Marvel Studios (left, right), 20th Century Fox (center)
There’s no getting around it—it’s been a slow week for superhero movie news, especially with the much-anticipated pick-me-up of the Super Bowl trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice failing to materialize. Is that movie just one very long practical joke being played on the world by Zack Snyder? We can only speculate at that possibility for now, but while we do so, here are the highlights of what actually did happen on the superhero movie beat this last week.
SUPER IDEA: The Return of the Mac
Good news, fans of X-Men supporting characters: Rose Byrne will be returning as Moira MacTaggert, former squeeze of Charles Xavier and—in her comic book incarnation, at least—owner of the world’s least convincing Scottish accent, in next year’s X-Men: Apocalypse. “She’s a significant character in the movie,” writer and executive producer Simon Kinberg told Entertainment Weekly .
Why this is super: If there’s one thing that Fox’s X-Men movies have been guilty of to date, it’s placing the mutants in their own little bubble where they only ever interact with other mutants or some human bigots who are causing them trouble. Bringing back a human who’s actually cool with mutants (and very cool when it comes to Xavier himself)? Let’s be honest, it’s about time.
SUPER IDEA: Joss Whedon Thinks Sexism Is Stupid
When an interview conducted last summer finally went live last week, it looked as if Joss Whedon was calling Marvel guilty of “genuine, recalcitrant, intractable sexism” by complaining about its lack of female-led movies. In an attempt to clarify matters, Whedon gave a second interview, in which he … well, pretty much confirmed the initial reading.
Saying he was “not expecting [2018’s Captain Marvel] to get any traction, honestly,” Whedon suggested that the success of Guardians of the Galaxy might have helped usher it along. “Well, let’s put it this way,” he said. “If a raccoon can carry a movie, then they believe maybe even a woman can.” (Ouch.) He also repeated that, while he liked working for Marvel, he was unlikely to direct Avengers 3 or Avengers 4. “The biggest thing for me is that I need to do something that I create myself,” he said. “I haven’t created my own universe for over five years. That feels wrong.”
Why this is super: Whedon being so hard on Marvel is surprising only because he’s still working for them; he’s not actually wrong about the fact that it’s taken way, way too long for the studio to push outside of its comfort zone of movies centered around handsome white men who are probably played by actors called Chris. While the prospect of new all-Whedon material is thrilling, the idea that Marvel might be losing an important conscience is a sad thing indeed. So maybe this is less “super” and more “to be decided.”
SUPER IDEA: Yes, Avengers: Age of Ultron Is Setting Up Black Panther
Wondering who Andy Serkis has been playing when he’s popped up in the two trailers for Avengers: Age of Ultron to date? Marvel confirmed long-standing rumors about his character when it released captions for new images for the movie this week: Serkis is Ulysses Klaw. Better known to comic fans as “Klaw,” the villain is closely connected to the Black Panther, who’ll get his own movie in 2017 following a guest spot in next year’s Captain America: Civil War. Are the Black Panther mythos the new Thanos cameo moments?
Why this is super: Perhaps it’s nerves about breaking from it’s white-male-lead formula, maybe it’s the desire to play up the importance of a relatively obscure character to an audience primed to accept the big icons of the Avengers, but whatever the reason, it’s great to see the world of the Black Panther get such prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Good job, Marvel, no matter the motives at play.
SUPER IDEA: Warner Bros. Wants to Mash Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy Together, Apparently
According to a report on Bleeding Cool, Warners isn’t happy to let its super-team representation on the big screen rely on the Justice League and the Suicide Squad. Apparently, a movie version of the Legion of Super-Heroes (elevator pitch for those unfamiliar with the concept: a teen gang in the far future, and they all have super powers!) is in the works, with a lighter tone than existing projects like Man of Steel.
Why this is super: Well, first off, anyone who can find a problem with the idea of a super-powered teen gang in the 31st century has no joy in their heart. And, really, doing it with a lighter tone? We’d say this sounded like a winner of an idea, but that might just be tempting fate. Nonetheless, this is a very exciting prospect indeed.
SUPER IDEA: Fantastic Four Will Sound As Sci-Fi as Its Heroes
It turns out that the science fiction bent seen in the first trailer for this summer’s reboot of the classic Marvel property won’t be the only break from the superhero norm for director Josh Trank’s movie. Philip Glass will be providing the soundtrack, meaning we’re likely to be spared the dull rock stylings that have plagued The Avengers and Sony’s Spider-Man movies, or the AOR radio sounds of Guardians of the Galaxy. “We invited him out to set and he came … for like three days and had a great time,” Trank told The Guardian. “I’ve been working with him for a year now and he’s so inspiring.”
Why this is super: Glass’ career has been eclectic and fascinating to date, so maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised to see this latest turn. After all, he’s already scored a number of movies, including the 1990s horror flick Candyman. (Two already-existing pieces of his were used on the Watchmen soundtrack a few years back, meaning this won’t even be the first superhero movie to feature Philip Glass music, oddly enough.) However, if this brings us one step closer to our dream of a Brian Eno-soundtracked Plastic Man movie, it can only be seen as a good thing.
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