Captain America's Last Avengers: Endgame Mission Raises A Lot Of Questions

Captain America's Last Avengers: Endgame Mission Raises A Lot Of Questions

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame. Read at your own risk!

Avengers: Endgame gave audiences a lot to chew on throughout its three-hour runtime in what ended up being a satisfying, but somewhat confusing tale that utilized time-travel. While it's been established the typical movie rules involving time-travel aren't in play in the superhero epic, there's a handful of moments that have folks scratching their heads even if they liked the movie.

The biggest of these is Captain America's final mission, which involved traveling back to the past to return the Infinity Stones to the points in time that they were taken. He didn't return the way Hulk assumed he would, and instead, appeared on a park bench much older than what he should've been when he left. He told Sam Wislon he had decided to try out having a normal life, and was shown to have returned for his dance with Peggy Carter.

It was a sweet moment, but also one that raises a lot of questions. Did Cap's pit-stop affect the timeline, and if so, how do The Avengers remember his prior actions? Here's some of the problems with Avengers: Endgame's Captain America ending, some ways it could be explained and what it might mean for the Marvel universe.

The Problem With Captain America's Trip

If Captain America went back for that dance with Peggy, then he's potentially scrubbed a big part of his timeline. If Steve's alive and well throughout all that time he's frozen, there's plenty of ways for him to interfere and reshape history. It's possible he's created a new reality which changed events viewers saw in Agent Carter, and made that kiss scene with Sharon Carter in Civil War way more awkward.

One might think this is rectified if Cap simply created a new reality living another life, but it's not that simple as he can't live in a reality that was unaffected by his actions. There are other explanations as to how he could've accomplished this, but they would absolutely change the meaning of Captain America's story as we know it.

Or was he always in the past and we're just now learning that there have been two versions of Steve Rogers living independently of each other in the MCU this entire time? Avengers: Endgame did nothing to explain this predicament, and it's unclear whether or not Marvel will down the stretch.

Now that we've established the problems let's do a deep dive into working out each possibility, and drilling down on the various complications with popular theories, and what would need to be explained for them.

Captain America Lived Out A Full Life In An Alternate Timeline

In this scenario, Captain America returned all the Infinity Stones, and then traveled back to Peggy for that dance and to live out the rest of his days by her side. In doing so, he created an alternate timeline, and may have left his frozen self dormant in that ice. Man, not cool, Steve.

Now, once Steve has lived out a full life by Peggy's side, he gets more Pym Particles and travels back to before he revealed himself as alive to Peggy, stops that Steve from revealing himself to her and then lets things play out the way they naturally did with the world believing Steve Rogers is gone. This then sets him back in the reality similar to the one he was before, and he travels back to the timeline

Now there are some problems with this. For example, there'd be three Captain Americas when Old Steve went back, and if he convinced the Steve about to see Peggy to stay away, he's created a reality in which there are three Steve Rogers and this isn't quite his reality. He could kill the third Cap, but that doesn't seem like something he'd do. Basically, unless there's three Caps in the current timeline, this theory has some real problems.

Captain America Lived Out A Full Life With Peggy In The Main Timeline

Here, Captain America went back to Peggy, they had that dance and began a lifelong great romance. They got married and started a family. Basically, the assumption is that Steve is the unnamed husband of Peggy that Cap learns about in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Ideally, Steve arrived after the events of television series Agent Carter, which keeps that series canon and less complicated.

Second, Steve and Peggy then keep his true identity out of the limelight, and the hero keeps a low profile so that he doesn't jeopardize his future rescue which brings him back decades later. Once Peggy grew ill, Old Steve then removed all things that would've clued his younger self in on the fact that there were two of him running around.

Again, it's not a bad theory, but it's not without its problems. The biggest of these is that tender kiss Cap shared with Sharon Carter, who would be his grandniece. Obviously Steve at the time wouldn't have known that, but it'd definitely be something older Steve would cringe at the thought of later in life. Maybe he can just blame it on Game of Thrones, or Marvel can just scrub that scene as it was kind of uncomfortable to begin with.

Captain America Went Back To Peggy, But It Didn't Work Out

There is a third option, in which Steve went back in time to dance with Peggy, and things ultimately didn't work out. Whether Steve explained why they couldn't live happily ever or things inevitably fell apart between these two lovebirds is a mystery. I'm inclined to think the former because Peggy still clearly cared about Steve years later.

Steve then went somewhere to live a normal life and, while he didn't get the true love he dreamed of for most of his life, things seemed to have turned out alright for him. Now an old man, he eventually travels to the point in time his friends are waiting for him, and hands over the Captain America shield to Sam.

Wait, how did he get a hold of another shield? Steve didn't leave with one, so did old Steve snatch another one? That seems like something that would mess up or create an alternate timeline, right?

What The Russos Have Said About Captain America's Trip

The Russos are well aware that the world has questions regarding Captain America's adventure, and they've teased there is an answer. The brothers think there may be a story behind Steve's Avengers: Endgame journey, and noted they spent three years working through the layers of the story.

Ok, great, so why not just tell us what happened? Well, if there's a story to tell behind Cap's journey, it's possible it plays into a larger part of Marvel's plans for Phase 4. In short, the story about what Captain America achieved may be explained down the line in another movie.

What seems more likely, to me, is that Steve's time situation will be explained in the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series for Disney+. Kevin Feige has teased a stronger Marvel connection with those shows partly because they're being produced by Marvel Studios, but also because they were planned around the same time as Phase 4. If answers are coming on what happened, this show seems like the best time to do it.

Do you have a theory or way of explaining Captain America's trip in Avengers: Endgame? We'd certainly love to hear it. Share your thoughts in the comments below and stick with CinemaBlend for tons of MCU analysis.

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Captain America: Civil War Almost Focused A Lot More On Bucky

Captain America: Civil War Almost Focused A Lot More On Bucky

One of the biggest blockbusters of 2016, Captain America: Civil War took inspiration from Mark Millar’s 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover series that gave it its title, telling the story of a superhero community torn apart by philosophical differences. But it wasn’t always so. There was once an alternate version of the MCU’s third Captain America movie that originally 3 focused much more on Bucky Barnes and his journey coming out of the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Screenwriter Christopher Markus recently explained,

There were outlines where we had the Zemo plotline based around Bucky. We had that whole structure. But it wasn't so much about pitting Steve and Tony together. When Civil War rose to the surface, it fit in really nicely into that.

Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier certainly plays a significant part in Captain America: Civil War, but according to a recent Hollywood Reporter interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely he originally had an even bigger role in the narrative. Because Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark wasn’t always a guaranteed part of the film, there was initially no conflict between him and Steve Rogers to set up, so in the absence of that storyline Bucky took center stage.

According to Markus, the plotline that existed in older outlines with Bucky still had Daniel Brühl’s Zemo has a key player, so it doesn’t sound like his story was drastically different in the development of Captain America 3. That being said, there probably were some key alterations made, such as the significance of the brainwashed super soldier killing Tony Stark's parents.

Ultimately the option of creating a big screen version of Civil War came along. The writers were able to work that iconic comics storyline in and make everything in the established Marvel Cinematic Universe fit and function as a cohesive story. Being able to do Civil War also apparently proved fortuitous for the writers, because apparently the Bucky and Zemo material wasn’t strong enough to carry the film, as screenwriter Stephen McFeely explained:

It wasn't a great enough A-plot. It became an excellent B-plot.

According to Stephen McFeely, having the focus of the film be Bucky Barnes and the story of Zemo controlling him wasn’t all that great. By shifting that story from the main focus to the B-plot was much more effective. It actually complemented the story of the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark too, by having their disagreement about the Sokovia Accords give way to a more personal dispute over what Bucky’s fate should be.

It’s hard to disagree with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely given how well Captain America: Civil War turned out. It now stands as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved films, and one of the most important given how the ramifications of it reverberate throughout many of the movies that followed it. The conflict between Tony and Steve ultimately carries throughout the rest of the Phase 3 films all the way until Avengers: Endgame, proving to make Zemo one of the franchise's most successful villains.

For those who might lament not getting even more of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Civil War, fear not. Bucky will star alongside Anthony Mackie’s Falcon in a new series coming to Disney+, one of many MCU series on the way.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this summer and for the latest superhero movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

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Can Any Upcoming Movie Top Endgame's Opening Box Office Weekend?

Can Any Upcoming Movie Top Endgame's Opening Box Office Weekend?

In the months leading up to the release of Avengers: Endgame, box office projections varied on just how much the eagerly anticipated film would make opening weekend. Forecasting in the preceding months had it anywhere from $200 million to close to $300 million. A massive amount, to be sure, but not a guarantee to become the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time held by last year’s Avengers: Infinity War with $257.7 million.

As we got closer to the film’s release and pre-sales records were being shattered, it seemed obvious that Endgame would snag the top spot, and the fantasy of a $300 million opening seemed like it could become a reality. But even a box office Nostradamus, possessed with Captain America’s giddy optimism couldn’t have predicted what actually happened.

Avengers: Endgame was a cultural event like no other, baffling the industry by rocketing past $300 million and ultimately landing at $357.1 million. This was a feat that seemed not only improbable given previous box office records, but nearly impossible given its three-hour runtime. This was cinematic history and at least from an opening weekend standpoint, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest movie of our lifetimes.

The opening weekend for Avengers: Endgame was so big, I have to ask, can any upcoming movie possibly top it?

Avengers: Endgame is 2019’s biggest movie, but it is far from this year’s only massive tentpole. This summer has some huge releases like the long-awaited Toy Story 4. That film has mass appeal ,and last year’s Incredibles 2 showed the power of nostalgic Pixar franchises, but no animated film has ever opened to over $200 million, much less $300 million. Toy Story 4 would have to nearly double Incredibles 2’s $182.7 million opening weekend to get the job done, and it’s only tracking for $130 million at the moment.

After that, Spider-Man: Far From Home should certainly benefit from being the first MCU film after Endgame, but the highest the Web-Slinger has ever climbed is Spider-Man 3’s $151.1 million, and no MCU solo movie except for Black Panther has topped $200 million opening weekend.

Moving on, in July we have one of this year’s strongest contenders, the "live-action" reimagining of The Lion King. Of the films in the Disney Renaissance, The Lion King anecdotally seems to be the one with the highest nostalgia quotient, alongside Beauty and the Beast. The live-action reimagining of that film opened to an incredible $174.7 million in 2017.

I expect The Lion King to best that and actually cross the $200 million barrier in its opening weekend. However, no matter how beloved The Lion King is, it is still something we’ve seen before, so there won’t be the same kind of necessity to rush out to the theater to avoid spoilers that Avengers: Endgame had going for it. Crossing $350 million for a remake is a big ask.

In November, Disney’s dominant year continues with Frozen II. The first film had major legs at the box office as it snowballed into a phenomenon, so I expect the sequel to open bigger than the original’s $67.4 million, but over five times as much seems like a stretch.

Then we get to December, and here is where things get interesting. In 2015, the return of Star Wars in the form of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens set the $247.9 million opening weekend mark that Infinity War bested last year. Even with a decade’s worth of waiting for the franchise to return, that incredible box office is still over $100 million south of what Avengers: Endgame just did. Beyond that, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened to less than The Force Awakens with $220 million.

Given that trajectory, the divided fanbase after Episode VIII and the disappointing performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, what hope does Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have of besting Endgame?

If I had to guess, I don’t think it will, but The Rise of Skywalker has a lot going for it. J.J. Abrams seems to be trying to unite the fanbase and appeal to fans of the Original Trilogy, and by bringing back Emperor Palpatine, he caters to both the OT and the Prequel fans. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker also has the same special thing that Avengers: Endgame had; it’s the end of a Saga, and it’s being billed as such.

That’s a powerful thing, and disaffected or not, all fans will want to know how this trilogy and nine-film saga ends. The Rise of Skywalker will carry the same must-see quality and fear of spoilers that Avengers: Endgame did, and it will be a cinematic event that everyone is talking about. So I think it has a shot, but it’s a long one.

Looking at both the 2019 and 2020 calendars, next year looks somewhat barren by comparison. Things have yet to be announced and we still don’t know exactly what Marvel’s 2020 releases are, but there aren’t as many obvious contenders for Endgame’s crown.

The MCU films will be big, but without a team-up movie, I doubt any title, especially one with new characters, will have the juice to climb that mountain. If Black Panther 2 hits in 2020, I could see it surpassing the first film and nipping at Infinity War’s heels, but not Endgame’s.

Christopher Nolan has a big new movie coming out next summer as well, but without an established brand attached, it would be more likely to develop into a phenomenon over time versus debuting as one opening weekend. Beyond that, there aren’t a lot of great prospects. Bond 25, Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 all belong to big franchises, but aren't nearly big enough to surpass Avengers: Endgame.

Fast and Furious 9 is scheduled for next year, and although that will likely be one of the year’s biggest movies, in that franchise, only Furious 7 has cracked $100 million domestic in its opening weekend. The Fast and Furious franchise is much bigger internationally and it’s not fair to compare those opening weekends since not all films release at the same time in different markets.

Pending a delay, 2020 will finally see the release of James Cameron’s Avatar 2, which will be very interesting to watch. I’ve written before about why the Avatar sequels will not fail, but not failing and making $350+ million opening weekend are two different things entirely. I expect Avatar 2 to do well, but primarily overseas.

It just doesn’t seem like there will be the necessary kind of hype and anticipation domestically. If Avatar 2 is to be a hit here, I think a strong, but not insane opening, followed by major box office legs, similar to its predecessor, seems more likely than a record-breaking opening weekend.

As far as the known knowns are concerned, there are some intriguing contenders like The Rise of Skywalker, but there don’t look to be any films that would be favored to wrest the opening weekend record away from Avengers: Endgame. So what about the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns?

J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World is one of the most powerful and popular brands out there, but the Fantastic Beasts franchise has never attained the heights of Harry Potter. After Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I don’t expect 2021’s Fantastic Beasts 3 to change that.

Star Wars is taking a break from the cinema after The Rise of Skywalker, so depending how that film ends and is received, and how long the wait is until whatever’s next, the return of the franchise could be pretty big. That hypothetical scenario might have a real shot at Endgame’s record.

There is also Matt Reeves’ Batman movie that we’re all eager to see. But because that film will introduce a new Caped Crusader, it won’t have the established audience investment to open at Avengers: Endgame’s level.

Frankly, from our current vantage, the most likely film to unseat Avengers: Endgame will be something from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Black Widow, The Eternals and Shang-Chi won’t be enough. Five of the top 10 opening weekends of all time are MCU team up movies and it will likely take another strong team to dethrone the current king. But it will take a while to do that.

Part of why Avengers: Endgame was so big was because it was, like Marvel said, the culmination of a decade’s worth of nearly two-dozen films. Audiences followed its characters for years and wanted to see how their stories ended. With the mantle being passed to new characters and new franchises, it will take time to build that same level of investment.

There will probably be another Avengers movie eventually or some other team-up that mixes characters new and old, but even without yet knowing Marvel’s Phase 4 plans, that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon. Maybe in 5+ years we’ll get the X-Men introduced into the MCU and that will lead to Avengers vs. X-Men, it'll just take some time.

The difficulty of this exercise illustrates just how incredible Avengers: Endgame’s opening weekend was. The fact that even the final Star Wars film in the Skywalker Saga is an underdog against it is testament to Endgame’s nearly unfathomable achievement. So can any upcoming movie top Endgame’s opening weekend box office?

Looking at the calendar, the short answer would appear to be no, but if you would have asked people a month ago if Avengers: Endgame would make over $350 million domestically in its opening weekend, they too would have had complete confidence responding in the negative. Records are made to be broken and you can never say never.

Clichés aside, before 2012’s The Avengers, no film had made over $200 million in its opening weekend, and before Spider-Man in 2002, no film had ever made more than $100 million opening weekend. Inflation goes up, films keep getting bigger and as Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro has explained, the once unthinkable $300 million weekend was possible because of the infrastructure in place thanks to the digital cinema revolution.

If the demand is there, theaters are able to meet it by programming their screens for the hottest titles, and they aren’t limited by only having a certain number of physical prints of a film. Therefore, it stands to reason that eventually Avengers: Endgame’s record and even the $400 million opening weekend barrier will fall.

But it will take a movie with four-quadrant appeal, a favorable rating, a massive build and a powerful brand or franchise name attached to it. That perfect storm doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon, but hey, it would be great to be surprised.

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California Avengers: Endgame Screening May Have Exposed Moviegoers To Measles

California Avengers: Endgame Screening May Have Exposed Moviegoers To Measles

The United States is currently dealing with the worst outbreak of measles since the disease was considered eradicated in the nation back in 2000. The outbreak has hit 22 states and has recently made headlines for being detected in Southern California.The large population there already makes the possibility for widespread infection significant, but the timing is also unfortunate. A woman infected with the disease may have infected a large number of people when she attended one of the first screenings of Avengers: Endgame last week.

According to NBC 7 in San Diego, the woman attended the AMC Theater in Fullerton on Thursday, April 25 for a midnight screening. People who were in that theater beginning at 11:00 PM that evening are being asked to contact their health provides as they may have been exposed.

Measles is an incredibly infectious disease, and so places like movie theaters where large numbers of people are in very close proximity to each other, are perfect for the spread of the disease. The fact that the biggest movie in years, that's drawn record numbers of people to theaters over the last week, has been released in the middle of this outbreak, is simply the worst kind of luck.

The woman in question apparently had just returned from a trip abroad, so it's being implied that she may have contracted the disease elsewhere in the world, rather than getting it from another person during this recent domestic outbreak.

Because of the infectious nature of the disease people who have been diagnosed are being put in quarantine or being asked to voluntarily quarantine themselves. It doesn't appear the woman knew she was carrying the disease when she went to the theater, as people can be infections before symptoms even begin to present.

The majority of the cases come from those who were unvaccinated.

Certainly, nobody who was going to check out a midnight showing of Avengers: Endgame was expecting to have to deal with a serious disease. Those in the theater for the midnight screening that the infected woman was in certainly run the greatest risk but anybody in the building could have been infected and even those who arrived after the woman left could have contracted the disease simply by touching the wrong thing.

Because some AMC theaters were running later than usual screenings of Avengers: Endgame in order to deal with the high demand, even more people than usual could have potentially been exposed.

Hopefully, this infection will run its course and the herd immunity of vaccination will help prevent it from spreading to those who are unable to get vaccinated. While no movies as big as Avengers: Endgame are likely to come out this summer, this is the season for theaters to be full of people, and with that comes increased risks that could potentially last all summer.

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Bumblebee Director Travis Knight Has Found His Next Blockbuster Movie

Bumblebee Director Travis Knight Has Found His Next Blockbuster Movie

After a decade under the reins of Michael Bay, the Transformers film franchise finally brought on a new director for its latest installment, Bumblebee. Under Travis Knight’s watchful eye, Bumblebee came together as a critically acclaimed blockbuster movie that collected over $466 million worldwide. While some may have hoped he’d tackle a Bumblebee sequel next, Knight is instead turning his attention to a different kind of blockbuster as a follow-up: The Six Billion Dollar Man.

Although the original TV series starring Lee Majors was called The Six Million Dollar Man, thanks to inflation, it’s going to take a lot more money than that to turn the cinematic version of Colonel Steve Austin into a bionic powerhouse… but I digress. For nearly two decades, there have been various versions of The Six Billion Dollar Man in development, with Warner Bros trying to get its own version off the ground since buying the film rights from The Weinstein Company in late 2017.

Alas, by May 2018, director Damian Szifron, who joined The Six Billion Dollar Man in 2015 following the departure of Peter Berg and co-wrote the script, also exited the project due to creative differences. That put the kibosh on Warner Bros plans to begin shooting The Six Billion Dollar Man that summer.

Shortly after Damian Szifron left The Six Billion Dollar Man, it was reported that Mel Gibson was “circling” the part of Steve Austin’s mentor, Oscar Goldman, and should he have taken the role, Warner Bros might also have courted him to direct. However, almost a year later, Variety is reporting that Travis Knight, who’s also well-known for his work on Kubo and the Two Strings, will handle directing duties on The Six Billion Dollar Man instead. Mark Wahlberg is still attached to star.

It’s unclear if Travis Knight will use the same script that Damian Szifron or if he plans on overhauling the story, but given how well Bumblebee was received last winter, it’s fortunate Warner Bros was able to recruit him. Of course, given how many directors have come and gone before him, we’ll have to wait and see if Knight is indeed the one who guides this movie into principal photography or if he also ends up eventually leaving.

While no specific plot details about The Six Billion Dollar Man have been made available to the public yet, the movie is expected to retain the basic premise of its TV predecessor, which was based on the Martin Caidin novel Cyborg. The TV show followed Steve Austin, an astronaut who was horribly injured while piloting an experimental aircraft, being “rebuilt” with bionic implants that increased his strength, speed and vision. Austin subsequently used these new special abilities as an agent for OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence).

Although The Six Billion Dollar Man was last scheduled to come out on May 31, 2019, obviously that won’t come to pass, so keep an eye on CinemaBlend and we’ll let you know when the new release date is announced. In the meantime, you can learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

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Bumblebee Director Has Plans For A Potential Sequel

Bumblebee Director Has Plans For A Potential Sequel

Bumblebee was a very different sort of Transformers movie, and while it didn't put up Michael Bay like numbers at the box office, it was much better received by critics and others who had been more critical of the more explosion-heavy entries in the series. While more Transformers movies are certainly coming, we have little idea what they will actually be. However, if anybody is looking for ideas, they should ask Bumblebee director Travis Knight, because he's apparently already got several potential movies mapped out in his head.

The word on the street is that development has begin on a direct sequel to Bumblebee, and if that's the case, and the studio wants to bring director Travis Knight back to make it, it sounds like he would love to return and he could also give that development some direction. According to Knight...

In my mind, I have all kinds of ideas for where Charlie goes from here; where Bumblebee goes from here; where Optimus Prime goes from here. In my mind, I’ve already made those movies on some level. If the stars align, would I tell another story in this universe? I mean, I love these characters, so it’d be a thrill to be able to tell a different kind of story in this universe. Time will tell.

Bumblebee told the story of the popular Autobot's arrival on Earth where he befriends a teenage girl named Charlie, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The movie ends with Charlie and Bumblebee parting ways, as Bumblebee reunites with Optimus Prime. However, it sounds like, based on what he tells, THR, if Travis Knight gets his way, all of these characters would come together for a sequel. Steinfeld had previously told me in an interview that she would be up for a sequel, as would John Cena if the option was there, so it sounds like all the necessary humans are ready and willing.

We were expecting a new proper sequel to the main Transformers franchise to hit this year but the film was pulled from the release schedule last year and we haven't heard much about it since. Franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has previously stated that the next Transformers movie will aim to combine elements of the main series and Bumblebee, something that has the more emotional character story of Bumblebee while still having plenty of "Bayhem" for those who love the city-destroying action sequences the series is known for.

As one of those people who preferred Bumblebee to any other Transformers movie, and was also a big fan of Kubo and the Two Strings, I would love to see Travis Knight return to make another Bumblebee movie. Whether or not it will happen we'll need to wait and see, but we can be sure that something new will happen with the Transformers movies before too long.

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Building A Lightsaber At Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Isn't Cheap But It's Worth It

Building A Lightsaber At Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Isn't Cheap But It's Worth It

The following contains spoilers for the lightsaber building experience at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Yes, really.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge promises experiences unlike anything we've ever experienced before, and the new land largely delivers. However, while Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run is certainly an innovate and impressive attraction, my favorite part of my own visit to Black Spire Outpost may have been the experience of constructing my own lightsaber.

As had been previously reported, the experience is not a cheap one, and the price alone will, unfortunately, likely turn a lot of people away by itself, but if you can afford, I for one believe that the experience is worth the price.

To get started, what is that price? It's $200. Yes, now that you've swallowed your tongue, let me explain that you're not simply paying for a really expensive souvenir, but a personalized show than ends with a really expensive souvenir.

As you approach Savi's Workshop, once you find it, because I had some trouble, you find employees who claim they work in "scrap metal." If you are interested in purchasing some of their scrap, they'll show you several different options. Each drawer contains different styles of metal pieces. The woman tells me that some of these pieces represent strength, while others represent defense.

You choose which style looks the most interesting to you, then you pay your 200 "credits." You're given a pin that represents your choice and you're led to a waiting area to wait your turn.

When the door to the workshop popped open, a woman stuck her head out and began to look around nervously, as if she were afraid she was being watched. Once satisfied the coast was clear, we were ushered quickly inside, where each us were presented with an empty work bench.

The woman who led us in, Josie, is flanked by a pair of assistants. She begins to tell us about about the noble lightsaber, being the weapon of the Jedi. She talks about the stories that have been told of the noble Luke Skywalker, and how he stood against the First Order. Those stories have drawn many to feel the pull of the Force, including those of us in this room right now. It's a direct reference to the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi that may have been the moment that I most felt like I was inside a Star Wars movie. The idea that the four of us in that room, like "broom boy," were potential Jedi whose power was only just now coming out, felt like magic. I had been called here.

First we had to select our Kyber crystals. Four color options are available, blue, green, violet, and red. As Josie takes each crystal she holds it up, and begins to speak on what the color represents and the famous Jedi who have used lightsabers of that color. As she does this, the lights in the room change color to match the crystal, and the music, which I hadn't even realized was playing, and is clearly part of the brand new score reated by John Williams, changes. Each crystal has its own music cue which appears to be controlled actively rather than simply being a case of timing the speech to the music.

I went with the classic blue crystal.

Once you have your crystal, it's time to start putting your lightsaber together. Based on the pin that you're wearing that represents your choice earlier, a set of pieces is placed in front of you.

You're given several pieces to choose from, more than you'll need. This gives you some additional freedom to create the type of saber that you want.

These pieces are the real deal. They're metal, not plastic. They have real weight to them. Put all the pieces together and you have the hilt that looks and feels like what a "real" lightsaber hilt must feel like.

Once completed, a sort of ritual takes place that gives your new lightsaber a blade. It's a surprisingly emotional experience. I think I caught a mother who was there watching her child build a saber, getting a little misty.

At this point, the newly anointed lightsaber wielders are greeted by a voice known very well to the world of Star Wars. I'm not going to spoil it, but, needless to say, if I wasn't feeling emotional before, I was after this.

Each lightsaber is then given a soft case to be placed into. For story purposes, this is to conceal the item because the First Order would not take kindly to people brandishing about lightsabers in the streets, but of course it also makes transporting the object easier as you continue your day, as well as make it easier to carry onto an airplane when you go home.

If you were just spending $200 on a really nice lightsaber, that would be one thing, and it would be tough to recommend. Even as it is, for the 15-20 minute experience that ends with the really nice lightsaber, it won't be for everybody. But for me, it was the highlight of my first trip to Batuu. I can't wait for the next one.

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Buffy Actress Kristy Swanson Shares Sweet Photo Tribute To Luke Perry

Buffy Actress Kristy Swanson Shares Sweet Photo Tribute To Luke Perry

Since ‘90s heartthrob actor Luke Perry passed away earlier this week, his family, friends and former co-stars have shared an outpour of grief and love for the late actor, who died at the age of 52 on Monday after being hospitalized for a “massive” stroke a few days prior. During Perry’s early Beverly Hills, 90210 fame, the actor starred in the first crack at Buffy the Vampire Slayer before Joss Whedon developed it into the fan-favorite teen drama.

Luke Perry played Oliver Pike, the love interest to Kristy Swanson’s Buffy in the 1992 movie. In response to Perry’s passing, Swanson took to her Instagram to share a sweet photo of the pair together in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, along with sweet note in tribute to him. Take a look:

What a touching eulogy to the ‘90s actor. Kristy Swanson posted her reaction to hearing the sad news along with genuine word about how she found out about his passing – just after she thought about him and couldn’t sleep, she heard the news. She said the “tears won’t stop and never ever will”, and described their close friendship.

The 49-year-old actress also reminisced about her time on set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Luke Perry, with a behind-the-scenes photo of him with some crew members. She pointed out how he was unbothered by 20th Century Fox’s insistence on a clean-shaved face and donned a soul patch for the film. Here’s her second Instagram post:

Kristy Swanson has been friends with Luke Perry since before their starring roles on the ‘90s film. She recently penned an essay to The Hollywood Reporter where she discussed their friendship and expressed his positive vibes on set. Here’s how she put it:

I remember Luke telling me once that in high school he’d been the mascot during football games. That made total sense to me. I was playing a cheerleader in Buffy but he was really the on-set cheerleader while we were making that movie. He was always telling people how great they were doing. He was always positive and uplifting. He made everyone smile. And everybody loved him for it.

Additional to Kristy Swanson’s comments, Luke Perry’s family on CW’s Riverdale, where he played Archie’s father Fred Andrews since the show premiered in 2016 will dedicate the remainder of the third season to the actor’s memory. In a statement from the show’s executive producers, they described him as “father figure and mentor to the show’s young cast” along with other reactions from others who knew him.

Luke Perry is still best known for his decade-long role as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, but his role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also a career highlight. The highly-successful show that came after the movie is getting the reboot treatment, but don’t count on Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar joining in.

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Bryce Dallas Howard Really Wants The Original Actors Back For Jurassic World 3

Bryce Dallas Howard Really Wants The Original Actors Back For Jurassic World 3

Last year, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom finally gave fans a taste of what they’d been asking for with the return, albeit in cameo form, of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm. Now, with Jurassic World 3 set to close out the trilogy that began in 2015 with Jurassic World, there is a hope that we will see the whole trio of Jurassic Parks actors return. And we’re not alone because actress Bryce Dallas Howard really wants the original actors back for Jurassic World 3, as she explained:

Yes, very much so. If that happens, I don't know. I don't know what's been confirmed or whatever, but I'll blink if it's happening and maybe.

Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World films, seems to want the original Jurassic Park trio of Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill to return for Jurassic World 3 as much as the rest of us, and perhaps more so because it would give her a chance to work with them.

In fact, in her comments to MTV News about the possibility, she seemed positively giddy at the prospect. And who could blame her? The original Jurassic Park is an iconic film and one that Bryce Dallas Howard, like so many of us, presumably grew up with. So of course she is all in on that trio coming back for more dino droppings and chaos theory.

This isn’t the first time Bryce Dallas Howard has championed this idea either. The Rocketman actress has spoken in the past about how she didn’t get a chance to actually work with Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom because her character never interacted with Ian Malcom. She has also said that if she could bring back one of the original cast to the franchise, it would be Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler.

To Bryce Dallas Howard’s delight, she may get her wish. In her comments to MTV News, she mentions that she doesn’t know what has been confirmed, playing it coy and not wanting to say too much. But when she says “I’ll blink if it’s happening,” she purposefully blinks a bunch. It’s not the same as an official press release, and we can’t say for sure yet, but that would seem to indicate that things are looking good for the original Jurassic Park trio to return for Jurassic World 3.

Jeff Goldblum has also teased Laura Dern’s return in the past and the actress herself has made it plain that she would come back if asked. It makes sense that these three would be brought back now too. Jurassic World 3 isn’t just the concluding chapter of the Jurassic World trilogy, it is also (for now at least) the culmination and end of the Jurassic Park story that began in 1993.

Therefore it would be a bit of a bummer if we didn’t see these beloved characters one last time. Director Colin Trevorrow agrees with that sentiment, which is hopefully good news for Bryce Dallas Howard and Jurassic Park fans.

Jurassic World 3 hits theaters on June 11, 2021. That’s a long way off and presumably you’ll want to see some other movies before then. Check out what you can look forward to this year in our 2019 Release Schedule.

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Bryce Dallas Howard Discovered Harsh Truths About Elton John’s Mother While Researching For Rocketman

Bryce Dallas Howard Discovered Harsh Truths About Elton John’s Mother While Researching For Rocketman

Memorable art often is born from pain. Could be a broken heart. Could be a broken home. But art that stands the test of time too often can be traced back to an inspirational source of tragedy, and that has been proven time and again over the years.

Elton John can attest to this notion. In the new film Rocketman, it’s made clear that the piano prodigy’s home life as a child was a struggle, with his parents Stanley (Steven Mackintosh) and Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard) being less than accepting of his talents and musical aspirations. It only got worse as the singer/songwriters’ career flourished.

Seeing as how Bryce Dallas Howard comes from a show business family, we wondered if she had a hard time connecting with a parental figure who didn’t support the fantastic dreams of a gifted child. And during a recent Rocketman press day in London, Howard told CinemaBlend:

I not only struggled to connect, I questioned it. A lot. … I had a lot of questions for production, but what I was interested in was hearing about Sheila from people who were not involved in the production. So I had a lot of confidential conversations, and again and again and again, heard stories where I realized that it was actually worse than what it was on the [script] page. It’s not that it tipped over into abuse. But it was absolutely chronic cruelty. It was an incredibly toxic, dysfunctional relationship.

Elton John, according to Rocketman, didn’t necessarily rebel against his strict parenting, but he did seek out new relationships through music. After studying at a sophisticated music academy, he gravitated to rock and roll, and eventually found a spiritual and artistic kinship with lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jaime Bell). Their collaborations span a lifetime, and still produce hits to this day.

In fact, when I pointed out to Bryce Dallas Howard that Elton John’s gift prevailed through the emotional hardship put upon him by his misguided mother, the actress wisely clarified:

He was able to overcome that. I feel like he had that gift within him always. For me, I’m still like, ‘Gosh, what could it have been if she hadn’t have treated him like that?’ What more… he always would have been extraordinary. But he would have been happier earlier.

She’s right. Sir Elton John has achieved perhaps the highest level of success in his chosen field. But there’s no telling how smoother his path might have been if he had received the support that he craved from Day One. Then again, without those hardships, we might never have a dramatic musical like Rocketman to appreciate in theaters.

Here’s Bryce Dallas Howard, talking about her preparation to play Sheila Eileen Dwight in Rocketman.

Dexter Fletcher directs the musical biopic Rocketman, which is carried by a breathtaking lead performance by Taron Egerton. The movie roars into theaters on Thursday night, and if you can’t tell, we think you need to check it out.

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Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think

Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think

Heroes may come and go, but only the most resilient find their way back to the danger. Just ask Bruce Campbell, as his most famous role as the Evil Dead franchise’s Ash Williams is one that’s waxed and waned like our fickle moon. And just when everyone thought he was gone for good, Ash is about to saddle up for action yet again. Only this time, it’s going to be in another realm he’s not unfamiliar with: the world of video games.

Despite Campbell, for the most part, retiring the role of Evil Dead’s Ash Williams after the cancelation of Ash vs. Evil Dead, it looks like he’ll be strapping on the chainsaw again for the multi-platform game, Dead By Daylight. Currently available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, the concept of the game is very much an Evil Dead inspired affair.

With the objective of the game being that the four survivors in play must repair the required number of emergency generators that will allow for their escape, it’s already terra firma for the man who survived three films, three seasons of his own TV show, and various comic book appearances. The similarities only increase in Dead By Daylight’s gameplay when it’s hindered by the fact that there’s one player hunting those survivors as the killer, whose objective is to clear the board in vicious, bloody fashion. And, you’ll get to play through it all, with the likeness and vocal stylings of Bruce Campbell being fully integrated into the game’s killer engine.

So, yeah, adding Ash Williams as a playable survivor is as good of an idea as when a previous Dead By Dayilght update brought fellow horror legend Laurie Strode to the game. If you’re one of those types that’s liable to want to cross over famous franchises such as Halloween and Evil Dead, this news from Variety just gave you further incentive to go out and buy yourself a copy. Unless you’re a Nintendo Switch owner, in which case you’ll have to wait until this fall. Still, it’s pretty exciting news.

Though he’s had plenty of video game adventures of his own on various console generations, seeing Ash Williams heading to Dead By Daylight so soon after being told we would probably never see or hear from him again has us hopeful. Should this recent offering in a long line of famous franchise themed DLC sell like hotcakes, maybe there’s a possibility that Bruce Campbell could snag an Evil Dead themed game franchise as previously promised; which opens up a pathway for him to rope dear friend and series creator Sam Raimi back in to tell more stories in that particular sandbox. It’s far from a given, but fans can dream, can’t they?

If you’re looking to try out Dead By Daylight’s latest, boomstick toting survivor, and just happen to be at the PAX East convention this weekend, stop by their booth and hail to the king! Otherwise, the DLC featuring Ash Williams will be available on April 2nd.

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Brigitte Nielsen Was Super Pregnant Filming Creed II

Brigitte Nielsen Was Super Pregnant Filming Creed II

In a surprise cameo, actress Brigitte Nielsen appeared in last year’s Creed II, reprising her role as Ludmilla Drago from Rocky IV. The years made Ludmilla even colder as she had abandoned her husband and son and at the film’s end, left ringside when it became clear that Viktor was going to lose. For Brigitte Nielsen, she had to play Viktor’s unsympathetic mother while being super pregnant herself, as she explained:

It actually helped me a lot, having four grown-up boys and having been through a divorce when my youngest boy was eight. I had a 10-year-old, a 14-year-old, and an 18-year-old. ... I was making that choice to leave again — it was a hell physically and emotionally because Ludmilla was in me. Of course it was tough, but it was overwhelming and it was purifying at the same time. I don't know why, but it’s so magical to be pregnant. I had so much inner energy, and thank god again that I’m almost 6’1 tall, because I was 7-and-a-half months pregnant and you couldn’t tell. I could still get away with it. But that was because of my height; had I been 5’2, it would show in a different way, obviously. But it was amazing, and very emotional.

Brigitte Nielsen wasn’t just pregnant while filming Creed II, she was super pregnant. As in third trimester, 7-and-a-half months pregnant. But as we’ve heard, the actress was excited to come back to the franchise and like the stone cold badass she was in Rocky IV and Red Sonja, Brigitte Nielsen was still up for the challenge of returning to the character that she first inhabited over 30 years ago.

It sounds like hiding her pregnancy onscreen wasn’t a major issue either because, as Brigitte Nielsen told The Hollywood Reporter, she wasn’t showing so much that her condition was super obvious. That meant that she could get away with appearing in the film without needing to make her character pregnant or using major movie magic make her look not pregnant. She attributes this to her over 6’ height. Apparently that made her pregnancy less noticeable than if she was not Amazonian in stature.

Despite being very pregnant with her fifth child during the filming of Creed II, that didn’t slow down Brigitte Nielsen who enjoyed the experience of being pregnant, and was full of life and energy to return to the character of Ludmilla Drago. It fits, because I don’t imagine former Soviet swimmer Ludmilla would let pregnancy slow her down either.

Brigitte Nielsen also brought some real-life experience as a mother into her role as Ludmilla. Having multiple children and having been through divorces like her character in the film, it was a tough emotional experience for the actress to play the callous character, a trophy wife whose investment in other people, even her own family, extends only as far as they can provide her with status and luxury.

Despite being nervous to reunite with ex-husband Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen’s return in Creed II was a boon for the film. More than just a fun cameo, it just added further connective tissue between Creed II and Rocky IV and the two franchises. The return of Ludmilla and her story in the film also added some motivation and pathos to Viktor and Ivan’s story. Like Rocky and Adonis, Ivan and Viktor were real people who had real struggles, they weren't just some cudgel of an oppressive regime.

The same story could have still taken place without Brigitte Nielsen, with the dialogue explaining her absence. But by appearing in the film we were able to see who Ludmilla was now and that in his hour of need, she abandoned her son. In that Viktor and Ivan learn to live without her and for themselves.

Creed II is now available on digital, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

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Brightburn Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Think

Brightburn Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Think

The last several years have been good to superhero movies and horror movies, as those genres have delivered many cinematic offerings that have been met with critical and/or commercial success. This weekend, the two genres are being merged together for Brightburn, the twisted, R-rated story during by David Yarovesky and produced by James Gunn that shows what would happen if a Superman-like figure became a force for evil, using superpowers like super strength, flight and heat vision to wreak havoc on humanity.

With Brightburn only days away from release, reviews for the movie have started coming in, and it looks like it’s fallen into mixed territory, with some appreciating the story and others being underwhelmed by it. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg gave Brightburn 4 out of 5 stars in his review, saying that it’s not filled with “big, complex contemplations,” but nonetheless succeeds in delivering a number of “fantastic shudder/scream-inducing sequences” and boasting a great cast.

Brightburn is ultimately a fine example of high-concept storytelling: taking an easily digestible idea, and exploring it to its full potential in compelling and entertaining fashion.

io9’s Germain Lussier wasn’t as kind towards Brightburn, writing in his review that although he would have watched a sequel right after Brightburn concluded, overall it’s a “poorly told story.” While Brightburn works within the horror genre structure in how it shows the young Brandon Beyer giving in to his dark impulses and some of the later payoffs and reveals are “satisfying,” the movie as a whole suffered from poor execution, which Lussier speculates might have been fixed had James Gunn directed.

Alas, Brightburn is a competent movie crafted out of incredible ideas. It’s gross, interesting, scary, and has fascinating mythology, all of which would be so much better if nearly all of it wasn’t delivered in such an obtuse way. Still, this is a story worth telling with characters we’d love to see again. Maybe next time, though, with a bit more care taken as to how the story is presented.

Back on the more positive end of the spectrum, Witney Seibold from IGN awarded Brightburn a 7.1 out of 10 score. Seibold noted that many of us have similarly deconstructed Superman, which might make the movie feel “weirdly familiar,” and that rather than providing dark commentary on how power corrupts, Brightburn plays out like a standard slasher, making for a “perfectly entertaining” experience.

… A wickedly fun little horror flick with enough gore and superhero lore to keep fans of both satisfied.

Conversely, The Wrap’s Robert Abele was disappointed by Brightburn, saying that its idea of showing an evil Superman isn’t enough to sustain an entire movie and will not please “either horror aficionados or even a caped-crusader fandom hungry for variations on the theme.” The main character is unremarkable and there's little weight to the actions his parents take when trying to stop his rampage.

But while we can perhaps be grateful that the superficiality of “Brightburn” probably kept it from opting to exploit elements of disturbed-kid narratives that have been all too common in our more tragic news stories, what remains is still never terribly entertaining as either popcorn or a bent take on superhero myths.

Chris Evangelista from Slashfilm was more receptive towards Brightburn, stamping a 7.5 out of 10 score on it and calling it a “bleak, brutal subversion of the Superman mythos” that works. As mentioned earlier, this isn’t a story where redemption is on the table, and Evangelista notes that there a “nihilistic streak” that reminded him of the Rob Zombie Halloween remake. While Elizabeth Banks’ part is “disappointingly underwritten,” it’s David Yarovesky’s direction that keeps Brightburn “flying high.”

Nasty is indeed the name of the game here – Brightburn is cold and unflinching, fully committed to unsettling its audience. It’s the type of movie that will make you thank your lucky stars that superheroes don’t really exist.

The AV Club’s Jesse Hassenger was among those underwhelmed by Brightburn, giving it a C- grade. In Hassenger’s opinion, the movie doesn’t have a “modicum of wit or insight on its human side,” resulting in Brandon’s parents being terribly predictable, and Brandon himself fails to be interesting. Ultimately, Hassenger saw Brightburn primarily as a dunk on Zack Snyder’s depiction of Superman in the DC Extended Universe.

For such a specific, clever-on-paper idea, Brightburn follows a shockingly predictable turn of events, possibly because it has few reference points beyond other pop-culture stories.

Finally, William Bibbiani from Bloody Disgusting bestowed Brightburn a 3.5 out of 5 score, calling it a “exceedingly clever genre mash-up,” albeit a gross one, both literally and figuratively. The movie also doesn’t feel quite “genuine,” and it’s Brandon’s parents that infuse a sense of humanity in the proceedings, but Bibbiani concludes that after watching Brightburn, you’ll be left wanting more, signifying franchise potential.

The film is, in the end, mostly just an ambitious slasher movie about a monster modeled loosely on Superman, and on that level it’s certainly a success. David Yarovesky makes an impressive impression with a film that walks a fine line between wry pop culture commentary and genuine terror, the cast is great and – perhaps most important of all – it leaves you wanting more. Much more. Sequels and sequels after sequels.

These are just some of the reviews out for Brightburn, so feel free to venture into other corners of the internet find out what other critics are saying. Overall, it sounds like Brightburn won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but there are at least a scattering of moments for comic book and/or horror fans to enjoy.

Brightburn’s main cast includes Jackson A. Dunn, Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner, Steve Agee and Becky Wahlstrom. The movie is already playing in various territories worldwide, but it’ll have some competition this weekend in the form of Disney’s live action Aladdin remake and the Olivia Wilde-directed Booksmart.

You can judge Brightburn for yourself starting this Friday, May 24, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage on the movie. In the meantime, you can plan your visits to the theater for the rest of the year accordingly by checking out our 2019 release schedule.

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Brightburn Ending: What Happened, And What It Means

Brightburn Ending: What Happened, And What It Means

Warning: Spoilers for Brightburn are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, turn around before it’s too late, and come back once you’ve caught up.

When writers Brian and Mark Gunn’s Brightburn was first announced, it looked like a thrilling cross between Superman The Movie and The Omen was about to head our way. And sure enough, the David Yarovesky directed film played out just as we’d hoped it would, right down to its uber-bleak ending.

But there’s more to Brightburn’s finale than just what happened, as a mid-credits sequence opens the door to a wider world of havoc and mayhem. So we’d like to break down Brandon Bryer’s fate at the end of the film, and ask some questions about what it means and what the future could hold for Brightburn.

If you haven’t seen the film yet, this is your last chance to turn away before spoilers are in full effect. But if you’re ready to jump into the Brightburn fray, let’s start with talking about what the ending entailed.

The Ending To Brightburn

After an increasingly disturbing pattern of behavior, Brandon Bryer (Jackson A. Dunn) makes his full turn into becoming the superpowered villain he was seemingly always meant to be. Using his powers to intimidate and murder those who would try to make him answer for his deeds, Brandon eventually kills his parents.

He kill his father Kyle (David Denman) on what’s supposed to be a camping trip, but was secretly Kyle’s attempt at killing his son. Kyle tries to kill Brandon with a hunting rifle, but Brandon’s invulnerability sees him safe and sound. The son kills the father with his heat vision, and returns home just as his mother, Tori (Elizabeth Banks) accepts the fact that her adopted alien son is, in fact, evil.

Brandon returns home after Tori makes a call to Kyle, siding with him on the issue of their son’s villainy, which leads to Brandon’s greatest outburst. He destroys the family home, kills a couple of police officers, and eventually drops his mother from the sky after she tries to stab him with the only thing that could hurt him: the glass from the spaceship he crashed in.

Though he told his mother he wanted to do good, that’s no longer an option at the end of Brightburn, as we see Brandon Bryer wreck a commercial airliner to cover his tracks, and allow himself to go on to commit unspeakable acts. As the world starts to learn of his misdeeds, and his infamous reputation as a menacing force grows, he’s branded with a new name: Brightburn.

Could Brightburn Ever Become A Force For Good?

With Brandon becoming the all punishing villain at the heart of Brightburn’s super-powered universe, there’s still a question of whether he could become a force for good. As a young child, he’s still kind of in that phase where he doesn’t want anyone to tell him what to do, and seeing as he has the ability to use Superman-like powers with a moral code similar to Damien from The Omen, it’s a question that could pan out either way.

On one hand, Brandon could find himself mentored by someone down the road who could keep him in check. Maybe someone else out there will give him the patience and time that it needs to reform a child of his temperament, and humanity could be spared.

Then again, even Tori, his own mother, eventually turned to trying to kill her baby boy. So if your own mother tries to take you out, your position on your adopted species might be a little less than optimal.

It could be hard, but there’s always a slim possibility that Brandon/Brightburn could run into someone else that would change his worldview; but it all depends on how long he holds onto his superiority complex, and how long it’s allowed to grow unchecked by parental or societal figures.

Is There Really A Team Of Super Powered Villains/Heroes In The Brightburn Universe?

During the mid-credits sequence that sees Brightburn’s world turned upside-down by his heel turn, there’s a familiar face spouting conspiracy theories on the internet. He’s credited as a character known as “The Big T,” as played by Gunn family friend Michael Rooker. And in what looks like a rant in full-on meltdown mode, The Big T theorizes that Brandon might not be the only super in the Brightburn universe.

We see a quick glimpse of six supposedly super-powered menaces, and The Big T warns the audience that if they aren’t quickly dealt with, the world could be overtaken by them. While this feels like a natural setup for another entry in the Brightburn universe, there are two things that make this feel like this small moment is an extra bit of seasoning for this mid-credit roll.

First, one of the heroes in the six figure lineup happens to be Rainn Wilson’s Frank Darbo/Crimson Bolt from director James Gunn’s movie Super. While that movie set up its own problems for its central hero, having actual super powers and/or invulnerability was never in the cards. And seeing as he kind of owns the diner in the Brightburn universe, we’re not so sure he’s using that location as a hero base of sorts.

But the second, and more doubtful, proposition is the fact that Michael Rooker’s Big T comes off as an Alex Jones/InfoWars type personality, who really likes a conspiracy theory, but doesn’t provide a lot of evidence to support it. This isn’t a wholesale write-off of there being more supers in Brandon Bryer’s world, but until we see hard proof, we’re going to say that there’s no superteam awaiting the future of Brightburn. But it’d be kind of cool if there eventually was.

Where A Potential Brightburn Series Could Go From Here

There are several distinct paths that the Brightburn series could take from this point. The first of which is a possible super-villain team lead by Brandon Bryer. With Jackson A. Dunn’s ultimate bad seed being a creature of unknown planetary origin, there’s always a possibility that more like him are on this planet, waiting for a leader.

Of course, if Brian and Mark Gunn really wanted to go full Omen with their potential scripts for Brightburn sequels, we’d see Brandon wrestle with the quandary of being good versus being bad, ultimately siding fully and firmly on the villain’s side of the fence and trying to seize ultimate power. Which honestly, isn’t a bad option at all, because it’d be compelling to see a supervillain’s rise to power.

Ultimately, there’s no real limit to where Brightburn could go. The real question is which path the audience, and the creative team behind any hypothetical sequel, would find more rewarding. In which case, continuing the hybridization of The Omen and Superman franchises might be the best option; with the possibility of Brandon being adopted by a Lex Luthor-esque figure offering a hell of a sequel premise.

Seeing another Brightburn film would be a real reward, as this homage to two of director Richard Donner’s best films is a thrilling surprise at the summer box office. But it can’t remain a surprise if it wants to ever see another installment. Audiences attendance will be the key to whether or not Brandon Bryer’s story continues, and with Brightburn currently in theaters, we’ll have to wait to see if this evil is vanquished into cinematic obscurity, or allowed to flourish into something more menacing.

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