Five More People You Meet in Hawkins

It's no secret that all of us have been waiting for the triumphant return of Stranger Things 2 so we could return to the quaint town "where nothing ever happens." We've discussed, at length, the five people you meet in Hawkins. Now, Stranger Things 2 has presented us with even more characters to cry over, worry about, and even hate a little. Today, let's honor those new and familiar faces: here are five more people you meet in Hawkins.

Spoilers for Stranger Things 2

Bob Newby (Superhero)

Most of us know Sean Astin from his role as Samwise Gamgee on Lord of the Rings. Or maybe you know him from his role as Mikey in The Goonies. Whichever you know him as, you were probably pleasantly surprised to see him join the cast of Stranger Things 2 as Bob Newby, a Radio Shack employee who started dating Joyce in the interim between seasons. You may have been suspicious of him at first. You may have even been a little shocked to see him kissing Joyce in the back of the supply room (especially if you're an avid Joyce/Hopper shipper). But whatever your initial feelings, Bob Newby slowly worms his way into your heart over the course of the show.

... And then you're crying. Sobbing, really. And you're just begging for Bob Newby to come back, even though you know that he can't possibly survive being a Demogorgon meal. So you pray for him to be avenged, at least. #JusticeforBob

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Mad Max

Listen, you know Hawkins can always use more girl power. And Max Mayfield provides that in droves when she skateboards onto the scene with a soft heart but a whole lot of attitude.

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At first you might be skeptical about her—I mean, can anyone really take the place of Eleven? But then you realize that's not the point—Max quickly proves she's not anything like Eleven and in the best way. You'll be quickly drawn to her spunk, and you'll want to fiercely protect her from her awful stepbrother, Billy (more on him in a moment). But most of all, you'll campaign for D&D to add "zoomer" to its official repertoire.

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Billy Hargrove

From the moment Billy Hargrove steps on the scene in his tight jeans to the soundtrack of "Rock Me Like a Hurricane," you know you're in for trouble. (And if you don't know, maybe you should get your eyes checked.)

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He's a huge ball of anger and assholery. You don't know whether you want to love him or hate him, and maybe that's the point. Maybe you even want to crawl through the screen and wring his neck. However, in that one scene the tides shift a little, and you see why Billy is the way he is. You don't excuse his actions, but at least you understand them a little better. Then he's back to flirting with married women and beating up your new favorite Steve Harrington (more on him in a moment), and you remember what got you hating Billy Hargrove in the first place. When Max brings that nailed bat between Billy's legs, it is a triumph for all of us. And yet, deep down you know Billy will return (just hopefully not too soon).

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Will Byers

Without Will Byers, there would be no Stranger Things. He's defined the show from the very beginning, even if he didn't get much screen time in season one. In season two, our boy was right-side-up, so he got much more screen time than before. And boy, was it painful.

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From the beginning, you know something's not right when poor Will can't even go to the arcade without the Upside Down haunting him. And unlike the supposed "experts" at Hawkins Laboratory, you know that this is much more than dreams, flashbacks, or PTSD. A car ride with Bob, trick-or-treating, and even a nice warm bath all go horrifyingly wrong. It all comes to an awful crescendo when Will tries to resist and the Mind Flayer possesses him on the football field; you'll be shaking, covering your eyes, and praying you don't have nightmares. (And don't tell me you didn't cry during that scene in the shed—I know you did.)

As the season progresses, you'll be begging for the pain to just STOP already for this poor little boy. But it doesn't. It just gets worse. Much, much worse. Here's hoping season three is much less traumatizing for William Byers (and that he and Jonathan bop out to "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" at least one more time).

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Steve Harrington

Now, technically Steve Harrington isn't a stranger to this column, but he deserves his place because of sheer character development. You thought Steve Harrington had reached his full potential, but it turns out there was nowhere to go but up. (He fully believes KFC is finger-lickin' good, after all!) From bringing flowers to his ex-girlfriend to flinging a dish towel over his shoulder, Steve has become a true icon. If you ever need to fight Demogorgons in a bus or cram a dead Demogorgon into a fridge, you know who to call. Because one thing about Steve frickin' Harrington? He will always, always have your back.

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I thought I was a fan of Steve Harrington before, but Stranger Things 2 made me a full-blown Steve Harrington stan, and I am 100% okay with that. If you need me, you can catch me crying about how much he cares about Dustin—and how much Dustin needs him. 

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Suffice it to say, Stranger Things 2 fully exceeded my expectations and left me desperate for season three. Until our next return to Hawkins, I'll be craving Eggos, humming the Ghostbusters theme, and still getting low-key worried every time the light flickers.

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Who was your favorite character in Stranger Things 2?

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5 Reasons to Watch 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'

After The Force Awakens released almost two years ago (two years?!), I went on a Star Wars spree. I wanted to read all the books and watch all the shows. So I started watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars (not to be confused with the show Star Wars: Clone Wars, which came out first). A month or so later I had stopped watching it as other shows caught my attention and the thrill of Star Wars waned. (I also stopped reading the Star Wars books because some of them were atrocious and I couldn't get over zombies being in a Star Wars book. Maybe the only good thing to come out of de-canonizing the books.) But it wasn't because Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a bad show. It's actually a decent animated film, and much better than a lot of other shows (including Star Wars: Rebels). Recently, I started watching it again and I'm glad I did. I was reminded of why I enjoy the show and why it's worth watching.

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1. All the Sass

One of my favorite aspects of the show is the sass. Between Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and R2-D2, this show is chock full of sassy one-liners, excessive flirting (looking at you, Kenobi), and hilarious comebacks. It's actually quite clever, and the dialogue between characters is one of the most charming parts of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Darth Maul: Anything more to say?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I like your new legs. They make you look taller.

2. Expanding the Universe

Star Wars: The Clone Wars does a good job expanding the Star Wars Universe. The characters travel to so many different planets and systems, they encounter different alien races and cultures (including creepy zombie Geonosians! Whyyy???), and they interact with a lot of new ideas and concepts. Despite Disney de-canonizing about 95% of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Star Wars: The Clone Wars manages to hold on to parts of that universe and give us a wider story than the one on the silver screen.

3. Clone Trooper Representation

Another aspect I like most about the show, other than the sass, is that it focuses heavily on the Clone Troopers. A lot of the troopers are complex, well-rounded characters. There are episodes solely about Clone Trooper training and missions, emphasizing that despite having the same DNA and upbringing they are all unique and interesting people. Yeah, a lot of them die, but a lot receive representation that is otherwise ignored in the main saga. After all, Clone Troopers are people too, you know.

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4. Excellent Voice Acting

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is remarkable because of it's excellent voice-acting cast. At first, I honestly thought that Ewan McGregor or Natalie Portman or even Frank Oz recorded for the show, but I learned instead that no one from the movies did the voice-acting for the show. Instead, it's simply amazing voice actors taking on the roles and making it fit seamlessly with the films. It's impressive.

5. Anakin's Angry Face

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Okay, so the animation style makes Anakin look like he is always angry or he smelled something really bad. (And I don't think it was Stinky.) While it makes me laugh and point at his face like I'm a five-year-old, I do appreciate the animation style. It's not the typical 2D a lot of animated shows are; it's 3D CGI animation, which gives it a unique style. I wish more shows were like this because I think it makes the Star Wars world come to life in a new way. Plus, it makes Anakin's face look angry. I like.

Bonus: Boba Fett's angry face. (source)

Why do you love Star Wars: The Clone Wars?

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Why You Need to Be Looking Forward to 'Final Space' in 2018

Another year of San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, leaving me to screech over all the new information and pictures flinging around the Internet. While many of the announcements, trailers, and cast photos and shenanigans were exciting, there was one announcement that had me in tears. It has to do with the upcoming animated TV series Final Space.

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Wait, what’s Final Space? Oh, let me tell you.
Or let the creator of Final Space tell you:

“The first serialized, animated, interstellar, comedic adventure.”

Final Space is about a spaceman named Gary and his sidekick Mooncake who are on a mission to discover if the universe actually ends.

But Final Space doesn’t start with a plot synopsis. It starts with one man.

If you were anywhere on the Internet about five years ago, you may have stumbled upon a video of this weird dude sitting in his room telling a story about his experience in a Target bathroom. You may remember the phrase, “It’s a Monday” and laughing along as this guy described scaring the (literal) crap out of someone in another stall. This man’s name is Olan Rogers.

If you are like most of the Internet, you watched the video, laughed, maybe shared it with some friends, and promptly forgot about it and the man who created it. If you’re like me, you stuck around. You became a casual fan of this Olan guy. You watched his videos and kept up with his announcements. So when April of 2016 came along, you learned about the beginning of Final Space.

Olan Rogers created a seven-minute, animated video about a spaceman named Gary and his misadventures. But this was only the beginning, the start of the journey. After being invited to L.A. by a producer from Conaco (Conan O'Brien's company), Olan Rogers pitched the idea of an animated space adventure to several networks.

Long story short, TBS, in conjunction with Conaco (and several other companies), greenlighted Final Space to air in 2018. And it’s going straight to serial.

While an animated, interstellar comedy show sounds absolutely delightful, it’s much more important than introducing something new to the television world. The story behind this animated video becoming a full TV show is crazy cool because Olan Rogers basically deserves the world.

He’s a regular guy, who is just passionate about what he loves. And he loves making videos, whether they’re comedic sketches, animated shorts, or simply himself sitting on front of a camera telling a wild story. In addition to having 923K followers on YouTube, he’s starred in several independent films, some he created himself, including New Prime, Pop Rocket, and "Star Wars: The Scarlet Lance" (which was made for the Lucas Film Showcase at Buffer Festival in 2014).

With everything he does, he pours his soul into it, giving every part of him to his projects. No, really, he gives everything away. Literally. At one point, his clothing line donated to organizations who provide food for third world countries. He toured America one summer to throw pizza parties for his fans as a thank you. He opened The Soda Parlour to have a place for his fans to meet up. And he refuses to put ads on his YouTube videos because he doesn’t want anybody to be burdened by watching the ads. (DUDE I WILL gladly watch a 2 minute ad if it means you get food.)

Olan also explained that he chose TBS because ultimately he wanted the show available for people to watch. YouTube Red offered a full series, but he turned it down because he didn’t want his fans to pay to watch it. Instead, TBS is offering to air it on TV as well as put it on their website and app. In addition, it’ll be available on iTunes and possibly Amazon. And he made these decisions because he wasn’t thinking about making money or putting his name out there; he did it because he was thinking of his fans. He does it all simply because he loves to do it, and he wants people to laugh and enjoy a good story.

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He’s been waiting a long time to catch a break. So finally, finally, all that hard work has paid off. And I’m stoked. For him and because his idea does sound really cool and I laughed a lot while watching the pilot video. But also because his story inspires hope that hard work and dedication to things we love can pay off. Maybe it won’t happen right away or it won’t skyrocket us to the top, but something great can happen with it. As a creator myself, this story resonates with me, and I’m grateful for Olan Rogers’ optimistic and encouraging outlook in life. He’s a total fanboy, even about his own creations, and it’s fantastic to see his dreams coming true.

But beyond Olan Rogers being an amazing person who deserves this shot, the team behind the show is incredible. Two words: Conan O’Brien. Need I say more? In addition, TBS is partnering with New Form, who worked on the original pilot video. They are using everything Olan and his team originally created to make this show work, which is pretty cool. It’s not just Olan who is having his work and dreams turned into something bigger than a 7-minute video on YouTube.

And then there’s the whole concept. An animated, comedy space adventure. That’s like all my favorite things wrapped in one. I’m already picturing a little bit of the Guardians of the Galaxy humor and Star Trek adventure thrown against a gorgeous animated outer space backdrop. There will be cool action scenes and devastating moments that rip out your soul. Olan promises the show will make you laugh and cry. What’s not to like? I don’t really know what to expect, except Olan Rogers said this is the first show of its kind. Yes, we have other animated shows that aren’t just for kids, but this is the first one that’s pure space opera and not just satire or humor (or dirty jokes). It’s an adventure in space with tons of great characters.

Which leads me to yet another reason Final Space is going to flip your universe upside down: the cast. It was during that glorious week of Comic-Con announcements that Olan Rogers shared the cast list. And Holy TARDIS of Gallifrey! The list is glorious.

Just look at that list. All those names. Those well-known names. When I watched the announcement video, I teared up when I saw David Tennant’s name (mainly because I miss David Tennant but also because who would have thought Olan Rogers would create something for David Tennant to star in? I can't even.) But then I saw Gina Torres who was in Firefly, Caleb McLaughlin and Shannon Purser from Stranger Things, and of course, Ron Perlman, included as well and I cried. But then there were more names. Names like John DiMaggio and Tom Kenny, who are both known in the animation world already for shows like Adventure Time and Spongebob, respectively. Others like Andy Ritcher, Steven Yeun, Keith David, Fred Armisen, and Conan O'Brien himself also made the list. I cried because these names blew my freaking mind (and the music paired with the cast list was moving). I cried because Olan Rogers has come so far and he deserves the world, so why not just give him the whole flipping outer space.

Final Space won’t air until 2018, and they haven’t announced a set airdate yet. But in the meantime, you can watch the original pilot episode below and a promo released by TBS. If they make this show even half of what Olan Rogers originally did (on a limited budget to boot), I think Final Space is going to be a show to keep your eye on. And who knows? Maybe more shows like this can be a thing, and more dreams can come true.

Olan Rogers, you are the master commander and this is for you!

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Marvel's 'The Gifted' Aims to Take on Our Current Divisive Climate

The political statements made by Marvel’s X-Men have been longstanding. In fact, one of the comic’s greatest characters was a man whose whole life was directed by the path and hatred of bigotry set by political leaders.

As a victim of the Holocaust, Magneto knew firsthand what hate and power could do. His own hate often pushed him to become the very thing he loathed; the rage against those who misunderstood what he was drove him to seek their destruction and elimination.

Over the years, some have believed the original idea of the mutants was to act as a parallel to the world’s view of all the disenfranchised—the Jews, the LGBT, the blacks—any minority which has faced political and societal persecution, bigotry, and isolation. It has been seen as a way to address the issues through the provision of something people would be willing to consume.

In an interview with BuzzFeed Brews in 2014, Ian McKellen admitted it was this concept that sold him on joining the franchise as Magneto.

"I was sold it by Bryan [Singer], who said, 'Mutants are like gays. They’re cast out by society for no good reason,'" McKellen said. "As in all civil rights movements, they have to decide: are they going to take the Xavier line—which is somehow to assimilate and stand up for yourself and be proud of what you are, but get on with everybody—or are you going to take the alternative view—which is, if necessary, use violence to stand up for your own rights?"

Whether the original writer of X-Men had intended for this specific parallel or not may remain a mystery, but it has most definitely been a sort of "open secret" behind director Bryan Singer’s plans for the franchise.

"I helped write the movie," said Zach Stenz, one of the screenwriters from First Class, in a Facebook comment, "and can tell you the gay rights/post-Holocaust Jewish identity/Civil Rights allegory stuff was put there on purpose."

Stenz added Joss Whedon purposely meant the "cure" storyline in the comics as a gay allegory. Singer adopted that goal into the movies. The line in X2, "Have you ever tried NOT being a mutant?" was a way to weave his own feelings of outsiderdom as a gay man into his work.

With all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise Singer’s latest X-Men project, a TV series called The Gifted, will take a hard stance on bigotry and dissecting our real, current political state one episode at a time.

On July 21 at the San Diego Comic Con, a new trailer was released, introducing us to the main cast. At least one character will be a familiar face for avid fans of the film franchise: Blink will set the stage as one of the main mutants in the show.

Unfortunately, Bingbing Fan will not be reprising her role, though I imagine it has more to do with her age than anything.

The trailer opens up with a teenager being dragged by his classmates into the showers, screaming for help. A female voiceover says, "You never know you're a mutant, until it happens the first time." As the teen screams with rage, the metal showers bend and break, and the high school dance is interrupted by flickering lights and the roof crashing down. Another mutant with blonde hair puts up a force field to save herself.

"On this day, everything changes—forever." The blonde screams for her brother, and the trailer moves forward.

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Meet Andy and Lauren Strucker, two young mutants coming into their own as their powers finally reveal themselves. Their father? One of the feds tasked with hunting mutants down. Now, everything changes as the hunter fights to save his family. The only people who can help them are the same ones he was hunting.

What we know so far:

• No-one knows whether the X-Men or the Brotherhood still exist. Which means, as far as any mutants who have managed to evade capture know, they are on their own. They flee for their lives and use their powers to try and survive.
• The feds are after the main group of mutants who have been hiding out together. They know who some of them are, like Blink, whose face is on a wanted poster.
• They're in a world that is fully aware of mutants and, it appears, is creating a greater divide between humans and their evolved counterparts. 
• The Strucker kids know who their dad is, what he does, and all about mutants.
• Despite her husband’s job, Kate Strucker, Andy and Lauren's mother, doesn’t hate or fear mutants.
• Eclipse (one of the mutants) is kinky?

Actress Emma Dumont, who portrays the mutant Polaris, told Den of Geek in an interview at the SDCC that the cast is proud of the challenge the show presents when it comes to the political discourse of today.

"Yeah, I’m going to say straight-up, you guys, our show's about bigotry," she said. "I'm sorry, but we see it in the first scene when Blink's running for her life and a cop could easily kill her dead with zero consequences, because of prejudice...."

In tackling bigotry and the political climate, the goal of the show isn't to cause division, but rather, to create empathy by helping us get to know the actual people on all sides of the issue.

Everyone from the mutants to the family on the run, as well as the government officials hunting them down, will have their perspectives portrayed throughout the story. According to Amy Acker, who plays Kate Strucker, the show was not designed to attack anyone's beliefs, but rather, to provide insight.

The aim is simply to open up empathetic conversation in order to close the gaps caused by our current divisive politics.

"I think it would be incredibly difficult to watch our show and not think about that in some respect," Stephen Moyer, a.k.a. Reed Strucker, told Polygon. "I bloody hope that people do watch our show and think about it."

Will you be watching when The Gifted launches in October?

Title image made using an overlay from IGN.

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Ultimate Movie Marathon: Marvel Cinematic Universe Edition

This week Spider-Man Homecoming releases in theaters. And with it, comes the next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the MCU is a complicated mess of movies, TV shows, and tons of overlapping story arcs and characters. Where should you begin? In what order should everything be watched? And how the frick-frack, paddy-whack can you keep everything straight?

In dramatic Tony Stark fashion, I present to the best way to watch the entirety of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (aka the Chronological Order of the Universe*, not release date). So grab your snacks (blueberry?), your shield/hammer/armor/cape, and your best friends, and get ready for the most awesome movie (and TV show) marathon ever! (Other than watching The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings film trilogies back-to-back in one sitting, obviously.**)

*This is a rough order because technically there are prologues, flashbacks, and the like that take place before other parts, and there are also tons of overlapping scenes within the movies and shows, which would require pausing a film after five minutes to watch a different 5 minute clip to stop that and watch something else. Until someone puts together a montage of the MCU in chronological order, check out the full chronology list here for every moment in order.
**I say this only because I'm pretty sure it's impossible to watch the entire MCU in one sitting because there are 15 feature films, six TV series, and several other shorts and mini-series. And that's only what's already been released.

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Captain America: The First Avenger

MY FAVE FINALLY GOT A MOVIE. Not crying, not crying. Okay, I was crying about this like 5 years before it was made when all I had to go on was rumors!

Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter

Apparently this is no longer canon because of the TV show. Since it's the reason we have two seasons of the TV show, you should probably watch it anyways.

Agent Carter Season 1 and 2

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Agent Carter takes on aliens, Hydra, and misogyny in the 1950s, while in heels and taking coffee orders. Honestly, I'm still angry this is canceled. There is no wrong with this show. Plus, Jarvis is just a precious cinnamon roll.

Iron Man

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Welcome to the world of Stark Industries. In which we are all introduced to Tony Stark and his love for himself. (It's kind of strange, but this is the only MCU film I didn't see in theaters.)

Iron Man 2

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Wait, this movie exists? I only remember Tony lounging in the giant donut. The rest is a blur from all the whiplash.

The Incredible Hulk

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Bruce Banner (and the Hulk) before his facelift. Learning to control the Hulk really changed him, eh?

Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant

The greatest crossover before The Avengers movie. (Also, A+ consistency, people.)

Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor

Coulson is the best. (Also, this takes place, technically, before the end credits of Iron Man 2. But hey, it's hard to keep track of everything.)

Thor

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I haven't always liked the Thor movie, but then someone told me it's basically a Shakespearean play and then I had to rethink my life decisions. (Also: are we going to ignore that Tom Hiddleston played Loki or what? Because how. How is that the same man?)

The AVENGERS

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I WAS SHAKING WHEN I WENT TO SEE THIS IN THEATERS ON OPENING NIGHT. SERIOUSLY I ALMOST CRIED. THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY SUPERHERO CAREER.

Marvel One-Shot: Item 47

No one remembers this because it's boring and had nothing to do with anything. Right? I mean, I don't... remember.

Iron Man 3

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This is my favorite Iron Man film. Except for the Mandarin plot line. That was terrible. But Tony and Rhodey and Pepper were great. It was all great. So many feels.

Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King

I think this is the reason they stopped making Marvel One-Shots.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episodes 1-7

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The show we didn't know we wanted, but we are definitely glad we have. #CoulsonLives

Thor: The Dark World

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All I remember is the Ninth Doctor was a Dark Elf, and I just... okay then. And Loki. Gosh, Loki. (It's all about Loki. They should just rename all the films after Loki. Loki, Loki: The Dark World, Loki: Ragnarok. I mean, it makes sense, right?)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episodes 8-16

Man, season one was so tame. They just had to deal with things like hackers, alien technology, and Tahiti. Nothing crazy or creepy or soul-ripping. Well, except...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Get ready for the Sebastian Stan meltdown of 2K14. Because it happened. "Til the end of the line, pal." *sobs*

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episodes 17-22

THIS IS WHEN STUFF GOES DOWN, YO (and I officially sold my soul to this show). Seriously, don't watch these episodes until you've watched The Winter Soldier. Because things just got real!

Guardians of the Galaxy

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I can't believe this movie exists. I love it so much.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

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I can't believe two movies like this exist. Amazing. (And yes, GOTG Vol. 2 takes place in 2014. *waves fingers around* MATH.)

Netflix's Daredevil Season 1*

I HAVE FOUND MY SOUL. MATTHEW MICHAEL MURDOCK IS MY FREAKING SOUL.

*Note: Daredevil takes place sometime after The Avengers but before Age of Ultron, so you could technically watch it alongside Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as it overlaps. But it's easier to just watch the whole season together.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episodes 1-19

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Okay, but this season was pretty dope. Things start shaking up when the Terrigen Mist goes off. They did good.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

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You were either super angry with this film or you loved it. There is no in-between.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episodes 20-22

"I see dead people. I mean, an army of metal men (aka AI robots)." And that's the extent of the S.H.I.E.L.D.-Avengers movie crossover. #Disappointing

Ant-Man

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Seriously, Marvel made a movie about a guy who interacts with ants. I mean, how does this movie even exist? It makes less sense than Guardians of the Galaxy.

Netflix's Jessica Jones Season 1*

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If you want to be creeped out by the 10th Doctor or you want to relish in your feminist power, watch this show, yo.

*Just like Daredevil, Jessica Jones takes place at the same time as the movies. It's hard to pinpoint without exact dates, though it can be concluded it takes place after Daredevil season one and before Captain America: Civil War.

Netflix's Daredevil Season 2

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Aka: I never expected to care so much about The Punisher. #Oops

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episodes 1-19

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Inumans are e v e r y w h e r e and we realized Fitzsimmons will never be happy again. Never.

Captain America: Civil War

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Aka Captain America: A Small Skirmish. Still sobbing, though.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episodes 20-22

There was no repercussions from the whole Civil War deal. So you know, this is the moment when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. breaks from following the movies because the movies didn't care about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Jerks.

Luke Cage season 1*

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This show is empowering. You should watch. Plus, Luke Cage is smoking hot. *finger guns*

*Again, Luke Cage takes place as the same time as other installments of MCU but definitely after Daredevil and Jessica Jones and before Iron Fist.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot

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Apparently, this is a spin-off mini-series of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I didn't know this existed before I made this list. Sooooo...

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episodes 1-4

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When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gets even better. Who knew? I mean, really, though. Who knew this show would last this long and be this interesting? They dove deep in comic lore, which is fantastic. (Two words: Ghost Rider.)

Doctor Strange

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Prepare to be amazed. *waves hands around like the Sorcerer Supreme* Also the beginning of this takes place BEFORE Civil War, but the ending is after, so you know. Watch after.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episodes 5-15

Are you ready to be creeped out? And to lose your soul? Because: here you go!

Iron Fist Season 1*

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While I watched this show, I realized The Defenders was happening, and I internally screamed for 2734924 hours. Also, Danny Rand is a precious cinnamon roll that I want to protect at all costs. (No, no. It's not because he has a dragon tattoo on his chest. Why ever would you think that?)

*Iron Fist can be watched alongside season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but for funsies sake, I put it here in the middle of season four. Gotta break it up. Just make sure you watch Iron Fist after Luke Cage and before The Defenders.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episodes 16-22

I haven't watched yet because Marvel has too many things to keep track of and I can't deal. But my sources say a lot of freaking crazy stuff happens, and it's good.

Spider-Man Homecoming

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Gosh, I'm so glad Tom Holland is our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Coming up next for the MCU:

The Defenders: August 18 on Netflix
*internally screaming for 347927538 years*

Inhumans: September 1 in IMAX, followed by the rest of the season on ABC in October.
I'm excited, but I hate how Medusa looks. Her hair... no. I'm worried.

Thor: Ragnarok: November 3, in theaters
I never thought I'd be so excited for a Thor movie. But dang son!

The Punisher: 2017, Netflix
Ben Barnes. That's all I care about. But also the Punisher because... well, see Daredevil season two.

Black Panther: February 16, in theaters
SO COOL. MUCH AWESOME.

Avengers: Infinity War: May 4, in theaters
Is this even real life?

...and more!

So far, we know a handful of other projects are in the works, including the Captain Marvel film, Jessica Jones season 2, Daredevil season 3, Luke Cage season 2, another Avengers film (Infinity War Part Two?), the Ant-Man and the Wasp film, Cloak and Dagger series, The Runaways series, and the New Warriors series. I've also heard they're already planning Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a sequel to Spider-Man Homecoming.

Whew! That's a lot of pieces to the MCU puzzle. By my calculations, it would take about 173.2 hours, or a little over seven days straight, to watch everything, so if you're behind, you better get started. Phase four is coming, and you want to be ready.

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