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X-Men ‘97 Homaged The Most Popular Star Trek Show And Nobody Noticed

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated

X-Men ‘97 remains the best Marvel show ever made, and Season 2 has managed to maintain the show’s impossibly high standard of quality. There are many ingredients to this cartoon’s success, including jaw-dropping animation and writing that perfectly weaves together over half a century of tangled lore. Bringing everything together is a killer voice cast that brings all of these colorful characters to life. In addition to the regular cast (all of whom are pitch-perfect), the show has also brought in consistently great voice actors. This includes Obsession’s Michael Johnston as the voice of young Apocalypse.

When Apocalypse (then going by En Sabah Nur) was just a boy, he and his people were enslaved by Rama-Tut. The most recent episode of X-Men ‘97 (“The Rise of Apocalypse, Part II”) was a big one for Rama-Tut, confirming that he is secretly Kang, a time-traveling tyrant who threatens the past, present, and future. The episode also had a scene where this villain had a heart-to-heart with Charles Xavier. It’s a great scene, but what most fans don’t realize is that it was also a secret Star Trek homage. You see, Rama-Tut is voiced by Trek villain John de Lancie, and he verbally spars with a character once played by Patrick Stewart!

Playing A Godlike Cosmic Villain (Again) 

In the fourth episode of X-Men ‘97 Season 2, the team members stuck in the past are playing a dangerous game with the future. At Magneto’s insistence, they are trying to instill Xavier’s values in the young Apocalypse, hoping that he won’t grow up to be such a dangerous tyrant. Unfortunately, they just push the mutant into embracing evil, which is made easier when he discovers Ship, a spaceship of unimaginable power. With it, he attacks Rama-Tut and his people. However, Rama-Tut makes his escape, but not before having a psychic discussion with Xavier about Apocalypse.

During the discussion, Rama-Tut proposes a devil’s bargain, asking for Xavier’s help getting into a Celestial temple so that he can stop Apocalypse. Xavier resists, both because he supports reforming Apocalypse and is rightfully hesitant to give the villain so much raw power. Eventually, the argument is rendered moot: Apocalypse breaks bad and gains access to the temple, which is actually the aforementioned spaceship. Moot or not, though, their conversation is fascinating for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Why is that? Simple: it’s basically a bonus argument between the cosmic villain, Q, and his longtime nemesis, Jean-Luc Picard!

The Trial Never Ended, Jean-Luc

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, John de Lancie voiced Q, a villain with godlike powers who becomes fixated on Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard. Notably, X-Men ‘97 has de Lancie voicing Rama-Tut, which is already pretty funny. After all, this time-hopping villain is pretty godlike himself, especially to the residents of Ancient Egypt. While he doesn’t voice the mutant leader in the show, Stewart notably plays Charles Xavier in the live-action X-Men films. Because of this, it’s basically impossible to watch Xavier and Rama-Tut bicker in X-Men ‘97 without remembering the many, many spirited fights between Q and Picard.

One reason for this is that, in-between supervillain speechifying, Rama-Tut finds the time to fire off sarcastic, Q-like retorts. When Xavier accuses the villain of wanting the technology of the Celestial temple for himself, Rama-Tut replies, “A+, Charles! I see the mind of the professor lives up to the legend.” In Trek, Q was a lot like this version of Rama-Tut, oscillating between deadly seriousness and hilarious snark. We get another glimpse of the sarcasm when he retreats from this time period, telling his second-in-command that Apocalypse could only be defeated by “something eXternal.” When she asks what he means, he laughs that “only time will tell” as he puffs off to the future.

Rama-Tut doesn’t take up much screen time in X-Men ‘97. In fact, Kang (who reveals himself right before leaving) gets out of this hit series much, much quicker than Jonathan Majors’ Kang left the MCU. Realistically, we likely won’t hear John de Lancie on this show for a long time, if ever. However, fans will always be able to cherish “The Rise of Apocalypse, Part II” for giving us one last spat between Q and Jean-Luc Picard. That makes this the second best X-Men/Star Trek crossover, right behind Planet X. Trust me: when Q asked Worf if he’d eaten any good books lately, the Klingon was never in danger of naming that piece of targ sh*t!  


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How to watch Norway vs. England online for free

TL;DR: Live stream Norway vs. England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN, an Official Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.


The 2026 FIFA World Cup is reaching its dramatic conclusion. One half of the semi-final stage has already been decided, and now Norway face off against England for a place in the final four.

England came through an epic clash with Mexico in the last round, relying on goals from Bellingham and Kane. Norway shocked the world by beating Brazil thanks to two goals from Erling Haaland. Can the Manchester City striker do the same against England? It’s going to be a fascinating battle between two confident sides.

If you want to watch Norway vs. England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Norway vs. England?

Norway vs. England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on July 11. This fixture takes place at the Miami Stadium.

How to watch Norway vs. England for free

Norway vs. England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Norway vs. England for free by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  4. Visit ITVX

  5. Watch Norway vs. England for free from anywhere in the world

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Norway vs. England (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

ExpressVPN’s regular 30-day money-back guarantee is not available for any subscriptions purchased during the FIFA World Cup between June 10 and July 11. ExpressVPN remains our top pick for sport, but you will need to pay the monthly rate. Alternatively, Proton VPN still offers that all-important money-back guarantee.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to 10 simultaneous connections

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99. That covers you for the duration of the World Cup.

Live stream Norway vs. England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free.

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James Gunn’s Raunchy, R-Rated Superhero Comedy With Office Star Delivers Swift And Brutal Justice 

By Robert Scucci
| Updated

Any grown man will tell you that some of the best moments of his childhood involved playing superheroes with his friends. If you could use your imagination, throw some sort of mask over your eyes, and maybe even arm yourself with the lid from a trash can, you were all set. It goes without saying that every friend group had one sociopath who wanted to be the villain, which is why the trash can lid came in handy. You didn’t have much time before they started throwing rocks, which more often than not resulted in parents getting involved.

If you’re wondering what it might look like if a grown adult decided to play dress-up and start fighting crooks after punching out from his day job, you pretty much get 2010’s Super, starring none other than Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo, or, as he would like to be known, The Crimson Bolt.

Super 2010

Thinking about how kids playing superheroes is pretty much universal (my 5-year-old son has the capes in his toy chest to prove it), Super feels almost like wish fulfillment for those kids after they grow up. Except our hero is so misguided in his vigilantism that the best we’re going to get from him is “Shut up, crime!” before humiliating himself in most situations.

From Loser To Super

When we’re first introduced to Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) in Super, it’s well established that he’s not exactly a prize catch. He’s deeply religious, works as a short-order cook, and lets everybody walk all over him. This includes his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler), a reformed drug addict who quickly shifts her attention to a ruthless drug dealer named Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Absolutely heartbroken, and worried sick that his wife will relapse in her new lover’s company, Frank decides it’s time to take matters into his own hands after the religious superhero from the local TV station known as The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) pays him a visit in a dream.

Super 2010

Now calling himself The Crimson Bolt, Frank heads to the comic book store to do some research, where he meets Libby (Elliot Page), a nerd of the highest order who wants to help him fully embrace his alter ego. When he’s not working or researching, Frank is field-testing his Crimson Bolt suit by hiding behind dumpsters and waiting for crime to happen.

At first, we bear witness to some truly vulgar displays of power, if you could call it power because he has none. Frank gets into fights with people who cut him in line, and most of his crime fighting leaves both him and everybody else worse off after he intervenes. Once he starts building a reputation as a force for good, though, everybody catches on. Jacques and his goons realize he’s out for revenge because that’s what kicked off this entire crusade in the first place. Meanwhile, Libby wants in on the action. She knows Frank is running around as The Crimson Bolt and decides she should call herself Boltie and become his sidekick.

Super 2010

Together, The Crimson Bolt and Boltie are a force to be reckoned with. But is Frank’s gumption, and his sudden interest in building pipe bombs, enough to take down Jacques? And will The Holy Avenger support this kind of behavior? Only time will tell, but rest assured plenty of people get their asses kicked in Super.

Deserves Its Cult Status, But Don’t Compare It To Kickass

What’s most baffling to me is how Super only garnered a 50 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. For a dark comedy, it checks all the boxes. It has a conflicted protagonist who channels serious Dwight Schrute energy when he’s pushed into an awkward situation, and Kevin Bacon looks like he’s having an absolute blast playing the bad guy.

One possibility is that the James Gunn film was constantly compared to Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass, which came out the same year. It could be that audiences only had so much bandwidth for superhero comedies, and when push came to shove, Kick-Ass simply ended up being the more popular movie. Commenting on the similarities between the films, Millar chalked the whole thing up to parallel thinking. The reality is they were both working on similar ideas at roughly the same time, but the end result is two very different movies.

If I’m being honest, I think Super is the superior movie, mostly because nobody has any enhanced abilities. It’s a spiritual journey that one man goes through after his whole world falls apart, and his naivety about how the world works is what sells most of the humor. If anything, you should watch both films as a double feature because they’re cut from the same cloth while operating in completely different lanes.

Super 2010

As of this writing, Super is streaming for free on Tubi.


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Entertainment

James Gunn’s Raunchy, R-Rated Superhero Comedy With Office Star Delivers Swift And Brutal Justice 

By Robert Scucci
| Updated

Any grown man will tell you that some of the best moments of his childhood involved playing superheroes with his friends. If you could use your imagination, throw some sort of mask over your eyes, and maybe even arm yourself with the lid from a trash can, you were all set. It goes without saying that every friend group had one sociopath who wanted to be the villain, which is why the trash can lid came in handy. You didn’t have much time before they started throwing rocks, which more often than not resulted in parents getting involved.

If you’re wondering what it might look like if a grown adult decided to play dress-up and start fighting crooks after punching out from his day job, you pretty much get 2010’s Super, starring none other than Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo, or, as he would like to be known, The Crimson Bolt.

Super 2010

Thinking about how kids playing superheroes is pretty much universal (my 5-year-old son has the capes in his toy chest to prove it), Super feels almost like wish fulfillment for those kids after they grow up. Except our hero is so misguided in his vigilantism that the best we’re going to get from him is “Shut up, crime!” before humiliating himself in most situations.

From Loser To Super

When we’re first introduced to Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) in Super, it’s well established that he’s not exactly a prize catch. He’s deeply religious, works as a short-order cook, and lets everybody walk all over him. This includes his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler), a reformed drug addict who quickly shifts her attention to a ruthless drug dealer named Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Absolutely heartbroken, and worried sick that his wife will relapse in her new lover’s company, Frank decides it’s time to take matters into his own hands after the religious superhero from the local TV station known as The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) pays him a visit in a dream.

Super 2010

Now calling himself The Crimson Bolt, Frank heads to the comic book store to do some research, where he meets Libby (Elliot Page), a nerd of the highest order who wants to help him fully embrace his alter ego. When he’s not working or researching, Frank is field-testing his Crimson Bolt suit by hiding behind dumpsters and waiting for crime to happen.

At first, we bear witness to some truly vulgar displays of power, if you could call it power because he has none. Frank gets into fights with people who cut him in line, and most of his crime fighting leaves both him and everybody else worse off after he intervenes. Once he starts building a reputation as a force for good, though, everybody catches on. Jacques and his goons realize he’s out for revenge because that’s what kicked off this entire crusade in the first place. Meanwhile, Libby wants in on the action. She knows Frank is running around as The Crimson Bolt and decides she should call herself Boltie and become his sidekick.

Super 2010

Together, The Crimson Bolt and Boltie are a force to be reckoned with. But is Frank’s gumption, and his sudden interest in building pipe bombs, enough to take down Jacques? And will The Holy Avenger support this kind of behavior? Only time will tell, but rest assured plenty of people get their asses kicked in Super.

Deserves Its Cult Status, But Don’t Compare It To Kickass

What’s most baffling to me is how Super only garnered a 50 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. For a dark comedy, it checks all the boxes. It has a conflicted protagonist who channels serious Dwight Schrute energy when he’s pushed into an awkward situation, and Kevin Bacon looks like he’s having an absolute blast playing the bad guy.

One possibility is that the James Gunn film was constantly compared to Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass, which came out the same year. It could be that audiences only had so much bandwidth for superhero comedies, and when push came to shove, Kick-Ass simply ended up being the more popular movie. Commenting on the similarities between the films, Millar chalked the whole thing up to parallel thinking. The reality is they were both working on similar ideas at roughly the same time, but the end result is two very different movies.

If I’m being honest, I think Super is the superior movie, mostly because nobody has any enhanced abilities. It’s a spiritual journey that one man goes through after his whole world falls apart, and his naivety about how the world works is what sells most of the humor. If anything, you should watch both films as a double feature because they’re cut from the same cloth while operating in completely different lanes.

Super 2010

As of this writing, Super is streaming for free on Tubi.


source

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