The Simpsons has a variety of characters, of which some aren’t exactly the brightest, and others keep Springfield moving thanks to their brilliance, but who is the smartest character out of the two most outstanding students of Springfield Elementary School: Lisa Simpson or Martin Prince jr.? The Simpsons has become the longest-running American animated series with over 30 seasons and counting, and shows no signs of stopping soon, so fans will continue to follow the lives of the title family and other characters close to them, though that doesn’t mean all mysteries and questions will be solved.
The Simpsons takes viewers to the fictional town of Springfield to follow the many adventures of the title family as well as those of other notable citizens, both close friends of the family (like Milhouse Van Houten) and others who aren’t fond of them (like Sideshow Bob). Over the course of three decades, the members of the Simpsons family have created strong bonds with other characters and have also built some rivalries for different reasons, and in some cases, they are competing for a title, like Lisa and Martin over that of the smartest character in Springfield.
Springfield doesn’t stand out for the intelligence of its citizens, but Lisa and Martin are enough to save the reputation of the city. Both are always part of the biggest contests and tests in school and they are members of Mensa, an intelligent person organization that also includes Dr. Hibbert, Professor Frink, Comic Book Guy, Principal Skinner, and Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, among others. In order to join the group, potential members have to have a certain IQ level, with Lisa having an IQ of 159 and Martin 216, way beyond the maximum for a child, yet Lisa is often considered the most intelligent character (though even that’s inaccurate too as Professor Frink and Comic Book Guy have a higher IQ than her, with 197 and 170, respectively).
Lisa being considered the smartest character in The Simpsons even if statistically she isn’t might be rooted in how she uses her intelligence along with other skills. Martin is competitive and more often than not is seen bragging about his intelligence, earning the spot of teacher’s pet and becoming the target of bullies, while Lisa isn’t interested in getting attention for her intelligence, and has even been seen hiding her genius status in order to get along better with other people. Although none of them has a big circle of friends nor are the most popular kids in school, Lisa’s social skills are better and more developed than those of Martin, who is often taken advantage of and is quite gullible, while Lisa always stands her ground.
When it comes to achievements and statistics, Martin Prince Jr. stands as the smartest character in The Simpsons, but when taking into account other skills outside school tests and projects, Lisa definitely has the upper hand (even more so than Professor Frink and Comic Book Guy, both known for not being the best at socializing), so it’s fair that she’s often considered the smartest citizen in Springfield.
Baby Yoda gets the ultimate makeover in a fan-designed Funko Pop concept, which sees the Star Wars fave become Darth Maul. Going into the Disney era of Star Wars projects, few likely would've guessed that a powerful young child would become the most popular character in the franchise. After the studio's first batch of movies largely faltered in the eyes of fans, Disney and Lucasfilm turned to television and released The Mandalorian in 2019. It was one of the first originals to debut on Disney+ and was, at the time, the buzziest show on TV. Fans tuned into the series premiere expecting to watch a lone gunslinger (Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin) travel the galaxy carrying out odd jobs.
And in a way, The Mandalorian did end up being that. But it also threw viewers in for a loop when it introduced Baby Yoda in the premiere's final moments. Now officially named Grogu, the child was supposed to be Din's target until he changed his mind and took him under his wing. Over the course of The Mandalorian's first two seasons, Din protected Grogu from numerous threats, culminating in the arrival of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who took Grogu away for Jedi training.
Baby Yoda has inspired a great many fan works since his introduction, and the latest combines him with another Star Wars character. In a concept created by popvinylguy, Baby Yoda becomes Darth Maul in an intriguing Funko Pop. Baby Yoda retains his general look, but now he also sports red skin and those familiar horns, not to mention the double-bladed lightsaber. Check it out below.
Grogu has become a major figure in pop culture over the past few years, and he continues to represent even in a year without a new season of The Mandalorian. Most recently, Baby Yoda made his debut as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He's not going anywhere from fans' minds, though the question still remains of what the future holds for him within the Star Wars franchise. The Mandalorian season 2 paved the way for him to exit gracefully, but many want to see him reunite with Din. Season 3 will premiere sometime next year, and then fans will have their answer for whether he will ever return.
Until then, expect plenty more fan creations surrounding Baby Yoda to emerge in the coming months, particularly as excitement for The Mandalorian's return rises. While movie characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) might've made their own waves in the Star Wars franchise, there's no question that Baby Yoda is Disney's most lasting addition to the galaxy far, far away. We can't wait to see him again soon!
60 years after its original release, West Side Storyis back to tell Tony and Maria's story. The Jets and Sharks are still at each other's throats, but some things have changed. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's 1961 classic is alive and well. West Side Story (2021) features all of the original music and incorporates all the flair and wild choreography that fans have come to know and love over the decades. It is yet to be seen how the newcomer will fare among critics and fans, but the original was a smash-hit winning 10 Oscars that year, including Best Picture.
Not everything is the same, however. Anyone who's seen the original knows that it hasn't exactly aged gracefully. Some aspects of the film are not what anyone would call "PC" which is why some argue that a remake is exactly what the doctor ordered. In addition, Spielberg and Kushner took some liberties of their own to soften the edges a bit and make this blockbuster feel a bit more like a masterpiece.
8 Tony's Backstory
Every good character has an interesting backstory that keeps the audience engaged and invested. Although Tony is one of the leads, his motivation in the original was a bit hard to decipher.
Screenwriter Tony Kushner updated the Broadway adaptation. One part he definitely addressed is Tony's backstory. In the original, Tony feels like a fun-loving ex-member of the Jets. However, one thing that's never understood is why he's no longer part of the gang. In Spielberg's version, Tony was an active member of the Jets, just as is expected in the original, but the reason for his departure is because of a past fight where he got carried away and beat a rival gang member nearly to death and went to jail for it. This plot point not only addresses Tony's motivations for not wanting to fight and removing himself from the gang but also sets up his path for growth and redemption with Maria when he attempts to stop the big fight.
7 Bigger Female Roles
The original film did a lot of things right, but one part they could have done better is create bigger parts for some of the supporting female characters.
One example of a big change between then and now is Riff's girlfriend, Graziella. In the original, she didn't have any lines and only appeared in a handful of scenes. This time around, she, and some of the other girlfriends, have more of an impact. Most notably, they are present at the end when Anita shows up at Doc's and they even try to help her get away from the Jets as they attack her.
6 Fight Choreography
This was an interesting change and one that is likely to be a bit divisive. In the original, all the fighting was done through dance. Anyone who is not a fan of musicals would watch and likely scoff at the unrealistic nature of the fights, while real fans would applaud the ingenious direction by Jerome Robbins that was so unique of its time.
Now, there is something for everyone. Granted it's been 60 years since the original, choreography, especially on screen, has come a long way. The fight choreography in Spielberg's version is more akin to what moviegoers are used to seeing from today's big action movies.
5 Valentina
One of the biggest changes between the old and new is the replacement of the beloved Doc with his widow, Valentina. Played by Rita Moreno, who is the original Anita, Valentina not only adds a little extra feminist flair to the production but adds to the movie as a whole.
Although Doc is a character who was appreciated by all for being the Friar Laurence of this Romeo & Juliet retelling, Moreno's Valentina provides the warm-hearted, easily digestible wisdom that Doc has been lacking all these years. Not only did Moreno thrive in her new role, but it brought a much-needed update to the classic.
4 Ethnicity Of The Actors
As previously mentioned, not all parts of the original have aged as well as other films of this time. This one change is less of a change and more of a necessary fix that everyone can agree needed to happen.
Behind all the catchy music and eye-popping choreography from 1961 are the actors and singers doing it all. Although West Side Story is about two rival gangs of different ethnicities, most of the actors are white. Natalie Wood was great as Maria, but there aren't many Russian Maria's out there. Spielberg, rightfully, made sure to cast Latinx actors for their respective parts. A change that is obvious, but deserves a tip of the cap.
3 Story Background
Once again, screenwriter Tony Kushner made some subtle, but brilliant changes to the script that makes the whole story a bit more relatable. Considering this movie is set in the 1950s, Kushner added a bit of historic realism that helps the audience understand what the Sharks and the Jets are fighting about. The original merely offers "turf" as the sole reason for their bickering, but Kushner adds that the demolition of their neighborhood to make way for the famous Lincoln Center is what causes the tension to boil over. It's a clever rewrite that also explains all the debris seen in the original and can be embodied by the sign seen at the beginning that reads "Slum Clearance."
Kushner also changed Bernardo and Maria's living situation in order to give them a more relatable story. In the original, they live with their parents (though they're never seen), but this time they live on their own and even pay rent with Anita. This change gives them, and the Sharks, more of a motive for why they are fighting to stay where they are aside from the classic "America" number. It also further complicates Maria's attempt to flee her home with Tony.
2 Real Singing
The music and lyrics from this piece are timeless. One aspect that wasn't, however, is the dubbed singing over some of the actor's voices.
Understandably, not everyone can sing. It's a true talent that only some possess. When the original was filmed, they decided to dub the singing voices of some of the original actors instead of casting actors who could sing. This is something else Spielberg made sure to fix. Everyone's voices in the new version are their own, for better or worse.
1 Spanish Dialogue
Another big change is the addition of the Spanish dialogue among the Sharks members and their girlfriends.
The original features a few Spanish phrases like "buenas noches" and "gracias" but Spielberg and Kushner write some actual Spanish dialogue for the actors to make the interactions feel more real and respect the inclusivity of the Latinx cast. This change not only makes sense for respecting Puerto Rican culture but also as a device to further humanize the Sharks in a way that was not very well received the first time around.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Inferno #3
The current state of theX-Menis rocky to say the least, as the mutants are on the precipice of total annihilation in part from a conflict outside of Krakoa but mostly from within the Quiet Council itself, a conflict that could lead toMystiquebecoming the new leader of the X-Men. The anti-mutant organization known as O.R.C.H.I.S. put the Omega Sentinel and Nimrod online, gearing up for a full-on strike against the mutants once enough support is gathered against mutants around the globe. While the X-Men are fighting off the sentinel threat, a secret within Krakoa has been revealed, one which could destroy the mutant society and potentially make Mystique its new leader.
InInferno #3written by Jonathan Hickman with art by R.B. Silva, Stefano Caselli, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Valerio Schiti, Emma Frost tells Mystique and the newly resurrected Destiny that Moira MacTaggert is alive and that she is a mutant. Not only that, but Moira was instrumental in establishing Krakoa along with Magneto and Professor X. After receiving that intel, Mystique and Destiny track Moira down and find out that she had been kidnapped by O.R.C.H.I.S.. The duo save Moira only to hold her hostage themselves, meanwhile Charles and Magneto attempt to rescue Moira as well from the anti-mutant group’s facility but are bombarded by an small army accompanied by Nimrod who responded to Mystique and Destiny’s initial intrusion.
While they weren’t directly responsible, Mystique and Destiny’s actions in kidnapping Moira from O.R.C.H.I.S. led to Professor X and Magneto falling into a sentinel trap, one which may cost the two their lives. Now, Magneto and Professor X are as good as dead and Moira is in the custody of Mystique and Destiny, all of which is detrimental to the established power structure of Krakoa. With all three of the founding members of Krakoa out of the picture, there would be a hole at the top of the food chain that would need to be filled, and Mystique and Destiny are primed to fill it.
Leading up to the situation that played out in the latestInfernoissue, Mystique gained the support of the Quiet Council of Krakoa to elect Destiny as a council member. The election took place after Mystique maneuvered to have Destiny resurrected, something Moira, Charles, and Magneto kept from happening in secrecy since Krakoa was founded. Everything Mystique has done leading up toInferno #3has been both to get her lover back and a play for power. If Charles and Magneto are killed by Nimrod, Moira remains in their grasp, and Mystique and Destiny keep the support they gained from the Quiet Council, they could be the new rulers of Krakoa and all of mutantkind.
Mystique and Destiny are no strangers to being the leaders of a mutant group as the two founded the second incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants, a team whose biggest success was depowering Ms. Marvel and taking down the Avengers. Now on Krakoa, the two have dismantled the current status of their government and hold all the cards in the potential reshaping of its future. In the position they are in now,Mystiquecould rise to the leadership role once again and become the new leader of theX-Menwith Destiny proudly by her side.
Captain Marvelstar Brie Larson reacted to a fan's drawing of her MCU superhero that went hilariously awry. The 32-year-old actress had already had a career stacked with successes before she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having begun acting as a young girl, she had amassed credits in over a dozen films and TV series before turning 18. She also won an Oscar at the young age of 27 for her performance in the 2015 drama Room, which also starred Jacob Tremblay.
Although it was teased during the end credits sequence of the 2018 MCU entry Avengers: Infinity War, Larson didn't officially join the franchise until her 2019 solo debut Captain Marvel. Her character, also known as Captain Carol Danvers, is a former Air Force pilot who gained cosmic powers because of the energy of the Tesseract. Although she has yet to be featured in a main Marvel role since that film, she appeared once more during a climactic moment in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, also making a cameo during the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which came out this fall.
On Twitter, artist and musician Chase shared an incomplete drawing he had made of Captain Marvel. When he briefly set it down to do something else, his young cousin stepped in to complete the drawing, gracing the detailed costume and hair with a line drawing of an unimpressed-looking smiley face. Brie Larson responded to the artwork by quote tweeting it and saying "when you're a superhero but also an introvert." Check out her post and the original art below:
Larson is next scheduled to portray Captain Marvel in the sequel The Marvels, which will premiere on February 17, 2023. The film will unite several heroes from throughout Captain Marvel's branch of the MCU, including Monica Rambeau, who appeared as a child in the 2019 film and was played as an adult by Teyonah Parris in the Disney+ series WandaVision. It will also feature Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, who will be appearing in her own Disney+ Ms. Marvel series in 2022.
Part of the reason that Captain Marvel has the fans it does is Brie Larson's willingness to engage with the character in a wholehearted way online. The actress knows how to engage with her audience very well. Plus, when the audience is sending out images as adorably bizarre as this, it would be almost impossible to ignore regardless.
After Skyfall earned rave reviews as a standalone James Bond adventure, Spectre controversially pulled together the serialized elements teased in Quantum of Solace to turn Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 into a Marvel-style shared universe with running story threads and recurring supporting characters.
With Casino Royale’s subversively gritty origin story and No Time to Die’s surprisingly emotional sense of finality and closure, Craig’s run of Bond movies holds together as a complete beginning-to-end narrative. Usually, a Bond actor’s last movie is the bomb that puts the final nail in the coffin. No Time to Die is the first planned 007 finale, and its four predecessors set the stage for that finale in interesting ways.
10 Mr. White Is Tied To Safin’s Motivation
The villain in No Time to Die, Rami Malek’s Safin, has been met with mixed reviews. Most of the negative points decry his lack of a clear motivation. The movie’s prologue implies that Safin lost his family at the hands of Mr. White and attacked Mr. White’s wife and daughter as an act of retaliation. This doesn’t explain his megalomania, but it does explain his obsession with Madeleine and her family.
Either way, Mr. White is indirectly responsible for the villain’s plot in No Time to Die. Mr. White was first introduced in Casino Royale. He’s still in the trunk of Bond’s car at the beginning of Quantum of Solace and he dies in Spectre.
9 Quantum Of Solace Introduced Serialization
Traditionally, Bond movies are episodic adventure-of-the-week stories following 007’s latest mission. The early Sean Connery movies existed on a linear story timeline with Blofeld and SPECTRE pulling the strings from the background, but each one stands on its own as a standalone Bond adventure. The Craig era is the first ongoing multi-movie Bond narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and an emotional arc for 007 himself.
Quantum of Solace introduced the serialized elements by picking up where Casino Royale left off, then Spectre tied it all together with the Blofeld reveal. Spectre’s serialization was a polarizing move, but No Time to Die managed to satisfy fans as the grand, definitive finale of this ongoing continuity.
8 Bond Fell In Love With Madeleine In Spectre
One of the most problematic tropes in the Bond franchise is the “Bond girl,” a one-off love interest in each movie whose role amounts to little more than one-dimensional objectification. The most recent run of Bond movies started to move the dial in the right direction, with strong female characters like Nomi and Paloma who transcend the “Bond girl” archetype.
Dr. Madeleine Swann isn’t a traditional Bond girl; she’s more like Mrs. Tracy Bond from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – she’s Bond’s soulmate. Bond fell in love with Madeleine in Spectre and they’re in a committed relationship at the beginning of No Time to Die.
7 Ralph Fiennes Took Over As The New M At The End Of Skyfall
M is traditionally the expository character who explains Bond’s mission after the opening credits, but in No Time to Die, M is actually tied (albeit indirectly) to the villain’s diabolical plot. Judi Dench’s M would never have ordered the creation of the Heracles virus.
Ralph Fiennes’ Mallory took over after she was killed off in heartbreaking fashion at the end of Skyfall. Fiennes’ M is more morally dubious than Dench’s, an idea that was first explored in Spectre.
6 Spectre Revealed Blofeld To Be Pulling The Strings Behind All The Previous Craig Villains
When Bond meets “Franz Oberhauser” (Eon’s answer to John “Khan” Harrison from Star Trek Into Darkness), he explains that he’s been pulling the strings behind every previous villain from the Craig movies: “Me. It was all me, James. It’s always been me. The author of all your pain.”
Just like Blofeld was revealed to be pulling the strings of the megalomaniacal schemes of Dr. No, Rosa Klebb, and Emilio Largo in the Sean Connery movies. The wording of the monologue is a tad clunky, but Christoph Waltz can make any speech compelling.
5 Vesper’s Death In Casino Royale Had A Huge Impact On Bond
In keeping with the shockingly dark tone of the movie, Casino Royale culminates in the death of Bond’s love interest, Vesper. After Bond leaves MI6 to spend his life with Vesper, he ends up fighting off goons in a sinking building. Vesper drowns while trapped in the elevator of this building and Bond fails to save her.
The opening action sequence of No Time to Die kicks off at Vesper’s grave, where Bond is begrudgingly paying his respects and getting closure at the behest of his current girlfriend.
4 Quantum Turned Out To Be A Division Of Spectre
The titles of Bond movies don’t usually have an overt connection to the plot – A View to a Kill and Tomorrow Never Dies are just cool-sounding phrases – but the title of Quantum of Solace directly refers to Quantum, the shady organization behind the villain’s scheme.
As the Craig movies went on, Quantum turned out to be a division of SPECTRE. Then, in No Time to Die, Safin wiped out SPECTRE. There’s a pattern of Craig’s Bond continually facing bigger and bigger threats.
3 Skyfall Explored The Dark Side Of MI6
MI6 is usually portrayed as the “good guys” in Bond movies, but Skyfall began to explore MI6’s dark side. Throughout the movie, M continually demonstrates a callous disregard for her agents’ lives: she tells Bond to abandon a dying Ronson, she left Silva to be tortured in a prison camp, and she told Moneypenny to “take the bloody shot” when she worried she might hit Bond.
With the revelation that Heracles was developed in a secret MI6 lab, No Time to Die leaned even more heavily into the dark side of MI6.
2 Mr. White Is Responsible For Madeleine’s Traumatic Childhood
Throughout No Time to Die, Madeleine is shown to be reeling from a traumatic childhood, largely thanks to her father, Mr. White, who didn’t spend a lot of time with her and killed people for a living.
Madeleine’s strained relationship with her father might explain why she was reluctant to tell Bond that Mathilde is his daughter. Like her own distant father, Bond travels a lot and kills for a living.
1 Bond Arrested Blofeld At The End Of Spectre
Although Waltz reprises his role as Blofeld in No Time to Die, the entirety of his supporting role is confined to a high-tech prison cell. He manages to enjoy life as a free man via a bionic eye that SPECTRE agents bring to his birthday bash in Cuba, but his physical presence is stuck in Belmarsh.
This follows on from the old-fashioned ending of Spectre, in which Bond chose to be with Madeleine instead of killing Blofeld. This allowed Waltz to return in the sequel, though only briefly.
With a total of 9 different Weapon Cases to upgrade, Far Cry 6Vaas Insanity offers a ton of different combinations for Weapon Loadouts to experiment with between Rogue-lite Runs. However, with the limitation of category-specific weapon slots in the player's inventory, players will have to choose between 3 weapons in different categories to equip simultaneously.
There are three main weapon categories in Far Cry 6 Vaas Insanity, Primary, Secondary, and Specialist. The player will be able to equip one gun from each category to their weapon wheel. The Primary Category has the SMG, Shotgun, and Rifle. The Secondary Category has the Pistol and Auto-Pistol. Finally, the Specialist Category has the Sniper Rifle, Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher, and Bow.
Some of the best Weapon Cases to upgrade first in Far Cry 6 include the 1911 Pistol Case, AK-47 Rifle Case, and the M-79 Grenade Launcher Case. With all these weapons in the player's weapon wheel, it will make it possible to equip all three guns at once. Here's how much it will cost to upgrade each weapon case in Fary Cry 6 Vaas Insanity.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 200 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 500 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade: 900 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade: 1700 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 3300 Cash
1911 Pistol's best feature is how much it costs to equip the weapon from The Armory. The pistol is free to equip from the start of Far Cry 6 Vaas Insanity, even with maximum upgrades. A 5-star max rarity 1911 Pistol will do 2x its original damage, providing a much faster TTK (Time to Kill) on regular enemy soldiers. It will also be able to reroll between a Sight Attachment, Front Barrel Attachment, Laser Sight Attachment, and 4 Perks.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 750 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 1800 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade Cost: 3300 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade Cost: 6300 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 12,150 Cash
The AK-47 is an all-rounder assault rifle with the ability to work well in far and close-range engagements, quick reload speed, and a strong output of base damage without upgrades. Players can equip the rewarded 2-Star Green AK-47 assault rifle and use it straight from the Gun Show Chest without any damage problems. Additionally, a 5-star max rarity AK-47 Rifle Case will have a significant boost to long-range damage and be able to reroll between a Sight Attachment, Front Barrel Attachment, Laser Sight Attachment, and 4 Perks.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 750 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 1800 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade Cost: 3300 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade Cost: 6300 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 12,150 Cash
The M-79 is a destructive room-clearing weapon. With Blast or Fire Rounds, the M-79 can defeat groups of enemies in seconds and stun heavily armored enemies. Players can equip the 2-star Green M-79 straight from the Gun Show Chest and use it without fear of a damage dropoff. The M-79 becomes truly dangerous when upgraded to a 5-star max rarity. Players can reroll the M-79 in Far Cry 6 with increased reload speed, improved draw and holster time, and Fire Rounds that can cover the explosive area in long-lasting flames. The M-79, on the other hand, will only have four perks as it does not come with attachments.
