Superman is the first full entry into James Gunn’s DCU. Facing backlash from those who wished the DCEU to continue, the film had a lot riding on it to prove the narrative vision of this new version of the DC universe across multiples forms of media. In this episode we have part one of our examination of this film. We discuss how it works as an init…

Echo was a surprising addition to the Phase Five lineup. While the other characters in the MCU were characters with significant followings, Echo was a relatively minor character from the comics. However, due to a strong showing in the Hawkeye series, Alaqua Cox’s character was allowed to star in her own series with ramifications for Daredevil: Born…

Last week we boldly went so far that we needed a whole other episode to come back. As a result this episode gives you the second part of our exploration of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In this episode we tackle such questions as “does a legal procedural work in space?”, “how many times can you bust a series’ format before it’s too many?”, and “ho…

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to gain prominence among fandom. Telling stories about the crew of the Enterprise in the days when Pike was captain, the series evokes a retro feel while boasting modern effects. In this episode we provide the first half of our discussion of season two of the series. We discuss new characters like Pelia and w…

Superman month concludes this week, but we couldn’t leave without talking about the last iteration of The Man of Steel. In this episode we look at the entirety of the DCEU – from a franchise of franchises overseen by Zack Snyder to a disjointed dying gasp of poorly performing films and ones pulled before they could see the light of day – we go over…

Superman is high in the public consciousness today, so we’re taking a step back and looking at the movie series that many still site as the quintessential version of the character. In this episode we discuss all four of the Superman movies that starred Christopher Reeve as well as Superman Returns, a movie intended to be a sequel to those earlier f…

Superman & Lois was the final DC series produced by the CW. Originally meant to be part of the Arrowverse, the series blazed its own path once it was determined that crossovers wouldn’t be possible with Covid production restrictions. In this episode we talk about the fourth and final season of the series. We discuss the comic origins of the series.…

My Adventures with Superman is an animated take on the man of Steel that airs on the Cartoon Network and HBO Max. The series provides a slightly different take on Superman, following his adventures as a young intern at the Daily Planet and featuring an anime inspired style. In this episode we review about both seasons of the series. We talk about t…

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Peter David. Crusade was a spinoff of the popular series, Babylon 5 that aired on TNT in 1999. Twenty years later several fans of the series and writer Peter David sat down at Dragoncon to discuss the series. We talk about favorite episodes, things that we liked about the setup for the series, production w…

Thunderbolts* was one of the risky ventures that Marvel puts out from time-to-time. Featuring a cast of supporting characters from previous films and series, the story catapults several characters to prominence while doing a fair amount of Marvel world-building and character development. In this episode we go over Thunderbolts*. We talk about the p…

The first season of What If…? was a surprise hit. Showcasing different paths that the MCU could have taken allowed the storytellers to reveal new aspects of familiar characters. In this episode we talk about the second season of the series. We discuss the various plot lines and what we think about them. We also compare it to the first season and wh…

Resident Alien is a clever series that combines hilarious, off-beat comedy with an interesting science-fiction narrative. In this episode we delve into the series. We talk about the amazing cast that they’ve built up, and what we think about the characters and their situations. We discuss the plot lines and what we feel has worked and what hasn’t. …

In this episode we talk about the most popular actor to play the Doctor with Tom Baker. We discuss his legacy and why he does rank so high in people’s estimation. We examine the controversies of his era such as whether there was too much violence and how he treated his costars. We also take a firm focus at the three different producers that he work…

After a long hiatus due to the writer’s strike, the MCU returned last February with Captain America: Brave New World. While many fans of Falcon and the Winter Soldier had high hopes for this movie, there were concerns about the use of characters from 2008’s Incredible Hulk, the minimal involvement of Bucky Barnes, and the reshoots that resulted in …

The My Little Pony franchise has been around for a long time and has spawned many animated series. In this episode we discuss the Friendship is Magic installment, which lasted from 2010 to 2019. As arguably the most successful incarnation of My Little Pony we examine why that might be. We discuss the characters and why they create interesting hooks…

The first season of Loki was one of the most popular Marvel series on Disney+. It only made sense for Marvel to do a second season. In this episode we review the Loki series. We discuss the plot and whether all of the elements work. We talk about unusual performances and new characters. We also get into the Jonathan Majors controversy and how this …

In this episode we interview the man, the myth, the legend, the Maestro of the Marquis, the human gorilla, Mr. Mark Finn. Mark has been a regular on The 42cast, but this is our first time discussing his past in depth. Join us as Mark discusses his early forays into the world of comic books, pulp novels, and role playing games. Stick with us as Mark…

The 90’s was a time of great innovation in animation. The medium had been dominated by stand-alone episodes and simple storylines for decades. In the 90’s even the traditional networks’ programming pushed the envelope. More series with serialized storytelling were being told. An overall movement advanced to tell stories with more grown-up themes an…

The War of the Rohirrim was the first attempt by Warner Bros to extend the use of their Middle-Earth license to include stories beyond the written works of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Set 180 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, it tells the story of how Helm’s Deep got its name and showcases the daughter of Helm, Hera. Conceived…

Rogue One has gained a cult following within Star Wars fandom and has a wide appreciation from a large swathe of the fandom. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was a desire within Lucasfilm to capitalize on that by creating a prequel series about one of the main protagonists of the film, Cassian Andor. The titular series follows Andor as he is slowly re…

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the first of the Marvel TV series to tie in with the MCU and it was almost the last to air before the collapse of Marvel’s TV division. In this episode we look back at the final season of the series. Along the way we discuss whether the time-travel McGuffin and callbacks to previous episodes created a satisfying …

In this episode we go to Chicago TARDIS 2024 to present you with an interview discussion with Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines, and Sophie Aldred who played Zoe, Jamie, and Ace respectively in Doctor Who. The trio discuss convention memories, what was special about their respective eras, writing asperations, Doctor Who characters they wish that they had…

With the release of the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune there are now three live action adaptations of the story. In this episode we examine the Lynch, Harrison, and Villeneuve adaptations. We discuss what we like about each one and talk about the things that we felt do not work in each. We compare notes on the various portrayals of characte…

85 years ago, L. Frank Baum’s classic tale was adapted into the first film that used technicolor. That movie was The Wizard of Oz. In this episode we discuss that epic film. We talk about the acting, characters, and the sheer spectacle that must have left crowd’s awestruck. We discuss the themes of the source material and how well this film works a…

It was a title so good that we had to use it twice. In this episode we take a deep dive on Invincible. It’s a coming of age story about Mark Grayson, a teenager who has to navigate attaining super powers, his father’s secret, and getting into college. We discuss the phenomenal story and what makes it so unique at a time when we have so much superhe…

Marvel’s Runaways adapted a relatively unknown but also fairly recent comic book concept for the small screen. The story followed the children of super villains who ran away from their parents and become heroes. In this episode we take a look at the final season of the series. We discuss the plotlines and how well this final season wrapped up the p…

The 42cast is proud to welcome Captain Power himself, Timothy Dunigan, to the show. In this episode Tim talks with us about his career starting with performing in high school plays to starring in his own TV series and beyond. Along the way he discusses being the original Faceman in The A-Team, guest starring in almost every TV series of the 80’s, w…

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Akira Toriyama, a brilliant creator responsible for the design of games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in the 80’s/90’s in the US) as well of course as the Dragon Ball manga. Dragon Ball Z is one of the first anime that many people in America ever saw. Popularized by the Toonami b…

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was the last title to come out of the DCEU. Featuring Jason Momoa as Aquaman the movie was meant to focus on the sibling relationship between Aquaman and his brother Orm, played by Patrick Wilson. In this episode the cast discusses this film. They examine the plot and characters and discuss what they think worked and di…

Star Trek: Picard was the second series in the new Star Trek line initially created by CBS: All Access and later continued by Paramount Plus. The series provided a bridge for fans who didn’t connect with Star Trek: Discovery by providing recognizable characters from the height of Trek popularity in the 90’s. While many fans appreciated this effort …

Legion was one of two TV series that Fox produced while owning the X-Men license. The story followed David Haller, the son of Professor Charles Xavier; his struggles with mental health; and his development as one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. The series was told from the point of view of this unreliable narrator which sometimes lead t…

Willow was released in theaters in 1988. The film was George Lucas’ take on a fantasy epic. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform up to expectations in the box office, so a sequel film was never made. However, it did develop a cult following that spawned The Chronicles of the Shadow War novel series and a television series on Disney+. In this episode th…

The Marvels was the last MCU film of 2023. Combining plot threads from Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel, it created a crossover storyline to begin preparing the MCU for its next big event. In this episode we look at the movie and discuss whether it worked as a sequel for the various properties that came before. We’ll also talk about how …

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series started as a plan for a movie following the titular character. Over time that morphed into a plan to do a limited series on Disney+. In this episode the cast discusses the series. They talk about how the series fleshes out not only the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi but also Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Owen and Beru La…

Secret Invasion was part of the second wave of Disney+ shows after the popularity of the 2021 output. Announced with Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She Hulk, it was long assumed that this series would come out in 2022, but instead it came out in 2023. In this episode we take a look at Secret Invasion. We talk about the use of elements from the Captai…

It’s about the time that the show covered The Big G himself, The King of the Monsters, the legendary Godzilla. As Godzilla turns 70 we look at decades of films and many many takes on the basic concept. We discuss our favorite Kaiju. We debate whether Godzilla works best as a defender of the Earth or a an implaccable force of terror. We also talk ab…

Blue Beetle was one of the last of the DCEU releases. Originally intended as a straight to Max streaming movie, Warner Bros-Discovery was apparently impressed by what they saw and decided to release the movie to theaters. Sporting a modest $75K budget, the movie managed to look better than many, more expensive blockbusters. It also boasted a mostly…

The Karate Kid was a popular movie in the early 80’s that spawned several sequels and in 2018 a spinoff series called Cobra Kai. In this episode the cast discusses the latter series. They talk about origins of the legacy characters and how the new series views them through a different point of view. They debate the merits of the various younger cha…

Superman and Lois season 4 has already premiered, so we have some catching up to do with our review of season 3! In this action-packed episode we discuss the introduction of Bruno Manheim and Intergang into the narrative. We also talk about the very real plotline around cancer and how Superman faces an enemy that he can’t defeat. We also debate the…

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the first attempt to do a comedy series within the MCU. In this episode we take a deep dive on the She Hulk series. We discuss how the show fits within the greater context of the MCU as well as how well it lives up to the various comic series that it’s adapting. We talk about the characters and how the story of Jennifer…

It’s the end of an era as we come to the very last season of the very last Arrowverse series as we discuss the final season of The Flash. It’s ten years to the day that the series premiered, so it feels especially fitting that we do this topic. In this episode we talk about how this is the culmination of the entire Arrowverse. We discuss the many, …

In this episode we review the first three seasons of the popular Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy. We give our opinions on all aspects of this series. We discuss the characters and their unusual relationships and personality quirks for a superhero series. We talk about the plots and how they cleverly set up conflicts and resolutions that one ma…

In this episode we discuss the final season of a show that was gone far far far too soon. That show is Stargirl. Although Stargirl aired on The CW it was originally conceptualized as a streaming series first for DC Universe and then HBO Max. Episodes were simultaneously released on both the CW and the corresponding streaming service. In this examin…

In this second part of our two-part extravaganza on The Rings of Power the cast jumps back into talking about Middle Earth. In this episode they ask “What’s in a name?” as they wonder why anyone included a Hobbit. The Stranger’s gray identity is mooted. The cast discusses the geometry of rings and why 15 minutes may not be enough time to devote to …

It’s a trip back to Middle-Earth this week as the cast takes an epic-length at the Amazon Prime series, The Rings of Power. In this episode the cast discusses the logic of a series that can only use the appendices of Lord of the Rings as reference. They get into the types of stories that they’re choosing to tell and whether or not there’s a signifi…

You often hear that there’s too much TV to watch these days or that the market is catering to geeky interests on TV today. Yet, the 80’s saw it’s fair share of genre television for people of all ages. In this episode four people that were there (old fogeys) recount tales of the television of their youth. They also discuss whether 80’s television ho…

Indiana Jones has returned in a fifth installment of the titular franchise. In this episode we talk about the Dial of Destiny. We discuss revitalizing the franchise in the 21st century and how it compares to the prior attempt. We debate the Indiana Jones franchise’s potential for a continuation with other characters or a reboot. We also get into Na…

This week we delve back into the MCU on Disney+ to talk about Ms. Marvel. Join our cast as we delve into the comic origins of these characters. We’ll talk about what works, what didn’t, and what we wish they included and didn’t. We’ll also discuss casting and performances and what we thought of the tone of the series. We’ll also debate how this wor…

In this week’s episode we fire up the spore drive to arrive at Star Trek Discovery season 4. In this episode we delve deep into the storytelling, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of season length, using writers unfamiliar with Trek, and telling a narrative across multiple seasons. We also talk about how much we want to see more of the br…

The 42cast has reached 200 episodes! We’d like to thank our audience for making this possible. As a treat for this episode we’ve invited back our most prolific guests. We discuss what has been going on in the geeskisphere since Episode 100, and we give our opinions on what has been the good; the bad; and the ugly. We also talk a little about what g…