WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 DC Studios/HBO series "Lanterns" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Lanterns is an 8-episode series that aired on HBO and HBO Max. It is part of DC Studios and shares continuity with films and shows such as Superman, Supergirl, and Peacemaker. It stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, and Kelly Macdonald as Kerry Kane. The show takes place in the fictional city of Rushville, Nebraska. Hal and John are sent to investigate a murder. There are fantastic performances and many plot twists in season one. Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, and Ulrich Thomsen also star.
Joining us to review Lanterns is Kevin Dooley, who spent time as a DC Comics editor, overseeing the Green Lantern Emerald Twilight storyline. Dooley also worked on Aquaman and wrote various comics.
In this episode, Dooley discusses the various changes from the source material, which includes comic books, animation, and a feature film. He explains that the story is character-driven, and they discuss the series' plot twists. Dooley also explains some of his work on Green Lantern comics.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Marvel Studios/Disney+ series "X-Men '97 (Season 2)" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Morph is a character that was created for the original X-Men animated series. His story continues in X-Men '97. Morph is a shapeshifter and, in the updated series, has a different appearance. Now known as nonbinary, Morph is voiced by longtime voice actor JP Karliak in X-Men '97. Karliak also plays William Stryker and the Hulk in the series. JP's extensive résumé also includes iconic roles such as Gargamel, Boss Baby, Wile E. Coyote, the Green Goblin, Loki, Willy Wonka, the Joker, and numerous characters across the Marvel, DC, Star Wars, anime, and video game universes. Most notably, JP has been in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Visions, and its current spinoff The Ninth Jedi.
Karliak is the founder and president of QueerVox, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training, mentoring, and advocating for LGBTQIA+ voice actors while promoting authentic representation and equitable casting opportunities throughout the entertainment industry. JP is also the co-founder of NerdsVote, a nonpartisan voter engagement initiative that mobilizes gamers, cosplayers, and pop culture fans to participate in the democratic process.
In this episode, Karliak discussed the lack of storytelling in explaining why Morph changed their look. JP also discusses the plot points of both season one and two, and what to expect in future seasons.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Marvel Studios/Disney+ series "X-Men '97 (Season 2)" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Lenore Zann reprised her iconic role as Rogue in X-Men '97. Season two concluded with Rogue's life going through twists and turns. Zann is making her third appearance on this show. Her career spans more than three decades across television, video games, and animated specials. Beyond entertainment, Zann built an impressive political career, serving for ten years in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly before being elected to Canada's House of Commons, where she advocated for arts, culture, education, environmental issues, and human rights.Outside of X-Men '97, Zann has two new live-action projects she worked on, including The Legend of the White Dragon (Jason David Frank's final movie), which was released in theaters in late August. She is also cast in a new series called Revival that is streaming on Netflix. X-Men '97 is streaming on Disney+.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Marvel Studios/Disney+ series "X-Men '97 (Season 2)" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Adrian Hough is a veteran actor and voice performer whose career spans more than three decades across film, television, animation, and video games. In both the original X-Men the animated series and the new X-Men '97, Hough voices Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler appeared in only two episodes of the original series but became a series regular in X-Men '97.

Hough earned international recognition and a BAFTA nomination for his performance-capture portrayal of Haytham Kenway in the blockbuster video game Assassin's Creed III. He has over 150 acting credits to his name as both an on-camera actor and voiceover artist. His extensive voice-acting credits also include The Dragon Prince, while his on-camera work includes recurring and guest-starring roles in acclaimed series such as Home Before Dark, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Man in the High Castle, See, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, and When Calls the Heart.

In this episode, Hough details how he was cast as Nightcrawler despite not being German. He also discusses the re-auditioning process for X-Men '97. He discusses what he brought to the role and the events of season two. He also explains his part in the acclaimed series "The Man in the High Castle," which has been profiled on this podcast. (Episode 174)

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Sony/Marvel Studios' release "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, no one knows who Spider-Man is, and four years have passed. Isolated, Spider-Man fights crime in New York City. In this film, he reconnects with his former friends MJ and Ned, but they don't know who he is. Other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters such as the Punisher and the Hulk appear in this film, among others.

Podcaster and stand-up comedian Eddie Pence rejoins the show. Eddie has covered many Marvel films and TV shows. He comments on the recent hot streak of films for the MCU. They also talk about the major spoilers in this show and the huge reverberations headed to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Amazon Prime/Sony/Marvel release "Spider-Noir" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

In the "Spider-Verse" films, Miles Morales encounters Spider-Noir, a black/white character from the comics voiced by Nicholas Cage. Cage plays the titular character in live action. Ben Reilly is a private detective in the 1930s who is also fighting crime as "The Spider." Various characters from the Spider-Man mythos appear, including Silvermane, the Sandman, Tombstone, and the Black Cat. Amazon Prime offers the show in both color and black/white. Spider-Noir was created in the comic books by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky. Sapolsky appeared on the Hall of Justice in Episode 389.

Broadcaster, podcaster, and comics enthusiast David Brody returns to the show to review Spider-Noir. In this episode, they talk about the incredible production and alternate universe. They also discuss whether Nicholas Cage's character is the same as the Spider-Verse films, and speculate on a potential season two.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Marvel Studios release "The Punisher: One Last Kill" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Frank Castle has a long history with Marvel Comics. He has been featured in movies and animation. In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jon Bernthal starred as The Punisher in both the Daredevil series on Netflix and two seasons of his own Netflix show. Those series have moved over to Disney+, and Castle was featured in season one of the new Daredevil: Born Again series.

This show is called a Marvel Television Special. It follows Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

One big question mark surrounding the show is its timeline in the overall MCU. It is said to take place after season one of Born Again, yet it was released after season two was completed. To further complicate the timeline, One Last Kill is said to be coinciding with the Punisher's appearance in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day film, which is also reported to take place before season two of Born Again.

Joining us is Eddie Pence, who has been appearing regularly on the podcasts covering the MCU. In this episode, they discuss the overall plot of One Last Kill and its confusing place in the timeline. They also discuss how certain aspects of Frank Castle's origin story are retold after they had been discussed at length in earlier releases.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2026 Warner Bros. Discovery/DC Studios release "Supergirl" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Supergirl is the latest installment from the recently created DC Studios. It shares continuity with the 2025 film Superman. It stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. Other cast members include Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa. The film is an adaptation of the 2021–22 comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely.

Pop culture historian and Cultural Critic Marie Nicola makes her debut on the podcast to review Supergirl. In this episode, Marie comments on the original source material and how it portrays Kara in a much different light than her previous films and TV shows. They also discuss Momoa's casting as Lobo after playing Aquaman in previous DC movies. They also address the DC Studios storyline and where this film fits in that narrative.

Check out Marie's Substack marienicola.substack.com.

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