Netflix’s Korean survival drama Squid Game has captured the imagination of a global audience, but how exactly does the game stay a secret despite so many people going missing? The Netflix smash hit establishes that a group of wealthy individuals recruit competitors with massive debts to vie for Squid Game’s 45.6 billion Won prize, and it follows 456 of these competitors as they engage in the titular games. The premise of the game – and the show – is that 455 participants will die during the games, leaving one winner to take the prize money, pay off their debts, and live in comfort for the rest of their life. Through the investigation of Jun-ho, a policeman who infiltrates the game disguised as one of its masked workers, it’s revealed that the games have been running for 30 years. Assuming that each game has around 400 participants and (as the epilogue implies) that one occurs roughly once per year, that would mean an estimated body count of 11,970 – which is an awful lot of missing people to cover up. The theory that Jun-ho is still alive might see him bring the game’s existence to light in a potential Squid Game season 2, but the real question is: just how has it been kept a secret for so long?The show does imply an answer, but it’s one that requires a lot of clarification. The game is run by the Front Man – later revealed to be Jun-ho’s brother, In-ho – but it exists in order to entertain some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people, known in Squid Game as the VIPs. With this level of financial backing behind it, it can be surmised that large sums of money are able to secure the game’s continued existence. Squid Game’s Old Man twist reveals that Oh Il-nam, also known as Player 001, is the game’s founder, but it doesn’t specify exactly how he has been able to keep it hidden for so long – although one of the most likely answers lies within the show’s narrative theme. Squid Game’s story is rooted in South Korea’s class divide and highlights the massive disparity of wealth within the country as well as examining the way in which the wealthy look at the people they deem beneath them. The most likely explanation for how the game remains a secret is that its selected players are all desperate people whose disappearance can be easily explained – Sang-woo is wanted by the police, Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector, and Gi-hun is a gambling addict with massive debt. The common theme is that Squid Game’s cast of characters all exist on the bottom rung of a society that doesn’t value them and that their disappearance will largely go unnoticed.This is evidenced in episode 2 when Gi-hun approaches the police, and they laugh him off. They dismiss his story as outlandish as he has no real credibility, with only Jun-ho willing to investigate in an unofficial capacity in hopes of finding his brother. It certainly appears that choosing its competitors carefully is key to the game’s continued secrecy, but it may even be more important that its workers are chosen carefully. From the events Jun-ho witnesses during his infiltration of the island, it’s clear that complete obedience is required of the workers, and steps are surely taken to choose Squid Game’s workers carefully in order to ensure their silence.It seems that Squid Game’s VIPs are the largest contributors to the game’s ability to remain hidden, but this is something that’s implied rather than stated. However, money and influence alone can’t guarantee silence, so it’s most likely that the game employs other contingencies against those seeking to expose it. Exactly what those methods might look like will surely come into play in Squid Game’s hypothetical season 2, as Gi-hun made his intentions to expose the game all too clear.
Netflix’s Korean survival drama Squid Game has captured the imagination of a global audience, but how exactly does the game stay a secret despite so many people going missing? TheNetflix smash hit establishes that a group of wealthy individuals recruit competitors with massive debts to vie for Squid Game‘s 45.6 billion Won prize, and it follows 456 of these competitors as they engage in the titular games. The premise of the game – and the show – is that 455 participants will die during the games, leaving one winner to take the prize money, pay off their debts, and live in comfort for the rest of their life.
Through the investigation of Jun-ho, a policeman who infiltrates the game disguised as one of its masked workers, it’s revealed that the games have been running for 30 years. Assuming that each game has around 400 participants and (as the epilogue implies) that one occurs roughly once per year, that would mean an estimated body count of 11,970 – which is an awful lot of missing people to cover up. The theory that Jun-ho is still alive might see him bring the game’s existence to light in a potential Squid Game season 2, but the real question is: just how has it been kept a secret for so long?
The show does imply an answer, but it’s one that requires a lot of clarification. The game is run by the Front Man – later revealed to be Jun-ho’s brother, In-ho – but it exists in order to entertain some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people, known in Squid Game as the VIPs. With this level of financial backing behind it, it can be surmised that large sums of money are able to secure the game’s continued existence. Squid Game‘s Old Man twist reveals that Oh Il-nam, also known as Player 001, is the game’s founder, but it doesn’t specify exactly how he has been able to keep it hidden for so long – although one of the most likely answers lies within the show’s narrative theme.
Squid Game‘s story is rooted in South Korea’s class divide and highlights the massive disparity of wealth within the country as well as examining the way in which the wealthy look at the people they deem beneath them. The most likely explanation for how the game remains a secret is that its selected players are all desperate people whose disappearance can be easily explained – Sang-woo is wanted by the police, Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector, and Gi-hun is a gambling addict with massive debt. The common theme is that Squid Game‘s cast of characters all exist on the bottom rung of a society that doesn’t value them and that their disappearance will largely go unnoticed.
This is evidenced in episode 2 when Gi-hun approaches the police, and they laugh him off. They dismiss his story as outlandish as he has no real credibility, with only Jun-ho willing to investigate in an unofficial capacity in hopes of finding his brother. It certainly appears that choosing its competitors carefully is key to the game’s continued secrecy, but it may even be more important that its workers are chosen carefully. From the events Jun-ho witnesses during his infiltration of the island, it’s clear that complete obedience is required of the workers, and steps are surely taken to choose Squid Game‘s workers carefully in order to ensure their silence.
It seems that Squid Game‘s VIPs are the largest contributors to the game’s ability to remain hidden, but this is something that’s implied rather than stated. However, money and influence alone can’t guarantee silence, so it’s most likely that the game employs other contingencies against those seeking to expose it. Exactly what those methods might look like will surely come into play in Squid Game‘s hypothetical season 2, as Gi-hun made his intentions to expose the game all too clear.
LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, the latest comedic holiday-themed Star Wars television special, is the latest official property to poke fun at Kylo Ren’s mask. Kylo Ren, formerly Ben Solo, is one of the main antagonists of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, despite often being the subject of mockery both in-universe and in the real world. Like Darth Vader, Kylo Ren is a powerful dark side user who wears a menacing armored mask. Though Vader wore his mask as part of a cybernetic survival suit, Kylo wears his for a variety of other reasons — namely, vanity.Darth Vader, the grandfather of Ben Solo, was a Sith Lord who required his suit following grievous injuries sustained in a battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi. As Kylo Ren, Ben Solo worshipped Vader, but there were numerous differences between the two. Kylo was never a Sith. He was a Knight of Ren using the dark side with a different philosophical outlook from the Sith. While Vader resigned himself to his new Sith identity, Kylo craved his, killing and sacrificing everything any everyone necessary to ascend to his position as Master of the Knights of Ren. The humorous take on Kylo Ren’s origin in the non-canon Terrifying Tales took some inspiration from the canonical four-issue Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, with Ben becoming intrigued by the Knights of Ren during his Jedi days. In the LEGO parody, Ben joins the marauding gang, but receives his armor, robes, and mask immediately, since the Knights needed to maintain an intimidating appearance. Though it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, this iteration of Kylo Ren wears his mask for similar reasons in the Star Wars canon universe.There were several reasons why Kylo wore a mask in the Star Wars sequels, but the main one is that all Knights of Ren wore armored suits, complete with battle helms. After renouncing his ties to the Jedi, Kylo usurped Ren as the Knights’ new leader and devoted himself to their philosophy and customs, including the use of an armored mask. Aside from indicating his affiliation with the Knights and protecting his head, Kylo’s mask served another, more sentimental, purpose.Kylo Ren worshipped his grandfather, Darth Vader, seeking to become a similarly fearsome dark side user, thanks in part to telepathic goading by Darth Sidious. When wearing his armored mask, which deepened his voice, Kylo felt more like Vader. Kylo’s dark side master, Snoke, brutally criticized Kylo in the comics and films for his attempts to mimic his grandfather.Snoke, along with Poe Dameron, also complained about the mask’s distortion of Kylo’s voice, making it the subject of frequent criticism in-universe. Aside from Kylo Ren’s desires to follow in Vader’s footsteps the traditional helmets worn by the Knights of Ren were meant to strike fear into their victims. This makes the satirical reason for Kylo Ren wearing his mask fitting in LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, as both he and the Knights of Ren were concerned with appearances.
LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, the latest comedic holiday-themed Star Wars television special, is the latest official property to poke fun at Kylo Ren’s mask. Kylo Ren, formerly Ben Solo, is one of the main antagonists of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, despite often being the subject of mockery both in-universe and in the real world. Like Darth Vader, Kylo Ren is a powerful dark side user who wears a menacing armored mask. Though Vader wore his mask as part of a cybernetic survival suit, Kylo wears his for a variety of other reasons — namely, vanity.
Darth Vader, the grandfather of Ben Solo, was a Sith Lord who required his suit following grievous injuries sustained in a battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi. As Kylo Ren, Ben Solo worshipped Vader, but there were numerous differences between the two. Kylo was never a Sith. He was a Knight of Ren using the dark side with a different philosophical outlook from the Sith. While Vader resigned himself to his new Sith identity, Kylo craved his, killing and sacrificing everything any everyone necessary to ascend to his position as Master of the Knights of Ren.
The humorous take on Kylo Ren’s origin in the non-canon Terrifying Tales took some inspiration from the canonical four-issue Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, with Ben becoming intrigued by the Knights of Ren during his Jedi days. In the LEGO parody, Ben joins the marauding gang, but receives his armor, robes, and mask immediately, since the Knights needed to maintain an intimidating appearance. Though it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, this iteration of Kylo Ren wears his mask for similar reasons in the Star Wars canon universe.
There were several reasons why Kylo wore a mask in the Star Wars sequels, but the main one is that all Knights of Ren wore armored suits, complete with battle helms. After renouncing his ties to the Jedi, Kylo usurped Ren as the Knights’ new leader and devoted himself to their philosophy and customs, including the use of an armored mask. Aside from indicating his affiliation with the Knights and protecting his head, Kylo’s mask served another, more sentimental, purpose.
Kylo Ren worshipped his grandfather, Darth Vader, seeking to become a similarly fearsome dark side user, thanks in part to telepathic goading by Darth Sidious. When wearing his armored mask, which deepened his voice, Kylo felt more like Vader. Kylo’s dark side master, Snoke, brutally criticized Kylo in the comics and films for his attempts to mimic his grandfather.
Snoke, along with Poe Dameron, also complained about the mask’s distortion of Kylo’s voice, making it the subject of frequent criticism in-universe. Aside from Kylo Ren’s desires to follow in Vader’s footsteps the traditional helmets worn by the Knights of Ren were meant to strike fear into their victims. This makes the satirical reason for Kylo Ren wearing his mask fitting in LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, as both he and the Knights of Ren were concerned with appearances.
DC’s Titans season 4 is officially announced, with the renewal confirmed during this year’s DC FanDome event. The show originally premiered in 2018 as a darker, grittier take on DC’s popular Teen Titans team, introducing core members like Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), Kory Anders aka Starfire (Anna Diop), Gar Logan aka Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Rachel Roth aka Raven (Teagan Croft). In the seasons since, Titans has added Superboy (Joshua Orpin), Donna Troy (Conor Leslie) and Jason Todd (Curran Walters) to their roster of heroes – among other characters, including iconic villains like Deathstroke in season 2.In Titans season 3, Jason has become Red Hood and turned against his former team to antagonize them along with Dr. Johnathan Crane aka Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser). The season also introduced Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch) and Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo), the latter of which has teamed up with the Titans to help them battle Scarecrow. Now, for those wondering what’s next for Titans, the show has made an important announcement at DC FanDome 2021.During DC FanDome 2021, HBO Max announced Titans season 4, with the series officially renewed for another outing. Titans season 3 will wrap up on Oct. 21 with the finale episode. It’s not yet known when Titans season 4 will release, though it’s possible it’ll return sometime in 2022 depending on when filming starts and wraps.Since Titans season 4 has only just been confirmed and the season 3 finale has yet to air, it’s unclear what storyline the next season will explore. That said, given the sheer number of DC characters who join each season of the show, there’s no doubt the showrunners will add even more comics characters. Between Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and now Tim Drake on the show, it’s possible other popular Batman characters may be properly introduced, like Stephanie Brown or Duke Thomas. It’s also not yet clear who the main villain of Titans season 4 will be, but there’s quite a number of possibilities if they pull from the comics.Ultimately the Titans season 4 confirmation shows that HBO Max remains confident in this particular DC series. Along with Doom Patrol, which is also returning for season 4, HBO Max is building out its DC offerings, with additional shows in the works. The Suicide Squad spinoff Peacemaker is arriving in January and a spinoff from Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves’ The Batman is also in development. With the Harley Quinn animated show also available on HBO Max, the streamer has a wide variety of shows for all kinds of DC fans. For Titans fans specifically, they can look forward to a whole new season coming to HBO Max.Source: HBO Max
DC’s Titans season 4 is officially announced, with the renewal confirmed during this year’s DC FanDome event. The show originally premiered in 2018 as a darker, grittier take on DC’s popular Teen Titans team, introducing core members like Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), Kory Anders aka Starfire (Anna Diop), Gar Logan aka Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Rachel Roth aka Raven (Teagan Croft). In the seasons since, Titans has added Superboy (Joshua Orpin), Donna Troy (Conor Leslie) and Jason Todd (Curran Walters) to their roster of heroes – among other characters, including iconic villains like Deathstroke in season 2.
In Titans season 3, Jason has become Red Hood and turned against his former team to antagonize them along with Dr. Johnathan Crane aka Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser). The season also introduced Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch) and Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo), the latter of which has teamed up with the Titans to help them battle Scarecrow. Now, for those wondering what’s next for Titans, the show has made an important announcement at DC FanDome 2021.
During DC FanDome 2021, HBO Max announced Titans season 4, with the series officially renewed for another outing. Titans season 3 will wrap up on Oct. 21 with the finale episode. It’s not yet known when Titans season 4 will release, though it’s possible it’ll return sometime in 2022 depending on when filming starts and wraps.
Since Titans season 4 has only just been confirmed and the season 3 finale has yet to air, it’s unclear what storyline the next season will explore. That said, given the sheer number of DC characters who join each season of the show, there’s no doubt the showrunners will add even more comics characters. Between Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and now Tim Drake on the show, it’s possible other popular Batman characters may be properly introduced, like Stephanie Brown or Duke Thomas. It’s also not yet clear who the main villain of Titans season 4 will be, but there’s quite a number of possibilities if they pull from the comics.
Ultimately the Titans season 4 confirmation shows that HBO Max remains confident in this particular DC series. Along with Doom Patrol, which is also returning for season 4, HBO Max is building out its DC offerings, with additional shows in the works. The Suicide Squad spinoff Peacemaker is arriving in January and a spinoff from Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves’ The Batman is also in development. With the Harley Quinn animated show also available on HBO Max, the streamer has a wide variety of shows for all kinds of DC fans. For Titans fans specifically, they can look forward to a whole new season coming to HBO Max.
An upcoming Minecraft update, called The Wild Update, has been announced and will launch in 2022. The hugely successful survival sandbox game places players in massive randomly-generated worlds and tasks them with gathering resources to survive. Continued updates have helped enhance Minecraft’s world generation over time, with the upcoming Cave & Cliffs Update Part 2 changing biomes so that they generate more realistically.The latest update for Minecraft, Caves & Cliffs Update Part 1, introduced major changes to the game’s deepest caves and tallest cliffs. Back in June the first part of this two-part update brought interesting new mobs, unique new resources, and useful new items into the game. Underwater areas received bizarre axolotl creatures, and goats can now be found roaming the game’s mountains. Copper and amethyst can also be found in caves, giving players new reasons to dig deep into Minecraft’s caves. Previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, which show off further additions like biome blending, were shown at the recent Minecraft Live digital event.Alongside showing previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, Minecraft Live also announced a brand-new update to the game called The Wild. This update, coming at some point in 2022, appears to focus on general improvements for swamp biomes. A new Mangrove Swamp biome will be added, which features shallow water and overgrown mangrove trees. Frogs will be a new mob found in these swamps, and mud blocks can be created by adding water to a dirt block. Boats with built-in chests will make exploring these waterlogged areas more efficient for players.Watch the highlight video from Minecraft Live 2021 on YouTube here. Alongside the extensive new Mangrove Swamp biome, The Wild Update will bring a larger and much scarier new location to the game as well. Minecraft’s new Deep Dark Cities are terrifying underground areas with their very own enemies, loot and gameplay features. Deep Cities are massive cavernous areas filled with ruins for players to explore, with mysterious central structures containing the most useful loot. A new Sculk resource will also spread throughout these areas, and players can earn experience or enchantment points for harvesting them.Minecraft is an ever-expanding title, which has allowed the game to maintain a strong fanbase for over a decade. New biomes and environmental generation systems are being introduced in Caves & Cliffs Part 2 and The Wild Update, making the game even more exciting to explore. Minecraft’s worlds have always been massive, but earlier iterations of the game could create environments that are awkwardly shaped or confusingly placed. The Wild Update will greatly increase the immersive nature of swamps while also adding creepy underground Deep Cities.Source: Minecraft Live/YouTube, Minecraft/YouTube
An upcoming Minecraft update, called The Wild Update, has been announced and will launch in 2022. The hugely successful survival sandbox game places players in massive randomly-generated worlds and tasks them with gathering resources to survive. Continued updates have helped enhance Minecraft‘s world generation over time, with the upcoming Cave & Cliffs Update Part 2 changing biomes so that they generate more realistically.
The latest update for Minecraft, Caves & Cliffs Update Part 1, introduced major changes to the game’s deepest caves and tallest cliffs. Back in June the first part of this two-part update brought interesting new mobs, unique new resources, and useful new items into the game. Underwater areas received bizarre axolotl creatures, and goats can now be found roaming the game’s mountains. Copper and amethyst can also be found in caves, giving players new reasons to dig deep into Minecraft‘s caves. Previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, which show off further additions like biome blending, were shown at the recent Minecraft Live digital event.
Alongside showing previews of Caves & Cliffs Part 2, Minecraft Live also announced a brand-new update to the game called The Wild. This update, coming at some point in 2022, appears to focus on general improvements for swamp biomes. A new Mangrove Swamp biome will be added, which features shallow water and overgrown mangrove trees. Frogs will be a new mob found in these swamps, and mud blocks can be created by adding water to a dirt block. Boats with built-in chests will make exploring these waterlogged areas more efficient for players.
Alongside the extensive new Mangrove Swamp biome, The Wild Update will bring a larger and much scarier new location to the game as well. Minecraft’s new Deep Dark Cities are terrifying underground areas with their very own enemies, loot and gameplay features. Deep Cities are massive cavernous areas filled with ruins for players to explore, with mysterious central structures containing the most useful loot. A new Sculk resource will also spread throughout these areas, and players can earn experience or enchantment points for harvesting them.
Minecraft is an ever-expanding title, which has allowed the game to maintain a strong fanbase for over a decade. New biomes and environmental generation systems are being introduced in Caves & Cliffs Part 2 and The Wild Update, making the game even more exciting to explore. Minecraft‘s worlds have always been massive, but earlier iterations of the game could create environments that are awkwardly shaped or confusingly placed. The Wild Update will greatly increase the immersive nature of swamps while also adding creepy underground Deep Cities.
Which MCU character would win in a fight, Captain Marvel or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Adam Warlock? The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “most powerful” debate has raged among fans since Phase 2 rapidly began broadening the franchise’s roster of super-powered characters. Though there’s no firm consensus on which hero currently holds that title, the most common picks are Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch (especially after her WandaVision boost), and Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, though that may soon change with Eternals on the horizon.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will introduce another keen contender for the MCU Heavyweight title – Adam Warlock. Left enraged by the Guardians of the Galaxy and their light-fingered raccoon, Ayesha, leader of the Sovereign, set about advancing the genetic engineering of her people to create “Adam.” The most powerful and destructive member of the entire Sovereign species, Adam (the MCU’s live-action version of Marvel comic character, Adam Warlock) will debut fully in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Will Poulter is now officially cast in the role.Adam Warlock will immediately become one of the strongest entities in the entire MCU, and as a space-faring warrior wielding cosmic power, comparisons to Carol Danvers are only natural. Brie Larson’s ace pilot continues to play a major role in the overarching MCU narrative, and returns in her 2022 solo sequel The Marvels… but is Captain Marvel stronger than Adam Warlock?Although their origin stories are very different, Captain Marvel’s MCU powers are broadly the same as her Marvel comics counterpart. Brie Larson gained superhuman abilities through raw exposure to the Space Stone, whereas the original Carol Danvers was a Kree/human hybrid whose biology mutated thanks to the Kree’s psyche-magnitron. Danvers received gifts similar to Mar-Vell (who was also present during the psyche-magnitron incident) and became the superhero known as Ms. Marvel, before eventually transitioning to her more familiar guise of Captain Marvel.Carol’s powers have disappeared, changed, reawakened and faded over the decades, but generally consist of enhanced physical attributes (the typical strength, speed, stamina and durability), manipulation of cosmic energy, flight, and regenerative qualities. In the Marvel comics, Carol possessed a form of mental cosmic awareness to sense danger before it happened, which is missing from the live-action character. On the other hand, MCU Captain Marvel gets Binary Mode, burning through cosmic power to supercharge her existing abilities. Binary Mode is the MCU interpretation of Danvers’ Binary transformation in the comic books.Adam Warlock’s combat repertoire in the MCU remains to be seen, but the comic character is a well established Marvel powerhouse. Rather than the Sovereign, Adam was created by the Enclave as the epitome of human evolution – a genetically perfect being harboring unique physiology and awesome powers. Like Captain Marvel, Adam possesses super strength, speed, stamina and durability, and casts cosmic energy as a weapon. He’s also extremely difficult to kill, having something of a distanced relationship with Death, and using his cocoon to resurrect even after being killed. Other powers Adam Warlock has displayed throughout his lifespan include telepathy, teleportation, proficiency in magic, telekinesis, pyrokinesis and advanced cosmic senses. Though much of Adam’s power derives from the manner of his creation, the Marvel character has been augmented further by the Soul Gem (an equivalent to the MCU Soul Stone), which was a gift from the High Evolutionary. Adam’s bond with the Soul Stone has evolved his existing powers, making Warlock one of the Marvel universe’s most formidable entities.Will Poulter’s MCU Adam Warlock comes bearing a very different origin story. Rather than being designed as the pinnacle of human evolution, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s post-credits sequence reveals Ayesha created Adam as the next evolutionary step of her own people, the Sovereign. In theory, this would make MCU Adam even stronger than the comic character, since the Sovereign are already superior to us measly Earthlings. Likewise, Ayesha’s Sovereign are renowned masters of genetic engineering in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, whereas the Enclave was a coalition of (admittedly brilliant and well-funded) scientists originating on Earth. Again, one could argue that the Sovereign’s alien technology should produce a more formidable Adam Warlock than the comic books.However, Adam’s alien origins might simply be compensation for his lack of Soul Gem. A fair portion of Adam Warlock’s comic strength can be attributed to having an Infinity Gem lodged in his head, and this simply isn’t going to fly on the big screen. Thanks to Avengers: Infinity War, we know the Soul Stone resided with Red Skull on Vormir until Thanos came along, which means Ayesha almost certainly couldn’t use the orange-y jewel on Adam without some serious timeline gymnastics (which, let’s face it, wouldn’t be the first time). More likely, Poulter’s Adam Warlock will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Soul Stone, which leaves Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 two alternatives. Either Adam will be under-powered in live-action, or the Sovereign’s superior scientific knowledge means Adam gets all of his comic book powers without the influence of an Infinity Stone.In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s post-credits scene, Ayesha promises her Adam will be capable of destroying Star-Lord’s eclectic crew of space bandits, suggesting Will Poulter’s character demonstrates his might as a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This might explain Thor’s role in the threequel, as the As-Guardian can stand up to Adam while the others run away. In the Marvel comics, Adam is not only a heroic character (usually), he also turns on his own creators. This means the MCU’s new addition will likely switch sides before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is over.Assuming Kevin Feige and James Gunn allow Adam Warlock more or less the same complement of powers and abilities as the comic character, it’s he who would emerge victorious in a fight against Captain Marvel.Although both Marvel characters are capable of absorbing and hurling photon energy, Adam Warlock’s range of cosmic attacks is much wider. Whereas Carol Danvers traditionally sticks to Dragon Ball Z-esque waves and blasts, Adam’s cosmic techniques show more versatility, including the kind of energy constructs and matter manipulation rarely seen from Carol Danvers, especially in the MCU. In addition to his proficiency with energy, Adam Warlock’s quantum magic capabilities provide yet another edge over Captain Marvel, and his potential to sense Carol’s attacks and teleport away would prove especially annoying to Brie Larson’s character. Captain Marvel’s only hope against Adam Warlock would be to somehow negate his cosmic powers and engage in a fist fight, where the experience and guile of Carol Danvers might overcome her godly opponent.Of course, even if Captain Marvel could take Adam Warlock down, he’d simply slip into a regeneration cocoon and revive for a rematch, whereas Carol’s regenerative anti-aging qualities are far more limited. Whatever angle you approach it, Adam Warlock (assuming his MCU powers mirror the comic books) has several upper hands against Ms. Danvers.This outcome is supported by their respective battles against other Marvel comics characters, Thanos in particular. Carol Danvers boasts plenty of impressive victories against her name, and fared better against Thanos than many other Avengers (both in the comics and live-action). Nevertheless, Adam Warlock enjoyed a much easier clash with the Mad Titan. Adam successfully defeats the Infinity saga’s villain in Jim Starlin’s original story, and while Mar-Vell (an earlier Captain Marvel) also boasts a victory against the Mad Titan on his record, Carol Danvers does not. Elsewhere, Adam Warlock knocked out the mighty Silver Surfer (as a kindness to prevent his death), took a blast from Galactus, and was omnipotent enough to become the Living Tribunal. Very little in Captain Marvel’s superhero career comes close to such feats.All of which would suggest that, despite Captain Marvel’s position among the strongest on the Avengers’ roster, Adam Warlock ranks among the strongest beings in the universe, several steps above Carol Danvers. That won’t necessarily carry over into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but Brie Larson should watch her back nonetheless – Adam Warlock goes higher, further and, indeed, faster.
Which MCU character would win in a fight, Captain Marvel or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s Adam Warlock? The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “most powerful” debate has raged among fans since Phase 2 rapidly began broadening the franchise’s roster of super-powered characters. Though there’s no firm consensus on which hero currently holds that title, the most common picks are Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch (especially after her WandaVision boost), and Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, though that may soon change with Eternals on the horizon.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will introduce another keen contender for the MCU Heavyweight title – Adam Warlock. Left enraged by the Guardians of the Galaxy and their light-fingered raccoon, Ayesha, leader of the Sovereign, set about advancing the genetic engineering of her people to create “Adam.” The most powerful and destructive member of the entire Sovereign species, Adam (the MCU’s live-action version of Marvel comic character, Adam Warlock) will debut fully in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Will Poulter is now officially cast in the role.
Adam Warlock will immediately become one of the strongest entities in the entire MCU, and as a space-faring warrior wielding cosmic power, comparisons to Carol Danvers are only natural. Brie Larson’s ace pilot continues to play a major role in the overarching MCU narrative, and returns in her 2022 solo sequel The Marvels… but is Captain Marvel stronger than Adam Warlock?
Although their origin stories are very different, Captain Marvel’s MCU powers are broadly the same as her Marvel comics counterpart. Brie Larson gained superhuman abilities through raw exposure to the Space Stone, whereas the original Carol Danvers was a Kree/human hybrid whose biology mutated thanks to the Kree’s psyche-magnitron. Danvers received gifts similar to Mar-Vell (who was also present during the psyche-magnitron incident) and became the superhero known as Ms. Marvel, before eventually transitioning to her more familiar guise of Captain Marvel.
Carol’s powers have disappeared, changed, reawakened and faded over the decades, but generally consist of enhanced physical attributes (the typical strength, speed, stamina and durability), manipulation of cosmic energy, flight, and regenerative qualities. In the Marvel comics, Carol possessed a form of mental cosmic awareness to sense danger before it happened, which is missing from the live-action character. On the other hand, MCU Captain Marvel gets Binary Mode, burning through cosmic power to supercharge her existing abilities. Binary Mode is the MCU interpretation of Danvers’ Binary transformation in the comic books.
Adam Warlock’s combat repertoire in the MCU remains to be seen, but the comic character is a well established Marvel powerhouse. Rather than the Sovereign, Adam was created by the Enclave as the epitome of human evolution – a genetically perfect being harboring unique physiology and awesome powers. Like Captain Marvel, Adam possesses super strength, speed, stamina and durability, and casts cosmic energy as a weapon. He’s also extremely difficult to kill, having something of a distanced relationship with Death, and using his cocoon to resurrect even after being killed. Other powers Adam Warlock has displayed throughout his lifespan include telepathy, teleportation, proficiency in magic, telekinesis, pyrokinesis and advanced cosmic senses. Though much of Adam’s power derives from the manner of his creation, the Marvel character has been augmented further by the Soul Gem (an equivalent to the MCU Soul Stone), which was a gift from the High Evolutionary. Adam’s bond with the Soul Stone has evolved his existing powers, making Warlock one of the Marvel universe’s most formidable entities.
Will Poulter’s MCU Adam Warlock comes bearing a very different origin story. Rather than being designed as the pinnacle of human evolution, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s post-credits sequence reveals Ayesha created Adam as the next evolutionary step of her own people, the Sovereign. In theory, this would make MCU Adam even stronger than the comic character, since the Sovereign are already superior to us measly Earthlings. Likewise, Ayesha’s Sovereign are renowned masters of genetic engineering in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, whereas the Enclave was a coalition of (admittedly brilliant and well-funded) scientists originating on Earth. Again, one could argue that the Sovereign’s alien technology should produce a more formidable Adam Warlock than the comic books.
However, Adam’s alien origins might simply be compensation for his lack of Soul Gem. A fair portion of Adam Warlock’s comic strength can be attributed to having an Infinity Gem lodged in his head, and this simply isn’t going to fly on the big screen. Thanks to Avengers: Infinity War, we know the Soul Stone resided with Red Skull on Vormir until Thanos came along, which means Ayesha almost certainly couldn’t use the orange-y jewel on Adam without some serious timeline gymnastics (which, let’s face it, wouldn’t be the first time). More likely, Poulter’s Adam Warlock will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Soul Stone, which leaves Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 two alternatives. Either Adam will be under-powered in live-action, or the Sovereign’s superior scientific knowledge means Adam gets all of his comic book powers without the influence of an Infinity Stone.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s post-credits scene, Ayesha promises her Adam will be capable of destroying Star-Lord’s eclectic crew of space bandits, suggesting Will Poulter’s character demonstrates his might as a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This might explain Thor’s role in the threequel, as the As-Guardian can stand up to Adam while the others run away. In the Marvel comics, Adam is not only a heroic character (usually), he also turns on his own creators. This means the MCU’s new addition will likely switch sides before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is over.
Assuming Kevin Feige and James Gunn allow Adam Warlock more or less the same complement of powers and abilities as the comic character, it’s he who would emerge victorious in a fight against Captain Marvel.
Although both Marvel characters are capable of absorbing and hurling photon energy, Adam Warlock’s range of cosmic attacks is much wider. Whereas Carol Danvers traditionally sticks to Dragon Ball Z-esque waves and blasts, Adam’s cosmic techniques show more versatility, including the kind of energy constructs and matter manipulation rarely seen from Carol Danvers, especially in the MCU. In addition to his proficiency with energy, Adam Warlock’s quantum magic capabilities provide yet another edge over Captain Marvel, and his potential to sense Carol’s attacks and teleport away would prove especially annoying to Brie Larson’s character. Captain Marvel’s only hope against Adam Warlock would be to somehow negate his cosmic powers and engage in a fist fight, where the experience and guile of Carol Danvers might overcome her godly opponent.
Of course, even if Captain Marvel could take Adam Warlock down, he’d simply slip into a regeneration cocoon and revive for a rematch, whereas Carol’s regenerative anti-aging qualities are far more limited. Whatever angle you approach it, Adam Warlock (assuming his MCU powers mirror the comic books) has several upper hands against Ms. Danvers.
This outcome is supported by their respective battles against other Marvel comics characters, Thanos in particular. Carol Danvers boasts plenty of impressive victories against her name, and fared better against Thanos than many other Avengers (both in the comics and live-action). Nevertheless, Adam Warlock enjoyed a much easier clash with the Mad Titan. Adam successfully defeats the Infinity saga’s villain in Jim Starlin’s original story, and while Mar-Vell (an earlier Captain Marvel) also boasts a victory against the Mad Titan on his record, Carol Danvers does not. Elsewhere, Adam Warlock knocked out the mighty Silver Surfer (as a kindness to prevent his death), took a blast from Galactus, and was omnipotent enough to become the Living Tribunal. Very little in Captain Marvel’s superhero career comes close to such feats.
All of which would suggest that, despite Captain Marvel’s position among the strongest on the Avengers’ roster, Adam Warlock ranks among the strongest beings in the universe, several steps above Carol Danvers. That won’t necessarily carry over into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but Brie Larson should watch her back nonetheless – Adam Warlock goes higher, further and, indeed, faster.
In Avengers: Endgame, the sight of Pepper Potts flying into battle while wearing her very own Iron Man suit drew massive applause from audiences – but many did not yet realize the massive changes Marvel made to the armor from the comics. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has certainly seen many changes from the source material over the years (the most recent is Shang-Chi’s Mandarin to the character Wenwu in the film), and some are more drastic than others. But in the original comics, the suit – dubbed Rescue – had one major restriction.In the MCU, the writers continually teased Pepper’s Rescue suit, especially in Iron Man 3. The “Prodigal Son” armor, partially inspired by the armor seen in 2006’s Extremis, was directed by Iron Man to surround Pepper during the collapse of Tony’s Malibu mansion. But Pepper didn’t get her complete suit until the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, and while the suit demonstrated multiple weapons and offensive capabilities, the armor in the comics was quite restricted – by design. Pepper would find the Rescue Armor Model 1 in The Invincible Iron Man #10, but wouldn’t actually don the suit until two issues later. She swoops into action as an earthquake nearly devastates a school, and her quick thinking saves the day. The entire suit has been designed from the ground up to save lives, not take them; though it has the speed, strength and flight capabilities like most other Iron Man armors, Pepper observes “There’s not a single weapon anywhere on this suit.” Every element is designed to protect and defend; the thrust doesn’t even generate heat. Though the suit has no weapons, it is by no means weak; Pepper intercepts a crashing airplane and manages to bring it to safety using her repulsor field generators in the same issue. Pepper wouldn’t wear a suit with weaponry until donning the Rescue Armor Model 5 in Rescue 2020 #1, Pepper’s own limited series premiering in 2020. Though the suit still focused on defenses, its repulsors could be used as weapons. The blue and silver suit was clearly modeled after the armor worn by actor Gwyneth Paltrow in Avengers: Endgame – but in the film, Pepper obviously had no reservations about using weapons at all during the final battle. With the fate of the universe (and their daughter) at stake in the film, Pepper needed all the offensive firepower she could get.Love interests in comics rarely get a chance to partake in their significant others’ battles, even in the modern era of comics. The Rescue armor is a new addition to the Iron Man mythos, but certainly a welcome on. Pepper Potts remains a major player in Iron Man books and hopefully will continue to use the Rescue armor for years to come.
In Avengers: Endgame, the sight of Pepper Potts flying into battle while wearing her very own Iron Man suit drew massive applause from audiences – but many did not yet realize the massive changes Marvel made to the armor from the comics. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has certainly seen many changes from the source material over the years (the most recent is Shang-Chi’s Mandarin to the character Wenwu in the film), and some are more drastic than others. But in the original comics, the suit – dubbed Rescue – had one major restriction.
In the MCU, the writers continually teased Pepper’s Rescue suit, especially in Iron Man 3. The “Prodigal Son” armor, partially inspired by the armor seen in 2006’s Extremis, was directed by Iron Man to surround Pepper during the collapse of Tony’s Malibu mansion. But Pepper didn’t get her complete suit until the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, and while the suit demonstrated multiple weapons and offensive capabilities, the armor in the comics was quite restricted – by design.
Pepper would find the Rescue Armor Model 1 in The Invincible Iron Man #10, but wouldn’t actually don the suit until two issues later. She swoops into action as an earthquake nearly devastates a school, and her quick thinking saves the day. The entire suit has been designed from the ground up to save lives, not take them; though it has the speed, strength and flight capabilities like most other Iron Man armors, Pepper observes “There’s not a single weapon anywhere on this suit.” Every element is designed to protect and defend; the thrust doesn’t even generate heat.
Though the suit has no weapons, it is by no means weak; Pepper intercepts a crashing airplane and manages to bring it to safety using her repulsor field generators in the same issue. Pepper wouldn’t wear a suit with weaponry until donning the Rescue Armor Model 5 in Rescue 2020 #1, Pepper’s own limited series premiering in 2020. Though the suit still focused on defenses, its repulsors could be used as weapons. The blue and silver suit was clearly modeled after the armor worn by actor Gwyneth Paltrow in Avengers: Endgame – but in the film, Pepper obviously had no reservations about using weapons at all during the final battle. With the fate of the universe (and their daughter) at stake in the film, Pepper needed all the offensive firepower she could get.
Love interests in comics rarely get a chance to partake in their significant others’ battles, even in the modern era of comics. The Rescue armor is a new addition to the Iron Man mythos, but certainly a welcome on. Pepper Potts remains a major player in Iron Man books and hopefully will continue to use the Rescue armor for years to come.
The first full look at Ezra Miller’s costume in The Flash has been revealed. Miller reprises the role of Barry Allen/The Flash in the first live-action standalone film for the character. Miller first appeared as The Flash in a brief tease in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, then made his full debut in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, introducing him into the DCEU proper. He also had a blink-and-miss-it cameo in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The actor also appeared in costume for an episode of CW’s The Flash, where he met that version of the character, played by Grant Gustin. Director Andy Muschietti directs The Flash, which serves not only as the first live-action feature for The Flash, but also brings back one of the original DC actors in Michael Keaton’s Batman/Bruce Wayne, who previously starred as the character in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. Keaton’s return marks the beginning of the DCEU’s venture into the multiverse, which will have the old Batman team-up with The Flash and potentially with the Snyderverse Batman, played once again by Ben Affleck in the film. For Miller, this marks a more in-depth look at his character, as well as a sprucing up of his iconic costume.Now, the first full look at the costume is here, after a number of teases since last year’s DC FanDome. For today’s event, The Flash showed off a brief teaser that revealed Ezra Miller in the new costume, which has the glowing lines throughout and gold boots. The tease features voice over from Michael Keaton’s Batman and delves into the multiverse aspect of the film, eventually showing Miller in the famed Batcave from the Tim Burton Batman films, as well as a brief look at Keaton’s Batman in silhouette. A look at Sasha Calle as Supergirl is also seen in the Batcave alongside The Flash, meaning that at least those three characters will interact in the film. Take a closer look at the images below: Developing…Source: DC FanDome
The first full look at Ezra Miller’s costume in The Flash has been revealed. Miller reprises the role of Barry Allen/The Flash in the first live-action standalone film for the character. Miller first appeared as The Flash in a brief tease in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, then made his full debut in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, introducing him into the DCEU proper. He also had a blink-and-miss-it cameo in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The actor also appeared in costume for an episode of CW’s The Flash, where he met that version of the character, played by Grant Gustin.
Director Andy Muschietti directs The Flash, which serves not only as the first live-action feature for The Flash, but also brings back one of the original DC actors in Michael Keaton’s Batman/Bruce Wayne, who previously starred as the character in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. Keaton’s return marks the beginning of the DCEU’s venture into the multiverse, which will have the old Batman team-up with The Flash and potentially with the Snyderverse Batman, played once again by Ben Affleck in the film. For Miller, this marks a more in-depth look at his character, as well as a sprucing up of his iconic costume.
Now, the first full look at the costume is here, after a number of teases since last year’s DC FanDome. For today’s event, The Flash showed off a brief teaser that revealed Ezra Miller in the new costume, which has the glowing lines throughout and gold boots. The tease features voice over from Michael Keaton’s Batman and delves into the multiverse aspect of the film, eventually showing Miller in the famed Batcave from the Tim Burton Batman films, as well as a brief look at Keaton’s Batman in silhouette. A look at Sasha Calle as Supergirl is also seen in the Batcave alongside The Flash, meaning that at least those three characters will interact in the film. Take a closer look at the images below:
The operators behind the pernicious TrickBot malware have resurfaced with new tricks that aim to increase its foothold by expanding its distribution channels, ultimately leading to the deployment of ransomware such as Conti.The threat actor, tracked under the monikers ITG23 and Wizard Spider, has been found to partner with other cybercrime gangs known Hive0105, Hive0106 (aka TA551 or Shathak), and Hive0107, adding to a growing number of campaigns that the attackers are banking on to deliver proprietary malware, according to a report by IBM X-Force.”These and other cybercrime vendors are infecting corporate networks with malware by hijacking email threads, using fake customer response forms and social engineering employees with a fake call center known as BazarCall,” researchers Ole Villadsen and Charlotte Hammond said.Since emerging on the threat landscape in 2016, TrickBot has evolved from a banking trojan to a modular Windows-based crimeware solution, while also standing out for its resilience, demonstrating the ability to maintain and update its toolset and infrastructure despite multiple efforts by law enforcement and industry groups to take it down. Besides TrickBot, the Wizard Spider group has been credited with the development of BazarLoader and a backdoor called Anchor.While attacks mounted earlier this year relied on email campaigns delivering Excel documents and a call center ruse dubbed “BazaCall” to deliver malware to corporate users, recent intrusions beginning around June 2021 have been marked by a partnership with two cybercrime affiliates to augment its distribution infrastructure by leveraging hijacked email threads and fraudulent website customer inquiry forms on organization websites to deploy Cobalt Strike payloads.”This move not only increased the volume of its delivery attempts but also diversified delivery methods with the goal of infecting more potential victims than ever,” the researchers said.In one infection chain observed by IBM in late August 2021, the Hive0107 affiliate is said to have adopted a new tactic that involves sending email messages to target companies informing that their websites have been performing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on its servers, urging the recipients to click on a link for additional evidence. Once clicked, the link instead downloads a ZIP archive containing a malicious JavaScript (JS) downloader that, in turn, contacts a remote URL to fetch the BazarLoader malware to drop Cobalt Strike and TrickBot.”ITG23 has also adapted to the ransomware economy through the creation of the Conti ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and the use of its BazarLoader and Trickbot payloads to gain a foothold for ransomware attacks,” the researchers concluded. “This latest development demonstrates the strength of its connections within the cybercriminal ecosystem and its ability to leverage these relationships to expand the number of organizations infected with its malware.”Source: The Hacker News
The operators behind the pernicious TrickBot malware have resurfaced with new tricks that aim to increase its foothold by expanding its distribution channels, ultimately leading to the deployment of ransomware such as Conti.
The threat actor, tracked under the monikers ITG23 and Wizard Spider, has been found to partner with other cybercrime gangs known Hive0105, Hive0106 (aka TA551 or Shathak), and Hive0107, adding to a growing number of campaigns that the attackers are banking on to deliver proprietary malware, according to a report by IBM X-Force.
“These and other cybercrime vendors are infecting corporate networks with malware by hijacking email threads, using fake customer response forms and social engineering employees with a fake call center known as BazarCall,” researchers Ole Villadsen and Charlotte Hammond said.
Since emerging on the threat landscape in 2016, TrickBot has evolved from a banking trojan to a modular Windows-based crimeware solution, while also standing out for its resilience, demonstrating the ability to maintain and update its toolset and infrastructure despite multiple efforts by law enforcement and industry groups to take it down. Besides TrickBot, the Wizard Spider group has been credited with the development of BazarLoader and a backdoor called Anchor.
While attacks mounted earlier this year relied on email campaigns delivering Excel documents and a call center ruse dubbed “BazaCall” to deliver malware to corporate users, recent intrusions beginning around June 2021 have been marked by a partnership with two cybercrime affiliates to augment its distribution infrastructure by leveraging hijacked email threads and fraudulent website customer inquiry forms on organization websites to deploy Cobalt Strike payloads.
“This move not only increased the volume of its delivery attempts but also diversified delivery methods with the goal of infecting more potential victims than ever,” the researchers said.
In one infection chain observed by IBM in late August 2021, the Hive0107 affiliate is said to have adopted a new tactic that involves sending email messages to target companies informing that their websites have been performing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on its servers, urging the recipients to click on a link for additional evidence. Once clicked, the link instead downloads a ZIP archive containing a malicious JavaScript (JS) downloader that, in turn, contacts a remote URL to fetch the BazarLoader malware to drop Cobalt Strike and TrickBot.
“ITG23 has also adapted to the ransomware economy through the creation of the Conti ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and the use of its BazarLoader and Trickbot payloads to gain a foothold for ransomware attacks,” the researchers concluded. “This latest development demonstrates the strength of its connections within the cybercriminal ecosystem and its ability to leverage these relationships to expand the number of organizations infected with its malware.”
Image Credit: Dimitri karastelve We may all have our favorite apps and services, but loyalty only goes so far. When something suddenly stops working, it doesn’t take us long to go scrambling for alternatives. That’s just what’s been happening with Facebook and its properties lately, and a series of high-profile outages has had the consequence of pushing users to competing services, including Telegram. Now we’re seeing the evidence of that exodus, as the Telegram app crosses the 1 billion installs threshold in the Google Play Store.Facebook’s servers have been taking users for a roller-coaster ride this month, going down, up, and back down again within days. In addition to Facebook proper, many of those outages also affected Instagram and WhatsApp. The combined effect of that was to deny millions of users access to their favorite messaging platforms — and Telegram was only too happy to help pick up the slack.CEO Pavel Durov announced that Telegram managed to pick up some 70 million new users as a result of the shake-up, and that’s unsurprisingly led to a lot of new installs of the Telegram app. Late last night the Play Store’s listing finally rolled over from 500,000,000 installs to the lofty 1,000,000,000+.That’s a whole lot of phones running Telegram. Of course, it’s still got a ways to go to catch up with WhatsApp or Facebook, both members of the 5,000,000,000+ club, but you’ve gotta have to something to motivate you, right?
We may all have our favorite apps and services, but loyalty only goes so far. When something suddenly stops working, it doesn’t take us long to go scrambling for alternatives. That’s just what’s been happening with Facebook and its properties lately, and a series of high-profile outages has had the consequence of pushing users to competing services, including Telegram. Now we’re seeing the evidence of that exodus, as the Telegram app crosses the 1 billion installs threshold in the Google Play Store.
Facebook’s servers have been taking users for a roller-coaster ride this month, going down, up, and back down again within days. In addition to Facebook proper, many of those outages also affected Instagram and WhatsApp. The combined effect of that was to deny millions of users access to their favorite messaging platforms — and Telegram was only too happy to help pick up the slack.
CEO Pavel Durov announced that Telegram managed to pick up some 70 million new users as a result of the shake-up, and that’s unsurprisingly led to a lot of new installs of the Telegram app. Late last night the Play Store’s listing finally rolled over from 500,000,000 installs to the lofty 1,000,000,000+.
That’s a whole lot of phones running Telegram. Of course, it’s still got a ways to go to catch up with WhatsApp or Facebook, both members of the 5,000,000,000+ club, but you’ve gotta have to something to motivate you, right?
Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesElon Musk has entered rarified air in the world billionaire rankings. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is not only currently the richest person in the world, but is now worth as much as fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined.The 50-year-old’s net worth is $230 billion as of Friday morning, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Gates sits in fourth place with $130 billion and Buffett is No. 10 with $102 billion.Both Gates and Buffett previously held the mantle of world’s richest person. Musk first passed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest man in January with a net worth of $185 billion. Bezos had held the title since 2017.Musk has added more than $60 billion to his fortune this year thanks to the strong performance of Tesla stock as well as a recent share sale at SpaceX which valued the company at $100 billion. The SpaceX deal added $11 billion to Musk’s net worth, according to Bloomberg.Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have a combined net worth of $232 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBezos, who was recently the recipient of Musk’s trolling when the Tesla executive tweeted a silver medal emoji at him, is still the second-wealthiest person on earth with a $191 billion net worth.Of course, Gates and Buffett would be significantly closer to Musk in the wealth rankings were it not for the duo’s philanthropic giving. Both have given away tens of billions of dollars to charitable causes over the years, while Musk has been criticized for not giving away more of his massive fortune.Musk has previously said he prefers to remain anonymous when giving away money, and earlier this year asked Twitter users for “critical feedback” on ways he can donate.This year, Musk also pledged to give away $150 million — including a $100 million prize in a carbon removal contest — a figure that Recode estimates is larger than all his previous charitable giving.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Elon Musk has entered rarified air in the world billionaire rankings. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is not only currently the richest person in the world, but is now worth as much as fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined.
The 50-year-old’s net worth is $230 billion as of Friday morning, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Gates sits in fourth place with $130 billion and Buffett is No. 10 with $102 billion.
Both Gates and Buffett previously held the mantle of world’s richest person. Musk first passed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest man in January with a net worth of $185 billion. Bezos had held the title since 2017.
Musk has added more than $60 billion to his fortune this year thanks to the strong performance of Tesla stock as well as a recent share sale at SpaceX which valued the company at $100 billion. The SpaceX deal added $11 billion to Musk’s net worth, according to Bloomberg.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have a combined net worth of $232 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Bezos, who was recently the recipient of Musk’s trolling when the Tesla executive tweeted a silver medal emoji at him, is still the second-wealthiest person on earth with a $191 billion net worth.
Of course, Gates and Buffett would be significantly closer to Musk in the wealth rankings were it not for the duo’s philanthropic giving. Both have given away tens of billions of dollars to charitable causes over the years, while Musk has been criticized for not giving away more of his massive fortune.
Musk has previously said he prefers to remain anonymous when giving away money, and earlier this year asked Twitter users for “critical feedback” on ways he can donate.
This year, Musk also pledged to give away $150 million — including a $100 million prize in a carbon removal contest — a figure that Recode estimates is larger than all his previous charitable giving.
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