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The Sunday Post: All Quiet on the Western Front
Greg Arnold
March 23, 2025
Last week did not produce much news around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Daredevil: Born Again more than compensated with an explosive fourth episode on Tuesday night. If you missed Robby & Kyle’s initial reactions episode, don’t forget to check it out.
The flow of news should start to pick up here soon. Thunderbolts* is now less than 40 days away, and Ironheart premieres just three months from tomorrow. Additionally, CinemaCon begins in just over a week in Las Vegas. One of the signature events of the year for the theater industry, CinemaCon will be bookended by panels from Sony (kicking things off on March 31st) and Walt Disney Studios (on the final day of the convention, April 3rd). Could we finally get some news about Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse? Or maybe a second trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps? We will find out soon.
Until then, Daredevil: Born Again will air another pair of episodes this Tuesday, as the season crosses the halfway point. Friends From Work will have their initial reactions on Wednesday, and FFW+ subscribers should be on the lookout for a bonus episode at the end of the week.
Now over to…
THE WATERCOOLER
THIS WEEK IN THE MCU
Captain America: Brave New World crossed a new threshold at the global box office on Sunday, passing $400 million. Now in its sixth weekend, Anthony Mackie’s first solo MCU outing continues to defy its critical reception, placing third at the domestic box office. Widely believed to have a breakeven point of $425 million, it appears that the movie will, at the very least, make its money back during its theatrical run.
After Wednesday’s episode of Daredevil: Born Again, Entertainment Weekly had an exclusive chat with Jon Bernthal about his return to the role of Frank Castle. In it, Bernthal revealed that he initially turned down the opportunity to return to the role until the creative overhaul that happened during the 2023 strikes. He also talked about the process of pitching the Punisher Special Presentation that is expected to be filmed next year, co-written by Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green (We Own This City).
"I went through the process. I went in, I pitched, I gave an outline before I even put pen to page, and I felt like I did not want them to just hand it to me. They had read some of my writing, asked to come and do a pitch, so I did. And they've held me accountable to every step along the way. I really want to earn this and I really want this to be good. The story that we've laid out is, I think, really special. It's the visceral, psychologically complex, unforgiving, no-holds-barred version of Frank where he's going to turn his back to the audience. And nothing is easy and all violence has a cost, and we're going to see that cost. I'm grateful that they're letting me go to the places that I really want to go."
BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE
Over the past 10 days, Invincible and Severance completed their new seasons to sparkling reviews from critics (>95% on Rotten Tomatoes for both). Both shows have now also been renewed. Invincible Season 4 is expected at some point in 2026. There is no timeline for Severance but the creators have promised that it will not be another three-year gap between seasons 2 and 3.
Deadline exclusively reported that Kai Caster (Yellowstone) has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming Spider-Noir series starring Nicolas Cage.
TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK
With production on Avengers: Doomsday expected to commence next month, the rumors about exactly which characters will appear have been ramping up. A few of the names from the rumor mill last week: America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), and Clea (Charlize Theron). Buckle up, friends!
Feature First published a report late tonight with our first look at the expected runtime for Thunderbolts*. According to their sources, the current runtime is exactly 120 minutes.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this week. See you all back here in seven days. Have a great week (and Go Terps)!
-Greg 🐢
