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A lot has changed in the MCU since the events of Avengers: Endgame, including the fact that there isn’t actually an Avengers team anymore. New heroes have been rising up to fill the void left by Iron Man and Captain America, but it’s going to be a while before we get a proper Avengers movie again. Even Captain America: Brave New World stops short of reuniting Earth’s Mightiest heroes.

Only at the end of Phase 6, when Marvel delivers the one-two-punch of Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, will we see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes reunited. Who will answer the call? Now we know, with Marvel revealing the full Doomsday cast on a livestream.

Who made the cut in Marvel’s newest Avengers lineup? More importantly, why are these characters being included? How does this roster build on the Multiverse Saga so far? Here’s the cast of characters you can expect to assemble in Phase 6.

The X-Men

Easily one of the biggest surprises in Marvel’s Doomsday cast list is the presence of multiple veterans of Fox’s X-Men universe, including Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique, James Marsden’s Cyclops, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit. The only thing more shocking than this X-Men-heavy lineup is the fact that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine wasn’t named. Logan, along with Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey and Halle Berry’s Storm, appear to be sitting this one out.

Obviously, this isn’t the same version of Xavier we saw in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as he didn’t make it out of that movie alive. It also seems like Marvel is making something out of that deleted Deadpool & Wolverine scene that revealed Gambit survived the final battle.

Whether any of these X-Men will actually become Avengers in the new movie is unclear, but characters like Beast do seem poised to play a key role in the fight to stop Incursions from destroying the multiverse. We’re likely seeing the X-Men of Earth-10005, the world teased in the post-credits scene of The Marvels, and one world where Xavier and his team are alive and fully active. The X-Men will be fighting to keep it that way. There’s even a possibility that Doomsday is secretly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth)

With most of the original Avengers either dead or moving into the background in Phase 4, Thor may be the last hero carrying the torch for that era of the team. That’s reason enough to make him a member of the new team. Fortunately, Thor: Love and Thunder’s ending leaves Thor in a perfect position to pick up his hammers and fly to Earth’s defense. Maybe he’ll even bring his adopted daughter Love along for the ride.

We may see a whole lot of Thors in Avengers: Secret Wars. In the 2015 Secret Wars comic, God Emperor Doom assembles a team called the Thor Corps, all of whom serve as Doom’s peacekeepers and personal police force. Chris Hemsworth may be one Thor among many.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston)

Not only is Thor back in action, but so is his brother Loki. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role, despite Loki being killed off in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. That’s because the time-displaced version of Loki seen in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame has gone on to play a pivotal role in The Multiverse Saga. Loki joined the time cops known as The Time Variance Authority and clashed with multiple versions of Kang the Conqueror. Following the dramatic finale of the Loki TV series, Loki now sits on the throne at the center of the multiverse. He literally holds the strands of space and time in his hands, which makes him integral to the conflict as the mutliverse collapses around him.

Shang-Chi

Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi is finally returning to join the Avengers in Phase 6, which is welcome but unsurprising news. For one thing, we already saw him summoned by Wong at the end of 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. For another, before it was reworked, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. That has to mean that Marvel has big plans for Shang-Chi’s MCU future.

Shang-Chi is certainly an asset to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, now that he controls the mystical Ten Rings in place of his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung). The mid-credits scene in The Legend of the Ten Rings hints at a deeper mystery surrounding these artifacts, one that could very well come into play in Avengers: Doomsday.

Captain America

Is any Avengers roster really complete without a Captain America? Fortunately, even though Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers retired to finally have his dance with Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter in the past, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has now taken up the shield as the new Cap. 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed Sam reluctantly accepting that burden, and 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World chronicles the next step in his superhero evolution.

Based on how Brave New World plays out, Sam will likely be instrumental when it comes to getting the gang back together. Harrison Ford’s President Ross pitches Sam on the idea of forming a new, government-sanctioned team of Avengers. And though it isn’t long before the two have a falling-out, Sam ends the movie finally ready to embrace his role as Avengers team leader.

Can Sam be the inspirational figurehead Steve was? That’s a question we suspect Doomsday and Secret Wars will answer. As much as he wants to be his own hero, Sam will continue to struggle to live up to Steve’s example.

The Falcon (Danny Ramirez)

Where Captain America goes, the Falcon usually isn’t far behind. Danny Ramirez will reprise his role as Sam Wilson’s partner Joaquin Torres. This is sure to be great news for Joaquin, who’s definitely a bit of a fanboy for the Avengers in general and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man in particular. We imagine Sam is going to face some friction as he tries to assert his leadership over the Avengers, but he’ll never have to worry about The Falcon following his playbook.

Ant-Man (Paul Rudd)

Given that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was the first MCU movie to feature Jonathan Majors’ Kang, we have to assume those heroes had an important part to play in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The same will probably still hold true for Avengers: Doomsday, even if Kang himself is no longer the main threat.

The Quantum Realm is sure to remain a major plot point during the Multiverse Saga. It’s how the Avengers managed to reverse Thanos’ destruction, and it could be how Doom will bring a new level of destruction to the universe. Ant-Man got the chance to join the Avengers already, and now it’s time to up the ante. As for the Wasp, she was not announced as part of the Doomsday cast during Marvel’s livestream.

Black Panther (Letitia Wright) and M’Baku (Winston Duke)

It’s debatable whether Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther ever technically qualified as an Avenger during the Infinity Saga. Still, he lent vital aid to Captain America’s team after the events of Captain America: Civil War, and Wakanda was the site of a major battleground in Avengers: Infinity War. Wakanda has the technology and resources the Avengers need to stand a fighting chance against all-powerful villains like Thanos and Doom.

Given that, we can see why Black Panther would continue to play a part in the team going forward. The only difference is that now Letitia Wright’s Shuri is wearing the suit. Will Shuri give the new Avengers the support they need? And how does Winston Duke’s M’Baku fit in, now that he’s the new monarch of Wakanda?

Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía)

Few would have predicted that Tenoch Huerta Mejía would reprise his role as Namor for Doomsday. Marvel is definitely casting a wide net here. But if Wakanda is instrumental in the fight to save Earth from destruction, maybe it’s only fair that their new allies in Atlantis do the same.

Interestingly, Namor is a core member of the Illuminati in the comics, a shadowy group that plays a big part in the march toward the Secret Wars storyline. (We saw an alternate universe version of them in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.) Will Doomsday follow suit? And does Namor’s inclusion in the movie mean we’ll see some sexual tension between he and Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm? Probably.

The Thunderbolts

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* movie is introducing that particular super-team to the MCU, and it seems multiple members of the team will be returning for Doomsday. Marvel clearly isn’t above spoiling the outcome of that movie before it even releases.

Fans can expect to see Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, an ex-Black Widow now trying to find her purpose in the world after the death of her sister and the destruction of the Red Room. If the Thunderbolts thing doesn’t work out, maybe becoming a full-fledged Avenger will do the trick? Or will she lead the Thunderbolts in opposition to the Avengers?

Yelena’s father Red Guardian (David Harbour) is joining the fun. Alexei is a bit kooky ever since he spent a stint inside a Russian gulag, but he’s a handy guy to have in a fight.

Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent will also return. We saw John Walker try and fail to become the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Does he still have Avenging potential? Whatever happens, we expect more tension between John and Cap’s true successor, Sam Wilson.

Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost is returning, as she continues her evolution from tragic villain to full-fledged defender of the world.

Finally, Lewis Pullman’s Bob Reynolds, aka The Sentry, will return for Doomsday (which apparently means he won’t be dying in Thunderbolts*). As ever, this massively powerful but deeply troubled hero could either be the Avengers’ greatest weapon or their biggest nightmare. Probably both.

The Fantastic Four

No sooner will 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduce a new version of Marvel’s First Family than they’ll return for Doomsday. Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby’s Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s The Thing are all returning. Here, again, we don’t know that the FF will be officially deputized as Avengers, but they’ll have a big part to play in defending the multiverse from collapse and battling Doctor Doom. Doom is, after all, the numero uno of Fantastic Four villains. It’d be weird if they didn’t show up.

We know that the FF currently call a different universe home. They live in a retro-futuristic, 1960s version of the MCU where they’re as much celebrities as superheroes. But one of the big questions leading into the movie is what becomes of their world once Galactus pays a visit. Can they save their home? And what causes them to cross over into the MCU? And then there’s the biggest question of all – is Downey’s Doom also from the First Steps universe, or somewhere else entirely?

Honorable Mention: Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Wong may be Sorcerer Supreme now, but that doesn’t mean Stephen Strange won’t continue to play an important role in whatever version of the Avengers exists in Phase 6. He’s a superhero veteran now, and the Avengers need his expertise in both magic and the multiverse. Strange reportedly won’t be in Doomsday, but will return for Secret Wars.

It’s worth remembering that Doctor Strange is currently in another universe, helping Charlize Theron’s Clea deal with the Incursion problem. It’s looking like we’re not going to get another Doctor Strange sequel before Doomsday, but that tease in Multiverse of Madness is sure to pay off when the Avengers assemble to battle Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Which hero are you most surprised didn’t make the cut in Avengers: Doomsday? Cast your vote in our poll and let us know in the comments below.

For more on the future of the MCU, learn how Robert Downey, Jr. can be playing Doctor Doom and brush up on every Marvel movie and series in development.

Note – this article was originally published on July 28, 2022 and updated on March 26, 2025 with the latest MCU developments.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

I owned the original Bop It! game as a kid and played it with my friends and family way too much. Having to quickly respond to the commands of some bossy toy was far more fun than it should have been. Now that it’s been almost 30 years since the original Bop it! was released, I had foolishly assumed this game had disappeared for good. Only recently have I discovered that it still exists, and now comes in a much more adorable form.

The Bop It! BB-8 Edition is a cute little interactive version of the lovable Star Wars Droid and Amazon has recently dropped a big discount on it. It plays just like the original Bop It! game, but comes with the added bonus of having C-3PO’s voice telling you what to do. At just $12 right now, this deal is only available for a limited time as part of Amazon’s Spring Sale.

Bop It! Game Star Wars BB-8 Edition at Amazon

The Nintendo Switch was a game-changer in handheld gaming space, acting as both a portable device and a console, when it came out seven years ago. Even though we’re in the last stretch of the Switch before the Switch 2 comes out sometime this year, there’s still plenty of life left in the Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lites. One of their biggest virtues is also a drawback: Its versatility means it’s susceptible to damage, especially to the screen and Joy-Con when you’re on the go. To prevent any major or minor scratches and blemishes, a case is the absolute best Nintendo Switch accessory you can grab.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Nintendo Switch Cases:

There are a range of Nintendo Switch Cases to choose from. Some offer a hard shell and space to hold extras like game cartridges or chargers, while others go all out, offering plenty of room to house extra Switch controllers, power banks, and more. For those with butter fingers, some options wrap the console in 360° protection and have grips to prevent and keep the Switch safe during drops. No matter what type of case you’re after, our team of experts has selected the top options to suit your needs.

If you’re looking to grab a future-proof case that will fit the Nintendo Switch 2, you’ll want to grab one of the larger cases in this guide, like one from GeekShare or Controller Gear. Nintendo’s newest console has larger dimensions than its predecessor, so not all of our picks will fit the Switch 2.

Additional contributions by Georgie Peru

1. Orzly Carry Case

Best Switch Case

2. Game Traveler Zelda Nintendo Switch Lite Case

Best Nintendo Switch Lite Case

3. Game Traveler Nintendo Switch Deluxe Case

Best Budget Case

4. Tomtoc Carrying Case

Best Compact Case

5. Zadii Hard Carrying Case

Best Rugged Case

6. GeekShare Large Capacity Multifunctional Switch Messenger Bag

Best Nintendo Switch Sling Bag

7. Tomtoc Sling Shoulder Travel Bag

Best Shoulder Bag

8. Mumba Dockable Case

Best Always-On Protective Case

9. Newdery External Battery Station

Best Charger Case

10. Bionik Power Commuter Travel Bag

Best Commuter Case

11. Controller Gear Animal Crossing Backpack

Best Nintendo Switch Backpack

12. Waterfield Designs Slip Case

Best Nintendo Switch Sleeve Case

How to Choose a Nintendo Switch Case

If you need something to carry your console around, look for a carrying or travel case; basically, something with straps and is big enough to hold a charger. If you’re throwing it in bag, something with a hard shell is a smarter bet. It should have a way to protect the screen from scratches (usually with a flip-down tongue or sleeve). Consider what you need to carry. Perhaps all you need is the console itself, maybe a few game cartridges. But if you’re traveling away from home for a while, you might need a case large enough to hold the dock and an HDMI cable.

Some cases come with an integrated battery. It’s probably not worth considering a charging case with less than about 10,000mAh of power, as that’ll power your Switch through just short of two complete charges. Bonus points if the battery charges quickly, and can also charge other devices in your inventory.

Remember that these are cases you’ll need to cart around in the real world. What, exactly, do you want to be seen wearing or carrying? Some cases look a little goofy or childish, which is fine if you’re a child, and less so if you’re a grownup who takes a Switch to work to game on a lunch break.

Nintendo Switch Case FAQ

Will my Switch case fit the Switch 2?

Unfortunately, most Switch and Switch OLED cases will not fit the Switch 2, especially if they were made to be slim and discreet. Allegedly measuring 10.5 inches, the Switch 2 seems to be a full inch wider than the Switch OLED, which is just a hair bigger than the original. Unless your case or bag is already fairly roomy, you’ll have to size up with a new one. We’ll be testing Switch 2 accessories to find the best of them as they’re available.

Does a Nintendo Switch need a case?

Unless you’re playing your Switch exclusively at home, you will absolutely want a case to ensure the longevity of the device. Although the portable console is relatively durable, if you toss it in a bag or accidentally drop it without protection, you always run the risk of cracking the screen, damaging the Joy-Con, or breaking other key components, essentially bricking the device or needing to fix it for far more than the cost of a case.

Cases also add convenience, as many come with extra storage for game cartridges and accessories and straps for easy carrying. You’ll even find options that serve as grips to make gameplay more enjoyable or cases offering integrated batteries, ensuring you’re never without juice during crucial moments in the action.

Do new Nintendo Switches come with a case?

None of the Nintendo Switch models come with a case. In some instances, there may be a bundle deal that includes a case, but for the most part, you’ll have to seek out a case on your own. If we’re super lucky, that might change with the Switch 2.

What size does a Switch case need to be?

A Nintendo Switch is 4 x 9.4 x 0.55 inches with the Joy-Con attached; a Switch OLED is 4 x 9.5 x 0.55 inches; and the Switch Lite is . You’ll need to account for the material required in the case’s design, about 0.1-0.2 inches or so, but by no means does the case need to be massive. Sleeve-type cases, like Waterfield Designs Magnetic Case, are especially good for keeping a low handling footprint.

If you’re looking for a hard-shelle case to boost protection or want additional storage for accessories, the case size will increase more drastically. You can expect to add an inch or more to the Switch’s size to accommodate these additions. When putting accessories into a case, it’s also important they don’t press up against your device, causing accidental misspresses or damage to the screen. Pockets and separate storage areas can help prevent this.

Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.

Attack on Titan is one of the best anime of all time, faithfully adapting Hajime Isayama’s groundbreaking manga. Its incredibly well-thought out story continues to inspire video essays, TikTok edits, and heated discourse in comment sections. The show aired over the course of 10 years, with substantial differences in episode and season lengths as it was handed off from Wit Studio to MAPPA Animation after Season 3. That said, very few shows can claim they maintained such a high quality of animation and storytelling from start to finish.

I remember where I was when my brother showed me the first episode, and I dropped everything to watch the final season with him 10 years later. It’s an easy choice as something I want in my media collection, and I’m sure plenty of anime fans feel the same way.

Right now, it seems pretty much everything related to Attack on Titan is on sale, courtesy of Amazon’s Spring Sale and coinciding Crunchyroll deals. Highlights include lowest-ever prices on special edition Attack on Titan steelbooks as well as solid discounts on manga sets.

Attack on Titan Anime and Manga Deals

In terms of discounts, the Complete Season Steelbooks are gorgeous new Blu-ray editions of Attack on Titan that just released in December, and these are the lowest prices we’ve seen so far. Aside from subbed and dubbed episodes for each season, these steelbooks come with a host of special features, including interviews with the animators, voice cast, and Isayama himself. Here’s a look at some extras included in Season 1:

• Episode Commentaries
• The Making of Attack on Titan
• Chibi Theatre: “Fly, Cadets, Fly!”
• Attack on Titan at Anime Expo
• Eyecatch Gallery
• Textless Opening & Ending Songs

These special edition steelbooks have only released for Season 1 through 3, but all three parts of Season 4 have gotten Blu-ray releases that are also included in the sale. Otherwise, discounted AoT Blu-rays and manga sets are also included in Amazon’s Buy 2 ,Get 1 Free deal. So, the real deal is: You could theoretically get three seasons for the price of two, or even 12 manga volumes for the price of 8 (they come in sets of four).

How to Watch Attack on Titan Online

Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts movie will feature Lewis Pullman as Bob, aka The Sentry. But we also just found out via Marvel’s big announcement video that Pullman is also joining the cast of what we can only assume is Avengers: Doomsday.

So with this Superman-esque hero finally making his MCU debut, let’s look at who The Sentry is and why he is both the Marvel Universe’s greatest hero and its worst nightmare. Read on for a breakdown of the history of this mentally unstable hero. These are the topics we cover here:

• Who Is Lewis Pullman’s Thunderbolts Character The Sentry?
• The Sentry’s Powers and Abilities
• The Sentry’s Secret Origin
• The Sentry as an Avenger
• How The Sentry Fits Into the Thunderbolts Movie and Avengers: Doomsday

Who Is Lewis Pullman’s Thunderbolts Character The Sentry?

The Sentry is quite possibly the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe. He’s also the most dangerous.

Once an ordinary man named Bob Reynolds, he consumed a serum that granted him “the power of a million exploding suns.” Unfortunately, that power comes at an incredible cost. There’s a dark side to The Sentry’s personality known as The Void. For every act of good The Sentry performs, The Void counteracts it with an evil deed. Fighting against his inner darkness and maintaining his sanity is a losing battle for Bob Reynolds. Still, when the times call for a powerful hero, there’s no one better suited to the job than The Sentry.

The Sentry’s Powers and Abilities

The Sentry’s powers stem from an experimental serum, one of the many formulas developed as a potential replacement for the Super Soldier Serum after World War II. The serum is said to accelerate his molecules an instant forward in time. What that means in practice is that The Sentry is an incredibly strong hero with an almost limitless array of powers.

Attention Street Fighter fans: Cardsmiths has a brand-new collectible cards collection that you do not want to miss. Introducing the Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams set, the follow-up to 2022’s immensely popular Street Fighter Series 1, which completely sold out. Many of the cards in this set were valued at incredibly high prices, with the Street Fighter Series 1 Ryu Onyx 1/1 in particular standing above the rest. In 2023, this card sold for over $15,000 on eBay!

The Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams Collectible Card set features all your favorite Street Fighter characters like Chun-Li, Cammy, and Ryu, now at an affordable price point since the Street Fighter Series 1 set has been completely sold out. Check out all the details below and get ready for this game-changing collection of collectible cards!

Pre-Order Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams

The Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams card collection is the ultimate item for any fan of the legendary fighting game series. Over 85 different cards featuring official Street Fighter art are available to collect, with each printed on premium cardstock material. This set is officially licensed by Capcom, meaning it’s the real deal.

Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams will feature serial-numbered Gemstones, as well as limited edition Case Hits. Check out all of the set contents and special insert cards below:

• 60 Collector Cards
• 60 Collector Parallel Rainbow Holofoils
• 60 Collector Parallel Typhoon Holofoil
• 60 Serial-Numbered Gemstone Refractor Cards
• 9 Watercolors
• 9 Meta-Rare Refractor Cards
• 9 Culture Shokz

The Collector Box includes two collector packs per box, with five cards included in each pack. Pre-orders are now open at IGN Store, so don’t miss your chance to score cards from this highly anticipated collection!

About IGN Store

IGN Store sells high-quality merch, collectibles, and shirts for everything you’re into. It’s a shop built with fans in mind: for all the geek culture and fandom you love most. Whether you’re into comics, movies, anime, games, retro gaming or just want some cute plushies (who doesn’t?), this store is for you!

Sony has revealed RoboCop: Rogue City (PS5), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (PS4, PS5), and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory (PS4) as its trio of PlayStation Plus Essential titles for April 2025.

The gaming giant unveiled next month’s service additions in a PlayStation.Blog post today. Each joins a catalog of titles available to subscribers of the cheapest PlayStation Plus tier at no additional cost and will remain available until the next batch of games rolls out come May 5. Every game in today’s list is available starting April 1.

PlayStation Plus users will note the April 2025 lineup has a little something for everyone. Teyon and Nacon’s brutally accurate ‘80s love letter, RoboCop: Rogue City, is likely the biggest headline for players this month. This first-person shooter puts players into the hulking metal shoes of Alex Murphy himself as he works to save a crime-riddled Detroit from another murderous threat.

One of its more recent and substantial updates arrived in January of last year, granting players access to a much-asked-for New Game Plus mode. With or without a reason to revisit its story mode, we felt RoboCop: Rogue City was worth checking out at launch and gave it a 7/10 in our review.

PlayStation Plus subscribers looking to scratch that bloody action itch with friends can check out Sumo Digital and Gun Media’s asymmetrical multiplayer adaptation, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Players work to survive – or kill – others in a set-up that pits survivors against the bloodthirsty Slaughter Family.

It’s an experience not for the faint of heart that aims to simulate what it might be like to hear Leatherface rev up his iconic chainsaw just feet behind you. In our 6/10 review at launch, we said it offered “a few entertaining, technically challenged hours of fun.”

RoboCop and Leatherface will no doubt get your blood flowing, so it’s nice that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory is here to bring down the tempo just a bit. Bandai Namco expanded on the already massive digital world of digital monsters with this turn-based monster collector offshoot back in 2018. It’s got more than 320 Digimon to meet and collect as players look at the events of the original Cyber Sleuth story from a new perspective.

As RoboCop, Leatherface, and Agumon make their way onto PlayStation consoles next week, players should make sure to download the March 2025 titles while they still have the chance. It was a particularly strong lineup that included Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. So, if you’re a subscriber or a non-subscriber who has been looking for a good opportunity to sign up, make sure to add all three games to your library before the offer goes away March 31.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

The Studio is a comedic perpetual motion machine, its freewheeling nature disguising the intricacies within. But it took me a few minutes to catch onto the distinctive style that conveys its constant stream of industry-insider jokes. As movie studio executive Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) takes a golf-cart ride from a wintry film set to the visually stunning offices of the fictional Continental Studios, the entire trek is captured in a single, unbroken shot. When Matt finishes discussing the sorry state of the film industry with his assistant, he segues seamlessly into a walk-and-talk that ends with the camera gliding up and over a balcony. “They can’t keep this up for the entire episode,” I thought. They can, in fact – and they do, in a move that becomes an impressive (if occasionally exhausting) visual signature of Rogen’s new Apple TV+ series.

These extended takes are strung together to create the ideal, energized atmosphere in which the dream weavers and bean counters of Continental Studios can solve problems on the fly and/or spin out in the attempt (Matt does a lot of the latter, sometimes to the detriment of the laugh count) and The Studio’s directors, cinematographer, and editor can achieve some feats of comic derring-do. Rogen and his co-creators conjure the glamour of the Golden Age masters, shoot it with the you-are-there verve of the New Hollywood upstarts who replaced them, and then play everything at the pitch of a vintage Looney Tunes short. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it makes for some astonishing TV comedy.

It is, fittingly, something Matt Remick might admire – though the fact that it’s happening on a streaming show bankrolled by Apple might just as easily disgust this true believer in the magic and art of cinema. We meet Matt on the verge of a professional breakthrough: a promotion to the top job at Continental, poised to test both his high-falutin’ standards for cinematic excellence against the cynically commercial realities of the business (his first, reluctantly received, assignment: make a movie based on Kool-Aid) and loyalty to his mentor and predecessor in the job, Patty (Catherine O’Hara). This is an interesting deployment of Rogen’s everyman schtick: He may have the bespoke suits and vintage sports cars of a wealthy studio mogul, but when Matt has to make a tough casting call or give a note to a powerful director, he’s as clueless and out-of-his-depth as the characters Rogen played in Knocked Up or Neighbors.

He has a knack for asserting his authority and fishing for ego strokes in all the wrong places – something that’s gut-bustingly hilarious when he keeps disrupting a movie’s complicated, continuous climactic shot (wonder where the inspiration for that came from) in episode 2, but eventually grows wearying over the course of the full 10-episode season. Rogen’s just too damn affable for that sort of constant, Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque bottomless hole-digging.

But he’s not alone in making bad situations worse, and The Studio compiles a rich backlog of mishaps and missteps: Slapstick altercations on set, a bad drug trip that spans all rungs of the corporate ladder, the raised-and-dashed hopes of Martin Scorsese (who, along with many other real-life Hollywood luminaries, appears as himself). That so much silliness is taking place on a show so technically accomplished and expensive-looking – where a marvel of mid-century architecture becomes the backdrop for a pratfall, and one of Matt’s classic convertibles bears the license plate “STD HEAD” (he swears it’s short for “studio head”) – is a sheer delight. There are some very stupid gags on this show that must’ve required a lot of planning and coordination, and you’ve gotta respect that.

One place where it struggles, though, is building out its ensemble. Matt’s fears about the future of film and his worries about tarnishing the Continental name shape so much of The Studio’s point of view that it’s hard to get a read on any other character. The main players at Continental all tend toward a wishy-washy kind of people-pleasing, and their cutthroat standard operating procedure means they’re always poised to throw a colleague under the bus. One midseason episode strains to build itself around a campaign of backbiting and sabotage between Matt’s assistant-turned-development executive Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders) and skeezy studio suit Sal (Ike Barinholtz), but the lack of attention paid to them elsewhere in the season makes their little war feel kind of skippable. (Sal, for one, is much funnier later in the season when, through no effort of his own, he falls ass-backwards into stealing Matt’s award-show thunder.)

Perhaps it’s a result of the season’s relentless energy, maybe it’s just too early in the game, but the only relationship that The Studio has nailed so far is the sweet-and-sour dynamic between Matt and Patty. It’s in their scenes together where we get a sense of why anyone would want to stick it out in such an unforgiving line of work (you know, aside from the money and the parties and the cool clothes…) These are also some of the few scenes where the The Studio’s filmmaking style is used to give us breathing room – elsewhere, it’s full-steam ahead for a show that will be eye-catching and gripping (and at an average of 30ish minutes per episodes, easily digestible) on a week-to-week basis but might require scheduled breaks as a binge.

The ensemble works well together as a whole, though, especially when they’re in a high-stakes pickle and throwing boneheaded solutions at it. The long takes really ratchet the tension in these scenes, even more so when there’s a loose cannon like Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston), CEO of Continental’s parent company, in the mix. It’s great to see Cranston tapping some of that old Malcolm in the Middle zaniness as the mustachioed, walking-’70s-time-capsule Mill, and it’s big, broad characters like his where The Studio gets some of its biggest laughs: We know Beetlejuice and Schitt’s Creek alum O’Hara can do this sort of thing in her sleep, but you’ve also got to come prepared to watch Ron Howard take a sledgehammer to his reputation as “the nicest guy in Hollywood.” Only occasionally does it tip over into caricature: The typically reliable Kathryn Hahn comes in a little hot as Continental marketing wiz Maya, and it takes her a few episodes to match and complement the heat of her castmates’ performances. Maya’s wardrobe, however, is funny from the get-go: Projecting her desire to be cool at all costs, she looks like she gets dressed in a cash cube full of designer streetwear.

Like Bugs Bunny breaking the fourth wall to needle his corporate overlords at Warner Bros., The Studio isn’t afraid to bite the hand that feeds. Its sharpest barbs are reserved for the Silicon Valley interlopers churning film and TV into “content”; Netflix gets it the worst, but there’s at least one juicy line about selling a movie to “f***ing Apple” as a last resort. Otherwise, the satirical edge here isn’t particularly sharp, or trained on unexpected targets: Talent is mercurial, studio management is creatively bankrupt, an awards-show red carpet is littered with influencers who’ll make a front-facing video for their millions of followers, and then go home. It’s the electrifying way The Studio presents its commentary on Tinsel Town superficiality and greed – not the commentary on that superficiality and greed itself – that makes this an exciting new entry in the crowded field of showbiz sendups. Credit to the casting department, though: When the Continental brass visits a set, they’re usually dealing with an actor-turned-director – like Ron Howard, Olivia Wilde, or Sarah Polley – who can hold their own opposite Rogen, O’Hara, and Barinholtz.

I’ll grant you that there might be less appeal for such an insidery show to the average Apple TV+ subscriber who hasn’t spent much time following the behind-the-scenes dramas of the film industry than there is for someone who writes about it for a living. But for all its insider lingo and flashy film-nerd technique, The Studio makes its pitch to prospective viewers directly and earnestly: Movies mean something. They bring people together. They may not be as important as, say, the most recent developments in fighting pediatric cancer, but that doesn’t stop Matt from insisting as much in the episode where he spends the most time with a foot stuck in his mouth.

But they have some importance, and The Studio makes a strong argument that their history and legacy is worth preserving and perpetuating, whether it’s by showing Goodfellas to someone who’s never seen it before, or by watching a goofy Seth Rogen show painstakingly stage an homage to one of Goodfellas’ defining shots. In the idealized world of the Continental backlot, we see the Hollywood that never really was but that Matt believes it could be: A fantasyland workplace where it’s hard to take your troubles too seriously, because you’re always eating lunch next to chorus girls in feathered headdresses and dodging giant props on your way to meetings. Also: This is a very, very funny show, and for that reason alone, it’s worth checking out.

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Activision, Treyarch, and Raven Software have detailed a special Return to Verdansk event and free trial period that will coincide with the launch of the original Call of Duty: Warzone map next week.

The team behind the current iteration of the massively popular military shooter battle royale experience shared everything players could ever want to know about Verdansk’s revival today. Included with a breakdown of all new and returning features, locations, modes, and more was a schedule for the Return to Verdansk event, which includes an ammo crate filled with rewards to earn from launch on April 3 to April 15.