The dragons of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire are as curious as they are magical. No one really knows how those mystical, highly intelligent creatures came into the world. Each one also has its own unique personality, yet also shares a special bond with its rider. Some believe Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon‘s dragons can change their gender whenever they like. It’s impossible to even identify a she-dragon until it lays eggs. And no one understands exactly why those beasts called “fire made flesh” allow certain people to claim them and not others. But while episode six of House of the Dragon‘s second season explored established dragon lore with Ser Steffon Darklyn’s fatal attempt to become a dragonlord, the series also created its own with the Vale’s wild dragon and Seasmoke’s search for Addam of Hull.

The Dragon Seasmoke Rejects Ser Steffon Darklyn in House of the Dragon

The one (almost*) unquestioned rule for dragonriders in the lore of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world is that they must have at least some blood of Old Valyria. The dragonlords of the former Valyrian Freehold were the only dragonlords in the world. In Westeros, that means someone must have ancestry with either House Targaryen or House Velaryon (even though Velaryons were not dragonriders).

(*One character’s uncertain birth is the only possible example of this not being true. We’ll get to that in the next section.)

Prince Jacaerys thought that rule might have simply been ahistorical propaganda meant to “gild” Valyrians. His mother still took the matter of blood seriously enough to search for forgotten relatives in old scrolls. On House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra believes even someone with “thin” Valyrian blood was more likely to successfully claim a dragon than someone without any. Especially since unquestioned family members can’t always become dragonriders, like Daemon’s daughter Rhaena. Aemond couldn’t successfully bond with a dragon either in House of the Dragon‘s world until he claimed the biggest one in the world, Vhagar.

On House of the Dragon‘s sixth episode, Rhaenyra asked the Lord Commander of her Queensguard, Ser Steffon, if he’d be willing to try to claim a dragon because his grandmother’s grandmother was a Targaryen. She reminded him to try and claim a dragon was to risk death itself, but he was honored by her even asking. Like many in Westeros, he views dragons as gods.

Seasmoke did not care about Ser Steffon’s thin Valyrian blood, commitment to Rhaenyra, or his noble heart, though. The dragon still refused to obey the Lord Commander on House of the Dragon. Worse, he bathed Ser Steffon in dragonflame for even trying.

That outcome was not a surprise for any House of the Dragon viewer who knows about dragon lore in this fantasy realm. That was not true for the other two big dragon moments during this episode of House of the Dragon, though.

Rhaena Learns the Vale Has a Wild Dragon

The last thing young Princess Rhaena expected to find in the Vale was a wild dragon, because dragons don’t live in places like the Vale on House of the Dragon. They stay close to seats of House Velaryon, either in King’s Landing or on Dragonstone. Before they came to Westeros, they only lived in the Valyrian Freehold, leaving for any extended periods of time solely when taken someplace by their dragonrider.

Having a dragon burning sheep far away from dragons’ established homes means that House of the Dragon breaks established canon and dragon lore from Fire & Blood and A Song of Ice and Fire. George R.R. Martin himself confirmed that weeks before episode six debuted. From his “Not a Blog” (emphasis our own):

My dragons are creatures of the sky. They fly, and can cross mountains and plains, cover hundreds of miles… but they don’t, unless their riders take them there. They are not nomadic. During the heyday of Valyria there were forty dragon-riding families with hundreds of dragons amongst them… but (aside from our Targaryens) all of them stayed close to the Freehold and the Lands of the Long Summer. From time to time a dragonrider might visit Volantis or another Valyrian colony, even settle there for a few years, but never permanently. Think about it. If dragons were nomadic, they would have overrun half of Essos, and the Doom would only have killed a few of them. Similarly, the dragons of Westeros seldom wander far from Dragonstone. Elsewise, after three hundred years, we would have dragons all over the realm and every noble house would have a few. 

Why would House of the Dragon violate one Martin’s few, hard-and-fast dragon lore rules? To answer that, we must discuss something from Fire & Blood. We’ll note that this discussion will provide enough context clues to spoil something that now seems inevitable on House of the Dragon. It’s up to you if you want to read it. If you don’t, skip past the remaining text in this section (which is between two images) until you reach the next sub-headline, which explores another show-specific piece of dragon lore.

By moving this specific, sheep-killing dragon from Dragonstone to the Vale, the show appears to be cutting out a major, beloved character from Fire & Blood named Nettles. She is the person whose uncertain birth/bloodline we referenced earlier. House of the Dragon seems to be giving Nettle’s storyline to Rhaena.

Obviously since we mentioned Nettles’ uncertain birth/blood line, she does go on to claim a dragon in Fire & Blood. And since we’re talking about her in this section about Rhaena and the Vale, you can guess which dragon she bonds with.

Does that guarantee Rhaena will now claim that wild dragon on the show instead? It’s a possibility the series is definitely raising, but it’s not a guarantee. Not when House of the Dragon is making such drastic changes in the first place. But we still think it’s likely on a series that also made another significant change to an unlikely dragonrider’s story in this same episode.

Seasmoke Claims a Dragonrider on House of the Dragon (Possibly While His First Still Lives)

Addam of Hull is the bastard son of Lord Corlys Velaryon and, therefore, strong with Old Valyrian blood. It doesn’t go against known dragon lore, and thus is not completely shocking, that a “dragonseed” like Addam could claim a dragon, which is clearly what happened at the end of House of the Dragon episode six. What is unprecedented is a) how the two bonded and b) the fact they bonded at all.

There are two ways humans typically bond with dragons in A Song of Ice and Fire. The first is babies of House Targaryen have dragon eggs put in their crib with them. If healthy dragons hatch from those eggs they form that special dragon/dragonrider connection. The second way is that a person approaches a living dragon who then either accepts them or not. No one knows how or why this happens, only that there’s some kind of mystical element to their connection.

Rhaena, daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, has tried to claim a dragon many times on House of the Dragon and only has burn scars to show for it. Ser Steffon Darklyn tried once, and he paid with his life for his efforts. Yet somehow, Addam of Hull didn’t even have to try to become a dragonlord. In a complete role reversal, Seasmoke claimed his human. The “lonely” dragon hunted Addam down before the two took to the sky on House of the Dragon.

That was unusual enough, but what what makes this bond entirely new dragon lore for House of the Dragon is that Seasmoke seemingly already has a dragonrider. His first mount, Laenor Velaryon, isn’t actually dead on House of the Dragon like he is in Fire & Blood. The show changed his story so that he conspired with his wife Rhaenyra to fake his death so he could live freely in Essos. But dragons only accept one dragonrider at a time. They will not accept another so long as theirs lives.

Unless we learn Laenor died in Essos offscreen without anyone on Dragonstone knowing, we know have House of the Dragon-specific dragon lore. (Which still has its own internal logic, since Seasmoke sought out the half-brother of his missing rider.)

How you feel about that is as personal as a dragon/rider bond, but what it actually means is not. Whether or not you’re familiar with both Fire & Blood and George R.R. Martin’s dragon mythology, none of us know what else could happen in the Dance of the Dragons.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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This year marks three decades since one of the weirdest superheroes of all time made his debut, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. The demonic owner of the Right Hand of Doom has gone on to worldwide fame thanks to a pair of iconic movies by Guillermo Del Toro, but it all started in the pages of Dark Horse Comics back in 1994. At this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, Dark Horse will celebrate their signature character’s 30th Anniversary with several incredible exclusives, which you can preview right here:

Hellboy Seed of Destruction #1 30th Anniversary Convention Exclusive Variant

This is a special edition of the first issue of Hellboy that depicts his arrival on Earth in the midst of WWII, the return of his adoptive father from a failed Arctic expedition, and Hellboy’s first encounter with Mike Mignola’s infamous frog monsters. Dark Horse has printed this special edition of Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 as uncolored line art, and it features an updated line art cover, a bonus section with more than 20 sketches, and digital codes for Seed of Destruction #1-4. This is a limited Edition of 1500 copies for $25.00 and is limited to 5 copies per person per day.

The Goon, Hellboy, and Usagi Yojimbo Anniversary Print

Mike Mignola, Stan Sakai, and Eric Powell each draw their iconic characters in this exclusive print, painted by Powell. This poster measures 18 inches x 24 inches, with a limit of 300 units. The gorgeous commemorative piece showcases three of the comic book medium’s most enduring creator-owned heroes. To grab this one, it’ll set you back $50.00.

Hellboy 30th Anniversary Pinfinity Set

The augmented reality Pinfinity set features three detailed enamel pins depicting Mike Mignola’s iconic artwork. These include Hellboy 30th Anniversary, Crowned Knight Skeleton, and Giant Robot Hellboy. Fans can explore the legendary comic series like never before. All by scanning the pins with the Pinfinity app to unlock comic pages, animated content, and more. The price for this set is $40.00.

Hellboy Letterpress Print Sets

Click To View Gallery

Dark Horse has partnered with The Press Room in Austin, TX on a run of specialty crafted Hellboy Letterpress Print Sets. This bundle of five (5) 4-inch by 6-inch prints features black and white Hellboy illustrations by Mike Mignola. Each is printed on an original 1955 Vandercook 219AB press, on heavy 100lb cover stock. Limited to just 666 sets, this gorgeous collection comes complete with a hand-numbered, letterpress printed, red belly-band. The price for this Letterpress set is $40.00.

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The Spider-Verse is about to get even bigger via the small screen. It is also about to get a lot darker, mysterious, and funny. And, let’s be honest, a lot weirder. Prime Video has officially done what Spidey fans have been waiting to hear. The studio has formally ordered a new live-action series starring Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir, the character he originally voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now joining Cage in the series, as per Deadline, is Fargo and New Girl star Lamorne Morris.

Amazon used its inaugural upfront presentation in New York City to announce it has finally ordered Noir to series. The Spider-Man Noir show will see Nicolas Cage playing the live-action version of his character from Sony’s animated 2018 Oscar winner. Morris has been cast as Robbie Robertson, the nice editor of The Daily Bugle who traditionally works under the surly publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Variety also reported The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson has been cast as well, though in an undisclosed role. The series, based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, will air on Prime Video and MGM+.

Also announced to appear as a series regular is Wu Assassins star Li Jun Li. According to Deadline, Li will play a “singer at the premier nightclub in New York.”

Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) will direct and executive produce the Spider-Man Noir‘s first two episodes. Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Shantaram) will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. They developed the show with the Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal. All three are also on board as executive producers.

For those who have (for some absurd reason) not yet seen Into the Spider-Verse or are unfamiliar with the character’s comic history, Amazon also shared a brief synopsis for the Spider-Man Noir series.

Noir tells the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.

Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, explained why the studio wants to make this series in a release. (As though we need an explanation.) “Expanding the Marvel universe with Noir is a uniquely special opportunity, and we are honored to bring this series to our global Prime Video customers,” he said. “The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero, and the accomplished producing team with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, and the incredible team at Sony is dedicated to expanding this franchise in the most authentic way.” 

We’re ready to dedicate our time to watching when it debuts. The Spider-Verse is an infinite place of possibilities and heroes. But we very much want to spend more time with this version of the character. And obviously, more time with Nicolas Cage.

Originally Published May 14, 2024

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More minions are coming. The Conjuring 4 sets a release date. Time Bandits shares its first trailer. Severance season two offers us a teaser and a look at Gwendoline Christie’s new character. Godzilla x Kong hits streaming. A Furiosa transformation. Eric Kripke talks about The Boys‘ comic twist the series will skip. Here are all these news odds & ends, and more.

Alien: Romulus

Cinemark Theaters wants you to enjoy Alien: Romulus and really dig your teeth into the film. The theater chain revealed its Xenomorph Alien: Romulus popcorn bucket and it is delightfully creepy.

Celebrate Summer with these French Fry Ice Cream Pops

What could be better than dipping french fries in ice cream? An ice cream pop that does it for you already. GoodPop and Ore-Ida have teamed up to create the ultimate frozen treat, “an all-in-one pop featuring a creamy dairy free oatmilk interior coated in frozen chocolate fudge and sprinkled with real crispy potatoes for a cleaned up classic treat that’s cold, creamy and completely crave worthy.”

You can try to snag a four-pack for $9.99, here, but don’t delay. These tasty treats are selling out quickly.

Minons & Despicable Me

As Despicable Me 4 reaches $255 million at the global box office, another franchise movie has been given a release date. Minions 3 will release on June 30, 2027.

The Conjuring

The Conjuring 4, which is now being referred to as the finale of the cinematic franchise, has set its release date. The next The Conjuring movie will release on September 5, 2025. The movie does not yet have a title.

Time Bandits

Everything old is new again and the latest reboot to hit our screens is Time Bandits. A reimagination of the 1981 film in series form, this Apple TV+ adventure is created by Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris and Taika Waititi. The series stars Lisa Kudrow alongside rising star Kal-El Tuck. It “will take viewers on a riveting journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves.”

The Time Bandits synopsis shares:

Guided by Lisa Kudrow, the eccentric crew of bandits embark on epic adventures while evil forces threaten their conquests, and life as they know it. As the group transports through time and space, the gang stumbles upon fascinating worlds of the distant past while seeking out treasure, depending on Kevin to shed light on each situation. The “Time Bandits” witness the creation of Stonehenge, see the Trojan Horse in action, escape dinosaurs in the prehistoric ages, wreak havoc during medieval times, experience the Ice Age, ancient civilizations and the Harlem Renaissance, and much more along the way. 

The 10-episode series will premiere globally, with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 24, followed by two new episodes every Wednesday through August 21, 2024.

Severance

Severance season two has revealed its release date. The second chapter of the series will arrive on January 17, 2025. Additionally, the release date announcement teaser trailer gives us a look at Gwendoline Christie’s mysterious new character.

SpongeBob SquarePants

The trailer for Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is here. This trailer brings us a whole new kind of SpongeBob SquarePants adventure. A little bit of live-action, a little bit of surface mayhem—what could possibly get better than this?

A release shares, “When Bikini Bottom and all its denizens are suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants journey to Texas to save the town from a villainous plot.” Sandy Cheeks is one (flying) squirrel not to be messed with. Honestly, we’re all the way in for this Sandy Cheeks star vehicle.

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie releases on August 2.

Godzilla x Kong

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will release on July 4. The monster movie will stream on Max.

We’re also very excited to share that a version of the movie with American Sign Language (ASL) will also stream exclusively on Max the same day. Max shares, “This ASL version of the film was produced exclusively for Max, with ASL performer Otis Jones (Deaf West Theatre) providing interpretation. Jones was coached by Leila Hanaumi, who delivered a highly praised performance in Barbie with ASL last December, Max’s first ASL film interpretation. GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE in ASL will be displayed as a unique title on the Max app, identifiable by its key art featuring the sign language symbol.” We absolutely applaud Max for these efforts to be as inclusive as possible with their programming!

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

If you’re a fan of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, you can check out Anya Taylor-Joy’s epic transformation into Furiosa below.

The Boys

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke promises that unlike in the comics, Black Noir will not end up being a Homelander clone.

He tells Variety:

No, and I don’t mind saying it. In the comics he’s a clone of Homelander this entire time and is actually the one doing all these horrific things. And again, it’s a hell of a twist. But it’s like, well wait, the villain I’ve been following isn’t really the villain. And mileage varies, and I’m sure fans are mad I’m not going that way, but that felt not as satisfying to me. I’m like, if I’m going to follow this villain, I want this guy to be the villain. So I was never really into the clone idea.

Plus, cloning feels like too — I’m going to sound silly — but cloning feels too magical for the show. We try to say that superheroes are the only slippery banana, and that everything else we try to make as grounded as possible.

Netflix

Netflix is creating its own line of popcorn… and its own malls.

Netflix shares:

Today, we’re excited to announce that Netflix and Popcorn Indiana are teaming up to bring Now Popping, an all-new ready-to-eat popcorn line! With flavors like Cult Classic Cheddar Kettle Corn and Swoonworthy Cinnamon Kettle Corn, this partnership promises a snack experience tailored to every viewer’s taste. Discover your favorite flavor, nationwide at Walmart, today. 

The popcorn retails for $4.49, but no word on how much it is if you want to share a pack.

Additionally, the streamer has revealed it will be opening two entertainment, dining, and shopping complexes, a.k.a. malls. Per Variety, “They’re not exactly theme parks, but the new Netflix Houses — to open next year in King of Prussia, Pa., and Dallas — will feature a wide array of shopping outlets, eateries and experiential activities tied to the streamer’s major franchises like Bridgerton, Stranger Things and Squid Game.“

Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer, shares “At Netflix House, you can enjoy regularly updated immersive experiences, indulge in retail therapy, and get a taste — literally — of your favorite Netflix series and films through unique food and drink offerings. We’ve launched more than 50 experiences in 25 cities, and Netflix House represents the next generation of our distinctive offerings. The venues will bring our beloved stories to life in new, ever-changing and unexpected ways.”

Netflix invites you to imagine, “waltzing with your partner to an orchestral cover of a Taylor Swift song on a replica of the ‘Bridgerton’ set –– and then walking around the corner to compete in the Glass Bridge challenge from ‘Squid Game.’” After that, you can enjoy “food inspired by Netflix shows from around the world” or buy “that Hellfire Club T-shirt you’ve always wanted from Stranger Things.”

Deadpool

Marvel is all set to kill Deadpool in Deadpool #6 by Cody Ziglar and Rogê Antônio. Marvel shared of the issue:

Wade Wilson triumphed against Death Grip! This is the first issue of a new arc and killing Deadpool NOW would be an INSANE thing to do. Which is exactly why we’re doing it.

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

Originally published on June 20, 2024.

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Post-apocalyptic wastelands have never been hotter. Prime Video’s Fallout was not only a huge hit for the studio, it has led to a massive surge of interest in Bethesda’s video games. But unlike its playable counterparts which each feature their own characters and storylines, the show’s second season will stay on the same path. Fallout will continue to follow season one’s main figures when it returns.

Variety‘s new piece about the incredible interest in Fallout video games that has followed the debut of Prime Video’s hit show has some important information about Amazon’s adaptation. Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard said the show won’t continue the video games model of introducing all new characters. Instead the TV series will continue to focus on the stars of season one. That includes its three main characters: Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul. But it also means more of Norm and Chet, too.

 Amazon MGM Studios chief Jennifer Salke and head of TV Vernon Sanders recently echoed these sentiments. Salke noted, “We are committed to our journey with our beloved characters. Such a great Season 2 coming…  I saw some of the talk of, is this an anthology? And it does have a lot of doors we can go through, which is the beauty of the IP. But we are fully committed, and we’re all on this journey with the characters that we’ve met and loved in Season 1.”

Sanders meanwhile notes, “I think the fans of Season 1 will really love where we’re going for Season 2.” And adds, “We’ve been fortunate because this was the vision all along. I think we’re ahead of schedule, in terms of being able to get Season 2 back. We don’t have an exact launch date yet, but we’ve already gotten scripts in hand.”

This news isn’t a surprise. It doesn’t mean we won’t see any new faces, either, just that we’re not moving on from the old ones. But it should ensure this post-apocalyptic wasteland stays hot.

Originally published on May 30, 2024.

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Freaky Friday 2 is officially happening, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan back for more body-swapping fun. The highly anticipated sequel movie certainly seemed like it was gaining traction, but there’s nothing we love more than an official announcement. In addition to Curtis and Lohan, Freaky Friday 2 has gained some excellent new cast members, and it has a slated release window of 2025. That’s some freakishly exciting stuff.

Freaky Friday 2‘s Plot

In a release, Disney describes the plot of Freaky Friday 2 as follows:

A sequel to the beloved 2003 film with a multigenerational twist, the film picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.

More body swapping, ahoy!

Freaky Friday 2‘s Cast and Creators

Of course, Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman. But other Freaky Friday actors will be back for more fun. These returning original cast members include Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Chao. But Freaky Friday 2 will also see some new faces, including Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. We are very excited to hear Manny Jacinto is Freaky Friday 2 official, especially after his excellent recent turn on The Acolyte.

In addition to the above looks, we also have a glimpse at Chad Michael Murray’s return as Jake.

Finally, Freaky Friday 2 will be directed by Nisha Ganatra.

Freaky Friday 2‘s Release Date

Production on the Freaky Friday sequel began in June 2024. We should expect Freaky Friday 2 to release in theaters nationwide in 2025.

While we wait for Freaky Friday 2 to release, you can catch the original movie streaming on Disney+.

The post FREAKY FRIDAY 2 Begins Filming, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan Are Back appeared first on Nerdist.

Every week, we eagerly anticipate a new episode of House of the Dragon. But to make that wait a little easier, Max is releasing teaser images from new episodes of the Game of Thrones series a little early. These images don’t tell us too much about what’s in store in the new chapters of House of the Dragon season two, but they are fun to speculate over. Let’s take a look at the sneak peeks the streamer has released for House of the Dragon season two, episode six. Of course, these are technically spoilers, so look away if you don’t want to know anything more.

New Images From House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 6

Aemond looks like he’s adjusting to life in charge in these new images from House of the Dragon season two, episode six. But we bet the current King Aegon, grievously injured after a blast from Aemond’s dragon, might have something to say about that. The trailer for House of the Dragons season two, episode six, certainly hinted at a coming clash.

Click To View Gallery

Meanwhile, Alys Rivers is lurking around with an owl. Does that mean she really is one? We’ll have to wait for the episode to know for sure. Larys, Alicent, and Rhaneyra also feature in these new House of the Dragon images. We can’t wait to see how these sneak peeks come together as House of the Dragon season two releases its sixth episode this Sunday, July 28, at 9 pm on HBO and Max.

Originally published on June 21, 2024.

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According to Kevin Feige, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the most wholesome R-rated movie ever. And its final trailer certainly makes us feel that way. In addition to pulling on our heartstrings more generally, the trailer also reveals a very special Logan cameo will come to us in Deadpool & Wolverine. Yes, that’s right, Dafne Keen will return to our screens as X-23, Wolverine’s feral surrogate daughter, in the upcoming Marvel Studios movie. You can take a look at Keen’s return to our screens as X-23, also known as Laura, in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer below.

There’s been a lot of buzz about whether Dafne Keen would or would not return to cameo as Logan‘s X-23/Laura in Deadpool & Wolverine. But it seems like Marvel doesn’t want to leave us wondering for very long. X-23 tells Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, “You were always the wrong guy, till you weren’t.” And we get the feeling her appearance will be just the thing that downtrodden Logan needs to go into full heroic (but still grumpy) mode.

In Logan, Wolverine becomes X-23’s surrogate father. X-23 is a Wolverine clone, after all. He devotes himself to protecting her and other mutant children and gives his life in the process. Logan was meant to be Hugh Jackman’s final turn in Wolverine. But, obviously, that didn’t take. The somber movie is, however, lauded as one of the finest superhero movies ever. Deadpool & Wolverine will have a very different tone to Logan, and so we’re curious to see in what form Keen’s X-23 will return.

Keen shares of returning to X-23 in Deadpool & Wolverine, “It was wonderful to get to come back to that and explore that as a grownup… now understanding more parental rage so much more and bringing that to the table for her. I found that Laura in Logan stumbled into having a dad and then having lost her dad. We find her again really knowing how to appreciate — and with this kind of wiseness to her — how much her father means to her.” But not to worry, she’s still physical and feral.

Deadpool & Wolverine releases in theaters July 26.

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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.

After years of speculating, in 2022, Marvel Studios confirmed that Deadpool would officially join the MCU for a third installment of the R-rated comic book franchise at the start of Phase Six, Deadpool & Wolverine. This would mark the first official character of the Fox X-Men universe joining the MCU (although Patrick Stewart as a variant Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kinda counts too, we suppose).

In a post on his Instagram story, Ryan Reynolds also gave us a closer look at Cassandra Nova’s sling ring. It looks like two infinity stones, the Time Stone and the Reality Stone, might be appended to it. We guess we’ll have to wait and see just how that works.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s latest teaser trailer brings yet another new Deadpool into the mix. This time it’s Lady Deadpool.

We can’t wait to find out who will be playing this red-clad gal. Additionally, Cowboy Deadpool also makes an appearance.

Here is everything we know so far about Deadpool & Wolverine.

Title

Thanks to a Super Bowl trailer (check it out below!), we know that this film, formerly called Deadpool 3, is actually Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Plot

The plot of Deadpool & Wolverine remains a mystery. All we know is that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, and that it takes place before the feral X-Man’s death in Logan. In fact, Jackman has confirmed that time travel will be involved in the threequel in a big way.

While originally, Deadpool & Wolverine was called Deadpool 3, director Shawn Levy wants to make sure fans understand that the title change is not just cosmetic. Levy notes to Screen Rant:

As far as crafting the Deadpool & Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles. It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.

As most folks know by now, Deadpool’s third solo film will reunite him with his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star. Deadpool and Wolverine will work together, although they have made it very clear that these two characters “hate each other.” It will not be a love-fest in this story. But the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine is smack in the middle of the Multiverse Saga should give us all a clue as to what’s going to go down, and probable multiversal shenanigans will ensue.

Dogpool, of course, will also star.

Make sure to follow him on Instagram.

We also now know what Deadpool & Wolverine‘s new official logo looks like thanks to a fun poster.

Deadpool & Wolverine will, of course, be the first R-rated movie in the MCU. And that means it’s not pulling any punches. In fact, its latest official synopsis drops two F-bombs. Let’s take a look:

Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date—Deadpool & Wolverine. A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to—Fuck. Synopses are so fucking stupid.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Cast

We know Hugh Jackman will return, along with the very obvious Ryan Reynolds. Here’s who else we know about: Karan Soni, cab driver Dopinder, Leslie Uggams, Emma Corrin, and Matthew Macfadyen. In exciting news, Morena Baccarin and Stefan Kapicic are reprising their roles as Vanessa and Colossus in Deadpool & Wolverine. So are Rob Delaney’s Peter, Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), and Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio). Jennifer Garner’s Elektra from the 2003 Daredevil Marvel Fox movie is also reported to reprise her role in this MCU film.

Behind the Scenes

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s director for this third outing will be Shawn Levy, most recently known for his work on Stranger Things. This would be a reunion for Levy and Reynolds, as the pair previously worked together on the movie Free Guy. Levy is also known for the time travel movie The Adam Project.

On the writing side of things are Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, writers for the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers. The writers for the first two Deadpool films, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are also contributing to movie number three’s screenplay, as is Ryan Reynolds himself.

Deadpool & Wolverine Release Date

Deadpool & Wolverine will arrive on July 26, 2024.

Originally published on January 4, 2023.

The post Are Those Infinity Stones on Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring From DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE? appeared first on Nerdist.

In 2021, the animated series Arcane, based on the popular video game League of Legends, debuted on Netflix, and fans and critics went wild. As is the case with many series that debuted on a streaming service, it was denied a physical media release. Until now, that is. The series will finally get a definitive, limited-run Collector’s Edition, 4K UHD, and a Standard Edition SteelBook Editions. There’s also a Blu-Ray Standard Edition, and on Digital Download-to-Own. All editions are currently available for preorder.

So what can Arcane fans expect? The limited-run Collector’s Edition is presented in a rigid clamshell box featuring original artwork. It contains all nine episodes presented in 4K resolution, mastered in Dolby Vision HDR. The edition also contains all episodes on standard Blu-ray discs. In addition to the full series, the set also has brand new exclusives to the Collector’s Edition.

This includes a double-sided poster featuring artwork from Piltover’s “Progress Day.” It features one side defaced by Jinx, six art cards with Powder’s illustrations, Caitlyn Kiramann’s map of Piltover, and an expansive dice set containing a Hexcore-inspired d20 die, seven liquid core resin dice inspired by Hex crystals, a protective pouch and decorative dice box. This set is limited to 6500 copies for North America.

The 4K UHD SteelBook features a stunning Jinx-themed outer package, containing the full nine-episode series presented across three 4K UHD discs. There’s also an additional Blu-ray disc containing over three hours of bonus features. The Standard SteelBook edition arrives in a Vi-themed outer package, containing the same nine-episode series and the same accompanying bonus features across three discs.

Click To View Gallery

The Standard Blu-ray edition presents the series and bonus features across three Blu-ray discs. Both versions of the SteelBook edition and the standard Blu-ray edition drop on October 8, 2024 from Shout! Studios. Bonus features on all physical editions include exclusive conversations with key creative talent and writers. Also, numerous scene breakdowns from the animation staff at studio Fortiche, “making-of” videos, and more. Arcane will be available in North America starting September 24, 2024 on digital download-to-own platforms.

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“In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night. No evil shall escape my sight.” The Green Lantern, the protector of Space Sector 2814, has said that oath for decades. As a character, Green Lantern has been a mainstay of DC Comics since 1940, with many different heroes wielding the emerald Power Ring. Soon, DC Studios will tackle a Green Lantern TV series for HBO, simply called Lanterns. So now is the perfect time to take a deep dive into the many decades of Green Lantern comics from DC. And to help you choose, we present to you the ten greatest Green Lantern comic book runs of all time.

10. The Green Lantern

by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp

Grant Morrison is one of the greatest writers in modern comic book history, having written definitive runs for DC’s Superman, Batman, Justice League, and Wonder Woman. While we can’t say their Green Lantern run is a truly definitive run for the character, it definitely contained many interesting moments. In 2018, Morrison took on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, for a new ongoing series simply called The Green Lantern. The intricately detailed artwork for almost the entire run was provided by UK artist Liam Sharp, doing some career-best work.

Morrison, in their usual way, wanted to get weird with it. They focused more on Hal Jordan than the cast of thousands of the previous few years of GL mythos. In Morrison’s portrayal, Hal Jordan is an ordinary guy, just one whose mind expanded after years of experiencing cosmic incidents, death, and rebirth. Not everything lands in this run, as sometimes Morrison gets too esoteric for their own good for a Green Lantern title. But some of the ideas, and especially Sharp’s artwork, make this one to check out if you love Green Lantern.

Issues in Grant Morrison’s Green Lantern Run:

The Green Lantern #1-18, Blackstars #1-3 (2018-2021)

9. Green Lantern War Journal

by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos

Even though he’s DC’s first African American superhero, there are too few instances where John Stewart headlined a solo Green Lantern title. The first time was the short-lived, yet weird and brilliant Green Lantern: Mosaic back in 1992. But in 2023, DC gave John another shot at a solo ongoing title, in the excellent Green Lantern: War Journal series. This book comes from the creative team of writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, and artist Montos.

This series featured John Stewart attempting a quiet life on Earth, hoping to retire from the hero car. But soon, John is forced to wear the Power Ring once more when a deadly mystery emerges. This series reconciles the contradicting versions of the character. Was he the idealistic architect from the ‘70s, or the hard-nosed Marine from the 2000s era Justice League cartoons? Well, why not both? Sadly, this book is ending after just 12 issues this year. Yet the 11 issues we did get so far were pretty fantastic and worth your time.

Issues in Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos’ Green Lantern War Journal Run:

Green Lantern War Journal #1-12 (2023-2024)

8. Green Lantern Corps (vol. 1)

by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton

In the early ‘80s, Green Lantern comics were stuck in a rut. Hal had left Green Arrow behind and became a solo act after a decade. Yet aside from the back-up Tales of the Green Lantern Corps from a young Alan Moore, nothing about Green Lantern as a comic was very exciting anymore. DC decided to retire Hal and replace him with John Stewart for an extended period, and later Guy Gardner. But even that didn’t increase sales significantly. So with the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC decided to change things up big time. Green Lantern would become a superhero team book.

With issue #201, Green Lantern became Green Lantern Corps. On writing duties was Avengers and Batman veteran Steve Englehart, with stylized art by Joe Staton. After the events of Crisis, the Guardians departed this reality, leaving their Corps members to chart their own destinies, abolishing space sectors. A group of Lanterns led by Hal Jordan became a team, including John Stewart, his alien wife Katma Tui, Guy Garnder, the alien chipmunk GL named Ch’p, and a brand new Lantern named Kilowog, who would become a fan-favorite. This run proved the GLC as a team book could work, even if the series only lasted 24 issues. For some reason, this series isn’t collected today, an oversight DC should correct right away.

Issues in Steve Englehart and Joe Staton’s Green Lantern Corps Run:

Green Lantern Corps vol. 1 #201-224 (1986-1988)

7. Far Sector

by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell

This limited series was written by sci-fi author N.K. Jemisin, and illustrated by Jamal Campbell. It focused on an entirely brand new hero, the Green Lantern Sojourner  “Jo” Mullein. And yes, she’s another Green Lantern from Earth (really, that’s like ten Earth Lanterns now. Enough DC!) A former military officer and ex-cop, Jo has been recruited by the Guardians of the Universe to keep the peace on a planet in the furthest known reaches of known space. She even uses a special Power Ring that slowly recharges on its own instead of needing to recharge with a battery.

The story of Far Sector starts as Jo Mullein becomes a cosmic detective, investigating the first murder victim in 500 years on a distant world. Unlike most G.L. stories, Far Sector actually remembers that the Green Lantern Corps aren’t really space soldiers, they’re actually space police. And in space and on Earth, policing, and what it means to those with no power, creates complications. This is a relatively recent series, released in 2020. But it’s a fantastic standalone story that deserves a lot more attention. Thankfully, Sojourner  “Jo” Mullein has since been incorporated into the larger DC Universe.

Issues in N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell’s Far Sector Run:

Far Sector #1-12, 2020-2022

6. Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn

by James Owsley, Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones, and M.D. Bright

After the end of the Green Lantern Corps, there were only two Green Lanterns on Earth again—Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Guy was in the popular Justice League International series, but Hal Jordan, the OG, was without a home. So in 1989, DC decided to give Hal Jordan’s origin story a modern, post-Crisis update, with the limited series Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn. It was a testing ground to see if Hal was popular enough to headline an ongoing series again. The book, by writers James Owsley, Keith Giffen, and Gerard Jones, with art by M.D. Bright, was an instant hit, spawning an immediate sequel, and eventually a new ongoing series.

This six-issue mini-series added important new elements to Hal’s backstory, like the fact that he wasn’t all that perfect and upstanding before becoming a Lantern anymore, struggling with many personal issues before Abin Sur’s Power Ring chose him. These problems included prison time for a car accident that he caused while under the influence. Emerald Dawn also introduced the idea that future arch-villain Sinestro was Hal’s trainer as a GL, something that remains a facet of his story to this day. The art by the late M.D. Bright is the right mix of modern and classic, making this still a fun read today.

We should note that one of the three writers on Emerald Dawn, Gerard Jones, is a convicted criminal charged with fairly horrible crimes, which is likely why the series has remained out of print.

Issues in Keith Giffen, James Owsley, Gerard Jones, and M.D. Bright’s Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn Run:

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn #1-6 (1989-1990), Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II (1991)

5. Green Lantern (vol. 2)

by John Broome, Gardner Fox, and Gil Kane

The foundation for everything we know and love about the Green Lantern mythology is firmly rooted in the Silver Age stories of writers John Broome, Gardner Fox, and artist Gil Kane. Yes, a Golden Age Green Lantern existed before during WWII, Alan Scott. Yet it was these 1960s stories that defined who and what Green Lantern really is as a concept for the rest of time. In 1959’s anthology title Showcase #22, they took the name Green Lantern and built a whole new sci-fi mythology around it. With a new lead hero, Hal Jordan, rooted in the Atomic Age space race of the day, Green Lantern as a series was much better on the second try.

During this iconic Silver Age Green Lantern run, they not only introduced Hal Jordan. They also introduced the entire Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians of the Universe, Sinestro, and so many other concepts that remain to this day. Yes, the characterizations of the characters are often bland and one-note. There’s an undeniable goofiness to it all. That was just the era. Not to mention, Hal’s adventures and adversaries are way too Earth-bound during this time. But the imaginative storytelling and Gil Kane art will win you over. Even if it would take a later generation of writers to truly make Green Lantern great.

Issues in John Broome, Gardner Fox, and Gil Kane’s Green Lantern Run:

Showcase #22-24, Green Lantern vol. 2 #1-60 (1959-1960)

4. Green Lantern Corps

by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Everyone cites Geoff Johns’ epic run on Green Lantern as peak superhero storytelling. As well they should. But during the Johns era, the companion Green Lantern Corps ongoing series from writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason was often just as good—sometimes even better—than the flagship book. After the successful Green Lantern Corps: Recharge mini-series, DC took a chance on an ongoing GLC series again. This series almost totally takes place in space, with Honor Guard Lanterns John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, and others taking center stage.

In addition to the Earth Lanterns, exciting new characters like Sinestro’s replacement GL, Soranik Natu, were introduced in this series. When Green Lantern Corps was read simultaneously with Johns’ main Green Lantern title, it all felt like one epically large cosmic story when read together. Although Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons wrote the first couple of arcs, Peter J. Tomasi takes over for most of the rest of the run. Throughout all of this, you get the gorgeous artwork of Patrick Gleason. That alone makes this run an all-timer.

Issues in Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Green Lantern Corps Run:

Green Lantern Corps vol. 2 #1-47 (2006-2010),

3. Green Lantern/Green Arrow

by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams

By the end of the Silver Age, American comics were changing. More college kids than elementary school children were reading them. The stories themselves started to deal with more mature subjects and complex characterizations—especially at DC’s rival Marvel Comics. So in 1970, DC tasked young writer/artist duo Dennis O’Neil and Neil Adams, who also reinvented Batman, with reinventing Green Lantern as a socially relevant series. And they brought on Green Arrow as a co-lead, creating one of the comics’ best bromances. Green Lantern officially changed to Green Lantern/Green Arrow with issue #76.

During O’Neil and Adams’ “Hard Travellin’ Heroes” run, Hal Jordan represented conservative, establishment America. Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow was recreated as an almost hippy, hyper-leftist superhero. The two were oil and water, and they traveled America facing the issues of the day, like racism and drug abuse. Even Manson-like cults! Sometimes the writing was a bit preachy and on the nose, but the artwork and dynamic storytelling from O’Neil and Adams always sold it. This run saw the introduction of John Stewart, another reason it’s a milestone series. Hal and Ollie would remain partners for the entire ‘70s. Yet it was the O’Neil/Adams run that is the gold standard, even still.

Issues in Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ Green Lantern/Green Arrow Run:

Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76-89 (1970-1972)

2. Green Lantern (Vol. 3)

by Ron Marz and Daryl Banks, Paul Pelletier

In 1994, the comic book industry took a giant hit when the so-called comic book crash happened. Sales on once-popular franchises like Green Lantern, which a couple of years prior had three titles and a quarterly, were in freefall. So DC gambled. As a result of events during their Death and Return of Superman storyline, Hal Jordan lost his marbles, killed what remained of the GL Corps, and became the villain Parallax. All in the mere span of 3 issues. Only one power ring remained, and it went to a twenty-something slacker in a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt. And with that, Green Lantern was reborn.

In 1994’s Green Lantern #50, the last Guardian of the Universe gave out-of-work artist Kyle Rayner the last Power Ring, and he shaped himself into the universe’s last Green Lantern. A total 180 from Hal Jordan, Kyle was more like the readers—young, relatable, and more interested in art than airplanes. Ron Marz took on writing chores with Daryl Banks on pencils, and together they created a hero for the ‘90s that remains a fan favorite. Kyle had Spider-Man levels of average-guy superhero soap opera, all while trying to live up to a legendary legacy. Marz wrote the first issues, during much of which Green Lantern was once again a backbone of DC’s publishing line. Hal returned a decade later, but Kyle’s run as GL is undeniable.

Issues in Ron Marz’s Green Lantern Run:

Green Lantern vol. 3 #48-125 (1994-2000)

1. Green Lantern (vol. 4, vol. 5)

by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver, Doug Mahnke

When it comes to Green Lantern comic book runs, few would argue that writer Geoff Johns‘ nearly ten-year run on the title is the GOAT. When Johns came on board for GL in 2004, the character was in a downturn. Kyle Rayner was still the main Lantern, but the series had lost steam after a decade. Especially without Rayner’s creator Ron Marz at the helm. Hal Jordan had gone from villain to dead to the ghostly hero the Spectre. The Corps was disbanded. It was a bit of a broken franchise. Writer Geoff Johns fixed all that almost overnight, starting with the blockbuster mini-series Green Lantern: Rebirth.

In Green Lantern: Rebirth, Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver re-energized the series by bringing Hal Jordan back from the dead, as well as his main rival Sinestro. They also created a plausible explanation for Hal’s turn to the dark side a decade earlier, creating the fear entity Parallax, which we learned possessed Hal. During the Johns run, alongside artists like Ivan Reis and Doug Mahnke, they expanded the Green Lantern mythology like no ever had before. Together, they created some of the best ongoing superhero yarn-spinning of the last few decades.

During his tenure, Johns created the Sinestro Corps, introduced the concepts of the Emotional Spectrum, the other colored Lantern Corps, like the rage-fueled Red Lanterns, the Third Army, and maybe the peak of the franchise, Blackest Night. This mini-series introduced the zombie-like Black Lantern Corps, made up of the animated corpses of dead DC characters. Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern was so epic, that no writer since has ever been able to top it. For a brief time, Geoff Johns turned Green Lantern into DC’s second-biggest franchise after Batman. And it will be a long time before its light goes out in the hearts of fandom.

Issues in Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern Run:

Green Lantern: Rebirth #1–6 (2004–2005), Green Lantern vol. 4 #1–67 (2005–2011) Green Lantern vol. 5 #0–20 (2011–2013) Blackest Night #0-9 (2009-2010)

The post The 10 Greatest Green Lantern Comic Book Runs, Ranked appeared first on Nerdist.

Alas, although it’s been a heyday for gaming series adaptations, with shows like Fallout and The Last of Us making a huge impression on audiences, one gaming adaptation won’t be moving forward. Paramount+’s Halo series has been canceled after two seasons.

Paramount+ shared of Halo‘s cancellation: “We are extremely proud of this ambitious series and would like to thank our partners at Xbox, 343 Industries and Amblin Television, along with showrunner and executive producer David Wiener, his fellow executive producers, the entire cast led by Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and the amazing crew for all their outstanding work… We wish everyone the best going forward.”

The path to the now-canceled Halo adaptation series was not an easy one. The show went through many iterations and changes in direction before finally premiering on Paramount+ in 2021. Ultimately, the reception of the show was not very positive. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s producers will attempt to pursue a third season of Halo on a different platform. We wish fans of the Halo series luck in un-canceling it and finding it a new home!

The post HALO Series Is Canceled at Paramount+  appeared first on Nerdist.

We all have to know our worth. And Netflix certainly knows theirs. They’re not closed to joining certain kind of bundles, but they won’t be entering into a streaming bundle with fellow streamers Disney+ or Max. And that’s because Netflix simply doesn’t need to join a group of its peers. According to the platform, Netflix won’t be bundling with other streamers because “Netflix already operates as a go-to destination for entertainment.” Alright Netflix, tell us how you really feel!

Recently, we’ve seen streaming bundles become more mainstream. On the one hand, we saw a Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle come into being. And on the other, we saw Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+ join forces to create a streaming bundle of their own. But don’t expect Netflix to appear in any of these.

Netflix shares in a letter to shareholders that it will join a bundle with device and operator partners, which “mak[e] it simple for people to discover, sign-up, use and pay for Netflix.” And “In turn, our device and operator partners benefit through increased device sales from consumers seeking devices integrated with Netflix and greater customer acquisition and higher retention as well as the opportunity to upsell higher value data or content packages.” However, Netflix will not soon enter into a streaming bundle agreement with its peers.

The streamer shares, “We haven’t bundled Netflix solely with other streamers like Disney+ or Max because Netflix already operates as a go-to destination for entertainment thanks to the breadth and variety of our slate and superior product experience. This has driven industry-leading penetration, engagement and retention for us, which limits the benefit to Netflix of bundling directly with other streamers.”

Shots fired! Apparently, Netflix specifically called out the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle in its statement. It’s definitely a bold statement to make. We’ll see if Netflix maintains this position as the streaming industry continues to oscillate.

The post Netflix Won’t Bundle with Other Streamers Since ‘It Is Already a Go-To Destination’ appeared first on Nerdist.

The world was in a much different place when Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, made his comic book debut in The New Mutants in 1990. The first of two Bushes was President, Nirvana had yet to release Nevermind, and the only superheroes who had movies were Superman and Batman. It took many years and a whole lot of writers and artists, but eventually, Deadpool rose the ranks to become a genuine superstar in the vast canon that is the Marvel Universe. 

Today, you can’t walk around the mall (if there’s still one open near you) and not see Deadpool somewhere. The Merc with the Mouth is a serious pop culture icon, his red and black mask plastered onto t-shirts, hoodies, Funko figures, and so much more. With not one, not two, but three theatrical movies under his belt, one could argue Deadpool is as big as Mickey Mouse.

In the world of comic books, dozens of brilliant comics writers have shaped Deadpool into the wisecracking, chimichanga-munching anti-hero we know him to be. While Ryan Reynolds tears up the screen yet again as Deadpool in the new Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s high time to look back at some of the all-time greatest Deadpool comic runs. Whether you’re a completionist looking to curate the perfect library or a newbie still dipping a toe into comics, or someone in between, this list is for you if you need a little Deadpool in your life. (Don’t we all?)

9. Deadpool by Mark Waid

Deadpool’s metamorphosis into the wisecracking, fourth wall-breaking mercenary we know him now was a slower evolution than you might think. Revisit his debut in The New Mutants and early X-Force appearances and you’ll find a different Wade Wilson than you know today. This isn’t to say Deadpool wasn’t a blabbermouth back then, but his personality hardly stood out from the other hard-edged mutants he was pitted against. After the mild success of his first solo mini, Deadpool: The Circle Chase by Fabian Nicieza and Joe Madureira, there came a second miniseries that has flown under the radar since its 1994 publication, simply titled Deadpool by writer Mark Waid (with art by Ian Churchill, Jason Temujin Minor, and Bud LaRosa). 

While it lasts just four issues, Waid – who was in the midst of a hot streak at the time, with titles like The Flash and later Kingdom Come at DC – strikes a fine balance between dark, edgy machismo with Deadpool’s developing humor. The story isn’t much to write home about; Deadpool’s favorite bar gets wrecked, and so the Merc teams with mutants like Siryn and Banshee for payback all while his healing factor malfunctions. But the visual art is peak ’90s maximalism, combined with a dash of Waid’s belief that Deadpool will get what’s coming to him – or so Waid thought. In a 1997 interview with Wizard, Waid later expressed regret writing the series, saying: “Someone who hasn’t paid for their crimes presents a problem for me.”

8. Hawkeye vs. Deadpool by Gerry Duggan

You’ll pardon the awkward numbering of the five-issue miniseries Hawkeye vs. Deadpool, which begins with issue #0 and ends with issue #4. But this delightful action-comedy romp splatters the walls with hilarious bits that really put the “comic” in comic books. Beginning on Halloween night, Deadpool runs into Hawkeye, with the two quickly teaming up to investigate a murder mystery involving a dead body and a strange USB drive. (It makes a curious case of the word “vs.” in the title, to be frank.) 

Continuity-wise, the miniseries intersects with Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s monthly Deadpool (including a gut-busting cameo from the ghost of Ben Franklin, originating from the first story arc). It also in a lot of ways acts as a spiritual continuation of Matt Fraction’s acclaimed Hawkeye. But Hawkeye vs. Deadpool is so fast-paced and such a fun read that you don’t need to read anything else even if you’re a dedicated completionist. If you need to kill a single afternoon and want to split your sides, Hawkeye vs. Deadpool is a real bullseye.

7. Black Panther vs. Deadpool by Daniel Kibbelsmith

When Marvel’s Black Panther grossed billions at the box office in 2018, everything about him exuded untouchable royalty. But only a transgressive, innocently offensive character like Deadpool could dare scratch the king of Wakanda. From writer Daniel Kibbelsmith, the five-issue crossover miniseries Black Panther vs. Deadpool wholly banks on the oddball novelty of its marquee characters duking it out.

After Deadpool’s efforts to save Brooklyn from a Z-list villain results in collateral damage, Deadpool embarks on an urgent mission to Wakanda to retrieve precious Vibranium in order to save a life. While Deadpool politely asks T’Challa at first, the noble Black Panther rebuffs him, leading the two to put claws to katanas. With former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer Kibbelsmith at the helm, Black Panther vs. Deadpool is a propulsive read. It’s a breezy collision of action and comedy in a showdown no Marvel fan knew they wanted until now. The visual art matches the manic energy of the miniseries, with both Deadpool and Black Panther looking especially feral in jagged and slanted lines. 

6. Deadpool by Joe Kelly

If you want the origins of Deadpool, the character, read The New Mutants. If you want the origins of Deadpool, the satirical and determined jester in red spandex who takes on life one katana swing at a time, read Deadpool by Joe Kelly. 

After establishing himself at Marvel on works like Fantastic Four 2099, Joe Kelly embarked on his first monthly assignment: a new Deadpool series in 1997. This very lengthy run gave us most of the hallmarks fans associate Deadpool with today: the breaking of the fourth wall, the abundant pop culture references, even Deadpool’s annoyance factor that gives everyone else in the Marvel Universe a headache. (Wanna see Deadpool reference Street Fighter and uppercut Kitty Pryde while screaming “Shoryuken”? That’s issue #27.) 

But past all the juvenile humor is the pathos of a lonely soul who bounces around like an unwanted pinball. Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza shaped Deadpool out of clay, but it was Joe Kelly who gave him a lasting presence. After Kelly’s run on the ’97 Deadpool ended with issue #33, with the series taken over by Christopher Priest (whose run is less acclaimed but no less interesting) and then a series of other freelance scribes before Gail Simone took the series home to – and Deadpool would giggle at this – issue #69.

Issues in Joe Kelly’s run: Deadpool #-1 (flashback one-shot published after issue #6), Deadpool #0, Deadpool #1-33, Annual Deadpool & Daredevil ’97, Annual Deadpool & Death ’98

5. Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender

Deadpool has never been much of a team player. But that all changed in Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force, a continuation of the 2008 X-Force by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. Remender’s story picks up after Cyclops shuts down X-Force, with Wolverine covertly keeping operations running as X-Force leader. This new iteration of X-Force consists of Psylocke, Fantomex, Archangel, and Deadpool, who all adopt an incredibly sick black and white uniform color scheme. (Honestly, more superhero teams should adopt unified colors like pro sports.)

Deadpool maintains his rep as a jokester, but Uncanny X-Force turns down the volume on his obnoxiousness to suit the series’ overall serious tone. This doesn’t mean Deadpool takes it easy on Apocalypse, mind you. But Uncanny X-Force isn’t Deadpool’s show to steal, as the Merc lets his pal Wolverine and the more enigmatic Fantomex take up more attention as the series’ main protagonists. Between its gorgeous art and strong character-oriented writing, Uncanny X-Force is not just a great Deadpool title but a great X-Men-adjacent title overall.

4. Deadpool: Bad Blood by Rob Liefeld

Say what you want about Rob Liefeld. When you read a Deadpool comic written by Liefeld, it’s like watching a Terminator flick directed by James Cameron: Nothing beats a proven creator working on their most famous creation.   

In 2017, the popular if also divisive comics legend got the greenlight for Deadpool: Bad Blood, an entire Deadpool graphic novel. (Along for the ride are writers Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, and artists Romulo Fajaroo Jr. and Joe Sabino.) The contained series introduces a new nemesis for Deadpool, a thick brawler named Thumper whose past connections to Wade Wilson run deeper than most others in the Marvel Universe. Conceptually a celebration of Deadpool’s early history as seen through Liefeld – including a “reunion” of the original X-Force, albeit in flashback – Deadpool: Bad Blood has all the hallmarks of ’90s era Deadpool with modern touches. The awkward bodily anatomies and aggro aesthetic ain’t a bug baby. They’re all features.

3. Spider-Man/Deadpool 

2016 was a great year for Spider-Man and Deadpool. That year, Ryan Reynolds starred in the box office smash Deadpool, an R-rated party at the theater that fans waited for literal years to happen. Shortly after that, Tom Holland swung into his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. So it was excellent timing when Marvel published that same year Spider-Man/Deadpool #1, the first of an epic 50-issue series in which the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler puts up with the decidedly unfriendly assassin.

But while Spider-Man/Deadpool could have rested on its laurels with its A-list characters, the series’ revolving door of top tier writers were not content with mediocrity. Starting with veteran Deadpool writer Joe Kelly, Spider-Man/Deadpool relishes in the unabashed fun of a mismatched pair like Spidey and DP before further exploring what these characters mean to each other. For Spider-Man, he learns to see the person behind the violence and the humor; for Deadpool, he aspires to hold himself to a higher standard of costumed crime fighter. (Also: The series coincides with Peter Parker’s role of CEO of Parker Industries, so Deadpool’s interference of Spidey’s daily routine often gets extra funny.)

Whether it’s roasting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (issue #6), running into Penn & Teller (issue #11), or speculating their elderly future in the multi-part arc “Oldies,” Spider-Man/Deadpool makes the absolute most of their unstoppable leads. In addition to Kelly, the series also sees writers like Scott Aukerman, Gerry Duggan, Paul Scheer, and Robbie Thompson take a swing at writing the delirious duo. 

2. Cable & Deadpool by Fabian Nicieza

Sometimes, sequels really are better than the originals. After both Deadpool and Cable’s solo titles were canceled, these two gun-toting mutants joined forces to star in Cable & Deadpool, easily one of the best mainstream superhero comics of the 2000s. Written by Fabian Nicieza (with artist Reilly Brown scripting the final two issues), Cable & Deadpool is quintessential 2000s superhero bombast with the distinct vibe of a classic buddy action movie. 

The story starts with Cable determined to use his powers to change the world for the better only to wind up before Deadpool, who is hired by a cult to steal a virus that will uniformly turn everyone’s skin color on Earth blue. Eventually, Cable and Deadpool obtain the power of teleportation, with the utterly ingenious caveat being that whenever it’s used, they both teleport. From there, Cable and Deadpool become an unlikely but dynamic pair – plus a later addition in Bob, Agent of Hydra – who come face to face with everyone in the Marvel Universe, from the Fantastic Four to the Avengers to the then-married power couple of Black Panther and Storm.

Cable & Deadpool sports an array of different artists, all of whom bring to the table their own individual styles. That said, there is a pretty criminal overuse in digital airbrushing, as well as an overall aesthetic you could describe as “American manga” (a strange phenomenon unique to the mid-aughts, when anime was still in the midst of discovery by the American mainstream). But no matter how it looks, Cable & Deadpool is a delight from page to page, and proof that the end of one thing is always the start of something new.

1. Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn

As the dust settled on Avengers vs. X-Men, Marvel kicked off a new publishing initiative dubbed Marvel NOW. Among its biggest titles was a brand new monthly Deadpool series, co-written by veteran scribe Gerry Duggan and comedian Brian Posehn. 

Once again bearing the simple title of Deadpool, the series restored a lot of lost glory for the Merc with the Mouth, following Deadpool figuring his place in the wider Marvel Universe and enduring shocking revelations along the way. Minor spoilers, but at one point Deadpool meets his biological daughter, an adorable li’l mutant named Ellie Camacho.

The starting arc of Duggan/Posehn’s Deadpool is a doozy, in which an amateur sorcerer brings back the souls of dead U.S. presidents in hopes of – ahem, making America great again. (This came out in 2013, by the way.) While that first arc is divisive, the rest of the series is peak Deadpool, a masterful balance of DP’s antics and outrageous challenges with profound emotional angst. Across 45 issues, Duggan and Posehn’s Deadpool is the platonic ideal for anyone looking for a good time that goes for a long time.

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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.

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Twelve years ago, DC Comics made the boldest publishing move in its history with the New 52 relaunch. That relaunch/reboot, while initially successful, ended up as a missed opportunity. Now, DC Comics is looking to start a new publishing initiative again with DC All In, only this time, they’ve seemingly learned from the mistakes of the past. The classic DC universe will remain, with a new, edgier universe existing alongside it. This was all announced by DC writers Joshua Williamson (Superman) and Scott Snyder (Batman, Dark Nights Metal) in a special announcement video, which you view below:

Snyder is part of what they are calling “Absolute DC.” This will be an adjacent universe featuring reimagined takes on DC’s biggest characters, starting with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. This resembles Marvel’s Ultimate Comics line from the early 2000s. Snyder himself will write Absolute Batman, which looks to feature the most jacked-up Dark Knight we’ve ever seen. Unlike the New 52, this new universe will coexist alongside the current DC Universe, which will continue with new creative teams or new storylines for their existing titles. The classic universe will not get a reboot again.

Another difference from Marvel’s Ultimate line is that while the DC Absolute titles will be their own universe, they will tie-in to a greater storyline connected back to the classic DCU involving Darkseid. As Snyder explained, the main DC Universe is a world predicated on “Superman energy.” This was something made explicit in the mini-series Doomsday Clock. Meanwhile, the Absolute Universe is a “wild world” composed of “Darkseid energy.” Certainly, the looks of the Absolute versions of the DC trinity look much darker and edgier. The heroes of this new universe will be underdogs. They’ll have to be “tougher and more resourceful” than their counterparts, according to Snyder.

Absolute Batman

This series is written by Batman legend Scott Snyder, featuring art by Nick Dragotta. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers on Wednesday, October 9.

Absolute Wonder Woman

For Diana, there is no island paradise, no sisterhood to shape her, nor a mission of peace. So what is the purpose of an Amazon warrior in this new universe? Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and breakout artist Hayden Sherman reinvent her from the ground up in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, on sale October 23.

Absolute Superman

Writer Jason Aaron (Thor) and artist Rafa Sandoval join forces to present a new Man of Steel with the launch of Absolute Superman #1. This Superman has no family, no Fortress of Solitude, and no home. Will he still stand for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in this new universe? Readers can find out when Absolute Superman #1 hits participating comic book shops on November 6.

DC Universe Ongoing Series

All of this begins in October, with the DC All-In Special. The special will be an 80-page flip book. It contains one side drawn by Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampere, and the other by artist Wes Craig. The other side of the book will be from the point of view of Darkseid. The seeds for all of this will begin in DC’s current summer crossover event, Absolute Power. The special will reintroduce Darkseid “As he should be, the greatest villain of the DC Universe,” according to Snyder. This will culminate in the much-anticipated return of a new Justice League, formed by Superman. The regular ongoing DC titles will get new creative teams, or new jumping on points for fans. Arriving first in October are the following:

Superman

Superstar artist Dan Mora joins Joshua Williamson in a new story arc spinning out of Absolute Power. One of Superman’s most lethal enemies returns. The Man of Steel and Superwoman (Lois Lane) must now deal with the return of the rampaging Doomsday. But how long will Lois’s newfound powers last? And as if Doomsday isn’t trouble enough, another one of Superman’s greatest enemies lurks in the shadows: the Time Trapper.

Action Comics

Another one of DC’s foundational titles goes weekly beginning in October! “Death of the Phantom Zone” spins directly out of Absolute Power and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. Writer Mark Waid and artist Clayton Henry plunge Superman into the Phantom Zone to prevent an otherworldly horror from laying waste to Metropolis. In the second story, “Supergirl: Universe End,” Eisner Award winner and Zatanna: Bring Down the House writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Skylar Patridge take Supergirl to the farthest reaches of space. All in pursuit of a mysterious threat only she can handle.

Batman

Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, and Carmine Di Giandomenico are back with a vengeance with a new story arc, “The Dying City. It features an unexpected turn from the Riddler, a mysterious new superhero named Commander Star, and the shocking murder of one of Gotham City’s greatest citizens. Batman ships twice monthly in October.

Detective Comics

Following “Gotham Nocturne,” another of DC’s most historic titles gets a new creative team in the form of superstars Tom Taylor (Nightwing) and Mikel Janín, and a new story arc, “Mercy of the Father.” Years after the tragic murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, a ghost from Gotham City’s past has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. This story will result in major changes for the Dark Knight, and things may never be the same again.

Expect more announcements for new creative teams for the classic ongoing DC titles at Comic-Con, as well as for the new series in the Absolute line.

Originally published July 17, 2024.

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The Acolyte takes place during the High Republic Era, the “golden age of the Jedi Order.” Star Wars fans know that time period is followed by total darkness. A century later, the Sith will emerge from the shadows, slaughter their ancient enemy, and rule the galaxy far, far away. Jedi hubris during the Clone Wars will help make their downfall possible. But now, we’ve seen firsthand how the Order could have avoided their own destruction long before Sheev Palpatine even become a Sith apprentice. The Acolyte‘s Senator Rayencourt saw something the Jedi couldn’t: their own flaws. And if they had accepted the kind of oversight we know the Order so desperately needed, its golden era might have never ended.

Master Vernestra spent season one of The Acolyte trying to hide a terrible truth from the Galactic Senate. She did not want any outsiders—even the elected officials whom the Jedi were supposed to answer to—to learn about the murder of their own kind by an unauthorized Force user trained by a former Jedi Padawan. Vernesra and her colleagues didn’t even tell their own High Council what was happening, because the Jedi governing body made up of the wisest, most experiences Masters reported directly to the Senate.

Before Vernestra went to Brendok and learned the truth about what happened there, she spoke with the Order’s biggest critic, Senator Rayencourt. His name came up during the season because he was hoping the Galactic Senate would order an independent, external investigation into the Jedi. In his confrontational meeting with Vernestra he laid out his honest, unvarnished reason for questioning the Jedi.

“I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to control the uncontrollable,” he said. When Vernestra responded (without challenging anything else he said) she told him the Jedi don’t control the Force. That wasn’t what he meant. “Not the Force. Your emotions,” he said. “You project an image of goodness and restraint, but it’s only a matter of time before one of you you snaps. And when, not ‘if’ that happens, who will be strong enough to stop him?”

The specter of Anakin Skywalker hung over the entire scene. Everything Rayencourt said will happen. Anakin will be unable to control the very emotions the Jedi failed to teach him to command. His lack of restraint over fear, pain, and sadness, will overcome his goodness and he will snap. No one will be able to stop him when he does. Many will die. The Jedi will fall. Darkness will consume the entire galaxy.

Rayencourt could see that tragic fate coming even if the rest of the Senate could not. “The majority of my colleagues cannot imagine a galaxy without the Jedi, and I can understand why,” he said. “When you’re looking up to heroes you don’t have to face what’s right in front of you.” He’s right, and not just about the people who put their faith in the Jedi. It will be true of the Jedi themselves.

They will be so sure of their position, held for millennia, they will not see what’s right in front of them. Rather then serve as guardians of peace and justice for all, they will foolishly serve as generals in a war secretly led by a Sith Lord. Their unquestioned belief in their own abilities, in their own goodness, and in their own heroism will lead to their own fall. They will put themselves on a pedestal and never question why they’re up there. From their perch, lies will sound good. Wars will be justified. And a Sith will operate in the shadow they create.

It didn’t have to be that way and it shouldn’t have been. Rayencourt’s review could have brought to light the obvious issues with the Jedi Order, both the danger of its beliefs and its position in the galaxy. Unchecked power, even for those with “noble intentions,” will ultimately lead you astray. Especially when it requires you to deny the very thing that connects you to others: your emotions. Putting yourself above anyone will blind you to your own flaws. The longer those flaws go untreated the larger they grow and the more vulnerable you become.

The Jedi ruled for thousands of years, unaware their own shortcomings were getting larger with every generation. Eventually they stretched themselves so thin the Sith saw a chance to capitalize. And they were able to do so manipulating the very Senate the Jedi had kept in the dark.

Master Vernestra told terrible lies unbecoming a Jedi for what she thinks is a greater cause. She believes the Jedi, and only the Jedi, know what is best for themselves, and by extension the whole galaxy. Because Vernestra believed that she wanted to protect herself and her Order from the prying eyes of outsiders. If only she’d been willing to hear some hard truths she might have done just that.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who spent decades waiting for Darth Plagueis to show up. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Although Star Trek: Discovery will soon end with season five, a new live-action StarTrek series will arrive to replace it. After years of rumors, Paramount+ has officially announced a series order for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. This show will follow an all-new class of Starfleet cadets. And we’ll get to see students coming of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau will serve as co-showrunners. Gaia Violo wrote the series pilot. The series will begin production in 2024.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Series Casts Its New Cadets

In the latest piece of casting news for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the series has cast two new actors to play the role of cadets in the upcoming show. Karim Diané (One Of Us Is Lying) and Zoë Steiner (Significant Others) have joined Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. For now, all we know is that they play “cadets.”

The series also found three additional new cadets. Kerrice Brooks (My Old Ass), Bella Shepard (Wolf Pack) and George Hawkins (Tell Me Everything) will join Diané and Steiner to play the newest cadets in the Star Trek universe.

Right now, we don’t know any more about their individual characters than that. But since the series is all about “a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy,” we bet they’ll be very important. We can’t wait to learn more about these Starfleet Academy characters soon.

Paul Giamatti Joins Starfleet Academy as the Series’ Villain

Paul Giamatti has also come aboard the cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Giamatti will play Starfleet Academy‘s villain. A release shares, “Giamatti will play the season’s villain, a man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.” Very ominous indeed.

Giamatti will be a recurring guest star.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Casts Holly Hunter as Its Captain

In an exciting turn of events, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy revealed that it has cast Holly Hunter as the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. A release reiterates that, “The series will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy.”

Co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau share, “It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius. To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on STARFLEET ACADEMY is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of STAR TREK.”

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Synopsis

You can read the official description of the new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series right here:

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Paramount+ also released a special “recruitment announcement” from the legendary institution itself:

Admission is now open to Starfleet Academy! Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves.

The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!”

The mention of the Academy opening up for “the first time in over a century” suggests the new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series will be a spinoff of Discovery. We learned in recent seasons that because of a terrible galactic incident, the Federation was reduced to just a few worlds by the 32nd century. But by the end of Discovery season three, Starfleet began the climb back, and the Academy reopened.

Recently, Doug Jones seemed to confirm this, noting of a possible Star Trek return, “It would be a character by character, case by case, kind of a thing. Just as an actor in general, if I’m presented with a story I want to help tell, a character that I would really love to play, you know, it’s a case by case thing. So yeah, never say never, yes. And if Saru were to be invited back to another, let’s say Starfleet Academy, that’s the right timeline for him, he could do. I’m absolutely game to do so.”

Many fans crossed their fingers and hoped that Starfleet Academy might take place in the post-Picard timeline. We would have loved to see characters from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager as instructors. But it seems more likely we’ll see characters from Discovery instead. We do also hope the new Star Trek series won’t be completely Earthbound. It would be amazing to see cadets training on starships, as we did in The Wrath of Khan.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Release Date

Speaking to Collider, Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman shared Starfleet Academy is  “halfway through the writers room now” and preparing to film this summer. He additionally noted, “It could end up not airing until 2026. We don’t know. But by starting [shooting in late summer], just building the sets alone is a massive endeavor, then six months of shooting, then six to eight months of post.” The publication additionally notes, “While he confirmed they ‘haven’t started casting the kids,’ it sounds like some of the adult roles have already been filled.”

A recent article from Variety additionally notes that “this summer, the first Star Trek YA series, Starfleet Academy, will start production on the largest single set ever created for Star Trek on TV.” The article also describes “plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.” But rest assured, the article notes, there will be starships. Although since Starfleet Academy “is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.”

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will likely debut on Paramount+ sometime in 2024 or 2025, but we guess 2026 is also on the table.

Originally published on March 30, 2023.

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In space no one can hear you scream. But your cries of anguish definitely reverberate through a spaceship. That is if you’re even capable of screaming. That’s hard to do while a facehugger is using your throat to make you a human incubator. And that’s why so many unfortunate scavengers in Alien: Romulus won’t be able to call out for help when the meet the galaxy’s greatest terror. At least they won’t be able to until it’s too late. The horror-action film’s final trailer features a plethora of those iconic parasitic creatures running wild.

20th Century Studios describes Alien: Romulus as a film that takes the franchise “back to its roots.” Everything we’ve seen from it so far more than confirms that. This entry from writer-director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe), which takes place between the first and second film, looks and feels like those two entries.

But there also seems to be more going on here than just an “unlucky” encounter for some colonizers “scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.” They come “face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” Literally and often. Those facehuggers are everywhere. Why are there so many onboard in the first place? And what does that mean for this group’s already low survival chances? Probably not high considering what baby Xenomorphs grow into.

Alien: Romulus also comes from co-writer Rodo Sayagues (Don’t Breathe 2), with Ridley Scott serving as a producer. It stars: Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), David Jonsson (Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and newcomer Aileen Wu.

How many of them will escape with their lives and how many of them will see a baby Xenomorph escape from their chest? We’ll find out when we hear their screams later this summer. Alien: Romulus flies into theaters on August 16, 2024.

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The full details of what fans can expect from their favorite nerdy brands at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con are still trickling out. But if you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to see what surprises LEGO has in store, as we are at Nerdist, some tantalizing hints are already available to start building your excitement. From two exciting panels to a LEGO Marvel experience, here are the first tastes of LEGO’s presence at SDCC. Make sure to snap them into your schedule if you’re heading to the con or prepare to tune in on social media at home!

LEGO NINJAGO: Dragons Rising Continues Panel on Thursday at SDCC

LEGO plus dragons plus ninjas is a surefire recipe for success, in our opinion. Who could resist loving this LEGO animated series, which breathes new life (and fire) into a long-running franchise? The LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising Continues SDCC panel will take place on Thursday, July 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT in room 6BCF.

The official panel description reads:

The Ninjago: Dragons Rising team will discuss the current run of Dragon’s Rising, the upcoming 15th anniversary of Ninjago, and the future of Ninjago. They’ll take a deep dive into the evolution of the show from a writing and production perspective as well as offer insights about the characters from the voice actors themselves. Featuring Pamela Keller (LEGO/exec producer), Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Kevin Burke (head writers), Ryan Burns (LEGO/exec producer), Deven Mack (voice of Arin), and Sabrina Pitre (voice of Sora).

Don’t miss out on all the LEGO fun!

LEGO Masters: Back Behind the Brick Panel on Friday at SDCC

Admit it, you’re obsessed with watching master builders transform LEGOs into works of art on LEGO Masters! Cooking shows are good, but there’s nothing quite as riveting and delightfully inspiring as watching majorly talented people turn LEGOs into awe-inspiring creations. It makes us want to break out our own LEGOs and see what we might be able to manifest. To help us along on our LEGO journeys, LEGO is having a LEGO Masters panel at SDCC. This panel will take place on Friday, July 26, from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm PDT in room 6BCF. And yes, it will share tips, tricks, and secrets to becoming a LEGO genius.

You can check out the official description below.

Go behind the scenes and get a sneak peek at the exciting developments from around the world in TV’s greatest building competition, LEGO Masters! Brickmaster Jamie and former LEGO Masters winners are here to share all the tips, tricks, and secrets to becoming a LEGO master. You’ll get an update on LEGO Masters season 5, the upcoming LEGO Masters Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular! Featuring Jamie Berard (LEGO design lead/brickmaster), Brent Benedetti (LEGO/exec producer), Robert May (LEGO/exec producer), Michael Heyerman (SVP Unscripted Endemol Shine), and others. Get ready to get your brick on!

LEGO’s SDCC Booth Is #2829 

LEGO hasn’t officially revealed information about its booth yet, but we know it will be worth checking out. Mark booth #2829 on your con maps and stop by for a visit when the convention is in full swing.

LEGO Marvel SDCC Experience at Booth #2519

Because it is just that awesome, you can also find LEGO in other places at SDCC. One exciting LEGO experience will occur at Booth #2519 as LEGO teams up with Marvel for the LEGO Marvel experience. A release from Marvel notes that fans can enjoy “special X-Men ’97 and Spider-Man photo ops” as “Marvel and LEGO team up to bring scenes straight out of the Marvel Universe built by LEGO artists along with a look at Marvel x LEGO kits.”

Consider us already in line for this LEGO SDCC adventure!

The post LEGO Heads to SDCC with Two Panels and a Marvel Experience 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.

Strap in! There’s a lot of information coming your way if you’re a Cobra Kai fan. Of course, fans will already know that season six of Cobra Kai will be its final outing. But now, Netflix has shared more details about the release of the season and it’s turning into a major event. Cobra Kai season six will release its final episodes in what Netflix is calling “a three-part event.” The final season of Cobra Kai is actually super-sized, and its release will take place in two different years. Netflix has also revealed the first for Cobra Kai season six, part one. Let’s take a look at everything that’s been shared.

Cobra Kai‘s Final Season Shares a Season 6, Part 1 Trailer

Cobra Kai season six, part one will arrive on July 18. You can learn more about the series’ release date schedule below. But first, check out Netflix’s trailer for season six, part one.

A synopsis from Netflix notes about the first part of season six, “Picking up with Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, our senseis and students must decide if and how they will compete in the Sekai Taikai — the world championships of karate.” It’s one thing to be the best in town, it’s a whole other thing to be the best in the world.

World championships, here we come… But not before a lot of drama, bickering, and could it be, one last lesson from Mr. Miyagi? We guess we’ll have to tune in to find out.

What Are the Release Dates for Cobra Kai‘s Three-Part Final Season?

We’re going back to the dojo… and we’ll be going more than once. Netflix has revealed the following release dates for Cobra Kai‘s final season:

• Part 1 premieres July 18, 2024.
• Part 2 was slated to premiere on November 28, 2024, but will now release on November 15, 2024.
• The Finale Event comes in 2025.

Netflix notes that “All three batches will consist of five episodes each.” Happily, part one will arrive this summer, so that’s not too long to wait for more of the

How Many Episodes Will Cobra Kai Season 6 Have?

Cobra Kai‘s season six will have 15 episodes. To date, every other Cobra Kai season has had only 10. So the final season of Cobra Kai will contain another extra half of a season. That’s a pretty good deal for fans.

Cobra Kai Season 6 First-Look Images

You can check out a few more first-look images from the final season of Cobra Kai below.

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“Cobra Kai is back,” and how!

Originally published on May 2, 2024.

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With Dune: Part Two earlier this year, fans got to see Paul Atreides rise to power on Arrakis. But we know there’s way more story to tell both ahead of him, and from generations past. HBO’s new series Dune: Prophecy will depict the struggles and political maneuvering of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood 10,000 years before Muad’dib’s ascension. In the first teaser, we get to see Emily Watson, Travis Fimmel, and more begin to weave a tapestry of Imperium’s past.

The series follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. From our Dune expert Matt Caron, we can assume the following:

Watson plays Valya Harkonnen, the Reverend Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Order by the time of the show. It looks like also get flashbacks to when she first joined the sisterhood and began her training. We see a key shot of her using “the Voice,” which was a skillset she taught herself and developed before using it in full when she became a Bene Gesserit.

We also see Travis Fimmel’s character, Desmond Hart, who appears to be warning someone about how the Bene Gesserit are the ones on the inside actually pulling the strings. How did he know?! Additionally we get a glimpse of what appears to be the Emperor’s palace, which could be on Kaitain or on Salusa Secundus before it was irradiated. Guess we’ll find out!

Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Sisterhood of Dune, the series, co-produced with Legendary Television, will debut its six-episode season this November on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. 

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

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Related Posts:

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.

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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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The dead have all the time in the world to regroup, replan, and return. And that’s exactly what the Ghost With the Most will do when Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel comes to theaters this year. Michael Keaton’s iconic dead man finally has the opportunity to get everything he always wanted, because the latest trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice teases an even bigger threat in the afterlife. And that will lead Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz to ask for help from the last person, dead or alive, she’d ever want to see.

Waiting rooms, weddings, and a whole lot of worms, this latest trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has everything. That includes a missing teenager (Jenna Ortega’s Astrid) who accidentally ends up in the realm of the dead. And we know who calls that place home. Here’s the film’s official synopsis from Warner Bros. Pictures:

After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

The movie will also mark the return of Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. New cast members include Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, and Willem Dafoe, maybe the most perfect human you could want for a Beetlejuice movie.

Will Beetlejuice finally marry Lydia? Or will Astrid prove to be the rotten apple of his eye this time? And why is the Ghost With the Most so cared of Monica Belluci’s spooky specter? We’re dying to find out the answers to all these questions. And we’ll get them when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice comes to theaters this fall on September 6, 2024.

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For decades now, we’ve heard rumors about a sequel to Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s 1988 hit, which cemented his signature style. The story of a young goth girl (Winona Ryder) who tries to help two ghosts in her haunted home scare her parents away. The ghost they hire is a “Bio-exorcist” named Beetlejuice to do the deed. A cult classic to this day, plans for a sequel have always been rumored. During the ’90s, they even floated “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian” to Kevin Smith.

But now, some 35 years after the original hit theaters, a sequel to the adventures of the “Bio Exorcist” is finally on the way. Original star Michael Keaton, director Tim Burton, and Scream and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega have all signed on for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

We love seeing them in this new poster:

And so, let’s bust out that Handbook for the Recently Deceased; here is everything we know about the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Title

As we hoped, the title for this movie is Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! We love it, because this way, if they ever make it a trilogy, they can call the third one Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! and Michael Keaton will magically appear when summoned, just by saying the title.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Plot

The Beetlejuice sequel will center on the daughter of Lydia Deetz from the first film. And somehow, the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice will play a part as well. We think it’s safe to say that both ghosts and the afterlife will play a rather large role. The teaser trailer also finally have our first look at Ortega and Keaton in their roles. We get to see Ortega’s character in deeper detail in another Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer.

The official synopsis for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sheds more light on the plot, sharing:

Beetlejuice is back!  After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River.  Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.  With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Click To View Gallery

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Cast

The cast for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is shaping up to have a combination of stars from the original, and other actors Tim Burton has recently worked with. Michael Keaton will return as the titular character, joined by Jenna Ortega, who recently worked with Burton on Wednesday, as the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz character from the first film. Winona Ryder is returning as well, as so is Catherine O’Hara as her stepmother. Other original cast members, like Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, are likely not returning.

New to the cast is Willem Dafoe, who is playing a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. Empire Magazine revealed a new look at Willem Dafoe’s character ‘Afterlife Crimes’ cop Wolf Jackson.

Empire shares, “the film sees Dafoe play the brilliantly-named Wolf Jackson – an actor who, given that he was known for playing cop ‘Frank Hardballer’ when he was alive, has taken on a similar role in the afterlife as the head of the Afterlife Crimes Unit. Oh, and he has a segment of skull missing, leaving a bit of his brain exposed. ‘It’s not a normal role,’ admits Dafoe. ‘The most important thing for me was to find the tone. It had to be rooted, but it also had to be free enough that you could play with it.'”

Another new face is Justin Theroux, in an as-yet undisclosed role. Also new to the world of the afterlife is Monica Bellucci, who will play the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice. This will be the first time working on a Tim Burton project for all three actors.

Behind the Scenes

Returning behind the camera is original filmmaker Tim Burton. Al Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the hit Netflix Burton/Ortega collaboration Wednesday, wrote the screenplay for the sequel. Tim Burton’s longtime friend and collaborator Danny Elfman is returning to compose the score. It just wouldn’t feel like Beetlejuice without an Elfman score, would it?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s Release Date

The long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton horror/comedy classic Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 5, 2024.

Originally published on May 15, 2023.

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One of the very best film festivals in the world (in my humble opinion) kicks off again this weekend for another fortnight-and-a-bit of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and basically all the great genre movies you could want. Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal once again hosts a number of screenings, both repertory favorites and premieres. The fest kicks off Thursday, July 18, and goes all the way through Sunday, August 4. If you’re curious about world genre cinema, there really is no better place to be.

This year’s edition sees a number of fascinating and intriguing movies for fans to mull over. Here are the five I’m most excited to see!

The Old Man and the Demon Sword

To kick things off we have a movie lovingly described as “Evil Dead meets Kamen Rider,” so how could that not speak directly to me as a person? In the remote village of Pé da Serra in the mountains of Portugal, a monk arrives wielding a demonic sword. Before long, the mystical weapon ends up in the hands of the town drunk António da Luz (who plays himself). Together, the drunkard and the sword will have to learn together to fight the encroaching evil.

This Portuguese film is a love-budget homage to American B-movies using folklore and legends as the basis. Fun!

Shelby Oaks

The feature directorial debut of YouTube star Chris Stuckmann, Shelby Oaks details the mysterious disappearance of (fictional) YouTubers behind a popular paranormal investigation channel. Riley Brennan and her three co-hosts disappeared near the deserted town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio in 2008. Conspiracy theories have run rampant over the years, but none are more determined to get to the truth than Riley’s sister, Mia (Camille Sullivan), who has finally agreed to tell Riley’s story to a documentary film crew (Emily Bennett and Rob Grant) in the hopes of finding closure.

After a super successful Kickstarter campaign and over two years of waiting, Stuckmann’s film is finally ready to make its world premiere at Fantasia, and ready to scare people’s pants off.

The Beast Within

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington trades his sword for an axe (and some claws and fangs) in this riff on the werewolf story. Harington plays a father with a secret that he is desperately trying to keep under control. His mysterious excursions at night leave his ailing daughter (Caoilinn Springall) plagued with questions. Where does her father go? Why do his moods seem to change in an instant? And what is the horrifying creature that appears and terrorizes the rural community?

Fantasia says, “The uncanniness of childhood in all its revelry and magnificence is front and centre in The Beast Within, which plunges its audience into a world haunted by a creature that stalks at the full moon.”

You had me at “Jon Snow, Lycanthrope.”

Witchboard

Chuck Russell, who made one of my very favorite horror movies in the 1988 remake of The Blob, returns for a remake of the infamous ’80s Video Nasty. When a couple find a circular “pendulum board” that predates the Ouija by centuries, they think it’s just an antique that can make them some money. Soon the board begins to help them in strange ways. Is something supernatural going on? I mean, yes, it’s a horror movie. Duh.

This distinctive take on the original still apparently maintains gruesome set pieces and a modern gothic aesthetic thanks to its setting of New Orleans (and filming locations in Montreal). Plus it’s just good to see Chuck Russell make a horror movie again.

Brush of the God

Keizo Murase is a renowned effects artist who has made creatures and suits for kaiju and tokusatsu titles since the late-50s. If you’ve seen Ultraman, Godzilla, Kamen Rider, Gamera, or Daimajin entries, you’ve probably seen Murase’s work. How cool then 70 years into his career, he finally makes his directorial debut at the age of 88?

A teen whose late-grandfather was a model maker for monster movies has to use a mystical inkbrush to save the world from a many-headed dragon. How can you not like that premise?! Populated by the kinds of kaiju effects Murase helped pioneer, Brush of the God is a celebration of art and expression as much as a monster movie.

Look for reviews in the coming days here on Nerdist.com. For more information about Fantasia, and for tickets if you’re in Montreal, head to their website. Bon cinema!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The final episode of The Acolyte teased several things we know are playing an important part in Star Wars lore. The biggest was the reveal of who is almost certainly Darth Plagueis, the Sith master of the future Emperor Palpatine. The other big status quo shift was Osha (Amandla Stenberg) becoming the titular acolyte for the Stranger, also known as Qimir (Manny Jacinto). Even with these big reveals, we have many questions. Specifically, we want to know whether or not the Stranger is a Sith, or one of the Knights of Ren. Perhaps he is the very first Ren. And how do the dark-side-powered Knights of Ren even connect to the Sith Order, if it all? Maybe the finale of The Acolyte just gave us a clue.

Darth Plagueis Reveals Himself in The Acolyte

On the mysterious planet where the Stranger resides, we see a mysterious dark side figure literally lurking in the shadows. He silently watches as the Stranger talks to Osha, attempting his dark side seduction. The general assumption, based on descriptions in non-canon Legends material, is that this was our first on-screen appearance of Darth Plagueis the Wise. His look appears very similar to his appearance as a Muun in Legends, specifically the James Luceno novel, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. So what’s he doing there? We have some ideas.

One theory we have is that he is the true Sith master, and the Stranger is his apprentice. “Always two there, no more, no less.” That’s the creed of the Sith “Rule of Two.” However, this rule is always broken. At some point, the Sith apprentice takes on their own student, and overthrows their master, starting the cycle over. In The Clone Wars, Count Dooku started training Asajj Ventress, but when she grew too powerful, his master Darth Sidious/Palpatine commanded him to kill her. He wasn’t allowing any threat to his power to exist.

Was Darth Plagueis the Master of Qimir/The Stranger?

Our feeling is that some time after being the Padawan learner to Master Venestra Rwoh, Qimir (or whatever his true name is) became the apprentice of Darth Plagueis, following the rule of two. But also, at some point, instead of trying to kill his master and replace him, he merely abandoned the Sith creed. He still obviously uses the dark side of the Force, and has his Sith training, but he may no longer consider himself a Sith Lord. That doesn’t mean that Darth Plagueis isn’t keeping tabs on him though. Especially if he knows his former pupil is on to something when it comes to a pair of mysterious children born of the Force on Brendock.

Does the Stranger Connect the Sith and the Knights of Ren?

We think that The Acolyte is showing us the origins of not just the Sith who will rule the galaxy with the Galactic Empire a century later, but also the origins of the Knights of Ren. Many things in The Acolyte have hinted at The Stranger having a connection to the Knights of Ren. The least of which was the use of John Williams’ Kylo Ren theme in association with Manny Jacinto’s character. And Leslye Headland certainly didn’t deny a Kyle/Qimir connection to us at all.

If the Stranger was the former Sith apprentice to Darth Plagueis, that means Plagueis would need a new one eventually. Who is to say a potential second season of The Acolyte won’t give us a significant time-jump? We may see an older Osha and Qimir starting the Knights of Ren together, while Plagueis makes his move on seducing a young Palpatine to the dark side. That’s certainly a story Star Wars fans have been waiting to see (in canon) for decades now. And Headland said she knows how The Acolyte connects directly to The Phantom Menace.

And yes, even with a time jump, we could see the same actors playing Qimir and Osha. Qimir already hinted that he was a Jedi “A long time ago.” That means he may be far older than he looks. As Palpatine told Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, “The dark side of the Force is a pathway to abilities some would consider to be unnatural.” It’s very possible one of those unnatural abilities in unnaturally prolonged youth. If there is a season two of The Acolyte, it may finally connect the dots between Darth Plagueis, the Stanger, Osha, the Knights of Ren, and ultimately, the Emperor himself.

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The Acolyte has been dealing in death since its very first episode. So we weren’t that surprised to see that its ending had one more major death in store for fans. And even though many may have guessed The Acolyte‘s finale death was coming, the brutal manner in which it was delivered was still fairly shocking. At the end of the day, The Acolyte‘s other deaths were more shock than substance, but this last death served the story in a major way.

The Acolyte‘s Finale Brought Us Master Sol’s Death

And then there were none. The Acolyte systematically brought about the deaths of the four Jedi that were present on Brendok during the destruction of the Force witch’s coven. Mae killed the first three as she tried to prove herself to her mysterious Sith Lord Master, “The Stranger,” who we learned was Qimir in disguise. Qimir encouraged Mae to channel her anger over the terrible events of her childhood and wanted her to bring about the deaths of the Jedi responsible. Qimir, we have learned, has his own reasons to rage at the Jedi.

By The Acolyte‘s final episode, the only Jedi standing who had been a part of the Brendok mission gone wrong was Master Sol. But the writing was on the wall. The Acolyte‘s ending brought Master Sol’s death. But this time, it wasn’t Mae that killed him.

Osha Kills Sol Without a Weapon

All along, Qimir has been trying to get Mae to kill a Jedi without a weapon. In the very first episode of the series, he notes, “The Jedi live in a dream, a dream they believe everyone shares; if you attack a Jedi with a weapon, you will fail; steel or laser are no threat to them, but an Acolyte, an Acolyte kills without a weapon. An Acolyte kills the dream.”

But it wasn’t Mae who was supposed to be his true Acolyte, but Osha. Although Osha stepped away from her Jedi training because she couldn’t stop her hurt and rage from bubbling to the surface, it still exists inside of her. And she is incredibly strong in the Force. When she found out the truth about Master Sol, that he was the one responsible for the death of her mother and her hate for her sister, those two truths collided.

Osha killed Master Sol without a weapon. Sol’s death came solely from Osha’s use of the Force as she force choked the life out of him on The Acolyte‘s final episode. (Arguably the Force is a weapon, but Qimir is probably willing to let that one slide.)

Causing Sol’s Death Turns Osha to the Dark Side

Of course, to every action there is a reaction. Whether we choose to view Osha killing Sol as justice served or a terrible soul-severing act, the fact is that with Sol’s death comes a change in Osha that cannot be easily undone. In that moment, Osha gives herself over to the dark side and the lightsaber she clutches bleeds from blue to red. Of course, Qimir’s vision of the dark side is all about freedom, about the beauty of embracing one’s potential without restriction. It’s a sharp contrast to the Jedi’s emotionless grip on control, and a tempting one. But in the end, we’d have to say neither way is fully right. And that feels like what The Acolyte‘s message is also about.

Still, now that Sol’s death has come to pass, with Osha the responsible party, Osha’s ties from the Jedi and the light have well and truly severed. Osha wants to proceed as Qimir’s pupil now. And we just don’t yet know enough to know where that road will lead her.

The Acolyte Really Racked Up an Unexpected Death Count From Its Beginning to Its Ending

One thing we do know is that from Master Indara to Master Sol and everyone in between, The Acolyte racked up an impressive death count. We can’t say we expected it from the series.

And we hope that should The Acolyte get a season two, some of its characters get to stick around just a little longer. Incredibly, many of The Acolyte‘s short-lived figures garnered a huge fan base in a very brief time. Maybe we’ll see some of the slain again in some other incarnation across Star Wars‘ properties.

But whether or not we do, we salute all the fans of Jecki, Yord, Sol, and the rest who had to watch their favorites meet their deaths.

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In episode five of The Acolyte, we learn that its evil Sith-esque villain, Qimir, once trained to be a Jedi “a really long time ago.” But as Qimir tells Osha, his Jedi Master “threw him away,” abandoning him, failing him, and leaving him with a scar. (At least the way he tells it.) Of course, The Acolyte was a series that thrived on its mysteries, so it let the identity of Qimir’s one-time Jedi Master hang in the air. But finally, during the ending of the show, The Acolyte revealed just who helped Qimir get further along on his path toward darkness and Jedi-killing. So, just who is Qimir’s old Jedi Master on The Acolyte? Here’s what we learned in The Acolyte‘s finale.

Vernestra Rwoh Is Qimir’s Old Jedi Master

The character of Vernestra Rwoh, played by Rebecca Henderson, was an exciting inclusion in The Acolyte. Vernestra Rwoh hails from the Star Wars High Republic books and was one of the only familiar faces to appear in this live-action series. But it turns out that Rwoh’s story is about to become even more complicated than it was before. The Acolyte reveals that Vernestra Rwoh has been Qimir’s old Jedi Master all along.

Although there were hints and teases throughout The Acolyte, which we’ll detail below, this reveal was offered to the audience in a pretty straightforward manner. In the final sequences of The Acolyte‘s ending, Vernestra Rwoh tells a now mind-wiped Mae, “I need you to help me find someone, a pupil of mine before he turned to evil.” And there you have it. It was Vernestra Rwoh who once taught Qimir the ways of the Jedi and the Force as his Master. But clearly, their relationship went very sour along the way.

The Clues to Vernestra Rwoh and Qimir’s Jedi Connection Were There All Along

The connection between Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh did not come as a huge surprise to many The Acolyte viewers, although we are happy to receive confirmation of its existence. Fans had theorized that Vernestra Rwoh was indeed Qimir’s old Jedi Master since the question came up in episode six. The best kinds of mysteries leave clues to their solutions, after all. And The Acolyte did leave a certain trail between Master and pupil.

Vernestra Rwoh, Her Lightwhip, and Qimir’s Scar

The biggest clue to Vernestra Rwoh’s identity as Qimir’s teacher on The Acolyte was the juxtaposition of Qimir’s scar with Rwoh’s lightsaber whip in episode six. Those who knew Rwoh from the High Republic books eagerly anticipated her unique weapon making it into live-action. Rwoh herself modified her lightsaber and was the first in canon to wield a lightwhip. The crystals in her lightwhip have internal fixings that make the blade flexible and allow it to flow out of the hilt; the lightwhip blade is also thinner than that of a traditional lightsaber. Interestingly, Rwoh’s lightwhip did not make many appearances in The Acolyte, appearing only once when Rwoh killed an umbramoth in episode six.

It seems like Rwoh really did not need to use her lightwhip to kill the moth, but the appearance of the weapon came just in time for viewers to see it in action just as they first witnessed Qimir’s scar. Qimir confirms to Osha that his old Jedi Master gave him his scar. Osha notes that it looks like Qimir was stabbed, but it really looks much more like he was whipped. And who was that character just wielding a Jedi whip? Oh yes, Vernestra Rwoh. At that point, it seemed highly likely that Vernestra Rwoh was indeed the person who gave Qimir his scar and, thus, his Jedi Master on The Acolyte.

Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh Have Both Been Around a Long Time

If that weren’t enough, The Acolyte also ensured we knew that Qimir has been around for a long time, so long that the only other character who could have trained him as a Jedi is Vernestra Rwoh. Qimir reveals that he was a Jedi “a really long time ago.” He makes it sound as though he’s lived an unnaturally long life. (And now that we know he’s been hanging out with Darth Plagueis, we might assume he’s been living an unnaturally long life extended by dark side dealings.) If that’s the case, we know quite a bit of time has passed since Qimir has trained to be a Jedi. Since, of course, the Jedi are very particular about training Padawans from a young age.

No other major character on The Acolyte could bridge that span of time in order to be Qimir’s Jedi Master except Vernestra Rwoh. As a Mirialan, Vernestra Rwoh lives a much longer life than a human. And we know from the High Republic books that she’s been in the Jedi Order for a very long time.

The Tension Between Them

As The Acolyte neared its season one ending, Vernestra Rwoh and Qimir found themselves on Brendok together. Rwoh seemed to sense Qimir immediately upon arriving on the planet, noting, “You, you’re alive,” as the camera flashes between the pair of them. Qimir, of course, immediately dons his cortosis helmet to escape being sensed by her further and block her Force powers. Despite that, the two of them seem keenly aware of one another. Qimir watches Vernestra from a distance, and though he disappears before she notes him, she seems to be able to tell he was there. These moments of recognition tease a lot of history between the pair.

The Relationship Between Qimir and His Old Jedi Master Will Likely Be a Season 2 Story on The Acolyte

Ultimately though, the real story of Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh and Padawan Qimir is yet to be told on The Acolyte. Though we now know the history the pair shares in broad strokes, we really don’t know any more about their relationship than we did in episode six. We know more or less that Qimir felt Vernestra threw him aside. And that Vernestra seems to think she’d killed Qimir, or at the very least that he was dead. But the true story between them is likely incredibly complex.

The Acolyte‘s ending teases that in season two, Vernestra Rwoh will be searching for Qimir. So we’ll have to wait for a potential season two in order to see the two of them meet face-to-face again. But we’re sure when we finally do see this meeting, it will be explosive.

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The “heart” of a lightsaber, the very thing that gives laser swords power, is a kyber crystal. They are special, extremely rare Force-sensitive gems inherently full of light side energy only found on a few planets in the galaxy far, far away. They even have their own kind of mystical sentience. Despite the weapons they create, though, kyber crystals have no color. They are naturally clear and only take on a specific hue when “first attuned and connected to a Jedi.” Star Wars fans know that while a Jedi’s lightsaber can be anything from blue green, orange, purple, or yellow, every dark side users’ turns red.

That’s because Sith and Ren alike bend kyber crystals to their sinister side of the Force. That process is known as “bleeding.” And The Acolyte‘s season finale finally let us see a bleeding lightsaber happen in live-action.

Osha fell to the dark side during The Acolyte‘s eighth episode. She finally learned the truth about what the Jedi did to her coven on Brendok long ago. Full of rage and pain, Osha responded by Force choking Sol, her former Master who had lied about killing her mother. As she murdered him Osha held the Jedi’s lightsaber hilt. As the life drained from Sol’s body we saw one of the most notorious moments in the entire franchise. His blue kyber began to bleed. Osha was dominating it, turning the crystal red as she turned to the dark side.

After he died Osha turned to attack Qimir who had had put a hand on her shoulder. She turned Sol’s lightsaber on. It was blue at first, but it’s light changed to the signature red of evil. It did not do so without a fight though. The crystal tried to maintain its hold to the light side of the Force. In the end Osha’s new allegiance won out, as Sol’s lightsaber turned for good. When it did his former Padawan had left the light side of the Force completely.

It was a powerful, shocking moment, an incredible piece of Star Wars lore come to life. It’s something no Star Wars fan has ever seen happen on screen. Before The Acolyte, the process of bleeding a kyber crysta was only ever shown in Star Wars comics. The bleeding of a lightsaber happened in both Charles Soule stories about Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. Yet, for as cool as it was it was also terrible to watch. It was the physical embodiment of darkness corrupting a soul.

Kyber crystals aren’t just special rocks. Neither are they just a power source for a weapon. They’re an important part of the Force, both to themselves and as a tangible representation of the person who bonded with it. One that turned red are sad reminders of the fate that can befall even great heroes. Actually seeing that happen was an unforgettable reminder of the line thin between good and evil.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who spent decades waiting for Darth Plagueis to show up. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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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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Master Vernestra used her dead friend Sol as a scapegoat to avoid accountability in The Acolyte‘s season finale. She claimed the compassionate Jedi Knight had gone rogue. Vernestra told the Galactic Senate Sol killed everyone who helped him hide the dark truth about Brendok before ending his own life. Vernestra thought it was a lie worth telling for a greater good, just as Sol had with Osha. But her deception not only dishonors Sol, it dishonors the entire Jedi Order. In keeping the truth about Qimir, Mae, and Osha from getting out, the guardians of peace and justice are only protecting their own position in the galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars fans know Vernestra’s lies about this existential threat will contribute to her Order’s eventual downfall. Yet her final moment raised the possibility a more famous Master will also play a big part in their near annihilation. She visited one of the most important Jedi in all of Star Wars, someone who will still be on the High Council when Palpatine rises to power, Master Yoda.

Throughout The Acolyte Jedi Master Vernestra worked to avoid Galactic Senate oversight. Even as she investigated the murder of her colleagues, she tried to keep their deaths as quiet as possible. Not just from politicians, either. She conspired with fellow Jedi to keep the truth from their own High Council.

During the High Republic Era of the show, the Jedi Order had a High Council. That governing body responsible for guiding the Order is the same structure seen during the Skywalker Saga era. But The Acolyte also revealed that a different group of Jedi led by Vernestra also wielded immense power. It operated outside the Council in secrecy, because the High Council needed to report directly to the Senate. The only way to keep secrets from political oversight—especially a terrible secret about a dark side Force user clearly trained by a Jedi—was to keep the truth from the most important, wisest members of the Order.

That became impossible by episode eight after Vernestra visited Brendok herself. Her powerful connection with the Force allowed her to learn what had happened there long ago. While she recognized her dead colleagues had meant well, she used the revelation of their deception to create an even bigger lie. Rather than tell anyone about her former student she once tried to kill because he turned to the dark side, she blamed Sol for the murders committed by Qimir, Mae, and Osha.

That lie confirmed everything Senator Rayencourt feared. He worried eventually a Jedi, a member of a group he believes already has too much unchecked power, would turn against the Order and the Republic. That concern drove his desire for an external investigation into the Jedi. But Vernestra saying that’s exactly what happened with Sol was a lie far more convenient than the truth. She would have otherwise had to admit the Jedi lost control of a former Padawan and then let him get away. She also would have had to admit he now had a powerful new apprentice with a personal vendetta against the Jedi. And the she would have had to tell everyone how Mother Aniseya created her twins. Forget an investigation into the Jedi, that shocking revelation would have threatened the Order’s position and power in the galaxy.

Everything Vernestra did in the season finale she did to protect the Jedi and herself. Her lie is better than frightening truths that could lead to panic. Her story also made it seem as though the Jedi had nothing to hide. Why would the Senate need to investigate a group being so truthful about their failures? But that kind of oversight is exactly what the Jedi needed.

Everything Senator Rayencourt and Aniseya both said will come true more than a century after The Acolyte. The Jedi’s “noble intentions” will destroy them. Their actions, well-intentioned they may be, along with their hubris, will blind them to the growing evil around them. That evil will ultimately engulf the galaxy in darkness. An outside perspective might have helped them see what was coming. Instead Sheev Palpatine will take over the very Republic Vernestra worked so hard to keep in the dark.

Star Wars fans know why Vernestra’s deception will prove fatal. But her final moment during the episode raises monumental questions about whether or not she also kept Master Yoda in the dark. He’s the only member of the High Council to appear on the show. She visited him after her meeting with the Chancellor and Senators.

What did she “need” to talk about with him? Did she let him in on the truth about Sol, Qimir, Mae, Osha, and Brendok? Did she trust Yoda would support her lies and not inform the Senate? And did she seek advice on how to stop the Order’s greatest threat in millennia?

Or did Vernestra only tell Yoda part of the truth or different lie altogether? Did Vernestra merely go to him for advice on how to deal with the guilt and burden of her lies without naming them, just as Anakin will do one day? Even if she was okay with what she had done, she sullied a good man’s memory to do that. Even a Jedi Master would struggle with that burden.

On The Acolyte Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi agreed with Venestra they should not tell the High Council about their secret enemies. In The Phantom Menace he is a member of that same High Council alongside Yoda. When presented with Qui-Gon’s report of a Sith Lord, Mundi (believably) says no one has seen a Sith for thousands of years. The camera then turns to Master Yoda, who gives a curious look to Mace Windu.

What did that look mean? Vernestra went to Yoda for a reason. If we find out why we’ll finally know just how much Yoda knew about the darkness that brought down the Jedi Order.

Did Yoda know about Qimir, Mae, and Osha at that moment? Did he help Vernestra bring them down? And did that “victory” blind Yoda to the fact an actual Sith Lord was (literally) lurking in the shadows and the Jedi were in even greater peril all along? Or will we discover Vernestra never told him the truth and Yoda always remained ignorant about happened on Brendok. Will her failures be hers alone? It seems likely Yoda, a good and noble Jedi, didn’t know everything Vernestra did. If that’s the case, a single hard truth could have prevented so much eventual suffering.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who spent decades waiting for Darth Plagueis to show up. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post THE ACOLYTE’s Surprise STAR WARS Cameo Raises Major Questions About the Jedi appeared first on Nerdist.

Longlegs, the new Nicolas Cage-starring horror film from Neon, is a hit. Thanks in large part to a beguiling guerilla marketing campaign, the film grossed $22.6 million its opening weekend—the best opening ever for an independent horror movie. It’s exciting when any horror film breaks through, both at the box office and in the discourse cycle. Love it or hate it, Longlegs has people talking. And luckily, they’re not just arguing about the plot and ending, but also taking note of the filmmaker behind the movie: Osgood “Oz” Perkins.

For certain horror fans, it’s exciting to see Perkins finally getting his due. The man was pretty much born to create in the horror genre. He’s the son of Anthony Perkins, the actor who portrayed Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Sadly, the senior Perkins, a closeted gay man, succumbed to AIDS in 1992. Oz’s mother, actress and photographer Berry Berenson, was on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. She died when the hijacked plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 

These tragedies seemed to drive Oz right to horror storytelling. As he told the AV Club back in 2017, the genre is a “Trojan horse” way to convey stories of grief and anguish and familial pain to the masses. It hooks the audience and locks them into a story that might otherwise be hard to access emotionally. Perkins’ directing filmography—confirmed in interviews—makes it clear that he uses movies to explore the traumas nestled in his family.

If you’re new to Perkins and curious about the other horror films in his oeuvre after seeing Longlegs, here’s a breakdown of each one, why you should watch them, and why together they make Oz Perkins the underrated horror auteur with his finger on the pulse of our collective generational fears. 

The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

Though this was technically Oz Perkins’ second film release-date wise, The Blackcoat’s Daughter is the first movie he wrote, directed, and filmed. It came out in 2017 without much fanfare. A24 changed the horror game the very next year with Hereditary, so The Blackcoat’s Daughter just missed the wave that might have carried it to more recognition. But it all works out, because instead it’s something of a hidden gem, a movie horror fans can find on their own. That’s one of the best ways to engage with the genre.

And that’s an especially great way to experience The Blackcoat’s Daughter. It’s not exactly a scare-a-minute type of film. It probably wouldn’t play too excitingly in a big theater on a Friday night. But damn is it an effective slow-burn horror story, full of twists and one final shocker that reframes the entire movie and ties up its various timelines in a Gothically deranged bow. 

The film stars Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, and Emma Roberts as three young women in interspersed storylines. Shipka and Boynton are schoolgirls at a Catholic academy waiting for their parents to pick them up for winter break. Roberts plays an escapee from a mental institution. If you’ve seen Longlegs, The Blackcoat’s Daughter will feel immediately familiar. It plays out with the same cold stoicism. Characters drained of energy, indebted to an unnameable melancholy. It’s also a spiritual twin to Longlegs, in how it plays with identity and family trauma through the lens of Satanic activity. 

The great thing about the film is how boldly it announces Perkins’ sensibilities. Each film since plays in the same somber playbox. There are palettes drained of color and characters teetering on the brink of insanity. It conveys something about this moment we’re living in. How life can feel so absolutely hopeless that the instinct to cling to evil is understandable. Still awful, but not unrelatable. Giving into darkness is the easy route, but Perkins shows with detached accuracy how it creeps in, and the cost of letting it. 

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

This gothic haunted house film—the first of Perkins’ to see release—is a great entry in a subgenre that’s mostly gone dusty. Yes, we have the Mike Flanagan Haunting series or the underseen The Little Stranger, but largely, it seems we’ve lost touch with this kind of horror vehicle. That’s a shame, because there’s nothing quite like a good haunted house movie. 

Perkins knows this and uses the genre effectively. The film centers on Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss), a retired novelist who lives in a remote Massachusetts manor. Her estate manager hires a live-in nurse, Lily (Ruth Wilson), to tend to her. Almost immediately, Lily is ill at ease. She spots a female ghost wandering the halls. Mysterious mold appears on the walls. Unseen forces wrench objects from her hands. As she grows closer to the house, she begins to unravel its mysterious past, and Iris’s personal connection to it. 

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is another example of Perkins reconciling his own family demons. According to interviews, the film was an attempt to connect with his deceased father. Interesting, in that the film is about the complicated relationship between two women. Though the genders don’t correspond, it’s easy to see how Perkins used the movie to explore the tension that exists between the living and the dead. There’s the need for answers that will never come clearly and the acceptance that even the answers won’t save us in the end.

This movie is probably Oz Perkins’ least successful. It’s a moody chamber piece, but one that’s frustratingly slow. He obviously hadn’t quite mastered pacing by this point, and so the movie drags unnecessarily in key moments. Still, it’s a fascinating entry in his filmography, another film drenched in his trademark chilly atmosphere. There are ghostly visuals that cut through the droll. It’s a horror filmmaker exploring dark corners of the genre and sharpening his tools while preparing for what comes next.

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

The only film that Perkins didn’t write himself, Gretel & Hansel manages that personal feel all the same. It’s his most elegant film, and painfully underrated. Especially given its aesthetic similarities to movies like Midsommar and The Witch, which more easily punctured pop culture. Perhaps it was its smaller release or its production company (Orion Pictures), but it never quite got the audience it deserved. Especially given how fully formed and visually haunting it is.

An inversion of the famous Hansel and Gretel fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, the movie is a coming-of-age fable for Gretel (Sophia Lillis). Equipped with her own magical abilities, she and her younger brother Hansel (Sam Leakey) flee to the woods, where they’re taken in by an elderly witch named Holda (Alice Krige). From there, the story plays out much like the original tale. Holda is a cannibalistic witch intent on eating Hansel. But in this version, she also has a tragic backstory and uses witchcraft to hone Gretel’s inherent powers. 

Despite his lack of script involvement, it’s apparent why the story drew in Perkins. It’s another film about parental abandonment and abuse—and what that does to children. It explores how it becomes both a tool for empathy and a pathway to their own sinister interiority. And it captures that same trademark and topical dread. The ever-encroaching horror on the other side of the fence. How the systems of power—Satanic witches and cruel mothers, in this case—wield their personal fury as weapons of control. Gretel & Hansel does it all with astute visual flair. Holda’s triangle house and blackened fingers, fiery amber hues, the contrast of light and dark—all haunting and evocative. And all laying the foundation for his next, and most successful, film: Longlegs. 

Longlegs (2024)

We won’t get too into Longlegs here, except to say that whether you watch it first or last in your Perkins’ education, it’s really the culmination of all that’s come so far. (Check out our Longlegs review.) Encroaching dread but this time with more bursts of violence to up the pace. Elegant visuals, from Satanic symbology to vast Oregeon landscapes brushed with snow. Themes of troubled parenthood and its lasting effects on children. Perkins said this film was, in some ways, his attempt to wrestle with his complicated relationship with his deceased mother. She was a woman he loved fiercely, but who hid his father’s homosexuality and illness from her children, a decision that marked their family forever. What do our parents do to protect us, and does it ever work? Longlegs wrangles with that thorny idea.

The film jolts us into that reality—and into our own as well. The horror is not just at the surface level, but in the seams. The flaws of our criminal justice system. How sometimes the conduits of true evil are the dumbest possible candidates. How childhood trauma transforms our brains and social skills. All things we wrestle with in this modern world, despite the film’s 1990s setting. But that’s it, too. These things repeat—gruesomely, even.

Oz Perkins tapped into that impenetrable truth and excavated the meat of the horror within to craft a great horror movie. Now that he’s got it, it’s thrilling to think of where he’ll go next. What his career will continue to reveal about him, us, and how personal art can be scariest of all.

The post LONGLEGS Director Oz Perkins Has a Horror Movie History Worth Exploring appeared first on Nerdist.

2023 was a major year for nerdy Emmy nominations; we saw The Last of Us, Wednesday, and other Nerdist favorites get more than a few nods. But 2024’s full list of nominees is a bit quieter when it comes to genre hits. One major reason for that is that many shows like House of the Dragon, Interview with the Vampire, and The Boys were delayed by the Hollywood strikes to a point where they don’t qualify for the 2024 Emmy nominations. Instead, we’ll see them return to the Emmys race next year in 2025. Still, the 2024 nominees aren’t totally lacking in shows for us to cheer for. One series that we loved this year, Fallout, has made a splash in the 2024 Emmy nominations. We also see Shōgun, 3 Body Problem, What We Do in the Shadows, and True Detective: Night Country making meaningful appearances.

Below, we break down the nods our favorite properties achieved and then share the full list of 2024 Emmy nominations for your reading pleasure.

Walton Goggins stole hearts on Prime Video’s Fallout series adaptation. Fans loved him in his dual role in the series, portraying both the charming Cooper Howard in the time before Fallout‘s Great War and the devilish Ghoul of the Wastelands. Walton Goggins became the true leading man of the year. And that’s why we’re thrilled to see the Emmys honoring his exquisite performance in Fallout. Yes, Walton Goggins is a 2024 Emmy nominee in the category of “Lead Actor in a Drama Series.” He’s up against some tough contenders, including Shōgun‘s Hiroyuki Sanada. But we just have to ask, did any other lead actor have to act without a nose? There should be a category in the Emmys just for that. In addition to Goggins’ nod, Fallout was also nominated in the 2024 Emmy category of “Outstanding Drama Series” overall. And boy, does it deserve that one as well.

Speaking of Shōgun, the stunning historical drama, which will now have a season two, qualifying it to be a series and not a limited series, is also up for “Outstanding Drama Series.” Shōgun received five nominations in four different categories in the 2024 Emmy race, including “Lead Actor in a Drama Series” for Hiroyuki Sanada, “Lead Actress in a Drama Series,” for Anna Sawai, “Outstanding Drama Series,” and “Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira.

What We Do in the Shadows meanwhile is up for “Lead Actor in a Comedy Series” for Matt Berry and “Outstanding Comedy Series.” Finally True Detective: Night Country, another show which we truly loved, received 2024 Emmy nominations in the areas of “Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series” for Jodie Foster, “Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series,” “Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series” for Kali Reis, and “Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series” for John Hawkes. That’s four nominations overall for True Detective: Night Country, and we definitely hope it sweeps.

Of additional note, X-Men ‘97 was nominated in the category of Outstanding Animated Program.

When Will the 2024 Emmys Take Place?

The 76th Emmy Awards will air on Sunday, September 15, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on ABC. The broadcast also stream on Hulu the next day. You can check out the full list of 2024 Emmy nominations below with more at the Emmy Awards’ site.

The Full List of 2024 Emmy Award Nominees

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Idris Elba (“Hijack”)

Donald Glover (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) 

Walton Goggins (“Fallout”)  

Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”)  

Hiroyuki Sanada (“Shōgun”)

Dominic West (“The Crown”) 

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)

Carrie Coon (“The Gilded Age”)

Maya Erskine (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”)

Anna Sawai (“Shōgun”)

Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”)

Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)

Outstanding Drama Series

“The Crown” (Netflix)

“Fallout” (Prime Video)

“The Gilded Age” (Max)

“The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (Prime Video)

“Shōgun” (FX)

“Slow Horses” (Apple TV+)

“3 Body Problem” (Netflix)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Matt Berry (“What We Do in the Shadows”)

Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)  

Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)  

Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)  

Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”)

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (“Reservation Dogs”)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)

Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”)

Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”)

Maya Rudolph (“Loot”)

Jean Smart (“Hacks”)

Kristen Wiig (“Palm Royale”)

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

“The Bear” (FX)

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Max)

“Hacks” (Max)

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)

“Palm Royale” (Apple TV+)

“Reservation Dogs” (FX)

“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”)  

Richard Gadd (“Baby Reindeer”)  

Jon Hamm (“Fargo”)  

Tom Hollander — “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” 

Andrew Scott (“Ripley”)

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

Jodie Foster (“True Detective: Night Country”)  

Brie Larson (“Lessons in Chemistry”)  

Juno Temple (“Fargo”)  

Sofia Vergara (“Griselda”) 

Naomi Watts (“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

“Baby Reindeer” (Netflix)

“Fargo” (FX)

“Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+)

“Ripley” (Netflix)

“True Detective: Night Country” (Max)

Outstanding Talk Series

“The Daily Show”  

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”   

“Late Night With Seth Meyers”

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

“The Amazing Race”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race”

“Top Chef”

“The Traitors”

“The Voice”

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Christine Baranski (“The Gilded Age”)

Nicole Beharie (“The Morning Show”)

Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown Netflix”)

Greta Lee (“The Morning Show”)

Lesley Manville (“The Crown”)

Karen Pittman (“The Morning Show”)

Holland Taylor (“The Morning Show”)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tadanobu Asano (“Shōgun”)

Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)

Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”)

Jon Hamm (“The Morning Show”)

Takehiro Hira (“Shōgun”)

Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses”)

Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Carol Burnett (“Palm Royale”)

Liza Colón-Zayas (“The Bear”)

Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”)

Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”)

Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”)

Meryl Streep (“Only Murders In The Building”)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Lionel Boyce (“The Bear”)

Paul W. Downs (“Hacks”)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”)

Paul Rudd (“Only Murders In The Building”)

Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”)

Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”)

Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”)

Lily Gladstone (“Under The Bridge”)

Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”)

Aja Naomi King (“Lessons In Chemistry”)

Diane Lane (“Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”)

Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”)

Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”)

Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

Jonathan Bailey “(Fellow Travelers”)

Robert Downey Jr. (“The Sympathizer”)

Tom Goodman-Hill (“Baby Reindeer”)

John Hawkes (“True Detective: Night Country”)

Lamorne Morris (“Fargo”)

Lewis Pullman (“Lessons In Chemistry”)

Treat Williams (“Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”)

The post 2024 Emmy Nominations Celebrate FALLOUT—Complete List Revealed appeared first on Nerdist.

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.

The post Deadpool Designed an Xbox Controller Shaped Like His Perky Butt appeared first on Nerdist.

It finally happened. The Acolyte‘s season one finale brought one of Star Wars‘ most infamous figures to live-action. The Stranger wasn’t the only dark side user hiding out on his unknown planet. Once Qimir and Osha flew off, Sheev Palpatine’s Master, a Muun Sith Lord “so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life,” emerged from the shadows. Darth Plagueis is here. And more importantly he knows about the galaxy far, far away’s most incredible creation.

For all its many battles and lightsaber fights, one of the prequel trilogy’s most exciting moments came during a quiet conversation at a space opera. In Revenge of the Sith Chancellor Palpatine regaled Anakin Skywalker with an enticing Sith legend. Palpatine told him a story the Jedi never would, “The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.”

Anakin was suffering from visions of Padmé’s death, a future he desperately hoped to avoid. Palpatine preyed on the young Jedi’s fears with a tale of the incredible “unnatural” abilities offered those who walked a different pathway in the Force. He told Anakin about the Sith Lord Plagueis, who “had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying” by manipulating midi-chlorians. For a young man hoping to save his pregnant wife from death, it was enough to begin pulling Anakin away from the light.

What made the story of Plagueis so enduring, though, wasn’t the power he supposedly learned but the end he met. It suggested Plagueis was far more important to the story than just being a tool of manipulation. Palpatine said Plagueis grew so powerful the “only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did.” Plagueis’ own apprentice, having learned everything he could from his Master, killed the Sith Lord in his sleep. “Ironic, he could save others from death, but not himself,” said Palpatine.

Was Palpatine lying about all of it? Only telling a partial truth? Or was he being completely honest with Anakin? If everything he said actually happened the implication was clear and exciting: Palpatine was the very apprentice who killed Plagueis.

Off-screen Star Wars stories confirmed he was, and that has remained true in the franchise’s new canonical Disney-era. Plagueis was everything Palpatine said he was, a massively powerful Sith Lord who could create life and save others from death. But Star Wars has explored more of Plagueis, most notably that became so obsessed with the science of immortality—a power Sith Lords had long sought—he grew distracted. His very quest to live forever doomed him, because the Sith Rule of Two meant there could only be two Dark Lords at one time. For Palpatine to become a Master he needed to kill his own.

Plagueis the Wise should have recognized his apprentice’s ambition and plot. He should have known Palpatine was planning to kill him. Instead he never saw his murder coming.

While Plagueis died, his work endured and changed the galaxy far, far away forever. His apprentice took everything he learned from his Master and spent generations trying to cheat death himself. Without the work of Plagueis, Palpatine never would have returned after Anakin Skywalker killed him in Return of the Jedi. He never would have made a clone body in the first place. Nor would he have created Snoke and lured Ben Solo to the dark side of the Force.

Now we know the very obsession that cost Plagueis his life was directly connected to The Acolyte‘s unique twins. He learned about what Mother Aniseya accomplished with Osha and Mae. She created life, two from one, using the Force. Her accomplishment could have sent Plagueis on a path to not only learn how to control life himself, but to master it, and therefore death. His work, which became Palpatine’s work, would probably not have been possible without the twins.

How did he know about Mae and Osha? Why was he even hiding in a cave on that unknown planet in the first place? It seems unlikely, though not impossible, that Qimir knew Plagueis was there, let alone that he was Plagueis’ apprentice. The Sith Rule of Two would have prevented Qimir from claiming a true apprentice of his own. Plagueis’ surprise appearance, Qimir’s use of the word “acolyte,” and his own lack of a Master indicate Qimir probably isn’t even a Sith. Plagueis definitely is. And he’s a powerful one.

That unknown planet might be strong in the dark side and drew Plagueis there for the same reasons Qimir called it home. Or it might have been Osha’s arrival that led Plagueis there. He was powerful in the dark side of the Force, and Osha’s presence on a dark side planet might have been like a beacon to a Sith.

Whatever brought him there is less important than what he found. Mother Aniseya’s daughters have a lot in common with Anakin Skywalker, but they aren’t as powerful as him. As The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland told us, the twins were “guinea pigs” in the galaxy’s most important experiment. Darth Plagueis learned about it firsthand and dedicated his life to improving upon it. Unfortunately the powers he will soon unlock in the dark side of the Force will help his apprentice bring down both the Jedi and the Sith. But only after he kills Plagueis the Wise first.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who spent decades waiting for Darth Plagueis to show up. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post THE ACOLYTE Brought Darth Plagueis to Live-Action STAR WARS appeared first on Nerdist.

Thanks to its fantastic trailers, I went into Twisters with high hopes. Thanks to my love of its 1996 predecessor, I also went in with high standards. That’s a double dose of heavy expectations for any movie. The fact I walked out of my theater happy says a lot, even though Twisters is far from perfect. Its obvious flaws—including a sometimes clunky script, weird pacing issues, and occasional hokeyness—prevent the movie from true greatness. But those problems are overcome by three fantastic leads, great visual effects, and an engaging mix of fun, excitement, terror, and well-earned heart.

Twisters‘ script is sometimes genuinely funny, sometimes genuinely moving, and sometimes genuinely bad. Some scenes, including the big finale, seem to come out of nowhere, as though director Lee Isaac Chung forgot to film some scenes. Just like a tornado that sprouts up without warning, those structural issues cause damage. There are portions of the film where it feels like a collection of scenes rather than a cohesive story.

The movie also suffers from a few moments or lines of dialogue that cross over from the film’s frequent “good silly” vibe to “bad silly.” On a few occasions, my packed theater laughed at something a character said or plot points that were clearly not meant to be funny. Considering one such moment is a key “conflict” between good guys and bad, that wasn’t ideal. Those failures are especially frustrating because there are scenes where everything in Twisters is absolutely clicking and you know the movie could have avoided its biggest mistakes.

One of those mistakes is that Twisters comes up short in its attempts to recapture the original film’s fundamentally important group dynamic. It never fully commits to that element of the story. We don’t spend enough time with the ragtag storm chasers to feel like we truly know who they are, either as individuals or as friends. It’s not terrible nor bad (and the actual group members are all enjoyable in limited parts); it’s just an aspect of Twisters that feels incomplete even as it’s unfolding.

The film also takes a little while to get going after its predictable yet engrossing opening scene. Fortunately things pick up when Glen Powell’s cowboy storm chaser Tyler Owens shows up. He arrives with a rodeo arena-sized amount of charm and swagger. Powell’s a capital “L” Leading Man and an absolutely perfect fit for the Twister franchise’s ethos. (Which this sequel fully understands.) Powell’s entertaining, funny, brash, smart, and vulnerable.

What—or rather who—really makes Powell shine is his co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones. She carries the emotional weight of the film that is a big part of why the movie works. An even bigger reason it does is their off-the-charts onscreen chemistry. They’re excellent every single time they’re together and elevate the movie past its issues. Powell and Edgar-Jones as a duo are easily my favorite part of the film.

They aren’t the only standouts in the cast. Twisters‘ third star is Anthony Ramos. He plays an old friend of Edgar-Jones’ tornado whisperer Kate that comes calling with a new opportunity. His offer to her drives the plot (which is perfectly cromulent). Ramos has a tough role, both in terms of the character and his place in the film. It would have been really easy for his Javi to feel like an afterthought or plot device, but Ramos feels just as important to the story as his co-stars. His arc also contributes to the film’s biggest theme about why any of these people do what they do. A lesser performance would have dragged the Twisters down. Instead, like Powell and Edgar-Jones, Ramos lifts up the movie.

As do the movie’s tornadoes. They look totally believable and totally terrifying, even when they’re relatively smaller twisters. I just wish there were more of them. The movie would benefit from at least one more big tornado sequence, but two more would have been even better. Fortunately one of the biggest ones we see is among the scariest natural disaster sequences ever put on film. It takes place at night and I think I forgot to breathe as it unfolded. Watching was like getting caught up in a horror movie you didn’t plan on seeing. I want to see Twisters again on the biggest, loudest screen I can just for this one moment.

If Twisters delivered a better structured ending, one that didn’t feel rushed and out of nowhere, I would have absolutely loved it even despite its obvious flaws. Instead I really liked it. For a film I expected a lot from, that’s still really good. Twisters, which made me laugh, grip my seat, and worry over who would survive, captures a lot of what made the original movie so entertaining and memorable. And it did that while creating even more believable, more terrifying tornadoes, which spun alongside fantastic acting and characters I cared about. It’s not a perfect storm of a movie, but it’s still a damn entertaining one.

Twisters ⭐ (3.2 of 5)

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and is all ready preparing to see Twisters again. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Netflix is about to get a heavy dose of AMC programming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The network has signed the dotted line on a new deal with the streaming giant which will bring several of its most popular shows to Netflix starting next month. These include the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead. Also included are Interview with the Vampire season one and Mayfair Witches season one. Other shows on the list are Preacher and Into the Badlands. In total, 13 AMC series will drop on Netflix on August 19. You can see the complete list of series below:

A Discovery of Witches
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire S1
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
Dark Winds
Fear the Walking Dead
Gangs of London
Into the Badlands
Kevin can F*** Himself
Monsieur Spade
Preacher
That Dirty Black Bag
The Terror S1
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

The Walking Dead: Dead City season one and The Ones Who Live season one will follow suit. Both release on Netflix on Jan 13. 2025. AMC notes that the shows will be available commercial-free, even on Netflix’s ad tier. AMC and Netflix have a long history together. It was streaming on Netflix where Breaking Bad truly became a cultural juggernaut. The fallout led to massive ratings for its post-Netflix seasons. Mad Men also got a major bump in its final seasons thanks to exposure on Netflix for its earlier seasons. The Walking Dead also got an incredible boost via the Netflix effect, also helping to make it a significant pop culture IP.

This new Netflix/AMC deal has an end date, with the “curated” series only available for one year. However, if any of these series get ratings bumps on AMC thanks to all of their Netflix exposure? Then it would not be shocking at all to see this deal extended further. Earlier this year, several AMC shows appeared on Max, but that was designed as a mere “pop-up,” and not an indicator that AMC and Max would partner up in a larger sense. We’ll have to wait and see what the future brings for AMC and Netflix going forward.

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For some time, it was believed that voice-acting legend Kevin Conroy’s last performance as Batman was going to be the recent Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game. Luckily, before his passing in 2022, he recorded one more performance as the character that made him famous. This was for the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three. The scene was only a minute or so long. But we got to see Conroy’s Dark Knight fight Mark Hamill’s Joker one last time. Conroy’s dialogue is eerily prescient, as if predicting it would be his last time ever playing the Caped Crusader. You can watch Conroy’s final Batman performance down below: Try not to get misty-eyed watching it.

The scene above is but one example in the film of the villainous Anti-Monitor’s anti-matter wave destroying universe after universe. This is a direct reference to the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths comics from 1985 that reshaped DC Comics continuity. An event that would continuously happen over the next forty years. This three-part adaptation of Crisis (the second after the Arrowverse adaptation in 2019) also features other notable cameos. Appearances from other famous animated DC universes from across the decades. We won’t spoil which ones for you, You’ll just have to watch.

A nice touch fans of the DC Animated Universe will notice is in orbit of the Earth right after the Batman scene is the Justice League Watchtower. The very same one from Justice League Unlimited. That’s because the Earth we see destroyed in the anti-matter wave is Earth-12. That’s the designated home to Bruce Timm’s various animated shows. These include Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League Unlimited. This brief scene is a final farewell to an animated universe that remains beloved by DC Comics fans everywhere. Other new DC animated universe will no doubt appear, but Timm’s DCAU, and especially Conroy’s Batman, will forever be the blueprint.

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