Tag: Superlist

The Pop Culture We’re Thankful for Getting Us Through 2025

It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S., and that means many of io9’s writers and its readers are sitting down to share good times and good food with friends and loved ones (or getting a much-needed break, at the very least). But while the food, respite, and company are welcome, every year we like to take a moment and give thanks for the pop culture that has helped make the last year a little more of a smooth trip around the sun.

Below you’ll find the io9 team’s subjects of pop culture thanksgiving for 2025, from shows, to films, to games, to books, and even more, along with why we loved them enough to consider 2025 worth slugging through.

© Lucasfilm

Andor

It’s hard to think that lightning could strike with modern Star Wars, given the up-and-down quality we’ve had out of the galaxy far, far away lately, so there was a lot riding on Andor‘s second season this year to deliver something as gut-wrenchingly brilliant as its first. Not only did it deliver, in some ways it arguably managed to top its predecessor with a timely, haunting, and yet thoroughly hopeful story of resistance and tragedy that brought an end to one of the greatest stories Star Wars has woven in generations. Thank you for your service, Cass. – James Whitbrook

Alien and Predator

So often when Hollywood gets its hands on a beloved franchise, it screws it up. The list is too long to mention. But, this year, we saw that the opposite could be true. Artists could come in, understand, and elevate that material. And so we’re thankful for Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth, a shocking twist on the Alien franchise, and Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands, two completely different, but equally awesome spins on Predator. Each is proof that franchise IP can, thankfully, still surprise and thrill us just like the originals. – Germain Lussier

© Apple TV

Apple TV’s Sci-Fi Shows

What can we say? We’re obsessed with nearly every sci-fi show that hits this streamer. Severance’s second season became our entire personality in early 2025; we spent all summer spreading the gospel of Foundation and Murderbot; and now, all we can talk about is what Carol’s up to on Pluribus. That Apple TV is also the home of For All Mankind, Silo, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Sugar, Dark Matter, and more should really make all other streamers ashamed by how far they’re all trailing behind. Sci-fi fans, however, feasted very well this year, and for that we are stuffed, thankful, and ready for more. – Cheryl Eddy

The Muppets

Sure, we lost Muppet*Vision 3-D at Disney World earlier this year, but when have the Muppets been known to accept any sort of defeat? Never, and that’s on Miss Piggy’s karate chops and Kermit’s leadership. There’s nothing they can’t overcome with a little song and a big showstopper, and that’s exactly what we’re getting. Jim Henson’s Muppets turned 70 this year and are gearing up for a huge comeback with a Muppets TV special co-starring Sabrina Carpenter and Seth Rogen and the Electric Mayhem being unleashed on Walt Disney World’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and there’s the little matter of a Miss Piggy vehicle feature film from Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Tony winner Cole Escola (One Piece). So put on Muppet Christmas Carol to get us one more sleep till their biggest year yet. – Sabina Graves

© Sandfall

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

If you managed to get into it without the mountain of hype and anti-hype in your head, Expedition 33 is certainly one of 2025’s best games and nicest surprises. Great turn-based combat and characters, combined with an unmistakably French aesthetic all combine into a pleasing experience, and one that should be a launch point for getting further into the RPG genre, turn-based or otherwise. – Justin Carter

Kamen Rider Zeztz

More Kamen Rider is always a good thing. But being able to tune in to new episodes every Saturday night in a live stream with a bunch of fans before bedtime is a peak “let’s go out and play” activity that’ll send you back to the halcyon days of your childhood. And we are so back. – Isaiah Colbert

© Sunrise/Prime Video

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

Whether or not GQuuuuuuX‘s remix of classic Gundam ultimately clicked with you by the end of it, there was something utterly joyful about the chance to have another Gundam show dropping bombshells every week to set the fandom on fire with theorycrafting and speculation. From the moment its audacious premise became clear, GQuuuuuuX was going to take us all on a wild ride, whether we came out of the other side loving it or loathing it. There’s few other fandoms I want to be discussing and debating with week in, week out than my fellow giant robot lovers. See you all next time for Hathaway? – James Whitbrook

Hades II

Sequels in any medium are hard, especially when the original is so unique, beautiful, and perfect. But this year, Hades II released out of early access, and it brought us immense joy. We’re thankful that the team at Supergiant Games made a game we want to play again and again and again. Because that’s literally the point. – Germain Lussier

© Warner Bros.

Sinners

It’s the time of year when Hollywood starts going full-throttle on awards talk, and horror is almost always left out of the conversation. That’s not the case this year thanks to Sinners. Despite releasing way back in April, Ryan Coogler’s gorgeous, brutal vampire tale—buoyed by a storyline that taps into both ugly and triumphant aspects of American history, viewed through a magical, musical lens—is as memorable as ever. Sinners has long since made its mark as a critical and commercial hit; any Oscars would just be icing on the cake. Even still, we’ve got our fingers crossed for Coogler and company, and we’re grateful that Sinners offered such a searing reminder that horror can hold just as much power as any other genre. – Cheryl Eddy

KPop Demon Hunters

The Netflix sleeper hit from Sony Animation has become this year’s biggest phenomenon after being a huge underdog in a year where animation has seemingly taken so many steps back in regard to representation at other major studios. Proving that timeless stories can still be found in diverse and bold projects, KPop Demon Hunters slashed past expectations in the industry to show the people yearn for more than the status quo. With catchy KPop music, gorgeous animation, female-fronted action, and rich supernatural lore, Huntr/x shows everyone how it’s “done, done, done”. – Sabina Graves

©Gkids/Science Saru

Dan Da Dan

In a sea of anime adaptations of well-known manga, Science Saru continues to elevate the medium by truly adapting the work and making it their own with season two. Whether it’s the use of kaleidoscopic colors, its side-splitting dialogue in English or Japanese, or its balance of tender romance and bombastic action, Dan Da Dan is simply a delight. – Isaiah Colbert

Matt Murdock’s Return to TV

What a year it’s been for Marvel’s hornhead. Daredevil: Born Again’s a bit shaggy, but Charlie Cox’s take on Matt Murdock remains as charming as it did a decade ago, whether he’s being a lawyer or an unhinged madman in the fights. It’s also been fun to have him as part of the Marvel Rivals roster, and he closed the year with a book celebrating his 60-year history. With more Born Again and a new comic run on the way, it’s good to have Matt to look forward to. – Justin Carter

© Gizmodo/Blizzard

World of Warcraft: Legion Remix

As someone who largely skipped World of Warcraft‘s most recent expansion, it was going to take a lot to really get back into Azeroth (especially with so many great games coming out to play). While my initial intrigue was piqued by the reveal of Midnight returning us to a gloriously rebuilt Quel’thalas, I fell back in love with Warcraft again thanks to the timey-wimey arrival of Legion Remix, a shaken-up revisitation of the beloved 2016 expansion. Soaring across the Broken Isles as a wildly overpowered Demon Hunter didn’t just prepare me to dip back into the class for Midnight but let me relive the memories of playing through one of WoW‘s greatest storylines like it was brand new all over again. – James Whitbrook

Brad Hill

Every month, artist Brad Hill releases new unique pop culture sculptures. They’re super limited and not always possible to buy, but they give us something to look forward to and pursue. We’re thankful for that. We’re also thankful that he got an incredible solo show earlier this year and for his work overall. Hill’s sculptures are a shining example of how art, even in the most unexpected, weird, and often small forms, can be inspiring and enjoyable. – Germain Lussier

© Steffan Hill/HBO

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

If reading all the A Song of Ice and Fire books feels like too heavy a lift, and the family history examined in Fire & Blood feels like too many Targaryens stuffed into one place, George R.R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the perfect Westeros side quest. Three interconnected stories follow the adventures of Dunk (an ambitious and very tall hedge knight) and his scrappy squire Egg, whose shaved head hides a royal lineage his sassy mouth sometimes threatens to betray. With Game of Thrones and the still-ongoing House of the Dragon bringing Martin’s more sprawling, multi-perspective fantasy epics to life on HBO, we’re thankful the network has also decided his smaller-scale but no less delightfully entertaining Seven Kingdoms is worthy of the screen—arriving very early next year, to boot. – Cheryl Eddy

Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

We might not have any word on a second season of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s magnum opus, but this film far and away exceeded all expectations for what a movie adaptation of one of the manga’s most introspective and heart-wrenching arcs can be. The music, the framing, the animation, and the whole presence of this film deserve to be appreciated for years to come. How spoiled are we! – Isaiah Colbert

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Io9 Staff

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November 27, 2025
9 People Billie Piper Could Play in ‘Doctor Who’ Now That ‘Doctor Who’ Probably Needs to Figure That Out

Good news: Doctor Who is alive. Bad news: Doctor Who is now alive and probably has to deal with one of the most bizarre cliffhangers in over 60 years of cliffhanging history.

With yesterday’s news that the BBC would be continuing Doctor Who‘s future after the termination of its partnership with Disney starting with a new Christmas special in 2026, the series now has an equally as important task to deal with beyond its continued survival: just who the hell is Billie Piper meant to have been playing in those closing moments of “The Reality War”, anyway?

Even before the future of the series was stuck in limbo for months, creatives involved in the series, from Piper herself to showrunner Russell T Davies, wanted to suggest that the returning actress was not necessarily playing the 16th incarnation of the Doctor, despite her regenerating out of departing star Ncuti Gatwa. Piper was not credited in “Reality War” as appearing as the Doctor, as has traditionally been the case for new Doctors, and there was enough going on with Gatwa’s regeneration and the reasoning process for it to suggest that not everything was as it seemed. And since then, any willing commentary that has been made about the decision is purely speculative, other than to indicate that there was not a clear plan in place as to how the outcome would play out, with no guaranteed future for the series.

But now that future is at least guaranteed. So while we now have a long wait until Christmas 2026 to actually see who Piper is playing, we have some suggestions… admittedly only mostly silly ones.

9) Rose Tyler, Again

© BBC

The climax of “The Reality War” was meant to be about the use of regeneration energy to shunt reality itself… but what if it didn’t just affect Doctor Who‘s prime reality and translocated noted reality hopper Rose Tyler into the Doctor’s place, and now she has to figure out how to get whoever they’ve become back?

8) The Master

© BBC

The last time we saw the Master, we did see him attempt to violently take over the Doctor’s body during the regeneration process. What better way to mess with the mind of your oldest frenemy than by forcing them to have the face of one of their closest former companions while also being you?

7) The Bad Wolf, Again

© BBC

The 15th Doctor’s regeneration centered the TARDIS in such a way that it feels like it’s going to play an important factor in just whoever Piper is meant to be (if not the Doctor, that is). The Doctor blasted the console with all that energy, we cut to that ominous shot of it darkened and lit only by the regeneration process itself… and we know the ship’s heart is already familiar with using Rose Tyler’s face as an agent of its will. What if the TARDIS feels that’s necessary once more?

6) Susan Foreman

© BBC

It’s probably too late for the show to use whatever plans it had for Carole Ann Ford at this point after whatever was cut from “The Reality War”—and we don’t know yet if Russell T Davies is going to carry on writing Doctor Who after this 2026 special. Given that Susan was brought up multiple times during the 15th Doctor’s era even before she made those mental appearances (depicted in the TARDIS console room; for some reason, again, the TARDIS is key!), what if whatever she was trying to warn the Doctor about was so dire that this shifting of reality allowed her to somehow transpose herself onto the Doctor’s being, and we tie it all up here?

And now she looks like Billie Piper because she regenerated. For some reason. Time Lord stuff!

5) The Moment, Again

© BBC

It was never actually used to destroy Gallifrey, after all. If the veil between the nature of reality itself was so thin after whatever the Doctor did to change it, did something activate the Moment, a weapon capable of consuming galaxies in its devastation?

Plus, a familiar interface would just be a logical solution for a massive temporal weapon that now has a lot of history with the Doctor to take.

4) The Actress, Billie Piper

© Netflix

In the 2025 season’s “Lux,” one of the many bizarre things that happen to the 15th Doctor and Belinda while battling the reality-warping Mr. Ring-A-Ding is that they briefly get pulled through a television into a reality where the Doctor’s adventures with their many companions are the subject of a long-running hit TV show named Doctor Who. See where I’m going with this? Don’t have to think about who Billie is; she simply is Billie! Who doesn’t love an existential crisis at the holidays?

3) The Heart of the TARDIS (Again)

© BBC

We’ve already had one instance of the TARDIS itself embodying a physical form. Given how intrinsic it was to the 15th Doctor’s process of “death,” maybe the TARDIS is trying to save her pilot by taking over their body for a bit, to sustain it until an actual regeneration can occur?

And then you can blame the Rose Tyler of it all on the Bad Wolf stuff again, or something. Hey, I’m not the one making the show.

2) The Valeyard

© BBC

This is just because everyone always says whenever there’s some mysterious regeneration stuff happening, it simply must be the Valeyard, a strangely sinister emanation of the Doctor introduced in “The Trial of a Time Lord” meant to reflect a future, malicious incarnation that could only be postponed and never truly avoided. Choosing the moment the Doctor’s just sacrificed themselves to move all of reality enough to let baby Poppy exist in some form or another seems like a suitably sinister thing for the Valeyard to do.

1) Okay Maybe She’s Just the 16th Doctor

© BBC/Disney

Or maybe we just skip all this nonsense, and Billie Piper is a one-off Doctor like David Tennant was for the 60th anniversary specials? This era of the show has been very much about trying to repeat the old hits—maybe 2023 will be old enough by Christmas 2026 to be considered for dipping back into the same bag of tricks.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

James Whitbrook

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October 29, 2025
Lee Pace’s Dreamiest Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Roles

It’s never been a bad time to be a Lee Pace fan, but all of a sudden—some two decades into the tall, handsome, dramatic (yet quirky!) actor’s career—he is seemingly everywhere. With some high-profile projects on the horizon and an impressive list of films and TV already logged on his resume, we’re rounding up our favorites among his sci-fi, fantasy, and horror projects.

© Apple TV+

Brother Day, Foundation

Across three seasons of the Apple TV+ Isaac Asimov adaptation, Pace has played Brother Day, filling the middle-aged spot in an ever-rotating trio of cloned rulers, all named Cleon. This means that we’ve seen Pace play multiple iterations of Brother Day, including an ambitious deceiver, a campy warmonger, and a lovelorn drug addict. It’s the same man in appearance only, and that allows Pace the chance to explore all the nuances (and hairstyles) that make Cleon such a complex character.

Season three’s shocking climax left Brother Day’s future uncertain, but Apple TV+ surely realizes Pace is a big reason why people tune into Foundation’s sci-fi dramatics, and we think Day will find a way to return.

© Roadside Attractions

Roy Walker/Black Bandit, The Fall

Set during the early days of Hollywood, Tarsem’s lush 2006 fantasy imagines that a stuntman (Pace) befriends a young girl when they’re both hospitalized. He entertains her with the epic tale of a bandit (also played by Pace) fighting an evil ruler, with characters in the made-up story portrayed as exaggerated versions of people in their real lives.

Gorgeous locations and visuals are (rightfully) what everyone remembers about The Fall, but amid its celebration of storytelling is a bleaker plot about Pace’s depressed character encouraging the little girl to help him steal morphine. In the years after its release, The Fall has become a cult classic—a designation helped along by the fact that until a 2024 4K restoration by Mubi, it was notoriously difficult to track down in either streaming or physical form.

© Marvel Studios

Ronan the Accuser, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel

Pace’s Marvel moment came playing Ronan the Accuser, a Kree warlord who menaces the Guardians of the Galaxy misfits and tries to claim one of Thanos’ Infinity Stones for his own use. That doesn’t go so well for him, but Pace’s performance was so memorable—he’s a villain, but he’s far from one-note—that it was a delight to see Ronan return (briefly) for a failed attempt at battling the Skrulls in 2019’s Captain Marvel, which takes place before the events of 2014’s Guardians.

© Fox

Aaron, Wonderfalls

This 2004 Todd Holland-Bryan Fuller creation only aired a handful of episodes before being cancelled, though its singular season eventually got a DVD release. Perhaps its premise—about Jaye, a Niagara Falls shop clerk (Caroline Dhavernas, who went on to co-star in Fuller’s Hannibal series) who tries to make the world a better place, urged on by the seemingly magical trinkets she sells—was simply too out-there for Fox audiences.

Pace had a supporting role as Jaye’s easygoing brother; his skepticism about her claims of having conversations with inanimate objects erodes over the course of the series and eventually makes him question his own beliefs about the cosmic order of things.

© ABC

Ned, Pushing Daisies

Pace re-teamed with Fuller for this cult-beloved ABC drama, which ran for two seasons from 2007 to 2009. Pace starred as Ned, a piemaker with the ability to revive the dead with his touch—and then send them back to the beyond with a second touch—who teams up with a private eye on murder cases. He also rediscovers his first love after her untimely murder, then must deal with the agony of never being able to touch her.

Pushing Daisies was equal parts sweet and macabre and favored a fantastical storybook palette in its production design—so it had a lot to love about it. But even with a fun supporting cast (including Kristen Chenoweth) and some memorable guest stars, Pace’s adorable character was really the big draw.

© New Line Cinema

Thranduil, The Hobbit trilogy (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies)

Thranduil, the Elvenking, brings big drama to all three Hobbit movies (particularly the second and third, released in 2013 and 2014). Is he a true villain—or just an icy, elegantly haughty antagonist? Peter Jackson’s mainline Lord of the Rings movies are near-universally accepted as superior to his Hobbit trilogy for many reasons, but when fans tick off things they do like about his Hobbit movies, Lee Pace’s indelible turn as Thranduil is always right near the top.

© A24

Greg, Bodies Bodies Bodies

The rare horror outing for Pace is technically a horror comedy, with emphasis on the comedy, about a group of catty friends whose drug-fueled “murder” bash turns unexpectedly bloody. Pace plays the older boyfriend of one of the partiers (played by Bottoms’ Rachel Sennott) and becomes an early suspect—though (spoiler!) he meets his own untimely end pretty early on.

We’d love to see Pace add more horror to his resume; he has a couple of supernatural-themed entries we never actually heard of until compiling this list (2017’s The Keeping Hours is one example), but his ability to seamlessly blend comedy and drama makes him an ideal anchor for any high-tension setting.

© Summit Entertainment

Garrett, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

Here’s your reminder that Pace did indeed pop up in the very last Twilight movie, released in 2012. He played an Alaska-based vampire so notably dreamy he attracted some fan notice. That’s no small feat in a movie that’s mostly about theatrically fraught vampire-on-vampire feuds as well as the very odd growth cycle of Edward and Bella’s freaky newborn daughter.

© 20th Century Fox

Phil, Marmaduke

Does Marmaduke count as fantasy? The dogs talk to each other and have exciting off-leash adventures while the human characters (including Marmaduke’s owner, played by Pace) deal with boring life stuff. Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson) and Phil do get involved in a high-stakes, raging-waters rescue at the end that ends up saving not just life and limb but also Phil’s job when a video of it goes viral.

Marmaduke was clearly a choice Pace made as an early career opportunity rather than a creative challenge, but who even remembers this movie? It’s silly, but at least it’s not embarrassing.

© Paramount Pictures

Future Roles

Pace fans, prepare to feast! Not only is he in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man as a masked hunter chasing after Glen Powell (in theaters November 14), but he also just joined the cast of the Prime Video animated superhero series Invincible, voicing Grand Regent Thragg in next year’s season four. He also has an as-yet mysterious role in the much-anticipated witchy sequel Practical Magic 2, due out in fall 2026.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Cheryl Eddy

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October 16, 2025
All the Strangest, Creepiest Halloween Foods I Ate at Theme Parks This Year

Fall marks the start of the holiday season at theme parks, and with it come seasonal food and drink offerings tied to their Halloween events.

Every Halloween, theme parks offer tasty tricks and treats for grown-ups, from slasher-themed Five Nights at Freddy’s slices at Halloween Horror Nights to haunted rum-based cocktails inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean. As a theme park insider, there has been so much I’ve enjoyed on my own trips throughout this Halloween season at Disneyland, Knott’s Scary Farm, and Halloween Horror Nights, even after trying some of them at food reveals and media events at Universal Studios Resorts, Disney Parks, and Six Flags.

So far 2025 is a really good year for tasty, sometimes terrifying eats. Read on for the best spooky season foodie finds of Halloween 2025 around your favorite theme parks!

Five Nights at Freddy’s Cupcake – Halloween Horror Nights Orlando

© io9/Gizmodo

Chica’s cupcake companion from the Five Nights at Freddy’s universe gets a tasty variant at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando. It tops the version at HHN Hollywood, as the East Coast dessert comes filled with delicious cannoli filling at the core and a raspberry dollop within the pink cream top. The tasty flavor combo makes you feel like it would be the kind of fun menu item at a real Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza you’d expect for a birthday surprise—along with the animatronic band coming to life.

Five Nights at Freddy’s “Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta” – Halloween Horror Nights Orlando

© io9/Gizmodo

While Horror Nights Hollywood opted to just put an ordinary personal-size pizza in a Freddy Fazbear box, the food team in Orlando got a bit more creative. At first, I thought there was no way pasta on pizza would work, but after screaming through a few houses and needing a carb refuel, it really hit the spot. The cheese holding the thin spaghetti along with meatballs is a dementedly delicious delight on a slice. From a FNAF fan standpoint, I can also see Afton putting this on the menu to slow down any potential victims, so it’s grim yet satisfying.

Terrifier “Starry Night Spritz” Cocktail – Halloween Horror Nights Orlando

© io9/Gizmodo

The Terrifier “Starry Night Spritz” at Horror Nights Orlando’s Clown Cafe is a tart gin-based drink that evokes the works of Art the Clown and is way better than, say, the West Coast’s charcoal black concoction that looks like him. The blood-red cranberry and bubbly prosecco really make it easy and refreshing to drink in between houses, plus I loved the Clown Cafe photo ops where the drink is available. Pro-tip: you might run into Santa Art here.

Terrifier “Sunflower Glasses” Cookie – Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood

© io9/Gizmodo

This cookie is a playful callback to Art the Clown living his best life before taking a life at a costume shop in Terrifier 2. The sunflower shape is held by a fruity mousse that is tart like Art! It tastes great and is not the kind of sculpted treat that you’d toss after taking an Instagram snap and a single bite. The lemon flavor provides a great balance for a cookie that’s not overly sweet and is tasty as a snack on its own.

Jason Universe “Camp Creamy Gouda Fondue” – Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood

© io9/Gizmodo

The snacks at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood are absolutely redeemed by this inspired snack straight out of Camp Crystal Lake. The Jason Universe booth’s best-kept secret is a sourdough bowl filled with warm gouda dip that’s infused with Angry Orchard apple cider. It works so well and comes with a side of sliced apples that are a crisp dipping addition (alongside the demolishable bread)—and so you can tell yourself you’re being somewhat healthy. If this was my last meal before getting got by Jason, it would be so worthwhile. I want to go back to Horror Nights Hollywood just for more of this before the season is over; it’s that good.

“Ursula’s Enchanted Waffles” – Disney’s California Adventure

©io9/Gizmodo

The best hidden gems at the Disneyland resort right now are the seasonal themed waffles at Schmoozies, the milkshake window at Disney California Adventure. The walk-up quick service stop is one of the few places you can order the classic Mickey-shaped waffles past breakfast. If you’re an all-day breakfast fan, you’ll be excited to know it’s been theming the waffles to the parks’ seasonal events. For the 70th Anniversary, it had a birthday cake and sprinkles flavor, for example. For Halloween, though, the theming went all out in a very special way with Ursula’s Enchanted Waffles. Inspired by the Disney villain, the flavor profiles evoke the sea witch’s colors of purple through an ube custard filling and black with a dark chocolate waffle exterior. It’s my favorite waffle yet, with a perfect balance of sweet and dark! I would sign my voice away to her to keep this on the menu.

“Darth by Chocolate Parfait” – Disneyland

© io9/Gizmodo

The Galactic Grill’s iconic dessert parfait returns to Tomorrowland at Disneyland. It’s layers of silky smooth and sinfully rich chocolate on chocolate that I can’t get enough of. I promise it’s not overkill; the pudding on the red velvet with chocolate cake and Oreo crumbles differentiates the kinds of chocolates you get all the way down for a tasty variety. It’s not too on the dark side, thankfully, and it’s still the best of all the Star Wars parfaits it has done.

Indiana Jones and Halloween Drinks at Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar – Walt Disney World

© io9/Gizmodo

The Disney Springs watering hole inspired by Indiana Jones’ trusty pilot is pouring out spooky spirits this season at Jock Lindsay’s “Halloween Bar.” Three of the offerings hit the mark, evoking the mystical and deadly energy of our daring archeology professor’s side hustle adventures. As pictured above from right to left, if the “Scarab Beetle Essence” is a sweet, colorful, pineapple- and rum-forward poison, then I’d say the color-changing, ginger- and gin-strong “Cauldron Cooler” is the perfect antidote. The variety of flavors really works here, as they exotically capture flavors you’d expect to find travelling the world with Indiana Jones. However, it’s the “Spike Trap” that comically nods to the traps from the Lucasfilm franchise, complete with a spiked ghostie marshmallow, while the drink itself wins as a sweet, fizzy, and misty cocktail that tastes like inhaling boozy vanilla Halloween fog.

Pirates of the Caribbean Drinks at Beak and Barrel – Walt Disney World

© io9 Gizmodo

This is actually an all-year-round location, but Beak and Barrel, the Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean immersive bar, opened its doors just in time for Halloween in a moment of serendipity. The experience really feels like you’re living the pirate’s life, complete with its space feeling like ship quarters; one booth is styled like the jail cell from the ride, there’s a parrot mascot animatronic, and there are activations of certain effects such as shipwrecking storms hitting the decks (in that imagineering projections and sound effects way, like on the ride). However, the drinks easily make this such a treasure to escape to. In particular, I love the nod to the iconic attraction and movie franchise’s skull with the sweet blackberry-leaning “Plunderer’s Punch,” a Kraken Black Rum-based libation that’s served in a pirate skull mug. My personal favorite is the “Salty Seas mARRRgarita,” which has ube-infused blanco tequila and is, of course, salty like the sea.

Pastrami Pizza – Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest

© io9/Gizmodo

Pizza slices that have no right being this good because they’re food mashup abominations abound! At Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest, which did not have the Conjuring Universe drinks I was hoping for, I still quite enjoyed the monster pastrami pizza. Truly, pastrami baked into mozzarella with pickles on pizza drizzled with mustard is cursed, but I dug it.

“The Enchanted Elixir” and “Pickle Hitchin’”- Knott’s Scary Farm

© io9/Gizmodo

Knott’s Scary Farm’s “The Enchanted Elixir” is another gin-based, color-changing drink I loved that tastes like a spellbinding spirit the Green Witch brewed herself. While you had the option to potion bottle it up and carry it with you, I much preferred it iced in the cup, which featured Knott’s Scary Farm’s legendary icon, because it brought out the fresh notes of citrus—but you do miss out on the color-changing effects. At least the cup lights up! You can get it at the medicine wagon next to the Boogeyman bar at Scary Farm, which also has the best under-the-radar drink of the season, “Pickle Hitchin’.” Picture it (because taking a good snap of it was nearly impossible in the dark hole in the wall shack): half a theme park pickle snack but hollowed out to be filled with whiskey and pickle juice—it’s a drink and a snack that’s filling and will take the edge off screaming your face off all night.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Sabina Graves

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October 15, 2025
The Most Iconic Genre Movie Posters of Drew Struzan

Drew Struzan, who passed away this week, has probably burned some of his artwork into your mind at some point. Over the past almost 40 years, Struzan’s timeless artistry has given us some of the most famous movie posters of all time, illustrating classic after classic.

To celebrate his legacy, we’re taking a walk down memory lane with a collection and reminder of the best of a career filled with all-time bests, but in particular his work from across the realms of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror (plus a few more we couldn’t resist).

© Drew Struzan

Okay, we’re cheating a little to start off—but it’s too perfect not to include here. This Dark Tower art wasn’t for a Dark Tower movie but instead for use in the opening of the 2007 King adaptation The Mist. Thomas Jane’s David Drayton, an illustrator himself, is seen working on this hypothetical movie poster before things kick off.

© Drew Struzan

Just another absolute icon of ’80s poster work—there’s just so much going on here, and all of it good, but Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton standing tall over it all is priceless.

In many ways, Struzan is as Star Wars as any concept artist or designer was to the galaxy far, far away: his poster work, from the original’s re-release all the way to the special poster he crafted for The Force Awakens post-retirement, is some of the most defining imagery of the whole franchise. We’re focusing on theatrical posters here, but we’d be remiss not to mention the dozens more illustrations Struzan did to cover the books of Star Wars‘ expanded universe (including that sumptuous cover to the wonderfully infamous Courtship of Princess Leia).

Star Wars 1978 “Circus Poster”

© Drew Struzan

Revenge of the Jedi

© Drew Struzan

Star Wars Special Editions

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

The Prequel Trilogy

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

The Force Awakens

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

Struzan first started painting this artwork for Blade Runner‘s original theatrical release in 1982, but it was ultimately passed on, leaving the piece unfinished for nearly two decades. When Ridley Scott returned to Blade Runner to release the director’s cut of the film, he went back to Struzan to ask if the piece could finally be completed, giving it the spotlight it deserved.

© Drew Struzan

Struzan also provided this classic depiction of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy for Hocus Pocus‘ 1993 release.

If Struzan became part of Star Wars through his posters, then he is the Indiana Jones series. Struzan’s style perfectly captures the romanticized adventure of Indy, and his poster work defined the visual language of the series for so many people. Unfortunately, Struzan was firmly into retirement and couldn’t work on Dial of Destiny, but like with Star Wars, he illustrated tons of ancillary work for the series, including book covers and artwork for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series. A special shoutout, however, has to go to his iconic poster for the iconic Indy ride at Disneyland, Indiana Jones Adventure.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (International Poster)

© Drew Struzan

Temple of Doom

© Drew Struzan

The Last Crusade

© Drew Struzan

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

Struzan illustrated the posters for the whole Back to the Future trilogy, cleverly building on his idea for the first film to slowly incorporate more and more characters and detailing as the movies progressed—making for a set that any poster collector simply can’t just own one of.

© Drew Struzan

There are so many fun textural details to Struzan’s work on the early ’90s classic, which, like so many of his best posters, draws on tons of elements from the film itself—but that treasure map backing is just absolutely perfect.

If Struzan was iconic for his ability to capture movie star likenesses—actual human beings—then seeing him turn that craft to the Muppets across several of their most beloved movies was a true delight.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

© Drew Struzan

The Muppet Movie

© Drew Struzan

Muppet Treasure Island

© Drew Struzan

The Great Muppet Caper

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

And again, playing against type—a singular figure, no likeness to capture—Struzan ultimately made one of the most chilling and iconic horror movie posters of all time.

©Drew Struzan

The Goonies poster, much like the film itself, has grown in appreciation with time, especially with its very clever setupconveying Struzan’s usual montage of figures in a unique way.

Struzan became solid friends with Guillermo del Toro, star Ron Perlman, and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola after he was commissioned to develop the poster for the original Hellboy movie, even if it was ultimately never used. He returned in a roundabout way for The Golden Army, providing its incredibly striking SDCC-exclusive poster in 2008.

Hellboy

© Drew Struzan

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

© Drew Struzan

© Drew Struzan

Sure, say what you will about the movie. But if this isn’t a damn good poster—another SDCC exclusive, this time for 2011. Struzan could capture Harrison Ford at any age.

© Drew Struzan

Another case for Struzan making magic out of a film that hasn’t had the warmest of pop culture histories, Return to Oz is another wonderful example of Struzan turning his prowess towards less-human subjects and still delivering something incredible.

© Drew Struzan

Saving one of the very best for the last of our walk through Struzan’s archives, the E.T. poster is one of the purest examples of what made the artist’s work timeless: evoking that sense of wanderlust and romantic nostalgia with every brushstroke.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

James Whitbrook

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October 14, 2025
Mark Hamill’s Best Genre Roles (That Aren’t Luke Skywalker)

James Jesse, The Flash

© The CW

Imagine taking a C-list comics villain and having such a fun performance with it that you get to play him across the decades in three different TV shows. Hamill first played the Trickster in the ’90s Flash live-action show, before coming back for an animated appearance in Justice League Unlimited and then reviving the character again in the CW’s own Flash show. Hamill’s Trickster, like so many of his most beloved roles, really manages to balance the zany over-theatricality of a comic book baddie (even if Jesse is hardly the fiercest of Flash’s rogues), while giving the character a wonderfully human side too in his appearance in Unlimited. The 2014 Flash iteration definitely leans a bit more on the gag side of things, but it’s well worth revisiting his ’90s turn, considering it’s what purportedly played a key role in him landing the role of Joker.

Skeletor, Masters of the Universe: Revelations

© Netflix

It might be controversial to say, given any performance of He-Man’s antagonistic foil has to walk in the shadow of Alan Oppenheimer, but Hamill’s turn in Kevin Smith’s rebooted take on Masters of the Universe is a very fun take on the character, giving Skeletor a gruffness that lends him an underlying menace even when he leans a bit more into the character’s classic camp.

Christoper “Maverick” Blair, Wing Commander

© Origin Systems

Okay, sure, we can’t put one hotshot sci-fi piloting hero on this list, but there is another! Hamill played Wing Commander protagonist Maverick, aka Christopher Blair, in the FMV live-action cutscenes used in the third and fourth games in the series, Heart of the Tiger and Price of Freedom, giving the series’ previously unnamed protagonist a stronger depth of character, a more seasoned starfighter pilot on the front lines of a long and bitter conflict with the lion-esque aliens known as the Kilrathi. And as Hamill’s voice acting career took off, he even returned to the animated prequel spinoff Wing Commander Academy to reprise the role.

Mervyn Pumpkinhead, The Sandman

© Netflix

The Dreaming’s resident grumpy janitor (and sentient pumpkin-headed scarecrow), Hamill burns briefly but brightly on Netflix’s Sandman adaptation, with Mervyn providing a touch of charmingly abrasive levity to the climax of the first season. Thank god he recovered from his fight against the furies in the show’s sophomore season!

skekTek the Scientist, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

© Netflix

Sometimes you’ve just gotta lean all the way in, and when given the role of the Skeksis’ chief scientist in the incredible Dark Crystal prequel show, Hamill goes all out. He’s cackling, shrill, and just delightfully, ruthlessly over-the-top in his portrayal of skekTek’s otherwise logically cold evil, really selling you on just what wretched delight skekTek takes in the cruelty he enacts in his experiments.

The Major, The Long Walk

© Lionsgate

Hamill’s most recent performance is so great that it immediately has to sit among a recollection of his finest roles, playing the chilling commander of the titular dystopian march from Stephen King’s classic tale. It’s clear looking back on Hamill’s work that he loves playing a villain, but few compare to the chilling presence with which he embodies the Major as an ever-watching specter haunting the walkers.

Ozai, Avatar: The Last Airbender

© Nickelodeon

Hamill fills Avatar‘s Fire Lord with tension in every line, a fitting balance of restraint for the fiery leader of the Fire Nation’s imperial ambitions: his performance as Ozai is electrifying, crackling with the potential for the character’s rage always swirling just beneath the surface. And that only means that when Ozai is allowed to let loose, Hamill goes suitably grand, imbuing the character with a snide and noble arrogance that you love to hate.

Albie Krantz, The Life of Chuck

© Neon

The grandfather to the titular Chuck, Hamill plays a crucial role in this year’s Mike Flanagan tearjerker. Albie cuts a tired figure, and like so many of Hamill’s most beloved roles, there’s a little element of irascibility—but it’s for good measure, as we see through the young Chuck’s eyes the tragedies that have shaped his grandfather into the man he is. Even in dealing with all that, Hamill gives Albie a warmth and sincerity to deliver an incredibly emotional performance, one that stands in stark contrast to his other big 2025 role in The Long Walk.

The Hobgoblin, Spider-Man: The Animated Series

© 20th Century Television

While Joker dominates people’s memory of Hamill’s superheroic voicework, his turn as the Hobgoblin in Marvel’s ’90s animated icon is not to be missed. There’s just enough menace to keep it distinct from his other, more grandiose vocal performances, while keeping a bit of a more subdued vibe.

Thorn, The Wild Robot

© Dreamworks

In a wonderfully sweet role as the grizzly bear with a soft heart, Hamill gets to do a lot with Thorn, softening him from a ferociously cantankerous initial threat to a loveably warm friend to Roz the robot over the course of the film. Hamill clearly loves voice roles where he gets to play both sides of the coin… and occasionally do so with gruffness that, in this case, is suitably bearish.

Jim the Vampire, What We Do in the Shadows

© FX

An iconic part of an all-time iconic What We Do in the Shadows bit, Hamill’s Jim is the hilarious foil to Laszlo in “On the Run”: the vampire Laszlo stiffs on rent, leading to a near 200-year grudge and Laszlo’s brief flight to Pennsylvania to live a life as human bartender Jackie Daytona. Hamill’s comedic chops are on full display here as the oddball, vengeful, yet very oblivious vampire, and it’s a delight to see him having so much fun.

Arthur Pym, The Fall of the House of Usher

© Netflix

Ah, the Pym Reaper. The Usher family’s sinister fixer lets Hamill play a particularly intriguing nastiness: Pym is far from a good person, but he is surprisingly nuanced in the way he acts as the ruthless thread weaving together the unfolding doom the Usher family faces. It’s a wonderfully chilling mirror to many of Hamill’s more overtly evil roles, and he plays it pitch-perfectly.

You know this had to be on here somewhere. The performance that defined the Dark Knight’s greatest foe for generations of fans—and kept defining it, as he returned to voice Joker across various other projects—Hamill’s Joker will forever remain as iconic a spotlight in his career as Luke Skywalker. Able to balance the character’s humor and darkness in equal measure while imbuing the clown prince with a cackling theatricality, Hamill took the great material he was given in Batman and made it sing.

James Whitbrook

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October 3, 2025
The Best Disney Park Ride Overlays, and Where to Find Them

In case you didn’t know, Nine Inch Nails is currently soundtracking the Tron Lightcycle Run coaster at Walt Disney World, and that is wild when you think about combining the power of Disney with the legendary industrial metal act. There is, of course, synergy, as the music comes from the NIN score for the upcoming Tron: Ares.

Seasonal and promotional ride overlays are now ways to draw in more people to revisit beloved attractions at Disney’s parks or give passholders a reason to come back over and over. Over time some have had more longevity than others, as the most popular overlay continues to be Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday, which has Jack Skellington and friends take over the West Coast haunt with his spooky Christmas shenanigans. Meanwhile, the haunted version of Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy seems to have exorcised its spirit—it just might have been a tad too scary, while Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain stays beating out the rest.

Here is a compilation of some of the most out-there and unique Disney experiences overlays, along with their current statuses at the parks.

Tron Lightcycle Run (NIN Tron: Ares Collaboration)

© io9 Gizmodo

io9 recently got to experience the Tron: Ares overlay at the Magic Kingdom’s Tron Lightcycle Run coaster (Walt Disney World admission and Lightning Lane were provided), which for the first time features the actual score from the new movie. When we covered the opening of the ride back in 2023, Disney creatives revealed that the on-ride music was a new arrangement based on Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy made specifically for the purposes of the attraction. You can, however, still hear the iconic Daft Punk tracks featured throughout the coaster’s queue and exit areas. Inside the ride itself, the usual Tron blue hue is swapped for Ares‘ crimson aesthetic as part of a new narrative of the ride, as we’re tasked with seemingly working with a program-gone-rogue before deleting it to preserve the grid (perhaps giving us a hint at what Ares will be about).

With the release of Tron: Ares, the coaster transforms into Nine Inch Nails: The Ride in the best way, with their signature industrial instrumentals, which fit perfectly in the world of the Grid gone rogue. It really works as a tonal opposite companion to the Team Blue track that usually plays. If the ride were ever built elsewhere, it would be such a cool dual coaster utilizing both instrumentations. At night the Ares theming looks incredible, to boot.

Haunted Mansion (Haunted Mansion Holiday)

© Disneyland YouTube

The Haunted Mansion Holiday is what happens when The Nightmare Before Christmas’s popularity gets out of hand (thanks, Hot Topic). Don’t get me wrong, we love the film and Jack Skellington’s frightful festive branding, but we believe it takes over the Haunted Mansion too early. The Christmas-themed overlay goes up in September for Halloweentime at the Disneyland resort, even though the Haunted Mansion is the perfect ride for Halloween. Its ghosts and scares make more sense to continue until the end of October! But I guess those of us in the camp that thinks this incredible overlay of holiday cheer should start in November are in the minority, because the queue for it is always over an hour or even longer during its fall and winter run.

Space Mountain (Rockin’ Space Mountain, Ghost Galaxy, Hyperspace Mountain)

© Disneyland Resort

Space Mountain at Disneyland (sorry, Magic Kingdom, and your sad Christmas music overlay) is hands down the champ of seasonal theming. What began with Rockin’ Space Mountain when the coaster got a Red Hot Chili Peppers soundtrack has only glowed up from there. For a while, it was the home of a space specter that might have been too scary during Halloweentime’s Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. I can attest from my personal experience that I am still haunted by the memory of the thrilling, creepy music and jump-scare projections of being chased through dead space by a very angry fiery ghost with hollowed eyes. It hasn’t held up residence in the coaster since 2018, though it has gone over to Hong Kong Disney’s Space Mountain variant.

However, Space Mountain’s current reigning seasonal offering is Hyperspace Mountain, where you zoom through the Star Wars galaxy in a dogfight between X-Wings and TIE Fighters, all set to the films’ legendary John Williams score. Its debut predates the opening of Galaxy’s Edge and remains a better experience than Smugglers Run because we want that hyperspeed thrill of being in the fights we grew up watching. You can usually catch it in the spring during Disneyland’s Season of the Force events in the run-up to Star Wars Day.

It’s a Small World (Baby Groot)

© Tokyo Disneyland

It’s a Small World at Tokyo Disneyland recently received new pint-sized guests thanks to Baby Groot and friends. Earlier this year, Avengers fans were able to see Earth’s mightiest and tiniest figures throughout the attraction at the Asia park. Along with Groot, it included Ms. Marvel, Thor, Hulk, and Black Panther, among others. Yet, there’s no word if either of the states’ versions of the ride would ever get this. Perhaps Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom version could, since it definitely needs some love.

It would be too crammed at Disneyland’s original ride, as it currently has more of a permanent addition in the form of iconic characters being given the original ride artist Mary Blair treatment within their corresponding countries. For instance, you can find Cinderella in France, and new for this year, they added Pixar’s Coco heroes Miguel and Dante to the Mexico section of the ride.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (After Dark)

© Disneyland Resort

For Halloween at Disney California Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout gets infested by monsters after dark. The drop tower attraction overlay is a current Halloweentime staple at the Disneyland resort for those who want to get even more terrified. The storyline takes a turn when various creatures from the collection are let loose, leaving riders to go into a dark monster house version of the Collector’s fortress to rescue Groot.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (September, Holiday Remix)

© Marvel Studios

Speaking of the Guardians, over in Disney World, the Epcot attraction Cosmic Rewind gets a few cute variants. From September 21 through the 30, the ride only plays Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” which is usually one of the songs that plays on random rotation from the ride’s usual mixtape, a nod to the Awesome Mixes from the James Gunn movies. It’s such a silly nod to the meme-fication of your parent’s fave disco-era track, but endearing nonetheless. I still haven’t gotten this song on my rides of the mixtape-based coaster and missed this guarantee by a few days recently! I did, however, get to experience the holiday overlay on it, Holiday Remix, which only lasted one year in 2022 and was set to the tune of “Run, Run, Rudolph” but parodied as “Run, Run, Rocket”. Cute!

Jungle Cruise (Jingle Cruise)

© Disneyland YouTube

The Jingle Cruise is missed at Disneyland. It felt as if nostalgic vintage holidays threw up on the riverboat ride. It’s more of a chaotic added theme that the skippers use as fodder for their Jungle Cruise bits on the fly, as you can see the animals on the ride appear to have gotten into some Christmas cargo. And the holiday puns are always top tier! Every year I wish it would return to Disneyland (it ended on the West Coast in 2017), but thankfully it is still operating during the holidays at the Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise in Walt Disney World.

Living With the Land (Glimmering Greenhouses)

© Walt Disney World Resort

Lastly, Epcot’s sustainable garden and farming zen ride, which is a favorite to decompress on, gets a lovely holiday lights tour overlay during the winter. It makes the relaxing and educational voyage away from the overstimulating bustle of the park even more wondrous to behold as festive key ingredients of holiday dishes from around the world are nerdily described over the course of the attraction. It’s theme park ASMR and chill holiday vibes. I hope Disney never changes this, because this little gem is something completely unexpected yet comforting to bask in at Epcot during Disney World’s busiest times.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Sabina Graves

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September 26, 2025