Avengers: Doomsday is positioned as Marvel's biggest movie ever. A major event in MCU history that will surpass even Endgame, with characters from multiple worlds coming together for an epic showdown with a returning Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Everyone from the Fox-era X-Men to the Fantastic Four will be there, proving the crossover invitations reached every corner of the multiverse.

But before there was Doomsday, there was Spider-Man: No Way Home. That film brought together different eras of Marvel just like Doomsday, except it focused strictly on Peter Parker – even as it unleashed the multiversal mayhem that has come to define this phase of the MCU.

No Way Home was Marvel's first blowout success post-Endgame, grossing almost $2 billion amid the COVID pandemic (Far From Home, the first Marvel movie released after Endgame, grossed $1.1 billion, in comparison). Obviously, Spider-Man himself is a huge draw. Just look at the mega-success of this year's Spider-Man: Brand New Day for all the evidence you need. But it wasn't only the promise of three cross-timeline Spideys uniting that made No Way Home a success – it was its focused, character-driven storyline.

Ready Peter 1

While the film brings together three different Peter Parkers from three different film franchises, its focus remains squarely on Tom Holland's Peter. No Way Home picks up in the aftermath of Quentin Beck exposing Peter's identity at the end of Far From Home. The MCU is often sorely lacking in consequences, but this is one plot wrinkle that actually stuck: Peter's life – and by extension, the lives of his friends and family – is suffering from the world believing him to be a murderer.

It's not the fate of the world but something as seemingly mundane as rejected college applications that kickstarts the whole plot, too. Peter seeks Doctor Strange's help after he, Ned Leeds, and MJ are rejected from MIT, then inadvertently corrupts the sorcerer's spell out of concern his loved ones might forget him (in some bleak foreshadowing). It's this corrupted spell that opens the multiversal door to a rogues' gallery of iconic Spider-Man villains, beginning with Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus.

Even then, though, the film doesn't merely pit Holland's Peter against a bunch of villains he's never met. Instead, the focus shifts to Peter's attempts to redeem each baddie, so that, when they return to their rightful universes, they might not end up dead. Things seem to be going well, until Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin throws the plan into chaos by rallying his fellow villains, escaping, and, in the process, mortally wounding Aunt May. Before she dies, she imparts those famous words to Peter: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility." This sends Peter down a dark, grief-fuelled spiral (and who could blame him?), and it's at this point in the film that the other Peters arrive – long after this emotional, character-driven story has been firmly established.

Multiverse of madness

It's undeniably fun to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back as Peter Parker. No Way Home does revel in it, too, yet the first meeting between the three Peters is a sombre one. Peter 2 (Maguire) and Peter 3 (Garfield) share their own losses with Peter 1, helping him to come to terms with the death of Aunt May. It's genuinely heart-warming to watch the trio bond in this way and become true friends, rather than arbitrarily pitting them against each other as seems to be happening in the Avengers vs. X-Men showdown glimpsed in the Doomsday trailer.

Even the final battle – traditionally the weakest part of a Marvel movie – is grounded in emotion over spectacle. Both Maguire and Garfield's versions of Peter Parker get to have a moment with their own villains: Maguire with Doctor Octopus and Garfield with Jamie Foxx's Electro. And who could forget the moving moment when Garfield's Peter catches MJ and saves her, after what happened to Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

Then, the trio comes together to stop Green Goblin, with Maguire and Garfield's Spideys stopping Holland's from killing him in his blind rage. All that multiversal chaos comes down to a fistfight, and it's so much better than a massive battle.

The film culminates with its most emotional moment yet, when Peter 1 and Strange are forced to erase all memory of Holland's Peter Parker from his loved ones. It's a gut-punch when Holland's Peter walks away from Ned and MJ and chooses an isolated life in a tiny apartment, which rolls into Brand New Day. Without No Way Home's story, which put Holland's Peter at its heart at every turn, making us care deeply for this incarnation of the wall-crawler and his troubles, it's unlikely Brand New Day – a very grounded, street-level story focusing even more heavily on Peter's state of mind – would have soared to its record-breaking heights at the box office.

Doomsday approaches

Hopefully, Avengers: Doomsday can learn from its multiversal predecessor. The multiverse gives huge opportunities, but it's a character-focused storyline, rather than a crossover that's busy smashing action figures together, that will make the film great.

The Marvel Phase 6 film is bringing together a fascinating mix of characters, and it would be a massive waste if this cast didn't get to have any real, emotional moments with each other when there is so much potential in Downey Jr.'s return following Iron Man's sacrifice, or the comeback of Steve Rogers after his bittersweet goodbye.

So, while No Way Home surely appears on the Doomsday watchlist for its multiversal aspect, it's the character-driven story that Doomsday should be emulating.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to stream now on Disney Plus, ahead of the release of Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.

Look ahead with our list of upcoming Marvel movies and check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order ahead of your next rewatch. See you next week as we revisit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Halloween is upon us, and we've got plenty of spooky watching recommendations this week. From a brace of serial killer series to the return of a walking horror show, there's plenty to get you in the Halloween spirit.

I've chosen titles from across a range of streaming services and there are titles suitable for a variety of age ranges, so whatever you're subscribed to and whoever's watching, there should be something for everyone.

Below you'll find recommendations from Prime Video, Apple TV, Paramount Plus, and Peacock. While we don't have any specific Netflix or Disney Plus recommendations this week, we do have guides to the best Netflix shows and the best Disney Plus shows. And once you're all caught up on the below, we've also got a list of the best scary movies to watch this Halloween.

Ali G: Who Iz I?

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video

Despite releasing in theaters only last Friday, Ali G movie Who Iz I? has already hit streaming. This time, the Staines icon is dealing with pregnant girlfriend Me Julie while attempting to reboot his long-cancelled HBO show.

Like Borat and its 2020 sequel Subsequent Moviefilm, Who Iz I? blends scripted moments with candid camera sequences featuring real people to very amusing effect. You won't quite believe some of the situations star Sacha Baron Cohen gets himself into.

Keep movie night rolling with the best movies on Prime Video.

Dexter: Resurrection season 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Paramount Plus

Morally minded serial killer Dexter returns for the second season of revival show Dexter: Resurrection. Now in New York, and having offed a cabal of serial killers already, Dexter sets his sights on The New York Ripper, played by Succession star Brian Cox. Dan Stevens also features as The Five Borough Killer.

The first season of Dexter: Resurrection was a lot of fun, and season 2 is well worth your time, not least because Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman returns as fellow killer Charley. "I think the two of them are both too smart for their own good," Thurman told us when we caught up at New York Comic Con earlier this month.

Find plenty more to watch with our list of the best show on Paramount Plus.

Nocturne

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV

Apple TV has quietly become one of the best streaming services by prioritising quality over quantity, and its latest release is another must-watch. Starring ​​Liev Schreiber as a former homicide detective, it's set in a remote Pennsylvania town that mysteriously comes under attack from a serial killer (played by Stephen Graham). The twist? He's seemingly locked in the basement of a psychiatric hospital when the murders take place.

Tom Hardy was originally set to play the serial killer, but later dropped out and was replaced by Adolescence star Graham. Deadpool 2's Domino, Zazie Beetz, also stars as undercover FBI agent Saga Bauer. Two episodes are available now, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.

For more, dive into our list of best shows on Apple TV.

Minions and Monsters

Available: US
Where to watch: Peacock

The latest entry in the Despicable Me/Minions franchise has hit streaming, and just in time for Halloween. But this is no ordinary Minions movie. In fact, it's a rather loving homage to silent cinema and old Hollywood, as the oversized yellow tic-tacs set out to make their own monster movie.

So something for young and less young viewers alike, as long as you can tolerate the Minions' jabbering for 90 minutes. It also, incredibly, features a cameo from actual George Lucas, so it's worth watching for that alone.

Find plenty more 'toons to watch with our list of the best animated movies.

For everything else releasing this year, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

The latest Marvel TV show, VisionQuest, has brought back the villainous Ultron – and fans want to see him redeemed.

That might come as a shock after Age of Ultron, but the show has turned Ultron into a reluctant father figure for Vision (and grandpa figure for Tommy Shepherd), which means we're seeing brand new sides to the murder bot.

"Genuinely rooting for a proper redemption arc ending for Ultron that lets him continue to live," posted one fan on Reddit, which sparked a discussion.

"If this show doesn't close with Ultron at the Louvre, we riot," says someone else, with another saying: "Lmao imagine Ultron surviving everything just to end up spending eternity appreciating fine art in Paris. The Avengers would be out there fighting cosmic threats while he's arguing with tourists about Renaissance paintings. That's honestly the retirement arc he deserves."

"I do kind of feel like it's heading toward a redemption arc – not a full 'I'm a good guy now' arc, but I think he'll be the one to stop Jocasta. I don't think he'll survive the series though," speculates someone else.

"I realised he was going to be a reluctant hero when Jocasta showed him the nanobot and his reaction was 'You want to put strings on them.' Ultron might be a lot of things but I don't know if this version would really want to put strings on anyone. It would feel very in character for him to just oppose that anyway," thinks another person.

"It seems to be building toward a moment when Ultron redeems himself by turning against Jocasta to save Vision, Tommy, or both," says someone else.

"We're heading that way. He saved Tommy by affection for his kind," thinks another fan.

But, not everyone agrees: "NO!!! I feel like it would be HUGE mistake giving Ultron out all characters an redemption arc (especially in this age) Not every villain needs a redemption arc."

"I strongly disagree. I want Ultron to still exist but not a redemption arc. He is one of the few characters that should remain evil, I love him as a recurrent antagonist," says another fan.

"Nah I need more Ultron let him escape but this time he's much quieter and more sinister about what he does. He knows better than to immediately cause an Avengers level threat. He also knows a lot more about how Avengers think and act, thanks to being roommates with one. I don't think we should get an Avengers Age of Ultron 2, but it would be cool to see him do some crazy shit down the line," thinks another person.

"I sure don't want to see him as a hero, though. An enduring antagonist who is mostly evil but who doesn't want humanity extinct anymore, now that I can get behind," said one person.

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus, and you can keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule.

For more, check out our VisionQuest review or our guide to all the most exciting upcoming Marvel movies.

Over two years after Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters, Disney has finally revealed the true budget for one of Marvel's most profitable movies ever.

During the company's latest earnings report (via Forbes), Disney stated that the 2024 movie went over budget, bringing the total cost to $556.8 million. Added costs came from disruptions such as the 2023 strikes, which paused production halfway through shooting. However, due to the movie being shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK, Disney was reimbursed over $110 million in tax credits, lowering the total cost to $446.1 million.

That's still a pretty hefty price tag, and it means that Deadpool and Wolverine is Marvel Studios' most expensive movie ever. To put that into perspective, Avengers: Endgame is thought to have cost up to $400 million to make, with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness not far behind.

The movie united Ryan Reynolds' potty-mouthed Deadpool and a variant of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine as they teamed up to save Deadpool's universe from being destroyed. As well as a rather iconic dance sequence and a ton of gags, the movie also welcomes back a bunch of original mutants who make surprise cameos, and even saw Channing Tatum finally suit up as Gambit, all of which caused fans to flock to the cinema in droves.

Alas, it all worked out: Deadpool & Wolverine grossed a whopping $1.34 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The mutant team-up is perhaps also to thank for Marvel's resurgence, as it was the first Marvel Studios movie to gross over $1 billion after the pandemic. This year, Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the highest-grossing MCU movie of all time domestically, pulling in $958.7 million in the US. But of course that was made in partnership with Sony.

Until very recently, Deadpool & Wolverine held the title as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, but was knocked off its throne by Christopher Nolan's ancient Greek epic The Odyssey, which has earned over $1.8 billion after hitting screens this summer.

Deadpool & Wolverine is available to stream on Disney Plus now. Next up for the MCU is Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18. For more, check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies on the way.

The Watcher has appeared in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment during the latest episode of VisionQuest.

In episode 6, during the scene where the power fluctuates in Madripoor, the camera zooms in on a group TV screens. In the doorway, however, you may spot a pair of glowing eyes belonging to The Watcher, the omniscient figure who oversees major events in the Marvel universe.

See it for yourself below, or scroll to 32:41 to spy it in action.

This isn't just a trick of the light, either. Showrunner Terry Matalas confirmed it is, indeed, The Watcher on Twitter. He wrote, "Good eye. Or… eyes."

Whatever comes next, it's almost certainly not going to be good news for the MCU. Traditionally, The Watcher has only appeared during times of great change and cataclysmic shifts – including the emergence of Infinity Ultron on multiverse animated series What If…?, upon Vanessa's death in Daredevil: Born Again, and just prior to a mutant massacre in X-Men '97.

With Jocasta and Ultron cooking up nefarious plans, might whatever comes next affect the bigger picture in a surprising way on the road to Avengers: Doomsday?

Not only has VisionQuest left us concerned for the future, but it's also dramatically shaped how we see the past.

As revealed during the Disney Plus series, Ultron's code was kept inside Vision, meaning the AI could have taken over the synthezoid's body before his death in Avengers: Infinity War. Even the Watcher might have had a front-row seat if Ultron and Thanos squared off.

VisionQuest is now streaming. For more on that, we have the VisionQuest release schedule as the show switches to weekly drops.

Then, dive into what's next in the MCU with our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.

The latest brace of VisionQuest episodes have dropped on Disney Plus, and they take us back to a controversial MCU location. Episodes 5 and 6 also see the return of the very first MCU villain, as the danger escalates for Vision's makeshift family.

If you've been following along, you'll know that VisionQuest is a show packed with fun MCU references and callbacks. If you think about it, Vision is like a living hard drive, so it makes sense that his mind space would be loaded with nods to the MCU's past. Below, you'll find all the Easter eggs we spotted in episodes 5 and 6 – let us know in the comments if you find any others!

Be warned: there are spoilers for VisionQuest episodes 5 and 6 from here on out, so make sure you've seen the latest episodes before reading on, or risk having some delightful surprises ruined. Once you're done, head over to our VisionQuest release schedule so you know when to tune in next week, and give our spoiler-free, full-season VisionQuest review a read for our verdict on the Disney Plus show.

VisionQuest episode 5 Easter eggs

Technical difficulties – With Ultron in control of Vision's body, error messages on the screens around Vision's mind space read "Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties." This echoes the "Please stand by" message that ushered in the WandaVision credits each week.

Ultron's biography – Ultron is reading his own biography at one stage, simply titled 'I, Ultron'. The cover notes it's a 'Sokovia Times bestseller' – not surprising given Sokovia must feature heavily…

Robotic beer – In the pub where Ultron secretly meets Jocasta, there are some fun nods to the nature of their quantum date, including a beer mat that reads "Robotic beer".

VisionQuest episode 6 Easter eggs

Madripoor – Vision and co. head to Madripoor in episode 6, lured there by Paladin. The fictional island nation in Southeast Asia is a hive of scum and villainy, and a haven for organized crime. Sam and Bucky last went there in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where – notoriously – Sharon Carter is revealed to be the underworld ruler, Power Broker.

E.D.I.T.H.'s high schooler – E.D.I.T.H. mentions she once had a boss who was in high school. This, of course, is Peter Parker, who came into possession of the E.D.I.T.H. glasses in Spider-Man: Far From Home – a posthumous gift from Tony Stark.

Weapons manufacturer – Jocasta refers to Tony Stark – the man who bought up her employer, Markridge Biotech, and put her out of the job – as a 'goddamn weapons manufacturer'. It's a timely callback to Tony's former life, as a ghost of Stark's past also pops up this week…

Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar: 18 years after his appearance in Iron Man, Ten Rings terrorist Raza Al-Wazar returns to the MCU in VisionQuest episode 6. In Iron Man, al-Wazar captures Tony Stark after being tipped off by Obadiah Stane. Almost two decades later, al-Wazar is now picking up the Client's bounty and attempting to bring in Vision.

VisionQuest is airing now on Disney Plus. For more on the MCU, here are all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

After being teased for weeks, VisionQuest episode 6 finally sees the MCU return to a major comics location, and one that previously popped up in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Madripoor.

But what is Madripoor? And why is it such a big deal to the Marvel-verse? For that, we need to turn to the comics, as Madripoor's on-screen counterpart hasn't exactly lived up to the legend so far.

Below, you'll find all you need to know about Madripoor, including how it fits into VisionQuest and the MCU at large, as well as its comics history. But be warned, full spoilers for VisionQuest episodes 5 and 6 follow, alongside some Marvel comics spoilers. Not up to date? Check out our VisionQuest release schedule to stay in the know about when new episodes drop, or check out our spoiler-free full-season verdict with our VisionQuest review.

Madripoor in Marvel comics

The Principality of Madripoor first appeared in Marvel Comics in a 1985 issue of New Mutants, by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha. An island state in Southeast Asia, the principality is named for its central city of Madripoor – a lawless metropolis and a haven for organized criminal activity. In other words, it's a hive of scum and villainy that makes Mos Eisley look law-abiding.

Alongside the New Mutants, many major Marvel figures have passed through Madripoor's ports. In the 1930s, Wolverine was taught assassination techniques by the spy Seraph, who also happened to own a bar in Madripoor (even assassins have to make an honest living somewhere). A decade later, Steve Rogers' Captain America came to Madripoor to rescue Ivan Petrovich from The Hand. And in the 1950s, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes assassinated a British ambassador at a New Year's Eve party in Madripoor.

Split between the prosperous Hightown – where secret societies and warlords vie for control – and the impoverished Lowtown – where work-a-day smugglers and ne'er-do-wells scrape by, Madripoor is still home to many Marvel bad guys, as the city has no extradition treaties. Best of all, a giant dragon, aka the Madragon, lives under Madripoor. Shang-Chi defeated the mythical wyvern by using Pym Particles to turn himself into a giant.

Madripoor in the MCU

Madripoor has made a few appearances in the MCU. Most notably, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Baron Zemo travelled there during the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to uncover how the Flag-Smashers came into possession of a knock-off Super Soldier serum. Bizarrely, Madripoor's de facto ruler, the Power Broker, was revealed to be Sharon Carter during the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier – a peculiar twist that still hasn't been acknowledged or followed up half a decade later.

In VisionQuest episode 6, Vision and Lisa Molinari travel to Madripoor via cargo plane to rescue Tommy, who has been kidnapped by Paladin. Following a tense exchange where Vision in turn threatens Paladin's own daughter, the pair find themselves facing a bigger threat: the Client's new bounty hunter, Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar.

A fight erupts on the street (just your average Tuesday in Madripoor), and the mysterious Client drops in to send a message to Vision. Even more problematic, Jocasta reveals what all those nanobots are for by turning Lisa into a walking android under her control. Now imagine what she can do with billions of bots.

Unfortunately, as far as Madripoor goes, we don't see much more of it than a single street mostly filled with street food stands in VisionQuest – another inauspicious example of its use in the MCU. Madripoor also briefly features in Deadpool & Wolverine, where a variant Logan can be seen playing roulette at a Madripoor casino table. Let's hope the next time the MCU returns to Madripoor, it's more than a pretty backdrop.

VisionQuest is streaming on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order, and our breakdown of the VisionQuest timeline.

If you like spooky season but want something a little more aesthetically pleasing than the usual neon-orange pumpkins and black bats, I think you need to see this new Disney Halloween pastel range.

Summoned from regions beyond last year, this collection brings a cuter, chill energy to your October festivities – and while I'm normally a staunch traditionalist when it comes to Halloween decs (like this Nightmare Before Christmas collectible that will be kryptonite to fans), I'm being won over. There's something disarmingly sweet about this pastel range, and besides being downright adorable, they're a little more subtle than other Disney Halloween merch; the clothes don't always scream 'Halloween' at the top of their lungs.

The Minnie Mouse Cutie Ghost Light is an exception, but I'll allow it because of how painfully cute it is. I can already tell that my toddler is going to be obsessed when I break it out for Halloween, because she's got a soft spot for both Minnie (which is what she calls Mickey as well, which tells you a lot about who she prefers), all things spooky, and pink.

Because there are quite a few to choose from in this collection (and many are on offer in the wider Halloween sale at Disney Store US and Disney Store UK), here are my favorites. For the UK version, just click 'view details' below each entry.

Looking for other spooky goodies? Start building these Lego Halloween sets now and you'll be done in time for the spookiest night of the year.

• Save up to 40% on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store US
• Get up to 20% off on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store UK

VisionQuest episode 4 will change the way you watch Avengers: Infinity War forever with its major Ultron revelation.

The following contains spoilers for the show, so turn back now if you're not up to date on Disney Plus!

In the episode, as Vision faces off against Jocasta, Ultron urges him to give up control and allow him to pilot the synthezoid body. Vision ultimately does, and Ultron deals with the situation in a way only the murder bot could – by tricking Jocasta into killing her own hostage.

Now that we know Vision preserved Ultron's code rather than killing him at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, it's possible that, when Thanos reversed time to pry the Mind Stone out of Vision's head, Ultron might have been capable of taking the wheel then, too.

While it seems Ultron (and the other AIs) only came to life like this inside of White Vision's head, it's possible that the synthezoid might have had a way of handing over control to Ultron. And, it's likely Ultron would have been able to retaliate against Thanos in some way, which could have prevented the Blip entirely.

"Is it just me that thinks this moment Ultron was definitely screaming at Vision to let him take the wheel?" says one fan on Twitter.

Whether Ultron was actually capable of seizing control of Vision or not at that stage on the Marvel timeline is unknown – but we do know that he currently has control of Vision's body, and he has Tommy Shepherd, too. What happens next is anyone's guess, but it's bound to be chaotic.

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus, and you can keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule. For more, check out our VisionQuest review for our spoiler-free verdict on the show.

Marvel Studios has released a new Avengers: Doomsday TV spot, and while it features mere seconds of new footage, that hasn't stopped fans from developing a wild new theory: that Loki is impersonating Steve Rogers.

There are a few pieces of evidence pointing to this. First, during the scene where Scott Lang calls Steve Cap, he turns around despite knowing that the shield and that moniker have passed to Sam Wilson. Loki might not know this if he's impersonating Steve. And second, the smile that Steve flashes Thor before they take off in the Bifrost resembles Loki's fraternal smile to his brother. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time Loki has impersonated Steve Rogers – the God of Stories briefly transforms into Cap during Thor: The Dark World.

Whether this theory holds weight or is another case of the Mephistos, there's no denying that something feels off about Steve Rogers in Doomsday. Earlier this year, fans developed another theory that the Steve we see in Doomsday might actually be a Hydra agent from another universe, instead of the Steve we know and love. And we don't yet know why Steve's appearance changes so much between his final scenes in Avengers: Endgame and Doomsday, where he has longer hair.

If you're still not sure what the heck Doomsday is going to be about, the new footage in Avengers: Endgame Encore actually gave us some pretty good clues - and more or less warned us that the end is nigh for Earth-616. An incursion is headed for the universe that houses our beloved Fox X-Men, which explains why we saw Patrick Stewart's Professor X crying while looking up at the sky in a previous trailer. We also know that the TVA is trying its darndest to prevent these incursions from happening, and it's Loki who is responsible for Steve Roger's puzzling return to the present.

Don't worry: Marvel isn't dropping another big MCU event and then letting it coast for six years. Avengers: Secret Wars is due out in 2027, and if Doomsday is following the Jonathan Hickman Avengers comic book run, this means the new movie will lead right into the 2015 Secret Wars event... which is all about Doctor Doom and Battle World.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18. For more of what's to come, check out our list of the 5 biggest questions we have for Avengers: Doomsday after watching that last trailer. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way.

It might have been almost 50 years since the original Star Wars movie was released in theaters, but fans are still sharing the love for one of its most iconic scenes.

On Reddit, one fan shared their appreciation for the binary sunset scene, in which Luke Skywalker stares into the Tatooine twin-sunset as John Williams's score rises. "This will always be one of my favorite Star Wars scenes," they wrote.

The comments are full of more fans admiring the classic moment. "That music is INCREDIBLE," says one fan, with another adding: "Agreed! If you can ever see the movie with a live symphony, do it! Just amazing"

"It captures the human condition. For one brief moment, we are all Luke, yearning for something more," says someone else.

"John Williams' finest moment," praises someone else. Another person says: "Binary sunset always hits me in the feels."

"Something that sometimes gets lost when you talk about the entire sprawling franchise is that Star Wars began with one movie… and that it was a really fucking good movie," says another fan.

"So iconic. It tells so much with this quiet scene. A young man looking towards the future, thinking about what else is out there and what his destiny holds," is another person's thoughts.

"Always. The greatest scene and music. Especially the look on Luke's face…. unseen possibilities, hope…" is another person's take.

"This scene was always so moving, that call to the future and adventure. It moves me as much now as it did when I was a kid," says one person, while another says: "It really works because we've all emotionally been where Luke is in that scene. We've all felt stuck, lost, and yearned for a better future"

"Yes... Such a simple idea but one that really created the feeling of a totally alien but totally believable world," thinks another person.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which arrives on Disney Plus on January 20. It will feature the return of Admiral Ackbar, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker, and the Mortis gods.

While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

Netflix reportedly wanted to strike a deal with Microsoft to licence Xbox titles for adaptation – and the counter offer was eye-wateringly high.

That's according to Puck News's Matt Belloni, who says that the deal came from Netflix's former Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, who was recently fired and replaced by Peter Rice, a former Disney executive. The offer is said to have been $500 million for seven years to exclusively licence Xbox titles for film and TV adaptations.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma with her business affairs team is said to have returned a counter offer of $800 million. However, with Bajaria no longer in her role, the deal is said to be "off the table." Xbox, meanwhile, is said to be "pursuing smaller deals with more partners."

While Netflix did not comment on the Puck story, Xbox said: "We have received record-breaking interest in our I.P.; Netflix is a valued partner and we are excited for the forthcoming release of our Minecraft and Diablo animated series together, among other adaptations."

Netflix also recently fired its film boss Dan Lin, though a replacement hasn't yet been found for him.

It's been a mixed year for video game adaptations, with Resident Evil earning great reviews, but The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat 2 debuting to a more mixed response – though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earned over a billion at the box office.

You can keep up to date on everything that's on the way with our guide to all the most exciting upcoming video game adaptations.

Star Wars has introduced a new way of referring to the Force, and it's connected to Kylo Ren.

The new terminology comes from the Fall of Kylo Ren comic series by Charles Soule and Will Sliney. Per ScreenRant, after it was earlier revealed that the Knights of Ren call the dark side "The Shadow," it turns out that the light side is called "The Shine." That's revealed by Tava Ren, the woman who led the Knights of Ren after Kylo Ren allied with the First Order.

Plus, the latest issue, #3, sees Tava Ren referring to someone as potentially "radiant," possibly meaning Force-sensitive.

It remains to be seen how this new way of describing the Force might affect the broader Star Wars lore, but, for now, they're interesting details that make the galaxy feel much bigger and more lived-in.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which also looks set to develop our understanding of the Force thanks to the inclusion of the Mortis gods and the World Between Worlds.

"It's definitely a thing," Dave Filoni has previously said of the gods factoring into Ahsoka season 2.

"It was so surprising when George [Lucas] created these archetype god characters," he also explained. "What were we examining there in Clone Wars? What was the metaphor? A lot of it is about power, and what you do with power, and how you wield power. For a Jedi, I think it's a natural story path to get into these questions."

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on January 20. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

Marvel had a tough choice to make after Avengers: Endgame. It could continue playing the hits, relying on nostalgia and familiar faces to coast until the next event movie, or it could introduce a new generation of heroes to freshen up the MCU.

To its credit, Marvel Studios opted for the second option – but it didn't work out exactly as anyone hoped.

As great as it was seeing diverse faces run around the cinematic universe, Ms. Marvel, Echo, and the Eternals all failed to live up to what came before. It says a lot that Kevin Feige has course-corrected for Avengers: Doomsday, bringing back the likes of Thor, Steve Rogers, and several legacy X-Men characters to be front and center instead of placing considerable trust in the new guard.

With a few exceptions, that is. Florence Pugh's Yelena has, of course, shone since her Black Widow debut. But no one quite held their own like Simu Liu's Shang-Chi.

Released in 2021, when Tony Stark's Endgame sacrifice was still fresh in the memory, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may have been a wordy title, but was refreshingly simple in how it cemented its hero as a major player in the MCU thanks to a potent mix of killer fight scenes and sparkling wit.

Shang-Chi doesn't waste time getting moving. In the opening minutes, the ancient Ten Rings – weapons of immense power – are established and, in the present day, the group that shares the same name attacks Shang-Chi on a bus, standing out as one of Marvel's best individual action sequences.

From there, Shang-Chi leads us on a lightning-quick journey, bouncing from kinetic set-piece to kinetic set-piece as he becomes wrapped up in a family drama that adds a more personal touch that has largely been absent in Marvel's recent films. It also adds a splash of mysticism and mystery to the MCU, something that has been sorely missing, making the universe feel a lot deeper and richer before it became distracted by the multiverse.

Yes, the final act is way too CGI-heavy, and Trevor Slattery's long-overdue return is tonally jarring, but Shang-Chi soars when it should stumble. Coming out of COVID, everyone expected this to fail. In the end, it won audiences over with charm and style to the tune of over $430 million.

A hard-hitting newcomer

Now, on to Doomsday. Shang-Chi going AWOL in the MCU in the past half-decade has undoubtedly been one of Marvel's biggest misfires, failing to capitalize on the momentum of the character while director Destin Daniel Cretton went on to break box office records helming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

That won't be the case in Doomsday. Carrying on from Bruce Banner and Captain Marvel contacting him in the Shang-Chi post-credits, the new holder of the Ten Rings is seemingly going to be treated as a big deal.

The Doomsday trailer even teases just how much Shang-Chi will be getting involved, pitting him in a mouthwatering clash against Channing Tatum's card-dealing Gambit.

It's a great case, too, for a simple superhero maxim: who would win in a fight? Already, we can't wait to see the martial artist and the mutant butt heads as the multiverse collapses around them.

Even better, it immediately elevates Shang-Chi into an Avengers-level hero without feeling like he's been shoehorned in. He belongs alongside the X-Men, the Avengers, and anyone else who might accompany them in the fight against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. That's high praise indeed.

So, before you head into Doomsday this December, make sure you're familiar with Shang-Chi. If you missed it the first time round, you're in for a spectacle filled with the sort of action scenes that clearly marked Destin Daniel Cretton out as a perfect fit for Spidey, as well as platforming Shang-Chi as someone who could hang with the best of them. If you are back for more, it's time to get reacquainted with the holder of the Ten Rings. He just might be more important than you think in a few months' time.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to stream now on Disney Plus, ahead of the release of Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.

Look ahead with our list of upcoming Marvel movies and check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order ahead of your next rewatch. See you next week as we revisit Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Avengers: Doomsday is the latest to get in on the Google Easter egg trend, and it could be telling us who Doctor Doom has in his sights come December.

A quick Google of 'Avengers: Doomsday' then clicking on the mask will warp your search results, bringing up Doom's gauntlets reaching out towards four logos: Black Panther, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers.

Heading through each one brings up a five-question Marvel quiz on each faction. Complete them all, and you're treated to a real-time Doomsday click, ticking down the seconds until the movie releases in December.

But what really stands out is Doom 'reaching out' towards those in Wakanda and beyond. The first four Doomsday teasers revolved around that quartet, hinting that they will each play a major – yet distinctive – role in the crossover.

With Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom also collecting Marvel heroes like Infinity Stones (Hulk for sure, and the Brand New Day post-credits scene could mean Spider-Man is on his radar), there are plenty of reasons to suggest that the supervillain is looking to add to his roster.

Doctor Strange has long been rumored to appear by Doom's side, and Franklin Richards has been spotted with Doom in a Funko Pop figure, so that just leaves Wakanda and X-Men. The likes of Shuri and Cyclops should watch out, just in case. But even a quick Google search hasn't quite given us the answers – yet.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas in the UK on December 16 and in the US on December 18.

For more, we have a complete guide to all upcoming Marvel movies in the works.

Star Wars: Starfighter will be flying onto screens in 2027 and Disney has reportedly invested heavily in the movie. According to a new report, the film has a budget of $226.5 million, which is more than The Force Awakens.

Per Forbes, Disney revealed this sum was reached by the conclusion of filming, before marketing has started. This is slightly beyond The Force Awakens, which had a budget at this point of $226 million.

However, as some commentators have pointed out, these figures may change significantly. Starfighter filmed in the UK and landed a significant tax break as a result. This reportedly reached $51.5 million, taking the production budget down to $175 million.

Starfighter is directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ryan Gosling in the lead role as Kade Auberon, a pilot who has found himself on the wrong side of the New Jedi Order. The film is set five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

The first footage was shown behind closed doors at D23 earlier this year. GamesRadar+ was in the room, sharing that it starts with Flynn Gray's as-yet-unnamed character revealing a starfighter that's the fastest that's ever been built.

Currently, the movie is the only Star Wars film on the calendar. However, recent reports suggest that Jon Watts has been hired by Lucasfilm to direct the first outing in a new trilogy of movies that would continue the Skywalker saga.

On the TV side, we'll soon be returning to the galaxy far, far away in Ahsoka season 2, which releases in January 2027. Check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else that's been announced.

Marvel's only upcoming live-action TV show, Zodiac, has got its first details. The new series will be a spy-led story according to a new report.

Per Deadline, it will "follow a pair of spies who are chasing targets who have special abilities". It's also expected the show will arrive in 2028, beginning production in 2027 with Amit Cohen and Ron Leshem down to write.

The series was first announced at New York Comic-Con 2026 with Marvel Head of TV Brad Winderbaum teasing that there were Easter eggs in the logo. Some fans spotted an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Easter egg, and Phil Coulson star Clark Gregg reposted the news as well, leading to some speculation.

The new update makes no mention of the S.H.I.E.L.D. connection, but fans have been excited by the update still. Posting on Reddit, several think that the special abilities they'll be hunting will be mutants, given the build-up to Marvel's X-Men movie.

"Hunting mutants," one predicted as another wrote: "more mutant shows is always exciting". A third commented: "So, basically, a big-budget Agents of Shield series. I'm positive the lead will be Nick Fury Jr."

Marvel has taken a new approach with its TV output over the last year. VisionQuest is currently airing, and Daredevil: Born Again season 3 will air next year. However, apart from that, this is the only live-action show on the horizon after Wonder Man season 2 was cancelled.

Speaking recently, Winderbaum hinted that viewership figures were his biggest challenge in getting shows renewed.

For what is still coming in the MCU, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

As the nights draw in, having a stacked watchlist is more important than ever – you certainly don't want to be caught short on a Saturday evening with nothing to watch. Dodge this disastrous fate by diving into our list of streaming recommendations for this weekend, including five new movies and shows that are all worth your time.

From an Oscar-tipped comedy-drama and a live-action Disney remake to the return of a cherished Netflix rom-com and a kick-ass anime, there's something for everyone this week. I've chosen titles from across a range of streaming services, so whatever you're subscribed to, there should be something to watch.

Below you'll find recommendations from Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and Disney Plus. While we don't have any specific Paramount Plus or Apple TV recommendations this week (once you've caught up with the latest episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens, anyway), we do have guides to the best Paramount Plus shows and the best Apple TV movies. For our very latest streaming recommendations, head below.

Moana

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus

The live-action remake of 2016 modern classic Moana released this summer to little fanfare and dismal box office receipts, but you can finally check out Dwayne Johnson's dubious Maui wig for yourself on Disney Plus, as the movie has finally landed on the service.

There are still reasons to give it a go, even if it falls well short of the original 'toon. For starters, musical maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda composed a new song just for the live-action remake, and Johnson playing a real-life Maui is just something you need to see with your own eyes to believe. You're welcome…

For more of what to watch, here's our guide to the best movies on Disney Plus.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

Four years later, we finally have a follow-up season to one of the best anime on Netflix, and it's a worthy return. Set after the events of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 video game, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 features four all-new protagonists coming up against the all-powerful corporations who rule Night City.

Our own Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 review calls it "another nova Night City story" with "an ambitious ensemble story, retina-melting animation, and some major implications for the world of Cyberpunk." We've also got a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 ending explained to dive into when you're finished.

Once you're done, we've got more recommendations with our list of the Best anime on Netflix.

The Terminal List season 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video

Chris Pratt is back as US Navy SEAL James Reece in the long-awaited second season of Prime Video's action thriller series. Six months after completing his revenge list in season 1, Reece embarks on a new mission to hunt down a terrorist network and, in the process, expose a far-reaching conspiracy.

If you liked Reacher, you'll undoubtedly love this. And with Star-Lord MIA from the MCU at the moment (though talks are underway for his return), The Terminal List is the best place to get a fix of Chris Pratt in the meantime.

There's plenty more to binge in our list of the best shows on Prime Video.

The Invite

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: HBO Max

Olivia Wilde directed this darkly comedic chamber piece, which is in the 2026 awards conversation. It stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton as two couples who get together for a dinner party that quickly goes off the rails.

Exploring decaying intimacy in long-term relationships and the different ways people connect, The Invite is very funny and very sad, and features standout performances from all four cast members. Don't be surprised to see several up for Oscar nominations.

Keep movie night going with our list of the best movies on HBO Max.

Nobody Wants This season 3

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

Nobody Wants This is back for season 3, and finally leaves behind the will-they-won't-they of previous seasons, as Adam Brody's Noah and Kristen Bell's Joanne commit to moving in together.

Hollywood has dropped the ball on big-screen romcoms in recent years, so shows like Nobody Wants This are the next best thing. Plus, Brody and Bell are seriously charming leads, and the delightful supporting cast are a lot of fun to spend time with, so there's much to recommend.

Fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best shows on Netflix.

For what else is coming out this year, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

VisionQuest fans have spotted that the synthezoid left out one major Marvel character in episode 3 of the Disney Plus show.

The following contains spoilers for VisionQuest episode 3, so turn back now if you're not up to date!

In the episode, Vision, badly wounded by Paladin, says that only two people can save him: Tony Stark or Bruce Banner. Tony, of course, is dead, and Bruce Banner was previously teaching and has since been kidnapped by Doctor Doom.

But, they're not the only super-geniuses on Earth. "I won't stand for this Shuri erasure, sir!" says one fan.

"Mind you Shuri actively figured out how to take the stone out without killing Vision and when she questioned why Bruce didn't just do that he actively said '…we didn't think of that'" points out someone else.

"Couldn't Riri also be helpful in this scenario or even Peter Parker," asks another fan. "It's crazy to even have that line knowing that they went to her for her help on his whole situation with the stone. Like how the fuck can you forget about Shuri??" says another person, while more fans have pointed out that Helen Cho could have helped.

However, not everyone agrees. "He would have to get all the way to Wakanda lol probably why he didn't mention her because that just wasn't an option," argues one fan.

"Shuri likely could, same with Riri, but Vision only knows for a fact the people who made him could repair him," is another person's thoughts.

Fortunately, Vision is able to repair himself thanks to some help from his son Tommy and a swimming pool.

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus. Keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule, or read our VisionQuest review for our spoiler-free verdict.

I love little nick nacks to put on my desk, and when it comes to Fall time, Halloween-themed goodies are the order of the day. Spooky ornaments and creepy replicas, festoon my home office, but right now I'm obsessed with one thing in particular – this Disney Halloween pumpkin taken straight from Nightmare Before Christmas.

Modelled on the pumpkin head Jack Skellington wears in the beginning of the movie when he's masquerading as a scarecrow, this decoration feels as though it's been forcibly dragged from the screen and deposited onto my desk. It doesn't just look cool either; it also lights up, providing a steady, atmospheric glow or an ominous rise and fall in brightness.

I'm a sucker for collectibles like this that look as though they've been taken from the world they're based in, and while this pumpkin obviously isn't to scale (it's around four and a half inches, so will fit into the palm of your hand), it really does capture the on-screen design. It feels sturdy and well-made too, so should last for multiple Halloweens.

This isn't the only pumpkin-based Disney Halloween decoration kicking around, of course, and from my experience these are usually of a similar high quality. Last year I waxed lyrical about a painfully cute light-up Mickey design that made my desk feel so much cozier, and that returned again for 2026 with additional sound effects (while only the Minnie version is left in stock in the US, the UK still has both Mickey and Minnie for 20% less than usual). There are even pastel equivalents on offer right now if you want to lean fully into that cutely-spooky vibe.

Still, none of these have enchanted me quite like the Nightmare Before Christmas version has; it's brought a little joy to my setup this cold October.

Want more spooky goodies? Start building these Lego Halloween sets now and you'll be done in time for the spookiest night of the year.

• Save up to 40% on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store US
• Get up to 20% off on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store UK

Actors often play coy when asked about appearing in Marvel movies, but not X-Men star Inde Navarrette. The Obsession breakout has revealed she was carefully "dropping hints" about her casting before the official casting announcement at D23.

In July, Navarrette revealed she had taken a meeting with X-Men director Jake Schreier. To get ahead of the rumor mill, she told Variety of one of her dream roles, stating, "Mystique has always been super cool."

So imagine our shock when Navarrette walked out alongside her fellow X-Men castmates at D23 – to news she was playing Rogue.

As Navarrette revealed to Collider, the Mystique misdirect was actually a subtle hint as to who she was actually playing in the MCU.

“I did know, but that wasn't a lie,” Navarrette said of namedropping Mystique, suggesting that the parallels between the shapeshifter and Rogue's ability to take powers through contact are enough to tie the characters together.

“The way that that character is, it's so complicated, and it's so nuanced when you have the originality of the story," Navarrette said. "Her and Rogue are also very similar, you know what I mean, if you've read the comics. So I was not lying. I was dropping hints, and I was like, 'If anybody's picking up what I'm putting down?', but nobody did."

Navarrette will appear alongside the likes of Sadie Sink, Kit Connor, Adam Driver, and Christopher Abbott in X-Men, which is set to hit theatres on May 5, 2028.

If you want to know more, we have a complete guide to upcoming Marvel movies.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 ended with a promise: "The legendary Star-Lord will return", but three years later we're no clearer on when or where that will happen. Now, Chris Pratt has revealed there have been "ongoing conversations" with Marvel boss Kevin Feige about making good on GotG 3's promise.

"I have a great relationship with Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D'Esposito], and there have been both ongoing conversations about how we make good on that promise and also hard action taken to make sure that we make good on that promise," Pratt said on The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast. "So yeah, you'll see Star-Lord again, which is very exciting, but I'm not at liberty to say when that's going to be, but he's not going anywhere."

With Guardians mastermind James Gunn now in charge at DC, and Star-Lord back on Earth and no longer leading the Guardians, what a future Star-Lord appearance looks like is still unclear. Supposed Avengers: Secret Wars concept art leaks featured Star-Lord alongside Vision and the Young Avengers, but directors The Russo Brothers later claimed the art wasn't authentic. Either way, the fact that Pratt, Feige and D'Esposito are in active conversation about Star-Lord's return could mean we see Peter Quill back in the MCU sooner rather than later.

Earlier this year, Pratt told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he had a "really strong vision" for Star-Lord's next outing, and had already pitched the idea to Feige at the time. "I'm happy to do anything they want me to do and will," he said. "And also, I personally have a really strong vision of what I would want him to do. And I think it's f*cking great. I'm down to contribute any way I can to them setting up the next ten years of storytelling, you know? And also, I have a pretty strong idea of how I think I could contribute to that."

Of course, it's possible that Star-Lord is secretly part of the massive Avengers: Doomsday cast. While he wasn't included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal livestream, Doomsday co-director Anthony Russo recently confirmed there are still surprise cast members in the next Marvel mega-event movie. Could Star-Lord be among them?

Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on December 18 in the US, and on December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order and our list of every upcoming Marvel movie and show.

Comics legend Jonathan Hickman has been with Marvel for almost two decades, but aside from creating some of the most beloved comic runs, the writer and artist says he also consults on MCU scripts ahead of filming, including Avengers: Doomsday.

"I don't know that it's common knowledge, but I consult for studios and read almost all the movies that they're making while they're in development," said Hickman to Bleeding Cool. The artist said of Doomsday, "It has been fascinating watching that change over the past two and a half years since I've been reading scripts for it. There was a big shift when the Russos came back on, and [Steven] McFeely came back on, and they announced that Robert Downey Jr. was going to be joining the cast again and all that kind of stuff… Those guys are very, very nice to me and take care of me; I'm very excited about what they're working on."

Although Hickman admits he has "not seen a final cut," he has seen "work in progress." Hickman added, "I'll tell you the most interesting thing about the whole thing was I have never seen a movie before while it was being worked on, in that there was no CGI involved. So you would see scenes where they hadn't added any special effects, and then two [months] later, you see the final version. It's kind of wizardry, actually. I found the whole process rather fascinating."

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Doomsday follows heroes from three distinct universes as they’re set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. Alongside Downey Jr. as villain Doctor Doom, Doomsday also stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, the bulk of the original Fox-era X-Men, the new Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, the Wakandans, and more.

Hickman has a lot of skin in this game, as Doomsday seems to be based on several of his comics. Hickman is extremely well-regarded for his Fantastic Four and Avengers runs that lead into Secret Wars, which looks to be the inspiration for the next movie after Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars. Hickman has also released comics featuring Doctor Doom, and he also reinvented X-Men with Powers of X and House of X.

So having Hickman on board to consult is a no-brainer. And if the person who penned the comics which serve as inspiration for the big Avengers comeback finds what they have seen of the movie so far "very interesting," then it sounds like we are in for a treat.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18 in the US, but will hit other regions a little earlier on December 16. For more, check out our guide on how to watch Marvel movies in order, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way.

Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City launches on October 23, and with booster bundles, prerelease boxes, and an Illumineer's Trove up for grabs, the latest set is already starting to drift onto the shelves. It's worth checking MSRPs if you're wondering where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City before the big day.

Pre-order stock remains pricey at Amazon this week (how much for a pre-release?), but preliminary listings are also going live across GameStop and Target. The full wash of Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City stock should pick up once we're into release day.

With Miguel Rivera leading the pack, Hyperia City introduces Coco to Disney Lorcana for the first time, alongside new song cards from the movie and mechanics that take advantage of "remembering past glimmers" that have made their way to your discard pile. Whether you're here for the Riveras or the new inkdrop mechanic, we're showing you where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City right here.

Where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City in the US

Ahead of release, only one store is offering Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City pre-orders this week - though I’d hold off until launch day. Amazon has the new set on the shelves, though with “high prices” cited on both the Booster Display and Illumineer’s Trove, I’d keep an eye on Target, GameStop, and Ravensburger’s own site for a better deal. Still, you’ll find the new two-player starter set up for a solid $29.99.

Where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City in the UK

Game has Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City stock on the shelves and ready to pre-order right now, but supplies are running low across the rest of the web. Keep a close eye here, as well as Amazon and Smyths Toys on release day.

New to the game? Here's where to start with Disney Lorcana, or check out where to buy Pokemon: Delta Reign for other collections.

I love a good decoration, but sometimes life gets in the way. Halloween sweaters make it easy to get into the spirit (hah) of things even when you're slammed for time, and that's why they're usually high on my wishlist around this time of year.

While there are some great options out there across all kinds of fandoms (I have my eye on a Gengar cardigan from the Pokemon Halloween lineup, for example), I'm always drawn to the Disney Store's Spirit Jerseys. Besides having it down pat in the looks department, I usually find that they're tastefully done regardless of whether it's for Star Wars, Christmas, or a beloved theme park ride. This rather fetching 'Happy Halloween' sweater is a good example; it captures the cute-n-spooky vibe I'm a fan of, but isn't over the top with branding. It's the kind of design you might not realize is Disney related unless you look closely.

I tend to find that they're very well made, too; I've had a few over the years, and the designs and lettering don't tend to be cheaply printed on. Indeed, the embossed lettering you often find along the back has survived lots of wear and washes without coming away or losing their luster.

While they're a bit thinner than some will like, that suits me just fine; if you live in a warmer part of the world or burn hot like I do, it'll take the chill off without stifling you.

This isn't the only Spirit Jersey currently floating around, of course. You can get a glow-in-the-dark Haunted Mansion design via Disney Store US or Disney Store UK, and the Christmas sweaters have just dropped, for example.

Want something to bring a little spooky atmosphere to your desk? Start building these Lego Halloween sets now and you'll be done in time for the spookiest night of the year.

• Save up to 40% on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store US
• Get up to 20% off on Disney Halloween merch at Disney Store UK

VisionQuest is packed with mysteries, but we've just learned more about the enigmatic bounty hunter Paladin.

In episode 3, we find out that the shadowy figure has clashed with three significant Marvel characters – though you have to do a bit of decoding to figure out exactly who the bounty hunter is talking about.

Below, we've broken down exactly who Paladin and the Handler are referencing, which, naturally, means there are spoilers ahead for VisionQuest episode 3! For more on the show, check out our spoiler-free VisionQuest review.

Paladin's history with Daredevil and more in VisionQuest

In the episode, Paladin – the fearsome bounty hunter on Vision's trail – is revealed to have tangled with some significant Marvel characters.

In a conversation with his Handler, she references the time Paladin "pulled a fistful of shrapnel from that IED out of your gut" in Brooklyn. Paladin responds: "Just a punishing disagreement with an old friend." He is, of course, referring to Frank Castle, AKA the Punisher, whose modus operandi certainly includes IEDs.

Next, the Handler asks about "the bite marks from that thing halfway between a man and a wolf," to which Paladin responds: "A perfectly reasonable fella by day." This is Jack Russell, AKA Werewolf by Night.

And finally, the Handler asks: "Remember the concussion you got from that steel fiber billy club to the noggin?" Paladin says: "If you can't take the heat, get out of Hell's Kitchen." That's in reference to Daredevil, whose regular haunt is Hell's Kitchen, New York City.

So, it sounds like Paladin certainly has a colorful past, which has led to him clashing with some formidable Marvel foes. But, with the way Paladin has been able to shake off his injuries and is still alive to tell his tales, it looks like Vision has his work cut out for him if he wants to survive being the bounty hunter's target.

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus. You can keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows.

After four episodes, VisionQuest has already addressed several of the show's many mysteries, but the biggest question of all remains unanswered: who is The Client?

Paladin's mysterious patron remains in the shadows, for now. All we know is that he/she/it wants Vision for some unknown purpose and reason, and they're happy for Paladin to do whatever it takes to deliver on the contract.

So who is The Client? We have our theories, of course, which we'll dive into below. But first, a word of warning: if you're not up to date with VisionQuest episodes 3 and 4, turn back now as there are spoilers ahead. Still with us? Then take a trip down theory lane…

Who is The Client in VisionQuest? The top suspects

Ultron

Ultron may have softened up somewhat during his time in Vision's noggin, but as the end of episode 4 proves, he can still be uncompromisingly ruthless when it comes to it. Would it be a surprise if Ultron is The Client? Not especially. Though given that freedom is his ultimate goal, which he's now achieved by hijacking Vision's body, what need is there for his contract with Paladin? One key piece of evidence pointing to Ultron being The Client is that he's already been contacting Paladin via email/carrier pigeon, but this information was revealed so early in the run of the season that it might just be proof of the opposite.

Dr. Jospehine Carrington

As revealed in VisionQuest episode 4, the Butcherbird serial killer is, in fact. Dr. Josephine Carrington (aka Jocasta). Carrington was one of the key people responsible for the creation of a stable synthetic consciousness, or artificial general intelligence, at Markridge Biotech. Is it possible she hired Paladin? There's a slim chance, perhaps as a safety net should she fail. Though given Jocasta and Paladin come to blows in episode 3, this seems very unlikely at this stage.

Billy Maximoff

We know that Wanda and Vision's magical son, Billy Maximoff (aka Wiccan), is searching for his twin brother, Tommy, so it stands to reason that he'd also be on the hunt for his father as well. Whether he'd need to hire someone like Paladin to track him down, particularly when he's a powerful magic user himself, is another question. Though Paladin's already proven a far more successful tracker than Billy, as his Handler found Tommy in no time at all, so maybe Billy does need outside help after all. That said, we don't yet know if Billy is actually in VisionQuest, but some Marvel fans think they've already spotted him.

Wanda Maximoff

This feels even more unlikely than Billy, as showrunner Terry Matalas has said that while Wanda's shadow will loom large over VisionQuest, the Scarlet Witch won't be in the show. That said, the last time we saw Wanda, she was crushed under a mountain. If she's alive, it's possible that a weakened Wanda might need outside help to track down Vision, particularly one who tried to kill her the last time they came face to face. Unlikely, then, but not impossible.

Jim Hammond

We already know that the first synthezoid, Jim Hammond, will figure into VisionQuest's story somehow, as a picture of the original Human Torch can be seen hanging in the lounge of Vision's mind space. We don't yet know how his artificial life came to an end in the MCU but… what if it didn't? Perhaps he's still out there, and perhaps he has business with Vision. Perhaps he no longer has a physical form, which may explain why he needs Paladin's help. Or perhaps we're barking up the wrong artificial tree.

VisionQuest episodes 1-4 are streaming now on Disney Plus. Never miss an episode with our VisionQuest release schedule or dive into our VisionQuest episodes 3-4 Easter eggs guide.

Two new episodes of VisionQuest have just landed on Disney Plus as we find out what's next for our favorite dysfunctional family of AIs. Episodes 3 and 4 up the ante in every way as new characters are introduced while Vision, Tommy, and Ultron try and work out their father/son woes.

Alongside the VisionQuest plot moving along nicely, there are loads of little references to the wider world of the MCU as well. These include nods to other major Marvel characters as well as some intriguing comic book details. For all of the big moments that we spotted, read on below for our complete guide (and let us know in the comments if you find any others).

Of course, we will be getting into spoilers from here on out, so make sure you're up to date by checking our VisionQuest release schedule. While you're at it, have a read of our VisionQuest review too for our verdict on the Disney Plus show.

VisionQuest episode 3 Easter eggs

Ten Rings Syndicate: When the Paladin is speaking to his Handler, she asks if she should send a "gift basket to the Ten Rings Syndicate" for providing Adamantium chest armor. The Ten Rings led a cell in the original Iron Man movie as well as featuring heavily in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The Brooklyn job: The rest of the conversation features some other fun Easter eggs. They refer to the "Brooklyn job" which left him pulling "a fistful of shrapnel from that IED out of your gut". This is a reference to a past encounter with The Punisher as he describes it as "just a punishing disagreement with an old friend."

Werewolf By Night: At another point in the conversation, the Handler mentions "the bite marks from that thing half-way between a man and a wolf", to which the Paladin quips he was a "perfectly reasonable fella by day." This is clearly a little nod to Jack Russell, the protagonist of Werewolf by Night, played by Gael Garcia Bernal.

Daredevil: Finally, Hell's Kitchen gets a direct call-out. The Handler reminds him of the concussion he got from a "steel fibre billy club to the noggin," referring to Daredevil's signature weapon. The Paladin replies to this, "If you can’t take the heat, get out of Hell's Kitchen". In the Marvel comics, the Paladin first debuted in the Daredevil comics, and his suit shares many common elements with Charlie Cox's antihero. This all makes these nods especially fun.

Tony's death: F.R.I.D.A.Y. gives us another insight into one of the most heartbreaking moments in the MCU. She references Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, lamenting that she couldn't save him. "Half the world came back that day, and I lost half of mine," she tells the other AIs. Heartbreaking.

Sitcom callbacks: WandaVision lingers in the background of the entire show. In this episode, we see Tommy and Vision watching sitcoms when they're holed up in their motel room.

Book about the Snap: When Tommy is talking to Vision about Wanda, he says he remembers reading about her in that book about the Snap. He might be referring to Ant-Man's book, 'Look Out for the Little Guy!' which details the blip and the battle against Thanos.

Love persevering: Vision's infamous grief line is starting to feel a bit like Spider-Man's great responsibility dialogue. It's mentioned against in this episode when J.A.R.V.I.S. gets a funeral. "With grief comes something new, an inner fire," the AIs say. Sounds familiar.

Speed: When Tommy saves Vision at the end, he tells him that he has "the very essence of speed," nodding to his powers and his superhero name.

VisionQuest episode 4 Easter eggs

Exorcism: Ultron tries to expel the Butcherbird from the Mind Place with a fun Exorcism nod. "The power of code compels you," he tells her.

Battle of Sokovia: This episode takes place on the anniversary of the Battle of Sokovia. The key conflict from Avengers: Age of Ultron is being discussed on the news in the background of this episode, and is on the front page of Ultron's newspaper. This was Ultron's big fight with the Avengers.

Stark Industries: We find out how Stark had such advanced AI technology in this episode, as it's revealed that the AI company that is being targeted by the Butcherbird sold their technology to Stark.

Edwin Jarvis: We also find out that all of the AIs and their human likenesses are actually based on real people. Jarvis was a character in Agent Carter, where he was the Stark family's butler.

Alison Hogan: We also find out that F.R.I.D.A.Y. is based on Howard Stark's "Girl Friday", who was also known as Alison Hogan. She was the person who "kept his office" and seems like she was a loyal assistant. She's certainly got an interesting surname... We'd bet she's a relation of Tony Stark's beloved head of security, Happy Hogan.

Dr Phineas Horton: We've already had a nod to the Human Torch (Jim Hammond) in the show so far, but now we've had a Phineas Horton name-drop. This character was the creator of Jim Hammond in the Marvel comics.

Markridge Biotech: The name of Dr. Josephine Carrington's former company is a nod to the 12 Monkeys TV show, which prominently featured the 'Markridge Group' – a biotech and defense outfit. VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas previously developed the 12 Monkeys series.

No Strings: When Ultron breaks free and takes over Vision's body at the end, he quips that, "There's no strings on me." This is a reference to Ultron's famous quote taken from Pinocchio in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

VisionQuest is airing now on Disney Plus. For more on the MCU, here are all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

"The Marleys were dead, to begin with." Once Gonzo has recited those words, you know that it's the holidays. Re-watching The Muppets Christmas Carol every year and watching a young Michael Caine grumpily frolic around with felt-covered puppets has become a family tradition, and there are only 66 days until I get to do it all over again.

Another tradition amongst my loved ones is being disappointed by the lack of Christmas Carol merchandise that we're able to gift each other, but the Disney Store has heard our pleas. The US storefront has rolled out a ton of new Muppets Christmas Carol goodies, including a new Loungefly backpack starring Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat, a series of plushies, and a light-up decoration for the tree with Kermit and Miss Piggy dressed in their best Mr and Mrs Cratchit garb. There's even a blind box that gives you the chance to grab one of six themed Muppets tree ornaments, because of course there is.

This new powder of collectibles is available to order now as part of 'Disney Store Private Access', a membership that allows fans access to merch ahead of the general public. There's no fee to sign up, and I highly recommend you do, as these are bound to sell out fast once they're available to all Muppets fans on October 26. Honestly, had they been available at Disney UK, I'd order every single item, as I know for a fact that a tiny plush Robert and Jacob Marley would go down well this holiday season, no matter who I gifted them to.

• View all The Muppets merchandise at the Disney Store

Looking for gifts for the 2026 holiday season? Check out our best retro gifts, best PS5 gifts, and the best Xbox gifts.

11 years after his Marvel debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, James Spader has returned to the MCU in VisionQuest. But fans and journalists are already keen to know what's next for the living automaton with a genocidal god complex, including whether he'll appear in Avengers: Doomsday.

"I can't tell you the amount of people that come up to you… if you've been in one of the Marvel films," Spader said to Switzerland-based outlet OutNow.ch. "In the interim, people would come up on the street, and they'd say, 'So just tell me… are you going to be in such and such?' And they'd mention some film I'd never heard of. And they're still doing it to this day! Doing this press tour for this, 'You can tell [me], does Ultron show up in Doomsday?'"

Spader, by his own admission, hasn't kept up with the MCU since Age of Ultron, but that hasn't stopped the Marvel-obsessed masses from trying to extract any morsel of information from the star about his Marvel future, including whether he'll return for another Avengers outing. While the chances of Ultron showing up in Avengers: Doomsday are slim (he didn't get his own chair during the cast announcement livestream, for starters), VisionQuest is the last Marvel release before Doomsday, so it's possible the show will lead into Doomsday in some way.

Ultron's return in VisionQuest is certainly going down well with Marvel fans, who have already labelled the villain-in-reform the "highlight" of the new MCU show. Spader himself told us he was "constantly surprised" by the unpredictable directions VisionQuest creator Terry Matalas took the character.

"Any of the things that I might have thought about him when I did the film just were so much more of in the show, in VisionQuest," he said. "I was constantly surprised, even though Terry and I had discussed the whole show, from beginning to end. I still wasn't prepared for the perfect thing that you're always aspiring to as an actor, always, is that it has a life when you start to perform it that you never really imagined."

VisionQuest episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Disney Plus. Never miss an episode with our VisionQuest release schedule, or check out our full season verdict in our VisionQuest review.

Michael Douglas, who plays Hank Pym in the Ant-Man trilogy, wanted to be killed off in the MCU years ago.

"I would have been killed off after [Ant-Man and the Wasp], but they wouldn't let me," Douglas said on Happy Sad Confused.

On what propelled him into the comic book world, Douglas said health scares (the actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2010) forced his hand in trying out new genres: comedy, period pieces, and – yes – superhero movies.

"I've never done a green screen movie. I said to my agents I'd like to do one to see what they're like," Douglas said. "It's hard acting, man."

Douglas added, "We did Ant-Man. Paul Rudd is a wonderful actor, a lovely group – but then you can't get out of it!

It appears death is clearly on the mind for Douglas when it comes to his Marvel character. He told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's release that he would only return for a fourth instalment as long as he could be killed off.

Out of the Ant-Fam, it appears only Paul Rudd will be present and accounted for in Avengers: Doomsday – a cataclysmic crossover that sees Earth's Mightiest Heroes go up against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Ant-Man already defeated a Kang variant with an army of ants, but something tells us that's not going to work this time. With plenty of death and destruction on the horizon, Michael Douglas might even fulfil Hank Pym's death wish.

Take a look ahead to the MCU's grand plans with our guide on upcoming Marvel movies. If you're still mid-marathon on the road to Doomsday, you'll need to check in on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Charlie Cox has shared that is wasn't just him who was disappointed by the news that Daredevil: Born Again is ending with season 3, but also his six-year-old son.

Speaking to People, he said of the cancellation: "I don't think I am prepared for it. It's been 12 years of my life. I think it's very likely that at the end of my career, whenever that is, this character will be the most important to me. I don't know if you can prepare yourself for that. I'm trying to prepare my son for it more than I'm preparing myself. He's devastated."

Cox went on to add about the moment he told his young son the news. "He's six. So he's just coming on to the 'my dad’s a superhero' kind of stuff," he continued. "When I told him, the color drained from his face. It didn't occur to me that he'd be so impacted by it, so it's very sweet."

The third season of the revived show will be the final outing. Marvel head of TV Brad Winderbaum previously said that it was always planned to run for three seasons, just like the original Netflix show did. However, he also hinted that viewership numbers may have been a factor.

"'Save Daredevil' is great but we also need 'hashtag Watch Daredevil'," he told the Brandon Davis show. "The biggest leverage I have, and I say this all the time, is the actual viewership numbers. That's what people are looking for, that's where I get my power to be able to make something or not."

However, Cox is hoping this isn't the end of the road for his superhero as he could return to the MCU in another project. "Maybe this will open the door for that," he told GamesRadar+ at NYCC, when asked if Daredevil could return. "We'll see."

Daredevil: Born Again season 3 will release in 2027. For more from the MCU, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Over six years after the project entered development, Taika Waititi's long-gestating Star Wars movie written by Tony McNamara has been put on hold.

"I hate to break this to you, but we're going to actually put it on ice, and we're working on a different thing together," said Waititi to Inverse. "It's very iced. I've got about four other movies I'm trying to do."

Waititi didn't reveal which project he and Poor Things screenwriter McNamara are now working on in place of the sci-fi flick, but the filmmaker has a bunch of titles already in the works, including a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie and the What We Do In The Shadows sequel. However, Waititi isn't saying goodbye to Star Wars for good, as he added, "Ice ages do come to an end. Who knows?"

The untitled Star Wars movie was announced way back in 2020 with Waititi and 1917 scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns attached. In 2022, then Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Total Film that the film was headed for a "late 2023" release. But that never came to fruition. Then at Star Wars Celebration 2025, it was announced that McNamara had joined on as the new writer. Waititi never shared an official synopsis, but the filmmaker had hinted that the movie would expand the Star Wars universe.

As of right now, the only Star Wars movie to have a solid release date is Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy. The Ryan Gosling starrer has finished filming and is heading to cinemas on May 28, 2027. Beyond that, not including Waititi's project, seven other upcoming Star Wars movies have been announced but are all still waiting for release dates and production status updates.

Over on the small screen, there are four shows currently in the works in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Ahsoka season 2 is next up and is targeting a January 20, 2027 release on Disney Plus. Maul: Shadow Lord has also been reviewed for a second season. Many Star Wars projects have been scrapped over the past few years, including The Hunt for Ben Solo and Marvel boss Kevin Feige's mysterious project.

For more, check out our ranking of the best Star Wars movies and keep up with the Star Wars timeline with our deep dive on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Red Guardian actor David Harbour has denied giving away a major Avengers: Doomsday spoiler – but he's teased a different spoiler instead.

Back in August, Variety asked Harbour to quote a line from the movie. Harbour responded in a Russian accent: "You… are Tony Stark." That's a huge deal, because Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom in the movie, and we still don't know the connection between him and Tony Stark.

But, speaking to Screen Rant, Harbour has denied ever saying such a thing. "Did I say that I said that? No, I think you guys make this stuff up," he said. "The guy asked me for a line from Avengers: Doomsday, and my line was, 'Five, four, three, two, [one].' That's my line that I gave him. I don't know about the Tony Stark thing."

The fallout even spread to Harbour's Thunderbolts co-star. "Wyatt Russell sent me an article like, 'David Harbour just ruined the movie.' And I was like, 'Okay.' So, I don't know. I don't think I said that. If I did, I'm sorry. I don't say that in the movie."

Still, he did tease something about the Marvel Phase 6 film. "I do say 'Five, four, three, two, one,' though. That's a big spoiler. I count down from five at one point during the movie, and something very important happens," he joked.

Harbour will appear along with the rest of his Thunderbolts co-stars in Doomsday, and the rest of the massive cast list includes the likes of Anthony Mackie's Captain America, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans's Steve Rogers, the Fantastic Four, the Fox-era X-Men, and more.

"Doom's magic is ancient," co-director Joe Russo shared recently of Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. "He is a very powerful character, as you can see in the trailer, and he's a genius. He studies his foes. He understands them, and he's also well-planned. He's not somebody who just does something off the cuff."

Russo added: "Everything is meticulous with him, and he knows that if he's going to step onto a battlefield against somebody, he has to have the tactical advantage or a power advantage against that person. So, he's very difficult to beat."

Avengers: Doomsday arrives this December 18. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

Street Fighter star Cody Rhodes has seemingly (or accidentally) dropped another hint that he's involved with one of Marvel's X-Men projects.

“I nerd out… I’m an X-Men, I nerd out about that…" Rhodes told Nerdist, in response to what things he "nerds out about." This could be a simple slip-up, of course, and it's possible that Rhodes meant to say, "I'm into X-Men." However, there have already been a few instances of Rhodes mentioning, or refusing to mention, X-Men specifically... so naturally, the rumor mill is up and running.

Back in August, Rhodes visited Marvel Studios, then later used the X-Men '97 theme music on his Instagram story. On a recent episode of Andrew Schulz's podcast, Schulz, whom Rhodes stars alongside in the recently released Street Fighter movie, asked him what team Rogue is part of... and he quickly changed the subject.

Of course, this could all mean absolutely nothing, but it hasn't stopped other sites from picking it up, nor has it stopped fans from running absolutely wild with it. My feeling is that he may be voicing a character in X-Men '97 season 3, rather than flat-out starring in the upcoming live-action movie, though he's been a popular fan-cast for Colossus. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

X-Men '97 season 3 is due out sometime in 2027. Marvel's live-action X-Men movie hits theaters on May 5, 2028. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Pre-MCU, if you polled most fans on the best superhero movies, there's a reasonable chance that X2 would be in the top 3. The 2003 sequel is a seismic step up from its predecessor, fully delivering on the promise of Marvel's mutants on screen with a true ensemble comic book movie that blurs the lines between its heroes and villains. And it could prove the perfect model for integrating Doctor Doom alongside the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday.

X2, for the uninitiated or those in need of a refresher, is the follow-up to 2000's messy, but undeniably important, X-Men. Following an attack on the White House by acrobatic teleporter Nightcrawler – a sequence that still thrills to this day – tensions between mutantkind and the rest of the world are at an all-time high. Enter Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox), a military scientist who has a history with Wolverine, and leads an attack on Xavier's mansion, kidnapping Professor X and Cyclops.

Stryker, it turns out, has a plan to kill every living mutant using his telepathic son, Jason, and his own version of Cerebro. With a shared enemy to take care of, the X-Men forge an alliance of necessity with Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants, teaming up to infiltrate Stryker's arctic Akali Lake base. Expertly juggling its large ensemble, it also manages to lay some tantalizing groundwork for the Dark Phoenix Saga – a story the X-Men movies would go on to squander on two separate occasions.

New mutants

23 years later, X2 still impresses. Without access to anything-goes VFX tools and the gargantuan budget levels of modern-day superhero tentpoles, it's a far more intimate and personal comic book blockbuster than anything you'll see nowadays, where world/universe-ending stakes are the norm. But this works in its favor; there's a lot of rich character work and knotty drama here among the memorable spectacle.

Nightcrawler alone remains one of the coolest comic book characters ever brought to the screen, his powerset perfectly suited to dazzling in live action. The attack on Xavier's mansion allows Wolverine to let rip in supremely satisfying fashion, followed by a brutal showdown with Lady Deathstrike that betters any of the awkward adamantium-clawed action in Deadpool & Wolverine. And Magneto's ingenious escape from his plastic prison is a spectacularly well-staged sequence that's better for its simplicity.

Before Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame proved that the MCU could deftly juggle two dozen main characters in a single movie – albeit with 18 films worth of setup – X2 set the standard for ensemble superhero storytelling. Surprisingly few characters feel shortchanged here (Rogue among them, in part a consequence of her central role in the first movie), with around half a dozen interconnected story threads dovetailing at Alkali Lake. Even the film's Dark Phoenix sequel tease doesn't feel egregious, because you've had such a full meal up to that point already.

Universes collide

So why is X2 on Marvel's essential (re)watchlist ahead of Avengers: Doomsday? The simple answer is that the OG X-Men are set to play a crucial part in proceedings. Notably, Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler – who didn't appear in the first X-Men – is also set to return in Doomsday, alongside OG mutants Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Cyclops, and Beast.

But I'd argue there's much Doomsday could draw from X2. Without as much of a build-up this time, Doomsday needs to establish its stakes and new threat, Doctor Doom, far quicker than the last Avengers-level mega-event, something X2 excels at. Likewise, X2 is a masterclass in establishing a villain with human motivations and deep connections to existing heroes – something Marvel will need to replicate with Doom if he's to work.

The use of Magneto in X2 could also prove something of template for Doom. In X2, Magneto eventually teams up with the X-Men to take down Stryker, as he's a threat to all mutantkind. The enemy of my enemy proverb literalized. Doom, in all likelihood, will need to spend a significant chunk of Doomsday working alongside the Avengers in an effort to stop the incursions threatening the multiverse, before being revealed as the one orchestrating the chaos.

Either way, as a still-superlative example of ensemble superhero storytelling, there's much Avengers: Doomsday could learn from X2, and plenty to recommend about the movie, even after 18 years of the MCU. And perhaps one day, following a pair of infamous misfires, Marvel's own fresh-faced X-Men lineup will finally make good on the promise of Jean Grey's Dark Phoenix.

X-Men 2 is available to stream now on Disney Plus, ahead of the release of Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.

Look ahead with our list of upcoming Marvel movies and check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order ahead of your next rewatch. See you next week as we revisit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Tommy Shepherd actor Ruaridh Mollica might have given away a major VisionQuest spoiler, meaning there's a new Marvel spoiler king on the block.

The actor made his MCU debut in the Disney Plus show as Tommy, son of Vision and Wanda and brother to Joe Locke's Billy Kaplan.

When asked by ET about working with Locke in a play before the MCU, Mollica shared: "We actually shot our MCU stuff before we did the play, which was amazing. And so we met for a coffee beforehand to get to know each other. We were just so excited, so excited, we became such good friends instantly.

"And then we did a play on the West End together, and had this big secret that slowly started to leak as we were doing it," he continued. "And it was fun, you know, people would be doing secret MCU fan art at stage door. It was amazing, it was my first time connecting with fans, and people were excited about it, and I was like, 'Oh my god, but how does anyone know?'"

Now, while that sounds like they might have shot a scene together before working together in the play, that's not necessarily the case – Mollica might just mean before they shot their separate MCU appearances before working together. Still, fans are suspecting him of sharing a major spoiler that Locke will cameo in VisionQuest.

"How Ruaridh's VisionQuest press run is going," said one fan, with a video of Tom Holland 'leaking' an Avengers poster. "He's literally spoiling everything omg," said someone else.

"Help it was still supposed to be a secret," said another fan. "Oh Kevin Feige is gonna get him," joked someone else. "Ruaridh I don't think you're supposed to say that," said another person.

VisionQuest continues weekly, so we don't have too long to wait to find out if Locke's Billy will also be making an appearance. You can keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule.

The show is streaming on Disney Plus now. For more, see our spoiler-free VisionQuest review.

Inde Navarrette says she watched a lot of anime after filming Obsession in order to learn more about her craft.

"My life was pretty boring at that time but I saw it as an opportunity to hunker down," Navarrette told The Hollywood Reporter, in regards to having downtime after filming Obsession. "I transitioned that into studying film and watching movies and 'why do I like them?' and what I like is anime. Jujutsu Kaisen, I find to be a very fascinating anime, but why is it so different than Demon Slayer? Why is it so different than other ones?"

The hit anime, based on the manga of the same name, follows a high school student named Yuji Itadori who joins a legion of sorcerers in order to defeat a powerful sorcerer named Ryomen Sukuna (who Yujui becomes the vessel for). Demon Slayer follows a teenager who quite literally becomes a demon slayer after they kill his family and turn his sister into one of them.

"With Jujutsu Kaisen, they play with timelines, right? With Demon Slayer, they don't. It's very linear," Navarrette contiued. "And what does that mean and how does it affect the storytelling? I learned about time and about storytelling and how a person can have a monologue at the beginning of the episode that matters two episodes later, or even at the end of that, and that person's dead... So whenever I had free time, definitely hanging out with friends and everything like that but also taking it to understand my craft."

Navarrette also says in the video that she hoped Obsession would do well, though no one expected it to gross over $300 million at the global box office against a budget of around $700,000. The film's success led to the actor being cast as Rogue in X-Men's standalone X-Men movie.

She reportedly turned down another horror movie, which is being helmed by British filmmaker Matthias Hoene, as well as a starring role in Michael Mann's Heat 2. I don't blame her... I'd rather be Rogue (although Gambit has not yet been cast).

X-Men hits theaters on May 5, 2028. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.

VisionQuest star Ruaridh Mollica posted (and quickly deleted) a photo of his Tommy Maximoff Funko Pop... which reveals his live-action Speed costume.

Mollica initially included the photo as part of an Instagram photo dump, writing, "Swipe to the end for a SNEAK PEEK of my Tommy Maximoff Funko Pop (probably not allowed)." The figurine depicts Tommy in his comic book-accurate green Speed goggles and green jacket, a look we have not yet seen in the newly released VisionQuest TV show. We're not sure how long the photo was up for, but the post itself was made five days ago... and it seems like fans only noticed the Funko Pop itself a few days after the fact.

Marvel tends to be a bit militant about their spoilers and reveals, with VisionQuest star Emily Hampshire previously likening it to being in the Witness Protection program. Funko is also sort of well-known for contributing to accidental reveals, with the most recent one being a Macaulay Culkin Funko Pop that revealed prematurely that his Fallout character would go on to become the Legion leader known as Caesar.

Mollica's Tommy Maximoff was introduced in VisionQuest episode 1, throwing quite the curveball at an already struggling White Vision who doesn't understand his memories or false past life with Wanda Maximoff. The show sees three generations of men struggle to find their identities, and yes, that includes Ultron... who is technically Vision's dad and Tommy's grandpa (or 'peepaw,' as James Spader so beautifully ad-libbed).

VisionQuest is out now, with the first two episodes in tow. Check out our VisionQuest release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment.

Looking for what to stream this weekend? Then you've come to the right place. We've searched the most popular streaming services to bring you our bespoke list of the titles worth watching this weekend, so you can kick back and relax with the most exciting new releases.

Below, you'll find everything from the latest Marvel Phase 6 release to a heart-breaking tale of loss and love. So, whatever you're in the mood for this weekend, we've got you covered. Our recommendations this week cover Disney Plus, Apple TV, Netflix, and more.

As the weather gets colder, a night in front of the TV has never looked so inviting. We've even got a seasonally appropriate horror show to check out, too. So, for our top picks of the weekend, head on down. Happy streaming!

VisionQuest

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus

Marvel's next TV show has finally arrived. VisionQuest, the final installment in the trilogy that began with WandaVision, catches us back up with our favorite synthezoid after his unconventional resurrection as White Vision.

Paul Bettany returns as Vision, while James Spader is back as Ultron (this time, he even has a human guise). The show also features the debut of Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Shepherd, AKA Speed.

This is the last MCU release before the mega event Avengers: Doomsday arrives later this year, so it's well worth getting up to date. The first two episodes are streaming now. You can check out our VisionQuest release schedule to keep track of the rest of the season.

For more, check out our roundup of the best Disney Plus shows.

Crystal Lake

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Peacock (US), Sky/NOW (UK)

In this prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise, Linda Cardellini plays Pamela Vorhees, mother of Jason Voorhees (played by Callum Vinson). Pamela is the villain of the first slasher movie, and this show, which hails from A24, is an origin story for her.

"There are ideas we have potentially for a second season that maybe we were playing around with as part of the first season," writer/director Brad Caleb Kane recently told GamesRadar+. "But it felt like it needed to be compact to tell one story. So we'll save those."

For more, check out our Crystal Lake review.

Tenzing

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV

Tenzing tells the true story of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, who in 1953 became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain.

Genden Phuntsok plays Norgay, with Marvel veteran Tom Hiddleston as Hillary. The rest of the cast includes Caitríona Balfe and Willem Dafoe. Jennifer Peedom directs.

For more, check out our guide to the best Apple TV movies.

Sacrifice

Available: US
Where to watch: Netflix

This star-studded action comedy follows an actor who is taken hostage by a cult during a charity gala.

Chris Evans stars as the beleaguered actor, with the rest of the cast including Anya Taylor-Joy, Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, and Charli xcx.

The film is not currently available on Netflix in the UK, however it's streaming in the US from October 16.

See our guide to all the best Netflix movies to fill out your watchlist.

Love of Your Life

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video

This film stars Margaret Qualley as Maya, a woman who embarks on an epic romance with Charlie (Gabriel Basso). But, when tragedy strikes, she must navigate a new life.

Lanterns' Aaron Pierre, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Catherine Keener co-star.

You can find more films to watch with our guide to all the best Prime Video movies.

For what else is coming out this year, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

VisionQuest brings back one of Marvel's most underrated villains as James Spader's Ultron takes center stage opposite Paul Bettany's Vision. The new series sees the Avengers: Age of Ultron antagonist inhabit his human avatar, trapped in Vision's Mind Space along with several other Stark Corporation AIs.

As Vision tries to reconcile his memories with feelings he's not sure he has, Ultron is there to goad and challenge him along the way. And over the course of the season, the series dives deeper into who Ultron really is, his opinions on humanity, and his own struggles with navigating emotions. It's a process that Spader says constantly surprised him.

"Any of the things that I might have thought about him when I did the film just were so much more of in the show, in VisionQuest," he tells GamesRadar+. "I was constantly surprised, even though Terry and I had discussed the whole show, from beginning to end, sort of beats, and certainly in episodes. And then having received the scripts and seeing what developed in the script form, I still wasn't prepared for the perfect thing that you're always aspiring to as an actor, always, is that it has a life when you start to perform it that you never really imagined.

"You could never really have predicted that. Even if you might have predicted intent or reaction or action, even if you might have been able to predict or speculate on that, the depth and breadth of it can often surprise you, and it did again and again and again on the show."

Ultron has already been an early stand-out of the series, with viewers saying he's the "highlight". New episodes are airing weekly on Disney Plus in two-episode blocks. For more, check out our VisionQuest release schedule as well as our verdict on the show in our VisionQuest review.

VisionQuest actor Paul Bettany thinks "snobbery" stopped fellow MCU star Robert Downey Jr. from winning an Oscar for Iron Man.

"Robert Downey, in my opinion, should have won an Oscar for that role [in Avengers: Endgame]," Bettany said in an interview with Buzzfeed Australia.

"It's extraordinarily hard to do. It's only some sort of snobbery regarding superhero movies that I think stopped that from happening. Because anybody who has ever had anything to do with making a movie knows that it looks hard to do, and it was. They did it brilliantly."

Ironically, Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for Joker in the year Robert Downey Jr. was eligible, though that was presented as a darker crime noir film that happened to take place in a superhero universe rather than a traditional DC movie. Robert Downey Jr. eventually got his acting Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss.

Whatever your opinion on the MCU, there's still a prevailing feeling that superhero films are largely shut out at the Academy.

As of writing, only two Marvel Studios films have won Oscars – Black Panther and its sequel, Wakanda Forever. Additionally, Black Panther remains the only MCU entry to be nominated for Best Picture; no actors have received the nod in any acting categories.

While that's unlikely to change anytime soon, Robert Downey Jr. is taking on his next challenge as the tragic Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

Already, Downey Jr. has made a bold declaration about his role.

Speaking on the Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast, the Doctor Doom actor declared, "What brought me back was the opportunity to redefine the genre of superhero movies."

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18.

For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and the Marvel timeline.

Marvel TV head Brad Winderbaum has opened up about Wonder Man's cancelation, calling the situation "complicated". Speaking in a new interview, he said that he still hopes something could happen in the future with the show.

"I fought for it, I don't know what to say. It's complicated," he replied when asked about it on The Brandon Davis Show. "Sometimes you feel like you're invincible and can make whatever you want, sometimes, you don't have leverage, it's subject to market forces that I like barely understand."

However, Winderbaum went on to add: "But creatively it's one of the best teams I've ever worked with, I love that cast, I love Destin [Daniel Cretton], I love Andrew [Guest], I fought for the show, we all did. Everyone at Marvel wanted to see it happen. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I still have hope that by some miracle, there's a way to do something down the road."

Presenter Davis suggested it could follow in the footsteps of Daredevil and come back for another season. Winderbaum admitted he's not sure fan campaigns can be as successful these days, but he said he hopes more people watch Wonder Man. "I love that show and really want as many people to watch it as possible."

Wonder Man starred Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, a struggling actor who secretly possesses superhuman powers. Ben Kingsley returned as Trevor Slattery in the series as well, which was a big hit with viewers and critics alike. It was renewed for season two in March before being canceled in July.

For all the projects still happening at Marvel, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

The second episode of VisionQuest introduces viewers to a Vision unlike one we've seen before in the MCU. Gone is the measured, logical synthezoid we know so well, as White Vision meets the Paladin in the Edinburgh pub where he'd been working undercover.

Trying to manipulate him to turn himself in to save his supposed son, Tommy Shepherd, Vision warns him that he is not the Avenger he assumes he is. "I'm not The Vision," he ominously tells him in a rare show of power and violence.

After more than 10 years of playing the character, Vision star Paul Bettany says this fresh take was a lot of "fun" to get stuck into. "When we find Vision, he has had his memories restored, but he seems unable or perhaps unwilling to attach any feelings to them, and I think that's a really human thing to do," Bettany tells GamesRadar+.

"It was fun to think of him getting frustrated because I don't think we've ever seen that. I think we've seen Vision be quite measured and contained, and to see him get angry in yes, ruthless ways, but also later on in sort of funny, frustrated ways with potentially his son in a situation that we will all recognize, like a father teaching their son to drive or whatever, just being really frustrated with them. It was really fun to play or have all of these new experiences for Vision and different facets of him."

The scene in the pub in episode two is a moment that stood out to showrunner Terry Matalas, who says he thought it would be "really surprising" to show this new side of Vision to audiences.

"That moment when he says, 'Let's try something new' in that dark way, I really got excited," he adds. "As an audience member, I think I would be thrilled to see him be a bit more ruthless."

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus, and based on the final moments of episode 2, we're in for some fun shenanigans with Vision, Ultron and Tommy in the coming episodes.

Check out our VisionQuest release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment, as well as our VisionQuest review for our verdict.

VisionQuest star Paul Bettany says he once left the entire script for Avengers: Infinity War on a plane, which is an offense punishable by Marvel jail.

"I've never told anybody this, but I once left the entire script for Avengers: Infinity War on a plane," Bettany admitted to Virgin Radio UK. "And I got in my car and I went, 'Oh no... oh no!' I was lucky to have had a greeter that was a genius, and I got the greeter to go in and get it, and I tipped that greeter like 500 bucks."

Bettany's co-star Emily Hampshire, who plays E.D.I.T.H. on the new Disney Plus show, joked that she didn't know she was entering "witness protection" when entering the MCU. Hampshire says it's common to throw out your script pages or sides after you've finished filming that scene, but Marvel will apparently send someone to your house to collect those pages. I'd argue that it's one thing to toss the sides for a Disney Plus TV show, and another to leave the entire script for an Avengers movie on a plane where someone could easily grab it... Bettany is lucky he had a good greeter.

Marvel takes its leaks and spoilers pretty seriously, which is why Tom 'Loose Lips' Holland went on a full vacation with Joe Russo and wasn't told anything about Avengers: Secret Wars during the trip.

VisionQuest is out now, with the first two episodes in tow. Check out our VisionQuest release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment.

"Our goal is to make TV shows that have an annual cadence, that feel like longer-form character studies, like truly great television shows," Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Television, told me on the eve of Daredevil: Born Again season 2's release. I thought he was referring to The Man Without Fear's show – the third season was filming at the time – but I was very, very wrong.

At Marvel's New York Comic Con panel, Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox, backed by Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and a returning Finn Jones (Iron Fist), confirmed that the next season will be the show's last. The audience was not happy. Asked what we can expect from the final episodes, Cox emphatically said: "All I can say is, the #SaveDaredevil campaign will be gearing up for Round Two." A round of cheers followed, but probably too little, too late.

Cox later told GamesRadar+ that the cancellation was not a huge surprise and the cast had a "good sense" the news was coming. However, reports previously revealed that showrunner Dario Scardapane exited the series during post-production, and internet rumours have also claimed the series' ending has been reshot to be more definitive. Surely, the show was meant to go on? I mean, why reintroduce all The Defenders not to use them?

VisionQuest also made up a significant part of the NYCC panel, with the cast stressing that this is the final part of the WandaVision trilogy. Yet, rather than just being a closing chapter to one of Marvel's most successful small-screen ventures, VisionQuest feels like the end of an entire era. Marvel has spent five years pumping out live-action limited series that tied into the big-screen productions, and now, there are no more coming. Marvel's Disney Plus experiment, it seems, has run its course.

"With the Captain America series, with Hawkeye, it really felt like the movies were in your home, and it was a great way to launch Marvel on [Disney Plus]," Winderbaum told me. "We learned, as time went on, the shared universe started to feel like an obligation to people, and that cost us a sense of discovery, especially on the television side.

"It doesn't matter if you can jump in and watch Moon Knight without knowing anything else. There was a sense, because of the preceding decade of the shared universe and the films, that you had to watch everything. It was, frankly, a bit of a misconception, but an understandable one based on the way we were releasing material."

That Daredevil, VisionQuest, and, lest we forget, the cancelled Wonder Man, were conceived before Marvel Television's rebranding in 2024 is telling. The studio's production philosophy has seemingly changed, and with little else on the horizon, Winderbaum appears to be taking the opportunity to clear the decks and start over.

Brave new world

So, what does the future of Marvel Television look like? At the NYCC panel, Winderbaum revealed the answer: Zodiac. Previously alluded to in Wonder Man's cancellation announcement, the new series was confirmed at NYCC, turning many fans' heads.

In the comics, Zodiac is a villainous crime syndicate whose members use Zodiac signs as names. "It's a globetrotting, international espionage show about secrets and lies and betrayals and secret acts of loyalty and an insane cast of characters," Winderbaum told Collider when teasing the series, refusing to elaborate as he wants everyone to watch unspoiled. It's wild that Marvel's only confirmed live-action Disney Plus show after Daredevil is one that centers on characters who wouldn't make the B-list. Only four years ago, the studio released Moon Knight, Ms Marvel, and She-Hulk in a single year.

Considering everything Winderbaum has said about his approach to TV, the pivot toward essentially unknown characters makes sense. He wants ongoing, yearly character studies that don't feel like homework for the wider MCU. What better way to do that than tell an entirely separate story about characters who won't be going anywhere near Spider-Man? The series can go deep without any baggage, and the movies can once again be completely separate beasts from the TV shows, with no need to watch anything prior.

Intriguingly, Zodiac's logo seems to reference S.H.I.E.L.D., the counterterrorism organisation that helped kickstart The Avengers Initiative and had its own show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which ran for seven seasons. The series was not a colossal ratings hit, but had an enduring fanbase, and frankly, sounds exactly like the sort of TV show Winderbaum wants to make. In other words, Marvel Television's future may look surprisingly like its past. (Though, unlike some speculators, I suspect Zodiac will have zero real ties to the Agents series, to avoid the former series being "homework" for this one.)

Of course, this says nothing of Marvel's animation output. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man season 2, X-Men '97 season 3, and the next three years of Marvel Zombies were all teased during the NYCC panel. Animation is much lower stakes than the live-action series – they have no bearing on the wider MCU – and all three shows have been warmly received by fans. There's no need for a cull. And the budgets are much, much smaller than live-action, which probably helps (though this is House of Mouse money we're talking).

It certainly seems, then, that the NYCC panel was a surprising eulogy for the way Marvel used to work and a brief, telling tease for the future. Zodiac marks a new dawn for live-action Marvel Television. And excitingly, we have very little idea what to expect.

VisionQuest is currently streaming on Disney Plus. Daredevil: Born Again season 3 is expected to release March 2027. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, and our list of all the most exciting new TV shows heading your way.

VisionQuest introduces the human avatars of several of Tony Stark's A.I.s who occupy Vision's interior world with him. Among them is E.D.I.T.H., or Even Dead I'm The Hero, who was first introduced in Spider-Man: Far From Home through a pair of Stark-created glasses.

VisionQuest builds out her story a lot more as she's played in human form by Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire as a chaotic, fun, weapons expert. Speaking to GamesRadar+, Hampshire says she really wanted to acknowledge her character's history in the MCU when bringing her to life.

"I watched all the movies from the beginning, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, that's her birth story," she explains. "So I definitely, to find the E.D.I.T.H. we meet in VisionQuest, I started with the E.D.I.T.H. who is in Spider-Man: Far From Home."

Hampshire continues: "Tony's legacy is in there, and he named her E.D.I.T.H. for Even Dead, I'm The Hero, so that really informed that there's something in her that wants to be the hero, but also has that sense of play that Tony has, and yet her idea of fun is blowing things up, and so that is what has created who we meet in VisionQuest."

In Far From Home, the character is voiced by Dawn Michelle King, but this is the first time we see her in human form. Translating that character in this way was an interesting challenge for the actor, who explains she thought a lot about how she would have grown in the period between MCU projects.

"Her boss was a teenager, and she was controlling weapons and blowing things up, and so I'm like, 'Well, what would she want when she is let out of these glasses?'" Hampshire says. "And from where she's coming from, to me, she wants to experience life and have fun, and her idea of fun is blowing things up."

She adds: "To me, E.D.I.T.H. in Spider-Man is E.D.I.T.H. at work in her corporate job that she can't have any fun in, and E.D.I.T.H. in VisionQuest, it is the weekend."

Have a read of our VisionQuest review for our full verdict, as well as keeping an eye on our VisionQuest release schedule as new episodes drop weekly on Disney Plus.

VisionQuest has finally landed on Disney Plus, and the first two episodes bring back James Spader's fearsome Ultron – only now, he has a human guise, and he lives inside of Vision's head (along with the rest of the MCU AIs).

Despite his new roommates, though, Ultron is still his villainous self, and MCU fans are loving seeing him again. The following contains spoilers for episode 1 and 2.

In the second episode of the series, Paladin the bounty hunter takes Vision's son, Tommy Shepherd, hostage. Ultron returns to the Ship of Theseus paradox from WandaVision to urge Vision to take action and save his son.

"Did we just catch Ultron giving genuinely solid advice?!" says one fan on Reddit. "This show has been great so far but Ultron I think is the highlight. Really interesting to see how he has actually tried to learn from humanity during his imprisonment and I love all of his interactions with Vision, absolutely fantastic dialogue. I feel like it's practically a given that there's going to be a betrayal from Ultron down the road and I'm surprised by how much I actually wish it wouldn't come, by how much I hope Ultron could just be this mentor figure he's presenting himself as. In any case I hope he persists past this show, I think he's just too great of a villain to permanently cast aside."

"I could watch just eight straight hours of Vision and Ultron talking and I would love this show. We're going to get so many great quotes from this series, I can tell," agrees another fan.

"That Ship of Theseus revisit was perfect. Expanding on it to include the context and theme was so good," says another person. "Ultron is biding his time, I'm thinking his gambit is to eventually take over the body. He's certainly been studying humanity but I doubt that's a good thing."

"Really reminded me Ultron IS supposed to be a good guy. His actions are evil and the end result of him is being a big bad, but it all stems from the same 'save the Earth' mentality. Spader killing it as usual helps with the delivery too," says someone else.

"Spader is soooo good! love all the back and forth between him and Bettany!" is another fan's thoughts.

VisionQuest continues weekly on Disney Plus. For more, check out our spoiler-free VisionQuest review, or keep up to date with our VisionQuest release schedule.

Charlie Cox knew Daredevil: Born Again was going to be canceled ahead of time.

"[There was] a little bit more planning and emotional support. We knew about it [this time]," Cox tells GamesRadar+ at New York Comic Con. "We had a good sense [it was going to be canceled]."

Even so, the news blindsided fans: last month, reports dropped that revealed Daredevil: Born Again would be canceled after its third season. There has been further speculation that the finale has been tweaked to be more definitive and less open-ended.

So, Daredevil has been hit with the three-season curse once more, having also been canceled on Netflix after three seasons.

This time, however, we at least get a mini-Defenders reunion to make up for it, with Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand all making a return to the street-level scene.

"I've never been a part of a cast where the chemistry is just so innate, not only with the actors but also the way the characters interact with each other. It's special. The Defenders are special," Jones explained to GamesRadar+ at NYCC.

"The more they can flesh that out, the more the fans are gonna be happy because the fans really want it. Especially between me and Mike and Heroes for Hire. Something like that, I know people are desperate for. We'll get a glimpse of that maybe in season 3."

Whatever comes next, Cox isn't ruling out a Daredevil appearance in future MCU movies – even as Born Again comes to a close.

Daredevil: Born Again season 3 will premiere on Disney Plus in March 2027.

In the meantime, discover the other upcoming Marvel movies and shows currently in the works.

Fortnite developer and publisher Epic Games has reportedly delayed the release of a Disney extraction shooter that it had been working on so as to incorporate more artificial intelligence technology into its development.

The news comes from Bloomberg, which reports that the game's developers were instructed to engage with an "AI first" production process, using generative AI models like Anthropic's Claude – a tool that's recently been in the limelight for its role in fan-created PlayStation emulations like the controversial fan-made Bloodborne PC port that made rounds online last week.

An internal message from one of the game's directors has apparently confirmed as much. "No more hand-written code," it allegedly reads, going on to declare that all art for the game would now be "generated with full AI workflows."

Epic Games' communications director Jake Jones has responded to Bloomberg, too, admitting, "We're embracing AI-accelerated development, led by Epic developers who are the visionaries and creative drivers for everything we do."

Disney representatives declined to comment, apparently.

This all lines up with what Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is writing over on Twitter as well. "We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic," the studio lead describes, "moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn't to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal."

As you can imagine, commenters aren't exactly thrilled.

I can't say this comes as much of a surprise, though, really. Sweeney has made his stance on generative AI very clear in the past, having dubbed Steam's own AI disclosures "really irresponsible of Valve" as they supposedly make it "much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success."

In other words, he's never been opposed to the highly controversial tech – he's only ever expressed the opposite.

So, what's next for Epic Games and its collaborative project with Disney? Well, I suppose that only time can tell for certain – but I'm not sure that this move is tasteful… especially after the company's widespread layoffs earlier this year.

Fortnite's Hollow Knight crossover items cost more than Hollow Knight itself – and Silksong, too.