UPDATED: Breaking Down All ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Trailers So Far

January 6, 2026April 1, 2026 Mike Manalo

Happy New Year, folks! 2025 was definitely a tough year for many, but frankly, perhaps more so for Marvel Studios than most. While the House of Feige arguably put out a pair of its best post-Endgame films with Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, none of its three releases last year grossed anywhere close to the heights of many of the studio’s previous wins.

Interview, Marvel, Movies2 Comments

Kevin Feige on ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and the Future of the MCU

July 21, 2025September 18, 2025 Mike Manalo

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, has always made himself available for the media circuit, while also displaying professional skill at giving cryptic responses to questions about upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe events. However, at a recent roundtable discussion, Feige confidently and graciously allowed us to chat not only about the MCU’s latest film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but in a surprising turn, also spoke on the future of the MCU.

Marvel, Movies

Why ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Might Work Out After All

May 1, 2025May 1, 2025 Mike Manalo

I’d like to start out by saying I’m an MCU believer. The rest of the world may be done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with just cause after misses like Quantumania, She-Hulk, and Secret Invasion, or even after mid-tier products like Brave New World or Multiverse of Madness. However, I got into Marvel Comics in 1991, and here I am 34 years later, and I still buy them, love them, and get excited whenever a new MCU film is announced or is released.

Marvel, Movies3 Comments

Marvel Studios Confirms Full Cast of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

March 26, 2025May 15, 2025 Mike Manalo

We are only a little over a year until Avengers: Doomsday hits, and fans have been getting anxious about any sort of confirmed announcement about the tentpole, beyond the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, and the Russo Brothers directing. Well today, we finally got something pretty big, as the full confirmed cast was revealed via livestream, ending months of speculation on which MCU A-Listers would be joining the fun!

DC Comics, Hard N.O.C. Life, Marvel

Hard NOC Life 345: Is the MCU Doomed to Repeat Itself?

August 5, 2024August 5, 2024 Hard NOC Media

Hard NOC Life takes a delayed look back at all the announcements from San Diego Comic-Con, including RDJ’s return to the MCU. Then, Dominic and Keith share what they liked and didn’t like about Deadpool & Wolverine before singing the praises of Prime Video’s Batman: Caped Crusader.

Conventions, Marvel, Movies1 Comment

Marvel Studios Hits Hall H Hard with Huge Announcements and Surprises

July 28, 2024July 28, 2024 Mike Manalo

Comic-Con is like Christmas for Marvel Nerds! The annual convention in San Diego has been the home of major Marvel Studios announcements since 2007, when Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr. brought the first Iron Man to Hall H. Well it’s wonderful to know some things don’t change. And almost 20 years later, the duo has united once more to deliver some jaw dropping bombs to the unsuspecting attendees in Hall H this year.

Streaming, Television

The Latest Teaser Trailer for HBO’s ‘The Sympathizer’ is Here

February 15, 2024February 15, 2024 Laura Sirikul

HBO Originals and Max has finally released the teaser trailer to the anticipated new drama The Sympathizer. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy (Hoa Xuande) during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.

Movies, Trailers

The First Trailer for ‘Oppenheimer’ is Here

December 19, 2022December 21, 2022 Sophia Soto

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX-shot epic thriller based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.

Marvel, Movies

‘The Irishman’ vs ‘Iron Man’: Both Great American Cinema

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019 Dominic Mah

As it turns out, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Marvel Studios’ Iron Man are two great works of American cinema, if “great” is used in the sense of high significance, somewhere between “representative of their respective genres” and “super-sized with extra bacon, please.” Spoilers for The Irishman to follow:

Continue reading “‘The Irishman’ vs ‘Iron Man’: Both Great American Cinema”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Marvel, Movies

Hard NOC Life: We’re in the ‘Endgame’ Now

May 3, 2019May 8, 2020 Hard NOC Media

After it demolished box office records around the globe, we finally talk about Avengers: Endgame! Though the film has been out for more than a week, you should be aware that the discussion will be filled with spoilers throughout.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: We’re in the ‘Endgame’ Now”

Marvel, Movies2 Comments

The Avengers Assemble for the ‘Endgame’

April 7, 2019June 11, 2021 Mike Manalo

“We’re in the endgame now.” The ominous words of Doctor Strange rang in everyone’s ears almost one year ago today. After months of crazy anticipation, and intense speculation by fans, we’re finally going to get closure and see what those words truly mean.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Marvel, Movies

Breaking Down ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

May 4, 2018May 8, 2020 Hard NOC Media

Keith invites his DC TV Classics co-host Britney Monae back to Hard NOC Life to break down the biggest movie in the universe: Avengers: Infinity War!

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Guest Post, Marvel, Movies1 Comment

What Worked (and Didn’t) in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

April 29, 2018May 1, 2018 Guest N.O.C.

by Benjamin To

I finally understand now why this machine took ten years to assemble. This film is pure spectacle in every best sense of the word. Once the first second starts rolling, it’s all pedal to the metal for 149 minutes.

Continue reading “What Worked (and Didn’t) in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’”

Marvel, Movies1 Comment

Robert Downey Jr. Confirms Return for ‘Avengers 4’

April 22, 2018April 23, 2018 Laura Sirikul

During the Avengers: Infinity War press conference today, Robert Downey Jr. was asked regarding the fate of his beloved character, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. The #InfinityWar press conference pic.twitter.com/XRTV7Ss0sK — The Nerds of Color (@TheNerdsofColor) April 22, 2018 Downey … Continue reading Robert Downey Jr. Confirms Return for ‘Avengers 4’

Guest Post, Movies5 Comments

Hollywood’s Dream of a Faceless Rumi

June 20, 2016July 8, 2016 Guest N.O.C.

Earlier this month we learned that David Franzoni, the Oscar-nominated writer and Oscar-winning producer of Gladiator, is working on a new screenplay based on the life of Persian poet and scholar Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī.

We also learned, in an interview with The Guardian, that the writer would like Rumi to be played in this film by a white man.

Continue reading “Hollywood’s Dream of a Faceless Rumi”

Marvel, Movies17 Comments

A Non Spoiler Review of Captain America: Civil War

May 3, 2016May 4, 2016 Dennis R. Upkins

If the first two Captain America films are any indication, I’ve learned not to watch them with any expectations good or bad. Like most of the Marvel Phase One films, I found First Avenger to be a yawn and filler for the payoff that was the first Avengers movie. Winter Soldier blindsided me and years later I’m still trying to process how amazing that film is.

As much as I love Winter Soldier (it along with Avengers and Age of Ultron rank as my favorite Marvel flicks), and even though I knew I would finally get the Black Panther in this film, I still watched with no expectation.

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Marvel, Movies4 Comments

Thankful for the Captain America: Civil War Trailer

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 Keith Chow

Last night on a special all-Marvel edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live (corporate synergy, yay!), stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. were on to hype next summer’s Captain America: Civil War. Unsurprisingly, Disney and Marvel Studios used the opportunity to unveil the hotly anticipated first trailer, and predictably, the internet lost its shit. But in a good way!

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Marvel, Movies9 Comments

Captain America: Civil War is the Avengers Sequel I Wanted in the First Place

May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 Keith Chow

Marvel Studios has just announced it is starting production on Captain America: Civil War, the first installment of “Phase 3” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Filming is currently commencing in Atlanta, but the production will span the globe with filming to take place in Germany, Puerto Rico, and Iceland. Since it’s also the third film in the Captain America saga — with the Russo brothers returning to direct — you would think that the film would be following up on the events of The Winter Soldier. However, the official plot synopsis and cast list make it sound more like Avengers 2.5.

This is not a complaint by the way.

Continue reading “Captain America: Civil War is the Avengers Sequel I Wanted in the First Place”

Marvel, Movies5 Comments

The Marvel Studios Empire Strikes Back

October 28, 2014February 11, 2020 Keith Chow

About a week and a half ago, Marvel Studios (owned by Disney) and DC Entertainment (owned by Warner Brothers) got into a bit of a pissing contest. Marvel struck first by announcing Robert Downey Jr. would be bringing Iron Man to the Captain America sequel, setting up a “Civil War” story line in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and making it the highest profile superhero vs. superhero showdown of 2016 (sorry, Batman v Superman).

The next day, Warner Brothers unveiled its long-gestating slate of DC Comics-based films that was supposed to satiate fanboys’ appetites through 2020. While a lot of folks found some of the choices in Warner’s ambitious schedule confounding — including yours truly — the one area where DC had a leg up on Marvel was in the diversity of its lineup. In addition to the inclusion of solo movies for Wonder Woman (finally!) and Cyborg (huh?), you also had people of color top-lining two more films — Jason Momoa in Aquaman and Dwayne Johnson in Shazam. As groundbreaking as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, it’s also overwhelmingly white and male. At least until today.

Continue reading “The Marvel Studios Empire Strikes Back”

DC Comics, Marvel, Movies11 Comments

Captain America vs. Iron Man vs. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of OMG, is This Really Happening?!

October 14, 2014October 7, 2019 Keith Chow

That screeching sound you heard last night was the internet grinding to a halt when Variety broke the news: Robert Downey, Jr. was in final negotiations to star in Captain America 3, aka the movie that made the Justice League blink. Now you might be wondering, why is it still a Captain America movie if Robert Downey, Jr. is in it and not, say, Avengers 2.5? Well, I’m glad you asked!

If all the rumors turn out to be true, the casting of Downey essentially confirms that the popular “Civil War” storyline from the comics is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — a move that fans have been clamoring for ever since Stark and Cap almost came to blows in the first Avengers flick.

Continue reading “Captain America vs. Iron Man vs. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of OMG, is This Really Happening?!”