Superman (2025) generated far too much discussion for us to contain it in a single episode. In part 2 we return to the series. We discuss the Justice Gang, what we think of the individual members, and why an unkind person doing good is a great thing to showcase. We also talk about the themes of winning versus saving and how that was modeled throughout the series. We also get into Jimmy weirdness, canine implications, and Gunn violence.
As this is the second part of a two-part episode there is no five-minute controversy this week.
This week Ryan, Shaun, Nate, and Cammie join the cast.
Show Notes:
Shaun’s Business – Popcycled Baubles
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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 initial outting for the DCU. We talk about some of the themes inherent within the character of Superman and shown in this film. We also dive into several of the controversies in the movie and give our takes on them. 
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 the ins and outs of the series. We talk about the merits of the films and what we feel lead to its downfall. Along the way we also discuss our favorite and least favorite movies of them all. 
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. We talk about the use of Lex Luthor and Doomsday and how they added to the overall series. We also get into the various production restrictions for this scaled back season and how we felt that effected the story and our enjoyment. We also give our opinions on the ending of the series and how we felt about the various resolutions. 
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 didn’t. They talk about the controversies surrounding members of the cast as well as any other factors that may have contributed to it performing less at the box office than its predecessor. They also get into a discussion about the new DCEU and Momoa’s likely placement there as Lobo. 
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 latino cast, bringing representation to a community not often associated with superhero films. In this episode we discuss Blue Beetle. We talk about it’s plot, cast, and characters. We also get into the themes of the movie, use of real history to tell a story, representation in media, and the comic history of the Blue Beetle. 
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 goes on behind the scenes on The 42cast. Watch out as Nathan goes on not 1, not, but 3 rants in this episode. It is not to be missed!
From the beginning the Guardians franchise has proven to be a surprise hit for Marvel. Many anticipated that the first Guardians film would be a failure, but it garnered a surprising following and has been lauded by many as their favorite MCU films. In this episode we discuss the third installment of the Guardians franchise. We talk about the developments for the various characters. We debate the various elements of the plot. We also discuss whether we think that the Guardians franchise will move on beyond James Gunn or if we’ll see Marvel focus on different cosmic characters. 
The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe has changed again! The comic world was shocked last October when it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would help a new DC Studios division of Warner Bros. In the past few months, Gunn has been forthcoming with quite a few details about his plans for the franchise, including a discussion of what legacy projects that predate his time will continue and what his own plans are for new films, TV shows, and cartoons within his interconnected universe. In this episode we take a look at these announcements. We discuss what this means for DC media in general and how we feel about it. Then we discuss which of the various projects we are most excited for. 
Season 4 of the Flash raced off our TV screens last May, and The 42cast now looks back at that season and talks about the changes that the show went through. We talk about how DeVoe stacks up as a villain, how Wally was robbed, and why Ralph Dibny is the best thing to happen to the show in a long time. We also talk about characters who’s plot threads are dropped, do a look ahead at season 5, and discuss why we love Tom Cavanaugh. For our five-minute contoversy this week we discuss Disney’s firing of James Gunn.