Im just gonna put it out there: This movie is going to fucking RULE! We’re gonna see some serious shit go down in this one. I have a feeling that this is going to be the Captain America: Civil War of The MCU’s Phase 4. Based on what we’ve seen from the trailers alone, this movie is going to be huge. We’re going to be introduced to a lot of new characters and concepts, and I really think The MCU will be fundamentally different by the end of the film. Which is similar to what Civil War did. It put all the pieces where they needed to be, for the story to come. I actually think that’s one of the reasons we haven’t seen a trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder yet, which premieres in July. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness was originally supposed to come out in March and if Doctor Strange is going to make is big of an impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as I suspect it is, they may not even show a trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder until Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness comes out in theaters. Yesterday on The John Campea Show (a great YouTube show for pop culture news, by the way), John revealed that he’d been told via an email, from a trusted source at Disney/Marvel, that:
“There are more big surprises in Doctor Strange 2, than in Infinity War, Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home combined.”
That’s a bold statement to say the least, but if anybody could back it up, it’d be Marvel Studios. The crazy thing is, I totally buy that quote because Marvel has some insanely cool stuff in their toybox that hasn’t even been touched yet. There is enough A-list material to cover another Infinity Saga, just using the new characters and concepts coming down the pipe line, alone.
Wong: Sorcerer Supreme
New character: America Chavez (She can literally punch through dimensions)
Because the MCU that the new Thor film exists in will be fundamentally different. But who the fuck knows? They’re probably dropping the trailer online as I’m typing this. Anyway Marvel dropped two awesome Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness videos, one is another trailer. Check them out here:
We also have some great new character posters that I’ve posted throughout the article.
Mordo
I love Rachel McAdams, but does she really need to be here?
The film’s director, Sam Raimi, is the perfect guy to helm a project like this. This type of movie is tailor made for him this is the guy who gave the original Spider-Man trilogy. He knows how to do a huge superhero blockbusters and fucked up creepy horror movies like the Evil Dead films, Drag Me To Hell, and The Gift. I really can’t wait to see what he brings to this movie. He’s also a big enough hitter and a big enough name director, where I think he could push Marvel to take some risks in ways they might otherwise not be comfortable. It’s an exciting time to be a comic book fan ladies and gentlemen
Also, it looks like Stephen will be getting a hand with those Ultron drones The Illuminati seem to be using…
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
There’s some fantastic and exciting pop culture content coming out in 2022! Movies, graphic novels, TV/Streaming, and more! Shows like Peacemaker and movies like The Batman got us off to a great start, but there’s an embarrassment of riches still coming our way this year. Below are my picks for the Movies, TV/Streaming projects, Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Books, and Video Games that you don’t want to miss in 2022!
MOVIES
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore
Release Date: Apr 15, 2022
Warner Bros. just released this fascinating Behind-The-Scenes video about the new film. Definitely worth giving a watch:
While the Fantastic Beasts series hasn’t been the universally praised films that the original Harry Potter films, I’ve loved these movies, especially the last one. This is such a fun world to visit and I love this rich time period in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, showing us fascinating stories and characters we haven’t seen before. Also, c’mon, Jude Law is a PERFECT young Albus Dumbledore and I can’t wait to see more of him in this next film. Check out the trailer here:
Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
Release Date: May 6, 2022
With possible exception of The Batman, no film in 2022 has me more excited than Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. Doctor Strange is one of my favorite comic book characters as well as one of my favorite MCU characters. I thought his solo film in 2016 was a very fun, dynamic, visually interesting, and all-around solid introduction to a character with an incredibly rich history. We really just saw the tip of the iceberg in that film. he’s also my favorite hero in infinity war, his one on one duel with Thanos wielding the infinity gauntlet is one of the most iconic and just fucking cool scenes in the MCU. With this new film the character and his world has been established, giving the filmmakers the opportunity to really dive into some crazy shit. Man, after seeing the teaser trailer that aired during the Super Bowl and the full trailer that was simultaneously released online, we really got a chance to see how absolutely fucking bananas this movie is going to be. Marvel does a great job with their trailers of not spoiling the movie while still getting you incredibly excited for the project. And the Doctor Strange trailers have done that pitch perfectly. Considering the stuff that they showed us in the trailer like the illuminati call Ma fucking Patrick Stewart has Charles Xavier! Ultron drones! Wanda appearing appearing to go full villain! Incredible stuff. Marvel has always also described this film as the closest they’ve ever done to making a horror movie, which is really interesting because we haven’t seen anything like that from the MCU yet.
So you combine all of that with the fact that Sam Raimi, the legendary Director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, the Evil Deads films, Drag Me To Hell, The Giftt, and a lot of other great movies is helming this film, I think we’re gonna get something really special. Sam Raimi directed what is arguably one of the best superhero films ever made with Spider-Man 2 and we also know that he excels at weird, fucked up, offbeat, crazy, horror with the Evil Dead films and Drag Me To Hell . Rami has also been a very outspoken fan of Doctor Strange throughout his career. My expectations are so fucking high for this one I think it’s going to be a home run, but I’ve been burned many times before so let’s keep our fingers crossed. On the other hand marvel has never burned me, so far I’ve always been able to trust them to somehow zinc bigger than even their fans to deliver a fantastic project. This is my pick for The Must See Movie of 2022.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Unlike Doctor Strange 2, we haven’t had a trailer yet to knock our socks off, but there’s a lot to be excited about in this film. Interesting, Thor is the only founding Avenger and the only MCU hero to get a 4th entry in his series. Taika Watitti has returned to direct Love and Thunder after directing not only the best Thor movie with Thor: Ragnarok, but also one of Marvel’s most beloved film in recent years. It’s a real fan favorite. The biggest draw for me is the debut of Christian Bale as Gorr The God Butcher.
Gorr is one of the coolest and most terrifying Marvel villains to debut in the comics in the last decade, so it’ll be very interesting to see how they plan to portray such a dark and blood thirsty character. Thor won’t have to face Gorr on his own because everyone’s favorite band galactic heroes/outlaws, The Guardians of The Galaxy, will feature heavily in the film.
NOPE
Release Date: July 22, 2022
The next horror film from Jordan Peele about UFO’s? HELL. YES! I cant wait for this one.
The long awaited return of one of, hands down, one of the best shows on television is finally here! And there’s a hell of a lot to be excited about! Showrunner Eric Kripke has said Season 3 will feature their take on the “HEROGASM!” story line from the comics (And to answer your question: Yes, the story is just as depraved and horrifying as the title would suggest). The season will also see a new addition to the cast, with Jensen Ackles joining the show as, the Captain America-esque, Soldier Boy. This marks a reunion for Eric Kripke and Jensen Akcles, who previously worked together on the hit series, Supernatural. Kripke created the now iconic series, where Ackles played Dean Winchester, one of the show’s two lead characters. The beloved show recently wrapped up it’s incredible, record breaking 15 Season run. Check out the trailer here:
Obi-Wan Kenobi Series (Disney+) 5/27
With the possible exception of The Mandalorian Season 3, there isn’t an upcoming Star Wars project more anticipated the Obi-Wan Kenobi series coming to Disney+. Ewan McGregor is finally making his return to the fan favorite character, but he’s not the only returning character viewers should expect to see. Hayden Christensen is also returning to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Which pretty much guarantees that we’re going to see a rematch between the two, after their epic lightsaber duel on Mustafar in Episode III. In exciting news, it was just announced that the first two episodes will premiere together on May 27th.
Fans had been clamoring for a Kenobi solo project for years, with many people hoping a film focusing on the character would be made under the, “A Star Wars Story“ banner. However, I would argue (and I think most fans would agree) that with all of the incredible storytelling we’ve seen on the Star Wars TV shows, a Disney+ series sounds much more appealing than a 2 hour film. Check out the trailer right here:
The Sandman (Netflix) (TBD)
Like The Lord of The Rings, which was considered to be “un-filmable” for decades, an adaptation of The Sandman would’ve been impossible 15 years ago. Again, like Lord of The Rings, the first obstacle was a technical one. So much of The Sandman is set in places that just simply didn’t exist in the real world. Visual effects would be heavily needed for everything from environment creations, characters, MoCap, augmenting practical effects, and the list goes on and on. We’re finally a point where you can expect to see film quality visual effects and storytelling on a prestige drama on cable or a streaming service. You can see the passion that was put into this project in this Behind-The-Scenes video…
Audiences needed to be ready for this story as well, it’s not something you can watch casually. I think over the last 10 years audiences have been trained by The MCU, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and other stories that became hits beyond the core audience, to be able to except and buy into a such a sprawling, imaginative fantasy. It’s a truly unique story and I can’t wait to see what they’re doing with it. There hasn’t been official release date announced yet. However we can expect to see the show premiere sometime in Summer 2022. Trust me keep an eye out for this one it’s gonna be something special. Take a look at the first teaser trailer:
The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power (Amazon Prime) 9/2/22
Amazon Prime’s new take on the classic work ofJ.R.R. Tolkien, taking place during the period surrounding the forging of the original rings of power and Sauron’s eventual rise to The Dark Lord of The Rings. The 8 episode first season cost over $58 Million per episode, making it the most expensive show in TV history. Blowing past the previous titled holder, Marvel’s Disney+ shows, at $25 Million per episode. Here’s the trailer:
Moon Knight (Disney+) 3/30
Well, we don’t have to wait too long for this one, but I felt it was still important to include. Moon Knight is the next Marvel Cinematic Universe series to hit Disney+. The series stars Oscar Isaac as the title character and the always fantastic Ethan Hawke, playing a mysterious new character. Someone at Marvel Studios described the series as “Indiana Jones meets Fight Club”, which is as damn good of a description as I can think of. Moon Knight has some cool supernatural element to it, as well as dealing with a main character who has severe mental health issues. It’s lot to get into, but I think this is going toi be a special one. For once, I wish Marvel would drop alll 6 episodes at when the show premieres. my favorite part about streaming service shows is that the entire season drops when the show premieres. I understand why Disney+ and Marvel don’t adopt that model but every once in a while they could throw us a bone and give us a little treat. Anyway check out the trailer, for a little bit of insight into the series:
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) 6/22
There isn’t much new info about the umbrella academy season three except for the release date and some cool posters which I have you can see below. If it wasn’t for shows like the boys or invincible, I would say that the umbrella Academy would probably be my favorite superhero show on TV right now I love how offbeat and unique it is and I can’t wait to see the new season.
This season sees The Hargeeve Siblings having to contend with the mysterious Sparrow Academy, who were teased at the end of Season 2.
Ms Marvel (Disney+) 6/6
This poster is cool homage to the comic book.
If Spider-Man were created today, it’d probably look a lot like this. Based on the comic of the same name, Ms. Marvel focuses on New Hersey, high school student Kamala Khan. Kamal is a super hero mega-fan, shocked to find herself incredible new powers. Look for her to be a big player in The Marvels, the upcoming sequel to Captain Marvel.
COMIC BOOKS/GRAPHIC NOVELS
Batman: Beyond The White Knight (DC COMICS)
Following the success of Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of The White Knight, writer/artist Sean Murphy is bringing the Batman Beyond mythology into his popular series of Batman graphic novels, with Batman: Beyond The White Knight. As massive fan of all things Batman Beyond this is a MUST READ for me. *Now Available, digitally and at your local comic book store!
Flashpoint Beyond (DC Comics) April 2022
Judgment Day (Marvel Comics)5/7
The Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals face Judgment Day! The MarvelComics event is coming this summer. The year’s biggest stories begin in Marvel’s ‘Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men’ #1! Which you can pick up at your local comic book store or digitally on May 7.
DARK CRISIS (DC COMICS)5/7 & 6/7
Dark Crisis is THE comic book blockbuster event of the summer! Here’s what DC has to say, below are some preview images and their synopsis of the prelude to Dark Crisis, ”The Death of The Justice League”
The Last Stand of The Justice League…
Witness the rise and fall of the Justice League! The event years in the making is here with Dark Crisis. The Justice League is comics’ greatest super-team—made up of DC Comics’ legendary Super Heroes, they have saved the world countless times. No crisis was too much for them to handle…until now! The Justice League has been defeated by the Great Darkness and its army of DC’s most dangerous villains—now a new generation of heroes must rise to protect not only the Multiverse…but also the legacy of the DC Universe!
Now for the main event, Dark Crisis #1! Read the synopsis below:
Crisis on Infinite Earths. Infinite Crisis. Final Crisis. And now…Dark Crisis !
The epic event years in the making is finally here! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Can the legacy heroes step out of the shadows of the classic heroes to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? Don’t miss out on the first issue of the blockbuster event of the summer!
Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition will be available on May 7. Justice League: Road to DarkCrisis #1 hits on May 31. Dark Crisis #1 will follow June 7. Check out the teaser below:
Avengers: 1,000,000 B.C. (MARVEL) 7/13/22
Writer – Jason Aaron Artist – Kev Walker
One of the most fascinating aspects of Jason Aaron’s current Avengers run, has been the introduction of The Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. A primordial team of heroes, who came together to protect a vulnerable Earth from all manner of threats, at the dawn of Mankind. The team consisted of Odin (in his youthful, adventurous, Thor-like days), Lady Phoenix (The Phoenix Force possessing one of Earth’s first mutants), Agamotto (as in “The Eye of Agamotto”, Earth’s original Sorcerer Supreme), Black Panther (One of earliest incarnations of Wakanda’s defenders), The Ghost Rider (On a Wooly mammoth), Iron Fist (The first to face Shoa-Lao The Undying and claim the power of The Iron Fist for herself), and The Starbrand (A caveman wielding the power of The Starbrand, Earth’s natural self-defense system. Kind of like the team’s Hulk).
These characters have been an important part of the story since the beginning of Aaron’s run. This one-shot looks to finally shed some light on the larger role they’ll be playing in the major conflict to come, currently being set up in the Avengers books. Though nothing official has been announced yet, there is definitely a big ol’, mega-blockbuster comic book event in the works, involving Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and I suspect this may be the book where we see things start to kick off.
Here’s Marvel’s official synopsis: “They are the defenders of the dawn of time. Marvel’s first and mightiest legacy heroes. But their greatest secrets have never been revealed. Until now. Witness the dark events that shatter their ranks. See how their lives come to shape the entire future of the Marvel Universe. And be there for the monumental event that reunites them one last time: the true story of Thor’s birth.”
From his work on Wolverine to his already classic Thor run, Jason Aaron has been the mastermind behind some of Marvel’s best books. His current Avengers run has been a total blast from the first issue. Like all of his stories, Aaron often introduces concepts, characters, and story arcs, early on in his books that pay off big time later in the story. It feels like something big is right on the horizon, so now would be a great time to dive right in, or even better, get caught up on the story from the beginning with the collected editions that you can pick up anywhere. That may seem like a lot of graphic novels for some of you, however they aren’t dense breeds and they are incredibly fun and exciting, which will make you breeze through these collected additions faster than you probably think. Below is the list of trade paperbacks, starting with Jason Aaron’s 1st Avengers arc ending with the most recent story. From there you’d be pretty much all caught up:
Avengers Vol.1 The Final Host
Avengers Vol.2 World Tour
Avengers Vol.3 War of The Vampires
Avengers Vol.4 War of The Realms
Avengers Vol.5 Challenge of The Ghost Riders
Avengers Vol.6 Starbrand Reborn
Avengers Vol.7 The Age of Khonshu
Avengers Vol.8 Enter The Phoenix
Avengers Vol.9 World War She-Hulk
Avengers Vol.10 The Death Hunters (Available in July)
That may seem like a lot of graphic novels to some of you, but they aren’t dense reads, the art is beautifully dynamic, and each story arc is incredibly fun and exciting. Which will make you breeze through these collected editions faster than you probably think. If you’re a MCU fan looking to dive into comics, then this series is a MUST READ!
BOOKS
The Maze: A John Corey Novel (Nelson DeMille) 10/11
This thriller is latest installment in the excellent John Corey series of novels. Previous installments include Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Nightfall, Wild Fire, The Lion, The Panther, Radiant Angel, and the short story, The Book Case
VIDEO GAMES
Gotham Knights (PS4) 10/25/22
The next installment in the popular Arkham series of video games, Gotham Knights this story focuses on Bruce Wayne’s protégés Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood. The inclusion of the group of villains known as The Court of Owls definitely makes the game a lot more exciting to me. This one will be a lot of fun when it comes out. Check out the awesome trailer below:
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
Here are some beautiful alternate and artist made posters for Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast, we give our straight out of the theater reaction, to latest MCU film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings! While not a FULL SPOILER review, a few MAJOR SPOILERS get dropped in our discussion, so listener beware! Instead of the studio, we recorded this in our car, immediately after seeing the film, which is why there’s a little background noise. However, I did want to include some Easter Eggs, interesting background info, and connections to the rest of The MCU, that just might enrich your experience when seeing Shang-Chi.
I absolutely adore this Special Edition Cover for EMPIRE Magazine’s Shang-Chi issue
One of the cool things about Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, is that certain elements of the character’s history have been present in The MCU, all the way back to the first Iron Man film in 2008. None of this really counts as a spoiler, because it’s nothing that hasn’t been shown in the trailer. is nothing that you haven’t seen in the trailers. The Ten Rings is like a more mysterious, ninja HYDRA. I’m going to elaborate on how the organization was pulling the strings and making moves during some key moments in The MCU. The Ten Rings make their debut in the first MCU movie, Iron Man, in 2008. The Ten Rings were the terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony Stark at the beginning of the movie. They want him to make a weapons of mass destruction but instead Tony plans an escape by building his Mach 1 armor. With that Iron Man, and the MCU, was born.
In Iron Man 2, it’s revealed that, in a deleted scene, agents of The Ten Rings, helped Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash get past security and onto the race track, where ha attacked Tony in his race car during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Even in Ant-Man, towards the end of the film the current head of Pym Tech, Cross has finally been able to replicate his hands on Hank Pym’s shrinking technology. Cross, who’s a real sack if shit, intends to sell it to the highest bidders. Many shady buyers showed for the unveiling of the Yellowjacket, Cross’s version of the Ant-Man suit. Including Hydra, A.I.M., several agents of The Ten Rings. If you have Disney+ I’d also recommend checking out the short film All Hail The King, starring Ben Kingsley‘s character from Iron Man 3, Trevor Slattery. Not only is it a really fun little short, it also has a really cool connection to Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/46360628 Or subscribe/listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
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This week on The World’s Best Podcast, guest co-host Mike Cole and I dive right into the Season Finale of WandaVision! How’d the story wrap up? What did we think of the series in general? & What does this mean for the future of the characters and The MCU, after one of Marvel’s most wildly unique and compelling stories yet?
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/43761901 Or subscribe/listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
One of the best moments in the finale, is during the fight between the 2 Visions. What begins as a pretty cool physical confrontation, is ultimately resolved when “our” Vision proposes a thought experimental his double (specifically, The Ship of Theseus). This reveals to Vision’s white, doppelgänger, the flawed and conflicting nature of his programming. I loved this scene because it’s a clever way to subvert the superhero story troupe of “The Final Battle”, which was in keeping with the unique nature of the series. I didn’t know at the time, but this was taken straight out of one of a recent Avengers comics! Take a look…
Cool, right?
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
Things are getting CRAZY in the town of Westview, folks! On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast , we breakdown Episodes 5 & 6 of the excellent, new Disney+ series, (FULL SPOILERS) Over the last 2 episodes, WandaVision has has broken records to become the #1 show in the world!
WandaVision: The #1 Show In The World
I’m not that surprised by the ultra-positive response to the series. Among the reasons for the show’s popularity, is how unique and beautifully unconventional the series. There’s never been a major, mainstream comic book, superhero movie or TV series like this. Which is why it’s attracting so many new viewer who’d normally avoid the genre. It doesn’t look like it’s filled with the big CGI battles that turn some people off. Now audiences who normally avoid superhero-fare like this, are tuning into WandaVision for it’s charm, mystery, nostalgia, and the fact that it could be the most widely unique superhero project of the decade. The MCU seems to have another home run on his hands, now I can’t wait to see what they do with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier which premieres a week after WandaVision wraps up.
Ôjopp
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/43472059 Or subscribe/listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
As crazy as it must sound, it’s been just over a year and half since Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters. The film served as an epilogue of sorts to The Infinity Saga and our last piece of new content from The Marvel Cinematic Universe. When WandaVision premiered on January 15th, it ended what almost became the longest gap in new content since the studio’s inception. Second only to the 1 year 11 month gap between The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2. Fortunately, it looks like we have an insane amount of new MCU content coming our way this year, with WandaVision as the first out of the gate..
If going to talk about WandaVision, if you’ve seen the trailers, which I’m sure most of you have, you know the deal. But just in case, I’m posting a trailer right here to refresh your memory. Take one last look if you need a brief reminder:
I’m not gonna waste time going over the set up. Instead, I’m going to dive right in to what worked, and what didn’t, in The MCU’s first and highly anticipated new Disney+ shows. So, what did I think of the first 3 episodes of WandaVision? Does it live up to the hype? Was this the right project It kick off Phase 4 for Marvel Studios? Honestly, I don’t know yet.
The Big Problem: Weekly Episode Release Vs. Binge Format
My biggest take away from WandaVision was that streaming services desperately need to go back to the format that made them so intriguing and unique in the first place: Release all episodes of their original programming on the premiere date! It was so exciting things when a new season of Daredevil or Stranger Things, would premiere on Netflix and I could watch the entire story at my leisure! It was like getting to watch a trilogy of your favorite movie series over one weekend!
I understand that when Disney+ launched, the service needed to build up its library of original content and it’s subscriber base. The concern being, that people would just sign up, watch the first season of The Mandalorian over the weekend, and then cancel the subscription. Disney+ is successful enough now that it can move beyond that way of thinking and remember what drew people to streaming services in the first place.
For a series like WandaVision, the weekly format actually hurts the show. In fact, it’s WandaVision’s biggest weakness. Each episode of the show is formatted to replicate and pay homage to a classic sitcom era. Episode 1 feels very much like The Dick Van Dyke Show, while Episode 2 feels more like Bewitched, with Episode 3 turning into something like The Brady Bunch or Happy Days. While this is certainly extremely unique and innovative for a superhero story, it’s too earnest for its own good. Let’s be real, we don’t really give a shit about the sitcom format, we’re all here to watch this series because we know this is The MCU and something extremely strange afoot. We care about the mystery of WHY Wanda and Vision are stuck in this weird TV sitcom reality. The series takes the sitcom gimmick that they’re replicating each week, way too seriously. It seems like the creators didn’t just use the aesthetic and style of a 1960s sitcom, they also seem to be following the rules of storytelling that you’d see in a sitcom in the 60’s, which isn’t all that interesting. Like I mentioned before, innovations like this need to continue for superhero films to survive and thrive. But WandaVision would’ve been much better served leaning into the creepy and unsettling aspects of the whole TV sitcom format, more like something out of The Twilight Zone. As it stands we get a pretty earnest and straightforward series that’s basically a sitcom staring Wanda and Vision, with hints of something darker and mysterious in the background. How did the characters find themselves in this strange TV world? Who or what is doing this? Is it Wanda herself? The answers to those mysteries are what we’re here to see.
Know Your Audience & Why They’re Watching
They don’t have to show their hand right away, but we want more than just a silly sitcom with hints of something more interesting down the line. It couldn’t help but make me think of the film, Natural Born Killers, where Juliette Lewis’ abusive upbringing is shown in flashback form as a 60’s style TV sitcom, complete with a laugh track, while keeping the dark and twisted nature of her family life in tact. Seeing a horrible childhood juxtaposed with the wholesome sitcoms of yesteryear is what made that sequence so disquieting. Even Supernatural once did a crossover episode with Scooby-Doo, without ever compromising the tone or identity of either series.
WandaVision would’ve been much better served to up the creepy factor by 100%. The sitcom format would work so much better if we were more frequently reminded of the unsettling truth that something sinister is causing this. As it stands it’s basically just a sitcom that occasionally reminds us that there’s something unusual and dangerous at the heart of these events. There are more creepy and disturbing moments, as well as more overt clues about what’s actually be going on, in Episodes 2 & 3. Which is why I think the 2nd and 3rd installment are so much stronger than the 1st. Now it feels like we’re going to have to sit through weeks of a sitcom that we’re not really interested in watching, to get to the part of the story that really matters, which will probably be around the last three episodes. I’m old enough to have watched many of these old shows when they aired in the “Nick-At-Night” days. A large part of the audience won’t even know what show’s WandaVision is drawing inspiration from.
If the whole season dropped at once, the first 3 episodes would seem so much more charming and intriguing because we wouldn’t have to wait weeks to find out where this is going. We could dive right in and finish it out over a weekend. After all, it’s only six hours of content. Having said all that, I definitely like the show. Despite some of the creative choices that I disagree with, WandaVision is as fun as something like this could possibly be. Mainly because Wanda and Vision are such great characters and Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are excellent actors who really give it their all. They’re a fun duo to watch and they have great chemistry as a couple.
The bottom line is I encourage any superhero or MCU fan to check out WandaVision, just know what you’re getting into first. This is not an action adventure series. It’s very deliberate and with it’s own methodical and sometimes slow pacing. Which can be frustrating at times, but the potential of the underlying mystery as well as the performances by the excellent cast, will keep me coming back for more each week.
Like any good Marvel fan, or fanatic in my case, I kept my eyes peeled for Easter Eggs and believe me there are a ton of them! Wanda and Vision both have such storied history‘s as characters that there is a lot of storytelling there for the show to pull from. There are a lot of cool callbacks, Easter Eggs, and clues to previous MCU projects, comic book characters and storylines, as well as upcoming shows and films, in The MCU.
Easter Eggs, Clues, & References
First of all, Wanda seems to have undergone a massive power upgrade. She can seemingly create and manipulate matter at will. Conjuring up objects from thin and altering existing ones. There’s a neat end credits sequence at the end of each episode with a musical score that’s creepy as hell and works as a unsettling contrast to the bright and bubbly nature of everything that comes before. It reminded me quite a bit of how Wanda’s powers would manifest in miniseries House of M with these sort of blocks. When she creates or destroys, something it comes apart or is put back together again small squares much like what we see in the end credits.
All 3 episodes drop huge clues that the people monitoring Wanda and Vision are S.W.O.R.D., we see their symbol in the van monitoring thing at the end of Episode 1 and it appears again in on a red and yellow toy helicopter that Wanda finds in Episode 2.
From Episode 1, the SWORD insignia appears on the notebook in front of the monitor, as well as on the computer screen on the left, in the bottom right corner of the screen
The inclusion of SWORD is extremely interesting because they’re basically SHIELD for space. They monitor extraterrestrials threats to Earth and other dangers to the planet from outer space. This would imply that something extraterrestrial is at play in WandaVision, which opens up all sorts of fun possibilities. In one of the Spider-Man: Far From Home post-credits scenes Nick Fury is seen on an alien ship or space station, which led many to theorize that he was setting up S.W.O.R.D.
ABOVE: 2 examples of S.WO.R.D.’s various incarnations; BELOW: The Peak, SWORD’s orbital space station & headquarters
Wanda makes a new friend in Episode 2, a young African-American woman who introduces herself as Geraldine. They meet while attending a planning event on a sunny afternoon, under gazebo filled with other women from the community.
They’re all there to discuss the upcoming talent show fundraiser that the town is putting on. Right off the bat, there’s some really weird shit going down at this gathering of happy homemakers. Within her first few seconds of interacting with Wanda, Geraldine looks almost frightened and appears confused as to why she’s even at this meeting in the first place. As if she just woke up from an upsetting and disorienting dream. In Episode 3, we see that she’s wearing a necklace bearing the insignia of SWORD . She may introduce herself as Geraldine, but we know better. She is in fact Monica Rambeau a.k.a. Spectrum. We’ve actually encountered Monica in The MCU already, we met her as a child, in Captain Marvel. Monica is the daughter of Carol Danvers’ best friend. Monica is clearly following in the footsteps of the woman she look up to since she was a little girl. The next time we see her in The MCU outside of WandaVision will be as a full fledged superhero in Captain Marvel 2 which will likely involve SWORD in someway.
Someone, presumably SWORD, are tattempting to contact Wanda through the radio. You very clearly hear them asking her “Who is doing this to you, Wanda?”The voice on the radio is Agent Woo who we first met in Ant-Man and The Wasp.
Wanda and Vision perform a magic act in the town’s talent show school fundraiser. One of the props they use in their act, “The Cabinet of Mysteries”, has a symbol on it that looks a lot like The Mind Stone. An artifact key to the origins of both Wanda and Vision.
The commercial in Episodes 2 is for a watch made by Baron Strucker, who gave Wanda and her brother their powers. The watch also has the HYDRA symbol and says HYDRA on its face. Episode 3 has a commercial for a bath product made by HYDRA
In Episode 2, Wanda goes from normal to what looks to be about six months pregnant in a matter of moments. In episode three she gives birth to twin boys named Billy and Tommy. Shortly after their birth Wanda tells Geraldine (AKA Monica) that she was a twin and she had a brother named Pietro. This causes Geraldine to snap out of it for a moment and mention how Pietro was killed by Ultron.
At which point Wanda makes note of Geraldine’s SWORD necklace and hurls her out of town, back into the real world. She’s intercepted by what looks to be a massive government operation that seems to be monitoring the strange dome that has encased this town. Which reminded me a lot of the facility SHIELD constructs around Thor’s hammer, Mijonir, when it falls to Earth in the first Thor film.
It was also really cool just to hear Ultron referenced in Episode 3. He was an underrated villain who I’ve always wanted to see return. I had a theory that Ultron could somehow be involved in the events of WandaVision. I’ll just hold out hope that he’ll possibly make an appearance by the end of the season, who knows?
In the comics, Wanda and Vision have twin children (Billy and Tommy), who are later revealed to be constructs created by Wanda’s powers. The knowledge that her children were never “real” eventually leads to her mental break with reality that results in the deaths of Hawkeye, Scott Lang, and Vision. The fallout causes The Avengers to briefly disband. Which would seem to suggest that these children will likely be a very important part of the series going forward.
Left: Billy AKA Wiccan; Right: Tommy AKA Speed
In the comics, It’s later revealed that the children were in fact real and survived. Eventually becoming the Young Avengers known as Speed (Tommy) and Wiccan (Billy), whose powers mirror those of Wanda and her brother Pietro AKA Quicksilver. Other members of Young Avengers include Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie, who will develop size changing powers in Ant-Man 3. As well as, Hawkeye’s protege Kate Bishop, who will be making her debut in the upcoming Hawkeye Disney+ series with Hailee Steinfeld in the role.
Expect us to continue covering WandaVision as the series continues!
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
Holy crap this was a great week for trailers! The annual Walt Disney Co. 2020 Shareholders Meeting, took place a few days ago. Over the last decade or so, Disney has made some huge business moves that paid off, big time! With the creation of Marvel Studios, partnering with Sony to get Spider-Man in The MCU, the company acquiring Fox, and the success of Disney+, the company’s star is continuing to rise. This year Disney live-streamed the event to their shareholders, so fans had a chance watch the presentation as well. Star Wars and Marvel fans in particular, should keep this yearly event on their radar. Just and foremost, this meeting is about Disney displaying their value to their shareholders, so they usually pull out all the stops. As one among several events Disney hosts every year, this is where we can expect to see major announcements about upcoming Marvel and Star Wars projects. The heads of each entertainment division at Disney (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, etc) give presentation about all of the upcoming projects that they’re working on, which will of course make the shareholders shit loads of money. The event was live streamed on and they did not disappoint with some amazing and exciting announcements. We are going to go over everything that we saw at The Walt Disney Co. 2020 Shareholders Meeting on the next episode of The World’s Best Podcast, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, some fantastic new trailers were shown, so I figured it was the perfect time for Trailers of The Week!
Trailers For The Upcoming MCU Series On Disney+
Trailers For The New Star Wars Series On Disney+
These trailers are just a few teasers among a lot more exciting content heading our way! So much information was dropped during this event, that we are going to offer continued coverage of all the announcements, so keep an eye out for new articles and podcasts that will cover all of the really cool stuff coming down the Disney pipeline!
Thanks for reading… and watching! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
Halloween Horror Month begins here at World’s Best Media! On this episode of the podcast, special guest co-host Tim Cuff of the podcast Cuff’s Basement, makes his triumphant return to the show! In this wide ranging episode, Tim and I talk about our love of horror movies, by taking a look at Blumhouse Productions. The filmmakers behind hits like Get Out, Happy Death Day, Us, The Invisible Man, and many, many more. We also discuss the upcoming Disney+ series Wandavision and the future of the MCU! Enjoy and thanks for listening! *(Subscribe to Cuff’s Basement on iTunes/Apple Podcasts)
Tim and I also talk about some of our favorite horror remakes…
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/41468546 Or subscribe on Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
As a diehard Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, I feel like I’m going through MCU withdrawals. If it wasn’t for this fucking COVID-19 pandemic, we’d have already seen the much anticipated Black Widow movie, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier would be streaming on Disney+, and we’d be gearing up for the release of The Eternals in a little over a month. I know there are much, much worse things that are happening because of the COVID-19 outbreak and the pandemic is just one of the many shitty things that have happened during this awful year. In my lifetime, I don’t think there’s been a more horrific year for America than 2020 (Let’s just hope 2021 will be an improvement). So by comparison it may seem a little silly to be complaining about a few movies and TV shows that we weren’t able to watch. However, the stories told like the ones in the MCU, allow people an escape from the terrible things going on in the real world, even if it’s just for a little while. It’s like I always say, you can’t underestimate the profound effect of storytelling. Stories are huge part of what makes us human.
On the bright side, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. It almost seems appropriate for audiences to get a break from the MCU for a little while. Marvel just finished telling one epic story with The Infinity Saga and the next Marvel project to come out will be the beginning of a whole new chapter in The MCU. Finally after delays and rescheduling we finally know what story is going to kick off Phase 4 of The MCU: WandaVision on Disney+. The first trailer for the new miniseries has just been released and you can check it out below. It looks trippy as hell in the best possible way. I have a little bit more I want to say about this very unique looking story, but for now I’ll just start by posting the new trailer. Take a look:
WandaVision doesn’t have a definitive release date yet, but it will premiere before the end of the year. Expect to see WandaVision premiere on Disney+ sometime around early December. So what did you folks think of the trailer for WandaVision? Let me know in the comments below!
Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Stay healthy and stay safe!
This week on “The World’s Best Podcast”, Paul Sr. and I give the listeners the rundown on coolest, biggest, and most highly anticipated movies and TV shows of 2020! Wonder Woman 1984! The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney+, Marvel’s Black Widow, The Mandalorian Season 2, and so much more! We give you everything you need to know about the hottest film & TV projects of 2020, in this cant miss episode!
On this episode, I wanted to mention several graphic novels and comics that are coming out later this year that I am hugely looking forward to, but I forgot to mention them on the show. So I thought as a nice bit of extra content for this podcast webpage, I would post my list of my most anticipated comic book/graphic novel projects coming up in 2020:
Green Lantern: Earth One Vol.2 (Release Date – 6/9)
What’s The Deal?: Part of DC‘s Earth One series, which takes classic DC characters and lets talented creators tell out of continuity stories to take our heroes in exciting and unexpected new directions. This is a sequel to Green Lantern: Earth One Vol.1, which I would describe as if Stanley Kubrick ever did a Green Lantern story. It’s pretty damn cool. I really enjoyed Vol.1 and Vol.2 looks to be even better.
DC: Death Metal (Release Date – 5/13)
What’s The Deal?: The epic sequel to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s hit event miniseries, Dark Nights: Metal. Look for Wonder Woman and The Batman Who Laughs to play key roles in the story.
Batman/Catwoman (Release Date – Spring/Summer 2020)
What’s The Deal?: Writer Tom King and Artist Clay Mann continue the epic story of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle that Tom King began in Batman Rebirth #1. This 12 issue maxi-series has been described by King as his “Dark Knight Returns” and inspired by Grant Morrison’s excellent Batman and Robin. From a writer as talented as Tom King, those are some fantastic comparisons to make and with a spectacular art team backing him up, this is definitely a book to watch.
Back to the podcast… Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/23355156 Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!
World’s Best Media 