Superhero Bits: Jonathan Majors Is Killing It As Kang, Blue Beetle Movie Talk & More
(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)
In this edition of Superhero Bits:
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Peyton Reed has nice things to say about Jonathan Majors' Kang.
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A bunch of DC cartoons are streaming for free on YouTube.
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Some talk about the "Blue Beetle" movie.
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Scarlet Witch arrives in "Marvel's Midnight Suns."
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All that and more!
Unforgiven saga will give Marvel's weird vampire team the spotlight
The Forgiven is a group of vampire heroes in the Marvel universe including the likes of Ghost Blade, Quickshot, and others who are not quite as famous as Blade or Morbius. But the team has its fans. So much so that a new "Unforgiven" saga was recently announced by the publisher that will kick off with "Spider-Man: Unforgiven" #1 next year, followed by "X-Men: Unforgiven," and "Avengers: Unforgiven." The book comes from writer Tim Seeley and artist Sid Kotian (check out his cover art above). As for the story at hand? The synopsis reads as follows:
Who can resist the call of the blood? A group of vigilante vampires have decided to fight crime — while at the same time, wage a desperate war within themselves to reject their own bloodthirsty natures! The Forgiven's new saga will kick off in SPIDER-MAN: UNFORGIVEN #1, where the team will confront a new foe with a desire to transform vampires into their most powerful and violent selves.
Be on the lookout for the books sometime next year.
DC has a free live stream of cartoons on YouTube right now
Billed as a "cartoon extravaganza," the DC Kids YouTube channel now has a livestream that has popular DC cartoons running live for those who are feeling a little unsure of what to watch. While it is kind of aimed at kids, the lineup includes shows like "Justice League Action" and Teen Titans Go!" which both reach audiences well beyond the intended age group. You can check out the live stream above for some random DC superhero goodness at your leisure.
Marvel Studios paid a lot to use the X-Men: The Animated Series theme, apparently
Marvel Studios is finally getting ready to bring the mutants our way with the animated series "X-Men '97," a revival of the beloved "X-Men: The Animated Series" from the '90s. We've actually already had hints of that show bleeding into the MCU, with the theme music showing up in both "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Ms. Marvel." But according to Eric Lewald, one of the consultants working on "X-Men '97" (per Comicbook.com), the studio had to pay to make that happen.
"[The X-Men: The Animated Series theme song] wasn't a done deal necessarily when they were producing the new show. The rights were all over the place. I think a secondary person had the rights to the music, so it was a negotiation for them. Obviously, you can't do the new show without that song. But the guy selling it knew the same thing, so I'm sure it was a heavy price."
While no dollar figure is attached, whoever did have the rights surely knew Marvel and Disney have deep pockets. But that music is a blast of nostalgia and almost certainly worth every penny for the value that brings.
Wong gets a She-Hulk: Attorney at Law poster
The latest live-action MCU show on Disney+, "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," is moving right along through its first season, with the third episode dropping this week. And this week's installment brought a major player to the party as Benedict Wong reprised his role as the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong. Now, Wong has his very own poster to go along with his latest appearance in the MCU. For what it's worth, Wong has been quite busy, having appeared in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" as well. It seems Phase 4 (and likely Phase 5) will be heavy on the Wong.
Xolo Mariduena talks Blue Beetle and what makes the movie unique
The "Blue Beetle" movie is coming our way next year and yes, even though a lot has changed at DC Films recently, this movie is still happening. Recently, star Xolo Mariduena sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and talked a good bit about the project. He couldn't get into specifics but shed some light on what makes it unique. Namely, he's not afforded anonymity.
"The family we've been able to create in the movie — the mom, dad, uncle, sister, grandmother — I feel like that aspect of being a superhero hasn't been tapped into a ton. So many superheroes have alter egos, these aliases and personas. They have one life where they're Spider-Man or Batman and then they go home and they're Bruce Wayne or whoever. They're constantly hiding their identity. But with this character, he lives with his family and there's no way to hide who he is. Right from the very first moment he gets his powers, his family knows. That's different."
The actor had plenty more to say and you can check out the full interview at THR. Look for "Blue Beetle" in theaters in 2023.
See how the visual effects for Multiverse of Madness were brought to life
The folks at Industrial Light and Magic have revealed a new video showcasing how some of the biggest visual effects sequences in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” were brought to life. The video doesn't feature any narration. Rather, we get to see all of the various visual components in their various stages layered together, resulting in the final product. It's a pretty compelling peek behind the curtain and shows just how much goes into bringing a gigantic superhero movie like this to life. It also explains why Marvel VFX artists are apparently very overworked.
Jonathan Majors as Kang is a huge benefit to Ant-Man according to Peyton Reed
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is coming our way next year and it will feature the introduction of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror on the big screen. While Majors played the role in "Loki" season 1, he's going to get more screen time in this film ahead of "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" in a couple of years. Speaking with the New York Times, "Quantumania" director Peyton Reed had some very kind words to say about Majors and how is performance is elevating the sequel.
"It's become a cliché over the decades to compare somebody to a young Marlon Brando, but Jonathan has that. He has just this energy and this presence, and our movie is definitely benefiting from that."
Cliche though it may be, that is one heck of a compliment to pay an actor. And given that Kang figures to be in the picture for a little while, that is good news for the MCU in the long haul.
Marvel's Midnight Suns reveals the Scarlet Witch
Lastly, the folks at Firaxis Games have unveiled some new footage from "Marvel's Midnight Suns," the new video game that is expected to be coming our way next year (after its recent delay). This trailer, in particular, gives us a look at Scarlet Witch and how she is going to factor into the proceedings. Naturally, Wanda looks to be quite powerful but the developers also revealed that she will require some real work, in terms of strategy – but that time will be rewarded. Check out the full trailer for yourself above.