Tessa Thompson revealed in a recent interview that she and frequent collaborator and pal Michael B. Jordan didn’t just rehearse scenes while prepping for Creed III. Wildly, the two leads actually went to couples therapy together, fully in character as Bianca and Adonis.

Thompson shared the story during an appearance on Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, and posted as a clip to YouTube. The Passing star offered a surprisingly thoughtful look at what it means to work closely with someone for more than a decade. According to her, by the time they were making the most recent Creed film, she and Jordan felt less like co-stars and more like family. Or, as she put it:

According to the Westworld series veteran (streaming with an HBO Max subscription), the therapy sessions weren’t about creating or diffusing conflict. Instead, the actors hoped to understand conflict and what makes it rise in a long-term relationship. By the third entry in the Creed franchise, Bianca and Adonis weren’t a new couple. They’re older, more settled, dealing with careers, parenthood, and the quiet pressures that creep into long-term relationships. Going to therapy gave Thompson and Jordan a structured way to talk through those dynamics that felt grounded.

What made the experience even stranger, and more revealing, was how quickly it stopped being purely about the characters. Thompson admitted that while the sessions were technically “in character,” they inevitably began reflecting on their own lives as well. She continued:

Thompson revealed that the process reminded her that therapy doesn’t have to be a last resort or something reserved for relationships in crisis. Even when things are going well, having a space to sharpen communication and better understand how another person operates can be helpful. Not just romantically, but across friendships, family relationships, and creative partnerships.

The honest and vocal Thor: Ragnarok castmate also made a point of praising Jordan as a collaborator, describing him as a delight to work with and an incredibly kind presence, which helps explain why the experiment worked at all. Therapy, even in character, requires trust. And that trust doesn’t happen unless both people are willing to be open and listen.

More than anything, Tessa Thompson framed the experience as a reminder about communication. Having a structured space to talk through conflict, even under the guise of playing characters, proved invaluable. It allowed the two A-listers to address issues and dynamics that don’t always surface naturally in day-to-day life. Which, if you ask me, can only strengthen their performances and their working relationship.

The entire Creed trilogy, some of the best boxing movies ever made, is available to rent through an Amazon Prime Video subscription.

SPOILERS are ahead for His & Hers, now streaming with a Netflix subscription.

Look, I’m all for shocking twists in crime TV shows, but from my perspective the big one found in Netflix’s His & Hers isn’t one. Maybe it’s just me, but when the final moments of the series answered all the questions that had been in my head throughout the bingeable six-episode miniseries, I found myself doing a long sigh rather than feeling like my mind had been blown. Sure, I was definitely surprised, but a few things still don’t add up for me.

The series stars Tessa Thompson as a news anchor named Anna and Jon Bernthal as a detective named Jack who reunite in their small town amidst a murder case. The TV show has received mixed reviews from critics (including a similar 63 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes) and now I totally see why. It’s got one of those love-it or hate-it endings because the true murderer really throws one for a loop. The more I think about the reveal that Anna’s mom Alice (played by Crystal Fox) was a serial killer all along who murdered three of Anna’s former classmates after finding out about them being responsible for Anna being raped on her 16th birthday, the more I don’t like it. Let me talk about why.

Why Would 3 High School Girls Go That Far?

As a former teenage girl, who went to high school and didn’t have the best time getting along with other teenage girls, I totally get their longheld rivalries. But, you simply cannot convince me that three high school girls would orchestrate one of their friends getting raped in the woods while they watch and sing her “Happy Birthday.” All three of them would have to be the same kind of psychotic to watch someone they know be sexually assaulted like that. It’s not only incredibly twisted, but unrealistic in my book.

I know, it’s not a true crime show, and realism doesn’t have to factor in, but the twist was just completely out of nowhere, as well. If they wanted me to buy into this, the story could have at least offered some further context about why these high school girls were so evil, and what they had against Anna so much that they would traumatize her with a girl’s worst nightmare.

It perhaps wouldn’t have taken me out of it so much if her friend group had any character development at all, but when this was revealed it felt like it was chosen simply for shock value rather than any attempt to tell a story with some depth or care around the rape of a teenage girl. Sure, it gives Anna’s mom solid motivation to become a serial killer, but the reveal came off really flat to me otherwise.

I Don’t Think The Character Of Catherine/Lexy Was Fleshed Out Enough

Another thing that bothered me about His & Hers' plot twist was in regards to the character of Lexy, the news anchor for WSK TV News that has replaced Anna in the beginning. As the series’s finale unfolds, we learn that Lexy was actually Catherine, one of Anna’s other classmates who was also bullied by her friend group and almost pulled into the rape as well. She ends up being a red herring, who Anna believes is the murderer at first, but I don’t feel like this twist really worked too well, either, because the character was barely fleshed out.

I can see how being someone who was bullied in high school and uses a different name now would make her an understandable suspect, but why would she have any interest in killing Anna? Anna didn’t do any of the bullying, and she literally ran away knowing her friends were letting some men rape her. The finale fight between Lexy and Anna simply didn’t make sense, unless she’s completely deranged.

Also, I would have appreciated the show implementing her more before that reveal, because it felt so random, given she was barely in the series beforehand. Then there’s the fact that Alice wanted to frame Catherine because of her running away from the scene during Anna’s rape – as if it didn’t dawn on her she was probably afraid for her life, and was another victim in the situation.

Anna & Jack's Reconciling Doesn’t Make Sense To Me

The last thing that really bothered me about the ending of His & Hers was Anna and Jack getting back together. During Alice’s letter, it seemed like she did her daughter a favor to bring her back together with her husband, who she’s now expecting a baby with again. However, the rest of the show brought up so many red flags regarding Jack. For one, Jack was literally having an affair with Rachel, one of the women who caused Anna’s rape. And, when she was murdered by Alice, he broke so many laws to make sure he didn’t get any of the heat regarding the murder.

Alice must have clocked that the truck that Rachel was leaving from right before she murdered her was Jack’s truck, right? Why would she push for them to get back together knowing he was fraternizing with one of the women (not to mention his sister is another one of them) of Anna’s horrible friend group? This is not a happy ending for Anna to me!

While I totally get that these two went through a serious tragedy together, and needed space from each other, and these events brought them closer together, Jack never really apologizes to her for being emotionally absent for her after they lost Charlotte, and given the way he deals with Rachel’s death, he seems like a guy who will lie, cheat and gaslight his loved ones. I still can’t believe he asked his niece to do the swab test for her to cover his butt earlier in the show!

There’s a lot of reasons why I’m frustrated with the latest of the whodunnit shows to come to streaming, but I did enjoy the performances, and it was an easy binge that I sped right through. I do have to wonder if the book it’s based on by Alice Feeney offers more context and a more believable plotline, because it definitely feels like it was missing a few things. Anyways, now that you’ve finished His & Hers, you can check out what’s on the 2026 Netflix schedule next.

This year is set to be a big one for Jon Bernthal, with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both hitting the 2026 movie calendar — not to mention the Punisher special coming to Disney+. Tessa Thompson isn’t doing too bad herself, possibly looking at some awards love for her performance in 2025’s Hedda. First, however, the two are starring in the new Netflix limited series His & Hers, which several critics are calling “frustrating,” despite many of them really digging the show.

His & Hers consists of six episodes and is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Alice Feeney. In the thriller, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal play an estranged couple (a journalist and detective, respectively) investigating a murder while also suspecting each other. Michael Peyton of IGN rates it an “Amazing” 9 out of 10 for the chemistry between the leads that elevates the story into quite the bingeable treat. Peyton writes:

Joel Keller of Decider, meanwhile, is one of the critics frustrated by the upcoming Netflix series. While Keller agrees His & Hers is worth streaming due to the lead actors and the potential for fun twists, the episodes can be “slow-moving to a fault and frustrating as hell.” The critic continues:

Aramide Tinubu of Variety says Tessa Thompson turns in a “fascinating” performance, and the “bonkers” story has a way of seeping into your psyche to shift everything you thought you knew. More from the review:

However, other critics like Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert can’t get past the series’ disappointments. He rates the show 1.5 stars out of 4, saying Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson do so much to try to elevate the product, which makes it “so much more frustrating” that their efforts are wasted. Tallerico writes:

Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gives it a D+, calling it “one of the most frustrating shows of the year” and saying that not even the talented lead actors can salvage the numerous, ridiculous plot holes. Gajjar continues:

The critics all seem to agree that Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal bring their A-game to His & Hers; it’s just a question of whether or not the series overall is worth the apparent frustrations. If you want to check out the mystery thriller, all six episodes have hit the 2026 TV schedule and are available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.

It’s the first full week of 2026, and January is often a dead zone when it comes to theatrical releases. The 2026 movie schedule is no exception, but luckily, the world of streaming is more than able to pick up the slack. There are plenty of great streaming movies this month, and plenty of TV series are getting underway to keep you interested for the next several weeks.

The Pitt, Season 2 - January 8 (HBO Max)

The Pitt was one of the best new shows of 2025 and is absolutely one of the best reasons to have an HBO Max subscription. While so many other streaming hits can make us wait multiple years before giving us a new season, the hospital drama starring Noah Wiley isn’t making us wait. The Pitt Season 2 drops its first hour this week. The new season will take place on the Fourth of July, which will certainly lead to many emergencies for the doctors on call.

The Traitors, Season 4 - January 8 (Peacock)

The Traitors has become one of the biggest reality competition series of the streaming era, so you can be sure there will be millions of fans making sure they have their Peacock subscription up to date when the new season arrives this week.

His & Hers - January 8 (Netflix)

Tessa Thompson might find herself in the Oscar hunt thanks to Hedda, and Jon Bernthal is likely to have a huge 2026 as the Punisher in Spider-Man Brand: New Day and his own Disney+ special, but with a Netflix subscription this week, you can see them together in His & Hers. They play an estranged couple, he a police detective and she a journalist, investigating a murder together, while also suspecting each other might be guilty of the crime.

People We Meet on Vacation - January 9 (Netflix)

While I will go to the mat for the theatrical experience, there’s little argument that audiences more broadly don’t go to the movies as much anymore. One casualty of this change has been the character-driven romance. Luckily, we have streaming platforms like Netflix picking up the slack. Based on the novel of the same name, People We Meet on Vacation follows two old friends who spend one week a year going on vacation together, and the romance that eventually grows between them.

The Night Manager, Season 2 - January 11 (Prime Video)

The Night Manager, based on the John Le Carre novel, was one of the most popular and successful TV series ever when it debuted way back in 2016. It’s wild that it took nearly a decade for a second season to arrive. Of course, star Tom Hiddleston has been kind of busy since then. While the show was on cable the first time around, you’ll need a Prime Video subscription to watch Season 2.

With new seasons of Bridgerton, new additions to the Game of Thrones franchise,m and the first piece of the marvel Cinematic Universe in 2026 dropping this month, January may be cold, but the content is staying hot all month along.

The 2025 movie schedule offered up some excellent films across a wide range of genres, and those great pieces of work were accompanied by some superb performances from numerous actors. That includes a considerable amount of excellent work from more than a few Black performers. For me personally, it’s been wonderful to see so much Black talent on display over the past year, and there are 10 performances, in particular, that I really want to take the time to highlight. So, let’s discuss.

Michael B. Jordan Puts On An Incredible Showcase In Sinners

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners works on so many levels, and Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance as twins Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore is a major reason for that. Jordan is downright impeccable in the film, as he deftly portrays the siblings’ distinct personalities, making them feel like tangible characters and not clichés. There’s also a level of physicality he brings to the roles that really comes through in the third act. In short, this is wonderful work, and it’s not surprising at all that Jordan’s work has been praised so heavily.

Chase Infiniti Serves Up One Of The Best Feature Film Debuts Ever With One Battle After Another

I’m not sure anyone could’ve seen Chase Infiniti coming, but I’m so glad she’s now on the public’s radar. The young actress made her feature film debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, and her performance as Willa Ferguson is nothing short of phenomenal. Infiniti plays Willa with an adventurous spirit but also a sheer sense of urgency that shines through in the film’s tensest moments. Put simply, this is generational work, and I feel confident saying that Infiniti is going to be around for a long time.

Miles Caton Is A True Revelation In Sinners

Speaking of exciting new stars, Miles Caton made his own film debut in Sinners, and this young man is a certified talent. Caton plays aspiring blues musician Sammie “Preacherboy” Moore with an incredible level of sincerity and gravitas. As great as the film’s cast is, Caton is easily the emotional center and, of course, his singing abilities, which really shine through during THAT juke joint sequence, are immaculate. I’m excited to see where Caton goes from here.

Tessa Thompson’s Work In Hedda Furthers Her Status As A Skilled Leading Lady

In some ways, it honestly feels like Tessa Thompson was born to play the eponymous role in Nia DaCosta’s Hedda. As the socially savvy Hedda Gabler, Thompson is smooth as silk, giving off a wicked charm that’s just infectious. There’s also a level of tragedy to this character and, while viewers may not like her, Thompson’s meticulous acting helps articulate the protagonist’s pain. Here’s hoping that the Sorry to Bother You star gets more roles like this one – and has the opportunity to star in more period pieces.

Damson Idris Gives F1 A Sweet Boost With His Energized Performance

Someone could watch Snowfall and quickly get a sense of Damson Idris’ talents. Yet he really gives an electric performance in the racing blockbuster F1, in which he plays hotshot driver Joshua Pierce. Idris brings serious levels of swag to Joshua and perfectly balances his arrogance with his vulnerability. The British actor also deserves credit for not only going toe-to-toe with his seasoned screen partner, Brad Pitt, but for also getting in the driver’s seat for various scenes. If those two feats aren’t impressive, I don’t know what is.

Wunmi Mosaku’s Sinners Performance Is Both Soulful And Sweet

Annie is one of the complex female characters in Sinners, and she’s played with sheer conviction by Wunmi Mosaku. The Loki alum helps inject wisdom and spirituality into Annie and, whenever she speaks, she’s hard to ignore. What’s really amazing, though, is while Annie is a Hoodoo expert wrapped up in the supernatural elements of the movie, Mosaku’s performance as the wife and mother serves as a grounding element. Few performances this year are as emotionally affecting as this one.

Edi Gathegi Outshines Superman… In Superman

Don’t get me wrong, David Corenswet is wonderful as Superman’s titular character, but Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific really steals the show! Gathegi’s mask-wearing, tech-savvy hero serves as a voice of reason in the DCU film, dishing out facts as well as cheeky one-liners. As the Justice Gang member, Gathegi has a cerebral aura that interestingly makes him feel both relatable and larger than life. I don’t know what James Gunn has planned for the hero, but I certainly hope Gathegi gets to play him in plenty of upcoming DC movies and shows.

Naomi Ackie Adds A Delightful Dose Of Strength And Warmth To Mickey 17

Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 is just further proof as to why audiences need to stop sleeping on Naomi Ackie. The Blink Twice star plays security agent Nasha Barridge, the love interest of the main character, but she’s so much more. She’s also a woman with her own aspirations and isn’t defined by her romantic relationships (though she does enjoy them). Ackie is well cast in the role, as she can play both Nasha’s toughness and vulnerability excellently while also adding humor to the proceedings. Overall, Ackie really deserves her flowers.

Delroy Lindo Is Nothing Short Of A Scene-Stealer In Sinners

Sinners’ Delta Slim may be one of the best characters Delroy Lindo has ever played, and that’s saying a lot given the veteran actors’ body of work. In Ryan Coogler’s hit film, Lindo’s Slim provides a great deal of levity, which the actor exudes perfectly, but he also conveys the more tragic aspects of the drunken bluesman effectively. (He even has one of the movie’s most heartbreaking moments.) I was disappointed that Lindo didn’t land a Golden Globe nod, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a perfect performance.

David Jonsson Gives One Of The Year’s Best Performances In The Long Walk

If you haven’t heard of David Jonsson, then you should really take notice, especially after his work in The Long Walk. Jonsson’s performance as Peter McVries is next-level, as he breathes stunning life into a young man with a troubled past who’s holding onto optimism. The Rye Lane star plays Pete with a great level of conviction, as he delivers dialogue with authority (especially a monologue about the importance of hope). Jonsson is this film’s “beating heart” and a force to be reckoned with, and I’m eager to see what he does next.

As you can see, Black actors put in some serious work over the past year, and the performances listed here deserved to be celebrated. And there are more, of course. (Regina Hall, Jay Ellis, Teyana Taylor, Keke Palmer and ASAP Rocky make up just a handful of the other great performers of the year.) Let’s hope the 2026 movie schedule yields even more stellar performances like these.

I'm willing to be that you have heard about the amazing 2025 that has been had by Michael B. Jordan. While he has been earning acclaim for just about his entire career, the release of Sinners has put him on a new level – as he is now recognized as a A-lister with the power to carry a non-IP film to blockbuster success. The actor has been earning accolades left and right, with more to come as we get deeper into awards season... which makes me all the more appreciate the special love that he recently extended to his Creed trilogy co-star Tessa Thompson.

Like Jordan, Thompson too has been on the receiving end of laudation from critics in 2025, specifically for her turn as the titular character in writer/director Nia DaCosta's Hedda. Last night, she was given the Actress Award – Film prize at the Critics Choice Association’s 2025 Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, and the Sinners star was on-stage to give it to her. In the aftermath of the event, Jordan took to his personal Instagram account to express his joy about how things went, writing,

If the fact that Tessa Thompson's role in Hedda is now winning awards isn't enough to push you to go see it, perhaps Michael B. Jordan's endorsement will be enough – as the guy certainly knows a thing or two about great performances (have pulled off a pair of them starring in Sinners).

Now available to watch with an Amazon Prime subscription (as noted by Jordan), Hedda is a new adaptation of the classic Henrik Ibsen play Hedda Gabler, and it marks the third collaboration between its star and Nia DaCosta after 2018's Little Woods (the filmmaker's directorial debut) and 2023's The Marvels (which features Thomson in a cameo role). The story follows the eponymous character as she feels trapped in a gilded cage and convinces her husband to throw a lavish party that sees drama unfold due to the attendance of her former lover and her husband's professional rival.

Also starring Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, the movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall and arrived on streaming in October following a brief qualifying run in theaters.

As for what the future may hold for Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan as collaborators, that's a big question mark. It seems unlikely that their characters will ever meet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (principally because the latter's Erik Killmonger is very dead) and it's unknown when we might get to see a Creed 4 (though it is a project in the works). Perhaps Thompson could end up with a role in the developing Miami Vice remake? I don't think there is a rational person on the planet who would be upset about that development.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly giving fans new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that there have been some peaks and valleys in recent years, and the actors who star in the shared universe know this all too well. Tessa Thompson plays Valkyrie, and recently ranked the titles she's starred in so far. And fans might have a big reaction where she landed.

Thompson mad her debut in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, which brought new life into Chris Hemsworth's franchise. While she recently reprised her role in Marvel Zombies, fans are wondering which upcoming Marvel movies might feature her. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live!, she was asked to rank her Marvel appearances, responding with:

Talk about a hot take. While Ragnarok was pretty universally loved, the same can't be said for its sequel. Thor: Love and Thunder failed to impress audiences, especially after the high expectations set by its predecessor. And by comparison, Endgame became the highest grossing movie of all time upon its release, and is still beloved by fans years later.

While Thompson doesn't give the reasoning behind this decision, I have to assume it's related to how much screentime she got. While Valkyrie appeared in Endgame and got to fight in the epic final battle against Thanos, she had limited screen time. She had much more to do in both Ragnrok and Love and Thunder.

Of course, this ranking doesn't include every single appearance of Thompson in the MCU. She voiced Valkyrie in both What If...? and Marvel Zombies, further showing her importance in the shared universe. Additionally, she had a cameo in The Marvels, allowing her to share the screen with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers. Some fans are hoping these two heroes become a romantic couple, but that hasn't exactly played out on the screen just yet.

Valkyrie's attitude and badassery has made her a fan favorite character in just a handful of MCU appearances so far. And as such, moviegoers are curious about when/how she might pop back up in future projects. Tessa Thompson wasn't included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement, although Kevin Feige has confirmed that not every single actor is listed. So maybe we'll get another appearance by Val aka the King of New Asgard. Hey, a guy can dream.

Alternatively, it's possible that she'll get her time in the sun in Avengers: Secret Wars, as almost nothing is known about what the Russo Brothers are planning for that title. Either way there are plenty of fans who would like to see her return in live-action sooner rather than later.

The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 24th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Thompson, her new movie Hedda is in theaters now and streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Ever since I noticed Hedda was among upcoming LGBTQ+ movies coming out this year, I’ve been intrigued about what was in store, and now that it’s new on streaming, I can’t recommend it enough. Whether you just checked it out, or want to learn more about the movie before clicking play, I want to delve into the clever way it puts a queer spin on a classic play from the 1800s.

What Hedda Is Based On

Hedda, is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, which is over one-hundred and thirty years old. It’s coveted as a masterpiece in the world of literary realism and among works published during that time. It follows the daughter of a general, Hedda Gabler, who is newly trapped in a marriage she’s unhappy with to an academic named George Tesman. So when George’s academic rival, and a past lover to Hedda, Eilert Løvborg, comes back into their lives, Hedda decides to create havoc in his life. (No, I won’t spoil the ending in case you want to be surprised by the movie).

How It Puts A Queer Spin On The Classic Play

A lot of book adaptations take creative liberties with its source material, but I found this one to be particularly interesting, because it recontextualizes the play to tell a more layered story about Hedda. In the movie, which is helmed by The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta, it takes place in the 1950s instead, and in the contained location of a party that the Tesman’s are putting on themselves (rather than the new couple going to a party). Eilert is reworked as a secret female lover Hedda once had named Eileen (Nina Goss), who is currently dating a woman by the name of Thea (Imogen Poots).

A simple change to the gender of two of the main characters in the original play really deepens the overall characterization of Hedda. She’s not simply a woman trapped in a marriage, she’s a queer character (played by a queer actor in Thompson, if I may add), who gave up on her relationship with a woman in order to conform to what’s acceptable at the time: being the wife to a man.

In both versions of Hedda, she decides to sabotage her old lover, but in the context of the movie, there’s an added depth of Hedda pulling down Eileen with her because she seems to be jealous of her ability to have conviction as a queer woman, rather than settling in obedience of the patriarchal world they live in like she did.

The movie is a really magnetic retelling of Hedda that speaks to the story’s ability to remain influential over a century after it was initially published. And because Hedda in this instance is a mixed race woman as well, there’s also an element of her character who appears to be seeking power through her marriage as a means of survival and as a way to gain wealth, whereas Eileen, who is a white woman and academic, has more opportunities to embrace her queerness. Hedda must know won’t work the same for her, and uses her quiet rage with real violence against those around her.

All in all, Hedda is a really beautifully tragic commentary on intersectional femininity, and ways in which a male-dominated society can create a rift between women and minorities when society forces them into subjugation. There’s a lot of conversations to be had about, and I highly recommend you check it out yourself.

In her most recent appearances in the vast Marvel multiverse, Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie has been making some fun and/or unexpected connections. On the big screen, she last appeared in The Marvels, giving sanctuary to a collection of Skrulls following up a call from Carol Danvers, and on the animated Disney+ series Marvel Zombies, we recently got to see her hang out with Kamala Kahn, Blade, Shang-Chi and more. At this point, any character crossover with the ruling king of Asgard seems possible – but if it were up to Thompson, she would apparently dig a team-up with The Winter Soldier in an upcoming Marvel project.

The talented actress recently did an interview on Collider Ladies Night, and she was asked about her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – specifically in regard to what character she would like to see get paired up with Valkyrie in a story. She admitted that she wasn't quite sure how the dynamic would play out between the Asgardian warrior and Bucky Barnes, but she apparently would be quite excited to team up on screen with Sebastian Stan. Said Thompson,

Like Valkyrie, Winter Soldier has also been quite active as of late and meeting some very interesting new people. He's had two big screen appearances this yeah, and not only has it been revealed that he is an elected official (he is now representing Brooklyn in Congress) , but he is also part of a brand new super team: the New Avengers.

Like Tessa Thompson, I too would simply love to see how the talents of the actress match with those of Sebastian Stan on screen, but I can also imagine Valkyrie and Bucky making a badass pair. They have very different backgrounds as far as their personal origins are concerned, but not to be ignored is that they share a common bond through their experience as soldiers. They are both tough cookies who know how to get the job done when they are in a fight, and it would be pretty awesome to see them both bond and fight back-to-back.

Is it possible we'll see it happen? That answer is unclear. While it's been made official that Sebastian Stan will be a part of the monster ensemble of stars who will be in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, Tessa Thompson's name wasn't one of the names featured when the blockbuster's cast was announced earlier this year. That being said, it's entirely possible that her appearance in the capstone film is being kept under wraps for now, and even if she doesn't end up being in that movie, the door is still wide open for her to play some kind of role in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars.

October comes to an end, and November gets underway. While there’s a surprising lack of new content arriving on Hallowen itself, there’s plenty of great horror material already streaming on your favorite platforms, and then November 1 will bring the usual upheaval of content libraries. Here’s a look at what’s worth giving a look at this week.

Hedda - October 29 (Prime Video)

One of the most talked-about movies coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival was Nia DaCosta’s Hedda. The film, based on a classic play, gets a new twist from DaCosta and star Tessa Thompson. The film is already among the conversation for major awards consideration, and following a brief theatrical release, the movie will be available with a Prime Video subscription this week.

Star Wars: Visions, Volume 3 - October 29 (Disney+)

There are a lot of opinions about how the Star Wars franchise has fared under Disney but one of the unique and special creations we have seen in that time has been Star Wars: Visions. The series hands over the elements of the franchise to creators in Japanese anime to create original short films that put a visual and cultural twist on the story. The third batch of Visions shorts arrives this week as part of your Disney+ subscription.

Down Cemetery Road - October 29 (Apple TV+)

A major new streaming series release comes from your Apple TV+ subscription this week. Down Cemetery Road stars Emma Thompson as a private investigator hired after a small town suffers an explosion and the disappearance of a young girl on the same night. It looks dramatic, but also with a dose of humor that could make it quite a fun watch.

Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation - October 29 (Disney+)

In the second case of Disney being given an anime twist this week comes Disney Twisted Wonderland. In one of the stranger roads to Disney+, the series is based on a popular mobile game, and takes a little inspiration from Harry Potter is a story that sees the main character drawn into the world of Night Raven College, a boarding school with dormitories based on Disney Villains.

The Witcher, Season 4 - October 30 (Netflix)

The Witcher remained one of the most popular shows to watch with a Netflix subscription for three seasons, but the long-awaited new season will change things up in a big way with Liam Hemsworth taking over the lead role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill. Fans are not likely to go easy on the new actor, but if the show is good enough, it’s difficult to imagine people will be disappointed for long.

Jurassic World: Rebirth - October 30 (Peacock)

A lot of fans were surprised when we got the fourth film in the Jurassic World franchise so quickly, but based on its box office it may be shouldn't have been that surprising. If you missed the film in theaters you’ll need a Peacock subscription to see it this week. Jurassic World: Rebirth showed that even seven total movies in, the dinosaur franchise is still incredibly popular. Scarlett Johansson starred in this newest reboot of the series that already has a sequel rumored to be in development.

November is going to be a solid month for streaming content. Music fans will see an updated Beatles Anthology coming to Disney+. Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Frankenstein will make its streaming debut. The first Christmas movies of the season will also arrive.

While Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston play (adopted) brothers in the MCU, they're nothing alike both on and off screen, and that's a big reason why they're so great as Loki and Thor. That point was proven again recently, when Tessa Thompson spoke about her Thor: Ragnarok cast mates and explained why Hemsworth is like "a baby with muscles," and Hiddleston is the exact opposite of that.

At the BFI London Film Festival, Tessa Thompson jokingly said working with her Aussie MCU co-star was like being with “a baby with muscles” who eats every hour. Well, there’s no denying that Hemsworth is a foodie, as he would get in shape for the Thor movies by eating six meals a day. But we know he combines his massive diet with his rigorous workout regimen. Plus, his co-star's comments are a compliment to his performance as well, as she followed that up by saying he'll "do anything to get the laugh."

As for what the Valkyrie actress said about Tom Hiddleston, on the other hand, “a big baby” is not the adjective she used to describe him. In fact, she used the opposite descriptors, saying:

It’s funny that Thompson describes Tom Hiddleston as so “serious,” considering Loki has done a lot of outrageous things that fans can’t help but laugh over. From his witty one-liners to his mischievous pranks, Hiddleston brings a charming, playful tone to the character. However, he also knows exactly how to bring the drama and the gravitas, too.

The Creed star's comments allude to that. However, she also made it clear how inspired she is by Hiddleston's meticulous preparation process. Explaining the genius way he navigates working with green screen, Thompson said:

I love that! After all, working with blue/green screens can be very complicated, as you always have to imagine what’s around you. By having pictures on hand of what would likely be in post-production, it’s no wonder Hiddleston gave us such a believable performance!

I think it's safe to say that the way Thompson described her co-stars is fitting when you consider who they play. That funny and spontaneous "baby" energy is great for Thor, especially in Ragnarok. Meanwhile, while Hiddleston also brought the funny as Loki in this movie, he's significantly more serious than his brother.

Now, you can revisit the three MCU stars’ unforgettable dynamic in Thor: Ragnarok by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription.

The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, thanks to various cinematic universes that are in play. Those with a Disney+ subscription are treated to the Marvel movies in order, as well as the X-Men franchise. Those properties feature Tessa Thompson and Jennifer Lawrence respectively, and the two acclaimed actresses recently bonded over having to pee into a funnel for their comic book roles.

Jennifer Lawrence famously played Mystique in four X-Men movies, starting with First Class and ending with her surprise death in Dark Phoenix. Thompson is still playing Valkyrie in the MCU, most recently popping up for a cameo in The Marvels. The pair of actresses recently appeared together on The Graham Norton Show, where they traded stories about not being able to use the bathroom in their superhero suits. Lawrence started, saying:

This seems to be a common issue with superhero actors, dating back years. Christian Bale famously told Ben Affleck to make sure he could pee in his Batman suit when taking on the role for Zack Snyder. So it's not even something exclusive to women in the genre.

Tessa Thompson immediately related to the Silver Linings Playbook actress, revealing she had the same issue when suiting up as Valkyrie. She also originally couldn't use the restroom when filming in the Thor franchise, revealing:

Putting in a zipper for actors to comfortable use the restroom seems like a no brainer, especially considering how long superhero movies shoot for. Alas, that doesn't seem to be a priority for designers out there, who are trying to make actors look as cool as possible. But there was a solution that these two women were given: a funnel. As J Law put it:

Well, that's certainly one way of getting around the issue. But while men are used to standing to urinate, this is a wild request for Lawrence and Thompson. The latter actress confirmed she was also met with this potential solution, but couldn't bring herself to actually doing it. As she told it:

Honestly, can you blame her? On top of being a strange way to relieve herself, the stakes feel high when keeping on her Valkyrie costume to pee. She can't exactly aim, and having to wear a costume covered in urine sounds like it would be pretty miserable. Although now I wonder exactly what happened for Thompson, who couldn't bring herself to use the funnel.

While Jennifer Lawrence tenure as Mystique has come to an end, fans still expect Tessa Thompson to appear in upcoming Marvel movies. She wasn't included in the Doomsday cast announcement, so it's unclear when she'll pop back up.

Jennifer Lawrence and Tessa Thompson's tenures in their comic book roles are both streaming now on Disney+. Although now I'm not going to be able to look at them without thinking of their bathroom woes.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be quite as big a franchise as it once was, the movies are still a great deal of fun for the audiences that are going to the movies to see them. It turns out the movies are also just as much fun to make. At least they were for Tessa Thompson, though she admits that Chris Hemsworth was a big reason for that.

In a recent appearance at the BFI London Film Festival (via Variety), Thompson talked about her experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Thor: Ragnarok to The Marvels. She made it clear that she had an absolute blast making movies with director Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth, calling the Thor actor…

While Thompson may sound like she’s being critical of Hemsworth here, it’s clear she actually loved working with him. She complimented the actor (with whom she also appeared in the failed reboot Men in Black: International) who may act like “a baby” a lot of the time. But she said that was all in service of a willingness to “discover,” which made working with him great. Thompson continued…

Thompson’s most recent entry in the MCU was by voicing her character of Valkyrie in the recent Marvel Zombies! animated series. Her name was not included in the massive cast list for Avengers: Doomsday, making it seem unlikely, though not impossible, that we’ll be seeing her again in the next MCU movie.

Making Marvel movies, as well as other major blockbusters, is certainly unlike most traditional film projects. The movie's heavy reliance on CGI means that most of the movie what we see on screen was never really there while the actors were filming their scenes. Many performers have talked about how difficult that can all be.

It turns out that was exactly why Tessa Thompson wanted to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actress says she wanted to challenge herself, because she was far from certain that she’d really be able to make a movie like that. In the end, she found the experience quite freeing. She explained…

I think we can all agree now that Tessa Thompson absolutely can make those movies. Her last live-action appearance in the MCU, in a brief cameo in The Marvels, showed that she doesn’t even need Chris Hemsworth to make it work.

For over 15 years now, we’ve been witness to all the Marvel movies in order, and what a journey it has been! We’ve come a long way since Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man first took flight, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe introducing so many characters into its movies and TV shows, that some of our favorites just haven’t had enough of the limelight yet. Let’s talk about the MCU characters that could use more screen time than they’ve currently been given.

Valkyrie

After the dismal reaction to Thor: The Dark World, the God of Thunder had an awesome comeback in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. The third Thor movie was partially awesome due to the debut of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, who instantly became a fan favorite for her wit and all-around standout performance. Despite all the love for Valkyrie, she’s remained on the sidelines in every one of her appearances.

Captain Carter

OK, so technically Hayley Atwell had a television series on ABC in the early days of the MCU called Agent Carter, but watching that series only made me want to see the character more. Especially when Peggy Carter came back in the Multiverse Saga for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for a short cameo and in animated form for …What If? Captain America’s great love is one of the most interesting MCU characters who deserves to have her hero’s journey fleshed out more.

Maria Hill

Early in the MCU, Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill was established as a key part of the universe in The Avengers as Nick Fury’s right hand, but over the years, she’s never really gotten any sort of major arc in either of the movies or TV shows yet, despite sharing she’d love to do more. She was barely in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has mostly been used for a few jokes here and there over the years.

Morgan Stark

One of the most heartbreaking arcs in the MCU was the death of Tony Stark, especially after it was revealed that the character had a daughter with Pepper Potts, named Morgan Stark. (We’ll never forget the “I love you 3000” line). While it does make sense to wait a bit before we see Morgan Stark again, it would be interesting to catch up with the daughter of Iron Man, and see how her life progresses in the MCU following Endgame.

Jimmy Woo

Randall Park’s FBI agent character Jimmy Woo was first seen in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp as Scott Lang’s parole officer. Woo has since been seen in WandaVision and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in brief roles. Sure, Jimmy Woo isn’t a huge Marvel character or anything, but Park is so hilarious, I’d love it if he earned a larger role in the universe.

Okoye

One of the best Black Panther characters is definitely Danai Gurira’s Okoye, who has had somewhat of a central role in both of the movies, but when you look at the screen time she actually had (about 13 minutes in Black Panther and 16 minutes in Wakanda Forever), she’s still rather a minor character. The former general of the Dora Milaje and head of Wakandan armed forces isn’t just very impressive in her strength and power, but a magnetic character I’d watch a whole movie about.

M’Baku

Winston Duke got on the Hollywood map due to his role in Black Panther, and while he was only in the first movie for about six minutes, he left a lasting impression on fans that had us wanting to see more. Especially following the end of Wakanda Forever, where he actually assumes the role of King of Wakanda. Here’s hoping the next Black Panther project gives him more to do.

Adam Warlock

As soon as Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock was announced to be part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel fans were excited to see the cosmic being in live action. However, it felt like the third Guardians movie didn’t really know what to do with the character, and is admittedly filed under “the worst thing” in our list of best and worst parts of every Marvel movie. The character deserves some redemption!

Cosmo the Spacedog

In the final Guardians of the Galaxy movie, James Gunn decided to introduce one of the cutest Marvel characters, Cosmo, but she was barely in the film! The Labrador astronaut, who has enhanced intelligence and psychic powers is such a fun and hilarious character, especially as voiced by Maria Bakalova. While it seems like the Guardians movies have wrapped up, I would love to see more of Cosmo.

Lady Sif

In the original Thor movie, Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif was brought on board the MCU as an Asgardian warrior and good friend to the God of Thunder. However, the heroic character, who is based on the Norse goddess who is known as the wife of Thor, had an anticlimactic role in the franchise. After showing up for around eight minutes in the first movie, her only other big appearance was in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She’d be a solid character to show up in the next Thor movie.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight getting a TV show rather than a big-screen movie will always be a mystery to me. Sure, he’s not the most popular Marvel hero, but given the studio has sold us on all sorts of smaller characters over the years, I don’t see why an antihero with dissociative identity disorder with roots in Egyptian mythology would have pulled in a crowd.

Korg

Not only is Thor: Ragnarok a movie that is so much fun on its own, but it also introduces Taika Waititi’s hilarious character of Korg, a Kronan warrior who Thor meets on Sakaar. Korg has only had short supporting moments in the last two Thor movies, but because he’s so loveable, we’d happily catch his return.

Quicksilver

Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Quicksilver, the brother to Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but had a hero’s death while shielding civilians from gunfire coming from Ultron. We have to wonder if the MCU would ever bring back the actor’s version of the character, especially after the multiverse was opened up. The actor has since jumped to playing another Marvel character for Sony’s Spider-Verse with the Kraven The Hunter movie.

Wong

When Doctor Strange came out in 2016, Benedict Wong’s role of Wong introduced the keeper of ancient books of the mystic arts. Since the MCU has progressed, Wong has been promoted to the Sorcerer Supreme. Following his title shift, we’re thinking about how the character could get a bigger spotlight that follows his own adventures.

America Chavez

When it was announced that America Chavez was coming to the MCU, we were excited to get to know the hero, also known as Miss America. Xochitl Gomez was highlighted in the key plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but she deserves a lot more attention in the MCU. Perhaps, she could be in the Young Avengers team we think the MCU is quietly setting up.

Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire)

After Tobey Maguire was the first big-screen Spider-Man in a trilogy of blockbuster films, his Spider-Man joined the MCU in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. While we imagine his appearance was more for nostalgic purposes, we’d genuinely love to see Tobey’s Peter Parker be part of the MCU again, and perhaps see Sam Raimi do the Spider-Man 4 movie that was previously cancelled. Spider-Man 3 ended the character on such a sour note, and the actor makes for such an awesome version of the hero.

Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield)

Andrew Garfield was such a Spider-Man in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies, however, they came at the time right before Disney earned the rights to the character. So, the cord was pulled on Garfield’s version and Tom Holland was part of the reboot. Garfield’s version technically joined the MCU when he showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. We’d love to see Garfield return to the MCU with his Spidey brothers, and perhaps continue where his movies left off.

J. Jonah Jameson

In Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies, J.K. Simmons was perfectly cast as J. Jonah Jameson, so we were unsurprised when the MCU cast him as the character for short cameos in Tom Holland’s movies. Except in the version we’ve seen, he’s only been seen on TV screens across the city. We don’t have a lot of Spider-Man 4 details right now, but wouldn’t it be fun if Holland’s Peter Parker began working for him?

Ned Leeds

Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds has always been such a fun addition to the Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland. Ned is Spider-Man’s “guy in the chair”, but the comic book character has more of a backstory that can be explored in upcoming Spider-Man movies. In the Spider-Man comics, Edward Leeds becomes a supervillain called the Hobgoblin!!

MJ

Mary-Jane Watson has always been an iconic part of the Spider-Man universe, but the character herself has yet to ever get a larger role that surpasses simply being a love interest to Spider-Man. Zendaya’s MJ is a step in the right direction for the character, but we have to wonder if there’s more the MCU could do with her.

Dane Whitman

When it was announced Kit Harrington was joining the MCU in 2019 in the role of Dane Whitman/Black Knight, we thought it was going to be a much bigger deal than it turned out to be. Harrington ended up having a rather anticlimactic role in Eternals, and we’re not even sure if we’ll get the payoff for the awesome character who has been in teams like the Avengers and Defenders in the comics.

Kate Bishop

When it comes to the best Marvel TV shows, Hawkeye is definitely one of the good ones, especially for how perfectly it established the character of Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld hit the bullseye when it comes to portraying the second generation of Hawkeye. After being in her own TV show, Kate showed up in The Marvels mid-credits scene with Kamala Khan, and we hope the MCU does promote her to an Avenger.

The Collector

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Benicio del Toro’s take on The Collector was brought into the MCU. He’s a villain in Marvel comics with a long history dating back to 1966 and tons of storylines with the Avengers and such, however, so far del Toro’s character has only had a few cameos.

Zeus

The king of the gods, Zeus, has even entered the MCU. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Russell Crowe had a small role as the Greek mythology legend. Since it’s such an epic character, and Crowe is an incredible talent, we’d be hyped for Zeus to have more screen time.

Luis

In Ant-Man, Michael Peña brought lots of laughs to the MCU as Luis. The character doesn’t have a comic backstory, and is really just a regular guy who used to be the cellmate of Scott Lang. However, Luis is so genuinely hilarious that we’ve missed him lately. We were especially bummed that he wasn’t in the third Ant-Man movie.

Namor

In the second Black Panther movie, audiences were introduced to the king of the underwater kingdom of Talokan, Namor. Tenoch Huerta did a fantastic job playing the villain of Wakanda Forever, and while he was technically defeated by Shuri in the movie, he’s very much alive, and is an interesting enough character to get more screen time, somehow.

Heimdall

It’s a shame that Idris Elba’s Heimdall died in Avengers: Infinity War, because the Asgardian gatekeeper was never really given much of a role in the MCU. The character could sustain a movie on his own considering what he does on Asgard, but here’s hoping he is still afforded the chance.

James “Rhodey” Rhodes

Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes was introduced in Iron Man 2, after Terrance Howard previously played the character in the first movie. Rhodes has become a member of the Avengers as War Machine / Iron Patriot, but he’s definitely been among the members of the team that’s not highlighted enough. At least the character is still reportedly set to front his own movie called Armor Wars, which would be very much deserved.

Madisynn King

In She-Hulk, a hilarious MCU character was born with Patty Guggenheim’s Madisynn (“with two n’s and one “y”, but it’s not where you think”). She was accidentally sent to a hellish dimension before crossing paths with Benedict Wong’s Wong, which she lovingly calls “Wongers.” She’s a laugh-out-loud addition to the universe that’d be so fun to see pop up again somewhere.

Sharon Carter

The niece of Peggy Carter, Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter has been in two Captain America movies, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and an episode of What If...? But still, it never fully feels like the MCU knows what to do with her. Perhaps if she was interwoven into the plotline more, she could have deeper ties to the universe.

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the director of the CIA in the MCU, who has been sprinkled in recent chapters in the MCU and is set to be part of the Thunderbolts cast. Currently, she isn’t giving us a lot to care about her, so here’s hoping the MCU does her character right and gives her more screen time going forward.

Hulk

May we remind you that Hulk is the only member of the original Avengers who has never been given his own solo project? It’s so wild! Yes, he left a huge mark on the main Avengers saga, but Mark Ruffalo is so good as Bruce Banner, that he deserves his own arc without being part of a team.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly growing and expanding, thanks to both big screen movies and shows that are available with a Disney+ subscription. The most recent movie to hit theaters is Nia DaCosta's The Marvels, which unfortunately struggled at the box office. While we wait for the next upcoming Marvel movies,  deleted scenes from The Marvels are being released, including an additional sequence with Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie. 

The cast of The Marvels featured a trio of heroes, but the movie also had a few surprises including a brief appearance by Thompson. While some fans have wanted Valkyrie and Carol to become a couple, right now it seems like they're just friends. A new post on IGN's Twitter shows that Val could have also gotten some screen time with Ms. Marvel. Check it out below:

How fun is that? While not necessarily key to the plot of The Marvels, it's always fun to see Iman Vellani's endlessly charismatic Kamala Khan interacting with new MCU characters. And of course, Kamala is also a fan of Valkyrie. Who wouldn't be?

The above video offers some of the footage filmed and edited for the most recent MCU blockbuster that ultimately didn't make it into the theatrical cut. The Marvels had a refreshingly short runtime, presumably because it trimmed the fat. Still, it seems like we missed out on some fun content. Hopefully we get more deleted scenes once its streaming and on Blu-ray. 

Despite how The Marvels was connected to so many previous MCU shows and movies, it failed to perform at the box office. There are a number of reasons why folks might not have seen it in theaters, perhaps the biggest being superhero fatigue. There's also seemingly a contingent of the Marvel fandom that is simply not interested in Brie Larson's Captain Marvel. 

Personally, I thought The Marvels was a blast-- even without this addition scene with Valkyrie. The short runtime and quirky comedy helped the movie fly by, and I thought the three heroes had killer chemistry. Plus, The Marvel's credits scene was truly wild and opened the door for the X-Men to finally join the main timeline of the MCU. 

It should be interesting to see how Tessa Thompson's Marvel hero factors into the shared universe moving forward. It's unclear if another Thor movie is happening, which would presumably allow her to have another major role. Maybe The Marvels was hinting that she and Captain Marvel do have a relationship that's more than friends, which could open the door for more appearances by Val (who is also still ruling New Asgard).

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.  

Rather early in the intergalactic adventure that is Nia DaCosta's The Marvels, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers is casually paid a visit by Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie to help her on her mission. You know, no big deal. The character who was last seen among the Thor: Love and Thunder cast appears in a spiffy suit. But, how did the cameo come about? 

In The Marvels moment, Carol calls Valkyrie up to take a group of endangered Skrulls to New Asgard. Along with helping out her Avengers pal, Valkyrie also takes a moment to comfort Carol in a difficult hour, and she suggests that she “stand tall without standing alone” with her unlikely team of Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan. The Marvels producer Mary Livanos had this to say about the scene coming together: 

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Livanos shared that Tessa Thompson’s inclusion in The Marvels was a combination of the filmmakers listening to fans and the actress already having a connection with director Nia DaCosta. It’s true that some Marvel fans have long rooted for Captain Marvel and Valkyrie to be together, particularly in the romantic sense. 

Valkyrie is known to be a bisexual character in the MCU and while Carol Danver’s isn’t not canonically queer in the comics or MCU, she’s become somewhat of an LGBTQ+ icon. Prior to this cameo, Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson appeared at ACE Comic Con in Chicago and when a fan asked about their popular ship, Thompson said this (via ComicBook): 

The short moment that occurs in The Marvels was too short for one to surmise between a sweet friendship and romance between the heroes, but as Livanos shared, the scene was very much a reaction to fans’ love for the pairing. Additionally, Thompson and Nia DaCosta go way back, especially considering the actress starred in the director’s 2018 debut film Little Woods. The pair are also set to reunite on DaCosta’s next movie, Hedda.

The Marvels opened No. 1 at the box office last weekend but to the weakest opening weekend of any MCU movie to date. Although the film originally debuted with a “rotten” Rotten Tomatoes score, it later flipped to fresh, and it has earned a “B” CinemaScore. Check it out in theaters now, and check out what upcoming Marvel movies are set to be released next here on CinemaBlend. 

Veronica Mars is one of the pivotal shows of the early 2000s. It was a critically acclaimed show with a dedicated fan base. Therefore, of course, many actors and actresses longed to be a part of it. The Veronica Mars actors were also talented and really helped give the show its identity. 

Even the Veronica Mars actors who guest starred added to the show’s appeal. Some of these guest stars and recurring characters were once unknown on Veronica Mars and are now household names. 

Let’s look back at some of the many now well-known actors who once appeared on the show.

Melissa Leo 

Academy Award winner Melissa Leo appears in over a hundred film and television projects. The Fighter earned her her first Oscar but she received critical acclaim and award-season recognition for many performances, including ones in Mildred Pierce, Louie, Prisoners, and Frozen River. 

Leo appeared in Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 3, “Meet John Smith.” She plays Julia Smith, a transgender woman who reunites with her son after Veronica (Kristen Bell) helps him track her down. 

Jane Lynch 

You can’t think of Jane Lynch without thinking of Sue Sylvester from Glee. Sue is terrible but hilarious and often creates iconic moments with the main cast and the unforgettable Glee guest stars. In 2020, Lynch began hosting a revival of The Weakest Link. She has appeared in Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds, Party Down (which is also co-created by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas), Mascots, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. 

Lynch makes a brief appearance in Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 6, “Return of the Kane.” She plays Mrs. Donaldson. a faculty member that Veronica approaches about voter rigging at a Neptune High election. 

Jessica Chastain 

As one of the most respected actresses of the last decade, Jessica Chastain has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award. Her first Academy Award happened in 2022 for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She also received Academy Award nominations for Zero Dark Thirty and The Help. Her filmography includes A Most Violent Year, Scenes from a Marriage, George and Tammy, and It Chapter Two.

Before Chastain could deliver one of her many great performances, she appeared in Veronica Mars. It was one of her first screen roles. She appears in the 7th episode of Season 1, “The Girl Next Door” as Sarah Williams. Sarah is a neighbor friend of Veronica's who goes missing. 

Aaron Paul 

Aaron Paul became a household name for playing Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. He also played the character on El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul.  Some of Paul’s screen highlights include roles in Truth Be Told, Westworld, The Path, and BoJack Horseman. He’s also had a great cameo or 20 in various projects and made plenty of guest appearances, including in Black Mirror and The Simpsons. 

Paul plays Eddie LaRoche, the main suspect in a murder and disappearance case in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 11, “Silence of the Lamb.” His sketchy behavior makes him a likely culprit. 

Anthony Anderson 

Anthony Anderson has created many memorable characters throughout his career. A few include Dre in black-ish, Detective Kevin Bernard in Law & Order, J.D in the Barbershop movies, and Antwon Mitchell in The Shield. He also appeared in Psych, Shameless, Beats, and Scream 4. Anderson has so many great forgotten performances as well.

He plays a gangsta rapper and former criminal named Bone Hamilton in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 13, “Lord of the Bling.” He hires Keith (Enrico Colantoni) to help him locate his missing daughter, who also used to be a friend of Veronica.

Adam Scott 

Adam Scott is best known for comedic roles in television shows such as Parks and Recreation, Step Brothers, The Good Place, and Party Down. He’s also the star of the AppleTV+ hit series Severance. 

Scott takes on a much more serious role in Veronica Mars. He plays Mr. Rooks, a teacher that divides Veronica and Keith in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 14, “Mars v. Mars. He’s accused of having an affair with a student. Veronica believes that he is innocent, but Keith can’t ignore the evidence. It’s one of the best Veronica Mars episodes. 

Leighton Meester 

Leighton Meester’s performance is the reason Blair Waldorf is such a beloved Gossip Girl character. Her film and TV credits include The Roommate, Single Parents. Life Partners, Making History, The Orville, and How I Met Your Father. 

Meester appears on multiple episodes of Veronica Mars as Carrie Bishop. Her first appearance is in “Mars v. Mars.” Her character accuses Adam Scott’s character of having a secret sexual relationship with her. The character of Carrie Bishop returns in the Veronica Mars movie, but Andrea Estella plays her. 

Tessa Thompson 

Tessa Thompson’s fame really blew up when she started playing Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, she has been in many well-known movies and TV shows. Some of her most popular movies include For Colored Girls, Dear White People, Selma, the Creed franchise, Sorry to Bother You, Passing, and Men In Black: International.

Tessa Thompson may be one of the people on this list that you do remember from Veronica Mars because she was a main character all throughout Season 2. She plays Jackie Cook, the main love interest of Wallace (Percy Daggs III). The character immediately left at the end of Veronica Mars Season 2. 

Taylor Sheridan 

Taylor Sheridan is an actor, director, and screenwriter. He has written many popular movies and TV shows, including Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, and 1923. He also wrote the screenplay for the films Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River, Without Remorse, and Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Sheridan’s few acting credits include Veronica Mars. He had a recurring role as Danny Boyd in Veronica Mars Season 2. The character first appeared in Veronica Mars Season 2 Episode 8, "Ahoy, Mateys!" His character is part of a notorious crime family in Neptune.

Michael Cera 

Michael Cera may currently best be known for playing Allan in the Barbie movie. Before being the best male in Barbieland, he appeared in Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Arrested Development, Black Mirror, and Life and Beth. 

Cera appears alongside his Arrested Development co-star Alia Shawkat in Veronica Mars. They appear in the episode “The Rapes of Graff” from Season 2. He plays Dean, a student at Hearst College who leads Veronica and Wallace’s tour of the campus

Armie Hammer 

Armie Hammer first stepped into the spotlight by playing the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network. He then appeared in such popular movies as J. Edgar, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Call Me by Your Name, Sorry to Bother You, and Death on the Nile.

Hammer appears in Veronica Mars Season 3 Episode 3, “Wichita Linebacker.” He plays Kurt Fenstermacher, a football player who may lose his scholarship if he can’t retrieve the team’s playbook that was stolen from him.

Paul Rudd  

It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t heard of Paul Rudd. He’s been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ant-Man. He was Josh in Clueless. Mike in Friends. He’s also been in many iconic comedies such as Wet Hot American Summer, the Anchorman movies, The 40-Year Old Virgin, I Love You Man. He has so many great movies. Rudd has appeared in TV shows such as Parks and Recreation, Party Down, iZombie, and Only Murders in the Building. 

Rudd appears in Veronica Mars Season 3 Episode 17, “Debasement Tapes.” He plays Desmond Fellows, an aging rock star who Piz (Chris Lowell) gets to interview. However, the man is a disaster. 

There are a lot of other great actors and reality stars that you may have forgotten appeared on Veronica Mars, including Paris Hilton, Lisa Rinna, and Dianna Agron. You can catch all these stars and more by rewatching Veronica Mars. It’s definitely worth another rewatch.

Stream Veronica Mars on Hulu. 

Creed III is the third film to star Michael B. Jordan and the ninth film in the larger Rocky franchise but the movie was a real first in one important way, as it marked Jordan’s directorial debut. Nobody really knew what sort of a director’s eye the actor would have, but co-star Tessa Thompson says one area Jordan was surprisingly involved in was her clothing.

Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Tessa Thompson revealed that her director Michael B. Jordan had some fairly strong opinions about numerous elements of the film, as you might expect. However, he apparently put his foot down in a surprising way when it came to an outfit the actress wanted to wear in a particular scene. Thompson explained…

It certainly sounds a bit wild that Michael B. Jordan would be making calls on what Tessa Thompson wears, but at the end of the day he was the director and he gets to make the final call on all sorts of things, big and small. And Jordan didn’t just focus on details. He took some pretty big swings with Creed III as the film was very different from the other films in the Rocky franchise in some significant ways. Classic elements like the fight scene at the end are shot differently than we've ever seen before.

While it’s unclear just how “goth” this outfit was, Thompson’s character certainly hasn’t had that vibe going previously, so it might have taken audiences out of the story a bit if she’d showed up that way in one scene.  For what it’s worth Thompson said she ultimately agreed with Jordan, and that he made the right call in not letting her wear the wardrobe. Check out her full comments in the clip below. 

The totality of Michael B. Jordan’s directorial decisions, from the wardrobe on up, certainly seem to have been the right ones. Creed III had a strong box office opening and solid reviews. Jordan is going to be getting most of the credit for all that as both star and director. If Jordan enjoyed directing and wants to keep doing it, he will all but certainly have that chance after success like this. 

"Creed III" stars Michael B. Jordan (Director/"Adonis Creed"), Jonathan Majors (Damian Anderson), Tessa Thompson (Bianca Creed) and Mila Davis-Kent (Amara Creed) discuss their third "Creed" film in this interview with CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb. Jonathan Majors talks about becoming an internet sex symbol, Michael B. Jordan discusses the reigns as director and much, much more.

Video Chapters

00:00 - We try to ask Michael B. Jordan about his Val-Zod Superman HBO Max project
00:25 - Michael B. Jordan talks directing for the first time
01:25 - Jonathan Majors on getting fit to play Kang the Conqueror vs. Dame
03:00 Tessa Thomson on acting with ASL and learning from her on-screen daughter
04:06 - What newcomer Mila Davis-Kent learned from her on-screen mom, Tessa Thompson
05:15 - Michael B. Jordan has seen ‘Creed III’ over 100 times, and will only watch it one more time
05:55 - Jonathan Majors on playing Michael B. Jordan’s older 'brother,' despite being younger
06:30 - Why Michael B. Jordan never said 'Action' on the set of ‘Creed III’
07:35 - Jonathan Majors discusses whether his ‘Creed III’ antagonist is a good person
08:25 - Tessa Thompson on Michael B. Jordan as a director

After going viral for posing in his Calvin Klein underwear, Michael B. Jordan reminded viewers why he was named Sexiest Man Alive in 2020. Of course, fans let him know how they felt online after the steamy photos dropped, and now, his Creed III co-stars have commented on the viral ad campaign, including Tessa Thompson.

The Bianca Taylor actress was asked about Jordan’s thirst trap Calvin Klein campaign while promoting the threequel at its red-carpet world premiere. After starring in three movies together, the two have developed a friendship, and aren't afraid to poke fun at each other. This time was no different as E! News wondered what her reaction was to see her buff co-star in just his underwear. Thompson jokingly recalled what she did after stumbling upon the black-and-white photos on his Instagram account, saying:

Of course, she joked about covering her home's interior with images of Jordan. Why wouldn’t she? Just like fans, Thompson saw the images in real-time as the Black Panther star and the fashion brand announced their collaboration online. Immediately, the photos caught the eyes of multiple followers with reactions ranging from thirst to jealousy. The Passing actress just added herself to the list of online commenters.   

However, compared to those thirsting over her co-star, Thompson was giving more “big sister” energy. It’s expected given that the two actors have starred in multiple Creed movies. They’ve enjoyed ribbing each other on everything from director notes to on-set rituals. In the same breath, they praise each other every chance they get regarding their talent and work.  

While the Thor: Love and Thunder star was all jokes about her fellow MCU star’s viral underwear campaign, she wanted to make sure fans knew Jordan was more than a Hollywood hunk. Thompson then opened up about working with the Creed III director, saying:

Tessa Thompson kept the praise going about Michael B. Jordan as she recalled both actors reminiscing about growing “individually as humans” like Adonis and Bianca have over the course of the Creed films. She’s been there as Jordan has transformed from a rising child actor to Hollywood A-lister to a first-time director. Thompson proved her co-star is more than his former “corny” moniker or his massive action physique as seen in Jordan’s Instagram post.

However, Jordan has become accustomed to fans fawning all over him. He was confronted with this fact when he learned the staff of Saturday Night Live had a lifesize pillow of him in their office. Now, the Creed star has been joined by fellow Hollywood hunk Jonathan Majors for the third installment. Majors had gone viral for his physique in recent months for his Men’s Health spread and his recent Ebony magazine covers. Outside of their massive physiques, the two actors have bonded over girl troubles and other similarities. As for Thompson, she gets to work with both Hollywood heartthrobs.

Moviegoers will have more to look forward to than ogling over Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors in Creed III, according to movie reviews. The third Creed film will finally hit theaters on March 3. Don’t forget to look over our 2023 movie schedule to see what other projects Jordan, Majors, and Tessa Thompson will appear in this year on top of this highly anticipated boxing movie and Jordan's Calvin Klien ad.

Tessa Thompson has built an impressive resume that shows her talents and her ability to fit into pretty much any project you can throw at her. Pretty soon audiences will get to see that put into practice yet again, thanks to the 2023 new movie release Creed III. Unfortunately, Thompson herself hasn’t always seen the path that clearly when it came to her career as a Black actress. That thankfully changed after she landed one important role, proving that there was indeed a place in Hollywood for Tessa Thompson. 

Revealing that project during a BuzzFeed interview, Thompson admitted that writer/director Justin Simien’s Dear White People was the movie that clicked on the lightbulb. Here’s how she began to describe that pivotal experience: 

A satire that highlighted the subject of race relations on a college campus, Dear White People saw Tessa Thompson play the protagonist Samantha. Hosting the campus radio show that gives the film its name, the role was a breakthrough for the actor on a personal and professional level. Though admittedly, it’s one of Thompson’s roles people may have forgotten about once the blockbuster offers came rolling in.  

It’s a shame to even think of Dear White People that way, as the movie did eventually spawn a successful Netflix series, which Tessa Thompson also found herself playing a part of. More importantly, audience members could see Thompson coming into her own through the sharp and clear voice Samantha had to offer in this movie’s ecosystem. You can even feel that taking shape by watching the trailer to Dear White People, which is provided below for context: 

While it wasn’t her first gig, as she’d acted in films and television shows for years beforehand, Tessa Thompson credits Dear White People for keeping her in the game. Continuing her story, the Thor: Love and Thunder star fleshed out the moment that really dug into those questions of whether Hollywood was right for her. Thompson reexamined those questions, and shared what exactly changed her mind, as follows: 

Without her role in Dear White People, we may have never seen the fantastic work that Tessa Thompson has done through the roles that came after. That includes her work helping diversify the stories in the MCU through Valkyrie, as well as work in socially relevant movies like the Academy Award nominee Selma; a film that also had its place in Hollywood questioned by some. 

Thankfully, history shook out the way it was supposed to, and Thompson’s blockbuster work with indie directors has prepared her for Creed III’s upcoming March 3rd release, and beyond. Fans can look forward to the return of Bianca and Adonis in the weeks to come, further proving how much of a dynamite talent Tessa Thompson truly is, and why Hollywood should be grateful to have her.

A few years ago, Rita Ora found herself swept up in rumors surrounding her relationship status with Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi after photos surfaced of her, Waititi and MCU star Tessa Thompson sharing an apparent kiss. The photos spawned gossip that the individuals were a “throuple.” Ora and Thompson have remained mum on the scenario while Waititi was unbothered when asked about the rumors. Things have changed though, as the British singer finally addressed those persistent rumors.

The TV personality has been enjoying her relationship with the Thor: Love and Thunder director since reportedly tying the knot last year. Rita Ora opened up about the relationship with British GQ. She mentioned feeling “100 percent” settled at this time in her life, but soon the conversation turned from Ora and Waititi being in love to those pesky rumors about the alleged three-way relationship between the couple and Thompson. The “R.I.P.” singer finally addressed why she hadn’t spoken on the subject until now, saying:

Rita Ora just didn’t want to feed the beast by addressing the speculation, unlike her rumored husband. After being in the public eye for over a decade, being rumor fodder is nothing new for the Masked Singer UK judge, including being the rumored “Becky with the good hair” in Beyonce's hit song "Sorry." She learned to not fan the flames of hearsay, and while photos set the internet on fire, Ora chose to focus on her relationship and career, which seems to be working for her. The singer’s been gushing over the Thor: Ragnarok director while jumping on multiple TV and film projects.

Ora seemed unbothered about the headline-making photos. She simply equated the series of images to a drunken moment between a group of strangers. The multihyphenate brushed off the rumors by saying the photos were of Waititi and Thompson having a little downtime from a busy schedule:

Despite the suggestions about her relationship with her alleged spouse, Rita Ora did find a bright side in her fanbase seeing the shared kiss. She revealed the following feedback she got from her LGBTQIA+ fans upon the photos hitting the press:

The Voice Australia coach turned an intrusive moment into a slice of representation for those in the LGBTQ+ community who don’t see positive images of themselves every day. Rita Ora used the moment to connect with her fanbase.

Since the photos took over the internet, Rita Ora, Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson have all moved on. Ora and Waititi are enjoying their life as a reported married duo, with the former appearing in the Disney Channel movie Descendants: The Pocketwatch, and the latter helming the sports drama Next Goal Wins, which hits theaters on September 22. Thompson will be seen next in Creed III, which hits movie cinemas on March 3. Check out what other new movies are hitting theaters and streaming platforms in 2023.

Fans of HBO’s Westworld were delivered a shock late last week, when the award-winning dystopian sci-fi drama was canceled ahead of its fifth season. Despite its twisty plots and exciting commentary on humanity vs. artificial intelligence, Westworld was apparently the victim of an aggressive cost-cutting mandate enacted by the network. The series’ big budget, combined with declining ratings over the past two seasons, proved to be its downfall, but it turns out the A+ cast members are still going to get paid.

Deadline reports that Westworld’s actors had “pay-or-play deals” for Season 5, ensuring that the cast — which includes Aaron Paul, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson and Jeffrey Wright — will still be paid, despite the cancellation. The site reports that contracts may have been renegotiated ahead of Season 4, and that networks making such guarantees to its actors is not unusual, particularly for ensemble casts that might be difficult to reassemble otherwise.

HBO is expected to pay out between $10 million and $15 million to the actors, which is still considerably more financially feasible than paying for another season, as THR reports that Season 4 cost “at least $160 million” to make what turned out to be its final eight episodes.

Despite ratings for Westworld dropping for 2020’s Season 3, and falling further two years later when it returned from pandemic-related delays, co-creator Jonathan Nolan said he’d always planned for a fifth and final season. It’s terribly frustrating for fans, including myself, to know there was a plan that would bring the often-confusing storylines to a conclusion, and now we will likely never get to see that play out.

Over its four seasons, the series accumulated 54 Primetime Emmy nominations, taking home nine trophies. There’s no question the HBO drama has made its mark on the TV world, with another good benchmark of that being the fact that it was brilliantly parodied in The Simpsons’ annual Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” episode this year.

As the actors will still collect a check from HBO, we can keep up with them through their other projects. Evan Rachel Wood can currently be seen with a spot-on portrayal of Madonna on The Roku Channel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. And following Teddy’s surprising return to Westworld Season 4, you can take a look at any of James Marsden’s best movies and TV shows.

There may not be any more stories from the Divine on their way, but the first four seasons of Westworld are still available to stream for fans with an HBO Max subscription. You can also check out some of HBO Max’s best original series, and see what’s coming to cable and streaming for the rest of the year with our 2022 TV schedule. 

The transformation of the vintage Rocky franchise into the story of Adonis Creed (Michale B. Jordan) took two films and seven years, but the Creed series now fully belongs to Jordan, both in front of and behind the camera. The upcoming boxing drama Creed 3 marks Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, a daunting task for a talent to maintain the physical shape he has to stay in to play an elite boxer, deliver a noteworthy performance, while also putting out all of the fires that can pop up on a film set during production. From the looks of the first trailer for Creed 3, Jordan did a fine job surrounding himself with talent… including franchise newcomer Jonathan Majors, playing Adonis’s rival, and childhood friend. Watch the trailer above and see what’s in store.

Adonis Creed has been fighting for the better part of two films to escape from underneath the shadow of his father, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). In his first movie, Adonis had to decide whether he wanted to embrace his father’s legacy, and in the sequel, he faced the son of the man who killed Apollo, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Now, free to be his own man, Adonis is being confronted by an individual who was integral to his childhood, but who went to jail for a crime Adonis might have participated in. 

Jonathan Majors, best known for playing Kang the Conqueror in multiple upcoming Marvel movies, steps into the Creed 3 ring as Damian, a former friend who carries a grudge against Adonis. Damian, it seems, was a boxing prodigy. But he spent the bulk of his adult life in jail, watching Adonis earn the life that Damian believes he deserved. When Majors barks to Jordan that he’s coming for everything, we believe it, setting up a battle of wills that could tear both men and their families apart. 

Michael B. Jordan really does look like he picked up visual techniques from talented directors that he has observed over the years. During an interview with CinemaBlend tied to the Creed 3 trailer launch, Jordan said:

We will be able to see in a few months if it all paid off. At the very least, the physical training that Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors put into preparing to play boxers worked extremely well, as these two look massive in early promotional materials. Majors says there’s narrative motivation for achieving this level of physique. If he says so. I think he just CAN look like that, so why not do it. In the meantime, Creed 3 is looking at a March 3, 2023 opening. Will you be checking this one out?

While the main Rocky film series remains a closed book since the events of 2006’s Rocky Balboa, the franchise as a whole is keeping afloat these days with the Creed movies. Since the first movie came out in 2015, we have followed Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis “Donnie” Creed go from an up-and-coming boxer to the world champion, while also giving fans of the franchise some of its best fights yet.

And that story continues in Creed III, Jordan’s directorial debut, which offered up more about the boxer’s past and the close-knit friendship that was at the center of his youth. If you checked the movie out with your Amazon Prime subscription, where it is streaming, there’s a good chance you want to know where you’ve seen the actors who appear in the high-intensity and incredibly emotional sports drama. Well, worry no longer, as we have a full breakdown of the full Creed III cast.  

Michael B. Jordan (Adonis ‘Donnie’ Creed)

Barring some unfortunate situation that would have required the role of Adonis Creed to be recast, there was no question that Michael B. Jordan would get back in the ring for Creed III. Not only did the franchise star reprise his role in an unforgettable way, he also stepped behind the camera for the first time as well.

Jordan’s third time playing the son of Apollo Creed came at a pivotal time in the actor-turned-producer-turned-director’s career, as he has been a part of some major projects as of late. From returning to the MCU for an incredible cameo in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to starring in A Journal for Jordan, the former member of The Wire cast has been on a tear that doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon.   

Jonathan Majors (Damian ‘Diamond Dame’ Anderson) 

In the span of just a few years, Jonathan Majors has risen to become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors thanks to movies like Da 5 Bloods, the short-lived HBO series Lovecraft Country, his turn as He Who Remains in Loki Season 1, and dominate performance as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.  But his portrayal of Donnie’s old best friend, Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson in Creed III took things to the next level, both in terms of physical appearance and spotlight.

Though Majors’ future is still in question following March 2023 assault allegations, the actor has some major projects on the way, including Loki Season 2 on Disney+, the upcoming drama film Magazine Dreams, and the next two Avengers movies: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

Tessa Thompson (Bianca Taylor-Creed)

Tessa Thompson’s Bianca Taylor-Creed, a singer who has turned to producing music due to her hearing loss, has been a major part of Donnie Creed’s journey throughout the franchise, including Creed III.

Having already established herself as a talented on-the-rise actress in the years leading up to her Creed debut in 2015, Thompson has only continued to become a bigger force in Hollywood ever since. With unforgettable roles like Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with Thor: Ragnaok, Sylvie Parker in Sylvie’s Love, and Charlotte Hale on HBO’s Westworld.

Phylicia Rashad (Mary Anne Creed)

Phylicia Rashad’s Mary Anne Creed, Apollo Creed’s wife, has been the guiding light for Donnie since he was a youth, and that’s no different in Creed III.

Over the years, Rashad had been a major part of major TV shows like The Cosby Show, on which she played series mainstay Clair Hanks Huxtable, Empire, This Is Us, The Good Fight, and multiple others. Her non-Creed film credits are just as impressive thanks to appearances in movies like For Colored Girls, Soul, and Tick, Tick… Boom!, to name only a few.

Wood Harris (Tony ‘Little Duke’ Evers)

Wood Harris’ Tony “Little Duke” Evers is another character in the Creed universe who has always been there for Donnie Creed, even when it meant giving him some much needed tough love along the way. And throughout Creed III, Little Duke is there once again to provide some insight and life lessons for Donnie.

Another member of the Creed III cast to appear on The Wire and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he was in 2015’s Ant-Man), Harris has been in a number of great movies over the years, with his most notable performance being that of Julius Campbell in the Remember the Titans cast. He’s also popped up in Dredd, Southland Tales, Blade Runner 2049, and Space Jam: A New Legacy. 

Florian Munteanu (Viktor Drago) 

Florian Munteanu’s Viktor Drago was the big bad in Creed II, and took Donnie Creed to the limit in the movie’s final bout. And though he appears in a much smaller capacity in Creed III, the son of Ivan Drago does reappear in an incredibly fun and impactful way. Munteanu, who’s also appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and The Contractor, is also set to appear in the upcoming Borderlands film adaptation, as well as the long-in-the-works Drago spinoff with Dolph Lundgren, so it looks like we haven’t seen the last of him yet. 

Mila Davis-Kent (Amara Creed) 

Mila Davis-Kent made her on-screen debut in Creed III  taking on the role of Donnie and Bianca’s daughter, Amara Creed. And if the Creed III ending is any indication, maybe the franchise should hold off for a decade or so to allow Davis-Kent to come of age and continue her character’s journey. 

Selenis Leyva (Laura Chavez)

Selenis Leyva, whose notable credits include playing numerous roles in the Law & Order shows, Gloria Mendoza in Orange is the New Black, Gabi Cañero-Reed in Diary of a Future President and Monica Warren in Spider-Man: Homecoming, provides a great portrayal of Laura Chavez in Creed III. The dedicated mother and biggest supporter of son and world champion Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez, is at the center of some of the movie’s most intense scenes, whether it’s at a kitchen table or ringside during one of the film’s big fights. 

José Benavidez Jr. (Felix ‘El Guerrero’ Chavez)

Professional boxer José Benavidez Jr. didn’t have to do too much acting with his portrayal of Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez, but that didn’t stop him from giving a lights out performance as Donnie Creed’s young protégé in Creed III. And his skills might have you thinking otherwise, but this was his feature film debut. 

Anthony Bellew (‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan)

Remember “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, Donnie’s opponent in Creed? Well, the character, and the professional boxer who plays him, Anthony Bellew, is back in Creed III. Since stepping away from boxing in 2018, per Sky Sports, the former prize fighter has appeared on reality shows like SAS: Who Dares Wins and has been a member of the DAZN UK commentary team.

Spencer Moore II (Young Damian Anderson)

Spencer Moore II shows up in Creed III as a young Damian Anderson. Featured heavily in the opening minutes of the movie, and then sporadically through flashbacks, Moore’s portrayal of an up-and-coming youth boxer is both electric and incredibly emotional.

If you’re a fan of A.P. Bio, then you’ll recognize Moore for playing Dan Decker in the comedy that started out on NBC and then moved to Peacock. On the other hand, maybe you like All American, in which case you know Moore for recurring as Chris Jackson on The CW series. The actor’s also popped up on shows like 13 Reasons Why and The Wonder Years. 

Thaddeus J. Mixson (Young Adonis Johnson) 

Similarly, Thaddeus J. Mixson appears in Creed III as the younger version of Adonis Johnson (years before he started using his late father’s last name). Mixson’s brief performance is another key to the personal battle between Donnie and Damian throughout the movie.

Mixson made his jump to the entertainment industry at seven years old when he appeared on NBC’s Little Big Shots. From there, he appeared in the movies Safety and South of Heaven, as well as the TV shows The Wonder Years, Reasonable Doubt and Kid’s Crew.

Hopefully, this helps you put faces to names and names to faces after watching Creed III. If you want to find out where you’ll see various members of the cast in the months to come, check out our 2023 movie schedule. 

Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson play a great couple in the Creed movies. Thanks to their performances, Adonis "Donnie" Creed and Bianca Taylor have become of one cinema's most compelling couples.  And just when you thought you'd have to wait for the film series' third installment to see more of the two co-star's on-screen chemistry, they find another way to team up. It may be weird to see these two co-stars in a project that has nothing to do with the boxing-centric franchise, but I'm here for it!

Michael B. Jordan is no stranger to commercials as, in the past, he's starred in one of the funniest Super Bowl LV commercials, which involved Amazon's Alexa. He recently posted another commercial to Twitter, and it shows him and Tessa Thompson teaming up to serve as Internet bodyguards. Check out the cheeky ad down below:

Prime Video collaborated with the National Cybersecurity Alliance for a PSA campaign called “Protect & Connect,” which is meant to educate consumers on how to protect themselves in the virtual space. In the 30-second commercial, the aforementioned stars try to stop a gamer from falling for a phishing scam, only to be unsuccessful as cybercriminals make their way into the house. The two Creed stars then battle a host of these evil-doers by throwing punches and keyboards at them until they disappear thanks to “multi-factor authentication."

Overall, the commercial is a fun bit and a great way for the two co-stars to team up once more. It's honestly pretty funny to see them together in a situation that's a bit less serious. After all, the Creed movies can be quite heavy on an emotional level. If anything, this just makes me want to see more of the two stars.

In doing the commercial, Michael B. Jordan not only got the chance to work with Tessa Thompson again but also with director Paul Hunter, who he previously collaborated with on a Bacardi commercial. Jordan made sure to tell Adweek just how proud he was to be part of this PSA campaign and to reunite with his colleagues:

Thor: Love and Thunder's Tessa Thompson also appreciates her relationship with her colleague. Thompson was happy to see Jordan be named Creed 3's director. Though one note that Thompson had for him was to "dial down the sexiness." Which was probably challenging for him, since he can't escape his Sexiest Man Alive title.

The Fruitvale Station star really put in the work and proved that he understands the characters. This was evidenced by the fact that Jordan helped her further the development of her character, Bianca. The dynamics between Bianca and Donnie were still the same, but he made sure the Dear White People actress had more to do in the film and have the freedom to improvise. Jordan has praised Thompson’s talents and what she’s brought to the table to make their characters authentic. In short, these are two celebs who have great respect for each other, and I can't wait to see more of them regardless of whether it happens in or outside of the Creed franchise.

You can catch Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson in Creed 3 (which won't have Sylvester Stallone's Rocky) when it hits theaters on March 3, 2023. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend's schedule of upcoming movies for info on flicks arriving this year.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing, and Phase Four has been a wild ride so far. One of the ways that the current slate of TV and film projects has stood out is in regards to on screen representation, with major steps coming in the form of showing diverse stories. This includes more queer representation, but could Thor: Love and Thunder’s Valkyrie actually start up a romance with Captain Marvel? Here’s what Tessa Thompson thinks.

Tessa Thompson made her debut as Valkyrie (whose name we still don’t know?) in Thor: Ragnarok, before reprising that role in Avengers: Endgame and Taika Waiti’s recent Thor sequel Love and Thunder. Thompson has been open for years about playing Val as a queer woman, and there have been a number of notable names tossed around by fans as a possible love interest. That includes Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, which is a potential pairing that plenty folks seem interested in. Thompson was recently asked by Pinkvilla about that particular fan theory, saying:

She’s got a point. Thor: Love and Thunder saw Valkyrie leading the Asgardian people as the newly crowned King of Asgard. That includes plenty of boring work for the badass warrior, which she was seen barely tolerating throughout the recent sequel. But maybe Tessa Thompson’s signature character will have more time to think about love whenever she returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Tessa Thompson’s comments come in response to the popular fan theory that Valkyrie and Captain Marvel should end up together within the MCU. This was previously encouraged by the Westworld actress herself as well as Brie Larson, leading to a frenzy by fans on social media But this time around it sounds like Thompson is being a bit more realistic about the odds of seeing Valkyrie and Captain Marvel actually have a romantic plot line on the big screen.

While Thor: Ragnarok left a scene that confirmed Valkyrie’s sexuality on the cutting room floor, Love and Thunder did feature a few moments that hinted at it. Tessa Thompson self-identifies as a queer woman as well, which is partly why fans have become so invested in seeing Val get her Queen. Later in that same interview, Thompson talked about the possibilities that could be Valkyrie’s love life, saying:

For now those Valkyrie/Captain Marvel shippers will have to wait and see if these characters ever actually get to interact throughout the MCU. Brie Larson's ultra powerful cosmic hero will return to the shared universe with Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, but her future after that crossover movie is a mystery. With the Captain Marvel sequel having her team-up with the likes of Ms. Marvel and WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau, why not add a fourth powerful female hero to the mix?

Thor: Love and Thunder is still in theaters now; the next MCU movie hitting theaters is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Tons of spoilers below for Westworld Season 4’s fourth installment, “Generation Loss,” so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

Westworld seemed to clue audiences in on the importance of Episode 404 in the way it eschewed the usual cold open, so that the constant flow of details, twists and revelations wouldn’t be interrupted. And it was quite a gripping hour of television, thanks in part to a finale-worthy bevy of big reveals and twists that completely changed this show’s universe up from what we understood going into it. While I don’t think Westworld can ever quite match the pummeling shock of Season 1’s William/Man In Black timeline, I dare say “Generation Loss” comes as close as possible, with a villainous declaration that seemingly paid homage to Watchmen’s endgame shocker.

Considering everything we know now about Caleb, Maeve, and other main characters, it’s almost baffling to think that half of Season 4’s eight episodes have yet to air. Clearly, creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan aren’t finished putting viewers through the narrative wringer, so let’s take a closer look at the major and minor twists peppered throughout Episode 404. (While also quietly pondering the connection the episode’s number has to 404 errors that occasionally plague web browsing.)

Major Twist #1: Caleb Was Killed And Turned Into A Host 

Well, it finally happened: the twist that some Westworld fans have been guessing at and waiting for ever since Aaron Paul’s Caleb was first introduced in Season 3. Caleb is no longer a living and breathing human, and is instead one of many hosts under the ruling thumb of Charlotte Hale, though I’m not entirely certain how much of what we’ve seen from him so far this season has been part of his sentience-asserting fidelity test. The early-episode flashback (within a flashback) played viewer expectations in that respect, making it seem as if Caleb had died from a bullet wound during a mission with Maeve. 

It was indeed bullets that killed him in the end, though, with Hale’s team taking Caleb out somewhat soon after Maeve’s self-sacrifice. And yet, Hale chose to keep him around as a host, likely due to the strong impact he’d made on Dolores and Maeve, despite that making him something of an obvious threat. Such is Hale’s pride and arrogance, I guess.

•  So What Happens Next? 

Caleb obviously isn’t a mindless worker-bee drone that’ll dutifully go about his host duties without further clashing, even if Hale has the upper hand by way of controlling things. But surely Paul’s character gaining sentience similar to Dolores, Maeve and the Man in Black indicates he’ll soon bring his human and host skills together to become Hale’s nightmare. Assuming it doesn’t take him two more decades to figure out how to gain powers.

Major Twist #2: Charlotte Hale’s Fly Scheme Worked, And The Tower Is Real

With its very first sequence in Season 4, Westworld hinted at more timeline shenanigans as the Man in Black utilized a fly army to gain access to the Hoover Dam, while much of what we’ve seen after that depicted the early trial phases of Hale’s fly-weaponizing scheme. But it was confirmed in Episode 404, whose title “Generations Loss” is itself a reference to her reveal, that her plan to take over humanity via airborne parasites was a vast success. And as Caleb soon discovers, it’s been 23 years since his humanly death, and the world is now populated by millions (perhaps billions) of adults who were infected with the flies as children, an age range when such perfect symbioses are best formed. 

As it turns out, the mysterious Tower that we’ve seen and heard about is actually a massive version of the device within Delos’ labs that uses soundwaves to control those who’ve been infected, and is located just off the coast of NYC. (Which definitely ties back to Peter killing himself in front of Christina, as suicides were part of the trial-and-error testing.) Tessa Thompson was divine in laying out the hope-destroying line of “Welcome to my world,” and it looks like humanity doesn’t have a shot at rising back up.

•  So What Happens Next?

I mean, obviously humanity is going to rise back up, but it’s a matter of how. Because for all that Hale appears to be a world-conquering tyrant, viewers have only seen the Tower’s effects on display within New York City specifically. Which could mean other highly populated cities around the world aren’t yet under her grasp, and could provide assistance in taking her down. Although I don’t really get what the rest of the world would think the Tower is for. 

Major Twist #3: Aurora Perrineau’s C Is Caleb’s Daughter 

To be clear, I’m sure there are some fans who guessed this from the start, since there are only a certain number of characters/twists to populate such theorizing. But it was still a jolt to the “aha” sense when it was made clear that Aurora Perrineau’s mystery character, dubbed C, is actually Caleb’s daughter Frankie. Nobody came out and said that her letter-specific name was in reference to her dearly departed pops, but that’s gotta be the case, right?

Now that we know what this character’s motivations tie into, it’s easier to understand why she’s working with Daniel Wu’s rebel leader J. And why she doesn’t have much time for taking nonsense from anyone else. She went through a pretty traumatic experience with her mom, and we don’t even know yet what happened to them after Caleb and Maeve’s mission went so awry. Nor what Uwade’s fate was, or is.

•  So What Happens Next?

Frankie gets revenge, naturally. Of course, we don’t know exactly how it’ll happen yet, but one can only assume it will involve the mystery person that J and others were going to extract. Could that end up being Uwade?

Major Twist #4: Maeve Is The Weapon Bernard Was Talking About 

Before we had a real clue of how the timelines worked in Season 4, I can’t imagine many fans out there expected for Bernard’s big weapon in the desert to be Maeve. Now that we do know it’s her, it sorta makes all the sense in the world, since she’s one of few hosts who was able to tap into empathy and humanity, which led to her sacrificing herself in order to take the Man in Black down. (Not that the whole “saving Caleb” part of that plan worked, but she doesn’t know that yet.)

I’m still not sure how all of these geographical changes make sense, as far as this desert area goes, though I’m curious to know what park was going to be built there, and why Delos didn’t just go forward with construction despite all the explosions and whatnot. Granted, Bernard likely would have found her even if she was beneath a fake medieval castle or a fake African jungle, but it’s odd that the land was left barren. 

•  So What Happens Next?

Only Bernard knows that, but it’s easy to imagine Bernard will get Maeve back online somehow, so that she can get caught up with the past 23 years of events. But she’s almost definitely going to need some big upgrades of her own in order to take down Hale and her seemingly endless army. She could probably use some old friends by her side, too. 

Major Twist #5: Olympiad Entertainment Is (Probably) The New Delos 

This one also starts with a caveat, in that fans started theorizing about Delos connections as soon as Westworld namechecked Olympiad Entertainment as the company that Evan Rachel Wood’s Christina works for. It happens with every organization and brand name that comes up, and it’s often a safe bet to make. So it wasn’t so much shocking as highly intriguing when Episode 404 revealed that Hale was giving Caleb his fidelity test within the Olympiad building. 

To be sure, there’s always the possibility that this wasn’t quite what it seemed to be, and that the location switcheroo was just to throw audiences off. But that seems like it would create unnecessary storytelling hurdles, as it’s far easier to believe that a company responsible for crafting narrative games is actually a front for a devious corporation ruled by A.I. to control people’s minds. It’s the Delos mission statement, post-Ford. 

•  So What Happens Next?

Considering this reveal appears to fully connect Caleb to Christina’s timeline — despite the fact that the Tower isn’t visible during her scenes — we can hopefully expect to see Paul and Wood to share the screen again, as confusing as it’ll be for all involved. (Viewers included.) I’m guessing this will also lead to the reveal that Hale figured out how to digitize the fly parasites, and decided it would be easier and cheaper to bypass physical parks to make way for infections via video games.  

Minor Twist #1: Maeve Missing Caleb Is What Got Her Caught

Westworld answered one of my big questions about the Season 4 premiere with this reveal, as I did not understand Maeve outing herself with that trip down memory lane. Now we know it was her first big mental jaunt in years, and she wasn’t trying to tap into her own memories of her daughter and Hector. Instead, viewers learned that after Caleb regained consciousness from a post-wound coma, Maeve didn’t say goodbye before retreating into solitude, and that she remained out of contact as a way to keep him safe. But then she went and botched it all by missing him enough to try and hack into his limbic implant, which is what caused the power outage that drew the Man in Black to her. Maeve is a true friend, since true friends aren’t exactly perfect.

• So What Happens Next?

I doubt Maeve would need additional reasons to go ballistic on Hale & Co. upon being reawakened, but she will almost definitely take Caleb’s death (and eventual host-ing) personally. Which probably won’t be good for Hale’s face. 

Minor Twist #2: Christina And Teddy Are Totally Dating Now 

The previously confirmed-to-return Teddy appeared at the end of the premiere in “handsome stalker” mode outside of Christina’s apartment building, and Episode 4 revealed him to be her blind date. Because this is Westworld, their predestined meet-cute in the bar was sparked when he picked up her lipstick rolling across the ground, marking yet another echo of Teddy and Dolores’ origin story. Their scene ends on a cheers to Christina and her path, wherever it leads, and if all these callbacks and on-the-nose references don’t lead directly to Super Dolores, my fidelity will begin decaying.

• So What Happens Next?

Super. Dolores. Obviously! Ahead of that, though, I was already guessing Teddy 2.0 was specifically created as a means to break through the weirdness happening with Christina. And now I’m wondering if Maeve took part in that creation, or even if it’s actually Maeve’s brain pearl inside Teddy’s head.

Minor Twist #3: Maya Seemingly Remembers Being Infected By Hale’s Flies 

For all the thoughts and theories I’ve considered regarding Christina’s existence, I’ve less mental ammo when it comes to Ariana DeBose’s Maya. That confused feeling only escalated with “Generation Loss,” as Maya described her most recent nightmare, which involved a childhood picnic with her parents being disrupted by a swarm of flies that first attacked the screaming adults before descending on young Maya. If these characters’ actions are indeed happening concurrently with Host Caleb’s story, then Maya’s inherent nature could very well be tapping through the parasitic facade that Hale uses to control everyone. But there's also something to be said for the way the scene remained partially focused on the clothes-changing Christina as Maya talked, as if her roommate's dream had stoked her own memories.

• So What Happens Next?

Not a clue for Maya, really. My only hope is that Westworld doesn’t reveal her to be another Dolores clone, and that she’s an organic being inside and out. Ariana DeBose deserves the best that Westworld can give. 

I’m not sure there’s anything left to say, beyond at least a dozen or so other spirited manifestos I could easily lean into. But for now, let’s mull over Episode 404's big reveals while anticipating the second half of the season. Just gonna drop this "MORE CLEMENTINE" note in the suggestion box before I go...

Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream for HBO Max subscribers as soon as they air.

It’s no secret that Marvel movies have a lot of moving parts behind the scenes which ultimately result in a concept being translated from the page to the big screen. And in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release, Thor: Love and Thunder, filmmaker Taika Waititi puts in work, balancing a fun comedic tone with some heavier themes (He even throws in some zanier elements like the heroic and viral space goats and Russell Crowe’s ridiculous Zeus.) Amid all of that, though, Waititi apparently used a wrong take involving Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie in the final movie, as pointed out by the actress herself.

Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson recently teamed up for Vanity Fair's Notes on a Scene series, during which filmmakers and actors do a deep dive into a single scene in a film and explain the finer elements of it. Check out the moment when the Valkyrie actress shows her director one moment that might have worked best as a blooper: 

Now I’ll be honest, I didn’t notice this little mistake when I caught the fun, feels-inducing movie that is Thor: Love and Thunder, but Tessa Thompson sure did. As she revealed to Taika Waititi, he left a shot from her performance in which she was supposed to be reacting to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor waking up from the Shared Vision with Asgardian children. In the short moment, Valkyrie looks like she’s reacting in surprise to something for no reason. 

The New Zealand-born filmmaker laughed in embarrassment at the revelation, admitting he’d never noticed it. Tessa Thompson laughed it off as well, saying she doesn’t “mind it” and thinks it’s “kind of funny.” While she said that “it doesn’t make any sense, she “loves it.” Also in Thompson’s words: 

To be completely honest, this little editing flub is pretty funny all in all. The next time you catch Thor: Love and Thunder, you can see the short moment and, if you go with friends or family, check and see if they're able to spot it. It's true that director's definitely want to shoot for a clean and cohesive edit with their films, yet little things like this can happen from time to time. Though I'm sure the Creed actress is going to humorously rib her director about this little blemish for the foreseeable future. 

Thor: Love and Thunder has been absolutely killing it at the box office since Chris Hemsworth's latest hit No. 1 at the box office in its debut last weekend. The movie has already amassed $415 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo and is predicted to win the weekend again as Where The Crawdads Sing and Paws of Fury reach theaters. You can check out CinemaBlend’s interview with the Love and Thunder cast while you’re on the subject. And do yourself a favor and check out the movie, complete with the small editing flub.

This piece contains some MAJOR SPOILERS for Thor: Love and Thunder, so please exercise caution if you haven't watched the movie yet.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has long had a history of making audiences experience a gauntlet of feelings with incredible emotional moments that were too much for some fans, as well as incredibly exciting scenes that left fans jumping out their seats in joy. It’s safe to say the latest addition to the long-running franchise has done it again with the surprising Thor: Love and Thunder, at least for me.

As I watched Chris Hemsworth’s fourth solo movie as the God of Thunder, I couldn’t help but be overcome with so many feelings, which included hilarity due to some of Taika Waititi’s best written and delivered lines, pure excitement on account of those eye-catching action sequences and utter sadness on more than one occasion. Now that time has passed and my emotions have calmed down a bit, I feel like it’s a good time to go back and break down five feelings I had while watching the Marvel movie.

Thor: Love And Thunder Feeling #1 - Hilarity

Much like he did with Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi found a way to insert a ton of laughs into his second Marvel effort, and the jokes work for the most part. Sure, there are times where the constant barrage of one-liners and small asides distract from the overall story, but the lion’s share of those jokes had me audibly laughing in my chair. There is just so much that works about Waititi’s unique sense of humor, especially with a character like Thor and an actor like Chris Hemsworth.

I couldn’t contain myself whenever Korg (voiced by Waititi) would mess up Jane Foster’s name by calling her everything from Jane Fonda and Jodie Foster when telling the story of Thor. That story, by the way, was the perfect way for the movie to carve out a ton of exposition without adding too much to the film’s overall runtime. But it wasn’t just Korg that had me rolling with laughter, as Thor himself had some incredibly funny moments, especially when he made Stormbreaker jealous after discovering a reassembled Mjölnir.

Thor: Love And Thunder Feeling #2 - Happiness

I’m not ashamed to say Korg brought so much joy to my life whenever he was on screen in Thor: Love and Thunder because I have always loved that character and have long thought he should get his own Disney+ series. When he shared his origin story about his Kronan dads met inside a cave and held hands over a volcano for a prolonged period to give birth to him, I couldn’t help but feel the love he felt for them and his life as a whole. Then later on when Korg found love himself and had a partner of his own named Dwayne (a possible nod to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), I was just beaming with happiness. 

Another incredibly happy moment came in the second Thor: Love and Thunder end-credits sequence, which showed Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) being welcomed to Valhalla by none other than Heimdall (Idris Elba). Foster, who essentially sacrificed herself to help Thor defeat Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), was finally free of her pain, and we, the audience, finally got to see Heimdall after his own act of sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity War.

Thor: Love And Thunder Feeling #3 - Sadness

Thor: Love and Thunder is hilarious and has a lot of happy moments, but they are needed to balance out the pure and utter sadness that is prevalent throughout. The movie wastes no time hitting you over the head with a hammer of pure sorrow with one of the most upsetting introductions we've seen for an MCU villain. In the opening minutes of the movie, Gorr and his daughter, Love (India Hemsworth), are hanging on to life in a barren desert before the young girl perishes, leaving the future villain alone. I’ve cried in multiple Marvel movies over the years, but not like I did upon seeing the makeshift grave the grieving father constructed. I was absolutely gutted.

Death is prevalent throughout Thor: Love and Thunder whether it’s with Gorr planning his revenge to avenge his daughter, Jane Foster succumbing to cancer or King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) shedding more light on losing her partner in the battle referenced in Thor: Ragnarok. This should be expected from Taika Waititi, who famously balanced life and death, and happiness and sorrow, in his Academy Award-winning movie Jojo Rabbit.

Thor: Love And Thunder Feeling #4 - Excitement

Even though I shed a few tears during Thor: Love and Thunder, the movie was so exciting that I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. One of the most exciting scenes of the whole affair came early on when we finally got to see the Guardians of the Galaxy in action for the first time since the epic Avengers: Endgame battle, and was it a sight for sore eyes. Seeing that ragtag group in battle had me so excited for what’s to come for them when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters in May 2023.

There were other exciting moments sprinkled throughout (the battle of New Asgard and arriving in Omnipotence City quickly come to mind), but a scene I can’t stop thinking about is the battle in the Shadow Realm. The movie, for the most part, was full of color and style, but the screen turned to black-and-white when Thor and his crew brought the fight to Gorr in the final act. This got even better whenever Thor would swing Stormbreaker to bring brief flashes of color back to the fight. 

Thor: Love And Thunder Feeling #5 - Fear

Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t come close to the horror elements in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but this isn’t to say I wasn’t terrified throughout the movie. This was especially true in the battle at New Asgard when Gorr stole the Asgardian children, and then later on when he acted like the worst birthday party performer ever.

In fact, just about everything about Gorr was unnervingly terrifying throughout Thor: Love and Thunder. Motivated by the death of his daughter, for which he holds the gods accountable, Gorr had nothing to lose in his quest to wipe out the gods and reach the gates of eternity. There is nothing more terrifying than a motivated villain with nothing to lose. Oh, and the corrupted power of the Necrosword just adds to that.

All in all, Thor: Love and Thunder struck lighting and found a great balance (as all things should be) with its combination of tones. I laughed, I cried and I bit my fingernails down to the quick on this wild and fulfilling ride. I just can’t wait to see how any of the upcoming Marvel movies match this.

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a wild one so far, with the universe expanding thanks to projects on the small and silver screens. The latest movie hitting theaters was Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which has been doing great at the box office. The blockbuster marked Tessa Thompson’s return as Valkyrie, and the actress recently spoke to her character’s relationship status, and why getting to play a bisexual character in the MCU has been really meaningful.

Since debuting in Thor: Ragnarok, Tessa Thompson has been open about how she’s playing Valkyrie as a bisexual woman. While a scene hinting at this was deleted from that previous blockbuster, Love and Thunder featured notable queer moments for both her and (surprisingly) Korg. While some fans wanted to see Val find her Queen of New Asgard, Thompson spoke about the hero’s relationship status to Variety, offering: 

There you have it. While Tessa Thompson previously spoke about Valkyrie getting her queen, her romantic partnership (or lack thereof) is just one aspect of the Asgardian hero. And for the purpose of Thor: Love and Thunder, the story didn’t require Thompson’s signature character to actually fall in love herself. Instead, she settled for some light flirting and trying to make it out of the conflict with Christian Bale’s Gorr alive.

Given the massive popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s been a ton of conversation lately about the importance of representation. And Phase Four has certainly taken more steps forward, with more stories focusing on underrepresented groups like women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, and the disabled community. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is part of that conversation, recently speaking about being touched by the love that’s come her way from young queer people out there. As she put it,

While superhero movies might be a fun day at the theater, there are clearly some real-world implications from a franchise so popular. Tessa Thompson speaking openly about both her own sexuality and Valkyrie’s over the years, and being so visible, has clearly helped inspire audience members to be their most authentic selves. 

Tessa Thompson spoke about the importance of authenticity in her work and life later in that same interview. As a self-identifying queer woman herself, she feels “lucky” to be able to work as an actress with people who love and support her. Thompson shared:

What a class act. While speaking about how lucky she is in her career, Tessa Thompson also acknowledged that so many LGBTQ+ folks out there aren’t quite as lucky. And so she wants anyone out there struggling to know that she sees and values them. Looks like Valkyrie is a hero IRL.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Since they starred alongside each other in the first Creed film, Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson have built a rapport that moviegoers have come to love. While their characters Bianca Taylor and Adonis Creed have romantic chemistry, Jordan and Thompson’s playful banter and warm praise for one another have proved the two actors are more like brother and sister. On that note, Thompson was proud when the star was named the director of the upcoming third film. Now, she's getting candid about how his new role affected their dynamic and how he helped to further develop her character.

A first-time directing gig could be stressful for any actor, especially if you’re starring in and producing the project. One of the biggest challenges said person has to face is directing their co-stars. But when it came to Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan during the production of Creed 3, there was no negative impact on their on or off-screen relationship. Thompson said to THR about Jordan’s ability to manage both jobs:

It's great to hear that the leading man's new responsibilities didn’t negatively impact his dynamic with his co-star or affect Bianca and Donnie’s romance. Given that they've been working on this franchise for nearly seven years now,  the two stars have built up trust amongst themselves. One would imagine that both are comforted by the fact that they have each other's backs on set. 

Tessa Thompson, who did prep ahead of Creed 3, went on to explain to the trade that there's something else that she appreciates about her work on the franchise that continued with the third movie. She enjoys the creative freedom she has and has crafted a process that Michael B. Jordan became a firm part of due to his directorial duties:

You have to love a director who's a true team player, and it sounds like the former Sexiest Man Alive worked well with his colleagues during filming. A lot of this may be because he did a lot of prep for his first directing job. This included observing two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington during his time on A Journal from Jordan. 

Meanwhile, the Thor: Love and Thunder actress got to live out her directing dreams by collaborating with her friend. Hopefully, both stars get more opportunities to sit behind the camera as time goes on.

Michael B. Jordan is currently in post-production on Creed 3, which is set to arrive later this year. Plot details are currently being kept under wraps, though Sylvester Stallone's reaction to the story indicates that the movie will take the franchise in a fresh direction. The veteran star won't be reprising his role as Rocky Balboa, but he did wish Jordan and co. well. Based on Tessa Thompson's comments, it sounds like the actor upholding the integrity of the franchise that Stallone birthed.

Creed 3 will arrive in theaters on November 23, with Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad reprising their roles from the first two films and Jonathan Majors joining as Donnie's sparring partner, Anderson Dame.

Marvel Comics is stacked with characters from the LGBTQ+ community and for many years, queer fans have been looking for their big-screen depictions to reflect the identities and sexualities apart from the heteronormative. There’s finally been some strides in the past year, but in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, writer/director Taika Waititi almost teased Valkyrie’s queerness way before Loki and Eternals moments of representation, but the scene was cut. As Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters, the filmmaker expressed some regret over how he handled it. 

As previously revealed, Ragnarok almost featured a scene of a woman walking out of Valkyrie’s bedroom but the scene never made the actual movie. While speaking to  the scene, Taika Waititi shared why it was left out of the 2017 blockbuster: 

As Waititi reflected with iNews, the scene being cut came down to test audiences not connecting the dots of the scene, likely because it was too vague a moment. If it had made the movie, the LGBTQ+ community may not have been satisfied with such a light nudge at the character’s sexuality, who is also bisexual in Marvel Comics. As he suggested, he should have had Tessa Thompson’s character just “kiss” the other female character and make it more obvious. 

MINOR THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER SPOILERS AHEAD.

In Thor: Love and Thunder, the sexuality of Tessa Thompson’s character is finally made known through a casual conversation she has with Taika Waititi’s Korg. It is revealed she lost a love with a female character whilst we also learn that Korg seeks love in a male partner as well. The scene isn’t exactly what fans may have been hoping for, especially given Thompson told fans the King of Asgard would need to “find her queen” when Love and Thunder was announced at Comic-Con in 2019. It seemingly teased a full on love story for the character.  

More recently Tessa Thompson explained that her and Taika Waititi “would’ve liked to go even further” in terms of exploring Valkyrie’s sexuality, but there perhaps wasn’t enough time in the film to explore another romantic plot. Waititi sounds totally on board to keep telling inclusive stories on the big screen, saying this: 

Waititi’s Thor movies are certainly part of the slow strides within Hollywood to include more LGBTQ+ characters in major films. Last year, Loki acknowledged Tom Hiddleston’s character as bisexual and the first same-sex kiss in a Marvel movie occurred in Eternals. Perhaps more of Valkyrie’s love life will be explored in an upcoming Marvel movie! 

Chris Hemsworth is back for another go in the MCU, as Thor: Love and Thunder is set to hit theaters July 8. Fans have been waiting on this one for a while, and anticipation is high to see how it might tie into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ll also see Christian Bale making his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher. The reviews are in, and it seems like the critics are loving the MCU’s newest villain.

The first reactions to the latest MCU Phase 4 project were promising, with many who were able to screen the movie early saying that not only does director Taika Waititi bring the laughs, but there’s also plenty of heart in this one. Let’s dive a little deeper into what the critics think of the film, starting with our own CinemaBlend review of Thor: Love and Thunder. Eric Eisenberg rates the film 4 stars out of 5, saying it’s not quite as strong as 2018’s Thor: Ragnarok, but despite its uncomplicated plot, the additions to the MCU canon are strong:

Tom Jorgensen of IGN rates the blockbuster a “Good” 7 out of 10, saying the movie is held back a little by its cookie-cutter plot, but the actors pick up the slack, with Christian Bale being a haunting addition to the MCU:

Josh Spiegel of SlashFilm says the God Butcher’s backstory is an early indication that Love and Thunder is darker than Ragnarok was, and Christian Bale’s is able to shift seamlessly into the grimmer tone, proving that his comic book movie talents extend beyond Batman:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo says the movie overall can be a bumpy ride, but the excellent cast brings their A-games, so it’s never boring to watch. Christian Bale gives a particularly layered performance, this review says:

Like the critic above, many reviews praised the acting overall, with many singling out Tessa Thompson for her return as Valkyrie. Brian Truitt of USA TODAY was among those critics, who also loved Christian Bale as Gorr, comparing him to another classic villain:

If you can’t wait to check out Christian Bale as the MCU’s newest villain, you can catch Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters on Friday, July 5. Be sure to check out when you’ll be able to see other upcoming Marvel movies, and you can also start planning your next trip to the theater by taking a peek at our 2022 Movie Release Schedule.

Major spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Westworld Season 4’s second episode, so be warned!

After making its long-awaited return with a surprisingly straightforward premiere (at least when compared to some of its more confounding installments), HBO’s Westworld delivered more enjoyably low-impact progression with the second episode of Season 4. Which isn’t to imply the sci-fi thriller is moving slowly or has become boring, but rather to celebrate the showrunners for introducing mysteries that spark legibly formed questions instead of flat-out confusion. 

“Well Enough Alone” featured some major character/actor returns that no doubt delighted viewers, while also putting its main stars into various interesting and troublesome situations that will no doubt get increasingly more complicated as the season goes forward. So let’s take a look at the four biggest takeaways from Westworld’s latest, starting with a brand new Delos Destination! 

Westworld Introduced Its Newest Park: The Golden Age 

Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are no doubt keen on knowing just how obsessed viewers are with the idea of new parks being introduced. As fans will remember, Season 2 brought in Shōgunworld and The Raj, while Season 3 brought audiences inside Warworld (and also hinted at a medieval, dragon-filled Game of Thrones-esque park, as well as a Jurassic Park-inspired dino area). Even though viewers still aren’t quite clear on the current state of Delos after the seven-year jump, it appears things are going quite well, given the opening of the company’s newest Destination: The Golden Age.

This newest attraction was stumbled upon by Maeve and Caleb, who were assisted just by returning actress Lili Simmons, and it’s assumed that her character Sofia is as much as host as her prior character New Clementine was. The Golden Age appears to be recreating the U.S. in the 1920s, give or take a few years, with jazzy tunes and golden light bulbs aplenty, from marquee signs to street lamps to the headlights of classic cars. Though none of the other first-time visitors were showcased, I can’t help but feel like there were some very important people on that train.

The Golden Age was partly bankrolled by the U.S. government, with the Vice President now a host puppet for Man in Black and others, and that’s presumably not the extent of such professional relationships. Perhaps most interestingly so far, the location depicted in The Golden Age is “Temperance,” which either suggests that it’ll be an alcohol-free establishment fitting for the time period, or that the town will feature a variety of speakeasies for its guests to get liquored up in. Either way, depraved sex and violence are likely the end results.

Christine’s Peter Mystery Is Somehow More Complicated Than Expected 

To be expected, Christine has something of an epiphany after watching “Peter” throw himself off a building to his death, and remembers having crafted a game story similar to his. (Not exactly the same as the presumed-dead Dolores having memory flashes from earlier loops, but not entirely dissimilar, either.) While on her way to the mental facility namechecked in Peter’s obituary, she listens back to her notes on the story, which basically matched up with the “real life” character. Since that reveal was already telegraphed, it served as window dressing for the actual twist, for lack of a better word, that came shortly after. 

When Christine arrived at the facility, she found it to not only be empty — I’m curious about that group of possible contractors and buyers in hard hats — but more or less abandoned. It’s hard to tell exactly how long the building would have been sitting empty, but all the leaves and whatnot implied many months, if not years. Coupled with the discovery of the “Peter Myers Wing” dedication plaque, the Hope center hinted at some major timeline fuckery happening.

Even if Christine was correct in guessing there were two different Peter Myers at play, it still wouldn’t explain how a fund was started there in Peter’s name after his death, unless that obit detail was falsified. But it definitely looked like the place that Peter would have spent a lot of time, given the room that Christine looked into with all those drawings of what’s assumedly the Tower that keeps getting mentioned. And it’s the same design that’s featured in the opening sequence as composer Ramin Djawadi’s credit comes up. 

Charlotte Hale Returned, And She Apparently Doesn’t Just Want To Kill All Humans 

As frightening as Ed Harris’ Man in Black is without any human morals, he’s still just a worker bee following the orders of a higher power, and Charlotte Hale made her Season 4 debut in true Westworld fashion: through a host’s remotely accessed memory bank. Maeve discovered that Charlotte spearheaded hosts replacing a U.S. senator and his wife (as portrayed by guest stars Jack Coleman and Saffron Burrows, respectively). It appears her efforts to take over the world hadn’t exactly faded away over time, which wasn’t too shocking to learn.

But Charlotte doesn’t appear to be your everyday TV big bad, and not only due to her synthetic origins. While many plot-minded villains don’t give a second thought to the body count required to reach their overall goals, Charlotte’s plan doesn’t hinge on killing all humans and populating the planet with hosts, at least not at this point in the process. As a being who doesn’t age, she naturally has more patience than those with blood flowing through their veins. One of her motivations, as discussed below, revolves around an “eye for an eye” sense of revenge, but that doesn’t seem to be her only exception. 

Charlotte made good on not killing the Senator’s wife, and it can be assumed that Anastasia was useful for the research Charlotte alluded to. It can also be assumed that Charlotte’s research-acquiring methods completely broke Anastasia’s brain. At least, that’s what I gathered from her being covered in blood and slicing up a dead horse’s stomach when Maeve and Caleb discovered her in the barn. But we won’t be finding out what happened to her, since Maeve shot her in the head during her attempt to stab Caleb. 

William Confirmed To Be Still Alive, Though Imprisoned 

One of the Season 3 finale’s post-credit scenes finally addressed one of Westworld’s biggest ongoing questions, with the Man in Black host slitting the throat of his human counterpart William. It was unclear what happened in the aftermath, since we didn’t technically see William die, and the series surprisingly didn’t keep us guessing for very long, as “Well Enough Alone” revealed Charlotte is keeping the still-living William in cryogenic stasis. And as she explained it, she’s keeping him alive so that he can be the ever-present “loser” in the hosts’ and humans’ battle for supremacy. She said it with the same disgusted tone she used in comparing Anastasia to “other livestock” earlier on.

On the one hand, I loved the scene, as it showcased how intimidating Tessa Thompson can be without ever raising her voice or appearing directly threatening. And to me at least, it also sort of extends the initial purpose of flies within Westworld to indicate a host going off the scripted path. Charlotte keeping William around just to witness humanity’s downfall is the epitome of hubris, which is a human foible that properly functioning hosts likely wouldn’t adhere to. Perhaps she should have been remembering the saying “pride goeth before the fall” instead of whatever William used to say.

On the other hand, though, I don’t wholly understand why that scene happened at this particular point in the series’ timeline, considering their conversation implied they haven’t talked much (if at all) since he was replaced in the real world all those years ago by the Man in Black. Perhaps she was just waiting until they reached a certain level of success, such as replacing the Vice President with a host. Still, since William probably didn’t know what year it was, it was odd for Charlotte to be speaking to the present while his questions were presumably still based on what was happening when his throat was slit. 

Other Delos-Approved Thoughts About "Well Enough Alone”

• Are we to assume that the Man in Black has been hunting/repurposing all the hosts in the real world who weren’t under Charlotte’s rule? Will that have anything to do with James Marsden’s Teddy showing up in the Season 4 premiere?
• So we now have to keep up with 250 different emissaries of the New World Order? 
• What’s up with all the dead birds that Christine saw? And I can’t tell if it’s a good or a bad sign that I have no firm assumptions regarding that moment’s legitimacy, as far as why she was seemingly the only person who noticed them. That’s so Westworld. 
• In a similar vein as the above point, it’s also not entirely clear if any of what Dolo…Christine witnessed inside the Hope 
• Christine only gets 4 paid days off for sick leave in a year? Can’t tell if it’s a sign of the company being shitty, or that people just don’t get sick as often in this COVID-free timeline. 
• I get that The Man in Black’s multiple holes in one were meant to impress and then disturb the Vice President, but was that entire scene just artifice? Because if his programming allows for that sort of perfection each time, what’s the point? I guess I can believe that the Man in Black is so full of himself that even the host version needs daily reminders like that. 
• “I’ve always wondered, why do they call you the secret service? Aren’t you a little…obvious?” This line made up for having to watch the Man in Black shooting and slicing Clementine in the cold open. Welcome back, Angela Sarafyan!
• I may never be comfortable by how clear and visible people are in their cars on Westworld. Do people not go get fast food while wearing their shittiest pants in this universe?
• I love how many buildings in Westworld (and similar fare) feature massive, high-ceiling rooms whose central purpose is to store something that requires 1/20th the space.

Westworld airs new episodes every Sunday night on HBO at 10:00 p.m. ET, and are also available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. While waiting for the next episode, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other less-confusing shows will be arriving soon.

When the latest full trailer for Thor: Love And Thunder dropped in late May, it generated a lot of questions about the upcoming Marvel movie, but it also featured some cool revelations – including the fact that Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie (whose real name we don’t know just yet) is fighting with a new weapon in the blockbuster: Zeus’ thunderbolt. Behind the scenes, wielding this new godly tool required Thompson to do some special training, and she pulls off some killer moves with it on screen (as audiences will witness themselves very soon). By the actor’s own admission, however,  her skills with the bolt are nothing compared to those possessed by the MCU’s Zeus himself, Russell Crowe.

How does she know this? Not only did Tessa Thompson get to see what her co-star could do with the thunderbolt while cameras were rolling during production, but she also evidently watched him surreptitiously while he practiced with the prop outside of her on-set trailer.

As captured in the video at the top of this article, I had the pleasure of interviewing King Valkyrie herself during the Thor: Love And Thunder press day in Los Angeles this past weekend, and during our conversation I took time to ask her about the thunderbolt. She admitted that it’s not the easiest weapon to wield, and gave credit to Russell Crowe for what he was able to do with it:

I don’t know about you, but I’m totally imagining Tessa Thompson peeking through the curtains of her trailer at an in-costume Russell Crowe throwing and twirling his prop thunderbolt around like a professional sign spinner. It’s a mental image that makes me giggle every time I conjure it.

In all seriousness, though, the passion and enthusiasm that Tessa Thompson effused for her work behind the scenes of Thor: Love and Thunder was a wonderful thing to see. On top of expressing genuine remorse that she didn’t get more time to practice with Zeus’ legendary weapon in the making of the blockbuster, she talked about bonding with her weapons in Thor: Ragnarok – the sword Dragonfang and her two daggers – and explained that she created a kind of intimacy with them. She continued,

The funny irony of this is that the relationship between a hero and their weapon of choice is actually a running joke in Thor: Love and Thunder, and while I won’t spoil the details of it in this forum, Tessa Thompson explained that the gag was something that wholly developed on set:

Audiences will get on this inside of this joke very soon, as Thor: Love And Thunder is now less than two weeks away from release (and buzz about the blockbuster is already growing). The Taika Waititi-directed Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster, starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, and Tessa Thompson, arrives in theaters everywhere on July 8 – and tickets are on sale now.

The MCU’s favorite space Vikings are back in “Thor: Love And Thunder,” and CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg was able to get all the behind-the-scenes details from stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), Christian Bale (Gorr the God Butcher) and Writer/Director Taika Waititi (A.K.A. Korg). Tune in to hear how they feel about Tom Hiddleston’s (Loki’s) absence, working (and spying) on Russell Crowe, and more in this spoiler-free interview.

Video Chapters:

00:00 - Intro / Valkyrie Name Tease

00:26 - Did Chris Hemsworth And Taika Watiti Miss Tom Hiddleston Making 'Thor 4?'

01:14 - Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, and Natalie Portman on Collaborating with Taika Waititi

03:16 - How 'Thor 4' Will 'Surprise' Fans, According to Christian Bale

03:59 - Was Working With Taika on 'Thor 4' Intimidating? Natalie Portman Says Absolutely Not

04:52 - Tessa Thompson's Favorite Thing About Working in The MCU

06:19 - Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth Loved Working with Russell Crowe

07:03 - Tessa Thompson Admits Spying On Russell Crowe’s Thunderbolt Practice

08:12 - How Natalie Portman Played Jane Foster and Mighty Thor Differently

09:10 - We Ask Tessa Thompson - What Is Valkyrie's Real Name?

Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie has quickly become a favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe hero among fans. The character got a badass and hilarious introduction in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, and while her big screen journey has really only just begun, it’s been brilliant to see her go from being a drunk, washed up warrior to becoming the king of New Asgard. There is a lot to love about her, and appreciation will surely only grow with her role in the upcoming Thor: Love And Thunder, but there is an interesting question about her that still lingers: what is her actual name?

That information has not yet been revealed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there is an answer, according to Tessa Thompson… and she just isn’t quite ready to reveal to the world what it is.

This interesting tease was mined this weekend during the Los Angeles press day for Thor: Love And Thunder, where I had the opportunity to sit down with Tessa Thompson and discuss her latest performance as Valkyrie. I opened the interview asking if she knew what her character’s real name is (or if she even has one), and she gave a fascinating response:

For those who aren’t totally up on their Norse mythology, “valkyrie” isn’t a word that is typically used to describe an individual, but instead a member of a specific group – namely mystical women who visit deceased Nordic soldiers who have died in battle and escort them to either Fólkvangr or Valhalla (two different versions of the afterlife). When the character known as Valkyrie was introduced in the pages of Marvel Comics by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, she was featured as a member of a warrior group caked the Valkyrior, and given the Asgardian name Brunnhilde.

Based on this information, one might make the assumption that Brunnhilde is the actual name of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… but it seems that this is one of those situations where one might dust off the old chestnut, “You know what they say about assuming.” We should know at this point that not everything from the comics stays canon. It’s not impossible that Valkyrie’s name in the MCU is Brunnhilde, but the actor playing the character is certainly not willing to commit to that, and it sounds like the real answer to the mystery might be more complicated than we think.

While we wait for the big revelation about the character’s name (perhaps something that can be explored in a solo film?), fans can appreciate the badass and powerful King Valkyrie by counting down the days until her big screen return – which is coming up very soon. Starring as part of a brilliant ensemble of Marvel heroes that also includes Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Taika Waititi, and Russell Crowe, Tessa Thompson is back in Thor: Love And Thunder, which is less than two weeks away from arriving in theaters. The blockbuster already been earning some terrific buzz following its premiere last week, and it will be screening everywhere on July 8.

For more about everything on the horizon from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, be sure to check out both our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.

When the MCU first got its start, it was high on the brawn and low on the girl power. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow doing a crotch-throat grab in a tight black leather getup and Natalie Portman, Hayley Atwell and Gwyneth Paltrow as supportive girlfriends on the sidelines to the big-league heroes was all there was amidst Marvel’s boys club. Since then, a ton more female Marvel characters have been introduced into the universe that are just as badass, clever and quick-witted as their male counterparts.

That being said, the walls are still stacked behind the women of Marvel leading their own solo movies. Out of the Marvel movies released so far, only 2019’s Captain Marvel, 2021’s Black Widow n and 2023’s The Marvels is all the leading girl power we’ve seen across 35 films.When taking a look at the upcoming Marvel movies, there isn’t a single female-led or female directed Marvel movie on the way . What’s up with that? And yet, there are so many incredible female Marvel characters who are deserving of their own film. Here are our picks:

Storm

One of the most powerful mutants not only in the X-Men movies so far, but, but in Marvel Comics as well has been Ororo Munroe, aka Storm. While Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp’s version were supporting characters with only a few standout moments in the X-Men franchise, there’s a lot more to her than what’s been explored. She’s actually the daughter of a princess in Kenya and a photojournalist father and was raised between Cairo, Egypt and Harlem, New York. Of course, she has the power to control the weather.

After Ororo was orphaned after her parents were killed in a plane crash, she was taken in by a thief in Egypt and trained by him to become a pickpocket. At some point in her origin story, she becomes worshipped as a goddess for using her powers with the droughts in the African desert. Ultimately she gets approached by Professor X and joins the X-Men, but she also once married Black Panther and became the leader of Wakanda, led the X-Men and worked directly with the Fantastic Four. She deserves a lot better than being on the sidelines. Oh, and Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo already wants to play her!

Spider-Gwen

By now, we’ve arguably seen too many Peter Parker / Spider-Man movies play out, so wouldn’t it be sweet to see a twist with Spider-Gwen leading a spinoff next time around? Spider-Gwen is a comic book character that began in 2015 that follows Gwen Stacy, who is famously Peter Parker’s ill-fated first girlfriend. Except it’s about her life in another universe where she is the one to get the spider bite and it’s Peter who dies in her arms. The character was of course explored as a Sony animated character in the Spider-Verse movies.

Now that the multiverse has been opened in the MCU, it would be exciting to see another version of the Spider-Man origin story through a live-action Spider-Gwen, who by the way has a super cool rock band called The Mary Janes. It’d be an especially great idea with Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, who he could accidentally meet (both from other universes) and have a love story across dimensions. I could also see actors like Yellowjackets’ Sophie Thatcher, Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock or Wednesday’s Emma Myers playing a more age-accurate version of the comic book character.

Captain Carter

After Steve Rogers found his happy ending with Peggy Carter in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has brought back Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, an alternate version of Captain America where Peggy gets the super serum instead of Steve Rogers in the animated What If…? series and with a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Along with Anthony Mackie taking up the mantle in the new Avengers movies, it would be a blast to see Atwell’s version of Captain America in live action for longer than a single scene.

Let me remind you that Atwell’s Captain America character has long been a favorite, having a two-season run on ABC’s Agent Carter as well. And now that Chris Evans has hung up his shield, it’d be fun for the studio to take their What If idea to the big screen, perhaps as a multiverse spinoff storyline. With Robert Downey set to be Doctor Doom, I’d imagine the superhero team could use all the help they could get, but I’d watch an entire solo movie with Atwell back as the character. Even if it’s just an espionage film from the WWII days.

Scarlet Witch

Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is arguably the strongest Avenger in the MCU. The character has been featured in multiple Avengers films, the first Marvel Disney+ show WandaVision of course, and last time we saw her in 2022, she supposedly died in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.They also built on the world of witches in the MCU with last year’s Agatha All Along series, which was a rare and welcome MCU series with a dominantly female cast.

While one might think Marvel is done with her, given the Vision series is still on the way and Joe Locke confirmed to be her son, Billy Maximoff, I’d love to see a feature film with all eyes on one of the most wildly complex members of the Avengers.

Okoye

In 2018’s Black Panther, the vast world of Wakanda was introduced to audiences to stunning results. Since then, I’ve always loved seeing Danai Gurira’s Okoye, who started as the General of the Dora Milaje and even joined the Avengers for Infinity War and Endgame before the events of Black Panther 2 where she was stripped of her rank by Queen Ramonda.

While we previously heard in 2021 that she might get a TV spinoff that was debunked by Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum recently who said he didn’t think she would be in a TV show but fans will be “excited to come back,” but couldn’t “say where.” Clearly Marvel sees the potential for the character to thrive further, but I sincerely hope she gets to lead a project soon.

America Chavez

When Xochitl Gomez was cast as America Chavez for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I definitely thought she’d have much more to do than she did, but hey, there was a lot going on in that movie. Last we left her, she was brought under the care of Wong to learn the mystic arts. When she spoke to CinemaBlend about her future back in 2022, she had hopes to get into America’s connection with Kang, but now that storyline has pivoted, I’m worried the MCU won’t know what to do with her.

Of course, given America’s powers to travel to different dimensions, she could easily star in her own coming-of-age adventure where she’s perhaps exploring the multiverse on a smaller scale than an Avengers flick, but I also hope she’ll be recruited to the new team, of course.

Valkyrie

Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie quickly became a fan-favorite when she appeared in Thor: Ragnarok and since then, Marvel has promoted the character to King of Asgard as Chris Hemsworth’s hero went down a rough road during the Infinity War, along with her return in Thor: Love and Thunder. But, I’d also follow the superheroine to other corners of the universe even without the God of Thunder.

While Tessa Thompson’s specific version was created for the movies, her origins tie in with the Secret Avengers and the Fearless Defenders with characters like Misty Knight, Danielle Moonstar and Elsa Bloodstone. She could definitely lead a team of ladies in her own flick.

Yelena Belova 

We waited way too long for the Black Widow solo movie and then when it came out Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova stole the show right under from Scarlett Johansson. The younger sister of Black Widow has an intriguing way forward in the MCU given she has the chance to be the hero the studio was somewhat still figuring out with her arc. Yelena recently helped free an army of Black Widow soldiers and could have her own espionage thriller within the universe.

Of course, Thunderbolts* seems to have her potentially taking center stage in the summer team up movie also involving Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Taskmaster, Sentry, Ghost and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, but I certainly wonder if the movie will truly give her a leading role and set up a future where she can be a key female member of the MCU.

The Wasp 

In 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne reunited with her family after thirty years stuck in the Quantum Realm. With that in mind, there are three decades of a missing timeline for the OG Wasp that could be a really interesting way for the MCU to explore the Quantum Realm itself.

It could play like a survivor movie where Janet finds herself in a mysterious place and learns to live in a reality where “all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity” as Hank Pym has described it. We definitely got to see more of Janet Van Dyne in Quantumania, but I’d definitely be up for exploring more of Wasp’s life in the Quantum Realm.

Jessica Jones

Remember when Netflix made Marvel shows? Well, ever since Charlie Cox’s Daredevil made a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, these characters belong to Disney/Marvel Studios now. And the Daredevil: Born Again series has made the return of more Netflix Marvel heroes feel more possible than ever. In addition to Cox’s Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher entering the MCU, all the shows from the comic book universe Netflix explored are also now available to watch on Disney+ including Jessica Jones.

So technically, Jessica Jones could become part of the MCU, or at least have her own movie from the studio. Krysten Ritter’s character is a well-loved one who could continue her story on the big screen following the cancellation of her magnificent series. Plus, Ritter herself said she “one hundred percent would return” as Jessica Jones, citing that the character she spent five years on is “very important” to her and many fans.

So many ideas for the next female Marvel solo movie! We’ll have to wait and see which characters get movies next. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about the expanding MCU.

It’s been seven years since the famous #OscarsSoWhite hashtag first went around after the Academy released a nomination list where all 20 acting nominations were given to white actors, which would be repeated in 2016. So where are we now? There is some POC talent being recognized in the performance category ahead of this year’s Oscar telecast, but the 2022 Academy Award nominations, only twenty percent are non-white nominees. This is especially disappointing considering how many incredible performances were left out of the race. 

The only non-white actors in the running for a performance Oscar this year are King Richard’s Will Smith and The Tragedy of Macbeth’s Denzel Washington in the Best Actor category (both of which have been recognized by the Academy before) alongside first-time nominees Ariana DeBose and Aunjanue Ellis in the Best Supporting Actress category. Now let’s take a look at great performances the Oscars overlooked. 

Colman Domingo (Candyman/Zola)

Let’s start with a Best Supporting Actor that was not among those picked by the Academy, but absolutely deserves to be recognized for his performances. Colman Domingo. The more “award season” pick is Zola, but the more I think about it, Domingo also pulled off an incredible performance in Candyman as well that I'd also pick over a couple of this year’s other nominees. In Zola, Domingo gives an affecting performance as a man on a stripper road trip (based off a real Twitter thread) as his character of Abegunde "X" Olawale takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and intensity as the secrets of the plotline are uncovered. 

Additionally, Domingo is an absolute highlight in Candyman as William "Billy" Burke, a Cabrini-Green resident who forwards the Candyman legend through Yayha Abdul-Mateen II’s character. All around, Domingo is proving again and again he’s one of the best actors working today and deserves more recognition for his work. Hopefully when TV nominations come around he’ll get some love for his role on Euphoria as well. 

Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car) 

The Oscars have clearly been making an attempt to recognize more foriegn films in recent years, especially with the historical 2020 Academy Award moment when Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won Best Picture. Ahead of this year’s telecast, there’s a key international feature being recognized, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car. But how do you recognize that film without its guiding lead performance, Hidetoshi Nishijima?

The Japanese actor carries a huge weight in the drama about an actor/director as he mourns a profound loss throughout the three-hour film. The performance is very internal and stoic, which is especially difficult for an actor to communicate to audiences. As crowded as this year’s Best Actor category is, Nishijima’s role in Drive My Car is something special. You can check out the movie now with an HBO Max subscription. 

Dev Patel (The Green Knight)

Throughout Oscar history, only a few actors of Indian descent have nabbed an acting nomination. Merle Oberon in 1935, Ben Kingsley four times between 1983 and 2004 (including his win for Gandhi) and Dev Patel in 2017 for Lion. The actor should have earned his second nomination this year (this time in the Best Actor category) for his role in The Green Knight. 

David Lowery’s perilous journey through the legend of Sir Gawain asks a lot of the actor as 90 percent of the film puts the focus on his character. Dev Patel plays a reluctant protagonist who must face the elements as he travels to meet the Green Knight along with driving an emotional narrative that subverts long held tropes about what it means to be a hero. 

Taylour Paige (Zola)

The Best Actress category this year is jam-packed with talent including Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart’s memorable performances, but it’s clearly skewed toward not only the experiences of white women, but privileged white women (with the exception of Cruz). It’s too bad the Academy overlooked Taylour Paige’s performance as a part-time stripper in Zola. 

Along with the wild based-on-a-true-story road trip movie being entertaining, it also highlights the very real threats that Zola got mixed into. In Zola, the stripper becomes wrapped into the world of sex work and other dangerous activities she did not want to be part of, and it's made more real through Paige's performance. 

Ruth Negga (Passing) 

Rebecca Hall’s Passing adapts a classic ‘20s novel about the topic of “racial passing” in 1920s Harlem through the narrative of two old friends Clare and Irene, played by Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson. Both actresses deserved more recognition for their work on this film, not only at the Oscars but during award season in general. Ruth Negga plays Clare Bellew, a Black woman who lives as a white passing woman during the era, with a white husband and all. 

Things change for Clare when she spots her childhood friend Irene passing for white at a club and they strike up a conversation. Negga’s performance is very unique in that there’s a restraint about the character, who seems to be very much putting on a mask through her demeanor to fit into being white passing. The audience watches as she lets loose a bit with Irene’s social circles. Overall, Negga represents a huge part of history and continued uncomfortableness to be in one’s skin, especially as a light-skinned Black woman. 

Tessa Thompson (Passing) 

The second performance in Passing that the Oscars overlooked was with Tessa Thompson. Whereas Ruth Negga plays a woman in passing, Thompson’s role as Irene is more reserved and quieter, but just as powerful. Irene sometimes lives in passing, but typically lives out a life as a Black woman. She’s a more passive character than Clare, but both women’s arcs and dynamics drive the powerful story that is Passing.

Jennifer Hudson (Respect)

The final pick here is the most surprising snub because everything about it seems to scream Oscar nomination. Jennifer Hudson has long been attached to playing Aretha Franklin in a biopic. Before the Queen of Soul died in 2018, she picked Hudson to play her and all these years later it came together with Respect. The actress and singer beautifully transforms into Aretha in this film that takes her from being a shy preacher’s daughter to a powerhouse. 

Experts fully predicted Hudson to be nominated for her second Oscar with Respect, and yet she was snubbed this year from the Best Actress category. It’s especially shocking because most performance nominees award actors portraying well-known people. 

Despite these performances not getting a voice in this year’s Academy Awards, you can tune into the Oscars when they air on ABC on Sunday, March 27. 

Spoilers aren’t a new concern for the MCU. Plenty of Marvel film or television shows have sprung a leak, with the perfect example being the whole “will-they-won’t-or-they-will” dilemma surrounding Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home. As most fans know, Marvel Studios is a tight vault that doesn’t like when information gets past them. The contracts alone have scared stars like Salma Hayek from talking about their MCU involvement. Thor: Love and Thunder’s Tessa Thompson has now joined that category. She spoke up about her nervousness regarding accidentally revealing Thor 4 spoilers.

Thompson might be right in being a little skittish when it comes to Thor: Love and Thunder details. The Passing star got into a bit of hot water after alluding to Valkyrie’s potential powers in the sequel. That fear came out as ET Canada questioned her about the film. Tessa Thompson hinted at ramifications from Marvel by saying,

To make things clear, Tessa Thompson won’t be following in the footsteps of fellow MCU stars Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo when it comes to spoiling cameos or major plotlines. She doesn’t want Marvel (or the fandom) coming after her for ruining the Thor: Ragnarok sequel. Thankfully, Thompson kept things to a minimum when speaking on the film. Having dreamed about becoming the character, the Hollywood star isn’t trying to end her time in the MCU by spilling a few secrets.

The actress remedied the Valkyrie powers debacle by sharing an image of herself on Instagram with a message stating she was referring to the comics, not the film. Outside of the power blunder, Tessa Thompson has been all about Valkyrie’s sexuality becoming a part of the sequel. Thompson felt exploring the character’s sexual orientation will harken back to the LGBTQ+ representation in Marvel comics. So young and old viewers will get the chance to see Valkyrie flourish as King of Asgard and embrace a potential partner.

Outside of Valkyrie’s sexuality being a storyline, not much else is not for Thor: Love and Thunder. Of course, the film will mark Natalie Portman’s return as Jane Foster after being absent in Ragnarok. She will assume the Thor mantle as Mighty Thor, which fans got a peek at in a possible leak, while the Guardians of the Galaxy cast will join the fun after Chris Hemsworth’s Thor hitched a ride with them in the Avenger: Endgame finale. Once the film drops, fans will find what Thor, Valkyrie, and their cohorts are getting into.

They won’t’ have to wait much longer as Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8. But Love and Thunder is one of multiple Marvel films dropping in 2022 and 2023 with more on the horizon.

Tessa Thompson has been receiving praise for her performance in one of Netflix's best films in 2021, Passing. Aside from that, though, she's been busy with other projects that are awaiting release or are in the midst of production. One of those projects is Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III, in which she returns as Bianca Taylor. Getting back into the world of the Rocky franchise required some preparation on Thompson’s part, though, and the star recently spilled about what she's done to prepare for the upcoming sequel.

The reunion between Tessa Thompson and Michael Jordan has been a long time coming, as fans have been eager to see the on-screen couple again. Though the wait has been long, the pandemic allowed for the co-stars to have a longer prep time, which worked out for Michael B. Jordan as a first-time director. It proved to be beneficial for Tessa Thompson, too, as she had to reconnect with Creed III’s Rocky legacy. The Thor: Love and Thunder star opened up to The Wrap about what her preparation for the sequel was like, and it seems to have involved some rewatches:

Rewatching the first two Creed films was certainly a terrific way to reacquaint herself with the legacy. It also appears that the actress loves to work with directors on an intimate level. Luckily, working with indie-turned-mainstream directors like Ryan Coogler and Taika Waititi laid out the blueprint for the relationship between her and Michael B. Jordan on this upcoming installment. Maintaining an indie vibe on set might be beneficial for the actor-director relationship, as it could help to keep things grounded, especially when dealing with the more over-the-top elements of the movies.

Doing multiple franchises could stagnate for an actor, but Tessa Thompson has had no problem. As a matter of fact. the experiences have even helped her with her own goals. Seeing her Creed II co-star make his feature debut served as an inspiration for her, as she wants the chance to direct at some point. The co-stars have been supportive of each other and have developed a sibling-like relationship, which can be pretty funny. The Passing star once jokingly told Michael B. Jordan to tone down the sexiness when he's directing. Of course, it's all love, as Jordan heaped tons of praise on her ahead of their work on the new movie. Thanks to their prep and firm working relationship, the third installment in the series should be something special.

But Creed III is just one of multiple projects Tessa Thompson has coming down the pipeline. If you want to see what she has in store for this year, check out the various 2022 movie releases on our schedule.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly growing, and Phase Four has already been a wild ride. One of the most highly anticipated projects coming down the line is Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which marks the first time a hero has been given a fourth solo movie. And Thor star Tessa Thompson recently spoke about getting to explore Valkyrie’s sexuality in the upcoming MCU film.

Actress Tessa Thompson made her MCU debut in Thor: Ragnarok, before crossing over for Avengers: Endgame. She’s set to return in Love and Thunder, where she’ll be ruling as the King of New Asgard. Thompson has been open about how her character is queer, clarified comments about her powers, and is now teasing how the sequel will explore her sexuality. As she put it,

Well, there you have it. It seems that the full scope of Valkyrie’s character will be shown in Thor: Love and Thunder, including how and who she loves. There were opportunities for this that were cut from Ragnarok, so this is a thrilling update for both the actress and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Tessa Thompson’s comments to The Wrap offers one small tidbit of what’s to come with Thor: Love and Thunder. Following Taika Waititi’s success with Ragnarok and his Oscar win for Jojo Rabbit, it seems like he could take the cosmic story seemingly anywhere. Luckily, we’re just a few months away from the blockbuster’s release in theaters.

In Tessa Thompson’s comments about her role in Thor: Love and Thunder, she also made it clear that Valkyrie’s romantic life isn’t necessarily a huge plot of the movie. Still, it’ll help further flesh out the Asgardian badass, and be another major step forward in regards to making the MCU a more inclusive place. Representation does seem to be taking major steps forward in Phase Four so far.

As previously mentioned, Tessa Thompson had mentioned she wanted to have Valkyrie find her Queen of Asgard. Perhaps that’s where the plot line is coming together. There was also a popular fan theory about Valkyrie ending up with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, but Taika Waititi didn’t seem on board.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to arrive in theaters on July 8th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing, and there are a number of highly anticipated blockbusters coming down the line over the next few years. Chief among them is Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which marks the first time a hero will be given a fourth solo movie. And actress Tessa Thompson has clarified comments about Valkyrie’s powers.

Tessa Thompson made her MCU debut in Thor: Ragnarok, before reprising her role in Avengers: Endgame. She recently spoke about her character’s powers, and seemingly revealed new abilities that Valkyrie would have in Love and Thunder. But she’s since clarified what she meant, posting on social media:

Well, there you have it. Looks like the abilities Tessa Thompson mentioned aren’t going to be part of Thor: Love and Thunder, but were simply references to the character’s life on the page. That being said, there’s no telling what Taika Waitti has up his sleeve for the highly anticipated Marvel blockbuster.

Tessa Thompson’s comments come from her personal Instagram story, which the Westworld actress shared with her whopping 2.9 million followers. While some fans were excited to learn that her Asgardian hero would have wild new abilities in Thor: Love and Thunder, that might not be the case. Still, smart money says she has a major role to play in the mysterious Marvel project.

For those unfamiliar, some comments made by Tessa Thompson about Valkyrie started circulating the internet last week. While describing her signature MCU character, she mentioned some powers that fasn hadn’t seen on the big screen. As such, the fandom thought said abilities would be making their debut in Thor: Love and Thunder. She previously recalled,

The MCU’s Valkyrie has certainly proven herself super powerful, single-handedly destroying a Chitauri Leviathan in the final battle of Avengers: Endgame. But reviving the dead and bringing the nearly dead into the afterlife? That sounded like a bold departure from the Thor character we’ve come to know and love.

When we last saw Valkyrie at the end of Avengers: Endgame, she was given the title of King of New Asgard, allowing Chris Hemsworth’s Thor to depart into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Her role in Love and Thunder is a mystery, but Tessa Thompson has expressed interest in her character finding her queen. We’ll just have to wait and see if she was able to convince Taika Waititi of that plot line.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to arrive in theaters on July 8th, 2022. As such, the marketing and footage should hopefully arrive sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing and expanding, and Phase Four has been no exception in that regard. There are a number of highly anticipated projects coming down the line, including Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love And Thunder. And Valkyrie actress Tessa Thompson recently revealed new abilities for her signature character.

Tessa Thompson made her MCU debut as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, before eventually crossing over to the wild events of Avengers: Endgame. Fans are excited to see her back for the new sequel, especially since she was named King of Asgard. Thompson recently spoke about her hero, mentioning some abilities we haven’t seen on the big screen yet. Check it out below,

I don’t know about you, but suddenly Thor: Love and Thunder feels even farther away. Because it turns out that Valkyrie has even more superpowers than we realized in her first two appearances. We’ll just have to wait and see how she’s been using said powers for those she’s ruling over in New Asgard.

Tessa Thompson’s comments to W Magazine are sure to pique the interest of the countless Marvel fans out there. While Valkyrie is one of the last characters to join the fray at the end of Phase Three, fans responded to her tragic backstory and path to redemption. Did she personally bring her fellow Valkyries to Valhalla after being massacred by Cate Blanchett’s Hela? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Since Tessa Thompson opened up about these unseen powers for Valkyrie, smart money says we’ll see them in action throughout the course of Thor’s upcoming fourth solo movie. The contents of Taika Waititi’s sophomore effort in the MCU have been kept under wraps, but there are a number of theories and rumors currently circulating the internet. Some of which he’s already addressed directly. 

Valkyrie possibly getting new abilities is just one reason why Thor: Love and Thunder looks like it’s going to be an absolutely wild ride when it finally hits theaters. Some other big concepts the movie is dealing with are Jane Portman’s transformation into Mighty Thor, as well as the inclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy. No wonder anticipation for the upcoming blockbuster is so high

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 8th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Michael B. Jordan has had an incredible journey over the past few years, most notably between playing Killmonger to T’Challa in Black Panther and Adonis in the Rocky spinoff Creed. Following the release of Creed II in 2018, that story is set to continue with a third film that Jordan will not only star in, but also direct. That’s right, Creed III is set to be the actor’s directorial debut, and his co-star Tessa Thompson recently spoke to the upcoming experience. 

Tessa Thompson memorably plays Adonis Creed’s romantic partner, Bianca Taylor, in the Creed movies, and it’s been announced that she will reprise her role in Creed III. While speaking to ET Online at the Gotham Awards in New York City, Thompson touched on having the chance to soon work with Michael B. Jordan as a first-time director. 

It sounds like Michael B. Jordan sitting in the director’s chair for Creed III isn’t a major surprise for Tessa Thompson considering how involved he has been with the rest of the movies. Jordan is an accomplished produce and even founded the company Outlier Society, which has been instrumental in producing movies like Just Mercy, Without Remorse and the upcoming Static Shock for DC.

Look, I know we’re talking about Michael B. Jordan here, but Tessa Thompson dropping her interest in directing is a really interesting element of her comments we’ll keep tabs on. The actress has created an incredible resume for herself as of late and surely picked up something from the incredible filmmakers she’s worked with, like Taika Waititi, Nia DaCosta, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay and recent actor-turned-director Rebecca Hall, who helmed her in Passing, which she was being honored for at the Gotham Awards. 

While Tessa Thompson’s specific interests in directing are being kept close to the vest for now, she gushed about Michael B. Jordan had long time “aspirations” to move to directing, and she’ll luckily be part of the ride for the third Creed movie. However, according to Jordan, Sylvestor Stallone’s Rocky  will not be in Creed III. The movie is gaining some major talent in Jonathan Majors, though it’s unclear at this time who he will play. 

Tessa Thompson shared that she has read the Creed III script, which is written by King Richard’s Zach Baylin. At the moment, we don’t know when Creed III will begin production, but it was previously expected to be in this time window, i.e. late 2021. Majors recently wrapped on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, so it’s possible they were waiting on him. Jordan has recently been training up for the threequel, so we expect Adonis Creed to get back into the ring soon. 

The new black-and-white drama Passing, which stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as two biracial friends who reconnect after years of being apart from one another, has finally made its arrival on Netflix. Directed by Rebecca Hall (who is making her feature directorial debut), the film centers on one of those women’s decision to pass as white and not tell her wealthy and racist husband about her heritage. After watching the movie, you might be wondering where you’ve seen some of the members of the Passing cast before and why they look so familiar. If that’s the case, take a look at the list down below in which we break down the major players in this riveting drama about race, class, and personal identity.

Tessa Thompson (Irene Redfield)

Tessa Thompson co-leads the Passing cast as Irene Redfield, a middle-class woman living in Harlem with her husband and children, whose life becomes complicated when she has a chance encounter with an old childhood friend. Since giving a breakout performance as Jackie Cook on the long-running teen mystery series Veronica Mars in 2005, Thompson has gone on to become one of the most recognizable faces in TV and film alike. In recent years, Thompson has graced the small screen on shows like Copper, Dear White People, and the HBO sci-fi drama series Westworld.

To fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tessa Thompson is best remembered for her portrayal of Valkyrie since making her debut in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Outside of the MCU, Thompson’s film appearances include Creed and Creed II, Sylvie’s Love, Sorry to Bother You, and much more. 

Ruth Negga (Clare Bellew)

Ruth Negga co-anchors the Passing cast as Clare Bellew, a woman who unlike her childhood friend, passes as white and adopts a completely different lifestyle. In 2016, Negga became an international sensation with her tremendous performance in the biographical drama Loving, in which she portrayed Mildred Loving, a young black woman whose fight to marry her white husband Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 2019, Negga shared the screen with Brad Pitt in the surprisingly emotional space movie Ad Astra.

Over the years, Ruth Negga has shown up on several notable TV series including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on which she played Raina in the first two seasons and again later in the fifth season. Negga’s other shows include Preacher, Misfits, and Secret State to name only a few.

Alexander Skarsgård (John Bellew)

Alexander Skarsgård takes on the role of John Bellew, Clare’s wealthy, racist, and demanding husband in Passing. Throughout his career, Skarsgård has been featured in some of the biggest HBO shows in the premium cable channel’s history including True Blood and Big Little Lies, the latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe, and multiple other accolades. He is currently a member of the Succession Season 3 cast and finished up his turn as Randall Flagg on the Stephen King adaptation The Stand.

Like his father before him, Alexander Skarsgård has also had success on the big screen as well. With appearances in movies like Hold the Dark, Long Shot, Straw Dogs, and Melancholia over the years, the talented and versatile actor has done a little bit of everything since he started acting nearly 40 years ago.

André Holland (Brian Redfield)

André Holland portrays Irene’s husband Brian Redfield in Passing. Throughout his career, Holland has been a part of some of the most important movies of the 21st Century including 42, Selma, and Moonlight, all of which were released over the course of three years. Since then, Holland has appeared in A Wrinkle in Time, High Flying Bird, and Battle at Big Rock.

In addition to his film work, André Holland has also had several major roles on the small screen as well. Ever since first appearing on an episode of Law and Order back in 2006, Holland has made appearances on everything from The Knick to American Horror Story: Roanoke and 1600 Penn to Castle Rock, as well as several others.

Bill Camp (Hugh Wentworth)

Bill Camp shows up in Passing as famous author and close friend of Irene, Hugh Wentworth. Over the years, Camp has established himself as one of the best living character actors in film, television, and theatre. With titles like Lincoln, 12 Years a Slave, Vice, Joker, and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), it’s easy to see why he continues to get called upon so often.

The TV side of Bill Camp’s career is just as impressive with brilliant turns on The Night Of, The Outsider, and most recently The Queen’s Gambit as well as more than a dozen smaller performances throughout his career. On top of that, Camp has also given multiple outstanding performances on the stage in productions of Hamlet, Death of a Salesman, and The Crucible.

Gbenga Akinnagbe (Dave Freedland)

Gbenga Akinnagbe takes on the role of Dave Freeland, one of Irene Redfield’s friends in Passing. Akinnagbe’s first claim to fame was his commanding portrayal of the quiet yet ruthless killer Chris Partlow on The Wire starting with the show’s third season. Over the years, Akinnagbe has also landed major roles on 24: Live Another Day, The Deuce, and The Good Wife.

Throughout this film career, Gbenga Akinnagbe has shown up in movies like Savages, Edge of Darkness, and Detroit to name only a few. In 2018, Akinnagbe took on the role of Tom Robinson in Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird following years of appearances in productions ranging from Romeo and Juliet to The Rainmaker.

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (Felise)

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy portrays Felise, Irene Redfield’s friend in Passing. A relative newcomer to the acting world, Crowe-Legacy’s most notable performance outside of the new Netflix drama is that of Elise Johnson on the Epix series Godfather of Harlem.

Ashley Ware Jenkins (Zu)

Ashley Ware Jenkins’ portrayal of Irene Redfield’s maid Zu in Passing is only the second performance in her young career. Ware Jenkins previously appeared in the 2020 drama Green Flake.

Passing is currently streaming on Netflix. If you want to know what else is coming to the streaming service the final few weeks of the year, take a look at our schedule of all the 2021 Netflix movies.

Netflix’s Passing, a film adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, is a captivating tale of two Black women, Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Ruth Negga), who can “pass” as white but Clare chooses to do so permanently while Irene does not. The film from director Rebecca Hall shows the vast differences in the women’s lives based on the choices they make. Ruth Negga has explained why she believes Clare chose to live on the white side of the color line.

Passing is quite a fascinating story of which much is ambiguous and left up to the audience to decide. Ruth Negga’s Clare, while living a lie, takes what she wants without regard for the consequences. Tessa Thompson’s Irene doesn’t stop to consider what she wants long enough to go after it and seems jealous of Clare’s ability to do so. Neither woman is happy, and neither can really be blamed for how they choose to live. When speaking with Ruth Negga on behalf of CinemaBlend, she gave me her take on Clare’s motives:

A credit to Ruth Negga’s talent and star quality, it’s clear that she did the research and really dove into the mind of a 1920s Black woman who was able to pass when preparing for this role. While she didn’t nail down a specific reason for Clare’s choice, that’s the point. There was not one specific cause, but an accumulation of things that eventually led her to believe that she would be better off marrying a white man who didn’t know she was Black and praying that their child didn’t end up with dark skin.

In the film, Clare is intrigued by Irene because Irene seemingly has it all together. She chose to stay on the Black side of the color line, she married and had three children and has a good job. At the same time, Irene is intrigued by Clare, who longs to be connected with the Black community and begins to spend more and more time with Irene’s family to do so, regardless of that putting her in danger. Passing is an exploration of the choices we make to pursue happiness and the worth of said choices. 

Passing among many of the Netflix new releases this November and begins streaming on the platform Wednesday, November 10. 

In Netflix’s Passing, Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga) are Black women living in New York during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1920s. Both can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line. After years without seeing each other, the two reunite by a chance encounter and Irene soon finds her life totally upended by Clare. While both are married to men, the erotic subtext between these two main characters drives the story in many ways and director Rebecca Hall has elaborated on the inclusion of this.

Clare (played by Ruth Negga) has an electric personality that all around her seem to be drawn to. She turns heads simply by walking into a room, and Irene (played by Tessa Thompson) because enamored with her as well. When I spoke with Rebecca Hall, she shared the following of working with the actresses on the story’s subtext: 

Rebecca Hall accomplished her goal of not being too heavy-handed with the attraction between the characters in Passing. It is unmistakably present, but not the focus and not clearly spelled out or explained. Much of Passing is intentionally ambiguous, most pointedly the ending, but even the characters’ motives throughout the film are up to the audience to fill in. As the director mentioned, Tessa Thomson’s Irene could be expressing repressed homosexuality, but she could just as well be reacting to a dominant personality she’s never encountered before. Rebecca Hall expanded on this with the following:

Whatever feelings are arising in the story, the fact that they’re not clearly defined is what makes them stronger on Irene’s part than Clare's. Between the two, Irene is much more reserved, and as Rebecca Hall said, Clare has a very easy relationship with her desires. Viewers can infer that if Clare wanted a romantic relationship with Irene, she would clearly express that, whereas Irene is unable to do so. Irene herself may also be unaware of her feelings and desires, which is why it’s not so specifically communicated to the audience. It makes for a very interesting film and one that will prompt much discussion. 

Passing is now playing in select theaters and arrives on Netflix Wednesday, November 10. There are a ton of amazing Netflix new releases this November for subscribers to enjoy.

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Filmmaker Taika Waititi has been on a serious roll lately, becoming a household name thanks to his acclaimed work in Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit —the latter of which earned him an Academy Award. Waititi is returning to the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder, and recently took the time to address the movie’s A+ cast, as well as those pesky throuple rumors.

Rumors about Taika Waititi’s love life began back in May, when photos swirled around the internet of the filmmaker getting very cozy with actress Tessa Thompson and pop star Rita Ora. While many celebrities struggle with rumors about their personal life, Waititi has another perspective on those throuple rumors. When recently asked if the talk online bothered him, the multihyphenate said:

Well, there you have it. While being careful not to confirm or deny the reports about his possible connection with Tessa Thompson and Rita Ora, Taika Waititi revealed that he didn’t lose sleep over the headlines. Mainly because the internet was bound to latch onto another story before long.

Taika Waititi’s comments to the Sydney Morning Herald seemingly proves just how little those throuple rumors have affected him. The director-writer-actor was in the midst of filming Thor: Love and Thunder at the time, so his focus was elsewhere. And from what we’ve heard about the highly anticipated blockbuster, Waititi is throwing everything and the kitchen sink into Chris Hemsworth’s fourth solo flick.

Marvel fans can re-watch Thor: Ragnarok over on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Despite the rumors about being in a throuple, Taika Waititi seems confident in his professional and personal life. And consider how much fun he’s been having with Thor: Love and Thunder, this makes a great deal of sense.

Taika Waititi’s excitement over the mysterious Thor sequel is at least partly due to the stellar cast, including various celebs that will be making cameos. In the same interview, Waititi went on to explain his experience on the movie’s set down under, saying:

Indeed, Marvel fans are excited for the upcoming cast of Thor: Love and Thunder. Taika Waititi’s sophomore MCU entry will feature the return of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will transform into Mighty Thor. There’s also an appearance by the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a number of other surprise cameos have already been seemingly spoiled as a result of set photos.

Luckily, our answers about Thor: Love and Thunder should hopefully be answered sooner rather than later. The movie is set to hit theaters next summer, so there’s no telling when official teases will start trickling out. After all, we saw Chris Hemsworth’s new costume thanks to the wrap photo posted by Taika Waititi himself.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to arrive in theaters on May 6th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.