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

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

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

Jump To: Season 1 Shirts // Season 2 Shirts // Season 3 Shirts // Season 4 Shirts // Season 5 ShirtsThe Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in The Boys Season 1Episode 7 – De La SoulPrime Video

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

Episode 8 – The Big XPrime Video

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

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in The Boys Season 2Episode 1 – Wu-Tang ClanPrime Video

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

Episode 2 – Boogie Down Productions Prime Video

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

Episode 3 – Public Enemy Prime Video

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

Episode 4 – NY Giants LovePrime Video

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

Episode 4 – Power to the People Prime Video

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

Episode 5 – Run-DMC Prime Video

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

Episode 6 and 8 – Black Fist Hoodie Prime Video

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

Episode 7 – Camouflage Yankees Prime Video

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

Episode 7 – Phife ForeverPrime Video

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

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in The Boys Season 3Episode 3 – N.W.A. Prime Video

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

Episode 4 – Ruff Ryders Prime Video

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

Episode 5 – Stop the ViolencePrime Video

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

Episode 6 – This Is America Prime Video

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

Episode 6 – The TNT Smile Time HourPrime Video

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

Episode 7 – Dark Man XPrime Video

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

Episode 8 – Snoop Dogg Prime Video

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

Episode 8 – 2Pac Prime Video

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

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in The Boys Season 4Episode 1 – GangStarrPrime Video

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

Episode 1 – EPMD Prime Video

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

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

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

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

Episode 2 – Eric B & Rakim Prime Video

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

Episode 2 – OutKastPrime Video

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

Episode 3 – MF DOOMPrime Video

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

Episode 4 – Big Pun Jasper Savage/Prime Video

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

Episode 5 – Big Pun (Again!)

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

Episode 5 – Fat Joe Prime Video

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

Episode 6 – The Notorious B.I.G.Prime Video

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

Episode 7 – Black SheepPrime Video

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

Episode 8 – Dead PrezPrime Video

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

The Best T-Shirts That Marvin “MM” Milk Wears in The Boys Season 5Episode 3 and 4 – Salt-N-Pepa Jasper Savage/Prime Video

MM starts off this final season wearing anything but hip-hop shirts for unfortunate reasons. The season opener finds him in a freedom camp where he’s forced to wear a sweatshirt with Homelander’s smug mug on it. And, after escaping, he ends up wearing a pretty cool Britney Spears shirt. But, episode three takes the Boys to a new homebase, and MM finds a Salt-N-Pepa shirt. The rap collective consisting of Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella dominated the ’80s and ’90s with songs like “Push It” and “Whatta Man.”

We also see him wearing this in episode 4 when everyone completely loses their s**t at Fort Harmony.

Episode 5 – Naughty By Nature

In episode five, the Boys are back at their homebase, which gives MM the opportunity to change into his Naughty By Nature shirt. It’s kind of shocking that he hadn’t worn a shirt from this collective yet. Like Salt-N-Pepa, this trio consists of two lyricists, Treach and Vin Rock, and a DJ, Kay Gee. Most people know them for their 1991 smash “O.P.P.”

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

Originally published July 8, 2022.

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

Every Spider-Man movie is a huge deal, but Sony and Marvel’s latest Peter Parker partnership is an especially important big-screen installment for the friendly neighborhood superhero. No one on Earth-616 knows who Peter is after Spider-Man: No Way Home. What will that mean for the beloved webbed slinger in Spider-Man: Brand New Day? The first three pages from Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s script show that overwhelming loneliness won’t just cause him emotional harm. It’s also going to take a physical toll on him. And that could mean we really are getting Man-Spider. Here’s the biggest reveal we found in Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s newly released script.

Entertainment Weekly shared the first three pages from the script for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The pages also include insightful annotations and notes from director Destin Daniel Cretton, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Director of Photography Brett Pawlak, and other department heads. There’s some very fun stuff in here, including news that the film will feature a new “Marvel Studios” title card sequence. This new opening will show all of the memories Peter no longer shares with his loved ones, disappearing him from them. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day script also reveals a big opening action sequence and how Spider-Man is adapting to no longer having access to Stark Tech. (It helps being a young genius with engineering and coding skills.) But the biggest focus is on Peter’s growing loneliness… and we feel like that’s gearing up to reveal something very important.

Annotated script pages from Spider-Man Brand New Day have been released

(https://t.co/602txvv5i5) pic.twitter.com/JtEQ1Cwhpw

— Spider-Man News (@SpiderMan_Newz) April 29, 2026

From following Ned and MJ on social media, to staring at momentos that remind him of the both, to re-reading the letter he didn’t send MJ nine months prior at the end of No Way Home, Holland’s Peter is a sad, lonely guy. He’s also clearly about to go through something. The most intriguing revelation from the Spider-Man: Brand New Day script pages comes almost immediately on page one. Here’s what the script says about what happens while he’s loading a web shooter (italics are as written in the screenplay):

Suddenly, he gets a small, sharp headache (our first inkling that living completely in the shadows is taking its toll on Peter — something is changing, and maybe not for the better…) Peter shakes it off, hoping it’s nothing.

Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures

The film’s trailers have hinted at Peter evolving, possibly even mutating. As we covered, they’ve also teased the possibility that the film could introduce Man-Spider. That would definitely qualify as Peter “changing,” a word important enough that the Spider-Man: Brand New Day script italicized it on page one.

We no longer have an “inkling” about how important this change will be. Whatever is going to happen to Peter physically is clearly going to play a huge, huge role in the film. It’s a major enough plot point that it’s arguably the first idea the Spider-Man: Brand New Day script develops. It’s going to be a big deal in a movie that is already a big deal.

We can’t wait to see the Spider-Man: Brand New Day script come to life. The Spidey movie releases on July 31, 2026.

The post The Biggest Reveal From SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’s Script Pages appeared first on Nerdist.

In the DC Comics universe, Lex Luthor is the world’s smartest man. Well, it might actually be Batman or Mister Terrific. But Lex Luthor is definitely somewhere in the top three when it comes to the world’s smartest people. But if he’s so brilliant that he’s amassed billions of dollars and become one of the world’s most powerful men, why can’t he figure out that Superman is really mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent? Well, DC Studios head and Man of Tomorrow director James Gunn tackled this question head-on recently on Threads. Here’s what he had to say:DC Studios

Lex doesn’t know who he is but I don’t know how he would. A) Lex thinks Superman is a disconnected alien who wants to take over the world, so I’m not sure why he’d assume he has a “secret identity.” B) Hypno Glasses are real. Clark looks like another person. C) Being a genius in some ways (in Lex’s case, genetics, electrochemistry, nanotechnology, nuclear & quantum physics, to name a few) doesn’t mean you are a genius in all fields. Like many scientists (& artists!) he can miss basic things.

All of this gels with the comics. No one suspects David Corenswet’s Clark is Superman, because no one knows Clark has a secret identity. Unlike Batman (or any other masked character), Superman shows his face to the world. So that means the average citizen of Metropolis has no idea that he’s anyone other than Kal-El of Krypton, sent to Earth to protect it. Most people think being Superman is enough of a full-time job in all likelihood. Also, as Gunn pointed out, the hypno-glasses actually work. As long as Clark is wearing them, people see anyone but Clark Kent. For all we know, to everyone else, Clark looks more like Justin Bieber.

In the comics, back in John Byrne’s ’80s Superman run, Luthor once had a computer program tell him that Superman was actually Clark Kent. But the CEO of LexCorp simply refused to believe it. He couldn’t conceive that someone as powerful as Superman would ever “lower” himself to live his life as an ordinary person. It went completely against how he would be if he had the powers of a god. We can imagine that the DCU version of Luthor has much the same mentality when it comes to his Superman. We can already picture Nicholas Hoult’s Lex having the biggest tantrum ever if and when he ever finds out.

The post James Gunn on Why Lex Luthor Can’t Tell Superman Is Clark appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys season five’s fifth episode ended as many of the show’s episodes do: with total bloody chaos. Soldier Boy and Homelander go to visit Mr. Marathon, a former Seven member who has info about V-One and Bombsight, and things go nuts from there. Wild comedian cameos, commentary about Homelander ruining America, a Supernatural actor reunion, and a lot of blood and flesh everywhere all culminate in one truly diabolical sequence. During our interview with Misha Collins, he revealed that there was a lot of improv while filming that particular The Boys scene.

“A lot of the portion of that scene, which was with the cast of celebrities, was a lot of improvisation that went into our filming,” said Collins, who played the gaseous supe Malchemical. “As is quite customary, we shot what was scripted. We managed to get that portion filmed as scripted. And then I think we probably spent twice as long filming additional footage that was improvised. There was more extensive riffing and improvising than we ever did on Supernatural, and we did it sitting around that table.”

Prime Video

While he was not totally sure how much came to the screen because he hadn’t seen the episode at the time of our chat, he felt admittedly a bit intimidated by it all. But, it was an overall blast for him, thankfully. “It went on for a very long time and it was a lot of fun,” Collins affirmed. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m sitting around at this table doing improv with Saturday Night Live guys. I’m out of my depth.’ But it was actually a lot of fun and I quite enjoyed that. So for me, that was the most memorable aspect.”

We were so happy to see Misha in The Boys and to have a scene reuniting him with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. And, when you add in all the one-liners and great jokes, its a sequence that will go down in infamy.

The post THE BOYS Brought Improv to Its Mr. Marathon Mansion Chaos appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been two years since The Acolyte premiered on Disney+ and was just as quickly canceled. The Star Wars series, set in the time of the High Republic, was divisive to say the least. Many fans loved the show’s “forbidden romance” energy between a former Jedi (Amandla Stenberg) and a Sith Lord (Manny Jacinto), while a vocal portion of the fanbase hated it before they ever saw a frame. The show got decent ratings to start, but fell off hard after that, and Lucasfilm quickly announced there wouldn’t be a season two. Despite fan outcry and petitions, Disney+ did not budge on The Acolyte’s cancellation. But now, it seems The Acolyte has had a resurgence in viewership, enough to make the Disney+ top ten series two years later. And, of course, The Acolyte fans are rallying for season two at the news.Lucasfilm

According to FlixPatrol (via Comic Book Resources), for the week ending April 22, The Acolyte returned to the Disney+ top ten series in the number nine position. Now, there’s one key factor here as to why. Currently, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is the top show on Disney+, and at the end of each episode, as the credits run, Disney+ suggests The Acolyte as a show you might enjoy to watch next. Clearly, some people are finally sampling the Star Wars series because of Maul’s popularity. But whatever the “why” is, they’re clearly watching enough for The Acolyte to climb into the Disney+ top 10 again.

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Does this mean we’re finally getting a second season of The Acolyte? Well, probably not. The show was very expensive, and the days of Disney+ giving movie budgets to streaming shows may be behind us. But even if we don’t get a direct continuation, there could be something that finishes the story of Osha and Qimir. There are still so many unanswered questions. What does Darth Plagueis have to do with everything? Will Qimir truly form the Knights of Ren? Fans want to know. Certainly, Maul has shown that animation is just as good a format for such a story as anything live-action. And it’s far more cost-effective. Why not deliver The Acolyte season two in the form of a Star Wars animated show?

If you’re still holding out hope for another season of The Acolyte in any form, it certainly can’t hurt to post #renewtheacolyte on social media.

The post THE ACOLYTE Hits Disney+ Top 10 as Fans Demand Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

Toy Story has been around to witness the passing of several generations of toys. The franchise’s latest endeavor thrusts Woody and company into the tech age. Woody, Buzz, and the gang are on high alert when a new threat makes its way to playtime: electronics. If that’s not enough to have you quaking in your boots, there’s another detail from the trailer that fans just can’t stop talking about. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. I’m talking about Woody’s bald spot. Evidently, being around for 30 years is starting to wear on the friendly cowboy. Tom Hanks hilariously sums up why Woody is going bald in Toy Story 5. Pixar

I don’t know what’s scarier: aging or iPad kids. When the official trailer for Toy Story 5 dropped earlier this year, people couldn’t help but notice the shiny patch on Woody’s head. I mean, how can you not? The trailer makes it pretty obvious. Tom Hanks, who famously voices the lovable toy, explains Woody’s sudden baldness.

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“He has been played with to excess,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “You put a rubber hat on top of a rubber head again and again and again and again, something’s gonna chafe. So, yeah, he does have… let’s say a worn area on the back of his head.”

Hanks isn’t wrong. Realistically, when a toy has been around for as long as Woody has, it’s bound to show some wear and tear. It’s a double entendre. The joke pokes fun at aging and going bald, but it’s also an accurate representation of what happens to toys over time. Another wholesome thing to think about is that the people who grew up with Toy Story have also aged since the first movie. Some of them might even be rocking the same hair that Woody is.

Pixar

Toy Story 5 introduces kids’ obsession with technology. When a new toy named Lilypad rolls into town, Jessie is afraid she’s losing Bonnie to the addictive device. The toys must stand together to take down the tech toy and win back Bonnie. Toy Story 5 hits theaters this summer.

The post Tom Hanks Explains Woody’s Baldness in TOY STORY 5 appeared first on Nerdist.

Misha Collins made his arrival in The Boys season five in delightfully chaotic and gross style. He was one third of a Supernatural actor reunion, joining the show’s mainstay Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) and Jared Padalecki (Mr. Marathon) for one wild scene at a mansion. In it, we discover that Misha Collins’ character Malchemical uses his powers in an attempt to dethrone Homelander because, well, he sucks and is ruining America. We caught up with Misha Collins to talk about this big reunion, his filming experience, and why he was so stoked to join The Boys in its final season. 

Nerdist: Fans have been waiting to see you reunite with your Supernatural co-stars Jensen and Jared for a while, and we finally got that in episode five! What was it like to reunite with them onscreen and collaborate once again?

Collins: It was very familiar in a lot of ways. We had Jared, Jensen, and I, and most of the scenes that I had, we were all there together. And Eric Kripke was on set and is the showrunner and creator of The Boys and Supernatural. And we had Phil Sgriccia there, who was our producer and director on Supernatural, and he’s a producer and director on The Boys. So there was a lot of familiarity to it and a lot of comfort, I think, in that. And yet it was a wildly different show with wildly different characters. And stepping into that also felt a little uncomfortable. So I think it was a funny dynamic of shaking off the familiar in order to do something new and was a lot of fun.

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Fort Harmony in THE BOYS, Explained: Its Ties to V-One and Vought

Indeed. And speaking of doing something kind of wildly different, your character Malchemical is a super with a weird power who has some great interactions with Homelander. What were your initial thoughts when you read about his powers and how he’d end up using them?

Collins: Well, I was quite gratified to learn that I was powerful enough to knock out Homelander. That felt like a big deal. And then my ego was brought back down to earth by the fact that Jensen so very quickly dispatches me. [laughs]  So I took the good with the bad. It was like, “Oh, I’m powerful. Oh, I guess I’m not that powerful.”

I wasn’t expecting you to get choked like that! Pretty much everyone else got ran through by Mr. Marathon and got to have bloody deaths. Were you a little jealous that you didn’t get that gross and full Boys death experience? 

Collins: I was deprived of the full Boys experience with my death! I’ll be honest with you. Yeah, I was a little disappointed by that.

Yeah, but it was such a great scene all around. What was filming that sequence with so many awesome actors and one-liners? 

Collins: A lot of the portion of that scene, which was with the cast of celebrities, was a lot of improvisation that went into our filming. As is quite customary, we shot what was scripted. We managed to get that portion filmed as scripted. And then I think we probably spent twice as long filming additional footage that was improvised. There was more extensive riffing and improvising than we ever did on Supernatural, and we did it sitting around that table.

It went on for a very long time and it was a lot of fun. And I was like, “Oh my God, I’m sitting around at this table doing improv with Saturday Night Live guys. I’m out of my depth.” But it was actually a lot of fun and I quite enjoyed that. So for me, that was the most memorable aspect.

Prime Video

I love that! Of course, you know Eric Kripke well and that was surely a factor, but what else made you want to be a part of The Boys, even for a small role? 

Collins: Well, there are two things that made me want to be a part of The Boys. One, my son loves the show and he has said repeatedly, “Dad, why aren’t you on The Boys? It’s Eric Kripke’s show! Why aren’t you on the show?” So that was one. I wanted to not disappoint my child. 

And two, the thing that I love most about The Boys is its satirical commentary on wealth and abuse of power and the notion that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And it’s not very subtle commentary on extreme right-wing political perspectives. I have been increasingly impressed by all of that. Eric Kripke, I think, has been a real champion and advocate of being clear-eyed about the current state of American political affairs. And I think that this show so successfully delving into those waters has been an important voice in the political landscape in America.

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THE BOYS’ Eric Kripke on Homelander’s Total Meltdown and The Deep’s Cybertruck

So I was excited about participating in something that is doing that storytelling and excited to lend my support to what Eric has been doing in that department. So those are the two reasons. Well, there’s a third reason. I actually just f**king liked the show. I have been waiting for each new season to come out with bated breath like, “Come on, when’s The Boys going to come out again?” It takes so long these days with these incredibly high production value, incredibly in- depth post-production schedules for new seasons to come out. It’s not like the old days where you expected everything to start airing in the beginning of September every year with only a three-month hiatus or whatever. 

Yeah, now it takes years for some shows to return! 

Collins: Right. It drives me crazy. So those are the three reasons. No, okay, fine! The fourth reason is I just wanted to be reunited with Eric and Phil and Jensen and Jared in filming something. So I guess I probably could come up with more reasons, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

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The Boys season five, episode five is a wild ride that takes us a little all over the place. We get a deeper look into the lives and minds of the Seven, like Firecracker and Black Noir, and even see the world through Terror the dog’s eyes. But, it is the last 20 minutes of The Boys episode five that turns into a blood-soaked fever dream with tons of celebrity cameos. 

Homelander and Soldier Boy managed to get a tidbit of information from Stan Edgar, whom they have in a prison cell. He tells them that there is someone who could know where Bombsight and V1 are located, so they end up in Hollywood. There, they arrive at the house of Mr. Marathon (played by Jared Padalecki), who was the Seven’s resident speedster until Homelander booted him for A-Train. Now, he’s a washed up actor but a very prolific drug dealer. Mr. Marathon has a few famous friends over, and we get some seriously fun celebrity cameos in The Boys. 

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His poker table includes Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Forte, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who are both a little stunned yet delighted to see Homelander and Soldier Boy show up randomly. But, before then, they chat among themselves name drop a lot of celebrities who were taken to freedom camps, including Benedict Wong, Meryl Streep, and Macaulay Culkin. Seth tells Misha Collins’ character Malchemical (more on him in a second) to get his fellow supes in check, but he says he’s not with the Homelander program.

They all are against the fascism going on and say they will do a post together on IG to fight back against what’s going on. But Homelander’s arrival changes their tune because, well, they don’t wanna be killed. After sucking up to Homelander (which he hates) and a lot of fun banter, things end up escalating to a deadly level. 

Misha Collins Is Malchemical, A Supe With Gaseous Breath in The Boys 

This chaos is thanks to Mr. Marathon and Misha Collins’ character Malchemical, a supe who emits a green gas from his mouth. He apparently worked with Homelander on a project before, but Homelander doesn’t remember him. While Mr. Marathon claims that he will have Bombsight come over to meet them, he has an ulterior motive with Malchemical. Homelander is over waiting and all the foolishness of the actors, and starts to leave. However, Malchemical steps in front of Homelander and blows his gaseous breath in his face. It doesn’t kill him, of course, but it is enough to knock him out cold. 

Prime Video

The comedians are genuinely shocked, but Mr. Marathon explains to Soldier Boy that he wants Homelander to go away. Marathon and Malchemical bring up Homelander’s weird church and how it is getting all the cool people, like drug dealers and sex workers, arrested. They want Soldier Boy to blast Homelander and take away his powers, which actually isn’t a bad idea. Soldier Boy decides to not do this, saying that Homelander is his asexual weirdo, and promptly chokes Malchemical to death. Marathon tries to fight him, but he’s not a match for Soldier Boy. 

The Boys Brings Comedians for Cameos and Kills Them Off in Style 

Soldier Boy uses Will Forte and Craig Robinson, who comes out of the bathroom after eating one too many tacos, as human shields to block Marathon. Like A-Train did with Hughie’s girlfriend in the very first episode of The Boys, Marathon runs through them and turns them into piles of meat. The same happens to Kumail and Christopher.

And, when Soldier Boy catches Marathon, he breaks all of his legs to get Bombsight’s information out of him. Homelander awakens and arrives to stomp on Marathon’s head. The duo leave carnage all over the place and head off to the next part of their father-son trip. It was a ton of fun to see them all appear, even if it was short-lived. We can’t wait to see how Vought will spin this latest bloody adventure.

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The Boys episode five is a pure delight for Supernatural fans. The Prime Video series started bringing together names from the long-running CW series a while ago with the arrival of Jeffrey Dean Morgan in season four. And, of course, Eric Kripke is the man behind both Supernatural and The Boys. Kripke sent Supernatural fans into many joyful spirals after announcing that Misha Collins and Jared Padalecki would both appear in The Boys season five. Collins played the angel Castiel in Supernatural while Padalecki was Sam Winchester. This finally happens in episode five of The Boys, which includes a scene with Jensen Ackles (aka Dean Winchester), Padalecki, and Collins having the wildest conversation ever and delivering a Supernatural moment. 

Prime Video

Ackles’ Soldier Boy and Homelander head to Hollywood after getting a tip from Stan Edgar. He sends them to see Padalecki’s Mr. Marathon, a speedster supe who was once in the Seven. Marathon is obviously salty after losing his place to a faster A-Train some years ago. They ask him where Bombsight is and he says he will have him come over. In the meantime, Marathon’s celebrity friends, including Seth Rogan, are at his house hanging out. One of his friends is Misha Collins’ Malchemical, who worked on a project with Homelander years ago. He’s a supe who emits gas out of his mouth, a power that grosses out Homelander, who doesn’t remember ever meeting him. 

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After sticking around for a while, Homelander gets impatient and decides to leave. But, on his way out, Malchemical steps in front of him (at the urging of Marathon) and breathes into his face. It doesn’t kill Homelander but it knocks him out cold. Then, we get a scene in The Boys that’s total fanservice (in the best way) for Supernatural lovers. Collins, Ackles, and Padalecki are all together to have one wild conversation. Soldier Boy is upset and wants to know what’s going on.

Prime Video

Marathon and Malchemical tell him that Homelander is ruining America with his weird religious stances and freedom camps that are taking all the cool people off the streets. They ask Soldier Boy to hit Homelander with a blast that will leave him powerless so things will no longer be a fascist nightmare. And, they say that Soldier Boy can be the leader of the Seven with Homelander out of the way. Honestly, those guys are making salient points, even though they both seem to be douchebags. Soldier Boy says the only person that will f**k Homelander over is him, and he grabs Malchemical by the neck, choking him. It is a shame to see Dean do that to Castiel, who truly loved him and brought him back from Hell. But, to be fair, Castiel did choke Dean before so it feels like revenge.

Bloody chaos ensues that ultimately ends with Soldier Boy beating Marathon to a pulp and breaking his legs to get information. Watching Sam and Dean go at it was quite thrilling and it all had the perfect tone of The Boys brand of chaos. Homelander wakes up from his slumber and stomps Marathon’s head in. That moment is the closing curtain on The Boys and this brilliant Supernatural reunion.

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The final season of The Boys was bound to come with some major deaths. We lost A-Train in season five’s very first episode, a move that shocked the fandom. We all assumed he would play a significant role in the impending final battle against Homelander. Since then, we’ve been holding our breaths and hoping that we don’t lose any of our Boys collective nor anyone who is on their side. In The Boys episode five, we do get a major character death but it is Firecracker, the conservative and America-loving supe from the Seven.

Prime Video

Firecracker has used her social platform and her show The Truth Bomb to spread the lies of Vought and Homelander for quite some time. Now she’s been spreading the word that Homelander is the Messiah, even though she truly does not believe that to be true. We’ve learned a lot about her over the years, from her early pageant days where Starlight ruined her chances at success to her hyper conservative beliefs. She’s certainly not a good person by any stretch of the imagination, and has a history of sexual abuse of a minor. 

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Firecracker has aided Homelander in covering up some nasty things and brainwashing a large portion of Americans to hate Starlight and her supporters. And now her nasty deeds have finally caught up with her in episode five. She’s in a meeting with the Seven, Ashley, and Oh-Father when she gets a phone call from an unknown number tied to the Daytona Beach, Florida area.

That’s her hometown and her face goes pale at the sight of it. She ends up meeting with the person behind that phone call, the reverend from her childhood church. He said that a supe came in and destroyed his church and Firecracker said he needs to align himself under Homelander’s reign. The pastor calls her by her name, Misty, and tells her that she doesn’t have to go along with this “Homelander is God” stuff because it is wrong. 

When asked to drag her church on television, she agrees to do it. She nearly changes her mind live, clearly feeling conflict, but goes along with it with a plastered smile. A tear rolls down her cheek as she sits with wide eyes. Later on, Firecracker is in bed with Soldier Boy, and wonders aloud if Homelander will give her former pastor a break.

Jasper Savage/Prime Video

It seems that Firecracker is trying to delay Homelander’s righteous plans, which Oh-Father catches onto after she claims there are publishing delays with the Homelander version of the Bible. He doesn’t mention this to Homelander but Soldier Boy does mention Firecracker’s “pillow talk” to spark doubt in Homelander’s mind. Until then, he seemed to trust her explicitly but things come to a head at the end of the episode. 

Homelander comes into her apartment and confronts her about sleeping with Soldier Boy, specifically talking about inner turmoil about Homelander and Jesus. He tells her to leave but she says she’s the only one who truly loves him for him. She says she loves him and tries to reassure him, but Homelander is too far gone.

He slams Firecracker’s temple into the wing of a statue and kills her before strolling out of the room. Seeing her body half-limp and half-hanging and her eyes shifting from side to side is chilling. But, it is what she deserves, although we do love Valorie Curry in this role. If heaven exists, we don’t think that Firecracker is going to make it there after her death in The Boys. 

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Jared Padalecki finally makes his arrival in The Boys season five, and it was as chaotically delightful as we’d imagine. Fans have been waiting to see him onscreen with Jensen Ackles to bring the Winchester brothers together again in a different universe. We’d gotten small tidbits about Mr. Marathon, the speedster character that Jared Padalecki plays in The Boys, but it wasn’t clear what his role would be. Could he help the Boys like our recently departed A-Train? Or would he be an antagonist on Homelander’s side? Who is Mr. Marathon in The Boys and how does Jared Padalecki’s character show up? It turns out he’s not on anyone’s side in particular. 

Prime Video

Soldier Boy and Homelander press Stan Edgar, who is locked up at Vought, for information. He genuinely doesn’t know where any V-One is or where Bombsight, who may have it, is at. But he says that there’s someone who could give them more answers. That person is Marathon, a former member of the Seven who lives in Hollywood. He lost his place in the collective when Homelander replaced him with a faster A-Train. It’s a pain point that he brings up when Soldier Boy and A-Train show up at his mansion but he agrees to have Bombsight come over. However, Marathon has an agenda of his own. 

He teams up with another supe, Malchemical (played by another Supernatural alum Misha Collins) to temporarily knock Homelander out. Malchemical uses his powers of gaseous breath to do so, which initially angers Soldier Boy. We see Sam and Dean, ummmm, we mean Soldier Boy and Marathon have a conversation along with Malchemical about why they did this.

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They are upset that Homelander’s freedom camps and weird religious stances are locking up all the cool people, like drug dealers and sex workers. Marathon and Malchemical want Soldier Boy to blast Homelander and take away his powers so he can no longer ruin America. Honestly, I dig the thought process.

However, Soldier Boy is not with it, and he quickly dispatches Malchemical. After a lot of bloody chaos involving Marathon accidentally running through a host of his comedian friends, Soldier Boy ends up beat him down to get information. Marathon dies when Homelander stomps his head in after waking up, ending all the fun like he always does. Well darn. Jared Padalecki’s time on The Boys as Marathon was more like a sprint, but we loved to see him all the same.

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The Boys gave fans a big Supernatural reunion in its fifth and final season. Prior to episode five’s release, Eric Kripke teased a bit about who Jared Padalecki would play, saying that he’s a speedster supe who is also a jerk. But, outside of saying that he’s a “douchebag,” we really didn’t get much information on who Misha Collins would be in The Boys.

We figured he would do more than just show up as himself in a cameo, although that would have been funny. Imagine if Supernatural exists in this world and Dean Winchester looks an awful like Soldier Boy. Well, we finally found out the truth about Collins’ character in The Boys, and it all leads to one funny and chaotic scene. 

Prime Video

Homelander and Soldier Boy make their way to Hollywood to see Padalecki’s character Mr. Marathon. According to Stan Edgar, this guy knows something about V1 and the possible whereabouts of Bombsight, who apparently has some. Homelander is not at all thrilled about this considering Mr. Marathon used to be in the Seven until he replaced him with Homelander. At the Marathon mansion, we meet a few celebrity comedians, like Kumail Nanjiani and Seth Rogan, as well as Misha Collins’ character. 

We soon learn that Collins is playing a supe named Malchemical, who emits a pretty foul and potentially deadly gas from his mouth. He even quips to Homelander about being in a Gas-X commercial and asks Homelander if he remembers him, to which Homelander predictably says no. After some fooling around, drug snorting, and such, Homelander wants to leave but Malchemical and Mr. Marathon have other plans. 

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Malchemical uses his breath to knock Homelander out, and reveals that he and Mr. Marathon both want Homelander to be dead or at least powerless. They ask Soldier Boy to blast him in hopes that the world can go back to normal because, well, Homelander is locking up all the cool people and turning America into a fascist hell. Soldier Boy doesn’t do this and instead chokes Malchemical to death. Welp! 

Misha Collins may not have had a long time onscreen in The Boys, but he certainly made his time count as the supe Malchemical. Sadly he will never get to see America return back to debauchery and good vibes.

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Just like Matt Murdock going fisticuffs with Wilson Fisk, Daredevil: Born Again season two has been pulling no punches. Only two episodes after the surprisingly tragic and moving death of Vanessa Fisk, the Marvel Studios series has delivered yet another shocking departure of a main character. Whether it’s tragic or not, I’ll leave that to you to decide. In either case, with just one episode left, the battle between vigilantes and corrupt mayoral thugs hits another tipping point.

Marvel Television

Episode seven finally forced Fisk’s protege and media specialist, Daniel Black (Michael Gandolfini), to pick a side. Most of this season has dealt with Daniel’s maybe-more-than-friendship with BB Urich (Genneya Walton), the journalist who has reported unfavorably on Fisk. He knows she’s behind the pirate broadcasts but hasn’t wanted to face that. Unfortunately, just as BB herself had decided to choose Daniel over reporting on the latest scandal, Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) sends Daniel the truth. Not only does Daniel know what BB’s been doing, now Cashman knows.

So what’s Daniel to do? After fearing for his own life only a few episodes ago—with Cashman instead making him bury a dead witness—Daniel has another big decision: Allow Buck to kill BB or not. Buck wants Daniel to bring BB to a specific location and he’ll handle the rest. Under the guise of getting her to safety, at first it looks like Daniel will do just that. But at the last moment, he has a crisis of conscience and tells her to go.

Marvel Television

Now, what I find really interesting here is that I don’t know that Daniel’s refusal to allow BB to die has anything to do with him finding what the mayor’s office is doing objectionable. It’s not like he ever seemed to care if Fisk did illegal things. He was a true believer all the way through. But when it came to BB, he couldn’t do it. I doubt the two of them really could have lasted, given her predilection toward muckraking. Still, it’s interesting to me that Daniel did the right thing for once, just not for any greater good.

That said, Daniel at least takes it like a champ. He walks into the location to a confused Buck Cashman and defiantly says BB isn’t coming. Cashman then begins beating him mercilessly, trying to force him to give up BB’s location. He never budges. For a half a second it seemed like Buck might not kill Daniel after all. Perhaps he saw he error of his own ways. But no, with a final shot from his pistol, Buck kills Daniel.

When Buck later tells Fisk that it was Daniel, not BB, who died in that apartment, the mayor seems both surprised and legitimately saddened. Not sad enough to do anything else, but for Fisk, showing feeling toward someone not Vanessa is plenty.

Marvel Television

I was never the biggest Daniel Blake fan. I always found his bootlicking more annoying than anything else. But I really appreciate this final arc with the character. He’s yet another flunky who falls under the Wilson Fisk bootheel, another casualty of the man’s egomania. That egomania will surely only get worse in next week’s finale to Daredevil: Born Again.

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

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Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, book adaptations seem to be incessant in the box office. Within the past two years, It Ends With Us, Regretting You, and Reminders of Him have all received big screen treatment. Verity is the latest to join the growing list of Colleen Hoover page-to-screen adaptations. Amazon MGM reveals on Tuesday, April 28 a first look at the upcoming psychological thriller. Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway play creepy mind games in the teaser trailer for Verity.

I have to admit that Verity appears far creepier than that of its three predecessors. Less romance, more psychological warfare. Johnson stars as Lowen Ashleigh, a writer who is hired to ghostwrite for best-selling author Verity Crawford (Hathaway.) Verity is unable to complete her series due to an accident. The impromptu living arrangement spirals into a nightmare as Lowen uncovers dark secrets about Verity’s past. Simultaneously, Lowen develops feelings for Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett.)

The teaser begins with Lowen tip-toeing through the halls late at night. She passes Verity, who appears to be sleeping in her bed. Lowen then shifts her focus to Jeremy, who’s watching TV on the couch. She climbs over him and the two begin kissing; however, when Lowen pulls away, it’s not Jeremy at all. It’s Verity. As a warning, Verity bites Lowen’s lip hard enough to draw blood. She leaves us with a creepy, bloody smile. I have an inkling that this scene may be a stress-induced dream rather than something that actually happened. Whether or not that’s the case, we’ll have to wait and see.

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Between Verity and Mother Mary, Hathaway is going dark this year. That’s after she struts off the runway for The Devil Wears Prada 2. Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, Verity is directed by Michael Showalter and distributed by Amazon MGM.

Amazon MGM

Hoover’s last on-screen adaptation, Reminders of Him, did fairly well in the box office. The romantic drama stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers as tortured lovers. Between flashing images and an eerily disturbing score, Verity exudes an entirely different vibe. See the mind games unfold when the movie hits theaters on October 2, 2026.

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We already know that Avengers: Doomsday has one of the most stacked casts in superhero movie history. Remember all the chairs last year? At last count, it was 29 cast members. That’s a lot. But now we know other MCU characters are joining this film, who were not announced last year. One of them is Kathryn Newton as Ant-Man’s daughter Cassie Lang, who recently revealed she was in the film as well. And now, it appears Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, played once again by Iman Vellani, will join her.

Via ScreenRant, we’ve learned Andy Serkis (who we’re pretty sure won’t appear in the film) accidentally revealed during an interview with CinemaHub with Iman Vellani that she would actually appear in Doomsday. During the interview, Serkis told Vellani, “I’m excited to see you in Doomsday.” As soon as he said that, Vellani immediately said to Serkis, “No, you can’t say that.” That pretty much confirms to us that Ms. Marvel will be part of the action, at least in some capacity. With Cassie Lang as part of the cast, is this our first confirmation that the Young Avengers/Champions are in the film? It certainly seems that way.

Marvel Studios

Kevin Feige really can’t get mad at Iman Vellani this time, as it was Andy Serkis who spilled the beans. Oh well, it’s not like his Black Panther character, Ulysses Klaue, was ever coming back. If we’re getting a Young Avengers element in Doomsday, who else might join Ms. Marvel and Cassie Lang? There’s Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Billy Kaplan (Joe Locke), his (currently uncast) brother Tommy/Speed, and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). That right there is enough for a core Young Avengers roster. If these characters are indeed in Doomsday, then we could see a second big cast announcement soon, perhaps around Comic-Con time in July. Honestly, we’re still crossing our fingers for X-Men like Storm and Jean Grey. Can that announcement happen now, please?

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Netflix didn’t say goodbye to Stranger Things with the show’s series finale. It already had its first (of two) spinoffs in development when Hawkins’ heroes bid farewell. The animated Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 let them have more spooky adventures in their haunted town. And the creepy fun isn’t ending anytime soon. Netflix has announced it has already renewed Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 for a second season.Netflix

If you love watching smart capable kids battle monsters in their otherwise sleepy town, Netflix really loves you. The streaming service is continuing the story in Hawkins with another season of Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85. Netflix has even provided a synopsis for the second season, though it’s obviously a partial spoiler for those who have yet to watch. We warned you like we’re an overconfident Vecna!

After uncovering a fearsome mystery at the end of Season 1, Eleven (voiced by Brooklyn Davey Norstedt), Mike (Luca Diaz), Will (Benjamin Plessala), Dustin (Braxton Quinney), Lucas (Elisha “EJ” Williams), Max (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), and Nikki (Odessa A’zion) will take on another perilous threat when new episodes head to Netflix this fall. 

Netflix

“Working on Season 1 has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Now that it’s out in the world, seeing fans connect with these characters—whether they’ve loved them for years or are just meeting them for the first time—has been truly special,” said showrunner, Eric Robles in a statement. “I’m excited to continue the journey. We’re thrilled to return to the winter of ’85 for season two. The Hawkins Investigators Club is back, and a new paranormal threat has emerged from the town’s abandoned silver mines. I can’t wait for fans to discover where this entity and the mysterious blue flower we last saw blooming in the Upside Down at the end of Season 1 take our young heroes.”

Robles also serves as an executive producer alongside the Duffer Brothers, Hilary Leavitt, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen. The show also stars Brett Gipson as Hopper, Jeremy Jordan as Steve, Janeane Garofalo as Anna, and Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel.

How many more seasons might the show run after season two? We’re not sure about that. But we have a feeling, one way or another, we have many more years left to hang out in Hawkins.

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Summer is almost here. When it arrives it will (hopefully) bring with it great weather, lots of BBQs, and some much needed rest and relaxation. But when the sun gets high in the sky we’re always faced with the same problem: how can nerds like us look good without overheating? This year we don’t have to worry, because RSVLTS will once again let us show off our stylish geeky side with its new Star Wars May the 4th and Disney Mickey Resort collections.RSVLTS

Heading to the Mouse House this year or just want to show off your devotion to Mickey at a pool party? Trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to the premiere of The Mandalorian and Grogu? Just want to look good while wearing short sleeves and shorts (harder than it sounds!)? RSVTLS has about a galaxy worth of options for every situation this summer. That includes a Death Stat-sized worth of options from its new May the 4th lineup.

The newest editions to the company’s Star Wars collection features button up shirts, polos, t-shirts, shorts, golf (a.k.a. Breakfast Balls) apparel and accessories, quarter zips, and even some outerwear for those chilly summer nights.

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The set has something for every era. It includes pieces that celebrate the Empire, the prequels, The Clone Wars, the Rebel Alliance, soon-to-be movie stars Din Djarin and his little green buddy, Sabine Wren, holochess(!), Tatooine, and Mandalorians.

Most also come available in mens, women, youth, and preschooler sizes, that way you can outfit your whole Star Wars-loving family.

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Gonna be honest: I would wear every single piece in this collection. I also think I’d look especially great in the matching shirt and shorts combos. If you agree please tell my wife. If you disagree please don’t share your thoughts with her.

The same goes for the matching sets, which I’m sure I can totally pull off, in RSVLT’s new Disney Mickey Resort collection. This line really embraces the R&R spirit of a summer vacation. These colorful, playful pieces wouldn’t look out of place on a boat, at a nice seafood dinner, hanging out by the lake, or at a July 4th party.

RSVLTS

The lineup includes KUNUFLEX shirts, hybrid shorts, polos, a hat, and a dog bandana for the Pluto in your life. Like with the May the 4th collection, almost every style comes in men, women, youth, and preschool styles and sizes.

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Summer is the best, but looking your best in the summer is not always easy. Or at least, that’s true most years. This year is not one of them.

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It’s going to be an arachnid summer, as both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Spider-Noir are arriving at around the same time. While both projects focus on very different versions of Spidey, we have a feeling (a Spidey sense?) that both may draw inspiration from a classic Marvel Comics storyline. One that centered on a terrifying mutation of Peter Parker, known as the “Man-Spider.” But what clues exist in both trailers that suggest they’re both going into Man-Spider territory? First, we’ll explore what the Man-Spider even is, and his comic book origins. Sony Television/Prime Video/Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios

The origins of what fans refer to as the Man-Spider started all the way back in The Amazing Spider-Man #101-102, by Stan Lee and Gil Kane. This 1971 storyline introduced Morbius, the Living Vampire, but also introduced the “Six-Armed Spider-Man.” In these two issues, Peter Parker creates a serum to remove his spider powers. He does so after a string of personal losses, which he blames his superhero identity for. Instead, the serum augmented his mutated genes, and Peter grew four more arms. Now, with six arms and two legs, he had eight limbs, just like a real arachnid. This gruesome mutation didn’t last long, but it served as inspiration for a string of episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series that many ’90s kids will remember.

Marvel Comics

In the second season of Spider-Man: The Animated Series from 1995, the season-long story gave us an even more gruesome version of the Six-Armed Spider-Man, who mutates into something worse than the comics ever did. In the series, the mutations happen as a result of the radioactive spider bite that initially gave Peter his powers. Since those early years, the spider mutation evolved, giving Peter four extra arms. But it didn’t stop there, as eventually, Spider-Man became a feral “Man-Spider,” becoming more animal than human. This new mutated version of Peter had even more enhanced strength, and could spit venom. But he also lost his human intelligence. Eventually, throughout this “Neogenic Nightmare” storyline, Spider-Man came into contact with the Punisher, the X-Men, and others.

Marvel

In the trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we see that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is changing at a biological level. At one point, he wakes up in a web cocoon of his own making. This is webbing that comes from his body, not from his artificial web shooters. In the “Neogenic Nightmare” storyline, Peter evolving into shooting his own organic webbing was part of the change. This is something Sam Raimi later adopted for his original Spider-Man movie.

Sony/Marvel Studios

In the Brand New Day trailer, we even see that Peter Parker goes to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for help. This is similar to how he sought the scientific aid of the X-Men and others in the ’90s cartoon. We would not be shocked if he fully transforms into Man-Spider, and the Punisher must help stop him, just as in the animated series. Punisher and the X-Men were a big part of the animated storyline, and Punisher (and likely Jean Grey?) are in the film. It feels like Man-Spider might be right around the corner on the big screen.

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And now, in the newest trailer for Spider-Noir, we also have a hint of the Man-Spider. We see a mutated human in the trailer, with six eyes just like an arachnid. This mutated arachnid person bites Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage) at one point. We have to assume this is long after Ben gets his powers. So maybe this mutated being gives Ben Reilly a further mutation, and he becomes Man-Spider as well? It’s too early to tell, but maybe we’ll get two variations of this classic comic story in two different formats. This story gave serious horror vibes to Spidey, which is why it remains so beloved by fans. We’ll find out soon when Spider-Noir hits Prime Video and Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31, and Spider-Noir drops on Prime Video on May 27.

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It’s almost time to check into our favorite gossipy hotel once more. The White Lotus will soon return for season four, and this time, it’s more meta than ever, as the TV series takes on one of the biggest moments in the entertainment world, the Cannes Film Festival. There’s no doubt that among the glittering stars in their expensive fashions, there’s a lot of dirty laundry to unpack, dramas to play out, and hopes and dreams to shatter… And no one does it quite like The White Lotus. The White Lotus also revealed that season four has begun filming and confirmed its typically star-studded cast… Although this time, there appeared to be some drama behind the scenes as well as in the narrative. But our biggest question remains: Will Survivor‘s Ozzy Lusth get his White Lotus cameo? Come on, Mike White, you know you want to! Here’s what we know about The White Lotus season four so far.

White Lotus Season 4’s Cast Marvel/Paramount Pictures/ABC

This season’s cast of characters was meant to include Helena Bonham Carter, Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, Kumail Nanjiani, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz. Additional cast includes Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet.

Lucasfilm

But… just a few days into filming, Helena Bonham Carter suddenly exited White Lotus season four. HBO shared in a statement, “With filming just underway on season four of ‘The White Lotus,’ it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set.” Le gasp. Sounds like there’s some tea worthy of White Lotus to unpack there. Mike White does seem to like to spill the gossip, though, so we may very well find out at some point.

In the meantime, though, a new leading lady has been flown into the fourth season of the series. Laura Dern will replace Helena Bonham Carter on The White Lotus season four. Variety shares, “Dern is not taking over the exact role Bonham Carter was to play, however. Instead, she is playing a new character developed by series mastermind Mike White.”

Where Will The White Lotus Season 4 Take Place?

A new release about The White Lotus season four shares, “The Emmy-winning HBO Original series THE WHITE LOTUS, from Mike White, has begun filming on the French Riviera. The season will film in Cannes, St. Tropez, and Monaco. Filming will also take place in Paris, though the story will remain along the Côte d’Azur.”

HBO

The logline for The White Lotus season four lets us know a little bit more about what’s in store for us: “he fourth season will follow a new group of White Lotus hotel guests and employees over the span of a week, taking place during the Cannes Film Festival.” Basically, what we could have expected from The White Lotus, but we do love this season four twist that takes us to Cannes. The White Lotus has always been great about incorporating real-world energy into its heightened fiction. But anchoring this new chapter in an actual event we all know will take it to the next level.

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Of course, we’ll be curious to see how Mike White’s Survivor 50 outing shifts the narrative. He was blindsided by people he considered to be close friends on the show. (But not Ozzy, Mike White, not Ozzy.) And while The White Lotus‘ tales always include some backstabbing and lies, perhaps the tone will be more cutting than ever. As a person currently watching Survivor with great enthusiasm, I know I’ll be curious to see if there’s even MORE meta-drama within the meta-drama. And if there’s anyone who might just deliver on that, it’s Mike White.

CBS

But, as we said, on a sweeter note, we would like for Mike White to make the dreams of Survivor‘s Ozzy come true and give him that cameo he’s been hoping for, unrepentantly. Hey, you have to go after what you want in this life. And we feel like he’s earned it. We’d certainly be excited to see Ozzy pop up on The White Lotus in season four and would cheer. So many dreams to make come true, Mike White.

The White Lotus season four is now filming. Hopefully, we’ll get to see it sooner rather than later.

The post THE WHITE LOTUS Season 4 Casts Laura Dern After Sudden Helena Bonham Carter Departure appeared first on Nerdist.

San Diego Comic Con 2024 cemented itself as one of the event’s most memorable installments the moment the MCU’s new Victor Von Doom unmasked himself. That’s when we all learned Robert Downey, Jr. is playing the iconic comic book character. No one expected the franchise’s first big screen hero to return as one of Marvel’s greatest villains. So who had the idea to bring RDJ back as Doctor Doom? Turns out it was the man in charge of the entire MCU, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. Yes, Feige himself has wanted Downey as Doctor Doom for some time. But he’s not responsible for another big return that is also taking place. Downey helped talked Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo into also coming back.Marvel Studios

During an appearance with Omelete (which we first heard about at Deadline), the Russo brothers provided some insight into how one of Hollywood’s most shocking casting decisions happened. Joe Russo said, “That was Kevin [Feige].” Turns out the MCU’s head honcho never stopped thinking about a possible “what if” from 2005’s Fantastic Four. RDJ was considered for the role of Doctor Doom in that film. While fans have known about the sliding doors superhero moment, Kevin Feige decided to open it when given the chance.

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The Russos also said “that conversation” about the former Iron Man as Doctor Doom “was had a while ago.” Feige was apparently thinking about “Victor Von Downey” longer than anyone knew.

Despite Downey’s stunning casting, the Russos claim they weren’t onboard with their own MCU return initially. (We say “claim” because they always said they’d only return for Secret Wars.) How did they end up agreeing to helm both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars? “Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said ‘no.’ We just didn’t have a story,” the brothers said. “We didn’t have a way in.” That lack of an “in” made them “resistant for a while.”

They say that changed when their “key” collaborator Steve McFeely came up with “a really powerful story.” It’s one they said “has to be told.” While they refused to say what that exact story is, we should expect it to center Downey’s villain the way the Russos Infinity War centered Thanos. “We love villains who think they’re the hero of their own stories,” said Joe Russo. “That’s when they become three dimensional and they become more interesting. And when you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a well shaped, three-dimensional character for the audience.”

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. himself shared some thoughts on why he returned for Doom, offering at the 1:13:08 mark:

And so, again, what he really did was say, I want to go I want to cast against type supposedly because I know that Downy’s as much a Strauss as he is a Tony Stark or whatever. So really what it is too is sometimes the universe has this larger perspective and someone says, ‘Hey, guess what? I think you can do this thing that people have never seen you do very well and I’m and I’m betting on it.’ And then you go, ‘Oh s**t.’ So then there’s that sense of obligation can be the mother of deformity. But I think also appreciation for validation is demonstrated in perspiration. So I worked my ass off to make sure that I was so prepared. Sydney Lumett would have been happy exactly with the way I showed up to set.

Now I’m dipping my toe back in there but I honestly feel like I’ve I don’t want to say I’ve earned the the right to be able to be granted access where no actor for hire has been. But I’ve always had this thing where I’m kind of, even in Chaplain it was about he transitioned from the silent era to talkies or did he? Because really it was but it was all to make The Great Dictator which was possibly the most important statement of his entire artistic career. And now having played Tony Stark for all those years, I’m coming back into Marvel again. Without Lewis Strauss and without Nolan’s endorsement, it wouldn’t make as much sense to say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to hit that button again, but now I’m going to do it in this genre.’ But really, what’s interesting to me is digging into what happens backstage at the world, not being afraid of scale.”

Well, we guess that if the MCU had to cast Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU for the second time, it may as well be for a totally different role that’s lived rent-free for him in the minds of its makers. We’ll see how it all plays out when Avengers: Doomsday releases on December 18, 2026.

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Originally Published on March 24, 2025.

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