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The Sunday Post: Waiting Game
Greg Arnold
February 22, 2026
Hello, friends, and welcome to another snowy edition of The Sunday Post. This figures to be a shortened edition, as news has mostly slowed to a crawl in the Marvel world, at least at Marvel Studios. I think that could change very soon (after all, Daredevil: Born Again returns in just over 4 weeks), but for now… we wait.
Friends From Work is still pumping out episodes, though, including a very fun episode of Friends From Football last week featuring Kyle and special guests Kirk Cousins and Grant Paulsen. Tomorrow on the main feed, another friendly freebie that was previously an FFW+ exclusive. Don’t miss “This or That?”, a fun new segment devised by Robby Earle.
For the few tidbits of news that trickled out last week, let’s head over to…
THE WATERCOOLER
THIS WEEK IN THE MCU
Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane has begun making the interview rounds for season 2. He spoke to SFX Magazine about the eerie similarities between the show and the world outside our window right now, and to Deadline about why the show does not cross over more with the wider MCU.
"The playbook is pretty well established, so when we were writing this stuff we were like, 'Here's what he does.' The anti-vigilante task force is part of the comics. We built them and costumed them based on the comics. There are a few sequences that were shot a year ago that could be off the news, and it’s weirding all of us out.
I have mixed feelings. Stan Lee once said that he wanted to make his comic books a reflection of the world you saw outside your window. Then I also believe that what's fun about the genre, and definitely fun in working with superheroes, is you're dealing with huge archetypes, almost mythological characters, and that’s fun writing.
"Getting into the realm of politics, New York politics, the Game of Thrones intrigue behind the scenes… okay, that’s fun too, but as it becomes almost too topical it feels like it’s going away from the large, mythological genre stuff. So as we finish up the Mayor Fisk run with season 2, as that storyline comes to its inevitable conclusion, what we’re doing going forward feels more like a return to the [Frank] Miller-era comics. So yeah, it was fun to play in the realm of politics but I like something a little more street level, personally."
Kasra Farahani, production designer for Loki (he also directed an episode in season 2) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps will reportedly serve the same role on Jake Schreier’s X-Men movie, which could begin filming later this year.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is just over 150 days away, and there is still no teaser trailer in sight. There is, however, a brand-new synopsis for the movie, courtesy of Penguin Random House’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Art Of The Movie book, available this August.
Four years have gone by since we last caught up with our friendly neighborhood hero. Peter Parker is no more, but Spider-Man is at the top of his game keeping New York City safe. Things are going well for our anonymous hero until an unusual trail of crimes pulls him into a web of mystery larger than he’s ever faced before. In order to take on what’s ahead, Spider-Man not only needs to be at the top of his physical and mental game, but he must also be prepared to face the repercussions of his past!
BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE
While Marvel Studios has been quiet, Sony has been pretty busy lately. After revealing the first Spider-Noir trailer last week, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that an animated Venom movie is being developed. Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein (Final Destinations: Bloodlines) are in talks to direct.
TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK
Previous rumors about Avengers: Secret Wars being split into multiple movies were dealt a blow last week by Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider. Sneider cited multiple reasons, including the need to renegotiate Robert Downey Jr.’s salary again, as to why the production would remain a single movie.
PANEL BOUND COMICS PICK OF THE WEEK
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth
I had no idea what to expect when I picked this one up. All I knew was that it was an Elseworlds-style Wonder Woman story from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. That wound up being more than enough.
Some of my favorite DC comics come from its Black Label. Unlike Marvel, I think the Distinguished Competition has always been best when unbound by continuity. It allows creators to make the kind of bold choices that you can't always get in an ongoing book. On one end of that spectrum, you have a book like King and Gerads' Mister Miracle, which turned Jack Kirby's bombastic space opera into an intimate, surrealist indie drama. On the other end, you have Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, which sees Daniel Warren Johnson go nuts with the WW mythos, dropping her into a post-apocalyptic hellscape complete with giant radioactive monsters. If you enjoyed DWJ's work on the Absolute Batman Annual last year, this is a great next step. It's visceral but not gratuitous. (And look, if it is a little gratuitous every now and then...come on, live a little.) And while it's got plenty of blockbuster action, it packs an emotional punch as well.
Like my last rec, this one will probably appeal slightly more to folks that enjoy the fantasy vibe. But it's not fantasy per se. Think Fallout + 300 + Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman. If that sounds like something you want to read, then you're going to want to read it in this nifty hardcover.
That's it for this week. Remember to drop by the FFW Discord and let us know what you've been reading!
RE
Thank you again, Robby! Remember to use code “FRIENDSFROMWORK” at checkout. And after you read Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, check out our friends over at The Sons of Gunn for your next DC fix.
That’s a good place to stop for today. I will be back next Sunday, hopefully with more to discuss. Have a great week!
-Greg
