Entertainment

Arcane’s final season is the Netflix masterpiece we deserve

Visually stunning, emotionally relentless, and not for the faint of heart!

Published

November 11, 2024

MJ Jucutan

This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.

After that jaw-dropping cliffhanger, Netflix’s beloved Arcane returns for its second—and sadly, final—season.

Divided into three acts, this season will drop episodes on November 9, 16, and 23, 2024, serving fans a bittersweet treat to close the epic story.

As a former League of Legends player and forever-obsessed Arcane stan, getting an early look at Season 2 was like Christmas in November.

I squealed, shrieked, and squeaked—same as I did three years ago when I first binged the show. But Episode 1 brought a reality check: it picks up right where we left off, diving straight into the explosive aftermath of Jinx’s attack on Piltover’s council.

Right away, the story plunges us into the messy fallout, with rising tensions in Piltover and Zaun and power plays shaking up the cities. With Silco gone and the council scattered, power is up for grabs, and no one’s ready to play nice.

All’s fair in politics and war

Three years after the first season, we finally get to see what’s gone down: all-out war. The fights aren’t just physical, either. This season explores the personal and political tensions that ignite them. Each character faces hard choices, especially with leadership voids pushing some into power and others into covert schemes.

Enter Mrs. Medarda—aka Mel’s fearsome mother, Ambessa—stepping up to claim her spot on the power ladder. She’s got Piltover’s elite wrapped around her finger, and even the Kiramman family can’t stay out of her scheming.

And with new characters like Isha shaking up the mix, this season is a dizzying plot twist on repeat. Trust me, every episode hits harder than you expect.

Because Arcane has always been more than just a story. This season’s take on Piltover and Zaun’s conflict serves as an eerily gorgeous reminder of real-world power struggles.

Here’s the twist: in Arcane, there are no clear heroes or villains—just people struggling to survive, each with their own painful price to pay.

The League lore dugs deeper

Yes, we’re here for Vi and Jinx’s intense sibling feud, but Arcane delivers more. It plunges into the world of magic and science through its sub-plots. The “arcane” itself remains a mystery—raw energy that supercharges Hextech and ties everyone’s fates together.

With only six episodes reviewed so far, it’s hard to tell how Netflix plans to tie everything up, but Arcane continues to live up to its name: confounding, breathtaking, and full of secrets.

This mystery keeps everyone—us and the characters—on edge, while the storyline pulls beloved League lore right to the surface.

For League fans, these episodes also build toward each character’s iconic role in the game. Caitlyn rises as Piltover’s next leader, while Vi, Jinx, Jayce, Heimerdinger, Ekko, and Viktor follow paths that intertwine with their official lore.

This might be the season that shows how they all become the champions we know.

Arcane isn’t just a show; it’s a League lover’s dream come to life.

All thy feels in a visual masterpiece

Amid the chaos, it’s the raw, beautifully animated emotions that make Arcane so mesmerizing. From grief to raw rage to heart-pounding love, the emotional highs and lows are intense.

But I really enjoyed the way grief was portrayed. It’s an undercurrent, surfacing in unexpected ways as characters struggle with losses and shifting loyalties.

Every expression is so real—from the voice acting, to intricate facial animations, and vivid art styles—all of it captures the messiness of human feelings, and the complexities of their struggles.

It’s like therapy, but with fight scenes that leave you breathless.

And you don’t have to be a League player to appreciate this show’s insane quality. Every slow-motion scene, action-packed fight scenes, and gorgeously crafted background deserve all the praise and awards its earned.

This is how animated adaptations should always be, and Arcane has exceptionally raised the bar in its two seasons.

One last rollercoaster ride, pls and thank u

With episodes clocking in at just 40 minutes, I found myself wanting more and more. The pacing never drags; each character has their moment, and the story’s momentum keeps you hooked.

It’s really hard to say how Arcane will close this chapter, and whether it will leave room for new worlds or wrap everything up. But one thing’s clear: Arcane isn’t for the faint of heart.

It’s a visually-stunning, gut-wrenching masterpiece that’s bound to leave you breathless, wanting more, and wondering how animated storytelling could ever be this good. It’s dark, deep, messy, and perfect in all the ways we love. Surely, it’s a visual and emotional masterpiece.

Clear your schedule because once you hit play, you won’t stop until the credits roll. It’s the best animated series out there, hands down. Watch here.

Entertainment

Here’s what you should watch before Avengers: Doomsday

The road to Doom begins here.

Published

August 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As of today, the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will take around 650 hours to watch. So, if you wanted to catch up with everything before this December’s Avengers: Doomsday, you would need to allot around 5 hours per day to watch content from Marvel. For a lot of us, that sort of commitment is completely untenable. Thankfully, Marvel has released an official watchlist, paring the list down to something much more manageable.

Before the MCU got as big as it is today, it was fun to do a movie marathon heading into a major Marvel release. For example, when Avengers: Endgame came out, some theaters held continuous marathons lasting a few days. Take note that this was before Marvel officially included every TV show and legacy movie (like the X-Men universe).

Now, heading into Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel will not ask you to devote the rest of your year just for homework. Instead, here’s an official list you can use to catch up:

X-Men
X2
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
Loki
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Captain America: Brave New World
Deadpool & Wolverine
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Thunderbolts
The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Compared to the extensive list of everything Marvel, this official list is much more manageable, especially since there’s only one show (Loki). It’s also a veritable who’s who of the MCU, so it’s hard to get bored.

The official list as seen on Disney+

There are, however, a few surprises and spoilers. For one, if you’ve been avoiding the teasers and trailers, the X-Men films might be a shock to you. Likewise, the inclusion of the critically panned Brave New World is interesting.

The exclusions are just as noteworthy, too. Though the two earliest X-Men films are included, the list doesn’t add Days of Future Past, one of the first Marvel films to use time travel. Thor: Love and Thunder isn’t on here, despite Love, Thor’s adopted daughter, appearing in the trailers. Brand New Day is also missing, but that’s likely because the movie isn’t on Disney+ yet.

Avengers: Doomsday premieres in cinemas on December 18. Four months should be enough time to catch up on these titles.

Entertainment

Marvel Studios unveils new X-Men cast

Adam Driver, Inde Navarette, more join Sadie Sink for film set for May 2028

Published

August 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Marvel

At the D23 Disney fan event, Marvel Studios has officially unveiled the cast of the new X-Men movie, which has been announced for a May 5, 2028 premiere.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier were joined onstage by Sadie Sink, who made her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for the showcase.

The trio then welcomed Sink’s new co-stars: Kit Connor as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm.

Finally, Adam Driver crashed the panel with one final video surprise, where he revealed that he will be playing a very sinister figure named Nathaniel Milbury, a.k.a. Mister Sinister.

Mister Sinister has been a recurring antagonist throughout various X-Men media, including in Season 2 of the 1992 animated series and in the first season of X-Men ’97.

Now, he will serve as the main villain in the new X-Men film that jumpstarts the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Mutant Saga.

Given the initial cast, this X-Men reboot will be set in the earlier stages of the team’s lifecycle, taking audiences back to how the school built its foundation for a faithful setup based in the comics. Although within the MCU chronology, it will be set in the present day.

The rebooted X-Men film is now the third confirmed feature film in the post-Multiverse Saga MCU, after Black Panther 3 and Ghost Rider.

Entertainment

Avengers: Doomsday special look teases villain’s origin, crusade vs. ‘stolen lives’

Clip previews Doom’s dynamic with the Fantastic Four, motives

Published

August 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Studios debuted an Avengers: Doomsday special look at the D23 Disney fan event, showcasing a clip focused heavily on the Dynamic between Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four.

No less than lead antagonist actor Robert Downey Jr. graced the stage to reveal the special look. He was joined by MCU veterans Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter).

Their joint was fitting as it: their characters in Avengers: Endgame were last seen living out an alternate timeline together after Steve returned the Infinity Stones to their original places following the time heist.

The special look opens with Sue Storm explaining Doctor Doom’s origins before his turn to villainy. Among those listening were Shang-Chi, the Wakandans, the X-Men, Thor, and Steve Rogers.

“Victor was always the smartest guy in every room. He used to be different. He used to be caring. And then, everything he loved was taken from him. I knew he was lost, but I did not realize that he was broken,” Sue says.

This establishes the deep-seated relationship between herself, Reed Richards, and Doom. Long before the antagonist took the couple’s child, Franklin Richards, in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the trio shared a long and complicated history.

The clip then cuts to Reed himself confronting his adversary among the rubble, asking him: “Did you do this?”

While Doom has historically held a grudge against Mister Fantastic stemming from their academic falling out, the footage hints at a motivation far broader than a personal vendetta.

‘Stolen lives’

Delivering what may be the clip’s defining line, Doom issues a stark warning: “All of you have lived stolen lives. But now you must give them back.”

There’s no question that since the MCU introduced the multiverse, timeline instability and incursions have grown increasingly dire.

But of course, the most pertinent one for the Doomsday narrative is Steve living a borrowed life by choosing to remain in the past with Peggy, not knowing the repercussions of this decision.

Because Doomsday serves as a direct Endgame sequel anyway in the grand scheme of things, this provides a clear context for Doom’s vengeful crusade.

The special look transitions with the familiar but brief battle scene between Thor and Doom — this time with a bit of dialogue. The Stormbreaker just gets flicked away effortlessly, and the God of Thunder is blasted backward before Doom summons an army of Sentinels.

“Hell answers to me,” Doom declares, “for I am Doom”.

Wolverine, Deadpool, Spider-Man appearing?

Building on Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool antics during the recent San Diego Comic-Con where he asked Downey Jr. about the film’s production schedule, long-time Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman made a surprise video appearance in D23.

Prompted by an off-screen Reynolds, Jackman asked if there still was room in the already star-studded Doomsday ensemble.

Marvel Studios continues to lean into these officially sanctioned bits, using playful cast teasers rather than risking leaks or confirming appearances blatantly.

While logical storytelling suggests saving characters like Deadpool and Wolverine for Avengers: Secret Wars, the impending multi-versal collapse makes virtually any crossover possible.