By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 8 seconds ago

So far, it seems that James Gunn has a very complicated relationship with the failed DCEU. On paper, it’s his job to create his own cinematic universe (the DCU) that avoids all the major mistakes of its predecessor. Because of this, it’s in the director’s best interest to distance his DCU from the DCEU however and whenever he can. Nonetheless, Gunn can’t stop creating connections between these universes, from connecting Peacemaker to The Suicide Squad to casting Aquaman actor Jason Momoa as Lobo. Now, he’s one-upping himself in the loudest possible way by putting a very obscure star of a failed DCEU film into his next blockbuster film.

Xolo Maridueña starred as the titular hero of Blue Beetle, a 2023 DCEU film. When the movie came out, it was generally well-liked: it had a 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics and a whopping 90 percent from the fans. However, not that many fans actually saw the movie, and it became one of multiple DCEU projects to actually lose Warner Bros. money. Because of that, it seemed like we’d never see this hero (or at least, this version) on the big screen again. Nonetheless, Gunn is bringing back Maridueña’s Blue Beetle for his upcoming sequel Superman: The Man of Tomorrow.

Meet The Beetle

This news comes to us courtesy of Deadline, which heard about it from insiders who are close to Gunn’s Superman sequel. This is obviously big news for Xolo Maridueña, who seemed like he’d never reprise this role again. Neither Gunn nor Warner Bros. has commented on the matter. However, Deadline’s report indicates that one or both of these entities are fond enough of the actor to bring him over to the DCU. How will he fit into this new cinematic universe, though? Chances are that, like Peacemaker before him, Blue Beetle will simply be a DCU version of his familiar self, complete with a very similar backstory.

While fans of Blue Beetle will be happy to see the hero onscreen again, it’s not clear how much of a role he will have. Right now, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow is very crowded with both heroes (including Superman, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific) and villains (including Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and newcomer Maxima). Because of this, some have claimed the sequel feels more like a Justice League movie than a Superman sequel. That’s good news for anyone who enjoyed watching the Man of Steel and his Superfriends kick butt in the previous movie. However, the sheer number of characters appearing in this film may cut into Blue Beetle’s overall screentime.

Avoiding The Sequel Blues

However, having a large roster of heroes is only appropriate for Superman: The Man of Tomorrow because the Big Bad is Brainiac, and he represents a threat to the entire planet. It would only make sense that Superman has to rally as many allies as possible in the fight against an existential threat to all of humanity. It’s also possible that Gunn will be using this Superman sequel to lay the in-universe groundwork for an eventual Justice League team. After all, an individual hero may be enough to save the city most of the time. But when it comes to saving the entire world, even Superman can’t be everywhere at once.

Speaking of possibilities, James Gunn might eventually give Blue Beetle his own spinoff movie or series. This would help the DCU win over younger audiences, and it would fit Gunn’s recent MO of shining a spotlight on the more obscure characters within this colorful universe. We won’t know exactly what will happen to this former DCEU character until we see him on the big screen again. So, mark your calendars, fanboys: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027. Its titular hero may be more powerful than a speeding locomotive, but only time will tell if he’s more powerful than something much stronger than a train: superhero fatigue.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 14 seconds ago

There are plenty of funny shows on television right now. For my money (at least, what isn’t invested in Wolf Cola), none can compete with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the long-running sitcom that began way back in 2005. Now, the award-winning show is about to premiere its 18th season on August 17, and fans are understandably excited. Much of that excitement disappeared, however, when the fandom took a look at the most recent advertisement for the show.

Recently, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia released a new poster to help advertise the upcoming season. The poster re-imagines the cast of the show as beer tap handles. The ad looks ugly and more than a little surreal, and it didn’t take fans long to blame the uncanny design of the advertisement on AI. Accusations that the show had embraced generative slop spread like wildfire across the internet. Eventually, the show shut down these rumors in the most direct way: by releasing a behind-the-scenes video demonstrating how the controversial poster was created by actual humans.

Bad Art On Tap

The poster for Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is meant to emphasize well-known traits of its quirky characters. For example, Dennis is the tap handle for a “golden lager” to remind us that he’s the golden god, and “Charlie’s Rat Bash Draft” reminds us of his brutal extermination exploits around the bar. Frank, meanwhile, is the handle for a “Rum Ham Sour” that reminds us of his sloshy swine invention. Conceptually, all of this is very fun and filled with winking references to past episodes. There’s just one problem: the uncanny art makes the whole thing look like AI slop.

Almost as soon as the poster dropped, fans began questioning if it was generated by AI. The very possibility disappointed countless fans because the real strength of It’s Always Sunny has always been the human creativity at the heart of the show. It’s an open secret that AI is used by lazy creators who are eager to cut corners, reducing quality in the name of saving a couple of bucks. The fandom began collectively asking the hard questions: had the best comedy on TV sold out, and was this AI slop an early warning that Season 18 would suck? Fortunately, the creators of the show put all our fears to rest by releasing a video showing how the poster was created. 

Busting The AI Slop Myth

The video is fairly methodical, showing exactly how the poster was designed. Releasing that video successfully silenced persistent rumors that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was embracing AI slop as part of its creative decisions. However, the video fails to answer another burning question: why did the artists go with an aesthetic that is so otherwise indistinguishable from generative AI? To be perfectly blunt, nobody would have made an accusation in the first place if the poster wasn’t so weirdly ugly. However, some fans have a theory that all of us fell for a stunt that would impress even Thunder Gun.

You see, one of the themes that Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will explore is “withstanding job loss at the hands of workplace automation.” We don’t know exactly how the show will explore that issue, but what better way to prepare the fandom than by making everyone worry their favorite show was now relying on AI? It’s entirely possible that all of us who fretted over the possibility of slop have been led to the same conclusion the show wants us to reach: namely, that we should hate the slop aesthetic and emphatically reject any creators who use AI as a shortcut.

If you’re wondering how the show will tackle the evils of workplace automation, you won’t have to wait very long to find out. Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres on August 17 on FXX. We can look forward to 10 more episodes of delightfully deranged entertainment featuring everything from the danger of conspiracy theories to more misadventures with the McPoyles. And if we’re really lucky, maybe Dennis and Mac will find their own use for generative AI: finally creating yet another sequel to Lethal Weapon! 

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The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a sports fan.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Foul

• Green: POV

• Blue: Virtual earnings

• Purple: Burst

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Here are today’s Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Commit a basketball violation

• Green: Belief

• Blue: Things tracked in video games

• Purple: Words after “Pop”

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections #1133 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

• Commit a basketball violation: CARRY, DOUBLE DRIBBLE, GOALTEND, TRAVEL

• Belief: ATTITUDE, MIND, OPINION, VIEW

• Things tracked in video games: HEALTH, LIVES, SCORE, TIME

• Words after “Pop”: CULTURE, FLY, QUIZ, TART

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.

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 Connections.