Entertainment
Marvel’s Biggest Star Predicted Avengers: Doomsday 13 Years Ago
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Even after all these years, Hugh Jackman is arguably still the biggest Marvel star: after all, his performance as Wolverine was so iconic that the mutant was brought (kicking and screaming, no less) into the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine. Longtime comics fans were particularly excited for these films because the Marvel Cinematic Universe was once forbidden from using X-Men characters. As cool as it was to see the Avengers assemble onscreen, many of us were sad that everyone’s favorite band of merry mutants couldn’t join them
Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox finally made that crossover popular, and we’re going to see the rest of the X-Men join the MCU in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday. It’s a movie that execs like Kevin Feige have presented as a bold new take on the world of superhero cinema, but this film isn’t as innovative as they imagine. After all, Hugh Jackman basically predicted Avengers: Doomsday 13 years ago!
The Mutant Who Knew Too Much
Back then, Jackman was promoting a different Marvel movie altogether: The Wolverine, the surprisingly solid sequel to the disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This was way before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, so there was no way for his beloved character to pop up in the MCU. However, The Avengers had premiered just one year before, and many could now see the potential of ambitious onscreen team-ups between different kinds of heroes.
This included Hugh Jackman. In a recently resurfaced promotional clip for The Wolverine, he discussed how he’s “maybe…optimistic” that Marvel, which has “a lot of big things going on,” couldn’t find some way to bring the characters owned by different studios into one film. “I find it almost impossible that there’s not a way [to take] Iron Man, all the Avengers characters, Wolverine, the X-Men characters, Spider-Man, and somehow get them in all together,” he said.
Now that the movie is set to premiere later this year, many Marvel fans are amazed that Hugh Jackman essentially predicted Avengers: Doomsday 13 years ago. So far, we know that this movie will feature the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Iron Man (or at least, Doomsday wearing Iron Man’s face). While he hasn’t yet confirmed he will be in it, many assume that Jackman’s Wolverine will make an appearance, especially after Deadpool & Wolverine made him part of the MCU and prominently joked about how the actor would be playing the same character for many years to come.
Finally Giving The Fans What They Want
If nothing else, Jackman gets points for knowing exactly what his audience wants to see onscreen. In that same interview, he said, “I’m totally in” for such a crossover “because that would be really exciting for fans across the board.” This is, of course, what Kevin Feige is hoping for: that the sheer excitement of seeing all these different characters onscreen will be enough to overcome the superhero fatigue that is threatening to destroy the MCU altogether.
Fans of Hugh Jackman are busy giving the mutant actor his props for predicting the biggest superhero film ever made over 13 years before its release date. Cynics, however, claim that he merely stated the obvious and that every Marvel fan worth their salt has wanted all these characters onscreen together since the beginning. But there’s one thing that both these groups can agree on: that the success or failure of Avengers: Doomsday will determine whether these epic team-ups are the new norm or just one last bit of “maximum effort” before the tights-and-flights genre finally flies off into the sunset.
Entertainment
Get Ankers 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $60 less at Amazon
SAVE 15%: As of April 22, you can get the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $339.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount or $60 savings.
$339.99
at Amazon
$399.99
Save $60
Working off a laptop is great until you realize you only have two ports and need to plug something in. If you’re hooked up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you’re pretty much out of luck on the rest. Not only that, but your previously uncluttered desk will most likely look like a Best Buy exploded (a rat’s nest of cords isn’t cute or helpful for anyone getting work done).
If you literally hate mess and cords as much as I do, you need a docking station to hide all that chaos and protect your aesthetic. Right now, Anker’s Prime TB5 Docking Station is on sale for $339.99 at Amazon, down from $399.99. (That’s a $60 price cut.)
Mashable Deals
Are you going to use all 14 ports at the exact same time? Probably not, but you’ll never have to dig through your bag for a specific adapter again. You just plug a single cable into your laptop, and the dock handles the rest. It features a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, SD and TF card readers, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and your choice of HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1. It’s also fast enough to transfer a 150GB file in 25 seconds.
Entertainment
How I scored ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents
SAVE $26: As of April 22, returning subscribers can score two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents per month with the code N8C27L. Usually $13.99 per month, that’s $26 in savings. Just note that your mileage may vary.
$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month) with code N8C27L
If you’re looking to save some money on your streaming lineup, my number one recommendation is to cancel your subscriptions. While it doesn’t work for every streamer, many will offer you a special discount to come back. Not to mention, you’ll be eligible for any new deals that may appear that are marketed to “new and returning customers.” Case in point: as of April 22, returning subscribers can get two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for just 99 cents per month.
I’ve tested this out myself, so I can vouch for it. When you navigate to Paramount+ and sign in to your existing account, you’ll be prompted to pick a plan. Select the Paramount+ Premium monthly plan for $13.99 per month. On the “Welcome back!” page, scroll down to the box that says “Have a promo code?” and enter N8C27L. Once you hit “apply” the price should drop to just 99 cents per month.
Credit: Paramount+
That’s all, folks. You can take advantage of two full months of ad-free Paramount+, Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS live TV, UFC fights, and more for less than two bucks. That’s $26 total in savings.
Mashable Deals
Paramount+ has a surprisingly hefty library. Subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ Originals like Landman and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars, Showtime series like Dexter Resurrection and Yellowjackets, CBS hits like Survivor and NCIS, and nostalgic shows from Nickelodeon and MTV. Not to mention, there’s a lineup of movies that’ll keep you fully entertained for your two-month promotional period. Just be sure to cancel again before the second month is over if you want to avoid paying full cost. You can always sign up again when another deal arises. I know I will.
Entertainment
How Stargate SG-1 Used A Classic Trope To Emotionally Wreck Its Fans
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Garfield and Friends said it best: “Oh no, we’ve resorted to an evil twin storyline.” Star Trek: The Original Series did it the best with Mirror Universe Spock, and ever since, it’s been a lazy excuse for every series to use when they run out of ideas. The exception is Stargate SG-1’s sixth episode, “Cold Lazarus,” which plays with the trope by making the twin less evil and more confused.
When fans say they skip this episode when rewatching, it’s not because it’s a lazy, poorly written episode. In fact, it’s the opposite. The ending of “Cold Lazarus” is a pivotal character moment for Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and a gut punch to the audience.
Stargate SG-1’s First Evil Twin
“Cold Lazarus” opens with the SG-1 team on a planet that doesn’t look like Vancouver (it was a giant pile of sulfur at the port of Vancouver). The desert landscape is dotted with shattered blue crystals that look like the remnants of a civilization until we see a crystal eye-view of O’Neill, a mysterious light knocks him out, and all of a sudden, a second O’Neill is looking down at the first. Turns out, the crystals are the civilization.
Fake O’Neill is trying to figure out who O’Neill is and what SGC is all about. When he pulls out photos of his family, it takes Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) by surprise. O’Neill’s never mentioned his wife, Sara, or his son, Charlie. Confused, the Fake O’Neill goes to the home, where Sara is disgusted he’d come by and thinks it’s a sick joke that he’s asking about Charlie. If you’re wondering if you missed a key part of O’Neill’s backstory, don’t worry, this is the first time that either Sara or Charlie is mentioned, and tragically, we soon learn why.
No One Ever Dies
Charlie shot himself with O’Neill’s gun. Fake O’Neill starts to piece this together when he goes into Charlie’s old room and breaks down, prompting Sara and him to finally have the conversation about their shared grief. Back in SGC, the crystal’s nature is revealed to be an energy alien calling itself Unity, which accidentally killed a Jaffa, and the Goa’uld shattered them in retribution. That’s when O’Neill stumbles back through the Stargate, and the team realizes the mistake they made.
The Fake O’Neill is soon captured at a local hospital, suffering from Earth’s radiation, where he explains that he sensed O’Neill’s pain after he took his form and wanted to help ease the suffering, as nothing ever truly dies to Unity. To prove its point, Unity transforms into Charlie, giving O’Neill and Sara one last chance to see their child. Fans who haven’t lost a child can understand the emotion, but for fans who have, this scene is emotional torture, in the best way possible.
Jack knows this isn’t Charlie, but he talks to him like he is, and then they walk together through the Stargate back to Unity’s planet. It’s a beautiful moment that explains so much about O’Neill’s throwing himself into work and how even his friendships remain professional. “Cold Lazarus” may have started out with the “evil twin” trope in full effect, but the ending is proof that even early during its run, Stargate SG-1 was going to be the greatest.
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