The Nerdist

⚡ Quick Take

• Current reports suggest that Disney+ is looking to create a free tier for the streaming service, following the success of things Tubi and the Roku Channel.

Once upon a time, in the “Long, Long Ago,” all television was free. I know, it seems like talking about medieval times. And now, in the year 2026, many of these streamers are starting to see the value in “free.” According to a recent report in Business Insider, the Walt Disney Company is discussing making some content accessible on Disney+ without a paywall. Disney’s product and tech chief, Adam Smith, spoke about enabling free-tier content during a streaming town hall recently. However, there is no timeline for this potential initiative from Disney+, at least not yet.

Disney+

Almost all the paid streamers have raised prices recently, right as wages have become stagnant for most people. And folks simply don’t have the money to spend on entertainment they once had. As a result, consumers are gravitating more and more toward free content on YouTube, along with ad-supported services like Tubi and The Roku Channel. While Disney+ will often drop full episodes for free on YouTube, like Wonder Man and X-Men ’97, they still have to use a different platform to get their content out for free. It makes sense to simply cut out the middleman and give viewers a free tier on the service itself.

RELATED ARTICLE

Every Streaming Cost Increase In 2026: TWO Price Hikes Already

So what kind of programming would become available on Disney+ without a paid subscription? We think you can look to some of their shows that are popular on the streamer, but not mega-popular. Shows that are getting good social media responses and critical feedback, but are struggling with retaining viewership. Think the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, for instance. Something like that would be a perfect candidate for a free Disney+ option. With D23 coming up soon, maybe they’ll have some kind of announcement about a free tier on Disney+. Currently, the Disney+ and Hulu bundle costs $12.99 a month with ads or $19.99 without ads at full price.

The post Disney+ Is Considering a Free Tier appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The newest and most likely final trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day shows Tom Holland Spidey encountering the Hulk, the Punisher, ninjas, and more.

It’s been nearly five years since Tom Holland graced our movie screens as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But the long wait for his return is nearly over. Will Tom Holland’s return live up to five years of built-up anticipation? Judging from this newest (and final?) trailer, we’d say yes to that question. This new trailer for Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day gives us all the good stuff we’ve been waiting for, including the return of Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. You can watch the new trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day below:

So what have we gleaned from this trailer? For starters, we can confirm there’s a time jump taking place in real time. Both Ned and MJ mention graduating MIT, which makes this about four years from where No Way Home ended. We also see that Peter meets Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who is back to being a college professor in his post-Avengers life. But at some point, the Hulk again will rise again. And we’ll get our first cinematic version of a Spidey/Green Goliath brawl. Peter seeks help from Jon Bernthal’s Punisher as well, suggesting these two know each other, teaming up already, during the time between films.

Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios

There’s also a mysterious threat that apparently, Spider-Man, whose body is mutating, is the only one to sense. Speaking of mutating, there’s a hooded figure throughout the trailer waving their hands around. Is this Sadie Sink? Possibly as future X-Man telepath/telekinetic Jean Grey? There is still a shortlist of characters she could play. But our money is currently on Sink playing the future host of the Phoenix Force. We’ve even got Spidey fighting Scorpion (Michael Mando), taking on ninjas, and delivering some classic Stan Lee quips. What more could you want?

You can check out even more of the fun in a brand new Spider-Man: Brand New Day teaser trailer.

New teaser for ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’.

In theaters on July 31. https://t.co/hjbxYGX7tV

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 10, 2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Jacob Batalon, and Sadie Sink, arrives in theaters on July 17.

Originally published on June 17, 2026.

The post SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Trailer Gives Us Hulk and the Punisher appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• A new report says Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, and Netflix are among the bidders for the popular fan movie review site Letterboxd.

Hollywood’s many mega-mergers are inherently bad for audiences. Consolidation means less competition, less voices being heard, and less stories being told. But the next potential combining of companies could also mean less criticism. Unfortunately, a new report says Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, and Netflix are among the bidders for the popular fan movie review site Letterboxd.

Letterboxd

According to news we first heard at Variety, Letterboxd is currently “shopping” itself to potential buyes. Among the interested parties in the social media site, which boats 30 million users globally, is (as Puck first reported) Netflix. Also in talks to buy the site are Paramount, Sony, and Reddit co-creator Alexis Ohanian.

At least three of them pose a pretty obvious problem. Letterboxd allows users to track and share their opinions on films. If any movie studio/streamer bought it they would ultimately own one of the internet’s best resources for movie lovers. It’s one of the best places to share your thoughts on cinema. Would a Netflix-owned Letterboxd allow negative reviews of its films? Would Sony prioritize positive reviews of its own releases over other studios? And would Paramount make it so you only got to read reviews of the roughly 80 gazillion movies it might soon own?

Would any of them allow the very funny reviews, some from very famous celebs, that make Letterboxd one of the web’s funniest places?

Charli XCX’s Letterboxd review of Moneyball

— Consequence (@consequence.bsky.social) 2024-12-28T02:28:03.719Z

Even if Letterboxd’s next owner didn’t do any of that and committed to keeping it as an independent warehouse for film buffs, how could users trust that? How could they believe a studio would buy a criticism site without assuming they had a selfish reason? (Beyond the obvious “they only use it to acquire precious data,” as though that’s not terrible for its own reasons.)

And that’s exactly why it would seem as though if a place like Netflix were to buy Letterboxd it would essentially destroy the very value the site now has. (Which might be relatively small for big budget studios, but isn’t exactly insignificant. In 2023, current majority owner Tiny bought 60% of Letterboxd at a valuation of $50 million.)

Mergers are bad for consumers, but this one could destroy everything people love about Letterboxd.

The post Netflix, Sony, Paramount Reportedly Want to Buy Letterboxd appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The post-credits scene for Evil Dead Burn makes no sense.
• It brings back a character from a previous movie in a baffling way.
• Ultimately, this Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene breaks the rules established by the rest of the franchise.

While the original three Evil Dead movies all had the same lead character, Ash Williams played by Bruce Campbell, the three movies that followed have all more or less felt standalone. None of the lead characters carry over, nor does the direct storyline. Or so we thought! Evil Dead Burn does carry over in certain ways with the previous movie, Evil Dead Rise. And while one aspect is pretty minor, the second, taking place during the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene, is more overt. It also, according to me, makes no f***ing sense.

New Line Cinema The Evil Dead Burn Opening Scene

The opening of Evil Dead Burn gives us the reawakening of the deadites via Joseph (Hunter Doohan) playing a recording from his occultist grandfather. The recording says that he found, and subsequently hid, a sacred dagger that can kill the Evil Dead. The opening scene of Evil Dead Burn then quickly cuts to under a lake, where we see a deadite open her eyes.

New Line Cinema

She might not be instantly recognizable, but this is Jessica, the victim of deaditism (not a word) from the wraparound segments from the previous movie, Evil Dead Rise. Jessica then pops out of the lake and kills a couple of guys fishing in the rain before trudging on to the wooded road only for Will (George Pullar) to plow into her with his car. This then sets the entire plot of the movie in motion.

Jessica doesn’t have the instant recognition you might expect for a carryover character, but the character that arrives in the post-credits Evil Dead Burn scene definitely does.

The Post-Credits Evil Dead Burn Scene Brings Back Ellie From Evil Dead Rise

After the whole of the credits, and a mid-credits scene which sees the deadite Grandma Polly (Maude Davey) dragging herself down the road and attacking a motorist, we cut back into the funeral home from earlier in the movie for the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene. In this scene, the funeral director (Greta van den Brink) and her elementary-age daughter put urns of cremains on a shelf. The daughter asks why they have all these dead people here. The director shares that sometimes families don’t come and pick up the cremains, and she keeps them for a while.

She then goes to check on a knock at the door, leaving the little girl alone with the urns. She looks at and reads aloud some comically large name plates. The first says “Christopher Leroy.” For the life of me, I can’t figure out who this is supposed to be. It’s not a character in the movies. My best guess is it’s the name of a friend of director Sébastien Vaniček. The second name we hear in the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene is “Ellie Bixler.” Now this IS a character in the Evil Dead universe.

New Line Cinema

Just then, we hear a woman’s voice, and the girl naturally thinks it’s her mother. But it isn’t. She looks in the mirror, and instead of her own reflection, we see Ellie, the mother who becomes a deadite in Evil Dead Rise. Yes, Ellie is back in the post-credits scene of Evil Dead Burn.

Played by Alyssa Sutherland, Ellie in deadite form, with her red hair and devilish grin, was far and away the standout image of that movie. A great performance. After a quick Marx Bros. routine with the girl and Ellie mirroring each other, Ellie is suddenly behind the girl for real. She reaches out and snaps the girl’s neck before saying, “Mommy’s back.” This is a reference to the best line in Rise: “Mommy’s with the maggots now.”

Why This Evil Dead Burn Post-Credits Scene Makes No Fucking Sense

This Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene implies that Ellie’s body was cremated following the events of Evil Dead Rise and that that movie’s two survivors, Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Kassie (Nell Fisher), left those remains at the funeral home. But…no. The final act of Evil Dead Rise finds Beth and Kassie fighting off a horrifying bodily amalgam of Ellie and her two deaditified kids, Bridget and Danny. Using a chainsaw, Beth chops up this nightmare family and forces it into the whirring blades of a tree shredder. Blood and gore go a-flyin’.

New Line Cinema

What I’m saying is, there’s nothing left of their bodies at all. So what exactly was cremated? Did the authorities scoop up the hunks of Ellie viscera and take that to a funeral home? And how could they have separated the Ellie bits from the Bridget and Danny bits? What CSI got that job?

None of this matters really anyway, because the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene fundamentally breaks the rules of the Evil Dead universe. Since the first movie, and in every single movie since, including the TV series, the incorporeal demon entities possess the bodies of people, turning them into deadites. Established time and again, the way to destroy a deadite is totally bodily dismemberment and pulverization. The demonic entity then dissipates and either goes into hiding or possesses another person.

At no point in the Evil Dead universe is a deadite ever a ghost, and never does the demonic entity keep the visage of a previous host. Once the host body is destroyed, the demon goes elsewhere. This whole Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene breaks the laws of the movie (albeit fictional, I know, I’m not delusional. I’m just a pedantic nerd) simply to bring back the newer movies’ most recognizable and iconic character.

Why It Matters

It doesn’t. Ultimately, who cares? And good for Alyssa Sutherland getting another paycheck. But it is a wholly cynical studio move to try to drum up excitement for the next movie, Evil Dead Wrath, due out in 2028 from director Francis Galluppi. I’m clearly in more of a minority when it comes to my feelings on Evil Dead Burn compared to several critics, but I can’t imagine any of them found this scene good or sensical.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post The EVIL DEAD BURN Post-Credits Scene Makes No F***ing Sense appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Notorious Flash villain Gorilla Grodd has been cast for the upcoming Jimmy Olsen-centric DC Crime series, with Scream 7’s Jimmy Tatro.

Despite the setback of Supergirl’s critical and box office failure, James Gunn’s new DCU is not about to shut down over one flop. Via a report from Deadline, it looks like the Jimmy Olsen-centric “DC Crime” series for HBO Max is still chugging along, even though it doesn’t have an official greenlight from Warner Bros. yet. But it appears it has already cast one of its primary characters, as actor Jimmy Tatro, most recently seen in Scream 7, will play the part of arch-villain Gorilla Grodd. The hyper-intelligent ape has been a mainstay DC Comics bad guy for several decades. The show, should it get the greenlight, will start shooting soon.

Paramount/DC Comics

DC Crime comes from Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, creators of Netflix’s American Vandal series. That true-crime satire series ran from 2017 to 2018. They’ll both write, executive produce, and serve as series showrunners. From all reports, this show will retain a similar mockumentary format, focusing on the life and crimes of one particular villain, told through the reporting of Daily Planet journalist Jimmy Olsen. Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role from last year’s Superman. One would imagine if the series gets another season, the focus would shift to a different villain. In an enormous show of restraint, the series did not start out with a Batman villain, focusing instead on Gorilla Grodd.

In DC Comics, Gorilla Grodd is a telepathic ape with a genius-level intellect. He’s been one of the Flash’s main bad guys since Flash #106 in 1959. He hails from the hidden Gorilla City, a society of intelligent apes in Africa. All of whom are peaceful and advanced, except for Grodd, who wishes to conquer humanity. In animation, Grodd became iconic thanks to his Legion of Doom membership on Super Friends, and later, Justice League. A version of Gorilla Grodd also became a primary antagonist for Barry Allen on the CW The Flash series. The character appeared in Creature Commandos, confirming his existence in the DCU. Now, it remains to be seen if his arch-nemesis, the Flash, appears in this series. It’s hard to imagine Gorilla Grodd without his main squeeze.

The post SCREAM 7’s Jimmy Tatro May Play Gorilla Grodd in the DCU appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment are bringing all five The Hunger Games movies back to theaters this fall ahead of Sunrise on the Reaping.

Do you love watching innocent children slaughter each other for the entertainment of the uber wealthy? If you said “yes,” we will need you to clarify you are only interested in fictional stories. If that is the case, then you can continue reading this very good news. This fall Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment are bringing all five Hunger Games movies back to theaters.

Hunger Games movie fans will soon get a chance to see each installment up on the big screen once again. All five films in the franchise—The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay — Part 1, Mockingjay — Part 2, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes —will return to movie theaters from September 3 to September 7.

If you want to see all five Hunger Games films, get ready to spend five straight days at the movies. Each will get its own day in theaters. The first Hunger Games movie will kick things off in theaters on the 3rd. The special rerelease will then end with the first prequel movie, the last film to debut in theaters, 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Lionsgate/Fathom Entertainment

This event will come a little more than a month before the release of the franchise’s next installment, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The story of young Haymitch’s time in the arena will premiere on November 20. Each theatrical rerelease will also include a sneak peek at the latest adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ series. You can already order your tickets here.

“Jennifer Lawrence’s performances as the hero Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games movies were landmark cinematic achievements from 2012-2015. Fathom Entertainment is thrilled to partner once again with Lionsgate in bringing The Hunger Games: All Five Films to the big screen September 3-7,” said Jason Brenek, Chief Executive Officer, Fathom Entertainment, in a statement about the Hunger Games movies returning to theaters. “With each film featuring a distinct, theatrical exclusive look at The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, this is a must-see series of films for fans.”

Odds are, if you really love FICTIONAL stories of kids killing each other for sport, you’ll be seeing all five of these Hunger Games films in movie theaters, the way they were meant to be seen.

The post All 5 HUNGER GAMES Movies Returning to Theaters This Fall appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• A Free Willy reboot is in the works from Warner Bros.
• The ’90s cult classic movie, Free Willy, which advocated for animal rights, was a box office smash. But its sequels didn’t do so well.
• The Free Willy Reboot will be executive-produced by the Russo brothers.

I am begging anyone to come up with an original idea. As of now, Warner Bros. has announced a reboot of the 90s movie Free Willy, according to Variety. This cult classic movie focuses on a young boy’s relationship with an orca and his attempts to save it from captivity. The original Free Willy was a huge hit, so naturally the studios proceeded to make three more… But ratings were consistently worse with each movie. The most logical conclusion? Reboot Free Willy entirely in 2026 and try again.

Donner Productions/Regency Enterprises/StudioCanal/Alcor Films

The Russo brothers will produce the Free Willy Reboot. They have worked on various Avengers films, including Infinity War and Endgame, and will soon be back in the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday. So this movie about a whale will certainly be a change of pace. Theirs won’t be the only Marvel influence, with screenwriter Mary-Margaret Kunze having started her career working on Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Does this mean the Free Willy reboot will have the biggest team-up of famous movie orcas of all time? We’ll have to wait and see.

The original Free Willy movie had a $20 million budget, but grossed over $150 million worldwide—making it WILDLY successful. It inspired activism about orca captivity. 20 years later, Blackfish came out, a documentary about the perils of orca captivity, which led to more activism against aquariums and aquatic theme parks. And, to be fair, if this Free Willy reboot can spark that energy for our sealife, we’re not mad at about it.

Marvel Studios

Free Willy was not only heartwarming on the surface level but sparked public interest in important animal rights issues. The issues that Free Willy advocates against are absolutely still relevant today, with plenty of animals (marine or not) still in unsafe captivity. But we’re not sure if raising this kind of awareness is the main purpose of this reboot.

Other recent movies have dealt with animal rights issues, everything from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 vividly portraying the cruelty of animal experimentation to movies like Good Boy that star animals and emphasize their well-being on set. So, it is possible. But we’ll have to wait a while yet to see what this Free Willy reboot from the Russo Brothers holds. The movie has no set release date yet.

The post FREE WILLY Reboot (From the Russos) Is Happening… For Some Reason appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Marvel Studios will officially return to Comic-Con in San Diego this year, and we expect some big reveals, especially for Avengers: Doomsday.

Although it was heavily rumored for some months now, it’s now confirmed: Marvel Studios will return to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, with a special presentation. This is separate from the rumored Spider-Man: Brand New Day panel, which is said to be happening, and would be a Sony Pictures panel. The Marvel Studios Hall H Presentation will take place on Saturday, July 24, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. PT. The only tease we have of what’s to come from Marvel at SDCC is the following blurb: “Join Marvel Studios, alongside special guests from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for an exclusive look at what’s next.”

Marvel Studios/Comic-Con International

We imagine Marvel Studios’ head honcho Kevin Feige will be there as he always is, being the best carnival barker in the movie business. We expect to see the Avengers: Doomsday trailer (finally), and maybe some new casting announcements for Avengers: Secret Wars. Will RDJ and Chris Evans reunite on stage? We don’t count it out. Another possibility for the Marvel SDCC panel is that we get some of our first X-Men reboot casting announcements. It seems those are due just about any day now. And hey, maybe we actually get some news about Blade. Just kidding, that probably isn’t in the cards. Although stranger things have happened at Marvel’s SDCC Hall H outings!

Of course, “Marvel” doesn’t just mean “Marvel Studios.” The hottest Marvel Comics-related thing right now is probably Marvel Rivals, with two panels centered on the game, one for Thursday, July 23, and one for Friday, July 24. And Marvel Comics’ big horror/superhero mashup line, Marvel’s Midnight Universe, is getting a big push at this year’s SDCC. X-Men ’97 will also have a special presentation as well. And as always, there will be a Marvel cosplay meetup. It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without the cosplay. For Marvel’s complete schedule at SDCC 2026, be sure to click on this link.

The post Marvel Studios Returns to SDCC’s Hall H in 2026 appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat has landed a well-deserved panel in Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Get ready for Lestat, SDCC!

It’s a jam-packed year at San Diego Comic-Con in 2026. Marvel is expected to return to SDCC with some major announcements. The Rings of Power is riding back into the swing of things. And… The Vampire Lestat has landed a panel in Hall H. Rock star vampire summer has arrived in all its glory. We at Nerdist were at The Vampire Lestat‘s Ballroom 20 panel last year, and it was AMAZING. Of all the panels we visited (and there were many), The Vampire Lestat‘s outing was easily the most exciting, most passion-filled, and most thrilling of them all. Fans were absolutely in a frenzy. The room was as full as I’ve seen it. There was electricity, chemistry, and a hunger for every little morsel of information about what was to come. It was a celebration that was not to be missed, which could only be fueled by a series that is truly beloved by its fans. And that’s why it makes all the sense in the world that, for SDCC 2026, The Vampire Lestat has graduated to Hall H. It could not be a more well-earned move.

AMC The Vampire Lestat Is Heading to SDCC’s Hall H—And It Is WELL-DESERVED

The love for Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat has only grown over the last few years. And it shows no signs of stopping. Ballroom 20 just isn’t big enough to contain it anymore. And that’s why The Vampire Lestat has to find a new home at the very heart of San Diego Comic-Con, Hall H. But hey, The Vampire Lestat filled a whole concert venue in NYC and held an actual rock show. Hall H is a walk in the park (with Armand and Daniel) after that.

The vampires are returning to San Diego.

Join us at @Comic_Con International for the official #TheVampireLestat panel, moderated by @rottentomatoes' Jacqueline Coley (@thatjacqueline), July 24 starting at 12:30pm PT in Hall H. #SDCC26 pic.twitter.com/A0MnNIOin2

— The Vampire Lestat (@AMCsAnneRice) July 9, 2026

This The Vampire Lestat panel at SDCC will land immediately after the final episode of The Vampire Lestat season one. And that means that the love and excitement for The Vampire Lestat will be at an all-time high. And fans will be HUNGRY for some answers about whatever delicious devilry they will have just witnessed on their screens. So, even if you just want to experience true communion of enthusiasm and affection, we suggest you check out this panel. If you’re heading to SDCC, make sure to add The Vampire Lestat‘s Hall H panel to your list.

AMC When and Where Is The Vampire Lestat’s San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Panel?

Here are the details:

The Vampire Lestat Panel on Friday, July 24, 12:30pm-1:15pm, Hall H  

The Vampire Lestat cast and producers, including Jacob Anderson (“Louis du Pointe du Lac”), Assad Zaman (“Armand”) and Eric Bogosian (“Daniel Molloy”), Rolin Jones (creator and showrunner), Mark Johnson (executive producer) and Hannah Moscovitch (executive producer) take the stage for a panel moderated by Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline Coley discussing the jaw-dropping season finale, with highlights from the electrifying music performance The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid as Lestat. 

This season, Lestat (Reid) goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.

AMC

Yes, Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Rolin Jones, Mark Johnson, and Hannah Moscovitch will be on hand. And we already can’t wait to hear from them. All of the above have delivered us one astounding season of television this year. The SDCC Hall H panel will also allow fans to get a new glimpse at The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live, which, as mentioned, took place in NYC. We’re sure that will be some stunning footage.

The Vampire Lestat Is Can’t Miss Television

In our The Vampire Lestat review, Nerdist wrote, “The Vampire Lestat is unlike anything else on TV right now. When I envision what it was like to watch the series, the image of a stained-glass window, smashed up and then turned into a mosaic that we try to parse, comes to mind. Maybe we don’t fully understand every facet of the design, but we are aware it’s beautiful. The Vampire Lestat is not a simple watch, if that’s what you’re looking for—instead, it’s a revelatory meditation on some of the most intense possible themes, dressed up in sultry crooning, sweat, and glitter with an edge sharp enough to slice right into you. (Complimentary.)”

And so, if you haven’t watched The Vampire Lestat yet and you’re heading to SDCC. We suggest you do so IMMEDIATELY!!! Otherwise, we’ll see you in Hall H. (And if you haven’t watched The Vampire Lestat and you’re not heading to SDCC, watch it anyway!!!)

The Vampire Lestat airs Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and midnight PT on AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is ready for Devil’s Minion to become canon so one of her ships can finally sail.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Moves to Hall H at SDCC (And It Is DESERVED!) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The trailer for Buddy takes the concept of Barney and turns it into a horror show that’s nightmare fuel for kids.

If you were a child of the ‘90s, you certainly remember Barney. He was the dinosaur sensation from our imagination who taught us how to be a friend. We loved him, and he loved us, too. I personally owned a talking Barney stuffed animal that I slept with at night. As I got older, I began to see the somewhat creepier aspects of Barney. That big ole head and those unblinking eyes were one thing, but a random big dinosaur who plays with kids all day with no parental supervision is…sketchy. Well, the teaser trailer for Buddy takes the concept of Barney and makes it horror. 

In the clip, we see a bright orange unicorn singing and playing with a group of kids in a dreamlike place that appears to have ’90s vibes. It’s clear that Buddy sparks joy for all the youth as they help him spread pure joy into the world. Well, almost everyone. It seems that one child is not down for hanging out with a big furry unicorn (totally understandable), and that’s when Buddy’s facade starts to crack.

RELATED ARTICLE

Live-Action BARNEY Movie: Ayo Edebiri to Write and Maybe Star in Daniel Kaluuya-Produced Film

The utopia that is presented gets dark, and we see kids starting to look pretty terrified. That’s for good reason. There’s blood on children’s shirts, some weird doll, and a really creepy eye. Were they being mind controlled or held hostage? What does Buddy want? Does he feed off their energy like Aunt Gladys? We all need answers. What makes this even more intriguing is that Keegan-Michael Key plays Buddy the Unicorn. 

Roadside Attractions/Saban Films

My thoughts about the Buddy horror movie teaser trailer are pretty simple. I love it. I need it. And yes I need to see it as soon as possible. Thankfully, none of us have to wait very long because Buddy will come to theaters on August 28.

The post BUDDY Trailer: Barney Vibes, But Make It Nightmare Fuel appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The legendary monster isn’t the only battle mankind faces in the intense new teaser trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero.

Mankind might have (barely) survived its encounter with one of cinema’s greatest monsters in Godzilla Minus One, but it didn’t eliminate the threat. And in the Oscar-winning film’s follow-up, that iconic kaiju is back. He’s also bigger and more dangerous than ever before. But as the new teaser trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero shows, the battle against Godzilla isn’t the only war being waged. Even old allies will find themselves battling one another as they struggle to do even know what’s right and what’s wrong in the face of total annihilation.

This Godzilla Minus Zero teaser from TOHO and GKIDS for director Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel marks the return of many familiar faces. Ryunosuke Kamiki is back as Koichi Shikishima, the kamikaze pilot who earned redemption standing up to Godzilla. As is Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima. Also back for mor emonster fun are Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, director of the Disaster Response Bureau. Yuki Yamada reprises his role as Shiro Mizushima. As does his boat’s captain, Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu. And the film also marks the return os Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota and Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta.

This time they’ll be joined by Min Tanaka (Kokuho). He’s playing “the pivotal role of Kanji Murakami, a biologist carrying deep psychological scars from the war.”

TOHO/GKIDS

What exactly is going on, though? The film’s previous trailer showed Godzilla near the Statue of Liberty, as the legendary creature will also threaten the United States. But the film’s official synopsis says this battle will truly be the last anyone fights against Godzilla. From TOHO and GKIDS:

War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here.

How will everything end? We’ll find out when Godzilla stomps his way back to theaters later this year. Godzilla Minus Zero will debut in Japan on November 3, the anniversary of the original 1954 film’s release. It will then open in North America on November 6.

The post Mankind Battles Its Worst Instincts in GODZILLA MINUS ZERO Teaser appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Netflix is teaming up with media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, People, Buzzfeed, and others to bring video content to subscribers.

When it comes to streaming services, there isn’t one that baffles me more than Netflix. The streamer was once at the forefront of the industry but now, with loads of competition from HBO Max, Prime Video, and Disney+, it seems that Netflix would have a solid strategy to fight back. But, the flagship series Stranger Things is over and there doesn’t seem to be any other major series to take its place. Sure, Wednesday is incredibly popular, but Stranger Things was a mammoth of a series. And new original films that come to the streamer are hit and miss, to say the least.

Netflix is leaning more of the weird reality competition series and documentary route, and I’m not totally sure about that pathway. The streamer also continues to increase its prices, which has some consumers wondering exactly what they are paying for. Now, Netflix is teaming up with Penske Media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter as well as People, Buzzfeed, and others to bring video content to consumers. 

BERNARD WALSH/NETFLIX

According to The Hollywood Reporter, these Netflix streaming videos will be anywhere from 3-20 minute episodes that subscribers can find on its homepage starting August 3. The topics will have a lifestyle slant and include travel inspo, cooking, fashion trends, celebrity profiles, home and gardening tips and viral conversations. So basically, Netflix is trying to become a pseudo version of YouTube with video content. 

There will be archival content with BuzzFeed Celeb’s 30 Questions, Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector, Architectural Digest’s Walking Tour, Harper’s Bazaar’s Burning Questions, Billboard’s 24 Hrs With, Variety’s How Well Do They Know?, People’s My Life in Pictures and Travel + Leisure’s Travel Unfiltered. 

RELATED ARTICLE

Netflix Recreated Gene Wilder’s Voice With AI for WONKA’S THE GOLDEN TICKET

I suppose it does make sense to try to bring in fans of those types of series and then perhaps recommend shows/movies that align with their interests. That’s better than introducing a bunch of new series and cancelling them after one season. We will check out these videos and see if it’s what Netflix needs to set themselves up to elevate to a new streaming level.

The post Netflix Teams Up With Media Outlets for Video Content appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• ’80s power ballad icon Bonnie Tyler is dead. The “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer was 75 at the time of her death.

At Nerdist, we don’t cover too much music. But it’s undoubtedly true that the movies and TV series that we love so much are greatly impacted by the great musical artists of different times. And one of these artists is absolutely Bonnie Tyler. From Stranger Things to Shrek, ’80s power ballad icon Bonnie Tyler has certainly left her mark across pop culture. (Not to mention given this author her favorite karaoke song.) And so, with great sadness, we share that Bonnie Tyler has died. Tyler was 75 at the time of her death.

Bonnie Tyler’s death marks the loss of a great ’80s icon. And if you’ve never seen her “Total Eclipse of the Heart” music video, it’s a great cinematic masterpiece in its own right. And we greatly encourage you to watch it immediately. Dramatic lighting, billowing fabric, dancers in the middle of the hall, falling chandeliers, and a possessed group of college men, for some reason. We have no choice but to stan. Tyler knew how to deliver a power ballad.

Bonnie Tyler

In a statement around Bonnie Tyler’s death, her family shares, “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in a hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly, but for now, ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

It seems Bonnie Tyler had been unwell for some time leading up to her death, and had been in a prolonged medically induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery for a perforated intestine.

The Welsh singer, who originally found fame in the 1970s and 80s, was still performing concerts late into her life. And even though it had been over 40 years since “Total Eclipse of the Heart” released and became a huge hit, Bonnie Tyler loved it her whole life. “I never get tired of singing it,” she shared with BBC News. “I love it because everyone can’t wait to sing it.”

And love it we do. We feel greatly saddened by Tyler’s death. But grateful that she gave generations of people an anthem to scream in the shower as they pour their hearts to the gods. We appreciate the legacy Bonnie Tyler leaves to the world.

The post Bonnie Tyler Dies, ‘Total Eclipse’ Singer Was 75 appeared first on Nerdist.

Join us as we explain everything you need to know from this latest trailer for Dune Part 3! Our resident Dune-atic Matt Caron breaks down the who’s who of the Dune universe and the conspiracy plot against Paul Atreides. Plus, we caught some details that may have major implications of the Dune franchise!

Watch our breakdown for the first trailer!

Editor’s note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

The post Dune Part 3’s New Trailer Has Some Shocking Reveals! appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Stranger Things season 5 did not receive any of the major Emmy Awards nominations.
• While some may consider this a snub, overall audience reviews and critiques point to it being a justified vote.

Stranger Things was no doubt a cultural phenomenon. Seasons 4 and 5 both appeared on Netflix’s ‘Top 10 Shows of All Time’ list. Despite its popularity, season 5 was not an audience favorite. The Popcornmeter is full of fans complaining about unkillable main characters, bad CGI, and trope-y, cliched writing.

If it was for these reasons is unclear, but voters excluded the season from the Emmy nominations for Best Drama. The series’s actors got nothing in their categories, either.

Netflix

The season follows the characters from the previous four seasons as they band together and try to find and defeat Vecna, the primary antagonist. The battle they fight is both physical and mental. It also includes a lot of callbacks and parallels to prior seasons, a detail that had mixed reviews from fans.

After four relatively well-received seasons, some fans thought season five was a bit of a letdown. The season was a hot topic on social media when it came out. Plenty of critical reviews yielded high like counts and concurring comments.

@bareeqreads

Worst season of all time. You cannot convince me otherwise. #strangerthings #strangerthingss5

♬ original sound – bareeqreads

After 10 years of devotion to the show, fans were able to watch the finale in theaters on December 31, 2025. Immediately, though, there was backlash from devoted fans who easily found plot holes during the final battle.

@mattsmultiverse

What Was That #strangerthings #strangerthings5 #strangerthingsseason5 #filmtok #movietok

♬ Stranger Things – Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

For the first time since the series came out, it did not receive a nomination for Best Drama this year. It seems the Emmys voters may have shared the fans’ critiques. They excluded the show from the top categories, limiting it to lower, more specific ones. Stranger Things‘ fifth season appears under “Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama” and “Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie.” Overall, it appears in seven categories. While some fans may think this is a snub, others certainly find it just.

The post STRANGER THINGS Excluded from Best Drama and Acting Emmys appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Obsidian Entertainment, the original studio that developed Fallout: New Vegas in 2010, has been put in charge of making the next Fallout game.
• This comes amid the major restructuring at Xbox, which will include thousands of layoffs and closing several studios.
• Microsoft has canceled other projects on Obsidian’s docket, including a follow-up to Avowed, which underperformed.

The world of Xbox was shaken Tuesday with the announcement of a massive “restructuring” by the company’s new CEO Asha Sharma. This will result in over 2,000 layoffs in the next year and the closure or selling off of several subsidiary studios. But on a granular level, the studios that will stick around found themselves shifted to new projects. One of those is Obsidian Entertainment, who in addition to laying off a quarter of its workforce, will, according to Bloomberg, take over development of the next Fallout game.

Microsoft has taken Obsidian off of planned sequel to the 2025 roleplaying game Avowed along with other unannounced projects. Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer, the studio’s design director, will take over Fallout‘s next installment. While Bethesda owns the rights to Fallout and have produced most of the games since obtaining the IP, they haven’t made all of them. The last Fallout game Bethesda didn’t develop was 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas. You know who did develop it? Obsidian Entertainment, directed by Josh Sawyer. And everyone loves that game!

Obsidian/Bethesda

Fallout, hot off the success of the Prime Video series, remains one of Xbox’s biggest properties. But, even so, the most recent game to come out was 2018’s Fallout 76. Seeing as New Vegas featured prominently in season two of the series, and it remains one of the most beloved in the franchise, putting Sawyer and Obsidian in charge is a smart choice. Even if borne out of draconian corporate cuts.

RELATED ARTICLE

Xbox Laying Off 20% of Workforce, Divesting of 5 Studios

Obsidian’s previous games include the action role-playing series The Outer Worlds and fantasy ARPG Avowed. Both Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 released in 2025 and, despite mostly positive reviews, failed to meet Xbox Game Studios’ sales goals. Still, the studio was working apace on an Avowed sequel. Bloomberg reports, “it was on track to be announced within the next year. But in the end, it did not fit into Sharma’s overall strategy, according to people familiar with the game’s development.”

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS Studio Will Tackle Next FALLOUT Game appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• A Kickstarter trailer for Dinosaurs of the Wild West has hit the internet.
• It comes from Luke Starke, the director of dino horror/war movie Primitive War.
• The series would depict a world where humans and dinos coexist.

Does anyone remember that movie Cowboys and Aliens? Ok, that one wasn’t terribly memorable. But we still like the idea of gunslingers in the Old West mixing it up with elements that are a little bit out of their purview. Which is why the concept for the series Dinosaurs of the Wild West has us positively giddy. This new project from director Luke Sparke imagines a world where dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, and mankind evolved alongside them. And in the era of saloons and ghost towns, cowboys learned to ride them. Yes, even the big ones. You can help make Dinosaurs of the Wild West a reality via Kickstarter, and you can watch a special trailer right for it right here:

According to the official synopsis, “The year is 1879, humans and dinosaurs have evolved together. But as the frontier grows stronger, so does the threat of extinction. But this time, it won’t be natural.” Dinosaurs of the Wild West comes from the same creative team behind the cult dino-horror film Primitive War. The official Kickstarter page describes this as “A bold new vision of the Old West, where towering beasts power civilization, and the fight for the future will decide whether they survive.” In this world, giant Brontosaurs haul entire towns, while cowboys ride Raptors into battle, as flying predators rule the skies.” This sounds like an ’80s/’90s toyline come to life, and we’re very here for it.

Kickstarter/Sparke Films

We also have a description for the potential first episode of Dinosaurs of the Wild West below:

When a relentless bounty hunter crosses paths with a frontier lawman, they uncover a conspiracy that reaches far beyond a single town… A conspiracy that could end the age of dinosaurs forever. Hunted by outlaws. Outmatched by industry. Out of time. They must decide: Fight for the world they know… or watch it vanish.

To make sure Dinosaurs of the Wild West becomes a reality, head on over to its official Kickstarter page.

The post DINOSAURS OF THE WILD WEST Trailer Unites Cowboys and Dinos appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• J.K. Simmons confirms he will not appear as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
• Simmons had played the character in the three Sam Raimi films plus No Way Home.
• The actor said “Not in it, dude.”

There are truly no louder haters than J. Jonah Jameson, the Daily Bugle editor-in-chief. One of Spider-Man’s antagonists, Jameson makes it his life’s mission in every single Spider-Man iteration to expose his identity and make him out to be a bad guy.

J.K. Simmons appeared as the notorious newspaperman in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man starting 2002. He was also the face of The Daily Bugle web series promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home. After he made a cameo in No Way Home when multiple Spider-Man universes collided, fans were hoping they might see him in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, he has now officially confirmed that he will not appear in the movie in an interview with ComicBook.

“Not in it, dude. I don’t know who on the internet decided that that was fact, but I ain’t in it.”

Marvel Studios/Sony

Despite audience protest, it does make sense that he will not be returning. He is working on a one-season crime show, The Westies, which started filming around the same time as Brand New Day. With the new movie’s plot, it doesn’t seem that the Daily Bugle side of Peter’s life will be the main focus.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man does seem here to stay. Holland has been publicly discussing some ideas he has for the future of his role in the MCU. One of these would be including Miles Morales as Peter’s mentee, similar to the relationship developed in Into the Spider-Verse.

There are many more details yet to be uncovered about the upcoming movie. From Sadie Sink’s unconfirmed role to how Spider-Man will interact with the Hulk, the Punisher, and his former friends, we are still in the dark. Unfortunately, though, one mystery can be considered solved, and we’ll have to say goodbye to the sinister J. Jonah Jameson for now.

The post J.K. Simmons Confirms He Won’t Return in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Widow’s Bay earned 19 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
• Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey, and Stephen Root all received acting nominations.
• Pluribus and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also got nominations for Best Drama Series.

The 78th Annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations have been revealed, and there are plenty of noms for some nerdy genre favorites this year. Not quite as many as last year, when Severance, Andor, and The Last of Us got a metric ton of nominations, but still way more than in years past. Widow’s Bay, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Pluribus received many nominations, and all have a fair shot at winning. And there were some surprises we didn’t see coming as well, and as always, there were some major snubs. Past Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller announced the nominations.

HBO/Apple TV

The winner of last year’s Best Drama Series, the medical drama The Pitt, once again leads all nominees, with 25 total. This is followed by Hacks in the comedy category with 24. But Widow’s Bay, the quirky supernatural comedy series from Apple TV+, came in third, with 19 nominations. Not bad for a freshman genre series. It garnered nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as for Matthew Rhys (Lead Actor), Stephen Root (Supporting Actor), Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn (Supporting Actress), and Hamish Linklater and Betty Gilpin (Guest Actors). Also, Hiro Murai and Katie Dippold received directing nominations for the pilot “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”

Apple TV

Apple TV’s other genre show with several nominations is the sci-fi hit Pluribus, coming in at 18. In the major categories, it received Best Drama Series, Best Supporting Actress (Karolina Wydra), Best Lead Actress (Rhea Seehorn), and Best Supporting Actor (Carlos-Manuel Vesga). Turning to Westeros, HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms didn’t get any acting nominations, which is a bummer, but it did receive a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. So that’s not exactly nothing. Prime Video’s fan-favorite Fallout received 10 nominations, but none in the major categories. Not even for the excellent Walton Goggins.

Horror fans got some love as well, as Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story received nominations for its lead performers, Charlie Hunnam and Laurie Metcalf. That series was often tasteless, but the acting was top-notch. For its final season, Stranger Things received 7 technical nominations, but nothing in the major categories. Netflix’s spooky comedy megahit Wednesday received 6 nominations, but again, nothing in the major categories. And It: Welcome to Derry only received two technical nominations. Which is a shame.

Marvel Studios

A few comic book shows received nominations in technical categories too, but that’s pretty much it. The Boys got 7 nominations for its final season, but none in the major categories. No, not even for Antony Starr as Homelander. Which just feels wrong, no matter how you felt about the last season. However, Yahya Abdul-Mateen got a nom for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Wonder Man. And Spider-Noir received several nods in the technical categories. Will any of these nerdy shows win? We think Widow’s Bay has an excellent shot. We’ll have to wait and see when they hand out the awards on Monday, September 14, on NBC. For the full list of this year’s Emmy nominations, head on over to Deadline.

The post 2026 Emmy Noms Honor Genre Hits WIDOW’S BAY, PLURIBUS, and More appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• We’re looking at Apocalypse’s biggest moments in X-Men comics history.
• Apocalypse is the main villain of X-Men ’97 season two.
• His is one of the most complicated and weirdest storylines in Marvel Comics.

The villains in the X-Men comics are some of the most colorful and interesting in Marvel’s long history. Some have proven to have real staying power, while others were very “of their time.” The first 20-ish years gave readers Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Hellfire Club, anti-Mutant hate groups and their Sentinels, and alien threats like the Brood. By the mid-’80s, with Chris Claremont writing the main series for over a decade, things began to change, with more and more evil Mutants of varying power levels. Of these, the first and arguably most important is the ancient Mutant En Sabah Nur, known the world over as Apocalypse.

Marvel Animation

Because Mr. Nur is the main baddie in season two of X-Men ’97, we thought we’d walk you through the most important events in his wild and wacky history from the pages of Marvel Comics.

X-Factor

Apocalypse became a major fixture of the nascent X-Factor comics in 1986. That series took the original five X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, and the newly resurrected Marvel Girl) and made them a government-sponsored Mutant-policing force. Original writer Bob Layton introduced baddies called the Alliance of Evil who had a shady and unseen benefactor for the first few issues. After issue number five, Layton left the series. Editor Bob Harras put longtime Marvel creative Louise Simonson on X-Factor and charged her with giving X-Factor a villain worthy of the original X-team. Someone up there with Magneto in heft and aura. Thus, Apocalypse was properly born.

Marvel

Apocalypse is the “First Mutant,” an extrapolation of Magneto’s belief that Homo superior are the destined rulers of Earth. Apocalypse believes not only are Mutants the be-all, end-all, he believes fundamentally in Charles Darwin and survival of the fittest. For Mutants, or anyone, to live, they must earn that right. Fighting to the death, etc.

His primary Mutant ability is self-atomic manipulation, meaning he has total control over every atom in his body. He can therefore reshape, rewrite, and retool his physiognomy at will. And what a will it is. Over the years, Apocalypse has also had his powers enhanced through various external forces, including Celestials and techno-organic viruses. And speaking of external, Apocalypse is one of the Mutant subspecies called Externals. Externals are all but immortal, as Apocalypse can self-resurrect after dying.

The Horsemen

To continue Simonson’s Biblical reference with Apocalypse, in X-Factor #15, she and her husband, artist Walt Simonson, gave Apocalypse his Four Horsemen. These four individuals (many different ones over the years) are Mutants whom Apocalypse imbues with a massive power boost and form of genetic brainwashing. The Horsemen take on the embodiments of War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.

Marvel Comics

When we first meet the Horsemen in X-Factor, Apocalypse only has three. Mutant soldier Abraham Kieros, who creates massive seismic waves when he claps, becomes War. Autumn Rolfson, whose power causes things to decay, becomes Famine. Morlock Plague, whose powers can give people illness, naturally became the Horseman Pestilence. But who, then, would assay the role of Death? This is perhaps one of Apocalypse’s most infamous acts. He chooses Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, one of the very first X-Men and a founding member of X-Factor. At the time, Warren was at his lowest point. Following an injury incurred during battle, Warren’s friend Cameron Hodge, secretly an anti-Mutant activist, arranged to have Warren’s wings amputated.

This is when Apocalypse entered to pick up the pieces of Warren’s life. Rewriting his genetics and bestowing him with techno-organic wings, Apocalypse turned Angel into Archangel, the embodiment of Death itself. Eventually Warren would regain his wits and leave Apocalypse’s thrall. However, he also didn’t return to X-Factor right away, instead embarking on a mission to find and murder his former friend Hodge. For the rest of his life, Warren would have to contend with his latent murderous intent thanks to Apocalypse’s influence.

Marvel Comics

At one point during all of this, Apocalypse also comes into conflict with the High Evolutionary. The H.E. wants to rid Earth of all beings that would thwart the evolutionary process. Apocalypse sees this as a direct opposition to his own plans and X-Factor has to watch as two big ol’ baddies fight.

X-Cutioner’s Song

While kicking around as X-Factor’s main antagonist for years, the character eventually (seemingly) died in X-Factor #68. But, the character was way too popular to be gone long. Within a year, Apocalypse returned as part of the crossover event story “X-Cutioner’s Song.” This title—which crossed over all four X titles. As with just about everything X-Men related in the 1990s, this 12-part story was ridiculously complicated. Essentially, it involves an assassination attempt on Professor X which appears to be the work of Cable, founder of X-Force and former headmaster of the New Mutants.

Marvel Comics

This pits the X-Men and X-Factor against X-Force. In the midst of this, Mister Sinister kidnaps Scott Summers and Jean Grey, but leaves clues which point to Apocalypse and his Horsemen. Yes, Apocalypse is still alive. The messiness of this plot goes off the rails and we eventually learn that the culprit isn’t Cable at all but is Stryfe, Cable’s clone and the head of the Mutant Liberation Front. Like Cable, Stryfe is militant about Mutant autonomy. Unlike Cable, Stryfe wants to wipe out everyone and anyone along the way.

So you’d think Apocalypse would be on board with this. Not so. Weirdly, at least for this story arc, Apocalypse isn’t quite the all-out villain he usually is. He’s not a “good” guy by any means, but he ultimately saves Professor X who is infected by the TO virus.

The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix

In a lot of ways, the ’90s X-Men run is all about preventing the future, ensuring the future, and circumventing the future. Apocalypse serves as one prong of a pentagon of characters all embroiled in this. Mister Sinister attempts to create a living weapon to kill Apocalypse. This is, of course, Nathan Summers, the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (whom we have learned was a clone of Jean Grey). Sinister infects Baby Nathan with the techno organic virus and so Cyclops and Jean send him to the future.

Marvel Comics

In the miniseries “The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix,” the pair head to the far future where Apocalypse rules supreme. His group, Clan Akkaba, go up against Clan Askani, whose leader is Mother Askani, the very old version of Rachel Summers. Rachel Summers is Scott and Jean’s daughter from the “Days of Future Past” timeline who ends up in the past in the main timeline for comic book reasons. She has raised Nathan into his youth.

By this point, Apocalypse has been enfeebled and has attempted to clone Nathan Summers and put his consciousness into it. However, the real Nathan manages to kill Apocalypse. Probably forever…

The Rise of Apocalypse

In the miniseries, “The Rise of Apocalypse,” we learn the history of En Sabah Nur. He was a baby foundling raised by a tribe of Nomads. The tribe’s leader, Baal, raised young Nur to believe in survival of the fittest. At the time, Egypt was under the control of the Pharoah Rama-Tut. It turns out, Rama-Tut was actually the time travelling villain, Kang the Conqueror. Kang’s ultimate goal was to recruit Nur to be his successor, knowing that in the future, Nur would become Apocalypse.

Marvel Comics

However, Rama-Tut badly underestimates Nur. The Pharoah destroys Nur’s tribe and the young Mutant wants revenge. He travels to Rama-Tut’s city pretending to be a slave. While there, Nur falls in love with Nephri, the sister of Rama-Tut’s second in command, Ozymandias. She rejects Nur because of his facial disfigurement and the anger and despair makes his mutant power kick in. While Kang scarpers, Nur, now calling himself Apocalypse, enslaves Ozymandias and begins his first reign.

Age of Apocalypse

Maybe the most famous Apocalypse storyline doesn’t really even feature him that much. The alternate universe line-wide takeover “Age of Apocalypse” begins when Legion, the psychotic Mutant with multiple personalities, decides to travel back in time to kill Magneto, blaming Magnus for all the ills of the present. However, Legion gets it wrong and goes back to a time when Magneto and Legion’s father, Charles Xavier, are already friends. Xavier saves Magneto and dies in the process. This rewrites history for the very worse. The only Mutant who knows this time tangent occurred is Lucas Bishop, who had chased Legion through time.

Marvel Comics

The “Age of Apocalypse” finds a world in which En Sabah Nur was able to take over Earth with impunity. Magneto ends up leading the X-Men. All the existing X-books receive new titles during this period and the characters all shift and change in myriad ways. Some good guys, like Beast, are evil in AoA, whereas some villains like Sabretooth are on the side of the angels.

The Twelve

For ages and ages in the comics, we’d heard something about “The Twelve,” a group of 12 Mutants whom Apocalypse sought to collect in order to harness their powers for him to ascend into Godhood. Though many of our main characters are candidates, we later learn the Twelve in question are: Magneto, Polaris, Storm, Sunfire, Iceman, Cyclops, Phoenix, Cable, Bishop, Mikhail Rasputin (evil older brother of Colossus and Magik), Professor X, and true wildcard, the Living Monolith.

Marvel Comics

The early 2000s in X-Men comics were very convoluted and this is perhaps the biggest offender. All you really need to know is that Apocalypse wants power unending because his body is breaking down. Because “Age of Apocalypse” had been so popular, this arc’s subseries, “Ages of Apocalypse,” showed different warped realities via Apocalypse having possessed Cyclops. It’s crazy and not very good.

Lots of Cable Shenanigans

So, the biggest continued throughline with Apocalypse from the ’90s onward is his relationship, of sorts, with Cable, aka Nathan Summers. Cable time shifts to various points in the past and future in an attempt to stop the seemingly inevitable Apocalypse-ruled future from whence he came.

In the course of these adventures, we get a very fun piece of lore. In the pages of the team-up book Cable & Deadpool which ran from 2004-2008, we learn that, at one point, Cable, under the guise of “Traveler,” went back in time to kill En Sabah Nur in Ancient Egypt. During the course of his battle, Apocalypse manages cut off Cable’s cybernetic arm. After Cable seemingly wins, shooting Apocalypse in the head, Ozymandias declares Cable the Dark Riders’ new leader. Cable declines, but in the course of his bidding farewell, he gets his own techno-organic-infused blood mixed with Apocalypse’s.

Marvel Comics

This effectively creates a Bootstrap Paradox. It was Apocalypse’s TO virus which Mister Sinister gave to baby Nathan Summers who then went back in time and infected Apocalypse. So where did the virus come from? Who had it first? Chicken, egg.

Apocalypse vs. Dracula

This is not at all important but it is very weird, which is why I want to mention it. Prior to becoming a vampire, Vlad Tepes lost in battle to Apocalypse’s Clan Akkaba. Centuries later, the vampire lord wants revenge via turning all the clan into his legion of the undead. To combat this, Apocalypse must awaken from his rejuvenating slumber to team up with—is this right?—Van Helsing to stop Dracula.

Marvel Comics Uncanny X-Force

During a period of time when most of the world’s Mutants had lost their powers (thanks, Wanda), Apocalypse ended up losing his own life, seemingly for the last time. However, his followers in Clan Akkaba couldn’t stay down for long. They eventually revived their leader…somewhat. This is a child whom Akkaba intends to indoctrinate. Stopping this becomes the first mission of the now-even more clandestine Uncanny X-Force, consisting of leader Wolverine, Archangel, Psylocke, Deadpool, and Fantomex.

The “would you kill Baby ____” thought experiment pits various members of the team on opposite sides of the debate, with Deadpool acting as the most staunch voice of mercy. Who can kill a child? Well, Fantomex, turns out. This sends a ripple through the nascent team. However, Fantomex learns of a clone of Baby Apocalypse and, to make amends to himself, he decides to raise the boy to be good.

This young one, Evan Sabahnur, eventually helps X-Force battle against Archangel when Clan Akkaba awakens his latent and not-so-hidden evilness. After Dark Archangel’s defeat, Fantomex enrolls Evan into Jean Grey’s School for Higher Learning.

Marvel Comics All New X-Men

Evan Sabahnur has a hard time fitting in amongst his new classmates. They fear him and what he may eventually become. Deadpool, during this period, becomes a mentor and older brother figure to Evan and helps the young clone resist the evils of Daken and the Brotherhood. Evan, wanting even more to prove he’s his own man, names himself Genesis and joins up with the time-displaced original X-Men.

At one point, Evan even travels back in time with Beast and befriends young En Sabah Nur. He tries in vain to prevent Nur from becoming Apocalypse. Evan Sabahnur dies in the 2019 story “Age of X-Man,” which is a riff on “Age of Apocalypse” where X-Man (alternate universe Cable) creates a totalitarian utopia.

Krakoan Age

Apocalypse has one of the most interesting storylines in the entirety of the Krakoan Age, which began in 2019 with House of X/Powers of X. After Professor X and Magneto hatched their plan with Moira MacTaggart to create a Mutant utopia on the living island Krakoa, all Mutants, regardless of level of villainy, were welcome. This included Apocalypse, who actually saw this as a wonderful and fitting moment, the culmination of all of his work.

Marvel Comics

One of the major facets of the Krakoan Age is effective immortality, through resurrection. Mutants who lost their powers after M-Day can regain them by dying and undergoing Krakoan resurrection. To prevent mass suicide by depowered mutants in order to regain their powers, the Quiet Council of Krakoa devised the Crucible, a trial by combat where a depowered mutant must endure grueling physical and psychological attacks from Apocalypse before they can die and be resurrected.

During this period, he also sits on the island’s Quiet Council, the governing body for Mutantkind as well as acting as the mentor figure to the magic-focused Excalibur team. During the massive crossover event X of Swords, we learn that Apocalypse’s original Horsemen were his biological children alongside his wife Genesis. Genesis and a whole host of Mutants raised in Apocalypse’s image arrive along with Krakoa’s sister entity, Arakko. In order to make room for all these newbies, Storm terraforms Mars and makes a second Mutant homeworld.

Marvel Comics

Eventually, Apocalypse realizes his ways are not the Krakoan way, Apocalypse attacks and fights the X-Men until Jean talks him down. Upon seeing through the eyes of the Mutants on Krakoa, Apocalypse leaves for Arakko.

X-Men ’97

So far in X-Men ’97 season two, we’ve seen elements of many of Apocalypse’s early stories played out onscreen. Presumably in the present, we’ll see him enlist new Horsemen and very likely one of those will be Gambit, and possibly Colossus. Oh what fun!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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