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The Spawn universe has a variety of hellspawn, created by the demon Malebolgia. There have been a few different iterations of the comics' main character and the hellspawn, including Medieval Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, and Raven Spawn. Lately, Gunslinger Spawn - a fan favorite - has been garnering some extra attention, but who exactly is he and what do fans need to know about him?



Gunslinger Spawn first appeared in Spawn #119 in 2002, in a very brief cameo with no dialogue. In 2008, his backstory was revealed within Spawn #174 and #175. This hellspawn had the name of Jeremy Winston, but was known as "ol' Job". He was a former preacher in Bane, Colorado in 1881, before being framed for the murder of his own family. A rich man named Ed Kemper was after silver on Winston's land. He wanted it so bad, he tried to force a deal which quickly went south since Winston's wife wasn't the kind of person to back down to intimidation. As a result, Kemper and his men killed her, as well as Winston's children. Their power allowed them to place the former preacher into prison to be hanged.



At the same time, Henry Simmons (formerly Francis Parker) had stumbled across the murder scene and was also thrown into prison for a fight and murder in another town. Simmons is the ancestor of Al Simmons - the original and current Spawn. He was a Buffalo soldier whose regiment was harassed with one of their fellow soldiers being killed – forcing Simmons’ hand. Both Simmons and Winston were offered deals by Mammon, a fallen angel, to sell their souls to Malebolgia. Winston accepted the deal in exchange for taking his revenge on the town that killed his family. Simmons didn't take the deal, but he was spared since his lineage would eventually result in Al Simmons' birth - and he took on the name of Henry Simmons to partially start his life over.

Image Comics' Gunslinger Spawn is easily recognizable thanks to his appearance. While his face appears in the style of many of the other hellspawn with glowing green eyes, he is set apart by his Western attire. He wears a ten-gallon hat and a red duster. He also brandishes a gun on his bandoliers, aptly providing him his name. He is a hellspawn from a long past time, though he has also had a couple of minor cameo appearances throughout the Spawn series.

Gunslinger Spawn is not the most powerful of the hellspawn, but he is certainly one of the most interesting and recognizable. Despite that, he has had very few Spawn appearances over the years. That has been changing as of late. In Spawn #308 and 309, Gunslinger's journey to the future was revealed. His life and ability to return to his own time are now connected to Spawn himself as a result of a war Spawn is currently fighting. Gunslinger will soon star in his own ongoing comic series, which bears his name as the title. Most recently, he appeared in Spawn's Universe #1, a one-shot comic kicking off a new era of Spawn stories, as well as King Spawn - a series still focused on Al Simmons' Spawn that began in August. King Spawn #1 revealed that he has also lost a sister who he wants to avenge, waking up from death in 1865, leaving a peculiar gap between this appearance and his prior origin story. Gunslinger's self-titled series will focus on his quest to return to his own time. Fans can follow Gunslinger Spawn's new independent adventures when Gunslinger Spawn #1 releases October 20.

William Shatner is heading to space on October 13th | Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin said Sunday it will postpone the flight that is slated to fly William Shatner to space due to forecasted high winds at its launch site. The flight of the company’s New Shepard spacecraft is now scheduled for 9:30AM ET on October 13th, a day later than originally planned. It’s targeted to lift off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in Texas.

A statement on Blue Origin’s website said New Shepard NS-18 has met all mission requirements, and the astronauts have started their training. “Weather is the only gating factor for the launch window,” according to the statement, which is signed with the company motto “Gradatim Ferociter” (Latin for “step by step, ferociously”).



The company officially announced last week that Shatner, best known as Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek, will join the crew of New Shepard for its second crewed flight. Shatner, 90, will be the oldest person to fly to space. New Shepard’s first crewed flight in July brought Bezos, his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk, and teenager Oliver Daeman to space.

Shatner will be joined by Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer and co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs, Glen de Vries, the co-founder of software company Medidata and vice chair of life sciences at a French software company, and Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations.

Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso has been one of the biggest surprises in recent television history. The sports sitcom quickly became beloved by fans not for its depiction of Premier League football, but for its quirky characters, its wholesome humor, and its commitment to all things kindness in a television landscape filled with cynicism.



With season 2, however, Ted Lasso has consistently revealed that there is much more to the show than what viewers may have initially expected. Season 1 has been beloved by fans and critics alike since it was first released in 2020, but it just might be the case that the series' sophomore season is even better.

10 Characters Are More Fully Explored

Most shows spend a good deal of time establishing their universe, and their main characters, in their first seasons. It's only in a potential second season that supporting characters are really given their time to shine, and Ted Lasso is no exception to this trend.

Season 2 starts off right off the bat with incredible character development for characters like Dani Rojas, who is forced to reconsider his "football is life" attitude after a shocking accident, and Isaac McAdoo, who has just become the team's new captain in the wake of Roy Kent's retirement.

9 Jamie Tartt Grows Up

Even in the world of sitcoms, characters who function primarily as sources of conflict are common. In season 1, Jamie Tartt filled this role incredibly well. The show makes it clear that Jamie has always been used to being the best of the best, and only ever looks out for number one.

But season 2 gradually pulls the layers back on Jamie's character, revealing the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Although he may still not be the most likable character in Ted Lasso, Jamie undergoes an incredibly emotional journey in season 2, learning how to put petty feuds aside and becoming a real team player.

8 The Pub Regulars Got Shine

The pub The Crown & Anchor features prominently in Ted Lasso from the beginning of the series. Not only do Ted and his friends and colleagues frequently dine there, but the pub has a real devoted social scene of AFC Richmond fans who watch every game there. Three patrons - Baz, Jeremy, and Paul - have emerged as real fan favorites.



The three men are incredibly vocal and loyal both in their Richmond fandom, but also in their friendship. Season 2 allows their characters to feature more prominently, particularly in the memorable episode "Beard After Hours," where they get to experience a dream come true by running around Nelson Road when the pitch is empty.

7 Roy And Keeley's Relationship

Ted Lasso the character isn't the only one who believes in "rom-communism." The development of the relationship between the surly Roy Kent and the bubbly Keeley Jones shows that Ted Lasso the series believes in "rom-communism," too. Opposites do tend to attract, especially in the world of the sitcom, but Roy and Keeley have never once been a conventional sitcom couple.

Time and again, these two have faced what seem to be stereotypical sitcom tropes - the threat of a looming love triangle, insecurities over work/life balance - and each time, they come away stronger than before. Ted Lasso has allowed Roy and Keeley to become one of the series' strongest storylines, all without taking focus away from any other integral part of the series.

6 The Christmas Episode

It may have taken viewers by surprise when Ted Lasso featured a Christmas episode in the middle of its summer-airing season. But Ted Lasso's Christmas episode, "Carol of the Bells," is not just one of season 2's best episodes, but one of the series' best episodes overall. The sweet, low-stress adventure episode highlights much of what makes Ted Lasso work so well.

No one is allowed to be alone or lonely on Christmas in the Ted Lasso universe. Everyone has a place and a purpose, whether coming together for a multicultural holiday feast at the Higgins home, or bringing toys to children in need. Sitcom Christmas episodes can be hit or miss, but "Carol of the Bells" goes far beyond the familiar holiday tropes.

5 Expectations Are Routinely Subverted

On multiple occasions, Season 2 sets up new storylines and teases reveals that would be expected of a lesser, more obvious sitcom. But almost every time, Ted Lasso finds new, refreshing ways to challenge the viewers' expectations, and redefine sitcom conventions in the process.

Rebecca connects online with an anonymous suitor. But is it Ted like viewers would believe, based on sitcom history? Of course not, as it's Sam, one of the team's star players. Likewise, when Jamie foolishly professes his love to Keeley during Rebecca's father's funeral, does it result in a messy reconnection and love triangle? Absolutely not. Instead, it leads to Jamie healing his fractured bond with Roy, and Roy and Keeley's relationship growing stronger.

4 Dr. Sharon's Presence

Introducing a therapy narrative into a series is something that has to be done carefully, for more than one reason. Mental health discussions are incredibly sensitive and vitally important, especially in the modern era of television and the increased focus on representation. But on the other hand, therapy sessions can get pretty talky, and lean heavily into the telling rather than showing.

By introducing the team psychiatrist Dr. Sharon, however, Ted Lasso finds a character who needs analysis just as much as she provides it. In fact, Dr. Sharon even has her own therapist. Through her conversations with Ted, in particular, Dr. Sharon imparts the kind of wisdom and profound emotional truths not often found in sitcoms, which often shy away from these sensitive, but true-to-life experiences.

3 Sam Obisanya's Rise

Few characters have as incredible a journey in season 2 of Ted Lasso as the beloved Sam Obisanya does. There is barely a moment of Sam's jam-packed narrative in the series that feels wasted. He takes on a protest against team sponsor Dubai Air when he learns of their destructive influences in his home of Nigeria, showing his moral character.

As the season progresses, Sam finds love in his unexpected romance with Rebecca, which also emboldens him to further prioritize his own needs and his journey. When he is sought after by a wealthy Ghanian businessman to serve as a key player in his new football team, Sam instead rejects this offer and further settles into his leadership role with AFC Richmond, even launching into a new business venture by planning to open a Nigerian restaurant.

2 Ted's Backstory Is Explored

Ted Lasso is a character who has so much more going on inside than anyone would ever imagine based on his sunny disposition. Although best known for his puns, his impossible enthusiasm for everything in life, and his genuine appreciation for everyone he comes across, Ted struggles with the long-lasting effects of a profound trauma he endured in his youth: his father's suicide.

Season 2 finds Ted further struggling with his own anxiety, having panic attacks and other anxious episodes, while also trying to reckon with his complicated feelings about his father's death, for which he blames both his father and himself. This devastating reveal adds new, profound levels of nuance to Ted's cheery demeanor, and to Jason Sudeikis's Emmy-winning performance.

1 It's Not Afraid To Get Deeper And Darker

Season 2 of Ted Lasso has frequently been compared to Star Wars' original sequel film, Empire Strikes Back. There is a new mentor character introduced (Dr. Sharon/Yoda), and there are shocking reveals about the main character's father (Ted's father's suicide/Darth Vader's identity). Overall, the tone is much darker and more serious.

Even the season's ending feels ominous, in the same way, that the ending of Empire Strikes Back does. There is a new threat looming in the form of Nate Shelley, a character the series has taken on an unexpected, completely believable journey from underdog to villain in just two seasons. Ted Lasso may not be the same happy, easy comfort show that it was for so many in season 1, but season 2 proves that the show can masterfully switch tones and genres.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel's What If...? season 1 finale.

Marvel's What If...? season 1's missing Iron Man (Mike Wingert) and Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams) episode being bumped to season 2 creates a storytelling problem. Imagining what the Infinity Saga would look like if one element in it was changed, the MCU's first animated series wrapped up with the introduction of the Guardians of the Multiverse. Like Marvel Studios narrative format in the Sacred Timeline, What If...?'s finale was a culmination of everything that transpired in its first eight episodes.

That meant that what seemed to be standalone arcs all came together as the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) was forced to intervene once it became clear that the Infinity Stone-wielding Ultron (Ross Marquand) needed to be stopped. After hatching a plan with Doctor Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch), the cosmic entity scoured the multiverse to assemble the Guardians of the Multiverse which included Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), T'Challa's Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman), King Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a variant of Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams), and the evil sorcerer. Each featured hero was previously introduced earlier in the series — except for Gamora who was with Iron Man in Nidavellir when she was recruited for the team.



Understandably, there were questions regarding this partnership as it hasn't been tackled on the Disney+ project before. As it turns out, their episode was pushed to What If...? season 2 after the coronavirus pandemic hampered work on the show. That's a welcome development since many are interested in how exactly the pair came together in the first place. However, this also poses a storytelling problem for Marvel Studios. As seen in What If...? season 1, it seems like each year will end with a culminating event wherein all of its primary characters assemble for a bigger mission. With Gamora already factoring in the Guardians of the Galaxy's first outing as a team, her origins story with Space Iron Man could feel out of place in the bigger scheme of things in season 2.

The creators behind the animated series have been vocal about what fans can expect from What If...? season 2. While its debut year focused on revisiting the Infinity Saga, its subsequent narratives will be more inclusive of Phase 4 scenarios. That means that storylines focusing on Shang-Chi from Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings and Eternals from the upcoming Eternals film will more likely happen. As exciting as this, it would only further highlight how out of place Iron Man and Gamora's episode will be in the broader sense. That's assuming that at the end of season 2, various universes will once again come together for a culminating storyline. Otherwise, Marvel Studios can just leave their outing out entirely. After all, fans know the backstory about why it has been delayed to What If...? season 2 anyway. 



In any case, it's clear that viewers are eager to learn about Iron Man and Gamora's universe, especially since What If...? has made a habit of killing the former in every episode that he was featured. The aforementioned missing outing sounds like it's the only story in the show thus far that won't see the death of Tony Stark. Given his survival, it's curious if there's any future for him past his upcoming Sakaar adventures with Thanos' adopted daughter.

Jenny Slatten from 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way is not happy with Sumit Singh’s mom Sadhna’s latest sly strategy to disrupt their relationship. Ever since their first meeting in 2013, Indian man Sumit and Palm Springs resident Jenny have wanted to get married. The fact that Sumit’s parents Anil and Sadhna didn’t approve of Jenny being 63 didn’t affect the American woman who was blindly in love with the call center employee even after he catfished her and got a secret wife. However, despite Sumit’s divorce, he couldn’t call Jenny his wife due to his mother’s emotional blackmailing. And as Jenny’s future in India looks worrisome than ever, Sadhna has hatched a new plan to ruin the 90 Day Fiancé love story.



Delhi resident Sumit’s dishonesty has always been something that fans have called him out for and in a recent 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode, he revealed that the reason behind him always lying is his mom. As it turns out, Sumit and his household consider Sadhna “the boss” due to whom he learned to either lie or suffer. Having lost her daughter when she was 8 months old, Sadhna filled the hole in her heart with Sumit’s ex-wife who she grew close to. But it was due to Jenny that Sumit divorced the woman. Sumit now thinks that his mother is out to get revenge from him and Jenny for taking her “other daughter” away from her by not accepting their relationship or giving them permission to marry.



In the latest of Sadhna’s endeavors to sabotage Sumit and Jenny’s coupling, she will be moving into their house along with her husband Anil. According to a preview for 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode 7 posted by People, Sumit, Jenny, Anil, and Sahna are seated at a counselor’s office and the matriarch announces that she wants to stay with Sumit and Jenny to teach the elderly American lady to become an ideal Indian bride. “I want for our entire family to live together,” adds Sadhna, and when Sumit translates her Hindi for Jenny and revealed she wants to “shift,” Jenny’s only reaction to it is “hell no!” Sadhna also tells the counselor that if she thinks Jenny “is capable of being like an Indian daughter-in-law, then I’ll think about it.”

When a producer asks Sadhna what her real motive was behind taking this drastic decision, the mom reveals that she “never got the idea from anywhere,” but that she’s made up her mind that she’ll “live in Sumit’s house.” Sadhna also adds, “I wanted to live with him because I have an attachment to him and Sumit is very attached to me,” but she confesses that she “cannot let go of Sumit, absolutely not.” According to Sumit, his parents are giving them a “chance to prove” that Jenny and he “deserve” each other. “It’s test, you can say that,” Sumit explains and also makes it clear that it’s what he wants as well.

Although Jenny scoffs at the idea, Sumit is happy to get a chance to show his parents how much he’s progressed in life, while at the same time he’s “shocked” and “very nervous” too. Sumit does feel that his mom possibly has a wrong intention to create trouble for him and Jenny. Still, mama’s boy Sumit is taking it as a positive sign without taking Jenny’s opinion into consideration, clearly. It appears that Jenny now has another hurdle to worry about on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way. And unless she manages to impress Sadhna with all her might, she might just have to come back to the U.S.A.

Source: People

Whitney Rose recently took to social media to call out The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-star Lisa Barlow. Whitney believes that Lisa's behavior towards her has been unkind and hypocritical. Whitney and Lisa's friendship has always seemed to be a rocky one, and the drama between the two has recently become explosive.

During The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 1, Whitney and Lisa's relationship was a tense one. When Whitney brought up the fact that she had run out of the tequila Lisa provided for a party of Whitney's, Lisa quickly became defensive. More fuel was thrown into the fire when Whitney told co-star Jen Shah that Lisa had been speaking about Jen's marriage behind her back, and the season 1 drama between Whitney and Lisa finally came to a head during the reunion when Whitney expressed that Lisa's attitude toward her had been condescending. Their issues with one another carried over into RHOSLC season 2 and reached a critical point when Whitney discovered that she is distant cousins with Angie Harrington, an allegedly close friend of Lisa's. At one point, Lisa told Angie that she would "never control who people are friends with," but Lisa asked Angie not to acknowledge Whitney as her family over text and later went so far as to call the two “inbred polygamy cousins.” During a confrontation at a casino event, Angie began to suspect that the catering had been sabotaged by Lisa and claimed that other people suspected the same. Lisa denied the claims that she had anything to do with the catering mishap.

As The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 2 episode 4 aired, Whitney began sharing videos of the confrontation involving her, Angie and Lisa. In a clip where Lisa expresses discomfort with the fact that Angie is related to Whitney, almost as though it were something Angie was capable of changing, Whitney tweeted, "Oh yes yes...I have heard it before...Anyone else sensing the hypocrisy???" Whitney continued to criticize Lisa's behavior by once again labeling it as hypocritical, tweeting, "Oh the hypocrisy," along with a video of Lisa claiming that her friendships with Meredith and Jen was not Angie's business. In addition to calling Lisa hypocritical, Whitney shared a screenshot in which Lisa referred to Whitney as "trash" and addressed Lisa, saying, "Me telling you that I am hurt by the name calling, talking behind my back and trying to get me kicked out of the group is not a character assassination...THIS HOWEVER IS A CHARACTER ASSASSINATION." In another post, Whitney brought up Lisa's condescension towards her, saying, "Not only in her eyes am I not worthy of being in her circle but now I am not even worthy of being a human???" in reference to a clip in which Lisa referring to Whitney as "this" rather than using a personal pronoun.



Whitney's criticisms of Lisa regarding the confrontation between the three did not conclude there. Whitney tweeted several additional comments about Lisa and also quote-tweeted photos of herself and Angie, saying that she is "happy to claim" all of her family members. Whitney continued, calling the entire ordeal "exhausting" and expressing relief in the fact that Lisa admitted to sending the text messages about Whitney to Angie, saying, "OMG FINALLY...She admits it. It’s not to me but I think for now I’ll take it because this is exhausting." When one fan asked how Whitney felt about Lisa telling Angie not to acknowledge Whitney as being her cousin, she replied that while her feelings were hurt, "this is what I have been trying to say for 2 years, I am just satisfied that what has been done in the dark as come to the light."



Regardless of what Lisa may say about the situation, it seems to be obvious that she and Whitney will not be making up anytime soon. Angie coming to the defense of her distant cousin Whitney instead of siding with Lisa proves that bonds made by blood are thicker than bonds made over a mutual love of fast food. Much like Jen, Lisa's dishonesty and tendency to quickly become defensive rather than truly apologizing have been consistent throughout both RHOSLC season 1 as well as season 2. Denying accusations and causing a scene in an effort to avoid addressing any wrongdoing is a common theme with The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and while Lisa and Jen seem to excel at the activity, Lisa may have made a mistake in doing so with Whitney, who came prepared with a near excess of receipts and a big family.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Sundays at 9pm on Bravo.

Source: Whitney Rose/Twitter

The events of Seinfeld encompassed nine years of shenanigans for Jerry and his friends, including Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but how old was Elaine at the start and end of the hit series? As it was with the other three main characters, Elaine’s Seinfeld story explored a long list of failed romantic relationships, mishaps at work, and day-to-day, trivial conversations with her friends in Jerry’s apartment.



Seinfeld rarely noted the ages of these four characters, but based on their activities, pop culture references, and interactions in New York City, it was widely assumed that this was a group of thirty-somethings. Occasionally, there were lines in the show that seemingly confirmed their exact ages. For example, Jerry claimed to be 37 years old in a season 3 episode. The issue, though, is that the series was sometimes inconsistent, thus creating a deal of uncertainty over their actual ages.



This problem extends to Elaine, who didn’t have a defined age in the series. Early on, she said that she was in her “early twenties”, but this doesn’t seem to be factual. Instead, it makes more sense that Elaine was closer to 28 years old in season 1. She was known to be the youngest of the group, but not too much younger than Jerry. Jerry, like the actor himself, is thought to have been 35 years old when the show started. It seems highly unlikely that he was more than a decade older than her. Plus, there are signs that the Seinfeld characters have occasionally lied about their ages. It was revealed at one point that Jerry and George Costanza (Jason Alexander) graduated high school together, which would mean that their stated ages should have lined up, but they never did.

In short, Elaine wouldn’t be the only character on the show to be disingenuous about this when she said she was in her “early twenties”. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was 28 years old at the start of the series, so many have come to the conclusion that this was also the character’s age. After all, character and actor ages usually did match up rather closely in Seinfeld, which was the case with Jerry and Kramer (the oldest of the bunch). In any case, Elaine was presumably close to 30. Since the series lasted for nine seasons, that would put her around 37 years old when the show ended, whereas Julia Louis-Dreyfus was 38 years old at the time.

While the rest of the main cast ended their Seinfeld journeys well into their 40s, Elaine’s wrapped up while she was still in her late 30s. As for why there’s such confusion over this aspect of characters like Elaine, many attribute the mystery – and rightly so – to Jerry, Elaine, and George’s well-earned reputation for lying, among many other morally questionable decisions that they made over the course of Seinfeld’s nine-season run.

Former Daredevil showrunner and current Marvel Comics writer Steven S. DeKnight has revealed he won't continue to write for the publisher until current editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski steps down over his controversial past. In a series of tweets, DeKnight explained that he couldn't stand by and work under a man who "climbed to the top through cultural identity theft," referring to Cebulski's controversial past, as he previously used the pseudonym Akira Yoshida, despite being a white man.

After rumors that he previously used the pen name Akira Yoshida, Cebulski admitted he used the pseudonym after being promoted to editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics. There had long been rumors that Cebulski was using the name to write stories while still an editor at Marvel Comics. Cebulski confirmed that was the case in 2017 after a Bleeding Cool report exposed the entire situation. The ensuing conversation that followed the revelation understandably focused on the problem with a white man pretending to be Asian, with equal concern over how Cebulski walked away relatively unscathed, being given a slap on a wrist for a quite pathetic cover-up attempt.  The criticism lobbed his way from the Asian community (and beyond) was fair, and despite calls to fire him, Cebulski managed to convince Marvel his past problematic actions were a mistake.



Steven S. DeKnight voiced his concern about Cebulski's past and position at Marvel Comics once alerted of his previous controversy. The former Daredevil showrunner and writer of two titles in the upcoming Wastelanders series questioned how Cebulski could still have a job while calling his actions "completely unacceptable." DeKnight noted that he loves working with Marvel Comics, but finding out about Cebulski's past changed the equation "drastically," adding, "There are so many great editors there. To allow a man who climbed to the top through cultural identity theft to remain in that position is unconscionable."

DeKnight said that despite working for Marvel being a "childhood dream come true," he couldn't in good conscious continue without the issue being resolved. He called on other creators to join him.



It's great to see DeKnight use his platform to push back against Cebulski. Despite Bleeding Cool's report the editor-in-chief of Marvel was reprimanded for his past and previous pen name, in almost any other situation after revealing the truth, he would have been canned. Cebulski didn't just use a pen name, he actively pretended to be an Asian man to get ahead and continued to deceive Marvel, his editors, and co-workers to do so. Sure, he's helped raise the platform of Asian creators and characters since he took on the role, but that doesn't cancel out his past while pretending to be Akira Yoshida. It will be fascinating to see if DeKnight's actions and words will encourage Marvel Comics to do anything. But, considering how they've handled the situation so far, it's doubtful any further discipline is coming to Cebulski, as Marvel probably considers it a closed issue.

Source: BleedingCool

 

Image credit: The Observer



They are invisible to the naked eye, but can leave a streak of light across an astronomer’s telescope. Above our heads, the constellation of small satellites orbiting the Earth is expanding every month. Often no bigger than a fridge, they are part of a new space race as rivals compete to beam broadband internet to the hardest-to-reach places on Earth.

The frontrunners are Starlink, backed by US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, and OneWeb, which is part- owned by the British taxpayer. The latter’s plan to build a network of 650 satellites is a centrepiece of the UK’s space strategy, unveiled in September.

In 2020, OneWeb was facing insolvency and the government was persuaded to rescue it. To Boris Johnson it was a gift from the heavens. The UK had been bounced by Brexit from the European Union’s Galileo satellite project, and there was Dominic Cummings, technology wonk and chief adviser, touting the network as a pathway back into space.



OneWeb at the time was focused on using satellites to provide accurate positioning information for anything from smartphone maps to emergency services tracking.

Johnson’s splurging of £400m of taxpayer money on a 20% stake was seen by Cummings as a perfect example of the high-risk, high-reward investment the government needed to avoid being left in the technological slow lane. Others called it a nonsensical gamble of public money and “nationalism trumping solid industrial policy”. Some experts suggested Britain had “bought the wrong satellites”. OneWeb’s lower Earth orbit internet satellites were, they said, inferior to higher-orbiting positioning systems such as Galileo, America’s GPS and Russia’s Glonass.

But now, with demand for satellite broadband exploding, Britain may – perhaps inadvertently – have bought itself a prime seat in another innovative yet fledgling space industry.

Rejuvenated OneWeb has attracted investment from Japan’s Softbank, the US’s Hughes Network Systems and India’s Bharti Enterprises. Bharti is the largest shareholder, with 38.6%, while the UK has sold down from 45% to 19.3%, on a par with Softbank and France’s Eutelsat, which is planning a further £120m injection this month.

OneWeb and Starlink are the only broadband operators to have actually placed satellites into space, and OneWeb is poised to provide a blanket of fast internet access, particularly to remote areas. The problem, analysts say, is that Johnson, who just weeks ago unveiled the UK’s ambitious new space strategy – promptly dubbed Galactic Britain – has yet to see its potential.

“When the UK withdrew from Galileo, we lost access to certain types of service that were essential for our national infrastructure,” said Marek Ziebart, professor of space geodesy at University College London. “The government tried to spin OneWeb as a cheap and quick way of delivering PNT [positioning, navigation and timing] services, and that was just a very bad idea. They haven’t let go of this idea yet.”

The flipside, he says, is that with 322 OneWeb satellites already in orbit and its constellation almost half complete, the UK is well positioned to cash in on a lucrative and geopolitically advantageous broadband market.

“Once you’ve started to occupy a part of space by launching satellites, it’s rather like the wild west land grab: other people are going to find it much harder to operate there as well,” Ziebart said. “You can see lots of people lining up to try to launch that kind of technology [and] it would put the UK in a technologically leading position if it all works. It’s in the UK government’s interest to have access to that kind of communications infrastructure. From a space policy perspective, getting a slice of the low Earth orbit communications satellite paradigm is really sensible, because that is the new paradigm.”

Washington State-based Starlink, with the resources of Musk and the entire SpaceX fleet at its disposal, has stolen a march on rivals, including Amazon’s Kuiper project. It has launched almost 1,800 satellites, has approval for another 10,000, and has submitted an application for a constellation of 42,000 – all while everyone but OneWeb is still on the ground.

Possible clients for satellite broadband could be those dodging censorship in regimes such as North Korea and Afghanistan

Starlink is also the only operator to have developed a functional ground terminal to process signals from space into an internet service of up to 300Mbps, which Musk says is on schedule to finish its year-long beta testing stage this month. It expects to offer a mobile version of its fixed-location receiver, nicknamed Dishy McFlatface, by the end of the year.

The Kuiper project, meanwhile, with a $10bn investment from Jeff Bezos, has federal approval for 3,236 satellites, and in April signed a contract with United Launch Alliance for its first nine deployment flights, on dates yet to be determined. Other projects include a 13,000-strong constellation from China; a micro-satellite venture from the private company Astranis that is targeting Alaska; and Telesat, a Canadian company that won a CA$1.44bn (£841m) government grant for its planned 298-satellite network.

The EU is investigating launching a constellation to provide satellite broadband by 2024. “We cannot have the first service in 2040. If we do that, we are dead,” Jean-Marc Nasr, head of Airbus Space Systems, who is leading a feasibility study, told the European Space Conference in January. Last month, however, the Sunday Telegraph reported that Brussels was mulling its own investment in OneWeb, raising the prospect of the EU joining the existing UK-Indian consortium to take on Starlink.

Yet even OneWeb, with secured investment already close to $5bn, is unlikely to be able to match Starlink, and eventually Kuiper, for scope, wealth or size of client base.

Nor is it trying to. OneWeb chief executive Neil Masterson told CNBC he believed the demand for satellite broadband could support several vendors. “There are some areas where we will compete, but governments will always buy more than one service,” he said. “Multiple players will be able to be successful in addressing their market.”

Satellite broadband has also attracted criticism. Astronomers and environmentalists are angry at light pollution from satellites in low orbit, and trackers of space debris point to vastly increased collision risks. Ziebart’s students modelled a 10-year scenario showing an alarming spike in the numbers of orbiting satellites.

Professor John Crassidis of the University at Buffalo, who advises Nasa on space junk, said: “We already monitor some 23,000 objects of softball size and bigger. To add to that many more satellites is going to be an issue in terms of collision avoidance.”

But the market appears limitless. One possible client group, highlighted by business website Quartz, could be those wishing to circumvent censorship in regimes such as North Korea and Afghanistan. More traditional customers would include emergency services, the military, agriculture and the cruise industry – anyone seeking fast internet access where wired connections are unavailable.

Cummings, architect of the government’s investment in OneWeb, is long gone from government, but with Britain’s space industry worth £16bn a year and 45,000 jobs, Johnson has no reason to pull back from OneWeb.

At some point in life, you have probably enjoyed a 'flow' state – when you're so intensely focused on a task or activity, you experience a strong sense of control, a reduced awareness of your environment and yourself, and a minimized sense of the passing of time.

It's also possible to experience 'team flow', such as when playing music together, competing in a sports team, or perhaps gaming. In such a state, we seem to have an intuitive understanding with others as we jointly complete the task at hand.

An international team of neuroscientists now thinks they have uncovered the neural states unique to team flow, and it appears that these differ both from the flow states we experience as individuals, and from the neural states typically associated with social interaction.

"In individual flow, the brain shuts down external stimuli that are unrelated to the task. In team flow, the brain still shuts down external stimuli except for the information about the flow state of the teammate. Hence, the team brains start to synchronize more," neuroscientist Mohammad Shehata, who co-authored the study, told ScienceAlert.

Our brains are made up of billions of neurons that give off electrical output when they fire, and these collective electrical signals can be aligned to certain frequencies.

Some examples of the frequencies are alpha, beta, and gamma, which are measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. Typically, these different frequency bands are present when we perform certain cognitive tasks, and this is the type of neural activity the researchers were investigating.



Participants' neural activity was measured using an electroencephalography (EEG) machine, where electrodes are placed on the cranium, detecting activity happening within the brain.

In the main phase of the experiment, 38 participants were asked to play a game similar to Guitar Hero on an iPad, where you tap on the screen in sync with the rhythm-based cues of a song; they worked in pairs, and the researchers prioritized pairing up two friends wherever possible.

The research team devised three conditions for the trial; in one, participants played the game while separated from their partner by a black foam-board partition, giving the researchers data on the brain when in an 'individual' flow state. In the second condition, people played the game with a partner, but every now and again the researchers would play discordant music to disrupt the flow.

In the third condition, labeled as 'team flow', the participants played the game together with their partner. The music sequence they had to play on their iPads was identical in all tasks, to minimize any cognitive load.

To ensure participants actually entered a state of flow in the desired conditions, researchers employed two techniques. On a subjective level, after completing the task in one condition, participants would then have to rate certain statements like 'I felt in control while playing this trial', and 'How time flies during this trial'.

Going further, the research team also wanted to gain an objective measure of the participants' flow state, something that's notoriously difficult in flow studies.

"We utilized the intense task-related attention and the reduced sense of external awareness dimensions of flow, and the well-known effect of selective attention on the auditory evoked potential (AEP)," they write in the study.



"During each trial, we presented task-irrelevant beeps to the participants. The more the participants were immersed in the game, the weaker the strength of the AEP in response to the task-irrelevant beeps."

So what characterized the brains of participants when they were in a state of team flow?

Researchers found increased beta and gamma brain wave activity in the left middle temporal cortex. This region of the brain is typically associated with information integration and key functions like attention, memory, and awareness, which are "consistent with higher team interactions and enhancing many flow dimensions", the team writes.

However, what was unique about team flow, was that participants' neural activity appeared to synchronize. When participants were performing the task as a unit, their brains would mutually align in their neural oscillations (beta and gamma activity), creating a "hyper-cognitive state between the team members".

If brains can be functionally connected through inter-brain synchrony, does this mean it is not only our brain that contributes to our consciousness? It's a curious question, but the authors warn it is much too soon to tell.

"Based on our findings, we cannot conclude that the high value of integrated information correlates with a modified form of consciousness, for instance, 'team consciousness'," they write.

"Its consistency with neural synchrony raises intriguing and empirical questions related to inter-brain synchrony and information integration and altered state of consciousness."

Source: Science Alert

 Rockstar this week revealed the game's worst secret: remakes of Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas.

In addition, Rockstar has confirmed its plan to remove the original version from all digital retailers on PCs and consoles starting next week and to replace it in several storefronts with Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.

The decision to remove these classics is a blow to video game preservation and obviously bad for player selection, but Rockstar is unlikely to be giving up - at least not anytime soon.

And so fans flocked to Steam to show people buying the original before they lost their chance - probably forever.

"Before you leave Steam, make sure your ass has a triple," wrote Pink Diamond in a GTA 3 Steam review. "Buy this to be removed next week," GrunkleBran said in a review on Vice City Steam.

"Buy it before you remove it," User Park said in a review on San Andreas Steam.

Game owner fans use Steam rating to say goodbye. One of them was particularly interesting to me, from a Steam user with an incredible 2780 hours recorded with San Andreas:

"I have to say all the time I've been playing this game in terms of speed and mode etc it's the best game I've ever played in a GTA game. Great, good world and a lot of work too." do and find. "



Steam Dime user wrote in the GTA 3 review: "Hello old friend." Rockstar is removing you from Steam so the Definitive Edition can make money for you. Thanks for your memories ... "

GTA 3 is 20 years old, Vice City is 19, and San Andreas is 17 years old. The games currently available for download on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Marketplace are not the original versions. For example, the San Andreas version for sale in the Xbox Download Store is the Xbox 360 version, which is backwards compatible with the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and S. The Vice City version that can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store is the PlayStation 2 version that has been converted for the PlayStation 4. You need a PS2 and a physical version of each game to get the real core experience, and Rockstar won't do anything next week. Avoid getting people on eBay. In the Rockstars announcement, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition will be available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox X and S series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Rockstar Games Launcher. Steam has not specifically mentioned it and is proposing to remove the original version from the Valves platform and not replace it with anything else.



Rockstar warns that earlier versions and packages of these games will be removed from digital retailers starting October 11th. We don't know the exact date it was created, but if you're interested, today is your last day to shop digitally.

Anyone who has bought one of the previous versions can of course download them after deleting them and run them on their shopping platform.

 



The popular WhatsApp messaging app is currently developing a new feature of the app that will allow users to "pause" while voice messaging.

WhatsApp is working on an update to improve in-app messaging performance, according to WABeta.

What is special about this function?

The expected update will be very useful for WhatsApp users as they will no longer have to pause, delete and re-record new messages.

Instead, the new feature allows users to stop the audio recording by tapping the pause button and resume recording from where they left off. This feature has been observed in the development of WhatsApp updates for iOS. This app is now also available for Android.

Mars' landscape may be barren and dangerous to human life, but thanks to photos like this from NASA's advanced rovers, that doesn't stop it from looking any less stunning. Although humans have yet to set foot on Mars, robotics and other technologies have allowed astronomers to closely analyze the mysterious planet. Whether it be bleeding-edge telescopes, rovers, helicopters, orbiters, or something else, humans have found inventive ways to closely study a planet we've never actually visited.



One such rover contributing to Mars exploration is Perseverance. Perseverance landed on Mars this past February with a simple yet ambitious goal — to traverse the planet searching for ancient life. People have long theorized that Mars was once home to alien lifeforms. If this is true, Perseverance will be the rover to answer that question once and for all. In just a few short months, Perseverance has already collected Martian rock samples, explored new areas on the planet, and more.

Another way Perseverance has kept itself busy is by capturing thousands of photos and sharing them with everyone to see. Wherever Perseverance goes, it takes tons of photos with multiple cameras, shares them with NASA, and NASA then uploads all of those RAW files for the world to browse through. One such photo is the one see above and below, depicting the vast landscape on Mars. This black-and-white image was acquired by Perseverance on September 28 at the local mean solar time of 12:58 using its Left Navigation Camera.



Perseverance has shared countless photos of the Martian surface, but this one stands out as one of the most impressive yet. Unlike most pictures which are usually tight squares, this one is a wide panorama shot of Mars. Looking at the photo, there's a lot on display. It highlights Mars' rolling sand dunes, the sea of rocks scattered throughout those dunes, and detailed patterns in the sand left by wind and dust storms. All of this is set against the Martian sky, which appears eerie and haunting even without the iconic yellow glow.

While this picture doesn't necessarily reveal anything new about Mars, it's yet another reminder of how beautiful and mysterious the planet is. It's devoid of any life, has freezing temperatures, and is nothing but endless dust, rocks, and sand. Even so, it still manages to be extremely alluring. It remains unclear if Perseverance will be successful in its hunt for ancient life, but so long as it keeps taking photos like this, we'll consider the mission a win.

Source: NASA

The Google Pixel 6 (top) and Pixel 6 Pro (bottom) | Google

New leaks from a marketing site appear to confirm that the camera for the Pixel 6 will have a new Magic Eraser feature, and the devices will apparently get five years of Android security updates (h/t 9to5 Google)



According to reliable leaker Evan Blass, the Carphone Warehouse website was showing images of Google marketing materials for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro (the images have since been taken down, but you can view the earlier versions of the Carphone Warehouse pages on the Wayback Machine here and here). Screenshots show the description for the previously leaked Magic Eraser, which will apparently be linked to Google Photos:



Magic Eraser makes distractions disappear with a few taps. Remove strangers and unwanted objects in Google Photos, so the people and places that you capture remain the true stars.



 Much of what is in the latest photos has been leaked or confirmed already; the Pixel 6 camera will have a 50MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lens, and the Pixel 6 Pro will have a 48MP telephoto lens.

And as Engadget noted, some of the copy on the leaked images (in the tiny, tiny fine print) references “Android security updates for at least five years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US.” That would mean Pixel 6 devices would have protection into 2026.

Penned by Joss Whedon and set on Earth after Alien Resurrection, Alien 5 is one of the biggest sequels never to see the light of day. The Alien franchise is a success by any barometer or metric, spawning 4 mainline installments and 2 prequel films, with the original Alien's induction into the National Film Registry for historical preservation highlighting its cultural significance. All Alien installments center around the origins or activity of the iconic early Xenomorph, designed by legendary Swiss surrealist H.R. Geiger.

The final film in the original series, Alien Resurrection, ended with Call (Winona Ryder) and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) floating towards a futuristic Earth after escaping the human/Alien hybrid. The poignancy of this moment should not be understated given Ripley's continued desire to return home across the entire franchise, with Ripley 8's statement to Call, "I'm a stranger here myself," confirming the arduous 257-year journey she has undergone to reach that moment. Like Ripley before it, the Alien franchise has since been in stasis, with Alien Resurrection's release almost 2 decades ago, the last of the original movie quartet.

Related: Why Alien 7 Should Bring Back Resurrection’s Hated Hybrid Villain

Yet, it could have been so different if the purportedly finished script of Alien 5 had come to fruition. The Avengers' Joss Whedon offered up a script designed to take the franchise back full circle, set 30 years after the Nostromo's doomed journey back to mother Earth before a raft of complications put paid to his vision. Here's why Whedon's Alien 5 never happened and what the film would have looked like if it did.

What immediately juts forward from Whedon's Alien 5 concept is his understanding of the Alien franchise and his love of it. Whedon himself penned the script for Alien: Resurrection, providing several drafts before director Jean-Pierre Jeunet settled on an entirely different climax for the 4th Alien installment, seeing the Alien-hybrid sucked through a hole into space. Whedon has personally voiced his deep regrets at the final product presented by the flawed Alien: Resurrection movie, with his designs for Alien 5 looking to right many of the prior film's wrongs.

While plot details have only been released in a piecemeal fashion for Alien 5's script, it is understood to take place on Earth in the immediate aftermath of Alien: Resurrection. Ripley and Call continue their descent to the planetoid, unaware that they are not alone following the explosion of the Auriga in typical Alien fashion. Alien 5 was designed to end the Alien narrative surrounding Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ripley, with her homecoming after 257 years away from the planet designed to offer a sense of finality to the original movie series. Whedon's decision to close Ripley's loop shows he understands the importance of returning the Alien films to the human, tension-driven settings so oft provided by Ridley Scott. Watching John Hurt's Kane choke at night in the mess hall after awakening from his ordeal delivers a visceral moment steeped in atmosphere and un-touched by complex creature-based scenes. In this way, the Alien 5 script's premise promised to bring Ripley back to the fore and shy away from the frenetic and often incomprehensible action that marred Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection.

Several factors conspired to herald the downfall of Alien 5's incubating production, with the script unable to muster a concerted effort at truly being considered for release. Whedon's Earth-based script may have looked to usher in a return to the dazzling Ridley Scott Alien era, but its intent to close the story came at a heavy price. Sigourney Weaver's approval of the script became a key component of the pre-production ritual for all direct Alien sequels - a grace ultimately denied to Whedon by Weaver. Weaver has cited many issues with Whedon's handling of Ripley, stating that his vision of her return to Earth diluted the first Alien's impact significantly. She also stated that, based on Whedon's script, Ripley would lose her last shred of humanity and become a one-dimensional character, which ironically was something both Weaver and Whedon had wanted to avoid in Alien 5.

Related: AVP: Requiem Proved Predator Had A Clearer Movie Future Than Alien

However, Sigourney Weaver's lack of approval was not the only factor in holding Alien 5 back from the races. Even as far back as 1998, 20th Century Fox had begun work on a "Frankenstein Meets Werewolf" concept that would look to pit Ridley Scott's Alien against John McTiernan's Predator in their original forms. James Cameron, who Fox had initially asked to help pen a 5th Alien installment (akin to his Aliens success), immediately distanced himself from the project, bashing it as something that would "kill the validity of the franchise." Despite losing their man at the helm, the studio pressed on, eventually releasing Paul W.S. Anderson's AVP: Alien vs. Predator in 2004. The release of AVP was the final nail in the coffin for Whedon's shelved Alien 5 script, taking the Alien franchise on a less serious tangent and quashing Alien 5's decidedly human concept in the process.

While Joss Whedon's vision for the canceled Alien 5 is unlikely to reappear, other incarnations are well underway for a fifth Alien movie. The Alien prequel, Prometheus, initially looked to be taking the franchise in a bold new direction, receiving the best reviews for an Alien installment since Aliens. However, its follow-up, Alien: Covenant, was released in 2017 to decidedly mixed reviews, causing 20th Century Fox to reassess their position on the overarching prequel narrative. Disney's acquisition of Fox in 2019 altered the players in the Alien landscape, but perhaps not the linear franchise plan, after officially confirming at the 2019 CinemaCon that Alien sequels were in production.

Gallingly for Joss Whedon's alternate Alien 5, Sigourney Weaver's stance also seems to have softened on Ripley's potential narratives. At the 2014 Hero Complex film festival, Weaver stated, "Had we done a fifth one, I don't doubt that her humanity would have prevailed. I do feel like there is more story to tell. I feel a longing from fans for the story to be finished. I could imagine a situation where we finish telling the story." While there is no confirmed word on Weaver returning for Disney's Alien projects, it is hard to imagine a Xenomorph story untethered to the iconic Ripley. Although Joss Whedon's Alien 5 concept seems destined to gather dust somewhere, his notion of Alien 5 embracing its human element is one any future Alien franchise installments should embody.

More: Why Alien’s Best Movie Future Brings The Xenomorphs To Earth

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As Halloween fast approaches, several highly anticipated new horror movies are set to hit both the theatrical and VOD circuits between now and October 31st. Acclaimed genre filmmakers such as James Wan, Edgar Wright, David Gordon Green, Patrick Brice, Scott Cooper, and more have intriguing new horror tales to go with a solid mixture of international arthouse fare, broad Netflix originals, and everything in between.

 

From eerie haunted houses, creepy creature features, and anthological period pieces to unnerving psychological thrillers and time travel chillers, this Halloween has plenty of cinematic streaming treats in store.

Updated on October 9th, 2021 by Tanner Fox: As summer descends into autumn and windswept auburn leaves dance between carved jack-o-lanterns and tacky lawn decorations, horror becomes the hot topic among moviegoers. However, thanks to the various streaming services available, satisfactory scares abound and are no longer relegated to the theater.

With cerebral artistic pieces and reboots to dormant franchises alike set to hit Netflix, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video before October is out, there's never been a better time to get immersed in all things horror.

Debuting on Netflix on October 6, 2021 is There's Someone Inside Your House, a sadistic high-school slasher film from well-established horror director Patrick Brice (Creep, Room 104). Based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Perkins, the film tracks a masked killer stalking the senior class of Osborne High only to be met with resistance by a marginalized group of outcasts.

What makes this story interesting is how the killer intends to expose the students' deep-dark secrets before ending their lives, making for a subversive, unpredictable, and genre-defying story that Brice often enjoys telling.

One of the more underrated horror anthology series of the past decade includes V/H/S, created by David Bruckner and Simon Barrett. Both men return for the upcoming 4th franchise entry, V/H/S/94, set to bow exclusively on Shudder on October 6. Set in 1994, the film concerns a police S.W.A.T. unit uncovering a cult conspiracy recorded on a grainy old videotape.

The main draw of the film, aside from the promising premise and well-established brand name, is the collection of daring directing talent at the helm. Chapters will be guided by Barrett (Seance), Chloe Okuno (Slut), Ryan Prows (Lowlife), Jennifer Reeder (Knives and Skin), and Timo Tjahanto, the latter of which directed the scariest franchise chapter to date in V/H/S/2's "Safe Haven."

Strange occurrences plague a Mexican-American family after they move to a quaint home in the California countryside, and an expectant mother must endure malignant horrors as her due date approaches. While it's sure to introduce a few ideas of its own, director Ryan Zargoza's Madres certainly seems to be taking a page or two from the Rosemary's Baby playbook.



Set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on October 8, Madres looks be a sinister thrill ride comparable to other classic haunted house horrors.

One of a set of Blumhouse productions set to terrorize horror fans this October, The Manor is an upcoming offering from director Axelle Carolyn, who is perhaps best known for directing episodes of American Horror Story and The Haunting of Bly Manor.

After an elderly woman moves into a nursing home, she is accosted by supernatural entities. Unable to prove that what she experiences is real, she must figure out a way to validate her sanity and escape before she meets a grizzly fate. The Manor is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on October 8.

An Argentinian psychological thriller set to boggle the minds of horror fans, Fever Dream is an adaptation of the short story Rescue Distance. Seemingly something out of the mind of horror auteur Ari Aster, the movie tells the tale of a fragmented family when a mother and son duo become the epicenter of unnatural happenings.

This may be a dense and intentionally difficult work, but viewers who love to dissect and interpret films will absolutely adore Fever Dream. Set to debut on Netflix on October 13, it may not be destined for widespread appeal, but it will almost certainly find a fascinated film niche.

Germany's ominous Black Forest is the setting of Demigod, the new folk horror outing from writer/director Miles Doleac (The Dinner Party) due on October 15. The story concerns Robin (Rachel Nichols), a woman who returns to her birthplace at the sinister site following her grandfather's death in search of answers.

Aside from the foreboding forest setting, the film boasts an unsettling mixture of ancient head-hunting rituals and scary sacrificial customs with a personal story of a modern-day woman uncovering her cryptic past. With cult-favorite scream queen Rachel Nichols (P2, Inside) taking center stage, Demigod is worth bowing to when it opens this October.

In addition to penning V/H/S/94, David Bruckner's third directorial effort The Night House will open to the public on October 19. After proving his filmmaking skills in The Signal and The Ritual, Bruckner's latest looks to be a deeply disquieting tale of a widow (Rebecca Hall) uncovering her deceased husband's darkest secrets.



The deliberately-paced, slow-burn horror film is already drawing rave reviews for Hall's central turn, the brooding atmosphere of rural upstate New York, the tonal tension Bruckner is able to sustain, and the chillingly ambiguous finale.

A Netflix exclusive set to debut on October 20, Night Teeth follows a hapless chauffer as he's wrapped up in a blood-soaked supernatural thrill ride when the women he's driving are revealed to be vampires.

Though it doesn't appear to be an out-and-out horror movie, Night Teeth will certainly be able to satisfy those looking for the perfect Halloween thriller. Starring Sydney Sweeny and Megan Fox, it's sure to catch the attention of Netflix subscribers.

Another Netflix exclusive, Hypnotic sees a woman suffering from general anxiety receive treatment from an enigmatic therapist. Unfortunately, he uses the suggestive powers of his practice to coax her into unconsciously performing strange and terrible acts. Now, she must get to the bottom of this strange plot before it's too late.

Stylish and cerebral, Hypnotic promises to have viewers scratching their heads until the credits roll—and likely for some time after that. The film also looks to be a breath of fresh air when compared to many of the more traditional horror movies debuting this October.

Billed as a reboot of the popular found-footage series, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin removes the series from its Southern California roots, placing the preternatural panic in the heart of Amish country.

A woman begins filming a documentary about her newly-discovered biological relatives only to uncover sinister tidings in the otherwise tranquil rural setting. Helmed by William Eubank, who is best known for 2020's Lovecraftian undertaking Underwater, Next of Kin is set to be a return to form for the relatively wayward franchise.

Tom Brooks from 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way posted a new selfie on Instagram with his new girlfriend, Mariah, accompanied by a heartfelt caption. Tom appeared in seasons 3 and 4 of the show. Fans were introduced to self-proclaimed "British Boy" Tom when he appeared on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 3 alongside Connecticut resident and longtime 90 Day Fiancé cast member Darcey Silva. The pair met online after Darcey's split from Amsterdam-based personal trainer Jesse Meester. 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 3 aired in August 2019 and showed Tom and Darcey meeting up in England for the first time. The couple's relationship was rocky from the start. Tom booked the couple an Airbnb but suggested that the two sleep in separate bedrooms in order to give Darcey her space, as they had met in person for the first time that day. However, Darcey felt rejected that he didn't want to share a bed with her, so their relationship was off to a rocky start.

After a dramatic trip to Albania with Darcey's sister, Stacey Silvia, and her partner, Florian Sukaj, it seemed like Darcey and Tom's relationship was coming to a close. However, before the season ended, Tom surprised both Darcey and viewers alike by giving Darcey a key to his house in England before she returned back to her home state of Connecticut. Although giving her a key to his house made it seem like the two were getting serious, Tom revealed a secret during 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 4, which aired in August 2020. After Darcey left England, Tom began to see another woman behind her back. Before the season ended, Tom made it known that his new secret love interest was a woman named Shannon from Canada. According to Instagram, British citizen Tom and Shannon have now split up, and he is now dating a woman named Mariah.



Tom, who describes himself as a "British Boy" in his Instagram bio, posted a new selfie on Instagram with his girlfriend, Mariah. The photo showed the couple sitting very close together while smiling. Tom tagged his love interest in the photo and added the caption, "I could watch you for a single minute and find a thousand things that I love about you. You're my happiness, everything I ever dreamed of." A quick glance at Tom's Instagram account shows that the vast majority of his posts over the last several months are with Mariah, who goes by the name "ladym_TV" on Instagram but has a private profile, as does Tom.



After cheating on Darcey during 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 4, Tom received lots of backlash from viewers. However, most of the comments on his latest Instagram post showed support for Tom and his relationship. One comment read, "So beautiful to see you two lovely people and a wonderful relationship. We need a TV show with you guys instead of all the hot mess people."

The first selfie that Tom posted with girlfriend Mariah was back in late February, and he called her the love of his life. Viewers may wonder if Tom will appear in future seasons of the show with his new partner. It seems unlikely that this will happen since Tom got so much backlash after his last appearance. Fans will just have to keep watching the show to find out.

90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs Sundays at 8pm on TLC.

Source: Tom Brooks/Instagram

SPOILER WARNING for Darkhold Alpha #1!

Over the past several decades, Marvel Comics has introduced fans to thousands of new heroes and villains, and it seems like Spider-Man is having trouble remembering them all, and more specifically, Scarlet Witch. This isn’t entirely surprising considering the number of people he’s interacted with throughout his extensive history. Still, Peter Parker would certainly remember meeting a famous hero like the Scarlet Witch, right? According to a new series, this isn’t the case, as the wall-crawler acts like he doesn’t know Wanda Maximoff at all.



Though Spidey and the Scarlet Witch don’t cross paths too often, they’ve interacted more than enough times for the Web-Slinger to know who she is. For example, 1983’s Marvel Fanfare #6, by Mike W. Barr, Sandy Plunkett, Philip Craig Russell, and Jim Novak, sees the two heroes team up to take on the villainous sorcerer Xandu, with Spidey recognizing Wanda from past encounters and saying, “How’s your hubby, the Vision…” in the issue’s opening pages. More recently, though, Marvel’s House of M event should cause Wanda to stick out in Peter’s memory. After all, the new reality that resulted from Wanda’s mental breakdown caused Spidey to suffer some serious trauma, as she managed to bring Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy back from the dead, only for them to disappear once again after everything went back to normal. After an excruciating experience like that, Spider-Man should easily recall who the Scarlet Witch is, but Darkhold Alpha #1 suggests that the two are practically strangers.



After Doctor Doom awakens the Elder God, Chthon, in Steve Orlando, Cian Tormey, Jesus Aburtov, and Clayton Cowles’ Darkhold Alpha #1, Scarlet Witch is forced to work with the Latverian ruler in hopes of stopping the ancient deity. While Doom decides to challenge the demonic foe head-on, however, Wanda decides to form a team of “Darkhold Defenders,” hoping that they will be able to repeat one of Chthon’s historic defeats. Her squad consists of Iron Man, Blade, Wasp, Black Bolt, and Spider-Man, who are all whisked away from their ongoing adventures and teleported directly to her. Immediately upon seeing the Scarlet Witch, Spidey asks, “Didn’t… you date a robot?”

Although it’s glossed over, fans are left to wonder why Spidey has seemingly forgotten Wanda. As mentioned, Spider-Man has had more than a few run-ins with the Scarlet Witch, so his question here is totally bizarre. In fact, other details suggest the story is firmly ensconced in Marvel canon. Victorious, a trusted subject of Doctor Doom who was introduced in 2018, is present; Tony is partnered with Hellcat, a new development in his current line of comics; and Doom and Wanda outright acknowledge the Children’s Crusade storyline wherein Doom stole Wanda’s powers. Considering all this information, Spider-Man should not only be fully aware of who Wanda is, but he should also know who Vision is, that calling Vision a robot (as opposed to a synthezoid) is offensive, that Wanda and Vision have faced prejudice because of Vision’s nature while together, that Wanda was married to Vision, and that their relationship ended because Wanda’s breakdown led to Vision’s brutal destruction and eventually the events of House of M.

Ultimately, the reason for Spidey’s sudden memory loss comes down to writing. Occasionally, comics writers will simply pretend that heroes don’t have decades worth of continuity and connectivity between them. This can absolutely be a useful writing device, but in a comic where continuity is clearly in play, it feels especially egregious and serves as a discordant note in an otherwise fine story. Hopefully, Marvel will steer away from this sort of inconsistency in the future, because if readers are to assume Spider-Man remembers his own life, then his question to Scarlet Witch just comes across as mean.

The Apokoliptian warlord Darkseid has killed numerous heroes in the DCEU, as shown in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, especially in its hypothetical Knightmare future, but who are all the heroes who he defeated? The DCEU has set up Darkseid to be the ultimate villain. As a New God, Darkseid is extremely powerful and megalomaniacal and has conquered thousands of worlds in his lifetime, subjugating planets in his quest for power and the Anti-Life Equation. In a potential future, Darkside succeeds, adding Earth to his list of conquered worlds and finally obtaining the Anti-Life Equations, destroying the Justice League in more ways than one.

As shown in a flashback sequence, Darkseid visited Earth once before, upon discovering that the world held the Anti-Life Equation. In a massive battle against humanity and Earth’s greatest defenders, Darkseid was defeated, leaving Earth without the Anti-Life Equation. For millennia, Darkseid continued to conquer worlds, nearly returning to Earth via boom tube in Justice League when Superman’s death activated the Mother Boxes. The Knightmare, a possible future glimpsed by Batman and Cyborg shows a victorious Darkseid who, with the Anti-Life Equation, destroys the Justice League and takes over Earth, leaving a sinister Superman-led Regime in charge.



Darkseid desires the Anti-Life Equation because it’d become his most useful tool in future conquests. The Anti-Life Equation is an all-powerful cosmic formula that can remove the free will of any being, allowing Darkseid to turn his greatest opponents into minions. Darkseid’s acquisition of the equation and the subsequent Knightmare future was originally going to be depicted in Zack Snyder’s planned Justice League sequels. The films are unlikely to be released, but Snyder stated that the final film would have seen Batman's DCEU ending include him sacrificing himself to prevent Darkseid from obtaining the equation, thus preventing the Knightmare and the subsequent deaths of the Justice League’s heroes.

In DC Comics, Yalan Gur was an ancient Green Lantern and one of the first to defend Sector 2814, which includes Earth. Gur was so renowned that the Oan Guardians of the Universe made his ring immune to the Green Lantern rings’ weakness to the color yellow (due to the Parallax being trapped within the central green power battery). Yalan Gur makes his cinematic debut in Justice League, defending Earth during Darkseid’s first attempt at conquering it. Though he fought bravely, Gur was overpowered by Darkseid, getting dismembered and impaled by the Apokoliptian’s polearm weapon. With its wearer dead, the DCEU Green Lantern ring flies off into space to find a successor, just as Abin Sur’s would millennia later, famously finding Hal Jordan. Since Gur’s death didn’t occur in the Knightmare, his is the only death that can’t be undone in Snyder’s planned sequels.

During Cyborg’s vision of the Knightmare in Justice League, a deceased Wonder Woman is shown early on in the vision. At her funeral pyre, Queen Hippolyta is shown tearfully mourning the loss of her daughter. Also visible is Darkseid, arriving at Wonder Woman’s funeral in an Apokoliptian vessel. Considering how powerful Wonder Woman is and Darkseid’s appearance, the Apokoliptian warlord is likely the one who killed her. Wonder Woman's DCEU ending is also notable as it is the first to be shown dead in Cyborg’s vision, further proving that she was one of the greatest threats to Darkseid and one of the first to die because of this.



The next death shown in Cyborg’s Knightmare vision was Aquaman. Darkseid is shown overpowering the King of Atlantis in his throne room, impaling Arthur with his second trident and simultaneously disintegrating Vulko, Aquaman’s Atlantean mentor. Aquaman is notably killed with the Trident of Atlan, instead of Atlanna's trident, which Arthur used throughout the rest of the film. The three-pronged weapon’s original owner, Atlan, fought Darkseid with his famous weapon during the original Apokoliptian invasion of Earth. Mera later wields Aquaman's trident, when she joins Batman’s insurgency.

While Superman was not directly killed by Darkseid, everything he stood for and believed in was. In the Knightmare scenario, Lois Lane is killed, breaking Superman’s heart and weakening his resolve. Taking advantage of this, Darkseid uses the Anti-Life Equation on him, annihilating Clark’s free will and reducing him to a brainwashed pawn. With his former self gone, Superman became little more than a puppet of Darkseid, enforcing his will on the conquered and terraformed Earth, fighting against everything he’d once stood for. Unlike the Injustice video games that inspired the Knightmare sequence, The DCEU’s Superman is fundamentally incapable of becoming a villain, despite Batman's right thoughts on Superman in BvS. Zack Snyder’s Superman, like the comic version he’s based on, is an intrinsically good person who would have remained a hero, even if he lost those he loved most.

A formidable veteran Green Lantern, Kilowog’s body is shown towards the end of Cyborg’s Knightmare vision. Kilowog has a large hole burned through his chest, strongly implying that a brainwashed Superman killed him with his heat vision. Since Superman is essentially killed in the Knightmare, becoming an extension of Darkseid’s will, Kilowog is indirectly killed by Darkseid through Superman. In DC Comics, Kilowog is a close friend and frequent partner of the famous human Green Lantern Hal Jordan. It’s unknown if Hal became the Green Lantern in Zack Snyder's plans for the Knightmare future, but he likely will at some point in the main DCEU.

The first time that viewers see the Knightmare scenario is in a vision that Bruce Wayne sees in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Batman helps create the Insurgency, bringing together various superheroes and supervillains who survived Darkseid’s attack and mind control. In the Dawn of Justice vision, Batman is captured and brutally executed by a brainwashed Superman, finalizing Darkseid’s conquest of Earth. In the planned (but unreleased) sequels to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Batman is directly killed by Darkseid. Bruce saves Lois Lane’s life and prevents the Knightmare from becoming a reality, and kills Darkseid as he dies from the warlord’s Omega Beams. Although he saves Earth and countless other worlds from Darkseid’s conquests, Batman is one of the few heroes who Darkseid defeats in both the main DCEU and the Knightmare.

Marvel Champions lets players step into the shoes of several famous Marvel heroes, but the game's deck-building rules mean that it can be hard to assess the effectiveness of any given character. While each comes with fifteen cards that they must include in their deck for all games, players select the other 25 to 35 from an ever-growing pool of basic and aspect cards.



This deck-building method helps prevent power creep, and it also means that some initially underwhelming characters have since become much more playable. Also important to remember is that Marvel Champions plays very differently in solo mode compared to multiplayer. While more focused characters struggle to do everything themselves, they're still powerhouses when teammates can help cover their weaknesses.

10 Thor

Thor may be one of the strongest Avengers in most Marvel media, but fans didn't respond very positively to the God of Thunder's initial release in Marvel Champions. While most heroes have some level of versatility built into their hero decks that allows them to explore various playstyles, the only thing that Thor did well was kill minions.



However, since Thor's release, several minion-heavy villains and Aggression cards that synergize with minion killing have been released. Thor's relatively limited playstyle still makes him a poor choice for solo games, but he now has enough tools available to make him a force to be reckoned with in multiplayer.

9 Iron Man

When he's up and running, Iron Man is an incredibly powerful character. The challenge for many players is that it takes several turns to get Tony Stark combat-ready. As one would expect, Iron Man is all about upgrades. While his base stats are low, various tech upgrades boost Iron Man's stats well above any other character in the game.

Because he can get upgrades out more quickly in alter-ego form, many players prefer to put him in the Justice aspect. This lets Tony deal with building threat levels that come from staying in alter-ego.

8 Spider-Man

Like his comic counterpart, Peter Parker is a hero that villains have a hard time laying a hit on. Spider-Man may have come pre-paired with a Justice deck in the Marvel Champions core set, but he shines in multiplayer games in the Protection affiliation. Spider-Man's base defense of three means that he can tank several hits with his normal defense, so he pairs well with cards like Indomitable or Expert Defense that let him ready after defending against an attack. His backflip hero card is also fantastic as it lets him take zero damage from an attack regardless of its strength.

7 Quicksilver

Pietro Maximoff is one of the fastest men alive, and his incredible speed is reflected in Marvel Champions by his ability to ready himself after performing a basic action. While this is good for attacking or thwarting twice, it also means that he can defend without sacrificing actions on his next turn.

Quicksilver also has a helpful alter-ego ability, Superpowered Siblings, that lets him discard two cards to draw two. This is a great way to cycling through dead cards for something more useful, and he gets to draw a third card if Scarlet Witch is also in play.

6 Gamora

Gamora is one of the bravest members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and she's also one of the most popular characters in Marvel Champions. Gamora is one of few heroes that can include cards from multiple aspects in her deck. This twist makes her a versatile character that's able to adapt to different villains and schemes.

Gamora's big bonus is that she does one free damage when she plays a thwart event and thwarts one threat when she plays an attack event (once per turn for each). This ability is fantastic in solo games where scheme threat limits and enemy health are low, but it's slightly less impactful in multiplayer games since the power/thwart doesn't scale per player like enemies do.

5 Captain America

Captain America was one of the earliest character packs released for Marvel Champions, and he immediately established himself as a powerhouse for both solo and group play. This is true for the Marvel Comics version of Captain America, who ranks as the best Avenger due to his masterful fighting ability.

Steve Rogers isn't the single best character at anything in the game, but he's good at absolutely everything. With the unpredictability in Marvel Champions, the lack of a glaring weakness means that Captain America players rarely find themselves in a bad matchup. Steve also gets to start each game with his famous vibranium shield, so he's very consistent and can get into action right away on turn one.

4 Spider-Woman

There have been more since her release, but Spider-Woman, in any of her plentiful alternate versions, was the first character to use cards from multiple aspects simultaneously. Using multiple aspects gives her incredible versatility and lets her thrive in either solo or multiplayer games.

Her low basic stats may seem like a downside, but she gets +1 to her Attack, Thwart, and defense for each different aspect she plays a card from each turn. While this does mean that the occasional lousy draw can leave her temporarily hobbled, it's not very challenging to boost her stats up to average or higher.

3 Ant-Man

Ant-Man and the Wasp were the first two heroes to have more than two forms. While both have hero and standard alter-ego sides, their character cards unfold to reveal a second hero form. Ant-Man has proven to be the more versatile of the two Pym-powered heroes, and he excels with several great character cards that take advantage of his tiny and giant forms.

Army of Ants (which Scott has three of in his hero deck) let players do one damage to anything per turn per card. While this doesn't seem like much, it enables ant-man ping to Tough off enemies or take out low-health minions without using his basic actions. Ant-Man's helmet is also fantastic and lets him draw a card or heal every time he changes hero forms.

2 Venom

Fans were excited and confused when data leaks showed the Venom was going to be releasing in the middle of several Guardians of the Galaxy packs, but it made a little more sense when it was revealed that this character is the Flash Thompson host of the Venom symbiote, who spent a bit of time with the Guardians.

Venom focuses on using weapons, and his unique Multi-Gun gives players several damaging and thwarting options. Venom's ability to generate a wild resource in exchange for taking one damage means Flash can play more cards per turn than most heroes, and Project Rebirth 2.0 lets him draw or heal whenever he flips to his alter-ego.

1 Dr. Strange

When he was released, Dr. Strange was the strongest character in the game, and nothing has changed in the 15 months since. The Sorceror Supreme's unique gimmick is his invocation deck, a set of five spells that exist apart from his standard hero deck. He can only play the top card and must exhaust after using a spell, but his deck contains multiple ways to cycle cards, ready himself, or reuse spells more than once in a row.

The result is that Strange wants to use most of his resources for playing spell cards, so his aspect choice is relatively inconsequential. One powerful option is to play Protection and fill his deck with healing cards to keep him from having to flip to his alter-ego too often.