Marvel Studios is well known for keeping as tight of a lock as possible on spoilers for its upcoming projects, especially with so many major entries coming in Phase 4. That being said, the track record with information about spoilers in entries for 2021 and later has been something of a mixed bag in terms of successful secret-keeping.
On the Disney+ side, Evan Peters’ reprisal of Quicksilver from Fox’s X-Men movies in WandaVision came through in rumors dating as far back as June 2020, more than six months before the series premiered. This may have turned out to be a complete ruse storywise with the whole “Ralph Bohner” reveal, but fans were aware of this casting long before his last-second arrival in Episode 5.
Even with this mishap, the very next show in The Falcon and the Winter Solider held an exciting and shocking reveal with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ casting as Valentina Allegra De Fontaine in Episode 5. Her arrival came as a shock to the entire fan base, particularly taking into account that she was originally supposed to debut in theaters with Black Widow.
Louis-Dreyfus was the subject of conversation recently with Marvel’s top executive, although he found a way to poke some fun at another MCU newcomer that's not as tight-lipped.
KEVIN FEIGE BRINGS THE JOKES
While Marvel President Kevin Feige spoke with Entertainment Tonight about his excitement over casting Julia Louis-Dreyfus in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he also threw a playful jab at another new MCU star.
Calling Louis-Dreyfus' casting as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine a "dream casting" and "a dream come true" for Marvel, Feige admitted that he and his team "are lucky that these amazing talents are joining the MCU."
When asked if fans could be seeing Val again soon, Feige took a funny shot at one of the cast members of Spider-Man: No Way Home by saying "You should ask Alfred Molina."
The Marvel Studios producer is referencing an interview that Alfred Molina gave in April 2021, in which he gave a surprising amount of spoiler-y details on his return as Otto Octavius in the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man: No Way Home, a role which had previously only been reported by entertainment trades. Molina not only confirmed that he was in the MCU threequel, but also revealed that his character's story will continue directly from the end of 2004's Spider-Man 2.
In the same interview, Feige comment on Molina’s reveal, making it clear that “some people like to talk” about rumors such as this one. Even saying that “not every rumor you read about online is true,” the mega-producer admitted that “not every one is false either,” bringing the fun of working in this business:
"Ya know, people can talk. People get a microphone, some people like to talk. Some people like me, not so much. Everything we make is hopefully with the intention of exceeding expectations and fulfilling surprises. Not every rumor you read about online is true, not by a long shot, but not every one is false either. So that's the fun."
ALFRED MOLINA'S WARM MCU WELCOME
Who knew Kevin Feige was a pure savage?
Alfred Molina’s return as Doctor Octopus kicked off a throng of exciting news for the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man: No Way Home, especially as the presence of the multiverse in the film became more real. This news came after stories of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange teaming up with Spidey, which closely followed the leak of Jaime Foxx’s Electro coming to the MCU from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
As rumors began to come to light about more characters from past Spider-Man movies coming into No Way Home, the hype and anticipation for its release organically built to a fever pitch. This all came before Molina opened his mouth and revealed way more than he likely should have by admitting he was coming into the MCU.
While this surely kept the excitement high, it undoubtedly sent shock waves through the Marvel Studios offices with Feige surely wanting his return to be a surprise. Thankfully, the MCU’s mastermind seems to be taking this unexpected leak well, although he will be on high alert for the next six months in the Spidey department.
As fans wait anxiously for the movie’s first trailer, Marvel is working hard to bring the biggest Spider-Man movie yet to the MCU while keeping a tight watch on spoilers. Thankfully, this is now likely turning into the biggest event of 2021 in the movie industry with Marvel and Sony set to win big in every aspect of filmmaking.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to premiere in theaters on December 17, 2021.
