Warning: SPOILERS for The Fantastic Four: First Steps are ahead!
Besides being set on an Earth in the 1960s where technology is a lot more advanced than what we had back then and showing Galactus as an actual giant walking and talking entity, another big way The Fantastic Four: First Steps distinguished itself from the previous Fantastic Four movies was by using Franklin Richards. Not only was Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s son born in the middle of the 2025 movie release, he also had the same reality-bending powers that he does in the comics. In fact, that’s the reason Galactus came to Earth-828 in the first place!
Well, this was just the start of Franklin’s journey in the MCU, as the Fantastic Four: First Steps mid-credits scene teased Doctor Doom’s interest in the boy. This will be explored more in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, which, along with Avengers: Secret Wars, will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close. But the more I think about Franklin’s introduction in First Steps, the more I’m convinced that he’s not just tagging along with his parents and uncles in these next Avengers movies. Rather, he’s going to play an integral role in these upcoming Marvel movies.
Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Doom has taken over from Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror as the lead antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s also been confirmed that this scene was shot by directors Joe and Anthony Russo during filming on Doomsday rather than as part of the First Steps’ production.
(Image credit: Marvel)
There’s An Interesting Fan Theory About Doctor Doom And Doom And Franklin
The sight of Franklin Richards reaching up to touch Doctor Doom’s unobscured face caught my attention, as Doom almost takes off his metal mask because of his scarred visage. So I decided to see what other people thought of this Fantastic Four: First Steps moment and stumbled across an interesting theory posited in various places, including Reddit: that Franklin will be the reason Doom looks like Tony Stark.
The idea is that Franklin will manipulate Franklin into changing his face so that he can fool the Avengers and other heroes on Earth-616. It’s a fascinating idea, although I wonder if it’s not so much about transforming Doom’s face, but rather just healing his scars if Robert Downey Jr.’s version of the character is a Tony Stark variant. Regardless, I think there’s a more important reason that Franklin is necessary to the story being told across Doomsday and Secret Wars.
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(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
I Think Franklin Will Substitute For Another Character From 2015’s Secret Wars
There are two Marvel Comics storylines known as Secret Wars, with both premises involving locations called Battleworld. Although Avengers: Secret Wars will incorporate plot elements from both storylines, given that we’re still in the Multiverse Saga, it’s reasonable to assume that the movie will be more influenced by the 2015 event. That story saw Doctor Doom gaining godlike powers and merging various Earths into one Battleworld. While the multiverse was restored by the end, the comics’ Earth-616 and elements of the original Ultimate Universe were merged, most notably Miles Morales and his family and friends.
It was revealed during 2015’s Secret Wars that Victor von Doom become God Emperor Doom when he channeled the power of Earth-616’s Molecule Man, who’d absorbed the powers of his counterparts from other universes when they were destroyed in an effort to kill the Beyonders. It was only when Molecule Man was freed and he transferred his enhanced power to Mister Fantastic that the multiverse was restored. But I don’t think we’ll be seeing Molecule Man in the MCU.
Rather, I think that Franklin Richards will be the power source for whatever scheme Doctor Doom has concocted for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, whether that be forming his own Battleworld or reshaping the multiverse in some other way. Maybe Doom simply continues manipulating the boy after kidnapping him, or maybe he finds a way to siphon off Franklin’s power directly into himself. Either way, without Franklin, the events of Doomsday and Secret Wars don’t happen.
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
What This Could Mean For The Future Of The MCU
Needless to say that when all is said and done, Doctor Doom will be defeated by the end of Secret Wars, just like Thanos was in Avengers: Endgame. It’s also safe to assume that Franklin will be returned to his parents safe and sound. However, that doesn’t mean everything will be back to normal by the time the Multiverse Saga has concluded.
Quite the contrary, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige described Secret Wars to Variety as a “reset” of the MCU and indicated there will eventually come a time when characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are recast. Then there’s the Jake Schreier-directed X-Men reboot in development, which will presumably feature the mutant superheroes in the same main MCU timeline following our reunion with various versions of these characters from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series.
However the MCU ends looking post-Secret Wars, my money is on Franklin Richards being responsible for any changes that occur. Ok, let me rephrase: Franklin’s powers will be responsible, except this time, it’s another individual who’s harnessing them to undo whatever Doctor Doom did. Maybe it’s Reed Richards who does it like he did in the comics with Molecule Man’s power, or maybe it’s someone else. Though now that I think about it, I suppose it’s also possible that Franklin’s intelligence could also increase to a point where he could handle this himself.
Either way, we’ll have him to thank for closing out one MCU era and ushering in a new one. Alas, since Avengers: Doomsday doesn’t come out until December 18 on the 2026 movies schedule, and Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027, it’ll be a while until we learn if my speculation is on the money or not.
As a kid who grew up on the Disney comedy Freaky Friday, when I hear Britney Spears’ “… Baby One More Time,” it’s impossible not to think about the scene where Chad Michael Murray’s Jake sings the song from the top of his lungs. Ahead of getting hyped for his return in the Freakier Friday release, we spoke to the actor about filming that scene, and he had a funny story that makes me think about it in a whole different way.
Since Freaky Friday was actually Chad Michael Murray’s first movie, during the Freakier Friday press junket in Los Angeles, I had to ask about what it was like for him to film that scene that still lives so rent free in my brain. In his words:
Singing Britney Spears. Absolutely terrifying. You’re like 19 years old and can’t sing and you’re just gonna go for it. And the best part was, I remember that we were shooting in a neighborhood and we had a noise ordinance, but it was like 11 o’clock at night when we were about to finish up. And I’m singing this song in the middle of the neighborhood and all the neighbors are piling up and they’re all watching, which just makes it all that much better.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Tess with the Britney Spears song from outside her house after hitting it off at his coffee shop. But the fun twist is Tess isn’t actually Tess, it’s her daughter Anna, and she’s swapped bodies with her mom after a supernatural occurrence at a Chinese restaurant.
the latest trailer, we know that Jake will be in the picture when Anna, Tess, Anna’s teen daughter and to-be step-daughter all get body swapped. The two teens decide to pay Jake a visit in order to sabotage Anna’s upcoming wedding.
(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)
Previously, Murray has shared his honest thoughts on Jake, and how he shouldn’t have started dating Anna as “sloppy seconds” after having a crush on her mom. He’s also talked about a funny backstory idea he had for Jake going into Freakier Friday.
As Freakier Friday’s place on the 2026 movie release calendar draws closer, we also spoke to Lindsay Lohan about the Parent Trap reunion in the movie. It hits theaters on August 8.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some pretty famous people in this job, but one star I would love to meet that I haven’t yet had the pleasure of crossing paths with is Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m a big fan of basically everything he’s ever done, and it would be wonderful to be able to tell him that in person.
One person who I now know feels the same way is Disney Dan. The man who is best known for his in-depth videos on theme park costumed characters recently had the opportunity to meet the Hamilton and Moana songwriter. So, of course, he did not throw away his shot. In pure Disney Dan fashion, he met Miranda while dressed in a giant chicken costume, and the only thing better is the look on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s face when he spies Hei Hei from across the room. Check it out.
honored to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda in person. Miranda seems to understand that he’s talking to a true fan and treats the experience that way.
If you’re in the theme park sphere, then you likely know Disney Dan. His YouTube channel covers a variety of theme park-related topics, but is primarily focused on the history and evolution of character costumes in theme parks.
Dan’s passion for the massive costumes that are worn in theme parks has led to a love of costumes in general for him. He’s previously visited Epic Universe dressed as Toothless and ridden Universal’s Cat in the Hat ride as the Cat in the Hat.
This is far from the first time that Disney Dan has gotten a strong reaction from a costume. This is the same guy who showed up at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the last day of Muppet*Vision 3D in a Monsters Inc. mask and trolled guests watching the show one last time, with the IP that is set to replace the attraction. To my knowledge, he didn’t show up at the closure of the Rivers of America in a Cars-themed costume, but he did threaten to do so.
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Honestly, this whole exchange just makes me want to hang out with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney Dan together. They both seem like people who would have a good time together and are more than willing to have a little fun at their own expense.
King of the Hill is finally making its big return on the 2025 TV schedule, and I think fans who fire up their Hulu subscription on Monday will quickly be met with one inevitable truth about the new episodes. A lot has changed in Arlen over the decades, and it’s not just the viewers who will struggle to cope with that. Hank and Peggy have been overseas for quite some time, and will spend some time playing catch-up with the new Texas and all the changes happening within their friend group.
It’s certainly not a return that will invoke nostalgia, but as Toby Huss and Mike Judge said when I spoke to the them and the cast at San Diego Comic-Con, that’s by design. America as a whole has changed in the decade and a half since King of the Hill left television, and Huss mentioned a comparison creator Judge made about how viewers should see this series:
The thing you [Mike] mentioned earlier about it being like Andy Griffith is back and he’s pissed off. I think the thing about the show is that it really not nostalgic. Their coming back is not nostalgic, and it doesn’t feel like it’s a nostalgic thing, like, ‘Let’s look at the old fun people we had fun with.’ It’s nothing like that. It’s a whole other iteration of their lives,just a few years later. It’s charming in its own way, and it’s safe and it’s inviting because it’s, you know, meeting these old people, old friends again, but it never felt nostalgic.
key details in posters and other footage we’ve seen. Arlen is not the same place it was when Hank and Peggy left, and it takes both a while to find their footing.
ecent losses of Dale actor Johnny Hardwick and John Redcorn actor Jonathan Joss), the series hasn’t lost a step in finding ways to give new adventures on par with some of the greatest episodes of the show’s past.
I saw the entire series ahead of its arrival, and as a longtime King of the Hill fan, I can confidently say I want a lot more episodes. I particularly like the decision to age up characters like Bobby, Joseph and Connie, as it presents a fresh new storyline that not only is interesting, but incredibly relevant to the lives of young adults today.
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Readers will get to see for themselves when they watch King of the Hill‘s return on Hulu on Monday, August 4th. I’m excited to see the world’s response to the show returning, and I’m hoping it’s big enough that a Season 2 renewal is just around the corner.
The Harry Potter movies (which are streaming on your Peacock subscription) were filled with plenty of food scenes that made you wish The Wizarding World was real. From butterbeers to chocolate frogs, these magical treats look like quite the spellbinding experience. The fantasy franchise’s lead, Daniel Radcliffe, got real on not minding most of the eating scenes…except for one that he described as “pretty gross.”
In a 2020 episode of First We Feast, host Sean Evans asked Daniel Radcliffe about “one highlight and one lowlight” when it came to the food scenes of Harry Potter. Here was the British actor’s answer for the “highlight,” and I don’t blame him:
The crazy banquet scenes at Hogwarts where there was all like, the breakfasts particularly. I was just an 11, 12-year-old child just piling on fried eggs and bacon and sausages and baked beans every morning for just… days. So, that was great.
BTS fact of The Sorcerer’s Stone said that eating real food wasn’t always pleasant when it was sitting out there for days. Professor Flitwick’s Warwick Davis said the rotted food would apparently leave a bad smell and would not be eaten for the next takes. If only there were a spell to keep food fresher and without a rancid smell.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, one of the major challenges The Boy Who Lived went through was having to survive three life-threatening tasks in The Triwizard Tournament. Just when you thought the most “intense and so crazy” tasks Daniel Radcliffe did were underwater training for that scene, he also had to eat something that was “pretty gross:”
In one of the films, I have to eat gillyweed, that I think was black licorice lace. It was designed to look like a kind of underwater seaweed plant that I could then shovel down my throat and that was pretty gross. I remember by the third or fourth take, I was like, ‘Oh, how many more of these are we gonna do?’
Looking back, Daniel Radcliffe looked really disgusted in the scene when Harry eats the gillyweed before being pushed into The Black Lake. Maybe it wasn’t all acting. But yeah, black licorice is a candy I never have any interest in trying. Especially after hearing the Swiss Army Man actor’s story.
Getting to have an English breakfast during filming sounds like a real feast, but eating black licorice lace sounds like torture. But whether delicious or dreadful, the cast of Harry Potter still had plenty of food throughout the movies to satisfy their appetites. Now, this makes me wonder what kind of unique foods the cast of the upcoming HBO Harry Potter show will have to give a whirl.
