Jomi and Steve are joined by Daniel Chin and Matthew James for their Summer Franchise “Retooling” Draft! With DC, the MCU, and ‘Jurassic World’ all looking to put their pasts behind them with new films this month, they’ll be taking a look back at the movies that caused these franchises to retool. They’ll each draft one movie from each franchise’s most recent era and one wild card!

(00:00) Intro
(05:00) Rules
(08:24) Round 1
(19:15) Round 2
(32:23) Round 3
(45:12) Round 4
(01:03:24) Honorable mentions
(01:08:31) Recap

Hosts: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman
Guests: Daniel Chin and Matthew James
Producer: Carlos Chiriboga
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Was June slow? Not so! Let Ringer-Verse Recommends tell you what to know. Sit back and enjoy the show. Join your favorite Ringer-Verse and House of R hosts as they salute unsung nerd culture content in the latest installment of the monthly mini-pod about fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently but not yet covered in-depth on a full-length episode.

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Jomi Adeniran, Steve Ahlman, Arjuna Ramgopal, Charles Holmes, Joanna Robinson, Van Lathan, and Mallory Rubin
Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
Social: Jomi Adeniran

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Ben and Justin Charity have a spoiler-free discussion about Hideo Kojima's acclaimed PlayStation 5 sequel to 2019's 'Death Stranding,' 'Death Standing 2: On the Beach.' Then, after their brief reaction to casting news about the upcoming 'Street Fighter' film, Matt James joins to reflect on the year in gaming. The two construct joint top-10 lists of his and Ben's favorite games of the year so far, as well as their most anticipated games for the rest of 2025.

Intro (0:00)
‘Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’ Spoiler-Free Impressions (3:53)
Reactions to ‘Street Fighter’ Casting News (46:22)
Game of the Year So Far + 2025 Hype List (56:05)
Outro (1:43:22)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Justin Charity and Matt James
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Midnight Boys suit up to take on the newest Disney+ show, 'Ironheart,' reacting to the big three-episode premiere and diving into how they think the character of Riri Williams is served in this opening. Later, they take a look at the final trailer for 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' and debate how strong Johnny can be and how handsome Pedro Pascal really is.

(0:00) Intro

(6:42) Spoilers ahead

(8:35) Instant reactions to 'Ironheart' Episodes 1-3

(1:17:45) Instant reactions to the final 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' trailer

(1:49:23) Outro

(1:51:34) Post credits

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jade Whaley

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The boys are back to answer your call-in questions for all things coming up in the summer of content! They discuss James Gunn, Superman, the new Batman, and much more! They also answer questions like "Is Marvel hiding 'Ironheart'?" and "What are your favorite movies, games, and comics?"

Intro (0:00)

Spoilers Ahead (11:02)

Nerd News (11:35)

Mail Bag (24:06)

Outro (2:00:13)

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Mint Boys are back, and this time they’re joined by the amazing Jessica Clemons to dive into the 'How to Train Your Dragon' live-action remake! From stunning visuals to emotional beats, they break down what worked, what didn’t, and what this means for the future of live-action adaptations. Heads up: Full spoilers ahead for the remake—skip ahead if you haven’t taken flight yet. They also discuss the exciting 'Predator: Killer of Killers' and what makes the 'Predator' films and lore so enjoyable after all these years.

Intro (0:00)
Reactions to 'How to Train Your Dragon' (5:15)
'Predator: Killer of Killers' deep dive (36:15)
Outro (1:2:00)

Hosts: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman
Guest: Jessica Clemons
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell 

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The Boys are back to react to the newest release in the 'John Wick' series, ‘Ballerina.’ They then dive into the latest nerd news, the final trailer for the highly anticipated ‘Superman.’

(0:00) Intro

(6:31) Spoilers ahead

(8:35) Instant reactions to 'Ballerina'

(1:25:19) Midnight Meter

(1:29:43) Nerd News Minute: new 'Superman' trailer

(1:37:59) Outro

(1:39:30) Post Credits

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben and Matt put down their Pro Controllers long enough to react to a landmark weekend in gaming. First, they discuss the launch of Nintendo’s Switch 2, their at-home experiences with the system, and whether it's worth getting now. Then they share their thoughts on ‘Mario Kart World’—as a sequel to one of the bestselling games of all time, as a reinvention of the franchise, and as a Switch 2 launch title and system seller. Then they break down the top trends and announcements from gaming’s summer showcase season, including PlayStation’s State of Play, Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more.

Intro (0:00)
Reactions to the Switch 2 (2:23)
First thoughts on ‘Mario Kart World’ (34:15)
Highlights from summer showcase season (55:08)
Outro (1:23:37)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guest: Matt James
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back to draft the most racist characters in film history, featuring five categories: action, comedy, Oscar, Tarantino, and wild card.

(0:00) Intro

(16:45) The draft

(1:42:53) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Jonathan Kermah, and Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Ben, Matt, and Steve party up for a three-person podcast about a three-player game! First, they discuss what the cancellation of Electronic Arts' Black Panther project portends for the future of superhero games and Triple-A licensed games. Then they have a spoiler-free discussion of FromSoftware's fascinating 'Elden Ring' spinoff experiment, 'Nightreign,' focusing on its difficulty, its genre-spanning appeal, and its technological drawbacks. After that, they react to the news that Alex Garland is writing and directing an A24-produced 'Elden Ring' movie and try to figure out what the adaptation could look like, before honoring 'Mission: Impossible' by identifying other major media properties that historically have been the most underserved by video games.

Intro (0:00)
Black Panther + Game Cancellations  (2:40)
Reactions to 'Elden Ring Nightreign' (11:13)

'Elden Ring' Movie Predictions
Most Underserved Franchises in Video Games (56:46)
Outro (1:16:48)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Steve Ahlman and Matt James
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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