Marvel Weekly News #13

This week we got news on a Guardians of the Galaxy rumor, the filming status of Ant-Man, another new episode of Agents of SHIELD, confirmation on the mystery alien from Agents of SHIELD, and the potential casting list for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

Beta Ray Bill in Guardians?

Guardians of the Galaxy is nearing its release on Blu-Ray and DVD and James Gunn is making the press rounds to talk once again about the film. In an interview with Collider, Gunn was asked about whether or not the image on the left is Beta Ray Bill in The Collector's warehouse. Unfortunately for fans, Gunn confirmed that it is definitely not Beta Ray Bill.

Evangeline Lilly wraps up Ant-Man

Ant-Man is nearing the end of filming. Last week we learned that Michael Douglas has finished filming his part for the movie. While doing press for her new book, Lilly confirmed that she has also finished filming her scenes.

Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 8

Season 2 is nearing its winter break for Agents of SHIELD. Episode 8 debuted this week and continued the strong output for the season. You can read our full review of the episode here.

Mystery Alien Origin

During the first season of Agents of SHIELD, we learned that the GH325 serum was a product of a mysterious blue alien. During an interview this week with TV Guide, Executive Producer Jeffrey Bell revealed what race the alien was. We will learn more about the alien in two weeks on Agents of SHIELD but for now, if you want to know the origin, keep reading.

Still reading? Well the alien has been confirmed to be of Kree alien!

Jessica Jones and Luke Cage Wish List

Marvel is gearing up to continue its Netflix series with AKA Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Deadline reported this week that they got news of potential casting choices for the two superheroes for Marvel. For the lead in Jessica Jones, Marvel is reportedly looking at Krysten Ritter, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, Jessica De Gouw, and Marin Ireland. For the lead in Luke Cage, Marvel is reportedly looking at Lance Gross, Mike Colter, and Cleo Anthony.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 2 EP 7 Review

Season 2 has been drastically different than season 1 of Agents of SHIELD. It not only moved back an hour, but also has added a gritty tone, added new cast members, and turned one of the fan favorite characters into a villain. All these changes have benefited the show greatly.

***** SPOILERS for "The Writing on the Wall" to follow *****

In this week's episode "The Writing on the Wall," Coulson and Skye hunt down a crazy killer connected to Coulson's past while the rest of the team tracks down Grant Ward.

Coulson's journey since he died in Avengers has been a wild ride but as Agents of SHIELD progresses, we are getting closer and closer to discovering the permanent effects the GH325 serum will have. In this episode, Coulson goes back into the memory machine to uncover who else might have been injected.

We find out that before the TAHITI Project was shut down, Coulson experimented with the alien DNA, which is over 1,000 years old, on 6 volunteers. When Coulson chases down one of the lone members of the program still alive, he gets into a situation that proves to be painful but worth the pain.

During the fight with the Sebastian Derrick, they both realize what the markings finally are. It's a city. Now the team will look for the mystery city and see what awaits them there.

As Coulson discovered the meaning behind the markings, Grant Ward delivered Dr. Whitehall's right hand man Bakshi to his former team. Now, a clean shaven Ward is on a mission to track down his brother.

"The Writing on the Wall" continued strong elements that season 2 of Agents of SHIELD has been demonstrating. This episode gave each character a direct purpose and did a great job balancing who got screen time. All the characters felt necessary to the story at hand and the continued bromance between Mack and Fitz is excellent. 

Agents of SHIELD returns next week at 9 pm EST on ABC for episode 8 of season 2 "The Things We Bury." Watch the preview for next week's episode below as the team comes face to face with HYDRA.

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10 Burning Questions Heading Into Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD

Season 1 of Agents of SHIELD is officially in the books. The 22 episode season had many twists and turns and came into its own following a tie in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier that changed the series. The writers and producers did a decent job answering questions that were brought up in this series, but there are also many questions they still need to answer. Thankfully Agents of SHIELD was picked up for a second season that will debut in the fall at 9 p.m. on ABC. The second season will give the fans a chance to get some of their questions answered. Here is a list of 10 questions season 2 of Agents of SHIELD needs to answer-

***** SPOILERS for season 1 of Agents of SHIELD to follow *****

1) What is Skye's Real Name?

In the pilot episode of Agents of SHIELD, Skye is helping Mike Peterson erase his identity. She states that this is not the first time she has done this before. Later in the season, she is interviewed by Eric Koenig and when he asks if that is her real name, she replies that's her self-given name. Season 2 needs to give us insight into Skye's past more as they have laid many different seeds as to just who or what she might be. Her real name could prove to have a high impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many, including yours truly, thinking she could/will become Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel.

2) Who/What are Skye's Parents?

Early on in the series, mysteries surrounding Skye's parents and her upbringing came into question. SHIELD had restricted all files about Skye's parents but it was later revealed that the people that were protecting Skye were killed by "monsters" and died keeping Skye alive. The agents protecting Skye deemed her an 0-8-4, an object of unknown origins. Raina, who will be discussed later, is apparently in contact with Skye's father, bloody hand and all. Season 2 seems poised to deal with her parents as Skye's father should comes to the forefront to find his long lost daughter.

3) What Makes Raina Special?

Ever since Raina and her flower dresses showed up in Agents of SHIELD something about her has seemed "off". Raina is drawn to people with special abilities whether that was Scorch, Garrett, Deathlok, or Skye. She even had to use the same machine she used to torture Coulson at some point in her past. When talking with Garrett in the season finale, Raina asks him, "What will I become?" Viewers do not get to see Garrett's answer but a popular theory on "Flowers" is that she could be an Inhuman, a group of genetically enhanced beings operated on by the Kree long ago. Whether or not Raina is or could be an Inhuman or another type of alien, will need to be answered in season 2.

4) Will Fitz Ever be the Same?

Fitz became a fan favorite quickly and his future on the show will be a big question on fans minds till season 2 starts. As we all know, Fitz's brain was without oxygen for quite some time trying to save himself and Simmons. Simmons reiterates that while Fitz is alive, something is wrong with him. Since  that is one of the biggest cliffhangers the show left us with, it should be dealt with early on in season 2. Unfortunately, it does not seem like he will be the same Fitz fans grew to know and love. But who knows, with everything SHIELD has or had at it's disposal, Fitz could turn out to be just fine after all.

5) Is Coulson Unraveling?

Coulson is still angry about what happened and Nick Fury did a really good job not answering any questions fans and Coulson had. The one thing that Fury said that stood out was that Coulson is not "special." The reason Fury saved his life is because he is one of the few people that Fury trusts. Fury even went as far as to say that Coulson was an Avenger. Now whether that means he just views him as part of the team or is a foreshadowing of what's to come (Captain Marvel anyone?) remains to be seen. What we do know is that Coulson was injected with GH 325 to save his life, the same stuff Skye and Garrett got injected with. Skye seems fine but Garrett went a little crazy in the eyes of many. Coulson might be heading down the crazy path too. The final scene of the season is him copying down an alien formula of some sorts. What exactly that formula is remains to be seen and brings us nicely into our next question.

6) What is the Alien Formula?

This formula was first shown in episode 4 ("Eye-Spy"). The team used the robotic eye technology to send Ward on a mission meant for Akela Amador. Once Ward got to his final destination, he gazed upon a wall with bizarre markings on it. You can view that formula here. We have no clues on what that could be but it is believed to be of alien origin and either a formula, equation, or maybe coordinates. We will have to wait for season 2 to find out.

7) What was the Blue Alien?

The blue alien shown in episode 14 ("T.A.H.I.T.I.") is still an 0-8-4 as far as we know. Rumors have circled that is a Kree, even Chloe Bennett might have confirmed it. It has markings similar to ones of aliens seen in Guardians of the Galaxy so that movie could prove to shed a lot of light on this situation. What kind of alien this is will determine the futures of not only Coulson but also Skye.

8) Is Koenig a L.M.D.?

One of the more surprising scenes of the final was the return of Patton Oswalt. Weirdly enough, he did not return as Eric Koenig but as Billy Koenig. The first thing that my mind went to was Koenig being a L.ife M.odel D.ecoy. The L.M.D.'s were first brought into the thoughts of fans in the Avengers when Tony Stark answers Coulson's call but says that he is not Tony Stark and just a Life Model Decoy. Koenig being a L.M.D. seems the most likely answer as it would allow SHIELD to operate many bases with the same man.

9) What happened to all their villains?

Now this is not a huge question and one that is always likely to happen in finales. Over the course of the season Marvel made many villains for the team to battle. Their biggest, John Garrett, is now dead, but many of his creations and followers are still out there. Deathlok is now free and has set out to right his wrongs but there are many other people whose whereabouts are unknown. Ian Quinn and Raina left The Bus together along with the case of Gravitonium. As to where they went, we don't know but they unknowingly brought along another teased villain. In episode 3 ("The Asset") Dr. Franklin Hall falls into the Gravitonium but manages to survive. This teases his eventual transformation into "Graviton." These 3, along with Raina's connection to Skye's father could prove to be a deadly group. There is one more mystery person. Donnie Gill. Gill was introduced in episode 12 ("Seeds") where he created a machine for Ian Quinn that could generate storms. When he tried to turn it off, he got struck by lighting and was given frost/freezing powers. He will eventually become a villain known as "Blizzard". He went into SHIELD custody but where exactly he went is unknown. His future and whereabouts, along with those of Raina, Deathlok, Quinn, and Graviton, will hopefully be addressed in season 2.

10) Can Coulson truly rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.?

The happiest moment of the season possibly was Fury giving him the task of rebuilding SHIELD with the help of "The Toolbox". The Toolbox is a little black box that contains information to help Coulson rebuild SHIELD. Coulson has many friends capable of helping him do this whether it is Melinda May, Maria Hill, Tony Stark, or Steve Rogers. All 4 of these people along with Director Coulson, would form a very good core for SHIELD to revolve around. It will be a tough task for Coulson to rebuild a secret organization the world views as one built on terrorism. Coulson now holds a big key to the future of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. First he needs to go inform his fellow Avengers that he is in fact still alive, even if not all there. With them by his side, SHIELD will be able to rebuild and form many new allies.

     

Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Skye, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Billy Koenig, and Antoine Triplett will be back for Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD in the fall of 2014.

Share your thoughts, questions, and answers on season 1 in the comments below! 

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Agents of SHIELD Season 1 Finale Review

 It's over. Not forever thank goodness as Marvel and ABC announced that season 2 of Agents of SHIELD will kick off in the fall, but season 1 is now officially over. Through all of it's highs and lows, Agents of SHIELD has turned itself into a quality television show. Ratings were not where Marvel wanted which prompted them to push back the time slot next season to 9 pm. "End of the Beginning" finished the season strong and had many great moments

***** SPOILERS for season 1 of Agents of SHIELD to follow *****

"End of the Beginning" delivered on every front fans could want. It had a great story. It had great one liners. It had great action scenes. It had a lot of emotion. It had a big time cameo. It gave us fans a lot of things to think about.

One of the first things we see from the season finale is John Garrett sketching that at first looks like gibber jabber, but when we get a closer look, it is actually very familiar. Garrett is copying down what is believed to be some type of alien formula or equation. Now that Garrett has GH 325 flowing through him as well as the centipede formula and Cybertek gear, he feels one with the universe. The formula is not something small, and even though it is still a mystery as to what exactly it is, it looks like it could play a big part in season 2. 

Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons try to rescue themselves from the bottom of the ocean and Fitz is willing to do it at all costs. In his plan to rescue them, he gives up his chance at surviving. Luckily, once Simmons pulls herself and him to the surface, a friendly face appears. Nick Fury. 

The rest of the team is busy stealing armored trucks, blowing holes in walls, and breaking into Cybertek for a showdown with Deathlok, Ward, and Garrett. Ward thinks Garrett is losing his mind and confides in Raina where she tells him to get the one thing he cares about, Skye. Raina says she is important to the evolution of the world and that Ward, a monster, and Skye, whose parents are "monsters", are not that different.

When Ward goes to get Skye, she delivers many one liners and sets up an amazing fight sequence between May and Ward, where May is the victor. Coulson is trying to take down Garrett when Fury show up. Garrett calls it the first tag-team fight between 4 dead guys, which prompts Coulson to say, "I only see one." Thanks to Skye's ability to deliver a message to Deathlok, he turns on his master and shoots a rocket right at Garrett, seemingly killing him. Ward gets taken into custody where Coulson says he will find new ways to make his life miserable.

Skye lets Deathlok walk away free but he knows SHIELD, or what's left of it, will monitor his actions. Coulson finally gets his yelling session with Fury where we still don't get many answers thanks to a wonderful surprise from Fury. He hands Coulson a little black box that holds the key to rebuilding SHIELD. Director Coulson, weird to say, is now the overseer of SHIELD and will rebuild it slowly and from the ground up. Fury, meanwhile, states nobody will see him for quite some time.

In one of the craziest scenes of the episode, the believed to be dead John Garrett, kills the people guarding him and drags his body to a machine that equips him with brand new Cybertek gear. With the audiences jaws dropped and Garrett poised to be back for season 2, Coulson destroys him using the 0-8-4 from episode 2. As the team takes off, they head to the first coordinates found in the black box, where they are met by a familiar face. Simmons shows up outside The Bus and is greeted with hugs from the rest of the team. With Fitz not by her side, the team asks questions leading to an uncertain future on how/if Fitz will recover. 

Another familiar face, or maybe not so much, appears after. Agent Koenig. But this time not Eric Koenig, Billy Koenig. Billy Koenig, played by Patton Oswalt, could have a mysterious origin. Is he a life model decoy? Is he a clone? Is he a twin? Only season 2 can answer those questions.

As far as what to expect for season 2 of Agents of SHIELD, the last few minutes plant a couple HUGE seeds. The first is Raina handing a picture of Skye to a person in a dark room with bloody hands. Raina tells this person that she has found their daughter. Raina has previously mentioned Skye's parents being monsters, so just what kind of monster will be a big question on fans minds till next fall. The second seed, and the final scene for season, involves Coulson. Coulson sees the alien formula/equation that Garrett sketched and walks to a near by wall with a knife. He then starts making the same markings as Garrett, leaving us with questions on his sanity. 

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Agents of SHIELD Season 1 EP 21 Review

It's hard to believe the first season of Agents of SHIELD is almost done. It has been a roller coaster of a ride and Marvel's previous promotion "It's All Connected" showed just how connected everything is in this episode. In an episode where half of the time was spent as flashbacks to Ward growing up as an undercover Hydra agent, the story and flow was not as good as past episodes. This episode however had to deal with setting up one heck of a season finale. One that will see Coulson and a much more powerful Garrett go head to head among many other confrontations

***** SPOILERS for "Ragtag" to follow. *****

"Ragtag" starts off with the first meeting between Ward and Garrett. The episodes there relationship evolve throughout a series of years. Garrett broke Ward out of prison, left him in the wild, and taught him how to shoot and survive. Garrett even gets Ward into SHIELD's program but makes him also become a double agent.

When we see Garrett in the present time, he talks to Raina about the project she's been working on. She had so far been unsuccessful in replicating a GH serum that would create the same results as the GH 325 that was injected in Coulson and Skye, but when she tells Garrett she thinks she made one, he says he's been chasing "this" for 25 years.

When Raina tells Ward about the serum, she also reveals something she discovered. She looked through the hard drive and found all of the files Skye was looking at, and when she looked into them, she found something. The stories of Skye's past match up with something Raina heard long ago. A story of a baby and how everything and everybody protecting her were killed by "monsters". Those "monsters", Raina explains, were the baby's parents. This brings into question Skye's past even more and hopefully we learn in the season finale what kind of "monsters" Skye's parents were/are.

Meanwhile, the team goes undercover at Cybertek to try and get some answers. Thanks to some old Howling Commando gear courtesy of Triplett, the team uncovers some old files on the Deathlok project. We found out earlier in the season that Garrett also has Cybertek technology in him. That is because Garrett had the Deathlok operation done to him long ago.

Unfortunately for Garrett, he is dying. He has the Centipede serum flowing through him but that has not been enough to make him fully recover. According to his doctors, he only has a month or so to live. That is why he needs Raina's new serum so that it will regenerate his cells. With the team watching Garrett, Ward captures Fitz and Simmons. Fitz tricks Ward into triggering an old EMP which electrocutes Garrett. This causes Garrett's technology to malfunction. When Raina injects Garrett with her new GH serum, it ends working and Garrett says he can "feel the universe." 

The final setup for the season finale features Ian Quinn talking to high up army officers. His pitch? Sell them an army of 1,000 with his combination of technology. The team meanwhile, found Garrett's old base, and when they find a computer to install their "Trojan Horse" virus, the base goes dark. Then the Asgardian staff, from "The Well", lights up the hands of what is most likely a Hydra agent along with multiple red lights. Looks like Coulson and the team are going to have their hands full next week.

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