It seems that Baron Mordo now goes by Master Mordo in the new listings and is rocking a great new look. We still don’t know what the film has in store for him and if we might see mother Variants of the character. As we’re about to set out into the multiverse, there seem to be the dangers of endless potential, as who knows if even Doctor Strange will always be the same person.
It looks like Fortnite’s Winterfest has just grown with one more iconic addition. Spider-Man was featured heavily in the latest season, and now they’ve announced that we’re also get Spider-Man: No Way Home-inspired skins in the game. Of course, they announced it in style with a new trailer celebrating the beginning of Winterfest, as well as confirming we’re not only getting Spider-Man but Zendaya‘s MJ as playable characters as well. The costume featured in the short sequence is the one he created in Far From Home, but will bring back in the upcoming sequel:
It looks like he’ll also receive the Black-Gold suit that has been featured in trailers and heavily through merchandise. @BRMarvelNews shared a first look at the various costumes. It seems that MJ will only receive a single design.
GAMERS! O Homem-Aranha e a MJ do Tom e Zendaya estarão disponíveis para compra no jogo Fortnite!
They join Insomniac, who have also included tie-in costumes for the latest Spider-Man entry, as they offered both the Integrated suit and the Black-gold version, as the Red-Black suit already was featured from Far FromHome‘s release. Sony certainly has invested quite a bit of money to manage and reach every corner of the market, and Fortnite is one of the biggest gaming franchises out there. At this point, we’ve seen quite a few celebrities appear in the game, but it’s interesting that they added MJ. Perhaps we get some villain costumes to tie into the film as it finally rolls out across the world.
When I started the review series of the various episodes of Cowboy Bebop, I didn’t expect that the season finale review would turn into the series finale. Yet, as Netflix has decided not to continue with their work on the project, it seems like this is our take now. It looks like my planned piece on what they could improve on for the second season goes out the window, and it’s time to take a closer look at the final episode on the live-action take of this live-action adaptation and see if it somehow sticks the landing.
We continue where we left off with Spike in the eight-episode, as he awakens back in Ana’s jazz bar, where he finds out why she’s been walking in a cane. His friends come in for the rescue with probably one of my favorite moments. Jet realizes Spike is okay and goes on to give him a giant bear hug just shows how much he cares for him. All that only for the series pulls the rug from under us when he finds out his partner worked for the Syndicate and got his daughter kidnapped.
At that moment, it made you realize why he had a daughter in this adaptation. It was the perfect device to drag him into the final conflict, as most Western series focus strongly on having all story points come together in a finale. While it doesn’t hold the same weight as the original, the inclusion of others takes away from the personal moment that this storyline was in “Ballad of Fallen Angels.” It’s strange that most of the time they keep the cast separate, but this is the first time they force them back together in a story that is originally meant purely for Spike.
Still, we get some great moments like Spike and Jet’s exchange. Faye’s “last-minute” save was also a nice moment as she still came back for them, but it did make me question why in the world she managed to find a hint at her past in the same spot that Spike happened to fight Mad Pierrot. As they go out of their way to build connections that weren’t there before, this one felt a bit forced. It also brings the team together only to split them up again for what would’ve been a second season that seems like what the writers love doing.
Vicious and Spike get their confrontation and Alex Hassell’s take on the character ends up being the most cartoony in this entry. The faces he makes are quite hilarious, especially when he is in “stabby” mood – even if it feels like it undercuts the intensity he sometimes tries to convey. Still, his maniac personality remains consistent with what we learned about him from the previous episode and see it in action. Even if it feels like this version of Spike could wipe the floor with him normally.
The biggest departure is the twist at the end when Julia shows up, shoots Vicious and undermines their rivalry, and then decides she’ll become the Syndicate’s new ruler. While it would’ve opened up a potentially new direction for the series to make it stand out from the original, there is a certain lack of set-up about this betrayal. Yes, she was mad she lived in the shadow of Vicious and Spike never came to save her, but this is the case where knowing less might’ve made this character more interesting even if Elena Satine gives a great performance.
In the end, it doesn’t quite stick the landing but does offer at least a fun end to an overall enjoyable experience. It’s still sad that we won’t get more out of the series, but it did give us some exceptional performances from John Cho and Mustafah Shakir. It lacked the subtlety of the original in many ways and struggled quite a bit to find a balance between source material and making it its own, but there were some great ideas throughout. Here’s hoping this is a learning experience for Netflix and Tomorrow Studios when they start working onthe One Piece series.
So far, Hawkeye has been quite an enjoyable entry in the MCU’s ever-expanding library. It offers a more grounded storyline as Clint Barton faces the underbelly of New York City while having to take care of a young protégé. Kate Bishop joins him in his fight, as we explore his time as Ronin and the regret that is included with it, as well as the loss of his closest friend. Of course, can’t forget the addition of Yelena Belova to follow up her story from Black Widow and the confirmation of Vincent D’Onofrio‘s return as Wilson Fisk.
There’s a lot to unpack going into the finale and it seems the team behind the series is very aware of this. As it seems the upcoming sixth episode may be the longest of any Marvel Studios series. According to Amit Chaudhari, who has reported the length of episodes in the past, the final episode will not only be the longest of the series but also every Disney+ entry so far at 59 minutes.
It now dethrones Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s fifth episode “Truth” which clocked in at around 58 minutes. Keep in mind that depending on where you live, the credits are longer or shorter due to the international voice cast also getting included. Still, it’s an impressive length and hopefully a sign that we’re in for quite a lot. We still haven’t met Fisk in this series, as he was only showcased through an image on a phone. So, not only do we have to resolve the storylines set-up through both Hawkeyes, Maya Lopez, and the mysterious watch, but also get introduced to the series’ actual villain. It’ll be interesting to see how they wrap it all up with a nice bow.
After an Episode 3 tease, the closing moments of Episode 5 of Hawkeye officially introduced Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin into the series as an acquaintance of Eleanor Bishop. Called by name by Clint Barton, Kingpin is the big boss behind the Tracksuits and the “Uncle” of Maya Lopez. Kingpin, as it turns out, is a lot of things but the one thing he is not is the same character from the three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil.
When he was first introduced in Season 1 of Daredevil in 2015, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, was already a major player in the organized crime scene of New York City. Season 1 ended with Fisk in prison from where he began to suspect that Matt Murdock and Daredevil where one in the same. Fisk worked over agent Nadeem, found his way out of Ryker’s and was eventually freed and reunited with is love, Vanessa. The series wrapped following a major fight between Murdock and Fisk that ended with Fisk on his way to prison, again, his organization dismantled and Murdock having enough evidence to make sure Fisk would never see the light of day again, much less regain his status as Kingpin.
The events of Daredevil Season 3 took place in 2018, shortly before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. We know this Fisk wasn’t Blipped and that at some point between 2018 and 2023, he was a big deal in organized crime in New York and known as Kingpin. While a reasonable argument could be made that Fisk was broken out of prison during that time, him moving around in the open in 2024 and continuing to operate as Kingpin would represent a complete and utter failure on the part of Matt Murdock. By the time Hawkeye takes place in 2024, even if Murdock had been Blipped, he surely could have brought forth enough evidence to get Fisk back behind bars. More to the point, if following the Blip, Fisk was still actively running crime in New York where the one man who could bury him was around (we don’t know if Murdock was Blipped, but we know he’s around at the same time) he’d be a pretty incompetent Kingpin of crime. If this Kingpin is the Netflix Kingpin, the MCU Daredevil is already a moron…and so is the MCU Kingpin.
Of course fans of the Netflix character came out in droves today to point out just how much this Kingpin looks like the version who rocked the white suits in Daredevil. That version of the character was more of an all-white suit type of guy and, though it’s potato cam quality, that’s not they style of this all-new, all-different version of the character; the version we kind of saw today seemed to be more of an ascot-sporting, cane-wielding and quite possibly shade-of-purple pants wearing type of guy, much like the classic comic book version of the character. I’m not going to go back and rewatch all 39 episodes to make sure, but I don’t recall that Fisk being a fan of neckwear, which he certainly has as part of his ensemble here.
On the topic of style, Daredevil’s Wilson Fisk was a big cuff link guy. As seen below, he owned two dozen or so pairs of the handy accessories but, as you might remember, fancied one particular pair that he picked off the corpse of his dead father.
The first tease of this all-new, all-different version of Kingpin came in Episode 3 and, funny enough, they made sure to give us a look at this version’s cuff links.
And, as it turns out, not only was he not wearing his favorite pair (who doesn’t love wearing stuff that reminds them of the day they murdered their dad with a hammer?), he wasn’t wearing any of those in his possession last time we saw him. If the creators of Hawkeye wanted to send a VERY clear message to the fans of the Netflix Daredevil series, those cuff links would have been on FULL display in that tease. They weren’t because this isn’t that guy.
What Hawkeye has introduced is (as Loki taught us) a Variant of the character fans met in Daredevil. From what’s been revealed, Fisk didn’t seem to be returning to the “throne” during the Blip; it seems much more likely that he used that time to establish himself as the Kingpin by eliminating the remaining competition, including his best, good friend Willie Lopez. It’s important to note that it only benefits Marvel Studios to continue to obfuscate whether or not this Fisk and the Murdock that appears in Spider-Man: No Way Home are the same characters from the Netflix series. The hype, the discussion and debate only fan the flames of fandom. Maybe next week will deliver a clear answer, but don’t be surprised if the truth isn’t revealed until She-Hulk, or Echo, or never. But for now, there’s certainly enough evidence to rationally argue that Hawkeye has introduced a new version of a classic comic book character whose story is JUST getting started.
John and Joe return to finally wrap up their thoughts on the final episodes of Doom Patrol, and they aren’t alone. Mary returns once again for them to discuss if the series continues to be a hit or falters in the last few episodes.
Finally, after a long wait, Vincent D’Onofrio has made his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some still believe that the upcoming adaptation will be a soft reboot for the character, there are some curious hints at his character potentially being the same we last saw during Daredevil‘s third season. With Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock set to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the upcoming reintroduction of the Netflix characters might finally confirm that the final season of the series is canon.
Let’s start with the most obvious connection. While not in person, we got our first look at D’Onofrio’s Fisk through a video taken by Yelena Belova. The video quality seems a bit off, but what we can make out is that he’s wearing a similar suit that he wore during the final season of the original series. He has a white suit with a black shirt underneath, which offered a modern take on his comic book version. He seems to be rocking the same style.
Speaking of, Hawkeye also calls him by the same name that he got during that season. In the first season, Fisk tried very hard to keep his name out of everyone’s mouth. Hell, a man killed himself because he accidentally let that slip and put him on Matt Murdock’s radar. It wasn’t until the final season that he was given a codename Kingpin. Of course, there is the question of how the name that was given to him by Agent Poindexter, the future Bullseye, managed to find its way into the public, but he might’ve loved the weight it could carry.
So, there are quite a few hints that this is, indeed, a continuation of the original series and hopefully also means we won’t have to wait long for Wilson Bethel to also make a return given the set-up that was left open during the final scene of the series. Of course, Fisk and Murdock’s return does open up the question of when we can expect their arrival and eventual clash. He was arrested during the finale and lost everything, but if Daredevil vanished for five years due to the snap, he had enough time to rebuild his empire without his arch-nemesis being the wiser. Here’s hoping we get some hints in the finale.
Persona is a series I hold near and dear to my heart, but I sadly never got a chance to play all the major entries. My introduction to the series was with Persona 4 its unique take on what it means to be a JRPG. The Golden edition, similar to Persona 5 Royal, added many new elements to make it stand out even from the original that already offered a lengthy experience. Sadly, it and Persona 3’s remake were made only available on PlayStation Portable and never found their way to consoles. Luckily, if a new rumor is to be believed, they might be rectifying that fact.
Zippo, who is a well-known leaker for Nintendo products, was one of the few to announce early on that Persona 4 Arena Ultimax was getting a remaster back in July. Not many believed it until the announcement subtlety appeared during the Video Game Awards. Now, he has shared that there are more remasters in the works including console versions of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden.
There have been theories about these two games getting remasters since Joker joined Super Smash Bros. It was the first hint that Atlus was expanding, which was then highlighted when Persona 5 Strikers was released on Nintendo Switch alongside the other consoles. It was a strange decision due to the original only being available on PlayStation, but it was a motivating direction. So, here’s hoping these remasters turn out to be true and get announced in the near future.
At one point, writer Sarah Watson created a pitch for Fox, which explores the story of a teacher and her students recreating the classic The Goonies film. The network passed on the project due to it aiming for a younger audience, but the now-titled Our Time project is being given a second life at Disney+. The original production companies, The Donner Company and Amblin, of the childhood classic, are also on board. VP and Head of Development, Clancy Collins White, opened up on the series move to Disney+.
Sarah worked nonstop to deliver this incredible script, we had our table read, and then the world shut down for COVID. So we came back many months later and finished the beautiful pilot, and it was an incredible cast, but unfortunately a little bit too young for Fox. And so we immediately swung into high gear and hit the town with it.
Clancy Collins White
In the piece by Variety, we get the confirmation that the deal wasn’t struck right after Fox moved on from the project, but it seems they were inspired to ensure this project finds its audience.
We did not yet have anything in development at Disney Plus. It’s been another example of being able to carve a pathway where there wasn’t one by virtue of a great story, a great pilot, a great series. The deal has taken a while to make, but we’re really excited to be moving forward.
Clancy Collins White
Writer Sarah Watson, who created the project, shared her excitement for the project moving forward on Twitter.
The series includes The Jackal Group’s executive producers Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady. Lauren Shuler Donner and Amblin TV’s Darryl Frank, as well as Justin Falvey, have joined the production. The irony of a series inspired by the film that coined the “never say die” term would get a second life like this seems quite fitting. There have been various series lately getting a second life through streaming services and it’s a showcase how the new streaming market has helped many creators bring passion projects to life.
The Wizarding World is still going strong, with the latest entry in the Fantastic Beasts series set to hit theaters in April. However, it doesn’t seem like The Secrets of Dumbledore will be the final film in the wildly popular franchise that started with the original Harry Potter book and continued through at least eleven movies. In a recent conference hosted by Bloomberg, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff commented on the future of Potter at the company:
We would love to develop more original Harry Potter series, and we regularly talk to J.K. Rowling and her team. It’s got to be right though. Whatever we do has to be true to the canon, and true to the ethos of the Wizarding World, and who Harry is.
Ann Sarnoff
The quote is especially interesting considering Sarnoff‘s use of the word “original”. Both of the series currently in existence, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, originate from literary works by author J.K. Rowling. The British writer is a controversial figure, but she’s remained very involved with the characters who made her famous.
Each Fantastic Beasts film has been plotted by the creative, who continues to expand her own universe through live-action projects. It would seem the plan is for this to continue, possibly with Rowling outlining completely new stories without any basis in literature. Fans will have to keep their eyes out for any possible announcements on the horizon. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently eyeing a release in theatres on April 15th.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
