Avengers: Endgame changed the face of the MCU in more than one way–but thankfully, its lack of a credits scene doesn’t seem to be a trend. With Spider-Man: Far From Home the MCU has returned to its mid and post-credits stinger formula with a vengeance, providing us with some of the meatiest teases yet for things to come in the mysterious phase 4.
If you couldn’t already tell–there are a lot of spoilers to follow, so please tread carefully.
Threat or Menace?
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is surrounded by a relatively new supporting cast–he doesn’t have a Gwen Stacy, and his Mary Jane isn’t actually Mary Jane at all–but some side characters are just too big to change to omit entirely. Take J. Jonah Jameson, for instance–the head honcho of the Daily Bugle, who has been a featured part of Spider-Man films of days gone by, finally gets his MCU debut here in the mid-credits scene of Far From Home.
Oh, and he’s played by J.K. Simmons. Again. Some things really do never change.
The major reveal happens after Peter and his classmates return from Europe safe and sound, only to learn that Mysterio had one final trick up his sleeve. He recorded the footage of his confrontation with Peter and edited it to make Peter look like the mastermind behind the attack who murdered Beck in cold blood. And then, just to really nail that coffin lid shut, he revealed Peter’s secret identity and sent the whole package to the Daily Bugle for broadcast.
That’s right: Not only did Jameson and the Bugle air a story to make Spider-Man look like a psychotic killer, the tape also outed Peter Parker to the world. And all Peter could do was watch helplessly as the footage played on a jumbotron in the middle of New York City.
The real question is what happens next. Historically, identity reveals haven’t gone very smoothly for Peter. Back in Civil War (the comics event, not the movie), Peter was encouraged by Tony to go public as the face of superhero registration. He wound up regretting it so hard that he ultimately went to Mephisto, an incarnation of the devil, to have it undone in a story called One More Day which effectively magically reset Peter’s status quo entirely, including erasing some of his long term relationships (and marriage to Mary Jane.)
Now, the MCU doesn’t have a Mephisto (at least, that we know of) so that particular storyline probably won’t make a one-to-one jump from page to screen. However, Peter Parker is one of Marvel’s few superheroes who heavily rely on having a secret identity–which makes the next logical step for Peter’s MCU a focus on that particular problem. He doesn’t have to make a deal with the literal devil (though that would definitely be cool to see) but priority number one for our dear old Spider-Man come phase 4 is going to be putting that genie back into the bottle.
Perhaps even more interesting is the potential fallout around Jameson and Peter. Though the two have no working relationship in the MCU–Peter’s way too young to become a crack photographer for a newspaper–one of Jameson’s biggest “redeeming” qualities (if you could call them that) was the fact that, as far as he’s ever been concerned, his hatred for Spider-Man has been aimed at a full grown adult. In this particular turn of events, however, Jameson publicly announces that Spider-Man is a teenager with all the gusto and bravado you’d expect from J.J.J.–something that adds a whole extra layer of cruelty and danger to the mix. Which begs the question: Is Jameson really just evil and deluded enough to want to ruin some kid’s life? Or does he actually believe Mysterio’s lies?
That will inevitably be the major challenge for Peter going into Phase 4. Not only does he somehow have to regain his secret identity, but he also has to convince the world that Spider-Man isn’t a murderous villain. No pressure.
The Man On The Wall
The major revelations didn’t stop there. The second post-credits scene features Maria Hill and Nick Fury as they leave the scene of Mysterio’s major disaster–or, well, sort of at least. It turns out that the Maria and Fury we’ve been with for this movie aren’t actually Maria and Fury at all–they’re Skrulls (Talos and his wife Soren from Captain Marvel, to be exact).
It turns out that Fury has actually been off-world this whole time with a full-on Skrull army based out of a space station, and he sent Talos to fill in for him while he caught up on a bit of a vacation.
Of course, this asks way more questions than it answers: Just how long has Fury been working with the Skrulls? Since the ’90s? Pre-Avengers? Has Talos really been dipping in and out of Earth since Captain Marvel? What are the Skrulls doing working with Fury? What’s the goal? There’s a throwaway line from Talos-Fury in the movie about “Kree sleeper cells” which might be some indication of their mission, but there’s no way to know if that’s the whole story or not.
The situation vaguely echoes one of Nick’s many comic book storylines, when he worked as “The Man On The Wall,” a sort of intergalactic protector of Earth from outer space. The duties weren’t always the clearest or the most moral–as part of his job Nick often found himself making the tough choices and involving both himself and his operatives in less-than-ideal situations. But ultimately, as far as he was concerned, it was for the betterment of mankind.
Fury’s stint as The Man On The Wall was formally introduced and ended after an event called Original Sin, which involved Fury’s conditional immortality (don’t worry too much about that) finally giving up. Bucky Barnes briefly took over in his stead–though it’s pretty doubtful we’ll see anything like that happen in the MCU, at least in the foreseeable future. Bucky will be busy running around with Sam Wilson on their Disney+ mini-series.
Meanwhile, Fury and his Skrull colleagues are likely to crop back up in the MCU relatively soon. It seems like we’re heading for a full-on Kree/Skrull war (though, one that will be significantly different from the comics event of the same name) in Phase 4. So, even if he’s not a featured part of the plot, we can probably expect to see Fury, Talos, and company skulking around somewhere very soon.
Japan’s Osaka Prefectural Police will use Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise to recruit for investigators focused on cyber-crime. According to Capcom, it “aims to contribute to curbing the sharp rise of cyber-crime by utilizing [Street Fighter’s] popularity and image of strength.”
Capcom, which has its headquarters in Osaka, has previously worked with various police departments in the city to raise awareness about crime, but this represents the most significant partnership between the game maker and the law enforcement, and it comes at a time when cyber-crime is on the rise.
Characters from Street Fighter will be featured on 3,000 flyers and 1,000 posters that will be placed at Osaka Prefectural Police stations and police boxes, as well as at train stations, beginning July 2. “The characters will be featured in investigator recruiting advertisements with the aim of boosting awareness of and the number of investigators specializing in cyber-crime–a field that has seen a conspicuous rise in the number of incidents in recent years,” Capcom explained.
“Capcom hopes its characters will contribute to crime prevention activities in Osaka and throughout Japan by broadening the reach of police investigator recruitment. Capcom is committed to serving as a responsible corporate citizen and will continue to conduct proactive CSR activities that include the use of its games to invigorate communities and contribute to society.”
On paper, this is excellent. Street Fighter is an incredibly popular and recognizable franchise that also has a certain inspirational quality to it. All for it. Good stuff. Down with Shadaloo.
However, it’s also a franchise based on characters physically punching, kicking, and spinning piledriving their opponents into the ground. Cyber-crime, meanwhile, is … cyber. You can’t tatsumaki senpukyaku a hacker or flash kick a phishing scam–it’s all digital. It would have made more sense to use Mega-Man–or Rockman in Japan–who has a history of traveling into networks like the internet to combat evil. Additionally, he’s as iconic a character as much of the Street Fighter cast.
I dunno, whatever. It’s fine. Street Fighter is great. The poster looks cool.
Season 1 of The Terror was a slow-burn horror tale that excelled at building dread and keeping viewers guessing, and Season 2 of the AMC anthology series, titled The Terror: Infamy, looks to be a worthy successor, trading the chills of the Northwest Passage for a World War II story that may hit even closer to home. IGN has an exclusive first look at the new trailer for The Terror: Infamy, in addition to the key art for Season 2.
Just as Season 1 of The Terror used a real-life historical event as the backdrop for a fictionalized story, Season 2 will blend history with folklore – and while both seasons feature a skulking supernatural menace that terrorizes our protagonists, it’s clear that the show is just as interested in exploring the cruelties that humans commit against each other, this time focusing on the horrors of an internment camp instead of cannibalistic sailors.
A special Transformers: TCG boxed set and 2019 convention pack are coming to San Diego Comic Con this year, and you can get a first look at the cards stats, as well as the (always) excellent Transformers art, right here.
The boxed set celebrates 35 years of transforming tape-decks waging Cybertronian warfare, featuring Autobot communicator Blaster and Decepticon communicator Soundwave, as well as their cassette robot underlings. Check out each card in both their alt and bot modes, as well as their stats, in the slideshow below:
Both the boxed set and the special Transformers: TCG Convention Pack will be available for purchase at “San Diego Comic Con, Gen Con, and PAX Unplugged,” and if you can’t attend any of the conventions, you can buy them directly from Hasbro Pulse after SDCC concludes.
When DC Universe original program Swamp Thing was canceled after its first episode aired, it was a surprising move to everyone who tuned in to watch the premiere. It wasn’t just them, though. There were those working hard on the show that didn’t see it coming, including showrunner Gary Dauberman.
Speaking to GameSpot while promoting his new film Annabelle Comes Home, Dauberman said the cancellation was “a bit of a gut punch.” He continued, “I am so proud of that show and what the crew and the cast pulled off because it marked the high point in leading the charge. That is not an easy thing to pull off.”
According to Dauberman, he and fellow showrunner Mark Verheiden worked hard to match the tone of the comics in bringing Swamp Thing to life. “The comic series is so exceptional, there’s a reason why it’s been around as long as it has and we wanted to give the characters respect,” he explained. “And also, Mark and I went in, when we [were] writing the pilot, talking about the first season, we wanted to really be true to the spirit of the book.”
What would that have meant for future seasons? While Dauberman didn’t go into specific stories he wanted to tackle, he had a general idea for the structure of the show going forward. “I was looking forward to telling a couple more self-contained stories, not self-contained itself, but like three arc stories too, coupled within the larger [mysteries],” he said. “Like a season-long mystery or engine, but also be able to explore some of those dark corners of the swamp where you get those, where it almost feels like a little bit like an anthology.”
While Dauberman said they weren’t considering dipping into a “monster of the week” format, there were some monsters he wanted to explore; namely Swamp Thing stories that include werewolves and vampires. “We could have done so much that I’m sad that we’re not going to be able to get to do in this incarnation, you know,” he lamented.
At least DC Universe will continue to air the 10-episode first season of the show before officially calling it quits. New episodes of Swamp Thing arrive on the service on Fridays. Anabelle Comes Home is in theaters now.
Cuphead developer Studio MDHR has announced that the upcoming DLC expansion, The Delicious Last Course, has been delayed until 2020.
In a press release, the team cited a desire to avoid the unhealthy “crunch” on a project that is all too common in the gaming industry, saying, “The development of the original game taught us a great deal about the importance of making things in a way that’s healthy and sustainable for our team.” It also sounds like the DLC simply needed more time in general. “While we initially announced a 2019 release date for the Delicious Last Course expansion,” Studio MDHR said, “our highest priority is making sure this new adventure meets the meticulous level of care and quality we always strive for…We’ll be moving the release of The Delicious Last Course, for all platforms, to 2020.” They also dropped a new trailer for the expansion, which you can view below:
Shenmue 3 developer Ys Net has announced that it will be unable to provide Steam keys to Kickstarter backers at launch. In addition, in the lead up to Shenmue 3’s launch, it has also been announced that a Stretch Goal that was met by backers has not been included in the game.
In a blog post update on Kickstarter, Ys Net explained that “coordination with the sales policies of the involved companies was untenable”, and as a result the developer is unable to provide Steam keys for PC players on launch day.
While not clearly laid out in the post, this is likely due to Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver partnering with Epic Games Store for PC distribution. Shenmue 3 is currently a limited-time exclusive for the Epic Games Store, and will be for one year. This deal was brokered after the Kickstarter began, and back then supporters had been told that Shenmue 3 would be released on Steam. This change, bolstered by the current discontent with Epic’s exclusive strategy, led to fan backlash against Ys Net.
The first trailer for Knives Out is here. It’s the latest movie from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and is a star-studded murder mystery which is set to hit theaters in November.
The movie stars Daniel Craig and Lakeith Stanfeld as a pair of cops investigating the murder of an elderly man (Christopher Plummer) during his birthday party in a large mansion. In classic whodunnit style, the killer could be any of the members of his dysfunctional family. It looks like huge fun, with plenty of humour and broad performances from the impressive cast. Check the trailer out below.
Knives Out releases on November 29. The movie also stars Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, and Jaeden Martell.
In related news, Johnson is still on board to direct a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. This was first announced back in 2017, and despite rumors he was no longer involved, in February Johnson confirmed it was still happening. We’re unlikely to see his next Star Wars movie for some time however. After this December’s Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the next film in the series will arrive in 2022, directed by former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Amidst the ongoing 14 Days of Summer event, another update is now live for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. This week marks the second 9.30 content update, and it’s a fairly minor one, introducing one new weapon to the game’s Battle Royale mode, along with new prefabs and missions in Fortnite Creative and Save the World, respectively. Here are the patch notes.
On the Battle Royale side, the only addition this week is a new gun: the Drum Shotgun. This one comes in common, uncommon, and rare varieties, and it can be found as floor loot or in vending machines or Loot Carriers. According to Epic’s patch notes, the Drum Shotgun has a clip size of 12 and deals 45 / 47 / 50 damage per shot.
Fortnite Creative mode, meanwhile, has received seven new prefabs and five new galleries. Save the World’s 14 Days of Summer event also continues with new challenges and a new Wargames simulation called Meltdown. To commemorate the Fourth of July, Epic has also brought back four festive Heroes for a limited time: Stars and Stripes Jonesy, Star-Spangled Headhunter, Patriot Penny, and Old Glory AC.
You can find the patch notes for Fortnite’s second 9.30 content update below, courtesy of Epic Games’ website.
We’re in the second week of Fortnite’s 14 Days of Summer event, which means there are still a few challenges to complete and rewards to unlock before the event ends. Despite its name, 14 Days of Summer will be live until July 16, so you’ll have until then to complete the event’s challenges. If you manage to clear all 14, you’ll unlock a special Smoothie back bling. You can find the full list of 14 Days of Summer challenges, along with our guides to the trickier missions, in our roundup.
Fortnite 9.30 Content Update #2 Patch Notes
Battle Royale
Weapons & Items
Drum Shotgun
Available in Common, Uncommon, and Rare variants.
Clip size of 12
45 / 47 / 50 damage per shot.
Available from Floor Loot, Vending Machines, and Loot Carriers
Creative
Prefabs & Galleries
Added 7 New Prefabs:
Paradise Palms Hotel
Paradise Palms Hotel Pool
Paradise Palms Computer Cafe
Paradise Palms House
Paradise Palms Car Dealership
Truck ‘N’ Oasis
Roadside Diner
Added 5 New Galleries:
Paradise Palms Gallery
Paradise Palms Prop Gallery
Truck ‘N’ Oasis Gallery
Roadside Diner Gallery
Sand & Grass Floor Gallery
Save the World
Missions & Systems
14 Days of Summer
The parade of daily quests and free X-Ray Llamas continues!
Complete the “Light’em Up” quest and earn Stars and Stripes Jonesy
Complete all 14 Days of Summer quests to earn the Boom Bow
14 Days of Summer quests will be available until July 16
New Wargames simulation: Meltdown
In this simulation, your Storm Shield has gone critical and is emitting a growing radiation field.
From what we hear, radiation is unpleasant and causes visibility issues while in direct contact.
A new Wargames simulation means more chances for Event Tickets, a new banner, and more variety to the Daily Wargames Challenges.
Heroes
Four festive Heroes are returning for a limited time:
Stars and Stripes Jonesy, reports in for summer fun!
Standard Perk: Assault Ammo Recovery
Assault weapons have a 24% chance to refund ammo every shot.
Commander Perk: Assault Ammo Recovery+
Assault weapons have a 48% chance to refund ammo every shot.
Available from the 14 Days of Summer “Light’em Up” quest
Star-Spangled Headhunter brightens the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Spoils of War
War Cry grants 25% chance for each shot to cost no ammo.
Commander Perk: Spoils of War +
War Cry grants 50% chance for each shot to cost no ammo.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8PM EST to July 10
Patriot Penny bull rushes into the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Emergency Override
When your shield depletes, reset Bull Rush Cooldown. Effect can occur once every 12 seconds.
Commander Perk: Emergency Override +
When your shield depletes, reset Bull Rush Cooldown. Next use of Bull Rush costs 0 Energy. Effect can occur once every 5 seconds.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8PM EST to July 10
Old Glory A.C, shifts into the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Impossibility Matrix
Spending a Charge Fragment reduces T.E.D.D.Y. and Shock Tower Cooldowns by an additional 10%.
Commander Perk: Impossibility Matrix +
Spending a Charge Fragment reduces T.E.D.D.Y. and Shock Tower Cooldowns by an additional 30%.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8 PM ET to July 10 at 8 PM ET.
Weapons & Items
The Boom Bow arrives in Save the World!
Compound bow that fires arrows that explode on impact.
Hold down the fire button to increase range and velocity.
Considered a Sniper weapon which uses Shells & Slugs ammo.
