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There's A New Snagglepuss Comic Coming And It Sounds Great

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Hanna-Barbera's flamboyant mountain cat gets a comic book revival. Are you ready for the Snagglepuss reboot?

NewsChris Cummins
Feb 2, 2017

As you are doubtlessly aware, we are living in unprecedented times. Everyone is on edge, nothing is what it should be and it feels like the gears of the 24-hour news cycle are churning into our very souls. The point being made here is that in this era of uncertainty you need to appreciate the good things now more than ever. And it seems as if DC Comics' upcoming Snagglepuss reboot will be a very good thing indeed.

Everybody, say it with me now, "heavens to Murgatroyd!"

So yeahhhhhhh, Snagglepuss, the famously flamboyant cartoon cat whose sexuality was the topic of many Stand By Me-esque childhood debates is officially coming out of the closet in a new book written by Mark Russell and with art from Howard Porter. The book is the latest extension of the Hanna-Barbera comics universe, coming on the heels of the wonderful The Flintstonescomic (also written by Russell) and the uneven Scooby Apocalypse, Future Quest, and Wacky Raceland.

All of these books have taken a cue from the Afterlife with Archie business model by placing established, nostalgic characters in bold new surroundings, and this upcoming next slate of titles -- which also includes Dan DiDio's take on Top Cat, Howard Chaykin's Ruff and Ready, and Jimmy Palmiotto and Amanda Conner's  The Jetsons -- will be continuing this subversive (and, let's face it, carefully calculated) trend.

The press release issued by DC sidelines these other books (eight-page samplers of which will be peppered throughout the pages of DC's Annuals on March 29th) to focus on the clear breakout title from these new offerings, Snagglepuss:

Mark Russell recently revealed in an interview with HiLoBrow that his concept for Snagglepuss is as a Southern gothic playwright working with an ensemble cast of cultural figures, exploring an intensely creative time in the New York City theater scene of the 1950s. In Russell’s eight-pager, Snagglepuss faces the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Just re-read that again and let it sit in for a moment.

Yes, DC is making a comic that will be inspired in part by Tennessee Williams and Joseph McCarthy starring an under-the-radar cartoon character whose previous claim to fame is being an unfortunate (if unintentional) gay stereotype. This is an idea that is so audacious that I kind of want to call Russell up and lavish fanboy praise on him for just having the cojones to even attempt such an endeavor, especially given our uncertain political landscape and the cultural backslide we all seem to be teetering on the precipice of.

Still not excited? Take a look at this preview page from the book that DC has released:


That's right, some of the greatest political commentary of our time comes via a goddamn Snagglepuss comic. As truly unexpected as this is, it also feels right for our post-Black Mirror society. Russell's work on The Flintstoneshasn't shied away from being a cracked mirror reflection of the world either, and in this HiLowBrow interview he shares some interesting insights into those who got us into this mess:

I thought the source of Trump’s personal appeal was that most people who have been ruined by the financial crisis and the economic collapse of 2008, lost jobs that are never coming back, they basically have had their retirement and their other benefits stripped from them for the good of, like, hedge-fund managers and financiers who are blowing all that money on cocaine and hookers, and these people have been bullied and pushed down for at least a decade, and I think their response is, strangely, to identity with the bully. The billionaire; him and his kind are responsible for everything that they’re suffering from, but they feel like if they identify with him, maybe the bullying will stop.

Den of Geek will have much more news on Snagglepuss as it becomes available. Comics just got a whole lot more interesting.


The Legacy of Marvel vs. Capcom

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As we ready ourselves for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, let's look back at the decades-long history of these bizarre and fun collaborations.

ClassicGavin Jasper
Feb 2, 2017

When money is involved, there’s always a way, which is why I’m never too surprised to discover that there’s going to be a new Marvel vs. Capcom game. In 2017, we’ll be getting Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, otherwise known as Marvel vs. Capcom 4. Despite that nickname, it’s actually the ninth game to feature this unexpected, yet entirely fun crossover rivalry.

The partnership began back in 1993 when Capcom made the side-scrolling arcade brawler Punisher. The rad-as-hell beat ‘em up featured Frank Castle and Nick Fury taking out an army of goons sent by the Kingpin, which is rather odd when you realize that none of those three would show up in another Capcom game outside of ending cutscenes.

But our story doesn’t truly begin until the end of 1994. One-on-one fighting games were a fad that was truly catching on due to the success of Street Fighter IIand Mortal Kombat. The success of these titles created a fighting game free-for-all. Tons of companies set to work on new fighting games and/or ripoffs of more successful titles in an attempt to cash in on the trend. There were fighting games with monsters, fighting games with giant robots, fighting games with dinosaurs, fighting games with Shaquille O’Neil, fighting games with cartoonish clay beings, fighting games with murdered heroes from throughout history, and so on. Many of these turned out to be blemishes on the house that Capcom and Midway built. Luckily, Capcom was already hard at work on the next great fighting game.

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The X-Men franchise was huge in the early 90s and having Capcom, the guys who gave us Street Fighter II, translate it into a fighting game was outright brilliance. 13-year-olds around the world yelled, “YES! EXACTLY! THANK YOU!”

X-Men: Children of the Atom was released at the end of 1994 (beginning of 1995 for the US) and built on the foundation of Street Fighter II. Much like Super Street Fighter II Turbo, it included the then-new super meter system, but tweaked the engine into a much more...explosive aesthetic. Characters could jump much higher and simple fireballs became beam attacks with directional control. It felt more like a superhero fight than what Capcom had previously given us.

The game itself didn’t have much more of a story than, “Magneto’s up to something. Let’s go stop him!” The roster wasn't huge, either. You could choose from six X-Men and four villains, while Juggernaut and Magneto acted as the bosses. Coincidentally, several of the characters came with samples from the voice actors who worked on the X-Men animated series. It was a design decision that would remain all the way into Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

But while X-Men: Children of the Atom had enough going on to be an instant classic, Capcom threw in a bit of a curveball. The game included an appearance by Akuma, the brand new mystery boss from Super Street Fighter II Turbo. There was no story logic behind it. In fact, Akuma hadn’t even been given much of a story by that point to begin with in regards to Street Fighter. Yet here he was, both as a hidden subboss and as a playable character through a fairly complicated code.

By defeating Magneto with Akuma, all you’d get was an end credits sequence littered with each X-Men character doing his/her dizzy animation.

This was the first step in the crossover rivalry and led to a sequel. For its next Marvel game, Capcom decided to go much bigger. After all, the X-Men corner of Marvel is cool, but why use Colossus as your obligatory big, strong guy when you can use the Hulk? Why settle for Silver Samurai when you can use Dr. Doom? Iceman is neat, but not as neat as his amazing friend Spider-Man.

And so, less than a year later, we got Marvel Super Heroes. It had the same basic line-up of six playable heroes (bringing back Wolverine and Psylocke), four playable villains (including Juggernaut and Magneto), and two boss characters (Dr. Doom and Thanos). The whole thing was a loose interpretation of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline and brought with it a new addition to Children of the Atom’s engine: the Infinity Gems themselves.

Throughout the game, you would gather more and more Infinity Gems, which could be knocked out of the fighter’s possession to create a game of reverse hot potato until they were used up. Different Gems powered up the characters in different ways, such as stronger defense, healing, better offense, and so on. Certain character/Gem combinations caused cosmetic changes, like shadow effects or multiple versions of the character appearing on screen.

The game also featured Shuma-Gorath, which was outright weird. Apparently, Capcom really wanted this obscure Dr. Strange villain to appear in the game and Marvel shruggingly let them. Not only was Dr. Strange not in the game, but in the early internet days, nobody was really able to find out what the hell Shuma even was. He had only a handful of appearance back then and his multiple appearances since probably owe at least a little bit to Capcom’s tentacle love.

The Japanese version of the game once again featured a secret character. This time they went with Anita, the little girl from Capcom’s Darkstalkers. It was really an exercise in Capcom being lazy, since she had very, very little in terms of animation. She would instead just stand around while Donovan Bane’s floating sword would attack for her. One such move included having Akuma simply appear and stand next to her. Much like Akuma in Children of the Atom, she had nothing in terms of story and was just there for the sake of being there.

Capcom did release a game called Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems for the SNES with a similar set of playable characters, yet it had absolutely nothing to do with the arcade fighter. What a letdown.

At the end of 1996, they built on the crossover even more with X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Not only were they turning it into a full-on crossover game instead of just a fun guest cameo, but they completely blew open the very concept of fighting games themselves by making it a two-on-two tag team game.

Poor SNK, whose tag-team fighter Kizuna Encounter came out the same month. That game never had a chance...

In this new game, the Street Fighter cast visited the Marvel engine. Now you could have Ryu jumping 50 feet into the air, only to stop himself and blast out a Kamehameha beam. The tag gimmick also allowed teammates to hit their super attacks side-by-side, adding overkill in their offense.

On the X-Men side, they introduced Rogue, Gambit, Sabretooth, and sorta final boss Apocalypse. With the Street Fighterfolk, they reused lots of Street Fighter Alphaand Alpha 2 sprites, with one exception. They used the game to introduce Cammy’s Alphaself with a brand new look (showing more cheek than ever), which would be used later on for Alpha 3.

Apocalypse came in his giant form, which would have made for a fitting final encounter. Instead, defeating him leads to a rather curious follow-up where the fighter you used to get the final hit has to take on your other partner in a one-on-one fight. Only then will you get to see your character’s ending cutscene.

One of the endings actually had a lasting impact, oddly enough. Charlie Nash was at the time known for dying in all of his fighting game endings due to being a prequel-based personality whose death is supposed to be Guile’s modern-day motivation. X-Men vs. Street Fighter ends with M. Bison capturing him and experimenting on him. In future installments, Charlie reappears as the darkened palette swap Shadow. He’s depicted as a brainwashed cyborg who breaks from his programming and targets Bison again.

Not only would the Shadow concept show up in UDON’s Street Fighter comic series, but it would be the inspiration for Charlie’s storyline and appearance in Street Fighter V.

Sabretooth came with assists by Birdy, a very obscure X-Men character who only appeared in six comic book issues before being killed off in the early 90s. If not for Capcom, nobody would ever remember her. Even then, nobody’s ever tried to bring her back or even reference her existence.

Despite being such a revolutionary take on the fighting game idea, X-Men vs. Street Fighter was a disaster on PlayStation. Due to the console's technical limitations, the port was just a one-on-one fighter with assists.

A year later and it’s Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. Again, why stop at just the X-Men? On one hand, the game introduced “Variable Assists,” where you could call in your partner for a quick assist attack. This feature would become a big part of the games moving forward.

On the other hand, the game is incredibly lazy. Nearly all the sprites and characters are from previous Capcom games. There are a bunch of hidden characters, but they’re just palette swaps, such as Armor Spider-Man and US Agent. Not only does the game use Apocalypse again, but he’s the prelude to Cyber-Akuma, which is just Akuma with some cyborg pieces added to his usual self.

The most notable thing about Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the inclusion of Norimaro, a cartoony nerd designed by Japanese TV host Noritake Kinashi. Despite being the only truly original fighter in the game, Norimaro wouldn’t appear in the US version of the due to a rights issues. Plus, Marvel wasn’t especially happy with him being in there in the first place.

One thing that’s always stayed with me about this game is the official poster. It’s a great image that brings in all the different playable characters. Yet despite this being the most lighthearted game in the whole series, Sakura is shown crying in terror while Chun-Li tries to comfort her.

This is the game that has Dhalsim eating dinner with Shuma-Gorath, so maybe take it down a notch, girl.

Then early 1998 hit and Capcom wondered why it should even stop at JUST the Street Fighter crew? The result was Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. While Capcom was pretty lax on the Marvel side, creating only one brand new playable character, one boss, and a palette swap with a new name and voice actor, they at least put in some real effort with the Capcom crew. Retaining only three Street Fighter guys and reusing Morrigan from Darkstalkers’ sprites, they also introduced Mega Man, Strider, Captain Commando, Jin Saotome, and Roll.

Variable Assists were removed and replaced with something a bit more ambitious, though never again used. A roulette of 22 assist characters would appear, each with a limited amount of times they could be called in. Outside of Thor and Jubilee, the Marvel side was made up of reused characters from earlier games while Capcom had only a few recycled animations mixed in there.

There were other interesting gimmicks tossed in, too. Ryu could switch his fighting style to play like Ken or Akuma. Duo Team Attacks allowed both members of the team to be active at the same time, a feature that was plenty broken.

Building on Apocalypse in the last couple games, the final boss was none other than Onslaught, a villainous concept that was big at the time, yet Marvel and their fans would soon uncomfortably creep away from it. Unlike Apocalypse, he came in two forms: a normal form where he’s about the height of the screen and a building-sized second form.

The thing that makes me laugh about this game is the set of secret characters. On the Capcom side, outside of Roll, they’re all palette swaps with different names. Chun-Li became Shadow Lady and Morrigan became Lilith. Which...is kind of weird, since Capcom already had Lilith sprites lying around and didn’t need to simply recolor Morrigan, even if they did have a story reason for it.

But remember how, in the previous game, Capcom had recolored Marvel characters renamed as other Marvel characters? It very much appears that was the plan for this title, but the folks at Marvel shook their heads no. And so, we get "Red Venom,""Gold War Machine," and "Orange Hulk."

"HULK CLOBBER TIME! PUNY YANCY STREET!"

Anyway, it was a fun game with a ton of personality. I have much love for the endings, featuring such moments as Venom trying to convince his partner to join him in being a mass murdering vigilante and Mega Man destroying Onslaught and then absorbing his powers.

Plus the hidden character theme is completely rad and overlooked.

Then came 2000 with Marvel vs. Capcom 2: A New Age of Heroes. Not only did Capcom realize, “Why stop at two-on-two?” but they also asked, “Why stop at just over a dozen fighters?” They had a whole library of fully-designed characters on either side of the crossover. It was time to shove as many characters as possible into one game.

The three-on-three fighting game featured 56 playable characters, gradually unlocked in the arcades via time release. Only a mere nine of them were new, with just two belonging to Marvel (Cable and Marrow, to be specific). On the Capcom side, new characters Ruby Heart and Amingo were apparently Darkstalkersrejects whose sprites were shoveled into Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

There were also two versions of Wolverine: one with adamantium claws and one without. Capcom being Capcom.

The game brought back Variable Assists, giving each character a choice of three possible assist attacks and making the three-on-three melee into absolute chaos at times. Players also had the ability to tag out via supers and do “Snapbacks,” which were one-hit attacks that would force an opponent off-screen and make them tag in someone presumably with less health.

The whole thing came off as a final frontier for the Marvel fighting game engine. Outside of the pesky single arcade ending (hey, I cared!), it felt like the ceiling of what Capcom had to offer. The best they could do was add more characters or maybe tweak the gameplay a bit, but nothing was going to feel like a major or meaningful leap.

In a way, it was just as well that Capcom would go on to lose the Marvel license. By early 2000, Capcom became notorious for no longer giving a shit. Outside of Capcom vs. SNK and its sequel, Capcom could no longer hide the stink of laziness. Even Capcom vs. SNK 2, which featured some beautiful sprite art, still reused the original Morrigan sprite from the first Darkstalkers, which looked like an eyesore and showed the true Wizard of Oz hiding behind the curtain.

Capcom’s Marvel stuff used to be Madden-like in how they would come out on a near annual basis. Then they went about a decade with nothing. What happened in the series' absence was interesting for all the parties involved.

Capcom mostly went silent for a while, occasionally re-releasing old fighters with slight updates. Once the SNK partnership dried up, the best Capcom could do to fill the vacuum was to crossover with themselves. They released Capcom Fighting Evolution, the saddest mashup, where they tossed a bunch of sprites from various fighting games together and locked them into differing engine styles.

In 2008, they finally started to get their asses in gear. Not only did they finally create a brand new Street Fighter game for the first time in forever, but they also went back to the ridiculous crossover genre with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. In this game, Capcom properties took on anime heroes and villains from shows such as Gatchamanand Yatterman. The engine was a 3D cousin to X-Men vs. Street Fighter, going with the two-on-two tag style.

While Capcom certainly had some fun with the crossover aspect at times (especially since Tatsunoko character Doronjo was the inspiration for Capcom’s Devilotte and they played on that), the game didn’t catch on nearly as much as the Marvel series. Not only was it only available for the Wii in terms of home release, but the novelty wasn’t really shining in America, where the Tatsunoko guys were a bit too obscure.

Capcom still did better than Marvel. During the separation days, Marvel had Electronic Arts put together a Marvel fighting game called Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. It had Marvel staples take on the Imperfects, a bunch of newly-produced antiheroes created by the alien scientist Niles Van Roekel. The engine, which I can best describe as “gritty Power Stone,” was a decent start for something that could have worked down the line, but the game fell short and came off as mediocre at best.

At least it did have a rad tie-in comic miniseries written by Greg Pak and Renato Arlem. It's disappointing that Marvel at no point decided to capitalize on any of the Marvel vs. Capcom games by doing a comic miniseries. I think people would have read that. Right? But instead, we’ve had to settle with comics about Ryu and Chun-Li meeting Sonic the Hedgehog and the cast of GI Joe.

Well, GI Joeused to be Marvel!

Elsewhere in the video game world, Midway knew to jump on the most basic counter project to Marvel vs. Capcom and put together Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. It was released in 2008, unfortunately just before the Mortal Kombatgames figured out how to be good. While held back by its teen rating despite the Geoff Johns blood orgy that was DC Comics at the time, it was still fun and told a good crossover yarn.

Scorpion even got to show up in Injustice: Gods Among Usyears later, mainly due to the fact that Warner Bros. bought the Mortal Kombat franchise from the bankrupted Midway.

Even with all these crossover fighters being made to fill the void, it didn’t really matter. Marvel vs. Capcom 2players refused to budge. The Evolution Championship Series had its first official installment in 2002 and every single year they had Marvel vs. Capcom 2. It was the mainstay. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom got a single year while Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Marvel Nemesis, and even Capcom Fighting Evolutionnever even got a spot at the tournament.

Part of the allure came from how utterly broken Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had become. Various characters were so overpowered that it became almost like an arms race in who could exploit the game’s shoddy balance better than anyone else. As long as this was the final step in the franchise, it was going to be part of the rotation forever, even if there were no tricks left for players to discover.

But that wouldn’t be necessary. In the middle of 2010, a teaser trailer was released, announcing Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. In a single minute of cinematic footage, we got to see Ryu fight it out with Wolverine, as well as the unorthodox-yet-on-point rivalries of Morrigan vs. Iron Man and Chris Redfield vs. Hulk. And unlike the previous Capcom games, this was the more mainstream, rampaging version of Hulk instead of the smirking, smart one from the 90s.

The trailer also included a bunch of silhouettes with a handful of them identifiable, such as Viewtiful Joe, Chun-Li, Captain America, Dr. Doom, and Deadpool.

As the months passed, more and more characters were announced through character trailers and even more cinematic trailers. The cinematic trailers were supposed to tie into a story mode that Capcom talked up quite a bit, but it was quietly swept under the rug by the time of the game’s release.

Still, the game was delivered the same explosive goodness as past installments, only with modern graphics. Most characters still played the same and we had 38 to choose from. The big changes came in the form of a different button setup (taken from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom), the ability to do tagging air combos, and the X-Factor system. Each player could turn their team red and glowing for a limited time, in which they were faster, stopped taking chip damage, and could cancel into more combos. The less fighters remaining on the team, the longer the X-Factor would last.

The game also introduced Phoenix into the fray, whose ability to transform into an overpowered force of nature if you put all your eggs in one basket made selecting her a gamble of a strategy.

This time the big bad was Galactus. What resembled a story came in the form of a 12-page comic that came with the special edition, written by Frank Tieri and drawn by Kevin Sharpe. It had to do with a bunch of villains from Marvel and...one villain from Capcom (hi, Wesker!) teaming up to open a portal into the neighboring worlds, powering up the device by stealing from Galactus’ spaceship. AKA, the dumbest plan.

Tieri was brought in for the game to give it a few doses of character and charm. Not only did he write a lot of pre-fight and post-fight one-liners for the heroes and villains, but he also wrote endings for every single character. Many of them played up the crossover aspect, such as Chun-Li beating up Kingpin, Arthur fighting Fin Fang Foom, Tron Bonne reprogramming Sentinel, and so on. A couple of them seemed to exist for the sake of saying how cool it would be if ____ was in the game. Most notably Iron Fist in Ryu's ending and Ghost Rider in Dante's ending.

Wouldn’t you know it, less than a year after Marvel vs. Capcom 3 came out, Capcom announced Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The original plan was to have a handful of DLC characters for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but that went out of the window due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Instead, they did a discounted update featuring twelve new characters (hi, Iron Fist and Ghost Rider!) and some minor changes.

Funny thing happened prior to its release when one of the guys working the official website made it really easy to find out who the extra characters were going to be, thereby ruining all the surprises for Capcom’s marketing team. Whoops!

Despite being a real success, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and its Ultimatecounterpart didn’t last all that long on the physical and digital shelves. At the end of 2013, Disney let the Marvel/Capcom contract lapse. As far as they were concerned, why go third party? They had their own in-house stuff to make them money. Yeah, Marvel vs. Capcom 4 would be a license to print money, but that meant sharing and sharing is stupid.

That didn’t stop Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3from being one of the main events in every EVO after its release. Naturally, Capcom tried to distance themselves from the game’s tournament strength, considering they had no way of selling copies at the time.

And yet again, here we are. Reunited and it feels so good. Marvel and Capcom have banded together once more to make Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. To be released sometime in 2017, the new installment goes against the grain by moving backwards instead of forwards.

Instead of building on the engine that culminated in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite appears to be like an altered evolution. It’s what the X-Men vs. Street Fighter concept could have become if it zigged instead of zagged. On one hand, it’s back to being two-on-two instead of three-on-three, but on the other hand, they brought back the Infinity Gems from Marvel Super Heroes.

Er, Infinity STONES. Because movies.

Speaking of movies, future cinematic hero Captain Marvel is one of the six characters announced. She’s initially shown teaming up with Iron Man, which is hilariously wrong considering what’s been going on in the comics lately. It’s them, Captain America, Ryu, Morrigan, and Mega Man X. Mega Man X is a relief in itself after years of Capcom jerking fans around when it comes to representing the Blue Bomber or his more futuristic counterpart.

Based on a teaser, the big villain appears to be Ultron infected by the Sigma virus, which I absolutely love. We don't get enough merged crossover villains in these things.

But while Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite goes backwards in terms of the engine, it also might just go backwards in another, more damning way. Supposedly, X-Men (and less-importantly, Fantastic Four) are off-limits. No Wolverine or Magneto in this big fight because Fox owns movie rights and Marvel only wants to focus on whoever’s able to be connected to their cinematic universe.

On one hand, yes, that is totally bullshit. On the other hand, part of me wants to see how this takes a few major gears out of the machine. After seeing the likes of Sentinel, Storm, Magneto, and Dr. Doom dominate for years, seeing what happens in their absence (if there IS an absence) could feel fresh for at least a little while.

Either way, it does sully the path. We are where we are because once upon a time, back in 1994, Wolverine crossed paths with Akuma. The founding fathers of this franchise may just as well be written off due to petty politics.

Man, mutants really do get a bum rap.

Gavin Jasper wants a Guilty Gear vs. Valiant Comics game even if maybe three other people would be excited over it. Follow Gavin on Twitter!

Marvel's Runaways TV Series Announces Cast

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Marvel has announced the cast for the upcoming Hulu series, Marvel's Runaways.

NewsKayti Burt
Feb 2, 2017

Hulu has greenlit a pilot and full-season script order for a TV adaptation of Marvel's Runaways comic from the creators of Gossip Girl, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, as well as Marvel Television and ABC Signature. Tamara Becher, who has alo written for Marvel's Iron Fist, is among the writing team. 

Here's everything else you need to know:

Marvel's Runaways Cast

Here are the official casting announcements from Marvel:

Rhenzy Feliz (Teen Wolf) as Alex Wilder is a loud-and-proud nerd. Admittedly a bit of a loner, Alex spends much of his free-time playing video games, but deep down, what he wants most is to reunite his childhood group of friends.

Lyrica Okano (The Affair) as Nico Minoru – tough, intelligent, and independent–embodies teenage angst. A budding “Wiccan,” Nico’s carefully crafted goth appearance isolates her from her peers and family, but maybe what she really needs is someone to talk to.

Virginia Gardner (Goat) as Karolina Dean, model-perfect exterior with a lot going on behind her professionally whitened smile, is burdened by the lofty expectations and responsibilities put upon her by her parents. Underneath her veneer of privilege and perfection, Karolina is experiencing a newfound eagerness to explore her identity and pursue her own desires.

Ariela Barer (New Girl) as Gert Yorkes is a purple-haired, bespectacled, contemporary riot grrrl. Never passing up a moment to stand on a soapbox, Gert sometimes wields her persona as a brash social justice warrior to mask her true feelings.

Gregg Sulkin (Faking It) as Chase Stein is a lacrosse-playing, high school heartthrob. While many write him off as a dumb jock, Chase exhibits flashes of untapped brilliance in engineering, not unlike his wildly successful father’s.

Allegra Acosta (100 Things to Do Before High School) as Molly Hernandez, the youngest and most innocent member of her friend group, is known for her peppy positivity and a deep yearning to belong.

Marvel's Runaways Release Date

Marvel's Runaways does not have a release date as of yet.

Marvel's Runaways Story

Runaways — adapted from the comic by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona (at one point in its run, Joss Whedon also wrote for the series) — tells the story of a group of diverse teenagers who discover their parents are part of an evil crime organiztion called "The Pride."

Though the six teens despise one another, they band together to investigate their parents' nefarious plots. Scwartz and Savage wrote the script for the pilot and will serve as showrunners moving forward.

Marvel's Runaways Details

Speaking about the project to Deadline, Schwartz said: "I’m a long-time fan of Runaways and couldn’t be more excited to bring Brian and Adrian’s characters to life." Schwartz' interest in the comic book world isn't so surprising considering he created comics nerdboy Seth Cohen on The O.C. — a character we've argued before made a huge contribution to the cultural shift that made comics cool. 

Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb will also serve as an executive producer on the Runaways project, saying: "We’ve known the Runaways' story would make great television and being lucky enough to have Josh and Stephanie — who have time and again created shows that speak so genuinely to this exact audience — write and produce the series is nothing short of remarkable."

Guys, this is gonna be great...

Greg Berlanti's Black Lightning TV Series Moving to CW

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Greg Berlanti's Black Lightning TV series is moving from Fox to The CW.

NewsJohn Saavedra
Feb 2, 2017

Deadline is reporting that Greg Berlanti's Black LightningTV series is moving from FOX to The CW, making it the sixth Berlanti series currently at the network. According to the report, FOX opted not to greenlight a pilot because the network decided it was not a good fit in its current line-up. 

The CW is still discussing the project with Berlanti and Being Mary Jane creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, although Deadline posits that the series will get a pilot order. Black Lightning would certainly be a good fit for The CW considering that the network currently has four other DC shows in its line-up. Black Lightning would be the fifth and the first to star an African-American superhero. 

Mara and Salim Akil wrote the pilot, which is based on the DC character created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden. The series centers around Jefferson Pierce, who left behind his life as a superhero years ago but might have to reclaim his secret identity after his daughters find themselves going down the wrong path.

Black Lightning was one of DC's first African-American superheroes, created in 1977. 

More on the Black LightningTV series as we learn it!

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40 X-Men Characters Who Haven't Appeared in the Movies But Should

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The X-Men movie franchise is positively full of mutants, but who do we still need to see in the next X-Men movies?

FeatureMarc Buxton
Feb 3, 2017

It seems like every major X-Men character has now appeared in at least one of the X-Men movies, right? Not even close! There are still plenty of mutants, whether they are heroic members of the X-Men, one of the many mutant spin off teams, or one of their adversaries. Mutants from every age of comic history just waiting for their call so they can thrill film audiences worldwide.

And there are more coming. The original lineup of New Mutants will be the subject of Josh Boone's upcoming movie, Deadpool 2 will introduce Cable and Domino (and probably some others), and we might finally get Phoenix done right in X-Men: Supernova. Even with the knowledge that all those are coming, we can still think of over 40 X-Men characters we'd like to see on screen.

A version of this article first appeared in 2014. It has been updated to reflect recent developments in the X-Men movie world.

Armor

First appearance: Astonishing X-Men #4 (2004)

Created by: Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

Armor, a young female mutant with the ability to project a suit of armor (duh) made of energy around her body would be visually mind-blowing in an X-film. She can make her armor into a human size shell or a towering offensive weapon. So essentially, Armor is a human Jaegar from Pacific Rim.

With the Sentinels now part of the film universe, the X-Men are going to need something big to fight those massive robots. Armor and her, err, armor is the perfect answer to all the X-Men’s giant robot needs.

Avalanche

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #141 (1981)

Created by: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Boy, would Avalanche’s powers look cool on screen. Imagine, the silver helmeted evil mutant, surfing on a pile of broken earth. Avalanche has the powers to control rock and earth, and can manipulate good old terra firma into mega-powerful earthquakes. That type of thing is why 3D films were invented. Avalanche has deep ties to the Brotherhood and Mystique in particular so when Magneto or Raven need a new heavy, Avalanche could be waiting in the wings to answer the call and shake things up.

Broo

First Appearance: Astonishing X-Men #40 (2011)

Created by: Christos N. Gage, Juan Bobillo

Please Fox, we know you haven’t left Earth much in your films, but please, give us the Brood. The Brood are the creepiest, most vile, and the most dangerous threat from space the X-Men have ever faced. Yes, they are a clear (ahem) homage to H.R. Giger’s Alien, but to contrast the nastiest of the barbaric parasites of the Brood Empire, Fox can introduce the sweetest, Leave It to Beaverist Brood in the galaxy. Cute little Broo, the Jean Grey School’s prize student, voted most likely to become a flesh eating killer and most likely to succeed in the same semester, would make a great addition to everyone’s favorite mutant school.

Chamber

First appearance: Generation X #1 (1994)

Created by: Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo

Chamber is one of the most tragic mutants in X-Men history. Many mutants were granted gifts that make them gods; Chamber’s gifts made him a monster that evoked disgust and pity. When Jono Starsmore’s energy powers manifested, Jono blew his own chest and jaw out with his first blast. Now, Jono lives without most of the front of his body, but Chamber fights the good fight in the name of Xavier’s dream. A film Chamber could really drive home the idea of just how dangerous and unpredictable a mutation can be.

Corsair and the Starjammers

First appearance: X-Men #104 (1977)

Created by Dave Cockrum

Many fans have accused the film Cyclops of being rather boring. Want to know how to fix that? Introduce the idea that his long lost father is pretty much Han Solo, a swashbuckler who tools around the galaxy with the coolest bunch of space pirates, well, ever. Raza, Ch’od, Hepzibah, and Sikorsky could be the protagonists the X films need in any potential space adventure, Fox’s answer to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and they could be just the thing to thrust Cyclops (and Havok for that matter) back into the spotlight.

Danger

First appearance: Astonishing X-Men #9 (2005)

Created by: Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

Fans haven’t really been treated to any Danger Room film scenes beyond the stagehand with two mag lights pretending to be a Sentinel atrocity in Last Stand. Well, Fox is making up for that with the introduction of the real Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but the Danger Room still gets no love.

If Fox ever really focuses on the Danger Room, then it could be time for Danger, the Danger Room given physical form and consciousness. She started out as a villain but ended as a member of the team because, after all, Danger is a mutated machine, one capable of sentient thought and emotions. The films haven’t covered A.I. to any great degree as of yet, but with the introduction of the Sentinels, it might be time for Danger to make the scene.

Dark Beast

First appearance: X-Men Alpha (1995)

Created by: Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz (based upon the original character by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)

With the whole alternate world thing being introduced in X-Men: Days of Future Past and with the coming of X-Men: Apocalypse, the door is just wide open for the introduction to the Josef Mengele like Dark Beast. Actor Nicholas Hoult could pull double duty as the good and evil versions of Hank McCoy.

Seriously, Dark Beast is one of the most disgustingly evil X foes, and would be shocking to fans not familiar with this twisted version of the character. To see such a beloved character like the Beast so profaned would send shockwaves to the non-comic reading fan base.

Dazzler

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #130 (1980)

Created by: Tom DeFalco, John Romita, Jr., Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern

Alison Blaire may have started out as somewhat of a joke, a way for Marvel to take advantage of the disco craze of the 70s, but she hasn’t remained that way. Instead, Dazzler has become one of the most beloved X-Men characters ever. She has the power to turn sound into music and is now the SHIELD mutant liaison. She remains one of the few mutants to ever have a solo comic title and not be given a film role.

If Fox decides to go the Longshot route in the future than Dazzler is a must, as their romance is second only to Cyclops and Jean Grey and Rogue and Gambit in X-Men lore. And how brilliant would her powers look on screen? They had a fun Dazzler reference in X-Men: Apocalypse, and even a fake promotional LP tie in (no actual music, though), but we still want to see her brought to life.

Doop

First appearance: X-Force #116 (2001)

Created by: Peter Milligan and Mike Allred

Is Hollywood ready for a floating green potato thing that has been an international man of mystery, galactic savior, and gourmet cook? Probably not, but fans of X-Statix sure are and have been ever since they met Doop so many years ago. Doop has been popping up a great deal lately over in X-Men and even recently has been featured in his own miniseries. Fox should give Doop due consideration just for the licensing potential alone. I’m ready to pre-order a plushie Doop on Amazon even as I write this.

Dr. Cecilia Reyes

First appearance: X-Men #65 (1997)

Created by: Scott Lobdell and Carlos Pacheco

Dr. Cecilia Reyes has a really cool power, the ability to cast a force field that can protect herself or others, but the true specialness of the character is her desire to be a doctor instead of a superhero. Reyes is the X-Men’s most skilled healer, a woman who seeks true service as a medical professional rather than an adventuring crusader. Reyes is one of the most underutilized but humane of all the X-Men, a woman who has a clear sense of identity and purpose beyond throwing down with Unus, the Untouchable.

Dr. Nemesis

First appearance: (historic) Lightning Comics #6 (1941) (Marvel Universe) Invaders #1 (1993)

A nearly forgotten Golden Age character that became the X-Men’s head science soldier, Dr. Nemesis has been one of the most welcome (and obnoxious) additions to the X-Men in recent memory. Picture Dr. House dressed like a drunken Nazi and gifted with the brain of a mad scientist and you scratch the surface of the true nature of this mutant. He’s a sharp dresser, a scathing wit, and if you threaten the innocent, he will stab you in the brain parts with a number of sharp hypodermics containing various nasty things...and who doesn’t want to experience that on film?

Dust

First appearance: New X-Men #133 (2002)

Created by: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Ethan Van Sciver

We have the devout Muslim warrior Dust, one of the bravest X-Men to join Xavier’s team in the 21st century. When a slave trader forcibly tried to remove her niqab, Sooraya Qadir manifested her power to turn her body into sand and flayed him alive. Dust remains one of X-Men’s bravest, using her unwavering faith and powers to help other young mutants. For Dust, her eyes tell the whole story, of faith and pain, of belief and bravery.

Fantomex

First appearance: New X-Men #128 (2002)

Created by: Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey

For the sixteen really cool people reading this that have always dreamed of an X-Men/Danger: Diabolik crossover, well, here you go. Other than Gambit, Fantomex is the X-Men’s most charming rogue, a French thief bonded with a sentient satellite he calls Eva. He and Eva have an … interestingly physical and mental bond, and Fantomex can basically steal anything in the world.

He can create illusion, has all his senses and strength enhanced by EVA, and is as arrogant as he is charming. Fantomex’s origins tie into the Weapon X program so he is just waiting for a film showdown with Wolverine. He’s like James Bond with super-powers and a stilted moral code, and we can’t wait to see him on screen.

Firestar

First appearance: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends "The Triumph of the Green Goblin (September 12, 1981)

She may be best known for being one Amazing Friend, but Firestar has also been a member in good standing of the Avengers and most importantly for our purposes, a member in good standing of the X-Men. Angelica Jones is a powerhouse and has a long multimedia presence as part of Marvel’s heroic pantheon. Her recent battle with cancer has added to the already rich history of one of Marvel’s hottest heroes and made Firestar even more of an inspiration to her legions of fans.

Forge

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #184 (1984)

Created by: Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr.

To see the relationship between Forge and Storm play out on the silver screen would be heaven for old school X fans. When Forge accidently removed Storm’s powers, it forced Ororo Monroe to use her fighting skills and street smarts to become the leader of the X-Men, even while powerless. The moment still stands as one of the greatest X-Men moments of the '80s, all brought about by Forge, the master builder who can literally create anything out of machines.

Forge has been a glaring omission from the X-films for years. Storm has not been explored that much in any of the previous X films, but with Forge in the picture, there would be so much more story potential for Ororo.

Goldballs

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #1 (2013)

Created by: Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo

When Fabio Medina was a victim of a robbery, he manifested his power to create golden spheres that act as offensive and defensive weapons. When the police treated this recently manifested mutant worse than they did the perpetrator, Medina joined Cyclops’ squad of mutant freedom fighter and took the unfortunate but on the nose moniker of Goldballs. It would be nice to see some of the newest mutants created by Brian Michael Bendis make an impact in the film universe, so why not a dude named Goldballs?

Hope Summers

First appearance: X-Men #205 (2007)

Created by: Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo

Y’know that X-Force movie we keep getting promised? The Cable centered team that could be a companion franchise to the X-Men and Deadpool? Well, a story big enough and dramatic enough to fuel an X-Force film would be the story of Hope Summers, the girl who is supposed to be the mutant savior. Cable was her protector, and Bishop, a mutant who just made his film debut, was sworn to take her down to save the future, a conflict that could play out well on film.

Hope Summers and the adventurers of her time hoping father Cable would be a logical progression of some elements of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hope propelled the plot of the recent X-Men comics for the past few years, and she can do the same for the movies.

Husk

First appearance: Rom Annual #3 (1984)

Created by: Bill Mantlo and William Johnson

There hasn’t been much Generation X inclusion in the X-Men films, and Husk was one of the most compelling members of that particular team. She has familial ties to Cannonball and romantic ties with Toad (ewww). She has the unique power of being able to adapt her epidermis to any situation, but she has to rip off her outer layer of skin to expose her new surface. This power would play very well on film, plus, Husk is one of the bravest natural soldiers ever to wear an X-Men uniform.

Karma

First appearance: Marvel Team-Up #100 (1980)

Created by: Chris Claremont and Frank Miller

Jeez, created by Claremont AND Miller, that alone should make Karma worthy of film inclusion. One of the original New Mutants should be part of the team if they are ever included in their own film or in a future X-Men installment. The New Mutants just wouldn’t seem complete without their resident young telepath.

Lilandra

First appearance: X-Men #97 (1976)

Created by: Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum

Lilandra, the true love of Charles Xavier, the Majestrix of the Shi’Ar Empire and the sexiest birdlady this side of Alpha Centuri. If Fox want things to get cosmic, Lilandra can be the catalyst. Xavier first became aware of his future space wife in vivid dreams, dreams that led to some of the greatest space opera in comic history. The introduction of Lilandra can open up a universe of possibilities for the X-Men; a Star Wars sized galaxy of new characters and locations that can begin with Xavier’s soulmate.

Longshot

First appearance: Longshot #1 (1985)

Created by: Ann Nocenti and Art Adams

While not a mutant, the hero known as Longshot still served with the X-Men, the Exiles, Excalibur, and X-Factor. With that kind of history, the film world of the X-Men seems a bit empty without this luck controlling adventurer. In fact, Ann Nocenti and Art Adams did such a great job world building, a Longshot solo film shouldn't be out of the question. There is certainly enough story there.

M

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #316 (1994)

Created by: Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo

You can’t have enough female powerhouses, and M is one of the strongest females in the X-Men Universe. Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix (whew) came into her own as a character in Peter David’s X-Men and the coolest thing about M is she knows how powerful, brilliant, and beautiful she is. M is an arrogant, cold, and abrasive, but she fights as hard for Xavier’s dream as any of the X-Men. M may not be the friendliest mutant, but most mutants don’t come close to M on the power scale.

Madison Jeffries

First appearance: Alpha Flight #16 (1984)

Created by: John Byrne

Some much needed Alpha Flight goodness; Madison Jeffries has the awesome power to bend machines to his will. He can literally make anything, like the Cake Boss but with super computers and high tech suits of armor. Jeffries was always one of the more compelling members of Alpha Flight with the powers of a technological god but a humble personality. Jeffries, who once wore the Box armor, has deep ties to Wolverine and would fit in well to any future solo Wolvie movie.

Magma

First appearance: New Mutants #8 (1983)

Created by: Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod

A founding member of the New Mutants, Amara Quillais is from an underground hidden race of people descended from ancient Rome. While that might be a little much for the usually grounded X-Men film Universe, Magma (it’s just impossible to type that name without doing the Dr. Evil voice in my head) has been around seemingly forever, a powerhouse that would enhance the intimidation factor of any X-Men squad. She’s a living volcano and a fierce and confident fighter

Morph

First appearance: (Changeling) X-Men #35 (1967), (Morph) Exiles #1 (2001)

Created by: Roy Thomas and Werner Roth

Who can forget that when the Saturday morning X-Men cartoon debuted, the character known as Morph was killed in the very first episode? This told fans that this wasn’t your typical safe Saturday morning destination, that the world of X-Men had consequences. The inclusion of Morph into the X films would be a tribute to that beloved '90s cartoon that made so many fans fall in love with the X-Men in the first place.

Or Fox can go with the Morph from the late, lamented Exilesbook. Morph was a loyal companion to Blink and can be used to flesh out a little more of her character in the films. With Mystique such a major part of the movie universe, it’s hard to imagine a film utilizing a character like Morph with such similar powers, but from the comics or the cartoons, Morph is a name that carries a great deal of weight with many X fans.

Mr. Sinister

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #221 (1987)

Created by: Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri

Mr. Sinister was teased in X-Men: Apocalypse, and there are hints that he might be lurking in the background of Logan after all, but we're still not certain, and thus he makes this list. Sinister is really the last of the major master X-Men villains yet to appear in a film. Sinister, the master geneticist, has been the leader of both the Reavers and the Nasty Boys so look for a great deal of soldier villains to accompany Sinister when and if this vile genius makes his film debut.

Mimic

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #19 (1966)

Created by: Stan Lee and Werner Roth

One of the earliest additions to the X-Men’s Silver Age roster, Mimic has a very cool power that could come across even better on the big screen. He’s an amalgamation of all the original X-Men, and a film could potentially make Mimic a mash-up of all the movie X-Men.

Mimic was an X-Man and an Exile, so maybe Fox can also join him with the freshly introduced Blink. 

Mojo and Spiral

First appearance: Longshot #1 (1985) 

Created by: Ann Nocenti and Art Adams

As we said, there are enough great elements in Longshot’s world to fill a movie all their own, and two of those main elements are Mojo and Spiral. First off, think of the fight choreography that would be needed for Spiral. Six arms, six blades, that would be enough to turn even the most jaded fan’s brain to pudding. And Mojo, this corpulent bag of greed would be a Hunger Games like condemnation of modern voyeur culture. Mojo might be a bit obvious thematically, but his unique brand of avarice would make for a great film villain.

Northstar and Aurora

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979)

Created by: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Canada’s greatest heroes, the brother and sister combo of Northstar and Aurora would make for some great onscreen friction. Aurora with her dual personalities and Northstar with his unparalleled arrogance would certainly make life interesting for our merry band of mutants. It’s long overdue that Alpha Flight appear in an X-Men movie, since Canada’s team of heroes are a huge part of Logan’s past. Both siblings, Northstar in particular, have been an important part of recent X-Men history and it would rock pretty hard to see this pair shining brighter than the sun on the big screen.

Phoenix

First appearance: X-Men #1 (1963)

Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Yes, yes, Jean Grey has been a part of the X films since day one. Yes; in X-Men: The Last Standshe became Phoenix and went absolutely mental until Wolverine had to kill her. And yes, there were serious hints of her proper Phoenix future in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Fans deserve a Phoenix film, a real Phoenix film, not just Famke Janssen with funky contacts. They deserve a cosmic throw down with a Jean Grey in full Phoenix force, the flaming silhouette of the fiery Phoenix bursting from the screen, not some watered down, "grounded" version. To heck with grounded, we want Jean Grey, destroying worlds, murdering races of broccoli people, acting like the Lovecraftian space god she was meant to be. As far as Jean Grey is concerned, always go full Phoenix. It’s time to show the world the true majesty of the Phoenix Force!

Pixie

First appearance: New X-Men: Academy X #5 (2004)

Created by: Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Michael Ryan

Always on the lookout for strong female members to join the film X-Men, Fox should look to Pixie to bring in some of the young female demographic that pretty much rules genre fiction these days. She’s like Tinkerbell, but she can teleport and she has Wolverine’s number on speed dial. Don’t let Pixie’s adorableness factor fool you, she has fought side by side with both the X-Men and the New Mutants, is always on the frontlines of any battle, and by golly, she is marketable.

Polaris

First appearance: X-Men #49 (1968)

Created by: Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth, and Jim Steranko

Wow, that’s some serious talent that created Polaris. Polaris is one of the oldest X-Men characters yet to appear in a film, but let’s face it, it’s Lorna Dane’s lineage that make her potential inclusion in a future movie so compelling. Magneto’s children, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will soon be everywhere thanks to Fox and Disney. But there is one child of Magneto left, and only Fox has her.

Havok was introduced to great effect in X-Men: First Classand fans want more. Polaris and Havok are one of the longest standing power couples in X-Men lore and that bond would make for some story fodder for a future film. Since the films handle Magneto’s powers so well, there might as well be two Masters of Magnetism.

Proteus

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #125 (1979)

Created by: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

One of the most fascinating additions to the film universe from X-Men: First Class was secret agent Moira MacTaggert, friend and confidant of the young Charles Xavier. MacTaggert was ironically responsible for crippling the young Xavier but that is not the only dark secret in the history of the character. Moira had a son with the mutant power to alter reality and matter. A son so powerful that she kept him locked up in an island prison until he broke free and made mommy pay. Proteus would be a great way to continue Moira’s tale and introduce a tragic but deadly threat to the X Universe.

Quentin Quire

First appearance: New X-Men #134

Created by: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

The most popular new X-Man of the new century, Quentin Quire is a modern day mutant for a new generation. Make no mistake; Quire is an arrogant little SOB, and any film that would do him justice must show his more abrasive side. Quire is like the anti-Harry Potter, a smug little know it all that is perfectly aware of just how powerful and brilliant he is. He has always been the perfect foil to Wolverine and through it all, maybe, just maybe, Quire could become the greatest X-Man of them all. Quire would be ideal for a film and a character that a new generation of fans can love to hate, or sadly, look up to.

Sauron

First appearance: X-Men #59 (1969)

Created by: Roy Thomas and Neal Adams

Karl Lykos here is a mutant energy vampire pterodactyl. Who wouldn’t want to see that? Sauron has the power to drain any mutant of their powers, plus, he’s a pterodactyl named after the main baddie in The Lord of the Rings. Sauron has a long history as one of the X-Men’s deadliest master villains, plus, who doesn’t love dinosaurs and vampires? Sauron is both.

The Stepford Cuckoos

First appearance: New X-Men #118 (2001)

Created by: Grant Morrison and Ethan Van Sciver

Emma Frost made a splash when she debuted in X-Men: First Class, but fans never got to see the teacher side of the diamond skinned White Queen. The Stepford Cuckoos are Head Mistress Frost’s prize students, five ultra powerful telepaths with the same attitude and fashion sense as their beloved teacher.

Esme, Celeste, Erma, Phoebe, and Sophie are the most Grant Morrisony of all the X-Men created by Grant Morrison. Five frightening and super powerful mutants who walk alike, talk alike, and mentally lobotomize enemies alike. Fans will go nuts for these sisters, five potent forces to battle against the X-Men or as part of the Xavier School. Some lucky actress would have to play five separate characters. Someone get Tatiana Maslany on the blower.

Sunfire

First appearance: Uncanny X-Men #64 (1970)

Created by: Roy Thomas and Don Heck

Sunfire has been around the Marvel Universe for a very long time and is the only still living X-Man from Giant Size X-Men #1 that hasn’t appeared in a film yet. This fiery tempered Japanese national could bring an international flavor to any team he joins. He has not been the most visible mutant in X-Men history, but anywhere Sunfire appears he makes an impact as evident in his recent addition to the Uncanny Avengers.

Tempus

First appearance: All-New X-Men #1 (2013)

Created by: Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen

Again, timey wimey. Tempus, another of the new X-Men has the power to stop time and travel through the time stream. This Australian mutant has made the past year of Uncanny X-Men seem fresh and new. These newer mutants are all fine additions to the world of the X-Men and the films should reflect the latest characters that make the comics such a fun place. Of all the characters introduced into the X-Men lately, Tempus is one of the best.

Thunderbird

First appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975)

Created by: Len Wein and Dave Cockrum

Warpath made his film debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but we have yet to see big bro Thunderbird in all his cinematic glory. Thunderbird’s dramatic self sacrifice as written by Len Wein and drawn by the late, great Dave Cockrum in the pages of the very first new X-Men story set the tone for the coming Claremont era. Thunderbird’s death was a stark wake up call to the fans of the Bronze Age that anything can and probably will happen in this new era of X-Men, and it would be beyond cool to see this classic moment come to life.

Vanisher

First appearance: X-Men #2 (1963)

Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

The second foe the X-Men ever faced, the Vanisher, certainly is a villain deserving of some film love. The Vanisher has the power to disappear and reappear anywhere he desires, and in recent years, Telford Porter (get it?), has been a kind of Dickensian taskmaster that uses young mutants as thieves and pickpockets. Not a bad launching point for a film about young mutants. Plus, the villain of X-Men #2 deserves a film appearance just for being around for so many years.

Who are your favorites? Let us know!

Strange Times: Angels & Airwaves and Blink-182 Rocker Tom DeLonge to Direct Sci-Fi Film

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Sci-Fi movie Strange Times will be written and directed by Tom DeLonge, the rocker of Angels & Airwaves and Blink-182 fame.

NewsJoseph Baxter
Feb 3, 2017

While the pop-culture public knows Tom DeLonge as a contemporary rock star co-founder of Blink-182 and current vocalist for a modern post-punk supergroup Angels & Aiwaves, it appears that he’ll soon be trading the stage for a director’s chair for an upcoming feature film inspired by his recent turn as a fiction author with the franchise Strange Times.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom DeLonge will direct sci-film Strange Times, an adaptation of a franchise he helped conceive, notably with a 2015 graphic novel Strange Times: The Curse of Superstition Mountain and the October 2016-released YA book that DeLonge co-wrote with Geoff Herbach, titled, Strange Times: The Ghost in the Girl. DeLonge co-wrote the Strange Times screenplay with Ben Kull, with whom he previously collaborated, directing the 2014 animated short Poet Anderson: The Dream Walker. That offering is currently one of two of DeLonge’s directorial credits, with the other being the 2002 music video for “I Feel So” for (Blink-182 side project) Box Car Racer.

The Strange Times franchise focuses on a group of middle-school-aged snoopers in San Diego. While each one deals with uniquely demented home lives, it seems that they’re regularly put in the paths of various supernatural phenomenon. In the case of novel The Ghost in the Girl, the group – consisting of introverted tortured former overachiever Charlie, slacker skater kids Mouse and Mattheson and the bullied, heavy-set Riley – are thrust into a paranormal investigation after a ghost girl seemingly stalks Charlie, carrying potential connections to his family, notably the officially-redacted fate of his M.I.A. military father. As DeLonge muses of this close-to-home story:

“I grew up in Southern California as a disaffected young skateboarder who broke the occasional law or five, and I was always dreaming about the world around me, obsessively looking for the more unusual and imaginative experiences that life has to offer. That’s the inspiration behind Strange Times, which is about the tribe of broken youth and the restless spirit that inspired me to form Blink-182 and seek out adventure."

With Netflix’s streaming serial smash Stranger Things seemingly awakening a widespread desire for 1980’-style adventures along the lines of The Goonies and The Monster Squad, DeLonge’s Strange Times franchise will likely look to capture the same earnest, irreverent, cynicism-free fun while painting a portrait of youths based on his own So-Cal upbringing. Indeed, with his Strange Times franchise predating the arrival of the Stranger Things phenomenon, it’s somewhat serendipitous that the industry could be headed in the direction of his creation.

As if DeLonge wasn’t already involved enough with Strange Times, he will also serve as a producer through his company To The Stars, alongside Stan Spry and Eric Woods of The Cartel and Russell Binder of Striker Entertainment. Moreover, DeLonge’s current band Angels & Airwaves will provide original music content for the film.

Strange Times is reportedly planning to commence production this fall.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide - Comics & Books

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Check out the best Valentine's Day gifts for comics and book fans from our friends at Spencer's!

The ListsDen of Geek Commerce
Feb 3, 2017

Editor's note: This article comes from the Den of Geek commerce team and is part of our affiliate program with Spencer's Gifts. A small portion of proceeds from sales go to Den of Geek.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so with the help of our friends over at Spencer's Online, we rummaged through their online inventories for appropriately romantic and geeky gamer gifts for the occasion.

While not all of our selections are of the hardcore romantic variety, they all make great gifts for your significant others and anyone else in your life you want to use February 14th to platonically appreciate. These are better than real flowers (which will wither and die), fake flowers (which are tacky), and a box of chocolate (which you'll probably eat halfway through yourself because chocolate is the best and we're all subjects of sins and temptations).

Or, if you don't have someone to give anything to, look through our lists anyway and treat yourself. You're loved and you deserve it.

Happy Valentine's Day shopping!

My Valentine's Day Coloring Book

Have fun and have fun on Valentine's Day with this not-safe-for-work coloring book, featuring 20 different pages with perfoated sides for easy removal. 

Buy the My Valentine's Day Coloring Book at Spencer's

Black Widow Muscle Tank Top

Impress the bejesus out of your enemies with an eyeful of your strong, sensual biceps by wearing this Black Widow tank top. 

Buy the Black Widow Muscle Tank Top at Spencer's

Deadpool Fragrance For Mens

Matt Murdock once said Deadpool smell like "gunpowder, sadness, and Sriracha." Now you, too, can smell like those attractive scents with Deadpool's Frangrance For Mens. (Contains no actual Sriracha.) 

Buy the Deadpool Fragrance For Men at Spencer's 


Gryffindor Harry Potter Cardigan

Only a notch down from Molly Weasley's infamous initial sweaters, this cardigan is designed to make you feel right at home at Hogwarts (even if you're over seventeen, a Muggle, and not in Britain). 

Buy the Gryffindor Harry Potter Cardigan at Spencer's

Joker and Harley American Gothic T-Shirt

Show your appreciation for DC Comics' sickest supervillain power couple and 20th century American art at the same time with this Joker and Harley American Gothic T-shirt.

Buy the Joker and Harley American Gothic T-Shirt at Spencer's

Harley Quinn Pajama Set

This is for that one person who absolutely must have to can't not cosplay Harley Quinn every single moment of their waking day. We know you're out there.

For everyone else, check out this cute pajama set.

Buy the Harley Quinn Pajama Set at Spencer's

Punisher Bottle Opener

Open your next bottle of beer like a boss and know that Frank Castle's spirit is with you in the form of this bottle opener.

Buy the Punisher Bottle Opener at Spencer's 

Batman Harley Bullet Band Watch

Make your frenemy-ship official with these Batman and Harley watches. 

Buy the Batman Harley Bullet Band Watch at Spencer's 


 

Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit Game

Which of you in the relationship love Harry Potter more? Battle it out on Valentine's Day with this trivial pursuit game. With six trivia categories and 600 questions, you also can play this game on-the-go with its portable wedge holder.

Buy the Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit Game at Spencer's 


Satin Wonder Woman Bath Robe

Silky smooth and empowering, this is the bath robe for all the wonder women out there on a tight budget. 

Buy the Satin Wonder Woman Bath Robe at Spencer's

Return to the Dark Crystal In a New Graphic Novel

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BOOM! Studios to release "Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Tales" This Summer

NewsChris Cummins
Feb 3, 2017

Remember that scene in Back to the Future when Marty McFly jams out at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and then tells the audience that while they can't handle the Huey Lewis heart of rock and roll beating in his chest that their kids are absolutely going to love it? Of course you do, because Back to the Future is a perfect film that everyone cherishes. The point here is that Marty threw something at the crowd that they just weren't ready for yet, he was, to apologize for any inadvertent temporal related jokery, ahead of his time. Being brilliant and underappreciated was just as much of a problem in Hill Valley 1955 as it was in American cineplexes in 1982. You see, that was the year that Jim Henson and Frank Oz's The Dark Crystal was released.

Garnering mixed reviews from critics (it currently has a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes) and earning the ire of many parents who thought they would be taking their kids to a fun Muppety romp instead of a scary and intense adventure, The Dark Crystalunderperformed. Although profitable, it never captured the pop culture zeitgeist the way many fans felt it should have. Also not helping matters was the fact that it shared cinemas with the unstoppable Coors-chugging antics of E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. Perhaps tellingly, Henson and Oz's next collaboration was the much safer The Muppets Take Manhattan. Henson's love for the fantasy realm obviously never diminished, with Labryinthand The Storyteller also released during his too-brief lifetime. But there was always the sense from his fans that The Dark Crystal should have been more than it was.

Recent years have seen something of a Dark Crystal renaissance, with 1980s kids sharing the picture with their old children and an array of merchandise ranging from tie-in books to Funko's recent (and fantastic) action figures based on the movie. With the proposed sequel, Power of the Dark Crystal, stuck in development hell before ultimately being cancelled, it seemed the saga was gone for good. Enter BOOM! Studios. They'll be releasing a comic adaptation of the script for Power of the Dark Crystal later this year. The company appears to be doubling down on the franchise with the just-announced Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Tales children's book. From the press release:

BOOM! Studios and The Jim Henson Company are proud to announce JIM HENSON’S THE DARKCRYSTAL TALES, a new children’s book set for release this summer by acclaimed writer and artist Cory Godbey (Have Courage, Be Kind: The Tale of Cinderella). The publication is a follow-up to last fall’s best-selling JIM HENSON’S LABYRINTH TALES, also written and illustrated by Godbey.
 
Jim Henson’s The DarkCrystal Tales delves deep into the Skeksis-ruled land of Thra in this beautiful look at some of Jim Henson and Brian Froud’s finest creations from the beloved cult-classic film The DarkCrystal. In one tale, when a little bird is hurt in a Skeksis net, Jen takes it to the Mystics for healing and learns how every act of kindness grows like ripples in a lake.
 
“The themes woven within The DarkCrystalhave never been more important for children or the parents of those children to hear,” said Godbey. “As the UrSkek tells Jen, ‘...we all are a part of each other.’ For this book, my goal was to create three stories which reflect those ideas and honor the tone of Jim Henson's original, groundbreaking film. These stories explore how a single act can ripple outward and how you can never know who it will touch or who it might help.”
 
“Cory Godbey brings tremendous beauty to Jim Henson’s visionary creations as seen in the bestselling Labyrinth Tales. We were eager to work with Cory again and witness his take on the colorful, rich world of The DarkCrystal,” said Editor Sierra Hahn. “What new chapters await young Jen and Kira long before their fateful meeting? Cory’s genius is in full effect in the delightfully spun The DarkCrystal Tales.”

What's interesting about this is that books like this one can open up the world of Thra and its storytelling possibilities. True, ideally we would be seeing additional tales told on the big screen, but without Henson's involvement and a seeming lack of interest from Hollywood this is our best, last hope for more

What do you think? Are you excited about this project or do you think the existing film is enough? Sound off below.


Supergirl: Details on Mr. Mxyzptlk Episode

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Trickster Superman villain Mr. Mxyzptlk will appear on two episodes of Supergirl Season 2.

NewsMike Cecchini
Feb 3, 2017

Things are going to get really weird later this season on Supergirlwhen another Superman villain makes his way to the show. It isn't some kryptonite-powered powerhouse like Metallo this time, though. Instead, it's the 5th dimensional imp with reality warping powers, Mr. Mxyzptlk. Every now and then Mr. Mxyzptlk likes to show up in Metropolis to annoy Superman, because that's his favorite hobby, and the only way to get rid of him is to get him to say that difficult name of his backwards. 

Peter Gadiot (Cyrus on the short-lived Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) will play Mr. Mxyzptlk, who will first appear in episode 13, appropriately titled "Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk."

Check out the official synopsis:

When Mr. Mxyzptlk (guest star Peter Gadiot), a magical imp, shows up on Earth and declares his love for Kara (Melissa Benoist), she tries to let him down easy, thinking him harmless. However, he decides it’s a challenge and starts to wreak havoc on National City. Mon-El (Chris Wood) has seen beings like Mr. Mxyzptlk on Daxam and knows how dangerous they can be. He and Kara argue over how to get rid of Mr. Mxyzptlk, further straining their relationship. Meanwhile, Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie (Floriana Lima) celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together.

Now, for reference, the 5th dimensional imp's name is pronounced "mix-yez-pitel-ick." Accept no other pronunciations. As for what it sounds like when you get him to say his name backwards, Superman authority Mark Waid seems confident that it's "kil-tepz-yex-ehm" and that's good enough for me. This isn't to be confused with how his name was spelled in his earliest appearances, Mxyztplk, which I seem to remember reading somewhere is pronounced "mux-izt-pulk" but I could be wrong.

Mr. Mxyzptlk has been around since 1944, and he was created by Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Supes himself) and Ira Yarbrough. He's generally more of a trickster pain-in-the-ass than an actual villain most of the time. He pops in from his dimension  Now, considering the nature of his powers, he's certainly capable of more, and in Alan Moore and Curt Swan's legendary "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" story as well as Grant Morrison and Rags Morales' New 52 Superman reboot, we got to see a different side of the little guy.

This isn't his first appearance in live action, either. He appeared in all of his comic book glory on the SuperboyTV series in the '80s (which I swear I'm going to get around to writing about one of these days), played by a perfectly cast Michael J. Pollard, who delivered a remarkably disinterested performance. A less visual version of the character was played by Howie Mandel on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and he also appeared in unrecognizable form on an extraordinarily bad episode of Smallville.

Mxyzptlk was a staple of various Super Friends animated adventures, although his best moment outside of the comics remains his two appearances on Superman: The Animated Series, where he was voiced to perfection by Gilbert Gottfried. Both are essential viewing, and Mxy sports his 1940s look (although his modern spelling and pronunciation). Since Mxyzptlk is basically a Looney Tunes character in a superhero setting, those cartoons upped the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck factor, to great effect. Gottfried is back for the Justice League Action animated series, so that should be a treat.

Watch Supergirl on Amazon

Mxyzptlk will apparently appear in two episodes of Supergirl this year. It doesn't appear that he has a previous history with Superman (note that Superman villain Metallo didn't for the purposes of this show). But if it's a reason to bring back Tyler Hoechlin as the Man of Steel, this could be a lot of fun, especially if it's an excuse to do some crazy, funny stuff with the show.

Wait...what if this ends up being the reasoning behind the upcoming musical crossover between Supergirland The Flash? That would be insane.

I'll update this with more info as it becomes available.

It Release Date, Cast, Photos, & Everything Else We Know

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What you need to know about the Stephen King It remake, including latest news, release date, cast, photos, and more!

NewsDen Of Geek Staff
Feb 4, 2017

It Release Date

It will arrive on on September 8, 2017.

It Synopsis

Here's the official synopsis from WB:

When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids is faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

It Cast

Bill Skarsgard (Hemlock Grove) will take over killer clown duties from Will Poulter (We're the Millers), who departed the project shortly after director Cary Fukunaga. 

Pennywise the Clown is one of the most terrifying and evil characters King has ever created. Taking the shape of a clown named Pennywise, it eats little children and manipulates them into doing his bidding. It's been around for centuries, returning every three decades to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine—one of King's favorite places to have everyone murdered. Let's hope Mr. Skarsgard can live up to Curry, King's original novel, and fan expectation. 

Skarsgard joins Jaeden Lieberher (Bill Denbrough), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie Kaspbrak), Wyatt Oleff (Stanley Uris), Chosen Jacobs (Mike Hanlon), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben Hanscom), Nicholas Hamilton (Henry Bowers), Owen Teague (Patrick Hockstetter), Sophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh), Steven Williams (Leroy Hanlon), Stephen Bogaert (Al Marsh), Jackson Robert Scott (Georgie), Pip Dwyer (Sharon Denbrough), Logan Thompson (Victor Criss), and Jake Sim (Belch Huggins).

Richard "Richie" Tozier will be played by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The funny member of the Losers' Club with the scotch-taped glasses apparently got lost on July 4th. Young Tozier was played by Seth Green on the 1990 TV adaptation of It. Harry Anderson played him as an adult.  

Owen Teague, who plays the son of Ben Mendelsohn on Bloodline at Netflix, will play Patrick Hocksetter, one of the bullies who torment the Losers Club. Hocketter is a psycho who falls under the sway of the evil clown without even looking at the deadlights. His fridge is filled with animals he’s killed.

It Director & Writer

Andres Muschietti (Mama) is directing. He took over the struggling pre-production from True Detective season one's Cary Fukunaga. Gary Dauberman (Annabelle) has written the current screenplay adaptation of Stephen King's novel. 

It Photos

Barbara Muschietti has released a new picture of Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier. It's pretty retro and cool. Check it out:

@finnwolfhardofficial #richietozier #itthemovie

A photo posted by Barbie Mus (@barbaramus) on

Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise the Clown is preparing to terrorize the children of Derry in 2017. His version of Stephen King's infamous monster looks a bit less party-friendly than Tim Curry's version, in fact. Check out Pennywise hanging out in the sewers in this new photo from EW:

It has officially finished filming. A new picture to commemorate the end of filming appeard on producer Barbara Muschietti's Instagram. Check it out below:

EW revealed the first full look at Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise the Clown. As you might expect, the costume is quite terrifying, guarranteed to terrify a whole new generation of children. Check it out if you dare:

The costume was created by award-winning costume designer Janie Bryant (Mad Men). Says Bryant of the costume, "The costume definitely incorporates all these otherworldly past lives, if you will. He is definitely a clown from a different time," revealing that the costume takes inspiration from the Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Victorian eras.

"There is almost a doll-like quality to the costume," Bryant says. "The pants being short, the high waistline of the jacket, and the fit of the costume is a very important element. It gives the character a child-like quality."

Child-like is not the word I would use...

Here's the first picture of the actors who will make up the Losers Club:

Here's the very first picture of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the Clown:

Rocket Raccoon Gets New Solo Series In May

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Al Ewing & Adam Gorham are putting Rocket Raccoon in a heist story.

NewsJim Dandy
Feb 4, 2017

Al Ewing and Adam Gorham are dropping everyone's favorite anthropomorphic raccoon (just ahead of noted white supremacist Steve Bannon) in a noir-y heist story, according to today's news out of Marvel. Gorham, who with Ed Brisson hit noir perfectly with The Violent, sat down with Ewing at Marvel.com for an interview where he talked about some of the challenges of dropping a cartoon raccoon in an otherwise semi-serious story. "When I tried to keep his emotions and body language too human or “real,” he came off reserved and stiff. Readers have come to know Rocket as an expressive, loud, character—perhaps a bit unwieldy..." said Gorham.

Meanwhile, here are a list of things Al Ewing has done that scream "Don't worry, this is going to be great."

Mighty Avengers, where he made Blue Marvel a big deal again.

- That Secret Wars riff on Judge Dredd that was also a savage burn on David Cameron.

Contest of Champions, a book about the Punishers of the multiverse killing each other (and also it was a tie in to that pointless mobile tapping game, and yet somehow still a fun comic about the Marvel multiverse post-Secret Wars).

Ultimates and Ultimates 2, comics that explore the architecture of the Marvel multiverse. And by "explore the architecture of the Marvel multiverse," I mean "Galactus is now the lifebringer trying to free a shackled Eternity, and Chaos and Order just murdered the Living Tribunal because the old roles don't apply anymore." If Ultimates 2 doesn't end with by enshrining in canon the theory about Franklin Richards being responsible for Marvel Time, I will be a tiny, tiny bit disappointed.

New Avengers and U.S.Avengers, which are both actually stealth New Mutants revivals where they face off against Ultimate Reed Richards. Seriously. Sunspot, Cannonball and Warlock all play a big role.

- At the end of the interview, Ewing calls out the villains for Rocket: Technet. So you know what that means.

Al Ewing and Adam Gorham's stealth Excalibur revival Rocket will be out in May. Stay with Den of Geek for more news about this and all the other ways late '80s X-Men comics are being hidden in Marvel Cinematic Universe-relevant comics.

Earth 2: Society #21 - Exclusive First Look From The Big Finale

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We have pages from the final issue of DC's alternate universe series, Earth 2: Society!

NewsJim Dandy
Feb 4, 2017

DC's kinda sorta New 52 JSA comic is coming to an end next week, and they sent over an exclusive preview of the last issue. Earth 2: Society has flown completely under the radar, but the Earth 2 books have been really solid since the reboot. It shouldn't be particularly surprising - they've had excellent writers who are really hot on the book from the start. James Robinson, Tom Taylor, and now Dan Abnett did more than create a JSA pastiche, or an alternate reality Justice League that's fundamentally the same except for One Big Thing. They built a world out of scraps of inspiration from DC's entire history and its beautiful multiverse, steeped it in macro DC mythology, and then told good stories without worrying about hewing too close to New Earth archetypes.

Here's DC's official synopsis for the final issue...

EARTH 2: SOCIETY #21 Written by DAN ABNETTArt by VICENTE CIFUENTES • Cover by BRUNO REDONDOThe Wonders battle the Sandmen army to free the new Earth 2 from a dystopian fate, but the new world Director has unleashed his terrifying secret weapon. Can Batman, Huntress and John, the weakest of the wonders, shut down the Director’s stronghold? It’s a dangerous, last-minute gamble...and the price may be too great to bear.

It'll be missed, but it's worth going back and checking out if you haven't already. 

Check out the preview pages...

Marvel's The Defenders Netflix Series: Everything We Know

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Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and others will team up as The Defenders in 2017! Here's everything we know.

NewsMike Cecchini
Feb 5, 2017

Marvel's plan to team Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist (and possibly some members of their supporting casts) in The Defenders Netflix series are well underway, and we'll see it later this year. The Defenders showrunners are Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez (Daredevil Season 2), with Drew Goddard (Daredevil Season 1, The MartianLost) returning as executive producer. The Defenders is currently filming in New York City. There are some new set photos floating around if you like that sort of thing.

The Defenders Trailer

Check out the first teaser, which makes it pretty clear what's up in terms of the team, plus a bonus voiceover from everyone's favorite asshole sensei, Stick:

Huge bonus points for appropriate use of a Nirvana song.

The Defenders Release Date

All we know is that it's coming in 2017 (the teaser told us so!), which is a lot sooner than we anticipated!

The Defenders Story

It's not much, but it's all we've got right now...

Marvel’s The Defenders follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal - to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

“Every one of them is following their own trail of bread crumbs, trying to unpack a mystery in New York,” showrunner Marco Ramirez told Entertainment Weekly. “We wanted them all caught off guard. Once they’re in that room together, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, s—, who are you?'”

The Defenders Cast

Charlie Cox will return as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, as will Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Finn Jones as Iron Fist, and Mike Colter as Luke Cage. Don't be surprised if some other characters we meet along the way join the party, like Jon Bernthal's Punisher. Expect supporting cast from each of their shows to at least make appearances, and that will likely include Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.

“We're incredibly excited to be able to bring our four street level heroes together in an epic tale woven by Doug and Marco whose work on Marvel’s Daredevil speaks for itself,” said Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb in a statement when the showrunners were announced in April 2016. "They write and produce not only great action and adventure, but also the heart and touch of humor that's makes us Marvel. With the inclusion of Drew Goddard, we've got a team that's as formidable as the Defenders themselves."

“This is the big one. Four amazing casts, four amazing series, now all in one amazing story,” added showrunners and Executive Producers Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to deliver the show that both we and the fans have been waiting for.”

The first hero who isn't yet a headliner to be confirmed for the series is none other than Simone Missick's Misty Knight. “I believe I’m safe to say that I will be on The Defenders,” Simone Missick told The Wrap.

Misty is a huge highlight of Marvel's Luke Cage Netflix series, so having her in The Defenders should be treat.

The Defenders official Twitter account just keeps dropping casting bombs on us. The latest is that Elodie Yung will appear as Elektra. This show gets better by the day.

They also confirmed that Jessica Henwick, who will first appear in Iron Fist, will reprise her role as Colleen Wing in the upcoming Defenders team-up series. Here's a brief snippet of Henwick kicking butt:

The official Twitter account also confirmed what we already knew, that supporting characters from other Netflix shows like Luke CageJessica Jones, and Daredevil like Elden Hensen's Foggy Nelson, Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, Scott Glenn's Stick, Simone Missick's Misty Knight, and other will be part of the series.

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And it doesn't look like we'll get Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk in this one, unfortunately.

Marvel's The Defenders Netflix series will consist of eight episodes (the usual count for their assorted solo series if 13), and Marvel has announced the director of the first two episodes. S.J. Clarkson, whose credits include episodes of Jessica Jones, Vinyl, and Orange is The New Black will occupy the big chair for those crucial first two installments.

“S.J.'s take on the material is outstanding. We loved her work on “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” and couldn’t think of a more talented and accomplished person to helm the first two episodes of Marvel’s The Defenders,” said Marvel’s Head of Television and Executive Producer, Jeph Loeb in a statement.

The Defenders Villain

Sigourney Weaver was announced as the antagonist to deafening applause on the NYCC Main Stage back in October. Since then details have been scarce...until now.

Entertainment Weekly has our first look at Sigourney Weaver as the mystery antagonist of Marvel's The Defenders Netflix series, although this still doesn't tell us a whole lot. We know her name is "Alexandra" and that's all they're telling us. At least for the moment.

Here's a photo of her in character, which marks the first official set photo we have from the series at all!

“We knew it would take something massive to pull these four characters from their individual worlds to work together,” Defenders showrunner Marco Ramirez told EW, “but also small enough that it felt like it existed in our world.” Start your speculation engines, comic fans!

 Last month, Ms. Weaver spoke to Movies.com a little about what to expect.

"It has a wonderful cast, and we're doing it right here in New York, which means a lot to me...Basically the four heroes come up against this really nice woman, who I'm playing...It's been a blast and I really love my character. I love the shows, too, which I wasn't familiar with before doing this. A real love letter to New York. To me they're not superheroes; they're people with a gift. It's just a different scale, and I'm really enjoying the scale of it. The apocalyptic thing is a little harder for me to understand."

EW also unveiled the first proper look at the team together:

We'll update this with more information about The Defenders Netflix series as it becomes available.

A version of this article originally ran on April 11th. It has been updated with new information.

Complete DC Comics Superhero Movie Release Calendar

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From the Wonder Woman movie to Justice League and the Batman solo movie, here's the full DC superhero movie schedule!

FeatureMike Cecchini
Feb 5, 2017

Updated with new information on The Batman solo movie, Shazam!, Black Adam, Green Lantern Corps, and more!

Now that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad have both come and gone, the DC Extended Universe is in full swing. The Wonder Woman movie is next up in June, and it's all leading up to the Justice League movie in November of 2017. 

So, it's time to take a look at all of the DC superhero movies that will be released over the next few years. And trust us, there are a ton of them on the way, and we expect more details will be announced as we go forward. 

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We have all the release dates for every one of 'em right here, as well as official details, the most interesting rumors, and suggestions for further reading where appropriate. 

Click the blue links to go to articles containing everything you need to know about the movies!

June 2nd, 2017 - Wonder Woman

The fact that we have yet to see a Wonder Woman solo movie is almost beyond belief. We don't have time to get into the rampant short-sightedness that is keeping women from taking marquee roles in superhero movies at the moment (and that's bound to change one of these days, especially given how their fortunes have changed on TV), but just know that Gal Gadot does some serious Amazonian ass-kicking in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and then we get her solo movie on June 2nd, 2017. The movie was moved up a couple of weeks from its original release date on June 23, 2017.

Amazon has all your Wonder Woman needs.

Warner Bros. were clearly impressed with Ms. Gadot, as she'll be doing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Wonder Woman solo movie, JusticeLeague, and Justice League 2in a fairly short amount of time. We'll know more about her soon enough!

Patty Jenkins (Monster) is directing, from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns. Chris Pine will appear as Wonder Woman's love interest, Steve Trevor.

November 17th, 2017 - Justice League

Zack Snyder will direct Justice League, and BvS co-writer Chris Terrio is back. The villain of this one is Steppenwolf, one of Darkseid's relatives, and it focuses on Batman building a team to confront him.

Here's the official synopsis:

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat.  But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Buy Justice League Stuff on Amazon

This one will also introduce Aquaman's Queen Mera (played by Amber Heard), which would make sense considering that the Aquamanmovie will follow the next fall.

March 16, 2018 - The Flash

At this point, it's a safe bet that this isn't going to make that March release date. After losing two directors/writers in Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) wrote a screenplay, and Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) this one needs some work. The latest is that it's being completely rewritten by Joby Harold. Meanwhile, no replacement director has been found. 

Watch The Flash on Amazon

Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Madame Bovary) is playing Barry Allen, but probably a very different Barry Allen than the one we currently love on TV. Billy Crudup will play Dr. Henry Allen, with Kiersey Clemons as Iris West. Ray Fisher (Cyborg in Batman v Superman and Justice League) will also appear.

Now, about that release date change...there's now an empty space in July that Warner had previously reserved for a different DC superhero movie...


July 27th, 2018 - Unknown

This was formerly the date occupied by the Aquaman movie, but that was bumped to October. At one point we thought this could end up being the debut of Ben Affleck's Batmansolo movie but that film has just hit its own production problems, with Mr. Affleck bowing out as director. Maybe The Flash, which is likely about to hit some production delays will just get a few months of breathing room? Or will Warner Bros. just use this for something else entirely that has nothing to do with superheroes? We'll probably find out very soon.

October 5th, 2018 - Aquaman

Jason Momoa is playing Aquaman. There's no doubt that they've been taking Aquaman very seriously. Amber Heard will also appear as Queen Mera. There are reports that Black Manta is the film's villain.

James Wan (Furious 7) will direct from a script by Kurt Johnstad (300: Rise of an Empire).

April 5th, 2019 - Shazam

Shazamhas both a writer (Henry Gayden, of Earth to Echo fame) and a star (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the villainous Black Adam) announced. If we end up getting to see Henry Cavill's Superman fight Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam some day, it's tough to imagine anyone would complain.

[related article: Why the Shazam Movie is Important]

But like other projects on this calendar, this doesn't seem to be on the fast track, and with a recently announced Black Adam solo movie with Dwayne Johnson now in development (more on that in a bit), it's not clear what that means for the immediate future of Shazam.

June 14th, 2019 - Unknown

This was long ago announced as the Justice League 2 release date, but this is apparently about to change. Director Zack Snyder would like to take on another project, and there are recent indications that Warner Bros is prioritizing the Batmansolo movie over this, and that this could end up being that film's date instead.

It's also possible that this could end up being David Ayer's Gotham City Sirens movie, and we have more on that down below.

November 1st, 2019 - Untitled DC Film

No information has yet been given as to the story or what characters will be featured in the film. Man of Steel 2is back in active development at the studio. Could this be it? It's yet another potential landing date for Ben Affleck's Batman solo movie, too.

There's one interesting possibility: could this be that Lobomovie that was recently announced? This space-faring bounty hunter would certainly arrive sooner than expected, but isn't that what bounty hunters do?

November is a safer month for high profile releases than October, and this could be where the now-rescheduled Justice League 2 ends up, although we suspect it will be a bit longer than that.

The truth is that we just don't know what DC has planned for Nov. 2019, so we'll just have to wait and see. 

April 3rd, 2020 - Cyborg

And this one is the biggest surprise of them all. Ray Fisher made his first (very brief) appearance as Vic Stone/Cyborg in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and will clearly have a crucial role to play in both Justice League films if they're grooming him for a solo film. He's going to feature in The Flash solo movie, too.

No other details are presently available, and there are also rumors that this one might be reworked into a movie that would introduce the Teen Titans to the big screen. 

July 24th, 2020 - Green Lantern Corps

Fairly or unfairly, Green Lantern has the most working against him. The 2011 film failed to kickstart the DC Universe as planned, and received a lukewarm (at best) critical and box-office reception. There are, of course, ways around this.

One way is to simply not make Hal Jordan the central Green Lantern of the movie. It was revealed at SDCC 2015 that the Green Lantern movie is now called Green Lantern Corps, and this one may focus on as many as three Green Lanterns, likely with John Stewart as the main Green Lantern of Sector 2814. David Goyer and Justin Rhodes are writing the script, but there's no director in place yet. 

We've heard bits and pieces indicating that Green Lantern won't even show up until the end of Justice League, or possibly even Justice League 2. By the time 2020 rolls around, a decade will have passed, and by then the character won't be considered so radioactive by studio execs. 

And then there are the missing pieces that are either unconfirmed or simply don't have release dates yet...


Justice League 2

Don't be fooled by the fact that this lost its 2019 release date, Warner Bros. is still planning a second installment, since the first one is bound to make all kinds of bank.

Gotham City Sirens

Harley Quinn isn't just for the Suicide Squad. Warner Bros. has tapped David Ayer to direct Gotham City Sirens, which will team Harley Quinn up with other female DC villain, most likely including Poison Ivy and Catwoman. It's not totally clear if this is replacing a Harley Quinn solo movie, which we have a few details on here.

This one is on the fast-track, so it could take over that June 14th, 2019 release date vacated by Justice League 2.

Black Adam

Shazam doesn't have a director or a star to play its title character yet, but it sure does have a villain. And that villain, who will be played by Dwayne Johnson, is certainly strong enough to sustain his own movie. There's no release date set for the Black Adammovie, and this is the kind of thing that could work as a nifty prequel to set up the mystical world of Shazam if they choose to go that route. We're currently on the lookout for more info.

Booster Gold (and maybe Blue Beetle)

Flash and Arrow executive producer Greg Berlanti is going to executive produce and possibly direct a Booster Gold movie. Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class, a recent episode of CW's The Flash TV series) will write the script.

Early reports described this as a "superhero buddy cop movie" that would involve Blue Beetle. We'll get you more updates on this as they become available.

Deadshot

Warner Bros. knows they have one of the biggest stars in the world already in costume, so they're reportedly considering a Deadshotsolo movie, as well.

Suicide Squad 2

While the critical response to the first film wasn't so hot, the box office was blazing, so Warner Bros. isn't taking Suicide Squad 2 off the table. David Ayer is likely going to be too busy with Gotham City Sirens until further notice, though, so no word on when we'll see this.


Lobo

Back on the schedule after years of being dormant, the Lobo movie may attempt to be the DCEU equivalent of Deadpool. Jason Fuchs must have impressed Warner Bros. with his work on Wonder Woman, because he's on board to write the script for this one.

We'll update this with more information as we get it, but it should be a fun ride.

Sandman

Sandmanisn't a superhero movie, so the fact that he wasn't involved in an announcement that primarily focused on high-profile franchises (along with the superhero slate, Warner Bros. focused on Lego movies and Harry Potter spinoffs). It isn't a DC Universe movie that will have any bearing on future Justice League films. But it is one of the most successful, enduring comics of all time. 

The latest news on this isn't encouraging, though. It appears to be a dead project.

[related article: Sandman - The Essential Horror Comic of the '90s]

Dark Universe

Dark Universe might be more familiar to comic book fans under its comic name, Justice League Dark. This one will feature the supernatural characters from the DC Universe. Characters like Swamp Thing, Demon, Deadman, Zatanna, and possibly even John Constantine.

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Guillermo del Toro was attached to this one for quite some time, but had to leave the project. Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) will now direct.

Legion of Super-Heroes

This one came as a big surprise when the rumor surfaced via Latino Review. The word is that Warner Bros., perhaps inspired by the runaway success of Guardians of the Galaxy, is looking to put together their own superheroic space opera.

Nobody has been hired. Warner Bros. have simply placed this one on the table as a DC property potentially worth developing, and are inviting writers to make pitches. To be fair, it's likely that nearly every major DC property is open for something like this, but this is the first rumbling we've ever heard about a Legion of Super-Heroes movie. It's worth paying attention to, but it's tough to imagine, even under the best of circumstances, that we'll see this before 2018...assuming it's true at all.

That being said, if it were true, it's hard to imagine a cooler way to cement the WB/DC Cinematic Universe than with a 31st Century space-opera. While Marvel-esque crossovers probably aren't going to be the order of the day with these movies, the concept of showing how the Justice League (and specifically, Superman) influenced society 1,000 years in the future is plenty unique, and adds immediate gravitas to the other superhero movies on the calendar.

Let's just say, we really hope this one is true.

Metal Men

Perhaps the longest of the long-shots, the Metal Men movie is something that's been in discussion as far back as 2007. It's the most bizarre concept of the bunch, involving a mad scientist and his group of sentient elemental robots, but like Suicide Squadand Legion of Super-Heroes, perhaps that uniqueness is what makes this one so appealing. Warner Bros. can't be seen to copy the Marvel model too closely, so veering away from solo outings for traditional heroes and into this kind of territory might be the very best thing they can do for the brand.

The Metal Men have also just received a New 52 facelift at the hands of writer Geoff Johns, executive producer of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justiceand The Flash TV series. If they're a favorite of DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer, it would be wrong to count the Metal Men out, even if there's been no public movement on this project in recent memory.

It's worth noting that the same Wall Street Journal article where WB officially announced the Justice League movie also mentioned Shazam(at a time when everyone thought the project was dead and buried) and...Metal Men. Don't sleep on this one.

Justice League: New Photo Reveals Best Look at Cyborg and Aquaman Yet

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Here's everything we know about the Justice League movie, including when you might see the next trailer, which is due any minute!

NewsDen Of Geek Staff
Feb 5, 2017

Page 1 of 3Justice League: New Photo Reveals Best Look at Cyborg and Aquaman Yet

This article contains some Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice spoilers.

This is the one that the DC Extended Universe is building towards. Five years after The Avengers showed us that it was possible to pull off a non-mutant superhero team on the big screen, we'll finally see a JusticeLeaguemovie. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder has wrapped filming on Justice League, from a script by Batman v Superman's Chris Terrio. 

The latest image (courtesy of Batman News) only gives us half the team, but it's probably the single best look we've had at Ray Fisher's Cyborg and Jason Momoa in full Aquaman armor so far.

This looks like it could be a shot from a trailer, and since the real trailer for this movie is long overdue, it might well be. Cyborg still looks a little off, but having one of his hands open up into some kind of bizarre weapon (probably sonic if the comics are anything to go by) is pretty cool.

Here's an earlier look at the team courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

Aquaman's armor is a pretty bold choice, too, but it fits perfectly with the overall aesthetic of the DC Extended Universe so far.

Now, about that trailer.

Justice League Trailer

We're still waiting on a new Justice League trailer, but the first footage arrived at SDCC 2016! This is our first glimpse of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman working together on the big screen.

Check out the trailer below:

We did a full analysis on the trailer right here.

You can see some other footage in this video from director Zack Snyder, who posted this awesome behind-the-scenes video which has lots of new looks at the characters in action.

It also looks like we're due to get another Justice League trailer very soon, too.

Justice League Movie Release Date

Justice League is scheduled for a November 17th, 2017 release, with a sequel to follow on June 14th, 2019. The complete DC superhero movie release calendar can be found here.

Justice League Movie Villain

In order for the Justice League to form, they need a threat with power levels that only a team of heroes could take down, right? 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made it pretty explicit that Darkseid is on his way to this world, and there were several visual cues for those who are interested. We broke those down (along with lots more comic references in the movie) right here. But he isn't the villain of the Justice League movie. A deleted scene from Batman v Superman released online offered a look at a monstrous creature on a Kryptonian ship, who turned out to be another Fourth World related despot (and Jack Kirby creation), Steppenwolf.

Steppenwolf is basically Darkseid's cousin, a powerful warrior from Apokolips who wields a pretty crazy energy axe. 

The Wrap broke the news that Ciaran Hinds (you may know him as Mance Rayder on Game of Thrones which makes him a particularly cool choice for this part if it's true) has been cast as Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf will be done via motion capture, and his casting has apparently been kept under wraps throughout the production, which recently wrapped principal photography.

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We have reached out to representatives for comment or confirmation, and will update this if we hear anything.

Here's what Steppenwolf looked like in that Batman v Superman deleted scene:

And here's Ciaran Hinds as Mance Rayder. You may start your Photoshop engines accordingly...

It's still inevitable that we'll see Darkseid in these movies, and he'll probably still be a presence in the first one. DC Comics used him as the catalyst for the formation of the Justice League in the current comic book series. He's a pretty big gun to burn this early, though, so holding him back for Justice League Part Two sound about as logical as anything else we've heard.

Lex Luthor is now confirmed to appear, as well. Luthor was last seen at the end of Batman v Superman raving about a villain on the way. Whether he was talking about Steppenwolf or Darkseid remains to be seen, but given that deleted scene, it's probably Steppenwolf.

It looks like maybe, just maybe, Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke will turn up in Justice League after all. Zack Snyder just posted a cryptic image of himself (wearing a Batman gauntlet) and working on storyboards for a scene that do indeed appear to contain Slade Wilson. See for yourself...

Page 1 of 3Justice League: New Photo Reveals Best Look at Cyborg and Aquaman Yet


Outlander Season 3 Premiere, Release Date, Cast

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Outlander Season 3 (and 4) are officially happening. Here's everything we know about the upcoming season...

NewsKayti Burt
Feb 1, 2017

Outlander season 3 is officially happening! Starz picked up Outlander with showrunner Ronald D. Moore for seasons 3 and 4, which will adapt Gabaldon's Voyager and Drums of Autumn novels, respectively.

In honor of their People's Choice Awards win, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe did a Facebook Live question-and-answer session. In addition to it just being generally charming, the stars talked about what their characters' eventual reunion will look like, with Heughan teasing: 

It's kind of a surprise for Jamie. Obviously within a day of her returning, all hell breaks loose. His world is turned upside down, just like every time Claire is involved. I think the printshop obviously is going to be hopefully everything that we wanted it to be. But I think in the episodes before, there's so much that goes on; it's going to be a very exciting Season 3.

We've got some Outlander season 3 casting updates! Gary Young (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny) has joined the Outlander cast as Mr. Willoughby, while Charlie Hiett (The Suspicions of Mr Whincher) will assume the role of Captain Thomas Leonard.

Willoughby, "a Chinese man with a deep knowledge of Eastern medicine," Willoughby will pop up in Jaime's timeline as a confidante of the Scotsman, as well as an outsider in 18th century Scotland.

Leonard, on the other hand, is the British, "by-the-book" captain of the Artemis who earns the post when his commanding officers die untimely deaths. Starz teases of the character: " Above all, he wants to do what is right by the British Navy — whether or not it is right by his own personal morals." Yikes.

Here's everything else we know so far about Outlander season three...

Outlander Season 3 Premiere

Caitriona Balfe, who is up for a Golden Globe for her work in Outlander season three, spoke to The Wrap about what to expect in the upcoming season, saying:

The great thing about this show is that every new season, everything sort of gets turned on its head. In the beginning, when we come back this season, I think everyone knows at this point the stories are quite separate. We see a lot of Jamie’s story, and what he has gone through in 20 years. We see a bit of Claire and Frank, Claire and Brianna, and you see a bit of Claire as a professional doctor, surgeon. It’s just so different.

Perhaps even more interestingly, Balfe teased the eventual Jamie/Claire reunion.

Of course, there will be a reunion. Which I think is really beautiful and it’s been filmed really beautifully. It’s very interesting, it’s like, how do two people come together after not seeing each other for 20 years, after both believing each other have died, and how do you build something real again?

We also have a first look at Claire, a just-born Brianna, and Frank in Outlander season three, and it's actually pretty adorable. Check it out, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly...

Speaking to EW, star Caitriona Balfe puts this scene in context for us:

This is right after Claire gives birth to Brianna. Those scenes are wonderful because it's a new beginning, but it's so fraught with so many other things. Obviously, this is Jamie's child, but Claire's in a new time and believes that Jamie is dead. So she's really trying to look forward and give her daughter a new life, a stable family.

I think it's difficult for both of them. Frank is coming to terms with his wife. He didn't quite know what had happened. She disappeared and she's back. They're tentatively trying to see if they can patch things up and allow themselves to embrace a future together. They really do try, but it's not quite that easy.

Guys, season three is going to be so angsty.

Speaking to Bustle earlier this week, Balfe teased a different kind of Claire when we meet back up with her in Outlander season 3, saying:

I think, not always, but people generally — the harsher edges of their personality, they learn how to maybe smooth them out a little bit. So maybe Claire isn’t so stubborn, or she isn’t so quick-tempered. She’s learned how to control those urges a little bit.

Outlander Season 3 Release Date

The Outlander Season 3 premiere date hasn't been announced yet, but the show usually shows up in the spring. We do know that it will air sometime in 2017.  In the mean time, if you want to catch up on Outlander season 2, be sure to check out our complete episode guide.

Outlander Season 3 Cast

Outlander has cast two new characters for season three. Hannah James and Tanya Reynolds will play Dunsany sisters Geneva and Isobel, respectively.

Starz describes eldest daughter Geneva as "as beautiful as she is headstrong," while also "petulant, spoiled, and demanding of the servants at their home — Helwater." While Geneva is used to getting what she wants, that petulance masks a "vulnerability" and "naivete" because of her sheltered upbringing.

Isobel is Geneva's younger, plainer sister is "warm, friendly, and genuine" and "inherently more likeable and compassionate towards others."

Outlander has also cast Lauren Lyle as Marsali, the 18-year-old "high-spirited" daughter of Laoghaire. Starz officialy description of the character states:

Blond and lovely, like her mother who we first met in season one when her youthful crush on Jamie Fraser was halted by his marriage to Claire, but Marsali has a rebellious and romantic mind of her own. She knows what she wants and she goes after it – reputation and propriety be damned.

Also per Entertainment WeeklyOutlander has cast its adult Fergus (we're really going to miss Little Fergus, played wonderfully by Romann Berrux). César Domboy (The Walk, The Borgias) has been cast to play Fergus, the French boy Jamie and Claire were raising as their own, in the upcoming season. 

Here's Fergus' official character description:

Born into a brothel, Fergus has grown up into a charming, devilishly handsome man with a strong sense of loyalty and decorum, despite his unconventional upbringing. He is the ultimate romantic, wearing his heart on his sleeve and falling in and out of love easily. However, Fergus’ devotion to Jamie has never wavered, making the Frenchman an integral part of the Fraser clan. Still, his debonair demeanor masks a longing for a lasting love and a permanent sense of belonging.

Outlander has cast Australian actor David Berry (A Place to Call Home) in the important season three role of Lord John William Grey, the former British soldier turned governor of Ardsmuir Prison who will become friends with Jamie while the latter is imprisoned under Lord John's care. Here's the full character description from Starz...

Lord John William Grey is a steadfast and honorable British subject, torn between a finely-honed sense of familial duty and a strong moral compass of right and wrong. He is boyishly handsome with an upper class rearing — the consummate gentleman. However, a scandal from his past has relegated Lord John to an undesirable position as governor of a desolate prison in Northern Scotland.

Outlander season three has also added two new members to its massive, ever-growing cast. According to Deadline, John Bell (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) has joined the cast as Young Ian Murray, who will be joining Jamie in the 18th century. Young Ian is "a tall, gangly Scottish lad with a heart of gold, a stubborn streak and a penchant for getting into trouble." He is more like his uncle Jamie than he is his father, and constantly trying to prove himself a man.

In the 20th century Boston timeline, Wil Johnson (Waking the Dead) joins the cast as Joe Abernathy, Claire's friend and medical colleague. Joe is "intelligent, charismatic, with a wry and irreverent sense of humor [and] is a loyal confidant with great affection for Claire." As a black man in the mid-20th century, things are tough for Joe. He and Claire bond over their status as outsiders in the mostly white, male medical profession and form a lifelong friendship. 

Shannara Chronicles Season 2: Release Date, Cast, Trailer

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Everything we know about the second season of MTV's The Shannara Chronicles...

NewsKayti Burt
Feb 1, 2017

Good news, fantasy lovers! MTV's The Shannara Chronicles Season 2 has started production in New Zealand, and has announced a whole bunch of new cast members to join the series.

The Shannara Chronicles Season 2 will pick up a year after the events of Season 1, and finds The Four Lands in chaos, with an organization called The Crimson is intent on hunting down magic users.

Amidst the unrest, Will, still mourning the loss of Amberle and his separation from Eretria, has turned his back on his magical healer destiny. Meanwhile, Bandon has turned super evil and is on a mission to resurrect The Warlock Lord. (No, The Warlock Lord is not a nice guy.)  

Enter a whole host of new characters...

According to MTV News, Malese Jow (The Flash, The Vampire Diaries) has joined the Shannara Chronicles Season 2 cast as Mareth, a "volatile and unpredictable" young woman with magical powers who will help Wil find his way back to his friends and escape The Crimson. "Sharp, brash, and independent to a fault," Mareth knows how to get what she wants.

Also joining the cast is Vanessa Morgan (Finding Carter) as Lyria, a young woman romatically linked to Eretria. Nice to see Eretria getting some love, especially amongst all of the danger and mayhem it sounds like we're in for in Season 2.

Gentry White (UnReal) will play Garet, the "wise-cracking Weapons Master of the Four Lands." Garet is a bounty hunter, "skilled, sly, and charismatic," it sounds like Garet could add some comedic elements to Season 2.

Caaroline Chikezie (Everly) will play Queen Tamlin, "the powerful and cunning ruler of Leah," and the only human kingdom in The Four Lands. Queen Tamlin is a ruthless weapons manufacturer who uses her royal clout to make a political alliance with the elves. Ambitious lady.

Desmond Chiam (Bones) has been added to the Shannara Chronicles cast as General Riga, the leader of the extremist soldier group The Crimson. On a mission to wipe out all magic in the Four Lands, Rigam used to be a top dog in Eventine's army, but has had a major change of heart after watching his people slaughtered in the War of the Races and fighting the Dagda Mor in the War of the Forbidding. This guy does not like magic.

Shannara Chronicles Season 2 Cast

In the first season, The Shannara Chronicles starred Arrow's Manu Bennett, Pan's Labyrinth's Ivana Basquero, The Carrie Diaries' Austin Butler (also know as Thea Queen's DJ assassin boyfriend), and relative newcomer Poppy Drayton. Of course, the fate of Drayton's Amberle was very much in-the-air come the season one finale.

Returning for Season 2 from the original Season 1 cast will be: Austin Butler (Wil), Ivana Baquero (Eretria), Manu Bennett (Allanon), Aaron Jakubenko (Ander) and Marcus Vanco (Bandon). Interestingly, Drayton's Amberle isn't on that list, but we're not ready to give up hope on her character's non-tree-form return just yet...

Speaking to SciFiNow about the possible return of Amberle, Brooks teased:

Yeah, actually, although you might wonder how, and I won’t tell you, but we gave some serious thought to that, and there was a lot of talk about bringing her back out of the tree and so forth, but I said 'No, she’s a tree [laughs], you can’t bring her back, that’s terrible storytelling, you have to find a different way.' So then I told them how they could do it, so we’ll see. But yeah, I think she’s signed on for another season or so, and she’ll back for that. I know that she probably wishes she’d gotten a different role, because she really liked the series, but her life was finite in that particular storyline.

Brooks also spoke about what season 2 might look like, particularly if the season will pick up where season 1 ends versus jumping ahead to the events of The Wishsong of Shannara...

This is an interesting debate that’s ongoing. When I first saw this I thought, 'Well, we should just move on and do a whole new season that involves the next book and forget about this season.' But of course MTV said, 'Are you crazy? We’re building fan support for these actors, we can’t boot them out of there and bring all-new people in!' And I said, 'Well, they could be the same characters, just the children or whatever…' that didn’t work.

It became clear that they were going to build the story around the actors they have right now, and that was going to be the thrust of the story no matter what. But they are free to remove elements from other books, and I think they will do that. They’ve already been talking about Wishsong and using bits and pieces or large chunks of that storyline and building around the characters they already have, which isn’t too difficult to do. So that’s what they will do. What shows tend to do when adapting books is do the first season and then go off in different directions, so I forsee my duty as being to help them get there in the best way possible.

Shannara Chronicles Season 2 Release Date

MTV has stayed impressively tight-lipped about Shannara Chronicles season 2 of their fantasy drama, but (hopeful) speculation tends to place its release date in summer 2017. Again, though, that's just a guess.

The first season debuted in January 2016, but we are obviously not going to get a January debut for season two. But, hey, at least production has started!

Shannara Chronicles Season 2 Synopsis

MTV also released an official synopsis for the new season of The Shannara Chronicles...

A year after the events of last season, The Four Lands is in chaos. The re-emergence of magic has the populace terrified, and an organization called The Crimson is hunting down magic users, using fear and intimidation to sow discord among the races.

Wil, scarred by the loss of Amberle and his separation from Eretria, has turned his back on his magical destiny to become a healer. But when a mysterious woman named Mareth saves Wil from a Crimson attack, he is forced to rejoin the fight.

After reuniting with Eretria, Wil and Mareth seek out Allanon, only to learn that the Druid’s former protégé, Bandon, is on a mission to resurrect a creature of darkest evil: The Warlock Lord. Together, our heroes must band together to take down The Crimson and prevent Bandon from unleashing an even greater threat upon the Four Lands, before it’s too late.

Shannara Chronicles Season 2 Trailer

As of yet, we have seen no footage from The Shannara Chronicles season two, but we'll be sure to update this page when a teaser or trailer drops.

SS-GB Trailer: BBC Miniseries Investigates Murder in Nazi-Occupied England

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The BBC miniseries adaptation of novel SS-GB released its debut trailer starring Sam Riley in an alternate history epic.

TrailersJoseph Baxter
Feb 6, 2017

The trailer for the upcoming BBC One miniseries SS-GB will undoubtedly have fans of prestige television immediately evoking the topical specter of a certain Amazon hit that’s also a pathos-packed drama set against the backdrop of an alternate history in which Germany prevailed in World War II. However, while The Man in the High Castle– an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel of the same name – is set several years after the fact, focusing on the resistance, SS-GB‘s Nazi-ruled backdrop is contextual to an embattled police detective’s murder investigation.

Like its Amazon-adapted topical cousin, the BBC’s five-episode miniseries SS-GB is an adaptation of a classic novel, in this case, Len Deighton’s 1978 novel of the same name. However, unlike High Castle, this Nazi alternate history scenario is set shortly (nine months) after the fictional English WWII capitulation and the trailer showcases startling imagery of swastikas and SS flags hastily draped over notable bomb-damaged London landmarks such as the Palace of Westminster.

It’s a particularly tough deal for talented detective superintendent Douglas Archer, played by Sam Riley (Maleficent, Control). Archer’s sense of justice and loyalty to his country become conflicted when the occupational government call him in to investigate a murder with potentially political implications. Archer’s resolve is further tested when his involvement in the investigation brands him as a collaborator – even to his children. Moreover, his relationship with the enchanting Barbara Barga, played by Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, Blue Crush), further pulls apart Archer's sense of self. The cast also consists of Rainer Bock, Maeve Dermody, Jayson Flemyng, Lars Eidinger and Sam Kronis.

BBC One’s SS-GB works off an adaptation script of Deighton’s original novel by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the perennial screenwriting duo of the modern James Bond film franchise, whose tenure started on 1999’s The World is Not Enough, with 2015’s Spectre being the most recent. Indeed, their proclivity for concocting slick, sexy action sequences still seems to translate on the small screen in this Nazi-dominated drama that, at its core, is a murder mystery.

SS-GB will premiere on BBC One for a date not-yet-specified in 2017.

Luke Cage Relaunch at Marvel Comics Will Have Netflix TV Influences

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Marvel Comics will relaunch Luke Cage with a new series that reflects the longtime character’s recent Netflix television turn.

NewsJoseph Baxter
Feb 6, 2017

When the Netflix arena of the Marvel Cinematic Universe made Mike Colter’s Luke Cage the eponymous centerpiece of a spinoff series this past fall, it was the long-awaited mainstream realization for a crucial African-American character whose 1972 Marvel comic book debut will soon mark its 45th anniversary. Consequently, the latest news that television fame will, indeed, result in a Luke Cage relaunch will not surprise anyone familiar with the relaunch-happy state of the comic book industry.

ComicBookResources reports that Marvel will relaunch Luke Cage in May with a new ongoing comic book series written by David Walker, who worked on the 2015 Power Man & Iron Fist reimagining, featuring the illustrations of Nelson Blake II, whose art was seen on the recent reinvention of Ms. Marvel and The Magdalena. The Luke Cage title from the Walker/Blake team will become a more balanced amalgam of the character’s classic comic book tropes with the elements that fans acquainted the Netflix series will recognize. As Walker tells CBR of the duality of being true to both the comics and the television show:

“It’s interesting now because you find yourself having to find that balance between the two. You certainly don’t want the fans who have just discovered this character to go into a comic book shop, pick up the comic, and go, “This is nothing like the show!” You don’t want to be exactly like the show or movie, though, because there’s a reason why there’s a movie or TV show, and there’s a reason why there’s a comic. I firmly believe that neither should be exactly the same otherwise it gets really boring.”

Luke Cage, also known as the tiara-sporting Power Man, has run the gamut in myriad reboots and relaunches, notably with his “Heroes for Hire” partnership with Iron Fist, marriage and parenthood with Jessica Jones and memberships in the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the Defenders. However, the new series will send Luke away from his Harlem home turf over to New Orleans to investigate the death of a man who was like a father to him – a basic premise that might ring familiar to fans of the Netflix series, though likely manifesting through a different character. However, besides avoiding straight fidelity in the show-inspired elements, Walker hints a different approach from Cage’s traditional comic book action, stating:

“I’m writing him as a little more mature, and I’m not going to say that the television show was a huge influence on me, but it did show me a lot of ideas and ways Luke could be handled; a lot of them were in conjunction with ideas I had been developing in the first place or had been thinking about. I really want to give the readers the best Luke possible, and I think that’s a Luke who does more than just fight all the time. I think the best superheroes are ones who aren’t just beating the crap out of something or someone.”

Of course, Mike Colter’s live-action television version of Luke will, again, exercise his influence soon enough when he joins Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and Finn Jones’s Iron Fist in a street-level Netflix television team-up rendition of The Defenders this summer. Indeed, Luke Cage – like most A-list comic heroes – tends to show up simultaneously in many places in the mythos, with appearances in the accompanying The Defenders comic and Black Panther & the Crew. Thus, Walker must maneuver on an especially perilous continuity tight rope, especially since the Netflix team-up will inevitably inspire more thematic comic changes. However, as Walker explains of his process:

“Half the time I don’t ask what’s going on in those other books because I’ll feel confused. What I do is write my stuff, I turn it in and I wait for editorial to go, ‘You can’t do this. Yes, you can do this. You might be able to do that.’ That’s how I begin to piece together what’s going on.”

Luke Cage won’t have to wait for a season-appropriate opportunity to say, “Sweet Christmas,” since his upcoming relaunch is headed to comic book stores sometime in May. Check out the cover for Issue #1 below!

X-Men: Supernova Might Go Into Production Next Summer

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Is X-Men 7 now called X-Men: Supernova? And is it shooting in 2017? Well...it looks that way.

NewsMike Cecchini
Feb 7, 2017

It's tough to keep track of just what's happening with the X-Men movies these days. After a November report that the franchise was looking for something of a reset after X-Men: Apocalypse got a lukewarm reception (and perhaps because the franchise's continuity is all but incomprehensible these days), it started to look increasingly likely that 20th Century Fox would focus on spinoffs like Deadpool 2 and New Mutants (the latter of which is going into production shortly in Montreal).

Production Weekly has a note listingX-Men: Supernova, a title we haven't heard before, as going into production in 2017. It's listed alongside New Mutants, so there's little chance these are the same movie. This almost lines up with an older report, too. In November of 2015 Le Journal de Montreal reported that Fox was planning an X-Men 7 shoot for 2017. Now, at the time, they reported that Bryan Singer will be back to direct yet another installment of the franchise, and that no longer appears to be the case.

Now, that title, "Supernova" could be just a working title or codename. But if it isn't, it does bring the cosmic side of the X-Men universe back to mind, and that's something that the franchise hasn't really touched yet. And with superhero movies becoming increasingly commonplace, it might be time for the X-Men movies to take things in a different direction, namely, to outer space. There's lots of opportunities there, but the biggest one was already teased in the most recent film.

My Entertainment World added some fuel to the fire with word that Supernova will start shooting in June. They also have a synopsis, which I'm a little skeptical of considering that 20th Century Fox hasn't even officially announced the movie yet:

Gathered together by Professor Charles Xavier to protect a world that fears and hates them, the X-Men had fought many battles, been on adventures that spanned galaxies, grappled enemies of limitless might, but none of this could prepare them for the most shocking struggle they would ever face. One of their own members, Jean Grey, has gained power beyond all comprehension, and that power has corrupted her absolutely! Now they must decide if the life of the woman they cherish is worth the existence of the entire universe!

It's no secret that fans weren't happy with how the Dark Phoenix story played out in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. And there were hints from the trailers on out in X-Men: Apocalypse that Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was already feeling the early effects of the cosmic Phoenix force. In the comic book version of the Dark Phoenix Saga, you know that Jean has passed the point of redemption when she uses a star to recharge her powers...a star that has inhabited planets in its solar system. You can imagine what the resulting "supernova" does.

We've argued at length that the best thing the franchise could do right now is do this story properly, ideally as more than one movie. You can read that article here.

But just to bring things back to this report about X-Men: Supernova...we still don't know if this is on the money or if there's some garbled information in there. The lack of a director is particularly concerning, unless Bryan Singer is keeping secrets from everybody. And with Hugh Jackman seeming to waffle from interview to interview about whether Loganis indeed his last outing as Wolverine, well, anything seems possible right now.

Meanwhile, Fox has a number of dates reserved for X-Men movies on its release calendar that haven't been claimed, including June 29 and November 2 2018 (unlikely for this), and February 14, 2019. 

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