Samuel L. Jackson Says S.H.I.E.L.D Will Return To The MCU

It has been over two years now since the release of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ saw S.H.I.E.L.D fall at the hands of Hydra, forever branded as a terrorist organisation. Well maybe not quite forever.

In an interview with ComingSoon.net for ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson, weighed in on Shield’s place in the franchise and whether there is ever a way it could come back.

“Yeah! For sure, definitely. Why wouldn’t there be? There’s some way of fixing what they created, and hopefully somebody has that going on or Nick Fury is out there — wherever he is, probably hanging out with Jules and walking the world — figuring out what happened and how it got to that particular place. Maybe they’ll find out that all that was part of a ruse to get to something else also. That would be great. They’ll bring me back somehow, some way, for some reason. I mean, they didn’t have me around to referee the kids when they didn’t go to their rooms and got in this big old fight. We’ll see what happens.”

Seems pretty likely then. This also lines up with ongoing events in ‘Agents of Shield’, as the latest episode saw Coulson and the new Director attempting to secure Shield’s place in the world as a legitimate organisation again. In any case, I’m sure we’ll find out once ‘Infinity War’ rolls around.

 

Fear The Walking Dead SN2 EP13- ‘Date of Death’

A somewhat subdued outing set the pieces in motion for a climactic finale.

We’ve been waiting a while now to see just how the Chris and Travis storyline would culminate, and boy did it deliver. The two have had a rather limited amount of screentime this half season, with the gaps between their focused episodes draining them of much tension. Through trailers and general common sense, we basically knew how the story was going to end for the two of them, so to drag it out wasn’t really the best idea. Still, what we were given this episode was brilliant.

It’s always interesting seeing how different characters adapt to the world around them. Sure Chris is annoying, crazy and downright dangerous, but he’s also probably one of the few people that’ll last a significant amount of time in this world. Travis’ policy of not harming other people however is something he’s going to have to get over soon or he’ll just be another dead guy. What was so great about their story here then, was that the ‘right thing’ to do wasn’t obvious. The farmer was obviously dangerous and could’ve easily killed them, but at the same time, they were trespassing on his land and he had every right to threaten them. So whilst the justification behind Chris’s actions is ultimately murky, it was his attitude afterwards that showed how dangerous he had become.

He showed no remorse whatsoever for killing the farmer, a fact that understandably haunted Travis and set them both on a new path. I believe it’s part of the reason Chris is so hated by audiences. With some of the characters in ‘The Walking Dead’ it is the same situation, however that’s been built up through six seasons, so their stance feels earned. Chris on the other hand is just a stone cold psychopath, so to see his transformation occur so abruptly alienates him from the viewer. At the other extreme, Travis is being rather stupid in his approach to the apocalypse. It was great to see him take charge and try to save one of Chris’ new ‘friends’, as before he seemed to have lost all backbone, never really taking charge. This was followed up though by him sticking rather unsafely by his morals. As he said himself later in the episode, he could have played along, but his strict moral code is placing him in unnecessary danger. And just ask Dale, Herschel or Tyreese, being the moral compass is not a good position to be in.

The story culminated in some heated arguments, and Travis (rather half-heartedly I thought) trying to persuade Chris not to go with his newfound friends. That was minus one of course since they shot the other guy in the head, aided by Chris. He has truly gone off the deep end now, and although this guy may have been dead weight, killing him just wasn’t necessary. This episode worked perfectly to wipe out all doubt about Chris’s current state of mind, setting him and his new group up to be the perfect villains for the finale. This was only supported by the fact that at least two of them turned up at the hotel by episode’s end. Chris may or may not be among them, but no doubt they’ll cause trouble regardless.

Though that is of course all thanks to Maddison. Turning on the hotel power at night was one of the most bone headed desperate moves by her to find Nick on the show to date. Her obsession to protect Nick seems to go beyond just motherly love, feeling tied to how she views herself as a successful person, and this was a clear example of how her current attitude could easily see her die. In that respect, her and Travis are equals. Their love for their children comes at a detriment to their safety and as a result, the safety of characters we really care about, *cough cough* Alicia and Strand *cough cough*. So whilst what she did brought Travis back to her, it also brought a whole lotta trouble in the form of other survivors. These weren’t dangerous survivors per se, just desperate for a safe place to be. However, in opening the doors to them, they opened themselves up to being extremely vulnerable. It played right into the theme of right and wrong that this series is so excellent at playing with, only in this case, the answer was already very clear.

Of course even in a quieter episode there are lots of things to see, so other highlights include:

• I don’t think we ever did before, but we now have a definitive time for when ‘The Walking Dead’ TV universe is set, that being 2010. It makes sense given that was the start date of the main series, but it was never clear, especially given the phones and such we saw characters using in ‘Fear’ Season 1.

• That farmer guy was big on family photos wasn’t he? I get the need to make us feel bad for this guy, but I think they went a bit overboard.

• Alicia’s dad’s suicide note was harsh: “I love you all, but enough is enough.” Ouch.

• Alicia and Maddison sort of made up this episode, which I can’t say I’m a fan of. There’s so much potential there for Alicia to grow as a character by breaking away from her mother a bit, as I feel at the moment Maddison is holding her back.

• The structure was a bit odd again this episode. It was mostly contained to Chris and Travis which was great, and the opening with Travis reaching the Hotel made sense, but there were one too many scenes at the Hotel that detracted from the tension of the more important story.

So another episode of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ comes to a close, and now everything is set in place for what promises to be a climactic finale. This episode may not have been as exciting as prior instalments, but it brought much needed closure to a good storyline that suffered from being unnecessarily dragged out. The last two episodes are airing back to back next week, promising a crazy end to the season, but with various characters still scattered about, will they ever find each other again? And more importantly who will survive?

The Walking Dead Season 7: Character Portraits And New Promo

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 premiere is just one month away, and AMC is marking the occasion with another huge marketing push. At this point I don’t know whether ‘The Walking Dead’ needs promoting, especially with attention at an all time high as people wait in anticipation to discover just who Negan killed.

Well with these new character portraits, you can have a quick refreshers course on just who’s left in the principle cast. Each character comes with a black and white portrait, as well as a stark red close-up. Some also have an additional image of the pictures imposed over one another. The red is very clearly hinting at the danger each character currently faces, whilst with Negan it’s just another way to show how crazy he is.

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The images were posted all over the internet, from IGN to Tumblr to who knows where, sending me on an hours long scavenger hunt to collate them all for you awesome Skatronixxx readers. As a result, links to only some of the original postings are listed below, but I’m unsure of where every image came from:

• EW
• Variety
• IGN
• TV Guide
• CBR
• Yahoo TV
• Comicbook

In addition to that enormous amount of images, AMC also released a new promo heavily featuring Ezekiel and The Kingdom. From what the trailer showed, it looks like all is not going to be straightforward there either, but when your leader is a self-proclaimed king with a pet Tiger, things are bound to be weird.

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 premieres Sunday, October 23rd 9pm on AMC in the US, and Monday, October 24th 9pm on Fox in the UK.

 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D SN4 EP01- ‘The Ghost’

Ghost rider made his fiery debut in a spectacular episode that flipped the status-quo yet again.

Photo Credit: Marvel/ABC

Agents of Shield is back, and it’s back with a vengeance. After what felt like a very intimate Season 3, very much focused on threats the Agents had created for themselves, the opening episode for Season 4 makes its position known straight away. It’s going to be bigger, better and bolder.

The new direction the show is going in, is in no small part thanks to its later timeslot. Sure we all panicked when that move was initially announced, worrying it spelled doom for the show (it still could), but just from one episode you can tell the show has benefitted greatly from it. The brilliant opening scene said it all. The use of flames to shroud Ghost Rider’s initial appearance in mystery made him extremely menacing, a feeling amplified as blood spattered about the scene. This was just the first instance of the merits of the new timeslot. Increased gore, so long as it isn’t gratuitous, adds to the sense of gritty realism the show has been perfecting throughout its run. Somehow, the past has seen a multitude of melting and disintegrating bodies, as well as a character’s head being peeled open, but blood has been weirdly absent. I don’t know the specifics of what can be shown when on TV, but it’s nice to see the show lose some restraints.

What was most surprising about this episode was just how much it disturbed the status quo…again. We’ve seen this happen time and again, but the one constant was that the team was (usually) all together. Not now though. The team has splintered as a result of the meddling new Director, who’s no doubt going to be a thorn in our sides all season, and as such the relationships carefully crafted over 3 seasons are fracturing, secrecy and mistrust poisoning them. This is most clear with Simmons’ new position as ‘Scientific Advisor to the Director’. Though she says she’s trying to remain in control of things, her close position to a man clearly intent on keeping the old group apart makes her hard to trust. Neither May nor Fitz trust her with pretty big secrets, whilst I’m certain Coulson would’ve told Fitz about Daisy had Simmons not been with him. It’s a situation that will no doubt cause drama throughout the season, and it’s exciting because it’s not really something the show has done before. Coulson never had to deal with procedure so much with Nick Fury as his best friend, so to have someone so close to him instigating rules he doesn’t necessarily agree with will be a big issue for him.

The show did a lot of world building this episode, introducing us to several new characters, whilst providing tantalising updates on existing ones. After a full episode focusing on them last season, The Watchdogs sort of fizzled away until Hive used them as Guinea Pigs. Now it seems they’re controlling half the criminal underworld, possibly in line to be the season’s next big bad. I say possibly because there are several contenders for that position. Ghost Rider is clearly going to be a target for Shield, but probably the most exciting reveal to come from the episode was that SHIELD is going all in on the supernatural this season, with what looks to be an actual ghost. It’s still unclear exactly what she makes people do, but given she’s now on the loose, and the fact that May has been affected by her means it likely won’t be long before we find out.

The highlight of the episode though was the fight between Ghost Rider and Daisy. Before the two sussed one another out, there seemed to be a few sparks flying, specifically from Robbie, but this was soon eclipsed by the fight. The full reveal of Ghost Rider is something we’ve been waiting to see since he was announced. Many wider Marvel fans scoffed at the idea of Ghost Rider being one justice on a TV budget, but these are likely people who stopped watching close to the beginning when the VFX were still evolving with the show. Since then we’ve been subject to some real visual treats, such as the Hive reveal, and the aforementioned melting bodies. The visuals did an excellent job at conveying the pain behind Robbie’s transformation. His skin is burning right off, and the look in his eyes expertly signalled how painful the process was for him. With the transformation complete, it was impossible even for non-believers to scoff at what they had seen. Everything from the billowing flames to the movement of the skull was expert, and left me eager to see more. What’s nice is that he also posed a true danger to Daisy. Other than when she first received them, we’ve never really seen Daisy drained by her powers, so it being brought up here will likely factor into her return to Shield. However even with the injuries, Ghost Rider was presented as a truly formidable threat.

The look into Daisy’s psyche in general was good. There has been much speculation as to why she left Shield. It was clear it had something to do with Lincoln’s death, but to learn she severed all ties so that she had nothing else to lose was heart breaking. Shield is family to her, so for her to reach a point where she can no longer face them speaks to the effects of last season upon her. In fact, the effects of last season lingered throughout the episode. Not only the Sokovia Accords, but the deaths of Lincoln and Andrew have made such an impact, that the smartest guy on the team is risking everything to build an intelligence that is bound to go rogue. That being said, Shield does a brilliant job at subverting our expectations, so I’m confident that the Aida subplot won’t follow traditional AI story structure.

S.H.I.E.L.D Zephyr One Report Log_Events of Interest and Enquiry:

• The chemistry between Mack and Yo-Yo has always been fun, but it really stood out this episode. It felt like Yo-Yo has become much more free spirited, whilst Mack has returned to his roots as a stickler for the rules.

• The rapport between Fitz and Dr Radcliffe continues to be one of the strongest elements of the show.

• Speaking of Dr Radcliffe and Yo-Yo, I hope their significant presence within the premiere is an indication that they will be around a lot for this season.

• Agent Piper returned! No big ass gun this time, but hopefully we’ll see her more often as well.

• Loved hearing Aida say she’d be a Shield. Given how alive she is no doubt that will ignite debates of morality.

• Got a glimpse of the relationship between Robbie and his brother, but not enough on either of them yet really to justify what he’s doing. Which is fine, as at the moment the show is painting him to be more of a villain.

• Have I seen the hula girl ornament that was on Daisy’s dashboard before? It rings a bell but I’m just not sure.

Overall this was a fantastic premiere episode for ‘Agents of Shield’s’ 4^th season. Ghost Rider was the main concern going into this, but the visuals were stellar, making him a mix of awe inspiring and just plain formidable. After so long together it was somewhat jarring to see the team so splintered, but at the same time makes sense to push us and them into unfamiliar territory. It will be interesting to see how the team dynamics play out with this newfound level of secrecy amongst them all. With some unexpected surprises and tantalising teases displayed, you can bet that this season is gonna be on fire.

Fear The Walking Dead SN2 EP12- ‘Pillar of Salt’

The plot started moving forward in significant ways during an overstuffed episode.

After an action packed episode last week, it was a given really that this week would be a somewhat calmer affair. That turned out to be simultaneously true an untrue. There was no big, crazy action set piece as there was in the previous episode, but a number of smaller moments kept the tension high. This episode suffered however for two notable reasons, one of which has plagued it in past weeks.

The first reason is that the episode was just too full. With the group as disjointed as they are, we now have multiple running storylines. This episode once again kept much of the focus upon the groups at the Hotel and Colonia, but in addition we have Ofelia off doing her thing, and from the looks of the end of the episode it seems Chris and Travis have split up as well. If the show continues to check in with each of them, that means we’ll have five different storylines to keep a track of. As a result, some aren’t getting the service they deserve.

Take Ofelia’s story. She disappears for a couple weeks, which is fine as it adds some mystery to the show, but then what we do see of her feels rushed and shoehorned in. Some character building flashbacks explain the motivation behind her actions, but by the end we’re back where we started, with her driving off to who knows where. It’s the same with Travis and Chris’ story. We’ve seen them once in the past five episodes. What we have seen is good material, with both going in different directions in their approach to survival, but having the story so disjointed is dampening its effect. A lot of the focus this half season has been upon Nick and the Colonia. This would be fine if, like at the Hotel, there was anything compelling going on there. Whilst the Hotel story has had some thrilling action, patience for the Colonia is waning. It seems as though they’re pushing Nick to be the Rick like figure of the show, placing much of the emphasis on him, but until the character stops being so gullible, and they present a compelling story there, it’s just going to keep damaging the show.

This episode did take steps towards improving the story, as Francesco and his family were taken captive by the gang the Colonia trades with. They were a clear example that faith is waning within the Colonia, which will no doubt bring about some interesting developments, but their part in the story as a whole suffered from a problem that was so prevalent last week as well. We’ve barely seen Francesco, whilst his family were introduced just this episode, so once again we don’t really care about them. Placing so much emphasis on the fate of them doesn’t evoke much emotion from the audience. Sure we don’t want them to die, but if they did we wouldn’t care as much as we would with say Alicia or Strand. (Those two are the only ones I would be sad about dying right now.)

This was also the episode that all the running stories started to intersect. After the emotionally unstable mother of the bride stabbed Strand in her grief, Maddison and Elena go get medical supplies from the same gang trading with the Colonia. Unfortunately, it’s also where Maddison once again starts to go downhill. Overhearing Francesco being questioned by the gang, a description of a ratty haired American boy immediately piques her interest as Nick. Seeing her act to stupidly was painful. As Alicia later states, she risked everything, including all their lives, for a chance at finding Nick.

The show has always been billed as a family drama though, so it was brilliant to see Alicia put Maddison in her place for what she did. Alicia is probably the strongest character on the show, and it’s great to see her come into her own. Maddison clearly isn’t going to get over Nick, so here’s hoping Alicia severs ties with her before she drags the both of them down with her recklessness. Such recklessness as turning on all the hotel lights at night, which does bring Travis towards them, but no doubt a whole load of Walkers as well.

Of course such a stuffed episode as this has a lot of moving parts, so other highlights include:

• Family drama for Elena as well, as it turns out her brother is one of the bandits at the Warehouse. Gotta think they’ll be seeing each other again, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for the Hotel group.

• Speaking of the bandits, Nick sees them scouting the Colonia towards the end of the episode. Things are starting to draw to a climax now and I like it. Though those living at the Colonia probably won’t.

• So Ofelia is headed back to the States. Do you think we’ll see her again, or did the writers just not know what to do with her and think let’s just write her out? I for one hope it’s the former.

• I enjoyed the montage at the beginning of the Hotel crew fortifying the place, but I just know that it’ll probably be gone soon.

• So Travis is alone now. I wonder what happened there? Hopefully we’ll finally find out next episode.

And so another episode of ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ draws to a close, though unfortunately weaker than previous instalments. There are several issues currently plaguing the show that need to get gone, otherwise the quality will continue to peter out. Toning down the stuff at the Colonia for a couple episodes would help, as it’s starting to drag, whilst focusing on some of the lesser storylines like Chris and Travis’.  In addition, what should be tense situations aren’t coming across that way, as we’re forced to endure them with characters we really don’t care about. If these problems can be fixed, then the show can continue its increase in quality. Still, things are starting to come to a head now, so it will be interesting to see what these final three episodes bring.

Funko Announces ‘Scooby Doo’, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and ‘Street Fighter’ Pop! Vinyl Figures

 

The ever expanding line of Funko Pop! Vinyl figures is set to become even larger within the coming months, as a slew of new figures have been announced.

First up is a line of figures from the upcoming expansion to J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. The line contains several of the main characters from the film, as well as an adorable beast. At the moment this is likely a line only serious collectors and Harry Potter fans will acquire, given the relative obscurity of the characters. Once the film is out however, and people gauge which character they like best, popularity will no doubt soar.

“Newt Scamander, wizarding world Magizoologist, is joined by Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Seraphina Picquery, Percival Graves, and a Niffler, a beast with an irrepressible
predilection for anything shiny!”

The figures are all set to release this September.

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Coming soon after in October are a line of figures from the ‘Street Fighter’ videogame series. Given the series wide popularity this is a sensible choice, but I for one hope it sees Funko branch out into a variety of different videogame franchises.

The series features OGs Ryu and Ken, as well as Chun-Li, Cammy, Blanka, Balrog, and Dan! You can also collect Hot Ryu from Street Fighter V!

The figures will be released in October.

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Finally, Funko also announced a line of ‘Scooby Doo’ figures, my personal favourite of the recent announcements. Considering the amount of different licenses Funko has under its belt, it was only a matter of time before they snagged one of the biggest cartoon series of all time.

Collect Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby!  You can also collect flocked Scooby (only at Gemini Collectibles), and a Scooby & Shaggy 2-pack (exclusively at FYE)!

These figures are set to release in November.

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If all the other figures Funko has released weren’t already enough to break the bank, then these new series might just stretch you to your limit. In any case they represent some iconic franchises, and be sure to stay tuned to Skatronixxx for information on the upcoming New York Comic-Con Exclusives.

Rogue One Gains International Posters And New Composer

The first ever stand-alone ‘Star Wars’ film is moving closer towards release, and now new information regarding ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ have been released. First up are the international posters for the film, firmly placing the attention upon Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso. As well as being just plain awesome, the two posters highlight how varied the locations for the film will be, varying from the sci-fi, to the scenic.

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In addition to this the film has gained a new composer. Originally slated to compose was Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel), however due to reshoots for the film he became unavailable. As such Disney and Lucasfilm turned to Michael Giacchino, famous composer for such hits as ‘Inside Out’, ‘The Incredibles’ and the ‘Star Trek’ reboots. If you’re worried about his commitment to the role then don’t be, he appeared as a Stormtrooper in ‘The Force Awakens’ and with ‘Rogue One’ will have composed for all 4 of Disney’s film branches, those being Marvel Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney.

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ hits cinemas Friday, 16th December in both the UK and US.

Agents of Shield Season 4: First ‘Sneak Peek’ Clip Released

Hot on the trail of releasing character portraits and promos, ABC has now released the first sneak peak at the Season 4 premiere of ‘Agents of Shield’. I swear they waited until I had finished my other piece before doing so, but it’s nonetheless exciting.

The clip sees Agent May pull back Coulson and Mack from field duty in order to deliver some bad news. It seems horribly mangled bodies have been popping up everywhere, and with Daisy now viewed as the outlaw Quake, all fingers are pointing in her direction. Whilst it’s most likely the work of Ghost Rider, May seems to have lost faith in Daisy’s capacity to do good and has no trouble believing it was her.

The scene worked to set up what will likely be some major storylines running through the season. Comments about the new Director seemed to be of the negative variety, whilst May’s new attitude towards Daisy will no doubt cause some strife later on. Offhand comments about the Watchdogs suggest they might have a part to play, and it looks like Daisy is hunting for Ghost Rider. Question is, will she ultimately come around to his way of thinking, or will she rejoin her friends at Shield?

‘Agents of Shield’ Season 4 premieres Tuesday, September 20th 10pm on ABC.

Agents of Shield Season 4: Character Portraits and New Promo

Only 4 days to go now until the Season 4 premiere of ‘Agents of Shield’ and the promotional push keeps moving forward. Today we were treated to a full cast photo, as well as official character portraits for all the main members of the cast, including John Hannah as Dr Radcliffe and Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Yo-Yo, hopefully hinting at larger roles for the two going forward.

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In addition to this a new promo has been released, giving us a few brief but awesome glimpses at the Ghost Rider’s ride, accompanied by a voiceover of him. Things are heating up now with the premiere just days away, so you all best get ready for vengeance to come.

‘Agents of Shield’ Season 4 premieres Tuesday, September 20th 10pm on ABC.

Arrow Season 5: Premiere Synopsis Released

It’s only a few weeks now until the 5th Season of Arrow premieres on The CW, and as such the synopsis for the opening episode has been released. The season premiere will be entitled ‘Legacy’, a theme which Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim has said will run throughout the season.

NEW BEGINNINGS — After Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) death and the departures of both Diggle (David Ramsey) and Thea (Willa Holland) from Team Arrow, Oliver (Stephen Amell) takes to the streets solo to protect Star City’s citizens as the Green Arrow. With Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) guiding him from the bunker, Oliver is forced to deal with a city that has become overrun with both criminals and a slew of new (and painfully inexperienced) vigilantes. Watching Oliver try to balance his jobs as both the mayor and also the protector of Star City, Felicity suggests he form a new team, but Oliver resists. However, when a deadly new criminal, Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman), enters the picture, Oliver realizes the best thing for the city might be a new team of superheroes. Meanwhile, the flashbacks take us to Russia where Oliver faces off against the Bratva.

It’s ‘New Beginnings’ indeed then, as Arrow looks to be getting its biggest shake up yet. A radically different team and some interesting new villains should hopefully make for an exciting 5th season. A lot of viewers were understandably dismayed with the show last season so hopefully the changes, alongside the end to the flashbacks that fans have been bemoaning for a while now, will entice viewers to give it one last chance.

‘Arrow’ Season 5 premieres Wednesday, October 5th 8pm on The CW.