Being a geek has always been a stigma. People see us as video game/board game/comic reading/D&D-playing social outcasts, and that's how it's always been. But in today's world, the geek nation has gotten a ton of hype. Things that were considered geeky have become widespread and mainstream, and we're excited about it.
Between Marvel films, DC films, video games and card games, today's world is full of people who wouldn't normally call themselves geeks participating in geeky things. The year 2016 is no exception. This year has seen the release of quite a few films and events that have taken the world by storm.
"Batman versus Superman" was one of the top-selling movies of the year, raking in a lot of money despite the negative reviews. "Shadows Over Innistrad," a Magic the Gathering card set was fantastic, and brought new changes to the game that many people were excited about, with new cards and planeswalkers that are fun to play and interesting to read about. "League of Legends" came out with its newest character, Aurelion Sol, a star-loving dragon from space, and who doesn't love a space dragon?
These are just a few things that happened during this year, but now I will be looking at my top six geeky things that I personally am looking forward to. This is an odd list, combining different styles of media, and I intentionally spread out my choices over a wide variety, rather than just simply focusing on films. I organized them from the ones I personally am looking forward to the least to the most, but even the least of these still fill me with anticipation and excitement.
6. The New Innistrad Arc - Magic the Gathering
I won't say too much about this one, but I will say that "Innistrad" was one of the favorite recent original sets of many Magic players, and its return brought on a lot of anticipation. Zombies, werewolves, vampires, demons and angels all took a prominent role in the original set, and the story and characters that returned are all extremely enjoyable to read about and play.
One of the best parts of "Magic" has always been the card art, and this set is no exception. The artists brought their A-game, with their detailing of the various characters and lands. I, for one, am looking forward to the next set that will be released, a continuation of "Shadows Over Innistrad," with a great amount of anticipation.
5. Hearthstone: Whispers of the Old Gods
This one, and the next four, were impossible to organize properly, and I'm still not sure about my list. I didn't originally want my first four to be movies, but they're all so heavily anticipated that I couldn't justify putting this one ahead of them, despite how excited I am for it.
"Whispers of the Old Gods" is the next set in the Hearthstone universe, bringing new cards and new possibilities. The concept behind the story is the arrival of the Old Gods of Warcraft brings corruption to some beloved characters and reverses corruption to some of the evil ones (for example, Ragnaros the Firelord becomes Ragnaros the Lightlord).
The cards are interesting, and it's definitely hard to predict how it will influence the game, but that's not the reason why there's so much hype for this set. Along with Whispers comes a change to the entire Hearthstone game, with the introduction of Standard, a game format where one can only use cards from sets that have come out in the last year. This means that Naxx and GvG are no longer going to be playable in the Standard format, breaking down some decks that have been in the meta since the early days of the game, and forcing creativity in deckbuilding and style.
The introduction of "Wild" is also intriguing, where you will be able to run cards from any set and pit them against one another. So basically, random stuff and Secret Paladin will likely be the meta in that set, but other decks are sure to follow suit. Some decks that are beloved in the meta will certainly remain in standard, such as Renolock, probably some form of Secret Paladin, Mid-Range Druid, but some are crushed completely, like Mech Mage. We shall see where this leads, but one thing is for sure: Hearthstone is changing, and it's definitely for the better.
4. Star Wars: Rogue One
I can't believe I'm writing this at number four. With the sudden return of "Star Wars" to the big screen and the fantastic success of "The Force Awakens" in revitalizing the franchise, one would think that the next "Star Wars" film would be hyped more than any other movie this year. But that is simply not the case, at least for me. But that doesn't make "Rogue One" any less anticipated.
With the return of characters we know and love and a story that has yet to be told in this version of the canon, this movie is sure to fulfill the hype that comes with being the follow-up to a multi-billion dollar film like "The Force Awakens." The "Star Wars" community is looking forward to seeing our new hero infiltrate the Empire and steal the Death Star plans, but one of the things we're most looking forward to is Darth Vader, in all of his beautiful, 21st-century, non-Hayden Christensen brutality.
I'm not expecting this movie to disappoint, and it's certainly one of the films I'm looking forward to the most. But not quite as much as the next three.
3. Captain America: Civil War
This is a controversial choice. Anyone who clicked on this link who knows what is happening in 2016 knew that this was going to be on it. In fact, most of you probably expected it to be number one. I'll admit that there's some bias in the reason that it's three and not higher, but don't get me wrong: I'm not even convinced about this list, it's just the way I had to order them.
"Civil War" has been an anticipated movie for a very long time, another link in the chain leading to Infinity War. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen more mainstream success than any other comic book franchise, and it's because of solid directing and near-flawless casting throughout the entire story.
This movie pits friend against friend in a battle of morals and sheds light on the issue of men with power and the easy abuse of it. Both sides are equally compelling, because they deal with the difficult moral gray area that is the superhero world: When people have power and aren't sanctioned by the law, should they be controlled? Or should the fact that they have saved the world time and time again give them the right to be self-organized? This question will haunt audiences that have grown to love all of the characters we will see, and likely leave even the most passionate conflicted as to whether or not they made the right choice.
This movie is sure to be emotional and thought provoking, and there's no universe where it wouldn't deserve a spot on this list. Plus, who doesn't finally want to see a good Spider-Man)? Because one thing that Marvel has proven is that its casting choices are on point.
2. Doctor Strange
Another controversial choice in light of the previous one, but I definitely would put my anticipation for the Sorcerer Supreme above my anticipation for "Civil War" (but just barely) after watching the trailer.
I've never been a die-hard Marvel fan, but this film caught my eye. The character of Stephen Strange intrigues me, and the Nolan-esque style of movie that they're going with entices my mind. I love movies that make you think and bring you out of your comfort zone of normal reality, forcing you to move with it into concepts beyond the normal, and this movie has promised that and more. With Benedict Cumberbatch at the helm, this is sure to be a fantastic movie, and I therefore put it in the second spot.
1. Batman: The Killing Joke
There are many reasons this is first, and there are many things to discuss, but it's best to start with the fact that it is one of the most classic comic book storylines in all of DC history.
This story is a difficult one, a chapter of the Batman Family that is not easy to read. The movie will be rated R for good reason. But the story is phenomenal, and it includes some of the best lines of dialogue by the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. This movie is going to be animated, and true to the comic, with a short original introduction to Batgirl before the actual comic adaptation begins. This has been an animated movie that the geek community has been waiting for.
But perhaps the best part of this news is that the movie is being directed by Bruce Timm, the director who put together the DC Animated Universe, including "Batman: The Animated Series," "Batman Beyond," "Superman," "Justice League," and "Justice League Unlimited." And perhaps more exciting than this is the fact that the voice actors playing the Joker and Batman are none other than Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy themselves, the actors from "Batman: The Animated Series." They've been the inspiration for nearly every other Joker and Batman in voice acting history. They haven't worked together since "Batman: Arkham City," and it's been far too long.
I'm thoroughly anticipating this dark tale, especially because of the casting and the direction.
Being a geek is easy: all you have to do is enjoy high-quality entertainment. And this year, the studios aren't holding back. Buckle your seatbelts, because these movies are going to be quite a ride!