All posts tagged: Villains

Lanterns trailer unveils major DC villains ahead of HBO premiere

Lanterns trailer unveils major DC villains ahead of HBO premiere

Published by Daniella Wilson

DC Comics fans have finally got a closer look at HBO’s Green Lantern-inspired mystery series, Lanterns, in an official full-length trailer. The series stars Aaron Pierre (Mufasa, Rebel Ridge) and Kyle Chandler (Godzilla) as John Stewart and Hal Jordan respectively, both members of the titular intergalactic police force. The leading heroes have magical rings that allow them to create any object imaginable out of green light as they patrol the galaxy and keep peace. In the series, the mentor and rookie are called to a small Nebraskan town, which is rather suspicious of outsiders. Kelly Macdonald, Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. John Johnson/HBO Max The new trailer confirms Stewart and Jordan will come up against Manhunters who, in the comics, are the predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps. “Manhunters are the most dangerous beings to ever exist in the galaxy,” a voice can be heard saying. “And it can take the form of any species.” The trailer also offers a first look at Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) who, in the comics, was a former Green Lantern who …

I’m a reality TV junkie and this new star makes other villains look tame

I’m a reality TV junkie and this new star makes other villains look tame

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter As a devout “Bravoholic” for more than a decade, I thought I’d seen everything the reality TV network could throw at me: jailed Housewives, hurled wine glasses, and faked cancer stories. But I never thought we’d see another “Scandoval.” The portmanteau refers to the 2023 scandal surrounding Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval, who blew up his life when he cheated on his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their castmate — and her best friend — Rachel Leviss. The affair became such a pop culture obsession that “Scandoval” quickly entered the reality TV lexicon, turning Sandoval into TV’s ultimate villain and earning him The New York Times Magazine distinction of being “the most hated man in America.” Surely other reality TV stars — especially Bravo’s own — would learn from his mistakes, right? Wrong. Summer House star West Wilson is making a …

The Forgotten Moment When Superman Fought Prejudice Instead of Villains (1950)

The Forgotten Moment When Superman Fought Prejudice Instead of Villains (1950)

Published by José Betancourt

It makes sense that Super­man would take a tol­er­ant view of immi­grants and oth­er minori­ties, giv­en that he him­self arrived on Earth as a refugee from the plan­et Kryp­ton. The Man of Steel may strike you as an unlike­ly mouth­piece for pro­gres­sive ideals, but 1950 found him on a book cov­er, above, engaged in con­ver­sa­tion with a small crowd of most­ly white boys: “…and remem­ber, boys and girls, your school – like our coun­try – is made up of Amer­i­cans of many dif­fer­ent races, reli­gions and nation­al ori­gins, so … If YOU hear any­body talk against a school­mate or any­one else because of his reli­gion, race or nation­al ori­gin – don’t wait: tell him THAT KIND OF TALK IS UN-AMERICAN. HELP KEEP YOUR SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN!” In oth­er words, cit­i­zens must steel them­selves to take action, because you can’t always count on a super­hero to show up and make things right. The cheap paper jack­et, above, was dis­trib­uted to school chil­dren by the Insti­tute For Amer­i­can Democ­ra­cy, an off­shoot of the New York-based Anti-Defama­tion League. Mean­while, a …

EastEnders villain’s return revealed in all-new story for George Knight

EastEnders villain’s return revealed in all-new story for George Knight

Published by Daniella Wilson

George Knight (Colin Salmon) is set to receive a chilling shock in forthcoming EastEnders episodes – as adoptive father Eddie (Christopher Fairbank) stages a return. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet star Fairbank portrayed Eddie across 16 episodes in early 2024, and was eventually sent down for the murder of George’s birth father, Henry Asare, four decades previously. An EastEnders spokesperson told Radio Times: “We can confirm Christopher Fairbank will be returning to EastEnders for a short stint later this spring.” Arriving into Albert Square alongside wife Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell), it quickly transpired that their motives for reuniting with their son were deeply sinister. George discovered that he was adopted from West Africa as part of a baby farming agreement, and when Henry was sent to the UK to collect him, Gloria pleaded with Eddie to do whatever it took to stop him. With a number of his racist cronies, Eddie beat Henry to death before stuffing his body into a suitcase and throwing it into the canal. A young George witnessed the incident, unaware of Henry’s true …

Weird and wonderful fungi should be so much more than sci-fi villains

Weird and wonderful fungi should be so much more than sci-fi villains

Published by skeptic

Someone inhales fungal spores. They feel strange. They might get a bit bitey. Possibly a bit dead. And then… POP! Something gruesome happens and the horror spreads. Such is the fate of many in Cold Storage, a new film in which a trio of unlikely heroes try to save the world from apocalypse. Their enemy? A mutated Cordyceps fungus that, on account of some dastardly solar radiation, now infects warm-blooded animals rather than its usual prey. But haven’t we seen this before? Cordyceps exist, and many of them have indeed adapted to a spectacularly cinematic form of parasitism: spores invade an unlucky invertebrate’s body; the fungus grows, consuming its host’s insides while infiltrating its nervous system and muscles; the host’s behaviour changes, perhaps seeking out platforms for optimal spore dispersal until, finally, its fungus-riddled corpse sprouts tendril-like growths, releasing hundreds of thousands of spores into the air, whereupon the whole macabre dance starts anew. Because Cordyceps lack the ability to survive in the hothouses that are mammalian bodies, it is incredibly unlikely that any could …

Coronation Street villains at war as surprising feud emerges

Coronation Street villains at war as surprising feud emerges

Published by Daniella Wilson

Tensions are rising in Weatherfield, as beloved Coronation Street resident Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) was laid to rest. Brocklebank’s 11 year stint on the ITV soap came to an end earlier this month during an epic crossover episode with Emmerdale. Billy was driving a minibus home from Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) wedding and crashed into a number of vehicles. When he attempted to escape, twisted abuser Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) clipped his seatbelt back into the buckle and allowed the vehicle to ignite. Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) was guilt-ridden at the funeral. ITV He’s subsequently been left guilt-ridden by his actions, and earlier this week, boldly confessed his regrets when stood over Billy’s coffin. Little did Theo realise, someone was listening from the next room – Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard)! Scheming Carl was clearly planning to use this information to his advantage, but in which way? In today’s episodes, the residents gathered to bid farewell to Billy. The procession was about to leave from Shuttleworth’s funeral parlour when Carl approached Theo, telling him exactly what he’d …

In ‘Fallout,’ Justin Theroux Reminds Us He’s One of Our Best Corporate Villains

In ‘Fallout,’ Justin Theroux Reminds Us He’s One of Our Best Corporate Villains

Published by Jenni Sidey

Justin Theroux has a rangier CV than you typically see for an actor of his handsomeness. Of course he’s at home in prestige projects like the John Adams miniseries or the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On The Basis Of Sex. His friendships with alt-comedy superstars like Amy Sedaris and The State means he’ll pop up in the Strangers With Candy movie or play a charismatic commune-dweller in Wanderlust. He’s also a welcome presence in genre-crossing experiments like Netflix’s Maniac or HBO’s The White House Plumbers. Yet across his impressively varied work, one specialty has emerged: capturing the essence of an archetypal business sicko, pinpointed to the era Theroux is playing him—or, in one case, writing him. A quarter-century ago, Mary Harron’s film adaptation of American Psycho brought the specific look and attitude of the ’80s finance demon to the screen by way of Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale. But one gag of the story is that any of the guys in Bateman’s orbit—including 28-year-old Justin Theroux’s ravenous, sharply suited Timothy Bryce—is probably just three …