Kevin Schaefer, Jill Elizabeth, Christian Ashley, and Andy Walsh dive headfirst into the latest “What’s New(s)” episode of Systematic Geekology, zooming in on the hot-off-the-press HBO series "Lanterns" and the buzz surrounding the MCU's X-Men casting announcements. Right off the bat, Kevin sets the stage by highlighting the excitement around the pilot of "Lanterns," which heralds a unique blend of detective stories and superhero antics. The crew chats about the intriguing casting choices for the new X-Men flick, including the likes of Sadie Sink and Adam Driver, while pondering how these characters will infuse fresh energy into the beloved franchise. With a mix of nostalgia and fresh perspectives, they explore the implications of these new adaptations, all while keeping it light and conversational. As they sift through the latest happenings in geek culture, they provide insights that are both thoughtful and engaging, making it a must-listen for fans eager to stay in the loop.

A chill vibe fills the air as the podcast crew embarks on a geeky adventure, diving headfirst into the latest buzz in geek culture. Kicking things off with a light-hearted query about whether one would prefer to be a member of an intergalactic police force or a mutant, the conversation flows effortlessly into the meat of the episode: an analysis of HBO’s freshly minted Green Lantern series. Led by the gregarious Kevin Schaefer, the panel—featuring the passionate Christian Ashley, the insightful Andy Walsh, and the always-entertaining Jill Elizabeth—offers their thoughts on the pilot episode, tackling everything from character arcs to the show’s aesthetic choices. The panelists engage in a spirited discussion about the balance between adult themes and accessibility for younger audiences, a hot topic in today’s superhero landscape.

As they delve deeper, the camaraderie among the group shines, with each member contributing their unique perspectives on the casting choices—particularly the impressive performances of Aaron Pierre as Jon Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. Their dynamic is likened to classic buddy cop duo films, filled with humor and tension, sparking excitement for what’s to come. The episode features a lightning round where panelists share their recent geeky obsessions, ranging from nostalgic Disney flicks to the latest horror films, showcasing their diverse interests in a fun format. The discussion wraps up with a heartfelt call for inclusivity in geek culture, emphasizing the importance of creating stories that resonate across generations, making it clear that while the superhero genre is expansive, it should remain accessible to all.

Switching gears, the conversation shifts to the highly anticipated X-Men 97 Season 2, with panelists evaluating its successes and pitfalls compared to the first season. Nostalgia mingles with critique as they discuss character development, pacing, and the emotional weight of specific story arcs, particularly those involving fan-favorites like Nightcrawler and Colossus. A shared concern arises about the rushed nature of some storylines, leading to a desire for more fleshed-out narratives in such a rich universe. They express hopes for future seasons to explore these characters more deeply, hinting at the exciting potential that lies ahead for the X-Men in this revival. It's a delightful mix of analysis and banter, making for an engaging hour of geeky conversation.

Takeaways:

• The new HBO series 'Lanterns' is getting mixed reviews, with some praising its setup while others critique its adult themes alienating younger audiences.
• The panel discusses the excitement surrounding the MCU's announced X-Men cast, particularly noting the diverse lineup and the potential for fresh storytelling.
• Kevin, Jill, Christian, and Andy share their thoughts on the balance between mature content and family-friendly storytelling in superhero narratives.
• The discussion highlights the importance of character development, especially in how they portray beloved figures like Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart in 'Lanterns'.
• Fans express hope for future seasons of 'X-Men 97', emphasizing the need for thoughtful storytelling that does justice to the complex themes of the source material.
• The conversation reveals a shared frustration with the pacing of 'X-Men 97 Season 2', feeling rushed while also showcasing intriguing character arcs and developments.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Would you rather be a member of an intergalactic police force or a mutant? This is systematic geekology. We are the priest of the geeks.

And this is another what's news episode where we talk about all the latest things in geek culture.

And as you can probably tell from that intro, we are going to be focusing tonight on the pilot episode of the new Lantern series on HBO which just premiered this week. And then we will also be discussing X Men 97 Season 2 as well as the casting announcements for the MCU X Men movie.

A lot of great stuff happening in the geek world right now and I am very excited to have a great panel here tonight. I am Kevin Schaefer, one of your geekologists and I am here with a full team of Green Lanterns and mutants alike.

So we have with us we have Christian Ashley, Andy Walsh and Jill Elizabeth. How are you all doing tonight?

Fantastic. It's a good time to be a geek.

It really is. I'll never understand the people who are like, oh geek culture is dead. Pop culture. I miss pop culture, blah blah.

I'm like, we have more options now than any time in history and if you don't like one thing, guess what? There's a million other options. So I mean, yeah, that's the sentiment I will not understand.

We never really run out of things to talk about and these in particular, I'm really excited to hear all of you guys thoughts on this one especially we had to get Andy on this one too because we actually, I guess we haven't even discussed X Men 97 really at all yet because the last episode where we touched on it, I think you weren't on that one. So you are seeing one of your all time favorite comic book character appear in this season. Got to get your thoughts there.

And Jill and Christian, myself, I was very excited for Lantern. So we've got a ton to talk about and I want to thank everyone for joining us here tonight.

If you are watching live on YouTube or you're listening to this later on any podcast platforms, thank you so much for checking out the show. And if you want to support us and you want to learn more about what we do at Systematic Ecology, you, you can click on the links in the description.

Find out ways to support us. You can check out our fourth Wall site where we've got a lot of cool merchandise on there ways to connect. We're very accessible.

We want to hear from you all especially on social media and so feel free to reach out, feel free to suggest topics and that would be great. And if you are a supporter, you will get a shout out on the show. And tonight I want to give a shout out to Daniel Sigman. Thank you so much.

Your support, it really helps us out.

And again, if you want a shout out of your own, just click on those links, find out ways that you can become a member and support all the geeky things we do here at Systematic. Systematic Ecology. Sorry, it's been a busy week, so if I'm at all ramble and word vomit, I apologize in advance.

But it's always a good way to end the week on a Thursday night with the crew here, so. Well, let's get into it. So first off, we have our, as always, a lightning round.

Before we get into our main topics, let's just go around talk about some of the other things we've been geeking out on. So Christian, I'll start with you. What is your one of your lightning round picks tonight?

Well, besides all the Disney movies I rewatched with my niece while she's down here, my dad, brother and I have been watching some horror movies while she's dead in bed. So got to see the Last House which is more sci fi and horror, which was fine.

Also got to see an over like three years Nefarious, which was pretty good. Way better than I expected.

It was very cool. Yeah. Is there a particular Disney one your niece is obsessed with? Because when I went through the frozen stages, I went through Turning Red. Yeah.

It varies but like we got her.

To wean off of Anna Elsa this week as she calls to film.

Yeah, yeah.

And got her to watch Aladdin and 101 Dalmatians. But she's really into Sleeping Beauty a wall. It's a favorite right now. Nice.

All right. Nice, Nice. That is a classic. I like it.

Yes.

Very cool. Yeah. My niece is now on. Yeah, it really is. It's got a creepy aesthetic, but yeah. Yeah. My niece is now on Mrs. Doubtfire.

We, we feel like he's older now and it's gone. Yeah, yeah. Because we're past a lot of the frozen days and all that.

But yeah, so it's fun kind of getting to show her some of the like a little bit older movies now. But yeah, very cool. Andy, what about you?

Yeah. I will start by apologizing if my sound and or video quality is off.

I'm on the road this time, but it's actually X Men related and maybe we'll get into that later. But for the lightning round, I will call out the Vision Quest trailer that we got coming out of E3. I am super excited about this.

I think that the Marvel Disney shows have been their best when they get weird and do things that wouldn't work as a movie. So WandaVision leaned into the TV format. I thought she Hulk did well with that wonder man just recently.

And so this looks like it's more in that vein of doing something that you couldn't do that wouldn't necessarily fly as a movie that takes advantage of the episodic format a little bit more. It's a little bit more experimental. Plus, I just, you know, I've enjoyed the vision in all of his previous appearances.

He and Paul Bettany and James Bader seem to be having a grand old time. And James Bader's beard and, you know, I look forward to the three of them and whoever else.

You know, I'm curious to see how they incorporate all the other AIs that we've heard in the films but not yet seen.

That was a great trailer. I was also very excited when they announced that, and I was really interested in the trailer.

They said that this is part of the Trilogy of WandaVision Agatha all along, and now this, which I think is really interesting. I. I don't know a case where you have, like, a trilogy of interconnected shows like that. I mean, of course there's ongoing.

You know, they're like big franchises like Star Trek and that kind of thing. But it's really interesting to describe it in that fashion. But same to you. I love those characters.

I love seeing Ultron again, especially in a very different sense here. So really excited for that one.

Yeah. Three shows in three different genres, too.

Exactly. That's fascinating. Yeah. Good pick. Jill, what about you? And feel free to add to that conversation as well.

Yeah, I cannot wait for that show. I loved Agatha all along and WandaVision. I actually just really, really enjoy the TV shows. Like Andy said, Loki was only one I struggled with.

Time travels are really confusing for me. But I love the Marvel TV shows. Marvel Disney.

But I was watching D23 highlights, and there was like, a Lin Manuel Miranda musical compilation that they did, and I have just been watching it on repeat. It's so good. And then his acceptance speech, it was like essentially a lifetime achievement award that he got.

And he sang his acceptance speech to an Alan Menken song, and it was just really, really good for my musical geek heart. And then I finally finished the last season of the Bear. I was putting off watching the last episode because I didn't want it to end.

I finally watched it, and it was the best ending of a series I've ever seen. Loved it.

High praise. Ah, yeah, yeah. Oh, and a huge musical theater geek as well. So I, I love any time.

I'm really interested in seeing what Lin Manuel does next and I really hope he does another movie because I have tick tick boom for is one of my all time favorite movies. And that was so. Yeah, always.

Well, you know, he's coming back to Broadway in the spring with Warriors.

Yeah, yeah, I'm excited for that one. Yeah, he can do, I want to say he can do no wrong, but I'm always going to be in tune with anything he does.

He does a lot, right?

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well then for me.

So I saw the End of Oak street last weekend, the new David Robert Mitchell Mitchell film that's produced by J.J. abrams and Bad Robot starring Anna Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. And it's like the year of Anne Hathaway, which I mean like, as my friend said, I was like as God intended.

I mean this is like nothing wrong with Anne Hathaway blockbuster after another.

But this one I was really excited for because David Robert Mitchell had directed it Follows, which I think is one of the best horror movies of the last decade. Well, it was a little over beyond a decade ago, but still the last like 10, 15 years.

And you know, this felt like a kind of return to pulpy 80s movies in the Amblin entertainment vein. It very much is like that. And yeah, I really enjoyed this one.

The dialogue is not great and it, you know, could have like had some script patches, but from a visual standpoint and from just like again the pulpy 80s aesthetic, I loved all of that. And I, you know, I've been on record on the podcast saying I'm not the biggest fan of like the Jurassic park franchise.

I love the original, but like the like, you know, especially the world ones, it's just I'm not as into. But dinosaurs roaming through a suburb is kind of the Jurassic park sequel I wanted and this is like, I think what they should have done.

So even though it's not technically a Jurassic park movie, it could easily fit into that universe.

Granted, there are some other sci fi elements that are kind of separate from that, but I just really like that concept and it was a good fusion of kind of the horror sensibilities of David Robert Mitchell with the more sentimental Spielberg aesthetic of J.J. abrams and Battrobot. So it was a fun time. It's a very good Friday night blockbuster. Not like, oh my gosh, you know, best movie of the year or anything.

But I mean, Anne Hathaway kicking butt against some dinosaurs and there's some other fun action and horror sequences. And so, yeah, I did really enjoy that one. And then another one I just want to hit on really quick.

Very much darker series and one that I have more personal connection to because of one of the actors.

But the series Furious on Hulu, which is a new crime drama thriller from Liz Meriwether, who is the creator of New Girl, and she's done more dramas in the past few years.

And this is a series Inspired by the 80s film Black Widow, and it's about an FBI agent who is hunting a serial killer who the serial killer is avenging the men who abused her when she was a teenager. And. And she's trying to take down this very Epstein like sex ring. And so it's obviously very dark material there.

But one of the reasons I jumped on it was because there is a disabled actor in the series who comes in in episode three who I followed for a while. We're Facebook friends.

His name is Steve Way and he plays a character that I love what they do with him in the series, I don't want to spoil it and provide his connection to the characters, but Steve is excellent in it. I actually have a call with him at work next week, so I do get to do some fun things at work occasionally.

But yeah, but it is a great show, very well written and even though it's very dark, it also brings the comic relief and humor at just the right moments because of Liz Meriwether's background. So excellent series. I'm really enjoying and invested in the first season. But yeah, so awesome. Well, great lightning round picks.

Now, I know we have a lot to get to tonight, so let us get on to the main events here.

So we will start with Good Cop, Sad Cop, as Andy puts it here, the new HBO series Lanterns, which is based on the Green Lantern comics from the DC universe.

This is a series created by Chris Bundy, Tom King and Damon Lindelof, starring Aaron Pierre as Jon Stewart, Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, also starring Kelly McDonald, Garrett Dillahunt, Jason Ritter and Porna. I'm gonna probably butcher her last name, but Jaga Nathan, I think. But it's a really good ensemble cast. But yeah.

So I want to shut up for a minute and kind of hear everyone's initial thoughts. Who is itching the most to talk about their initiative. And also, spoiler alert, we are going to get into spoilers on.

It's only the pilot episode that is aired so far, but there is a big twist at the end of it. Kristen, do you want to start and give kind of. I kind of want to hear your thoughts going into the series and your initial impressions of the pilot.

Okay. Just a frame of reference. I can't see any of you right now. My computer is frozen, but I'm still recording. I can hear you.

Okay, cool, Cool.

So that's fun, but we talked a little bit before about this, and I was hesitant getting in, but also hopeful I'm still there. They can lose me. But right here and now, I think this is a good enough setup to keep me in.

I just have some gripes with how they're presenting information and design choices and stuff like that.

That's fair. And I think we will get into. It's a very specific aesthetic. It was. And I also have some insight into as soon as I watch the pilot.

I mean, I had been following all the behind the scenes for a while, but I watched, like, the official podcast and an interview with all three creators. So I really want to get into some of that.

Andy, I also know a little bit about some of your thoughts when that first trailer dropped, but did anything change in the buildup to this series? And also, what were your impressions of the pilot?

Yeah, I mean, they had that second trailer that I think was a little bit of a course correction. No, wait, seriously, this is a Green Lantern show. There will be ring constructs and so forth.

And so, you know, that I appreciated that I was probably the target audience for that panicked advertising. But, you know, I'm of two minds about the show as a show for me, you know, I thought it was. It was a solid first episode.

I will probably continue to enjoy it. But for whatever reason, with this particular one, it just really grated on me that this is a. A show that very much is not for younger people.

Yes.

I don't understand how you make a Green Lantern show that somebody under maybe 14, 15 can't watch. I don't understand how you make it tie into your Superman movie that young people can't watch. And it's gotten me thinking more and more.

Just like, you know, we have the boys and Invincible and things that have been specifically made to handle adult themes in superhero genre. I think we need to let the younger people have the characters that were designed for younger people.

So, you know, with that caveat as a show, for me, it was working. But I'm disappointed that it's a show that's only for me and not for a wider audience.

That's Fair. And I'll get to my thoughts on that in a second because it also relates to the rest of the lineup right now with dc, so. No, it's a really good point.

And then, Jill, I know you haven't finished the pilot yet, but you saw some of it, and I wasn't sure what. Also your thoughts were going into the series and kind of your background with Green Lanterns.

So I just enjoy it as a casual fan. It's not a storyline that I've, like, really geeked out on. I really liked the Green Lantern character in the Superman movie.

I think it's interesting what both Andy and Christian pointed out. I just kind of expect that from hbo. I never think they're gonna put out something that I can, like, sit down and watch with my kids.

But I do understand the frustration of, like, it's Green Lantern. Can we have it be for kids two? You know, or, like, at least like a younger teen audience. But I could tell from the trailer, which I.

The first trailer, I was like, is this true Detectives? Like Yellowstone? This cannot be Green Lantern. Nothing is even green. But, yeah, I won't comment on the episode because I have so much to watch.

I'll just listen for here.

And to be fair, like, there was no mis. There was no mistaking from the advertising that this was what we were going to get.

Having seen it, it was still a reminder that, oh, yeah, this could have been and maybe should have been different.

They chose to do this.

Fair. Yeah.

Anyway, well, the really interesting thing. So, like, I watched the interview with Chris Bundy, Tom King, and Damon Lindelof, and I was really interested in.

I mean, I knew, like, that this show had been pitched as that from the beginning, but I was interested in, like, why it was three creators. Like, how did it really evolve? And they were very upfront about the origins.

It was that Tom King was in the original writers room when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over D.C. and they assembled this brain trust of writers and directors to kind of come up with initial ideas. And this was one of the first ideas Tom King pitched was, what if we do True Detective with Green Lanterns?

And once James Gunn wanted to move forward with the project, they brought in Damon Lindelof.

And Damon Lindelof obviously has a huge TV show running background, but he didn't want to be the primary showrunner because he was a little burnt out, but he still wanted to support the vision. And then that's why they brought in Chris Mundy to spearhead it.

So they had these three creators collaborating on the series, but it was always pitches that. My thoughts in terms of that, because I totally agree. It's like I want to show my niece and nephews DC stuff that they would enjoy.

And obviously I'm not showing lanterns to them, but I think you could have this if it weren't for the fact that all the other series both like that have come out so far and that are in development are all very adult oriented. So Creature Commandos, Peacemaker Lanterns, that's three in a row that are all R rated.

And you know, I would like to see some diversity going forward in terms of, okay, you can have a series movie for adults, you can have one for kids, but the, the target audience and the movies and shows that they put out so far in D.C. have been very adult leaning. Even Superman has like really dark elements to it that I wouldn't show. Probably my nephews.

I might show my niece, like she could handle some of that, but. And then Supergirl also has some dark elements as well. But then like we've got Clayface coming out, we've got Mr. Miracle.

I cannot imagine that's going to be kid friendly either.

So it would be nice if they could have like, you know, like this and then do, you know, a fun Flash series or, you know, they were like Booster Gold was in developmental point.

So I agree it's totally fine and I think it's good to have more mature stories but also balance it out with family friendly entertainment and you can have all of that share the same universe. But that said, I did really enjoy the pilot. I mean, I think it sets up a lot.

I'm curious how they're going to handle all of this going forward, because it's not just the juggling act of so the big twist that a lot of people suspected from the beginning, but they weren't sure if they were going to do it this early on.

So you have that element, you have an alien invasion coming. There's a lot that the pilot sets up and I'm curious how it will all play out over the course of the first eight episode season.

But I am very intrigued and I Think this probably the strongest element of the show so far is phenomenal casting. Kyle Chandler is excellent as Hal. Aaron Pierre is phenomenal as John. I love the Training Day buddy cop dynamic between them.

So I'm very excited to see that continue. But it is a lot to juggle.

And yes, I, you know, I do wish they had more kid friendly stuff in addition to some of the darker elements with stuff like lanterns.

And I'm not opposed to any of these things being in a show at all. Like, you know.

Right.

People naturally swear all the time, but when it's like every other word out of someone's mouth, like I tune out. It's like, I'm sure people like this exist in real life, but why would I ever be around someone like that? Like, this is.

It's all over the place there. I'm still not a fan of making Hal as old as he is.

However, if you're going to do this, Chandler was the perfect person to portray this role because he is fulfilling the role they have for him. Well, I don't care for how much of a jerk. I could use other words that are how Jordan is here. That's not the Hal that I know.

It's probably something really bad happened that turned him to be so cynical about everything and that's why he is the way he is. And I figured out obviously we had the idea from before that there was an idea he might die at some point here if he's dead at all.

And like, oh, okay, well, let's talk about Nebraska. Like, let's talk about the football. Football teams, big in Nebraska, all this stuff. Which is what you would do for a cover story.

But hey, where does Harry Potter go to school? You wouldn't learn general information like that for infiltration. And you don't have an opinion on Barack Hussein Obama as a guy from Nebraska.

I mean, that was a pretty funny line because it'd be a dead tell in that point that someone was an infiltrator of some sort. So exactly who they are, I'm trying to figure that out.

Whether they're associated with the Manhunters in some way or there's some third force in the series, I'm interested in that. I think John as well, perfectly cast. The background we get for him in the beginning is well done.

What is the difference between showing no fear and not having fear at all?

Are is an interesting concept to play with here because obviously we are supposed to be horrified with everything that we see his dad do, but that's turned John into the man he is today. So how does that play into now? Yeah, I'm looking forward to what comes next. I just have my gripes.

That's fair. And I'll say. I mean, I know we've had this conversation many times about this is just the nature of TV in general.

Like, I'm curious how they're gonna. With everything they set up, how it's gonna play out in just eight episodes.

Like, this is the kind of show I wish we were back in the heyday of 22 episode season.

Like you could have a, like Smallville length series here and I'd watch it because there is so much dynamic set up here and so much mystery and intrigue, say. And I mean, Damon Lindelof worked in, you know, Lost and everything when it was 22 episode seasons, so I do wish that.

But nonetheless, yeah, still excited. Andy, anything else you want to add to that in terms of just like the mystery element? You know what, Any kind of theories or any of that?

No theories. You know, I actually am content with an eight episode series.

I think I've seen enough examples of detective shows recently where doing a single, like murder mystery kind of thing over a season can get a little bit tricky because you just have to throw out so many red herrings that it gets to be a little bit hard to buy into the story of a given episode because, you know, it's episode four, they're not going to solve the mystery. But I am here for. I've been on the, you know, Aaron Pierre bandwagon since Rebel Ridge. I'm here for him as Jon Stewart.

I think that is fantastic casting. And he didn't disappoint in episode one.

I'm glad that he's getting to be in the film next year even regardless of whether I wind up liking that film or not, I am glad that he's going to be the Green Lantern that we see on screen in that film. And, you know, I think it is an interesting, an interesting mystery story. I'm not totally sold on the Macon family dynamics yet.

Like Christian, I found that interrogation seemed to be the most compelling part of the episode.

And possibly the bar sequence where we realized that, oh, actually, Hal Jordan has a purpose for being behaving poorly the way that he is, that he hasn't completely lost his ability to be a space cop. So, yeah, there are definitely, definitely good elements. And like I said, as a show for me, I'm perfectly content.

But I regret that some other folks are missing out on the ability to enjoy a Green Lantern show because of all the swearing and the fairly direct sex scene. Although maybe not quite as Games of Thrones y as we might get on a 9pm on a Sunday from HBO.

That was a funny tweet. Well, I do love, again, the banter between Hal and John there. Once John realizes who the woman is.

And that's when Hal gives him a thumbs up kind of in less than 24 hours, he hooked up with someone's wife. And that's a point of pride for Hal. So their venture there. I also.

Oh, the opening scene, which I did kind of cheat there because they released that the first five minutes last week, a few days before the episode dropped. And I was too excited about the show. I couldn't wait. So I did watch that.

But the scene when John's father takes him outside and does target practice on him by shooting it, an apple off his head, I was like, wow, that, like, it just is. So it's really impressive when you can show so much about a character in such a short amount of time with very little dialogue.

Like, that was excellent writing there. That says so much about his upbringing, about how some people view superheroes.

Because at that point, you know, like, how is this, like, charismatic hero friend and, you know, the father is interested. That. Like, that. That was an excellent scene. So right from the get go, it. It had a great Hulk, but. But yeah. And then I. You.

One of the things with the creators they were talking about is James God did not give them a lot of parameters for the series. They were able to really run wild, but the only thing they really had was Superman had already been written when they were developing the series.

It hadn't come out yet, but they knew the story there. And so all they knew was the question that they were asking was, okay, why is Guy the Green Lantern there? So they were working to answer that.

But beyond that, they had pretty much free reign. They didn't have to have these characters at a particular place by the end of the season. So I like that. And that makes it really interesting.

I think that is the benefit of what they're doing with D.C. in that they are trying to tell not so much like standalone stories, but not having everything so interconnected that you have to watch everything in order to know what's happening. I like that you can, you know, either giving some creative freedom to the showrunners here and, yeah, that makes me hopeful for more future projects.

I like that. This is a very different series from Superman, so. Yeah. So overall, I mean, I'm, you know, I know it's still. We still got seven episodes this season.

There's a lot of ways it could go, but. But I am very interested in the pilot.

I agree they need to do more family friendly stuff to balance it out, but yeah, this was an interesting take and I'm curious to see where it'll go. But any other thoughts on Lanterns before we move on to the Mutants?

Good.

Sounds good. Awesome. Well, I know we are all itching to talk all things mutants.

So before we get into X Men 97 Season 2, they did finally announce the cast of the MCU X Men at D23. So obviously we already knew Sadie Sink was Gene.

They had announced Samara Weaving as Emma Frost about a week or so before Jake Schreier was announced as the director a while ago. He came. He did Thunderbolts and he came from the series beef on Netflix. And then the new announcements.

We have Kit Connor as Cyclops, Indy Navarate as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X.

And then the big one where they had him on the screen because he was filming another movie, but had been heavily rumored that Adam Driver will be playing Mr. Sinister. So. So still no Magneto confirmation yet, but I. Yeah, I mean, like, let's. Yeah, I just want to hear all your thoughts about particularly any.

Any of the casting here and also the lineup of mutants. So Cyclops, Jean Storm, Emma Frost and Rogue. Like that. Like that's a. Which is not the original 5x Men lineup. And I think that's a good thing.

This is an interesting one here. So, Andy, we can start with you because I know you are the mutant expert. So what are kind of your initial thoughts about this casting?

So this casting was exciting for me on two levels. On one level, my daughter, when she heard about it, was like, well, I've already bought my ticket. I want to see this movie.

And so that was very gratifying because she has not been the biggest X Men fan. Not necessarily anything against them, but just that's not the movie she grew up with.

The X Men movies were kind of over and done with by the time she was old enough to appreciate these things. And so, yeah, that was very cool to hear. She is a fan of Sadie Sink from Stranger Things. We also had the opportunity.

She took us to New York to see Sadie Sink in a play called Drawn. John Proctor is the villain, which I think was kind of her big Broadway debut. She was phenomenal in that show. And we got.

My daughter actually got to say hello to her and get something signed from her afterwards. I was about 3ft behind, so I was. I didn't get to say hi to Sadie Sink but was, you know, in her orbit. So, yeah, that. I mean, that's great casting.

My daughter is also a fan of Kit Connor from Heart Stoppers. I think whatever Kit Connor is known for. And I think there might have been one of these other characters, one of these other actors that she knew.

But anyway, so she's. She's very excited. So that was cool to hear.

And then also, I could not be more over the moon to have Adam Driver finally playing Daniel Essex, Mr. Sinister on screen. They toyed with us in the post credits of.

Was it Apocalypse?

Apocalypse, yes. Thank you. And then I think it was also kind of hinted at in New Mutants. And so, yeah, to finally get Mr. Sinister.

Definitely the best X Men villain that hasn't been done on screen in this film. And Adam Driver is just kind of an excellent, weird, intense presence that I think will go well with that character. I'm curious to see what.

What their take will be on him. He's had some kind of different flavors in the comics, but I'm here for it.

To the point that if there isn't a magneto in this film, I don't think we need to lose sleep over that. I'm not super familiar with the work of most of these folks. Christa Rabbit was. Was decent as somebody with mental powers in Craven.

Not a great film, but, you know, he did fine in that part and, you know, had to pretend to manipulate things with his brain. So. Seems like good casting for Professor X. I've seen some r weaving in some things. I have no worries about her being a good Emma Frost.

My money is that they do a kind of co headmaster thing with Emma Frost and Professor X. Just looking at this lineup, that's where I think they'll go with this. But we'll see.

Since she's a little bit older than the main X Men, it's an interesting lineup. Scott and Jean Rogue and Storm, I'm guessing that's going to kind of be the main field team. We'll see if they cast anybody else. But it's a nice.

A few original X Men, a few sort of giant sized X Men, slash 80s. Claremont. X Men. Some good. If they go with the dynamics from the comics. Some good relationships to work with there.

And, you know, Dick Schreier did an excellent job with an ensemble movie in the Thunderbolts. So right now I have no qualms about this film.

I feel like there was something else I was gonna say, but I'll let somebody else talk and maybe it'll come to me or maybe it won't need to because I've rambled enough already.

You're good. I'm all for rambling about this. But, Jill, do you have any thoughts on any of the actors here or just, like, general hopes for this movie?

While I have to disagree with Andy, I will lose sleep if we don't have Magneto. Because you guys know he's my favorite X Men or X Men villain. Whatever. Whatever he's in. I. It's complicated. I need to see Magnet. Yes. I'm very excited.

I liked, you know, getting a taste of Sadie Sink as Jean Grey in the Spider man movie. I know you guys all got together and talked about that already, and she's so bad. Like, Jean Gray is just so bad always.

And she doesn't need to be that evil. So I'm excited to see, like, where it goes. And, yeah, I. I'm, like, looking forward to this. I love a reboot.

I love that we're getting younger cast because it's gonna grow, right? That can, like, our kids will get involved and they'll make more movies, which I'm excited about. And I'm happy that there's no Wolverine.

Like, we don't need him to be the star.

Good.

And, Jill, I do think we will see Magneto.

I agree with Eddie in that I don't think he needs to be the main villain here just because we've seen great Magneto Strikes for the past, like, what, 26 years now on screen. So it's good to have a break. I like Mr. Sinister as friends and villain.

I'll say it's a big deal that they got Adam Driver to do this because, I mean, he's been rumored for different MCU roles, but they've never been able to pin him down. And I think after his experience in Star wars, he was more reluctant to work with Disney again. So the fact that he agreed to.

I think, yeah, absolutely. I mean, like, I think you, you know, rightfully so. He was disappointed that they didn't greenlight his Ben Solo movie and a number of other things.

And so it was, you know, he must have, I think, really liked the vision that Shearer had here. So I think, yeah. And then, yeah, the rest of the cast, for me, I mean, obviously, you know, huge Sanity Sink fan. And then Andy Navarate.

Even before Obsession, I knew her from Superman and Lois, which I thought she was great there, but I like that I'm.

And then Samara Weaving, I know from the Ready or Not movies, and I only learned recently that she's Hugo Weaving's daughter, which I was like, oh, duh. I put that together. I think it's news, like, oh, yeah. Or niece. A niece, yeah, yeah. But still relation there to Elrond.

I probably should have put that together sooner. But, yeah, I like our work, but I like that Kate Connor, Maya Boyd and Christopher Rabbit. I honestly really know nothing about it.

Like, I don't come from theater backgrounds, but I like that.

I'm very unfamiliar with their work because I can just see them in these roles and get to, you know, see what their versions are and not have to have any, like, preconceived notions about them as actors. I'm just really excited to see what they do here. So. Yeah.

And I like the fusion of, like, Andy said, first class characters and giant size X Men Claremont era. I think it's smart to kind of fuse some of those together. So even though Beast is my favorite, I'm okay holding off on him for a little bit.

And Wolverine and Magneto and, you know, all the ones we've seen, let's, you know, give some. Let some other characters shine. Let's get Storm and Rogue. Right. And Cyclops this time around, so I'm all for that.

Christian, anything you want to add there? Any of that?

Yeah, Sadie Sink, I already enjoyed her in Stranger Things and now as Jean Grey. I think she did a phenomenal job in that movie. Samara Weaving, like you, I know her ready or not, and she was perfect there.

I think she kind of nails the look of Emma Frost and already looks like from what I've seen, she's been researching the role and the character. Go for it. Always happy when an actor does that. Most of them, I don't know. Kit Connor, Maya Boyd, Christopher.

No, but Indy, we both know from Obsession and heard that she turned down a role for another horror film because she got this instead, which, you know, you go, girl. That's a heck of a payday to continue on as this guy's Rogue. Right? Yeah.

Rogue then Adam Driver, of course, like, as you said earlier, like, got kind of shafted by his experience with the sequel trilogy, as all of us did in many ways. And I don't blame him because they've wanted him for years in the mcu and he said no, no, no.

And they finally found something for it, have him as Mr. Sinister. I was sold the moment I heard it. Like, it had been rumored for multiple months.

And I'm in the spoilers subreddit, so I kind of knew it was going to be a thing, but I didn't know. No. And the reveal. Chef's Kiss. I'm looking forward to this.

I think that they had a wonderful opportunity in presenting mutants to a general audience who maybe never watched an X Men movie through a Spider man movie. That's, you know, already, you know, 2 billion doll us and they're laughing their way to the bank. And I think this is a great way to do that.

And Andy Navarate turned down Heat too, that Michael Mann is doing with DiCaprio. And I'm like, that's bull. But I mean, I mean it fits.

Like, not only did she realize that, like, this is a multi film deal here, but I mean, she's a huge nerd too. Like she would before when she was in between jobs. She was like partially paying rent by streaming on Twitch and stuff like that.

I mean, I know we've got a lot of other cool stuff before then too, but this is. This one's a big one, so. Well, on that note, another big mutant thing going on is X Men 97 Season 2. I know we are running a little low on time here.

I kind of already shared my thoughts on at the beginning of this season, so I kind of want to hear from anyone, any, like Andy, Jill, Christian, any of y' all want to jump in first for general thoughts on this season and highlights?

I think this is inferior to season one, but that doesn't make it bad.

I think it had a really strong start and the end really didn't lose me, but just felt incredibly, incredibly rushed as there were parts of season one I felt the same way. Especially like Inferno. Once again, I think it should have been.

They could have made that a full season if they really wanted to, but overall I didn't enjoy my time here.

I love the exploration we get with Apocalypse's character, seeing him through different periods of time and how that affects the X Men in our present. We got to get him back to the 90s when they're the most vulnerable. Cringy line. I love it. Absolutely, with all my heart. The, let's see Colossus.

I love the episode he showed up in with the whole thing of forgiveness. But also can you forgive someone who is so obviously evil like a grade and creed?

And yet at the end of the day, his verdict was going to be one thing, but destiny, God decided another thing. Not destiny, the character, Destiny, the concept. I really enjoyed that. It's solid setup for season three.

I've heard rumors we may be going Krakoa, which could explain how we get certain characters back. And of course, yeah, heavy spoilers. Nightcrawler sacrifice was perfectly in character and I loved what they did with that.

And I like I was very much raving about the first half of the season. I do think the latter half was more rushed.

So it, you know, there, there was a lot that again going back to this just TV and a lot of times need to be longer and this is one that could have benefited from at least a few more episodes toward the end. But yeah, still really good time. Andy, we have not really talked about the season yet because like you weren't on the last one but.

Well, first off, what I have to ask, what was your thoughts on the portrayal of your all time favorite character, Multiple Man Man.

Was that a double edged sword?

Because on the one hand, you know, just anytime anybody remembers that Multiple man exists and that you can use him when you're doing X Men properties, it's fun to see.

It was fun to see the, you know, pretty much the straight up Peter David OG X Factor lineup from the 90s, including the uniforms, like all that was was just spot on. But having them be kind of the bad guys, you know, kind of the almost, you know, ice allegory in the show. Not my favorite.

I was really hoping that I liked what they did with Polaris and I was really hoping that that was going to lead to the rest of the team coming around, you know, seeing the light, something like that. But you know, I kind of get where they're coming from.

I mean that was the setup of X Factor in the, of that team in that lineup in the 90s was they worked for the government, but they weren't rounding up kids and putting them in jail or not even in jail, in off the books detention center of questionable constitutionality. So yeah, really, really feel like that was a misstep for characters who could be used as, you know, heroes going forward.

So I hope that doesn't mean that we've kind of burned that whole lineup except for Polaris.

That said, I kind of expect that that's the case because they clearly are just churning through characters and concepts as fast as they can to get as much on screen, even if it's just for a moment.

The way that every time Morph goes into battle, they turn him into somebody else just so that they can say that they put that character on screen for 12 cells.

The way that we got the Uncanny X Force horseman for all 12 seconds, some great character designs from the Rick Remender and Jerome Opegna, Uncanny X Force. And then to not really do anything with them other than just kind of have them as a visual.

That's clearly the approach this show is taking, is just kind of use the entire catalog of mutants to be backdrops for the core 12 characters or so to meander through. So I think I just have to accept that that's how they're doing the show and hope that maybe someday, once the.

The X Men movie franchise has taken off, they'll see the light and do a live action X Factor investigation show the way that nature intended.

As nature intended. I mean, they're like, yeah, they're all. That's the thing. It's.

I like, this season, there were so many concepts thrown out that I'm like, this could be a full season right here. And like, and. And I mean, I'm not opposed to having episodic storylines. I. Sorry, yeah, Jill's texting. She lost her connection.

Hopefully we'll be able to rejoin. But. But, yeah, I like.

And I. I don't know how true this is, but I saw something earlier about some of Bo de Meo's original plans for the season that were cut because that's a whole story there. If he was fired before season one premiered, which is wild. That. Yeah, he's still credited as an executive producer here. But anyway, like, there were.

Apparently some of his ideas included an episode where the world where the X Men never existed. There was more apocalypse stuff.

There were, you know, so I think with like 10 or 11 episodes, like, yeah, could be a little more fleshed out, but there were some really cool concepts. And I. And I mean, I think Evan did a meme about this, but the Nightcrawler. Sorry, at the very end, that was, you know, just.

It was a great arc for him. It was a great moment.

Very heartbreaking and emotional, as was, of course, what happens with Magneto this season, which I was hoping Joel can get back on, because I want to talk with her about that. But, you know, we'll. We can do deeper dives in the future, but, yeah, there's a lot of potential here.

But it just felt like the first half was a little more structured and then the latter was like, okay, here's a concept that we could expand on maybe in a movie in the future. But I'm like, oh, I want to see more of this now.

I want to see more of, like, the government sanctioned X Men and how it intertwines with X Force and all that. And I agree the, like, villainizing those characters was a lot. And I don't. Yeah. And especially Andy, with you loving them so much.

I know that was hard to stomach. It made some interesting choices.

And I think actually what almost bothered me the most was that I don't know that they were even really vilified. They were clearly antagonists in a way, but I don't know, I just didn't feel like they really got across that.

Like, no, they really shouldn't be doing this because they still are characters that we kind of recognize and root for. And so they're, you know, and they do kind of, you know, they're in the final episode, in the final battle sequence, whatever.

And so, like, yeah, I just didn't get that vibe of like, these are the villains, but more just, you know, these are all the different points of view.

It's like, you know, you can have a different point of view about how to handle the apocalypse situation and, you know, whether we believe that Gambit is too far gone to save or like, those kinds of things. Yeah, those are ethical and moral dilemmas that reasonable people can disagree about. But the locking up the kids just.

And because it was so under explored and under. It was just kind of like, yeah, we just did that. And then. But they, but they were rescued, so it's fine. Like, no, you can't.

You can't put that on the table and then not interrogate it. Especially in the current American situation.

Yes, it makes them a bunch of chumps. And that's not them.

Yeah, like, if that had been like something they had found out, it's like, oh, we thought that we were like, bringing them to safety. The government doesn't know what to do because Xavier was handling things here. Now he's gone. What do we do with all these mutants?

And then they figure out, oh, no, they decided the easiest thing to do is you just lock them up and put the power inhibitors on them. Like, oh, well, that should create an arc to where they rebel against that.

But also, like, you should have someone in authority, in a governmental situation watching out for people like that. So let's get rid of the. The bad seeds, as it were. But that's not what they do with them. They just make a bunch of idiots. And I can only imagine.

I'm outraged. I know you are. But you're handling a lot better, at least physically, than I can see.

Yeah. No, you're. Yeah, you're absolutely right. And it was right there. Right with the. Especially since.

And actually, I didn't understand the Val Cooper mystique tease at the end. Like, were we meant to understand everything?

She was mystique the whole time.

Was she mystique the whole time or was this. Like, she wasn't right? Yeah, that's not. That was not what I got from it. And so.

But yeah, if you're going to do that like, that what you just described would have been a million times better that X Factor shows up, diffuses the situation. The kids kind of are taken away. They don't ask enough questions. Their sin is that they didn't ask enough questions.

Then they finally do, and then they rebel when they realize what's happening. And then, oh, yes, it turns out that Val Cooper was really Mystique.

And yeah, all of that makes so much more sense than X Factor and Val Cooper knowingly participate in illegal imprisonment. And then something. Something mystique for the future.

Yeah. And then there's this whole thing with grading Creed becoming president, which. Can you identify why that couldn't happen at this time?

Even if Kelly stepped down, that means the vice president or the speaker of the House should be the next guy. I think that's the line of command. Chain of command. Like, they just wanted him to be president.

America was founded in 74 in.

That's what I was gonna say. They ratified the constitution two years later in Marvel Animated Universe.

I do love that you brought. I didn't even think about that because I like.

We're getting a season each year, like, for the first year. So season three is next year. Thankfully, we do not.

Because, like, I mean, this wasn't a huge gap in between season one, two, but enough to where like, okay, I'd forgotten story details and everything. So I like that it's gonna be a consistent. Okay, we get a season a year for however long they keep it going.

That's much better than waiting years in between for nine episodes. But yeah, yeah. Well, I know we'll probably do more deep dives. Sorry about Jill, unfortunately lost connection. But.

But you know, we'll continue geeking out on all this stuff plenty in the future. Wrapping up though. I know. So I know there's a lot of topics tonight.

I know we're, we're short on time and we do have to keep episodes under an hour because of Joshua's computer explodes, apparently if we send him a file that's longer than an hour. That's just the way the world works.

But, but guys, before we close out, think about all the topics tonight or anything else you want to give a shout out to. Recommendations you guys have, I want to start with.

So if you want to dive deeper into Green Lantern, one of the all time classic stories is the Green Lantern Green Arrow series by Denny o' Neill and Neal Adams. That is always a great read and I think there are themes from that book that could carry over into this one. That is where Jon Stewart made his debut.

So always recommend that series if you get it in the trade at your local comic shop or you read it on DC Universe Infinite. But that would be my recommendation. Andy, what is yours? Either from anything we've discussed tonight to something totally different, I think I'll go.

With something totally different that maybe I meant to mention. In the lightning round, Stuart fails to save the universe. The Big Bang.

How is it? I've heard good things.

It is pretty wild. It is not just another sitcom in the Big Bang Theory universe. It is its whole separate sci Fi multiverse.

It's tempting to say it's everything you thought that the Marvel Multiverse saga was going to be, just, you know, sans Shang Chi and Sam Wilson and so forth. But yeah, just, you know, I don't want to give away too much. But yeah, it goes, it goes places. And so far I've been enjoying it.

I mean, it does have some of my favorite characters from Big Bang. And like, I mean, I know from the trailers it is wildly different. Like you said, like more action comedy. But does it do the laugh track?

I'm really curious if, like, even if it's just like totally different.

That's a good question. I haven't noticed it.

I feel bad if I'm missing something, but yeah, I think it's more of like a single cam style thing than a studio audience with a laugh track.

Yeah, yeah, that's cool. But I do want to check it out. I'm curious there. So good recommendation. But Christian, what about you?

I will say despite my gripes, I really enjoyed X Men 97 Season 2. Definitely some things I would change as mentioned here, probably others we've forgotten.

But like at the end of the day you're not going to waste your time watching it.

Good pick. And yeah, there is a lot to dissect from it. So I think we'll continue talking about it future episodes, but awesome. Well guys, this has been a blast.

I know we covered a lot tonight and there's always so much happening in geek culture. So for listeners, viewers out there, thank you so much for joining us again.

Check out the links in our description for ways to support us and follow us on social media. We would love to hear from you. And remember, in brightest day, in blackest night, no geekdom shall escape our site. Have a great night, y'.

All.

Sam.