The future of the MCU — and all of pop culture

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Video game and tech culture has long been obsessed with “generations.” We mark milestones with new consoles or the numbers on an iPhone. It’s a helpful way to measure progress that moves at an unpredictable pace.

Polygon increases this fixation every year in order to uncover the next generation.Everything.

Procrastination is a great tool to help this be a favorite project. So we wait until the month ahead of publication to tell stories about emerging creeks in pop culture. These could be raging rivers that redirect global entertainment flows. This isn’t speculative fiction about a time 50 years from now; it’s a hint at where the world will be trending next month or next year.

Here are just a few stories we think you’ll love, but you should check out the full package!


YouTube This Week| The Super Mario Bros. movie is famously bad — so bad it killed the hopes of any good video game movie adaptations for YEARS. So they claim. But, what if Super Mario Bros. wasn’t actually that bad? Jenna Stoeber explores the history of the Super Mario Bros. movie and gets the answers about why it’s so reviled. You might want to see it yourself.


Six Stories to Read

Kamala Khan waves in her Ms. Marvel costume

Image: “The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lies in Disney’s ability to gain the loyalty of the most progressive and skeptical generation yet, and there is only one ‘safe,’ new axis of diversity for Marvel Studios to lean into: women.”Marvel Studios

The MCU’s future lies with those it previously neglected: teen girls | “The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lies in Disney’s ability to gain the loyalty of the most progressive and skeptical generation yet, and there is only one ‘safe,’ new axis of diversity for Marvel Studios to lean into: women.”

TikTok tags and Instagram tags have changed the way people cook• Four cookbook authors and chefs discuss how tagging influences recipe development.| Four chefs and cookbook authors on how tagging influences recipe development.

Natalie Portman was the MCU’s nemesis, but Taika Waititi got her backDisney has released its first trailer | Disney released the first trailer for Thor: Love and ThunderWe were able to see Natalie Portman for the first time as a super-hero. Here’s how her character, Jane Foster, She was blessed with godly abilities.

A The Director ofnew wave of animators are ‘fighting the computer’ to make wilder, weirder movies | The director of BAD GUYS explains how animators are resisting “boring” CGI.

Moon Knight has finally arrived!• It was slow, but it worked. | It took a beat, but Moon KnightFinding its stride. This episode of the MCU Series is its best yet. The show is willing to be even more bizarre.

AThis week was a huge one for Dungeons & Dragons. On Thursday, the brand hosted D&D Direct, a Nintendo-style streaming event.huge week for D&D | It’s been a big week for the Dungeons & Dragons brand, which hosted its first Nintendo-style streaming event called D&D Direct on Thursday. Two beloved settings — Spelljammer and Dragonlance — are returning. What’s the cherry on top? Wizards of the Coast tapped the designers of Pandemic Legacy and HeroQuest to team up for a D&D-themed board game.


Here are six things you should be paying attention to

Alexander Skarsgard, wearing a wolf skin, howls during a firelight war ritual in The Northman

Photo by Aidan Monaghan/Focus features

The NorthmanTheaters | Guys bein’ dudes! Gore galore! Here’s how they pulled off the awesome “spear shot” that’s all over the trailers.

Massive Talent’s Unbearable MassTheatersNicolas Cage had a wild year in 2021.| 2021 was an even wilder year than usual for Nicolas Cage. He won’t let that stop him from going even harder in 2022.

Petite MamanTheatersThis is the sweetest and most subtle science fiction movie in many years.| The sweetest, subtlest science fiction film in years.

The Bad GuysTheaters An energetic mashup| A lively mashup of Zootopia, Ralph the Wreck-It RalphAnd decades of crime movies.

We’re All Going to the World’s FairTheaters• Creepypasta lovers finally receive the film they are looking for | Creepypasta fans finally get the exact movie they need.

Marvelous and the Black HoleTheaters• We talked to Kate Tsang, director of Kate Tsang on how she spends her time. | We spoke with director Kate Tsang about how her time on Steven Universe: Future And Adventure Time: Distant Lands informed her live-action debut.

Plus, Everything new in streaming:16 Witchy Movies! 16 thrilling thrillers


There are three games you can play

A young girl meets a talking frog in Sumire

GameTomo Image

Sumire Over at Uppercut Crit, Monti Velez reviewed| Over at Uppercut Crit, Monti Velez reviewed SumireA beautifully illustrated game that explores grief and choices. Accessible on Windows PC, iOS and Switch• More people have made it to the Borderlands spinoff.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands | More of us have reached the endgame of the Borderlands spinoff. The shooter is a lot of fun. It could easily be a John Wick power fantasy. It is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X/S for Windows PC.

Get together for a playdate We previewed the Playdate last summer and were mostly charmed by the novel | We previewed the Playdate last summer and were mostly charmed by the novel Handheld with a crank; however, we were curious about how the games would perform on the final model. Fortunately, the incomparable Christian Donlan at Eurogamer penned an excellent review to celebrate the Playdate’s official release along with a bundle of exclusive indie titles. At Polygon, be sure to read Ben Bertoli’s behind-the-scenes reporting on Playdate’s eight-year road to reality. At Play.date.


Each week you get a complimentary game

A glowing rift from Amnesia: Rebirth

Image: Frictional Games

The Rebirth of Amnesia The sequel to the tremendously popular| The sequel to the tremendously popular Dark Descent: AmnesiaIt was not easy to find the right words when it came out in October 2020. Blame the hype for the launch of new video game consoles or the series’ reputation for being extremely scary. The free EGS week will bring new viewers to the horror series, regardless of the reason. Epic Games Store: Available until April 28, 2022.


Best of the Rest

a closeup of buzz lightyear as he flies a test ship

Image: Pixar

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