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While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going strong more than a decade and a half since its inception, there's no denying it hasn't seen a similar level of praise nowadays compared to its first three phases. Critics and audiences alike loved most of the movies released since Iron Man all the way to Avengers: Endgame (with perhaps The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World being the two exceptions). However, that flawless reputation has changed in recent years and it seems like a big success like Deadpool & Wolverine is followed by a rather underwhelming project to balance things out.

With that in mind, sequels aren't such a safe bet for Marvel anymore. There isn't a complete guarantee that audiences will show up and fill movie theaters every single time. As a result, some highly anticipated movies unfortunately had to be canceled. To solidify that idea, a new report by...

With more than 15 years and 30 movies behind it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still doing alright. Across this cavalcade of almost three dozen movies are a wide variety of iconic superheroes, grand stories, impressive visual tapestries, and the occasional entry that manages to be just “not bad.” We all have our rankings for the very best and the very worst of the Marvel series, but now JoBlo officially has the MCU movies ranked from Iron Man to this year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Here we go, from least to best:

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Director Taika Waititi harnessed the mighty power of Chris Hemsworth’s sense of humor and blended it with his own colorful sensibilities for the hilarious, character-reviving Thor: Ragnarok. All eyes were on the sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, especially given it would see the return of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster (taking on the mantle of Mighty Thor). Sadly,...

The superheroes of Marvel Comics have been headlining movies for decades. We're not just talking about the last few decades, either, when the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to fruition. The juggernaut franchise, created by Marvel Studios, has broken every box office record there is to break, grossing a collective $31 billion (and counting!) in the years since its 2008 inception with Iron Man. 35 movies into that franchise, it shows no signs of slowing down.

But again, the heroes of Marvel Comics were on our screens long before that, with beloved characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men flying the flag for comic book movies at a time when there weren't all that many. And, before that, Captain America was headlining his own TV movies, while Man-Thing became a horror legend.

Even in today's day and age, Marvel Studios doesn't make all of the movies involving Marvel characters. 20th Century Fox produced the Fantastic Four...

The Masters of the Universe franchise has been going strong for over forty years now, consisting of multiple lines of action figures, several animated TV shows, a bunch of comic book series, and much more including a live-action film adaptation that was released in 1987 and starred Dolph Lundgren as the iconic character He-Man. Although that ’87 film has a strong fan following, it wasn’t received very well in general… but now, Mattel (the toy company behind the franchise) is ready to give the idea of a live-action Masters of the Universe film another try. Set up at Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Studios, the new Masters of the Universe is aiming for a theatrical release date of June 5, 2026 – and here’s everything we know about it:

Development Hell

The new attempt to bring a live-action Masters of Universe movie into the world has been making its way through development hell...

Tom Hiddleston first played the God of Mischief in 2011's Thor, later reprising the role in Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers, Endgame, What If...?, and eventually a Disney+ TV series, Loki.

It's been quite the ride for the British actor and one he's strongly hinted could be over following Loki season 2's epic final episode. The God of Mischief has become "God Loki," and is arguably the most powerful being in the entire MCU as he powers the newly recreated Multiverse.

We have to believe that'll make him a major player in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, with Kang the Conqueror off the table, it's possible Loki was just meant to explain the Multiverse's creation and little else.

Talking to fans while signing autographs outside a theatre in the UK, Hiddleston was asked if he'll be...

Ah, Daredevil. The man, the myth, the blind lawyer who can hear your heartbeat from across the street. He’s flipping back onto our screens with Daredevil: Born Again, and Marvel is making it clear they’re going for a more classic approach this time around.

Charlie Cox is returning as Matt Murdock, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is back to terrifying New York, and, hold onto your red-tinted glasses, Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page is reportedly returning as well.

Charlie Cox and Tatiana Maslany in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Credits: Marvel Studios

Now, this is where things get a little confusing. Last we saw Matt and Karen in Netflix’s Daredevil, their relationship was, well, complicated. She loved him, he loved her, but also Catholic guilt, ninja battles, and a lot of brooding got in the way. Then, the Netflix Marvel universe faded into the background, and Matt disappeared for a bit.

John Malkovich had to wait for the right circumstances to join the MCU, meaning the right director and the right paycheck.

Malkovich told GQ that he turned down working in the Disney franchise for years prior to making his Marvel debut with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” The undisclosed role reunites him with director Matt Shaman, whom directed Malkovich in 2014 film “Cut Bank.”

Malkovich explained that “First Steps” was “not that dissimilar to doing theater” because “you imagine a bunch of stuff that isn’t there and do your little play” — but the film still had a “grueling” production, he said.

“The reason I didn’t do them [before] had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever,” Malkovich said. “I didn’t like the deals they made, at all. These films are quite grueling to make… If you’re going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months,...

It began with 2008’s “Iron Man,” a film that introduced the world to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark with the hint that he could be part of something greater. Over 30 films later, the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still being told, albeit with various tributaries and detours that introduce new characters and new worlds that may or may not cross paths one day. Each film in the MCU stands on its own to some degree, but like building blocks, they all connect as part of one interconnected universe. And in that way, watching the Marvel movies in order tells one grand story.

There are a couple of different ways to watch the Marvel movies in order, but below we run down how to watch the MCU in chronological and release date order. Indeed, some films like “Captain Marvel” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” are full-on prequels...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one big machine where every nook and cranny has a big role to play... or most of them do, at least. See, sometimes a character is introduced with the intention of showing up multiple times down the line on many different projects. However, plans change sometimes and all that fans get is a "one-and-done".

A perfect example of this is Mac Gargan, who made his debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home only to never be seen again even if all signs indicated he'd become The Scorpion at some point. Unfortunately, this situation has happened many different times in the past, but more often than not it involves "supporting" characters.

That being said, there have been a few rare occasions where a character who seems like the next big player in the MCU — one who audiences will see for years to come — is seemingly abandoned too.

It’s the Valentine’s Day four-day weekend, and nothing says I love you more to moviegoers than Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World and Sony/StudioCanal’s Paddington in Peru.

But it’s also Presidents Day weekend, so consider Captain America to fit that bill. And on Monday, with 24% of K-12 schools out, expect Paddington in Peru to get some traction as well.

The $180 million-budgeted Captain America: Brave New World, which takes place after the events of the Disney+/Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson picks up the shield left behind by Steve Rogers, is bound to be a more grounded political thriller title ala 2014’s Captain America: Winter Soldier (3-day U.S. opening $95M) versus anything multiverse. Hence, expect a domestic opening of $80M over three days, $94M over four days and a global start of $190M in all territories,...

January was a pretty quiet month at the box office, even by January standards, which are not particularly high. But as is customary in the 2010s and beyond, Marvel is here to save the day ... hopefully. "Captain America: Brave New World" is hitting theaters next weekend, and it's a lock to deliver 2025's first blockbuster opening, which theaters could sorely use. The question is, can it be a big success like a pre-pandemic superhero film? Or is Marvel Studios rolling the dice with this one?

Director Julius Onah's take on "Captain America" is currently eyeing an opening weekend in the $81 to $98 million range. That's more or less in line with earlier tracking numbers, which had the film taking in around $90 million, per The Hollywood Reporter. On the surface, that may seem underwhelming since we're accustomed to Marvel Cinematic Universe entries clearing $100 million in their debuts with ease. But that...

Taika Waititi Marvel Criticism (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Taika Waititi? The man’s got no time for doubters. When Marvel fans questioned his ability to bring Thor back to life, his response was legendary. “You don’t know what you want until I give it to you,” he shot back at critics who thought he’d tank the franchise. Spoiler alert: he didn’t ruin a thing. Instead, he dropped Thor: Ragnarok, which is still one of the most loved films in Marvel’s lineup.

Back in 2017, the New Zealand filmmaker flipped the Thor script on its head, injecting his unique humor and colorful storytelling into a franchise that was stuck after Thor: The Dark World. Fans weren’t sure what to expect, but Waititi delivered a mic drop moment. Ragnarok still holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest-rated Marvel films ever.

In a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly,...

Secret Wars is set to be the next big event in the MCU, where the cinematic giant is going to try and pull off what it did with Avengers: Endgame. One of the many things that fans want to see in the MCU is Loki uniting with Thor.

Thor: The Dark World || Credit: Marvel Studios

Loki currently sits in the middle of the multiverse, holding the entire multiverse together. Thor is currently traveling the cosmos with his adopted daughter Love. It is not yet known how these characters will cross paths again, but Marvel needs to recognize that the two of these meetings need to be an important part of their story, especially after how they parted in Ragnarok.

Thor and Loki could find themselves at odds again in Secret War Loki || Credit: Marvel Studios

A theory suggests that as Hulk was the herald for Thanos in the MCU, it...

So far, the MCU has done a pretty stellar job at adapting Marvel Comics characters on the big screen, including and especially the main members of the Avengers, like Thor and Hulk. However, that doesn’t mean the MCU is perfect when it comes to comic book adaptations. Some characters are changed drastically from their comic book counterparts, and that includes one massively powerful villain who was totally overlooked by the MCU despite being strong enough to take down Thor and Hulk.

In Thor #347 by Walt Simonson, fans are introduced to Algrim the Strong aka Kurse. Originating as a Thor villain who worked with the Dark Elf, Malekith, Algrim was seemingly killed during his first conflict with Thor after Malekith cast both Algrim and Thor into a lava pit. Thor was able to fly out of the pit unscathed, but Algrim was trapped in the lava. His Elf armor kept him alive,...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe would be a very different place if these directors had been chosen to develop movies for Marvel Studios. The director is one of the most important figures in the development of any movie, but for Marvel Studios, this position is even more crucial. Some of Marvel's directors have become household names as they have helped to produce the most successful film franchise of all time, but many of them weren't Marvel Studios' only choice when planning the McU's projects.

Over the years, Marvel Studios has built strong relationships with brilliant directors, including Jon Favreau, the Russo brothers, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Ryan Coogler and Destin Daniel Cretton, among others. Had many of these notable directors chosen not to join the MCU, however, Marvel Studios had other options. In the 17 years since the MCU began, there have been many major directors who almost joined the MCU, which...

The next addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Brave New World, is set to reach theatres on February 14, 2025 – and this one is going to be keeping viewers in theatres for a shorter time than previous films in the Captain America franchise have. Theatre listings have revealed that Captain America: Brave New World has a running time of 118 minutes, so it comes in at 6 minutes shorter than Captain America: The First Avenger (124 minutes), 18 minutes shorter than Captain America: The Winter Soldier (136 minutes), and 30 minutes shorter than Captain America: Civil War (148 minutes). While it ranks on the lower end of Marvel Cinematic Universe running times, there are several MCU movies that are shorter than 118 minutes: The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and The Marvels.

Captain America: Brave New World went into production in March of 2023, with filming lasting through June. In December of ’23, another screenwriter...

Captain America: Brave New World Reported Runtime Revealed ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Captain America: Brave New World has been in the news since it was announced, and as the release date nears, it is trending in media reports. The movie already has a massive budget, but its reported runtime has divided netizens. Anthony Mackey will appear as the new Captain America after Chris Evans parted ways with the MCU role. Scroll below for the deets.

Veteran actor Harrison Ford will make his MCU debut as Thaddeus Ross, aka Red Hulk. William Hurt previously portrayed Ross’ character, and Ford replaced him after his death. According to media reports, the movie has a budget of around $350 million to $375 million, making it one of the costliest movies of the year.

According to Discussing Film via Comic Book, Captain America: Brave New World has the least run time in the Captain America franchise. Based on that,...

Sometimes, the casting of a notable name can look astounding on paper, but ends up being a complete disaster when the film is eventually released. Many of the best actors of all time have dark spots on their résumé that leave viewers scratching their heads and wondering how such a great actor ended up giving such a lackluster performance in a movie that left a lot to be desired. While this can be disappointing, it also signals the actor is taking a risk, and one of the biggest keys to success is being willing to fail.

Plenty of great actors have been in terrible movies, and this shouldn’t necessarily destroy their legacy. Like in any profession, Hollywood actors have their ups and downs, and across the history of a long and fruitful career, the failures can be just as important and interesting as the hits. While all these movie...

A few years before superhero fatigue kicked in, it seemed like every big-name actor in Hollywood was getting cast as a superhero. Whether it was for a quick payday or because their kids were huge fans, fans definitely enjoyed watching these A-listers take on the superhero suits, and the actors seemed to have fun too. Well, almost all of them.

Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins in Thor: The Dark World | Credits: Marvel Studios

The legendary Anthony Hopkins might just be the exception to the rule. While he enjoyed the people, the experience, and the perks, there was one part of the whole superhero gig he found utterly pointless, the actual acting.

Why Anthony Hopkins says MCU acting is “pointless”

While many actors have donned superhero capes over the years, Anthony Hopkins took on the ultimate role, playing Odin, the powerful god and father of Thor, in the MCU. Fans loved his portrayal,...

The MCU has delivered countless iconic characters over the years, but the Thor franchise has underutilized some of its most compelling figures. While Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has grown into a standout figure, many of his supporting characters have been sidelined, mishandled, or written out entirely. This recurring issue has been frustrating, as some of the MCU timeline’s most beloved or intriguing characters have failed to live up to their potential. Whether it’s due to limited screen time, poor writing, or an imbalance in the storytelling, these characters deserved better treatment.

Thor’s solo films have been a mixed bag, ranging from the Shakespearean drama of Thor (2011) to the comedic irreverence of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the polarizing spectacle of Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). While these tonal shifts have kept the series fresh, they’ve also contributed to an uneven handling of its supporting characters. Thor’s world is filled with rich lore,...

Chris Hemsworth is taking Netflix by storm, and not just because of his Netflix original movies. The actor rose to prominence in his home country when he starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away from 2004 to 2007. However, Hemsworth gained worldwide recognition when he joined the cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor in 2011. He played the titular character, of course, and would go on to appear as Thor in ten more movies in the MCU, four of them his own.

Chris Hemsworth's next projects include Stuntnuts: The Movie (the third film in the Kick-Ass series), Crime 101 (a crime movie also starring Mark Ruffalo and Halle Berry), and Extraction 3.

Although he has continued to play the God of Thunder in the MCU many years after Thor (with a rumored fifth movie in the works), Hemsworth has experienced success outside of Marvel. He has starred in several action films,...

Guillermo del Toro has a very interesting and respectable filmography, but there are a slew of films that the director never got to make. Be it Pacific Rim or Hellboy, del Toro has been able to deliver a very nuanced take on war, and violence, but there was one film that he never got to make, that could have possibly been pretty violent.

Blade II || Credit: New Line

While del Toro directed Blade II, the director abandoned a very interesting project that might have been a box office hit. The director is known for his interest in the supernatural, fantasy, and even science fiction, which takes inspiration from anime and other modern media. Guillermo del Toro could have directed a very interesting film, based on a famous novel, had not decided to deal with Marvel instead.

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Left Hand of Darkness‘ sounded like a great film Credits:...

An insider at The Hollywood Reporter, who I am suuuuure can be trusted 100%, recently informed the world that actor Zachary Levi was disappointed and “bitter” that he didn’t rise to Chris Evans or The Rock level of stardom after Shazam. Nobody can be sure if these were his true feelings, but to many, the science has been settled, and this is how he feels. So the dude became a Robert F Kennedy Jr. fan, which resulted in a Trump endorsement and running away from… or rather, escaping, LA. He now spends his time on a ranch in Texas, where, apparently, he is going to focus on making faith-based films. So, did they cancel Zachary Levi, or did they set him free?

As an actor, his silliness is always believable, especially when he pretty much plays himself, a lovable man-child who can do action scenes, like in the hilarious show Chuck.

Tom Hiddleston's comments on Loki's motivations throughout his MCU arc raises questions about the God of Mischief's villainous nature. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is one of the first MCU villains and one of the characters with the most screentime. Across five MCU movie appearances and two seasons of his own Disney+ series, Loki's MCU journey went through many drastic changes. Loki was Thor and The Avengers' main antagonist, then Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok's secondary hero, Avengers: Infinity War's first major casualty, and finally Loki season 1 and season 2's heroic protagonist.

Both in the comics and in Norse mythology, Loki is a deity with no defined allegiances. Loki can torment Thor and the rest of his fellow gods (the Aesir) one day and help them stop a threat the next. The Norse Loki kicks off the events that lead to Ragnarok, but he's also the...

Anthony Hopkins Odin’s Role ( Photo Credit – Facebook )

Anthony Hopkins didn’t exactly have a godly time playing Odin in the Thor films. In fact, he flat-out called it “pointless.” The man who brought Hannibal Lecter to life and won Oscars for The Silence of the Lambs and The Father wasn’t exactly impressed by his Asgardian gig.

Hopkins graced the screen in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. “They put me in armor; they shoved a beard on me. Sit on the throne, shout a bit,” he alluded, as if recounting a bad dream. And the cherry on top? “If you’re sitting in front of a green screen, it’s pointless acting it.” Whoa, burn. This is an actor known for sinking into his roles, and the green screen world of Marvel wasn’t exactly a fit.

But here’s the thing: while Hopkins was playing king,...

Chris Hemsworth's Thor is one of the most common recurring characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even with Robert Downey Jr donning the Doomsday cape and Chris Evans making a return to the Marvel fold in the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday," Hemsworth remains a top MCU staple with a formidable number of appearances already under his belt.

If you're itching for the complete Hemsworth Thor experience, here's /Film's ultimate walk-through of every major Thor appearance in the correct chronological order. Enjoy!

Read more: The 59 Best Space Movies Ever

Thor (2011): Thor's Origin

Thor's first eponymous film is the perfect origin story for a rough-and-tumble space jock who loves to paint outside the lines. Its storyline jumps into the action as Thor's father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) exiles him after he leads a rebellious and politically catastrophic attack on the Frost Giant home of Jotunheim.

Thor ends up temporarily trapped on Earth,...

A Thor 5 fan-made trailer takes the McU's God of Thunder back to his mythological roots in an epic battle between Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Brett Goldstein's Hercules. Following Gorr the God Butcher's redemption and Thor's adoption of Love, Thor: Love and Thunder's post-credits scene set up a battle between Thor and Hercules, with the latter preparing himself to exact revenge on the former for piercing Zeus with his own lightning bolt. Given that Thor is one of the few active Avengers still around, the possibility of a Thor: Love and Thunder sequel coming soon is quite high.

Concept trailer YouTube channel Darth Trailer imagines what Thor 5 will look like, using footage from Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor: The Dark World, The Marvels, and The Legend of Hercules. Titled Thor: Battle of the Gods, the fan-made sequel teaser suggests that Thor and Hercules' conflict will also involve...

Despite Thor: Love and Thunder being a divisive entry in the MCU, it continued to follow one box-office trend for the Thor franchise that could make Thor 5 all the more likely to happen. Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder was the highly anticipated new entry in the Thor series following Thor: Ragnarok and coming hot off the heels of Avengers: Endgame. Thor: Love and Thunder failed to live up to those expectations, calling into question if a fifth Thor movie would ever be made.

Thor: Love and Thunder is almost universally seen as a step-down from Thor: Ragnarok in every way, including Chris Hemsworth, who isn't too positive about his performance as the character. There is still a chance that Hemsworth could redeem himself with a fifth Thor film, and the character's box-office history might just make it possible.

Thor: Love & Thunder Continued Thor's Positive Box Office...

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for What If...? Season 3, episode 4Several long-forgotten MCU villains return in What If...? season 3 episode 4, including one of the least popular antagonists in the whole franchise. Throughout the years, the MCU has introduced many villains that haven't stuck the landing. For instance, Phase 2's Ronan, Yellowjacket, and the now-returning Ultron failed to make an impact with audiences despite their huge potential, and the Multiverse Saga has given simple one-off appearances to villains as famous and powerful as Gorr the God Butcher, Kang the Conqueror, and the Deviants.

One of the ways the MCU has made it impossible for villains to leave a mark is by killing them off almost as soon as they're introduced. All of the aforementioned antagonists died in their first or second MCU appearances. Even well-received villains like Ego, Arnim Zola, Crossbones, and Ulysses Klaue were barred from reaching their full potential by their premature deaths.

Howard the Duck has, so far, shown up only via cameos in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and Avengers: Endgame. Darcy Lewis has appeared in three out of the four Thor movies as Jane Foster’s assistant and friend. She had a pretty meaty role in WandaVision, where she acted as the audience surrogate, looking at the events at WestView as an employee of S.W.O.R.D. Now, the alternate versions of these characters have actually shown up in the seventh episode of the first season of What If, thereby making today’s episode a continuation of that story. Long story short, in this parallel universe, Thor grew up as an only son because Odin delivered Loki to Laufey, which had an adverse effect on Odinson’s emotional maturity. Hence, when his parents weren’t looking, Thor landed in Las Vegas to party, which attracted people from all over the cosmos.

Six Major MCU Characters Recast: Reasons & Changes Explained (Photo Credit – Facebook)

The MCU is one of the biggest media franchises in the world. While all its movies and shows tell different stories, everything is connected in one franchise. Therefore, the MCU tries its best to retain the cast for their respective roles in whatever movie they work in. However, sometimes, the franchise is forced to recast some of its characters for multiple reasons.

Recasting a beloved character is no easy task; it requires balancing fan expectations while maintaining the continuity of the MCU’s expansive universe. Despite the risks, the MCU has handled these changes with impressive finesse, ensuring the story remains coherent and compelling. Over the years, Marvel has recast six characters in the franchise.

From James Rhodes to President Ross – A List of MCU Recasts

Recasting in the MCU began as early as the franchise’s first installment,...

New art brings together Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom and Chris Evans' evil Captain America ahead of their returns to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. Throughout the Infinity Saga, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were the faces of the MCU, but while Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have been confirmed to be returning, it seems they won't be reprising their roles of Iron Man and Captain America. Downey Jr.'s new villain role of Doctor Doom has spurred theories that other MCU veterans will also portray dark versions of their former heroes.

The most popular casting theory suggests that Chris Evans may be returning to the MCU to portray a version of Steve Rogers who became indoctrinated by Hydra at a young age. This twisted version of Captain America has now been depicted alongside Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in new art shared by arifinity_, and the...

I'm nervous that Chris Evans' return to the MCU in Phase 6's upcoming Avengers: Doomsday will change how I look at Steve Rogers. After a five-year hiatus from the MCU, I was thrilled to see Chris Evans pop up in Deadpool & Wolverine as Johnny Storm's Human Torch, but I expected this to truly be the end of Evans' Marvel Studios career. I was shocked to hear that Chris Evans has now been cast in Avengers: Doomsday, reuniting with the Russo brothers, Robert Downey Jr. and Hayley Atwell, but I'm now worried about Steve Rogers' legacy.

We first saw Chris Evans appear in the MCU as Steve Rogers in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Chosen to become Captain America before being frozen until the present day, Rogers became a founding member of the Avengers and one of the McU's most central and powerful superheroes. I thought that Steve Rogers'...

HBO is really committed to this whole "spending 10 years and the gross domestic product of a small country rebooting an improbably good film series for an audience that is more hostile to it than ever" thing, huh?

It would be beating a dead Thestral to go over the laundry list of reasons why a "Harry Potter" TV series is a strange idea at best, though any one of them -- most notably author J.K. Rowling's disturbing anti-trans social media rants -- could potentially make joining the series a real headache for any actor involved. But many can't help but wait with baited breath and perhaps, admittedly, some morbid curiosity to see who will be brave enough to tackle these iconic roles.

One of the most intriguing characters up for grabs is obviously the series' central antagonist -- the evil Lord Voldemort, whose inhuman, snake-like appearance and resurrection through dark...

I would really love to see Scarlett Johansson rejoin the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, especially now that Chris Evans has also joined the huge cast for 2026's highly-anticipated Russo brothers crossover. Johansson's Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, was one of the McU's longest-running, and one of my favorite, superheroes prior to her death in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. While 2021's retrospective Black Widow gave her one last ride in the MCU, I felt as though the movie failed to do Natasha Romanoff justice.

I've always considered Black Widow to be one of the most insulted and wasted heroes in the MCU, and I always wanted Scarlett Johansson to get more attention. Natasha Romanoff's death and the failures of Black Widow left me wanting a lot more, and, thankfully, I think there's now a clear way that Marvel Studios can finally give Johansson the focus she deserves. Marvel confirmed the...

The superhero movies of the MCU, the Dcu, and other franchises often feature post-credits scenes, but some of them are truly awful. Long before the movies of the MCU made the genre the most successful in modern cinema, superhero movies adapted the characters and stories of popular comic books to the big screen. With many iconic heroes appearing in live-action movies, the superhero genre has always been one of the most larger-than-life in Hollywood.

One of the staples of the genre is the inclusion of a post-credits stinger to tease future sequels or narratives. The post-credits scenes of the MCU popularized may have popularized the phenomenon, but they did exist in the years before the franchise. Unfortunately, not all of them are of the highest quality, with many teasing events that never came to pass or even struggling to make sense altogether. With that in mind, here are the 10 worst...

Composer Tyler Bates has been sued for allegedly pilfering a singer and former collaborator’s voice on productions he scored.

Azam Ali, in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges Bates created a “digital replica” of her voice, which was used on new projects, including Cartoon Network’s animated series Primal, without consent or compensation to the singer.

Ali’s voice has appeared on scores for major studios films, including Thor: The Dark World, The Matrix: Revolutions and Fight Club. She met Bates in 2001, when he was looking for a vocalist to assist him on scoring the soundtrack to Night at the Golden Eagle. The pair went on to collaborate on Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Doomsday.

Last year, Ali claims she was contacted by a fan congratulating her for appearing on a soundtrack to an unnamed production scored by Bates. When she reached out to the composer,...

Anti-heroes are frequently some of the most interesting characters in movies, asking audiences to question their own stringent views on morality. There are many conflicting definitions of an anti-hero which date back long before the medium of film was even invented. Generally, an anti-hero is someone who fights on the side of good despite lacking virtues typically associated with heroes. There is often a tension between their motivations and their actions. It's important to distinguish between anti-heroes and villain protagonists, who are completely immoral even though they are the main characters of the story.

Anti-heroes fall outside the traditional boundaries of good and evil, which is part of what makes them so fascinating. Their unique moral codes tend to make them unpredictable characters, and they can throw off the dynamic of a group if they are acting alongside pure heroes. The New Hollywood movement led to a boom in movie anti-heroes in the 1970s,...

After appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine, Chris Evans is dipping back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe once again for Avengers: Doomsday, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Evans’ longtime collaborators the Russo brothers — who directed Evans in four films — are directing, with Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom. The film has a release date of May 1, 2026.

The actor played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine, reprising his role from a pair of Fantastic Four movies made by Fox in the 2000s. But he was best known for playing Steve Rogers/Captain America in the MCU, where he was a cornerstone of the universe.

It is unclear in what capacity Evans would return or what role he would play — Storm or Rogers? — as the new Marvel feature project once again deals with multiple timelines and universes and is expected to reunite many actors from the previous films as well as current ones (i.

After Thor: Love and Thunder's mixed reception, Chris Hemsworth's Thor could have a well-deserved change of direction in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, not necessarily in Thor 5. Throughout fourteen years' worth of movie appearances, Thor Odinson's MCU journey has gone through multiple highs and lows. While the Infinity Saga concluded on a high note for Thor thanks to his successful efforts to overcome loss in Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder set him back by sending him on a carefree quest to defeat Gorr the God Butcher, who failed to be a threatening villain on every front.

Thor's abrupt character regression in Thor: Love and Thunder calls for a drastic change in tone for his next MCU appearance. Expectations are high for Thor 5, to the point that Chris Hemsworth himself wants Thor 5 to take a bold direction. Little is known about Thor 5's plot and cast, but...

"Welcome to the MCU. You're joining at a bit of a low point," says the Merc with the Mouth aka Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in "Deadpool & Wolverine." He's not wrong. Most would agree the Marvel Cinematic Universe suffered a drop-off in quality in the aftermath of "Avengers: Endgame," with some of the franchise's Disney+ series, in particular, being met with immense criticism. Admittedly, some of that stemmed from a toxic fandom that just couldn't abide by, say, the visual of Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) twerking with Megan Thee Stallion in "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law." However, the lowest rated MCU Disney+ show on Rotten Tomatoes is one that just about everyone agrees would be better forgotten.

Yep, despite having the star power of Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, and British national treasure, Olivia Colman, "Secret Invasion" wound up becoming the worst-reviewed MCU series released thus far. (And before...

Did Loki disguise as Bruce Banner? (Photo Credit – Facebook/YouTube)

Loki’s the master of disguise. Remember when he impersonated Captain America in Thor: The Dark World? Fans weren’t buying it after his “death” at Thanos’ hands. Could Loki have slipped into Bruce Banner’s shoes? It might explain a ton of weird vibes in Infinity War.

Let’s break it down. Bruce didn’t feel like himself—acting all off, desperate, and distant. And that weird reunion with Black Widow? They sidestepped their past. Bruce had spent two years as the Hulk, so why the cold vibe? Was Loki just playing the long game and keeping up the act?

And speaking of the Hulk, let’s talk about Bruce’s “performance issues.” The Hulk refuses to come out, even during the epic Battle of Wakanda. Fans chalked it up to the Hulk being afraid after Thanos beat him,...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been celebrated for its expansive storytelling and iconic characters, but some were completely underutilized. Throughout the MCU timeline, it has brought larger-than-life heroes, nuanced villains, and memorable supporting players to the screen. However, not every character gets their due. Some side characters were introduced with enormous potential, only to be sidelined or underutilized in the grander narrative. These individuals could have brought greater depth and intrigue to the MCU if they had been given more substantial story arcs.

Side characters often serve as world-building tools, mentors, comedic relief, or even stepping stones for the main heroes. When utilized well, they become integral to the storytelling, often shining just as brightly as the leads. However, with the sprawling and interconnected nature of the MCU movies, some characters have fallen by the wayside. Whether due to limited screen time, underdeveloped storylines, or lack of follow-through, these characters...

Marvel Studios' Thor: The Dark World is generally regarded as one of the low (lowest?) points of the MCU, but a lot of fans were still concerned that Taika Waititi would "ruin" the character when he was enlisted to helm Thor: Ragnarök.

Ironically, the threequel is now widely viewed as the best Thor movie, but Waititi remembers the online backlash when he was announced as the movie's director.

"That really propelled me into the nerdosphere, if you will," the filmmaker recalled during a new video interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I was living a really lovely, peaceful life, and as soon as I did this, well boy, did the nerds come for me. They said, 'This guy's gonna ruin this. He's gonna ruin Thor!'"

"It's like, 'What, you mean again?'" he added. "And they were like, 'He's gonna ruin this for everyone, Thor's so cool!' And I said...

As it turns out, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans actually have Garth Ennis's The Boys to thank for introducing a story beat before the MCU transformed it into a celebrated cliché. While Ennis's comic is best known for subverting and satirizing existing superhero tropes, in the case of characters getting their arms cut off, The Boys was ahead of the curve.

In The Boys #63 – written by Garth Ennis, with art by Russel Braun – the character Frenchie's arm is severed during a fight. Originally published in 2012, the issue preceded Iron Man 3, which began the trend of MCU characters losing their arms.

Interestingly, The Boys' version was inexplicably similar to the style that would later become a hallmark of the MCU’s use of the trope. That is, the lost arm sequence came as an unexpected twist during an especially intense fight scene.

The Boys Parodied A Major MCU Trend...

Taika Waititi‘s resume before Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t suggest he would ever be put on the path to helm a multi-million dollar franchise as part of a multi-billion dollar universe in Hollywood. The New Zealand director was famous for his quirky comedies like HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. He brought a lot of his signature dry humor to Ragnarok with great acclaim, then a whiplash in reception would seem to happen when the consensus was that he brought too much of it for the follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder.

Entertainment Weekly recently sat down with Waititi for a retrospective of his career and he would reflect on the initial reaction that he was going to ruin the Thor franchise. Waititi remembered, “That really propelled me into the nerdosphere, if you will. I was living a really lovely,...

Was Tom Hiddleston almost cast as Will Turner? (Photo Credit – Facebook)

A hangover and zero prep sent Tom Hiddleston’s Pirates of the Caribbean audition straight to Davy Jones’ locker. Hiddleston shared how he tanked his shot at the 2003 classic The Curse of the Black Pearl in the Shakespearean doc Muse of Fire. The night before his big audition? He was out celebrating a friend’s college win—hard. The next morning? Hangover Central, and, oh yeah, I have no clue what the script was about. When the casting director asked why, Hiddleston admitted he got the script the night before. The response? A frosty, “[The casting director] was like, ‘Uh-huh. Well, thanks for coming in.”

The role of Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann’s swoon-worthy blacksmith-turned-pirate, went to Orlando Bloom, fresh off The Lord of the Rings. Bloom crushed it, but Hiddleston took the loss like a pro. “Orlando Bloom is Orlando Bloom.

Chris Hemsworth On Thor: The Dark World ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Chris Hemsworth didn’t hold back when talking about Thor: The Dark World—he called it “meh.” And honestly? Same. Sure, it made a solid $644 million at the box office, but it wasn’t exactly changing the MCU game. In a GQ interview, Hemsworth said his experience with the flick was less thunderous and more like a thunderstorm with a side of yawn.

“The first one is good; the second one is meh,” Hemsworth said, keeping it real as always. The issue? Thor’s classic masculine hero vibe started to feel like an old playlist stuck on repeat. Translation: the guy was in a superhero slump. And honestly, the movie didn’t do much to shake it up, either. Thor: The Dark World had all the right ingredients but somehow ended up being that reheated superhero casserole—predictable, safe, and...

Chris Hemsworth Reveals He Was Bored Of Thor Before Ragnarok ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Hold up—Chris Hemsworth was bored of Thor? Hemsworth, who’s been rocking Thor’s cape since 2011, hit a significant funk after Thor: The Dark World (2013). Talk about a shocker for any MCU fan who thought Thor was just… Thor forever.

Here’s the deal: Thor: The Dark World didn’t exactly leave fans screaming “Best. Movie. Ever.” It got lost in the MCU mix—and Hemsworth knew it. “I wasn’t stoked with what I’d done in Thor 2,” Hemsworth admitted. “I didn’t think I grew the character in any way.” Yeah, the second solo flick didn’t break any ground. Even Hemsworth felt like the God of Thunder was stuck on repeat. Ouch.

But just when it seemed like Thor’s arc might’ve hit a roadblock came Taika Waititi to shake things up.

Deadpool & Wolverine exceeded what were already very high expectations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I can only see three of Marvel's upcoming movies being able to break the $1 billion mark as the 2024 film did. I always expected Deadpool & Wolverine to be a huge release. It brought back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and finally had him and Ryan Reynolds share the screen as faithful versions of their characters. Deadpool & Wolverine's cameos also kept interest in the movie high, and it was the first R-rated and mutant-focused MCU film.

All of those elements paid off, as Deadpool & Wolverine went on to break several major records both before its release, with multiple trailer records broken, and after, as the film became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Deadpool & Wolverine was the only MCU movie of 2024, standing as a major source of excitement for Marvel fans in...