Venom 3: Release date, cast, latest news
Eddie Brock and Venom's next adventure has now been confirmed.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe hasn't always been the most critically acclaimed superhero world – just look at the response to Madame Web earlier this year – but the Venom films starring Tom Hardy have built up a fairly sizeable following despite the poor reviews. And now Hardy is set to reprise his dual role as Eddie Brock and Venom in Venom: The Last Dance, which as the title suggests is being billed as the great finale to the saga that started with 2018's original and continued with 2021 sequel Let There Be Carnage. These films have always boasted impressive casts and this time Hardy's being joined by Ted Lasso's Juno Temple and Doctor Strange star Chiwetel Ejiofor, while there's also a role for House of the Dragon star Rhys Ifans and the returning Stephen Graham. Meanwhile, as with the previous entry, Hardy has a story credit alongside director Kelly Marcel, so the film seems certain to have his stamp all over it. Read on for everything you need to know about Venom 3. Venom 3 release date Venom 3 is scheduled for release on Friday 25th October 2024, so not long to go at all! It had initially been set for a summer release, on 12th July, but this was delayed as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. Previously, Hardy confirmed that the Sony sequel had begun pre-production back in February 2023. He told Digital Spy: "These things [usually] come in threes. If there's going to be a new one – and they depend heavily on the success of each individual one, so you can't count on them ever happening again – every one has got to be as if it was the last one. "But I think it's really important, if you go into something, thinking that one, two and three are the same... the same story, the same film. So that you don't surprise yourself by being caught out by suddenly having to do a third from nowhere. He added: "There's got to be some continuity into a third and fourth and fifth, and if somebody says 'no', that's fine. Let it go, and you move on to something else." Venom 3 cast: Who stars alongside Tom Hardy? Tom Hardy, of course, will be returning, and he's once again joined by a host of big names. Those joining the cast this time around include Ted Lasso actress Juno Temple and 12 Years a Slave star/Marvel alum Chiwetel Ejiofor, who are playing a scientist and soldier respectively, each carrying out research on symbiotes at Area 51. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon's Rhys Ifans stars as Martin, an alien enthusiast who Eddie and Venom meet on the road, and Andy Serkis – who directed the previous instalment – joins as the voice of Knull, the creator of the symbiotes. The other major players getting a comeback are Stephen Graham’s Patrick Mulligan and Peggy Lu as convenience store owner Mrs. Chen, but there's no room this time around for Michelle Williams as Venom's ex-fiancée Anne. Venom 3 plot The new film marks the end of Eddie and Venom's saga and sees them take to the road in order to escape the authorities after the events of Let There Be Carnage. The official synopsis reads: "Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance." Venom 3 trailer You can find the trailer for the film below: View oEmbed on the source website Venom: The Last Dance is released on Friday 25th October 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
She-Hulk's Daredevil tease is a tragic Easter egg
The Man Without Fear returns to the MCU...
Someone is lurking in the shadows of Jessica Gao’s She-Hulk - and while those who’ve stuck close to their Marvel Cinematic Universe updates had the surprise spoiled ahead of time, the imminent arrival of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil is sure to be one of the superhero series's big talking points. We’re already five episodes into She-Hulk's nine-episode run, and even if the writers are saving Matt Murdock for later in the season, September 15th's 'Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans' teased his debut. More than just a throwaway nod to the Man Without Fear, She-Hulk’s first tease is more important than you think - it fleshes out a tragic piece of Daredevil history. Although there was no post-credit scene in this week’s She-Hulk, the episode closed with possibly its biggest stinger yet. When Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) visited the HQ of superhero designer Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews), she got to try on a variety of new outfits, including one we guess will be her comic-accurate purple and white number. As Jacobson raged about client confidentiality, he quickly whisked away a hat box containing a familiar-looking helmet. This time though, Daredevil’s crimson cowl was swapped out for a yellow variant. While most associate Daredevil with his now-iconic red outfit, his yellow costume has a much deeper meaning that harks all the way back to his comic book debut. Introduced in 1964’s Daredevil #1, Murdock’s OG costume is nothing like the red one the comics, Ben Affleck’s underwhelming 2003 movie, and Cox’s Netflix series has popularised. In the comics, Murdock wore a yellow suit with red gloves and red boots to honour his late father. The series's backstory featured Jack Murdock (John Patrick Hayden) entering the ring to take on Carl Creel in a red and yellow robe that read 'Battlin' Jack Murdock'. Similar to comic book Peter Parker taking on the mantle of Spider-Man following the death of Uncle Ben, Cox’s Murdock decided to clean up the streets when his father was killed in the aftermath of a fixed boxing match. Despite this deep dive into the past of Daredevil lore, it seems Murdock wants a fresh start - which makes sense with where we left the character. Netflix’s Daredevil series is a prelude to where we find him in She-Hulk. The season 3 finale featured Murdock taking on Vincent D'Onofrio’s Kingpin and Wilson Bethel's Bullseye, following the latter trying to tarnish Daredevil's name by impersonating him. DD abandoned his classic suit in favour of a homemade costume, so he’s likely looking for some new garments if he’s back fighting crime. Earth-shattering events like the Blip have happened in the time between Daredevil and She-Hulk, but there are sure to be those that will still associate Daredevil’s red costume with Bullseye's villainous turn. Remembering that the upcoming Disney Plus series is called Daredevil: Born Again, it makes even more sense why we’re starting anew with the character. Before you get carried away though, keep in mind that this version of Daredevil is still very much the Murdock we got to know during the three seasons of Netflix’s show. Despite some confusion about how the likes of Daredevil and the Defenders could fit into mainline MCU canon, D'Onofrio and the official Marvel website confirmed that the Kingpin who turned up in Hawkeye is the same one from Daredevil. The same goes for Murdock’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, so there are no Multiverse variants here. Speaking of variants, this isn’t the only new Daredevil suit you’ll see. Cox is voicing Daredevil in the animated Spider-Man: Freshman Year, but in this Multiverse series, he’ll be sporting a grey and red number. We wonder whether this will have an equally interesting backstory. The MCU has never entirely stuck to the comics, and although the Daredevil series had a comic-accurate origin of Matt losing his sight to a radioactive spill, he might not be that handy with a sewing machine to create his yellow suit. Even though we doubt Jacobson has fashioned a superhero costume out of a boxing robe, the new costume is a heartwarming nod to Daredevil’s MCU origin. It’s even more poignant when you remember that She-Hulk is the debut of Murdock's vigilante alter ego in the 'main' MCU. When the first She-Hulk teasers dropped, fans were quick to dial up the brightness to figure out Cox is wearing a more classic red and yellow costume. It remains to be seen how Daredevil comes into play here, but with theories that the mysterious "boss" the Wrecking Crew is working for could be Kingpin, the pieces are starting to come together. Murdock and Wilson Fisk are sure to cross paths in the upcoming Echo series, but if Daredevil is getting ready to take on his archenemy in She-Hulk, it’s also a neat segue into Born Again. Still, we’re rightly questioning whether Murdock and Walters will be friends or foe both inside out the courtroom. At least they should be suitably dressed in their superhero finery when they first meet. She-Hulk premiered on Disney Plus on Thursday 18th August 2022 with new episodes weekly – sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
House of the Dragon debunks a major Targaryen theory
A dragonrider can still be burned... **WARNING: Contains spoilers for House of the Dragon**
"If you can’t handle the heat, get off the Iron Throne" seems to be the motto of HBO’s House of the Dragon - and if anyone is feeling that pressure, it’s Paddy Considine’s Viserys Targaryen. The much-hyped Game of Thrones prequel is fleshing out George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga, but this time, we’re charting the blonde-haired Targaryen lineage some 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen is born. Based on Martin’s Fire & Blood novel, House of the Dragon has wasted no time in adapting the illustrated history for the small screen. More than just retelling the events of who lived and who died in the race to sit on the world’s most uncomfortable chair, House of the Dragon is diving deep into the mythos of the Seven Kingdoms. We’re only four episodes in, and already, it looks like showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal have debunked a major Game of Thrones theory. While Martin has never specifically confirmed it, a popular theory flowing over from David Benioff and D B Weiss's series is that Targaryens are immune to fire. This comes from the fiery arc of Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen. It harks all the way back to the iconic scene in season 1, where she stepped into the funeral pyre of Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and emerged holding her newly hatched dragons. Instead of leaving the mystery up in the air, the showrunners hammered home Dany’s apparent abilities when she torched a temple of Dothraki Khals in season 6. Now, House of the Dragon has confirmed fireproof Targaryens aren't a thing. Eagle-eyes fans noted something in the return of Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen in episode 4. After defeating the Crabfeeder a year earlier and proclaiming himself King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, Daemon was back to stir up trouble in King’s Landing. The previous episode saw him best the Triarchy, but not before being struck by a flaming arrow in the opening scene In the latest episode, you can see he carries a burn mark, seemingly confirming Targaryens aren’t immune to fire. View oEmbed on the source website Martin has always maintained that Targaryens aren’t some fireproof deities, and when talking about the first book in 1998, he said some were reading too much into the idea of the dynasty being impervious to flame. Hammering home the point in a 1999 chat with fans, Martin categorically said, "Targaryens are not immune to fire!" Explaining the Dany situation, he added, "The birth of Dany’s dragons was unique, magical, wondrous, a miracle. She is called The Unburnt because she walked into the flames and lived. But her brother sure as hell wasn’t immune to that molten gold." Basically, Dany’s apparent magical powers were a unique feature added to the series. Even in the books, she doesn’t possess the same abilities, with her now-iconic pyre scene leaving her without any hair and severe burns on her body. For those up on their Targaryen history, immunity from flame was never the case, and in fact, there’s a fiery farewell on the horizon. Warning for those who don’t want to know a major House of the Dragon spoiler: turn back now. We know House of the Dragon won’t employ the same immunity that Dany had because a major character will meet a grisly fate in which they are torched and then eaten by a dragon. Across the history of the realm, there have been numerous examples of the Targaryen family tree being injured by fire or even burned to death. In particular, the Tragedy at Summerhall took place in the year 259 AC (after Aegon’s conquest), and claimed the lives of both King Aegon V Targaryen and Prince Duncan Targaryen. Aerion 'Brightflame' Targaryen perished in 232 AC when he drank wildfire, thinking it would turn him into a dragon. Instead, he was burned from the inside out. Closer to home, remember that Daenerys's brother died when a pot of molten gold was poured on his head. Although critics will likely point out that Viserys III Targaryen was killed by a boiling liquid rather than by fire itself, it’s a similar plot point. After all, it was Dany that said her brother wasn’t a true dragon because "fire cannot kill a dragon". Finally, there’s Jon Snow, AKA Aegon Targaryen. The show backed itself into a corner with the whole Targaryens are immune to fire theory when Jon badly burned his hand protecting Jeor Mormont from an attacking Wight. House of the Dragon is sure to double down on burning Targaryens with the upcoming Dance of the Dragons we keep hearing about. The clue is in the name, but with the Dance of the Dragons being a who's who of Targaryens and their rides, expect the House of the Dragon burn ward to be pretty full in the aftermath. For now, though, another Song of Ice and Fire theory can count itself as thoroughly torched. Read More How to watch House of the Dragon – where can you stream? Matt Smith says “daunting” Doctor Who prepared him for House of the Dragon House of the Dragon planned to last three or four seasons House of the Dragon review: Game of Thrones prequel soars Meet the cast of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel series When is House of the Dragon set? Game of Thrones timeline explained What time is House of the Dragon released in the UK? What is the Dance of the Dragons? House of the Dragon war explained Where was House of the Dragon filmed? What is Dark Sister in House of the Dragon? Who is the opening voiceover in House of the Dragon episode 1? What book is House of the Dragon based on? Fire and Blood book changes Your guide to the dragons of House of the Dragon What is Aegon’s Dream and the Prince That Was Promised in House of the Dragon? House of the Dragon cast have had “conversations” about season 2 Beyond the Dragon: House of the Dragon episode 1 review and reaction What is Old Valyria, the Doom and High Valyrian in House of the Dragon? House of the Dragon opening credits explained with hidden meaning When do Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy appear in House of the Dragon? Game of Thrones books in order: A Song of Ice and Fire and more House of the Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic and is available on NOW. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
How Avengers: Secret Wars could be about to reboot the MCU
New worlds! Old favourites! And a new Big Bad? We delve into the multiversal possibilities of Marvel's next big team-up movie.
The secret is out! Avengers: Secret Wars is officially on its way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though it'll be a while before it gets here. With the return of an in-person San Diego Comic-Con this year, fans expected to find out more about Marvel's upcoming slate, and they weren't disappointed. Perhaps the most intriguing of all? In 2025, we have Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars airing just six months apart. For a while, fans have been hankering for a big superhero team-up to return to the MCU – and now two are on the cards. And just like Infinity War and Endgame before them, the next two-part epic is set to redefine the franchise. In particular, though, it’s Secret Wars that could be the MCU’s big reboot, catapaulting us into Phase 7 and beyond. So, just what is Secret Wars and what does it mean for the MCU? Time to find out... What is Marvel’s Secret Wars? In typically complicated style, there were actually two separate Secret Wars stories to grace the pages of Marvel Comics. A quick 'Secret Wars for dummies' guide should start with the 12-issue series from 1984. Essentially created as a way to sell a new Mattel toy line, the OG Secret Wars featured an omnipotent being known as the Beyonder pitching his favourite heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld. Basically, he was like a big kid smashing his action figures together, but with reality-warping abilities. Still, it seems more likely that the MCU is heading toward Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s more recent Secret Wars of 2015. In that story, following the Avengers and New Avengers’ 'Time Runs Out' arc, our heroes fought to save the Multiverse after a series of incursions started destroying different realities. If any of that sounds familiar, it’s because Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had the Illuminati of Earth-838 trying to stop “our” reality of Earth-616 doing just that. In fact, the movie ended with Doctor Stephen Strange dashing off with Charlize Theron’s Clea to prevent another incursion. Back in 2015’s Secret Wars, a race of Beyonders tried to wipe out the Multiverse. A cocktail of surviving dimensions were stitched together as Battleworld, where survivors fought to topple the Beyonders and Doctor Doom – who appointed himself God Emperor Doom. Because comics. The various Battleworld regions alone are a struggle to wrap your head around, with the strange world encompassing everything from the zombie-ravaged Deadlands to Bar Sinister (populated by clones of X-Men baddie Mister Sinister), the Valley of Flame as a prehistoric wasteland, and a domain called Doomguard that housed a team of alternate Thors known as the Thor Corps – essentially Battleworld's police force. How will the MCU adapt Secret Wars? Even if it’s taken a while to get there, the MCU is finally embracing the potential of multiple realities. Spider-Man: No Way Home cracked open the Multiverse with villains from the Maguire and Garfield eras, What If...? canonised Marvel Zombies, and Multiverse of Madness gave us a whistle-stop tour of more realities than we could count. All of these could become part of a live-action Battleworld map, then get torn apart and picked up for a new story in a post-Secret Wars reboot. Arguably, Multiverse of Madness’s highlight was the Illuminati roster of Marvel faces old and new. The latest rumours claim John Krasinski won’t return as Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie – but given that a conflict between 616’s Mr Fantastic and his Earth-1610 version (known as the Maker) was a major part of Secret Wars, maybe there's room for his return here. Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange movie also cued next year's X-Men ‘97 with the return of Charles Xavier in THAT yellow wheelchair – putting another potential Battleworld territory in the mix. There are already theories that the MCU of Earth-616 isn’t even the 'main' continuity. As a get-out-of-jail-free card, it could be that what's happened so far in the MCU is part of a much bigger picture. Secret Wars (2015) famously merged the Marvel 616 Universe with the Ultimate Marvel 1610 Universe and allowed Miles Morales to join the main continuity of the comics. Onscreen, the X-Men could jump into the party in a similar way – although we guess Ms Marvel’s finale twist means they’re out there somewhere already. In the same way that Avengers: Endgame concluded the first three phases of the MCU, Secret Wars seems set to do the same for Phase 6, meaning it’ll need some jaw-dropping moments to rival Cap’s "Avengers....assemble". And the options are limitless. Who’s to say Secret Wars won’t introduce a reality where the Avengers continued in a post-Snap world without trying to reverse it? Maybe Robert Downey Jr could be lured back to play an alternate version of Tony Stark – by 2025, enough time will have passed since "I love you 3,000" to make Iron Man’s return pack a punch. In the world of superheroes, no-one's gone for good – much like the long-rumoured return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is anyone really buying that RDJ has put down his armour forever? Kang is the key So what might kick Secret Wars into high gear? Mythical franchise reboots are all well and good, but you need someone to put it into motion. While Kang the Conqueror isn’t a major player in either Secret Wars in the comics, he’s clearly where the MCU is heading. The title of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty implies the time travelling villain will appear in different forms, which is handy because there are multiple iterations of the character who have appeared in the comics. Taking a leaf out of Rick and Morty’s book, the comics even introduced the Council of Kangs, which featured Kangaroo the Conqueror (among others). Live-action Kang was established in a different way for the Loki finale, when Jonathan Majors’s variant He Who Remains was slain by Sylvie and allowed the “main” Kang to come forward. The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania poster puts Majors front and centre as a comic-accurate Kang, Moon Knight teased his Rama-Tut persona, and his young Nathaniel Richards/Iron Lad form is a potential candidate for the Young Avengers. For those who still aren’t convinced Kang is key to futures and reboots, Kevin Feige recently told ComicBook that Majors will be “shouldering” Phase 5 and 6 – calling the whole thing the Multiverse Saga. There are only three years until 2025, and although it's possible to introduce another classic villain like Dr Doom and set him up as the big bad of Secret Wars, Kang makes more sense right now. Even if not as the de facto villain of Secret Wars, Kang can replace the Beyonder/s as a puppet master from the shadows. After all, it worked for Thanos. And maybe some kind of Secret Wars reboot is just what the doctor (not Doom this time) ordered. Despite there being a lot of love for the MCU, that doesn’t mean we won’t be overdue at least a slight facelift and tidy up after 17 years. Secret Wars gives an easy out for any big-name star who wants it. How many more movies can Bruce Banner be the stoic science guy or Thor the bumbling near-immortal? By that point, even Brie Larson will have played Captain Marvel for six years. If Feige and co pull off Secret Wars, the MCU can move forward into the mythical Phase 7 doing what it wants. It’s a clever trick that 2015’s Secret Wars did by folding in loose parts of canon that worked but largely shuttering other lines that had gone stale (for example, saving Miles Morales's Spider-Man but ending the Ultimate universe more generally). From the return of characters who helped make the MCU what it was or as a vehicle for long-desired new heroes, Secret Wars is the perfect opportunity to reconvene or reboot. Here’s hoping that throwing the kitchen sink of actors and characters at this comic-book epic pays off, or we might end up with a bloated Marvel version of the DCEU’s Justice League instead of the next Endgame. There are exciting times ahead with plenty old, new, and possibly blue (thanks to the Fantastic Four) characters making their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here's hoping it survives what's coming... Avengers: Secret Wars comes to cinemas in 2025. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Obi-Wan Kenobi just brought another Jedi back from the dead
Another fan favourite looks like he'll be popping up before too long. **Contains episode 3 spoilers**
Is anyone really ever dead in the galaxy far, far away? If it’s not Darth Maul returning with spider legs, it’s Boba Fett crawling out of the Sarlacc or Fennec Shand surviving a gunshot to the torso. Deborah Chow’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different, and while the Grand Inquisitor’s role in Rebels means we’re convinced he’s not kicked the bucket, he’s not the only fan-favourite poised for a return. During this week's Part III, fans got more of Vivien Lyra Blair’s adorable Young Leia, got to meet Indira Varma’s Tala, and were teased with the mother of all showdowns when our titular Jedi was finally reunited with Anakin Skywalker - some 10 years after Obi-Wan left his Padawan as a lump of coal on Mustafar. However, did you spot a clever nod to another ghost from Obi-Wan’s past? Who is Quinlan Vos? As Leia and Obi-Wan attempted to escape the Empire through the tunnels of Mapuzo, Tala explained how this Jedi sanctuary is the gateway to “the Path”, which leads them to a new life on the planet Jabiim. With names of those who’ve visited before etched on the wall, a shocked Obi-Wan says, “Quinlan was here?” It’s a reference to Quinlan Vos, who is something of a big deal in Star Wars canon, but was presumed dead by most in the bloody aftermath of Order 66. Appearing as another wayward Jedi in the Star Wars: Republic and Star Wars: Jedi comics, Vos is a hot-headed Kiffar male who is known to stray a little too close to the Dark Side. Vos lost his way in the canonised 2015 novel, Dark Disciple. Here, he tried to get inside Count Dooku’s inner circle but was lured to the Dark Side when he fell in love with the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress. Her murder saw him turn back to the side of good, and it’s actually Obi-Wan who tried to persuade the Jedi Council to reinstate Vos. Obi-Wan and Quinlan have their own history, and as well as chasing Ziro the Hutt, they also battled Cad Bane in the animated The Clone Wars series. This isn’t the first time Star Wars has given Quinlan the nod in live-action. As well as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in The Phantom Menace, he canonically trained Aayla Secura (the blue Twi’lek we saw cut down by Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith). Episode 3 also made a mention that “Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity". The 2008 novel Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel gave Vos a post-Order 66 survival arc when he evaded troops on Kashyyyk and was reunited with lover Khaleen Hentz and their child. Even if it’s largely not considered canon these days, it's a neat way to bring Vos back. A potential problem of Vos appearing at all comes from Charles Soule’s Darth Vader comics. The final issue featured the charred Anakin Skywalker cutting down Force visions of Yoda, Mace Windu, Vos and more inside a Jedi Temple dreamscape. They all had one thing in common... they were all dead. Strange that Vos would be the odd one out, but we’re sure the franchise can work around that one too. How can Quinlan Vos return? How Vos fits into Obi-Wan Kenobi remains to be seen, but eagle-eyed fans have suggested the pair might not cross paths at all. Instead, Quinlan Vos’ return could be saved for The Mandalorian season 3. When Obi-Wan read Quinlan’s message of “Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see,” Leia asked: "See what?" If you read the closed captions, Obi-Wan’s response of "the Way" capitalises the “W". It's just like the Mandalorian do for Mando’s favourite catchphrase: “This is the Way.” The mention of closing your eyes could have something to do with Vos’ psychometric powers and abilities to read someone’s memories through objects they’ve touched, or it simply could be a way for Obi-Wan to hone his waning Jedi powers and reconnect with the Force to help him defeat Vader. Also, with it looking like Vos survived Order 66, could he have been the mysterious Jedi saviour who snatched Grogu from the Jedi temple? Even though Obi-Wan Kenobi’s timeline of 19 years before The Mandalorian doesn’t quite match up, an aged Vos could be saved for the sister series. Now that young Leia is in the clutches of Reva and Obi-Wan has been (literally) dragged across the coals by his former apprentice, he desperately needs the help of Vos and others. Obi-Wan has spent most of the first three episodes trying to reach out to Qui-Gon Jinn through the Force, and remembering that Yoda said Obi-Wan’s former master had found the path to immortality, we guess Liam Neeson’s Force ghost will be saying “hello there” before the final credits. As for Quinlan Vos, it remains to be seen what new identity he’s forged and who will be playing the wayward Jedi in the ever-expanding Outer Rim of returning Star Wars characters. Read more: When is Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4 released on Disney Plus? Hayden Christensen: 'Playing Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi was cathartic' Obi-Wan Kenobi fans go wild as James Earl Jones returns as Darth Vader The Obi-Wan Kenobi series continues on Disney Plus on Wednesdays at 8am GMT. You can sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sci-Fi hub. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Could Yasmin Finney's new Rose be the key to Doctor Who's own multiverse?
Is David Tennant playing a parallel universe version of the Doctor for the 60th anniversary special? We examine the evidence.
Multiverses are everywhere right now, whether it's the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or the heartbreaking and visually stunning Everything Everywhere All at Once. Even the rebranded Worlds of DC is trying to cash in on the hype with The Flash. But is Doctor Who next to board the multiverse train? Jodie Whittaker’s exit coming a year ahead of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary means fans are expecting something massive in the next 12 months. Alongside the high-profile returns of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble, Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney is paving the way for diversity. Details about these returns and debuts are sketchy, but Finney’s role as “New Rose” could have us opening the doors to the multiverse. The Doctor and Donna... but not as you know them Remembering the way we left things, Whovians are questioning how the Doctor and Donna can be back together for the 60th anniversary. Donna’s last adventure with Ten featured her taking on the mantle of DoctorDonna when she gained the power of the Time Lords to defeat Davros. Knowing this would "burn up" Donna’s mind, the Doctor wiped her memory and hoped they’d never meet again. Donna then appeared in Tennant’s swansong, where she nearly remembered their adventures, but once again, had her mind wiped by a failsafe. Fuelling the theories that Tennant’s return isn’t as the Doctor who regenerated into Matt Smith's Eleven, eagle-eyed fans noticed he’s done away with his usual trench coat and has a new suit. Even if it’s a simple wardrobe update, it doesn’t explain how the Doctor and Donna are running around like nothing ever happened. Russell T Davies has already described their reunion as "impossible", and if this isn’t the Donna we left in 2010’s The End of Time, it’s possible she’s an alternate version who didn’t become DoctorDonna. A Doctor between two Roses At the centre of it all appears to be Finney’s mysterious casting as Rose, whose character description doesn’t give anything away. While being referred to as New Rose raises some questions, it also leans into the idea of the multiverse. This isn’t the first time Doctor Who has dipped a toe in the multiverse, and nor is it the first time Donna and Rose (specifically, the version played by Billie Piper) have been part of it. In season 2, the Doctor and Rose accidentally travelled to a parallel universe where the Cybermen rose again, and Rose was later trapped in that world after a clash with the Daleks. Rose was to return in season 4 when the walls between realities broke down, but at the close of the story, Tate's DoctorDonna explained how "dimensional retroclosure" sealed the walls between universes. This stopped multiversal travel and confined Piper’s Rose to an alternate universe with the Meta-Crisis Doctor. It’s possible Finney’s Rose has found a way to traverse the multiverse like the OG famously did in Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon audio anthology on Big Finish. Piper has repeatedly said she’s open to reprising her role as Rose, but it remains to be seen if she'll actually make a comeback. For now, Finney’s casting neatly sets up the return of Piper’s Rose, or just as easily honours Tennant’s days without having the star who played arguably his most famous companion along for the ride. Shaping the future with the past When Whittaker's Thirteen escaped a possible-future version of a nuclear-ravaged Earth in Orphan 55, she told us. "The future is not fixed, it depends on billions of decisions and actions, and people stepping up." This was teased years earlier when the Doctor-lite Turn Left explained how drastically things can change with a simple decision. Ten’s iconic episode featured Donna being manipulated by a Time Beetle, and although 'Donna’s World' was erased from existence, it’s got us thinking about how many others there are. Doctor Who has long established that N-Space is the Prime Universe in canon, but over the past 60 years, we’ve learned about a lot more. Across various media, the Doctor has visited an alternate Earth populated by the vampire-like Haemovores, the many alternate realities that have been conquered by Cybermen, and even one with Tardis Tails - an anthropomorphic cat version of the Doctor. More recently, in 2021's six-part Flux, The Division revealed their secret base was in another universe, and attempted to relocate to that parallel reality before the Doctor foiled their plans. 2003’s Exile audio story even featured an alternate universe where the Doctor regenerated into a woman long before Thirteen. It was Ten who told us about billions of parallel universes stacked on top of each other, and also him that reiterated travel between them was nearly impossible since the Last Great Time War - emphasis on the "nearly" part of that one. Altogether, the more you look, the more evidence there is that parallel worlds have always played a role in Doctor Who, even very recently. Who's to say this isn't finally building to something for the show's 60th anniversary? The multiverse isn’t all it seems Before we start cheering for a 60th anniversary multiverse, it's worth noting that there are rival theories for what's going on with Tennant and Tate's return. Some have claimed that Thirteen will revert back to Ten's face before passing the baton to Ncuti Gatwa’s Fourteen. Elsewhere, people have suggested that New Rose is Donna’s daughter and is named after Piper’s version because of some long-dormant memory in Donna’s subconscious. Arguably, Finney being 18 means she’s too old for this theory to work. Even if Donna got pregnant as soon as she parted ways with the Doctor, her daughter would only be 12 (unless we're taking a leap into the future?). Besides all of this, a Multiverse Rose who looks completely different to the one we all know is an altogether more interesting prospect. Hey, it worked for all those Loki and Spider-Man variants in the MCU. It wasn’t long ago that Hugh Grant was tipped to lead Doctor Who for a Marvel-style makeover, and it could still happen. Even if it seems obvious to just copy the MCU, returning showrunner Davies has spoken about his desire for Doctor Who to have a Disney Plus-esque channel of spin-offs. Multiple parallel Doctors are a possible way to pull this off, as well as tapping into the nostalgic potential of bringing back old Doctors and allowing breakout characters to have their own adventures without messing up the timelines too much. Picture the scene where Finney gets her own live-action series that adapts The Dimension Cannon and follows New Rose searching for Doctors across the multiverse. It might seem unlikely that Davies would want things to get so meta, but what’s more ambitious for the future of Who than handling a multiverse of continuity and cameos? If Doctor Who does go down this route, we’d bet a few more familiar faces will return, and if you want to see Baker, McCoy, Smith, and more for the 60th celebrations, the multiverse is a good place to start. And while we’re at it, why not bring back Dame Joanna Lumley as the Doctor from the 1999 Comic Relief Special? When you enter the multiverse, absolutely anything is possible. Doctor Who returns to BBC One this autumn, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Spider-Man's Green Goblin is still the best on-screen supervillain 20 years on
Two decades on from the release of the original Spider-Man movie, Willem Dafoe still reigns – just look at No Way Home.
Did you know, he’s something of a scientist himself? Some 20 years after Willem Dafoe jumped on his Goblin glider and soared into Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the star’s terrifying turn as Norman Osborn and his unhinged alter ego still stands as one of the best superhero movie performances of all time. And as we mark two decades since the May 2002 release of the seminal superhero flick, it's easy to see how his version of the character stood the test of time. Opposite Tobey Maguire’s goofy Peter Parker, Dafoe brought Spidey’s arch-nemesis to life with just the right balance of chilling and camp. We might have not got “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”, but arguably, we got something even better. Long before Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were taking on Thanos, or even Tony Stark was facing Obadiah Stane, Sony wasn’t worried about post-credit scenes and Easter eggs connecting to a wider world. The Raimiverse was its own entity that was simply set on entertaining. Plans to get a Spider-Man movie off the ground had been struggling since the ‘90s, with James Cameron pitching his own take that would’ve supposedly cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the wall-crawling hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doctor Otto Octavius, and Kevin Spacey as Green Goblin. While some of the script was salvaged for David Koepp’s version, Raimi saved Doc Ock for Spider-Man 2 and let Green Goblin take centre stage. Like pitting Captain America against Red Skull or Black Panther against Killmonger, Green Goblin was an easy sell for Spidey’s first outing. Decades ahead of Multiverse of Madness pitching itself as the MCU’s first horror-hero hybrid, Raimi was doing what he does best in the 2002 Spidey movie. Green Goblin’s metallic mask oozed horror – and even though it wouldn’t have looked out of place in Power Rangers, it was a 21st century revamp of his cartoonish (and hardly intimidating) look from the comics. Although most think of Spider-Man 2's tentacle surgery scene as Raimi's nod to his earlier horror work, the first Spider-Man was nothing if not full of the director's familiar flourishes. Dafoe’s double duty as Osborn and Green Goblin gives similar vibes to Bruce Campbell as Ash/Evil Ash in Evil Dead 2, and although names like John Malkovich and Jim Carrey were once in the mix for the role, it's hard to imagine someone other than Dafoe squeezing into the green battlesuit. Decades before Oscar Isaac won plaudits for switching between characters in Moon Knight, Dafoe was a master at flipping between the sometimes sympathetic Norman and the chaos of the Green Goblin. The star himself said that filming Spider-Man’s penthouse scene – where we first got a sense of Osborn losing his sanity – was one of his favourites, and fans were reminded of this dual performance more recently in the smash-hit multiversal adventure Spider-Man: No Way Home. Two decades after Norm was impaled by his own glider, Dafoe was back in action and once again on fine form. In fact, the 66-year-old only agreed to return to face Tom Holland's webhead if he could do his own stunts. Director Jon Watts might have ditched the classic Goblin costume, but even as an older man in a purple hoodie Norman still cut an imposing figure. Arriving as a sympathetic and dishevelled Osborn who’d been displaced from his own reality, audiences quickly realised the Green Goblin was still bubbling beneath the surface. More Jekyll and Hyde than his previous appearance, we even saw Osborn try to smash the Goblin mask to free himself from the villain’s tormenting grip. Holland’s 'Home' trilogy has pulled off great twists before (Liz's dad! Mysterio!), but the now-iconic condo scene – where Gobby smashed the MCU Spidey through various walls and floors and inspired a revolt by his fellow baddies – also included a villainous act Osborn didn't manage with Rosemary Harris' Aunt May in 2002. View oEmbed on the source website Giving fans one of the MCU’s most shocking deaths, Peter Parker's aunt May (Marisa Tomei) kicked the bucket on the wrong end of a pumpkin bomb. Like Osborn’s epic “you chose the way of the hero” speech, Green Goblin delivered an oddly poignant reminder to Peter when he said: “Peter, you're struggling to have everything you want while the world tries to make you choose.” It’s easy to forget that Holland isn’t even his Peter Parker, and yet, we were watching a true continuation of Raimi's story. Somehow, Willem Dafoe is so good a villain that he managed to be the nemesis of two different Spider-Men from two different realities. If it wasn’t for Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Charles Xavier for Multiverse of Madness, Dafoe would have the honour of being the longest-running actor in a superhero movie role. Similar to Stewart, his performance as Green Goblin is one that’s hard to beat, leaving big boots to fill. Now that there have been two eras of Dafoe’s Green Goblin (and a failed reboot of sorts with Dane DeHaan during the Andrew Garfield years), there’s a question mark about what’s next for the character. Considering how much of a major player Norman Osborn is in Marvel Comics – and his potential to lead something like the Dark Avengers – we doubt he'll be MIA for long. Fan castings have already championed names like Patrick Wilson and Bryan Cranston to play the MCU’s “true” Norman Osborn, but seeing as Holland’s web-head hasn’t met Harry or Norman yet, we imagine it’s a way off yet. In recent years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has regularly been called out for its 'villain problem' (aka forgettable, bland antagonists) and by-the-numbers punch-ups in films' final acts. This makes it all the more impressive that Dafoe's version of Green Goblin remains a scene-stealing icon decades after his debut. When the first No Way Home trailers were released, all it took was a simple Dafoe cackle to let us know we were in safe hands. Overall, Dafoe has transcended the Raimiverse to become one of the MCU’s best villains. And with Sam Raimi himself saying he’s “completely open” to the idea of directing Spider-Man 4, who knows? Maybe we haven't seen the last of Norman, and there’s still some fuel left in the goblin glider yet. Spider-Man (2002) is streaming on Netflix UK. Spider-Man: No Way Home is available for digital download, plus Blu-ray, DVD and 4K. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Which Illuminati characters could appear in Doctor Strange 2? Latest speculation
The gang of multiversal leaders is rumoured to include Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter and new versions of Iron Man and Black Panther – but could there be a twist coming?
There are “strange” things going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the moment, with the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness set to blow box office projections (and our minds) when it arrives in a couple of months. And while the film looks to be chock-full of mysteries, the biggest one this week concerns the Multiverse's most significant team-up – the so-called Illuminati. The trailers gave a quick glimpse of Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) being called in front of a shadowy council to explain why he opened the Multiverse, which most think is this mysterious group that has often appeared in Marvel comics. But just who are these political puppet masters, and who will be joining their ranks in Multiverse of Madness? Who are Marvel's Illuminati? First introduced in 2005’s New Avengers #7, the Illuminati was an over-powered group of minds that used their sway to turn events in their favour – and once blasted Hulk into space (whoops!). The original members consisted of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Mr Fantastic, Black Bolt, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Professor Xavier. Of course, that particular line-up seems a little unlikely in the MCU given that most of these characters are dead or not currently cast in the MCU. But we’re pretty sure at least one of them has been confirmed thanks to THAT jaw-dropping appearance of Sir Patrick Stewart in the trailer. Which Illuminati characters could appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Much like Spider-Man: No Way Home added Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man eras into MCU canon, Multiverse of Madness now looks poised to bring Fox’s original trilogy of X-Men back with a bang (via Stewart). Alongside that, it seems clear that Stewart's appearance could only signal the Illuminati's big-screen debut – but perhaps we shouldn't jump to conclusions. In an interview with Empire, Producer Richie Palmer said: “I’ll quote the first X-Men movie and say, ‘Are you sure you saw what you saw?’ There are infinite versions of these characters, and just because you may have heard something familiar doesn’t mean it’s someone you have seen before.” In other words, this could be a variant of Professor X or another character entirely who just happens to be played by Stewart (remember Evan Peters in WandaVision?). (Then again, let’s remember Andrew Garfield repeatedly denied he’d be back for No Way Home. It would be foolish for Palmer to spoil what could be one of the movie’s biggest plot points.) Anyway, assuming we are getting the Illuminati, let’s run through which characters could be stepping up, and who could play them. We don’t imagine Anson Mount will be back from his Inhumans days to play Black Bolt, and given the show’s reception, the character will presumably be swapped out for someone else. In the trailer's Xavier scene, someone is seen carrying a sword on their back, which led to speculation Mahershala Ali’s Blade will make his debut (or, potentially, the Wesley Snipes version). In reality, it’s most likely to be Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Karl Mordo. The star is already confirmed for Multiverse of Madness, and given his knowledge of the Mystic Arts, he might’ve earned a spot with the Illuminati. View oEmbed on the source website After this, we have to look a little deeper. Away from Charles wheeling into shot, there’s been wild speculation about a different scene where Wanda battles a mysterious opponent with a cosmic glow. Their identity has become a hot topic of debate, but if you zoom in close enough, some are convinced it’s the Superior Iron Man version of Tony Stark. No one is buying that Robert Downey Jr will be back; however, there have been plenty of rumours about Tom Cruise playing a Multiverse Iron Man. It would be a major Easter egg on its own, because if you don’t know, Cruise was touted to play Iron Man in 1998. For now, it remains to be seen who this person is – others think Wanda will be facing-off against Lashana Lynch’s Monica Rambeau as a Captain Marvel variant, which might make more sense. View oEmbed on the source website Elsewhere, there are rumours swirling about John Krasinski playing Reed Richards alongside real-life wife Emily Blunt as Sue Storm. As for Atlantean king Namor, he’s a character that has been teased since Iron Man 2, with speculation he was referenced in Avengers: Endgame, some suggesting the events of Eternals cued his arrival, and others claiming he’ll be the big bad of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. So who knows? Maybe this film will finally, finally see him take a bow. Speaking of Black Panther, one of the mystery characters might be wearing Black Panther’s claw necklace. The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman means the familiar MCU version can’t return, but Michael B Jordan’s Erik Killmonger could easily be Multiverse Black Panther - it certainly worked for Marvel’s What…If? Elsewhere, Marvel's animated multiverse series What…If? throws up a tonne of potential Illuminati candidates. We’ve already seen the villainous Strange Supreme make the jump into live-action, and with the Easter egg-filled Multiverse of Madness poster including Captain Carter’s shield, Hayley Atwell looks likely to reprise her role as the ass-kicking Captain Carter. Incidentally, most of this aligns with rumours from Twitter account @MothCulture, which claims “each Illuminati member has an assigned chair with a distinct emblem on the back representing each individual’s team/group". Their rumoured roster includes Captain Carter (Avengers), Reed Richards (the Fantastic Four), Charles Xavier (X-Men), Captain Marvel (Star Force), and Balder the Brave (Asgardians). View oEmbed on the source website Though perhaps there are even more characters coming our way. According to rumours, Multiverse of Madness was due some reshoots, which has set tongues wagging about who else could be stopping by. Given Raimi’s history with Tobey Maguire, could he reprise his role as Spider-Man? The all-powerful roster of the Illuminati means we doubt Peter Parker has a place on the council, but he’d still make for a jaw-dropping cameo, especially in the wake of his fan-favourite return in No Way Home. Sticking with the Spider-Man theme, we know that Bruce Campbell is reuniting with Raimi for a mystery role in Multiverse of Madness. Away from whispers he’ll be playing Balder the Brave (Thor’s half-brother), there’s a chance he’ll join the Illuminati as a Mysterio variant. If you didn’t know, Campbell was supposed to play him in Raimi’s canned Spider-Man 4. Ultimately, the Illuminati are their very own What…If? scenario right now. Maybe we're not getting many cameos at all! We’ve already glimpsed Strange Supreme and the new addition of Defender Strange in the trailers, so it’s entirely possible that the council our MCU Strange is pulled before is a Rick & Morty-inspired council of Strange variants. Giving us his very own Ralph Bohner moment, don’t be too surprised if Sir Patrick Stewart is going full Richard E Grant in Loki and is just another alternate version of the Sorcerer Supreme, fooling fans who'd just recovered from that WandaVision twist all over again. Either way, Multiverse of Madness is clearly building toward something much bigger. For now, we just hope it can live up to its own hype without another Mandarin twist similar to what we saw in Iron Man 3. To quote Charles Xavier himself, “We need you to hope again.” Read More: How to watch all the Marvel movies in order Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness comes to UK cinemas on the 6th May 2022. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
The Batman's Riddler Easter eggs tease more classic villains
Did you spot the Riddler's clues to Poison Ivy, the Court of Owls and the Mad Hatter?
Riddle us this: what’s black, brooding, and at the top of the box office right now? Why it's The Batman, of course! Matt Reeves has answered the call of the Bat-Signal, with Robert Pattinson donning the cape and cowl for what’s tipped to be the first part of a new trilogy. And The Batman jumps right into the second year of Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting tenure, meaning we have an already established world of Gotham City and an expansive rogues’ gallery. Reeves has promised Joker won’t be the big bad of The Batman’s sequel – but if you're looking for other candidates, it turns out that Paul Dano’s Riddler has already offered a sneaky hint of who else could be taking on the Bat in his next case. You see, during Riddler’s game of bat and mouse, he sent a series of cryptic cards to the vigilante hero. Each card was adorned with a cutesy cartoon, and although you might’ve missed this deep cut Easter egg, these five keepsakes tease a rotten rascal for The Batman's sequel(s). So, who’s waiting in the “wings”? Let's find out. The Court of Owls Who needs one villain when you can have a whole society of them? While the shady Court of Owls are already destined to be the villains of Warner Bros. Montreal’s Gotham Knights video game, they could also get their movie debut. The very first card Riddler leaves for Batman features an owl (love a Who/hoo pun), hinting that this shadowy crew of villains could be in for an appearance. In the comics, the Court of Owls is a high-flying organisation of Gotham’s elite that's operated in the background and pulled the strings for centuries. Beyond their dastardly deeds, they're largely remembered for the creepy owl masks that conceal their identities. And given how much The Batman focuses on Thomas Wayne’s shady dealings and the Riddler’s inside knowledge on Gotham's movers and shakers, it feels like this cabal could fit right in with the world Reeves created. There are already theories suggesting Thomas Wayne was part of the Court before his untimely demise. Professor Hugo Strange Up next, the second card featured a mad scientist and a mention of chemistry between you and them. This illustration is a close match with Professor Hugo Strange, a character that some fans might remember from Rocksteady’s acclaimed Arkham City video game or BD Wong’s portrayal in the Gotham TV series. Doing what even the Riddler couldn’t in The Batman, Strange was one of the first villains to work out Bruce Wayne’s secret identity, and this could play into the new movie universe. Following in the footsteps of the Batman ‘66 continuity, picture the scene where Strange is an Arkham psychiatrist. What if he oversees the Riddler at Arkham State Hospital and deduces that Bruce is the man behind the mask? Poison Ivy The third card includes a little girl with red hair and wearing green. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the Riddler is teasing Poison Ivy here - in fact, it's probably the most obvious nod of all the cards. Of course, Poison Ivy is one of the most iconic Batman villains out there - and not just because of Uma Thurman. Alongside potential ties to Catwoman, a new onscreen version could also explore Ivy’s relationship with Harley Quinn to introduce this world’s very own version of Puddin’. In terms of how Ivy could fit into a sequel, don't expect the theatrics of Batman & Robin. Matt Reeves has already said he’d like to explore the idea of a grounded Mr. Freeze, so if we do see Ivy expect her to be a million miles away from Thurman's Mae West-inspired vixen. Mad Hatter Card no. 4 is a little harder to decipher, but with what looks like two glowing eyes, we’re reminded of the Cheshire Cat. Connecting the pieces of the puzzle, it's likely a tease of Mad Hatter. In the comics Jervis Tetch is known for the ridiculous concept of controlling his victims with mind-controlling hats, but let’s not forget his darker edge. Even though it might be too similar to feature another serial killer in The Batman 2, Mad Hatter’s obsession with girls that look like Alice could bring some serious Silence of the Lambs vibes, with Batman calling on Riddler to get inside Tetch’s twisted mind. Still not convinced? Well, there is one other clue. Did you spot Desperate Housewives' Charlie and Max Carver playing Penguin's twin bouncers in The Batman? Because many think they're a version of Batman goons Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Scarface and the Ventriloquist Last but not least, there’s a clear allusion to Batman villain Scarface among Riddler's clues thanks to a card featuring a ventriloquist dummy. In the comics, Arnold Wesker is a seemingly mild-mannered man who is convinced to do the bidding of his own dummy – the aptly named Scarface. It’s implied that Wesker has a multiple personality disorder, though he believes he's merely forced to commit crimes thanks to his little wooden pal. Anyway, the upcoming Penguin spin-off is sure to explore more of the city’s seedy underbelly, and while Wesker might seem like a low-level mobster, he could definitely be a secondary big bad. Altogether, there are plenty of clues to chew on for who Batman will face in his next movie - but we should add a note of caution. After all, it's certainly possible that Riddler's own collection of Hallmark cards might be nothing more than Easter eggs. Let’s remember, Reeves has already named mysterious villain Hush when asked who he’d like to tackle next, and any number of Batman's huge rogues' gallery could crop up for his next sojourn into Gotham. Perhaps these Riddler-teased villains could turn up in a planned TV spin-off, or a third movie, or not at all. Either way, Arkham had better make sure it’s got plenty of spare cells when The Batman 2 unfurls its wings. There might be a few new residents to deal with... Where was The Batman filmed? The Batman's Andy Serkis: ‘I was Alfred by day, and made Venom by night’ The Batman ending explained The Batman soundtrack - full list of music in DC Comics film The Batman is in UK cinemas now. For more, check out our dedicated Movies page or our full TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
The Stranger Things spin-offs we need to see
The Duffer Brothers have hinted that a follow-up is coming – could we see a grown-up Eleven, a Dustin and Steve team-up or a Hawkins anthology show?
It’s been nearly three years since Matt and Ross Duffer left fans with Eggo on their faces and delivered a jaw-dropping Stranger Things 3 cliffhanger that even Game of Thrones would be proud of. Now the wait is nearly over for more episodes, with the first half of season 4 due to hit Netflix in May. But the end is nigh. The Duffer Brothers had warned their sci-fi favourite wasn’t going to run forever, and with the fresh-faced stars getting older by the day, season 5 will round off the story. But thankfully, a cryptic hint from the Duffers themselves teases that they’re nowhere near ready to close the book on this topsy-turvy town just yet, with fans expecting one or more spin-offs from the series in the coming years. Just like Cheers led to Frasier, The Walking Dead to Fear the Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad into Better Call Saul, not everything is The Book of Boba Fett falling into the shadow of The Mandalorian. And if the Upside-Down really isn’t done with us yet, here’s a few of the Stranger Things spin-off shows we'd like to see. The Hawkins Lab A goldmine of potential that’s ready to explore is what’s going on behind the doors of the Hawkins Lab. Some of Lost’s best episodes followed the shady Dharma Initiative in the ‘70s, while Fringe made Nina Sharp and Massive Dynamic standout villains in their own right. There’s a lot of history in the Hawkins National Lab, with MKUltra experiments starting in 1953 and eventually leading to Eleven’s birth. One of the season 4 trailers teased at least some of the super-powered kids will be given a backstory thanks to the return of Matthew Modine’s Dr. Martin Brenner. As long as it’s not all wrapped up in the next run of episodes via flashback, there’s more than enough material for a spin-off. Also, who wouldn’t want to see baby Eleven busting scientist skulls like ripe watermelons? Bauman and Owens: Paranormal investigations Comedy characters may be a dime a dozen in Stranger Things, but then there’s Murray Bauman and Dr. Sam Owens. Even though we simply need to see more of Aliens’ Paul Reiser as Owens, the frankly brilliant brainwave of putting him together with Brett Gelman’s Bald Eagle at least has the potential of a web series. Picture the scene of Bauman and Owens: Paranormal Investigations - as the dynamic duo goes in search of paranormal goings on. Given Stranger Things’ many Ghostbusters deep cuts, we expect at least some of the characters to form their own spook-hunting agency before the credits roll. El’s sequel Going all-in on Millie Bobby Brown’s star status, fans have been pitching a ‘90 or ‘00s set sequel that follows Mike and Eleven’s older years. Jumping forward to the star-crossed lover in their thirties has the most promise, but we’d have to let the stars age up a bit. This spin-off is arguably the easiest sell, with frequent rumours Brown could lead her own series. Last year, Deadline reported that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos described Stranger Things as a "franchise being born", with the site claiming the actor could lead her own "extension". Considering we guess Mike and El would have super-powered kids, there’s a lot to be said for an Incredibles-inspired premise. Well, The Boys has Laser Baby. Of course, all of this depends on whether we get a happy ending or the Duffers make El sacrifice herself to save the day. The Russians Similar to the premise of a Hawkins Lab spin-off that follows those experimental tots... but take a trip to colder climes. While we’ve been following the Americans trying to grapple the forces of the Upside Down for their own means, it’s clear the Russians also want in on the action. There could be a whole contingent of Russian counterparts to our Hawkins favourites, meaning El’s Russian equivalent might be giving some Russian Dr. Brenner wannabe the runaround. Season 3 ended with the mysterious tease of “the American” at a Russian facility, and although the trailers suggest it’s Daddy Jim, it could be a massive fake-out. We’re definitely going behind the Iron Curtain in season 4, so it remains to be seen if there’s enough left for a Russian-based spin-off that can go full Black Widow and show a different side of the story. Dustin and Steve Much like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, heart has always been at the centre of Stranger Things. Two of those with the biggest are Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin and Joe Keery’s Steve. This loveable pairing seems primed for its own spin-off, and it’s actually not outside the realms of possibility. Matarazzo told Entertainment Tonight he’d love a spin-off, but only on the condition it wasn’t your standard series. The young actor explained how he’d want a wacky miniseries in the vein of WandaVision, or perhaps, the pair popping up on YouTube for weekly hijinks. We'd put them working in the video store and recreating famous movies with Robin in low-budget style. Either way, consider us intrigued. Hawkins: An Anthology Series Some viewers rightly ask what everyone else is up to while Hopper and co. are battling the Demogorgon? From Doris the Hawkins Middle School secretary to Mayor Kline’s flirtatious wife, Winnie, there’s a whole town of random residents going about their daily basis. Hawkins hasn’t earned the nickname Hell for no reason, and while our series regulars are off saving the day, we’d like to see how everyone else deals with the aftermath of the apocalypse. American Horror Stories isn’t the best example of how this could work, but imagine different characters every week, with a couple of cameos from some familiar faces to tie everything together. The Upside-Down Literally flipping the idea of Stranger Things on its head, we’re dying to know more about the Upside Down and those who’ve come to call it their final resting place. If we have LEGO sets about the Upside Down, why is Stranger Things so hesitant to take us there? Think if you crossed the underwhelming R.I.P.D. with Beetlejuice’s afterlife. Barb, Billy, and Bob (the Duffers clearly have something against B names) navigate the Upside Down and teach newcomers how to survive this nightmarish underworld. Even though producer Shawn Levy told The Hollywood Reporter that they were never going to bring back Barb, that doesn’t mean she can’t be living it up in the Upside Down. So many years after #JusticeforBarb started trending, Shannon Purser’s loveable geek can finally get her time to shine. A Kali spin-off Sadly, not every new character introduction has the fan-favourite status of Maya Hawke’s Robin. A prime example of this was Linnea Berthelsen's Kali. The second season featured the polarising episode called ‘The Lost Sister’ - which saw Eleven cross paths with Eight in Chicago. Sometimes, a gamble doesn’t quite work. Although the episode felt like a backdoor spin-off, the Duffers told CinemaBlend this wasn’t the case, with Matt Duffer simply saying, "It was more about expanding the universe and the world a little bit." We assume Kali’s lukewarm reception didn’t help, and although Berthelsen told NME she doubted there would be a spin-off, now is the time to revisit her. Although Kali’s season 3 absence was another bad sign, the Into the Fire comic book miniseries gave us more than enough meat for a redemptive spin-off for Kali’s gang of murderous misfits. Stranger Things 4 part 1 review: Bigger than ever... but is it better? Stranger Things 4: Volume 1 comes to Netflix on May 27 2022. For more, check out our guide to the best series on Netflix, our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
What The Book of Boba Fett needs to change if it returns for season 2
So there we have it – Jon Favreau has put down his pen and officially written The Book of Boba Fett season 1’s last line. As the galaxy far, far away continues to expand, the long-awaited Boba Fett standalone has finally blasted free from the digestive juices of the Sarlacc. Even the most die-hard Star Wars fanatics will admit that The Book of Boba Fett season 1 was a mixed bag. Then again, just like the prequel trilogy, there’s a chance the series will age like a fine wine. In classic Star Wars style, the finale tied up just enough loose ends while leaving some dangling threads to warrant a second season, but where do we go next? As we await the inevitable green light, here’s what The Book of Boba Fett season 2 can learn from its predecessor. Actually feature Boba Fett There’s a reason The Book of Boba Fett was dubbed The Mandalorian season 2.5, with the frankly baffling realisation that arguably the series’ best episode didn’t feature Fett at all. There were two whole episodes that were effectively Diet Fett, with the story shifting focus to Din Djarin and Grogu. Although the addition of Mando and Grogu helped make the Book of Boba Fett finale what it was, you can’t help but feel the show should’ve been called The Chapter of Boba Fett and The Book of Friends. Josh Trank had been working on a Boba Fett movie, and even though the Star Wars anthology movies have seemingly been canned, there’s a sense that maybe Boba Fett doesn’t have enough of a story to pad out a seven-episode season instead of a two-hour movie. The Book of Boba Fett season 2 will undoubtedly be make or break, but it remains to be seen whether the lead can actually hold up a spin-off of his own, or is destined to be a side character that pulls off some sickening fight scenes. Get off Tatooine It’s been 45 years since we first saw the twin suns rise over Tatooine, and it’s about time for a change of scenery. The Star Wars series has visited some weird and wonderful planets over the years, and yet, we still return to this arid desert time and time again. Given Boba’s backstory and upbringing on Kamino, that’s at least one potential road trip in season 2, while a finale mention of Coruscant could tease a return to the Imperial Center. Way back when, LucasArts had been working on the fabled Star Wars: 1313, which would’ve followed Fett navigating Coruscant’s seedy criminal underbelly. Despite Boba Fett’s story having moved past this narrative, Star Wars overlord Kathleen Kennedy previously said 1313's ideas could be reused. Tatooine is all well and good, but if you’ve seen one Bantha skeleton and Jawa Sandcrawler, you've seen them all. More newcomers Let’s talk about The Book of Boba Fett’s problem with death. As well as offing Cad Bane before he could barely draw his pistol, Jennifer Beals’ Garsa Fwip’s explosive farewell felt like a middle finger to fans. The introduction of Black Krrsantan was a big win, but in terms of who else The Book of Boba Fett brought to the table in terms of world-building, it was slim pickings. From the frankly bizarre cameo of bass virtuoso Thundercat to an underused Danny Trejo as the Rancor trainer, The Book of Boba Fett didn’t set itself up with new characters for season 2. Let's not even talk about the modded gang of dodgy-accent street punks. As well as a fleeting appearance of Jabba the Hutt’s cousins, Rosario Dawson zipped in for no reason other than to set up her Ahsoka spin-off, meaning The Book of Boba Fett didn’t exactly build out its core cast. It’s a sad state of affairs when the chef robot that was affectionately named General Cleavous stands out more than most. The return of classic Boba Back in the day, Boba Fett was a stoic bounty hunter that said a grand total of four lines (five sentences) in George Lucas’ original trilogy. These days, he’s something of a chatty Sally, with lead actor Temuera Morrison even agreeing that Boba had too much to say in season 1. Whether it was chilling in his bacta tank or strolling around the streets of Mos Espa, Boba was also more than happy to show us the face beneath the helmet. As the Armorer will tell you, that’s a big no in Mandalorian 101. We understand that Boba was originally a marketing ploy to sell toys, but there’s something missing from the cold-hearted hunter’s early days. The problem is, it’s hard to have a show where the lead doesn’t say anything. A real villain The late-stage introduction of Cad Bane was a triumph for Book - with this fan-favourite Clone Wars character making his mark. Despite grumbles that Bane kicked the bucket in underwhelming style, you need to remember this was the end of a very long road for his Star Wars canon. Sadly, Bane played second fiddle to the Pyke Syndicate as the de facto big bads. Going full WandaVision/Mephisto on us, Rodriguez and co didn’t make good on the theories that Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Qi’ra was going to pop up as the puppet master. Composer Ludwig Göransson even included the Crimson Dawn music in his score, however, Qi’ra was nowhere to be seen and we were left with something of a villain-shaped hole. From Vader to Ren to Palpatine (not you Snoke), Star Wars has dished up some amazing villains over the years. It’s a shame that The Book of Boba Fett delivered what was effectively a lacklustre version of the Mon Calamari. Give us Mace Windu Another idea that wasted its potential was the return of Samuel L Jackson as Mace Windu. We know the purple lightsaber-wielding hero appeared to meet his maker in Revenge of the Sith, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from turning that he somehow survived. Alongside Jackson himself championing Mace’s survival, Morrison told IMDb: “I owe him big time for my dad” and said he’d love for Boba and Windu to have a Kill Bill-inspired arc of vengeance. It was Mace who lopped off Jango Fett’s head in Attack of the Clones, while Book has just enough flashbacks to that fateful event to warrant the Jedi’s return. As Boba Fett himself can testify, the franchise is known for its death fakeouts. We’d argue that Mace Windu stopping by in a potential season 2 would blow The Mandalorian’s Luke Skywalker moment out of the water. We’re talking No Way Home level of cameo here! No more majordomo Let’s be honest, one of the weakest elements of the entire series was David Pasquesi’s insufferable Twi’lek, aka the unnamed majordomo. As The Phantom Menace proved with Jar Jar Binks, it’s possible for the franchise to create a character more hated than Sheev Palpatine. Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto is just on the right side of comedic inclusions, but when it comes to Book’s majordomo, it’s a lesson in how not to introduce a background character. Annoyingly, this unnamed character wasn’t Rancor fodder, and with a tease of a relationship between him and Motto, he’s destined to return. Sigh. The Book of Boba Fett is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
The Book of Boba Fett fixed a big Mandalorian problem
By hiring a talented YouTuber, the series fixed one of the few criticisms fans had of The Mandalorian.
All ‘Fetts’ are off as Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett gallops toward its thrilling season 1 finale. Although there have been complaints that the first chapter of Book should be rebranded as The Mandalorian season 2.5, the Mos Espa Daimyo’s narrative merging with Din Djarin’s means we’ve actually been able to dive deeper into the complex lore of the franchise. So far it’s been a who’s who of Mando faces, with other nods to the further past as Djarin picked up a nostalgic ship from Peli Motto. However, it was February 2nd’s From the Desert Comes a Stranger that really set up the future of The Mandalorian. While doing all the usual world-building, yet another Diet Mando episode managed to fix The Mandalorian season 2's biggest mistake - a certain floppy-haired Jedi’s return. First, some background – because really, the Book of Boba Fett just featured a continuation of Luke Skywalker's post-Return of the Jedi arc that started in The Mandalorian season 2. Back then, jaws were left on the floor when Luke stepped aboard Moff Gideon’s cruiser, made light work of his Death Trooper platoon, and met with our heroes. From the moment a familiar X-wing flew into shot, director Peyton Reed delivered one of the most iconic Star Wars scenes of all time. Mark Hamill himself reprised his role as a much younger Luke, however, most agreed he looked a little janky. View oEmbed on the source website Young(er) Luke was back in The Book of Boba Fett, but more than just the return of a familiar face, it was the return of a much better face. The Twitterverse exploded with love for Luke’s glow up, and it turns out there’s an actual reason behind it. Following Luke’s tepid appearance in The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm hired a YouTuber called Shamook as a Senior Facial Capture Artist. They’d gone viral for their own rendering of Luke, which showed how easy it should’ve been to de-age the franchise favourite. The December 2021 deepfake has been viewed over 3.5 million times, and Lucasfilm later confirmed the hire (via IndieWire). Hyping Shamook’s skills, a spokesperson explained, “[Industrial Light and Magic is] always on the lookout for talented artists and have in fact hired the artist that goes by the online persona ‘Shamook’. Over the past several years ILM has been investing in both machine learning and A.I. as a means to produce compelling visual effects work and it’s been terrific to see momentum building in this space as the technology advances.” From what little we’ve seen of their work, it looks they were the right person for the job. View oEmbed on the source website It’s great news that Lucasfilm has managed to improve its de-ageing process, which has been a sticking point before. When 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story included younger versions of both Leia Organa and Moff Tarkin, audiences were split on whether these were spooky doppelgangers for Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing or clanky clones. The tragic passing of Fisher the same year meant she couldn’t be de-aged for The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. The baton was instead handed over to her own daughter, Billie Lourd, to provide the base visuals of young Leia in the movie’s flashbacks. Again, it wasn't perfect. Still, neither of these compared to Luke’s Mando controversy. View oEmbed on the source website As well as hopes we’ll see more of de-aged Luke before The Book of Boba Fett wraps, there’s plenty of room for him to pop up in Mando season 3, or even a spin-off to fill in the gaps in his timeline. There are some 25 years between Luke training Grogu and him throwing his lightsaber off a cliff on Ahch-To. With the franchise ditching some questionable CGI for different methods, it means this untapped period of history can bring back its stars without having to recast. Then again, there will always be those that keep championing Sebastian Stan to portray a young Luke Skywalker. Really, the real question now is who's destined to get the next de-ageing treatment. Let's remember there's a High Republic era show called The Acolyte coming up that seems primed to give the mothballed Yoda puppet some youthful regeneration. As for The Book of Boba Fett, fans are expecting a similar Mando-worthy cameo before we close the cover on season 1, with a younger Han Solo being a popular choice. If not, the tech could be used for the return of Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra as an older version of her Solo: A Star Wars Story self. Either way, this new and improved Luke Skywalker proves you’re only as old as the CGI wizards makes you feel. Or, to paraphrase Master Yoda himself: "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not. Unless a deepfake expert, you hire at ILM." The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney Plus. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
The Book of Boba Fett's biggest problem is Boba Fett
With dodgy characterisation and unclear goals this new Boba was already ropey – but now fans' favourite episode is one he doesn't even appear in.
As Disney pens another chapter in The Book of Boba Fett, the sprawling galaxy of Jedis and Jawas is once again in danger of going stale. Boba’s long-awaited solo outing has blasted free from the ashes of Josh Trank’s canned Boba Fett movie, but with the seven-episode series bogged down in exposition and a lead that doesn’t quite lead, it’s Boba himself that’s the biggest problem right now. Is it just a Jedi mind trick, or does The Book of Boba Fett already have a bounty on its head? As the twin suns burn bright over Tatooine, The Book of Boba Fett has finally filled in the gaps and brought the once-forgotten Expanded Universe back into mainline canon. The gruff bounty hunter popped up in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back and quickly became everyone’s favourite action hero - despite speaking just four lines in George Lucas’ original trilogy. Even though he has more to say this time around, this is where the first of Boba Fett’s problems raises its head. Temuera Morrison recently told NME that he thinks the once-stoic Fett talks too much. Of course it'd be a challenge to make a TV show where a largely silent character is the MVP, so creator Jon Favreau reportedly shot down Morrison’s fears and made Boba the chatty Sally he is today. But fans fell in love with Boba because he was so unknowable, cool and ruthless – surely it was a mistake to remove every part of that appeal in his own series? We might have expected to see a more sympathetic side to Boba, but so quickly after The Mandalorian got beneath the tough exterior of Din Djarin, it’s a rinse and repeat formula. Season 1 has even featured Boba gathering his own team of outcasts like Mando did in his last run of episodes. Frankly, from the moment The Book of Boba Fett was announced it felt like this post-credit stinger from The Mandalorian season 2 was rushed into reality. Elements like Boba’s escape from the Sarlacc have been glossed over, while his time with the Sand People feels dragged out. Kudos for redeeming the once villainous Tusken Raiders, but it would’ve been easy to streamline their tragic tale and the boring backstory of the Pykes into a single episode. While we’re still a long way off Phantom Menace or The Last Jedi level of fan hate, we’d say The Book of Boba Fett is firmly in the middle ground alongside Solo: A Star Wars Story. The Mandalorian season 3 Aside from Boba sauntering around Mos Espa without his helmet and Din keeping on his shiny armour, not much sets these two apart. However, whereas The Mandalorian had a heart thanks to the relationship between Mando and Grogu, there’s no Baby Hutt here for Boba to take under his wing. The cold-faced (but brilliant) Fennec Shand doesn’t quite work the same, as even the most die-hard fans find themselves asking what Book does that The Mandalorian can’t. This was compounded by January 26’s Book of Boba Fett episode Return of the Mandalorian - an episode some have affectionately dubbed The Mandalorian’s season 3 premiere. It’s no great sign when the show’s main character doesn’t feature in an episode, let alone when Bryce Dallas Howard’s decidedly Boba-lite episode is held as one of the best. Within its own story, despite plenty of Easter eggs The Book of Boba Fett has done little in terms of establishing new characters or locales. Black Krrsantan is already poised to be a fan-favourite, but remember, this grumpy Chewbacca was introduced by Marvel Comics. And although Jennifer Beals’ Garsa Fwip has potential, we’ve barely seen her. Instead, we’ve been left with a Cyberpunk-inspired gang of street thugs that seem ready for frosty chocolate milkshakes at the local diner. Assuming Book’s final two episodes are heading toward a Siege of Jabba’s Palace with a reveal of who is pulling the strings, something like Game of Thrones would’ve made this a high-stakes affair. Here, we find ourselves struggling to care for what happens to this war-torn hunter. Yet again, The Mandalorian set the precedent for how finales are done, meaning everyone is expecting a similarly cosmos-shattering cameo to Luke Skywalker saving Mando and co. from Moff Gideon. There are continued theories that Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra will be revealed as the big bad head of Crimson Dawn, and although her return would tie up some loose ends while finally teasing the long-rumoured Solo series, she’s a relatively niche villain. The future’s bright, the future’s Boba Not all is lost though. Exploring Ming-Na Wen’s promise that big surprises are on the way, many fans believe the wild idea that Samuel L. Jackson could reprise his role as Mace Windu. This would give Boba a typically Star Wars-esque vengeance arc thanks to Windu’s decapitation of his "father" Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. Despite his death in Revenge of the Sith, Jackson has previously championed the Jedi Master’s survival, while even Wen told Digital Spy the cast of Book is aware of the wild Windu theory. There have been enough Bacta tank flashbacks to Boba’s troubled childhood to make this relevant, and let’s be honest, stranger things have happened. And if they made that satisfying enough, a season 2 isn't out of the question. In terms of where The Book of Boba Fett goes next, a Suicide Squad of bounty hunters would be a welcome addition to season 2. Big names like Bossk, Dengar, and Cad Bane are out there somewhere, and if they were going to appear anywhere, a Boba show makes the most sense. But mainly, we need more of the feared bounty Boba and less of Ol’ Uncle Boba who’s washed the blood off his hands and regales everyone with stories from his prime. Instead, Boba needs his own scenes like Return of the Mandalorian, where Pascal's Mando strolled in holding a bloodied head in a bag. If The Book of Boba Fett has taught us anything, it’s that we’re in danger of entering an era of Star Wars saturation. Despite the proposed Rangers of the New Republic being axed, this year alone has Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan shows, as well as a packed future including Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and Lando. That’s before we tackle the myriad of movies that even we’ll admit we might’ve forgotten about. You can already see the Disney cogs whirring for potential Fennec Shand and Black Krrsantan spin-offs, but if the foundations aren’t there, it’s hard to justify more shaky standalones. Back in the day, Boba Fett was clearly made to market toys, but in 2022, you need more than a poseable action figure to please the ever-impatient Star Wars fandom. Remembering that The Mandalorian season 1 was a far from perfect outing, The Book of Boba Fett hasn’t quite been exiled to the Dagobah system just yet – but it's definitely in danger of a one-way trip to meet the Rancor if it doesn't pick up soon. Here’s hoping the final few episodes can turn around The Book of Boba Fett’s disappointingly average freshman season – and that Boba’s growing pains are just him struggling to fit back into his old armour. The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
Morbius is referencing all four Spider-Man universes – so where is it actually set?
The MCU, the Venom-verse, the Raimi-verse... fans are pondering where the Jared Leto vampire vehicle takes place.
Sony is slithering its way back into our lives as the Venom-Verse expands with Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius. The much-delayed Venom spin-off was due to unfurl its wings in July 2020, but with the Living Vampire being confined to the crypt, Jared Leto’s debut as Michael Morbius has been left to stew for a little longer. The latest Morbius trailer has come out of the gate hot and dismissed any assumptions that the next entry in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters will ‘suck’. While Morbius’ arrival looks like it will tie into a much larger SPUMC, fans are rightly asking which reality it takes place in. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters on the edge of its own Multiverse, Morbius poses itself as a confusing outing. View oEmbed on the source website Namely, Morbius has ties to all three Spider-Men, with Easter eggs linking to Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s dynasties. Do all of these further hit home that the terrific trio will share the screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Notably, Morbius includes a poster of the wall-crawling hero sprayed with the words "murderer" - hinting that Morbius will follow Mysterio setting Peter Parker up for his murder. The problem is, the Spidey featured on the poster seems to be wearing the Maguire suit. Elsewhere, eagle-eyed viewers have picked up on an apparent nod to Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man movies. The new trailer features a physical copy of the Daily Bugle. It bizarrely has the logo from Raimi's days instead of the online version from Spider-Man: Far From Home. The banner for the Bugle mentions Rhino having escaped from prison and questioning whether Black Cat is “friend or foe” – Paul Giamatti played Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while Felicity Jones portrayed Black Cat's alter ego Felicia Hardy in the same movie. Both were expected to return in a third movie/Sinister Six spin-off, before these projects were shelved. Neither star is tipped to return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but if the paper isn’t an Easter egg, it could confirm Morbius for either Raimi or Webb continuity. (The latter would definitely help Jamie Foxx’s reprieve as Electro in No Way Home.) In terms of world-building, the Morbius trailer also includes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpse at a skyscraper with the words OSCORP proudly displayed on the top. Norman Osborn had a small role in Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man movies (played by Chris Cooper) and more famously formed a major part of Sam Raimi’s acclaimed trilogy from the ‘00s, as portrayed by Willem Dafoe. Although we don’t get to see who is on the board at OSCORP, it throws up some tantalising opportunities. How to watch Morbius - is it available to stream? It’s no secret that Dafoe is heavily rumoured to be reprising his role as Osborn from the Raimiverse. The first No Way Home trailer included a rolling pumpkin bomb and what sounded a lot like Dafoe’s goblin laugh. Norman Osborn is a figurehead of Marvel villains, so it was only a matter of time before he was cast in the MCU to help segue into the likes of the Dark Avengers. Whether Dafoe’s potential No Way Home cameo could lead to a more permanent return remains to be seen, but the tease of OSCORP could have huge consequences for the main MCU and the Venom-Verse. Finally, Morbius has hinted it could be part of the main continuity of the MCU. Sony bigwig Amy Pascal has repeatedly hinted Venom and the rest are considered part of the MCU, whereas Kevin Feige has distanced himself from the idea. Way back when, jaws were on the floor when Michael Keaton seemingly stepped up to play Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, once again. In the trailer, Toomes ominously says he and Morbius should keep in touch. If this isn’t a hint at some sort of Sinister Six team-up, we don't know what is. Venom wasn’t initially considered part of the MCU until Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s shocking post-credits scene – however, Morbius tries to put the two antiheroes in the same continuity. There's a brief mention of an incident in “San Francisco”, which just so happens to be where the events of both Venom movies took place. Unfortunately, we're still no closer to deciphering which universe Morbius fits into – but at the end of the day, is it a big deal? It’s clear the likes of Loki, No Way Home, and the Doctor Strange sequel are in the process of blowing the doors off the Multiverse, meaning it doesn’t really matter which reality something is supposed to be set in – in effect, they're now all one big universe anyway. In terms of crossovers and characters galore from the past and present of Marvel madness, we say the more the merrier – and to hell with the admin! Morbius review: Jared Leto movie reaches new depths of disappointment Visit our Movies hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.
No Time to Die might present strongest evidence yet for huge James Bond fan theory
What's in a name? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Consider us shaken and stirred, as Daniel Craig hangs up the keys to the Aston Martin and officially parts ways with playing James Bond. We’ve had five movies total featuring Craig's take on secret agent 007 and while his latest outing No Time To Die puts a definitive “declassified” stamp on the series, director Cary Fukunaga may have (inadvertently?) confirmed a major theory. Warning: major spoilers for No Time To Die spoilers ahead If you’ve made it this far, you’ll probably know Fukunaga did what Danny Boyle apparently wanted to do when he was attached to direct. In the ultimate sacrifice, Bond destroyed Safin’s poison island as his replacement Nomi (Lashana Lynch), wife Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), and daughter escaped. It’s all very touching, and with no The Dark Knight Rises-esque twist, it really looks like James Bond is dead. The question remains though, was Craig’s 00 really the first James Bond? What is the Bond code name theory? For this one, we need to revisit the age-old theory that "James Bond" is merely a name adopted by many different men. This would mean Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan were all just the latest in a long line of James Bonds. (1969's On Her Majesty’s Secret Service even saw Lazenby deliver the line, “This never happened to the other fella” – a mere wink to the audience, or confirmation of the code name theory?) There are even rumours that 2012's Skyfall briefly planned to confirm the theory as fact. In the early stages, there were talks about Connery playing the role of groundskeeper Kincaide, eventually portrayed by Albert Finney. Reports vary, but some claim early drafts included Connery coming out of retirement to reprise his role as Bond - rattling around Skyfall Lodge as a sort of locale for abandoned Bonds. Others say Die Another Day’s Lee Tamahori wanted Connery to cameo as the original James Bond in that film. If you’re confused about how this all works, No Time To Die featured some major intel via a scene set in the hallowed halls of MI6. During one sequence, Ralph Fiennes’ M looks upon the portrait of his predecessor - played by Judi Dench. Like Bond himself, the previous M put her life on the line and met her maker in Sam Mendes' acclaimed Skyfall. Fiennes’ conveniently named Mallory stepped up to the plate as new “M”. Where the multiple Bond theory picks up steam is the fact we also see a painting of Bernard Lee’s M in No Time To Die. Long before Dench was busting balls in GoldenEye, Lee was known as the OG M, who had a Bond legacy that spanned 1962's Dr. No to 1979's Moonraker. Given that prior to Casino Royale the Bond films maintained a (loose) continuity, confirmation that Lee’s M also came before Dench’s in the Craig movies heavily implies that Craig’s James Bond isn’t the first – that Casino Royale might not have been the franchise reboot we all thought it was, with Dench actually playing the same M as in the Brosnan films. Importantly, No Time To Die also ends with those classic words of “James Bond will return”. It's a classic trope but might seem odd considering the character's swansong just minutes prior. Of course, EON might just be promising us that a hard reset and a recast are on the way... or is this another hint that another man will take up the "James Bond" mantle following the demise of Craig's version? Read more about James Bond: Spectre recap - how previous Bond film links to No Time To Die James Bond's daughter - is Bond a father in No Time To Die? M's No Time To Die quote - where does the passage originate from? Is James Bond really just a name? There are however some rather large holes in the logic of the code-name theory and the idea that "James Bond" is a name simply assigned to any sharp-shooting spy. There was a complicated backstory between Bond and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in 2015's Spectre, for example. For the theory to work, names like "Blofeld", "Moneypenny", and "Felix Leiter" would also have to be assigned to multiple people. It just doesn’t stack up. Again in Skyfall, Craig’s 007 visited the family home and found the gravestones of his parents that included the surname Bond - seemingly debunking the theory forever. Some have argued that the gravestones are fake and fake memories have been implanted in the heads of our Bonds, but isn’t that all some fanciful Matrix-esque trickery just to keep a wild theory alive. Ultimately, the Bond continuity is a hot mess that the various directors and actors probably never thought about in the franchise’s 59-year history. Whatever is coming next, fans are warned not to expect any news on who the next Bond is until at least 2022. Bond 26 is a long way off, but the multiple Bond theory is sure to rear its head again. As the franchise goes on, so does this madcap theory. Look out for Daniel Craig shuffling around a home for retired agents in the inevitable Bond 50... No Time To Die is out now in UK cinemas – visit our Movies hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits explained
Warning - contains major spoilers from the new Venom sequel.
That sinister symbiote is chomping his way back onto our screens, as Andy Serkis’ Venom: Let There Be Carnage has finally hit cinemas – well, in the US and other territories at least, with UK audiences having to wait a little bit longer. And while Marvel Cinematic Universe overlord Kevin Feige has famously distanced himself from the Venom-Verse, Serkis’ post-credit scene sticks a middle finger to that. Unlike 2018’s Venom, there’s only one post-credit scene for Let There Be Carnage. Trust us though, it’s well worth sticking around for. In fact, Let There Be Carnage’s final farewell is one of the most important to grace the MCU, and neatly sets up the future of several major players. Look away now if you live outside the US and haven't had a chance to watch Venom 2 yet... Warning - major Venom: Let There Be Carnage spoilers ahead. What happens in the Let There Be Carnage post-credit scene? Forget the return of the Ten Rings or Captain Marvel blasting off into space to pussyfoot around the future of Phase 4 and beyond – Let There be Carnage officially adds Venom to the MCU. After besting Woody Harrelson’s Carnage, Eddie and his symbiote buddy are chilling in bed. And as Venom explains the complex history of its alien race and shares billions of years of knowledge from the symbiote hive mind, the room starts to spin and the pair find themselves transported somewhere new. The audience doesn’t get what to see what the symbiote hive mind showed Eddie – we’re guessing that’ll be explored next time – however, Venom gets the blame for their new locale. The run-down Latin American hotel room and telenovela are gone, and instead, there’s something much more important playing on the TV screen. Reminding us all that J.K. Simmons has always been the MVP of the Spider-Verse, we hear the booming voice of J. Jonah Jameson. Catching up with that Spider-Man Far From Home cliffhanger, Eddie and Venom are pulled into (what we assume) is the main MCU timeline, specifically the moment where Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is unmasked as plain old Peter Parker to the world. The Let There Be Carnage/Sonyverse logo of The Daily Bugle is swapped out for the one we see in Far From Home, and the dynamic duo ends up in a fancy hotel room. Venom and Eddie are baffled when the room’s guest steps out of the bathroom and asks who they are. Don’t worry, we’re are confused as you are, pal. What does this mean for Spider-Man: No Way Home? Importantly, Let There Be Carnage’s post-credits scene sets up Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Venom 3. There’s convenient timing, thanks to Eddie and Venom entering the MCU just as Jameson reveals Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Although it's a new shot (seemingly made just for Let There Be Carnage) of an unmasked Holland, it sparks Venom to grumble, "That guy" - suggesting the symbiote hive has knowledge of the Multiverse. Eddie and Venom's transportation into the MCU is presumably linked to the plot of No Way Home and Peter Parker’s botched wish that the world forgets he’s Spider-Man. In the No Way Home trailer, Doctor Strange’s spell goes awry and the doors to the Multiverse are blown wide open. It's this that seemingly allows the likes of Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro to bleed in from Sam Raimi and Marc Webb’s separate Spider-Man franchises. There are various theories on why Strange’s spell goes wrong, and whether it’s Mephisto in disguise, the moment Sylvie kills He Who Remains in Loki, or What…If?’s evil Doc, something tears the fabric of time and space apart. It’s a neat segue into Eddie and Venom’s arrival in the MCU, and if Jameson’s reveal is playing on the TV, it suggests that not only does Strange’s spell open the Multiverse, but everyone still knows Peter’s alias. When will Eddie and Venom return? Even though Sony could save these dangling plot threads for Venom 3, it's more likely that Hardy is poised to join the ever-growing cast of No Way Home. Fans were told to expect to know more about Sony’s plans for Holland to appear in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters once No Way Home releases, but instead, Hardy seems to be the one crossing over. Unfortunately, Venom’s post-credits scene still leaves a question mark hanging over Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius and Michael Keaton’s apparent return as Vulture from the MCU. Morbius was supposed to release in July 2020, which means it would’ve leapfrogged Let There Be Carnage’s post-credit twist. Much like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier swapped places in introducing Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, it’s possible Serkis was gifted the honour of bringing the Sony-Verse and MCU together. We’ve already speculated about the line-up of the Sinister Six being formed in No Way Home, and there’s just enough room for Venom. Then again, with mounting evidence that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire will reprise their roles as Peter Parker from the Raimi and Webb days, are we in danger of having Spider-Man 3 overkill in terms of characters? Here’s hoping things become clearer when Spider-Man: No Way Home releases on 17th December. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is in US cinemas now, and comes to UK cinemas on the 15th October. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
Hawkeye trailer twist could tease Florence Pugh’s role
Eagle-eyed fans think they've spotted a clue to one of Hawkeye's biggest storylines - and a possible Black Widow crossover.
Christmas has come early for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the first trailer for Disney+’s Hawkeye arriving recently to show Jeremy Renner draw back his bow and prepare to hand the 'Hawkguy' mantle to someone new. And for fans who still think the MCU is setting up the Young Avengers, Hawkeye introduced us to another potential recruit thanks to Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop. Still, while “new” Hawkeye was the main talking point of the first-look trailer, let’s not forget a more familiar face is also along for the ride. Following the climactic events of Cate Shortland’s Black Widow and THAT post-credits scene, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is on a collision course with Hawkeye and his new protégé. And even though Yelena sat out the Hawkeye trailer, eagle-eyed fans have spotted an arc that would offer a typically MCU twist on the source material. You see, Hawkeye might be an eagle-eyed and sharpshooting marksman, but like any good Avenger, he has an Achilles’ heel. Specifically, he’s lost his hearing (on several occasions) in the comics, and conveniently the trailer seems to have confirmed this will play out in live-action. In the aftermath of the Hawkeye trailer, fans quickly pointed to the fact Clint Barton can be seen wearing hearing aids in one scene. The breakneck speed of the footage didn’t give much context to what’s happened to Hawkeye since Avengers: Endgame, but if he needs the use of hearing aids, it’s a major nod to the comics. How does Hawkeye lose his hearing in the comics? View oEmbed on the source website Frankly, Hawkeye could do with some of Domino’s luck because he’s suffered at least partial deafness on three separate occasions in the comics. Firstly, the 1983 Hawkeye miniseries saw him take on the villainous Crossfire and try to topple the villain with his own sonic arrows. This backfired and left Barton with serious injuries. Although Hawkeye recovered from the ordeal, he was later stabbed in the ears by the sinister Clown - and was once again partially deaf in 2014, specifically during the Matt Fraction Hawkeye series the Disney Plus show is based on. It sounds pretty gruesome for a Marvel series, but remembering Fra Fee has been cast as a character called Kazi (Clown’s alias being Kazimierz Kazimierczak), it seems likely we could see a direct repeat of the comic-book storyline. The same solo series retconned some of the above and revealed Barton has partial deafness due to abuse he suffered as a child. Any of these options could play out onscreen – however, there’s an arguably more cohesive way to make it happen. How will Barton lose his hearing in Hawkeye? View oEmbed on the source website Even though Clown is tipped to be one of the Hawkeye villains, this relatively obscure choice is in danger of pushing Hawkeye into Netflix territory of low-level grunts. A more popular idea is that Yelena will be the one to deliver this life-changing blow. View oEmbed on the source website It’s unclear what Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has against the Avengers, but she's hellbent on disrupting their future. With Val claiming Barton is responsible for Natasha Romanoff’s death, Yelena has been given the vengeful task of taking him out. Despite Black Widow showing Nat and her “family” as slippery agents, it also showcased the quartet as misunderstood outcasts doing the work of their corrupt government. By all accounts, Yelena is a morally good character, so we doubt she’ll be able to pull the trigger on Barton’s death warrant. View oEmbed on the source website Instead, picture the scene where Hawkeye opens with Yelena hot on the tail of Clint. During a tense rooftop showdown, Barton tries to claim his innocence as it goes unnoticed by an enraged Belova. Even if Yelena doesn't kill Hawkeye, she could put him out of action by damaging his hearing. If this is the case, it would also neatly set up Hawkeye to train Bishop as his replacement while he tries to recuperate. But Yelena's not the only super-assassin to worry about. Let's not forget Alaqua Cox’s Echo, a fighter with "photographic reflexes" who turns up briefly in the Hawkeye trailer. The character is a deaf Native American who has strong ties to Hawkeye and classic villain Kingpin – being the latter’s adoptive daughter – in the comics. Given her presence, it could be that wild rumours Vincent D'Onofrio will finally reprise his role as the Daredevil villain for Hawkeye are true – in which case the muscular mobster could also be behind Hawkeye’s affliction. Altogether, it looks like Clint Barton's in for a rough ride this festive season. Whatever is going on with Hawkeye's hearing, it’s doubtful this Christmas cracker will play out like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Hawkeye comes to Disney Plus from Wednesday 24th November. Want more? Check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
Spider-Man: No Way Home might finally be giving us a live-action Sinister Six movie
After years of failed attempts, director Jon Watts may have landed on a Multiversal solution to recreating Spidey's greatest foes.
As the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into action, it looks like Jon Watts’ threequel is blowing the doors off the Marvel Multiverse. While the tease of alternate realities found its origins in Avengers: Endgame, it was Mysterio who really toyed with its potential in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Still, the Multiverse isn't the only long-awaited storyline that could finally be arriving in the movie because No Way Home might have just revealed a live-action Sinister Six storyline that’s been in the works since 2013. Way back when, Drew Goddard was attached to direct a movie that would’ve brought together Rhino, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Kraven, Mysterio, and Green Goblin. Despite these plans crashing and burning, the idea might’ve found a new place to call home, with No Way Home already confirming some returning Spidey-villains and hinting at others apparently flexing their muscles from the sidelines. And even though the MCU is yet to officially acknowledge that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are set to reprise their respective roles as Peter Parker from Marc Webb and Sam Raimi’s eras of the wall-crawling hero, the surprise might’ve been spoiled ahead of time thanks to this confirmed who’s who of villains from both iterations. Who will be in the Sinister Six? Yes, it’s technically only Alfred Molina’s Otto “Doc Ock” Octavius that gets his time to shine in the trailer, but look close enough and you’ll see a potential Sinister Six line-up lurking in the shadows. Two of the most obvious additions are Jamie Foxx’s Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn/Green Goblin from the Raimiverse. As well as one scene where a lightning bolt strikes a car (hello, Electro), a pumpkin bomb rolls toward the camera, accompanied by Dafoe’s cackle from back in the day. View oEmbed on the source website Given that the Sinister Three doesn’t have the same ring to it, what about the others? Eagle-eyed fans have noted the Electro scene sees his bolt being accompanied by a swirling tornado of what could be sand. It’s definitely plausible that Thomas Haden Church will reprise his role as Sandman and, given he was a rare highlight of the bloated Spider-Man 3, there’s sure to be plenty of support for the idea. Finally, others think they’ve pinpointed the moment Lizard makes his move. Read more: Spider-Man: No Way Home review – The best superhero movie in recent years View oEmbed on the source website A turning rumour mill has claimed Rhys Ifans will return as Doctor Curt Connors/Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man. As much as we’d like to see Dylan Baker get to realise his potential of evolving into Lizard from the Raimi days, Ifans makes more sense. Alternatively, some have suggested the above blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment is Venom for the long-hoped crossover between Holland and Hardy, but we’re not buying that the trailer would spoil that bombshell. What about the rest of the Sinister Six? The first No Way Home trailer seems to stick the middle finger to the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, or SPUMC (we’ll never get used to that name). After Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced Michael Keaton’s Vulture, jaws were on the floor when he popped up in the trailer for Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius. At one point, it seemed Sony and Disney were working together to craft a live-action Sinister Six that would consist of Tom Hardy’s Venom, Keaton’s Vulture, Jared Leto’s Morbius, and possible places for the likes of Homecoming’s Michael Mando as Scorpion, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming turn as Kraven, and others. The end stinger from Homecoming featured Scorpion saying he knew “some guys” who want to go after Spidey – suggesting this would form the Sinister Six. Of course there was no Multiverse then, meaning whatever Watts had planned has presumably changed. Although Mando's Mac Gargan can still fill that final No Way Home slot, it remains to be seen how Keaton comes into play in Morbius. Paul Giamatti’s name as Rhino has also been thrown around for a possible No Way Home return (from the Andrew Garfield era), meaning the sixth member of the Sinister Six is very much still up for grabs. Still, we doubt it’s Mephisto suiting up to join the team of supervillains – even if he does turn out to be behind the whole thing. Finally, the fact that Mysterio gets a name drop in the trailer could be the confirmation we need that Jake Gyllenhaal will stick a goldfish bowl on his head once again. Mysterio’s Multiverse story in Far From Home may have been bull, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a Multiverse version of Quentin Beck out there somewhere. Remembering Gyllenhaal’s fan-favourite status in the MCU, it’s a licence to print money if he comes back – and it's not like other Spidey villains (Dock Ock, Green Goblin) aren't also returning from the dead. Basically, the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer did exactly what it was supposed to do, and left us with more questions than answers for the Multiverse, Morbius, and beyond. It’s clear the Sinister Six are coming, but it remains to be seen who these six really are and whether they’ll be sticking around beyond No Way Home. We say, why not extend the party and invite everyone along for the Sinister Twelve? After all, it happened in the comics... Spider-Man: No Way Home is in cinemas from the 17th December. Want more? Check out our dedicated Movies page or our full TV Guide.
Is Howard the Duck really getting resurrected in the MCU?
Tom Chapman investigates why now is the right time to bring back Howard the Duck - properly.
There’s an idea hatching in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with reported plans for the world’s highest-grossing franchise to resurrect Howard the Duck for a whole new generation. Long before the MCU, George Lucas’ Howard the Duck slips into the realms of often-forgotten Marvel outings like Elektra, the Hasselhoff-led Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Nic Cage’s Ghost Rider movies. As Universal's Howard the Duck celebrates its 35th anniversary, one of the movie’s original stars claims this maligned mallard is ready to spread his wings all over again. The question is, is this destined to be another rotten stinker or could it be the duck that laid the golden egg? Howard’s next outing on the big screen As well as being known for playing Beverly Switzler in Howard the Duck, Back to the Future star Lea Thompson has been trying to get a revival off the ground for years. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson explained how she’s worked with OG Howard voice actor Chip Zien to create a pitch for his return. According to Thompson, ”Marvel liked the pitch, but they have different plans for the different characters”. Thompson remains adamant she’s the woman for the job because she feels like she’s the “one who really understands the fans, both of the movie and the cartoon”. Thompson stopped short of revealing what Kevin Feige and co. have planned, however, we’ve come a long way since Howard and some questionable animatronics muscled their way into cinemas in 1986. With the MCU already proving it can even reinvent obscure characters like Agatha Harkness for modern audiences, Howard is poised to ruffle a few feathers. Where Howard the Duck fits into the MCU Those who know their Howard the Duck from Howard Stark will remember this feathered friend is no stranger to the MCU. First appearing for a brief cameo in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard was voiced by Family Guy’s Seth Green. Green reprised his role for the 2017 sequel, while Howard was supposed to be voiced by Community’s Ken Jeong in Avengers: Infinity War - before the part was cut. Howard’s MCU journey doesn’t end with the Guardians though. Despite Howard sitting out Infinity War, the Russo Brothers told The Independent he was one of the lucky few that survived the Blip. Later, Howard led the Ravagers in THAT “Avengers, assemble” scene. Away from a hopeful flash of feathers in Gunn’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Howard’s foul-mouthed future is set to continue in the animated What...If? series. Although the jury is still out on whether What...If? will play into main MCU canon, Green told THR he'll feature in the story where T’Challa becomes Star-Lord. By the looks of it, Howard is still tied to the apron strings of the Guardians, but for how much longer? Importantly, enough time has passed between Howard the Duck’s movie and his MCU inclusion for fans to forgive the mistakes of the past. If we can forget Josh Trank’s Fant4stic and reinvent The Fantastic Four, we have to make an allowance for Howard. When is Howard the Duck’s time to shine in the MCU? Way back when, the notion that James Gunn could bring the Guardians of the Galaxy to life would’ve left even hardcore Marvel fans chuckling. Jump forward to 2021, and the rag-tag team of space rogues is one of the MCU’s hottest properties. Howard the Duck might be an even bigger gamble, but with spinoffs galore filling our screens, it’s about time Howard rolled the dice. It’s also important to remember that before Hulu’s bundled slate of Marvel’s shows were axed, Howard was supposed to get an animated outing alongside Hit-Monkey, Tigra, and Dazzler standalones. Even though Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. was the sole survivor of the TV scythe, the show’s surprise success could lead into Howard’s arc. Had the various Hulu shows worked, there were plans to unite them in an animated crossover called The Offenders. If M.O.D.O.K. ever makes the leap into live-action, the Offenders could sit neatly alongside the New Avengers, Young Avengers, Thunderbolts, and all those other rumoured team-ups. Animals are flavour of the month right now, and after Alligator Loki stole the show, Howard is the right balance of weird and wacky that the cosmic branch of the MCU is heading toward. It’s easy to imagine What...If? setting up Howard’s more permanent residence in the franchise, with potential cameos in everything from Loki season 2 to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sure to grab our attention. Even if we’re presumably a long way off Howard diving into his own live-action outing, expect to see some webbed footprints as the MCU heads into Phase Four and beyond. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
How the original Marvel comics could shape Loki season two
Wondering what happens next after the Loki finale? The comics hint at Kang, Doctor Strange and Renslayer storylines.
It’s not time to put down your horns and sceptre yet, as the Loki post-credits tease confirmed the God of Mischief will be back for more time travel trickery in Loki season two. The finale was a whistle-stop tour of the Sacred Timeline, and while it wasn’t quite Agatha all along, the theories were (sort of) on the money that Kang the Conqueror was the man behind the curtain. Readers of Marvel comics might know there’s more to the appearance of "He Who Remains” - who was a clever twist on the wizened comic book character of the same name. Loki played fast and loose with the source material to make him a Kang the Conqueror variant. He Who Remains warned a vengeful Sylvie that killing him would open the door to villainous Variants of himself, while the cracking timeline finally teased the potential of the Multiverse. All bets are off, and whether it’s Deadpool in the MCU, the arrival of the X-Men, or Tobey Maguire reprising his role as Spider-Man, the Multiverse can do it all. So what can we expect going forward? We can look to the source material for a few clues... Where Loki season 2 goes next Loki's finale welcomed Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors to the MCU fold – however, with confirmation he’ll be suiting up as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, no one was really buying his death at the end of the episode. This neatly sets up Majors’ return in season two, but just like Loki came across Variants that were alike in name alone, he might not be the only Kang out there. Away from all the hype about where the Multiverse will take the Marvel Cinematic Universe next, Marvel Comics hints at a potential arc for Loki season two. At least one Kang has been hard at work, with Loki’s final scene showing “our” Loki in a branch of the Multiverse. This was solidified as the camera panned out and replaced a statue of the Time-Keepers with Majors’ likeness. For those wondering how Loki will move forward, the comic book creation known as the Council of Kangs can keep the TVA ticking along and our Loki(s) busy in season two. The Council of Kangs The history of Kang the Conqueror is a complicated one that lends itself perfectly to Loki season two. Introduced in 1963’s Fantastic Four #19, the megalomaniac Pharaoh Rama-Tut was later revealed as Nathaniel Richards - a scholar from the 31st Century trapped in Ancient Egypt. Just like Loki’s Kang explained, he’s met different forms of himself over the years. In the comics, we’ve seen Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Immortus, Victor Timely, and many more time-hopping Kangs. Returning to the Council of Kangs, they were ruled by Prime Kang, who was tricked by a future Immortus into eliminating all variants. This sealed Prime Kang's fate and evolved him into becoming Immortus. It’s possible that season two will introduce the limbo-trapped Immortus as the malevolent that Kang He Who Remains was petrified of - though some fans have theorised that He Who Remains was essentially Immortus, and that the Kang Prime is the villain we should be worried about. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year The more the merrier View oEmbed on the source website Delving deeper into the pages of the comics, fans can expect Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer to be by Kang’s side. The comics have portrayed her as the on-again, off-again, lover of Kang - which was highlighted by her TVA number being A-23 as a nod to her first appearance in 1965’s Avengers #23. It’s unclear how much Ravonna already knows about Kang, but with the TVA judge heading off on her own mission, she’s sure to cross paths with her potential beau and possibly take on the form of the assassin known as Terminatrix. There’s also the chance the next run of episodes will recruit adolescent Kang as Nate Richards, aka Iron Lad. This chaotic chap is a member of the Young Avengers, which doubles down on the fact Disney’s slate of MCU shows is cleverly recruiting for a possible spin-off. Finally, bringing the Council of Kangs into play allows for season two’s very own rebrand of Alligator Loki with the equally out-there Kangaroo the Conqueror. (Yep, he really exists in the comics). The Multiverse has gone mad All of the above ties nearly into the upcoming release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The WandaVision post-credits poised Elizabeth Olsen’s return as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, and while the end Loki wasn’t as clear, it’s given writers a clever segue into Sam Raimi’s superhero horror. Sylvie inadvertently releasing the Multiverse will almost certainly set up Doc’s next chapter. Although fans questioned how a Chaos Magic-infused Wanda could hear the voices of her fictional sons at the end of WandaVision, theories point toward Billy and Tommy’s return as Multiverse variants. This would be its own twist on the acclaimed House of M arc and its aftermath. Further proving that WandaVision and Loki form their own Mobius Strip with Multiverse of Madness, Hiddleston is tipped to sit out Thor: Love and Thunder but return for Doctor Strange 2. Some thought Hiddleston’s absence in Thor 4 would lead to a shock death in the Loki finale, but given that the show has just been renewed for season two, it looks like the OG Loki will be sticking around a little longer. View oEmbed on the source website We just want to see Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Loki team up like the pages of 2018’s Doctor Strange #387. And further ahead, who knows? Even if Loki's debut season didn’t have the happy ending of Mobius and Hiddleston’s Loki riding off into the sunset on a jet ski, there’s always season two. Find out everything you need to know about the Loki cast and how to watch Marvel movies in order with our comprehensive coverage. Loki is streaming now on Disney Plus – for more information see our Loki release schedule guide. To watch, you can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, as well as our guides to the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Is Loki the end of the road for Tom Hiddleston in the MCU?
Fans are wondering whether the introduction of Loki variants like Sylvie or Kid Loki could mean that Tom Hiddleston is leaving the God of Mischief behind.
While Tom Hiddleston’s Loki has been a big success for Disney’s revamped slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe shows, there are worrying rumours that the series could serve as a swansong for this timeline trickster. Just like the MCU recently waved goodbye to the likes of Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers, is Loki next to hang up his honorary Avengers badge? Episode 4’s big twist saw Mobius M. Mobius and Loki apparently “killed off” by Ravonna Renslayer – however, this wasn’t the case. With "our" Loki finding himself in the dystopian Void in episode five, viewers met Classic Loki, Kid Loki, Boastful Loki, and Crocodile Loki (?). Although it’s easy to imagine a scenario where the various (surviving) Variant Lokis band together and topple the villain at the top of the TVA to take control of the Sacred Timeline - if it exists - there’s sure to be some heartache along the way (like the fate of poor Classic Loki). The MCU loves a good fake-out death, and although Loki just survived a brush with death, the series might be setting up another noble sacrifice. Speaking to /Film, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore has already said Loki “lends itself to multiple seasons”, but with Loki variants proving to be a dime a dozen, that doesn’t mean Hiddleston’s OG will be there to steer the ship. Looking at who’s next on the docket, there’s an obvious choice. One of Loki’s biggest wins has been the introduction of Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie. While no one’s quite sure whether she’s supposed to be Lady Loki, Enchantress, or an amalgamation of both, the possibility exists that the scheming sorceress is sticking around for a little longer. View oEmbed on the source website Not that anyone needed to nudge, but Di Martino has also already hinted at her potential return as Sylvie. Even if Sylvie has distanced herself from even being referred to as a Loki for now, that doesn’t mean she won’t emerge as Lady Loki further down the line – and while the whole concept of the “main” MCU will probably be blown apart by Loki, Spider-Man: Far From Home’s rumoured multiverse mayhem, or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there’s expected to be a core cast of heroes and villains assembled for the inevitable Avengers 5 or various offshoot movies that are presumably in the works. View oEmbed on the source website Elsewhere, there’s the MCU’s signature trail of breadcrumbs. It’s surely no coincidence Kid Loki is primed to join the Young Avengers alongside WandaVision’s Tommy and Billy or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Eli Bradley. The clever part of Loki has been introducing Sylvie as her own character, rather than just a Loki Variant. This gives hope that Kid Loki could also emerge with his own unique personality. Alongside expanded screen time for Sylvie in this era of a female-first MCU, there’s the possibility the writers are winding down Hiddleston's Loki's story like Iron Man and co. in Endgame. Just like the Thor and Avengers movies mellowed the heartless Loki, the Disney+ series condensed nine years of development into a handful of episodes. As we’re repeatedly reminded, Loki’s are born to be villains that lose, meaning this troublesome pairing of heroic Loki and Sylvie is a Nexus Event itself. Further signalling that the end is nigh, Hiddleston told Empire he won’t be in Thor: Love and Thunder. While this leaves the door open for Sylvie’s return and a neat segue into Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster/Mighty Thor being the God of Thunder from a female-dominated timeline of Asgardians - we’re imagining Rene Russo Frigga as the one in charge - it’s undoubtedly bad news for our Loki. Considering Loki has been a mainstay of every Thor movie so far, it seems strange that he’d be sitting this one out. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year Then again, while the MCU has set a precedent of heroes passing the baton – see Sam Wilson picking up the Captain American mantle – Kate Bishop becoming Hawkeye in the Jeremy Renner-led series of the same name doesn’t mean Clint Barton will be hanging up his bow and arrow, it's feasible that the MCU could sustain multiple versions of Loki in future. View oEmbed on the source website Notably, some have claimed that "our" Loki will be back in his green and gold robes for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Given WandaVision’s tantalising post-credits tease and Loki’s new TVA credentials, it’s easy to imagine joining the Doc for what’s being tipped as the MCU’s most out-there adventure. Just like there’s always a Stark at Winterfell, there’s always sure to be a Loki in the MCU - the question is, who will it be? Is Loki dead or did Loki survive Infinity War? Who exactly is Sylvie in Loki? Find out everything you need to know about the Loki cast and how to watch Marvel movies in order with our comprehensive coverage. Loki is streaming now on Disney Plus – for more information see our Loki release schedule guide. To watch, you can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, as well as our guides to the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
Do the Time-Keepers actually exist in the MCU? Loki fan theory explored
Loki's mysterious protectors of the Sacred Timeline have a past in the comics – but are they just a sham in the TVA?
Marvel's Loki episode four has dropped a major bombshell about the Time-Keepers, the ancient beings said to be at the heart of the Time Variance Authority. Marvel fans have been sceptical over whether this all-knowing trio of "space lizards" truly exist, or if they are simply an elaborate lie being told to keep TVA employees docile and loyal. We seemed to get our answer in episode four, where a violent confrontation in the Time-Keepers throne room ended with the group's leader being beheaded – and their true nature being revealed. There are still plenty of questions left to be answered as we eagerly await Loki episode five, but for now, here's all your essential information on the Time-Keepers in Loki. Who are the Time-Keepers? In Marvel Comics, the Time-Keepers were introduced in 1982’s Thor #282. Ast, Vorth, and Zanth were created by He Who Remains, the last survivor of a universe that had previously been destroyed. Although the comics also featured the Time-Keepers as far-flung successors to the TVA after it was disbanded, their motives in Loki are still unknown. In terms of the Time-Keepers’ origin in the MCU, there's a still a lot we don't know. Earlier in his self-titled series, we saw Loki ask for all files pertaining to the Time-Keepers, the history of time, and the TVA’s backstory – only to be told they were were “classified”. As a result, all he had to go on was the elaborate story from Miss Minutes, who claims that the Time-Keepers banded together after a Great Multiversal War that threatened all of reality. Rumour has it that Loki will set the stage for another such conflict in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel Multiverse of Madness, but fresh developments in Loki episode four cast doubt on whether this Time-Keepers origin is true at all. Are the Time-Keepers real in Loki? Fans have been doubtful about the true nature of the Time-Keepers from the first episode of Loki, but their suspicion reached new heights when it was revealed that Agent Mobius himself has never met them. The only person at the TVA who does seem to have regular contact with the all-powerful trio is Judge Ravonna Renslayer, but she is coy and cryptic with any information she passes on about them. Circling back to the comics, Renslayer has a complicated history with a certain Kang the Conqueror, tipped to be the MCU's next Big Bad as portrayed by Lovecraft Country's Jonathan Majors. A prominent theory is that the formidable Avengers foe has killed off the trio and replaced them as the head of the TVA for his own nefarious means. Kang has a long rap sheet of meddling in the past, including when he manipulated the Time-Keepers into separating his past self from his future self in 1998’s Avengers Forever, before promptly slaughtering them. This theory only seems stronger following the events of Loki episode four, where Sylvie beheads one of the Time-Keepers in their throne room, only to discover that they are merely "mindless androids". At the end of the dramatic chapter, she demands that Renslayer tell her what's really been going on at the TVA, so expect some answers next week. Tom Hiddleston himself had previously teased that Loki episode 4 and 5 are the big ones in terms of shocking revelations. If the Time-Keepers are proven to be a complete fabrication, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an actual presence out there watching the MCU unfold. After all, we've already seen the legendary Stan Lee helping out the Watchers in Guardians Vol. 2, with the big-headed alien species set to be formerly introduced in the upcoming What If series. with Jeffrey Wright playing the MCU's primary Watcher: Uatu. Loki episodes one to four are streaming now on Disney Plus – for more information see our Loki release schedule guide. To watch, you can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, as well as our guides to the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Is Loki already setting up the Young Avengers with Kid Loki?
A mysterious little boy could set up another variant twist in Marvel's latest Disney Plus series
There’s a new kid on the block in more ways than one this week, with the first episode of Loki arriving on Disney Plus to open the door to a whole multiverse of possibilities. Much like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is part of a cohesive slate of shows and movies that tie the Marvel Cinematic Universe together in Phase 4. And at the moment, the MCU is seemingly working toward the formation of a New Avengers to replace those lost during Endgame, while elsewhere there are reports that everyone from the Dark Avengers to the Young Avengers are waiting in the wings. And on this theme Loki might’ve just introduced a cunning candidate for the Young Avengers in the form of Kid Loki. You see, while Michael Waldron’s series rattled through explainers of Nexus Events, the Time Variance Authority and proper use of Infinity Stone paperweights, it was also quick to tease its own endgame. The first scene with Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius featured the TVA agent hunting a rogue variant to 1549 France. Here, a small boy pointed to a stained glass window featuring a devil - which would’ve been the perfect time to open a can of Mephisto theories. But instead, we've got a different tinfoil hat on this time. Who is Kid Loki? The little boy was given some blue gum by the rogue variant, which we’re sure will play out as more than just an Easter egg further down the line. But what's important for now is that instead of Mephisto being the de facto villain, it looks like the “devil” of this series is actually Loki with his horned headdress. Returning to the little boy, what if this angel-faced addition is actually Kid Loki from the comics? For those unfamiliar with their Marvel arcs, Kid Loki was introduced in 2010’s Thor #610. After adult Loki was killed in a botched assault on Asgard, he woke up in a younger form and later had his memory restored by Thor. And in that story, it just so happens that Kid Loki was tracked down by the God of Thunder to France (specifically Paris) - insert side-eye emoji here. Although the boy in Loki could simply be an unnamed extra, the concept of Kid Loki has some important ramifications for the franchise’s future. Since Avengers: Endgame reintroduced an older Cassie Lang, the MCU has slowly been building a roster of Young Avengers. WandaVision added Billy and Tommy to the mix as Wiccan and Speed, while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier teased Elijah Bradley's future as Patriot. Added to this, Hawkeye has Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop and Ironheart is set to introduce Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as the hero of the same name. Much like the main Avengers line-up, the Young Avengers has changed a lot over the years, however, Kid Loki has been a staple alongside all of the above. How could Kid Loki fit into Loki? Even if the young boy wasn’t Kid Loki, we don’t expect the God of Mischief will be alone for long. The Loki premiere ended with another TVA team falling victim to the series’ big bad, which we’re guessing will be a rogue Loki from a different reality. Like Paul Bettany playing classic Vision and White Vision in WandaVision, Hiddleston could be pulling double duty. That being said, it’s likely that the person under the hood is a different version of Loki. They’re seemingly too tall to be Kid Loki, but that doesn’t mean a junior God of Mischief isn’t part of the series’ overarching villain plot. It’s unclear how Loki will play with the idea of multiple Lokis, but remember, there are swirling rumours that Sophia Di Martino is playing a female version of the trickster god as Lady Loki. And perhaps instead of introducing these characters as iterations of the OG Loki in different bodies, they could be Lokis from different timelines. For a while now, theorists have guessed that the crux of the story will follow Hiddleston’s Loki, working with the TVA to apprehend multiple (alternate) Lokis who are messing with the timeline. If this is the case, it leaves room for Kid Loki, Lady Loki, and Richard E. Grant’s rumoured role as Old Man Loki. Whether it’s too early to introduce Kid Loki or not, there are more possibilities than timelines for how/when the character will make his MCU debut. Certainly, Loki is already living up to its hype as being one of the wackiest Marvel outfits to date. With OG Loki before his redemptive turn, Lady Loki, and possibly Kid Loki all in the TVA’s crosshairs, we can’t wait to see where this timeline trickery takes us next. Loki episode one is streaming now on Disney Plus – for more information see our Loki release schedule guide. To watch, you can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage, as well as our guides to the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
How Loki might shape the future of the Avengers
Dark Avengers, alternate heroes and surprise resurrections are all on the table as Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief comes to Disney Plus.
A mere decade after Tom Hiddleston cemented himself as the villainous Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the God of Mischief is back with his own series. Following WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is the latest Phase Four outing in a cohesive franchise of MCU shows and movies. Just like the other Disney Plus series have left tantalising teases of what’s to come, here’s how Loki can shape the future of the Avengers. Going Dark With Avengers: Endgame disbanding the Avengers we’ve come to know, there are questions about who’ll make up the team for the inevitable Avengers 5 and who they'll face. There are swirling rumours that instead of a singular threat like Ultron or Thanos, Earth's Mightiest heroes will go up against a Dark Avengers team. The roster of villains could include the likes of Loki, Baron Zemo, Taskmaster, and US Agent, while the idea of the Dark Avengers in the MCU could be pulled directly from the comics. Posting on Reddit, u/comicclub1089 posited that Loki will set up the ‘Siege’ arc of the comics. The 2010 story followed Spider-Man foe Norman Osborn leading a team of villains consisting of Doctor Doom, the Hood, Taskmaster, Loki (and more) in a war against Asgard. According to the theory, Loki will end his series with the freedom to pick any timeline - choosing the main MCU because Asgard is destroyed, the Avengers are largely disbanded, and Odin is dead. Plenty of opportunities for the God of Mischief... Even though Osborn is yet to appear in the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home is rumoured to be a trippy adventure with the return of Spidey favourites like Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire alongside villains like Electro and Doctor Octopus. Willem Dafoe again donning the guise of the Green Goblin would be a major casting, but with Norman Osborn having the potential of being a Thanos-level villain, it might be better to recast and start anew. If it’s too early for Norm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine looks like she has plans for assembling her own rag-tag team of rogues that fits the ‘Siege’ bill anyway. Either way, the formation of an anti-Avengers team is sure to keep our heroes on their toes. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now Messing with the Multiverse There are also hopes Hiddleston will return for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For longer than we can remember, he’s been tipped to wear his horns for the Doctor Strange sequel - they're due a rematch after Thor: Ragnarok – and it’s clear Loki is dabbling in the Multiverse for his own series, which ties neatly into the title of Sam Raimi’s movie. Redditor u/Environmental_Golf65 posted a theory that Loki’s story will be linked to the arrival of Nightmare in Multiverse of Madness. Although the villain is usually associated with Doctor Strange, they pointed out that Loki has battled Nightmare on several occasions, and even in his own comic series. There’s also the “crackpot” idea that Loki makes himself Sorcerer Supreme in one of the timelines. View oEmbed on the source website Elsewhere, everyone remembers those recurring theories that Mephisto would be the big bad of WandaVision. Even though he didn’t appear (not even as that fly), some think they’ve spotted an Easter egg in the first Loki trailer. Multiverse of Madness’ villain is yet to be revealed, but aside from Nightmare or even Scarlet Witch herself, Mephisto would be a popular choice - and it might all start with Loki. Familiar faces Finally, Loki’s tour of the timelines in his titular series means a few familiar Avengers could also return. Remember when fans got a heartbreaking reunion between Thor and Hela in Avengers: Endgame? Well, death is similarly not the end in the Multiverse and while Iron Man might be permanently down for the count, there’s rife speculation that Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers/Captain America. There have been reports that Kevin Feige is plotting Evans’ return – but it’s not expected in the Anthony Mackie-led Captain America 4. With that said, it’s unclear where Cap went when he returned the Infinity Stones at the end of Endgame, though he certainly lived a long life before Old Man Cap handed over the shield to Sam Wilson. Cap is often called the Man Out of Time, and the Russo Brothers teased we’ll get to know more about his timeline tales in a future project. And perhaps Loki is that project – in one trailer Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius charges Loki with temporal crimes, but what if Rogers is also an enemy of the Time Variance Authority? Loki is the first adventure to really mess with the timelines, meaning it’s a logical place to flesh out Cap’s missing years. Then again, retconning his happy ending with Peggy Carter would be sure to cause a stir. Whatever is going on, Loki has the potential to blow the Multiverse - and frankly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole – wide open. With the timeline trickster recruited by the TVA, it looks like the series is throwing the rulebook out of the window and is ready to catapult the Avengers into a new era. Looks like Loki truly found his glorious purpose after all... Loki begins streaming on Wednesday 9th June, with new episodes released weekly - see our Loki release schedule for more information. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Want more? Check out our Sci-Fi and Fantasy pages or our full TV Guide.
Why River Song may be the greatest Doctor Who companion of all time
On the 13-year anniversary of her first appearance, we’re jumping back into that blue box and heading out into the Whoniverse for a look at the life and times of River Song.
Since the BBC relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, there’s been a colourful cast of fan-favourite companions that have joined the time-travelling Time Lord. From the early days of Rose Tyler through to Martha Jones, the Ponds, Yasmin Khan and all the rest, each has brought something different to the table. However, all of the above pale in comparison to a certain River Song, aka the wife of the Doctor, who first debuted in the series to acclaim 13 years ago today. (Don’t get too attached though – Steven Moffat claims she’s been married 428 times.) While naming River so definitively as the greatest companion of all time is sure to spark a debate hotter than the Satan Pit, she rightly earns her place at the top thanks to her flirty and fearsome attitude – and a few other qualities that have helped her unlock more than just the door to the TARDIS. Though before we get into all that, it's time for a trip down memory lane... Who is River Song? Introduced in 2008’s Silence in the Library, River Song was a seemingly innocuous archaeologist who met her maker at the hands of the Vashta Nerada. With some timey-wimey trickery, River and the Doctor’s timelines were going in different directions but destined to collide. Song sacrificed herself to save David Tennant’s Doctor, saying that if he died now, she’d never meet him in her own past. Although the Doctor was originally reluctant to believe that he’d met Song before, she managed to convince him by whispering his true name. Following her original appearance, Russell T Davies described River as “one of the most important characters” to the story and “vital” to the Doctor’s life. This was just the start of Song’s appearances, and although she only appeared in 15 episodes across seven years, her continued cameos tied into an overarching story with everyone from the Weeping Angels to the Silence, Madame Kovarian to the Great Intelligence. Why is River Song so important? Traversing three iterations of the Doctor, River Song became a de facto companion for Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi – but while Tennant and Capaldi bookended her story, most of River’s arc came during the Smith era of the series. It was here that her creator Steven Moffat delivered a Line of Duty-worthy twist, revealing River Song’s real name was Melody Pond and making her the daughter of fellow companions Rory Williams and Amy Pond. Due to being conceived in the TARDIS, River had abilities similar to the Doctor and was able to regenerate, delivering yet more shocking reveals. Alongside saving the Doctor numerous times, River also has the dubious honour of being his “killer”. It was this that led to her incarceration at the Stormcage Containment Facility, though it was later revealed to be a clever ruse – in actual fact, the Doctor and River had faked his death and he regularly broke her out of Stormcage to go on romantic dates. All of this culminated in the 2015 Christmas episode The Husbands of River Song, which contains one of the most tragic goodbyes in the show’s history. Knowing a trip to Darillium would be her last with the Doctor, River spends her final episode with the stern Capaldi incarnation. Still, fans got a rare glimmer of frivolity from the (at that stage) usually stoic Doctor as he spouted her catchphrases and picked up a little of River's joie de vivre. By the end, her goodbye in the episode had many fans smiling from ear to ear and reaching for the tissues at the same time. Classic Doctor Who, in other words. At the core of the story, River’s appearances have always been peppered with sadness. If being the mysterious astronaut responsible for the Doctor’s demise wasn’t enough, Melody/River also lost her parents forever at the hands of the Weeping Angels, and was always destined to die in front of him. It’s made River a hardened heroine and an all-time great companion – even though she always refused to take up the offer of joining the TARDIS on a full-time basis. Will we see River Song again? The idea that we could see River Song again is a tantalising one that takes an interesting turn now Jodie Whittaker is in the title role. Despite the sci-fi world and likes of Star Wars being dogged with allegations that the LGBTQ+ community isn’t well represented, the latest era of Doctor Who has strived to do its bit. River Song mentions her “second wife” in The Husbands of River Song, suggesting that she is at least bisexual. So far, showrunner Chris Chibnall has mostly skirted around issues of the Thirteenth Doctor’s new gender, but is it really out of the realms of possibility that the show could ride its new wave of positive LGBTQ+ representation with the Doctor and River reunited? Of course, it would be a massive leap for a series as well-established as Doctor Who to make its lead LGBTQ+ – but then again, it wasn’t afraid to rip the band-aid off and make him a her for series 11. “It would be a great shame if it were not to happen. Let’s put it that way,” Kingston told RadioTimes.com when asked if she'd like to see the Thirteenth Doctor and River meet onscreen. “I’m open to anything. I don’t have an idea about how we should meet or anything like that. But I would like River to meet her, and plant a big, fat kiss on her!” The arguments against hearing that iconic, “Hello Sweetie” once more? Well, River was already given an almost perfect ending. Alongside her heroic death in the library, her final episode brought everything full circle. Then again, Chibnall hasn’t been afraid to bring former companions back. Why River Song is the best Doctor Who companion While the role of River Song could’ve been neatly wrapped in a two-episode stint 13 years ago, Kingston’s enigmatic performance has seen the character fight to (not quite) live another day – and in my mind, she definitely ranks alongside Sarah Jane Smith as one of Doctor Who's greatest companions. (With hindsight, it’s hard to imagine that the Who team had originally wanted to cast Kate Winslet.) What makes River Song the best companion of all time is the fact that she isn’t really one at all. Instead, she’s more of the Doctor’s immaculate equal. Although the Doctor has dabbled with romance over the years, River has seduced multiple Doctors on multiple occasions and continued to keep them on their toes. For arguably the smartest being in the galaxy, it’s quite some feat to be bested by the quip-spouting Ms. Pond. Branching off with her own stories and simply popping by to see the Doctor when it suits her, River Song was effectively a female version of the Doctor before Whittaker was even trying on her trench coat. And going forward, maybe we could see even more of her. As Doctor Who continues to expand, who wouldn’t love to see a River Song spin-off where she zooms around the cosmos seducing one of her 428 partners using hallucinogenic lipstick? At some point in the next 13 years, we want to see it happen. Doctor Who returns to BBC One later this year. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or our dedicated Sci-Fi page.
Castlevania season 4 review: A visceral farewell to a series that never quite lived up to its own potential
It's "fangs" for the memories as the animated series departs Netflix – at least for now.
Netflix is unfurling its wings one last time, as Castlevania bows out with its final season. While it seems like only yesterday we met the foul-mouthed Trevor Belmont, kind-hearted Sypha, and troubled Alucard, Castlevania promises to crack open the crypt and use season four to round off an epic saga of love, lust, and loss. Following the cliffhanger ending of season three, the forces of Carmilla are ready to rid the world of humans, Isaac questions his loyalties to the vampire world, and Alucard seems to be following in his father’s footsteps. Much like Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, Curse of Darkness, and pretty much any Castlevania game you can name, season four focuses on a tireless mission to resurrect Dracula. As someone rightly says, 'This is about Dracula, isn’t it?'. At its core, Castlevania season four evolves from just being about Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso). After living Sypha’s life of “adventures and victories”, things descend into the bloody world of Belmont. The bickering duo works together like a vampire-hunting Bonnie and Clyde, with the final season debuting a Belmont-esque Sypha that even swears. There’s also plenty for the pale-skinned Alucard, who is at his most dangerous and shows the toll of what being Dracula’s son really means. Daddy dearest is never far away, and as the various armies of the dead close in, there’s a real sense Alucard could be lost to Vlad’s legacy. Looking at the bigger picture of Castlevania’s last hurrah, the real highlight is Jaime Murray’s performance as Carmilla. Not since Buffy butted heads with Drusilla has a vampire villainess been so enigmatic and interesting. Well, maybe a certain Lady Dimitrescu. Carmilla’s reflection that she and her sisters were left to die because they were women - while posing that Dracula was just a “stupid, old, man” - puts a female-first perspective on the classic tale of vamps. Critics of season three lamented that such a great character was locked away in Styria with the Council of Sisters, and unfortunately, it’s much the same in season four. Thankfully, Carmilla finally breaks free from this fortress of solitude in episode six and leaps into action with bloodlust (literally) in her eyes. It’s a showdown for the ages between two of the major factions, and gives the story a much-needed kick up the backside. Newcomers fall short of eccentric additions like Godbrand (RIP) and Saint Germain, but still, help the story tick along. In particular, viewers should listen out for the legendary Malcolm McDowell as Varney, who is much than just a Hackney Vampire. Elsewhere, hats off to Marsha Thomason’s Greta, who simply wants to find somewhere free of these monsters and madmen. With Trevor and Sypha doing their own thing, Greta is Alucard’s right-hand woman and makes this trio a quartet. Other positives include the plethora of creative monsters. The troupe face off against everything from Zelda-inspired skeletons to Silent Hill spiders. It’s a shame that there’s a sense we’ve only scratched the surface of what this world of ghouls has to offer. Perhaps the biggest problem with Castlevania season four piggybacks over from season three. With the Castlevania cast left scattered around the globe, it takes far too long to bring them together. In particular, there are more long-winded speeches from Isaac (Adetokumboh M'Cormack) that don’t land when it comes to his ending. After the surprise twist of a fan-favourite becoming the de facto villain, the gloves are off and the “stakes” are raised. Even though it takes a while to get there, Alucard finally emerges as Castlevania’s MVP and gets to sink his teeth into the source material. Unfortunately, it means Trevor and Sypha are largely resigned to being supporting characters. The spiralling narratives don't come together in time, meaning the final episodes feel rushed. Taking a cue from the now-stagnant game series, Castlevania goes with a rinse and repeat formula of heroes holing up in some godforsaken town, ridding it of monsters, and moving onto the next with a trail of destruction in their wake. Everything is a little too signposted, with things limping toward an endgame that thankfully fires in all cylinders. Things improve massively in the final furlong, and considering Carmilla’s big battle is one of the show’s best, it’s just about worth it. If this wasn’t enough, there’s an even bigger showdown in episode nine that is a glorious shower of blood and guts that looks like it’s been pulled directly from a Castlevania game. It's a symphony of the macabre that becomes one of the most beautiful things we've seen on Netflix. On the whole, Castlevania season four is a visceral farewell to a series that never quite lives up to its own potential. Of course, fans know this isn’t the end. With Netflix promising another show in the complicated lore, it’ll be interesting to see which battered and beaten Belmonts will be tooling up for the apocalypse next time. Still, Castlevania is a comedic romp through the end of days that offers chuckles and carnage in equal measure. While not perfect, the final season serves as a love letter to Konami’s games and the series Warren Ellis has worked on since 2017. Now that the sun has risen and the Night Creatures are down for a nap, all there’s left to say is, “fangs” for the memories. Castlevania season four is streaming now on Netflix – check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix. Visit our Fantasy hub for more coverage and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.
Rumour has it that a female version of Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief could be coming to the Disney Plus series.
Following in the footsteps of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney Plus, up next on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s revamped slate of TV temptation is Michael Waldron’s Loki. While Tom Hiddleston is back in action as the antagonistic antihero, the various rumours and trailers have teased he’s not alone out there in the multiverse. Away from Owen Wilson’s role as Mobius M. Mobius, the all-star cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Richard E Grant, and Sophia Di Martino in mysterious roles. And with everyone from Old Man Loki to Kid Loki tipped to make their MCU debut, there’s also a woman waiting in the wings who could mean big things moving forward. You see, rumour has it that a female version of Loki could be set to make her debut. As the self-confessed Mistress of Mischief, here’s what Lady Loki could mean for the Multiverse and beyond. (Find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order with our step-by-step guide.) Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now Who is Lady Loki? View oEmbed on the source website For those up on their comics, Lady Loki was first introduced in 2008’s Thor Vol. 3 #5. Born into a body meant for fellow Asgardian Sif, Lady Loki was the original (male) Loki in a different form. Later, there was a different story in 2014 that took a leaf out of Norse mythology and redefined Loki as a gender-fluid character that helped bolster Marvel’s LGBTQ+ credentials. Since both these milestones, Loki has hopped between various forms. More recently, the idea of Lady Loki appearing in the MCU comes from Bleeding Cool, which shared an update confirming Marvel Comics is pushing Joe Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel’s comic Lady Loki: Mistress of Mischief. The story will be a reprinting of Lady Loki’s origin and could neatly introduce a female Loki ahead of her TV debut. It’s also interesting to note this is the 2008 story and not the gender-fluid Loki from 2014’s Loki: Agent of Asgard. The reason this is important? Fans think that Marvel could be prepping this reprint as a tie-in to the Loki TV series, in anticipation of new fans wanting to know more about Lady Loki. Certainly, loads of Wanda/Vision comics picked up in sales following the debut of WandaVision - so perhaps this is Marvel trying to get ahead of the curve. And if this is what they're planning, it would seem that Lady Loki herself will be a major part of the series. Otherwise, why not just reprint other Loki stories? Is Lady Loki in the Disney Plus TV series? At the time of writing, Lady Loki isn’t confirmed to appear in Loki. Still, there are plenty of theories that cast member Sophia Di Martino will be suiting up as Loki’s female counterpart. The first photos of Martino on the set featured her wearing a familiar-looking green and gold outfit that echoed Hiddleston’s in The Avengers. The trailer has also shown off a destroyed version of New York that teases at least one version of Multiverse Loki won in 2012. View oEmbed on the source website Although Lady Loki is sometimes considered a continuation of classic Loki, the series would almost definitely adopt a different approach and feature Lady Loki as a completely separate version of the character from the Multiverse. With Loki stealing the Tesseract and jumping into an alternate reality in Avengers: Endgame, it’s this dimension-hopping that’s caught the attention of the Time Variance Authority. It’s unclear what the TVA wants with Loki, but perhaps as penance for his crimes, he'll be hunting down various rogue versions of himself from alternate dimensions. View oEmbed on the source website Adding fuel to the fire, eagle-eyed fans think they’ve spotted Martino as Lady Loki in the first trailer. There was a specific scene of Loki and a mysterious blonde against a cosmic background. Some took it to be Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow being visited in the afterlife, however, others are adamant this is Loki kicking back with Lady Loki. Though of course, there's still a chance Martino is playing the villainous Enchantress or someone else entirely. Will Tom Hiddleston be replaced as Loki? We don’t see Hiddleston going anywhere (yet), but just like Chris Hemsworth potentially stepping aside to make way for Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder the Loki we’ve come to love and loathe for the past eight years might take a backseat. Remember, while Jac Schaeffer’s WandaVision was a single miniseries, Loki is poised for a second run. Producer Nate Moore told IndieWire Loki "lends itself to multiple seasons" – but what if instead of sticking with Hiddleston, the show could shift focus to Lady Loki and set up her own spin-off? It’s all hearsay for now, but with Marvel Comics rush-publishing Loki: Mistress of Mischief, it’s our biggest clue yet that Hiddleston’s God of Mischief will soon be joined by a fiery female counterpart. In terms of where else Lady Loki could fit into the ever-growing franchise, there are continued rumours of a Dark Avengers movie where Lady Loki would be a perfect addition to the roster. Similarly, the likes of Tessa Thompson have championed an all-female Avengers movie that might welcome Lady Loki to the fold (or as an appropriate villain). Finally, let’s remember Taika Waititi is hard at work on Thor: Love and Thunder, which is already taking a female-first direction with Natalie Portman’s Foster picking up Mjolnir. Maybe Lady Loki will meet her "brother" in that project, or stand alongside Hiddleston's version at some point in the movie. For now, it's all still a mystery. Thankfully, Loki the series is next on the docket in terms of Phase 4, meaning there isn’t long to wait until we find out whether we’re on the money – or we’ve been punked by Loki him/herself. Loki comes to Disney Plus on Wednesday 9th June. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Want something else to watch? Check out out dedicated Sci-fi page or our full TV Guide.
How true is The Spy? True story behind Sacha Baron Cohen series
It's based in fact, but not everything played out exactly as on screen.
Sacha Baron Cohen has gone undercover for a very different kind of role in Netflix’s The Spy. The 2019 miniseries saw Cohen pull double duty, acting as an executive producer and playing the lead role of Mossad spy, Eli Cohen. While the series was praised by some as a gritty reimagining of Cohen’s story, others slammed it for Hollywood sensationalism that bent the truth. As Cohen went undercover in Syria with the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet, things soon unravelled and led to his execution in 1965. The Spy itself was based on Uri Dan and Yeshayahu Ben Porat novel called L'espion qui venait d'Israël (The Spy Who Came From Israel), but if you want to know the “real” story, here’s where The Spy deviated from the truth. Eli Cohen and Amin al-Hafiz weren’t as close as you’d think Aside from Eli’s relationship with wife Nadia, the big bromance of the story is Cohen (working as Thaabet) and future Syrian president, Amin al-Hafiz. In The Spy, the pair met in Buenos Ares, with al-Hafiz using Kamel to help promote his political party - eventually appointing him Deputy Defense Minister. In reality, there is no official documentation that proves the pair were ever friends. In a 2001 interview with Al Jazeera, al-Hafiz said he only met Cohen after his arrest in 1965. According to al-Hafiz, their friendship was conjured by the Egyptian press as part of a smear campaign. Ahmad Suidani Another central figure to the story is Ahmad Suwaydani. The Spy incorrectly claimed Suidani was al-Hafiz’s Director of Security. Although the part about Suidani never trusting Kamel (and helping lead to his arrest) is true, he never had the job as al-Hafiz’s Director of Security. The Spy did accurately portray Suidani’s suspicions of Cohen and pretty much nailed the scene of Suidani bursting into Cohen’s apartment while catching him in the act of sending messages to Israel. Eli’s wife According to Eli’s daughter, the family's arc presented within The Spy “hurt”. Most of all, she told Channel 12 News (via The Times of Israel) that it was the way the show portrayed Nadia that was the worst. Sophie Ben-Dor said the “ethnic gap” was the most offensive, with her mother being portrayed as a maid. Discussing The Spy, Ben-Dor said the job they gave Nadia was “unnecessary”. Cohen’s role as Deputy Defense Minister Kamel Amin Thaabet becoming Deputy Defense Minister would’ve been impossible. As well as inaccuracies with how close Cohen was with al-Hafiz, the position of Deputy Defense Minister didn’t exist in Syria until 1970 - long after Cohen’s execution. Added to this, the position is restricted to military personnel, meaning a civilian like Cohen/Thaabet wouldn’t be eligible. View oEmbed on the source website Amin al-Hafiz’s wife One of The Spy’s big moments was the James Bond-esque embassy dinner where Cohen leapt out of the window, infiltrated al-Hafiz’s office, and took photographs of covert information. There was also the sensationalised moment wherein al-Hafiz’s wife grabbed Cohen by the crotch. In particular, this scene was slammed by Syrian viewers who disagreed with the portrayal of the beloved former First Lady and the idea that al-Hafiz consented to a sexual relationship between his wife and Cohen. Finally, neither Amin nor Zeinab al-Hafiz were present at Cohen’s execution. Eli Cohen’s brother Maurice Cohen features prominently in both the fiction and real-life accounts of Eli’s life. In The Spy, Eli’s brother deduced his cover due to a cryptic sign-off about Nadia’s Singer sewing machine. In reality, Maurice learned the truth after he had a phone line installed. Speaking to Jewish Magazine, Maurice explained, “I told him I now had a phone and gave the number of his apartment in Damascus, which I had received in a message just before he’d come home. He began writing the number but stopped abruptly and, looking flushed and flustered, mumbled under his breath about needing to run out to the supermarket before it closed. I had gotten under his cover.” With Eli’s cover partially blown, Maurice’s Mossad superiors told him to keep the secret. In the show, Maurice begged Eli to think of his family and give up this life, whereas it was actually Nadia who asked him to stay in real life. The 1963 Syrian coup d'état The Spy depicts the bloody coup of 1963. The show plays out with Cohen holding a lavish party to distract officials, which gives al-Hafiz the chance to overthrow President Nazim al-Kudsi. Although there’s some evidence that Cohen threw parties that descended into orgies, there’s nothing to link him to the 1963 coup. Elsewhere, al-Hafiz using the coup to immediately take power didn’t happen. Although al-Kudsi lost power and the Ba’ath Party would eventually take over, Lu'ay al-Atassi was appointed President first. When he resigned a few months later, al-Hafiz was declared President on 27th July, 1963. Eli’s role in the Six-Day War Eli is held as a hero by some and is said to have been crucial in ending the Six-Day War in 1967. Despite Eli’s death two years earlier, there are those who believe his intelligence helped bring the Six-Day War to a close. Madhi Zahreddine escorted Eli to the Syrian front in 1962, meaning there was a five-year gap between these events and the end of the Six-Day War. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. As well as questions about how useful this information would’ve been due to the gap, there are reports that Cohen was sent to the front to crack down on Nazi officers instead of gather information. The Spy is streaming now on Netflix – check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. For more news and recommendations, check out our Drama hub or our full TV Guide.
Deadly Illusions ending explained: Unpacking the climax to Netflix's wild film thriller
*Warning: spoilers for Netflix’s Deadly Illusions to follow* As Netflix continues to dominate the streaming market, subscribers might’ve noticed a new movie soaring to the top of the charts. Starring Sex and the City’s Kristin Davis and Awkward’s Greer Grammer, Deadly Illusions is everyone’s latest obsession while they try to unravel Anna Elizabeth James’ twisted thriller. With an ending that still has fans reeling, Deadly Illusions plays out as part Fatal Attraction, part Split. So, just what does that baffling ending really mean? To figure out what’s really going on in Deadly Illusions, we have to go back to the start. The movie kicks off with Davis’ Mary Morrison as a struggling writer who’s pulled back into penning another instalment to a franchise she thought she’d left behind. Here, Mary recruits the help of the Marry Poppins-esque Grace to help look after her children. Mary has already warned she becomes "a different person” when she writes, but as she gets deeper into her book, her feelings toward Grace start to change. With Mary sure she’s developed a sexual relationship with Grace, she grows increasingly paranoid when she thinks she walks in on husband Tom also having sex with Grace - albeit a very different and more seductive version of her. Mary’s paranoia is passed off as stress, but when best friend Elaine is found stabbed to death in her office, Deadly Illusions gallops toward its break-neck finale as it looks like Mary could be framed for her murder. Everything hinges on a blurry CCTV tape that shows a woman with her face hidden, leaving Elaine’s office around the time of her murder. It doesn’t take a genius to work out this is almost certainly not Mary. When Mary is released from police questioning, she heads to Grace’s hometown in search of answers. Here, she questions Grace’s aunt about what’s really going on. It’s clear Grace’s aunt has some form of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which apparently runs in the family. It turns out that Grace’s troubled past involved her and her siblings being chained up by their parents. During the trauma, Grace developed a wild and dangerous personality called Margaret. A series of flashbacks show it was Margaret who’d been tearing Mary’s life apart while Grace is forced to endure from the psychological sidelines. Mary arrives home to find Margaret having attacked Tom in the shower and her husband bleeding out in the bathroom. Similar to the aforementioned Split, the Grace personality manages to break through just in time to try and stop Margaret. The dominant Margaret then takes control, which leads to a bloody fight between Mary and Margaret. Mary manages to smash her over the head with a vase, subduing Margaret and allowing Grace to come forward again. The fight ends with Grace pleading for Mary to take care of her. Jump forward a year and it looks like the Morrison family is back to normal. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. While it would’ve been easy to end Deadly Illusions here, the movie continues to amp up the twists and turns. Having finished her book, Mary lays the "untitled" manuscript at Elaine’s grave. The assumption here is that Mary’s book is the titular Deadly Illusions. However, the writers strop just short of confirming this. Mary then visits Grace in a secure (or not-so) psychiatric facility. The two play cards and seem perfectly content, before the movie’s final scene shows someone leaving the building. Much like the tenuous CCTV that tried to implicate Mary in Elaine’s murder, the mystery woman’s face is obscured. The final credits roll as no one is quite sure whether it’s Mary or Grace/Margaret walking off to freedom. In a movie that’s so packed with laughable twists and increasingly OTT melodrama, it seems just a step too far to wrap up all the mysteries. Here’s hoping it’s not the setup for Deadly Illusions 2... View oEmbed on the source website Looking at the bigger picture, there’s the idea that the dramatic series of events are an American Psycho-inspired work of fiction from the mind of Mary herself. Although we’re never told what her books are about, the various covers hint at a horror/thriller genre similar to what happens during the movie’s runtime. Could it be that Mary’s entire interaction with Grace was simply the plot of her book? There’s also the lingering question of whether Grace is real at all. With two other characters seeming to have DID, there’s a chance that Mary herself is another. After all, this would explain the cryptic “different person” line – though going against the theory that Grace isn’t real, we see Tom, Elaine, and Mary’s kids all interact with the picture-perfect nanny, suggesting she’s not the figment of Mary’s overactive imagination. One niggling plot point is what’s actually real and what’s a consequence of Mary’s mind. Although we get confirmation Margaret seduced Tom in the kitchen, it’s unclear how much of Mary’s romance with her actually transpired. From a naked romp in the pool to an X-rated session in the bathroom, there were plenty of steamy scenes that viewers never quite get to the bottom of. For now, we’re left with more questions than answers as the cigar-chomping Mary Morrison presumably mulls over her next novel. Whether you believe the simplistic ending of Mary leaving Grace in the facility, whether you think Margaret staged her own daring escape, or whether you think it was all in Mary’s head, Deadly Illusions is a puzzling thriller that doesn’t quite hit the mark and leaves us scratching our heads. Deadly Illusions is streaming now on Netflix – check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. For more news and recommendations, check out our Movies hub or our full TV Guide.
Will Zack Snyder's Justice League get a sequel? Latest news on a possible Justice League 2
The Snyder Cut is finally upon us, but what's next for the Snyderverse?
Zack Snyder is lighting up the Bat-Signal all over again to “Unite the Seven” (well, not quite) with the long-awaited Snyder Cut of Justice League. Much like the Mother Boxes themselves, the director’s vision for the 2017 box office bomb was once the stuff of legend. However, with Warner Bros. finally caving to fan pressure - and the studio throwing a hefty $70 million behind the project - Zack Snyder’s Justice League is finally landing on 18th March in the US and UK. (Read our Zack Snyder's Justice League review for our verdict.) While it looks like this is the end of the road for the DC Extended Universe that Snyder started back in 2013 with Man of Steel, this wasn’t always pitched as the director’s final hurrah. Buckle up in the Batmobile for what really happened to Zack Snyder’s Justice League... Will there be a Justice League sequel? Back in the day, Snyder had mapped out a five-movie arc for Ben Affleck’s Batman. Alongside his debut in 2016’s Batman v Superman, there was going to be a Dark Knight-centric standalone and a trilogy of proposed Justice League movies. Justice League was only the start of the story, but following the tragic death of his daughter, Snyder stepped down to share directorial duties with Joss Whedon. By the time Snyder left Justice League, he’d already started pulling together the various strands to form his vision for a superhero showstopper. Although the theatrical release was far from what Snyder had imagined - with Whedon reportedly reshooting around 60 per cent - he’s scooped up the snippets from the cutting room floor and woven them together to make the Snyder Cut. Unfortunately, it seems this really is the last chance saloon for the DCEU under Snyder. Even though Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello told the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “I think there's gonna be excitement over continuing what Zack was up to,” it’s not that simple. A massive development was the confirmed return of Suicide Squad’s Jared Leto for the Snyder Cut – it was in the wake of this that Snyder told Vanity Fair he’d always wanted to explore the death of Robin, but admitted “there probably won’t be” a next one when referring to Justice League 2. All signs point to the DCEU we’ve come to know reaching its own endgame. Some hoped that a renewed interest in the franchise could kickstart a new era of the DCEU, but putting the final nail in the coffin, Snyder told I Minutemen that Warner Bros. has “no interests and/or appetite to do more of these movies.” What would a potential Justice League Snyder Cut sequel story be about? Despite Zack Snyder’s Justice League rounding off the story, the man himself warned Grace Randolph that it will end on a “massive cliffhanger” that was due to set up Justice League 2. Considering the end is nigh, Snyder has been quote-happy with revealing what he would’ve done next. The sequel was supposed to release in June 2019, but was pulled after the first movie tanked. Further cementing the fact his trilogy will never happen, Snyder told IGN how Justice League 2 would’ve been primarily set in the apocalyptic Knightmare timeline. Although Steppenwolf remains the big bad of both cuts of Justice League, the Snyder Cut will introduce the looming presence of Darkseid. Actor Ray Porter had been on hold for a bigger part in Justice League 2 and was going emerge as the DCEU’s equivalent to Marvel's Thanos. Following the death of Lois Lane, Darkseid would’ve corrupted Superman with the Anti-Life Equation, which led to the villainous Man of Steel seen in Batman v Superman’s Knightmare sequence. Taking a leaf out of the Final Crisis comics, Batman was also going to die before the credits rolled on Justice League 3. Leaked storylines have made their way online (and quickly been deleted) after they were displayed at Dallas’ The Dreamscape of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. They show off details from both Justice League 2 and 3, with Snyder’s second movie reportedly featuring a killer Legion of Doom made up of Dr. Poison, Black Manta and Ocean Master, along with Captain Cold and The Riddler. Harry Lennix also confirmed he’ll be playing Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (via Collider), teasing his planned involvement with the axed trilogy of movies. After Flash watched his teammates die brutal deaths, he’d then use the Cosmic Treadmill in Justice League 3 to try and undo the events of the bloody Justice League 2. This would’ve effectively made Justice League 3 the DCEU’s very own Avengers: Endgame and Affleck’s Batman into a sacrificial Iron Man. Even though it’s only a loose outline, it’s clear the Knightmare timeline was at the centre of the DCEU. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. Will there be a Justice League reboot? So, what’s next? If the DCEU is dead in the water, is Warner Bros. destined to stop making DC movies? The rebranded Worlds of DC proves it’s quite the opposite, with a jam-packed slate merging the old and the new. As well as the return of Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller for, respectively, Wonder Woman 1984 and the upcoming Aquaman 2 and The Flash, Margot Robbie is back as Harley Quinn for The Suicide Squad, there’s Ava DuVernay’s New Gods, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. That’s before covering proposed outings for everyone from Batgirl to Nightwing, as well as a Justice League Dark series and whatever’s going on with Superman (after Henry Cavill repeatedly saying he’d be open to a return as the Metropolis Marvel, JJ Abrams is reportedly working on a Superman reboot. Although some of the old guard are still attached to their roles, another spanner in the works is Robert Pattinson’s role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Much like Snyder’s once-grand plans, Reeves is tipped to helm a trilogy of movies for a junior Caped Crusader. Those at the top are firmly behind the idea, with an HBO Max prequel series that focuses on the GCPD also greenlit. Although it would be easy to pitch a new Justice League with a younger line-up like Pattinson, there’s been no confirmation (yet) that Reeves’ movies will be connected to a larger franchise. Affleck is tipped to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in The Flash – however, he’s not the only version of the Dark Knight who'll be appearing. Michael Keaton is also attached to The Flash, suiting up for the first time since Batman Returns in 1992 – though reports that he’d be the new face of the Worlds of DC and serve as the franchise’s Samuel L. Jackson/Nick Fury figure across its own multiverse were later confirmed to be a misunderstanding and as it stands, Keaton is only back for one outing. Looking at the bigger picture of what’s next for the Worlds of DC and a potential Justice League future, it’s not as simple as trying to slot a new Batman and Superman into the already convoluted roster. Any form of a “new” Justice League would require a complete reboot, and with so many projects already in the works with ties to the DCEU, expect that to be a long way off. Even if Zack Snyder’s Justice League marks the end of the director’s time with the franchise, it looks like the shadow of Snyder still looms large over the studio’s superhero slate. Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut will be released on Sky Cinema and NOW TV in the UK on Thursday 18th March, with a release on HBO Max in the US. Check out our Sci-fi hub for all the latest news. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.