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DC Comics’ entire Rebirth event hinges upon the Watchmen — specifically Doctor Manhattan — becoming aware of and meddling with the DC Universe. It was revealed in the pages of last summer’s DC Universe: Rebirth one-shot that Manhattan has been rewriting history, erasing heroes and just generally crafting a version of the DCU that is both recognizable and yet somehow not quite right. Essentially, an in-canon description of how many longtime DC Comics readers viewed the publisher’s New 52 reboot.

RELATED: Doomsday Clock Teaser Asks, ‘Who Watches the Watchmen?’

For over a year, DC’s heroes, from Batman to Superman to the Titans and Flash and beyond, have been uncovering clues leading them to an inevitable showdown with Manhattan and whomever might be working alongside him for reasons as yet unrevealed. Now, as we head towards 2018, the answers fans have been debating, pundits have theorized over and everyone is waiting to learn are set to be revealed in the pages of Doomsday Clock, and event series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank.

And it came this close to not happening.

While meeting with the press on the DC Entertainment yacht at Comic-Con International, Johns revealed that while he and Frank had been slated from the start of Rebirth to explain it, the initial storyline for Doomsday Clock never quite coalesced in a way that either creator felt worked.

RELATED: Geoff Johns Talks DC/Watchmen Story Doomsday Clock and More2017

“On the set of Wonder Woman, we talked a lot about it,” Johns told the press. “At the end of the day, we thought, ‘You know what? We’re not going to do it.”

Of course, answers to the mystery revolving around the final pages of the DC Universe: Rebirth one-shot that kicked the Watchmen mystery off had to come in one form or another. But as fate would have it, Johns didn’t have to think too long about developing a new approach to dealing with the can of blue, nuclear-powered worms he’d opened after all. “And then the election happened. And then other things in the world happened, and it changed,” Johns recalled.” Suddenly, the whole story just jumped into my head, and I called Gary and said, ‘I just have to pitch this to you, because I have this story, and the story is bigger than I thought it was, it’s different than I thought it was, it’s more risky than I thought it was.'”

“We’re not trying to replicate and do what [Moore and Gibbons] did, we’re doing our own thing,” Johns said of the final concept he and Frank have settled into crafting, re-stating promises he’s made several times since Doomsday Clock was announced. “The story we’re telling is a very different story, but it’s certainly a very personal story… It is a story about everything: Cynicism and opportunity and corruption, and lies and truth and love, and the lengths people will go for love, and hope. Optimism. Decay. Are our best days behind us, or ahead of us, you know? What is the truth? Do people give up, is it OK to give up, when do you give up, when don’t you give up?”

DC Comics’ Doomsday Clock, by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank and Brad anderson, begins ticking in November.

This story was supplemented with information from The Hollywood Reporter

The post DC’s Doomsday Clock Plans Were Nearly Canceled appeared first on CBR.

TV URBAN LEGEND: The original, unaired finale of Dungeons and Dragons ended with the reveal that the kids had all died during their original amusement park ride at the start of the series.

One of the most acclaimed animated series of the 1980s was Dungeons and Dragons, about a group of young people who go on a Dungeons and Dragons amusement park ride…

and find themselves magically transported to another realm, where they each are given a magical item and then take on the attributes of a notable Dungeons and Dragons character archetype (like a Ranger, a Magician, etc.). They then fight against the evil Venger (and other bad guys that they happen to come across along the way)…

Now, Dungeons and Dragons was a controversial show for the time period, because the writing was so advanced (for the era) that the tone of the show was a good deal darker than other, similar shows. This does not mean that it was really DARK, per se, but contextually, it definitely was. This was a show where it really did seem like people could theoretically die, ya know?

It had some great writers on the episodes, with Mark Evanier writing the earliest episodes, plus episodes by Steve Gerber, Buzz Dixon and Paul Dini. Some of the top animated writers of the 1980s.

One of the most common writers on the series was the great Michael Reaves (a very acclaimed writer of both books and animated programs – he won an Emmy for an episode of Batman: The Animated Series that he wrote). Reaves wrote an unused finale to the series. You see, back in the old days, cartoon shows would rarely wrap up. The whole idea was to come up with a show that could air reruns repeatedly, so there rarely was ever a need to give any sort of final resolution. Heck, they never even showed Scooby Doo and the gang capture all 13 escaped ghosts in Scooby Doo and the 13 Ghosts, and that was the name of the darn show!

However, Dungeons and Dragons did get a chance at a finale, but then it was scrapped. This has led to many rumors over the years that Reaves’ original finale was set to reveal that the kids DIED on that amusement park ride and that the whole series was set in a sort of afterlife.

Reaves explained otherwise on his (now defunct) personal website years ago:

Until I received several pieces of email recently, the combined gist of which is that there are rumors abounding on the Net and the Web about a last episode of the show, either scripted and never produced, or produced and never aired, in which we learn that the kids actually died on the rollercoaster that supposedly took them into the Realm, and that they are, in fact, imprisoned in Hell and being tormented with a complex fantasy (as if just being in Hell wouldn’t be torment enough) by the Devil masquerading as Dungeon Master, and do I have any words to share with the masses about this issue?

Yes: Bushwah, poppycock and balderdash.

There is no such episode, as even a moment’s rational thought would reveal. D&D was a very dark, edgy show for its time — sort of the Gargoyles of the Eighties — and credit must go to Judy Price, then president of Childrens’ Programming for CBS, for taking a chance on it and not playing it safe and slapping another Care Bears clone on the air instead. We took the show about as far as you could go on kids’ TV at the time; as an example, the script for The Dragons’ Graveyard (a second season episode I wrote), in which the kids contemplate killing Venger in order to find a way home, caused a battle royale with Broadcast Standards and Practices. The chances of an episode with a plot like the one described above even making it past an initial three-line pitch were — and still are — about as likely as Superman snorting Kryptonite.

But I realize that my just saying that isn’t going to have much effect on the rumors. So I decided to produce proof, instead of just my say-so. Here, then, is Requiem, the mysterious and much-debated final episode of Dungeons and Dragons — the first draft, turned in on the 18th of May, 1985. I hope it lives up to (reasonable) expectations. If it does, I’m glad. If not, my apologies — but do try to keep in mind a mantra that has served me well over the years: “It’s only television.”

Here‘s the actual script if you’d like to read it.

The legend is…

STATUS: False

Thanks to the great Michael Reaves for the information!

Be sure to check out my archive of TV Legends Revealed for more urban legends about the world of TV. Click here for more legends about animated series.

Feel free (heck, I implore you!) to write in with your suggestions for future installments! My e-mail address is bcronin@legendsrevealed.com.

The post Did the Dungeons & Dragons TV Show Originally End With Everyone Dead? appeared first on CBR.

Arrow has set its sights on Comic-Con International in San Diego. Stars Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Echo Kellum, Rick Gonzales, Juliana Harkavy and executive producers Wendy Mericle and Marc Guggenheim were on hand to discuss the show’s deadly Season 5 cliffhanger, as well as what’s in store for Season 6.

“As you can imagine, they were all very excited to hear we’re blowing everybody up,” Mericle laughed. “We really wanted to wrap up Oliver’s story, which was going back to where Oliver started.”

“We’re not rebooting the show. In fact, we’re going to double down on a lot of things that really resonated with people in Season 5,” Guggenheim added. “We’re going to see a different Oliver Queen… we’re looking forward to telling some very different stories.”

“He’s not the best dad,” Amell said of his character Oliver Queen. “My first day on Season 6, and you see a little bit in the footage… it was all with Jack, the kid who plays William… I was really, legitimately nervous… not only was he equal to the task, he exceeded my expectations… to start on episode 116, and to be able to do fun new stuff as Oliver has been a real joy so far this season. But yeah, he’s a shit dad.”

“Obviously, so excited to be back. It feels like I never left,” Cassidy shared. “It’s been home, and we’re family. It’s definitely been pretty easy just getting back int he swing of things. I will say it’s interesting, the dynamic between Black Siren and other characters… the different points of view…. it’s good.”

“When you put on that costume, you can’t help but feel like a hero,” Harkavy said. “It’s a really powerful and a really emotional moment to put on the costume.” She added that it changed the way she walked and held herself as soon as she put it on.

“We took the momentum of Season 5 and carried it into the first few episodes of Season 6,” Amell said. “My jaw has not dropped when I read a script… it’s happened a couple times… the first three scripts that I read are really tight, they’re action-packed, they move the story forward, but I feel like we’re taking our time… I feel like we’ve earned that.”

“Season 5 was really about building up this team,” Guggenheim explained. “We started thinking in terms of a group of villains… we’re going to have a few familiar faces, like David Nykl is coming back… He’s coming back with a literal vengeance… One of the other members of this villainous cabal is going to be played by Michael Emerson, and we could not be more excited. We are really, really thrilled. You can also expect a really cool announcement about a character whose name is Richard Dragon from the comics, who will also be among our villains we’ll be seeing this year… These are characters we’ll be seeing throughout the season.”

“Arrow is not doing a musical episode,” he said, when asked.

Asked about Vigilante’s secret identity, Guggenheim said, “You can probably expect that whoever is behind that mask is someone familiar to you.”

“The relationship with Quentin has been an important thing to her,” Cassidy shared. “What path it leads her down, I think we’ll see more of. I definitely think that’s something in her world, Earth-2, that will be explored.”

Arrow Season 6 will feature a flashback story for Manu Bennet’s Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. “He’s also coming back for a special two-part episode in the first half of the season, where we’re really going to be focusing hard on his character post everything he experience,” Guggenheim announced.

A young cancer patient approached the microphone to ask about Amell’s “Fuck Cancer” campaign. In response, Amell gave her his necklace, which was made for him by a friend. He told her that he hopes to see her next year at the panel, where he said he will give her something in exchange for getting the necklace back.

Starring Stephen Amell as the Emerald Archer, Arrow returns Thursday, October 12 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. The series also stars Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Willa Holland and more.

The post SDCC: Arrow Cast & Crew Open Up About Season 6 appeared first on CBR.

Danny Trejo is coming to Central City, and he may have a bone to pick with a certain member of Team Flash.

Trejo will portray a character known as Breacher, an inter-dimensional bounty hunter from Earth-15 who also happens to be Gybpsy’s father. It was not revealed whether he has super powers of his own, but with a name like Breacher, the ability to traverse across realities like his meta human daughter, there’s a good chance the old adage “like father, like daughter” will ring true.

RELATED: Could The Flash Season 4 Give The Elongated Man His Due?

Superpowers or no, Trejo is likely not going to make life easy for Cisco Ramon, aka Vibe, as the young member of Team Flash seemed to finally cement his relationship with Gypsy as a romantic one in the final moments of The Flash‘s third season. Whether Breacher approves of the pair’s nascent romance or not, Cisco’s about to find his life getting a little more complicated.

Joining Trejo for Season 4 are Neil Sandilands, who will play the metahuman criminal known as The Thinker, and Kim Engelbrecht, who will portray another DC villain, The Mechanic. The CW’s official rundown of The Thinker describes him as “a metahuman with a mega mind who embarks on a season-long battle with The Flash that pits the “fastest man alive” against the “fastest mind alive.” A true genius, he’s devised an intricate plan to fix all that he deems wrong with humanity.”

RELATED: The Flash Season 4 Set Photos Confirm Major Change For One Hero

Englebrecht’s Mechanic will be working alongside the Thinker and is described as “a highly intelligent engineer who designs devices for Devoe. As Devoe’s right hand, she’s the truest of true believers who’ll stop at nothing to help him implement his plan to fix humanity.”

Returning Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, The Flash stars stars Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin and Keiynan Lonsdale.

The post Danny Trejo Joins The Flash in Season 4 appeared first on CBR.

To readers, comic book superheroes are metaphorical avatars of virtue; larger-than-life embodiments of identifiable and desirable traits. To people in comic book universes, however, superheroes are the last and best line of defense when it comes to preventing their premature deaths. But there are so many threats in comic book worlds and heroes are only human (unless they’re not) so unfortunately, innocent bystanders are occasionally caught in the crossfire, something that both Captain America: Civil War and, to a lesser extent, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice address in their respective movie universes.

RELATED: 15 Unforgivable Acts Committed By Superheroes

Sometimes, civilian deaths are played up for emotional drama, leaving whoever was responsible for the passing to be haunted by their actions. A civilian close to a comic’s protagonist who dies, can turn a story on its head or completely change the attitude of a main character. Other times, artists like to splatter blood and gore across the page in hyper-gritty explosions of brutality that rival Mortal Kombat finishers in terms of excessive violence. And once in a while, it’s a combination of both, which can make a more compelling and heartbreaking story. Just a warning: There be blood in these waters. Those with weak stomachs shouldn’t sail them.

ROBIN (THE BOYS)

Garth Ennis’s violent and raunchy comic about a world of corporate heroes taken down by a colorful group of government mercenaries received critical praise and the respect of readers for its stellar writing and art, but also for its playfully macabre atmosphere. The tone of the entire series was set in the opening pages of the first issue where series protagonist Hughie “Wee” Campbell and his girlfriend Robin share a tender moment of affection.

Immediately afterwards, Robin is crushed against a wall by a supervillain, leaving Hughie holding her severed and bloody arms in shock. His despondent and horrified expression as well as the dark colors used convey the true weight and brutality of this loss. It’s this innocent death that motivates Hughie to join the titular group and drives the narrative and tone of the entire series.

THE 600 (CIVIL WAR)

Though readers of Marvel’s Civil War event didn’t see the visuals of some 600 innocent souls perishing in Nitro’s explosion, the full impact of their deaths are felt in every page of the series. It is this event that serves as a catalyst for the superhero schism that gives the series its name and changed the landscape of the Marvel Universe. The only image given of the deaths themselves are haunting to say the least.

A sole, page-wide panel showing a group of children silhouetted by the explosion gives eerie tribute to brutal real-world attacks as Nitro’s rage shreds away their lives. Characters are reminded throughout the title’s run that approximately 60 kids were killed in Stamford, CN, driving home the full devastation of this mass slaughter.

GWEN STACY (SPIDER-MAN)

Spider-Man’s whole ethos as a hero is that with great power comes great responsibility. These words handed down to him by his departed Uncle Ben took on an entirely new meaning in Amazing Spider-Man #121 when Peter accidentally killed his girlfriend Gwen Stacy. When Green Goblin tossed her off a bridge, Spider-Man tried to save her with his webbing. As it stuck to her leg, her neck visibly snaps backwards with onomatopoeic emphasis.

Though Gwen’s death was horrible to witness, the real brutality came through the ironic remolding of Peter’s mantra. Her death was caused by his great powers and was, unequivocally, his responsibility. This innocent death is so iconic, it is widely regarded as not only the end of Gwen’s life but the end of the Silver Age of comics, with previously campy and fun styles being abandoned for harsher storytelling.

GLENN (THE WALKING DEAD)

It’s hard to say if there are any real civilians in Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore’s The Walking Dead. The post-apocalyptic world makes it clear that nobody is safe and anybody can die at any time. However, some characters felt above mortality, as if they were so likable that they’d earned a ‘get out of dying free’ card. Glenn was one such character.

Introduced early in the series, the plucky scavenger had his own story lurking underneath the main narrative which endeared him to readers. His death at the hands of central villain Negan was as crushing emotionally as it was physically. The smiling psychopath battered Glenn’s skull in with a barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat. The black-and-white aesthetic of the comic help to make each blow feel as solid to the reader as they do to poor Glenn.

ARTHUR CURRY JR. (DEATH OF A PRINCE)

The brutality of Aquababy’s death comes predominantly from the fact that he’s a baby, for goodness sake. As the story goes, Aquaman’s nemesis Black Manta had the infant trapped in a bubble of unbreathable air in order to force Aquaman and Aqualad into a death match. Ultimately, Aquaman is able to spare Aqualad and stop Manta, but is too late to save his son.

The bloodless image of a broken and emotionally shattered Arthur Curry cradling the suffocated body of his infant child is more harrowing than many gore images in comics. At this point in comic book history, dark and edgy content was becoming more and more normal, but the visual of Aquaman’s innocent child being killed on the page was too disturbing for many readers.

SUE DIBNY (IDENTITY CRISIS)

Poor Sue Dibny had to put up with a lot from comic book writers during the Identity Crisis event. The loving wife and constant companion of the Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny, Sue put the entire crisis into motion when she was accidentally killed by the crazed Jean Loring, wife of the Atom. To cover her tracks, Jean burned Sue’s body.

While investigating her disappearance, Ralph discovers that Sue had been sexually assaulted by the villain Dr. Light and the whole incident had been magically wiped from everyone’s mind. Crushed by his wife’s pain and demise, Ralph finds her remains and breaks down, letting his rubber powers go loose as he mourns her. Sue’s accidental murder is horrific enough, but the reveal of her assault makes every smile she’d been drawn take on a whole new meaning.

SARAH ESSEN GORDON (NO MAN’S LAND)

Sarah Essen Gordon was a cop for most of her run in the Batman comics but was a liaison between the GCPD and the mayor’s office, technically a civilian, at the time of her death. The “No Man’s Land” storyline ended with The Joker accumulating kidnapped infants and toddlers in the basement of the abandoned GCPD building. Sarah is the first person to find him, but he forces her to choose between saving a baby and killing him.

Sarah, of course, chooses the baby and readers were left with the image of toddlers crawling over her corpse after The Joker puts a bullet in her head. The death itself is horrific but the most shocking part of her demise is perhaps the reaction of her killer. For the first and only time, The Joker delivers a killing joke but doesn’t get the last laugh, walking away with a disappointed scowl.

ALEXANDRA DEWITT (GREEN LANTERN)

Alexandra DeWitt is perhaps most well known as the origin of the phrase ‘women in refrigerators.’ As easy as it is to dismiss this particular civilian death as a write off considering that Alexandra hadn’t been around that long and her role as Green Lantern Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend hadn’t been fully fleshed out. But the sheer brutality of her death earns her a place on this list.

She isn’t just strangled by Major Force while her boyfriend is out, her body is ripped apart and eviscerated in order to fit all of it in the refrigerator. When Kyle finds her mangled cadaver, her limbs are lit blue by the fridge light. The only red on the page is to indicate Kyle’s rage-filled and shattered mind, inviting readers to imagine the gore of Alexandra’s twisted and destroyed body as vividly as they wish.

CUSTER’S CONGREGATION (PREACHER)

Preacher is a comic that thrives on comically excessive violence and sex. From depicting the scion of Christ as an inbred mutant to the graphic mass slaughter of an angelic host, there are no taboos Preacher seems unwilling to approach. This tone of ultraviolence was set early on in issue #1, where mere moments after being introduced to the series’s main protagonists, the eponymous preacher Rev. Jesse Custer is possessed by an ambiguous spirit who causes the entire church around him to explode.

His entire congregation is killed instantly and the comic has no problem vividly depicting their skin melting off their bones in the presence of a theological entity. Later in the same issue, their charred skeletons are seen lying in the rubble of the collapsed building, gleefully grinning at the characters and the readers as the series begins.

THOMAS & MARTHA WAYNE (BATMAN)

It’s easy to downplay the tragedy of Batman’s origin considering how overexposed it’s become in the media. It’s been covered repeatedly in comics, films, and video games to the point where the innate brutality of a child watching their parents get gunned down at point blank range is often downplayed or outright ignored to focus on Batman’s angst. But the emotional and psychological scars that cause Bruce Wayne to don a silly bat-themed getup and run over rooftops was inspired by this one act of random and heinous violence.

Perhaps the best visual depiction of the Wayne’s murders comes from the pages of Batman: Earth One where the comic’s detailed penciling perfectly captures their sprawled bodies and shocked expressions. Despite being one of the most famous superhero origins in history, the true impact of Thomas and Martha’s deaths was the brutal scars they left on Bruce’s psyche.

KRYPTON (SUPERMAN)

Similarly to the death of the Waynes, the wholesale destruction of an entire planetary ecosystem, a highly-developed culture, and an entire race of sentient beings is often taken for granted by comic book readers. The loss of Superman’s homeworld serves more as a narrative mechanic, a catalyst that causes him to be brought to Earth and eventually become the Man of Steel.

However, consider the plight of the average Kryptonian who one day witnesses their planet begin to crumble around them and then are suddenly disintegrated by the exploding core. Their horrific demises are only outdone by those who foresaw the apocalyptic event, such as Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, but could do nothing to prevent their planet’s destruction. The brutality and abruptness of Krypton’s death may be what allowed Superman to become the DC powerhouse he is today, but the vast loss of life is also what he most regrets.

THE FIVE WOMEN (FROM HELL)

A masterpiece from one of the most prolific and respected comic writers of all time, From Hell is a re-imagining of a Jack the Ripper conspiracy theory told by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. The comic follows William Gull as he systematically kills five women to cover up a royal controversy and to appease his own murderous desires. The lack of color pairs with a crass, stylized aesthetic to make the vicious killings of Mary Kelly, Catherine Eddowes, Polly Nichols, Liz Stride, and Annie Chapman seem all the gorier.

Their grisly death scenes are shown to be the sadistic experiments of a madman, but the art direction gives it a crude, rudimentary look that emphasizes each slice and hack as an individual blow to a death gong. Enforcing the gruesome visuals are Gull’s narrations which gradually become more insane and self-righteous, providing a disgusting commentary on his brutal actions.

KAREN PAGE (DAREDEVIL)

Karen Page had an absolute roller coaster of a life, ranging from being a high-profile lawyer’s assistant to being a heroin addict. However, whatever digressions she had were redeemed by her gruesome death. Falsely believing she is HIV-positive, Karen tracks down ex-boyfriend Daredevil to tell him. She finds him in a church where he is trying to protect a baby from the assassin Bullseye.

At one point in the fight, Bullseye throws Daredevil’s own club at the hero and Karen intercepts the blunt instrument with her chest. The red and black silhouette as the club is driven through her heart makes it one of the subtly goriest deaths in mainstream comics. A following panel showing Karen closing her eyes for the last time gives readers a devastating close-up of her final moment.

UNCLE BEN (SPIDER-MAN)

It’s said that nobody in comics stays dead except for the Waynes and Uncle Ben. Even Krypton got a chance at a do-over. But the logic for why none of them have been resurrected is simple: their deaths were so impactful to their respective heroic family members that to discount their brutal passing would undermine that hero’s pathos. This is doubly true in the case of Peter Parker as his Uncle Ben’s death was ultimately his fault.

Earlier on the day of Ben’s murder, Peter had an opportunity to stop a thief but chose not to for various reasons in various continuities. When he learned Uncle Ben’s killer was the same thief and his inaction had directly lead to his father-figure’s death, Peter truly took Ben’s mantra to heart for the first time, spurred by the brutal realization that his actions have consequences.

ARCHIE ANDREWS (LIFE OF ARCHIE)

Since 1941, Archie Andrews has been the quintessential symbol of cornball Americana and purist pulp conventions. Even more so than Superman, he was representative of the white picket fence era of American history, marked by naive social simplicity and bluegrass, suburban culture. In 2014, after 72 years of publication, Archie died of a gunshot wound after shielding his friend from the attack.

The death itself is not particularly vicious or gory, but the image of Archie Andrews, the only comic character more ‘gee golly’ than silver-age Robin, lying dead on the floor cradled by his loved ones is more shocking and viscerally destructive than most violent comic deaths. To see the iconic embodiment of simple citizenship brought down by the sheer randomness and ambiguity of life is perhaps the most brutal wake-up call of all.

Have another human death we may have missed? Let us know by hitting up the comments section!

The post Collateral Damage: The 15 Most Brutal Civilian Deaths in Comics appeared first on CBR.

Has a cartoon ever come along and just tore your heart out because of a specific scene or moment? In America, cartoons are mainly associated with comedy and children’s entertainment, and it’s true that most of the following shows can fit into at least one of those two categories. But that doesn’t make them any less emotionally powerful, any less heart-breaking or tear-jerking than any of the best adult prestige dramas that make up this “golden age” of television. If anything, playing these moments of tragedy against the backdrop of more escapist genres gives these moments an extra edge, an element of surprise or a deeper connection to more primal childhood emotions.

RELEVANT: 15 Moments From Justice League TV That Destroyed Us

In selecting the cartoons on this list, there were a few ground rules to consider. No movies (because then Pixar would take up half the list), no anime (because there’s just too many options to choose from there), and only one episode per series (to get a good range of different shows, though many have multiple episodes worthy of consideration and your tears). With that in mind, please enjoy this list of 15 times cartoons reminded you that you have emotions and then went on to rip your heart out.

The following will contain SPOILERS for all the individual shows and episodes listed.

“CODE OF HERO” (BEAST WARS)

People sure get emotional over Transformers. Even those ridiculous Michael Bay films have moved people, and countless childhoods were traumatized by the death of Optimus Prime in the 1985 animated movie. As far as the Transformers TV shows are concerned, Beast Wars‘ primitive ’90s CGI hasn’t aged particularly well, but as they say, there’s more than meets the eye, and its writing has aged better than most of the other Transformers cartoons.

The death of Dinobot in the second season episode “Code of Hero” stands out as the moment fans remember as the most heartbreaking. Dinobot died as he lived, as an honorable warrior, pushing his abilities to the limits defeating Megatron and the Predacons. In his last words he quotes Hamlet: “The rest is silence.” Pretty classy for a show based on toy robots.

“CI” (SAMURAI JACK)

Samurai Jack‘s final episode is mostly a happy one. Jack achieves his goal of getting back to the past and defeating Aku once and for all. Time travel paradoxes get in the way of a purely happy conclusion, however. In a scene clearly inspired by the sad ending of the anime Gurren Lagann, Ashi, Aku’s daughter and Jack’s lover, fades away from existence right on her wedding day, the death of her father effectively erasing her from history.

The show’s final scene ends on a bittersweet note. Jack is contemplative, seemingly depressed following Ashi’s disappearance, when he notices a ladybug flying freely and smiles. He recognizes that though much has been personally lost, he’s guaranteed a future where life can live free of the evil that is Aku.

“FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING” (JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED)

The only adaptation of Alan Moore story to receive the author’s personal approval, “For the Man Who Has Everything” is a profound meditation on the central tragedy of Superman’s life: he has never known his home. Through most of the episode, Superman is incapacitated by the Black Mercy, a parasitic plant that feeds its victims visions of their hearts’ deepest desires. Superman sees himself living a simple life with a family on Krypton.

As Batman rescues Superman from the Black Mercy’s grip, Superman realizes he’s in a dream and heartbreakingly has to say goodbye to his son as the dream comes to an end. Batman gets briefly gets stuck within his own dream of being with his parents, because dealing with just one sad backstory isn’t enough.

“ENDGAME” (YOUNG JUSTICE)

Fans of Young Justice were already prepared to cry at the end of “Endgame”, if only for being the beloved but short-lived series’ final episode (well, until the streaming revival was announced years later). But even if Cartoon Network still knew how to market action shows and Young Justice went on for years, “Endgame” still would have been a brutal experience. Why? The death of Wally West, the original Kid Flash and one of the founding members of the Young Justice team.

Wally’s death was one of those epic sacrifices you only get in superhero stories: he literally ran himself to death in helping The Flash and Impulse destroy a planet-threatening alien machine. There’s been hints Wally might return from the dead somehow when the show returns but regardless of his impending resurrection, his heroic death scene will still be moving.

“ROSE’S SCABBARD” (STEVEN UNIVERSE)

Steven Universe can be described as “all the feels”, and is as likely to make viewers cry both tears of joy and tears of sadness. Of all the heavy themes Rebecca Sugar and the Crewniverse weave into their show, one of the most potent is that of grief, and no character in the show deals with their grief over the loss of Crystal Gem leader Rose Quartz as intensely and heartbreakingly as Pearl.

“Rose’s Scabbard” was the first episode to deal with the depth of Pearl’s unrequited love for Rose and the complexity of her feelings about raising Steven, her former crush’s child and pseudo-reincarnation. Her feelings of betrayal learning Rose kept secrets from her, and of deep shame in almost endangering Steven was painful. Yet even as the audience’s hearts break for her, Steven’s seemingly infinite supply of love and acceptance heals all wounds.

“AUTO EROTIC ASSIMILATION” (RICK AND MORTY)

Beneath the penis jokes and high-concept sci-fi rigamarole, Rick and Morty has a chilling emotional core. Since much of the impact of “The Wedding Squanchers”‘ tragic ending has been softened by the reversals of fortune in “The Rickshank Redemption,” the ending of “Auto Erotic Assimilation” now stands as the best example of the show’s capacity for sadness.

Most of the episode is hilarious as ever, as Rick reunites with his ex, Unity, who happens to be a hive mind that consumes planets. Their relationship has mutually negative effects, and ultimately the thing that Unity finds attractive about Rick is the reason they can’t be together: Rick can’t change. Aware of his failings yet unable to improve, Rick returns home and contemplates suicide. As “Do You Feel It?” by Chaos Chaos plays into the credits, the conclusion’s more chilling than a show with a character named “Mr. Poopy Butthole” should be.

“AFTERSHOCK” (TEEN TITANS)

Teen Titans might have skewed younger and sillier than other DC cartoon series, but still packed a serious emotional punch in its major story arcs. Of all the show’s ongoing arcs, the second season’s adaptation of the comics’ “Judas Contract” storyline stands out as the most impactful. Even with the content lightened (a more direct PG-13 adaptation, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, was released in spring 2017), Terra’s inner struggle between working as a double agent for Slade and her feelings for Beast Boy is still intense, and her sacrifice in the season finale “Aftershock” is heartbreaking.

As if the pain of “Aftershock” wasn’t enough, the series finale “Things Change” brought Terra back but without any memories and no explanation of how she returned. And this was the show’s final episode! The original Teen Titans cartoon ended too soon; the current Teen Titans Go show just can’t compare.

“LISA’S SUBSTITUTE” (THE SIMPSONS)

The early seasons of The Simpsons were more down to Earth than what the show would later become, and were as adept at heartfelt drama as they were at comedy. The best of the show’s more serious episodes is easily “Lisa’s Substitute” from the second season. Mr. Bergstrom, the brilliant substitute teacher voiced by Dustin Hoffman, is the first of Lisa’s many crushes over the series, but more than that he’s the father figure Lisa deserves, someone who can connect with her intellectually in a way Homer can’t.

Lisa’s heartbroken when Bergstrom leaves, but what’s most heartbreaking to the audience is how Homer struggles to but just can’t understand what his daughter’s going through. Bergstrom’s final note to Lisa, simply reading “You are Lisa Simpson,” emphasizes just how much Lisa will need her self-reliance in the face of loneliness.

“NUMB” (MORAL OREL)

Somewhere along the line, Adult Swim’s Davey and Goliath parody Moral Orel got serious… and seriously depressing. Where the show’s first season was mainly a goofy satire of fundamentalist religion, the odd moments of pathos grew more frequent throughout the second season, and by season three it had become a brutal drama with scarce laughs.

In “Numb”, the season three premiere, the show’s opening is replaced with “No Children” by The Mountain Goats, setting the tone immediately. The episode follows depressed housewife Bloberta while her son Orel and husband Clay are out on a hunting trip. She harms herself in desperation for attention from the town doctor, and when she finds out Clay shot Orel on the hunting trip, she suffers a complete breakdown. Despite the stop animation, it’s all played seriously. Creator Dino Stampopolis would have more success with depressing puppets with the Oscar-nominated Anomalisa.

“I REMEMBER YOU” (ADVENTURE TIME)

Adventure Time is another show that got more serious as it went along, but unlike Moral Orel, it’s always kept its sense of fun, and that emotional range makes its sad moments all the more impactful. Who’d have predicted that Ice King, the show’s funniest villain, would also turn out to be its most tragic hero? Ice King’s backstory (that he was once a normal human driven insane by the magic crown) was revealed in the “Holly Jolly Secrets” Christmas special, but “I Remember You” made his tragedy all the more impactful.

The episode shows how as he was starting to lose his memory and sanity he was also young Marceline’s only protector in the aftermath of the Mushroom War. The episode’s final song, where Ice King rocks out to lyrics he no longer remembers the meaning of, is heartbreaking to anyone who’s lost a loved one to dementia.

“TALES OF BA SING SE” (AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER)

“Tales of Ba Sing Se” is an untraditional episode of Avatar, divided into vignettes focusing on individual characters. The reason this episode makes this list is because of the vignette “The Tale of Iroh.” It follows Iroh, the show’s wisest character, just going through a regular day being helpful to people. Then, at the end of the day, he sets up a altar for his dead son. Speaking to the altar, Iroh wishes his son a happy birthday, confessing sadness about his failures as a father, before breaking down in tears singing a sad song.

If all this wasn’t sad enough, the segment ends with the title “In honor of Mako.” Mako, the voice actor of Iroh in the first two seasons, died of lung cancer only months before the episode aired. If the sad story didn’t have your heart ripped out, the real life tragedy did.

“APOKOLIPS… NOW” (SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES)

Regular characters just didn’t die in ’90s American cartoons. So when Metropolis police officer Dan Turpin was killed by Darkseid in the second season finale of Superman: The Animated Series, audiences were in for a shock. Superman’s grief was painful to watch, and his final eulogy (“The world didn’t need a Superman, just a brave one”) simply beautiful.

Like “Tales of Ba Sing Se”, “Apokalypse Now”‘s sadness is heightened by how the episode doubles as a loving tribute to a real person. In this case, the animated Ben Turpin was modeled after the character’s creator Jack Kirby. The traditional Kaddish prayer at Turpin’s funeral was a tribute to Kirby’s Jewish faith, and in the original broadcast version, funeral attendees include various Kirby creations… including those from his time at Marvel! A death so powerful it brought universes together!

“HEART OF ICE” (BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES)

Telling great stories with classic foes like The Joker and The Penguin was one thing, but Batman: The Animated Series really proved its genius when it took Mr. Freeze, a one note joke of a villain, and successfully turned him into figure of Shakespearean depth and tragedy. His ice obsession? Explained by his terminally ill cryogenically frozen wife. His robberies? All for the purpose of raising funds for her cure.

Mr. Freeze was now so sympathetic that Batman thought he could be reasoned with, but Freeze was too far gone in his dedication to avenging his wife. All versions of Mr. Freeze since have played on Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s reimagining, including the dreadful Arnold Schwarzenegger version in Batman and Robin, so the episode’s biggest flaw might be that it’s indirectly responsible for that disaster. But don’t hold that against it because it’s still powerful to this day.

“JURASSIC BARK” (FUTURAMA)

90% of the time Futurama was pure comedy, but then there were times it could unexpectedly rip your heart out. Episodes like “The Art of the Fryrish” and “The Sting” could also make a strong case for making this list, but sticking to the one episode per series rule, nothing could ever compare to the sheer emotional sadism that is “Jurassic Bark.”

If you haven’t seen it, watch it because it’s brilliant, but then you’ll probably never want to watch it again. Even the Futurama movies’ attempts to soften the blow don’t negate its evil genius. Seymour… Such a good dog… He just waited for his master to come back… He just wanted to see Fry again! HE DIED WAITING FOR HIM! WHY, GOD, WHY!?!?!?!?!

“THAT’S TOO MUCH, MAN!” (BOJACK HORSEMAN)

No cartoon understands depression the way BoJack Horseman does. Without failing to entertain, Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Hanawalt’s quirky Netflix series continually breaks down its characters to devastating effect. The show understands and sympathizes with why they repeatedly make bad decisions, but doesn’t spare them of the painful consequences. Each season gets better and sadder, and the penultimate episode of season three is the most heartbreaking yet.

If your heart wasn’t broken when Sarah Lynn, BoJack’s former TV co-star turned drug addict, passed away in the planetarium, after reminiscing about her dreams of being an architect before childhood superstardom ruined her life, you might want to check if you had a heart in the first place. The tragedy was a searing indictment of both BoJack, who played her dad on TV but was the worst possible father figure in real life, and of the toxicity of show business in general.

Did any other animated moment bring you to tears? Let us know in the comment section!

The post 15 Times Cartoons Ripped Your Heart Out appeared first on CBR.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ freshly released Spider-Man: Homecoming sets aside the angsty dynamics of earlier big-screen depictions, particularly in regards to Peter Parker’s home life. Uncle Ben’s isn’t mentioned by name in the film, with the script instead allowing Peter and his Aunt May to exist outside of the realm of tragedy. The two share some of the more heartwarming scenes found in the film, but according to a disappointed Marisa Tomei, a sequence which didn’t make it into the final script would have given May even more depth and her own opportunity to shine heroically in the spotlight.

“There were also things in the original [script], which I signed up for, which weren’t there when we shot it,” Tomei said in an interview with HuffPost. “There was something going on in the neighborhood, and there was a little girl in distress, and I saved her, and Peter saw me save her, so you kind of saw that he got part of his ethics from her.”

RELATED: Did Spider-Man: Homecoming Mark the MCU Debut of Silk?

The actress, who first portrayed the MCU’s younger version of Aunt May in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before reprising the role for Homecoming, then went on to explain how the scene would have given her character and Peter another outlet to connect on, albeit an unspoken one. “Then I come home, and I don’t even tell him that that’s what happened, and, of course, there’s all this stuff that he’s not telling me,” Tomei continued. “So he’s like, ‘How was your day?’ And I’m like, ‘It was fine,’ but really I was shaking inside because of this whole crisis that had happened in the city. I’m kind of fibbing to him, and he’s fibbing to me, and we’re living in this house together, and it was a very interesting setup. I was quite disappointed that wasn’t in there.”

When asked to elaborate on how the development team went about honing in on a final script, Homecoming director Jon Watts explained that a film goes through a series of identities before all parties involved land on a final vision. “Writing the script is an evolving process, especially if you have more than one writer involved, but if anything you’re always just trying to boil it down to the essentials,” Watts said. “An initial pass at a script is more of an exploratory pass, and you start locking in on what the themes are and you start locking in on the best character moments and the set pieces and boiling it down to be the most precise thing possible.”

In theaters now, Spider-Man: Homecoming stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.

The post Spider-Man: Homecoming: Marisa Tomei Disappointed Over Cut Scene appeared first on CBR.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a delight for longtime fans because of its many Easter eggs and homages to classic scenes and favorite moments. Practically every character in the film — including almost all of Peter’s classmates — has roots in Marvel comics. There’s one, though, who could be headlining a movie of her own in the future: Cindy Moon, aka Silk, played in Homecoming by Tiffany Espensen.

RELATED: How Spider-Man: Homecoming Beat the Curse of Too Many Villains

Ever since the casting of Espensen as “Cindy,” Spider-fans have speculated whether she might be that Cindy. With Homecoming now in theaters, we finally have an answer: Maybe? While Cindy has a few lines in the film, she’s decidedly a background character, whose name is never spoken. Fans looking for Cindy Moon can spot her, but for most of the audience she appears to be just another Academic Decathlon team member.

Who Is Cindy Moon?

Cindy Moon first appeared in a cameo in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man #1, where it was revealed she had been bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker. Shortly after the incident, Cindy was approached by Spider-Man’s one-time ally/mentor Ezekiel Sims, who told Cindy she was in grave danger unless she agreed to hide inside a specially-designed bunker. So, in she went, and in that bunker Cindy remained for a decade, until Peter learned of her existence during the Original Sin crossover. And, just as Sims predicted, Peter releasing her from the bunker did lead to disaster, in the form of Morlun and his family of Inheritors trying to hunt down and devour every last spider-person in the Spider-Verse.

RELATED: Spider-Man: Homecoming Honors the Past By Moving Beyond It

Once Spider-Verse was over, Silk made the leap to her own self-titled series, which quickly became one of Marvel’s best ongoing series due in large part to its willingness to dive into Cindy’s trauma from spending a decade alone in a bunker. While the series was canceled earlier this year after 26 issues (plus a four-issue digital-first miniseries co-starring Spider-Man), Silk remains a major figure in the spider-family.

But Is the Cindy in Homecoming Actually Silk?

Because of her fairly limited screen time, it’s not entirely clear whether the Cindy in Homecoming is meant to be Cindy Moon. In case you missed her in the movie, Cindy is one of the members of Peter’s Academic Decathlon team. She appears in a number of scenes in both New York and Washington, D.C., but has only a few lines. Were it not for the potential comic connection, her role in the film is not especially noteworthy.

That said, there is a definite feeling she is intended to be Cindy Moon. When practically everyone else in the film is pulled from the comics, it would be especially odd if a Cindy played by an Asian-American actor, who would have had ample opportunity to be with Peter on the day of the spider bite, was not Cindy Moon. And, while Marvel hasn’t overtly acknowledged that Cindy is Cindy Moon, the studio also has done nothing to deny it.

RELATED: Who’s Who in Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Class Yearbook

But the case isn’t closed yet. Cindy might be Cindy Moon, but that doesn’t mean she’s Silk. She could simply be an Easter egg put in for eagle-eyed fans, with no real intention to develop later. We’ve seen that before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — Howard the Duck and Cosmo in Guardians of the Galaxy come to mind — so it wouldn’t be unprecedented to reference her once, and then never again.

If there’s one major argument against Cindy being Silk, it’s the film’s extended Washington Monument sequence, in which she’s trapped in an elevator, about to plummet to her death, and yet does nothing. If Cindy had superpowers from a certain spider bite, she presumably would have acted to save herself and her classmates from near-certain doom, even if it meant exposing herself. And yet, she didn’t. That would seem a potentially strong argument against Cindy being Silk.

There are, however, a number of potential explanations for why Cindy didn’t act. First, it’s possible that Silk will have a different origin onscreen, and that Cindy doesn’t have her spider powers yet. But while this is compelling in the context of Homecoming, it loses much of the elegance of her origin. It made a certain sense that a character whose powers overlapped so much with Spider-Man’s would be the result of a bite from the same spider at the same moment in time. (Alas, the lack of even a flashback to the bite makes it impossible to say whether MCU Cindy was even there.)

Alternatively, Cindy was bitten, but she has avoided using her powers so much that she wasn’t prepared to do so when disaster struck in the Washington Monument. It’s even possible that Cindy might have been outright warned not to use her powers by the MCU version of Ezekiel Sims, causing her to worry that helping her classmates might somehow bring a fate worse than death.

RELATED: So, Who Is Michelle’s Zendaya in Spider-Man: Homecoming?

There’s some support for this in the comics. Although Marvel comics often avoid providing express time frames for when events occurred in the past, there’s an overt caption in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014) — Cindy’s first cameo appearance — stating that the spider bite happened 13 years ago. And yet, in her own series, we are told repeatedly that Cindy spent 10 years living in a bunker, and we are also shown a number of scenes with her family post-spider bite, trying to find a cure, before finally warily agreeing to enter Sims’ bunker. Though three years definitely seems too long, it could easily have been a year or so of Sims running tests on Cindy and telling her to avoid using her powers at all costs, lest the extra-dimensional Morlun be summoned.

That works out pretty well with the timeline in the MCU. In Captain America: Civil War, Peter tells Tony Stark he has been fighting crime as Spider-Man for about six months. Homecoming takes place a few months later, making the spider bite likely less than a year before, meaning the film might have taken place during the time before Cindy went into her bunker.

There are, of course, any number of directions  that Marvel Studios, or Sony Pictures, could go with Cindy, and her appearance in Homecoming doesn’t guarantee we will ever see her again. She may simply have been a one-time Easter egg. And, there;s no particular reason to think filmmakers would necessarily stick with her comics origin story. But the fact that her origin can be reconciled with the events in Homecoming, and that the timing fits almost perfectly with Cindy’s post-bite life, makes me cautiously optimistic we might see her suiting up as Silk in a future installment.

So, paradoxically, I’m going to be rooting for Cindy to conspicuously absent from the inevitable sequel to Homecoming. A single comment by Michelle/M.J. saying, “Hey, does anyone know what happened to Cindy?” would pretty much clench the deal.

In theaters now, Spider-Man: Homecoming stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.

The post Did Spider-Man: Homecoming Mark the MCU Debut of Silk? appeared first on CBR.

George R. R. Martin, writer of the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels upon which HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones is based, has finally given an update on his progress toward completing The Winds of Winter, the sixth and penultimate book in the series.

The last Game of Thrones book, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011. Martin normally avoids discussing his progress in anything more than vague terms so as not to give his fans false hope, but he took to his Soviet blogging platform, LiveJournal, this weekend to give an update on a new book set in the world of Westeros.

Unfortunately, not the one fans really care about.

Speaking of fake history… regulars here may recall our plan to assemble an entire book of my fake histories of the Targaryen kings, a volume we called (in jest) the GRRMarillion or (more seriously) FIRE AND BLOOD. We have so much material that it’s been decided to publish the book in two volumes. The first of those will cover the history of Westeros from Aegon’s Conquest up to and through the regency of the boy king Aegon III (the Dragonbane). That one is largely written, and will include (for the first time) a complete detailed history of the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons. My stories in DANGEROUS WOMEN (“The Princess and the Queen”) and ROGUES (“The Rogue Prince”) were abridged versions of the same histories.

No publication date has been set yet, but it’s likely that we will get the first volume of FIRE AND BLOOD out in late 2018 or early 2019. The second volume, which will carry the history from Aegon III up to Robert’s Rebellion, is largely unwritten, so that one will be a few more years in coming.

God dammit.

Still, Martin isn’t completely heartless. He did talk about Winds of Winter as well:

And, yes, I know you all want to know about THE WINDS OF WINTER too. I’ve seen some truly weird reports about WOW on the internet of late, by ‘journalists’ who make their stories up out of whole cloth. I don’t know which story is more absurd, the one that says the book is finished and I’ve been sitting on it for some nefarious reason, or the one that says I have no pages. Both ‘reports’ are equally false and equally moronic. I am still working on it, I am still months away (how many? good question), I still have good days and bad days, and that’s all I care to say. Whether WINDS or the first volume of FIRE AND BLOOD will be the first to hit the bookstores is hard to say at this juncture, but I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018… and who knows, maybe two. A boy can dream…

So there you have it. The Winds of Winter in 2018 confirmed, and if it isn’t out then, we riot.

George R. R. Martin Optimistic About New Game Of Thrones Book In 2018

Bleeding Cool has been covering Ben Affleck‘s long, drawn out exit from the Batman franchise for months now, and today the story takes another turn with a report from THR that claims Warner Bros is preparing for Affleck’s exit after Justice League.

Affleck first started acting wishy-washy about his plans to continue under the cowl when he began making revealing comments about The Batman, the standalone film he was set to write, direct, and star in after Justice League, back in December of 2016.

“There’s not enough money in the world to make a mediocre version of Batman,” Affleck said at the time, amidst other comments on multiple occasions indicating that he wouldn’t direct The Batman unless it had a great script.

So it was no surprise when we learned that Affleck would step down from directing The Batman. And while new director Matt Reeves, himself at first hesitant to join the franchise, took over, we knew it wouldn’t be long before Affleck’s script, the one that there wasn’t enough money in the world for him to direct, got the boot as well.

And if we’re being perfectly honest with ourselves, we knew from the very first wishy-washy comment that Affleck was looking for a way out of being Batman. His career had taken a nosedive since joining the DCEU. Batman v. Superman was critically panned, and his oscar-bait project, Live By Night, was a bomb that lost money for Warner Bros. Affleck had seen his career crash and burn before, after stinking up the screen in Daredevil, and he wasn’t going to let a superhero movie destroy him for a second time.

Now, the new report from THR claims that Warner Bros is preparing for Affleck’s exit after Justice League, looking at a way to write him out in-storyline so that a new actor can take on the role. How will it happen? Lazarus pit regeneration, Doctor Who style? Another character, like Dick Grayson, taking the role? And how would that affect The Batman?

Currently, Warner Bros and Matt Reeves stand by claims that Affleck will star in that film, but ask yourself, what has really changed since Ben Affleck started voicing his regrets about signing up to be Batman in the first place? The success of Wonder Woman, perhaps? However, Wonder Woman’s success stems from the fact it did the polar opposite of everything the DECU had been doing so far.

If Warner Bros and Reeves are hoping to make more than one solo Batman movie, (which, let’s be honest, they probably are,) wouldn’t it make sense for Affleck to exit sooner rather than later?

Especially so, we’d guess, if that’s been his plan for the past seven months, and everyone else is just starting to catch on now.

Report: Warner Bros May Already Be Planning Ben Affleck’s Departure From Batman

Alex Roberts writes:

Those who arrived for the SDCC panel for Voltron: Legendary Defender were treated to the premiere of Season 3, Episode 1: Changing of the Guard. Excitement was high with big reveals, followed up by a panel moderated by Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson and featuring EP’s Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, as well as voice actors Bex Taylor-Klaus (Pidge) and Tyler Labine (Hunk).

The episode opens to a pitched battle, but in the aftermath of saving the locals, Lance and Hunk are caught off-guard by their insistence on seeing a fully formed Voltron. As they team reconvenes and meets with the fractured rebel leaders, they are met again by demands for Voltron. This forces the team to accept that they need a replacement for Shiro, a very begrudging realization as they struggle to move on past the loss of their leader.

Meanwhile, Galra commander Throk plans an insurrection to take over the empire. He is gathering support at a gladiator match, when suddenly the victor reveals himself to be Lotor and challenges Throk to single combat. Throk is soundly defeated, but Lotor spares him and entices the crowd with a speech about how the time has come for the Galra Empire to inspire loyalty rather than fear. This is revealed to be a façade, as Lotor reveals to his team that Throk is to be exiled and the speech was just to rouse the crowd.

This season promises to change the pace of the series so far, with the Voltron team down a leader and the Galra Empire seeing the rise of a new leader with a more dynamic vision than his predecessor.

The panel discussed the loss of Shiro and how the team will cope, stating that the team will need to find a new balance. Bex Taylor-Klaus spoke about Pitch and her enthusiasm to follow Pitch’s search for her family, stating that the excitement and loss as leads pan out or go cold is what draws her to Pitch.

In the Season 3 premiere, Hunk showed a newfound prowess in fighting and maneuvering. Tyler Labine joked that, “He’s found his legs — he is a leg!”. Among the numerous Hunk quips, Labine also teased that Hunk wants to convert their ships into food trucks in Shiro’s absence. In a season that will be much darker than before, Hunk’s levity and wackiness will be used to keep the show light and cheerful against the darkness of Lotor’s rise.

One of the most interesting parts of the panel that was met with resounding applause was that Lotor’s dedicated team of villains will feature a lot more female influence. Lauren Montgomery discussed how Lotor is a new kind of villain — one that you can understand and have emotions for, rather than the traditional “pure evil” archetype. Additionally, he is throwing off the traditionalism of the Galra Empire and has recruited half-breeds into his leadership team, recognizing that he is a new leader who prides himself on the best and brightest rather than the traditional staunch Galra-bloodlines.

Joaquim Dos Santos stated, “Zarkon was for all intents and purposes an evil dude…Lotor has a completely different approach.”

After all was said and done, we were treated to another premiere — this time, the Season 3 teaser trailer that will not be seen elsewhere. Additionally, they announced an exclusive poster for the room that will link up to the poster given away at New York Comic Con.

Season 3 of Voltron: Legendary Defender will premier August 4th and feature seven episodes, with another drop of episodes already slated for October.

‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ Panel Premieres New Episode

This may be considered a spoilery post as I’m going to connect the dots on who is likely to have survived Lian Yu at the end of Arrow season 5 as well as cover who is likely the big bad for season 6. If you are behind on the show or would rather start the new season fresh, then you’re probably going to want to go away.

Starting with who survives the explosions on the island. It was a pretty save bet that Wild Dog, Black Canary and Black Siren were going to survive as Rick Gonzalez and Juliana Harkavy were named series regulars for season 6 and Katie Cassidy is back as a recurring character. Then the other day we got the official look at Harkavy in the Black Canary costume, and that solidified that.

And then there was ‘loose-lipped’ Stephen Amell who told fans at a convention: “I can report that Manu Bennett is back to being a part of the show and I think we will see him multiple times this year, which is awesome.” He also teased a character who hasn’t been seen since season 1… which may or may not tie into the villain for the season. Or it could be the house keeper, Raisa.

Which leaves the following characters in question: Curtis / Mr. Terrific, Quentin Lance, Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen, John Diggle, Nyssa, Talia and Samantha. Now I believe Quentin will be playing part of the Black Siren storyline, so he seems safe. As for the others.. I doubt they’d kill Felicity, Diggle or Thea… but you never know.

Now on to the bad guy. A casting announcement went out for the show:

[Ricardo Diaz] Male, 30s-40s, Diverse. Hardened ex-son recently released from prison for crimes he didn’t commit. Ricardo uses his freedom and 25 million dollars in settlement money to establish control over Star City’s criminal underworld. He’s a martial arts and fighting expert honed by years of life on the street and in prison. 7/13 Fractional Series Regular.

Ricardo Diaz is of course the DC Rebirth version of Richard Dragon… or rather the son of Richard Dragon. This is a character that has seemed perfect for the series as he puts together a team called the Long Bow Hunters which included Clock King, Brick, Count Vertigo, Red Dart and Killer Moth. Three of those five are already in the Arrowverse and the could easily replace one of the other two with Cupid.

This casting call hasn’t been verified by the CW or Warner Bros Television, but it is very simliar to the call that went out last year for Tina Bolland who turned out to be Dinah Drake.

Arrow Season 6 The Big Bad And Who Survives

Another of the many shakeups happening in Walt Disney World is the closing of the Great Movie Ride, which has been a Hollywood Studios staple since well before the park was called Hollywood Studios. The Great Movie ride opened its doors for the first time on May 1, 1989. It is a guided dark ride which employs the use of Audio-Animatronic figures, live actors, special effects, and projections to recreate iconic scenes from twelve classic films throughout motion picture history. And, as seen above, its located inside a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which is one of Hollywood’s most famous movie palaces. Although these days its less of a movie palace and more of a tourist trap.

So with the Great Movie Rideclosing its doors in August, the ride is set to be replaced with the Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride. Some speculation indicates that the change is due to Disney losing the MGM movie rights featured in the Great Movie Ride, which is a possibility. But with all of Hollywood Studios getting a bit of a facelift, it is more likely that they’re replacing the ride to make the Hollywood Studios park more like the always successful Magic Kingdom and less of the bizarre backlot movie amalgamation that it is today. Part of Hollywood Studios’ history includes being the MGM sponsored Disney’-MGM Studios park, which explains much of the original design and ride choices which featured an obvious lack of any recognizable Disney projects. But now that it is Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it makes sense to bring some more Disney properties to the park instead of the MGM attractions it used to have.

So despite the Great Movie Ride being one of the longest standing original Walt Disney World attractions of all time – right up there with Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean, it seems like the right time to see the Great Movie Ride put to rest.

Now for the upside, after 89 years as Walt Disney World’s iconic mascot, Mickey Mouse will finally get a solo theme park attraction built entirely around him. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will be Mickey’s Mouse’s first theme park attraction ever, despite the thousands of Hidden Mickey’s scattered across Walt Disney World and Disneyland rides throughout the country. But don’t worry, just because this ride will be all about him doesn’t mean that the Runaway Railway won’t have a few Hidden Mickey’s of its own.

“Mickey and Minnie are getting a state of the art attraction with a theme song,” said Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek said. “We will join Mickey and his friends in their world.”

The Runaway Railway will feature an original story like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, It’s a Small World, and The Haunted Mansion. The ride will take you through the screen into a Mickey Mouse short where “anything can happen.” The animated short film begins with Mickey and Minnie getting ready for a picnic while Goofy tries his hand at being an engineer. Riders then literally step into the movie screen to board Goofy’s train. Mickey and Minnie keep you out of trouble as riders are taken through twists and turns, all set to “dazzling visual effects.” In addition, the ride will be chock full of Hidden Mickey’s that the designers hid in “surprising places.”

D23: The Great Movie Ride At Hollywood Studios Is Closing Its Doors In August

One of the many producers on Netflix’s Castlevania series is a man by the name of Adi Shankar. Shankar has production credits on a number of projects, including the copyright-infringing Power Rangers short from a few years back. His current project slate includes an Assassin’s Creed series, but it looks like he’s already decided on his next project — a dark, gritty animated series set in the world of Metroid. This news comes to us from a recent interview Shankar had with Nintendo Life, in which he discussed his work on Castlevania and briefly hyped his Assassin’s Creed project before dropping the Metroid bomb on us.

Shankar’s IMDB page has the list of his production credits, which include the Dredd reboot, The Grey, and Lone Survivor, alongside his Judge Dredd mini-series. While Shankar has spoken about wanting to do a new Dredd project, that seems to be stalled for now. And while a dark Metroid series would be interesting, it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Nintendo would be willing to get behind.

Nintendo’s primary MO has always been having family-friendly gaming opportunities, and based on what we’ve seen in Castlevania, that just doesn’t fit with Shankar’s body of work. Shankar’s films and mini-series seem to go for the Game of Thrones type of dark, gritty tone, and as much as the plot line of Metroid is built for that, I just don’t see it happening with image-conscious Nintendo.

Castlevania was one thing. That series had always had dark themes and stories, so the Netflix show wasn’t at all outside of their wheelhouse. However, Nintendo has always done a good job of making the genocide of a sentient race in Metroid seem like its just your average, everyday deal.

Granted, the Metroid project is, in fact, less of a project and more of a potential idea at this stage. But stranger things have indeed happened, so you never do know.

Would Nintendo Allow Adi Shankar’s Dark ‘Metroid’ Series?

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin was interviewed by Time Magazine this morning, and before the interview was over, Martin made a solemn vow: he will finish the remaining two books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series upon which the popular HBO TV show Game of Thrones is based.

“I’ve been lucky with the success of these books and the show,” Martin said in the interview before promising, “I am going to finish these books; I think I have that obligation to the world and my readers. It’s the thing I’m going to be remembered for.”

Martin also talked about how the success of Game of Thrones has impacted his writing:

Yes! And that doesn’t necessarily just revolve around the show. Although the show may, indeed, be part of it. The books have been enormously successful. I think I’m now in 47 languages, which is pretty astonishing. My earlier work was always translated but, boy I’m being translated now into languages I’ve never heard of, in every corner of the globe. The books have been nominated for many major awards and they get prominent reviews. That’s great, but it also brings with it a certain pressure. Instead of just writing a story, there’s this little guy in the back of my mind saying: “No, it has to be great! It has to be great! You’re writing one of the great fantasies of all time! Is that sentence great? Is this decision great?” When I started in 1991, I was just trying to write the best story I could. I didn’t think this will be a landmark thing for all time. The fact that this has gotten all this favorable attention and praise, wonderful reviews, award nominations, it does increase the pressure to do it again.

In another part of the interview, Martin brought up the topic of sexual violence in his work, without even being asked a question about it:

I suppose there are issues we could have explored more with the whole question of sexual violence and women — it’s a complicated and fraught issue. To re-address that point a little, I do a lot of book signings, and I think I have probably more women readers than male readers right now. Only slightly, but it’s probably 55 percent, 45 percent, but I see women readers at things and they love my women characters. I’m very proud of the creation of Arya and Catelyn and Sansa and Brienne and Daenerys and Cersei and all of them. It’s one of the things that gives me the most satisfaction, that they’ve been so well-received as characters, especially by women readers who are often not served.

Check out the full interview here. The Winds of Winter, the penultimate book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, should hit stores sometime around 2028.

George R. R. Martin: “I Am Going To Finish These Books”

Netflix has released an ominous new poster for Stranger Things Season 2, along with an official release date for the follow-up to the hit show.

It was previously known that Stranger Things Season 2 would be released near Halloween, but it looks like viewers will have four days to binge-watch, which is good news – it means they don’t have to skip trick-or-treating. Though, we have to admit, if the sky looks like it does in the poster while we’re begging for candy, we’re going back inside.

A short teaser for the season was also released on Twitter:

Some doors can't be closed. #StrangerThings2 arrives on October 27. pic.twitter.com/NALL5HQalg

— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 11, 2017

Look for Stranger Things Season 2 on Netflix on October 27.

Stranger Things Season 2 Gets Poster, Teaser, October 27 Release Date

Ichigo Kurosaki fans are getting their first look at the live-action film adaptation of anime classic Bleach as Warner Bros. Japan released a visual of the series’ hero as well as a teaser trailer. It was also confirmed through the film’s Twitter account that Tite Kubo‘s manga-turned-movie would premiere Summer 2018, with previously-announced Sōta Fukushi as Kurosaki and Shinsuke Sato assuming the director’s chair.

While the teaser trailer itself is a lot more “teaser” than “trailer,” it does a good job of setting the movie’s tone over the course of 20+ seconds. Fans get a brief glimpse of Kurosaki, standing with his back to us and  putting his Zanpakuto to good use by cutting-off the hand of a particularly large Hollow. We’re then given a close-up of Kurosaki as he stands before a wall of fire, looking at the ground as his weapon rests cautiously on his shoulder.

Here’s what Viz Media wants you to know about Bleach:

“Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts—he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace.”

Fans of the anime series have been cautiously awaiting more details since the live-action film adaptation was announced back in 2016, shortly after the Bleach manga wrapped-up its run. Filming began last fall and wrapped before winter’s end, leaving Warner Bros. Japan more than enough time to convince fans that this live-action anime adaptation wouldn’t end-up going the route of other films that failed miserably. And with good reason: the anime series Bleach ran from 2004-2012 for a total of 366 episodes as well as four anime films, video games and a series of novels. The anime was also a staple of Cartoon Network/Adult Swim’s Toonami anime programming block from 2006-2014.

Live-Action ‘Bleach’: First Teaser Trailer, 2018 Release Confirmed

The Flash Production office showed of their white board, which includes the title of the season premier for season four. The title listed is The Flash Reborn, which is very interesting in that they could’ve called it Flash Rebirth which was the story of Barry Allen returning from the Speed Force and was written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Ethan Van Sciver. It’s curious that they didn’t go with that option actually. They tend to like putting those Easter Eggs into titles. Perhaps they are saving that for a future story.

Or could the choice to not use what seemed to be a perfect title and comic connection have to do with the recent negative attention Van Sciver has brought on himself?

Either way this seems to indicate that we will be getting Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) back early on in the new season.

Ready for our first day of filming Season 4! We get started tomorrow, and it’s gonna be epic! pic.twitter.com/iWhbSjvCvI

— The Flash Office (@FLASHProdOffice) July 4, 2017

The Flash Season 4 Premiere Title Is Close To A Major Story Arc

There is another Disney property that is coming out next year that no one is really talking about. A Wrinkle in Time, based on the classic novel by Madeline L’Engle and directed by Ava DuVernay, is coming out this March, but we haven’t seen anything from it yet aside from a teaser poster that just features the logo. We’re still waiting on any footage, but according to DuVernay, that’s going to change later this month. She confirmed via her official Twitter account that the first trailer is going to premiere at the D23 Expo later this month.

Teaser trailer coming at @D23Expo. Hope you like what you see! ✨ https://t.co/Ol1EqSNd64

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 3, 2017

A Wrinkle in Time marks the first live-action movie for Frozen writer Jennifer Lee, with DuVernay having worked on many award winning projects, including Selma. While the book has been popular since its 1963 release, aside from a Canadian made-for-TV movie, there haven’t been any major adaptations yet. Disney actually purchased the rights to the book back in 2010, but it was sitting in development hell until August of 2014 when Disney announced that Lee would be taking on the project.

Summary: After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.

A Wrinkle In Time, directed by Ava DuVernay, stars Storm Reid, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, and Zach Galifianakis. It will be released March 9th, 2018.

The First Trailer For ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Will Debut At D23

Game of Thrones returns soon, albeit with a slightly shorter season, sure to thrust us into even more political intrigue, epic battles, heartbreaking character deaths and jaw-dropping plot twists, which is pretty much what it’s known for. All the plot threads are slowly but surely coming together — the war for the Iron Throne, as well as the struggle against the White Walkers. While from afar it might seem simple enough (a lot of people assume Daenerys will take the throne and her dragons will destroy the White Walkers) there are a lot of little details people seem to have forgotten.

RELATED: Game of Thrones: 15 Characters Who Will Probably DIE In Season 7

It’s understandably difficult to keep track of all the different factors that might lead to your favorite character’s heroic survival or tragic demise, that’s why we’ve put together this little refresher course covering both the larger and smaller points we’ve come across over the last six seasons so both newcomers and long-time fans might have a better chance to see the fates of their favorites coming (trust us, it makes it easier). Since the show has pretty much surpassed George R.R. Martin’s books, all we can do is guess at where the story is headed, so we’ll be touching upon several theories. After all, the only thing we know for certain is that it’s still not safe to hope for a happy ending. Now tread carefully, the list is dark and full of spoilers.

WHO HAS VALYRIAN STEEL?

Throughout the series, we’ve seen several swords forged from valyrian steel, a material we now know can kill White Walkers as seen in the season five episode “Hardhome” (written by David Benioff and D.B Weiss). There’s Longclaw, which belongs to Jon Snow, Oathkeeper, wielded by Brienne of Tarth, Widow’s Wail, last seen atop Joffrey Baratheon’s corpse and finally, Heartsbane, which Samwell Tarly wisely thought to steal from his family’s keep at Horn Hill.

These blades no doubt hold some significance and we may see them all used against White Walkers when they’re done messing about in the North (the real North, according to some) and inevitably breach the Wall, bringing a cold, merciless winter with them. It’ll be a good thing to keep in mind as the series nears its end. Maybe this season we’ll see Widow’s Wail wielded by someone else, possibly Jamie Lannister, since Tommen (who would have inherited the blade) is now dead.

WHAT’S WITH DRAGONGLASS?

It was recently revealed that dragonglass (obsidian) was the material the Children of the Forest used to create the White Walkers, but we should also remember that dragonglass is also capable of killing White Walkers, as we saw in the season three episode “Second Sons” (written by Benioff and Weiss). A lot of it was lost in “Hardhome” when the Wildlings and brothers of the Night’s Watch fled the attack, but all may not be lost. Stannis did tell Samwell Tarly in the season five episode “Kill the Boy” (written by Bryan Cogman) that dragonglass is abundant in Dragonstone.

More and more the odds of survival against the White Walkers look better with every season. Now all that needs to happen is for Westeros to get its act together so they can muster up a large enough force to properly deal with the Night King and his horde of undead wights.

CHOOSING SIDES

One of the most important and yet most confusing things to keep in mind is where everyone’s allegiances lie. The War of the Five Kings may have long since ended but a new war is coming and we have to know the different sides. There are quite a few minor houses all over Westeros and we’re not going to go into those. Rather, we’ll focus on the four major factions you need to remember.

The Lannisters have the Iron Throne but are pretty much on their own because Cercei decided to murder everyone; the North (and the Vale) has rallied together around Jon Snow and the Stark family; Daenerys has a massive armada crossing the Narrow Sea; and finally, Euron Greyjoy has assembled the Ironborn and seeks to take Westeros for himself.

THE STATE OF KING’S LANDING

It would be unwise to assume the victor based how many soldiers they have in their armies. The Lannisters rule King’s Landing and they are broke. The Crown was hurting for money when Ned Stark arrived in season one and the situation has only gotten worse, as it owes a tremendous debt to the Iron Bank of Braavos. The War of the Five Kings drained its coffers further and it’s unlikely they’ll be able to properly fund another war.

We’ve already seen that the people of King’s Landing are starving and poor so they turned to religion, placing faith in the High Sparrow who died in the Great Sept along with Margaery and Loras Tyrell when Cercei had it demolished with wildfire. The fiercely religious people are now likely wholly against their Lannister rulers. We should expect to see King’s Landing at its most vulnerable as it crumbles from within.

MAGGY’S PROPHECY

In “The Wars to Come” (written by Benioff and Weiss), the first episode of season five, we saw Cercei visit a witch in the woods (known in the books as the Essosi witch, Maggy the Frog) and pay in blood for a prophecy. Cercei asked three questions: When she’d marry the prince, if she’d be queen and if she and the king would have children. Maggy predicted that she’d marry the king (Robert Baratheon), that she would be queen until a younger, more beautiful queen takes it all away from her, and finally, that she’d have three children, all of whom would die.

Almost everything Maggy predicted has come to pass. Cercei married Robert, became queen and lost all three of her children. All that’s left is for someone younger and more beautiful to take her down from her throne. Cercei knows her fate and it’ll be interesting to see how she fights it, or if she does.

DAENERYS’ ARMY

Daenerys Targaryen has amassed a formidable force against the houses of Westeros. With help from Tyrion, Varys, Daario, Missandei and of course, her three gargantuan dragons, she has admirably been able to ensure freedom throughout Slaver’s Bay (now known as the Bay of Dragons). Her determination, compassion and conviction has drawn others to her cause. So who will we see fighting alongside her in season seven?

While the Second Sons and Daario Naharis are staying behind in Meereen, we know she has the Dothraki horde of tens of thousands, several thousand Unsullied soldiers, the Iron Fleet and Dorne, as well as the Reach as allies. That’s quite a large force, and if she’s able to maintain them, taking Westeros should be no trouble at all. From the various images around the web, it looks like she’ll soon have the aid of the North as well, but we’ll have to wait and see.

THE WALL

The Wall lies north of the Gift, built thousands of years ago, the wall defends the rest of Westeros from wildlings (or did) and the White Walkers. It stands at 300 miles long (though Sam does incorrectly say 500) and 700 feet high, with 19 castles lining it, though only three are manned: Castle Black, the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, peopled by brothers of the Night’s Watch.

In the beginning of the series, we can assume there were several hundred men across the wall. After the Great Ranging led by Jeor Mormont back in season 2, the Night’s Watch lost hundreds of brothers, and in the aftermath of the Battle of Castle Black in the season four episode, “The Watchers of the Wall,” the Night’s Watch has an estimated 70 or so brothers. Jon Snow left it all to Edd, who has quite the task ahead should the White Walkers decide to show up.

THE BIRTH OF JON SNOW

Bran recently found out the truth about Jon Snow, through his journey into the past. He wasn’t Ned Stark’s bastard son. Ned was always faithful to his wife. Jon Snow was Lyanna Stark’s son with Rhaegar Targaryen. Many of the fans of the novels figured this out for themselves years ago but now there is no doubt. This changes a lot of things, since we now how that Targaryen blood flows through his veins. Could he be the one to ultimately sit on the Iron Throne?

After the Battle of the Bastards in the episode of the same name (written by Benioff and Weiss), he was named the White Wolf, the new King in the North around which all the northern houses have sworn allegiance (much to Littlefinger’s disappointment, but we’ll get to that).

THE STATE OF THE NORTH

The greatest change for the North has been in Winterfell, from which the Starks rule once again, having just taken it from the vile Ramsay Bolton. Now almost every northern house, even the houses that were initially hesitant, have sworn themselves to their new King in the North: Houses Mormont, Glover and Umber to name a few. We can’t forget that Jon also has the Wildlings and knights of the Vale (for now) under his command. It’ll be interesting to see how the Wildlings and northerners get along in the upcoming season.

There are, of course, those who betrayed the Starks and swore fealty to Ramsay Bolton. House Karstark, for example, has held a grudge against the Starks for a while now, beginning when Robb Stark beheaded Rickard Karstark for betraying him. Their fate has not yet been shown, but we can assume that this is not the end of the conflict between the Starks and Karstarks.

LITTLEFINGER’S INTENTIONS

Littlefinger is one of Westeros’ master manipulators, matched only by Varys. We know that it was through his machinations that the War of the Five Kings began, all because he wants the throne and because a part of him believed it might bring him closer to Cat (some guys just can’t take a hint). We seem to know his long-term goals, but what will we see from him in the next season?

We know he isn’t fond of Jon Snow becoming the new king in the north but he seems to want or need Sansa (it’s difficult to tell with Littlefinger), so will he end up withdrawing his troops or will he begrudgingly play along with Snow’s campaign for the time being? We wouldn’t put it past him and we have to assume that he’ll betray Jon Snow the first chance he gets.

BRAN’S JOURNEY

Bran has been through a lot. He was pushed from a window after witnessing a sordid embrace between the Lannister twins, losing the use of his legs in the aftermath; he also learned he was a warg, trekked northwards to meet the three-eyed raven, and encountered wights and ex-brothers of the Night’s Watch. He lost his brother, lost his friend and of course, lost Hodor.

With time and training, Bran has gotten the hang of being a warg, going so far as to control Hodor at one point in the season three episode “The Rains of Castamere” (written by Benioff and Weiss). Now he has to master the Sight as the new three-eyed raven. Through his visions, he’s discovered the truth of Jon Snow’s birth and we look forward to seeing what he’ll do with that information once he returns south. We last saw Bran with Meera below the Wall, saying farewell to Bran’s undead Uncle Benjen. It’s likely we’ll see Bran reunite with Jon Snow in Winterfell.

THE NIGHT KING

Not much is known about the White Walkers. We know that the Night King has been creating White Walkers with the baby boys that Craster offered up as tribute, a process we saw in season four episode “Oathkeeper” (written by Bryan Cogman). However, in the season six episode “The Door” (written by Benioff and Weiss), it was revealed that Leaf created the Night King by forcefully burying a shard of dragonglass into one of the First Men.

We know that he can create White Walkers, raise the dead and reach people using the Sight as we saw in “The Door” when he touched Bran in a vision, leaving a physical mark on his arm and using it to gain access to the three-eyed raven’s sanctum. We can probably assume the war against the White Walkers definitely won’t be won using the Sight. How will it be won, then? Will the Night King die in a dragon fire or could we see him somehow return to mortal flesh?

THE WHITE WALKERS’ MARCH

We’ve watched as the White Walkers amassed an army of the undead to eventually take the south. They remained an elusive menace in the icy lands beyond the wall until the very end of season two when they decimated the Night’s Watch at the Fist of the First Men in a battle we never got to see. Their next major attack was at Hardhome, which resulted in thousands more added to the Night King’s army of wights.

Then the Night King, using Bran, broke through the mystical barrier guarding the three-eyed raven and killed him. We know that they’re generally heading south and we know that the White Walkers and the undead can’t just breach the Wall, since its protected by magical safeguards, as Benjen explain in the episode, “Winds of Winter” (written by Benioff and Weiss). It’ll be interesting to see how they intend to get through it in season 7.

BROTHERHOOD WITHOUT BANNERS

Since Arya escaped their grasp, Beric Dondarrion and his Brotherhood Without Banners remained in the background, almost forgotten, until the Hound recently encountered them while searching for the rogues responsible for massacring a small community of villagers, as well as the man who saved Sandor. It didn’t take long for the Hound to find his vengeance, but it led him to something unexpected.

The last time Beric and the Hound met each other, one of them died and returned from death. This time, there was just talking and, more surprisingly, hospitality and respect (for the most part), which is pretty rare in Westeros, when you think about it. Beric and Thoros speak of the threat to the North and of the will of the Lord of Light, apparently convincing Sandor to join them in their fight. If they are heading that way, there’s a good chance they’ll encounter Jon Snow or even Melisandre.

FOLLOWERS OF THE LORD OF LIGHT

The Lord of Light has evidently been subtly guiding the world through his priests and priestesses. We first saw Melisandre use her magic to aid Stannis, who she thought was the lord’s chosen. After his death, she turned to Jon Snow and brought him back from the dead, much like another priest, Thoros of Myr. Thoros brought Beric Dondarrion back a shocking six times. Clearly, they’re capable of astounding things and each one attributes it to the Lord of Light, who has a purpose for both Beric Dondarrion and Jon Snow.

So, which are the ones we need to pay attention to? There’s Melisandre, who was exiled in the episode, “The Winds of Winter,” there’s Thoros of Myr, still travelling with the Brotherhood Without Banners, then there’s the mysterious Kinvara who’s in Daenerys’ service, garnering support from other Red Priests and Priestesses. We cannot wait to see what the Lord of Light has in store in the next season!

What other details do you think might come to the forefront this season? Tell us in the comments!

The post Game Of Thrones: 15 Things You HAVE TO Remember Before Season 7 appeared first on CBR.

Life often imitates art but not in the way we could have hoped. In the case of Scarlett Johansson, it sounds like art imitated art for her in a very bad way on the set of Avengers: Infinity War. She spoke to Bravo TV about being on set and her characters relationship with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) came up:

“I just finished Avengers: Infinity War. The first one. My character has this ongoing relationship with Mark Ruffalo’s character. I had such devastation that day. I don’t know why. I was so devastated. It was something about this character that Mark plays, and this is something that should feel so solid and suddenly doesn’t or there’s… And it reminded me of so much of the things going on in my own life at the time…”

Johansson has recently filed for divorce from her husband and the two of them are in the middle of a bitter custody fight over their 3-year-old daughter. The deterioration of a relationship that should feel solid falling apart is not a fun thing to go through.

The relationship between Natasha and Bruce in Avengers: Age of Ultron wasn’t beloved among fans but considering the timeline it would make sense that one or both of them have moved on. They weren’t that far into their relationship in Age of Ultron, and in Captain America: Civil War we find out its been a year since they’ve seen Bruce. Avengers: Infinity War will take place two years after that. While we know Bruce is on Sakaar fighting from Thor: Ragnarok, that’s a long time to be isolated. If their relationship is reminding Johansson of her own, then it’s not likely we’re going to see a happy ending for these two.

Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, and Anthony Mackie. It will be released on May 4th, 2018.

Scarlett Johansson Talks Bruce And Natasha’s Complicated Relationship In ‘Infinity War’

While Game of Thrones fans are still coming to terms with the final two seasons of the series being shorter than previous seasons (only seven episodes for the seventh season; and six episodes for the eighth and final season), some glimmers of hope may be on the horizon. At this past weekend’s Con of Thrones, the first Game of Thrones fan convention, sound designer Paula Fairfield gave some more details on GoT‘s final two seasons, including the possibility of Season 8 containing six feature-length episodes.

Some of the highlights from Fairfield and others at the convention include:

●  Season 7: Three episodes will be longer than 60 minutes, including the season finale clocking-in at 82 minutes; and four episodes will be around the 60 minute mark, with Episode 4 with the distinction of being the shortest episode of the series at 50 minutes.

●  Season 8: Though yet to be filmed, expectations are the remaining six episodes could each be 80+ minutes long.

●  Season 8: Still no confirmation on reports that the final season may not bow until 2019.

●  During the panel Ghosts of Westeros, Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel) refused to give a direct answer when asked if it was possible that his character might actually turn-up alive, explaining that GoT‘s showrunners and HBO are understandably concerned about plot points getting leaked before broadcast.

HBO is set to premiere Game of Thrones‘ seven-episode seventh season on July 16, 2017, with the season consisting mostly of original content currently not in George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series, but will also adapt material from the upcoming sixth and seventh novels The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.

Here’s what’s in store for Game of Thrones fans for Season 7:

Serving as executive producers for Season 7 are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield; with co-executive producers Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, Martin and Bryan Cogman; and producers Chris Newman, Greg Spence and Lisa McAtackney.

PREVIOUSLY:

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7 Trailer Echoes Battles To Come (WATCH)

Game Of Thrones Composer Ramin Djawadi Talks About Character Themes And Scoring Scenes

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8: Six Feature-Length Episodes?

Creator-owned comics at Marvel Comics are basically one or two Brian Bendis comics that come out very late. Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons just pulled Secret Service/Kingsman to Image and it is likely that the likes of Empress, Nemesis and any future Kick-Ass-related comics may follow.

But it’s not much healthier at DC Comics, where Vertigo shrinks month-on-month and when Astro City is on a skip month, all but disappears.

This stems from a meeting that Bleeding Cool reported on many years ago where Alan Horn — now one of the folk behind Marvel Film Studios’ departure from the rest of Marvel at Disney — was shocked to hear DC Comics editors boasting about the success of the Vertigo imprint, along with the discovery that Warner Bros. owned none of the intellectual property or had relatively little media rights to the works being published. The boasting turned to ashes in editorial mouths as the new restrictions and demands placed on the comics by Warner saw creative after creative take their work to publishers such as Dynamite, Avatar, Boom, Image, Dark Horse and more, which had more attractive creator-owned options.

Things haven’t gotten much better since, and the dismissal of Vertigo stalwart editorial figures such as Karen Berger and Shelly Bond lost much of the creator loyalty that the imprint had continued to enjoy among some, to the benefit of IDW and Dark Horse Comics.

As it stands, the status is that creator-owned comics at DC are pretty much dead. As they don’t want to deal with creator ownership contracts and Warner Bros. wants IP it can control completely.

However, a few prods in DC Comics’ direction reveals that 2018 may be an attempt to turn that around. The Young Animal and Hanna Barbera lines allow creators to recreate Warners Bros. IP, as will a new mature readers superhero prestige imprint from editor Mark Doyle. But I am also told that 2018 will see a big push to get back to creator-owned comics, find a way to promote them better and improve those contracts that have been dismissed by so many.

Whether it’s called Vertigo or not, that depends on whether DC Comics feels the current taint can be removed — and the deserved reputation of the imprint’s past can be revived.

The Death Of Creator-Owned At DC Comics — Can 2018 Turn It Around?

We don’t know much about the state of the Marvel universe after Avengers 4 but we’re starting to get some hints. James Gunn has confirmed that he is going to return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and that’s one of the titles that will take place after Avengers 4. We also know that there will be a sequel to Spider-Man: Homcoming and in an interview with The Toronto Sun Kevin Feige spoke about how the Spider-Man sequel will deal with such huge events.

“We are looking at a five-movie storyline — Civil War, Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, untitled Avengers, Homecoming 2 — or whatever we end up calling it — as an amazing five-story journey for Peter Parker,” Feige says. “In the way that the events of Civil War directly inform the opening of Homecoming and his state of mind as he goes back to high school, so too will the events of the next two Avengers movies as he continues with high school. This original 22-movie arc ends with the untitled Avengers in May of 2019 and then two months later it will be Peter and Spider-Man (on July 5, 2019) that usher us into the aftermath and how things proceed from there.”

There have been rumors that the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming could take place right after the events of Avengers 4. It will be the first movie of phase four and the one that will kick off that next generation of Marvel movies. It makes sense that it would be the kid of the franchise, literally the next generation, as the MCU moves forward.

Summary: Following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Peter Parker attempts to balance his life in high school with his career as the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed by Jon Watts, stars Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Donald Glover, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, and Michael Keaton. Swing on down to your local theater and check it out on July 7th.

The ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Sequel Will Deal With The “Aftermath” Of ‘Avengers 4’

The Wonder Woman movie was not only hailed by critics, it also lit up the box office and gave everyone out there, be they diehard comic book fans or casual moviegoers, a new favorite superhero to connect with and root for. Director Patty Jenkins and actress Gal Gadot have managed to bring to the screen a new inspiration for countless fans out there, new and old. After her long history in comics, her live-action 1975 television series starring Lynda Carter, countless appearances in cartoons and animation and her brief role in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, people have always been familiar with Diana Prince.

RELATED: 13 Ways Wonder Woman SAVED The DCEU (And 3 Ways The Movie Doomed It)

But now, with her successful and breathtaking movie, Wonder Woman is not only just an icon of history, she is now the face of a new generation. The new star of the DCEU. As you walk out of the theater, you might find yourself looking to learn even more about the character. And what better way to do that than to go to your local book store, your favorite comic book shop or simply log onto your favorite handheld device and read some Wonder Woman comics? To make matters easier for you, CBR has made a list of 15 comics you should give a read after seeing the Wonder Woman film.

WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH

Whether you want to read your comics as single issues or in a collected trade, you’ll have no problem finding these two storylines from writer Greg Rucka. Under the new Rebirth banner of DC Comics, a recent event that looks to bring a new focus on the characters and their long history, the Wonder Woman title was separated into two storylines, “The Lies,” set in the present, and “Year One,” set in the past.

“Year One,” illustrated by artist Nicola Scott, explores Wonder Woman’s definitive origin in the DC Rebirth continuity — from her time on Themyscira to her first visit to man’s world — and that story informs and runs parallel to “The Lies,” illustrated by Liam Sharp, where Diana searches for answers to her confusing past. After the movie, this is the perfect place to get in on this new DC Universe.

WONDER WOMAN BY GEORGE PÉREZ

Writer and artist Geore Pérez was tasked with bringing new life to Wonder Woman in 1987, back when the version of the character most people were familiar with was either from old cartoons or Lynda Carter. Pérez streamlined the character’s story, plunged her deeper than ever into Greek mythology, introduced new characters like supervillainess Barbara Minerva — a.k.a. Cheetah — and brought a lot more pathos to the woman known as Diana Prince.

He stayed on the title for five years and all of his seminal and character-defining work on Diana Prince has been collected in trade format. If you are looking for an older, more classic version of Wonder Woman, then this is the place to start, considering this reboot by Pérez planted a lot of the seeds for what and who Wonder Woman became in comics today.

WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE

The Earth One line of graphic novels explores a different Earth than the one from the main continuity of DC Comics. On this Earth, we are witnessing the arrival and introduction of every superhero, without years of muddled continuity. These are new stories that explore new versions of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman’s origins, taking a few risks and departures along the way.

Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Yannick Paquette, Wonder Woman: Earth One offers a different take on Diana’s origin, one that very much throws back to the original ideas of how Wonder Woman came to be created by William Moulton Marston. Centered around Diana’s trial held by the Amazons, we see new versions of Etta Candy and Steve Trevor step foot on Themyscira as they testify to protect Wonder Woman.

DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS

DC Comics Bombshells may have started out as a series of variant covers, but it soon turned into a very popular line of statues, figures and comics. Whether you choose to read this comic online or in collected form, you don’t need any prior knowledge to start reading DC Comics Bombshells. Set in a reality much different from the one we know, the series puts Wonder Woman front and center.

The story set in this universe takes place during World War II, a battle fought mainly by all of the female superheroes of the DC pantheon. Not only will you get to know this new version of Wonder Woman, you will also meet many more female characters you might be familiar with — and even get introduced to countless more. Bombshells may not be canon, but it is a marvellous read that anyone can jump into.

WONDER WOMAN: THE TRUE AMAZON

The True Amazon is an original graphic novel written and fully-painted by Eisner Award winner Jill Thompson. It’s a story unlike any that has come before it, a new take on Wonder Woman’s origin that explores Diana’s struggles as she grows up as a lonely young princess on Themyscira. Spoiled and venerated by all Amazons, we see a much different Diana than we are used to.

This book offers a different spin on Wonder Woman’s formative years, as we see not the usual, respectable and dedicated warrior of peace we know, but a flawed, pompous and reckless young woman who sees not the damage she causes. It’s a much more human story that does not even step a single foot off of Themyscira, a tale filled with tragedy, consequence and growth.

FOREVER EVIL: A.R.G.U.S.

Wonder Woman may be the character everyone talks about while walking out of the film, but there was also another very important character in the movie, one brilliantly portrayed by Chris Pine: Steve Trevor. Steve is not just a big, equally standout part of the movie, he is also a prominent character in the DCU. And for those who would like to learn more about him, look no further than to Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S.

This series by writer Sterling Gates took place in the middle of the Forever Evil event. Now, you might need a bit of context to understand the fundamentals of this story, which were that the Justice League had disappeared, feared dead, and the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 had taken over the Earth. In the heroes’ absence, it’s up to A.R.G.U.S., led by Steve Trevor, to protect the Earth. There, now you can go read.

ODYSSEY OF THE AMAZONS

Wonder Woman may be the star of her movie, but some fans out there might find themselves wanting to learn more about the Amazons themselves. For those answers, look no further than to the recently released Odyssey of the Amazons, written by Kevin Grevioux with art by Ryan Benjamin. A six-issue limited series, this is one you can easily find in a comic shop or online.

Odyssey of the Amazons is a story that stars new Amazon characters and no Wonder Woman. Set much before her time, this is simply a history lesson of her people. It highlights their beliefs and their mission, their way of life and their undying bravery. High stakes adventure, epic sword fights and Greek and Norse mythology all create a swashbuckling series that every new fan of the Amazons can’t afford to miss out on.

WHO IS WONDER WOMAN?

Who is Wonder Woman?, like its title suggests, is a story about what makes Diana, Diana. It’s a story about discovering one’s self, about friendship and above all, love. Set in DC’s pre-New 52 continuity, this story saw Diana not as a superhero, but as a secret agent of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. This was a new beginning and a new exploration of the woman under the tiara.

It’s no wonder then that this story was written by Allan Heinberg, who went on to pen the script for the Wonder Woman movie. And with gorgeous art by Terry Dodson, this is a great book to pick up if you want to understand exactly what sort of character Wonder Woman truly is. She is a superhero. She is a warrior and a goddess. But she is also human.

WONDER WOMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS

This list would absolutely be remiss to even go without mentioning Wonder Woman’s original comic book appearances and series by her original creator William Moulton Marston. Created in 1941, Wonder Woman was a Greek goddess dressed in red, white and blue who fought Nazis and criminals armed only with a sword, a golden lasso and indestructible bracelets, each of them elements that made her instantly iconic.

From her first ever appearance in All Star Comics #8 to her first monthly title, Sensation Comics, and finally her own, self-titled series Wonder Woman, this first volume contains every groundbreaking, seminal page from Marston’s work. This Golden Age collection might be a large one with a price tag to match, but this is the price to pay to witness where history was born and made.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: ORIGIN

Once you walk out of the theater after watching Wonder Woman, you might find yourself counting down the days until she returns to the screen in Justice League this coming November. What better way to fill that six-month-long void than by reading Justice League: Origin? It’s a new, modern story that tells the tale of how the Justice League formed to fight against Darkseid’s forces in DC’s line-wide relaunch, The New 52.

As the flagship title of DC Comics at the time, legendary writer Geoff Johns and superstar artist Jim Lee crafted a new take on the origin of the Justice League that became an instant classic, an animated movie and even the basis for the Justice League movie itself. Now that you know Wonder Woman, you can familiarize yourself with rest of the team, and see just how they all interact together.

WONDER WOMAN: BLOOD

At the onset of the New 52, the Wonder Woman title was relaunched with the creative team of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. It was in this new series that Azzarello changed Diana’s origin from the classic “molded from clay” story, and turned her into a daughter of Zeus (something that was even mentioned in the movie). Such was a revelation that struck deep into Diana’s heart and fueled her quest.

Under this new creative team, Wonder Woman became a much darker title that explored even more Greek mythology. New twists and new approaches to the pantheon of Greek gods like Hera, Poseidon and Hades saw them take on starring roles in the book, and this all led to Wonder Woman taking on the role of the God of War herself–the role of a god you might know as Ares, from the movie.

SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: POWER COUPLE

In the New 52 continuity, DC began to explore a relationship between two of its most powerful and recognizable characters: Diana Prince and Clark Kent. Both members of the Justice League, both part of man’s world, but neither exactly belonging inside it. These two were drawn to one another and began a romance that was explored in the pages of the Superman/Wonder Woman series.

The series’ firt volume, “Power Couple,” written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel, saw the two superheroes’ burgeoning romance reach new heights as they faced challenges from the world’s media, Diana’s family of gods and villains of the likes of General Zod and Faora. This series is a great read for those looking to see both Superman and Wonder Woman heroically devoted to each other, and to the world they protect.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY

Written and illustrated by Matt Wagner, Trinity was a limited series, set out of the main DC continuity, that told the first-ever meeting between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It’s a timeless series that has no required reading before or after. It’s a brilliant one-and-done read that will give you a satisfying beginning, middle and end.

As Ra’s Al Ghul takes aim at the entire world, it’s up to the world’s biggest heroes to stop him. As the heroes unite, readers will see how these characters react to one another and how they develop their legendary bond of friendship. And for fans of the Wonder Woman movie, know that Themyscira and the Amazons also play a pivotal role in this story. Before seeing Bruce, Clark and Diana meet-up on screen again in Justice League, it might be interesting to revisit their first team-up.

SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN

This is the series to pick up if you just want to read some Wonder Woman stories, no matter the continuity. Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman is a platform for any creative team to come on board and tell one amazing Wonder Woman story after another. The writers and artist constantly change, and so do the themes and subject matter.

Free from DC Comics continuity, this series exists solely to give fans of Wonder Woman a joyous book to read about their favorite character. This is one that you can read whether you are a longtime fan of the character, or if you have just walked out of the movie theater. You will see many different art styles, experience various themes and stories, and even see special guest-stars that you might recognize. You don’t need to be a comic book fan to read this. You just need to love Wonder Woman.

THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN

A digital-first series by writer/artist Renae De Liz, The Legend of Wonder Woman was later published as a series of single issues and later collected in hardcover format. No matter which way you choose to read this glorious and luscious re-telling of Wonder Woman’s origins, this just might be the most definitive and most accessible one you can find today.

The Legend of Wonder Woman does not abide by the rules of any continuity. It just tells its own story in the best way it knows how. Told over nine issues, this comic book does not skip over any important moment from Diana’s formative years. It’s magical and beautiful, wondrous and inspiring. It’s no wonder that the series was nominated for an Eisner Award. For the casual reader, this is the Wonder Woman origin to read.

What is your favorite Wonder Woman comic book? Let us know in the comments!

The post Wonder Woman: 15 Comics You NEED To Read After You’ve Seen The Movie appeared first on CBR.

Apparently movie audiences still feel the need, the need for speed in the form of aerial combat pilots returning for Top Gun 2.  News of the sequel has been kicking around development hell for the better part of 2 years, never really going away but never really moving forward other than Tom Cruise saying “it’s happening”.

Earlier this year on an Australian morning show, Cruise announced the sequel was DEFINITELY happening, that it had a title, and was moving at the same breakneck pace his character Maverick flew his fighter jet at.

Today, Paramount announced director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) is on board. Kosinski and Cruise previously worked together on the 2013 sci fi action drama Oblivion, which while not anything ‘new’, was beautiful in it’s scope.  It’s also one of the better modern Cruise roles (but totally not better than Live, Die, Repeat although in the same vein), so hopefully Joe can bring something of the old Mav out.

We also know that Peter Craig and Justin Marks are on board to write the script along with Ashley E. Miller and Zack Stentz, the latter pair behind such notable projects as Thor, X-Men: First Class and the upcoming Big Trouble In Little China remake.

Top Gun first roared into theaters in 1986, and was directed by Tony Scott (brother of Ridley Scott) who tragically decided to end his life early after a terrible cancer prognosis.  His work was always good, cut clean, and his absence will be keenly felt in this sequel.

Other notable personalties who are currently clamoring to be a part of Top Gun: Maverick include The Iceman himself, Val Kilmer.  Not quite a bad guy but most assuredly an antagonist in the first film, Kilmer took to twitter to post this imagine with a pretty telling caption:

Still got it… just sayin… pic.twitter.com/AYce5noIDY

— Val Kilmer (@valkilmer) June 7, 2017

Looking good, former Batman, looking good!

Various rumors have swirled as to what the subject matter of the film might be, the most popular being that an older Maverick is still working with the Navy, but helping train the younger generation in his style of flight even though the world of drone warfare is alive and well.  Could make for a brilliant comedy, but hopefully we’ll be getting another slick summer action film like the original.

Top Gun: Maverick is set to open on July 12th, 2019.

Top Gun 2 Gets Director And A Release Date

Eleven years ago, Vince Young was talked about as the possible future of the NFL. He had just won the BCS National Championship with the Texas Longhorns and then we drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans. He went on to be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2009. In 2011 he played six games for the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed for 2 weeks with the Cleveland Browns but was cut when the drafted Johnny Manziel.

Young retired a month after he was cut, he also went on to file bankruptcy the same year. Now, at 34, he tried a comeback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL recently, but a torn hamstring ended it during training camp.

The former quarterback isn’t happy about what happened and took a shots at former New York Jets starter, now Tampa Bay Buccaneers back-up Ryan Fitzpatrick and his former head coach Jeff Fisher. during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

Young said about Fitzpatrick:

I’d see a quarterback and be like, ‘Dude is garbage, and I’m over here in the kitchen cooking turkey necks!?’ I hate to name-drop, but [Ryan] Fitzpatrick is still playing!? He leads the league in interceptions, and he’s still f—— getting paid? I mean, what the f— is going on?

Fitzpatrick led the NFL in interceptions with 23 in 2011 as a starter for the Buffalo Bills, but was third on the list last year with the Jets after Philip Rivers and Jameis Winston. Young’s career throwing numbers had him with 46 touchdowns and 51 interceptions.

He also talks about an incident with Fisher where he forgot his ID for a road trip to Philly and went to get it, but was left behind anyway.

I’m going to expose his ass. I feel like Fisher did that s— on purpose. I’m pulling in, seeing them pull the door down. I can hear the team yelling. Where I’m from, that’s like saying F you.

Young insisted that Fisher held the plane for other players in the past. It wasn’t the only incident with his former coach, but Young says that Fisher took the fun out of football for him. Now, at 34, he wants to try and rewrite his career… now, that will have to wait until he heals.

Former NFL QB Vince Young Takes Shots At Jeff Fisher And Ryan Fitzpatrick

Though plagued with production setbacks at the beginning, CBS is on-track for Star Trek: Discovery to make its Sunday, Sept. 24, debut (first on CBS and then on their CBS All Access streaming service; with Netflix handling international distribution). After getting fans excited with the show’s trailers and “first look” pics, showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg are finally ready to tell fans what the show is actually about.

Well…kinda. Star Trek: Discovery is expected to be a heavily serialized drama with unexpected plot twists around every corner, so there’s only so much Harberts and Berg are going to share. But that didn’t keep the two from giving Entertainment Weekly and Star Trek fans some information to work with over the next three months:

So what’s the deal with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the two starships?

Harberts: “Burnham [has] spent a lot of time on Vulcan, but she’s human. Sarek [Spock’s father, played by James Frain] plays an important role in her life, which has been completely planned until she makes a very difficult choice that sends her life on a very different path. When we meet her, she’s the First Officer on the Starship Shenzhou [captained by Philippa Georgiou, played by Michelle Yeoh]. And Burnham’s choice that we’re alluding to is most difficult choice you can make — it affects her, affects Starfleet, affects the Federation, it affects the entire universe. That choice leads her to a different ship, the Discovery [helmed by Captain Lorca, played by Jason Isaacs] and there we begin what Gretchen and I call our ‘second pilot.’”

With Martin-Green’s character being the first to lead a Star Trek franchise and not be a captain or in a captain-like leadership position, what difference will that make to the show? 

Berg: “The joy is in the journey. The advantage to her not being in charge of the bridge right now is we get to tell stories from a very different point of view. It’s a fresh feeling because we’re not on the bridge all the time. We get access to more parts of the ship.”

Any familiar names (or species) we should be expecting on Star Trek: Discovery?

Both Harberts and Berg confirmed that the Klingons would be heavily involved with the first season…and these won’t be your kinder, gentler Klingons.

Star Trek fans are always looking for clues, so which series/movie influenced Star Trek: Discovery?

Berg: “There’s a hint of all of them, but in the writers’ room people are so in love with The Original Series and Next Generation, and they talk about the family aspect of those cast members.”

Harberts: “I think Nicholas Myers’ film are a touchstone, and not just because he’s been on staff with us. His storytelling is complex and intellectual and yet there’s a lot of room for character voices and character work, he’s done such an incredible job with the franchise. In terms of scope and scale, there’s something about Star Trek: The Motion Picture that really speaks to us as well. CBS has allowed us to find a cinematic language that’s wider in scope — our aspect ratio is 2:1 — and it just lends itself to a very lyrical way of telling the story. And just visually speaking, there’s also a little hint in terms of what J.J. Abrams did, a little bit, in terms of some of the visuals.”

PREVIOUSLY:

CBS Announces Star Trek Discovery Premiere Date, Finally

Star Trek Discovery Releases Trailer And Details During CBS Upfronts

Star Trek Discovery Adds A Cylon (And More) To The Cast

‘Star Trek: Discovery’: Showrunners Berg, Harberts Speak (Klingons!)