Author: Simon Gallagher

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If…? season 3. Before the arrival of Red Hulk in 2025 Captain America: Brave New Worldthe MCU just revealed two incredibly powerful Hulk upgrades that make all the Hulks thus far seem puny in comparison. Having already introduced a new Hulk in season 2 with the mutant form of Happy Hogan in Marvel's Die Hard riff, And if…? season three's return to screens ramps things up massively. The live-action Hulk is still in his Smart Hulk form after Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner managed to achieve a kind of zen-like balance between the conflicting…

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Over the past three years, Marvel has released a new chapter of creative, refreshing, and sometimes downright silly animation, with And if…? The MCU's Annual Event Ends (Beyond the Next Marvel Zombies spin-off in 2025) with the release of this year's third season, once again scheduled to release an episode every day during Christmas. Over the same time, And if…? has consistently strived to reap the low-hanging fruit in its multiverse: actually answering any questions anyone might have about the Sliding doors parts of the Multiverse. The very concept of And if…? As it was originally conceived, it was to…

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Without immediately falling into cliché, vacations and romantic comedies are an undeniably perfect combination. Some of the best Christmas movies are romantic comedies, in fact. Both trade liberally on nostalgia, generate tensions in relationships (and often hamper broader family dynamics), and are, at their best, incomparable sources of escapism and comfort. They don't tend to be made as often these days, with a mocking cynicism directed at the subgenre that tends to lump everything together under the Hallmark Movie label. But this is unfair to both parties. Romantic comedies look best against a backdrop of snow and twinkling lights, and…

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Any examination of It's a wonderful life is not complete without acknowledging the fact that contemporary reviews were far from universally positive and that they caused RKO Films a loss of over $500,000. Mocked by some for its sentimentality and simplistic ideas, Frank Capra's masterpiece has grown in stature and appreciation in the decades since its release, to the point that this context seems downright baffling. You can't force good taste, I guess. Repeated endlessly at Christmas over the years, It's a wonderful life is returning to theaters nearly 80 years after its release, as if anyone needed an excuse…

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Go Joker 3 happen later Joker: Folie a Deux ? Does the world need more universe built around Joaquin Phoenix's controversial and transformative Arthur Fleck? Rewind to 2019, and the world knew for certain that a sequel would never happen, as director Todd Phillips was adamant that his take on DC's most famous villain should only be a one-off release. But fast forward five years and Phoenix returned as Fleck, with Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn in tow, and a movie turned into a franchise. Even ignoring the critical reception of Joker: Folie à Deux, It's important to recognize that this…

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Summary James Spader’s Ultron return in Vision Quest brings much needed shock and excitement to the MCU future. Spader’s Ultron surpasses Thanos in entertainment value and performance, making Vision Quest essential viewing. Ultron’s return is the perfect replacement for Iron Man in White Vision’s future, adding depth and conflict. You’d be forgiven for thinking upcoming Marvel spin-off Vision Quest has been the MCU’s forgotten project, but reports of James Spader’s Ultron return are so exciting that it’s impossible not to pay attention. Spader’s return – as reported by The Hollywood Reporter – is exactly the kind of shock the MCU…

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In 2025, Oasis will perform some of the most anticipated shows in music history, 15 years after the Britpop heavyweights called it a bitter end for the day. As with all things so famous and culturally definitive, there was a tangible reaction from – let’s say – a controlling element similar to those who will list the real best Britpop bands of all time at any opportunity. On that front, a simple rebuttal: let people get excited. Live music must be celebrated, valued and encouraged to grow for new generations. That said, my initial excitement about the upcoming Oasis reunion…

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Matt Reeves’ Dark Knight Rogues Gallery Batman universe is already impressively large, and there may be another member already hidden in plain sight thanks to The penguin. The DC spin-off introduced Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), of course, as well as a significant number of new members of Gotham’s criminal underworld, including Clancy Brown’s Sal Maroni, and a brief but memorable cameo from Gotham’s character Magpie. DC Comics (RIP) . Look a little closer at Lauren LeFranc’s excellent world, and there are significant hints as to what the future of Bruce Wayne’s growing rogues gallery might look like in the coming…

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Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin2 years ago, Batman It was secretly all about Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight, considering his place as Gotham’s “Revenge,” a moniker adopted in service of his mission. Now, The penguin followed the same trend of complaining as Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, whose DC supervillain name was forced upon him as an insult. The epic ending of The penguin finally gave Oz his real supervillain name, underlining exactly how dangerous he will be to Bruce Wayne and his other enemies when he returns in the next Batman Part II. Curiously, The penguin introduced a…

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Much has already been said thunderbolts* Title. The MCU’s most enigmatically titled movie lands as the second Marvel big screen project of 2025, continuing Bucky’s story, and seemingly bringing together a new team under him to the Marvel timeline. It has long been assumed that the MCU’s Thunderbolts would be an adaptation of the Marvel Comics team, with the thunderbolts* cast replacing the original line-up. But then the asterisk was added to the title, without any explanation, and a lot of theories spread like wildfire. But there is very compelling evidence that everything that has been assumed so far is…

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