What is Echo about?

The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behaviour in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Who stars in Echo?

• Alaqua Cox (Hawkeye) plays Maya Lopez
• Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Godfather of Harlem) plays Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
• Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English) plays Jace Montero (previously seen in Jessica Jones)
• Graham Greene (1883, Goliath) plays Skully
• Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown) plays Chula
• Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods) plays Bonnie
• Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs) plays William Lopez (previously seen in Hawkeye)
• Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind) plays Cousin Biscuits

When does Echo release?

The full five episode season releases 10 January 2024 on Disney+ and they will also be available on Hulu until 9 April 2024.

Who are the creators behind the Echo TV series?

Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie
(Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad
Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland.
Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin

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Director: Taika Waititi
Writers: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson,
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Jaimie Alexander

After fighting for thousands of years, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is searching for peace – both across the galaxy and within himself. However, his quest is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who is trying to bring about the extinction of the Gods. Thor returns to Asgard to enlist the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Taika Waititi)—only to discover that his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has shown up, wielding his old hammer Mjolnir and fighting under the mantle of ‘The Mighty Thor.’

For anyone wondering how Marvel was going to follow up a film that featured flying animals, super powerful gods, and battle scenes played out to classic rock songs, it’s now possible to report that the answer is with more flying animals, more super powerful gods, and more battle scenes played out to classic rock songs. After the technicolour triumph that was Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Taika Waititi returned to the helm to tell the tale of not just one Thor, but two; this go-around Chris Hemsworth’s Thor shares the stage with Natalie Portman’s ‘The Mighty Thor,’ a.k.a. Dr. Jane Foster.

Full of rainbows, raucous music, and rib-tickling humour, Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi’s first Marvel outing, was a sharp turnaround from its slow, dark predecessors. Doing away with the Shakespearean stuffiness and making Thor fun again proved to be a success; Ragnarok hit the screen like a bolt of lightning, reinvigorating Thor’s character and reigniting interest in his individual storyline. While Love and Thunder still goes to town with the razzle and dazzle (there are giant, screaming goats, electrifying displays of godly power, vast and majestic settings, and a ton of good old jokes filling the script), it’s a song that’s been written in a different key—one that reflects the heavy weight of Thor’s struggles, and of Jane’s. If the films truly were music, then Ragnarok, bright and loud and self-indulgent, would be a soaring guitar riff, high energy and high octane, making the blood roar. Love and Thunder, by contrast, is a great, keening orchestral composition, full of up beats and down beats; a melody that is, appropriately, felt more in the heart than in the blood.

Waititi’s speciality (as seen with Jojo Rabbit, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Boy) has proven to be in striking harmony where there should have been discordance, in deftly offsetting the exploration of difficult topics and delicate vulnerabilities with offbeat quirks, humour, and vibrancy. Love and Thunder is more true to this than Ragnarok; while the hammer-wielding space-viking may exchange his dad-bod for a god-bod, post-Endgame Thor is still awash with grief and pain, trying to work out who he is and what he lives for after suffering through the loss of his parents, his brother (multiple times), and his break up with Jane, his one true love.

As the 29th Marvel movie, there’s a lot of history behind the tale, but never fear, Thor’s trusty side-kick, the one and only rock-man Korg, is on deck for an information download, chirpy narrator style. Since Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor’s been on a slate of adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but their team-up comes to a close when Gorr the God Butcher appears on their radar, by, unsurprisingly, going on a murderous god butchering rampage. With New Asgard in danger, Thor returns to Earth to help, not expecting to find his ex-girlfriend in Asgard too.

As suggested by the title, the film is an exploration of love—its costs, its worth, and its many different forms. With that also comes an exploration of pain, of emptiness, loss, the rise and fall of hope—byproducts of love lost. Yet, as each character grapples with finding peace and purpose amidst the grief that love has left in its wake, Waititi imbibes a message of hope, suggesting that where it has led to hurt, love can bring healing and happiness again, that where it has been lost, love can be found again. The film plays out positing that love is a path worth following, even though it won’t always be without pain.

Much of the impact of the message comes from Jane’s story; Portman’s return to the MCU is an abrupt turnaround from her last appearance in Thor: The Dark World (2013), where she was disappointingly short-changed. Love and Thunder is, as even Korg acknowledges, as much Jane’s tale as Thor’s, and given the chance to step off the sidelines, Natalie Portman packs a punch in a role that finally does her, her character, and females as a whole justice—Jane Foster is a vision of strength and fortitude, in more ways than one.

The film moves so fast that at times it verges on emotional whiplash; laughter one second, a punch in the heart the very next—it’s a jagged rollercoaster of ups and downs. Jane’s story steals the show, and her and Thor’s interwoven arc is one of the places in which the film truly shines. Bale does well to convey a fair amount of depth in a short amount of screen time, his ability to stand out no doubt helped in part by the abrupt shift from vibrant colour to greyscale during his appearances. Alongside the main plot, we get a little more (than perhaps needed or wanted) about Korg’s origins. Unfortunately, Valkyrie falls short on character development, largely ending up on side-kick duties with Korg. With so much to cram in, it’s natural that something had to give, nevertheless, it’s a shame that her role lost out in the run-time sacrifice, particularly given how much Valkyrie has to offer in her own right, especially now bearing the title of King.

Ending on just the right note to uplift the film, Thor: Love and Thunder is packed full to the brim, overflowing with Waititi-ness. It’s a wild ride of so many oppositions, of kaleidoscopic colour and greyscale, of love and loss, hope and hopelessness, laughter and sorrow. Waititi does well to balance such severe juxtapositions—bright, bold, and ambitious, Love and Thunder is a momentous, memorable spectacle that, despite depicting the trials and triumphs of gods, is gut-wrenchingly, hopefully human.

What did you think of Thor: Love and Thunder? Tell us in the comments below!

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Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Michael Waldron
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez

When Doctor Strange meets America Chavez, a girl who is being hunted for her unique ability to travel through the multiverse, he steps in to help America survive. Facing a threat too great to handle alone, Strange turns to Wong and Wanda for their assistance, but soon discovers that the danger comes from an unexpected – and extremely powerful – source. Plunged into the multiverse, Strange is pitted against all sorts of surprises as he attempts to protect not just America, but the state of the multiverse too.

It’s a storm that’s been brewing for a long time. Threads from 2021’s WandaVision, What If…?, Loki, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, plus as far back as Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the original Doctor Strange (2016) have all led here, to one of the most thrilling adventures of the MCU yet.

Multiverse of Madness cold opens in the midst of the action, with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and newcomer America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) running for their lives in another dimension. From there, the crazy events don’t stop. The two hours pass in the blink of an eye as the film leaps from one big, exciting moment to the next. You don’t go into a film called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness expecting a slow ride, and the movie certainly doesn’t disappoint; it’s a veritable cinematic supernova, bursting with the weird and the wonderful and the wild.

Sam Raimi appears to have been given free rein to go full Sam Raimi on the film, and he didn’t sleep on the opportunity. Multiverse of Madness marks something of a comeback to mega-budget cinema for the director of the original Spider-Man movies, and it was a return worth waiting for. Raimi unleashes his full potential; there’s plenty of trippy camera twists and turns, and the director of The Evil Dead even dips back into the horror handbook to pull out a number of jump scares and inject a good dose of creepiness into the plot. When all mixed together with the magic and the sci-fi elements, it makes for a bold, hectic, action adventure film that manages to remain exciting for every minute of its run time.

America Chavez has the power to blast open portals through the multiverse, so all bets are off; anything is possible. America and Strange jump between universes, confronting demons, monsters, villains, and the rules of alternate worlds as they fight just to remain alive. It’s a circus of epic battles, full of magic duels that are fierce and whimsical in equal measure; there’s everything from energy blasts, to sorcerous sling-ringing, to a truly stunning duel made up of weaponised musical notes.

Thankfully the film doesn’t get lost in its own extravagance. The cast hold down the fort, tethering all the chaos back to matters of heart and humanity. Cumberbatch and Olsen are really given the chance to stretch their acting chops; Strange’s arc sees the sorcerer reckon with his past choices, whilst Elizabeth Olsen is once again a stand-out, giving a gutsy performance as Wanda battles a full spectrum of tangled emotions. Xochitl Gomez shows great promise for the future; America Chavez is primed to be a powerful new addition to the MCU’s catalog of superheroes. However, while this film served as an explosive introduction for her character, it would have been great to see America get the chance to do a little more herself; she does spend rather a lot of her time running and yelling and being captured.

Steeped in so much lore, newcomers might be slightly baffled by some of the finer points of the plot, but there’s plenty to be enjoyed even for a casual viewer; anyone who likes action won’t want to look away from the screen. Marvel fans will find plenty to love in all the cameos, references, and meta jokes that made their way into the script.

Marvel certainly brought the razzle and dazzle with Multiverse of Madness. One crazy, chaotic, magical ride from start to finish, it’s a distinctly Sam Raimi film through and through. As every Marvel fan will have hoped, the latest instalment in the MCU lives up to its name; Multiverse of Madness is truly an example of Marvel at its most marvellous, and its most mad.

What did you think of Multiverse of Madness? Tell us in the comments below!

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Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant
Director: Kate Herron
Screenwriter: Michael Waldron

For all time. Always.

If there’s one word that can sum up the first season of Loki, it would have to be wow (and yet, ironically, Owen Wilson in his role as TVA analyst Mobius M. Mobius does not use his iconic catchphrase at all during the season). With Tom Hiddleston returning as the devious, titular character, season one of Loki, directed by Kate Herron, follows the escapades of the trickster god after the events of Avengers: Endgame. 

The third of Marvel’s TV shows to be released this year, Loki is set to lead into future instalments of the MCU, with head writer Michael Waldron also working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Accordingly there are some big concepts introduced in Loki in just six episodes. Fair warning to any Marvel fan, the following contains spoilers for not just the show, but also, it seems, for the future of the MCU.

When Loki was last seen, appearing in Avengers: Endgame during one of the jaunts into the past, he was stealing the Tesseract (aka the Space Stone) during the 2012 Battle of New York. He scooped up the shiny blue cube, vanished and… as Loki now reveals, he lasted a whole of maybe one minute (in which he does attempt to conquer a new place) before he gets caught and arrested by a portal-opening uniformed unit of armed soldiers and taken to the mysterious Time Variance Authority (aka the TVA), to face trial for his “crimes against the scared timeline.” In a matter of minutes we get the first real introduction of the Multiverse, handily explained by a holographic talking clock named Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong), and accompanied by an equally helpful corresponding informational video.

And things just get bigger from there.

It is revealed that the TVA monitors the timeline of the Multiverse. Their job? Catch and prune variants, people whose actions jeopardise the sacred timeline and threaten to disrupt the flow of time from continuing in the way it’s supposed to. Although, exactly who decides what is “supposed” to happen remains one of the biggest mysteries of the series. Loki, at the behest of Owen Wilson’s Mobius, is temporarily detained and then employed to put his unique “Loki” skills to use (i.e. thinking deviously and just generally being Loki) to catch a dangerous variant who is running rings around the TVA—a variant that is another version of himself. Whilst at first it seems that this could be the central conflict of the show, the identity of the second Loki, the debatably “superior” Loki, is revealed by the end of episode 2, and the show shifts direction as more is discovered about Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a female Loki variant who has quite the agenda (and skills to match).

Despite the magnitude of the concepts being woven into the plot, which is tackling not just the Multiverse but all of time, the series is incredibly introspective. At its core, this is a show about identity, about the struggle between who you are and who you want to be. The character development is masterfully constructed, with everyone (or well, perhaps, everyone excluding Miss Minutes) forced to confront some element of inner turmoil, be it trauma or insecurity or both, and make a choice about how much their past lives, their past selves and their inner insecurities are going to decide their future going forward. Despite appearing in 6 movies and being a staple character of the MCU, this series is Hiddleston’s first time leading an MCU project. Previously, across all six of those movies, Hiddleston’s Loki had a total of 78 minutes, 30 seconds screen time; in this series he gets nearly six hours (almost 3 movies worth) of development—and it’s brilliant. Out of control and uncertain about his role in the universe for perhaps the first time, Loki is forced to re-evaluate his inner self and his glorious purpose, to look beneath the mask he puts on for both the world and himself, and to consider whether he is, could be, and wants to be, something more than just a master of deceit and harbinger of mischief. He isn’t the only one reckoning with self-knowledge and self-acceptance either; throughout the series Sylvie and Loki constantly challenge the question ‘what makes a Loki a Loki’ in their quest to understand who they are and what they want, while at the same time, the TVA agents are forced to confront the fact that they were mislead by the mysterious Timekeepers who govern the TVA and were not, in fact, created by three lizards who oversee all of reality, but are variants who were pulled out of their own timelines and previous lives.

Along with the individual character arcs, the character interactions are some of the most compelling elements of the show. Relationships blossom and fracture, crumble and reform—trust plays a big role in the series; the characters are constantly questioning who they can rely on, what is safe to believe, and what is merely lies and deceit. Watching from the outside, the audience is challenged to ask those same questions too (after all, can you really trust a Loki?), which make following along with the plot all the more interesting. Standout relationships from across the series include Mobius and Ravonna’s relationship (and their shared history and betrayals), Loki and Mobius’ friendship, and of course, Sylvie and Loki’s growing connection.

As Mobius puts it (semi-eloquently), you can be whoever, whatever you want to be… just in case anyone ever told you different.

Whilst Hiddleston’s Loki, was, as always, a standout, the other big star of the show was Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie. Much the way Sylvie gave Loki a run for his money in the show, Di Martino’s on-screen presence proved a perfect match for Hiddleston’s, bringing the same sense of chaotic energy and underlying fragile inner-self to Sylvie that Hiddleston crafts for Loki. Captured by the TVA as a child (it was strongly hinted that Sylvie was causing her timeline to branch simply by virtue of being good and thereby being more inclined to save Asgard than to cause it trouble), Sylvie quickly transforms from the mysterious, shadowy antagonist into an interesting and complex character in her own right. She is revealed to be brutally fierce but emotionally vulnerable, with a tough exterior but harbouring severe trust issues stemming from a childhood spent living alone in various apocalypses, constantly on the run from the TVA. Di Martino’s powerful performance captured all the nuances in Sylvie’s character, beautifully portraying her spark and strength and at the same time, conveying all of her underlying emotional insecurity.

Through a mad-cap misadventure that involves just narrowly surviving an apocalypse, Loki and Sylvie’s relationship grows and they unite to take down the TVA—a relatively straightforward goal with an anything but straightforward path. The writers throw twist after twist into the mix that ensures that the 40-50 minute episodes feel like they couldn’t possibly have lasted more than 10. The series is, it has to be said, delightfully bonkers, but in the best way. After all, this is a show based on the inner workings of a hyper-bureaucratic organisation that has TemPads that make it possible to travel anywhere, any place, in time yet rely on battery to keep the devices running. The TVA can monitor the universe (and travel into the future when who-knows-what tech would be available) but can’t upgrade from a manual, paper based filing system. This says nothing of the fact that during the series we meet Alligator Loki, along with many other variants of the mischief god. Easter eggs pop up for the hardcore Marvel fans (Throg aka Frog Thor, Thanoscopter), and the story is peppered with loops both big and small to keep the audience on their toes (this is a place where infinity stones are being used as paper weights), to the point where, as Loki perfectly surmises in episode five, the strange occurrences do not even seem that strange anymore.

The show balances its poignant moments with humour; the writing is consistently witty and entertaining and there are some brilliant exchanges between characters. The sepia-toned colour palette of the TVA and occasional use of unique camera angles only add to the droll, mind-bending (or perhaps reality-bending) tone of the show. The series does a good job of maintaining a sense of intrigue and anticipation for the audience not only during the episodes but also week to week, constantly scattering more questions to be pondered even as the plot unravels. With a persistent sense of urgency carried throughout, the series is well paced; in every episode our characters are hurtling towards something and there is not an idle minute or wasted moment— every line, action and scene contributes to either the plot or the character development.

As things heat up, part of the ruse surrounding the TVA is uncovered. Loki and Sylvie battle their way to the Timekeepers only to discover that the enigmatic giant lizard rulers were nothing more than robots. Loki and Sylvie’s continued struggle to reach the real Timekeeper sees them pruned and sent to the Void where they meet some of the best additions to the show—numerous other Loki variants (Kid Loki, Boastful Loki, even President Loki) for some of the funniest scenes in the series. Thanks to a noble sacrifice of glorious purpose by Richard E. Grant’s Old Man Loki, Sylvie and Loki make it to the Citadel at the End of Time and face He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). He Who Remains (who is human but still unsettlingly creepy), torments and teases Loki and Sylvie with a frustrating barrage of half-truths and riddles until, in a heart wrenching move that sends Loki back to a different version of the TVA where Mobius no longer recognises him, Sylvie kills He Who Remains and takes the MCU into an uncertain future for everyone.

What follows is an ending that shows the timeline now splitting into hundreds of branches, promising more multiverse shenanigans to come. The mysterious warning given to Sylvie by He Who Remains suggests that Major’s character may return to the MCU again, though perhaps this time in his conqueror form. Too many questions and too much unfinished business remains—thankfully a season two is confirmed—though less fortunately, we now have to wait more than a week to see where everyone, and the universe itself, goes next.

What did you think of the first season? Sound off in the comments below!

The post ‘Loki’ Season 1 Review appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

“It’s a female lead,” he says when asked about what made WandaVision so special to work on. Indeed, Giles articulates in our conversation the importance for him of social impact and advancement in telling stories onscreen, both big and small, and how it factors into the career choices he sometimes makes. On top of that, WandaVision was a sort of love letter to his childhood, during which black-and-white television shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show were a prominent feature. “The only stations we could get [on our black and white television] were things played on rerun.”

When asked about his recent Emmy nomination for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Series—which he shares with re-recording mixer Danielle Dupre, ADR mixer Doc Kane, and scoring mixer Casey Stone—Giles is humbly “honoured” at the recognition. And it’s certainly deserved: WandaVision was a huge step for Marvel Studios as its first foray into the streaming medium, and effectively opened the doors for the MCU’s newest phase of projects. Especially after a pandemic year that saw zero Marvel releases, the weekly experience of being entertained then teased by WandaVision was like no other.

“I really hope to stick with the MCU,” Giles says now that he’s fulfilled his inner-nerd’s dream. “I really want to do an MCU film. I would prefer to do one that’s new and fresh, and maybe something that hits some of those things that are near and dear to my heart, social change, or maybe a different type of hero than we’re accustomed to seeing.”

Congratulations, first of all, on your Emmy nomination! How did it feel when you first learned about the nomination and what does it mean for you?

It felt a little odd at first because I was like, wait, what, huh? Because it wasn’t expected, per se. I mean, I felt it was of quality to do so. But it wasn’t necessarily something that I either went in or walked away and said, Oh, this, this is gonna go the awards.There’s always that hope. But it wasn’t something like that. As I reflect on it now, knowing that I was nominated, there were some special elements in there. And there are things in there that I feel need to be recognized, both culturally and for the MCU. And for all the people that put their hand to it. And, you know, all the people that are struggling to get to that point. I feel like it’s great that the people behind the scenes are getting some form of recognition. And so I feel honoured.

WandaVision isn’t the first Marvel project that you’ve mixed for, but I think it’s safe to say that the impact the series had and the reception it’s seen have been unparalleled to say the least. It kind of seemed like perfect timing for it after a year of no MCU releases. While you were working on it, did you know that it would turn out to be so massively loved? What was the whole experience like from your perspective as the production mixer?

Well, the hope, of course, was for a positive reception. I was very, very happy to learn that it was going to be released when it was released because, apparently, for streaming content, the first quarter of the year—you know, if you look statistics and all that—is the best time in the year for most streaming releases. No idea why, but I was happy to find out that we would be early in the season. And then, as I find myself reflecting on our state of being in the world, and then also as a person that would watch [MCU] content, even if I wasn’t part of it—yeah, we were hungry!

And life in general seemed to kind of go into this weird new state of being. And while it was traumatic for some people—and we need to keep that in mind—for a lot of people, it was just a very weird time where they got to sit back, reflect, and maybe do some of the things that they had always hoped to put their hand to. So yeah, I think it was the perfect storm, for lack of better phrasing. And I’m very fortunate to be a recipient of that moment in time. And I’m super happy for all the people that have been working in the MCU universe way before I was ever a consideration. It’s a happy new transition because streaming is so important. And [WandaVision] was effectively their launch.

Can you take us to that moment when this project was brought to your attention? WandaVision is so unique and, as you were saying, the first streaming property for the MCU. So, moving into this new medium, plus the content that WandaVision explored, I can imagine being pitched and immediately feeling like it was something special. Where were you, and what was it like for you when the call came?

I was doing [The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It], and as that project was ending, there was that moment where you’re like, Oh, no, what do I do next? Unless you have like a big plan vacation or something, you’re grasping and asking what’s out there, what’s next, what’s the next big thing. So, [WandaVision] came up through a few friends that actually worked a lot in the MCU, and they said, hey, would you be interested in doing this thing, and at that time was called “Big Red.” And I had no concept of what that was. But as I sat back and read kind of a stripped down version of the first three episodes, I was like, this is awesome! And the reason why I felt it was so awesome was it was not what I expected. When they said things like, we’re going to model this akin to The Dick Van Dyke Show, I was like, whoa, wait a second. Because, funnily enough, I didn’t grow up very privileged—I guess that’s the pleasant way of saying it—and we quite literally had a black and white television for a very, very long time. Literally, the only stations we could get were things that played on rerun, like The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Andy Griffith Show, things that [Marvel Studios] started pulling a lot of imagery from. I could instantly visualize it in my mind. And I was like, this is just super exciting!

And then the other huge thing that’s important to me is: it’s a female lead. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, I guess, but to me, it’s still extremely important because when you think “superhero,” there is a tendency still, especially in the West, to imagine a male. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just really nice to see a change in that mold, like how Black Panther helped [contributed to] that social shift in what we’re looking for, what the consumer is seeing, what the fan is seeing, and what we’re craving. It gives opportunities to countless people because it’s now opening people’s minds to things outside of this cookie cutter concept.

A lot of actors get asked if they watch their own projects, and I’m wondering, from your perspective, when you rewatch the things that you’ve worked on, do you have a more critical ear? Do you pick certain nuances and start wishing you could change things, or are you able to separate yourself from the finished product and enjoy it as if you were an audience member?

I think that’s a great question! And I think we all have a challenge separating that. But me especially so because, you know, there’s a lot of pieces and elements to what I do that are technical. And a technical mindset tends to be pretty perfectionist-leaning. And then, when you add the creative elements to it, it goes into overdrive sometimes. So, what I do is: I watch the piece when it comes out, and then I walk away, usually for about three weeks, sometimes up to a couple months, and then I watch it again. Because the first time I watch it straight through, I have a harder time shutting my mind off and just sitting back and enjoying what I’m being presented. When there’s a little bit more time where I forget each little element of like, Oh, yes, we did XYZ thing to accomplish this task—when it starts becoming something that I have to try to recall in my mind, it gets better. So, yeah, it’s a process!

In addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ve also worked on Stranger Things and The Walking Dead. Would it be fair to say that you’re a fan of the fantasy genre, and was this space somewhere you’d always envisioned yourself working?

Well, not to belabour the point, but I don’t want to take away from other people’s work. I was assisting on those projects; I was not the primary. I need to make sure that I don’t steal somebody else’s thunder!

I would say that, in general, I grew up in a pretty challenged environment, as a lot of people do, and viewers do [so] there was an element of escapism when I was younger and trying to find my place in the universe. And some of that came through graphic novels and through comic series and through reading fantasy. I love The Lord of the Rings series. I ate up anything that was sci fi from, you know, rewinding and watching Alien and Blade Runner for the fifty-third time to, you know, the Star Wars universe to role-playing games and everything else. I have to admit I was a bit of a nerd. And then, I discovered computers and they just poured into that. And I was fascinated by telling those stories and trying to figure out how to tell them in a musical sense. How to create with the computer, how to make music and sounds to help tell stories, etc. And at that early an age, I didn’t even realize that I was already on track to be exactly where I’m at right now.

You’re currently working on another MCU property, Ms Marvel, which is another hugely anticipated series. I know Marvel Studios is a vault when it comes to details about its upcoming projects, but is there anything you can tell us about the project?

Well, the name’s Ms Marvel!

[Laughs.]

That’s a tough one…I’m totally in love with the cast! I think they’re wonderfully cast, and I think they have a ton of heart.

The Emmys are coming up really soon—how will you be celebrating?

Me, some friends, and sitting near a beach somewhere. A little bit more private, a little bit more toned down, but still very, very, very nice if you don’t actually get to be anywhere near a beach, which I haven’t been for a little bit.

WandaVision is now available to stream on Disney+.

The post A Conversation With ‘WandaVision’ Production Mixer Chris Giles appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

SPOILERS AHEAD

We begin, as ever, with the Marvel Studios logo, which shifts into animated brushstrokes. Then we hear the voice of Uatu the Watcher (Jeffery Wright)—one of a race of cosmic beings whose job it is to observe and record history throughout the multiverse and our cosmic Rod Sterling who will be guiding us through this Marvel Twilight Zone—telling us that time, space, and reality are more than just a linear path but a “prism of infinite possibility where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities.” As he explains this, reality prisms into various moments from throughout the series. The prism shatters and we see that one of those moments— Captain Carter (it will be interesting to see if this changes each episode)—contains even more variables, as one variance will inevitably lead to a domino effect of more as those familiar with Captain America The First Avenger —which this episode begins as a more or less straight retelling of—will soon notice.

After the opening titles, Uatu sets the scene for us: Earth, June 1943, and the Nazi army is marching throughout Europe, leaving death and destruction in their wake. In response, the Allied armies band together to create a new kind of soldier: a super soldier. In the reality we know, it’s Steve Rogers, “the skinny kid from Brooklyn,” who would become Captain America. But in this universe, a single choice will create a new hero. We then cut to Project Rebirth, just as Steve (Josh Keaton, doing an uncannily good impression of Chris Evans) is about to undergo the serum procedure. But here, when Doctor Erskine (Stanley Tucci) asks Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) whether she’d be more comfortable in the observation booth, Peggy decides to stay, and it’s this that changes everything, as it leads to everyone else who would’ve been on that observation deck staying as well, including the Hydra assassin. The assassin detonates a bomb that kills Doctor Erskine and blows up a lot of the equipment, shoots Colonel Phillips and seriously injures Steve before he’s killed by Peggy. Howard Stark (Domonic Cooper) notes that the power levels are dropping and that if they don’t act immediately they’ll lose the project altogether. Steve is too injured to undergo the procedure so, over the protestations of Colonel Flynn (Bradley Whitford, who was originally an SSR agent who appeared in the ‘Agent Carter’ one-shot), Peggy takes his place and becomes the super soldier.

Howard decrees the project a success but the misogynistic Flynn is incensed, saying that women aren’t soldiers. Peggy takes out her frustration on a punching bag, which she manages to knock off the chain, and by frisbeeing a weight into the wall (the shot then revealing that she’s already done this with several of them foreshadows how good she’s going to be with that shield), while Steve undergoes physical therapy. In a fun little nod to/poke at The First Avenger, he tells her things could be worse as Flynn could stick her on a USO tour. The sight of soldiers marching outside then prompts him to mention Bucky, who’s just deployed with the 107^th , and that the army won’t even tell him where he’s going. Peggy agrees it would be nice to able to fight for the people who’re fighting for them and apologises to Steve, as he was meant to be the one to end the war, but Steve confidently tells her “now you will.”

Meanwhile, in the town of Tonsberg in Norway, the Red Skull arrives (Ross Marquand, who took over the character from Hugo Weaving in Infinity War) to steal the Tesseract. Howard and Peggy understand its importance, knowing that if it reaches Hydra high command it’s game over, but Flynn is unwilling to expend any resources over what he sees as a “glorified battery.” Later in a bar however, Howard presents her with what was supposed to be her “USO let’s go sell some war bonds” costume which he’s made a few “upgrades” to, and a vibranium shield, now emblazoned with the Union Flag.

Cut to Berlin and a fully suited and booted Peggy manages to stop the convey carrying Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) and the Tesseract—meaning Hydra now cannot torture and experiment on Bucky or create their Tesseract-based weapons—in a brilliant action sequence which shows off how smooth and fluid the animation is. Peggy tells Flynn that if they’re going to win the war it won’t be with her behind a desk, and when Flynn counters that she’s only an agent and therefore not qualified for field duty, she responds by saying that he then better promote her PDQ and that “Captain” has a nice ring to it. The Tesseract ends up with Howard, who uses it build something, asking Steve if he’s “ready to join the war effort.”

We then hear that the 107^th have been captured by Hydra. Peggy steals a motorbike and infiltrates where they’re being held, rescuing Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and the rest of the Howling Commandos, and finally getting to introduce herself as “Captain Carter.” They escape the facility in a shot almost identical to the iconic one from First Avenger but are pinned down by enemy fire. Peggy calls for air support and is amazed and delighted that this turns out to be Steve piloting Howard’s invention: an armoured suit—making Steve the first prototype Iron Man—powered by the Tesseract, nicknamed the “Hydra Stomper.” We then get a swing music montage of Peggy and Steve fighting Hydra, beating up their soldiers (all we’re missing is the on-screen onomatopoeia) and taking out their planes—once again showing off the fluidity of the animation with an impressive tracking shot—while Flynn takes credit for it all.

Meanwhile, in the Red Skull’s base—Castle de Krake (remember that Hydra’s emblem is a stylised squid? Put a pin in that) in Germany’s Black Forest, a Nazi general tells the Skull that—with all the havoc created by Captain Carter and the Hydra Stomper—Hitler is demanding his presence back at high command. But, as before, Red Skull has delusions of Godhood and grandeur and is going to conquer the world under the banner of Hydra not the Third Reich, and kills him.

Peggy and Steve enjoy a drink back at the bar, Peggy remarking that—like main MCU timeline Steve—she can no longer get drunk. They discuss how the serum has changed how people view her, Peggy acknowledging that she no longer has to fight to be heard or to be in the room. As Steve says, “the outside finally matches the inside.” Steve laments that without the suit he’s still just the skinny kid from Brooklyn, but Peggy very firmly tells him that it’s the suit that’s nothing without the man inside it, admitting that he’s her hero. They lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by Howard (insert “wah-wah-wah” sound effect here).

We then cut to the train mission, here codenamed operation “Where Eagles Dare.” Steve, in the Hydra Stomper, slows the train down, allowing Peggy, Bucky and the rest of the Howling Commandos to zipline onto it. Bucky slips but Peggy is there to catch him. He thanks her, letting her know that she almost ripped his arm off (yes Marvel, we see what you did there). Instead, it’s Steve who’s presumed dead when the train turns out to be a trap. Seeing that it’s full of explosives, he tells them to get away. Peggy and the others manage to escape, but the train explodes, taking Steve with it, devastating Peggy and the Howling Commandos.

Back at SSR headquarters Flynn is angry at the loss of the Hydra Stomper, which Howard told him was indestructible, and Peggy is furious that he’s concerned only about the armour and not the man piloting it. She goes to see Arnim Zola, who they have in custody, and refuses to tell her anything. One humorous smash cut later reveals he told her everything—the location of the Red Skull’s base and his plan to use the Tesseract to summon a champion for Hydra from “beyond the stars”—i.e. another dimension. Peggy also gets a brilliantly cathartic moment when she finally puts Flynn in his place. They decide to storm the castle to put a stop to Red Skull’s plan so that Steve’s sacrifice won’t be in vain, even persuading Howard to come along as they might need “someone to push a button.”

We’re then treated to another beautiful tracking shot of Peggy running through the Black Forest, jumping over the castle walls, taking down the guards and opening the gates for the Howling Commandos to come through. They then split up, Peggy and Howard taking the high route, the Howling Commandos taking the low. Inside, the Red Skull uses the Tesseract to successfully open a portal, decades before project Pegasus would, through which a many-tentacled monster emerges. “De-Krake” > Kraken, get it? I’ve heard some speculation that this could be Shuma-Gorath, one of the rumoured villains for Doctor Strange 2, but since the show started development back in 2018 and the creators said they were told not to use any characters that hadn’t yet been introduced in the films, I’m not so sure.

The Howling Commandos find the Hydra Stomper in one piece and Steve still alive. Peggy and Howard find the Red Skull, who gloats about summoning Hydra’s champion, only for said champion to kill him. Back in the basement, without the tesseract the Stomper has lost its power source but they manage to hook it up to a generator in order to restart it, allowing Steve to fly off and help Peggy and Howard, who are in dire need of it as the inter-dimensional monster has killed the rest of the Hydra scientists and continues to emerge. She gets Howard behind the console so he can shut the portal down, while she grabs a sword—looking every inch the English knight—and tries to beat the monster back.

It turns out that Howard can’t read the console—he spent a weekend with Hedy Lamarr (the Austrian born American actress and inventor) but learning German wasn’t one of the activities they engaged in. Steve (whom Peggy is overjoyed to find out is alive) and the Howling Commandos arrive to help, but the creature lets out an ear-splitting cry that brings everyone but Peggy and Steve to their knees, so Steve gets the Commandos to safety. Howard finds the right lever and the portal begins to close, but the monster is hanging on, so Peggy realises she needs to physically push it back through. Steve arrives but the Stomper runs out of power. He and Peggy have the dance date conversation from The First Avenger, only this time with the roles reversed. Peggy pushes the monster back through the portal, which then closes. Leaving Steve heartbroken.

Sometime later, the Tesseract opens a portal again and Peggy—along with numerous chunks of tentacle—jumps through. But this isn’t Castle De Krake—it’s the Project Pegasus basement of 2012, where she’s met by Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who recognises her as Captain Carter. Peggy asks where Steve Rogers is and Fury has to gently break it to her that the war ended 70 years ago. He asks her if she’s going to be okay and she replies “of course: we won the war,” but the look on her face tells another story.

Her actions saved her world but cost her everything. The Watcher formally reintroduces himself and reminds us that he only observes—he cannot and won’t interfere. Though the Watchers have interfered in the comics, so we’ll see how long that lasts.

And so that was the first episode of Marvel’s What If…? Beautiful animation and pacing that makes you feel like you’re getting 40 or 50 minutes worth of content rather than 30, and introducing a character looks set to become a fan favourite. There are already rumours that she might be making a cameo in Doctor Strange 2!

Though the MCU (or the MCM as it really should be now, I suppose) is a little more interconnected than the original ‘What If?’ comics, so even though the majority of these stories themselves are going to be self-contained, the way the multiverse seems to work in the MCU is that one nexus event leads to more, which means more alternate timelines or universes branching off from that. Trailer footage seems to suggest they’re working towards a big in-show crossover (and we already know that T’Challa Starlord is in four episodes) and not only has the showrunner confirmed that Captain Carter will be in season 2 but that she’s also the character who will connect each multiversal season of the show.

But if this first episode is any indication of quality, this show’s going to be amazing!

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post What If…? Recap: 1.01 ‘What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Ray Winstone, William Hurt, Ever Anderson, Violet McGraw, O-T Fagbenle
Director: Cate Shortland
Screenwriters: Eric Pearson; story by Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson, based on the Marvel Comics

As Marvel powers onwards into Phase 4 with all the force of a high speed train (or perhaps a quinjet, or space ship may be more appropriate), Black Widow takes a step back, rewinding to Phase 3 to unravel some of the mystery surrounding the past of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, spy and original avenger, fleshing out her character and giving some well deserved meat to her backstory. Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Black Widow, and is joined by Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour in an action-spy thriller directed by Cate Shortland that sees Natasha reunite with her family of old to confront her past and take down the enemy who plagued her life long before she became an avenger. Though Black Widow has previously appeared in 8 MCU movies, this is the first solo film for the character, finally providing a much anticipated look into the background of a character whose past has, until now, remained largely unexplored. 

The opening sequence throws back to the 90s, with a fire-fly filled snapshot of Natasha’s childhood. Along with young Natasha (Ever Anderson), we meet her six-year old sister Yelena (Violet McGraw), and their parents Melina (Rachel Weisz) and Alexei (David Harbour). It’s sweet, it’s tender; for all intents and purposes, it appears to be a childhood as idyllic as any 90s American childhood could hope to be—at least until it warps into a bloody and brutal action sequence that tears the picture of family perfection apart. Russian accents surface and the truth about the situation is rapidly revealed—they’re not so much a family of four from a town in Ohio as they are a group of Russian intelligence agents posing as an American family. In a matter of heartbreaking moments, the family are separated by the orders of Alexei’s boss, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone), and Natasha and her sister are sent back to the Red Room, a twisted training facility masterminded by Dreykov where young girls are, among other things, brainwashed and manipulated as they’re raised to be the world’s most deadly killers. 

What follows is one of the most chilling opening sequences seen in a Marvel movie. In mere moments, the tone darkens dramatically as the screen is littered with shots implying various horrors endured by the girls at the hands of the Red Room. The suggestive imagery is perhaps more effective than showing an actual sequence from the girl’s life during this time; using nothing more than a series of cleverly arranged hints, the opening jarringly gives the audience more than enough to be thoroughly disturbed by the prospect of the Red Room by the time the sequence is over. 

The film then leaps forwards; 21 years later, Natasha is getting off the grid, trying to salvage the pieces of her life after the events of Captain America: Civil War (think that airport fight in Germany, Captain America on the run, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and Falcon all in prison). However Natasha’s efforts to disappear don’t quite go as quietly as planned; in a series of gritty action sequences, Natasha is reunited with her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) in Budapest, who, it is revealed, has grown up to become a deadly and dangerous assassin with skills enough to rival Romanoff’s. Following a series of fights (both of the verbal and physical variety), and an escape, the central mission is established: take down the Red Room and free its brainwashed agents. 

Family dynamics are explored in all their messy, imperfect, heart-wrenching glory as Natasha reunites her faux family of old to find Dreykov and his Red Room. Florence Pugh, previously seen in Little Women and Midsommar, is a standout in her own right as the jaded, yet somehow still ridiculously endearing, Yelena. Responsible for some of both the wittiest and most poignant scenes on screen, Pugh cycles seamlessly from comedic relief to heartfelt dramatics, delivering an incredible performance that makes Yelena an instantly likeable character. Pugh and Johansson have an incredible on-screen chemistry that makes their sisterhood feel real, full of tangled emotions that stem from their broken lives. Also by their side is David Harbour as Alexei, who throws himself into playing a super solider gone to seed (à la a Russian Mr Incredible from The Incredibles before he went though the getting-fit-train-pulling montage), and comes across as a convincingly exasperating, frustrating goof of a barely competent father, with a tone very much reminiscent of his Stranger Things character (well, if Hopper had possessed super strength that is).

The strong character writing must be commended; aside from the level of depth given to each character, the number of rather brilliant quips, delivered in particular by Pugh’s Yelena, are a true highlight of the film. Surprisingly dark and gritty, with heavy themes that could easily have become despairing, Black Widow was well balanced, deftly interweaving the dark moments and heartbreaking topics with well placed, well timed, dry humour. It’s not hard to imagine that many of the lines will soon become iconic, quotable favourites. 

Action set piece, after action set piece, interspersed with a well delivered, tension filled family dinner sequence moves the plot along. Johansson once again rises to the occasion as the strong, feisty, yet still inherently human Black Widow. Half spy thriller, half action film, the movie contains many elements reminiscent of a Bond film (think mysterious lair, bad guy monologues, a Q type character delivering the goods)—in fact, it turns out Natasha is also a Bond fan in-universe. The third act delves more or less into what is expected of a standard Marvel action movie though, with many explosions, a flying headquarters and some fighting moves that defy physics, however at two hours, the movie doesn’t overstay its welcome. With well written characters and equally good acting, it’s faced passed and compelling, remaining dynamic through to the end without feeling stretched. While the fundamental plot isn’t groundbreaking, the true strength of any Marvel film, and what could be considered Marvel’s real recipe for success, lies in delivering stories that are character led first and foremost, grounding their fantastical universe and oftentimes far-reaching plots with relatable human struggles. Black Widow, to its benefit, is no different; at its core this is a film about family. Natasha and Yelena’s relationship is the heart and soul of the film (making the ending even more gut wrenching when it snaps back to the post Endgame timeline). Much of the narrative is driven by the exploration of the vulnerabilities of each character, and the family scenes are wonderfully fraught with real world tensions that are just as messy and dysfunctional as they are tender and humorous. 

It could have been a hard recipe to get right; to create a film about a character whose fate is already known and still make it seem valuable to the universe and captivating to watch, but Shortland does it. The result is a story that finally does Natasha justice, revealing enough about Black Widow’s past to round out her character and satisfy some curiosity, while still leaving just as much in the dark for the character to continue to retain some spy-appropriate mystique and intrigue that will leave audiences continuing to imagine what else took place during her life in the years surrounding the known MCU events (the references to the original Budapest escapade with Hawkeye were a gem). While Black Widow’s story may have concluded in the on-going MCU timeline, fans will be pleased to see a post credits scene that catches up to the in-universe present day, linking Yelena with a character last seen in the Marvel TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. If Pugh’s performance in Black Widow is anything to go by, Yelena will be more than capable of carrying the Black Widow legacy forward in the MCU (even if she’s one of those heroes who has to rely on an ibuprofen afterwards to get the job done).

What did you think of Black Widow? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Movie Review: Black Widow appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

It’s been almost two months since we last saw Falcon, or should we say Captain America, and Winter Soldier on screen. This break has been hard for us Marvel fans, and while we’re blessed with Loki now and a trailer for Eternals, deep down we all miss our favourite duo: Sam and Bucky.

What better way to get our fix than the source material themselves? There are already several iterations of Captain America in the comics, obviously a given for a character that debuted in 1941. A lot of characters have taken up the Cap mantle and symbol in the comics and TFATWS showed us five of them: Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, Isaiah Bradley, and Elijah Bradley.

So today we’re sharing a list of comic books that you should read if you miss the characters and the show.

1.   Winter Soldier: Second Chances (2018) by Kyle Higgins & Rod Reis
In TFATWS, we saw Bucky Barnes make amends with people from his time as the deadly assassin. Much like the series, Kyle Higgins’ story features a bit more optimistic and domestic Bucky, who has found redemption. He does yoga and he has a cat! Working with Sharon Carter and Tony Stark, he goes out helping people get a fresh start and give them a second chance in life. The five-issue comic run delivers a powerful message that healing and redemption is not a linear process and is different for everyone.

Bucky Barnes is one of the most popular fan-favourite characters and this comic book run would be amazing source material for his future in the MCU.

Read this if you miss: Bucky, Sharon Carter, and surprisingly Tony Stark.

2.   Truth: Red, White, and Black (2003) by Robert Morales & Kyle Baker
Systemic racism was one of the key points that were tackled in TFATWS, and it was perfectly reasonable for them to bring Isaiah Bradley’s character into the series. In the comics, Isaiah’s story was told in this six-part comic run, as the only survivor of experiments ran to a group of Black people in order to perfect the super-soldier serum.

The storyline was based on an actual event popularly known as the Tuskegee Experiments, where a group of African-American men was subjected to the study under the guise of receiving free healthcare, which they never received.

Truth: Red, White, and Black series head-on confronts the harsh and uncomfortable truth of systemic racism and America’s relationship with Black folks.

Read this if you miss: Isaiah Bradley

3.   All-New Captain America (2014-2015) by Rick Remender & Stuart Immonen
We all cheered and cried when we finally saw Sam take up the mantle of Captain America and wear his amazing (and comic book accurate) suit made from Wakanda. Thank you, Shuri! We only had one episode of him as full-on Cap, but luckily for us, we get to see more of his adventures as the Star-Spangled Man in the comics.

Like in the MCU, Old Man Steve gives Sam the shield in issue #25 of Captain America (2012). Rick Remender’s run also tackles Sam’s internal struggle with taking up the mantle, as well as the public’s opinion on him. In this series, Sam teams up with Nomad, Misty Knight, and Old Man Steve as they take down HYDRA under Zemo’s leadership. Sam’s Captain America adventures continue with Nick Spencer’s Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015-2017) where more familiar characters appear such as Winter Soldier, and the new Falcon himself, Joaquin Torres. So make sure you read both comic runs!

Read these if you miss: The Cap Trio (Sam, Bucky, Steve), Joaquin, and Baron Zemo

4.  Captain America (2004) by Ed Brubaker & Steve Epting
Hardcore comic book fans may be familiar with this trope called “The Bucky Clause” which says that no one in the comic books stays dead for long unless they are Bucky Barnes, Jason Todd, or Uncle Ben. Well, this trope has been debunked for Bucky when Ed Brubaker retconned his death and made him The Winter Soldier in this Captain America run. Issues #620-624 is titled “The Life Story of Bucky Barnes” but we recommend that you read from the start.

Brubaker’s Cap is one of the most popular and well-loved series in Cap’s world. It was also the main inspiration for the Captain America The Winter Soldier movie, where the iconic “Who the hell is Bucky?” line was lifted from one of the panels. Throughout the series, we see characters that are integral to Captain America lore such as Red Skull, Falcon, Black Widow, and Sharon Carter. Unfortunately, the series also depicted Steve’s death during the Civil War storyline, and Bucky taking up the mantle of Captain America to honor his friend’s legacy.

Read this if you miss:  Bucky, Sam, Sharon, Steve, Natasha Romanoff, Baron Zemo, and almost everyone else from the Cap movies!

5. Falcon and Winter Soldier (2020-2021) by Derek Landy & Federico Vincentini
Of course, we can’t forget this recent run with our favorite duo! In this series, our two former Captain Americas team up to uncover and take down the new leader of HYDRA. The series is comprised of five issues that are action-packed and full of banter between Sam and Bucky that we all miss. Equal parts hilarious and thrilling, the Falcon and Winter Soldier’s team-up will surely fill that gaping hole in our hearts.

There was a scene with Sam flying while carrying Bucky, and another where they had to wear their Cap uniforms. We’re not saying we want to see those on the screen… but you see our point, right?

Read this if you miss:  Sam and Bucky’s dynamic, Baron Zemo, and Alpine!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

• Thunderbolts (1997) for more Baron Zemo and his quest with his own team of reformed supervillains.
• US Agent (2020) for John Walker’s adventures as the US Agent.
• Falcon (2017-2018) for more of Sam Wilson as the Falcon and his team-up/romance with Misty Knight.
• Winter Soldier (2012-2013) for more Bucky content, plus his relationship with Black Widow.

(Cover credits: Marvel)

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Comic Books You Should Read If You Miss ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Originally, WandaVision was to be the fourth Marvel phase 4 release but due to delays caused by the pandemic it is now their first, and I think this is actually to their advantage. Instead, leading with this bonkers idea instead of a more conventional MCU story shows that Marvel are willing to experiment with their formula and that they can produce something new and different in order to maintain audience interest. This is especially important now that they are embarking on a new phase where a lot of previous fan-favourites are no more and the story arc that they were invested in for over a decade has been concluded and the most dangerous thing a large franchise can do is become complacent about their audience. And it’s a risk that seems to have paid off: WandaVision is a brilliant show that’s been largely well received by audiences and critics alike.

Set a few weeks after the events of Endgame, the story is loosely inspired by a collection of Marvel comic storylines—most notably ‘The Vision and the Scarlet Witch’ miniseries and Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel’s ‘House of M’ storyline—and sees Wanda Maximoff and the Vision apparently living a happy life of wedded “suburban bliss”. But of course Vision was killed in Infinity War and was not one of those brought back in Endgame. This is a world that Wanda has created (hence Wanda -Vision, get it?), inspired by the American sitcoms she loved as a child, that she took comfort in and retreated into when life got too much. It just happens that she’s forced this reality on an entire town and its residents.

Writer Jac Schaeffer—who has previously written for Captain Marvel (2019) and Black Widow (2021)—said that she “tracked the narrative according to the stages of grief. It seemed like a very exciting place to start that Wanda is with the audience and is in legitimate denial. That obviously it’s a metaphor for human grief, but it also works for the narrative structure of the show” and this is exactly how WandaVision plays out: the strangest session of grief counselling ever that finally develops Wanda into the Scarlet Witch, fleshing her out as something of an anti-hero (or at the very least, a hero with occasional villainous tendencies), before becoming a full-blown MCU spectacle by the finale.

The first three episodes are pure sitcom—albeit with Twilight Zone-esque glitches in reality that establish the overarching mystery—before episode four shows us these events from the ‘real’ world’s perspective, then weaves the two strands together. It’s a bit of a slow burn to begin with but made me realise how much I’d love to see a straight Avengers sitcom. Each sitcom episode pays homage to a separate decade and the style and shows of that period, beginning with the 1950s and shows like I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show, through to Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, Malcom in the Middle and ending with Modern Family in the 2010s. Director Matt Shackman is no stranger to sitcoms (he starred in one as a child) and the level of attention to detail is INSANE! To list every way in which they recreated each era would make this review even longer than it already is (I recommend watching their “making-of” episode, ASSEMBLED: The Making of WandaVision, if you’re interested) but suffice to say, everything from costumes, props and sets, through to special effects, score, and cinematography is considered. This means they can play with those conventions to give the audience visual clues as well, create whatever atmosphere they want to convey or subvert it. (Another thing that would also make this review even longer would be to go through all the references and easter eggs, just trust me that there are a lot and that there are plenty of YouTube videos that go through them.)

A good story needs good performances however, and WandaVision doesn’t disappoint. It’s criminal that Marvel haven’t allowed Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany to do comedy before now because they are BRILLIANT! Bettany’s ‘drunk-robot’ antics in episode 2 are worth the price of admission alone. It’s no exaggeration to say that they’re the show’s beating heart, able to go from comedy to pathos and back again, but there’s not really a duff performance among them. Other standout performances include Kathryn Hahn’s scene-stealing turn as Agatha Harkness and Teyonah Parris’s adult Monica Rambeau (last seen as a child in Captain Marvel). Returning side characters Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis (Randall Park and Kat Dennings), last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Thor: The Dark World (2013) respectively, also became firm fan favourites.

Lastly, the other important element tying it all together is music. Christophe Beck (who had previously scored both Ant-Man films) composed the score for the series, creating tracks that pay homage to the sitcoms in each time period, as well as creating several themes and motifs to bridge the sitcom reality with the more traditional music for the world outside. Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (who worked with Beck on Disney’s Frozen franchise) created the central four-note motif that ties everything together, and wrote (and in many cases performed) the sitcom theme songs, each of them ear-worms, their villain song for Kathryn Hahn, ‘Agatha All Along’ (a delightful Munsters homage) proving so popular that the digital release of the soundtrack album for that episode was a week early.

Despite how great it is, WandaVision isn’t perfect. The finale left some feeling a little let down as there were “so many chess pieces on the board” that even the writers were gently warning people that they may be disappointed before it aired. Firstly, it’s important to remember that, like everything else, the pandemic wreaked havoc on filming, meaning that production was halted halfway through. This led to them reconfiguring material as they edited what they already had, and due to travel restrictions some actors weren’t able to come back when filming resumed. It also meant that they only finished editing the finale two weeks before broadcast. Secondly, Kevin Feige has stated that the shows don’t need to be seen in order to understand upcoming films. But that brings us to the elephant in the room: fan theories. The MCU’s raison d’être is to set up things that pay off later down line and WandaVision is no exception. Releasing a new episode each week allowed the fans to theorise and generate discussion, Marvel knew this and took advantage of it, even referring to it in the show itself. This is the source of some main bone of contention for some fans: the Evan Peters cameo. Peters’ version Quicksilver from the FOX X-Men films is very popular. We knew before WandaVision began that it would tie directly into the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so when he turned up at the end of episode 5, many (myself included) were excited that this was the first sign of multiverse crossover. Cue massive disappointment when it just turns out to be a sitcom recast joke. Disappointment of a scale that seems to have taken Marvel by surprise. In an interview with Variety earlier this month, Schaffer revealed that Evan’s appearance was an idea she had early on in the process and was surprised by the strength of the reaction. I’m surprised that no one at Marvel who know exactly what their fanbase is like, and what they expect, didn’t warn her what the likely response would be if his inclusion didn’t amount to anything significant. Like the rest of the cast, Peters’ performance is brilliant but he’s severely underused.

But there’s still a chance it could lead to more. There’s a theory that Marvel have already set up the quantum entanglement of the multiverse with the appearance of J.K. Simmons (the J. Jonah Jameson from the SONY Spider-verse) in the post credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which is supposed to take place 7 months AFTER WandaVision. There are also rumours that Peters will be playing his Quicksilver incarnation in Multiverse of Madness (though how this will work with the American Horror Story season 10 filming due to begin remains to be seen).

Still, one disappointing element does not a great series ruin. Though it’s part of an interconnected universe, WandaVision is still a great series that stands as a piece of art on its own. And if you haven’t yet seen it, or were previously unsure, now all 9 episodes are available on Disney+, it’s the perfect opportunity to binge.

What did you think of WandaVision? Tell us in the comments below!

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Thor: Metal Gods is a space adventure, filled with the sort of characterisation that made everything so much better.

There is no mention of the Avengers and Thor still has Mjölnir, although he’s still frenemies with Loki. I’ve yet to figure out what the word is for brother/enemy to fit these two. I think the best way to describe Metal Gods is that it made me excited to read/listen to something about Thor and Loki instead of weary (because the movies tended to his the same notes between these two).

But, back to the story. It all begins with Loki and a crown

There’s nothing quite like Loki the rock star in the 1980s no less, which is where this story begins. He’s the lead guitarist in a band and he gives his lead singer Sylvain (AKA Nihilator) a crown and things go downhill from there. Why? Well before Loki stole the crown from Thor, it belonged to the people of a world that kinda no longer exists. And, as a result, the true power of the crown has been forgotten.

Then there’s Thor who answers a call from an old friend, Horangi, who is a tiger-goddess and is not awed by Thor in the slightest. However, she means enough to him that when she calls and asks for his help, he will answer — and get taken to an intergalactic K-Pop concert. I’m not even kidding.

And there, Thor discovers Nihilator, still wearing the crown, which he recognises as belonging to him, and which should be locked away in Asgard’s treasury. According to Horangi, that means Thor is is the reason her people from Korea are being brought to this world against their will. She may have been in self-exile, but her people matter to her, and she will do everything she can to protect them. Destroying the crown, she argues, is Thor’s responsibility.

Horangi is the kind of no bullshit character that gleefully puts Thor in his place, and who Thor respects. She is powerful in her own way, and a fearsome fighter — which he can respect too.

However, when the concert gets out of control, Thor and Horangi find themselves on a ship called the Orlando, in the company of the captain, Zia and her crew.

Their first order of business? Find Loki, before they can get the crown back.

Loki is the thread that brings everything together, showing the scope of this story. It’s with Thor though, the push and pull of their relationship, their arguments, and how they know each other so well that the character shines.

And that’s where this world begins to expand wonderfully

I adored learning about the crew and listening to Thor and Horangi interact with them. They are a motley bunch, but they work well together, and have formed their own family — frost giants included. I appreciated that while Thor and Loki might be the more familiar and main characters in this story, the authors have created complex secondary characters around them. And included in this crew, is Skarra, a citizen of Miskandar, the city that gifted Thor their crown.

The beauty of this tale is how each part revealed something new about the overall story, and gave Thor the chance to be more. He learns of the consequences of his actions on Miskandar, where he thought he was quelling a rebellion and was gifted with a crown as thanks. The doubt it creates in him is something that always makes me sit up and pay attention because Thor is all about confidence — in himself and his hammer and something big is the only thing that will take it away from him.

Like Loki, who takes both away by telling him the truth.

That means Thor is forced to question his actions, and that he was so wrapped up in being the Mighty Thor, he didn’t think what his actions would mean to a planet of people. Metal Gods forces Thor to reckon with his assumptions and what he realises is how blind he has been.

While Thor is undergoing a crisis, it means it’s up to Loki to save the day, to the something more than just the trickster, because there are some electric fight scenes in this, and Loki is front and centre — AND I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Valkyries — who 10000000% need their own movie and/or book series like this.

The brothers’ relationship comes to the forefront as well because only Loki would know Thor well enough to hurt him, but also save him as well. In addition, there are other relationships that Loki has had, like for instance with Zia, that shows him in a different light — to us and Thor.

And what about the crown?

That’s the beauty of Thor’s world: the impossible is possible, and you’re only limited by your imagination when it comes to serials (or books) in Thor’s world. So what starts as a story about a crown that seems to control way to many people? Turns into something different — it’s. SO. DAMN. GOOD.

I should have posted updates after I finished each part but really, when I was listening, I was absorbed in the story — so apologies to @serialboxpub — I got completely swept up in this serial!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A space adventure on an epic scale, Marvel’s Thor: Metal Gods propels Thor and Loki on a quest to recover a dangerous alien artifact. Together with a Korean tiger-goddess, a charismatic, gender-fluid space pirate, and Frost Giant mercenaries, the sons of Odin must each confront their pasts and face the truth behind the destruction of a planet that Thor once tried to help. Tinged with humor, celestial horror, complex relationships, space battles, barroom brawls, and blasts of sheer fun.

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