As we barrel towards the release of Avengers: Doomsday on the 2026 movie schedule, everyone was a little surprised when Doomsday's first trailer dropped just days before San Diego Comic Con kicks off. I think most fans thought it was more likely to drop there during the Marvel panel on Saturday. The great news for those of us not attending SDCC, we all got to see it Monday for the first time. We got a good look at many of the characters that we’ve long known are in the upcoming MCU movie, but I was really surprised that we didn’t get surprised by at least one of two characters who are heavily rumored to be in the movie, Spider-Man and Wolverine.

I Expected One Surprise From The Trailer

In the trailer, we saw a ton of characters, so it’s hardly shocking that there were some who we know are going to be in the movie, like Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), who didn’t make it into the short trailer. There are also a handful of major MCU actors who weren’t part of the big director’s chair reveal last year when the movie was officially announced, nor have they been announced since. I’m talking about actors like Elizabeth Olsen (The Scarlet Witch), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Tom Holland (Spidey), and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine).

I really kind of expected at least one of those, most likely Wolverine, based on Jackman’s recent social media posts, or Spider-Man (since Brand New Day is hitting theaters at the end of the month) to be in Doomsday. We saw neither. I get the Russos and the powers that be want to save some surprises for the theaters, or even for future trailers, keeping the hype train going. They may also be holding some back for SDCC later this week, but I really did think we’d see either Spider-Man or Wolverine in the first trailer. Yes, I fully believe that both characters will appear in the movie (along with Dr, Strange and Deadpool).

There Is A Web Of Rumors Surrounding Spider-Man

Maybe it’s less surprising that Spidey wasn’t included, because there are a lot of theories out there that it might not be Tom Holland’s version of the webslinger, but Tobey Maguire’s, who could be in Doomsday. That is definitely a reveal that you’d want to keep for the movie, so if that rumor does end up being correct, I get it. Wolverine, on the other hand, would be the perfect character to surprise fans with in the first trailer.

Doomsday is going to mark the real introduction of the full complement of X-Men into the MCU films, after some flirting with the characters in WandaVision and, of course, Deadpool and Wolverine. Putting the most famous big-screen X-Man, Wolverine, in the trailer would have given us all a “whoa!” moment. It would save the potential reveal of Spider-Man for the movie, but still get people talking about the future of the MCU beyond Doomsday.

Then again, maybe all this is just wild speculation about all these unannounced characters and none of them will be in Doomsday. All I know is that I’ll be keeping a close lookout for any more clues and crumbs that get dropped over the next few days, weeks, and months.

After what felt like roughly a billion years (give or take eight or nine zeros), Marvel Studios finally released the first full-length trailer for the upcoming MCU film Avengers: Doomsday, giving fans a slew of new details, shots, quotes, and more to theorize about. (Example: Are we really going to see all the familiar X-Men being killed off?!?) Along with footage-filled new promo, a new Doomsday poster also dropped that is no doubt meant to supply insights regarding Doctor Doom’s emotional plight in the 2026 release.

But wait, does that poster ALSO make a “hidden” reference to everyone’s favorite unbreakable mutant, Wolverine? Does it, does it? I mean, probably not, but now that the suggestion has entered my brain-space, I simply cannot unsee it, Bub.

The idea was first posited over on Reddit without much of a logical narrative foundation, but who needs hypothetical exposition when Wolverine’s mask is clearly kinda-sorta just right there if you use your imagination and really want to believe it. (I slapped my own version together for the side-by-side below.)

It's not exactly perfect or anything, but it's way more convincing than it should be for pure randomness. I get that there's definitely some pareidolia involved, and that my brain is so used to seeing big faces on movie posters that it's trying to make up for that vacant element.

Add to that the ongoing speculation about Hugh Jackman's Wolverine showing up in Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, with his very recent gym efforts sparking theories about that very thing. But it's not like we're just seeing Wolverine-adjacent shapes on random cereal boxes and floor patterns. (Maybe contact a doctor or a trip-sitter if you are.) This poster is at least a fitting spot to see a mutant visage.

For all that I think the Anthony and Joe Russo would include this kind of visual clue in a Doomsday poster, I can't think of why Wolverine would be showing up on this tapestry of what appears to be Victor Von Doom's family. Even if this movie does wipe out Fox's X-Men timeline and we get introduced to a Wolverine replacement that isn't Jackman, I'm still not sure it makes sense for a poster tease. (Unless the new Wolvie is a variant of Doom's son, or some other convoluted sh-t.)

Considering Steve Rogers' timeline tinkering has been theorized as a root cause for the incursions that possibly killed Doom's brood, it'd make a bit more sense for Steve's Captain America mask to be hiding in there.

Which I guess means I should spend the next couple of hours trying to force my brain to unsee Wolverine so that I can then spend another couple of hours finding a way to perspective-force Cap onto this poster. We all have our missions, and they're all important.

As the coundown clock tells us, Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.

For a very short while there, it seemed like everyone was on the same page in regards to The Batman: Part II’s villain castings, with Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson and Charles Dance joining the sequel to reportedly play various members of Gotham City’s Dent family. But then direct Matt Reeves went and confirmed the sequel’s cast members without revealing any new characters, which strengthened the emerging speculation that the trio are playing completely different villains.

Now, weeks into filming the new movie, alleged details about Stan, Johansson and Dance’s characters have emerged, and Harvey Dent’s Two-Face is nowhere to be seen, much less his wife and father. Instead, the actors are each reportedly playing completely different villains that tie into past rumors and speculation.

Rumor: Goodbye To Two-Face, Hello To Poison Ivy?

The latest report stems from the DCULeaks subreddit, (via @DCVers0 on X) where a post was shared that was apparently vetted and approved by mods, with some form of additional proof offered for verification purposes, before being taken down for unknown reasons. But what did it say?

With a clarification from the leaker saying that character names were not spoken aloud in their presence, the message essentially purports that The Batman: Part II will be introducing Poison Ivy, Victor Zsasz, and the Court of Owls. Here’s how each is described:

• Scarlett Johansson is reportedly Poison Ivy: referred to as "the main villain" and "a serial killer with an obsession with plants" who also "uses toxins" in relation to her villainy.
• Sebastian Stan is simply referred to as a "bald serial killer," which does legitimately seem like confirmation that he'll be portraying the sadistic criminal and frequent Arkham resident Victor Zsasz. It's also noted that Batman initially believes Zsasz is the sequel's key troublemaker, but it's actually Ivy.
• Meanwhile, Charles Dance is supposedly playing one of Gotham City's upper crust, who "leads a secret organization made up of the city's most powerful figures" while also being targeted by Johansson's character. While his specific identity is harder to guess, it's less difficult to assume that the org being referred to is Gotham's age-old threat, the Court of Owls.

That set of alleged reveals totally throws any and all Two-Face speculation out the window, since Ivy and Zsasz aren't big players in the comics' "Long Halloween" storyline that reportedly had a big influence on the upcoming 2027 movie. Is it possible the movie will completely twist up expectations on the source material, or are Reeves and co-screenwriter Mattson Tomlin shooting for a completely original storyline?

To be fair, Poison Ivy was a villain whose name was in the mix when Scarlett Johansson's casting was first reported, and it's not exactly a stretch to imagine the actress rocking long red hair. As well, recent sightings of Sebastian Stan in hats have sparked speculation that the actor did indeed shave his head for his Batman role. No word on whether or not Charles Dance has been seen training owls or getting his face fitted for an owl mask or anything.

i was certainly looking forward to seeing the two MCU vets portraying Harvey and Gilda Dent for Matt Reeves, but I won't be upset in the slightest to have to swap out the Dents for Pamela Isley and Victor Zsasz. Could just be that green gas that started billowing out of my air conditioner vent, though.

The Batman: Part II is set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.

There are mixed feelings when any TV series comes to an end, as it’s impossible to make everyone happy about each character and storyline. And The Umbrella Academy, which is available to stream with a Netflix subscription, was no exception to that according to fan reactions.

But we live in a world where TV series are rebooted and revisited, so it’s not surprising that Ryan Lu asked Aidan Gallagher, aka Number Five, in an interview for Delulu, about whether he’d ever want to see The Umbrella Academy return in some way. And Gallagher revealed he would be on board, if it were to come back as an animated series. He said:

After three well-received seasons of The Umbrella Academy, based on the comic by My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá, opinions about the fan favorite series started to change as it neared its end. The wonderfully odd tale about the Hargreeves siblings with world-altering powers questioned whether you can really save the world and yourselves. While it didn’t suffer the fate of many beloved series that Netflix has canceled, it did shorten the original plan from ten episodes to six and left some storylines feeling incomplete and unsatisfying. The shorter season left fans hurt and wanting more, and an animated series is the perfect solution.

Throughout the run of the live-action Umbrella Academy series, Aidan Gallagher had the wild task of playing an aged man in his 13-year-old body. Being a boy with the ability to jump through space and time sounds cool. Until you get stuck in a future apocalyptic world and are unable to get back until after you’ve survived on your own for decades, only to have to revert to your teenage body when you return to your timeline. Aidan Gallagher’s nuanced performance was a standout among the talented ensemble.

Unfortunately, an animated version of The Umbrella Academy is destined for the 2026 TV schedule, but it should be, and could potentially show up down the line. Animated TV series like X-Men ’97 and What If…? show that there’s an appetite for showcasing comic book characters in such a way. The promise of delving deeper into the things that you can’t do in live action, either because they’d be too expensive or just not possible to pull off, is certainly intriguing.

It would also help bring the cast together because they could record their voice performances from pretty much anywhere while they’re working on other projects. An animated series could also dig back into threads that weren’t fully finished in the series to provide a more complete conclusion. The Umbrella Academy ended without answering the question of what happened to Sloane Hargreeves (Genesis Rodriguez) or addressing her fate directly, and it would help ease fan frustration if they could dedicate an animated episode to the Sparrow Academy member that Luther (Tom Hopper) fell for.

Yes, there are plenty of new and upcoming original shows available on Netflix, but an order of animated The Umbrella Academy episodes is definitely something that I’d check out. Fingers crossed, as I try to will that into being.

While I usually hate feeling as if time is going by too quickly, I can take comfort in knowing it’s all leading to the upcoming DC movie The Batman: Part II, so no time has technically been wasted. (I live in denial a bunch.) Production on the 2027 theatrical release kicked off in June, but many cast and character questions remain unanswered. Is Sebastian Stan really playing Harvey Dent and Two-Face? Is Scarlett Johansson a key piece of the Long Halloween adaptation game? Will we see The Joker?

Unsurprisingly, director Matt Reeves kept mum about new and established roles when confirming the film’s actors, and it was a noteworthy exclusion when Barry Keoghan’s name wasn’t listed in the lineup. Though not a “star” of the first film, the Irish actor made a quick and lasting impact from his minimal time on-screen as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” and talks about his return were among the first rumors sparked by the impending sequel. So what’s the deal?

A Warner Bros. Event May Have Spilled The Joker Beans

WB execs were on hand in France around July 4 weekend for Studio Show 2026 to promote the studio's slate of upcoming movies, from Tom Cruise's Digger to Dune: Part 3 to animated projects like Hello Kitty and Margie Claus. Obviously, the topic of DC-sourced adaptations came up, such as Man of Tomorrow and Dynamic Duo, and Clayface. But this detail reported by BoxOfficePro is definitely worth bringing up, since Keoghan is one of the key names mentioned in the French report. Here's a translated iteration:

No mention of James Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright or Penguin portrayer Colin Farrell, but Keoghan is just right there in front, ahead of Alfred's actor Andy Serkis. I of course get throwing ScarJo and Stan in there for extra hype, and maybe it's a case where Keoghan has a huge following in France, and so the outlet wanted to play into that, without this being directly related to billing order.

The Saltburn actor himself has been cagey when addressing a potential return as The Joker, which has only helped to make the return seem more likely. But given just the elements that we know about thus far, it's not entirely clear how The Joker would factor into what will assumedly be Two-Face's origin tale. (It's not like Reeves is going to ape Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight, amirite?) So I can't imagine it'll be a very prominent part, and will possibly just lay additional groundwork for a grander takeover in a third Batman movie. Or not.

Whatever fans might hope to see, note that the actor is as busy as busy can be, in large part because he's portraying musical icon Ringo Starr for Sam Mendes' The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which reportedly started filming in March. It'll likely take well over a year for the movie quartet to be filmed, though it's obviously possible that Keoghan worked out scheduling details with Reeves and Mendes that would allow him to film Joker scenes without imminent Ringo sequences to appear in.

For now, the actor’s fans can see him in action in two 2026 movie releases to date: Crime 101 opposite Chris Hemsworth (currently streaming via Amazon Prime subscription) and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (currently streaming via Netflix subscription).

If there is one word I would use to describe Supergirl, it’s “fun.” The film, which hits the 2026 movie schedule this weekend, has a very James Gunn vibe. It’s not directed by Gunn or written by him; those credits go to Craig Gillespie and Ana Nogueira, respectively. Still, Supergirl feels more like Guardians of the Galaxy than anything in the pre-Gunn era of the (formerly) DCEU, and not just because of the brisk runtime. Gillespie and Nogueira definitely put their imprint on it, but the new DC Universe already feels more cohesive than anything DC has done before, outside of The Dark Knight Trilogy.

That Humor And Those Needle Drops

To be sure, Supergirl has some very poignant moments (though some people seem to disagree with that) and doesn’t shy away from some pretty heavy themes playing out with Milly Alcock’s Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. However, it’s also filled with great jokes and funny moments. In that respect, it feels very much in the style of Guardians or Peacemaker (the first DC show created by Gunn). Some of the humor is raunchy, and the language is definitely PG-13. I loved all of that. It made the emotional moments more powerful and kept the movie chugging along at a great pace.

Then there are the needle drops. One reason I really love Gunn’s work on comic book movies is how great he is at picking songs. Bringing back a somewhat overlooked track from a quarter century ago in Superman with “Punkrocker” by Teddybears, featuring Iggy Pop, was brilliant. While Supergirl doesn’t really reach that deep into the annals of pop culture, adding some bangers by great current artists like Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and Halsey feels perfect.

Where Will The Future Projects Fall?

One of the things the MCU really got right when it was firing on all cylinders was keeping a cohesive vibe, no matter who was directing or writing whichever movie was coming out. The DCEU was all over the place in that respect. Gunn, Gillespie, and Nogueira seem to have made a conscious effort to focus on this in the new DCU. The sum of the parts should add up to something. How this will work going forward will be fascinating to see.

Up next for DC television shows is Lanterns, which will hit the 2026 TV schedule in August, and the next DC film to be released will be the body horror Clayface in October. Lanterns is being described as having a detective show vibe, while obviously a horror movie like Clayface is unlikely ot have many lighter moments, but I can’t wait to see how they fit in here. The 2027 movie schedule includes Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman, written and directed by Gunn, so I do expect that to bring the same energy as these first two movies.

All in all, I can’t wait to see this universe continue to expand and evolve, and I’m trusting the hand of Gunn more and more.

Major spoilers below for the newest DCU movie Supergirl, so limit your super-senses if you haven’t yet watched.

Anyone who thought Supergirl would be one of those 2026 movie releases that sparks absolutely zero backlashes and gripe-filled tirades, the past week or two much have felt like pure hell. Reviews for the comic book adaptation have seemingly skewed far more negative than positive, with gobs of DCU skeptics quick to rain down the hate. I had a pretty good time overall, and enjoyed the characters more than the story, with my own biggest issues stemming from the myriad changes made in adapting Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s A+ comic miniseries.

Not all the alterations felt like kryptonite suns, to be sure, and I actually think the vastly different ending that caps the live-action version was the best move possible for Milly Alcock’s Supergirl future. But I’ll get to that after talking out some of the other changes.

I Was Surprised And Disappointed By Supergirl Skipping Over So Much Of Tom King's Storytelling

I'm a diehard fan of Tom King's writing most of the time, and while I understand that Supergirl's mass-market appeal meant we wouldn't get Ruthye's lofty and veering narration throughout the movie, I was gobsmacked by how many other elements from the source material were apparently absent from Ana Noguiera's screenplay. Though in retrospect, it's indubitably obvious why Woman of Tomorrow was removed as the film's subtitle.

To be sure, the basic idea of Ruthye's tagging along with Supergirl on a revenge mission to take down the murderous Krem is intact, as are some other elements like the green sun taking Supergirl out of commission during a pivotal time for Ruthye. But a lot of the poignant time-jaunts and side-stories that make King's narratives so rich on the page were replaced with more generic FX-driven battle sequences. Understandable, I guesssss. But not ideal.

Beyond the ending, the other obvious "change is good" exception is Jason Momoa's expertly visualized Lobo, who steals every scene he's in just by being a sneering mountain of enging-revving chaos. Ah, but this is still only a half-exception, since King's original idea for the comic's arc did include the immortal Czarnian. (I also really liked Matthias Schoenaerts' bonkers performance as Krem in a vacuum, but don't think it tops the comic's villain.)

I Think Changing Supergirl's Ending Was Absolutely Necessary For The Future Of The DCU

The final issue of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow starts of seemingly like it would be perfect fodder for live-action, then makes a leap that just doesn't happen in mainstream movies. (Spoilers for that ending for anyone who wants to avoid them.) Here's the heavily summarized version.

Ruthye has the smack-talking Krem captured as her hostage, and then lets him go for a one-on-one fight where she emerges victorious, but she's unable to bring herself to kill him. Supergirl then returns, and has a heartfelt talk with Ruthye that also quells her own urges to kill Krem. In a distant-future epilogue, Krem is released from the Phantom Zone as a repentant and haggard shadow of his former self, begging an elderly Ruthye for forgiveness. Her response is merely to thwack him with a cane and leave him to dwell in his shame and regrets.

A brilliant and meaningful coda that works without question in the comic book medium, but is so not Hollywood. Plus, that flash-forward was the perfect end for King and Evely's story, and without the impetus to set seeds for the future. Not the case for Supergirl, which needed to build up Alcock's return in Man of Tomorrow. So it was smart to change things for with an in-the-moment ending for the film.

More importantly, I love that Kara takes the moral high ground by stopping Ruthye from staining her conscience with Krem's murder, and then doesn't need to be pushed very hard into killing Krem herself. That cold-blooded act truly puts Supergirl into another category from her Kryptonian cousin (and presumably the DCU's eventual Batman), and justifies the "anti-hero" description that has been used by Gunn & Co. to describe her.

The fact that Lobo is so approving is a good sign that Kara's malicious actions would go over horribly with other protagonists. Which is a very smart building block (theoretically) to set up going into Man of Tomorrow, which will have Superman quasi-teaming up with Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac from destroying everything. Kara obviously leans closer to Clark than Lex on the moral scale, but the fact that she exists in the space between them will no doubt make them a joyful trifecta when the Gunn-directed film drops.

I already can't wait to watch Kara get sh-tfaced with Jason Todd and talk crap about their respective hero mates while sharing war stories. Even if that only ends up happening in my anonymous fan-fic. I mean, in someone's anonymous fan-fic.

Supergirl is currently in theaters, and all kinds of comic books written by Tom King are currently in stores and libraries and on your smart friends' shelves. Read 'em.

When it comes to ranking the Batman movies, I think most will agree that The Dark Knight is perched firmly at the top.

However, what about the bottom of the list? Well, I think things get a bit trickier there. Sure, I know exactly what Batman movie people want to place at the bottom (and I’ll get to it in a few), but for my money, the worst live-action Batman movie is 1995’s Batman Forever, and by a wide margin.

And, look, I know I’m pretty much the ONLY person who says this, but I have my reasons. Here are just a few.

Let's Get This One Out The Way First. Yes, I Think Batman Forever Is Worse Than Batman & Robin

When I ranked the Batman movies, I put Batman & Robin at the bottom, but it’s not because I think it’s the worst. No. It’s actually because I’m a man of the people, and I know everybody hates Batman & Robin. But personally, I LOVE it, and I always have (I actually now like Batman v. Superman, which surprises me). Because what people think is its biggest weakness–that it’s way too silly–I think is its biggest strength, since Batman & Robin always has its tongue firmly in its cheek, right down to Clooney’s silly performance.

Which is the thing, really, because Batman Forever doesn’t entirely commit to being camp like its follow-up. Directed by Joel Schumacher after two successfully dark Tim Burton Batman movies, Batman Forever often walks the line between something that wants to be taken seriously and something that’s incredibly goofy, and this mishmash kind of throws it off for me.

I think it also might be because Val Kilmer commits to being an amazing Batman, which actually works AGAINST this movie, which I’ll get into next.

Val Kilmer Is A Great Batman In A Bad Batman Movie

I know some people think Val Kilmer isn’t at his best in this movie when compared to other Batmen, but I think Kilmer does a good job of playing both Bruce Wayne and Batman, which is never an easy task.

As Wayne, he’s charming, and as Batman, he doesn’t brood like Bale’s or Pattinson’s versions, nor is he a tired bruiser like Ben Affleck. Instead, he’s actually more similar to the quieter (but somehow more lethal) Michael Keaton, but slightly modified to fit this movie's more colorful tone. And, I don’t think that should be understated. Val Kilmer is just a tad beneath Keaton for me.

That works against him since the playful tone is dialed up to a million, what with Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey hamming it up, and it just throws the whole thing off since Batman sometimes seems like he’s in a different movie. Oh, and speaking of Jim Carrey…

I Agree With Tommy Lee Jones. I Can't Sanction Jim Carrey's Buffoonery

Jim Carrey–who was my childhood–has a really funny story about a time he went up to Tommy Lee Jones outside of work, and Jones told him that he couldn’t “sanction” his “buffoonery.” And honestly, when it comes to Carrey’s performance as The Riddler, I’m with Jones on this one.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Tommy Lee Jones singing “Trick or treat” at Wayne Manor beside Carrey is ludicrous to the nth degree, but I really do feel like Carrey goes WAY over the top (even more than usual for the ‘90s) in this movie. It really makes me kind of despise his character.

And, I’m talking about despising him just as much as I despise Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad. That’s how much I loathe Jim Carrey’s manic performance in this movie. Even as a kid, I just found it so annoying.

That Said, It Still Has Its Positives!

Here’s the thing. While I genuinely can’t stand Batman Forever, I do have to give some props to its visual style. The backdrops and designs are colorful in a way that really does look like a comic book at times, so kudos to that.

Oh, and the soundtrack is still bananas. “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal is way too good a song for this middling movie. Method Man’s “The Riddler” is also great, as is U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.”

But the rest? Put it straight and directly in the trash.

Be warned if you haven’t yet watched The Boys’ series finale streaming via Amazon Prime subscription!

Some of television’s most deplorable characters and pungent personalities are no longer with us, now that The Boys’ series finale has come and gone in all its bloody glory. (Check out what we had to say about the gross-out episode.) The ep was surprisingly free from any noteworthy Soldier Boy appearances, which creator Eric Kripke said was a purposeful move to keep the final installment focused on the mains, with Jensen Ackles’ Vought Rising spinoff having previously enjoyed some narrative set ups.

Given that the spinoff will be a prequel focusing on the rise of Supes in the 1950s, as well as Soldier Boy’s sordid relationship with Aya Cash’s Stormfront, does that mean we’ll never find out what happens to Soldier Boy’s cryosleep-induced body after Stan Edgar returned as the CEO of Vought? I hope that’s not the case, as I think it would be interesting and valuable to know what a Homelander-free version of the company would do with one of its OG enforcers.

Having delivered a finale he was proud of, Eric Kripke isn’t exactly oozing spoilers for the impending series, which isn’t set to debut until after the 2026 TV schedule has wrapped. But this is a case where his lack of an answer speaks more volumes than any other kind of answer. The creator (who is an executive producer on the spinoff) was asked by Deadline if Vought Rising will take place across multiple timelines, and here’s how Kripke responded:

There's no real way to come away from that answer thinking, "It probably won't feature multiple timelines and will consistently remain set in the 1950s no matter how many seasons it gets." If he's unable to talk about it, that means it's almost definitely happening. But in what capacity?

Obviously, my biggest hope here is for Vought Rising to provide some follow-up insight on what went down inside The Tower after Homelander's shame-inducing death, and whether or not Soldier Boy's holding tank was put back into clandestine hiding, only to be unearthed the next time a potentially catastrophic Supe attempts to usurp mankind. (I'd also like to know who had to clean up Homelander's corpse, and whether or not his body was also put into a cryo tank for DNA-saving purposes.

While not confirming or denying the timeline question, Kripke did tease the new show's ability to surprise viewers, aying:

Though The Boys is obviously where fans first met Soldier Boy, Stormfront, and Bombsight, the comic book adaptation wasn't meant to make setting up the sequel a major part of its storytelling, so fans will have to wait and see what kind of debauchery showrunner Paul Grellong has in store. I doubt it'll have the same kinds of Supernatural references that played out in Season 5, as well as the gore-filled reunions, but hopefully other vets from that world will share space with Ackles anew one day.

Check out the first promo for Vought Rising that was released in the days after The Boys' series finale dropped.

Maybe in the next trailer, we'll get a flash-forward to the present, where we learn that Soldier Boy's cryo-tank is being used as a coffee table for Starlight and Hughie, or that it's been set up in a public space for citizens to mock and judge accordingly. Not that I think SB would take any amount of backtalk lightly, even in his sleep.

With no date set yet for when we might see Vought Rising on the small screen, we're also waiting to hear more about the Mexico-set spinoff that went into development a couple of years ago.

For anyone who sorely misses spending time amidst the streets of Gotham City, Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC movie The Batman: Part II is the grimmest and most corrupt oasis imaginable, and I cannot wait for it to finally arrive in October 2027. After months of casting rumors and speculation, the director formally revealed the sequel’s new and returning cast members, setting in stone Sebastian Stan’s casting news that surfaced back in January. All signs seem to point to the MCU actor portraying Harvey Dent / Two-Face, but something is amiss.

A week after rumors suggested actors are playing different roles from what’s expected (including unfounded claims about Scarlett Johansson and Charles Dance’s characters), Stan actually spoke out about it himself when talking to Deadline about his latest Cannes debut, the drama Fjord. Here’s the extremely peculiar wording he used when describing his impending performance(s):

In Gotham City, where vigilantes and theatrical villains are a dime a dozen, it’s not uncommon for actors to think of playing costumed heroes and buttoned-up alter egos as different roles. But we’re almost always talking binaries in that sense: secret identity & hero / villain. In this case, the morally upward attorney Harvey Dent and the acid-burned, coin-tethered Two-Face. To say “many roles” is a heightening that sparks lots of lofty and unlikely ideas, at least in my own head.

But as much as I’d like to broaden my speculation borders for these purposes, the outlet presents Stan’s quotes within the specific context of portraying Two Face, even if the actor doesn’t use the villain’s name himself. Speaking about the hair and makeup teams that will be crafting his presumably iconic look, the Romanian star shared this:

At least those notions all add up and sound completely reasonable, without immediately inspiring ideas about Sebastian Stan playing other characters. Plus, the initial Two-Face concept shots were shared by the actor’s stylist, so this does all track well enough.

However, I'm still stuck on the "many characters," which could feasibly play into the fact that he's been training and bulking up for the film. While that's a common move for actors in superhero movies, Harvey isn't any kind of superbuff, weight-lifting lawyer when he gets disfigured, and Two-Face would almost always rather use a gun than his fists. So why is Stan getting so toned up?

Scarlett Johansson’s first look sparked theories about who she'll be playing, with many fans opting for Gilda Dent, who factors quite heavily into the comics' Long Halloween arc, which is an inspiration for Matt Reeves. And who better to play a married couple within the DCU than two MCU actors?

Could Stan be playing both Harvey Dent and his own father, Christopher Dent? That's the role Charles Dance was rumored for, but who knows? Maybe Stan will also play the doomed acrobat father of Dick Grayson, and that's why he's having to build up more muscle again, for all the trapeze work. That seems like a stretch, though.

I'm sure it'll be months before we get another quote that ramps up the speculation dial quite like that, but if fellow co-stars Brian Tyree Henry or Sebastian Koch have any of their own offbeat quotes to share about their characters, I'm all (cowl) ears.

The Batman: Part II is set to swoop into theaters on October 1, 2027.

There’s both a new Lord of the Rings movie and a new season of The Rings of Power on the way, but the ring I’m most excited to obsess over is the powered-up accessory at the heart (or finger) of HBO Max’s upcoming DC series Lanterns. The second live-action superhero series from James Gunn’s DCU, Lanterns is breaking open the Green Lantern mythos for a time-jumping murder-mystery, and the latest trailer revealed the high-level casting of Emmy-winning actress Laura Linney.

Linney’s presence adds excess excitement for a project that already sparked a ton of it — it’s also garnered blowback over the lack of green visuals, but at least this latest trailer fed into those desires. Still, for all the ring-based constructs on display, it’s Linney’s unidentified character that has my brain aflutter. I think the most popular avenue of speculation is the right one, but I don’t wholly understand why there’s speculation being had at all, nor why the character’s identity hasn’t been revealed already.

I Mostly Agree With Fans Thinking Laura Linney Is Playing Carol Ferris

I tend to hate jumping to a conclusion when it seems to be the only conclusion to jump toward, but this is a pretty applicable situation. Without a ton of eaamples to pull from in terms of female characters who share a similar age group with Hal Jordan, the most obvious name to pull when speculating about Linney's inclusion is Carol Ferris, who's severed as both Hal's romantic foil and his higher-up. If only she'd have an obviously pilot wings pin on her lapel, we could put this one to bed.

Though we haven't heard any direct mentions regarding Carol thus far within Lanterns promos, nor her superhero persona Star Sapphire, it's unlikely the new series would take place without her involvement in at least one of the timelines. Given she appears to be talking to Pierre's John Stewart about Hal, and in a way that makes it seem like she's had personal stakes, I'll be heartily surprised to learn that the Ozark vet is playing anyone else.

The Biggest Reason To Keep This A Mystery Is If Laura Linney Isn't Playing Carol

All things considered, there could be plenty of reasons why Lanterns' Powers That Be are holding back on revealing Linney's character, only for her to be playing Carol Ferris. It's keeping the conversation going with soapbox ravings and rantings like this one, for example. Not that I even have a suitable soapbox. (Hint hint, anyone with a Lantern ring.)

But there's that conspiracy theory-entertaining part of my brain that can fully buy into the trailer giving Laura Linney's character a simple first look only to reveal she's playing someone far different from Carol. But who? Probably not Wonder Woman, but wouldn't that be a hoot?

Perhaps the most favorable second assumption points toward Laura Linney portraying one of the Guardians of the Universe, who would also be quite aware of what Hal and John are up to, and could appear to them in human form to touch base. That would probably mean less of Linney in the show overall, so that's another reason why I'd just rather her play Carol. Which is no doubt what co-creators Chris Munro, Tom King and Damon Lindelof had top of mind, right?

Check out the Lanterns trailer below, with Linney's arrival coming in the final moments.

Lanterns will light up the 2026 TV schedule when Season 1 makes its streaming debut on August 16, 2026, via HBO Max subscription.

If you watched Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 on the 2026 TV schedule like I did, the latest rumor about Season 3 may not come as a huge surprise, but that doesn’t mean I’m not psyched! It sounds like there is at least a decent chance that The Defenders (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist) will be fully reunited in Season 3, and I really hope that is the case. It’s all still rumor at this point, but the amount of smoke is growing, and a fire seems more and more likely. Here’s what we know.

The Reunion That Started In Season 2 Will Allegedly Expand In Season 3

After Disney+ successfully revived what was formerly Netflix’s little corner of Marvel with the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, the streamer upped the ante by adding Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) to the fold in Season 2. Then, after a couple of mentions, we finally got our first look at Luke Cage (Mike Colter) since his own show ended in 2018 at the very end of the season finale. That left just one Defender unaccounted for, Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist (Finn Jones).

Rumors have quickly spread that Iron Fist would be part of Season 3, and this was more or less confirmed when photos of Mike Colter and Finn Jones on set appeared online. Now, a new rumor leans into that and claims that up to half of the upcoming season of Daredevil: Born Again would be about The Defenders. My Time to Shine Hello, who is known for his scoops on X, wrote:

If you’ll recall, Season 2 ended with Daredevil (well, Matt Murdock) getting arrested for being a “vigilante” in the outgoing Mayor Wilson Fisk’s New York, where such behavior was deemed illegal. It sounds like allies are ready to pick up where Daredevil left off, with the potential for a Heroes for Hire project if all goes well.

I Really Hope All Four Defenders Are Involved

I am a big fan of the Marvel shows that started on Netflix with the original Daredevil and continued with spinoffs Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Eventually, they all came together in the 8-episode show The Defenders. Those shows have now migrated away from Netflix into the official MCU and can be seen with a Disney+ subscription. I didn’t love The Defenders, but I don’t think Netflix gave them a fighting chance, as the whole enterprise seemed to be running on fumes at the end. I can’t wait to see if Disney+ can revive the superhero team and incorporate them even more into the MCU.

We all know the Avengers are returning on the 2026 movie schedule in Avengers: Doomsday, and I really liked 2025’s Thunderbolts* (though, a Daredevil cameo would have made it better), so bringing back another great superhero team like Defenders is exactly the kind of thing I want from the MCU. Especially because this was a team that started small and grew organically on screen, and that’s how I think things should be done. We’ve got a while to wait for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 and see if these rumors are true, but it makes total sense, so there’s no reason to believe it’s not true.

When news broke that one of the upcoming DC movies was a film based on Clayface, I thought, Um, well, that’s certainly a choice. And, it’s not because I don’t like the character (in fact, as you’ll soon see, I actually LOVE the character!). It was more along the lines of me thinking, Why him?

Truth be told, I only learned of the character from seeing two of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes, “Feat of Clay: Parts 1 and 2” when I was a kid. Because unlike say, The Joker, or The Penguin, or The Riddler, Clayface was always one of the more obscure villains in Batman’s rogues gallery, and often used for Scooby Doo-esque reveals.

But, whoa. After watching that trailer, I can’t WAIT for this movie. So, here’s why I’m now super excited for this upcoming film.

Clayface Was Always My Favorite Villain From Batman: The Animated Series

Despite having no idea who Clayface was until I saw those aforementioned Batman: The Animated Series (B:TAS) episodes, I’ve been a fan ever since! For those who weren’t alive to watch it when it first aired, B:TAS actually introduced a lot of cool Batman villains to kids and adults back then, such as Mad Hatter, Clock King, and Man-Bat. These were all villains who had comic book origins, but weren’t in any of the movies at the time.

However, out of all of the Batman villains that I learned about from the cartoon, the one who captivated me the most was definitely Clayface. A disfigured actor named Matt Hagen, who uses a chemical called Renuyu (Think of it like The Substance) that can transform his face, ends up getting himself into a heap of trouble. In one nightmarish scene, we see silhouettes of men holding him down and pouring the chemical down his throat, which mutates him.

In that way, Clayface - in this animated version, anyway - is a tragic character. Being an actor, he’s obsessed with the fame that came attached to it, and just wants his old face back. He resorts to a life of crime to get what he wants, but once he’s turned into a monster, he’s resentful of the world and just wants to be left alone so that he can continue committing crimes. But, in swoops Batman, messing up his plans. Of course.

That said, I’m interested to see how they could even make a Clayface movie without Batman. But, I wasn’t always interested…

I Actually Didn't Have High Hopes For Clayface At All...Until I Saw That Trailer

Oh, man. From the very first glimpse that we get in the trailer of a man in bandages, I was already unsettled. It’s the eyes. I can’t take how hopeless and scared they look. Not only that, but then there’s that low drone before the song, “Do You Realize?” by The Flaming Lips, which automatically gives me goosebumps (Mainly because it reminds me of the “Winkies” scene in one of my favorite horror movies, Mulholland Drive).

We then get shots of what our protagonist (played by Tom Rhys Harries) looked like BEFORE his disfigurement, only to see a quick shot of his face getting slashed by a razor blade. So, at this point, I’m already like, “I’m out.” But then, we see another quick shot of what looks like the protagonist with a waxy, plastic mask on, followed by injections, and all other matters of mad scientist stuff.

The song then keeps repeating "Beautiful face,” which is juxtaposed by shots of a melting face, lips trying to pry themselves apart as if they’re glued together, and then other haunting images as we’re assaulted (yes, assaulted) with the words “Look” “Fear” “In” “The” “Face.”

They could have just ended there, but THEN we see an inhuman silhouette stretching against a wall, as well as a later scene of Tom Rhys Harries soaking in a bathtub, only to smear his face with his hand. And do you know what? THAT’S how you make a trailer, because now I’m invested. And do you know why? Because…

I Am SO In For A Comic Book-Themed Horror Movie

I like comic book movies. I mean, I used to like them a lot more, but I still watch them…on occasion. They’re fun. That said, one thing that kind of annoys me about them is that a lot of them are still aimed toward a much younger demographic, and that’s fine. Not every movie needs to be geared toward my preferences. I do personally love it when comic book films veer toward hard-R ratings, like my favorite comic book movie, Dredd.

However, do you know what I love even more than comic book movies? Horror flicks! In fact, I’d say that horror is my favorite genre of film. That’s why I’ve seen most of the best horror movies of all time, and I’m always down for a good scare…until I’m not, but, that’s neither here nor there. What is important is that I’ve never yet gotten a film that’s actually melded those two genres together

Which is really cool, since Clayface looks to be leaning in that direction in a major way. Yes, there have been attempts in the past to do comic book horror, such as the Blade movies, and the Disney+ special, Werewolf by Night, but I mean a movie that is primarily a horror movie first, and a comic book movie second. That’s something I’ve never quite seen before.

That is something that I now desperately want after seeing that teaser trailer. Even without having seen the movie yet, it actually gets me pumped for the future.

If It's Successful, It Makes Me Excited For Other Potential Horror Stories In The Universe

You know what didn’t work? The Sony Spider-Man movies without Spider-Man. Now, I’m not talking about the Venom trilogy, which actually did well, all things considered. I’m talking about movies like Morbius, Madam Web, and Kraven the Hunter. These were all films that took Spider-Man villains of sorts, and gave them their own backstory, all to middling results.

However, I’m looking forward to Clayface since I’m really interested in seeing what story they tell, especially with a horror twist. I’m thinking it will employ lots of body horror and really delve deep into the psyche of this man who’s going through a horrific transformation.

And, it just gets me thinking of what other Batman villains could fit the bill for horror. My first thought immediately went to Professor Pyg, and if Clayface does well, I’d love to see a horror story revolve around his character.

Or what about Calendar Man? A story about a serial killer who plans murders on major holidays? Yes, please. A Mister Zsasz film? Terrifying! A Ventriloquist & Scarface movie? Can we greenlight that now, please? The point is, this could be a winning formula and I want to see it happen in the future if Clayface is good.

I Just Want To Be Scared, And Clayface Could Fit The Bill

Most importantly of all, I just want to be scared, and I think Clayface could definitely fit the bill.

For one thing, I hate distorted faces, and we already see that in the trailer. For another, body horror really disturbs me, and that’s what this movie is all about.

Plus, the trailer just has incredible tension throughout, and with the bandaged face, it gives me serious Goodnight Mommy vibes, which is one of the horror movies that I’m too scared to watch.

So, I went from not caring about Clayface to circling October 23rd on my calendar. That’s how good this movie looks. Will YOU be seeing it?

Director Matt Reeves continues to share images from The Batman: Part II, and now we have our first look at Scarlett Johansson in her mysterious role. The internet has its guesses, and it looks like they've settled on her playing the spouse of an iconic Batman rogue.

As big names like Sebastian Stan are attached to this upcoming superhero movie, fans think they've cracked the code on Johannson's part in the DC movie. Take a look below at who many believe is Gilda Dent:

For those who may not be familiar, Gilda Dent is the wife of Harvey Dent. Her story is all over the place amongst her various appearances in DC Comics. The common thread is that her loyalty to her husband, even after his transformation into Two Face, is unwavering.

Keep in mind, none of this is confirmed. That said, there's plenty of chatter online about Scarlett Johansson's role. For the time being, it seems there's a small army of people convinced she's playing Gilda:

• That’s gilda dent alright - @Mandevil23
• Scarlett Johansson saying 'I Believe in Harvey Dent' is gonna be so iconic - @_CinemaHub_
• LETS GOOOOOOO. WELCOME GILDA DENT 🙏🔥🦇 - @TheBatmanSagaNW
• Gilda Dent is here and I’m already terrified for Harvey. - @HashimKhanoo7
• Welcome to Gotham, Gilda This cast is stacking impossibly good. Can’t wait for the Dent family drama in Reeves’ world - @al_saudigirl

People seem pretty convinced, but again, we don't know this is for sure who Scarlett Johansson will be playing in The Batman: Part II. That said, her short dark hair does seem to match up with the comic panels that people are sharing online.

This latest look arrives as conversation continues about which villains will appear in The Batman: Part 2. We already know Colin Farrell is back as Penguin, and many believe Sebastian Stan is playing Harvey Dent. There's also whispers of Barry Keoghan appearing as Joker, and the general snow theme surrounding the movie has people wondering if Mr. Freeze may show up as well.

All this to say, adding Scarlett Johansson on top of every other big name that is in the movie is wild. The Batman: Part II is not hurting for talented actors, and I wonder if a role like Gilda Dent could be too small for someone of Johansson's caliber in Hollywood. She has experience in the MCU as a superhero, so maybe her role could be closer tied to something like that?

We still have a long time to find out for sure, as The Batman: Part II is not showing up in theaters until October 1st, 2027. I'm curious to see how much we learn about all of these characters in the lead-up to the next adventure, and if this movie sets the stage for another follow-up.

Hugh Jackman is currently promoting his latest movie release, the book-to-screen adaptation The Sheep Detectives, which is certainly garnering some interesting reactions from critics. But with Avengers: Doomsday currently looming large amidst other upcoming Marvel movies, fans are obviously hyper-curious to see whether his version of Wolverine will be part of the new era of MCU-official X-Men mutants. And his latest response to the rumors likely won’t convince anyone that he’s outside the loop.

Though Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo are arguably the biggest secret-spoilers within the MCU’s ever-growing stable of actors, Jackman’s completely tongue-in-cheek response here may put him in the same conversation, even if his words themselves didn’t give anything away. Here’s what he told Adam Lupin in an interview shared on Instagram when asked about it all:

If that answer was given by someone's great-grandmother, I could possibly see it as being a legitimate response. But given the gigantic, poop-noshing grin on Jackman's face, and the general sense of "I'm laying this bullsh-t on thicker than all the sheep's wool in all the lands," I just don't think he's being entirely on the level.

I'm far from alone in that respect, as the comment section for the above post is filled with doubts about his authenticity, as well as hype over seeing him back in the role following the chaos of Deadpool and Wolverine. Here's a smattering of those replies:

• Just check his biceps. If they’re swole, he’s in 😂 - @andersonmmusic
• He’ll be in it. Can’t have Xavier, Magneto and Cyclops in the teaser trailer without having Wolverine in the movie - @cameron17171
• Yes 🔥🔥 it's totally a yes 🔥🔥🔥🔥 - @kiki88213
• Is he shredded but doing a movie where he doesn’t have to be? Cause if so… he’s in it - @samhelfilms
• He's very bad at lying 😂 - @donny.cos
• 😂Yeah because he's not MARK RUFFALO and doesn't enjoy ruining movie plots - @foy.the.fox
• Bro could’ve just said “I didn’t get a call”, HE’S DEFINITELY IN IT - @rene.vr30

I do love that an actor being ripped in everyday life has now become a strong indicator that he or she is likely portraying a comic book superhero or villain. Because it almost always works out to be entirely true. Maybe not so much in the ‘80s and ‘90s when things weren’t always taken to extremes, but absolutely these days.

Given that we'll see James Marsden back in Cyclops mode, on top of all the other OG X-Men stars returning for Avengers: Doomsday, I would be baffled if the Russo brothers make it all the way through that movie without bringing Jackman's Wolverine out. It's the kind of decision that would definitely need to be stressed and confirmed well ahead of time, as opposed to this elongated span of "Will he appear? Won't he appear?" guessing.

The only way I'll believe that the Aussie actor isn't in Doomsday is if Robert Downey Jr. himself publicly states that he's also going to portray Wolverine on top of playing Doctor Doom. Beyond that, my expectations are set in stone.

Avengers: Doomsday will claw its way into theaters on December 18, 2026. Like a Wolverine claw. Because he's in the movie.

It’s hard to think of another 2026 release that has sparked the gobsmackingly large number of fan theories and assumptions that the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday has. From its earliest days with Kang in the mix to the heavily revamped approach that brought the Russo brothers back into the fold, the MCU’s next mega-blockbuster will no doubt keep fans guessing until it’s officially out. Assuming Kevin Feige doesn’t spoil the whole shebang, that is.

Okay, so that’s just farcical, since Kevin Feige is generally Marvel’s biggest enforcer of keeping franchise secrets intact. But he’s not entirely immune to hyping up future projects, including what’ll likely be the biggest release of 2026. When the studio head honcho spoke with Fandango (as seen in this X clip), his own fandom crept through his comments while speaking to the X-Men’s official MCU introduction as a full group. As he put it:

The biggest takeaway from this comment is obviously the implication that Anthony and Joe Russo had the crew rebuild multiple sets (or parts of them) from Bryan Singer’s 2000 X-Men film, as a way of visually bridging the gap between Fox’s mutant saga and the MCU.To be fair, many fans probably already gathered that to be true just from the Professor X and Magneto Doomsday teaser, with interiors from his lavish mansion on display.

But what about other familiar locations? Feige implied Avengers: Doomsday will feature multiple scenes taking place within sets central to X-Men films even beyond that first entry. (Here’s hoping everyone just forgot The Last Stand existed during that part of the process.) I’m guessing we’ll see a similar take on Cerebro, and it would presumably make sense for the Russos to rebuild the Alkali Lake complex where the Weapons X experiments took place. (Assuming the impending X-Men standalone feature from Jake Schreier also shares some of those previously set up details.)

For a comparison, Feige referenced Deadpool and Wolverine finally putting Hugh Jackman in the yellow costume that fans clamored for years for, which Singer & Co. wanted to avoid entirely for being too cartoonish. As he put it:

For all the acclaim and fan-love aimed at Fox's X-Men movies, fans' biggest complaints often circled around the lack of comic-specific costumes in favor of all things black and leathery. He made the excellent note that the look of James Marsden's Cyclops is aligned with the source material, and it sounds like fans will finally get to see the mutant squad's traditional looks in live action for the first time. Even though I'm perfectly fine with adaptations taking artistic license with details like costuming, hairstyles and the like, I cannot WAIT to see how the X-Men look in Avengers: Doomsday and beyond.

Especially Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler and Jim Lee's Rogue costume. (Not that Rogue or actress Anna Paquin have been confirmed to appear in Doomsday, but I'm still hopeful.)

Despite being namechecked earlier, fans probably shouldn't expect to see Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, but I'm as hopeful as anyone that Hugh Jackman is bringing his A-game once more as Wolverine, where his Aussie-Canadian accent can sit prettily alongside Channing Tatum's Alabama-Cajun accent as Gambit.

Find out which familiar X-Men sets and costumes will be on display when Avengers: Doomsday finally hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

Some spoilers below for the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched via Disney+ subscription.

Welp, another key Daredevil: Born Again character has bitten the metaphorical dust, with Michael Gandolfini’s Daniel Blake facing the lethal ire of Wilson Fisk’s most unhinged enforcer, Buck Cashman. But we’re not here to mourn would-be villains with last-second moral pangs. We’re here to question the existence of an official D:BA still that seemingly shatters all semblances of reality by having Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in the same frame as an actual Daredevil comic collection.

It’s a concept that’s too nutty to believe was done on purpose, but also a detail that doesn’t seem like it could possibly make it into episodes or press materials without being clocked and removed by editors. Especially not sitting right in front of the lead actor’s face, blind though his character may be. Check it out below.

The courtroom shot is a still released by Disney that isn't marked as being a behind-the-scenes pic, and each of the actors' faces seem to play into the serious tone of Karen's skewed fight for justice. So why does Matt have the Marvel Premiere Collection for Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Daredevil: Born Again on the desk in front of him instead of paperwork related to Karen's case?

More to the point, HOW DOES THIS BOOK EXIST IN THE MCU?!? And why hasn't Matt been showing it off to everyone he knows? Presumably, while saying, "Look at how cool and amazing this is that someone made a comic about our lives that is scarily accurate!"

Just in case anyone out there is skeptical about the book in the show being the same as the trade paperback, here's an easy comparison.

There are pens and what appears to be a Post-It note atop the book, but otherwise, it looks exactly the same, and now I'm forced to believe that this is some kind of multiverse nexus point that will inevitably shatter the reality of this Disney+ show in a way where all that's left on Earth is former Daredevil comic scribe Chip Zdarsky.

Admittedly, I didn't clock the Born Again TPB showing up within the episode itself, even when reskimming through, although it's entirely possible I just missed it a quick shot where it could be seen. But if it for sure wasn't in the final cut of the streamed episode, that kind of makes it even weirder if there were other images to go with.

This is probably the wildest thing I've witnessed so far from any 2026 TV shows, and I cannot imagine that we'll be seeing simliar instances in any upcoming Marvel TV Shows. Although I guess it could legitimately happen as an actual plot point in Season 2 of Wonder Man, even if that in-universe character isn't the same as the Marvel hero.

Django Unchained is getting a sequel movie, but there are several caveats to immediately address. No, it's not Quentin Tarantino's final movie, at least not at the moment. But the acclaimed director is involved in the upcoming movie in one way, as moviegoers will see the Django team up with the iconic masked hero, Zorro. Yes, this is a legitimate thing that's in development.

A new report from Deadline says that award-winning writer Brian Helgeland is working on Django/Zorro, which was rumored to be in the works going back many years now. Tarantino isn't lined up to direct, but he's given his blessing, and I'm thrilled all the same after reading up on the details of this project that I didn't have on my bingo card for 2026.

Django/Zorro Is Originally Based On A Crossover Comic Written By Quentin Tarantino

This crossover didn't come out of thin air, as Django/Zorro first came from a comic series co-written by Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner. The story was set years after the satisfying revenge film, and picked up with Django still traveling the West and working as a bounty hunter.

During his travels, he crosses paths with an older Diego de la Vega, otherwise known as Zorro. Together, they team up to help save some indigenous peoples from servitude. I grazed over the plot, but that's only because I think readers owe it to themselves to check out this acclaimed story.

Brian Helgeland is another exciting piece of this announcement as well, as he's penned or co-penned screenplays for plenty of acclaimed and fan-favorite movies such as Payback, Mystic River, L.A. Confidential, A Knight's Tale, Man on Fire and others. (Where's my Elm Street 4: Dream Master fans at?)

Assuming Jaime Foxx Is Back As Django, Who Will Play Zorro?

One interesting note about this project is that it doesn't seem to be connected to the script that Jerrod Carmichael worked on with Quentin Tarantino. It's also noteworthy that the story will deviate from the acclaimed story, with Deadline noting that a younger Zorro will be introduced rather than the older version of Vega from the story.

It's an interesting twist that has me wondering if Sony's plan is to use Django to soft-reboot the Zorro franchise for a new generation. With two decades having passed since Antonio Banderas' The Legend of Zorro and The Mask of Zorro, it seems it's time for Hollywood to pass the torch to another young actor.

As for Django, I would be shocked if Jamie Foxx didn't reprise his iconic role. Especially if the goal is to introduce a new, younger actor as Zorro, then Foxx would be the star power that brings people out to see Django/Zorro. The actor struggled with health issues a couple of years ago, but appears healthier and has had a healthy string of appearances in movies as of late.

We're going to have to wait for more details on Django/Zorro, but I'm excited to hear this movie finally sounds like it's going to happen. Of course, it still has a long way to go, so we'll wait for more details and keep our fingers crossed we eventually see it go into production.

With the uptick in Krypto-filled Supergirl trailers and James Gunn sharing first looks at Man of Tomorrow, it’s a bit easier to get excited about all things DCU-related without automatically thinking about the plethora of upcoming DC movies and TV shows whose development paths are in question. But Gunn himself dropped a somewhat disappointing update in that regard while addressing a fan’s misinformed comment, as it looks like the planned movie focusing on The Authority has hit the skids.

A project that the filmmaker previously called “the hardest” DC adaptation to get off the ground floor, The Authority is about a group of powered-up vigilantes who do anything and everything it takes to fix the world, regardless of the body count. Created for the publisher Wildstorm by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, The Authority was one of the earliest projects mentioned by Gunn and Peter Safran when they took over DC Studios. It’s been over three years, however, without any noteworthy progress reported.

Case in point: a fan voiced his curiosity about the project’s current status on Threads, which sparked another fan to share anecdotal news that was previously bandied about online. And that caused James Gunn to hop into the chat to clear the air on what’s happening with Deathblow, Grifter, Janny Sparks and all the others. In his words:

Was there ever an Authority member named Sad Trombone? Because that would be an applicable power to have after such a downtrodden clarification. To be sure, he didn't outright say the thing will never ever ever happen. But if it took three years of development just to reach this stalemate, I'm not exactly overwhelmed with confidence that the perfect adaptation route is imminent. And you know what? I'm actually okay with that.

I Like The Authority, But Don't Think Them Fronting A Movie Makes Sense Yet

Just to say it, I'd be planted in the theater opening night to watch a live-action Authority movie, and I can't imagine coming out of it with anything but glee. Especially if the group's more extreme tactics were put on display (even if not quite as extreme as, say, The Boys). They're a fun squad, and the large number of team members brings the kind of variety that can be both a blessing and a curse for budgetary reasons.

All that said, I never really thought it was all that logical for James Gunn & Co. to put that group on the map among the first wave of DCU projects. In the first place, they're nowhere near as familiar to mainstream audiences as the many heroes that still haven't been cast for future DC Studios projects, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, The Flash and more. If Jack Hawksmoor and Rose Tattoo appear on theater screens before Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince, I can't imagine fans will be altogether calm and understanding.

Many still believe this franchise should be working towards a Justice League movie (or Justice Gang, so the nomenclature goes), so it also strikes me as odd that the DCU would have wanted to introduce another supergroup into canon before anything Justice-fronted became a household name for everyday citizens.

As well, I think Gunn & Co. need to develop more central locations within the DCU before introducing a team that handles problems anywhere and everywhere. Metropolis has obviously been established through Superman (as has Authority team member Engineer), the upcoming horror movie Clayface will give audiences our first key visit to Gotham City, and Lanterns should...show us some Nebraska settings. But those are just a few of many settings and heroes that deserve to be brought into the limelight before an Authority movie gets the green light.

Just under his update for The Authority, James Gunn did confirm that two other seemingly troubled projects are still moving in positive directions, saying:

Maybe the Booster Gold movie will go forwards and backwards in time in a way where other heroes and locations get introduced in small doses, which could be a great way to bring The Authority into this worldbuilding without making it a feature-length introduction.

For now, fans can next look forward to seeing Supergirl hitting its 2026 release date on June 26, followed by Clayface on October 23.

When Spidey swings onto the 2026 movie calendar in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, fans are expecting a bit of a reset. After the emotional gut-punch ending of No Way Home, Peter Parker is essentially starting from scratch, with no one remembering who he is. That detail means we’ll be missing out on one of the key connections between Peter Parker and the rest of the MCU, at least in this next outing, if not forever.

During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Marvel director and occasional co-star Jon Favreau casually droped a pretty big update while promoting his upcoming feature The Mandalorian and Grogu. When asked about the next Spider-Man film, he didn't dance around his absence, saying:

I’ll forgive the Iron Man helmer for getting the details slightly off there. It’s not Peter who loses his memory, but rather everyone else forgets that he exists. Regardless of who's brains have been affected, it all amounts to his MCU character Happy Hogan officially sitting this next adventure out. (Kimmel playfully suggests he's skewing the truth, but Favreau commits to playing it honest.)

The Swingers vet goes on to elaborate, and if you’ve seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, it lines up with how that film ends:

For those who might not remember (or haven’t seen it somehow), No Way Home ends with Peter making the ultimate sacrifice, choosing to have the entire world forget who he is to save it. That includes the people closest to him, like MJ, Ned, and yes, Happy Hogan. So even though Happy still exists in the MCU, the guiding-light relationship that grounded Peter in those earlier films is essentially gone.

From a story standpoint, it makes sense. Still, it’s a bit of a bummer. Happy Hogan has been part of the MCU since the very beginning, dating all the way back to Iron Man. Over time, he evolves from Tony Stark’s right-hand man into one of Peter Parker’s most consistent support systems.

Based on what’s been teased so far, including that first Brand New Day trailer, the movie looks like it’s really leaning into Peter being on his own. No safety net, no built-in support system, just him figuring things out at street level, which, honestly, is where the character tends to thrive in a lot of other versions. It’s a noticeably different tone from what we’ve gotten in the MCU up to this point.

That said, Favreau doesn’t completely close the door on returning. He leaves things open-ended enough to suggest their paths could cross again down the line, which is definitely something for fans to hold onto. But for now, it looks like Spider-Man: Brand New Day is moving forward without one of its most familiar faces.

Favreau’s latest Star Wars directorial project, The Mandalorian and Grogu, hits theaters May 22, while the next chapter in Tom Holland's Spider-Man franchise swings into theaters July 31.

One of the most celebrated country singers currently working, Tim McGraw could presumably live easy without needing to do anything else with his career. But that’s hardly a reason for him to rest on his laurels, especially when it comes to broadening his acting chops. The Grammy winner was recently cast to play the darkest, meanest and maybe even the most evil role of his career. And it’s gonna rock.

McGraw was added to the cast of the upcoming comic book adaptation Southern Bastards, where he’ll play a heap of antagonistic dogsh-t opposite a character portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Seeing those two go head-to-head already sounds solid in any given context, but even more so within the football-obsessed backwoods setting of Craw County, Alabama. Let’s take a closer look at why this role is a banger for the musician-turned-actor.

Euless Boss Will Be Tim McGraw's Most Brutal Role Yet

Based on the unapologetically gritty source material crafted by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour — both of whom serve as executive producers — Southern Bastards was ordered to pilot at Hulu, and stars 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple co-star Erin Kellyman as Roberta, a former U.S. Marine under investigation for an incident in Afghanistan. With inherited trauma coursing through her veins, Roberta arrives in Craw County with a vengeful purpose involving her father Earl (Kevin Bacon), and the biggest obstacle in her path is Coach Euless Boss.

Enter Tim McGraw, who will bring this human sh-tstain to life. At least, that’s how the character comes across initially. Coach Boss is essentially judge, jury and executioner for everything in the Bama area, due to his role as the coach of the State Champs, the Runnin’ Rebs. This is a place where high school football is everything, and anyone outside that loop might as well leave town forever, because Coach Boss does not suffer the ignorant or unskilled.

Though Aaron and Latour broaden Southern Bastards’ storyline in ways that make Euless Boss more of a sympathetic character, he is a total effing monster for the comic series’ first arc, and no role in McGraw’s career comes close to the kind of immoral vitriol that’s stained the Coach’s heart and soul over time. Because he’s not just the football coach, or else his influence might never have stretched beyond the goal posts. He’s also the head of organized crime in that neck of the woods, and no one comes looking for the bodies that he buries. At least not usually.

So even if this project only lasts one season (assuming it gets that season at all), it's pretty much guaranteed that Tim McGraw will be at his all-time seediest and most reprehensible. And I cannot wai-i-i-i-it for it.

This Won't Be Tim McGraw's First Football-Friendly Project, But It'll Be Completely Different

This will be Tim McGraw’s third time playing a complicated character with strong ties to high school football and beyond. More than 20 years ago, he portrayed the hard-drinking former athlete Charles Billingsley, father to Garrett Hedlund’s Donnie, in 2004’s Friday Night Lights.

Then, in 2009, McGraw took on the role of Sean Tuohy, the (allegedly) adoptive father of Michael Tuohy, in the hit drama The Blind Side, which was an awards boon for lead actress Sandra Bullock.

McGraw's most recent TV character was also one that fans were meant to get behind and root for, as he portrayed the patriarch of the Dutton family within Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone universe. The singer/songwriter held the role of James Dutton in the prequel drama 1883, which earned him much critical acclaim, as well as a host of fans wishing he could reprise the role in a new season.

Here's hoping Southern Bastards casts fellow FNL star (and Taylor Sheridan lead actor) Billy Bob Thornton for a fun reunion that would definitely tickle Landman's co-creator.

Hopefully a series order will get locked in place, and fans with Hulu subscriptions will be able to watch the comic book adaptation as soon as possible, even if it won’t arrive in time to debut on the 2026 TV schedule.

Thankfully, James Gunn didn’t let this year’s Superman Day celebrations go by without dropping a seemingly huge reveal for the upcoming DC blockbuster Man of Tomorrow, in the form of previously unreleased casting news. Or, to be more specific, the filmmaker shared a behind-the-scenes pic from the sequel with an awesome actor whose presence has been a secret until now, and it marks a reunion for Gunn.

The Superman director took to Instagram to share a post with trainer Paolo Mascitti, editor Fred Raskin, Sydney Happersen portrayer Stephen Blackehart, and the current man of the hour: The Wire and Empire vet Andre Royo! I can only hope the latter gets to rock the same hairstyle he’s displaying in the post below.

As James Gunn alluded to, it's been 15 years since the last time he worked with Andre Royo, who'd portrayed the buddy and diner cohort to Rainn Wilson's Frank in 2011's darkly comedic superhero movie Super. I'm thinking the actor and filmmaker's latest collab will give the actor a bigger stake in this film's plot.

Interestingly enough, one of Royo's most recent roles has been within the grander DC universe. He voiced the villainous Arnold Wesker, a.k.a. Toyman, for the podcast audio drama Harley Quinn & The Joker: Sound Mind, which boasted Christina Ricci and Billy Magnussen as the titular baddies.

Though Gunn didn't unleash a slew of details about who Royo will be playing, I have a couple of ideas for who the Truth Be Told co-star could be portraying in the next chapter of the Kryptonian hero's DCU saga. And it should surprise no one that both guesses come directly from the comic books.

Could Andre Royo Be Playing Metropolis Gangster Bruno Mannheim?

The basic Who vs. Who set-up for Man of Tomorrow has long been locked in place, as the movie will see David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor more or less joining forces to stave off the devastating threat of Lars Eidinger's take on the classic villain Brainiac. But what's a modern comic book movie follow-up without at least 17 villains making appearances?

To that end, I think it would be excellence, and not so illogical, for Andre Royo to join the DCU as high-powered orginized crime boss Bruno Mannheim, who is often depicted as the head of the underground syndicate Intergang. Though that group has ties to the New Gods and other characters who haven't been tapped for live-action debuts just yet, I think it'd be easy enough to bring Bruno into the fold without immediately needing to deliver an exhaustive backstory for his rise up Metropolis' criminal power rankings.

Within the comics, Bruno and his crew are often at odds with both Superman and Lex Luthor (as well as other Metropolis baddies), so if Royo is indeed playing that role in Man of Tomorrow, I'd be interested to see which side he'd align himself with. I guess if Brainiac is intending to destroy everything, there wouldn't be much of a criminal enterprise for Bruno to maintain control of.

Though Bruno, his father Moxie and others in the Mannheim family were originally depicted as white characters, Superman & Lois set a new precedent for live-action by having The Walking Dead vet Chad Coleman bring his intimidating presence to the role.

I'd Love If Andre Royo Portrayed A Version Of The Villainous Milton Fine

Given Brainiac's introduction in Man of Tomorrow, I can only assume that James Gunn will bring in more characters from the villain's mythos than just the alien himself. There's a whole lot to pick from, too, and I think it'd be awesome to bring Andre Royo into this universe to portray the technological brilliance of Milton Fine.

Different iterations of Fine exist, from a metahuman circus mesmerist to history prof to computer engineer, with the central hook that he is telepathically linked to Brainiac, who takes over the human to use as a mouthpiece and more. That could also be the smartest way to bring the alien threat into this story.

Given the presence of Stephen Blackehart in Gunn's pic, it's feasible that his character shares the screen with Royo's, and I could fully buy into Lex Luthor hiring Milton Fine to help with his anti-Superman agendas, only to later realize that his new hire is secretly a telepathic mole for Brianiac.

Royo could easily play an off-kilter scientist or technology fanatacist who gets psychically manipulated by otherworldly threats. Or really, any other character that Gunn trusts him with. So even if my two theores are completely off-base, I still can't wait to see how he joins the story.

This revealing post comes days after the news dropped that Man of Tomorrow added Adria Arjona to the cast, with that news previously having been "debunked" by Gunn. It's still unclear exactly who she'll be playing, though the main two options seem to be Maxima and Wonder Woman.

Fans can also expect to see Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. in the mix to follow up on his Peacemaker arc, as well as an appearance from Lanterns star Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern John Stewart. Other returning stars include Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Isabela Merced, and Maria Gabriella de Faria.

With filming set to kick off in earnest over the next week, Man of Tomorrow is set to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

The newly formed DCU is growing, thanks to projects planned by co-CEO James Gunn. Fans are looking forward to upcoming DC movies, the next of which is Craig Gillespie's Supergirl. That blockbuster stars House of the Dragon actress Milly Alcock, who got honest about why she was "terrified" to land the gig. Let's break it all down.

Supergirl's trailer showed off Alcock's drunken hero, and fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order are hyped for her solo flick to arrive this summer. It's only a few months away, an during a conversation with ET, the 26 year-old actress spoke about her time as Kara so far, offering:

I mean, can you blame her? It jut be a pinch-me moment to lead a blockbuster like Supergirl, but that's exactly what she's doing. What's more, Milly Alcock is hoping young women learn that it's ok to be imperfect as a result of her performance in the forthcoming blockbuster. Of course, there are also some nerves involved.

Later in her same interview, Milly Alcock got real about the less positive aspects of playing the title character in Supergirl. Namely waiting to see how moviegoers respond to the blockbuster. In her words:

Comic book fans are known for not holding back their opinions, so Milly Alcock's nerves totally make sense to me. The pressure is on for the cast and crew of Supergirl to deliver, especially since it's only the second movie in the burgeoning DCU. While Superman performed well at the box office, it remains to be seen if audiences are similarly invested in Kara's story. The movie will take us from Earth to space for a cosmic adventure about grief and chosen family. And it should also presumably set up future plot points for the shared universe.

Luckily for fans, the wait for Supergirl is nearly over. The DC blockbuster is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Milly Alcock's tenure as the Kryptonian is only just beginning, and I can't wait to see what comes next for Kara Zor-El.

A few years ago, while browsing my local library’s healthy collection of graphic novels, my eyes were drawn to this graphic novel called Southern Bastards. With an in-your-face title like that and the cover showing a man armed with a bat getting ready to take on an angry mob, I had to see what this was about. Nearly a decade later, I’m sitting here getting just as excited now that there is a book-to-screen adaptation on the way.

I recently stumbled upon a report from The Hollywood Reporter outlining the early happenings of Hulu’s take on Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s hard-hitting saga of food served hot and revenge served ice-cold in a southern town obsessed with high school football, and I couldn’t be more excited. With Kevin Bacon set to star, and some major players working on things behind the scenes, we could have our next crime saga on our hands. I just wonder if streaming is ready for the madness of Southern Bastards.

Southern Bastards Is Like Fargo, But With More Violence And High School Football

If you were to take the best qualities of Fargo, Drive-By Truckers’ discography (especially Decoration Day), Friday Night Lights, a pair of brass knuckles, and fried chicken, and mix them all together, you’d get Southern Bastards. Published between 2014 and 2018, Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s chronicle of Craw County, Alabama is full of unforgettable characters like Coach Euless Boss, a decorated football coach/BBQ pit master/no-nonsense crime lord who runs the community with an iron fish, the vengeful Earl Tubb looking for payback years after his dad, the former sheriff, was brutally killed, and Roberta Tubb, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan looking to put an end to a cycle of trauma and violence.

It’s a sprawling, captivating, violent, and emotional journey, one that is full of all kinds of twists, turns, revelations, and bloody encounters. Not for the faint of heart, Southern Bastards grabbed my attention all those years ago, and it still has a hold on me now. As someone who grew up in the South, specifically a town where high school football is king and its power players are kings, this one speaks to me.

This Show Is Going To Be So Violent, And I’ll Here For It

Did I mention that Southern Bastards is incredibly violent? And I’m not just talking about physical encounters in backrooms, the football field, or bars. There’s a meanness in Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s graphic novel, and sometimes words can do more damage than any fist, gun, or baseball bat fashioned from a tree under which a dead man rests. I’m excited for the physicality of this show (if Hulu doesn’t tone it down), but I’m just as curious to see how director Reinaldo Marcus Green and writers Bill Dubuque and Nia DaCosta handle the drama, hatred, and pain at the story’s core.

Just as I’m sure that Kevin Bacon will knock it out of the park with his portrayal of Earl Tubb (I wonder how his story will be told), I am confident that the creative team pulling the strings behind the scenes will make this a faithful adaptation of my favorite comic or graphic novel. It’s going to be something.

I cannot wait for the day when I’ll be able to watch Southern Bastards with my Hulu subscription. It most likely won’t be on the 2026 TV schedule, so I guess it’s time to go another round with this hard-hitting saga.

Like a lot of people, I grew up reading comic books. I was into Marvel, but by the mid-90s, I was super into Image Comics (Oh, and rest in peace, Sam Kieth, creator of The Maxx–are we ever getting that movie, by the way?).

There were a select few names in the business that pretty much every comic book fan knew, such as Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and, of course, Frank Miller. Now, when it comes to Miller, you might know him from his work on stuff like Batman or Daredevil. But for me, Miller will always be the guy who created Sin City.

And, when it comes to the 2005 movie adaptation from the legend, Robert Rodriguez, I'm always shocked that more people don't talk about it, given that it's one of the best comic book adaptations ever, so I aim to fix that.

The Inventive Plot Structure Keeps The Story Intriguing Throughout

Do you want to know my favorite comic book movie? Dredd, starring Karl Urban. Do you want to know my second favorite? The third Punisher movie (You know, the one starring Ray Stevenson). Here’s the thing about those movies. They both took massive creative liberties with the source material. I enjoyed them as films, sure, but not so much as direct adaptations from the comics.

Sin City, on the other hand, is probably the most faithful adaptation of a comic book series EVER (and definitely one of the best non-superhero comic book movies of all time). I bet this is because Frank Miller is actually a co-director of the movie (as well as a frequent Robert Rodriguez collaborator, Quentin Tarantino). What makes this movie special is that it doesn’t just cover one book in the series, but rather, MULTIPLE books, those being Books 1, 2, and 4 (with Book 3, A Dame to Kill For, being the primary basis for the second movie, which is fine, but not nearly as engaging as this one).

In this way, 2005’s Sin City is an anthology movie, which makes it feel super unique and different from any other comic book film. The various stories - those being “The Customer Is Always Right” (Parts I and II), “That Yellow Bastard” (Parts I and II), “The Hard Goodbye” (which is my favorite), and “The Big Fat Kill” - are all exceptional, and there isn’t a weak link throughout the entire film.

It all just works, and it’s never boring, as the inventive, anthology plot structure just doesn’t allow it to be.

Mickey Rourke Honestly Should Have Been Nominated For An Oscar For His Portrayal As Marv

The whole shtick of Sin City is that it's basically a modern take on film noir, and it somehow ended up being one of the best film noirs ever. I think a large part of this is because of two particular actors, those being Bruce Willis, who plays the hardboiled detective, John Hartigan, and then a massive man named Marv, played by Mickey Rourke.

Now, Willis' character is great as a vehicle for the overall narrative, as what noir film doesn’t have some kind of detective? However, I think the true star of this film is Mickey Rourke, as his portrayal of Marv just hits all of the right buttons for me. It’s just everything about him: The way he looks, the way he sounds, the way he calls his hands his “mitts,” and just the overall way he carries himself truly makes me think that he deserved an Oscar nomination for this performance.

His story, in particular, “The Hard Goodbye,” fits nicely toward the middle of the movie. In the chapter, he’s being framed for a murder that he didn’t commit, and it feels all sorts of film noirish. However, Rourke’s intimidating size is larger than life here, and we see the full range of emotions from his character all the way up to his ultimate demise in the electric chair.

It’s one of the best performances in a comic book movie ever, and I’m surprised that more people don’t bring it up. In fact, I’m surprised that people don’t bring up the other performances in this movie as well.

All Of The Acting Is Top Notch

Sin City probably has one of the most stacked casts for a comic book movie I’ve ever seen. Sure, we would get The Avengers films later, which were just chock full of movie stars, but who doesn’t want to play Captain America, Spider-Man, or Black Widow? Of course those films are going to get big names in Hollywood. However, it's a whole other matter entirely that we’d get somebody like Clive Owen to play a general unknown like Dwight McCarthy, Rosario Dawson to play the leader of a band of prostitutes, or Nick Stahl playing a brightly yellow character referred to as…that yellow bastard.

The beautiful thing is that every actor commits to playing the denizens of this corrupt and dirty city. In fact, much like Baltimore itself is the main character of The Wire, Sin City itself is the main character of this film, with each character playing a role in its many chapters. But, even if you’ve never read Sin City, the film does an excellent job of feeling like a film noir, and it’s because all of the actors are spectacular in it.

I especially love Rutger Hauer as Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark, or Benicio del Toro as “Jackie Boy”. They don’t have the biggest parts in the world, but they definitely stand out. Or, what about Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan, who is the grown-up version of a younger character we meet earlier in the story? She might just seem like eye candy, but she really commits to selling the idea that she’s come from a hard upbringing.

The point is, all of the acting is great, and it makes this movie stand out.

I Like How The Film Still Looks Like No Other

Another thing that I’m surprised more people don’t talk about is the overall look of this film. I mean, what other comic book movie looks like Sin City? Yes, I know Miller tried to replicate the style when he directed The Spirit, but for some reason, that movie just felt too clean in its appearance. It wasn’t grungy enough.

And, I think that’s important. It’s not just that Sin City is black and white, with moments of bright colors, just like the comic series. It’s also that the color palette paints the overall bleakness of this world, and it wouldn’t be nearly as effective if it were fully in color. In fact, I think the overall design does a lot of the legwork when it comes to getting this world across, making it feel literally ripped right off the pages.

For example, I’m a big fan of Ang Lee’s Hulk movie, and I especially like how some of the film utilized panels. But, what I especially love about Sin City is that the whole movie feels like it came right off the page, with some shots almost direct replicas of scenes from Frank Miller’s original stories.

It’s yet another reason why this film is so faithful to the source material - it looks just like it!

In The End, Sin City Still Holds Up Incredibly Well

I know the movie came out over 20 years ago, but it still holds up!

The stories still work, it’s still incredibly pulpy, and the visuals all still hold up. Roger Ebert originally gave the movie four stars, and it deserved it.

In fact, it still deserves it. Sin City is a four-star film, never mind it being “a comic book movie”.

So, watch it again if you haven’t in a while. It deserves your love.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly expanding, thanks to new titles arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Those who have been watching the Marvel movies in order know that certain characters stand out as fan favorites, chief among them being Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. Fans are hoping she returns in upcoming Marvel movies, specifically the next two Avengers movies. Her confusion about Doomsday and Secret Wars is painting one picture, but do we believe her?

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is very limited, aside from its massive list of characters. Olsen was noticeably missing from the Doomsday cast announcement, but that hasn't stopped fans from hoping that Wanda will appear. While appearing at C2E2 2026 (via The Wrap's Twitter) Olsen spoke about how clueless she is, offering:

VisionQuest is one of the upcoming TV shows heading to Disney+, finally continuing the title character's story after WandaVision's finale. Olsen and Bettany developed a strong relationship during their time in the MCU, and it sounds like she's gotten some information about what'll go down in the show. But other than that it seems like she's pretty in the dark about the shared universe's future. Or she's just a really good actress who is familiar with Marvel's tight security.

Marvel actors are typically tasked with guarding the shared universe's secrets... including telling a fib or two. Case in point: Andrew Garfield lied for months about returning as Spider-Man in No Way Home. In the same conversation Olsen went on to share her confusion over Avengers: Doomsday vs Secret Wars. In her words:

These comments definitely make it sounds like she's totally in the dark about The Russo Brothers' next two Avengers movies. But it's hard to imagine that they'd make both Doomsday and Secret Wars without dropping Wanda in at some point... especially considering just how popular the character is. So is Elizabeth Olsen telling the truth or simply doing her job by guarding against spoilers? She went on to speak about her Secret Wars, offering:

If Olsen really doesn't have any plans to return as Wanda, the fans are not going to be happy. Moviegoers have been curious about the beloved character since Doctor Strange 2's ending, which saw her seemingly sacrifice herself to destroy the Darkhold across the multiverse. People have been holding out hope that The Scarlet Witch was still alive, but it's already been years without any sort of update.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Secret Wars (which is one movie) will then follow suit December 17th of 2027. Fingers crossed that Elizabeth Olsen will be back as Wanda in at least one of those projects.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Invincible Season 4 episode "Hurm." Stream the episode on streaming with a Prime subscription, and read at your own risk!

Invincible Season 4 went to Hell in its latest episode, and it was an unexpected adventure on many fronts. Mark learned a lot about the reality behind the "Under Realm," as Damien Darkblood called it, and how demons actually protect humanity in a surprising way he didn't expect. Overall, I was a fan of the episode, with one major exception when it comes to the animation.

Robert Kirkman's animated series deserves credit for being one of the only animated shows to consistently release hour-long episodes. It's a costly endeavor, and while I understand the need to re-use or skimp on certain parts of the animation process, the latest episode was the first time I've fully locked into what others have talked about over the years.

Invincible's Hell Episode Was The First Time I've Noticed The Show Skimping On Animation

Invincible's "Hurm" episode was a deviation from the comics and an opportunity for Robert Kirkman and the writers to further flesh out the character Damien Darkblood. It was cool considering the comics originally presented the character as a joke, but in this episode expanded his story by telling the story of Hell's various factions, and how in this world, demons are more of a species rather than anything religious.

As cool as it was to watch Darkblood explain that demons actually protect humanity from a deeper evil that exists in Hell, I couldn't help but be irked by the persistent recycling of animated sequences. There were frequent instances in this episode where the same shot was used a few times, or it seemed like the dialogue went on just a little too long, just because it was cheaper to animate that way. It was so choppy, it almost felt like I was watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast during the part where Mark and Darkblood were falling down the pit.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me, however, is when Invincible showed Mark about to take on the iconic Cerberus, only for the entire fight to take place off-camera. It could've been the best fight I'd seen on the 2026 TV schedule, and instead, I just saw Damien Darkblood slowly rising and then falling to the ground while we heard audio of Mark's fight. I ended the episode thoroughly annoyed, and hoping the blatant cost-cutting is justified down the stretch.

Fans Have Complained About Invincible's Animation Quality In The Past

I'm not the first person to complain about the animation in Invincible, and I have seen many make similar complaints in the past. I think it's especially evident to a generation of fans who grew up watching Japanese anime, in which shows like One Piece and Dragon Ball take special care in showing great visuals when it comes to fight scenes.

Those complaints reared their head again in this latest episode, though many were more focused on Invincible doing a "filler" episode right before the big Viltrumite war. Even then, there were a few who echoed my thoughts about the repetitive animation:

• Y'all really loved that episode in season 2 where they explained how animation works and why it takes so long to make, huh? Trash - @SlickBE_
• There are actors in Invincible with more budget going to them than the entire animation team. - @dillzilla11
• Invincible good as f--k but the animation seem a bit weird at times. - @MrBURNSone
• I remember seeing someone s--t on the invincible artstyle for me its not even that, it's just the choppy a-- animation lmfaooo there's movement like every 3 sec - @grayfeeIs
• Dog s--t animation - @Codemanlex

Now, if this episode cut corners because we have some great animated fights coming in the back half of the season, I'm all about that. I would love to see another brutal fight between Mark and Conquest, and Omni-Man and Allen pushed to their limits against other combatants.

That said, I do wonder if these animation constraints are more of a time or budget issue. If it's budget, I would love to see Amazon given Invincible a little more support so this show can continue to be as good as it is, and the animation measures up to the writing. If it's due to time, I hated waiting as long as I did for Season 2, but maybe that's what needs to happen to get the series up to par, like many seem to want.

Invincible has new episodes release on Prime Video on Wednesdays. It's all we have that's new from the franchise at the moment while the live-action movie is still in development, so stay tuned for updates!

Film fans, it’s time to get excited, because we are drawing ever nearer to summer blockbuster season on the 2026 movie schedule! We have months ahead that will be chock-a-block with one big screen spectacular after another, and these include an upcoming Marvel movie, the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In prepping for the release on July 31, star Tom Holland recently revealed his favorite thing about Peter Parker, and he actually did it without giving fans spoilers for once!

What Tom Holland Said Is His Favorite Thing About Peter Parker

If nothing else, it can be said that Peter Parker has been through quite a lot during his time as the web-slinging life-saver known as Spider-Man. Not only did he bravely make use of his newfound powers as a high schooler who was just trying to help people out, but he’s been in some massive interstellar and multiversal wars, got Blipped by Thanos and has now sacrificed his relationship with Ned and MJ to make sure that reality stays intact.

Tom Holland has portrayed the teen-turned-vigilante in many of the Marvel movies in order since his first appearance in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and has seen Peter change with every passing adventure. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the horizon, he sat down for a chat at the Empire State Building while there to premiere the eventually record-breaking trailer, and was asked how watching Peter grow up impacted his “perspective on life,” and he responded without diving into Brand New Day spoilers, saying:

That “ultimate sacrifice,” of course, refers to his decision toward the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home to have Dr. Strange erase him from everyone’s memory, meaning that even his girlfriend and best buddy don’t know who he is now. For the first time, Peter is truly alone as he attempts to save the citizens of New York (and the world), but, as we saw in the trailer, it gets much worse than that. He continued:

Y’all? Look at Tom Holland just confirming what we saw in the trailer for his new Spidey movie (which brings in Hulk and Punisher) and not falling prey to his hilarious and long-running tendency to talk out of turn and spoil aspects of the Marvel multiverse that fans have yet to witness themselves!

The trailer (which former but multiversally current Spider-Man Andrew Garfield is also very excited about) showed Peter forming a working relationship with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, and asking for help from Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner when he realizes that his DNA seems to be mutating. Our boy has been waking up in webbed cocoons, passing out and having other strange things happen, which imply that he’s somehow becoming more spider than man.

And you know what? Holland didn’t accidentally tell us anything extra! This is reason to celebrate! Now all we have to do is hold on a few more months, and we can see just how wild this new chapter in Peter’s life will be.

For all the wonderful new projects that are peppered across the 2026 TV schedule, this year also marks the end (in some ways) for one of TV’s best-ever comic book adaptations, The Boys. The final season is wrapped and ready for fans to start streaming via Amazon Prime subscription, and though it won’t be fully public until April 8, the show’s made its global premiere in Rome over the weekend, sparking some explicit celebration (and eye-catching pics) from star Erin Moriarty.

Moriarty’s Starlight — Annie January in her street clothes — will no doubt be an integral element in the fifth and final season as the first of Vought’s super-powered creations to go against the Seven, with Jesse T. Usher’s A-Train joining her, Hughie and the rest of the protagonists. So it makes sense that the actress would be especially enthused about these episodes finally dropping, and she marked the occasion with this 4-word summary on Instagram:

It was a big night for The Boys, with the cast and creator Eric Kripke on hand to partake in the world premiere of Season 5 with an adoring audience. And to be expected, the first reactions stemming from that screeing have been quite positive indeed. And all without any threats from Homelander influencing those takes.

Erin Moriarty was talking about more than just the Italian event, though. The Boys will almost definitely go down as the most unique and non-replicable project of many of the main cast members' careers. How many other shows will include anything like Hero-gasm or the singular powers of a character like Love Sausage?

To be expected, Moriarty was dressed to all the nines for the event, decked out in a shiny, shiimmering dress that seems like it'd reflect starlight quite magically. Check her out in this shot from photographer Emilia De Leonardis:

Erin Moriarty seems to be all smiles and positivity when promoting the upcoming episodes, BUT…will Season 5 be the kind of f–king ride that ends with Annie paying the ultimate price for striking back against her makers, so to speak? Karl Urban has seemingly teased a high body count for the season, and considering none of the reported spinoffs are set to be follow-up stories, all bets are off on who will survive and what will be left of them.

Check out the full-length Season 5 trailer below!

The Boys Season 5 will begin milking viewers’ attention spans on Wednesday, April 8, only on Prime Video.

Even though it seems like fans will forever be at least 18-24 months away from ever experiencing Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II, the highly anticipated sequel is coming together slowly but surely. And we’re at the point in the pre-production process where star Robert Pattinson is letting some teasy enthusiasm out while promoting his upcoming A24 movie The Drama, and it sounds like he really digs the script.

Speaking with Deadline in a clip shared on TikTok, Pattinson was asked what he could share about returning to the cape and cowl, and whether or not it the production was currently ongoing. Sharing that it’s expected to kick off in a couple of months, the Die My Love star also shared some carefully crafted thoughts about the script from Reeves and co-screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, and how this upcoming superhero movies will stand apart from everything else. In his words:

Obviously, Matt Reeves & Co. wouldn't take a years-long break between movies just to come back and serve up a warmed-over story that hits all the same beats we've seen before. But it still gets me pretty pumped to hear Pattinson share that praise regardless.

What could some of those big swings be that he's talking about? Let's go through some guesses, from the most likely to the least likely.

• The Batman Part II will be an entirely faithful adaptation of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween miniseries, with Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson as Harvey and Gilda Dent.

This idea is aligned with a lot of recent rumors and assumptions related to Scarlett Johansson's surprising casting, which preceded Stan joining the franchise by a month, and is based on previous reports that Reeves' sequel would dig into the all-time classic comic book arc.

The storyline includes Harvey going from a friend of Bruce Wayne's to a disfigured and vindictive foe, with his dutiful wife Gilda at his side. It's the likeliest arc adaptation of any, especially when tied into news of A-listers turning down the role of Christopher Dent, Harvey's father.

• The Batman Part II will introduce Dick Grayson and /or the entire Flying Graysons family.

Within Batman's long comic history, The Long Halloween is technically viewed through the prism of it being one of the biggest cases from his early days as a vigilante, which would obviously match up with how long he's been donning the Bat suit in live-action. As such, it's a bit too early for our brooding hero to become a suitable guardian for an orphaned ward. But answer me this: who's swinging bigger than a family of trapeze artists?

Live-action Robins are few and far between, and it might make sense for Reeves to want to give such an important mythos character as much time on the screen as possible for development purposes. I don't necessarily expect this one, given the myriad other new characters reportedly being introduced. But I do expect more of those particular breadcrumbs to be dished out.

• Barry Keoghan's Joker will hit Gotham City's streets as a sub-antagonist.

Within any Batman story, the Joker always looms as the largest and most potentially devious and deadly of everyone in Bats' rogues gallery. So in theory, what bigger swing might there be than introducing the Joker proper, but only having him take on a minor antagonist role, instead of being the big bad? That kind of storyline doesn't happen much in any DC media, so I wouldn't expect this movie to be the exception. But it could be a good way to build the villain's legacy up without turning him into a full-on monster from the jump.

• A multiverse is introduced that allows James Gunn to finally cast his own Batman.

Given that James Gunn wants to let Matt Reeves' Batman-fueled trilogy finish before introducing another Batman into the DCU proper, is it possible that Reeves' sequel could introduce its own multiverse concept that would allow Gunn to get his own Dark Knight cast without it being a confusing situation for fans? It seems less likely than other options, but maybe not as unlikely as "the DCU existing for 4+ years without a Batman reference.

Surely, The Batman Part II will astound audiences in ways I couldn't even hope to predict, so you know I'll be there with bat-bells on when it hits theaters on October 1, 2027.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant place, one that's constantly expanding thanks to new projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latter is about to get a big update thanks to Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, which is premiering on March 24th. Charlie Cox is once again back as the title character, and recently spoke to CinemaBlend about what it's really like in his signature costume.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been following Cox's journey as Matt Murdock, both on the small and silver screens. As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with him and Vincent D'Onofrio ahead of Born Again's Season 2 premiere, where I asked about how his iconic action scenes might feel different with and without the suit and cowl. He told me:

Points were made. On top of giving Matt protection in battle, it sounds like the Daredevil suit also gives Cox some peace of mind. Because even if he ends up taking a hit or two while filming action sequences, he's protected. I guess this is a case of art imitating life.

While fans are hoping to see Daredevil in upcoming Marvel movies like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's unclear if that'll actually happen. But Born Again Season 2 will get eight new episodes, and will follow as Kingpin has seized control of New York. Later in our same conversation, Cox shared the less-than-glamorous side of suiting up, telling me:

Yikes. Despite how cool Charlie Cox looks suited up as Daredevil, the reality of wearing that costume all day is another story entirely. And it sounds like once he starts sweating, he ends up stuck in a moist suit for the rest of the work day. Since he's so covered up, I'm not sure anyone can blame him for sweating underneath the cowl.

Despite how wet things might be, Cox looks epic any time he's in a version of Daredevil's costume. He's got a new one for Season 2 of Born Again, one that's darker than its predecessors. Although now I'm going to be thinking about the reality of wearing it all day as I watch new episodes.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 will premiere March 24th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to see how much crazy action happens throughout this new set of episodes.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for consistently putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The next highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will finally continue the narrative after No Way Home's twist ending. Tom Holland recently confirmed that the trailer is coming, but the announcement has me scratching my head. Let's break it all down.

What we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been limited, leading to countless questions and rumors about what's coming down the line. Fans who have been watching the Marvel movies in order have been begging for the first trailer, and Holland recently made an announcement about its arrival on social media. Check it out below:

Well, I'm confused. While I'm thrilled that we're finally getting our first footage from No Way Home, it's unclear how the release will work. Rather than simply putting out a trailer, apparently it'll be put out in pieces, and coming from the social media from various Spidey fans. As Holland put it:

I'm going to need some more information, Tom. Are we going to have to seek out the clips and piece them together like a little puzzle? Are we only getting "pieces" and not a full trailer? Or will they eventually be assembled after the "greatest fans" put out their clips? Seriously, my head is spinning.

Regardless, fans like me are going to be seated for whatever Marvel and Sony decide to give us regarding Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It's been years since we've seen Holland's Peter Parker, and there are countless rumors about what Destin Daniel Cretton's blockbuster will bring to the table.

The Spider-Man movies have always been popular, but there is particular hype surrounding Brand New Day. First up, fans are curious to see how Tom Holland's signature character has been doing since Doctor Strange's spell removed the world's memories of Peter Parker... including MJ and Ned. Plus fans are curious to see who Sadie Sink is playing, and how heroes like Punisher and Hulk will fit into the narrative.

All will be revealed when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for this trailer, only time will tell how things go down when clips arrive online tomorrow.

The DCU’s Booster Gold TV show has been in the early development stages for long enough that I could possibly be convinced that the only reason we ever thought one was happening was because the real Booster Gold came to the 2020s from the future and lied about the show existing in his timeline. Maybe it’s not quite so dire, but a comedy series focused on the hero was one of the first projects spoken of when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, and that followed years of movie rumors.

So what’s happening with these long-gestating series plans, and why are fans suddenly worried that the project may get scrapped amidst other upcoming DC TV shows? Let’s take a jaunt back to last year before fully catching up on current events.

Our Flag Means Death Creator Previously Took Over Writing Duties From Danny McBride

At some point between James Gunn’s DCU hiring and the end of 2024, Eastbound and Down’s Danny McBride was set to script the hero’s first standalone live-action project along with The Righteous Gemstones’ writers/producers John Carcieri and Jeff Fradley. At some point in 2024, the trio were reported to no longer be working on that feature anymore, though with the caveat that McBride could still be involved in some capacity.

Then in February 2025, following James Gunn debunking casting rumors for the show, he told press at a DCU presentation that work on the show was “going pretty strong” behind the scenes amidst creative changes for Viola Davis’ Waller series, assumedly with McBride still tinkering with it. The project took a big step forward in July 2025 when it was revealed that Our Flag Means Death and People of Earth creator David Jenkins was hired on to bring his quirky imagination and writing skills to a Booster Gold story, saying this at the time:

Then came a whole lot more silence about the project, other than some more fan casting hopes (this time for Patrick Schwarzenegger), causing further concern among fans that the hero’s narrative might be too hard to lock down to film as a live-action project. Which brings us to the present.

Fans Think Social Media Changes Hint At David Jenkins No Longer Writing Booster Gold

Jenkins is no stranger to sharing his professional successes on various social media platforms, as indicated by the aforementioned post about his then-new gig. Jenkins also followed James Gunn on Instagram at the time.

Cut to today, however, and the writer/producer's IG page no longer appears to bear any mention of either Booster Gold or James Gunn, whom Jenkins is no longer following. (Gunn isn't following Jenkins' either.) So did something go down during the development process that doomed the project's current iteration?

If Booster Gold was a show on par with anything in the Batman-verse, we probably would have heard about this creative split before it even happened. But given the lower recognition status for the blue-suited hero, there are fewer rumors bouncing around to look to for info.

Any time-traveling journos out there privy to information that won't implode the time-stream or the 2026 TV schedule if you share it? Hit me up.

Like many, I’m pumped to one day watch Jon Bernthal’s Punisher working alongside Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to keep New York City safe in the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and I’m also not alone in hoping that big-screen crossover will have positive ramifications for the studio’s future MCU shows. Sadly, that won’t be the case for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which will be too busy navigating its own complex narrative to share focus with other heroes. (At least outside of returning fave Jessica Jones.)

Showrunner Dario Scardapane is as pumped as the show’s lead actors to dig into Season 2’s increasingly complex story, though he didn’t go so far as to crap on Season 1’s original iteration the way others have during his interview with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend. He talked up Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page in Season 2, addressed why he’s wary about the show mirroring real-world politics too closely, and talked about getting Krysten Ritter back into the fold. He also spoke to this Daredevil series following in the non-crossover footsteps of the Netflix iteration.

When asked just how interconnected Born Again is with the rest of Marvel’s expansive lineup of characters and storylines, with Howard the Duck being namechecked as an example, Scardapane addressed that he’d welcome it, but that crafting Daredevil’s overarching plot in a way that stands apart from other projects is part of the fun. In his words:

For all that Charlie Cox's hero did appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home and in She-Hulk, it's not as if those moments have been reflected on and remembered in other projects. So there's obvious precedent for the Man Without Fear to cross paths with other franchise standouts, but it doesn't sound like Kevin Feige and other Powers That Be are eager to shine a brighter spotlight on Hell's Kitchen. Scardapane continued, saying:

In many ways, that line of thinking does make sense, given how large and spread-out New York City can be. Something happening downtown will have a huge effect, but might not immediately catch the attention of others who are busy uptown or in the suburbs. However, a big part of Born Again's Season 2 arc kind of makes the whole split-up MCU completely illogical.

My Issue: So Many Heroes Live In NYC, Yet Daredevil Is The Only One Concerned About A Corrupt Mayor?

I wouldn't ever readily expect anyone involved with Daredevil: Born Again to present an explanation for why Black Panther or Guardians of the Galaxy characters aren't constantly shown in the background of scenes, since Wakanda and outer space are obviously outside the granular scope of Matt Murdock's world. Literally all of the Avengers have called New York City home for years, however, and quite a few other MCU heroes also reside in the Big Apple.

Yet somehow, a vigilante lawyer is the only person in this metropolis who actually takes issue with Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk taking office as Mayor? Corrupt city leadership is a staple of comic book antagonism, and a variety of other superheroes should be working just as hard as Matt to remove such villanous characters from holding public office. I get that Sam Wilson and Scott Lang often have larger-than-life issues to deal with, but how is literally no one else making this a priority?

My curiosity over that issue doubles due to Fisk's Anti-Vigilante taskforce taking to the streets and making lives worse for far more than just street-level crimefighters. This would absolutely affect a ton of Marvel heroes' daily lives to have government agents skulking about and capturing those who fit the bill.

As such, while I am personally just fine with Daredevil: Born Again refraining from pushing an endless lineup of cameos onto viewers with Season 2, I do wish that the reasoning behind excluding MCU crossovers here was a bit more thought-out and considered. Even if the answer is just "Because Deadpool said it should be like this."

Check out the first trailer for Season 2 below, featuring a first look at Matthew Lillard’s mysterious Mr. Charles.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is thankfully so close, we can smell it, even if we can't quite see it yet. (This is our Matt Murdock moment, people.) But it will arrive via Disney+ subscription on March 24, so

If I had to choose my most anticipated upcoming superhero movies and TV shows that center on sight-impaired badasses with law degrees, my list would be pretty limited. Still, my excitement for Daredevil: Born Again’s Season 2 return couldn’t be topped even if there were tons of other shows with similar descriptions. Two big reasons for my eagerness? The left fist and the right fist of Krysten Ritter’s hard-drinking Jessica Jones, who will make her grand return in Season 2, but what about the future?

Almost as soon as Ritter’s return was confirmed, fans voiced hopes for Disney execs to take the next step and give Jessica Jones another spinoff season, an idea that Marvel Studios producer Brad Winderbaum hinted was possibly in the cards. Since that point, rumors about JJ making forward progress have surfaced here and there, and that’s the case once more, with online leak-scooper DanielRPK furthering the narrative that a standalone series devoted to Jessica Jones is currently in development.

Despite the report not coming with any brand-new details, the fact that we’re still getting alleged confirmation in the new year about the project going forward is very comforting. Nothing worse than execs going away for holiday vacation and then coming back with completely new ideas and focuses that don’t allow for past ideas to remain in the mix. That presumably isn’t the case here, so it seems like a good time to put some of my own hopes out into the ethers on the off chance that some genius writer reads this.

Kilgrave's Death Should Absolutely Be Retconned If Jessica Jones' MCU Show Happens

Though Daredevil: Born Again was initially conceived as a completely revised take on the Man Without Fear, the project went through a complete creative overhaul during Season 1 at the behest of head honcho Kevin Feige. Hopefully everyone involved takes that experience into account when deciding where this potential Jessica Jones spinoff would go, and how it would handle the three seasons produced for Netflix.

D:BA brought key characters like Foggy (R.I.P.) and Karen to the forefront, while other elements like Stick, Elektra and The Hand are still canonical without ever coming up in conversations. I can only assume the same rules would apply for Krysten Ritter's character, but given the generally agreed-upon opinion that Jessica Jones Season 1 towered above the second and third seasons, I think it would be both smart and minorly necessary to bring back David Tennant's Kilgrave.

I can't say for certain that I'm not writing this under the duplicitous guidance of the Purple Man's mental powers, but I feel like these are authentic-to-me feelings. Beyond Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, Tennant's Kilgrave remains one of my favorite live-action Marvel villains, and I'm far from alone there. Granted, his powers of persuasion and his sexual deviancy also made him one of the darkest comic book villains on the small screen, and I can see why not all Marvel fans would want to revisit his controversial actions. But they can just fast-forward past those scenes.

Retconning Kilgrave's exit might not be the easiest to do from a medical standpoint, considering Jessica straight up killed him in Season 1 by snapping his neck, a crime she was later exonerated for using the (false) argument that he was controlling her mind when it happened. Maybe Kilgrave had everyone involved fall prey to a mass hallucination, and his mental powers were strong enough to cause her to see visions of him as flashbacks in the second and third seasons. Maybe Kilgrave has been hanging out and lounging around the beach for the past ten years.

Of course, the spinoff has to actually get ordered for Kilgrave's return to be a viable option in the first place. Which means we need to actually see Jessica Jones again to prove to Marvel how much we all miss her and that Ritter deserves another solo crack at it. I'm interested to see how Jessica learns Matt is still alive, since it's assumed she's believed him to be dead since the end of Season 3.

All three seasons of Jessica Jones and the first season of Daredevil: Born Again are available to stream via Disney+ subscription, and the Man Without Fear will return for Season 2 on March 4, 2026.

If any Batman suit looked like it could punch through a wall, it was the armored one Ben Affleck wore in Batman v Superman. Heavy, brutal, and unapologetically mech-inspired, it has always been a fan favorite. But Zack Snyder somehow made it look even sharper. He shared a new behind-the-scenes shot on social media, and the image gives the suit a graphic-novel level of grit. It honestly might be the best Batsuit ever photographed.

Snyder posted a monochrome photo to his official Instagram captioned “Leica monochrome hard suit test BvS,” confirming he shot it with the Leica Monochrom camera he’s been experimenting with lately. The post blew up fast. Fans praised the suit, filled the comments with excitement, and immediately pushed for something bigger: another Snyder-directed DC project. The appetite for his universe clearly hasn’t faded.

Snyder has been building significant momentum on Instagram since joining the platform two months ago. He recently posted a monochrome shot of Henry Cavill in his Superman suit, and each new post has only added fuel to the idea that fans desperately want a return to this world, even if it’s just in the form of unseen photos and behind-the-scenes looks.

This new armored-suit shot is the strongest one yet. The texture feels more real than ever. The stance radiates the Frank Miller energy that fans have always connected with in Affleck’s take. It’s the kind of photo that instantly reminds people why this version of live-action Batman still hits so hard nearly a decade later.

Fan Reactions To Snyder's Batman Mech Suit

Of course, what would a bts pic from the now-defunct Snyderverse be if there weren’t a ton of fans chiming in? Here are some of the standout reactions that hit the director's post within hours:

• motion.picture_updates: “Ben Affleck's Batman movie.
  he film would've taken place in Arkham Asylum, and Batman would face Deathstroke as well as ending up fighting against the Joker.
  WE NEED THIS 😭”
• gabriel.soareszz: “I love this costume! That’s pure Frank Miller!”
• zacksnyderfans: “Batfleck forever ❤️”
• ravi_or_raj: “There will never be a better Batman on-screen 😢”
• geekhouseshow: “Holy Bat 😮🦇🔥”
• keography: “Just announce it now I’m tired of waiting, let’s go”
• _expecto_patronam: “Holy shitttt🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️❤️… Ben is our Batman😭♥️”adriianalan: “Bro this is so good OMFG 😭😭😭”
• tommcjl: “BLACK AND BLUE. FIGHT NIGHT! THE GREATEST GLADIATOR MATCH IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. GOD VERSUS MAN. DAY VERSUS NIGHT. SON OF KRYPTON VERSUS BAT OF GOTHAM”
• iam_vanessanoel: “The definitive Batman 🦇🔥”
• makethebatfleckmovie: “#MakeTheBatfleckMovie #RestoreTheSnyderVerse”
• restorezsjl: “This suit is incredible. I really hope we get to see more awesome tech upgrades in the future #MakeTheBatfleckMovie #RestoreTheSnyderVerse.”
• delroyrossgmail.com2: “That's what I'm talking about. Dark Knight... Will Return. #restorethesnyderverse All Day."

The responses go on for hundreds more, most of them carrying the same theme of fans not ready to let this version of The Dark Knight go. Still, is there any chance this version of Bats could make a return?

What Could Snyder’s Post Really Mean?

Any time Zack Snyder shares a new image tied to his DC era, speculation starts instantly. Fans want to believe it hints at a secret revival, a surprise project, or some last-minute twist that puts Ben Affleck’s Batman back in the spotlight. But the reality is far less dramatic, and all signs point in the opposite direction.

James Gunn’s new DCU has already kicked off with the hit 2025 movie release, Superman, the first full reset of the franchise. Supergirl arrives next year. Gunn even retconned the Peacemaker Season 1 finale in Season 2 by swapping the previous Snyderverse heroes for his new Hawkgirl and Green Lantern, making it clear the baton has officially been passed. On top of that, Matt Reeves's The Batman Part II continues as an Elseworlds project outside the main continuity, locking down another version of the Dark Knight for 2027.

Put all of that together, and there’s almost no path where Snyder’s Batman returns in any official capacity. This new photo is most likely exactly what it looks like: a filmmaker posting a striking behind-the-scenes shot because he likes the image and knows fans enjoy seeing it.

Still, the reaction proves something important. Even in a fully rebooted DC landscape, Snyder’s Batman leaves a mark. I mean, how could it not, looking this badass?

You can revisit nearly every version of Batman, including Bat-Fleck, streaming with an HBO Max subscription.

Wednesday is one of the most popular and binge-worthy TV shows on Netflix, nay, anywhere; so it perhaps makes perfect sense that its co-creators were keen to double down on another female-led horror-leaning story based on an already popular piece of IP. Color me both tickled and excited as hell to learn that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are once again teaming up with Netflix to adapt one of my favorite genre comics in recent years, centering on a female Grim Reaper.

The Wednesday duo have been tapped to help bring to life the dark, introspective, and often amusing series Grim, co-created by esteemed writer Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider) and artist Flaviano (I Am Groot, Power Man and Iron Fist). It's a banger of a story, and the way it's being produced makes it seem like it could potentially be a good fit for Jenna Ortega herself, assuming there's even room in her upcoming schedule.

What Is Grim About?

The rather epic story at the unbeating heart of Grim starts with main character Jessica Harrow's death, or rather her post-death, where she's recruited as a Reaper, with the responsibility of leading the dearly departed from the corporeal plane into the afterlife. However, setting her apart from other Reapers is the fact that she has no idea how she died, and why she was brought into her hellish new position.

To solve the mystery, Jessica teams up with those she trusts the most to try and fill in the gaps in her memory while also facing the threat of a world without death. Her journey is full of fun twists and emotional turns, with music playing a core role in the storytelling, both visually and contextually.

How Is Grim Being Adapted?

Given the comic book's dark and often sinister visuals and settings, which skew heavily on the red and black side, Grim would likely be expensive as a motherfluffer to produce in live-action, so I can understand Netflix's impetus in wanting to spin this upcoming book-to-screen adaptation as an adult-skewing animated series, likely more on par with Castlevania and Blood of Zeus than BoJack Horseman or Haunted Hotel.

To help along with that particular process, Deadline reports that Gough and Millar will be working with the artistically minded Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who co-directed the second and third Kung Fu Panda movies. She's also worked in various capacities (storyboard artist, character designs, etc.) on a slew of other family-friendly animated projects such as The Iron Giant, Monsters vs. Aliens, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and more.

What's more notable for this particular project, though, is that Nelson has worked as a Supervising Director on Netflix's highly acclaimed and Emmy-winning animated series Love, Death + Robots. As well, she co-directed several episodes of the HBO series Spawn, which were compiled into the 1998 feature Todd McFarlane's Spawn 2 and ts 1999 sequel. She also worked on Ralph Bakshi's late '90s series Spicy City.

Why Jenna Ortega Would Be A Great Fit

Though I would very likely take issue with the Wednesday star portraying Jessica Harrow in a live-action series, due to age-related issues, I think her taking on the voice of the character would be perfectly fitting, and would give her a dark universe to play around in without having to fall back on Wednesday's signature monotone deliveries.

Working as closely as she has with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar on the Addams Family offshoot, which is potentially getting at least one spinoff, Ortega could likely just talk her way into this role (no pun intended), but it might come down to how available she is. To be expected, being one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood does not make it easy to jump into projects just because that one guy at CinemaBlend really wants her to.

Beyond the impending Season 3 of Wednesday, which she's recently voiced her hopes for, Ortega will soon be seen opposite Glen Powell in J.J. Abrams' Ghostwriter, as well as Taika Waititi's sci-fi drama Klara and the Sun. She's also co-starring with her Wednesday mum Catherine Zeta-Jones in Cathy Yan's thriller The Gallerist, and has been attached for a while to a David O. Russell project, Shutout, that may or may not come to fruition. And those are just the ones we know about.

Regardless of who ends up playing Jessica Harrow in Grim, I'm absolutely going to be watching and obsessing over the Netflix animated series. Just in case I ever find myself pegged to be the next Grim Reaper, it'll be good to have as much research as possible.

Avengers: Endgame already swings for the fences, especially when it comes to endings, but Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner says one of the movie’s heaviest moments almost went even bigger. According to the star, Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice on Vormir was first conceived and shot as a large-scale, “galactic” skirmish until changes had to be made. And, in a recent interview, the man behind Hawkeye explains why he’s glad they made the change.

Renner shared the behind-the-scenes nugget during a Space Con 2025 panel (via Popverse), saying that before Marvel reshot the sequence into the intimate, two-friends-on-a-cliff goodbye fans know, they planned for a whole lot more alien action. He explained:

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Marvel has flirted with an action-heavy Vormir cut before. When Endgame hit home release and later streaming for fans with a Disney+ subscription, viewers saw an alternate sequence where Thanos’ forces crash the party and Black Widow sprints through blaster fire before making the soul-for-a-soul leap. It’s cool, chaotic, and very MCU—but it also trades quiet devastation for spectacle. That version has circulated in special features and coverage since 2019–2020.

Renner says the simpler approach landed the emotional beat the filmmakers were chasing. He continued:

That tracks with how the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have talked about Endgame’s biggest deaths: when the movie goes quiet, it goes for the jugular. The theatrical Vormir sequence narrows to two friends wrestling—literally—over who gets to make the sacrifice play. No armies. No cavalry. Just Natasha and Clint, a final nod to the smallest-scale bond in Earth’s Mightiest roster.

It’s been a minute since longtime fans of all the Marvel movies have seen Jeremy Renner suit up as Clint. His last on-screen appearance was the Hawkeye series finale on December 22, 2021, which has fueled speculation about a surprise return in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Don’t ask the Mayor of Kingstown star for spoilers, though. As he joked to Brie Larson when pressed about a cameo: “No, girl.” Then again, in a universe where Andrew Garfield-level denials are part of the game, never say never.

If Jeremy Renner never returns (which feels unlikely), his legacy is secure. Moments like Natasha’s sacrifice on Vormir rank among the MCU’s most powerful—thanks in part to the Russo brothers knowing when to dial down the spectacle and let intimacy carry the scene.

As thrilled as I am to see Avengers: Doomsday come out and learn if the X-Men will make their big debut, a new rumor has potentially given me a bitter pill to swallow. Actor Patrick Stewart is among the many returning actors appearing in the blockbuster event, but it seems as though this performance may be his last.

As a Star Trek fan who loved Stewart both in The Next Generation, Picard, and the various movies, I can't express enough what his performances mean to me as a fan. I'm holding onto that feeling more than ever on the heels of this latest report, which suggests there will be no future adventures with him as Jean-Luc Picard.

Patrick Stewart Reportedly Retired From Acting On The Set Of Avengers: Doomsday

YouTuber and alleged Marvel insider Kristian Harloff recently spoke with John Rocha in a video and brought up some details about the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. In the midst of talking about a leaked trailer and the possible existence of multiple trailers for the upcoming Marvel movie, he dropped a rumor that it will be Patrick Stewart's final acting performance:

It should be noted that this is a rumor, and nothing has been confirmed about it from Patrick Stewart's camp or Marvel. Could the 85-year-old actor, who has been busy in Hollywood ever since he first rose to prominence, finally be stepping away from the spotlight? It certainly feels like a possibility.

Patrick Stewart's Retirement Would Bum Me Out As A Star Trek Fan, But Is He Really Leaving Acting?

It sounds selfish to say, but I really hoped that Patrick Stewart had more appearances planned for Star Trek after Picard ended. Granted, I knew the series happening was a blessing on its own, but the talk of him getting a script about a new adventure had me fooled into thinking that it truly wasn't the end for him as one of the best Trek characters of all time.

One thing I will say is that Patrick Stewart has made claims in the past that he was done with something, only to return to it later. Specifically, he said he was done with Professor X after Logan. Flash-forward to 2025, and he's already returned as the character and will be in Avengers: Doomsday.

To put it another way, while the rumor is circulating, and it may be true, Stewart could always change his mind. Of course, I certainly wouldn't fault him if he didn't, as he's given the world decades of work to enjoy and should be allowed to sit back and enjoy the life he's built for himself. Still, I do wish that if he had to say goodbye to acting, it could've been with a Trek project.

Avengers: Doomsday is set to release on December 16th, 2026, and we'll presumably learn then or before if Patrick Stewart is done with acting or not. I remain excited for the movie in the meantime, and hope that Star Trek can find its way back to theaters before too long as well.

Jensen Ackles has remained plenty busy since playing Dean Winchester on Supernatural, which ended in 2020 after 15 seasons. Most recently, he starred in the crime drama Countdown on the 2025 TV schedule. Unfortunately, Prime canceled the show after one season. Luckily, he still has The Boys’ fifth and final season to look forward to, along with prequel series, Vought Rising. But if that doesn’t work out, another show wants him for a spinoff.

Tracker's Showrunner Would Love An Ackles-Fronted Spinoff

Aside from the multiple projects he has streaming with a Prime Video subscription, Ackles has also been appearing on CBS’ Tracker as Russell Shaw, the older brother of Justin Hartley’s Colter. He was first introduced in the first season as Colter’s estranged brother, but now that they’ve been learning more about their complicated family history, the two have been growing closer. Ackles guest starred in the two-part Season 3 premiere, but showrunner Elwood Reid tells TV Insider he would love nothing more than to snag him for more than just a guest appearance:

What kind of storylines Reid would have cooked up for a Russell spinoff is unknown, but there is much to learn about him. And it would be good to see what he’s doing when he’s not dealing with his brother. Of course, given Ackles’ commitment to Amazon, that might be hard to do, but it sounds like Reid would immediately give him a spinoff if he were able to.

What Ackles Has Going On At Amazon

Ackles and his wife, One Tree Hill star Danneel Ackles, entered a first-look deal at Amazon in 2023 for their production company Chaos Machine. This means that Amazon will be a priority for Ackles when it comes to projects he’s producing and acting in, such as Countdown. Also under the agreement will be the upcoming The Boys prequel, Vought Rising.

The series was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024 and is set to follow the origins of Vought. Executive producers Paul Grellong and Eric Kripke shared that the series is a “twisted murder mystery” in the 1950s. Along with Ackles reprising his role as Soldier Boy, Aya Cash will reprise her role as Stormfront. The stacked ensemble cast also includes Mason Dye, Elizabeth Posey, Will Hochman, Jorden Myrie, Nicoló Pasetti, Ricky Staffieri, Brian J. Smith, and KiKi Layne.

Until Vought Rising premieres on Prime Video, it’s hard to predict how things will go. At the very least, if it doesn’t match the success of its predecessor, it sounds like Ackles won’t have any trouble landing another show. And it’s likely Russell Shaw will still be popping up on Tracker regardless, which will be better than nothing. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the latest episode of Gen V. If you have not yet watched the show, proceed at your own risk!

Audiences have seen all varieties of freaky villains and powers in the canon of The Boys and Gen V, but Hamish Linklater’s Cipher in Season 2 of the latter has revealed himself as one of the freakiest. While there is still a lot that we don’t know about the prime antagonist, we have gotten a full dose of the danger that he presents and it’s eye opening – as he can simply take over minds and operate others like puppets.

Cipher showing what he can do has already led to some amazing scenes in Gen V Season 2 – including the scary Blood Bender vs. Gender Bender fight in Episode 4, and more recently, in “Cooking Lessons” when the big bad takes control of Sean Patrick Thomas’ Polarity. I had the chance to speak with both Thomas and Linklater last month during the Los Angeles press day for the new run of the show (as captured in the video at the top of this article), and they told me what it was like to shoot that sequence, which involved interesting collaboration and synchronicity. Thomas explained,

Polarity – who has been in deep grief this season following the death of his son, Chance Perdomo's Andre Anderson – has become an ally for the heroes of Gen V, but in the scene in question, he is forced to betray them. Marie and the others call on him for help after they escape Elmira and are granted shelter by Giancarlo Esposito’s Stan Edgar, but they don’t realize that when they call Polarity, they are talking directly to Cipher, who is talking through him.

Cipher is most definitely not a kind puppet master, as he is a big fan of getting people to give themselves a strong whack across their own face – and Hamish Linklater noted in the conversation that figuring out the mechanics of executing something like that is something that is really more discovered on set and in the performances than following strict directives from the script. He told me,

What other horrifying moves does Cipher have up his sleeve? You’ll have to keep watching Gen V Season 2 to find out. New episodes arrive weekly for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, and with the arrival of “Hell Week” today, fans can get excited for the action packed finale that will drop next Wednesday, October 22.

When you’re playing a hero in a new superhero movie, sharing the screen with a scene-stealer is inevitable, but if you’re David Corenswet, the latest actor to play Superman, that might just be his dog. In a new interview, the newest Man of Steel opened up about working alongside the real-life counterpart of the loveable scene stealer Krypto, from the 2025 movie release, and it’s clear the actor has as much affection for his four-legged co-star as Clark Kent has for Metropolis.

In a new GQ feature interview, Corenswet told the interviewer he’s worked with dogs before, but most trained movie pups have one thing on their minds, and that’s snacks. He explained:

It’s a funny and oddly relatable observation from an actor stepping into one of cinema’s most iconic roles. After all, if anyone knows about balancing power and humility, it’s Superman, and the Look Both Ways actor seems to have found that same mix in his canine co-star. He continued:

Fans who’ve already seen the new DCU movie know exactly what the Lady in the Lake veteran means, and that’s that the chemistry between Clark and Krypto practically leaps off the screen. The off-screen moments the Pearl star described paint an equally heartwarming picture of a guy in a cape, laughing and playing with a dog between takes. That’s the kind of warmth the Man of Steel has been missing on the big screen, and now that James Gunn’s Superman has flown from theaters to streaming, it’s clear Corenswet, with a bit of help from his four-legged co-star, has brought it back.

The scrappy Kryptonian pup, affectionately dubbed “the worst dog in the world with superpowers,” first melted hearts when the Superman trailer dropped last December, and the film only confirmed his scene-stealing status. Krypto’s design and personality were modeled after director James Gunn’s own rescue dog, Ozu, who was adopted from a hoarding situation and promptly destroyed everything from furniture to laptops, and behavior that clearly inspired the character’s chaotic charm.

Bringing Krypto to life took more than one good boy, as production designer Beth Mickle revealed. Another pup, a white-haired sweetheart named Jolene, served as the on-set color reference for Krypto’s fur, often twirling to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” during lighting tests. It's unclear whether or not Jolene was the dog David Corenswet is talking about, but it's probably a safe bet.

In a summer overflowing with superhero fatigue, the DCU’s Chapter One kickoff stood out precisely because it remembered what makes the hero super in the first place. Sure, there’s strength and superpowers, but there’s also kindness and the capacity to love. If Corenswet and his canine co-star proved anything, it’s that this Superman doesn’t just save the world, he’ll stop to save the dog, too.

Superman is now streaming for anyone with an HBO Max subscription.

I used to think that the Michael Bay-era Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies were some of the worst TMNT films ever made.

In fact, when I ranked all of the live-action Ninja Turtles movies, I put 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and 2016’s Out of the Shadows near the bottom of the list (Though not at the very bottom, which I’ll get into later). Fans of Turtle Power are usually in agreement that there are many other better TMNT films, with the most recent one, Mutant Mayhem, being my absolute favorite.

However, with time, I’ve learned to re-evaluate the Michael Bay-era TMNT films, and do you know what? They’re actually not that bad! I mean, they’re not as good as the 1990 original, or The Secret of the Ooze good, but they’re not terrible, either, and here’s why.

Honestly, I'm Now Kind Of Digging Their Look. It's So Different!

The number one complaint I always hear about these two TMNT films is that the Turtles are so UGLY, and do you know what? You’re right! When I first saw these movies, the Turtles made me gag. I mean, they're so burly and bulky, and look nothing like the Turtles from the animated TV shows or movies that I grew up with.

Plus, I didn’t like how tattered their face masks were, or how Donnie wore glasses (with tape in the middle, no less!). Honestly, from the first second I saw how these Turtles looked, I hated them. Which is actually a shame, since looking at them today, I applaud the team that brought them to life.

These Turtles look more like Battletoads than my beloved Turtles. That said, I’ve actually come around on their tank-like designs because there's no other version like them.

Now, when I thought this new direction was how the Turtles would always look, I was appalled. Now that I’ve seen that there are other (and one might say, better) iterations that would come later, I don’t hold such a grudge against this look anymore, and I actually kind of like how “ugly” they are. It’s such a unique look!

Out Of The Shadows Was The First TMNT Movie That Gave Us The Villains That We Clamored For

I love Shredder as much as the next TMNT fan, but by the fifth Ninja Turtles movie, I was kind of tired of the fact that we were getting him yet again. The only times we hadn't seen him as the main antagonist were in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and in the 2007 animated movie.

That said, what we wanted to see was Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang, who were regulars in the cartoons. Well, in Out of the Shadows, not only did we get Bebop and Rocksteady, but we also, finally, got Krang!

Honestly, this made up for the plot being so middling. In fact, we got a lot of familiar faces in Out of the Shadows, as we also got Baxter Stockman (played by Tyler Perry this time), Shredder, and even Casey Jones. And yes, like most movies with too many characters, this film feels pretty overstuffed.

But still! This was the TMNT movie that finally gave us the characters that many of us had been waiting our entire lives to see on the big screen! In other words, this is the movie that made many of our dreams come true. If only the movie around these characters could have been better…That said, beggars can't be choosers!

The Action Is Different From Any Other Turtles Films

Along with the Turtles being so much bulkier than in any other TMNT films, these Turtles move differently, too. In fact, it's hard to believe, but these are the only TMNT movies with the Turtles actually being CG in a live-action setting (I'm interested in seeing how they do it with The Last Ronin, though).

This creates a lot of interesting situations that couldn't be performed in the costumes or puppetry from the ‘90s TMNT films. For example, the Turtles can skateboard all over the place in these films, and the action is often frenetic and colorful.

One of my favorite action scenes is when the Turtles are sliding down a snowy hill, and they're slipping under tires and flying into vehicles. It's pandemonium! I also love how the Turtles handle their weapons in these films. One of the biggest problems (especially in The Secret of the Ooze, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III - more on that one in a little bit) was how their trademark weapons were kind of just there.

However, their weapons are actually used in these movies, and it's really refreshing to see. This is something that I never appreciated the first time I watched these films, but it's something I noticed upon a rewatch. That's pretty cool!

They're Arguably Both Better Than TMNT III

I mentioned at the top how I ranked every live-action Ninja Turtles movie, and I did. And, while I put 2014 and Out of the Shadows toward the bottom, I still put Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III at the very bottom, and I stand by that. Both of the Michael Bay-era TMNT films are better than that atrocity.

Because here's the thing. TMNT III seemed entirely uninterested in pleasing the fans. Set in ancient Japan, the villains were some random dudes, and it really had nothing to do with anything we were familiar with. I mean, they couldn't even include Usagi Yojimbo? Really? But they were in Japan!

Anyway, as I said earlier, at least these Bay-era films tried to give the fans what they wanted. Especially Out of the Shadows. Yes, neither was entirely successful, as most fans found these movies to be lacking. But, they were lacking in much the same way as Michael Bay's own Transformers movies were lacking, as they tried to give the fans what they wanted, but often failed in the story department.

So, that's another thing. The Bay-era TMNT films have never been the worst movies in the series. That title still goes to 1993's TMNT III. What a turkey that movie is!

Now That We Know It's Not The Permanent Direction Of The Turtles, It's A Nice Time Capsule

I was born in the ‘80s, was a kid and teen in the ‘90s, and came into adulthood in the 2000s. And, in this span of time, I like to compartmentalize my entertainment as it helps me create time capsules for my life.

Well, having grown up watching the 1987 TMNT cartoon when I was only five, I went from watching people don costumes to actors being motion captured and plugged into a computer, and I feel like a lot of movies from the 2010s were like the latter.

In this way, the Bay-era Turtles films are like a time capsule of the 2010s, and I like that about them now that I don't live in that decade anymore. That’s why these two movies kind of make me nostalgic for that period, and I think they do a good job of encapsulating that era, for good (I think), or for ill.

But, what do you think? Have you come around on the Michael Bay-era Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Though a large number of Batman fans currently want Alan Ritchson to play the Caped Crusader for James Gunn’s DCU (or in whatever other capacity is possible), there’s no shortage of additional options sparking similar casting discussions ahead of the upcoming movie The Brave and the Bold. One such actor is Chris Pratt, whose portrayal of Star-Lord in all three of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies has heavily fueled such fan desires, and the director is aware those hopes exist. He just doesn’t maybe doesn’t agree wholeheartedly.

James Gunn's Response To Fans Calling For Chris Pratt As Batman

To clarify, the Superman filmmaker knows how important casting Batman is, and he does indeed want to team up with Pratt again in the future, and he does seem open to making it happen in the DCU. Just presumably without the Parks and Rec vet donning Batman’s signature cape and cowl. Speaking with Escorpión Dorado (Golden Scorpion), Gunn more or less confirmed that fans can expect to see the actor in his upcoming superhero movies at some point, but was otherwise vague. As he put it when asked about Pratt:

Such a direct statement might come across as a disappointment for some fans clamoring for Chris Pratt to take over as the face of another mega-franchise alongside The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Garfield. But here's the thing: I think there's potential for Pratt to take on something way more interesting within Gunn's DCU for a role that goes places fans haven't really seen him go before.

Hear me out: Pratt shouldn't play one of the heroes in the Bat Family, but rather one of the Dark Knight's villains. Since becoming a full-blown movie star, the actor has been cast almost exclusively in protagonistic hero roles, at least on the blockbuster side of things, and I think it's time for him to start leaning into his mustache-twirling era. And here's a shortlist of rogues that I think would be far more interesting for Pratt to play rather than Bruce Wayne.

Two-Face

For anyone who might have trouble envisioning what Chris Pratt would be like as a malicious and murderous arch villain, Two-Face could be the perfect transition role. The character's duality would allow the actor to still showcase his charismatic and genial side as attorney Harvey Dent, while also forcing him to get nasty and vile whenever the coin dictates it. It would also give Pratt a great reason to change up his approach to how he voices characters. I also kind of want to see what Two-Face would look like with a scruffy beard.

Black Mask

Far less visually cartoonish than many of Batman's other villains, Black Mask (a.k.a. Roman Sionis) is a hardcore and malicious crime lord that would allow Pratt to play a key Bat-nemesis without having to become a cackling maniac. I also think it would be interesting if his titular mask was malleable and form-fitting to his face, rather than merely being a fixed skull shape. (Worth noting: as a child, Roman was bitten by a rabid raccoon, but no word on whether its first name was Rocket or not.)

Tommy Elliott (Hush)

Live-action Batman fare has yet to adapt the fan-favorite arc that introduces Tommy "Hush" Elliott into Bruce and Batman's shared existence. Stepping in as Hush would put Pratt as up close and personal with the billionaire vigilante as possible, with some Batman-esque action in the mix, even if he wouldn't have all of the nifty costumes and gadgets. Tommy would work best with someone likeable playing him, which wouldn't be an issue for Pratt.

I could spend all day thinking about Batman villains that would be interesting for the Terminal List star to take on. In fact, here are a few others that I think he'd also be great for.

• David Cain
• Arnold Wesker (Ventriloquist)
• Solomon Grundy
• Kirk Langstrom (Man-Bat)

Let's remember that James Gunn is indeed interested in introducing Man-Bat to the DCU, so that last suggestion isn't as ridiculous as it seems.

With Superman & Lois vet Tyler Hoechlin having recently thrown his own name in the ring for possible DCU Batman portrayers, it's impossible to tell when James Gunn & Co. will make that decision, and it's equally impossible to know when that name would get officially announced. My money is still on Alan Ritchson, though, assuming Reacher doesn't get a 7-season renewal order from Prime Video in the near future.

Fans may have to wait to see the fifth and final season of The Boys, but luckily, they will have the upcoming second season of spinoff Gen V to keep them occupied. The much-anticipated new season of the college-set series premieres on September 17 on the 2025 TV schedule with an Amazon Prime subscription, and there’s going to be a lot to look forward to. After hearing exciting changes coming for Marie, Moreau, I’m excited to see what’s in store, especially since it’s being compared to Harry Potter.

Jaz Sinclair’s hemokinetic Supe went through a lot in the first season as she tries to control her deadly powers and come to terms with just how powerful she truly is. This includes coming face-to-face with Homelander (Antony Starr), the world’s most indestructible Supe, in the Season 1 finale.

After the final battle, which saw Marie using her powers to kill some people in a very gory way, Homelander confronts her and tells her she’s an animal before using his laser eyes to blast her. Luckily, she was able to withstand it, and it’s something that Sinclair was excited to explore more in Season 2, as she told Entertainment Weekly while bringing up an iconic Harry Potter fight:

Sinclair’s comparison to Harry and Voldemort makes me even more excited for what’s to come because that final battle between the two of them, and Voldemort had hoped to defeat Harry once and for all. It’s the same with Homelander wanting to defeat Marie, knowing how powerful she is, but then there was a twist that both antagonists didn’t expect. Not to mention the fact that any time there’s a comparison to the Harry Potter franchise, you know it’s going to be good.

Considering Homelander is not only the most indestructible Supe in the world, but he may also be the most destructive person in the world. He doesn’t have much remorse for what he does, and you know that when he targets someone, he aims to kill them. Him using his laser eyes in the hopes of killing Marie but not being able to for the first time makes for an interesting storyline for the both of them because they are both so powerful.

It was another WTF moment from Gen V's first season. And with this new season likely setting up Season 5 of The Boys, the implications could be big, and Sinclair was excited to dig deeper into her character because of it. As she put it:

That being said, just like with The Boys, nothing on Gen V is predictable, as the first season proved. Showrunner Eric Kripke wouldn’t reveal exact details, but shared that the spinoff will “take the piss” out of the “chosen one” archetype with Season 2, explaining that we don’t know if there’s anything she can’t do and pointing out that just because she has the potential to be the most powerful superhero on the planet, doesn’t mean she is.

I’m excited to see how the show will navigate and explore Marie’s powers, and what this could mean for her, and there’s no telling what will happen. Bloody up those calendars for September 17 for when school is back in session.

At some point in recent years, I rewatched 1994’s The Mask for my daughter’s first viewing, and it both reaffirmed my VHS-worn fandom and also re-stoked my belief that the lack of a proper Mask sequel is among pop culture’s greatest failings. (Especially in light of Ace Ventura and Dumb & Dumber’s follow-ups.) I was understandably as jazzed as anyone when both Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz expressed interest in possibly returning to that universe, and now the film’s director Chuck Russell weighed in with his own sssssmokin’ comments.

The Mask remains one of Jim Carrey’s best movies, and one that made the actor a comedy staple to many fans during his prolific post-In Living Color run in the 1990s. As such, I still get a gross taste in my mouth knowing that its only live-action sequel was that Son of… debacle starring Jamie Kennedy. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high here, but I love the eagerness Chuck Russell seemed to bring when answering Bleeding Cool’s question about his interest in making another Mask movie.

Addressing the tonal difference between his big-screen adaptation and its comic book source material, Russell says he’s game to bring these characters back, and doesn’t sound like he’d be opposed to darkening up the humor. In his words:

Horror fans like myself are likely aware that Chuck Russell's debut film was fan-favorite Freddy flick A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which brought Heather Langenkamp's Nancy back. He also directed 1988's stellar The Blob remake, followed by The Mask and 1996's Ah-nold action flick Eraser. He also helped turn Dwayne Johnson into a movie star with 2002's Scorpion King. So there's no arguing that Russell has genre range (or that his self-scripted movies are usually better than others).

I would personally lo-o-ove to see a new Mask movie that ups the ante on the comic book's bloodier subject matter while still maintaining Jim Carrey's over-the-top performance. Even 30 years after the first movie was released, he's proven himself to still be capable of gonzo physical comedy, and is someone who can still make falling down hilarious every time.

So at this point, Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz AND Chuck Russell have all weighed in positively about making another movie about Stanley Ipkiss and his otherworldly mask. So the ball would appear to be in Warner Bros.' court as far as finding someone to write a proper follow-up that's actually worthy of everyone's time. Since that's the key element to getting Carrey to sign back up.

What Jim Carrey And Cameron Diaz Have Said About The Mask Returns

While promoting his return as Professor Robotnik for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 2024, Carrey told ComicBook.com that it all comes down to the story, despite any jokes he makes about money being the key factor.

Cameron Diaz, who reversed her acting retirement for Netflix's Back in Action, shared her take on reuturning for another Mask movie earlier in 2025 that Jim Carrey's interest in going back to that world is all the impetus she would need to sign on, given that film was the one that turned her into a highly sought-after star. Here's how she put it:

I guess someone does need to ask the original mask if it would also be interested in returning. But even if it wants to be a diva and refuses to return, the props department can just create a new mask to replace it.

Why The Mask Movie Wasn't As Dark As The Comic Book

Coming off of two horror movies, Chuck Russell directing The Mask might have had fans thinking his adaptation would indeed be as dark and bloody as the comic. But as the finished product proved, it was far more of a family-friendly effort that toned down its criminal element in favor of more Looney Tunes-ish hijinks. To that end, Russell said he really wanted to lean into Carrey's rubber-faced talents.

Personally, I don't even need this hypothetical Mask sequel to have an extremely brilliant, Oscar-worthy script. I just want to see more reality-breaking CGI-silliness, regardless of how closely it hews to the character's sordid comic book tales. Just so long as showtime actually arrives at some point.

There once was a time when the Arrowverse was the best live-action franchise DC had going for it, but it's a long-gone era here in 2025, and everyone is looking ahead to James Gunn's vision for upcoming DCU projects. Even so, there's a big multiverse out there, and shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow still have fans calling for more, so it's not too wild to foresee a day where fans with Max subscriptions could one day get an Arrowverse movie, and it seems like Grant Gustin and others are up for it.

Candice Patton, Tom Cavanagh, and Danielle Panabaker joined up with Gustin for Fan Expo Cleveland, and they had some encouraging takes on whether they'd appear in a hypothetical Arrowverse movie. CinemaBlend's Laura Hurley attended the convention and can confirm that the cast responded to the idea almost in unison with positive thoughts:

• Grant Gustin: "Yeah."
• Tom Cavanagh: "100%, absolutely."
• Danielle Panabaker: "I'm available!"
• Grant Gustin: "We are actors with families."
• Candice Patton: "We got bills to pay!"
• Tom Cavanagh: "We are all available! We are in, fully in!"

It's only been about two years since the series ended, but apparently, a good chunk of the stars are interested in making a comeback for an Arrowverse movie if that's a possibility. The Flash did leave the door open for future adventures in its finale, so it wouldn't be too hard to pull them back into the mix for a movie, at least speaking from a story standpoint. I would certainly love to see more with Barry's kids, as we only just scratched the surface of what they were capable of.

I don't think it's a question of whether fans want to see The Flash crew back in action, because YES. But I think it's fair to say we have to wonder if any current DC execs want that to happen. Let's not forget that Grant Gustin was snubbed from appearing in The Flash movie, despite DC having Ezra Miller appear in The CW series years prior. It felt like a big oversight, considering The Flash's popularity as a TV series had to play some role in the movie getting a feature film in the first place.

Beyond that, it seems everything in DC is shifting under James Gunn's vision, with his upcoming Superman movie primed to really get the new era underway. With so much focus on building up the movie side of DC and the Arrowverse completely dying out with the conclusion of Superman & Lois, I don't like the odds of any revival happening, but I would love to see it happen all the same.

While we have no idea if The Flash will ever return in any form, The CW's series is available to stream with a Netflix subscription. While the latter seasons are hit and miss, I still stand by it as one of the best superhero shows ever to grace television, and I would love to experience it for the first time all over again if I had the chance.

James Gunn’s Superman isn’t just another upcoming superhero movie — it’s the DCU's first theatrical release, and as such, a potential game-changer for Warner Bros. Discovery. While Gunn’s much-anticipated flick is expected to be a defining moment for the relatively new studio, reports suggest the franchise-starter's box office performance could have a much larger impact that could possibly even sway the fate of Warner Bros. as a studio.

According to a report from Puck, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is under mounting pressure as the studio navigates a period of financial uncertainty. After a string of recent box office disappointments — including Todd Phillips' much-maligned Joker: Folie à Deux as a critical and financial bomb and Mickey 17’s less-than-stellar numbers—the company is facing increasing scrutiny over its spending habits and leadership decisions.

Zaslav is reportedly running out of patience with studio co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, and all eyes are now on Superman as the make-or-break moment for the DCU and beyond. According to one industry insider who outlined how influential Supes' success or failure is to the slate of upcoming DCU movies:

The overall, non-branded DC 'verse has been in flux for years, with the Zack Snyder’s now defunct DCEU struggling to maintain consistency across successive films. Under Gunn and Peter Safran’s leadership, the rebooted Superman — featuring David Corenswet leading a stellar cast as the Man of Steel — is meant to establish a new foundation for the DCU. But it’s not just DC’s future that’s at stake. If Big Blue’s next cinematic adventure fails to meet expectations, it could lead to massive shifts at Warner Bros. Discovery, including leadership changes or even deeper financial troubles for the already debt-laden company.

The pressure extends beyond just the superhero franchise. The studio’s recent financial moves have raised eyebrows in Hollywood. Warner Bros. has been greenlighting expensive projects such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film with Leonardo DiCaprio, rumored to have a nine-figure budget. And that also includes Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which reportedly features terms that grant ownership rights back to Coogler & Co. after 25 years.

If Superman soars at the box office, kicking off the first chapter of the new universe titled Gods and Monsters, it could reaffirm the value of the DC brand and stabilize the studio’s future. However, if it underperforms, the fallout could be significant—potentially leading to executive shake-ups, major shifts in studio strategy, and even speculation about Warner Bros. Discovery’s long-term viability as an independent entity. Sadly, if the next Man of Steel doesn’t bring out audiences, we could see the DCU fold before it even hits streaming.

No matter how Superman turns out, one thing's for sure—the pressure's on for the studio. I'm hoping Gunn can pull it off when Superman hits the 2025 movie release schedule on July 11, 2025. No matter how it does at the box office, its impact will go beyond comic book movies.

Spoilers for Invincible Seasons 1 and 2 below! If you're not caught up, you can check out both seasons with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Invincible Season 3 has flown in on the 2025 TV schedule, and you know what that means – the return of everyone's favorite dad superhero-turned-supervillain-turned…good guy? Yeah, this about sums up the complexities of J.K. Simmons' Omni-Man, and the Oscar winner is here for it.

The Amazon Prime original series from comic book icon Robert Kirkman has always toed the line between action-adventure and dark family drama, and one of the biggest components from both elements is Omni-Man, who took a bit of a backseat in Season 2. When CinemaBlend spoke to Simmons ahead of Season 3's premiere, the actor admitted he was fine being in the background for a bit – the series is titled Invincible and not Omni-Man – but he was eager to show off and voice this "different aspect" to Omni-Man that we haven't seen yet. In his words:

What makes Invincible the perfect superhero show – and really one of the best non-Marvel / DC superhero shows ever – is the exploration of the intricate natures of these characters and the twists that come with each episode – which, in turn, is what makes Omni-Man so great. Simmons himself addressed how the changes in the characters' evolutions is what he loves about any "long-form storytelling," saying:

Omni-Man, in general, has been one of the highlights of the franchise as a whole. Obviously, we all love Mark as a hero, and watching him become incredibly strong is always fulfilling, especially after the brutal death of Angstrom Levy in the Season 2 finale. But a big part of that is also watching him grow fiercer in order to face his father – and the Viltrumite race as a whole.

For a time, we didn't really know what was going to happen to Omni-Man. When he was captured by the Viltrumites in Season 2 from Thraxa, it felt like his story was slowly coming to an end. But now, in that space prison, we've already heard him admit that he missed his wife last season, and in Season 3, he's shown to be developing worry for Alvin the Alien, his cellmate.

This is not the same Omni-Man that we met in Season 1, and while I haven't read the comics yet (because I don't want to be spoiled), it makes me excited for what's to come as Season 3 progresses and beyond. Will we finally see Omni-Man battle against his people once Alvin gets through to him? I'm champing at the bit to know.

Invincible continues to be one of the best shows on Amazon Prime, and it's only going to get better. Be sure to check out the first three episodes now and log back on every week at Amazon Prime to watch the rest of this super-action-packed story.

The Batman: Part II won’t start filming until the 2025 movie schedule has hit the spring, but we’re so hyped for Robert Pattison’s return as Matt Reeves’ Dark Knight that we’ve already run through the villains we want to see in the next Batman movie, beyond the potential return of Paul Dano’s Riddler. (While taking into account Pattinson’s own villainous prediction for the sequel, of course.) Now, co-star Jeffrey Wright weighed in with his own choice, and it’s a disturbingly intriguing pick.

Wright became the latest actor to take over the rather iconic comic-sourced role of GCPD mainstay James Gordon, and the Westworld vet’s suggestion for the villain he’d like to see show up in The Batman: Part II or a later project hits very close to home. Speaking with The Movie Dweeb about his new show opposite Michael Fassbender, The Agency, Wright almost surprisingly didn't immediately dodge the villain question, and instead answered with:

Wowzers, y'all! Jeffrey Wright's character hasn't even reached the Commissioner level just yet, and the actor is already calling for Gordon's son James Jr. to enter this universe. I don't necessarily think it'll happen anytime soon, especially without more backstory being devoted to Gordon's family life. But the fact that he's interested enough to bring the the offspring up is something to ponder.

Comic book fans may already be aware of James Gordon Jr.'s villainous turns on the page. He was first introduced through Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One arc, was later kidnapped by Gordon's irate former partner, though he was recovered safely. As time went on, however, the kid's disturbing behavior revealed itself through animal sacrifices, and he was at one point suspected after one of his sister's friends went missing.

Later in life, James Jr. became a psychotic killer suffering from dissociative identities. He often puts his sister in harm's way, and in one part of the mythos joins up with Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad.

It's altogether unclear how Matt Reeves' Batman franchise would add all these important extra members onto James Gordon's on-screen family. But considering Jeffrey Wright is the first Black actor to take on the role in live-action, I'm expecially interested to see who the producers would cast as Barbara and James Jr.

When asked about his own casting preference, Wright makes it sound like he actually does have an idea in mind, lending a small amount of credibility to this bonkers answer. As he put it when asked who he'd want to play James Jr.:

With just that answer, I went from thinking "There's no way James Gordon Jr. is going to be a villain in any upcoming Batman movies" to thinking "How long am I going to have to suffer through waiting to find out who Jeffrey Wright wants to play his on-screen son?" I'm still skeptical about it all happening, mind you, but I've perhaps grown too accustomed to Hollywood stars balking when asked about hopes for sequels that to hear the opposite is too shocking to properly react to.

Here's hoping we get some kind of official hint of what's to come in The Batman: Part II long before the October 2, 2026 release date arrives.