Talking in Circles

Craig, Chuck, and Dan dive deep into Captain America: Civil War, exploring the moral conflict at the film's heart and how both sides of the Avengers' divide feel justified. They discuss Black Panther's introduction and fighting style, Spider-Man's forced recruitment, the emotional gut-punch of the Winter Soldier revelation, and how the film sets up Thanos as the looming threat. They also touch on the film's somber ending and what it means for the MCU going forward.

The hosts dive into trailers for X-Men: Apocalypse and Batman: The Killing Joke, discussing Apocalypse's updated look and voice design, the younger X-Men cast, and the animation style choices in the DC animated adaptation. Greg shares a book review, and they debut a new game called Food Face-Off where they make difficult choices about favorite foods and restaurants, ranging from cheesesteaks and sandwiches to pizza preferences.

The crew plays their signature game on Batman v Superman, Son of Batman, Howard the Duck, E.T., the Blade franchise, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, M*A*S*H, and more. They also review Doctor Strange and Jason Bourne trailers, and discuss DC's animated movie adaptations and The Killing Joke.

Greg, Chuck, and Dan count down their favorite rivalries in comics, exploring what makes these matchups compelling. They discuss Wolverine vs. Sabertooth, Thor vs. Loki, Hank Pym vs. Ultron, Shredder vs. the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cyclops vs. Wolverine, Hulk vs. Thunderbolt Ross, and Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin—examining the dynamics, histories, and emotional weight that define each relationship.

Chuck, Greg, and Dan dive into Marvel's Daredevil season two, discussing how it stacks up against the first season, the introduction of the Punisher and Elektra, the show's approach to multiple storylines, and standout performances from Charlie Cox. They explore the moral complexity between Daredevil and Punisher, the impressive fight choreography, and how the season handles themes of identity and ideology rather than relying on a single villain.

Dan, Greg, and Chuck dive deep into Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—a film they feel tries to do too much with too little payoff. They discuss the confused motivations behind the central conflict, the bloated narrative cramming in multiple characters and concepts without fleshing out any of them, issues with how Superman and Batman are characterized, the problematic portrayal of Lex Luthor, and the clumsy insertion of Justice League setup scenes. They identify strong moments—Wonder Woman's introduction, Alfred's presence, the conceptual exploration of Batman's obsession—but ultimately find the film narratively and thematically hollow.

The hosts continue their three-year tradition of crowning the 2016 Talking in Circles Badass champion. They discuss the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic by Kyle Higgins, Chuck shares his enthusiasm for Young Justice and Daredevil on Netflix, and the bracket competition heats up with matchups including Rey vs. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Terminator vs. Bender, Marty McFly vs. Tommy DeVito, and more.

The hosts kick off their three-year tradition with the 2016 March Badness Bracket, where 16 badasses from movies, comics, TV, and beyond compete for the title of biggest badass. The episode opens with comic book talk—including a visit to a vintage comic auction and finds like Marvel Premiere #1 (Adam Warlock's first appearance) and early Thanos stories—before diving into heated debate over the new Captain America: Civil War trailer, the Ghostbusters reboot trailer, and the first bracket matchups: Deadpool vs. Harley Quinn, Dwight Schrute vs. Ron Swanson, and Rocky vs. Zoom.

The hosts mark their 100th episode by revisiting their first game, Fact or Fiction. They kick off with Toy Fair coverage, discussing new Marvel Legends waves including Red Guardian, Cable, and Iceman figures, plus Walgreens exclusives. They also dive into Brian K. Vaughan's Ex Machina comic series before diving into rapid-fire debate rounds covering Deadpool's influence on R-rated superhero films, DC's cinematic universe strategy, and whether The Flash is the best comic book show on television.

The hosts finally dive into the Merc with a Mouth's solo film. They discuss Ryan Reynolds' definitive portrayal of Deadpool, the R-rating's necessity to the character and story, strong romantic chemistry between the leads, Colossus' faithful comic adaptation, and fourth-wall breaks done right. They also touch on whether the film's pop culture references will age well, and speculate on where a sequel could take the character.