Spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were recently treated to a long-awaited upcoming Marvel movie in Daniel Destin Cretton's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The blockbuster picked up after No Way Home's ending, which saw Doctor Strange's spell erase the world's memories of Peter Parker... including Ned and MJ. Much of the new movie is about this disconnect between the characters played by Tom Holland and Zendaya, and I have to say I much prefer the MJ storyline to how Gamora was handled in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription).

Gamora's death in Avengers: Infinity War set shockwaves through the MCU. And while she was resurrected in Endgame by having a past version of her arrive via time travel, that Gamora had never met Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians. We watched as Star-Lord tried to reconnect with her in Vol. 3, but I think that the Peter Parker/MJ version of this dynamic was more successful.

I Loved The Way MJ Rejected Peter In Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Both Guardians 3 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day saw their movie's respective Peter trying to reconnect with a girlfriend who has no memories of their time together. But I felt way more moved and emotionally moved by the latter, and I think there are a few reasons why.

To start, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is ultimately a story centered around Rocket. While we see new Gamora and Star-Lord's relationship (or lack thereof), it's not given quite as much time and focus as Peter and MJ in the new Spider-Man movie. Additionally, Gamora makes it clear that she has absolutely no interest in trying to get to know Peter Quill. And as a result, their lack of a true reconciliation came and went without me shedding a tear.

Meanwhile, Peter Parker's longing for MJ (and Ned) is at the heart of Brand New Day. While he's trying to keep a healthy boundary since she no longer knows who he is, that changes when Jean Grey drops her name early on in the movie. Spidey immediately swings into action, and the two are forced to meet and work together as a result. The fake-out of Zendaya's character "remembering" was a true gut punch, one inflicted by an angry Jean who was controlling her mind. Things only got more emotional from there.

Eventually MJ discovers Peter's letter, learning the truth about their former relationship, and the spell that removed her memories. She unfortunately doesn't have any feelings for him, despite knowing their history. She lets him down plainly but kindly, in a way that feels surprisingly like a regular breakup. Afterward, she still invites him into her apartment to hang with Ned. What's more, we see the drawing she made of them in Peter's hospital room after the final conflict.

While Star-Lord and Spider-Man didn't get the romantic reunion they were hoping for, I thought that the way No Way Home handled this unrequited love story was far more powerful. Although after Ned's muscle memory seemingly snapped him out of Strange's spell in the movie's final scene, maybe there's still hope.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. Folks who want to re-watch Gamora and Star-Lord's love story can stream the Guardians and Avengers movies on Disney+.

Over nearly two decades, The Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven itself as a behemoth franchise that consistently puts out new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While fans are looking forward to upcoming Marvel movies, there's also a great deal of affection for what came before. For instance, Robert Downey Jr. named his favorite Marvel movie, and it's one of the few titles he didn't star in before Tony Stark's death in Endgame.

Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that RDJ helped to start it all when he was cast in Iron Man. He starred in a whopping ten movies prior to his upcoming return as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, and during an appearance at TIFF (via The Toronto Sun) the actor name-dropped his favorite Marvel movie by saying:

Honestly, Guardians of the Galaxy is a solid choice. James Gunn did the impossible with that cosmic story, taking a relatively unknown group of superheroes and making them into fan favorites. The Guardians would end up starring in their own trilogy, and the music and humor of the 2014 inspired a number of superhero movies that followed. RDJ has some taste!

Of course, the Oscar-winning actor did give himself some flowers while talking up Guardians. Namely that the unconventional blockbuster was only made a possiblity after megahits starring the more well-known Marvel heroes. In Downey's words:

Another fair point. Guardians was a risk, one that fans were willing to entertain after the first Phase and a half of MCU blockbusters offered good will to moviegoers. So that cosmic team does owe some respect to Robert Downey Jr. opening the door in Iron Man and The Avengers. In the same appearance he joked about James Gunn's beloved blockbuster winning so many hearts, saying:

I didn't expect a sports analogy to come from this conversation, but I've got to see RDJ's point. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most beloved franchises in the entirety of the MCU, and that came as a surprise to even the folks within the shared universe. The entire trilogy ended up being acclaimed, in addition to the Guardians Holiday Special that I re-watch annually.

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is streaming in its entirety over on Disney+. The next Marvel movie hitting theater is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Robert Downey Jr., he'll return to the MCU this winter in Avengers: Doomsday.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of slowing down, with projects consistently being released in theater and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Longtime fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been curious about when Chris Pratt's Star-Lord would return to the universe, especially after the studio already confirmed he would... eventually. And a new Marvel rumor has offered a possible clue about when Peter Quill might be back on the big screen.

The ending of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 saw the cosmic team go their separate ways, with Peter returning to Earth and reuniting with his grandfather. The movie's closing title card confirmed he'd be back, but there's been no news about when. Scooper MTTSH (via SuperheroHype) recently made a bold claim about when this will occur, posting:

Talk about exciting. The Russo Brothers' pair of forthcoming Avengers flicks are arguably the two most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies. And while Pratt wasn't included in the Doomsday cast announcement, this report claims that he'll be reprising his signature role in its sequel Secret Wars. Hopefully we get confirmation one way or another about this thrilling news.

While we should probably take this report with a grain of salt, it would make sense if Chris Pratt got to return to the MCU in Avengers: Secret Wars. There are too many heroes to include them all in Doomsday, so perhaps The Russo Brothers will use their second forthcoming movie to bring in new faces. And after filming Infinity War and Endgame, the Parks & Rec star already has a good working relationship with the brothers.

Of course, it's more than possible that this rumor is false and Star-Lord doesn't have a role in Secret Wars. But with Marvel already claiming that we'd see more of Peter Quill, the pair of upcoming Avengers movies seem like the perfect opportunity to make this happen. And now that Chris Pratt's tenure in Jurassic World is up and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in theaters, his schedule should presumably be more open for another MCU blockbuster. We'll just have to wait and see if a cast list is eventually provided.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list, and Secret Wars will follow suit on December 17th of 2027. Fingers crossed we learn about Star-Lord's return to the shared universe sooner rather than later.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe constantly releases new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Despite this, folks who have been watching the Marvel movies in order know certain franchises are fan favorites. Chief among them is Guardians of the Galaxy, although the trilogy was briefly in jeopardy when James Gunn was temporarily fired by Marvel. And Chris Pratt recently recalled standing up for his frequent collaborator during that time.

Guardians 3's ending offered a happy conclusion for the motley crew of cosmic heroes, but there was a time when that movie was in serious jeopardy. Namely because Gunn was fired by Marvel over resurfaced tweets that were deemed offensive. While appearing on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Pratt recalled this moment, sharing:

This reaction seems about right. Perhaps more than any other Marvel title, Guardians of the Galaxy is a director-driven series. Everything from James Gunn's dance moves, to his taste in music, to his sense of humor shaped the movies and made them so successful. So it seemed like a franchise-ending catastrophe when he was fired.

Shortly after this happened, the Guardians of the Galaxy cast penned a letter in solidarity with James Gunn. And eventually did an about-face, and brought him back into the gold for both Guardians 3 and the Holiday Special. In the same interview, Chris Pratt spoke about the filmmaker being asked to return to Marvel, saying:

Cancel culture was at the height of its power when James Gunn was removed from the Guardians franchise, and he is one of the few examples of someone being able to fully recover from it. Not only was he welcomed back to Marvel, but he's now the co-CEO of the DCU. That position was at least partly acquired thanks to his work on The Suicide Squad (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), which is a job he took after he was canned by Marvel.

From the looks of it, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be the final installment in the franchise, and Gunn's swan song at Marvel. While the movie's ending claimed that Chris Pratt's Star-Lord would be back, the filmmaker is now busy as the architect of the DCU.

The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. A DC title is coming one month earlier: Supergirl on June 26th.

As Chris Pratt’s latest action movie, Mercy, comes out this weekend, it’s worth looking back on the role that changed his career the most, which was arguably Star-Lord in one of the best Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy, back in 2013. The actor recalled a conversation he had with Marvel boss Kevin Feige right before earning the part, and he apparently had blunt words for him before offering him the job in James Gunn's movie.

Pratt was asked if he remembers the moment he got the role of Peter Quill while in conversation with Josh Horowitz this week. Here’s what the actor had to say:

Chris Pratt, of course, famously got into mad shape to play the Marvel role, and apparently that was a deciding factor for Kevin Feige when he was in the running. As he continued:

Surely, this enthusiastic line went far with Feige, considering the results. At the time, Chris Pratt had gotten into shape for roles before. He’s previously talked about how he was told he was “too fat” for 2011’s Moneyball and ended up shedding 30 pounds to be in the movie starring Brad Pitt. Then, he gained weight again for the high school reunion comedy 10 Years before going on a strict fitness routine to play a Navy SEAL in 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty. Committing to the work required to drop weight isn't easy, but I love that he was up for it to play Star-Lord.

Pratt credits his brother Daniel for convincing him to post the picture of himself in his underwear from his time on Zero Dark Thirty. It ultimately very much came in handy because this happened next:

Hey, sometimes shirtless photos can literally earn you a role in a Marvel movie! The rest is history. According to Men’s Journal, Chris Pratt went on to lose 60 pounds in six months thanks to “three or four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work.”

He was able to do so with the help of a personal trainer and nutritionist who had him doing everything from P90X, running, swimming, boxing, kickboxing, and a triathlon, eating 4,000 calories a day and drinking so much water he was “peeing all day long.”

Of course, it wasn’t purely Chris Pratt’s ability to lose weight and gain muscle that turned him into a Marvel superhero. Per the actor, it was his improv talent, particularly with Dave Bautista, that convinced writer/director James Gunn. At first, Gunn didn’t even want to see Pratt’s audition, but the casting director snuck him into an unplanned audition, and following multiple rounds, he got the role.

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Star-Lord’s return to the MCU was teased, but we have yet to learn which of the upcoming Marvel movies the actor will make an appearance in. For now, you can catch Chris Pratt in Mercy, now playing in theaters.

There’s no shortage of Marvel crossover ideas floating around the internet, especially with the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday soon to hit the 2026 movie schedule, but every once in a while, one actually makes you stop and say, “Yeah… that would work.” On that note, Chris Pratt just shared which character he’d like to see Quill cross paths with in a new Marvel movie, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with his pick.

Speaking to Screen Rant while promoting his new sci-fi thriller Mercy, Chris Pratt was asked about potential Marvel crossovers now that the studio has access to characters previously locked behind other studios. As he put it:

A Star-Lord and Deadpool crossover feels almost too obvious on a tonal level. Pratt’s Peter Quill has always lived in that sweet spot between sincere emotional beats and pop-culture-fueled chaos. Deadpool, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, thrives on breaking the fourth wall and undercutting tension. Put them together, and you’d get a collision of humor styles that could be complementary.

What makes Pratt’s comments especially interesting is the timing. Star-Lord was last seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which wrapped up James Gunn’s trilogy while reshuffling the team and sending Quill back to Earth. The film’s end credits explicitly promised that “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return,” but Marvel has stayed quiet about when or where that might happen.

Most speculation points toward Quill's return in the two-part Avengers event currently on the horizon, which includes Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. That said, neither Star-Lord nor Deadpool has been officially confirmed for Doomsday, and rumors about Reynolds’ involvement remain conflicting.

Pratt mentioned wanting to be part of the process, even as a “fly on the wall.” That suggests genuine curiosity about how Marvel could balance Deadpool’s irreverent tone with the larger MCU machine, something fans have been debating since the merger became official. There is also the question of whether or not, with the restraint of a PG-13 rating, the character can thrive because, as of now, he's only ever appeared in R-rated territory.

Will it actually happen? That’s still very much up in the air. But if Avengers: Secret Wars truly is positioned as a multiversal blowout and soft reset, there may not be a better time to let Star-Lord and Deadpool cross paths.

Until Marvel confirms anything, it’s all hypothetical. But if Pratt ever gets his wish, I’ll be first in line to watch that chaos unfold. For now, I'll settle for rewatching all the Marvel movies in order with my Disney+ subscription.

There are more than a few established Marvel Cinematic Universe characters that haven’t appeared on screen in a few years now, and one of them is Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill. The legendary Star-Lord was last seen in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which ended with him taking some time away from the eponymous team. Inquiring minds are curious as to what Quill has been up to as of late. Pratt fielded that question, and I wasn’t expecting him to provide such a funny answer.

Chris Pratt Shares A Humorous Take On Star-Lord’s Whereabouts

At the end of Guardians Vol. 3, not only does Quill decide to take a leave of absence from his team, but he also makes his way to Earth. It’s on his native planet that Peter reunites with his grandfather, Jason, in Missouri and decides to spend some time with him. Based on the post-credits scene, which saw the two Quills sitting at the breakfast table and discussing their neighbors, it seemed Peter was keeping a low profile. As Pratt opined to ScreenTime, though (as seen on X), the space adventurer is doing a bit more than that:

I can’t help but laugh over Pratt re-opening what’s arguably become one of the biggest discussions regarding MCU lore. During the events of 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, Quill, Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Peter Parker and other members of the Guardians had Thanos subdued and were about to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from his hand. However, Quill lost his composure after learning of Gamora’s death, allowing the Mad Titan to break free. Even directors Joe and Anthony Russo cast blame on Star-Lord.

Of course, the universe was ultimately saved, but Tony Stark died in the process. I can’t help but laugh over the notion of Quill trying to convince the people of Earth that he’s not only not responsible for Stark’s death but that he’s been a superhero as well. Chris Pratt also thinks there’s one another on-brand activity Quill’s been busy with:

Given Quill’s supreme love of music, I could easily imagine him listening to a plethora of songs that are new to him. He might be listening to some contemporary tunes by the next time fans see him but, then again, his next MCU appearance is still far from confirmed.

What Does The Future Actually Hold For Star-Lord?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription – ends with a title card, which promises that Star-Lord will return. Since it’s been nearly three years since the film was released and there’s still been no clarification, fans are curious about if or when they’ll see Quill again. By July 2024, Pratt was playing coy about returning as Quill, though he expressed a willingness to play the character again.

Some fans are still holding onto hope that Quill will return alongside his fellow heroes in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. That film will see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Fantastic Four and more take on Doctor Doom. It’s hard to say whether Chris Pratt will reprise his role in either that movie or in its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, but it feels like there’s at least a chance. In the meantime, whatever Quill is doing ahead of any potential return, let’s hope he’s not being a nuisance while on Earth.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since writer/director James Gunn delivered Guardians of the Galaxy and propelled the title Marvel superhero team to global popularity. In those days, Michael Rooker’s Yondu was still alive, and there’s an especially funny scene with him and Sean Gunn’s Kraglin that remains one of my favorite moments in the movie. That said, there’s also been a long-standing rumor about this GOTG scene that’s making the rounds again, and Gunn took some time to clarify it.

Though Gunn is keeping busy these days running DC Studios with Peter Safran, which includes directing Superman and the upcoming DC movie Man of Tomorrow, he’s still happy to talk about his time with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the MCU. Case in point, when he noticed a social media post claiming Michael Rooker improvised the Guardians of the Galaxy scene where Yondu started mocking the Broker, causing Sean Gunn to break character, Gunn wrote that both moments were scripted, then added on Threads:

There’s no shortage of great improvised moments in movies, like Val Kilmer’s hilarious ad-lib in Top Gun. This, however, is not one of those instances. It was always intended for Yondu to start spouting off gibberish when the Broker started to explain the importance of privacy in the “high end community,” hence why he couldn’t reveal information about the Orb or its potential buyers. Kraglin was also supposed to suppress a smile, then snicker at Yondu’s antics, although as James Gunn shared, the close-up of Sean Gunn was filmed after principal photography concluded.

Reading about this makes me wish we could have had more moments of Yondu and Kraglin together in the MCU. Although they shared more screen time in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that movie ended with Yondu sacrificing his life to save Peter Quill, his adopted son. Kraglin inherited his late captain’s Yaka arrow and head-mounted fin that controls it, and was finally able to master using the weapon in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after seeing a vision of his late captain during the High Evolutionary’s attack on Knowhere. Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn also voiced alternate versions of their characters in the Disney+ subscription-exclusive animated series What If… ?.

Though Michael Rooker’s time in the MCU is over and it’s unclear when or even if we’ll see Sean Gunn play Kraglin again, both these men have re-teamed with James Gunn over in the DC space. Rooker and Gunn both recently appeared in Peacemaker Season 2 as Red St. Wild and Maxwell Lord, respectively, although don’t count on seeing Wild again in the DCU, if you catch my drift. However, this is the fourth DC role Rooker has played since 2021, so maybe James Gunn will be able to find a fifth one for him.

The DC Universe got off to a great start on the big screen in 2025 with Superman. Now, the Man of Steel’s cousin is looking to steal the spotlight with Supergirl, which is dropping amid the 2026 movie schedule. Based on the first Supergirl trailer, the movie is going to be full of plenty of intergalactic action. There's also some rock ‘n’ roll, which certainly makes it look like James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, which he mentioned while discussing the latest DCU film.

James Gunn isn’t directing Supergirl, but it’s hard not to get a serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibe from the DCU flick. Both movies have a sci-fi and rock aesthetic that makes one feel like Kara Zor-El and Star-Lord would probably get along quite well. Appearing on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Gunn himself acknowledged the connection when talking about the new film. He said…

The new movie was originally going under the title Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, because it was based on the comic story of the same name. The book follows a somewhat directionless Kara when she crosses paths with a young girl looking for revenge after her father's death at the hands of a villain called Krem of the Yellow Hills. While the movie had its title shortened to simply Supergirl, possibly to prevent confusion with the already in development Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, the film still takes significant inspiration from the comic.

What makes this interesting is the fact that Supergirl won’t follow Woman of Tomorrow "religiously." While fans of the book might end up disappointed by changes, it also means that nobody is going to know exactly how the story will go, even if they’re familiar with the source material. I'd argue that sometimes films can be improved by not following source material to the letter.

While Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, who has his own history of making movies with powerful leading ladies and a punk rock aesthetic, like Disney’s live-action Cruella, the Guardians of the Galaxy similarities are hard to overlook. Some of the promotional images have even shown Milly Alcock’s title character sporting a classic Walkman that looks identical to the one Chris Pratt used to sport in those Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Honestly, the more like Guardians that Supergirl is, the more I’m interested. All three of those films are among my personal favorites in the MCU. While the core element that made that trilogy great (the relationship of the team) certainly won’t be present in this DCU flick, I’ll take what I can get.

The vibe of Supergirl certainly has me on board, I’m looking forward to seeing it when it arrives in theaters on June 26. In the meantime, stream Superman and other DCU content using an HBO Max subscription.

James Gunn has a pretty important job as the head of creative development for DC Films. However, he also has a second job debunking all the rumors that get started surrounding his films. Gunn clearly doesn’t like it when wild rumors that are untrue start to gain traction, and the latest making the rounds for his Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow has him particularly annoyed.

The major casting rumor surrounding upcoming DC movies right now is who will play the follow-up's villain, with the prevailing theory being that classic Superman baddie Brainiac will fill that role. In fact, a new rumor claimed Gunn is looking at his former Guardians of the Galaxy buddy Dave Bautista for the part, calling him the “top choice.” Not so fast, though. Gunn took on the rumor from all sides on Threads, saying:

James Gunn doesn’t state outright that Brainiac isn’t the character in question, leaving that door open. However, he shuts down the idea of Dave Bautista playing that part. He clearly states there have been no discussions about the former Drax playing any role in Man of Tomorrow and indicates that most, if not all, of the other rumors are also untrue.

Bsautista isn’t the first name rumored for the role of Brainiac. It’s also been claimed that there was a short list for the part that included the likes of Matt Smith and Sam Rockwell. Gunn has not addressed that rumor directly, so it’s possible that it’s true, and he simply hasn’t seen it, but what’s more likely is that Gunn is including that list among those that he says have not auditioned or been discussed "at all.”

To be fair, Dave Bautista wouldn’t be a terrible choice to play Brainiac, or, honestly, any other Superman antagonist. Even Gunn seems to acknowledge that, as rumors go, this one makes more sense than some, but says he’s more irritated by it because of his existing relationship with Dave Bautista. Gunn continued…

The odds of seeing Dave Bautista in the DCU at some point are pretty good. The two clearly like working together. And Bautista as Brainiac wouldn’t be a terrible piece of casting. However, anybody excited by it should probably temper their expectations. While seeing somebody in that role still seems likely, the actor who eventually gets it may be somebody who has not been mentioned yet.

The DC Universe is still in its infancy, but it's already made a splash in theaters and streaming with a HBO Max subscription. The first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, debuting in theaters with Superman. The next upcoming DC movie is Supergirl, and James Gunn's three-word description is going to please Guardians of the Galaxy fans.

What we know about Supergirl is limited, but fans are eager to see how it connects to the rest of the DCU, especially after Peacemaker's Season 2 finale. The contents of the Milly Alcock-led movie are being largely kept under wraps, James Gunn's latest comments to Rolling Stone offer a tease that will likely turn heads. He said:

It's like... Guardians? Sign me TF up. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall how Gunn helped the cosmic heroes go from relative unknowns to fan favorites. It's unique tone and colorful, cosmic environment would be awesome to see in the DCU, so we'll have to see how closely Supergirl actually resembles Gunn's Marvel franchise when it arrives in theaters.

Supergirl will be the first installment in the DCU to not be written/directed by James Gunn. While he's no doubt involved in the movie's creation thanks to running the studio, Craig Gillespie is behind the camera and the script was penned by Ana Nogueira. As such, perhaps we shouldn't expect a DC version of Guardians of the Galaxy, but a story that has some similarities to that beloved property.

Milly Alcock got a cameo as Supergirl in Superman, and it looks like Kara Zor-El will be very different than her Kansas-raised cousin. She drunkenly crashed into the Fortress of Solitude, rudely thanking Clark for babysitting Krypto. I can't wait to see that scene-stealing pooch in the Supergirl movie, as well as whatever cosmic chaos the title character gets into.

As previously mentioned, James Gunn did some outstanding work with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (which is streaming in its entirety with a Disney+ subscription). The 2014 original was a surprise hit, and countless Marvel movies attempted to find the same balance of heart and humor. The cosmic team became instant fan favorite characters, whose trilogy (and holiday special) told a complete, emotional story. If Supergirl can manage to have connective tissue to the Marvel franchise then the DCU might be in for another big success story. Fingers crossed.

Gunn has shown a penchant for serialized storytelling with the first three titles in the DCU so far: Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker. As such, Supergirl has the potential to greatly influence whatever comes next.

All will be revealed when Supergirl hits theaters on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list. For now fans can re-watch all of the shared universe's projects on HBO Max.

Marvel Animation’s Marvel Zombies is new on streaming this week, and I think it might be the bloodiest project from the MCU that’s been produced yet! The four-episode limited series is a spinoff of a fan-favorite What If…? episode from 2021, and wow, does it really deliver on the promise of turning the universe into a full-on apocalyptic affair. There’s a ton of big death scenes to talk about, but only one really crossed the line into filling my tear ducts during my binge.

OK, I Wasn't Expecting So Many Big Deaths In Marvel Zombies

Now I’m not totally sure what I was expecting from Marvel Zombies, but I certainly didn’t see the animated series reveling in killing just about every Marvel character off in front of our eyes coming at all. When the first episode began, for example, I thought Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop and Riri Williams was going to be the trio we were going to follow the entire run of the series. But when Kate died after her trick arrow was a disappointment, I quickly realized that this series wasn’t going to hold on so tightly to its beloved characters like the MCU usually does.

By the time we get to the Marvel Zombies ending, we’ve watched pretty much every character die, including the particularly sacrificial deaths of Melina, Yelena and Red Guardian from Black Widow. There were a lot of sad deaths of fan favorites, but I realized it was all in good fun and wouldn’t have actual implications on the MCU, so why not go ham, Marvel!

But, Rocket Raccoon's Sudden Death Made Me Want To Sit In A Corner And Bawl

However, one death was a completely different story for me. At the beginning of Episode 3, in a flashback scene that Spider-Man is narrating about Zombie Thanos, Rocket, Groot and Thor appear to charge at the famed Avengers villain. However, they are obliterated immediately! Watching Rocket be turned into nothing but bones before his little raccoon skull jumped to the front of the screen completely took me aback, and I started crying in shock and sadness over seeing the adorable, traumatized fan-favorite dying in the blink of an eye.

I think my reaction to the death has something to do with how seeing animals die can actually hit one harder than seeing humans oftentimes, but also because the story of Rocket that was delved into in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 makes him one of the heroes in the MCU I want to root for the most. I mean, his backstory was so heartbreaking that Bradley Cooper “cried a lot” in the vocal booth while making it.

By the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Rocket Raccoon got a happy ending as the new leader of the Guardians. I will not expect anything less when it comes to upcoming Marvel movies. Clearly my heart cannot take any other type of fate for the character, and I will scream it from the rooftops.

Admittedly, when I saw the first Guardians of the Galaxy trailer back in 2014, I thought, well, Marvel is going to have their first bomb. Of course, I’m eating crow now, because if I rank the Marvel Movies, the GotG is at the very top of the list of best superhero movies of all time. And, if you’ve ever found yourself belting out "Come and Get Your Love" in the car like me, you know where I’m coming from. But, in a new revelation, writer-director James Gunn shares some truly horrible studio advice he received while putting the iconic film together.

The Marvel-turned-DC director recently took to his Threads account to answer fan questions, like he often does. And, when one asked, “What’s the worst note you ever got?”, Gunn didn’t hesitate:

Yes, seriously—someone actually suggested swapping Blue Swede for "Oops!... I Did It Again." Today, the Superman director is known for his masterful needle drops, with Guardians of the Galaxy delivering some of the most memorable music moments in the MCU. It’s hard to imagine what the film would’ve felt like if he’d taken that note. Thankfully, we don’t live in the timeline where the unhappy Marvel executives overruled him and forced a ‘90s pop playlist. Instead, we got the Awesome Mix soundtracks—and they’re now iconic.

The top brass completely missed what made Guardians of the Galaxy such a game-changer. Gunn's decision to make Peter Quill’s mixtape a character of its own wasn’t just nostalgic window dressing, but an emotional scaffolding. The music helps tell Quill’s story and grounds his cosmic adventures in deeply human experiences, the loss of his mother and his former earthly life. And let’s be honest, that choice made the movie not only fun as hell but unique within the landscape of new superhero movies.

Thankfully, the Missouri-born filmmaker stuck to his instincts. That “no one will like the soundtrack” note aged like unrefrigerated milk. Awesome Mix Vol. 1 went platinum and topped the Billboard 200. People who didn’t know who the hell the Guardians were before 2014 now have "Hooked on a Feeling" play on repeat whenever they think of Quill, Gamora or Rocket.

Funny enough, when James Gunn revealed his Vol. 3 Mixtape playlist, there were plenty of '80s and '90s hits that made the cut. While we didn’t get any Brittney Spears, we fans were treated to the likes of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys and the iconic “Dog Days Are Over” from Florence + The Machine.

So what's the moral of the story? It's trust your weird ideas and ignore bad notes, at least when you’re the brilliant mind behind cult classics as Super and Slither. Fans can revisit all of the best music drops in Gunn’s GotG trilogy with their Disney+ subscription.

James Gunn is one of the best superhero movie directors in the business, so much so he was tapped to spearhead DC Studios and its now-acclaimed Superman film, which released this year on the 2025 movie schedule. To that point, confirmed a sequel is already confirmed. But those who've followed Gunn for some time know he first rose to superstar status with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Arguably his most beloved character is from the Guardians trilogy, and I was shocked to find out how much money Gunn actually makes off Baby Groot-related sales.

What do people love more than their favorite character? A miniature version. This isn’t uncommon with beloved characters. Yoda has always been a Star Wars fan favorite, but people absolutely lost their minds with the introduction of Grogu in The Mandalorian. Baby Yoda merchandise were flying off the shelves, and was even the top-selling toy in 2019.

The same effect happened with Baby Groot when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released, and I’ve always wondered how much James Gunn makes in Baby Groot merch sales. The Avengers: Endgame producer recently shared the number on The Howard Stern Show, and I wasn’t expecting this answer.

Consider me shocked that James Gunn sees absolutely no merchandising checks due to Baby Groot, especially since he’s technically an original character adapted by Gunn. While Baby Groot does have a Marvel comics counterpart, the Suicide Squad director put in a lot of original details to make the character his own, including some of his own dance movements. He even revealed that Baby Groot is not Groot reincarnate, but rather more like a "Jr." who forms his own memories and experiences.

However, the Peacemaker creator wants to assure you that he is doing just fine without any of that figurine money and is well covered by his Marvel paychecks:

This part doesn’t surprise me. Guardians of the Galaxy became an instant top 3 Marvel movie upon its release in 2014, thanks to its characters, which were unlike any other MCU superheroes at the time, and its killer ‘70s soundtrack. Also, to be honest, I think the creation of Baby Groot alone could have secured Gunn Vol. 3, based on fans’ reactions.

Merchandising is a complicated beast when it comes to payouts. It’s not like the voice actor is getting residuals for their likeness being used to make figurines or plushies. Although, I have to wonder if Vin Diesel sees any money for the use of his iconic “I am Groot.”

A person could certainly argue that actors and other creatives deserve a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to merchandise. However, I'm also fully aware of the copyright and trademark hurdles that also come into play.

Ultimately, I guess it money doesn't really matter to Gunn if the Groot merch money trickles out, and I have to assume it is without another Guardians movie on the way. It’s (supposedly) the end of the line for our favorite rag-tag group of reluctant space heroes and their adorable talking tree sidekick. However, Marvel has a habit of reviving long-lost characters, and I’d be willing to bet all that Baby Groot revenue that Gunn returns to these characters, either with a side project or another feature film.

Even though the Guardians remain unconfirmed for any upcoming Marvel projects, you can still rewatch all their epic extraterrestrial adventures on Disney+.

Glen Powell is one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, although he doesn’t live there. It’s a status he has recently achieved after years of working hard to reach this point. While his own work should certainly be applauded for that, there are other people who he gives some of the credit for his success, specifically, and surprisingly, Chris Pratt.

Glan Powell looks like the textbook definition of a Hollywood movie star and a leading man, so it’s perhaps a bit of a shock that it took this long to make a name for himself. Speaking with GQ, Powell himself says that his own success came as part of a shift in Hollywood’s thinking, which is best exemplified by the success Chris Pratt saw after being cast in Guardians of the Galaxy. Powell said…

Actors are capable of a wide range of performances, but they certainly have areas where they are most comfortable and most capable. Powell seems to feel that prior to Guardians of the Galaxy, studios were looking for more serious actors, performances with, as Powell says, “gravitas.” It’s not a word one would use to describe Chris Pratt's Guardians of the Galaxy performance.

Glen Powell is certainly right to a degree. Following Guardians, Chris Pratt himself saw his career explode, with additional franchise roles in the Jurassic World movies, playing a similar character, and even voicing similar characters in The LEGO Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Not bad for a guy who wasn't supposed to audition for Guardians of the Galaxy in the first place.

For those films that couldn’t get Pratt himself, but wanted performances like that, there were those, like Glen Powell, available to fill the void. Interestingly, there are those who now feel Glen Powell is being forced on us as a movie star, a charge that previously had been laid on Chris Pratt.

Whatever the reason that Glan Powell finally came into his own, there are a lot of movie fans who are surely glad he did. Powell’s next film will be Edgar Wright’s take on Stephen King’s The Running Man, which looks to be a far cry from the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led original version of the film. He's also set to star in the sports comedy Chad Powers on Hulu. Those are just the sort of projects and roles that likely would have been handled in a very different way a few years ago, that might have left Glen Powell out of contention.

In addition to James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies taking a team that was obscure even among Marvel Comics fans and catapulting them to the same level of popularity that the Avengers and X-Men enjoy, they also boasted some great music moments thanks to the soundtracks the filmmaker put together. But some of the powers-that-be at Marvel Studios weren’t always convinced that Gunn’s song choices were the right move. In fact, these individuals initially called the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie’s soundtrack “ridiculous.”

Gunn shared this information while speaking with CinemaBlend’s own Hannah Saulic and other journalists during the junket roundtable for Peacemaker Season 2, which is now airing on the 2025 TV schedule. When Hannah asked the writer/director if people come up to him to say that they found their favorite band or musical artists from watching one of his movies, Gunn confirmed this does indeed happen, then said the following about what that’s like:

From Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” to The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” Guardians of the Galaxy’s soundtrack featured a unique lineup of songs that were present in-universe on the mixtape that Peter Quill’s mother made for him. Yet despite these songs hailing from the ‘60s and ‘70s, the concerns from these executives proved to be unfounded. That’s because it was young people who were most taken with these tunes from the 10th MCU movie. Gunn continued:

This is a good reminder that exceptional art can appeal to people of many generations, regardless of when it was created. The following two Guardians of the Galaxy movies continued to incorporate songs from Peter Quill’s life through his mother’s second mixtape in Vol. 2, then the Zune that Yondu bequeathed him for Vol. 3. James Gunn’s DC projects, like the aforementioned Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad, and the 2025 movie release Superman, have also had memorable soundtracks. As a bonus for Gunn, using these songs in his movies and TV shows have allowed him to meet the people behind them, adding:

We’re only an episode into Peacemaker Season 2, so for James Gunn (who only directed three episodes this season) to be saying that this is his favorite soundtrack yet from one of his projects is a bold claim. As we hear these songs in the coming weeks, remember that the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, as well as the franchise’s Holiday Special, can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription.

It’s not an understatement to say that Guardians of the Galaxy was a transformative movie for the careers of several people. It was the first big chance for both James Gunn to direct and for Chris Pratt to star in their first blockbuster film. Which makes it surprising that neither one of them wanted Chris Pratt in the movie.

Speaking with ET Pratt reveals that he had gone out for several major blockbusters, including earlier Marvel movies like Thor and the first Captain America. However, he received zero interest from the directors. Ultimately, he found success doing comedy on Parks & Recreation, and he assumed those sorts of roles would be his career.

He then ended up in the film Zero Dark Thirty, however, which got him in shape. Pratt says he began to have an interest in doing something with more action in it, but still wasn’t that enthused about being turned down by Marvel again. However, his agent insisted that Guardians of the Galaxy was the right project for him, leading him to attend an unplanned audition. Pratt said:

Casting director Sarah Halley Finn is an icon of the industry and a name that any MCU fan, or really any movie fan, will recognize. She’s been the casting director on more movies than you can count, including many of Marvel’s projects. She brought together the Avengers, and clearly she thought Pratt was somebody worth being seen for Guardians.

However, to hear Pratt tell it, one person who was not convinced the actor was right for the role of Star-Lord was director James Gunn himself. Pratt says Gunn was specifically against letting him audition at first, but as soon as he agreed, he knew he’d found Star-Lord. Pratt continued:

James Gunn certainly made the right call that day. Guardians of the Galaxy was something of a surprise hit, given how unknown the characters were at the time. The movie made Chris Pratt a movie star, leading to more A-list franchises like Jurassic World. James Gunn is now the head of DC Studios, something which almost certainly would not have happened without the success of Guardians.

And Star-Lord’s story isn't over yet. We were told at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that “Star-Lord will return” but Chris Pratt’s name wasn’t among those listed in the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. Whatever the future holds for Chris Pratt, it’s a good thing James Gunn didn’t throw him out.

The movies have always had a way of making the life of an outlaw look fun. The secret is as easy as defying tradition by making the “bad guy” the protagonist of the story, or even taking innocents out of the equation completely. These classic films will force you to reconsider your moral standards.

The Godfather (1972)

In addition to being one of the best films about the "family business," Francis Ford Coppola's Best Picture Oscar-winning adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather is a genuine family story all the way to its core, albeit a violent one. It follows Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who is motivated by the attempted murder of his mob boss father, Don Vito (Marlon Brando), to take matters into his own hands, leading him down a path to become one of the most feared leaders in the world of organized crime.

Psycho (1960)

The true antagonist of Alfred Hitchcock's seminal horror movie classic, Psycho, is unquestionably Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates. However, what leads Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) to make a fateful stop at the Bates Motel is her decision to go on the run with stolen money.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

The title character of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Anthony Minghella's acclaimed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel, is a conniving con artist. However, much like most of the people Matt Damon's Tom Ripley encounters, it is hard not to fall for his charms.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

There really are not any "good guys" in Pulp Fiction, or in most of Quentin Tarantino's movies, for that matter. However, there are certainly some characters in the dazzling crime thriller that audiences have more affection for than others, especially Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), who have to be the two most down-to-earth mob hitmen in pop culture history.

Batman Begins (2005)

I have never admired a character in my life more than DC Comics' Dark Knight, but even I will be the first to call out Bruce Wayne for who he really is: a vigilante, which makes his crusade for justice in Gotham illegal. One of the few live-action Batman movies to address this moral gray area is Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, in which James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is the only cop willing to support the Caped Crusader (played by Christian Bale), but even he has his doubts.

Goodfellas (1990)

The flashbacks to Henry Hill's youth at the beginning of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas establish a life in the mafia as a childhood aspiration for him. Thus, you almost cannot help but feel proud of Ray Liotta's character as he rises up in the ranks of the criminal underworld and disappointed when the law knocks him down a peg.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon is a crime thriller based on an incredible true story starring Al Pacino as an amateur crook whose simple bank robbery plans evolve into a challenging hostage situation. Just like John Wojtowicz, the real person who inspired the film's main character, Sonny Wortzik, his only reason for committing the crime is to afford his lover's transgender operation, which I can empathize with.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg's acclaimed 2000s-era movie, Catch Me If You Can, is based on the alleged true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who passed himself off as an expert in multiple fields while living off fraudulent checks while he was barely beyond his teenage years. The casting of Leonardo DiCaprio as the clever crook immediately earns our sympathies, putting Tom Hanks in the rare position of playing the default antagonist as Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent trailing Frank.

Heat (1995)

Michael Mann's powerful thriller, Heat, is defined by its moral ambiguity, portraying the story of a group of professional bank robbers tailed by the LAPD from both sides of the law. By the end, it is hard not to feel bad for expert thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) when he is finally cornered by Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino).

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

George Clooney's recently released convict Daniel Ocean rounds up a gang of 10 other professionals to rob three Las Vegas casinos at once in director Steven Soderbergh's remake of Ocean's Eleven. The acclaimed heist flick makes it easy for the audience to side with these thieves, not just by making them all funny and likable, but also by making their target, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), quite despicable.

Inception (2010)

Amid its ingenious concept (taking place in a world where dreams can be experienced on demand with revolutionary technology) and breathtaking visuals, it is often easy to forget that Christopher Nolan's Inception is, essentially, a heist movie. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his crew specialize in stealing valuable information from unsuspecting targets directly from their minds (or planting an idea in their heads) by kidnapping them and infiltrating their subconscious, which is a terrifying thought.

Escape From New York (1981)

When we first meet war veteran Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) in John Carpenter's Escape from New York, he has already been sentenced to the penal colony that used to be Manhattan for robbing the Bank of the Federal Reserve. This convinces the United States Police Force that he is the perfect choice to infiltrate the urban dystopian nightmare to rescue the president (played by Donald Pleasence) in exchange for his freedom.

Nightcrawler (2014)

I once saw an interview with Jake Gyllenhaal and Nightcrawler's writer and director, Dan Gilroy, in which they describe the film as "a success story." While Gyllenhaal's aspiring independent news videographer, Louis Bloom, is not afraid to put his ethics on the back burner and flat out break the law to get the juiciest and bloodiest scoops possible, I cannot help but agree.

John Wick (2014)

The world seems to love professional assassins (fictional ones, at least), and few are more lovable than Keanu Reeves' title "hero" from the revenge movie favorite, John Wick, and its sequels. Of course, who wouldn't empathize with a recently widowed man whose new dog was murdered in cold blood by a crew of young punks who also stole his car?

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most unexpected hits is the story of a group of unlikely heroes who come to be known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn's hilarious, heartfelt, and action-packed breath of fresh air stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as a group of cosmic outlaws who flee prison together and manage to redeem themselves by risking their lives to take down an oppressive tyrant (played by Lee Pace).

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, director Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street should be seen as nothing more than a cautionary tale. However, Leonardo DiCaprio's charming, Oscar-nominated performance as the stockbroker-turned-motivational speaker almost makes you want to see him succeed despite his despicable habits and corrupt aspirations.

Kill Bill (2003-2004)

In Quentin Tarantino's two-part action saga, Kill Bill, Uma Thurman's The Bride wanted to put her reputation as the deadliest woman in the world behind her when she got pregnant and decided to settle down. Unfortunately, her former employer, Bill (David Carradine), and colleagues from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad put her in a coma and, seemingly, murdered her unborn daughter, which makes her "roaring rampage of revenge" feel justified.

Looper (2012)

Rian Johnson's inventive, sci-fi twist on the film noir movie genre, Looper, takes place in the future, but still mere decades before time travel has been invented. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, who is hired to kill and dispose of people sent back to his time by the mob, but his career trajectory changes when his latest target turns out to be his older self (played by Bruce Willis).

Joker (2019)

It might be a bit of a stretch to call Todd Phillips' Joker a film that coerces you into rooting for its unlawful protagonist, because I have absolutely no sympathy for any of the terrifying acts that Arthur Fleck commits. Then again, with much credit to Joaquin Phoenix's devastating, Oscar-winning performance, it is hard not to feel bad for the man, given his harsh life circumstances and struggles with mental health, even if he is destined to cause Gotham City a lot of pain someday.

Don't Breathe (2016)

At the start of Fede Alvarez's intense thriller Don't Breathe, you are not sure who to root for, as our protagonists (played by Jane Levy, Dylan Minette, and Daniel Zovatto) are seen breaking into the home of a non-seeing war veteran (played by Stephen Lang), intending to steal from him. However, it becomes easy to fear for these thieves when the owner of the house begins to violently retaliate and more terrifying secrets about him come to light.

Road To Perdition (2002)

Director Sam Mendes' adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel, Road to Perdition, stars Tom Hanks as a mob enforcer who must protect his young son (played by Tyler Hoechlin) after he witnesses a murder in 1930s Illinois.

Ant-Man (2015)

Instead of the original Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), the Marvel Cinematic Universe made formerly incarcerated felon Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) the star of its adaptation of the Marvel comic. After his criminal record costs him his Baskin-Robbins job, he is drawn back into crime and steals what turns out to be a special shrink suit, which is how he gets roped into the most important burglary of his life by Dr. Pym.

Sin City (2005)

I like to think of Det. John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) is the main hero of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City, but Mickey Rourke nearly steals the show in a segment called "The Hard Goodbye." The story follows Marv, an ex-convict who returns to his violent ways to duke out some vigilante justice and avenge the murder of a woman who suddenly died after spending a night with him.

Dead Presidents (1995)

Dead Presidents is a must-watch '90s movie centered on a Black character, namely Larenz Tate as Anthony Curtis, who is a Vietnam vet forced to turn to crime to support his family.

Public Enemies (2010)

Casting Johnny Depp, who was one of the most bankable and beloved movie stars in Hollywood in the late 2000s, as John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies was a stroke of genius to get the audience immediately on the side of the notorious bank robber.

Hard Candy (2005)

In Hard Candy, Elliot Page plays a teenager named Hayley who is seemingly lured into a trap by a child predator named Jeff (Patrick Wilson). However, we, and Jeff, come to discover that he is really Hayley's prey when he is subjected to the teenager's torturous acts.

Dom Hemingway (2013)

Jude Law stars in writer and director Richard Shepard's Dom Hemingway in the title role of a former safecracker who is released from a years-long prison sentence and returns to London looking to collect what he believes he is owed.

Cruella (2021)

Who knew that Disney could make audiences empathize with an attempted puppy murderer? Indeed, they achieve this with Cruella by casting Academy Award winner Emma Stone in the title role, who is portrayed as a tragic figure forced to become a pickpocket as a child after her mother's sudden murder.

Take The Money And Run (1969)

Co-writer and director Woody Allen stars in the mockumentary Take the Money and Run as Virgil Starkwell, who is so inept, yet so affable, that you cannot help but hope to see him make a killing as a bank robber.

Trap (2024)

Josh Hartnett leads M. Night Shyamalan's Trap as Cooper, a father who takes his teenage daughter to a concert, which he discovers is being used as an elaborate plan to catch a notorious serial killer. This turns out to be a great concern for Cooper because this criminal, known as "The Butcher," is none other than him.

Burglar (1987)

Whoopi Goldberg stars in Burglar as Bernice, a non-violent thief who wrongfully becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when her latest target, the ex-husband of a dentist who just wants her jewelry back, suddenly turns up dead.

Now You See Me (2013)

The main characters of Now You See Me (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco) are a team of magicians who use their skills in illusion to pull off heists and pass off their loot to people in need, like Robin Hood with a few extra tricks up their sleeves.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for being a well-oiled machine, thanks to its constant supply of new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. But fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall that there was a ton of experimentation in its early days. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge risk, and the filmmaker recently recalled coming up with the MCU's Infinity Stone lore in "three minutes". Let's break it down.

Before James Gunn became the DCU's co-CEO, he was attempting to bring the Guardians to life in live-action. The OG 2014 blockbuster offered much more information about the Infinity Stones, although it turns out that the exposition dump by Benicio del Toro's The Collector came together without all that much thought. During a conversation with GQ about his movies, Gunn revealed:

How wild is that? While this was a sequence that would inform countless upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows, James Gunn actually wrote the Infinity Stones sequence in Guardians 1 on the fly. And those three minutes would end up being canon for the entirety of the shared universe. Talk about timing.

Gunn's comments to GQ help to peel back the curtain on how things came together during the early stages of the MCU. While it looks to fans like the Kevin Feige and company have a master plan, ultimately its just regular people putting together each new blockbuster. James Gunn's work on Guardians of the Galaxy opened up cosmic doors for the MCU, and provided backstory to the Infinity Stones, which would majorly factor into other projects including Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

In that same interview he also revealed that they shot the first Guardians movie with the Power Stone being red, but it had to be changed to purple for the theatrical cut. Namely because they decided the Reality Stone aka the Aether from Thor: The Dark World would be red instead.

After the ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, fans are left wondering if/when the franchise might return to the big screen. The movie's title card claimed Star-Lord would be back, but it's unclear whether or not we'll see the rest of the team. None of the Guardians were listed in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement.

The next installment in the MCU is The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list. James Gunn's latest directorial project Superman is in theaters now, which once again creates a canon for a shared universe.

Spoilers ahead for Ironheart.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly treating fans to new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latter brought us the recent release of Ironheart, which centered around Dominique Thorne's Riri Wiliams after she debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I had a great time watching the spinoff, mostly because it did something that all my favorite Marvel movies do. Namely, it has a unique POV and something to say.

Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen how the franchise has ebbed and flowed in the years since Avengers: Endgame was released. The Ironheart TV series is out in its entirety now, and I was truly shocked by how much I loved it. While I've watched every MCU series, this one brought something wholly unique to the table. Aside from Ryan Coogler and company fusing magic and tech, the show had a setting and group of characters so real you could touch them. And, the way that the series connected to the MCU as a whole was chef's kiss.

Ironheart Brought Something New To The MCU

All of my favorite Marvel projects had a unique POV and something to say. Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy are two prime examples, as they were director-driven and unlike anything seen previously in the shared universe. The same can also be said with some of the TV series, especially WandaVision and Loki. Rather than simply giving us a ground-level story about Riri Williams becoming a bonafide superhero, we got a fully fleshed out world with tons of surprising plot twists.

Aside from its tone and delightful cast of characters, Ironheart also broke ground for the MCU as a whole. Specifically by mixing magic and tech in a way we haven't seen before. This comes as Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is about to be introduced, a villain who is known for combining these two elements in his evil plans.

Ironheart's Ties To The MCU's History Felt Organic

While the series told a story about Riri in Chicago, it also featured a number of satisfying and surprising ties to other projects in the MCU. Fans were shocked when Ironheart revealed a real connection to Iron Man, as Alden Ehrenreich was revealed to be Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane. His father, Obadiah, was the first villain of the entire shared universe, and it seemed fitting that Tony Stark's successor would end up colliding with the son of his OG adversary.

Magic entered the group chat halfway through, and offered yet another connection to previous MCU entries. Cree Summer's Madeline Stanton revealed she actually trained at Kamar-Taj from the Doctor Strange franchise. While some Marvel projects feel like they're forcing these connections to the larger franchise, the new Disney+ series makes it seem much more organic.

Finally there was the long-awaited entrance of Mephisto, who had been rumored to join the MCU since WandaVision. Fans have debated for years about exactly how that villain would show up, but they didn't expect it to happen in Ironheart. One can only imagine how this particular plot twist will reverberate through upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Ironheart is streaming in its entirety now on Disney+ as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. Fans have questions after the finale, so hopefully the studio will offer some answers sooner rather than later.

James Gunn is bringing some familiar faces from his Guardians of the Galaxy squad into upcoming DCU films, or at least one of them, and now we know exactly who Bradley Cooper is playing in the David Corenswet's Superman movie. The Marvel alum is set to take on a legendary role, one that extends beyond voice work and into holographic territory.

So, how did the DC Studios Co-CEO land Cooper for the gig? It all unfolded in peak Gunn fashion. In a recent interview with Jake’s Takes, the director revealed that the casting wasn’t the result of a formal pitch meeting or studio wrangling—it was simply a favor between friends. As the Slither screenwriter put it, this was less about paperwork and more about a well-placed ask:

Can we pause and appreciate the casually epic nature of that exchange? Most people text their friends for help moving furniture, but the Super director ropes them into intergalactic fatherhood in one of the most anticipated upcoming superhero movies of the decade. He continued:

Cooper isn’t just there for window dressing. He’s bringing real weight to a familiar role as the A Star is Born actor is set to take on the part of none other than Jor-El, Kal-El’s legendary Kryptonian father.

If you’ve seen his work as Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy, you already know Cooper can deliver pathos from behind pixels. Now, he’s lending that same soulful energy to the last moments of Krypton, just with less fur and more gravitas.

It’s not just a one-off cameo, either. Gunn previously confirmed that fellow Guardians of the Galaxy vets Pom Klementieff (Mantis) and Michael Rooker (Yondu) are also part of the Superman cast, voicing robotic characters in the Fortress of Solitude along with Creature Commandos veteran voice actor Alan Tudyk.

As for the role of Jor-El, a part played by iconic actors like Marlon Brando and Russell Crowe, DC’s Gods and Monsters architect kept expectations grounded, saying the appearance is brief but emotionally potent. It’s less about screentime and more about story weight. A 3D hologram of Bradley Cooper dropping cosmic dad wisdom? Yeah, we’ll take that over another sky beam any day.

Gunn didn’t confirm whether Cooper will return in future films, but he left the door wide open. When asked if we could see him pop back up in future projects, he teased:

Superman soars into theaters on July 11, 2025, and if Bradley Cooper’s Jor-El is any indication—not to mention those epic early trailers—it’s clear James Gunn is aiming for a fresh, fearless new take on the Man of Steel. Consider the dad vibes officially upgraded.

James Gunn recently got one of the most significant promotions in Hollywood when he movies on from directing the best part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to being put in creative control of the entire DC film universe. As such, he will be responsible for how an entire universe of characters is handled through a variety of upcoming DC films and TV series. It’s a job, he says, he’s already had some experience with thanks to Rocket Raccoon.

In a recent appearance on the DC Studios podcast, James Gunn was asked about the difficult task of keeping a character’s tone consistent across multiple projects, and even multiple mediums, such as Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag appearing in both the animated Creature Commandos and the live-action upcoming Superman movie. Gunn says keeping that tone consistent among DC characters is very important to him, as it was working with Marvel. He explained…

While the first chapter of the DCU is only just getting underway, we know that, as with Marvel, we’re going to see multiple characters appear in many different projects, all from different creative voices. Certainly, two different screenwriters aren’t going to write Superman exactly the same way, but that runs the risk of making him do something that might be out of character based on what the past, or future, plans for the character are.

It seems James Gunn has some experience with fixing the tone for his creations. It sounds like one of the MCU movies where Rocket appeared outside of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, once had him saying or doing something that Gunn didn’t feel was right for the character.

Gunn's love for Rocket is well known. Rocket only appeared in three films outside of the Guardians movies: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder. It sounds like in at least one of these films, Gunn took issue with Rocket's initial portrayal, and so he got involved to make sure Rocket “made sense.” He'll now be doing that on a grand scale.

Since Gunn says he’s particularly protective of those characters that he originated on film, we can expect that he will be paying close attention to how Superman is handled when he appears in other films. Of course, we don’t even know what James Gunn’s Superman is like as a character yet. That day will come very soon, however. As Superman is only a couple of weeks away.

When Avengers: Endgame ended with Thor hitching a ride aboard the Milano, many fans assumed they’d see the God of Thunder getting cozy with the Guardians of the Galaxy in their next adventure. However, when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription) rolled into theaters, Thor was M.I.A. So, what gives? According to James Gunn, the answer is refreshingly honest and surprisingly personal.

In an exclusive interview with EW as part of their Superman cover story, Gunn explained that his decision to keep Thor out of Guardians Vol. 3 wasn’t about contracts, tone clashes, or franchise fatigue. It came down to one simple truth: he just didn’t connect with the character. He explained to the outlet:

It’s rare to hear a director admit they’re not the right fit for a popular superhero movie character, especially one played by one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. But the Super director has always marched to his own "cosmic" beat. His Guardians trilogy has never been about ticking boxes or following trends, making them some of the best Marvel movies. Instead, it’s centered on emotionally broken oddballs learning to become a family, and Vol. 3 stayed true to that mission without any thunderbolts or hammers in sight.

This wasn’t Gunn’s first time wrestling with the ripple effects of interconnected cinematic universes, either. In the same interview, he talked candidly about the complications of planting seeds in post-credit scenes that later become storytelling burdens. He pointed to the Adam Warlock tease at the end of Guardians Vol. 2 as a prime example. While he ultimately enjoyed working with the actor, integrating Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock into Vol. 3 wasn’t exactly seamless. The Slither screenwriter added:

The takeaway? Just because a crossover seems good in theory doesn’t mean it belongs in the story. Gunn’s refusal to shoehorn Thor into the narrative reflects a broader ethos that’s shaping his work at DC Studios and the slate of upcoming DC movies. His Superman will feature a post-credits scene, but only because it serves the story, not because it checks a franchise box.

James Gunn’s brand of storytelling may not have always followed the blueprint we expect upcoming Marvel movies to adhere to, but it was always rooted in intention. And that might be what makes his work stand out. Rather than riding the momentum of a viral team-up, he chose to stay focused on what Guardians Vol. 3 needed to say, and who it needed to say it through. And because of that, we got a great movie.

Now, I can't wait to see what he makes next, as the July 11 release of Superman is right around the corner on the 2025 movie schedule.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, with the studio methodically releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Those who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that Guardians of the Galaxy is a fan favorite franchise. After the Guardians 3 ending, fans are wondering if/when the team might return in upcoming Marvel movies. And Nebula actress Karen Gillan recently spoke about that possibility.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 offered the motley crew of cosmic heroes a happy ending, although many of them went their separate ways. Nebula and Drax decided to raise the children they rescued on Knowhere, and it's unclear if we'll ever see that duo again. While speaking with MovieWeb, the Doctor Who alum was asked this, saying:

How delightfully cryptic. While it doesn't seem like there are any future plans for Nebula, Gillan doesn't sound opposed to popping back up as the Blue Meanie. Hopefully, Kevin Feige and company will cook up a reason to bring her back, because she's one of my favorite characters in all of the MCU.

Of course, there are some possible roadblocks into Gillan one again playing Nebula in the MCU. To start, James Gunn is now co-CEO of DC's studio, and his contract with Marvel reached its conclusion with Guardians 3. He's likely going to be way too busy to craft another cosmic story, which means Karen Gillan might have to work with a new filmmaker. Whether or not she's interested in the MCU without Gunn remains to be seen.

The title card at the end of Guardians 3 claimed that Star-Lord was going to return to the MCU at some point, but the same was not confirmed for the rest of the team. Dave Bautista needed a break from Drax's makeup, and I have to assume that that Gillan might have similar feelings. After all, she's spent a decade in the extensive makeup and prosthetics to bring Nebula to life.

At the time of writing this story, none of the Guardians have been confirmed in Avengers: Doomsday's cast list. That includes Chris Pratt, who joked about not having a chair in the live stream announcement. And if Star-Lord isn't going to appear, then I have to assume the same can be said for Nebula and the rest of the crew.

Of course, Marvel actors are known for lying to the press in order to keep the shared universe spoiler-free. Case in point: Andrew Garfield lying for years about playing Spider-Man prior to the release of No Way Home.

Karen Gillan's tenure as Nebula is streaming now on Disney+, and the next movie hitting theaters is The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release dates. I'll just keep hoping we get to see Nebula at some point down the line.

When Avengers: Doomsday went into production, fans were treated to a four-hour livestream revealing two dozen names of the stars of the new film. I remember, I live blogged the whole thing. There were names we expected, like Anthony Mackie or Chris Hemsworth. Some names surprised us, like the various members of the X-Men. And then there were some that surprised us because we didn’t see them.

While we’ve since learned that not every important name in the Avengers: Doomsday cast was revealed in the live stream, several were conspicuous by their absence. One of those was Chris Pratt. Collider recently asked him just where the chair with his name on it was, and the actor joked that it must have been there; we just didn’t see it. Pratt said…

To be fair, it was a big soundstage and there were a lot of chairs to keep track of. If one of them had gotten lost in a corner somewhere, it wouldn't exactly be that shocking.

To be clear, Chris Pratt is just joking and isn’t confirming his appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. If his chair wasn’t there, it’s because he either isn’t in the movie, or Marvel doesn’t want us to know he is, and either way, Pratt is pretty good about not letting the cat out of the bag, unlike some other MCU actors we could mention.

The main reason that Pratt’s name not appearing was a bit of a surprise is that Star-Lord is the one member of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast that we’ve specifically been told “will eturn” as that was stated in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While Pratt isn’t saying when that promise will be fulfilled, he does plainly state that it will be fulfilled at some point. He continued…

One assumes that since the movie bothered to specify that Star-Lord would return, somebody at least had an idea for that. Adding the statement seemed to indicate that not only would Star-Lord be back, but that the other Guardians of the Galaxy would not. Marvel Studios thought making that clear was important.

Whatever the plan is, it’s clear there is a plan to bring back Star-Lord. Maybe he’ll appear in Doomsday after all or in the follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars. He might not even appear until all that dust settles, but it seems that the legendary Star-Lord will return eventually.

Following the massive, and massively long, Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal, fans have a pretty good idea of who will be appearing in the superhero epic when it hits theaters next year. That said, we also know the list of Doomsday cast members isn’t complete. We currently don't know if Chris Pratt's Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord will return. Ahead of those cast reveals though, fans had plenty to say about an awkward exchange related to the Avengers flick.

Chris Pratt’s most recent movie, The Electric State, was directed by the Russo Brothers, who are returning to helm the Avengers flicks. With that, there was an obvious opportunity for Deadline to ask if the trio might reteam for one of the upcoming Marvel movies. Pratt, of course, did not give an answer, which is not all that surprising. However, it’s why he didn’t that has everybody talking, as his publicist got him the F out of there before he could say more than a couple of words. Check it out:

The internet has, of course, had a field day with this interaction. While celebrities often have to dance around answers when there are things they’re not supposed to say, Pratt isn‘t even given that opportunity. He’s just moved on as quickly as possible. Fans are laughing about the whole situation and are also largely convinced that Chris Pratt will absolutely show up in one of the upcoming Avengers movies. Check out some of the comments:

• He dodged that convo so quick 😭 - @Austin_Medzz
• The Legendary Star-Lord will return! - @koolcam11
• Doesn’t this just give it away that he’s in the movie? - @Nicksgd_
• This lady just basically confirmed that he will return in doomsday and secret wars. Good going publicist. - @SteinmarkJ92189

It’s a well-understood Hollywood maxim at this point that when a particular actor is asked if they will be in a high-profile movie that is trying to keep secrets, when the answer is no, they say no. Also, when the answer is yes, they can’t say anything. Since, under this idea, the publicist wouldn’t need to push Pratt away to avoid answering a question about a movie he isn’t in, he must therefore be in it, based on that logic.

We haven’t seen Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord since the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, the conclusion of that movie assured us that “Star-Lord will return.” Marvel is rarely so up front about such things unless they were fairly certain it would happen. While a lot has certainly changed in the MCU since that time, including the entire plot and focus of the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday, there’s no indication that Star-Lord will not be returning.

The Russo Brothers are directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. This means even if Pratt will be reteaming with them, we still don’t know specifically when. Given that the first movie is still over a year away from release, there will be plenty more chances for members of the press to ask Chris Pratt about it. The publicists can’t have him avoiding questions forever, after all.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on May 1, 2026. In the meantime, you can stream the Marvel movies and TV shows using a Disney+ subscription.

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the true highlights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The three movies, plus an amazing Christmas special, make up a fun and compelling story about some of the MCU’s best characters. It’s also an incredible journey for Kevin Bacon, who, despite only appearing in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, has been part of the story since the beginning.

Kevin Bacon isn’t in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but he does get name-dropped because Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is a big fan. Speaking with Esquire, Bacon reveals that he had no idea he was going to be mentioned in the film, and he was shocked when he heard his name. He (jokingly) says he was a little annoyed because he’d rather have gotten paid if he was going to be included in the project:

It has to be more than a little strange to be Kevin Bacon sitting in a dark theater watching a science fiction Marvel movie and hearing his own name. Kevin Bacon has made some great films in his career and was a staple of '80s cinema. Hearing him referenced by name in a film isn't a wild idea, but this particular flick was certainly one place he was not expecting it.

Of course, Kevin Bacon would eventually get a gig from James Gunn to play himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. One might think that since Bacon was looking for a gig, that may have been how the appearance came about. However, Bacon says the call from James Gunn, who he had worked with on 2010's Super, came “out of the blue.” Still, he was such a fan that he said yes before even knowing what he would be doing. The actor continued…

Bacon plays an exaggerated version of himself in the special. Interestingly, the actor admits he’s actually not a big fan of Christmas, which makes the character he plays even funnier since the Kevin Bacon in the special you can stream with a Disney+ subscription clearly takes Christmas very seriously.

It certainly sounds like Kevin Bacon had a great time working on Guardians. With James Gunn now on the other side of the fence building the new DCU, one has to wonder if there might be a place for Kevin Bacon there eventually, either as himself or playing a character. There’s probably at least one DC comic book character who is a big fan of Tremors.

At this point the MCU is a well-oiled machine, regularly pumping out new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Then there's the still-developing DCU, which began with Creature Commandos (streaming with a Max subscription) and will fly into theaters with James Gunn's Superman. Gunn is co-CEO of the entire studio, and recently shared what he learned from his time at Marvel with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

What we know about Superman is fairly limited, but the upcoming DC movie is arriving in July. The acclaimed filmmaker spoke to EW about his vision for the Man of Steel, and explained that it'll be very much rooted in his sensibilities, just like the Guardians movies. As Gunn put it:

It sounds like Gunn wants the DCU to be a director-driven place, where filmmakers could put their owns spin on the classic IP. So while he will likely utilize the same music-heavy irreverent tone as previous projects, the Guardians visionary wants other DC directors to feel similarly empowered.

While speaking about the way he wants DC directors to feel creatively empowered, James Gunn mentioned his time in the MCU, especially as the Guardians of the Galaxy were first being introduced and crossing over with other characters. As he shared:

He's not wrong. While originally it seemed hard to imagine the colorful and zany characters from Guardians of the Galaxy interacting with the likes of mainstays like Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America, that's exactly what happened. And it was fodder for both exciting narrative possibilities and plenty of comedic beats.

Between animated and live-action projects, it does certainly seem like the DCU's first slate of projects, titled Gods and Monsters, is going to be an eclectic one. James Gunn shared his excitement for those worlds to meet in the future, and what's coming for Superman characters. He said:

I'm certainly intrigued. Gunn has already shared his commitment to the DCU being an interconnected world, and it sounds like there are already plans in motion for members of the Superman cast to return.

The new shared universe will debut in theaters when Superman is released on July 11th as part of the 2025 movie release list. James Gunn's messaging definitely has me hopeful about the shared universe, which will likely make the break between projects all the more frustrating.

Where will the Guardians of the Galaxy show up next? As of right now, we have no idea. A brand new roster for the intergalactic team was revealed at the end of James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 , but we haven't heard anything about the group's next adventure, and none of the actors were included in last week's cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday. Fans are presently waiting for any kind of update about the ragtag heroes – but if it were up to Adam Warlock himself, Will Poulter, he would gladly sign up for a mission that sees the Guardians hook up with Joseph Quinn's Human Torch and the Fantastic Four.

Poulter and Quinn star together in the upcoming action/drama Warfare from directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza (which has been earning rave reviews), and during a recent interview with IGN, the former expressed excitement about the possibility of collaborating with the latter again, next time with both actors playing their respective Marvel Cinematic Universe roles. Discussing what could potentially come together in upcoming Marvel movies, Poulter said,

Fans last had the chance to see Adam Warlock in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 end credits, which revealed that the Guardians are currently being led by Rocket Raccoon (Star-Lord having decided to go back to Earth and spend time with his only living relative). In addition to Warlock, the team also includes Kraglin, Cosmo, Blurp, Groot and Phlya-Vell. We can hope that we'll end up seeing them again in Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled to start production a few weeks after principal photography wraps on Avengers: Doomsday, but nothing has been promised yet.

As for the Guardians and Adam Warlock potentially interacting with the Fantastic Four, the potential of that meetup will be much clearer once Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives this summer. There has been significant suggestion that the film takes place in a parallel reality that is not the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there has been a great deal of speculation that they will be crossing dimensions before the blockbuster's end, making crossovers with other MCU heroes viable.

In addition to Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch, Fantastic Four: First Steps also stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm a.k.a. The Invisible Woman, and Ebon Moss Bachrach as Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing. The impressive supporting cast also includes Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson, John Malkovich, Paul Walter Houser and Natasha Lyonne.

We'll have to wait and see if a Guardians of the Galaxy/Fantastic Four team-up ends up happening (it would certainly be logical given that both teams are key within the cosmic realm of blockbuster action), but if you're curious now to see what a Will Poulter/Joseph Quinn team-up looks like, you'll be able to see Warfare when it arrives in theaters everywhere on April 11.

When you look at the upcoming Marvel movies on the way, we apparently have a little over a year before the next Avengers movie is released. And, of course, we’re trying to figure out who will be part of the superhero team when the second generation assembles next summer. At this point, there are a lot of options, including from the last Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

One of the latest movies coming out this week is A24’s Death of a Unicorn, which stars Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd alongside one star of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Will Poulter was welcomed in the Marvel family back in 2021 to play Adam Warlock, but he only had a small role. Now that he’s worked with Rudd, Poulter spoke to whether he’s still interested in the MCU, saying:

As you might recall, Warlock was a Sovereign created by Ayesha to be a living weapon with the programming to kill off the Guardians. However, Warlock wasn’t very successful in his attempts to destroy the misfit superhero team, and during the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ending, he ended up joining the new Guardians team led by Rocket the Raccoon.

Given that the Guardians of the Galaxy were very instrumental in the last two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame, it is in fact possible Warlock could make an appearance. And as Poulter told Comicbook, if given the chance, he would “love” the opportunity to jump back in that gold body paint for a Warlock comeback.

The question is whether Marvel truly has a future mapped out for Adam Warlock without filmmaker James Gunn in the Marvel world anymore. The writer/director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy actually has creative control over DC Studios now, and has the new Superman movie coming out this summer.

Sure, Marvel has the rights to all of the Guardians even without James Gunn, but I’m just not sure the team will be the same without his voice in play. Additionally, there are so many other characters in the MCU that have been introduced in recent years, but have been underdeveloped. When Gunn spoke to having Warlock in Vol. 3, he even said he felt he needed to have the character because he “promised” him in the post-credits for Vol. 2,. However, some of his script plans changed throughout the process, making him perhaps less prominent in the threequel.

Poulter is a great talent in Hollywood, having two buzzy movies out this year with Death of a Unicorn and Warfare. Plus, after he was in one of the best Black Mirror episodes, Bandersnatch, he is reprising his role in a sequel episode coming out in Season 7, which drops April 10. Of course, anything’s possible with the Avengers movies, and it would be awesome to see Warlock in more MCU installments.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the cutest of them all? That’s a question Snow White’s Gal Gadot spent some time answering with CinemaBlend as she determined which Disney creature was the most adorable. However, while her admiring Baby Groot’s cuteness was very sweet, it was actually her comment about Vin Diesel and Fast & Furious that was the cutest of them all.

To kick off this game played in honor of the 2025 movie schedule’s live-action Snow White, CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb asked Gadot if Baby Groot or Baby Dumbo was cuter. She chose the Guardians of the Galaxy character as the winner, which you can see below:

However, after that, she noted her personal connection to the adorable sentient tree. As mentioned, while Gadot is a DC actress and hasn’t appeared in a Marvel project, Vin Diesel played a pivotal role in her career. His film, 2009’s Fast & Furious, was her “first Hollywood movie,” as she said:

After that, when asked to choose between Groot and Bambi, the Wonder Woman actress went for her friend's GotG character, saying:

Sadly, Baby Groot didn’t win the cute game. Baby Dory was eventually chosen over the loveable tree, and in the end, Dopey from Snow White, understandably, won. However, her comment about the role Groot’s voice actor played in her career is the moment that really stuck with me.

Listen, the Fast family is forever, and Diesel and Gadot have always been very sweet to each other. Plus, after being involved in some of the best Fast & Furious movies and then leaving for a while, the Gisele actress has returned to the franchise.

Now, after Gal Gadot’s appearance in Fast X, I’m hoping she’ll play a bigger role in the cast of Fast & Furious 11. However, I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s focus on the here and now.

The actress’s comments about the Dominic Toretto actor certainly are sweet, because her role in that Fast & Furious movie helped her break into Hollywood and kickstart her career. Now, she’s played a superhero and an evil queen in massive blockbusters.

Speaking of the evil queen. The Red Notice star plays her in the new live-action Snow White, which CinemaBlend’s review gave 3.5 stars. While critics haven’t been the most enthusiastic about Snow White, audiences have been loving it way more, and it seems like Rachel Zegler and co.'s take on the iconic princess film is winning people over.

So, thank you Vin Diesel and Fast & Furious for helping Gal Gadot’s career start. And thank you to the actress for giving us this sweet and sentimental full-circle moment where she reflected on her start while speaking about the big movie she’s part of now. To see that movie, you can catch Snow White in theaters now.

Actor Chris Pratt has come a long way since his time on Parks & Recreation (streaming with a Peacock subscription), becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable movie stars. That includes his ongoing role in the MCU as Star-Lord, as well as more recent releases like Netflix's The Electric State. And he compared those two characters in a way that totally makes sense.

The end of Guardians 3 announced Star-Lord would be back in upcoming Marvel movies, but exactly when remains a mystery. He recently brought a new character John D. Keats to life in Electric State, which is available to stream with a Netflix subscription). When speaking with EW about the project, he shared some connective tissue that links Peter Quill and John Keats. In his words:

Honestly, I see it now. While obviously both character have Pratt's signature swagger, their love for vintage culture is definitely something in common for the leading men of The Electric State and Guardians of the Galaxy.

While Electric State's critic score was low, audiences seem to be much kinder on the project. Another connection MCU connection that Pratt didn't mention is the fact that the new blockbuster was helmed by The Russo Brothers, who he worked with on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Later in the same interview, Pratt spoke more about his two characters, sharing:

Just like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the ending of The Electric State also teased the way the story might continue in a possible sequel. The final moments of the Netflix movie saw Cosmo rise up, seemingly hinting that Christopher's consciousness might still be alive. So just like fans are waiting for news about Star-Lord, they'll seemingly have to do the same for John D. Keats.

The Electric State is streaming now on Netflix, while Pratt's time in the MCU (so far) is on Disney+. But we shouldn't expect either of his characters to show up in anything else in the 2025 movie release list.

A little over a decade ago, James Gunn had a huge hand in changing the world of comic book movies with the release of Guardians Of The Galaxy, and today, he has a huge hand in sculpting its future. Along with Peter Safran as the co-CEOs of DC Studios, Gunn makes creative decisions that serve as the compass for one of the world’s biggest franchises. There is a lot of pressure on him to properly utilize some of the most beloved characters in the history of fiction, and while that carries a lot of weight, he has the advantage of being able to lean on personal experience.

Developing a wide variety of projects under the umbrella of the DC Universe is likely going to yield a wide variety of responses from mass audiences, and those responses are going to have an impact on decisions made about what comes next. Of course, predicting reactions can present a minefield, as can leaning too heavily on public opinion – but those are lessons that James Gunn has already learned firsthand with the stories of Groot and Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

The Story Of Groot Taught James Gunn To Be Open To The Unexpected

Late last week, I was part of a small group of journalists invited to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California for an hour-long conversation with James Gunn and Peter Safran about everything that’s cooking in the DC Universe, and one of the most interesting bits of discussion regarded how the franchise’s slate would be dictated by fan reactions. Gunn said that there are ideas of what constitutes the first chapter of the franchise, dubbed Gods And Monsters, but he cited his experience bringing Groot to the big screen for the first time that one can’t fully map everything out in advance. Said the filmmaker,

Test screenings are often done with unfinished cuts of a film, and in the case of big blockbusters, that often means unfinished visual effects. In the case of Guardians of the Galaxy, the first people to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie didn’t get to have the full Groot experience – but when people saw the finished work, they fell hard for the living tree.

James Gunn certainly had affection for Groot, but he was taken aback by the response to the character, and it ultimately had an impact on his work on the sequels featuring Groot’s offspring. The “Mr. Bluesky” opening sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 probably doesn’t happen unless Gunn registers and appreciates the love for the extraterrestrial plant. He continued,

The knife cuts both ways: If people are positively responding to something, that suggests there should be more of it in the future, but if people are responding negatively, that means there should be less… right?

The Story Of Nebula Taught James Gunn To Trust His Gut

There are obvious benefits to a filmmaker taking the audience’s response into consideration when developing a franchise, but it’s an art, not a science. Doing it too much can result in an artist repeating what they have already done or making something homogenized to the point of lacking any perspective or personality. That’s a trap James Gunn knows not to fall into thanks to his insistence in telling the story of Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

According to James Gunn, there wasn’t a whole lot of love for the alien android following the release of his first MCU movie, and had he entirely depended on audience reaction, the character may not have been back for the sequels. Instead, he trusted his creative instincts, and by the time audiences saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she became beloved:

Continuing, Gunn said that movie-goers can’t always see all of the machinations in a story until all of the big picture ideas play out, and that means sometimes trusting his gut. Said Gunn,

How the philosophies of James Gunn and Peter Safran ultimately dictate the slate of upcoming DC movies is something we’ll have to wait and see, but the grand experiment kicks off on the big screen this summer with the release of Superman on July 11 followed by Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow in the summer of 2026. It will be fascinating to see the DC Universe grow, and we will be following its development closely here on CinemaBlend.

Chris Pratt isn’t shutting the door on returning as Peter Quill in any upcoming Marvel movies, but he’s got some conditions. While walking the red carpet for his new Netflix release, the Guardians of the Galaxy star shared his thoughts about what it would take for him to reprise his role as Star-Lord, emphasizing that the studio has some pretty “big shoes to fill” in finding a replacement for filmmaker James Gunn to helm another GotG flick.

In an interview on the red carpet premiere of his 2025 movie release, The Electric State, the Jurassic World star discussed with ComicBook the challenges and prerequisites for returning as the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which all fall under the first name "James." Pratt explained:

The Parks and Recreation veteran has a point—Marvel Studios has a tough challenge ahead if they plan to continue Star-Lord’s story without James Gunn. The director’s signature mix of humor, heart, and cosmic spectacle played a massive role in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy’s success, making it difficult for another filmmaker to step into his shoes.

If you’ve watched the Marvel movies from the beginning, you might recall that the Guardians characters haven't always felt quite the same when seen outside of Gunn’s films. Their appearances in other MCU projects sometimes left fans feeling like the characters were slightly off, reinforcing just how much the filmmaker’s vision shaped them, making them some of the best Marvel movies and best space westerns ever put to screen.

The conclusion of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 left Peter Quill's future open-ended, with the character returning to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather. A post-credits scene teased, "The Legendary Star-Lord will return," suggesting Marvel's intention to further explore Quill's adventures. However, with Gunn's departure to DC Studios, the direction of Star-Lord's storyline remains uncertain.

The Passengers actor’s openness to reprising the role is contingent upon the quality of the narrative and the creative team behind it, which is par for the course after a trilogy. He has previously expressed a willingness to reunite with Gunn, even if it happens within the DC Universe. In a May 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Pratt stated:

As much as I’d love to see “The Legendary Star-Lord” make his return, I could also get behind the Mario Bros. veteran voice actor joining an upcoming DC flick, as long as Gunn is directing, of course. Then again, “both” is also a very good choice, too.

As for the upcoming The Electric State, Pratt's latest venture is set to premiere on Netflix on March 14, 2025. Directed by former and future MCU directors Joe and Anthony Russo, the film is an upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of Simon Stålenhag's graphic novel. It features an ensemble cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Ke Huy Quan, and Stanley Tucci. The story follows an orphaned teenager, portrayed by Brown, who traverses a retro-futuristic landscape in search of her missing brother, accompanied by a mysterious robot.

For now, Star-Lord’s MCU future is up in the air, depending on the right story and a creative team that can do the character justice. While fans wait for updates, check out our list of upcoming superhero movies to see which action-packed flicks are headed to theaters next, or check out Chris Pratt’s tenure in the MCU by streaming all the movies with a Disney+ subscription.

Post-credits scenes teasing future adventures have become a regular part of the modern blockbuster experience, and they have provided fans with a lot of excitement and fuel for speculation over the years… but one doesn’t always think a lot about their downsides. For one, there is always a gamble that you’ll end up leaving audiences on the hook for years waiting for satisfaction, but they can also accidentally create expectations that end up limiting the creativity of filmmakers. Following his experiences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn is an individual who knows a lot about these kinds of teases from personal experience, and it’s an education that he is keeping in mind as he works to shepherd the future of the DC Universe.

Last week, I attended a DC Studios presentation with DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, and one of the questions I asked the filmmakers was about movies and shows teasing upcoming canon events – particularly given the development approach that sees projects enter production not because of a fixed release schedule but because their scripts have been properly polished. Getting honest, Gunn acknowledged that post-credits scenes can be problematic, saying,

For those who don’t recall, James Gunn went a bit overboard when it came to end credits scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While the majority of films up to that point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe only had one or two coda sequences, the Guardians sequel included five. Arguably the most exciting was the tease that Ayesha was in the process of creating a perfect being for the Sovereign – a being she would name Adam.

There wasn’t anything in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 that explicitly said “Adam Warlock will make his first appearance in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3,” but James Gunn still recognized that he had created a contract of sorts with the audience by teasing the character’s birth. He felt obligated to feature him in the sequel (in which he is played by Will Poulter), but there were points in developing the film that he didn’t quite fit into the story that Gunn wanted to tell. He continued,

Obviously this doesn’t mean that James Gunn’s new film, Superman, won’t feature end credits scenes – but we now know going into the Man of Steel’s latest cinematic adventure that any teases of the future the movie may contain were given special consideration before their inclusion in the finished cut.

Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and more, Superman will be arriving in theaters on July 11 – and you can be sure that when it does, we here at CinemaBlend will be analyzing every implication for the future of the DC Universe that it includes.

For decades in superhero comics, there has been an ongoing competition between DC and Marvel. The two biggest names in superheroes have created some of the medium’s most iconic characters, and while there is no reason to pick sides, many fans have. That's despite the fact that many actors and directors have worked on both sides of the aisle, most notably James Gunn.

After directing three amazing Guardians of the Galaxy movies James Gunn is now the co-head of DC Studios, and has directed the first in the new cinematic universe of upcoming DC movies, Superman. His brother, Sean Gunn, who worked with James on the Guardians movies, has made the move with him playing Maxwell Lord in the DCU, with his first appearance reportedly being as a member of the Superman cast. However, Sean told Kristian Harloff that he’s more than willing to work with Marvel again should the opportunity arise, saying:

While a lot of fans draw lines between Marvel and DC, James Gunn had not been a fan of comic book fan wars even years before he got involved with DC. He clearly loverd all the characters and it certainly seems like his brother feels the same way. There’s no real reason to pick one side or the other as a fan.

The same goes when you’re a working actor. Sean Gunn admits that part of his profession involves always looking for work, and while there may be good reasons to turn down a job now and then, he’s not always in a position to say no to good work. If he can work for Marvel and DC at the same time, he’s happy to do so, though he’s not expecting that at this point. He continued:

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 teased a future for Star-Lord in its closing credits, the fact that he was singled out would seem to indicate no immediate plans for the new Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, if they ever do get called on to return, it will mean lots of work for Gunn, as he’s both Kraglin and the physical stand in for Rocket Raccoon.

The holidays just got a whole lot merrier for Marvel fans. No, I’m not talking about an upcoming Marvel movie or the incredible way the upcoming Avengers Doomsday is allegedly bringing Peggy Carter back. What I’m talking about is far funnier. The MCU may be a well-oiled blockbuster machine but behind the scenes? It’s a comedy goldmine. Someone just rounded up some of the best Bloopers from the comic book flick juggernaut, and Merry Christmas, ya filthy Marvel Fans!

Fans can now revel in a reel of the best MCU bloopers that will leave you grinning like Loki. If you’ve seen the Marvel movies in order, you’ll appreciate the video–watch embedded below–as it’s packed with laugh-out-loud moments from our favorite Marvel stars. Honestly, it’s the holiday cheer we didn’t know we needed, thanks to Mr. Moist.

If there’s one thing the House of Ideas knows how to do—besides saving the world, making us cry, and blowing our minds with the ever-expanding multiverse—it’s delivering those laugh-out-loud moments that remind us even superheroes are human (well, mostly).

This reel serves up some of the funniest slip-ups and outtakes, bringing fans into the behind-the-scenes chaos of their favorite Marvel movies–which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription. From the men of Marvel (that should be a calendar, no?) going in for a kiss with their male costars to Mark Ruffalo hilariously running away from the sound of the Hulk. There are tons of standout moments:

• Captain America’s “Assemble”…ish
  • Chris Evans, ever the consummate professional as Captain America, tries to set up the iconic “Avengers, assemble” line, only to derail it completely. Instead of delivering the epic moment, he points at the camera and quips, “Huuuuh!?” before breaking into laughter. Scarlett Johansson, never one to miss a comedic opportunity, jumps behind him and declares, “Ascend!” while making a dramatic leap. Forget Endgame—this is the crossover moment we needed.
• WandaVision’s Fly-ing Surprise
  • Elizabeth Olsen looks horrified in a black-and-white sitcom scene from WandaVision—not because of any magical mishap, but because one of her co-stars accidentally swallows a fly mid-take. Olsen’s reaction is pure sitcom gold, and you can almost hear Wanda muttering, “This isn’t real…” as she tries to stay in character. Someone get this cast some bug spray!
• Peter-Man Makes His Debut
  • Jacob Batalon, aka Ned, maybe the guy in the chair, but even he isn’t immune to a good ol’ verbal flub. During a scene with Tom Holland, he accidentally calls him “Peter-Man” instead of Spider-Man, immediately bursting into laughter. He then jokingly asks, “Am I fired?” Pro tip: You can’t fire Ned—he’s too funny to lose.
• Chris Pratt’s Warm-Up Routine
  • Chris Pratt is no stranger to stealing the show, and his antics on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 prove it. Before shooting a scene, Pratt turns to his co-stars and warns, “Nobody pull a hammie!” before doing a ridiculously funny little shuffle. To top it off, he adds, “Warm your buttcheeks!” Is it any wonder the Guardians are the MCU’s most lovable misfits?
• Black Panther vs. The Goat
  • While filming a dramatic scene, Chadwick Boseman, ever the regal T’Challa, tries to deliver a serious line…only for a loud goat to interrupt him with an unceremonious “BAAAH!” The unexpected sound causes Danai Gurira (Okoye) to break character completely, laughing so hard that the entire scene falls apart. Even kings can’t escape the chaos of farm animals.

If that video didn’t leave you laughing like Doctor Strange just hit you with a tickle spell, I don’t know what will. Here’s to the holidays, the MCU, and a blooper reel as entertaining as the blockbuster films. Don’t forget to check out our list of upcoming superhero movies to see what big-budget adventures are headed your way in the 2025 movie schedule.

Everybody makes mistakes but that fact does not make it any less frustrating when a character in a movie makes a blunder. Sometimes, the person we are supposed to be rooting for does something that makes us more furious than anything the bad guy is responsible for. See what we mean by reliving these moments that made heroes the accidental villains of their own stories.

Superman II (Clark Gives Up His Powers)

In 1980's Superman II, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) believes he can only have a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) by becoming human, which he achieves by entering a device at the fortress of solitude. Soon after, he realizes the error of this decision when General Zod (Terrence Stamp) and his allies take over the White House.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (The Jedi Council Hires Anakin To Protect Padme)

In the second Star Wars movie (in chronological order), when Padmé Amidala's (Natalie Portman) life is threatened, the Jedi Council chooses none other than trainee Anakin Skywalker to be her bodyguard. They should have known better, given his obvious emotional connection to her, which would eventually lead to a forbidden affair and marriage. Silver lining: the birth of Luke and Leia in the next movie.

Inglourious Basterds (Lt. Hicox Flashes The American Three)

One of the most intense moments from one of Quentin Tarantino's best movies, 2009's Inglourious Basterds, sees a disguised Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) accidentally reveal to Major Hellstrom (August Diehl) that he is not German by merely holding up the wrong fingers when asking the bar for three drinks. Perhaps this one is really on the British Army for not teaching him that the German Three is made up of the thumb, index, and middle finger but who could have known when that would come in handy?

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Tony Stark Creates Ultron)

Wanting to create a "suit of armor for the entire world," Tony "Iron Man" Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) teams with Bruce "Hulk" Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to develop a powerful computer program that could do their work for them. Little did he know that this creation would become the eponymous villain of 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron (voiced by James Spader), providing another cautionary lesson against relying on AI.

Scream (Sydney Runs Upstairs Away From Ghostface)

Minutes after condemning the slasher movie trope of women running upstairs from the killer instead of out the front door, Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) does the same exact thing after Ghostface first attacks her. The star of the Scream movies is still one of our favorite horror final girls but it almost makes you wonder how she manages to survive as long as she would with a blemish like that on her track record.

Prometheus (Meredith Vickers Runs From A Rolling Spacecraft In A Straight Line)

Ridley Scott's 2012 Alien prequel, Prometheus, is one of the most divisive sci-fi movies ever made but even its strongest supporters cannot argue against one character's uproarious miscalculation. Why Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) does not choose to easily run out of the way of the alien spaceship rolling toward her and, instead, keep running straight until it crushes her is a mystery that may remain unsolved.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Drax Summons Ronan)

In 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, a few drinks make Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) confident enough to fight Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) himself, so he sends the tyrant to his current location. As a result, he gets his butt handed to him and Ronan gets away with The Power Stone.

Shrek Forever After (Shrek Makes A Deal With Rumpelstiltskin)

If there is one downside to Shrek (Mike Myers) finding love with Fiona (Cameron Diaz), she may have made him more willing to let his guard down a bit, potentially leading to his disastrous decision in 2010's Shrek Forever After. His nostalgia for his swamp-dwelling days clouds the ogre's judgment when speaking with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who convinces him to wish himself into an alternate reality where the trickster rules Far Far Away.

Bee Movie (Barry Sues Humanity)

Writer Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie stars the comedian as an insect named Barry B. Benson, who becomes angry at humans profiting off of their honey and seeks legal action. He succeeds and bees no longer work in favor of the human race but it ends up causing an environmental disaster.

Avengers: Infinity War (Star-Lord Punches Thanos)

By putting Thanos (Josh Brolin) under Mantis' (Pom Klementieef's) trance, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and the remaining Guardians come super close to removing the Infinity Gauntlet from his hand. However, Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt) learns that the Titan killed Gamora and punches Thanos in anger, breaking the trance and allowing him to get away. This is one moment from 2018's Avengers: Infinity War that understandably prevents some fans from calling it one of the best Marvel movies.

The Descent (Juno Chooses An Unmapped Cave To Explore)

We are not sure if we can count Juno (Natalie Mendoza) as a hero of 2005's The Descent, due to the idiotic stunt she pulls in the otherwise great horror movie. Her friends learn that she chose an unexplored cavern for their spelunking trip only after they get trapped inside with man-eating, nocturnal mutants.

Hancock (Hancock Fights Mary)

It is revealed in Hancock that Will Smith's eponymous superhuman gets weaker the longer he stays in contact with Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron), who turns out to be part of his kind, too. That does not stop him from engaging in a cataclysmic fight with her near the end of the superhero movie not based on a comic book from 2008.

The Blair Witch Project (Mike Throws The Map In The River)

It is not unusual for horror movie characters to make questionable decisions but when Mike (Michael C. Williams) tosses the map to the Black Hills Forest in The Blair Witch Project is simply unforgivable. He argues in the 1999 found footage thriller that the map was ultimately useless, and he may have been right, but discarding the one chance you may have of reaching safety is never the right move.

Skyfall (Q Connects Silva's Computer To MI6's Mainframe)

There is a reason they say you should go through IT before you investigate a suspicious piece of equipment at the office yourself and Q (Ben Whishaw) demonstrates why in 2012's Skyfall. Perhaps the older version of the tech wizard from previous James Bond movies would have been smarter about hooking up Silva's (Javier Bardem) laptop to MI6's main system, which causes the organization to lose control of their tech to the villain.

Army Of Darkness (Ash Speaks The Wrong Incantation)

Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams becomes increasingly dumber in each of the Evil Dead movies, leading up to his absolute worst mistake while trapped in the Middle Ages in 1992's Army of Darkness. He does not even bother to properly memorize a set of words that will take him back to modern times when he finds the Necronomicon and, in attempting to fake his way through it, ends up unleashing more evil forces.

The Big Lebowski (Walter Destroys A Stranger’s Car)

Suspecting that teenage Larry Sellers used stolen ransom money to purchase a hot Corvette, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) smashes it repeatedly with a crowbar, only to discover it belongs to Larry's angry neighbor. It is easily one of the funniest moments from one of the best movies of the 1990s, The Big Lebowski, but also makes us sad for The Dude (Jeff Bridges) that he is best friends with such an impulse-driven dolt.

Jeepers Creepers (Darry Tries To See Into The Creeper's Pipe)

In Jeepers Creepers, witnessing the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) shoving dead bodies down a large pipe sticking out of the ground, Darry (Justin Long) tries to investigate by looking down the pipe himself but ends up sliding right into the killer's lair. If only he had listened to his sister, Trish's (Gina Philips), meta warning: "You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it."

The Flash (Batman Sacrifices Himself To Destroy Zod's Ship)

While Michael Keaton's return as Batman in 2023's The Flash was awesome, one not-so-stellar moment sees him attempting to save the day by crashing the Batwing into Zod's ship. Unfortunately, the otherwise valiant effort caused very little damage to the craft and only the Dark Knight fatally succumbed to the crash.

Moana (Maui Steals The Heart Of Te Fiti)

The opening scene of the modern Disney animated movie classic, 2016's Moana, explains how Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole and misplaced the heart of Te Fiti, which he insists was for humanity's benefit. It is not until he meets the title character (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) that he realizes that the artifact's absence caused damage to the Hawaiian Islands and their locals.

Jumanji (Peter Tries To Cheat The Game)

In the original 1995 adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's children's book, Jumanji, Peter (Bradley Pierce) tries to end the wild board game's reign of terror by dropping the dice at the right number to finish. Unfortunately, the game knows better and punishes him for trying to beat it by reverting the evolutionary process, turning him into a monkey.

Iron Man 3 (Tony Stark Gives The Mandarin His Address)

One of the major issues fans have with Iron Man 3 is Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) rash decision to challenge The Mandarin to a one-on-one duel, going as far as revealing where he lives on a video recorded by a press member. Well, the fearsome terrorist clearly got the message, based on the violent attack on Stark's home, which forced him to jump ship and get stuck in Tennessee.

Paranormal Activity (Micah Breaks Out A Ouija Board)

If we were to make a list of the worst significant others in horror movie history, there would definitely be a place for Micah (Micah Sloat) from the first Paranormal Activity movie, released in 2009. Exhibit A: after a medium warns against using a Ouija board, as that would make his and Katie's (Katie Featherston) haunting situation much worse, Micah decides to bring one into the house and makes their haunting situation much worse.

Sleeping Beauty (Flora And Merryweather Fight Over Aurora's Dress Color)

In 1959's Sleeping Beauty, Aurora's fairy guardians want to make a dress just for her but Flora wants it to be pink and Merryweather is dead set on making it blue. Despite being advised not to, they use magic to change the dress' color over and over, which ends up alerting Maleficient of their location and putting Aurora in danger.

Evil Dead (Eric Reads From The Necronomicon)

Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead is considered one of the best horror movie remakes of its time but is certainly not without its flaws. In fact, the demonic carnage is caused when Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), for no reason at all, reads aloud from the Necronomicon, ignoring blatant warnings written into the flesh-bound, blood-inked book to leave it alone.

Deadpool (Wade Leaves His Ammo Bag Behind)

Twice in the 2016's Deadpool does the Merc with the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) leave behind a huge duffle bag full of weaponry that certainly would have really come in handy against his foes. Instead, he is forced to rely on "maximum effort"... and his immortality, of course.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Peter Gives Mysterio E.D.I.T.H.)

In 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, feeling that he has found a trusted friend in Quentin "Mysterio" Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), Peter Parker (Tom Holland) decides to give him full control of E.D.I.T.H. – an augmented reality security, defense, and artificial tactical intelligence system designed by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Unfortunately, that is exactly what the disgruntled former Stark Industries employee wanted him to do, planning to use it to launch an attack on London.

Annabelle Comes Home (Daniela Explores The Warrens' Artifact Room Alone)

Whether or not you believe in the stories behind the Conjuring Universe movies, we imagine no one wants to be caught dead where Ed and Lorraine Warren keep their collection of haunted heirlooms. However, Daniela (Katie Sarife) braves the forbidden room in hopes of making contact with her late father but ends up unleashing the demon that possesses the eponymous doll in Annabelle Comes Home.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (Clark Fails To Properly Explain His Situation To Bruce)

In the moments leading to the climactic battle of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) takes way too long to explain to Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) that Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is holding his mother (Diane Lane) captive and, instead, resorts to doing exactly what the evil billionaire wants him to do and fight the Dark Knight. When he finally gives an explanation, with Batman seconds away from killing him with a Kryptonite spear, he says, "Save Martha," instead of the more matter-of-fact, "Lex is going to kill my mom."

The Marvels (Carol Destroys The Supreme Intelligence)

In The Marvels, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is forced to work with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) after their powers become linked but the hero otherwise known as Captain Marvel is reluctant to rope her friends into the battle against Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). This is because she is personally responsible for their enemy's vengeful motivation, having created a Civil War among the Kree after destroying their A.I. leader.

Fantastic Four (Reed And Others Test Their Teleportation Device While Inebriated)

The 2015 Fantastic Four adaptation was widely disliked for a multitude of reasons, including the dumb decision that leads to the four main characters gaining their superpowers. After a few too many drinks, the designers of a groundbreaking teleportation device decide to test it out themselves, changing their lives forever.

Thor: Ragnarok (Loki Summons The Bifrost To Escape Hela)

In 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, when he and the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) are confronted by their sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) tries to make a quick getaway with the Bifrost. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time but Hela ends up chasing after them, ultimately leading her right to Asgard while the half-brothers get stranded on Sakaar.

Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (Austin Keeps The Receipt For His Special Pump)

In the spy movie parody, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, when the titular agent (Mike Myers) is collecting the belongings he left behind before being cryogenically frozen, he claims that a certain special, Swedish-made pump does not belong to him. However, a credit card receipt for the item, a warranty slip with his name on it, and a book about his experiences using the product found with his stuff prove otherwise.

Zoe Saldaña is the queen of the movie franchise. From the Guardians of the Galaxy to Avatar to Star Trek, her roles have made her one of the highest-grossing box office actresses in history. Despite her success, Saldaña now says that she wishes she could go back and do some of his biggest roles over again because she thinks she could do better.

Saldaña has made a lot of sequels in her time and while the Gamora actress says she never “phoned it in” she does admit to Variety to being “cavalier” in her approach to the movies at some point. As such, she says now wishes she could go back and play a couple of those roles including her Guardians of the Galaxy character, over again. She explained…

It sounds like being part of these massive movies that cost hundreds of millions to produce, Saldaña simply lost some of her passion for the films, and now looking back she feels like she didn’t do enough in the roles. While the movies might be huge and her part might be smaller, she still feels it would be worth it to do it all again if she could.

Gamora became a key character not just in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies but also in the MCU’s Infinity Saga as a whole, So getting the character right the first time was key. I think most would probably agree with the actress that she did enough. I'm a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan but I can't complain. But then again, who wouldn’t want to take another shot at a role like Gamora, one that will likely continue to be watched for decades to come, if you thought you could do it even just a little bit better?

Zoe Saldaña’s time as Gamora would appear to be over and it’s unclear if she’ll ever play Uhura in a Star Trek movie again. There have been multiple attempts to bring a Star Trek 4 to life but right now it seems the focus is on launching a new Star Trek franchise rather than continuing the previous one.. If it ever does happen, she can potentially approach the role in a fresh way and perhaps give it the “more” that she now wishes she had done previously.

With this fresh perspective on her own career, Saldaña will be able to be less “cavalier” with her other major franchise role, Neytiri in the Avatar movies. Avatar: Fire and Ash is set for release in 2025 and two more Avatar films are planned after that.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong since 2008, and consistently releases new content both in theaters and streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription. While there have been some box office disappointments in recent years, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cleaned up the box office. But hardcore fans were left wondering why Glenn Close and John C. Reilly didn't get to return before the trilogy ended. And a new rumor indicates that the pair of actors might end up finally returning to the MCU.

Close and Reilly starred as Nova Prime and Rhomann Dey in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. They're members of the Nova Corps who end up allying with the title characters for the greater good, and were serious scene stealers throughout the 2014 blockbuster. They were missing from the sequels, Holiday Special, and Avengers movies, but rumor circulating on Twitter indicates they'll be back for the developing Nova TV series.

This report is by scooper MyTimeToShineHello, who has successfully called a number of major franchise announcements before they went public. And while we wait for something official from the studio, this casting does make a great deal of sense. If a show about the Nova Corps. is being worked on, it seems logical to bring back the two most recognizable faces with Glenn Close and John C. Reilly.

While this is still just a rumor for now, it's definitely an exciting crumb for longtime fans of the MCU. Moviegoers have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, and have not-so-patiently waited for Nova Prime and Rhomann Dey. Unfortunately, we never saw the Guardians return to Xandar during their two sequels. James Gunn even confirmed Close nearly had a cameo in Guardians 2, but it was cut.

Fans were also hoping to see the Nova Corps. during Avengers: Infinity War and/or Endgame, since Thanos was such a threat to the entire galaxy. And while Thanos presumably went to Xandar to procure the Power Stone, it happened offscreen. Luckily Close did reprise her role for footage used in the rollercoaster Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

If Nova comes together, it would seemingly serve as a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This could be a serious boon to its viewership, as fans want to know anything they can about what happened to the beloved cosmic heroes after Guardians 3's ending. While the team got their happy ending, fans are still hoping they pop up in an upcoming Marvel movie. So even some references to Rocket and the gang would be super exciting in Nova.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates.

Nebula's universe is about to get bigger! Karen Gillan, the actress behind the warrior from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies, is expecting her first child. Gillan just hard-launched her pregnancy to the world by showing up at the Toronto International Film Festival to promote her upcoming movie release with a baby bump and a fitting social media post.

Karen Gillan wrote "COMING SOON! 'The Life Of Chuck' and 'untitled baby' to share the major life news of hers. Check out the first photo of Gillan pregnant in a beautiful dress that she wore to the premiere of her new Stephen King adaptation from Mike Flanagan:

Karen Gillan's announcement led to a ton of supportive comments to flood the actress's social media post. But, it's especially sweet to see her Marvel sister, Zoe Saldaña send her love. Here's what she wrote on her Instagram post:

Isn't that sweet? Zoe Saldaña is a mother of three herself, who has three sons with husband, Marco Perego. The Gamora actress have nine-year-old identical twins named Cy and Bowie and a third son named Zen, who is seven. Soon, she'll perhaps be able to count herself as an auntie too of her Guardians of the Galaxy's sister's "untitled baby." 

Karen Gillan got married in a gorgeous Scottish wedding back in May of 2022 to comedian Nick Kocher. She delayed sharing photos of that milestone until February of the following year. (One can't blame the actress for wanting some privacy during some big moments in her life). And when it comes to her pregnancy, she has been posting pretty consistently on social media for months (aside from August). She just had us fooled to set up this incredible reveal, and it's rather impressive! 

After saying goodbye to her Marvel team with the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ending last summer, Karen Gillan has a leading role in The Life Of Chuck, which is based on the Stephen King novella found between the pages of the 2020 collection of unpublished stories from the beloved author, If It Bleeds. The story is also one of the author's rare non-horror stories – in a traditional sense, anyway.  

The movie that also stars Tom Hiddleston, Matthew Lillard, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kate Siegel comes from The Haunting of Hill House filmmaker Mike Flanagan. and is getting rave reviews out of TIFF. The Life of Chuck adaptation doesn't yet have a theatrical release date, but one is expected to be revealed soon.

Funny enough, Gillan also already filmed a comedy called Let's Have Kids! about two friends who decide to get pregnant at the same time to navigate motherhood together. 36-year-old Karen Gillan looks like she will have a lot of support around her, and a new exciting projects on the way as she takes on this new phase of life.

Movies can inspire you in many different ways. They can spark new and creative ideas. They can change the way that you perceive the world. They can alter your emotional outlook. And, they can even potentially change you physically. After all, there are a number of films in Hollywood history that one can look to for motivation to get in shape.

To prove the latter point, we’ve put together this special feature. Feel like you need to start treating yourself better and improve your well-being? Try giving any of these films a watch and see if they can’t get you excising more and eating better.

Brittany Runs A Marathon

Of all the movies mentioned in this feature, Brittany Runs A Marathon probably embodies the larger spirit of the piece better than anything else. Jillian Bell’s Brittany Forgler is an exceptionally relatable protagonist who comes to recognize that taking better care of herself is a path that can lead to her living a happier life.

Captain America: The First Avenger

No, Chris Evans was never as scrawny as Steve Rogers is at the start of Captain America: The First Avenger, and yes, the Super Soldier Serum is kind of the ultimate cheat to getting in ridiculously great shape… but what you should be motivated by is the spirit of the titular hero and how he ends up expressing his inner goodness on the outside.

Rocky IV

There is surely at least one gym in the world at this moment that has Rocky IV playing on a television screen to motivate patrons – and with good reason. For one thing, it doesn’t have the downer ending with Rocky Balboa losing at the end, but more significantly, it has some of the best training montages in the entire Rocky franchise (and that includes the work of both Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in the Cold War-era showdown).

Creed III

Ryan Coogler’s Creed would also be a good fit for this feature, but I’ve selected the Michael B. Jordan-directed installment of the boxing series instead – primarily because of the plotline that sees Adonis Creed have to come out of retirement for a revenge match against his childhood friend. He has deeper and greater adversity to face in Creed III than in the first movie, arguably making it more motivational.

Batman Begins

The vast majority of people don’t have the resources of Bruce Wayne to travel to the Himalayan mountains and get trained by a secret society of elite warriors… but just think about what you could accomplish if you exerted even a fraction of the effort of the Dark Knight! If a spoiled punk can travel halfway around the world to get ripped so that he can save the soul of his city, you can wake up an hour earlier every morning to do a jog around your neighborhood.

G.I. Jane

Putting aside unfortunate legacy aspects like a Razzie Award and a memorably bad Oscar joke, Ridley Scott’s G.I. Jane is a movie that sees Demi Moore morph into a warrior. She doesn’t just shave her head; she is put through rigorous training that sees her transform into an intimidating figure.

Rudy

Movies don’t really get much more motivational than David Anspaugh’s Rudy – a film based on the true story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger’s efforts to play football at the University of Notre Dame. It’s one of the all-time great underdog movies, and if you ever need something to remind yourself of the power of human will, it’s an ideal title to recall.

42

As depicted by Chadwick Boseman in writer/director Brian Helgeland’s 42, Jackie Robinson is one of the all-time great examples of emotional fortitude, as what he went through breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball took incredible strength. Not to be ignored in that fact’s shadow, however, is that Robinson was also an exceptionally gifted athlete, and his awesome athletic skills on the diamond are well illustrated in the 2013 biopic.

Bleed For This

Based on the true story of former world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza, Bleed For This unfurls an astonishing comeback story that sees its protagonist break his neck in a car accident and actually recover to the point where he is able to restart his career as a pugilist. Witnessing what he’s able to overcome would motivate anyone to get into better shape.

Fight Club

This article is in no way advocating that anybody should try and get in shape by joining an underground bareknuckle boxing club. That being said, it’s hard to watch David Fincher’s Fight Club, compare one’s own body to Brad Pitt’s, and not instantly wish that you had the insane muscles that he had going on in the 1999 cult classic.

Scream

Here’s a reality check for you: if you’re ever being pursued by a serial killer, they aren’t just going to amble along as they chase you, a la Michael Myers in the Halloween movies. Instead, they are going to be moving toward you at a full sprint like Ghostface in Scream. You’re not going to survive long if you don’t have any endurance – so let that thought get you to spend a bit of time on a treadmill a couple of days a week.

28 Days Later

If a zombie apocalypse breaks out, there are no guarantees that the brain-eating monsters will be shambling along like those in George A. Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead. There is an equal chance that they will be rampaging around at full tilt like those infected with the Rage Virus in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later… and if that’s the case, you need to be ready to outrun them.

Furious 7

I’m going to be honest: while there are many muscle-bound heroes in the Fast & Furious franchise, James Wan’s Furious 7 gets the special recognition on this list simply because of the scene where Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs opts to remove the cast on his broken left arm by simply flexing his awe-inspiring muscles. I think we  can all say that we wish we could do that.

T2: Judgement Day

You want to talk about finding motivation to work out? Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor is a poster child for the concept in James Cameron’s T2: Judgement Day. She knows that the artificial intelligence-caused apocalypse is coming, and she needs to protect her kid, so what does she do? She gets crazy buff – even while locked up in a mental institution. You don’t have to have the same motivation as Sarah, but you can use her journey to help you find your own big reason to get in shape.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Prior to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Pratt was best known as the silly, chubby guy from Parks and Recreation, but he transformed himself when he got the role of Star-Lord in James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, and we have not looked at him the same way since then. Obviously most people aren’t going to be able to achieve what he accomplished, but seeing what he was able to do can at least push you to attempt a percentage.

Deadpool & Wolverine

There’s a joke around the middle of Deadpool & Wolverine that Hugh Jackman is wearing his full yellow costume because he isn’t in his prime fighting form… but that idea is wholly dismissed by the time the film gets to its third act climax and Jackman finally loses his shirt. Jackman may be over 50 years old now, but you can still probably grate cheese on his chest.

Enter The Dragon

The vast majority of us don’t require the dangerous martial arts skills of Bruce Lee in our everyday lives, but when you watch what the man is able to simply physically accomplish in the action scenes in Enter The Dragon, it does at the very least make you wonder about just how awesome your own body could potentially be.

Run Lola Run

You know what’s funny about life? On a random day, your significant other might call you and tell you that they will be killed unless you can sprint around your neighborhood in under 20 minutes collecting a scary amount of money that you don’t have legal access to. Ok, I am admittedly describing the plot of Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run, but among other things, the film is a cinematic reminder that your life might one day require you to demonstrate some extreme physicality. Ask yourself: are you ready for that day?

Eternals

Chloe Zhao’s Eternals makes it on to this list for a reason you can probably guess: the transformation of Kumail Nanjiani. The actor seriously committed to altering his physique for his role as Kingo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s admirable.

The Whale

Taking care of your physical well-being is an important part of everyday life, and if you let things slip too far in that regard, there can be serious consequences. This is disturbingly illustrated in Brendan Fraser’s controversial turn in Darren Aronofksy’s The Whale, as the film is a depiction of extreme darkness at the end of that path.

Southpaw

I could have included Doug Liman’s Road House on this list for similar reasons as Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw, but the boxing movie beat the Patrick Swayze remake to release by nearly a decade, so I’m giving it the highlight. It’s not a particularly good film (in truth, it’s pretty generic), but it’s impossible to watch it and not be impressed by the results of the training star Jake Gyllenhaal went through in preparation for the role.

300

I’m not sure I need to explain why Zack Snyder’s 300 is on this list. The Spartan lifestyle should never be advocated, but just about everyone in the film is crazy ripped and represent fitness goals.

Thor

Being an Asgardian, Thor probably didn’t have to really work for the muscles that Chris Hemsworth possesses in MCU’s first God of Thunder movie – but if you’re ever going to be both worthy of possessing Mjolnir and properly use it, you should get up off your couch right now and start planning out tomorrow as Arm Day.

Forrest Gump

I’m not sure that there is any doctor on Earth who would recommend that anyone run back and forth across the continental United States, a la Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump… but the film does make one wonder if one could personally accomplish what the character achieves. You don’t have to start with a plan for a 6,000 mile jog, but you can start by going four miles in a day and see how you feel after.

Eddie The Eagle

Dexter Fletcher’s Eddie The Eagle is a silly and fun movie about one of the worst Olympic competitors in history – English ski jumper Michael David Edwards – but above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and not letting naysayers stand in the way of you and your goals. If you’re determined to take better care of yourself and get in better shape, Eddie The Eagle is actually a fantastic person to emulate.

The Karate Kid

With enough focus, training, and determination, people can achieve incredible things, and that’s the essence of Daniel LaRusso’s story in John G. Avildsen’s 1984 classic The Karate Kid. It also obviously helps to have a great support system, so let this movie inspire you to go out and find your personal Mr. Miyagi.

Cool Runnings

It’s not difficult to pick up on the core moral at the heart of Jon Turteltaub’s Cool Runnings – based on the true story of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. While people might dismiss you or even laugh at you, if you believe in yourself enough, you can achieve legendary things. This can not only be applied to taking care of yourself and getting in better shape, but in all aspects of life.

Chariots Of Fire

Truth be told, you probably don’t even need to watch all of Chariots Of Fire to be motivated by it. Just listening to the iconic instrumental theme from the film written and recorded by Vangelis should be enough to get you out of the door and running (preferably on a local beach).

Run Fatboy Run

To be totally honest, David Schwimmer’s Run Fatboy Run is a film that shares a lot in common with Brittany Runs A Marathon and is not as good – but it is a movie that can be said to have its moments, and it still provides the audience with a nice touch of inspiration. The movie was released the same year as Hot Fuzz and sees star Simon Pegg play an emotionally weak man who tries to prove himself to his ex by training for and running a marathon.

Police Story

Jackie Chan’s legacy is as a true maximum effort performer. The man (often literally) throws himself into his movies, and seeing what he pushes himself to do is inspiring. Police Story is one of many titles in his filmography where he pulls off feats that utterly drop your jaw, and if he can push himself like that, why can’t you do something similar to drop a few pounds?

The Fighter

In the case of David O. Russell’s The Fighter, you’re definitely going to want to focus on the story of Mark Wahlberg’s Micky Ward instead of the dark tale of Christian Bale’s "Dicky" Eklund. It’s an excellent sports film about battling back against adversity and it has a strong message about working hard to achieve your ultimate goals.

Million Dollar Baby

With Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, you may only want to watch about two-thirds of the film if you’re simply going for workout motivation, as the end of the movie isn’t going to do you any favors in that department. That aside, Hilary Swank morphs into a force playing Mary Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald in the Oscar-winning boxing film, and she makes for a positive spirit to channel as you get into your own routine.

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our film-centric features, and for a look at all of the titles heading to theaters and streaming in the coming months, check out our 2024 movie release calendar.

As fans of upcoming superhero movies certainly already know, the DC Universe is in the middle of a significant shakeup thanks to the creative vision of James Gunn. Now at the helm of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, Gunn is set to redefine what we can expect from these iconic characters on the big screen. His highly-anticipated take on Superman is poised to kick off the first chapter of this new era, intriguingly titled "Gods and Monsters," and now we have an intriguing update.

With the Peacemaker helmer's impressive track record from his time at Marvel, particularly with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, fans are buzzing about how he’ll bring his unique style and flair to the slate of upcoming DC movies. Recently, one fan even hit him with a fantastic question about whether any of the Guardians cast might pop up in his forthcoming projects—and let me tell you, I’m paying very close attention to the filmmaker’s response.

James Responds To A Fan's GotG Question

Recently, a fascinating interaction on social media has added fuel to the speculation fire. On Threads, a fan named @aaronhumbyart posed an intriguing question to James: if he had the chance to cast any of his Marvel cast in the DC Universe, who would he choose? It’s a fun question about the crossover potential between the two superhero powerhouses, particularly given The Suicide Squad director's history with both franchises. But instead of giving us a straight answer, James, in classic fashion, left us hanging. The Slither director replied:

Tell me there will be Guardians cameos without telling me there will be Guardians cameos… I mean, that sounds like a yes, right?

Gunn’s–shall we say cryptic?--response sent fans into a frenzy, kicking off a tidal wave of speculation about which Avengers: Endgame alums could jump to the DC Universe. With James's tight-knit bond with his returning cast, the possibilities are practically endless. It’s easy to imagine him bringing some Marvel pals to play in his new DC sandbox.

One of the most popular fan theories is that Dave Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians movies, would take on the role of Darkseid, one of Superman's most formidable foes. Bautista’s imposing physique and ability to deliver both intensity and humor would make him a perfect fit for the character, especially under Gunn’s direction.

Bautista has previously expressed interest in exploring more complex roles beyond Drax, and Darkseid would certainly provide a fresh challenge for the actor.

Which Guardians Members I Would Like To See In The DCU

These fan castings of former MCU players got me thinking: Who would I like to see jump over to another universe, and what roles would I want them to play? So, here are my fancastings for a potential GotG cameo:

• Zoe Saldana as Big Barda: A member of the New Gods with immense strength and combat abilities, often wielding a mega-rod.
• Chris Pratt as Ambush Bug (Irwin Schwab): A comedic, fourth-wall-breaking character aware of being in a comic book universe right in Pratt’s wheelhouse. Also, Gunn loves his weird characters, and few get more bizarre than Ambush Bug.
• Vin Diesel as Kilowog: We already know at least one Green Lantern Corp member is showing up in a cameo played by Nathan Fillion, so lets throw in another. Kilowog, a large, alien Green Lantern known for training recruits and his strength, would be a perfect opportunity for Diesel to say more than “I am Groot.”
• Karen Gillan as Poison Ivy: A botanist turned eco-terrorist with the ability to control plants and toxins. Okay, this one is probably too obvious, but there have already been rumors, so let's go with what feels right!
• Pom Klementieff as Black Orchid: A mysterious superheroine with the ability to shapeshift and mimic other people’s appearances.
• Bradley Cooper as The Question (Vic Sage): A faceless detective who uses his skills to uncover conspiracies and fight corruption. Cooper has the build and the voice, so let's make it happen.
• Michael Rooker as Wildcat (Ted Grant): A seasoned boxer and vigilante who mentors younger heroes and has a strong sense of justice.

Now, are any of my fan castings going to happen? Probably not, but hey, a fella can dream, can’t he? Still, we know one Guardians actor is leaping the DC Universe—James Gunn's brother, Sean, is set to appear as Maxwell Lord. For those who might not know, Sean didn’t just play Kraglin, the Ravager, in the MCU trilogy of films and some of the Avengers movies; he also brought Rocket Raccoon to life through his incredible performance capture work.

James Gunn might not have given us a straight answer, but it's obvious he's having a blast keeping us all guessing. And hey, that just makes the ride even more fun, doesn’t it? If any news breaks about the Superman casting, you can bet we’ll be on top of it. In the meantime, check out our 2025 movie release schedule to see which caped heroes will soon fly onto the silver screen.

When Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill danced through an alien planet to “Come And Get Your Love” during the opening scene of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU officially changed forever. Now the day that happened was exactly a decade ago, and Chris Pratt is celebrating the massive impact Star-Lord had on his life.

Pratt is, of course, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of our time right now, not only from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but through three Jurassic World movies and a ton of voiceover work in films like The LEGO Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Here’s what the actor wrote about the 10-year anniversary of the first Guardians movie:

In an Instagram post, Pratt got nostalgic about the Marvel franchise being 10 years old. He took some time to thank the fans, all part of the cast and crew and writer/director James Gunn for changing his life. Before the movie came along, he referred to himself as the “sweaty goofball from Parks and Recreation,” which is what he was best known for before he earned movie star status.

When Guardians of the Galaxy came up for Chris Pratt, he initially didn’t think he’d get the role because he “wasn’t physically right for it,” but thought it was a “perfect fit,” per a Huff Post interview. He convinced Gunn and Marvel with his audition and went on to lose 60 pounds in order to portray Peter Quill. The rest is history.

When the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise ended last summer with Vol. 3, the team of misfit heroes went their separate ways. Peter Quill goes on a solo quest to reunite with his grandfather on Earth before the movie’s end title cards announced the coming return of “the legendary Star-Lord” in the MCU’s future. When Pratt has recently been asked about his return as Star-Lord he said he’s “not exactly sure” about what’s next, but doesn’t want to ruin anything if he did know something.

James Gunn hung up his Guardians of the Galaxy franchise last year, but now he’s working with DC Studios as co-chairman of the upcoming reboot superhero universe. Gunn just wrapped Superman on Wednesday as the Guardians anniversary was on the horizon by calling it “an astounding ten years.” Pratt has shared hopes to work with Gunn on playing a character in the DCU.

As far as the MCU goes, we definitely don’t know when Chris Pratt will turn up next. Still, you can watch Guardians of the Galaxy now with a Disney+ subscription to celebrate its 10th anniversary and check out what upcoming Marvel movies are on the way.

James Gunn just hit a major milestone in his career as principal photography has wrapped on Superman, the first big screen adventure in the first chapter of the new DCU. However, that’s not the only thing in Gunn’s career worth celebrating. This week is also the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the film that catapulted Gunn into the mainstream. It’s been a wild ride for the writer/director, and he’s celebrating all of it.

James Gunn posted an Instagram image showing the director, with much less white hair, alongside Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista as they were doing press in Europe for Guardians of the Galaxy. That’s where he was a decade ago, and now he's running an entire studio. He's in a place he certainly would not have been had that first Guardians movie not been a massive hit, and even Gunn can’t believe how far he’s come. The director said…

It was a bit of a coup when James Gunn was tapped to direct Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn had made a handful of independent movies, that were generally well-regarded if not massive mainstream hits. He had come up through Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment, making movies that can only be described, lovingly, as schlock.

It made Gunn an interesting choice to direct a Marvel movie, but it may have made sense since he was directing a movie based on the Guardians of the Galaxy, a comic book franchise that wasn’t that big a deal, even among comic book fans at the time. Many critics didn’t expect much from Guardians of the Galaxy. Even James Gunn wasn't sold on it at first. Little did they know it would arguably become the most important franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe with some truly special characters.

Now James Gunn is the co-head of DC Films, overseeing all the upcoming DC movies and an entire cinematic universe of his own. To call the last 10 years “astounding” might be an understatement. In one way, nothing has changed. James Gunn is still making comic book movies, but he started with characters that were largely overlooked and are now working on bringing the most well-known comic book character ever back to the screen.

Once the Superman release date arrives and the movie is truly done, perhaps James Gunn will plan to write and direct future Superman movies, or perhaps he’ll simply play his role as the head of DC Films. Either way, the next 10 years are looking to be just as amazing as the last 10.

Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent once said in The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” While that exact scenario is not always the case in most comic book adaptations, there are quite a few instances in which the central character does not deserve to be called the hero as much as another member of the ensemble whose actions played a more pivotal role in the final victory. Let’s take a look at some of the best superhero movies in which the superhero ended up owing a supporting role a large debt of gratitude.

Avengers: Endgame (The Rat)

It would be easy to call Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) the real hero of one of the best Marvel movies, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, since he is the one who sacrifices his life to destroy Thanos (Josh Brolin) at the end. However, the Avengers would have never been able to build a time machine, collect the Infinity Stones, and reverse the Titan’s genocidal act if not for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who was released from the Quantum Realm by a device activated by a rat that scurries across it. Thus, that rat is the MCU’s true savior.

The Batman (Officer Martinez)

Matt Reeves’ The Batman from 2022 is one of the rare live-action Batman movies to portray Bruce Wayne’s alter ego (Robert Pattinson) as a genuine detective, but he still never would have figured out Riddler's (Paul Rano) plan to flood Gotham without a tip from Martinez (Gil Perez-Abraham). The GCPD officer identified the villain’s murder weapon as a carpeting tool, leading the Dark Knight to find the map of explosive devices planted around the city underneath the killer's carpet.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Ned Leeds)

In the multiverse movie favorite, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker would have never been able to stop Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and other inter-dimensional Spider-Man movie villains without help from his two alternate selves (played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire). The epic team-up might not have happened without Peter’s buddy, Ned (Jacob Batalon), who accidentally found the other Peters by using Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring.

Iron Man (Ho Yinsen)

In 2008’s Iron Man, Tony Stark is held captive by The Ten Rings with a fellow scientist named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), whom he thanks for saving him as he makes his escape from their cave. Indeed, Stark was saved by this Afghan family man in two ways: by creating the prototype electromagnet that kept shrapnel near his heart from killing him and by convincing him to reevaluate his life choices and become the hero he was destined to be.

Thor: Ragnarok (Surtur)

In the final act of Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) admits that he is unable to save Asgard by defeating his sister, Hela, (Cate Blanchett). However, he is able to defeat her by allowing the Fire Demon Surtur (voiced by Clancy Brown, in one of his two MCU roles) to bring about the destruction of his beloved home.

Black Panther (M'Baku)

Because of his understandable motivation, fans of 2018’s Black Panther do not necessarily consider Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to be a genuine villain, but he is still not a “good” person and does not qualify as the film’s “real hero.” For that, we chose M’Baku (Winston Duke) — the leader of Wakanda’s Jabari tribe, which found an incapacitated T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and kept him alive, allowing for his eventual revival and defeat of his corrupt cousin.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Meredith Quill)

In 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt), explains to Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) that his late mother, Meredith (Laura Haddock), equipped him with some of “Terra’s” greatest music in a cassette she called “Awesome Mix. Vol. 1.” These tunes turned out to be the perfect tool in defeating Ronan (Lee Pace), whom he distracts from his team’s attack by challenging him to a dance-off.

The Incredibles (Jack-Jack)

In the literally explosive final battle from the beloved Pixar movie classic, 2004’s The Incredibles, it is Jack-Jack of all people whose actions prove most effective in finally defeating Syndrome (Jason Lee). Not to mention, in that scene, the Parr Family's infant son proves that he is the most powerful of them all, boasting a remarkable arsenal of abilities.

Batman Returns (Catwoman)

Most would say there are two villains in Batman Returns and they are not wrong, but Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina “Catwoman” Kyle is not one of them when you really think about it. In fact, she is the one who gets rid of the actual greatest threat to Gotham in the 1992 sequel (and one of the most overlooked Batman movie characters): corrupt industrialist Max Schreck (Academy Award winner Christopher Walken).

Unbreakable (Joseph Dunn)

If not for Elijah “Mr. Glass” Price (Samuel L. Jackson), David Dunn (Bruce Willis) would have never discovered his superhuman abilities, but because he also murdered many by causing that introductory train wreck, he is far from being the real hero of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2000 thriller, Unbreakable. It is David’s son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), who really teaches his father to embrace his gifts and use them as a force for good.

Superman: The Movie (Eve Teschmacher)

In 1978’s Superman: The Movie, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) manages to hold the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) prisoner by putting him in his pool with a Kryptonite-encrusted chain around his neck. Luckily, the wealthy criminal’s girlfriend, Eve (Valerie Perrine), defies him by removing the chain and allowing him to leave and save the day.

Batman (Vicki Vale)

In Tim Burton’s 1989 hit, Batman, photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) not only attracts the attention of Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), but his nemesis, The Joker (Jack Nicholson). Near the end, she uses the criminal’s affection for her against him, keeping him distracted while the Dark Knight sneaks up and engages in a final battle with the clown.

The Meteor Man (The Bloods And The Crips)

At the end of the 1993 superhero comedy The Meteor Man, Jefferson Reed (Robert Townsend, who also writes and directs) has lost his powers when powerful crime lord Anthony Byers (Frank Gorshin) and his assassins show up to do him in. Just then, members of the notorious, real-life rival gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, show up in unity to defend the superhero, ultimately scaring away the vicious criminals who are apprehended by the authorities soon after.

Mystery Men (Carmine The Bowler)

The titular vigilante crew in 1999’s Mystery Men — a comic book movie that deserves a reboot — leave it to the spirit of The Bowler’s (Janeana Garofalo) father, Carmine, who possesses her bowling ball, to destroy Casanova Frankenstein’s (Geoffrey Rush) Psycho-frakulator, which destroys the master criminal’s mansion. saving the day. In the film’s final line, The Bowler admits to Carmine that he did save the day and that they will be “hearing about it for the rest of their lives.”

The Dark Knight (The Ferry Passengers)

In 2008’s The Dark Knight, the Joker (Heath Ledger) devises a cruel social experiment, claiming he will destroy two ferries — one commercial and the other carrying convicts — rigged with explosives at midnight unless one detonates the other first. However, neither boat chooses to sacrifice the other, disproving the criminal’s cynical hypothesis in a profound and inspiring moment of humanity in one of the bleakest comic book films ever made.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (Quicksilver)

Needing to break Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) from a prison inside the Pentagon, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) recruit the unhumanly fast Quicksilver (Evan Peters) to help them in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The slow-motion sequence would prove to be one of the all-time most iconic and dazzling scenes from an X-Men movie, which automatically makes him its true savior in our book.

The Toxic Avenger (Sara)

After being saved by the titular, hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength (played by Mitch Cohen) from 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, the non-seeing Sara (Andree Maranda) would become the beauty who tamed the beast, so to speak. Indeed, she manages to encourage "Toxie" to continue being the hero Tromaville deserves, when it needs him the most, even when he becomes afraid of himself and what he is capable of.

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (Andrea Beaumont)

Any fan of, arguably, the greatest animated Batman movie would agree that the true villains of 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm are the ruthless criminals and corrupt figures whom Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) targets as her titular alter ego. Her methods may be against the philosophies of the Dark Knight (voiced by Kevin Conroy), but we cannot deny that she gets the job done.

Ant-Man (Officer Jim Paxton)

Because of his criminal record, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is looked down upon by Jim Paxton (Booby Cannavale) — a cop engaged to his ex-wife, Maggie (Judy Greer), who also acts as a loving stepfather to her and Scott’s daughter, Cassie. However, because Scott, as Ant-Man, risked his life to save Cassie from Darren “Yellowjacket” Cross (Corey Stoll), Paxton buried evidence that could have sent him back to jail, beginning a beautiful, overdue friendship between them.

The Avengers (Agent Phil Coulson)

In 2012’s The Avengers, trying to prevent Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from escaping the S.H.I.E.L.D. helipad, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is tragically killed. It is his death that ultimately motivates the initially dysfunctional heroes to set aside their differences, work together, and save the world from the Chitauri.

Batman & Robin (Mr. Freeze)

For starters, while many of his puns are criminally atrocious, Dr. Victor “Mr. Freeze” Fries (Arnold Schwarzenegger) does have a justifiable motivation — saving his terminally ill wife — which makes him less deserving of the villain label than his partner, Poison Ivy (Uma Thuman). He also earns his redemption by the end of 1997’s Batman & Robin by giving Bruce Wayne (George Clooney) the cure for McGregor syndrome, which saves Alfred Pennyworth’s (Michael Gough) life.

The Rocketeer (Peevy Peabody)

Director Joe Johnston’s vastly underrated 1991 adventure favorite, The Rocketeer, stars Billy Campbell as Cliff — a 1930s pilot who discovers a jetpack prototype that makes him into a flying superhero. However, you could argue that his mentor, veteran mechanic Peevy (Alan Arkin), is the real brains behind his vigilante exploits.

Batman Begins (Lucius Fox)

Christopher Nolan’s grounded approach to reimagining the origins of Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) war against crime in 2005’s Batman Begins involves the explanation that he did not make all of his wonderful toys on his own. He would have no Batsuit, no Batmobile, and little of his other valuable utilities without the help of Wayne Enterprises' then-head of research, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

Ant-Man And The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)

Ant-Man and the Wasp from 2018 is yet another great example of a superhero movie in which the villain is not really a villain — namely Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava “Ghost” Starr, who is nicknamed for her unstable power of intangibility. However, her unusual condition is luckily cured by Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) long-lost wife, after he manages to rescue her from the Quantum Realm.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (George And Harold)

Ten-year-old best friends George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch) may have been the cause of a lot of the trouble in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, by hypnotizing Principal Krupp (Ed Helms) into adopting his titular. However, the entranced superhero also could not have defeated Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll) without them.

Iron Man 3 (Pepper Potts)

There are actually several reasons why you could argue that Stark Industries CEO and Tony Stark’s wife, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), is the true hero of the Iron Man movies as a whole. Yet it is in 2013’s third installment that sees her really get into the action when she takes out Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian, in the end, using her incendiary abilities after being injected with Extremis.

The LEGO Batman Movie (Phyllis)

In 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie, Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) is banished to the Phantom Zone, where its gatekeeper, Phyllis (Ellie Kemper), helps him realize how selfish and cowardly he has been acting. She then allows him to temporarily return to Gotham, where he begins to finally work collaboratively with the likes of Robin and Barbara Gordon, and save the city from Joker and his villains’ collective.

The Crow (Darryl Albrecht)

Ernie Hudson plays one of the best ‘90s movie supporting characters in The Crow as Sgt. Darryl Albrecht. The Detroit cop, who was at the scene of Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and Shelly Webster’s murder, ends up becoming a trusted ally in the resurrected Draven’s plea for vengeance.

The Mask (Milo)

In 1994’s The Mask — one of Jim Carrey’s best movies — Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) is able to make a swift escape from the police station holding cell with the help of his dog Milo. The Jack Russell Terrier also helps the banker take down Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene) and his henchpeople when the titular, mystical artifact turns him into one mean, green mongrel.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Nuala)

In Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy sequel from 2008, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) seeks to lead a rebellion of mystical beings against the human race by unleashing the Golden Army. However, he and his sister, Nuala (Anna Walton) are physically linked, meaning they experience the harm of each other's injuries, and it is her deadly sacrifice that thwarts his plan.

The Dark Knight Rises (Officer John Blake)

At the beginning of 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne has put himself into exile, following the death of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) years earlier, until John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who has figured out that he is Batman, inspires him to don the cape and cowl again. It is no wonder that he chooses him to be his successor at the end — his legal name being “Robin” notwithstanding.

Black Adam (Amon Tomaz)

Following his resurrection, the nearly unbeatable Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) assures multiple times that he is “not a hero.” However, young superhero fan Amon Tomaz (Bodhi Sabongui) teaches him to embrace his potential to be one after all.

It’s hard to believe that there was ever a time that Chris Pratt struggled as an actor. It seems like he’s practically in everything now, from voicing Garfield in the newly-released The Garfield Movie to having the lead role in the Amazon series The Terminal List. To go from waiting tables to his initial television roles in Everwood and Parks and Recreation, to starring in big Hollywood blockbusters is a working actor’s dream come true. Now that Pratt’s acting career isn’t slowing down anytime soon, he talked about what his four career goals are and the way he blew through his first $75K paycheck fast.

It was reported back in 2021 that Chris Pratt was one of the big-name actors reportedly earning a massive salary for his streaming show The Terminal List. Not to mention, his recent movies have been high-grossing at the box office, like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, it was revealed on SiriusXM that Samuel L. Jackson is still the highest-grossing actor of all time thanks to Avengers: Endgame, with Pratt at the #4 spot. That said, the Marvel star revealed being a high-grossing actor was never a priority to him, and that he has other goals in mind:

That’s a good way of looking at it, as not everyone out there who dreams of being an actor is able to make that happen. Before becoming an actor, something amazing to know about Chris Pratt is that he was working as a waiter at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, where he waited on actress/director Rae Dawn Chong. It was through her that he was cast in her directorial debut, the short film Cursed Part 3. After making appearances on various shows, he landed his life-changing role as Andy in Parks and Recreation, who was originally a temporary character. Then, 2014 became the year of Chris Pratt, first leading The Lego Movie and then landing the role of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Based on Chris Pratt’s four main Hollywood goals, it looks like he accomplished one so far back in 2014 when he kicked off season 40 of Saturday Night Live as its host. But his trophy shelf doesn't consist yet of a Golden Globe, Oscar, or star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But like the Jurassic World actor said, he has been in the business for over two decades and his career is soaring, and he seems to know about fortunate he is. He’s still got time. The Moneyball actor explains what it means to him knowing he made it in the entertainment industry.

Chris Pratt starred in 89 episodes of Everwood playing Bright Abbott from 2002-2006. If he was able to find a job that gave him enough money to buy his mother a house, I would absolutely say he “made it” too. It also shows what a generous guy Pratt is to give a gift like that to his mom. But with the bankable actor’s newfound fame, reality gave him a slap in the face when he realized the big money he was making was capable of running out.

I can understand where Chris Pratt is coming from, as he started off as a guy living in and out of his car to making serious bank because of his acting roles. When you see a dollar sign on your paycheck that’s bigger than you’ve ever gotten, you can’t help but splurge for things you never could before. But as life gets expensive, money is always capable of running out, and it’s important to pace yourself. Luckily, it looks like this was a mistake that the leading man learned from, leading to him understanding the significance of making a financial plan.

As Chris Pratt continues on with his acting career, he said his goal in the industry would be if he could score some major awards. Considering MCU actor Robert Downey Jr. just won an Oscar for Oppenheimer for the first time in his career, I think Pratt has a shot himself one day too. Plus, it looks like he’s grown a lot from the fresh-faced actor who blew $75K all at once. Right now, he’s got a promising acting career and a family to come home to. His 2024 movie release of The Garfield Movie is playing in theaters now.

If you’re reading this, then you’re likely someone who pays close attention to news about upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows, and rightly so. Still, sometimes it’s nice to revisit past MCU events, specifically by watching the Marvel movies in order, whether you’re breaking out your own copies or streaming these features with a Disney+ subscription. And, of course, one of the main ways the MCU has stood out is by popularizing post-credits scenes, many of which lay groundwork for future projects.

For those of you who specifically have these scenes on the mind, but don’t have the time to go back and revisit any of these movies, don’t worry, we have you covered. Below is every MCU Marvel movie post-credits scene in order, with many of these flicks containing more than one scene to enjoy after the main story is finished.

It’s also important to mention first that neither The Incredible Hulk nor Avengers: Endgame had post-credits scenes, hence why they aren’t included here (although the latter movie does play the sound of a hammer striking metal, harkening back to when Tony Stark was constructing his first suit of armor).

Iron Man

After revealing to the world that he and Iron Man are one and the same, Tony Stark returns to his mansion to find Nick Fury waiting in the shadows. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. broke into the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist’s home to pick his brain on the Avengers Initiative.

Iron Man 2

When Tony Stark and Nick Fury chatted at Randy’s donuts, the latter told the former he had bigger problems in the Southwest region to deal with than him. Later on, Phil Coulson relinquished his Stark babysitting duties because Fury was sending him to New Mexico. In the movie’s final minutes, we learned this was to track down a mysterious hammer embedded in the desert: Mjolnir, Thor’s weapon.

Thor

Nick Fury brings Dr. Erik Selvig to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to show him the Tesseract, a mysterious glowing cube that could potentially provide unlimited power to humanity. Unbeknownst to Fury, Selvig is being controlled by a still-alive Loki.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Some time after Steve Rogers awoke in the present day, Nick Fury approaches the super soldier about going on an important mission to save the world. This leads into a teaser for The Avengers.

The Avengers

Following Loki’s defeat at the hands of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the mysterious entity known as The Other meets with his master, i.e. the being who approved giving the Asgardian God of Mischief his Chitauri army, the mind-controlling scepter and the promise of being able to rule Earth, all if he obtained the Tesseract. That master turns out to be Thanos, who merely grins when The Other tells him that to battle the Avengers would be to court death.

Iron Man 3

It turns out that Tony Stark has been recounting the events of Iron Man 3 to Bruce Banner, a.k.a. one of his new Avengers teammates. Unfortunately, Bruce fell asleep basically right as Tony started telling the story, making it clear he doesn’t have the temperament to be a therapist. Undeterred, and perhaps out of spite, Tony starts talking about the “original wound” he suffered when he was 14 years old.

Thor: The Dark World

Post-Credits Scene #1: With the Aether finally out of Malekith’s hands, Asgardian warriors Volstagg and Lady Sif give the weapon to Taneleer Titan, a.k.a. The Collector, for safekeeping. It’s here we learn that the Aether and Tesseract are both Infinity Stones, with Volstagg saying it’s not safe to keep two of those powerful artifacts in the same place. After the Asgardians leave, The Collector quietly says, “One down, five to go,” indicating his interest in collecting all six Infinity Stones.

Post-Credits Scene #2: As a complete 180 from the first Thor movie, The Dark World’s final moments see the the God of Thunder and Jane Foster reuniting on Earth. As they embrace, the Frost Beast from earlier in the movie is seen frolicking around nearby.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Post-Credits Scene #1: HYDRA leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is shown to have possession of Loki’s scepter from The Avengers. Strucker informs Dr. List that they’ll feed the location of other HYDRA facilities to Captain America and his “colorful friends” to keep them off the scent of their work, and we then see that the only two survivors of these experiments with the scepter are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who are respectively seen showing off their telekinesis and super speed.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Some time after rescuing Steve Rogers from the Potomac River, Bucky Barnes, now cut off from his HYDRA handlers, is seen at the Smithsonian visiting his own memorial.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Collector is sitting in the ruins of his museum, which was destroyed when his slave Carina grabbed the Power Stone and triggered an explosion. Cosmo the Spacedog, who had been one of The Collector’s exhibits, licks his face, and Howard the Duck, another exhibit, proclaims how gross that is while sipping a drink.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

With Loki and Ronan the Accuser having failed to respectively procure the Space and Power Stones for him, Thanos decides to handle searching for the Infinity Stones personally, and he retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet from his vault.

Ant-Man

Post-Credits Scene #1: Hank Pym reveals to his daughter, Hope, an advanced prototype Wasp suit that he and his wife Janet had been working on before she disappeared. At a certain point, Hank realized that he and Janet had been working on the suit for Hope, and she’s more than willing to don it, declaring, “It’s about damn time!”

Post-Credits Scene #2: Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson are shown to have Bucky Barnes in their custody, but because of “the accords,” they can’t contact Tony Stark for help. Steve thinks they’re on their own, but Sam mentions that he knows a guy who could help, referring to Ant-Man, whom he came to blows with during the main story. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America: Civil War

Post-Credits Scene #1: Bucky Barnes is cryogenically frozen by Wakandan scientists so they can safely erase the HYDRA programming in his mind. Steve Rogers warns King T’Challa that if the U.S. government learns where Bucky is, they’ll come for him, prompting T’Challa to confidently respond, “Let them try.” We then see that they are actually in Wakanda, the most technologically advanced nation on Earth.

Post-Credits Scene #2: While giving an excuse to his Aunt May about why he’s beaten up, Peter Parker discovers that the web-shooter Tony Stark gave him is emitting a red light. After May gives him an ice pack and leaves the room, Peter points the red light to the ceiling, and it’s revealed to be a Spider-symbol with a variety of icons, indicating the web-shooter comes with some special features.

Doctor Strange

Post-Credits Scene #1: Doctor Strange is meeting with Thor at the Sanctum Sanctorum. The God of Thunder and his brother, Loki, have come to Earth in search of Odin, but Strange is not happy about Loki hanging around, given what a threat he is. So, after Thor agrees that he and Loki will leave Earth once they find Odin, the Master of the Mystic Arts agrees find the All-Father. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in Thor: Ragnarok.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Karl Mordo corners Jonathan Pangborn, the man who directed Stephen Strange to find Kamar-Taj, and takes away the magical energy he uses to walk. With Pangborn rendered a paraplegic once more, Mordo informs him that there are “too many sorcerers.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Post-Credits Scene #1: Kraglin practices using Yondu’s whistle-controlled arrow, but it doesn’t go well, as he accidentally impales an offscreen Drax with it.

Post-Credits Scene #2: In honor of Yondu’s sacrifice, Stakar Ogord and his cohort Martinex reunite with with old Ravager buddies Charlie-27, Aleta Ogord, Krugarr and Mainframe. This team is based on the original version of the Guardians of the Galaxy from the comics.

Post-Credits Scene #3: High Priestess Ayesha informs one of her underlings that she’s created an artificial being named Adam who will exact revenge on the Guardians for her, and the birthing pod he’s being formed in is shown.

Post-Credits Scene #4: Years after the main events of this movie, Peter Quill expresses his disappointment that Groot, who’s now a teenager, hasn’t cleaned up his room.

Post-Credits Scene #5: The three Watchers walk away from their informant, played by Stan Lee, after growing bored with his stories. Unfortunately for him, they were supposed to be his lift home.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Adrian Toomes is confronted in prison by Mac Gargan, the weapons buyer from the Staten Island Ferry. Now boasting a major scar on his face, Gargan informs Toomes that he and some friends of his on the outside are wanting to exact revenge on Spider-Man and have heard that Toomes knows who the superhero really is, but Toomes denies this.

Thor: Ragnarok

Post-Credits Scene #1: As Loki is questioning Thor about if it’s a good idea for him to come to Earth with the rest of the Asgardians and their allies, their ship is intercepted by a gigantic spacecraft, which Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige identified as the Sanctuary II, Thanos’ vessel.

Post-Credits Scene #2: After being overthrown by his former subjects, Grandmaster confronts the angry crowds gathered around him in the outskirts of his realm on Sakaar. He declares that the revolution is a tie, since if he’s take out of the picture, they’ll have nothing to rebel against.

Black Panther

Post-Credits Scene #1: T’Challa appears in front of the United Nations to announce that Wakanda will be sharing its knowledge and resources with the rest of the world for the first time. When questioned about what a nation of farmers can offer the world, T’Challa simply smirks, indicating he’s about to reveal the existence of his country’s advanced technology.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Bucky Barnes, now unfrozen, is shown in a Wakandan village with Shuri, rehabilitating after having the HYDRA programming erased from his mind.

Avengers: Infinity War

Nick Fury and Maria Hill are shocked by the sudden destruction unfolding around them in a city, and soon they are among the half of the universe that Thanos erased from existence using the Infinity Stones. However, before he turns to dust, Fury manages to send out a signal using a spruced-up pager that displays the Captain Marvel symbol.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Post-Credits Scene #1: Scott Lang is in the Quantum Realm gathering quantum energy that will be used to stabilize Ava Starr’s condition, and Hope van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne are monitoring him from our dimension. Unfortunately, all three are snapped away by Thanos, leaving Scott trapped.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The oversized ant that Scott was using to carry out his house arrest routine in order to fool the FBI continues to play drums while the world goes to hell from the Snap.

Captain Marvel

Post-Credits Scene #1: Post-Snap, some of the surviving Avengers are monitoring Nick Fury’s pager at Avengers Compound and trying to figure out who the signal is being sent to. Suddenly, the pager shuts down, and seconds later, Captain Marvel appears before them asking where Fury is.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Back in 1995, Goose vomits up the Tesseract in Nick Fury’s office.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Post-Credits Scene #1: After swinging through New York City, Peter Parker (suited up as Spider-Man) and MJ watch a news report out in public where TheDailyBugle.net’s J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage where Mysterio not only frames Peter for the Elemental attack on London and his death, but also exposes his secret identity to the world.

Post-Credits Scene #2: As Nick Fury and Maria Hill are driving, we learn that they’ve actually been the Skrulls Talos and Soren from Captain Marvel this entire time. Talos expresses embarrassment at having been embarrassed by Mysterio’s deception, and Soren convinces him to call the real Nick Fury and inform him what happened. Talos attempts to get Nick Fury to come back, but the spy hangs up in the middle of the call, and we see he’s been on “vacation” aboard a spaceship packed with other Skrulls.

Black Widow

Post-Avengers: Endgame, Yelena Belova visits Natasha Romanoff’s grave with her dog. The visit is interrupted by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who’s come to give Yelena a new mission. Her target: Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, whom Valentina says is responsible for Natasha’s death.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Post-Credits Scene #1: Wong brings Shang-Chi and Katy to meet with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, both of whom are appearing as holograms. They ponder the origins of Shang-Chi’s rings, and then discover that they’re emitting some kind of beacon, but they don’t know where its message is going. After Carol and Bruce leave the meeting, Wong suggests Shang-Chi and Katy go home to get some rest, but the three of them instead go out for karaoke.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Although Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing, told him towards the end of the main story that she intended to disband the Ten Rings, we learn she’s instead taken control of the organization and is now training women alongside the men.

Eternals

Post-Credits Scene #1: Out in space, Thena, Makkari and Druig are visited aboard their ship by Eros, a.k.a. Starfox, and his companion Pip the Troll. Eros, who is a fellow Eternal and brother of Thanos, is aware that the trio’s surviving friends have been taken away by the Celestial Arishem, but he and Pip know where to find them.

Post-Credits Scene #2: After witnessing Sersi being taken away, Dane Whitman, whom she’s been dating, opens up a box containing the Ebony Blade. Before he grabs the sword though, a voice offscreen (confirmed in real life to be vampire hunter Blade) questions whether or not Dane is ready to wield it.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Post-Credits Scene #1: Following Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote being transported to the main MCU reality in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene, we see Eddie at a hotel bar in Mexico getting details about the world he’s in from the bartender, including learning about the Blip, Thanos and the Snap. Eddie decides to go to New York to track down Spider-Man, but he and Venom are soon returned to their universe, although a piece of the symbiote is left behind.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The first trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is shown.

Alternate Post-Credits Scene #2: If you watch Spider-Man: No Way Home: The More Fun Stuff Version, you’ll be treated to an additional post-credits that replaces the Doctor Strange 2 trailer. It shows how the effects of Strange’s second spell, i.e. the one that erased people’s knowledge of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, is affecting the lives of his former classmates.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Post-Credits Scene #1: Some time after developing that third eye and apparently getting used to it, Doctor Strange is approached by Clea, who informs him that his actions in this sequel have triggered an incursion into the Dark Dimension, prompting him to follow her back to that realm.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The spell that Strange cast to cause Pizza Poppa on Earth-838 to repeatedly punch himself finally wears off, to the man’s relief.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Post-Credits Scene #1: Dismayed at how the gods aren’t given the respect they once received, Zeus, who’s recovering from his run-in with Thor, decides that killing the Asgardian God of Thunder will make people fear their kind again. He tasks his son Hercules with finding Thor to carry out vengeance.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Jane Foster finds herself in Valhalla, the Asgardian afterlife where warriors who die in battle end up. She’s greeted outside its gates by Heimdall, who thanks her for looking after his son, Axl.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While in Haiti, Shuri learns that before T’Challa died, her brother and Nakia had a son named Touissant, and they decided to have him raised away from Wakanda to avoid the “pressure of the throne.” That’s also why they didn’t attend T’Challa’s funeral, as it wasn’t time for the boy’s existence to become public. Shuri greets her nephew, who informs her that Toussiant is his Haitian name, but his Wakandan name is T’Challa, too.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Post-Credits Scene #1: Immortus, Rama-Tut and Centurion, three Kang variants from the Council of Kangs, discuss the recent demise of the movie’s main Kang the Conqueror. These Kangs decide because “they,” i.e. the MCU’s main heroes, are starting to “touch” the multiverse, it’s time for them to strike back so that all they’ve built won’t be destroyed. It’s then shown that the fortress where the Council is speaking is filled with thousands of other Kang variants.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The Loki variant and Mobius from the Loki TV series are seen at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair watching a presentation being given by Victor Timely, another Kang variant. Loki is terrified to see the man given his experience with He Who Remains, but Mobius doesn’t understand what the big deal is. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in the Loki Season 2 episode “1893.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Post-Credits Scene #1: Rocket Raccoon and Groot (who’s now fully grown into his King Groot form) are shown on the planet Krylor undertaking a mission to protect townsfolk from stampeding beasts. They are accompanied by Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, his pet Blurp and Phyla, with this being the new Guardians of the Galaxy lineup.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Peter Quill enjoys breakfast with his grandpa Jason, agreeing to mow the lawn of a woman Jason knows, though Peter thinks the woman’s son, who’s 45 years old, should help. Jason, who’s reading a newspaper that includes a story about Kevin Bacon being kidnapped (referencing the events of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special) says, “Don’t get me started,” prompting Peter to want to hear more. It’s then teased that “The Legendary Star-Lord will return.”

The Marvels

Monica Rambeau awakens in an infirmary, and next to her is an alternate version of her mother, Maria, who goes by Binary. The X-Man Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, is also in the room, and he informs Monica that she’s been transported to another universe. After Beast leaves, Binary asks who Monica is, prompting her to say, “Oh shit.”

Deadpool And Wolverine

Post-Credits Scene #1: While not a scene per say, a touching tribute for the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies plays to the tune of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." It's only appropriate, as without this era, we wouldn't have Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and various other memorable portrayals of classic superheroes and super villains.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Deadpool pulls up footage in the TVA headquarters that shows Johnny Storm saying all the bad things about Cassandra Nova that the Merc with the Mouth says he did. Ok, so that part of his story checks out, but The Human Torch being killed is still his fault.

Captain America: Brave New World

Sam Wilson visits Samuel Sterns at The Raft, the same place where now-former President Thaddeus Ross is being incarcerated. Sterns warns Sam that there is an attack forthcoming from other worlds, and that he should prepare for "the others." Meaning, the main MCU reality will soon be colliding with the Marvel multiverse.

As each new Marvel movie comes out, we’ll let you know here if there are any post-credits events to go over. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to expand your horizons beyond the MCU, look over all of the upcoming superhero movies.