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It's been four years since Armor Wars was announced as a Disney+ TV. Yassir Lester was tapped as Head Writer in August 2021 but countless delays followed until, in September 2022, we learned it was being redeveloped as a movie.

Since then, the project has seemingly fallen by the wayside, despite Spider-Man: No Way Home and Secret Invasion laying at least some of the groundwork for the continuation of War Machine's story.

Talking to MovieWeb about his new movie The Gutter, Lester was asked for an update on where things stand with Armor Wars.

"One of the fun things about working for a mega-corporation like Marvel, which is owned by a bigger mega-corporation like Disney, is that you're never allowed to talk about anything, at any point, until it's out in the world," he joked. "So for fear of them killing my family while I'm on this Zoom...I'm kidding...everything's still in development.

Sony Pictures billed “Venom: The Last Dance” as the final chapter in Tom Hardy’s alien-symbiote-buddy-comedy franchise. But with its $51 million domestic opening weekend — 44% and 55% lower than the previous two installments — the movie also signifies the continued twilight of superhero cinema as the dominant force at the box office.

Superhero movies used to be an indispensable revenue driver for the film industry. In 2018 and 2019, the average global gross for superhero fare was more than $1 billion. This year, it’s half that, even with the record-breaking success of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In fact, the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman vehicle is the only comic book movie that could qualify as a hit since “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” debuted in June 2023. Since then, the genre has suffered an extraordinary box office drought. Film after film, from “The Flash” to “The Marvels” to “Madame Web,” opened to, at best, a shrug — and, at worst,...

Agatha All Along premiered shortly after The Acolyte, which failed spectacularly, largely due to its quality issues and a strong backlash against its Dei themes.

Many fans of the MCU feared that Agatha All Along would face a similar fate. The MCU has been struggling lately, and it seemed that the show had all the elements for another review-bombing campaign.

Think about it. The show centers on a lesser-known character that many people aren’t particularly invested in, and it features magic and witchcraft with an almost entirely female cast. The only male actor is a somewhat flamboyant gay character.

Despite this, the expected backlash didn’t materialize. There were a few attempts to review-bomb the show, mainly on IMDb, but it seemed that even the critics didn’t care enough about Agatha All Along to go through with it.

However, the viewership numbers told a different story.

Agatha All Along...

‘Agatha All Along’ premiered shortly after ‘The Acolyte.’ The Star Wars show bombed incredibly hard mostly due to factors related to the quality of the show, but it has also seen a significant backlash due to its Dei themes.

Many in the MCU fandom expected ‘Agatha All Along’ to follow the same path. MCU has been struggling for a while at this point and ‘Agatha All Along’ seemed like it has all the ingredients for the latest review-bombing campaign.

Think about it. The show focuses on a Z-list character that no one particularly cares about, it’s about magic and witchcraft with an almost exclusively female cast. The only male actor on the show is a somewhat flamboyant gay man.

The backlash however didn’t happen. There were some attempts to review-bomb the show, mostly on IMDb but it seemed like not even the haters cared about ‘Agatha All Along’ enough to bother review-bombing it.

Armor Wars was first announced as a Disney+ TV series in 2020. Yassir Lester was hired as Head Writer in August 2021 but countless delays followed until, in September 2022, we learned it was being redeveloped as a movie.

We've heard little to nothing about the project since, though Secret Invasion was meant to set the stage for the movie by suggesting Rhodey had been replaced by a shape-shifting Skrull. That likely happened after he was injured by Vision during Captain America: Civil War's airport battle.

It was a neat idea on the surface, but fans weren't happy about how that diminished his farewell to Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. The Skrull Rhodey also didn't exactly do enough during his time as War Machine to make the switch as impactful as required.

When Don Cheadle was recently asked where things stand with Armor Wars, he replied, "You can find out and let me know.

Marvel’s Armor Wars writer Yassir Lester recently shared insights into how the project evolved after transitioning from a series to a film. During a discussion about The Gutter, the new movie he directed with his brother Isaiah Lester, Yassir reflected on his time as head writer for Armor Wars and his mixed feelings about the shift to a feature film.

Yassir explained that moving Armor Wars to a movie hasn’t created significant creative challenges, remarking, “As long as they haven’t started filming, it’s like, who cares?” Still, he admitted, “The story I wrote was a really fun series.”

When asked if they’d consider directing Armor Wars, Isaiah was enthusiastic, saying, “Absolutely. I’d do it.”

But Yassir noted one condition: the pay has to be right. “A lot of people say ‘yes’ or ‘no idea’ about directing a Marvel film. We’re like, what were the Russo brothers paid?...

Marvel’s Armor Wars writer discusses how the project changed when it switched from a TV show to a movie.

Directors Yassir and Isaiah Lester recently talked about their new movie The Gutter and also addressed Yassir’s time as head writer for the Armor Wars series, sharing how he feels now that it’s being made into a movie.

On the technical side, Yassir said that shifting Armor Wars to a movie hasn’t caused major creative issues, adding, “As long as they haven’t started filming, it’s like, who cares?” Still, he admitted, “I think the story I told was a really fun series.”

When asked if they’d direct Armor Wars, Isaiah was all for it, saying, “Absolutely. Absolutely. I’d do it.” But Yassir had one condition: the pay has to be right.

“A lot of people say ‘yes’ or ‘no idea’ when asked if...

Marvel Studios has successfully recovered from its consistent underperformances in 2023. Yes, after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels both struggled at the box office (and Secret Invasion struggled with Disney Plus audiences on TV), the franchise bounced back this year with box office sensation Deadpool and Wolverine and acclaimed Disney Plus fan-favorite Agatha All Along.

But those unexpected underperformers still happened, so Marvel had to make some adjustments to prevent that from happening again. That reportedly involved moving away from potentially risk-taking ideas and moving towards surefire success stories. Though Deadpool and Wolverine was already well into post-production at that stage, its release was the perfect example of that as fans had been waiting for Deadpool, Wolverine, and the world of the X-Men to arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the box-office takings of that movie highlight that.

Through all of the highs and lows of the past few years,...

Game of Thrones grew in the telling. The first season of HBO's fantasy megahit had a budget of around $50-$60 million, meaning that each episode cost around $5 or $6 million. In the second season, showrunner David Benioff and Dan Weiss saved a bit of money on each episode so they could mount "Blackwater," which featured the show's first big-scale battle. That episode cost them $8 million, which was seen as a very high spend back in the day.

By the time the show was a cultural phenomenon, HBO was spending $11 million on episodes like "Battle of the Bastards," which to this day has one of the most spectacular medieval battles ever shot for TV. By the eighth and final season, at the height of the show's popularity, after actor salaries had ballooned and episodes routinely featured lots of dragons and fighting, the budget had gone up to around $15 million per episode.

By that point,...

Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler and Rj Cyler are starring in Night Patrol, an indie horror feature from director and co-writer Ryan Prows.

David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are producing via the duo’s Phantom Four banner. Also producing is Josh Goldbloom, known for the recent V/H/S horror entries. James Harris and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Films (47 Meters Down) are also producing the movie, which wrapped principal photography in Los Angeles this week.

Dermot Mulroney and WWE superstar Cm Punk have key roles, while Freddie Gibbs (Down With The King), Yg (White Boy Rick), Flying Lotus (Ash) Jon Oswald (Lowlife) and Nicki Micheaux (Lowlife) round out the cast.

In Patrol, an LAPD officer (Fowler) must put aside his differences with the area’s street gangs when he discovers a local police task force is harboring a horrific secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects he grew up in.

The superhero genre has long been spearheaded by two of the most extensive franchises, Marvel and DC. Both franchises have been responsible for producing brilliant movies on the big screen.

After conquering the theatre, Marvel ventured into making its name on the small screen via TV series. Unfortunately, lately, the shows haven’t fared well among fans who quickly grew disappointed with the franchise. DC’s The Penguin has led to a far greater response, leading fans to believe it couldn’t be compared to Marvel’s latest show Agatha All Along.

The strong opponent and lost trust

After the sad state of Marvel TV shows, fans began to lose trust in the franchise to ever produce a hit like Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki again. The 2023 show Secret Invasion set the bar extremely low and was even ranked as the worst MCU show ever.

Related Agatha All Along’s Viewership...

Steel yourself, rugrats, because an Iron Man series is headed your way.

Disney Jr. has greenlit Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, the first-ever preschool Iron Man series, which will feature a young Tony Stark/Iron Man and his world-saving besties, Riri Williams/Ironheart and Amadeus Cho/Iron Hulk.

More from TVLineIs Dan Fogelman Making This Is Us, NFL-Style?Agatha All Along Midseason Trailer Teases Witchy Endgame: 'What Does Billy Maximoff Want?'Secret Invasion's Polarizing Rhodey Reveal Could Be Worth It, Says Don Cheadle - If Armor Wars Happens

The new series — which is part...

Agatha All Along, in just five episodes, has proved that Marvel’s TV department still knows what it’s doing after all.

This summer’s biggest hit, Deadpool & Wolverine, constantly made fun of the fact that Marvel isn’t doing too well right now. The studio’s big screen offerings have been… less than ideal, shall we say, and its TV shows haven’t been doing particularly well either. We’re still trying to get rid of the horrible taste Secret Invasion left behind.

So it’s a bit of a surprise that this year’s best Marvel project is Agatha All Along. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as Agatha Harkness from Wandavision, and it’s a series that – initially – didn’t appear to have any particular reason to exist. After all, Agatha was a relatively small character who isn’t due to be a big presence in the MCU’s future.

Armor Wars was first announced as a Disney+ TV series in 2020. Yassir Lester was hired as Head Writer in August 2021 but countless delays followed until, in September 2022, we learned it was being redeveloped as a movie.

We've heard little to nothing about the project since, though Secret Invasion was clearly meant to set the stage for the movie by strongly hinting that Rhodey had been replaced by a shape-shifting Skrull after Captain America: Civil War (and before Avengers: Infinity War).

It was a neat idea on the surface, but fans weren't happy about how that diminished his farewell to Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. The Skrull Rhodey also didn't exactly do enough during his time as War Machine to make the switch as impactful as required.

With that in mind, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to learn many of Armor Wars' ideas have supposedly been repurposed for the upcoming Vision series.

Secret Invasion was not well-received by the majority of fans, and the plot point that seems to have come in for the most backlash was the twist involving Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle).

Making War Machine a Skrull imposter was one thing, but revealing that the real Rhodey had been replaced by a shape-shifting alien shortly after sustaining his injury in Captain America: Civil War - rendering his emotional farewell to dying Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame meaningless - really didn't go over well.

As it turns out, Cheadle has some issues with the twist himself.

"Uh… you know, there was no… it wasn’t a demand. It was a request," the actor told TV Line when asked for his reaction to finding out about the Skrull twist. “'What do you think about playing this?' And it was to set up stuff in the following thing. So, if the following thing happens,...

Armor Wars is facing even more uncertainty than the fate of Blade, which we’ve reported on multiple times. Initially, Armor Wars was intended to be a story that delves into James Rhodes’ character, particularly in light of the shocking developments we witnessed in Secret Invasion.

While the project was initially well-received by fans, it appears that Marvel is uncertain about its direction. At one point, it was set to be a movie, then it transitioned to a series. However, based on the latest information, it seems that the project may be quietly shelved.

This decision is likely to disappoint many fans, especially those who support Rhodey. Although the character will likely return in some capacity, this move severely limits his storyline. An intriguing fan theory we came across highlights these concerns as well.

James Rhodes has a complex history in the MCU. Initially introduced as a secondary character in the Iron Man films,...

Armor Wars is a project whose fate is even more uncertain than the fate of Blade, for example, which we have reported on more than once. Armor Wars was set to be the story that would give James Rhodes his own story that would explain everything about him, especially in light of the disturbing twist we were served in Secret Invasion.

But, while the project was welcomed by the fans, it seems that Marvel is not sure what to do with it. It was a movie at one point and a series at another, but based on the facts we have now, it seems that nothing will become of the project and that Marvel is quietly scrapping it.

This will, of course, make a lot of the fans unhappy, especially fans of Rhodey, and while the character is probably going to make a return later, his story seems to be crippled by such a decision.

Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes last appeared in the MCU in Secret Invasion, widely regarded as one of the weakest MCU shows. While the series is loosely based on the comic storyline of the same name, it lacks much of the appeal and intrigue that made the comics popular.

One of the major revelations in Secret Invasion is that the Rhodey we’ve seen in recent MCU projects wasn’t actually human. The Skrulls developed advanced technology that allows them to keep humans in a coma-like state while impersonating them, even stealing their memories in the process.

Rhodes was likely targeted by the Skrulls due to his close connections with the White House and key superheroes. When Talos’ daughter, Gi’ah, rescued him, it was revealed that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull, possibly dating back to the events of Captain America: Civil War.

This plot twist was widely...

The latest project in which Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes appeared in the MCU was ‘Secret Invasion,’ which is almost unanimously agreed to be one of the worst MCU shows. The storyline is based extremely loosely on the comic storyline under the same name but holds almost no appeal or intrigue that the comics did.

During the events of the show, we find out that Rhodey whom we’ve seen in the last couple of projects wasn’t really a human. You see Skrulls developed a special technology that is able to keep humans in some kind of coma while Skrulls mimic them and directly steal their memories.

Rhodes was presumably targeted due to the fact that he is close to the White House and several important superheroes. When Talos’ daughter Gi’ah saved Rhodey, he was at that point a Skrull likely since the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War.

The following contains spoilers from the Disney+/Marvel series Secret Invasion.

How Don Cheadle ultimately feels about that polarizing Secret Invasion reveal is… yet to be determined.

More from TVLineDon Cheadle Talks Fight Night's Many Reunions - and What's Truly Sad About Real-Life Heist's AftermathMarvel's Thunderbolts*: Bucky, Yelena, U.S. Agent and Others Assemble for Julia Louis-Dreyfus in First TrailerAgatha All Along Mystery Solved: Why Did the Westview Population Plummet After WandaVision Finale?

(Loosely) based on the 2008 Marvel comic of the same name, Secret Invasion streamed on Disney+ in summer 2023 and followed a rebel faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who...

Even before she became the MCU’s Maria Hill, Cobie Smulders garnered widespread fame as our Robin Scherbatsky. The character from How I Met Your Mother played a key role in popularizing the show. But besides all the fame, the CBS sitcom also brought one of the darkest phases in Smulders’ life, her battle with ovarian cancer.

Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother | Credits: CBS

Cobie Smulders was a rising actress when she first joined How I Met Your Mother. While the sitcom’s success and popularity brought immense joy to her, she faced a life-threatening situation with ovarian cancer which traumatized her forever.

Cobie Smulders needed multiple surgeries for her health complications Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill in the MCU | Credits: Marvel Studios

The presently 42-year-old actress was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 when she was 25. Cobie Smulders was then working on the third season of the hit sitcom.

The following contains spoilers from the finale of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, now streaming on Peacock.

There was no lack of body count as Peacock’s Fight Night, based on Jeff Keating’s true-crime podcast of the same name, came to a close.

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Heading into the finale, three of the men...

Leslye Headland's "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte" ran on Disney+ from June 4 to July 16, 2024, coming to an end after only eight episodes. The series, set a century before the events of "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," told the story of Mae and Osha (both played by Amandla Stenberg), identical twins who were raised by a coven of Force witches on a distant plant, far away from the shenanigans of the Jedi. At this point in "Star Wars" history, the Jedi were a powerful police force throughout the galaxy, and hence, prone to mistakes and coverups. When several Jedi visit Mae and Osha's home, there is a series of misunderstandings that lead to the deaths of all the witches. The Jedi cover it up and go on their merry way. 

Osha, not having witnessed the carnage, is taken to be trained among the Jedi, while Mae is left behind,...

"Deadpool & Wolverine" may've rescued the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the box office this year, but it's Kathryn Hahn's scheming Agatha Harkness and her ragtag coven of fellow witches who're quietly getting Marvel Television's affairs into order with "Agatha All Along." The belated "WandaVision" offshoot was something of a wild card heading into its debut, what with it being a product of Marvel TV's disastrous former production process. Thankfully, much like the titular sorceress, Jac Schaeffer's spinoff has some unexpected tricks up its sleeves and has proven to be a cheeky, spoopy, and otherwise wickedly good time. (Read /Film's review by Bj Colangelo for more on that.)

"Agatha All Along" is also one of the more visually interesting MCU installments in a minute thanks to the plethora of colorful set pieces and costumes used to realize the supernatural (and occasionally horrifying) trials that Agatha and her motley...

Speculation surrounding a potential ‘World War Hulk’ movie has lingered for years without any clear outcomes. Recently, Mark Ruffalo disclosed that Marvel Studios never planned to develop a solo film for him, primarily due to intricate rights complications resulting from a prolonged conflict with Universal.

However, the inability to produce a standalone Hulk movie does not preclude the character from evolving within other MCU projects.

Daniel Richtman, a prominent industry insider, recently asserted that the ending and post-credits scenes of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ are paving the way for ‘World War Hulks’ while also tying into the broader Multiverse Saga.

It seems that connections to both ‘World War Hulks’ and the Multiverse were introduced during extensive reshoots, as the original version of the film did not resonate well with test audiences.

So, what evidence supports this theory? Currently, we only have rumors to rely on since nothing has been officially confirmed.

Rumors about a ‘World War Hulk’ movie have persisted for years without resolution. Recently, Mark Ruffalo revealed that Marvel Studios never intended to produce a solo film for him, primarily due to complex rights issues stemming from a long-standing dispute with Universal.

The fact that Hulk can’t get a solo movie however doesn’t mean that character won’t continue to evolve in other MCU projects.

Daniel Richtman, a notable industry insider recently claimed that the ending and the post-credits scenes for ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is setting up ‘World War Hulk’ and connects more to the Multiverse Saga.

The ending and post credits for #CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld after reshoots sets up a #WorldWarHULKS project and connects to the Multiverse saga more!

[Source @DanielRPK] pic.twitter.com/kcpcBpuUbf

— MarvelNEWS (@AgentAAA4) October 3, 2024

Apparently, the connections to both World War Hulk and Multiverse were added through extensive reshoots as the original movie really didn...

Samuel L. Jackson said his contract with superhero entertainment company Marvel initially threw him for a loop, as it locked him in to star in nine films — which made him question how long he’d have to be alive in order to complete the business agreement.

“I knew I had a nine-picture,” the Oscar-winning actor said during an interview with GQ magazine in which he broke down his most iconic roles. “When Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios president] said that, ‘We’re gonna offer you a nine-picture deal,'” Jackson said he thought to himself, “‘How long I gotta stay alive to make nine movies?'”

Check out the clip below.

The actor continued, saying that the entire process of making nine films went by faster than he thought it would.

“It’s not the quickest process in the world, people don’t do it. I didn’t know they were...

The history of Marvel’s television series is a complex one. Way before the MCU, several Marvel-based television series were made, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Netflix series, but they are not considered to be part of the MCU, at least not in the way you’d think.

And while Marvel has, in the meantime, gotten hold of the rights to these characters and is going to integrate them into the MCU, the past is the past.

MCU’s television history starts with WandaVision, which premiered in 2021. Since then, a total of 12 series have been released as of the time of writing, with more coming out in the upcoming months and years. In light of that, have you ever wondered how these shows have fared with the critics?

Well, if you have, we are going to bring you the list of all MCU shows, from worst to best, based on their Rotten Tomatoes score,...

Agatha All Along premiered last week with its first two episodes. While initial audience reactions were positive, critics initially panned the show before the overall reception evened out. It is now certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting an 83% approval rating from critics and an 82% rating from audiences.

Despite focusing on a C-list character and having a premise that might not appeal to many casual MCU fans, the show has attracted a notable number of views.

According to the latest figures, Agatha All Along attracted 9.3 million views in its first week. While this is less than other popular shows released in the past six months, it’s still significant for Agatha All Along, especially given the backlash over its queer cast and themes.

Now, Agatha All Along has another point in its favor: according to The Hollywood Reporter, it is the least expensive Marvel Studios production to date. The exact figures haven’t been disclosed,...

‘Agatha All Along’ debuted last week with the first two episodes. The initial audience reactions were excellent while critics originally panned the show before the overall reception leveled out. The show is currently certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 83% approval rate by critics and an 82% approval rate by the audiences.

The show also managed to garner quite a few views, which is surprising considering the show is focused on a C-list character and has a premise unappealing to most casual MCU fans.

According to the latest numbers, the show attracted 9.3 million views in the first 7 days, which is less than other popular shows released in the last six months but still a big deal for ‘Agatha All Along’ especially considering the backlash the show drew due having a queer cast and queer themes.

Now ‘Agatha All Along’ has one more thing going for it, according to The Hollywood Reporter...

Love it or hate it, Rotten Tomatoes remains a crucial tool in helping many moviegoers decide whether to check out the latest releases in theaters. However, in recent years, it's become every bit as important for TV shows, especially when streaming has created an almost endless source of small screen entertainment.

Marvel Studios' first foray into television was with WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in 2021. Since then, the likes of Loki, X-Men '97, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, and - most recently - Agatha All Along have all followed.

In terms of both live-action and animation, we've seen Marvel Studios prove that a movie studio can't make the leap to streaming without at least a few hiccups. For the most part, the McU's TV shows have been well-received, meaning their respective Rotten Tomatoes scores are surprisingly close.

With Agatha All Along's reviews counted, we're wrapping up the week...

Marvel Studios and Disney Plus have been going hand-in-hand with each other since 2021. The Hollywood juggernaut turned its attention to the small screen after the conclusion of its Infinity Saga, determined to build out the world even further through the use of streaming television. It accomplished that with the launch of WandaVision, which has led to the arrival of ten more Disney Plus shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including that original show's spinoff Agatha All Along).

There is no doubt about it, the MCU is a much bigger, more expansive place with the original series adding to the lore. Not all have achieved the same levels of success, but they have all reached different corners of the TV fandom that maybe wouldn't have jumped on-board the MCU ship otherwise. From WandaVision's sitcom episodes to the comedy of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, there has been something there for everyone.

Samuel L. Jackson is still in shock at how fast Marvel got through his initial nine-picture deal.

The actor, who has played Nick Fury in a dozen projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, looked back at some of his most iconic characters in a recent interview with GQ magazine. He first appeared as the master strategist and superspy in 2008’s Iron Man but went on to star in eight more MCU films within a decade.

“I knew I had a nine-picture deal,” Jackson said. “[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] said that, ‘We’re going to offer you a nine-picture deal.’ How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world. I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years (Laughs). It’s just kind of crazy! Oh shit, I’m using up my contracts.

Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Nick Fury single-handedly changed the character forever. Bringing his own twist to his performance, the actor ended up having a lasting effect on the beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to the point that his comic version began to imitate the iconic demeanor.

Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury in a still from Secret Invasion | Credit: Disney+

Although now the world knows how great a choice he was for the role, the same was not the case when he was cast. So much so, that even Jackson was wary when Kevin Feige first approached him with the role. During an interview, the actor revealed that he had a very big concern when he was first offered the role of Fury.

Samuel L. Jackson Was Wary

Samuel L. Jackson has been playing the role of Nick Fury for many years now, being...

In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, much was said about Marvel Studios signing actors to six or nine-picture deals. Many of those contracts concluded with Avengers: Endgame but, in Samuel L. Jackson's case, it didn't take quite as long.

In a career retrospective with GQ, the iconic actor reflected on joining the MCU with 2008's Iron Man and the fact Nick Fury quickly started showing up, well, pretty much everywhere.

"I knew I had a nine-picture deal," Jackson started. "[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] said that: 'We’re going to offer you a nine-picture deal.' How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world."

"I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years," he admitted. "That’s kind of crazy! Oh shit, I’m using up my contracts.

The MCU is on its path to recovery after the billion-dollar hit Deadpool & Wolverine. The upcoming Thunderbolts* movie has been one of its most hyped ventures, which is a part of Marvel’s 2025 slate. The first trailer was dropped recently, and fans are busy nitpicking all the details.

A still from the new teaser of Thunderbolts* | Credits: Marvel Studios

One of the key characters who was featured in the new anti-heroes team was Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes. And the character was seen doing questionable things in the trailer, like he once used to.

The Winter Soldier might be back Sebastian Stan in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)| Marvel Studios

Bucky Barnes’ life took a dramatic turn when he fell off the train in the first Captain America movie. He not only lost his arm, but also all sense of self, and was turned into a thoughtless killing machine by Hydra.

A few days ago, the first trailer and promotional posters for Thunderbolts* were released, offering a glimpse of the movie’s cast, including the much-anticipated debut of Marvel’s most powerful superhero, Sentry.

Portrayed by Lewis Pullman, the trailer already highlighted Sentry’s invincibility. However, it appears the MCU will add an intriguing twist to the character, portraying him as a “manufactured” superhero.

Fans, however, largely overlooked the finer details in the trailer, as the poster alone sparked significant controversy. The official movie poster, shared on Marvel’s own social media, appeared to show Sentry with six fingers, catching everyone’s attention.

We reviewed the trailer, focusing on Sentry’s scenes, and confirmed he has five fingers in the footage. Fans reached the same conclusion—that the poster was either AI-generated or a mistake occurred during digital editing.

The MCU isn’t new to using AI, as Secret Invasion faced backlash for its AI-generated intro.

A few days ago the first trailer and promotional posters for ‘Thunderbolts*’ dropped. The trailer gave us a first view of the cast of the upcoming movie including a first look at Marvel’s most powerful superhero – Sentry.

Sentry will be played by Lewish Pullman, and even though the trailer already showcased his invincibility, it seems as if MCU will put a special twist on the character by making him out to be “manufactured” superhero.

The fans however did not focus on the small details in the trailer for the most part, since the poster alone managed to stir quite the controversy. The official poster for the movie that was released on Marvel’s own social media seemingly depicted Sentry as having six fingers.

We checked the trailer for the movie specifically the scenes where Sentry appears and he had five fingers in the footage, the fans came to the same conclusion as we did,...

Samuel L. Jackson gave audiences their first hint that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to be more significant than they imagined. The actor first appeared as Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man, telling Tony Stark that he’d become part of a bigger universe. This was the first of Jackson’s nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios. The actor told GQ that not only was he shocked by the deal, but that he stayed alive long enough to see them all get made.

“I knew I had a nine-picture deal,” Jackson said. “[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] said that: ‘We’re going to offer you a nine-picture deal.’ How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world. I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years. That’s kind of crazy!

Samuel L. Jackson participated in a career retrospective interview for GQ magazine and admitted that he was shocked by the speed that Marvel raced through his initial nine-picture deal. Jackson agreed to Marvel’s initial offer to play Nick Fury in nine movies, starting with a cameo appearance at the end of 2008’s “Iron Man.” He has since starred in a dozen Marvel movies, including multiple “Avengers” movies and standalone tentpoles like “Iron Man 2” and “The Marvels.”

“I knew I had a nine-picture deal,” Jackson said. “[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] said that: ‘We’re going to offer you a nine-picture deal.’ How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world. I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years. That’s kind of crazy! Oh shit, I’m using up my contracts.

Thunderbolts* is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling upcoming projects in the MCU. The film is set to feature a team reminiscent of DC’s Suicide Squad, consisting of former villains and anti-heroes who are likely taking a more positive direction in the Marvel universe.

Additionally, the movie will introduce Sentry, one of the most formidable characters in Marvel, portrayed by Lewis Pullman.

Based on the first trailer and the promotional images we’ve seen so far, it appears that we know most of the team members in Thunderbolts. David Harbour will reprise his role as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen returns as Ghost, Sebastian Stan is back as Bucky Barnes, and Wyatt Russell returns as John Walker, also known as U.S. Agent.

Olga Kurylenko will also return as Taskmaster, while Florence Pugh reprises her role as Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow in the MCU.

The...

‘Thunderbolts*’ is easily one of the most exciting upcoming projects in the MCU. So far the movie is expected to introduce a team similar to DC’s ‘Suicide Squad’ comprising of former villains and anti-heroes who are presumably, now on a better path in the MCU.

The movie will also introduce Sentry, one of the most powerful Marvel characters, played by Lewis Pullman.

Currently, judging by the first trailer and what we’ve seen from the promo images and trailer, we seemingly know all the members of the team. David Harbor will return to reprise his role as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen is returning as Ghost, Sebastian Stan is returning as Bucky Barnes and Wyatt Russell is returning as John Walker aka U.S. Agent.

Olga Kurylenko will reprise her role of Taskmaster and Florence Pugh naturally will return as Yelena Belova aka MCU’s new Black Widow.

The team...

Comic book characters, including superheroes, often cause significant damage during their battles. While this destruction isn’t intentional on the heroes’ part, casualties happen regardless. There are also instances where superheroes deliberately kill their enemies to secure victory.

Some heroes, like Batman and Superman, follow a “no-kill” policy, but this is more of an exception than the norm. Generally, superheroes do not hesitate to eliminate their foes, whether they are humans, aliens, or monsters.

With that in mind, let’s explore the kill count of a particularly intriguing character from the MCU: Maria Hill. You might be surprised to discover just how many characters she’s taken down—and yes, her count surpasses that of the Hulk!

The data we’re sharing comes from an IMDb list created by user Creedswede, who took the time to compile the kill count of both major and minor MCU characters, along with some key notes.

‘Agatha All Along’ premiered a few days ago with its first two episodes, delivering exactly what dedicated fans had been anticipating from the marketing. The show fully embraces its campy charm, seamlessly blending witchcraft, pop culture references, and humor.

With a strong foundation, it keeps viewers entertained and engaged, leaving us eager to see if Agatha is in for a Loki-style redemption arc in the upcoming episodes.

The show debuted with a solid 72% critics score, maintaining its freshness, but it initially dropped to as low as 65% before bouncing back. Currently, the critics score is at an impressive 80%, while the audience score stands at 81%.

This performance significantly outshines recent Disney+ miniseries like ‘Echo’ and ‘Secret Invasion.’

However, the situation looks different on IMDb, where the show is currently rated 6.8 from nearly 8,000 ratings—a strong showing for a series that just premiered.

Anticipated review-bombing efforts were in play even before the release,...

‘Agatha All Along’ premiered a few days ago with the first two episodes. Delivering exactly what fans who have been following marketing closely have been waiting for. The show leans into its campy charm, blending witchcraft, pop culture references, and humor seamlessly.

With a solid foundation, it keeps viewers entertained and engaged just enough for us to sit through the rest of the episodes and see whether Agatha has a Loki-style redemption arc around the corner.

The show debuted with a 72% critics score which was solid and still fresh, but the score kept plummeting and at one point it went as low as 65% before ultimately recovering. Currently, the critics score stands at 80% which is an amazing recovery, and when it comes to the audience score, the show is rated at 81%.

This is a lot higher when compared to the last few Disney+ miniseries like ‘Echo’ and ‘Secret Invasion.’

The situation...

The Multiverse Saga is Marvel's current focus, as the franchise continues to highlight the ever-growing world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not just one world anymore, as there are countless out there, highlighted in projects such as Deadpool and Wolverine, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, What If...?, Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and The Marvels.

Although more multiversal heroes are expected to appear after the saga concludes (Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool are expected to stick around), the ongoing story of the Multiverse Saga is indeed expected to bow out in the same way that its predecessor (the Infinity Saga) did; with two giant-sized Avengers movies. Yep, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will end that era, but they will also kick off another new one entirely.

We don't know much about what comes next from the McU's new chapter, but there have been...

Looking at the larger picture, the MCU is still relatively new to television, with the bulk of its releases dropping on the big screen. Still, there are ten live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe entries to date. The quality of the series have ranged from excellent to dreadful, a large chunk of them following somewhere in the middle. So, to celebrate the release of Agatha All Along, now streaming on Disney+, we ranked the entirety of the live-action television entries from worst to best.

10. Secret Invasion Samuel L. Jackson in Secret Invasion

An espionage story featuring Samuel L. Jackson in a leading role sounds perfect on paper. Throw in the fact that it’s a paranoid thriller in the style of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the premise appears even stronger. What should have been a homerun for Marvel fell flat. The writing was weak, and Samuel L. Jackson gave the dullest performance of his career.

Marvel Studios is going through troubled times at the moment. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a complicated mess containing too many titles and too many plot threads that lead nowhere and were abandoned along the way. Recent years have made it clear that the MCU isn't what it once was, and the public has responded in kind. The box office performance of Marvel movies ("Deadpool & Wolverine" notwithstanding) has been declining, and review scores have been trending downwards as well. Nowadays, a Marvel movie feels less like a result of meticulous plotting and planning and more like the messy result of too many discarded script drafts and last-minute VFX changes.

Now we have "Agatha All Along," the latest Marvel Studios title, which is a long-awaited spin-off of the 2021 series "WandaVision." Bj Colangelo gave an overall positive review of the first four episodes for /Film, describing the show as "deliciously chaotic.

Update: Agatha All Along is now "Certified Fresh" at 79%, tying it with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

As we write this, more than 50 verdicts for Agatha All Along have been counted on Rotten Tomatoes and that means an all-important Tomatometer score has been generated by the review aggregator.

Despite receiving overwhelmingly positive social media reactions, critics appear a tad more divided as the WandaVision follow-up sits at an okay 69%. Interestingly, more than 500 fans have chimed in on the "Popcornmeter" and given Agatha All Along a much higher 78% score.

With 69%, the latest Marvel Television series to hit Disney+ finds itself sandwiched between Secret Invasion (52%) and Echo (70%).

In contrast, WandaVision has 92% and remains one of the McU's highest-rated streaming offerings, beaten only by Ms. Marvel (98%) and X-Men '97 (99%).

With Agatha All Along planned as a standalone limited series, neither reviews nor viewership are likely to have a major impact on Marvel Studios' future plans.

Say what you will about the Marvel Cinematic Universe's foray into television on Disney+, but you can't deny that the company knows how to craft a credit sequence. AI-fueled "Secret Invasion" screw-up aside, Marvel shows on Disney+ have signed off with some of the most creative, enjoyable end credits in recent memory, many of them a mini-adventure in their own right.

"Agatha All Along" is no exception. The new series may not be big on mid-credit scenes, but it uses its end credits to tell us exactly what it's about. The first episode ends with the Donovan song "Season of the Witch," which would be too on the nose if it weren't such an excellent, effective tune. It also shows the names of the series' cast and crew over a sort of witchy mood board, one that features witches ranging from creepy to adorable. There's historical information on display, complete...