All right, guys, first things first, as usual. SPOILERS. I'll say it again. SPOILERS. I even put it in the headline, so before you scan another word take note that it's been said three times. You've been warned. If you walk into the minefield of information from here it's on you if you get blown up. To note, this information comes from a reliable and proven source, but feel free to treat the following as a rumor as per the usual.
Now, this is A LOT of stuff. It's not going to ruin any major plot points or give away the entire movie, but there are some great little details in here that will either get you even more excited or frothing at the mouth pissed, depending on your tolerance for new info. For me, I absolutely love the info and it gets my nerd blood pumping for the coolness that lies ahead. With that said, if you're ready to get some cool details on what lies beyond AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON then strap in, grab a drink, put on some music, and let the geek goodness flow through you.
What we have is a rundown of characters, costumes, story beats, and some little tidbits of "marvelous" info that runs from ANT-MAN to CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR to DOCTOR STRANGE, and a little bit about Marvel's presence at Comic Con this year. Let's do this.
So far, ANT-MAN has had a shaky journey to the big screen. Edgar Wright leaving the project after years of building it and a quick shuffle to get it into production has left many to suspect that it may be Marvel's first big trainwreck. Of course, a lot of folks thought the same for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and look how that turned out. Here's some tidbits that might sway you to "Team ANT-MAN."
ANT-MAN vs. Yellowjacket:
There will be two big fights between the hero and villain in ANT-MAN; one that takes place in a briefcase as it falls out of a helicopter where they're literally fighting around objects in the case; Lifesavers, keys, an iPhone, etc. and using said objects against one another. The final battle between both characters takes place in Scott Lang's daughters' room on the Thomas the Train set (as seen in the recent trailer). As the battle rages on, we'll see both characters enlarge certain objects while they're still shrunk, accidentally making a giant ant and, eventually, Thomas the Train, which crashes out of the bedroom, crushing a car on the street. Crazy stuff and obviously making full use of the shrinking and enlarging that goes hand-in-hand with ANT-MAN's powers.
On The Wasp:
Evangeline Lilly is playing Hope Van Dyne in the film, as we know, and our source indicates that she will indeed become The Wasp, but you will NOT see it happen in ANT-MAN.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
If you've read the Civil War comics then you know that there's no way they could faithfully adapt the source material as Marvel simply doesn't have the rights to all the characters involved and the circumstances in the comic continuity just doesn't match the MCU continuity. That said, they've naturally found an organic way to "create" the Civil War in question and they've rounded up a great batch of "heroes vs. heroes" to compliment the new (and returning) villains. It's also to note that the project is referenced as CIVIL WAR, not CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. What that means is anyone's guess, but it's an interesting note. Here's the rundown:
Characters in CIVIL WAR:
Pretty much every Avengers character that DOESN'T have their own franchise is going to appear in CIVIL WAR. Some we already know about, including Cap (obviously), Winter Soldier, Falcon, Black Panther, Black Widow, Iron Man, and Hawkeye. We can also confirm the recently rumored Scarlet Witch, as well as The Vision, War Machine, and even Ant-Man. The non-hero villains are, as already confirmed, Baron Zemo and Crossbones. Now, our source also indicated that this roster has some wiggle room, so there's always the chance that a few may be shuffled out at some point, but right now this IS the plan. As for Spider-Man; Marvel is playing it close to the chest, so there's no info on how he's involved…yet. In terms of who's facing off with who: So far it looks like Cap, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Falcon vs. Iron Man, War Machine, The Vision, and Ant-Man, with the Scarlet Witch and Black Panther somewhere in the mix. Oh, and expect to see Ant-Man take on the Giant-Man form in battle. How cool will that be, eh?
Costumes in CIVIL WAR:
The Falcon will, in fact, be getting a costume upgrade for CIVIL WAR, which will be a modified version of his WINTER SOLDIER suit, but with grey and red colors, as per his comic origins. Captain America will be carrying over a slightly modified version of his AGE OF ULTRON suit, and so far The Winter Soldier will look very much as he did before, long hair and all. The coolest costume news is for Crossbones. Many of us are dying to see ol' Brock Rumlow in his trademark get-up and that will indeed happen. He's described as "messier" and the skull imagery on the suit is described as "graffiti-esque." And yes, he does indeed wear the skull mask that covers his entire face, which is said to be a hybrid mask/helmet. Think Army of Two.
CIVIL WAR story – comics to screen:
In Mark Millar's Civil War story the catalyst that sets off the "Civil War" is when the New Warriors destroy several city blocks in an attempt to apprehend a supervillain, causing the deaths of more than 600 civilians, prompting the Superhero Registration Act, which requires all superpowered beings to register with the government, reveal thier secret identities, and receive "proper" training and operate under the employ of S.H.I.E.L.D. Obviously, this has to be changed for the MCU version, and this is the basic premise; Instead of the New Warriors being the catalyst for the Superhero Registration Act, it will be Crossbones (in costume) who will be the catalyst that kicks off the film, instigating an attack that causes much death and destruction, causing the government to step in and put out the Superhero Registration Act.
The other element that will be a key focus is The Winter Soldier, whose existence is the big question as he has the ability to be a hero, but has also been a villain. This causes the main rift between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, as the disagreement leads them to opposing sides. The main thrust, as in the comics, looks to be "if there is a threat – should The Avengers show up, is it their place to do so, and what gives them the authority to do so?"
BLACK PANTHER in CIVIL WAR:
We all know that Chadwick Boseman will appear in CIVIL WAR, but his role in the war isn't one-sided as he'll have his own agenda in the film. There's been speculation that he'd take the Spider-Man role as it plays out in the comics, but that doesn't look to be the case. Either way, his involvement will still be significant.
We've been waiting to see Stephen Strange make his MCU appearance for a long time and with director Scott Derrickson lined up to direct and Benedict Cumberbatch set as the Sorcerer Supreme the big question now turns to how they'll handle it. We've got some cool info to build off of what we already know, including what kind of costume the good doctor will be rockin'. Here's the details:
Doc Strange and the Classic Costume:
Yep, DOCTOR STRANGE will be wearing the traditional outfit from the comics, complete with the red cape (albeit with a much smaller collar) and blue outfit. He will also have a vest of some sort, but either way will be going for an MCU version of the classic costume, which should be a relief for those that feared Marvel may not adhere to the traditional look.
Doc Strange villains:
As has been reported before via Latino Review, the main villains of the film will be Dormammu and Baron Mordo. Dormammu will also be leading an army of zealots, which is most likely the Mindless Ones that have already been rumored as well. They are described as looking humanoid but made out of stone and cut into tiny layers. Consider this another log on that already burning fire of info.
Doc Strange locales:
The look and design of Doctor Strange is said to be on a whole other visual level, with plenty of use of astral projections and levitation, etc. Much of the action will take place "between dimensions" with lots of wild "Inception-like visuals." Ultimately, what you'd hope and expect to see in a Doc Strange flick.
And that's it! Some interesting details that should keep the Marvel hype machine going and certainly enough to garner some post AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON excitement. Keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is still in development and/or just going into production so there's always the possibility that some of these details could change in the process. That said, this is what's on the books for now.
Marvel Studios and Comic Con 2015:
We've already heard from director James Gunn that Marvel will not be at Comic Con this year and that seemed to upset a lot of folks. Indeed, Marvel has been the most-anticipated of the Hall H presentations for years and they really do put on a hell of a show. Unfortunately, it looks like they are, in fact, skipping Hall H in 2015. After the success of their recent Marvel Phase 3 showcase in L.A. and the fact that Warner Bros. is bringing its A-Game to Hall H this year, Kevin Feige has made the call to skip Hall H in 2015. With WB's massive movie slate moving in and Star Wars on the horizon, Marvel is, as of right now, taking a breather from the crowded house of Hall H. However, they will still have a booth on the floor and the normal panels, just not the "big show." It makes perfect sense as CIVIL WAR is just going into production and DOCTOR STRANGE doesn't start shooting until November, so, really, they wouldn't have much to show anyway.
Then again, it's Marvel, so who knows? They can be full of surprises…
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens on May 1, 2015, ANT-MAN opens on July 17, 2015, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR opens on May 6, 2016, and DOCTOR STRANGE on November 4, 2016.