4 takeaways from Marvel reportedly ‘retooling’ it’s cinematic universe

Some big changes are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s no secret that Marvel needs a hit, and badly. The blockbuster franchise that took over the box office for the better part of a decade has finally started to look mortal. 

The Marvels lost money at the box office, something previously unheard of for a Marvel Studios film, while off-screen troubles have led to numerous projects being delayed, revamped or potentially even scrapped altogether.

The Hollywood Reporter released a new report detailing some of the big changes being made behind the scenes at Marvel Studios as parent company Disney attempts to get its superhero cinematic universe back on track. Here are some of the biggest revelations from THR’s report and how they could impact the MCU going forward.

4 key takeaways from The Marvels (SPOILERS!)

What we learned about the MCU and Captain Marvel from the latest Marvel movie.

The Marvels finally hit theaters, and it didn’t take long for fans to start speculating on how the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could impact the rest of Hollywood’s most sprawling franchise.

The sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel is a team-up between Brie Larson’s titular role and two characters who made their debut in Marvel streaming shows from Disney+, marking the first time the MCU has brought characters from television into leading roles on the big screen.

How did everything tie together and what do we learn about the future of the MCU from The Marvels? We’re here to break it all down for you.

WARNING: THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. TURN BACK NOW TO AVOID BEING SPOILED!

OK, READY? LET’S GET INTO IT…

New Marvel actor Harrison Ford claims he has absolutely no idea who the Red Hulk is

Will we see Ross transform into Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World?

If the Red Hulk is to appear in Captain America: Brave New World, Harrison Ford doesn’t know anything about it.

That what he says, at least, in a recent interview with Comicbook.com.

Ford is making the rounds with the media to promote his newest film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. But Ford is also set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon, taking the reins of the character General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross in the new Captain America movie set for release next year. Ross was previously played by the late William Hurt, who died in 2022.

Ross made his on-screen debut in the MCU in The Incredible Hulk (2008) as a general who is hunting down Bruce Banner. By the time Captain America: Civil War (2016) rolls around, Ross has become Secretary of State.

In the comics, Ross eventually obtains the powers to transform into a Hulk-like figure, but one that is red, thus simply and appropriately named: Red Hulk. But Hurt’s Ross never transformed into Red Hulk on the big screen.

A few weeks ago, a photo from the Captain America set surfaced online, and it seemed to show Ford wearing ripped pants, leading a lot of folks to wonder if Ross’ transformation is coming in this film.

And so, at the end of this interview, Comicbook.com’s Jamie Jirak asks Ford, “Might we be seeing Mr. Ford as the Red Hulk?”

Ford keeps a straight face, takes a beat, and then deadpans: “What’s a Red Hulk?”

The 80-year-old actor then says Red Hulk “may or may not” appear in the new Captain America film.

Judge for yourself: Is Ford legitimately clueless about the MCU, or is he playing dumb here?

And stick around for a nod to Han Solo at the end.

Everything we know about Marvel’s Echo show on Disney+

Maya Lopez is back. And so are Daredevil and the Kingpin.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is returning to street-level storytelling this year when Echo debuts on Disney+.

On-screen, Echo – aka Maya Lopez – was a character MCU fans first saw in the Hawkeye series that aired in 2021. In the comics, she’s been around since 1999 when she was created by writer David Mack and artist Joe Quesada, making her debut in Daredevil No. 9. In the comics, she’s been associated with the Avengers, the Hand, and has also taken up the mantle of Ronin. In the Hawkeye show, we see her as the leader of The Tracksuit Mafia.

In both the comics and the MCU, Echo is Native American and deaf. She is also an Olympic-level athlete, an expert in martial arts, an acrobat, and has photographic reflexes (think of this ability being akin to how Taskmaster can copy the fighting styles of the Avengers). Additionally, she is the adopted kin of the notorious Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk.

Here’s what we know so far about the show, which is hitting the streaming service this fall:

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See Florence Welch’s tearful reaction to hearing Dog Days are Over in Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Good to know we weren’t the only ones crying.

SPOILER ALERT: The following content contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The entire two-and-a-half hours of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a rollercoaster of emotions as the journey for the most ragtag group of defenders came to a close in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. But the closing needle drop perfects that mix of sadness and joy and everything in-between.

As some Guardians part ways and others reflect on everything that had happened, the distinct harp music of Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” starts up. The crisp voice of lead singer Florence Welch pierces the theater with the opening line that felt so perfectly designed for the moment.

“Happiness hit her like a train on a track…”

After everything the characters had been through — not just in Vol. 3 but the entire Guardians run — it felt so earned. As Rocket, Groot, Nebula and yes, even Drax, danced to the upbeat melody, everything felt like it was going to turn out OK.

Welch saw the movie recently, and thank goodness someone had the wherewithal to record her reaction. It was perfect.

@florence

So I cried all the way through this movie but when the The Guardians of the Galaxy started dancing to Dog Days I really lost it. Thank you so much for all the love for this moment. The superhero obsessed little girl in me can’t believe it happened ♥️ x

♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine

Welch wrote in the caption:

“So I cried all the way through this movie but when the The Guardians of the Galaxy started dancing to Dog Days I really lost it. Thank you so much for all the love for this moment. The superhero obsessed little girl in me can’t believe it happened ♥️ x”

What a beautiful, beautiful moment to end a wonderful trilogy.

What the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes mean

We’re here to break down those two scenes and what they could mean to the future of both the Guardians and the MCU.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is here to kick off the 2023 summer movie season, and while it’s being touted as the end of an era for Star-Lord and his family of misfits, we know that the end is never really the end in the Marvel Universe. Heck, the end of the movie isn’t really even the end of the movie when it comes to Marvel!

As dedicated MCU fans know, the credits typically aren’t the end of the movie as the franchise has become known for dropping a few extra tidbits for patient fans willing to sit through the credit scroll. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is no different, as we’re offered not one but two post-credit scenes, one about midway through the credits, and another at the very end of the credits.

We’re here to break down those two scenes and what they could mean to the future of both the Guardians and to the MCU as a whole. But fair warning:

DON’T READ ON IF YOU DON’T WANT THESE SCENES OR THE MOVIE TO BE SPOILED!

OK, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, read on for discussion on the two post-credit scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Yes, Peter Quill dropped the first [expletive] of the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Yes, Peter Quill dropped this major potty word in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

After 15 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally dropped a major swear word.

Actor Chris Pratt uttered the very first MCU f-bomb in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, making a major turn in what content is allowed in a Marvel film made by Disney.

The moment comes halfway through the film, with Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord tossing out an f-bomb in comedic frustration as he’s explaining to Nebula (Karen Gillan) how to open up a car door while on Counter-Earth.

Marvel films have included foul language before, but this latest Guardians of the Galaxy film has broken a barrier by including the harsher expletive.

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“That was not scripted, no,” Pratt told the Toronto Sun on if the f-bomb was in the script. “There’s a five or six-minute period of the film where we were trying to get a lot of laughs … I think [director James Gunn] told me to try saying that and I tried it and it made it in. But it’s not the first time I’ve tried to get an F word into the movies.”

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: James Gunn leaves Marvel with a reminder of what the MCU could be

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: James Gunn leaves Marvel with a reminder of what the MCU could be

Guardians Vol. 3 gets back to everything we loved about the MCU leading up to Avengers: Endgame.

Nearly every review of every Marvel Studios film these days becomes at least in part a commentary on the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the one you’re reading now is no exception (though I will try to stick to the assignment as much as possible). In defense of myself and everyone else tasked with reviewing these movies, it’s not really our fault! The MCU built its empire on connections and callbacks and on those fun little moments of recognition reminding you that all these movies fit together into one giant puzzle with an enormously satisfying payoff just around the corner.

But even as it became one of the most beloved parts of the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy always felt like it existed in its own private corner of the universe. Sure, some of the characters have deep ties to Thanos, and the Guardians played a key role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But their two solo films felt as self-contained as anything Marvel Studios has ever made, both in terms of story and the unique voice and tone that writer/director James Gunn infused into the films.

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Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 keeps that tradition of weirdness, independence and uniqueness that made the first two Guardians movies so beloved. It also takes advantage of all the time we as an audience have spent with these characters to create some genuinely beautiful and emotional moments amid some of the most bizarre, hilarious and spectacular action we have seen in a superhero movie since Avengers: Endgame.

The film centers around the gruff, trash-talking Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), though primarily in flashbacks, as we learn about his origin for the first time while he remains absent from the contemporary action for most of the film. Rocket’s tragic backstory involves a villainous corporate geneticist known as The High Evolutionary, played with venom-spitting ferocity by Chukwudi Iwuji.

“He didn’t want to make things perfect, he just hated things the way they are,” we are told at one point about the High Evolutionary, a description that can’t help but bring to mind any number of real-world “disrupters” who have no plan to make things better, simply the will and power to destroy things as they are now.

Rocket’s story is paralleled with a somewhat wandering but no less thrilling adventure by the other members of the Guardians family, and Gunn does a phenomenal job of making sure every member of his expansive ensemble gets to shine. While every character has their moments, Karen Gillan’s Nebula stands out as a character that has come a long way from her first appearance as a one-note villain to a much more complex and interesting member of the team. Gunn has put in the work on all of his characters, and what we’re left with is a group of damaged, well-intentioned misfits who have trauma bonded and formed a family.

Gunn never stops the action to ham-fistedly point out the family dynamics to us. We see them play out during the normal course of events. We see the friction points, the subjects that rub some people the wrong way, the argument styles that clash. We also see the little moments that show why these people love each other and cling to each other.

Since I’m probably making this sound like an Ingmar Bergman movie up to this point, I need to also let you know that the action in this movie is utterly spectacular. There are about half a dozen big action set pieces that are as good as anything we’ve seen at the movies post-pandemic. There is one scene in particular showing the entire team fighting together in a hallway that I would call a contender for the best superhero action scene ever made. Really.

And this is what you should be thinking and feeling walking out of a superhero movie. They shouldn’t feel normal and average. They should be surprising and emotional and spectacular. They should feel special. For me, as a die-hard fan of the MCU, those feelings have been missing since Endgame and Guardians Vol. 3 is the first time those feelings have returned.

In his farewell to Marvel (he’s now headed to DC where he will re-launch their cinematic universe), James Gunn reminds us just how good these movies can be and how special they should make us feel walking out of the theater. Can the MCU get back to making us feel this way again? Time will tell, but at least now they have a blueprint.

If Adam Driver is going to be Reed Richards, here are our casting picks for the rest of the MCU’s Fantastic Four

Yes, we’re pulling some choices from the cast of “Top Gun: Maverick,” obviously.

It’s been nearly three years since news broke that Marvel Studios was finally developing a “Fantastic Four” film. We’ve seen the iconic superhero group on the big screen before, but not as part of the MCU (unless you count that one sequence from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).

We’ve already had a director change on the project, and MCU fans have been waiting at the edge of their seats for any sort of casting news.

This week, we got some hints as reports and rumors surfaced that the MCU is eyeing Adam Driver for the role of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, the group’s leader.

The Emmy- and Oscar-nominated Driver hasn’t appeared in a comic book film or TV project before, but he’s no stranger for franchise productions as he starred as Kylo Ren in three Star Wars films. Driver seems sort of perfect for Reed Richards though – we know he can play a smart guy, and he can also play someone who can be a brazen know-it-all.

If Driver is going to be Reed Richards, we have some other ideas for the rest of the Fantastic Four cast…

The 4 major takeaways from The Marvels trailer, including Iman Vellani’s big screen debut

Nick Fury! Flerken kittens!

Buckle up, The Marvels is coming. Marvel Studios gave us our first glimpse of the trio of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) in November’s new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

MORE: Secret Invasion trailer shows Nick Fury is ready for “one last fight”

In just under two minutes, the teaser trailer shows us a LOT and sets the stage for what could be an epic adventure. Slated in Phase 5 after May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the Secret Invasion series on Disney+, The Marvels will tie together several storylines while moving things forward.

Here are four big takeaways from the trailer.