The Ringer-Verse

The Boys are back and they’re returning to the MCU! They give you all of their thoughts on the first two episodes of ‘VisionQuest,’ diving into the new ensemble cast of Marvel AIs, the return of Ultron, and some of the Marvel Easter eggs we’ve seen so far. (0:00) Intro (7:01) Spoilers ahead (9:57) ‘VisionQuest’ Episodes 1-2 instant reactions (1:11:13) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi...

The Boys are back and they are coming to you from New York City! They give you their thoughts on what they’ve seen so far at NYCC 2026, including news from 'Daredevil: Born Again,' 'X-Men '97,' and the DC-Skydance merger. (0:00) Intro (1:53) 'Daredevil: Born Again' (7:40) Marvel panel (19:08) 'X-Men '97' (24:17) 'VisionQuest' (27:34) ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ (29:55) DC and Skydance...

Ben brings on Chris Ryan, host of The Watch, to discuss whether Hollywood has hit peak gaming adaptation. First, Chris reminisces about his gaming heyday and how his habit lapsed. Then, as Skydance consolidates its Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount IP, Ben and Chris come up with pitches for video game versions of Taylor Sheridan shows. After that, they examine the latest trend in gaming adaptat...

The Boys are back and they have new haircuts! With the end of the beloved first season of HBO’s ‘Lanterns,’ the boys are giving you a packed episode! First they discuss their thoughts on the finale and the season as a whole, then they welcome ‘Lanterns’ writer-showrunner–executive producer, Chris Mundy, onto the show! (0:00) Intro (8:16) Spoilers ahead (11:05) ‘Lanterns’ Season 1 finale instant re...

Ben, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman marvel at how many good games are coming out in quick succession and wonder whether this is the best week ever for Button Mash material. Then they share their extensive, spoiler-free impressions (and rankings) of three big, brand-new releases: ‘Star Wars: Galactic Racer,’ ‘Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve,’ and ‘Gears of War: E-Day.’ (0:00) Intro(7:42) ‘Star Wars: Gal...

The Ringer's Daniel Chin is here to breakdown Thaal Sinestro in HBO's latest DC series, 'Lanterns.' Starting with the basics, Daniel will dive into who the iconic Green Lantern villain is, what his relationships to key characters are, and what his role could be in the season finale. (00:00) Intro(01:51) Who is Sinestro?(04:40) What is Sinestro’s relationship with Hal Jordan?(09:01) What is Sinestr...

"We do not know when it will be safe to go outside. We only know that day is not this day." That's what Ben Lindbergh says to himself when he's working from home, but not when he's in studio to discuss 'Silo' and other recent nerd-culture releases! On this month's Recommends, Ben brings on Alex Kirshner to make the case for 'Silo' as a series worth sticking with, discuss the explosive end of Seaso...

The Boys are back, and they’re bringing you a special episode featuring ‘Lanterns’ writers/producers Vanessa Baden Kelly and Justin Britt-Gibson! Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Guests: Vanessa Baden Kelly and Justin Britt-Gibson Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad c...

The Boys are back, and they’re ready to jump into the penultimate episode of ‘Lanterns’ Season 1! They discuss the town dynamics of present-day Rushville, John’s relationship with Hal-ogram, and the color spectrum of Lanterns. (0:00) Intro (5:24) Spoilers ahead (7:35) ‘Lanterns’ Episode 7 instant reactions (1:17:53) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers...

Three Button Mashers (Ben Lindbergh, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman) break down three old games and three new games! First, they discuss the steps Blizzard, Bungie, and Microsoft are taking to sustain or restore interest in 'World of Warcraft,' 'Destiny,' and 'Halo,' respectively, and what the announcement of 'World of Warcraft: Forever,' the un-vaulting of legacy 'Destiny 2' content, and the transf...

The Boys are back, and they’re ready to jump into ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6! They discuss how DC has changed the model with this show and if they’ll be able to keep it up, as well as John’s outfit choices this episode. They finish by providing their current manhunter rankings! (0:00) Intro (6:20) Spoilers ahead (8:22) ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6 instant reactions (1:33:13) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Hol...

Ben, Daniel Chin, and Joshua Rivera team up to break down the new 'Resident Evil' movie reboot, cowritten and directed by Zach Cregger. They discuss how the film compares to Cregger's previous work and the preexisting 'Resident Evil' film franchise, where it falls on the horror-humor spectrum, Cregger's approach to adapting the games, the prerelease fan response, whether the movie is better becaus...

The Boys return to break down the crazy twists and turns of 'Lanterns' Episode 5, and this time they’re joined by special guest Chris Ryan! The guys and CR give their reactions to the big Manhunter reveal, discuss John’s arc as “The One,” theorize about what else can happen in Rushville now that it’s been largely destroyed, and so much more. Finally, they end the show with an update to their possi...

What is this, a crossover episode? Ben brings on (most of) the Midnight Boys for a second, deeper discussion about Insomniac and Sony's new Wolverine video game for PlayStation 5. Ben, Van, Jomi, and Steve share their spoiler-free reviews and react to the lukewarm critical reception, then discuss how the game integrates Logan lore and steers clear of the X-Men, whether the complaints about the gam...

Ben, Matt James, and Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio unsheathe their adamantium takes as they tackle the week's biggest gaming stories. First, they break down Nintendo's back-to-back Directs and analyze both what was shown and what wasn't: the new look, hybrid gameplay, and November release date of the 'Ocarina of Time' remake; the exciting announcements and continued absences of some of the company...

Wasting no time at all, the chaotic-but-lovable crew of five adventurers pick right back up where they left off in the last episode. Together they investigate who might be behind the assassin master plan, fail to flirt with women, and might even find themselves at a high society ball! (00:32) Campaign recap (1:10) Act 1: Into the Black Rose Tavern (55:16) Act 2: The Concordance Ball (2:00:43) Outr...

The Boys return to recap yet another banger 'Lanterns' episode. The guys discuss the growing rift between Hal and John, question if the guardians can be racist, examine John’s Oedipus complex, and much more. Finally, they end the show with an update to their possible manhunter rankings. (0:00) Intro (3:23) Spoilers ahead (6:00) ‘Lanterns’ Episode 4 instant reactions (1:32:20) OutroHosts: Van Latha...

Ben, Steve Ahlman, Matt James, and Lewis Gordon get together to ask: How does Capcom keep killing it? First, they run down some recent gaming news, including a lackluster Sony State of Play, a 'GTA'-driven bump in console sales, 'Star Wars Zero Company' maker Bit Reactor's furloughed workforce, the backlash to Nvidia's DLSS 5 AI upscaling tech, and two dubious arguments in legal filings by the maj...

The Boys return to Midnight Court, and this time they’re debating which era of animated shows had the biggest cultural impact: the '80s or the '90s? It’s Van vs. everyone in this trial of wills, and here to decide which team gave the best argument is special guest judge and cartoon expert Seth Green. (1:14) Intro (2:25) Opening statements (9:09) Cross-examination (53:58) Closing statements (1:07:5...

The Ringer-Verse is rolling the dice and jumping right back into its previous campaign! After a long journey, our heroes return to the mansion where it all began and discover that a new threat awaits them. They begin on their adventure by finding out who is after O’Daddy Thibodeaux, but they never forget that (1) it’s about the family they make along the way, (2) we all need a hefty queen, and (3)...

Who says the late-summer schedule is slow? First, Ben Lindbergh talks to Ringer contributor Adam Nayman about a trio of recent big-screen releases: 'The End of Oak Street,' 'The Dog Stars,' and 'Coyote vs. Acme.' In addition to those three films, they discuss the summer box office, the year in movies as a whole, and the best live-action and animation hybrid movies. Then, Jomi Adeniran and Daniel C...

The Boys are back, and ‘Lanterns’ is officially picking up speed. The guys discuss the third episode’s handling of John Stewart’s arc, question how the Guardians pick the right kids, examine Bernadette’s agency in her son’s transformation, and debate whether Hal is just a dickhead. (0:00) Intro (13:30) Spoilers ahead (15:27) ‘Lanterns’ Episode 3 instant reactions (1:38:49) Outro (1:40:15) Post-cre...

Ben, Jason Concepcion, and Jomi Adeniran rendezvous to break down the first official look at 'GTA VI' gameplay via Rockstar's Netflix release of footage from the long-awaited blockbuster. They discuss whether the trailer lived up to the hype, what they learned, and what they're still wondering about with less than three months to go until the game's November 19 release. They also get into gaming's...

For the Republic! Ben, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman review the new 'XCOM'-meets-'Star Wars' turn-based tactics game, 'Zero Company.' First, they react to announcements and trailers from Gamescom Opening Night Live, and share Matt's experience with FromSoftware Switch 2 exclusive 'The Duskbloods' during its closed-network test. Then, they have an in-depth, spoiler-free discussion about 'Zero Compan...

The Boys are back, and they’re all in on ‘Lanterns.’ First, they discuss the potential of Hal Jordan’s powers; then, they speculate on who they think could be the Manhunter; and finally, they discuss how this show differs from the rest of the DC universe. (0:00) Intro (00:31) New York Comic-Con Announcement (8:03) Spoilers ahead (10:03) ‘Lanterns’ instant reactions (1:08:14) Outro (1:13:00) Post-c...