Author: Simon Andrews

Following its release, feedback for the Netflix-produced first series of Daredevil was almost universally positive, certainly to a far greater extent than its cousins Peggy Carter and the Agents of SHIELD. Naturally this led to speculation as to where the rapidly green-lit second series would go, the rumor mill beginning to churn out potential supporting characters and the wish-list of actors to play them. Hot on the heels of one rumor that Jason Statham had initially been courted, but promptly scared off playing Daredevil’s traditional nemesis, Bullseye, Jon Bernthal was then officially unveiled in the role of Marvel legend Frank…

I’m going to come out and say it: Marvel does not have the best success rate when it comes to the portrayal of convincing bad guys in their Cinematic Universe. For every Ultron, there’s your Whiplash and Justin Hammer. Every ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, a Red Skull and Arnim Zola. Hi. I’m Ronan The Accuser… Who??? Naturally, the main focus of audience attention in the Marvel movies is on the good guys, as the character development and story arcs of the Avengers evolve throughout the course of multiple films. Now this – of course, assists Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in becoming the most…

Find me someone who didn’t enjoy Daredevil. The Netflix version, that is. Not the cinematic feature in which the twitchily hammy Colin Farrell murders a granny with a peanut… Charlie Cox’s new incarnation has been a refreshing adrenaline shot in the arm of Marvel’s television properties. The existing shows remain doggedly loyal and similar in style to the movies, with Agents of SHIELD still struggling after two seasons to find its own identity, and the 1940’s setting of Agent Carter making it inaccessible to a notable portion of those who tuned in. The next show out of the gates is…

The ‘Civil War’ event in Marvel Comics was essentially my gateway drug into the Marvel Universe. It just did everything right. It took the most valuable properties that the company had, and successfully set them against each other with a chain of events that meant that at the time, it seemed like the Marvel Comic Book Universe would never be the same again. It was compelling. It was believable. It was quite simply the best crossover event that Marvel have done to date. And now they’re turning it into a movie. I, for one, am excited. I truly believe that…

  I’ll never understand Marvel’s apparent reluctance to commit their properties to animated features. They’re happy to pump out Spider-Man cartoons for younger viewers, and for Anime portrayals which seem very loosely based on the source material, but their forays into the genre seem trivial compared to that of their main rival. Well Marvel’s loss is DC’s gain, and they’ve been producing high-quality versions of some of their most definitive storylines for the last eight years. These have proven a great way to trial some of the more outlandish or controversial characters, and deliver compelling and stylish entertainment to viewers…

Amongst the fallout from everything that happened in ‘Age Of Ultron’ was Bruce Banner’s decision to go into a self-imposed exile, partly to protect those he loved from his curse, and partly to keep those powers free from exploitation and away those who would be corrupted by them. The film ended with a newly designated roster of Avengers, and promotional photos from the forthcoming ‘Civil War’ suggest that everybody’s favorite Green-skinned Goliath will be staying off the radar for some time yet. So just where is he hiding – and when will Marvel choose to bring him back? With two flawed…

As the list of heroes that audiences have yet to see incorporated into the MCU continues to shrink, with each new film comes the speculation of which of the remaining comic book characters will be making their debut, and an A-Lister who Marvel might be bringing in to play them. The most recent of these candidates to emerge from the rumor-mill is Captain Marvel. Assuming that the studio won’t be looking to use the variant of an alien Kree warrior cunningly named ‘Mar-Vell’, then fans will therefore be awaiting the arrival of Carol Danvers. A professional soldier, she is granted…

Some sections of the Internet have become pretty much obsessed with a certain Crazy Canuck over the last week or so. First it was announced that after 8 films spanning a 15 year period, the third standalone Wolverine movie would be Hugh Jackman’s last outing as Logan. Then came the news that Jackman himself had touted Tom Hardy as his desired successor. Is Hardy a good choice? Hell yes. He’s made a career out of shaping his body to fit physically demanding roles, and he’s one of the hottest acting talents the industry has ever seen. The man can even…

We’re now three months away from the start of what represents not simply a new Trilogy, but also a complete franchise-wide reboot, hurling the Star Wars universe into a variety of storylines and viewing formats. These are exciting times we’re living in. Wrested from the hands of George Lucas, there’s great potential to be had for the project. But then, to counterbalance this, JJ Abrams has had several missteps in his career. (Alcatraz, anybody?) The internet remains saturated with a combination of drip-fed material, and leaked photo footage, as fans try to get a hint of what the new film…

The Batman’s been around for a fair old while, and in that time he’s amassed a vast pool of enemies and adversaries. Animated series aside, with the various live action TV series and feature films he’s starred in, we’ve already seen a large number of these bad guys make the jump from page to screen. Recently, this has gone into overdrive, as the DC back catalogue has been forensically scoured, and a whole new wave of the Bat’s bad guys have been cast on Gotham, Arrow and The Flash. So you may be forgiven for thinking that all of Bruce…