Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s teaser trailer just hit the internet earlier this morning, and immediately made Marvel fans start arguing. Why are they at each others’ throats? There’s a debate brewing over who or what the elemental beings are. Some people believe these creatures are hallucinations created by Mysterio, which he quickly deals with in an attempt to paint himself as a hero. Other people (myself included) believe they are dimension hopping beings called The Elementals, which debuted a comic book series called Supernatural Thrillers in 1974. Another group of people think we’re seeing Sandman, Hydro-Man, Molten Man, and Whatever Is Creating That Storm Man.
There isn’t enough footage or information to determine which route Marvel is taking, if it even is one of these, but I like the idea of Marvel bringing on an elemental crisis on the heels of the Infinity Gems. The Elementals bring an extradimensional threat to the table, and could set the stage for what comes next. If you need more convincing, they also squared off against Carol Danvers in the comics. Captain Marvel is the film right before this one. Makes sense, right? I think so. For the sake of clarity, you see all four Elementals in the trailer: Hellfire, Hydron, Magnum, and Zephyr. If they are the threat, Mysterio becomes a much more dynamic character than an actor who can make you see things. He may be a realm-jumping hero in this film who probably loses his way at some point and turns.
If Mysterio is in fact fabricating elemental-based creatures in the city, Marvel has a big problem on their hands: People figured the plot twist out right away. I have to question why Mysterio would create such an odd enemy to combat rather than standard terrorists or super villains. It looks like the creatures are doing a hell of a lot of damage to places, which also makes it seem less like a projection and more like something that is really there, unless we the viewers are under his influence as well and are to believe what we see.
To the final theory: If Sandman were in this film, you’d think we would have heard about his casting. That would be a big deal, right?
Click here to watch embedded video
If Fallout 76 didn’t scratch your persistent Fallout itch, and you already played through the series’ back catalog, you may want to give a PC game called Atom RPG a look. The name alone does a nice job of conveying the post-apocalyptic setting, which takes place in the year 2005, following decades of nuclear war and the earth somewhat healing itself. Drawing heavy inspiration from CPRGs like Fallout, Wasteland, and Baldur’s Gate, Atom RPG invites players to help a band of survivors make a life for themselves in the irradiated badlands. Freedom of exploration is everything, and you’ll have to figure out how to sate your hunger and thirst and protect yourself from the elements. The game features extensive character creation tools, choice in conversations, and quests that offer multiple solutions.
The aptly named Atom Team continues to work on the game, and promises 2019 will bring even more locations, characters, quests, and weapons. Atom RPG is currently only available on Steam for $14.99.
Click here to watch embedded video
On February 13, YouTube Premium will air a new science-fiction anthology series called Weird City. Created by Jordan Peele and Charlie Sanders, Weird City takes us into the near future for a look at a society that is split into two parts – Above the Line and Below the Line. The middle class no longer exists, and the people that live Above the Line are called The Haves, and Below are called The Have Nots. You can probably figure out what that means in terms of societal rank. Each episode explores a different topic that are relevant today, such as our addiction to social media and trying to figure out the best fitness path. Weird City, which is also the name of the location in the show, is loaded with acting talent, and includes Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hamill, Gillian Jacobs, Ed O’Neill, Hannah Simone, Awkwafina, and more.
Click here to watch embedded video
CBS apparently wants to make as many Star Trek shows as possible, and as worrying as that should be, I’m perfectly okay with getting showered in sci-fi craziness. Along with the ongoing Star Trek: Discovery show, CBS is working on a Captain Picard series, as well as an adult animated show called Star Trek: Below Decks by the executive producer of Rick and Morty. We are also getting a new series that splinters off of Discovery and stars Michelle Yeoh. Writers Erika Lippoldt and Bo Yeon Kim are attached to the project, which will continue the adventures Yeoh’s character Philippa Georgiou following the events that transpire in Discovery‘s second season. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t go into the role Georgiou plays in the entire series, but will say that it isn’t what you would expect.
Source: Game Informer Science-Fiction Weekly – Spider-Man, Weird City, Atom RPG, Star Trek