In an incident that has unfortunate echoes of the very recent past, another Marvel Cinematic Universe star has been hit with accusations of assault, casting another dark cloud over another the superhero franchise’s fresh offerings as a result.
Elsewhere and in less unsavory news, Elizabeth Olsen sounds as if she’s making peace with the fact she won’t be as heavily involved in the franchise as she was during the formative years of Phase Four, even if that’s something her legion of supporters don’t want to hear.
As always, then, there’s plenty of MCU news to sift through as another week draws to a close.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta accused of assault
In unpalatable echoes of what happened with Jonathan Majors, Tenoch Huerta has become the second recently-debuted MCU villain to be accused of assault, with saxophonist and activist María Elena Ríos taking to Twitter to call out the Namor actor for being a “sexual predator.”
It’s eerily similar to the events that transpired shortly after Majors landed as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, although it’s a coincidence everyone would much rather had never transpired at all.
Elizabeth Olsen isn’t pestering Kevin Feige with ideas for a return
Having dominated the early part of the Multiverse Saga through WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – which she shot back-to-back with barely a break in between – Elizabeth Olsen has more than deserved a break from costumed capers.
She isn’t in a rush to suit up and get back into the thick of the action, either, with the actress admitting she’d be perfectly happy with her contributions to the MCU if she was fired tomorrow. Obviously, she won’t be, but at least we know it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for her on a personal and professional level.
Absence may or may not make the heart grow fonder, but we’ll find out either way
Being generous, the earliest we can expect the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to arrive is the summer of 2026, which is a long wait to capitalize on a character who became an instant fan favorite long before the credits rolled on their debut.
Sure, Simu Liu will have a big part to play in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, but the MCU’s rigid adherence to structure and sprawling slate of film and television projects feels destined to make the wait between solo installments ever longer, which may not be the right approach.
And with that, another week of all things Marvel is over and done with, but rest assured the wheels start turning again tomorrow.