The future of the MCU - and of all 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’s moving at an unpredictable pace.

Once a year, Polygon extends this fixation to generations to explore the next generation of everything.

This is one of our favorite annual projects because it benefits from the delay. We’re waiting until about a month before release so we can tell stories about the burgeoning streams of pop culture that could become raging rivers, turning the tide of global entertainment. This is not speculative fiction about a time 50 years from now; it’s an indication of where the world will be trending next month or next year.

Here are just a few stories that we think you’ll enjoy, but you should check out the whole package!

This week on YouTube | That Super Mario Bros. The movie is notoriously bad – so bad that it dashed hopes of good video game adaptations for YEARS. Or… so they say. But what if Super Mario Bros.

wasn’t that bad? Jenna Stoeber digs into the history of the Super Mario Bros. film and get answers as to why he is so despised. And why, just maybe, you should check it out for yourself.

Six stories to read

Kamala Khan waves in her Ms. Marvel costume

The future of the MCU lies with those it has previously neglected: teenage girls | “The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lies in Disney’s ability to win 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 on: women.”

TikTok and Instagram tags are changing the way people cook | Four chefs and cookbook authors on how labeling influences recipe development.

The MCU parted ways with Natalie Portman, but Taika Waititi won her back | Disney released the first trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, and we got our first look at Natalie Portman as a superhero. Here’s how her character, Jane Foster, got her divine powers.

A new wave of animators are “fighting the computer” to make wilder, weirder films | The director of Bad Boys explains how animators resist “boring” CGI.

Moon Knight is finally fun | It took a hit, though moon knight finds his groove. Tomb Raider completes the MCU series in its best installment yet. But is the show ready to get even weirder?

A 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 popular settings – Spelljammer and Dragonlance – return. The icing on the cake? Wizards of the Coast has tapped the designers of Pandemic Legacy and HeroQuest to team up for a D&D style board game.

Six things to look at

Alexander Skarsgard, wearing a wolfskin, howls in the firelight during a war ritual in The Northman

The Northman in theatres | Boys are guys! Blood galore! That’s how they pulled off the amazing “Spear Shot” that’s featured throughout the trailers.

The unbearable weight of massive talent in theatres | 2021 has been an even wilder year than usual for Nicolas Cage. He won’t let that stop him from going even tougher in 2022.

Little mom in theatres | The cutest, most subtle sci-fi movie in years.

The Bad Boys in theatres | A living mashup of Zootopia, Destroy it Ralphand decades of crime films.

We’re all going to the World’s Fair in theatres | Creepypasta fans finally get exactly the movie they need.

Wonderful and the black hole in theatres | We spoke to director Kate Tsang about how her time is going on Steven Universe: Future and Adventure Time: Far Lands informed her live-action debut.

Plus, everything new to stream: 16 Witch Movies! 16 Great Thrillers!

Play three games

A young girl meets a talking frog in Sumire

total | Over at Uppercut Crit, Monti reviewed Velez totala beautifully illustrated game about decisions and grief. Available on Windows PC, iOS and Switch.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderland | More of us have reached the endgame of the Borderlands spinoff. Deep down in the shooter, we discovered what makes it so fun: it can easily become a John Wick power fantasy. Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC.

game date | We previewed the playdate last summer and were most enchanted by the novel Handheld with a crank, although we wondered how games would perform on the final model. Luckily, Eurogamer’s incomparable Christian Donlan wrote an excellent review to celebrate the official release of Playdate along with a bundle of exclusive indie titles. Be sure to check out Polygon’s Ben Bertoli’s behind-the-scenes account of Playdate’s eight-year journey to reality. Available at game date.

Free game of the week

Amnesia: rebirth | The sequel to the hugely popular Amnesia: The Dark Descent slightly lost on October 2020 release. Blame the hype surrounding the launch of new video game consoles or the series’ reputation for being extremely scary. In any case, the thriller will hopefully find new fans free week on EGS. Available for free on the Epic Games Store until April 28, 2022.