As James Gunn's The Suicide Squad heads to theaters, one thing that has become clear from the trailers is that Task Force X is going to have to battle Starro at some point during the course of this misadventure.

Who? Why, Starro the Conqueror, of course. Otherwise known as the very first supervillain the Justice League ever battled and one of the most powerful psychics in the DC Universe. But if you need to brush up on your giant starfish lore, we're here to help. We'll break down the colorful history of this very odd villain and why he's making his live-action debut in a Suicide Squad sequel of all places. These are the topics we cover here...

• Who the Heck Is Starro?
• Starro's Origin and Pop Culture Inspirations
• Starro's Powers and Abilities
• Starro vs. Starro the Conqueror
• From Starro to Jarro
• Starro in TV and Games
• How Starro Fits Into The Suicide Squad

Who the Heck Is Starro?

Some villains are exactly who and what they appear to be. Starro is a gigantic alien parasite who resembles a starfish. His never-ending thirst for conquest has taken him from one end of the DCU to the other, seeking out worlds to enslave. Between his enormous size, his prodigious psychic powers, and his ability to spawn millions of spores, Starro is all but an unstoppable force. Fortunately for Earth, the Justice League has always managed to find a way to loosen Starro's suction-cupped grip on the planet. We wouldn't be so optimistic about Amanda Waller's band of D-Listers managing the same feat in The Suicide Squad.

Starro's Origin and Pop Culture Inspirations

Starro made his original debut in 1960's The Brave and the Bold #28, the issue that also introduced comic readers to the Justice League of America. Whereas the DCEU and DC's contemporary comics depict Darkseid as the all-encompassing threat that brings together Earth's most powerful heroes for the first time, back in the day a giant, psychic starfish was the only call to action Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter needed (Batman and Superman couldn't be bothered).

Starro's creation is credited to writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky, though editor Julius Schwartz also contributed to the original Starro conception. Schwartz once indicated the "Starro the Conqueror" name was inspired by Ray Cummings' sci-fi novel Tarrano the Conqueror, which deals with a Machiavellian alien who plots to conquer worlds through strategic assassinations. Interestingly, the character Tarrano as he's depicted on the book's cover bears more than a passing resemblance to Green Lantern's arch-rival Sinestro.

As for why the creators opted for a giant starfish, that seems to have been yet another case of DC tapping into the monster movie craze of the time, specifically the growing popularity of Godzilla and other Japanese kaiju characters. DC fans have pointed out the clear similarities between Starro's design and the starfish monsters from 1956's Warning From Space, so that may have played a part in Starro's creation.

Thanks to his ability to asexually reproduce, Starro has a habit of cheating death, nursing himself back to full size, and returning to threaten Earth all over again. The character has served as an infrequently recurring villain over the decades, appearing in various Justice League comics as well as other titles like Adventure Comics, Teen Titans and REBELS. Little by little, DC has revealed more about the villain's unusual background and even pushed the self-styled "Conqueror" in a more heroic direction.

Starro's Powers and Abilities

Starro has all the strength and durability you'd expect from a kaiju-sized starfish, along with other powers like flight, energy manipulation, and regeneration. So long as some piece of his body survives, Starro will always eventually grow back to full health.

His greatest strength, however, is his psychic talent. Starro is a telepath who can control the minds of others, even powerful heroes like Green Lantern. Starro can also spawn millions of smaller duplicates of himself, which can then attach themselves to his prey and control their bodies so long as they remain bonded. Basically, Starro combines all the worst things about kaiju and the Xenomorphs of the Alien franchise.

Normally, Starro in his full-grown form is several hundred feet tall - enough to knock over buildings and generally wreak havoc on major cities. But in some cases, he's grown large enough to cover entire oceans and terraform planets.

Fortunately for Earth's heroes, Starro has a few weaknesses that are easily exploitable. Often these weaknesses seem to be completely arbitrary plot devices. For example, in his original battle with the Justice League, the team's obligatory, useless sidekick Snapper Carr saves the day because his quicklime-covered body proves immune to Starro's powers. In a later battle, Starro receives a power boost by drawing in polluted water, only for Aquaman to turn the tables by summoning a flood of clean water.

Starro vs. Starro the Conqueror

While traditionally DC has used the names "Starro" and "Starro the Conqueror" pretty much interchangeably, it was only fairly recently that fans learned the two are actually different characters. As revealed in the 2009 REBELS comic from writer Tony Bedard, the real Starro the Conqueror isn't a starfish at all. He's a humanoid alien who managed to bend an entire race of parasitic starfish to his will.

According to this revamped origin story, originally Starro's race consisted of waves of mindless, nomadic parasites who traveled the galaxy in search of civilizations to turn into helpless slaves. These aliens finally meet their match when they attempt to conquer the planet Hatorei, which is populated by a race of peaceful, psychically connected beings. One of the Hatorei, Cobi, is driven mad by the destruction of his homeworld and is able to psychically overpower the Starro attached to his face. Using that Starro as a link to the others, Cobi is able to psychically bend the entire race to his will. He becomes Starro the Conqueror - the true power behind an endless armada of parasitic starfish.

That story played out shortly before DC partly rebooted its comic book line with the New 52, so it's unclear whether this revamped approach to Starro still holds true in 2021. He may be back to just being a giant, psychic starfish with a gluttonous appetite.

From Starro to Jarro

Starro has undergone another major transformation in recent years, pivoting away from his traditional villain role to become an ally to the Justice League. That evolution begins in 2018's Justice League: No Justice, which features a united team of Earth's greatest heroes and villains responding to the fallout of Dark Nights: Metal. After spending some psychic bonding time with Martian Manhunter, Starro feels the call to be a hero. He makes good on that desire when he helps save Brainiac's people, the Coluans, from an all-powerful Omega Titan. Starro tries and fails to take over the Titan's body, only to be ripped to pieces. However, his heroic sacrifice buys enough time for the Coluans to evacuate their world.

That's not the end of Starro's tale. Batman is able to save a piece of the starfish's body, which he nurtures in a jar. That reborn, pint-sized Starro becomes known as "Jarro," basically the Justice League's answer to Baby Groot. Jarro even refers to Batman as "Dad" and dreams of one day becoming the new Robin. No one has the heart to tell Jarro what usually becomes of Robins after a year or two on the job.

Starro in TV and Games

Given his massive size and unusual appearance, it should probably come as no surprise that Starro has yet to make a proper live-action appearance. To date, we've only seen cameos of and references to this villain on shows like Arrow, The Flash, Smallville, and Powerless. However, Starro does have a long history of appearing in DC's animated projects (both TV series and DVD movies) and video games.

• TV: Starro's first TV appearance came in an episode of 1967's The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. He later popped up in Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond and Young Justice. However, Starro's biggest role to date has been in Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) where he becomes the main villain of Season 2.
• Games: Starro has served as a boss character in DC games like the Nintendo Wii version of Batman: The Brave and the Bold and DC Universe Online, and has cameoed in games like Injustice: Gods Among Us and Batman: Arkham Knight. Only one game - the MOBA title Infinite Crisis - actually allows gamers to play as Starro.

How Starro Fits Into The Suicide Squad

We've finally reached the era where a giant psychic starfish is just par for the course in a big-budget superhero movie. Starro will play a role in The Suicide Squad, though whether he's meant to be the film's main villain or just one foe among many is unclear.

Based on what we know about the plot of The Suicide Squad, Task Force X is sent on a search-and-destroy mission to the politically unstable nation of Corto Maltese. In the comics, Corto Maltese houses a top-secret laboratory/prison called Jotunheim, which houses a number of top-secret experiments and weapons dating back to the Nazis. We can probably assume a Starro specimen is being kept in the lab. And given that these mercenaries aren't exactly the brightest bulbs in the supervillain box, one of them will probably set Starro free by accident. How will a crew of expendable killers with mostly minor super-powers stop a being as powerful as Starro the Conqueror? That should be interesting to see.

Based on the poster above, it also seems Peter Capaldi's character, The Thinker, is somehow connected to Starro. Given that The Thinker uses his custom-built "thinking cap" to control the minds of others, it may be that his powers are derived from Starro. Or it could be that Clifford DeVoe is forcibly recruited for the mission because his cap makes him one of the few resistant to Starro's powers.

DC didn't reveal Starro's existence in the film until the first trailer debuted. Given that we still don't know who or what Taika Waititi is playing in the movie, we could easily see him providing the voice of Starro. After previously playing Korg in the MCU and IG-11 on The Mandalorian, voicing a psychic starfish may be the only logical next step for Waititi.

For more on The Suicide Squad, learn more about the full cast of this DCEU sequel and take a deep dive into the history of John Cena's character Peacemaker.

For even more on the film, check out our The Suicide Squad review, catch up on how to watch The Suicide Squad, find out who won our Face-Off of the best DC Comics villain of all time, or read up on the history of Idris Elba's character Bloodsport or Nathan Fillion's character TDK.

Aug. 4, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about The Suicide Squad.

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

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is the kinda-sequel to the 2016 DC movie Suicide Squad (no "The" needed). While some characters are returning from that film, like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, and Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang, the cast is made up of mostly new players for this particular Squad. That includes Idris Elba as Bloodsport and also a more mysterious character called TDK -- a.k.a. The Detachable Kid -- who is played by Gunn's real-life buddy Nathan Fillion.

We don't know much about this character, other than that he appears to be a new creation of Gunn's... albeit one based on a very obscure, very weird player from DC Comics canon. Read on for what we know about TDK in The Suicide Squad, and watch the clip below to see him in action...

Who Is TDK in The Suicide Squad?

Firefly and Castle’s Nathan Fillion reteams with James Gunn for The Suicide Squad after appearing in a cameo role in Guardians of the Galaxy as well as starring in Slither and co-starring in Super, all of which were helmed by the director.

TDK is an original creation of Gunn’s, but we think we know who he's based on. Take a look at the character poster of TDK:

The character sports a fairly standard superhero look: armor, dramatic stare, piercing eyes, arms crossed, ready to do battle. But then you notice that, well, TDK's arms don't seem to be connected to his body! That's because TDK stands for... The Detachable Kid!

Rumors had indicated that this was Fillion's character's name, but now we know that's what the TDK means. And diehard comics fans also know that there's a precedent for a hero with this modus operandi, even if he went by a different name... Arm-Fall-Off-Boy!

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy Explained

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy -- yes, that's his actual superhero name -- dates back to 1989, and has made only a rare appearance here or there in the pages of DC Comics as far as we can tell. First appearing in Secret Origins #46, Arm-Fall-Off-Boy has the power to, yes, remove his limbs. He can then use said limbs as weapons to, you know, beat on folks. He tried to join the Legion of Super-Heroes but was rejected because... come on. What super-group would want this guy on their team?

After one of DC's many continuity reboots, the character was renamed Splitter (and given the real name Floyd Belkin), but was still a wash-out in terms of trying to make it into the Legion.

The thing is, the Legion of Super-Heroes are from the far-off future of the 30th century, so for Gunn to use the actual Arm-Fall-Off-Boy doesn't quite make sense in terms of keeping to the canon of the comics universe. But then again, maybe he just decided to rename the Fillion character from the ridiculous Arm-Fall-Off-Boy to the catchier, if still ridiculous The Detachable Kid. (Fillion previously shot down rumors he was playing Arm-Fall-Boy.)

Whatever the case, this character and his unique power set are certainly perfect for a James Gunn film. Based on the roster of characters coming in The Suicide Squad, TDK would seem to fit right in with the zanier side of the cast alongside folks such as Weasel, King Shark, The Thinker, and Polka-Dot Man. But then again, before Guardians of the Galaxy came out, a talking tree and a talking raccoon also sounded pretty ridiculous. And then we all cried when Groot died and Rocket mourned for him, so let's hold off judgment on how TDK will really be depicted until after The Suicide Squad is released, OK?

For even more on the film, speculate with us on who Taika Waititi is playing in The Suicide Squad, check out the behind-the-scenes teaser, and read up on the history of Idris Elba's character Bloodsport.

Aug. 4, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about The Suicide Squad.

It might be hard to keep Marvel's upcoming movie and TV slate straight -- it's a lot to absorb, we know. And there are still a ton of unanswered questions regarding release date changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But news of upcoming MCU movies and Disney+ TV series keeps coming, from new Secret Invasion casting reports to word of a fourth Captain America movie and Season 2 of Loki. So let's take a look at what to expect...

We've done our best to wrangle and rein in all the upcoming Marvel projects that are in the works, all of them MCU. From the movies to the Disney+ shows, including Marvel's animated What If...? -- a first for the studio -- here's a quick rundown of everything on the MCU horizon. Click on through the slideshow below for a glimpse, or read on!

What New Marvel Movies Are Coming Out?

For those keeping track, here's the full lineup of upcoming Marvel movies and shows:

• What If...? (Disney+, Aug. 11, 2021)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Sept. 3, 2021)

• Eternals (Nov. 5, 2021)
• Hawkeye (Disney+, Nov. 24, 2021)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (Dec. 17, 2021)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)
• Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6, 2022)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 8, 2022)
• The Marvels (Nov. 11, 2022)
• Ms. Marvel (Disney+, 2022)
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney+, 2022)
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
• Moon Knight (Disney+, Date TBD)
• She-Hulk (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Secret Invasion (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Blade (Date TBD)
• Deadpool 3 (Date TBD)
• Fantastic Four (Date TBD)
• I Am Groot (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Armor Wars (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Ironheart (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Wakanda Series (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Echo (Disney+, Date TBD)
• Captain America 4 (Date TBD)
• Loki Season 2 (Disney+, Date TBD)

Here are the most definite projects that are currently in the works:

WHAT IF...? (Disney+, Aug. 11, 2021)

The first animated series in the MCU will debut on Disney+. Jeffrey Wright stars as the voice of The Watcher while actors from across the MCU reprise their roles as voice talent, including Sebastian Stan, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Karen Gillan, Natalie Portman, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Neal McDonough, Sean Gunn, Taika Waititi, Toby Jones, Jeff Goldblum, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Rooker, Chris Sullivan, and David Dastmalchian. Expect Peggy Carter carrying a shield and acting like a Captain America-style super soldier, Marvel Zombies, and more.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (Sept. 3, 2021)

Shang-Chi stars Simu Liu as the titular hero, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. He appears alongside Tony Leung as Wenwu (aka the real Mandarin), Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan. The cast also includes Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng. The film will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

ETERNALS (Nov. 5, 2021)

Next up for Phase 4 is Marvel's Eternals, starring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Gemma Chan, and Don Lee. Directed by Chloé Zhao, the film will also feature Kit Harington as Dane Whitman (also known as Black Knight in the comics).

HAWKEYE (Disney+, Nov. 24, 2021)

Starring Jeremy Renner, this original series for Disney+ will also introduce Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. The cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. Florence Pugh will also be appearing in the series as Yelena Belova, reprising her Black Widow role. Hawkeye is helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (Dec. 17, 2021)

After a brief break-up of only about five weeks, Sony and Marvel made up and came to terms to ensure Peter Parker will return for more MCU adventures. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is producing this third solo film along with returning Spidey vet Amy Pascal, and Tom Holland will continue in the role of the wallcrawler. The deal reportedly will continue to allow for Spidey to also appear in one MCU movie, though which film that will be remains to be seen. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while Alfred Molina is reportedly back as Doctor Octopus, with rumors also stating that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire will reprise their roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Kirsten Dunst will return as Mary-Jane, hinting at a live-action Spiderverse/multiverse crossover of epic proportions.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (March 25, 2022)

The sequel stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, with Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor also returning from Doctor Strange. Xochitl Gomez joins them, portraying America Chavez, a new fan-favorite from the comics. The events of the WandaVision series will lead into Multiverse of Madness, and the plot will also connect to the upcoming third Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland. Scott Derrickson was to return from the first film as director, but he dropped out in January of 2020 due to good old "creative differences." The good news is that Marvel has now tapped Sam Raimi as his replacement.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (May 6, 2022)

Thor: Love and thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman (as a female Thor!), Chris Pratt, and Christian Bale as villain Gorr the God Butcher. Taika Waititi returns as director for what has been reported as being almost like an Avengers 5 due to the large cast. Even Russell Crowe has signed on to play Thor's fellow thunder god Zeus.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (July 8, 2022)

Black Panther 2 has a release date and is now called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but with the sad and untimely passing of series star Chadwick Boseman, it's difficult to know how director Ryan Coogler (back from the first film) will handle the situation. Kevin Feige has said he will not recast the character, nor will Boseman's likeness be recreated digitally.

THE MARVELS (Nov. 11, 2022)

Captain Marvel 2, which is now called The Marvels, is in the works with Nia DaCosta directing. Teyonah Parris will play an adult Monica Rambeau alongside Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, and the film will also feature Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, who will be introduced in the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series.

MS. MARVEL (Disney+, 2022)

Coming to Disney+, this series will be about Kamala Khan, Marvel's first mainstream Muslim hero. Newcomer Iman Vellani will play the character, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. Here's how Marvel describes her: "A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right? The cast also includes Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer and Nimra Bucha. Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy."

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (February 17, 2023)

The third Ant-Man movie will be helmed by Ant-Man director Peyton Reed and star returning favorites Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. Kathryn Newton joins the cast as Cassie Lang while Jonathan Majors portrays Kang the Conqueror.

So which movie or TV show are you most excited for? Are you stoked for Hawkeye or psyched for Doctor Strange and his Multiverse? Can you not wait to see Natalie Portman as Thor in Love and Thunder? Let us know below...

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Warning: Full spoilers follow for Loki Season 1.

Loki Season 1 did what its predecessors WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier avoided, serving up the big reveal that comics fans had basically been expecting -- and that the show had been hinting at throughout its six episodes: Jonathan Majors made his MCU debut as classic Marvel time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, or at least a Variant of the character known as He Who Remains.

The series also ended this first season by shattering the "Sacred Timeline," which sets up the upcoming events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and probably a bunch of other Marvel projects as well.

So the question is, now that Thanos is gone, how much of a role will Majors' character play in the MCU moving forward? We know Jonathan Majors will play Kang in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Loki has been dropping Easter eggs indicating that Kang might be showing up even sooner than expected.

If you're not familiar with Kang or why he has the potential to be the next Thanos-level threat to the MCU, we're here to shed light on this powerful villain and also explain the finale of Loki. These are the topics we'll be covering here:

• Loki Season Finale Explained
• Who Is He Who Remains/Kang the Conqueror?
• Kang's Origin
• Kang's Powers and Abilities
• Kang's Many Identities
• Kang and the Young Avengers
• Kang the Conqueror Actor Jonathan Majors and Marvel Universe Connections
• Kang in TV and Games

Loki Season Finale Explained

In the Season 1 finale of Loki, Loki and Sylvie finally make it to the end of time (should that be capitalized?) to confront the mysterious figure behind the TVA. No, not the Time Keepers, who we learned a couple of episodes back were fakes, but the actual figure who has been overseeing the pruning of the Sacred Timeline: He Who Remains.

Majors plays the character as a fun figure, one who perhaps has gone a little bonkers living forever at the end of all time, knowing everything that is going to happen.

Well, to a point. As the episode proceeds, He Who Remains explains his backstory, but also that they are now reaching a moment in the timeline where he will no longer know how things are going to play out -- a juncture that will finally free him of the self-imposed prison he has been living in as master of the timeline. And it's up to Sylvie and Loki to decide what comes next.

But first, about that backstory: He Who Remains explains that it all began with a Variant of himself, a scientist from the 31st century, who discovered that other timelines/realities exist. At first things were friendly as other versions, or Variants of this scientist, began to meet up across different timelines. But then some Variants turned to conquering, and the Multiverse War we learned about in Episode 1 began. In the end, He Who Remains... well, remained. As the winner of the war, he created the TVA to keep other timelines from coming into existence in order to avoid another multiversal conflict.

And so now He Who Remains wants out, and Loki and Sylvie have a choice: Become the new masters of the Sacred Timeline, or kill He Who Remains, which will bring about the multiverse once again and, inevitably, the return of an untold number of He Who Remains/Kangs who will wind up re-starting the war. Loki wants to take over, if only to avoid the inevitable conflict that will result from killing He Who Remains. But Sylvie wants to kill He Who Remains, choosing the chaos of a multiverse -- and free will -- over all else. After fighting Loki, she kisses him -- and then pushes him back through time to the TVA before stabbing He Who Remains, who doesn't even fight back. We last see Sylvie at the end of time, contemplating her decision as the timeline splinters into an infinite amount of variations -- a multiverse.

The finale ends with Loki landing back at the TVA, but he soon realizes that it's a TVA from a different timeline, because Mobius and Hunter B-15 have no idea who he is. And then he sees it -- a statue of He Who Remains, who now looks a lot like Kang from the comics. Is Kang the Conqueror now the master of time (and the TVA)? We'll surely find out in Season 2, which was revealed in post-credits tease that simply shows TVA paperwork being stamped with the words "Loki will return for Season 2."

Who Is He Who Remains/Kang the Conqueror?

It's not easy recapping the convoluted history of Kang the Conqueror. He's a villain who's gone by many names and many different motivations in his countless clashes with the Avengers and Fantastic Four. But through it all the basics have stayed the same. Kang is a man who sees himself as the rightful master of the world. Using the power of time travel and the most sophisticated weaponry his future world has to offer, Kang has repeatedly sought to rewrite history to his own whims and ensure his own rise to power.

Kang's love of time travel is exactly what makes him such a dangerous and seemingly never-ending thorn in humanity's side. No matter how often he's defeated, banished or even destroyed utterly, some version of him is always out there, waiting and plotting. In the Loki Season 1 finale, He Who Remains is clearly a Kang Variant, but apparently a more benevolent one than the Kang (or Kangs) we'll likely get moving forward in the MCU.

Kang's Origin

While the first appearance of Kang the Conqueror is featured in 1964's The Avengers #8, the character technically debuted a year earlier in Fantastic Four #19. We'll try to summarize Kang's confusing origin story as simply as possible.

Kang's real name is Nathaniel Richards. Originally a historical scholar from the 31st century (and possibly a distant descendant of either Reed Richards or Victor von Doom), Nathaniel discovers Doctor Doom's ancient time travel tech and uses it to travel back to the era of ancient Egypt. Crowning himself "Rama-Tut," he lords over his new subjects and uses his futuristic tech to make himself seem like a god. That is, until the Fantastic Four show up to end his reign.

After escaping to the 20th century, Rama-Tut meets Doctor Doom and uses Doom's distinctive armor as inspiration for his next supervillain identity, the Scarlet Centurion. However, he's again defeated by Earth's heroes and attempts to return to his own timeline.

This is where Kang the Conqueror is born. Richards accidentally travels forward too far in time, arriving in an era when human civilization has collapsed. As the only person left who understands the advanced but forgotten technology of the 40th century, the newly minted Kang is able to quickly conquer his new timeline and even extend his new empire beyond Earth's borders. Not content to be ruler of a futuristic empire, Kang begins a recurring game of toying with time and attempting to rewrite history to suit his own whims.

Kang's Powers and Abilities

As an ordinary human from the 31st century, Kang has no innate superhuman powers. However, he's a gifted physicist and historian, using his knowledge of science and history to manipulate the timeline and accumulate power. His distinctive green and purple suit of armor (inspired by Doom's own armor) both enhances Kang's strength and allows him to survive in whatever inhospitable environments he may find. Kang has a time-ship that allows him to freely travel through the time-stream, and he's also assembled a vast army comprised of the best warriors from throughout history.

Kang also sometimes wields a ray gun that can sap a person's strength and willpower, along with various doomsday weapons only a 40th century tyrant could dream of.

Kang also seems to be functionally immortal. Because he's so fond of abusing the timeline for his own selfish ends, there are countless variations of Nathaniel Richards in existence. No matter how many times Kang is defeated, there's always another incarnation of the Conqueror ready to continue his crusade.

Kang's Many Identities

Kang is every bit as convoluted a character as one would expect from a man whose favorite hobby is manipulating time. But part of what makes Kang such a confusing character is that he's had so many different names and identities over the years. It doesn't help that these various characters weren't all originally conceived as being the same person, so a lot of these connections have been forged after the fact. If you're familiar with the comic book storytelling term "retcon," Kang is basically its living embodiment.

As we've already covered, Nathaniel Richards uses names like Rama-Tut and the Scarlet Centurion early on in his career as a time-travelling tyrant. But taking up the mantle of Kang isn't his last identity shake-up.

At some point in his long life, Kang gives up his name and his empire to instead forge an alliance with an advanced alien race known as the Time-Keepers. In exchange for true immortality, Kang agrees to preserve the timeline and ensure the Time-Keepers' rise to power. At that point he becomes Immortus. Ironically, his younger selves are responsible for much of the damage Immortus is tasked with undoing.

Kang has held other cover identities while masquerading as a 21st century human, including a small-town mayor named Victor Timely and a business tycoon named Mr. Gryphon.

If all this isn't complicated enough, thanks to time travel these various incarnations of Kang basically coexist alongside each other and sometimes collude or wage war against one another. There's even an entire team of Kangs known as the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. Picture the Citadel of Ricks in Rick and Morty, but with less alcohol and self-loathing.

Kang and the Young Avengers

There's another notable incarnation of Kang who may well factor into the MCU at some point. The 2005 series Young Avengers introduces a team of teen heroes modeled after classic Avengers but with very different backgrounds and origin stories. The team's founder, Iron Lad, isn't a descendant of Tony Stark, but is actually a teen version of Nathaniel Richards from a splinter timeline. Kang attempted to travel back in time and rescue his younger self from a group of bullies who had left him hospitalized for months. Kang saves himself and gives the young Nathaniel an advanced suit of armor in the hope of hurrying along his transformation from ordinary man to Kang. But instead, young Nathaniel is horrified by his older self and travels back in time to form a new team of Avengers.

Ultimately, this version of Kang is killed and Iron Lad is forced to wipe his own memories and return to the future, restoring the proper timeline. But he leaves behind a copy of his consciousness inside his armor, which fuses with the broken remnants of Vision to form a new version of that iconic Avenger.

Iron Lad is an important Kang offshoot to know, given that Marvel is showing every sign of introducing the Young Avengers in the MCU.

Kang the Conqueror Actor Jonathan Majors and Marvel Universe Connections

We know Jonathan Majors will be back as Kang in Ant-Man 3, but Kang's love of time travel and perpetual habit of returning to threaten the Avengers all over again make him perfectly suited to become a recurring antagonist across the MCU. It doesn't hurt that he has deep connections to so many different Marvel characters and teams. Will he also play some kind of a role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or the reportedly multiverse-focused Spider-Man: No Way Home? Nothing is confirmed yet, but it would seem likely.

As mentioned before, Kang may well be a descendant of Mister Fantastic or Doctor Doom. Both characters have certainly played a key role in his development as a villain. He also has connections to major characters on the cosmic side of the MCU. In the comics, Kang once competed with the Grandmaster for a chance at godlike power, and he attempted to claim the so-called "Celestial Madonna" (better known as Mantis) as his bride.

Decades after it was originally published, Marvel added more layers to the events of Fantastic Four #19 by revealing Nathaniel's true motivations for travelling back in time and becoming Rama-Tut. He was actually seeking out a young En Sabah Nur, the mutant destined to become Apocalypse, to crown him as his heir. He never succeeded, though Apocalypse turned out to be a chip off the old block in terms of harnessing futuristic technology and seeking to dominate the world.

With Kang now firmly linked to the Fantastic Four, Avengers and X-Men, Marvel forged yet another connection in the 2015 series Uncanny Inhumans. There, Black Bolt gives his son Ahura to be fostered by Kang, seeing the time travelling tyrant as the only safe haven in a world growing steadily more hostile toward the Inhumans.

Kang in TV and Games

• TV: Given his status as one of the greatest Avengers and Fantastic Four villains, it should come as no surprise Kang has enjoyed a healthy career outside of Marvel's comics. His first animated TV appearance came way back in 1967's Fantastic Four animated series, with the episode "Rama-Tut" adapting the events of Fantastic Four #19. Whether as Kang or Rama-Tut, the villain has appeared in numerous other Marvel cartoons like X-Men Evolution and Avengers: United They Stand. He even had a brief cameo as Immortus in an episode of X-Men: The Animated Series. But Kang's most significant animated appearances have come more recently. He played a recurring role in both Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (voiced by Jonathan Adams) and Avengers Assemble (voiced by Steve Blum). He made his live-action debut in Loki.
• Games: Kang has appeared in F2P games like Marvel: Avengers Alliance and Marvel: Contest of Champions, but his most notable video game appearance so far has been in 2017's LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. Kang (voiced by MCU veteran Peter Serafinowicz) serves as the main villain of the game and is also available as a playable character.

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July 14, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about Loki.

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

Marvel Studios' Black Widow movie is finally here. And with it comes the Taskmaster, a classic Marvel villain who is finally joining the MCU to face off against Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanov in the film.

But just who is Taskmaster, and what makes him capable of going toe-to-toe with one of the greatest super-spies in the Marvel Universe? Read on to learn more about this dangerous yet tragic mercenary villain.

Who Is Taskmaster?

Taskmaster is widely feared as one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the Marvel Universe. That's because his photographic reflexes allow him to mimic the fighting style of anyone he studies. Taskmaster briefly turned to a life of crime, but he quickly realized that his skills are better used training other villains how to fight. Taskmaster will lend his knowledge and experience to any organization that can meet his price, be it Hydra, SHIELD, AIM or the Thunderbolts. Deep down he's not such a bad guy, but Taskmaster will never let his morals get in the way of a paycheck.

For a quick breakdown of all characters in the Black Widow movie, watch the video below!

Taskmaster's Powers and Abilities

Taskmaster was injected with an offshoot of the super-soldier serum that unlocked the full potential of his mind's memory processes. Because of this, he has photographic reflexes. He can recreate the movements and fighting styles of anyone he observes, and he can also predict their movements in battle with near-perfect accuracy. That effectively makes him as talented a martial artist as heroes like Shang-Chi and Daredevil and as expert a marksman as Hawkeye and Bullseye. Taskmaster carries a wide arsenal of weapons that further help him replicate the moves of other heroes and villains. He wields a shield similar to Captain America's, a sword similar to that of Swordsman and Black Knight and various other projectile weapons.

In addition to making him one of the deadliest fighters in the Marvel Universe, this unique talent has made Taskmaster a very in-demand martial arts instructor. He often makes his living training soldiers in the arts of self-defense and battlefield combat.

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Taskmaster's abilities do come with certain drawbacks. For one thing, he can be caught off-guard when battling unfamiliar opponents or someone like Deadpool, whose fighting style is chaotic and unpredictable. And his photographic reflexes come at a heavy cost. The more he relies on his abilities, the more Taskmaster's brain literally overwrites old memories. Because of this, he remembers very little about his past and family.

Taskmaster: Origin and Background

Taskmaster first debuted in cameo form in 1980's The Avengers #195, before making his first full appearance in the following issue. These early stories established a basic origin story and modus operandi for the villain. They also showed him capable of battling powerful Avengers like Captain America and Iron Man to a standstill, though ultimately his unfamiliarity with the relatively recent recruit Jocasta proved to be his undoing.

Taskmaster has appeared in a number of stories in the decades since, sometimes serving as a villain and other times more as an anti-hero. As various stories established, he only cares about getting paid, so he's just as likely to work for SHIELD or the US government as he is taking on jobs that pit him against heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man. Taskmaster even sided with Iron Man's pro-registration faction in Civil War, eventually becoming a drill instructor at Camp Hammond and tasked with training a new generation of heroes how to fight. Eventually, though, Taskmaster returned to a more self-centered, illegal lifestyle.

It was only with the miniseries Taskmaster: Unthinkable that the character's true origin story and background were revealed. Readers learned that Taskmaster's real name is Tony Masters. He was once a SHIELD agent send to terminate a rogue Nazi scientist developing his own version of Captain America's super-soldier serum. When Masters injected himself with that serum, he gained his signature photographic reflexes but forgot his old life and even his wife in the process. While he briefly reunites with his estranged wife, Masters is forced to tap into his abilities to save her life, losing his memories all over again.

Taskmaster has continued to play both sides of the aisle since returning to his usual routine. One day he's acting as a double agent for the Secret Avengers, the next he's teaming up with Black Ant to kidnap various animal-themed supervillains for Kraven the Hunter's amusement. As long as the money is good, there are few jobs this elite mercenary won't take on. Yet the good man that was Tony Masters is never quite buried forever.

Taskmaster in Black Widow and Beyond the Comics

Taskmaster has appeared in several animated Marvel projects, including the TV series Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man and the direct-to-video movie Heroes United: Iron Man and Captain America (all of which featured the voice of Clancy Brown). He's also appeared as a playable character in a number of Marvel video games, including Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel Heroes and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (all voiced by Steven Blum).

Taskmaster's most significant non-comics appearance to date is in the Playstation 4 game Marvel's Spider-Man. Taskmaster (voiced by Brian Bloom) appears as a recurring foe in the game, forcing Spider-Man to undertake various challenges while studying his moves. After Taskmaster is defeated, he reveals he was hired by a mysterious group to determine whether Spider-Man is worthy enough to join them. Taskmaster also appears in Marvel's Avengers.

Who Plays Taskmaster in Black Widow?

Taskmaster was once rumored to appear in Marvel's Most Wanted, a planned Marvel's Agents of SHIELD spinoff, but that project was eventually canceled. Instead, he now makes his debut in the MCU in the Black Widow movie, where he'll be ripping off Captain America's most iconic move. As for who is playing him, or what his (or her?) true identity is in the film, only time will tell. Some fans have speculated that it's actually going to be a female behind the mask -- possibly one of Nat's allies, like Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff or Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. Or perhaps it will just be a faceless henchman in the role... but, nah, who are we kidding? Taskmaster's identity must be an important part of the film!

For more on the Black Widow movie, check out our explainer on David Harbour's Red Guardian.

July 8, 2021: This story has been updated with the most recent information about the Black Widow movie.

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

Like the emotionless metal mask she wears, Marvel Comics’ Iron Maiden is something of a blank slate. The character was introduced as far back as 1982 in the pages of Marvel Fanfare as an assassin tracking Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. We know her real name, Melina Vostokoff, and that Rachel Weisz plays a character with that name in the Black Widow solo film. But other than that, most details about the live-action version of the character remain hidden.

We can look to the comics to fill in her story some. Who is this mysterious Marvel assassin? And what role might she play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let’s take a closer look at the masked assassin obsessed with vengeance -- Melina Vostokoff, a.k.a. Iron Maiden. These are the topics we’ll be covering here:

• Who Is Melina Vostokoff?
• Iron Maiden’s Origin
• Iron Maiden’s Powers and Abilities
• Rachel Weisz’s Black Widow
• Melina Vostokoff in TV and Games

Who Is Melina Vostokoff?

Melina Vostokoff is a former Soviet agent who operates under the moniker of Iron Maiden in the comics, and she harbors a longstanding grudge against Natasha Romanov. They knew each other when they both worked in service of the Soviet government, but both masters of espionage went on to become independent operatives. They crossed paths again when Iron Maiden was sent as a member of a group of assassins to eliminate the Black Widow in Marvel Fanfare #11 (1982).

Iron Maiden’s Origin

“For years my achievements went unnoticed,” Iron Maiden informed Romanoff when they met again, “overshadowed always by the more flamboyant exploits of the Black Widow. Now I shall avenge those slights -- and destroy you in the process.”

A former agent of the Russian service, Melina Vostokoff was simply tired of living in the Black Widow’s shadow. And so, as Iron Maiden, she was determined to make a name for herself as a spy and assassin.

When she next encountered her old colleague, it was as part of a group of assassins who had been sent to take out Natasha. And Vostokoff almost accomplished her task. But she found herself once again being humbled, not at the hands of Black Widow, but by Agent Jimmy Woo. (That’s the character played by Randall Park in Ant-Man and the Wasp.)

Iron Maiden was soon relegated to the background for her later comic book appearances. She joined a supervillain group called the Femizons in a 1991 Captain America storyline called “The Superia Stratagem,” eventually becoming one of Superia’s right-hand henchwomen. Nothing else about her past or her vendetta against Romanoff was revealed, however, and she would take background roles again later in series like Thunderbolts and Hulk: Winter Guard.

Iron Maiden’s Powers and Abilities

“I can withstand any assault,” Vostokoff informed Black Widow in Marvel Fanfare #12. “I am the Iron Maiden.”

Clad in flexible metallic armor, the suit not only grants her super strength but also makes her impervious to physical attacks. Not even the Widow’s Bite, a powerful electric discharge from the weapons on Natasha’s wrists, has an effect on the armor.

Iron Maiden is also a master of hand-to-hand combat, espionage, spycraft, and assassination.

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Rachel Weisz’s Black Widow

With no real background ever revealed for the character, Iron Maiden’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be something completely original. Tidbits Rachel Weisz has shared about the character seem to confirm that she will be a Black Widow antagonist.

“Melina has been cycled through the Black Widow Red Room program five times by the time the film starts,” Weisz hinted at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. “She started being cycled through when she was a child, so she’s a highly accomplished spy and assassin.”

Indeed, from what we've seen of the character in the film’s trailers, she’s wearing a Black Widow costume at one point. And she appears to be part of a “family” that includes Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha, Florence Pugh’s Black Widow Yelena Belova, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian (Captain Russia!).

Still, we can’t help but wonder if there’s more going on here. How does Taskmaster, the armored villain Natasha fights in the film, connect to Melina Vostokoff in Black Widow?

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Melina Vostokoff in TV and Games

Since Melina has played a fairly small role in the comics to date, it’s not surprising that she has not had any significant appearances in Marvel television series or even video games yet... until the Black Widow MCU movie.

With so many characters from Natasha's past gathered in one story, Black Widow is shaping up to be an action-packed tale of spies, assassins, and espionage with many mysteries to be revealed.

July 8, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about the Black Widow movie.

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.

Did you know Natasha Romanov (Romanoff in the movies) isn’t the only Russian agent to operate under the codename Black Widow? In the early 2000s, another agent designated as a Black Widow -- Yelena Belova -- made her first appearance, and she had Natasha in her sights from the get-go. Florence Pugh plays Yelena in the Black Widow solo film, so there’s no better time to meet the super-spy than now.

From her origins in the Red Room to a strange, temporary turn as a supervillain, here’s everything you need to know about the second Black Widow. These are the topics we’ll be covering here:

• Who Is Yelena Belova?
• Yelena Belova’s Origin
• Yelena Belova’s Powers and Abilities
• Yelena Belova’s Connection to Black Widow and the Red Room

• Florence Pugh's Yelena in Black Widow

• Yelena Belova in TV and Games

Who Is Yelena Belova?

Belova, like Romanov, grew up and trained in the Red Room to become a master spy and assassin for Russia. The covert agency wanted a replacement for the Black Widow, whose loyalty no longer belonged to Russia alone, and began training Belova at a young age.

A fierce fighter, master spy, and expert marksman, Belova considered herself superior to Romanov and was desperate to prove it. She was proud to bear the designation of Black Widow and believed she was the only one with the right to use it.

Yelena Belova’s Origin

After graduating from the Red Room as the first agent with marks surpassing Romanov’s, Belova was dispatched on a mission to retrieve a bio-toxin in the country of Rhapastan on her Russian superiors’ command. Romanov was on the same assignment on behalf of the U.S. government, and the two spies crossed paths for the first time in Marvel Knights: Black Widow #1 (1999) by Devin Grayson and J.G. Jones.

“I may lack your experience,” Belova informed Romanov, “but I am your equal or better in every other respect… I have not forgotten what the Black Widow is at her core -- a spy!”

Yelena Belova’s Powers and Abilities

As a Black Widow, Belova has extensive training in hand-to-hand combat, improvised weapons, and knife work, and is a master of espionage and military operations. She’s also in peak physical condition.

When she was granted the powers of the Super-Adaptoid, Belova could wield the powers and abilities of anyone she touched.

Yelena Belova’s Connection to Black Widow and the Red Room

Belova’s fate would be inexorably tied to Romanov. Shortly after the mission in Rhapastan, Romanov didn’t stop thinking about the new Black Widow, and worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. on an unorthodox and seemingly cruel operation involving Belova in 2001’s “Breakdown” storyline.

Romanov kidnapped Belova and rendered her unconscious, and with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. she switched faces with the Russian spy. Belova woke up with Romanov’s face in a world believing she was Romanov -- and a murderer. Romanov’s motive? She needed to get close to Belova’s handler, General Stelyenko, to get information on nuclear weapons hidden in the Hudson Valley. She also wanted to prove that Stelyenko had no interest in Belova’s life or well-being, a trap that he easily walked into with Belova watching nearby.

Belova questioned Romanov’s heartless mind game, and the red-haired Widow replied, “I wanted to save you… You think what I did was cruel, but it is nothing compared to the savagery of our business.”

Yelena Belova would go on to take center stage in the final Marvel Knights: Black Widow limited series story “Pale Little Spider,” which focused on the murder of the man who trained her in the Red Room. Starkovsky was her mentor and the closest thing she had to a father. He instructed her in hand-to-hand combat in the Red Room program starting when she was just 15 years old. Belova was activated by the Russian government as the Black Widow to investigate his murder in Moscow, a complicated and sordid mystery that would eventually shed a harsh light on the man she thought she knew.

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And then… things got weird.

Belova showed up in the 2005 New Avengers comic series as a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Attacked by Sauron and horrifically injured, she accepted an offer from HYDRA and A.I.M. to be transformed into a superpowered villain with the same powers as the Super-Adaptoid. In return for her new life and abilities, she ferociously attacked the Avengers, taking on the powers of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. She was overwhelmed by absorbing the Sentry’s power, and just as she was about to reveal who sent her on her mission of revenge, HYDRA terminated her by detonating an explosive hidden inside her body.

Yelena Belova would return in her Black Widow incarnation after the events of Secret Empire in 2017. In the 2018 limited series Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and Winter Soldier, Romanov, who had also returned from the dead, discovered that the Red Room had the technology to clone their agents and implant their memories into the new bodies. The clones of the Red Room operatives were destroyed, but with one last version of Yelena, complete with her memories, still alive.

Florence Pugh's Yelena in Black Widow

With her origins in the Red Room and her prowess as a spy and assassin, one might think Florence Pugh’s version of Belova has the makings of a formidable but possibly sympathetic antagonist in the Black Widow solo film. (It’s a pretty safe bet that she won’t be an Adaptoid in the film!) But based on the trailers, it seems she's a reluctant ally to Natasha Romanoff. Nat even calls her "sis"!

A second Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could also present some unique opportunities, especially considering Romanoff’s fate in Avengers: Endgame. While it’s unlikely Belova would replace Romanoff’s spot on the team, she could find herself in a role that was never explored in her comics iteration. You can never have enough super spies on your side, after all. And by the way, is that Natasha's vest from Avengers: Infinity War that Yelena is wearing in the trailers?

Yelena Belova in TV and Games

• TV: The animated series Avengers Assemble featured Belova in the show’s third season. She took on Black Widow when the Avengers investigated the Red Room, operated by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. She defied Strucker and adopted the name Crimson Widow but remained an antagonist, appearing again in the fourth season.
• Games: Belova’s crop-top Black Widow garb is used as an alternate outfit for Romanov in Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Marvel Heroes, and Belova herself appears as an opponent in Marvel Puzzle Quest and Marvel Avengers Alliance.

For more on Black Widow, be sure to also check out our explainers on David Harbour's Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff, and the classic Marvel villain the Taskmaster.

July 8, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information on the Black Widow movie.

Kelly Knox is a freelance writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.

The Purge movie series has rapidly grown into one of the most popular and profitable horror franchises in Hollywood, with the fifth film, The Forever Purge, now hitting theaters. This series proves you don't need intricate special effects or supernatural monsters to make good horror, just a few colorfully dressed people doing their best to murder one another.

But where does The Forever Purge fit into the increasingly complex mythology of The Purge movies? Here's everything you need to know about the story driving The Purge franchise, the continuity of these movies, and more!

Get the full story of The Purge timeline in chronological order above.

The Purge Movies Universe Explained: The Basics

The Purge takes place in a near-future world where an organization called the New Founding Fathers of America have taken control of the United States. In response to rising crime rates, unemployment and social unrest, the New Founding Fathers created an annual holiday called The Purge. For one night every year, American citizens are given 12 hours of complete freedom to commit whatever crimes they please. Short of unleashing weapons of mass destruction or targeting top-level government officials, pretty much any crime is legal during those 12 hours. The idea is that The Purge allows them to release their pent-up aggression and become better, harder-working citizens the other 364 days of the year.

On the surface, The Purge seems to have done its job. The economy has recovered and crime is way down. But many believe The Purge is nothing more than a form of violent population control, with the poor and homeless suffering the brunt of the carnage every year. Where many Americans have embraced The Purge, others will stop at nothing to bring this bloody holiday to an end and overthrow the New Founding Fathers.

Watch the trailer for the original Purge movie above.

The Purge Universe Movies

There are currently fives films in The Purge franchise plus a two-season TV series.

The Purge (2013) - The original Purge unfolds in the near future landscape of 2022. At this point, The Purge has been an annual event for several years, and some enterprising individuals like security salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) have found ways of profiting from the event. The film follows Sandin and his family as they discover their lavish home isn't quite as Purge-proof as they thought. This film also introduces the one character who's appeared in each of the first three films, Dante Bishop (Edwin Hodge).

Watch the trailer for The Purge: Anarchy above.

The Purge: Anarchy (2014) - This sequel takes place in 2023 during the seventh annual Purge. Anarchy introduces an LAPD officer named Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), who plans on using The Purge as an opportunity to murder the drunk driver who killed his son. Instead, he finds himself protecting a mother and daughter trapped in the chaos of the night. This movie also fleshes out the background of Dante Bishop, revealing him to be a member of a growing resistance movement opposing the New Founding Fathers.

The Purge: Election Year (2016) - The second sequel jumps ahead almost two decades to the year 2040. This film introduces Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a presidential candidate campaigning on a pledge to end The Purge. Faced with a significant political threat, the New Founding Fathers modify The Purge rules to remove all protections for high-level government officials. Roan is forced to rely on the help of Barnes (now retired from the LAPD and working as her head of security) and Bishop's resistance cell to survive another Purge. If she can survive and win the presidential election, Roan can offer new hope for this darker United States.

Watch the trailer for The Purge: Election Year above.

The First Purge (2018) - This film is a prequel offering a look at how The Purge began. It explores the societal breakdown that led to the US accepting the idea of the annual Purge. The film stars Y'Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Luna Lauren Velez and Marisa Tomei. Creator James DeMonaco again wrote this screenplay, but The First Purge is instead directed by Fruitvale Station producer Gerard McMurray.

The Purge TV series (2018-2019) - The franchise made the jump to television in 2018. Where the movies up to that point had all taken place during a single night while The Purge unfolds, the series took a wider look at how the existence of The Purge influences life in America over time.

The Forever Purge (2021) - The latest film, which was directed by Everardo Gout, moves from the series' typical urban and suburban settings to a Texas border town. Ana de la Reguera (Army of the Dead) and Tenoch Huerta (the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) star as a Mexican couple fleeing Cartel violence only to wind up in the middle of some nasty Purge antics.

The Purge: Origin and Background

The Purge movies are one of several major success stories from Blumhouse Productions, the production company responsible for other horror franchises like Paranormal Activity and Insidious. Blumhouse's approach is to offer directors modest budgets paired with high creative freedom, resulting in horror and indie films that tend to resonate strongly with audiences. For instance, the first Purge had a budget of roughly $3 million and grossed over $64 million domestically.

The first three Purge movies were written and directed by James DeMonaco, who previously wrote films like 1996's Jack and 2005's Assault on Precinct 13. DeMonaco once revealed the origins of the original movie to Fandango, saying, "My wife and I were in a road-rage incident in Brooklyn where we were cut off by this drunk guy who almost killed us. The cops showed up; it was crazy. She said in anger—and this is a doctor who helps people—'I wish we could all have one free [murder] one a year.' I was like, 'Whoa, honey!' It stayed with me."

That incident, along with other political events like the fallout of Hurricane Katrina, wound up inspiring an entire franchise about ordinary Americans being given carte blanche to kill and wreak havoc for one night a year. While reviews for the first movie were mixed, critics and audiences noted its emphasis on social and political satire.

The series has only upped the satire factor with time. The sequels have expanded in scope and focused more on fleshing out the world of The Purge and the conflict between those who embrace the holiday and those who wish to see it end. In particular, The Purge: Election Year flaunted its similarities to the 2016 presidential election, including featuring a main character seemingly inspired by Hillary Clinton. The First Purge continued that trend with marketing that lampooned Donald Trump's "Make American Great Again" campaign.

That emphasis on satire seems to have helped the franchise maintain its appeal with moviegoers. Both sequels fared significantly better with critics, and The Purge: Election Year clocked in at a series best gross of $79 million.

The Forever Purge was originally billed as being the last film in the series, but DeMonaco has since said that he has an idea of how the franchise might yet continue... So stay tuned.

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

After months of speculation, we finally learned at DC Fandome last year which DC villain Idris Elba is playing in The Suicide Squad. And it's... probably not the character you were expecting. No, he's not Deadshot, Deathstroke or Bronze Tiger. Instead, Elba is playing an obscure but still significant Superman villain named Bloodsport. Indeed, in the latest trailer for The Suicide Squad, Superman even gets a shout-out -- Bloodsport put him in the ICU with a kryptonite bullet, we learn!

But who the heck is Bloodsport? That's what we're here to answer. Here's everything you need to know about this forgotten villain and why he's getting top billing in James Gunn's new movie.

Robert DuBois: Idris Elba's The Suicide Squad Character

Not to be confused with the beloved Jean Claude Van Damme movie, or with the various other hyper-violent, gun-toting comic book characters with the word "blood" in their name (Bloodstrike, Bloodwulf, etc.) Bloodsport is a DC villain who dates back to 1987's Superman #4. There have actually been several versions of the character over the years, but they all share a few things in common. They're good with guns, plagued by mental instability and fond of executing those they see.

The original Bloodsport is named Robert DuBois. DuBois is wracked by guilt after his brother takes his place in the Vietnam War and returns home a quadruple amputee. DuBois becomes obsessed with the war and avenging his brother, even if it means slaughtering innocent Metropolis citizens. Lex Luthor is able to take advantage of that, brainwashing DuBois into believing Superman is a threat, arming him with high-tech weaponry and turning him loose on the Man of Steel.

Ironically, while DuBois is a black man, the second Bloodsport is a white supremacist named Alex Trent. Trent takes up his predecessor's mantle and weaponry before winding up in jail. He even finds himself locked in a boxing match with fellow prisoner DuBois. While Trent technically wins the fight by teleporting his weapons into the prison and killing DuBois, Trent himself is later murdered by his own gang for showing weakness in the fight.

A third version of Bloodsport has made small appearances in more recent DC stories, but their identity is unknown. They could even be a resurrected DuBois or Trent, for all we know. With the character poised to make his live-action movie debut, maybe DC will finally get around to addressing that mystery.

Bloodsport's Powers & Abilities

Both DuBois and Trent share the same basic abilities. They're both adept at wielding various firearms, and they both have access to a high-tech armory. Bloodsport's greatest asset in battle is the fact that he can access his vast armory at will, literally teleporting whatever weapon he needs directly to his location.

Whether we see this ability on display in The Suicide Squad, though, remains to be seen. How do you control a prisoner who can summon any weapon he wants at the drop of a hat?

How Bloodsport Almost Killed Superman

Elba is specifically playing the Robert DuBois version of Bloodsport, and there's probably a good reason for that. The original Bloodsport is notorious for managing to come closer than any villain besides Doomsday to actually killing Superman. In his original appearance, Bloodsport was given a full array of high-tech weaponry by Lex Luthor, including guns that fire Kryptonite-laced projectiles. He managed to shoot and seriously wound the Man of Steel, and may well have killed him if not for the timely intervention of Jimmy Olsen. Even Luthor was forced to turn on his new minion after realizing how many civilians had become collateral damage in Bloodsport's rampage.

This could make for an interesting bit of back-story in the movie, as we now know DuBois has been imprisoned for attempting to assassinate Superman. It's surely too much to hope for an actual flashback featuring Henry Cavill's Superman (though Cavill is reportedly appearing in an upcoming DCEU movie), but hinting at this history between the two characters certainly helps establish Bloodsport as a character to be feared.

How Will The Suicide Squad Adapt Bloodsport?

Bloodsport has made a handful of minor appearances outside DC's comics, including a guest role in an episode of Supergirl (played by David St. Louis) and in animated projects like Justice League Unlimited and Justice League vs The Fatal Five. However, none of these adaptations have stayed particularly close to the source material. The Supergirl version is depicted as a hired gun working for corrupt businessman Morgan Edge, while in Justice League vs. The Fatal Five he's basically a militant conspiracy theorist.

More than likely, The Suicide Squad will follow this pattern of only loosely drawing on the source material. Consider that early reports pointed to Elba playing Deadshot and taking over the role made famous by Will Smith in the original Suicide Squad. While we later learned Elba is playing a different character, some of that Deadshot DNA seems to have carried over to Bloodsport.

Based on what we've seen of the film so far, it seems Bloodsport is still filling the same basic role/archetype as Deadshot. He's a gun-toting killer, but one who's more sympathetic and morally grey than his fellow Task Force X members. Like Deadshot, Bloodsport even has a daughter (played by Storm Reid). He may wind up being Deadshot in all but name.

Even so, there's plenty of potential for the new movie to set Bloodsport apart by leaning on the character's origin story and the idea that he's trying to atone for allowing his brother to serve in his place.

6/22/2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about The Suicide Squad.

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

We don't know how he's back, but he's back, baby! Yes, Han Lue (alias "Han Seoul-Oh") is returning to the Fast and Furious franchise in Fast 9.

Though there's a lot to enjoy, and marvel at, with regards to the Fast and Furious franchise -- like how it went from an action series about street racing to basically becoming the A-Team franchise that the A-Team movie never manifested to now being such a bonkers cinematic universe that fans easily foresee its heroes venturing into space at some point -- Sung Kang's Han has remained one of the saga's most endearing, and enduring, characters. Which means a lot when you consider that we all watched him die back in the third film, 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

How Did Han Lue 'Die'?

So here's what all went down. Tokyo Drift -- after Vin Diesel had bowed out of 2 Fast 2 Furious, and both Diesel and Paul Walker nixed a third installment -- took us over to Japan where we followed Lucas Black's Sean as he made a fool of himself on the drift racing scene. Overseas, Sean met honorable thief Han (who, through humorous happenstance, might be the same "Han" Sung Kang played in Tokyo Drift and F9 director Justin Lin's 2002 crime drama Better Luck Tomorrow). During a chase scene through the streets of Tokyo, Han wrecked his 1997 Mazda RX-7 and died in a fiery explosion.

As a way to connect Tokyo Drift more directly to the two previous films, however, Universal brought Diesel in for a cameo right at the end (Diesel did this in exchange for getting the rights to do one more Riddick movie) and in that scene it was revealed that Diesel's Dom Toretto had been good friends with Han before his death.

Then, in one of the most major instances of the Fast franchise being glorious Retcon Royalty, it was decided that the fourth, fifth, and sixth Fast and Furious films -- Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6 -- would take place before Tokyo Drift. With this move, Han could be a part of Dom's crew. This made Han, who was the most enjoyable part of Tokyo Drift (and to many, the only thing worth salvaging from that story), a full member of the franchise while also oddly placing Tokyo Drift as the movie that takes place last (until the story eventually caught up to it with Han's death in the tag at the end of 6).

Han then became a full (past tense) member of Dom's crew, where he fell in love with Gal Gadot's Gisele, who made her first appearance in Fast & Furious (the fourth film). The two became a fan favorite pairing and in Fast & Furious 6 they were both considering leaving the criminal world behind for a shot at a peaceful life together. But when she died at the end of that film (Or did she? SHE ONLY FELL 20 FEET! JUSTICE FOR GISELE!), Han sadly and solemnly returned to Japan...where he then met Sean and wound up dead himself.

And in a huge retcon twist, the end of Fast & Furious 6 introduced Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw (brother of the sixth installment's villainous Owen Shaw, played by Luke Evans) and revealed that HE was the one who killed Han. Yes, Deckard was driving a car that rammed into Han's Mazda - as revenge against Dom for capturing, and injuring, Owen.

With this move, which set up Statham's Deckard Shaw as Furious 7's Big Bad, the franchise's timeline caught up to Tokyo Drift (which, again, had served as the narrative's furthest future point for six movies) and was proceeding forward in the true "present."

Justice for Han... and the Redemption of Shaw

Despite the fact that Sung Kang seemed to be just fine bowing out of the franchise at the end of Fast & Furious 6, fans had a small #JusticeforHan movement going for years. At first, this was because it seemed like a great character had died unceremoniously in service of a much lesser character (Tokyo Drift's Sean), and then because it was revealed he'd been done in by a villain, Deckard Shaw, that the saga quickly sought to redeem and turn into a good guy.

After Deckard was the main adversary in Furious 7, he lived to become an uneasy ally in The Fate of the Furious (F8) - and was even forgiven by Diesel's Dom at the end of the film. That's right. Dom, Han's best friend in the world, was now totally cool with the dude who murdered Han. The #JusticeforHan hashtag movement was at a fever pitch. Deckard was now getting spun off into his own side franchise, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Fast and Furious character, Luke Hobbs (who joined the series in Fast Five), and it became super important for the story to find a way to basically erase all the awful things Deckard had done in the sixth and seventh movie.

In Hobbs & Shaw, they dug into Deckard's past and basically told us that everything we'd learned about him was a lie. He hadn't turned on his own men while part of British special ops. He'd been the one who was turned on. He was a decorated soldier who'd been framed. He wasn't a nasty villain after all.

But guess what? This m-effer still killed Han. Hobbs and Shaw could tweak Deckard's dossier all it wanted to, but it couldn't change the ending of Fast & Furious 6. And nothing in F8 or Hobbs and Shaw (even Deckard's fight scene on a plane while holding a baby) could explain why Dom would forgive Deckard.

Justin Lin, who's now returned to the Fast franchise after directing four films in a row, Tokyo Drift through Fast and Furious 6 (James Wan and F. Gary Grey took the reins for Furious 7 and F8, respectively), has now officially brought Han back - the character he created for Tokyo Drift (or maybe Better Luck Tomorrow) and then curated and cared for over the next three films. Talking to EW, Lin said: "When I left after Fast 6, I really thought that was it, like, there’s no more Fast stories I can tell. From then on, I would travel and just meet people and fans of the franchise, and they would tell me why they love the franchise so much and just share their stories. Then two years ago, I woke up with an idea for the new chapter."

"Along the way," Lin added, "I hadn’t seen the other two movies, and I was at a Q&A for Better Luck Tomorrow and someone brought up 'Justice for Han,' and so all these things were kind of working together."

"Obviously, I have a very personal connection to the [Han] character," Lin explained. "To be able to go through that journey with Han... when I left, I felt it was appropriate and I felt like we were putting the character to bed, but it’s because of some of the things that happened that didn’t quite make sense to me, and so I felt like if I was going to come back, I really wanted to explore why. I think it’s really up to us to bring him back and explore it throughout the themes that we’re all used to."

So now that Han is alive... is Deckard Shaw finally, fully, redeemed?

How Is Han Alive?

Han's alive? How is this possible?

Look, we're now at a point in the Fast franchise where Han's return is an easy-peasy explanation. It would be one of the least crazy things this series has done. Even Michelle Rodriguez's Letty was once killed off and brought back! All they had to do was go back and show us that she'd been pulled from the wreck we thought she'd died in.

The same could happen here, obviously. It could be as simple as showing us Han crawl out of the overturned Mazda before it blows up. Or some new character rescuing him from it. Maybe it was John Cena's Jakob Toretto, Dom's young brother (as revealed in the trailer)?

Or... and this was a theory that popped up after the spinoff Hobbs and Shaw was released... what if Han is now part machine?

Yes, folks, there was a strong #CyborgHan movement after it was revealed in Hobbs and Shaw that the organization Eteon exists. Eteon -- run by a mystery character who has some connection to Luke Hobbs (his dad?) -- is a terrorist group that specializes in "transhumanism." Its soldiers are enhanced and improved with cybernetic and mechanical implants. Could Han's return tie into Eteon? Is Han back as a result of robotic design? Yes, it would mean the core Fast saga would be dabbling in the side story set-up in Hobbs and Shaw, but it could happen!

What are your theories on how Han is back and what this means for Shaw? Let us know in the comments!

6/21/21: This story has been updated with the latest information about Fast 9.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for WandaVision and the Loki series premiere!

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially begun. If there's one buzzword on every fan's lips these days, it's "multiverse." Between WandaVision's recent, shocking Marvel cameo and upcoming projects like Marvel's What If... and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it appears the MCU is now expanding to include alternate realities and other versions of iconic heroes. We're seeing the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, and it's one that may well include familiar faces from Marvel movies of old.

What exactly is the multiverse, and what does it all mean for the future of Marvel in movies and TV? Let's take a look at everything we know so far and the clues leading up to Marvel's live-action multiverse.

What Is the Marvel Multiverse?

Marvel and DC's superhero universes are similar in that they both exist as part of their respective multiverses - cosmic super-structures consisting of hundreds of thousands, or depending on the writer, an infinite amount of parallel universes. Some of these alternate realities are similar to the traditional Marvel and DC Universes, while others are wildly different. The biggest distinction between Marvel and DC is that the core DC Universe is usually treated as the center of its multiverse - the foundation on which all other worlds are built. That's why it's usually referred to as "Earth-1" or "Earth-Prime." Whereas Marvel's classic comic book universe is classified as "Earth-616," signifying that it's just another blip in an infinite sea of universes and alternate realities.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe also exists as part of that Marvel multiverse. According to The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, its designation is Earth-199999. We can assume the various other Marvel movie worlds introduced over the years, such as Fox's X-Men universe, Sony's previous two Spider-Man universes, and New Line's Blade universe, are all included in this multiverse as well. There's now growing evidence we're going to see the heroes of some of those various worlds begin to interact.

Spider-Man's Multiverse Fake-out

While Phase 4 seemingly marks the point where the MCU really starts to acknowledge its place inside a larger multiverse, it's worth remembering that the concept of the multiverse already played a big role in the final Phase 3 movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home. There, Spidey briefly teams up with Quentin Beck, who claims to be a refugee from Earth-833. Beck also refers to the MCU itself as Earth-616, a nod to Marvel's traditional comic book universe. But, as we quickly learn, this is all an elaborate ruse designed to gain the trust of Spider-Man and Nick Fury. Beck isn't actually from an alternate universe; he's just a jilted former employee of Tony Stark. Who could have guessed a guy who calls himself Mysterio isn't to be trusted?

Beck's ruse does raise the question of whether the multiverse concept actually does exist in the MCU. If Marvel faked us out once already, should we really put much stock in rumors about the multiverse coming into play in Phase 4? But as we've seen with characters like The Mandarin and artifacts like the Infinity Gauntlet, the MCU does have a track record of subverting a familiar Marvel element, only to backtrack and tackle a more faithful version later on.

But again, there's enough evidence elsewhere to suggest the MCU is indeed part of a larger multiverse. And don't forget that Far From Home's "Fury" is revealed to be the Skrull leader Talos in disguise, which might actually explain why he so easily buys into Beck's lie. As a spacefaring civilization with advanced technology, the Skrulls may already be aware of the multiverse's existence and would have no reason not to take Beck's story at face value.

The point of Far From Home's multiverse red herring probably isn't to make viewers doubt the multiverse's existence, but to remind them that this subplot may not play out exactly as expected. Marvel's Kevin Feige may not want to follow the exact path of the comics when it comes to the multiverse, particularly since Warner Bros. is ramping up its own efforts on the multiverse front. Rather than partake in some sort of multiverse arms race where the two studios try to top each other by bringing back beloved icons like Michael Keaton's Batman on one side and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man on the other, Marvel may be planning something more unexpected.

The Watchers and Marvel's What If...

2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the first MCU movie to allude to the existence of the multiverse, albeit indirectly. That movie's obligatory Stan Lee cameo features Lee's astronaut character conferring with a group of Watchers. These omniscient cosmic beings are charged with observing the Marvel Universe, seeing everything that unfolds but forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs. However, they also have the power to peer across the multiverse and observe other worlds where events unfolded differently.

Earth's designated Watcher, Uatu, will play a prominent role in the upcoming animated series Marvel's What If..., where he'll be voiced by Jeffrey Wright. As in the comics that inspired it, Marvel's What If... showcases a number of these alternate universes where one key alteration to the timeline results in a cascading series of changes. For example, one episode will show a world where Peggy Carter is given the Super-Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, while another will show a young T'Challa being taken away from Earth in place of Peter Quill. Each of these worlds exists as part of the multiverse alongside the MCU.

WandaVision's Quicksilver Cameo

WandaVision is the first official release in the MCU's Phase 4 lineup, and the series certainly hints at a larger focus on the multiverse. WandaVision takes place in Westview, NJ, a surreal town that now exists as a faux-TV sitcom seemingly controlled by a grieving and unstable Wanda Maximoff. Wanda is determined to build the happy family life that was denied to her thanks to the Sokovian Accords and the Blip, causing her to somehow resurrect Vision and conjure twin sons into being.

Episode 5 seemed to suggest the series was delving into the multiverse concept, ending with the surprise return of Wanda's dead brother Pietro. The catch - this Pietro is played by X-Men movie veteran Evan Peters, not Age of Ultron's Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Whether through Wanda's spell-casting or the interference of a secret villain, this version of Quicksilver apparently crossed over from the X-Men universe to the MCU.

Sadly for X-Men movie fans, this turned out to be another red herring. "Pietro" is actually just an ordinary guy named Ralph Bohner (yes, really), who was forcibly recruited by Agatha Harkness to manipulate Wanda.

Marvel may not have brought the Fox version of Quicksilver into this world, but we already have confirmation that Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool is making the jump to the MCU. So there is still some precedent for these two cinematic universes converging.

Loki and the Time Variance Authority

The first episode of Loki seems to finally get the ball rolling on the multiverse front. The series shows what happens to the 2012-era Loki who escapes with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame. This Loki is almost immediately captured by the Time Variance Authority, who have made themselves responsible for deleting all branch timelines and maintaining the "sacred timeline" as ordained by the mysterious Time Keepers.

As the captive Loki soon learns, there was indeed once a vast multiverse of alternate realities and branching timelines. The Time Keepers deleted these timeline in order to stop a chaotic war and end the "madness" plaguing existence.

Based on this reveal, it would seem there is a Marvel multiverse, but it was eliminated by the TVA. Naturally, it's probably just a matter of time before Loki or someone else (Kang the Conqueror?) undoes the TVA's work and restores a multiverse of unlimited possibilities.

Given previous fake-outs with the Marvel multiverse, we can't be 100% sure this new information is to be trusted. But it does appear as though Loki is laying the foundation for future MCU projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and the Multiverse of Madness

While WandaVision itself didn't wind up introducing the multiverse, the series does lead into the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. Wanda herself will be a major character in the film, likely either as Stephen Strange's reluctant pupil or as a tragic villain whose uncontrolled magical powers threaten the very fabric of reality. Or both, perhaps.

That Doctor Strange sequel looks to be tackling the multiverse concept in a very significant way. It is in the title, after all. The aforementioned Loki episode may even clue us into the meaning behind the sequel's title. According to the TVA, the very existence of a multiverse is a catalyst for madness, and characters like Loki and Wanda may be responsible for bringing back the multiverse and threatening the sacred timeline the Time Keepers worked so hard to create.

Meanwhile, the untitled Far From Home sequel will also be closely intertwined with Doctor Strange 2, to the point where Strange himself will play a significant role in Spider-Man 3. Current casting rumors suggest Spider-Man 3 will delve headlong into the multiverse, with both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's versions of Peter Parker rumored to appear, along with a wide range of supporting characters and villains from those earlier Spider-Man movies. That movie may wind up being more of a multiverse crossover adventure than 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Doctor Strange is the likely guiding hand behind it all.

Granted, Tom Holland has denied these casting rumors, but between his hilarious track record of accidentally leaking plot details and Disney's ironclad secrecy, those denials don't necessarily hold much weight. One way or another, the Marvel multiverse is fast approaching.

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

It took the Kree Empire threatening all of Earth for SHIELD super agent Nick Fury to kickstart the Avengers Initiative back in the '90s. And in his quest to find the world's most extraordinary beings, with the hope of protecting humanity from massive threats, Fury brought together a billionaire tech whiz, a scientist with anger issues, an unfrozen war hero, a bombastic cosmic deity, and two of his best operatives. The Avengers were assembled, and over the years they combated Marvel villains including HYDRA cells, alien hordes, sinister swarms of rabid robots, and much more.

For more than a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been delivering unparalleled thrills, pitting famed costumed heroes against the ultimate bad guys from the comics. Everyone from neighborhood crime lords like Kingpin to galactic tyrants such as Thanos to villains just on the verge of turning good like Loki has tried to take down Marvel's best and brightest, giving us some of the greatest baddies in movies (and TV).

And now, with Loki getting his own series on Disney+, we've ranked the 25 best Marvel villains of the MCU here, spanning the movies and TV shows, in celebration of the franchise's more ferocious evil-doers.

As for how this list was created, a group of IGN editorial staff voted for their favorite MCU bad guys. The results of that vote were then calculated to create this ranking. The criteria we considered when voting included character development, performance by the actor playing the role, overall contribution to the shared universe narrative of the MCU, diversity, and, of course, the just plain cool factor of the character.

Note: Both James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and Nebula get off-screen "honorable mentions" here. Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, was an unwilling tool of HYDRA and Nebula redeemed herself multiple movies ago (and even killed her evil "past" self).

25. Brock Rumlow (Crossbones)

As a SHIELD strike team leader who was also a secret HYDRA agent, Brock Rumlow was an integral cog in Alexander Pierce's plans to launch Project Insight and plunge America into tyranny. After surviving the partial collapse of the Triskelion, Rumlow became a masked and armored mercenary for hire. A front lines threat in any scenario, Rumlow is a top-tier thug and his actions in Nigeria, which some still think may have been orchestrated by Helmut Zemo, brought about the Sokovia Accords after Wanda Maximoff accidentally killed innocent civilians.

24. Justin Hammer

In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark not only had to face down Ivan Vanko, who blamed Tony's father for his own family's disgrace, but also smarmy business rival and shoddy-arms manufacturer Justin Hammer, who secretly plotted with Vanko to replicate Stark's Arc Reactor technology. An insecure schemer right up to the end, Hammer was arrested when Vanko went rogue and almost killed hundreds of people at the Stark Expo using Hammer Drones.

23. The Children of Thanos

As if Thanos wasn't a threat enough on his own, the Mad Titan came with four formidable alien fiends who, like Gamora and Nebula, considered Thanos to be a surrogate father. In Infinity War and Endgame, on top of trying to protect the Time Stone and Mind Stone, the Avengers had to contend with telekinetic herald Ebony Maw, sinister stealth operative Corvus Glaive, heinous heavy Cull Obsidian, and the diabolically destructive Proxima Midnight.

22. Ronan the Accuser

Killjoy Kree extremist, and brief partner in crime to Thanos, Ronan the Accuser sought to end all life on Xandar after the Kree Empire made a peace pact with them. Fitting really, considering that this genocidal warlord once sought to wipe all Skrulls from existence, and would have succeeded had it not been for Captain Marvel. Anyhow, years later, Ronan would find himself smashed to atoms at the joined hands of the Guardians of the Galaxy as they channeled the might of the Power Stone.

21. Arnim Zola

Red Skull's chief scientist Arnim Zola may have gotten himself captured during the war, but this wormy HYDRA operative would wind up doing more damage to the good guys of the MCU than just about anyone. Spending decades within SHIELD, like a parasite, Zola would infect the organization with HYDRA agents so that, by the end, it was hard to tell the two outfits apart. Ahead of his death in 1972, Zola downloaded his entire consciousness into a computer room, where he would command his agents and give birth to Project Insight from beyond the grave.

20. Aldrich Killian

Tony Stark's dark reflection, a scientist who the billionaire playboy had shunned years earlier, Aldrich Killian created a fake terrorist leader, The Mandarin, to take credit for accidental explosions caused by A.I.M.'s Extremis-enhanced soldiers going "pop!" In his plot to control and manufacture America's war on terror, which he conceived alongside Vice President Rodriguez, Killian also sought to ruin Tony's life, reputation, and relationship with Pepper. Somewhere out there, however, the real Mandarin still exists in the shadows.

19. The Grandmaster

As Asgard fell under the rule of Odin's daughter Hela, Thor and Loki found themselves stuck on the (literal) trash planet of Sakaar, where a hedonistic Cosmic Elder known as The Grandmaster pitted captured warriors against each other in a gladiator-style spectacle called the Contest of Champions. Playful, narcissistic, and lethal, The Grandmaster would lose his stranglehold on Sakaar after an uprising spurred by Thor's escape.

18. Ulysses Klaue (Klaw)

Ruthless arms dealer and perennial pain in Wakanda's ass Ulysses Klaue was the only person to ever successfully smuggle vibranium out of the clandestine African nation. And while the searing brand the Wakandans gave him on his neck marked him forever as a crook, it's Ultron who would scar Klaue in a major way when the rogue A.I. sliced off his arm. Klaue would replace his limb with a cybernetic sonic canon and continue to work as the world's foremost vibranium thief... until he was double-crossed and killed by T'Challa's cousin, Erik Killmonger.

17. Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger)

In the wake of Howard Stark's death, business partner Obadiah Stane took over as Stark Industries CEO until Tony was ready to inherit the mantle. Stane, though a father figure of sorts to Tony, was never happy with Tony's rule and objected even more so when Tony returned from being held captive by terrorists and announced that the company was no longer going to manufacture weapons. Stane, for years, had been double-dealing and supplying terror cells with arms and in his attempt to kill Tony and reclaim the company, he donned the Iron Monger suit and went to war with his former protégé.

16. Alexander Pierce

HYDRA's top undercover agent Secretary Alexander Pierce hid in plain sight as a high-ranking official in SHIELD and member of the World Security Council. Under his rule, with the virtual brain of Arnim Zola still kicking, HYDRA almost conquered the United States via massive Helicarriers powered by the Insight algorithm - which was designed to proactively eliminate potential "threats" to a HYDRA-run U.S. The Red Skull may have been blasted into space decades previous, but his spirit lived on inside of Secretary Pierce.

15. Trevor Slattery ("The Mandarin")

Though claiming to be just a drunk and desperate actor taking a gig, thespian Trevor Slattery was responsible for portraying Aldrich Killian's whitewashed version of The Mandarin on TV. Striking fear in the hearts of American citizens, and causing Tony Stark to look directly into a news camera and challenge him to a fight to the finish, Slattery's performance was effortlessly chilling. The last time this problematic performer was seen, he was being busted out of prison by the REAL Mandarin...who wanted to have some words.

14. Ultron

After the Battle of New York saddled him with severe anxiety, Tony Stark was infused with a mad drive to protect the world. His plan, however, fatally fell off the rails when Wanda Maximoff's powers helped give birth to Ultron - a crazed "peacekeeping" A.I. program, housed in vibranium armor, which had the same idea that most hellbent A.I.'s quickly devise. That would be the old "the only good human is a dead human" philosophy. Ultron ran the Avengers ragged and, in its efforts to extinguish humanity, leveled Sokovia and killed Pietro Maximoff.

13. Cornell Stokes (Cottonmouth)

Cornell Stokes was such a fascinating crime lord that when he exited Marvel's Luke Cage halfway through the first season, the show suffered from the loss. Known as Cottonmouth, Stokes' cool and calculating nature had allowed him to rise up through his own family's dastardly dynasty to become the unofficial king of Harlem. Slick and stubborn, this boss' world started to crumble once Luke Cage arrived in town and decided to wage a one-man war against local evil-doers.

12. Ego

Peter Quill's cosmic lineage -- see also: the reason he could handle the Power Stone without painfully exploding -- was unveiled when a Celestial, the living planet Ego, revealed that he was Peter's father. Which made Star-Lord half-almighty alien. Of course, Peter was only created so that Ego could double up on his own power and spread himself, literally, across the entire universe. And while that sounds pretty terrible, it somehow doesn't compare to the cruelty of Ego purposefully giving Peter's mom cancer.

11. Quentin Beck (Mysterio)

After Tony Stark's death, as Peter Parker felt the weight of possibly carrying on Iron Man's legacy, a cabal of disgraced and discouraged former Stark Industries employees, headed by illusioneer Quentin Beck, decided to manufacture a new "hero" from scratch. He would fill the void left by Tony's passing, trick the world into believing they were under attack by multiverse monsters, and generally run circles around everyone using deep fake footage to control the narrative. As Mysterio, Beck never wanted to protect the world, only make people think they were safe while he killed thousands in his quest to inherit Tony's legacy - and weapons.

10. Agatha Harkness

From nosy neighbor to malicious magical momma, Agatha Harkness -- a.k.a. Agnes -- had us wondering about her true nature through most of WandaVision. But then again, who weren't we wondering about with that theory-spawning show? Of course, ultimately we did learn that Agnes was actually the centuries-old witch Agatha, a key player from Wanda's past in the comics (as well as the Fantastic Four's!). And her MCU version also proved to be pivotal in Wanda's evolution into full Scarlet Witch mode. Much of Agatha's appeal as a villain was her cheeky sense of humor, but let's not forget how darned powerful she also proved to be. Plus, she "created" Ralph Bohner. It doesn't get better than that.

9. Helmut Zemo

Though many thought they had what it takes to bring down the Avengers, it took a former Sokovian intelligence officer, acting out of sheer grief, to do the job. After decrypting HYDRA files that had been made public, Helmut Zemo realized Earth's Mightiest Heroes had a hidden pressure point - Bucky Barnes. And Zemo would use Barnes, framing him for a terrorist attack to create a massive rift between Captain America and Iron Man, one that would play out intensely during Zemo's own endgame: the reveal that Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, had assassinated Tony's parents. Zemo later returned in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, where he proved to be one of the most interesting characters on the show. And also a secret dancer!

8. Johann Schmidt (Red Skull)

On top of all the damn Nazis the Allied Forces were dealing with in World War II, Hitler's science and tech division, HYDRA, went rogue when its leader, Johann Schmidt, decided to launch an attack on America. Having been disfigured by an early version of Abraham Erskine's Super-Solider Serum, which would eventually be perfected for Steve Rogers, Schmidt -- known as Red Skull -- developed deadly weapons that were powered by the Space Stone encased in the Tesseract. Captain America thwarted Red Skull's bid to take over the world and the Space Stone sent Schmidt away, far away, to become the cloaked caretaker of the Soul Stone.

7. Kilgrave (Purple Man)

One of, if not the, vilest villains in all of the MCU was Kilgrave, a sadistic rapist with the ability to make anyone do what he commanded with his words. Even more than forcing people to kill themselves (or others), this purple-clad monster, born Kevin Thompson, enjoyed keeping women as sex slaves. The object of his deepest fixation was Jessica Jones, whom he forced to be his personal servant for months. This was some of the darkest territory ever tackled by the MCU (while on Netflix) and it was enough to rocket Kilgrave up toward the worst of the worst.

6. Hela

Never had two MCU heavy-hitters been instantly owned as much as Thor and Loki were when their sister Hela, who they never even knew existed, arrived back on the scene fresh from Hel, having been freed from her prison upon Odin's death. In an instant, Mjolnir was destroyed and the two bickering bros were cast off into space. The Goddess of Death easily conquered Asgard and it would take Thor losing an eye and all of their realm being destroyed in the foretold doomsday event, Ragnarok, to defeat her.

5. Adrian Toomes (Vulture)

After getting stiffed out of a Chitauri clean-up and salvage job by the government, Adrian Toomes decided to put his crew to work as weapons dealers, using the alien tech he recovered to fetch high prices. Soon, Toomes, who himself took to flying around in a winged exo-suit and stealing more tech, was living the good life and nothing was going to prevent him from providing for his family. Not even his daughter's new boyfriend, Peter Parker, who Adrian figured out pretty quickly was the Spider-Man kid that had been causing him a lot of problems. Michael Keaton expertly transforms the comics version of the character into an aggrieved working-class dad who strays into villainy in order to provide for his family in the face of the big corporations that steamroll folks like him.

4. Wilson Fisk (Kingpin)

No one wears a white suit, or looms over a room of subservient crime lords, like Wilson Fisk. A five-steps-ahead master manipulator, and a tower of strength, Fisk could control any environment he was placed in. Whether he was a mystery player in a syndicate of crooks trying to take over Hell's Kitchen or a convicted felon in Cell Block D, Fisk would soon own everyone around him. Hell, this guy managed to get the FBI in his back pocket while he was on house arrest. But also, within this Kingpin of Crime there was a vulnerable human being with love in his heart. And an impulse control problem that led him to kill anyone who got in the way of that love.

3. Erik Killmonger

Abandoned by his family back in Wakanda because of his father's radical beliefs, King T'Challa's cousin N'Jadaka grew up angry and alone in America, having been erased from Wakandan history. As Erik Killmonger, N'Jadaka trained to be a murder machine as part of a U.S. military black-ops unit, all in preparation for one day returning to his homeland and confronting his family over what they'd done. Killmonger was T'Challa's worst nightmare come true, though it was one he knew he had to face. Killmonger's ideas about Wakanda busting free of the shadows and using their wealth and technology to free oppressed peoples around the globe by any means necessary naturally attracted followers and soon he and T'Challa battled for supremacy. Killmonger was, pure and simple, one of the best adversaries to come out of the MCU. He was so good that's it's hard to label him a "villain," given that a lot of his messaging rang true.

2. Loki

Thor's adopted brother, the Trickster God Loki, grew up with an immense chip on his should regarding Odin, Thor, and the leadership of Asgard in general. After separate failed attempts to conquer both Asgard and Earth, using an alien horde (and the Mind Stone) lent to him by Thanos in the latter case, Loki began to see the error of his ways after his mother, who he felt was his one true ally, was killed by Dark Elves. Over the course of the MCU's Phases 1 through 3, Loki slowly redeemed himself. Maybe not with the people of Earth, who were probably still touchy about him trying to invade the planet and subjugate them, but with Thor, the brother he grew up resenting. Charismatically arrogant, flippantly cruel, and demonically deceptive, Loki is the reason the Avengers assembled in the first place. Can he transform fully from villain to hero in the Loki Disney Plus series? Time will tell.

1. Thanos

The threat of Thanos lingered in the background of the MCU for years as the Mad Titan journeyed to find each of the six Infinity Stones. What could/would this galactic ghoul want with the Stones, you might ask? Well, he sought to save life... from itself. Knowing firsthand the dangers of overpopulation, waste, and greed, Thanos, and his many lethal "children," were determined to cull the universe and eliminate half of all life. As quick as a snap.

And he did it. Mercifully (if you ask him), half of all life was erased from the cosmos. It took the Avengers, a Time Heist, and Doctor Strange's one-in-14 million outcomes to win the day and return everyone back to existence. But not before our heroes had to face down a past version of Thanos who, thanks to the Avengers meddling with time, now knew erasing half of all life wasn't enough.

Thanos was the savage storm on the horizon. The callous calamity that arrived and shattered the entire universe. And it took the full force of Earth, and even those beyond, to take him down... twice. His actions continue to be felt in the MCU to this day.

For even more top 25 lists, check out our ranking of the 25 Best Marvel Heroes in the MCU.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Paramount Plus’ upcoming sci-fi action film, Infinite, tells the story of a troubled man who discovers he has been reincarnated multiple times and who then joins the ranks of a secret group of other “Infinites” out to save the world. The trailer just dropped for the film, and IGN also has an exclusive first look photo from Infinite (seen below), which is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Mark Wahlberg.

Loosely adapted from D. Eric Maikranz’s fantasy novel The Reincarnationist Papers, Infinite follows Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg), a self-medicated man diagnosed as schizophrenic because he’s plagued by memories of places he’s never visited. But just as he’s on the verge of a mental breakdown, Evan is visited by the Infinites, a secret society who informs him that not only are his memories real, but they are from all his past lives. The Infinites take Evan into their fold and help him unlock the answers to his memories. Together, they must stop one of their own, Bathurst (Chiwetel Ejiofor), from his mission to destroy humanity.

Check out our exclusive photo from Infinite in the slideshow below:

Infinite Likened to The Matrix

The Infinites are divided into three factions, each with their own respective philosophies. There are the Believers (who Evan joins), the Hedonists (who are just out to have a good time), and the Nihilists (who Bathurst belongs to and, well, their name gives you a pretty good hint at what they’re into). Infinite producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who was a production exec at Warner Bros. before he became a film producer, likened the property to another sci-fi/action film he worked on: The Matrix.

“The experience I had on The Matrix was it was ideas that were intellectual, they were things that were emotional, but they stimulated more conversation. And the same thing happened when I looked at Infinite and said to myself, ‘What's the experience of this movie? What's the deeper significance?’ if you would,” di Bonaventura told IGN in a phone interview. “And what happened on the movie was everyone got sucked into that vortex of like, ‘Oh, so if you live life that many times, how do you view life? Do your values change?’ And it was just one of those things that really captured me and proved out in the movie.”

Antoine Fuqua on Directing Infinite

For director Antoine Fuqua -- the filmmaker behind Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and The Equalizer -- Infinite offered him a chance to play in a more fantastical world than he’s accustomed to exploring on the big screen. Fuqua told IGN that he enjoys sci-fi movies and the creativity and imagination that filmmakers bring to them, and elaborated on the aspects of the story that drew him to the project.

Having lived so many lives, the Infinites are gifted with the memories, knowledge, and skills they have acquired over the centuries. Despite this very sci-fi premise, Fuqua said Infinite is more “grounded” than other fantastical films such as superhero movies “because the Infinites have to earn their ability. They're not born with it. It's based on the idea that if you live a thousand lifetimes, if you could pull on those memories of your other lives in those skills, then we would all be Michael Jordan if you had that ability. It felt more grounded in that way for me. At the same time, it has some pretty fantastic visuals. I get to flex [my] creative muscles.”

The desire to set Infinite in a heightened reality that could remain relatable was a key reason why Fuqua was hired to direct the movie, according to di Bonaventura, who previously worked with Fuqua on Training Day and Shooter. “I wanted to make sure the movie was grounded, and I knew Antoine could do that and do that exceedingly well."

What Makes Mark Wahlberg Right for Infinite

Making Infinite feel grounded amidst all the fantastical elements is also the reason why Mark Wahlberg was cast in the lead role of Evan McCauley. “One of Mark's great qualities is that there's a sense of authenticity to who he is and there's a basic decency and sort of a grounding that makes him extremely relatable,” di Bonaventura said. Having an everyman like Wahlberg being the audience’s guide through this heightened world also makes Evan’s skepticism about what he’s discovering mirror the audience’s own gradual suspension of disbelief.

As di Bonaventura put it, “You want a guy that's saying, ‘Really? You're going to try to convince me of this. Really? I'm reincarnated?’ And Mark's great for that. And then, of course, you want him to rise to being the hero, which Mark is very good at. So he fits what we were hoping for out of that character.”

Chiwetel Ejiofor Plays Infinite's "Tragic Villain"

Every hero needs a strong antagonist and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character Bathurst is “a tragic villain,” according to Fuqua. “He was once an Infinite that possibly still believed in other things, whether it be God or other things in life. He's been in constant search of that God, of that spirit, and all he keeps getting is reborn, reborn, reborn, without being enlightened, if you will, so that for him, it's just becoming darker and darker and more tortured.”

In the scene depicted in our exclusive photo, Bathurst is confronting Evan, but for what purpose? As Fuqua explained, “Chiwetel's character has a suspicion of who [Evan] might be, and if he's who he thinks he is, then they have fought many wars against each other, basically good and evil. Their relationship is based on a deep history of all the lives they've both lived. Chiwetel's character is very clear on who he is. He's a character that's supposed to be the oldest man. He's been here from the beginning. Mark's character, Evan, doesn't know who he is, so Chiwetel's trying to stimulate his memory [in this scene].”

Infinite will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ on Thursday, June 10.

Jason Kilar isn't planning on leaving WarnerMedia anytime soon, according to a new report from Deadline. The New York Times previously reported that Kilar was negotiating his exit last week.

“My plan and my focus is to remain here in my CEO role at WarnerMedia," Kilar told staff in a town hall, as reported by Deadline. "I am not thinking right now about post-merger. There will be a time to consider that topic in 2022.”

His announcement that he's not leaving comes on the heels of WarnerMedia merging with Discovery to create a new venture. As part of the deal, Discovery CEO David Zaslav will take over the new company as CEO. WarnerMedia’s CEO joined the company in May 2020, just ahead of HBO Max's launch.

To say that Kilar’s time at WarnerMedia has been tumultuous in the industry would be quite the understatement. Just one year into the job, Kilar turned Hollywood on its head by announcing that Warner Bros. 2021 movies will hit HBO Max the same day they were released in theaters. Sitting in the middle of a pandemic with no clear sign as to when things would return to normal, Kilar took the opportunity to lean into the unprecedented. The goal was to scale HBO Max as quickly as possible in 2021, and then return to more normal distribution methods in 2022.

Risky! The move reportedly cost WarnerMedia an additional $200 million in smoothing over talent relations with backend deals. Directors like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, both who have long relationships with Warner Bros., publicly condemned the move. Theater exhibitors like AMC and Regal admonished the decision. Kilar put everything on the table at a time that allowed for it, and did it with a consumer-first thesis. If people wanted new movies, and they couldn’t necessarily get to a theater, why not make it available for them at home?

It seems to be working. HBO Max saw big subscriber jumps with the release of Wonder Woman 1984, and engagement seemed to increase with every new high profile film, including Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Godzilla vs Kong. The latter film had the “largest domestic box office of any other movie in the last year while also having the largest viewing audience of any other film or show on HBO Max since launched,” according to AT&T’s chief financial officer, Pascal Desroches.

As Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw put it, “Love him or hate him, Kilar had a strategy and a vision. He started to map it out.”

For WarnerMedia, a company in the middle of a less than amicable restructure under AT&T ownership, Kilar is either a breath of fresh air or precisely the issue. Coming from Hulu when it first started, a company smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Kilar brought a move fast, break things approach to WarnerMedia. The theatrical release model was just the latest thing to break.

Ironically, since then, every major studio has started reworking what a normal theatrical release will look like. Disney is moving films to Disney+ or debuting them simultaneously in theater and on Disney+. Sony has signed a new deal with Netflix. Paramount is working to get its films on Paramount+ faster. Searchlight and 20th Century Studios are making more films directly for Hulu.

Kilar, the prodigal executive brought in to try and fix WarnerMedia’s messy HBO Max strategy, has arguably done what he was hired to do.

Whether or not Kilar stays on board beyond 2022, post-sale and when Zaslav takes over, is the question looming over WarnerMedia.

Between the long-running Arrowverse on The CW and HBO Max's growing library of superhero shows, you might think there's no room left for new series based on DC's massive comic book library. You'd be wrong. Netflix is now tackling one of the most critically acclaimed DC titles of all time through its adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.

Only time will tell if Netflix can do justice to this dark, fantastical saga of dreaming mortals and all-powerful gods. For now, here's everything you need to know about The Sandman and its comic book origins. These are the topics we cover here:

• The Sandman Explained: The Basics
• The Sandman: The Endless and Their Powers
• DC's Sandman Universe
• The Sandman: the Road to Hollywood

The Sandman Explained: The Basics

The Sandman (not to be confused with the Spider-Man villain) revolves around a powerful entity known as Dream or Morpheus (though he has many other names, too). Morpheus is the living embodiment of dreams and a member of a family known as The Endless. Morpheus is nearly as old as existence itself, coming into being when the first lifeforms began dreaming, and he both draws strength from dreams and has the ability to shape them to his will. However, as Morpheus learns over the course of the series, even a being as ancient and powerful as he must learn how to change or face certain doom.

The Sandman is a series with ties to the DC Universe, particularly heroes like the Justice Society's Wesley Dodds, John Constantine and Element Girl. However, Morpheus rarely concerns himself with the affairs of ordinary heroes and villains. Most of his battles involve mythological gods, supernatural creatures and even Lucifer Morningstar.

The Sandman also introduces a realm known as The Dreaming. The Dreaming is home to Morpheus' castle and serves as the nexus of all dreamtime. This realm also plays home to characters like Morpheus' librarian Lucien, his pet raven Matthew, groundskeeper Merv Pumpkinhead and brothers Cain and Abel, who live in the House of Mystery and House of Secrets, respectively.

The Sandman: The Endless and Their Powers

Dream is one of seven members of The Endless, each of whom embodies a different aspect of existence. The family also includes Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium. The Endless are immortal and predate nearly all lifeforms in the universe. They're also among the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, especially inside their respective realms.

As powerful and long-lived as they are, The Endless are hardly omnipotent. Each has certain limitations. Destiny, for example, is blind and permanently tethered to his book, which records all that ever was or will be. Morpheus can draw power from the dreams of mortals, but that doesn't stop him from creating sigils and artifacts to amplify his powers.

The Endless can be captured or even killed, assuming their enemies are sufficiently clever and prepared. The very first issue of The Sandman opens with Morpheus being summoned by a cult and held captive for decades. Meanwhile, there have been two incarnations of Despair, and Delirium was once known as Delight before some unknown tragedy changed her forever.

The Endless can even abandon their duties and live among mortals. Death spends one day every century as a normal, human girl, and one of the major storylines in the series involves Dream and Delirium hunting for their missing brother, Destruction.

DC's Sandman Universe

The original Sandman comic was created by writer Neil Gaiman (also well known for fantasy stories like American Gods, Coraline and Good Omens) and artists Mike Dringenberg and Sam Keith. That series ran for 75 issues between 1989 and 1996,  and chronicles Morpheus' journey as he escapes decades of confinement, tries to rebuild his kingdom in The Dreaming and faces the most difficult challenge of his long, long existence.

However, the Sandman saga extends far beyond that one series. Gaiman's mythology for the series draws from various existing pieces of DC lore, including the two preexisting superheroes called Sandman, Wesley Dodds and Hector Hall. Other supporting characters like Destiny and warring brothers Cain and Abel also predate the Sandman saga by a number of years. Even Morpheus' trusty raven Matthew is a reincarnated character from Saga of the Swamp Thing. In addition to referencing existing DC characters, The Sandman is notable for working in many characters from world mythology, religion and literature.

The Sandman has inspired numerous spinoffs since concluding in 1996. Some of these, like Sandman: The Dream Hunters and The Sandman: Overture focus directly on Morpheus, while his sister Death has starred in books like Death: The High Cost of Living. Other books like Lucifer and The Dreaming are direct spinoffs of the core Sandman series. The characters even occasionally appear in DC's superhero titles, most recently in 2017's Dark Nights: Metal.

DC currently publishes an entire imprint called "The Sandman Universe" aimed at continuing where the original series left off. This imprint is supervised by Gaiman and features several interconnected books like The Dreaming, Lucifer, Books of Magic, House of Whispers and John Constantine: Hellblazer.

The Sandman: The Road to Hollywood

The Netflix series is just the latest development in a decades-long struggle to adapt the series from comics to screen. Efforts date at least as far back as 1996, when Roger Avary was attached to direct and Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio wrote a screenplay based on the first two storylines from the comic, "Preludes and Nocturnes" and "The Doll's House." More recently, David Goyer became attached as producer alongside both Gaiman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, with Jack Thorne writing the script. However, the movie adaptation stalled again in 2016 after Gordon-Levitt dropped out over creative differences and Eric Heisserer was hired to rewrite the script.

New Line also had plans to delve into the Sandman mythos with an adaptation of Death: The High Cost of Living. Gaiman wrote a screenplay in 2007 with the intention to direct. But for various reasons (including the 2007 WGA strike), that project also stalled out. Both projects are among the many DC movies that never came to be.

Instead, DC's focus in recent years has shifted to a television adaptation. James Mangold first pitched a TV adaptation to HBO in 2010, and later Eric Kripke became attached to a potential adaptation at Fox. Now Netflix is the one to finally bring this adaptation to life. In June 2019 Netflix announced it had given a straight-to-series order for a Sandman adaptation. The first season will run 11 episodes and is executive produced by Gaiman and Goyer, with Allan Heinberg (co-writer of Wonder Woman) serving as showrunner.

The cast of The Sandman includes Tom Sturridge as Dream, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine and Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven.

Audible debuted its own Sandman adaptation in 2020. This audio drama features the voices of James McAvoy as Dream, Kat Dennings as Death, Taron Egerton as John Constantine, Riz Ahmed as The Corinthian and Gaiman himself as the narrator. Gaiman revealed the Audible series is meant to be a more faithful adaptation of the comics, whereas the Netflix series will update the mythology for a 21st Century setting.

Ironically, Netflix has also become the home to Lucifer, a series based on the Sandman spinoff comics that originally debuted on Fox in 2016. However, we're not expecting the two shows to be connected, both because of rights issues and because Lucifer tends to downplay the more fantastical elements of the DC source material in favor of a police procedural approach. The Sandman will introduce its own version of Lucifer Morningstar. Similarly, Sandman's presence on Netflix makes crossovers with other DC series on The CW or HBO Max unlikely.

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