THE FANDOM ZONE 133: "Krypton" is Up!

"I come from a planet called Earth, a time centuries from now, and I've come here to warn you -- Someone from the future is coming to destroy Krypton."
"Okay, right...Why?  Why would they do that?"
"Because where I'm from, your grandson becomes the greatest hero in the universe -- like, ever -- unless somebody changes things to make sure that he's never born."
"You all right?"
"I'm running out of time.  Take this.  You have to find the Fortress.  You have to save Superman."
-- Adam Strange and Seg-El, Krypton: "Pilot" 

With Karen still unavailable this week, I'm joined by Phil Perich from the Capes and Lunatics Podcast for the 3rd Anniversary episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Legends of Tomorrow 3x15: "Necromancing the Stone"

Black Lightning 1x09: "The Book of Little Black Lies"

Krypton 1x01: "Pilot"  (Series Premiere)

Gotham 4x15: "The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause"

In this episode, Phil and I talk about things like Karen still being unavailable, Matt Ryan's John Constantine becoming a regular cast member of Legends of Tomorrow Season 4, Constantine making a Doctor Who reference, a great Easter egg nod to the NBC Constantine series, Caity Lotz back in her Black Canary costume, more on Kid Flash assimilating to the Legends, wondering who will eventually end up as Black Canary, the CW Seed Constantine animated series, the contrast of Jennifer freaking out about having superpowers while Annisa embraces being a superhero, the Pierce family liking and getting along with one another more than the Queen family, Vixen and Supergirl existing on Black Lightning's Earth, wanting to see Metamorpho and the Outsiders, trying to round up Jesse Jackson, Adam Strange serving as a replacement Rip Hunter or Booster Gold, Daron-Vex and The Voice of Rao creating a theocracy on Krypton, that awkward moment when your military commander mother stabs you through the hand with a knife, Krypton having extreme climate change, the ticking clock of Superman's Back to the Future cape, Phil's theory of Seg-El and Lyta-Zod becoming the Kryptonian Nightwing and Flamebird, looking forward to finally getting a proper Brainiac, the neverending cycle of Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock butting heads and making up, the Penguin and the Riddler making up, Gordon's superpower being able to survive multiple gunshot wounds, that awkward moment when the Riddler goes to recruit Solomon Grundy only to find that Butch's personality has returned, some new feedback from Justina, John Byrne's limited series The World of Krypton, the movie adaptation of Ready Player One, and more!

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week as a special guest host and I review new episodes of Fox's Lucifer, Syfy's Krypton, and The CW's Black Lightning and Arrow, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

GHOSTWOOD 031: "Eraserhead" is Up!

"Well, Henry...What do you know?"
"Oh, I don't know much of anything."
-- Mr. X (Bill) and Henry Spencer, Eraserhead

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we explore the roots of Twin Peaks and review David Lynch's first feature-length film, the surreal 1977 cult classic Eraserhead, starring Jack Nance as Henry Spencer and Charlotte Stewart as Mary X.

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like Bruce McCulloch's song "Eraserhead," notable Twin Peaks actors in Eraserhead, Xan watching Eraserhead over fifty times, Jack Nance keeping his Henry Spencer hairstyle during the film's extended hiatus in production, David Lynch's connection to Sissy Spacek, my favorite Die Hard films, the mysterious death of Jack Nance, Eraserhead not being an audience participation movie, what Xan loves so much about the movie, wondering if the film's setting is post-apocalyptic, dystopian or something else entirely, Henry's constant furrowed-brow expression, the Twin Peaks Red Room decor, Mary X's weird seizures, Henry's insanely awkward dinner with Mary X's parents, David Lynch's fears and anxieties of becoming a new father, Henry and Mary's creepy-ass mutant baby, the Lady in the Radiator, that bizarre moment when there's a big milky hot tub in the bed where you're having sex, the song "In Heaven, Everything is Fine," that bizarre moment when your detached head is sold to a pencil eraser factory, that awkward moment when your sickly, pustule-covered mutant baby is laughing at you, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

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Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I continue exploring the roots of Twin Peaks and review David Lynch's 1986 neo-noir mystery film classic, Blue Velvet, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, and Dennis Hopper!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 108: "Infamy of the Zaross" is Up!

"Fame and fortune?  Ughhh, who wants that?  I’ve got the TARDIS, I’ve got you.  What else does a wandering Time Lord need?"
"Good cup of tea?"
"There is that, yes.  It’d never have worked anyway, eh?  Who wants to watch a TV series without me?"
-- The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, Doctor Who: "Infamy of the Zaross"

That's right, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  This time, we review "Infamy of the Zaross", the 2017 Doctor Who audio adventure from Big Finish Productions, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler and Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler! 

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse helping out on The Fandom Zone Podcast, why "Infamy of the Zaross" may have worked better visually, Peter Davison's nephew George Watkins, the return of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, Jesse hearing a new adventure with "his" Doctor, getting to hear the dynamic of the Tenth Doctor and Rose once again, Jackie going into Earth orbit and being able to understand a little of what Rose experiences, Rose talking Jess down from thinking that she would rather be dead and famous instead of alive and ignored, Jackie with a BFG, the Forzel's extreme makeover into the Zaross, "scripted reality" being an euphemism for fiction, a new Torchwood easter egg, new feedback from Paul from Australia, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

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And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in just two weeks as Jesse and I review "The Sword of the Chevalier", another 2017 audio adventure from Big Finish Productions, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN Animated Film Cast Announced

Brace yourselves, the death of Superman is coming...again.

TV Insider has revealed the principal voice cast for The Death of Superman, the latest DC Comics animated movie, the first part of a two-part epic that adapts the popular '90s Superman comics storyline "The Death and Return of Superman."  The second part, Reign of the Supermen, is expected to arrive sometime in early 2019.

According to the article, Jerry O'Connell will once again voice Superman/Clark Kent, following his previous three animated films as Superman in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, Justice League vs. Teen Titans, and Justice League Dark.  

Rebecca Romijn will provide the voice for Lois Lane, while Rainn Wilson will voice Superman's arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor.

Other cast members include returning DC animated movie actors Jason O'Mara as Batman, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Christopher Gorham as The Flash, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Matt Lanter as Aquaman, and Shemar Moore as Cyborg.  Rocky Carroll will provide the voice for Cyborg's father, Dr. Silas Stone, while Patrick Fabian will voice Cyborg Superman/Hank Henshaw.

In "The Death of Superman" story arc, Superman battles an immensely powerful and seemingly unstoppable creature of unknown origin named Doomsday across the United States.  In the fight's conclusion in Superman (vol. 2) #75, both combatants apparently die from their wounds in the streets of Metropolis.  The world reacts to Superman's death in the following arc, "Funeral for a Friend," until four superpowered individuals emerge, each claiming to be Superman.  This eventually leads to the original Superman's return in "Reign of the Supermen."

The Death of Superman will be the second DC animated film to adapt "The Death and Return of Superman," after the 2007 film Superman: Doomsday, which starred Adam Baldwin as Superman, Anne Heche as Lois Lane, and James Marsters as Lex Luthor.

The Death of Superman is expected to be released on blu-ray, DVD, and digital sometime in Fall 2018.

THE FANDOM ZONE 132: "The Book of Revelations" is Up!

"This attempt at framing me.  You know what it proves?  I'm getting under someone's skin."
-- Jefferson Pierce, Black Lightning: "The Book of Revelations" 

With Karen unavailable this week, I'm joined by my Next Stop Everywhere and TitanTalk co-host Jesse Jackson for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Legends of Tomorrow 3x14: "Amazing Grace"

iZombie 4x03: "Brainless in Seattle, Part 1"

The Flash 4x16: "Run, Iris, Run"

Black Lightning 1x08: "The Book of Revelations"

In this episode, Jesse and I talk about things like sending all our love to Karen, the Legends meeting Elvis Presley, not having Elvis songs in an Elvis episode, Nate being an Elvis fan, Elvis' stillborn twin brother Jessie, Legends of Tomorrow making up an uncle that Elvis never had, Kid Flash quickly clicking with the Legends, the current best CW superhero shows, Ray's tiny lock box that can be easily carried away, Elvis' love of peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches, Liv's brain recipes of the week, iZombie handling comedic moments better than Gotham, Liv dragging Peyton to Human/Zombie Night at the Scratching Post, "The Trial of Barry Allen" storyline in both the comics and the TV show, the Thinker storyline running on way too long, Caitlin and Killer Frost being a Jekyll and Hyde character, Iris getting her soopah suit and running on water, Harry Wells' ominous intelligence cap, more on Mystery Girl, Jefferson passing on what he's learned as a superhero to his daughter Anissa, Gambi in the Lightning Cave, Jefferson geeking out that Annisa saved his life, finally getting some background on Peter Gambi, Mitchum Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls, Jennifer getting her Lightning powers, John Constantine becoming a regular character on Legends of Tomorrow Season 4, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week as special guest Phil Perich and I review the series premiere of Syfy's Krypton, along with new episodes of The CW's Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, and Fox's Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE BOYS Casts Karen Fukuhara as The Female

And yes, she's deadlier than the male.

Deadline has word that the upcoming Amazon series The Boys, based on the Dynamite Entertainment comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, has cast Karen Fukuhara as The Female.  She joins Jack Quaid as Wee Hughie, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, and Erin Moriarty as Starlight.

According to the article, The Female is described as "a young Asian assassin with blistering fighting skills who happens to have superpowers, and uses them for explosive evisceration. When The Boys find her, she’s savage, doesn’t speak and is a complete mystery.  She later learns what it means to be human through her relationship with Frenchie."

In a world where superheroes embrace the darker side of their massive celebrity and fame, The Boys revolves around a group of vigilantes known informally as 'the Boys,' who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.

Fukuhara, 26, is best known as the DC Comics superhero Katana in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad.  Her other roles include the 2017 movie Stray and the Cartoon Network animated series Craig of the Creek.

Created in 2006 by Ennis and Robertson, The Female (of the Species) first appeared in The Boys #2 as a presumably mute Japanese girl whose mother had taken her daughter to work for the day, only to have her daughter crawl away and expose herself to dangerous and toxic chemicals, including Compound V.  Falling into a bucket of the dangerous drug, researchers at the facility found themselves overwhelmed and killed by the small child, as the situation quickly escalated with many bodies left at the hands of the Female.  Although only an innocent child, she would prove very deadly and lethal.  She was eventually caught and treated like an animal.  Heavily drugged and tranquilized, the young Female managed to escape her confines every so often, escaping to the outside world where she would get glimpses of what an ordinary life might entail.  Her nickname was derived from the Rudyard Kipling poem of the same name.

Butcher Baker reassembled the anti-superhero team the Boys, tracking down the Female in the United States where she was doing violent hired muscle work for the Mafia.  The Female was introduced to Wee Hughie at the first team meeting and already knew the rest of the team from past experience.  Presumably hired by former contacts, The Female soon began to stalk men again and targeted the ones identified in photos given to her.  The Frenchman was aware of the Female's extra curricular activities and attempted to intervene by both appealing to the Female directly and threatening and intimidating one of the criminals hiring her to kill.

After a successful mission with the Boys where the Female ripped off the hands of one Supe and the face of another, the Female continued her side work as a hired arm. Unfortunately she was lured into a trap by powerful Payback member Stormfront. Considered by some to be the second most powerful superhuman in the world after the Homelander, The Female found herself in the unusual position of being the underdog.  The Female managed to tag Stormfront across his face, shredding his skin with her fingernails. The Female is overpowered regardless, and Stormfront delivered a vicious beating, with only the Female's ferocity allowing her to gouge Stormfront's right eye out before he beat her unconscious.

Later, during a meeting discussing how The Boys were going to stop Butcher, Hughie brought up the idea of including the Female, since she had not spoken for herself.  The Frenchman disagreed, saying this would halt or even reverse her positive development and Mother's Milk voiced his opinion she deserved the opportunity to walk away more than anyone else.  Hughie concurred, then told the Female it was okay to stay behind.  However, as the others started to walk out the door, she said to them "I hate mean people," the only time she had ever spoken a complete sentence.  She then puts on her trench coat and joined them against Butcher.  In The Boys #69, she and The Frenchman were seemingly killed when Butcher bombed The Boys' headquarters, the Flatiron building.

The Boys is expected to debut on Amazon sometime in 2019.

TITANTALK 004: "Rockin' Robin" is Up!

"And swear that we two will fight together against crime and corruption and never to swerve from the path of righteousness!"
"I swear it!"

-- Batman and Dick Grayson, Detective Comics (vol.1) #38: "Robin the Boy Wonder"

That's right, my fellow TitanTalker Jesse Jackson and I are back with another new episode of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast!  This time, we're joined by special guest Phil Perich from the Southgate Media Group podcast Capes and Lunatics.

In this fourth episode, Jesse, Phil and I discuss Phil being too busy to sleep, Dick Grayson the first Robin, Burt Ward as TV's Robin, Dick Grayson and Wally West being best friends, Robin becoming Nightwing, Dick Grayson being the definitive Titan, Nightwing's name honoring Superman, Jesse's rant about the various Superman origins, Jason Todd the second Robin, Jason having the pressure of following Dick Grayson, the fine line of changing characters' histories, Tim Drake the third Robin, Batman having a favorite type of Robin, DC learning its lesson with Tim Drake, counting Stephanie Brown as the fourth Robin, Damian Wayne the fifth Robin, Grant Morrison making Batman: Son of the Demon canon, Dick Grayson as Batman, Jesse not being able to stand Damian, Batman's relationship with his son, Jason as the Red Hood, the casting of the Doom Patrol on the Titans TV show, speculating on some possible upcoming Titans TV characters, my meeting Cyborg (Ray Fisher) at Wizard World Cleveland, sending some love and condolences to my Fandom Zone co-host Karen Lindsay, and more!

If you'd like to check out episodes of TitanTalk, you can find us on...

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Be sure to come back next month for Episode 005 as Jesse and I discuss more news from the upcoming DC Universe series Titans!  Look for more of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Conjures Matt Ryan's Constantine as Season 4 Regular

Well, it's not Constantine Season 2, but it's close.

Deadline has revealed that The CW series Legends of Tomorrow is making Matt Ryan's occult detective character John Constantine a full regular for the show's upcoming fourth season.  

According to the article, Ryan’s promotion from a recurring role to series regular is contingent on the show's Season 4 renewal. The article states The CW hasn't yet made renewals for next season but Legends and the rest of the network’s DC Comics series are fully expected to come back.

Ryan, 36, began appearing as John Constantine in the short-lived (but fondly remembered) NBC series Constantine, which ran for 13 episodes from 2014 to 2015 before being cancelled.  After appearing in the Arrow episode "Haunted" later in 2015, he returned to voice the character for the 2017 DC Comics animated movie Justice League Dark.  He then reprised Constantine in the Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 episodes "Beebo the God of War", "Daddy Darhkest" and "Necromancing the Stone", and voiced the character for a Constantine animated web series for CW Seed.

The character of John Constantine first appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 in 1985 and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben.  Based physically on the musician Sting, Constantine proved popular enough in 1988 to be spun off into his own VERTIGO series Hellblazer, which ran for an impressive 300 issues until earlier this year.  The replacement series Constantine immediately followed, after Constantine was brought back to the relaunched DC Universe as part of "The New 52" to lead the supernatural team Justice League Dark.  In DC's "Rebirth" era, Constantine currently appears in his latest monthly series, The Hellblazer, which just reached its twentieth issue.

THE FANDOM ZONE 131: "The Real Deal" is Up!

"That other thing we talked about.  I want you to promise me that you'll do that, no matter what happens."
"No.  No, no, it's not important, especially now.  It's...That's...It's just symbolic.  It wouldn't even change anything."
"Symbols are important.  Institutions are important.  People need things to believe in, Fitz, especially now.  People need hope."
"Okay."
-- Phil Coulson and Leo Fitz, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "The Real Deal" 

Finally back in The Fandom Zone, Karen and I have returned with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Lucifer 3x16: "Infernal Guinea Pig"

The Flash 4x15: "Enter Flashtime"

Gotham 4x13: "A Beautiful Darkness"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5x12: "The Real Deal"  (Episode #100)

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like Karen's naturally curly hair, my meeting David Tennant, Ray Fisher, Ezra Fisher, and Matt Ryan at Wizard World Cleveland, Karen's recent migraine issues, our new review format, Charlotte being a big ol' control freak, wanting an episode of Lucifer like The Office, Cain and Abel not being the Cain and Abel from The Sandman, Mazikeen still being pissed off that Dr. Linda and Amenadiel hooked up, the Roy Orbison song "Mystery Girl", wondering why Barry didn't just run back through time only eight minutes to prevent a nuclear weapon from exploding, the return of Jay Garrick and Jesse Quick, Harry telepathically sharing the memories of his dead wife with his daughter Jesse, my shared moment with Sean Pertwee over bad karaoke, Poison Ivy's plant chestbursters, Bruce experiencing a vision of his future Batman self, Alfred as Secret Agent Man, the Joker dressing the Penguin up in a clown suit, the Michigan J. Frog Alien from Spaceballs, Deke trying way too hard to be cool, the long-awaited return of Deathlok, Ghost Rider's brother Ghost Runner, everyone being pissed that Coulson didn't tell them that he's dying, waiting for Yo-Yo's bionic arm replacements, expecting Fitz & Simmons' wedding to go horribly wrong, a sick Justina making for an unhappy Fandom Zone Podcast, teasing Karen's secret project, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back soon as Karen and I review new episodes of The CW's iZombie, The Flash, and Black Lightning, and Fox's Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Final AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Trailer Teases Captain America vs. Thanos

Avengers Reassemble!

Marvel has released the final trailer for Avengers: Infinity War, giving us a look at the Black Order and what appears to be major confrontation between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin).

The two minute, fifteen second trailer opens with an upside down view of Manhattan as we hear a voiceover from Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Thanos' adopted daugher, who says, "The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal...to wipe out half the universe.  If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do it with a snap of his fingers.  Just like that."

"Tell me his name again," replies Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.).

"Thanos."

We then see images of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) leaving his school bus, putting on his Spider-Man mask, and web swinging off a bridge.

"We've got one advantage," Iron Man says in a voiceover as we see him flying after a spaceship.  "He's coming to us."

"We have what Thanos wants," Iron Man continues as Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) activates the Eye of Agamotto, "so that's what we'll use."

Steve and the other Avengers arrive in the African nation of Wakanda, where Steve shakes the hand of Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who is accompanied by his Dora Milaje bodyguards.  We then see T'Challa's sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) looking down at a hologram of The Vision (Paul Bettany) in the palm of her hand.

The trailer cuts to a different scene, where Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is talking with Iron Man, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Spider-Man.  "Let's talk about this plan of yours," he says to Tony.  "I think it's good, except, it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way, it might be really good."

Tony rolls his eyes and replies, "Wow."

We then see Black Panther and Steve Rogers on a flying craft, leading the Wakandan forces into battle alongside Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Steve's longtime friend The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

"The end is near," remarks Thanos in a voiceover as we see Thor (Chris Hemsworth) briefly blinding Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) with a burst of lightning, "and when I'm done, half of humanity will still exist."

We glimpse the larger Thanos squeezing Thor's head in the palm of his hand, causing his agony as Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the Black Order look on.  Thanos then crushes the Tesseract in the palm of his other hand.

As the battle in Wakanda begins, Thanos remarks in another voiceover, "Perfectly balanced, as all things should be."  We see Corvus Glaive torturing Doctor Strange, followed by Thanos saying "I hope they remember you."

This is immediately followed by Thanos' large Infinity Gauntlet coming down on Steve, who blocks it and struggles to hold it back with everything he has, much to Thanos' surprise.

A final scene has Spider-Man awkwardly meeting Doctor Strange, with Peter offering his hand, saying "I'm Peter, by the way."

"Doctor Strange," replies the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Oh!" exclaims Peter.  "Using our made-up names.  Then I am Spider-Man."  This is followed by a brief shot of Spider-Man swinging into the chaotic battle from before.

If you'd like to view the trailer, you can check it out below thanks to the official Marvel Entertainment account on YouTube...




Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in theaters on April 27, 2018.

Ava DuVernay to Direct DC's THE NEW GODS Film Adaptation

DARKSEID IS.

Deadline is reporting director Ava DuVernay is closing a deal with Warner Bros. to direct a big-budget film adaptation of DC Comics characters The New Gods.  Back in December, DuVernay answered a question on her Twitter account stating that her favorite superhero was "Big Barda.  Many reasons."

According to the article, Warner Bros. has tapped Kario Salem (Chasing Mavericks) as the screenwriter, who will develop the story and work closely with DuVernay.  The article also claims there is no connection to other DC films, although New Gods character Steppenwolf was the featured villain in last year's Justice League.

DuVernay is best known for her films Selma, which was nominated for Best Picture in the 2015 Academy Awards, and for the recent adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.  In 2017, she was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th, and her other films include The Door, Middle of Nowhere, I Will Follow, and This is the Life: How the West Was One.

Created in 1971 by Jack Kirby, the New Gods first appeared in The New Gods (vol.1) #1 as natives of the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. New Genesis is an idyllic planet filled with unspoiled forests, mountains, and rivers and is ruled by Highfather, while Apokolips is a nightmarish, polluted and ruined dystopia filled with machinery and fire pits, ruled by the tyrant Darkseid.  The two planets were once part of the same world, a planet called Urgrund (German for "primeval ground"), but it was split apart millennia ago after the death of the Old Gods during Ragnarök.

In Kirby's saga "The Fourth World", Darkseid sought the Anti-Life Equation, which would allow him to control the thoughts of all living beings.  Opposing him was Orion, his son raised by Highfather and his enemies on New Genesis.  Other characters caught in the deadly battle included the Forever People, Mister Miracle (the son of Highfather raised on Apokolips, who triumphed over a torturous childhood to become the world's greatest escape artist), and Lightray, the heroic warrior of New Genesis. Their adventures would take them to Earth where the war continued.

In the current DC Comics continuity known as The New 52, is was revealed that Darkseid and Highfather (Izaya) were some of the only survivors of a previous larger world, where they were brothers and peasants.  Their world was also inhabited by colossal beings known as Old Gods, who spent much of their time brawling with each other, feeding off the worship of the "mudgrubbers", whose lives were often lost in the battles.  One day, the man formerly known as Uxas, having tired of his idol's destructiveness, decided to spark a war between them which would in turn devastate their world fatally wounding his sister, Izaya's first wife. After which he opted to kill all the wounded Old Gods, steal their powers and bring about a new order.  One by one, the Old Gods were destroyed by Darkseid, who became more horrific in turn as he leeched their essence from them.  As Darkseid's schemes started to tear the planet apart, Highfather ran with his wounded Avia in hand towards one of the last and greatest of the Old Gods, acknowledging his time had come and passed he chose to pass on the last of his power to reward Izaya's beloved's devotion to them.  Empowered in a blinding flare of light, Highfather arose a New God to battle Darkseid.  The brothers, now equal, tore the world apart during their battle, leaving them to rebuild on the remains, which became Apokolips and New Genesis.

Danny Boyle Confirmed as Director of JAMES BOND 25

James Bond is about to go silver.

Metro USA has confirmed rumors that Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle will be directing the untitled 25th installment of the James Bond film franchise.  Daniel Craig is set to return as James Bond, which will be his fifth Bond film after Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre.

When asked if he was going to oversee James Bond 25, Boyle responded, "We are working on a script right now.  And it all depends on that really.  I am working on a Richard Curtis script at the moment.  We hope to start shooting that in six or seven weeks, then Bond would be right at the end of the year.  But we are working on them both right now."

Boyle, 61, is an English director, producer and screenwriter who won Best Director at the 2009 Academy Awards for his 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire.  In 2010, his film 127 Hours was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.  His other films include Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Steve Jobs, 28 Weeks Later, The Beach, A Life Less Ordinary, and Shallow Grave.

Boyle also named James Bond 25's screenwriter.  "We’ve got an idea.  John Hodge, the screenwriter, and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment.  And it all depends on how it turns out.  It would be foolish of me to give any of it away."

James Bond 25 is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 8, 2019.

TITANS Rumored to Cast Curran Walters as Jason Todd

Could Titans be having a death in the family?

Heroic Hollywood is reporting that the upcoming DC Universe digital series Titans may have Curran Walters as Jason Todd, better known to DC Comics fans as the second Robin who grows up to become the superhero vigilante known as the Red Hood.

Twitter user @KylePuth has posted several reports from recent Titans filming of Episodes 6 and 7 in Canada, including the following post of a picture of himself with Curran Walters...

Just met the new male cast member of titans pic.twitter.com/yayou3Nlgy

— Kyle (@KylePuth) February 23, 2018

Another post three days later states that Puth has just seen Walters in costume, although he did not state the specific character he would be playing.  Episode 7 is rumored to be titled "Jason Todd", which certainly fuels this particular rumor.

Walters has appeared in the movie 20th Century Women and on episodes of the television series New Girl, Game of Silence, Girl Meets World, Too Close to Home, Alexa & Katie, and Speechless.

Created in 1983 by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, Jason Todd first appeared in Batman (vol.1) #357 as the son of circus acrobats Joseph Todd and Trina Todd, who were killed by a criminal named Killer Croc, and was later adopted by Bruce Wayne.  Distinguished by strawberry blond hair, Todd wore various pieces of Dick Grayson's old childhood disguises as a costume to fight crime until Grayson presented him with a Robin costume of his own. At that point, Todd dyed his hair black, and grew as the second Robin under Batman's tutelage.

In 1987, the character was revamped in Batman (vol.1) #408 by Max Allan Collins and Chris Warner.  Due to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason Todd was reworked as a young street orphan who first encountered Batman while attempting to steal the tires off the Batmobile in Crime Alley, the very place where Batman's parents were murdered years before.  The son of Willis and Catherine Todd, Jason lived on the East end of Gotham in the Park Row district called Crime Alley.  Catherine was a drug addict who died of an overdose some time before he began living on the street.  Willis, a former medical student, was working as hired muscle for Two-Face and had disappeared suspiciously following a botched assignment.  Bruce Wayne saw that Todd was placed in a school for troubled youths—which turned out to be Ma Gunn's School for Crime.  Jason earned the Robin mantle a short while later by helping Batman apprehend the gang of thieves.  However, Todd didn't start wearing the Robin costume until six months of training.  Batman noted that while Todd didn't possess Dick Grayson's natural athleticism and acrobatic skills, he could become a productive crimefighter by channeling his rage.  He also believed that if he didn't help the boy, Todd would eventually become part of the "criminal element".

Over a year later, during the Batman storyline "A Death in the Family", Jason Todd discovered that Catherine Todd was not his biological mother, and he ran away to find the woman who gave birth to him.  After following a number of leads, Todd finally tracked his biological mother Sheila Haywood to Ethiopia, where she worked as an aid worker.  After being overjoyed to be reunited with his real mother, he soon discovered that she was being blackmailed by the Joker, using her to provide him with medical supplies.  Sheila was embezzling from the aid agency and as part of the cover-up, she handed her own son, having arrived as Robin, over to the Joker.  The Joker beat the boy brutally with a crowbar, and then left him and Sheila in a warehouse with a time bomb.  Sheila and Jason tried desperately to get out of the warehouse, but were still inside as the bomb went off.  Batman arrived too late to save them, and found Jason's lifeless body in the rubble.  Sheila lived just long enough to tell Batman that Jason died trying to protect her. Todd's death haunted Batman, and he considered it his greatest failure.  He kept the second Robin's uniform on display in the Batcave as a reminder.

Years later, while trying to discover the identity of a mysterious figure plotting against him, Batman discovered that Tim Drake, Jason's successor as Robin, has been kidnapped.  He confronted the kidnapper, and was stunned he discover that he was apparently an adult Todd, standing at his own desecrated grave site.  Batman subdued this mystery "Jason" and discovered that it was Clayface impersonating Todd.  However, Todd's actual body was missing from its grave.  It was later revealed that Todd had indeed died at the hands of the Joker, but when Superboy-Prime altered reality from the paradise dimension in which he was trapped by throwing punches against the barrier keeping him from the rest of the universe causing temporal ripples, Jason Todd was restored to life, broke out of his coffin, and was eventually hospitalized.

Todd later paid a group of mercenaries to help him return to Gotham.  Upon arriving, he enacted a plan to get revenge on Batman, whom he resented for refusing to kill the Joker and thus avenge his death.  After successfully capturing the Joker (who failed to recognize him), Jason contemplated burning his killer alive after dousing with gasoline.  However, Jason realized that he didn't want the Joker to die, but desired to punish the villain with Batman.  Jason spared the Joker and decided to wait for the right opportunity, later reappearing in Gotham City as the Red Hood.  Red Hood assumed control over several gangs in Gotham City and started a one-man war against Black Mask's criminal empire, eventually resolving his feelings toward Batman.

In 2011, DC Comics rebooted its continuity with The New 52, with Jason's new origin changing the manner in which Batman first met Todd (stealing medicine from Leslie Thompkins, after she had treated him from a brutal beating).  In this version, the Joker was responsible for orchestrating the major moments of Todd's life, such as his father's imprisonment and death, his mother's overdose, his introduction to Thompkins, and his adoption of the Robin identity.  He soon joined a group called the Outlaws, along with the superheroes Arsenal and Starfire.

This will be the first time the character will appear in live action, although the Red Hood has appeared in the animated project Batman: Under the Red Hood (voiced by Jensen Ackles).

Titans is expected to debut on the DC Universe digital service sometime in 2018.