Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 40

Ingenious Sculptor Makes THE FANTASTIC FOUR With Materials Based on Their ‘Powers’

Steven Richter has long been one of our favorite artists. It’s not just that he makes amazing pieces celebrating iconic pop culture characters. It’s that he often does so in truly ingenious ways that make his creations more than just static figures. He once made a bust of Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s Nazi Major Arnold Toht out of melting clay so we could see his demise. He hid blue and red pills inside Morpheus’ head to perfectly recreate the seminal moment Neo made a choice in The Matrix. And those are just a couple examples of why we love his art. Now he’s given us four fantastic new examples, because Steven Richter has made art of each member of the Fantastic Four using materials that celebrate their powers.

And yes, that includes the Invisible Woman.

Any talented artist can sculpt the Thing, Mister Fantastic, and the Human Torch out of typical materials. But it takes an especially creative one to make Ben Grimm out of little rocks, Reed Richards out of rubber bands, and Johnny Storm out of matches. That’s what Steven Richter did with his new art collection celebrating The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This set isn’t just about making versions of the characters. It’s about capturing their true essence in a fun way.

But the piece that highlights Richter’s showmanship is his work on the Sue Storm bust. Sure, you can simply look at the finished product and laugh, but then you’d be missing how he “really” sculpted her. He put in real work to his invisible statue.

Steven Richter

You think Bernini* had a sense of humor this good? That Phidias was entertaining Athens with invisible statues of Zeus? We’ll never know. We just know we’re happy YouTube was around when Steven Richter was making his fantastic art, especially of .

*Yes, maybe, actually. At least unintentionally.

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TWISTED METAL Season 2: Gnarly Cars, Genius Outfits, and Game Inspirations

There are many words that can describe Peacock’s delightfully irreverent series Twisted Metal. It is raunchy, heartfelt, bizarre, and always entertaining, among many other things. But, without two elements, the show wouldn’t be what it is today: cars and costumes. The series, based on the game of the same name, is all about frantic escapes and races in souped up cars designed to withstand the chaos of an apocalypse. And, this universe is full of wild characters, including a music-loving dude called Sweet Tooth who wears a clown mask, lots of body oil, and very tight clothes.

During an August 2024 set visit for Twisted Metal season two in Toronto, Nerdist and several other outlets got to check out a ton of the show’s vehicles and costumes. From busted up trucks with spikes to combat boots ready for a**-kicking adventures, there was a ton to explore. This season will center around the infamous Twisted Metal tournament. John, Quiet, and a host of other drivers will compete against each other in Calypso’s challenges to win it all. And, in order to come out victorious, you’ll need to have a well-defended ride that’s zippy and hella sturdy. 

The props department was in full swing during our visit, actively crafting and tweaking a slate of vehicles in the series. In some cases, like with Roadkill, there are multiple versions of the car built for obvious (and very smashy) reasons. Considering the apocalypse happened in this universe in 2002, the art department must choose cars before or during that era. 

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“Our biggest approach to cars this season is changing the shape of them, having them come in with the base and then raising the wheels, spreading the wheels, making them feel meaner, adding more details to the car to make it feel like each car is the character,” said Production Designer Carey Meyer.

When thinking about which cars fit different groups and characters, many of them felt like no-brainers for a couple reasons. Showrunner MJ Smith, an avid fan of the games, gave his input about which vehicles made the most sense. He’s also offer additional stylistic choices for them. Others just seemed to fit, like Dollface’s crew rolling in Volkswagen Beetles. And, with all the choices, leaning into practical effects and stuntwork was at the forefront of the prop department’s minds. 

“It’s always better to do practical effects and practical actual stuff, physical things,” noted Art Director Guy Roland. “Actors want to interact with them more. You can light them better. It’s cheaper in the end, maybe the take’s a little funnier even… There’s a quality to practicality that you can get with CGI, but it takes way more time, way more money. I’m not the kind of person who would like to leave things ‘til later. My motto in the art department is always fix it in prep, not fix it in post. So if we can make things and take the pressure off CGI, then you’re saving the CGI budget…” 

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Yes, it is hard for this crew to see their hard worn get torn apart and perhaps blown to smithereens. But they push past the sadness and remember that it is all a part of the great design. Speaking of design, costuming is a vital aspect of Twisted Metal as well. You gotta look even better than your ride! 

The series largely eschews the typical monochromatic and bleak fashion of most apocalypse sagas. Costume designer Liz Vastola gave us a close look at the threads that she’s meticulously pieced together for Twisted Metal. Quiet’s jacket, which she wears in honor of her brother and her heritage, and Dollface’s goth inspired getup are just two of many instantly recognizable looks that were on display.

When it comes to costuming, Vastola has the task of creating an aesthetic for a character that fits their backstory and persona while also thinking about practicality. Needless to say, the actors (both main and stunt) need to be able to move and have some level of comfort. 

“On this show, there’s an added element of not only the stunt performer and the cast needing to be able to move, but also thinking about the driving of it all and characters that are on a bike or on an ATV and how that’s affecting everything, and the special effects and the visual effects,” Vastola told us. “And I think it’s just always being mindful of everybody’s range of motion and as you’re trying on the looks and as you’re sort of talking it through with the different departments and the cast themselves, making sure everybody can do as much as they need to do while they’re trying the clothes on.

“Then working from there to see, okay, where’s the line between the look and the silhouette we want versus what we need to sneak in there to engineer certain things that make it easier for them to act and not have to think about it on the day [of shooting].” 

For example, a character like Grimm who rides a motorcycle may need to have some inserts of fabric that are stretchy yet don’t take away from the main material to hold up for stunt work. Or, in the case of Dollface and others who wear tighter clothing, pads have to be carefully fitted into the outfit to keep the stunt actors safe. Vastola says she sometimes makes up to 6-8 versions of an outfit depending on the character. And, because it is the apocalypse, there are characters who stitch together fabrics and existing pieces to craft their looks. Things are not supposed to look clean and put together, which the costuming team leans into. 

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“We sometimes don’t finish off a seam, we keep things top stitched and then frayed so you can really see the hand of the artist as opposed to just other times where we finish off a seam,” Vastola affirmed. She noted this with a Dollface outfit that includes a piece of a man’s pants that now functions as a pocket. There’s even a part of a VW Beetle (yes, the car) that is now a part of her cape. 

Vastola also spoke about Quiet’s jacket and how actress Stephanie Beatriz helped to hone her character’s look. “For Quiet’s jacket, we did quite a lot,” she said. “It’s pretty much the same idea, but we remade it in a different velvet. We added quite a lot of a Couture on it. One of the things that Stephanie talked about, which I thought was really inspiring, is bringing in a little thinking of Quiet as Mexican and bringing in some visual references from that sort of artistic culture. And this is a classic Mexican art that you might see in a variety of different points in time in the culture… And you’ll see, I mean her tournament outfit I think takes the Matador idea to really kicks it up and off.”

As far as John’s wardrobe, the costume department wanted to make sure that his aesthetic matched his new life. “[With] first season John, there was definitely a cheekiness to [his wardrobe] and it was a bit boxier and it was a little bit more kind of lumbering for him, but it told a story. And then his second season looks, starts sleeker for him, a little bit more kind of superhero weave, tailored kind of a feel.”

If there’s one thing that Anthony Mackie knows how to do, it is look like a superhero. Slipping on the ride gear and sliding into the driver’s seat of a sweet ride for the battle of the apocalypse is everyday life for Twisted Metal’s main players. And, after seeing the goods up close and personal, it is going to be even sweeter to watch this tournament go down when the show returns on July 31.

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ETERNITY Trailer Puts Dead Elizabeth Olsen in an Afterlife Love Triangle

Do we each have a soul mate, someone we’re meant to spend all of eternity with? It’s a great philosophical question that touches on ultimate matters of the heart, existence, and the nature of love itself. But what if you had to actually answer it and literally live with the consequences forever? That would be a lot less fun. Which is exactly why it makes for an incredible premise in A24’s new film Eternity starring Elizabeth Olsen. Eternity‘s first trailer introduces Olsen as a dead woman who must decide which of her two husbands she’s meant to be with for all eternity.

If you thought life was hard, wait until you check out the afterlife in the first trailer for A24’s Eternity. It opens with Miles Teller’s character taking a train to the Junction, the place where dead people must make two decisions with eternal implications. They must pick where they will spend forever, along with the person they will spend it with. At least one of those things seems easy when his wife (played by Olsen), of 50 years, soon shows up. Only, her first husband (Callum Turner), who died young while fighting in WWI, has already been waiting 67 years for her to arrive.

What follows is an afterlife love triangle that puts Olsen in an impossible spot, as her two husbands once again vie for her hand. Not easy for any of them, but it should be great for moviegoers. This fun, emotional Eternity trailer blends a classic story with deep ideas, right on the money for A24. And it does all of that with both humor and heart.

A24

A24’s Eternity comes from director David Freyne (Dating Amber). He wrote the script with Pat Cunnane. The film also stars John Early, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Olga Merediz. You won’t have to wait 67 years to see it, though. This train to the afterlife pulls into theaters this November, according to this Eternity trailer.

Start thinking about who you want to see it with now.

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George Lucas, Queen Latifah, and Guillermo del Toro Walk Into an SDCC Panel… (Watch the Video)

Despite helping create modern geek culture as we know it today with Star Wars, George Lucas himself had never attended a single Comic-Con in San Diego in its fifty-year history. Until 2025, that is. And it wasn’t his space fantasy saga that finally brought him to Hall H. He came to promote his major passion project of the last decade — the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles in 2026. Joining him on the panel were Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who is on the museum’s board of directors, and Lucasfilm concept artist Doug Chiang. Moderating the SDCC panel with del Toro and George Lucas was musician and sci-fi superfan Queen Latifah. You can watch the full 44-minute panel below:

George Lucas co-founded his Museum of Narrative Art with his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. The project was first announced in 2017, and cities like San Francisco and Chicago turned it down. Los Angeles finally became the home city of the museum. Since film is a big component of narrative art the museum celebrates, it’s only fitting that it’s adjacent to Hollywood. All the art on display will be narrative in nature, meaning film, comics, magazine illustrations, even cave paintings. Anything that uses art as a storytelling format. So, probably no Jackson Pollock on display. In Lucas’ own words from the SDCC panel, this will become “Sort of a temple to the people’s art.” And this temple, designed by Ma Yansong, looks like a spaceship landing in the middle of L.A.

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The panel opened with a video narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, which gave the fans in Hall H a sneak peek at the museum. Which, of course, contains many Star Wars items from the Lucasfilm archives. Among the other items in the museum from Lucas’ own collection is the first drawing of Flash Gordon from 1934. Also, several original panels of Charlie Brown comics from artist Charles Schulz, and early Marvel drawings, including Black Panther. Unlike most celebrity art collectors, Lucas revealed at the SDCC panel that he never sold any of his acquisitions. Now, the 81-year-old icon says, “What am I going to do with it all? I refuse to sell it. I could never do that.”

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Del Toro’s own home, “Bleak House,” also has a metric ton of art from film and comics he’s collected. But after nearly losing them in the fires that raged in Southern California earlier this year, he revealed that “Now that the museum exists, a lot of it may go there.” It’s fitting that Comic-Con is where this panel occurred, as comics are a huge part of modern storytelling art. Guillermo del Toro reminded the crowd, “Comics were the first ones to punch Nazis. Before movies.” Doug Chiang, now a production designer at Lucasfilm, said he got into art via inspiration from comics as a child.

Toward the end of the SDCC panel, Lucas said, “Society cannot exist without a common belief system. And that’s where illustration is vital to show you what that means in everyday life. Science fiction is a myth, but we have made it real. Humans made it real because of science fiction books and art that makes people say, ‘Oh, we could go to the moon,’ and once that idea is implemented, then we believe we could do it… (In science fiction) you can’t depend on what we know, but you can be inspired by what we think we know.”

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens to the public sometime in early 2026.

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Steven Yeun to Play Zuko in THE LEGEND OF AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER Movie

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when a new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie was announced. Yes, we’re getting a cinematic outing that will continue the story of all our favorite characters from the original series. The Gaang, a.k.a Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Toph, and company, will grace our screens again in a brand new movie titled, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

In big news, Zuko’s new voice actor in The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender has been revealed, and it’s Steven Yeun. Yeun has big shoes to fill when it comes to Zuko’s character because Dante Basco, the original voice of Zuko is quite beloved. We’re excited to see what Steven Yeun will do with Zuko’s character.

Here’s everything we know about the new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie.

Title

The new Avatar: The Last Airbender animated movie finally revealed its new name. The Avatar: The Last Airbender movie is now officially titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. That’s not much of a change from the working title Aang: The Last Airbender, but hey, why not?

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender Movie‘s Plot

Not much has been revealed about the plot of the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. However, a glimpse at artwork from the film revealed at CinemaCon 2023 showed us all our favorite characters looking a little older than we left them. Possibly the group in The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is somewhere in their late 20s. That will certainly be an interesting age to explore the dynamics between them all.

We assume the movie will reveal to us Aang, Zuko, and pals’ continued quest to bring peace to the four nations after the intense upheaval Fire Lord Ozai wreaked upon the world. A lot still needs fixed, after all. We hope this movie can continue the series’ legacy of delivering exactly the right story to its fans.

Nickelodeon

Additionally, we know that this movie is one of three animated Avatar movies that Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios will create. Avatar Studios is “a newly formed division designed to create original content spanning animated series and movies based on the beloved world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.” We don’t know, however, if the movies will serve as sequels to one another or each will be a stand-alone.

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender Movie‘s Cast

We know that Dave Bautista and Eric Nam will headline the voice cast of the new Avatar: The Last Airbender animated movie. Bautista will play a villain in the film, while Nam will voice Aang. Joining this pair in the voice cast are Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, Steven Yeun, and Roman Zaragoza. We don’t yet know who they will play in The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

Nickelodeon

We don’t have any word yet on whether we’ll see some of our original favorites reprise their roles or in any other capacity. But we do feel like Dante Basco is Zuko.

Recently, Toph’s original voice actress Michaela Jae Murphy, also knowns as Jessie Flower, noted she didn’t believe the original cast would return. However, there’s not yet an official confirmation of this statement. Hopefully, our original actors will have a role to play yet.

Behind the Scenes 

Lauren Montgomery will direct the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. Additionally, series co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino will produce the film alongside Eric Coleman.

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender Movie‘s Release Date

THE LEGEND OF AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER – only in theatres October 9, 2026. pic.twitter.com/2Zh9quUHty

— Paramount Pictures (@ParamountPics) May 16, 2025

One thing we do know is when we can expect the new Avatar: The Last Airbender animated movie. The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will release on January 20, 2026.

Originally published on May 2, 2023.

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Jacob Elordi’s Monster Emerges in New Images From Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN

An adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been a passion project for director Guillermo del Toro for decades. Not only does he love the original novel, but he’s a huge aficionado of the classic Boris Karloff version. After many false starts with different studios, del Toro is finally bringing his vision of the classic horror tale to life for Neflix. It stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth as his bride Elizabeth, and Jacob Elordi as his monstrous creation. Now, Netflix has just released ten new images from the upcoming Frankenstein film directed by del Toro. And they all look as visually sumptuous as one expects from the director of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water. You can check them out in our gallery below:

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According to Vanity Fair, Frankenstein’s laboratory is inside the remnants of an 18th-century water tower in the Carpathian Mountains. The intricate 360-degree set, created by production designer Tamara Deverell, combines science fiction with ancient mythology. Which is only fitting, as not only was Frankenstein a seminal work of Gothic fiction, but most consider it as the first science-fiction novel in history. As for Elordi as the monster, we don’t get a full look at him in these new Frankenstein images. But the article describes him as “A marble statue from antiquity, shattered and fused back together.”

Netflix

Guillermo del Toro originally meant for Andrew Garfield to play Frankenstein’s monster. But the actor had to drop out thanks to the dreaded scheduling conflicts. But when Jacob Elordi stepped in, it was a perfect bit of casting, as he’s 6’5 and lanky. Ideal for the version of the “Modern Prometheus” that del Toro wanted to bring to life. Despite there being dozens of versions of this story told over the decades on film, it’s clear that Guillermo del Toro’s film will be a standout among them. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein arrives on Netflix sometime in November—and if these new images are anything to go by, it will be monsterously good.

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Has the MCU ‘Earned’ AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY and SECRET WARS?

This post contains spoilers for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. If you want to avoid them, keep this tab open so you can read this post after you see the movie.

Marvel Studios fired Jonathan Majors in late 2023 after his conviction for domestic violence. A few months later, the studio announced which villain would replace Kang as the franchise’s new big bad. During the MCU’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Robert Downey Jr. unmasked himself as Victor von Doom. One year later, his character made his franchise debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That end-credits scene was an exciting moment, even though many expected it. It’s also going to have an immediate payoff. Only one more movie stands between the arrival of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom and Avengers: Doomsday. And that’s exactly why, despite all the hype, an iconic star, and the promise of two truly epic MCU films, the next Avengers movie doesn’t yet feel earned.

[image error]Marvel Studios

When Loki tried to conquer Earth in The Avengers, he’d already established himself in Thor as a foe worthy of an even bigger spotlight. But that movie was also far more about bringing Earth’s mightiest heroes together than it was about stopping a super villain. The fact that it featured a great bad guy just made it that much better.

The Avengers was also only the MCU’s sixth film. Expectations and anticipation were very, very different back then. Smart movie-knowers weren’t even sure a superhero team-up on that scale could work. It featured characters introduced in their own films, and audiences would need to be familiar with all of them. This wasn’t like the first X-Men, where no one needed to know or see anything before its release.

Those worries about Marvel’s big gamble were :checks notes and box office records: unfounded. But even if The Avengers wasn’t a guaranteed success, it was easy to see the MCU had smartly put the pieces in place to give it the best chance at victory.

Marvel Studios

That blockbuster also put a new piece in place for the franchise’s future. The Avengers marked the onscreen debut of Thanos in the MCU. The Mad Titan appeared unnamed, as a tantalizing, terrifying, powerful figure in an end-credits scene. He then played a prominent, ominous role in Guardians of the Galaxy, which also featured his daughters. The movie, another entry considered a big risk before its release, also established the importance of the Infinity Stones. Thanos then also appeared in an Age of Ultron end credits scene, teasing his grand plan. All of which led to the culmination of the plan in Infinity War and Endgame.

The MCU slowly built Thanos as the franchise’s true final boss for years after his first appearance in The Avengers. Infinity War was the 19th film in the franchise. The result was a truly seminal movie villain who helped deliver a satisfying ending to the Infinity Saga. A decade of story got an ending that felt wholly earned because the Avengers defeated someone worthy of all that effort. Thanos’ arrival and defeat felt earned both as a narrative and as an experience for those who’d invested in the MCU. We waited a long time for Thanos, and when he showed up, he was everything we’d hoped for.

Marvel Studios

The MCU’s careful reveal of Thanos is the complete opposite of what Marvel has done with Doctor Doom. The Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t just the first time we saw the character in any way. It also marks the first time the MCU ever referenced his existence in any way. That empty chair for Latveria, the small nation Doom rules, marked the first acknowledgement of Doom in any capacity. And now, just like that, he’s going to take on a Thanos-like position in the franchise.

It didn’t have to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way. Victor von Doom is on the short list for greatest Marvel villains of all time. He might be the single greatest. Disney has owned the rights to the character since its Fox merger in 2019. Yet, despite releasing (way too) many movies and TV shows since 2020, the MCU never laid a single stone on the path to Doom.

Of course—of course—part of the reason for the lack of build for Doctor Doom is related to offscreen issues. Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror was supposed to be the final baddie for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. The Kang Dynasty was originally announced as the fifth Avengers movie. Marvel knows how to tell a good story over many years, and it was putting in time and effort to establish Kang and his Variants as a Thanos-level threat. Majors made his debut in Loki season one, returned in season two, and was the villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. Had Disney not fired him, it’s almost certain that he would have made more appearances before his first Avengers film. But Major’s conviction doesn’t excuse the MCU’s narrative mistakes with Doom.

Marvel Studios

Majors’ arrest came in March 2023. Until his conviction and firing in December that year, it was very obvious to everyone he might be on his way out at Marvel. At any point from March on, an MCU show or movie could, and should, have made reference to Latveria just in case the MCU decided to pivot rather than recast the character.

From a narrative sense, recasting would have also made infinitely more sense. It would have been easy to explain why Kang looked different after his defeat in Quantumania. But it’s reasonable why family-friendly Disney made a business decision to completely abandon the character. Yet that’s more reason why Marvel should have at least been preparing for a potential change.

Someone could have mentioned visiting The State University in Hegeman, New York, the type of Easter eggs site like us would have jumped all over explaining. At the very least, something related to Doom should have come up before The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Either that or Marvel Studios should have delayed Avengers 5 (even more) so it could give Doctor Doom the type of build the character and the franchise deserve. The fact that it hasn’t is Marvel’s fault, too.

The MCU has been totally adrift since Avengers: Endgame. The franchise, in large part to serve Disney+’s content needs, abandoned the successful and important serialized storytelling that the franchise was built upon. Phases 4 and 5 had no focus or payoff. They were meandering. Whole movies and shows came and went without feeling like they mattered. End-credits scenes, which once heralded the next installment with promise and hype, simply disappeared into the ether. Shang-Chi, the type of character who would have anchored an Avengers movie during the MCU’s early days, hasn’t returned in any way since his movie came out in 2021.

The result is that MCU hasn’t felt like the MCU for a long time. It hasn’t had the same “juice” either as a cultural force or a money-making machine. Movies are no longer guaranteed blockbusters, and TV shows are no longer guaranteed events. It’s not dead or even dying, it’s just not what it was. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. and the rush to Doctor Doom’s appearance is about fixing that. Marvel Studios is run by very smart people. Those people both built and sustained a cinematic universe that once seemed impossible. They want to return the MCU back to what it once was and see Downey Doom as the way to make that happen. But they’re not doing it the right way, the way they know they should. We’re getting a Victor von Doom with a build closer to the MCU’s Ultron rather than the MCU’s Thanos.

Robert Downey Jr.

The Thanos experience was a full feast served over many courses. It left us fully satiated. Ultron got thrown on the table after Tony Stark and Bruce Banner cooked him in the microwave. That’s how Doctor Doom’s arrival feels, as though Marvel is so desperate to deliver us what we want, it doesn’t care how they cooked up the meal.

Will Marvel’s big Doom dinner still taste good? Almost certainly. Will it be as good and as satisfying as it could have been had Marvel taken its time prepping this epic meal? Almost certainly not. Because while Doctor Doom is here and it’s exciting, his arrival simply wasn’t earned.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He would wait for the second marshmallow. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Ronald D. Moore Reveals GOD OF WAR Series Is FINALLY Coming Together

It’s tough when a highly touted TV project loses its creative team before the show even comes out. Hard time all around, uncertainty abounding. Amazon’s high-profile adaptation of Sony’s beloved God of War game franchise parted ways with its showrunner and executive producers in October 2024. But that dark time ended quickly. It was a really rough…weekend, I guess? God of War very quickly received a new showrunner. And God of War‘s new showrunner wasn’t just anyone—joining the Prime Video God of War series was a highly respected and proven writer-showrunner, Battlestar Galactica and For All Mankind creator Ronald D. Moore. Sony Santa Monica Studios

Moore will run the nascent God of War series, writing and producing as well. This is, of course, customary with television programs of this ilk. What’s not so customary is Moore’s recent reveal that God of War has actually been greenlit for two seasons. Moore shared in a recent interview with Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff, “Right now, I’m working on an adaptation of, there’s a video game called God of War, a big title in the gaming world that Amazon has ordered two seasons of and they’ve asked me to come in. So I’m literally in the writer’s room, and working on that. That’s my new thing.” Two seasons, you say! That’s a lot of confidence in a show that’s been in development for a really long time. But hopefully, it’s as good as the company thinks. You can hear Moore discussing the God of War series and its two seasons at the 1:17:17 mark below.

Moore admits that though he’s helming the God of War series, he’s not a gamer. He shares that he “took a stab at it” but couldn’t conquer the controllers. “‘Press R1.’ Which one’s R1? Oh, I’m dead,” Moore joked. But what Moore does have is a rich history developing some excellent series for TV. Moore returned to Sony TV following his departure in 2020. During his initial tenure with the studio, Moore developed or created long-running shows Outlander for Starz and For All Mankind for Apple TV+. Both shows are continuing and have spinoffs on the way; Blood of My Blood and Star City, respectively. Moore will serve as EP for both the flagship God of War series and any spinoffs.

Sony Santa Monica Studios

Most recently, Moore shared that God of War was finally on the right path. He noted in July of 2025, “We’re in the scripts phase. We’re still working on scripts. It’s going very well. We’ve got a good team. It’s been a fascinating thing to sink my teeth into. I’ve never done an adaptation of a video game, and the deeper I got into it, the more impressed I was with the breadth and the depth of the mythology that’s involved in this video game.”

Additionally, he revealed the Prime Video series would not be a direct adaptation of the God of War game. Moore offered, “This world and this universe are really rich, and it’s interesting, and it’s really been fun to adapt. It’s an adaptation, so it’s an adaptation-slash-interpretation as you go into live-action, and it’s been really fun to sort of go, ‘Wow, there’s a lot here we can play with. Okay, we want to keep the story. We want to keep the characters and the spirit of it.’ There’s all this stuff that you can keep turning to for inspiration. It’s really been interesting.”

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10 Years Later, GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION Is a Lesson in Building a Video Game Protagonist

After two years on the project, God of War lost its original writers and showrunner in 2024. The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins had been at the helm, with The Expanse creators Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus writing the series and serving as executive producers. Deadline learned Sony and Amazon were looking to hire a whole new writers room following “creative differences” with the trio of writers. Moore has likely had plenty of thoughts about that God of War writer’s room.

The God of War series will almost assuredly adapt the 2018 PlayStation megahit and 2022 sequel, God of War: Ragnarok. Both feature Greek demigod Kratos having slaughtered the pantheon of Greek god and retiring with his son to Scandinavia where he must contend with mythical figures of Norse mythology. The first of those won Game of the Year.

Originally published on March 18, 2025.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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EYES OF WAKANDA New Trailer Reveals Earlier Release Date (Coming This Week!)

Marvel Studios’ upcoming animated series Eyes of Wakanda isn’t just bringing viewers back to the powerful African nation. It’s bringing us back. The series will take fans into the past to meet the brave warriors who kept their country both safe and secret long before MCU fans learned about it. And the show’s gorgeous new trailer shows why these legends are worth seeing in action. That’s something we’re going to do sooner than we thought. Because surprise, Eyes of Wakanda‘s release date has just moved up.

Eyes of Wakanda will have eyes on its faster than expected. Marvel has announced the four-episode limited series will release on Disney+ on August 1 instead of at the end of the month. This Eyes of Wakanda trailer is a pretty convincing argument for not making us wait. It’s stylish, exciting, and full of compelling characters.

Who are the titular “eyes” of the iconic Marvel nation? Disney says its “globe-trotting adventure” follows the heroes who “must carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from the enemies of Wakanda.” Those warriors are the Hatut Zaraze, and “this is their story.” And we’re certainly ready to dive into it after this Eyes of Wakanda trailer.

Marvel Studios

The series comes from Todd Harris. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler serves as executive producer. The show stars Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Patricia Belcher, Larry Herron, Adam Gold, Lynn Whitfield, Jacques Colimon, Jona Xiao, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Gary Anthony Williams, Zeke Alton, Steve Toussaint, and Anika Noni Rose. Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt also serve as executive producers.

Eyes of Wakanda has a lot of powerful executive producers, so maybe one of them can address our biggest issue. Without even having seen a single episode, we’re angry that there will only be four of them. If Eyes of Wakanda‘s trailer is anything to go by, this is already the best-looking MCU animated series yet. We’re also here for any and all heroes of Wakanda from any time period in the country’s history. We ready to both go back and go back to Wakanda. We’re in no rush to leave when we do.

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AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH Trailer Devestates and Stuns as We Return to Pandora

James Cameron waited 13 years to make a return trip to Pandora. Avatar first set the box office record in 2009. Yet Avatar: The Way of Water, the first of many planned sequels, didn’t arrive until 2022. Like its predecessor, it promptly made billions of dollars. With all those tickets to sell, it’s not surprising the franchise is now set to follow a more normal release schedule. The series’ third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is coming to theaters this year. Now, thanks to a new Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer, we know what this latest journey to that planet will look like. Pandora is still as beautiful—and as dangerous—as ever.

The Na’vi’s home world continues to be a perilous place full of unimaginable wonder in this first-look Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer. But familiar faces are still around to help keep it safe. Here’s the film’s official synopsis from 20th Century Studios:

With Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family.

If anything happens to Spider—who can now apparently breathe on Panora without a mask—we will not be okay. Hopefully, it won’t come to that. But the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer has us worried.

James Cameron wrote the movie with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It also stars Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, and Kate Winslet.

20th Century Studios

This Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer is much lighter on both “fire” and “ash” than we’d expect. But it is full of the sweeping vistas and splendor we’d expect from Pandora. Avatar is, if nothing else, always a visual feast. And after the first two films, we expect it will also be a box office bonanza.

We’ll find out for sure later this year and not in another decade. Avatar: Fire and Ash will arrive in theaters around the world during the holiday season, on December 19, 2025.

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