Did you ever think Bruce Wayne. . . may not have it all together? Like he might be dealing with some issues? In the Season 2, Episode 6 of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe dive deep into the depths of a dirty city called Gotham only to find a struggling man named Bruce Wayne. The Batman takes Bruce Wayne very seriously and chooses "gritty" or "grounded" approach to his characterization. Matt Reeves just applied basic psychology to this guy and said, "he'a bit emo and having an identity crisis." While The Batman may take Bruce seriously, the rest of the world isn't as realistic as one might think--and that's a bonus. This movie is emo in all the right and wrong ways. Tonally, it has more in common with Venom than The Dark Knight. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while you know Michael and Joe love the world of Batman. They love Gotham, they love the Robins, they love the psychological villains, but Bruce has alway been a sticking point. Well, that's not the case in this movie, that's for sure!

Is Katara the best Avatar character? In Season 2, Episode 5 of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe revisit one of their favorite franchises, Avatar: The Last Airbender, to give Katara a more formal discussion. They take on some of Katara's highlights from the series, episodes like "Imprisoned", "The Painted Lady", "The Puppet Master", and "The Southern Raiders." Katara has a long history of fighting for hope, but what motivates her to fight for that, how does that fight manifest, and how does that affect other characters in the story? Michael and Joe discuss all of this--even more stuff--and why Katara undoubtedly deserves the Champion Belt. 

Mirabel Madrigal is a champion in her own right just for her hair game. In Season 2 episode 4 of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe are joined by the EIC of But Why Tho: A Geek Community, Kate Sanchez, to talk about the family drama in Encanto. We discuss why Mirabel is such a likable character, in spite of falling into a "non-powered" trope. We also talk about why the Madrigals are not a dysfunctional family, but a totally normal one that just has a lot of secrets. Encanto really surprised us, especially considering Disney's track record on family narratives. Adding a new superpower to our trivia game, we've included a new mechanic for when guests appear on our show! Make sure to grab a cup for this episode because we're gonna spill a bit of tea on our own families, as well. 

We're going back to the Matrix! Well, Champion Casters has never been to the Matrix, but Neo has and we're talking about him. In Season 3 Episode 3 of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe reminisce about growing up on these movies only for Lana Wachowski to completely crush our nostalgia and feed us a romance story we didn't know we needed. This film is very meta. Neo is programer in the Matrix, making a game about the Matrix and his tech bro coworkers are stand-ins for Warner Bros. And that's just the first 10 minutes--yeah this movie is bananas! It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but don't worry--we did our research and we'll ease you in nice and slowly. We will discuss the meta-textual commentary, a bit about Lana's history with the franchise, the themes from the previous movie, and all the wacky characters and language that goes in-between. So jump in and listen to us fly. 

In the Season 2, Episode 2 of Champions Casters, Michael and Joe continue to play holiday catchup by talking about Kate Bishop from the Disney+ Hawkeye series, performed by Hailee Steinfeld. One might think this is a good opportunity to talk about Clint Barton, but one might not remember Clint's character well because it wasn't written consistently. So instead we are talking about Michael's new crush, Kate Bishop. After all, she--too--is Hawkeye (it's not as confusing as you might think). This week's Champion comes from humble roots--a rooftop penthouse in the upper east side of Manhattan. She was inspired by the previous Hawkeye during the events of The Avengers (2012) to take up archery, eventually becoming the world's greatest archer. Kate has a lot of energy and really wants to prove herself to Clint, but she'll need to learn that with great trick arrows, comes great responsibility. Kate Bishop is a bright spot in this new era of the MCU and we are excited to tell you why. 

Kicking off Season 2 of Champion Casters, we revisit our old pal Spider-Man in the finale(?) of Tom Holland's spidey trilogy, Spider-Man: No Way Home. In this film, Peter messes with the multiverse to have everyone forget he's Spider-Man, only to bring villians from other dimensions to cause him and his loved ones trouble. Has Peter finally grown from a Spider-Kid to a Spider-Man? Where's Iron Man in this movie? And most importantly, which returning villain steals the spotlight and our hearts? Spoiler Alert: it's not The Spot. There's a lot to cover in this episode, but we hope you enjoy returning to us, and us returning to our favorite web slinger. What's new is we now have a mini trivia round in our episodes, so be prepared for a few Spider-Man facts about Tom Holland, and the other actors who had a go at playing Peter Parker. If you keep track of our trivia score, at the end of the season we will punish the host with the lower score--and you get to choose the punishment. Hopefully our Peter Tingles will help us out in this round. Welcome to Season 2 of Champion Casters! 

If you had eternity, would you build the atomic bomb, form a cult, or become a movie star? Ya know what, don't answer that. In the 38th episode of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe take on the pantheon of characters in the MCU's latest venture. The film is full of twists, turns, and gorgeous cinematography, but does lay the groundwork for a good champion? But more importantly, will a new himbo be crowned Champion?!

Were you expecting someone else? This is the definitive version of The Dark Knight, who else would we talk about? In the 37th episode of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe talk about one of the more under-appreciated Batman flicks. This film manages to hit at the core of what everyone loves about this character, while also respecting the differentiations between the previous incarnations--especially 60s Batman. Join us for a light romp with everyone's favorite caped crusader. 

Dune has finally brought the world together. For the first time in minutes, popular culture can revolve around a fantasy book series adaptation. In the 36th episode of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe roll around in the sand dunes of Arrakis and ponder the question: is Paul evil or just a bad person? There are many jokes to be had and spices to be collected in this episode to kick back and listen to the sounds of two worms doing their thing. 

Michael Myers was done dirty. It really takes a special kind of movie to have empathy for The Boogieman. In the 35th episode of Champion Casters, Michael and Joe partake in a journey through the darkness. They enter the void and return as the void after watching the horror that is Halloween Kills. You may notice this episode doesn't have a particular "champion," that's because in Haddonfield. . . there are no heroes.  

CONTENT WARNING: Our episode talks about graphic violence, suicide, poor portrayals of mental health, and school shootings.