dodging a question is still a kind of answer to that question - especially when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A new interview with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (who star in the new film The Fall Guy) and Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz ventured into MCU territory. See, Gosling's name has been associated with a potential MCU reboot of the Ghost Rider movie franchise ever since Horowitz single-handedly got that ball rolling.

Back in 2022, Gosling did the Happy Sad Confused Podcast with Horowitz and they discussed rumors that he was in the running to play the MCU character of Nova. Even though he shot down the Nova rumors, Gosling did admit to wanting to play Ghost Rider in the MCU.

That wishful thinking became something else entirely after Horowitz approached Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Horowitz asked Feige if a Ryan Gosling MCU Ghost Rider role was possible, and Feige didn't shoot down the idea:

"If Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider, Ryan's amazing. I'd love to find him a place in the MCU," Feige told MTV News, jokingly adding that "He dresses up as Ken on Venice Beach and gets more press than any major movie coming out."

Ryan Gosling Dodges Question about Ghost Rider MCU Role

As you can see in the video above, Ryan Gosling (with an assist from Emily Blunt) dodges any kind of answer on the MCU Ghost Rider subject in his latest interview with Horowitz.

That's more significant than the usual celebrity question dodging because it's hard to read it as anything but a doge. If there was nothing to it, Gosling would almost certainly have waved it off and killed any possible online chatter; if there is something in the works that hasn't been announced or finalized yet, then Gosling wouldn't be able to talk about it - and outright saying "I can't talk about it," would be the next best thing to confirmation for fans, pundits and news outlets.

Instead, Gosling and Blunt ran a bit that had Blunt veering into an anecdote about publicly stating that Gosling would never do a superhero flick (which Gosling denies ever saying). It's hard to believe that the two skilled performers wouldn't have known before going into an interview with Horowitz that the MCU Ghost Rider subject wouldn't come up. They call it "media training" for a reason.

While we can't take away anything concrete from this exchange, we do know that the MCU is in the process of retooling and rebranding after some recent years of stumble. Our eyes are already turning toward Comic-Con 2024, where Marvel Studios may have some big reveals to announce as Deadpool & Wolverine hits hteaters. Could Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider be one of them?

MCU Movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.

X-Men '97 packed quite a lot into its Season Finale - including an epilogue section that was nearly half an episode in length. There was lot of setup for X-Men '97 Season 2 that got done in that time - including one surprising character return that most fans probably didn't catch!

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

The climax of "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3" saw the X-Men fighting impossible odds to stop Operation Zero Tolerance and its leader, Bastion, from dropping Magneto's Asteroid M on Earth. The X-Men succeed (with help from Magneto), but the team is yanked from the timestream and deposited in separate places across the past, present, and future.

While the majority of the X-Men landed in either ancient Egypt or a dystopian distant future, Forge and a few others were left in the present, facing the monumental task of building a new team of X-Men. Forge is seen in his workshop, looking over a photo gallery board of mutants who could potentially become New X-Men; Bishop finally comes back from the future to tell Forge that the X-Men aren't dead, they've been pulled into the timestream - and the future depends on rescuing them.

However, before Bishop appears, Forge is listening to a radio broadcast that establishes the new status quo six months after the X-Men's disappearance. On the political side of things, it's established that President Robert Kelly is having his political position challenged by a fringe anti-mutant candidate: Graydon Creed.

X-Men '97 Season 2 Villains - Who Is Graydon Creed?

Graydon Creed Jr. is the leader of the anti-mutant hate group "Friends of Humanity" (FoH). Although he's a human, Graydon is the son of Sabertooth (Victor Creed) and Mystique, after a chance encounter between the two. Graydon Creed buried his past, but couldn't bury his resentment, raging against his parents and all mutants.

In X-Men: The Animated Series, Graydon Creed's arc started as a supporter of Senator Robert Kelly, whose anti-mutant views he supported. After the X-Men defeated Bolivar Trask and Master Mold, Kelly reversed his stance on mutants, causing a schism between him and Graydon Creed.

Creed continued to threaten the X-Men and mutants throughout the seasons of X-Men: TAS. He was tricked by Apocalypse (in disguise) into framing mutants for the release of a virus that nearly wipes out Bishop's future before Bishop sets things right. The X-Men infiltrated the Friends of Humanity and eventually exposed Creed's mutant parentage to the group, causing him to suffer a mental breakdown. When he got out of the institution, Creed came at his own family, kidnapping Mystique and battling his "siblings" Rogue and Nightcrawler. At the end of the series, The FoH banished Creed and left him on Sabertooth's doorstep, where the feral mutant was seemingly going to punish his son in some horrible way.

If Graydon Creed Jr. is back, then it suggests a lot about what happened with Sabertooth, and what raises new questions about what Graydon plans to do with the new anti-mutant sentiment in the world. Although, we're pretty sure that real-life politics has laid out the roadmap.

X-Men '97 is streaming on Disney+.

The sad news broke yesterday that Tony McFarr, the stuntman best known for doubling Chris Pratt, had passed away at age 47. The cause of McFarr's death is currently unknown, but it was revealed that he died on May 13th at his home outside of Orlando, Florida. McFarr had 60 stunt credits to his name and doubled Pratt on Passengers, Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Yesterday, Pratt took to his Instagram stories to pay tribute to McFarr and share photos of them together on set.

"Devastated to hear about the loss of my friend and former stunt double Tony McFarr," Pratt wrote. "We did several movies together. We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set. I'll never forget his toughness. I remember he took a nasty shot to the head (in the title sequence of 'Guardians 2') and got several staples in his head came right back to work ready to go again. He was an absolute stud."

"He was always a gentleman and professional," Pratt continued. "He'll be missed. My prayers go out to his friends and family, especially his daughter." You can view an image Pratt posted below, and see more of his stories here.

Tony McFarr's Stunt Credits:

McFarr's first stunt roles were back in 2011 in Bones and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. His television credits included Teen Wolf, Burn Notice, Homeland, The Originals, Halt and Catch Fire, The Walking Dead, MacGyver, The Gifted, and more. His film credits included Rock of Ages, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, Furious 7, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Captain America: Civil War, Logan Lucky, Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and more.

His final credit was for the short film, Grobb, in 2022. He also had a few acting credits to his name, including episodes of Burn Notice, One Tree Hill, and MacGyver. During his career, he was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture" for Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Our thoughts are with McFarr's family and friends, including Chris Pratt, at this difficult time.

As the live-action Spider-Man franchise is leased to Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures has built its own spider-based cinematic universe centered around one of Peter Parker's greatest adversaries: Venom. The multi-decade idea eventually came to fruition in 2018 with Tom Hardy in the titular role. Venom (2018) crushed at the box office, bringing in $856 million on a $100 million budget. This was enough to fast track a sequel, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage commenced production roughly one year after the first film was released. Despite some pandemic obstacles, Venom: Let There Be Carnage released in Fall 2021 and raked in half a billion dollars.

With back to back hits on its hands, Sony Pictures gave the green light for a third Venom film. Hardy was confirmed to be back in the leading role while Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Filming began in June 2023 and wrapped earlier this spring, as the SAG-AFTRA strike last summer delayed planned production in the remaining 2023 months.

Venom: The Last Dance Ends Tom Hardy's Franchise

Eddie Brock is riding off into the sunset this October.

Speaking to Deadline, Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman confirmed that Venom: The Last Dance is the franchise's "third and last" installment.

"[It] is going to be huge," Rothman teased.

All involved in Venom: The Last Dance are looking to go out with a bang. The threequel has Kelly Marcel in the director's chair, making her feature film directorial debut. While this role is new to Marcel, the Venom franchise is not. She previously worked on the scripts for Venom (2018) as well as Venom: Let There Be Carnage and is also penning The Last Dance's screenplay.

"Tom and I have had a long collaborative history with each other. We love each other and love working with each other. Both of us are passionate about the Venom franchise," Marcel said in a prior interview. "It's just really a joy for us to be able to get to do this third one together. I can't really tease you anything about it other than it's going to be amazing. Tom and I genuinely just have a blast with each other whenever we get to work together. There's a lot of laughing that happens."

Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25th.

The first season of X-Men '97 is now in the books, and its impact on the Marvel mythos is still continuing to be felt. As fans debate exactly what the series' future could look like, especially given the various plot twists and turns in the season finale, there's also the question of what things will look like for some of the show's other mutants.

The final moments of X-Men '97's finale showed much of the team thrown across time by the destruction of Asteroid M, either to Egypt in 3000 BC, and an unknown cosmic location in 3960 AD. A handful of X-Men, meanwhile, were left on Earth in the present day, with events jumping ahead six months after their disappearance, which is culturally known as "E Day." The present-day scene shows Forge and Bishop determining how to rescue the team, with a wall of mutants who have and have not been accounted for behind them. Two of the mutants who have been accounted for are Emma Frost and Jubilee, begging the question -- could we see a version of Generation X on X-Men '97?

Who Are Marvel's Generation X?

Created by Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo in 1994's Uncanny X-Men #318, Generation X are a team of teen superheroes led by Banshee and Emma Frost. Operating out of a separate academy in Massaachusetts outside of the influence of Charles Xavier, the original roster of the team consists of Jubilee, as well as Chamber, Gaia, Husk, Monet St. Croix, Mondo, Penance, Skin, and Synch. The team operated in some form or fashion for years, and famously loosely inspired a Generation X television movie in 1996.

With Charles among the mutants who are now scattered across time and space, it certainly would be interesting for X-Men '97 to explore the concept of an X-Team forming in his absence. Jubilee being one of the few X-Men who remained in the present day certainly opens the door for her to appear on or help found the team, especially after her Season 1 arc has concerned her feelings of arrested development and growing up. The first season of X-Men '97 has also gone out of its way to acknowledge Emma Frost, who was one of the few mutants to survive the Genosha massacre. Although former showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed that Emma would not be returning to the first season after she was found alive, the opening credits of X-Men '97's latter episodes have featured her multiple times, potentially hinting at her return in a future storyline. Plus, those involved with X-Men '97 have hinted that the series will draw inspiration from the comics up until Grant Morrison's New X-Men, which sees Emma joining the flagship X-Men team after the dissolving of Generation X.

Is X-Men '97 Renewed for Season 2?

Work has already begun on a sophomore season of X-Men '97, which was already renewed by Marvel Animation prior to the show's premiere.

"We're working on season two. But we haven't started yet. I know a little bit of the storylines and characters," co-composer Taylor Newton Stewart explained in a recent interview. "It's always upping the ante. I mean, it's pretty intense what happens. Yeah, immediately when I was told, I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, what's happening? This is incredible.' So, just as a fan alone, I am very excited."

The first season of X-Men '97 is now available to stream exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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News came today that the Silk: Spider Society TV series that has long been in the works at Amazon's Prime Video from Sony Pictures Television is no longer moving forward. After more than one rework attempt, the show was scrapped, but buried in Deadline's report that the series isn't happening anymore came news that Amazon's intention to make TV Shows based around other Spider-Man adjacent characters, of which Sony owns the rights to around 900 Marvel characters, remains in the cards. The trade goes on to note that the rights to the Silk TV show are being shopped to other potential homes.

One of the Spider-Man adjacent shows that we know is happening at Prime Video is the Nicolas Cage-starring Noir, a live-action take on Spider-Man Noir. Prime Video confirmed that this series was officially ordered earlier this week, with Cage taking on the role that he previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In their announcement Prime Video offered this description for the Noir series, which reads: "The story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city's one and only superhero." It's unclear if the series will be related to Cage's character from the Spider-Verse animated movies; however, Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are attached as Executive Producers. Oren Uziel, Steve Lightfoot, and Amy Pascal will also EP.

It remains to be seen what other characters from the Spider-Man portfolio will make it to the screen for Prime Video. Silk is already seemingly off the table, and with Noir in the planning stages it's not unreasonable to think that other Spider-Man variants could be the subject of their own shows, the likes of Spider-Punk, Spider-Man India, or even Spider-Man 2099 seem like viable candidates. This is just speculation however.

The biggest question mark of course is what is and is not available for these shows. It's noteworthy that the new Noir TV show does not feature the word "Spider-Man" in it at all, so it remains to be seen if they're even allowed to actually reference the hero. Plus, given how Sony Pictures has utilized the Spider-Man adjacent character rights for the big screen, characters like Venom, Kraven, Morbius, and Madame Web have all had their own feature films, it seems unlikely that Spider-Man's antagonists will be the leads of their own TV shows.

The Marvel Animated Universe is in full swing.

More than 30 years after X-Men: The Animated Series jump-started the MAU, Marvel Studios' X-Men '97 revived the interconnected universe of '90s animated shows Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk. Picking up where the original series ended after five seasons in 1997, Marvel Animation's sequel show X-Men '97 -- featuring the original voices of Wolverine (Cal Dodd), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), Beast (George Buza), Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough), and Rogue (Lenore Zann) -- also assembled Earth's mightiest heroes for surprise cameos in the season finale and throughout the 10-episode first season.

Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man -- and Peter Parker's long-lost girlfriend, Mary Jane, missing since 1998 -- all appeared exactly as they did in the '90s, though only Captain America (voiced by Josh Keaton) had any lines. Even before the web-slinger swung by for a brief but silent cameo in episode 8, fans weighed whether the return of X-Men might mean another revival was possible: Spider-Man '98.

"I'd obviously love to participate in such an awesome venture," Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voiced the radioactive spider-bitten superhero across five seasons of 1994's Spider-Man: The Animated Series, wrote on social media after Spider-Man's X-Men cameo. "Unfortunately, I haven't been contacted by anyone regarding this possibility and I also currently have no connection to the X-Men 97 show."

Invoking the words of Spider-Man's co-creator, Barnes added: "Let's remember Stan Lee and remain 'True Believers!' Maybe I'll get that magical phone call, have to sign an NDA, and then go weirdly silent on the issue! Here's hoping!!!" (In 2021, Barnes said there was "no truth" to a rumor he was to reprise the fan-favorite role on the big screen in the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but added: "I wish it was true. That would just be super cool.")

The Spider-Man rights are a tangled web. The simple version is that Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man and related characters in live-action and animation, but Disney -- which owns the Marvel Comics character -- has been able to produce Spider-Man animated shows since 2012's Ultimate Spider-Man. Disney doesn't own the Sony-made The Spectacular Spider-Man, but the company does own 1994's Spider-Man, 2017's Spider-Man, and the preschool series Spidey and His Amazing Friends.

Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios, which produced X-Men '97 via Marvel Animation, are the producers on Marvel's upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (the retitled Spider-Man: Freshman Year), with Hudson Thames (Marvel's What If...?) voicing freshly-bitten high school freshman Peter Parker in the new MCU-inspired animated series.

When Brad Winderbaum, an executive producer on X-Men '97 and head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, was asked about potentially reviving other Marvel shows like the '90s Spider-Man series for Disney+, Winderbaum answered: "You never know, is the answer. I will say that just like the original series had some really fun cameos that you didn't expect to happen, you can expect the same thing in X-Men '97." 'Nuff said.

All episodes of X-Men '97 are now available to stream on Disney+, along with X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Ryan Reynolds fans are eagerly awaiting the actor to return to the role of Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine this summer, but if you want to catch the star on the big screen a little sooner, he can currently be seen in John Krasinski's IF. The new movie opened in theaters tonight and follows a young girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming) who encounters a group of imaginary friends (aka IFs) that have been forgotten by their now grown-up companions. The IFs come in all shapes and sizes, including an invisible IF named Keith. Reynolds constantly trips over the character in the film, who is never seen or heard. However, he has a pretty hilarious credit in the end credits, and his casting is a nod to Deadpool 2.

There are many big stars who voice IFs in the new film, and the crew behind the project decided to have a little fun by adding an, "Introducing Brad Pitt as Keith" in the credits. In addition to being a funny bit, this isn't the first time Pitt has "played" an invisible character in a Reynolds movie. In Deadpool 2, the Oscar-winning actor is briefly seen as Vanisher, an invisible member of the X-Force who is only seen for a split second when he's electrocuted to death.

During an interview with BBC Radio 1 in 2022, Pitt reflected on his Deadpool 2 cameo.

"Pretty much the easiest thing I've ever done," Pitt said with a laugh. "[Director David Leitch] is an old friend of mine. We met when he was my stunt double starting with Fight Club and all the way up until about '04. Then he went off and became a good director, which is rare!"

"He and Ryan called, and like, 'Why not?'" Pitt added.

Who Stars in IF?

In IF, Krasinski directs a cast that includes Reynolds, Fleming, himself, and Fiona Shaw in addition to Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and late Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) as IFs Blossom and Lewis. The star-studded ensemble also features the voices of Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Maya Rudolph, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Awkwafina, Richard Jenkins, Keegan Michael Key, Matthew Rhys, and Christopher Meloni as "the most unique imaginary friends ever dreamed up in a movie."

IF is now playing in theaters.

Sony's output of Marvel adaptations has gone into some interesting territory over the years, spanning a number of movie projects in both live action and animation. In recent years, the studio has announced plans to branch off the franchise into television -- but apparently, one of their very first projects has hit a major snag. On Thursday night, reports indicated that Silk: Spider Society is no longer moving forward at Amazon MGM Studios, after it was first announced to be in the works back in 2020. This comes as another project in the Sony and Amazon collaboration, the Nicolas Cage-led Spider-Man Noir series Noir, was greenlit to debut on both MGM+ and Prime Video earlier this week. Despite this update, reports indicate that Silk: Spider Society is not necessarily dead, as Sony Pictures Television is shopping the show to other buyers.

According to reports, the decision not to move forward with Silk: Spider Society was made just a few days ago, and may have stemmed from the show's development woes, with the project reportedly undergoing multiple overhauls. The show had multiple episodes written before last year's Writers Guild of America strike, which led to the union threatening to sue Amazon when they did not revive the show's writers room last fall. Earlier this year, it was reported that nearly all of Silk: Spider Society's writers room was let go, outside of showrunner Angela Kang and a co-executive producer. The reported plan at the time was to reconfigure the show -- which stars teenage superheroine Cindy Moon / Silk -- to appeal to a male-skewing audience. This new reporting seems to corroborate as much, indicating that at one point, the writers room was asked "to reconfigure the show so it is not hanging so heavily" on Silk as a central character.

What Will Silk: Spider Society Be About?

According to previous cast listings, the Silk: Spider Society series would follow fan-favorite Marvel Comics character Cindy Moon, who has previously been described in casting descriptions for the series as a Korean-American between 19 and 29 years old who is a kid from Queens who is on her own for the first time. Although she's a total beginner in law enforcement and fighting crime, she is said to love the feeling of beating up criminals to let her frustrations out, and has an affinity for '80s and '90s pop culture. She also struggles with her identity and heritage, but she tries to focus on her family, friends, and relationships.

"It's a huge focus certainly for all of us here, and for me in particular. I was already a fan of Angela Kang, so I'm really, really excited to be working with her on Silk. She's just brilliant and a total pro," Amazon's Katherine Pope said in a 2023 interview. "This is also an example of working really closely with Tom Rothman and Sanford Panitch, and the motion picture group, to make sure that we are in lockstep with them and also executing at the same level. They've done such an incredible job with that franchise, so we want to make sure we're executing at that level."

h/t: Deadline

The season finale of X-Men '97 was released on Disney+ yesterday, and it was a big one for Magneto. Much of the episode takes place in the Master of Magnetism's mind as Charles tries to reason with the on-again-off-again villain. The episode touched on some important moments from Magento's past, and even had a special nod to the live-action Magneto actors: Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender.

A moment in "Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 3" shows a dossier on Magneto, and it includes various aliases. Underneath the name Erik Lehnsherr is David Hemblem, who voiced the character in X-Men: The Animated Series. Underneath Hemblem's name, you can see the names Ian and Michael with the last names blacked out. You can check it out in the image below:

X-Men '97's Matthew Waterson Talks Stepping Into Iconic Magneto Role:

In X-Men: The Animated Series, Magneto was voiced by David Hemblen, who passed away in 2020. In the reboot, the iconic villain is voiced by Matthew Waterson. ComicBook's Phase Zero podcast recently did a spotlight episode featuring Waterson, and the actor talked about some of Magneto's biggest moments of the season in addition to stepping into the role.

"There is definitely pressure, and there's definitely some stress," Waterson admitted. "One of the things that was really nice, in talking with Meredith [Layne] and Bo [DeMayo] and Jake [Castorena] and everybody, as we were working through it, they said, 'The end of the original series has this big shift, with where Charles goes, and the decision that Eric makes at the end of it, in order to try and help his friend.'"

"They said, 'There's this big shift, and we're continuing through that with how we go into this new season, with the decisions and the choices, and the things that Eric is trying to do. So that makes for a shift in his overall outlook,'" Waterson recalled.

"'So what we're really looking at is trying to make sure that if somebody sits down and watches the show from '92 to '97, and they just bowl straight into this one, that it doesn't sound like a totally different person, but there should be some little difference in him, because his whole outlook is kind of shifting, or at least, he's trying to shift it. So we want the voice to sound like the same person, but maybe that they're coming at things from a slightly different aspect.'"

"And that helps take a little bit of the pressure off me," Waterson explained. "Because following somebody like David, who did such a phenomenal job, and is so beloved, there is a stress to that. And there's always, you have to reconcile yourself to, 'In an ideal world, a third of the people love what I do.' A third of the people are like, 'Eh, it's fine.' And only a third of the people are saying, 'You've destroyed my childhood, and I will forever hate you.'"

"So the hope is, if you can get those first two-thirds to be bigger than two-thirds, and that last one to be smaller than a third, then that's kind of successful. And fortunately, it seems like people on the whole have responded really positively, which has been lovely, and has been a huge weight off. Because following David was always going to be a pretty daunting task."

X-Men '97 is now streaming on Disney+.

Tony McFarr, the stuntman best known for doubling Chris Pratt in various projects, has passed away at age 47. McFarr's death was originally reported by TMZ before the news was confirmed by the Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home in Merritt Island, Florida. According to the initial report, McFarr died of unknown causes on May 13th at his home outside of Orlando. McFarr's mother, Donna, told TMZ that her son's passing was unexpected and that he was in good health. According to the Orange County Medical Examiner, McFarr's cause of death is still pending.

McFarr had 60 stunt credits to his name. His first stunt roles were back in 2011 in Bones and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. His television credits included Teen Wolf, Burn Notice, Homeland, The Originals, Halt and Catch Fire, The Walking Dead, MacGyver, The Gifted, and more. His film credits included Rock of Ages, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, Furious 7, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Captain America: Civil War, Logan Lucky, Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and more.

McFarr was best known for doubling Pratt on various projects, including Passengers, Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Back in 2016, Pratt showed some love for McFarr on Instagram while filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

"Here's me and my stunt-man Tony McFarr (also Tommy Harper stunt coordinator and our first AD Lars Winther) on set. Been working with Tony since Jurassic World. Love you buddy! Happy wrap," Pratt wrote at the time. Since the news of McFarr's passing, some fans have found the old post and commented their condolences. You can view the post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Pratt (@prattprattpratt)

Pratt posted another image with McFarr while making the Guardians sequel, and captioned it, "Here's a better view." You can view that photo below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Pratt (@prattprattpratt)

McFarr's final credit was for the short film, Grobb, in 2022. He also had a few acting credits to his name, including episodes of Burn Notice, One Tree Hill, and MacGyver. During his career, he was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture" for Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Our thoughts are with McFarr's family and friends at this difficult time.

X-Men '97's Season 1 Finale did a LOT. Episode 10, "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3" had the X-Men finally trying to end the threat of Bastion and his Prime Sentinels - not to mention reversing Magneto's catastrophic EMP attack on Earth.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW!) Even though the X-Men managed to complete their mission objectives, there was a monkey wrench thrown into their victory when a majority of the team (plus Magneto) got transported away into the timestream, with some X-Men landing in the distant past - and some landing in a distant future.

X-Men '97's breakthrough success means that a considerable portion of the mainstream viewing audience doesn't know about the deeper lore (and chaos) of X-Men comics. That means a considerable portion of the audience watching the X-Men '97 Finale may not know that Cable wasn't the only child of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) who appeared in the episode!

X-Men '97 Finale Reveals Cyclops & Jean Grey's Daughter

In one of the epilogue scenes for X-Men '97 Episode 10, Cyclops and Jean are transported to the distant dystopian future of 3900 AD. They find themselves surrounded by a clan of warriors, who are commanded by a robed figure, who identifies herself as "Mother Askani," and has a young boy named Nathan as a her ward. Scott and Jean realize that they are in the future Nathan Summers/Cable grew up in.

X-Men '97 is setting up an adaptation of the 1994 comic book miniseries The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. In that comic, Cyclops and Jean had their minds transported into sent into the future so that they could raise Nathan Summers into the soldier that is Cable, and teach him to use his formidable psychic powers.

What X-Men '97's teaser scene for The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix arc doesn't tell you is that "Mother Askani" isn't just a random leader: She is Rachel Summer, the daughter of Cyclops and Jean, known as Phoenix II. Rachel was born in the reality of Earth-811, the future timeline known as "Days of the Future Past" where the Sentinels rule Earth and the reality where Nimrod was first born.

In the Earth-811 reality, Jean Grey's Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga story took a pivotal turn when Dark Phoenix visited Jean's parents and sister at their home. Instead of Jean's father disowning her and banishing her (leading to Dark Phoenix's Shi'ar duel and tragic death), in the 811 reality he welcomed her back into the family fold. Jean stayed alive and married Scott Summers, giving birth to Rachel Summers, who would inherit her mother's powerful psychic gifts.

Rachel's reality took a dark turn when Senator Kelly and Charles Xavier got assassinated in Washington D.C., sparking the Mutant Control Act to pass, and Sentinels to be deployed against mutants, leading to mass deaths, forced genetic breeding, and mutant concentration camps. She was captured by the notorious future timeline slaver Ahab, and became one of his mutant-hunting "Hounds." After escaping captivity, Rachel began trying to change the timeline to a better one for mutants, eventually attracting the Phoenix Force who saw her as a successor host for Jean Grey.

Eventually, Rachel ended up in the mainstream reality of the Marvel Universe where she became a member of the X-Men and the UK team Excalibur. Rachel's time-hopping continued when she ended up in an alternate future timeline that Apocalypse had conquered. Taking on the name Mother Askani, Rachel guided her brother's maturation into becoming the time-traveling messiah that ended Apocalypse's threat to the future. When that mission was completed, the dark alternate future was erased and a younger Rachel returned to the modern Marvel Universe, where she kept the name "Askani" and has served as an X-Man throughout the Krakoa Era.

So, in other words, X-Men '97 Season 2 is going to be a whole Summers Family affair.

X-Men '97 is streaming on Disney+.

X-Men's Storm is getting a new look in her own solo series from Marvel. Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck team on STORM this October. This is a return to Marvel for Ayodele after the delightful Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood last year. For Werneck, he's been around the block with the mutants during his run on Immortal X-Men. Of the former Krakoa residents, few of them are as popular as Storm and in the aftermath of the haven's destruction, she's tasked with saving the planet with her new team. As leader, Storm's choices will end up having massive consequences for Earth-dwellers, and beyond! Adding to the intrigue is the fact that she's an Avenger now as well. So, that also adds to the wild times ahead in this solo series.

"I still can't believe that Marvel gave me this gift," Werneck mused. "Storm is a character that I love, and I have so much respect for what this character represents to people. We're working with so much love and devotion on this project, and I hope that fans enjoy it as much as we're enjoying making it."

STORM #1

Written by MUREWA AYODELE
Art by LUCAS WERNECK
Cover by MATEUS MANHANINI
On Sale 10/2

"We are building towards gargantuan conflicts that will shake the universe from Planet Earth to the Dimension of Manifestations," Ayodele would. "We are crafting stories filled to the brim with humanity, love, mystery, adventure, heartbreak, and ALL-OUT ACTION. Tom Brevoort, the editor behind Marvel's most universe-shattering events, Lucas Werneck, the incredible artist known for his genius-level attention to design and character work, and I are cooking with supernovas on this series. So join us on this journey that promises to be exciting till the bitter-sweet end. Get ready for an ETERNAL STORM."

Storm Remains An X-Men Fan-Favorite

As evidenced by the love-fest surrounding X-Men '97, people dearly care about the Weather Goddess. This is a fact that Ayodele is well-aware of and aims to do right by the fans who show up for any of her solo adventures or focus moments among large-scale stories.

"As a fan of Storm, her duties to the X-Men, and what she stands for in various real-world communities, I would like to assure the audience that Storm is in danger. Extremely so. We love Ororo Munroe, and that is why we have crafted a thrilling story that will put the strength of her character on wide-open display," the writer argues. "But when you're an Omega-level mutant, few things can test your limits, and even fewer things can shatter those limits. For our STORM series, one thing we would like fans to remember is that there are threats that are beyond Omega. Prepare yourselves for an extraordinary display of superheroism that leaves knuckles bloody, knees bashed in, and mountains cratered."

STORM ascends to the clouds this October.

Do you love that Storm is getting her own solo series in the midst of X-Men fever? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* is currently in production and the upcoming MCU film will see the return of many fan-favorite actors in addition to some franchise newcomers. One such MCU newcomer is rumored to be Lewis Pullman, who was said to be the top choice to play Sentry in the film. It was teased earlier this year that the Top Gun: Maverick actor was likely taking over the role from Steven Yeun. However, he's being tight-lipped about the upcoming project. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Josh Horowitz asked Pullman about Sentry, but the actor dodged the question.

"You know, I think the MCU is always something that I've watched and felt like is a beautiful world that is kind of untouchable," Pullman explained. "I think there is something about joining that world which is similar to joining television in that whenever somebody joins in, you want it to be as a character you can live in for a long time and an aspect of the world you want to be in."

Horowitz continued trying to get more information out of Pullman and even showed him a photo of Sentry from the comics, which got a big laugh from Pullman. "What a beautiful costume. Look at those locks, my God," he replied. Pullman attempted to change the subject by talking about what kind of superpower he'd want, choosing the ability to shapeshift. Horowitz jokingly took that as "confirmation" Sentry would have shapeshifting powers.

"I haven't looked into Sentry," Pullman replied. "First time I've heard this name. The Sentry sounds like a snakey, shapeshifter kind of vibe, if you read the comics."

Who Stars in Thunderbolts*?

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble of returning MCU stars, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* -- complete with an asterisk -- at CinemaCon this year. "We won't talk more about that until after the movie comes out," Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (n?e The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

Daredevil: Born Again's Vincent D'Onofrio says that the Disney+ show wasn't originally planned to crossover with the Netflix series. Marvel Studios is bringing Daredevil back with a reboot next year and the series star spoke to TV Insider about the links to the previous incarnation of the show. He was joined by Charlie Cox up on the Disney Upfronts stage this week to talk Daredevil: Born Again. It seems like Marvel Studios decided to lean more into the Netflix series when the time came to evaluate the work they had already completed on the reboot.

Cox told the outlet that "a lot" of crossover was coming in Daredevil: Born Again. But, his co-star quickly clarified, "It originally wasn't going to be at all, but now it's a lot." That would prompt some questions about where this change of heart originated from. But, while palace intrigue and weird gossip rule the day, a more simple explanation does exist: the writers and actors strike. It's well-documented at this point, the executives at Marvel Studios took a look at the existing footage from the upcoming series and decided to tweak their course of action. Cox thinks both fan pressure and the studio had their roles to play. He said, "I think [it's] the fans. I think [it's] the studio as well."

Daredevil: Born Again & Marvel's Creative Retooling

If you don't want to take our word for it, D'Onofrio also thinks the creative retooling process for Marvel Studios is where a lot of these decisons came from. He talked to The Hollywood Reporter about Daredevil: Born Again and its links to the Netflix show. In essence, the new Disney+ series is directly connected to what's come before. (Marvel's head of streaming, Brad Winderbaum said the exact same thing to ScreenRant months ago at this point.) Still, because the fans like to work themselves into a lather over Internet takes and speculation, a lot of them won't believe a word of any of this before the actual series hits the streamer. For now, check out what the Kingpin actor had to say on the matter.

"During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, 'Look, this is how we've got to do it now.' So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that's a great thing," D'Onofrio explained. "It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we're all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now."

Are you happy to see Daredevil's new show acknowledging the Netflix series? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

X-Men '97's showrunner addressed a tender moment between Wolverine and Morph in the Season 1 finale. Fans will immediately remember Logan's physical condition from the penultimate episode after getting the adamantium ripped from his skeleton by Magneto. Left to care for Wolverine, Morph tells Logan that he loves him and encourages him to keep fighting on that medical bed. It's very sweet and Beau DeMayo confirmed that it was a romantic confession on the part of the shapeshifting mutant. On Twitter, the writer said, "Yes, Morph was confessing romantic feelings for Logan #xmen97."

There have been plenty of fun moments between those two over the course of X-Men '97 Season 1. From the playful roll in the grass as Morph transformed into Sabretooth to that really spooky moment in the shower when Mister Sinister attacked the X Mansion, there have been some subtle hints that there might be more to their friendship than what we knew. There's also the fun ribbing of Wolverine when Morph previously transformed into Jean during that nightclub scene in the pilot. Now, with the X-Men largely out of the picture, it might be a while before we get some of that addressed.

Yes, Morph was confessing romantic feelings for Logan #xmen97
pic.twitter.com/FhgShK5CX9

-- Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) May 16, 2024

X-Men '97 Dialed-Up The Romance In Season 1

While we've been talking about this Morph and Wolverine situation, there was more romantic entaglement than you could imagine in X-Men '97. One of the biggest points of romance drama was the Magneto, Rogue, and Gambit love triangle. ComicBook's Phase Zero talked to Matthew Waterson about playing the Master of Magnetism and how he approached all that spice for X-Men '97.

"That's one where, again, I have to admit, I didn't know that there was history in the canon for that," Waterson explained. "So we talked about it, and the explanation of that is a relation, that's not something that came about in this interaction. That was something that was there historically before Rogue and Gambit. And it's a revisiting of that."

"And then, when you see the bits of the justification for why, of they can be more open, and more, for want of a better phrase, human with each other than either of them can be with a lot of other people, it makes a huge amount of sense," he continued. "In terms of knowing that it would make some people very, very upset, or very sad? That's one where you go, 'Yeah, this is going to drive a bunch of people crazy, and that's just going to be fun.'"

Did you catch this tender little moment? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

Don Perlin, a prolific comic book creator whose work includes co-creating Marvel's Moon Knight, has passed away at the age of 94. The news was broken via a Facebook post from Perlin's daughter, Elaine, who revealed that he passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 14th. Perlin had a decades-long career in the industry as an artist, writer, and editor, including multiple decades of working with Marvel.

"I am devastated to report the death of an amazing man," Elaine's post reads. "My father Don Perlin passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 94. He ws an amazing father husband grandfather and great grandfather. We will all miss him terribly. He was an amazing artist and considered a legend in the comic world. To me he was my best friend. I will miss him so much."

Born on August 27, 1929 in New York City, Perlin started in the comic industry with a Fox Features story in the late 1940s. Going into the 1950s, he found a groove penciling horror comics for publishers like Atlas (which would become Marvel Comics), and Harvey Comics, as well as war comics for Charlton. He later worked almost exclusively on art for Charlton for eleven years, a tenure that began in 1962. Perlin's time at Marvel began in the early 1970s, eventually leading to him getting a full-time position drawing for the company.

"I was going for a job interview with another company to do paste-ups and mechanicals," Perlin explained in an interview with NerdTeam30. "This was before computers. I was going in on Monday morning and Sunday morning I got a call from Roy Thomas. I'd been doing some comic book work in the evenings when I got home from working at the different day jobs that I had. Roy had seen some of the horror stories that I had done for DC. He told me about two books that they were looking for artists for and asked if would I be interested? One of them was Werewolf by Night and the other was Morbius, the Living Vampire. When I went to Marvel and spoke to them I was told that Werewolf was a monthly and Morbius was a bi-monthly so I took the monthly book deciding that would be a great job....So, from then on, I worked for Marvel and didn't miss a day. I went from the Werewolf to Ghost Rider and Defenders and Transformers. I worked on most of the characters that Marvel had while I was there. Then I went to Valiant."

This role included illustrating Werewolf by Night from 1974 through 1974, including Werewolf by Night #32, which serves as the first appearance of Moon Knight. His work with Marvel subsequently spanned Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, The Defenders, Transformers, and the Beauty and the Beast miniseries.

By 1991, Perlin left Marvel to join Valiant Comics, where he co-created the character Bloodshot. Other titles he worked on at the company, both as an artist and an editor, included Solar, Man of the Atom, Shadowman, and Magnus Robot Fighter.

While Perlin went into semi-retirement by the mid-1990s, he occasionally contributed stories to DC and Valiant.

Our thoughts are with Perlin's family, friends, and fans at this time.

The season finale of X-Men '97 was released on Disney+ today, and it set up a bunch of excitement for Season 2. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! The end of the episode jumps six months into the future and reveals most of the X-Men have gone missing and are presumed dead. Forge has a wall of photos featuring various mutants with different labels. While most of the X-Men are unaccounted for, there are a few major Marvel players with known whereabouts. One such character is the fan-favorite, Scarlet Witch.

In X-Men: The Animated Series, Wanda Maximoff and her brother, Pietro Maximoff AKA Quicksilver, appeared in the episode "Family Ties," which confirms that Magneto is their father. In the X-Men '97 finale, Magneto briefly sees his children on a boat in his mind while Charles is attempting to get through to him.

This little background cameo and a brief reference in "Montendo" are the most we got of the Maximoffs this season until Forge's wall of photos confirms Wanda is "off world." Now, the tease is giving fans hope that she'll show up in Season 2 in a bigger capacity, especially since Season One showrunner, Beau DeMayo, has teased Operation Galactic Storm. You can take a look at Forge's photo wall below:

What Is Operation Galactic Storm?

X-Men '97's Season One showrunner, Beau DeMayo, confirmed in a tweet earlier this month that the Avengers have been off-world dealing with Operation Galactic Storm.

"Are the Avengers not around, because, as we have seen the Kree are at war with the Shi'ar, and the Avengers are busy with Operation Galactic Storm?" one fan asked. "Yes, indeed. Some of the Avengers are indeed off-world dealing with that conflict. Well done," DeMayo replied.

Operation: Galactic Storm is a 19-part comic book crossover from 1992 that sees the Avengers intervening in an intergalactic war between the alien Kree and Shi'ar empires. There are three Avengers teams in the comics: The "Earth team," which is by Wasp, and features Falcon, Henry Pym, Gilgamesh, Mockingbird, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and U.S. Agent. The "Shi'ar Team" is led by Captain Marvel, and includes the Living Lightning, Scarlet Witch, Starfox, Thor, Vision, and Wonder Man. Meanwhile, the "Kree Team" is led by Captain America, and includes the Black Knight, Crystal, Goliath, Hercules, Iron Man, and Sersi.

While X-Men '97 has been sticking pretty close to the comics, there have still been some big changes in the storylines, which means there's no guarantee the hypothetical inclusion of Operation Galactic Storm in the series will feature the exact same teams as on the page. In fact, if we're following X-Men: The Animated Series, Wanda was not mentioned to be a member of the Avengers during her one appearance, and not much time has passed between that 1996 episode and the events of X-Men '97. And just because the Avengers have been dealing with the conflict during the events of X-Men '97 doesn't mean we'll see the events unfold in the show.

Either way, it's exciting to wonder how Wanda could fit into X-Men '97's second season, especially considering the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) remains a mystery.

Stay tuned for more updates about Marvel.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men '97 episode 10. The X-Men might look different when the mutants return in X-Men '97 season 2. In Wednesday's first season finale, titled "Tolerance is Extinction -- Part 3," the telepathic Charles Xavier (Ross Marquand) uses his psychic powers to penetrate Magneto's (Matthew Waterson) mind and reverse the damage done to Earth by the master of magnetism -- but shatters his psyche in the process. Meanwhile, having been defeated by the X-Men, the Sentinel-human hybrid Bastion (Theo James) plots a mutant doomsday: by hurling Asteroid M into the Earth and causing an extinction event.

The X-Men manage to spare the planet a dinosaur's fate, but only with Magneto's help: his mind restored by Xavier, Magneto sends Asteroid M into space... where it explodes and disappears. On the ground below, Jubilee (Holly Chou), Sunspot (Gui Agustini), and Forge (Gil Birmingham) witness what becomes known as "E-Day," leaving most of the X-Men missing and presumed dead.

Six months later, Forge fails to find any trace of the X-Men or the asteroid. In the ruins of Xavier's School for the Gifted, the time-traveler Bishop (Isaac Robinson-Smith) tells Forge that the X-Men's disappearance is "less a question about where and more when." Forge has been "searching for mutants to carry on the torch," as Bishop puts it, with a Days of Future Past-style board revealing the roster of potential recruits and their status:

Among the X-Men "missing / presumed dead": Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), Storm (Alison-Sealy Smith), Beast (George Buza), Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough), Morph (J.P. Karliak), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Wolverine (Cal Dodd), and former X-Man Archangel. Jubilee, Sunspot, and Cable (Chris Potter) have gone "AWOL," while Magneto's children -- Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver -- are "off world."

That leaves Forge with few candidates as the new X-Men: Iceman, a former founding X-Man with ice powers; Havok, Iceman's romantic rival and leader of X-Factor; Sooraya Qadir, a.k.a. Dust, a mutant with sand powers and member of the New X-Men in the comics; Bennet du Paris, the ancient mutant known as Exodus who was once an acolyte of Apocalypse and Magneto in the comics; the telepath Emma Frost, White Queen of the Inner Circle who served on the short-lived council of the mutant nation Genosha; Kitty Pryde, who has the power of intangibility as Shadowcat; and Russian siblings Piotr Rasputin, a.k.a. the metal-skinned Colossus, and Illyana Rasputin, the mutant sorceress known as Magik. Plus Bishop, who comes from a future where Forge invented the time machine that sent him into the past.

While Storm and Wolverine's fates are left unknown, the episode ends with Cyclops and Jean in 3960 A.D., and Xavier, Magneto, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Rogue in 3000 B.C in Ancient Egypt -- the time of En Sabah Nur, the future Apocalypse.

"Something, or someone, yanked our friends through time," Bishop tells Forge. "And now, we gotta go rescue the X-Men." To be continued in season 2!

All episodes of Marvel's X-Men '97 are now streaming on Disney+.

Is Wesley Snipes taking a stab at the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Between 1998 and 2004, Snipes starred as the daywalker vampire-hunter in the blood-drenched Blade trilogy that ushered in the age of the modern Marvel movie. Disney's Marvel Studios is rebooting Blade with two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) as the half-human, half-vampire Eric Brooks, but Snipes seemingly fueled rumors that the OG Blade -- the all-black-leather-clad badass last seen starring opposite Ryan Reynolds in the "tortured production" Blade: Trinity -- will cameo when Wade Wilson (Reynolds) and Wolverine/Logan (Hugh Jackman) enter the MCU multiverse in Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine.

"Whuhuuuut?" the actor wrote on Twitter/X, the eyes emoji included, in response to a report claiming that Snipes is "already signed" on to appear in the MCU.

Whuhuuuut? ?https://t.co/B8X9PRK9pb

-- Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) May 15, 2024

There's precedent for characters in previously-shuttered continuities to crossover into the MCU. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprised their roles from the Sony-made Spider-Man movies, along with their rogues -- including Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, and Jamie Foxx's Electro -- in Spider-Man: No Way Home, co-produced by Sony and Marvel Studios. And John Krasinski was the first actor to play Mister Fantastic in the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, only for Pedro Pascal to be cast as an alternate version in The Fantastic Four reboot.

It has been reported that (spoiler alert!) Jennifer Garner, who starred as the assassin Elektra Natchios in 2003's Daredevil and its 2005 spinoff Elektra for Fox, is part of a cast that includes several returning actors from Fox's X-Men franchise that ended unceremoniously with Dark Phoenix after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox's film and television assets in 2019. Deadpool & Wolverine involves the Time Variance Authority (as seen on the Disney+ series Loki), meaning characters from other timelines and realities are fair game.

As for Snipes, he said he's "all good" with his successor and Marvel Studios shortly after Kevin Feige announced Ali had been cast as Blade at San Diego Comic-Con back in July 2019.

"To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx," he said in a statement provided to ComicBook. "Although the news comes as a surprise, it's ALL GOOD. Such is the 'business' of 'entertainment!' Much peace to the MCU crew - always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan [Lee]."

Snipes' statement continued: "Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together. Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, 'nah fret nah worry, it's not de end of de story.' Welcome to the Daywalker Klique."

Lest anyone think there was any bad blood between Snipes and Ali, the Major League actor later confirmed he spoke with the MCU Blade-to-be in a 2021 interview. "The issue of him being cast wasn't between us, I'm cool with that," Snipes said at the time. "I don't walk around as Blade, so I'm not attached to the character like that. I feel no emotional loss, zero, and I'm happy that he's being recast and will more than likely do a great job."

Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine opens only in theaters July 26; Ali's Blade is currently slated for release on Nov. 7, 2025.

X-Men '97's Season 1 finale literally and figuratively stuck the landing, as Marvel's mightiest mutants dusted themselves off and stood up to the threat of Bastion, Operation Zero Tolerance, and Magneto crippling Earth's technology.

(SPOILERS) As always, however, the cost of victory was high for the X-Men; the team rallied together with Magneto to stop Bastion's final salvo of hurling Asteroid M at Earth, and they were mysteriously transported away just as they stopped the asteroid's descent.

The X-Men '97 Season 1 ending and post-credits scene set up multiple new story arcs for Season 2, based on some pretty exciting X-Men comic book material!

How X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale Sets Up Season 2

The ending of X-Men '97 Episode 10 reveals that the X-Men Blue and Gold team members who fought Operation Zero Tolerance and/or Magneto end up displaced in time. That fact is confirmed by Bishop, who returns from his hiatus in the future to approach present-day Forge, six months after Bastion's defeat. Bishop has fun with the fact that this younger version of Forge doesn't know him yet, since it was Future-Forge he worked with in X-Men: The Animated Series - a mission that inevitably helped create Bastion. Bishop reveals that a mysterious foe pulled the X-Men through time - and it's up to him and Forge to search for and rescue them.

THE PAST - The first set of X-Men characters (Prof. Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Beast) find themselves in Ancient Egypt, in the year 3,000 BC. The group has a skirmish with some Egyptian soldiers who are attacking a lone target. The X-Men intervene and save the man - only to discover he is "En Sabah Nur," the Egyptian slave who became the first known mutant... known as Apocalypse. The group look from a cliff to find that advanced technology in the form of a great sphere is also present in this bygone era.

X-Men '97 seems to be setting up its adaptation of the "Rise of Apocalypse" comic miniseries for Season 2. Released in 1996, "The Rise of Apocalypse" was the official origin story of Apocalypse, detailing how he manifested the first known mutant powers while working as a lowly outcast and slave for Pharoah Rama-Tut - an early variant of Kang the Conqueror. Apocalypse rebelled against Rama-Tut, claiming the Pharoah's advanced technology to transform himself into the near-immortal leader and mutant messiah we know him to be.

THE PRESENT: In the present day, Bishop approaches Forge about the mission to save the X-Men from the timestream. A radio that Forge is listening to explains that after Operation Zero Tolerance and Magneto's attack on Earth's magnetic field, anti-mutant leader Graydon Creed is gaining political ground against President Robert Kelly. It seems X-Men '97 Season 2 will see a dark period of anti-mutant hysteria take hold - even as a darker response from mutantkind takes shape.

The X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale post-credits scene reveals that the present-day version of Apocalypse isn't dead (as last seen in The Animated Series). Apocalypse is in Genosha combing through the dirt where Gambit died. Apocalypse finds a playing card of Gambit's even as he's monologuing about how much "death" there is in the place.

It seems that X-Men '97 Season 2 will adapt the "Blood of Apocalypse" storyline that ran through X-Men and Cable/Deadpool comics during 2006. That storyline was set one year after the "House of M" event, in which Scarlet Witch reduced mutant population levels to near-extinction. Apocalypse returned to lead mutantkind in its time of peril, and he brought new horsemen with him - including Gambit as the new Horseman of Death. Like so many 2000s X-Men comics, "Blood of Apocalypse" was quickly paved over by Grant Morrison's "New X-Men" run, but Gambit's white-haired, black skin look as "Death" remains iconic.

THE FUTURE - Cyclops and Jean are taken to the distant future of 3900 AD. In that dystopian setting, they find themselves surrounded by a clan of warriors, led by a robed figure. The robed figure identifies herself as "Mother Askani," and she has a young boy with her as a her charge: a boy named Nathan. Scott and Jean realize that they've arrived in the future Nathan Summers/Cable grew up in.

X-Men '97 Season 2 will be doing an adaptation of The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, a 1994 miniseries that filled in a much-needed gap in Summers Family canon. In the comic, Cyclops and Jean have their minds forcibly sent into the future, where they possess the bodies of two future people. Naming themselves "Slim" and "Red," Scott and Jean got to raise Nathan from a young boy trying to master psychic abilities and keep his Techno-organic virus at bay, to becoming the future's most formidable warrior.

Cable didn't know his actual parents were the ones raising him, which led to some funny continuity knots. X-Men '97 will streamline things, by having Scott and Jean actually inhabit their own bodies, in the future.

WTF Are They? - Finally: where are Storm, Wolverine, and Morph? The X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale conspicuously leaves their fates unknown, after they vanished along with the rest of the team. Are they also in these past/future periods with their teammates? Or have they been transported somewhere else entirely?

X-Men '97 is streaming on Disney+.

After nine weeks and countless Internet-breaking moments, the first season of X-Men '97 has now drawn to a close. The Disney+ animated series has been building to a three-part finale, and with the first two installments of "Tolerance Is Extinction" already delivering some major revelations, fans were definitely eager to see what the finale had in store. If you need help breaking down the ins and outs of X-Men '97's Season 1 finale, we're here to help.

Obviously, spoilers for the Season 1 finale of X-Men '97, "Tolerance Is Extinction -- Part 3", below! Only look if you want to know!

What Happens in the X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale?

In a flashback in a wartime bar, Charles and Magnus debate about the existence of mutants and how to handle human-mutant relations. They reveal to each other that they're mutants. We soon learn that this flashback is actually a psychic construct from Charles, trying to help Magnus survive following their conflict in the previous episode. Charles threatens to control Magnus to turn the power back on, even though it could destroy both of their minds in the process. Charles does it anyway, and heroes throughout the world -- Iron Man, Captain America, Daredevil, and Doctor Strange -- watch as the power is restored.

Bastion and Sinister hold the X-Men on the island hostage. Bastion torments the X-Men, and refuses to listen to their appeals to his humanity. Bastion's Sentinels start attacking throughout the world at the heroes, including Black Panther, Cloak & Dagger, and Alpha Flight. He then tortures Cable over the loss of both Jean and Madelyne, until Jean reemerges from the water with the Phoenix Force. She temporarily puts the power-dampening collar on Bastion, which shuts down the Sentinels, and uses her powers to take away the mutant DNA causing Sinister's youth. This turns Sinister into an old man and frees Cable from his mind control, but Bastion is able to overcome the collar and steal Cable's metal arm. He beats him with it, and then uses the advanced technology within to transform his exterior into something more powerful. He then heads to Asteroid M, planing to hurl it towards Earth.

Captain America and Black Panther try to talk President Kelly out of launching "The Magneto Protocols", which would nuke Asteroid M.

When Bastion arrives at Asteroid M, Rogue begins fighting him in Gambit's memory. Roberto -- now fully using his superhero code name of Sunspot -- joins in to help. Bastion makes it inside Asteroid M's base and fights the rest of the X-Men, ultimately destroying part of his body in the process. Suddenly, a Sentinel arrives carrying Jean, Storm, Morph, and Beast. Scott tells the team to stop fighting Bastion, and tries to reason with him. Bastion continues to express his hatred for humanity, just as the nukes from The Magento Protocols head towards Asteroid M. Jean protects the team in a psychic bubble, but Bastion appears to die before he can get into it. Asteroid M begins hurtling towards Earth, and Scott considers staying behind to destroy the base before it can hit Earth. Instead, Beast suggests that the team utilize their powers together.

Jean and Scott psychically project themselves to Cable, to apologize for their mistakes and say goodbye. Cable expresses regret that he didn't get to grow up alongside the X-Men, but Jean insists that his spirit was always with them. Jean uses her powers to allow Cable to see Scott's real eyes, and tells him he loves him.

Asteroid M continues to head towards Earth. Morph transforms into Jean to tell an ailing Logan that she loves him. Jubilee and Roberto join Forge and Val Cooper on Earth,

Back in Charles' psychic construct, Magnus begins to lose grasp of his memories. Charles reminds Magnus of the other people who have helped him through his pain -- Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris. Charles insists that they're like brothers to each other, and promises that he will always be there for him. Magnus struggles to process his past with the Holocaust, and the lack of memories he has of his parents. Charles insists that he and the X-Men can be Magnus' found family, and that helps Magnus suddenly remember everything. He regains his memories and returns to consciousness, insisting that "Magneto lives." He helps stop Asteroid M from hitting Earth -- but suddenly, the entire asteroid and everyone on it vanishes.

Six months later, Forge continues to search for the missing X-Men, as there are rumblings about pro-Magneto followers. Bishop shows up and offers to help him rescue the X-Men through time. We then see the X-Men split across two settings -- Egypt in 3000 BC, and an unknown location in 3960 AD. In Egypt, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Charles, Magneto, and Beast approach a hostile village and find a masked fighter who introduces himself as En Sabah Nur. Over the dunes, they see a massive dome in place of where the pyramids once were. In the future, Jean and Scott are greeted by followers of the Clan Askani -- including a younger Cable.

In the present day, Apocalypse arrives on Genosha and retrieves one of Gambit's playing cards.

The first season of X-Men '97 is available to stream exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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Dazzler is setting off on a musical world tour in a new X-Men spinoff series. Alison Blaire is an accomplished musician and proud member of the X-Men, and she's had to juggle both of her responsibilities throughout her Marvel tenure. Readers back in the 1980s will remember Marvel's long-running Dazzler series, as well as her pivotal story arcs and many makeovers throughout the years, such as during Brian Michael Bendis' All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, which teased Dazzler's future as President of the United States. Dazzler will take part in the X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch with a new solo series.

After teasing Dazzler and Storm solo series and Storm's addition to the Avengers roster, Marvel officially revealed the creative team on Dazzler, a four-issue miniseries launching in September. Dazzler comes from writer Jason Loo (Sentry, Infinity Paws) and Marvel newcomer artist Rafael Loureiro. The comic will follow Dazzler as she looks to inspire a new generation of fans during a musical tour, spreading a message of love and acceptance one sold-out show at a time. Joining her on this adventure are some of her fellow mutants - head of security Domino, personal guard Strong Guy, one-man roadie Multiple Man, drummer Shark-Girl, and expert publicist Wind Dancer.

Is Dazzler in Deadpool & Wolverine?

While Dazzler certainly has her legion of loyal fans, it is interesting that Marvel has chosen her to headline a solo series. Part of that could come from Dazzler's rumored appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, with pop star Taylor Swift rumored to be playing Dazzler alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy spoke about the Swift rumors, and teased that fans will definitely be surprised by all of the cameos once the film hits theaters.

"I can't even believe that you would dare ask me a question that you know I can't answer," Levy replied. "You know I can't answer. All of America knows I can't answer that. I will say as I said earlier here at CinemaCon. The proliferation of rumors about who is and isn't in this movie is fabulous. Because no one will ever know the truth until July 26th."

What is Marvel's Dazzler series about?

OUT & PROUD AS A MUTANT AND BACK ON THE ROAD! Dazzler, Marvel's glittering mutant songstress, has been in and out of the limelight over the years - but now the time has finally come for her to take center stage! Dazzler embarks on a new world tour, the culmination and celebration of her entire musical career. But while Dazzler may be ready to focus on her music, her celebrity-mutant status and a violent attack may sideline the entire endeavor before it's even begun...

"Rafael and I are giving everyone backstage access to the greatest show of the decade: the Dazzler World Tour!" Loo said. "Sounds exciting? Not for Dazzler when she's facing tons of pressure from all sorts of people trying to cancel her shows. But she's not going down without a fight."

"Ever since I can remember, I've been crazy about two things: music and drawing comics. To think that I would be able to combine both passions in my Marvel debut is beyond my wildest dreams. Not only that, but with such an amazing X-Men character as Dazzler--I absolutely had to jump at the chance!" Loureiro shared. "When I read Jason's script, I kept thinking to myself 'Oh, I'm gonna have so much fun with this!' Now, Dazzler has a special place in my heart, and I can almost hear her singing inside my head with every page that I draw. I'm honored to be a part of this project, bringing her into the spotlight for all readers and lifting her to her rightful place as a super star!"

Dazzler #1 goes on sale September 18th.

After some of the recent struggles with Marvel Studios' output, the company has brought back the defunct Marvel Television. If you can believe it, there was a time when Marvel Television and Marvel Studios were two separate entities with conflicting goals. Marvel Television was run by Jeph Loeb, with Kevin Feige spearheading Marvel Studios. The latter is where the feature films were developed, leaving Marvel Television to concentrate on shows that would air on broadcast television. Marvel Television was shut down in 2019, with Marvel Studios taking on the task of creating shows for Disney+. As Disney looks to streamline its Marvel content, Marvel Television is rising from the ashes like a phoenix.

During its upfronts presentation on Tuesday, Disney confirmed release dates and windows for its streaming shows Daredevil: Born Again, the retitled Agatha All Along, and Ironheart. The logo treatment for all three shows featured the Marvel Television banner, rather than Marvel Studios. This presumably means that going forward, all live-action television/streaming projects will fall under Marvel Studios, with Marvel Animation handling animated projects like X-Men '97 and What If...?, and Marvel Studios continuing with feature films, as Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige oversees everything.

Disney CEO speaks on Marvel's decrease in content

Speaking during Disney's earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the House of Mouse is shifting its focus on quality over quantity, and that that strategy is "particularly true with Marvel."

"We're slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three," Iger said. "And we're working hard on what that path is."

"[Marvel has] a couple of good films in '25 and then we're heading to more Avengers which we're extremely excited about," Iger added, alluding to blockbuster 2025 projects Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four. "Overall, I feel great about the slate. It's something, as you know, that I've committed to spending more and more time on. The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in and the IP that we're mining, including all the sequels that we're doing, is second to none."

The cast of Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four continues to grow, and each new announcement has been a delightful surprise. Just this month, Ralph Ineson was cast as the fan-favorite villain, Galactus while Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich were added in unknown roles. Today, a new name for the film was revealed, and it already has MCU fans buzzing. According to a new report from Deadline, Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Poker Face) is officially joining the project.

It is currently unclear who Lyonne is playing, but there are many exciting roles in the world of The Fantastic Four. One likely option is the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E., the robot who was seen in the original artwork that was used to announce the main cast earlier this year. Fans have been speculating about the voice casting for H.E.R.B.I.E., who was first created for an animated adaptation of Fantastic Four in 1978. There have been rumors that Marvel Studios wanted to cast a woman in the role, and considering how notable Lyonne's voice is, she is definitely a great candidate for the part. That being said, fans would also be thrilled to see the star appear in other ways. A villain? A love interest? We can't wait to find out.

Who Stars in The Fantastic Four?

The Fantastic Four is set to star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The movie will also feature Ralph Ineson as Galactus, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, and Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich in unknown roles.

Matt Shakman is directing Fantastic Four, which is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025. Shakman has previously said that the reboot will be much from previous attempts to bring Marvel's first family to life on the big screen,

"It's different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific," Shakman said. "I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."

Stay tuned for more updates about The Fantastic Four.

X-Men '97 gave fans the Spider-Man resolution that they wanted, but during a quick cameo. In "Tolerance Is Extinction Part 3", Peter Parker and Mary Jane are watching the encroaching horror of Asteroid M about to hit the Earth together. Now, this may give you some pause as the last time we saw Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Peter was searching the multiverse trying to find MJ after she fell into a rift. (This was the 90s, before the multiverse conceit was as popular as its become in recent years too!) It's a wild cliffhanger for the story of such a beloved Spider-Man to be left on. But, X-Men '97 decided to reunite the two and the moment was immediately lauded on social media.

Over the course of X-Men '97's run, the calls for a Spider-Man: The Animated Series revival have been strong. In the age of reboots and reimagining, those sorts of announcements have become somewhat commonplace. However, this Disney+ Marvel show has opened a lot of eyes about what's possible with an animated revival. Hearing Christopher Daniel Barnes' voice play Peter Parker again would be amazing for a lot of fans out there. The best part of this cameo is probably that "Chapter II: Farewell, Spider-Man", the series finale of the 90s show, can still be followed-up on and explain how the hero found MJ.

O. M. G.

PETER FOUND MARY JANE! Spider-Man Animated Series hive.... WE WON! #Xmen97 pic.twitter.com/OAkpqzllEU

-- I impressed Storm ? (@Decodnlyfe1) May 15, 2024

X-Men '97's Cameos Were Absolutely Amazing

The fans wanted cameos from other Marvel heroes and they got them in spades. Previously, ComicBook's Phase Zero podcast asked X-Men '97 director Jake Castorena about seeing some familiar faces. Those were some big Marvel appearances to round things out. Captain America and Spider-Man had already popped-up. But, the cheers for King T'Chaka and Daredevil are something to behold. Even 90s Iron Man made it in there! This seems like it was always the play, and it really paid off.

"Here's the best part: We're in the MCU. The X-Men show, the OG show, was the MCU before the MCU became 'The MCU' right? And, certain things that being a spiritual successor, a revival, that the show had ingrained in its DNA, we got to have that ingrained in our DNA too," the director told us. "Cameos were a big thing. The expansion of the MCU overall, of the characters, the side stories, the many derivatives of books that came out from the team, that's all ingrained in the show."

"My favorite thing to say about those cameos and the best little tidbit of history that Larry [Houston] gave me was, 'every cameo in that show was illegal.'" Castorena laughed. "They didn't have rights to all of the characters at the time. So, people weren't familiar with the characters at the time. So if you put, instead of Doctor Strange, as Larry did, 'Professor with book'.... Thanks to Larry, we have a team of people that look out for that stuff now."

Were you shocked to see this cool moment make it into X-Men '97? Check out the wild moments down below!

The first season of X-Men '97 has come and gone, and it follows the Marvel tradition of giving fans an enticing post-credits scene. There is a lot to digest in the final episode of X-Men '97's first season, with some of its biggest surprises coming in the final moments. The majority of the X-Men are lost in the timestream, with Professor Charles Xavier, Magneto, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler stuck in 3000 B.C. Egypt with Apocalypse, and Cyclops and Jean Grey in 3960 A.D. with a young Cable. However, back in the present day, an X-Men villain visits Genosha to tease a major resurrection.

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men '97 Season 1 Episode 10: Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 3. Continue reading at your own risk!

After the credits roll on the finale of X-Men '97 Season 1, viewers are taken back to Genosha, the location of the mutant massacre orchestrated by Mister Sinister and Bastion. Many mutants were lost that day, including X-Man Gambit. In the wreckage is a figure wearing a dark robe, but we know him to be Apocalypse. "So much pain, my children," he says. He then puts his fist into the ground to pick up a handful of dirt, and tosses it to the side to display a Queen of Hearts card. "So much death."

The big indication is that Apocalypse plans to bring Gambit back to life as his Horseman of Death in the Four Horseman. Something similar played out in the comics, with Apocalypse controlling Gambit and forcing him to fight the X-Men before they could free their friend.

What to expect in X-Men '97 Season 2

There is a lot to look forward to in the second season of X-Men '97. For example, there will be at least three major storylines taking place at the same time, with Forge and Bishop recruiting a new team of X-Men to find their time-lost friends, the X-Men team in the past in 3000 B.C., and Jean and Cyclops in the future in 3960 A.D. Overall, it appears Apocalypse will be the main villain of X-Men '97 Season 2. And we still don't know the status of Wolverine (minus his Adamantium skeleton), Storm, and Morph.

What should really be fun is seeing what new or old characters Forge and Bishop recruit to help them on their mission. When Bishop drops in on Forge, we see the latter has made a checklist of mutants, with some marked as missing and presumed dead like Nightcrawler, Professor X, and Magneto. However, we have some previously unseen mutants like Scarlet Witch, Magik, Dusk, Havok, Exodus, Iceman, Colossus, Quicksilver, Kitty Pryde, and Archangel.

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are marked as "Off World," with the others as candidates to join the present-day X-Men.

All episodes of X-Men '97 are now streaming on Disney+.

The issue opens with Doom shattered amongst cosmic debris in detail-laden splashes that speak to Greene's mastery of the form. Doom's figure informs his character as much as his actions and speech, with layers of twisted armor covering hideous scars and unblinking eyes. It's an impressive depiction of the fearsome figure. Greene depicts a possible future in which so much has gone wrong and the rich complexity of their settings allows readers to instantly understand the tone of this tale, even if the details of how it came to be arrive later in the telling.

Readers familiar with Doom's lore or Hickman's seminal Fantastic Four run won't be surprised to discover who the key players are or how they relate to one another with both Valeria Richards and Galactus playing key roles. It's not the concept of an apocalyptic battle ravaging the Marvel Comics universe that impresses (that story has been delivered too many times to count), it's the way it's told that's bound to astonish.

Hickman's investment in Valeria and Doom's relationship was one of the best inventions of their Fantastic Four and it provides a humanizing lens for Doom here. Rather than reducing him to a monster with a soft spot, it reveals his character by providing him with a single person he respects and can openly address. Admiration and esteem define Doom's ability to relate to others and Valeria's intelligence provides even this narcissistic despot with some nuance.

Here it also offers a sense of pathos as Valeria recounts to her Uncle Doom how the universe came to meet its fate. Greene's spreads in this flashback narration make the telling a thrill. He summons spectacular intergalactic battles featuring nearly all of Marvel's most powerful and popular characters in a fashion that rivals some of George P?rez and Ron Lim's best work in superhero spectacle. Valeria's narration stitches the images together, but readers will be well served to lose themself in the details before returning to the story at hand.

As Valeria and Doom stand at the end of all things, the merits of Doom's characters grow increasingly apparent. Despite their hubris, readers are reminded of the many accomplishments and abilities it is founded upon and the adamantium-quality of willpower that undergirds them. There is something admirable to be found even in this arch-villain and Doom #1 presents a story in which Doom may be heroic, if not a hero. It deepens our appreciation for the character without seeking to rewrite or undermine their inner ugliness.

The sweep and scope of Doom #1 is every bit as grandiose as Victor von Doom has always envisioned their own life. Greene's imagery of a future defined by planet-shattering battles and the most fearsome forces of Marvel Comics at war matches those titanic aspirations on each and every page honed to focus on an eponymous character who avoids human attachments. It is a character study that captures both what makes Doom so fearsome and undeniably alluring. For any fan of Doctor Doom, Doom #1 is an obvious triumph that presents this comics icon at their absolute best.

Published by Marvel Comics

On May 15, 2024

Written by Sanford Greene and Jonathan Hickman

Art by Sanford Greene and Jonathan Hickman

Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg with Sanford Greene

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Sanford Greene and Matthew Wilson

The latest Marvel Legends figure will be a deluxe Carnage inspired by the Marvel character's appearance in the 2021 film Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It will stand around 8.75-inches tall, and as you can see from the image taken by Hasbro's Dan Yun, that means it will tower over other Marvel Legends figures.

Pre-orders for the Marvel Legends Carnage figure will go live today, May 15th at 10am PT / 1pm ET here at Entertainment Earth (free US shipping on orders $79+). It should also wind up here on Amazon around that time. While you're at it, make sure to keep the Marvel 85th anniversary Venom figure listed below on your radar for this summer.

MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES VENOM (MARVEL 85TH ANNIVERSARY) - $24.99 - This Walmart Exclusive is expected to launch on July 25th or 26th during Walmart's next SDCC Collector Con event. When it does drop, you'll be able to find it here. "When Spider-Man breaks free from an alien symbiote, it latches onto Daily Bugle reporter Eddie Brock - who becomes the supervillain Venom, seeking revenge on the web-slinger. Celebrate the MARVEL UNIVERSE and 85 years of MARVEL COMICS with this MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES VENOM (MARVEL 85TH ANNIVERSARY) figure. This quality 6-inch scale figure features deco inspired by the character's appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man comics. The figure features extensive articulation, is highly posable for display and play and comes on collectible cardback packaging with retro-inspired design. Includes figure and 3 comics-inspired accessories including alternate hands and an alternate head."

Venom 3 Is On The Way

Back in March, Juno Temple revealed that Venom 3 starring Tom Hardy was almost done with filming. At the SAG-Awards Gala, the actress talked to Variety about the road up until this point. She's clearly enjoyed the experience working on Venom 3. Temple stressed the cast couldn't wait to see the public reaction to this finale.

"We're coming close to an end at the moment," Temple said on the red carpet. "It's been a wild, wonderful ride. It's so new to me. It's a big set! This is crazy. It's been so much fun and I got to work with such cool people. I've been so lucky in my career to just have the most incredible casts. I can't wait for it to get out into the world. I think it's going to be a good one."

To celebrate the success of X-Men '97, Marvel has teamed up with Airbnb to create Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning in all of its mutant glory. The location, a bit more than hour's drive from New York City, is decked out with X-Men imagery from the moment guests arrive; there is a plaque with the school's name on it just inside the gates and a severed Sentinel head sitting in the driveway. It's clear upon arrival, this is going to be a marvelous adventure for all who enter and ComicBook was fortunate enough to see the special Airbnb firsthand ahead of the X-Men '97 finale.

First of all, the Airbnb itself was listed for reservations and potential guests were able to reserve dates but then must be selected amongst a pool of other entrants to go. At a fitting rate of $97 per night, the bookings closed on Monday. It is no longer available to reserve but those who got their requests in might be getting some good news soon. For those guests, there will be more characters to interact with and explore the property alongside. On the day of ComicBook's visit to the X-Mansion, a tour guide by the name of David showed the new recruits (a gaggle of excited content creators and their friends) around. The full day, complete with David's welcome to the venue and a tour of the entire mansion can be seen in the video above from the Phase Zero channel.

The doors to the mansion open and immediately guests are greeted by a large portrait of Professor Charles Xavier, setting the tone for the experience which is going be one in line with the animation of the series. Looking the right, past the door to the Ready Room, and equally massive and impressive portrait of Magneto is stuck on the wall, a fitting addition seeing as X-Men '97 has the character inherit the premises from Charles in his absence from Earth.

Starting off with a look inside the Ready Room, X-Men costumes were hanging from lockers as Jubilee greeted guests with a video message. "Welcome to the Mansion, cool right?" she exclaims. "The team is away on a mission, so the place is totally yours to explore!" Jubilee proceeds to list the available rooms; the Study, the War Room, the Danger Room, Beast's Lab, and Wolverine's room. Not mentioned are her own bedroom and the room where new recruits sleep beside their Dazzler poster. Each room has its own awesome themes and interactive elements, like functioning VHS tapes and player in Jubilee's room or a weight bench in Logan's.

The standout room has to be the Danger Room. Trotting past giant portraits of Charles Xavier and Magneto through the hallways made to look as if one was walking directly through the world of the animated series itself, guests cross through Beast's Lab and into the Danger Room. Giant saws, massive weights, and flashing blasters are at the ready to interacted with... all while Scott Summers watches through the window above. It's an incredibly immersive room with loads of flashing lights and designed in every way to make the animated designs exist in our real world. The whole place is a bit of an Xavier mind trip because of how well made it is, giving the immersive illusion of existing in an animated space.

In Beast's Lab, a bartender is on hand for some drinks to be served. On this day, the "elixirs" were all non-alcoholic beverages themed to match some of the X-Men who would be staying in this house. It's loaded with microscopes analyzing mutant genes and providing visuals to match, lab equipment, and more. Not a single inch is not thoroughly themed (something which is true of the entire house). A performative drink master mixes them together and hands them off, complete with Pop Rocks in some cases to really get the mutant genes going. For some drinks, a smoke bubble is generated and popped on top of the beverage, something which might or might not enhance the drink itself but absolutely looks cool, either way.

The final room on the first level is the War Room, complete with a Cerebro helmet which can be worn by guests. Each guest takes an X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97 quiz on a touch screen before completing an aptitude test. The test will reveal the mutant gene of the new recruits. Once it's completed, the guests can head on over to Cerebro to see if they can find the rest of mutantkind and learn about their abilities, themselves (taking a newly minted business card with their name and ability now written on it!).

Upstairs, the bedrooms welcome guests with Logan's being at the top of the massive spiral staircase. His gear is all over and the photo which he loves to torture himself with, that of Scott and Jean together, sits next to his bed. Claw marks rip through the walls and his alarm clock and the Wolverine seems to have not wanted to get out of bed one day. The room connects directly to that which is dedicated to the new recruits, having a shared bathroom go between them. Across the hall is Jubilee's impressive room, decked out in 90s themes and technology. The classic X-Men arcade game, a computer with dial-up, and X-Men on VHS are all over the place. There is even a copy of NOW That's What I Call Music sitting in front of her boom box. None of it is quite as impressive as the apparel which is hanging in the closet and beside the door, all made to match the animated styles like everything else in the house.

In fact, all of the costumes were quite astonishing. Going back to the Ready Room, the gear for Gambit, Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, and more are hanging. The only piece of apparel the guests can try on is Cyclops' visor (Wolverine's head piece can't be touched as the mutant's sense of smell will alert him to someone having messed with his stuff, according to David!). It fits snuggly on most guests and provides just as much red vision as one might suspect when looking through it.

Overall, the X-Mansion by Airbnb was a remarkable experience. It's such an immersive location that one can only hope more fans get to experience it and full advantage of its existence is taken. Perhaps ahead of Season 2, the cast and crew can do their interviews out of such an incredible locations, though this particular property may not be standing until that day. With construction on the location having begun in March, it's astonishing to see the entire house being a full-on, immersive X-Mansion by May. The team behind this Marvel and Airbnb crossover deserve to praised as Omega Level designers as it was truly an astonishing experience to witness firsthand and one which only enriches the love and appreciation for the X-Men world. With the X-Men '97 finale on the horizon, it was the perfect way to brace for impact in what will surely be a thrilling end to the show's first season.

On Tuesday, Marvel revealed when Daredevil: Born Again will make its Disney+ debut but that isn't the only news about the eagerly anticipated return of Daredevil that fans got from the Disney Upfronts presentation. As it turns out, the first trailer for the series was screened during the presentation as well. As of this article's publication, the trailer for Daredevil: Born Again hasn't yet been made available online, but descriptions of the footage were shared via IGN and is said to feature Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock suiting up as well as the return of Foggy and Karen.

Per the description, the trailer sees Matt suit up while narration speaks of a "David vs. Goliath" situation when the "entire system is against you". There are glimpses of Foggy and Karen, who were both confirmed to be returning for the series earlier this year, as well as Kingpin. There is also an action sequence near the end of the trailer, which closes with Matt being asked "what kind of lawyer are you?" to which he responds "a really good one" as he puts on a broken pair of glasses.

Daredevil: Born Again Gets a Release Date

During the Disney Upfronts on Tuesday, Marvel revealed that Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ in March 2025. A specific date or details about the upcoming release have not yet been announced. Filming on the series' first batch of episodes, which is expected to have been around nine episodes of the show's ordered 18 episodes, was completed earlier this year.

Daredevil Stars Are Returning for Born Again

In addition to Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, stars of Netflix's Daredevil are returning for Born Again. Both Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson are reprising their roles as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson respectively. Jon Bernthal is also reprising his role as Frank Castle/the Punisher. On Tuesday, Cox spoke about returning to play Matt Murdock and said that the series is "really physically demanding" but that he hopes the show can continue for another ten years.

"It's a really physically demanding show, which I love. We wouldn't have it any other way. It's kind of what makes it what it is," Cox said. "There will definitely come a time where I am not able to do it anymore, but for right now, [we'll] just keep doing the best job we can and loving it. I feel incredibly grateful to still be making the show, and hopefully we've got another 10 years in us."

Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again will premiere in March 2025 on Disney+.

On Tuesday, Marvel Studios surprised fans by revealing the official title of its WandaVision spinoff as Agatha All Along as well as revealing the eagerly anticipated series' release date, but that wasn't the only tease in store for fans. Thanks to series star Patti LuPone, fans now have an idea of what the series. might look like as well. Speaking with Deadline, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, and LuPone opened up about what it was like being on set for the series, with high praise for the set and costume design.

"The thing about this show which I thought was so thrilling that Jac Schaeffer who wrote it and also wrote WandaVision, it was very important to her and Mary Livanos our producer that there be as minimal CGI so there's very little that is not practical magic or just our magic so that was a very exciting something to set up that we were like able to prove again and again we could do it," Hahn said. "So, it's minimal CGI, but that was very thrilling. Sets are incredible ... it just felt delicious. It was a very immersive experience."

LuPone then added that the production is very well done, so much so that the series looks more like a big budget film than a television series.

"May I say to that point, the set, the production design and the set dressers, and the lighting, the costumes, everything about it, it appeared to all of us when we saw it when we came to set that everybody on the creative end were at the top of their game," LuPone said. "I was telling somebody about the Witches Road how absolutely beautiful, we burst into tears when we got on the set and we saw the actual Witches Road. It's gorgeous to look at on top of being a fantastic story. It looks like a $100 million movie."

What is the Witches' Road?

While we still don't specifically know what to expect with Agatha All Along, LuPone's mention of the Witches' Road is of some interest for Marvel fans. In comics, the Witches" Road is, essentially, a special plane of existence where only magic users can go. It's not something we've seen in the MCU as of yet, though fans think we may have already seen a glimpse of it thanks to a preview teaser of Agatha All Along that was released with the WandaVision 4K steelbook last year.

Who Stars in Agatha All Along?

In addition to Hahn, LuPone, and Locke, Agatha All Along will include WandaVision alums Deborah Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis and Emma Caulfield Ford as Sarah Proctor. New cast members include Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, and Sasheer Zamata. The nine-episode series is directed by head writer Jac Schaeffer as well as Gandja Monteiro and is set for a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, September 18th on Disney+.

Daredevil is born again. When Netflix announced that the Marvel Television series was cancelled after three seasons in 2018, fans kept the faith that Charlie Cox would don the horn-headed cowl once again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "Although it's painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note," a statement read at the time, adding: "The Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel."

Cox eventually reprised his role as blind lawyer Matt Murdock on the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home and suited up for the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and he'll next return as the guardian devil of Hell's Kitchen in Marvel TV's Daredevil: Born Again, slated to premiere next year on Disney+. Though the stunt-heavy series is "really physically demanding," Cox, 41, hopes to continue in the role opposite co-star Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.

"My knees are not what they were ten years ago, nor is my back," Cox, reflecting on his first decade as Daredevil, told Deadline at Disney's upfronts presentation. The actor then remarked that he underwent shoulder surgery during the Hollywood labor strikes that paused production on the series last summer.

Charlie Cox on the preparation for coming back to the role of Daredevil for 'Daredevil: Born Again,' plus, Vincent D'Onofrio and Cox on agreeing on everything in the creative process pic.twitter.com/XBM7Wk1cLp

-- Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 14, 2024

"It's a really physically demanding show, which I love. We wouldn't have it any other way. It's kind of what makes it what it is," Cox said. "There will definitely come a time where I am not able to do it anymore, but for right now, [we'll] just keep doing the best job we can and loving it. I feel incredibly grateful to still be making the show, and hopefully we've got another 10 years in us."

"We don't get to work together a lot," added D'Onofrio, unable to disclose exactly how many scenes he shares with Cox's Daredevil. "Not many," Cox said, before clarifying that Daredevil and Kingpin have only had "probably a handful of scenes" in three seasons of Marvel's Daredevil. (Both actors appeared in Marvel Studios' Echo, but their characters didn't cross paths.)

Cox and D'Onofrio's Daredevil co-stars Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson also reprise their respective roles as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, with Wilson Bethel back as the assassin Bullseye and Jon Bernthal returning as the gun-toting vigilante Frank Castle/The Punisher. Margarita Levieva, Michael Gandolfini, Genneya Walton, and Ayelet Zurer round out the cast.

Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito serve as executive producers for Marvel Studios with Chris Gary (Secret Invasion), Sana Amanat (Ms. Marvel), showrunner Dario Scardapane (Marvel's The Punisher), and former showrunners Chris Ord and Matt Corman (Covert Affairs). Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who directed episodes of Marvel Studios series Moon Knight and Loki season 2, are on board as directors.

Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again will premiere in March 2025 on Disney+.

Daredevil has been saved and the beloved Marvel hero is returning to TV screens early next year. Daredevil: Born Again is a reboot of the property within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it will be bringing back a lot of the cast from the previous Netflix Marvel franchise. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are back as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively, giving millions of fans what they've asked for since the Netflix franchise was shut down.

On Tuesday, during Disney's Upfronts presentation, Marvel finally revealed when Daredevil: Born Again will be hitting Disney+. The series will premiere in March 2025, though a specific date has yet to be announced.

'DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN' premieres in March 2025. pic.twitter.com/tAu47VPbRe

-- One Take ? (@OneTakeNews) May 14, 2024

It's certainly refreshing to see even a release window for Born Again, considering how many twists and turns the production experienced. This reboot was initially supposed to be more distanced from the original Netflix series, but a creative overhaul during production changed that.

Returning Daredevil Stars in Born Again

Cox and D'Onofrio aren't the only stars of Daredevil coming back for Born Again, though they're the only ones who have already appeared in the MCU. Among the returnees is Jon Bernthal, who will be reprising his role as the Punisher.

Bernthal's Frank Castle is one of the most beloved figures to come out of the Marvel Netflix "Defendersverse," right up there with Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. Fans have been holding out hope for Bernthal's return and, while Marvel Studios has yet to say anything official, this photo from the actor pretty much seals the deal.

Jon Bernthal hasn't played Frank Castle for five years, last appearing in the second season of The Punisher back in 2019. But he has always remained optimistic that he and Frank could cross paths again. Earlier this year, the actor spoke to Collider about his relationship to his popular on-screen character.

"I think there's a reason why that character has resonated as deeply and strongly as he has," Bernthal said. "In the hearts and minds of comic book fans and first responders and people in the military and people all over the globe. I think there's a little bit of Frank Castle in everybody. He exists very strongly inside me and I care about that character deeply. I also know that it's absolutely essential that if we do it, we do it right and we have real sacred integrity to the source material and to what is at the core of Frank. I'm gonna do my absolute best to make sure that, if and when we do it, we do it right."

Ironheart is suiting up next year on Disney+. The Marvel Television series -- starring Dominique Thorne as genius inventor Riri Williams, returning after her big screen debut in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever -- will officially take flight in 2025, Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige announced Tuesday during Disney's upfront presentation. The studio also slated its WandaVision spinoff, now titled Agatha All Along, for September 2024 and dated Daredevil: Born Again for March 2025.

Disney also unveiled the updated logo for Ironheart, which you can see below.

New logo for 'IRONHEART'. pic.twitter.com/Xh5lxStVqI

-- One Take ? (@OneTakeNews) May 14, 2024

Ryan Coogler, who introduced Ironheart in his Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever, also serves as executive producer on the series via his Proximity Media banner. Chinaka Hodge, a writer on TNT's Snowpiercer and Netflix's The Midnight Club, is the head writer and series creator on the series based on the Marvel Comics character created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.

"I think what I can say is that it definitely is offering folks a deeper dive into this character that I gather might have maybe piqued some interest [in Wakanda Forever]," Thorne told Deadline at the upfronts. "I think maybe she raised a couple questions, and lots of those could be answered in the show."

In Ironheart, the teenage super-genius who created the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man "returns from MIT to her hometown of Chicago and begins to unravel threads that bring danger and adventure right to her doorstep," per the official synopsis. Anthony Ramos (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) plays Parker Robbins, a.k.a. the mystical misfit known as The Hood, and Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) is credited as Joe McGillicuddy, a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The six-episode series filmed in Atlanta and Chicago and wrapped production earlier this year. When ComicBook asked producer Brad Winderbaum for an update on the series (which was announced in 2020), the Marvel Studios executive explained that Disney was parsing out its Marvel television slate.

"I mean, frankly, in all honesty, there was a mandate to kind of create as much as we could for Disney+ as quickly as we could," Winderbaum told ComicBook's Phase Zero. "And then there was a shift. And all of a sudden, we have to start spreading our release dates out. So, that really accounts for a lot of the delays."

"Now, we're using that time. We're not sitting idle," he continued. "So, it's like it stays in the oven. You can bake certain things a little more. It's actually, I think, ultimately, it's only going to make things better. But, most of it is just frankly shrapnel from the business."

Marvel's Ironheart premieres sometime in 2025 on Disney+.

Marvel Studios's WandaVision spinoff is officially on the horizon. On Tuesday, as part of Disney's Upfronts presentation, new details were revealed surrounding the upcoming Disney+ solo series about Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness. During the presentation, it was confirmed that the previously announced Agatha subtitles -- Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Agatha: The Darkhold Diaries, Agatha: House of Harkness, and Agatha: The Lying Witch with a Great Wardrobe -- have all been red herrings. The real title of the series will be Agatha All Along, and it will debut on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, September 18th.

It was Agatha All Along ?

Don't miss the two-episode premiere of #AgathaAllAlong, September 18 on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/hwPSOeJFv6

-- Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) May 14, 2024

Who Is in the Cast of Agatha All Along?

In addition to Hahn, the cast of Agatha All Along will include fellow WandaVision alums Deborah Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis and Emma Caulfield Ford as Sarah Proctor. New cast members will include Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Sasheer Zamata, and Patti LuPone. The nine-episode series will be directed by head writer Jac Schaeffer, as well as Gandja Monteiro. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Brad Winderbaum also serve as executive producers on the series.

"I know a little bit, but I can't say anything," Caulfield told ComicBook in a previous interview. "I can't tell you what to expect, because that would reveal something. I know little, just enough to keep me in the right zone. I think it's all going to be really fun. I haven't seen [Kathryn Hahn] yet. I really love her. She's just the best, effortlessly cool."

Will There Be a WandaVision Season 2?

Given the smash success of WandaVision, which ultimately led to the launch of Agatha, some have wondered if a sophomore season of the flagship series might be on the way. Many comments from the series' cast and crew have shot down that possibility, although Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has not ruled it out entirely.

"I've been at Marvel for too long to say a definite no or definite yes to anything in regards to your question about another season of WandaVision but some of the shows that we're about to start filming, we are keeping in mind a structure that would lead into a Season Two and a Season Three in a more direct way than, say, a show like WandaVision which clearly goes into a feature," Feige said in a 2021. "But it is new. That's part of the fun, exciting, adrenaline-boosting creativity that we're able to do, thanks to Disney+, and really to figure out new ways of storytelling. Perhaps someday we'll chart out five seasons of a show, but really we're focusing on delivering the best seasons we can one at a time so far."

As mentioned above, Agatha All Along will debut exclusively on Disney+ on September 18th. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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This story is developing...

Echo absolutely crushed it on Disney+ this year. Variety took a look at the last year for the Disney streamer and Alaqua Cox's Marvel series is a massive success for Marvel Studios. A quick scroll through their chart of 2024 viewership shares for the brand sees Echo as the second-most streamed TV show right after Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Disney+ has had some fun times in 2024 with Marvel characters. The recently-released and critically-lauded X-Men '97 is next on the list with 6.8% of the viewership. (Echo raked-in about 12% of the viewership, for reference.) So, a clear upswing for Marvel Studios moving into the midpoint of 2024.

But, especially for Echo, which was discounted by loud parts of the Internet fandom as being a project that didn't satisfy "core audience members." But, the proof is in these numbers. A more "mature" storyline, some casual Charlie Cox, and having the show available on both Hulu and Disney+ from day #1 all played a role. Still, for a franchise that gets more digital ink spilled about a possible "decline" than has ever made sense, it's hard to argue with the results. (One curious data point is Loki Season 2 being relatively low on the pecking order, but we can dig into that later...) These metrics would indicate we'll see Alaqua Cox's heroine again sometime soon.

What Does The Future Look Like For Echo?

So, all this achievement would have you believing that Echo Season 2 was on-deck. But, that's not the case at all. Deadline talked to Alaqua Cox about her future in the MCU. She definitely wants to come back. If the door is open for The Avengers, she'd be there tomorrow.

"I hope that she doesn't go back to New York City," Cox explained. "I really hope not, personally, because it's just a horrible place for her to be [with] all those traumatic memories she has growing up, now that she's able to reconnect and open up more with her blood-related family, and she realized that they never left her side. She was gone for so many years. She ignored so many texts and phone calls and letters but the second she got back to Oklahoma, they wanted her right back. They were not resistant at all. It makes her realize 'Wow, my family has always been there for me.' I want Maya to reconnect with her family and get rid of New York and what happened in in New York and Kingpin, but we'll see what happens."

Cox added, "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Maya joined the Avengers. I think it would be so amazing to cross paths with other superheroes. I would love that. I think would be very fun. I think be great to work with Mark Ruffalo, the Hulk. I love him as an actor and a person, because Mark is a huge advocate for Indigenous women. And he's from Wisconsin, and I'm from Wisconsin. So we have that in common. But Mark is just an amazing advocate for women, and I think it'd be amazing to work with him. I think that we would have a lot of things to talk about. I can just imagine those conversations already."

Are you surprised by these numbers? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

Let's just start with the obvious: X-Men '97 has been killing it, and that latest episode has everybody on the edge of their seats! Spoiler warning for those who haven't seen it, as the top 3 books this week relate directly to that episode. There is also another book that has spiked thanks to the show; there are no spoilers for that one! In other Marvel news, books related to Deadpool and Wolverine are starting to heat up again, and so is a recent surprise variant! Spider-Woman is back, and a red band ratio cover also adds to Marvel's takeover. Two indy books also make the top ten, thanks to recent announcements of their future in cinema and television!

Want to know what comic books are trending each week and why? COVRPRICE.COM uses live sales analytics to identify and compile the most robust market price guide, highlighting the weekly top trending comics. No opinions. Just data. Each week, they present a newly updated list of the TOP 10 COMICS trending in the aftermarket. These trends are due to rumors, fan-favorite covers, story-driven content, and content-related news.

Top 10 Comic Books Rising in Value for the Week of 05/13/24

#10: Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #1 - Gabriele Dell'Otto - Surprise (1 Per Store): Deadpool and Wolverine are two of the most popular characters in comics right now. Their movie is just around the corner and is one of the most highly anticipated MCU films in quite some time. This book has a ton of stuff going for it. It is a key introducing a new villain and a new Wade Wilson variant. It also has an amazing cover illustrated by popular artist Gabriele Dell'Otto. On top of all that, this book is a secret variant, given to retailers as a surprise and limited to 1-per-store. The way to identify this book from the regular covers is the lettering. The book's title is colored in bronze/orange for the surprise variant, versus the red "Deadpool" lettering in the regular variant. Fans of these characters have been chasing this limited variant, buying over 27 copies throughout this past week. We tracked it at a high sale of $150 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $27.

#9: Spider-Woman #7 | MARVEL | 2024: Last week, three of the variants for this book made the top ten! Todd Nuack's cover was reigning supreme, but this week, we see Yu's cover holding strong while the other variants have fallen off our top ten. This book was so popular when it debuted it was already earmarked for a 2nd printing, which is sure to sell out just as quickly. In the meantime, fans are still chasing down the first appearance of The Assembly and this amazing Yu cover! We tracked 26 copies sold, at a 7-day trend of 34%, with a high sale of $31 for a raw NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $12.

#8: X-Men '97 #1 | MARVEL | 2024: This book was going to be popular; there was no doubt about it. The animated X-Men '97 series has been wildly popular, and those fans had their eyes on this book when it launched. It has laid dormant for a month, but as we approach the grand finale of the series, fans are looking to pick up a copy of this book once more! We're all at the edge of our seats as the series comes to a close, and buying this book might just soften the blow of events to come! We tracked it at a high sale of $90 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $18.

#7: Blood Hunt: Red Band Edition #1 - Leinil Francis Yu - Crime SuspenStories #22 Homage | MARVEL | 2024: This book has been on a wild ride, to say the least. When it debuted, it quickly soared in price, hitting $200 by the end of the first week. This past week, the hunt continues as collectors are still picking up tons of copies of this book despite the price hike in FMV. It seems that, for now, fans aren't holding any reservations about dropping huge amounts of cash on this Redband Marvel event! We tracked it at a high sale of $600 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $208.

#6: Revival #1 | IMAGE | 2012: Revival joins the speculation books this week with SyFy recently announcing that they are adapting the series into a TV series. The series is expected to launch sometime in 2025. If you haven't heard of this series, it is a story about the reanimated dead. No, not another zombie story! Instead, the "revived" is about the dead coming back to life in their original state. The story plays out like a crime thriller when a sudden murder causes everyone to be a suspect. If this is your type of story, this show is for you! We tracked it at a high sale of $20 for a raw NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of 19.

#5: Avengelyne #1 | Maximum Press | 1995: Avengelyne is the next book on the speculation list! Back in April, it was announced that Olivia Wilde would be directing an adaptation of the series produced by the British-American media company LuckyChap. Interestingly, Margot Robbie is one of the co-founders of this production company, which is focused on producing quality female-focused film and television productions. Needless to say, the project has a lot of star power behind it, and the hype is prevalent! We tracked it at a high sale of $22 for a raw NM+ copy and a current raw NM FMV of $14.

#4: The New Mutants #98 | MARVEL | 1991: As we mentioned a few months ago, the closer we get to the debut of Deadpool & Wolverine, the more sales we are going to see. This book is ramping up again, generating tons of heat as we get closer to the release date of the highly anticipated MCU film! There's really not much else to say other than, "Have you already secured your first appearance of the merc-with-a-mouth?" We tracked it at a high sale of $1175 for a raw copy and a current raw NM FMV of $352.

#3: Wolverine #75 | MARVEL | 1993: **HUGE SPOILER ALERT for X-Men' 97!** After the events in the last episode, Wolverine's future is uncertain. If they follow the events of the source material, we might see a very different, more feral version of Logan. However, this show has been full of twists and turns, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. One thing is certain: Wolverine will debut his bone claws for the first time in the animated series! We tracked it at a high sale of $95 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $16.

#2: X-Men #25 | MARVEL | 1993: **HUGE SPOILER ALERT for X-Men '97!** There's no way to talk about this book without spoiling the latest episode. It is nearly an exact replica of poor Wolverine's tragic event. In the culmination of the episode, we see Magneto reach the end of his patience with Wolverine. He does the unthinkable and rips the adamantium straight from Wolverine's bones. The episode ends with a still image of the event, leaving us all in shock and collectors chasing the book where this first took place. We tracked it at a high sale of $115 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $22.

#1: X-Men #53 | MARVEL | 1996: **HUGE SPOILER ALERT for X-Men '97!** This past episode of X-Men '97 was mind-blowing and surprising. It was brutal and chilling, ripped directly from the pages of the comics. All books related to this event have received a bump in interest and price. Many believe that Prof Xavier will respond to Magneto's horrific act in the same way it was done in the comic books. If so, this response will result in the birth of the titanic villain, Onslaught. We'll know if the story stays true to the source material this week, but in the meantime, Onslaught has taken over the aftermarket! We tracked it at a high sale of $128 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $9.