WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2025 Star Wars/Disney+ release "Tales of the Underground” or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Tales of the Underground is a six-part mini-series that focuses on two Star Wars characters. It is the third installment of its kind, preceded by Tales of the Jedi (2022) and Tales of the Empire (2024). Three of the six episodes focus on former Sith apprentice Asaj Ventress. The other three focus on the origin of bounty hunter Cad Bane. It was released on Star Wars Day, May 4th, 2025, on Disney+ during the midst of the airing of Andor Season 2. This review was delayed to space out Star Wars conversations on two completely different shows that occur during different points in the Star Wars timeline.

Star Wars insider JC Reifenberg returns to the show to review Tales of the Underworld. In this episode, they discuss the choice of characters to portray and offer a wish list of other Star Wars characters that could be portrayed in future installments.

JC is part of a new Star Wars-centric podcast. Pod of Rebellion is a Star Wars: Rebels rewatch podcast and features voice actors from the original animated series.

Link to Pod of Rebellion: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pod-of-rebellion/id1799929656

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Dan Baillie is a horror fan who has written a new graphic novel entitled ”Look Out,” with artwork from horror icon Tim Bradstreet, known for his work on The Punisher, Hellblazer, and Star Wars. The story of how Baillie’s short story was published on Reddit, only to be picked up by AWA Studios and turned into a graphic novel, is one of the most unique origin stories in comics.

The story of Look Out: Oscar, recuperating from a divorce, takes a job as a fire lookout in a secluded forest outpost, hoping for solitude and a fresh start. But his quiet retreat takes a sinister turn when he discovers a mangled sheet of paper scrawled with a strange set of rules that claim to ensure he’ll stay safe during his watch. At first, Oscar laughs it off as a prank, – a bit of harmless hazing from the other fire lookouts in the area – but as night descends, he comes to a horrifying realization that the rules are no joke, and the threat they protect against is all too real.

In this episode, Baillie tells the great story of his journey from writing the story to posting on Reddit and ultimately publishing the book. He also explained that now that he has had one story published, he wants to write a prequel or a sequel.

Order Look Out here: https://bit.ly/3Jgmex5

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2025 Marvel Studios release "Eyes of Wakanda" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Eyes of Wakanda is a four-episode anthology series that traces the evolution of Wakanda after they receive vibranium. Each episode is set hundreds of years apart and is a standalone story. In episode three, a character played by Jona Xiao is revealed to have the mantle of the Iron Fist.

Xiao is known for her standout performances in the CW series The Flash, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Starz’s Hightown. Jona was born in China and moved to New York when she was a very young child with her family. She grew up in the St. Louis, MO area, where her acting career began before moving to LA after pursuing a career in entertainment after school.

Outside of acting, Jona has taken her real-life experiences to shape her organization, Career ACTivate. After being scammed by a fake talent agency, Jona developed a fierce sense of protection for fellow actors starting out, a value that would later inspire her to found Career ACTivate, an organization dedicated to empowering actors with industry-savvy tools and strategies. Jona is also a well-accomplished athlete. She serves as the starting quarterback for the She Unit flag football team, based in Los Angeles, and has helped lead her squad to championship glory as part of the world champion, #1-ranked She Unit team.

In this episode, Xiao explains the audition process and what she knew about Iron Fist. She also explains where this series fits on the MCU timeline, and her thoughts about the future of the Black Panther character and Wakanda. She also discussed the various projects in her live-action and animation roles, including The Flash, a fan favorite in the superhero genre.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2025 Marvel Studios release "Fantastic Four: First Steps" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Ironheart is the first Marvel installment in Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the 4th released attempt of a movie featuring the Fantastic Four. It is the first film about Marvel’s First Family to be released by Marvel Studios. It stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. It also stars Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson.

The film is set in 1960 on Earth-828 (the MCU is Earth-616). The Fantastic Four operate in a retro-futuristic world that draws heavily from the comic books on which they are based. They must face off against Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. In this film, the Surfer is Shalla Bal (Garner) from Zenn-La, as opposed to Norrin Radd from comics, animation, and earlier FF films.

Stand-up comedian and podcaster Eddie Pence rejoins the show to review the film.

In this episode, they talk about the unique storytelling and how no prior knowledge of the MCU is necessary to enjoy this film. They also talk about the decision to put the FF in an alternate universe, and how that plays out in the grander MCU. They also discuss the casting and compare the film to the other summer 2025 blockbuster, Superman.

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Longtime comic book writer and artist Jim Starlin created iconic Marvel characters Thanos, Gamora, Drax, and Shang-Chi. These characters and his work on the Infinity Gauntlet and its subsequent sequels were featured heavily in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also revamped Captain Marvel and created his own character, Dreadstar. He also wrote the iconic book Batman: Death in the Family for DC Comics, where Jason Todd, the second Robin, was killed after a fan vote via a 900-phone number.

In this episode, Starlin discusses how it feels to see his creations in the Marvel movies. He talks about being a work-for-hire and how there have been recent controversies surrounding certain comic book creators who created characters that are used by Marvel and DC. He discusses the benefit of owning your own work and how he created Dreadstar. He also spoke about how his relationship with Marvel is in a good place. He also added some insight into the Jason Todd DC Comics storyline.

This episode was recorded live at the Garden State Comics Fest in West Orange, New Jersey, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2025 DC Studios release "Superman" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Superman is a new film by director and co-head of DC Studios James Gunn. It stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. The film is the first from the newly branded DC Studios and has no connection to any previous Superman films or shows. In the movie, Superman is already established, and it is not an origin story.

Michael Bailey rejoins the podcast for this film review. Bailey is the host and owner of the Fortress of Baileytude Podcasting Network. He is also part of the Superman Homepage Live show, which airs live on Mondays at 10:30 Eastern Time.

In this episode, the review consists of the actual plot of the film and offers context for this film compared to past Superman movies. They discuss how this film treated certain aspects of the Superman mythology, and while the film is mostly lauded, there are questions and issues surrounding it.

For more information on Michael Bailey, visit https://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/.

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WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2025 Marvel Studios release "Ironheart" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Ironheart is the final Marvel series in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart. She is a character first introduced in the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the movie, Riri Williams is an MIT student who gets involved with Shuri and Namor. After the events of the film, Riri chooses to return to MIT, setting up the first episode of the six-part series in Ironheart.

Noted sportscaster and superhero fan Marshall Harris rejoins the show to discuss the expectations of the series and the reaction after watching it.

In this episode, they discuss the connections between this series and previous MCU offerings, such as Iron Man, but not necessarily the Black Panther storyline, which she was directly connected to. They discuss the tie-ins to Iron Man and the new characters introduced in Riri’s hometown of Chicago. They also cover the introduction of Mephisto, who is rumored to be returning in future projects in the upcoming Phase Six.

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Recorded live at Fan Expo Philadelphia 2025, Hudson Thames plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 2025 Disney+ release “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” The actor/musician began playing Peter Parker in the 2021 Marvel animated series “What If?” Thames is also set to voice Spider-Man in the upcoming Marvel Zombies series.

Thames is also a musician. He released his debut album Bambino on January 24, 2025.

In this episode, Thames explains how he landed the iconic role. He talks about criticisms of the series, including some arguments that the show has overdone its political correctness. He discusses how the show was originally a prequel to the Tom Holland Spider-Man character in the MCU, but then deviated to a different storyline altogether. He also gave hints about the upcoming Season 2.

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