Richard Nebens
MCU, STAR WARS, and DCU Writer
Favorite MCU Movie: Avengers: Infinity War
This movie had absolutely everything. A fantastic and fluent story, incredible action, serious stakes, one of the best villains ever brought to the big screen, and just so much fun throughout the course of the movie. Filled with multiple standing ovation-worthy moments and an ending that dropped jaws to the floor, it was as close to perfection as anything that's come out of the MCU to date.
Favorite MCU character: Spider-Man
The first Spider-Man movie from 2002 was my introduction to the Marvel world as a kid, and the web-slinger has always been a character I’ve connected with, even more so through his introduction into the MCU. He may not be the biggest or fastest or strongest, but he just always wants to do whats right and help those in need, which anybody in our world can relate to.
Why I joined The Direct:
I’ve come to love being a content creator and writer, especially for anything related to Marvel, and The Direct is an incredible opportunity to reach an even bigger fanbase that has the same passion for the MCU as I do. I’m looking forward to improving my skills as a writer and journalist through my work and having the chance to be one of the sources that breaks the very news I love hearing about every day!
Richard's Articles
Richard's Thoughts
- Exciting news for sure! Even though Ms. Marvel isn't set to come out for another two years, this could be the start for a number of other projects to restart that come out way sooner. Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel!
- I’m not sure how big of a threat to expect from this gang, but anything is possible when it comes to the MCU. There are so many new characters that need teases, and the first new Disney+ show could be the perfect place to start introducing them!
- This is quite the interesting time for DC with all the projects they have in development. With so much confirmed to arrive from other studios, I'm really curious to see how much they want to put out along with making sure the quality is there too.
- At this point, DC Entertainment may just need to let the director make the movie they want to make and see what happens. Fans are paying attention to what happens when the studio interferes too much and they just want a good DC movie.
- Bane would be an awesome addition to the DCEU, but right now I just hope they focus on making a great Batman movie. If this first one turns out well, fans will be that much more excited for the franchise and hopefully it'll be easier to get Bane in for the future!
- I just have this feeling he won’t be quicksilver again, but he should be a great addition to the cast regardless!
- Marvel has always taken a stand through trying times like the ones we're in right now, and all we can do is try to stay away from violence toward others and make our voices heard peacefully. No lives are worth losing, and things are already tough enough without destructive riots endangering even more people.
- I love how candid Chris Evans has always been regarding his time in the MCU. Even while Cap is one of the most iconic Marvel heroes and deserves his time in the spotlight, Evans seems incredibly conscious that he can't stay around forever. Avengers: Endgame finished Cap's story beautifully and we're lucky to have had Evans for as long as we did!
- The wait for this movie seems to feel longer by the day considering shooting finished almost four months ago. Several cast members have shared their excitement for fans to finally see the movie, and I have a feeling it will come in with huge fanfare at the start of 2021!
- This design would have made for a WAY different Hydro-Man, maybe one that Peter would have been able to interact with in more ways than just beating the snot out of him with buildings. The final look in the movie was still visually exciting and made for a couple of awesome action sequences in Venice.
- It's a really nice good sign to see how many of the X-Men actors want to reprise their roles in the MCU. The reboot is still much further out than any of us would like to admit, but the casting decisions for this franchise will be some of the most highly anticipated in Marvel Studios history!
- Kumail Nanjiani might be one of my favorite new additions to the MCU. He's hilarious as a comedian, and he's already a master of being a complete information tease for his MCU role. Can't wait to find out how powerful Kingo is in The Eternals!
- It’s so up in the air what Sony is trying to do with its Marvel characters right now. All we can do is wait to see if any of their characters actually do show up in the MCU down the road.
- There is still so much of the story for this series not yet known, and this is an exciting tease for the action set to come. I'm excited to see Monica as a fully fleshed-out hero and to see how she interacts with the two starring heroes. Bring on WandaVision!
- This probably isn't a sign of anything major since blockbusters moving to streaming services usually have a ton of legalities to go through before becoming available to the public. Enjoy the movies on Netflix for now before they move to Disney+ this summer!
- It honestly doesn't matter exactly WHAT this news turns out to be since anything is going to get Marvel fans pumped. Ant-Man 3 has largely flown under the radar thus far, but hopefully this news that comes will be as exciting as Michael Douglas makes it seem. Can't wait for the news to arrive!
- While this may not bring the immediate debut of the X-Men, Marvel is clearly trying to lay the groundwork for their arrival in the future. It will be exciting to see how Madripoor is utilized after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's first season and how long it will be until its return with mutants!
- I didn't know what to expect out of this movie, and this is getting me CRAZY excited! Powers we've never really seen before, a superhero tournament, and hopefully one of the MCU's most intimidating villains ever?! Count me in on Shang-Chi and I can't wait for next May!
- She-Hulk still seems to be a good ways away, but this is an awesome sign if the script really is finished. Now we just have to wait to see who they cast in the leading role and when the series starts going into production!
- This will hopefully prove false in the long run, but all we can do as fans is take care of ourselves and our loved ones as much as possible until the quarantine ends. Just staying optimistic that the MCU and the whole movie industry will return soon!
- This is a big-time bummer for anyone that wanted Daredevil as Spidey's lawyer in the sequel, myself included. Nothing's ever over until it's officially over, but it would definitely be a disappointment should this stay the case. Hopefully things will become more clear through the summer once the pandemic is over and the future brightens up.
- What a run for Chris Evans. When you take into account that this man rejected the role as many times as he did, we were so lucky to get such a masterful bunch of performances. Evans embodied the spirit of Captain America more than anybody could've imagined, and he deserves every bit of praise coming his way!
- There's no moment like an actor's first day on a new project, especially in the MCU. Seeing established vets like Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans welcome in Brie Larson with literal open arms is the kind of thing MCU fans love to see. Just can't wait for more set videos like this to come once Phase 4 begins filming again!
- THIS. LOOKS. AWESOME! It's gonna sound crazy, but I don't even really care what led up to this shot in the script. Benedict Cumberbatch would have looked as cool in the Iron Man armor as Robert Downey, Jr. looked in the Cloak of Levitation, and this undoubtedly would have induced screams of excitements seeing it in the film. I hope they release it as a deleted scene in the future!
- This doesn't come as a surprise, and at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more of these delays to come before things are really set in stone. 2022 is now going to be even more jam-packed than expected, and it will be interesting to see how exactly the timeline works with all the flip-flopping!
- Natasha Romanoff's story has largely been a side-plot until now, and with her first solo movie on the way, it deserves as much depth and insight as possible. It will be exciting seeing exactly what she's doing in the moment running from the UN, but I hope the movie does Nat justice and fully fleshes out her story.
- This would be such an exciting story to explore by having a reincarnation for the Asgardians. Nothing is really known about Love & Thunder's plot yet, but seeing Thor leading a new generation of his people would be an interesting new challenge for him to tackle after defeating Thanos. Curious to see if Heimdall will really be at his side again!
- RichardNebens April 22, 2020 17:44 Mando deserves a chance to fully flesh out Mac Gargan. He was criminally underused in the first Spidey film and he’d make an excellent part of the Sinister Six if they go that route. Hope to see more of him soon!
- Unfortunately, this doesn't come as much of a shock, although it doesn't confirm for sure that production will be delayed. This is an unprecedented health crisis we all have to deal with, and all we can do is hope for the best. Hopefully we'll get lucky and get news of production still starting this July.
- Definitely an odd title choice, but hopefully this won't be a deterrent for the film. The original Venom was an unexpected semi-hit in theaters and Sony seems confident enough in the sequel to attach this name with it.
- Music is an enormous part of my life, and this list has some absolute gems on it! Three Dog Night, Queen, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and so many more of the all-time greats with some of the best music to jam to. Even when the Corona-madness ends, I'll be rocking out to this list on a regular basis. Thank you James Gunn!
- I love this look at the cast and crew. They all seemed to be having such a great time working together to make an awesome Marvel movie, and the fans and crew can't wait to get everything going again. Hopefully this Corona-madness will be done soon so life can get back to normal!
- These 2 revelations aren't a surprise, but still open up plenty of discussion. Gunn has made his mark on the MCU with the Guardians franchise, and anticipation is growing for Vol. 3 regardless. In terms of who will die, it will make for an exciting reveal when the movie releases! So many interesting possibilities to choose from!
- Phase 4 is so jam-packed that it seems near impossible for Avengers 5 to be imminent. With everything confirmed, there are at least 5 sequels and 4 new franchises on the way in theatres, along with multiple Disney+ mini-series. Whenever it gets here though, it will be absolute massive with the all-new team!
- At this point, every confirmation of when MCU projects WILL release will be the most exciting news ever. Delays seem to come daily and until the pandemic is controlled, it's going to be tough. Just trying to stay optimistic for when we get our regular stream of MCU projects again!