June 2, 2025 • 35 mins
We mourn the passing of Peter David, an iconic writer who shaped Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Incredible Hulk, Supergirl, Young Justice and many other beloved properties across multiple media formats.
• Ryan Reynolds pitches Disney on creating an R-rated Star Wars property as a "Trojan horse for emotion"
• DC Comics and Marvel announce Batman/Deadpool crossover comics coming in 2025, their first major collaboration in decades
• Tania Miller cast in Marvel's Vision series as Jocasta, a character originally created to be Ultron's bride
• Disney delays Avengers: Doomsday to December 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars to December 2027
• Mark Miller and John Romita Jr. reunite for new comic Psychic Sam, launched via Kickstarter with potential film adaptation
• HBO announces leads for Harry Potter series: Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Alistair Stout (Ron), and Arabella Stanton (Hermione)
• We remember Alf Clausen (Simpsons composer, 84), Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H star, 87), and Peter David (prolific author, 68)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tonight, remember Alf Clausen, loretta Swit and Peter
David, plus some geek news.
All that and more on thisedition of Multiverse Tonight.
Welcome to Multiverse Tonight,your source for geek news.
We dissect films, games, comicsand much more, bringing you
insightful commentary on popculture.
This is Multiverse Tonight.
(00:22):
Now here's your host, thomasTownley.
Well, hello everyone andwelcome to episode 241 of
Multiverse Tonight.
I'm, of course, your host,thomas Townley.
And well, weather-wise, it'sbeen nice Plenty of rain, cool
(00:43):
temperatures.
It's not very nice if you'resomeone who wants to swim, but
you know, for the rest of us oldpeople, it's been, you know,
very pleasurable.
But of course, there's some sadnews and this will be my main
(01:03):
topic for today.
But I just want to express hereat the top of the program how
sad I am at the loss of authorPeter David.
If you don't know Peter David,shame on you.
He's excellent.
He's done Star Trek, star Wars,Babylon 5, incredible Hulk,
(01:28):
supergirl, young Justice, I mean, the list goes on and on.
I've got some of his work righthere.
Of course, this is one of hisautobiographical books.
Mr Sulu Grabbed my Ass andOther Highlights Life in Comics,
novels, nivelles,Establishments, films and Video
Games.
He's written Star Trek.
(01:50):
This is MZOTI 2.
Star Trek New Frontier Seriesis Treason.
Of course he wrote for thecomics too.
There's the Trial of James TKirk that he wrote for the
comics too.
There's the Trial of James TKirk that he wrote.
There's Young Justice Issues 1and 2, which they should really
(02:16):
consider making Young Justiceinto.
You know, either a series, youknow, do as a series, or do it
as a series or do it as a movieor something.
I think that would be real fun.
Of course he had a big hand inthe Marvel vs DC epic back in
(02:40):
the day.
And there's Supergirl numberone.
This is such a good run Back inthe day.
And there's Supergirl numberone.
This is such a good run.
This redefines Supergirl.
And I mean, again, I loved thework of Peter David and when he
(03:08):
got sick I was more than happyto help with his GoFundMe For
his medical treatment.
Apparently Medicaid got turneddown and all that.
And I believe it's still open.
So if you want to donate, go toGoFundMe and look up Peter
David.
But again, it's a big loss tome.
I'll always cherish everythingthat Peter David wrote.
(03:31):
Anyway, let's go on to the StarWars news.
Star Wars news begins with RyanReynolds who wants Disney to
extend the R-rated success ofthe Deadpool and Wolverine
franchise into the Star Warsfranchise.
The Deadpool actor revealed onan episode of the Box Office
(03:52):
podcast that he pitched the ideaof an R-rated Star Wars
property to Disney.
Quote I pitched to Disney.
Why don't we do an R-rated StarWars property?
Why don't we do an R-rated StarWars property?
It doesn't have to be overt Aplus characters.
There's a wide range ofcharacters you could use, and I
don't mean R-rated to be vulgar,r-rated as a Trojan horse for
(04:13):
emotion.
I always wonder why studiosdon't just want to gamble on
something like that.
While the actor is keen on theidea, he clarified that he did
not want to star in the possiblefuture film or TV show because
that would be a bad fit.
Instead he'd like to sign on asproducer or writer Quote I'm
not saying I want to be in it,I'd want to produce and write or
(04:38):
be a part of behind the scenesthose kinds of IP subsets.
Really, on a well, on scarcityand surprise we don't get
scarcity really with Star Warsbecause of Disney+, but you can
certainly still surprise people,unquote.
Now he notably starred, wrote,produced the highest-grossing
R-rated film of all time withMarvel Studios and Deadpool and
(05:01):
Wolverine.
Now, despite Reynolds'familiarity with R-rated
projects, the Star Warsfranchise has never developed a
project with that specificrating in mind.
However, the Disney Plus seriesAndor, has depicted sensitive
material.
Aside from that Star Wars pitch, reynolds is also considering
another Deadpool film that wouldfeature X-Men characters.
According to the HollywoodReporter, the idea for the
(05:23):
project would incorporate threeor four X-Men characters with a
potential supporting role forReynolds' Deadpool.
While he has many other futurefilm projects on the horizon,
reynolds is currently writingParamount's Boy Band film, which
is slated as a comedy centeredaround an aging boy band.
So with that, let's go on tothe DC Comics news.
(05:59):
Dc Comics and Marvel Comics haveannounced an unprecedented
collaboration.
Two highly anticipatedcrossover comic books are coming
in 2025.
Entertainment Weekly revealedBatman Deadpool no 1 and
Deadpool Batman no 1.
This marks the first majorcollaboration between two
companies in decades a programunlike anything the comic book
(06:21):
industry has seen.
These one-shots bring togetherGotham's Dark Knight detective
and Marvel's Deadpool in anunexpected adventure.
Batman Deadpool no 1 features alead story by Grant Morrison and
Dan Mora, with backup storiesand creative team details to be
revealed later.
Dc President Jim Lee praisedMorrison's creative storytelling
and Mora's dynamic art style,highlighting it as a fusion of
(06:44):
Kurt Swann and Gil Kane.
He also noted Morrison'sknowledge, storytelling and
Mora's dynamic art style,highlighting it as a fusion of
Kurt Swan and Gil Kane.
He also netted Morrison'sknowledge of both universes.
Morrison expressed excitementto work with Mora again and take
on Batman, deadpool, promisingforth while breaking mayhem and
other unusual elements.
Mora, a self-proclaimedDeadpool fan, called the project
a dream come true and an honor.
Mora's main cover has beenreleased.
(07:05):
Released and more news aboutDeadpool number one and the
overall crossover initiativewill be shared by DC and Marvel
in the coming months.
Two lucky comic book fans willwin the opportunity to attend
the world premiere of directorJames Gunn's Superman in Los
Angeles by discovering Crypto'sgolden biscuit hidden inside the
(07:25):
front cover of DC's facsimileedition reprint of the 1955
comic book Adventures Comicsnumber 210, that is the issue
number that will land in localcomic book stores starting on
June 18th.
Written by Otto Binder and artby Kurt Swan, including art by
Ramona Fryden and George Pop,this iconic comic book with
(07:47):
cover art by Kurt Swan featuresKrypto's first adventure in
comics in the story the Superdogfrom Krypton, where a young
Clark Kent rediscoversSuperboy's best friend in a
heartwarming reunion, spendingyears of time and light years of
space and light years of space.
Starting on Wednesday, june 18,2025, fans can head to their
(08:07):
local comic book shop and pickup a special polybagged edition
of Adventure Comics no 210 fortheir chance at discovering
Crypto's Golden Biscuit.
Copies of Adventure Comics no210 facsimile edition can be
pre-ordered from local comicbook shops, so talk to your
staff at your store about addingit to your pull list.
Dc Studios Presents presents aTroll Court Entertainment.
(08:29):
The Saffron Company production,a James Gunn film.
Superman soars into theatersand IMAX nationwide on July 11th
2025, and around the worldbeginning July 9th 2025,
distributed by Warner BrosPictures.
Now let's go on to the Marvelnews.
Tania Miller from the Fall ofthe House of Usher is set for a
(08:51):
major role in Marvel's Visionseries for Disney+.
According to Deadlinecom, she'sbelieved to be playing one of
the leads opposite PaulBettany's character, who is
reprising his titular MCUcharacter in the WandaVision
spinoff.
The new series is thought to beset after the events in
WandaVision and follow Vision ashe tries to regain his memory
and humanity.
(09:12):
Miller is said to be playingthe cunning and powerful Jocasta
, who is driven by revenge.
Now, in the comic books Jocastais a robot Ultron builds to be
his bride, who eventually sideswith the Avengers.
The robot Ultron builds to behis bride, who eventually sides
with the Avengers Marvel Comics.
Marvel decided to declinecomment on this.
Miller is believed to be partof Vision's main cast, alongside
(09:34):
Bettany James Spader, whoreprises his role as Ultron,
todd Stashwick and Ruru de Molca.
Additionally, farron Tahir isreprising his MCU role of Raza.
Vision is the secondWandaVision spinoff following
Agatha all along.
Marvel's Disney Plus slate alsoincludes the recently launched
Daredevil Born Again, which iscurrently filming its second
(09:59):
season.
Miller, whose casting in Visionwas first reported by Daniel
Richtman, is known for hisseries of regular roles on Mike
Flanagan's the Haunting of BlyManor and the Fall of the House
of Usher for Netflix and herrecurring stint on Apple TV
Plus' Foundation.
Disney has pushed back therelease dates for the upcoming
Marvel Studios-filmed AvengersDoomsday and Avengers Secret
(10:20):
Wars.
Doomsday will now premiere onDecember 18, 2026, shifting from
its original Mayth 2026,shifting from its original May
1st 2026 date.
Consequently, secret Wars hasalso been rescheduled to
December 17th 2027 from itsprior date of May 7th 2027.
These delays were announced byDisney.
Alongside a significantoverhaul of their upcoming
(10:42):
theatrical release schedule.
Several unannounced Marvelprojects have been removed from
the calendar.
Specifically, the February 13,2026, untitled Marvel date is
now absent.
Additionally, the November 6,2026, and November 5, 2027,
untitled Marvel slots have beenchanged to Untitled Disney Films
.
The Avengers Assembly willrequire a few more months than
(11:04):
anticipated.
Plus, this in the Avengers willhave to wait to assemble in San
Diego another year.
Marvel Studios will have asmaller presence at Comic-Con
International this year,skipping its annual blockbuster
presentation at Hall H onSaturday.
(11:24):
Variety reports to Variety haveconfirmed, with Avengers
Doomsday moving its release datefrom May 2026 to December 2026,
the studio is holding itspowder for Comic-Con 2026,
rather than suspended productionin London to fly its cast of
more than two dozen stars toappear on stage in San Diego
this year.
(11:45):
The company is still planningpanels and events focused on
comics and games, as well as abooth that will play off the
release of the Fantastic FourFirst Steps, which opens in
theaters on the Friday of theannual fan convention.
The stars of the film willappear at the fan convention
CCXP this weekend.
(12:06):
Since the preview of Iron manElectrified Hall H at the 2007
San Diego Comic-Con, marvelStudios has utilized the stage
to showcase its upcomingfeatures and make news with
surprise appearances and theannouncement of new titles.
Now, in 2024, the studio eventacked on a special Thursday
Hall H panel for Deadpool andWolverine.
(12:26):
That became a surprise premierescreening, capped off with a
10-minute drone and fireworksshow over Petco Park.
The studio has set out theconvention before, however, most
recently in 2023 due to guildstrikes, 2021, 2020, and 2020
due to the pandemic, as well asin 2018, 2015, 2011,.
(12:47):
Largely due to a lack of footageor news to share.
So, in other words, they don'treally have anything to show.
They're not going to go.
Hey, that rhymes.
Now let's go on to the geeknews.
I guess that means they'regrowers, not showers.
(13:12):
Anyway, geek news begins withMark Miller and John Romita Jr,
the careers of kick-ass, who arereneging for a new comic book
titled Psychic Sam, which waslaunched on Kickstarter.
This story centers on a manwith the ability to foresee
murders, compelled by voices inhis head to identify future
killers.
Miller describes theprotagonist as someone who takes
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action, but with a moraldilemma the individuals he has
tasked to target haven'tcommitted any crimes yet.
Ignoring the voices, however,results in innocent lives being
lost.
Fifteen years ago, miller andRomita achieved significant
success with Kick-Ass, which ledto a popular film and boosted
director Matthew Vaughn's career.
They are now hoping for similarsuccess with Psychic Sam, as
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producer Ivan Atkinson, knownfor his collaborations with Guy
Ritchie, joins the project for apotential feature film
adaptation.
This would add to the list ofMiller's works adapted to the
screen, including Wanted andKingsman, and acknowledges his
influential work at Marvel.
Nobly, psychic Sam isindependent of Millar's
(14:19):
exclusive deal with Netflix'sMiller World, which has produced
shows like Jupiter's Legacy andthe Chosen One.
Millar clarifies that thisproject will not interfere with
existing Netflix commitments,with the content planned through
2026.
The HBO Harry Potter series hasannounced its lead actors.
(14:40):
Dominic McLaughlin will playHarry Potter, alistair Stout
will play Ron Weasley andArabella Stanton has Hermione
Granger.
These newcomers will star inthe decade-spanning TV series,
following in the footsteps ofDaniel Radcliffe, emma Watson
and Rupert Grint.
Showrunner Francesca Gardnerand director Mark Molloy praised
(15:01):
the young actors selected aftera search led by casting
directors Lucy Bevan and EmilyBrockman.
Quote the talent of these threeunique actors is wonderful to
behold.
They express excitement for theworld to witness their
on-screen chemistry and thankthe 32,000 children who
auditioned.
Filming will begin this summerat Warner Bros Studios Levesden,
(15:24):
with the first season airing in2026,.
The three actors are relativelynew to television.
Mclaughlin has a role on theBBC's Gifted, while Stanton
previously played Matilda inMatilda's musical in London's
West End.
The casting process, whichfollowed an open call for UK and
Ireland residents aged 9 to 11,emphasized inclusive diverse
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casting.
Applicants made two videos, oneperforming a story or poem and
the other introducing themselvesand discussing a close
relationship.
The adult cast includes PapaIsweda as Snape, john Lithgow as
Dumbledore, janet McTeer asMcGonagall and Nick Frost as
Hagrid.
(16:05):
Voice actor Toby Huss has beentapped to take over as the voice
of unaccessible exterminatorand conspiracy theorist Dale
Gribble on King of the Hill, asthe show is revived for a 14th
season.
Huss is no stranger to King ofthe Hill, having voiced Khan and
Cotton Hill during the show'soriginal run.
In taking over Dale, hussreplaces Johnny Hardwick, who
(16:27):
voiced the character for itsoriginal 13 seasons on Fox from
1997 to 2009.
Hardwick recorded six episodesfor the upcoming season before
his death in 2023.
Hardwick also had roles as awriter and story editor during
his run on the show, whichconsisted of 258 episodes.
The news of Huss' casting asDale was set to be announced
(16:49):
Friday at the ATX TV Festival inAustin, where King of the Hill
will be featured, with acombination
reunion-slash-revival panelfeaturing co-creators and exec
producers Mike Judge and GregDaniels, exec
producer-showrunner SaladinPearson and series stars Pamela
Alden, lauren, tom and Huss.
And this story just broke today.
Jonathan Jost, an actor on Kingof the Hill who voiced John
(17:12):
Redcorn, died in a shooting onSaturday, according to San
Antonio police, confirming toDaily Variety, he was 59 years
old.
San Antonio officers weredispatched to a shooting in
progress at a home on Sundaynight around 7 pm.
When they arrived at the scene,they found Jost near the road
after he was shot multiple times.
(17:32):
The officers attemptedlife-saving measures until
medics arrived, but Joss waspronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter fled in a vehiclebut was detained by officers a
block away and booked for murder.
Investigation is still ongoing.
Tmz, which broke the news,reported that Joss was shot by a
neighbor after disagreement.
Which broke the news, reportedthat Joss was shot by a neighbor
(17:54):
after a disagreement.
Joss voiced John Redcorn fromseasons 2 through seasons 13,
and had recorded lines for theupcoming revival.
He took over the role fromoriginal actor Victor Aaron
after he died in 1996 in the caraccident.
More than a decade later, theshow is set to be revived on
Hulu on August 4th.
Joss also had a recurring rolein Parks and Recreation and
(18:16):
appeared in films and shows likeTulsa King, ray Donovan, true
Grit, the Magnificent Seven andmore.
Alf Clausen, the composer whomade the Simpsons even funnier
with his music for 27 years,died early Thursday after a
decades-long battle withprogressive supernuclear palsy.
He was 84 years old.
Clausen won two Emmys andanother 21 nominations for the
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long-running animated Fox series.
He began scoring the antics ofBart Lisa Company in 1990 during
its second season, as believedto be the most nominated
composer in Emmy history, with atotal of 30 nominations overall
.
He also won five Annie Awards,also for Simpsons music.
His long tenure with MattGroening's irreverent creation
made him one of the mostrespected creators of animation
(19:02):
music in TV history.
His nearly 600 original scoresfor the series are also believed
to be a record for the mostwritten for a single TV series
in America.
Clausen conducted a 35-pieceorchestra every week, something
producers insisted upon from thebeginning.
His unexpected firing in Augustof 2017, a cost-saving move by
Fox and Simpsons producer GreasyFilms, resulted in a firestorm
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of protests from fans around theworld.
Producers decided to recognizeClausen's indelible contribution
by crediting him as composeremeritus in subsequent seasons.
Clausen was as adept atsongwriting as score composition
.
Both his Emmy wins were forsongs on the Simpsons and they
formed the basis for many of thetracks on the series' three
(19:46):
popular compilation albums Songsin the Key of Springfield, go
Simpsic with the Simpsons andTestify, clausen told Variety in
1998 on the occasion of theseries's 200th episode.
Quote this is a dream job for acomposer.
Matt Groening said to me veryearly on we're not a cartoon,
we're a drama where thecharacters are drawn.
(20:06):
I want emotions on thecharacters as opposed to
specific action set hits on thescreen, unquote.
Clausen explains his musicalprocess on the characters as
opposed to specific actions thathits on the screen.
Clausen explains his musicalprocess on the series.
Quote the basic premise of thiswhole series is the joke, and
the jokes come rapid fire.
An old band leader, friend ofmine, once told me you can't
vaudeville.
Vaudeville meaning the joke ismuch funnier if you play the
(20:26):
real situation as opposed toplaying the music.
Funny, you pull the audienceinto the reality of the
situation.
If you try to Mickey Mouse itand play the comedy, you're
already tipping your hand.
So you try to play the realityof the situation.
As much as you can unquote theProfile of Clawson published in
1996, by his alma mater, berkleeCollege of Music.
(20:47):
Simpsons creator Groening calledthe composer one of the
unacknowledged treasures of theshow.
Alf understands the show andproduces a voluminous amount of
music in all different styles.
He is our secret weapon.
One of Clausen's greateststrengths was the ability to
write in many different styles,from symphonic to jazzy to
contemporary, sometimes riffingon famous film scores or other
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pop culture references, and todo it with as little as a few
seconds, just enough to make acomedic point.
The Simpsons capped a longcareer in music for television
that dated back to the 1970s.
Before that he was a musicaldirector for variety shows,
including Donny and Marie andMary, tyler Moore's Short-Lived
Mary, and contributedarrangements to specials
headlined by Nell Carter, johnSchneider, tony Orlando, goldie
(21:33):
Hawn and others.
Clausen orchestrated for othercomposers including Lolo
Schifrin and Craig Safan, but itwas composer Lee Holdridge who
propelled his career as adramatic composer.
After orchestrating suchHoldridge films as the
Beastmaster, splash and others,holdridge launched the Bruce
Willis-Sybil Shepard dramedy,moonlighting, and then turned it
(21:55):
over to Clausen.
Six of Clausen's pre-SimpsonsEmmy nominations were for
Moonlighting, including twolandmark episodes the
black-and-white the Dreamsequence Always Rings Twice and
the Taming of the Shrews.
End-up Atomic Shakespeare.
He scored more than 60 hours ofmoon-lying, and the series'
infamous last-minutepost-production schedule often
meant writing an entire scoreover a weekend in order to make
(22:16):
ABC's the Tuesday Night Airdate.
Among his art series ascomposer were Wizards and
Warriors, fame, lime Street,christine Cromwell, the Critic
and Bet.
He scored nearly 100 episodesof the 1980s puppet sitcom Alf,
and when asked about the titlehe would often quip no relation.
Clausen was born March 28, 1941,in Minneapolis but grew up in
(22:39):
Jamestown, north Dakota, andearned degrees from North Dakota
State University, theUniversity of Wisconsin and
Boston's Berklee College ofMusic.
He would later study filmscoring with Earl Hagen.
As a two-year member of theLehman Engel's BMI Musical
Theater Workshop, he would behonored with an honorary
doctorate in music in 1996 andanother honorary doctorate from
(23:00):
North Dakota State in 1999.
And he also released an albumof his own big band compositions
Swing Can Really Hang you Upthe Most in 2005.
He is survived by his wifeSally, former wife Judy, sister
Faye, three children, twostepchildren, eleven
grandchildren, one niece and onenephew.
Again, alf Clausen was 89 yearsold four years old, excuse me
(23:22):
Laura DeSwit, who played MajorMargaret Hot Lips Houlihan on
the seminal TV comedy MASH diedFriday at her home in New York
City at the age of 87.
Her representative said the NewYork police reported her time of
death as 12.01pm on May 30th ofsuspected natural causes.
For her work on MASH, swit wasEmmy-nominated for Outstanding
(23:46):
Performance by a SupportingActress in a Comedy every year
from 1974 to 1983, winning theEmmy in 1980 and 1982.
As MASH evolved over its11-year run from a broadly
farcical satire into a morecontemplative series than braced
drama as much as comedy, thecharacter of Margaret Houlihan
and the way Swit performed itchanged markedly as well.
(24:06):
She was at first a crudelydrawn villain allied with the
weasel Frank Burns, who existedto be the object of derision and
of practical jokes by Hawkeyeand Trapper John.
The first step in therevolution came with the season
four episode Male Call Again, inwhich Margaret realizes that
Frank is at least up to a pointafter Frank's wife finds out
about Margaret and he lies aboutit.
(24:28):
With season five episode Bug Out, in which most of the personnel
evacuate, leaving only Hawkeye,margaret and Rader to take care
of a patient that can't bemoved, viewers began to respect
her professionally and the humanside came through.
The best moment in Swift's longtenure as Houlihan, however,
came a few episodes later in onecalled the Nurses.
In this episode the nursesunder Major Houlihan kept a
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secret from her.
They contrived to allow onenurse and her new husband to
spend the night together.
But in the end Margaret findsout commenting in a speech in
which she emotionally declareshow she's always felt ostracized
by them, how they've never somuch as offered her a lousy cup
of coffee.
In the words of one MASHfansite, she lets them know why
she's always so mean to them ina speech that's both riveting
(25:09):
and heartbreaking, reviewing hercharacter's position and
evolution on MASH Swit once said, I mean certain things had to
remain the same.
She had to remain one of theantagonists because that was the
structure of the show.
In the second season we saw forthe first time that she was
unhappy with Frank and wantedmore from her life.
Then, around the third orfourth year, in an episode
called the Nurses, hot Lips gavethe nurses a speech telling
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them how lonely she was becauseshe was in charge and that's the
way it was.
So she couldn't really have anyfriends.
Her marriage and divorcechanged her.
Her affair with Hawkeye inComrades at Arms changed both
characters so that they werenever really rivals again.
Arms changed both characters sothat they were never really
rivals again.
Swift appeared as Major Houlihanon the 1995 variety special
(25:50):
Rickles starring in cell comicDon Rickles.
After the end of the show, theactress starred in the popular,
emmy-nominated 1983 telepic theBest Christmas Pageant Ever, in
which she played a teacher whoputs the worst students in the
school's holiday pageant.
She wound up to star in a longseries of TV movies, including
1985's the Execution, andguested on shows ranging from
(26:11):
the Love Boat to Murder.
She Wrote making her finaltelevision appearance in the
1998 episode of Diagnosis Murder.
In 1985, she starred with RipTorn in the feature comedy Beer
with Swift First Build.
Three years she playedPresident Barbara Adams in
Whoops Apocalypse, a featureadaptation of a dark political
comedy on British TV.
(26:31):
The actress also had roles inthe 1996 Chuck Norris movie
Forest Warrior and laterappeared in the 1998 comedy
Beach Movie.
She was born in Passaic, newJersey, to Polish immigrant
parents who were far fromencouraging about her career in
show business, but she could notbe deterred performing for the
first time.
At the age of seven she wastrained as a singer at the
(26:54):
American Academy of DramaticArts and studied with Gene
Frankel in Manhattan.
The actress made her smallscreen debut in 1969 with the
first of several appearances onHawaii Five-0, followed by guest
appearances in 1970 on MissionImpossible, mannix, gunsmoke and
then Bonanza, ironside and LoveAmerican Style.
Swift then made her featurefilm debut in 1972's Battle of
(27:14):
the Sexes comedy Stand Up and BeCounted.
Even after being cast in MASH,swift appeared in other film and
TV work, including 1974 actioncomedy Freebie and the Bean,
which was the third build afterAlan Arkin and James Caan, and
in the 1975 Peter Fonda carchase movie Race with the Devil.
She also showed her musicaltalents in an adaptation of the
(27:35):
campy man of Steel musical it'sa Bird, it's a Plane, it's
Superman in 1975.
In the late 70s she appeared ina series of TV movies and she
had a supporting role in BlakeEdwards' 1981 comedy SOB.
Also in 1981, she appeared inthe pilot episode of Cagney and
Lacey as Lacey, but Fox did notlet her out of her match
contract and she was replaced bySharon Gilles when the show was
(27:58):
picked up.
Swift also did theater touringwith the National Company of Any
Wednesday in 1967, and playedone of the Pigeon Sisters in the
Los Angeles run of the OddCouple starring Don Rickles and
Urs Borgnine.
(28:34):
Swit was married to actor DennisHoulihan in 1983 until the
divorce in 1995, and she washeavily involved in animal
rights organizations and foundedthe.
Swit was 87 years old andfinally, tonight we'll talk
about Peter David.
Peter David, prolific authorand Eisner Award-winning
Incredible Hulk actor, dead atthe age of 68.
Peter David, a giant of theliterary and comic book worlds,
whose character-defying 12-yearrun on the Incredible Hulk
(28:56):
earned him an Eisner Award andcritical acclaim, passed away on
Sunday, may 25, 2025, at theage of 68.
His wife, kathleen O'Shea David, confirmed the heartbreaking
news on social media, while acause of death was not
immediately provided.
David had been battlingsignificant health challenges in
recent years, including kidneyfailure, multiple strokes and a
mild heart attack, as detailedon a GoFundMe page established
(29:19):
to assist with his mountingmedical and living expenses.
Kathleen shared updates on theGoFundMe, knowing that Pierre
had been admitted to the ICUwith bilateral pneumonia on May
18th and was later intubated andsedated.
She wrote we are devastatedMore when I can write about it.
Born on September 23rd 1956,pierre David's nearly
(29:41):
two-decade-long career showcasedan extraordinary versatility,
allowing him to leave anindelible mark across television
, film, books, short stories andcomic books.
His work garnered dedicatedfollowings in every medium he
touched.
In the literary field, davidauthored over 50 novels, many of
which earned him a spot on theNew York Times Best Sellers list
Sillars list.
(30:05):
His diverse bibliographyincludes original works such as
the heroic fantasy satire SirApropos of Nothing and Woe to
Woon Nightlife and the CymanAdventure series.
He was also the co-creator andcelebrity author of the
best-selling Star Trek NewFrontier series for Pocket Books
, contributing significantly tothe Star Trek universe with
novels like Q-Squared, the Siegeand Amzadi.
David further expanded theBabylon 5 universe with the
Centauri Prime novels and sawhis short fiction published in
(30:29):
esteemed collections andmagazines like Isaac Admoff's
Science Fiction magazine.
David's contributions to comicbooks were more than legendary.
Beyond his seminal work on theIncredible Hulk, he lent his
writing talents to vast arraysof popular titles, including
Supergirl, young Justice,aquaman, which he famously gave
the harpoon hand in the 1994relaunch Spider-Man, spider-man
(30:52):
2099, a character he co-createdwith artist Rick Leonardi,
x-factor and Captain Marvel.
His insightful and oftenhumorous opinion column but I
digress was a consistentlypopular feature in the Comic
Buyer's Guide for nearly adecade.
His talents also extended totelevision and film.
He co-created with sciencefiction icon Bill Mooney the
(31:12):
Cable, ace Award-nominatedseries Space Cases.
For Nickelodeon, david pennedseveral scripts for the Hugo
Award-winning Babylon 5 and itssequel Crusade, and in film, he
co-wrote and co-producedmultiple features for Full Moon
Entertainment, includinginstallments in the Trancers
series and the goldaward-winning science fiction
western spoof Oblivion.
(31:33):
Peter David's formal trainingwas in journalism, earning a
bachelor's degree from New YorkUniversity, although he
eventually found his calling increative writing, his approach
to storytelling, particularly incomics, was deeply
psychological, developing intothe inner lives of his
characters.
This was the most evident inhis transformative work on the
Incredible Hulk, which he tookover the title in 1987.
(31:53):
David was tasked withreinvigorating a character many
writers shied away from due tothe traditional Hulk smash
persona.
David famously embraced theGrey Hulk, the character's
original, more cunningincarnation, and explored the
concept of the Hulk as amanifestation of Bruce Banner's
dissociative identity disorder.
This led to his merged story inIncredible Hulk number 377,
(32:15):
where Banner, the Green Hulk andthe Grey Hulk named Joe Fixit
converged into a singleintelligent and formidable being
.
This groundbreaking explorationof the character's psyche not
only redefined the Hulk for ageneration, but also heavily
influenced subsequent acclaimedruns such as Al Ewing and Joe
Bennett's Immortal Hulk.
David often noted that his workon the Hulk was deeply personal
(32:37):
, relaying his own experiencesand concerns.
Throughout his career PeterDavid received numerous awards
and citations recognizing hisimmense impact on the industry.
This includes the Hexdire Awardin 1996 for Best Comic Script
from Spain, the OzCon Award in1995 for Favorite International
Writer, australia Comic Buyer'sGuide Fan Awards in 1995 for
(33:00):
Favorite Writer, 1993's WizardFan Award, the 1994 Golden Duck
Award for Young Adult Series forStarfleet Academy no 1 Horse
First Adventure, the UK ComicAward in 1993, and Will Eisner's
Comic Industry Award in 1993.
Peter David lived in New Yorkwith his wife Kathleen.
They had one daughter, caroline, helen David.
(33:22):
Peter also had three childrenfrom his first marriage Shaana,
gwen and Ariel, a devoted andoften long-suffering Mets fan.
His warmth and wit were as mucha part of his public persona as
his incredible writing talent.
His passing leads a significantvoid in the world of
speculative fiction, but hisvast body of work will continue
to entertain and inspire forgenerations to come.
(33:43):
Again, peter David dead at 68.
And if your interest in thisbibliography is collection of
work, I'm going to include thatin this week's show notes, I
promise.
Now, this brings us to the endof the show for today.
(34:04):
Now, please be sure to check usout on social media.
We're on Twitter and Blue Skyat Multiverse, tom Threads,
facebook and Instagram, as wellat Multiverse Tonight.
And if you've gotten some valueout of the show and would like
to pay it back, head on over toMultiverseTonightcom, where
you'll find our Patreon andKo-Fi links.
Check our show notes, visit ourt public store and so much more
(34:27):
.
You'll leave some feedback aswell.
Now, if this is your first timelistening, thank you very much
and welcome.
Go ahead and hit that subscribebutton and share us with others
.
Now.
Thanks to hot dope for theintro music and lobo loco for
the outro theme music.
Thanks for watching thisedition of multiverse tonight.
We'll be back in two weeks withmore sci-fi and comic book news
(34:47):
.
Now please exit the universe inan orderly fashion.
Good night.
Multiverse Tonight is aproduction of Path to Big Shot
Productions.
Copyright 2025.
All rights reserved.
Podcasts are you Podcasts, areyou?
All rights reserved.
Tonight, remember Alf Clausen, loretta Swit and Peter
David, plus some geek news.
All that and more on thisedition of Multiverse Tonight.
Welcome to Multiverse Tonight,your source for geek news.
We dissect films, games, comicsand much more, bringing you
insightful commentary on popculture.
This is Multiverse Tonight.
(00:22):
Now here's your host, thomasTownley.
Well, hello everyone andwelcome to episode 241 of
Multiverse Tonight.
I'm, of course, your host,thomas Townley.
And well, weather-wise, it'sbeen nice Plenty of rain, cool
(00:43):
temperatures.
It's not very nice if you'resomeone who wants to swim, but
you know, for the rest of us oldpeople, it's been, you know,
very pleasurable.
But of course, there's some sadnews and this will be my main
(01:03):
topic for today.
But I just want to express hereat the top of the program how
sad I am at the loss of authorPeter David.
If you don't know Peter David,shame on you.
He's excellent.
He's done Star Trek, star Wars,Babylon 5, incredible Hulk,
(01:28):
supergirl, young Justice, I mean, the list goes on and on.
I've got some of his work righthere.
Of course, this is one of hisautobiographical books.
Mr Sulu Grabbed my Ass andOther Highlights Life in Comics,
novels, nivelles,Establishments, films and Video
Games.
He's written Star Trek.
(01:50):
This is MZOTI 2.
Star Trek New Frontier Seriesis Treason.
Of course he wrote for thecomics too.
There's the Trial of James TKirk that he wrote for the
comics too.
There's the Trial of James TKirk that he wrote.
There's Young Justice Issues 1and 2, which they should really
(02:16):
consider making Young Justiceinto.
You know, either a series, youknow, do as a series, or do it
as a series or do it as a movieor something.
I think that would be real fun.
Of course he had a big hand inthe Marvel vs DC epic back in
(02:40):
the day.
And there's Supergirl numberone.
This is such a good run Back inthe day.
And there's Supergirl numberone.
This is such a good run.
This redefines Supergirl.
And I mean, again, I loved thework of Peter David and when he
(03:08):
got sick I was more than happyto help with his GoFundMe For
his medical treatment.
Apparently Medicaid got turneddown and all that.
And I believe it's still open.
So if you want to donate, go toGoFundMe and look up Peter
David.
But again, it's a big loss tome.
I'll always cherish everythingthat Peter David wrote.
(03:31):
Anyway, let's go on to the StarWars news.
Star Wars news begins with RyanReynolds who wants Disney to
extend the R-rated success ofthe Deadpool and Wolverine
franchise into the Star Warsfranchise.
The Deadpool actor revealed onan episode of the Box Office
(03:52):
podcast that he pitched the ideaof an R-rated Star Wars
property to Disney.
Quote I pitched to Disney.
Why don't we do an R-rated StarWars property?
Why don't we do an R-rated StarWars property?
It doesn't have to be overt Aplus characters.
There's a wide range ofcharacters you could use, and I
don't mean R-rated to be vulgar,r-rated as a Trojan horse for
(04:13):
emotion.
I always wonder why studiosdon't just want to gamble on
something like that.
While the actor is keen on theidea, he clarified that he did
not want to star in the possiblefuture film or TV show because
that would be a bad fit.
Instead he'd like to sign on asproducer or writer Quote I'm
not saying I want to be in it,I'd want to produce and write or
(04:38):
be a part of behind the scenesthose kinds of IP subsets.
Really, on a well, on scarcityand surprise we don't get
scarcity really with Star Warsbecause of Disney+, but you can
certainly still surprise people,unquote.
Now he notably starred, wrote,produced the highest-grossing
R-rated film of all time withMarvel Studios and Deadpool and
(05:01):
Wolverine.
Now, despite Reynolds'familiarity with R-rated
projects, the Star Warsfranchise has never developed a
project with that specificrating in mind.
However, the Disney Plus seriesAndor, has depicted sensitive
material.
Aside from that Star Wars pitch, reynolds is also considering
another Deadpool film that wouldfeature X-Men characters.
According to the HollywoodReporter, the idea for the
(05:23):
project would incorporate threeor four X-Men characters with a
potential supporting role forReynolds' Deadpool.
While he has many other futurefilm projects on the horizon,
reynolds is currently writingParamount's Boy Band film, which
is slated as a comedy centeredaround an aging boy band.
So with that, let's go on tothe DC Comics news.
(05:59):
Dc Comics and Marvel Comics haveannounced an unprecedented
collaboration.
Two highly anticipatedcrossover comic books are coming
in 2025.
Entertainment Weekly revealedBatman Deadpool no 1 and
Deadpool Batman no 1.
This marks the first majorcollaboration between two
companies in decades a programunlike anything the comic book
(06:21):
industry has seen.
These one-shots bring togetherGotham's Dark Knight detective
and Marvel's Deadpool in anunexpected adventure.
Batman Deadpool no 1 features alead story by Grant Morrison and
Dan Mora, with backup storiesand creative team details to be
revealed later.
Dc President Jim Lee praisedMorrison's creative storytelling
and Mora's dynamic art style,highlighting it as a fusion of
(06:44):
Kurt Swann and Gil Kane.
He also noted Morrison'sknowledge, storytelling and
Mora's dynamic art style,highlighting it as a fusion of
Kurt Swan and Gil Kane.
He also netted Morrison'sknowledge of both universes.
Morrison expressed excitementto work with Mora again and take
on Batman, deadpool, promisingforth while breaking mayhem and
other unusual elements.
Mora, a self-proclaimedDeadpool fan, called the project
a dream come true and an honor.
Mora's main cover has beenreleased.
(07:05):
Released and more news aboutDeadpool number one and the
overall crossover initiativewill be shared by DC and Marvel
in the coming months.
Two lucky comic book fans willwin the opportunity to attend
the world premiere of directorJames Gunn's Superman in Los
Angeles by discovering Crypto'sgolden biscuit hidden inside the
(07:25):
front cover of DC's facsimileedition reprint of the 1955
comic book Adventures Comicsnumber 210, that is the issue
number that will land in localcomic book stores starting on
June 18th.
Written by Otto Binder and artby Kurt Swan, including art by
Ramona Fryden and George Pop,this iconic comic book with
(07:47):
cover art by Kurt Swan featuresKrypto's first adventure in
comics in the story the Superdogfrom Krypton, where a young
Clark Kent rediscoversSuperboy's best friend in a
heartwarming reunion, spendingyears of time and light years of
space and light years of space.
Starting on Wednesday, june 18,2025, fans can head to their
(08:07):
local comic book shop and pickup a special polybagged edition
of Adventure Comics no 210 fortheir chance at discovering
Crypto's Golden Biscuit.
Copies of Adventure Comics no210 facsimile edition can be
pre-ordered from local comicbook shops, so talk to your
staff at your store about addingit to your pull list.
Dc Studios Presents presents aTroll Court Entertainment.
(08:29):
The Saffron Company production,a James Gunn film.
Superman soars into theatersand IMAX nationwide on July 11th
2025, and around the worldbeginning July 9th 2025,
distributed by Warner BrosPictures.
Now let's go on to the Marvelnews.
Tania Miller from the Fall ofthe House of Usher is set for a
(08:51):
major role in Marvel's Visionseries for Disney+.
According to Deadlinecom, she'sbelieved to be playing one of
the leads opposite PaulBettany's character, who is
reprising his titular MCUcharacter in the WandaVision
spinoff.
The new series is thought to beset after the events in
WandaVision and follow Vision ashe tries to regain his memory
and humanity.
(09:12):
Miller is said to be playingthe cunning and powerful Jocasta
, who is driven by revenge.
Now, in the comic books Jocastais a robot Ultron builds to be
his bride, who eventually sideswith the Avengers.
The robot Ultron builds to behis bride, who eventually sides
with the Avengers Marvel Comics.
Marvel decided to declinecomment on this.
Miller is believed to be partof Vision's main cast, alongside
(09:34):
Bettany James Spader, whoreprises his role as Ultron,
todd Stashwick and Ruru de Molca.
Additionally, farron Tahir isreprising his MCU role of Raza.
Vision is the secondWandaVision spinoff following
Agatha all along.
Marvel's Disney Plus slate alsoincludes the recently launched
Daredevil Born Again, which iscurrently filming its second
(09:59):
season.
Miller, whose casting in Visionwas first reported by Daniel
Richtman, is known for hisseries of regular roles on Mike
Flanagan's the Haunting of BlyManor and the Fall of the House
of Usher for Netflix and herrecurring stint on Apple TV
Plus' Foundation.
Disney has pushed back therelease dates for the upcoming
Marvel Studios-filmed AvengersDoomsday and Avengers Secret
(10:20):
Wars.
Doomsday will now premiere onDecember 18, 2026, shifting from
its original Mayth 2026,shifting from its original May
1st 2026 date.
Consequently, secret Wars hasalso been rescheduled to
December 17th 2027 from itsprior date of May 7th 2027.
These delays were announced byDisney.
Alongside a significantoverhaul of their upcoming
(10:42):
theatrical release schedule.
Several unannounced Marvelprojects have been removed from
the calendar.
Specifically, the February 13,2026, untitled Marvel date is
now absent.
Additionally, the November 6,2026, and November 5, 2027,
untitled Marvel slots have beenchanged to Untitled Disney Films
.
The Avengers Assembly willrequire a few more months than
(11:04):
anticipated.
Plus, this in the Avengers willhave to wait to assemble in San
Diego another year.
Marvel Studios will have asmaller presence at Comic-Con
International this year,skipping its annual blockbuster
presentation at Hall H onSaturday.
(11:24):
Variety reports to Variety haveconfirmed, with Avengers
Doomsday moving its release datefrom May 2026 to December 2026,
the studio is holding itspowder for Comic-Con 2026,
rather than suspended productionin London to fly its cast of
more than two dozen stars toappear on stage in San Diego
this year.
(11:45):
The company is still planningpanels and events focused on
comics and games, as well as abooth that will play off the
release of the Fantastic FourFirst Steps, which opens in
theaters on the Friday of theannual fan convention.
The stars of the film willappear at the fan convention
CCXP this weekend.
(12:06):
Since the preview of Iron manElectrified Hall H at the 2007
San Diego Comic-Con, marvelStudios has utilized the stage
to showcase its upcomingfeatures and make news with
surprise appearances and theannouncement of new titles.
Now, in 2024, the studio eventacked on a special Thursday
Hall H panel for Deadpool andWolverine.
(12:26):
That became a surprise premierescreening, capped off with a
10-minute drone and fireworksshow over Petco Park.
The studio has set out theconvention before, however, most
recently in 2023 due to guildstrikes, 2021, 2020, and 2020
due to the pandemic, as well asin 2018, 2015, 2011,.
(12:47):
Largely due to a lack of footageor news to share.
So, in other words, they don'treally have anything to show.
They're not going to go.
Hey, that rhymes.
Now let's go on to the geeknews.
I guess that means they'regrowers, not showers.
(13:12):
Anyway, geek news begins withMark Miller and John Romita Jr,
the careers of kick-ass, who arereneging for a new comic book
titled Psychic Sam, which waslaunched on Kickstarter.
This story centers on a manwith the ability to foresee
murders, compelled by voices inhis head to identify future
killers.
Miller describes theprotagonist as someone who takes
(13:34):
action, but with a moraldilemma the individuals he has
tasked to target haven'tcommitted any crimes yet.
Ignoring the voices, however,results in innocent lives being
lost.
Fifteen years ago, miller andRomita achieved significant
success with Kick-Ass, which ledto a popular film and boosted
director Matthew Vaughn's career.
They are now hoping for similarsuccess with Psychic Sam, as
(13:56):
producer Ivan Atkinson, knownfor his collaborations with Guy
Ritchie, joins the project for apotential feature film
adaptation.
This would add to the list ofMiller's works adapted to the
screen, including Wanted andKingsman, and acknowledges his
influential work at Marvel.
Nobly, psychic Sam isindependent of Millar's
(14:19):
exclusive deal with Netflix'sMiller World, which has produced
shows like Jupiter's Legacy andthe Chosen One.
Millar clarifies that thisproject will not interfere with
existing Netflix commitments,with the content planned through
2026.
The HBO Harry Potter series hasannounced its lead actors.
(14:40):
Dominic McLaughlin will playHarry Potter, alistair Stout
will play Ron Weasley andArabella Stanton has Hermione
Granger.
These newcomers will star inthe decade-spanning TV series,
following in the footsteps ofDaniel Radcliffe, emma Watson
and Rupert Grint.
Showrunner Francesca Gardnerand director Mark Molloy praised
(15:01):
the young actors selected aftera search led by casting
directors Lucy Bevan and EmilyBrockman.
Quote the talent of these threeunique actors is wonderful to
behold.
They express excitement for theworld to witness their
on-screen chemistry and thankthe 32,000 children who
auditioned.
Filming will begin this summerat Warner Bros Studios Levesden,
(15:24):
with the first season airing in2026,.
The three actors are relativelynew to television.
Mclaughlin has a role on theBBC's Gifted, while Stanton
previously played Matilda inMatilda's musical in London's
West End.
The casting process, whichfollowed an open call for UK and
Ireland residents aged 9 to 11,emphasized inclusive diverse
(15:44):
casting.
Applicants made two videos, oneperforming a story or poem and
the other introducing themselvesand discussing a close
relationship.
The adult cast includes PapaIsweda as Snape, john Lithgow as
Dumbledore, janet McTeer asMcGonagall and Nick Frost as
Hagrid.
(16:05):
Voice actor Toby Huss has beentapped to take over as the voice
of unaccessible exterminatorand conspiracy theorist Dale
Gribble on King of the Hill, asthe show is revived for a 14th
season.
Huss is no stranger to King ofthe Hill, having voiced Khan and
Cotton Hill during the show'soriginal run.
In taking over Dale, hussreplaces Johnny Hardwick, who
(16:27):
voiced the character for itsoriginal 13 seasons on Fox from
1997 to 2009.
Hardwick recorded six episodesfor the upcoming season before
his death in 2023.
Hardwick also had roles as awriter and story editor during
his run on the show, whichconsisted of 258 episodes.
The news of Huss' casting asDale was set to be announced
(16:49):
Friday at the ATX TV Festival inAustin, where King of the Hill
will be featured, with acombination
reunion-slash-revival panelfeaturing co-creators and exec
producers Mike Judge and GregDaniels, exec
producer-showrunner SaladinPearson and series stars Pamela
Alden, lauren, tom and Huss.
And this story just broke today.
Jonathan Jost, an actor on Kingof the Hill who voiced John
(17:12):
Redcorn, died in a shooting onSaturday, according to San
Antonio police, confirming toDaily Variety, he was 59 years
old.
San Antonio officers weredispatched to a shooting in
progress at a home on Sundaynight around 7 pm.
When they arrived at the scene,they found Jost near the road
after he was shot multiple times.
(17:32):
The officers attemptedlife-saving measures until
medics arrived, but Joss waspronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter fled in a vehiclebut was detained by officers a
block away and booked for murder.
Investigation is still ongoing.
Tmz, which broke the news,reported that Joss was shot by a
neighbor after disagreement.
Which broke the news, reportedthat Joss was shot by a neighbor
(17:54):
after a disagreement.
Joss voiced John Redcorn fromseasons 2 through seasons 13,
and had recorded lines for theupcoming revival.
He took over the role fromoriginal actor Victor Aaron
after he died in 1996 in the caraccident.
More than a decade later, theshow is set to be revived on
Hulu on August 4th.
Joss also had a recurring rolein Parks and Recreation and
(18:16):
appeared in films and shows likeTulsa King, ray Donovan, true
Grit, the Magnificent Seven andmore.
Alf Clausen, the composer whomade the Simpsons even funnier
with his music for 27 years,died early Thursday after a
decades-long battle withprogressive supernuclear palsy.
He was 84 years old.
Clausen won two Emmys andanother 21 nominations for the
(18:41):
long-running animated Fox series.
He began scoring the antics ofBart Lisa Company in 1990 during
its second season, as believedto be the most nominated
composer in Emmy history, with atotal of 30 nominations overall
.
He also won five Annie Awards,also for Simpsons music.
His long tenure with MattGroening's irreverent creation
made him one of the mostrespected creators of animation
(19:02):
music in TV history.
His nearly 600 original scoresfor the series are also believed
to be a record for the mostwritten for a single TV series
in America.
Clausen conducted a 35-pieceorchestra every week, something
producers insisted upon from thebeginning.
His unexpected firing in Augustof 2017, a cost-saving move by
Fox and Simpsons producer GreasyFilms, resulted in a firestorm
(19:24):
of protests from fans around theworld.
Producers decided to recognizeClausen's indelible contribution
by crediting him as composeremeritus in subsequent seasons.
Clausen was as adept atsongwriting as score composition
.
Both his Emmy wins were forsongs on the Simpsons and they
formed the basis for many of thetracks on the series' three
(19:46):
popular compilation albums Songsin the Key of Springfield, go
Simpsic with the Simpsons andTestify, clausen told Variety in
1998 on the occasion of theseries's 200th episode.
Quote this is a dream job for acomposer.
Matt Groening said to me veryearly on we're not a cartoon,
we're a drama where thecharacters are drawn.
(20:06):
I want emotions on thecharacters as opposed to
specific action set hits on thescreen, unquote.
Clausen explains his musicalprocess on the characters as
opposed to specific actions thathits on the screen.
Clausen explains his musicalprocess on the series.
Quote the basic premise of thiswhole series is the joke, and
the jokes come rapid fire.
An old band leader, friend ofmine, once told me you can't
vaudeville.
Vaudeville meaning the joke ismuch funnier if you play the
(20:26):
real situation as opposed toplaying the music.
Funny, you pull the audienceinto the reality of the
situation.
If you try to Mickey Mouse itand play the comedy, you're
already tipping your hand.
So you try to play the realityof the situation.
As much as you can unquote theProfile of Clawson published in
1996, by his alma mater, berkleeCollege of Music.
(20:47):
Simpsons creator Groening calledthe composer one of the
unacknowledged treasures of theshow.
Alf understands the show andproduces a voluminous amount of
music in all different styles.
He is our secret weapon.
One of Clausen's greateststrengths was the ability to
write in many different styles,from symphonic to jazzy to
contemporary, sometimes riffingon famous film scores or other
(21:11):
pop culture references, and todo it with as little as a few
seconds, just enough to make acomedic point.
The Simpsons capped a longcareer in music for television
that dated back to the 1970s.
Before that he was a musicaldirector for variety shows,
including Donny and Marie andMary, tyler Moore's Short-Lived
Mary, and contributedarrangements to specials
headlined by Nell Carter, johnSchneider, tony Orlando, goldie
(21:33):
Hawn and others.
Clausen orchestrated for othercomposers including Lolo
Schifrin and Craig Safan, but itwas composer Lee Holdridge who
propelled his career as adramatic composer.
After orchestrating suchHoldridge films as the
Beastmaster, splash and others,holdridge launched the Bruce
Willis-Sybil Shepard dramedy,moonlighting, and then turned it
(21:55):
over to Clausen.
Six of Clausen's pre-SimpsonsEmmy nominations were for
Moonlighting, including twolandmark episodes the
black-and-white the Dreamsequence Always Rings Twice and
the Taming of the Shrews.
End-up Atomic Shakespeare.
He scored more than 60 hours ofmoon-lying, and the series'
infamous last-minutepost-production schedule often
meant writing an entire scoreover a weekend in order to make
(22:16):
ABC's the Tuesday Night Airdate.
Among his art series ascomposer were Wizards and
Warriors, fame, lime Street,christine Cromwell, the Critic
and Bet.
He scored nearly 100 episodesof the 1980s puppet sitcom Alf,
and when asked about the titlehe would often quip no relation.
Clausen was born March 28, 1941,in Minneapolis but grew up in
(22:39):
Jamestown, north Dakota, andearned degrees from North Dakota
State University, theUniversity of Wisconsin and
Boston's Berklee College ofMusic.
He would later study filmscoring with Earl Hagen.
As a two-year member of theLehman Engel's BMI Musical
Theater Workshop, he would behonored with an honorary
doctorate in music in 1996 andanother honorary doctorate from
(23:00):
North Dakota State in 1999.
And he also released an albumof his own big band compositions
Swing Can Really Hang you Upthe Most in 2005.
He is survived by his wifeSally, former wife Judy, sister
Faye, three children, twostepchildren, eleven
grandchildren, one niece and onenephew.
Again, alf Clausen was 89 yearsold four years old, excuse me
(23:22):
Laura DeSwit, who played MajorMargaret Hot Lips Houlihan on
the seminal TV comedy MASH diedFriday at her home in New York
City at the age of 87.
Her representative said the NewYork police reported her time of
death as 12.01pm on May 30th ofsuspected natural causes.
For her work on MASH, swit wasEmmy-nominated for Outstanding
(23:46):
Performance by a SupportingActress in a Comedy every year
from 1974 to 1983, winning theEmmy in 1980 and 1982.
As MASH evolved over its11-year run from a broadly
farcical satire into a morecontemplative series than braced
drama as much as comedy, thecharacter of Margaret Houlihan
and the way Swit performed itchanged markedly as well.
(24:06):
She was at first a crudelydrawn villain allied with the
weasel Frank Burns, who existedto be the object of derision and
of practical jokes by Hawkeyeand Trapper John.
The first step in therevolution came with the season
four episode Male Call Again, inwhich Margaret realizes that
Frank is at least up to a pointafter Frank's wife finds out
about Margaret and he lies aboutit.
(24:28):
With season five episode Bug Out, in which most of the personnel
evacuate, leaving only Hawkeye,margaret and Rader to take care
of a patient that can't bemoved, viewers began to respect
her professionally and the humanside came through.
The best moment in Swift's longtenure as Houlihan, however,
came a few episodes later in onecalled the Nurses.
In this episode the nursesunder Major Houlihan kept a
(24:48):
secret from her.
They contrived to allow onenurse and her new husband to
spend the night together.
But in the end Margaret findsout commenting in a speech in
which she emotionally declareshow she's always felt ostracized
by them, how they've never somuch as offered her a lousy cup
of coffee.
In the words of one MASHfansite, she lets them know why
she's always so mean to them ina speech that's both riveting
(25:09):
and heartbreaking, reviewing hercharacter's position and
evolution on MASH Swit once said, I mean certain things had to
remain the same.
She had to remain one of theantagonists because that was the
structure of the show.
In the second season we saw forthe first time that she was
unhappy with Frank and wantedmore from her life.
Then, around the third orfourth year, in an episode
called the Nurses, hot Lips gavethe nurses a speech telling
(25:30):
them how lonely she was becauseshe was in charge and that's the
way it was.
So she couldn't really have anyfriends.
Her marriage and divorcechanged her.
Her affair with Hawkeye inComrades at Arms changed both
characters so that they werenever really rivals again.
Arms changed both characters sothat they were never really
rivals again.
Swift appeared as Major Houlihanon the 1995 variety special
(25:50):
Rickles starring in cell comicDon Rickles.
After the end of the show, theactress starred in the popular,
emmy-nominated 1983 telepic theBest Christmas Pageant Ever, in
which she played a teacher whoputs the worst students in the
school's holiday pageant.
She wound up to star in a longseries of TV movies, including
1985's the Execution, andguested on shows ranging from
(26:11):
the Love Boat to Murder.
She Wrote making her finaltelevision appearance in the
1998 episode of Diagnosis Murder.
In 1985, she starred with RipTorn in the feature comedy Beer
with Swift First Build.
Three years she playedPresident Barbara Adams in
Whoops Apocalypse, a featureadaptation of a dark political
comedy on British TV.
(26:31):
The actress also had roles inthe 1996 Chuck Norris movie
Forest Warrior and laterappeared in the 1998 comedy
Beach Movie.
She was born in Passaic, newJersey, to Polish immigrant
parents who were far fromencouraging about her career in
show business, but she could notbe deterred performing for the
first time.
At the age of seven she wastrained as a singer at the
(26:54):
American Academy of DramaticArts and studied with Gene
Frankel in Manhattan.
The actress made her smallscreen debut in 1969 with the
first of several appearances onHawaii Five-0, followed by guest
appearances in 1970 on MissionImpossible, mannix, gunsmoke and
then Bonanza, ironside and LoveAmerican Style.
Swift then made her featurefilm debut in 1972's Battle of
(27:14):
the Sexes comedy Stand Up and BeCounted.
Even after being cast in MASH,swift appeared in other film and
TV work, including 1974 actioncomedy Freebie and the Bean,
which was the third build afterAlan Arkin and James Caan, and
in the 1975 Peter Fonda carchase movie Race with the Devil.
She also showed her musicaltalents in an adaptation of the
(27:35):
campy man of Steel musical it'sa Bird, it's a Plane, it's
Superman in 1975.
In the late 70s she appeared ina series of TV movies and she
had a supporting role in BlakeEdwards' 1981 comedy SOB.
Also in 1981, she appeared inthe pilot episode of Cagney and
Lacey as Lacey, but Fox did notlet her out of her match
contract and she was replaced bySharon Gilles when the show was
(27:58):
picked up.
Swift also did theater touringwith the National Company of Any
Wednesday in 1967, and playedone of the Pigeon Sisters in the
Los Angeles run of the OddCouple starring Don Rickles and
Urs Borgnine.
(28:34):
Swit was married to actor DennisHoulihan in 1983 until the
divorce in 1995, and she washeavily involved in animal
rights organizations and foundedthe.
Swit was 87 years old andfinally, tonight we'll talk
about Peter David.
Peter David, prolific authorand Eisner Award-winning
Incredible Hulk actor, dead atthe age of 68.
Peter David, a giant of theliterary and comic book worlds,
whose character-defying 12-yearrun on the Incredible Hulk
(28:56):
earned him an Eisner Award andcritical acclaim, passed away on
Sunday, may 25, 2025, at theage of 68.
His wife, kathleen O'Shea David, confirmed the heartbreaking
news on social media, while acause of death was not
immediately provided.
David had been battlingsignificant health challenges in
recent years, including kidneyfailure, multiple strokes and a
mild heart attack, as detailedon a GoFundMe page established
(29:19):
to assist with his mountingmedical and living expenses.
Kathleen shared updates on theGoFundMe, knowing that Pierre
had been admitted to the ICUwith bilateral pneumonia on May
18th and was later intubated andsedated.
She wrote we are devastatedMore when I can write about it.
Born on September 23rd 1956,pierre David's nearly
(29:41):
two-decade-long career showcasedan extraordinary versatility,
allowing him to leave anindelible mark across television
, film, books, short stories andcomic books.
His work garnered dedicatedfollowings in every medium he
touched.
In the literary field, davidauthored over 50 novels, many of
which earned him a spot on theNew York Times Best Sellers list
Sillars list.
(30:05):
His diverse bibliographyincludes original works such as
the heroic fantasy satire SirApropos of Nothing and Woe to
Woon Nightlife and the CymanAdventure series.
He was also the co-creator andcelebrity author of the
best-selling Star Trek NewFrontier series for Pocket Books
, contributing significantly tothe Star Trek universe with
novels like Q-Squared, the Siegeand Amzadi.
David further expanded theBabylon 5 universe with the
Centauri Prime novels and sawhis short fiction published in
(30:29):
esteemed collections andmagazines like Isaac Admoff's
Science Fiction magazine.
David's contributions to comicbooks were more than legendary.
Beyond his seminal work on theIncredible Hulk, he lent his
writing talents to vast arraysof popular titles, including
Supergirl, young Justice,aquaman, which he famously gave
the harpoon hand in the 1994relaunch Spider-Man, spider-man
(30:52):
2099, a character he co-createdwith artist Rick Leonardi,
x-factor and Captain Marvel.
His insightful and oftenhumorous opinion column but I
digress was a consistentlypopular feature in the Comic
Buyer's Guide for nearly adecade.
His talents also extended totelevision and film.
He co-created with sciencefiction icon Bill Mooney the
(31:12):
Cable, ace Award-nominatedseries Space Cases.
For Nickelodeon, david pennedseveral scripts for the Hugo
Award-winning Babylon 5 and itssequel Crusade, and in film, he
co-wrote and co-producedmultiple features for Full Moon
Entertainment, includinginstallments in the Trancers
series and the goldaward-winning science fiction
western spoof Oblivion.
(31:33):
Peter David's formal trainingwas in journalism, earning a
bachelor's degree from New YorkUniversity, although he
eventually found his calling increative writing, his approach
to storytelling, particularly incomics, was deeply
psychological, developing intothe inner lives of his
characters.
This was the most evident inhis transformative work on the
Incredible Hulk, which he tookover the title in 1987.
(31:53):
David was tasked withreinvigorating a character many
writers shied away from due tothe traditional Hulk smash
persona.
David famously embraced theGrey Hulk, the character's
original, more cunningincarnation, and explored the
concept of the Hulk as amanifestation of Bruce Banner's
dissociative identity disorder.
This led to his merged story inIncredible Hulk number 377,
(32:15):
where Banner, the Green Hulk andthe Grey Hulk named Joe Fixit
converged into a singleintelligent and formidable being
.
This groundbreaking explorationof the character's psyche not
only redefined the Hulk for ageneration, but also heavily
influenced subsequent acclaimedruns such as Al Ewing and Joe
Bennett's Immortal Hulk.
David often noted that his workon the Hulk was deeply personal
(32:37):
, relaying his own experiencesand concerns.
Throughout his career PeterDavid received numerous awards
and citations recognizing hisimmense impact on the industry.
This includes the Hexdire Awardin 1996 for Best Comic Script
from Spain, the OzCon Award in1995 for Favorite International
Writer, australia Comic Buyer'sGuide Fan Awards in 1995 for
(33:00):
Favorite Writer, 1993's WizardFan Award, the 1994 Golden Duck
Award for Young Adult Series forStarfleet Academy no 1 Horse
First Adventure, the UK ComicAward in 1993, and Will Eisner's
Comic Industry Award in 1993.
Peter David lived in New Yorkwith his wife Kathleen.
They had one daughter, caroline, helen David.
(33:22):
Peter also had three childrenfrom his first marriage Shaana,
gwen and Ariel, a devoted andoften long-suffering Mets fan.
His warmth and wit were as mucha part of his public persona as
his incredible writing talent.
His passing leads a significantvoid in the world of
speculative fiction, but hisvast body of work will continue
to entertain and inspire forgenerations to come.
(33:43):
Again, peter David dead at 68.
And if your interest in thisbibliography is collection of
work, I'm going to include thatin this week's show notes, I
promise.
Now, this brings us to the endof the show for today.
(34:04):
Now, please be sure to check usout on social media.
We're on Twitter and Blue Skyat Multiverse, tom Threads,
facebook and Instagram, as wellat Multiverse Tonight.
And if you've gotten some valueout of the show and would like
to pay it back, head on over toMultiverseTonightcom, where
you'll find our Patreon andKo-Fi links.
Check our show notes, visit ourt public store and so much more
(34:27):
.
You'll leave some feedback aswell.
Now, if this is your first timelistening, thank you very much
and welcome.
Go ahead and hit that subscribebutton and share us with others
.
Now.
Thanks to hot dope for theintro music and lobo loco for
the outro theme music.
Thanks for watching thisedition of multiverse tonight.
We'll be back in two weeks withmore sci-fi and comic book news
(34:47):
.
Now please exit the universe inan orderly fashion.
Good night.
Multiverse Tonight is aproduction of Path to Big Shot
Productions.
Copyright 2025.
All rights reserved.
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