Geekly News: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 7 (Mutant Saga)

Published on January 26, 2025January 26, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 7 won’t happen for years (we have two main-line Avengers films Doomsday and Secret Wars before the MCU’s Phase 7) but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have news on this front. There is a lot of smoke and where there’s smoke, there’s often fire.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Geekly News. This entry (our third of the year) beats our number of Geekly News posts from last year. Yay!

Let’s get into the news. We’ll start with what we know and what is speculation. We have a lot of time between now and when the Mutant Saga begins. As I said, there are two main-line Avengers films (Doomsday and Secret Wars) and at least five years’ worth of content (movies and television series) before we reach the Mutant Saga. Heck! Another major superhero team will be introduced this year: The Fantastic Four. Thank goodness. I can’t wait for the Fantastic Four’s inclusion in the MCU. Even with so much to look forward to in the MCU, I’m an X-Men fan, and the Mutant Saga piques my interest.

What We Know

The only concrete thing we know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 7 (the Mutant Saga) is that the Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony Russo) will oversee the entire phase. The Russo Brothers directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, often regarded as the best (or one of the best) Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Does this mean the Russo Brothers will direct every project during the Mutant Saga? Heck no! That’s too much work. Does that mean the Russo Brothers will direct a future X-Men film? Probably, but that’s not guaranteed.

What is guaranteed is that a highly regarded directing tandem has returned to the MCU, and they will serve as a guiding light for the MCU’s Phase 7. The one thing the MCU has needed for the past few years is a guiding light. The Russo Brothers’ return is welcome news.

The Smoke

Speculation will be a much larger portion of this post. Some of this will be educated guesses, but the majority of this section will fall under the classification of rumor, albeit rumors from trusted industry sources like RPK News. There’s a lot of smoke coming from the MCU. Marvel has spent over a decade and billions of dollars—that’s a capital B, billions of dollars—building up the Avengers as a brand. The film studio wants to cash in on the Avengers name. But the Mutant Saga will feature the X-Men. The X-Men are another established brand. Marvel will want to capitalize on both brands, so the most likely name for the crossover movie that will complete the Mutant Saga is Avengers Versus X-Men.

I could see Marvel going with X-Men Versus Avengers. I don’t have any idea of what that story might look like. Most likely, the MCU will loosely adapt the comic book crossover story arc of the same name as they did with Civil War. We don’t know who the Avengers will look like, let alone which X-Men will make the MCU. We speculated further on which X-Men Geekly would like to see in the MCU’s X-Men film. (You can follow this link to that article if you’d like.) The Avengers could look very different from what they do now (for example, Hercules instead of Thor and Clea instead of Doctor Strange), or Marvel could recast Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and all the rest to give the universe a soft reboot after the Multiverse Saga. Both directions make sense.

It would also make sense for Marvel to make good on its teasing of Hulk versus Wolverine (in 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine). Professor Hulk versus Wolverine doesn’t have the same juice as a Savage Hulk versus Wolverine. If this fight were to happen, Marvel would most likely revert Hulk to his savage self. That could happen in an upcoming Hulk movie. Is World War Hulk still happening? If it does, Captain America: Brave New World may do a lot with setting up a World War Hulk film or series. The Leader and Red Hulk will appear in Brave New World. Those same antagonists should feature in a World War Hulk project. Universal still holds the distribution rights to the Hulk. And that’s another can of worms.

Universal holds the distribution rights to the Hulk and Namor. That means that if Marvel or anyone else makes a project with either character, Universal gains the majority of the profits. This is why Universal hasn’t done anything with the Hulk or Namor. They don’t need to do so. They let other people make content with these characters and gain the bulk of the proceeds. This is also why Marvel hasn’t made a solo Hulk or Namor project. Negotiations have been ongoing for over half a decade. As of the time of this post, no word of a new agreement has taken place. Marvel could cave. Doubtful. Or Universal could soften its distribution rights like Sony did with Spider-Man last year. This seems more likely. What we do know is that a World War Hulk project has been in the works for years, if only in the planning stages.

Closing Thoughts

As I said, there’s a lot of speculation and only one piece of concrete news. The Russo Brothers rejoining the MCU is a step in the right direction, even if they don’t direct a single Mutant Saga project. X-Men Versus Avengers or Avengers Versus X-Men will likely happen at some point, capping the MCU’s Phase Seven. Universal and Disney may be the closest they’ve ever been to a new Hulk/Namor distribution agreement. Technically, Namor is the first mutant. It makes sense for Disney to strike a deal for Namor, and by extension the Hulk, before the Mutant Saga begins. But it will be a new deal.

What are your thoughts? Which X-Men characters would you like to see in the MCU? Which upcoming Marvel project has you the most hyped? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Getting Into Comics: Cassandra Nova Starter Stories

Published on January 25, 2025January 8, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Tomorrow is my oldest daughter’s birthday. Happy 27^th birthday! She’s one year closer to 30. Eek! Anyway, I asked her which comic book character she’d like me to cover this week in our ongoing series of “Getting into Comics,” and she answered Cassandra Nova.

Yep. Yet another villain for the comic book starter stories. And yes, she first learned about Cassandra Nova in the recent Deadpool and Wolverine movie. We covered the movie a while back, here’s the link. Cassandra Nova is one of the newer X-Men villains, so she won’t have as extensive of a reading list. Here it goes.

Story Arcs

We’re continuing the trend of separating single issues stories from story arcs. This time, we’ll start with story arcs that consist of multiple comic books and then move on to single-issue stories. We’re doing it this way because Cassandra Nova’s first appearance was in a story arc.

E Is For Extinction (New X-Men #114-116; written by Grant Morrison/art by Frank Quietly and Ethan Van Sciver 2001)

E is for Extinction was the first story arc from Grant Morrison’s run on the New X-Men. Morrison insisted the series be renamed New X-Men; it retained the original series’ numbering, but he revamped the team so much that the series needed a new name. Morrison catapults the X-Men into the 21^st century.

Cassandra Nova discovers a long-lost Master Mold A.I. and Sentinel production facility in Ecuador. She uses the last surviving relative of Bolivar Trask to gain control of the wild sentinels and has the man order the Sentinels to massacre the entire population of the mutant nation Genosha. The X-Men locate her by using the newly created mutant detection machine Cerebra and put an end to her reign of terror, but they’re too late. Cassandra Nova almost wipes out the entire population of the island.

If this sounds an awful lot like a plot line from the recent X-Men ’97 cartoon, you’re right. And if you haven’t yet seen X-Men ’97, what are you waiting for? E is for Extinction shows how diabolical Cassandra Nova can get. It’s no wonder that she earned the distinction as “Villain of the Year” by Wizard Magazine in 2001.

Torn (Astonishing X-Men #13-18; written by Joss Whedon/art by John Cassaday 2005)

Joss Whedon continued Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run with Astonishing X-Men. Most of the cast (heroes and most of the villains) remain the same. With that said, the Dangerous story arc that proceeds this one ties up some loose ends with E is for Extinction. Another Sentinel attacks and the culprit behind the attack is (spoilers) the Danger Room itself. The reason why this ties up loose ends found in E is for Extinction is that the Sentinel who destroyed Genosha becomes aware of its actions and ceases to attack the X-Men. It’s also revealed that Emma Frost works with the newly formed Hellfire Club. Enter Cassandra Nova.

Nova has joined this new version of the Hellfire Club. To be exact, Emma imprisoned Nova’s mind into a biological “slug.” Not all is what it seems. Cassandra Nova out mind tricks Emma Frost into doing her bidding. Nova even forces the X-Men to face their greatest fears and childhood trauma. This all leads to Shadowcat mimicking the classic pose Wolverine took in Uncanny X-Men #132.

X-Men: Red, Volume 1 (X-Men: Red #1-11; written by Tom Taylor/art by Al Ewing 2018-2019)

X-Men: Red follows the events from the December 2017 miniseries Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Leinil Francis Yu. Yes. Jean Grey died a second time, but at least this time she stayed dead for about a decade. Way longer than her first death after the Dark Phoenix Saga. Anyway, X-Men Red was promoted as part of Marvel’s Fresh Start. Part of this fresh start is the X-Men trying to create a new mutant nation.

The heroes of X-Men: Red shake up the norm. Jean, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine serve as the old guard, but new editions Honey Badger, Gentle, Trinary, and even Namor round out the rest of the X-Men. They use Atlantis as their headquarters in part because Jean is framed for the murder of an English congresswoman. In truth, the congresswoman died at the hands of a resurfaced Cassandra Nova. Nova uses the politician’s death to alienate Jean from the public eye. This forces Jean’s team to work underground.

Marauders, Volume 2 (Marauders Vol 2 #1-12; written by Steve Orlando/art by Eleonora Carlini 2022-2023)

Not to be confused with several other versions of Marauders, this most recent group of Marauders is led by Captain Kitty Pryde. They rescue mutants, wherever they may be and no matter how dangerous the odds. The final member of her crew is none other than Cassandra Nova.

This is the first time that Cassandra Nova has been cast as a hero, albeit a reluctant one. Most of the Marauders, who were victims of Nova’s cruelty to Genosha, would rather not depend on her, and they do depend on her abilities quite a bit. The group depends on her for a while, until they plan for Nova’s eventual heel turn. Marauders is a strange read. It ends its arc with Nova being stranded 2 billion years in the past, with a mass extinction event on the horizon. That’s one way to exact your revenge.

Single Issues

“Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress” (New X-Men #121; written by Grant Morrison/art by Frank Quietly and Ethan Van Sciver; 2002)

Charles Xavier’s mind lies imprisoned in the comatose body of Cassandra Nova. Jean Grey and Emma Frost team up on a telepathic journey into Cassandra’s consciousness to rescue Charles. The psychic trip is one for the ages. Beyond vast oceans rests a suspiciously fortified tower. Phoenix builds a bridge to cross the divide, but the tower’s defenses destroy Jean’s construct.

Traveling deeper into Cassandra Nova’s consciousness, the two learn that Cassandra Nova and Charles Xavier are twins. They engaged in psychic combat inside their mother’s womb. The fight led Charles and Cassandra’s mother to tumble down a flight of stairs. Jean and Emma learn that Charles intended to kill his sister inside the womb. Cassandra Nova left the womb stillborn.

This sequence gives much-needed context to why Cassandra Nova sicced the Sentinels on the nation of Genosha. She wants to destroy what Charles Xavier holds dear. She wants to make him pay for not showing her the same love he shows others.

The beginning of this issue’s title “Silence” holds special significance. This issue is part of the “Nuff Said” month in which no comics released at the time were allowed to use any words. The only words uttered were by Jean during the story’s conclusion.

There aren’t that many Cassandra Nova stories to choose from, but I may have left off one or two. Let me know which Cassandra Nova stories you’d choose instead. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Harley Quinn: “Back to School” Review

Published on January 24, 2025January 23, 2025 by SeasonLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

Last week’s episode had some darker moments, but was fairly lighthearted. This week’s episode got gritty, gory, and introduced another new adversary in the final scene. Contrary to “The Big Apricot,” “Back to School” didn’t have as many slice-of-life moments. It either swung into the dark details of Poison Ivy’s origin or went full goofball with Harley and the baby sharks.

I didn’t mind the extreme shifts in “Back to School” since it was engaging and had good pacing. Ivy not telling Harley about her day will probably come back to bite her later given what we learn at the end of the episode. So far, Harley Quinn has had good continuity.

“Back to School” introduced more new characters, but I count the baby sharks (aside from Shaun) as one entity. Harley Quinn has introduced several new characters consecutively in the past, but not all of them stick around. I’m curious to see which characters they decide to keep for Season Five. Harley Quinn isn’t shy about killing off characters.

Speaking of characters, this is the first time we see King Shark in Season Five. He’s moved to Metropolis. I had a feeling they’d find a way to incorporate him in Metropolis since he’s featured in the artwork for Season Five. However, his appearance with his kids on Harley and Ivy’s doorstep did feel a bit forced. Since it’s the only thing that slightly annoyed me in this episode, I’ll give it a pass.

Kyra’s Take

This week’s episode of Harley Quinn, “Back to School,” added some deep cuts into DC Comics lore and Harley Quinn’s spin-off series Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. While these inclusions can be a lot as Season mentioned, they work within the fabric of Harley Quinn and the greater DC Comics. I like that about Harley Quinn. It reinterprets DC Comics characters while staying true to their roots.

Bane and Goldilocks return from Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. I just finished watching Harley Quinn’s spin-off series. It doesn’t hold up as well, but Bane was one of the show’s standout characters and it’s nice seeing him return to Harley Quinn. I could do without Goldilocks. There’s a reason Queen of Fables doesn’t like her. The third thing of a set one gives Goldilocks will usually be “just right.” Ugh! You don’t need to know much more about the character (or watch Kite Man: Hell Yeah! before watching this episode), and you can imagine the long-suffering Bane having to please this petulant child.

This next section could be considered spoilers. Season avoided mentioning this character. If you’d like to see the episode yourself before reading this take, skip to “end of spoilers.” You’ve been warned.

It didn’t don on me that Harley Quinn has gone four seasons without mentioning Dr. Woodrue until I heard his name. Floronic Man (Dr. Woodrue) frequently serves as a foil to Poison Ivy. “Back to School” casts him as Ivy’s college professor and that works. Woodrue attempting to steal Ivy’s life’s work (namely her plant-sidekick Frank) and claim it as his own has plenty of dark undertones. Harley Quinn doesn’t play it off for laughs either. That’s why these scenes get cut by kid shark antics. As soon as I heard Dr. Woodrue’s name, I got excited. “Back to School” does the character justice.

End of spoilers. I agree with Season that “Back to School” had a lot of severe shifts in tone, but these shifts worked. Harley’s kid shark antics undercut the Ivy’s brooding narrative. “Back to School” does a good job of weaving old Harley Quinn characters into the Metropolis setting while setting up a juicy antagonist for the season.

Spider-Man Color Palette Quiz

Published on January 23, 2025March 10, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Say What Quiz: January 21, 2025

Published on January 21, 2025March 10, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Can you match the character with the quote?

Top 5 Spider-Man Villains

Published on January 20, 2025January 8, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 Villains List of the new year. I can’t believe we lasted this long before mentioning Spider-Man’s top villains. Let’s rectify that. Here’s our list of the Top 5 Spider-Man Villains.

5: Carnage

We could’ve gone several different directions here. I wanted to put a classic Spider-Man at the fifth spot, someone like Electro, Sandman, Kraven, or even Vulture, but Carnage trumps each of them. The alien symbiote that merged with Cletus Kasady Carnage may be the offspring of another character on this list (spoilers, I guess), but Carnage is a formidable Spider-Man villain and worthy of this list. If we were to discuss Spider-Man’s most violent villains, Carnage would be atop that list.

Carnage has had some stellar storylines, some of the best Spider-Man stories in the past three decades or so since his first appearance: Absolute Carnage, Maximum Carnage, and Carnage, U.S.A. to name a few. Carnage rampages his way near the top of Spider-Man’s rogues.

4: Mysterio

I always liked Mysterio as a villain. Quentin Beck’s penchant for the dramatic and choosing to manipulate and confuse Spider-Man instead of trying to out science or beat Spidey to a pulp made Mysterio unique. Beck spent years on Spidey’s back catalog of villains. Wearing a fishbowl as a helmet couldn’t help.

Even with a ridiculous outfit—or perhaps because of a ridiculous outfit—Mysterio has been in some great Spider-Man stories. The five-issue mini-series Symbiote Spider-Man rescued Mysterio from obscurity. He even returned from the dead in “Mysterioso” (Amazing Spider-Man #618). This story bridged the gap from the goofy Silver Age version of Mysterio to the more sinister character in “Guardian Devil.” And the 2019 MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home did a lot to improve Mysterio’s image to non-diehard Spidey fans.

3: Doctor Octopus

There was a time when Doctor Octopus would’ve dominated this list, or he’d at least be second to another character we’ll see later, but Otto Octavius finds himself in the third spot. Many comic book characters have changed their looks and even their backstory, but Doctor Octopus may be the king of makeovers. He’s been an Atlantean, an octopus-like monster, and he’s even been Spider-Man before in the storyline Superior Spider-Man.

Many of Spider-Man’s villains may know his identity as Peter Parker, but Doctor Octopus was one of the first. And he used that knowledge to torture Peter. Add in the fact that Doc Ock assembled the original Sinister Six and that makes him a no-brainer for this list.

2: Venom

Venom got teased in the Carnage write-up. When an alien symbiote merged with Eddie Brock to form Venom, it shook up the Spider-Man mythos. Since Spidey has such a great rogues gallery, Venom is the only modern Spider-Man villain who can sneak into the top three. One could argue that Venom is equal parts hero and villain, and many of Venom’s best stories cast them as a hero. Venom Vs. Carnage and Maximum Carnage pit them against their offspring Carnage. I especially liked Venom’s turn as a hero in the latter story because it forced Venom to join forces with their hated enemy Spider-Man. But I always thought Venom worked best as a villain.

Since Venom is a symbiote, more than one character has formed an alliance with the alien. Famously, Peter Parker was Venom’s first host. Other hosts include Mac Gargan (Scorpion), Flash Thompson, and even Mysterio. And since the symbiote has merged with Peter Parker Spider-Man in the past, Venom typically knows Spider-Man’s identity, which makes them even deadlier. Throw in the fact that Spidey’s spider-sense can’t detect Venom, and they’re easily a top villain.

1: Green Goblin

Could it be anyone else? Green Goblin takes a lot of what makes the villains on this list formidable and combines them into one character. Norman Osborn knows Peter’s identity. He isn’t afraid to use his knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity to his advantage and has leveraged Spider-Man’s identity on multiple occasions. He has a personal connection with Spider-Man through his son Harry Osborn being one of Peter’s friends. He can manipulate, out-science, and even overpower Spider-Man physically. Green Goblin even killed Peter Parker’s first girlfriend Gwen Stacy.

I could go into numerous Green Goblin stories here, but that may need a future list. Simply put, Green Goblin was the obvious choice for the first Spider-Man big-screen adaptation.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Update: Honkai Star Rail New Region Amphorius

Published on January 19, 2025January 26, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Honkai Star Rail Version 3.0 was released on January 14, 2025. Geekly has had some time to play the new patch, and we have some initial impressions.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. I finished the first chapter of the new planet Amphorius. Yes. Honkai Star Rail (HSR) introduced a brand new planet. Any HSR patch that includes a new planet is a massive one, but HSR Version 3.0 tops most other HSR patches because it introduces a brand new path, Remembrance.

For those who may not know, Honkai Star Rail paths dictate which playstyle a character will have. Abundance heals. Preservation shields characters. Harmony buffs. Speaking of Harmony, one of the latest new characters, Sunday, suggested that a certain playstyle would see more play: summons. As a Harmony character, Sunday buffs, which becomes a stronger buff if the character he’s buffing has a summon.

Since Sunday had an interesting game mechanism that we had yet to see, I expected any new path or characters to feature summoning. I anticipated Propagation. Instead, HSR added Remembrance. Turns out, Remembrance focuses on summoned creatures.

The following is conjecture. Judging from Remembrance Trailblazer (they receive a new path and element this patch) and the upcoming Aglaea, Remembrance will focus on summons that support, while Propagation (which will most likely be released at some point) may focus on summons that deal damage. Enough conjecture. Let’s return to the first impression. What I’ve seen of Remembrance is fun and provides more design space. Honkai Star Rail developers added a new path before the game’s formula grew stale. Remembrance does give hope for the future.

Everything I’ve said is positive or explains the state of Honkai Star Rail. If you haven’t noticed, I’m stalling. I wanted to like Amphorius and the new patch, but unfortunately, Version 3.0 is the worst.

The latest Honkai Star Rail patch features wooden characters, a derivative storyline that an Edge Lord thinks is unique, voice acting for equally Edge Lord characters, and HSR’s answer to Paimon. No. That insults Paimon. Mem is worse than Paimon. I didn’t think it was possible, but Hoyoverse has unleashed a character far worse than a character so annoying it’s become a meme. Any one of these reasons could be why I say Version 3.0 is the worst Honkai Star Rail patch, but the patch suffers the most from level design.

Bear with me. This will be relevant. I conducted an experiment. Each HSR planet has a unique currency that players can turn in at a shop (or some other venue) for upgrades. I fast traveled to the closest space anchor (fast travel location) and ran to each shop to see how long it would take me to reach the upgrade shop. Every other planet (including the Herta Space Station) took an average of 2 seconds to go from the space anchor to the shop. It took me almost 19 seconds to go from the closest space anchor to Amphorius’s upgrade shop. Amphorius increased the time to do a simple task ten-fold.

You may think that 19 seconds to visit an upgrade shop isn’t bad, but Amphorius does this with almost every task. Everything in Amphorius takes 8-10 times longer to complete. It turns HSR into a walking simulator. A five minute action on any other Honkai Star Rail location would take you between thirty minutes to an hour on Amphorius. Yes. You can smash some flying pigs and double your speed, but even after the speed boost, you’re speed is still (effectively) nerfed, and that’s if you remember to smash a flying pig or one’s available. Ugh!

Some of you may say that Amphorius’s scale is larger-than-life. This increase in size makes sense for the space. Sure. I didn’t lead with this, but I like Amphorius’s art design. When I say design, I mean level design as a game designer. Make no mistake, this shift in Honkai Star Rail’s game design philosophy marks a naked attempt to keep gamers logged into HSR longer. The design team could’ve done anything to denote the size of Amphorius. Keep the vaulted ceilings. Design options like this makes a space seem bigger.

Heck. You could keep the stages the same size. But if you insist on increasing the stages by ten, include ten times more chests. Each stage has the same number of chests, which makes Amphorius seem empty. There’s a whole lot of nothing.

Okay. Rant over. I want to enjoy Amphorius. Despite the poor level design choices, I have hope that Honkai Star Rail Version 3.1 will be better, and I’m excited to see what the developers will do with the new path Remembrance.

That’s all I have for now. Thank you for reading. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a nice day.

Honorable Mention 1: Palicos (Monster Hunter Series)

I never know if palicos count as pets or not; I love them as characters, but they may be less pets and more of a species of humanoids. The Monster Hunter series muddies the waters with palicos. Some palicos are your faithful servants and present little more than their servitude to the player character. Other palicos have jobs (like the Meowscular Chef in Monster Hunter World, he must have a wife and kids at home to support) and the Monster Hunter Stories series shows palicos as having a culture separate from humans. Many people still classify palicos as pets, but their ambiguity makes them just miss this list.

Honorable Mention 2: Pokémon (Pokémon Series)

Pokémon, like horses and dogs, can fill a list by themselves. And which Pokémon should I pick? Pikachu is the obvious representative Pokémon. He has his own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. But that’s reductive. I’ll include Pokémon as a video game pet type, but these critters deserve a list for themselves. Maybe even a Top 10 Iconic Pokémon list.

With Pokémon, horses, and palicos eliminated (and dogs for the most part excluded), how many video game pets are we left with? A lot. So many that I could make a Top 10 if I wanted, but these are the ones that made the Top 5.

**5: Rammy (Castle Crashers)**

Cheater! I can hear some of you Castle Crashers players now, you’re a cheater if you use Rammy. I say, you still have to unlock him after the bear boss. And he’s a cute orb-shaped ram. And who doesn’t like a ram charging through a side-scroller beat ‘em up game, knocking down every monster they meet? If Rammy is cheating, then I don’t want to play honorably. Charge away, Rammy. Charge away.

**4: Munchie (Dragon Quest VIII)**

This one is esoteric. It took me a while to think of Munchie from Dragon Quest VIII. I vaguely recalled a pet mouse who rode in the main character’s coat pocket, and the only thing I could remember was that Munchie had a mohawk and liked to eat cheese and certain cheeses gave him special abilities. All of that is true (to be precise, Munchie is a pig rat), but Munchie was central to advancing Dragon Quest VIII’s plot. The game has several moments where the player controls Munchie as he conducts reconnaissance.

Munchie often procured keys to enter or exit rooms, gathered intelligence to better interact with NPCs, and even scouted ahead before major battles. Munchie may also be a little of a cheat for this list. While he spends most of the game as your pig rat pet, he’s much more than that. I won’t spoil any of the story here—Dragon Quest VIII is well worth the play and it’s available on plenty of platforms—but there’s a lot more to Munchie.

**3: Blob (A Boy and His Blob)**

A Boy and His Blob uses a common 1980s movie trope of a boy befriending an alien (like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Last Starfighter), but that doesn’t discount the titular blob as a pet. And it’s one heck of a pet. I’m sensing a theme here with these video game pets: they’re useful. Rammy helps you cheat and Munchie progresses Dragon Quest VIII’s story. The Blob from A Boy and His Blob can transform into various objects (to help the player solve puzzles) by eating different flavored jellybeans.

The original A Boy and His Blob is at best unbalanced, but the concept is neat. I like the idea of a blob morphing into a ladder if fed a licorice jellybean or a parachute if it eats a pear jellybean. The other combinations are fun: tangerine (trampoline), berry (balloon), and punch (hole). But my favorite had to be apple and jack. I see what you did there, A Boy and His Blob. And of course, coconut transforms the blob into a coconut. Were you expecting anything else?

A Boy and His Blob got a sequel in 2009, but I wouldn’t mind some more time with this property. Not going to lie, I ate more jellybeans after playing this game. What would a Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly turn me into?

**2: Rush (Mega Man Series)**

Rush from the Mega Man Series is our one dog-like pet on this list. I could’ve gone a different direction here, but I don’t think Rush gets enough love. So, what if Rush makes another list in the future? He’ll make a future Top 5 video game dogs list. He’s Mega Man’s best buddy.

Rush continues our trend of pets who have multiple uses. Throughout the Mega Man Series, Rush has been a coil (trampoline), a jet to cross long pits, a submarine, a spaceship, a flashlight of sorts (with its “Search” function in Mega Man 7), and a motorbike to name a few. Mega Man’s Rush bridges the gap between a pet that can help in a fight or solve a puzzle and one that aids with pushing the story further. The first two Mega Man games are two of my favorite games from that era of video games, but those two games have a lack of Rush.

1: Yoshi (Nintendo)

Could it be anyone else? Even if I included Pokémon, horses, and all video game dogs, Yoshi from the Super Mario Bros. series would still take the top spot. Heck, I named my dog after Yoshi the dinosaur. And who wouldn’t want a dinosaur as a pet?

Yoshi may be the one character on this list who doesn’t need an introduction. Most people know them and their abilities. Like Rush, Yoshi has done it all. They’re even one of the few characters on this list that have had their own video game series. They’ve had more than one.

You’re probably wondering why I keep referring to Yoshi as they; Yoshi is a sapient species of dinosaur-like creatures. They can lay eggs, which suggests that they’re female, but most people refer to the Yoshi one finds in Super Mario World as he. Yoshis (or Yoshisaurs) blur the line between male and female. They can be both or neither.

I also loved playing as Yoshi in the original Super Mario Kart. I got pretty good at managing their fast acceleration and the fact that they couldn’t take too much damage without getting knocked off course. Yoshis come in different colors. Some of these colors depict different abilities, but usually, these colors are cosmetic. Whatever their color, Yoshi rules.

Which Yoshi is your favorite? Did we miss any video game pets that aren’t dogs, horses, or Pokémon? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Harley Quinn: “The Big Apricot” Review

Published on January 17, 2025January 16, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

The Gotham City Sirens break up, Supes is out of a job, Harley and Ivy move to Metropolis and Aisha Tyler appears. Whoa!

I’ll admit I wasn’t sure where they were going to take this season since many major events have already occurred inside Gotham. I won’t say I’m surprised they’re dipping their toes in Metropolis, but it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. The sudden shift keeps things fresh.

I like the slice-of-life sections that showcase Harley and Ivy doing normal couple things. It helps ground them as characters. Harley mentioned that she was worried her spark with Ivy would fade away, which is a valid fear to have. This want for excitement by attending the Superman Gala in Metropolis is also something Harley would want to do regardless of her relationship status. She thrives off excitement.

The current state of Metropolis is the calm before the storm this season. I won’t spoil the end of “The Big Apricot,” but an iconic character rears their head. I said Supes was out of a job at the beginning of this post. Who knows? He may have a job again very soon. I need to make some phone calls for my neck appointment.

Kyra’s Take

I could’ve used more time with the Gotham City Sirens. The end of Harley Quinn Season Four set up this team dynamic as the Season Five focal point. The Sirens only get a flashback that lasts less than five minutes. That said, “The Big Apricot” is a return to form. Harley Quinn lost its way last season; it finished strong and that included the Gotham City Sirens’ introduction. I’ll take the trade-off of losing this team for Harley Quinn’s original creative team returning.

Furthermore, the Gotham City Sirens were destined to fail. Season Five didn’t waste any time. The show’s move to Metropolis makes sense. That same creative team has done a lot with Gotham City. They sprinkled in a couple of episodes under the sea (King Shark) and in Themyscira (Wonder Woman). A few characters like Lex Luthor hail from Metropolis, but we haven’t yet seen a Harley Quinn episode set in Metropolis.

The shift in cities reminds me of Archer midway through its run. The change for Archer was also needed. Hey! Aisha Tyler was in Archer, too. Tyler portrays Lena Luthor. During this episode, Lena has a positive bend. This could change; Lena Luthor’s morality is malleable. I can’t wait to see what Tyler will do with this role.

I’ll echo Season’s sentiment about the slice-of-life segments. Harley and Ivy may be one of the most relatable couples on television right now. I never thought I would say that, but it’s true. Harley and Ivy are one of the best television couples right now.

We haven’t yet seen Clayface, King Shark, or Bane this season, but each of these characters has been featured in Season Five’s promotions. With Superman gone, there may be more Gotham City transplants in the future. I don’t expect Metropolis to stay pristine.

I won’t spoil the ending either. Let’s just say that it looks like Harley Quinn Season Five will explore Superman’s rogues as much as it did Batman’s rogues in its previous four seasons, and that’s exciting.