Has this past year and a half felt more like five to you? Do you feel as if you’ve been nothing but dust for a while, only to be suddenly thrust into a universe where things don’t make sense anymore? Do you miss being able to understand the superhero fanatic in your life? Do you even understand these vague references? Well never fear, The Current is here to help you get up to date on all that you’ve missed out on, from your friendly neighborhood web slinger to your local timeline’s Loki variant.
Catch up with Wanda Maximoff in “WandaVision”
When audiences last left Wanda Maximoff she shared an unfortunate trait with the other Marvel women characters: underdeveloped and loaded with unresolved and unexplored trauma. However, the first of what is now many Disney+ Marvel shows, “WandaVision” allowed the character to shine on her own for the first time on the silver screens and made her such an incredibly complex character that she quickly became a fan favorite. Along with much needed character development, the show also helped to start cracking open the multiverse and set the stage for “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness,” which is set to arrive in theaters on March 25, 2022. Wanda unlocks an amazing set of powers as she creates her idea of the perfect town in an attempt to process the trauma of losing those closest to her. She later assumes her role as the Scarlet Witch and meddles with the series’ hidden villain Agatha Harkness, which sets off a series of chain reactions that give a certain character Captain Marvel like powers, hints at the hopeful cross over with Fox’s X-Men characters by bringing back her dead brother but played by the “X-Men” and “American Horror Story” star Evan Peters and brings back a different version of Vision to life. If you’re still feeling lost, that’s okay, the entire nine-episode series is up for streaming on Disney+.
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” fills the hole left by Captain America
When Steve Rogers stepped down from the mantle of Captain America at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” it left many fans wondering who would be the next Captain America. Kari Skogland and Malcom Spellman, the creators of the series, took this as an opportunity to create extraordinary works of character development in long time franchise favorites Sam and Bucky. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” analyzes and explores questions about race in the Marvel universe while drawing intense parallels to our own, as well as critiquing the United States’ use of the military. The show also did a wonderful job on further expanding what would be the real life issues in a world post “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as introducing audiences to Madripoor, an important island to keep tabs on in the future and yet another X-Men related easter egg. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” also began setting the stage for the inevitable comeback of Hydra with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is known in the comics to be the second Madame Hydra and often leader of the organization itself. The most exciting development, beyond the hidden easter eggs and interesting character moments and high paced fight scenes, was Sam Wilson finally taking on the mantle of Captain America and becoming the hero that America doesn’t deserve, but desperately needs.
“Loki” is our first peek into the multiverse
The long anticipated “Loki” series continues the trend of mixing intensely interesting worldbuilding with delectably rich character development. Who else to better continue this with than the multifaceted god of mischief himself? Loki picks up right where audiences left him; unfortunately not lying dead on the steps of a destroyed ship, but rather as one of his past selves escaping capture right after the generation defining Battle of New York. “Loki” is yet another character driven story where audiences get to spend a significant amount of time with one of Marvel Studio’s most popular characters as he attempts to navigate the timeline while battling with his own sense of self and confronting who he really is behind all the illusions. The introduction to the Time Variance Authority, an organization that monitors the flow of the timeline to make sure everything stays on track, gave audiences yet another taste of what is in store in “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness,” and by the end of the series the audience is shown the universe changing, ground shaking moment where the multiverse began to split open. The series also introduced the various Loki’s that grace the pages of the Marvel comics to the cinematic universe, creating a very interesting relationship between 2012 Loki and another variant of his named Sylvie.
“Black Widow” gave closure to fans in mourning
Fans of Scarlett Johanson’s Natasha Romanoff were able to say one final goodbye to the hero as she made her way back on the silver screens of many now reopened theaters with her long awaited solo film, “Black Widow.” The film starts up in the pocket of time between the events in “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” following Natasha as she grapples with her past and her secret family back in Russia. While many fans wish they could have gotten to see this facet of Natasha long before her death in “Avengers: Endgame,” it was still a pivotal film that allowed audiences to pay their respects and understand the multifaceted superspy better. The film’s end credits brings back Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine attempting to recruit Natasha’s sibling, Yelena, leading fans to speculate why Contessa has been attempting to reach out to these Marvel Studio faces. You can watch “Black Widow” on Disney+.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” leaves fans excited for what else Marvel has in store
Marvel’s most recent big screen debut, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” won hearts across the board and started to get people incredibly excited for the upcoming theatrical releases Marvel has in store. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is what many are calling the best Marvel film, as it delves into the rich and incredibly interesting story of the comic’s “master of kung fu” while providing such a refreshing look on what Marvel movies can be: character driven masterpieces that don’t rely on age-old formulas just to sell movie tickets. The film introduces another fresh faced young hero, Shang-Chi, and the immensely powerful ten rings. When the rings are used in one of the penultimate moments of the film, they send a signal out into the universe, a detail that left many fans excitedly worried for what it could mean. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” also brings back the powerful organization of The Ten Rings, which by the end of the film underwent a modern facelift and was run by Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” will release on Disney+ on Nov. 12.
