Captain America: Brave New World Surprise Might Be Spoiled By McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys
Toy licenses have been the bane of comic book movie surprises for decades now, going all the way back to Dick Tracy with the Blank being revealed to being Madonna’s Breathless Mahoney and Batman’s Phantasm as former flame Andrea Beaumont. It looks like Captain America: New World Order got a possibly huge spoiler revealed with McDonald’s toys.
Potential Spoilers below! If you don’t want to be spoiled on the plot of Captain America: Brave New World, consider yourself warned!
An Instagram user posted the Happy Meal toys on the back of a Brazilian ad that shows off several character designs from Captain America: Brave New World including a member of the Serpent Society “Cascavel” which translates to Rattlesnake. This could make her a stand-in for Rattler. However, the big surprise comes with the reveal of a Red Hulk toy.
This adds to the rumor of Red Hulk’s arrival since a Lego set was teased a few months ago, also leaked on Reddit.
Harrison Ford assumed the role of General “Thunderbolt” Ross after William Hurt passed away in 2022. In the comics, Ross used radiation siphoned from the Hulk, Leader, and M.O.D.O.K. to transform into the Red Hulk, eventually becoming a member of the Thunderbolts and even the Avengers for a brief time. It had been rumored that we would eventually get the Red Hulk, but with the Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) being a part of Captain American: Brave New World, things lined up perfectly for this crimson cameo.
We still have almost a year before the movie’s premiere next February but with San Diego Comic-Con around the corner, we should get confirmation sooner than later.
Captain America: Brave New World is set to release on February 14, 2025.
Dune Director Gives Update On Dune 3 And Reveals How Fremen Have Sex
Director Denis Villeneuve is now writing a third Dune movie, and he’s teased a little more about what to expect. The next Dune movie will adapt the Dune Messiah novel, which picks up 12 years after Dune 2, with Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) reunited, but Chani is angry. Villeneuve teased that he has the story figured out, but he’s not sharing it yet.
“That anger is tremendous,” he told The New York Times. “I don’t want to reveal what I’m going to do with the third movie. I know exactly what to do. I’m writing it right now. But there’s a lot of firepower there and I’m very excited about that decision.”
According to a report, Villeneuve will not make Dune 3 as his next film. His next project is currently unknown, but he was also recently linked to a nuclear war movie.
Making three Dune films has been Villeneuve’s plan all along. “I always envisioned three movies,” Villeneuve told EW. “It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice.”
“I have four projects on the table currently. One of them is a secret project that I cannot talk about right now, but that needs to see the light of day quite quickly. So it would be a good idea to do something in between projects, before tackling Dune Messiah and Cleopatra,” he said in March. “All these projects are still being written, so we’ll see where they go, but I have no control over that.”
Villeneuve also spoke to NYT about the Dune popcorn bucket craze, saying he thought it was an “insane marketing idea,” and one that brought him joy.
“I laughed so much. It is so out there. I don’t know who designed it, but they’re a bit of a genius. I’m at peace with the bucket,” he said.
Villeneuve also discussed how sex works in Dune’s world pertaining to Fremen. He said Fremens “love to kiss” and they are “very sexual.” They cannot have sex outside due to the world around them, but they can definitely get down in the right circumstances.
“I suspect that all sexual intercourse happens in environments that are protected from losing moisture. When they are in their sietches [or caves] underground, those are sealed. You don’t need to wear stillsuits inside them. We can deduce from that there is no problem to have sex in a sietch,” he said.
Across its two recent installments, the Dune series has earned more than $1 billion at the box office. 1984’s Dune, from director David Lynch, was much less of a success; it earned just $31 million against a $40 million budget.
FX’s Alien Series Adds Wheel Of Time Star
FX’s upcoming Alien series has resumed production in Thailand after halting last year during the Hollywood strikes. And now that the show is filming again, Deadline is reporting that Sandra Yi Sencindiver has joined the cast of Alien.
Outside of Danish cinema and television, Sencindiver is best known in America for her roles in Apple TV+’s Foundation and Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time. She has also lent her voice to Assassins Creeds: Valhalla.
Sencindiver is slated to appear in multiple episodes of Alien as a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the corrupt company that was previously established in the films. Deadline also notes that “there’s scope for the character to grow in future series,” which suggests that Sencindiver’s character may return beyond the initial season.
Alien features a cast that includes Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, Kit Young, Timothy Olyphant, David Rysdahl, Babou Cessay, Erana James, Lily Newmark, and Adrian Edmonson. Fargo and Legion’s Noah Hawley developed the series for television, which will be executive produced by Ridley Scott. The story is reportedly set on Earth a few years before the events of Prometheus, as the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and its rivals race to create “new android life.”
FX hasn’t set a premiere date for Alien, but a 2025 debut seems likely.
The Office Spin-Off Adds Star Wars And White Lotus Actors – Report
A new version version of The Office is said to be in the works, and two possible leads for the potential series have been revealed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Star Wars actor Domhnall Gleeson and The White Lotus star Sabrina Impacciatore will star in the show as part of an ensemble cast.
Greg Daniels, who adapted The Office for the US, is working on the new version of the show with Nathan For You’s Michael Korman. Universal Television is said to be producing the show, and representatives declined to comment when approached by THR.
The Office currently streams on Peacock, but there is no word yet on where the new iteration of the show, should it be made, would be available. The report said Daniels and his team want to “make sure the take is right” before finding a home.
There is no word yet on who Gleeson or Impacciatore could play in a potential new version of The Office. Reports have suggested the new series would take place within the same universe as the original Office, which could make cameos from popular characters possible.
Fans have been holding out hope for some kind of Office reunion of sorts featuring the main cast, but a different report said that is “out of the question.” A number of the stars of the show recently reunited to sell a product, though.
The Office, an adaptation itself of the Ricky Gervais BBC TV show in the UK, debuted in 2005 and ran for nine seasons, ending in 2013. Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott, left the show in Season 7. The series also starred John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, Mindy Kaling, Kate Flannery, Phyllis Smith, Brian Baumgartner, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, Melora Hardin, and Oscar Nunez.
Carell has said a character like Scott would not fly in today’s climate with his off-color jokes. The Office continues to be extremely popular and lucrative in syndication. NBCUniversal paid Netflix $500 million to bring all the episodes to its own streaming service, Peacock.
In other places around the world, like Australia, The Office has already been remade with new casts.
Best Buy Members Get Access To Exclusive Deals This Weekend
Best Buy is offering exclusive deals to its My Best Buy Plus and Total members, giving them a chance to score dozens of today’s hottest gadgets at some of the lowest prices of the year. The event ends Sunday, so you have plenty of time to explore its catalog and see if anything fits your needs.
If you’re not a My Best Buy member, it could be worth signing up if you’re a frequent shopper or even if you make a single large purchase. My Best Buy Plus costs just $50 per year and gets you exclusive pricing on select items, access to exclusive sales (like this one), and free two-day shipping. Stepping up to My Best Buy Total costs $180 per year but comes with 24/7 tech support, access to protection plans like AppleCare+, and a few other perks.
One of the most enticing offers available to members right now is for laptops equipped with an Intel Core Ultra processors. While most of these price cuts are available to all customers, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members will get an additional $100 promotional certificate sent to their account by May 15. That makes this a great time to upgrade your laptop–as not only can you save up to $500, but you’ll also get another $100 to spend on accessories or other gear.
If you sign up for My Best Buy Plus today, this offer will not just recoup your yearly membership fee but, it’ll also put you ahead by $50.
Other notable deals include the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with S-Pen (Wi-Fi, 128GB) for $650 (down from $1,100), Alienware 34-Inch Quantum Dot OLED Curved Ultrawide Monitor for $750 (down from $900), and Sony WH-XB910N Wireless Headphones for $120 (down from $250).
That last deal is particularly impressive, as it’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for the mid-range noise canceling headphones. They’re not the WH-1000XM5, but they offer extra bass, solid noise cancellation, and last up to 30 hours before needing a recharge. For something smaller, be sure to look at the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, as they’re on sale for just $189 (down from $279).
Plenty of other gear is discounted for My Best Buy members, and you’ll find all our favorite deals below.
Best Buy Member Deals Days – April 19-21
- Intel Core Ultra Laptops — Save up to $500
- HP Envy 2-in-1 14-Inch Laptop (1TB SSD, Intel Core Ultra 7) — $800 ($
1,100) - ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (1TB SSD, Intel Core Ultra 7) — $800 ($
1,050) - HP Envy 17.3-Inch Laptop (1TB SSD, Intel Core Ultra 7) — $1,000 ($
1,350) - ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (1TB SSD, Intel Core Ultra 9, RTX 4070) — $1,700 ($
2,000) - HP Spectre 2-in-1 OLED Laptop (1TB SSD, Intel Core Ultra 7) — $1,130 ($
1,630) - Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with S-Pen (Wi-Fi, 128GB) — $650 ($
1,100) - Alienware 34-Inch Quantum Dot OLED Curved Ultrawide Monitor — $750 ($
900) - LG 24-Inch IPS Borderless Monitor — $80 ($
170) - LG 27-Inch IPS Borderless Monitor — $120 ($
220) - Sony WH-XB910N Wireless Headphones — $120 ($
250) - Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 — $189 ($
279) - Samsung 990 EVO 2TB SSD — $130 ($
240)
Aliens: Ultimate Collector’s Edition On 4K Blu-Ray Is Already Steeply Discounted
Aliens might just be one of the greatest film sequels of all time, and if you’re looking to revisit this landmark 1986 sci-fi action movie, Amazon and Walmart have the definitive edition of it in stock and on sale. Normally $40, you can get the ultimate collector’s edition of Aliens for just $27.77 and enjoy the film in a sharp ultra high-definition format.
Aliens: Ultimate Edition — $27.77 ($40)
It’s worth mentioning that Amazon has a one- to two-month delivery window for Aliens. That said, you can also snag it at Walmart for the same price.
This was released last month, and like other 4K Blu-ray releases, you’ll also get a copy of the film on standard Blu-ray and a digital streaming code. For special features, there’s a lot on offer here. The film has additional commentary from director James Cameron, the cast, and the production crew to listen to, isolated scores to enjoy from Aliens composer James Horner, and additional scenes that didn’t make the theatrical cut.
To see how the film was brought to life, the third disc has behind-the-scenes features detailing the creature effects, the superior firepower of the Colonial Marines, and much more. Aliens was first released in 1986, and while its predecessor set the bar for sci-fi terror, this sequel went in a different direction with its gung-ho action and expansion of the Alien mythos. There are still plenty of suspenseful scenes–like being cornered by a face-hugger eager to violate your personal space–but Aliens fuses those chilling moments with more thrilling scenes.
This isn’t the only James Cameron movie to get a big 4K upgrade lately, as two of the director’s other iconic films are available to order. True Lies, the spy movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is down from $40 to $25, and The Abyss is also available at Amazon. Cameron’s groundbreaking underwater odyssey isn’t on sale (yet) but it’s still essential viewing if you’re a fan of his work.
True Lies — $25 ($40)
The Abyss — $40
Microsoft Games Are Having A Major Moment On The PS5 Best-Seller Charts
Microsoft courted controversy earlier this year when it announced it would start bringing formerly Xbox console-exclusive titles to PlayStation, but if the current PSN charts are anything to go by, the strategy seems to be working.
A look at the PSN chart for the top 25 best-selling games on PlayStation 5 today revealed that seven of the 25 games were owned by Microsoft. Those games, unsurprisingly, include giants like Call of Duty and Minecraft, which have long been available on Sony platforms, but also two of the four games that Microsoft recently announced would make the jump to Sony’s platforms: Grounded and Sea of Thieves. Grounded released earlier this week, while Sea of Thieves launches on PlayStation April 30.
Now Playing: Sea of Thieves On PS5 – A Message from Our Crew
The now-Microsoft-owned Overwatch 2, which recently released its 10th season, also made the cut. Rounding out Microsoft’s heavy-hitters are Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, both of which are currently on sale and no doubt have seen a boost in interest thanks to Amazon Prime’s Fallout TV show, which was just renewed for a second season.
That’s compared to five games from Sony on the list, three of which–Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade, and Helldivers 2–were not developed internally by a PlayStation-owned studio but instead published by Sony. The remaining two games are MLB The Show 24 and Destiny 2.
It’s a little unclear what data points all go into calculating the top 25 best-seller list on PSN, and it’s worth noting that the list changes depending on region and includes free-to-play titles. But even without concrete sales numbers, it’s clear that Microsoft has become a major publisher on its competitor’s platform.
Meanwhile, of Sony’s games, only MLB The Show 24 and Destiny 2 are available on Xbox. MLB The Show 24 at time of writing hadn’t cracked the top paid games list on the Xbox Store, but was among the top 20 most-played games, likely due to it being available on Xbox Game Pass. Destiny 2 is also among the top-played games on Xbox, and additionally appears towards the top of its most popular free-to-play games list. It’s worth noting that only one Microsoft-owned game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, cracked PSN’s March 2024 top 20 most-downloaded PS5 games list for the US and Canada.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said previously that he believes Xbox has already lost the console war against Sony. Recent sales estimates do back that up, suggesting that PS5 console sales are double that of the Xbox Series X|S. But if Microsoft can still make money by selling its games directly to PlayStation players, without needing them to buy an Xbox, it seems Microsoft can have its cake and eat it too.
When asked if more more Microsoft-owned games could come to the PS5 in the future, Spencer has said it’s a possibility, telling The Verge, “I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform.” He also said that Microsoft “wants to make sure that the return makes sense” when it comes to deciding to port titles to PlayStation and ensure that “the audience that’s there has an appetite” for future Xbox releases.
Where Is Xur Today? (April 19-23) Destiny 2 Exotic Items And Xur Location Guide
We’re drawing closer to The Final Shape in Destiny 2, and if you’re planning to hit the ground running when you take on the Witness, you’ll want to make the weekly trek to see the Exotic gear Xur is offering for a limited time. Here’s where Xur is this weekend and what he has for sale.
This week you can find Xur on Nessus, in The Watcher’s Grave. For his weapon, Xur is offering Skyburner’s Oath. Hunters can pick up Fr0st-EE5 leg armor; Titans can grab the Ursa Furiosa gauntlets; and Warlocks can buy the Starfire Protocol armor.
Xur Location
Head to Nessus and use the Watcher’s Grave transmat zone to find Xur this week. When you arrive, hop on your sparrow and head north toward the exit of the area. Look for a big tree with pink moss on the right side of the area. Climb up onto its big, flat branch, where you can reach Xur.
Xur Exotic and Legendary Items
- Exotic Engram – 97 Legendary Shards
- Skyburner’s Oath- 29 Legendary Shards
- Fr0st-EE5 – 23 Legendary Shards
- Ursa Furiosa – 23 Legendary Shards
- Starfire Protocol – 23 Legendary Shards
- Hawkmoon – 200 Legendary Shards, 125,000 Glimmer, 1 Ascendant Shard, 1 Exotic Cipher
- Xenology quest – Free
- Legendary weapons and armor – 50 Legendary Shards, 1,000 Glimmer
Exotic Armor
(Exotic Hunter leg armor)
A solid option for PvP, Fr0st-EE5 offer increased grenade, melee, and dodge regeneration while sprinting. The mobility stat on these boots are average considering the emphasis to keep running during firefights, but there are some nice resilience and discipline stats here for when you face down enemies.
- Mobility: 12
- Resilience: 16
- Recovery: 6
- Discipline: 18
- Intellect: 2
- Strength: 10
- Total: 64
(Exotic Titan gauntlets)
This is an Exotic that’ll benefit you if you enjoy using your Sentinel Shield to absorb damage, as you’ll move faster while guarding and convert all that guarded damage to Super energy. The resilience on this Exotic could be better, but it’s decent and bolstered by a high strength stat that’ll make your shield and melee blows hit harder when you unleash them.
- Mobility: 2
- Resilience: 12
- Recovery: 18
- Discipline: 2
- Intellect: 11
- Strength: 20
- Total: 65
(Exotic Warlock chest armor)
For a while, Starfire Protocol was the Warlock Exotic to have for high-level PvE activities, until Bungie nerfed it. It’s still decent, as the Fusion Harness perk gives you a super-quick grenade cooldown rate so long as you deal damage while dealing empowered weapon blows. This will in turn grant you more rift energy, to help cast your empowered rift subclass ability more quickly and keep the cycle going. This Exotic has a very high recovery stat in case you’re using Solar effects from the seasonal artifact to quickly heal yourself, but discipline could be higher and resilience is extremely low, so this could turn you into a glass cannon.
- Mobility: 2
- Resilience: 3
- Recovery: 32
- Discipline: 12
- Intellect: 8
- Strength: 12
- Total: 69
Exotic Weapons
Skyburner’s Oath (Exotic scout rifle)
One of the best weapons for dealing with Cabal, Skyburner’s Oath is an overhauled classic with a wide range of effects. If you have its catalyst, it’ll punch right through Cabal Phoenix shields, and it can be used as either a scout rifle when aiming or as a slug-launcher when firing from the hip.
- Slug Rifle
- Extended Barrel
- Extended Mag
- For the Empire
- Short-Action Stock
Hawkmoon (Exotic hand cannon)
Hawkmoon this week is an average roll, as you’re getting Snapshot Sights as the weekly weapon perk. This lets you aim down sights more quickly.
- Paracausal Shot
- Arrowhead Brake
- Alloy Magazine
- Snapshot Sights
- Heavy Grip
Legendary Armor
| Titan | Type | Mobility | Resilience | Recovery | Discipline | Intelligence | Strength | Total |
| Holdfast Gauntlets | Titan Gauntlets | 7 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 64 |
| Holdfast Plate | Titan Chest Armor | 10 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 63 |
| Holdfast Mark | Titan Mark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holdfast Helm | Titan Helmet | 7 | 2 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 66 |
| Holdfast Greaves | Titan Leg Armor | 2 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 64 |
| Warlock | Type | |||||||
| Holdfast Gloves | Warlock Gauntlets | 6 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 64 |
| Holdfast Robes | Warlock Chest Armor | 17 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 65 |
| Holdfast Bond | Warlock Bond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holdfast Cover | Warlock Helmet | 10 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 61 |
| Holdfast Boots | Warlock Leg Armor | 10 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 61 |
| Hunter | Type | |||||||
| Holdfast Grips | Hunter Gauntlets | 7 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 65 |
| Holdfast Vest | Hunter Chest Armor | 2 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 66 |
| Holdfast Cloak | Hunter Cloak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holdfast Mask | Hunter Helmet | 7 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 64 |
| Holdfast Strides | Hunter Leg Armor | 2 | 2 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 65 |
Legendary Weapons
| Jian 7 Rifle | Energy Pulse Rifle | SLO-12 Post / SPO-28 Front | Alloy Magazine / High-Caliber Rounds | Firmly Planted | Outlaw | Tier 2: Range |
| Death Adder | Energy Submachine Gun | Arrowhead Brake / Chambered Compensator | Tactical Mag / Steady Rounds | Subsistence | Moving Target | Tier 2: Handling |
| Corsair’s Wrath | Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle | Corkscrew Rifling / Smallbore | Liquid Coils / Projection Fuse | Killing Wind | Kill Clip | Tier 2: Charge Time |
| Tarantula | Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle | Arrowhead Brake / Hammer-Forged Rifling | Accelerated Coils / Projection Fuse | Genesis | Snapshot Sights | Tier 2: Charge Time |
| Legal Action II | Kinetic Pulse Rifle | Arrowhead Brake / Corkscrew Rifling | Extended Mag / Steady Rounds | Surplus | Frenzy | Tier 2: Range |
| Under Your Skin | Energy Combat Bow | Tactile String / Flexible String | Natural Fletching / Straight Fletching | Tunnel Vision | Explosive Head | Tier 2: Target Acquisition |
| Brigand’s Law | Energy Sidearm | Arrowhead Brake / Smallbore | Appended Mag / Extended Mag | Pugilist | Swashbuckler |
Xur is present every weekend in Destiny 2, starting with the daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET each Friday. His exact location is always a mystery when he first arrives, as he is not listed on the map, and for novice players, he can be easy to miss. However, there are a set number of locations where he takes up residence, including the Tower Hangar area, on Nessus in Watcher’s Grave, and in the Winding Cove area of the EDZ.
Sony In Talks To Join Bid To Buy Paramount – Report
In the race to acquire Paramount, Skydance Media still has the inside track. But there may be more players pulling up in the rearview. According to The New York Times, an investment firm, Apollo Global Management, is in talks with Sony Pictures for a joint bid to take over Paramount, the storied studio behind Mission: Impossible and several other film and TV franchises.
Officially, neither Sony nor Apollo are currently in negotiations with Paramount itself, which is only talking with Skydance. However, the potential deal with Skydance has not been well-received by many of Paramount’s investors. Via Bloomberg, Paramount investor William Riley has formally notified Paramount chairwoman Shari Redstone about his belief that the Spyglass deal is solely for her “personal gains.” Because Redstone has a controlling interest in Paramount’s stock, she is currently pushing for a sale to Spyglass without asking the rest of the shareholders to vote on it.
During an earlier stage of negotiations, Apollo extended an offer for Paramount that would have been valued at $26 billion, which included Paramount’s debt. Paramount seemingly ignored that offer because it is in the middle of an exclusivity deal for negotiations with Skydance. The New York Post recently reported that Paramount and Skydance may not close a deal before that exclusive period expires on May 3.
The dynamics of a partnership between Apollo and Sony have not been locked down, especially since no deal has been made between the two companies. If Sony does enter the picture as a potential co-owner of Paramount, it would give the studio its own streaming service with Paramount+ as well as an expanded library of film and TV shows.
However, the biggest hurdle between Apollo and Sony taking over Paramount may be the U.S. government. Following Disney’s 2019 purchase of Fox’s entertainment assets, the FCC has pushed back on large media mergers, and the combination of two major studios into a single studio may face extreme scrutiny from multiple angles. Since Skydance isn’t one of Paramount’s competitors, it may face an easier path to the FCC’s approval. But the battle for Paramount is far from over.
Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn Says Attitudes Toward Skyler Have Now Changed
Anna Gunn famously played Skyler White on Breaking Bad, and when the show aired, many people criticized her character, and Gunn felt that blowback and found it upsetting. But now, Gunn says attitudes have changed, and people better understand the position Skyler was in and how she was trying to get Walt (Bryan Cranston) to do the right thing on the show.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn said she wasn’t tuned into the controversy at the time over her character because she wasn’t plugged into social media. People told her what others were saying, and she decided to read the comments–this was “probably a mistake,” she said.
“But it’s a mistake that led to a great deal of soul searching and me thinking, ‘Well, is it me?’ And I think the writers went through the same thing: ‘Is it the way we’ve written her?’ [Series creator Vince Gilligant] would sometimes say, ‘My gosh, no matter what we do with Walt, no matter how bad he breaks, people are still going, ‘Yay!’ They’re still in his corner and they’re still behind him,” she said.
Gunn said it was her lot to “go through that ring of fire” and deal with the abuse. A lot of it, she said, was misogynistic. “A lot of it was the way that female characters were treated, and I think we’ve come a long way since then,” she said.
Gunn said she’s proud of the many actresses who have spoken up over the years and “continued to pave the way and created their own antihero characters for themselves.”
Gunn said she wrote her 2013 op-ed for the New York Times about the response to Skyler because she has two daughters and she wanted them to understand what was going on.
Part of the reason people were so mean to Gunn was due to the anonymity of the internet, she said. “Nobody ever came up to me in person and said, ‘Oh my God, I hate you!’ People don’t do that. They save that stuff for the internet because, for the reasons that we all know, it’s anonymous and it’s hidden and people can let it fly,” she said.
But anonymous comments online can still be alarming and upsetting, Gunn said, because they can become violent. “Sometimes, the comments could turn threatening or violent, and that concerned me. So I just didn’t want to feel bullied by all that, and I felt that it was my responsibility to stand up and answer to it, which is what I did,” she said.
These days, when people approach Gunn and talk to her about her Breaking Bad character, Gunn says she’s observed a shift in what people say. “There’s still a long way to go, but we really have made seismic changes since then. So people come up to me now and say, ‘You were the linchpin for me. You were the conscience of the show. You were what pulled me into the show,'” she said. “Or they say, ‘The first time I watched it, I hated that character. But the second time I watched it, I realized, ‘Oh my God, that poor woman.'”
Gunn currently stars on the AppleTV+ series Sugar with Colin Farrell.
