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Warning: contains spoilers for Sentinels #2Marvel's X-Men are known for their iconic fashion choices and fierce heroic costumes, but one monstrous mutant is finally called out in Sentinels #2 for having the worst fashion at Marvel... the despicable Sebastian Shaw. Former leader of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, Sebastian is stuck living out an aristocratic fantasy that has failed him time and time again, all while looking like a total fool in a waistcoat and frilly cravat.

Sebastian Shaw, a mutant with kinetic absorption abilities, was introduced in 1979's X-Men #129 as the charismatic and pretentious Black King of the Hellfire Club, a villainous role he held for many years and lorded over former Hellfire member Emma Frost.

Sentinels #2, from writer Alex Paknadel with artists Justin Mason and Federico Blee, sees the Sentinel task force inflitrating a high-security Bagalia prison to capture Shaw and bring him to Graymalkin Prison. Just as the...

Fans dont have to worry about another Wonder Woman 1984 mishap, and they shouldnt expect Sean Gunns version of Maxwell Lord to mirror any of the other live-action portrayals of the comic book character either because he wont. Back in December 2023, the news broke that Gunn would portray the sophisticated and shrewdly conniving DC Comics' businessman in brother James Gunn and Peter Safrans DC Universe. And in a new interview, the Guardians of the Galaxy actor revealed his Max Lord wont reference other live performances of the character. Gunn said (per The Wrap):

I cant talk too much about it. I can say that my brother James and I did discuss what reference materials from the canon were relevant to my process. I love doing my own music. I cant say that much, other than we did talk about about relevant materials, and we discussed the character in detail before I dove in.

In the build-up to the release of "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three," the most intriguing detail was learning "Crisis" would feature the late Kevin Conroy voicing Batman one last time, having recorded his lines before his passing in 2022. Sweetening the news, it was subsequently announced that Conroy would be acting against Mark Hamill as Joker, if only for a moment. Their shared cameo recreates the animation style of "Batman: The Animated Series" (down to Gotham City's red sky), the 1992 cartoon where Conroy and Hamill first played Batman and the Joker.

But when I went to watch the scene, feeling I owed Mr. Conroy a peek at his Batman final curtain, my eyebrow shot up. The Joker in the scene did not sound like Mark Hamill. The cadence was there, but not the vocal quality. But the film's credits insisted it was Hamill, so I shrugged and...

Drifters is a dark fantasy anime that turns isekai norms upside down with a violent approach to the genre. Unique for bringing historical figures into a battle of good versus evil, this series is not a power fantasy. Drifters demonstrates the true horrors of war and the impact historical figures can have in a grim new world.

Drifters is an anime that turns the tables on the norms of isekai, and one of the best hidden gems currently available on Crunchyroll. The series was created by Kouta Hirano, best known for the Hellsing franchise, and it was originally published as a manga in 2010, gaining an anime adaptation in 2016. Drifters is a dark fantasy to its core, as it distances itself from the normal tropes that fans see in isekai with a much more of a violent approach to the genre.

Every anime fan is looking for a new hidden gem...

Folks, I love the X-Men. When I was a kid, Professor Charles Xavier and his band of mutant outcasts were at their peak with Chris Claremont’s X-Men bringing the super-team into the households of young comic book readers everywhere. Needless to say, I’m absolutely stoked by the recently released Disney Plus continuation of the 1990s animated TV series and have had X-Men on the brain 24/7 these days… seriously guys, I’ve worn this sweatshirt like every day since mid-March… And seeing as I’ve been let down by the last couple of movies I’ve covered on this show- Today I’m going to be selfish and talk about an entry in the Fox X-Men universe that I love. A film that breathed new life into the decaying franchise with exciting new timelines and a fresh filmmaker with bright eyes and a passion for comics. A movie that...

Wilson Fisk's return as Kingpin sparks mixed reactions among fans due to the perceived reversal of recent story developments. Daredevil #8 sets the stage for Fisk reclaiming his criminal throne as the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen, stepping up to lead the violent new gang, the Heat. Daredevil #9 hints at the deeper reasons behind Fisk's "comeback," with recent demonic possessions being a key to his return.

Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil #8 and potential spoilers for Daredevil #9 ahead!

As Daredevil celebrates his 60th anniversary this year, Wilson Fisk has returned to claim his mantle as the Kingpin of Crime. Some fans are upset by the development, believing Fisks return to the top of New Yorks criminal underworld negates months of storytelling. However, there may be more to the Kingpins comeback than it seems.

Last months Daredevil #8 was a special over-sized issue that marked six decades since Daredevil was introduced. The issues lead story,...

This article contains spoilers for "X-Men '97."

Episode 5 of "X-Men '97" — "Remember It" — may very well go down as the most shocking TV moment of 2024. Adapting the dark "X-Men" comic storyline "E Is For Extinction" by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, a giant Sentinel razed the new mutant homeland of Genosha, killing thousands, if not millions.

Episode 6, "Lifedeath Part 2," took a break focusing instead on the absent Storm and Professor X, but episode 7, "Bright Eyes," explores the fallout of Genosha. It picks up about a week later when the X-Men are hosting a rainy funeral for Gambit. They go back to Genosha to continue searching for more survivors. They find one: Emma Frost, White Queen of the Hellfire Club.

Emma, who was part of Genosha's short-lived ruling council, is a telepath. During the attack, she unlocked a second mutation to turn her skin diamond hard, so she survived being crushed under rubble.

Warning: Spoilers for Immortal X-Men #16With the Fall of X uniting Iron Man and the X-Men like never before, things are changing drastically for the Armored Avenger. With his company already stolen by the X-Men’s greatest enemies, Tony Stark now has yet another rival pilfering his signature Iron Man designs. Only this time, the mechanized malcontent isn’t using them solely for mutant-hunting Sentinels.

Immortal X-Men #16 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, David Curiel, and Vc’s Clayton Cowles sees the traitorous Sebastian Shaw working with the immortal Selene to hunt down Professor Xavier in what remains of Krakoa. Always one to dress for the occasion, Shaw unveils his Hellfire armor, which he supposedly designed himself despite an obvious resemblance to Iron Man's armor.

Shaw uses it to nearly kill Charles before Xavier can buy him off with access codes to a dozen key accounts belonging to his stolen Hellfire Club.

A major X-Men villain just became Marvel's new evil Iron Man, thanks to the reveal of his own "Hellfire Armor." The reveal comes as the Fall of X sees the X-Men near extinction, with some dead, others exiled off-world, and a twisted handful of former allies now working alongside the human-supremacist group Orchis.

Coming from Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles, Immortal X-Men #16 sees mutant villains Sebastian Shaw and Selene continue their efforts to ransack the living island of Krakoa for its natural resources. The one thing standing in their way is Professor Charles Xavier, who - blaming himself for the seeming death of 250,000 mutants during Orchis' Mutant Massacre - has given up his vow against killing and has resolved to protect the former mutant nation to his last breath. In an exclusive preview shared by Cbr, Shaw intends to hasten that moment, as he suits up...

Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #26!

The Iron Man and Emma Frost wedding is not going as expected, with Emma's anger and Tony's improvisation taking center stage. Because of an accidental twist — and Emma's new alter ego — the wedding is likely to be a normal affair rather than the extravagant event Marvel has been promoting. This unexpected twist opens up new possibilities for Emma and the story, potentially allowing her to regain her position in the Hellfire Club as a public figure.

The eagerly anticipated wedding between Iron Man and Emma Frost is already shaping up quite differently from how fans expected. All summer long, Marvel has teased, hinted, foreshadowed, and built toward a wedding that is four years in the making.

Their unholy alliance is about to become a holy union following X-Men #26 by Gerry Duggan, Jim Towe, Javier Pina, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles. While mutants are being hunted, former...

Warning: Contains Spoilers for X-Men #26Throughout his time as Marvel Comics’ Armored Avenger, Tony Stark has donned countless armors while maintaining his identity as the Invincible Iron Man. From fan-favorite suits like the Silver Centurion to his futuristic Bleeding Edge armor, Stark has a new look for every occasion, and his new war against Orchis alongside the X-Men will be no different. But this time, the Iron Man has gotten a new name to go along with his striking new look.

X-Men #26 by Gerry Duggan, Jim Towe, Javier Pina, and Marte Gracia catches fans up on some of the fallout surrounding the tragic events of the X-Men’s Hellfire Gala, including Tony Stark’s new dynamic with Marvel’s Merry Mutants. Alongside another unexpected ally of the X-Men, the Kingpin, it’s made clear that Tony has taken a position as one of the new figureheads of the one...

Warning: contains a preview of Invincible Iron Man #7!Iron Man has officially unveiled his newest armor, revealing its codename as the Mark Nil suit. Tony explains that the Mark Nil suit exists outside his usual numbering system, since he intends to commit so many crimes using it, he needs it to stay off the books. Teased for a while, the newly revealed suit is Tony's attempt to gain some kind of advantage over his nemesis Kelvin Heng, aka the billionaire human-supremacist Feilong.

In a preview of Invincible Iron Man #7 - by Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri, Bryan Valenza, and Kael Ngu - Iron Man attacks the production of Feilong's new Stark Sentinels as a distraction, using some of the huge weapons cache he recently spent his entire fortune to acquire. Of course, Tony isn't just there to cause chaos - it's actually Rhodey in the suit, while Tony debuts the Mark...

Iron Man's fortunes have recently taken a turn for the worse, but with the help of one surprising group and some new armor, he's about to get a serious upgrade. By joining forces with the mutant Hellfire Club as its Black King, Tony Stark will be fighting alongside mutantkind as they battle a shared foe.

In Invincible Iron Man (2022) #9 by Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri and Bryan Valenza, Tony is going to leverage his inheritance from his father to become the new Black King of the Hellfire Club, bringing with him a stunning new suit of stealth armor to boot. In a recent solicit for the August 23 issue, Marvel reveals the story's summary, as well as Björn Barends' variant cover and Kael Ngu's main cover art.

Tony Stark: Black King of the Hellfire Club! Feilong and the Stark Sentinels have beaten Iron Man and robbed him of his armor.

Marvel's most iconic aristocratic villain-turned-hero Emma Frost, leader of the X-Men and former White Queen of the Hellfire Club, looks absolutely flawless in a new variant cover for Immoral X-Men #1 by Marco Turini, an homage to the icon's very first appearance.

Emma Frost is one of Marvel's oldest and most infamous villains, debuting in Chris Claremont and John Byrne's 1980 Uncanny X-Men #129 as the powerful telepathic White Queen of the Hellfire Club alongside Sebastian Shaw, the Black King.

X-Men fans, brace yourselves for a new series that will challenge your morals. Introducing Immoral X-Men issue 1, coming to a comic book store near you! Will the X-Men choose good or evil? Find out in this thrilling new series. #ImmoralXmen #Xmen #MarvelComics pic.twitter.com/F12oPQaun4 — Marco Turini (@marcoturini) January 24, 2023

While Frost has not been called "White Queen" as a moniker for many years now, she still reigns supreme...

Warning: contains light spoilers for the Sins of Sinister eventAs Marvel's upcoming Sins of Sinister event looms over the horizon, a stunning new variant cover for Immoral X-Men #1 by the talented Mark Brooks gives Emma Frost of the X-Men a truly iconic new look, as the former White Queen is turned into a Sinister.

The villainous Mister Sinister has been plotting his takeover of the Marvel Universe for years now - at least since he was invited to join Krakoa's Quiet Council - and these machinations are now finally coming to fruition, although perhaps not in the way he intended. Emma Frost, along with other Council psychics like Charles Xavier, Hope Summers, and Exodus, have all been resurrected as secret Sinister clones. Sharing the gorgeous variant cover for Immoral X-Men #1 - written by Kieron Gillen with art by Paco Medina - on Twitter, Mark Brooks called it his "Sinister Frost" cover,...

With the creation of the mutant island of Krakoa in X-Men comics, there's hardly ever been a better time to learn more about the mutants that formed some of the group's greatest antagonists over the years. With the likes of Mr. Sinister becoming more dangerous and intriguing than ever, it's difficult to predict what's next for the series' anti-heroes and villains.

It's a chance to find out which X-Men villain readers might have more of an affinity for too. With such a wide variety of villains, ranging from the controlling Magneto to the impulsive Juggernaut, it's interesting to see how their personalities line up with the nine Enneagram personality types.

Type One: The Reformer - Sebastian Shaw

Rising from humble origins to become immensely rich and successful, it's clear that Sebastian Shaw is nothing if not ambitious. The first Enneagram type is often associated with perfectionism and that's appropriate in the case of Shaw,...

This article contains Stranger Things season 4 spoilers. We have a spoiler-free review here.

When we catch up with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Erica in Stranger Things season 4 episode 1, it’s good to see that high school hasn’t dulled their enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons. But with Will now living across the country in California, they’ve had to find a new dungeon master, who they have in the charismatic, self-proclaimed “freak” Eddie Munson.

Munson is an ‘80s metalhead, one who revels in the “satanic panic” that surrounds both his chosen music and his favorite hobby. With a sardonic sense of humor, he’s named his D&d group “The Hellfire Club,” an obvious attempt to poke fun at the folks who think his musical taste, appearance, and fondness for D20s make him an agent of the devil. But the name “The Hellfire Club” also has broader historical and pop cultural significance…...

For the last couple years, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman have been putting together a pretty crazy and frankly must-read Venom ongoing series. Venom has a rather messy narrative history full of retcons and ideas that don’t sync well, so during his run, Cates has decided to cut into Venom lore like a surgeon with a chainsaw.

Certain aspects of Venom’s past have been written out, like the idea that Eddie Brock had cancer or even a sister. Brian Michael Bendis’ attempt to rewrite the symbiote species as some kind of gooey cosmic knight armor created to protect the universe has also been discarded.

There have been two important characters introduced in this series. One is Dylan Brock, Eddie’s recently-discovered son who has symbiote DNA mixed into his biology. He appears to be a major step in symbiote evolution and that worries the Maker (Ultimate Reed Richards...

In superheroics, taxes are apparently optional, because the only two things that are truly certain are death and rebirth. To that end specifically, X-Men founder Charles Xavier has assembled a team of five mutants, imaginatively christened The Five, to put the resurrectional studies of Moira MacTaggert into action following the establishment of the sovereign island nation of Krakoa.

The team of Fabio “Goldballs” Medina, Kevin “Proteus” MacTaggert, Joshua “Elixir” Foley, Eva “Tempus” Bell, and the first new mutant born after M-Day, Hope Summers, have perfected a process by which they were able to reproduce the bodies, powers, minds, and memories of their fallen brethren, thereby taking the insignificance of “comic book death” to an entirely new level.

One of the few mutants who has, for reasons yet unknown, been unable to cross through the Gateways to Krakoa, however, is Kitty Pryde, who first appeared in X-Men #129 in January of 1980. Instead,...

Written by James Tynion IV | Art by Aaron Loprestri, Matt Ryan | Published by DC Comics

I know they are , in many respects, just giving the fans what they want, but these Dark Multiverse alternate takes on DC history have been hugely entertaining. This sort of thing has of course been done before, many times in fact, but DC are really putting some good creators on the books, and putting serious thought into the basic ‘what if?’ concept. This time around it is the turn of Infinite Crisis, that DC event that saw the death of Blue Beetle, the reveal of Maxwell Lord as a villain, and the rise of Batman security-system-gone-wrong Omac. Most importantly, of course, the Multiverse returned because of the shenanigans of Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime, who, with the original Superman Kal-l and Lois had been living in a manufactured Paradise since the end of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths.

German Film in 2017 is alive and highly visible at film festivals such as Toronto, Venice, Cannes, Berlin and all the way to the Academy Awards. The best new German, Austrian, and Swiss Cinema will once again be celebrated at the American Cinematheque, during the 11th Annual German Currents Film FestivaL from Friday, October 13th — Monday, Oct 16th, 2017 at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Over the past decade, German Currents has offered a unique insight into German speaking cinema, bringing diverse and thought-provoking narratives, and “must-watch” documentaries to Los Angeles. German Currents once again features an impressive line-up of new German cinema during the four day festival, including U.S. and L.A. premieres, documentaries and films for children and families.

German Currents 2017 begins with an opening night gala and red carpet with some of Germany’s brightest stars on Friday, Oct. 13th.

In addition to film screenings, German Currents...

Things are finally coming to a head on Shooter.

The entire covert operation involving Hugh, Isaac, Payne, and the latest player, Lon, are unraveling on the edges. Lon is bailing on Payne, and Isaac is finally jumping ship after pissing Hugh one too many times. 

There were a lot of power plays happening on Shooter Season 1 Episode 7, and the man behind the Black King was finally revealed. 

As much as Isaac annoys me to no end, it was so great to see him finally questioning everything he knew about this operation that he found himself in. He had been doing it for quite some time now, but this time he's reached a point of no return and he's officially jumped ship.

In fact, with Isaac finally being pushed too far, and Payne, ever the unpredictable liability (as bloodthirsty and sadistic "sociopaths" are bound to be) being blown, I'm fully anticipating...

And the high-stakes scavenger haunt continues. 

Who would have thought it would take this much to track down one shooter? We know about the special type of bullet and we even know about the specific rifle. 

It seems simple enough, but each episode another tidbit is dropped that changes things up and drags out the process. In Shooter Season 1 Episode 6 we find out that not only is it the specific bullet, but it was fired with a rare rifle, the Black King, and there are less than a handful of them in existence.

William Fichtner guest starred as Bob Lee's former mentor O'Brien, and he was fantastic in the role. O'Brien made my heart hurt, giving the sadder side of a tormented, curmudgeon veteran who lost everything he loved and was isolated and alone. 

I ain't afraid to play God, boy.

O'Brien Permalink: I ain't afraid to play God,...

The Marvel TV family just keeps growing. First there was “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Agent Carter” on ABC. Then Netflix got in on the action with several shows revolving around street-level superheroes. And now Fox is teaming up with Marvel to produce “Hellfire” (Working title) about the infamous Hellfire Club. From the official announcement: Set in the late 1960s, the series -- which will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television, with 20th Century Fox handling the physical production -- follows a young Special Agent who learns that a power-hungry woman with extraordinary abilities is working with a clandestine society of millionaires – known as “The Hellfire Club” – to take over the world. This adds an interesting wrinkle to the ongoing power struggle between Marvel and 20th Century Fox. As the latter still holds the film and television rights to the X-Men, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been mutant-free.

Overview | It's episode three and we were finally introduced to who the producers say will be the main villain for the first half of "Beware the Batman." Anarky, voiced by Wallace Langham, is an interesting choice. A little known character from the Bat-books, his depiction here was actually pretty close to past incarnations of the character. Having watched countless animated programs, I know what geeky/gamer character sounds like and that's definitely what we have in Anarky. We aren't quite told what the character's motivations are but his name pretty much spells it out. It will be interesting to see what the "White King" has in store for the "Black King" moving forward and if the character is indeed 100% Lonnie Machin, or a mixture of Machin and Ulysses Armstrong. While Anarky had a solid debut, I found the sidestory with Tatsu and her test administered at...

“The Omac Project” was part of DC’s “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” and came after their previous event “Identity Crisis”. A brief background note to understand this book: in “Identity Crisis”, Doctor Light, a super-lame villain, somehow manages to get into the Jla’s Watchtower without being seen or stopped by anyone and rapes the Elongated Man’s wife Sue Dibny who is conveniently on her own. Some members of the Jla walk in on this scene and are so shocked they decide to permanently alter Light’s personality so he will never again do anything so heinous, nor remember what he did.

They (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary) force Zatanna to perform a magical lobotomy on Light but just as they’ve done it Batman walks in on them (I know, the timing right?) and demands to know what they’re doing. Zatanna, unable to stop, decides...

As X-Men: First Class arrives in UK cinemas, James provides a handy guide to the film’s roster of heroes and villains, and when they first appeared...

Picture the scene. You've got into the earliest possible screening of this summer's latest Marvel movie blockbuster, X-Men: First Class. You've re-watched the entire trilogy to bring yourself up to date. Nothing can stop you from enjoying what is, by many accounts, the best X-Men film so far.

And yet, as the film unfolds, you begin to wonder what's going on. These aren't the X-Men of your youth, neither the 90s cartoon, nor the movies of the last decade. There's no Cyclops, no Jean, no Rogue. No Wolverine! You'd even settle for a glimpse of Halle Berry or Vinnie Jones.

Your brow begins to sweat. "Who are these second-raters," you cry out, disturbing those seated around you, "and what have they done with the real X-Men?...

Why is that fan made posters are always better than the ones studios make? It is something that I have began to wonder over my years covering stuff on this site. Crawling the X-Men: First Class Facebook page I found some really cool fanmade posters that they were promoting for the film and they are light years better than the lame ones that Fox released a few weeks ago for the film.

Dane Forst is the artist of the posters and he did an excellent job conveying the two lead characters, Professor X and Magneto. Fox should hire this guy to handle the rest of the marketing for the film, he gets it. I love the classic 90s cartoon vibe they give off with the waves and stuff. All we need is that bad ass guitar solo for the theme song and this shit rocks.

The site also featured 3 new...

Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding has spoken of how she missed out on a role in Matthew Vaughn's mutant prequel X-Men: First Class.

In August it was revealed that Harding, 28, was auditioning for a part.

Many fans thought it was a made-up tabloid story or must be for a minor background cameo but 20th Century Fox didn't respond when we asked about the rumour, suggesting it was at least true.

Sarah has appeared in the two recent St Trinian's films, 2008 crime drama Bad Day and TV film Freefall. She also modelled lingerie for Ultimo. So what role might she have been playing?

Harding now reveals: "I got called back three times for X-Men but I missed out on the part to January Jones which was fine. She's a more established actress, but I was pleased to have got that far down the line."

January Jones, best known from TV drama Mad Men,...

If There were any doubts that X-Men: First Class is set primarily in the 1960s, the first shots of January Jones as Emma Frost should settle the debate once and for all.

Some images from Inf Daily show The Mad Men actress on set at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, wearing a short white coat, knee-high white boots and a Russian-style fur hat. Check out the full pictures below.

In the comics, Emma Frost is a powerful telepath who at one time was a formidable adversary of the X-Men.

She became White Queen of the Hellfire Club, a secret society of affluent men and women led by its Black King, Sebastian Shaw (played in the film by Kevin Bacon). Shaw is also a mutant, with the power to absorb the energy from blasts, blows, blades and bullets and convert it to superhuman physical strength.

The comic book version of the Hellfire Club...

Bryan Singer, director of X-Men and X2 and producer of X-Men: First Class, recently pulled back the curtain and provided some much-needed details on Fox’s super reboot.

Thus far we’ve only been able to piece together details on the cast and the characters, but not how the lengthy list of names fits into a coherent story. Luckily, Singer spilled some details to Ain’t It Cool News, such as the fact that the story takes place in an alternate version of the ’60s to focus on the early relationships of Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy).

Matthew Vaughn’s film, set to start shooting in London this week, will detail how Xavier meets Erik Lehnsherr, played by Michael Fassbender, and how Erik becomes the mutant known only as Magneto. We’ll also see how Charles hits it off with Moira MacTaggert, his love interest at Oxford University, and...

Bryan Singer, producer of X-Men: The First Class, dropped a line to AICN to share some notes and much needed plot details of the upcoming Matthew Vaughn-directed prequel. Currently, to this point, all we know about the film is that is will feature the story of how young Dr. Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr discover their powers for the first time, and meet up with other mutants.

Well, it seems Singer wants to clear some timeline points with fans, as we all wondered when this movie was going to take place. I for one thought it would take place after the Wolverine film, but I am wrong. You see, at the end of the Wolverine film, Xavier shows up to pick up the left over mutants from Three Mile Island, presumably to take them to the school of gifted youngsters. We thought the first class of mutants would...

Movie site Forces of Geek seems to think so, citing an unnamed source as saying that Bacon will play the mutant Sebastian Shaw, one of the leaders of the mutant secret society known as the Hellfire Club in the upcoming movie. Of course, Fog was pretty sure that Rosamund Pike was going to play Emma Frost, too, and that role went to Alice Eve. I’m not saying they’re wrong on this one, they could very well be right, but you should definitely add this to the rumor bin until the trades or the studio officially makes the announcement. Of course, if Bacon was to be playing Sebastian Shaw, it would make a lot of sense, since Emma Frost aka The White Queen is already in the movie. In the comics, the White Queen and Shaw, the Black King, runs the Hellfire Club, who often butted heads with the X-Men.

Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY -- In The Order of Myths, filmmaker Margaret Brown returns to her hometown of Mobile, Ala., to see how the city has progressed since her youth. The answer is surprisingly little as she looks at the community through its major social event of the year: the Mardi Gras. Exotic and thoughtful, film is entertaining enough to capture a modest theatrical audience before enjoying a healthy run on cable outlets.

In this vision of the South, separate but equal is not only alive and well, it is the dominant mode of interaction. The film gets under your skin with its celebratory colors and vibrant music, and then creeps you out with its conclusions, which is probably Brown's intention, but she allows the events to speak for themselves.

The film's title refers to the oldest of a group of all-white secret fraternal societies that plan parades and parties to celebrate the holiday. Members speak to the camera only with their masks on as identities cannot be revealed. One masked man says blacks and whites get along fine in the city, but one suspects this is the case only as long as everyone knows their place.

The Mobile Mardi Gras, started in 1703, is the oldest in the country. Until 1938, blacks participated in the celebration only as dancers and torchbearers accompanying white floats. Then with the founding of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association (MAMGA), the blacks residents created their own events to go along with the white celebration staged by the Mobil Carnival Association (MCA).

Chronicling the 2007 Mardi Gras, Brown cuts back and forth between the two celebrations as if they were running on separate, parallel tracks, crossing only occasionally. To tell her story she follows five key participants: the Black King and queen; the white queen; a white debutante who claims to be liberal but is still a member of the white court; and a black activist who tells it like it is.

The points of intersection between the two worlds are seen where blacks work for wealthy white families, either as waiters for exclusive events or beloved nanny's who helped raise the children. As an insider, Brown is allowed unprecedented access, but even she is cautious not to jeopardize her welcome by asking the hard questions. Instead, she observes and let's viewers draw their own conclusions.

Polemics is not her point. She shows the pomp and circumstance of the events: the elaborate embroidery of the costumes, the balls, the coronation, and the actual parades. It is in the playing out of the traditions that Brown examines and questions the ingrained social fabric of her city. Her mother was a Mardi Gras queen in 1996 and her grandfather is still active in a mystic society, so Brown has ambivalent feelings about the events and how they are conducted.

Representing the Meaher family, one of the oldest and wealthiest in Mobile, is Helen Meaher, this year's queen. In tracing her family's history, the film shockingly reveals that her ancestor was responsible for bringing the last slave ship into this county in Mobile harbor, more than 50 years after the U.S. had outlawed the slave trade. It's a heritage that people don't speak of directly, but it is the kind of thing that hovers beneath the surface and defines all that we see.

Moving from shots of shacks that sell fried oxtails in the black neighborhood to the splendor of the white-gloved parties on the other side of town, Brown and her cinematographers Michael Simmonds and Lee Daniel always seem to have the camera in the right spot. And editors Michael Taylor, Geoffrey Richman and Brown have stitched the material together to make a lively and revealing portrait of life in the New South.

THE ORDER OF MYTHS

A NetPoint Prods. presentation in association with Lucky Hat Entertainment

Credits:

Director: Margaret Brown

Producers: Margaret Brow, Sara Alize Cross

Executive producer: Christine Mattsson

Director of cinematography: Michael Simmonds, Lee Daniel

Editors: Michael Taylor, Geoffrey Richman, Margaret Brown

Running time -- 80 minutes

No MPAA rating...