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When Sam Wilson flew onto the screen last February in Captain America: Brave New World, he had everything you’d expect from the Sentinel of Liberty. There was the star-spangled suit; the unparalleled hand-to-hand combat abilities; and of course he had the shield, given to him by Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame. But there’s one thing […]

The post Captain America 4 Writer Explains Key Difference Between Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for the Black Mirror episode “Hotel Reverie.”

Black Mirror is about technology but it isn’t about technology, you know what I mean?

*puts bong down* Sorry about that, maybe an example from “Hotel Reverie” can better explain. In this season 7 installment, Issa Rae stars as Brandy Friday, a modern day movie star who takes a job as the male lead in a remake of her favorite black-and-white classic film Hotel Reverie. Like many other Black Mirror characters, Brandy is guilty of Not Reading The Instructions and doesn’t realize that “remaking the film” means digitally stepping in to the existing version of it where she must play her part convincingly enough to get to the end.

Hotel Reverie isn’t exclusively about technology. The Redream program is merely what sets events into motion where the episode, written by Charlie Brooker and directed by Haolu Wang, can delve into complex questions surrounding digital personhood, copyright law, and love itself. Still, without that tech as a starting point, the story wouldn’t get to explore those questions in the first place. That interplay between sci-fi commentary and the human condition is what drew Issa Rae to the role.

“I remember being super excited to get a Black Mirror script and to even be considered for it, and then just immediately being immersed in all the different levels of it. I was gonna say yes anyway, but I was definitely in then,” Rae tells Den of Geek and other outlets at a roundtable junket.

A longtime fan of Black Mirror, Rae knew that that the technology Brandy uses to enter into Hotel Reverie looked mighty familiar. A small disk that is placed on one’s temple to engage a virtual reality interface has recurred several times throughout the show’s canon. It first popped up in season 3’s “San Junipero,” then made appearances in season 4’s “USS Callister,” and season 5’s “Striking Vipers” (where it was referred to as an “Experiencer Disk”). A variant of it also turns up in season 7’s “Eulogy.” Manufactured by TCKR Systems, the device has never had an official name until now…sort of.

“Charlie [Brooker] calls it a ‘Nubbin,’ but Awkwafina’s character calls it a ‘Mesmerizer.’ I don’t know if that’s the slang version of it,” Rae says. “I didn’t have the ‘real’ version on screen. I don’t know if I’m supposed to reveal this but I had like a fake, smaller version with double-sided tape. So I was very excited to hold a real one more recently.”

The “real” Nubbin that Rae got to hold recently was undoubtedly the one used to film this meta advertisement for season 7.

@blackmirror issa rae taking a quick trip to another reality #nubbin #blackmirror ♬ original sound – BlackMirror

That same ad campaign was accompanied by a Netflix-hosted activation where visitors could experience the device that is definitely called a Nubbin with a brand trademark and everything. Looks like Charlie Brooker got his way on this one. Sorry, Awkwafina’s character!

Given that the doohickey we now know as a Nubbin first premiered in San Junipero, its use here has an added bit of resonance. Like that all-time classic episode of the show, Hotel Reverie ends up being a touching love story where two women make a connection outside the bonds of time and space. The story even concludes with a San Junipero easter egg as Brandy Friday’s address is revealed to be “3049 Junipero Drive.”

“Charlie said that this is the first episode he wrote for this season. [San Junpiero] is big shoes to fill, so I just hope that people can look at them both separately, but also appreciate them as complements to one another,” Rae says.

All six episodes of Black Mirror season 7 are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post How Hotel Reverie Expands Upon the Black Mirror Canon appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for the Black Mirror episode “Hotel Reverie.” Black Mirror is about technology but it isn’t about technology, you know what I mean? *puts bong down* Sorry about that, maybe an example from “Hotel Reverie” can better explain. In this season 7 installment, Issa Rae stars as Brandy Friday, a modern day […]

The post How Hotel Reverie Expands Upon the Black Mirror Canon appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for the Black Mirror episode “Hotel Reverie.”

Black Mirror is about technology but it isn’t about technology, you know what I mean?

*puts bong down* Sorry about that, maybe an example from “Hotel Reverie” can better explain. In this season 7 installment, Issa Rae stars as Brandy Friday, a modern day movie star who takes a job as the male lead in a remake of her favorite black-and-white classic film Hotel Reverie. Like many other Black Mirror characters, Brandy is guilty of Not Reading The Instructions and doesn’t realize that “remaking the film” means digitally stepping in to the existing version of it where she must play her part convincingly enough to get to the end.

Hotel Reverie isn’t exclusively about technology. The Redream program is merely what sets events into motion where the episode, written by Charlie Brooker and directed by Haolu Wang, can delve into complex questions surrounding digital personhood, copyright law, and love itself. Still, without that tech as a starting point, the story wouldn’t get to explore those questions in the first place. That interplay between sci-fi commentary and the human condition is what drew Issa Rae to the role.

“I remember being super excited to get a Black Mirror script and to even be considered for it, and then just immediately being immersed in all the different levels of it. I was gonna say yes anyway, but I was definitely in then,” Rae tells Den of Geek and other outlets at a roundtable junket.

A longtime fan of Black Mirror, Rae knew that that the technology Brandy uses to enter into Hotel Reverie looked mighty familiar. A small disk that is placed on one’s temple to engage a virtual reality interface has recurred several times throughout the show’s canon. It first popped up in season 3’s “San Junipero,” then made appearances in season 4’s “USS Callister,” and season 5’s “Striking Vipers” (where it was referred to as an “Experiencer Disk”). A variant of it also turns up in season 7’s “Eulogy.” Manufactured by TCKR Systems, the device has never had an official name until now…sort of.

“Charlie [Brooker] calls it a ‘Nubbin,’ but Awkwafina’s character calls it a ‘Mesmerizer.’ I don’t know if that’s the slang version of it,” Rae says. “I didn’t have the ‘real’ version on screen. I don’t know if I’m supposed to reveal this but I had like a fake, smaller version with double-sided tape. So I was very excited to hold a real one more recently.”

The “real” Nubbin that Rae got to hold recently was undoubtedly the one used to film this meta advertisement for season 7.

@blackmirror issa rae taking a quick trip to another reality #nubbin #blackmirror ♬ original sound – BlackMirror

That same ad campaign was accompanied by a Netflix-hosted activation where visitors could experience the device that is definitely called a Nubbin with a brand trademark and everything. Looks like Charlie Brooker got his way on this one. Sorry, Awkwafina’s character!

Given that the doohickey we now know as a Nubbin first premiered in San Junipero, its use here has an added bit of resonance. Like that all-time classic episode of the show, Hotel Reverie ends up being a touching love story where two women make a connection outside the bonds of time and space. The story even concludes with a San Junipero easter egg as Brandy Friday’s address is revealed to be “3049 Junipero Drive.”

“Charlie said that this is the first episode he wrote for this season. [San Junpiero] is big shoes to fill, so I just hope that people can look at them both separately, but also appreciate them as complements to one another,” Rae says.

All six episodes of Black Mirror season 7 are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post How Hotel Reverie Expands Upon the Black Mirror Canon appeared first on Den of Geek.

LEGO has announced an Ultimate Collector Series entry perfect for fans of the Star Wars prequels: Jango Fett’s starship, available May 1st. “It is remarkable that Jango Fett’s Slave I, featured in Attack of the Clones, has appeared just four times before in LEGO form and three of those models are microscale. 75409 Jango Fett’s […]

The post Link Tank: Jango Fett Gets the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series Treatment appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for the Black Mirror episode “Hotel Reverie.”

Black Mirror is about technology but it isn’t about technology, you know what I mean?

*puts bong down* Sorry about that, maybe an example from “Hotel Reverie” can better explain. In this season 7 installment, Issa Rae stars as Brandy Friday, a modern day movie star who takes a job as the male lead in a remake of her favorite black-and-white classic film Hotel Reverie. Like many other Black Mirror characters, Brandy is guilty of Not Reading The Instructions and doesn’t realize that “remaking the film” means digitally stepping in to the existing version of it where she must play her part convincingly enough to get to the end.

Hotel Reverie isn’t exclusively about technology. The Redream program is merely what sets events into motion where the episode, written by Charlie Brooker and directed by Haolu Wang, can delve into complex questions surrounding digital personhood, copyright law, and love itself. Still, without that tech as a starting point, the story wouldn’t get to explore those questions in the first place. That interplay between sci-fi commentary and the human condition is what drew Issa Rae to the role.

“I remember being super excited to get a Black Mirror script and to even be considered for it, and then just immediately being immersed in all the different levels of it. I was gonna say yes anyway, but I was definitely in then,” Rae tells Den of Geek and other outlets at a roundtable junket.

A longtime fan of Black Mirror, Rae knew that that the technology Brandy uses to enter into Hotel Reverie looked mighty familiar. A small disk that is placed on one’s temple to engage a virtual reality interface has recurred several times throughout the show’s canon. It first popped up in season 3’s “San Junipero,” then made appearances in season 4’s “USS Callister,” and season 5’s “Striking Vipers” (where it was referred to as an “Experiencer Disk”). A variant of it also turns up in season 7’s “Eulogy.” Manufactured by TCKR Systems, the device has never had an official name until now…sort of.

“Charlie [Brooker] calls it a ‘Nubbin,’ but Awkwafina’s character calls it a ‘Mesmerizer.’ I don’t know if that’s the slang version of it,” Rae says. “I didn’t have the ‘real’ version on screen. I don’t know if I’m supposed to reveal this but I had like a fake, smaller version with double-sided tape. So I was very excited to hold a real one more recently.”

The “real” Nubbin that Rae got to hold recently was undoubtedly the one used to film this meta advertisement for season 7.

@blackmirror issa rae taking a quick trip to another reality #nubbin #blackmirror ♬ original sound – BlackMirror

That same ad campaign was accompanied by a Netflix-hosted activation where visitors could experience the device that is definitely called a Nubbin with a brand trademark and everything. Looks like Charlie Brooker got his way on this one. Sorry, Awkwafina’s character!

Given that the doohickey we now know as a Nubbin first premiered in San Junipero, its use here has an added bit of resonance. Like that all-time classic episode of the show, Hotel Reverie ends up being a touching love story where two women make a connection outside the bonds of time and space. The story even concludes with a San Junipero easter egg as Brandy Friday’s address is revealed to be “3049 Junipero Drive.”

“Charlie said that this is the first episode he wrote for this season. [San Junpiero] is big shoes to fill, so I just hope that people can look at them both separately, but also appreciate them as complements to one another,” Rae says.

All six episodes of Black Mirror season 7 are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post How Hotel Reverie Expands Upon the Black Mirror Canon appeared first on Den of Geek.

This review contains spoilers for the season 2 premiere of The Last of Us. The long-awaited return of The Last of Us is finally here, and it is already well worth the wait. “Future Days” may not be the tense, action-packed premiere episode we saw in season one, but it does an impeccable job setting […]

The post The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A Chilly Premiere appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

There are a lot of new characters introduced in the season 2 premiere of The Last of Us. We meet Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew years before in Salt Lake City. There’s Jesse (Young Mazino) and Dina (Isabela Merced), new friends of Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) in Jackson. Many of these characters fans of the […]

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Who Is Eugene and Does Gail Exist in the Game? appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

Warning: contains spoilers for Black Mirror season seven. It’s not surprising for a group of stories themed so strongly around returning to the past that Black Mirror season seven harks back to its own history several times in Easter egg form. In the background of the new episodes are multiple shared-universe references to previous instalments […]

The post Black Mirror Season 7 Easter Eggs appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

Ah, the 1990s! Stable economy, relative global peace, rich hucksters appearing in The Little Rascals instead of politics. What did we have to worry about? Nothing, really. And that’s why we had to make up trouble and put it on the big screen! The 1990s weren’t the first heyday of the disaster movie. That honor […]

The post The ’90s Disaster Movies Ranked from Worst to Best appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1. The HBO series The Last of Us has done a great job thus far of making those infected by Cordyceps seem as terrifying as they do in the games (if not more so in some cases). We’ve seen characters chased by “runners,” […]

The post The Last of Us Season 2 Just Introduced a New Kind of Infected Variant appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

For the second weekend in a row, Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie defied its original and relatively humble expectations when the film topped the box office with an impressive $80.6 million haul. That’s barely 50 percent down from its $162.7 million debut last weekend, and both figures tower above WB’s original projection for its debut […]

The post Minecraft Movie Reveals Generational Divide: This Is a Good Thing appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1. The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until […]

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1.

The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect.

In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional”

Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says.

In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance.

“This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?”

Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life.

According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously. 

Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen.

While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025.

The post The Last of Us Season 2: Why Abby’s Story Should Feel Familiar appeared first on Den of Geek.