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Get Hyped for POWER RANGERS’ 25th Anniversary Extravaganza

I remember vividly, as a nine-year-old, when Fox Kids was set to premiere a brand new superhero show called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It was 1993, just as the school year was kicking off, and I’d spend my fourth grade mornings watching the exploits of five teenagers with attitude taking on giant monsters in Angel Grove, CA. And ever since, a new group of fourth graders–and any aged kid–have been able to watch some version of the show. In 2018, Saban’s Power Rangers is turning 25 and all year they’re going to be celebrating with their “You’ve Got the Power” campaign.

Each iteration of the series has had a disparate group of teenagers recruited to become the latest in version of the ancient fighting force, and the 25th anniversary campaign will highlight what have always been the tenets of the series: “friendship, inclusivity, diversity and teamwork.” Kids who might not have been friends otherwise bond in order to save their community, and that’s a pretty great thing for young people to learn while they’re watching martial arts and Tokusatsu action.

The above image is the official logo of the 2018 celebration (it launches January and goes all the way through to the holidays). In addition, they’ve announced just the first batch of happenings for this monumental morphin milestone, and they include:

• A special 25th anniversary episode will air on Nickelodeon during the Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel season in Summer 2018.

• A national live tour and one-of-a-kind and interactive theatre production. More details, along with pre-sale tickets, will be announced in early October.

• Power Rangers will soon be the first licensed property with an official interactive role playing game streaming live on Hyper RPG Twitch channel.

• Interactive experiences with new, game-changing brand partners to create Power Rangers escape rooms and virtual reality centers as well as learning and physical development opportunities for kids.

• The unveiling of the “Top 25 for the 25th” collection which will feature must-have, official anniversary items for collectors of all ages from notable partners including Bandai, the Power Rangers: Legacy Wars mobile game, and Power Rangers comics from BOOM! Studios, to name but a few.

Chances are, if you were a kid anywhere in the last 25 years, Power Rangers was a part of growing up, and might be part of where you are today. Its popularity remains, and a year-long party proves it’s still alive and high-kicking.

Images: Saban

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Does the Latest VENOM Movie News Indicate a Genre Change?

Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate are joining the Venom movie, which is getting a new draft from the Fifty Shades of Grey screenwriter. We spit some hot takes on what it all means on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with the latest on Pacific Rim: Uprising, and a roundup from Star Wars.

Joining guest host Amy Vorpahl today was editor-in-chief Rachel Heine, associate editor Kyle Anderson, and Mothership producer Derek Johnson. They started with their expectations for Sony’s solo Venom movie, including what they think Michelle Williams and the very funny Jenny Slate might bring to the table, as well as whether hiring Fifty Shades of Grey screenwriter Kelly Marcel for a rewrite indicates a genre change, and if the whole thing can even be successful without Spider-Man. Can Sony really pull off their own Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) when they don’t have the rights to most of the characters in the MCU?

From there it was time to battle some Kaiju and discuss the latest “Jaegar bombs” that were dropped about Pacific Rim: Uprising. Are we looking forward to it? Does the return of Rinko Kikuchi’s Mako Mori to stop the apocalypse once more make us more excited to see it, or do we need to see more characters came back, too? And what do we make of John Boyega’s backstory/familial connection to Idris Elba‘s Pentecost from the original? Does that plot point make sense with the promotional materials we’ve seen?

Finally it was time to hit the hyperdrive to roundup all of the Star Wars news floating around the galaxy, like how it turns out Yoda wanted to train Leia and not Luke, that Han Solo’s death needed to go through Disney CEO Bob Iger, and some powers Snoke might still have to teach Kylo Ren to complete his training.

Just like it is every weekday, Nerdist News Talks Back was live at 1:00 p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels. Tune in during the show so you can discuss the day’s biggest pop culture news with us. Not having you there is like having Venom without Spider-Man. Yeah, it can work, but it’s more fun to do it together.

We still want to hear what you had to think about today’s show, so talk back to us in the comments below.

Images: Marvel, Lucasfilm

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This Leia Tattoo Takes a Stand

There aren’t enough adjectives in the world or the galaxy far, far away to describe Leia Organa. She stands for what’s right and has put duty over her personal needs again and again. And this Star Wars tattoo captures a tiny bit of how she’s bravely stood against the evil–first the Empire and now the First Order.

Leia (Star Wars) | Source: Keith, inked by Malony at Anatomy Tattoo

And for something completely different in the realm of geeky tattoos, take a bite out of this Thwomp. I can’t get over the colors in this Super Mario ink. It looks way more fierce in this tattoo than in the game.

Thwomp (Super Mario) | Source: Tim

Keep on scrolling to see additional tattoos in the gallery below. You’ll find Dungeons and Dragons-inspired ink, Ashbringer from World of Warcraft, a stunning Tokyo Ghoul design, and more in the gallery below.

If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-inspired ink (tl;dr: I want to see all of the tattoos) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. I’m especially interested if you have a sleeve or other large tattoo. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.

Featured Image: Keith

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.

Look at more geeky tattoos!

A frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy sleeve.
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A Nightcrawler tattoo that teleports through a stomach.

Dungeons and Dragons armor classes | Source: Zak Smith

Misty Mountains and Bag End | Source: Keisha, inked by Harry Plane from Wolf & Wren Studios

Tokyo Ghoul ink | Source: Kat

Ashbringer (World of Warcraft) | Source: Kevin

Joss Whedon Returns to BUFFYVERSE with New Giles Comic

Joss Whedon is once again returning to the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, albeit in comic book form. Although he has been serving in an executive producer type role for the Buffy comics since the beginning with season eight, he has not written any actual Buffy issues since about season nine. The current Buffy season of comics is 11 and is expected to wrap soon.

But Whedon isn’t returning to Buffy the Vampire Slayer proper. Instead, as just announced at AV Club, he’s writing a four issue Dark Horse Comics mini-series based around her former Watcher, Rupert Giles, as he begins life in an inner-city high school–not as a teacher, as a fifteen year old student.

For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to the Buffy comics since the TV series ended, Giles died in the climax of season eight, killed by the season’s Big Bad. Eventually he was resurrected by Angel, but in a new pre-teen body with all of his middle-aged man memories intact. Now, little Rupert is 15, and about to enter high school in America for the first time. Check out a preview of the cover art:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Giles will be a four-issue miniseries debuting on February 28 that sees Ripper, as Giles was once nicknamed, enrolling in an inner-city public school to investigate the mysterious disappearance of teachers. Whedon isn’t tackling this storyline alone; he’s teaming up with writer Erika Alexander, artist Jon Lam, and colorist Dan Jackson to chronicle “Giles the awkward years,” take two.

About Giles’ return to high school, Whedon told AV Club, “Sunnydale was, apart from being on a hellmouth, a pretty privileged place. Giles has never really dealt with the public school system as it exists for most kids. He’s never been to the city. Giles has always had the advantage of being a part of the system that educated him. He was taught to be a watcher in a family of watchers. His education was, in the grand British public school tradition, both expansive and parochial.”

All that sounds great, but will teenage Giles take off and clean his glasses with the same regularity that middle-aged Giles did??

Are you stoked for Whedon’s return to the Buffyverse? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.

Images: Dark Horse Comics / Twentieth Century Fox

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Does Cable’s Future Garb Hide Details About DEADPOOL 2?

It may be a few months before we catch the first trailer for Deadpool 2, but we’ve already seen quite a bit of Josh Brolin‘s Cable. The Merc with a Mouth’s frenemy/man-crush has already shown us his cinematic outfit, complete with guns, pouches, and even a teddy bear. But in the latest glimpse behind-the-scenes of this sequel, Brolin’s outfit may have shared some significant clues about how Cable fits into the plot. Today’s Nerdist News is going back to the future and the past to tell you what it means!

Join the only host who is also her own evil clone, Jessica Chobot, as she goes through the details of Cable’s clothing choices. We’re pretty sure he’s not about to join the U.S. Gymnastics team, although Brolin clearly went through a lot to get in shape for this role. Instead, we’re thinking that his skintight costume and the fact that he’s piling up on weapons means that this is our first look at Cable immediately after he arrives from the future.

It’s hard not to get a Terminator vibe as Cable gathers his guns and ammo. It also suggests that he couldn’t bring any of that future gear with him when he went back in time. The creative team behind Deadpool 2 hasn’t really confirmed the time travel element yet, but it’s an intrinsic part of who Cable is. That’s always been a part of his backstory, and it appears to be intact.

More intriguingly, that device on Cable’s wrist is probably “the Professor,” his artificially intelligent sidekick who can control Cable’s ability to teleport, or as he calls it, “bodyslide.” In the comics, the Professor was actually X-Factor’s Ship, by way of Apocalypse. Ship traveled to the future with Nathan Summers when he was a gravely ill infant, and as the Professor, he eventually became Nathan/Cable’s closest companion even without the benefit of a body.

Another important detail in these new photos are the cop cars in the background. This suggests that Cable’s presence has not gone unnoticed, and they may even be an anti-mutant law enforcement group. If we had to guess what the DMC appreciation stands for, we’d say it’s “Department of Mutant Control.”

What do you think about the latest look behind-the-scenes of Deadpool 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: 20th Century Fox/Marvel

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X-Men power couple Rogue and Gambit get their own Marvel comics series!
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X-MEN Power Couple ROGUE & GAMBIT Get Their Own Series At Last

Aside from Cyclops and Jean Grey and Kitty Pryde and Colossus, the longest and most written about love affair in X-Men history has been Rogue and Gambit. So it’s no surprise that Marvel Comics has just announced, via CBR, that the pair are getting a series of their own at last. The two have had series separately before, but it makes complete sense to put these two in a book together.

All we have right now is a cover and a January launch date. However, more details are expected to be revealed at upcoming Marvel Legacy panels at New York Comic-Con. You can check out the cover image for Rogue & Gambit below:

So why are Rogue and Gambit so beloved a couple, especially to millennials? It really all boils down to the early ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series, which heavily featured the ups and downs of their relationship. However, the Rogue and Gambit romance didn’t originate in the cartoon series; it started about a year earlier in the pages of the comics, which were undergoing a sales boom. Chris Claremont and Jim Lee’s X-Men #1 had sold eight million copies, and the flirtation between the two characters began in earnest in its pages.

Rogue was introduced in the pages of Avengers, before becoming a regular member of Uncanny X-Men in 1983, and was the first new recruit to the team after Kitty Pryde. Back then, adding a new team member was a big deal–it didn’t happen every few months. Rogue was originally a villain and a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, but she came to the team to learn to control her powers. Visually, she was a very different character back then. Because of her inability to touch people, since she’d drain them of their life force if she did, she was covered head to toe in her costume. The X-Men didn’t trust her at first, but she slowly became a part of the family.

Gambit, on the other hand, was introduced some seven years later in Uncanny X-Men, in the summer of 1990. During this time, he had met an amnesiac (and de-aged) Storm, and the two became partners in crime, quite literally, in New Orleans, as both of them became high end thieves. When Storm got her memory back, she convinced Gambit to follow her to the X-Men, where he eventually met Rogue. By this point in time, Rogue was a much sassier, more confident character, and because artists like Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri were drawing her, she was also way more objectified.

The early ’90s saw issue after issue of a scantily clad Rogue in Daisy Dukes telling Gambit she couldn’t be with him, because her touch would drain him of his powers and she’d hurt him. Then he’d argue back that she was worth the risk, etc. Since both characters were from the south, the constant arguing between the two was written in over-the-top Southern accents, and it read like a mutant version of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara arguing in Gone with the Wind. This was the basis for their relationship on the X-Men animated show, which is what millions of kids grew up watching.

Eventually Rogue and Gambit did kiss–once when they thought the world was going to end. But she absorbed Gambit’s memories and learned about some bad stuff he’d done years before, causing several more years of drama. At one point, both Rogue and Gambit lost their powers and were able to be together, but more drama ensued when their powers returned. Eventually, Professor X was able to help Rogue control her powers, and for a time, she and Gambit had a real relationship. The duo parted ways after that for various reasons, but it seems that these two characters are destined to always be linked together in the minds of fans.

What do you think of Rogue and Gambit finally sharing a series together? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Images: Marvel Comics / Saban Entertainment

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Nerdist Podcast: Ron Perlman #3

Ron Perlman returns to the Nerdist podcast! He and Chris talk about nicknames, the movie he worked on with Brando and knowing people who are close to death. Ron then tells the story of being roasted by Don Rickles, why he speaks up for things he think is important and the new season of his Crackle series StartUp!

Image: Jamie McCarthy / Getty

Watch Neill Blomkamp’s New Animated Short ADAM: THE MIRROR

Earlier this year, Neill Blomkamp unveiled his new Oats Studios initiative to create short sci-fi films as a test to see which stories audiences would respond to. Now, Blomkamp is taking his plans to the next stage with Adam: The Mirror, the first of two animated shorts that serve as a sequel to Blomkamp’s previous Adam short. In this world, Adam is an android among many who share the same design. They all clearly have their own minds. The enigmatic Needalus has freed Adam and his fellow androids from their virtual chains, and now he’s offering them a choice. The Mirror can reveal the true natural of who and what they used to be. Watch:

Adam: The Mirror was animated in real-time using Unity 2017, and it raises several intriguing questions about Adam and his fellow androids/cyborgs. Only their human brains remain, without any overt signs of their previous identities. And yet one of the androids clearly has a female voice as she struggles to continue. Does gender still matter when you no longer have a real body of your own? And are you still guilty of your crimes even though your previous self was practically a different person?

For added context, here’s the original Adam short that was released last year. In it, we witness Adam’s awakening, and the moment that Needalus made his presence known.

The next short in the series is called Adam: The Profit. Blomkamp’s announcement indicates that it will continue this story and will be released soon.

What do you think about the two Adam shorts? Upload your thoughts to the comment section below!

Image: Oats Studios

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Will AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Introduce Silk to the MCU?

On Tuesday, IMDb.com reported that Tiffany Espensen, who played Peter’s classmate and fellow Academic Decathlete Cindy in Spider-Man: Homecoming, would be reprising her role in next year’s Avengers: Infinity War. The news has increased speculation that Espensen is not playing just any old Cindy, but Cindy Moon, a.k.a. Silk. If so, her appearance in Infinity War could have major repercussions for the MCU and for Sony’s line of Spider-Man spin-off movies.

Who is Silk?

Cindy Moon first appeared on the scene in 2014’s relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man, where it was revealed that she was bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter.

Amazing Spider-Man volume 3 #4 (2014), cover by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado.

Unlike Peter, who quickly turned to fighting crime after a certain incident with a burglar and his Uncle Ben, Cindy’s existence remained a secret for years, and Cindy herself was locked away in a secret vault, where she hid from a family of extra-dimensional energy vampires (the Inheritors) intent of eating every last spider-themed hero in the multiverse. Fortunately, Peter and Cindy—now going as Silk—were able to defeat the Inheritors, with a little help from basically every other spider-hero ever (and a few new ones).

But, what’s a newly-freed spider-hero supposed to do after saving the multiverse? Track down her missing family in her own spinoff book, of course!

Silk volume 1 #1 (2015), cover by Dave Johnson

In the pages of her own series, Cindy Moon blossomed into a hero all her own. Series writer Robbie Thompson, who wrote all 26 issues, focused on Cindy as someone who was trying to rebuild her life and who, in the process, had to confront her trauma, anxiety, and depression. After several issues of unsuccessfully trying to cope on her own, Cindy ended up in therapy, and her sessions quickly became a major focus.

While Silk initially tried to branch out on her own as a superhero, she quickly ended up working with Mockingbird as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She also teamed up with fellow Spider-Women Jessica Drew and Gwen Stacy for some cross-dimensional shenanigans. And, after much drama, Cindy was finally reunited with her missing family.

But is Tiffany Espensen That Cindy?

When initial casting reports for Spider-Man: Homecoming announced that Tiffany Espensen was playing a character named Cindy, the internet lit up with speculation that it was in fact Cindy Moon. Her role in the final movie was fairly limited, however; while she has a few lines, her name is never actually spoken, though it is visible on a name tag at one point.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to believe she is a version of Cindy Moon. Nearly everyone in the movie, no matter how minor, was based on someone from the Spider-Man comics, so it would be odd for such a character to have no relation to Cindy Moon. On the other hand, she could have simply been an Easter egg, there for the enjoyment of eagle-eyed fans though without any intention of being set up for her own adventures as Silk. The Washington Monument scene, in which Cindy did nothing to save herself or her endangered classmates, for instance, would suggest she did not have any powers. Plus, there’s that whole “not locked away in a bunker while Peter gets to have all the fun” thing…

The most simple explanation, though, may just be that Marvel Studios and Sony wanted to seed Silk’s story, without actually committing to anything. Espensen is thus basically Schrödinger’s Spider; she is and is not Cindy Moon until the studios make up their minds.

What Could Silk’s Presence Mean for the MCU… and Beyond?

Espensen’s alleged appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, though, would dramatically change things. While it is possible she could appear in a quick background role when Peter Parker is recruited to join the Avengers against Thanos, there are other characters that would make much more sense for brief cameos, including Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May, Jacob Batalon’s Ned, or even Zendaya’s MJ, none of whom are currently credited. (The lack of Batalion and Zendaya also seems to argue against Espensen showing up with the other Academic Decathlon team members.) So why Espensen’s Cindy, and why in Infinity War?

The answer might lie not in Infinity War itself, but in what comes after. Marvel Studios has been particularly tight-lipped about the title of the Avengers 4, set for release in 2019, leading many to think the title itself is a spoiler. One popular theory is that it will turn out to be New Avengers, and will feature a whole new team of heroes. If the new team is introduced at the end of Infinity War—possibly in a post-credits scene—Espensen’s Cindy could be there as Silk.

Silk vol 2 #10 (2016), cover by Helen Chen.

Another possibility is that Espensen might show up not to tease a future Marvel Studios production, but an appearance in one of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff films. The most likely candidate: Silver and Black, the Silver Sable/Black Cat team-up tentatively scheduled for release in 2019. Silk would be a strong candidate to make an appearance in the film—tying it back to Spider-Man: Homecoming—because of her own history with the Black Cat, with whom she tangled as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. If Espensen does appear in Silver and Black, or another Sony film, it could cement the connection between Sony’s spinoff films and the MCU, which has thus far been confusing at best.

Either way, I’m excited to see Cindy again in Infinity War.

Do you think Espensen’s casting means Silk will be web-slinging her way into the MCU in the near future? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Images: Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios/Sony

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WESTWORLD Might Visit Medieval and Roman Worlds in Season 2

The Man in Black might have been content to spend his whole life playing out his Old West fantasies at the world’s most expensive theme park, but we imagine some folks like a little variety during their robot killing/android orgy vacations. And soon those wealthy patrons of Delos might get a chance to try out some very different places, after the show’s creators hinted at the inclusion of Medieval and Roman worlds in Westworld‘s second season.

In news we came across at Deadline, Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were asked during a panel at the Vanity Fair Summit about why they didn’t include those two worlds in season one, since they were the other theme parks in the original 1973 film starring Yul Brenner. “We had to save something for Season 2,” answered Nolan.

This tease isn’t surprising, because robots for Samurai World were shown during the bloody season one finale, and Maeve was given a note telling her she could find her “daughter” in “Park 1.” But if the plan is to have as many as four theme parks in total, even if we don’t see all of them next season, it could give us an idea where the series is ultimately heading.

Four theme parks full of killer robots acting of their own accord instead of just one opens up some very exciting possibilities. Could we see a massive army of cowboys, samurai, Roman Legionaries, and knights in armor band together for a fantasy military force come to life? Could humans use their still-tamed robots in those other worlds to invade the Old West park for them?

Any combination of those worlds, united against humans or in opposition with one another, would make for some amazing battles. We bet even the Man in Black would be willing to trade his cowboy hat for a toga so he could watch.

What do you think? Will we see these new worlds this season? What could this mean for the rest of the show? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

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