Superhero Bits: Spider-Man Gets An Oscars Push, Spawn Surprises Are Coming & More

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• New "Doctor Strange 2" promo art surfaces

• "Black Adam" producer Hiram Garcia wants to make a "Kingdom Come" movie

• "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is getting a big Oscars push

• An "Infinity War" character might return in "Thor: Love and Thunder"

• All that and more!

Marvel Comics is ringing in 2022 with a brand new omnibus collection of "Miracleman" titles. Specifically, the publisher will be collecting the reinventions of the character from authors such as Alan Davis, Garry Leach, John Totleben. 

Michael Moran, aka Miracleman, did not start out as a proper Marvel character, but was eventually included as part of the company's lineup. However, he hasn't interacted with the main Marvel universe very much, though that looks to change with the "Timeless" event series. That being the case, this collection's timing is pretty interesting, as it seems like Marvel is giving the character a big push. A logline for the collection reads as follows:

Middle-aged reporter Michael Moran always knew he was meant for something more. When an unexpected series of events leads him to reclaim his destiny, Miracleman is reborn. But Miracleman's return threatens unravel Moran's life. Their connections to Dr. Emil Gargunza and Project Zarathustra bring with them disturbing revelations and trigger the return of a childhood friend who, beneath his sinister smile, has become something terrifying. Pushing the concept of the Super Hero to its logical conclusion, MIRACLEMAN is nothing short of a revelation.

The "Miracleman" omnibus hits shelves in September.

The CW has started to push its latest DC series in a big way, as we have yet another new trailer for "Naomi." The show comes from Ava DuVernay ("Selma"), who provides an intro to the new sneak peek. Interestingly enough, the show is based on a comic character that is only a few years old, showcasing just how important superhero adaptations have become to the Hollywood landscape. Check out "Naomi" when it arrives on January 11.

"Peacemaker" series creator, director, and writer James Gunn has revealed a new teaser for the spin-off of "The Suicide Squad," which makes its way to HBO Max next week. This teaser showcases the members of the team who will be joining John Cena in delivering justice and keeping the peace. And yes, it is very much NSFW. So put on your headphones if you're watching this in the office.

"Kingdom Come" is one of the crown jewel storylines in DC Comics history. It's no secret that some people want to have a crack at adapting it for the big screen. In an interview with Collider, "Black Adam" producer Hiram Garcia has labeled it as a dream project. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's longtime producing partner had this to say about it:

"Look, I think the dream project that's something we've always spoken about at Seven Bucks, we would love to make someday, which is a tougher ambition due to, obviously, IP and rules and so forth, but always been obsessed with Kingdom Come, the Mark Waid/Alex Ross joint that those guys did. I think that storyline was always so compelling. We've always envisioned it as kind of an epic, multi-film saga. I think that's something we've always dreamed of being able to do. If there was ever a dream project, and not trying to start a fire where it's like we're gunning after that, because it's just pie in the sky, you'd love to be able to tell the story, and I always admired that story of the juxtaposition of old-school heroes versus new-school heroes and how they clash and a world so divided in terms of how they view what is justice now and what was it and what should it be. It's always just always something very compelling in the big, cataclysmic mash-up of old versus new. That's something that, look, in a perfect world, we could do it, would love to do it."

I suppose that leaves the ball in Warner Bros.' court.

We recently got a glimpse at the first trailer for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and it was pretty wild. Now, some other marketing materials have been making their way online, such as the above promo art showcasing Chiwetel Ejiofor returning as Mordo has surfaced, offering us a better look at his new look for the film directed by Sam Raimi. It's certainly a departure from what we saw in 2016's "Doctor Strange." What has Mordo been up to the last handful of years? We'll find out in May.

It's rumor time, ladies and gentlemen! Though this one comes with a bit of a spoiler warning, so if you don't want to know anything that might be happening in "Thor: Love and Thunder," go ahead and skip to the next news item. That said, as noticed by The Cosmic Circus, IMDb has a listing for Lane Friedman on the sequel as a hairstylist for Peter Dinklage. That seems to imply, if we follow the breadcrumbs, that Eitiri could be returning to the MCU fold. We last saw Dinklage's character in "Infinity War," helping Thor forge Stombreaker, the ax capable of killing Thanos. How, precisely, will Eitiri fit into the craziness coming our way in "Thor: Love and Thunder?" A question for another time, perhaps.

Back in 1992, Todd McFarlane left mainstream comics to start his own company, Image Comics, with a group of A-list creators, shaking up the industry as we knew it. McFarlane hasn't looked back since, with "Spawn," his first major creation outside of Marvel Comics, still going strong to this day. Taking to his official Facebook page, McFarlane revealed the above Spawn figure, seemingly coming from McFarlane Toys at some point this year. But it's the caption provided with the photo that is of interest:

"SPAWN'S FUTURE IS LOOKING BRIGHT IN 2022! We have A LOT in store for you in 2022! First off, Spawn and Image Comics turn 30 THIS YEAR (I can't believe it). I also have some surprises in store for you, but I can't tell you...QUITE YET! Stay tuned HERE for what's to come."

With Image and "Spawn" celebrating a big anniversary this year, it appears we have some big stuff to look forward to. Are we finally getting the "Spawn" movie? TV shows? Something else entirely? We'll have to wait and see.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is already one of the biggest movies of all time at the box office and has been met with near-universal praise from critics and audiences. So, while it may not seem like an Oscar movie, it shouldn't surprise us to learn that the movie is getting a very serious awards push from Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. 

As evidenced by the official "for your consideration" images above, the film will push for Best Picture and to get Tom Holland nominated as Best Actor. I'll be the first to admit that I don't necessarily see this as "Best Picture material, but as I pointed out recently, most of this year's likely Oscar nominees have made almost nothing at the box office. If "No Way Home" scores some major nominations, it might get people to care about the awards again, which is important. If "Avatar" can get a Best Picture nomination, why not Spidey?