Mike & Molly—which Melissa has starred in since 2010—will end after its upcoming sixth season, which has been cut to just 13 episodes.
CBS Cancels ‘Mike & Molly’ After Six Seasons
Rondi Reed—who plays Mike’s mother Peggy on the show—wrote on Facebook: “[T]his is the final and sixth season of Mike & Molly on CBS…. We are done taping as of January 27th. Other venues were explored by [Warner Bros. TV] and [Chuck Lorre’s] Bonanza Productions after CBS announced their intentions, but did not turn up a future for our show (sic).”
During her time on the show Melissa has seen her film career go from strength-to-strength, with an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Bridesmaids in 2011.
Earlier this week she also received her first ever Golden Globes nomination for her role in the movie Spy and will compete against Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Schumer, Dame Maggie Smith and Lily Tomlin for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical.
She also recently launched her own fashion collection, the Melissa McCarthy Seven7 line.
Over the last seven years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a lot of unique heroes and villains. Throughout Phases One and Two, both people from the comics and original creations have left their marks during the hectic events, be it an alien invasion, a guy trying to take over the world, or just simple acts of greed. That said, there are a few people who have, we believe, run their course.
When Phase Three kicks off next year, moviegoers will meet a slew of new characters, and with that, there are also opportunities for established players to be phased out. We’re not at all saying this is because they’re bad characters, but looking to the future, there’s really not much they can contribute or add to these new stories in a meaningful way. These are the protagonists, antagonists, and supporting individuals we think should be taken off the board entirely.
Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner is reprising Hawkeye in Captain America: Civil War, but it’s hard to imagine how important he’ll be after that particular adventure. This isn’t just because he’s the guy carrying the bow and arrow, though the jokes about that just keep coming. At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Clint Barton hung up his bow so he could spend more time with his family, including his newborn son. We don’t know how he’s going to get drawn back into the fold next year, but at this point, it should probably be his last mission as an Avenger/superhero. The man has a family to take care of, and with more people with special abilities popping up around the world, he should leave the crimefighting to them. Besides, when Thanos comes calling on Earth in the Avengers: Infinity War movies, how useful is the guy who shoots trick arrows really going to be?
Green Goblin
Spider-Man and his supporting cast haven’t appeared yet in the MCU, but there’s already one character we don’t want to see: Green Goblin. Willem Dafoe did an excellent job playing the cackling fiend in 2002’s Spider-Man, and Dane DeHaan’s turn with Harry Osborn playing the villain in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2…well, at least he was better than Electro. However, it’s at the point now where the whole Goblin thing has grown stale, and it’s hard to imagine how they can make the character any different. Plus, there are so many other great Spider-Man villains who haven’t gotten to appear in the movies yet, and the filmmakers will be better off giving screen time to them. What’s tricky is that Norman Osborn has proven how villainous he can be without being disguised as the Green Goblin, like when he was leading H.A.M.M.E.R. and the Dark Avengers. If they can incorporate him as a Lex Luthor-type figure in this universe, then great, but if not, it’s best that they leave him out entirely.
Pepper Potts
Pepper Potts is the most important person in Tony Stark’s life. That much is certain. She worked as his irreplaceable assistance for years, she was one of the few people he could completely trust, and now they’re in a committed relationship together. Tony even decided to quit the Avengers so he could spend more time with her. Of course, just like how giving up the superhero life didn’t stick following Iron Man 3, Tony’s going to be drawn back in next year, but there hasn’t been any report that we’ll see Pepper in Captain America: Civil War. She obviously has enough going on managing Stark Industries, and Tony’s antics as Iron Man aren’t ending anytime soon, given the Avengers: Infinity War movies coming up. We’re not sure whether she and Tony should break up, but it’s clear that Pepper’s time contributing to the grand MCU should finish. Let the woman dedicate her full attention to running a powerful company.
Erik Selvig
As one of the few original characters in the MCU, Erik Selvig’s main purpose is to be one of its top eggheads. Granted, most of his contributions have been through a mind-controlled (creating that portal device for Loki in The Avengers) or crazed (studying the Convergence in Thor: The Dark World) state, but his genius can’t be dismissed. Now he’s working at the New Avengers facility, and while he’s definitely one of their most valuable recruits, movie-wise there’s not much cause for him to directly contribute anymore. He should definitely stay at the facility as one of the top scientists, especially since Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can keep and eye on him if he flies off the handle again. For future Thor movies, however, Jane Foster can handle whatever astrophysics queries come up, and Selvig can not get worked up from all this excitement.
Darcy Lewis
Okay, where to start with her? Look, we get it. Darcy (also an original character) was meant to serve both as Jane Foster’s best friend and as the main comic relief in the Thor movies. The problem is that her moments are more annoying than funny, and even worse, she barely has anything to contribute to these movies outside of unneeded quips. At this point, there’s really no reason to keep her on. The MCU keeps growing, and over in Thor’s corner of the franchise, it’s getting less necessary to go back to Earth. Since Darcy isn’t the key to stopping Ragnarok, why should she be involved with what’s happening in 2017? Let Darcy go on with her life, whether that means putting her political science degree to use or getting more involved with astrophysics like Jane Foster. Just keep her out of the world of superheroes
Red Skull
When Red Skull touched the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger, his body seemingly disintegrated and was transported into a universal portal. Given that death is rarely permanent in superhero stories, many fans suspect that Red Skull isn’t really dead and will somehow return in the present day. Hugo Weaving doesn’t sound particularly excited to reprise the character, but the supervillain could always be played another actor, the reason being that he was given a new body. The thing is, Captain America: The Winter Soldier came and went with no sign of Red Skull, and Captain America: Civil War is coming next year with Baron Zemo as the main antagonist. With Steve Rogers’ upcoming troubles, including Thanos coming to Earth, bringing back Red Skull so many years later just to try to take over the world again seems dull, especially when his goals have lived on in HYDRA. Let the Red Skull rest in…well, not peace, but just don’t resurrect him.
Happy Hogan
Tony Stark’s bodyguard/friend has never been what one would call a “major character,” but he’s certainly important to Tony’s life. They’ve been together for almost 20 years, and even after Happy stopped protecting the sarcastic industrialist, they still kept in touch. The last time we saw Happy, in Iron Man 3, he had come out of his coma, and once he recovered from that, presumably he returned to his position as Stark Industries’ head of security. Although Happy Hogan was an key player in the early Iron Man comics, he hasn’t been nearly as important in the modern era, and there’s really no reason to keep developing him in the movies. We’re not saying he should be cut out of Tony’s life entirely, but as far as onscreen appearances go, keep their friendship one that occurs off-camera. Leave Happy to a life of stopping industrial sabotage and making sure everyone wears their ID badge.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury was essential in the MCU’s Phase One. Through him, moviegoers saw how these solo movies were connected to one another, and in-universe, he brought the heroes together to become The Avengers. Despite the fallout from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and S.H.I.E.L.D. being torn apart, Fury is still active, though in a reduced capacity. He returned in Avengers: Age of Ultron to give the heroes a pep talk and help with the rescue operation, but now it’s unclear what more they can do with him in this universe.
Samuel L. Jackson has said he’s not appearing in Captain America: Civil War, and although he technically has two movies left on his contract, there’s no guarantee he’ll appear in the Avengers: Infinity War movies. Phil Coulson has a good handle on the new S.H.I.E.L.D.’s clandestine missions on Agents of S.H.I.E.LD., and with the Avengers getting their act together (the Civil War aside), the man with the eyepatch has mostly fulfilled his purpose. The world is different than when Fury first began the Avengers Initiative, and now it’s probably best that he leave global protection to the new generation of heroes and spies.
The separate phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been well documented. The first phase saw the introduction of each of the Avengers, culminating in a massive team-up movie that shattered box office records left and right. Phase Two gave us further development of old characters, as well as the surprisingly amazing Guardians of the Galaxy. Finally, it closed out with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, leading us to Phase Three.
The third set of Marvel movies will feature a new cast of heroes in their own standalone movies for the first time. These will release alongside sequels for Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor, as well as the two-part Infinity Gauntlet storyline.
But who are the new heroes that we’re soon to be introduced to? They haven’t yet found their way into the Avengers movies and largely exist as secondary characters in the comics. But don’t let that underscore their importance to the Marvel Universe: These heroes are the real deal.
1. Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
Known as the “Sorcerer Supreme,” Doctor Strange is a character with a comic history dating all the way back to 1963. Benedict Cumberbatch is set to portray the world’s most powerful practitioner of magic, introducing a whole new side to a Marvel Cinematic Universe that up until now has largely been rooted in science more than the supernatural. In the Avengers mythos, he largely sat out the Civil War storyline that saw most Marvel heroes take sides, but was still critical of the Superhuman Registration Act spearheaded by Tony Stark.
Only a few rumors have escaped as to what the Doctor Strange movie will be about, but if you were listening closely in Captain America: Winter Soldier, you may have noticed his alter alias, Stephen Strange, name-dropped by one of Hydra’s covert SHIELD agents, Jasper Sitwell. Strange’s powers include a mastery of sorcery and all things magic, and a genius-level intellect, which could potentially make for a thinking man’s Marvel movie (or at least we hope). Rumors are floating around that we might see Doctor Strange make his first appearance in Netflix’s Iron Fist series later this year, but they’re mostly unconfirmed (at least for now).
2. Black Panther (July 6, 2018)
Yet another hero rooted in more supernatural elements, Black Panther will take us to another part of the globe entirely: to the fictional nation of Wakanda. The titular hero, known familiarly as T’Challa, is Wakanda’s chieftain, drawing his superhuman physical abilities from an unnamed panther god (although early iterations had it derive from the consumption of a special plant). In the comics, Black Panther’s home country is made out to be one of the wealthiest and most advanced in the world, with massive vibranium reserves (the fictional metal that composes Captain America’s shield).
For his part, we’re almost assuredly getting a chance to delve deep into Wakanda and the complex story of its chieftain. T’Challa has a long history of darting in and out of the Avengers, often finding himself torn between his home nation and the responsibilities of saving the world. We’ll get our first look at him in Captain America: Civil War, setting him up for his full feature-length the following year.
3. Captain Marvel (November 2, 2018)
There’s a long, confusing comic history following the seven separate characters that have taken up the mantle of “Captain Marvel.” The movie releasing in November 2018, though, will focus solely on Carol Danvers, also known popularly as Ms. Marvel. It’ll mark the first MCU movie featuring a woman in the title role (sorry Black Widow, no movie for you), something long overdo in the world of superheroes.
Danvers is known in the comics to be a human/Kree hybrid after having her genes fused, something that’s been set up nicely by the appearance of the powerful alien race in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Agents of SHIELD. The Captain Marvel movie will air a year after DC’s Wonder Woman, making for the beginnings of a much-needed focus on the pantheon of female superheroes over 2017-2018.
4. Inhumans (July 12, 2019)
Despite having the release date pushed back a year by Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man deal, there’s been no shortage on Inhumans in the MCU (spoilers ahead). ABC’s Agents of SHIELD has them integrated heavily into the story now, with a small group existing together in the remote mountains of an undisclosed location. As the descendants of a race of early humans experimented on by the Kree, the Inhumans feature a vast array of powers, acting as a sort of alternative to the X-Men (currently owned by 20th Century Fox).
The Royal Family of the Inhumans that acts as the main group of characters in the comics likely won’t find its way onto Agents of SHIELD anytime soon, but audiences are already getting primed for a whole new group of heroes set to debut in 2019. We’ll have to settle for the tertiary members in the meantime on TV.
With all the focus these last two weeks on the fate of Glenn on The Walking Dead, a more interesting and certainly more unique character development is potentially taking place right underneath our noses. It concerns Morgan Jones, and by placing his flashback episode in between a cliffhanger and its resolution, showrunner Scott Gimple may have accomplished exactly what it was Eastman taught Morgan to do last week: Redirect.
Specifically, by keeping our focus on Glenn, Gimple and co. have been able to lay the groundwork for a potential first on a major television drama.
Let me explain.
Shocking character deaths are old hat these days, thanks to shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. If we know and sympathize with the character enough, the death — shocking or not — can still sting. However, it seems like we’ve seen every iteration of evil overtaking good. The death of Ned Stark on Game of Thrones showed us that anyone — no matter how important they may seem to the story — can die, and The Walking Dead has proven that “no one is safe” time and time again.
However, when a beloved major character like Ned Stark, Hershel Greene, or potentially Glenn Rhee or Jon Snow dies, it’s usually at the hands of a force of evil, or a bogeyman. Ned was killed by Joffrey. Hershel was killed by The Governor. Rita was killed by the Trinity Killer. Will Gardner was killed by a crazed gunman. Glenn was (potentially) killed by a walker.
Here’s how the Morgan storyline could play out in a completely different and novel way.
Morgan Jones (Lennie James) is a fan favorite. He’s been around since the pilot, and by periodically sprinkling his appearances through the next five seasons of The Walking Dead, the folks behind the series have created in Morgan a mysterious, mythical figure whom we all love, and whose return we craved. Think back to all the times we practically applauded with glee at the sight of him at the beginning or end of an episode.
Last week’s flashback episode not only filled in the details about the wheres and whens of his past, but it told us more about his character. We understand him and his motivations. Morgan, in spite of a period of insanity, is a “good guy.” He lost his wife, and he lost his son, and we feel sympathy for him. He’s had a hard go of it, but thanks to Eastman (John Carroll Lynch), Morgan has been able to get back on his feet and find some purpose in life. The man also has an admirable ethos. He believes in the preciousness of life.
How can we think ill of anyone who values life as much as Morgan?
We shouldn’t, and yet we also understand that this is The Walking Dead, where the “preciousness of one life” has to be balanced against the preservation of the many. The Alexandrians believe that “no man should be left behind” and that’s dangerous in and of itself, because it means the weak can hold back the strong. By trying to save the weak, as Glenn attempted to do with Nicholas, he put his own life in danger.
Morgan’s ethos is even more dangerous to the community. Morgan is like a defective prison system: He believes in the speedy rehabilitation of murderers, no matter how evil they might be. Morgan may be quick to beat a bad guy up with his stick, but at the end of the day, he’s going to put them back out into the streets to kill again. That’s dangerous in a zombie apocalypse, because every time Morgan releases a Wolf, he’s putting the lives of Rick and Carol and Glenn and Maggie, etc. in danger. He’s already cost Alexandria several lives.
Morgan is a dangerous man, but he’s also a “good guy,” a likable, sympathetic character who viewers respect and admire. In the normal course of a television drama, a good guy with a wrongheaded but well-intentioned ethos typically has his own belief system come back around and bite him in the ass. He lets an evil guy go, and that evil guy comes back and kills him. We mourn the loss, but we saw it coming.
What’s more devastating and even more novel is to see a “good guy” like Morgan murdered by a another “good guy,” like, say, Carol (Melissa McBride). Have we ever seen a major “good guy” character kill another major “good guy” character? Have we seen a good guy murder another good guy because he’s too good?
I don’t want to read too much into the tea leaves here, but I believe that’s what’s being set up this season on The Walking Dead. I think we’re seeing a showdown between Carol and Morgan, two good people who want the same thing but are going about it in different ways. They both want to protect their friends, and they both want a strong community. Carol believes the way to accomplish that is to kill the bad people. Morgan believes the way to do that is to rehabilitate the evil people and transform them into good people.
Morgan is wrong. It’s a noble belief, and he has the best possible intentions, but in a post-apocalyptic world where the mortality rate is high, threats can’t be neutralized. They have to be snuffed out.
This sets up a unique character twist where a good person (Carol) kills a better person (Morgan) and we celebrate her for it. We’ve already seen hints of this in the past, when Carol killed Lizzie. However, Lizzie was a mentally troubled young girl with a sadistic streak. Morgan is a clear-headed pacifist, but it’s that very pacifism that’s turning Morgan from protagonist to antagonist. We love Morgan, but he’s become the season’s de facto villain by virtue of his peaceful ethos. Basically, he’s turning into Piggy in Lord of the Flies, and the rest of us may be in the position of rooting for Ralph to drop the boulder on him. Because in a land overrun by zombies, it takes someone with some savagery to lead.
In short, we may genuinely want one character we like (Carol) to kill another character we like (Morgan), because the latter believes in the sanctity of life. That’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen on a major television drama, and the fact that we may be put in a position to root for it proves just how much The Walking Dead has messed us up in the head.
Suicide Squad is coming—that much is for sure. And, really, only that much, since the only other bits from the DC Comics villain team-up movie have been various set photos that have made their way onto the Internet. So while the whole cast in one photo made it seem plausible that Suicide Squad might actually work, there’s still plenty of reason to be afraid.
Deadshot’s Pimp Suit
So Deadshot’s movie costume looks awesome. His outfit when he’s out and about as his alter-ego Floyd Lawton? Not so much. The long red trench coat is a questionable fashion choice any day of the week. But adding a fedora (ugh), gold belt, shoe buckles, and fingerless gloves makes Deadshot seem less like an assassin and more like Huggybear Junior. It looks dumb with a capital D. Maybe it’s a nod to his original costume, which was a domino mask with a tuxedo and top hat. But probably not.
Daddy Deadshot?
Those same set photos seem to show Lawton out and about on a shopping trip with a kid—presumably his kid. That’s kind of a bummer considering that Deadshot’s comic book equivalent has little to no story ties with his kids. There’s no rule that says you can’t make a change from the source material, but it does seem like an odd choice considering this is going to be most viewers’ first exposure to the character.
Harley Quinn Looks Like A Juggalo
On that same note, Harley Quinn’s look is pretty questionable as well. Harley Quinn started out as a fun addition to the DC Universe by way of Bruce Timm’s work on Batman: The Animated Series. She had a simple costume and gimmick, dressed as a “harlequin,” and hopelessly in love with the Joker. Since then, she’s morphed into a shadow of her former self, and seems to have more in common with a fan of the Insane Clown Posse than her animated roots. Then again, if they’re going for someone who looks scary, you can hardly do worse than a fan of the Insane Clown Posse.
Never Forget About That Joker
Look, we will never get over how stupid this looks. Yes, knowing what the rest of the cast looks like helps justify this new Joker design…but, man, it is still really awful. Jared Leto’s going to have his work cut out for him to make this happen.
Midway City
Some more set photos seem to indicate that at least one portion of Suicide Squad will take place in Midway City. That’s not one of DC Comics’ more interesting fictional burgs, especially considering that the superhero it’s known for is Hawkman. That’s right: the dude who has wings…and that’s it. One has to wonder why the production team decided on Midway City, considering it’s such a nothing place in the DC Universe, especially since there are so many other interesting cities we’d rather see show up on-screen (Keystone or Opal come to mind). Sure, not everything can take place in Metropolis and Gotham, but Midway? Some say that it’s the DCU’s version of Chicago, but you know what would’ve been more interesting than setting a super villain movie in Midway City? Setting a super villain movie in Chicago. We know what and where Chicago is, and might care when something happens to it. Not so with Midway.
Cross Platform Confusion
Suicide Squad will feature the third live action incarnation of Amanda Waller in the last few years. She appeared once in the Green Lantern movie (which we guess we’re just pretending never happened) and in the Arrow TV show (which is in a separate continuity). Deadshot, meanwhile, has been running around Arrow for a while now. Essentially, Suicide Squad has the potential to just confuse the hell out of anyone who’s seen either of those two properties. Since there are going to be so many crazy, obscure characters vying for screen time, it seems awfully risky that the film won’t bother referencing when these characters might’ve shown up relatively recently.
Running Before Walking
Let’s also not forget that with a few very notable exceptions, very few members of Suicide Squad’s mainstream audience will know a single one of these super powered villains. It’s cool that we get to see some obscure characters in a Hollywood blockbuster, but it seems questionable that audiences are being asked to accept a world where Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang can hang out. Shouldn’t we take some time and establish all these villains in a more grounded world first? If they were recruited for Task Force X from jail, who put them there? As far as this movie universe is concerned, there are only two heroes: Batman and Superman. It seems like we’re putting the cart before the horse here.
We’re In The Snyderverse For Sure
This might be the biggest problem of all. Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor are both confirmed on the movie’s cast list, which means that whatever happens in Zak Snyder’s new Man of Steel or Batman vs Superman movies will have some kind of impact on Suicide Squad—and vice versa. Building cinematic continuity on such an absurd foundation, one that’s more style than substance, seems like a recipe for disaster. While Joss Whedon’s Avengers sequel was ten pounds of crazy in a five pound bag, it still relied on the more grounded movies that came before it, starting with the practically realistic first Iron Man movie. By comparison, Suicide Squad might feel like being shot out of a cannon into the worst cosplay convention on earth.
J.J. Abrams’ hotly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens is—predictably—chock full of easter eggs for longtime fans. You knew you’d have to watch out for them, and that you might have to pay extra-close attention. As it turns out, that wasn’t quite true. That’s because there are so many easter eggs in The Force Awakens, we’re not even sure we caught them all. Here are some of the hidden treasures that were, well not so hidden. And of course, beware: major spoilers ahead.
Gonk Droids, Because Why Not?
One of the crappier robots from the original Star Wars trilogy is the GNK power droid, known more colloquially as the “Gonk Droid.” Why? Because that’s what he says: “gonk.” It’s basically a little garbage can with legs, and it sucks. But despite its utter lameness, and the fact that the filmmakers are more than capable of improving on its terrible design, the Gonk Droid shows up a couple of times throughout The Force Awakens. The droid has no bearing on the narrative whatsoever, so it’s hard not to interpret its presence here as director J.J. Abrams’ way of telling fans that he gets what they love about Star Wars, gonks and all.
“This Is A Rescue”
When Finn takes Poe out of captivity early in the film, he takes off his helmet and tells the pilot, “This is a rescue!” That bit of dialogue is a clear reference to the very first time Luke meets Leia in the original Star Wars. You remember: he takes off the helmet of his Stormtrooper disguise and says, quite simply, “I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you!” Finn may not be the next Luke Skywalker (that seems to be Rey’s role) but he’s definitely on a similar path. Another great moment comes later when Han utters that oft-repeated line from the franchise, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Still, no one says “delusions of grandeur,” but hopefully that’ll show up in Episode VIII.
The Wilhelm Scream
If you know what the “Wilhelm Scream” is, then congratulations: you are a true film nerd. For the rest of you, however, here’s a quick primer. First recorded in 1951, and made famous by a character named Private Wilhelm in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River, the Wilhelm Scream has been inserted into every single Star Wars film, not to mention about 200 others. If you keep your ears sharp during Finn and Poe’s escape from the First Order hangar bay, an anonymous (and unlucky) Stormtrooper belts the scream out after being killed by a turbolaser.
More Fuzzy Parsec Math
One of the most infamous lines in the original Star Wars is Han Solo’s boasts that the Millennium Falcon “made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs”…despite the fact that a parsec is a unit of distance, not time. It’s a gaffe that the nerdiest fans love and hate at the same time—and it the cast of The Force Awakens confront it head first. We hear Rey and Han talking about just how many parsecs it took to make the Kessel Run when the two meet on the Falcon…and neither of them seem to care much about what a parsec actually is.
Finn Finds Some Old Toys
While rifling through the Millennium Falcon’s stuff to care for Chewbacca’s wounds, Finn finds a pretty familiar looking sphere: the flying remote that Luke trained with on the Falcon way back in the first Star Wars film. He pulls it out of a drawer, looks at it, then tosses it aside as he keep searching for medical supplies. Later, he bumps into the holo-chess board that featured so prominently in the original movie, too.
Get Lost
These aren’t necessarily Star Wars easter eggs, but they’re definitely part and parcel with the involvement of J.J. Abrams. Two actors known for working with the Force Awakens director have relatively big cameos in the film. First there’s Greg Grunberg, who’s appeared in Abrams’ shows Alias and Lost, as the hilariously named X-Wing pilot Snap Wexley. Then there’s Lost‘s Ken Leung, who shows up here as Admiral Statura. We’re pretty sure we also spotted Lost‘s Henry Ian Cusick as another X-Wing pilot, but he doesn’t show up on IMDB, so we could be wrong on that one.
The Starkiller Base
This is by far one of the biggest easter eggs in all of The Force Awakens, and true fans spotted its significance right away. The film’s villains, the First Order, have taken a page from the playbook of the Empire, and built themselves a gigantic super-weapon capable of destroying entire systems, suns and all. It’s not the size of a moon—rather, it’s the size of an entire planet. But instead of calling it the Death Star, or the Death World, or the Super Space Gun (our choice), it’s called…the Starkiller Base. And what’s so important about the name “Starkiller”? It’s the original surname that George Lucas had intended to give his protagonist—before he decided on “Skywalker.” While replicating the Death Star, but bigger, isn’t necessarily the most inspired move in the galaxy, you gotta give props to Abrams and company for picking such a perfect name.
