Homelander is the ruler of America (with Sage’s guidance) and we are all very afraid for the Boys. The season four finale left things in a very chaotic place with most of our favorite collective in custody, quite a few people MIA, and some appearances and teases that will give us lots to speculate on as we wait for season five. Here’s all the biggest questions we have after The Boys season four finale.

Where Is A-Train and Will He Return to The Boys in Season Five?

Let’s start off with one of the most obvious questions following The Boys season four finale. Many people thought that A-Train would die in the season finale after he revealed the truth to the Deep and Black Noir. But there was far too much going on with the Robert Singer assassination plan and Homelander’s spiraling for anyone to even check on him. A-Train took off to parts unknown along with his entire family and did not appear in the season four finale. Maybe he took Ashely’s suggestion and went to Florence, Italy. No matter where he is, he will certainly have to keep a very, very low profile. The wrong person recognizing him and/or recording him could lead to disaster. 

It’s highly likely that A-Train will return in season five. Annie is essentially on her own, and she will need supe help to be able to save the Boys and take down Homelander for good. 

Will Queen Maeve Get Her Powers Back and Return to Fight Homelander and Soldier Boy Again?

At the end of season three, Queen Maeve took Homelander on and gave the Boys a chance to subdue Soldier Boy. She made the ultimate sacrifice by tackling Soldier Boy out of a window so his blast wouldn’t kill everyone. It left her without her powers, but it also gave her the perfect way to leave Vought forever. Outside of Ashley (and her assistant Ashely, who is now dead), no one else at Vought knows that Maeve is still alive. She’s living the good life with her girlfriend on a farm, but all the chaos in the world could lead to her suiting up again. She could easily take Compound V to regain her powers, like Kimiko did, and help A-Train and Annie/Starlight in this final push to take down Homelander and Vought. But will she? We’ll have to wait and see what the answer to this The Boys season four question is when The Boys returns to our screens once more.

What Happened to Ashely After Taking Compound V in The Boys Season Finale? Is Ashely a Supe Now?

Speaking of people taking Compound V, the latest person to inject themselves with the drug was Ashely. After Homelander gives the Deep, Black Noir, and Firecracker a list of Vought employees to kill, they realize that Ashley is the one who knows the most dirt about them. She overhears this and takes off running to Homelander’s apartment. Once there, she injects herself with Compound V, and a grotesque reaction appears to take place. We see her infamous wig fall off, but we never see what she looks like nor what powers she has now. It’s not even clear if she survives the injection or how “human” she is, if alive. We will have to wait for answers to questions about Ashely’s fate in The Boys season five.

What Did Cate Whisper to Frenchie?

After the media frames the Boys and Robert Singer for Victoria Neuman’s death, they split up with fake passports to live their lives. Unfortunately, Homelander and Sage are on the case, using police forces and supes to hunt them down. Gen V’s Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan are the duo who catch Frenchie and Kimiko. Cate whispers something in Frenchie’s ear that causes him to go with her without a fight. This upsets Kimiko greatly to the point that she speaks for the first time, yelling “no” repeatedly. It is a sad ending for the pair, who finally kissed and were planning to make a life together. 

Will Kimiko Continue to Speak in The Boys Season Five?

A traumatic event took Kimiko’s voice away as a child and now another one restored her voice. We aren’t sure what will happen to Kimiko but we hope that she will continue to speak in season five. She deserves all the happiness in the world. 

Where Did Ryan Go, and Will He Return to Homelander?

Butcher and Grace Mallory tried to convince Ryan to stay in a government bunker and train to kill his father Homelander. It’s a lot to put on a mostly innocent kid, especially one who just found out that Homelander raped his mother Becca and killed an entire airplane full of people. (So much to digest.) Ryan wants to go, but Grace tries to keep him there. He pushes her into a wall and snaps her neck before leaving the facility as a horrified Butcher looks on. We don’t see Ryan return to Vought Tower, so his whereabouts are unknown at this time. Where he went is absolutely a question on our minds after The Boys‘ season four finale.

Will Sameer Find Zoe at the Red River Institute? 

Now that Victoria is dead, her poor daughter Zoe is a resident at Red River Institute. It is the one place that her mother didn’t want her to be. But it is rather strange that she’s there. Her father Sameer isn’t dead. He left the facility where Butcher was holding him hostage with one less leg, but still alive. Surely he’s gotten wind of Victoria’s death and will seek out his daughter, right?

Where the Hell Is Stan Edgar?!

Speaking of people missing in action, we haven’t seen Stan Edgar since all that mess at the farm. Victoria allowed him to leave instead of going back to prison, but where did he go? Will he look for Zoe? And what kind of revenge will he plot on the Boys for killing his daughter? We have so many Stan questions, but we shall wait patiently to see how Stan fits into season five. 

Who Is the Telekinetic Supe That Attacked Annie and Hughie? 

At the end of the finale, we see all the Boys come across supes working for Homelander. There’s one person who isn’t as familiar. She’s rocking a shaved head and sweatpants in the style of Stranger Things’ Hawkins Lab subjects. Quite a few fans won’t remember her because, well, we’ve barely seen her in this series. The supe that attacks Hughie and Annie is telekinetic supe Cindy from season two. She was a former patient at Sage Grove Center, a psychiatric hospital owned by Vought to experiment on humans.

After things go awry during a visit from Frenchie, Kimiko, and MM, Cindy escapes and walks off in the streets. Outside of a TV appearance that says she’s wanted for several crimes, this is our first time really seeing Cindy again. We assume Homelander has forgiven her for her crimes and will include her in his supe inner circle. Someone has to replace A-Train, I guess…

Where Is Butcher Going, and Will He Release the Virus?

This is perhaps the biggest question in The Boys universe right now. Butcher appears to be alive and well after letting that parasitic dark side to take over. He kills Victoria and goes off on his own to some unknown place. He has the virus in hand, but how he is going to get enough of it to cause a supe genocide? Where is he going? You never know what he’s up to but it sure doesn’t look like he’s gonna die. 

What Will Annie Do Without the Boys, and Where Will She Go Next?

Poor Annie is on her own. She escaped capture and flew off, finally regaining her powers at the best possible moment. But she’s still a wanted woman with a very recognizable face. She cannot go home to her mom nor back to any familiar place. Perhaps she will try to find A-Train or Queen Maeve so they can help her break the Boys out of wherever they are being held. 

 Does Anyone Work at Vought Anymore? What’s the Status of the Company?

Homelander’s takeover plan included killing any Vought employee who has dirt on them. That’s pretty much every person working at the company. It looks like they marked off most of the names on their sheet, so it begs the question who even works at Vought anymore on The Boys? What is the status of the company with Ashely officially gone (or dead) and the supes busy running America? The Boys season five could answer this question quickly and reveal that Vought is no longer a conglomerate to be reckoned with. 

What Does Sage Really Want? 

Sage is making the world burn because 1) she hates humans and 2) she can. It’s pretty clear she’s using everyone, including Homelander, for her own entertainment. But does Sage want something else out of the deal? Does she have an ulterior motive, or is she just chaotic for no reason? These are questions that The Boys may answer in season five, but Sage herself has some thoughts.

“I think she is processing so much information and so many possibilities all the time,” Susan Heyward, who plays Sage, told us in a recent interview. “…I think she needs something to make her excited, something to give her a reason to live. She has the opportunity to create chaos and a universe that was unlikely. I think it gives her a thrill to help her feel alive.” 

Now that’s diabolical. It will probably be a while before these questions get answers but in the meantime, we can watch The Boys season four all over again (and again). 

The post The Biggest Questions We Have After THE BOYS Season Four Finale appeared first on Nerdist.

Who would have ever thought that there’s a supe more dangerous than Homelander? That’s exactly what we got in The Boys season four, thanks to the arrival of Sister Sage. (Let’s just drop the “Sister” and call her Sage, okay?) The smartest person in the universe turned America’s government system and ongoing supe war into her own personal game of chess, using everyone around her as pawns to craft pure chaos.

Thanks to her sheer genius and others’ lack of emotional intelligence and self-control, supes are running the US and Homelander is their leader. Sage doesn’t care about societal conventions nor does she have powers that can protect her if she falters. Therefore, every move she makes is intentional, calculating, and downright diabolical. We caught up with The Boys actress Susan Heyward to talk about Sage’s psyche, fandom love, and the catharsis and life lessons from playing a radical character. 

Nerdist: What was your favorite Sage moment in this season and why? 

Susan Heyward: Oh, gosh, there’s so many! I have to say I loved Sage’s setup for Firecracker because I think it speaks to her nature. She met Firecracker and immediately got the “old boy racist” vibes from her. And Sage tucked that information away and waited for a moment when she knew that she could create a situation where Firecracker would go the direction that Sage wanted her to for her own benefit. The way Sage kind of stepped back and was like, ”I’m going to let you be who you are” and let her get her ass beat by somebody who has the power to do it… that was delicious to me. 

It was fantastic. I’m glad you brought up a big part of Sage’s personality which is withholding information and using people’s worst natures against them. We get a chance to see her surface level motivations for wanting to work with Homelander. She doesn’t really think humanity is worth saving, which I do get. Do you think Sage has other ulterior motives against Homelander or is she just a Machiavellian agent of chaos who only wants to see the world burn? 

Heyward: It is hard to choose, honestly, because I think she is processing so much information and so many possibilities all the time. I have to say it’s a little bit of both. I think she’s a survivor. The world has not necessarily been a kind place to her. So she’s always thinking about her own survival. Always thinking about how she can do what’s best for her. And I think she needs something to make her excited, something to give her a reason to live. She has the opportunity to create chaos and a universe that was unlikely. I think it gives her a thrill to help her feel alive.

It’s so interesting she’s doing all of this and purposely staying behind the scenes. To me, that makes her more threatening than anyone else on the show. Sage isn’t concerned with being loved nor adored by anyone and she’s certainly no one’s savior. As a Black woman, did you find any catharsis in being able to portray a woman who’s really unrestrained and rather radical? 

Heyward: Absolutely. I feel like there’s so much pressure in our culture as a woman, especially as a Black woman, to be liked, to be nice, to see how we can be of use and of service to everyone we meet. And I found it really liberating to play a character whose concerns were living life on her own terms… I liked seeing that play out with her. It is liberating and I feel like we are seeing [something similar] play out with women in real life. Women are not so concerned with being liked and they aren’t making that the focus of their forward phase. 

I absolutely love it! So, the season four finale sets Sage up to continue to play a big role in season five as Homelander’s advisor. What are some of your hopes and dreams for Sage’s storyline as we move forward? 

Heyward: Oh, there’s so many things I’m pitching ideas for! I would say world domination is clearly one. [laughs] I’m also interested in seeing some of her personal life. We’ve got glimpses of her relationship with A-Train before they ended up on the Seven together. I’m interested in that. I’m also interested in getting more about her family, whom we don’t see her ever talk to. I think one of the biggest lessons Sage has taught me is how important it is to stay connected to your community. We find her in an isolated moment surrounded by her books, but not people… that’s affecting who she is… So I’d love to see her either finding community or dealing with the community that she’s lost in season five. 

There’s definitely a possibility for that. A-Train was definitely disconnected from his community and his Blackness in many ways, and he’s found his way back. There’s hope for Sage to do that… somewhere in the mix of her world domination! 

Heyward: We could totally get those two working together.

I’d like to see that. When it comes to Sage’s persona, I assume a lot of it came from what was written on page. But what other sources and characters did you draw from to build her characterization? 

Heyward: That’s such a good question. I tried to watch a lot of chess matches because there’s this idea, I think especially in the media, that if you’re smart, you wear glasses and you don’t have a lot of confidence. That’s a media shorthand for what it means to be smart. And I wanted to watch people who were in the act of thinking, strategizing, and holding different possibilities in their mind. And there was such focus on the task at hand rather than the outside appearance or presenting or showing how much they’re working. 

I found a lot of power in stillness, which is not me. I’m a naturally gregarious person. I thought it really fun to bring that stillness to Sage, especially in a world where everyone is almost cartoonish… I wanted to bring a certain mystery and stillness to her. And in talks with [showrunner] Eric Kripke, he said he saw Sage as a sphinxlike character. So I wanted to bring that sense of reserve to her. 

That is a cool way to build a character. I enjoyed her juxtaposition to everyone else because, like you said, they can be so bombastic. Sage feels incredibly grounded, even down to her superpower of beyond genius intelligence. That seems like it could be tangible, minus the lobotomizing part. 

Heyward: [laughs] Yes. And I feel like not giving her those types of physical powers away affects her. She cannot take as many risks. So there’s this line that she’s always dancing, certainly with Homelander, Firecracker, and with anyone who has these huge physical powers. If she moves too fast in the wrong way, those laser eyes are going to catch her. So there’s a juxtaposition of her intelligence strength with her physical vulnerability that made for nice tension. 

It certainly puts her in a precarious place but she’s making it work! Now that the season is over and you’ve seen the fandom love for Sage, what does it feel like to be a part of something so bonkers yet beloved? And how has portraying Sage changed you as a person? 

Heyward: I’m deeply grateful and excited. I was a fan of the show from season one, and I personally was hoping for someone like Sage. So to be in a position to actually be that person and have the creative input, I feel very, very grateful and excited for what’s to come. It’s surreal, I have to say. There’s a bit of distance between who I am and the character.

So I feel like I’m on the sidelines watching the audience have this relationship with Sage that has only a little bit to do with me… I love seeing Black women see themselves. I think I saw one post on Instagram that was like, apparently people say Sage is my doppelganger. And then she put a picture of herself next to some stills of Sage and I was like, “Oh my gosh, she does look like me!” Long lost cousin, where you at?! What’s up?! [everyone laughs]  

Sage has helped me deal with my own need to be liked and confront my own habits of maybe people-pleasing or leaning into cuteness or niceness in order to survive this crazy world and get what I need. I’m letting my voice drop a little lower and have some bass when normally I would use a higher pitch. There are all of these unconscious ways that we make ourselves smaller or we make ourselves palatable for people. I’ve become far more aware of the ways I used to lean into that and I get to choose to do something else. And that’s thanks to Sage.

I feel you on that, deeply. Sage’s unapologetic boldness is inspiring. I know you say you are mostly not like Sage, so which The Boys character are you like?

Heyward: I think I’m most like Hughie.

Really?! That’s interesting. 

Heyward: Yeah, there’s something so beautiful about Hughie’s appeal to humanity. He does not want to become a monster in order to fight the monsters. He looks up to Butcher and also has this deep hope that Butcher doesn’t become one of the monsters. He’s fighting them and always appealing to mercy or inclusion or grace for people. Hughie is also struggling with the monster in himself, the ways he has internalized sexism, the way he deals with Starlight, the way he wants to be a good guy, but he’s always confronting the ways in which he’s not that great. I feel like that’s what it is to be human, to try to hold onto your humanity, but also be really interested in the ways you’re falling short of who you want to be. And always keep trying to be better. 

I love that about him. And I also love that Sage got to be a full force villain, too. It feels like a win for us, you know?

Heyward: Yes! Thank you so much for your questions, for being excited, and for watching. It’s truly the reason I do what I do, I want to create feelings like that.

The post THE BOYS’ Susan Heyward on Sage’s Machiavellian Mindset, Ulterior Motives, and Her Season 5 Hopes appeared first on Nerdist.

We knew that The Boys season four would end in an explosive way. With an assassination plot in progress against Robert Singer, a shape-shifting supe LARPing as Starlight, and the Boys trying to figure out how they are going to kill Homelander and stop all this chaos, there was going to be a death or two. But we did not expect Victoria Neuman to actually die in The Boys season finale, nor did we expect how it went down at all. Let’s recap Victoria’s final stand in this episode.

Homelander Outs Victoria Neuman as a Supe on National Television

Victoria Neuman starts the episode still on board with Homelander’s plans for her to become the first superpowered President. The duo, along with Firecracker, go onto VNN to talk about her role as VP only for Homelander to go left field. He’s already pissed about Ryan having a photo of Butcher and Becca in his bookbag and he goes rogue on live TV once again. Homelander outs Victoria Neuman as a supe. She’s livid but there’s not much she can do to refute it, especially after Homelander lasers at her head and she’s able to stop it.

Meanwhile, Homelander believes that the shapeshifter will kill Robert Singer so he can change the world alongside her. But things don’t go to plan when the Boys figure out that Starlight is actually the assassin in disguise. The real Starlight shows up and they eventually defeat the assassin, allowing agents to hide Robert Singer in a more secretive location. 

Victoria Neuman Attempts to Team Up With the Boys

She begins to deeply regret her alliance with Homelander, especially after he threatens to murder lots of people and rip Zoe to shreds if Victoria steps out of line. She calls Hughie, saying she cannot go along with this because she will just be Homelander’s puppet. Victoria says she will resign from her position without a fight. However, she needs the Boys to get the CIA off her back and help her and Zoe disappear. Hughie is upset at first for obvious reasons but she reminds him that they also betrayed her. She’s legitimately scared and doesn’t want her daughter to die over this mess.

Butcher Kills Victoria Neuman and Leaves With the Supe Killing Virus

The Boys eventually agree to work with him but are still on guard with the supe killing virus in case she makes a wrong move. Victoria tells them where to find Zoe and they all meet up to devise a plan but Butcher shows up looking miraculously healthy. Teaming up with his inner evil seems to do his body good. He uses tentacles from his chest to subdue everyone while he rips Victoria Neuman in half. Her eyes are covered so she’s unable to pop anyone’s head and save herself. Butcher says “you’re welcome” and leaves with the virus. Predictably, his choice does extreme damage to his former colleagues and the world.

The Impact of Victoria Neuman’s Death in The Boys Universe

The Boys Are Blamed for Victoria Neuman’s Death and Taken Into Custody

This all actually works into Sage’s overall plan, some of which she kept from Homelander because he is, well, not that smart. The shapeshifting supe recorded Singer in the bunker saying that the Boys should have killed Victoria Neuman like he said. Singer gets taken into custody and the Boys become fugitives. They attempt to go on the run but legal forces and several supes, including Cate, Sam, and Love Sausage, track down everyone and take them into custody. The only one who escapes is Starlight, who is able to use her powers to fly away.

Homelander Basically Becomes the President and America Is Under Supe Control

Zoe ends up at Red River Institute, which is probably the last place her mother wanted her to be. (It is unclear where Stan Edgar is at this time nor if Sameer will resurface to claim his daughter.) Now, the next in line to be President is Speaker of House, Mr. Calhoun. He pledges allegiance to Homelander and immediately puts the country under martial law with supes in charge. All of the supes patrolling the streets will report to Homelander. Sage is thrilled that she could pull it off (she’s one twisted chick) and will continue to advise Homelander.

Butcher Goes Off on His Own to Be Absolutely Unhinged

Meanwhile, Butcher drives off to an unknown destination with the supe virus in hand. He has no team, no Ryan, and no Grace Mallory to ground him. The only voice of reason is Joe Kessler, who is unreasonable. The death of Victoria Neuman was what the Boys thought they wanted so badly. But it is perhaps the worst thing that has happened to them so far. The wait begins to see how this saga will end when The Boys returns for its fifth and final season.

The post THE BOYS Kills Off a Major Character and Changes the Course of America appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys season four finale leaves America in a scary place. Victoria Neuman is dead, Robert Singer is locked up, and the new President Calhoun is Homelander’s puppet. Sage is back in his ear and most of the Boys collective is locked up after they are framed as the assassins. Oh, and most, if not all, of the Vought staff is dead. As if that wasn’t enough, The Boys dropped a mid-credits scene that hints at Soldier Boy’s return. 

The very short scene shows Homelander and President Calhoun going into a holding facility. Calhoun admits that he found out during a security briefing that morning that Soldier Boy was being held in a chamber. It is the same one we saw Grace Mallory put him in at the end of season three. Vought positioned Soldier Boy as a traitor and his statue was toppled, so he’s definitely not seen as a hero anymore. Homelander looks upset to see Soldier Boy there, who is interestingly not wearing the mask that was subduing him. It isn’t clear what the CIA planned to do with him considering Grace Mallory is now dead.

We don’t know what his plans are next but we can only assume that he will be trying to awaken Soldier Boy. Perhaps he thinks he can use him as a tool of sorts against the Boys and anyone else who opposes this supe regime. Homelander still wants a father and to be loved so he refuses to see that Soldier Boy doesn’t care about him. A part of Homelander feels threatened by Soldier Boy so he probably wants to kill him. The problem is, he has no idea how to do it. We will eventually see how Soldier Boy plays into The Boys season five.

The post THE BOYS Mid-Credits Scene Brings Back a Familiar Face appeared first on Nerdist.

Just when you thought Homelander was down, he once again gains the upper hand. The end of season three seemed as terrible as it could get with him lasering a Starlighter’s head off and his fans cheering for his senseless violence. But that’s nothing compared to the season four finale. This very wild episode basically makes Homelander the President of the United States AND the Secretary of Defense in one hell of a twist. Here’s what happens to Homelander in the season four finale of The Boys. 

Sure, we knew Homelander wouldn’t die this season. What good is a show if it doesn’t have its main villain? However, we hoped his stint as sad and depressed Homelander would last longer. In the season finale, Homelander outed Victoria Neuman as a supe on national television. He thought that it didn’t matter considering President Robert Singer would be dead by the end of the day.

Thanks to the Boys, that didn’t happen but Butcher’s rogue choice to rip Victoria in half caused chaos that leaned in Homelander and Sage’s favor. A video of Singer telling the Boys that they should have killed Victoria Neuman and her dead body led to all of them (sans Butcher, who wasn’t present) being charged with the crime. Their faces are all over the news as Starlighters who infiltrated the government and killed a good American.

Victoria’s death and Robert’s arrest enacts the 25th Amendment. This puts the next person in succession, Senator Calhoun, in the highest office of America. That’s a bad move because he is a known Homelander supporter. Calhoun’s a puppet for Homelander to control with Sage pulling the strings behind-the-scenes. President Calhoun immediately declares martial law with supes patrolling America and essentially replacing the current military. And, of course, their leader is the one and only Homelander. Vought is barely existent at this point after Homelander ordered the Deep, Firecracker, and Black Noir to kill anyone with dirt on them at the company.

It is a new world indeed and it is not looking like a bright place to live at all. Starlighters and those who oppose Homelander will get a one-way ticket to prison camps. Most of the Boys are in custody and separated from each other. And Butcher doesn’t care about the Boys or anything else except killing supes, especially Homelander, who happens to be sad again after finding Soldier Boy’s body in a chamber. What a way to end things.

The post What Happens to Homelander in THE BOYS Season Four Finale? appeared first on Nerdist.

Four seasons later, The Boys is still one of the wildest shows to ever hit TV. This season is already full of totally diabolical moments, plot twists, and so much blood. Homelander has a new advisor, Sister Sage, who is amping up the violence in an ongoing war. Victoria Neuman aims to pop Robert Singer’s head and become the President of the United States. And the Boys are causing trouble every time they step on the scene. We have no idea where things will go. But one thing is for sure. The Boys season four is packed with shocking, gross, and plain weird moments. 

Here are all the things that made us gasp, groan, cringe, and laugh out loud. 

Jump To: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven // Episode Eight

The Boys Season Four, Episode One’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “Department of Dirty Tricks” 

Victoria Neuman’s Daughter Zoe Rips Kimiko’s Arm Off 

It doesn’t take long for The Boys to get back into its supe shenanigans and wild, shocking moments. The team is at election night and trying to quietly assassinate Victoria Neuman. Of course, things go wrong when Victoria’s daughter Zoe catches Frenchie, Kimiko, and a few CIA agents in their hotel room. Zoe, who got a dose of Compound V last season, finally displays her powers and they are gruesome. Tentacles shoot out of her mouth, crushing and ripping apart her adversaries with ease. She tears through a couple of agents before going one-on-one with Kimiko, ripping her arm off in the process. Thankfully, Kimiko’s powers include her ability to heal from pretty much anything…

Kimiko’s Face-Off Moment

…including her jump out of a window. Starlight flies up to catch Frenchie but Kimiko slams into the pavement in front of MM. She sits up shortly afterwards but her entire face is peeled off. Kimiko puts it back in place and heals pretty quickly. 

A Shot to the Head and Victoria Is Not Dead 

It seems head-popping isn’t the only power that Victoria has. She survives Hughie’s acid attack and Butcher shooting her point blank in the head with humorous ease. Victoria tells them that they are getting worse at her job before casually strolling off.

Homelander Is Plucking His Pubic Hairs 

Homelander continues to be an enigma to us all. He’s plucking grey pubic hairs and storing them in a container. It is obvious that he’s not happy about his body aging but why the hell is he saving them? 

The Deep Is Willing to Go Down on A-Train 

Everyone is so afraid of Homelander that it is destroying Vought. Ashley and company agree with his every thought, which is beginning to frustrate him. Homelander expresses his annoyance with this after asking the Deep to give A-Train a blowjob, which he nearly does out of fear. The problem is, Homelander likes to punish and/or kill people who oppose him. So what is everyone supposed to do?!

Firecracker’s Endless Lies

This one will probably apply for every episode. But Firecracker is an unhinged truther who accuses Starlight’s organization for at-risk teens of having some “LGBTQ dungeon,” child trafficking, and more. 

Frenchie’s Hot New Romance

Frenchie and Kimiko do not seem destined for a relationship despite being very close. He’s in a romance with Colin, a guy who works at Starlight House. They have apparently been meeting up in the bathroom for hookup sessions. Kimiko knows what’s going on and she’s cool with it. 

The Seven Beat Three Homelander Fans to Death, Including Todd

Sage’s first idea to cause discord and turn people against Starlight is a brutal one. She invites three of Homelander’s biggest fans, including Todd, to meet him. Things quickly go violent when the true reason behind this meeting is revealed. Homelander tells the Deep, A-Train, and Black Noir to beat them all to death with bats. They hesitate but the Deep and Black Noir do it. A-Train eventually places the bodies at a protest outside of Homelander’s verdict reading at the courthouse to frame a couple of Starlighters. This is very, very nasty work. 

Black Noir Speaks?!

Hold on…this character has always been silent but deadly. Whoever is under that mask speaks and it is jarring. 

Sister Sage Starts a Brutal Fight 

Sage appears in the crowd dressed as a Starlight supporter. After he’s found not guilty, she throws something at a Homelander fan and yells at him, starting a massive fight between the opposing sides. It gets brutal with Colin and another Starlight House worker suffering injuries. The bodies are placed and discovered, making it seem like these deaths happened because of Homelander’s verdict.

Butcher’s Butthole Attachment

Butcher considers sending Victoria Neuman the Red River files that she desperately wants from Hughie. But, after Becca’s spirit appears to him, he has a change of heart. Instead, he sends over an attachment of a hairy butthole. Is it his butthole? We will never know and don’t really want to know.

The Return of Hughie’s Mom 

Hughie’s mom, who inexplicably left when he was very young, returns in the wake of his father’s coma. We don’t know why she’s there or what she’s been up to but it is a shocking twist for him, indeed. 

The Boys Season Four, Episode Two’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “Life Among the Septics” 

Butcher Reveals His Diagnosis 

The Boys are all shocked that Butcher is going to die in a matter of months. He’s been sick for six months and, according to Homelander’s senses, he probably only has another six months left to live. It angers MM, who kicks him out of the Boys for being deceptive. 

Ryan Is “Homeboy”

This is more funny than anything else. The entire pitch for Ryan’s supe story is hilariously stupid and Sage is the only person that admits it blows. Using the word “homeboy” for a white kid is so unserious. 

Sister Sage’s Takedown of Ashley

Ashley thinks she can verbally bully Sage like she does with others. But Sage puts her in her place, saying that she’s so afraid of Homelander that she’s bald and the only way Ashely will be useful is if she starts lactating so he can suck on her breasts. Good Lord. She then immediately tells the Deep to stop taking crap from someone who is genetically inferior like Ashley. Honestly, I love it.

The Deep’s Takedown of Ashley (With a Toilet Threat) 

Ashley tries to get smart with the Deep during a rehearsal and he tells her that he will drown her in a used toilet if she talks to him like that again. She’s shocked and clearly afraid while he feels empowered for the first time in a while. 

Kimiko’s Drunk Escapades

After tracking Sister Sage to a hotel with a weird truther convention going on, Kimiko is upset when she sees a post that’s triggering to her. She finds beer and drinks eight of them and her behavior gets super funny, including her stealing Frenchie’s phone and sending a sext to Colin. 

Splinter Eats His Own A** (Again and Again) 

Frenchie and Kimiko always end up in some BS. MM tells them to follow Splinter, a supe who can splinter himself into duplicate versions, as he wanders off from Firecracker’s ongoing alt-supe rant. They find him in a spa room with several versions with their mouths deep in buttcrack while the main one is, um, pleasuring himself to her photo. Good lord. 

MM Beats the S**t Out of Butcher

This moment has been brewing for a while. MM’s frustration over Butcher’s behavior and general lack of care for anyone else in the Boys comes to a head at the aforementioned convention. He punches Butcher a few good times before telling him to stay away for good. Sure, Butcher doesn’t listen but it’s a wild and rather sad moment to see two former friends have such animosity between them. 

A-Train Is Trying to Be Good?!

A-Train seems to be turning over a new leaf this season after his previous actions led to his brother being in a wheelchair. He noticeably didn’t beat anyone’s brains in when requested and, after his brother calls him out for being a fraud, he decides to do the right thing. A-Train shows up at the Boys headquarters and drops off a video that will clear the two wrongly accused Starlighters. Annie still hates him for obvious reasons but Hughie appreciates his actions. 

Ryan (Accidentally) Splatters a Man Onto a Building

The staged rescue scene that Vought planned for Ryan goes awry. Ryan is still very young and not fully aware of his true strength. He’s supposed to lightly fling the (fake) robber but instead he launches him into the side of a building. Yikes. 

Splinter, Firecracker, and the Boys Crash a Bat Mitzvah and Oh S**t There Are Penises

Obviously, Sage set the Boys up by luring them into a room. She tells Firecracker and Splinter to kill them so they can get to the next level with Homelander. The fight spills into another innocent party room, where naked Splinters run everyone away. Firecracker manages to toss in a few racist comments, bullets litter the floor, and Butcher comes in for a brave moment to help his comrades. It’s an all-around rad scene.

Frenchie Killed Colin’s Family

Frenchie reveals that Colin was a judge’s son and that, in his previous line of work, he murdered his whole family. It’s obviously tearing him up inside and won’t end well when Colin finds out. 

Jump To: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven // Episode Eight

The Boys Season Four, Episode Three’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here” 

Ashley Becomes the Vought Mascot and Homelander Lasers a Head

Damn. Sage swoops in for her next power play and becomes the CEO of Vought, leaving Ashley as its “Ronald McDonald.” She’s on the verge of resigning and leaving for Disney until she sees Homelander laser a woman’s head in the middle of trying to tell the truth. Oh, and she’s still literally crushing her boy toy’s balls. 

Frenchie’s Drug Trip and Ducks 

Frenchie goes with Kimiko to dig into her past a bit more but he’s not very helpful. He’s higher than the moon and seeing rubber ducks as well as hallucinating people he’s killed. Great job, buddy. 

Starlight Was a Mean Pageant Girl Who Ruined Firecracker’s Career 

We finally know why Firecracker hates Starlight so much. She reminds Annie that they were on the same circuit until she told everyone that Firecracker had an “a**f**ck gangbang” with the judges. Annie called her white trash and said it was the only way she was in the competitions. Firecracker believes that Annie hasn’t changed deep down and will do what she can to destroy her. 

The Ice Capades Jesus Show Massacre

Vought is putting on a holiday show that’s all about putting the Christ back in Christmas. (Sigh.) While the skaters are running through their performance, Hughie and MM are spying on Homelander, Victoria, and Sage, who are cooking up some nefarious deals. Sweaty Hughie captures the attention of Homelander, who lasers a skater while trying to get Hughie. Things go full panic as skaters accidentally cut each other to shreds with their blades. Yikes. We guess this show will not proceed as planned. 

The Deep and Sister Sage Hook Up 

What an odd couple. Sister Sage is eating a blooming onion when the Deep comes in to chat with her. They weirdly have a few interests in common and, the next thing you know, she’s rubbing a fried onion across his lips.

The Boys Season Four, Episode Four’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – ”Wisdom of the Ages” 

Homelander’s Homecoming Revenge

There’s so much to say about this that we wrote up a separate piece about Homelander’s bloody homecoming. But of course it is on this list because his visit is gross, shocking, bloody, and gets very weird at times. From making Marty masturbate in front of everyone to barbequing a human to lots of bloody body parts, Homelander gave us perhaps his most awful moment yet.

Kimiko and Hughie’s Big Bloody Battle

Kimiko is not happy with Hughie. She goes with him to be his muscle for a situation, only to realize they are meeting A-Train. Hughie wants Compound V to save his father, which Kimiko doesn’t agree with. They quickly have to set aside their differences when a band of people from Kimiko’s past pop up. Hughie gets pretty bloody as he slices a man open and, well, Kimiko is always ripping up bodies.

Firecracker Is a Pedophile… and Uses It to Her Advantage

Firecracker is still on Annie/Starlight’s behind, so Butcher and MM attempt to get her to shut up. They find out that she committed statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy and threaten to tell the world. Firecracker pulls a fast one on them, tweeting it out herself and then “confessing her sin” in front of the world. Her weirdo followers eat up her words and it doesn’t affect her.

Annie’s Righteous Revenge Against Firecracker

Firecracker chooses to tell the world that Annie had an abortion when she was six weeks pregnant. This is horrifying to Annie, not because she’s ashamed of her decision. It is terrible because 1) it is her private medical business and 2) it will tank her plans to align with Robert Singer. Annie finally loses her cool and beats Firecracker up in front of cameras. She deserved it, tbh.

Butcher Fights a Stretchy Supe and Gets the Upper Hand

Butcher gets into a fight in Firecracker’s trailer and we assume he’s going to be killed. But, Butcher gets the upper hand. How is that possible? Well, he took Compound V to cure himself and he’s super strong, yet still dying. Butcher turns the other guy into mincemeat, which MM later discovers.

Sister Sage’s Lobotomy

Sister Sage asks the Deep to do her a favor. Apparently, her brain has a superhuman ability to heal, which means she can get a lobotomy and eventually become her normal self again. Her brain regenerates constantly. She asks him to do it, which “dumbs her down” and says she will have anal sex with him.

Someone Gave Hughie’s Dad Compound V (and It Wasn’t Hughie)

After a chat with Butcher, Hughie decides to not give his father Compound V and accept that he’s dying. But at the end of the episode, we see that blue juice running through his IV and he wakes up with a start.

Jump To: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven // Episode Eight

The Boys Season Four, Episode Five’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “Beware the Jabberwork, My Son”

A-Train Admits He’s a Traitor to Ashely

A-Train knows that Sister Sage will soon figure out that he’s a traitor. So, he admits it to Ashley, making her an accomplice and instructing her to help cover his tracks. And boy does she do that by framing Cameron, her ex-boyfriend, whom Homelander has beaten to death.

Victoria Neuman’s Lab of Farm Animal Horrors

MM and Butcher manage to free Stan Edgar in exchange for his help to find out where Victoria is hiding the supe-killing virus. This takes them to a remote farm property Stan owns, which is where he’s sure Victoria is keeping secrets. And it turns out she has a lab of people who are studying how the virus impacts Compound V.

Things go awry when the Boys (minus Hughie), Victoria, and Stan go looking for Sameer, a scientist who happens to be Zoe’s father. They traverse the farm and run into some wild s**t, including diabolical chickens and a flying flock of murderous sheep. It is very, very ridiculous.

Hughie’s Dad Experiences the Worst of Compound V

We wrote more extensively about Hughie’s dad and what happens to him. But his final moments are incredibly bloody, erratic, and sad. He develops a power to basically teleport through things, including human flesh, but his damaged brain means he cannot control them. Hugh Campbell accidentally kills a couple of people and is very, very scared. Hughie eventually gives him a medication that allows him to pass away peacefully, but not after much blood is shed.

Ryan Becomes a Mini Homelander

Homelander finally cracks the code on how to win over his son Ryan. He asks Ryan what he wants and Ryan tells his dad he really wants to help people. So Homelander gives him a chance to help Brenda, a Vought employee who is being sexually harassed by Adam Bourke. Ryan asks Brenda in front of Adam if she’s okay, to which she replies no. Ryan makes Adam apologize but it is not enough. After having Adam get on his knees and beg, Ryan decides that isn’t enough.

Homelander coaches him through it, which eventually leads to them allowing Brenda to repeatedly punch Adam as he begs for mercy. While Adam deserves some good punches to the face, this is the beginning of setting Ryan up to deal with all things by inciting violence. Homelander and Ryan smirk at each other, sipping milkshakes as Adam cries out. It is a chilling moment, indeed.

Butcher Makes Demands for More Supe-Killing Juice

Butcher decides to go rogue with (ghost) Joe Kessler. He cuts off Sameer’s leg (well, part of it) and demand that he make some of the supe-killing virus. This should go over very well with Victoria Neuman.

The Boys Season Four, Episode Six’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “Dirty Business”

MM Gives Webslinger Drugs in the Butt and Gets a Wet Surprise

MM, Annie, Hughie, and Kimiko are on a mission to infiltrate Tek Knight’s conservative douchebag party to find out more information. In order to get Hughie in undetected, MM goes to to see Webslinger, a supe whose a drug user. He has a web hole near his butthole and he likes to take drugs in the latter area. MM, whom we all know hates germs, gives him a drug strong enough to knock him out in the butthole. And, Webslinger thanks him with a white squirt from his webhole that goes onto his face. Hughie comes in just in time to hand him ample hand sanitizer. Poor MM.

Sister Sage Reveals Why She Hates Humans

In order to get Victoria fully onboard with Homelander’s plan, Sage tells her about her tragic childhood. Her grandmother was dying from leukemia and she actually came up with a cure but no one took her seriously. Now, she believes it is not worth solving the world’s problems because humans are awful. She is not totally wrong. 

Tek Knight’s Tek Cave Activities

We have an entire post about all the weird s**t that happens in the Tek Cave but it has to be on this list. From Hughie sitting his bare bottom on a cake and passing gas to Ashley’s many kinky desires, it is a wild, wild place. This might be the grossest episode of the show so far.  

A-Train Saves MM…and Likes Being An Actual Hero 

After a run-in with Sage, who verbally pushes him to the brink, MM suffers a panic attack and passes out. Poor Kimiko, who is not verbal, eventually convinces A-Train to help MM. He runs out of Tek’s mansion and drops MM off at the hospital. While there, he pauses as a Black boy smiles at him. For the first time (maybe ever), A-Train sees value in being a supe who does something good. Unfortunately, when a character has this sort of revelation and changes drastically, it usually means death is on the horizon. 

Butcher Is Losing His F**cking Mind

Butcher’s Compound V drenched mind is slipping far from reality. We discover that the real Joe Kessler is not alive but a figment of his imagination. Joe’s image represents the dark, chaotic side of Butcher, a contrast to his visions of Becca that appeal to his more humane nature. It is sad to see our Boys leader spiral this way. But it’s also kind of humorous that Sameer has watched him talk to himself for a while without asking why he’s talking to thin air.  

Tek Knight’s Death 

It is a little shocking that The Boys killed off Tek Knight. He dies by the hand of his butler Elijah after admitting that he was working with Homelander and Sage to create prison camps for non-supes. After years of dealing with Tek’s gross ways, Elijah decides to take matters into his own hands and prevent Tek from continuing to hurt people through his prison industrial complex. 

Firecracker’s Milky Surprise for Homelander

Firecracker affirms her loyalty to Homelander by revealing that she’s been taking a drug to produce breast milk.This really hits his button as he lays down to suckle at her boob while she cradles him like a baby. This show is something else, man.

The Boys Season Four, Episode Seven’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “The Insider”

A Shapeshifting Supe Nightmare

Butcher, Annie, and Hughie get a gross surprise as they chase a shapeshifting supe. She’s able to touch people and then rip off her skin to reveal a new body that looks like someone else. We see her do this in very gross fashion as she litters a stairwell with flesh. 

MM and Monique Are Back Together (Sort Of) 

MM has been dreaming of a normal life with his ex and their daughter for a while. He got a taste of that this episode when Monique kissed him and said she wanted him to come with them on that trip to Belize. Marvin considered it deeply, even putting Butcher back in charge so he could step away. But A-Train (of all people) changed his mind and rightfully said that this problem wasn’t one they could run (hehe) away from. MM decided to let his family go away and fight with the Boys once again. Damn. Hopefully Monique will still be willing to reconcile with him after all this chaos. 

Webweaver Spills Out of His Webhole Before Homelander Rips Him in Half

Determined to continue one-upping Sage, Firecracker goes on a mission to find the leak. She believes it is Webweaver, so she brings him in for an interrogation. He admits to giving Butcher information but the entire time he’s spewing white stuff from his webhole. Webweaver says this happens when he’s nervous and he has a right to feel that way. Homelander eventually rips him apart and leaves the room, frustrated with it all. 

Kimiko Reveals How She Lost Her Voice

We thought we knew how Kimiko lost her voice. Her brother previously said it happened after the Shining Light Liberation Army killed her parents in front of her. But that’s not true. Kimiko actually lost her voice after she had to murder another girl during her first night at the camp. She wasn’t allowed to make a sound but, when they gave her permission to speak again, she couldn’t. So it is still childhood trauma, but from a different source. 

A-Train Reveals Himself as the Leak

We have a whole post about this but it is shocking that A-Train decides to out himself as the leak. He shows up in the nick of time to save Annie and Butcher from getting beat down by the Deep and Black Noir. It’s really lovely seeing him fight alongside MM and become the hero he’s meant to be. Hopefully he will survive and perhaps get to build a new Seven in a better way. 

Homelander Fires (and Doesn’t Kill) Sage

Of course, the Deep and Black Noir tell Homelander that A-Train is the leak. He finds out that Sage already knew and quickly sends her packing back to Detroit. Honestly, it is shocking that he didn’t rip her into a million pieces. Maybe he was too sad. 

The Deep Kills Ambrosius 

This is probably the most shocking moment in this episode. The Deep believes Sage actually loves and respects him as an intelligent being, so he begins to abandon his relationship with Ambrosius. They get into an argument where she tries to convince him that Sage is simply using him. He believes Ambrosius thinks he is stupid and allows his anger and fragile ego to make him irrationally angry. He breaks her aquarium open and allows her to suffocate. Absolutely awful. 

Kimiko Loses a Leg

Kimiko and Frenchie decide to do the right thing and let Sameer go. But he’s very wired up after being held captive, so he stabs Kimiko in the leg with the supe-killing virus and makes a run for it. Frenchie has to save Kimiko quickly and takes a saw to cut her leg off. Now she’s growing back her leg but thankfully still alive. At least the virus works, right? 

Ryan Stands Up and Butcher Falls Down

Ryan stands up to Vought’s problematic messaging during that dumb kids’ Christmas special and Butcher is a proud dad. But his excitement doesn’t last long as the ongoing effects of Compound V cause him to pass out on the floor. He looks a lil dead but we are sure the show wouldn’t take him out so unceremoniously. 

Starlight Is Held Captive

The shape-shifting supe hit Starlight with the okie-doke at the bar. She kidnaps her and takes her place, even wearing her costume and having sex with Hughie. Lord.

The Boys Season Four, Episode Eight’s Most Shocking, Gross, and Wild Moments – “Assassination Run”

Shapeshifter Annie/Starlight Proposes to Hughie

Hughie’s having the time of his life with Annie, including some pretty kinky sex. She decides to propose to him (mainly to anger the real Annie) and he happily accepts, still not getting that his girlfriend is, well, not his girlfriend. 

Homelander Outs Victoria Neuman as a Supe on TV

Homelander is known to go left field but this is a wild move, even for him. He proves Vicky is a supe by lasering at her head while her eyes are graying for head-popping purposes. This marks the true beginning of this episode’s downward spiral. 

Grace Spills All the Beans and Ryan Kills Her 

Well damn. Grace decides to push Ryan into helping them take down Homelander by revealing some brutal truths. She tells him that Homelander raped his mother Becca and killed everyone on that airline flight, among other things. Ryan is heartbroken but he still wants to leave. He realizes that the walls are thick and made to hold supes. After feeling frustrated and betrayed, Ryan pushes Grace out of his way, causing her to snap her neck and die on the floor as a sickly Butcher watches in horror. 

Ashley Takes Compound V and Perhaps Becomes a Monster 

Homelander comes up with a plan to make sure there are no more leaks and betrayals at Vought. He makes a list for Firecracker, the Deep, and Black Noir with all the employees to kill. They decide that there’s one person who should be at the top of the list: Ashley. She does have a ton of dirt on all of them and they frankly don’t need her anymore. Ashley runs to Homelander’s place and takes a dose of Compound V in hopes of being able to fight back and survive. It begins to mutate and disfigure her body but we don’t see the final results of that. 

Annie Rips her Skin Off to Save the Boys

Annie is handcuffed in an undisclosed location. She drags her hands through handcuffs and shows up just in time to fight her doppelgänger and save her comrades. This episode and season was all about Annie facing herself—literally and figuratively—and realizing that she’s not such a sweetheart after all. 

The Deep Punches Through a Man’s Head 

We see a part of Homelander’s murder plan at Vought Tower, including a gruesome scene where the Deep punches through a man’s head. He’s becoming more violent and twisted by the day, especially after killing his octopus bae. 

Frenchie and Kimiko Kiss!

There’s not a ton of good-natured romance in this show. But thankfully we have Frenchie and Kimiko, who finally affirm their love for each other with a kiss. It’s too bad their happiness doesn’t even last until the end of the episode. 

Butcher Is Back and Kills Victoria Neuman

The plan to work with Victoria fails miserably when Butcher, hyped up on more V and with Joe Kessler in his head, shows up and kills Victoria Neuman. He’s got tentacles sprouting from his chest and he uses them to his advantage. He takes the supe virus and leaves, hurting his former colleagues in an immeasurable way. 

Sage and Homelander Win and Run the USA 

Victoria’s death leads to a big win for Homelander and Sage, who had been planning to kill Victoria and frame Robert Singer and the Boys for it all along. The new President is a Homelander fan and allows supes to patrol the country with Homelander as their leader. 

Kimiko Speaks!

Kimiko talks for the first time (outside of dreams) in this show and it is heartbreaking. To avoid capture, she goes on the run with Frenchie but they don’t make it very far. Cate and Sam subdue them and Kimiko screams “no” as her love is taken away.

Jump To: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven // Episode Eight

We cannot wait to see what other gross, shocking, bloody, and plain weird moments will pop up in The Boys season four.

Originally published June 14, 2024.

The post The Most Shocking, Gross, and Plain Weird Moments of THE BOYS Season Four appeared first on Nerdist.

Marvin T. Milk a.k.a Mother’s Milk b.k.a. MM, played by the fantastic Laz Alonso, is one of the most grounded and well-crafted characters on The Boys. He isn’t the fearful Hughie nor the often callous and unpredictable Butcher. He’s not a supe but instead a highly skilled medic, loving father, clever fixer, and a man whose past haunts him. And, in the midst of many hijinks, he’s the serious yet caring guy who’s often unintentionally funny as hell. But, there’s one more claim to fame for MM: T-shirt God. It’s a small detail that many may not notice; however, it says a lot about his personality and style.

Alonso himself spilled the details about his threads, affirming that the shirt choices are intentional. “I work with our onset costume coordinator, the head of the costume department, and every episode, we pick a shirt that kind of thematically encompasses what MM is going through and where we are in the story,” he tells Nerdist. “We have always done groups and artists and this season, we also started doing songs. For example, we did Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America.'”

And that’s just one of many incredible choices. In honor of his style, here’s an ode to a bunch of the awesome shirts that Mother’s Milk wears on The Boys. 

Jump To: Season 1 Shirts // Season 2 Shirts // Season 3 Shirts // Season 4 Shirts

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in Season 1

Episode 7 – De La Soul

When we first meet Marvin Milk, we don’t know much about him. In fact, he’s the last member of the OG Boys crew who begrudgingly returns. Soon, we uncover more about his life in almost perfect tandem with the intro of his incredible shirts, majority of which lean into Black culture. This one’s an ode to the eclectic hip-hop trio responsible for songs like “Me Myself and I.” It’s a nice nod to a group that was highly influential when MM was likely coming of age. 

Episode 8 – The Big X

Mother’s Milk wears a black T-shirt with a big X scrawled across the front. It’s presumably a sign for “don’t cross me,” which, well, says a lot about him. (Sometimes, an X is used to represent the Bronx; however, MM is a Harlem native so that’s probably not it.) He doesn’t have the powers (or twisted mind) of supes like Homelander but he’s still a force when pissed off. And, he looks really, really good in black. Or anything, to be honest. Moving on…

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in Season 2

Episode 1 – Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang ain’t nuthing ta f*** with and neither is Marvin. Once again, this logo shirt speaks volumes. I’m pretty sure that Laz Alonso himself likes Wu-Tang (because why wouldn’t he?!) but it is a known fact that MM is a Wu fan. And if you don’t know about Wu-Tang, you better ask somebody. 

Episode 2 – Boogie Down Productions 

Boogie Down Productions was a hip-hop collective in the ‘80s featuring the legendary KRS-One, DJ Scott La Rock, and D-Nice, the DJ who infamously made the beginning of covid more tolerable with his “Club Quarantine” live DJ sets. Strong political and social commentary anchored their storytelling about the harsh realities of the South Bronx. It’s very dope to see him show such a pivotal and frankly underrated group so much love. 

Episode 3 – Public Enemy 

Once again, MM doesn’t miss, this time paying homage to Public Enemy. Long before Flava Flav became a reality show icon, he was a part of this collective alongside Chuck D. There isn’t a person over the age of 30 who doesn’t know “Fight the Power,” which is essentially what MM does as a Boys member. A true king of the people. Too bad it gets whale guts all over it. 

Episode 4 – NY Giants Love

MM is a NY native, so it’s not surprising to see this Giants shirt. This one has those nice pops of color that we all recognize from the NFL team’s uniform colors. More blues and reds, please. 

Episode 4 – Power to the People 

MM rarely gives us a double dose of T-shirts in one episode. He is a busy guy, after all. But we get a wardrobe change into a Black Panther shirt. No, not the comic character but the organization. His shirt is particularly about the program ran in the late 1960s-early 1970s to feed Black youth breakfast before school. And, I must admit, the material looks soft and cozy against his muscles.

Episode 5 – Run-DMC 

The odes to NY hip hop abound with the infamous Run-DMC shirt that MM rocks with his signature leather jacket. MM’s taste in music and T-shirts is truly unmatched. 

Episode 6 and 8 – Black Fist Hoodie 

A shirt looks great but a hoodie. Wow. Perfection on MM. This hoodie is actually a part of Mississippi rapper and humanitarian David Banner’s “Black Fist” clothing collection. Love to see him in a hoodie so nice that he wore it twice.  

Episode 7 – Camouflage Yankees 

The New York Yankees get some love in this episode with a camouflaged logo shirt. Marvin is a former Marine (and yes, they do wear camo sometimes) so it’s a small homage to his past.

Episode 7 – Phife Forever

MM pays homage to Phife, a member of A Tribe Called Quest. The rapper died in 2016 and Forever is the name of his final album, which was mostly completed at his time of death. 

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in Season 3

Episode 3 – N.W.A.

Our precious guy links up with the Boys and gets back on his T-shirt bullsh*t in the best way. He rocks an N.W.A. shirt as the crew reunites. We even hear the group’s single “Express Yourself” playing as MM does his usual meticulous cleaning. And he brings back the jacket AND shades. Very hot content. 

Episode 4 – Ruff Ryders 

RIP to DMX. MM’s Rough Ryders shirt is for the label and rap collective that included X, Eve, Swizz Beats, The Lox, and more. The “R” is instantly recognizable to ‘90s hip-hop fans, appearing on shirts as well as pendants for chains. 

Episode 5 – Stop the Violence

What a phrase to wear when you’re always in the midst of it. We’ve seen MM wear a Boogie Down Productions shirt and “Stop the Violence” is one of their song titles. Interestingly, this coincides with the division among the Boys when Butcher and Hughie start taking sh*t too far. 

Episode 6 – This Is America 

MM is tired of taking the high road and having to keep a level head as a Black man. (I’m not a man but whew, I get it.) This lines up well with his “This Is America” shirt, which shares a title with Donald Glover’s song about the injustices that Black people face. I don’t think MM will ever wear this shirt again, cause, well, Herogasm. 

Episode 6 – The TNT Smile Time Hour

This is one shirt that’s actually just specific to this universe and something that MM would never wear. It’s a shirt from the supe twins’ former show but you gotta wear what you can wear when your shirt gets… messed up. I must say, that color looks impeccable on his skin. 

Episode 7 – Dark Man X

Like the Ruff Ryders logo, DMX’s is also iconic. And MM continues his deep love of Black shirts, rocking one with a red logo on it. Love to see it. Alonso tells us more about why he wanted MM to wear this shirt in episode seven. “We did a shoutout to DMX and the Ruff Ryders this season,” he says. “The DMX one is in the episode where I knock out Todd. That [moment] was declarative. And we wanted to have that shirt during a moment when MM exhibits a moment of gaining back his family and control.”

Episode 8 – Snoop Dogg 

The West Coast gets a little love with this Snoop Dogg shirt. Perfect 10, no notes. 

Episode 8 – 2Pac 

He ends the season and this episode with a shirt that makes total sense considering his Snoop shirt. 2Pac is heavily associated with Cali thanks to his Death Row days; however, he’s an East Coast native who spent his high school years in the DMV, Baltimore to be specific. It turns out that Laz Alonso is himself a native of the area, hailing from DC. 

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in Season 4

Episode 1 – GangStarr

MM starts The Boys season four off right with a Gang Starr shirt in the show’s opening scene. This Boston, MA hip-hop duo found success primarily in the ’90s and early 2000s. DJ Premier continues to work in the music industry to this day. Unfortunately, Guru passed away after a bout with cancer in 2010. Leave it to MM to always honor legends.

Episode 1 – EPMD

The crew is back at Boys headquarters and a perpetually stressed MM is trying to log into his damn CIA account. In this scene, he’s wearing an EPMD T-shirt, which obviously honors the influential hip-hop group featuring Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. They came to rise in 1987 and gave us hits like “Strictly Business” and “You Gots To Chill.”

It’s the perfect shirt for MM, who is trying to handle being the leader of the Boys and always standing on business.

Episode 1 – The LOX – “Money, Power & Respect”

At first, it is hard to make out what this shirt is while MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko are tracking Todd. But, during the Starlighter/Homelander supporter showdown, we can clearly see the shirt honors The LOX, a rap trio comprised of Styles P, Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch, who were popular in the late ’90s as a group prior to each person finding their own success.

Episode 2 – Eric B & Rakim

Eric B & Rakim are a classic rap duo, much like MM and Butcher are a great pair. Well, they used to be. MM is wearing this shirt when Butcher tells everyone about his diagnosis and he subsequently kicks him out of the Boys. Then, he beats Butcher up with this shirt on. Good lord. Eric B & Rakim rocked the mic during the golden age of hip-hop in the late ’80s with classics like “Paid in Full” and “I Know You Got Soul.”

Episode 2 – OutKast

OutKast is everlasting and also a great addition to MM’s T-shirt lineup on The Boys. The Southern rap legends Andre 3000 and Big Boy are two of the most influential and successful musicians of all-time. MM slides this great shirt in at the end when he chats with Butcher and decides he’s truly done with his s**t.

Episode 3 – MF DOOM

MF Doom is what’s on MM’s chest when he is at the headquarters and suggesting that he will get A-Train to work with them. It’s a simple black hoodie (it is near Christmas and cold, apparently) with white lettering that honors the late, great British rapper who died in 2020.

Episode 4 – Big Pun

As MM decides to bring Butcher back into the fold, he’s wearing a Big Pun shirt. The Bronx rapper rose to fame in the mid-’90s with hits like “Still Not a Player.” Sadly, he died in the midst of a growing career in 2000. It’s lovely to see MM continue to honor rappers who are no longer with us. It is the only shirt he wears throughout the episode.

Episode 5 – Big Pun (Again!)

At the beginning of the episode, MM keeps his long-sleeved Big Pun T-Shirt for this episode. This makes makes sense considering time isn’t passing very quickly. But he soon goes for a quick change that’s closely related with a fun hoodie.

Episode 5 – Fat Joe

MM honors Big Pun’s partner-in-music Fat Joe with an all-black hoodie. His hoodie gets quite dirty, thanks to some Compound V-fueled chickens at Victoria’s hellacious farm.

Episode 6 – The Notorious B.I.G.

Outside of his professional attire, we only see MM in one hip-hop shirt this episode. It is an obvious reference to the Notorious B.I.G., a ‘90s rapper who became an eternal legend after his shooting death in 1997. The East vs. West Coast battle between his crew and 2Pac’s is a sad era of rap history that ended with both of the promising rapper’s untimely demises. 

Episode 7 – Black Sheep

MM sticks to one shirt and his ongoing penchant for wearing black with this shirt. Black Sheep is a late ’80s-early ’90s hip-hop duo who found success with “The Choice Is Yours.” (Most people recognize the song’s “you can get with this or you can get with that” lyrics with “uhh come on” ad-libs.)

Episode 8 – Dead Prez

This is a pitch perfect shirt to wear for this season finale, considering the plot against President Robert Singer. Dead Prez is a hip-hop duo that has been around since the mid-1990s whose music encourages social justice through force and Black pride. They eschew media influence and are pioneers of the “conscious rap” subgenre.

I’m thankful for every dope ass T-shirt he wears and how they fit. Give that costume person and Laz Alonso a raise!

Originally published July 8, 2022.

The post An Ode to Marvin ‘MM’ Milk’s Impeccable T-Shirt Collection on THE BOYS appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys‘ spinoff series Gen V (mostly) did its own thing with the mystery at Godolkin University. But that doesn’t mean these shows aren’t closely intertwined. For college supes like Marie Moreau, the deification of superheroes led their parents to inject them babies with Compound V in hopes that they’d gain powers. This drug is a big part of The Boys’ overall history and future storylines. So, let’s dig into all things Compound V, its different forms, and what it means for the characters of Gen V and The Boys. 

The History of Compound V and Compound V24 in The Boys, Explained

The first season of The Boys introduces us to Compound V. It is a blue serum that can give both humans and animals extraordinary abilities. Nazi scientist Frederick Vought created it during WWII to turn adult soldiers into supes. Over the years, Vought International continued to make and manipulate his formula. The abilities a person can get are random and, if there are multiple doses, the powers can change based on how it mutates in the body. Interestingly, Compound V has a better survival and success rate with babies and young children versus adults. It is not a guarantee that anyone who takes Compound V will develop powers at any point in their lives. And, as expected, higher doses for those who can successfully process Compound V makes them stronger/faster/etc. This is why Queen Maeve and Homelander are so wildly strong.

In The Boys, we see an adult and already superpowered A-Train and his then-girlfriend Popclaw take Compound V. They use it in regular, small doses to enhance their abilities, much like a steroid does for normal human athletes. Unfortunately, it can cause the opposite effect and weaken their powers or cause major damage to their organs. That’s what happens to the speedster A-Train, who ends up needing a heart transplant.

The Boys season three gives us a different form of the serum with Compound V24, which is also known as Temp V. Compound V24 is a green super serum that allows a regular person to be a supe for 24 hours with just one dose. It is expensive—two million dollars, to be exact—and doesn’t seem to be addictive. Well, unless you count a person’s ego boost as addictive. Butcher gets his initial dose from Queen Maeve in hopes of being able to fight Soldier Boy and the Payback collective. Hughie also takes some of it so he can gain powers and feel more useful in general. 

Like any drug, Compound V24 has side effects. It made Butcher vomit green blood, drizzle goo out of his ears, and eventually led to such severe sickness that he only has months to live (allegedly). Starlight reveals that Compound V24 is fatal after three doses and Butcher has hit that mark.

Compound V24 comes into play in The Boys season four as we learn more about Butcher’s fate. The first three episodes show how it is affecting his body, with wormlike crawling happening under his skin. He’s hallucinating and seeing Becca, often unable to stand, and just looks like s**t in general. We discover in episode four that Butcher tried to take regular Compound V to save his life and, while he does have some serious physical strength, it is not enough. Later on, we discover that Joe Kessler is not even alive but a figment of his Compound V-drenched brain. He was a real person and former colleague whom Butcher left to die and now he’s manifesting as Butcher’s bad side.

We see how dangerous Compound V can be through Hughie’s father, who gets a dose from Hughie’s mom. He initially pops up like toast from a serious coma but, in episode five, he gains an uncontrollable and deadly power along with some mental instability. Hughie ends up giving him a drug so he can pass away peacefully.

We also see that it causes some serious deviant behavior in animals, thanks to Victoria Neuman’s farm experiments. From deadly flying sheep to chickens that will fly right through your torso, Compound V is a mess of a drug. In the season finale, we see Vought CEO Ashley take it and it appears to disfigure her in some way. We don’t see the final result of her decision but it is probably not good.

Compound V in Gen V, Explained

It’s pretty obvious that Compound V plays a role in Gen V. It is right there in the show’s name. According to Indira Shetty’s conversation with Ashely Barrett in episode two, 400 kids (including Marie) found out that they weren’t born special but were drugged with Compound V as babies. Luke and Sam further discuss this in an episode three flashback. Sam is understandably furious when he finds out but Luke tries to defend his parents, saying they just thought they were giving them powers.

Why would a parent give their child a dangerous and potentially fatal drug? We assume most parents did this in hopes of making their kids wealthy/famous like the Seven. That is the case with Emma’s mom for sure. As we discover in Gen V, many of these young supes don’t know how to control their abilities when they first activate. Like Marie, some of their powers don’t kick in until puberty or another life-altering event and they are completely shocked.

They often end up in places like the Red River Institute, which is a supe orphanage. After a certain age/timeframe, they “transition” to a facility like Sage Grove psychiatric hospital or Elmira Adult rehab center where they are locked up or killed. Some supes like Sam have to grapple with mental health hurdles, too.

Marie’s power may not be as “marketable” as being a speedster or having super strength; however, she’s still one of the lucky ones. Landing at God U seemed like the best fate given her traumatic past. But we now know that the school is a front for gruesome experiments. Interestingly, we discover more about Marie’s powers, including her ability to suss out Compound V in a person’s bloodstream.

The mysteries of that weird facility known as “the woods” revealed that there’s a supe killing virus that presumably deadens the Compound V in a being’s system. The Boys season four will probably reveal something new about Compound V, so let’s stay tuned.

Originally published September 29, 2023.

The post Compound V and Compound V24 in THE BOYS and GEN V, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys season four is over and, to quote the great MM, it was truly “the bold and the bats**t.” Butcher’s choice to kill Victoria Neuman literally changes America and leads to his former colleagues being locked away. Homelander is running the country with President Calhoun under his thumb after Robert Singer goes down for Vicky’s death. And Sage is enjoying all of it. Despite having a ton of superheroes, no one on this show is truly a hero. But some characters activities are more nefarious than others. Quite a few villains are at play in The Boys season four, so let’s look at how they are shaking up this universe.

Homelander

Of course, the chief antagonist is Homelander. He’s trying to mold Ryan in his own twisted image and is willing to do anything to take down Annie/Starlight and the Boys for good. Homelander is threatening Victoria Neuman, lasering the heads of innocent people, and being an all-around d*ck to most of his Vought family. He’s also unraveling mentally so he could do or say literally anything at any moment, like when he went back to his birthplace and killed pretty much everyone in horrific fashion. In episode five, he even starts to turn Ryan into a diabolical mini-me by appealing to his son’s desire to help others while offering his twisted guidance. The longer Ryan stays with him, the less chances of Butcher being able to save Ryan before he becomes a full-fledged baddie. We saw Ryan warming up to him as the season progressed; however, things change in episode seven. Ryan is not feeling a Christmas TV spot encouraging kids to tell on their adults if they are not pro-supe and stands up to Vought and Homelander. Ryan does kill Grace Mallory (mostly by accident) but it is not clear if he goes back to Homelander or on his own.

Homelander forms a supe army with the Seven members as well as Gen V‘s Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan. He’s also working with Victoria Neuman to overthrow the POTUS so she can take his place. It’s all very scary, indeed. Homelander’s crumble over the season has been quite the spectacle. He is heartbroken about A-Train’s betrayal, which resulted in him firing Sage from the Seven. (She obviously knew it was A-Train.) But Sage gets the final laugh when things all work according to her wild plan and Homelander gets President Calhoun to enact martial law that puts supes in charge of America and gets the Boys out of his hair.

Sister Sage

Homelander brought her into the fold to help sustain Vought’s power and destroy everything that Starlight has built. And boy is she using her smarts to the wildest extent. She convinces Homelander to have A-Train, Black Noir, and the Deep murder three of Homelander’s biggest fans and pin it on two Starlight supporters. (Her doing this as a Black woman and framing two Black men is exceptionally nasty work.)

She’s also turned the Deep against Ashley, which helped her secure power as Vought’s CEO. And, she brought Firecracker, a dangerous conspiracy theorist with a rabid following, into the fold to tell her lies on a really large platform. Having someone as calculating yet even-keeled as her to balance out Homelander is frightening. And, after discovering that she and Homelander were working with Tek Knight to set up prison camps, she’s really on some wild stuff. She knows A-Train is the leak but says nothing (despite them not liking each other), which indirectly results in the unnecessary deaths of Cameron Coleman and Webweaver.

In episode seven, Homelander fires her and she leaves Vought Tower in a huff. But the season finale reveals that Sage got video of Robert Singer chastising the Boys for not killing Victoria as he instructed, which allows all of them to go down for her murder. Homelander has Sage by his side once again as he basically becomes the leader of a nationwide supe militia. Sister Sage may not be killing people directly but she is certainly a villain in The Boys season four. 

Firecracker

Being a dangerous “truther” aside, Firecracker is dangerous because of her deep-seated hatred for Starlight. In episode three, we discover Firecracker was shunned from the pageant world after Annie told people she had sex with judges. She’s certainly within her rights to hate Annie’s guts but she’s also putting a lot of innocent people in danger with her lies and twisted propaganda. Homelander’s followers are bad, but her devotees are 10 times worse because they will literally believe anything she says. Sounds familiar, right? 

From sharing Annie’s very private information on a national platform to her gross statutory rape of a teenage boy, Firecracker is absolutely a villain in The Boys. She’s also Homelander’s new sidekick after, um, making milk for him. Firecracker is happy as can be in the season four finale with a country run by Homelander that will establish the “good values” that Jesus wants for America. Good grief.

Victoria Neuman

Victoria is also up to no good for most of season four. She’s working with Homelander and Sister Sage to get Robert Singer out of the way so she can be the President. Once installed, they want Victoria to give supes ultimate power in every city and get rid of any educational platforms/theories that are “anti-supe.” After what happened with Soldier Boy killing MM’s grandfather and Blue Hawk’s murder of an innocent Black man, this certainly isn’t good for society. 

In episode five, we discover that she’s taken the supe-killing virus from God U and has (sorta accidentally) created an entire farm of Compound V-powered deranged animals. She wants to take Homelander down but she also wants to make sure that she obtains the highest level of power. Right now, she’s playing nice with the Boys and Stan Edgar, but Butcher’s decision to hurt Zoe’s father and force him into making more of the virus will probably lead to her popping a few heads. Hughie tries to get her to abandon the assassination plan in episode seven, but she refuses to go along with it. Victoria looks slightly guilty, but her desire for self-preservation (and protecting Zoe) will not allow her to do the right thing.

However, she sings a different tune in the finale after Homelander outs her as a supe. She’s willing to give up her VP title and run away from it all but Butcher kills her before that can happen. Welp.

Is Billy Butcher a Villain in The Boys Universe?

Butcher has never been an exceptionally morally just person. But he’s more of an anti-hero than villain… until now. His decision to push back against his team and murder Victoria, who was trying to do the right thing, is bad. He has no MM, Becca, nor Grace to reel him in. The only voice in his head is that darn Joe Kessler and that could lead to supe genocide.

We will have to wait and see how the surviving villains move in The Boys season five, which probably won’t come our way until 2026.

Originally published on June 13, 2024.

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The Dexter prequel series is starting to come together. Paramount+ with Showtime announced the cast of Dexter: Original Sin, including Patrick Gibson as Dexter and the always fantastic Christian Slater as Harry Morgan, Dexter’s adoptive father and a homicide detective. Molly Brown, who will portray Debra Morgan, Dexter’s younger sister, also joins. And now, we can see the whole Morgan family in action because Dexter: Origin Sin has officially revealed first-look photos from the prequel series. You can check out Harry Morgan, Dexter Morgan, and Debra Morgan in their new forms below.

Dexter: Original Sin Reveals First-Look Photos of the Prequel Series

We must say, these Dexter: Original Sin first-look photos look good. They really evoke the spirit of the original series. Patrick Gibson is giving Dexter Morgan in the best ways. As a release notes, these “photos unveil the iconic Morgan family, with Golden Globe winner Christian Slater as Harry Morgan, Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan and Molly Brown as Debra Morgan.” The series will take place 15 years before Dexter, and let us see how Dexter became Dexter. The prequel “chronicles America’s favorite serial killer…in training.”

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Dexter: Original Sin‘s Synopsis

Here’s a brief synopsis of Dexter: Original Sin to accompany these first-look photos: 

Set in 1991 Miami, DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN follows Dexter (Gibson) as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry (Slater), he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcements’ radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.    

Dexter: Original Sin Cast and Characters

In addition to Christian Slater as Harry Morgan, Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan and Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, Patrick Dempsey will also be a part of the Dexter: Original Sin cast. Deadline reveals that he will play Aaron Spencer, “the Captain of the Miami Metro Homicide department who has a decades-long relationship with Harry Morgan (Christian Slater).”

Additionally, James Martinez (Love Victor), Christina Milian (Falling Inn Love), Alex Shimizu (The Blacklist) and Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly). According to a release, “These four actors star as members of the Miami Metro Police Department. Martinez plays Angel Batista, an up-and-coming homicide detective who leads with his heart; Milian plays Maria LaGuerta, Miami Metro’s first female homicide detective; Shimizu plays Vince Masuka, a forensic analyst who eagerly shares his expertise while relishing the chance to boss around his new intern, Dexter Morgan; and Wilson plays Bobby Watt, Harry’s longtime partner and confidant.”

Joe Pantoliano, Brittany Allen, Randy Gonzalez, Aaron Jennings, Raquel Justice, Jasper Lewis, Carlo Mendez , Isaac Gonzalez Rossi, and Roberto Sanchez have also joined the cast. Per Deadline, “Pantoliano plays Mad Dog, Allen plays Dexter’s biological mother, Laura Moser, Gonzalez plays Santos Jimenez, Jennings plays Clark Sanders, Justice plays Sofia, Lewis, Lewis plays Dexter’s adoptive mom and wife of Harry, Doris Morgan, Mendez plays Hector Estrada, Gonzalez Rossi plays Gio and Sanchez plays Tony Ferrer.”

Finally, Sarah Michelle Gellar will guest star on Dexter: Original Sin as Tanya Martin. She will play, ” the CSI Chief at the Miami Metro Police Department and Dexter Morgan’s (Patrick Gibson) new boss.”

What Is the Release Date for Dexter: Original Sin?

The release date for Dexter: Original Sin is unknown at this time. The Dexter prequel series will be ten episodes long.

Originally published on May 23, 2024.

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In the first episode of The Boys season four, we finally get to meet Joe Kessler, the mysterious character played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Until now, we only knew that he used to work with Butcher in some capacity. We didn’t really know who he was until episode six, when it is revealed that he’s basically the devil on Butcher’s shoulders opposite of Becca’s angelic/morally just apparition. Here’s everything we know about Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Joe Kessler in The Boys. 

Related: Joe Kessler Is Dead in The Boys, Actually

Episode one takes place six months after the events of season three. Billy Butcher is sick, no longer the leader of the Boys,and, well, pretty much everyone around him hates him. After a failed mission to kill Vice President-elect Victoria Neuman, Grace Mallory and President-elect Robert Singer call MM in for a heavy scolding. Butcher is not welcomed into the room but he is shocked when Joe Kessler “appears” at the CIA office. They worked together at the CIA and were in a war on some covert s**t. It’s been over 10 years ago, so they exchange some pleasantries and jokes before catching up over coffee.

Joe asks why Butcher is still trying to be down with the Boys. Butcher says he will get his leadership position back. Butcher is laser focused on killing Homelander and saving Ryan while Joe is clearly frustrated about Mallory’s preoccupation with killing Victoria Neuman. Joe says they need someone like him before supes start rounding up humans and putting them into camps. It’s not totally clear who the “they” is but we can assume that Joe is working on something behind Mallory’s back. 

We see Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler again in episode three after Butcher admits to the Boys that he only has months to live. MM is unwilling to help Butcher with his dying mission of getting Ryan away from Homelander for good. So he goes to Kessler for assistance. Joe gives Butcher a powerful drug that will knock Ryan out and allow them to essentially hold him hostage at Grace’s safehouse. Butcher bakes the drug into cookies but, after opening up about his fears of dying, decides to earn his trust instead.

Joe feels like Butcher is wasting precious time. He reveals that he looked into Butcher’s medical files and knows about his diagnosis. He also says they “need” Ryan because the whole world is about to burn. This angers Butcher because he doesn’t want Ryan to be a killing asset. Joe warns that they either figure out how to train him or they may have to figure out how to kill him. Honestly, they are both making valid points. Ryan is only 12 years old and maybe shouldn’t be trained to be a soldier. However, his lack of training could prove to be dangerous. He did (accidentally) fling a man into the side of the building and crush him, after all. The question is whether Joe is someone with good intentions or not.

In episode five, Butcher meets with Joe and gives him photos from The Woods at God U. Joe says that he and Butcher should do the job of killing Homelander without the rest of the Boys because, well, they are all a mess. (He’s not wrong.) Joe says that the two of them don’t belong with decent people. Later on, Butcher goes with the crew, Stan Edgar, and Victoria Neuman. They find Sameer, a scientist working at Victoria’s secret lab who is also her daughter Zoe’s father. He argues with Annie/Starlight about whether they should use the last bit of the supe-killing virus to take a shot and make a run for it from the Compound V animals or try to use it on a man’s corpse to kill the deranged animals. MM talks sense into everyone and they make the latter choice to save everyone, but Butcher never goes with the flow.

At the end of the episode, Butcher brings Joe to the secluded farm after he’s tied up Sameer and cut one of his legs off at the knee. Butcher threatens Sameer to make more of the supe-killing virus, lest he wants to lose more body parts. This brutality pleases Joe, who smiles in the background.

Except… Joe is not involved in any of this. Why? He died way back in the Panjshir Valley. Butcher did not save Joe Kessler but instead left him to die. This shows just how down bad he is, thanks to Compound V24. Joe and Butcher are now in the midst of a conflict, with Joe unhappy that Butcher isn’t down to follow his violent plans.

In episode seven, we don’t see Becca at all but Joe appears a couple of times. He berates Butcher for telling the group the truth about the supe-killing virus’ instability. Joe even “abandons” Butcher during a massive fight against the Deep and Black Noir. At the very end of the episode, Butcher tells Joe that he knows Ryan can be saved after seeing him go off script during that ridiculous Christmas spot. He collapses on the floor as Joe looks over him with some amusement.

Butcher is in the hospital and in very bad physical shape in the finale. He even calls and basically tells Hughie goodbye, asking him to tell the Boys that he’s sorry. But after Ryan kills Grace after refusing to go along with their plan to train him to kill Homelander, Butcher decides to let Joe truly become a part of him. We can only assume that between this mental shift and Butcher probably taking more V, he’s back and completely unhinged.

He kills Victoria Neuman in front of his former crew (and her daughter!) and takes the supe killing virus with him. Joe Kessler is seen in the back seat as Butcher drives down a snowy abandoned road. The Boys (except for Starlight) are now in custody and Butcher will probably attempt supe genocide in season five under Joe’s guidance.

Joe Kessler Will Return in The Boys Season Five

This is pretty much a given based on the season four finale. Butcher is being driven by this dark part of him to the point that Becca doesn’t even show up anymore. Joe will likely push Butcher to his brink, perhaps even causing him to sacrifice himself to defeat Homelander. Will Butcher have to kill Ryan? Can he ever reconcile with the Boys after this? We will have to wait and see what happens.

Is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s The Boys Character Joe Kessler From the Comics?

There isn’t a Joe Kessler in The Boys comics but there is a Howard Kessler. He’s a CIA analyst who feeds the Boys information. Butcher calls him Monkey due to a gross incident that happened at a brothel. Howard Kessler is a terrible person who tries to sexually assault a woman. Butcher responds to this by having his dog Terror deliver sickening justice. I’d rather not get into all that but it seems that Joe’s last name is simply a nod to that character and nothing more.

Originally published on June 13, 2024.

The post Who Is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Character Joe Kessler on THE BOYS? Butcher’s Former Colleague, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys’ fourth season is a game changer in many ways. Butcher is officially on his own, the other Boys (except Annie) are in custody for Victoria Neuman’s murder, and Homelander is basically running America. This is truly scary times for humanity. Throughout the season, The Boys ties in Gen V in quite a few ways, including appearances by Cate Dunlap, Tek Knight, and Sam Riordan. Let’s dive into all the diabolical mess. 

Butcher Tells the Boys About the Supe-Killing Virus at God U 

The desperation to get rid of awful supes like Firecracker, Homelander, and Victoria Neuman is at an all-time high at the beginning of the season. So Butcher decides to tell the team about a virus that can kill supes by basically frying the Compound V out of them. MM and the others are annoyed but not shocked that he was withholding information once again. Butcher knows that Victoria has the goods, so he works with MM to strike a deal with Stan Edgar. They visit the former Vought leader in prison and say that they will help exonerate him and assist him with getting custody of Zoe. Stan is very angry that Victoria betrayed him and gave Zoe Compound V, so he agrees to help. 

Butcher is so obsessed with getting more of the supe-killing virus that he kidnaps Victoria’s baby daddy Sameer, cuts off his leg, and threatens to do more if he doesn’t make more of it. He doesn’t want to do that because it would become airborne and kill anyone with Compound V in their veins. Yikes.

In the end, Frenchie is able to replicate the virus but Butcher swoops in, kills Victoria Neuman, and takes the virus with him. It looks like he will go the genocidal route and the Boys don’t know how to stop him. He’s suped up and shooting deadly tentacles from his chest.

Victoria Neuman Led Experiments on Animals, Regrets Her Homelander Team Up, and Dies in The Boys Season Four Finale

The Boys team (minus Hughie) and Stan travel to a remote home he owns to see if Victoria is stashing the supe-killing virus there. She was not only keeping it there, but also having a crew of researchers, including Zoe’s father Sameer, experiment on small animals. Victoria likely wants to perfect it so she can take out Homelander. One hamster went rogue, Compound V got into the water supply, and the farm became a not-so-pleasant space. The crew battles deadly flying sheep and chickens before they eventually discover that there’s only one dose of the supe-killing virus left. 

She’s not going to be happy about Butcher taking Sameer. She’s also not super thrilled about working with Homelander and Sage but she’s willing to do whatever to become the next POTUS. She has billionaires in her back pocket and is determined to become the leader of America. But after Homelander outs her as a supe and gets incredibly violent, Victoria decides to work with the Boys to take him down. She’s even willing to resign as VP but it is too late. Butcher shows up and uses his tentacle powers (wtf) to rip her in half in front of her own child and his horrified former teammates. Now, Robert Singer and the Boys (minus Butcher and Annie) are in custody for her murder and Homelander is running the country with President Calhoun as his puppet. Jesus.

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Gen V Characters Tek Knight, Cate Dunlap, and Sam Riordan Are in The Boys Season Four

We get a few familiar faces from Gen V at a convention to announce Vought’s next media phases. Tek Knight announces a film called The Tek Knight with a dark sequence and a great soundtrack. (God, I love this show.) Then, the “Guardians of Godolkin” come out to announce their show Flipped. Cate plays a stuck-up sorority girl, Sam is a nerd, but a gypsy swaps their bodies. Honestly, that show sounds awful.

Sam and Cate also appear at Vought with Homelander and the Seven. Homelander says they will now be wrathful gods and Cate happily agrees to do whatever he wishes. Sam, on the other hand, looks afraid and doesn’t have much to say. But he apparently gets on board by the season finale when the duo capture Frenchie and Kimiko to take them to some unknown place.

We see a brief mention of Marie and the other captured Godolkin supes on TV but they do not make an appearance in The Boys.

Episode six features a lot of Tek Knight and his freaky a** Tek Cave, where we discover he was working with Homelander to use his prisons as camps. Yikes. He’s dead now, thanks to his butler, but we don’t know how far they got in their plan.

Does The Boys Finale Set Up Gen V Season Two?

The Boys season four ends in a way that doesn’t give us too much for Gen V‘s second season. Perhaps the Boys will be taken to the same holding facility as Marie and her friends. We will have to see how The Boys and Gen V continue to blend their narratives.

The post Here’s How GEN V Ties Into THE BOYS Season Four appeared first on Nerdist.

Until season four, we thought we knew the truth about how Kimiko lost her voice in The Boys. Her brother said that she stopped speaking after the Shining Light Liberation Army killed her parents in front of her. But season four’s seventh episode finally gives us the truth about Kimiko and why she is silent. While Frenchie and Kimiko are looking after Sameer, they have a conversation about the bad things they’ve done and forgiveness. Kimiko tells Frenchie that the story her brother told about her losing her voice is not true. In reality, she lost her voice the first night when she was taken into the army’s camp and forced to become a silent killer. And Kimiko spoke for the first time (outside of dreams) in The Boys season four finale! (More on that later.) There would be so much to explore in a Kimiko spinoff series, right?

A flashback reveals that Kimiko fought a girl and killed her without making a sound. When she was given permission to speak again, Kimiko wasn’t able to do so. So Kimiko did lose her voice due to childhood trauma, but not in the way we originally thought. This revelation brings a lot of her character arc into focus, specifically why she struggles with morality and often regrets violence. Kimiko hates herself because of her past but she’s trying to find forgiveness.

Kimiko Gets Her Voice Back in The Boys Season Four Finale

We knew it was possible for Kimiko to speak again. Mutism stemming from trauma can be addressed with a lot of therapy with a professional and patience. Sadly, Kimiko hasn’t gotten any therapy nor peace. Instead, Kimiko spoke for the first actual time (dreams don’t count) in The Boys season four finale. And it was heartbreak and trauma that broke her silence.

At the end of the episode, Frenchie and Kimiko decide to go on the run together after their kiss to avoid capture following Victoria Neuman’s death. Cate and Sam show up with the former whispering something in Frenchie’s ear to control him. Kimiko screams “no” repeatedly as the pair are separated. Her only dream was to spend a happy life with the man she loves and that’s in serious jeopardy.

We hope that Kimiko will continue to be able to use her voice and find happiness at the end of The Boys.

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As Marvel Studios continues to move through Phase 5 with Deadpool & Wolverine and look towards Phase 6 (which we will hopefully get news about at SDCC 2024), the studio is tapping into familiar creative sources for future projects. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joe and Anthony Russo—also known as The Russo Brothers—are in talks to come back to Marvel and direct the next two Avengers movies. 

The fifth Avenger movie was under the title of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but that will almost certainly change following Jonathan Majors firing in December 2023. For now, everyone is calling it Avengers 5. The sixth film, Avengers: Secret Wars, will be a game-changing epic that will shift the multiverses (and probably destroy them, too.) The films are expected to hit theaters on May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027.

It’s no secret that the Russo Brothers know what to do with complex storylines and an ensemble cast in the Marvel universe. The duo even hinted at possibly being involved with a Secret Wars storyline a few years ago. The Russo Brothers directed four of the franchise’s biggest films: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Those movies made literally billions of dollars, so no wonder Kevin Feige gave them a call. Welcome back to the chaos, Joe and Anthony.

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Move over, America’s ass. There’s another MCU backside in town that is just as rotund and delightful to see in spandex. The “Merc with a Mouth,” better known as Deadpool, has buns that are so nice that there’s a new Xbox controller made in its image. No, this is not a promotional joke for Deadpool & Wolverine. There is actually an Xbox controller that is shaped like Deadpool’s butt. (Suddenly, I hear Megan Thee Stallion’s “Body” playing.)

Microsoft unveiled this odd controller on Xbox Wire, calling it the “Cheeky Controller” with a firm, um, grip to it. We really appreciate Deadpool’s creativity and thought he put into this design. The sad news is that fans can only get it via a competition at this point. If you’re 18+, following Xbox on X (always Twitter in our hearts) and sharing the Xbox sweepstakes tweet gets you an entry. Maybe the Xbox controller with Deadpool’s butt on the back will become available for all at some point. Until then, we are totally jealous of the lucky winner (assuming it will only be one!) 

In addition to the controller, the winner will get a sweet custom console that features Deadpool’s katanas. The contest ends on August 11, which is after Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26. Let’s see who wins the battle to own Deadpool’s best asset.

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Stranger Things 5 is still in production but the Duffer Brothers are already looking towards their next series at Netflix. Sure, we know that there will be some Stranger Things spinoffs coming at some point. And maybe one of our brilliant ideas about what they could do will come true. But for now, there’s another world that this duo wants to immerse us in. Netflix announced that it has greenlit Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, a horror series by Haley Z. Boston and the Duffer Brothers’ Upside Down Pictures. 

Here’s a quick logline/synopsis for this series: 

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen is an atmospheric horror series set at a wedding, following a bride and groom in the week leading up to their ill-fated nuptials. That’s not a spoiler – just read the title…

Interesting. Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen will have Boston as its creator/showrunner/executive producer alongside the Duffer Brothers and Hilary Leavitt as executive producers, thanks to their Upside Down Pictures overall deal with Netflix. The brothers are quite excited for this new venture, which they expressed in the following statement: 

 “We were knocked flat when we first read Haley’s script. She is a major new talent with a singular voice — her writing is twisted, terrifying, funny, and just… very Haley. We feel so lucky to be producing her first show, and we can’t wait to share her vision with the rest of the world.”

Right now, there’s no more information about the Duffer Brothers series Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen. If it is anything like Stranger Things, this series will have lots of characters that we will fall in love with. In the meantime, we are keeping up with everything that we’ve seen from Stranger Things 5 so far.

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No matter who we are and what accomplishments we’ve obtained in our lives, we all have some insecurities. Some people may feel like they are not good enough in their career field despite many accolades. Others may dislike what they see in the mirror and covet another person’s physical appearance. (Personally, I wouldn’t be mad if I woke up and looked a lot more like Beyoncé.) We wonder what would happen if we could change the very thing that we perceive to be “wrong” with us. Would we become more valuable or acceptable in society’s eyes (and our own, too)? A24’s upcoming dark comedy A Different Man, starring Sebastian Stan, explores this question in its thought-provoking (and possibly misleading) trailer. 

We meet Edward, an aspiring actor who has a very noticeable skin condition. His face is falling off in small clumps and strangers stare at him and ridicule him in the streets. Edward becomes aware of a drug that can reverse his skin condition and decides to take the chance. He becomes a piece of “man candy,” as another character calls him, and things seem to be looking up for him. It changes when he runs into Oswald (Adam Pearson), who has the same skin condition that Edward was living with. (Editor’s Note: Pearson has neurofibromatosis in real life but it is not clear if Stan’s character has the same diagnosis.) Oswald seems to start living a life that makes Edward jealous, becoming popular with the public and the ladies. I sense a “grass is green where you water it” type of lesson in the mix. 

Here’s a quick synopsis for A Different Man:

Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.

What Is the Release Date for A24’s A Different Man Movie Starring Sebastian Stan? 

The trailer for A Different Man could have a twist hidden in it that reveals Edward is an unreliable narrator or something. Anything can happen in an A24 film, right? We will have to see what happens when A Different Man hits theaters on September 20.

The post Sebastian Stan Changes His Face and (Maybe) Ruins His Life in A DIFFERENT MAN Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

Buck in 2023, Netflix’s TUDUM event gave us many tidbits of information. But it could not be a Netflix event without a word from Stranger Things. The show is heading into its fifth and final season, bringing this epic story about a superpowered girl and her growing band of friends to a close. We don’t know much about Stranger Things 5 at this point, but we do know that yet another ‘80s icon is coming to the scene. Linda Hamilton, otherwise known as Sarah Connor of Terminator fame, will join the cast of Stranger Things 5.

It was only right for Arnold Schwarzenegger to tease her casting right before we saw Hamilton herself on video. Of course, Linda Hamilton is a Stranger Things fan like the rest of us. Right now, we know nothing about her character. Will she be on Eleven’s side, or is she evil like Vecna? We will see. We do know that things are in a dire place with the Upside Down basically taking over Hawkins. And if anyone can save the day in Stranger Things 5 (outside of El), it is Linda Hamilton.

In its most recent tease of Stranger Things 5, Netflix gave us a look at Linda Hamilton arriving on set for the final season of the show. Linda Hamilton notes of her Stranger Things casting, “I love this show so much. I really am a fan.” Although this behind-the-scenes look at Stranger Things 5 didn’t reveal anything further about Linda Hamilton’s character, not even a peek at her costuming, we still love seeing the Terminator actress get one step closer to Stranger Things.

While Linda Hamilton has arrived on set, we still don’t know when the final season of Stranger Things is arriving just yet, but this new casting annoucement makes us even more excited for its return.

Originally published on June 20, 2023.

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Thasmin fans, rejoice! The Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz’s relationship made many fans swoon but it also brought some levels of frustration. First, there’s the very murky nature of the Doctor’s actual feelings toward Yaz. Were Yaz’s romantic feelings unrequited or not? And, after Ryan and Graham left the TARDIS, the duo time we thought we would get simply did not happen. Doctor Who instead added another companion, Dan, almost immediately to many folks’ chagrin. Thankfully, there’s always Big Finish Audios to give us things that either didn’t happen onscreen or we wanted to see in the show. Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill are returning to Doctor Who as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan for Big Finish Audio adventures! 

This is a shock to many fans because it often takes many years before a Doctor and/or companion actor decides to return to the series. It has only been two years since the Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode aired in 2022. But, that seems to be enough of a break for the pair and we are totally okay with that. Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures is a series of twelve hour-long, full-cast audio adventures that will be released in July 2025. Right now, there are no details about the storylines nor other actors that will appear in the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz Big Finish audios. But Jodie Whittaker is excited to slip back into her role as the beloved time-traveling alien.

“I’m over the moon to be joining Big Finish for more adventures in the TARDIS,” she said in a press statement. “Recording the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz is a really lovely thing to revisit. One of the things Mandip and I used to love on Doctor Who was getting in, doing a new episode and meeting a brand-new cast. I just can’t wait to step back into the boots, pull on the coat and get cracking. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be brilliant.”

Mandip Gill added to this excited statement, saying: “Doctor Who has been a huge part of my career and personal life and I am looking forward to seeing how I can further enrich my character through this exhilarating series. To be able to work with Jodie again is a dream come true, we have such a special friendship, I’m sure the recordings will be filled with laughter.”

What Is the Release Date and Cost for the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz Big Finish Audios?

As previously stated, Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures won’t materialize until July 2025 but fans can pre-order these stories. 

Check out the following pricing information:

We love to see this news and cannot wait to have Thasmin adventures in our ears soon.

The post The Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan Return to DOCTOR WHO for Big Finish Adventures appeared first on Nerdist.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 left us with quite a cliffhanger, so it makes sense that people are ready beyond ready for more. This long-running saga of a superpowered girl, her nerdy friends, and a small town with a dark dimension beneath is wrapping up its story for good, making people extra excited. Stranger Things 5 will be the last season, a plan that the Duffer Brothers have had since the beginning. So naturally, they have been dropping information here and there for a while. Here’s what we know so far about Stranger Things 5. 

An Official Look at Stranger Things 5‘s Production and Teases of the Final Season

Stranger Things 5 just released our biggest look at the season yet. We break it down here, but you can watch the tease for yourself below.

A Mysterious Name on Stranger Things 5‘s Cast/Character List

Ross Duffer took to Instagram to tease fans about the characters who may appear in the upcoming season. It’s all the usual suspects, but there’s one name overtly blocked out. Who that name is, of course, has set fans buzzing. Of course, many hope it says “Eddie Munson” under that sharpie, but mostly likely it’s the name of a new character being hidden from us. Linda Hamilton is joining the cast after all.

Still, we’ll hold onto hope while we can.

Production to Begin in January 2024

Production on Stranger Things 5 was paused when Hollywood’s studios refused to fairly compensate and support their creatives. But now, with the strikes finally resolved, production is moving forward, and hopefully, that will yield a wealth of new information and teases for eager fans.

Although the exact date of Stranger Things 5 production start is still in flux, it appears it will be in early January 2024, somewhere around the 5th or 8th of the month, per Deadline.

Stranger Things 5 Chapter One, Scene One

In celebration of Stranger Things Day 2023, the Stranger Things writers’ room released a tease of the very first scene of Stranger Things 5. It shares, “Darkness. The sound of cold wind. Groaning trees. And… A child’s voice. Singing a familiar song:”

Could that song be Dustin and Suzie sharing a tune? Or perhaps Will and Jonathan Byers are rocking out to, “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Perhaps someone is singing “Running Up That Hill” to Max. Hopefully, whoever is singing, it’s not in a bid to keep Vecna away.

Stranger Things 5 Releases Pre-Vis First-Looks at Episode One

Who would have thought we’d have our first-look at Stranger Things 5 so early. At least, a technical first-look. In support of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Stranger Things 5 writers, who were recently allowed to return to work, posted a very interesting-looking Steve Harrington.

FYI this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this.

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 28, 2023

They followed up the slightly freaky image by noting, “FYI, this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this.” This Stranger Things 5 “first look” doesn’t actually reveal anything… But we are glad to see Steve, regardless.

They did Charlie dirty pic.twitter.com/NOWxnTou4l

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 29, 2023

The writers also shared a continuation of the moment and revealed that Jonathan is also present in it. It looks like they might be working on a car or something of the sort together. We honestly wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit more of their tenuous friendship.

Lastly, Stranger Things‘ writers have revealed pre-viz for a scene in Stranger Things 5 that features Nancy, Jonathan, and Dustin. They’re screaming a lot in a car… and also appear to possibly be heading into the Upside Down by way of Stranger Things 2 location McCorkle’s farm. Very interesting.

Stranger Things 5 Will Be a Return to Season One and More

The Duffer Brothers teased the tone we can expect from Stranger Things 5. They shared:

Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each… Whereas before, each season was so [distinct]… [Season] 3 is our big summer blockbuster season with big monsters, and [Season] 4 was the psychological horror. Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each. I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit, in sort of the tone of 1.

While having an Eleven-centric final season is a no-brainer, The Duffer Brothers affirm via a Variety interview that Will Byers is going to once again become a big focus in Stranger Things‘ final season. There’s no outright onscreen confirmation that Will is indeed gay (we do get lots of heavy hinting); however, actor Noah Schnapp did reveal his truth via TikTok as well as previously stating that his character is gay. In an interview with Variety, Schnapp affirms his own journey would inform how he portrays Will in the final season.

“I think the way I act in season five, honestly, might be a little different,” Schnapp says. “I will be fully aware of who I am. Knowing all of that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I’m honestly just excited.”

Ross Duffer further adds, “Will really takes center stage again in [season five]. This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality—it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.”

In terms of scale, the episodes are still as epic as Stranger Things 4‘s were. In fact, Stranger Things’ writers had quite a visceral way of describing the upcoming season. Take a look.

Additionally, the script for Stranger Things 5 made Netflix executives cry, according to the creators… And David Harbour refers to it as “very, very moving.” So strap in folks.

Will There Be a Time Jump Between Stranger Things 4 and Stranger Things 5?

If you’re wondering whether we’ll see a major time jump between Stranger Things 4 and Stranger Things 5, it sounds like the answer is no, but the door does remain open.

In an interview recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, David Harbour chatted to the Happy Sad Confused podcast about when Stranger Things 5 will pick up the story. He offered, “…when you watch us on that hill looking at the ash and the smoke and fires—we’re going to start somewhere after that. So you’ve got to imagine the world is a different place.” Of course, somewhere after that could mean more than a little time, but it does feel like the ash is still hanging in the air when the cameras begin to roll.

The Title of Stranger Things 5‘s First Episode

To celebrate Stranger Things Day 2022, Netflix gave us a tease of what we might expect in the final season of the show. Well, a tiny tease, anyway. Netflix released the title of Stranger Thing 5‘s first episode. The episode’s title? “Chapter One: The Crawl.”

Hrm… The doesn’t really clear much up. But for our money, that better mean Eddie Munson’s crawl back to life from his death in the Upside Down. Listen, it could happen. We guess we’ll just have to hang on for now. But we feel sure thousands of theories about this Stranger Things 5 title are already brewing.

Stranger Things 5 Will Be Shorter Than Stranger Things 4

Stranger Things 5 will be shorter than this very, very long season. According to an interview on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the reason for this is pretty simple. “The only reason we don’t expect [Season 5] to be as long is because, this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp-up before our kids really get drawn into the supernatural mystery,” Matt Duffer said. “You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, all while they’re struggling with adapting to high school and so forth … Steve’s trying to find a date. All of that.” 

For now, it looks like the Duffer brothers and other Stranger Things writers are teasing us with an eight-episode Stranger Things 5.

Based on the end of Stranger Things 4, this all makes sense. There’s plenty going on with them immediately in Stranger Things 5, to be honest. And this doesn’t mean we’ll get a shorter finale. The runtime for the very last episode will be movie length and have a Return of the King type of deal with eight endings. Goodness. 

Stranger Things 5 Will Only Be Set in Hawkins 

Stranger Things 4 felt like that song about the dude who’s been everywhere, man. There were so many locations in several states (and even Russia). But the final season will stick to the place where we began this adventure: Hawkins, Indiana. According to Matt Duffer, returning to home base is what it’s all about. “We wanna go back to a lot of the things we did in season one,” Duffer told Entertainment Weekly. “A lot of the original groupings and pairings that we had in season one–there’s something nice about coming full circle.”

This is interesting considering the new faces we’ve added on like Robin and Erica. Where will they fit into these groups in Stranger Things 5? We know the first season was heavy on Mike, Dustin, and Lucas being together while Will was missing. Uh, oh. Does this mean Will will separate from his buddies again? 

One thing we got confirmed: the Duffer Brothers know how Stranger Things will end. And we can only speculate what they have up their sleeves. 

The Work Is Currently on Hold for Stranger Things 5 

In a Collider interview, Ross Duffer confirmed that the writers’ room will be back to work in August 2022. However, things came to a grinding halt in May 2023 with the writers’ strike. The Stranger Things writers room made a post on Twitter affirming that production would stop until a fair deal was reached.

This likely means we won’t get Stranger Things 5 until 2025. And that’s okay. The most important issue is to make sure that actors and writers are being treated fairly.

The Stranger Things Spinoff Will Connect to the Series

That elusive Stranger Things spinoff that only the Duffer Brothers and apparently Finn Wolfhard know about will have “connective tissue” with the series. They will be involved in putting it together but they also want to put the reins in someone else’s hands so they can take a step back. In the aforementioned podcast interview, they admit to wanting to stay involved. But they also say they are looking for “that right person to pass the baton to” so they can do new things. Makes sense considering they have been in Stranger Things land for several years. 

Max Is in a Really, Really Bad Situation 

The Duffers also confirm some really sad news about Max and her fate on Stranger Things. Apparently, she is alive but “brain dead, blind, and all her bones are broken.” So, at least for now, Max is certainly not the same person she was before. It’s not clear how this will play into Stranger Things season five but hopefully, she won’t end up being some vessel for Vecna or anything. We can’t bear to see anything else happen to Max. Save her, please! 

Originally published on July 5, 2022.

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House of the Dragon season two is finally here and the tension is overflowing between the Blacks and the Greens. The first episode shows a remorseful Queen Alicent who realizes she’s set the stage for violence to swallow her family whole. On the other side is (THE RIGHTFUL QUEEN) Rhaenyra, who is mourning the loss of her son Lucerys and only speaks four words in the entire episode: “I want Aemond Targaryen.” I know that’s right, sis. This season is getting into full swing and, if the first season is any indication, House of the Dragon will deliver lots of shocking, gross, brutal, and bloody moments. 

Jump To: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4 // Episode 5

Episode 1 – “A Son for a Son”

Queen Alicent and Criston Cole Are a, Um, Thing Now

In terms of the Game of Thrones universe, this episode was actually rather tame. The first shocking (well, more like gently surprising) moment was the oral sex scene between Alicent and Ser Criston Cole. (We all hate him, right? RIGHT?!) I felt like there were a few hints that they might get together, especially considering how salty he STILL IS over Rhaenyra rejecting his proposal years ago. But there was nothing outright to suggest that their relationship had turned sexual until now. 

It’s even more shocking for poor Helaena to walk in on her mother on top of him after witnessing the brutal murder of her child. 

The Murder of Jaehaerys Targaryen By Blood and Cheese

Speaking of that, the death of Jaehaerys Targaryen has viewers divided but it still certainly registers as a shocking moment. Helaena has to watch her baby boy’s head be slowly sawn off and collected by Blood and Cheese. She then flees the room and alerts Alicent about the death. It’s not the first time a child has died in this universe, of course. But this level of brutality happening to a very small and innocent one is jarring. Daemon has really started some mess!

Episode 2 – “Rhaenyra the Cruel”

The Prince Jaehaerys Street Processional

Otto’s plan to use Jaehaerys’ death to 1) frame Rhaenyra for it and 2) drum up support/sympathy from the kingdom’s subjects was gross. It was incredibly jarring to see his little body (with the head sewn back on) as the carriage made its way through the streets. This only proves that there are people on both sides willing to do anything to win this ongoing battle.

The Hanging of the Ratcatchers

What a terrible time to be a ratcatcher in King’s Landing. Aegon acts out of rage after Blood tells him that his accomplice is a ratcatcher and orders all of them to be hung and displayed in the streets. Cheese is one of them but this move also turns many people in the kingdom away from the royal family.

Ser Criston Cole Becomes Aegon’s Hand

Otto rightfully calls Aegon out about his abhorrent actions. Aegon responds that he will not be seen as weak and dismisses his own grandfather as his Hand. He names Criston Cole, which only gives the latter more power to continue his plan to hurt Rhaenyra in any way possible. We bet Aegon wouldn’t be so thrilled if he knew Criston was sleeping with his mother…

The Twin Duel Between Arryk and Erryk Ends in Tragedy

Ser Criston Cole decides to make himself feel less guilty about his actions by essentially sentencing Arryk to death. He sends him to Dragonstone to slay Rhaenyra, knowing it will not end well no matter what. Arryk and Erryk confront each other in Rhaenyra’s bedchambers. Their fight ends with Arryk killing Erryk before he stabs himself with his sword. What an awful ending, indeed.

Episode 3 – “The Burning Mill”

The Bracken and Blackwood Slaughter

The beginning of episode three shows us tension boiling over between two feuding collectives who have also chosen sides in the Black vs. Green fight. An argument over boundary stones leads to a full on slaughter where everyone dies. Yikes.

Aegon Embarrasses Aemond 

Aegon goes to Aemond’s familiar haunt to make fun of his brother, who is spending time confiding in a sex worker. Aemond doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of considering his encounters with her are consensual (unlike Aegon’s horrific sexual assaults of staff) but his brother certainly makes him feel like a lesser man (and quietly angry) because he has a fondness for this specific woman. Aemond leaves as Aegon offers his squire to the woman. Terrible. 

Daemon’s Vision of Rhaenyra and Jaehaerys 

Daemon is off to his own adventure at Harrenhal. He stays there after “conquering” it but finds it hard to relax. Daemon believes someone is at his door to attack him and he goes out to see a vision of a younger Rhaenyra saying he has to clean up his messes as he comes and goes. He sees her sewing Jaehaerys head back on and watches in horror before coming back to reality… or so he thought. He gets an omen that he will die where he is. Hmmm. 

Rhaenyra Returns to King’s Landing to Confront (a Very Stubborn) Alicent

Rhaenyra makes one last ditch effort to stop the war. With Mysaria’s help, she disguises herself and gets to Alicent. She tells her that war is not necessary and they even get clarity about what Viserys really meant on his deathbed. Still, Alicent says her son being king is not a mistake and she refuses to help correct things in any way. Sigh.

Jump To: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4 // Episode 5

Episode 4 – “The Red Dragon and the Gold”

Corlys Keeps Alyn, His Illegitimate Son, a Secret

Episode 4 takes poor Rhaenys on a wild ride before her shocking death alongside her dragon Meleys. She’s disrespected by Rhaenyra’s council while trying to protect Baela and she also acknowledges that one of the men who works under her husband Corlys is likely his son. Having kids outside of wedlock is certainly nothing new for this world (and ours, tbh). But, out of all the men in House of the Dragon, Corlys seemed to be one of the most morally upstanding ones. Blocking his son from having a higher position and refusing to acknowledge him after Alyn saved his life is nasty work.

Criston Cole’s Violent Tour

Criston Cole continues to push forward with his army, heading to Darklyn to give people a choice: choose Team Green or choose death. Lord have mercy.

Alicent Is Pregnant and Chooses to Use an Abortive Tea

Honestly, this isn’t too shocking. If you keep having hetero sex with someone in a world before birth control options, pregnancy is a possibility. But it is still a shock to see her processing all of this while her sons are acting a fool and her child’s father is outside doing the most.

Aemond Barbequing Aegon and Sunfyre

We all know that Aemond is willing to go for blood. And, after dealing with Aegon’s harassment last episode (and his terrible personality in general), Aemond and Criston Cole team up for a battle plan. When Aegon shows up with Sunfyre against all good advice and engages in a fight with Rhaenys/Meleys, Aemond and Vhagar show up to take action. Aemond times his “Dracarys” at a very convenient moment where his brother is in the crossfire. I’m pretty sure he was trying to kill him alongside Rhaneys.

The Entire Battle at Rook’s Rest

Whew. From Rhaenys’ death to the charred fate for Aegon, this entire battle featured some dragons dancing, which is the real reason why we are here. Love to see it.

Episode 5 – “Regent”

Meleys’ Head Takes a Trip Through Kings Landing 

In the aftermath of Rhaenys’ death, Criston Cole somehow thought it would be a good idea to drag Meleys head through Kings Landing to show how strong the king is. That, in fact, was not a good idea. It only disturbed others and made them question their current leadership versus what they had under Viserys and could have under Rhaenyra. 

King Aegon’s Fried Body 

Aegon looks pretty bad. Alicent watches in horror as the Grand Maester and his men pry Aegon’s steel armor off and reveal the bloody, charred, and broken skin beneath. Of course, Aemond is all ready to rule in his stead, which isn’t shocking at all. 

Daemon’s Weird Oedipal Sex Dream 

Team Black isn’t doing so great either. Daemon continues to lose his mind at Harrenhal with perhaps his most disturbing dream sequence yet. He’s confronted by his mother and they embrace sexually and boy is it weird and stomach-churning. His dream is broken after she takes a dig at him by saying “if only you were born first.” His obvious issues with not being the next ruler fully take over as he starts his own plan to rule as a King. Oh boy. 

Jaecaerys Becomes the Real MVP

Rhaenyra’s kids haven’t been particularly useful until now. Jaecaerys (a.k.a. Jace) flies to the Twins and manages to secure the Freys’ allegiance in exchange for Harrenhal. He does this on his own volition, which upsets Rhaenyra to a degree but also makes her proud. At the end of the episode, she’s upset that she’s unable to make any actual moves because she is the Queen. She’s also not happy that they don’t have dragonriders but Jace comes up with a brilliant idea.

He says there are Targaryen descendants in other Houses that could claim and ride a dragon. In other words, go out and look for the “bastards.” The duo begin to go through genealogical records to see whom they can find. 

We cannot wait to see what other shocking, bloody, and gross moments will happen in House of the Dragon season two.

Jump To: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4 // Episode 5

Originally published June 17, 2024.

The post The Most Brutal, Shocking, and Gross Moments of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

Season two of House of the Dragon marks the beginning of a war between former friends turned bitter enemies Rhaenyra and Alicent. By now, you should have already pledged your allegiance to #TeamBlack (the right choice, obvs) or #TeamGreen (a choice, I guess) and are crossing your fingers to hope your side has the least amount of characters. It is inevitable that there will be quite a few characters who die. That is the way of war, after all, and House of the Dragon goes with death like peanut butter with jelly. So, who dies in House of the Dragon season two? Let’s track all the sad and brutal demises right here. 

Jump to: HOTD Episode 1 Deaths // HOTD Episode 2 Deaths // HOTD Episode 4 Deaths

House of the Dragon Deaths – Episode 1 “A Son for a Son”

Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen Loses His Head to Blood and Cheese 

Jaehaerys, the son of King Aegon and his sister-wife Queen Helaena, was set to be the heir to the throne. The young and innocent boy was spotted in the episode casually playing in the council room before being sent off to his studies. Sadly, this tyke met a brutal ending thanks to some scheming by Daemon that went totally wrong. As we know, Rhaenyra is upset about her son Lucerys death at the end of season one. She only wants one thing: to see Aemond Targaryen pay for what he did.

Daemon takes this personally and hires the duo Blood and Cheese to infiltrate the royal living quarters and kill Aemond. This is obviously where the episode title “Son for a Son” comes from. And it technically happens… just to the wrong son. They locate Jaehaerys and his twin sister along with Helaena and force her to tell them which child is the boy. She does (a little too quickly for my liking) and runs off with her daughter to inform Alicent.

We don’t see a ton of blood and gore. But we hear the awful sawing sound of them taking his head to bring back to Daemon.

House of the Dragon Deaths – Episode 2 “Rhaenyra the Cruel”

Blood and Cheese Die in the Wake of Aegon’s Wrath  

Of course, Blood and Cheese don’t get away with their bumbling crime. Blood is caught leaving King’s Landing and confesses to Larys that his accomplice is a ratcatcher. Aegon, acting out of rage, orders for every ratcatcher to be killed in the kingdom. This includes Cheese but also means a lot of innocent men died, too.

Ser Arryk and His Brother Erryk Have a Sad Fight to the Death

Ser Criston Cole, who was in Alicent’s bed instead of doing his job, pulls an awful move to absolve his own guilt. He orders Ser Arryk to go on an ill-fated mission to kill Rhaenyra at Dragonstone, where his brother Erryk serves by her side. He uses the whole twin bit to get all the way to her chambers, but Erryk is warned of his arrival (presumably by Mysaria). The duo battle and Erryk gets the upper hand, killing his own brother. But, his grief over his actions quickly lead him to die by suicide with his sword. It is a heartbreaking moment that is all Criston’s fault.

House of the Dragon Deaths – Episode 4 “The Red Dragon and the Gold”

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen & Her Dragon Meleys

We didn’t get any major deaths in episode 3 and that’s probably because House of the Dragon was waiting to hurt our souls in episode 4. This episode features the death of Rhaenys Targaryen and her faithful dragon Meleys. During a battle against Criston Cole’s faction at Rook’s Rest, Rhaenys/Meleys went against Aemond and Vhagar as well as Aegon and Sunfyre. At first, it seems they have gotten the upper hand after the duo is leaving following a valiant battle. But Aemond hits Rhaenys with the sneak attack and Meleys is critically injured. Realizing her fate, she lets go of her dragon and they both fall to a fiery death.

Aegon Targaryen Is Alive But Could Be Dead Soon in House of the Dragon

Our resident idiot king Aegon Targaryen rode into the Rook’s Rest battle against wise recommendations in episode four. Meleys/Rhaenys made quick work of Sunfyre, but Aemond’s (probably intentional) command to Vhagar is what caused the fire that send his brother spiraling to the ground. His very fiery crash at the hands of his own brother seemed like a certain death, but it wasn’t clear at the end of the episode.

Episode five reveals that Aegon is still alive, but certainly not well. He is covered in nasty burns and riddled with broken bones. Now, Aemond is Regent after the council pushed Alicent aside and this will continue until Aegon either gets better or dies. There is a small chance he could make it, as indicated at the end of the episode when he comes to some level of consciousness and calls out to his mother. For now, Aemond is relishing in his new power but he may have to deal with his brother soon.

There will be more bloodshed and deaths to come in House of the Dragon season two.

Originally published June 17, 2024.

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Judgement Day is coming for us next month. No, I don’t mean the literal end of the world, although things have been looking real apocalypse-ish for a minute now. I mean the arrival of Netflix’s Terminator Zero, an animated series that brings the infamous world that Arnold Schwarzenegger made famous back in the 1980s. The first teaser trailer for Terminator Zero takes us to an alternate 2022 as a scientist tries to change the fate of humanity. 

The animation looks so, so good in this clip, so big kudos to Production IG and Skydance Television. It captures the essence of this world so well but somehow makes it even scarier. Here’s a quick synopsis of Terminator Zero to accompany its trailer: 

2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.

Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.

Terminator Zero has an all-star voice cast, including Sonoya Mizuno as the voice of “Eiko,” the resistance fighter sent back in time to stop Skynet’s impending attack on humanity, Timothy Olyphant as Terminator, André Holland as Malcolm Lee, Rosario Dawson as Koroko, and Ann Dowd as The Prophet.

What Is the Release Date for Netflix’s Terminator Zero?

Terminator Zero will drop all eight of its episodes when it premieres on Netflix on August 29.

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Actress Shelley Duvall, famously known for her intense performance as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, has died at the age of 75. Her beloved partner Dan Gilroy confirmed the news to Variety in a brief statement. “My dear, sweet, wonderful life, partner, and friend left us last night,” said Gilroy. “Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away beautiful Shelley.” 

A Texas native, Duvall’s effervescent personality caught the attention of director Robert Altman in the early 1970s. She came out swinging with a beguiling performance as Suzanne Davis in the dark comedy Brewster McCloud (1970). Shelley made a string of appearances in Altman’s films, including Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), and 3 Women (1977). The latter garnered Duvall a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The doe-eyed thespian with an enigmatic smile and svelte frame made the perfect choice for her (criminally underrated) role as Olive Oyl in Atlman’s Popeye movie alongside Robin Williams. But it is her turn in The Shining (1980), complete with all its behind-the-scenes controversy, that often causes conversations about respect, compassion, and the unfair treatment of women in the workforce and society at large—all still painfully relevant over 40 years after this film’s release.

Some wish to reimagine Shelley’s post-Shining career as one that waned into despair, but reality begs to differ. She was the narrator, host, and executive producer of Faerie Tale Theater (1982), a children’s program and also starred in the Steve Martin-led comedy Roxanne (1987). She had an affinity for developing and producing children’s content, perhaps a reflection of her vibrant spirit and forever youthful gaze. 

Duvall appeared in a variety of roles throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Boltneck (2000), and the (very good) Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997). After moving back to Texas, she took a 20-year hiatus from acting and public life, only making occasional appearances. Her outspokenness about her experiences in Hollywood—both happy and heartbreaking—and pride in her career were constant and candid, even at times when Duvall seemed exceptionally vulnerable. 

What stands above any controversy and speculation is Shelley Duvall’s undeniable talent. She could exude palpable fear, childlike joy, captivating eccentricism, knife-sharp wit, and teary-eyed heartbreak on command because she, simply put, had the “It factor” that many actresses only dream of possessing. Her work is a treasure trove for cinephiles to discover as her spirit flies with the wind. Rest easy, Ms. Shelley Duvall.

The post THE SHINING Actress Shelley Duvall Has Died at 75 appeared first on Nerdist.

The penultimate episode of The Boys season four packs a lot of punches, literally and metaphorically. MM makes the tough choice to stay behind and stick with the Boys instead of living his dream of normalcy with Janine and Monique. Starlight is locked up at an undisclosed location after the shape-shifting supe stole her entire face (and slept with her man). And Ryan is finally standing up to Vought and Homelander to honor his mom’s legacy. But the most important thing that went down in this episode was the big battle at the Boys’ Flatiron headquarters. This fight was a game-changer that sparked a crumble among the Seven and made the Boys stronger (well, sort of). Nothing about it is holly nor jolly despite the Christmas decorations everywhere.

Butcher, Annie, and Hughie go on a mission where they discover the full details of the Bob Singer assassination plan. They run into a shape-shifting supe who gains the upper hand on them, wounds Hughie, and escapes. Butcher and Annie return back to the Boys’ homebase while Hughie goes off to try to reason with Victoria Neuman one last time.

A-Train Reveals That He’s the Leak to the Deep and Black Noir

Upon their return, the Deep and Black Noir are inside their headquarters and intent on killing them as Homelander instructed. The fight starts out quite rough for Butcher, who is sickly, and Annie, who still doesn’t have her powers back. But A-Train shows up and decides to reveal himself as the Vought leak. It’s a bold move for A-Train to make even if he thinks his secret will come out soon.

A-Train and MM help subdue Black Noir and the Deep; however, they don’t kill either one of them because they aren’t quite sure how (especially in Noir’s case). A-Train knows the duo will inform Homelander of his deceit, so he goes to Ashley and accepts her previous offer for them to run away from it all. She declines out of fear but tells him to remove his tracking chip. 

Homelander Fires Sage After Discovering that A-Train Betrayed Him

Homelander is legitimately crying and devastated that A-Train would betray him. By this time, A-Train and his entire family are nowhere to be found. As Firecracker tries to comfort him, Sage enters the room and Homelander is angry that she somehow missed this information. She finally admits that she knew it was A-Train all along. Sage said it wasn’t a bad thing because he told the Boys exactly what she wanted him to tell them. Sage says they can still stick to her plan but Homelander immediately fires her. She leaves Vought Tower immediately, but not before a humorous reveal that she was playing (and sleeping with) the Deep and Black Noir. With the Deep and Black Noir beaten and bruised, Homelander heartbroken, and Sage and A-Train gone, the Seven is looking very weak. So much for that diversity initiative and A-Train’s ridiculous biopic, right?

Meanwhile, the Boys are more of a mixed bag. MM is back to being the crew’s moral compass and Butcher is actually leading like he should be, until he passes out at a bar from sickness. Frenchie and Kimiko are learning to forgive themselves and heal their friendship. Hughie is, well, doing the best he can, which isn’t great considering he is clueless about a shapeshifter imitating Annie. The crew is moving forward with stopping the assassination. Oh, and perhaps they will get the supe-killing virus to actually take out Homelander and/or Victoria Neuman. The finale is going to be a wild one, for sure. 

Will A-Train and/or Sister Sage Return in The Boys?

That remains to be seen. The Boys could use A-Train’s powers and help in this final fight but he’s a walking target at this point. It is not impossible that he could pull a Queen Maeve and leave to live a normal life with his family. But it is more likely that he will have to face Homelander and the potentially deadly consequences for his betrayal. 

Sister Sage felt like she found purpose and power through her association with the Seven. Now, she’s angry and heartbroken but she is also someone carrying a lot of rage and resentment in her bones. Yet another white man has betrayed her and this time she probably won’t let it slide. Sage played such a critical role in this season that it would be odd to have her leave and never return. We will see what happens in The Boys finale after this epic fight.

The post THE BOYS’ Big Fight Changes the Future of the Seven Forever appeared first on Nerdist.

The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy are now HBO Originals. According to Deadline, the shows are joining the upcoming Harry Potter series (eww), the DC series Lanterns, and Welcome to Derry to become HBO originals. The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy will still stream on Max, of course, but are also going to be available on HBO.

This strategy captures the prestige of the HBO name and the numbers from a premium cable network while also getting streaming service clicks as well. Good for HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery, we suppose. We are just ready to see HBO Originals The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy, Lanterns, and Welcome to Derry give us all the good nerd feels as they come out over the next couple of years. 

First up is The Penguin, which releases September 8. Dune: Prophecy is coming sometime in Fall 2024, too. We will have to wait until 2025 to see the IT prequel Welcome to Derry on our screens. There’s currently no word on Lanterns yet, which is in development.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

The post THE PENGUIN and DUNE: PROPHECY Are Now HBO Originals, Will Still Stream on Max appeared first on Nerdist.

Funko’s new premium collectible line, aptly named Project Fred after the company’s mascot Freddy, is bringing fans pop culture icons in figure form. The latest edition shows Freddy Funko as two very famous stone age buddies to honor Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles. That’s right, Freddy is all dressed up as Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble to give you all that Saturday morning cartoons and cereal nostalgia. And, there’s a chance for fans to score one in a raffle! (More on that in a bit.) 

Here’s a detailed description of the Funko cereal figures: 

This edition of Project Fred features Freddy Funko personifying Fred Flintstone with Fruity Pebbles™.
This 11-inch-tall collectible is a substantial and sophisticated addition to a premium collector’s display.
There’s a 1 in 10 chance you’ll find the chase version of Barney Rubble with Cocoa Pebbles™. Only 750
of this hard vinyl collectible were made and verified with a certificate of authenticity, which makes its
addition to your set a cherished specialty. Now it’s your chance to bring together your collection with the Fruity Pebbles edition of Project Fred figure.

The Pebbles cereal brand was the first to be created around an already existing media character, Pebbles from The Flintstones. Whether you’re a collector of classic Ad Icon designs or a curator of more modern materials, Project Fred is the perfect piece to pair with your set. It’s a great piece for a breakfast-themed set or as a statement piece to stand alongside retro boxes and advertising materials. Collect a piece of true Americana with the Fruity Pebbles edition of Project Fred hard vinyl figure.

These Funko Fruity Pebbles figures, which retail for $295, will only be available through this launch and will not get a re-release in the future. So, if you want ’em, make sure you get into the raffle. It will open on July 11 at 9:30AM PT and end on July 14 at 11:59PM PT at this handy link. Make these modern stone-age figures yours soon!

The post Funko’s Project Fred Brings Fruity Pebbles Fun to Collectible Figure Form appeared first on Nerdist.

“The Church on Ruby Road” gave us a really cute Christmas special starring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday. We met Ruby’s delightful family, including her loving adoptive mum Carla and her witty gran Cherry. Her neighborhood is also delightful, including her neighbor Mrs. Flood, played by Anita Dobson. The special teases an ongoing mystery about Ruby’s biological family but something strange is also going on with Mrs. Flood, too. She breaks the fourth wall at the end of the Christmas special as well as the season finale and it makes us all wonder what’s going on with her.

We may discover something wild about her in season two (more on that later) but we probably won’t get an explanation for why she’s breaking the fourth wall. As RadioTimes reports, Russell T Davies spoke with SFX and said that Mrs. Flood breaking the fourth wall does have a reason but he may decide to keep it under wraps. “That hasn’t been explained, and it might never be, frankly,” said Davies. “It’s very interesting, within the Doctor Who offices, we know exactly why that happens and yet I’m showing no sign of putting that on screen.” He said an early draft of “The Star Beast” explained why, but he doesn’t feel the need to explain it at this point. Well, that sure is something…

Who is Mrs. Flood in Doctor Who? Let’s dig into how she appears throughout season one.

Near the beginning of the Christmas episode, Ruby Sunday comes home with two handfuls of groceries. We watch her neighbor Mrs. Flood argue with Abdul, another neighbor, about a large object that she’s sure he put on the sidewalk. That object is none other than the TARDIS. Abdul insists he knows nothing about this blue box. Ruby comes up and Mrs. Flood, who calls her Rubes, complains to her as Ruby looks at the box with lots of curiosity. She asks Mrs. Flood what it is and her neighbor says it is a police box. She admits she hasn’t seen one on the streets of London in around 50 years… and doesn’t want to see one now. 

Later in the episode, Mrs. Flood is walking home when she witnesses the TARDIS dematerializing. Of course, she’s in shock and drops her shopping bags. After the Doctor returns from saving baby Ruby in the past, he parks the TARDIS on the other side of the street. Mrs. Flood is rather chipper and waves hello to him. When he comes back out, they have a short conversation, including Mrs. Flood asking who he is. Predictably, the Fifteenth Doctor just says he’s passing through and she tells him to take care. At the end, Ruby comes out to inquire about the Doctor and Mrs. Flood points her to the TARDIS. Strangely, she calls her Ruby and wishes her good luck. Mrs. Flood is even nice to Abdul, who is shocked to see the TARDIS disappear. She then turns directly to the camera and says “Never seen a TARDIS before?”

Further along in the season, we see Mrs. Flood in “73 Yards.” Ruby returns home after the Doctor’s disappearance and devises a plan with her mom to figure out who the mysterious lady is and why she’s following Ruby around. Mrs. Flood comes out of the house, asking Ruby if she’s “having a good time” and questioning why she’s standing in the street talking to her mom on the phone. She says “nothing to do with me” and then scurries away. Again, she doesn’t seem to be perturbed by anything weird going on around her.

Her last appearances in the final two episodes are even stranger. Mrs. Flood volunteers to look after Ruby’s grandmum while Carla goes with her to UNIT to figure out more about Ruby’s birth mom. While there, she’s quirky until everyone leaves. Then, she goes dark, saying that she will not be getting Ruby’s grandmum a cup of tea. She tells Mrs. Sunday that she’d be very careful because there’s a storm coming in. She breaks the fourth wall again and says “he waits no more,” which we now know is Sutekh.

As they disintegrate, Mrs. Flood says that she has been hiding away and had “plans.” What kind of plans?!

Does Mrs. Flood Have a Connection to Clara Oswald or Others Like the Rani in Doctor Who?

When Fifteen saves everyone, she calls him a “clever boy,” which is a phrase that fans recognize from back when Clara Oswald was his companion. She called him a clever boy and that’s interesting considering Mrs. Flood’s wardrobe with sweaters and collared shirts looks a lot like what Clara would wear. Quite a few fans are picking up on this.

What Is Going on with Mrs. Flood in Doctor Who?

In the very final scene of the finale, she turns into a narrator of sorts, saying Ruby was having a happy ending but the Doctor’s end would be full of absolute terror. She’s wearing a white fur jacket with a hood and gives us a menacing “night night” before the episode ends. This outfit looks a lot like what Romana, a Fourth Doctor companion who was a Time Lady, wore before. Mrs. Flood hints that she’s been hiding herself away. Is she the Rani (an anagram of “rain,” which can cause a flood)? She’s been hinting at hiding herself away and the Rani, a renegade Time Lady and nemesis of the Doctor, hasn’t been seen in a long time.

So, what’s up with this lady? Is Mrs. Flood is a villain? Maybe. She could be yet another god that this Doctor must face. And that would make Ruby’s story all the more interesting considering a great threat lived next door to her. Who knows what Russell T Davies has in store.

Will Mrs. Flood Return to Doctor Who?

Either way, it seems we will get more Mrs. Flood in the future. Dobson recently told Radio Times that answers about Mrs. Flood would come in Doctor Who season two. “In fact, this particular series, season 2, which we’re [filming] at the moment, you do actually find out quite a lot about her,” she said. “That’ll be interesting, to see what people think.”

Let’s see what next season brings us.

Originally published December 25, 2023.

The post Who Is Mrs. Flood in DOCTOR WHO? Ruby’s Mysterious Neighbor Raises Eyebrows appeared first on Nerdist.

The Devil Wears Prada is a certified classic that I simply must watch every time it is on TV. Everything from Andy’s transformation into a fashion IT girl to Miranda’s absolutely scathing lines are iconic. Now, nearly 20 years later, there’s a very good chance that we will get a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada with the original stars, director, and producer all returning. According to Entertainment Weekly, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci are in talks to return for a new The Devil Wears Prada movie alongside director David Frankel. If we get Anne back as Andy and the Queen of Genovia, we will be winning.

In addition to producer Wendy Finerman possibly coming on board, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna could pen the script. The Devil Wears Prada sequel is apparently in development at Disney. For now, Disney is not confirming nor denying anything, so we will have to wait and see what actually happens. In the meantime, we can always head over to Max and enjoy the existing film.

The post THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Sequel Reportedly in Development With Original Cast in Talks to Return appeared first on Nerdist.

Last year, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri hinted that Shrek 5 could be coming our way with its original voice actors reprising their roles. Now, according to Variety, we know that Shrek 5 is officially happening with Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz returning as Donkey, Shrek, and Fiona, respectively. And there’s even a release date for Shrek 5, which is July 1, 2026. The film is in its early stages of development and, as Murphy previously said, a Donkey spinoff will happen sometime soon. 

Dreamworks Animation released a short announcement teaser to get fans excited about the upcoming sequel. We love the use of Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” which was prominently featured in the original Shrek film in 2001.

The beloved animated franchise released its last film way back in 2010. For many years, fans thought it was the end of the story. But there’s apparently more jokes to be told in the fairy-tale land of Duloc.

What Is the Release Date for Shrek 5?

Again, this film will hit theaters on July 1, 2026, which is not too far, far way.

The post SHREK 5 Is Coming in 2026 With Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz Returning appeared first on Nerdist.

Radio Silence’s horror comedy Abigail—a bloody, funny, and oft-strange ode to vampire stories—is easily one of the best films of 2024. Starring Scream VI’s Melissa Barrera, the film expertly brings together two starkly different premises that somehow works. It is a heist movie involving an eclectic criminal collective kidnapping a wealthy man’s ballet-loving daughter. And it’s also a campy vampire flick because that daughter is a bloodthirsty creature who aims to kill her captors. After a successful theater run, Abigail is currently available to own with all-new exclusive content on digital, Blu-ray™, and DVD. 

Of course, purchasers will experience the joy of a dancing girl obliterating shady people in a creepy mansion. (In case you’re curious, Radio Silence gave us all the details about finding this film’s location.) But there’s also a plethora of bonus content, including commentary from the film’s creators and stars. Check out this exclusive clip of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett along with actor Dan Stevens talking about how the film uses vampire tropes in its main storyline. 

Here’s all the other exclusive bonus features that fan will get if they purchase Abigail on digital, Blu-ray™, or DVD:

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Blood Bath – Soak up the slaughter alongside the cast and crew with this dive into the deep end of Abigail’s body pits, where practical FX reign supreme and there’s no such thing as too much blood.
• Hunters to Hunted – Get up close and personal with Abigail’s abductors as the cast divulges the details behind how they got into character to collectively create a unique crew of criminals.
• Becoming a Ballerina Vampire – Abigail actor Alisha Weir, choreographer Belinda Murphy, and more members of the creative team take up the task of transforming a seemingly sweet little girl into a vicious vampire.
• Directing Duo Matt & Tyler – Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett lead this look at the actors, ideas, and environment they put together to create a set that’s fun while still being fearsome.
• Feature Commentary with Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and Editor Michael P. Shawyer

Abigail is now available on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital from Universal.

The post This Exclusive ABIGAIL Commentary Clip Takes Us Into Its Love for Vampire Tropes appeared first on Nerdist.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat…”

Well, not really. Thankfully you aren’t one of the unfortunate people in the pathway of a human-devouring shark in the Jaws universe. That classic line from the 1975 thriller film sparked an entire franchise with several movies and even a theme park ride. Now, you can recreate the terror of a lurking shark with the LEGO Jaws set, available on August 9. 

Here’s a product description for this LEGO Ideas Jaws build come to life: 

Relive dramatic moments from a beloved movie with the LEGO® Ideas Jaws diorama kit for adults (21350). A fun shark gift for Jaws fans, classic film lovers or movie memorabilia collectors, the set features the Orca LEGO boat model, which has a detailed cabin with a removable roof, an adjustable boom and rigging, plus lots of iconic accessories. It can be placed on a brick-built seawater base with the Jaws LEGO shark model attacking the boat. Attach a printed tile with Chief Brody’s famous line (“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”) to the base to complete a nostalgic and playful centerpiece.

This collectible Jaws LEGO diorama set also includes 3 iconic characters – Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper and Sam Quint – plus an alternative display stand where the fully built Jaws shark figure can be displayed with the minifigures.

Check out a few more of the set’s images here:

Click To View Gallery

The 1,497-piece set is over 14 in. tall, 23 in. long and 7.5 in. wide, so you probably won’t need a bigger table to make this happen.

The post This LEGO Jaws Set Honors the Film’s Most Iconic Line appeared first on Nerdist.

It is truly the final countdown for the Hargreeves siblings. The superpowered crew has been trying to save the world for three seasons now, with their last attempt taking them into yet another rebuilt timeline. Allison has the family that she desperately wanted, thanks to her shady deal with Reginald. And all of the siblings are left without their powers to presumably try to live normal lives. Of course, we knew that this wouldn’t last long after Netflix renewed the series for a fourth and final season. The trailer for The Umbrella Academy season four is here and, once again, the Hargreeves are powered up and trying to stop yet another apocalypse. 

In the clip, Viktor reaches out to Ben to inform him that he will end the world in about 48 hours. (A new version of Reginald affirms that it is closer to 24 hours, actually.) From there, the adventures begin with the whole crew getting back together. Yes, that includes a very annoyed Allison. We meet Nick Offerman and Megan Mullaly’s Gene and Jean Thibedeau, who insist to a small crowd that the world they live in is a lie. Gene says “that tentacled boy” is the key to understanding all the timelines.

Number Five insists that they have to fix things. And, well, it seems they have some new tools to do it. After Reginald does some sort of possible shock therapy (or general torture) to them, we see some new talents among the sibling collective. Alison’s eyes glow and she can throw people with her mind. Lila, whose power is mimicking others’ powers, boasts the power of laser eyes. Interesting…

Here’s a quick synopsis of The Umbrella Academy to bring the trailer into further focus: 

The Hargreeves siblings have scattered after the climactic showdown at the Hotel Oblivion led to a complete reset of their timeline. Stripped of their powers, each is left to fend for themselves and find a new normal — with wildly varying degrees of success. Yet the trappings of their uncanny new world prove too hard to ignore for very long. Their father Reginald, alive and well, has stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye, overseeing a powerful and nefarious business empire. A mysterious association known as The Keepers holds clandestine meetings believing the reality they’re living in is a lie and a great reckoning is coming. As these strange new forces conspire around them, the Umbrella Academy must come together one last time — and risk upsetting the shaky peace they’ve all endured so much to secure — to finally set things right.

What Is the Release Date for The Umbrella Academy? 

The Umbrella Academy will drop all of its episodes on August 8.

The post THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Season 4 Trailer Delivers New Powers for a Race Against Time appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys is wrapping up its wild saga in season five. That series finale will probably be a couple of years from now, but we are already wondering how everything will end. Who will survive it all? Will Homelander die? Can the Boys finally take down Vought and evil supes for good? We don’t know the answers to that but we do know that this universe will continue to expand. Showrunner Eric Kripke said there are more spinoffs on the way as well as future seasons of Gen V. The show’s social media pages seem to be dropping a few very early hints about what we could see but there are quite a few fun ideas to play with.

Here are all The Boys spinoffs that we’d like to see after the series ends:  

A Teenage Homelander Prequel Spinoff Series 

We have written about this before but a Homelander prequel series seems to be in the cards. The Boys‘ social pages have released several clips of a younger Homelander during his time in an exploitative laboratory. However, the best Homelander prequel would take place during his teenage years after he left the lab to presumably head to Vought Tower. How did a lonely and abused supe become the charismatic and psychotic leader of the Seven? A prequel series could explore this time in his life and give us a glimpse into the very early days of the Seven collective. 

Joe Kessler and Billy Butcher’s Big War Adventures

Yes, we know that Joe Kessler is dead. But he is from a very specific and obviously impactful time in Butcher’s not-too-distant past. A miniseries spinoff about their time working together would be fun to watch. Karl Urban and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s chemistry is off-the-charts. And who doesn’t want to know more about why Butcher is the way he is? 

A Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs Drama Spinoff in The Boys Universe

The Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs (FBSA) has been around since season two, yet it feels like we don’t know much about this organization. We’ve gotten some inner glimpses, thanks to Victoria Neuman and Hughie Campbell, but a collective that exists to deal with wayward supes and contracts the Boys deserves its own show. If the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs gets its own The Boys spinoff, perhaps we can see it getting rebuilt and possibly led by Hughie or someone else we know. Or, The Boys season five could introduce us to a new character and provide a backdoor pilot for the organization. This universe loves parodies so perhaps it could take its format from Law & Order or NCIS with an even darker twist.

A 1970s Vought Spinoff Led by the Legend, Frederick Vought, and Soldier Boy

This spinoff idea would not surprise anyone. Vought’s history spans decades with lots of diabolical history that none of us know about. Perhaps a prequel series can go back to the ‘70s when The Legend was its VP and the founder, Frederick Vought, acted as CEO. This is around the time when Soldier Boy led the Payback collective on a series of covert missions for the company and the U.S. government. The Boys gave us a small glimpse into this era but a series would really let Jensen Ackles shine as a leading character with a potty mouth. It is a Vought and Payback prequel all wrapped up in one neat package. If they do this, get Jared Padalecki on the phone to reunite with his Supernatural brother. We’d take this over a season five cameo or minor role in The Boys, tbh.

Exploring the Red River Institute in a Spinoff Led by Madelyn Stillwell’s Son Teddy

The Red River Institute is mostly in the background of The Boys and Gen V with characters like Marie Moreau and Victoria Neuman living there as kids. A spinoff series about this supe kid orphanage and what happens to those who lives there could be yet another interesting way to explore young supes in this universe. And we know the perfect supe to lead a future series at Red River Institute. When Homelander killed former Vought CEO Madelyn Stillwell, her supe son Teddy—who is but a toddler—was sent to Red River Institute.

We even saw him when Hughie visited to learn more about Victoria Neuman back in season three. He teleported Hughie around to mess with his head for a bit. Depending on the events of The Boys season five, this series could easily go into the future with a teenaged Teddy who is determined to use his powers to take down evil supes. Maybe he learns the truth about his mother’s death and he’s dead set on revenge…

Vought’s Crisis Management Team Takes the Sitcom Spinoff Route

Another Vought spinoff idea would be to focus on one of its specialty departments. The most interesting one is probably Vought’s Crisis Management Team, which deals with cleaning up the near-constant controversies of the company. We get some peeks and allusions to this department but we don’t know a lot about it. A sitcom-style spinoff in the vein of The Office would be a hilarious way to follow what Vought’s employees go through on a day-to-day basis. 

A Supe Anthology Series, From Small Towns to Other Major Cities

There are plenty of other supe collectives across America. Who are the big supes in a city like Miami? Are they morally just or downright evil? Taking this universe’s action to completely different cities or small towns and causing a stir could make for a fun anthology series. 

Kimiko’s Shining Light Liberation Army Days

We keep getting more pieces to the puzzle of Kimiko’s complicated and painful past. There are many things that she doesn’t fully remember and would maybe like to forget. But a spinoff about her journey from being in the Shining Light Liberation Army to her arrival in the USA would be compelling. Again, a miniseries format would be the way to go to tell this story.

The Suped-Up Teenage Kix

Sister Sage and A-Train share a terse past after being in Teenage Kix, a teen supe collective similar to Young Justice. We don’t know if either of the will survive The Boys, but it would be fun to go back in time to the late ’90s and early 2000s to learn more about them. There’s some interesting comic material to draw inspiration from for this spinoff series, which the flagship show does with absolute brilliance.

The post All THE BOYS Spinoffs We’d Love to See After the Series Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

The Walking Dead is over but, as we know, the end of the flagship series that’s been in fans’ hearts for over a decade doesn’t mean this world is done. The show already has six spinoff series: Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Most of them are completed; however, there’s a couple that are continuing this franchise with more seasons.

While The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live gave Rick and Michonne Grimes a happy reunion with their kids, other major characters’ new adventures are just beginning. Daryl Dixon is coming back for a second and third season of his spinoff series. And, if Norman Reedus has anything to do with it, he will be playing the character for many years to come.

“The Daryl Dixon spin-off has given me an opportunity to take the show in a direction that’s different to the original show,” Reedus told IGN. “I didn’t want to make the same show again in a different location. I wanted to reinvent it. And they let me, with the other like-minded people involved, invent something new. So it feels fresh to me. It’s in a different language. It’s shot a different way. It’s not really about zombies, and who’s going to get bit this week, it’s completely different. So as long as I keep reinventing it, it’s fun.”

Jump To: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol // The Walking Dead: Dead City S2 // TWD Crossover Event

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season Two – “The Book of Carol” Is Coming in September

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is gearing up for season two and already has a confirmed season three. But it seems the series might get a fourth round, according to Norman Reedus during a RadioTimes interview. “We’re about to start seasons 3 and possibly 4 in Spain,” he said. “I think I’m allowed to say that. I don’t know. I just said it. But I think we’re going to Spain, to Madrid, for that.”

Season two will release on September 29 with the first of six episodes. It is time to see what Carol will do.

Here are some fresh new images to get you ready for Caryl action:

You can check out The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s season two teaser below.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner David Zabel gave fans more insight into season two. He reveals that the Nest is a prominent location in season two and Carol’s previous comment about some mystery person coming back will come into play. “There’s also another clue… this moment in the radio call in episode 5 where she talks about something or someone having come back,” said Zabel. “And the impression we get, and Daryl also gets, is that something’s a little off for her, something’s wrong. And so that’s going to also function into the story for Carol in season 2.”

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season Two Will Arrive in 2025

While this universe is trucking along with Daryl’s adventures, things are slower for Dead City. We’ve known that a second season was coming for a while but didn’t know the release window until now. We will get season two in 2025. Season 1 ended with Maggie trading Negan to get her son Herschel back. Now, Negan is working for The Dama, a dangerous leader in NYC. This next chapter will presumably focus on her organization and Negan’s attempts to escape… if he even wants to do that. Negan no longer has his family and really has no friends either, so he might as well crank up the evil again, right? As long as he stays far away from the Grimes family, I truly don’t care what he does.

Here’s a synopsis for Dead City‘s second season:

In season two, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

Anywho, season two will bring new faces into the mix. Deadline reports that Sons of Anarchy alum Kim Coates will join Dead City‘s cast as Bruegel, the leader of a fierce NYC gang.

The Walking Dead‘s Potential Spinoff Crossover Event and The Ones Who Live‘s Future

As fans know, Rick Grimes was supposed to get three movies, but now it is the limited series alongside Michonne. The Ones Who Live is meant to wrap up their storylines; however, Gimple says there might be more story to tell. “Anything is possible…,” he said to Deadline. “We’re focused on this one right now. But this one came together in a really amazing way, where there were all sorts of plans. And then the world changed and we altered those plans.”

We obviously know now (and honestly always knew) that Rick did not die in his spinoff. He got to reunite with Judith and meet Rick, Jr., but there are so many reunions that need to happen. Morgan is out there looking for Rick, Daryl will eventually return to the US, and there’s the rest of his found family back home. All signs seem to be pointing to a crossover event, which Gimple wants to happen.

“I do have dreams of merging this all together, and I have laid little breadcrumbs toward that, but you never know exactly when and how [it will come together], because of a variety of reasons,” he told TVLine. As long as The Walking Dead franchise is getting money and attention from fans, it will surely keep making more spinoff content. That’s fine with us but please, please don’t follow the comics and kill Rick Grimes if you bring him back in the future.

With Norman Reedus wanting to play Daryl Dixon for several more years, it wouldn’t be shocking if he crossed into some future spinoff series. I wouldn’t mind a Daryl and Connie miniseries. Perhaps he will somehow come across Maggie and/or Negan in their show. Or, maybe he will be the gateway to introduce us to a new character to follow. A crossover event would likely put him front and center as one of this universe’s leading men.

A lot is happening in The Walking Dead universe and there will surely be more details about other spinoffs if they happen. There’s plenty left to explore in the land of the dead, so let’s keep walking right towards these spinoffs.

Jump To: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol // The Walking Dead: Dead City S2 // TWD Crossover Event

Originally published on April 7, 2022.

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The world of The Boys and Gen V never fails to leave us with questions that need answers. Until recently, one of the biggest mysteries leading into The Boys season four was about Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s mysterious new character. A lot of fans, myself included, assumed that Morgan would portray Tek Knight, a character from The Boys comics. We discovered that wasn’t the case when Gen V actually introduced Tek Knight, played by Derek Wilson, in its fourth episode. But who is Tek Knight and what role does he play in The Boys’ universe? Let’s get into his history, powers, and much more.

The History of Tek Knight in The Boys Comics and TV Show, Explained

As we all know, The Boys characters are (mostly) evil parodies of Marvel and DC Comics icons. Tek Knight a.k.a. Robert Vernon is no different as a mashup of Iron Man and Batman. In the comics, he is a founding member of the Payback collective despite having no clear superpowers. Instead, technology and intelligence are his powers; however, he uses them for nefarious reasons. Tek Knight is rather homophobic and engages in bizarre sexual behaviors, some in reality and others during moments of imagined psychosis. But compared to other villains he was mostly harmless, at least in the eyes of The Boys. Tek Knight’s behavior is explained due to a tumor in his brain. Eventually, a psychotic episode leads to his death. He thinks he’s saved Earth by having sex with a meteor but a falling wheelbarrow actually hits and kills him. [Editor’s note: A whole lot to unpack there.]

The Boys TV show mentioned Tek Knight a few times throughout its first three seasons. There’s a movie called Tek Knight Lives and that he’s made some tech in the universe. And Tek Knight was apparently a part of a hostage situation that left a woman paralyzed, as evidenced by a newspaper clipping in MM’s closet. So he’s certainly been in the ether for a while before his Gen V appearance (more on that below).

Following Gen V, Tek Knight made a brief appearance in The Boys season four’s fifth episode during a Vought event where he revealed his new movie, hilariously titled The Tek Knight. He had a much larger role in following episode, which took poor Hughie to the Tek Cave. A lot of strange sex things went down but, more importantly, the crew discovered that Tek Knight was working with Homelander and Sister Sage to use his prisons as internment camps for non-supes. In the end, Tek Knight’s butler Elijah kills him after discovering the truth, allowing Hughie, Annie, and Kimiko to escape his lair.

Tek Knight’s Motivations, Powers, and Place in the Gen V Spinoff 

Gen V’s fourth episode is very, very Tek Knight heavy. We meet him through a Vought+ commercial for his crime investigation series The Whole Truth. Tek Knight is a famous Godolkin University alumni who is back on campus to dig into Golden Boy’s death. His presence is unsettling for many, especially Dean Shetty. She’s very busy trying to keep the truth about the woods, Golden Boy, and Sam’s escape under wraps. Dean Shetty reveals that many of Tek Knight’s interview subjects end up dead or badly beaten after crossing his path.

Unlike the comics, Tek Knight does have some level of special powers. He’s able to sense that Dean Shetty has adrenaline coming from her pores and is apparently ovulating. Tek Knight later uses his powers to break down Andre after smelling Maddie’s, erm, hole on his breath. He later agitates Marie, calling her a liar when her pupils dilate during an impromptu class interrogation. Thankfully, Andre calls him out for being a hack and a “small man playing f**king hero” because he’s never been one. Still, Tek Knight is so unnerving that Marie ends up admitting the truth. She tells the room about what happened with Golden Boy, finally giving Jordan their due credit.

Tek Knight is willing to do anything to continue to increase his celebrity and popularity, including fabricating wild lies as the truth. He tells Dean Shetty that knows the complete truth and tries to blackmail her into taking the fall for Golden Boy’s death. Mr. Knight says he will go to Vought about Sam’s escape but he underestimates the power of a human dean with a lot to lose. 

Dean Shetty gets the last laugh with some dirt on Tek Knight. Like the comics, Tek Knight has a fatal brain tumor that causes him to do sexual things with pretty much any object that has a hole. She shows him video evidence of his odd trysts and threatens to leak them online if he doesn’t get out of God U’s business. Tek Knight flips his story, saying Golden Boy’s death is nothing more than an unfortunate tragedy. He goes about his business but not without having a couple intimate moments with a tree and a bathroom hand dryer. Thank you, sir, for your contributions to our post about Gen V‘s gross and shocking moments.

Unless there is a flashback, we will not see Tek Knight anymore. And we are kind of okay with that.

Originally published October 6, 2023.

The post Who Is Tek Knight? His Comic and TV History in THE BOYS and GEN V’s Universe, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys continues to show us the dangers of Compound V and Compound V24 in its fourth season. Hughie’s desperate attempt to save his ailing father ended in disaster in episode five. And, throughout the season, Butcher kept physically spiraling while trying to kill Homelander. He teamed up with a former colleague and friend, Joe Kessler (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan), earlier in the season to dig into locating and using the supe-killing virus from Gen V to get the job done. The show turned all of this on its head in episode six by revealing that Joe Kessler is actually dead and a figment of Butcher’s imagination in The Boys. The supe-killing virus is also far more unstable and dangerous than we thought. 

In this episode, Butcher is still holding Sameer hostage to force him to make more of the virus. He goes out to gather the necessary ingredients needed and also has a long conversation with Joe Kessler about coming home from war. Of course, his visions of Becca continue as she urges him to make a better choice to save Ryan. Towards the end, both Becca and Joe Kessler are speaking to Butcher in a very “angel and devil on shoulders” type of way.

Joe Kessler Is Actually Dead and a Figment of Butcher’s Compound V24-Influenced Imagination

Becca urges Butcher against genocide (more on that later) while Kessler is ready to kill all supes. Suddenly, Butcher tells Becca to shut up (basically) and Butcher is shocked. We see things for what they are for the first time with Butcher having a full-on conversation with no one. So yes, Joe Kessler is not a living person but the physical representation of Billy Butcher’s dark side, a contrast with Becca’s light. This makes sense considering we never saw Joe Kessler interact with anyone else on the show. We cannot imagine what’s going through Sameer’s mind during his imprisonment. 

Speaking of him, he refuses to make more of the supe-killing virus. Why? Because to make the virus strong enough to kill Homelander, it would become very unstable and potent. It is airborne and highly contagious, which means the supe virus would not only kill the intended person (Homelander) but anyone with Compound V in their veins. That’s likely thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide at this point. Butcher is going to die either way but that puts Kimiko, Starlight, and Ryan, among others. 

What Happened to the Real Joe Kessler in The Boys Universe?

The Joe Kessler apparition reveals the real person died back when they were in the midst of a conflict in the Panjshir Valley. Butcher did not pull Kessler out and save him but instead left him to die, which checks out for good ole Billy. He cannot seem to remember that very real fact and buys into the idea that he’s scheming with his old buddy. The effects of Compound V24 (and that V shot) are taking a major toll on Butcher, indeed. Now, he must deal with his choice to cut off Sameer’s leg and the ramifications that will come from messing with Victoria’s man. 

The post Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Joe Kessler Is Dead in THE BOYS, Actually appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys sixth episode is a chaotic, wild, and heartbreaking ride. MM suffers a major panic attack, A-Train puts himself closer to danger, and we discover Joe Kessler is literally a figment of Butcher’s imagination. But the most uncomfortable part of this episode of The Boys (besides Homelander sucking milk from Firecracker’s breasts) is Tek Knight and his Tek Cave. 

Related: Who Is Tek Knight? His Comic and TV History in The Boys Universe, Explained

What Happens at Tek Knight’s Tek Cave in The Boys?

A-Train reveals to MM that Cameron Coleman was brutally killed after Ashley set him up as the Vought leak. He also tells MM about Homelander bringing the Seven, Cate, and Sam together to form a supe army for some reason and Tek Knight was talking to Sage in secret. So, Hughie, MM, Starlight, and Kimiko go on their own undercover mission at Tek Knight’s federalist society party (I know…) at his estate to find more information. (Frenchie turned himself in for his crimes, so he is locked up. And Butcher is off torturing Sameer like a psychopath, unbeknownst to everyone else.)

MM is able to accost Webweaver, a very gross supe who is an obvious parody of Spider-Man, and get Hughie into his smelly suit to infiltrate the party. It is a risky move considering Tek Knight has superhuman smell/taste and he can sense when a person’s heart rate increases or if they are nervous. Things are initially going well despite Hughie discovering that Sage, Homelander, Firecracker, and Victoria Neuman are also at this party.

Then, it goes quickly awry when Tek Knight invites Hughie, whom he initially seems to believe is the real Webweaver, to his Tek Cave (a play on Batman’s Bat Cave). The Tek Cave is deep under his estate, minded by his butler/right-hand man Elijah (read: Alfred). It is basically a BDSM and/or torture chamber for Tek Knight to appease his sexual proclivities. That guy loves all sorts of holes. Hughie goes along with Tek Knight’s weird request to sit his naked butt on a cake and pass gas into it.

Ashely and Tek Knight Like to Play Sexual Games Together

But everything goes way left field with the arrival of Ashely, who apparently matches (and perhaps exceeds) Tek’s freak. Oh, and Tek Knight’s former sidekick Laddio is in a full leather outfit and chained to the wall to watch it all. 

Ashley binds Hughie up, tickles his feet, and says some pretty explicit things about what she will do to him. We don’t see any of them happen thankfully but she does, um, climax and wipe her fingers on the mask Hughie is wearing. Tek Knight is watching it all and asks Hughie what the safeword is, which Hughie doesn’t know because he is not a regular member of the Tek Cave Sex Club. Meanwhile, the Boys crew decides to stage a rescue mission (To the Tek Cave!) which predictably goes wrong. After a few setbacks, Starlight and Kimiko reach the Tek Cave and subdue Tek Knight, who is preparing to torture and assault Hughie. 

Tek Knight Is Working With Sister Sage and Homelander to Make Prisons Into Internment Camps

They try to torture information out of Tek Knight, which doesn’t work because he’s a masochist. So they hit him where it really hurts: his pockets. They send millions to liberal organizations but he doesn’t crack until they almost make a donation to Black Lives Matter. He tells them that Sage and Homelander want to use the many prisons he owns to create internment camps for regular humans. This is highly disturbing for a couple of reasons. First, as we heard earlier in the episode, this is why Tek Knight is so filthy rich. Second, this is a scary development in Homelander and Sage’s plan to control the masses while supes rule with impunity.

Tek Knight admits he doesn’t know the details of their plans. And, to be honest, it would not be smart for him to say no considering Homelander could kill him. He might as well have said no because Elijah steps in and suddenly kills Tek Knight. Elijah says he’s been tired of Tek Knight’s entitlement and gross behavior but creating internment camps takes things too far. The crew escapes while Elijah and Laddio stay behind to make Tek Knight’s death look like an accident. Hughie is very disturbed by what he endured and has a breakdown, saying he misses his father. That poor guy is having an awful time.

What Will Happen in The Boys After Tek Knight’s Death?

Later on, Firecracker tells Homelander Tek Knight is dead and that she saw Starlight at the house. Now, he knows the leak wasn’t Cameron, but someone else. Between this and a kid spotting A-Train saving MM’s life, it is not looking good for the speedster. Tek Knight’s death is a lot less weird than it was in The Boys’ comics but that Tek Cave makes this version of the character one to remember.

We will have to see how his demise throws a wrench in Homelander and Sage’s plan and if Laddio and Elijah will step up to help the Boys in the near future. The Boys do have access to Tek Knight’s information via that laptop for now, so there could be other secrets that will help them end this plan for good.

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Many villains are at play in The Boys season four. But episode six solidified one fact: Sister Sage and Homelander are one hell of an evil duo. Homelander continues to distance himself further from any shreds of humanity still in his superpowered body as he works to put supes and billionaires in complete power. He is also strong-arming Victoria Neuman into forcing billionaires to commit treason and create a 25th Amendment situation (i.e. if the President dies, the VP becomes President). This would create a world where supes rule without oversight. But, until now, we weren’t quite sure why Sister Sage was so invested in helping Homelander advance his plans. 

Sister Sage’s Family Tragedy Led to Her Hate all Humans

Sage, Homelander, and Victoria Neuman all attend Tek Knight’s alt-right shindig at his estate. While he’s off in the Tek Cave being a wild dude, Sage and Victoria have a conversation. Sage reveals her grandmother was diagnosed with Stage 3 leukemia. She said the doctors didn’t care to save “some old ex-Black Panther,” so Sage came up with a cure. She gave the research to them and they brushed her off. Her grandmother later died in pain.

Sage says she could cure cancer, reverse global warming, and more, but she believes there is no point because humans are animals. She uses this story to appeal to Victoria, saying they both understand living in a world where they are ignored. Sage encourages her to take power by getting one hand in the enemies’ pockets while slitting their throat with the other. Oof. 

If I were a billionaire and a group of supes—including one with the power to laser my head off and another that can pop my skull—asked me to be part of their coup plans, I’d have to consider it. The billionaires push back on a few very valid issues (how to handle the military, stock markets, etc.) but Victoria uses her cunning to sway them in her favor. (Sister Sage was dealing with temporary brain damage courtesy of MM shooting her in the head.) They all seem in favor of supporting her but it remains to be seen if that holds up.

Sage and Homelander Want to Create Internment Camps for Humans (and Anti-Supe Folks)

In this episode, we also discover Sage and Homelander were working with Tek Knight to create internment camps. Knight’s ancestors owned a large portion of the prison industrial complex, which explains why he is so rich now. He agrees to partner with Sage and Homelander to use those spaces to hold humans as supes take over the world. It’s a bleak plan that sets up the possibility for genocidal activity. The show doesn’t make it clear how much Victoria knows about this plan, but she only cares about herself and her daughter, who is now a supe. I am sure she would be down to do something so vile. 

With Tek Knight dead, Victoria getting billionaires into her pocket, and Sage’s hatred of white men possibly leading to her double crossing Homelander, The Boys is spiraling as season four begins to come to a close.

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A few months ago, the cancellation of Star Trek: Prodigy made fans righteously angry. Despite having a mostly complete season two, Paramount+ pulled the plug on the popular series anyway. To make things worse, the streaming service took the show off of its platform entirely. So, what did fans do? They took to the skies, literally flying a “Save Star Trek: Prodigy” banner over the offices of other streaming services, including Netflix. It’s a wild gesture but apparently one that resonated with the hearts of Netflix’s decision makers. Star Trek: Prodigy has a new streaming home with Netflix and will move forward with a second season, which has officially hit streaming as of July 1, 2024. 

In a world with a lot of annoying streaming updates, this is some pretty refreshing and welcome news. Season one of Star Trek: Prodigy will hit Netflix before the end of this year. Season two will make its debut sometime in 2024. The crew of Protostar and Kathryn Janeway are getting the second shot that they so richly deserve with more Star Trek: Prodigy at Netflix. Speaking of Janeway, actress Kate Mulgrew released a brief statement about the fandom’s awesomeness. 

“I’ve always held that the Star Trek fan base is among the strongest and most intelligent in the world.  They have shown their collective passion, and we’re happy to be able to celebrate Prodigy once again,” said Mulgrew. 

Star Trek: Prodigy executive producer Alex Kurtzman and co-showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman also had a few words to add. “Thank you to our incredible Star Trek: Prodigy fans, who championed not just a show, but a community that’s always been connected by the belief that we build a better future together. We set out to inspire you, but you inspired us. The team is still hard at work on the second season, and we can’t wait to share it with the amazing fans around the world.”

We love to hear it! Fandom is at its best when everyone works together for the greater good.

Originally published on October 11, 2023.

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The Sandman will continue its drama with another serving of episodes. What will happen in this next installment with Morpheus? That remains to be seen. We do not know when these episodes will hit Netflix but we do know that there will be new characters and cast members coming into the fold for The Sandman season two. 

Netflix released a ton of information about the new faces we will need in The Sandman’s next season. We will get to see gods like Loki, Odin, and Thor, but they will certainly be different from the MCU characters we’ve grown to love.

All the New Characters and Cast Members Appearing in The Sandman Season Two

Ruairi O’Connor (he/him) as Orpheus

Official description: “Orpheus, the poet, musician, and oracle, is the only child of Dream and the muse, Calliope. Orpheus is an idealistic, romantic, young man – and very much his father’s son – until tragedy strikes and reveals to him the true nature of love.”

Freddie Fox (he/him) as Loki

Official Description: “…the god of chaos. Loki is a charming, seductive shapeshifter. The smartest and most dangerous person in any room, Loki is utterly irresistible and never to be trusted.” That certainly sounds on brand for this famous Greek god.

Clive Russell (he/him) as Odin

Official Description: “…the father of Thor, and blood-brother to Loki. He is a longtime ally of Dream’s, but finds himself driven to desperate extremes in his efforts to stave off Ragnarök.”

Laurence O’Fuarain (he/him) as Thor

Official Description: “…the storm god. With his hammer Mjollnir, Thor is brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites – for food and drink, for battle, and for sex.

Ann Skelly (she/her) as Nuala and Douglas Booth (he/him) as Cluracan

Official Description: “…royal emissaries from the court of Faerie. Nuala and Cluracan are siblings who are opposites in every way. Nuala is responsible, empathetic, and principled. Cluracan is an impulsive rogue who lives for pleasure. They disagree about everything, except their devotion to one another.”

Jack Gleeson (he/him) as Puck

Official Description: “…a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie. Puck is fascinated by mortals and enjoys nothing more than making sport of them for his own amusement. He’s also the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  

Indya Moore (she/her) as Wanda

Official Description: “…a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world.”

Steve Coogan (he/him) as the Voice of Barnabas

Official Description: “…the canine companion of the Endless’ prodigal brother. Barnabas is loyal and loving, but an outspoken cynic. He’s man’s best friend and man’s sharpest critic.”

I know nothing about Barnabas but somehow I feel like he will be my favorite character. Let’s see how all of these new characters will play into The Sandman season two.

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There’s something special about ‘90s heartthrobs and dream girls. Maybe you loved She’s All That because Freddie Prinze, Jr. and/or Rachael Leigh Cook were indeed all that. (Some of us were absolutely interested in both, hehe.) I totally hear you and had plenty of crushes of my own, like the Fresh Prince himself. Another guy I love is Josh Hartnett, whom I first saw in scary films like Halloween H20 and The Faculty. Of course, he was far from the villain in those films and many others as he became a teen idol and kept building his career. So, imagine my distress when I watched the trailer for Trap, a horror movie where Josh Hartnett is a serial killer at a pop concert.

The film, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is about Cooper, a dad taking his teen daughter Riley (played by Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite singer. That sounds touching and totally normal, right? Well, if you know anything about Shyamalan, then you knew the Trap trailer was gonna go left field.

We see Cooper marveling at his daughter’s pure joy over seeing her music queen live. He tells her that he’s going to the restroom and that’s when your heart starts to pound. Is someone going to kidnap her? Is there some supernatural or demonic foolery afoot? Not quite. Cooper notices an unsettling amount of security on his way to the restroom and questions someone who works there.

The guy reluctantly tells him that they’re setting a trap for “the Butcher,” a serial killer who lives up to his name. The worker says there’s no way to leave, and Cooper retreats to the bathroom to check his home security. And guess what? He has someone chained and screaming in his basement! What. The. Hell. Cooper starts seeing red and wondering how he’s going to get out of there without being caught and really, really ruining Riley’s day. Yikes. A movie from the killer’s POV is inspired, indeed.

The world of Trap feels even more real with the release of a whole music video by Riley’s pop idol.

What Is the Release Date for M. Night Shyamalan and Josh Hartnett’s Horror Movie Trap? 

The trailer doesn’t offer up any brutality but we do get brooding stares from Hartnett that make me feel very conflicted. I want to talk about it but not in public. Anyway, Trap will now hit theaters a week earlier than planned, on August 2, and I cannot wait to see what happens to Cooper and Riley. Oh, and the man in the basement, too.

Originally published April 18, 2024.

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The Deadpool & Wolverine movie is coming our way in July and we can’t wait to see what these two best bubs are gonna do. In the meantime, the main way to celebrate their awesomeness is collecting all the cool paraphernalia that comes with a big MCU release. We still can’t get over that very-inappropriate popcorn bucket, tbh. Funko is getting into the mix with new Deadpool, Wolverine, and Dogpool Pop! figures that deserve a spot on your shelf. 

These figures are currently available to order. And, if you’re attending San Diego Comic-Con, then you’re in luck. You will be able to do Funko’s Pop! Yourself experience and create your own cosplay character modeled after either Deadpool or Wolverine. It comes with an exclusive box, character body, and two additional accessories. 

Click To View Gallery

Those who don’t attend SDCC will be able to purchase a limited edition “attach pack” beginning on July 24 to cosplay their Funko figure as either Deadpool or Wolverine alongside the usual Pop! Yourself collectible. 

We must admit, Dogpool is both strange and adorable. What a fun way to celebrate this highly-anticipated film!

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Netflix’s Greek mythology dramedy KAOS, starring Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, is coming our way really soon. We dug the KAOS trailer and all of its weirdness and now we have some fresh images and an August release date for the eight episode series. Here’s another look at the clip to refresh your memory. 

And, for those who don’t know what this show is about, this synopsis should help:

We love these colorful and vibrant first look images from KAOS. Who knew that Zeus likes to cook on the grill? What a typical dad move. 

Click To View Gallery

The series also stars Janet Mcteer as Zeus’ wife Hera, Nabhaan Rizwaan as their wayward son Dionysus, Aurora Perrineau and Killian Scott as Riddy and Orpheus, a disillusioned wife and distracted rock-star husband, respectively. 

What Is the Release Date for Netflix’s KAOS series?

KAOS will hit Netflix on August 29.

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The Boys season four’s fifth episode is a doozy. There’s a heap of blood, guts, gore, murderous farm animals, and more. We even see Gen V’s Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan for a brief cameo at a Hall H Comic-Con style event promoting their new comedy series. A lot of funny and shocking things happen but the episode ends with heartbreak. The effect of Compound V on Hughie’s dad is absolutely devastating, proving that Butcher is actually right sometimes. 

At the end of episode four, Hughie’s dad comes out of his coma after an injection of Compound V. In this episode, we find out that Hughie’s mom gave it to him after Hughie hesitated to do so. At first, everything seems cool as they laugh, reminisce, and are a family again. But Hughie notices that his father is having a hard time remembering certain things. He goes to grab a Snapple for his dad while his mom is in the restroom. Upon returning, his mom is back, but Mr. Campbell is missing.

Hughie and his mom frantically look for him, only to find him standing stoically in a room with a bloody heart in his hand after accidentally killing a hospital worker. Hughie tries to get him to calm down so he can explain what’s going on, but a nurse comes in and panics. She alerts security and Hughie’s dad shakily teleports and runs through a wall. He accidentally kills more people and is frightened by his uncontrollable actions.

Hughie once again tries to talk to him but he doesn’t recognize his own son anymore. Instead, he believes Hughie is eleven years old again and becomes enraged at the sight of his estranged wife. He nearly kills her before Hughie steps in to talk him down. Both Hughie and his mom know that his father cannot live this way. Hughie decides to give his father a fatal dose of a drug to help him die peacefully. They bid him a tearful farewell as Hughie’s dad admits that he’s afraid. He calls his son “Wee Hughie,” a reference to Hughie’s comic moniker, and dies shortly afterward. 

Even if Hughie’s dad hadn’t taken that Compound V, he was going to succumb to his massive brain injury in a short amount of time. Like Kimiko and Butcher previously told Hughie, you cannot save everyone and sometimes you simply have to let people go. Watching a beloved parent die in front of your eyes is one of the worst pains a person can imagine (I’ve experienced it in real-life), so it is understandable why Hughie didn’t want to let go of his father.

We don’t know what this means for him in the future but hopefully Hughie can continue to heal his relationship with his mom. And, it is yet another scenario that affirms the awful dangers and side effects of Compound V.

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Have you ever imagined what the world was like in your city/town or even in the very spot you’re in right now thousands of years ago? It’s pretty cool to think about the dinosaurs and animals that once ran through your backyard. Or, if you’re in an older house or apartment, you might think about the many lives that once called your space “home.” Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis does exactly this with Here, a film that interestingly reunites Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and shows us the evolution of one small space through the eyes of several generations. (Don’t you just love to see these two together and hugging again?!) The trailer for Here is a strange trip through time, from the Jurassic era to modern-day. 

There’s a lot going on here. Zemeckis de-ages Tom Hanks and Robin Wright to show their earlier courtship days and it sure is something. He spoke to Variety recently, revealing that the entire 104 minute movie is in one spot and the camera never moves. That means it will seem much more like watching a play. We see dinosaurs in the Here trailer; however, the film seems to focus on a century timespan and revolve mostly around Richard and Margaret, the main couple. At least, that’s what we gather from the synopsis: 

From the reunited director, writer, and stars of Forrest Gump, Here is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the human experience in its purest form. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, screenplay by Eric Roth & Zemeckis and told much in the style of the acclaimed graphic novel by Richard McGuire on which it is based, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in a tale of love, loss, laughter and life, all of which happen right Here.

What Is the Release Date for Tom Hanks and Robin Wright’s Here Movie? 

Here will hit theaters on November 15.

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Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film, Bugonia, now has a home at Focus Features. Focus will release the film with Universal Pictures distributing it internationally (excluding Korea). Bugonia, starring Emma Stone (hello Poor Things reunion!) and Jesse Plemons, is set to release on November 7, 2025. We also have a very short logline that’s intriguing: 

Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Ahh, you gotta love when people kidnap someone and they aren’t human. At least they actually go into it thinking that she’s an otherworldly being. The kidnappers in Abigail had no clue that they were taking on a kid vampire.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia is based on a 2003 South Korean sci-fi comedy “Save the Green Planet.” So, if you are like me, you’ll want to check that out while waiting for this movie’s eventual arrival. One thing is for sure: Peter Kujawski, the Chairman of Focus Features, totally digs Bugonia’s storyline. Here’s what he had to say about this news:

Yorgos Lanthimos is a cinematic visionary with a singular style that has captivated audiences worldwide. We could not be more excited to partner with him, Emma and the incredible teams at Element, Square Peg and CJ ENM to reimagine this twisted and darkly funny story.

Emma Stone playing a weird character and Lanthimos’ direction go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Originally published on May 20, 2024.

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The Boys just might offer us a Supernatural Winchester family reunion. Jensen Ackles’ played the villainous Soldier Boy in season three and will reprise that role this season alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan. So that’s Dean and his father John Winchester right there. The Boys showrunner and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke hoped to bring Jared Padalecki to this universe to complete the trinity. And Deadline reports that Padalecki is down to be a part of The Boys‘ fifth and final season.

“I mean, he created Supernatural. He created Sam Winchester. He created Ruby [played by Genevieve Padalecki], who I ended up marrying and starting a family with,” he said. “I adore him. I adore his humor. I adore him as a person, his storytelling. So I can’t wait. I don’t think [Season 5] films until next year, but I will be ready when he makes the phone call. I’ll just say ‘Okay, when am I flying out?’”

Padalecki’s schedule is a bit more open now following the unfortunate cancellation of his Walker series. And that’s when Kripke started making his desire to bring Padalecki into the mix known.

“Texts have been sent,” Kripke previously told Entertainment Weekly shortly before the cancellation news dropped. “I feel like it would be a bummer to not have Jared on the show one way or another at this point, even if it’s just the one-episode thing. He’s been shooting Walker, but with that show wrapping up, maybe he’ll have some time to come in and play with us. I would love it. We have definitely talked about it.” 

Kripke additionally added, “I don’t have a specific role yet, but I have the will, and where there’s the will, there’s the way. I don’t know whether it would be recurring or just one episode , but I can’t imagine I’ll finish the show, whenever it ends, without getting Jared in there, at least once. He’s been unavailable for years now, and now he is [available], so I definitely wanna bring him in for something.”

Finally, Kripke referred to an eventual Padalecki and Ackles reunion on The Boys as his Supernatural Pokémon game. He shared, “I feel like I have to complete my game of ‘Supernatural’ Pokémon and I have my one big one — very big one — left to catch.”

We don’t know if it will be a complete family reunion, per se. There’s certainly hope for season five; however, there’s a chance that Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character and/or Soldier Boy could be legit dead by then. We will see what happens but, either way, we are totally down for it.

Originally published on May 22, 2024.

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Door-to-door evangelizing seems like a lot of hard work. You have to be out in the elements and spreading the word of your Lord and Savior, often to people who really don’t want to hear it. I’d imagine there are a ton of people who either ignore you, slam the door in your face, or curse you out. And, if you’re a woman, there’s always that extra risk of a guy doing or saying something to make you feel super uncomfortable. But I never thought that a missionary occupational hazard would be running into a lunatic who holds you hostage in their house for weird mental games. That’s what happens in Heretic, an A24 psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, Yellowjackets’ star Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East with a trailer that teases a house of horrors. 

In the clip, Thatcher and Chloe are two young missionaries trying to spread knowledge about Jesus Christ. Their somewhat meek demeanors mean they are dismissed by most people. Nevertheless, they continue to bike around town and try to save souls. They go to a random, secluded house (red flag #1) where Grant’s far-too-friendly Mr. Reed lives. He invites them inside (red flag #2) and insists that it’s okay because his wife is there (red flag #3).

Things soon go down a dark path when they realize they are locked in. Mr. Reed says they can go but they have to choose between two doorways: one for believers and one for those who do not believe. I’m pretty sure there are terrible things behind both doors. The Heretic trailer is a fun peek that doesn’t give away too much but gives us the gift of a diabolical Hugh Grant. We love when he plays a villain.

Here’s the synopsis for Heretic: 

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

What Is the Release Date for A24’s Heretic Movie Starring Hugh Grant? 

Heretic will hit theaters on November 15, 2024.

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Nosferatu. That one word causes a shiver to go down horror fans’ spines. We all know the story of the famed vampire Count Orlok, who is unofficially based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula vampire. And, no matter how many times it gets retold, we want to see it over and over again. Gothic vampire horror narratives will always reign supreme, and the original Nosferatu movie is legendary. The trailer for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu hits the perfect notes, giving away none of its plot and simply leaning into disturbing imagery. We learn one thing throughout its narrative: He is coming. 

I don’t know the name of the casting director who brought on Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok. I do know that they deserve every good thing in life. What a perfect choice. He’s opposite Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, the object of this vampire’s affections. The Nosferatu teaser trailer promises a dark and twisted tale centering on these two characters. 

Here’s a quick synopsis to bring things into focus: 

Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

The remainder of Nosferatu’s cast is as follows: 

What Is the Release Date for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Movie? 

Nosferatu will hit theaters on December 25, 2024. What a haunting Christmas present.

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