Entertainment
Marvel And DC Are Having A War No One Is Talking About
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
For DC fans, it’s been a rough few years. The DCEU has its fans (Snyder Bros, are you still pretending Rebel Moon was good?), but that failed cinematic universe mostly got its teeth kicked in each and every year by the MCU. Still, fans of heroes like Batman and Superman could take solace in one thing when arguing with Marvel fanboys: that DC has always had better animation, from groundbreaking TV shows to consistently awesome cartoon movies. However, the war is shifting, and the quality of X-Men ‘97 as well as the buzz around Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man means Marvel may become the new king of cartoons.
How The Marvel DC Animation War Started
Arguably, the rivalry between Marvel and DC’s animation creators hit its stride back in the ‘90s. The two companies had produced some standout cartoons before (like Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends for Marvel and Super Friends for DC), but the ‘90s gave us X-Men: The Animated Series, the legendary cartoon that eventually led to the excellent X-Men ‘97. This show and Spider-Man: The Animated Series would have helped Marvel’s animators dominate the entire decade if not for a little show called Batman: The Animated Series.
That Batman series built off the momentum of Tim Burton’s excellent live-action films and was popular enough that we got several spinoffs, including Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Batman Beyond. These series all existed in the shared DC Animated Universe, and the DCAU ironically proved to be a much more successful cinematic universe than the later DCEU. While Marvel continued to produce some fun stuff over the next few years (including the fan-favorite X-Men: Evolution), DC kept its reputation as the undisputed masters of animation with shows like Teen Titans and Young Justice as well as a string of awesome direct-to-video animated movies.
How The Marvel DC Animation War Is Going
Considering that Marvel has spent decades getting its butt kicked by DC’s rival animation departments, why do we think that the house Stan Lee built is about to take this cartoon crown? For one thing, X-Men ‘97 was better than anyone ever hoped it could be, quickly establishing itself as the best-animated superhero show since Batman: The Animated Series. And while we’ve only seen a trailer so far, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man looks to continue Marvel’s animation domination by telling clever, modernized stories using an animation style that hearkens back to the Web-Head’s earliest designs.
Even as Marvel’s animators are starting to feel themselves, DC’s animation is failing to make the impact it once did. For example, the most recent “original” film was a two-part adaptation of Watchmen that didn’t resonate with fans, and even the movie’s biggest defenders will reluctantly admit that this is another meaningless adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic comic that fails to capture its original magic. The biggest misstep, however, may actually be Batman: Caped Crusader, an Amazon-exclusive show everyone thought would be a monster hit.
The show is created by Batman: The Animated Series creator Bruce Timm and set in the ‘30s, and it made a big splash with critics: on Rotten Tomatoes, Caped Crusader has a critical rating of 94 percent, with critics. Notably, though, the Popcornmeter shows audiences giving the show a much more dismal 55 percent, with some fans disliking the major changes the series makes to characters like Harley Quinn and even Bruce Wayne. Others took exception to the poor animation, and it’s hard to deny that this show isn’t nearly as great as Timm’s earlier work.
Meanwhile, Marvel’s X-Men ‘97 was a hit all the way across the board, sparking strong rumors of a new interconnected cartoon universe that threatens to completely leave DC’s modern animation efforts in the dust. Meanwhile, DC’s best animator came back to try to replicate the magic of Batman: The Animated Series and fell well short of the mark. This is the year that will determine if the live-action DCU will be a hit with movie lovers, but when it comes to cartoons, audiences already have an old rallying cry for a new year: “make mine Marvel.”
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
