marvel

Doctor Strange may look like any other superhero with a red cape form afar, but his cloak has some very special magical powers.

While Marvel fans are no-doubt pleased with the critical and box office success of the movies to date, spend enough time in the comic book communities and you do hear people complain that movies like Captain America: Winter Soldier were not given more consideration for major awards at the end of the year. After all, Marvel has brought in some of the most talented filmmakers and actors working in the business today; why wouldn’t the Academy want to recognize some of the talent on display in these films?

Are you sitting down? You might want to be seated when you read this. You should also be warned of potential spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so if you’re the sort of Marvel fan who likes to go in knowing as little as possible (how do you live without the internet??), you might not want to read on. But if you’re curious to learn more about Baby Groot, James Gunn has revealed something very interesting, and a little sad?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has typically stuck with pared-down versions of its most outlandish comic characters, something the upcoming inclusion of Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider has built-in. As such, our first look at the new spirit of vengeance is neither spirit, nor vengeance-seeking, but sure looks like Gabriel Luna!

The fact that Stan Lee is guaranteed to appear in nearly every single Marvel movie is one of those small little charms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I hope never goes away. Sure, some people probably view it as an annoying break in the fourth wall, but it also reminds audiences that we are watching a superhero comic book movie. These movies don’t need to choose between being cartoonish and deadly serious; they can be both, often at the same time, and Stan Lee always helps drive that point home.

It’s not uncommon for superheroes (even ones in separate comic book universes) to share similar origins and powers — Arrow and Hawkeye, Thanos and Darkseid, Sif and Wonder Woman, Avengers and Justice League, etc. Fans of Captain Marvel can tell you that the Marvel hero shares a few things in common with DC hero Green Lantern, and while the two characters aren’t really all that comparable, the origin story of the former will undergo a little tweaking for her highly-anticipated solo film.

With a popular new television show and movie coming out every six months or so, it can sometimes feel like this whole superhero thing comes pretty easy for Marvel. This has led some people to wonder why the studio hasn’t taken the next step and intermingled the characters from both media. Who would say no to a Spider-Man movie with a Daredevil team-up? Or Iron Fist consulting Doctor Strange on the mystical arts?

Back in May, Joe and Anthony Russo announced that Avengers: Infinity War  -  Part 1 and Avengers: Infinity War  -  Part 2 were due for a name change. According to the Marvel directors, the two films were shaping up to tell two very separate stories, and keeping them grouped under the same subtitle would be misleading to fans. This name change became a reality on Friday, with The Hollywood Reporter announcing that Disney had renamed the former as Avengers: Infinity War and scratched the name for the latter entirely.

The Guardians are back. And they brought backup. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn tweeted this amazing piece of concept art last night: And here’s a bigger version of the piece to admire in all its detail. All of the original guardians are back: Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (now in baby form), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana)... R

Captain America: Civil War is officially the highest-grossing film of 2016 (domestically) with over $400 million at the box office — which means you’re probably pretty excited about owning Marvel’s latest superhero epic when it comes to DVD and Blu-ray; which also means that this bit of news is of particular interest to you. Disney has set an official Blu-ray release date for Civil War, and if you’re curious about the special features, they’ve revealed those, too.

The identity of Mads Mikkelsen’s mysterious villain in Doctor Strange has been the subject of much speculation, with fans assuming the former Hannibal star is either playing classic comic baddies like Dormammu or Nightmare. Those would be good guesses, but they’re both incorrect — it turns out Mikkelsen is playing an antagonist most people have never even heard of before, but one that might make for a much more interesting story.

Tom Hiddleston hasn’t seemed particularly enthusiastic or optimistic about reprising the role of Loki in the MCU, but with Avengers: Infinity War promising the epic assembly of Marvel characters yet and a new Thor sequel on the way, the actor’s return seemed inevitable. During a recent appearance at Wizard World, Hiddleston expressed excitement for Thor: Ragnarok, teasing the evolution of his mischievous villain and confirming another run-in with the Hulk. Oh, and he also responded to those James Bond rumors.