This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. In the MCU, the first superhero is effectively Iron Man. Sure, Nick Fury tells him he isn’t the first at the end of the 2008 movie, and we know that Captain Marvel, the Eternals, and others predate him. But for all intents and purposes, it starts with Tony Stark. In Marvel Comics, however, it starts with the Human Torch, a flaming android who appears on the cover of 1939’s Marvel Comics #1. Now the MCU has finally caught up, with the Human Torch officially debuting in the latest episode of…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. Thus far, VisionQuest has been a good show, but definitely a flawed one. Its strongest asset has been its compelling cast, actors who would be captivating on screen no matter what they’re doing. Even better, the sludgy CGI environments that plagued the first two episodes have been replaced with compelling and visually striking compositions, giving those actors interesting spaces to inhabit. But the central mystery of the Butcherbird Killer has not been captivating, making the whole thing play like an acting exercise, albeit with excellent performers. With the mystery set…

It’s no secret that anime is the one medium Hollywood has struggled to adapt to live action. While we love series like Bleach or Dragon Ball Z for their hyperkinetic action and unique stories, translating that energy to the 3D world often leads to disaster – the less said about Dragonball Evolution and the Scarlett Johansson-led Ghost in the Shell, the better. Now the tide might be turning, thanks to Destin Daniel Cretton’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Naruto. For starters, Naruto has a plot that’s fairly easy to grasp. Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki seeks to become the strongest ninja in the…

Among the many titles being displayed at Tokyo Game Show 2026, one of the most consistently popular the entire weekend came from Smilegate, a South Korean studio specializing in mobile and PC games. The most fun that I had with any of the mobile games unveiled by Smilegate at this year’s show was Dead Account: Two Blue Flames, a top-down roguelite actioner with strong deck-building and character collection gameplay mechanics. After playing an extended preview of the game, I interviewed the creative team over email following the show. “This was the first time we’d opened the game up to general…

Marvel Studios is pulling out all the stops for its upcoming X-Men reboot, including tapping Jake Schreier — who handed the MCU one of its best movies in Thunderbolts* — as director and wrangling an all-star cast that includes Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Adam Driver as a character that’s definitely Mister Sinister. However, recent casting news suggests Marvel is doing something that could set the X-Men reboot apart from the previous Fox-era movies. Deadline recently reported that Ben Wang (American Born Chinese, Karate Kid Legends) is in the running to play Bobby Drake a.k.a.…

The Batman: Part II is arguably the most anticipated comic book movie adaptation in some time, and yet it’s been hit with a volley of issues and delays. Director Matt Reeves briefly paused production due to a family matter, tapping Steven Soderbergh to finish principal photography. The recent Paramount/Warner Bros. merger means that The Batman: Part II will be debuting in a movie landscape that’s already gone through massive upheavals. And now, a set of photos might have revealed the villains that will be menacing Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. Surprisingly, however, the leak came from someone who isn’t even in…

Like all television pilots, the first episode of The West Wing has to introduce all of its characters, both their names and personalities. So the cold open of The West Wing‘s pilot gives us handsome Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) picking up a woman in a bar, motormouth press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) jabbering about work/life balance while on a treadmill, crotchety Leo McGarry (John Spencer) crabbing about an error in the New York Times crossword, oddball Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) asleep at his desk at the office, and know-it-all Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) explaining to flight attendants why he…

Taika Waititi had a bad weekend. It’s not just that his latest film, Klara and the Sun, released to disastrous reviews so bad that Sony canceled a wider global release; it’s also that he went to social media, reposting an article about Klara and the Sun‘s 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a self-aggrandizing statement. “I haven’t read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years,” he wrote, going on to describe critics as “sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists,” and are now “Irrelevant. Out of touch.…

Most people won’t tell you when something you do bothers them. They might smile, keep the conversation going, and act as if everything is perfectly fine, only to walk away with a slightly different opinion of you. Sometimes, it’s a habit you barely notice, a comment that comes out wrong, or the way you treat someone when you think nobody important is watching. These little details can leave lasting impressions, even when nobody brings them up. And while everyone has their own pet peeves, there are certain everyday behaviors that tend to make people raise an eyebrow without saying a…

Sometimes, respect disappears over something surprisingly small. It might be the way someone treats a waiter, a careless comment during a conversation, or the moment you realize a person never takes responsibility for anything. These little incidents can reveal habits and attitudes that are easy to overlook until you see them firsthand. Online discussions are full of people recalling the exact moment their opinion of someone changed, often over something that barely registered with anyone else. The stories are petty, uncomfortable, and occasionally funny, but they also say a lot about what people notice in everyday interactions. Medium Being Rude…

The owner saw him first: a grizzled, bearded man leaning around the refrigerator at 2 a.m., staring right at him. During my three nights in that same haunted Airbnb in Beatty, Nevada — the desert town known as the Gateway to Death Valley — I never saw the miner. But I may have heard him. I made the Airbnb-hosted trip for a Halloween episode of Talking Strange, the paranormal pop culture show (check it out on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite shows). Beatty is just shy of two hours from Las Vegas, and although it’s…

Saturday Night Live‘s cultural imprint is unquestionably massive, as is the list of comedy stars who have come through the show in its 52 seasons. But the new documentary, SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of, reminds us of a lesser-known legacy: the many competing shows it inspired. Launched in 1975, SNL took the world by storm with the help of Second City Toronto alums Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. Second City Television (eventually shortened to SCTV) started a year later in response, giving remaining troupe members an outlet. But the two shows were vastly different.  With its “live…

Another year, another Halloween. And apparently, another party you didn’t prepare for and now you have to scramble to find a proper costume. But if all of the costume shops are sold out, how in the world are you going to find something to wear? You can just go in plain clothes and say you’re portraying a pedestrian, right? Well, this year at least, we’ve got you covered. These following ideas are sure to aid you on your journey to have a simple yet recognizable costume. A lot of iconic outfits use surprisingly cheap materials, so let’s find you something…

eBay Live is expanding into automotive sales while celebrating the history of cars in video games, including titles like the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. To commemorate this, eBay Live has unveiled its eBay Most Wanted Collection, four cars going up for auction in a livestream hosted by Fast & Furious star and noted automotive enthusiast Sung Kang alongside automotive influencer and creator Hert. With 100% of the proceeds going to charity, benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Kang’s own history shopping through eBay for his own personal car collection, hosting the event was a no-brainer. “eBay…

I only ever saw Sir Patrick Stewart once in person. It was on stage at the Cort Theatre in New York City, where he starred opposite his late-in-life best friend Sir Ian McKellen. Rife with humor, but also the crushing existential misery that makes Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot such a challenge, both for performers and often the audience, Stewart’s performance as Vladimir brought a sense of affectionate doddering to a man waiting for everything and nothing—life to have a point, or for death to end it. Admittedly though, I was in the audience for a matinee particularly to observe…

This article contains spoilers for Mama Bear. Horror fans’ latest obsession is back with a new short film. Just days before Halloween, Obsession director Curry Barker returned to his original format with Mama Bear, a five-minute short film that once again deals with the supernatural and a cursed relationship. But unlike Obsession, Mama Bear isn’t quite as clear in its plot, let alone its themes. No need to waste a One Wish Willow hoping to understand it. We’re here to explain the story of Mama Bear and what it could mean. Mama Bear Plot Synopsis Mama Bear opens with blackness…

Many performers get tagged with the label legend. Sometimes that feels a bit ambitious. But for Sir Patrick Stewart, it’s a word that doesn’t feel grand enough. A classically-trained actor from a working-class family in Yorkshire who spent decades with the Royal Shakespeare Company before mainstream fame came calling, his career spanned over six decades on stage and screen. His death at the age of 86 has left multiple generations of fans in mourning, whether they first discovered his talent on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, in the hallways of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, or at a Broadway…

Harley Quinn is causing chaos once again. But this time, it’s not her fault. After all, the entire universe changed around her. The first film version of Harley Quinn came to the screen in Suicide Squad, a little-loved movie that rode the superhero boom to a huge box office return. While that movie suffered from countless problems, everyone agreed that Margot Robbie was the perfect Harley Quinn. Everyone did not agree, however, about the quality of her (excellent, in this writer’s opinion) follow-up, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). So divisive was Birds of Prey…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 6 and Marvel’s What If…?. Who watches the Watcher? Lots of eagle-eyed viewers of VisionQuest, apparently, because one of them took to social media to claim that a pair of glowing dots on a monitor shown in Episode 6 belonged to Uatu, that other-worldly being from Marvel lore who can only observe, and never interfere with, major events. Turns out, those viewers were right, prompting kudos from showrunner Terry Matalas on X. Good eye. Or… eyes. https://t.co/f4UHfd1Bkk — Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) October 29, 2026 However, the bigger question may be, “Who…

Not even the biggest Mr. Show fan would have expected Saul Goodman to be the Breaking Bad character to get a spinoff series. And not even the biggest Breaking Bad fan would have expected Better Call Saul to be such a nuanced, rich series, equal (if not exceeding) the show that proceeded it. Most would have expected a spinoff to go to the series compelling villain Gus Fring. Giancarlo Esposito agrees. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Esposito admitted, “I would’ve loved to have examined that part of Gustavo’s life. If there were a [spinoff] show — which I, in my…