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Returning behind the camera after directing the two previous installments, Peyton Reed takes us back to one of the plot twists in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' - SPOILER ALERT!!!

"WARNING - The article below contains spoilers as it discusses one of the plot twists in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'. Please refrain from reading if you haven't seen the movie yet and do not wish to know the details."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was released in theaters on Wednesday, February 15, marks the beginning of Phase V of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie introduces the new main villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, who was previously seen in the first season finale of Loki.

Although he is expected to be the future adversary of the Avengers, Kang the Conqueror is not the only antagonist in the movie. As revealed in the trailers, M.O.D.O.K. is also in the game. M.O.D.O.K. is an acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, and is a character with a disproportionately large head compared to his small arms and legs.

In the comic books, his real name is George Tarleton, a technician employed by the criminal organization A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) who volunteers to be transformed into a powerful being capable of analyzing the Cosmic Cube, which was seen in the first Captain America movie. This transformation results in him becoming the unique being known as M.O.D.O.K. who possesses telepathic abilities and can generate a psychic ray.

This is what is shown in the comic books or the stop-motion animated series, which is available on Disney+. Unfortunately, the series only had one season, most likely because it was independent from the plans of the MCU. Nevertheless, it was a small gem due to its handmade look, dark humor, violence, and the unlikable nature of its anti-hero.

In the movie, M.O.D.O.K. has a different identity. As some viewers had guessed from the brief shots in the trailers, the character is actually Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) in costume. Cross was the main villain in the first Ant-Man movie and was thought to have shrunk to death. In reality, he was propelled into the quantum world where he now seeks revenge against Scott Lang.

When we started developing the story, we liked the idea of M.O.D.O.K. lurking in the shadows of the MCU, and we wondered how it would make its appearance in live action," explained Peyton Reed when we asked him about the reason for this twist. "During our discussions about Kang and how he might be connected to Scott Lang, we thought he might need a henchman."

"I came up with the idea that at the end of the first Ant-Man film, we saw Darren Cross being defeated, but mostly shrinking into a trickle as he twisted. We had assumed he was dead...but what if he actually landed in the Quantum Realm, where he was found by Kang's forces and transformed into something entirely different?

Corey Stoll liked the idea of returning to the Ant-Man saga but in a different way and context.

I remember the day I called Corey Stoll to pitch the idea to him. He was laughing on the other end of the line. Corey was a fan of comic books when he was younger, so he knew exactly who I was talking about. He liked the idea of returning to the Ant-Man saga, but in a different way and context, so we went in that direction."

"If you're unfamiliar with the character and his presence in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania intrigues you (which is understandable), you can turn to the comic books or the animated series dedicated to M.O.D.O.K. to learn more about him.

Joko Winterscheidt (44) will defend from February 19 on “Who is stealing the show from me?” again not only his honor, but also the moderation of his popular quiz show. This time, the prominent candidates singer Bill Kaulitz (33), rapper Sido (42) and actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer (33) want to contest the show. As a "crime scene" commissioner, the latter is used to finding answers to various questions. What does the 33-year-old do besides acting and how was her career so far?

Jasna Fritzi Bauer never wanted to make films
Jasna Fritzi Bauer has had a remarkable acting career in recent years. In 2011 she celebrated her breakthrough with the film "Ein Tick anders", in which she played Eva, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome. Other roles in successful films and series followed, such as "About a Girl", "Axolotl Overkill", "jerks." and in 2019 her own series "Rampensau". The success of the 33-year-old also bore fruit in the form of numerous nominations and awards.

It is therefore surprising that Bauer admitted in an interview with the "FAZ" that she actually never wanted to make films. Your film acting career is just a "great stroke of luck". "Once during my studies I was late for classes at the Ernst Busch [School for Dramatic Arts, editor's note], and a caster stood there and asked me whether I was studying here. She introduced me to the director Pia Marais, with whom I made my first film, 'Im Alter von Ellen' in 2009."

A woman of many talents
Jasna Fritzi Bauer, who has been investigating inspector Liv Moormann in the Bremen “Tatort” since 2021, not only regularly proves her talent as an actress. The 33-year-old also knows how to convince with her voice. The audience learned from "The Masked Singer" in spring 2022 that she is a talented singer. Disguised as a starfish, the Wiesbaden native sang her way up to fifth place in the sixth season.

Bauer also knows how to use her voice professionally. She has been dubbing audio books since 2016. At the end of 2020, she also teamed up with her friends and colleagues Cristina do Rego (36) and Anna Maria Mühe (37) for the "Unter Dry" podcast. In it, the three regularly talk about acting topics.

Bauer also knows how to use her voice professionally. She has been dubbing audio books since 2016. At the end of 2020, she also teamed up with her friends and colleagues Cristina do Rego (36) and Anna Maria Mühe (37) for the "Unter Dry" podcast. In it, the three regularly talk about acting topics.

Bauer is also not averse to art. Together with Katharina Zorn, she exhibited the series "Today I Write" in Bremen last year. For their media art, the artists integrated and transformed poetry into various media forms such as short films or multimedia installations. Whether quizzes are also one of her talents will be revealed in the coming weeks on Sundays in "Who is stealing the show?" out of here.

Jasna Fritzi Bauer lives in an unusual living situation
Jasna Fritzi Bauer keeps a low profile about her private life. Last year, however, she spoke to Ina Müller (57) about her unusual shared apartment on her show "Inas Nacht". This consists of one other person and a child, she explained. However, it is not about her partner and her own child, as she clarified when asked by Müller. Jasna Fritzi Bauer has lived in many flat shares over the years. In addition to men who were 50 when she was 20 herself, there were also some people with children with whom she shared an apartment. "I think that's how you look for your chosen family," says Bauer.

She herself grew up in a large blended family. The actress has six siblings and, in addition to her biological parents, two stepmothers and two stepfathers. Her biological mother is Swiss-Chilean. For this reason, Bauer does not have a German passport, but does have Chilean and Swiss citizenship. Her relatives in Chile are very important to her, she often emphasizes. She still has around 120 relatives there. "These are my roots," she explained on "Inas Nacht".

Berlin (AP) - US actress Kristen Stewart recalled the political character of the Berlinale. And other members of the jury also discussed the relationship between politics and film at the opening press conference on Thursday. "This festival in particular, in terms of its history, is confrontational and political in a positive way," said Stewart (32), who is this year's jury president.

In times of political crisis, films are a good remedy against feelings of powerlessness. "It's a great way to help emphasize beautiful things at a time when they're hard to hold on to," Stewart said. "I think it's an artist's job to take a disgusting or bad subject, process it, and turn it into something more beautiful, helpful."

Farahani on the situation in Iran
The Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani (39) is also part of the seven-member jury that decides on the awarding of the Golden and Silver Bears at the end of the festival. She drew attention to the difficult situation in her country. "Iran, this is a dictatorship, it's not just something philosophical or theoretical. The people lack the oxygen, the air to breathe in Iran, »said Farahani.

For her, Berlin is the city where the Wall came down, a symbol of freedom, Farahani said. She is happy that the Berlinale is celebrating cinema and film and that people are working together to promote art and culture. "Even if you have the feeling that the world is collapsing in many places, not just in Iran," she explained, referring to the war in Ukraine and the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Johnnie To: Dictatorships are against film
The Chinese director and jury member Johnnie To (67) said about the importance of film and cinema: "Dictatorships in particular are against film because film, because cinema has such a close connection to the audience, to the people. It applies worldwide: If you want to fight for freedom, then you have to stand up for the cinema, for the film. »

This year's jury also includes German director Valeska Grisebach ("Western"), US casting agent Francine Maisler ("Dune", "She Said"), Romanian director Radu Jude and Spanish director Carla Simón, whose film "Alcarràs" won last year.

The Berlinale will be officially opened on Thursday evening with the comedy "She Came to Me" by director Rebecca Miller. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj should also be connected via video. Selenskyj will be introduced by Hollywood star Sean Penn, who is presenting his Ukraine film "Superpower" at the Berlinale.

Tom Holland fans have every reason to be happy. The Spider-Man actor will return in his signature role. The actor first donned the Spider-Man costume in 2016's 'Captain America: Civil War'.

"A lot of big ideas"

He's hardly ever taken off the Spidey outfit since then. He has appeared in several 'Avengers' films as well as three 'Spider-Man' blockbusters, most recently 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. Speaking to 'Entertainment Weekly', Marvel boss Kevin Feige has now promised a new adventure with the superhero.

"All I'm going to say is that we already have a story. We have a lot of big ideas and the scriptwriters are in the process of putting them on paper now." Whether it is a movie about Spider-Man or an appearance of the hero in another adventure, he left open.

Tom Holland is proud of Spider-Man

Of course, the good news will also please the superhero actor. After 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' hit theaters in December 2021, Tom Holland had already made it clear that he wasn't ready to turn his back on the role that made him an international superstar: "I know that I'm not ready to say goodbye.

" However, he added: "If it comes time to say goodbye, I will do so with pride because I have achieved everything I set out to achieve with the character." Producer Amy Pascal had already made positive hints after the premiere of the last Spidey film. They shot three films, now it's the turn of the next three. So at the moment it looks like Tom Holland's goodbye time is still a long way off.

Image: Abby Grant/Cover Images

This is one of the famous scenes from "Forrest Gump": The title character sits on a bench, eats chocolates and reviews his life. Now the box of chocolates has been auctioned for $25,000.

An auction is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Even when auctioning a prop from "Forrest Gump" you were only smarter with the highest bid. Under the hammer was the box of chocolates from which the title hero nibbles in a scene from the classic film. The box has Ripley's Believe It or Not! now auctioned for 25,000 US dollars, the equivalent of around 23,000 euros.

The US group announced this yesterday on its website. Ripley's is now the "owner of the iconic chocolate prop used by Tom Hanks in 1994's Forrest Gump." Why did the company charge so much for the box? Maybe because the auction took place just before today's Valentine's Day. Because, according to Ripley's, "candy boxes are synonymous with Valentine's Day."

Forrest Gump - Achiever and everyday philosopher

"Forrest Gump" is one of the most successful films of all time. The film adaptation of Winston Groom's novel of the same name tells the fictional story of a man who, despite his mental limitations, achieves everything in life. Forrest makes a career as a football and table tennis player, he becomes a decorated war hero, rises to become a successful entrepreneur and also finds happiness in his private life.

The feel-good film, which won six Oscars, is peppered with memorable scenes. This also includes the episodes in which Forrest - sitting on a bench and holding a box of chocolates on his lap - tells his changing seat neighbors stories from his eventful life. The everyday philosopher also quotes the following sentence: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."