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The Terminal List Season 2: Release date rumors, cast updates and what to expect next

The Terminal List Season 2: Release date rumors, cast updates and what to expect next

Business Upturn02-07-2025
By Aman Shukla Published on July 2, 2025, 18:00 IST Last updated July 2, 2025, 11:00 IST
Alright, The Terminal List fans, let's talk about Season 2. After that wild first season hit Amazon Prime Video back in July 2022, we've all been itching for more of Chris Pratt's Navy SEAL, James Reece, and his no-holds-barred mission. The show, based on Jack Carr's gritty novels, hooked us with its action and conspiracy vibes. Now, with Season 2 in the works, here's the latest scoop on when it might drop, who's coming back, and what's next for Reece. The Terminal List Season 2 Potential Release Date
So, when can we expect to binge Season 2? Amazon gave the green light for a second season way back in February 2023, but we're still waiting on an official premiere date. Word on the street—or rather, posts on X and entertainment sites—says filming kicked off in Toronto in March 2025. They're supposedly wrapping up by late fall, maybe August or November 2025. Since Season 1 took about a year from filming to release, we're probably looking at mid-2026, like spring or summer, for Season 2 to land. The Terminal List Season 2 Expected Cast
Season 1 didn't exactly leave a ton of survivors, but the core crew is back, and we've got some fresh talent joining the fray. Here's who to watch for: Chris Pratt as James Reece : Our guy Reece is back, still haunted but ready for more action. Pratt's been hyping up the season, saying it'll bring that same military grit with even more intensity.
: Our guy Reece is back, still haunted but ready for more action. Pratt's been hyping up the season, saying it'll bring that same military grit with even more intensity. Constance Wu as Katie Buranek : The journalist who helped Reece dig into the Season 1 conspiracy should return, especially since she's a big part of the books.
: The journalist who helped Reece dig into the Season 1 conspiracy should return, especially since she's a big part of the books. JD Pardo as Tony Layun : The FBI agent who made it out alive is likely to pop up again, keeping Reece on his toes.
: The FBI agent who made it out alive is likely to pop up again, keeping Reece on his toes. Gabriel Luna as Freddy Strain : New kid on the block! Luna, who you might know from The Last of Us , plays a former SEAL turned CIA operative. He's a sniper with a heart, balancing family life with high-stakes missions, and he's set to guide Reece toward some kind of redemption.
: New kid on the block! Luna, who you might know from , plays a former SEAL turned CIA operative. He's a sniper with a heart, balancing family life with high-stakes missions, and he's set to guide Reece toward some kind of redemption. Martin Sensmeier as Sergeant Major Otaktay : This 1883 alum joins as a warrior who's all about justice, which could spark some serious tension with Reece.
: This alum joins as a warrior who's all about justice, which could spark some serious tension with Reece. Tom Hopper as Raife Hastings : You might've seen Hopper in The Umbrella Academy . He's playing Raife in the Dark Wolf prequel, and since Raife's a key figure in the book Season 2's based on, he might cross over.
: You might've seen Hopper in . He's playing Raife in the prequel, and since Raife's a key figure in the book Season 2's based on, he might cross over. Taylor Kitsch as Ben Edwards: Ben's story ended rough in Season 1, but Kitsch is back for the Dark Wolf prequel, diving into his SEAL-to-CIA days. Pratt's also in the prequel, so we might see some timeline-crossing magic.
Could we see Riley Keough or Arlo Mertz as Lauren and Lucy Reece? Maybe in flashbacks, since their Season 1 fates were heartbreaking. There's also buzz about new characters like Mohammed Farooq, possibly played by Dar Salim from the prequel. The Terminal List Season 2 Potential Plot
Season 2's pulling from True Believer , the second book in Jack Carr's series. If Season 1 was all about revenge, this one's more of a global spy thriller. Reece is on the run, hiding out in Mozambique after Season 1's chaos. Then, a terrorist attack in London—a bomb at a holiday fair—flips the script. The CIA drags Reece back in to hunt down an Iraqi commando tied to the attacks. It's a wild ride across continents, with Reece dodging enemies and wrestling with his fugitive status.
David DiGilio, the showrunner, says True Believer is a 'huge, epic story' that'll mix intense action with new twists to keep things fresh. Expect Reece to face some tough choices, maybe find a bit of redemption, and lean on new allies like Freddy Strain. The Dark Wolf prequel, focusing on Ben Edwards, will also tie in, setting up characters like Raife Hastings who could play a big role in Season 2.
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Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at BusinessUpturn.com
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I Tried to Make Sense of the Convoluted Ending to ‘Untamed'
I Tried to Make Sense of the Convoluted Ending to ‘Untamed'

Elle

time12 hours ago

  • Elle

I Tried to Make Sense of the Convoluted Ending to ‘Untamed'

Spoilers below. As Untamed makes clear, as often as it can, the wildlife are far from the most violent creatures in Yosemite National Park. Humans are always the most dangerous beasts. The new Netflix limited series shares this thesis with any number of contemporary dramas, post-apocalyptic, crime-focused, or otherwise. (Yellowstone and The Last of Us—which, like Untamed, also concern the consequences of grief—spring immediately to mind.) Thus, there's a level to which Untamed is predictable by default. Despite the show's gorgeous visuals, solid performances, and compelling opening, we know the kind of lesson we're in for. Still, Untamed is ultimately less successful than its Hollywood brethren, in part because the threads of its various crimes fail to coalesce in a satisfying manner. The big twists don't land as pulse-pounding revelations. Instead, they manage to be rote, frustrating, and convoluted all at once. By the time National Park Service Investigative Services Branch agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) leaves Yosemite behind in the final episode, we're left wondering what, exactly, we're supposed to have learned from his experience. Untamed primarily addresses three main mysteries within the national park, each involving a death or disappearance: the death of Jane Doe/Lucy Cooke, the death of Caleb Turner, and the disappearance of Sean Sanderson. Over the course of the series' six episodes, Kyle digs deeper into the Cooke case, but it isn't until the finale that all the secrets are laid out for the audience. These details are revealed in such a whirlwind (and yet anticlimactic) manner that it's easy to confuse them. If you're left squinting at your screen by the time the credits roll, let's retrace our steps. Here's what we learn by the end of Untamed. At the beginning of the series, a woman tumbles to her death off the edge of El Capitan, an infamous vertical rock formation in Yosemite. (The New York Times accurately referred to this inciting incident as 'a deceptively high-adrenaline start' to the series. What comes next is, generally, much less thrilling.) Slowly, Kyle begins to work with ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) to uncover Jane Doe's identity: She is a half-Indigenous woman named Lucy Cooke, formerly known as Grace McCray, and she went missing for the first time many years ago. Back then, Kyle assumed that her father, an abusive man named Rory Cooke, killed her. But when her adult body shows up off El Capitan, Kyle is forced to reexamine the facts of her case. A DNA test soon reveals that Rory Cooke was not, in fact, Lucy's biological father. And when a random boy shows up at the park ranger headquarters with a photograph of 'Grace McCray' (a.k.a. Lucy) as a child, Kyle begins to understand a much more convoluted story is at play. Still, he's initially convinced that wildlife management officer Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel) had a role in her death. Kyle has good reason to despise (and suspect) Shane, as we later learn, and his theories are all but confirmed when he discovers video footage of Shane on Lucy's phone. The two of them were indeed involved in an illegal drug operation from within Yosemite, but, as it turns out, Shane didn't kill Lucy. Her father did. In the finale, Kyle finally travels to Nevada to locate the abandoned church seen in the boy's photograph of young 'Grace.' Next to the church, he finds a crumbling home occupied by a senile woman named Mrs. Gibbs. Further inspection confirms Kyle's worse suspicions: Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs kept a group of foster children locked in their basement, barely fed, in order to secure continued government funding. When Kyle finds Native American etchings carved into one of the walls, he understands that Grace was one of these children. Kyle then meets with a casino employee named Faith Gibbs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, who confirms that Grace is Lucy Cooke, and that Lucy ran away at some point after realizing her 'dad,' a cop, was never coming back to get her. So, who's the cop? And did he kill Lucy? Next—though I'll admit it's not clear to me exactly how—Kyle draws the investigation directly back to his own park rangers. Paul Souter (Sam Neill) is Yosemite's chief park ranger, and as such, he's Kyle's boss and close friend. (He was also, once, godfather to Kyle's now-deceased son, Caleb.) After reexamining Lucy's DNA test results, Kyle realizes that Paul's daughter, Kate, was scrubbed from the list (despite being in the park's system thanks to her prior arrest). He thus surmises that Paul is the 'cop' Lucy once claimed would rescue her. Perhaps Kyle puts the pieces together thanks, in part, to Paul's own suspicious behavior. After Naya kills Shane in the penultimate episode (after Shane himself almost kills Kyle), Kyle wants to continue to pursue Lucy Cooke's case. Paul discourages him from doing so, claiming Kyle should move on with his life. In refusing to do just that, Kyle finally turns on wheedles the full story out of him. Paul was indeed the father of Lucy Cooke. After having an affair with Lucy's mother, an Indigenous woman named Maggie who later died of cancer, Paul refused to acknowledge Lucy's existence. (He was afraid it would destroy his marriage and ruin his reputation.) Maggie raised Lucy with her abusive husband, Rory, until she died. Her last wish was for Paul to 'get Lucy away from Rory.' Paul did so by giving Lucy the name 'Grace McCray' and placing her under the Gibbs' foster care in Nevada. ('I thought Lucy would be safe there,' Paul tells Kyle in the finale. I have a hard time buying this coming from a cop, but it doesn't seem Paul is the most thorough investigator on the planet.) Kyle tells Paul he'll need to run ballistics on Paul's hunting rifles, and Paul panics. He initially tries to pretend he's lent his rifles to friends, and so one of them might have killed Lucy. But he can't lie to Kyle, and he soon admits that he chased Lucy throughout Yosemite after Lucy started extorting him for money. When that extortion turned into kidnapping—Lucy kidnapped Sadie, Paul's granddaughter, as a bargaining chip—Paul became desperate. He managed to get Sadie back home after she was abandoned on a ridge inside Yosemite, but he continued to pursue Lucy, wanting to 'make her listen somehow.' After firing a warning shot in her direction, Paul accidentally hit Lucy in the leg with a bullet. Believing she was being hunted, Lucy fled—but was soon attacked by coyotes. Tired, injured, and ready to stop her running, she decided to let herself fall off El Capitan. Upon learning this, a horrified Kyle demands that Paul 'make this right' by owning up to his crime. But Paul claims he can't, and when he realizes Kyle will try and 'make it right' for him, he pulls his pistol on his old friend. Kyle calls his bluff and continues walking away. At last, Paul instead turns the gun on himself, pulling the trigger and falling, dead, into the river below. But wait! Lucy and Paul's aren't the only awful, preventable deaths to have taken place in Untamed's Yosemite National Park. Five years before the series' events, Kyle suffered his own loss: the death of Caleb, the young son he shared with his now ex-wife, Jill Bodwin (Rosemarie DeWitt). We learn midway through the show that Kyle discovered Caleb dead in the park after he went missing from camp. But it isn't until the finale that we learn who killed Caleb: a missing person named Sean Sanderson, whose case Kyle never solved. Jill killed him! Or, rather, she had him killed. Alas, here's where Shane finally factors into the story, beyond the red-herring drug operation he ran with Lucy: In one of the finale's more shocking revelations, Jill reveals to her husband, Scott (John Randall), that she hired Shane to kill Sean Sanderson. Who is Sean, exactly? Apparently just some random, horrible man who sought to prey on children. Some important backstory: After Caleb's death, Shane surveyed footage from motion-capture cameras he had placed throughout the park in order to track wildlife migration. It was from one of these cameras that he first spotted Sean stalking Caleb. Shane then brought this footage to Kyle and Jill, telling them they should 'let him kill' Sean in retaliation for his crime. Kyle refused this offer, in part because he wanted 100-percent confirmation that Sean had killed Caleb—and he could only be certain after he'd arrested Sean and brought him to trial. But Jill couldn't live with the unpredictability of a courtroom. So she hired Shane to blackmail and kill Sean behind Kyle's back. Kyle only discovered Jill's secret after Sanderson was reported missing, Jill tells Scott. 'More than anything, more than losing Caleb, it was me betraying Kyle that ended us,' she says of their consequent divorce. Nevertheless, Kyle agreed to lie on Jill's why he never 'solved' Sanderson's missing-persons case. As he later tells the lawyer pursuing a wrongful death suit for the Sanderson family: 'Sometimes things happen that just don't make sense.' Finally, the series ends with Kyle escaping Yosemite National Park. After being placed on suspension thanks to his earlier fight with Shane, Kyle decides to give up his park ranger job together and leave Yosemite in the dust—at last moving on from the place of Caleb's death. In giving up his vigil, Kyle promises the apparition of his son that he'll always take a piece of Caleb wherever he goes. He turns over his horse (and, by extension, his trust) to Naya, who seems eager to take up Kyle's mantle. It's a touching moment, seeing Kyle take ownership of his grief and choose to move forward with his life. But it's unclear how exactly he plans to do so, nor how the destruction wrought within his inner circle—Caleb's death, Jill's betrayal, Paul's corruption, Shane's violence—has shaped him now. Has he decided that the best path forward is to leave it all behind? Or, like Lucy, will he realize that there's no escaping the past? Maybe he's simply driving out of the park to find a good therapist. That, dear reader, should be every viewer's earnest hope.

'Frailty' 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review - Bill Paxton Crafts One Of The Finest Psychological Thrillers Around
'Frailty' 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review - Bill Paxton Crafts One Of The Finest Psychological Thrillers Around

Geek Vibes Nation

time13 hours ago

  • Geek Vibes Nation

'Frailty' 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review - Bill Paxton Crafts One Of The Finest Psychological Thrillers Around

Frailty, Bill Paxton's striking directorial debut — now in chilling 4K for the first time — centers on the God's Hand Killer, who terrorized a small Texas community with his axe-wielding butchery. Years after the murders, Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into an FBI office with a shocking revelation: he not only knows who the killer is, but where the bodies are buried. Fenton recounts how his father (Paxton) received an angelic vision commanding the destruction of demons in human form, and enlisted Fenton and his brother, Adam, to aid in the divine purge. What the boys witnessed tested the limits of their minds and souls, fusing family, retribution, and redemption in horrifying, unsettling ways. For thoughts on Frailty, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality Frailty debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 1.85:1 which allows the film to look absolutely spectacular. The previous Blu-Ray released in 2009 looks awful in comparison with its ancient, processed master. At long last, this gem from Bill Paxton is being treated with the proper respect, and the results are astounding. The new 4K presentation unlocks an invaluable amount of detail in the smallest facets of the rustic production design, clothing, and makeup effects. The increase in detail is a blessing in the exploration of textures, including the beads of perspiration on foreheads. Skin tones appear to be consistent throughout and show a notable amount of facial detail including stubble and blood splatter. Color refinement is another area of significant improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray thanks to the implementation of Dolby Vision. Colors look more natural and complex, especially with such lush greenery around the farm. The most worthwhile upgrade comes in the handling of the contrast. With so much of this narrative occurring at night or in shadows, it would be easy to succumb crush and banding, which it often does in the standard Blu-Ray presentation. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray shows off with particularly deep black levels with digital noise nearly completely absent from the screen. The presentation also holds up with a firm handling of the highlights that show no evidence of blooming. This is an unbelievable 4K UHD upgrade that is not to be missed. Audio Quality This disc gets an upgrade with a phenomenal Dolby Atmos presentation that entrenches you in this spiritual nightmare. Sounds are faithfully deployed with the sharpest directionality from the more thrilling moments to the interpersonal exchanges. The effective score from Brian Tyler flows through you to make you feel more unsettled than ever. The sound design is not required to deliver an action-packed assault, but it is appropriately lively in order to make everything feel authentic. The low end gets activated more so when there are sound effects such as thunder or when visions are triggered. The mix here is respectfully expanded with noble engagement of all the channels, so those with a proper system should be pleased. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. This track is often immersive, such as the sounds of rain coming down from the overhead channels. Lionsgate has made this audio experience really sing. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided. Special Features This release comes in an incredible new Collector's Set exclusively at Lionsgate Limited that is quite fetching in person. The set features a hard slip box case and a printed reproduction of director Bill Paxton's complete original shooting script, with handwritten notes throughout. Video of the release can be found at the top of this review. Father Figure: A new 34-minute featurette that weaves in both new and archival interviews with Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, writer Brent Hanley, producer David Kirschner, producer David Blocker, Bill Paxton's son James Paxton, and more. In this piece, you get great insights into the production of the film, the directorial vision of Bill Paxton, the relationship between the performers, the music of the film, and more. Establishing Shot: A new seven-minute featurette that delves into the care put into the 4K restoration of the film. More Stories from the Frailty Set: Another new 19-minute featurette in which many of the subjects providing new interviews from the first piece relay more stories that could not fit neatly into that piece. There are great anecdotes about inviting James Cameron to watch the movie, Bill Paxton imparting acting wisdom to the young performers, and more. There is even a nice reunion between Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter. Teaser Trailer (1:04) Theatrical Trailer (2:07) Legacy Special Features: This new disc carries over the features from the 2009 Lionsgate Blu-Ray release. Audio Commentary #1: Director Bill Paxton Audio Commentary #2: Editor Arnold Glassman, Producer David Kirschner, and Composer Brian Tyler Audio Commentary #3: Writer Brent Hanley Anatomy of a Scene – Featurette Courtesy of Sundance Channel (25:58) The Making of Frailty (19:29) Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary (8:28) Storyboard Gallery (3:02) Photo Gallery (1:35) TV Spots (0:48) Final Thoughts Frailty is a terrific directorial effort from the late, great Bill Paxton, who is likewise delivering some of his best work in front of the camera, as well. This psychological tale keeps you on your toes as you try to decipher whether the horror you are witnessing is man-made or from a higher power. The tension is sustained very well throughout, and every performance lends a significant amount of authenticity to the proceedings. Even with its acclaim, it is an underrated piece of cinema. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a top-tier A/V presentation and a valuable section of special features in lovely packaging. This is as respectful of a tribute to Bill Paxton as you could wish for. Highly Recommended Frailty is currently available to purchase exclusively at Lionsgate Limited on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

The leading man we didn't know we needed is a 50-year-old 'daddy' with a heart of gold
The leading man we didn't know we needed is a 50-year-old 'daddy' with a heart of gold

Yahoo

time21 hours ago

  • Yahoo

The leading man we didn't know we needed is a 50-year-old 'daddy' with a heart of gold

Women love him. Men want to be him. Everyone can't wait to see what Pedro Pascal does next. He can play a romantic lead. He can steal scenes in prestige dramas. He can suit up for Marvel. And he can do it all in a way that makes women — and men — swoon. In the heat of summer blockbuster season, you can't miss Pedro Pascal at your movie theater. 'I'm everywherrrrrrrrrrrrrre 👥👥👥👥👥' Pascal playfully captioned a June Instagram post about one of his latest films, Eddington. And he's right. Right now, he's starring in three of the summer's most talked-about movies: Materialists, Eddington and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. His reign isn't limited to the big screen. In addition to dominating multiplexes, he nabbed another Emmy nomination for his role in The Last of Us and has continued to stir conversation about his fashion sense, viral interview responses and general sense of whimsy. It's a pivotal time for Pascal — a 50-year-old actor finally having the breakout moment he worked for his whole life, generating a rabid fan army that's passionate about his upbeat and empathetic persona. But being everywhere has its price. Pascal truly broke out in January 2023 when he starred as the morally complex post-apocalyptic father figure Joel in The Last of Us, which led to a Saturday Night Live hosting gig, which earned him an Emmy nomination and a key role in Gladiator II. As his stardom was reaching inferno levels ahead of the 2024 awards season, he got hurt tackling Paul Mescal while filming Gladiator II. Then, he got hurt again after falling down the stairs. Being in his late 40s, he couldn't recover as quickly as younger actors who were also breaking out as action heroes. Jason Walsh, Pascal's trainer who has also been his friend since 2014, tells Yahoo he saw Pascal go through 'a downward spiral.' 'When he came to me, he was like, 'I'm broken.' He was very vulnerable psychologically,' he said. Pascal, no stranger to the long road to stardom, began an excruciating journey to recovery. Walsh said he and the actor spent a full year just working on 'restabilizing' his body and helping him overcome the fear of being hurt again. Eventually, through setting small goals and working closely together, Pascal attained the strength needed to become a superhero and do most of his own stunts. 'It's one of my favorite stories, and it happened to a good friend … I'm really proud of him because these stories don't get told, because in the world of fitness, it's all about aesthetics,' Walsh says. 'He looks f***ing great, but this is his version of strength and resiliency. He's able to do all these things.' Yahoo reached out to Pascal's team for comment, but he wasn't able to respond due to his schedule. Walsh can't say enough kind things about Pascal, whom he called 'a beautiful person and so courageous' and 'super intelligent to the point where it's intimidating, in a way, but he doesn't rub your face in it.' Pascal's ability to, despite injury, challenge the masculinity norms for middle-aged men in Hollywood stands out to Walsh. 'There's a level of empathy, compassion and love [that is among the] many qualities you don't see in men anymore,' Walsh says. What his friends love about him is also what's won him such a supportive fanbase. That's part of the reason his ascension to superstar happened so swiftly. Once people knew about him, they couldn't get enough. He's just different. 'Vulnerability is a strength' It's no accident that Pascal is ascending at a time when 'toxic masculinity and nationalism' are converging, Deepak Sharma, a culture expert and professor at Case Western Reserve University who uses they/them pronouns, tells Yahoo. 'Pedro offers a kind of masculinity that isn't binary, and people love it,' Sharma explains. 'He presents himself in a way where you can't really pinpoint [his sexuality] … and you see him showing a vulnerable sensibility in his acting and daily life.' Masculinity norms in the Latino community can be even stricter than those in the general population. Pascal knows this firsthand — as the child of Chilean refugees, he has defied stereotypical machismo and advocated for gender equality long before the spotlight was shining brightly on him. Longtime fan Isabelle Deveaux, a 26-year-old who works in the film industry, first became obsessed with Pascal when he appeared in the first season of an FBI drama called Graceland, which premiered on the USA Network in 2013 — before mainstream media took an interest in him in Game of Thrones or The Mandalorian. She tells Yahoo that she tends to keep an eye out for Latinx people in Hollywood like herself. 'He just feels like Princess Diana to me right now. There's a video of him greeting fans out of a car in Mexico City, and I was like, 'That's literally Princess Diana greeting the masses,'' she says. 'He's been grinding for 25-plus years to get where he is, and it wasn't an easy path for him. … I don't think it's a trend. I think it's the fruit of his labor.' Because he's so personable and Deveaux has been rooting for him for so long, she says Pascal feels like one of her friends. That makes her feel even more invested in his success. 'Everything is so bleak, but at least it's Pedro Pascal summer, and I can go see him in everything,' she says. Fans aren't the only people moved by Pascal. The entire Hollywood machine is impressed. Annie Semenova, an acting coach, tells Yahoo that Pascal is —simply put — really good at his job. 'Pascal understands something fundamental that many actors miss: Vulnerability is strength. … He brings a lived-in authenticity that makes audiences feel safe enough to invest emotionally,' she says. 'He's proven he can carry both intimate character studies and tentpole blockbusters because he approaches each with the same level of preparation and emotional honesty.' Fans admire his emotional depth — they aren't just calling him 'Daddy' because he's hot, though he certainly is. The title he's been given isn't exclusively about his looks or his age. He takes on protective roles that inspire people to match his vulnerability with their own. 'It's the natural result of an actor who embodies masculine vulnerability, emotional intelligence and genuine warmth,' Semenova adds. To some, he's Daddy. To others, he's a meme and a progressive icon. All are correct, pop culture historian Marie Nicola tells Yahoo. He's so rare, it's no wonder he inspires such intense fan behavior. 'He's a reflection of us, the audience. Pascal is the first leading man built by the female gaze, the queer gaze and fandom culture — not the male fantasy industrial complex,' she says. 'He belongs to the people' It's also impressive that Pascal has held key roles in several shows and franchises integral to geek culture: the fantasy series Game of Thrones, Star Wars vehicle The Mandalorian, video game adaptation The Last of Us and comic book movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He's transitioned seamlessly from franchise to franchise, treating the source material and fandoms involved with dignity and respect. 'He was not cast into stardom. He was assembled — claimed by femmes, nerds, queer fans, Latino communities, moms, dads and those who are emotionally fluent in internet culture,' Nicola explains. 'He belongs to the people who need him to be whatever they want him to be at any given moment, and in that moment, Pascal is always down for it.' Several fans tell Yahoo that they're struck by how Pascal remains politically outspoken in favor of transgender and immigrant rights despite campaigning for major acting awards and leading a blockbuster superhero film. He frequently speaks out on behalf of the LGBTQ community and brings his transgender sister, Lux, to events. That contrasts with the strategy many other stars are employing in the current political climate. Stacy Jones, CEO of influencer marketing company Hollywood Branded, tells Yahoo this is extremely rare — not just the bravery, but the continued widespread support. 'He's walked that tightrope because he leads with empathy, not ego. He doesn't posture. He uses his voice in moments that matter, and audiences respect that,' she explains. 'This current moment [for Pascal] is the result of smart career choices, solid personal branding and real emotional intelligence. He earned trust, and in today's celebrity landscape, trust is the new currency.' On July 17 — with two movies in theaters and a major superhero film on the way — Pascal posted on Instagram about how the Trump administration would soon close the national suicide hotline for transgender youth. ''Maybe kindness is the real punk rock,'' one fan commented on Pascal's post, referencing a line from the new Superman movie, a rare blockbuster the actor doesn't have a role in. Empathy, a rejection of traditional masculinity and activism are not the kinds of things you see a lot from superheroes, but Pascal is in a league of his own — different from his peers in just about every way possible. He is, as his Instagram handle @pascalispunk suggests, punk.

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