Apple is set to announce new hardware today. The company is holding a (virtual) keynote at 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris). And you’ll be able to watch the event right here as the company is streaming it live.
Rumor has it that the company is set to announce some new Macs. Over the past year, Apple has updated its entry-level computers with new custom-designed M1 chips. And now, the company could bring its own chips to higher-end computers, such as a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, a new Mac Mini and a 27-inch iMac.
Apple could use this opportunity to redesign its laptops from the ground up with new display technologies, a new array of ports and a new form factor in general. But that’s not all. Apple has also been working on an updated version of its entry-level AirPods.
You can watch the livestream directly on this page, as Apple is streaming its conference on YouTube.
If you have an Apple TV, you can open the TV app and look for the ‘Apple Special Event’ section. It lets you stream today’s event and rewatch old ones.
And if you don’t have an Apple TV and don’t want to use YouTube, the company also lets you livestream the event from the Apple Events section on its website. This video feed now works in all major browsers — Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.
To access the data of unsuspecting users, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could take advantage of a universal authentication process that is believed to be secure but may not actually be, cybersecurity experts warned, although encryption is still the preferred method of protecting digital data and Protection of computers - in some cases, the same digital certificates used for internet authentication allow the Chinese regime to infiltrate and wreak havoc on various computer networks, they said.
Digital certificates that verify the identity of a digital entity on the Internet. A digital certificate can be compared to a passport or driver's license, according to Andrew Jenkinson, CEO of cybersecurity company Cybersec Innovation Partners (CIP) and author of the book Stuxnet to Sunburst: 20 Years of Digital Exploitation and Cyber Warfare.
"Without it, the person or device you are using may not meet industry standards, and the encryption of critical data could be bypassed so that what should be encrypted remains in plain text," Jenkinson told The Epoch Times Used to Encrypt internal and external communications that prevent a hacker, for example, from intercepting and stealing data. But "fake certificates" or invalid certificates can tamper with any data.
Sense of security, "said Jenkinson. Cybersecurity firm Global Cyber Risk LLC said digital certificates are generally issued by trusted CAs and then the same level of trust is passed on to intermediaries However, there are opportunities for a communist entity, malicious actor, or other untrustworthy entity to issue certificates to other "hideous people" who appear trustworthy but are not, he said.
"If you issue a certificate from a trusted authority, you will trust it," said Duren. "But what the issuer could actually do is pass that trust on to someone who shouldn't be trusted. Duren said he would never trust." a Chinese certification authority for this reason, stating that it is aware of a number of companies that have banned Chinese certificates because they were issued to untrustworthy agencies.
Jenkinson said that Chinese certification bodies make up a small portion of the overall industry and the certificates they issue are generally limited to Chinese companies and products.
Prince, a member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance who declined to give his real name, uses his computer at their office in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images).
In 2015, certificates from China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the state agency overseeing domain name registration in China, were challenged. Mozilla revoked CNNIC certificates because it knew of unauthorized digital certificates associated with multiple domains. Both Internet companies opposed CNNIC delegating its authority to issue certificates to an Egyptian company that issued the unauthorized certificates. According to Jenkinson, CNNIC certificates were banned because they had "back doors".
A back door means that [the Chinese certification body] could literally take administrative access and send data back to the mothership, ”he said. Since 2016, Mozilla, Google, Apple and Microsoft have also blocked the Chinese certification authorities WoSign and their subsidiary StartCom due to unacceptable security practices.Vulnerability Despite these bans on Chinese digital certificates in recent years, the CCP has not been deterred and has long-term gambling, Jenkinson said, referring to an alarming discovery by his cybersecurity firm two years ago that it was a multinational consulting firm.
Digital certificates are typically valid for a few years depending on the certification authority, and a renewal is required to keep them valid and keep the data they are supposed to protect secure, he said. "But in 2019, CIP Chinese discovered certificates that had been valid for 999 years," Jenkinson said. His company made this discovery by researching the laptops of a leading global consulting firm.
Jenkinson made the company aware of the vulnerability and offered, "They are either incredibly accommodating or complicit," he said, noting that the company's customers include government agencies.This multi-billion dollar company's failure to fix this problem means hundreds of thousands of people could be exposed to Chinese infiltration through the company's lax safeguards, Jenkinson said. The company engages its customers every time someone uses one of its laptops, he said.
Companies or customers who use the company's services could be held for ransom, they have their intellectual advantages
Netflix's Korean survival drama Squid Game has captured the imagination of a global audience, but how exactly does the game stay a secret despite so many people going missing? TheNetflix smash hit establishes that a group of wealthy individuals recruit competitors with massive debts to vie for Squid Game's 45.6 billion Won prize, and it follows 456 of these competitors as they engage in the titular games. The premise of the game - and the show - is that 455 participants will die during the games, leaving one winner to take the prize money, pay off their debts, and live in comfort for the rest of their life.
Through the investigation of Jun-ho, a policeman who infiltrates the game disguised as one of its masked workers, it's revealed that the games have been running for 30 years. Assuming that each game has around 400 participants and (as the epilogue implies) that one occurs roughly once per year, that would mean an estimated body count of 11,970 - which is an awful lot of missing people to cover up. The theory that Jun-ho is still alive might see him bring the game's existence to light in a potential Squid Game season 2, but the real question is: just how has it been kept a secret for so long?
The show does imply an answer, but it's one that requires a lot of clarification. The game is run by the Front Man - later revealed to be Jun-ho's brother, In-ho - but it exists in order to entertain some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people, known in Squid Game as the VIPs. With this level of financial backing behind it, it can be surmised that large sums of money are able to secure the game's continued existence. Squid Game's Old Man twist reveals that Oh Il-nam, also known as Player 001, is the game's founder, but it doesn't specify exactly how he has been able to keep it hidden for so long - although one of the most likely answers lies within the show's narrative theme.
Squid Game's story is rooted in South Korea's class divide and highlights the massive disparity of wealth within the country as well as examining the way in which the wealthy look at the people they deem beneath them. The most likely explanation for how the game remains a secret is that its selected players are all desperate people whose disappearance can be easily explained - Sang-woo is wanted by the police, Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector, and Gi-hun is a gambling addict with massive debt. The common theme is that Squid Game's cast of characters all exist on the bottom rung of a society that doesn't value them and that their disappearance will largely go unnoticed.
This is evidenced in episode 2 when Gi-hun approaches the police, and they laugh him off. They dismiss his story as outlandish as he has no real credibility, with only Jun-ho willing to investigate in an unofficial capacity in hopes of finding his brother. It certainly appears that choosing its competitors carefully is key to the game's continued secrecy, but it may even be more important that its workers are chosen carefully. From the events Jun-ho witnesses during his infiltration of the island, it's clear that complete obedience is required of the workers, and steps are surely taken to choose Squid Game's workers carefully in order to ensure their silence.
It seems that Squid Game's VIPs are the largest contributors to the game's ability to remain hidden, but this is something that's implied rather than stated. However, money and influence alone can't guarantee silence, so it's most likely that the game employs other contingencies against those seeking to expose it. Exactly what those methods might look like will surely come into play in Squid Game's hypothetical season 2, as Gi-hun made his intentions to expose the game all too clear.
Warning: This post contains major spoilers for You Season 3.
The explosive ending of You season 3 sees Penn Badgley's Joe once more free of his crimes - despite an increasingly heinous rap sheet - but with his soul mate Love (Victoria Pedretti) killed off after turning on him. It's a shocking turn of events that splits up the couple after some of the best drama of the season saw them negotiating the "safety" of married, suburban life as well as their dark impulses. But removing Joe's wife (and son) in one fell swoop does serve a purpose for the future of the show.
You season 3 is only partly based on Caroline Kepnes' books, after the first two seasons were based on her first two titles, You and Hidden Bodies. As such, while there are elements of the story adapted from third Joe Goldberg book You Love Me, the majority of the plot was invented for the Netflix show. The librarian storyline comes from the book, but the fate of Love is changed significantly: in the third book, Vitoria Pedretti's killer wife is initially not involved because the Quinn family have paid Joe $4m to stay away from them, but she appears to try and exact revenge on him. Here, of course, Love and Joe are somewhat "happily" married, and it's not until the end when Joe's new stalking victim is revealed that Love turns on him and is killed.
In both cases, Love ends up dying, but in the book it's by her own hand (after she shoots Joe in the head) - so why did You season 3's ending change the specifics of Love's death? And why was she killed in the first place? It comes down to the opportunity to continue Joe's story into the newly announced You season 4, which couldn't happen with Joe still tied to suburbia, and also fits with Joe's darkness within and the curse that he will never be happy. As revealed in You season 3, Joe's evil manifests because of his "mommy issues" (or so he claims) and his innate need to be the saviour after he was forced to kill his father to protect his mother. After she rejected him for what he did, Joe was forever cursed to chase the perfect opportunity to save his victims - as a power trip and a realization of the fantasy his mother robbed of him - and a stable, happy ending with Love simply didn't fit that. In order for Joe's story to continue, in other words, Love had to die in You season 3's ending.
You season 3 goes some way into exploring Joe's origin story in a new way, giving him some insight into why he craves the power over his victims that drives him, but stops short of offering him the realization that he will never be happy with any of his "conquests". As soon as the chase is over, Joe will always become bored and look to his next possible victim, who could still feed his saviour complex from afar, without the stability and mundanity of familiarity. Joe isn't just stalking women, he's stalking the happy ending and the validation from his mother he feels he's due, and settling down destroys his opportunity to do that, blunting his edge.
On top of that, the reality of Love is nothing like the fantasy he'd created in his own head that had been fed by his need to save her. As soon as she revealed that she could be just like him, he was repulsed, almost killing her but choosing not to because of her shock reveal of her pregnancy. From there on, Joe was simply playing a role, performing to fit in and be what he thought he needed to be to save his son from becoming just like him. But his quick infatuations with Natalie and then Marienne proved without doubt that it was all a lie hiding his true impulses. Now that Love has been removed from the scene, Joe can continue to chase what he will never achieve: satisfaction in his "hunt". Additionally, Love's death at the end of You season 3 potentially gives season 4 its antagonist, as the Quinn family are unlikely to allow his death to go fully investigated, which may put them on a collision course in France when Joe Goldberg returns.
DC's The Flash movie trailer reveals Michael Keaton's Batman return, with the actor donning the Batsuit again in the upcoming movie. Ezra Miller will lead The Flash film as Barry Allen, reprising his DC Extended Universe role in his first solo movie. However, he'll be joined by other DC heroes in The Flash movie including Keaton's Batman from Tim Burton's 80s & 90s movies, Ben Affleck's DCEU Batman and new-to-the-universe Sasha Calle as Supergirl. IT helmer Andy Muschietti directs The Flash from a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn).
During production on The Flash, Muschietti posted teaser images of Miller's Flash suit, Keaton's Batman suit and Calle's Supergirl suit that just showed their respective logos, but never revealed the full costumes. An additional teaser image featured a Batman logo with the Flash's red and gold logo painted over it, though it wasn't clear what exactly the image meant for the film's story. Further looks at the movie were revealed unofficially by photographers, with The Flash movie set photos revealing Keaton's Bruce Wayne, Calle's full Supergirl costume and Affleck's Batcyle. However, now official looks at the movie are unveiled.
During DC FanDome 2021, a first look at Keaton's Batman return in The Flash movie was revealed. Check it out in the video below.
On Friday, it was revealed Superman is getting a brand-new catchphrase, as the iconic DC Comics hero will fight for “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow." At DC FanDome, DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee revealed the Man of Steel will officially be dropping the "American Way" from his motto and instead, which will be replaced by the phrase "a Better Tomorrow." The new catchphrase better embodies the hero's ultimate mission of making the world a better place.
Superman is one of the most recognizable pop culture figures on the planet, as he originally debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1939. The hero has always been connected to the United States, as The Man of Tomorrow crash-landed on Earth and ended up being raised in Smallville, Kansas in the United States. However, despite his longtime motto suggesting he fights for the American Way, Superman has long fought for everyone across the globe - meaning his motto hasn't been all-encompassing as it should be. Now, Superman is officially losing "The American Way" from his iconic catchphrase. MORE DETAILS WILL BE ADDED SOON.
LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, the latest comedic holiday-themed Star Wars television special, is the latest official property to poke fun at Kylo Ren’s mask. Kylo Ren, formerly Ben Solo, is one of the main antagonists of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, despite often being the subject of mockery both in-universe and in the real world. Like Darth Vader, Kylo Ren is a powerful dark side user who wears a menacing armored mask. Though Vader wore his mask as part of a cybernetic survival suit, Kylo wears his for a variety of other reasons -- namely, vanity.
Darth Vader, the grandfather of Ben Solo, was a Sith Lord who required his suit following grievous injuries sustained in a battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi. As Kylo Ren, Ben Solo worshipped Vader, but there were numerous differences between the two. Kylo was never a Sith. He was a Knight of Ren using the dark side with a different philosophical outlook from the Sith. While Vader resigned himself to his new Sith identity, Kylo craved his, killing and sacrificing everything any everyone necessary to ascend to his position as Master of the Knights of Ren.
The humorous take on Kylo Ren’s origin in the non-canon Terrifying Tales took some inspiration from the canonical four-issue Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, with Ben becoming intrigued by the Knights of Ren during his Jedi days. In the LEGO parody, Ben joins the marauding gang, but receives his armor, robes, and mask immediately, since the Knights needed to maintain an intimidating appearance. Though it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, this iteration of Kylo Ren wears his mask for similar reasons in the Star Wars canon universe.
There were several reasons why Kylo wore a mask in the Star Wars sequels, but the main one is that all Knights of Ren wore armored suits, complete with battle helms. After renouncing his ties to the Jedi, Kylo usurped Ren as the Knights’ new leader and devoted himself to their philosophy and customs, including the use of an armored mask. Aside from indicating his affiliation with the Knights and protecting his head, Kylo’s mask served another, more sentimental, purpose.
Kylo Ren worshipped his grandfather, Darth Vader, seeking to become a similarly fearsome dark side user, thanks in part to telepathic goading by Darth Sidious. When wearing his armored mask, which deepened his voice, Kylo felt more like Vader. Kylo’s dark side master, Snoke, brutally criticized Kylo in the comics and films for his attempts to mimic his grandfather.
Snoke, along with Poe Dameron, also complained about the mask’s distortion of Kylo’s voice, making it the subject of frequent criticism in-universe. Aside from Kylo Ren’s desires to follow in Vader’s footsteps the traditional helmets worn by the Knights of Ren were meant to strike fear into their victims. This makes the satirical reason for Kylo Ren wearing his mask fitting in LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, as both he and the Knights of Ren were concerned with appearances.
DC's Titans season 4 is officially announced, with the renewal confirmed during this year's DC FanDome event. The show originally premiered in 2018 as a darker, grittier take on DC's popular Teen Titans team, introducing core members like Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), Kory Anders aka Starfire (Anna Diop), Gar Logan aka Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Rachel Roth aka Raven (Teagan Croft). In the seasons since, Titans has added Superboy (Joshua Orpin), Donna Troy (Conor Leslie) and Jason Todd (Curran Walters) to their roster of heroes - among other characters, including iconic villains like Deathstroke in season 2.
In Titans season 3, Jason has become Red Hood and turned against his former team to antagonize them along with Dr. Johnathan Crane aka Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser). The season also introduced Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch) and Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo), the latter of which has teamed up with the Titans to help them battle Scarecrow. Now, for those wondering what's next for Titans, the show has made an important announcement at DC FanDome 2021.
During DC FanDome 2021, HBO Max announced Titans season 4, with the series officially renewed for another outing. Titans season 3 will wrap up on Oct. 21 with the finale episode. It's not yet known when Titans season 4 will release, though it's possible it'll return sometime in 2022 depending on when filming starts and wraps.
Since Titans season 4 has only just been confirmed and the season 3 finale has yet to air, it's unclear what storyline the next season will explore. That said, given the sheer number of DC characters who join each season of the show, there's no doubt the showrunners will add even more comics characters. Between Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and now Tim Drake on the show, it's possible other popular Batman characters may be properly introduced, like Stephanie Brown or Duke Thomas. It's also not yet clear who the main villain of Titans season 4 will be, but there's quite a number of possibilities if they pull from the comics.
Ultimately the Titans season 4 confirmation shows that HBO Max remains confident in this particular DC series. Along with Doom Patrol, which is also returning for season 4, HBO Max is building out its DC offerings, with additional shows in the works. The Suicide Squad spinoff Peacemaker is arriving in January and a spinoff from Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves' The Batman is also in development. With the Harley Quinn animated show also available on HBO Max, the streamer has a wide variety of shows for all kinds of DC fans. For Titans fans specifically, they can look forward to a whole new season coming to HBO Max.
An upcoming Minecraft update, called The Wild Update, has been announced and will launch in 2022. The hugely successful survival sandbox game places players in massive randomly-generated worlds and tasks them with gathering resources to survive. Continued updates have helped enhance Minecraft's world generation over time, with the upcoming Cave & Cliffs Update Part 2 changing biomes so that they generate more realistically.
The latest update for Minecraft, Caves & Cliffs Update Part 1, introduced major changes to the game's deepest caves and tallest cliffs. Back in June the first part of this two-part update brought interesting new mobs, unique new resources, and useful new items into the game. Underwater areas received bizarre axolotl creatures, and goats can now be found roaming the game's mountains. Copper and amethyst can also be found in caves, giving players new reasons to dig deep into Minecraft's caves. Previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, which show off further additions like biome blending, were shown at the recent Minecraft Live digital event.
Alongside showing previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, Minecraft Live also announced a brand-new update to the game called The Wild. This update, coming at some point in 2022, appears to focus on general improvements for swamp biomes. A new Mangrove Swamp biome will be added, which features shallow water and overgrown mangrove trees. Frogs will be a new mob found in these swamps, and mud blocks can be created by adding water to a dirt block. Boats with built-in chests will make exploring these waterlogged areas more efficient for players.
Alongside the extensive new Mangrove Swamp biome, The Wild Update will bring a larger and much scarier new location to the game as well. Minecraft's new Deep Dark Cities are terrifying underground areas with their very own enemies, loot and gameplay features. Deep Cities are massive cavernous areas filled with ruins for players to explore, with mysterious central structures containing the most useful loot. A new Sculk resource will also spread throughout these areas, and players can earn experience or enchantment points for harvesting them.
Minecraft is an ever-expanding title, which has allowed the game to maintain a strong fanbase for over a decade. New biomes and environmental generation systems are being introduced in Caves & Cliffs Part 2 and The Wild Update, making the game even more exciting to explore. Minecraft's worlds have always been massive, but earlier iterations of the game could create environments that are awkwardly shaped or confusingly placed. The Wild Update will greatly increase the immersive nature of swamps while also adding creepy underground Deep Cities.
Which MCU character would win in a fight, Captain Marvel or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Adam Warlock? The Marvel Cinematic Universe's "most powerful" debate has raged among fans since Phase 2 rapidly began broadening the franchise's roster of super-powered characters. Though there's no firm consensus on which hero currently holds that title, the most common picks are Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch (especially after her WandaVision boost), and Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, though that may soon change with Eternals on the horizon.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will introduce another keen contender for the MCU Heavyweight title - Adam Warlock. Left enraged by the Guardians of the Galaxy and their light-fingered raccoon, Ayesha, leader of the Sovereign, set about advancing the genetic engineering of her people to create "Adam." The most powerful and destructive member of the entire Sovereign species, Adam (the MCU's live-action version of Marvel comic character, Adam Warlock) will debut fully in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Will Poulter is now officially cast in the role.
Adam Warlock will immediately become one of the strongest entities in the entire MCU, and as a space-faring warrior wielding cosmic power, comparisons to Carol Danvers are only natural. Brie Larson's ace pilot continues to play a major role in the overarching MCU narrative, and returns in her 2022 solo sequel The Marvels... but is Captain Marvel stronger than Adam Warlock?
Although their origin stories are very different, Captain Marvel's MCU powers are broadly the same as her Marvel comics counterpart. Brie Larson gained superhuman abilities through raw exposure to the Space Stone, whereas the original Carol Danvers was a Kree/human hybrid whose biology mutated thanks to the Kree's psyche-magnitron. Danvers received gifts similar to Mar-Vell (who was also present during the psyche-magnitron incident) and became the superhero known as Ms. Marvel, before eventually transitioning to her more familiar guise of Captain Marvel.
Carol's powers have disappeared, changed, reawakened and faded over the decades, but generally consist of enhanced physical attributes (the typical strength, speed, stamina and durability), manipulation of cosmic energy, flight, and regenerative qualities. In the Marvel comics, Carol possessed a form of mental cosmic awareness to sense danger before it happened, which is missing from the live-action character. On the other hand, MCU Captain Marvel gets Binary Mode, burning through cosmic power to supercharge her existing abilities. Binary Mode is the MCU interpretation of Danvers' Binary transformation in the comic books.
Adam Warlock's combat repertoire in the MCU remains to be seen, but the comic character is a well established Marvel powerhouse. Rather than the Sovereign, Adam was created by the Enclave as the epitome of human evolution - a genetically perfect being harboring unique physiology and awesome powers. Like Captain Marvel, Adam possesses super strength, speed, stamina and durability, and casts cosmic energy as a weapon. He's also extremely difficult to kill, having something of a distanced relationship with Death, and using his cocoon to resurrect even after being killed. Other powers Adam Warlock has displayed throughout his lifespan include telepathy, teleportation, proficiency in magic, telekinesis, pyrokinesis and advanced cosmic senses. Though much of Adam's power derives from the manner of his creation, the Marvel character has been augmented further by the Soul Gem (an equivalent to the MCU Soul Stone), which was a gift from the High Evolutionary. Adam's bond with the Soul Stone has evolved his existing powers, making Warlock one of the Marvel universe's most formidable entities.
Will Poulter's MCU Adam Warlock comes bearing a very different origin story. Rather than being designed as the pinnacle of human evolution, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits sequence reveals Ayesha created Adam as the next evolutionary step of her own people, the Sovereign. In theory, this would make MCU Adam even stronger than the comic character, since the Sovereign are already superior to us measly Earthlings. Likewise, Ayesha's Sovereign are renowned masters of genetic engineering in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, whereas the Enclave was a coalition of (admittedly brilliant and well-funded) scientists originating on Earth. Again, one could argue that the Sovereign's alien technology should produce a more formidable Adam Warlock than the comic books.
However, Adam's alien origins might simply be compensation for his lack of Soul Gem. A fair portion of Adam Warlock's comic strength can be attributed to having an Infinity Gem lodged in his head, and this simply isn't going to fly on the big screen. Thanks to Avengers: Infinity War, we know the Soul Stone resided with Red Skull on Vormir until Thanos came along, which means Ayesha almost certainly couldn't use the orange-y jewel on Adam without some serious timeline gymnastics (which, let's face it, wouldn't be the first time). More likely, Poulter's Adam Warlock will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Soul Stone, which leaves Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 two alternatives. Either Adam will be under-powered in live-action, or the Sovereign's superior scientific knowledge means Adam gets all of his comic book powers without the influence of an Infinity Stone.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits scene, Ayesha promises her Adam will be capable of destroying Star-Lord's eclectic crew of space bandits, suggesting Will Poulter's character demonstrates his might as a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This might explain Thor's role in the threequel, as the As-Guardian can stand up to Adam while the others run away. In the Marvel comics, Adam is not only a heroic character (usually), he also turns on his own creators. This means the MCU's new addition will likely switch sides before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is over.
Assuming Kevin Feige and James Gunn allow Adam Warlock more or less the same complement of powers and abilities as the comic character, it's he who would emerge victorious in a fight against Captain Marvel.
Although both Marvel characters are capable of absorbing and hurling photon energy, Adam Warlock's range of cosmic attacks is much wider. Whereas Carol Danvers traditionally sticks to Dragon Ball Z-esque waves and blasts, Adam's cosmic techniques show more versatility, including the kind of energy constructs and matter manipulation rarely seen from Carol Danvers, especially in the MCU. In addition to his proficiency with energy, Adam Warlock's quantum magic capabilities provide yet another edge over Captain Marvel, and his potential to sense Carol's attacks and teleport away would prove especially annoying to Brie Larson's character. Captain Marvel's only hope against Adam Warlock would be to somehow negate his cosmic powers and engage in a fist fight, where the experience and guile of Carol Danvers might overcome her godly opponent.
Of course, even if Captain Marvel could take Adam Warlock down, he'd simply slip into a regeneration cocoon and revive for a rematch, whereas Carol's regenerative anti-aging qualities are far more limited. Whatever angle you approach it, Adam Warlock (assuming his MCU powers mirror the comic books) has several upper hands against Ms. Danvers.
This outcome is supported by their respective battles against other Marvel comics characters, Thanos in particular. Carol Danvers boasts plenty of impressive victories against her name, and fared better against Thanos than many other Avengers (both in the comics and live-action). Nevertheless, Adam Warlock enjoyed a much easier clash with the Mad Titan. Adam successfully defeats the Infinity saga's villain in Jim Starlin's original story, and while Mar-Vell (an earlier Captain Marvel) also boasts a victory against the Mad Titan on his record, Carol Danvers does not. Elsewhere, Adam Warlock knocked out the mighty Silver Surfer (as a kindness to prevent his death), took a blast from Galactus, and was omnipotent enough to become the Living Tribunal. Very little in Captain Marvel's superhero career comes close to such feats.
All of which would suggest that, despite Captain Marvel's position among the strongest on the Avengers' roster, Adam Warlock ranks among the strongest beings in the universe, several steps above Carol Danvers. That won't necessarily carry over into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but Brie Larson should watch her back nonetheless - Adam Warlock goes higher, further and, indeed, faster.
In Avengers: Endgame, the sight of Pepper Potts flying into battle while wearing her very own Iron Man suit drew massive applause from audiences - but many did not yet realize the massive changes Marvel made to the armor from the comics. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has certainly seen many changes from the source material over the years (the most recent is Shang-Chi's Mandarin to the character Wenwu in the film), and some are more drastic than others. But in the original comics, the suit - dubbed Rescue - had one major restriction.
In the MCU, the writers continually teased Pepper's Rescue suit, especially in Iron Man 3. The "Prodigal Son" armor, partially inspired by the armor seen in 2006's Extremis, was directed by Iron Man to surround Pepper during the collapse of Tony's Malibu mansion. But Pepper didn't get her complete suit until the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, and while the suit demonstrated multiple weapons and offensive capabilities, the armor in the comics was quite restricted - by design.
Pepper would find the Rescue Armor Model 1 in The Invincible Iron Man #10, but wouldn't actually don the suit until two issues later. She swoops into action as an earthquake nearly devastates a school, and her quick thinking saves the day. The entire suit has been designed from the ground up to save lives, not take them; though it has the speed, strength and flight capabilities like most other Iron Man armors, Pepper observes "There's not a single weapon anywhere on this suit." Every element is designed to protect and defend; the thrust doesn't even generate heat.
Though the suit has no weapons, it is by no means weak; Pepper intercepts a crashing airplane and manages to bring it to safety using her repulsor field generators in the same issue. Pepper wouldn't wear a suit with weaponry until donning the Rescue Armor Model 5 in Rescue 2020 #1, Pepper's own limited series premiering in 2020. Though the suit still focused on defenses, its repulsors could be used as weapons. The blue and silver suit was clearly modeled after the armor worn by actor Gwyneth Paltrow in Avengers: Endgame - but in the film, Pepper obviously had no reservations about using weapons at all during the final battle. With the fate of the universe (and their daughter) at stake in the film, Pepper needed all the offensive firepower she could get.
Love interests in comics rarely get a chance to partake in their significant others' battles, even in the modern era of comics. The Rescue armor is a new addition to the Iron Man mythos, but certainly a welcome on. Pepper Potts remains a major player in Iron Man books and hopefully will continue to use the Rescue armor for years to come.
[Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Far Cry 6.]
While Far Cry 6 has issues of its own, a narrative choice made for its ending could fix Far Cry 3’s biggest mistake. Far Cry 3's campaign follows protagonist Jason Brody attempting to save his friends on the Rook Islands. Players soon meet a twisted, charismatic villain named Vaas Montenegro, whose "definition of insanity" monologue has continuously appeared throughout the franchise. However, Vaas seemingly dies approximately halfway through the game and is replaced by a far less compelling antagonist.
Far Cry 6’s continuity has been a matter of some conjecture. Before the game’s release, some players speculated Diego Castillo, son of villainous dictator Anton Castillo, was a young version of Vaas. This theory proved untrue, as Diego meets a tragic fate during the game’s final confrontation. Thankfully, it seems Vaas does return: Though players never see his face, his voice is unmistakably that of the "Smuggler" in Far Cry 6’s ending.
Far Cry 6 is also not a prequel to Far Cry 3 in any fashion, as newspapers and current events place the game in 2020. Similarly, Far Cry 3 features newspapers and radio shows that place it during 2012. Vaas' apparent survival suggests several things about the continuity of the franchise; while it’s possible Far Cry 6 could be an alternate universe or retcon, it’s also possible Vaas never died at all. Vaas’ death occurs while Jason is under the influence of Far Cry 3's hallucinogenic drugs and strange magics that are never fully explained, meaning the character could have been alive this whole time.
Though Vaas is ultimately Far Cry 3’s secondary antagonist, his actions are a direct catalyst to the story. What begins as a tropical getaway for several Californian partygoers spirals into a nightmare, as they are kidnapped and held for ransom by the Rook Islands’ local pirates. The first pirate to directly interact with Jason, Vaas' mental state is revealed through swift, irrational dialogue. His unpredictability and the frequent showdowns between him and Jason craft an exhilarating rivalry, but it's brought to a somewhat disappointing conclusion. After being stabbed by Vaas, players explore a strange hallucination through a drug-addled haze, fighting multiple copies of Vaas before eventually stabbing what seems to be the real version of him in the chest. As Jason loses consciousness, Vaas’ eyes stare directly at the camera one last time.
After his supposed death, Vaas never reappears in Far Cry 3's campaign, despite his connections to Cintra (another antagonist and Vaas’ sister) and Jason. Instead, Hoyt Volker replaces Vaas. Also referred to as The Tyrant, Hoyt is a South African crime lord who oversees a human trafficking operation in the Rook Islands with a crew of privateers. He fails to live up to Vaas' charisma, however, so what was supposed to be Far Cry 3’s big bad turns into its biggest disappointment. Far Cry fans who recently joined the franchise almost certainly know of Vaas, but Hoyt’s legacy died with him.
Though Vaas's appearance in Far Cry 6’s campaign was surprising, the character’s return wasn’t wholly unexpected. Before the game’s launch, Ubisoft announced players would finally have the opportunity to play as some of the franchise’s beloved villains in a trio of Far Cry 6 DLC episodes. The first, titled Insanity, is undoubtedly referring to Vaas’ insanity monologue and is scheduled for a November release.
The greatest strength of Far Cry has always been its villains, whose twisted philosophies and actions torment the games' protagonists. With the villain-oriented DLCs, Ubisoft is finally utilizing its strongest element to give players a side of the series they haven't seen before, all the while diversifying gameplay. Adventures centered around depraved individuals previously praised for their intrigue provide a unique storytelling opportunity, whereas many players' complaints about Far Cry 6 say it has a stale story with predictable dialogue and outcomes. Perhaps' Vaas' return in the game's main ending could signal a pursuit of this angle in content beyond just DLC.
Ubisoft has given players many choices during Far Cry's endings of the past, often deciding the fate of the villain and the game's central conflict. Far Cry 3 let Jason save his friends or kill them, fully embracing the chaos of his actions in the jungle. However, Far Cry 6 lacked this choice and cemented a traditional, undisputable ending. If Far Cry 6 is the beginning of a new continuity for the series, this is the opportunity for a true canon to be determined - and Vaas' return is evidentially a part of that. Further Far Cry 6 development is planned into 2022, so future DLC could see Vaas get a greater role. That, or Ubisoft might just deliver a playable Vaas in a full, brand-new Far Cry game.
WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Venom: Let There Be Carnage!
The post-credits scene for Venom: Let There Be Carnage transported the tongue-slavering symbiote into the MCU and set up a potential role in Spider-Man: No Way Home - and it could be through the "Nexus" events introduced in Loki. There's long been intense interest in the idea of Tom Hardy's Venom and Tom Holland's Spider-Man coming head-to-head. Now, finally, those hopes and dreams look set to become a reality.
Marvel movies have long been renowned for their post-credits scenes, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage's is one of the best yet in that it leaves so many questions unanswered. Eddie Brock finds himself unwittingly transported through the Multiverse, arriving to watch a news broadcast in which J. Jonah Jameson ranted about Spider-Man's secret identity during Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene. It's safe to assume this ties in directly to Spider-Man: No Way Home, which promises to transport a number of Spider-Man villains into the MCU as a result of a magic spell gone wrong. There have long been reports of a hidden sixth enemy, and it looks as though Venom is set to fit the bill.
But exactly how has Venom jumped from one dimension to another in the first place? In truth, Marvel is still making up their minds about how their Multiverse works. They determined the rules only after producing a number of films and TV shows based upon it. However, the basic principles may already have actually been explained in Loki.
It's long been clear that the concept of "nexus" events and beings is key to the MCU's Phase 4 slate. According to Loki, a nexus event is a moment where a single act can create an entirely different branching timeline in the multiverse. Nexus events can be created by major actions or minor ones - by someone starting a civil war that wasn't part of the main timeline, or simply being late for work. The Time Variance Authority attempted to prevent the multiverse by pruning all these branches, but they ultimately failed, and now anything is possible in multiversal terms. But the multiverse introduced in Loki is actually more complicated than most viewers realize. Loki director Kate Herron pointed to one shot of the multiverse as it sprang into being, and noted the various branches intersect in quite dramatic ways (as per Murphy's Multiverse):
"So, there's the branches, right, which is like the alternative reality. But then something, you'll see it, it's very subtle but in the very last shot where you see the Multiverse, there's like basically other bigger physical timelines branches. So, it's almost like these different separate trees that are now connecting... It's almost like a bridge. If you imagine the branch, it is like another reality. But if the branch extends beyond a certain point, it will then connect to other physical timelines... That last shot we did, there are other like thicker [branches] that are meant to be like our timeline. And there are other timelines like that and the branches are the connectors basically."
Herron seems to be suggesting there are actually two types of intersections between different branches in the MCU multiverse; one where the branches are created, or ones where they connect to one another. In the most dramatic cases, this could potentially lead to a collision of entire realities - the kind of thing seen in the comics in the build-up to Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars event, where all the various universes collided. In less spectacular cases, though, a connection between the two branches could be brief, unobserved by most, but it would potentially allow people to inadvertently travel from their home branch to a reality very unlike the world they grew up in. The latter type of nexus sounds exactly like what Venom experiences in Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene, where Eddie Brock suddenly finds himself transported into a very different bedroom.
This may explain what has gone wrong with Doctor Strange's spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. As confirmed by the trailer, Spider-Man seeks Doctor Strange's help in the hopes the future Sorcerer Supreme can make the world forget his secret identity. Although Doctor Strange claims his spell is simply one to erase memories, it must be much more far-reaching than that; after all, not only does Strange need to make people forget, he also needs to remove all records of Spider-Man's secret identity. This explains why Doctor Strange's spell is affecting the fabric of reality itself, and why - when Peter Parker disrupts it - it backfires badly.
But how exactly does the spell work? It is possible Doctor Strange has inadvertently drawn multiple branching timelines into contact with the MCU, creating a dimensional intersect that is centered around Spider-Man - explaining why so many of the characters jumping realities are associated with different versions of Spider-Man. Even Venom seems to have a loose connection to the wall-crawler, with dialogue in Venom 2's post-credits scene suggesting the symbiote hive mind transcends the Multiverse, meaning Eddie Brock's symbiote could well have retained animosity towards Peter Parker from the symbiote encountered in Spider-Man 3. This would explain why various characters from other Marvel/Spider-Man movie universes have been transported into the MCU.
Marvel Studios has a reputation for long-term planning, but when it comes to the Multiverse they seem to be figuring things out as they go along; in July this year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed they'd only recently held a meeting deciding the Multiverse's rules, even though several films and TV shows focused around the concept were already in, or approaching, post-production. This may well mean Spider-Man: No Way Home avoids any explicit explanation of exactly how Doctor Strange's spell has backfired, simply settling for confirming it has done so and leaving it to viewers to figure out how; but if that is the case, Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene suggests the nexus events introduced in Loki would explain it nicely.
The first full look at Ezra Miller's costume in The Flash has been revealed. Miller reprises the role of Barry Allen/The Flash in the first live-action standalone film for the character. Miller first appeared as The Flash in a brief tease in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, then made his full debut in Zack Snyder's Justice League, introducing him into the DCEU proper. He also had a blink-and-miss-it cameo in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. The actor also appeared in costume for an episode of CW's The Flash, where he met that version of the character, played by Grant Gustin.
Director Andy Muschietti directs The Flash, which serves not only as the first live-action feature for The Flash, but also brings back one of the original DC actors in Michael Keaton's Batman/Bruce Wayne, who previously starred as the character in 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns. Keaton's return marks the beginning of the DCEU's venture into the multiverse, which will have the old Batman team-up with The Flash and potentially with the Snyderverse Batman, played once again by Ben Affleck in the film. For Miller, this marks a more in-depth look at his character, as well as a sprucing up of his iconic costume.
Now, the first full look at the costume is here, after a number of teases since last year's DC FanDome. For today's event, The Flash showed off a brief teaser that revealed Ezra Miller in the new costume, which has the glowing lines throughout and gold boots. The tease features voice over from Michael Keaton's Batman and delves into the multiverse aspect of the film, eventually showing Miller in the famed Batcave from the Tim Burton Batman films, as well as a brief look at Keaton's Batman in silhouette. A look at Sasha Calle as Supergirl is also seen in the Batcave alongside The Flash, meaning that at least those three characters will interact in the film. Take a closer look at the images below:
Erin Greene's baby appears to meet a tragic end in Netflix's Midnight Mass, but the show could be hiding a twist in its vampire lore. Midnight Mass puts a new spin on vampire stories. In the show, a charismatic young priest named Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) arrives on Crockett Island and immediately makes things terrible. In reality, Father Paul is secretly Crockett Island's former spiritual leader, Monsignor Pruitt, and ingesting blood from a vampire restored his youth. Pruitt brought the vampire with him to the island, thinking it was an angel, and the creature is different enough from a traditional vampire that many of his congregation buy into the idea. Because the vampire restored Pruitt's life, the priest is on a mission to distribute vampire blood to the entire island and save his former parish. Though things start promisingly, with the vampire blood restoring the town and healing illnesses, things quickly go awry.
Midnight Mass doesn't directly connect to The Haunting of Hill House or The Haunting of Bly Manor. Still, the show does borrow several elements from creator Mike Flanagan's previous Netflix series. For instance, several actors return. Kate Siegel (Hill House, Bly Manor) plays Erin Greene, a mother-to-be escaping from an abusive past; Rahul Kohli (Bly Manor) plays Sheriff Hassan, a Muslim man whose promising career is destroyed by discrimination; and Samantha Sloyan (Hill House) plays Bev Keane, a possibly sinister member of St. Patrick's Church. Additionally, Midnight Mass brings back several story beats from the previous shows, such as having one character, Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), become physically haunted by his past mistakes.
Though Midnight Mass season 1 seems to tell a complete story, the show may also hide the mother of all twists. At the beginning of the series, Erin Greene is pregnant and regularly visits the doctor to check on her baby. However, after receiving the vampire blood through Holy Communion at Mass, her baby suddenly disappears from her uterus. Dr. Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish) can't explain the sudden disappearance and even shows Erin the ultrasound image, revealing her empty uterus. Later, another doctor tells Erin that it doesn't look like she's been pregnant at all. After learning about the mysterious healing effects of vampire blood on Crockett Island's residents, Dr. Gunning believes that the blood destroyed Erin's baby. According to Dr. Gunning, a fetus is like an "alien presence" in the body, and the blood likely acted aggressively towards it. However, there may also be another explanation: Erin's baby never went anywhere.
Erin's baby didn't die; it was just undetectable because it was a vampire. In vampire lore, the creatures often don't show up in photos, which could explain what's happening with Erin's missing baby. It was in Erin's uterus the whole time, but the ultrasound machine simply couldn't detect its vampiric presence. After all, during the appointment where Dr. Gunning can't find the baby, Erin says her future kid was kicking as usual. According to Erin, the baby kicks "like a butterfly with little feet," and she didn't notice any difference in the last 24 hours before the appointment. So if the baby is still moving, it's probably there. Medical equipment just wasn't designed to check up on vampires.
The theory isn't perfect. After all, ultrasound machines don't work like cameras. Instead, they use sound to create an image, so even a vampire fetus could potentially appear. Plus, Erin truly believes she lost the baby in the show. However, Midnight Mass plays around with its vampire rules. For instance, the vampire in the show doesn't even have fangs. And other vampire shows, such as the British series Ultraviolet, have shown that the creatures can be invisible to electronic devices. So given all the evidence, the theory—and Erin's baby—could be alive and kicking.
New concept art for the Blue Beetle movie shows off the DC hero's costume. Blue Beetle is a character that originated in Charlton Comics, later making the jump over to DC Comics during Crisis on Infinite Earths. The superhero gets his powers from an ancient mystical scarab that grants the user the Blue Beetle armor and has a number of superhero features. Jaime Reyes is the most recent Blue Beetle, a Latinx teenager who discovers the scarab in a vacant lot and uses the armor to fight crime in his hometown. He eventually becomes a full-fledged hero, joining the Teen Titans and continuing the legacy of his predecessors.
Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña recently took the lead role as Reyes for the Blue Beetle feature film, which is his first major film role after the success of the show. Maridueña is being directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) with a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala). Soto said of the casting of Maridueña that "His persona is pretty much the character of Jaime Reyes. It was a natural fit.” The film is set to be released on HBO Max sometime in 2022.
During DC FanDome, Maridueña, Soto and Dunnet-Alcocer sat down for a brief conversation about the upcoming film and shared a first look at the costume via new concept art. The costume looks very comic accurate, but with an updated, cinematic spin. Another interesting note is the "Kord Industries" sign in the background, which is a nod to Ted Kord, the character who previously held the Blue Beetle Armor. Maridueña said that he challenged any DC Hero's costume to best the Blue Beetle's and talked about his excitement for the project, saying, "I’m ready, we’re gonna shake things up and we’re gonna bring you guys a story you haven’t seen before." Check out the concept art below:
HBO Max's Peacemaker trailer was revealed at DC FanDome - and here's a full breakdown of everything revealed. Played by John Cena, Peacemaker made his DCEU debut in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Although Peacemaker considers himself a superhero, he still wound up in Belle Reve - presumably for killing the wrong people. Amanda Waller will have been delighted to get her hands on Peacemaker, because she could be confident he'd obey orders - especially if he felt those orders protected America's reputation.
The Suicide Squad may not grossed as much as Warner Bros. hoped, but they nevertheless greenlit a spinoff TV series set up in The Suicide Squad's post-credits scene, helmed by James Gunn himself. This is the first TV series to take place in the DCEU, meaning the franchise is once again imitiating the MCU by embracing the potential of transmedia. But Peacemaker has a very different tone and style to anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; indeed, the only thing tonally similar to it in the DCEU is Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
DC released a full trailer for Peacemaker at the DC FanDome event, giving a taste of the brutal vigilante's ongoing story - and hinting he may not be fighting on the side of the angels after all. It's full of humor, introduces a number of new characters, and features just as many gunshots as you'd expect. Here's our full breakdown of the Peacemaker trailer.
The opening scene in the Peacemaker trailer reveals the story picks up straight from the end of The Suicide Squad. Although Peacemaker considers himself a superhero, in reality he was the one who turned on the rest of the team - and he almost died as a result. He's still in hospital, and he can't resist telling a random cleaner about his being a hero; he doesn't get the reaction he expects. This serves as the perfect setup for the Peacemaker series, given realistically he's the last person any comic book reader would have expected to get their own show.
The Peacemaker trailer moves on to show Peacemaker training with Vigilante, his brother-in-arms. Played by Freddie Stroma, Vigilante is a district attorney who fights crime with the law by day, before taking the law into his own hands by night. He's often teamed up with Peacemaker in the comics, and the two appear to have the same kind of skillset. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Peacemaker ultimately end in the two going head-to-head, with Peacemaker forced to take down his one true friend.
The Peacemaker trailer moves on to establish its basic premise, Peacemaker's central mission; to perform black ops missions on behalf of Amanda Waller's team, and in doing so to stay out of prison. This is a logical extension of Task Force X, and in part it's been put together by Waller to punish members of her team who rebelled during The Suicide Squad. This particular project is led by Clemson Murn, a mercenary hired by Waller because of his specific skillset. It's likely Waller believes he possesses the skills to take Peacemaker out if necessary.
Emilia Harcourt is the NSA agent who led the rebellion against Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad, and she's now Peacemaker's handler. In the comics, she was a terrorist who infiltrated ARGUS and took control of Task Force X; she was eventually killed by Waller, who had carefully manipulated events to expose Harcourt's treachery. She's now serving as Peacemaker's handler, and he's clearly smitten with her, in large part because of her stunning combat skills. Given Harcourt's comic book background, she may well turn out to be a traitor.
Every team needs a "man in the chair," and in Peacemaker that's John Economos - another operative who used to work for Amanda Waller as part of Task Force X's support team. Unlike Harcourt, John Economos has no basis in the comics; he's an original character. He appears to be well-meaning, and if Harcourt does indeed prove to be a traitor he'll presumably be a key part in bringing her down.
Finally, Leota Adebayo is a brand new recruit to this particular ARGUS program. Described as "smart, driven, full-figured and capable, but with her fair share of insecurities," she's a relatively inexperienced field operative who nevertheless finds herself drawn into action - even shooting someone straight after Peacemaker has killed her. The relationship between Adebayo and Peacemaker is expected to be a fun one, with the murderous vigilante taking her under his wing.
The final member of this mismatched team is one Amanda Waller never expected to recruit; Vigilante, who seems to turn up simply to check up on his pal Peacemaker and decides he wants to help out. The team's introduction to Vigilante is played for laughs, with Vigilante encouraging Harcourt, Economos and Adebayo to underestimate him. It's possible he isn't quite so ridiculous as he seems, though, and instead he winds up a threat.
Peacemaker's first target is a United States senator, Royland Goff (explaining the title of episode 3, "Better Goff Dead"). This certainly raises a number of red flags, suggesting this mission may have gone off the rails right from the start, but Peacemaker is too naive to question the idea of assassinating a U.S. senator. Again, Goff is an entirely original character, meaning there's no way to know whether Amanda Waller has targeted him for specific reasons - say, due to criminal connections or corruption - or whether he's instead been targeted by Harcourt for more nefarious purposes. The episode titles suggest it will take three episodes to bring this particular mission to a climax, so clearly the team aren't particularly efficient.
In a surreal intervention that demonstrates James Gunn's trademark humor, Peacemaker sidetracks the mission debrief by discussing "butt babies." Apparently his brother managed to persuade him particularly ugly children are birthed from a mother's backside, and for years Peacemaker assumed he was a "butt baby" himself. It's a perfect demonstration of Peacemaker's stupidity and naivete, suggesting he really will believe anything he's told. It's no wonder he wound up in Belle Reve, given he'd believe anything he saw on the news and take lethal action as a result.
It seems the HBO Max TV series will actually explore Peacemaker's origin, which is something of a surprise. One shot in the trailer shows Peacemaker visiting his dad, an extremely patriotic individual who seems to disapprove of his son - even complaining at his being a "nancy boy." It's unclear why Peacemaker has gone to visit his father, given their relationship seems rather strained, but later comments in the trailer suggest this is where he gets his car and pet American eagle.
One of the more surprising moments in the Peacemaker trailer seets its titular hero question why people treat him as though he's a maniac. It's immediately followed by a shot of Peacemaker and Vigilante about to gun down someone they shouldn't, making it quite clear why he's treated that way; still, this is a level of observation and self-reflection that Peacemaker hasn't shown before. It suggests Peacemaker won't simply be a mindless vigilante in this HBO Max series, but instead that he'll have a character arc of some kind.
Judomaster is one of the more mysterious figures in Peacemaker, a skilled martial artist who reportedly has some sort of connection to Peacemaker himself. There have been several incarnations of Judomaster in the comics, but they've typically been superheroes - one was even a member of the Justice Society of America - so it's surprising to see one positioned as an antagonist. That said, given Peacemaker's first mission is to kill a U.S. senator, it's possible he draws the attention of real superheroes and more reputed vigilantes.
The Peacemaker trailer doesn't exactly hide the fact its protagonists are deeply disturbed; one amusing shot shows Vigilante wielding a chainsaw, evidently eager to use it to cut somebody apart, and he's holding it as though it's a Phallic symbol. This shot is accompanied by dialogue in which Vigilante presents his philosophy to Peacemaker, accepting the two of them are killers but insisting it's okay because they only kill bad people - well, mostly. There's a level of self-awareness to Vigilante that Peacemaker doesn't possess, one that supports the theory he's actually a rogue.
Peacemaker and Adebayo seem to become friends, and one shot shows her giving Peacemaker some basic psychoanalysis; she suggests he uses being a jerk as a defense mechanism to push people away. The comments support the idea Peacemark develops as a character over the course of the series, suggesting he'll learn how to relate to and interact with others. This theme isn't especially unusual for James Gunn; his Guardians of the Galaxy films were about a bunch of a**holes learning to be a family as well.
James Gunn is well-known for his love of integrating popular music into his films, so it's no surprise to see even Peacemaker gets a dance scene. It's unclear what causes this outpouring of joy from Peacemaker, but the structure of the trailer suggests it's because he's learning to actually build friendships - for probably the first time in his life. Given Peacemaker is rather more adult fare than your typical superhero TV show, Gunn chooses to have this dance scene take place in Peacemaker's room - when he's wearing nothing but his underwear.
Judomaster seems to be a major character in Peacemaker, although his precious role is a mystery right now. The Peacemaker trailer shows a number of action scenes featuring him, including one at night - which may suggest he's reconnoitering around the vigilante team's base. Both Harcourt and one incarnation of Judomaster have ties to an espionage agency called Checkmate in the comics, so it's possible the two are connected through that.
Superhero landings have become a common trope in the genre over the last few decades - and it's become traditional for more humorous superhero films and TV shows to mock the idea, riffing on Deadpool's explicit shout-out to them. In the case of Peacemaker, appropriately enough he simply lacks the skill and sense of coordination to manage a good superhero landing, crashing into a series of balconies before landing painfully on his back - watched by his team, who wince in sympathy. It's a smart way of reminding viewers Peacemaker isn't really a superhero, but falls far short of that ideal.
The Peacemaker trailer shows Judomaster caught up in a car crash - likely one that's been engineered by Peacemaker. It suggests the feud between Judomaster and the Peacemaker team will escalate over the course of the HBO Max TV series - but, as noted, it's still impossible to say who's fighting on the side of the angels. The interesting question is whether or not there'll be any collateral damage.
The Peacemaker trailer doesn't pull any punches, assuring viewers its hero will get beaten up quite a lot - including by a super-strong woman who can literally toss him through a brick wall. Both the mystery woman and Peacemaker are in a state of undress, suggesting this fight follows a sex scene. It's unclear who the superhuman woman is, or what part she plays in the series - but Peacemaker may well come to regret this particular liaison.
A patriot to the core - which is why he obeyed Amanda Waller's instructions in The Suicide Squad - Peacemaker has a pet American eagle named Eagly. One of the more surreal shots in the Peacemaker trailer shows him in his car, taking Eagly for a drive; the American eagle is sticking its head out the window to enjoy the breeze in a moment reminiscent of someone taking their dog out. Again, this demonstrates James Gunn's typical sense of humor.
The Peacemaker trailer follows the Marvel formula, ending with a humorous note. In this case, Peacemaker is given a surprising hug by Eagly. Delighted, he tries to tell his dad to get his phone to take a photo, unaware his father has walked away. It's a great scene, and it suggests Eagly is really owned by Peacemaker's father - this seems to be his dad's garage, and there's a perch on which Eagly is resting. Peacemaker may well take Eagly simply because he's become attached to the American eagle.
