Harley Quinn: 6 Things You Need To Know About The Suicide Squad Character

Harley Quinn: 6 Things You Need To Know About The Suicide Squad Character

Suicide Squad has been out for nearly three years now, and there were a a lot of colorful characters we followed along with during that tale. One of those was Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie. Other than The Joker and Batman, Harley was arguably the most recognizable DC character who was featured in the movie.

Now over the two and a half decade mark, the character has enjoyed immense popularity over her lifetime, appearing in numerous TV shows, video games and on apparel. Corrupted by The Joker (played in the movie by Jared Leto), she’s more jovial and quippy than most supervillains, but this lighthearted demeanor doesn’t mask how insane and dangerous she truly is. Just as the first two Suicide Squad trailers indicated, she was quite the scene stealer.

With Suicide Squad being a tremendous commercial success for Warner Bros and DC, and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn having a bright future ahead of her, we’ve gone ahead and provided you with all the important details about Harley Quinn. From how she got her criminal start to what she’s up to now in the comics, this is everything you need to know in case you’re in need of a Harley brush-up… though if she starts talking about the voices in her head, run!

She Didn’t Debut In The Comics

As you would expect, most of DC Comics’ characters are created for the printed page, but Harley is one of the few that got her start in another form. Her first appearance was in the beloved 1990s show Batman: The Animated Series, where she was voiced by Arleen Sorkin. Producer Paul Dini was inspired to create Harley after seeing Sorkin dressed like a jester on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

Originally, Harley was just supposed to have a "walk on" role in "Joker’s Favor," but she was included in more episodes, and, well, the rest is history. It’s true that other comic book characters have been introduced on TV first, but Harley is one of the few that’s truly been propelled to popularity, to the point that even a lot of non-comic book fans have heard of her. It wasn’t until the 1999 storyline "No Man’s Land" that she made her first appearance in the main DC Comics continuity.

She Was Originally A Psychiatrist

Harleen Quinzel’s dream job as a child wasn’t to become a red-and-white garbed criminal clown. No, before she became a member of Batman’s rogues gallery, Harleen was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. When she discovered The Joker, she immediately grew obsessed with him and immediately began conducting sessions to analyze him. Seeing how enamored she was, Joker began sweet talking her and lying about his past so she would sympathize with him.

Eventually Harleen fell in love with Joker, donned a jester costume and broke him out of custody, happy to now be sharing a crime-filled life with her "Mistah J" (though she would soon be treated like an abused spouse). The New 52 also added him throwing her into the same vat of chemicals that altered his appearance, which was also shown in the movie, except Margot Robbie's version fell in willingly and Joker dove in after her. The comics later expanded on Harley’s background and showed that she had issues before she met The Joker, but the Clown Prince of Crime's manipulation was the the straw that broke the camel’s back

She Has Unique Talents

If Harley was merely a regular woman who dressed like a clown, she wouldn’t be that useful out in the field. Fortunately, she has a particular skill set for taking on opponents. While she doesn’t have any natural superpowers, she is a talented gymnast, so whenever she’s delivering a beatdown, it’s usually while jumping or doing backflips. Then there’s her arsenal. Although she’ll occasionally use standard firearms (there’s a brief shot of her using dual pistols in one of the Suicide Squad trailers), she prefers wielding more absurd-looking weapons, including her oversized mallet, a comically large pistol that shoots a cork, and that graffitied baseball bat she’s using in Suicide Squad.

Finally, in the DC Animated Universe and the comics, Harley was given a potion by her best friend Poison Ivy that not only made her immune to all toxins, but also boosted her strength, speed, and agility. It doesn’t look like Harley will have any special abilities in Suicide Squad (we don’t even know if Poison Ivy will show up in the DCEU), but she’ll still be a force to be reckoned with.

She’s Appeared In Live Action Before

The majority of Harley Quinn’s appearances have been in animated form, be it another cartoon like The Batman or a video game like the Batman: Arkham series. While Suicide Squad will be her first cinematic role, it’s not the first time she’s been seen in live action. The first was in the short-lived TV series Birds of Prey, played by Mia Sara. In the show she served as the mastermind antagonist, and while she didn’t wear her jester costume, her outfits did have the same red, white, and black color schemes.

Harley Quinn also cameoed in the Arrow Season 2 episode "Suicide Squad" as one of A.R.G.U.S.’s many prisoners. We never saw her face, but her current voice actress, Tara Strong, provided her dialogue. Harley was also considered to be one of the antagonists in the abandoned Batman & Robin follow-up Batman: Unchained, where she would have been Joker’s daughter seeking revenge. There was also a character named Ecco on Fox's Gotham who assisted Jeremiah Valeska, that show's version of The Joker, and she was clearly to be a variation on Harley.

She Hasn’t Been A Suicide Squad Member As Long As Others

For most of her existence, Harley has either been The Joker’s main squeeze or been adventuring on her own. It was only when the New 52 kicked off in 2011 that she was added to the Suicide Squad. After being imprisoned in Belle Reve Prison, she was forced onto the Squad by Amanda Waller rather than joining willingly. Most of her teammates underestimated her on the first mission due to her ditzy personality, but she soon proved to them how dangerous she was.

When The Joker returned, she betrayed the team in an effort to find him, but when that didn’t go as planned, she rejoined. Despite only be affiliated with the Squad for a few years, she’s remained a consistent member, ranking next to Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, and still serves on the team to this day. Since much of the DCEU is inspired by the New 52, it’s no wonder the first movie decided to include her.

She’s Not Always A Bad Guy

Harley may have started out as a straightforward (albeit tragic) villain when she was introduced, but nowadays it wouldn’t be right to label her as a standard criminal. Anti-hero might be more appropriate in certain cases. In the solo co-written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley tried to get a fresh start on life and has moved away from being closely connected with Batman and The Joker. Now she’s actively trying to help people, though this usually has disastrous results.

In many ways, she’s like Deadpool over at Marvel. They may try to do good, but often times it results in more chaos. The Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book prequel also showed that universe’s Harley working with Green Arrow and Black Canary, becoming a hero during Superman’s reign of terror. Given what's coming up with her in the DCEU, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn looks like she'll be embarking down a similar anti-heroic path, but it's highly unlikely she'll make the transition to full-blown hero.

And there we have it: those are the main things you need to know about Harley Quinn. As mentioned earlier, Margot Robbie's version of the character isn't going anywhere. She returns on February 7, 2020 for Birds of Prey, where, after breaking up with The Joker, she'll team up with Huntress, Black Canary and Detective Renee Montoya to protect a young Cassandra Cain from Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask. Harley is also expected to return for The Suicide Squad, which comes out on August 5, 2021.

It's also worth mentioning that an adult-oriented Harley Quinn animated series is debuting on the DC Universe streaming service at the end of the year, with the character being voiced by The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco. That show won't focus on her being part of the Suicide Squad, but will instead chronicle her adventures after breaking up with The Joker, which includes her trying to join the Legion of Doom. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any other Harley-related updates.

Kevin Feige Pushed For More Goose In Captain Marvel

Kevin Feige Pushed For More Goose In Captain Marvel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll with Phase Three, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and box office success. Moviegoers are still recovering from the wild events of Avengers: Endgame, but it hasn't been all that long since Captain Marvel arrived in theaters. Carol Danvers made her long-awaited debut in the process, but there was another newcomer that really stole the show: Goose the Cat.

Carol's pet was a welcomed source of comedy in Captain Marvel, especially when it was revealed that Goose was actually an alien species called a Flerken. Moviegoers loved the dynamic between Goose and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, and it turns out that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige pushed for more of the iconic pet in Captain Marvel. As co-director Anna Boden recently revealed:

When we were working on the first outline for this movie and we shared it with Kevin Feige, his first note was, 'We need 200 percent more Goose.'

And that's why they pay Kevin Feige the big bucks. Feige is the overall architect of the MCU, and is intimately involved with each new installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, he contributes his ideas to new blockbusters, including Captain Marvel's focus on Goose the Cat.

Anna Boden's comments come from the special features of Captain Marvel's digital release (via Comic Book). Goose was always going to factor into the narrative of the '90s set origin story, but it looks like his presence in the film was beefed up after some feedback from Kevin Feige himself. This was probably the right call, as Goose quickly became a beloved figure in the MCU.

While seemingly a regular cat at first glance, Goose's true origin became clear as Captain Marvel's runtime continued on. It turns out that she was actually the pet of Dr. Wendy Lawson (Anette Bening), and was a Flerken all along. Goose had some deadly tentacles and was even able to swallow the tesseract and keep it in a pocket dimension within his body.

Aside from Goose's temporary possession of the Space Stone, perhaps his most surprising plot point was related to Nick Fury's eye. The MCU fandom was eager to see how Sam Jackson's iconic S.H.I.E.L.D. commander would end up with his iconic eye injury, especially after he teased that it was a major betrayal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Related: Captain Marvel's Nick Fury Almost Lost His Eye In A Fight With The Skrulls

But rather than a conflict with the Kree or Skrulls, Nick Fury ended up getting scratched by Goose, and became the cycloptic Marvel figure we've known throughout the years. That twist likely wouldn't have been possible without Kevin Feige's suggestion to include more Goose in Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel can currently be seen onscreen in Avengers: Endgame, and her solo movie will be available on Blu-ray and DVD June 11th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Ali Wong Reveals The Scenes Keanu Reeves Improvised For Netflix's Always Be My Maybe

Ali Wong Reveals The Scenes Keanu Reeves Improvised For Netflix's Always Be My Maybe

Keanu Reeves’ newest John Wick movie is already kicking butt at the box office and he’ll soon voice a key role in Toy Story 4. This summer we’re blessed with more than two helpings of him. The actor is also now a scene-stealer in Netflix’s latest rom-com release Always Be My Maybe.

The movie stars standup comic Ali Wong as Sasha, a famous chef who journeys back to her hometown of San Francisco on business. When her fiancé breaks off their engagement while she’s away, she finds a rebound in Keanu Reeves, who plays a heightened and hilarious version of himself who rocks fake glasses. While Wong insists Reeves is a lot different in real life than what we see of him in Always Be My Maybe, the actor had some fun adding in improvised bits such as these:

The part where he’s listing off all those Chinese dignitaries, that was his idea. And then the part where he’s like, ‘I don’t have a problem, Sasha, what’s your problem?’ and starts air fighting, he improvised that as well.

Keanu Reeves may be best known as a stoic action star, but one of his early hits was the bro time travel comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a role he will return to in 2020, and he recently starred with Winona Ryder in another romantic-comedy, Destination Wedding.

He was given some freedom in Always Be My Maybe to put his comedic chops to the test and came up with some great lines to stretch out a caricature of himself in the Netflix movie. He is one of three love interests for Ali Wong’s character, which she carefully chose. She continued with these words to People:

It was really important to me that all of her love interests were Asian-American. And we wanted to find a sexy Asian-American man who would be Marcus’ worst nightmare if he decided to confess his feelings.

The girl knew what she was doing! Along with enlisting Keanu Reeves for the project, Ali Wong also cast Lost and Hawaii Five-0’s Daniel Dae Kim as Sasha’s fiancé and Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park as Marcus, the one who got away. Marcus and Sasha rekindle a friendship when they run into each other in San Francisco and the old flame falls back in love with her.

Just as he decides to confront Sasha about his feelings for her, she tells him of her new man, Keanu Reeves. When Wong approached Reeves, she found out he was already a fan of hers. In her words:

He wrote, ‘I would be honored to be a part of your love story.’ [...] He’s a funny, sweet professional guy who’s really like about the work. And so much so that it wasn’t intimidating. He was very approachable.

So not at all like his Always Be My Maybe character! It’s great to see actors such as Keanu Reeves try a variety of roles, and with all the projects we’re seeing him take on recently, he seems to be able to do just about everything.

Always Be My Maybe is currently available to stream on Netflix, along with these great movies and TV shows coming to the platform this upcoming month.

Avengers: Endgame Celebrates One Month To Release With Revealing New Character Posters

Avengers: Endgame Celebrates One Month To Release With Revealing New Character Posters

It’s been a big day for Avengers: Endgame as the runtime for the big movie program has been revealed. In addition, since we are officially one month out from the release of the final Marvel movie in Phase Three, Marvel is also giving us a taste of what’s to come with some brand new character posters. First up is Captain Marvel herself Brie Larson.

Since we are on a captain theme, it seems only fitting to include a look at Captain America's new poster next.

Thor is looking "mighty" good for someone who failed to stop Thanos thanks to choosing to stab the man in the wrong place.

Since there should be a lot of female power in Avengers: Endgame, let’s go ahead and take a look at Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson’s cool poster.

The first Avengers: Endgame trailer also focused on Tony Stark as we saw him running out of air and energy in space. He looks pretty serious in his character poster for the upcoming movie as well.

Getting a little furrier, next we have a look at Rocket, who has been presumed to have a big role in Avengers: Endgame, alongside Nebula.

Speaking of Nebula, she is looking very blue in her official poster from the fourth Avengers flick.

Although many people definitely were called out of existence after Thanos snapped, we saw during Avengers: Infinity War that Rhodey was one of the lucky ones.

Hulk is looking remarkably Bruce Banner-y, and honestly I kind of miss seeing him in the Hulkbuster armor. Anyone else?

We’ve seen Ant-Man somehow miraculously returned from the Quantim Realm after the events in Ant-Man and the Wasp in the early footage for Avengers: Endgame. So no surprise he’s looking “fly” here.

Of course, it wouldn't be Avengers: Endgame if the original Avengers were not getting in on some action together. Which means Ronin, err Hawkeye, or Clint Barton or whatever gets his own poster too.

Danai Gurira is looking fierce as usual in her poster.

Now, what do all of these posters so far have in common? They just so happen to be in color.

The Bad News

Which leads us to the next set of posters in black and white. First up is Black Panther himself, played by Chadwick Boseman.

Sadly it seems as if T'Challa's sister Shuri may be out of the picture, too, leading into Avengers: Endgame. Take a look at her poster.

Then Loki, who took a stand against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, also gets a somber poster:

Nick Fury, who we saw become part of The Decimation during the end-credits scenes in Infinity War also gets a brand new look. (Although if you want to see him alive and well and with two eyes, all you need to do is go see Captain Marvel.)

Vision, who was a key focal point thanks to the mind stone in Infinity War, ultimately yielded the stone to Thanos, losing his life.

Like Vision, his partner Scarlet Witch is also in black and white.

Falcon was also lost in Wakanda during the big showdown with Thanos.

Many of the Guardians of the Galaxy will not be around in Endgame. There’s Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis.

She's not the only one. Fans also sadly may not be hearing an "I am Groot" anytime soon thanks to Thanos' choice.

Star-Lord also won't be listening to any mixtapes soon, unless there are mixtapes in the afterlife he got dusted to.

Although she was not sacrificed during The Decimation, and was instead sacrificed prior to The Decimation in order to help Thanos achieve his goal, Gamora is also given a poster.

Well, this is getting more and more depressing by the second, as we are reminded of all of the wonderful characters who won't be around any longer when Avengers: Endgame kicks off. Among them is Drax.

Like Mantis and the Guardians, Doctor Strange ultimately made a choice that impacted Tony Stark, as well as his own existence.

The Winter Soldier just never really seemed to catch a break did he? Here's his black and white poster ahead of the upcoming movie.

Even Ant-Man will not be immune to loss as The Wasp didn't make it through The Decimation. Like some of the other Avengers, Scott Lang also has a family, and I'm concerned about his daughter and even his ex as well.

What do these posters have in common? They are similar to early promotional material for Avengers: Endgame highlighting the characters who were snapped out of existence by Thanos whilst the big baddie was using the Infinity Gauntlet. Which means that our friendly neighborhood Spider-man was given a black and white poster as well.

The Newly Confirmed News

Although Shuri sadly looks like she didn't make it, there is some better confirmed news in this last set of posters, posters that should make you pretty “Happy.”

Looks like Happy is confirmed to be alive, which is good news given the last time we saw Jon Favreau’s character was in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

If all of this holds true, other characters are also confirmed to be alive, including Pepper Potts. This makes sense given some of the rumors about the character and Tony Stark when Endgame picks up.

Also Valkyrie, which interests me greatly given that character verbally spars with Thor a lot and we’ve seen in the trailers that Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel also seems to have good verbal rapport. Of course there’s plenty of space for multiple characters to potentially get quippy with Thor and I can’t wait to see it pan out.

Next, Wong is confirmed to be alive, so even if Doctor Strange didn’t fare so well, his compatriot still seems to be doing OK on Earth. Well, at least OK given the circumstances.

Although we still don't know what the ultimate ramifications of the dusting will be, this is a helluva way to kick off the month-long countdown until Avengers: Endgame is released on April 26. Getting the original gang back together has always seemed to be a theme heading into this movie, but the posters are still a way to highlight that, and we appreciate the likes of Rocket and Nebula, who really dislike Thanos, also being in this mix. Check out what we know is coming with our full guide.

Wonder Woman 1984 Producer Explains The Film’s Delay

Wonder Woman 1984 Producer Explains The Film’s Delay

It may seem like forever since Wonder Woman graced the screens of cinemas everywhere, but in actuality it'll only be a little over two years between director Patty Jenkins' first foray into the DC Comics universe, and her second outing, Wonder Woman 1984. And, as we all know, it would have been a lot sooner if the original 2019 release date Warner Bros. had planned actually stuck, which has us wondering just why the studio would delay a film that's assured to print them so much money. Well, recently, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, delivered the answer to just what all of the hold up is about, and it all came down to this:

We always wanted the date that we are on right now. The studio felt that until their slate for the year before came together—and they had an amazing end of 2018—that they needed to have a big what I call aircraft carrier, a ‘tentpole’, in [2019]. We had a very rushed pre-production because Patty also did the TNT show and we had a very rushed post-production schedule in order to make the date that we were on, which was November 1, 2019. We were doing it because the studio said they really needed it, and then at a certain point they came to us and they said, ‘You know what, you guys are right. Let’s go back to the month that you guys released Wonder Woman 1 in, and take the extra time.’

Originally slated for December 13, 2019, Wonder Woman 1984 was shifted to November 1, 2019, before eventually having its wish granted with the final extension to a June 5, 2020 release date. With Wonder Woman bowing on June 2, 2017, the film was positioned to become a hit at the summer box office that year with its $102 million opening weekend.

As the second film in the superpowered Gal Gadot starring saga could more than likely outdo that number, it's best to give it the most advantageous release date possible to get the job done. So far, Wonder Woman 1984 is running unopposed in its current slot, ready to campaign for that box office vote in similar conditions to its first time out.

So, what made Warner Bros. change its mind? Well, it looks like one film may have given the studio the confidence to let Wonder Woman 1984 be the summer blockbuster it always wanted to be. That film is the studio's heavily anticipated Mike Flannigan directed adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, also known as the direct sequel to one of King's most well known works, The Shining. That film was moved up itself to a November 8, 2019 release date, showing that Warner Bros. clearly has a good amount of faith that the film will deliver the goods.

But, more importantly, and to the point that Charles Roven mentioned in his remarks to Collider, Warner Bros. has decided that maybe it isn't the best decision to rush the second installment of one of their biggest superhero hits into theaters. With Aquaman helping mend fences between the studio and DC Comics fans, and Shazam looking to be another hit in the making, the choice to not pull another Justice League does feel like a refreshing reinforcement of recent strategy.

Wonder Woman 1984 will kick down the doors on theaters worldwide on June 5, 2020.

How Kevin Smith Found Out About His Awesome Captain Marvel Shout-Out

How Kevin Smith Found Out About His Awesome Captain Marvel Shout-Out

Warning: SPOILERS are ahead!

Although Stan Lee, one of Marvel Comics’ most important figures, passed away last November, he filmed several Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos months before his death, ensuring that we’re not done seeing him on the big screen just yet. His most recent movie appearance was in Captain Marvel, where he was shown reading the script for Mallrats, the Kevin Smith movie he cameoed in over two decades ago, on the train where Carol Danvers was hunting for a disguised Skrull. In other words, Lee was basically cameoing as himself, making this one of his more unique cameos within the MCU.

Kevin Smith posted an emotional reaction over the weekend to Stan Lee’s Captain Marvel cameo and the special tribute the movie included to the longtime Marvel Comics’ writer, publisher, editor and Chairman Emeritus, but as it turns out, Smith was told about Lee’s special cameo months ahead of time by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. As Smith revealed:

I knew before I got to the theater. I got a phone call a couple months back after Stan passed away from the great Kevin Feige over at Marvel Studios and naturally when fucking Kevin Feige calls... you pick up the phone right away.

Along with being a director and podcaster, Kevin Smith is also a huge comic book fan, to the point that he’s written several comic books over the years, including notable runs on Daredevil and Green Arrow. But as far as movies go, he hasn’t been shy about expressing enthusiasm for all things MCU. So to hear from Kevin Feige himself that Stan Lee’s Captain Marvel cameo is quite the honor. If you’re in any way a fan of these Marvel movies and Feige calls you, then that’s definitely an instance where you don’t want the call to go to voicemail.

Like many comic book fans, Kevin Smith also grew up reading Stan Lee’s Marvel stories, but it was with Mallrats that he finally got to meet him and work with him, as Lee showed up in the movie as himself to speak with Jason Lee’s Brodie Bruce. Mallrats came out in 1995, the same year Captain Marvel is set, so it was quite fitting to have Lee be practicing his lines in the penultimate Phase 3 release. Following Mallrats, not only did Smith and Lee continue to collaborate professionally, but they also became good friends.

After Stan Lee’s death, Smith posted a tribute to his colleague and friend on social media and also talked about him on his Fatman Beyond podcast, and it was reading and hearing Smith’s words that led Kevin Feige to contact him about what was in store for Captain Marvel. Smith continued:

Kevin was like 'I read your Stan thing,' because I had put up an Instagram post after Stan passed and he was like 'I heard the podcast' So we were talking about how bummed we were that Stan had passed and then Kevin goes 'well, I’m calling you with a very specific reason' and he goes 'I gotta tell you this but you can't tell anybody, in order for me to go forward I've gotta tell you Stan's cameo in Captain Marvel.'

Kevin Feige also informed Kevin Smith that when Stan Lee shot his Captain Marvel cameo, he was “on his weaker side,” as it occurred only a few months before he died (and after he’d shot his brief appearance in Avengers: Endgame). As a result, his voice wasn’t “quite there,” so Feige asked Smith if he had any alternate takes of Lee delivering his Mallrats lines, and Smith pointed him to Universal for that audio.

As you’ll see when you watch all of Kevin Smith’s video, the filmmaker was incredibly flattered to be referenced in a Marvel movie, so Captain Marvel will surely hold a special place in his heart. But beyond that, Captain Marvel has been going higher, further, faster on other fronts. Along with earning numerous positive reviews, the movie opened to $153 million domestically in its first few days, making it one of the higher-grossing of the MCU’s opening weekends.

After being teased in Avengers: Infinity War’s post-credits scene when Nick Fury contacted her with his spruced-up pager before turning to dust during the Decimation, Captain Marvel officially brought Carol Danvers into the MCU fold, and we learned how she obtained her special powers and watched as she learned the secrets of her past. The movie ended with a fully-powered Carol escorting the Skrull refugees to a new home, and while we still don’t have the full scope of what she’s been doing over the last 23 years, at least it makes sense why she hasn’t been around Earth lately.

But we’re not done with Carol Danvers in 2019 just yet. At the end of next month, she’ll be back for Avengers: Endgame, and Captain Marvel’s mid-credits scene set the stage for her alliance with the surviving MCU heroes by having her show up at the Avengers’ base asking where Nick Fury was. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but given how powerful Carol became at the end of Captain Marvel and how Brie Larson once said her character was powerful enough to move planets, she will definitely be a key ally in the rematch against Thanos.

As for Kevin Smith, along with his various podcasting endeavors, directing episodes of TV shows like The Flash and The Goldbergs and working on the upcoming Howard the Duck animated series for Hulu, he’s also just returned to his View Askewniverse (which preceded the MCU as a shared film universe) with Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which will see its eponymous protagonists traveling back to Hollywood to prevent a reboot of Bluntman and Chronic from being made. Filming on this sequel began last month, but a release date hasn’t been set yet.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Captain Marvel, and stay tuned for more updates concerning the MCU, which will continue when Avengers: Endgame is released on April 26. You can also look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

Why Mothra Was Difficult To Design For Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Why Mothra Was Difficult To Design For Godzilla: King of the Monsters

One of the Titans being introduced to the MonsterVerse at the end of the month in Godzilla: King of the Monsters is Mothra. While Godzilla has already had a couple go-arounds in American productions, King of the Monsters marks Mothra’s debut in such a project after decades of appearing in Japanese movies. As it turns out, it was the simplistic designs of the earlier Mothras that made it difficult for Mothra to be visually developed for King of the Monsters, as I learned during an interview with production designer Scott Chambliss. He explained:

The earliest incarnations of all our creatures have an unrefined comic book simplicity to them, and Mothra was arguably the least ‘designed’ of all as her initial versions are standard moths blown up to a zillion times their actual scale. In developing Mothra, our intention was to give her an essentially feminine power in contrast to the hypermasculinity of the other three creatures, and to imbue her with undeniable strength and grace plus an ability to be incredibly frightening at the same time. We went through endless design iterations striving to nail down what all that meant visually. One of the more memorable moments was when we hit a phase of ‘armourized’ Mothra. For a moment in time her cocoon looked like a military tank.

While Mothra is unquestionably a force to be reckoned with in the Toho monster movies, like Scott Chambliss pointed out, she doesn’t look as monstrous as her cohorts, instead just looking like if a regular, unassuming moth had been blown up to the size of a building. Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Mothra still has those insectoid features and looks more realistic in some regards, but Chambliss and his team made sure that she also looked more powerful and intimidating. Those praying mantis-like legs and the bigger wingspan definitely help convey that.

As Scott Chambliss also mentioned, unlike fellow newcomers Rodan and King Ghidorah, Mothra will have more than one form in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which is in keeping with the source material. She’ll be discovered by some of the main human characters in her impressive cocoon and eventually emerge in her larva form. But once those wings stretch out and Mothra takes to the skies, she’ll get to take part in the explosive action and show American moviegoers unfamiliar with her why she shouldn’t be underestimated, with her most unique power being the ability to unleash ‘god rays.’

As for whether or not Mothra will be an ally or enemy to Godzilla in this next MonsterVerse entry, that hasn’t officially been clarified yet. However, given Mothra’s benevolent nature in the Japanese movies, her behaving friendly to Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell and her shown fighting King Ghidorah, it seems likely that Godzilla won’t have to worry about Mothra giving him too much trouble, if any at all.

It’s also worth mentioning that in a previous interview, director Michael Dougherty revealed that the eye spots on Mothra’s wings were designed to resemble Godzilla’s eyes, thus creating a connection between those two. Whether that will be significantly explored in Godzilla: King of the Monsters or saved for a future MonsterVerse movie remains to be seen.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters rampages into theaters on May 31. If you’re curious about what other movies are opening in theaters later this year, look through our 2019 release schedule.