DC's Year of the Villain has seen the numerous, fan-favorite antagonists of the DC Universe rise up in various stories spotlighting their evil, and the latest villainous special takes on a distinct yuletide theme. New Year's Evil #1 is an oversized one-shot featuring a healthy mix of acclaimed writers and artists along with newer creators within the medium. And, just like any collection of presents under the tree every Christmas morning, most of the short stories within the holiday anthology are quite good, with only a handful not quite hitting the mark by immediate comparison.
Running over a staggering 80 pages, the New Year's special includes 10 short stories each spotlighting a different set of characters from the DCU as Christmastime comes around. While several tales are told largely from the perspective of villains, keeping in line with much of the Year of the Villain publishing initiative, a couple of the tales are told from various superhero's perspectives as they face off against familiar foes while the festive time of the year serves as a wintry backdrop and thematic undertone.
One of the best things about this holiday special is that the creative teams completely capture the voices of the different villains throughout the issue. Even the weaker stories -- and again, most of the stories are actually quite good -- feature strong characterizations as the villainous protagonists express their own (usually murderous) forms of holiday cheer. The writers are clearly having fun showcasing what's made each of these characters endure for decades in a handful of pages and juxtaposing that against a variety of wintry holidays -- even ones in the far reaches of space.
This extends to the art as well, with the stories featuring a mix of vibrantly colorful illustrations that capture the energy and fun of the holiday season and gritty, darker visuals that follow more sinister villains as they stalk merry bystanders and heroes from the shadows. Despite each story's limited real estate, the respective art teams are able to craft both quieter, more introspective moments and bombastic, yuletide action sequences, providing a showcase for the popular characters to do what they do best -- no matter what time of the year.
For the stories that don't quite reach the level of the issue's stronger tales, the biggest impediment tends to be an over-reliance on exposition. This overly wordy approach can hamper the pacing and flow of these brief stories. Fortunately, even the clunkier stories still feature that sense of holiday fun; There aren't any self-serious stories within the issue, making the anthology gel relatively seamlessly while each story stands well enough on its own merits too.
Holiday specials can be a disposable, cynical way to cash in on the spirit of the season. Fortunately, while largely inconsequential, DC Comics' New Year's Evil #1 is a fun, oversized issue that lets an impressive roster of creative talent explore how different villains react to the most wonderful time of the year. Entertaining and timeless, even separated from the Year of the Villain initiative, this supersized one-shot is a great stocking stuffer for the DC Comics fan in your life looking for a seasonal issue spotlighting the DCU's extensive cast of memorable villains.
On Dec. 20, ABC will air the primetime special Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee in honor of the late comic book legend.
"As a young man, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee always dreamed of writing, going on to create some of the greatest heroes of our modern times," Marvel Executive Vice President/Creative Director Joe Quesada said in a statement. "Stan showed each of us how to be a hero in our everyday lives, and the stories he wrote will go on to influence generations of fans for decades to come. We can’t wait for all you True Believers out there to see this special to honor and celebrate Stan’s incredible life and all the lives he has touched."
The one-hour special is hosted by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Clark Gregg and will feature appearance by Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Saquon Barkley, Mark Hamill, Jimmy Kimmel, Method Man, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Lauren Ridloff, Kevin Smith, Deborah Ann Woll, Joe Quesada, Seth Green, Bob Iger, CB Cebulski, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Feige, Gerry Conway and more.
ABC's description of the special is below:
Filmed in part in front of a live audience at The New Amsterdam Theater in New York City, “Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee” takes viewers on an action-packed journey throughout the life of Lee and across the Marvel Universe, sharing never-before-seen interviews and archive footage with Lee himself from deep within the Marvel and ABC News archives.
The "Devil Child," the "Light of the Revolution," formerly "Miss All Sunday," and one of the most fashionable characters in theOne Pieceseries. Nico Robin is a woman that has been all around, being introduced as the vice president of Baroque Works before joining our lovely Straw Hat Crew as their archaeologist.
When it comes to One Piece it's not usual for the main characters to change outfits every now and then and Nico Robin is no exception. Much like the other main characters throughout the series, she's been through her fair share of fashion do's and don'ts. Those are exactly what we'll be looking at with this list.
10 HATE: THRILLER BARK OUTFIT
In this arc we find Robin fitted in a very short purple dress edged with lacing, stockings, and black heeled boots. It's a very simple outfit that isn't horrible but isn't really appealing from a design standpoint. Yes, she looks really good in it at times but more often than not it just looks a bit odd. Maybe it's the bore factor of it compared to the other great outfits we get to see her and the rest of the cast in but this outfit is definitely not much to write home about.
9 LOVE: OPENING 16 OUTFIT
This may seem like a deep cut and that's because it is, but honestly, the One Piece opening 16 outfit looks really good on Robin. The simple gardening look lends so many favors to our favorite archaeologist and we all know she definitely knows how to work a good sunhat.
Honestly, the only reason this outfit isn't higher is that we don't get to see more of it. Seriously a bit of screentime in an opening is not deserving of a divine outfit such as this. Hopefully, whoever's idea it was to put her in this got a raise.
8 HATE: PIRATE WARRIORS 3 DLC OUTFIT
It's really surprising that people actually paid to put Robin in this outfit when they should have been the ones getting paid to put her in it. While it is a bit of a love letter to the father Musou series Samurai Warriors, Pirate Warriors 3 deserved a way better outfit for this.
It really wouldn't be that bad if there was more to the outfit but it just looks like they took a few already made assets and threw them on Robin for a quick and easy costume. It's not the worst but it's still really bad.
7 LOVE: FIRST HEART OF GOLD OUTFIT
In the One Piece TV Special "Heart of Gold," the first outfit we see Robin in is easily one of her best looks. This special takes place post timeskip so the iconic shades are there and she's rocking her new hair with the addition of a new winter coat and purple turtleneck sweater, both of which fit the character perfectly.
This is one of those outfits that quietly conveys the personality of the character to us and it's something any viewer can appreciate. Much like Robin it is quiet and reserved and the purple just fits her really well.
6 HATE: FILM Z THIRD OUTFIT
Between Robin and Nami's horrible Film Z outfits, the team really dropped the ball when it came to designing something strong and memorable for the girls. It's easy to see what they were going for with this outfit but something really must have been lost in translation. This really looks like what happens when you let a little girl play with a toy doll she has hundreds of outfits for. From the jacket to the bikini top, the hat, the fuzz on the back, and the mix match colors this outfit is just murder on the eyes.
5 LOVE: ENIES LOBBY OUTFIT
Robin's iconic leather dress is the star of the show when it comes to the Enies Lobby arc and it makes her look as badass as ever. Under this dress is a polka-dotted dress and to top it all off, thigh-high boots.
This outfit is another that really fits the character in both personality and appearance. The outfit just looks like something you'd expect pre-timeskip Robin to wear, especially with all that happens during this arc. And was it mentioned how badass that leather dress looks on her? Because that leather dress is really badass.
4 HATE: ONE PIECE UNLIMITED CRUISE ALTERNATE OUTFIT
You may know a lot about One Piece but you definitely didn't know about this outfit. Just looking at it can give anyone a headache. It's got the purple going for it but that's really it. Other than that it looks like a really bad costume you might see on your character dancing to "Butterfly" while playing Dance Dance Revolution.
There are sights for sore eyes and there are sights that cause sore eyes. This one is the second option. So far we're two for two when it comes to alternate costumes for Robin in One Piece videogames.
3 LOVE: ALABASTA OUTFIT
Remember how much gushing there was over how badass the Enies Lobby arc leather dress there was. Well, throw that out the window because Nico Robin's Alabasta outfit is the actual epitome of badass. Back in her Baroque Works days, Robin donned an outfit that resembles a cowgirl complete with hat, corset, and high-heel boots. All this is brought together by a badass fur-lined white trenchcoat.
It's a real shame we only see this outfit for so little and while Robin is still a bad guy but it's better than nothing. Hopefully, this outfit will return as a possible alternate outfit in a One Piece game someday.
2 HATE: UNLIMITED ADVENTURE ALTERNATE OUTFIT
This list was not in any way made to make you wonder why so many alternate costumes for Robin are trash, it just ended up that way.
This One Piece: Unlimited Adventure has to be the worst offender of all time when it comes to bad Nico Robin outfits. Much like the last hated outfit from One Piece: Unlimited Cruise this outfit just doesn't fit the character, period. Honestly, this look might have someone think the design is from some kind of One Piece X Final Fantasy crossover.
1 LOVE: POST-TIMESKIP OUTFIT
This is the perfect outfit for Nico Robin. It absolutely screams out her personality and was the perfect outfit to reintroduce her in post-timeskip. The old is mixed in with the new and the sweetheart side of Robin is perfectly melded with the tough woman we saw way back in Alabasta through her blue leather jacket. It was a real treat to be greeted to this outfit once we saw all our favorite Straw Hat pirates again.
As Dragon Ballprogressed, Goku's opponents not only got stronger, but more and more foreign. After he'd beaten the likes of the Red Ribbon Army, it took beings from other planets like the Namekian King Piccolo and other Saiyan warriors to provide him with a worthwhile challenge. To help you keep track of some of the races that have been introduced so far in the Dragon Ball franchise, we've compiled a list of ten of the strongest we've seen up to this point. Since it can be difficult to discern how strong a race is unless we've seen more than one of its members in action, we'll only be considering races where we've seen at least two of its members engaging in battle. That means that whatever race Jiren belongs to won't be appearing on this list at all, since for all we know, the rest of his people are as strong as Krillin.
While humans are the weakest race on this list, they haven't always been completely useless. Despite lacking the strength of other races, they figured out how to fly and develop destructive energy techniques like the Kamehameha, Tri-Beam, and Evil Containment Wave. We know that this crafty race can at least hold off a few Frieza Force grunts, although the planet would be doomed by now if it weren't for Goku and Vegeta. What they lack in strength they make up for in intelligence and personality, and we only hope to see more out of the human race as its warriors continue to train and grow.
9 Namekians
While we do have the Namekians to thank for the Dragon Balls, we've constantly seen how they've remained powerless to stop any invasion on their homeworld without Saiyan intervention. There are quite a few exceptional Namekian warriors like Piccolo, Saonel, and Pirina, who all got their incredible strength due to fusing with other strong Namekians, although this ability has never benefited any other Namekian besides Piccolo. With the ability to regenerate lost limbs, increase in size at will, and stretch their arms beyond inconceivable proportions, a Namekian warrior at his prime will find himself well-endowed for a variety of combat systems, but overall, they should just rely on the Dragon Balls instead of their own power to get the job done.
8 Androids
Androids can be created in a variety of ways: they can be fully artificial (Androids 16 and 19), formerly human (Androids 17 and 18), or they could be bio-androids, a combination of both (Cell). While the strength of androids varies from subject to subject, for the most part, they tend to hover around the power level of a Super Saiyan or a Super Saiyan 2. Originally, Android 17 wasn't strong enough to defeat Piccolo after he fused with Kami, but in Dragon Ball Super, he's shown that he has enough power to compete with a Super Saiyan Blue. Of course, Android 17 is an exception, and for a long time, Cell represented the pinnacle of strength for an Android.
Born from special fruit-bearing trees of the World Core, Kais, otherwise known as Core People, were introduced to fans in Dragon Ball Z as the rulers of the universe, with many appointed to oversee entire quadrants of the galaxy. Their affinity for magic is prominent enough that when the Supreme Kai was first introduced, his power paralyzed Piccolo with fear, not to mention the fact that Goku learned many of his most effective techniques, like the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb, from King Kai. Shin, the Supreme Kai of Universe 7, possesses enough strength to crush Frieza in one blow (who at the time was just underneath a Super Saiyan in terms of power), and Zamasu who was able to hold his own against Super Saiyan 2 Goku. While the power of a Kai is easily outclassed by many of the mortals they claim to rule over, their peculiar abilities have enabled them to protect their universes from some truly nasty threats in the absence of outside aid.
6 Majins
After being introduced to the concept of love, Majin Buu created his own wife, Miss Buu. Over time, their procreation led to the establishment of the Majin race, which fans can play as in the Xenoverse franchiseand Dragon Ball Online. Due to Majin Buu being the progenitor of their race, all Majins possess an affinity for magic, and can turn opponents into candy for a more delicious absorption. Their regenerative powers make them tough to beat, and with their Purification technique, Majins can release their dormant power, pretty much gaining the insane strength of Kid Buu along with his immoral nature and unpredictable style of fighting, making them destructive forces of nature.
5 Neo Machine Mutant Tuffle
The Tuffles themselves were a weak race that perished during their war with the Saiyans, but their revenge lived on in Neo Mutant Machine Tuffles like Baby in Dragon Ball GTas well as Oren and Kamin from Super Dragon Ball Heroes. What makes their race particularly strong is their ability to possess strong hosts. In taking over Vegeta's body, Baby was even able to compete with Super Saiyan 4 Goku! After fusing into one being, it also took a Final Flash from Vegeta's Super Saiyan Blue Evolved form to deal with Oren and Kamin.
The Saiyan race has come a long way since the early days of Dragon Ball Z. After Goku reawakened the Super Saiyan transformation, the race began to evolve at an unprecedented rate, attaining power that rivaled the gods in only a few years. As of now, Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Kale, and Gohan are some of the strongest Saiyans in existence, but the rest aren't pushovers either. As they continue to unlock new heights to their limitless strength, they can only go higher on a list like this.
3 Frieza Race
Originally, Frieza couldn't hold a candle to a standard Super Saiyan, but after training for several months, his Golden Form allowed him to trade blows with someone like Jiren, while also granting him the ability to manipulate Energy of Destruction, which even Goku couldn't do. Frieza may be the strongest of his race, but he's not an oddity in the slightest. Cooler, Frieza's brother, has gone on to unlock his own Golden Form in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, and Frost managed to gain enough power to fight on par with Super Saiyan Vegeta for a bit. If Frieza's people trained as much as Saiyans did, they'd probably become stronger than Angels in a few years, but of course, they'll always find thousands of reasons to avoid getting their own hands dirty.
2 Beerus's Race
Not much is known about Beerus's race. In fact, we don't even have an official name for them! Still, the fact that both Beerus and Champa managed to become Gods of Destruction means that their race has a high potential for power. It hasn't been confirmed if Universe 11's Dyspo belongs to the same race as Beerus and Champa, although it is highly likely due to how similar he looks to them. Despite not possessing the power of a god, Dyspo's affinity for speed and his ability to last in fights against powerful warriors like Goku, Hit, Frieza, and Gohan, would only serve as another indication of this race's strength.
Whether or not Whis is even the strongest Angel in his family, he's proven to be leagues above every other fighter we've seen in action in the series, Jiren included. Angels not only possess an instinctive mastery over Ultra Instinct, but they can turn back time, revive the dead, and take down a God of Destruction with just one hit! Unfortunately, we can't gauge the full extent of their abilities given that we've never actually seen an Angel in battle, we're not even sure our simple minds could handle the full extent of their abilities if we saw them for ourselves. The Grand Priest truly raised a handful of monsters, but at least their beautiful garments and pristine hairstyles hide the fact that just one could defeat every single major Dragon Ball villain at the same time.
In Avengers: Endgame, the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe found the world in its darkest hour after half of all life was destroyed during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. After busting in on Thanos' retirement farm to make him undo the damage from the previous films the Avengers quickly discovered he couldn't. He used the Infinity Stones to destroy the Infinity Stones -- except he shouldn't have been able to.
The comics make the matter pretty clear cut, stating the the Infinity Gems cannot destroy themselves. When Reed Richards assembles all of them together in the Infinity Gauntlet he tries to destroy them due to the belief that no one person should wield such omnipotence. However, he finds the task simply impossible. The Illuminati are forced to scatter and hide the stones instead. But the MCU blew right past this plot point.
While critics could claim the logic of the MCU is different from that of the comics, the problem only reemerges when taking the MCU's own logic at face value. As explained various times throughout the series, the Stones embody the infinite energies that formed the universe. The Collector refers to them as six singularities. And even a basic understanding of physics entails an understanding that energy can be neither created nor destroyed.
With the Infinity Stones, each ingot essentially represents an infinite amount of energy that was impossibly destroyed by Thanos' second snap. The film pays lip service to the power involved as the attempt nearly kills Thanos, leaving the arm wearing the Gauntlet withered after he does the deed. However, this fails to address just what happened to such unending sources of energy.
It would make more sense for the energy to be released and go elsewhere, free for the Celestials or the Elders of the Universe or anyone else to pick up at their leisure. Rather than pursuing this possibility, however, the Avengers instead throw up their hands at the impossibility of undoing Thanos' first snap and then undertake a convoluted time heist. It would almost be more logical if the Stones' destruction reversed the initial Snap than for it to simply obliterate all the energy they contain.
What's worse, Endgame itself recognizes the importance of preserving the Stones within a given timeline. When Bruce Banner visits the Ancient One during the Battle of New York and breaks down the Avengers' time heist plan, she explains how critical it is that the Stones are returned to their proper place in time. If a single stone remains out of place, an entire timeline becomes vulnerable and aberrant. And yet the destruction of all of the stones takes place before and after this explanation without addressing the elephant in the room.
What state is the main MCU timeline left in without any of the Infinity Stones if those Stones are supposedly what guard it from some existential threat? There is little doubt that the upcoming sequel Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness will explore the implications of multiple realities, and the Disney+ series Lokiwill likely follow the Asgardian villain's journey with the Space Stone in his own reality. However, as of yet there is no explanation on the table for what will happen in the main timeline.
The lack of Infinity Stones could make the main timeline vulnerable to manipulation. Much of the speculation surrounding the upcoming Disney+ show WandaVision suggests that Scarlet Witch will unleash her reality-altering powers in ways that threaten the entire universe, as she did in the comics. Were those powers unleashed in the world of the MCU, existence itself could be too fragile to take such a blow.
The issue with the Infinity Stones would also be addressed through the Elders of the Universe already introduced in the MCU: the Collector and the Grandmaster. In the comics, these characters are brothers and hail from the time of the Big Bang, which would make them of a similar age to the Infinity Stones themselves. While the Grandmaster did not seem to care for much besides gladiatorial games, the Collector was obsessed with the Stones in Guardians of the Galaxy.
The fact remains that until the MCU addresses the issue with the destruction of the Infinity Stones, it will remain a plot hole. It has the potential to be serve future plotlines rather than contradict them, but without further explanation, fans are left to concoct theories and speculate about possibilities on their own. In that way, the results could be infinite.
Ever since the premiere episode of Disney+'s The Mandalorian revealed Baby Yoda to the world, Star Wars fans have been eagerly anticipating merchandise based on the adorable green bundle of joy. Disney recently released a range of t-shirts and other paraphernalia adorned with the image of the character, but one key item was missing: toys. However, fans no longer have to purchase Yoda plushies at Disneyland as a substitute for Baby Yoda, as Disney has officially unveiled a plush doll of The Child.
The 11-inch plush toy, which is available for pre-order now at shopDisney, fully embraces the undeniable cuteness of the show’s 50-year-old character, with Disney noting "He may look like a Baby Yoda, but this lovable creature is referred to as the Child."
Disney describes the plushie as showcasing an authentic character likeness, complete with a soft body and a sturdy base filled with beans to help keep it balanced. It also has a sculpted vinyl head that captures The Child’s green skin, big ears and large eyes and even wears non-removable fabric robes. The toy will be available in unique packaging specifically designed to resemble the hovering crib as seen on the show.
Unfortunately, for those hoping to stuff a loved one's stocking with the Baby Yoda plush this Christmas, while the item is available for pre-order, it isn't expected to ship until April 1, 2020.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. A new episode arrives each Friday on Disney+.
Netflix has released the first poster for its adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's Locke & Key. The poster also revealed the adaptation of the IDW Publishing series will debut on the streaming service on February 7, 2020.
The poster features a woman with short hair standing with her back turned to the camera, and one of the series' magical keys sticking out of her neck. Of course, the Locke children discover the magical keys after the family returns to their ancestral home called the Keyhouse. The Locke siblings discover the magical keys are connected to their father's death. They soon learn that a mysterious demon is after the keys and the unique powers they possess.
The official synopsis for Locke & Key can be found below:
After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them. From Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.
Locke & Key stars Darby Stanchfield (Scandal) as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT and IT 2) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (American Crime) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (Horrible Histories) as Kinsey Locke, Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, Griffin Gluck (American Vandal) as Gabe, and Coby Bird as Rufus Whedon. The Netflix series premieres on February 7, 2020.
Justice League director Zack Snyder confirmed the existence of his cut of the DC Extended Universe movie with a piece of pretty compelling photo evidence.
Snyder shared an image to his Vero account of several film reel shipping containers with the label "Z.S. JL Directors Cut." The containers further reveal that the running time of the Snyder Cut is 214 minutes. Overlaid on the image is "Is it real? Does it exist? Of course it does," which seems to confirm the existence of the long-rumored Snyder Cut.
The production process for Justice League was infamously troubled, and the movie ultimately failed to meet expectations at the box office. After Snyder left Justice League following a family tragedy, director Joss Whedon was called in to complete reshoots that reportedly gave the film a lighter tone. Rumors of a Snyder Cut of Justice League quickly began gaining traction online, and several people involved with the production, including Snyder himself, have publicly discussed that version of the movie. Some, like Aquaman star Jason Momoa, claims to have seen the Snyder Cut, though exactly what state that version of the film is in remains unclear.
Next up for the DC Extended Universe is Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), slated for release Feb. 7, 2020; Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984, coming June 5 2020; James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which arrives August 6, 2021; and Matt Reeves' solo Batman film, which will swing into theaters June 25, 2021.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 18 of Fire Force, "Into The Nether."
After weeks of surprise ambushes from a mysterious, cloaked enemy, Company 8 finally decides to take the fight directly to the Evangelist's White Clad Knights in Fire Force's latest episode. Not only this but the anime also finally gives the 8th's woefully sidelined female characters a chance to shine on their own.
Thanks to their new science officer, Licht, Company 8 have figured out from the wreckage of Vulcan's workshop that the Knights are hiding out in an ominous place called the Nether. This subterranean network of tunnels used to be home to Tokyo's subway system until it was largely destroyed by the Day of Cataclysm. However, Licht has discovered that some caverns remain intact, which is most likely where the group behind artificial human combustion is lurking.
Sister Iris adds that the Holy Sol Temple teaches that the Nether is an "unclean" place where inhuman things dwell because it exists outside of the great Sol's light. Usually, it's strictly forbidden to anyone to enter it, but the church has granted Company 8 special permission to do so to stamp out the cluster of heretics. Just to add to the fear factor, we see flashbacks of Shinra's mother -- with a baby Shō in her arms -- warning Shinra as a child that if he doesn't do his chores he'll end up being sent to the Nether, a threat that fills him with dread. In other words, the Nether is the Tokyo Empire's Hell on Earth.
"We're not laying anyone to rest," Captain Ōbi instructs his crew. "This is a fight with our lives at stake," and then to Shinra: "We're bringing your brother back." That night, Shinra's dreams are filled with strange images of Iris; his Adolla Link buzzing. Outside, the city is shaken by a minor earthquake, which Luitenant Hinawa and Ōbi note is the latest in a string of them.
On the background of this unrest, a jittery Company 8 enter the Nether through what was once a subway tunnel. It isn't long, however, until the White Clad retaliates against this intrusion: Mirage and Jonah, the Knights' trickster pair, use their illusionary and doppelganger abilities to confuse and split the 8th up. Shō then sends in the big guns -- Flail, who we saw with Mirage outside of Vulcan's workshop, and Assault, a member of the "Slaughter" squad (or "Butcher," in the manga).
Flail takes a garrison of White Clad lackeys to confront a lone Maki, who he thinks will be easy pickings. "I don't care how brawny you are, you're still a woman!" Unfortunately for the cocky Knight, Maki is brawny enough to take out him and his entire support squad by herself. She uses her second-generation pyrokinesis to deflect their firey hits and then her Tekkyo weapons that Vulcan constructed specially for her twin flames, Splutter and Flare, to attack. Flail's huge heated flail almost overwhelms her but with Tekkyo acting as an extra set of floating metal arms, she's able to knock the air out of the Knight's body and put him down for good.
Meanwhile, Tamaki and Sister Iris are met by Assault. Tamaki is far less assured than the experienced Maki and Assault's "Crimson Bullet" attacks leave her initially even less confident. Then she recalls, before the 8th set-off for the Nether, Shinra suggesting that if she is ever in need of help, she only has to call out his name. She brushed the offer off, snapping that she can fend for herself. In the present, the memory gives her a renewed burst of energy, which she puts into dodging Assault's next round of searing ammunition to get into striking distance. Her "lucky lecher lure" unwittingly does the rest for her, and while the bewildered -- and aroused -- Slaughterer is distracted, Iris finishes him off with a blow to the back of the head.
Fully vindicated, Tamaki pulls the young woman she successfully protected close, and the two continue their hellish descent.
New episodes of Fire Force are released every Friday on Crunchyroll; every Saturday as part of Adult Swim's Toonami block and are available as SimulDubs from FunimationNow.
One of the biggest fan-favorite pairings in the new Star Wars trilogy is between John Boyega's Finn and Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron. Given the two actors' natural chemistry, there are fans that have hoped the two characters' friendship would develop into a full-fledged romantic relationship in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. According to the actors themselves, however, this appears not to be the case.
Isaac and Boyega -- while admitting a romantic development between their respective characters would "have been fun" -- denied that such a romance occurs in the upcoming sequel, with the two Resistance comrades-in-arms keeping their relationship platonic.
"Personally, I kind of hoped and wished that maybe that would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control," Isaac admitted in an interview with Variety. "It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of…I don’t know what.”
Finn rescued a captive Poe from the First Order at the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with the two quickly becoming friends as they battled the sinister organization for the fate of the galaxy. As a nod to their natural chemistry, Boyega jokingly penned a letter to Isaac expressing hopes to keep their friendship alive off-screen. Despite this, Boyega confirmed that Finn and Poe would simply remain friends...for now.
"They’ve always had a quite loving and open relationship in which it wouldn’t be too weird if it went beyond it," Boyega added. "But at the same time, they are just platonic at the moment.”
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.
Jessica Camacho, who plays Pirate Jenny in HBO's Watchmen series, has broken down the connection she sees between her character and the comic book source material created by Alan Moore and David Gibbons.
"I think it's [Pirate Jenny's name] paying homage to the Black Freighter and that world," Camacho told CBR. "It goes back to the very specific creation of her backstory. The pirate element is very purposeful. In the crafting of her own identity, I think she's enamored with the idea of pirates. The idea of them going about things in their own rowdy renegade way. 'We take what we need; we leave the rest.' I think there's something to the survivor in her that really identifies with what a pirate symbolizes to her. But I would say she's still tied to the Black Freighter from the original comics, which is so cool. I love seeing those Easter eggs pop up in the current Watchmen."
In the original Watchmen, Tales of the Black Freighter was an in-universe comic that centered on a castaway who assembled a ship using the corpses of his dead crewmates to try to sail home. Segments of the story were peppered throughout Watchmen, seen through the eyes of a boy named Bernie who hung out by the newsstand where Rorschach purchased his copies of The New Frontiersman.
Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, James Wolk, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon. The series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men#3, by Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, Rain Bereo, VC’s Clayton Cowles and Tom Muller, on sale now.
Earlier this year, Krakoa went from being a historical footnote to the literal center of the X-Men’s world within a few weeks. Even though the living island inspired the formation of two X-Men teams, it only made sporadic appearances until House of X.
In that era-launching event, Charles Xavier, Moira MacTaggert and Magneto turned Krakoa into an independent nation that’s home to the X-Men and the rest of Marvel’s mutants. Throughout all of this, Krakoa has flourished like never before, even producing designer pharmaceuticals and creating portals that can span the universe.
However, things aren’t going too well in Krakoa at the moment. While the X-Men are still reeling from the loss of Xavier, Krakoa’s ecosystem is severely disrupted by Hordeculture, a small band of eco-terrorists, in X-Men #3. As a text data page simply puts it, “Krakoa is screaming.”
That data page also reveals that all of Krakoa’s current achievements come at a steep price. To sustain itself, Krakoa must consume two mutants a year or take in other forms of mutant energy through a more sustainable workaround. While this detail might seem moderately horrifying, it hearkens back to one of the X-Men’s most important tales.
When Krakoa was introduced in Len Wein and Dave Cockrum’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, the living mutant island was defined by its hunger. When the original X-Men traveled to the island, it captured all of them and began feeding on their various energies.
By the end of the issue, the original X-Men and new recruits like Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler successfully defeated Krakoa and sent it into space.
While Krakoa was apparently in its smaller “winter” version then, the island has blossomed and grown since Xavier and the New Mutants’ Doug Ramsey established a way to communicate with it.
Since Krakoa became home base for an ever-growing number of Marvel’s mutants, the island can sustain itself by taking a minimal, theoretically harmless amount of psychic energy from every mutant on its shores.
As this issue reveals, that process is tightly monitored by two other mutant energy vampires, Selene and Emplate. Those two ex-villains are sustained through a similar process, and the shared pool of resources probably keeps any one character from going on a mutant feeding frenzy.
Even with those safeguards in place, there are still several questions about the current nature of Krakoa’s relationship to the mutants who live on it.
After breaking one of Krakoa’s newly established laws, Sabretooth was effectively consumed by the island. As punishment for his crimes, the Quiet Council that rules Krakoa exiled Sabretooth, sending him to a sunken place deep within the island. Supposedly, Sabretooth would be kept alive and aware but immobile and trapped in perpetual stasis.
While Marvel may already be teasing Sabretooth’s return to a more active role, this particular punishment seems designed to give Krakoa a potential feeding source who wouldn’t be missed on the island.
Although there’s no indication that Sabertooth is being fed on, this arrangement still tempts fate by effectively putting a piece of candy in Krakoa’s mouth and asking the island not to bite down on it.
On a more pressing note, the current disturbance on Krakoa’s ecosystem has already started taking a toll on the island’s residents. Beyond some unusually aggressive wildlife and a minuscule decrease in landmass, Jean Grey, Emma Frost and the other telepaths on the island have already noticed that Krakoa is taking more psychic energy than normal.
While Cyclops and a small covert action team are already dealing with Hordeculture, this is still a relatively small disturbance shows in the grand scheme of Krakoa While this particular incident has only really given headaches to some telepaths for the moment, it highlights just how fragile the Krakoan ecosystem really is and sets an ominous precedent for what other disturbances might cause in the future.
New details have emerged regarding Walt Disney World Resort's Star Wars-themed hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Announcements were made during a media preview event for the second attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Rise of the Resistance, with Disney officially revealing that fans can stay in a galaxy far, far away staring in 2021.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will provide a deeply immersive two-night experience, thrusting guests into a world where they're surrounded by a cast of colorful characters regaling travelers with their tales.
For those interested, the experience is limited to two nights, with all guests arriving and departing at the same time. It begins with an invitation to step aboard a Launch Pod that transports them into space. Peering through the windows of the Launch Pod, guests will watch as they depart the planet before jumping into hyperspace toward the luxurious Halcyon starcruiser. Once they have arrived, guests will depart the Pod and enter the Atrium where the cruise experience begins, including an excursion to Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Activities onboard include lightsaber training, allowing you to show off your skills against a training remote. Guests can also visit the Bridge to learn about the ship's navigation and defense systems. Each passenger cabin will feature its own window into space, providing unique views into the changing landscape that adjusts as the journey continues over the two-day stay. Guests can even venture into the Engineering Room to discover the inner workings of how the Halcyon operates. And at the end of the day, there's the Silver C Lounge -- a refuge for tired passengers of all ages to come and unwind.
Accompanying the guests during their stay will be a variety of Disney's cast, including famous Star Wars characters who will interact with guests and provide invitations and prompts that help develop varying, branching storylines depending on the guest's response.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is set to open at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World on Dec. 5 and at Disneyland on Jan. 17, 2020. Galactic Starcruiser will officially open in 2021.
The House of Mouse had to give the thumbs up for Aladdin's Mena Massoud's new role in Reprisal, Hulu's new noir-themed series.
Mena Massoud, the titular star of Disney's Aladdin live-action remake, beat out 2,000 other actors for a role in Hulu's thriller gangster series, Reprisal, streaming on December 6. Now, according to Massoud, Disney had to sign off on his casting due to his character being a gang member in a violent show. Massoud told the Daily Beast that producers had to inform Reprisal's creator, Josh Corbin, that they needed to run the casting by Disney first.
Corbin was more confused than concerned, questioning why Disney would care if Massoud was involved in Reprisal. Turns out, Massoud auditioned for the role in Hulu's show after Aladdin wrapped and before the film's release. When Corbin's team explained it was because of the new Aladdin movie, he responded, "Aladdin? That's an old cartoon."
This is not the first instance of Disney wanting to shape a family-friendly image around one of their prime stars. Numerous stars have come out explaining Disney's careful and restricting policies surrounding their breakout stars. Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers music trio touched on this topic in a Carpool Karaoke episode with James Corden saying, "This stems from Disney days and kind of being told what we can and cannot say."
Aladdin went on to be a box office success, grossing over $1 billion. Aladdin was directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Will Smith as Genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as the Sultan of Agrabah, Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, and Frank Welker and Alan Tudyk as the voices of Abu and Iago, respectively. Aladdin is available now on digital and Blu-ray.
Created by Josh Corbin, Reprisal follows one femme fatale's quest for revenge after she is left for dead by her brother and his gang of gearheads. The show stars Abigail Spencer as Doris Quinn, Rodrigo Santoro as Joel Kelly, and Mena Massoud as Ethan Hart.
With the holiday season now in full swing, Zombieland: Double Tap has announced it will be available on home video just in time for Christmas.
The horror-comedy film has released a new trailer showing the main cast celebrating the yuletide holiday, complete with gift exchanges and Woody Harrelson's character dressed as Santa Claus while the quartet assembles in the abandoned Oval Office. The trailer also reveals the film will be available on Digital HD Dec. 24 and Blu-ray Jan. 21.
The sequel opened in theaters in October, reuniting the main cast as they traveled across the country in search of a new home while encountering other survivors and hordes of mutated super-zombies that are considerably more powerful than their standard undead counterparts.
While received less favorably by critics than its 2009 predecessor, the film went on to earn $117.7 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing the original film.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and David Callaham, Zombieland: Double Tap stars Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin. The film arrives on Digital HD Dec. 24 and Blu-ray Jan. 21.
Jonathan Luna and newcomer Lauren Keely's 20XX #1 might be the comic equivalent of putting together a home with materials left behind at a job site. Much like most of Luna's output (especially titles produced with his brother, Joshua), 20XX grabs bits of established tropes from across several genres and jams them together to cobble together something that is, at least on its surface, enticing.
None of the individual ideas the book has to offer can necessarily stand on their own (after all most of them have either been done to perfection or done to death in other works) but the artistry is found in the way they are woven together.
Thankfully, the world of 20XX #1 isn't one to be picked apart. It feels as if it were designed to be experienced, and with a set of sturdy pillars, if feels authentic, despite its lunacy. There is history in this version of the world, and the events that lead to the present day must have been as terrifying as they were transformative.
In a not-so-distant future, a virus has ravaged Anchorage, Alaska (and presumably the rest of North America, if not the world), killing the vast majority of those unlucky enough to contract it. As dour as that sounds, there is an upside (if you can call it that) to the super virus: the few who survive develop telekinetic capabilities.
Our guide through the world of 20XX is a young office drone name Meria who becomes infected with the deadly virus and lives, only to find out that life as a telekinetic (or "sym") comes with its on unique set of social stigmas. The scenario Keely and Luna have crafted is fascinating. It's a hodgepodge of cyberpunk and dystopian fiction tropes shone through the lens of our technologically interconnected, yet deeply ideologically divided society.
It's all a bit heavy-handed (even for someone who agrees with a lot of the commentary), but you'll forgive it's on-the-nose grandstanding once telekinetic knife fights start happening. Luna and Keely manage to strike a balance between the heavy stuff and the silly stuff, because, ultimately it's one and the same. Silly psychic knife fights should detract from the bigger issues and vice versa.
Now, make no mistake, 20XX is a good read. It's well-paced and it doesn't spend its time jamming tons of information down your throat before we ever get to say "hello" to our cast of characters (this has been an issue with a lot of new Image Comics science fiction titles in recent years). However, Keely and Luna's script doesn't do much in terms of giving us a reason to care for anyone other than Meria. Surely this is by design. If the lead can get their hooks into readers, then the supporting cast will soon follow.
Balancing character development and world building in a debut issue is tough, and while 20XX #1 didn't exactly "crack the code," per se, there is enough to pique the interest of readers who are familiar with Luna's work. If you weren't on the Luna train after works like Girls or The Sword (arguably the best works by either sibling), this isn't going to convert you
20XX #1 is a handsome book, rendered in gorgeous black and white. It's filled with big ideas that are not its own, but the way they are pieced together gives the comic its own identity. How much you'll jibe with that identity is heavily dependent on your familiarity with Luna's work and your own worldview (Keely and Luna make no bones about their stance on discrimination, workers' rights and ideological suppression).
As enjoyable as this issue is, it might not leave a lasting impression. While you're in the moment, it's fantastic, but upon reflection, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why it worked. Perhaps that's the biggest strength of this debut issue. The fact you'll breeze right through it and add it to your pull list is success enough.
The latest television iteration of the enduringly popular Power Rangers franchise, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, is about to unveil a new Ultrazord as its second season comes to an end.
In a new clip from the series' 20th episode, the five Rangers are seen combining their Zords to form the Beast-X Ultrazord while combatting a new monster threatening the Earth. Fitting with the series' increased emphasis on animals, the Ultrazord contains robotic, bestial features reflecting its five components.
Premiering on Nickelodeon this past March, Beast Morphers is the first television series in the franchise produced by Hasbro after purchasing the property from Saban Brands last year for $522 million. Principal photography for Season 2 of Beast Morphers wrapped this past May.
The series takes place sometime in the future with four young people infused with animal DNA to become the latest incarnation of the Power Rangers, dubbing themselves the Beast Morphers due to their genetic splicing. The team faces off against Evox, an evil sentient computer virus planning to invade Earth from the Cyber Dimension.
When Psycho-Pass first aired in 2012, it quickly became one of the most revered sci-fi adventures of the decade. Set in a dystopian future where the complex Sibyl System controls law and order through a 'psycho-pass,' which determines an individual's criminal intent, those with a high Crime Coefficient are apprehended by Inspectors to prevent any illegal activity taking place.
Of course, the Sibyl System is by no means perfect, and as Inspector Akane Tsunemori comes to learn, justice is tainted with murky shades of grey.
With the show's third season finale approaching, we thought we'd take a look at Psycho-Pass' best episodes, according to IMDb ratings. Beware, mild spoilers ahead!
10 Season 2, Episode 11: "What Color?" (8.2)
Season two failed to hit the highs of season one, with many fans disgruntled at the show's dip in quality. However, the season finale's strong rating highlights the series' strengths. Despite disappointing fans, it still earned an impressive 8.2 on IMDb.
This is no doubt thanks to Psycho-Pass' excellent capability of building tension. A fast-paced episode, it packed in plenty of action and revealed new secrets, with the series antagonist explaining his ability to reach maximum Crime Coefficient levels and Sibyl revealing new, world-altering powers. While season two may have felt rushed, this closer had fans clamoring for Psycho-Pass: The Movie to see how Sibyl's developments would unfold.
9 Season 1, Episode 17: "Iron Guts" (8.3)
Seventeen episodes into season one, we finally learn more about how Sibyl the supercomputer works. And, it is as twisted as you would expect, made up of criminally asymptomatic human brains.
Amongst the jaw-dropping revelations, this episode really stood out for providing a deeper insight into Shogo Makishima. The series' big bad (or warped antihero, depending on your outlook), Makishima is an intriguing character with believable motivations as he opposes the Sibyl System, combined with questionable acts of heartless cruelty. Taken in by the Public Safety Bureau (MWPSB), Makishima is given the offer to become part of the Sibyl System, but instead escapes in true bad-guy fashion, with a trail of blood behind him.
8 Season 1, Episode 14: "Sweet Poison" (8.4)
This episode does a chilling job of revealing just how trusting the general public is of the Sibyl System. A man wearing a helmet robs a pharmacy without triggering an alarm and is later found brutally beating a woman to death in a busy street, surrounded by onlookers and even a psycho-pass scanner.
While it's disturbing that the helmets disguise the Crime Coefficient, it's even worse to think that people believe so firmly in the Sibyl System detecting and deterring crime that they can't recognize dangerous acts of violence as it happens before their eyes. Instead, they stand and film the attack. And, even more twisted, anyone who might have tried to help would have been considered an aggressor by the system and consequently detained.
7 Season 1, Episode 15: "The Town Where Sulfur Falls" (8.4)
Following directly on from "Sweet Poison," video footage of the murder appearing online and an increase in helmet-wearing criminals leads to bloodthirsty rioting from the public. Whether acting in self-defense or opposing an apparently faulty system, an uprising seems almost inevitable. With the MWPSB distracted, Makishima and his henchmen break into NONA Tower to find and destroy the Sibyl System.
It's an action-packed episode filled with brutal violence, calling this society's structure into question. As innocent bystanders fight back, the line between good and bad is muddled further. This episode also shows off Psycho-Pass' affinity for classic sci-fi, with cleverly placed references to George Orwell, Philip K Dick, and William Ford Gibson scattered throughout.
6 Season 1, Episode 10: "Methuselah's Game" (8.5)
Psycho-Pass once again demonstrates its talent for building tension in this cat-and-mouse episode. Makishima and deadly cyborg Toyohisa Senguji capture Inspector Akane's friend, Yuki, luring Akane's partner, Shinya Kougami, into their trap. Losing connection with Akane, Kougami must rely on his wits alone to evade Senguji and rescue Yuki.
The role of the hunter and the hunted flips back and forth as the episode progresses, with Kougami demonstrating expert quick-thinking to remain one step ahead of the enemy. The episode is jammed full of action and suspense as Akane must trust Kougami to save her friend, while cracks begin to appear in the larger MWPSB team.
5 Season 1, Episode 22: "A Perfect World" (8.6)
Once again proving they know how to pull off a season finale, "A Perfect World" expertly wraps things up. But it by no means ends on a high. Entirely fitting for the series, it instead reflects the dark realities of this future, skipping explosions and action in favor of pragmatism and drama.
Most notable of all is Akane's character development. No longer a naïve Inspector who blindly follows the Sibyl System, she ends the season as a strong, noble figure willing to acknowledge the system's flaws, even going so far as to stand up to it. Whether or not Sibyl is malevolent remains to be seen, but what is certain is that doing good sometimes requires some evil deeds.
4 Season 3, Episode 2: "Teumessian Sacrifices" (8.8)
Following season two's dip in popularity, season three has (so far) won fans over, introducing a new team of Inspectors to call the Sibyl System into question. As Kei Mikhail Ignatov and Arata Shindo investigate suspicious suicides, they run into Kougami and Ginoza, who are now working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This episode not only resonated with fans thanks to the writers' ability to create a solid mystery but for its brilliant callbacks to season one, even going so far as to weave the season one soundtrack into the score as Kougami and Ginoza make their appearance. It even provides some redemption for the previously hated Mika, who perfectly embodies the role of stern boss. It's a strong start to new adventures in this bizarre society.
3 Season 1, Episode 21: "Blood-Stained Reward" (8.8)
Season one's penultimate episode effectively sets up the finale without skimping on action and emotion. Hot on Makishima's tail, the MWPSB is determined to foil his plan of implanting a virus in Sibyl.
Unfortunately, Makishima is one step ahead and has set up traps for the team. Caught under a container, Ginoza is forced to watch as his father sacrifices himself to keep his son safe from exploding dynamite. It's a heart-breaking end, capable of evoking viewer sympathy for one of the show's most unlikeable characters. Filled with exciting fight sequences and a perfectly matched soundtrack, it's impossible not to watch this one from the edge of your seat.
2 Season 1, Episode 16: "The Gates of Judgement" (9.0)
Pursuing Makishima in NONA Tower, this episode is full of stunning action sequences and effective character development with plenty of twists stuffed into the runtime. Kougami battles Makishima but is ultimately defeated. Fortunately, Akane's on hand to knock the villain out. Despite Kougami's goading and her frustration, she doesn't kill Makishima.
Not only does this episode demonstrate Kougami's persistent determination for revenge, but it shows Akane's growing strength and willingness to stick by her beliefs regardless of the ever-apparent complexities of the Sibyl System and the devastation Makishima has caused. Above all, the shocking twist at the end is sure to send chills down your spine.
1 Season 1, Episode 11: "The Saint's Supper" (9.1)
"The Saint's Supper" is undoubtedly the most tragic episode of Psycho-Pass. Pitting Makishima and Akane directly against one another with incredibly high stakes, this episode firmly centers Makishima as a cruel villain and shakes Akane's beliefs to the core.
Akane is an excellent opponent for Makishima. She is ever composed and noble in her quest for justice, rather than cold-hearted, reveling in violence and chaos. As Akane gets the opportunity to take control of events, she leaves broken and ultimately questions the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, and the Sibyl System itself. A real turning point in season one, this disturbing episode sticks with you long after watching it.
There's been a lot of discussion among X-Men fans lately regarding omega-level mutants since Jonathan Hickman confirmed his list of powerful mutants for the House of X/Powers of X event, which featured some known additions like Iceman and Magneto with some surprise omissions like Rachel Summers, who was previously considered to be the first Omega-level mutant.
The X-Men are full of incredibly destructive mutants who aren't omega-level, and like his daughter Rachel, Scott Summers/Cyclops is a great example. His optic blast is a powerful force to be reckoned with that has staggered gods. So today we are going to take a look at a few of Cyclops' most OP uses of his optic blasts to prove you don't have to be an Omega to cause damage.
10 BLEW MISTER SINISTER INTO LITERAL PIECES
Mister Sinister's manipulations of Scott Summers and his brother Alex have left an uneasy relationship between Cyclops and Sinister, which was further tested by the events of Inferno, which revealed Sinister's manipulations continued with his creation of Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey and the mother of Cyclops' son.
With the events of Inferno halted and Madelyne Pryor defeated, Scott lashed out at Sinister with an optic blast full of rage that completely destroyed Sinister's body. It was one of the first times fans had seen Cyclops unleash on a living villain that way, and the devastating result was very graphic.
9 CRACKED APOCALYPSE'S CELESTIAL ARMOR
Apocalypse has always been one of the strongest mutant threats of the Marvel Universe, both due to his own mutant abilities as well as the highly advanced Celestial tech makes up his armor. However, as seen in X-Factor #68, Cyclops was able to break through Apocalypse's armor, which had previously withstood an assault from the X-Men and Black Bolt of the Inhumans.
It's important to note that Cyclops was a bit amplified at the time due to a psychic connection with Jean Grey and his baby son Nathan (who would grow up to become Cable), but Apocalypse was also amped at the time, so this is still an impressive feat from Cyclops that he would repeat a few times over the years.
8 SHEARED THROUGH ADAMANTIUM
After the events of Legion's Quest resulted in the death of Charles Xavier in the past, a new Age of Apocalypse was created that took the X-Men in a number of different directions without Xavier. The mutant population was largely divided between the ruling class of Apocalypse and Magneto's rebellious teams of X-Men.
However, even in this dark reality, Logan/Weapon X and Prelate Scott Summers didn't see eye-to-eye, and they each carried the wounds of their previous battle. Prelate Summers lost an eye to make his codename much more fitting while Logan had his hand blasted clean off, meaning Scott's optic blast was able to destroy or sever the adamantium-laced bone as well.
7 PUNCHED A HOLE IN ONSLAUGHT'S ARMOR
Cyclops' optic blasts are usually held in check by the ruby-quartz visor he wears that contains and focuses the energy. The visor allows Scott to live a semi-normal life, while also giving him precise control over the power of his optic blasts. So when Scott removes his visor, chances are whatever he's looking at is in serious trouble.
One such moment came during a battle between the nearly omnipotent being known as Onslaught and the combined forces of the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. Scott unleashes the full power of his optic blast and manages to penetrate Onslaught's psionic armor, which had been created by the combined powers of Xavier, Magneto, Franklin Richards and Nate Grey.
6 OVERCHARGED BISHOP'S ABSORPTION ABILITIES
While the Civil War pitted the majority of Marvel's heroes against each other, the X-Men were dealing with their own issues as the 198 surviving mutants were being hunted by the corrupted Sentinel O.N.E. program, which was working alongside Bishop and his squad of mutants.
Cyclops had been temporarily taken over by the mutant Johnny Dee, who unleashed the entirety of Scott's optic blasts on Bishop, whose own power-absorption abilities were pushed to the limits, and he was forced to release the energy upwards into the atmosphere.
5 KICKED A SENTINEL OFF HIS LAWN
The Sentinels are one of the X-Men's oldest enemies, and as we've seen in HoX/PoX, they are an eternal threat to mutants and humans. So it's a good thing that Cyclops has become so efficient at taking down the Sentinels with his optic blasts using both precision attacks and his intense wide-angle unfiltered optic blasts that take out almost anything in their path.
During Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men run, the X-Mansion is under attack from a Sentinel, and instead of engaging in a lengthy battle Cyclops takes the quickest course of action, removes his visor, and wipes out the Sentinel and half the forest surrounding the Westchester estate.
4 SLOWED DOWN THE WORLDBREAKER HULK
Sure, only slowing down someone doesn't seem like a destructive feat, but we have to take into account just who was being slowed. During the World War Hulk event, the heroes of Earth that were associated with Marvel's Illuminati were under attack by an overpowered Hulk and his Warbound full of equally powerful aliens.
Worldbreaker Hulk, as he has become known, tore his way through the X-Men, which even included Juggernaut at the time. The only one who seemed to deter him slightly was Cyclops, who went to "max power" in order to deal with Hulk's attack, slowing the rampaging monster before he decided to leave on his own after seeing the state of mutantkind after House of M.
3 VAPORIZED A GIANT KRAKOAN BROOD MONSTER
We've already discussed one of Scott's overpowered optic blasts seen during the Astonishing X-Men run, though another OP blast occurred in the same series during Warren Ellis and Phil Jimenez' run that Saw Cyclops' team take on genetically-created monsters fresh from a horror movie set.
When a giant monster mashup of a Brood alien and the island of Krakoa was dropped from orbit, Cyclops again decided to take out the threat quickly with an incredible optic blast that vaporized half of the monstrous creature instantly, ending the fight and impressing Wolverine with the fact that Cyclops has a "frickin' nuke" inside of his head.
2 POST-PHOENIX UNCONTROLLED OUTBURSTS
Cyclops reached new levels of power when he was possessed by the Phoenix Force, so much so that we would become corrupted by it and turn into a new Dark Phoenix. He didn't really need his optic blasts much in this form, but after the Phoenix was removed from his body and reality, his powers were left dangerously broken.
This proved to be incredibly dangerous when he was forced to unleash a wide-angle optic blast to take down a fleet of Sentinels, which devastated the area he was in, cutting through buildings and Sentinels alike.
1 TOOK ON DORMAMMU OF THE DARK DIMENSION
It was during that time when Scott's powers were broken that his team of rogue X-Men was forced into a confrontation with the Dread Lord Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension and frequent enemy of Doctor Strange. Dormammu had attempted to take over the dimension of Limbo, which was ruled by Illyana Rasputin/Magik.
Scott showed he wasn't there to bargain when he removed his mask and gave up the last bit of control he had with his broken optic blasts, which actually managed to hurt and push Dormammu back, giving the X-Men time to regroup and eke out a victory.
With the somewhat recent influx of popularity that's hit the anime genre, it should come as no surprise that Hollywood has ideas for even more live-action adaptations. Historically the big screen and anime haven't been buddies when it comes to these live-action remakes but as of late with films like James Cameron's Alita Battle Angel, Rupert Sanders's Ghost in the Shell, and the recent Fumihiko Sori's Fullmetal Alchemist the light at the end of the tunnel isn't so dim.
Does that mean you shouldn't worry about the future of live-action anime films? Probably not, but that worry definitely won't stop Hollywood from making them. The least you can do is know what's around the horizon and prepare. Here are 5 live-action anime adaptations that are currently in development and 5 more that are in the rumor mill.
10 IN DEVELOPMENT: COWBOY BEBOP
Most of the series including the writing has been settled and filming has since long ago begun but we still have yet to see even a hint of a release date. We do however know our cast will consist of John Cho as Spike Spiegal, Alex Hassell as Vicious, Danielle Pienda as Faye Valentine, and Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black.
For those that are excited about this live-action Netflix adaptation, the wait might be even longer than anticipated as not long ago production was shut down for a few months due to an on-set injury of John Cho. Everyone will have to wait a bit longer to see their favorite space cowboy live.
9 RUMORED: VOLTRON
Years ago there was a confirmed Voltron live-action film in the works courtesy of Dreamworks. As of the 2016 Universal Pictures acquisition of Dreamworks, writer of the Watchmen and X-Men films David Hayder (yes, the David Hayder known for his voice of Metal Gear's Solid Snake) has been set on board to write Voltron's live-action debut screenplay.
It's been three years and we've still seen no sign of a trailer nor tease of Voltron anywhere. Although the success of the new Netflix series may be the sign to speed up production and get the project rolling.
8 IN DEVELOPMENT: YOUR NAME
The live-action sister film of the hit anime romantic fantasy film Your Name has been in development for quite a while with announcements going all the way back to 2017. With director Marc Webb (known for 500 Days of Summer, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Gifted) on board to direct.
As of 2017 producer, J.J Abrams announced the film has been worked on and will be released by Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions with lots of input from the original creators. Writer Eric Heisserer, the film's writer, has since announced that the film will be done from a western point of view and will feature a Native American girl and a boy from Chichago switching bodies.
7 RUMORED: FULL METAL ALCHEMIST SEQUEL
With the mixed reviews and quiet reception of the original Fullmetal Alchemist live-action movie, it's somewhat surprising to hear talks of a sequel at all. The film was released in 2017 and has since then hit Netflix in homes everywhere.
With the 2015 Japanese live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan being a theatrical flop, it's somewhat surprising to see American Hollywood give it a try. As of 2018, it is confirmed that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to produce an Attack on Titan live film and has signed on IT director, Andy Muschietti to direct.
This film has not seen the light of day yet as one can only imagine the development hell it's been going through since rumors started in 2017 but we at least have confirmation that it will be a thing.
As of 2018 the film has been confirmed to be stuck in development hell until the perfect script is agreed upon. It's not too uncommon for something like this to end up with a film not even seeing the light of day so this isn't something you'll want to hold your excitement for.
4 IN DEVELOPMENT: AKIRA
The Akira live action development cycle feels like the longest one ever. Warner Bros. has held the rights to create and distribute said adaptation since 2002 and just recently Taika Waititi has been confirmed to be on board to direct. Soon after that, the project was once again delayed due to the director's involvement with the upcoming film Thor: Love and Thunder.
As of October, Taika Waititi gives his word that the live-action adaptation is still happening just not now or anytime soon for that matter, much to the pleasure of the uneasy fans.
3 RUMORED: ROBOTECH
Another film stuck in the grasp of development hell. Robotech, a westernized series adaptation of the Japanese anime Macross has been in talks to have an adaptation of its own in development. These talks go back as far as the early 2000s, with early rumors having actors like Leonardo Dicaprio and Tobey Maguire in lead roles.
Tomorrow Studios is a well-known name and is no newbie when it comes to adaptations of eastern media as they've set out and announced these two series as upcoming projects among others. The quality of these series, however, we'll have to wait and see. The announcement has left fans with worry and unease, as we know how so many live anime adaptations end up.
1 RUMORED: STAR BLAZERS
Talks of a live-action Star Blazers (or Space Battleship Yamato) adaptation go all the way back to Walt Disney Picture's optioning of the rights to produce with Josh C. Kline as the producer. Since then in 2010 a Japanese live-action version was released and the next year talks of a western version opened back up that lead to nothing.
In 2017 talks began again and new producer David Ellison has stated that Zach Dean was signed on as a scriptwriter for the film and Mission Impossible director, Christopher McQuarrie will be joining the project. As of then, McQuarrie has said nothing on the project and more Mission Impossible films have been announced. With that being the case there are no promises or clear signs that this film will ever get off the ground.
