It comes as the Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday in areas of central Gaza packed with displaced Palestinians where it hasn’t operated so far in its war with Hamas.
The military evacuation demand, which could signal an imminent attack on neighbourhoods in Deir al Balah, alarmed the families of Israeli hostages, who fear their relatives are being held there.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo called for an end to the “barbarity of war” on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza on Thursday.
The attack killed three people and wounded 10, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, who developed a close friendship with the late Pope Francis, and was back at the Holy Family Catholic Church for Mass on Sunday.
The strike drew condemnation from the pope and US President Donald Trump, and prompted statements of regret from Israel, which said it was an accident.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Traditionally, teenagers turn to each other when it comes to seeking advice, flirting and sharing deep conversations. But nearly three quarters of U.S. teenagers have used an AI tool at least once for activities like these, according to a new study.
Conversational AI systems such as CHAI, Character.AI, Nomi and Replika present enticing opportunities for teens to role-play, seek support with mental health problems or just chat.
These findings come from a nationally representative study released Wednesday by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews media for young people and funds research. In its study, the group focused on AI companions — what it described as “digital friends or characters you can text or talk with whenever you want” — as opposed to AI assistants, image generators, or tools teens might use for homework help. More than half — 52% — use these companions regularly, meaning at least a few times a month.
“They’re using them for entertainment purposes. Out of curiosity,” said Michael Robb, the nonprofit’s head of research. “They still spend more time with real friends and find human conversations more satisfying. But if you scratch the surface, you can see some things that are also kind of concerning.”
For example, one third of teens surveyed say they have discussed serious matters with AI companions instead of real people at least once. About the same percentage describe AI chats as just as satisfying — or more satisfying — than talking to humans.
Adolescence is a critical time to develop social and critical thinking skills and emotional regulation. Teens average eight hours and 39 minutes of screen time daily, according to Common Sense, so the study’s authors expressed concern about the impact of AI companions in their digital landscape.
A quarter of the teens in the study said they had shared personal information, like their name and location, with AI companions, which are also designed to gather data from users. Some AI companion platforms are marketed to children as young as 13. Even platforms claiming to be limited to adults are easily accessed by young people who have no trouble bypassing the self-reporting necessary for age assurance. A third of teens reported feeling uncomfortable over something an AI companion had said or done during an interaction.
Still, the study found that many teenagers are pragmatic about AI companions. About half of respondents expressed distrust in the information or advice provided by AI companions (although younger teens tend to be more trusting, by seven percentage points). And the vast majority — 80% — say they prioritize human friendships over AI interactions.
Common Sense Media recommends that no one under the age of 18 use AI companions at all, due to the risks cited, and given that their designs can lead to addictive behavior.
“I’m not necessarily confident that the companies that make companions have teens’ well-being in mind,” Robb said. “If we were talking about companions that were specifically designed to promote well-being — as opposed to capturing attention and collecting as much personal information as possible — this might be a different conversation.”
Not everyone who invests in the stock market has bags of money. But they do mostly have one thing in common: they invest to try and build wealth.
Each investor has their own approach to that goal. But some commonalities can apply too.
Here are three simple approaches that can help an investor as they try to build wealth in the stock market, even on a limited budget.
1. Always have an investment thesis
People buy shares for different reasons. For example, one investor may put their hard-earned money into a share simply because it has been going up lately and they reckon it has strong momentum.
I see that as speculating, not investing. For me, investing means buying a stake in a business based on how one sees that business’s prospects.
So I think it can always help to have an investment thesis about a share before buying (or selling it). In other words, a smart investor should always have a point of view about what makes a given business attractive – and what is a fair price for it.
2. Take the long-term view
Many successful investors, such as billionaire Warren Buffett, view the stock market not in days or months, but in years or even decades.
There are several reasons why such a long-term approach to investing can make sense. For starters, a successful business can develop its own virtuous circle, becoming even more successful over time.
But another factor is that dealing costs can soon add up. Buying and selling shares regularly can incur a lot of fees, costs, commissions, and the like. On a small budget, those can be particularly harmful as they sometimes have a minimum amount even for small deals.
Another Buffett strategy that I think makes sense for all stock market investors is to stick to what he calls one’s “circle of competence”.
Each person knows and understands different things. In Buffett’s view, it is not important what exactly your investing circle of competence is – the key point is to recognise it and stay within it.
For example, I own shares in Greggs (LSE: GRG). The baker’s shares have been having a tough time this year and a profit warning this month has not helped the share price or investor confidence.
In making the choice to invest, I have looked at Greggs’ accounts. These are available for free and anyone can view them, as with all shares on the London stock market.
The business model of making and selling food and drinks through a network of thousands of shops is a simple one to understand. I can also visit Greggs shops to get a sense of things for myself.
Indeed, a couple of barely lukewarm savouries lately have made me consider the risk that supermarkets could take some of Greggs’ business just by offering to heat pastries they already sell. A hot summer also risks hurting demand for warm snacks.
But with a proven business model I understand, strong brand and some unique products, I plan to hold my Greggs shares for the long term.
The fans were treated to a chuckle-worthy behind-the-scenes peek as James Gunn showed Edi Gathegi testing Mr. Terrific’s flying rig for the Super Man film. Sharing the clips, James Gunn joked that he called the rig “Dirty Diaper Rig” because of its much-intended silly appearance. Gunn claims he had predicted the rig looked downright ridiculous, but he loved how Gathegi glided through his acting, making the rigly look truly legitimate. Once the video was uploaded, reactions ranged from delight to some unforeseen critiques.
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In the video, Gathegi was suspended in a rig of harnesses with mechanical arms stretched forth to surround him-the invention was a high-tech exosuit, needless to say, an awkward diaper. Gunn exclaimed that he had wanted the rig to have an absurd feel to it; however, Gathegi’s charisma won out. The actor plays Michael Holt aka Mr. Terrific, a genius-level hero known for his T-spheres and tactical skills. Some people already had their eyes on the film-The man has stolen dead away.
Testing out Edi Gathegi in Mr. Terrific’s Flying Rig for the first time. Designed by @LegacyEffects, I called it the “Dirty Diaper Rig.” I wanted it to be slightly awkward and ludicrous but he was able to pull it off because he’s so damn smooth. 6.12.24 #Supermanpic.twitter.com/oPJNqrzQJ6
One of the comments read, “He was actually one of my favorite characters in the movie,” which was followed by, “I went in knowing nothing about Mr. Terrific and left wanting to know way more.” Well, not everything was embraced warmly. Another rather irritated person scorched the entire movie metaphorically labeling it “the worst Superman I saw in my life,” which well, somebody had certainly woken up on the wrong side of the multiverse today.
The comments began to spawn some strange tin-foil theories as one insisted Gunn had to cast Henry Cavill as Batman (why wouldn’t he?), while another lunatic told the director to “start a price war in the rental market.” Yeah, fight against housing prices while rebooting DC, no pressure.
A couple of fans chimed in asking for more Mr. Terrific, questioning whether Gunn would be introducing The Terrifics—basically a superhero team featuring Holt and some other DC guys whom you’ve probably never heard of. An unusual amount of attention on the character could make this quite likely.
Well, obviously, in any superhero conversation, there have to be random Marvel comparisons. At some point, one user said something to the effect, “Look, Fantastic 4 looks way better,” or however that is relevant here. Others appreciated the effort, such as a fan who drew custom art for Gunn with a sincere message.
Things got a little weird for a few moments, like the one random guy who somehow brought up the flying rig in a conversation about… Dr. Manhattan-universal jizz? Totally… weird.
Mixed or no, you have to have love for such a playful label for the filmmaking process. Either way calls it high-tech harness or Dirty Diaper Rig and hangs out with fans-who wouldn’t want in? Judging by those initial reactions, you’d better watch out: Mr. Terrific might just steal the show in this Superman reboot.
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Now, somebody please tell me why saving a squirrel was such a divisive choice.
What we can say for now is that the once-again widespread suggestion that Android and ChromeOS are absolutely being combined into one indistinguishable identity — a single Google operating system that runs on tablets, phones, computers, and beyond and is identified entirely as “Android” no matter where you look or how you use it — is, as of this moment, little more than unsupported conjecture.
Only time will tell what Google is actually thinking and planning and how even the most concrete internal plans may evolve in the months and years ahead. But much like every other time this topic has come up in the tech universe, the instant assumptions and confident assertions are unequivocally off base and out of line.
To be sure: It’d be quite an interesting twist if Google were ever to fully combine Android and ChromeOS into a single unified system. Such a pivot would offer advantages to Google and to us, as lay users of these products, alike. But it’d also raise an awful lot of challenges that aren’t easily addressed. And, in many ways, an escalation of the more nuanced type of alignment we’ve seen between the platforms all these years could arguably be even more logical.
Maybe, hopefully, one day, we’ll gain a clearer picture of what exactly is on the horizon and how Android and ChromeOS will both come together and remain separate in the future. Despite what the internet’s click-seeking headline writers would like you to believe, though, that day has not yet arrived — and, by all counts, won’t be arriving anytime soon.
Jon Stewartquickly made headlines after CBS announced the shocking cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July 2025. Since Jon currently hosts The Daily Show alongside Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Jon Stewart, Desi Lydic, Michael Kosta and several correspondents, Comedy Central fans are afraid that its parent company, Paramount Global, might cancel the show as well.
Adding more fuel to the firestorm this summer were Jon’s podcast comments about The Daily Show‘s fate. The comedian admitted that he and his colleagues haven’t even heard from Skydance Media, the company that Paramount Global merged with.
Below, get updates on the status of The Daily Show.
Has The Daily Show Been Canceled?
No, The Daily Show has not been canceled, but fans are afraid it will be amid Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media and amid the shocking termination of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Will Jon Stewart Get Fired From The Daily Show?
Comedy Central has not fired Jon from The Daily Show, nor its other hosts and comedians, but Jon was asked about the show’s fate during an episode of his podcast hours before Stephen announced his show’s imminent end.
“Boy, that’s a good question,” Jon said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from them [Skydance Media]. They haven’t called me and said like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart!’ … I’ve been kicked out of sh***er establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet.”
However, the veteran comedian acknowledged that he “honestly [doesn’t] know” the future of The Daily Show but added, “I’d like to believe that… Like, without The Daily Show, Comedy Central is kind of like muzak at this point. I think we’re the only sort of life that exists on a current basis other than South Park.”
Jon pointed out he thinks their show “bring[s] enough value” to Comedy Central but admitted “that may not be their consideration.”
Only time will tell what will happen to The Daily Show.
Why Was The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Canceled?
CBS executives insisted that The Late Show is ending due to financial reasons.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” their statement read. “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
However, critics and some public figures questioned if The Late Show‘s cancelation was connected to CBS’ $16 million settlement with Donald Trump. Politicians including Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren publicly asked whether the termination of Stephen’s show was political.
Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled.
If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.
If you’re planning a trip to Italy any time soon, one tourist who is currently in the country himself believes there’s one city you should avoid at all costs.
“I’m going to give you a travel tip – if you’re ever thinking about coming to Italy, do not come to Naples,” TikTok user, OnlyAgnew said in a video. “If you do come here, don’t be planning on staying long because it’s one of the dirtiest cities I have ever visited in Europe.”
Pointing to a section of the street to highlight the problem, the Irishman said there’s rubbish and clothes “everywhere”, which has proven the catalyst for an invasion of rats.
“That’s only one street – there are skips and bins just filled with rubbish all around the streets,” OnlyAgnew slammed. “I don’t have any clue why it is like this, but they just overflow the bins here and throw more rubbish beside them.”
He then showed his followers examples of a number of skips on the same street, which were piled high and overflowing too with bags upon bags.
The tourist added: “They just fill them right to the top and don’t even close the lids.”
While many stop off in the city when visiting the picturesque Amalfi Coast – often due to the great food and how lovely Naples looks in pictures – the travel fan urges people not to bother.
Closing his clip with “one more bin”, he stressed: “This is the worst one yet. It’s just everywhere.”
Sharing their own experience, one TikTok user who agreed with OnlyAgnew stated: “100% agree. Naples is a s***hole. Pompeii and Herculaneum are astonishing though so I didn’t let it spoil my trip. I do agree it has a massive sanitation problem.”
A second added: “I’ve been and tell people exactly the same. Such a shame because it is a lovely place – apart from the rubbish everywhere?”
Whilst a third person concurred: “Totally agree, awful place. Passed through when on a cruise. Crossing the road like a bad game of chicken and seen several rats running through street. Awful.”
Defending the city, however, one TikTok user exclaimed: “I love Naples, it’s a city and has its problems but it’s a great place. People need to stop going to Italy thinking it’s all a picture postcard. It has its problems like any other country.”
Another urged: “Never ever ever skip Napoli. It’s the best city in Italy, so vibrant, so true, so raw, honest and the nicest food and people I’ve ever experienced in Italy.”
A third individual concurred: “Love Naples. It has real history, culture. There is poverty and parts are crowded and sometimes dirty. It’s for travellers not tourists.”
And a fourth gushed: “Naples is one of the best European cities. Sure it’s a bit gritty but amazing nightlife (go with a local), food (go with a local) and access to the islands (and if you want to annoy yourself access to the Amalfi Coast).”
The VisitNaples tourism website encourages visitors to look beyone the city’s problems, meanwhile. “If you are still hesitant about the choice of your trip to Visit Naples, we recommend you to drop out of your mind every prejudice and to keep the eyes wide open,” it sates.
“Naples is a beautiful Italian city which overlooks the sea, unique in its genre, non-conventional, alternative and artistic, able to amaze every tourist with its beauty and its unaltered identity through time.”
OpenAI has achieved “gold medal-level performance” at the International Math Olympiad, notching another important milestone for AI’s fast-paced growth. Alexander Wei, a research scientist at OpenAI working on LLMs and reasoning, posted on X that an experimental research model delivered on this “longstanding grand challenge in AI.”
According to Wei, an unreleased model from OpenAI was able to solve five out of six problems at one of the world’s longest-standing and prestigious math competitions, earning 35 out of 42 points total. The International Math Olympiad (IMO) sees countries send up to six students to solve extremely difficult algebra and pre-calculus problems. These exercises are seemingly simple but usually require some creativity to score the highest marks on each problem. For this year’s competition, only 67 of the 630 total contestants received gold medals, or roughly 10 percent.
AI is often tasked with tackling complex datasets and repetitive actions, but it usually falls short when it comes to solving problems that require more creativity or complex decision-making. However, with the latest IMO competition, OpenAI says its model was able to handle complicated math problems with human-like reasoning.
“By doing so, we’ve obtained a model that can craft intricate, watertight arguments at the level of human mathematicians,” Wei wrote on X. Wei and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, both added that the company doesn’t expect to release anything with this level of math capability for several months. That means the upcoming GPT-5 will likely be an improvement from its predecessor, but it won’t feature that same impressive capability to compete in the IMO.
Superman is a box office and critical hit, with the future of the DCU looking bright. All eyes are already set on announcing projects like Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface, all of which are slated for release within the next year or so. Yet fans cannot wait to see the likes of David Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane return in a future film, namely Superman 2. The status of a sequel is uncertain, as James Gunn recently teased that his next DCU film has not been announced due to other studios easily being able to copy it, while also being coy about a sequel.
This suggests that Superman’s next appearance in the DCU might not be a traditional sequel. Instead, it might be a crossover film, as Superman has already established a supporting cast of other DC heroes. Given Superman‘s rich thematic content, a straightforward sequel featuring Brainiac or Mr. Mxyzptlk may seem a bit less engaging (though we would still like to see it). We aren’t here to tell James Gunn how to do his job. With Superman, he has yet to miss with a DC project, so whatever he has planned, he knows what he is doing.
We believe the next Superman movie might be combined with a previously announced DCU project that has struggled to gain momentum, The Authority. The Superman follow-up could be Superman vs. The Authority, a film that builds on Superman’s themes, differentiates The Authority from The Boys, and sets the stage for the Justice League’s arrival in the DCU.
The Struggles To Get ‘The Authority’ Film off the Ground
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Authority was one of the first slate of projects announced by James Gunn in January 2023 as part of the DCU. Based on the Wildstorm comic of the same name, the comic focuses on a team of superheroes that take drastic measures to ensure the Earth remains safe, often blurring the line between hero and villain. With the inclusion of one of the team’s members, The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), in Superman, many fans assumed The Authority would be the next film following Superman. Yet, in February 2025, James Gunn stated that the script had a difficult time coming together. Now, Supergirl is the next DCU film, while Clayface, a movie not part of the initial announcement slate, will follow afterward.
Gunn has made it clear that no DCU movie will move forward without a finished script that he is satisfied with, hence why the Sgt. Rock movie was delayed instead of pushing forward to meet a release date. What problems The Authority is facing are unclear. However, the biggest might be that the concept of edgier superheroes has become played out in stories like The Boys and Invincible. While The Authority might predate them in the comics, it now has the John Carter effect, as the stories it influenced were adapted for the big screen first, and now the original will seem like a copy.
The Authority is an interesting concept and shouldn’t be tossed out. Instead, the film should be reworked into a battle between Superman and The Authority. Superman has already faced off against The Engineer, and a follow-up film could see her recruit other metahumans to form a new superhuman team, ones with intentions of being “better” heroes than Superman, who don’t wait for trouble but take measures to prevent danger at all costs.
Superman’s History With The Authority
DC Comics
The idea of pitting Superman against The Authority is nothing new. When James Gunn first announced his plans for the DCU, we speculated that it was building to a showdown between Superman and The Authority. This could still be the plan, but now, instead of two separate films leading to a clash, it is one Superman film followed by a second film that serves as both an Authority movie and a Superman sequel. Superman and The Authority have been linked for quite some time, as the two concepts represent different approaches to superhero heroics.
One of the most famous Superman stories is a comic titled “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” where Superman fights a team of heroes called The Elite. The Elite serve as a stand-in for The Authority, as they are another team of cooler, edgier heroes who kill their victims, and it becomes a philosophical battle between them and an old-fashioned hero like Superman. The comics’ writer, Mark Waid, also previously wrote Kingdom Come, another series in which Superman comes out of retirement to show a group of younger, more violent heroes the old-fashioned way of heroics.
‘Superman’ sets up a variety of future DC stories, including the formation of the Justice League and an iconic villain’s return.
Then, when the Wildstorm characters were folded into the DC Comics Universe, Grant Morrison wrote Superman and the Authority. The comic merges both the traditional members of The Authority with some members of their original stand-in, The Elite, solidifying the connection between the two teams. However, Superman and the Authority act as a rebuttal to Kingdom Come, as its version of an older, wiser Superman decides to mentor and guide a new version of The Authority, who would be cosmic liberators that would free the universe from threats like Darkseid, Mongul, and Brainiac.
Gunn has already pulled heavily from the work of Mark Waid and Grant Morrison. Waid’s Kingdom ComeHouse of El crest is used for David Corenswet’s Superman, while Gunn constantly cited Morrison’s All-Star Superman as a significant influence on his DCU film. A Superman sequel that combines elements and themes from Superman and The Authority, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and The American Way,” and Kingdom Come sounds like the perfect sequel set-up that builds off the themes established in the first film of Superman being an old-fashioned hero in a modern world filled with cynics.
The Authority Can Build on the Themes Introduced in ‘Superman’
Warner Bros. Pictures
Both Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way” are meta-commentaries on the state of superhero stories in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This era favored gritty anti-heroes over the old-fashioned heroics of Superman. Both stories argue for the traditional superhero model and why a character like Superman still matters in a world that seemingly thinks he is too old-fashioned. This feels like an appropriate place to follow up on James Gunn’s Superman, which is ushering in a new era of superhero movies. Ones that are moving away from the gritty realism of the 2000s, as defined by The Dark Knight trilogy or the self-aware irony of the MCU in the 2010s, in favor of something more earnest.
The movie already hinted that Superman took issue with heroes like the Justice Gang killing the Kaiju instead of trying to find a less lethal path, while they also focused more on stopping the creature with less concern for collateral damage, which Superman took great care to avoid. Superman is already presented as a bit of an outsider among fellow heroes, and later inspires them to take a more active step in doing better. Yet, this also seemingly teases the nations of the world’s unease about metahumans taking control, with Rick Flag Sr. seemingly worrying about a future where they are the ones calling the shots, and sets up other metahumans, like The Authority, going a step too far.
‘Superman’s controversial change to Krypton contrasts with how ‘Man of Steel’ prioritizes the alien heritage of Clark Kent’s human upbringing.
The Authority, as a team, naturally builds on this, as forcing their will on the world would make Superman question his actions. Superman views his actions as inherently good, so the sequel’s next logical step is to explore what happens when others adopt the same mindset. If it is suitable for Superman, why is it not good for everyone else? If it isn’t good for others, is it also acceptable for Superman? What makes Superman’s action different from a team like The Authority, if both are, in the end, looking to do good? The answer is that The Authority is using more brutal and authoritarian methods. Still, it would push Superman to see that even in the quest to do good, some might be driven to extremes. These are thematically rich questions that a hypothetical sequel could pose, building on what is established in Superman.
Following Grant Morrison’s take on The Authority, the Authority/Superman crossover could conclude with Superman not overpowering the team, but rather inspiring them to change and shift their focus from being authoritarian on Earth to taking their fight to the stars as cosmic liberators. This would be a clever inversion of the Engineer’s fear of an alien like Superman on her planet and eventually becoming an alien herself to other planets. The Authority could be positioned as the DCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy (fitting since that was the MCU team that James Gunn established) and build off cosmic storylines set up in stories like Lanterns and Supergirl. This could also serve as a recurring vehicle for Jason Momoa’s Lobo and set the stage for the long-awaited introduction of the villain Brainiac or the DCU’s take on the New Gods, which will be featured in the Mister Miracle animated series.
It also sets the stage for The Justice League, a team whose arrival seems teased by the introduction of the Justice Gang. Since the Justice Gang is a corporate-backed superhero team funded by infamous Justice League villain Maxwell Lord, it’s unlikely they’ll evolve into the Justice League. However, Superman being forced to face off against a team like The Authority might motivate him to recognize the need for a superhero team, one that seeks to protect the world rather than impose its own will on it. The Justice League’s formation could be a response to The Authority, making for the perfect setup for a follow-up movie.
How Is This Different From the DCEU’s Big Superman Mistake?
Warner Bros.
Following a Superman movie with a team-up film leading into a Justice League movie certainly sounds a lot like the problem that faced the previous experiment of a DC shared Universe, the failed DCEU. Instead of following Man of Steel with a sequel, they opted for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which also served as a giant trailer for Justice League. Isn’t that the same thing that a Superman and the Authority movie would be, skipping over a sequel to Superman in favor of a crossover film? Is this not just 20th Century Fox adapting The Dark Phoenix Saga again after X-Men: The Last Stand with Dark Phoenix and expecting it to be different?
The first big difference is that Batman v. Superman was the second film in the DCEU, after a three-year gap from Man of Steel. A hypothetical Superman sequel would be the sixth or seventh entry in the franchise at the earliest. Meanwhile, Batman and Wonder Woman will hopefully be introduced in their own solo DCU projects before the Justice League film forms. The other is that a Superman and Authority crossover film feels like a natural continuation of Superman, as it builds on established themes and a side villain from the first movie. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was created as a marketing push to recover from the disappointing fan reaction to Man of Steel and accelerate the development of a cinematic universe to rival the MCU.
Like any great superhero movie, Superman leaves the audience wanting more. The sequel can’t come soon enough. DC has had terrible luck with sequels such as Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The hope is that whatever form the Superman sequel takes, it will be more like The Dark Knight and The Suicide Squad. Also, please don’t let it take as long as The Batman – Part II. Superman is in theaters now.
A week out from The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ release, its director, Matt Shakman, opened up about the important dynamic between Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm/Invisible Woman. Compared with other Marvel teams, the Fantastic Four is more tightly-knit, acting like a family of sorts with Reed as the leader and Sue as the first mate.
With the threat of Galactus looming, the couple must navigate being superheroes and becoming parents for the first time under immense stress. In an interview with GamesRadar+, Shakman explained how the two “really complete each other.” He stated:
He’s the smartest person in the universe, but I often say Reed Richards is great for all mankind, and struggles with individual men. Sue, in some ways, is the most emotionally intelligent person in the world, and so she’s able to, I think, bring the everyday to his life, and he’s able to bring the universe to hers. It’s a little bit like Kirk and Spock in Star Trek in some way, right? The heart and mind coming together, completing each other.
According to Shakman, this relationship is the cornerstone of the entire group’s dynamic. He said: “It’s their unity that creates their strength. You know, it’s true for all four of them, and it’s definitely true for them as a couple.“
Shakman’s comparison of Sue Storm and Reed Richards with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock is compelling in that it fits. While the Star Trek duo were not a couple, they too led a team together. Spock was the serious, scientific second-in-command, while Kirk was the headstrong leader. Interestingly, this portrays Sue as the leader of the Fantastic Four.
The director also discussed Reed’s struggle in the film: “Reed is always locked in his lab trying to solve everything. He’s five minutes away from destroying the world or saving it at any moment, and I love the idea of taking that mindset of solving everything and applying it to having a child, which is a mystery that you cannot solve. “
Exclusive: The Fantastic Four: First Steps actor whose MCU character is still a mystery addresses her Marvel role and praises the movie.
Shakman stated that “love is a mystery that you cannot write an equation for.” According to him, “Reed loves his wife, but she’s the one thing he can never solve, right?” This further adds to the similarities between Spock and Mister Fantastic by highlighting the issues that both have when connecting with those they care about.
Sue and Reed are one of the most unique and iconic comic book couples, so the director’s comments on their dynamic are a good sign that he knows what he’s doing. Between Shakman’s understanding of the characters and the film’s glowing first reviews, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is shaping up as a worthy introduction of Marvel’s First Family into the MCU.
