The Fanboy Podcast

EL FANBOY #62: "Bat Villain Murmurs, CYBORG Fading, Spideyverse, SOLO Killing Kennedy?"

On this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, host and Revenge of The Fans Editor-in-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles talks about the latest rumblings coming out of geekdom, sharing his insights and takes on what's going on. The big story earlier this week was that Penguin may be the main villain in The Batman and/or Birds of Prey. MFR takes a hard look at this information, discusses what he's heard, and what he thinks it all means. 

From there, he analyzes the latest writing on the wall that we won't be getting a Cyborg movie.

Up next on the docket is this news that Silver and Black is no longer on the Sony slate, having been pulled from its release date. MFR uses that news to give his two cents on what Sony and Marvel Studios need to do with the shared custody they have of the Spider-Man mythos.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is about to enter its second weekend and hopes are high (or low, depending on who you ask) about what it'll do at the box office. Beyond that, what does Solo mean for Kathleen Kennedy's legacy and her ability to effectively run Lucasfilm. With many fans calling for her head and trumpeting Solo's so-so performance as the main reason why, MFR weighs in on what the deal really is at this point.

EL FANBOY #61: "How Making The Most of A Little Will Help DC, Stalking Batfleck, and STAR WARS In Great Hands!"

On this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, host and Revenge of The Fans Editor-in-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles offers some additional perspective on some of the reporting he's done on the site this week. Namely things about the power structure at DC Entertainment, and how a new philosophy at the studio could be the best thing that ever happened to the DCU. 

He also touches on the latest Affleck rumors, reveals how he got this close to trying to pry an answer out of Affleck once and for all about his future as Batman.

From there, he touches on the latest news items coming out of that galaxy far, far away...namely the first batch of box office numbers for Solo: A Star Wars Story, how he's totally caved into his fanboy impulsiveness for the film he once declared was a hard NOLO, and what it means to have names like Favreau, Benioff, Weiss, and now James Mangold guiding the future of this beloved franchise.

In a somewhat unexpected tangent, MFR also delves into how what happened to WCW in the late 90s in the world of professional wrestling actually illustrates all of the good that can come out of having a boss who imposes strict limits on what you can do.

Indeed, the central theme of this El Fanboy is the idea of Making the most out of a little because it's important to never take for granted what's really important by taking full advantage of- and appreciating- what you do have.

EL FANBOY #60: "Announcing Batfleck's Future, Snyder Cut Status, Solo Thoughts, Reynolds Was Right, And So Was Thanos!"

On this week's El Fanboy Podcast, host Mario-Francisco Robles sounds off on the big question he's been seeing since last week's big rumors about Ben Affleck's future as Batman: "When will the studio finally address this officially?"

From there, he clues you in on the latest he's heard about the status of the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and how it factors into DC Entertainment's current plans under its new leadership. This leads into some chatter about how the company is handling its small-screen endeavors, whinch includes this week's big Arrowverse, DC Universe, and Gotham announcements.

There's also some discussion about Solo, with regard to the early reviews, what he's heard about the movie, and where his personal hype level is at for this new Star Wars Story.

MFR then turns his attention to Deadpool 2, and whether or not Ryan Reynolds got the last laugh after showing Tim Miller the door.

This week's El Fanboy wraps things up with MFR's revised thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War, now that he finally had a chance to see it for a second time. He picked up on some provocative, potentially controversial themes he noticed about the film's script, as well as uncovering some more of what makes Thanos such a compelling character (and yes, it's hard to call him a villain!)

EL FANBOY #59: "DC Bochinche: Superman, Batman, And The Flash"

Mario-Francisco Robles, host of the El Fanboy Podcast, has come into some exciting bochinche- aka gossip- about where the DC Cinematic Universe is headed (and what it wants to avoid) that he just has to share with you. From details about how Warner Bros. views Henry Cavill's Superman, to the most conclusive thing he's ever heard about Ben Affleck's future as Batman, and the reversion of Flashpoint back to The Flash, there's plenty to talk about!

EL FANBOY #58: "Non-Spoiler AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Thoughts, And Why The DCU Will Rise Like A Phoenix"

On this week's lean and mean edition of the El Fanboy Podcast, host Mario-Francisco Robles offers his brief, non-spoiler thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War, and sounds off on all of the DC news and rumors that have been clogging up the inter-webs these last few weeks.

MFR is fired up this week, with a show that's urgent and filled with passion.

Of note, he touches on:

• The WB/DC panel at CinemaCon, which included updates for Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2, and Shazam!
• The recent chatter from Henry Cavill and Christopher McQuarrie about the Superman Sequel

And plenty more!

EL FANBOY #57: "What Superman Means To Me, And An Inspiring Chat With BAD BEN's Nigel Bach!"

On this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, host Mario-Francisco dedicates an hour and change to his lifelong hero Superman, since this week marked the character's 80th anniversary. He delves deep into why the Last Son of Krypton means so much to him, and walks you through key memories he has about/with the character.

Whether it's the Christopher Reeve movies, the 80s action figures, Lois & Clark: The New Adventure of Superman, the Death of Superman comics, the dreadful Superman 64 video game, or his thoughts on Superman Returns and Man of Steel, MFR touches on everything about the character that's impacted him during his 34 years on this earth.

He does so, as usual, in a deeply confessional, personal way. He points out the key memories he has of where he was in his life when he made certain discoveries about Superman, and how the character became a faithful friend to him.

Then he turns his attention to a filmmaker he thinks you'll find very inspiring- especially if you're an aspiring filmmaker, yourself. His name is Nigel Bach, and he's created a trilogy of "found footage" horror-comedies that are performing beautifully on Amazon Prime Video, and MFR picks his brain about all aspects of that. Nigel has some wonderful insights to share, and his story is truly one that has to be told.

The films in question are Bad Ben, the prequel Steelmanville Road, and Badder Ben. But it's not so much the films that are the heart of the conversation, but rather Bach;s gumption, determination, and the way he acted as a one-man-band, taking care of every aspect of these movies...beginning with "winging" the first one when his actors all bailed on him.

Truly, a riveting story and perspective from a man who decided after 30 years of writing and trying to fit into someone else's idea of a screenwriter/filmmaker to just say, "Screw it. I'm gonna do this myself."

You've got to hear him tell you his story.

EL FANBOY #56: "It's Time For Batman To Embrace His Zorro Roots, What Thanos Represents, And More!"

On this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, Revenge of The Fans Editor-in-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles sounds off on a number of pressing issues. With Jake Gyllenhaal making his first public remarks about the possibility of playing Batman, MFR discusses how he'd love to see things play out with the current cinematic incarnation of the Dark Knight. 

From there, he discusses the highs and lows of reporting scoops, and how he plans to handle future bits of bochinche he comes across (HINT: Listeners of this show will be quite happy)

He then brings back the recurring Marvel Memories segment, this time focusing on Phase 3, as we lead up to the arrival of Avengers: Infinity War. On the subject of Infinity War, MFR tackles some of the latest reports regarding the Fox-Disney merger and what he thinks it means for some of the big fan theories/wants with regard to this movie.

He then poses a bit of a conundrum he's come across, related to bringing the X-Men "home" to Marvel, and he wants your help in figuring out how big of a problem this will be.

He wraps things up with his referrals(s) for the week, a tease for things to come, and his Box Office Predictions for this weekend.

EL FANBOY #55: "The Age of Endless Studio Tinkering- Delays, Reshoots, and Drama, Oh My!"

On this week's episode of the El Fanboy Podcast, host and Revenge of The Fans Editor-in-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles takes a look at the latest Hollywood craze: Studios Tinkering And Overhauling Their Movies Until The Moment They Arrive In Theaters.

MFR discusses where he thinks this trend began (hint: It's not with Batman v Superman or Justice League), what he thinks it means to the filmmaking process and to us as consumers of these entertainments, and how it's all a negative side effect of something most people love: Shared Cinematic Universes.

For this topic, he examines recent examples of large scale overhauls in franchises like Star Wars, the DCU, and the current Fox/X-Men Universe.

Then, in an effort to make up for the lack of a Revengers Podcast this week, MFR invites one of his co-hosts from that show, Brett Miro, onto El Fanboy for a full-blown news segment. But before that, the duo gives their non-spoiler impressions of Ready Player One- which they saw together last night as part of a Revengers Watch Party in Queens.

Then, together, they cover all of the week's top stories, including:

• Ready Player One's box office prospects
• The big delays for X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants
• Interesting updates on the plot and characters we should expect to see in Deadpool 2
• That unicorn of a movie known as Gambit
• The casting and character possibilities for Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 2
• Mark Hamill's endless "What If?" chatter when it comes to Star Wars, and how disorganized the storytelling structure seems to be at Lucasfilm
• Those Solo rumors regarding the changes Ron Howard needed to implement when he took over for Chris Lord and Phil Miller

And more!

EL FANBOY #54: "There Is No Negative AQUAMAN Buzz, What Counts As News? And More Marvel Memories"

On this week's edition of the El Fanboy Podcast, host and Revenge of The Fans Editor-in-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles takes a sledgehammer to what passes for "news" these days. He points out how dangerous narratives get created, makes amends for times he's contributed to the noise in the past, and clarifies what the mission statement for RTF is and what he thinks fans should be focusing on. This comes on the heels of films like Deadpool 2 and Aquaman getting embroiled in needlessly negative coverage over...not much.

Along the way, he also touches on some interesting things he's heard about some hotly-anticipated projects, including one DC animated feature that should have fans of DC's animated division and Batman something to shout about.

From there, this El Fanboy episode picks up where last week's left off...recalling and analyzing the different Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

EL FANBOY #53: "The NEW GODS Announcement, That INFINITY WAR Trailer, And Marvel Memories!"

On this week's hyper-energized edition of the El Fanboy Podcast (brought to you, unofficially by Cafe Bustelo!) host Mario-Francisco Robles runs down the two biggest things happening in geekdom today: The major DC news story that Ava DuVernay has been hired to bring Jack Kirby's New Gods to the big screen for DC Entertainment, and that Marvel kicked off its massive campaign for Avengers: Infinity War by dropping the latest trailer and putting the tickets up for pre-sale!

MFR also introduces a new weekly segment, as part of the lead-up to Infinity War, where he recounts his memories/thoughts on each MCU movie in the chronological order in which they were released. This week, he tackles all of Marvel's Phase One, and- along the way- he spontaneously discovers a very personal thread that ran through those films. 

Along the way he drops a tantalizing tease from one of his WB/DC insiders, ponders what Thanos' Finger Snap of Doom could be used for in Infinity War, and reveals how you can see this next Avengers epic alongside him and a bunch of other RTF team members at the official Revengers: Infinity War Watch Party!