January CQMB - Aquaman 2, Jonathan Majors, What If…?, & More

Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy 2024’s first CQMB!

The DCEU ended with a BANG! I'm just kidding, this movie was very mid. It's not much different than I had been expecting, but I'm not gonna let go the fact that it had its funny moments. However, the jokes in no way cover how... mid this movie is. Some parts feel odd and unneeded, and it in no way acknowledges the fact that this movie is the end of the DCEU. I hadn't expected it to, but it would have been nice to have some closure with this universe. I feel like the villain was wasted (like REALLY wasted), and I was shocked with how involved Amber Heard's character was, considering the big Johnny Depp trial from last year. Overall, I would rate this movie 6.4/10.

I wasn't too blown away by the first season of What If...? I've yet to have a full opinion on Season 2 since I haven't seen too many episodes yet, but it seems alright so far. Here are my reviews for the first two episodes:

Episode 1 - What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?: Eh. Not too exciting for the first episode. Like nobody was asking what would’ve happened if Nebula was in the Nova Corps. I didn’t really care for this episode. Like what would have been so much better would have been ‘What If… the Other Half of The Avengers Were Snapped?’ I know everybody would’ve appreciated that.

Episode 2 - What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?: I like this idea a little better- it took watching the first few minutes to get me hooked. I found this one to be sort of enjoyable, and probably better than the majority of the episodes in season one.

I have not seen the rest of the episodes yet, but I will be sure to include them in the February CQMB. Marvel also teased What If...? Season 3 with a special clip on their YouTube from one of the episodes. The clip depicts Red Guardian and the Winter Soldier together in a car chase. The video is titled "A Look Into The Future | Marvel Studios' What If...? | Disney+" We have not yet received a release date for the third season.

I still haven't made a quiz for the first season of What If...?, neither have I made one for season 2 (because I haven't finished it). It's pretty difficult with the several characters from each episode alone, but I will try to get that done when I get the chance.

The final date of Jonathan Majors' trial took place on December 18, where his verdict was made. He is guilty. This is a huge disappointment for me, and for all of us Marvel fans, because he was talented! He was so good. His performance was fantastic in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, despite the movie being only okay. And Victor Timely was one of my favorite characters in Loki: Season 2. I cannot believe this is how it is going to turn out for Marvel, and I have no idea how they're going to redirect their plans for the universe. Along with this news, there has been confirmation that the title of Avengers 5 will no longer be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. For now it is being referred to as Avengers 5, but it will receive a new title in the coming months. I hope this doesn't make things worse for Marvel, because things already aren't looking so great. I'm just gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Two new major announcements have been made regarding Marvel Studios Animation. These being the announcement of a new Wakanda-based animated show, as well as Spider-Man: Freshman Year being retitled. The new Wakanda show will be titled Eyes of Wakanda, and it will be about the journey of Wakandans over time retrieving vibranium from other places in the world to return in to the kingdom of Wakanda. I'm not totally hooked onto this idea yet, but I hope once I hear more about it that will help with my anticipation. We have also learned that the Spider-Man: Freshman Year show will be retitled to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This helps clarify that this show has nothing to do with the canon of the MCU, and that this takes place in an alternate universe. The show's previous title implied the show took place before the MCU's universe's Captain America: Civil War. Now we have confirmation this show takes place separately from that. Neither of these shows release dates have been revealed, however I think these shows will either release in late 2024 or, more likely, sometime during 2025. Keep in mind as well that we are also expecting a few more animated shows, like X-Men '97, Marvel Zombies, What If...? Season 3, and I Am Groot: Season 3. X-Men '97 sounds like it may release some time in early 2024.

In 2023, we received several additions to both the Marvel and DC franchise. Here are the movies and shows we got last year:

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (Feb 17, 2023)

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Mar 17, 2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2, 2023)

The Flash (Jun 16, 2023)

Secret Invasion (Jun 21 - Jul 26, 2023)

Blue Beetle (Aug 18, 2023)

Loki: Season 2 (Oct 5 - Nov 9, 2023)

The Marvels (Nov 10, 2023)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec 22, 2023)

What If…? Season 2 (Dec 22 - Dec 30, 2023)

A few projects like Kraven the Hunter, Ironheart, Echo, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, and X-Men ‘97 weren’t released this year as it had been expected. However most of these projects we can expect to see in 2024. Here’s a list of what is expected to release this year:

Echo (Jan 9 - Jan 9, 2024)

Madame Web (Feb 14, 2024)

X-Men ‘97 (Spring 2024)

Deadpool 3 (Jul 26, 2024)

Kraven the Hunter (Aug 30, 2024)

Joker: Folie à Deux (Oct 4, 2024)

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (Fall 2024)

Venom 3 (Nov 8, 2024)

Wonder Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Eyes of Wakanda are also expected to release during the year. It seems the MCU is making a turn for the better, and that DC is on track to hopefully become a little more fulfilling for the letdown DCEU fans. The SSU is just sad… but I have my hopes up for Venom 3! Let’s hope 2024 will be a good year for comic book movies!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this month's CQMB. Be sure to stay tuned for the next CQMB which will release on the first of February.