Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 331

We Reveal Animal Companion Cards From DISNEY LORCANA’s Next Set

Disney animated movies wouldn’t be the same without adorable animal companions helping out the protagonists. Actually, all the critters have to do is appear and look cute and/or menacing, and we’re sold. It’s been a delight to see our favorite Disney animals in Disney Lorcana, the trading card game from Ravensburger. The next set of Disney Lorcana, Ursula’s Return, will have animal companions too, obviously. Today we can reveal five of the animal companion cards from Ursula’s Return. All of these buddies are making their first appearance in Lorcana, too!

Click To View Gallery Ravensburger/Sandara Tang Ravensburger/Maddie Shilt Ravensburger/Nicholas Kole Ravensburger/Kenneth Anderson Ravensburger/Heidi Neunhoffer

We have an Emerald Cri-Kee (Mulan), an Emerald Jaq (Cinderella), a Ruby Khan (Mulan), a Steel Rajah (Aladdin), and an Amethyst Tick-Tock (Peter Pan). We know Tick-Tock isn’t an animal companion in the traditional sense, but we still wanted to show him off. After all, he’s only a crocodile doing what crocodiles do. Even if he does eat people, Tick-Tock has his charms.

Of these cards, Cri-Kee jumps out. With a value of three lore, Cri-Kee will be excellent at questing. Plus, when you play this little one, all of your other characters get an additional three strength—not just one, all of them. Played at the right time, Cri-Kee could help your characters throw down in some challenges. We also appreciate Jaq simply for this line on his card: “Teamwork makes the cheese work.”

These animals join a ton of new faces from movies like Encanto and Fantasia, along with new Floodborn heroes. Rise of the Floodborn saw Ursula freed from the Illuminary and now she’s ready to take over Lorcana. Ursula’s Return sounds a lot like it’s going to be Ursula’s revenge. We’re eager to know more about how gameplay will evolve with this fourth release of Lorcana. We won’t have to wait for too long. Ursula’s Return will release at local game stores, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, and select Disney Store retail locations on May 17, 2024. It will then be available from mass market retailers on May 31, 2024.

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Why the FALLOUT Series Won’t Have To Choose Between NEW VEGAS’ Four Endings

When Hank MacLane fled the Boneyard (née Los Angeles) in the final moments of Fallout‘s first season, he brought the series to an iconic video game locale. New Vegas is home to what some consider the franchise’s best entry. By going there, though, Prime Video’s canonical show has raised all new questions about the wasteland’s Sin City. The Fallout: New Vegas video game has four possible endings that players can unlock. Small variations can then also occur within each of the New Vegas endings, putting even more Fallout possibilities on the table. But the TV series can’t treat all four as fact. So, based on what we learned from the events of Prime Video’s series, which Fallout: New Vegas ending does the show treat as the definitive one?

The answer is almost certainly the best option for fans of Fallout: New Vegas—none of them.

What is Fallout: New Vegas About?Obsidian Entertainment

Whether you’re new to the Fallout franchise or a longtime fan, you can read all about the game in our deep dive primer and learn what it revealed about the state of the western half of the United States 15 years prior to the start of Prime Video’s series. (The game takes place in 2281. The Fallout TV series’ present-day timeline begins in 2296.)

Fallout: New Vegas has gamers play as The Courier, a character who gets caught up in a multi-pronged battle of powerful groups over some invaluable real estate. They’re all fighting over New Vegas, the nearby Mojave Desert wasteland, and the Hoover Dam. The dam is of special importance as it offers both clean water and energy for whoever controls it.

At the start of the Fallout game, the New California Republic (NCR) operates the Hoover Dam. They also have an arrangement with the leader of New Vegas, Mr. House, a character who appeared in season one of the Fallout series.

Who is Fallout: New Vegas‘ Mr. House?Obsidian Entertainment

Robert Edwin House was only 22 when he started the multibillion-dollar robotics conglomerate (and close Vault-Tec business partner) RobCo in 2042. Mr. House was much, much, much older when The Courier arrived in glamorous New Vegas.

It was because of Mr. House that New Vegas was as close to a pre-Great War city as America had left. He’d prepared the city for nuclear war, and thanks to his planning, Vegas took a fraction of the damage that befell almost every other major city when the bombs started dropping.

But Mr. House was still in control of his gambling mecca two centuries later, thanks to a special life-support hibernation chamber. With his body (barely) preserved and his brain hardwired directly into a massive supercomputer, Mr. House was able to continue ruling over New Vegas.

The Courier’s decisions in the game determine whether Mr. House still lives and controls his city by the end of Fallout: New Vegas.

What Are the Four Alternate Endings of Fallout: New Vegas?Obsidian Entertainment

Fallout: New Vegas ultimately culminates in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. (The first took place a few years before the start of the game.) Three entities all hope to control it: the NCR, Caesar’s Legion, and Mr. House. The player’s option to align with one of them (or not) determines who takes over the Hoover Dam and New Vegas. Those four possible Fallout: New Vegas alternate endings include:

The New California Republic Annexes New Vegas and the Mojave Desert Obsidian Entertainment

In this Fallout: New Vegas ending, the NCR not only keeps the Hoover Dam, but it also takes over New Vegas and its surrounding area. The total victory contributes to the growing and powerful government’s eastward expansion.

Caesar’s Legion Claims the Entire Region at the End of New VegasObsidian Entertainment

If the player supports The Legion—a group modeled after Ancient Roman society that enslaves people and that barely lost the First Battle of Hoover Dam—it takes over everything connected to New Vegas. Its victory also forces the NCR to retreat westward, slowing the NCR’s expansion.

Prior decisions by the player determine if The Legion’s leader, Edward “Caesar” Sallow, lives or dies in this Fallout: New Vegas ending. In endings where he doesn’t survive, his subordinate, The Legate, is named the new Caesar. No matter which of the two ultimately rules, though, they bring a brutal form of tyrannical civilization to New Vegas.

Mr. House Claims the Hoover Dam and Mojave Wasteland Obsidian Entertainment

Gamers who back Mr. House by upgrading his Securitron robot army allow for an ending where the New Vegas ruler forces both the NCR and the Legion away from the Hoover Dam. Mr. House then takes control of both it and the surrounding Mojave, firmly establishing himself as the leader of the Fallout region.

The Courier (With Yes Man’s Help) Frees New Vegas Obsidian Entertainment

In the final alternate Fallout: New Vegas ending, the Courier goes into business for themself. Using the beloved character the Yes Man—a Securiton voiced by Dave Foley who can only say yes to any request—the Courier takes over Mr. House’s network and, in turn, the Hoover Dam, New Vegas, and the surrounding area. In this Fallout ending, New Vegas is set free.

In each of these conclusions, New Vegas seems poised to have long-term leadership that will keep the city stable (even if that means brutal, despotic rule). Yet, 15 years later, on Prime Video’s Fallout series, regardless of ending, that’s not the case for New Vegas.

What Did Fallout Season One Reveal About New Vegas? Prime Video

The animated end credits for Fallout‘s season one finale showed New Vegas in rough shape. Rather than a bustling city of either gambling and fun or strict order, it looked like something terrible had happened in the intervening 15 years since the Courier made their decision. It looked like a city of ruins, as though a major battle had destroyed the strip. Who did that? Why were crashed NCR aircraft on the streets? What happened to the victor of the Second Hoover Dam, no matter who it was?

That carnage is why the series might never give us a canonical answer about what happened there before. It doesn’t matter who “won” in Fallout: New Vegas because enough time has passed that winner no longer seems to matter, as things can change quickly in the wasteland. (Something the show’s creators have specifically pointed out.) The Vault-Tec mastermind behind the proverbial wheel The Ghoul seeks might have come in and claimed the important region for themselves.

Prime Video

By only focusing on the current state of New Vegas and what it means for the present, the Prime Video series can both honor Fallout: New Vegas without picking a definitive ending. It’s the best of both worlds. Minus if you lived in New Vegas at any point over the last 15 years.

But just because Fallout seems unlikely to pick one of the New Vegas‘ possible endings as being canon doesn’t mean there won’t still be meaningful connections to all four.

How Did Fallout Season 1 Directly Connect with Fallout: New Vegas?Prime Video

Fallout‘s first season featured none other than RobCo’s Mr. House himself. He was seen at the Vault-Tec meeting where Barb Howard discussed the company starting a nuclear war. On the show, House was skeptical of society thriving underground, which fits in with his character’s preparation to keep Las Vegas habitable on the surface. Whether the Courier killed him or not in the “canon” New Vegas ending, did someone reconnect his brain to the network in the lead-up to the Fallout series? Is a re-reprogrammed Yes Man with him? Did Mr. House destroy his own city rather than let someone take it over? Or is he the very same person Hank is going to in the last scene of the Fallout show?

The show also revealed the mysterious current ruler of New Vegas, whoever it is, dropped a nuclear bomb on the NCR’s capital city, Shady Sands, years ago. That atrocity actually seemed to conflict with the canon established by Fallout: New Vegas. In the New Vegas game, Shady Sands was said to be still thriving, but Prime Video said it actually fell in 2277, four years prior to 2281 (the time when New Vegas takes place). However, the show’s creators have said that the apparent discrepancy was intentional, and we can, therefore, expect an explanation of what really happened in future seasons.

Prime Video

We can also expect to learn more about the current state of the NCR in the Fallout series. The once powerful and expanding government seems to be in tatters now. Moldaver seemed to be leading a much smaller NCR from the ruins of the Griffith Observatory when she died.

Does a larger force of NCR officials exist elsewhere? Or is the group now gone forever as the region falls under the brutal metal thumb of the Brotherhood? And what does all of this have to do with the Hoover Dam?

The Fallout Series Doesn’t Have to Pick One New Vegas EndingPrime Video

Clearly something terrible happened to the NCR at some point over the last 15 years. The same is true of Mr. House and his beloved city after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Bad for them, sure. But great for video game fans who don’t want Prime Video’s Fallout series to say three of the New Vegas‘ possible endings canonically never happened.

The Fallout series doesn’t have to pick just one conclusion as the only one. What matters is that the NCR, The Legion, and Mr. House all had problems after Fallout: New Vegas.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist currently trying to book a weekend at Fallout’s New Vegas. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Comics-Accurate X-Men Costumes We Want to See in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

After 23 years, Hugh Jackman will finally wear his comics-accurate costume in Deadpool & Wolverine. Although the first X-Men movie made a snarky remark about yellow spandex costumes, fans have waited forever to see Logan in the outfit on-screen. With the confirmation of the TVA in the trailers, as well as the inclusion of the Multiversal junkyard called the Void, it feels like several of the Fox-era X-Men might appear in this film alongside Logan. In fact, we already know of several minor mutants who will show up, and they deserve comic-book-style costume upgrades too, properly paying homage to their Marvel Comics origins. But which X-Men comics costumes should appear in the MCU’s world? Here are the X-Men we’d love to see in the MCU, and the costumes we’d love to see them wear.

Marvel Animation/Marvel Studios If Gambit Appears, We Want the Ragin’ Cajun in His Classic Purple20th Century Studios/Amazon MGM Studios

Gambit is an iconic member of the X-Men, mainly due to his inclusion in the X-Men: The Animated Series roster. He’s had a recent bump in popularity too, thanks to his bigger role in X-Men ’97 on Disney+. However, he barely appeared in the Fox X-Men films, showing up only in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, played by Taylor Kitsch. But in that movie, he was barely a supporting player, and looked more like a lost member of Blues Traveler. If rumors are true and Channing Tatum will finally appear as Remy LeBeau in Deadpool & Wolverine, we want to see him in his purple colors and weird cowl, charging up playing cards.

X23’s Wolverine Costume Needs to Appear On Screen20th Century Studios/Marvel Comics

Dafne Keen stole the show as Laura, the child of Wolverine created by science, in 2017’s Logan. She was only a little kid when she made that film, which featured her father Wolverine sacrificing himself and his young child carrying on in his name. But Dafne Keen isn’t a little kid anymore, and if she appears in Deadpool & Wolverine, as is heavily rumored, we’d like to see the now grown-up X23 officially take up the mantle of Wolverine. And with the codename comes the costume. It could be an older version of Laura from the Logan universe, or a Multiversal variant. But we want to see her in the iconic yellow and blue just like dear old dad.

Cyclops’ Blue and Yellow Costume Should Join Wolverine’s Suit in Deadpool & WolverineMarvel Comics/20th Century Studios

Scott Summers, the X-Men member whom you may know as Cyclops, has had literally dozens of costumes in the comics. While we love Cyclops’ ‘70s/’80s blue costume, with the skullcap and the pirate boots, we believe it would be a hard one to pull off on-screen in the MCU. For many, his most iconic costume is his ‘90s Jim Lee-designed one, used in X-Men: The Animated Series. We almost got a version of this costume in a Marvel movie, as it was teased for a moment at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse. Of course, by the time of the next film, Dark Phoenix, Cyclops was wearing yet another suit. If James Marsden shows as up as Cyclops in Deadpool & Wolverine or Secret Wars, we think a proper version of his ‘90s X-Men costume is in order for the MCU. Although we’d like one with a more accurate color scheme than the X-Men: Apocalypse one that Tye Sheridan wore. That’s a good place to start.

We’d Love for Storm’s Epic Cape to Take Flight in the MCUMarvel Comics/20th Century Studios

For all of the major diversions costume-wise in the first X-Men movie, the costume worn by Halle Berry as Storm is pretty close to what the Marvel Comics presented. (That first wig, though? That’s another story). While we are partial to Ororo Munroe’s original costume designed by Dave Cockrum, we do think it would be hard to justify the headpiece, leather swimwear, and thigh-high boots in live-action. But Storm’s ‘90s look, designed by Jim Lee, is perfect to wear on screen. This costume is very similar to the first X-Men movie costume, only this time, we would want the MCU’s version to have yellow accents and the red X symbol on the shoulders. Sometimes in the comics, this costume looks like black leather, sometimes it’s all white. We’d happily take either one.

Magneto‘s Purple and Red Costume Needs to Make an On-Screen Appearance 20th Century Studios/Marvel Comics

Magneto has one of the best costumes in comics. When Jack Kirby nailed a design, he really nailed it. That’s why Mags had so few costume changes over the decades. But the movies always shied away from going for the full comics look when it came to the Master of Magnetism’s costume. The closest we ever got in terms of Marvel Comics’ accuracy was the costume at the very end of X-Men: First Class, where Michael Fassbender’s Magneto sported the classic comics helmet and his purple and maroon color scheme. But that was all done away with in the next film, X-Men: Days of Future Past. If Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender do return in Deadpool & Wolverine, then let’s go full Kirby. Okay, maybe without the trunks. But the rest of it? Let’s go. It’s time to give Magneto the costume he deserves in the MCU.

Rogue’s Classic Marvel Comics Yellow and Green Suit Would Make a SplashMarvel Comics/20th Century Studios

Anna Paquin’s Rogue was quite different from her comic book counterpart. She was very shy and unsure of her powers, a far cry from the version of Rogue most fans knew from the ‘90s X-Men cartoon series. We’ve heard that version described as “Dolly Parton, with the powers of Superman.” And that’s accurate. Rogue has had many costumes in Marvel Comics, most of them green and white. But If Paquin returns, now all grown up, we’d love to see her in the Jim Lee-designed costume from X-Men #1, later made famous by the animated show. It’s really Rogue’s best costume, the bomber jacket just works so well with the suit. This comics-accurate costume is easily translatable to the screen with very few tweaks, and we’d love to see it add a splash of color to the MCU’s X-Men lineup. We’re ready to see this Rogue costume in live-action, sugah.

Colossus’s Bodysuit Is the X-Men Costume the MCU DeservesMarvel Comics/20th Century Studios

Piotr Rasputin, the X-Men’s Russian metal man Colossus, has been a key figure in the Deadpool movies, and is confirmed to return for the third film. As much as we love Stefan Kapičić in the role, that black and red costume is just not very Colossus to us. In Marvel’s X-Men comics and others, Colossus wore a red and yellow costume for much of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with big shoulder flares and thigh-high boots. Jim Lee later streamlined the design in the ‘90s. Maybe the best version of the Colossus costume was from the Astonishing X-Men series of the 2000s. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine costume seems inspired by Astonishing, so why not Colossus’ suit? We just know it’s time for Piotr to wear the red and yellow. We’d probably give the big lug some pants, though.

Phoenix‘s Firebird Emblem Should Rise On-Screen20th Century Studios/Marvel Comics

Jean Grey has been a part of the X-Men since the very first issue in 1963, and has had dozens of costumes since then. Some are iconic, others are fashion nightmares. But while we’ve lobbied hard for the Jim Lee ‘90s costume designs for any possible X-Men returning in the MCU, Jean Grey’s outfit from this era is not a favorite. The shoulder pad armor, the headpiece, the padding on the legs? It’s all too busy. Maybe the MCU could pull off a version of this X-Men costume that works. But we’d prefer something that evokes Jean as Phoenix.

Of course, that means the classic firebird emblem, in yellow and green. We realize the classic Phoenix costume might be hard to pull off in live-action. It would be hard to justify those opera gloves, thigh-high boots, and gold sash. But in the mid-2000s, Jean wore a more practical version of the Phoenix red and green, which could work on screen. With two movies dedicated to Jean Grey not being able to control the Phoenix Force, it would be fun to see Famke Janssen totally in control of her powers in the MCU, and wearing something resembling her New X-Men-era costume.

Mystique’s Comics-Accurate White Dress Is Long Overdue for Its Debut20th Century Studios/Marvel Comics

Mystique has been an iconic part of the X-Men film franchise since the very first film in 2000. She’s been played by Rebecca Romijn, and later, Jennifer Lawrence. But we think if Magneto returns, then Mystique should be right by his side. And if it’s Ian McKellen’s Magneto, then the original Mystique, Rebecca Romijn, should join him. Rebecca Romijn is currently killing it as Number One on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And while we think at this point in her career, she probably doesn’t want to spend hours in the makeup chair being painted head-to-toe blue, she doesn’t need to. Because Marvel Comics’ Mystique wore clothes. We’d love to see Mystique’s iconic white costume from the comics appear in the MCU, complete with the tiny gold skulls. We got a tease of this comics-accurate costume in X-Men: Apocalypse, but the later movies never delivered. This one’s long overdue.

Originally published on July 10, 2023.

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Cyberpunk Classic NEUROMANCER Is Becoming a Series for Apple TV+, Callum Turner to Star

One of the most celebrated science fiction novels of all time is soon becoming a series for Apple TV+. Neuromancer, based on the iconic novel by William Gibson, will become a 10-episode series for the streamer. Many credit the 1984 novel for creating the cyberpunk genre. Others even cite the novel for coming up with the term “cyberspace” in the first place. Forty years later, it is finally getting a proper adaptation. This series comes from creators Graham Roland (Jack Ryan) and J.D. Dillard, with Roland serving as showrunner and Dillard directing the pilot episode. Additionally, per Deadline, Masters of Air‘s Callum Turner has joined the cast as the series’ lead, Case.

Apple TV+

According to the official series description, the story follows a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Henry Case, who, as mentioned, will be played by Callum Turner. He finds himself in a web of digital espionage and high-stakes crime with his partner Molly. A razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes, Molly aims to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with many untold secrets. Case soon comes in contact with a powerful A.I., decades before that term was in common use. Gibson followed up the original novel with two more in what he called “the Sprawl trilogy,” Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. It’s unknown if these 10 episodes serve as a self-contained season, or if the other books are part of this adaptation as well.

Neuromancer is famously the only sci-fi novel to win the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award for an original paperback novel. Its influence is huge, and many have noticed its fingerprints on the themes and storylines of The Matrix. It’s the latest celebrated science fiction novel to receive the big-budget treatment as a series from AppleTV+, along with Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. No word yet on who will star in Neuromancer, or even when filming commences, but don’t expect to see the series on AppleTV+ before 2025.

Originally published on February 28, 2024.

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FALLOUT Season 2 Confirmed to Take Place in New Vegas

At the end of the Fallout series’ first season, we saw an exciting sight: New Vegas. Long-time Fallout fans surely recognized the site of one of the franchise’s best games, Fallout: New Vegas. But even newcomers to the Fallout world could tell that the skyline of New Vegas was an important one. And now, we have official confirmation that New Vegas will be a featured location in Fallout season two. Speaking to GQ, showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet confirmed the importance of New Vegas as a setting in the upcoming season of the Fallout series.

Prime Video

GQ noted of Fallout season one’s ending, “It’s very clearly indicated with the final shot of the show that it may go to New Vegas. Has that always been an ambition at some point?” To which, Wagner replied, “The idea that more stuff has happened, and that we’re not leaving worlds as we left them, was sort of the philosophy of approaching the first season being set in Los Angeles. We do hope to continue that, and create story on top of story… That’s been the entire exercise from the jump, right? 25 years of games, how do you do something on top of it, like a teetering Jenga tower. But that was always the goal. So we are hoping to do that again in another area that is strongly implied by the finale of the first season. [Laughs.] I might as well have said it at that point.”

“So we hope to do that again in another area that is strongly implied by the finale of the first [Fallout] season.” That basically says it all. We’ll add in the alternative proper nouns and recreate the meaning of the sentence. The showrunners intend to set Fallout season two in New Vegas and explore what has happened in that space since fans last saw it in the games. Heading to New Vegas is absolutely a bold move on the part of the Fallout series. But part of what makes the Fallout series so great is that it is not afraid to take big swings.

Prime Video

When Nerdist spoke with Wagner and Robertson-Dworet, the showrunners noted that they wouldn’t necessarily want to reset their characters every season, as the different Fallout games do. But they do want to visit new locations every season.

They shared of a Fallout season two and beyond:

The different cities is I think such a pivotal part of Fallout, that that is something I think we would hope to copy. It’s always wonderful and exciting to see new challenges, new characters, by wandering the Wasteland. I think that’s such a fundamental part of what the games are that we couldn’t help but do it.

Well, it sounds like the next new city we’ll explore in season two of Fallout is New Vegas. Here’s hoping more of the series arrives sooner rather than later. We can’t wait to head off on new adventures.

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Marvel’s Newest Covers Celebrate Every Hero and Villain in 60 Years of X-MEN Comics

X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine are dominating the pop cultural mutant moment, but big things are also happening in the X-Men comics world right now. The groundbreaking Krakoan era of X-Men, the brainchild of writer Jonathan Hickman, is coming to a close after five years. A new era will begin immediately thereafter, titled “From the Ashes.” To celebrate the end of one era and the start of another, Marvel Comics is celebrating X-Men history with a fantastic wraparound cover by artist Scott Koblish. This cover honors nearly every character that has appeared in the X-Men titles over the past 60 years. You can check out the first part of the cover right here:

Marvel Comics

Koblish’s celebration of all things X-Men will be presented as a wraparound cover on four big X-issues this summer. This starts with June’s X-Men #35, technically the 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men, on sale June 5. You can also find it on the first issues of the three “From the Ashes” X-Men series. These include Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-Men #1, on sale July 10. Gail Simone and David Marquez’s Uncanny X-Men #1 and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s Exceptional X-Men #1 will continue the piece, and arrive later this summer.

The characters presented on this cover range from the iconic to the obscure, from early years to more recent runs. Sure, there’s Magneto and several Sentinels, but nearly unknown ’60s villains like Vanisher and the Stranger made the cut as well. They included almost every X-Man, but also many of their allies, like the Starjammers and Carol Danvers. Also, nearly every character who ever channeled the Phoenix Force appears, from Jean Grey to Avengers vs. X-Men’s “Phoenix Five.” The first two covers focus more on the X-Men’s first thirty years, with the next two no doubt focusing on the last three decades. Which X-Men will appear in the next two covers? We certainly can’t wait to find out.

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BOY KILLS WORLD Is a Whole Lot of Movie That Is Totally Empty

Boy Kills World is “a lot” in every way. Its story, aesthetic, tone, and production are all big, loud, and over-the-top. It’s a classic revenge story that combines Kill Bill and Oldboy with The Running Man and The Hunger Games, but with a silly, Deadpool-esque comedic sensibility. It has everything it needs to succeed to be fun and entertaining, including some absolutely fantastic performances. Unfortunately, it never even comes close to working. Despite being “a lot,” there’s just not much to Boy Kills World, a movie that is all style and no substance which fails to achieve almost everything it tries to accomplish.

Boy Kills World follows Bill Skarsgård’s mute, deaf Boy who has spent his life under the tutelage of Yayan Ruhian’s opium-addicted martial arts master called Shaman. (Shaman is a character that, at minimum, borders on “blatantly offensive.”) Boy has spent years training for a revenge mission against his world’s dystopian leaders, the Van Der Koy family. They killed his mom and baby sister and left him mutilated. Famke Janssen’s Hilda is the clan’s ruler, and the Van Der Koys use an annual TV show called “The Culling” to murder enemies. A kid’s cereal doesn’t just sponsor “The Culling,” its mascots perform the executions on the show.

Both Skarsgård’s easy-to-love Boy and the detestable Van Der Koys are the best parts of the movie. They’re actually the only thing it really has going for it. Janssen is underused but excellent as the paranoid matriarch and tyrant. Michelle Dockery is a standout as Hilda’s sister Melanie, the ruthless sibling in charge of public relations for the whole family. Brett Gelman provides a much needed counterpoint to them as their artistic brother who has grown tired of this life. And Sharlto Copley is wildly entertaining as Melanie’s idiot husband and popular host of “The Culling.” All of their performances deserved a much better movie, and without them Boy Kills World would be nearly unwatchable.

Lionsgate

That might sound harsh, but it’s not great when the “action” in an action-film is easily one of the worst parts of the movie. Director Moritz Mohr doesn’t let his (many) fight sequences stand on their own. They’re clearly well-performed and choreographed, but his camera never stops moving during them, entirely to the movie’s detriment. At best, the action scenes are disorienting. At worst, they are hard-to-watch, as his shaky cam approach fails to put you in the middle of the action. Instead it makes you feel like you’re getting sick on an amusement park ride. Sometimes it’s not even clear what’s going on during those sequences, but even when you can clearly follow the action, they are not fun—a phrase that also best sums up the movie.

The only thing worse than the film’s action sequences are its attempts at comedy. Boy Kills World is desperate to be funny, and that desperation does not do it any favors. The overwhelming majority of its humor is forced, like the unfunniest person in a group who won’t stop trying to make everyone laugh. You know, the less everybody laughs at them, the louder, brasher, more obnoxious they get. That bombastic approach at humor is instantly grating.

A lot of that is due to how the movie misuses H. Jon Benjamin, the inner voice of Boy. Benjamin (no surprise) is not the problem with the narration. The problem is what the script gives him to say isn’t funny. And since he narrates roughly 85% of the film, its a huge problem. The movie literally can’t stop reminding us how unfunny it is.

The only real, genuine moments of levity come from some very subtle, very funny faces Bill Skarsgård makes. His Boy doesn’t always know what’s going on, and Skarsgård’s ability to convey that confusion with just a raised eyebrow is authentically funny in a way almost nothing else in this try-hard film is.

Lionsgate

Boy Kills World also tries really hard to be something it’s not in the third act. That’s when an intentionally absurd movie suddenly decides to try and be a lot more dramatic and serious. It’s an inexplicable, totally unearned change in tone. The result is a finale of twists and turns that feels as empty as the first two acts. It’s as though Boy Kills World suddenly realizes it is not working as a fun, entertaining action film so it tries to be something else entirely, an emotional, heartfelt story. Only, nothing in the final act lands an emotional punch despite the movie’s obvious desperation to make you feel something.

It’s a lot, but like everything else with Boy Kills World, it never amounts to much.

Boy Kills World ⭐ (1.5 of 5)

Boy Kills World hits theaters on April 26, 2024.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who is preeeetty sure he wouldn’t watch Boy Kills World’s The Culling. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Complete History of Logan and Wade Wilson’s Rivalry, From Marvel Comics to DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Wolverine first appeared in 1974’s Incredible Hulk #181 and Deadpool didn’t pop up in Marvel Comics until New Mutants #98 in 1991; however, the two characters are inextricably linked. Mostly, because even though their temperaments are polar opposites, Deadpool and Wolverine’s histories are very similar. The Weapon X project experimented on both of them. Wolverine was given his adamantium skeleton by the shadowy group, and Deadpool had Wolverine’s own healing factor grafted onto his DNA while battling cancer by Weapon X. But in most ways, this is where the similarities end. Let’s dive into Wolverine and Deadpool’s strange relationship and history, both in and outside of Marvel comics, before Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters in July.

Wolverine and Deadpool’s First Comics Together in the Marvel UniverseMarvel Comics

In the regular Marvel Comics continuity, Wolverine and Deadpool first met in 1994’s Wolverine #88. That issue saw Deadpool trashing an apartment after failing to get his girlfriend back from her new guy, Garrison Kane. This brought Wolverine into the picture, as Kane was his buddy. After trading the usual verbal jabs, then came the actual jabs, with Wade stabbing Logan through the chest with his two swords. And that set the tone for Wolverine and Deadpool’s entire relationship in Marvel Comics—insulting each other, stabbing one another, getting back up again, and doing it all over again. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

Marvel Comics

But although Wolverine and Deadpool met for the first time in Wolverine #88, it’s also worth noting they briefly shared the comic page a year before the issue was published. In 1993’s Toys R Us X-Men Premium Edition, the X-Men encounter Deadpool for the first time. Logan and Wade don’t actually fight or talk, but they do share a big group panel together. So it kinda, sorta counts as Deadpool and Wolverine’s first comic book meeting.

Despite these temporal truths, years later retcons to Marvel’s universe determined that Wolverine and Deadpool had met much earlier than that, in-universe at least. In 2008, Marvel revealed a new history for Deadpool and Wolverine. The pair’s first fight actually happened when the Winter Soldier, still a brainwashed Hydra agent, hired Wade to take out Logan. This was all in an effort to draw out Daken, Wolverine’s son, who ultimately saved him. This occurred in 2008’s Wolverine Origins story “Deep End.”

The Best Wolverine and Deadpool Comics to Read in Order to Understand the Pair’s HistoryMarvel Comics

Deadpool and Wolverine have alternately fought and then teamed up in several comics over the past three decades, which makes for one interesting trip down comics’ history lane. In one infamous fight in 1999’s Deadpool #27, Wade fought Logan as a form of therapy for depression. The Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan mini-series, meanwhile, found Wade Wilson getting into it with the cranky gray-haired version of Logan. In Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy, a two-faced killer robot from space wanted to kill Jean Grey for all of her Phoenix shenanigans. Since she was dead (at that time), Wolverine dressed up Deadpool as Jean Grey as a distraction until he defeated the killer robot. In Uncanny X-Force, the pair were true teammates at last. However, even with this new relationship, Wolverine and Deadpool still butt heads constantly.

Friends? Enemies? What Is Wolverine and Deadpool’s Relationship in the Marvel Comics?Marvel Comics

Wolverine and Deadpool were what we call “frenemies.” Sometimes they were literally trying to murder each other, and other times they seemed like best buds. Their first meetings were definitely adversarial, as seen in almost all their encounters in the ‘90s. By 1999, the pair fought a group of werewolves together, calling a truce. At the end of that story, Deadpool and Wolverine bonded over their mutual tortures at the hands of the Weapon X program and shared a beer. This was the start of an awkward friendship. Eventually, Logan invited Wade to join X-Force and, for the first time, Deadpool and Wolverine were officially teammates. But they still came to blows sometimes. We’ll likely see this dynamic come to life in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine.

Who Would Win in a Fight, Wolverine or Deadpool?Marvel Comics

With over a century and a half of his life and training behind him, Wolverine is likely the better fighter than Deadpool. Although the two have fought numerous times, it almost always ended in a stalemate. Wade Wilson’s healing factor may have been derived from Logan’s DNA, but he had a leg up on the adamantium-clawed mutant. Deadpool literally can’t die. Wade was cursed by Thanos with immortality because the Mad Titan was jealous of Deadpool’s relationship with his beloved entity of Death. So although Logan’s healing factor made it very hard to kill him, Wolverine could actually die. Deadpool, not so much.

Can Deadpool Kill Wolverine in the Marvel Universe?

In the 2012 alternate timeline mini-series Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajic, Marvel Comics finally showed a version of Wade Wilson who managed to kill Wolverine. Taking place on an alternate Earth in the multiverse, this comic featured a supervillain brainwashed Deadpool, who killed every known Avenger and X-Man. Only Wolverine was left standing at the end. Not for long though, as Deadpool found a way to kill Wolverine in this Marvel reality. In this story however, he needed a carbonadium sword to do it, as that metal is the only one on Earth that can nullify Logan’s healing factor. So yes, Deadpool could kill Wolverine. He just needs a little carbonadium help.

Who Heals Faster, Wolverine or Deadpool? Their Healing Factors Compared

Deadpool got his powers when Department K infused him with Wolverine’s mutant DNA. Yet his healing factor was ultimately superior to Logan’s. Wolverine’s healing factor can’t regrow lost limbs, for example. Deadpool’s healing factor allows him to regrow any lost and severed limb. Deadpool’s healing factor will even allow him to regrow his head. Wolverine’s wounds do heal, but his powers stop short of recreating actually lost cells out of thin air. Deadpool has the superior healing factor in this regard. Probably much to Wolverine’s annoyance—we bet it’s a sore spot in their relationship.

Deadpool in X-Men Origins: WolverineTwentieth Century Fox

Ryan Reynolds’ first appearance as Deadpool actually came in the much-derided X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. In that continuity, Wade Wilson was a mercenary with a metric ton of confirmed kills. He’s still a wisecracking motormouth, at least, at first. But unlike in Marvel Comics, Deadpool is a mutant fast enough to deflect bullets with swords. In the comics, he was born without the X-gene. But in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool was recruited into William Stryker’s mercenary Team X, along with Logan, and was eventually used by the Weapon X program as an experiment. Stryker infused his body with the DNA of several mutants, making him an undefeatable “mutant killer.” But he had his mouth sewn shut, so the famously talkative character became strangely mute. Let’s just say… the fans hated it.

Wolverine and Deadpool fought on Three Mile Island, but Logan defeated him. But we later saw that Deadpool’s severed head was still alive, and he winked at the camera. Luckily, X-Men: Days of Future Past rebooted the X-Men movie universe timeline, allowing the 2016 Deadpool to be closer to the comics. At the end of Deadpool 2, using Cable’s time travel device, Wade ventures into the events of X-Men Origins, shooting the previous Deadpool in the head. We have a strong feeling those time-travel shenanigans will play a part in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Hugh Jackman’s Logan Will Fight Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel Studios

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds will meet again for the very first time in Deadpool & Wolverine. From what the trailers tell us, it looks like the Time Variance Authority sends Deadpool to a universe where Logan failed the X-Men in some significant way, almost certainly leading to their deaths. Logan’s drowning his sorrows in a bar when Deadpool shows up to recruit him on a mission to save his own universe—possibly from being deleted entirely.

The pair then end up in the Void, the reality where the TVA dumps the remnants of pruned timelines. We know that after they fight each other, they fight Cassandra Nova, Charles Xavier’s evil twin. Aside from those facts, we know Logan and Deadpool will slice, stab, kick, and punch each other. Regardless of where they are in the multiverse, some things remain constant as their ongoing history and relationship continues to unfold. We can’t wait to see Deadpool and Wolverine, confirmed frenemies, take on the MCU.

Originally published on July 18, 2023.

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Isabela Merced Teases Chemistry Between Dina and Ellie in THE LAST OF US Season 2

The Last of Us ended its first season on HBO with Joel and Ellie returning to the commune in Colorado. Sure, Joel might have doomed all mankind to save one young girl, but at least they have a place nice to live. For now. Fans of Naughty Dog’s popular video game franchise know new terrors and sadness await the pair in the years to come, and we’ll see all of it come to life when the hit series begins adapting the sequel game in its second season. What else can we expect from the show after a lengthy wait?

Max/Naughty Dog

Most recently, Isabela Merced, who will play Dina on The Last of Us season two, shared, “I’m so excited for people to see my chemistry with Bella. Bella and I have so much chemistry. From the first day, it was there. There’s no work to be done. I really respect Bella. I just saw Catherine Called Birdy, and Bella has such range and just an honesty about their work. I’m learning so much. I’m very honored to be here.”

We’re glad to hear it because we can’t wait to see Dina and Ellie’s complicated romance come to life. Currently, The Last of Us season two describes Dina as “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”

Liane Hentscher/HBO

Here’s everything we know about The Last of Us‘ second season so far.

The Last of Us Season 2 Plot

HBO has not yet shared an official synopsis for The Last of Us season two. We still have some idea what to expect. The franchise’s second video game will provide the source material for the TV series. Showrunner Craig Mazin has said the show will take more than one season to adapt the sequel game, but like with the television series’ first season they are not making a direct adaptation. Fans will once again see some major changes alongside some major moments and stories taken directly from the game. That might very well include a huge—though temporary—change for one character. (We won’t risk spoiling it for those who don’t know what that means.)

One thing that won’t change is the importance of The Last of Us Part II‘s Abby Anderson. She will debut during the second season and play a significant role in Ellie’s story. And like the video game sequel, the HBO series will also feature a time jump.

Behind the Scenes

The Last of Us‘ second season was in pre-production before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes put the show on hold. The first episode had already been written at the time. With both unions finally getting fair deals, the show is now expected to begin filming in Vancouver in early 2024.

Co-creators, writers, and executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are back for season two. Writers Halley Gross (The Last of Us Part II) and Bo Shim worked with Mazin and Druckmann on season two. Deadline additionally reports that The Last of Us season two has set its slate of directors, both new and old. These include four new directors: Succession‘s Mark Mylod, Perry Mason‘s Nina Lopez-Corrado, Watchmen‘s Stephen Williams, and Loki‘s Kate Herron. They join returning director Peter Hoar, who directed the incredible season one episode “Long, Long Time,” and the show’s creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.

The series comes from Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, and Naughty Dog.

The Last of Us Season 2’s CastHBO

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return as Joel and Ellie. Also expected back is Gabriel Luna. He plays Joel’s younger brother, Tommy. As is Rutina Wesley. She plays Tommy’s wife Maria.

Netflix/Naughty Dog

Regarding new casting news, The Last of Us season two has cast Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Abby is an important character from The Last of Us Part II game. Additionally, Isabela Merced has joined the season as Dina, who also hails from the second The Last of Us game. Dina is described as “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”

Netflix/Naughty Dog

The Last of Us season two has also cast Beef‘s Young Mazino as Jess. Jess is described, per Variety, as “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at a terrible cost.” That sounds ominous. Generally speaking, from Jess’s role in The Last of Us Part II, we can assume he and Ellie will build a friendship.

Finally Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Spencer Lord have all come aboard the second season of The Last of US, they will all feature as characters from The Last of Us Part II.

Naughty Dog/Paramount Pictures/Netflix

Variety reveals:

Ramirez will play Manny, described as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” Barer will play Mel, said to be “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.”

Gabrielle has been cast as Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” And Lord will appear as Owen, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”

The Last of Us Season 2’s Release DateHBO

The Last of Us‘ second season wasn’t expected to premiere until the start of 2025 before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Even with production delayed, HBO is still reportedly targeting a 2025 return for the show. However, there is not yet an official date in place.

Originally published on December 29, 2023.

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6 Fox X-Men Characters We Hope Cameo in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

One of the big surprises of the first Deadpool & Wolverine trailer was seeing Aaron Stanford reprising his role as Pyro from X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand. While we expected (and still expect) most of the mainline X-Men team from the original Fox films to appear in some form, it looks like some “deep cut” characters from the Fox Marvel films are popping up too. Here are the Fox X-Men characters we hope will make a cameo in the TVA’s pruned timeline wasteland known as the Void in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) From X2: X-Men United (Confirmed) Twentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics

Although she didn’t say a word, Kelly Hu (The Orville) as Yuriko Oyama, also known as Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United, left quite an impression. Especially on Wolverine, who she stabbed with her claws multiple times. The Japanese mutant had similar powers to Logan, and very similar adamantium claws as well. We’d love to see her pop up in the Void, maybe this time wearing her classic costume from the comics. This is a rematch we’d all love to see. And maybe the film can allow her to talk this time! Is that too much to ask?

Happily, Lady Deathstrike’s appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine has been confirmed. But we aren’t certain yet who will play the character.

Angel (Ben Foster) From X-Men: The Last StandTwentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics/Bioscop Films

As we said, we expect most of the major original X-Men cast to have cameos of some sort. And yes, this character in the comics is a major X-Man. However, in X-Men: The Last Stand, he barely spoke any lines. So he was not much more than a glorified cameo. But maybe the MCU could bring Ben Foster back as Warren Worthington III, a.k.a. the Angel, now lost in the Void? And if the movie really wanted to make fans go wild, it could turn him into his blue-skinned razor-winged persona of Archangel.

Psylocke (Olivia Munn) From X-Men: ApocalypseTwentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics

We have a hunch that most of the returns from the Fox Marvel-verse in Deadpool & Wolverine are going to be from the original X-Men trilogy, as those are the films Kevin Feige had a personal hand in. Also, the main First Class stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Nicolas Hoult might be busy these days. Having said that, there’s one character from X-Men: Apocalypse that Fox perfectly cast—Olivia Munn as the psychic ninja called Psylocke. The film totally wasted her, but it would be fun to see her fight with (or against) Wolverine and Deadpool in the Void.

Darwin (Edi Gathegi) From X-Men: First ClassTwentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics/Apple TV+

We love X-Men: First Class, but one of its character deaths was so ridiculous it has become a meme. The mutant Darwin was introduced in that film, played by Edi Gathegi. His power was the ability to evolve to adapt to any situation. But for some reason, he couldn’t adapt to Sebastian Shaw’s powers and died unceremoniously. It was a totally lame way for such a cool character to go out. Let’s see his variant show up in the Void and maybe not die in some super dumb way this time. We know DC recently cast actor Edi Gathegi in Superman: Legacy. But hopefully, he gets one more spin in the Marvel world.

Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) From X-Men: First ClassTwentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics/Apollo Films

Banshee is another First Class alum who didn’t return for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Mystique said Xavier’s student Sean Cassidy was killed in between films. But this is superhero storytelling. Unless there’s a body, you ain’t dead. (And even then, maybe not). So we’d love to see Caleb Landry Jones put on the gliders of the sonic-powered mutant again. Although, this time in green. Sorry, green and yellow are just Banshee’s colors. Marvel never portrayed Sean Cassidy as a teenager in the comics, so luckily, Caleb Landry Jones is now the perfect age to play a comics-accurate version of the Irish X-Man.

Madrox the Multiple Man (Eric Dane) From X-Men: The Last StandTwentieth Century Films/Marvel Comics/HBO

The 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand overflowed with mutant cameos, some better than others. One perfectly cast role was Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane as Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. As his name suggests, Jamie can replicate himself into an infinite amount of identical copies. He was used better than most of the mutants in the third X-Men film, even if he was inexplicably a bad guy. But maybe he pops up in the Void, and lends Deadpool and Wolverine a hand for a great Fox X-Men character cameo. The leader of the Marvel mutant team X-Factor certainly has plenty of hands to spare.

Honorable Mention: The Human Torch (Chris Evans) From Fantastic Four 2005Twentieth Century Films/ Marvel Comics/Netflix

We know we’re focusing on the X-Men films, but there’s nothing to say that other Fox heroes won’t make a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. After all, Jennifer Garner as Elektra is in this movie. So with all the speculation that Chris Evans is returning to the MCU, wouldn’t it be hilarious (and very Deadpool) if Evans reappeared, but as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch? He loves playing that character, and we’d love to see hothead Johnny annoy the ever-living crap out of Wade and Logan. We know Michael Chiklis is not coming back as the Thing, but we know we’d love to see Chris Evans yell “Flame on!” just one more time.

Originally published on February 14, 2024.

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