The X-Files is known for being one of the most influential network procedurals, popularizing the monster-of-the-week format that has gone on to define massively successful shows like Supernatural, Grimm, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer​​​​​. Even the funeral home family drama Six Feet Under employed an iteration of this device as it depicted the funeral arrangements of a new individual every episode.

The style expands upon the procedural format, bringing the concept of standalone weekly “cases” to other stories beyond the crime and legal genres. Horror TV’s use of monster-of-the-week stories offers near-limitless potential for long-running shows, allowing the characters to regularly find themselves in new situations that don’t require a single narrative arc to compound for years.

Even these stories, however, run the risk of growing stale over time just like their serialized counterparts. If not employed creatively, episodes can quickly become formulaic and predictable. Given that, even more impressive than The X-Files’ use of monster-of-the-week stories was the way the show continued to reinvent the format and subvert viewers’ expectations of how the episodes would play out.

This was done in both big and small ways over the course of the show, with The X-Files still finding refreshing ways to challenge traditional storytelling conventions well into its 11-season run. One of the show’s strongest and most subtle monster-of-the-week outings came in a season 7 episode titled “Hungry.”

“Hungry” Shows What A Difference Small Changes Could Make

This Vince Gilligan-written episode of The X-Files followed a somewhat well-intentioned monster who simply couldn’t satiate his appetite for human brains. As far as X-Files monsters go, Rob Roberts was largely par for the course. What set the episode apart was that it was told from his perspective rather than that of agents Mulder and Scully, though even this wasn’t immediately apparent.

Like most other monster-of-the-week episodes, “Hungry” opened with a mysterious and abnormal killing before launching into The X-Files‘ title sequence. The next scene saw Mulder and Scully interviewing employees of the fast food restaurant where the murder took place, also rather standard for the show. It was also not entirely uncommon for the show to spend a bit of time with an episode’s antagonist.

Thus, several scenes and minutes of the episode passed before it became clear that “Hungry” was doing something different. Yet soon enough, Mulder and Scully knocked on Rob Roberts’ door, and it felt noticeably odd that the viewer began the scene inside with Roberts, rather than on the other side with the agents.

From there, Mulder and Scully felt increasingly like side characters in Rob Roberts’ story, appearing in his periphery as obstacles in his path to cover up the murder and satiate his incessant appetite. “Hungry” made good use of Roberts’ ample screen time, elevating him from a brain-eating monster into a flawed yet sympathetic, emotionally well-developed character.

Roberts’ cravings were framed as an eating disorder, with the episode even going so far as to depict him seeing a therapist and joining a support group for emotional overeaters. Roberts’ palpable anxiety and desperate attempts to curb his desire with appetite suppressants humanized him to a much greater degree than many X-Files villains, turning a run-of-the-mill premise into a unique viewing experience.

The X-Files Did Everything It Could To Push Its Own Boundaries

“Hungry” was a strong episode, but it was far from the show’s most popular. As far as The X-Files‘ most memorable installments go, “Hungry” likely wouldn’t make the cut. Ultimately, though, this is a testament to The X-Files’ overarching commitment to testing the limits of storytelling conventions. This episode was merely one of many instances where the show tried something new and refreshing.

As a whole, the series was unique in that it split its time between monster-of-the-week installments and episodes devoted to its sprawling, serialized “mytharc” that was unspooled over the course of the entire show. Amongst its many standalone episodes, The X-Files also told a long, complex story about aliens and top-secret government missions that all tied back to the childhood abduction of Mulder’s sister.

Its isolated episodes ranged from highly comedic to deadly serious, from philosophical to action-packed. One episode rehashed Mulder and Scully’s most recent case in the differing ways the pair remembered it. In another, half of the story proved to have been a drug-induced hallucination. Yet another was a surprisingly impressive “crossover” episode with the reality show Cops.

Both as a series and on an episode-by-episode basis, The X-Files not only popularized the monster-of-the-week format but reinvented it many times over.

Release Date

1993 – 2018-00-00

Network

FOX

Showrunner

Chris Carter

The release of DC Studios’ Supergirl has reignited the flurry of online chatter that always follows a female-led superhero project, much of it being unearned negativity. While reviews of the film are mixed, it is hardly the disaster that some corners of the internet are making it out to be.

That being said, there is still one glaring problem with the film: its villain. Portrayed by Matthias Schoenaerts, Krem of the Yellow Hills is a space Viking of sorts who finds himself fighting against our hero, Supergirl/Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), after he poisons her beloved pet, Krypto the Superdog. This conflict also leads to Kara forming a bond with the young Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), whose parents and brother were murdered by Krem in front of her.

Some reviewers have pointed to Krem being a weak villain as his biggest flaw in this adaptation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but there is another aspect of his character that damages the film. In the comic, Krem is leader of the Brigands, intergalactic raiders responsible for genocide and other atrocities. However, Supergirl adapts Krem as a human trafficker who kidnaps young girls to be “brides” for the all-male Brigand race. This change fundamentally alters the message of the movie by adding themes absent from the original story, and it’s not for the better.

Multiple superhero projects starring female heroes have taken a similar approach, adding themes of exploitation and sexual violence. Though these problems exist in real-life, this trend can be disheartening for female audiences, many of whom have experienced these traumas for themselves. Allowing female heroes to tell stories without this added weight is an overdue need in the superhero genre.

Supergirl And Black Widow Deal With Similar Themes

Supergirl adding this new element to the plot poses a concerning observation: didn’t Black Widow also focus on a female hero taking down a human trafficker? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Natasha Romanov is forced to confront and overcome her past trauma to take down the man who is responsible for the suffering that has reverberated throughout her life.

A key difference between Black Widow and Supergirl is that the brainwashing and kidnapping that Natasha and other Widows are forced to endure is a pre-existing part of their story. That is a film about the victims taking down their abuser and saving other victims. Regardless of its quality, that traumatic subject matter is an intrinsic part of Black Widow’s characterization.

However, the point remains that her solo film, one that was long past due after her scene-stealing turns throughout the MCU, did not have to mine her trauma—it chose to. Unfortunately, this was not the first time that Natasha’s abuse was mishandled; Avengers: Age of Ultron features a scene where she likens herself to a monster because she was forcibly sterilized. Not only does this force a theme of sexual violence into a film in which it is otherwise absent, but it implies that Black Widow is somehow of less value as a woman who cannot have children.

Likewise, Supergirl chose to alter Krem’s storyline to include multiple female children, victims who we see onscreen, who were kidnapped for the sole purpose of bearing children against their will. Writer Ana Nogueira may have had valid reasons, which she does not owe it to anyone to share publicly, to add this narrative, but the result is still damaging by continuing to restrict the kinds of stories in which women can be the hero and by perpetuating media trends of depicting violence against them.

This Trend In Female Superhero Adaptations Extends Beyond Movies

Several other superhero adaptations have also dealt with trauma inflicted upon women. Captain Marvel saw the title character brainwashed and made to be a soldier for the Kree Empire. Though not a depiction of sexual violence against a woman, it is still a case of exploitation and a loss of agency.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the most traumatic superhero viewing experiences is Marvel’s Jessica Jones. In that series, the titular character is abused by Kilgrave, who uses his mind-control powers to sexually assault her and hold her captive for eight months. Jessica’s trauma is the focal point of the story, with it exploring how the violations she endured broke her down as a person. It is a story that is very much about sexual exploitation, particularly focusing on the female experience.

Though Jessica Jones maintains this trend of superhero media depicting violence against women, it is worth noting that the show is intended for a mature audience, with the intent of telling a raw story of victimhood. Supergirl proposes dealing with this subject matter, but it does not engage with the horror of Krem’s actions in a way that is any more meaningful than if he were a murderer, posing the question of whether a tentpole summer film was the ground on which this battle was meant to be fought.

Why Supergirl Did Not Need To Change Krem’s Motivations

A mother should be able to take her daughter to see a female superhero without having to watch children being subjected to sex trafficking. While bringing a real issue that many people, not just women or girls, face to the big screen isn’t necessarily a bad thing, female representation is so often linked to trauma that it becomes exhausting. The cages of teenage girls being kept by the Brigands to carry their children—without their consent—is an inherently horrific image.

Supergirl had the chance to be an empowering story of overcoming your inner demons, found sisterhood, and choosing a better way. In part, the DCU film hits this mark, but it falls short due to the added sexual nature of Krem’s motivations and the choice to have Kara kill him instead of banishing him to the Phantom Zone for 300 years. A friend of mine noted that Krem being a human trafficker served to make him more hatable; the issue with this is, murdering people and poisoning dogs are already hatable enough actions. Audiences would still cheer for Kara taking down a murderer without having the horrible thought of what would have happened to Ruthye on that ship if she failed.

Moreover, what kind of statement does it make that female heroes so frequently have to face threats built on exploitation and trauma? Alcock’s Supergirl performance exceeded the movie surrounding her. A version of the story where she overcame her grief and helped Ruthye do the same without the heavy implications of the Brigands kidnapping girls to be their “brides” could have been the debut film she deserved. There is space for stories of that nature, but the Woman of Tomorrow comic told nearly the same story without added sexual violence. It simply was not needed for this film to work.

One question that lingers after watching Supergirl is: do you think the writers would have made the same change to Krem if the hero of this story was Superman?

Supergirl

6/10

Release Date

June 26, 2026

Runtime

108 minutes

Director

Craig Gillespie

Writers

Ana Nogueira

Supergirl is the second DCU movie for James Gunn as he works to build his movie slate for the comic book line. The first movie was Superman, which received positive reviews from critics and was a minor box office success. Supergirl is off to a rougher start, with low opening weekend box office and less critical praise. While the critics’ and audience responses seem mixed, Gunn might want to look at a movie that came out 20 years ago for what to beware of with comic book properties.

It has been 20 years since Bryan Singer tried to relaunch the Superman franchise with Superman Returns, and it was a massive disappointment that ended Superman’s future in movies until Zack Snyder arrived to attempt the next revival. Singer had some good ideas for his Superman relaunch, and he found a perfect person to play Clark Kent/Superman, but there were just too many problems in calling this an actual Superman movie.

While Gunn wants to create a DC movie and streaming world where everything feels different, yet somehow connected, there are some lessons to be learned from why Superman Returns failed. Being different can be good, as Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy showed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but when it comes to comic book movies, there are certain lines fans won’t accept.

Superman Returns Failed To Relaunch Franchise 20 Years Ago

Superman Returns was released on June 28, 2006, and it brought Superman back to the big screen for the first time since the 1980s. Bryan Singer was coming off of directing the first two X-Men movies, so he had a handle on what made superhero movies good, as X2 remains one of the best in the genre all these years later. However, when he went to make Superman Returns for Warner Bros., he ignored what he did for the X-Men franchise, and the movie failed because of it.

Singer had the right idea when he came in to make the movie. He chose to ignore Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Superman III has its fans, mostly thanks to Superman fighting an evil version of himself, but the movie focused too much attention on comedian Richard Pryor, who never seemed to fit into Superman’s world anyway. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace remains known as one of the worst superhero movies ever released.

Singer decided to create his movie as a continuation of the first two Superman movies, and he had Superman leave Earth to find the remnants of Krypton. The film then picks up five years later, when he returns to Earth and finds Lois Lane is engaged to Perry White’s nephew Richard, and she has a five-year-old son named Jason. She has also won a Pulitzer for her article “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”

There were a lot of good ideas here, but the biggest problem came with the structure of the story. There was almost no action in a Superman movie. There is a lot of drama between Superman, Lois, and Richard, and the idea that Lois’s son is Superman’s. Kevin Spacey was great as Lex Luthor, and Parker Posey is always great, but this battle also doesn’t really matter. The movie is mostly drama with no thrills, and that was the last thing the return of Superman after 20 years should look like.

Superman Returns ended up with a 72% Rotten Tomatoes score, which was “Certified Fresh,” but remains low for a tentpole Superman movie. However, worse for its reputation is the fact that the audience score was only at 60%. The movie made $391.1 million, but with a budget of over $200 million, it wasn’t enough to warrant continuing on.

Brandon Routh Remains A Highlight Of Failed Launch

Superman Returns was a lackluster return for DC Comics’ greatest hero because it wasn’t a good superhero movie. However, it did have the perfect man in the lead role. Brandon Routh came in and delivered a role that brought back memories of Christopher Reeve, and it was obvious that Singer found the perfect replacement for the world’s best Superman actor. Routh was great as the awkward Clark Kent, and he was even better as the heroic Superman.

It was disappointing to see such a great performance in a movie that left so much to be desired. Luckily, Routh found his way in the world of comic book movies, first taking on a role in the indie comic book adaptation Dylan Dog: Dead of Night and then taking on a small villain role in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. He got his biggest role playing The Atom in the Arrowverse, with appearances on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, delivering more great superhero action.

What James Gunn’s DCU Has Changed From Superman Returns’ Struggles

James Gunn is off to a slightly rocky start in the DCU. Superman was a great movie, and while its $618 million box office was less than past superhero movie expectations, it is actually up to par with many comic book movies released in the 2020s. Creature Commandos and Peacemaker season 2 have gotten good reviews on streaming. However, with Supergirl off to a rough start, Gunn faces his first turning point since starting his DCU.

Milly Alcock has received positive reviews for her performance, but most of the negative reviews have been about the darkness in the script and the lack of wonder and optimism that Superman held. However, that is what Gunn wanted, to show different versions of heroes, with Superman as optimistic and Supergirl willing to kill if needed. The next movie, Clayface, is pure body horror.

However, while Superman and Supergirl are different in terms of what a hero does, they never once made the mistake that Superman Returns made 20 years ago. Both movies are full of action and comic book touches, and neither movie tries to be something it’s not. James Gunn knows what makes comic book movies special, and while all his films won’t always succeed, they at least know what they are.

Release Date

June 28, 2006

Runtime

2h 34m

Director

Bryn Singer

Kids of the 90s and early 00s know that there are certain movies and TV shows that just stand out as the ultimate nostalgic classics. From cartoons like Rugrats in 1991 and The Powerpuff Girls in 1998 to live-action shows and movies like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993 and Air Bud in 1997 (not to mention classics like Space Jam in 1996, which combined live-action and animation), this era was packed with stories that millennials—and, yes, some Gen Z, too—keep coming back to.

However, perhaps because there were so many major movies and shows released during that period, it’s all too easy to forget some that, at the time, were among the very best things hitting the screen. In fact, one of many TikTok trends involves sharing a clip, a still, or a cover image from movies and shows of that era and asking whether anybody else has seen them because there are simply so many that either flew under the radar at the time or have slipped many people’s memories in the decades since.

While this is certainly not true in terms of the former, the latter is accurate when it comes to one absolutely brilliant movie that feels like the perfect combination of Willy Wonka (or Charlie) and the Chocolate Factory and James Bond. While that might sound like an impossible combination, especially considering this is a movie for kids that was released in the early 2000s, Spy Kids absolutely fits that description and totally pulls it off—and that only makes it all the more disappointing that the movie’s recent milestone anniversary came and went without much attention at all.

The Childhood Classic Spy Kids Came Out 25 Years Ago

On March 30, 2001, Spy Kids hit theaters, and it quickly became a sensation. As the title suggests, the movie centers on children—siblings Carmen and Juni—who ultimately become spies. However, at first, they have no idea what is coming their way. To them, their life is normal. They have sibling fights, loving parents, and a happy home. However, when their parents go missing, Carmen and Juni learn that they have secretly been spies this entire time, and things change drastically. (And that’s not to mention the plot involving a corrupt television show and people being mutated into monsters.)

What ensues is actually a delightful, emotional, and action-packed plot that unsurprisingly grabbed children’s attention at the time and continued to do so for years. In fact, Spy Kids was clearly successful, as it went on to have many sequels, the most recent of which, Spy Kids: Armageddon, was only released in 2023. With that history and that success, it would have made sense for the 25th anniversary of the first movie, which took place just a few months ago, to cause plenty of fanfare. Instead, though, it happened quietly and without much acknowledgment.

This Movie Deserves So Much More Hype, More Than 2 Decades Later

While, again, it makes sense that not every 90s and 00s movie can be remembered, Spy Kids is hardly a one-off that was made and then forgotten. Rather, it has had a decades-long presence on screen, and the first movie is particularly beloved. In fact, more than just a fun movie in which kids get to be spies—which is a fantasy many kids have, as spy movies have proven—Spy Kids asks larger questions about family and identity, and it does so in a way that is heartwarming, wholesome, and age appropriate, even for young kids.

Fans of the movie will additionally know that it is incredibly quotable, including lines as odd as “Floop is a madman, help us, save us.” It also holds up, even for modern young audiences (and millennial and Gen Z viewers who are in the mood for some nostalgia), so it’s genuinely a shame that the anniversary didn’t get more attention. However, all hope is not lost. Spy Kids is available to stream on various streaming platforms, including Prime Video, and audiences should absolutely go check it out.

Release Date

March 18, 2001

Runtime

88 minutes

Director

Robert Rodriguez

• 

  Alexa PenaVega

  Carmen Cortez

• 

While we’ve long since known that the incredibly long-awaited release of Grand Theft Auto 6 would be too big to fail, Rockstar’s latest pricing decisions have still been met with an absolutely massive wave of backlash. It’s not hard to see why, either, as GTA 6‘s launch pricing and deluxe edition ‘bonuses’ are painting some horrifying implications for the gaming industry as a whole moving forward.

Even putting aside the lack of a physical release and the $80 price tag, that isn’t too much of a surprise, even if it’s worrying that we’ll likely see plenty of imitation from other Triple-A developers in the future that can get away with it, the concept of its deluxe edition is going way past the line of what many fans think is acceptable, even for a series as expansive as Grand Theft Auto.

Even if we can begrudgingly accept GTA 6‘s $80 price tag for the sheer scale and amount of hype surrounding the highly anticipated release, fans won’t even be able to experience everything the game has to offer on launch day unless they’re willing to spend another $20 on the $100 deluxe edition of the game.

While the Deluxe Edition does include some of the generic staples you would expect from a launch-day DLC, like new vehicles, weapons, skins, and other cosmetics, Rockstar has made the baffling decision to lock several in-game features and stores like tattoo parlors, car mechanics, and clothing shops entirely behind the paywall, removing content that has become an expected staple for the series at this point after GTA 5.

Although GTA 6 will still allow you to access the features like changing outfits, getting tattoos, and customizing your vehicles at other locations throughout the game, the fact that you can stumble across a building that you won’t even be able to make use of without dropping another $20 on top of the already inflated game price feels more than a little ridiculous, and offers a concerning glimpse into the future of the gaming industry.

Given that GTA 6 will have a delayed GTA Online release and won’t be able to make the expected millions in Shark Card sales right out the gate, it makes sense that Rockstar would want to have some additional incentives to boost its profits at launch, but the decision to cut out content from the game rather than adding bonus features hasn’t been going over very well with fans either.

With more eyes than ever on GTA 6 and the success of its release, decisions like these made by Rockstar are more than likely to be imitated by any other developers that think they are able to get away with it, while offering a new kind of microtransaction for players to be worried about popping up in future releases.

While the sheer amount of backlash will hopefully ward off too many imitators that want to replicate Grand Theft Auto 6‘s marketing decisions and premium price point, if Rockstar is able to get away with the changes, it could very well be the start of a new trend for the Triple-A industry moving forward.

Released

November 19, 2026

ESRB

Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+

Engine

Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

DCU star, Jennifer Holland, has high expectations for the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.

Written and directed by James Gunn, Man of Tomorrow sees David Corenswet return as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The film follows the rivals as they are forced to unite in order to fight Brainiac, who will be played by Lars Eidinger. Milly Alcock’s Supergirl is also expected to appear, connecting the characters and storylines of the DC Universe. The movie will also star Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), and Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen).

Holland, who portrayed Emilia Harcourt in Peacemaker, spoke to GamesRadar+ during a screening of Supergirl, where she revealed that she had seen a decent portion of Man of Tomorrow and was extremely impressed. Although the sequel is not finished filming yet, she said that she had seen enough to be able to say that the film is probably one of Gunn’s strongest projects, if not the best.

Holland explained that Man of Tomorrow is more ambitious than Gunn’s previous work for DC. The actor stated that the movie really stepped up in several ways. She added that she is excited to see the final product and for fans of the franchise to experience it on the big screen. Despite her enthusiasm for the upcoming sequel, it still remains to be seen if her Peacemaker character will appear in the movie.

I can tell you that I have seen an enormous, enormous portion of the movie, and I am so excited for Man of Tomorrow. It is different…I don’t wanna say this. It might be James’s best… my favorite movie of James, and I haven’t even seen the whole thing yet. I’m just… I love the movie. I’m really excited about it. It feels like a step up to me in a lot of ways. I’m excited for people to see it, and he’s not done filming it yet.

Holland played Emilia in the DCU TV series, Peacemaker. Her iteration character is a black-ops operative who first appeared in the 2021 film, Suicide Squad. The show also stars John Cena (Peacemaker), Danielle Brooks (Leota Adebayo), Freddie Stroma (Adrian Chase), Steve Agee (John Economos), Robert Patrick (Auggie Smith), Frank Grillo (Rick Flag Sr.), and Chukwudi Iwuji (Clemson Murn).

Emilia was created by writer Rob Williams and artist Jim Lee. She is a relatively new character in DC Comics and was first introduced in Suicide Squad (vol. 5) #2 (October 2016). Emilia’s father taught her how to use firearms when she was a child, giving her the skills that defined her career. As an adult, she worked A.R.G.U.S. and eventually joined the Suicide Squad, becoming one of Amanda Waller’s most trusted agents.

Man of Tomorrow will premiere in theaters on July 9, 2027. All seasons of Peacemaker are available to stream on HBO Max.

Supergirl soars into theaters this week and continues James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reworked DC Universe. The new film from Craig Gillespie gives Milly Alcock an opportunity to shine as Kara Zor-El after making her debut as the character in last year’s Superman. But it also features a number of other notable characters and actors, including one of the industry’s most well-regarded comedians.

Supergirl follows Kara Zor-El, the jaded cousin of Kal-El, as she celebrates her 23rd birthday. When Krypto is shot with a poison dart by the villainous Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and is given 72 hours to live, Kara relentlessly pursues Krem in order to secure an antidote that will save her beloved dog. Joining Kara on this quest is Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), a young girl who seeks revenge against Krem for murdering her family.

Kara and Ruthye’s intergalactic journey takes them to multiple worlds and finds them interacting with all manner of strange characters. While Jason Momoa’s Lobo has featured prominently in promotional material and is one of the film’s standout supporting players, another famous actor makes an appearance in the movie, albeit in a role no one would see coming.

Emmy-winning actor and comedian Seth Rogen follows up a recent cameo in the final season of The Boys with another brief appearance in one of 2026’s most anticipated superhero projects.

Seth Rogen Enters The DC Universe In The Most Unexpected Of Ways

Entering the second act of the film, Kara boards a bus-like spaceship that will take her to the planet Bilquis, where she hopes she will find information to lead her to Krem and, in turn, the antidote to save Krypto’s life.

Kara, who is soon joined by Ruthye, boards the bus and is greeted by a mute bus driver and a wise-cracking tiny alien. The alien, who is responsible for one of the film’s best laughs, is voiced by Rogen. When Kara asks the alien, “Hey, how close are we to a yellow sun? Can you get any closer?” Rogen’s character replies, “Yeah, sure, if I had a bigger engine or some balls, but I have neither. So, no.”

Rogen has played roles in superhero fare before, but Supergirl marks his first venture into the DCU. After playing the titular character in the 2011 remake of The Green Hornet, Rogen went on to executive produce The Boys and voice Allen the Alien in Invincible. Given Rogen’s reverence for comic books, as evidenced by his work behind the scenes on Preacher and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, it seemed to be only a matter of time before the actor made an appearance in a Marvel or DC movie, but few would have anticipated that this would manifest as a voice cameo in a live-action Supergirl movie.

Seth Rogen’s Cameo Demonstrates The New DCU’s Willingness To Be More Humorous

Although Rogen making an appearance in Supergirl makes sense given his enduring love for comic book characters, such a cameo would have been inconceivable in previous iterations of the DC Universe on the big screen.

A tiny CGI alien with an attitude would fit right in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but only recently would it fit in the DCU. Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, for instance, are filled with strange aliens and creatures, many of whom are played or voiced by famous actors. Bradley Cooper voiced Rocket Raccoon, Taika Waititi voiced Korg, and Seth Green voiced Howard the Duck, just to name a few.

A similar cameo from a famous actor playing an odd, quirky alien makes sense given the tonal shift the DC Universe has taken under Gunn and Safran.

The previous DCEU, largely overseen by Zack Snyder, opted for darker, more grounded storylines and more somber iterations of established characters. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were not the kind of films in which a fun creature voiced by a known actor popped up for a quick cameo, instead opting for far less humor and exploring decidedly darker subject matter.

With Superman, however, Gunn announced a new-look DC Universe, one characterized by hope rather than doom. Superman markedly departed from Snyder’s Man of Steel in its depiction of an exceedingly kind-hearted and warm Superman spearheading a bright, energetic movie filled with jokes and needle drops.

It may seem fairly inconsequential, but the fact that a little alien voiced by Rogen pops up in Supergirl perfectly encapsulates how different Gunn’s DCU is compared to Snyder’s. Gunn’s universe dabbles in serious subject matter, as evidenced by Krem and his men kidnapping women to produce their male heirs in the new movie, but, overwhelmingly, the films take a more crowd-pleasing approach. Largely absent are the heavy philosophical themes of the DCEU of old and in are more optimistic tales willing to have a bit more fun.

Release Date

June 26, 2026

Runtime

108 minutes

Director

Craig Gillespie

Writers

Ana Nogueira

Producers

James Gunn, Lars P. Winther, Nigel Gostelow, Peter Safran

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis finally revealed more gameplay via hands-on previews from Summer Game Fest 2026 earlier this month. These gave fans an early look at Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis’ T-Rex chase sequence, dual-pistol combat against swift velociraptors, and a puzzle segment where the level design was apparently authentically reminiscent of how players could easily find themselves lost or unaware of where to go in the original Tomb Raider game.

However, not all Tomb Raider fans were enthused by this gameplay. Fans were appalled to see Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis cut Lara Croft’s braid, for example, and many more have found a lot to carefully comb through and nitpick, arguing as to why it feels as if the franchise’s new era still has one foot stuck in the past.

The consensus among fans is that the animations in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis leave a lot to be desired. For instance, user Croftlover7 on Twitter/X writes that they believe “the problem isn’t the graphics but the animations since they look outdated for 2026,” and that “it just doesn’t feel finished or polished.” This tracks, seeing how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has been delayed to February 2027 and will hopefully have ample time to reach the level of polish that it desires.

Likewise, fans are comparing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis to Shadow of the Tomb Raider in terms of how similar their gameplay looks, with some fans, like user larasredfield, declaring that this remake could essentially be a part of the Survivor prequel trilogy (mainly from the perspective of Shadow of the Tomb Raider being underwhelming).

Tomb Raider’s new era is fascinating. Not only is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis a remake of the first game, but it’s also technically a sequel to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, unifying the three previously distinct yet tangentially tethered eras (the classic 1–6 games, the LAU sequel trilogy, and the Survivor prequel trilogy).

This continuity is preserved in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, as Lara still possesses the Survivor prequel trilogy’s jade pendant and ice axe. Some fans are pleasantly happy with how the games’ unification has come to pass, though, like user TheCardinalArts:

Many fans are thrilled to be moving forward with the franchise. Nonetheless, there are several arguments to be made concerning how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis appears to be inheriting too much from the last few Tomb Raider games, including crafting and skill tree systems, rather than faithfully remaking Tomb Raider 1 and inheriting its minimalistic approach to gameplay.

Systems

Released

February 12, 2027

ESRB

Teen / Blood, Violence

Developer(s)

Crystal Dynamics, Flying Wild Hog

Number of Players

Single-player

Fantasy is one of the most versatile genres in fiction, from urban fantasy that reimagines familiar parts of the world we know, to sprawling high fantasy that introduces entirely new universes. While the fantasy books everyone should read once are often introductions to enormous novels and complex set-ups, this is not always the case, and many of the best fantasy book masterpieces are surprisingly short.

Tolkien’s expansive Middle Earth was an unparalleled masterpiece that may have become the blueprint for epic fantasy, but not all fantasy novels need extensive histories and family trees to refer to in order to create a magical world that stays with the reader. The best fantasy worlds make you want to forget the book so you can read it all over again for the first time.

Howl’s Moving Castle

Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle is a beautiful, cozy fantasy that largely takes place within one magical building, while also expanding the vast world beyond it. The concept has been seen before in novels like Gormenghast, but Howl’s Moving Castle takes an extremely different approach that sets it apart. Set in the world of Ingary, the book takes traditional fairytale tropes and turns them on their heads.

The cursed Sophie is trapped in the body of an old woman and seeks refuge within the titular castle. The animated movie might be one of Studio Ghibli’s best movies, but it makes some major changes from the book. Rather than focusing on an external war, the book is more insular, developing the relationship between Sophie and Howl, and allowing the reader to explore the castle environment more fully, which makes it feel truly lived-in.

Discworld

Fantasy is often misconstrued as a lighthearted genre, but there is barely a social issue that Terry Pratchett did not satirize in his expansive Discworld series, from institutional poverty and prejudice to organized religion. Even the best characters in Discworld are morally complex and flawed, just as most people are, which makes them stand out from the more stereotypical heroes and villains found in simpler fantasy stories.

The worldbuilding within the Discworld series is flawless, but looking at the bigger picture can be hilarious, as even the universe is as strange and whimsical as the books. Discworld is literally a disc-shaped world, balanced on the backs of four elephants, who are, in turn, balanced on the back of an enormous sea turtle flying through the universe.

The Kingkiller Chronicle

Custom Image by Sam MacLennan

Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle is planned as a trilogy, but fans have been waiting for the final book for 15 years. This might be frustrating, but it has allowed multiple fan theories to develop as readers analyze the two existing books for clues as to the many mysteries at the center of the main character’s story. Kvothe is a musician who has seemingly done something terrible, and is now in hiding under an assumed identity as a barkeeper.

The world reinterprets magic as science and explores mundane concepts like student loans in a way that becomes both fascinating and satirical, with Kvothe entering an agreement with an extremely dangerous woman. The second novel opened the world drastically by introducing him to an alternate dimension and several new cultures, including one in which sex is not taboo, but music is. Rothfuss’ writing of cultures sets The Kingkiller Chronicle up to be the perfect Game of Thrones replacement, and the books are worth reading, even without a final chapter.

The Liveship Traders Trilogy

The Liveship Traders is a many-layered fantasy epic involving pirates and traders, but what sets it apart from many other fantasy masterpieces is the characters who are explored. Rather than treating sea monsters as an equivalent to sharks in today’s horror movies, Robin Hobb gives them a voice and culture of their own, with a central mystery that is key to the major twist in the series.

The story centers on an unusual kind of sailing ship with a living figurehead, known as a Liveship, which is treated as part of the crew. When the Liveship Vivacia is taken by pirates, her family begin a quest to reclaim her, but Vivacia might not want to return. The visuals and character designs make The Liveship Traders trilogy a high fantasy series that desperately needs a TV adaptation equal to Game of Thrones.

Warrior Cats

Animal societies are often considered a fantasy genre trope, but these stories are rarer than might be expected, and finding an excellent series in this subgenre that is not aimed at very young children is rarer still. The harrowing Watership Down lives rent-free in many minds, while Redwall is one of the best-known. However, the upcoming TV show is set to be a streaming phenomenon, with Warrior Cats landing the Marvel showrunner and Star Wars director.

Erin Hunter is the alias for the team of writers behind Warrior Cats, and each of the nine published series documents the lives of clans of feral cats. The cats, who mostly live in a forest, have distinct cultures within their different Clans, along with vocabulary, history, and even a religion. The books might be aimed at a young adult audience, but they have a passionate fanbase among readers of many ages today, with the TV series being one of Disney’s most highly-anticipated.

The Chronicles Of Narnia

C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia is one of the best examples of fantasy reinventing a story and making it into something entirely different. The seven Chronicles of Narnia books are heavily based on the Bible, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe reinterpreting the story of the crucifixion. Narnia itself is a flawlessly created world in which different whimsical creatures like talking animals and dryads live in harmony when they are not being threatened by evil forces that human visitors to the world must combat.

The way C.S. Lewis wrote Narnia‘s double timeline is both fascinating and tragic at times, with barely any time passing in our world while centuries can pass in Narnia. This means that each book presents a new version of the magical land, where whimsy, quests, and beautiful visuals are the backdrop for adult themes that would not normally be found in a book series solely aimed at children.

The Night Watch

Not to be confused with The Brotherhood of the Night’s Watch in Game of Thrones, Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series is an urban fantasy masterpiece and a book series that often outshines Game of Thrones. The books are set in a secret faction within our world, in which vampires, shapeshifters, sorceresses, and more fantasy archetypes live in an uneasy truce comprised of two main organizations: The Night Watch and The Day Watch.

The books treat magic as relatively mundane, where the less skilled work in office jobs far removed from the complex politics of the highly talented. That said, the series follows the typical fantasy storyline in which many of these “ordinary” people find themselves at the center of great events. The books include elements of spy stories as well as both fantasy and horror, with characters entering a dangerous alternative realm known as “The Twilight,” which has its own ecosystem, multiple levels, and preys on magical ability.

A Song Of Ice And Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire has some of the best and most expansive worldbuilding in a novel series since The Lord of the Rings. The sprawling novel series will consist of seven books, though only five have been published to date. The many cultures in the series feel realistic, with inspiration taken from historical events and told from several points of view. This historical theme would work even without magic, but A Song of Ice and Fire‘s fantasy elements take it to another level.

It may be the end of an era for A Song of Ice and Fire, with fans waiting for the next book for longer than it took the first books to be published, but the series has a legacy that is virtually unparalleled. When A Game of Thrones, the first book in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series, was adapted for TV in a high-budget production unlike any seen before, it was groundbreaking, opening the door for more high fantasy adaptations that continue to this day.

Someplace To Be Flying

Charles de Lint’s urban fantasy book series tend to be set within the same world, which is the imaginary North American city of Newford, which is populated by artists, criminals, and drifters, who occasionally find themselves part of an entirely different, more magical, society. The central mythology highlights Native American legends and animal people who also live in the city, and most of the books work as standalone stories, including Someplace to Be Flying.

The story begins with a cab driver and a photographer, who witness a murder that is the catalyst for a magical conflict between ancient beings. Even characters that witnessed the beginning of the universe feel human and relatable at the same time, avoiding common fantasy tropes in which all powerful beings get no character development. Someplace to Be Flying is not the first book to include mythological characters, with even Harry Potter including characters like Merlin, but Charles de Lint’s books are better than Harry Potter for their nuanced take on the way magic interacts with the world we know.

The Lord Of The Rings

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is so flawless that the books have become the standard to which most modern fantasy is compared. Peter Jackson’s movies made some necessary changes to the source material, but perfectly captured the spirit of the books, allowing The Lord of the Rings to essentially become two perfect fantasy masterpieces.

Tolkien wrote a perfect fantasy epic that worked as a metaphor for the way in which war changes even the most resilient of people, and set it in a world more explored and documented than any written before. Middle Earth not only has the characters we know, but includes histories and languages that make logical sense given Tolkien’s background as a language professor.

Halo is in a very strange spot at the moment. Halo Infinite was the last major release back in 2021, and since then, we haven’t seen much movement in the series. That’s about to change, though.

The previously announced remake of the original game, titled Halo: Campaign Evolved, is coming on July 28. While the fact that it’s a remake will turn off some folks, it does feature new content and co-op campaign play. Ideally, those new levels will be worthy of the Halo name, especially given how highly the original is still regarded.

Over on the Mantic Games website, there’s an announcement that should excite Halo fans. The good news is that it’s coming this year, a few months after the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved.

Coming later this year, and meant to synergize with the release of the remake; we’re getting Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Board Game in the fourth quarter of 2026. It was “created in partnership” with Halo Studios and supports 1-2 players, ages 13+.

We don’t know much, but we do know that it’s “an action-packed board game built around Master Chief’s iconic adventure.” Expect more details from Mantic Games later this year, likely around the video game’s release.

Note that Mantic Games already has extensive experience with the Halo franchise. They developed Halo Flashpoint, a skirmish-based game with highly detailed minis. Their existing partnership with Halo Studios, and the 25+ year lore drawn from the original Halo should serve as a great foundation for them to build on.

Solo games are a fantastic investment when it comes to the tabletop industry, given how much competition there is now. If you want to hunker down solo, you can, and given how fast gaming moves as a whole these days, it’s easy for a game to get lost in the shuffle, or you may find it hard to recruit people to play a certain title.

With solo play enabled out of the box, you can just bust it out whenever you feel like it, without having to conscript others into playing to ensure that you can experience it at all. It’s a wonderful movement that’s been happening in the last 10 years or so, and I’m glad to see it continue here with the Halo: Campaign Evolved board game.

Solo-enabled play is also befitting of the Halo franchise, given that it’s always been an option. Hopefully, this pair of Combat Evolved games will deliver, and we’ll see a resurgence of Halo once again.

TV Show(s)

Halo

Video Game(s)

Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo: Spartan Strike, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Halo Recruit, Halo: Fireteam Raven, Halo Infinite

Cast

Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Keith David, David Scully, Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Olive Gray, Christina Bennington, Kate Kennedy, Natascha McElhone, Natasha Culzac, Yerin Ha

Character(s)

Master Chief, Cortana, Arbiter, Commander Jacob Keyes, 343 Guilty Spark, Miranda Keyes, Catherine Halsey

Comic Release Date

648567,648568,648569,516289