Assuming that you're not already in your 24-hour Marvel movie marathon (just wait until someone decides to screen episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Daredevil in these marathons, too; they'll go on for weeks), you might be too busy preparing for Avengers: Age of Ultron to read these words. It's OK; we understand. We'll wait. Just remember: We'll still be here when the movie's over, unlike Black Widow and Hawkeye, who end up dead by the end of the film's second hour. JK. Just wanted to make sure we still had your attention.
If you're still reading this after you've watched Captain America team up with Optimus Prime to take down the threat of Ultronatron (again, fake spoiler, but wouldn't that be great?), here are the highlights of the last week's superhero movie news.
As everyone was impatiently watching the clock and waiting for the work week to end last Friday, Suicide Squad director David Ayer decided to make things a little more chaotic by releasing the first image of Jared Leto as the Joker on Twitter:
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(The "Happy Anniversary" comment is a reference to the fact that last Friday was deemed the official 75th anniversary of the Joker's first appearance in Batman Vol. 1 #1. The more you know, etc.) Following a mixed response—and plenty of Juggalo jokes—a new wrinkle appeared online midweek when reports started popping up to suggest the Joker won't actually look like that in Suicide Squad after all.
Why this is super: First off, we really like that image, legit or not. That probably puts us in the minority, but it's brash and ugly and over the top, all of which feel appropriately "Joker." Secondly, if that's not what the character looks like in the movie at all, that's even better. After all, what better comic character to use when playing a joke on the Internet? Related: Ben Affleck's shown up on the set of Suicide Squad, leading many to assume he'll pop up as Batman in the movie at some point. Well, they do have the Joker...
Jared Leto wasn't the only one who got to show off his comic book character makeover in the last week, either. Bryan Singer and Kodi Smit-McPhee both posted glimpses of the actor as the Nightcrawler from next year's X-Men: Apocalypse on Instagram Monday morning before swiftly deleting their pics. Twentieth Century Fox officially released the images later that day. A case of the studio trying to keep something under wraps and then changing its mind? Possibly, but it's more likely that everyone involved was showing the character suddenly appearing and disappearing online, almost as if he was a teleporter... (Oh, wait; he is.)
Why this is super: He looks just like the comic book Nightcrawler and the reveal was a fun way to get fans engaged (even if it was frustrating for those who showed up just a little too late to see the images before they'd disappeared). Between this and the malltastic set photos, this is shaping up to be a fun movie.
Latino-Review's Umberto Gonzalez shared an unexpected rumor on Instagram earlier this week, suggesting that the X-Men movie continuity that we know will end with the release of the third Wolverine movie, scheduled for a 2017 release. "Makes sense since Hugh Jackman also said Wolverine 3 will be his last film playing Logan," he wrote. "The end of an era." If true, then it really will be.
Why this is unexpected: As a rumor, it's certainly a juicy one, but it doesn't really make sense: Not only did the franchise just go through a stealth reboot with last year's X-Men: Days of Future Past, which would seemingly negate the need for any "end of continuity" shenanigans, but next year marks the release of standalone Deadpool and Gambit movies, as well as X-Men: Apocalypse, which introduces new, younger versions of classic characters. Doesn't all of that sound like a franchise ramping up, instead of winding down? Then again, it's not like movie studios make decisions based on how sensible they are, so it's not as if anything's been definitively debunked just yet...
File under unexpected: While promoting Avengers: Age of Ultron, writer/director Joss Whedon told IGN he "desperately wanted to do a Batman film," and that, while he grew up a Marvel fan, he "was always DC-curious, and I see myself on the spectrum in-between." Hey, Warners: Once he's recovered from promoting the new Avengers movie, give Joss a call and see if he'd be up for doing something with you guys. Just in case.
Why this is super: After his Avengers success, we refuse to believe there's anyone alive who isn't a Marvel employee that isn't at least curious to see what Whedon could do with a DC property. Ideally, something a little more low-key and character-focused than the frenetic Avengers franchise, but let's be honest; if Warners could grab him for a Justice League, you know they would. (He'd be far, far better on Doom Patrol, however.)
This is a weird one; thanks to the official website of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, some fans wondered if Reed Richards' super power would change when he returns to the big screen. Known for having an elastic body that allows him to stretch, the website instead says that he "can warp the space around him," thereby giving the illusion of stretching. What gives? Screenwriter Simon Kinberg set the record straight when talking to HitFix. "I was a little confused by it myself," he admitted, before clarifying that "the upshot of it is that he stretches in his movie. That is his power. That's the simplest explanation." Good to know.
Why this is super: We admit to loving the idea that Fantastic Four would alter the powers of the characters for no clear reason. It'd be weird to show up and see Kate Mara become the Invisible Girl, only for her to say "I may be called the Invisible Girl, but my super power is that I can make amazing sushi at super speed," admittedly, but not necessarily a bad weird. That said, let's celebrate the fact that the movie's staying with the classic powers, meaning that our super-fast sushi chef idea is now available for offers from the major movie studios. Have your people call our people, Hollywood.
