Month: February 2021

The Weeknd’s After Hours is an ongoing event in a way that few albums have ever been. Yes, he started releasing singles from it in 2019 and dropped the album itself in 2020, which is all pretty standard stuff. All the while, though, he has been building a narrative that extends beyond the actual 56 minutes of audio on the record.

Through his songs, videos, and public appearances, The Weeknd has been telling a story, a long-running bit to which he has shown unwavering commitment. His antics have generated a lot of brow-raising attention in recent days due to The Weeknd’s appearance, specifically the plastic surgery-altered look he first presented in his “Save Your Tears” video. This look didn’t pop up out of nowhere, but was instead a wild progression from start to now.

Now that The Weeknd is fresh off performing at halftime of the Super Bowl, it seems like an appropriate time to run through how he went from first putting on his red suit to where he stands today.

November 2019 — The Weeknd introduces his red-suit look with “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights”

The Weeknd kicked off the After Hours era with the album’s lead single, “Heartless,” which he released on November 27, 2019. Two days later, he released “Blinding Lights,” which is improbably but understandably still near the top of the charts all this time later. The promotional images for those singles were the public’s introduction to The Weeknd’s new aesthetic: short afro, big glasses, and red suit.

In early December, The Weeknd shared his video for “Heartless,” which launched the de facto After Hours cinematic universe. In the clip, he has a wild night in a casino and starts to lose control after licking a psychedelic toad. Soon after, he put on the first in a series of innovative late-night TV performances with a fourth-wall-breaking rendition of “Heartless,” in which he performed the song while working his way to the Colbert stage, eventually making it there just in time for the song to be over.

January 2020 to August 2020 — Rough shape

As was the case for much of the rest of the world, 2020 was when things started going wrong for The Weeknd… or rather, just for his character and not real-life Abel Tesfaye, who had as prosperous a year as anybody. On January 21, he released his “Blinding Lights” video, in which he emerges from a night out with a face covered in cuts and bruises. A couple of days later, he performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was seemingly still recovering from his wounds, as he had a streak of fresh blood on the side of his face and a bandage on the bridge of his nose.

That’s a look he maintained for a while with some tweaks here and there, as he appeared to be in similar condition in his “After Hours” short film, while performing on Saturday Night Live in March, in the “Until I Bleed Out” video, in his animated “Snowchild” visual, and while performing at the VMAs in August 2020,

March 2020 and October 2020 — The Weeknd loses his head

This is where it starts to seem that maybe the story The Weeknd is trying to tell isn’t told in an entirely linear way or at least isn’t presented in strict chronological order. On March 23, he released a video for “In Your Eyes,” and that visual ends The Weeknd being decapitated by an axe (which, glass half full, was at least an efficient way to get beheaded). Then, on October 22, that head turns up on a neighborhood street in the “Too Late” video, in which it is eventually attached to a new body. Between those two points, The Weeknd made plenty of public appearances and released videos with his head intact.

So who knows: Maybe the After Hours story isn’t entirely linear, maybe the decapitation arc is a side story that’s not completely canon, or maybe I should stop being so nitpicky and just enjoy things.

November 2020 — Under the knife

On November 22, The Weeknd performed at the American Music Awards, and some major progression (or regression, depending on your point of view) began, as pretty much all of The Weeknd’s face was covered in bandages. He explained the look in a recent interview, saying, “The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated.”

After the beating his face had been through, it was understandable that his visage could use a little TLC. “A little” is a gross understatement for what we saw next, though.

January 2021 — The Weeknd’s new face

The situation came to a head with the “Save Your Tears” video on January 5 — and what a head it was. In the clip, The Weeknd introduced his transformation, which looked like the end result of configuring the most extreme face possible while making a custom NBA 2K player. All of his features were wildly exaggerated, but the look was convincing enough to make some people believe it was real. He has since made public appearances where he looks like the Abel Tesfaye we all know and love, though, and the person behind the “plastic surgery” explained how the prosthetics came together.

February 2021 — The Super Bowl halftime show

Ahead of his big performance, The Weeknd noted that his halftime show was part of the After Hours narrative universe, saying, “I will still incorporate some of the storyline. It’s a very cohesive story I’ve been telling throughout this era and throughout this year. So the story will continue.” So, if what happened during halftime was “canon,” as it were, then it appears The Weeknd’s journey of facial transformation is over, at least for now.

Throughout his performance, The Weeknd was back to his old self, his face free of alterations, bandages, and the like. He made a nod to his under-the-knife work, though, as he was joined by many dozens of bandaged backup dancers at various points during the show.

Saying that something positive was the perfect analogy for 2020 is a tired trope at this point (especially since that year is gone), but in a way, The Weeknd’s After Hours look really did mirror the pandemic: It had a lot of twists that nobody saw coming and gradually became a trainwreck from which we couldn’t look away. The big difference, though, is that this odyssey is something we actually enjoyed and want to see continue into 2021.

Elon Musk just sent the price of another cryptocurrency soaring, but this time, he’s not joking around. Tesla announced on Monday morning that it has invested $1.5 billion into Bitcoin, causing the price to reach a record high of $43,725.51. It was a bold move by the electric car company as it lays down future plans to accept the crypto coin as payment. Via Bloomberg:

The electric-car market leader said in a filing Monday that it made the bet on Bitcoin after updating its investment policy last month to allow the company to invest in digital assets as well as gold bullion and gold exchange-traded funds. “We expect to begin accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limited basis,” Tesla said in the securities filing.

Last week, Musk caused waves in the crypto world by pumping up DogeCoin, which was a joke currency created to mock Bitcoin. However, it’s popularity and price rose significantly during the GameStop stock surge thanks to Musk repeatedly posting memes about the coin. That said, Musk has since clarified that his non-stop Doge posting is just for laughs, and he knows the real money is in Bitcoin.

“Speaking on social audio app Clubhouse on Feb. 1, Musk said he’s a supporter of Bitcoin and thinks it’s ‘a good thing.’ He added that his comments on Dogecoin were meant as jokes,” Bloomberg reports.

Doge saw another spike in price thanks to Snoop Dogg and Gene Simmons tweeting about the coin, and of course, Musk couldn’t resist jumping in. Despite Tesla’s massive investment in Bitcoin, Musk is still going hard on the Doge memes on Twitter.

(Via Bloomberg)

R&B musician and actress Chloe Bailey, half of the Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle, recently opened up about her attention-grabbing, grown-ish social media posts via Instagram Live. The 22-year-old says she’s received comments ranging from support regarding her “new image” to full-on slut-shaming for her confident dance videos.

“[Dance and music] is where I find my confidence,” she says in the video. “It really means a lot to me when I can finally get to a place where I [can] share who I really am.” Many detractors of her uploads have collectively failed to recognize that — despite coming into the public eye as a teenager — Bailey is now a woman in control, noticeable not just through her posts, but in her work. Chloe x Halle’s latest album Ungodly Hour was praised for exploring more adult themes, and in an interview with Billboard, Chloe notes that the project’s title represents “loving every layer of ourselves” — such as the “good side” and the “naughty side.”

Unfortunately, Black women are often seen as “doing too much” when the world is not comfortable bearing witness to their autonomous thoughts and presentation. Destructive stereotypes regarding Black feminine sexuality, demeanor, and agency have been propagated for centuries, and these harmful ideas continue to spread through inaccurate, narrow-minded thinking. But with Chloe x Halle’s music serving as a reflection of their growth, they join a long line of Black female musicians whose work captures their journey of self-acceptance.

Black female artists have expertly risen above pain with music about emotional and physical self-love — a radical act in and of itself. As new ways to consume popular music spread during the early 20th century, these musicians have used their careers to reclaim the attributes society has been conditioned to fear about them, such as inner pride, unapologetic sexual freedom, and awareness of uneven power structures. Black women in music being comfortable with the skin they’re in provides not only a therapeutic platform for them but also an enlightening, edifying one for fans who may feel similarly.

In the 1920s and ‘30s, “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey’s illustrious ownership of her Blackness, femininity, and queerness was as acclaimed as her catalog. During the Civil Rights era, Nina Simone’s 1965 album I Put A Spell On You introduced a lighthearted side to the radical artist, especially through the song “Feeling Good.” Her emotionally-emancipated performance amplifies the necessity of joy amidst adversity, which resonates strongly within the Black community.

Black female artists across genres in the ‘70s and ‘80s continued to release art pertaining to unapologetic self-love, such as Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude” and Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love Of All.” Then, in the late ‘80s and ‘90s with hip-hop and rap’s ascension, Black women’s overt reclamation of their sexual power brought self-love to new heights.

Queen Latifah, Salt N’ Pepa, and TLC widened the cultural lens of the genre’s notoriously misogynistic purview with “Ladies First,” “None Of Your Business,” and “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg”; all songs kept it real about independence, strength, and desire. The late ‘90s also provided a balanced look at the nuanced layers of Black female sexuality. Where Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott created work regarding love, power, and sex without showing skin, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown released similar content while dressing provocatively. Both approaches show that Black women have the agency to decide how they want to portray self-love and confidence, with neither negating the way she views herself as a whole.

Black female self-acceptance in the 21st century is a combination of mental fortitude, emotional assurance, and physical pride. In the 2000s, India.Arie let us know she loves herself — flaws and all — with “Video,” and Alicia Keys and Jill Scott similarly released content with straightforward honesty, like “Superwoman” and “Golden.” When “Black Girl Magic” was brought into the lexicon during the 2010s, Janelle Monáe, Solange and Lizzo purveyed these ideas with fearless tracks such as “Q.U.E.E.N,” “Don’t Touch My Hair,” and “Good As Hell.” Beyoncé continues to release work regarding Black beauty and confidence with culture-shifting songs and projects like “***Flawless,” Lemonade, and Black Is King. As with women rappers, some of these musicians wear revealing outfits or perform in a sexual manner — and still make their points.

Through the examples of Black female musicians — in addition to those of strong women in their own lives — one can hope that more Black women will find the confidence to be themselves unapologetically. Regardless of society’s damaging generalizations, it’s integral for Black women to relish in their power on all fronts, not only to prove something to themselves but to inspire others and shift the way the world views Black women in general.

“For every woman out there, don’t change who you are to make society feel comfortable,” Chloe Bailey tearfully, joyfully, resiliently concludes in her Instagram Live session. “I really love who I am. I’m not going to change who I am.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

If you’re even on the fringes of NBA Twitter you might see people lament being “in line” behind thousands of others on some nights. Eventually, you might see them express frustration that whatever they’re in line for is out of stock. And unless they’re getting vaccinated en masse, they’re probably hoping to snag the latest packs of NBA Top Shot.

You’ve probably seen people talking about Top Shot, or even reveling in the big purchase they made of a “moment” from their favorite player. There might be talk of rarity, new pack releases, and challenges they need to complete in order to acquire even more moments. It all sounds vaguely like trading card collecting, or maybe stock day trading. That’s because it’s kind of both. Top Shot has seen a huge leap in popularity in an extremely small amount of time, especially in recent weeks. The company literally can’t keep its product in stock, and in a world where a bunch of people on Reddit can band together to cause chaos on the stock market, there’s a lot of talk about NBA Top Shot as a commodity in and of itself.

But if you’re still confused about what Top Shot even is, we’ve got you covered.

What Is Top Shot?

NBA Top Shot was announced in the summer of 2019 as a partnership between the Association and Dapper Labs, which maintains the technology behind the blockchain-based platform where people can buy, sell, and trade numbered versions of officially-licensed video highlights from NBA games. There’s a lot more to it than that, but it’s the simplest way to describe what Top Shot is: video highlights from games, packaged in various forms and bought and sold by people who want them.

It’s part digital sports trading card, part highlight, and part commodity. It debuted in the fall of 2019, and in just over a year, it’s become a phenomena all its own. But it’s a phenomena that absolutely requires explaining, as it sits at the intersection of our present moment’s commodification of virality, obsession with collectability, and evolving understanding of blockchain technology. Tech nerds, NBA fans, and people looking for the next big collectable all seem hooked by Top Shot for one reason or another.

What’s The Blockchain?

OK, I am definitely NOT the person to explain that. But what you need to know is that it’s a secure list of records linked together by cryptography that’s used to keep things safe and secure. It’s why tech people are so excited about cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, and it’s used to keep Top Shot secure.

If that sounds confusing, that’s reasonable. So let’s try to answer a few more questions and I’ll try not to use the word “blockchain” again.

What’s A Moment?

NBA Top Shot is, absolutely, having a moment. But it’s also made of Moments, or video highlights from a particular player. There are dunks, passes, blocks, and even lay-ups all available for sale from some of the NBA’s biggest stars. And some Moments are rarer and more valuable than others. While common packs of moments start at $9, more rare packs cost $999 for 10 random Moments. The most rare Moments have routinely topped six figures on the resale market, and people expect them to eventually sell for much more than that.

Moments can be sold off right away, but Top Shot has a reward system for collecting certain Moments, which unlock exclusive reward Moments that also have value in their own right. It’s a game, kind of, and one that can get expensive if you want certain moments added to your collection.

Why Does This Sound Familiar?

Well, it’s something that’s sort of been done before online in various forms. Cartoon Network and Turner once had a website in the early 2000s called Cartoon Orbit that had hundreds of thousands of kids acquiring tradeable images from cartoons, usually animation cells from shows. You could buy them using virtual currency you earned, and even auction them off for huge windfalls if they were particularly rare. There were challenges to unlock others, and there was apparently even a plan to turn the currency into real money. Which, in a way, is exactly what NBA Top Shot is now, just with basketball highlights instead of images from Dexter’s Laboratory.

But Isn’t It Just A Bunch Of GIFs?

Well, kind of! The actual video contained in a Moment is probably available elsewhere, including on team Twitter accounts and YouTube and basically every sports channel if the highlight is cool enough. But avid Top Shot collectors insist there’s more to it than just seeing a clip online. There’s an ownership element with Top Shot that those who’ve bought in rave about. Here’s how Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explained away the difference in a recent blog post about collecting and Top Shot in particular:

I get to enjoy knowing I own my Maxi Kleber dunk Moment, along with knowing the serial number and much more. Some people might complain that I can get the same video on the internet anywhere any time and watch it. Well guess what, I can get the same picture on any traditional, physical card on the internet and print it out, and that doesn’t change the value of the card.

You’ll find this comparison made in a lot of places: sports trading cards are often created from images you can find elsewhere, printed on cardboard in varying quantities to create their own value. For NBA Top Shot, the value theoretically comes from the quality of the video, the digital packaging Top Shot creates with additional stats and info, and the scarcity attached — not to mention the security of the blockchain. (whoops) For many, it’s a commodity as much as it is memorabilia, one that’s just starting to build its value as interest increases and the number of moments remains tightly controlled.

How Is Scarcity Controlled?

There’s a whole other guide to that, which sort of speaks to how complex that whole formula may be. There are generally two different kinds of Moment: Limited Edition (LE), which have a finite number of versions created and are generally more valuable, and Circulating Count (CC), which has an amount that may change as more packs are released.

Right now I can tell you there are zero new packs available at all, and a lot of different Moments available on the secondary market. That peer-to-peer marketplace has its own spikes in popularity, price, and scarcity that’s driven by what people want to buy and sell, along with what Top Shot makes available. It’s all pretty interesting to watch, and unlike the stock market, the people in charge of the market are pretty transparent about how things are going (for now).

As much as NBA Top Shot is a sports phenomenon, it’s not. It’s a tech product, still technically in beta, and there seem to be changes constantly happening. Releases don’t always go smoothly, things break, and others get fixed as the product itself evolves in real time. What’s refreshing here, though, is that the company seems to be pretty forthright about, both good and bad.

Should I Start A Top Shot Collection?

Listen, friend, I am far from a financial expert here. I’m just reading the news, so to speak. But it’s absolutely interesting to watch, and there’s a considerable sense of FOMO that happens when new packs hit the market and people share their successes and failures.

The secondary market sells individual clips starting at $2 each, so even with demand causing thousands of people to miss out on new packs, it’s a pretty cheap entry point into the Top Shot game. But know that, like all collectable items with gambling-adjacent odds and emotions, it’s a slippery slope with a costly mountain of rarity and exclusivity waiting on the other side. And until further notice, you’ll see considerable competition, which means it will be tough to find any easy deals.

There is plenty of information and data available, though: The folks running things at Dapper consistently update people on what’s going on with Top Shot, including tweaks and what’s essentially a video game roadmap-style update on what’s next. Top Shot is very good at sharing detailed breakdowns of just what you’re buying, and their Discord also shares updates on just who managed to snag packs and how they’re battling users taking advantage of the system to score large amounts of packs. It’s a nice change from commodities where ordinary people are woefully unprepared to battle the big guys.

But it’s far from perfect. Saturday’s release of $999 legendary packs of 10 Moments, for example, saw a glitch let people buy packs without waiting in the queue if they joined at just the right time — a frustration for some trying to get one of the 2,331 packs made available, to say the least. But the release did have one bright spot: Each pack went to a different collector, according to Dapper’s data, which means the rare stuff went out to lots of different people, an improvement over an earlier common release pack from earlier in the week.

Dapper says they want to keep Base Set packs available at all times but are struggling to keep up with demand, and they’re selling out in minutes, just like the rarest of packs with the highest-value cards. But that means there are plenty available on the secondary market, and there are lots of more-common moments available to buy right now if you’re willing to pay a bit of a premium. And if you’re a fan of a less popular players, there’s a bevy of good highlights for you to acquire.

Get-rich quick commodities seem all the rage online these days — especially when the blockchain is involved — which is certainly part of the appeal of Top Shot for some speculators. Telling financially-strapped people to pay for anything right now is certainly a tough ask, but we live in a world where gamers sink millions of dollars into virtual currency to bulk up create-a-players and packs of virtual soccer stars in sports sims they may play for less than a year before upgrading. With NBA Top Shot, at least in theory, these packs will have some actual value. That value may only exist when a video is sold, but believers in the market hope Moments become a collectable on par with trading cards, sports memorabilia, and player autographs.

If not, at least they’ll have quite an impressive highlight reel to watch.

The friendship between Grimes and Lil Uzi Vert has come a long way. In 2019, Grimes revealed that Uzi once asked to collaborate and then ghosted her. They’ve become friends over Twitter in more recent times, though, and now they’re apparently “making hits” together. Now it looks like they plan on taking thing even further than that, as they seem to be making plans to get “brain chips” together.

Over the weekend, Uzi tweeted, “NEURALINK,” the name of Elon Musk’s startup that says of itself on its website, “We are creating the future of brain interfaces: building devices now that will help people with paralysis and inventing new technologies that will expand our abilities, our community, and our world.”

These “brain interfaces” would likely involve some sort of implant, so Grimes responded to Uzi’s tweet, “Let’s get brain chips.” Uzi seems serious about going through with this, as he replied, “I’m ready when we doing it ?” Grimes responded, “Let’s aim for chips by 2022. it’s experimental surgery but if it succeeds we’ll have the knowledge of the Gods haha.” Uzi then wrapped up the online part of the conversation, “Okay !!! I will call u for more detail.”

All in all, it’s not entirely surprising to see that Uzi has an interest in this sort of body modification considering he just had a pink diamond embedded into his forehead.

Check out the tweets below.

Every actor should get to play John Wick at some point — it’s now Bob Odenkirk’s turn. In Nobody, the Better Call Saul star plays a suburban husband and father who’s as adept at making lasagna for his loving family as he is shooting bad guys. And building nail bombs. And screaming things like “GIVE ME THE KITTY CAT BRACELET.” Also, Odenkirk’s character is named Hutch Mansell. I need to see this movie immediately.

“I get the sh*t kicked out of me in this movie,” Odenkirk told EW about Nobody. “I really wanted to go way far outside, like 180 degrees outside my comfort zone. Just commit to this guy, commit to his rage, and commit to his commitment to what he’s doing.” Once you drink your own pee in the New Mexico desert, you fear nothing. You also get hot:

Here’s more:

When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son is disappointed in him and his wife seems to pull only further away. The aftermath of the incident strikes a match to Hutch’s long-simmering rage, triggering dormant instincts and propelling him on a brutal path that will surface dark secrets and lethal skills. In a barrage of fists, gunfire, and squealing tires, Hutch must save his family from an adversary — and ensure that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again.

Nobody, which is directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) and written by John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad, comes out on April 2.

Back in June of 2018, Fear the Walking Dead killed off Madison Clarke, a decision I begrudgingly agreed with at the time. Ever since that episode, however, it feels like fans of Fear the Walking Dead have been fueling rumors of her return nonstop. In fact, as recently as two months ago, showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg were fueling those rumors themselves, acknowledging that Madison’s return was a possibility and even going so far as to cite scheduling concerns/possibilities.

Those rumors picked up steam this week when it revealed that Fear the Walking Dead would be shooting in Round Rock, Texas. Fear the Walking Dead fans know that Dell Diamond Stadium is located in Round Rock, and Dell Diamond stadium is where Madison Clarke died… or did she? We never saw her body, and so it stands to reason that she could have survived (Daniel, after all, once survived being shot in the face).

Meanwhile, we learned from Colman Domingo that shooting on Season 7 of Fear the Walking Dead begins in two months, which means that the work being done now in Round Rock is still part of Season 6B. For those who believe shooting near Dell Diamond stadium suggests that Madison will return, it stands to reason that Madison could return as soon as Season 6B (instead of Season 7).

Of course, there’s been no confirmation that Kim Dickens would return. In fact, those who sought out the shooting location saw only the actors who play Daniel, Luciana, and Wes in attendance. Moreover, Alycia Debnam Carey — who plays Madison’s daughter — has been back in Australia for several weeks, and it would be strange to bring back Madison without immediately reuniting her with Alicia.

On the other hand, of all the places in Texas, why return to the site of Madison’s “death”? What if Madison is still alive, and Daniel, Luciana, and Wes discover her in the final seconds of the sixth season finale as a sort of cliffhanger?

For what it is worth, I should also note that the original plan of Dave Erickson — the first showrunner on Fear the Walking Dead — was to turn Madison into a villain in the seventh season. I suppose, for now, we can keep that in the realm of possibility.

Fear the Walking Dead will return on April 11th. The Walking Dead, meanwhile, returns later this month, on February 28th.

There isn’t a consensus best commercial from Super Bowl LV, but “Whip It Out” might be the worst. You may have missed the cringe when it aired before halftime as you were getting ready for “ladies and gentlemen… the Weeknd,” but the 30-second ad for CURE Auto Insurance is being criticized for making light of workplace sexual harassment.

Two co-workers, one male and one female, march into their boss’ office, where the female employee says, “Tommy just brought me into his office and whipped out his opinion.” Tommy claims he “didn’t just whip it out. She was into it. Plus, I have a pretty big opinion,” to which his co-worker responds, “Oh please, it’s not that big.” The boss interjects, “Tommy, not everyone in this office wants your opinion,” but Tommy mentions last week’s happy hour “when you begged me for my opinion?” You get the idea. What does this have to do with car insurance? “We can’t protect your opinion, but we can protect your car,” a voiceover informs the approximately 100 million people watching at home, most of whom aren’t going to remember to switch to a new car insurance. But they will remember the uncomfortable jokes about sexual harassment in the workplace.

This is what we get for thinking the fancy nut dying was as “yikes!” as Super Bowl commercials could go.

The Weeknd performed at the halftime of the Super Bowl last night and his show went off without a hitch. His performance seemed to be without flaw, there were no technical issues, the choreography was on point, and so on. Maybe that’s thanks in part to the help that The Weeknd got from James Corden.

On the episode of The Late Late Show that aired ahead of the big game, The Weeknd joined Corden for a sketch in which the host tries to “save” The Weeknd’s performance. Corden’s advice didn’t make it into the halftime show, as The Weeknd wrapped the sketch by announcing to his crew, “OK, forget everything we just did, never let that man in this building again.”

Ahead of the performance, The Weeknd explained why it didn’t have any guest stars, saying, “I’ve been reading a lot of rumors. I wouldn’t bet on it. There wasn’t any room to fit it in the narrative, in the story I was telling in the performance. So yeah, there’s no special guests.” He also explained how the show fit in with the After Hours narrative: “I definitely want to be respectful to the viewers at home. I will still incorporate some of the storyline. It’s a very cohesive story I’ve been telling throughout this era and throughout this year. So the story will continue, but definitely we’ll keep it PG for the families. I’ll try my best.”

Check out the sketch above.

Disney+’s WandaVision is currently exceeding fan expectations while pushing the MCU into wild and wacky new territory, and it sure looks like the high-octane The Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer (which dropped during the Super Bowl) promises to keep up the action-end of Phase Four, probably with a few surprises along the way. The trailer revealed the return of not only Daniel Brühl’s Baron Helmut Zemo but also (to much applause) the return of (the kickass and confrontational) Sharon Carter, who may have been in the wind since Captain America: Civil War. What will Steve’s one-time love interest have to say about Steve Rogers deciding to travel back in time to be with her aunt Peggy? God only knows, but a more pressing question for the future of the MCU would be this: who gets to be the new Captain America?

Fans will remember that Steve officially handed the shield to Sam Wilson/Falcon at the end of Avengers: Endgame, but nerds also know that, in the comics, both Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Sam took up the shield at various points. So, there’s bound to be a little friction there. Bucky quietly signaled his approval to Sam taking the shield in Endgame, but he also looked a little sad. Whatever the case, though, the new Disney+ trailer is teasing us and refusing to hand out a real clue on which member of this buddy comedy will emerge with the shield. In fact, this moment around 0:45 follows up a peek at Steve Rogers’ memorial with Sam and Bucky apparently training with the shield.

In short, this trailer tells us very little except that it’s sure not set in stone that Sam Wilson will be the MCU’s next Captain America. In fact, since Bucky’s catching the darn thing, that might lend hope that he’s the one who ultimately ends up doing the honors. Are they competing in this scene, or are they simply practicing? Could they possibly even share duties with the shield? I don’t freaking know, but from the way that Bucky catches that hunk of vibranium, I can’t help but think of a certain moment in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when a then-unidentified Bucky momentarily snagged the shield from Steve. This was a dramatic moment that many saw as foreshadowing.

Several movies later, Bucky arguably got the shaft after he and Steve vowed to be together “until the end of the line.” That’s bittersweet, but also Bucky is not of completely sound mind after everything that he’s been through. Still, Anthony Mackie recently threw out signals that Bucky may very well have a shot; yep, and Mackie got very cryptic while pointing out to Collider that Sam never agreed to be the new Cap:

“We don’t know that yet. The show, the idea of the show is basically, you know, and at the end of Endgame, Cap decided he was going into retirement and he asked me if I would take up the shield, but at no point in time did I agree to or say that I would be Captain America. So, the show walks the line of who is going to take up the shield and who’s going to be Captain America if Steve isn’t coming back.”

It would actually be quite funny if we found out that Sam didn’t wanna be Cap but didn’t want to hurt Steve’s feelings by articulating that sentiment. In any event, get ready for some mega-drama with the shield, y’all.

Elsewhere in the trailer, I sure enjoyed the whole play on “couple’s therapy” with Bucky being asked, “Why does Sam aggravate you?” The answer to that question (from Captain America: Civil War) will never get old: leg room! Oh, here’s a poster.

Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on March 19.