Entertainment
Marvel Gets Called Out By Video Game Legend For All The Right Reasons
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
If you’re a gamer, you’re likely very familiar with Hideo Kojima, the creative mastermind behind Metal Gear and its many sequels. What you may not know is that the gaming legend is an avid film buff, and he often posts his thoughts on recent movies on social media. Recently, Hideo Kojima took to X (formerly Twitter) to call Marvel out by stating how hard they made it to understand Captain America: Brave New World.
Hideo Kojima Calls Out Marvel
Hideo Kojima cut right to the point, stating that he had trouble remembering earlier Marvel plot points in order to understand the latest film. As he put it, “I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in Endgame, but when did he officially become Cap?” He asked if he had missed out on key plot points by not watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and admitted that he was getting some plot points confused with the Thunderbolts trailer and that he didn’t fully understand the Brave New World plotline about getting the Avengers back together.
Now, some of the MCU’s staunchest defenders might say that Hideo Kojima simply needs to pay more attention to what he is watching. That is, he wouldn’t be so confused as to the modern state of Marvel if he had been taking notes. However, in many ways, that’s the problem: the need to take notes. While many Marvel comics have required readers to keep track of different characters and diverging plot points, the MCU became so popular based on a kind of general accessibility that it no longer enjoys.
Another way to look at this is that Hideo Kojima, for all his brilliant accomplishments as a game designer, is a perfect representative of the average Marvel fan, one who doesn’t watch every show and just wants to show up to the theater and have fun. In this sense, he speaks for millions of fans who dislike that the modern MCU feels like a homework assignment. Some defenders like to claim that watching every single Marvel show on Disney+ is optional, but as Kojima points out, missing a single one of these may keep you from understanding one or more future films.
As Hideo Kojima implicitly pointed out, things have gotten so bad with Marvel’s modern films that it’s almost impossible to tell whether a recent film is introducing a new plot point (like rebuilding the Avengers) or building off some earlier work that you simply haven’t seen. In this case, the need to rebuild the Avengers was a new idea presented by Captain America: Brave New World, but the firehose of MCU content has made it hard to keep up. And when major film plot points are indistinguishable from something that might or might not have been slipped into one of the increasingly forgettable TV shows, it’s clear that Marvel has a major storytelling problem.
While some of the Disney+ shows have been good (like WandaVision and Agatha All Along), the existence of all these different series has diluted the core product. In short, a new Marvel movie used to be a major cinematic event. Now, the middling films are often indistinguishable from the middle shows, and it’s tough to muster the passion to keep up with either one. Marvel movies feel like chores more than events, and given the bleak box office for Captain America: Brave New World, all of this may spell disaster for Kevin Feige and company.
We love Hideo Kojima, but he was honestly the last person we expected to call out Marvel in this way. His call-out is perfect, though…rather than being snarky or sarcastic, the gaming legend states in simple terms how and why he was confused when watching the latest film in this cinematic universe. And unless Marvel can address this issue, audiences will realize that the solution to this confusion is simple enough: all they have to do is stop watching these incoherent
Entertainment
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
SAVE $49.01: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are 20% at Amazon and Walmart as of April 22. Snag a pair for just $199.99 (normally $249).
$199.99
at Amazon
$249
Save $49.01
Our very own Stan Schroeder is fresh off reviewing the new AirPods Max 2, Apple’s updated over-ear headphones. While he thought their noise cancellation has improved since the last generation, they still can’t block out sounds as well as the AirPods Pro 3: “Wearing them on a busy street makes the outside noise vanish in a spectacular fashion,” he writes of the earbuds.
So, if you’re an Apple user looking for best-in-class ANC, stick with the AirPods Pro 3. Right now, they happen to be on sale for just $199.99 at Amazon and Walmart — that’s a savings of nearly $50 and one of their best deals to date. They briefly hit $184 on Amazon back in February, but never since. (And they were $219.99 everywhere last Black Friday.)
For comparison’s sake, the AirPods Max 2 are up to $350 pricier depending on the color.
The AirPods Pro 3 actually have the same H2 chip as the AirPods Max 2, so they support the same suite of smart features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation. On top of that, they come with a built-in heart rate monitor that “worked perfectly,” per Mashable contributor Adam Doud. (Read his full review.)
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On their own, the AirPods Pro 3 will net you up to eight hours of battery life per charge with their ANC enabled. Their included charging case adds an extra 24 hours of use.
I can personally assure you that you won’t find the AirPods Pro 3 on sale for anywhere cheaper — even if you go for a used pair. In new condition, they’re $239.99 at B&H Photo and full price at Best Buy and Target. Then there’s Best Buy’s open-box AirPods Pro 3, which are are $204.99 in fair condition. Pass.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
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The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
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Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
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Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
Red Bulls' struggling defense clashes with woeful D.C. offense
