“All the vials were empty of liquid save one, which was nearly depleted. Kylo peered closer. He’d seen this apparatus before, too, when he’d studied the Clone Wars as a boy. The liquid flowing into the living nightmare before him was fighting a losing battle to sustain the Emperor’s putrid flesh.”
“What could you give me?” Kylo asked. Emperor Palpatine lived, after a fashion, and Kylo could feel in his very bones that this clone body sheltered the Emperor’s actual spirit. It was an imperfect vessel, though, unable to contain his immense power. It couldn’t last much longer.”
It would appear that Palpatine’s spirit, his essence, was now housed in a clone body – one that wasn’t strong enough to maintain the Emperor’s power. It isn’t clear, however, if the galaxy’s most dominant Sith Lord had gone through many clone bodies over the decades, using them until they basically disintegrated completely, or if he’d just resided in this single one – and was just now losing control of it.
This clone method of brining Palpatine back is similar to how 1991’s Star Wars: Dark Empire comic series had him return.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Marvel Comics is already home to many of the most iconic superhero characters in the world, and they’re about to add another huge name to their ranks. Marvel has revealed a new ongoing series featuring Japanese hero Ultraman to debut later in 2020.
As revealed at the Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing panel at C2E2, the new Ultraman series is titled The Rise of Ultraman and will be co-written by Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Mat Groom (Self/Made), with art by Francesco Manna (The Avengers). The comic appears to be a full reboot of the Ultra Series, one aimed at introducing a new generation of Western readers to Ultraman and the Japanese Tokusatsu genre, as well as exploring how the character’s heroic ideals hold up in the uncertain world of 2020.
(Image Credit: Marvel Comics)
“A few years ago, thanks to my time on Power Rangers, I was able to discover and learn more about Tokusatsu. With its wildly different conventions and inspirations, Tokusatsu — and Ultraman in particular — has been a huge source of joy for me,” said Higgins in Marvel’s press release. “It’s a genre so ripe with possibilities, even down to what we conceive of in the structure of super hero storytelling. It’s both an honor and a privilege to bring Ultraman to Marvel.”
“Monsters in fiction have been embodying all that is dark and scary in our world for as long as we’ve been telling stories. But I don’t think anybody understood the immense scale of our most pressing problems quite like [Ultra Series creator] Eiji Tsuburaya,” teased Groom. “He imagined the darkness looming overhead as tall as skyscrapers— alien and unknowable and ANGRY. But he also imagined us being able to stand up to those monsters, by rising above our worst impulses and embracing a nobler way of being. He imagined ULTRAMAN. What does that mean in this complex, contradictory world of lies? We’re going to find out…”
Marvel hasn’t yet revealed a release date for The Rise of Ultraman #1, but they are teasing more announcements in the near future. Let us know if you’re excited for this Ultraman re-imagining in the comments below.
Sure, PAX East 2020 is loaded with video games, but the convention is also a chance for cosplayers to flex their creative muscles and parade around as some of their favorite characters from video games, tabletop gaming, and even children’s TV shows. Here are the best costumes we saw during the show on Saturday, from tabletop classics like Warhammer 40K to much-anticipated Nintendo Switch exclusives like Animal Cross: New Horizons.
A prototype of the lost “Ark of the Covenant” from the first Indiana Jones film recently found itself on an episode of PBS’ long-running Antiques Roadshow, evidently escaping from its former confines in a secret government warehouse. The prop was professionally valued at anywhere from $80,000 to $250,000.
Image Credit: PBS’ Antiques Roadshow
An unnamed man brought the Ark prop to the Antiques Roadshow, saying it previously belonged to his father, who he said was an employee for VFX studio Industrial Light & Magic, working on Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and even Star Trek. The owner said his father worked for ILM as a pyrotechnician.
The owner said his family stored blankets inside, though he did enjoy getting to tell friends he owned the Ark.
Appraiser James Supp rightly notes that the man’s version of the Ark is different from what audiences saw in the final version of Indiana Jones.
“I know that this was a prototype used to size the pyro,” the owner said. “I know that the Ark that they used was significantly smaller, the details are different. This is one of the prototypes, maybe the first prototype for pyro [effects].”
The infamous Ark of the Covenant was the magical item/MacGuffin that spurred Indiana Jones and his friends to adventure across Egypt, Nepal, and the Aegean Sea. Fabled to house the Ten Commandments, Nazi forces pursue the Ark in the film, believing it could grant them invincibility. Ultimately, the legends turn out to have a dark twist, with the angels of death emerging from the Ark to explode, liquefy, and generally murder every single Nazi in the vicinity.
Supp points out that the prototype is definitely cobbled together from various junk and crafts you might find at any prop studio. The two winged angels on the top are made from trophies, the lid is made from a picture frame, and the seemingly ornate “carvings” on the side are just squiggles from a hot glue gun painted gold.
“That original prop is somewhere in the LucasFilm archives at Skywalker Ranch,” Supp said. “People who want to replicate props have scoured every scene to copy all the little details on it. This is the closest anybody in the private market can get to owning the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Supp said that while his conservative estimate would put the Ark prop between $80,000 to $120,000, he admits he could see the prop earning a price tag “in the quarter-million-dollar range.”
If hearing all this news about a famous Indiana Jones prop has you excited for more adventures, you won’t have to wait too long. Indiana Jones 5 is currently in development. Here’s everything we know about Indiana Jones 5, including director options, cast and crew, release date, and more. Last we heard from Harrison Ford (who will be returning in his iconic role as Indy), filming begins shooting in April, although a recent director change may have shifted that.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/golden idol for IGN.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that today, February 29, is Leap Day. You know, the day that comes about every four years because calendars and planetary rotations are weird. In any case, Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar Games definitely did not forget, and threw in a little treat for observant cowboys and cowgirls in the game’s online mode.
First spotted by Reddit user Moonshiner, a list of daily challenges popped up in Red Dead Online tasking players with, well, leaping a whole bunch on Leap Day.
Challenges include jumping from a horse onto a moving train, jumping from a horse onto a moving wagon, jumping from a horse onto…another horse, and jumping onto a horse from a height of at least three meters.
Nice one, Rockstar.
Reddit user jason21521 also pointed out that a daily challenge to “successfully fend off an ambush” could also count as “getting jumped.” Bit of a leap itself, but we’ll go with it.
If you want some assistance completing these challenges and others in Red Dead Online, check out our Red Dead Online wiki, where you’ll also find our huge interactive world map and more.
We’re pretty sure that Rockstar would prefer people to leap onto horses rather than leap into bed, given that a modder created a new version of the infamous Hot Coffee mod.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/cowpoke for IGN.
The Straw Hat Pirates’ sprawling adventure across the Grand Line has been a staple of anime ever since the late 90s, and with more than 900 episodes, it’s fair to say that One Piece has had more than a few unforgettable moments. Narrowing down this list to just 10 of the best moments from One Piece was an extraordinarily difficult task, and some tough cuts had to be made, but regardless, here are our picks for the top 10 One Piece moments, as of episode 923 of the anime.
Note of course that by the very nature of this feature, there are going to be major spoilers for One Piece. We are holding nothing back here, but we will inform you before each entry what episode the spoiler covers so you can skip the ones you haven’t come across yet.
And with that said, let’s kick this off with:
10. Luffy and Katakuri Clash of Haki (Episode 868)
The long epic battle between Luffy and Katakuri began to reach its climactic end as the few onlooking Big Mom Pirates berated both of them, an enemy and ally. With newfound respect for each other, they both unleashed their Conqueror’s Haki simultaneously creating this vibrant and impactful energy that knocked out the annoying pirates and destroyed the surrounding environment. This particularly epic moment beautifully portrayed the intensity and will power they both had without saying a word. After much fighting, they both saw themselves as equals and still had enough strength to use their Haki to continue their fight uninterrupted. Although Luffy has had a good chunk of Haki clashes by this point, this Haki clash between Luffy and Katakuri stands above the rest.
9. An Escape… And a Sacrifice (Episode 451)
The friendship that developed between Luffy and Bon Clay over the course of the Impel Down arc is arguably one of the strongest bonds that Luffy’s ever formed with anyone outside of his crew or his family. Bon Clay just has this unique chemistry with Luffy because they’re almost kindred spirits with how wacky their personalities are. This was why it was so poignant when Bon Clay revealed his plan to help the Straw Hats escape Impel Down, which involved him fooling everyone by impersonating the Warden Magellan and telling the control room to open the gates to the prison. It was the second time that Bon Clay made a sacrifice for Luffy, and while it was also the last time, at least this time he was able to hear Luffy’s heartfelt appreciation for his friend.
8. What Happened to Zeff’s Leg (Episode 26)
Sanji has one of the saddest backstories in all of One Piece. He just can’t catch a break. Young Sanji couldn’t care less about pirates, especially Zeff who was stranded on a deserted island with him. Nonetheless, the subtlety of Zeff’s actions made for a heartwarming moment when Sanji finds out that Zeff sacrificed his leg for him. The fact that Sanji thought Zeff was this horrible pirate the entire time only to find out that he’s one of the most selfless people he’s ever met is definitely one of One Piece’s most memorable moments.
With the battle of Marinford underway, the war pauses as everyone focuses on Whitebeard’s final moments. In this emotionally charged scene, a dying Whitebeard reveals to the world in his last breath that “One Piece Does Exist.” At that moment, we realize in disbelief that Whitebeard has died standing up. One pirate age was ending, and a new one is being born.
6. Zoro Takes Luffy’s Pain (Episode 377)
This moment is what solidified Zoro as badass of the Straw Hat crew. With Luffy exhausted from his battle with Pirate Warlord Moria and the Straw Hats being taken out by Warlord Kuma, Zoro is left standing. Zoro, realizing he can’t win against Kuma he offers his life up in exchange for Luffy’s in which Kuma agrees but only if Zoro can take on Luffy’s injuries as his own. This emotional moment we realize the strong bond that Zoro, the pirate hunter, has forged with his crewmates and that he is willing to give up his life to spare theirs.
5. Usopp vs Luffy (Episode 236)
There’s too much that goes into the fight between Luffy and Usopp to nail it down to one “moment,” so we’re going to cheat a little here and just encapsulate the whole thing into one. Everything involving the conflict between Luffy and Usopp at Water 7 is just so emotionally intense. Usopp knows he has no chance to win against Luffy, but he tries his best anyway because despite how much he respects Luffy as a captain, despite how much he loves all of his fellow crew, he simply cannot go through with parting with the Going Merry. There’s a lot of emotionally charged fights in One Piece, but Usopp vs Luffy hits the hardest by far.
4. Ace’s Death (Episode 483)
The sound of crying fills the air as Akainu’s magma fist plunges through the back of Ace taking his life in front of Luffy. In Ace’s last heartfelt words, he thanks everyone for loving him as he dies on the battlefield. We feel the weight behind Ace’s death as we are stuck watching Luffy in shock, realizing just as he did that his life has forever changed.
3. “I Want to Live!” – Robin’s Cry For Help (Episode 274)
This moment is the pay off that we had been waiting what felt like a hundred episodes for. Ever since she left the Straw Hats without saying a word out of fear of losing her friends like she lost her family on Ohara, we along with Luffy and crew as well, had been waiting for Robin to do something, anything, to show some sort of resistance to the ruthless and Weasley Spandam. That moment finally comes in episode 274, where, upon gazing at her captain and crewmates on the other side of Enies Lobby, and seeing that they’re willing to go to war even with the World Government if it means having her in their lives, Robin finally responds to Luffy in one clear voice. And that’s all that Luffy needed.
2. Farewell to the Going Merry (Episode 312)
Those who aren’t One Piece fans may find it weird to be emotionally attached to an inanimate ship, but anyone who’s seen the “funeral” of the Going Merry, likely knows what it’s like to shed tears over a dying boat. The way the focus shifts from crew member to crew member as they each relive their own introduction to the Merry while somber music plays in the background is just so beautifully done. And then they hit with you the emotional gut punch of the disembodied voice of the Merry saying “I’m sorry, I wish I could have taken you farther.” And then they hit you with Luffy, who had been holding his shit together up to this point, utterly breaking down, apologizing for every small thing he did to the ship. It all adds up to one of the most heartwrenching moments in all of One Piece.
1. “Luffy… Help Me” (Episode 37)
The scene with Luffy and Nami during the Arlong Park arc had one of the most defining moments for the Straw Hat crew and for many fans of the series. At this point, we’ve known Nami as a scheming confident woman who can take care of herself but her dire situation with the Arlong Pirates brings her to tears as her family and friends prepare to fight to the death. Seeing Nami drop to the ground in despair screaming in anger as she attempts to cut up her despised Arlong tattoo is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in anime. It’s at this moment that we see a different side of Luffy that’s calm and serious. With the last ounce of Nami’s stubbornness whittling away, she finally says to Luffy “help me”. This iconic moment followed by Luffy’s gesture of giving his treasured straw hat to Nami with a resounding “Of course I will!” is why Luffy and this wonderful series is beloved.
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This list was written by Mitchell Saltzman, Mike Mamon, and Yusuf McCoy, the three biggest One Piece fans at IGN. Thanks for checking it out, and let us know in the comments which moments would make your top moments in One Piece list!
After 13 years working on the Call of Duty Zombies mode, co-creator Jason Blundell has announced his departure from Treyarch.
The Treyarch Twitter account posted a short statement from Blundell about his departure and thoughts looking back.
“During my time at the studio, I’ve been privileged to work on a variety of projects, wearing many hats along the way, with my time on the Zombies team proving to be quite special,” Blundell wrote. “Clearly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t personally thank the group that continues to make it all worth it: The Zombies community! Your passion, enthusiasm — and frankly, your craziness — has been a continued source of inspiration. The beauty of Zombies is that it has always been about the interaction between us as developers and one of the most passionate player communities on the planet. These are memories I will cherish for a lifetime.”
We wish to thank Jason for his many contributions to Treyarch. We’ve enjoyed our journey together and wish him the very best going forward! pic.twitter.com/Tb8o36VWb2
Blundell first started at Treyarch back in 2006 as a producer on Call of Duty 3. Blundell’s career spans across seven different Call of Duty games.
His work on the Zombies mode in the Call of Duty franchise started immediately with Call of Duty: World at War. However, Blundell’s Zombies’ career truly took off in November 2016 when he became the co-studio head of Treyarch.
It’s unknown where Blundell is headed next and whether or not that includes game development.
Filming on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has officially wrapped. Director Gunn celebrated the accomplishment by sharing a photo of the cast and crew, along with a heartfelt tribute to some loved ones of his.
“And that’s a wrap on #TheSuicideSquad,” Gunn wrote. “My father died two weeks before we started filming and my dog died two weeks before the end. It was a hard, hard time in my life and yet the most fulfilling time I’ve ever had making a movie. The professionalism, talent, compassion and kindness of this cast and crew inspired me every day. Thanks to everyone involved in this film, in every stage of development, in every department – I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for you all. You are why I make movies.”
Gunn’s Suicide Squad still has lots of time to bake before it’s ready for the filmgoing public, though. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to release on August 6, 2021. Margot Robbie (who can be seen front and center of the Instagram post) returns as Harley, alongside Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Guardians of the Galaxy star Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, John Cena, Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, and SNL’s Pete Davidson, among others. Will Smith’s Deadshot reportedly won’t be returning due to scheduling conflicts. Gunn has previously teased that fans shouldn’t get too attached to the cast, indicating the film may have quite the body count.
