Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 149

Will There Be 2 Competing Avengers Teams in the MCU After CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD?

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By the end of Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) conceded that President Ross (Harrison Ford) was right about one thing — the world needs a new Avengers team. A team that, presumably, he’s going to assemble himself. Meanwhile, the trailer for Thunderbolts* suggests that by the end of that film, this team will be our new Avengers. (Regardless of what any marketing suggests that asterisk is for.) So does that mean we’ll have two competing Avengers teams in the MCU after Captain America: Brave New World? There’s actually a lot of precedent for that within the pages of Marvel Comics. We think that the MCU might just take some inspiration from a few of them.

The West Coast Avengers, the First Avengers Spin-Off TeamMarvel Comics

In the comics, the Avengers were essentially one team of superheroes for twenty years, from their 1963 inception to 1984. That’s when Marvel launched West Coast Avengers, the first-ever Avengers spinoff team. The original WCA was led by Hawkeye, and was not a separate group per se, as much as a branch of the main Avengers in New York. The Vision, who was the East Coast Avengers’ chairman at the time, thought expanding the team’s influence would be a good thing. The original roster for the West Coast Avengers title was Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Iron Man (James Rhodes) as well as Mockingbird, Wonder Man, and Tigra. Later members include the Vision, Scarlet Witch, Moon Knight, and Dr. Henry Pym. Of those prominent West Coast Avengers members, only Tigra has yet to be introduced into the MCU at this point.

Could Captain America Form an MCU West Coast Avengers?Marvel Studios

We could envision Sam Wilson setting up a new MCU Avengers team in L.A. after Captain America: Brave New World, including his good friends like Rhodey and Clint. Vision and Wonder Man could also join after their new Disney+ series end. And Clint’s wife Laura Barton has been strongly hinted at being the MCU version of Mockingbird. So Linda Cardellini could suit up, too. Moon Knight in the MCU does not seem like a team player, so we’d count him out. Also, Wanda Maximoff is either dead or at least MIA. Henry Pym could be a technical adviser to the team, with Sam’s buddy “Tic Tac,” a.k.a. Ant-Man, as part of the group. There were a lot of Ant-Man hints in Captain America: Brave New World. Plus, Falcon Joaquín Torres would likely be part of this version of the MCU Avengers as well since Sam basically invited him to his team. And, this way, he could finally meet Ant-Man. It makes a lot of sense to us.

Marvel Studios

The ingredients are there for Cap to form a version of the West Coast Avengers in the MCU, even though Sam Wilson in the comics was never a part of that team. Avengers: Doomsday could skip over his recruitment of the team and already have them in place.

The Thunderbolts Become the Dark Avengers in the Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics

We doubt that Cap’s team will work with or want any association with the new Thunderbolts version of the Avengers in the MCU. It seems Sam would be very against working under government watchdogs again. Especially given his stance in Captain America: Civil War, not to mention his recent experiences in Brave New World. So that means the Thunderbolts/Avengers would become that government-sponsored team, just also appropriating the name Avengers. In the 2000s, Mighty Avengers was the government-sanctioned Avengers team book. The initial lineup for Mighty Avengers was Iron Man, Wasp, Carol Danvers, Wonder Man, Black Widow, and Ares. But after they failed to stop a Skrull infiltration, America turned to ex-villain Norman Osborn to reform the team in his image.

Marvel Comics

Osborne does exactly this in the Marvel Comics series that followed, Dark Avengers. In that series, Norman Osborn takes several “reformed” villains, many of which were once Thunderbolts, and dresses them up in classic Avengers costumes and codenames. He tries to sell the world that these are the true inheritors of the name Avengers. The title of the comic is Dark Avengers, but the team never actually calls themselves that, going only by Avengers. Dark Avengers was published concurrently with New Avengers, which had a competing team of heroes claiming to be the real deal. We totally foresee a version of these events taking place in the MCU, only without Norman Osborn, who doesn’t exist on Earth-616. We place Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as the MCU’s Norman Osborn stand-in. The Thunderbolts* will become the MCU Avengers (with a silent Dark) and another Avengers team will also arise.

Two Avengers Teams, One MCU Mission Marvel Studios

Our theory posits that when Avengers: Doomsday hits the MCU, we’re going to have two totally different teams calling themselves Avengers attempt to deal with the new Multiversal threat. Sam’s new team, whoever they may be, and the re-christened Thunderbolts squad, probably with his buddy Bucky leading the rival group. They are going to have to learn to work together if they intend to save the planet. But we have a feeling they will mostly be fighting each other, thus allowing Earth-616 to fall because both teams are too busy quarreling with each other over who is the “real” Avengers. Hopefully, good friends Sam and Bucky’s respective teams can get it together in time to save the world.

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TAYLOR LAUTNER: WEREWOLF HUNTER Series Sees TWILIGHT’s Taylor Lautner Play Himself As a Werewolf Hunter (Yes, This Is Real)

We would never joke about this, loca. Taylor Lautner, who played the dashing werewolf Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga, will star in a new television series about werewolves. However, this time, instead of being a werewolf, Lautner will be hunting them down. Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter is a series currently in development at Amazon MGM Studios, according to Variety. This isn’t a dream, dream, dream, dream, dream, dream as Sharkboy once said. Nope, this is Taylor Lautner’s post-Twilight reality and we’re all just living in it.

Lionsgate

Launter will be the lead star and executive producer of Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter. I mean, we wouldn’t expect any less. Who else could play Taylor Lautner as a Werewolf Hunter convincingly? The show was originally brought to Amazon by Tortante Television, which is behind adult animation shows like the critically acclaimed BoJack Horseman and Undone. But we have no word yet on whether Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter will be an animated or live-action series. Daisy Gardner is the show’s creator and will act as its showrunner.

Lautner, of course, was a principal character in The Twilight Saga, being one-third of a love triangle with Edward and Bella. Most likely, you already knew, but as we mentioned, Lautner played a werewolf in the Twilight movie. And that’s what makes Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter so wonderful. Of course, to me, his most notable role is as Sharkboy from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

The official logline of the Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter series reads:

After wrapping the final ‘Twilight’ film, Taylor Lautner vanished from the spotlight. Fans speculated, tabloids theorized—but the truth is wilder than fiction. Taylor wasn’t just taking a mental health break. He was preparing for his real calling…Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter. Playing himself, Taylor is drawn into a secret society of werewolf trackers who need his unique expertise. As he navigates his double life—Hollywood actor by day, supernatural warrior by night—Taylor must wrestle with the ultimate irony: fighting the very creatures that made him famous. Between saving the world, reviving his career, and falling in love, he faces the ultimate question—what happens when your biggest role becomes your greatest enemy?

Yes, Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter is 100% real. It’s not April 1. We are seated.

This plot is one of the funniest television show ideas I have ever heard. Imagine Taylor Lautner playing himself back in his Jacob Black era and then going to hunt real werewolves. If you need your Lautner fix before the show comes out, check out the new LEGO Twilight set that comes with a mini figure of Jacob. For the record, I was always on Team Jacob.

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The Fantastic Four Multiverse Theory Explained!

Fantastic news, MCU fans! Marvel’s First Family is finally joining the Multiverse Saga, and fans got their first look at the super team in the lead up to this year’s Super Bowl. While its still unknown how the Fantastic Four will fit into the Sacred Timeline, Dan Casey has a theory that could provide an interesting multiversal explanation.

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Quests N’ Answers | Inside Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode Ep. 16

Welcome to Quests N’ Answers, the companion series to Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode! ***Spoilers ahead for episode 15***

Join Dan Casey, special guest Becca Scott (Good Time Society, Dimension 20), and cast members Amy Vorpahl, Jason Nguyen, and Danielle Radford as they break down the biggest moments of Goblin Mode episode 16, “Geodepolitics,” including it what it was like to finally meet Unzug, Becca’s unexpected connection to Bizzee, the revolutionary politics of Fitfettle Delve, and more!

New episodes of Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode air every Monday on Geek & Sundry or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/goblinmodepod

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Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode is a Geek & Sundry production made in partnership with Realm.

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CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Won’t Make You Angry, Just Disappointed (Review)

Anthony Mackie deserves better from the MCU. Same for Sam Wilson, a hero truly worthy of Captain America’s shield. Because, somehow, the uneven and disappointing Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a better showcase for both actor and character than Captain America: Brave New World. The fourth film in the franchise is a disjointed, poorly paced, poorly edited movie whose exciting action sequences can’t overcome some of the worst dialogue in MCU history.

There’s no way to sugarcoat Captain America: Brave New World‘s dialogue. Much of the film feels like someone tried to write Aaron Sorkin-esque quick banter without ever having actually seen anything Sorkin has done. It’s rarely funny or witty but often awkward. It doesn’t help that Captain America: Brave New World also feels like it’s frequently playing at 1.25x speed. Characters respond to each other before any human could even process what is being said to them. That makes for some cringey, forced interactions. The harder the movie tries to be funny, the worse it gets.

When Captain America: Brave New World isn’t busy being painfully unfunny, it goes for big, inspirational moments. Unfortunately, they fall as flat as Sam Wilson’s big monologue from the last time we saw him on Disney+. It’s not Mackie’s fault because, once again, he’s having to carry a chunky script. But his performance only makes the movie even more disappointing. In the few scenes where Mackie gets to work with good material, you can see that the film could have been better with a better screenplay.

Marvel Studios

One thing that doesn’t disappoint are the action sequences. There are two major set pieces in Captain America: Brave New World, both teased in the film’s trailers. One is a battle that sees Sam and his new partner—Danny Ramirez’s returning Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon—take to the sky in a dogfight with fighter jets. Ramirez has a natural charm, but no one suffers more from the script than him because Torres is the proverbial “funny one.” That’s not the best spot for anyone in a movie that rarely executes on its attempts at wit. Bad dialogue is not a problem during their big fight, though. It also looks great and is very well-executed, something that is only true during action sequences. It’s almost as though a totally different team edited scenes where people are in peril.

The big Captain America/Red Hulk showdown is also very entertaining. It’s one of the movie’s most impressive feats since we’ve seen so many Hulk fights at this point. But using the White House and DC as the setting makes it feel fresh and original because Captain America: Brave New World doesn’t tone down on the destruction.

Marvel Studios

There are a few huge exceptions to the movie’s otherwise very good CGI. The first is Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Leader. His appearance is unintentionally hilarious when it’s supposed to be upsetting. The other VFX problem is Marvel clearly did some reshoots on green screens it bought at a yard sale—in 1997. Those moments stick out like a giant red rage monster atop the White House. Some are so bad I was genuinely shocked they made it into the final edit of Captain America: Brave New World. They looked like something from a Sharknado movie.

The two big action sequences happen in the second half of the film, which is a big improvement over the first half since there’s less talking. However, there are some aspects of Captain America: Brave New World that work throughout. Harrison Ford is very good as new President of the United States, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. He’s a man struggling against his natural instincts for a good reason. He’s desperate to change his image and his legacy so his daughter will see he’s a good man. That’s one of the movie’s best ideas, but it doesn’t invest in it as much as it could.

Marvel Studios

Brave New World also undercuts itself by actually having Red Hulk show up at all. I get it. I get it. People want to see Red Hulk. It’s a comic book story, after all. But the movie is still telling a story, and it would be far more meaningful and effective one if Ross never hulked out. (We’d have to get into spoilers to explain why.)

Captain America: Brave New World also avoids being a total disaster, thanks to some very good supporting performances. Giancarlo Esposito is predictably great as Sidewinder. He doesn’t quite have the role you might expect, but he’s important to the plot. Carl Lumbly is just as predictably excellent as the super soldier Isaiah Bradley. His role is actually much bigger than trailers indicated, and he serves as a grounding, emotional anchor for the story. And throughout the film, minor characters respond to Sam Wilson in a way that feels real and human. It strengthens both “Cap” as a character and the story.

Marvel Studios

Ultimately, though, Captain America: Brave New World fails to deliver the movie that both its leading man and its titular hero deserve. Not when it can’t even clear the low hurdle of being better than The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the first time the MCU let down Anthony Mackie and Sam Wilson.

⭐ (2.5 of 5)

Captain America: Brave New World comes to theaters on February 14, 2025.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He only wants good thinks for Anthony Mackie. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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THE WHEEL OF TIME Season Three Trailer Shows White Tower Chaos and Moiraine’s Bleak Future

The Wheel of Time will continue to turn when season three drops this March. We’ve loved the first look photos and look forward to quite a few storylines, including Rand’s ongoing journey as the Dragon Reborn, the drama at the White Tower, and how Egwene’s increasing personal and physical power will affect her journey. And, of course, I personally hope to get more Nynaeve and Lan moments. Now, we finally have a trailer for The Wheel of Time season three and it looks like it will be the series’ most explosive run of episodes. 

There’s so much going on in this trailer that it will make your head spin. Rand and Egwene are at odds thanks to his complex relationship with Lanfear. Moiraine reveals to Lan that the only future possibilities she sees involve either her or Rand dying. A fight breaks out in the White Tower, seemingly among the Aes Sedai. And we get more looks at new Aiel characters as well as glimpses of Tanchico. Overall, The Wheel of Time trailer is a thrilling combination of action, drama, and emotional turmoil.

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Here’s an official synopsis for season three:

After defeating Ishamael, one of the most powerful of the Forsaken, at the end of Season Two, Rand reunites with his friends in the city of Falme and is declared the Dragon Reborn. But in Season Three, the threats against the Light are multiplying: the White Tower stands divided, the Black Ajah run free, old enemies return to the Two Rivers, and the remaining Forsaken are in hot pursuit of the Dragon… including Lanfear, whose relationship with Rand will mark a crucial choice between Light and Dark for them both.

As the ties to his past begin to unravel, and his corrupted power grows stronger, Rand becomes increasingly unrecognizable to his closest allies, Moiraine and Egwene. These powerful women, who started the series as teacher and student, must now work together to prevent the Dragon from turning to the Dark…no matter the cost.

What Is the Release Date for The Wheel of Time Season Three? Prime Video

The Wheel of Time will deliver its first three episodes on March 13 and weekly episode drops afterward.

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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Trailer: Dragons Are Puppies and Gerard Butler Returns as Stoick the Vast

We’ve seen quite a few glimpses of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie already. But none quite as vast and exciting as this one. Yes, although there have been teases and hints, the official live-action How to Train Your Dragon trailer has now been released. In this longest look yet at the animated movie come to life, we dive deep into the world of dragons and Vikings. Among other things we see in this advanced look, we really get to understand that dragons are like puppies in this universe. And the trailer also gives an idea of the scope of war at play. We even glimpse Gerard Butler’s return as live-action Stoick in the How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie trailer. Butler, of course, voiced the role of Stoick in the original animated movie.

Ready to take in the full extent of the excitement. Watch the full live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie trailer below.

How could you be mad at a dragon? They’re so cute. Okay, we guess the bigger versions are a little less cute and a little more firey. And the Vikings think they’re responsible for killing many of their people. We can see where the confusion begins. But thank god for Hiccup and Toothless, here to save the day with some adorable energy and some intentions to do something crazy. (But in the best way.) We’re already very endeared to the live-action duo in this How to Train Your Dragon trailer and know we will shed some tears over their relationship. Toothless does his best puppy imitation in some of the scenes we see above. And yes. We need a dragon to train.

Universal Pictures

We also receive another treat in this full-length sneak peek. Gerard Butler appears as live-action Stoick the Vast in the How to Train Your Dragon trailer. He looks like he leaped right out of the animated movie himself. How can you say no to that fluffy beard and those pointy horns? Honestly, we feel like this might be some of Butler’s best work yet. And we know the fans are excited to see Butler reprise the role of Stoick.

Universal Pictures

Ultimately, what we see from the How to Train Your Dragon trailer indicates to us that the live-action version of the story will follow the same story beats and emotional strokes, but add a brand new twist to a story already in our hearts.

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How to Train Your Dragon releases in theaters on June 13. The full synopsis for the movie shares:

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society. 

With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (BAFTA nominee Nico Parker; Dumbo, The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. 

As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader. 

We can’t wait to fly into the fun.

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The Strangest Trailers of Pop Culture History: THE EXORCIST Trailer

Over 50 years after its release, few horror films remain as deeply unsettling as The Exorcist. William Friedkin’s 1973 adaptation of the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty shocked the world. The Exorcist wasn’t just a hit movie based on a bestseller. It rocked the culture, becoming that rare horror film that was a true blockbuster, and nominated for 10 Academy Awards. For context, adjusted for inflation, The Exorcist would be the 9th most successful movie of all time, with over a billion dollars in the U.S. alone. Back then, to be part of the cultural conversation, you had to go see The Exorcist. But how did a major studio sell a movie like this? Before we get to all that, watch that original trailer for The Exorcist, which was actually banned, down below:

The Exorcist Was a True Pop Culture Phenomenon

First, a bit of “Exorcist 101.” The novel by William Peter Blatty was based on reports of an actual exorcism performed on a 13-year-old boy that took place near Georgetown in 1949. Blatty never forgot the story, which made local headlines, and terrified him as someone raised Jesuit. Decades later, he fictionalized that account in a novel, switching the young boy to a young girl, and setting the story in the modern day. The novel was a sensation, and Warner Bros immediately optioned the rights. Adapting best selling novels was the key to blockbuster movie success in the ‘70s. Love Story, The Godfather, Jaws, all were based on massively successful books. So yes, Hollywood has always leaned into known IP, folks. It isn’t anything new.

Warner Bros.

The other thing that made The Exorcist even possible was the abolishment of the Hays Code in 1968. The Hays Code began in 1934, strangling movies with extreme censorship. The code loosened over the years, until they finally abolished it in 1968, replaced by the MPAA rating system. For horror films, it meant the gloves were off. Relatively tame scary movies like Psycho gave way to truly shocking films like A Clockwork Orange a mere decade later. Still, even with no Code, Hollywood obeyed certain rules about profanity, nudity, etc. William Friedkin just did not care. He leaned into blasphemous and grotesque moments. In addition, He cast the film with actors like Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller, who were established, but not enormous stars. All of that lent to the feeling that what audiences were watching was somehow real. Making it all the more terrifying.

Controversy Was The Exorcist’s Earliest Marketing Tool

Much of the early marketing of The Exorcist was crass, but effective. The film released the day after Christmas in 1973, which the studio brass knew would offend many Christian religious groups. In fact, many protested, saying they believed the film itself contained the mark of Satan. But all that did was create more publicity. Also, the actual filming of The Exorcist hosted many strange occurrences and tragedies. Instead of covering those stories up, Warner Bros. let them all make headlines, contributing to the notion that the film contained the essence of evil. But the original trailer ran only in a few select test markets, actually made people sick, so the studio banned it from theaters.

“A Man Has Been Sent For, as a Last Resort, to Try and Save Her…”

“Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house.” That’s how the narration starts in the original trailer for The Exorcist. It promptly jumps to quick flashes of the possessed Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) in black and white, and the demonic entity possessing her, Pazuzu. The images were accompanied by the unsettling strings of score by composer Krzysztof Penderecki, and the sound of Regan’s labored breathing while possessed by a demon. It definitely gets under your skin. But while it’s all very effective and creepy, you don’t see any actual blood or gore, or hear any profanity. So why did they ever ban it?

Warner Bros.

As it turns out, it was banned because the flashing strobe effect in this black and white trailer was giving people seizures. Or at least, one person had a seizure. And that was enough for Warner Bros. to rethink that first trailer and cut a new one. The original trailer became the stuff of playground legend for decades. Did it really make people sick? It finally got a proper release in the DVD era where people realized it wasn’t that bad. Of course, it’s now widely available on YouTube as well. Just the idea that the mere trailer for The Exorcist could make people sick was incredible marketing.

“Somewhere Between Science and Superstition, There Is Another World. A World of Darkness.”Warner Bros.

The second trailer for The Exorcist actually gave us some actual story and scenes, and was also just as effective. It proved you never needed that strobe light effect. We never saw the possessed Regan’s full face in this trailer except in one quick fade-out. But the trailer very carefully showed the audience the effects of her possession—the cracked walls of the house, the panicked family members, her cries for help. All of this created the perfect atmosphere for an effective second trailer. And luckily, no one banned this one. The second trailer helped create lines around the block on opening day.

We should also mention that the second trailer also had the “secret sauce” of all ‘70s and ‘80s horror and sci-fi trailers. It had the eerie narration of African-Canadian actor Percy Rodriguez. His deep-voiced narration of this trailer gives it that extra bit of gravitas. And yes, it’s his voice you hear in the equally iconic trailers for Alien, Jaws, The Omen, The Amityville Horror, Children of the Corn, Pet Sematary, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the Star Wars Special Editions.

The Exorcist remains as terrifying as it did 50 years ago. Want proof? Watch any of the 20 gazillion “First time watching” reaction videos on YouTube. Usually, they’re watched by younger people, who simply refuse to believe the movie can be as disturbing as they’ve heard. After all, “It’s so old.” Almost everyone comes away shaken, and asking themselves “How the hell did this ever get made back then?” Is this not the mark of a truly legendary horror film? If any horror film qualifies for the often-abused term “iconic,” it certainly is The Exorcist.

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Full Classic DOCTOR WHO Serials Available for Free on YouTube

I remember back in my day (which was 2009), when I was first trying to get into Doctor Who, the sheer pain in the butt it was to try to find legitimate ways to watch a lot of the classic series. A few things were streaming on the nascent Netflix online platform, the DVDs were trickling out over a matter of years and cost $20 a pop, and you can forget about anything for free. Well, how times have changed. Not only do we have things like Pluto TV and Tubi running 24-hour classic Who channels and BritBox with the whole shebang, YouTube is offering full serials without commercials.

BBC

The YouTube channel Doctor Who: Classic has a whopping 68 classic serials available in full, spanning all seven of the Doctors from 1963 to 1989. That’s by no means a complete list of stories, but it’s a dark good smattering. I also want to point out that the classic series was serialized, meaning anywhere between two and 12 episodes in a row would be the same story with the same writer, generally 25 minutes per week. Here, each video you click on is the whole story, so anywhere between 50 minutes (“The King’s Demons” from 1983) and four hours (“The War Games” from 1966).

Each Doctor has their own playlist on the channel, but the stories are in no particular order which is, I’ll go ahead and say, infuriating. In order to help you out, I’m going to embed my favorite story for each Doctor from the collections offered. Because why not! Enjoy below.

The First Doctor

The original three seasons of Doctor Who is not everyone’s cup of tea in the year 2025. It’s pretty slow, it’s often very quiet, and, like a lot of British TV, it feels kind of like a filmed play. The more you watch, however, I think William Hartnell’s avuncular, often irritable take on the character he originated will grow on you. Now I can confidently say I love him and most of his run.

As for which of the stories I’d recommend, it’s kind of a no-brainer. While “The Aztecs,” “The Romans,” and “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” are all iconic in their own way, they can’t hold a candle to “The Time Meddler,” the final story of season two. This is the first story where the Doctor encounters another Time Lord (race unnamed at this point) other than his granddaughter Susan (who left the show earlier in the year). It’s a brilliant little snapshot of everything great about Hartnell and what writer Dennis Spooner brought to the series.

The Second Doctor

Not to bog you down with a lot of television history, a great number of episodes from the 1960s are missing, likely completely destroyed. A number of Hartnell episodes are gone, but Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor got hit much harder. Of his 19 serials, only six aren’t missing any episodes at all. That number used to be even higher. Over the years, several episodes have been recovered and the BBC has commissioned animated reconstructions for a great number of the remaining ones.

The YouTube channel has eight serials on offer and it’s an odd smattering. While my very favorite Second Doctor story is his final one, the 10-part epic “The War Games” which culminates in the Time Lords (now named) catching up to the Doctor and forcing exile and regeneration, it’s hard for me to recommend that one if you haven’t ever seen him before. (But do go watch it when you feel ready!)

For our purposes here, I’m going to embed “The Mind Robber,” a) because it’s fully intact, and 2) because it’s relatively short.

The Third Doctor

The Third Doctor era, starring Jon Pertwee, is my personal favorite. It’s the first in color, takes place almost entirely on Earth with the Doctor as part of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, investigating alien invasions and mad scientists and the like. It’s very heavy on action and clearly took inspiration from the James Bond franchise.

The channel has all four stories from season seven, easily the best single season in the classic era. The stories are mature, intelligent, intense, and compelling all the way through. Three of the four of them are also really long, seven episodes apiece. So if you have nearly three hours, you can’t go wrong with “The Silurians,” “The Ambassadors of Death,” or “Inferno.” “Inferno” is my very favorite story ever.

But for embedding I’ve chosen a very atypical and very fun story from Pertwee’s third season. “Carnival of Monsters” is the work of Robert Holmes, to many the most important and best writer on the series ever. I won’t say too much more about it because the unfolding mystery provides half the enjoyment.

The Fourth Doctor

Everybody loves Tom Baker’s portrayal of the Doctor and was for many years the Doctor and era most Americans knew. He also stuck around in the role for a whopping seven seasons, far and away the longest tenure. As a result, in my estimation, his run had the biggest variations and not always for the better. Luckily, of the 16 stories on the channel, most of them are good to great.

Stories like “Genesis of the Daleks” and “City of Death” are stone cold classics and others such as “Full Circle” and “The Sun Makers” are lowkey fan faves. But I am always partial to the show going in horrific places so I’m embedding “Horror of Fang Rock,” a gloomy alien slasher movie set in a Victorian lighthouse. Runner up would be “The Image of the Fendahl,” a downbeat Lovecraftian mystery. All good!

The Fifth Doctor

Once we hit the ’80s, I have to say the script quality starts to dip and dive at times. Peter Davison, the youngest actor to play the character before the modern era, had stories where he and his three companions would just bicker for no reason quite a bit. Because conflict is drama, I guess. And while stories such as “Kinda,” “Enlightenment,” “The Five Doctors,” and “The Caves of Androzani” are among his best, none of them are on the YouTube channel as of now.

So I’m left to choose a weird one that I nevertheless enjoy. “Mawdryn Undead” from season 20 is one of the few timey wimey stories of the entire classic series and sees the return of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) playing the character in two separate time periods while the Doctor has to contend with aliens who want to steal his regenerations, and a villain forcing a new companion to assassinate him. It’s a strange story, but I like it.

The Sixth Doctor

Far and away my least favorite years of the series, though almost entirely not the fault of star Colin Baker. Behind-the-scenes issues, low ratings, and an ever-greater reliance on violence and death make it feel way less like Doctor Who. Such were the Thatcher 1980s.

All of season 22 is on the YouTube, and none of season 23 which was much better overall. “Attack of the Cybermen,” “The Two Doctors,” and “Timelash” should be avoided like the plague. “Vengeance on Varos” and “Revelation of the Daleks” are good, but with caveats. The only story I would say is legitimately good (and maybe others would disagree with me) is “The Mark of the Rani,” a historical-set adventure which sees the Doctor square off against both the Master and the amoral Time Lady the Rani. It’s fab.

The Seventh Doctor

Finally we have Sylvester McCoy’s whimsical yet eldritch take on the Doctor, which rounds out the original run. His era got better as it went along, though only one story from the brilliant final season (“Ghost Light,” my least favorite, interestingly enough) is on the YouTube channel. And while “The Happiness Patrol” and “The Greatest Story in the Galaxy” have a lot to recommend them, there really is only one answer for embedding here.

Season 25 began with the banger “Remembrance of the Daleks” in which the Doctor and new companion Ace end up back in the 1960s, just after he initially left in the series premiere, and has to contend with two warring factions of Daleks. It’s so good and might well be the best Dalek story in color. I said what I said!

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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Harrison Ford Joined the MCU with ‘No Script’ and No Idea He Would Be Red Hulk & Other February Entertainment News

It’s the second month of the year, and the news has just begun to come in earnest. Here are some entertainment news tidbits that dropped in February.

Harrison Ford Joined the MCU Without Reading a Script Marvel Studios

Via Variety, we learned that Harrison Ford joined the MCU with “no script” and didn’t even know he would turn into Red Hulk. Ford shared, “Why not? I saw enough Marvels to see actors that I admired having a good time. I didn’t really know that at the end I would turn into the Red Hulk. Well, it’s like life. You only get so far in the kit until the last page of the instructions is missing.”

He previously noted of the role that it involved,  “being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before.” But assured fans that he had “a great time.”

Mackenyu Joins Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Live-action Netflix One Piece‘s Roronoa Zoro and well-known Japanese martial arts movie star, Mackenyu is making his video game debut. Mackenyu will be lending his voice to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, where he’ll portray Gennojo, “a charming individual who crosses path with Naoe and Yasuke while they are tracking a crucial target.” Additionally, a release notes, “Players can recruit him in the Shinobi League to aid in their fight against the forces of corruption that are rampant across the land. Mackenyu will be doing both the Japanese and English voice over for this character. “

UbisoftUbisoft

We have no doubt Mackenyu will absolutely slay in this Assassin’s Creed Shadows role.

Originally published on February 6, 2025.

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