Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe often debate whether the ABC show ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ is canon to the MCU. The series features iconic actress Ming-Na Wen as super-spy Melinda May, who works with Agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg reprising his role from several Phase One films including ‘Marvel’s The Avengers.’
Ming-Na Wen discussed her desire to see Agent May return, but through the films, particularly ‘Doctor Strange: Into The Multiverse of Madness.’
“Oh gosh, I mean, any of them. I’m such huge fans of all the characters. I mean, I love Doctor Strange because I’m… I don’t want to say what they call his fans, but I am definitely a Benedict Cumberbatch fan,” she told the RadioTimes. “And I used to always joke about Chris Hemsworth and Thor, but I’m gonna stop doing that because my husband doesn’t like it too much, even though he knows I’m just joking. [laughs] But any of them, any of them, you know? Especially with Black Widow, I think that would be really cool to have, like, an all-female thing happen.”
“Fingers crossed. Who knows,” she said according to Digital Spy.
‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ ran on ABC from September 2013 to August 12, 2020 for seven seasons and one-hundred thirty-six episodes. The first five seasons tied to events related to the MCU films while the final two seasons took a different turn and often referenced a “multiverse” theory.
The Den of Geek reports that Marvel Studios considers ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and fellow spin-off series ‘Agent Carter’ as a “backburner” to the whole of the MCU.
‘The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’ co-writer Tara Bennett said, “Our books have no binary proclamation of any kind about the shows, which I stated as well. In 250k words of contextual narrative, they do explain who creatively conceived of [Agent Carter] and ran it and then how it then folded into the MCU. The books only feature projects creatively produced by Marvel Studios.”
Since the “multiverse” was mentioned in ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ prior to the Doctor Strange sequel or even ‘Loki,’ which also deals with the ideas of multiple universes and variants, there is a window open for favorite characters like Melinda May to return.
Ming-Na Wen Wants ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Spy Melinda May To Return For Doctor Strange Sequel
Simu Liu Dishes On ‘Shang-Chi’ Sequel
Simu Liu is excited about the recently announced sequel for the Marvel Studios ‘Shang-Chi And The Legend of the Ten Rings.’ The movie did better than expected with it becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2021.
Liu recently sat down with Complex where he shared his thoughts on a sequel and where the franchise can go in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I feel pretty good. Like, OK, I wasn’t necessarily surprised,” he explained. “But what I really loved was hearing about Destin [Daniel Cretton] coming back. Again, not a surprise, but we absolutely love to see it. He’s such a critical part of the success of that movie. And I want to say, I often get a disproportionate amount of credit for the movie doing as well as we did, but it really, really is Destin. You know, it’s the filmmaker and storyteller.”
Liu continued, “It’s very much his medium. And so, him coming back means that we get to do it all over again, which is fantastic. And then, seeing all the other stuff that he’s locked in with Disney and Marvel makes me incredibly happy as well. I think he deserves all the things in the world, and all the success. He’s a truly special filmmaker.”
“I think just what Shaun decides to do with all this newfound power, you know? It kind of consumed his father, consumed Wenwu. I’m curious as to how someone much younger, much more inexperienced, would fare against the rings,” he said. “Just this idea of all of a sudden being gifted something that’s so powerful but also so dangerous. And then the other big question I have is, you know, in what way does Shaun fit in with the rest of the MCU? Who are you going to see? What kind of crazy team-ups? What kinda tie-ins, Easter eggs? I’m just as much in the dark and everyone else, so I don’t know anything, but I’m excited to dive into that process.”
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is part of “Phase Four” of the MCU and also stars Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. Cretton will not only return to direct a sequel but will also co-write it.
‘LBX Girls’ Anime Is Getting An English Dub
Brought to us from the Japanese animation production company Studio A-Cat, ‘LBX Girls’ is a spin-off of the anime ‘Little Battlers Experience,’ itself an adaption of the video game Danball Senki from Level-5.
‘LBX Girls’ is directed by Keitaro Motonaga and written by Yasuyuki Muto with a run of twelve episodes, so far. Funimation recently announced that they had acquired the license to produce an English dub.
“It’s time to gear up and dive right into the LBX Girls English dub,” they announced on their website.
“Bravely standing up to the hordes of Mimesis is Megan Taylor Harvey (Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater) as Riko, Laura Stahl (The Promised Neverland) as Yui, Kayli Mills (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-) as Suzuno, alongside Kira Buckland (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure STONE OCEAN) as Kyoka and Heather Gonzalez (Kemono Jihen) as Miharu,” they continued. “They’re joined by Rachel Slotky (Kemono Jihen) as Mana, Zeno Robinson (The Case Study of Vanitas) as Nate and Doug Stone (Kill la Kill) as Chief.”
You can watch the trailer for the series below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows:
“Riko Morisawa, a young girl from Tokorozawa, goes on a trip to Tokyo with her friend Mana. While they roam around the shops of Ikebukuro, Riko spots a billboard about an event related to the Little Battlers eXperience (LBX) line of toys. Mana urges Riko to purchase one, and although initially declining, Riko soon avails a few LBX kits for her father.
Upon opening one of the boxes labeled “LBX Assassin,” a temporal rift manifests itself and transports Riko into the sky of an alternate Japan. While she falls at terminal velocity, an exosuit based on the LBX Assassin materializes around her, saving her from the descent. However, on the ground, she encounters the Mimesis, lethal metallic creatures that invade world after world. As she flees away from these monsters, Riko is rescued by four other LBX-equipped girls. After learning about Riko’s predicament, the group decides to recruit her into their combat unit.”
Madeleine Heil and Laura Stahl serve as the voice directors.
DC Comics Drops “First Look” For New Catwoman Creative Team
DC Comics is bringing on a new creative for their ‘Catwoman’ title including writer Tini Howard and artist Nico Leon starting with issue 39. They will take the story in a different direction with Selina Kyle no longer living in Gotham City and battling a new villain.
“Selina Kyle’s been on quite a ride since nearly marrying Bruce Wayne, spending time in sunny Villa Hermosa before setting a stake in Alleytown, the blue-collar borough that seemed to draw far too much attention from all the wrong people. However, Selina’s always been a Gotham girl at heart, and with next week’s Catwoman #39, she’s returning to the iconic city…and to its even more infamous underworld,” DC Universe said.
“The debut chapter written and drawn by Catwoman’s stylish new creative team of Tini Howard (writing her very first DC ongoing series) and Nico Leon, issue #39 shakes up Selina’s status quo, returning her to the world of glamour and crime in which she thrives. Declaring war on Gotham’s powerful mob bosses, Selina seeks out help from an old—and potentially dangerous—flame, while finding herself entwined with a charismatic masked man named Valmont, who claims to represent a collective of thieves. Of course, after leaving her Strays in Alleytown, Selina would prefer to fly solo, but is it possible the key to winning her war against the crime families may be found within Valmont’s intriguing offer,” they continued.
They also released a “first look” of the cover:
Catwoman #39 cover from DC Comics pic.twitter.com/tVPcmVPkKV
— Jukt Micronics (@JuktMicronicsX) January 17, 2022
Catwoman was set to marry the Dark Knight during Tom King’s run on ‘Batman,’ but she left him at the altar during issue 50. The two continue their love affair in the Black Label series ‘Batman/Catwoman,’ which is also written by Tom King. In the mainstream comics, she would go on to save him from death during the “City of Bane” arc and would help him in the “Joker War” storyline by James Tynion IV.
James Gunn Gives Update On ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
Hot off the release of ‘The Suicide Squad’ and its miniseries spin-off ‘Peacemaker,’ director James Gunn is gearing up to jump back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.’ Gunn gave an update on the film during an interview with Collider.
“It’s going great,” he explained. “Chukwudi [Iwuji], who plays Murn in Peacemaker, is one of the main characters in the movie and people are freaking out over how good this guy is. Literally freaking out. I think that I’m really happy. I gave a bunch of scenes to Marvel right before Christmas break. Kevin went… They were all really, really, really stoked. But also, it’s not going to be the movie people… It’s different than what people are going to expect. It’s a hard road, but I’m really happy with it so far.”
The sequel sees the return of Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis.
When asked about the “holiday special,” Gunn acknowledged that pandemic issues slowed the progress.
“It’s still upcoming in the shoot,” he said. “We were supposed to shoot one day in LA, and there’s too much Omicron around, so we couldn’t do it. We’re going to have to fit it in. I haven’t started yet. I’m excited to. It’s fun. The holiday special is… I’m almost jealous of it, even though I wrote it because people freak out so much on how much they love the script for the holiday special that I’m almost like, “Well, wait. I’ve got this movie here I’ve been working on for two years. You love the holiday special that I literally wrote in a very short amount of time.” But, it is really funny and really good.”
Marvel Studios plans to release the movie on May 5, 2023. Gunn serves as director and writer for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’
Marvel Comics Announces New Comic Book Releases For January
Moon Knight, Silver Surfer, Avengers, and the X-Men are getting some new releases for Marvel Comics in January. The Masters of Evil will be making a return to battle the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with Ben Reilly taking over the webs as Spider-Man once again. She-Hulk will no longer be savage and will return to her life as usual.
“Lights, please! The one and only She-Hulk is ready for her spotlight as she makes her grand return this week. Find out who else she’s bringing to the party as new comics get ready to drop,” Marvel Universe explains. ” Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk’s got a career to rebuild, friends to reconnect with (and maybe represent in a court of law) and enemies to…well, she may not want to connect with them, but they are DEFINITELY going to connect with her.”
The announcements for regular releases include:
- AVENGERS (2018) #52
- BEN REILLY: SPIDER-MAN (2022) #1
- DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE: X-MEN/BLACK KNIGHT (2021) #1
- DEFENDERS (2021) #5
- DEVIL’S REIGN: X-MEN (2022) #1
- DEVIL’S REIGN: VILLAINS FOR HIRE (2022) #1
- ETERNALS (2021) #9
- HULK (2021) #3
- MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN (2018) #34
- MOON KNIGHT (2021) #7
- PHOENIX SONG: ECHO (2021) #4
- SHE-HULK (2022) #1
- SILK (2022) #1
- SILVER SURFER REBIRTH (2022) #1
- STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA (2020) #18
- STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC (2021) #13
- STRANGE ACADEMY (2020) #15
- THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) #86
- VENOM (2021) #4
- X LIVES OF WOLVERINE (2022) #1
Graphic Novel collections include:
- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND VOL. 1 TPB (2022) #1
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER – THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB [NEW PRINTING] (2020) #1
- HAWKEYE EPIC COLLECTION: THE AVENGING ARCHER TPB (2022) #1
- MILES MORALES VOL. 6: ALL EYES ON ME TPB (2021) #6
- REIGN OF X VOL. 8 TPB (2022) #8
- SPIDER-WOMAN VOL. 3: BACK TO BASICS TPB (2021) #3
Marvel Universe digital releases featured are:
- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #76
- AVENGERS #49
- BLACK PANTHER LEGENDS #1
- ETERNALS FOREVER #1
- GAMMA FLIGHT #5
- IMMORTAL HULK #50
- IRON MAN #13
- KANG THE CONQUEROR #3
- KA-ZAR LORD OF THE SAVAGE LAND #2
- MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #31
- SHANG-CHI #5
- STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #15
- STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – TRAIL OF SHADOWS #1
- STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS #5
- SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN: CROSSROADS #4
- THE DARKHOLD: IRON MAN #1
- WARHAMMER 40,000: SISTERS OF BATTLE #3
- X-FORCE #24
- X-MEN #4
These comics will be released on January 19th both digitally and physically.
This Metal Slug Statue Is Ready To Liberate Some POWs!
General Donald Morden is dead set on sending hundreds and hundreds of soldiers to their doom as you pilot the Metal Slug. So now you can capture the iconic gameplay moments of the classic NeoGeo title in statue form.
Big Bad Toy Store currently has this statue from Beast Kingdom up for pre-order. The stubby tank and base stand at roughly 16cm tall. Unlike a lot of other collectibles we cover here, this one won’t break the bank. The Slug is priced at $39.99 and will be out during the fourth quarter of 2022.
Who’s driving the Metal Slug? Marco? Tarma? Fio? Eri? It’s up to you. This statue can handle any of your weird video game fantasies. Personally, I like to think that one of the various bearded POWs you save throughout the series finally took charge and is throwing shells at the enemy.
Recreated in 360-degree glory, the SV-001/II Metal Slug is seen in the midst of climbing a seriously unsteady looking wooden bridge and firing its famous canon! The diorama showcases detailed touches such as canon smoke, battle damage and streaking missiles! The D-Stage SV-001/II Metal Slug is one of SNK’s signature battle tanks, a cute but deadly machine that deserves its spot on a desk near you.
Metal Slug has been an ongoing series from NeoGeo for decades. I remember seeing the original game on a multi-cart machine in a Walmart. It was such a unique run-and-gun game, and that’s not an easy task considering arcades were usually filled with these types of games from Capcom, Konami, and Midway. However, the art style and humor set the game apart from the plethora of “run right and shoot everything” games.
Since the first title launched in 1996, several sequels and variations have appeared in arcades and consoles. But, for whatever reason, it took decades before we started getting action figures, too.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Garbage Pail Kids Crawl Out Of The Can To Reclaim Former Glory
The Garbage Pail Kids are back again. The gross tikes are now ready to make the scene with new figures and vehicles. Messie Tessie, Evil Eddie, Blasted Billy, and other staples of the Topps property want a crack at your wallet.
Figures.com brought us this story. The standout in this brand refresh is the Garbage Pail Krashers figures. Similar to Rat Fink, the Kids are now driving exaggerated cars, and hot rods themed to their particular gimmick. Nasty Nick has a coffin with wheels. New Wave Dave has a spray can car. You get the idea.
Walmart has several GPK figures available, above and beyond what we’re showing here. Some of these are going well above the latest figures’ $16.96 price tag. Some of these kids can also be picked up at Entertainment Earth too.
Much like MadBalls, some things were only good for one particular time period, and that’s it. There are brands out there that have a shelflife, and no matter how many times these companies try, they can’t make it fresh again.
What do you think of another GPK resurgence? Given the things we’ve all seen and lived through since 9/11, can the gross kids ever make an impact again? What would really shock today’s consumer base?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: Figures.com]
[Source: Entertainment Earth]
[Source: Walmart.com]
Exo-6’s Q Figure Is Ready To Pass Judgement On The Enterprise Crew
There are some frontiers humans should not explore. The Q know this, and it is up to the collective to judge the crew of the Enterprise D. Upon his floating throne, clad in peculiar court attire, Q can be Captain Picard’s savior or jailor.
Exo-6‘s latest high-end Star Trek figure is priced at $205.
In “Encounter at Farpoint,” which introduced the entire TNG crew, Q styled himself as a 21st Century Earth judge during a time in history where anarchy and chaos ruled. He challenged Picard to prove humanity had moved beyond their barbaric past and were not a threat to the entire galaxy.
This 1:6-scale figure re-creates this iconic character in exquisite 1:6 detail. Standing approximately 12 inches tall, every element, from his judge’s robes to his chain of office are authentically reproduced. The original portrait sculpt of John de Lancie as Q has an authentic, hand-painted likeness.
Q, not known for his humble nature, of course, comes with all sorts of lovely features and accessories:
- Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 32 cm tall.
- Realistic Portrait: Q’s portrait is lovingly rendered by top artists, with an excellent likeness of John de Lancie. Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted.
- Judge’s robes: Meticulously researched, this costume represents Q as a judge from 2079, a dark time in Earth’s history.
- Chain of office: The bejeweled gold necklace Q wears as a symbol of his judge status.
- Boots: Soft plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original series footwear.
- Hands: A total of six interchangeable gloved hands are included.
- Display Base: A hexagonal display base featuring the grid Q uses to hold the Enterprise in place.
- Autograph card: An informational LCARS card that can used to get an autograph from the performer and displayed with your figure.
I’m apprehensive about what John de Lancie’s Q will end up being like in the second series of Picard. NuTrek hasn’t been all that faithful to the established characters, timelines, or anything really. At least companies like Exo-6 are keeping the classic things everyone loves about Star Trek alive.
What do you think of this Q figure? Would you prefer Q in a Star Fleet uniform? Or how about Marachi Q? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: Exo-6]
It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s Revoltech’s New 52 Superman!
The iconic superhero with the iconic theme song has a new figure in Kaiyodo’s Revoltech line of figures. As he appears in the New 52 relaunch of the DC Comics universe, Superman is ready to fight crime and strike dramatic poses.
We spotted this latest addition to Superman’s long list of action figures at the Big Bad Toy Store. Kal-El can be pre-ordered now for $109.99. The Yamaguchi Revoltech No.027 figure will be released in May 2022. This Superman figure measures 6.89″ tall and is made out of ABS and PVC.
Revoltech figures typically have very tight joints, somewhat like ratchet joints. They’ll hold posts without an issue. I’ve had the Optimus Prime figure, and he could achieve the most iconic poses seen in cartoons, movies, and comic books. Check out the photos below to see how flexible the last Kryptonian is.
Based on his appearance in DC Comics’ New 52 series, Superman joins the Amazing Revoltech Yamaguchi line of figures! Measuring almost 7 inches tall, Superman comes with 4 alternate facial expressions, various interchangeable hands, and his iconic cape that can be posed dynamically on its included figure stand.
Supes comes with the following:
- 4 Alternate head sculpts
- 8 Alternate hands
- Cape
- Figure stand
I’ve not read the comics. So, I’m unsure what the difference is between this Superman and the one we knew before Flashpoint. But, I’ll admit that I like some of what New 52’s Superman brings to the table, cosmetically at least.
The legendary superhero’s traditional red and blue costume will always be my favorite, but adding the panel lines and a little more depth to his emblem makes this version of Superman look a bit more intense.
What do you think of this Revoltech figure? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
