Cape Watch: The Avengers Get a Pouty Teen and Suicide Squad Gets More Villains

Marvel Entertainment (left, right), Warner Bros. (center)

Before you curl up by the yule log for the holidays, spare a few thoughts for those truly in need: the Hollywood executives who work so hard to bring us the superhero movies we enjoy all summer. While we settle down for a few days off and a chance to recharge, those brave, tireless souls will be dreaming up new ways to lure us into theaters over the next few years. Whether they get gifts or coal in their stockings relies on the success or failure of their efforts, years from now … but until then, here are the highlights of this week’s superhero movie news.

SUPER IDEA: Another DC Villain Joining Suicide Squad

With a line-up that already includes Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, the Enchantress, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, you might think that there are already enough bad guys in David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad adaptation. Maybe not. This week, somone on Reddit reported being part of a test group for potential storylines for the movie, and named both Lex Luthor and Arrow villain Deathstroke as possible additions to the cast.

Why this is super: With this many troublesome tykes around, Suicide Squad might get a little crowded—but if nothing else, it’ll quickly build out Warner Bros.’ DC movie universe in terms of bad guys to use in future flicks.

SUPER IDEA: Marvel Borrowing a Page From Mary Shelley

Talking to Entertainment Weekly , Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director Joss Whedon likened the follow-up to Marvel’s 2012 smash to a piece of classic literature, saying that artificial intelligence is “our new Frankenstein myth. … We create something in our own image and the thing turns on us.” Ultron, he said, would be that idea writ large. “I don’t remember seeing an artificial-intelligence movie where the robot is bonkers—the most emotionally unstable person in the film—and who has the knowledge of 3,000 years of recorded history and who is a pouty teen, all at the same time,” he teased.

Why this is super: If there’s one man we trust with the idea of an emotionally-petulant teen killing machine, it’s Joss Whedon. And, let’s be honest; it’ll be a lot of fun to hear James Spader whine that Tony Stark isn’t the boss of him, especially if it’s accompanied by an army of unstoppable robots.

SUPER IDEA: Sony Maybe, Possibly Finding Spidey’s Sinister Six

According to a report on ComicBookMovie.com, information dumped online following the Sony hack might point at a possible cast for Drew Goddard’s Amazing Spider-Man spin-off movie, Sinister Six. If true, then the following actors are up for roles: Tom Hardy, Emily Blunt, Woody Harrelson, Colin Firth, and Channing Tatum. Also mentioned in the discussion, interestingly, is the possibility of bringing Emma Stone back as her own clone in a future installment, following her character’s untimely death in this summer’s Amazing Spider-Man 2. Well, at least they realized that was a mistake.

Why this is super: Many of the names are unlikely to be available—Hardy and Tatum are already connected with Warners and Fox superhero series, respectively, and Blunt is one of the rumored choices for Marvel’s Captain Marvel—which gives this list an air of wish-list casting more than anything else. However, they’re all interesting and, in some cases, unlikely choices, which suggests that the movie might be surprisingly fun, if it actually gets made…

SUPER IDEA: James Gunn Knows That Thanos Is a Problem

It turns out, James Gunn was just aware as you that Thanos didn’t really have anything to do in Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. “His presence doesn’t really serve being in Guardians, and having Thanos be in that scene was more helpful to the Marvel universe than it was to Guardians of the Galaxy,” the director told Vulture, describing the character’s big scene as the hardest to write for the entire movie. “You’re setting up this incredibly powerful character, but you don’t want to belittle the actual antagonist of the film, which is Ronan. You don’t want him to seem like a big wussy.”

Why this is super: Thank God that it wasn’t just us. Thanos literally had no purpose in that movie other than setting up future Marvel films, so it’s oddly reassuring for the sake of future movies to see that Gunn realized this. Whether or not it means we’ll see less of this needlessly gratuitous guest-starring in future, we can but hope, but at least we’re not alone.

MEH IDEA: Not So Fast With That Wonder Woman Movie, Folks

Well, this was unexpected. In a New York magazine profile of director Michelle MacLaren, the Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad veteran said she couldn’t say anything about her announced gig as director of the Warner Bros. Wonder Woman for a surprising reason: the movie hasn’t actually been greenlit yet, and despite the announcement of a 2017 release, there’s nothing officially on the calendar. “I really, really, really can’t talk about this,” she said. It sounds as if there’s not a lot to talk about, anyway.

Why this is villainy: Waaaait. So the movie was announced and MacLaren gets the job of directing it, but it might not happen? That’s some Olympic-level trolling there, Warner Bros. This is how you’re ending the year? That doesn’t make us feel too good about all the other movies announced at the same time, we have to say.

The Best Shots of Earth NASA Took From Space in 2014

Plankton Blooms. Patagonian Coast, Argentina

Upwelling currents from the deep mix with dust from the continent and iron-rich water from the south to provide a feast for phytoplankton. These tiny creatures photosynthesize, and provide food for thriving fisheries. False-color image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on Dec. 2. NASA

Plankton Blooms. Patagonian Coast, Argentina

Upwelling currents from the deep mix with dust from the continent and iron-rich water from the south to provide a feast for phytoplankton. These tiny creatures photosynthesize, and provide food for thriving fisheries. False-color image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on Dec. 2.

NASA

Dust and Clouds Over the Sahara Desert

The Sahara contributes more dust to the atmosphere than any other desert. Saharan dust accounts for more than half the dust settling on the ocean and helps fertilize land in the Americas. In this image, taken by ESA astronaut Alex Gerst on the ISS on Sep. 8, the land surface is almost entirely obscured by dust. NASA

Dust and Clouds Over the Sahara Desert

The Sahara contributes more dust to the atmosphere than any other desert. Saharan dust accounts for more than half the dust settling on the ocean and helps fertilize land in the Americas. In this image, taken by ESA astronaut Alex Gerst on the ISS on Sep. 8, the land surface is almost entirely obscured by dust.

NASA

Tornado Tracks, Northeast Nebraska

On June 16, five tornadoes struck northeastern Nebraska. The tracks of two of these storms can be seen as brown swaths, one heading right through the town of Pilger, in this false-color image taken by the Terra satellite on June 21. Jesse Allen/NASA

Tornado Tracks, Northeast Nebraska

On June 16, five tornadoes struck northeastern Nebraska. The tracks of two of these storms can be seen as brown swaths, one heading right through the town of Pilger, in this false-color image taken by the Terra satellite on June 21.

Jesse Allen/NASA

Haze in the Kashmir Valley, South Asia

Ringed by mountains, the Kashmir valley is an effective trap for smoke and air pollution from charcoal and biomass burning. True-color image taken by the Terra satellite on Dec. 5. Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response

Haze in the Kashmir Valley, South Asia

Ringed by mountains, the Kashmir valley is an effective trap for smoke and air pollution from charcoal and biomass burning. True-color image taken by the Terra satellite on Dec. 5.

Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response

Holuhraun Eruption, Iceland

Iceland is one of the most volcanic places on Earth. This year, lava has been pouring out of the Holuhraun lava field between Badarbunga and Askja volcanoes, making for a spectacular show, especially as seen close up by a drone. But it's also impressive from space, as shown in this false-color image taken Sep. 6 by the Landsat 8 satellite. Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Holuhraun Eruption, Iceland

Iceland is one of the most volcanic places on Earth. This year, lava has been pouring out of the Holuhraun lava field between Badarbunga and Askja volcanoes, making for a spectacular show, especially as seen close up by a drone. But it's also impressive from space, as shown in this false-color image taken Sep. 6 by the Landsat 8 satellite.

Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Hurricane Edouard, Atlantic Ocean

Shown here about midway between Africa, North America and Europe, Hurricane Edouard was the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season. It never threatened any land, but made for a great natural laboratory for NASA. This true-color image was taken by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman from the ISS on Sep. 16. NASA

Hurricane Edouard, Atlantic Ocean

Shown here about midway between Africa, North America and Europe, Hurricane Edouard was the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season. It never threatened any land, but made for a great natural laboratory for NASA. This true-color image was taken by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman from the ISS on Sep. 16.

NASA

Earth, Eastern Hemisphere

Part of NASA's Blue Marble collection, this image is a composite built from images taken during eight orbits by the Suomi NPP satellite on March 30. Robert Simmon/NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA

Earth, Eastern Hemisphere

Part of NASA's Blue Marble collection, this image is a composite built from images taken during eight orbits by the Suomi NPP satellite on March 30.

Robert Simmon/NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA

Venice Lagoon

Astronaut photos such as this one, taken from aboard the ISS on May 9, are used to monitor the Venice Lagoon. The fragile lagoon is protected from the Adriatic Sea by a narrow barrier island. NASA

Venice Lagoon

Astronaut photos such as this one, taken from aboard the ISS on May 9, are used to monitor the Venice Lagoon. The fragile lagoon is protected from the Adriatic Sea by a narrow barrier island.

NASA

Sea Ice, Greenland Sea

The waters of the coast of Greenland are covered in a beautiful, swirly pattern of sea ice in this true-color image taken by the Aqua satellite on Aug. 18. Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team

Sea Ice, Greenland Sea

The waters of the coast of Greenland are covered in a beautiful, swirly pattern of sea ice in this true-color image taken by the Aqua satellite on Aug. 18.

Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team

Gulf of Alaska

This beautiful image of the North Pacific Ocean and the Alaskan coast is a composite made from images taken on several orbits by the Aqua satellite on May 2. Norman Kuring/NASA

Gulf of Alaska

This beautiful image of the North Pacific Ocean and the Alaskan coast is a composite made from images taken on several orbits by the Aqua satellite on May 2.

Norman Kuring/NASA

Funny River Fire, Alaska

Between May 19 and 21, the Funny River fire burned around 43,000 acres on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. You can see big, fluffy pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which sometimes occur over fires and volcanic eruptions, in this image taken on May 20 by the Landsat 8 satellite. Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Funny River Fire, Alaska

Between May 19 and 21, the Funny River fire burned around 43,000 acres on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. You can see big, fluffy pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which sometimes occur over fires and volcanic eruptions, in this image taken on May 20 by the Landsat 8 satellite.

Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Green River, Utah

This stretch of the Green River in eastern Utah is known as the Bowknot Bend for obvious reasons. This image was taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Jan 22. NASA

Green River, Utah

This stretch of the Green River in eastern Utah is known as the Bowknot Bend for obvious reasons. This image was taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Jan 22.

NASA

Typhoon Neoguri in Moonlight, Pacific Ocean

This storm was imaged near Japan by the Suomi NPP satellite's special day-night band on the night of July 8. Jesse Allen/NASA

Typhoon Neoguri in Moonlight, Pacific Ocean

This storm was imaged near Japan by the Suomi NPP satellite's special day-night band on the night of July 8.

Jesse Allen/NASA

Colorado River, Mexico

On Mar. 23, an experiment began that sent 130 million cubic meters of water into the Colorado River over eight weeks. Though it's only 1 percent of what flowed naturally in the river before it was dammed, it was hoped the water would recharge groundwater systems and restore habitats. This image was taken Apr. 16 by the Landsat 8 satellite. Robert Simmon/NASA/USGS

Colorado River, Mexico

On Mar. 23, an experiment began that sent 130 million cubic meters of water into the Colorado River over eight weeks. Though it's only 1 percent of what flowed naturally in the river before it was dammed, it was hoped the water would recharge groundwater systems and restore habitats. This image was taken Apr. 16 by the Landsat 8 satellite.

Robert Simmon/NASA/USGS

South Sandwich Islands

Beautiful cloud wakes have formed behind the South Sandwich Islands in this natural-color image taken by the Aqua satellite on May 1. Island mountains disturb the otherwise fairly uniform airflow over the ocean creating v-shapes in the clouds. The stripes in the wakes are the crests and troughs of the the air flow. Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response

South Sandwich Islands

Beautiful cloud wakes have formed behind the South Sandwich Islands in this natural-color image taken by the Aqua satellite on May 1. Island mountains disturb the otherwise fairly uniform airflow over the ocean creating v-shapes in the clouds. The stripes in the wakes are the crests and troughs of the the air flow.

Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response

Grand Canyon, Arizona

This image of the Grand Canyon was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on March 25. NASA

Grand Canyon, Arizona

This image of the Grand Canyon was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on March 25.

NASA

Saharan Dust Across the Atlantic Ocean

Dust from the Saraha desert is shown flowing across the Atlantic Ocean toward South America in this composite image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on June 25. Minerals in the dust provide critical fertilization for the Amazon. Norman Kuring/NASA

Saharan Dust Across the Atlantic Ocean

Dust from the Saraha desert is shown flowing across the Atlantic Ocean toward South America in this composite image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on June 25. Minerals in the dust provide critical fertilization for the Amazon.

Norman Kuring/NASA

Sochi, Russia

The best view of the Olympics is sometimes from space. The Olympic flame burns in the circular Medals Plaza in Sochi in this image taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 10. NASA

Sochi, Russia

The best view of the Olympics is sometimes from space. The Olympic flame burns in the circular Medals Plaza in Sochi in this image taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 10.

NASA

Kavir Desert, Iran

The lack of vegetation in the Kavir Desert beautifully exposes the geology of the area. The stripes and swirls are layers of rock that have been folded and deformed by tectonic forces and flattened by wind erosion over time. This image was taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Feb. 14. NASA

Kavir Desert, Iran

The lack of vegetation in the Kavir Desert beautifully exposes the geology of the area. The stripes and swirls are layers of rock that have been folded and deformed by tectonic forces and flattened by wind erosion over time. This image was taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Feb. 14.

NASA

The Great Lakes

This winter, the Great Lakes were covered with the second largest extent of ice in history. This natural-color image was taken on Feb. 19 by the Aqua satellite when 80.3 percent of the lakes were covered in ice. Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team

The Great Lakes

This winter, the Great Lakes were covered with the second largest extent of ice in history. This natural-color image was taken on Feb. 19 by the Aqua satellite when 80.3 percent of the lakes were covered in ice.

Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team

San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador

Ash from an eruption in December 2013 can be seen on the flanks of El Salvador's San Miguel volcano in this image taken by the EO-1 satellite on Jan. 15. Jesse Allen/Robert Simmon/NASA

San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador

Ash from an eruption in December 2013 can be seen on the flanks of El Salvador's San Miguel volcano in this image taken by the EO-1 satellite on Jan. 15.

Jesse Allen/Robert Simmon/NASA

Arkansas River, North Little Rock, Arkansas

Some of the Arkansas River's old meanders can be seen in this image, taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 21. The meanders represent a time when the river was allowed to flow freely over the Mississippi River's floodplain. NASA

Arkansas River, North Little Rock, Arkansas

Some of the Arkansas River's old meanders can be seen in this image, taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 21. The meanders represent a time when the river was allowed to flow freely over the Mississippi River's floodplain.

NASA

Nishino-Shima Island, Western Pacific Ocean

This image of a new volcanic island that sprouted near Japan in December 2013 was taken by the Landsat 8 satellite on Aug 21. The island has continued to grow, swallowing up another new island next to it. Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Nishino-Shima Island, Western Pacific Ocean

This image of a new volcanic island that sprouted near Japan in December 2013 was taken by the Landsat 8 satellite on Aug 21. The island has continued to grow, swallowing up another new island next to it.

Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS

Lake Sharpe, South Dakota

Circular agricultural fields stand out on the land in the center of Lake Sharpe, which is actually a deep meander in the Mississippi River in South Dakota. Eventually, it may be come an actual oxbow lake if the river cuts it off at the neck and takes a more direct route. This image was taken on Dec. 26, 2013 by an astronaut aboard the ISS. NASA

Lake Sharpe, South Dakota

Circular agricultural fields stand out on the land in the center of Lake Sharpe, which is actually a deep meander in the Mississippi River in South Dakota. Eventually, it may be come an actual oxbow lake if the river cuts it off at the neck and takes a more direct route. This image was taken on Dec. 26, 2013 by an astronaut aboard the ISS.

NASA

Russia at Night

The thin green line of the aurora borealis can be seen along with the moon above Russia in this image taken by a astronaut aboard the ISS on April 2. NASA

Russia at Night

The thin green line of the aurora borealis can be seen along with the moon above Russia in this image taken by a astronaut aboard the ISS on April 2.

NASA