Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 15 Review

Agents of SHIELD is continuing a great second season that has turned the focus to the Inhumans and another SHIELD faction. Both of these plots may seem very separate but the two collided together and shaped what we should see during the remaining seven episodes.

***** SPOILERS for "One Door Closes" to follow *****

"One Door Closes," written by Lauren LeFranc & Rafe Judkins and directed by David Solomon, has the "Real SHIELD" show its strength and cause a lot of problems for Coulson's SHIELD.

The episode goes back and forth between the current time and a flashback to the day SHIELD was overtaken by HYDRA. The flashbacks bring Isabelle Hartley (Lucy Lawless) back to the fold and show her and Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) kicking some major butt from the start.

Hartley and Mockingbird are also joined by Mack (Henry Simmons) and rescue a wounded Robert Gonzalez (Edward James Olmos). These four and a few others follow the plan laid out by Fury to sink the helicarrier they are on. That is until Mockingbird proposes a new plan instead. She decides to defect from Fury's plan and save the ship.

This is where we see the beginning of this new SHIELD faction and lays the foundation for what they believe in. It is interesting to see them portray Mockingbird as the brains behind this new faction, even going so far as Gonzalez telling Coulson he didn't even want to be the Director of the "Real SHIELD." During the last few episodes, Mockingbird's true allegiance seemed to be very questionable thanks to her relationship with Hunter, but now it appears she has actually been telling the truth about just how loyal she is.

When we are back in the present day, Coulson (Clark Gregg) immediately starts questioning the loyalty of Mack while Mockingbird is snooping around his office. Once Mack and Mockingbird are discovered as being double agents, a scramble for control ensues as Mockingbird and Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) go toe to toe for one of the best fight scenes in the shows run.

During the scrum for control, we see Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) get the best of Mockingbird and Mack save his old buddy Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) from an explosion that he set.

The "Real SHIELD" takes over the SHIELD base, but during their head count they somehow do not account for Agent May. With Coulson in handcuffs, he and Gonzalez finally come face to face to try and sort out their problems. This is truly great as we see Clark Gregg and Edward James Olmos share a lengthy scene and a lot of interesting dialogue. Just as they are finishing up their discussion, May comes in to save the day and help Coulson escape to find Skye.

Speaking of Skye (Chloe Bennet), she was taken away to a secret log cabin and since this is the Marvel universe, it is no ordinary cabin. 

Hulk Fist Indentation in Skye's Cabin

This just so happens to be the same cabin that Bruce Banner spent time in, likely the same one seen during the last scene of The Incredible Hulk. Skye starts to learn how to control her powers after a visit from Gordon (Jamie Harris) and a promise to return once she needs him. That comes much sooner than Skye anticipated after the "Real SHIELD" begins to hunt her down. She calls upon the other Inhuman after having her first moment that shows her true power as Quake, and it was beautiful.

Seeing Skye, Mockingbird, and May have a major presence in this episode, as well as Simmons to a lesser extent, was a nice reminder of just how many strong female characters the show has. Agent Carter got a lot of praise for being a show driven by a female character and Hayley Atwell was a great leading lady as Peggy Carter, but these four actresses also deserve a lot of praise.

Chloe Bennet started off being an awkward and seemingly forced character but has become a focal point of the show who has been given a story justifying her presence. Bennet has been tasked with introducing the entire MCU and its millions of fans to the Inhumans, and on a TV show none the less. She can now carry the show when necessary and her future is the most exciting thing about the show.

Ming-Na Wen joined the show as a stone faced, no nonsense right hand lady to Coulson but her transformation to becoming Skye's mentor while also kicking major butt every week is amazing. Adrianne Palicki is basically a nicer and younger version of Agent May, but she has been on a roller coaster ride during her first season. She has now been turned into a villain of sorts but I still find myself rooting for her, except for when she is defying SHIELD. Elizabeth Henstridge has also come a long way since her being an agent afraid to be in the field, even taking down Mockingbird in this episode. She is still trying to come to peace with all the changes at SHIELD, and after her best friend suffering brain damage as a result of saving her life and now Skye becoming something that could destroy them all, it's hard to really blame her.

The episode ends with Coulson on a beach, but thankfully not TAHITI this time. He is there to meet up with Lance Hunter (Nick Blood), his only other agent not being held captive. The show has really developed Hunter recently and made him the character that is worthy of being a season/series regular and not just a guest star. He signs on, while be it on a napkin, to be fully committed to Coulson's SHIELD team and these two will have their hands full come next week.

Check out a preview for next week's episode "Afterlife" below!

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Cheo Hodari Coker Named Showrunner for Luke Cage

Marvel has just announced the hiring of Cheo Hodari Coker as the executive producer and show-runner for Luke Cage. The press release restates that Luke Cage will debut on Netflix in 2016, even though it is unclear if it is before or after Iron Fist.

Mike Colter has already signed on to play Luke Cage as Cheo Hodari Coker is in the process of writing the first two episodes.

Here is a brief summary of his career from the Marvel Press Release-

"Most recently, Coker served as a co-executive producer on the second season of "Ray Donovan," and prior to that was a supervising producer on the critically-acclaimed, fourth season of the drama "SouthLAnd." Coker was a part of the "SouthLAnd" team that earned the show a 2012 Peabody Award. Coker also garnered a 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing for a Dramatic Series for his work on that show. Coker’s feature film credits include Fox Searchlight’s rap biopic "Notorious." He authored the book "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of The Notorious B.I.G." as well. Coker started his writing career in journalism and was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and contributed to VIBE, Rolling Stone, Essence, among other publications. He is a graduate of Stanford University."

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Bennet and Gregg Talk Agents of SHIELD at Emerald City Comic-Con

Emerald City Comic-Con ended today in Seattle which means people are finally starting to share what was talked about at different panels.

Agents of SHIELD had a presence at the show with their two biggest stars doing separate panels over the weekend. Chloe Bennet (Skye/Daisy) spoke to the audience on Friday with Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson) appearing to the event Saturday.

Just like with a lot of Marvel properties, no major news comes out of these events unless Marvel wants it too. The shows two stars were able to give some smaller bits of information on how Agents of SHIELD will shape up as season 2 comes to an end.

Here are some of the highlights from the reports given by GeekMom and SeattlePi-

Bennet said Skye "grows a lot" over the rest of the season and that newcomer Luke Mitchell, who will play the Inhuman named Lincoln, will be a big reason why Skye learns more about her new found powers.

Bennet also seemed "hint at a possible death" on the show according to Tim Hall on SeattlePi, but it seems unlikely that one of the main characters would be killed off at this point.

Clark Gregg is no stranger to the many Comic-Cons and he certainly teased quite a bit in Seattle.

Agents of SHIELD has certainly turned its attention to the Inhuman side of the Marvel universe and Clark said, “People who like the Inhumans will be satisfied by what’s coming up.” Hopefully we will be getting some more Inhuman mythology that likely won't be addressed in the upcoming Inhumans movie.

Thanks to the show being part of the MCU, everyone wants more crossovers to happen and we may be getting that in Agents of SHIELD soon. According to GeekMom Clark Gregg said "with a smile" that “There’s always that possibility.” The site also said, "A fan of the way Marvel is telling an overarching story across multiple media, Gregg left the impression that there are still surprises to come." Jeremy Renner teased having to put on the Hawkeye suit again for a secret project a few months ago. Could he be coming to the small screen?

Gregg also addressed how he hopes the Avengers will react whenever they find out Coulson is still alive. “Coulson would like to see Cap happy to see him alive again, but I hope Banner wouldn't be too angry about it.”

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Marvel Weekly News #31

Its been a busy week for Marvel news. They are continuing to promote Avengers: Age of Ultron and Daredevil, while also having the rest of the MCU to worry about. Due to such a busy week, this weeks news will be broken down by movie and then sort through all the news that was released on that title. We will touch on the Spider-Man reboot, Inhumans, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Agents of SHIELD, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Daredevil, and AKA Jessica Jones.

Spider-Man
Marvel and Sony have actively been searching for a new Peter Parker, or Miles Morales, and they seem to be targeting very young actors. Thanks to Devin Faraci of Badass Digest, we know that Marvel has held an audition with 16 year old actor Mateus Ward. Marvel and Sony want someone who can be the face of the MCU for the next 15 or so years, so getting such a young actor is a no-brainer. His first solo movie is set to come out in 2017 but he may be getting some screen time and introduction to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, which begins production soon.

Inhumans
Whether you like Vin Diesel or not, he is a big box office draw. His fans have wanted him to join the MCU for quite some time, so they got their wish when he signed on to voice Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. At the time, Diesel said this was a way to please his fans but that something bigger may be in store. He has teased him being cast as Black Bolt, the leader of the Inhumans, for years and he did it again this week. He told MTV, "You know, I enjoyed the experience of playing Groot. A lot of it was the great cast, and the genius of James Gunn. But I also enjoyed, you know, entering into the Marvel world. And...good things will come from that."

Another small tidbit was dropped by Da7e on Latino-Review where he said that Marvel is still talking to Adam McKay about directing one of their many future films. McKay was at one point almost committed to directing Ant-Man but instead just helped rewrite the script. Da7e speculates that he could be directing Inhumans, as that makes the most logical choice out of remaining titles without a director in place.

Avengers: Infinity War
After Captain America: The Winter Soldier flipped the MCU upside down, Marvel started negotiations with the films directors Joe and Anthony Russo to keep them around for the foreseeable future. It appears that they have done just that. The brothers are already set to direct Captain America: Civil War and it has now been revealed they have signed on to direct both parts of Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel has yet to confirm this, which was first reported by Devin Faraci of Badass Digest.

Captain Marvel
Depending on who you ask, you will get very different answers to whether or not we will meet Carol Danvers in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Supreme Scooper El Mayimbe says he has been told that she will appear near the end of the movie and that she has in fact already been cast. Who is Carol Danvers is being kept a secret but everyone has a list of their favorite candidates. El Mayimbe seemed to indicate on Twitter that it is not rising star Natalie Dormer.

It has been widely assumed that Captain Marvel will have a female director, with Angelina Jolie even been rumored to have an offer of $20 million to direct. Jeff Sneider from the Wrap dropped a small scoop on Meet the Movie Press that Captain Marvel will indeed have a female director. Sneider says that Marvel is down to two candidates and that we may have announcement before summer begins.

Agents of SHIELD
Agents of SHIELD is picking up steam during a great second season. If you haven't been watching or know someone who stopped during season 1, you all should really reconsider. The ramifications from the events in the show are sure to appear in the larger scale of the MCU. Episode 14 debuted this week which gave us more knowledge of the "Real SHIELD" and brought Ward (Brett Dalton) back to the show. Check out our full review of the episode here.

The poster on the left is a promo for episode 15, "One Door Closes" and brings Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) to the forefront.

Marvel also titled and gave the synopsis for episode 17, "Melinda." Read the full synopsis here as we learn how Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) got her nickname of The Calvary.

A small rumor started on Twitter when KDNL ABC30 News shared that the Agents of SHIELD finale may be a 2 hour special. This would certainly be a surprise and fantastic based on the way Marvel has shaped this season. The finale is scheduled to come out May 19th, which is only a few weeks after Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters.

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Marvel has continued to promote Avengers: Age of Ultron by shared the above banner plus much more. Marvel also released 13 fun facts about the film that included information on Banner's pants, the Hulkbuster suits development, how they monitor Banner's rage, the Twins, and more. Check out the full list on Comicbook.com.

The studio has also released a new international TV spot for Avengers: Age of Ultron that showed off some new fighting movies by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans).

Buzzfeed was also able to release the information they got from a late set visit. The interview talked to director Joss Whedon, Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver). We've already posted the highlights of the interview here but you can also read the entire interview by Buzzfeed for more information.

Daredevil
We are now less than two weeks away from the entire world being able to binge watch Daredevil in its entirety on Netflix. The show will surely see Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) battle with one another but it seems likely that they will each have more friends to help. It remains to be seen who will side with who but Marvel did tease the alliances in the two photos below.

Murdock, Page, Nelson, and Urich Meet

Kingpin and Madame Gao

AKA Jessica Jones
The next series that will debut on Netflix is AKA Jessica Jones, which is currently filming in New York. The venue means that set photos are sure to pop up quite frequently thanks to the many paparazzi nearby. This week gave us some new looks at Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and a potential romantic relationship with Hellcat (Rachael Taylor) and Carrie-Anne Moss' character. Check out more photos from the set here.

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Whedon, Olsen, and Taylor-Johnson Talk Age of Ultron

Anticipation for Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron grows greater with each passing day and that means that Marvel will continue to feed the fire by giving more interviews and promotional materials. Today, Buzzfeed released an article where they talked to Director Joss Whedon, Scarlet Witch actress Elizabeth Olsen, and Quicksilver actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson about many aspects from the film. Check out some of the highlights including the run time for the movie, why we may see certain characters, and more on the Twins.

The two super powered siblings are sure to bring a new aspect to the team- “The first movie was, ‘Punch!’ ‘I punch you back!’ ‘I punch you back!’” he said. “You can only do that so many times before you start to think, This is dulllllllllll.” Instead of just throwing punches, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch exercise their powers in visually dynamic ways: The former can run faster than the speed of sound, while the latter boasts a formidable suite of abilities, including telekinesis and mind control. “We’re very much yin and yang,” said Taylor-Johnson, back in his trailer. “I’m more physical, and she’s more psychological.” That duality provided Whedon with a far more varied set of tools with which to wow the audience.

Thanks to the rights dispute between Marvel and Fox, Whedon was able to change the origins of two of his favorite characters. “It allowed me to tie their origin into the mythos of this [Marvel Studios] universe more effectively,” said Whedon. Olsen restated his enjoyment by saying, “I think he’s having a lot of fun working with Aaron and me, because he didn't inherit characters. He was able to create characters with us. We get to have, like, the origin story. Anything from the accent to the movements to our personalities has not been a conversation we had with anyone else on another film. It’s just within this world.”

Whedon talked about the back story of the two characters saying, “They don’t like America, and they don’t like the Avengers. We only touch on it briefly — there was more. When the movie was an hour longer, everything got explained a lot. The Avengers are like a world power, and not everybody’s on board with the Avengers coming in and starting fights, even in the name of justice. So you need that dissenting voice, and you need to understand it and sympathize with it.” He also told Buzzfeed that the movie is currently at 142 minutes or 2 hours and 22 minutes, which is roughly one minute shorter than the first installment.

The second poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron, pictured above, confirms appearances by Heimdall (Idris Elba), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), and the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Whedon told Buzzfeed that the first two mentioned are appearing in sequences placed in the minds of the Avengers by Scarlet Witch.

Rumors have been circulating that Quicksilver may have a short stint in the MCU. Taylor-Johnson said that his status "is sort of up in the air," which will likely only fuel that speculation. Elizabeth Olsen however said she is committed to “this [film], and another" and “I have no idea what’s in store. Like, not a clue. But I like the character so much. I can’t wait to steal stories from the comics. I think it’d be really fun.”

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Hellcat's Relationship and More Shown in New Set Photos

Marvel and Netflix's first original series Daredevil is only two weeks away from debuting. Daredevil will kick off a five part series that will show the street level heroes in Hell's Kitchen. After Daredevil, Marvel and Netflix will release AKA Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and the a group series The Defenders.

AKA Jessica Jones is currently filming throughout New York and that means that plenty of set photos will be released. A new batch of set photos show the star Jessica Jones actress Krysten Ritter and a what looks to be romantic relationship between Rachael Taylor's character, Trish Walker aka Hellcat, and Carrie-Anne Moss' character, rumored to be named Harper.

The photos are courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com and Dave Spencer (via ComicBookMovie.com) and Just Jared. Check them all out below!

 

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10 Actresses We Want to Play Carol Danvers

Even though Captain Marvel is not scheduled to be released for another 3 years, Latino-Review's El Mayimbe has revealed that Marvel has already cast the next leading lady in their universe. Captain Marvel will star the unknown actress as Carol Danvers, but it appears we may be seeing her much sooner.

According to Mayimbe, Danvers will have a small cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron and could be joining the new look Avengers team that Captain America (Chris Evans) will be leading. Marvel is keeping the casting decision under wraps and it doesn't seem likely that we will find out who will be in that role. As far as I am concerned, that is a good thing. However, that will not stop every single fan from generating their wish lists of who they want in the role.

Here are a few candidates, in no particular order, that I hope Marvel has considered and possibly even gave the role to-

Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain is more than qualified to be Carol Danvers. Even though she is 37 and would in her 40s when Captain Marvel hit, she is a fantastic actress and has had great roles in Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty, and Lawless. She would bring credibility to Marvel's first movie featuring a true female lead. Should Chastain have landed the role it would definitely be exciting for Marvel and fans but hopefully Marvel has decided to go a tad younger.

Katheryn Winnick
Katheryn Winnick looks more like Carol Danvers than maybe any of our other candidates. Winnick is 36 so how long she could pull off and be willing to play Danvers comes into question. She currently is starring in Vikings but has been very vocal on her interest in the part. Starting with the great fan art above, Winnick has stated she'd be willing to go toe to toe with the following candidate in order to land the role.

Katee Sackhoff
Sackhoff is probably highest up on most fan lists after her role in Battlestar Galactica and more roles that brought her into the spotlight of the "nerd" community. Sackhoff is 34 so she could possibly play the next 11 years or so. She certainly looks the part and it would be a big home run for fans and after casting Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Marvel may be willing to listen to their fans.

Emily Blunt
If Marvel wants to get fans excited and decides not to go with Sackhoff, then Emily Blunt would surely do the trick. Blunt is just 32 and coming off of stellar roles in Edge of Tomorrow and Looper and will star alongside fellow Marvel actor Chris Hemsworth next year in The Huntsman. Blunt showed that she can be an action star when she more than held her own alongside Tom Cruise and having her on screen with the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and more is truly great image.

Yvonne Strahovski
Much like the previously mentioned Winnick, Yvonne Strahovski looks alone could land her the role. She truly looks very close to Carol Danvers. She made her way into the minds of the geek community with her role in Chuck. There was even a rumor years back from Strahotski.com that she had landed the gig. She is not the most high profiled choice but one that would certainly make sense for both sides.

Natalie Dormer
Yes, yes, yes, I know Dormer played a small role in Captain America: The First Avenger as Pvt. Lorraine, but neither you or I can deny that she would be a great choice to be Carol Danvers. She certainly looks the part and is well liked in the community that Marvel has. She has starred in Game of Thrones as well as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2. Dormer is also only 32 so she could play the role for quite some time. Dormer is also a recognizable face that should she have an unannounced cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron all kinds of movie goers would know who she is.

Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is certainly not on many people's radar for this role but she should be. Agron is only 28 and had good performances in I Am Number Four and The Family, as well as also starring in Glee. Not only is she is a good actress but she also very attractive and someone fanboys could likely get behind. The one problem here is her lack of action roles besides a few action sequences in The Family. Does she have what it takes to be a lead in a likely blue screen and CGI heavy film? I don't know, but I do know that she is my personal favorite.

Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick may not be a logical choice but I believe she could hold down the fort as Carol Danvers. She's only 29 and sure, she'd have to dye her hair or wear a wig but she has continued to take on more roles in Hollywood since she made her big debut in the Twilight series. She has since done End of Watch, Pitch Perfect, and recently Into the Woods. The latter gave Anna Kendrick the opportunity to work with Disney so she likely could have easily met with Marvel. She was also in the running for Agent 13 so Marvel is interested in and familiar with her.

Olivia Wilde
Wilde is a well established actress and at 31, she has the ability to play the actress for at least the next decade. She got into the geek community with her role in Tron: Legacy before switching to some more dramatic roles in In Time and Rush, where she spent most of her screen time with Thor himself Chris Hemsworth. Wilde has never been connected to Marvel or even expressed interest in a superhero role, but at this point who would really say no to Marvel.

Hayden Panettiere
This is a true long shot as Panettiere has not been in a movie in over three years. She currently stars in Nashville but made her mark starring in Heroes. She has the ability, I believe, to be a leading lady and at only 25 there is room for her talents to grow. She is the youngest candidate on our list and may be the most beautiful. As I said, it would be a long shot and I would still be surprised yet happy should this happen.

Bonus- Eden Sher
I know what you're thinking. The geeky sister from The Middle? Yes, she is not a movie star or have the portfolio that the other candidates do but we do know that she had a secret meeting with Marvel a while back. At the time speculation ran wild that she may be up for the role of Jessica Jones but a young Ms Marvel would also make sense. She'd only be 27 once Captain Marvel hits theaters so there is plenty of time for fans to get on board with this decision, should Marvel go in this direction.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 14 Review

After weeks of inhuman and alien plots, Agents of SHIELD took a turn back to its roots of secret missions featuring the return of many recognizable faces. We also met a new enemy for the team as we get closer to finding out where Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Mack (Henry Simmons) place their allegiance.

***** SPOILERS for "Love in the Time of Hydra" to follow *****

"Love in the Time of Hydra," written by Brent Fletcher and directed by Jesse Bochno, sent the characters we have grown to love in three separate directions.

The first was Coulson (Clark Gregg), May (Ming-Na Wen), Skye/Daisy (Chloe Bennet), Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) on the mission of helping Skye understand and control her powers while also deciding what her role should now be within SHIELD. May convinced Coulson to pull Skye off of active duty, which did not go over well her.

Simmons developed new gloves for Skye to wear that are meant to diminish the strength of her powers. This seems to be just the beginning of the transformation that Skye will undergo, which hopefully ends with her looking something like the image on the left.

Speaking of transformations, emotions of the audience went through the roof during a straight to the point confrontation between FitzSimmons. It has been great to see these two come back together and hopefully this conversation will bring them back together and give us more of the witty banter the pair had in Season 1.

The other members of Coulson's team were unable to be apart of these events due to them being with the "Real SHIELD." This version of SHIELD is run by Robert Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) and features one familiar face among their leaders in Agent Weaver (Christine Adams). Their leaders plus Mack and Bobbi try and convince Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) that, just like every evil organization, they are not the enemy.

The "Real SHIELD" is convinced that Coulson is the real problem and he should be the one to blame for the deaths of Isabelle Hartley (Lucy Lawless) and Agent Triplett (B.J. Britt), the transformations of Skye and Raina (Ruth Negga), and much more. Thankfully, Hunter does not agree with them and even hijacks one of the many vehicles on-board their helicarrier to escape.

This episode also featured the return of Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) and Agent 33 (Maya Stojan). Last time we saw the two of them they each had a number of things that needed to heal. Ward was shot three times and Agent 33 had part of her mask and face destroyed so they needed some obvious time to get back to being themselves. They set on a mission to fix Agent 33's face and then kidnap and start to brainwash Sunil Bakshi (Simon Kassianides). The kidnapping means an encounter with General Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) which ends up being quite comical thanks to the inability of Talbot in distinguishing who people really are.

Dalton was a welcome edition to the show after a few weeks of being away and getting to see Grant Ward back in action was a highlight of the episode. Nick Blood also gave a memorable performance as he continued to thwart the attempts of the "Real SHIELD" recruiting him. Hunter has become an increasingly likable the past few weeks which I find to be fascinating given his cold shoulder approach at the beginning of the season.

As the writers make the likes of Hunter and Fitz more likable, they have turned Bobbi and Mack into characters that are hard to be a fan of. Their characters are still interesting but I could not imagine them keeping an actress as high profiled as Adrianne Palicki and have her turn evil, especially given her character's history.

Another highlight recently has been the ability of the writers to find time for the fun and heartfelt conversations between Coulson and Skye. Whether it was Coulson comparing Skye to his beloved car Lola or Skye pleading with Coulson to just be her friend and not a SHIELD Agent during this difficult time in her life, the interactions between the shows main characters are something that the show is based on and needs more of.

A quick shout out is also well deserved for Ming-Na Wen who had to display the regular stone cold perception of May but then also convey the emotion felt by Agent 33 after being "taken in" by Ward.

Agents of SHIELD returns next week with "One Door Closes." Check out the promo for the episode below as the two SHIELDs come face to face!

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Marvel Weekly News #30

The hype machine that is Marvel is hitting on all cylinders recently. This week was full of news about Avengers: Age of Ultron, Daredevil, Agents of SHIELD, Captain America: Civil War, and possibly Guardians of the Galaxy 2. We have a lot of news to get to, so here it is-

Ultron Solo Poster
After spending time promoting the entire Avengers roster, Marvel has turned their attention to the main villain. Early in the week, they released the above solo poster for Ultron. The poster itself is taken directly from some of the footage we have seen from the trailers for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Hell's Kitchen Moving Poster
Marvel also released the above motion poster for Daredevil, which is less than a month away from debuting on Netflix. The poster gives a glimpse of the Avengers Tower in the background and teases the red suit Murdock will eventually suit up in, among much more. Check out the poster above!

Agents of SHIELD EP 13
Agents of SHIELD is continuing a strong second season and has turned the focus squarely on all things not normal. This week's episode had the SHIELD team go head to head with Calvin Zabo and his newly assembled super villain team. Check out our full review here.

D'Onofrio Talks Daredevil
With Daredevil nearing its debut, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), the main villain that Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) will face off with, took to Twitter to answer some fan questions. Read the highlights of the Q&A here.

Agents of SHIELD EP 14 Promo Poster
In a few days, episode 14 of Agents of SHIELD "Love in the Time of Hydra" will debut on ABC as we try and get answers to what Mack and Bobbi are up to. The above poster, which comes from EW, teases what else may happen in the episode that features the return of Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) and Agent 33 (Maya Stojan).

New Age of Ultron TV Spot
Avengers: Age of Ultron is just over a month away and Marvel used March Madness to help promote possibly the biggest movie of the year. The new TV Spot features a lot of new footage which you can see, along with some screenshots, here.

More Heroes Coming to Age of Ultron?
Joss Whedon is the man overseeing the MCU alongside Kevin Feige and also directed The Avengers and the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. He spoke with Marvel this week and hinted that there may be some characters who have yet to be revealed appear in the summer blockbuster. What characters could that be? Carol Danvers has long been rumored to appear so she is an option. Idris Elba, who is confirmed to appear, also said he did a scene with Tom Hiddleston, but Marvel has not confirmed the appearance of Loki. It was also once rumored that a new Guardian, possibly Mantis, and we can never rule out the appearance of either Black Panther or Spider-Man.

Is Adam Warlock on His Way to the MCU?
A smaller story this week was that someone who works for Marvel let it slip that Adam Warlock will be in the MCU sooner rather than later. This information came during an online chat on Marvel Heroes but unfortunately no one was able to get a screenshot of the conversation. One of the top scoop hunters in the business, Latino-Review's Umberto Gonzalez, had this to say about the matter.

@Raccoonatic @TheMCUExchange @CBBrainSplatter I been investigating warlock and you will be pleased with what i discovered. :)
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) March 20, 2015

First Look at Luke Mitchell as Inhuman
As Agents of SHIELD heads farther and farther down the Inhuman path, they will have to keep introducing new Inhumans. Luke Mitchell is the latest man to get cast as an Inhuman named Lincoln. TV Line was able to release the above photo that gives us our first look at Luke Mitchell on Agents of SHIELD.

Age of Ultron Rumors Arise
The rumor mill never stops with comic book movies and especially Marvel ones. This week gave way to a whole bunch of rumors including what the team may look like at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the possible death of a character, and what sides people will take heading into Captain America: Civil War. Read all of the rumors here.

3 Hour Run Time for Age of Ultron?
As this post was being written, Jeremiah Pearce from Comic Book Brain Splatter, found new information hinting towards an almost three hour run time for Avengers: Age of Ultron. The news comes courtesy of a theater chain called Event Cinemas, but it may not be accurate. Ryan Penagos (AgentM) responded on Twitter saying that they have not released the official run time yet. Different sites have had the run time between 140 to 150 minutes so having it be 170 minutes would be amazing.

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Age of Ultron RUMORS- New Team, Death, and Civil War Sides

Today, Superhero News dropped an exclusive scoop about what the Avengers may look like at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. The following information below will contain spoilers for the end of the movie, should it prove to be accurate.

***** POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW *****

According to Superhero News' source, following the final battle with Ultron, Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) will lead and assemble a new Avengers team that will include Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Vision (Paul Bettany).

Recent reports and common sense point to Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to be no shows during Civil War and a possible cameo by Spider-Man could be in the mix as well.

This is not entirely new or surprising information as this has long been the rumored team. The main surprises include no Hawkeye and the inclusion of War Machine. Could this mean that War Machine could side with Captain America in Captain America: Civil War? Well maybe not.

Earlier today, Devin Faraci from Badass Digest ran some information on Captain America: Civil War and some things don't add up. On Twitter, Faraci expanded on some details not in the story saying that War Machine, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) would all side with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). That last piece of information also has conflicting reports.

A few days ago Bleeding Cool ran a scoop that Quicksilver will die at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron but then the likes of Latino-Review, Badass Digest, and more shot down that rumor. Except, at the end of Superhero News' report, they say that Quicksilver will in fact die while protecting a fellow Avenger.

This would certainly be a surprise (if it's true) as it seems odd for Marvel to rid the future of the MCU from a young speedster that they have just introduced. 

Captain America: Civil War is set to start filming at the beginning of April with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Daniel Bruhl confirmed to appear.

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New Age of Ultron TV Spot Shows Lots of New Footage

When many people think of March Madness their minds go to basketball, but Marvel was not about to let basketball steal all of the news cycle. Marvel has released a new TV spot that was filled with lots of new footage.

The new TV spot gave us new looks at all of our heroes and villains, the recruitment of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) to become Avengers, Quicksilver's accent, and lots more.

Check out the TV spot below followed by some screen grabs from the new footage shown.

Thor Hits Captain America's Shield

Maria Hill

Nick Fury sure looks like he is back with a secret organization

Hawkeye and his weapon stash

Captain America's shield magnets

Hulk shows off his roar and his muscles

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Vincent D'Onofrio Talks Daredevil

This afternoon, Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin) took to Twitter to answer questions from fans leading up to the release of Daredevil. The Q&A comes with just over three weeks before the world is able to stream the entire 13 episode series exclusively on Netflix. D'Onofrio, the shows main villain, answered questions on a variety of topics including, his girl Vanessa, the fun of the MCU, and what Fisk is going to be like.

Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:

"@Court_of_Nerds @Daredevil is Vanessa making an appearance? #AskFisk" Oh, yes. She has everything to do with the Fisk origin story.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@OneRealSweetMan Is Fisk a monster?Or just a guy became that way to survive? #AskFisk" That is for the people of #HellsKitchen to decide.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@weiser_david What is the best part of joining the MCU so far? #AskFisk" Opportunity to work with the creative minds of @marvel.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@mister_MORT The Owl, is he an associate? A rival? A pawn? Complicated? #askfisk" I'd love to tell you whole story right now but I can't.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@Thekidfliessolo what's 1 thing that you did specifically to put your stamp on the Kingpin? #AskFisk" To make his emotional life truthful.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@CAllgroot @vincentdonofrio what is it that Wilson Fisk admires most in Daredevil? #AskFisk" He admires his tenacity & his small size. Ha!
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

"@NachooIAm @vincentdonofrio #AskFisk #Daredevil can you summarize Wilson Fisk in three words?" Child and monster.
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

Thanks again everyone #askfisk Can't wait for you to see @Daredevil @netflix @Marvel later V.
— Vincent D'Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) March 18, 2015

Make sure to follow @vincentdonofrio for more #Daredevil news coming soon... #Daredevil #AskFisk
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2015

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Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 13 Review

Now that Agents of SHIELD has returned from its winter break, the focus has turned to the transformation of Skye/Daisy (Chloe Bennet) and the discovery of double agents, again. In the thirteenth episode of the season "One of Us," Calvin Zabo (Kyle MacLachlan) assembles his own team of super powered people to help him seek revenge on SHIELD.

"One of Us", written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Kevin Tancharoen, introduced us to a handful of new baddies that Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the rest of his (dwindling) team will have to face.

***** SPOILERS for "One of Us" to follow *****

Zabo organizes a team that includes newcomers such as a lady with razor blades for fingernails in Karla Faye Gideon (Drea de Matteo), a man with super strength in Francis Noche (Geo Corvera), a tech genius in Wendell Levi (Ric Sarabia), and later a man with a deathly scream in David Angar (Jeff Phillips).

Coulson and Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) go off together to hunt down this team of super villains, while Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) recruits her ex-husband Dr. Andrew Garner (Blair Underwood) to help Skye deal with her new abilities.

The super villain team lures Coulson and Mockingbird back to his hometown for a big showdown, but Coulson arrives short handed. Skye is unavailable due to safety reasons, Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are not reliable field agents, and Mack (Henry Simmons) has kidnapped Hunter (Nick Blood) in order to preserve the secret that he and Mockingbird are hiding.

Just as the showdown is about to begin, Gordon (Jamie Harris) steps in and takes Zabo away before any real harm can be done. The team takes down the remaining villains in typical SHIELD fashion but the battle ended yet again with them worrying about Skye.

We were all lead to believe that Skye had been getting a handle on her abilities and stopping the shaking from happening, but as it turns out, she has only been harming herself. Instead of stopping the quaking, Skye has been internalizing the effects which has caused her arms to become severely bruised and for hundreds of hairline fractures to develop throughout her body.

The episode ends with Mack taking Hunter to the place that will reveal what side him and Mockingbird are on. What side is that? According to Mack, it's the "real SHIELD." We will be finding out more about the "real SHIELD" in the coming weeks and find out exactly what Mack and Bobbi are up to.

The episode itself was good and pickup a lot near the end after a slow first half. Blair Underwood was great as May's ex-husband and the scenes with him and Skye are fantastic. The special effects were once again far and above anything we saw in season 1 and shows the commitment by Marvel to give the show the budget it needs to make the VFX as close to movie quality as they can.

Check out a preview for episode 14 "Love in the Time of Hydra" below!

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Marvel Weekly News #29

The Marvel universe is always expanding and this week we got news on many of the different properties that will soon be in the Marvel cinematic universe. Whether it was casting for Spider-Man, Daredevil or Agents of SHIELD, a trailer for Daredevil, or new images from AKA Jessica Jones or Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was a lot of news that we will breakdown below! Also be sure to check out an interesting story on the site where we talk about Possible Ant-Man Connections.

Marvel Going Young for Spider-Man
The casting process to be the next Spider-Man is currently underway according to reports but this week, Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) tweeted out that Marvel and Sony are looking for someone who can pass as a 15 year old. He also said that fan favorites Dylan O'Brien and Logan Lerman will both not be getting the part unfortunately. Lerman was my top choice but now it appears that they could be too old for what Marvel and Sony are looking for.

Marvel Studios Not Attending Comic-Con
A surprising story that came out this week thanks to a James Gunn Q&A. The MCU Exchange searched through the information and found a response where Gunn said that he will likely not be at Comic-Con because Marvel Studios is not planning on attending. This is surprising but ultimately, Marvel fans would be disappointed by the lack of announcements Marvel made. Could the Doctor Strange cast be a big enough draw to steal some of DC's thunder? I doubt it.

Woodley Still Interested in Mary Jane
When Sony was casting for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony cast Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane. Woodley filmed a few scenes for the film but they were cut during the editing process. Now that the reboot is happening the role for Mary Jane will probably become available again, and thanks to an interview with Clevver Movies, we know that Woodley is still interested.

New Daredevil Trailer
We are now less than a month away from the release of Daredevil on Netflix and this week, we got our first real trailer for the show. You can see the trailer and some screenshots in our entire post.

Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 12 Review
Agents of SHIELD has returned from its winter break and it is continuing a strong start. With the return of Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), the team uncover Skye's secret while Bobbi and Mack continue to hide something. Check out our full review of the episode and a preview for episode 13 here.

Set Photos from AKA Jessica Jones
During the middle of the week, new photos emerged from the New York set of AKA Jessica Jones featuring our leading lady Jessica Jones herself, Krysten Ritter. Check out a few of the photos here.

Six More Cast in Daredevil
With Daredevil closing in on its release and a new trailer, Marvel decided to unveil some more supporting characters for the show. The new additions are all villains that Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) will have to battle at some point during the first season. Get more information on the new additions here.

The Twins Get Solo Age of Ultron Posters
After last week, we expected that Marvel would release character posters for all of the main characters in Avengers: Age of Ultron. This week, Marvel finally decided to show off two of the newer additions in Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Check out the posters here.

Lucy Lawless Returning to Agents of SHIELD
Marvel has announced that Lucy Lawless will return in episode 15 "One Door Closes," which premieres March 31st. This means she will be appearing in some type of flashback scene most likely due to her unfortunate and surprising fate in the season 2 premiere.

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Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver Get Solo Posters

To our surprise, this morning Yahoo was able to exclusively reveal solo Avengers: Age of Ultron posters for Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson). This comes about a week after Marvel revealed solo posters for the core Avengers cast, check out Thor, Black Widow, Fury, and Hulk's posters at the links.

Below are the solo character posters for each of the super powered twins.

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What are Bobbi and Mack Up to in Agents of SHIELD?

Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD has been a crazy ride. The inhuman story has been at the forefront of this season but there has been a very interesting secondary plot forming the past few weeks. Back in episode 9 "Ye Who Enter Here," Bobbi Morse (Adrianne Palicki) and Mack (Henry Simmons) revealed that they have another agenda and that their loyalties may not entirely lie with SHIELD.

The two have been snooping around SHIELD headquarters and scanning Director Coulson's for information. During "Who You Really Are," Bobbi, also known as Mockingbird, and Mack encounter Vin-Tak, a Kree warrior, and are instantly overpowered. Their lack of strength brings them to wonder if they should call for backup, and they don't mean more SHIELD agents.

Mockingbird and Mack have debated on bringing Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) into the fold but Mack has been opposed to this idea. Based on upcoming episode synopsis's it appears that we could get an answer on what is going on in the next few weeks. But who wants to wait that long? Not me. So I thought I'd share my theory on how things might turn out.

I've been thinking about what the two newcomers could be up to and this is basically what we have to go on- They have both been with SHIELD for some time, with Mockingbird taking time to pose as HYDRA. Luckily, they are not HYDRA but they do know how it feels to find out close friends are not who they said they were. They are both highly trained in fighting and have past ties to Hunter.

I have come to the belief that Hunter may actually be the key to it all. A quick Google search or Marvel comic knowledge about Lance Hunter and maybe you know where I'm going. Are Bobbi and Mack actually part of another secret intelligence organization?

In Marvel comic history, Hunter eventually becomes the Director of STRIKE, Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies. STRIKE is basically the British version of SHIELD but the two have worked together countless times.

It seems likely that Hunter will eventually be brought on board to Mack and Bobbi's plan and if they are members of STRIKE, then it could be starting Hunter down the path of ultimately reaching his role in the comics. Bringing another friendly organization into the mix could prove to be helpful, especially with a lot of villains on the way.

Hunter is on to the two of them and it is only a matter of time before this becomes a big enough problem that Mack can't just sleeper hold out of. This will be an interesting subplot for the rest of season 2 and maybe a bigger plot line in the future of Agents of SHIELD.

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