“Stranger Things” star David Harbour and singer Lily Allen were first rumored to have separated in December 2024. The reports were then confirmed in February, and she released her fifth album, “West End Girl,” in October, reportedly about their breakup. Now, months later, Harbour is breaking his silence and also discussing his mental health.
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Harbour interviewed with Variety in June 2026. During the chat, the topic of his breakup with Allen came up, as did “West End Girl.”
Notably, on the album, one song depicts a partner who is jealous of her success and keeps a separate apartment to have sex with other people. Because of their relationship, many assumed the description to be about the “Stranger Things” alum.
Harbour offered his reaction, saying, “It was weird.” He continued, “I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that.”
After that, he stated, “I can’t really say that much more because it’s my private life. In spite of the fact that a lot of people don’t allow me a private life — I value it. And I also value the lives of the people that I interact with privately. I just won’t speak about that.”
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When told he had the license to debunk any of the claims made on “West End Girl,” Harbour tempered his comments. According to him, “Stories are complex, and that’s why I say I respect her creation of art to channel her experience. It wasn’t my experience.”
It’s also important to note that Allen has stated that she used her “artistic license” for the album and that not all the stories are real experiences.
David Says He Had A Break Down
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Harbour has been open about his struggles with mental health. This includes vulnerably discussing being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s. In his Variety interview, the reporter noted that his public image suffered in December after he was accused of erratic behavior in public.
In reflecting on this time in his life, Harbour revealed, “I had a breakdown.” He went on, “I do suffer from some confusing stuff — it’s confusing as hell. I think a lot of people have a friend or a brother or a co-worker that deals with mental health stuff, and they’re probably pretty confused when that person gets depressed or gets manic or has an episode.”
He then discussed the oftentimes harsh ways the public reacts to people with mental health conditions. According to him, “There’s a lot of irresponsible nonsense going on out there.” After that, as an example, he mentioned John Davidson, who shouted a racial slur at the BAFTA Awards.
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The actor stated, “That poor guy with Tourette’s and that unfortunate situation — we’re either going to acknowledge that mental illness is a thing or we’re not. We can stone everyone to death if you want!”
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Following the Variety interview, social media is reacting to Harbour’s comments both about Allen’s “West End Girl” and his mental health struggles. Overall, most respect his decision to mostly remain silent about his breakup with the singer.
One person wrote, “It’s probably best for both David and Lily that they just not speak about one another. Why do some famous people feel the need to bash their exes and keep the drama going?”
Someone else wrote, “What happened between them is no one’s business.” Regarding his mental health, one social media user said, “Good on him for being open and honest and what he went through.”
However, a different social media user pointed out the disparity between how people in Hollywood with mental health conditions are treated and the difficulties non-famous people face.
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They wrote, “Props to Harbour for owning this, but let’s be real, Hollywood romanticizes ‘gifts linked to illness’ while the rest of us lose jobs and relationships over the same chaos. Therapy’s great, but where’s the accountability line?”
The Actor Previosuly Opened Up About Being Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
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Harbour appeared on the WTF Podcast in 2018. During the interview, he detailed what led to his bipolar disorder diagnosis, revealing that it came after a manic episode. He shared, “I was sober for like a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was diagnosed as bipolar.”
The “DTF: St Louis” star continued, “I really had, like, a bit of a break where I thought I was in connection to some sort of god that I wasn’t really in connection to… It was like I had all the answers, suddenly.”
He continued the story, recalling, “Yeah, so I actually was, by my parents, taken into a mental asylum for a little bit.” Harbour then began taking medication, noting, “I’ve been medicated bipolar for a long time, and I’ve had problems going on and off. I’ve had a struggle, going on and off the medications.”
David Is Set For A New Movie
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Currently, Harbour has several projects in various stages of production. Recently, in June 2026, Deadline reported that he’s been tapped to star alongside Gabby Hoffman in a new dark comedy, “Little One.” Per IMDb, the production is underway.
He is also set to appear in such films as “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Violent Night 2.”
Bold and the Beautiful explodes as Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) is feeling so good about her launch over at Logan. But there is trouble coming and it might be down to Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and a huge legal issue that could stop Katie Logan (Heather Tom) and Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) right in their tracks and kill Hope’s collection for good.
So, we’re going to follow some red flags that Bold and the Beautiful has been waving about what could go wrong that could derail Hope’s big launch and it could actually ruin Katie’s fashion house when she has nowhere left to turn.
Bold and the Beautiful: Red Flags and Contractual Issues
All right, let’s talk about red flags. So, one big one popped up in late April when Hope and Steffy were talking about Forrester Creations putting her line on hold. Hope was upset. But Steffy said they had to prioritize Eric Forrester’s (John McCook) new couture collection to try and erase his collection for Logan from everybody’s minds.
And Hope pushed back and she reminded Steffy that she has a contract with them and that promises were made to her. But she pushed back on Hope and then Steffy was saying that the contract allows Forrester Creations the right to adjust and make business decisions. And she insisted to Hope that this is just good business. But she told Steffy that it felt personal.
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Hope’s Rocky Road at FC on B&B
I cannot recall one time ever over the years that Hope brought up having a contract with them. And yes, that makes sense in the business world. But not the soap world necessarily. Because Steffy has cancelled Hope’s line or put it on hold many times in the past.
And Steffy even fired her before and you know, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) made her do that walk of shame. But never once in all that time did Hope mention having a contract with Steffy and Ridge’s company. But I think there’s a reason for it to come up when Hope was talking to Steffy before Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton). And Katie started pitching Hope to come to Logan and work where she’s wanted.
Then once Liam and Katie convinced her to join them, Hope told Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) that she was going to take a leave of absence. And Hope, Steffy, and Ridge all have worn out the phrase leave of absence. And it sure seemed bizarre for Hope to even take a leave rather than just quit.
Bold and the Beautiful: Hope’s LoA is Huge Flag
Why wouldn’t she just tell Steffy she’s tired of all the broken promises and just say, “I quit.” and walk out. So, that’s the second red flag. This is all very deliberate. If Hope had quit, then it would draw a legal line in the sand. Because she would no longer be an employee of Steffy and Ridge’s anymore. But as it stands now, Hope is still very much an employee of Forrester Creations and she’s now sneaking around with her brother Deke Sharpe (Harrison Cone) and going in the back door of Spencer Tower to work on that collection.
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And Brad Bell rarely pulls off surprises as a writer and he usually drops really heavy-handed hints. If you’ve been watching Bold and the Beautiful for a while, I’m sure you already know this. And since they’ve beaten it to death that Hope is on a leave of absence, that’s got to be important.
Bold and the Beautiful: The “Hope” Wordplay and Foreshadowing
By the end of this week, Steffy is demanding answers from Katie. However, it may not be about Hope. I’m not sure that Steffy figures it out by then. It feels too fast. Unless, of course, she drops by Brooke’s house to talk to Hope, who should be relaxing and enjoying her leave from Forrester Creations. But she’s not been at Brooke’s place much. Hope has been non-stop over at Logan collaborating with Deke. Because they are racing to get that launch ready to go.
And the last time that Steffy was over there talking to Hope, that was when another red flag cropped up that I want to mention. It’s them using the word hope as a noun, not a name. It happened again when Katie was talking to Brooke. She was grilling Katie about her next designer and what is ahead for Logan.
And this was when Brooke was basically saying that Katie’s doomed to fail since the Eric thing was a one-off. Then Katie said she wasn’t going to fail and said, quote, “I have hope.” And she meant it literally, as in, “Hey, Brooke, I have your daughter Hope. That’s why I won’t fail.”
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And that was the second time it happened like that. So the first time was in a chat between Steffy and Hope over at Brooke’s place. That’s when Steffy was trash-talking Logan and then Hope asked Steffy if she really thought that Katie was doomed to fail and that her fashion house wouldn’t last. So, Steffy said she didn’t see any hope for Logan at all.
Bold and the Beautiful: Legal Ramifications and Contract Breaches
So, with those red flags, I feel like the Bold and the Beautiful writers are heavily foreshadowing a rough road ahead for Katie as she tries to rush out the Hope Collection and get it launched before Brooke, Ridge and Steffy find out. But here’s the thing. Even if Katie and Bill get the launch released and they blindside them, even if Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks) finds the real big blue diamond and it’s around Hope’s neck when she and Deke walk the runway at Logan. And even if they get applause and accolades from the fashion press, it can all still blow up in their faces.
I think Steffy is going to be the one who gets suspicious and follows up. But no matter whenever she and Ridge find out that Hope went behind their backs and was creeping around with Katie and the Logan bunch and the Spencer bunch, there’s going to be H E double hockey sticks to pay. And Steffy might pursue a legal remedy. Because they keep flogging the words leave of absence over and over. I think it’s about more than just Hope lying to her mom Brooke. It might be about how Logan is going to go down in flames.
Bold and the Beautiful: Hope Logan – Steffy Forrester
Bold and the Beautiful: Hope Looks Doomed
Even if Hope’s collection goes ahead and makes its official debut, even if it’s a hit with the press, even if it sells a ton, none of that may matter. And here’s why. Steffy and Ridge are still Hope’s employers, she is still an official Forrester Creations employee. And as she mentioned, she is under contract. And under California law, that could give Steffy and Ridge a whole lot of room to do something legal to ruin Katie’s fashion house and it may actually destroy it.
In California, a creative contract like Hope would have would include clauses. One would be exclusivity, meaning she can’t work for another company while she is still a Forrester Creations employee. There may also be a clause about no moonlighting. That’s common.
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That means Hope has to be loyal only to Forrester Creations while an employee. So, she can’t go work for anybody else for any reason. and sneaking around with Deacon to make a new collection for Katie would put Hope in breach of contract. So, it’s very possible that Steffy could push Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and tell him to file an injunction to stop Hope’s collection at Logan and that could wreak havoc on Katie and Bill.
Bold and the Beautiful: Things Look So Bad for Logan
So, even if the collection launched and sales come in for Hope’s line, an injunction would bring that all to a screeching halt. They wouldn’t be able to fulfill the orders. Bill might actually have to refund all the sales. Steffy and Ridge could also sue for damages in addition to getting an injunction blocking the launch.
And if the launch still happens before any legal action is taken, the court could just say fine, Katie can’t fulfill the sales orders. So, Carter might be able to sue for Forrester Creations ownership of those designs. By the way, also if Deke had sketched any of them while he was still at Forrester Creations, even if they were rejected for the Hope for the Future collection. Because they would have been done on Forrester Creations time and with their sketch pads and all that kind of stuff.
So, Steffy might actually take down Logan because Hope lied and took a leave of absence instead of just quitting. However, if it goes that way, I’m going to go ahead and call it sloppy. Because Bill’s a businessman who knows contracts and he would have insisted that Hope quit. Because her signing a contract with them at Logan isn’t enough while she’s still active under her Forrester Creations contract. So, we’ll see how it goes.
Nicole Kidman may not have been sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, but she still found herself part of the action. The Oscar winner had an adorable reaction after Taylor Swift and sisters Este and Alana Haim honored her with custom Knicks-themed T-shirts during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The trio’s pun-filled fashion choices quickly went viral as the New York Knicks mounted a historic comeback against the San Antonio Spurs.
Swift and the Haim sisters leaned fully into wordplay for the star-studded matchup, wearing DIY tribute shirts inspired by celebrities and the Knicks.
Swift rocked a shirt reading “Stevie Knicks,” a nod to Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, while Este Haim sported “Knickole Kidman” and Alana Haim wore a shirt reading “Knickleback,” referencing the rock band Nickelback.
The group’s courtside look instantly caught attention online as fans praised the playful fashion moment. Mariska Hargitay even joined in on the fun, later changing into her own “Stevie Knicks” shirt after arriving at Madison Square Garden in a simple black top.
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Nicole Kidman Had The Sweetest Response
Kidman clearly appreciated the shoutout. After clips of Swift and the Haim sisters showing off their custom shirts spread online, the “Big Little Lies” actress reposted a video of the trio to her Instagram Stories. “Right there with you girls!” Kidman wrote, adding basketball and heart emojis.
She later reshared a Reel by the Haim sisters that featured the group’s pun-heavy fashion moment. “My girls! I just wanna have fun!” Kidman captioned the upload.
So far, neither Stevie Nicks nor Nickelback has publicly reacted to the now-viral tribute shirts.
Taylor Swift’s Love Of Puns Is Nothing New
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For longtime Swift fans, the playful shirt choice felt very on brand. The Grammy winner has become known for leaning into puns and wordplay, especially in recent years.
Swift famously sparked a wave of viral fan reactions after revealing she spends a surprising amount of time thinking about sourdough bread, even gifting homemade loaves to friends and decorating bread bags with handwritten puns inspired by her music.
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Fans have since created countless Taylor-inspired baking jokes online, from “Are You Bready For It?” to “You Knead To Calm Down” and “It’s A Loaf Story, Baby Just Say Yeast.”
Madison Square Garden Was Packed With Celebrities
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The Knicks’ dramatic 107-106 comeback win, the largest in NBA Finals history after erasing a 29-point deficit, brought out plenty of famous faces.
Swift and Jenner were later seen sharing a friendly courtside hug following the Knicks’ dramatic win, a moment that caught fans’ attention given Swift’s complicated history with Jenner’s sister, Kim Kardashian.
Taylor Swift’s Courtside Appearance Comes Amid Wedding Buzz
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Swift’s headline-making night at Madison Square Garden also comes as she prepares for her next major chapter with fiancé Travis Kelce. The Grammy winner and the Kansas City Chiefs star announced their engagement in August 2025 after nearly two years of dating, quickly becoming one of entertainment’s most talked-about couples.
In recent weeks, speculation surrounding the pair’s wedding plans has intensified, with rumors swirling that Madison Square Garden itself could play a role in the celebration later this summer. While neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed the details, reports suggest the couple is planning a highly private, tightly controlled event.
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A report further claimed the venue could accommodate thousands of guests, fueling fan speculation that Swifties might be included in the festivities or surrounding celebrations.
Why Pulling Off A Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Wedding Could Be A Major Challenge
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If reports surrounding Swift and Kelce’s rumored wedding plans are true, keeping the event private may prove to be one of the biggest hurdles.
Luxury wedding planner Colin Cowie, who is not involved in the couple’s alleged plans but has organized weddings for celebrity pairs including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, as well as Don Henley and Sharon Summerall, recently weighed in on the unique challenge a Swift-Kelce wedding would present.
“Everyone’s going to want to know what it would be like to be a front row attendee at this wedding,” Cowie said, also suggesting that maintaining privacy for an event of that scale would require extensive planning and security. “It’s going to be a massive undertaking to keep this under locks.”
For a couple with Swift and Kelce’s level of fame, and one of the most dedicated fanbases in pop culture, keeping wedding details from leaking could prove nearly impossible.
PlaqueboyMax has the internet talking once again. The popular streamer recently unveiled a new tattoo that reads “DIVA,” sparking plenty of reactions across social media. While some fans questioned the meaning behind the ink, Max later addressed the chatter during a livestream, explaining why he decided to get it.
On Tuesday, June 9, PlaqueboyMax took to social media to give fans a first look at his latest tattoo. The streamer shared a shirtless mirror selfie on social media, showing off the fresh ink placed along his ribcage. The tattoo features the word “DIVA” written in all capital letters. Max later followed up with a TikTok video, giving viewers a closer look at the tattoo and putting the new addition on full display. The reveal quickly made its rounds online, with fans and critics alike sharing their thoughts on the unexpected choice.
PlaqueboyMax Explains What “DIVA” Means To Him
The new tattoo arrives shortly after PlaqueboyMax made headlines for his diamond face piercings, which also sparked debate across social media. During a recent livestream, Max addressed some of the backlash surrounding his latest body art while showing off the tattoo to a friend. As they discussed the online reactions, the friend first questioned whether the tattoo was real before asking what the word “DIVA” meant to him.
In response, Max explained that the tattoo symbolizes confidence and his unapologetic self.
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“I’m a bad b****. I’m going to do whatever I want on some fly sh**,” he said. “Bad b****** are the most confident people in the world.”
Max went on to suggest that some people have been trying to label him or question his masculinity because of the tattoo. However, he made it clear that the ink reflects his confidence and willingness to do what he wants, regardless of outside opinions.
Social Media Reacts
Social media users chimed in on The Shade Room Teens’ comment section with reactions to Max’s explanation.
Instagram user @the_next_king10 wrote, “These 🥷🏽s don’t let the girls have 💩 no more 🤦🏽♂️‼️”
Another Instagram user @officialmagicgod wrote, “He thinks he Beyoncé”
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While Instagram user @itsmealiajah wrote, “I only like him cause he doesn’t care to be in a box meaning don’t care for labels like yall let a lot of things stop yall cause it’s consider gay”
Instagram user @jade.arie wrote, “He’s definitely not beating those allegations now 🤣 💀💀”
Another Instagram user @iwocwitalean wrote, “Diva was the only word to make him feel confident?”
While Instagram user @banksbig4 wrote, “Diva definiton – a female version of a hustler 🤨”
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Instagram user @ibdattprettymf wrote, “I really hope DIVA is his mother name 🤣”
Another Instagram user @jatoyriarchive wrote, “This is too far with the trolling…”
While Instagram user @charity.deniise wrote, “Be who you areeeee”
The future of Baldur’s Gate remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in gaming. While Larian Studios has moved on from the franchise after Baldur’s Gate 3, Wizards of the Coast has shown no signs of leaving the Forgotten Realms behind. Earlier this year, it was announced that HBO is developing a live-action television adaptation continuing the story of Baldur’s Gate 3, and Penguin Random House has also begun expanding the setting through a new line of books, including an upcoming story centered on fan-favorite companion Astarion. Taken together, the moves suggest Wizards sees Baldur’s Gate as more than a successful video game series.
That makes sense. Baldur’s Gate 3 introduced millions of players to the world, its characters, and the wider Forgotten Realms setting. Even with Larian no longer involved, interest in the franchise remains high, and fans have spent the last several years wondering what form the next major project might take. A direct sequel is inevitable, but creating a new Baldur’s Gate game without Larian would be a massive undertaking. In the meantime, Wizards has no shortage of classic adventures waiting to be rediscovered.
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A New Report Claims a ‘Baldur’s Gate 2’ Remake Is in Development
According to a new report, that next project may involve revisiting one of the most beloved RPGs ever made. The report claims that a remake of Baldur’s Gate 2 is currently in development and claims former BioWare developer Kevin Martens has returned to work on the project. Martens previously served as a co-lead designer on Baldur’s Gate 2 before going on to work on titles including Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect, and Diablo 3. The report cites a source familiar with the project and suggests that both of BioWare’s original Baldur’s Gate games may be receiving remake treatments. While the report specifically focuses on Baldur’s Gate 2, remaking both games would make considerably more sense given that the sequel directly continues the story of the original title.
This is a developing story. Please refresh your page for updates from Collider!
Social media users are reacting to an apparent post from Karmelo Anthony‘s alleged girlfriend following his conviction and sentencing for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
More On The Apparent Post From Karmelo Anthony’s Alleged Girlfriend Following His Conviction & Sentencing
According to The U.S. Sun, Karmelo Anthony’s alleged girlfriend, Valeria Perez, took to TikTok following his conviction and sentencing on Tuesday, June 9. In the caption of a video reposted to an apparent backup account, Perez wrote, “Hold your head high, my sweet boy. You’re not alone we’re fighting for you, always. I love you more than words [red heart emoji]…”
See the TikTok, which featured various photos of the pair, by clicking here.
Social Media Users Are Reacting To The Apparent Post From Karmelo Anthony’s Alleged Girlfriend
TikTok user Diona Lane wrote, “Justice for Karmelo”
While TikTok user Kennedi Mccorkle added, “girl be so real…”
TikTok user Bash wrote, “Praying for you both princess”
While TikTok user ragexrae added, “Girl don’t make me cry… he had a family!”
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TikTok user YKbosswhit wrote, “Stay strong sweetheart…”
While TikTok user Kamm.3_ added, “Your dude has the temperament of a child. Threw half of his life over a damn tent and ego…”
TikTok user Jaysten wrote, “Justice for Karmelo”
While TikTok user thejuicendsqueeze added, “FREE MELO… continue loving him out loud ! We are all routing for him !”
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More On His Conviction & Sentencing
As The Shade Room previously reported, Karmelo Anthony was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday, June 9. Furthermore, the decision was handed down by an all-white jury following the fatal stabbing of fellow high school student Austin Metcalf on April 2, 2025. The stabbing reportedly occurred after an apparent conflict during a track meet.
A major reason we continue to adore action films is the heroes who lead the crusade and save the day. But the truth is, every great hero needs an equally great villain. The day couldn’t be saved if the villain didn’t do something nefarious! With such a rich catalog of action flicks, determining who the greatest villain is is no easy feat, but we’re here to save your day and give you 10 iconic baddies whose impact has gone beyond the screen.
The 10 villains on this list are simply iconic. Their work on screen is notorious. Some are known for their despicable and dastardly deeds. Others have been a thorn in our protagonists’ side for ages. No matter what, they have also influenced the genre and the bad guys who followed. Some villains have appeared across multiple films, while others were one-and-done. Together, they made evil look cool.
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10
Le Chiffre
‘Casino Royale’
Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen, glowering in ‘Casino Royale’Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
The truth is, we could make this list an entire best-of James Bond villains, but we’ve been there, done that. Instead, the ones that do appear here are crucial players in the franchise and villains at large. We begin with Le Chiffre. Though the character did appear in the 1967 satire iteration of Casino Royale, as played by Orson Welles, the predominant version of the Bond villain came in the 2006 film. Kicking off the Daniel Craig tenure as 007, he faced off against the terrorist financier in a high-stakes poker game at a casino in Montenegro. An associate of SPECTRE, Le Chiffre’s genius proved to be a great threat to Bond. Not a mastermind like other villains, Le Chiffre was a snake in a tuxedo. Best known for the infamous torture scene, Le Chiffre served as a perfect sparring partner for Bond.
Played by Mads Mikkelsen, Le Chiffre is a chilling presence, instilling fear with just one look. One of the more intellectual minds Bond faced off against, Le Chiffre is a desperate, flawed survivor rather than a world-dominating mastermind. Driven by fear, Le Chiffre goes to great lengths for success, and cool under pressure, he provided the perfect psychological counter for the agent. Grounded in his menacing presence, Mikkelsen’s performance elevates Le Chiffre as a top-tier villain. Anyone who can come close to defeating Bond gets bonus points.
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9
Tony Montana
‘Scarface’
Al Pacino as Tony Montana firing a gun during the ending of Scarface (1983)Image via Universal Pictures
Being the protagonist in a story doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a hero. Though you may be the hero of your own destiny, Tony Montana is known as a villain for his actions in the film Scarface. Played by Al Pacino, Tony is a ruthless Cuban refugee who arrives in Miami and rises from poverty to become a powerful, wealthy drug kingpin before his violent empire crumbles. Driven by desperate ambition, Tony’s takeover of a cocaine cartel comes at a cost. Loosely based on the Al Capone-era mobsters, Tony is all bravado. Known for the nickname “Scarface” after being slashed in the face as a young man, his rise to villain, not hero, comes through his unapologetic ruthlessness.
Tony is a man who rules by sheer willpower, street intelligence, and fearlessness. He is loud and fiercely proud of his identity. The truth is, Tony Montana’s cultural footprint is vast. Pacino’s portrayal is not only iconic but also one of his best. He completely transforms into the role. With a thick Cuban accent and signature white suit, Tony’s violent paranoia and fatal disregard for limits make him a fascinating anti-hero. His larger-than-life arrogance has made him a pop culture icon. As a fictional character, Tony serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of money and power and how they reveal one’s true nature. Though we fondly remember this villain for the catchphrase “Say hello to my little friend,” the man we call Scarface is a rich character study of how villains can lead a story just as well as heroes.
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8
Bill
‘Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2’
David Carradine in Kill Bill Vol. 2Image via Miramax Films
Like our previous entry, being the titular character comes with some great perks. But unlike Scarface, Bill is not the main character. Instead, he’s the catalyst of the hero’s journey in Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece films Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2. Portrayed by David Carradine, Bill is the former leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the Bride’s (Uma Thurman) former lover, and the father of her daughter. Known by name in the first film before being seen in the second, Bill is a deliciously complex and deeply layered mastermind. Bill leads by sheer reputation. The utterance of his name brings both fear and respect. He engages in mind games in which intellectual and emotional actions serve as weapons in their own right.
He may be able to wield a weapon and disarm any enemy with his martial arts prowess, but what makes Bill a brilliant villain is how real he is to the hero. He’s not a mysterious mastermind the Bride must defeat. Their personal connection makes him a unique film villain. He’s a lethally arrogant foil whose psychological warfare leads to the infamous bloodbaths, and he’s more of an emotional obstacle than a physical one. He’s the architect of The Bride’s trauma whomade her the ruthless protagonist we champion in both films. There have certainly been dominating villains who don’t need to fill the screen to assert their dominance, but none like the Snake Charmer. Bill proves the greatest threats are the ones that are closest to home.
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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
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Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
🔧John McClane
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🎭Ethan Hunt
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01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
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02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
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03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
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04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
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05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
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06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
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07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
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08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
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09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
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10
It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
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Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
Rambo
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Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
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Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
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John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
Ethan Hunt
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Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
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7
Agent Smith
‘The Matrix’
Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) in a room aiming a pistol as water sprays everywhere in ‘The Matrix’ (1999).Image via Warner Bros.
The world of science fiction action movies was forever changed when the Wachowskis gave the world The Matrix. Not only one of the greatest films in terms of craft, but The Matrix is also renowned for its world-building. To create a dangerous simulated reality for Neo (Keanu Reeves), he needed an adversary to defeat. His name was Agent Smith. Played by Hugo Weaving in the original trilogy, Agent Smith is a sentient computer program and enforcer for the Machines designed to police the virtual world. He evolves into a rogue computer virus capable of replicating itself. Agent Smith is driven by a nihilistic outlook with a mission of destroying the Matrix, the Machine world, Zion, and humanity as a whole.
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Known for his signature sunglasses, sharp black suit, and always referring to the protagonist, Neo, as “Mr. Anderson,” Agent Smith is just plain cool. Agent Smith is a premier action villain because he serves as the perfect foil to the hero. The action sequences they engage in are top-tier. Whether as an authoritative enforcer or reality-threatening virus, Agent Smith is a menace to Neo, exactly as a villain should. Weaving brought an exceptional performance to the screen through his commanding, dry, and relentless pursuit. Add in his hauntingly chilling monologues, and Agent Smith is a fascinating character study. The character evolves in The Matrix Resurrections, in which Jonathan Groff and Yahya Abdul-Mateen play interactions of the character, but they’re still rooted in Weaving’s take.
6
Blofeld
James Bond
Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas) in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’Image via United Artists
There is no more iconic Bond villain than Ernst Stavro Blofeld. A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, Blofeld has been the face of the Bond baddies for decades. Codenamed Number 1, Blofeld became the architect of the evil villain archetype. Focused on a tour of terrorism, extortion, and revenge, Blofeld appeared in an array of films in various capacities. His first two film appearances were never via name or face; all viewers saw was his lower body, which was visible as he stroked his trademark white cat. Much like Bond himself, there have been a variety of actors who have tackled the part in the various Bond eras. From Telly Savalasand Donald Pleasance to Max von Sydow and Christoph Waltz, every actor has brought new insight to the infamous villain. Only Waltz, who also had a new backstory, didn’t take on the bald Blofeld, who notoriously inspired Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers franchise.
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Blofeld is a brilliant, calculating tactician aiming for complete and total domination. By creating SPECTRE, Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion, Blofeld’s utter control spans beyond his on-screen appearances. Like a good action villain, Blofeld’s psychology is rooted in vendettas. It’s deeply twisted and personal, but wonderful for the plot. Blofeld is the epitome of an action villain because he has no tolerance for failure. And failure only means coming back harder the next time. Because he’s not on the ground running the mission, Blofeld’s character also set the blueprint for how henchmen operate. Blofeld has a resume of devastating actions, including assassinating Bond’s new wife, Tracy, right after their wedding in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In the history of James Bond, Blofeld is a shape-shifting threat, yet no matter the version, he remains an incredible antagonist.
5
The Joker
‘The Dark Knight’
A close-up of Heath Ledger as The Joker as he looks menacingly to the side in The Dark Knight.Image via Warner Bros.
When it comes to the best Batman villain, hands down, the answer is The Joker. The character has been played multiple times in various forms in a variety of projects, but for the sake of this list, we are going to focus on Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning iteration of The Dark Knight. Even though we generalized other entries, this one is necessary. Let’s discuss. The grinning, clown-makeup villain has always served as a major foil for Batman, but up against Christian Bale’s version, a nuanced monster emerged. In The Dark Knight, Joker is a psychopathic, anarchist mastermind. Thematically, he is the ultimate opposition to Batman. The Caped Crusader stands for law, order, and the belief that humanity can be saved. That’s not the case for Joker. He believes that civilization is a fragile illusion and that everyone is inherently corruptible under the right pressure. And there lies the inciting event.
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Instead of serving up typical superhero film tropes, Joker embodies pure, unpredictable chaos, testing the psychological limits of both Gotham’s citizens and Batman himself. Through Ledger’s legendary performance, the villain was seen as more than a gimmick. He operates without an overly sympathetic, tragic backstory. By giving the character a rich history to play with, the objectives are more tangible, realistic, and most importantly, believable. Joker manipulates the environment, both physically and psychologically. He pushed Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to utter madness. He forces Batman to break his strict moral code. Joker did what no other iteration could do. The Dark Knight version of the Joker goes beyond the comics, becoming a key figure in cinema history.
4
Scorpio
‘Dirty Harry’
Scorpio (Andy Robinson) takes aim with his gun in ‘Dirty Harry’Image via Warner Bros.
Sometimes, the greatest villains in cinema are the ones that are inspired by the world around us. Such is the case for Charles “Scorpio” Davis, the main antagonist in the original Dirty Harry. loosely inspired by the real-life Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area, the psychopathic serial killer is a former stadium groundskeeper who extorts the city by going on a sniping spree, kidnapping a young girl, and holding a bus full of children for ransom. Though Inspector Harry Callahan’s (Clint Eastwood) morality is grey, making him a fascinating antihero without certainty, the villain of this story is Scorpio. Played by Andy Robinson, Scorpio acts as the perfect dark foil for Harry. He is completely remorseless, unhinged, and calculating. Because he knows that Harry will use dirty tactics, he pushes the legal system to its absolute breaking point.
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Scorpio is based on real-world terror, which makes him a fervently horrific presence. He takes sheer pleasure in his actions, which involve the safety and lives of the innocent. His willingness to go to extremes and derive pure joy from it makes him despicable. It’s purely sadistic and outwardly cowardly. His utter disregard for human life sets him up as one of the worst individuals, but he is a masterfully crafted character. Robinson’s chilling performance helped make the film a massive cultural phenomenon, cementing Scorpio as the quintessential antagonist in gritty crime cinema. Many have tried to replicate Scorpio’s reign of terror; very few have come close.
3
Raoul Silva
‘Skyfall’
Closeup of Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva and his malformed face in ‘Skyfall’Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Being the greatest Bond villain and the greatest action movie villain is slightly different, as the criteria change. Raoul Silva may not have the top slot in the former, but he certainly soars to the top in the latter because of Javier Bardem’s career-best performance. The main antagonist of Skyfall, Silva is a former MI6 agent-turned cyberterrorist with a personal vendetta unlike any the Bond universe has seen. Silva has a thirst for revenge upon being betrayed and left to die by M (Judi Dench). Having the insight and ability to maneuver as a prestigious MI6 agent, Silva can infiltrate the organization that essentially told him his life was meaningless. Silva’s homicidal resentment stems from a mother-son relationship gone sour.
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Known for his bleached-blonde hair, eccentric wardrobe, and calculated, eerie demeanor, Silva serves as a dark mirror image. And when he reveals the aftermath of the hydrogen cyanide capsule, nightmares are officially born. Using the fears of modern tech anxieties, Silva was a foe of the digital age. A villain filled with bitter rage, Silva was driven to the brink of insanity and lacked all semblance of morality. There’s a pathos to him that no other villain has had. It may be a shock that the villain actually succeeds in his mission to kill M, but it ultimately propels Bond. Vengeance can be similar yet different depending on perspective. Bardem’s visceral performance makes him a formidable villain that you love to watch in action. There’s a quiet demeanor to him in his pristine form, but bubbling inside is a monster. His iconic monologue while holding Bond prisoner is how a great actor portraying a villain should deliver such material. Silva is the blueprint for the modern bad guy.
2
The T-1000
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’
Robert Patrick as the T-1000 in ‘T2-3D: Battle Across Time.’Image via Universal Studios
The Terminator was a good sci-fi action film. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is an extraordinary sci-fi action film. A key cog in that assessment is the brilliance of its villain, the T-1000. After meeting the original Terminator and seeing how near-indestructible he was, the sequel had to find an even better foe. Played by Robert Patrick, the upgraded android assassin was sent back in time to kill a young John Connor (Edward Furlong). The villain is most notorious for its make-up: the T-1000 is made of a liquid metal called mimetic polyalloy. This composite allows it to regenerate from damage, form its limbs into stabbing blades, and mimic others’ appearances. The T-1000 serves as a genius evolution of the franchise’s villains, solidifying it as a long-running pop culture series.
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The T-1000 masterfully combines the relentless, unstoppable nature of a slasher villain with terrifyingly sleek sci-fi technology. Opposed to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s brute force as T-800, the T-1000 is a mimetic polyalloy nightmare. Because he can serve as a chameleon out in the world, he stalks his prey by disguising himself through voice and appearance. Then, he could literally slip through the cracks and get in or out of places with ease. The T-1000 is a fervent threat because you simply cannot predict its next moves. Whether posing as a Los Angeles police officer or in total liquid form, the T-1000 was a great threat. Patrick’s chilling performance allowed the film to supersede its predecessor — not a simple task.
1
Hans Gruber
‘Die Hard’
Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) on a walkie talkie in ‘Die Hard’Image via 20th Century Studios
Controversial to some and praised by others, Hans Gruber is the GOAT. Bruce Willis was phenomenal as John McClane, but Die Hard would never have launched a franchise without its seminal villain, Hans Gruber. Brought to life by the late, great Alan Rickman, Hans Gruber looked the part of a premier supervillain in an average Joe world. The iconic, calculated German terrorist and master thief orchestrates the takeover of the Nakatomi Plaza skyscraper in Los Angeles to steal $649 million in bearer bonds. Setting up a hostage situation that pits hero versus villain, Hans Gruber is always five steps ahead and pivots brilliantly when things go wrong. Establishing the gold standard of villains post-Die Hard, Hans Gruber replaced one-dimensional Cold War-era villains with an intellectual threat who forces the hero into a psychological chess match.
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Hans Gruber can morph into anything to stay ahead of McClane. When they have their first face-to-face encounter, his ability to play a frightened, escaped partygoer keeps his ploy moving, requiring McClane to catch up. By then, Hans Gruber had established a new alias. There are no henchmen needed, as Hans Gruber is a credible, hands-on threat. Whether manipulating the FBI or having his men shoot the glass to stall a barefoot McClane, this villain knows how to win. But, of course, the moment we all discuss this unofficial Christmas film is his literal fall from grace. It’s so iconic that it’s still imitated in action thrillers today. Rickman’s performance is perfectly raw and wonderfully camp. For that, Hans Gruber is simply scrumptious. Christmas doesn’t start until the villain drops!
Adventure stories go way back. We’re talking centuries, or even millennia. Long before fantasy epics, spy thrillers, and action blockbusters dominated popular culture, readers were captivated by tales of daring voyages, hidden treasure, dangerous quests, and journeys into the unknown.
With that in mind, this list looks back at the greatest adventure books ever written, the ones that truly built the genre into what it is today. From 17th-century classics to more modern bangers, these tales have come to define what adventure should be. They span a range of styles and tones, but all offer entertaining plots, memorable characters, and a sheer sense of unadulterated excitement at venturing into the unknown.
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10
‘Robinson Crusoe’ (1719)
Image via Daniel Defoe
“I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side.” Robinson Crusoe remains surprisingly readable for a novel that’s over 300 years old. The title character is stranded on a deserted island following a shipwreck, where he must draw on all his resourcefulness to make it out alive. It’s one of the most influential adventure books, introducing so many of the genre’s core ingredients: the castaway hero, the struggle against nature, survival through ingenuity, and the exploration of unknown lands.
Beyond its impact on the adventure genre, Robinson Crusoe is widely regarded as a milestone in English literature more generally, and a major breakthrough in the development of realist fiction. Indeed, the book’s attention to detail was unusual for the time, going in-depth with everything from building shelter and growing crops to taming animals.
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9
‘Don Quixote’ (1605)
Image via Maple Press
“Too much sanity may be madness.” At first glance, Don Quixote boasts a simple premise: an aging man reads too many chivalric romances, loses his grip on reality, and wanders Spain believing himself to be a heroic knight. Accompanied by his practical and increasingly loyal squire Sancho Panza, Don Quixote embarks on a series of wandering misadventures, mistaking inns for castles, windmills for giants, and ordinary people for figures from epic legend.
Yet Miguel de Cervantes transforms that setup into one of the most important novels ever written. The protagonist’s delusions create endless humor, but the novel never treats him as merely a joke. Readers laugh at his mistakes while also admiring his courage and idealism. In many ways, he’s more noble than the supposedly sane people around him. Indeed, the character gave us the word “quixotic,” someone or something that is exceedingly idealistic.
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8
‘Eye of the Needle’ (1978)
Image via Penguin Publishing Group
“You can’t stop what you can’t see.” Eye of the Needle is a taut espionage story from Ken Follett, the author of beloved historical epics like The Pillars of the Earth. It follows Henry Faber, a ruthless German spy operating in Britain during World War II, who uncovers crucial intelligence about the upcoming Allied invasion plans. As British intelligence closes in, Faber becomes trapped on a remote island alongside a lonely, unhappily married woman, creating a deadly psychological cat-and-mouse game.
The narrative momentum here is off the charts. Follett keeps us hooked by constantly escalating the danger and upping the stakes. Readers understand the danger Faber poses, which makes every close call feel agonizingly suspenseful. It also helps that Faber himself is an unusually complex antagonist. Rather than being a cartoon villain, he’s intelligent, disciplined, resourceful, and often disturbingly sympathetic despite his brutality.
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7
‘Master and Commander’ (1969)
Image via W. W. Norton & Company
“The lesser of two weevils.” This book was the basis for the Russell Crowe blockbuster Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In it, Captain Jack Aubrey and ship surgeon Stephen Maturin navigate naval warfare during the Napoleonic era aboard the HMS Sophie. A huge part of what makes the novel extraordinary is its immersive authenticity. Author Patrick O’Brian convincingly shows us the ups and downs of shipboard life, down to the painstaking details of nautical maneuvering.
At the same time, the book is no dry history lesson. The characters are colorful and the action scenes compelling. The naval battles, in particular, are among the finest ever written, emphasizing leadership and strategy as much as raw violence. Every engagement becomes a tense contest of intelligence and nerve, where so much comes down to the captain’s ability to make split-second decisions.
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6
‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas’ (1870)
Image via Penguin Random House
“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe.” Another classic that practically spawned a whole subgenre, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas follows Professor Aronnax after he is captured aboard the Nautilus, a revolutionary submarine commanded by the mysterious, brilliant Captain Nemo. Together, they journey across the oceans, encountering underwater forests, giant sea creatures, shipwrecks, and hidden civilizations beneath the waves.
The book radiates a sense of wonder throughout, envisioning the sea as an almost magical frontier, boasting hidden treasures as well as threats like monstrous squids. This central idea, that of cutting-edge technology transporting people to completely unknown worlds, would form one of the pillars of the entire sci-fi genre. Finally, Nemo himself is simply a great character, idealistic and troubled, neither hero nor villain, driven by competing motivations.
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5
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ (1844)
Image via Penguin Random House
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words: wait and hope.” Revenge stories existed long before The Count of Monte Cristo, but few have ever matched the sheer scale and satisfaction of Alexandre Dumas‘ masterpiece. It centers on Edmond Dantès, a young sailor falsely imprisoned after being betrayed. After years of isolation, Dantès escapes, discovers a hidden fortune, and reinvents himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo in order to systematically destroy the men who ruined his life.
Every stage of the protagonist’s journey feels like an adventure in its own right. The prison escape is thrilling, the treasure hunt is exhilarating, and the Count’s carefully orchestrated campaign of revenge unfolds with the suspense of a masterfully constructed thriller. The novel constantly introduces new twists, disguises, schemes, and revelations to keep readers engaged across its considerable length (1200 pages!).
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4
‘The Hobbit’ (1937)
Image via HarperCollins Publishers
“I’m going on an adventure!” The Hobbit is one of the most imaginative, groundbreaking fantasy stories ever, but it’s also simply a wonderful and breezy adventure. Here, the quiet life of comfort-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins is interrupted when the wizard Gandalf recruits him to accompany thirteen dwarves on a quest to reclaim their mountain homeland from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters trolls, goblins, giant spiders, elves, and the mysterious creature Gollum deep beneath the Misty Mountains.
It’s classic hero’s journey stuff. Bilbo’sgrowth from a timid homebody into a resourceful adventurer gives the story its emotional power. While the plot is relatively straightforward, it’s hugely elevated by the rich, vivid backdrop. Middle-earth is one of the fully realized places in all of literature, thanks to the depth and care with which J. R. R. Tolkien fleshed out its history, cultures, and languages.
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Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz Which Lord of the Rings Race Do You Belong To? Hobbit · Elf · Dwarf · Man · Orc
Middle-earth is home to many peoples — the courageous, the ancient, the stubborn, the ambitious, and the wretched. Ten questions will determine which race truly claims your soul. The answer may surprise you. Or it may confirm what you already suspected.
🌿Hobbit
🌟Elf
⚒️Dwarf
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⚔️Man
💀Orc
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01
What does your ideal day look like? How we rest reveals as much as how we fight.
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02
How do you feel about the passing of time? Our relationship with mortality shapes everything we value.
03
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Danger is approaching. Your first instinct is to: Fight, flight, or something in between — it’s more revealing than you’d think.
04
You stumble upon a great treasure. What do you feel? What we desire — and what we do about it — is the true test.
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05
How important is community and belonging to you? No race of Middle-earth is truly alone — but some prefer it that way.
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06
How ambitious are you, honestly? Ambition is neither virtue nor vice — it depends entirely on what you want.
07
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Where do you feel most at home in the natural world? Middle-earth is vast — and every race has its place within it.
08
What kind of strength do you most respect? Every race defines strength differently — and they’re all at least a little right.
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09
What do you want to leave behind when you’re gone? Legacy is the story we tell ourselves about why any of this matters.
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10
Be honest — what do you actually want most out of life? The truest question always comes last.
Middle-earth Has Spoken You Belong To…
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The race that claimed the most of your answers is your true kin. If two tied, both are shown — you walk between worlds.
◆ A TIE — YOU WALK BETWEEN TWO RACES ◆
🌿
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Your Race
The Hobbits
You are, at your core, a creature of comfort, community, and quiet joy — and there is nothing small about that. Hobbits are proof that heroism does not require ambition, that the bravest heart can beat inside the most unassuming chest. You value good food, warm hearths, close friends, and a world that stays largely untroubled by dark lords and quests. When adventure does find you — and it will — you rise to it not because you sought it, but because the people you love needed you to. That is not ordinary. That is the rarest kind of courage in all of Middle-earth.
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🌟
Your Race
The Elves
Ancient, graceful, and carrying a weight of memory most mortals cannot fathom, you are one of the Elves. You see the world in its fullness — its beauty, its impermanence, the unbearable ache of watching everything you love eventually fade. You pursue perfection not from pride, but because excellence is how you honour the time you have been given. Others may see you as remote or melancholy. They are not wrong, exactly. But they mistake depth for distance. You feel everything — which is precisely why you have learned to carry it so quietly.
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⚒️
Your Race
The Dwarves
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Stubborn, proud, fiercely loyal, and possessed of a work ethic that would exhaust most other races before breakfast — you are Dwarf-kind through and through. You do not ask for approval and you do not offer it cheaply. Your loyalty, once given, is given for life. Your grudges last longer. You love deeply and defend ferociously, and the things you build — with your hands, with your sweat, with generations of accumulated craft — are made to last. Not for glory. Because anything worth doing is worth doing properly, and you have never once done anything by half measures.
⚔️
Your Race
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The Race of Men
Mortal, ambitious, flawed, and magnificent — you belong to the most complicated race in Middle-earth, and that complexity is your greatest strength. Men are capable of cowardice and extraordinary bravery, of cruelty and breathtaking sacrifice, sometimes within the same breath. You feel the urgency of your finite years, and it drives you. You want to matter. You want to leave something behind. You fall, and you rise, and the rising is what defines you. Tolkien called mortality the Gift of Men — not a curse, but a fire that burns bright precisely because it does not burn forever. That fire is you.
💀
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Your Race
The Orcs
Brutal, survivalist, and contemptuous of anything that can’t defend itself — you answered with the instincts of an Orc, and there is a certain savage honesty in that. You do not dress up your desires in polite language or pretend you want things you don’t. You want power, survival, and to never be at the bottom of any hierarchy ever again. Orcs are not evil by nature — they were made from something that was once good, and broken into this shape by forces they did not choose. What remains is fierce, territorial, and deeply aware that the world is not kind. You’ve made your peace with that. The question is what you do with it.
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3
‘The Three Musketeers’ (1844)
Image via Wordsworth Editions
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“All for one, and one for all!” Alexandre Dumas strikes again. In The Three Musketeers, young swordsman d’Artagnan travels to Paris hoping to join the King’s Musketeers, only to become entangled in political conspiracies, forbidden romances, and dangerous rivalries alongside Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Dumas writes his story with infectious enthusiasm, constantly propelling the story through duels, secret missions, betrayals, and narrow escapes.
The pace is truly relentless. The plot constantly moves forward, carrying readers from one thrilling situation to the next. Duels lead to conspiracies, conspiracies lead to secret missions, and secret missions lead to even greater dangers. The novel also excels at combining adventure with political intrigue. Set during the reign of Louis XIII, it weaves fictional heroes into real historical events involving powerful figures like Cardinal Richelieu.
2
‘The Lord of the Rings’ (1954)
Image via Harper Collins
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“I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Fantasy literature is divided into two eras: before The Lord of the Rings and after it. Building on the solid foundation of The Hobbit, Tolkien’s magnum opus follows Frodo Baggins after he inherits the One Ring and embarks on a journey to destroy it. He’s joined by a lovable fellowship of companions, though their path is perilous and haunted by tragedy.
Importantly, the adventure here is driven by character rather than spectacle alone. The protagonists each undergo meaningful growth throughout the story. Sam’s loyalty, in particular, has become legendary because it embodies the novel’s belief that ordinary acts of courage can change the course of history. Aside from the magic and balrogs and giant spiders and orcs, The Lord of the Rings is fundamentally a story about friendship, sacrifice, hope, mortality, corruption, and the burden of responsibility.
1
‘Treasure Island’ (1883)
Image via Cluny Media
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“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” The Platonic ideal of the adventure novel, and the origin point for modern pirate mythology. Treasure Island follows young Jim Hawkins after he discovers a treasure map connected to the legendary pirate Captain Flint. Jim joins an expedition to locate the buried treasure, only to discover that many of the crew members, including the charismatic Long John Silver, are secretly pirates planning mutiny.
The plot wastes very little time, moving quickly from mystery to voyage to conflict. Every stage of the adventure introduces new threats and complications. That said, the book’s greatest strength is probably the characters. Long John Silver, in particular, is a phenomenal creation. He’s charming, intelligent, humorous, ruthless, and endlessly adaptable. Both Jim and the reader are often unsure whether to trust him, fear him, admire him, or all three at once.
2026 has been the year of Jon Bernthal so far, and things are only going to get busier for the star as we inch closer to the end of the year. After starring in the Netflix show His & Hers, Bernthal reunited with Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the surprise Bear prequel episode, Gary, which was shadow-dropped on Hulu a few months ago. Bernthal was disappointingly absent from the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, but fans didn’t have to wait long to see him return to his signature role as Frank Castle. Exactly one week after the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale, Bernthal starred in the Disney+ Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, which is expected to lead directly into his next MCU appearance. Bernthal will make his big-screen debut as Frank Castle this summer in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is coming to theaters on July 31.
Jon Bernthal has officially been playing The Punisher for over 10 years now, after making his debut in the second season of the original Daredevil series on Netflix. It didn’t take fans long to develop an attachment to Bernthal’s rugged portrayal of the MCU anti-hero, which pushed Netflix to green-light two full seasons of a solo series, which aired in late 2017 and early 2019. Bernthal’s recent return as Frank Castle in The Punisher: One Last Kill has also led fans to check out his first Punisher solo project, which has left Netflix and is now streaming on Disney+. Both seasons of The Punisher are now among the top most-watched titles in the world on Disney+, and as more fans continue to watch the show to prepare for Spider-Man 4, it’s not poised to go anywhere anytime soon.
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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
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Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
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⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
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01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
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02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
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03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
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04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
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05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
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06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
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08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
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09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
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You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
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You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
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You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
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You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
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You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
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You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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What Is the Netflix ‘Punisher’ Show About?
A condensed synopsis for The Punisher series on Netflix, which also stars Ben Barnes, reads as follows:
“After exacting revenge on those who murdered his family, battle-scarred veteran Frank Castle discovers the conspiracy runs deeper than New York’s criminal underworld, reaching into the highest levels of government and military intelligence. Driven by grief and rage, Castle wages a brutal one-man war where justice and vengeance are indistinguishable.”
The Punisher holds an average score of 64% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes between its two seasons. Fans, however, were much higher on the series than critics, rating it a solid 79% on the audience-driven Popcornmeter. Netflix’s Punisher show was written and created for TV by Steve Lightfoot, who also recently worked as a writer on Prime Video’s Spider-Noir series starring Nicolas Cage.
Check out both seasons of The Punisher on Disney+ and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Bernthal’s future projects.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tackled a brutal Game of Thrones production challenge, revealing behind-the-scenes Collider BTS secrets from HBO’s next Westeros prequel.
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