Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 152

Watch Young Henry Cavill’s James Bond Audition From 2005

Aside from being one of the most attractive humans on the planet, Henry Cavill has had an enviable career. He’s been Superman in three different films, not to mention the lead on The Witcher. Add in a Mission Impossible here, and a Sherlock Holmes there, and it’s a pretty stacked resume. But one thing he hasn’t done (yet) is play James Bond. However, back in 2005, a young Henry Cavill auditioned for the role of 007 for what would become the franchise reboot, Casino Royale. Now, Henry Cavill’s audition tapes for James Bond have surfaced, and you can watch him (with some very Jon Snow hair) give it his best.

Someone named Ron South posted the scene to YouTube, and he claims he discovered it “On a VHS tape found in a recycling bin at a movie studio.” (Imagine finding that while dumpster diving.) He also found Bond audition tapes from the same casting session for Rupert Friend, Avatar’s Sam Worthington, and future Homelander Anthony Starr. Henry Cavill is a mere 22 years old during this James Bond audition. So this is even before his breakout role in The Tudors. Serious Bond fans may recognize the scene Henry Cavill is playing out for the audition. It’s actually not from Casino Royale, it’s from Goldeneye, with Pierce Brosnan. Specifically, it’s the moment when 007 meets Xenia Onantopp, the Russian Bond girl played by a pre-X-Men Famke Janssen.

Ron South/YouTube

Honestly, we can’t fault director Martin Campbell for hiring Daniel Craig for Casino Royale over Cavill. For starters, he intended Casino Royale as a gritty reboot of Bond. Especially after the last couple of Pierce Brosnan Bond movies leaned heavily into camp. It had the same task Batman Begins had after Batman and Robin. They wanted a grittier, more rough-around-the-edges 007. And that’s just not the energy that a 22-year-old Henry Cavill is giving here in his James Bond audition. Could he play Bond now? Judging from his more recent films like The Man From U.N.C.L.E., we’d say he at least deserves another shot. Just don’t ask Daniel Craig who should replace him. He’s made it clear he so doesn’t care. Kermit the Frog could be the next Bond, and Craig would remain unbothered. Buy maybe if Henry Cavill gets to audition for Bond again, it will be him.

The post Watch Young Henry Cavill’s James Bond Audition From 2005 appeared first on Nerdist.

The Marvel Comics History of Falcon II, Joaquín Torres

When Sam Wilson retired from using the name “the Falcon” and became Captain America, that left a role to be filled in the MCU. At the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we learn that Sam bequeathed his Falcon wings and gear to Joaquín Torres, a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer who was Sam’s buddy. A friend who was clearly close enough to Sam, that he trusted him to carry on his legacy. He’ll return as the Falcon in Captain America: Brave New World, once again portrayed by Danny Ramirez. But much like Sam Wilson himself, his Marvel Comics history is significantly different from his MCU counterpart.

Marvel ComicsJoaquín Torres First Appeared in Sam Wilson: Captain America in 2015

Joaquín Torres first appeared in the comics in Sam Wilson: Captain America #3 in 2015. In the Marvel Comics universe, he wasn’t an adult military officer, but a Mexican immigrant teenager to the United States. Joaquín immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. when his grandparents crossed the border when he was only six years old. Growing up in Arizona, he became an honor student at his local high school. But he never forgot his roots, often leaving food and supplies for those crossing the border like he once did. Joaquín Torres gained a reputation as a local good Samaritan.

Marvel Comics

During one of those instances of assistance, Joaquín was kidnapped with other migrants by the terrorist organization the Serpent Society. These longtime foes of Captain America were taking migrants they thought no one would miss, or even be able to track down, and turning them over to Dr. Karl Malus. This Marvel mad scientist first appeared in the pages of Spider-Woman in 1980 and was obsessed with doing genetic experimentation on people. His goal was to give them superhuman powers, just to see if he could create a new species, similar to the High Evolutionary. He’d later fight the West Coast Avengers, and even Carnage.

Joaquín Torres Becomes a Human/Falcon Hybrid, Cap’s New Partner Marvel Comics

Eventually, Sam Wilson, then a newly christened Captain America, found out about Joaquín’s disappearance from his grandmother. Cap ultimately found that Joaquín was a prisoner in Malus’ secret lab in New York, where Malus experimented on him. Malus successfully transformed the teenage Joaquín into a falcon/human hybrid. Malus used Sam Wilson’s longtime avian companion Redwing, giving Joaquín a similar psychic bond with the bird that Sam had. Not only that, but because Sam has a psychic bond with Redwing, by proxy, Joaquín has one with Sam now too. He also now had enlarged, avian eyes. Joaquín soon found out that the genetic alterations that Malus had done to him were irreversible.

Marvel Comics

After Malus’ defeat, Sam rescued Joaquín where he remained under his care for a time. Unlike Sam Wilson, Joaquín didn’t need a wingsuit to fly, his arms actually became wings. His feet and hands became like talons. He also had some regenerative powers, although not quite on a Deadpool or Wolverine level. This is due to Redwing having once been infused with the vampiric DNA of Steve Rogers’ enemy, Baron Blood. So Joaquín has a little bit of vampire in him (comics are wild, man). Sam Wilson soon began training him as a fighter, and it wasn’t long before Joaquín became the new Falcon, and partner to Sam’s Captain America, just as Sam was once a partner to Steve Rogers. In fact, his new green and gold costume was a tribute to the original suit Sam wore when he met Steve Rogers. Everything came full circle.

Joaquín Torres’ MCU Future in Captain America: Brave New World and Beyond

Already, Joaquín Torres’ backstory is significantly different in the MCU. For starters, he’s an adult, not a teenager. He can only fly because Sam Wilson gave him his old mechanical wings. He’s not any kind of human/falcon hybrid, a mad scientist’s experiment (at least that we know of). But who knows what will happen to him down the line? His MCU future is wide open. Maybe the upcoming mutant ascendency in the MCU will reveal he has powers. Joaquín Torres is a relatively new character even in the comics, so the folks at Marvel Studios don’t have as much history to draw from, and have room to create their own story. In any case, we’re excited to see what that means for Marvel’s second heroic Falcon.

The post The Marvel Comics History of Falcon II, Joaquín Torres appeared first on Nerdist.

SEVERANCE Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: New Revelations and Questions From ‘Woe’s Hollow’

What happens when Lumon takes its Innies outside? Severance season two, episode four showed us the answer and….wow. The episode also raised even more mysteries about both the company and the family who owns it. What happened? What does it all mean? And who was most impacted by a strange excursion in the woods? We have all the insights from you in our recap of Severance season two, episode four, “Woe’s Hollow.” Here are are the biggest revelations and questions from the series’ latest episodes.

[image error]Revelations From Severance Season 2, Episode 4, “Woe’s Hollow” Whoa Helly! (Or Rather, “Whoa Helena!”)Apple TV+

Fan theories that Helena, rather than her Innie counterpart Helly R., has been working on Lumon’s severed floor during season two proved right in Severance season two, episode four. Irv hadn’t fully trusted his co-worker since she obviously lied about seeing a “night gardener” during the Macrodat Uprising. But what made him realize he was working not with any old mole, but with an Eagan was the normally kind “Helly” being cruel to him. His creepy dream also seemed to waken something deep in his subconscious in.

Irving exposed the truth by forcing “Seth” into actually waking up Helly. Irv did that by threatening to drown the fraud in their midst. His actions revealed to Dylan and Mark what was really going on, but it cost Innie Irv his “life.” Mr. Milchick fired him permanently in this Severance episode, and unless someone turns Irv back on, his Innie half is gone for good after “Woe’s Hollow.” (Though we are more than willing to bet we’ll see his Innie again.)

Severance Season 2, Episode 4 Reveals Helena Eagan Doesn’t Like Who She Is (And Possibly Not Her Family Either)Apple TV+

The security footage of Helly R. kissing Mark S. overwhelmed Helena Eagan. It seemed as though Helly R. had found something Helena never had. But it now seems as though Helena’s issues were much deeper than a lack of human connection. In Severance season two, episode four, she slept with Mark while pretending to be Helly, then told him, “I didn’t like who I was on the outside. I was ashamed.”

Before that, she also openly mocked Kier Eagan’s fourth appendix, pointing out how the ludicrous nature of Kier’s overwrought tale about his brother pleasuring himself. Did Helena always feel this way about herself and her family? If so, did she only recognize that when she saw her better Innie half living a life she envied? Will her experience on the severed floor change her at all? If it does, Helena could still play the role of mole after “Woe’s Hollow”—only this time on behalf of the severed employees instead of Lumon.

“Woe’s Hollow” Reveals Innies Can Sleep and Dream on SeveranceApple TV+

Innies don’t sleep. In season one, Mark told Helly the best they can do is focus on the benefits of sleep. It’s one of the many things that make their existences a living nightmare. But during the two-day Outdoor Retreat and Team Building Occurrence (ORTBO) exercise, they got to do just that. Turns out Innies can dream, too.

In “Woe’s Hollow,” Irv dreamed he woke up in his work clothes in the middle of a dead, snow-covered forest where the MDR computers sat covered in flies. Burt, with a knowing smirk, then briefly appeared as his co-worker. As did the “half bride” from Kier’s story. The “temper woe” was busy working at her own file.

Apple TV+

Outie Irv successfully communicated with his Innie via his paintings of the Testing Floor during “Woe’s Hollow,” but this dream/nightmare also seemed to convey a message to Irving in the Severance episode. When he woke up, he knew for certain Helly was an Outie fraud. Since we know Outie Burt knows more about Lumon than we do, his dream might also might have indicated he already knows what macrodata refiners do. Those computers were in a dead forest covered in flies, the kind of imagery we’d expect someone’s subconscious to associate with a file like “Cold Harbor.”

Severance Season 2, Episode 4 Shows Us That Mark Is Not Fully Reintegrated YetApple TV+

Episode three of Severance season two ended with Mark being reintegrated just like Petey. (Well, hopefully not just like Petey.) But we only saw his Innie struggle with being pieced back together once. It happened after he slept with “Helly.” Mark S. is his own person. He was never married to Gemma/Ms. Casey, his Outie was/is. But as Helly told him she didn’t like who she was, Mark’s brain short-circuited, and he briefly saw Gemma instead.

He wasn’t sure what happened or why in “Woe’s Hollow,” and since Severance tells its story in a non-linear way, we don’t even know how long after his reintegration procedure he slept with “Helly.” It’s possible his reintegration didn’t really take, or that it was modified. But Mark S. is still the one in (mostly) charge when Lumon turns on his Innie

The World’s Tallest Waterfall Is Much Shorter Than We Thought Apple TV+

:Deleted. Mr. Milchick actually lied:

Questions We Have After Severance Season 2, Episode 4, “Woe’s Hollow”Why Did Kier Eagan Really Have a Twin?Apple TV+

Did Dieter Eagan really exist in Severance‘s world? Helly’s reaction to and understanding of the Founder’s absurd, sacred fourth appendix, which he is said to have written in “the final hours of his life,” indicates it’s a real text. But that doesn’t mean Dieter was a real person.

The Scissor Cave, where the refiners found the book, is where Kier is said to have first conquered the Four Tempers of the human soul. He also wrote he first encountered Woe after his brother’s….you know. But considering the fourth appendix is all silly analogies, and also that you can’t trust anything Lumon says or does, it’s also possible Dieter was just Kier’s more animalistic side, the one he “conquered.” If so that concept, that Kier himself was two people in one body, might have been the inspiration for severance itself.

Apple TV+

Kier might have thought he severed himself from his basest instincts, desires, and wants, a part of himself he called his “twin” who went everywhere with him until “Dieter” died.

The name Dieter does mean “,” which is essentially what Lumon is trying to create with severance—an army of people who only exist to serve the company. Dieter can also be read as the word “dieter,” someone trying to lose weight. Did Kier metaphorically shed part of himself, the part he didn’t like (just like his descendant Helena!), a process he described as conquering the Four Tempers? And is that where he got the idea to create a (work)force loyal only to him? Severance season two, episode four definitely left us with many Kier-related questions.

Was There More to the Refiners’ “Twins?”Apple TV+

Lumon is the least trustworthy business on the planet. It also has dead people working at its headquarters where they raise goats underground with employees who can’t remember what they do for work. We can’t just see a bunch of macrodata refiner doubles without wondering if they might be more than we realize. So, is there something more to them? Or are these part-time employees like the ones who worked Dylan’s Waffle Party? We’ll have to wait for the Severance episodes after “Woe’s Hollow” to know for sure.

What Was That Weird Dead Animal We Saw in Severance Season 2, Episode 4?Apple TV+

With everything that happened after, it might be easy to forget that the refiners came across a super weird, frozen dead animal in the woods in “Woe’s Hollow.” It’s hard to believe Lumon would have let them come across anything it didn’t want in those woods, but even if that was unplanned it was still weird. Helena even commented on why it was bizarre.

So why was it there in Severance‘s latest episode? What was it? What does it have to do with Lumon? And, seriously, what the hell was it? It didn’t look like a seal. Or any other animal.

Bonus “Woe’s Hollow” Question: What Do You Think That Thing Tasted Like?

What? What? We’re not saying they should have listened to Irv and eaten it. We’re just asking questions!

Apple TV+

That’s what we do after every new episode of Severance, whether the Innies are inside or outside. Or even actually Innies.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist, a company that does not believe in severance. He thinks…. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post SEVERANCE Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: New Revelations and Questions From ‘Woe’s Hollow’ appeared first on Nerdist.

These Red Hulk Foot Clogs Are Veiny and Incredible

We’ve all wanted to grow up to become Harrison Ford. Is there a cooler man around? And now, Bravest Foot Clogs are about to let you step into his feet… literally—at least into the feet of Harrison Ford as Red Hulk. Bravest is releasing an absolutely unhinged set of Red Hulk Foot Clogs in celebration of Captain America: Brave New World, and they are incredible. We especially love the commitment to really detailing the popping veins on these Red Hulk Foot Clogs. Bravest self-describes them as “highly detailed,” and, yep, we agree. When I’ve got my Red Hulk foot clogs on, I suggest you don’t test me.

You can check them out below.

Bravest is indeed very brave for these Captain America: Brave New World shoe creations. Every kind of “foot clog” is kind of a wild offering. But the Red Hulk foot clogs more than most. And honestly, they are even pretty reasonably priced. The Red Hulk foot clogs will set you back $110 dollars. But what is that in exchange for wearing the weirdest, most eye-popping footwear anyone has ever seen?

Bravest

Generally, people who see the Red Hulk’s feet up close and personal don’t get to live to tell the tale. But now you can get as close as you like and really appreciate all the nuances. Bravest shares that these Red Hulk foot clogs are a “highly detailed molded foam shoe with cozy leather footbed and crafted steel buckle.” And, like we said, we definitely agree on the “detailed” part. Bonus points, we guess, that this ridiculous Captain America: Brave New World shoe is also super comfortable.

How to Buy Bravest’s Red Hulk Foot Clogs

Okay, seriously, though, who is buying them to wear around town? You know you want to. If you do truly want to, the Red Hulk Foot Clogs will be dropping on Friday, February 7 at 2:00pm EST / 11am PST / 8pm CEST. When that time rolls around, you can get them on Bravest’s drop site. But be ready, we feel like they may go fast. To get notified about drop alerts, you can sign up for notifications right now.

REad Next

Anthony Mackie Says Sam Wilson Is ‘More Brains Than Brawn’ in CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

Red Hulk Foot Clog STOMP, here we come.

The post These Red Hulk Foot Clogs Are Veiny and Incredible appeared first on Nerdist.

The Fantastic Four’s Complete Marvel Comics Costume History

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ first trailer, we finally got a good look at the team’s costumes in their ’60s retro-style world. Although we’ve had several Fantastic Four films before, these new costumes evoke the FF uniforms seen in the pages of Marvel Comics the most.

Although most people probably think the FF didn’t change their looks very often, that’s not really the case. The Fantastic Four have had many costume iterations over the decades. Here, we highlight their comic book costume history, revealing just where the team’s MCU uniform inspirations came from.

Marvel Comics

Note: We’re only covering the Prime 616 Marvel Universe in this article. We won’t cover the costumes worn by alternate universe Fantastic Four teams, like the ones in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four. Also, we’re skipping the costumes from the various cartoons and previous live-action films. That also means we’re not really discussing the costumes of most “fill-in” members, like Ant-Man or She-Thing, with a few exceptions. This is the OG Fantastic Four only.

The Fantastic Four’s Original Jack Kirby Uniforms, 1961-1983Marvel Comics

When the Fantastic Four debuted in 1961, they were people “just like us” with super powers. So in their first two issues, they had no costumes. Very quickly, Marvel decided they needed costumes for marketing purposes. So co-creator Jack Kirby designed the uniforms they’d wear for the better part of the next 20 years. At first, the costumes looked less like skin-tight spandex, as Kirby drew them with many folds and wrinkles. That aspect seems to have been an inspiration for the First Steps MCU look to a degree. They were cerulean blue with black, although the black higher collars would get smaller rather quickly. The FF wore these costumes from Fantastic Four #3-234, a whopping 22 years.

The ’80s and ’90s: The Blue and White Costume EraMarvel Comics

Writer/artist John Byrne designed their next longest-used uniforms in 1983. These FF uniforms kept the standard design, but they traded in the black trim for white, and the cerulean blue went to a darker, more navy tone. The team would keep these uniforms throughout the rest of the ‘80s, and much of the early ’90s, from Fantastic Four issues #256- 407, roughly. Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, stepped in for the Thing for an extended period during this blue/white era. The addition of white to the costume was definitely a big inspiration for the new MCU version, which utilizes white trim.

Marvel Comics

We’ve now got to talk about the greatest fashion victim era for the FF. Around 1994/1995, the team got a short-lived “edgy” look. The Thing wore an iron helmet, while Sue Richards decided to wear a sexier, far more revealing version of her outfit. Meanwhile, Reed added several pouches and a brown vest. (It was the ‘90s, folks.) Only Johnny Storm had the good sense to keep his threads the way they were, even if he now had a jacket for some reason. Luckily, these fashion disasters quickly went back in the closet at the Baxter Building. Let’s never speak of them again.

1996-2000: The Fantastic Four Experiment With Different LooksMarvel Comics

In 1996, the FF then ditched the round necklines they’d worn for the better part of thirty years and changed to triangular ones. Ben Grimm started wearing shirts and pants regularly for the first time in this era, too. The triangular neckline costumes were another short-lived change, as superstar artist Jim Lee redesigned the FF uniforms again for his Heroes Reborn series that same year. These skin-tight numbers were former S.H.I.E.L.D uniforms that Reed modified with a “4” logo. In typical Jim Lee fashion, there were lots of buckles and patches that were mostly distracting. The muted light blue and gray tones were kind of dull too. These uniforms only lasted 14 issues and vanished once Jim Lee left the title. The longest-lasting addition to the costumes from Lee’s run was that the Thing now had a “4” symbol on his belt, something that’s more or less stuck ever since.

When the Heroes Reborn series was over in 1997, the team went back to costumes evoking their classic ‘60s outfits. The only difference was that the black in the collar connected to the “4” symbol, and were not separated. After three issues of Fantastic Four Vol. 3, the team went back to the white triangular costumes introduced in 1996. These lasted until the turn of the Millennium. And for some time, things went back to being very classic for Marvel’s First Family when it came to their wardrobe.

2001-2008: The Classic FF Costumes ReturnMarvel Comics

In 2001, artist Carlos Pachecho brought back the original costumes from 1961, with perhaps a bit more modern detail. The high-collared black neckline was back after several decades, and these retro costumes would remain in use under many different artists, like Mike Weiringo, Mike McKone, and Michael Turner (so many Mikes!) among others. The next big update to the team’s uniforms wouldn’t happen until 2008.

Marvel Comics

When Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch took over Fantastic Four in 2008, Hitch redesigned the outfits slightly, bringing in short sleeves to the look for the first time. For some reason, Hitch added biker gloves and track shoes, making these explorers look more like athletes. The new shorter sleeves would stick around through writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham’s run. However, Eaglesham would ditch the biker gloves.

2011-2014: The Future Foundation, and the FF Go Black and WhiteMarvel Comics

Hickman then transformed the Fantastic Four into the Future Foundation in 2011. The costumes then changed from blue and black to white and black, losing the “4” symbol altogether. (Spider-Man filled in for a thought-to-be-dead Human Torch during this time). This look was a drastic departure for the team. Eventually, they would become the Fantastic Four again when the Torch returned during Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley’s run. During this era, they’d get new black and white costumes. But the “4 “ symbol made a welcome comeback.

2013-2015: Seeing Red and Back in Blue Marvel Comics

For a year, under writer James Robinson, the FF made an even bolder switch when they switched to red and black costumes from 2014-2015. Johnny had worn a red costume very briefly in the ‘70s. But this was the first time the entire team all wore red. Somehow, the red just felt wrong. It’s like seeing Superman in yellow. When they switched back to blue and black, it was a new, more angular design, with the “4” symbol and the collar now having sharp lines. This was the costume they wore when Jonathan Hickman’s epic Secret Wars hit the Marvel Universe in 2015.

The Fantastic Four Return to a Classic LookMarvel Comics

After Secret Wars, the FF were absent from the mainstream Marvel Universe for the better part of three years. They returned to Earth-616 in 2018 in a new series by Dan Slott, Simone Bianchi, Sara Pichelli, and Skottie Young. And of course they had new uniforms once more. These evoked the classic designs and color scheme, only they switched the body to black, and the trim to blue. They eventually switched to uniforms that looked like the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms with the black extending across the shoulders. These days, they are back to the classic black and blue combination, although the “4” symbol has received a 2020s upgrade and is now large.

Marvel Comics

Will the Fantastic Four get new uniforms at least somewhat resembling their MCU incarnations? We’d bet money on it. One thing’s for certain; after their first two decades in print, Marvel’s First Family never kept one uniform design for very long. When it comes to their wardrobe, they’re always looking toward the future.

The post The Fantastic Four’s Complete Marvel Comics Costume History appeared first on Nerdist.

SEVERANCE Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: New Revelations and Questions

What happens when Lumon takes its Innies outside? Severance season two, episode four showed us the answer and….wow. The episode also raised even more mysteries about both the company and the family who owns it. What happened? What does it all mean? And who was most impacted by a strange excursion in the woods? These are the biggest revelations and questions from “Woe’s Hollow.”

[image error]REVELATIONSWhoa Helly! (Or Rather, “Whoa Helena!”)Apple TV+

Fan theories that Helena, rather than her Innie counterpart Helly R., has been working on Lumon’s severed floor during season two proved right. Irv hadn’t fully trusted his co-worker since she obviously lied about seeing a “night gardener” during the Macrodat Uprising. But what made him realize he was working not with any old mole, but with an Eagan was the normally kind “Helly” being cruel to him. His creepy dream also seemed to waken something deep in his subconscious.

Irving exposed the truth by forcing “Seth” into actually waking up Helly. Irv did that by threatening to drown the fraud in their midst. His actions revealed to Dylan and Mark what was really going on, but it cost Innie Irv his “life.” Mr. Milchick fired him permanently, and unless someone turns Irv back on his Innie half his gone for good. (Though we are more than willing to bet we’ll see his Innie again.)

Helena Eagan Doesn’t Like Who She Is (And Possibly Not Her Family Either)Apple TV+

The security footage of Helly R. kissing Mark S. overwhelmed Helena Eagan. It seemed as though Helly R. had found something Helena never had. But it now seems as though Helena’s issues were much deeper than a lack of human connection. She slept with Mark while pretending to be Helly, then told him, “I didn’t like who I was on the outside. I was ashamed.”

Before that she also openly mocked Kier Eagan’s fourth appendix, pointing out how the ludicrous nature of Kier’s overwrought tale about his brother pleasuring himself. Did Helena always feel this way about herself and her family? If so, did she only recognize that when she saw her better Innie half living a life she envied? Will her experience on the severed floor change her at all? If it does Helena could still play the role of mole, only this time on behalf of the severed employees instead of Lumon.

Innies Can Sleep and DreamApple TV+

Innies don’t sleep. In season one Mark told Helly they best they can do is focus on the benefits of sleep. It’s one of the many things that make their existences a living nightmare. But during the two day Outdoor Retreat and Team Building Occurrence (ORTBO) exercise, they got to do just that. Turns out Innies can dream, too.

Irv dreamed he woke up in his work clothes in the middle of a dead, snow-covered forest where the MDR computers sat covered in flies. Burt, with a knowing smirk, then briefly appeared as his co-worker. As did the “half bride” from Kier’s story. The “temper woe” was busy working at her own file.

Apple TV+

Outie Irv successfully communicated with his Innie via his paintings of the Testing Floor, but this dream/nightmare also seemed to convey a message to Irving. When he woke up, he knew for certain Helly was an Outie fraud. Since we know Outie Burt knows more about Lumon than we do, his dream might also might have indicated he already knows what macrodata refiners do. Those computers were in a dead forest covered in flies, the kind of imagery we’d expect someone’s subconscious to associate with a file like “Cold Harbor.”

Mark Is Not Fully Reintegrated YetApple TV+

Episode three ended with Mark being reintegrated just like Petey. (Well, hopefully not just like Petey.) But we only saw his Innie struggle with being pieced back together once. It happened after he slept with “Helly.” Mark S. is his own person. He was never married to Gemma/Ms. Casey, his Outie was/is. But as Helly told him she didn’t like who she was, Mark’s brain short-circuited and he briefly saw Gemma instead.

He wasn’t sure what happened or why, and since Severance tells its story in a non-linear way we don’t even know how long after his reintegration procedure he slept with “Helly.” It’s possible his reintegration didn’t really take, or that it was modified. But Mark S. is still the one in (mostly) charge when Lumon turns on his Innie

The World’s Tallest Waterfall Is Much Shorter Than We Thought Apple TV+

:Deleted. Mr. Milchick actually lied:

QUESTIONSDid Kier Eagan Really Have a Twin?Apple TV+

Did Dieter Eagan really exist? Helly’s reaction to and understanding of the Founder’s absurd, sacred fourth appendix, which he is said to have written in “the final hours of his life,” indicates it’s a real text. But that doesn’t mean Dieter was a real person.

The Scissor Cave where the refiners found the book is where Kier is said to have first conquered the Four Tempers of the human soul. He also wrote he first encountered Woe after his brother’s….you know. But considering the fourth appendix is all silly analogies, and also that you can’t trust anything Lumon says or does, it’s also possible Dieter was just Kier’s more animalistic side, the one he “conquered.” If so that concept, that Kier himself was two people in one body, might have been the inspiration for severance itself.

Apple TV+

Kier might have thought he severed himself from his basest instincts, desires, and wants, a part of himself he called his “twin” who went everywhere with him until “Dieter” died.

The name Dieter does mean “,” which is essentially what Lumon is trying to create with severance. An army of people who only exist to serve the company. Dieter can also be read as the word “dieter,” someone trying to lose weight. Did Kier metaphorically shed part of himself, the part he didn’t like (just like his descendant Helena!), a process he described as conquering the Four Tempers? And is that where he got the idea to create a (work)force loyal only to him?

Was There More to the Refiners’ “Twins?”Apple TV+

Lumon is the least trustworthy business on the planet. It also has dead people working at its headquarters where they raise goats underground with employees who can’t remember what they do for work. We can’t just see a bunch of macrodata refiner doubles without wondering if they might be more than we realize. So is there something more to them? Or are these part-time employees like the ones who worked Dylan’s Waffle Party?

What Was That Weird Dead Animal?Apple TV+

With everything that happened after, it might be easy to forget that the refiners came across a super weird, frozen dead animal in the woods. It’s hard to believe Lumon would have let them come across anything it didn’t want in those woods, but even if that was unplanned it was still weird. Helena even commented on why it was bizarre.

So why was it there? What was it? What does it have to do with Lumon? And, seriously, what the hell was it? It didn’t look like a seal. Or any other animal.

Bonus Question: What Do You Think That Thing Tasted Like?

What? What? We’re not saying they should have listened to Irv and eaten it. We’re just asking questions!

Apple TV+

That’s what we do after every new episode of Severance whether the Innies are inside our outside. Or even actually Innies.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist, a company that does not believe in severance. He thinks…. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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MAGIC: THE GATHERING Live-Action Movie & TV Universe Officially In the Works From Legendary and Hasbro

Are those chills we feel? Tingles of excitement and… magic… perhaps? Unequivocally, yes. Because this latest announcement from Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment is Major (with a capital M for Magic the Gathering.) Yes. It’s the announcement that fans of trading card games, fantasy, and all things nerdy have long been waiting for. Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment will partner together to create a live-action movie and television universe based on Hasbro’s Magic: The Gathering. All we have to say is—the supertype on this Magicverse news is definitely “Legendary.”

A Live-Action Magic: The Gathering Franchise Is Finally on the WayWizards of the Coast

Magic: The Gathering first came into being in 1993 and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. That’s right, this franchise has been around for over three decades. It’s even Hasbro’s first $1 billion brand. As the first modern trading card game, Magic paved the road for a kind of game that we now assume always existed. Not to mention, as a spiritual haven for nerds and lovers of fantastical realms, Magic: The Gathering has built enormous amounts of community throughout its long life.

In its 30 years and counting of existence, Magic: The Gathering also inspired a plethora of content, including video games, comic books, and novels. But despite a long-held desire from fans to see Magic: The Gathering arrive on their screens in live-action television and movie forms, we have not yet had the fortune of seeing the complex and nuanced game adapted in such a way… until now.

Zev Foreman, Hasbro Entertainment’s Head of Film, shared, “This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world’s most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward. MAGIC: THE GATHERING has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary’s diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new MAGIC: THE GATHERING universe.”

A Magic: The Gathering Live-Action Movie Will Release First, Followed by TV Series and Other ContentWizards of the Coast

But what will the first card played on the table of this franchise look like? Well, a release reveals that current plans see a live-action Magic: The Gathering movie kicking off this epic journey. After that, there will be television series and other content that will developed as the Magic: The Gathering live-action universe expands.

For now, no further details are available about which Magic: The Gathering worlds and stories will be included in the live-action universe. But we’ll definitely be speculating about what we hope to see; there are so many excellent options to choose from, after all. Magic: The Gathering is brimming with incredible characters, wonderful worlds, and truly robust plotlines that marry strategy and storytelling.

Mary Parent, Legendary’s Chairman of Worldwide Production, noted, “We pride ourselves on being thoughtful stewards of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Alongside the fantastic Hasbro team, we look forward to creating a multimedia universe that thrills longstanding fans and creates a broad wave of new ones.”

It Is Time for a Magic: The Gathering Live-Action UniverseWizards of the Coast

Few franchises have amassed the kind of world-building that Magic: The Gathering has manifested over time. It would be a shame not to allow all of that intricate lore to live in as many mediums as it possibly can. Truly, a Magic: The Gathering franchise will create one of the most epic high fantasy universes of our time. With Legendary and Hasbro partnering on this project, we have no doubt we’ll see some true excellence emerge.

The Magicverse is about to rise from our tabletops and land on our screens. And we, for one, cannot wait to see it take shape.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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FOURTH WING TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society (Latest 2025 Updates)

In October 2023, we learned that Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society will be bringing to life a TV series based on Rebecca Yarros’ popular fantasy series, Fourth Wing. This overall deal includes all the books from the Fourth Wing universe titled The Empyrean, including its sequel Iron Flame, the newly released Onyx Storm, and the two books slated to follow. We haven’t heard too much about the Prime Video Fourth Wing TV series since that time, but there have been a few updates, including a showrunner attached, Yarros’ thoughts on casting, and a few comments from 2025. Let’s take a look!

Entangled: Red Tower BooksThe Fourth Wing TV Series Gets a Showrunner

So far, only one person is attached to Prime Video Fourth Wing TV series adaptation, and that person is Moira Walley-Beckett, who wrote on Breaking Bad and wrote and created Anne with an E. Both these TV series are well-known to be fan-favorite creations, so it seems like the Fourth Wing TV series is in good hands.

Rebecca Yarros Has Shared the Plot of the Whole Series with the TV Series Team

Someone out there knows what’s going to happen in the book four and beyond of Fourth Wing and that’s the live-action TV show team. Yarros notes that she shared the five-book arc with showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett and the team at Amazon so they could create the TV series from an informed place.

Yarros reveals, “So they have the five-book arc, which went a little awry in Book 3 just because the positioning, but they already know that. But they have the five-book arc and the general big points of what happens in between each book, but they don’t have the specifics between Book 4 and Book 5, because I’m getting ready to go to my crazy plotting board and plot out every single event that happens in each book, so that I make sure that I’m within my two books there. But they have general ideas. And Moira is great. She’s phenomenal.”

Fourth Wing TV Series Casting: Rebecca Yarros Confirms Xaden Will Be Played By a Person of Color

So far, there has been no official casting news for the Fourth Wing TV adaptation. However, speaking to Variety, author Rebecca Yarros gave some insight into the casting of one important character in the live-action adaptation.

Here’s what Yarros had to say about who would be cast as Xaden, the main love interest, in the Fourth Wing TV series: “We’re just going to say he’s [Xaden] POC; we’re just going to leave it at that. I didn’t rise to the bait of a lot of those posts, which I think probably got me some flack, but I knew we were already in development for TV, and I want to make sure that role is open to as much diversity as possible. So I was never going to give the readers my vision because I know that once you give the readers your vision, that’s what they’re gonna stick to. And I wanted to make sure we left it open to as much diversity as possible.”

Yarros further noted, “Outlier is such a great production company, and they have a wonderful diversity and inclusion rider, one of the first companies to have them, which is why I was so joyful because I knew they would respect the diversity of the cast.”

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ONYX STORM, the New FOURTH WING Book, Releases: Target Special Edition, Audiobook Info, Midnight Parties, and MoreThe Fourth Wing TV Series Logline

Those who have read Fourth Wing won’t find much new in the logline for the Prime Video TV series. But, per Variety, the logline it shares:

Enter the brutal world of Basgiath War College where there is only one rule: Graduate or Die. Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail expected to live a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general― her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. If the fire-breathing beasts don’t kill her, one of her fellow riders just might. Suspense, action, romance, and dragons blend together in a propulsive fantasy adventure from NYT bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

Yarros’ Latest Comments on Fourth Wing‘s TV Series as Onyx Storm Releases Entangled: Red Tower Books

On the heels of the release of the third book in the Fourth Wing series, Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yarros gave a few non-update updates to Elle. She spoke of the TV series version of Fourth Wing just enough to let us know that it was still progressing and in the works. Talking about what she could share about the show, Yarros revealed that she could say… nothing. She noted “I’m so new to this industry. I will Tom Holland it,” referencing, of course, the actor’s propensity to spill MCU secrets. Additionally, Yarros reveals she has not yet met Michael B. Jordan. She joked, “I’d probably just keel over and die.”

We’ll keep this article updated as more news from the Fourth Wing TV series arrives. For now, we’ll content ourselves with flipping open Onyx Storm.

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ONYX STORM, the New FOURTH WING Book, Releases: Target Special Edition, Audiobook Info, Midnight Parties, and More

Romantasy is on fire these days, literally. Because who wouldn’t want all the sexy fun of a romance PLUS dragons? We couldn’t tell you that. But we can tell you who definitely does: Fourth Wing fans. And they’re in luck because a new Fourth Wing book, Onyx Storm, the third in the series by Rebecca Yarros, has just been released onto shelves. Yes, if you’ve been eagerly awaiting more from Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson, the other attendees of Basgiath War College, and, of course, their dragons, Onyx Storm‘s release date is upon us. And you know that it’s a major moment because midnight release parties were back in full force for this title release. Not to mention, fans of Fourth Wing seemingly crashed Target’s website trying to get their hands on its special collector’s edition of Onyx Storm. Even the audiobook is all tee-ed up and ready for listeners.

If you’re looking to partake in the Fourth Wing fun, here’s what you need to know about the release of its third book.

Jump to: Onyx Storm Release Date and Synopsis // Target’s Special Edition Onyx Storm // New Fourth Wing Book Audiobook and E-Book // Book Four of Fourth Wing and Its TV Series Adaptation Onyx Storm, the Third Fourth Wing Book, Released on January 21 to Great FanfareEntangled: Red Tower Books

On January 21, the new Fourth Wing book officially arrived on shelves. Onyx Storm was met with sold-out, ticketed events in bookstores throughout the world. Yes. You could not get into Onyx Storm‘s midnight release parties unless you had a ticket in hand that you had better have confirmed at least a month ago. And that really takes us back to some of our favorite nostalgic moments from book releases of yore—although, in our day, you could just walk in.

Now that the midnight hour has passed, though, you’ll probably be able to snag this new Fourth Wing book just fine at your local book retailer. Online pre-orders for the new Fourth Wing book will also begin to ship on January 21.

The official synopsis for Onyx Storm reads:

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves―her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

The Special Collector’s Edition of Onyx Storm Is Only Available at Target (But Good Luck Getting Your Hands On It!)Target

Target has become known for a great many things, but it looks like it’s also getting into the book game. A very special collector’s edition of Onyx Storm is available at Target. (And fans widely perceive it as a better special edition than that of Barnes & Noble.) Notably, this version of Onyx Storm was not available for pre-order in any form but became available in stores and online at Target on January 21. The special edition novel came online at Target.com after 3 am ET on Onyx Storm‘s release date… And shortly after the whole website went down. Yep, it seems that Fourth Wing fans crashed the Target website in the early hours of January 21, trying to get their hands on the very cool tome.

What’s so cool about this special edition Target version of Onyx Storm? Well, you can see for yourself below.

Per author Rebecca Yarros, “The Target Collector’s Edition has a stunning alternate cover and edges, a full-color map on the endpapers, a ribbon bookmark, and five stunning pieces of art on vellum inserted throughout the book.”

You can check out the Target version of the new Fourth Wing book here. At the time of this writing, it seems like there is limited stock of the Target Onyx Storm special edition at some locations, but it is entirely sold out online. It’s hard to know if there will be another printing of this book, so if you want it, go out and get it!

Jump to: Onyx Storm Release Date and Synopsis // Target’s Special Edition Onyx Storm // New Fourth Wing Book Audiobook and E-Book // Book Four of Fourth Wing and Its TV Series Adaptation The Audiobook and E-Book Versions of the New Fourth Wing Book Are Here

A bit easier to snag, the audiobook version of Onyx Storm also released at the same time as the new Fourth Wing book’s physical version. You can check out the audiobook on Audible, Spotify and more. Rebecca Soler narrates Onyx Storm‘s audiobook. Additionally, the e-book version of the third Fourth Wing novel is available on Kindle, Apple Books, and other e-book platforms.

What About Book Four of Fourth Wing and its TV Series Adaptation? Entangled: Red Tower Books

Fans, as we know, are always voracious for more from their favorite series. Although Onyx Storm just released, many are already curious to know the current status of the fourth Fourth Wing book and the Fourth Wing TV series, you ask?

Well, Yarros recently said of Fourth Wing book four in her Instagram comments, “Haven’t even started it. The pace in which book 3 (Onyx Storm) needed to be completed almost killed me, and I’m not speaking in hyperbole.” And additionally noted, in answer to a question about whether she was working on book four of Fourth Wing yet, “Nope! I’ll write a contemporary first (contracts are contracts) and can’t start that until I can open a word doc without having an anxiety attack. Burn out is real and sucks. But I’m getting closer every day!”

Additionally, in a recent interview, Yarros noted a bit more, sharing that there will likely be character deaths in book four, maybe someone you love, maybe not. Additionally, the author reveals that she may explore different viewpoints in book four. She shares, “I think I left myself some really great opportunities” to explore other perspectives.

Finally, Yarros reveals she may have a title in mind, but it’s extra secret. She offers, “I have one in my head, but I’m keeping everything so close to the chest, just because I feel like when something this big happens, it becomes like a train. And if you start that train, even when you throw up your hands and you say, ‘I’m not OK! We gotta stop it! We gotta pause it!’ The train’s in motion, and everyone’s like, ‘Ah, so sorry!’ And so the only way to not start that train and to make sure that I am as healthy as possible for my children is to not start the train. So I keep everything about Book 4 right here. No one has any details on it.”

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FOURTH WING TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society (Latest 2025 Updates)

As for a Fourth Wing TV series, we last heard major news about one being in the works in November of 2023. Since then, a showrunner became attached to the project, Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad, Anne with an E), and author Yarros recently acknowledged it, saying she couldn’t say anything at all and joking, “I’m so new to this industry. I will Tom Holland it,” she jokes, referencing the famously spoiler-prone actor.) She also notes she hasn’t met Michael B. Jordan, whose company will help to produce the series, concluding, “I’d probably just keel over and die.”

Onyx Storm, the third book in the Fourth Wing series, is available now.

Jump to: Onyx Storm Release Date and Synopsis // Target’s Special Edition Onyx Storm // New Fourth Wing Book Audiobook and E-Book // Book Four of Fourth Wing and Its TV Series Adaptation

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The Marvel Comics History of Sam Wilson, from Falcon to Captain America

Captain America: Brave New World is the first solo feature film featuring the character of Sam Wilson in the lead. And it’s not insignificant, as Sam Wilson’s Falcon was the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics. Sam didn’t debut until Captain America #117 in 1969, a whopping 30 years after Superman (and thus, all superheroes) became comic book mainstays. Yes, that’s how long it took to get a Black American superhero in comics, sadly. But his stature has only elevated since his debut, especially since 2014, when he also became Captain America. But it was a long road for Sam Wilson from Cap’s sidekick to being Captain America himself.

Marvel Comics1969’s Captain America #117 Introduces the World to Sam Wilson

If you are only familiar with the character of Sam Wilson from his MCU iteration, his backstory in the comics is quite different. Artist Gene Colan, famous for his work on Daredevil, came to Stan Lee with the concept of the Falcon. Colan specifically wanted an African-American hero in Marvel Comics, realizing that all the African-American characters at Marvel were supporting cast to Caucasian heroes. (Black Panther was already introduced in 1996, but of course, he was African royalty.) Stan Lee welcomed the idea, and Captain America #117, published in the summer of 1969, introduced the heroic Falcon.

Marvel Comics

Sam was the son of a Harlem minister who was a beacon for the community. Sadly, Sam lost both his father and his mother to violent crime at a young age. Instead of becoming bitter (like a certain Bat guy at DC), he devoted his life to helping the community through social work. During his young adulthood, Sam realized he had a special bond with birds of all kinds. He eventually shared an empathic connection with a falcon he trained called Redwing who became his constant companion (and later, ally in battle). He later revealed that he could connect with birds across the world and even “see” through their eyes. Professor X of the X-Men saw this as proof that Sam was a mutant, but later discovered he had no X-gene. The avian powers were a result of exposure to the Cosmic Cube, a.k.a. the Tesseract in the MCU.

Marvel Comics

Sam met Steve Rogers at a place called Exiles’ Island, where he was training Redwing. The once peaceful hideaway was now the home of former Nazis and other wannabe world conquerors, all collaborating with the Red Skull. There, Steve Rogers and Sam quickly became friends, and Cap began training him in hand-to-hand combat. He convinces Sam to adopt a costumed persona. Sam takes on the name the Falcon and he helped Cap liberate Exiles Island from its oppressors. He originally wore a green and orange costume, looking like something a pro wrestler might wear. That outfit was not to last.

Marvel ComicsSam Wilson Becomes Steve Rogers’ Co-Headliner in Captain America and the Falcon

Fans instantly took to Sam, and he became Cap’s crime-fighting partner within a year. By 1971, the Falcon had a much improved red and white costume, and mechanical wings provided by the Black Panther, with Wakandan tech that allowed him to fly. From 1971 to 1978, Marvel renamed the series Captain America and the Falcon, elevating Sam Wilson to one of Marvel’s most prominent heroes. He was also one of Marvel’s first heroes to get his own action figure, as part of the MEGO World’s Greatest Heroes line in the ‘70s.

Marvel Comics

One of the most egregious decisions in the Falcon’s development came in Captain America #186 in 1975. Writer Steve Englehart, who wrote one of the all-time runs on Avengers, gave a new wrinkle to Sam’s backstory. Englehart revealed that the Falcon wasn’t really a social worker who helped the community. His true backstory was as a criminal thug with mob ties. The reality-warping Cosmic Cube altered his memories. Whether intentional or not, Englehart’s story forced Sam Wilson into a racist stereotype. Sam rejected his “true” past, choosing to embrace his new personality. Luckily, a 2014 story undid this retcon, stating that the Nazi villain the Red Skull used the Cosmic Cube to implant false, racist memories into Sam’s mind to make him doubt himself. The fix came late, but better late than never.

Marvel ComicsSam Wilson Becomes an Avenger, and Eventually Captain America

In 1983, Sam headlined his own The Falcon four-part mini-series by Christopher Priest. He would also appear as an Avenger in multiple incarnations of the team over the next several decades. In addition, he returned to being a supporting cast member in the Captain America series. In 2014, Steve Rogers became an old man when the Super Soldier Serum was removed from his body. He bequeathed the name and shield of Captain America to Sam Wilson after years of working alongside him. This led to Sam headlining his own series by Rick Remender and Stuart Immonen in 2014, The All-New Captain America. In 2015 he’d get another new ongoing series, titled Sam Wilson: Captain America, this time from the creative team of Nick Spencer and Daniel Acuna.

Marvel Comics

Eventually, Steve Rogers got his youth restored, and took on the Captain America mantle once more. Sam Wilson became the Falcon again, but this return to his old identity was temporary. In 2021’s The United States of Captain America, Sam Wilson reclaimed the title of Captain America. He is now Cap alongside Rogers. He’s currently the leader of the Avengers as well. Despite having been around since the ’60s, it took a long time for Sam Wilson to receive the proper recognition as one of Marvel’s most important heroes. But now, he’s as important to the Marvel Universe as any long-standing member of the Avengers.

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