SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers are ahead for Falcon and Winter Soldier!

[poilib element="accentDivider"] The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw not only the return of Daniel Brühl's Baron Helmut Zemo, but also his iconic purple mask which, according to showrunner Malcolm Spellman, is a symbol of him "honoring his roots and who he believes himself to really be." Speaking to IGN, Spellman delved deep into Zemo's motivations and how he really does take pride in the service he did for his home country of Sokovia. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/23/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-6-review"] "Zemo actually takes pride in the service he did for his country [...] Though he comes from money, he comes from one of those families that are very, very patriotic and he's clearly mourning everything he lost including his entire country [...] The way he's going after The Avengers, and superhero and supremacy, he always brings it back to what happened to him," Spellman said. "So I think Zemo believes he is a hero. And getting back to his roots when he's in service to his country, and that mask, I believe that's him honoring his roots and who he believes himself to really be." Zemo was first seen in Captain America: Civil War and was the driving force in igniting the Avenger's Civil War by framing the Winter Soldier for killing King T'Chaka. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-6-how-the-finale-sets-up-captain-america-4-mcu-canon-fodder"] Ironically enough, Zemo was broken out of prison by Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and, while he still continued his villainous ways, he stuck true to his code of wanting to put an end to super-soldiers for good. For more on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, check out Spellman's thoughts on both Sharon Carter's controversial turn and whether justice was served with John Walker. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers are ahead for Falcon and Winter Soldier! [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's showrunner Malcolm Spellman has detailed the "tremendous amount of thought" that went into the evolution of Sharon Carter and her controversial turn. Speaking to IGN, Spellman discussed Sharon Carter becoming the Power Broker in the MCU, and how her surprising turn to the dark side begins with Captain America: Civil War. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/23/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-6-review"] "A tremendous amount of thought went into this decision, and it begins with Civil War," Spellman said. "Sharon was forced out, and in our mind every scenario we ran on why she hadn't been appearing in the MCU had to do with the fact that when the intelligent community often works is that when they turn on someone, they turn all the way on them. "You've seen it in Mission Impossible movies, you've seen it in like, Salt, whatever, right? There's even a TV show called Burn Notice — when you've been burned, you are utterly betrayed. These people not only did not ever take Sharon back in, they forced her to become a criminal, and they forced her to be on that trajectory. And with the skillset she developed at SHIELD, she was able to thrive." Sharon becoming the Power Broker was that much more impactful for the writers as she is the great-niece of Peggy Carter and is "sort of like the Princess of Marvel," so this new edge to the character played really well and came from an honest place of being betrayed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/25/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-6-how-the-finale-sets-up-captain-america-4-mcu-canon-fodder"] "We landed on that truth, that was just what we felt like really happened," Spellman continued. "Add to that the delight in that Sharon comes from royalty, but more than that, more than the character being sort of like the Princess of Marvel, [actress Emily VanCamp]  has such a youthful look and vibe. For her to be that edgy really, really played well with the character. But it all came from an honest place. It's not like anyone showed up and said, 'Let's ruin Sharon Carter.' It was, 'What do you think happened to Sharon when SHIELD went bad and the intelligence community turned on her.' And this was it." For those who may not remember, Sharon Carter was branded an enemy of the state by the U.S. government following her role in helping Steve Rogers get information about Bucky Barnes whereabouts and giving them their equipment back. She then went on the run to Madripoor and became the Power Broker while amassing wealth from selling stolen artwork. She was revealed to be the Power Broker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's season finale, but was also pardoned and given access to government resources once again. Fans were shocked by Sharon Carter's dark turn, but there are still those who believe that this may not even be Sharon Carter, and that she may be a Skrull imposter in disguise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Spellman previously discussed how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would feature a "whole different" Sharon Carter, one who would "emerge as a badass." Little did we know how different she would be. For more on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, check out how this series may be setting up Secret Invasion and the news that Spellman will be writing the script for Captain America 4 with Falcon staff writer Dalan Musson. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach has been delayed a second time into late 2021, but its creator has released a free spin-off game in the style of Streets of Rage as an apology. In a Reddit post today, developer Scott Cawthon explained that the second delay (following its initial move from end of 2020 to early 2021) was due to the game's scope continuing to get bigger and bigger as work on it progressed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/five-nights-at-freddys-security-breach-reveal-trailer"] "As you all know, Security Breach was originally planned to come out at the end of 2020, but as we kept working on it and kept adding to it, it just kept getting bigger and bigger and needed more time to finish," Cawthon said. "And now, again, I've made the decision to put more time and money into it to make sure it's finished properly, and that means a late 2021 release instead of an early 2021 release like I had originally wanted. It will be worth it!" As an apology, Cawthon has released a new free game entitled Security Breach: Fury's Rage on Game Jolt. Fury's Rage is a beat-em-up featuring Five Nights at Freddy's characters looking quite a bit beefier than normal, and has you walking through city streets, and well, beating up various enemies. Meanwhile, we're still a bit in the dark as to details about Security Breach itself, which was announced for PS5, PS4, and PC back in September 2020 and got a new trailer at Sony's State of Play this past February. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.  

Spoiler Warning! This story contains major spoilers for Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 4 and beyond! Read at your own risk! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Not-So-Captain America John Walker was a controversial character in Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as intended. Walker demonstrated some hints throughout the earlier episodes of the show, which just wrapped with a season finale last Friday, that his character wasn't the Steve Rogers replacement his government had propped him up to be, and that came to a head when Walker lashed out by murdering a Flag Smasher in front of the world. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=how-sam-wilsonfalcon-became-captain-america&captions=true"] What seemed like an extremely dark turn for the character led Walker down a path that would see him become U.S. Agent by the end of the show, and this decision and what it means for the character had many questioning what was next for him. IGN talked to Falcon and Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman about Walker and everything that transpired in the show's six-episode season. "To me, when we talk about John Walker, there's two realms of punishment and price that you pay, right?" Spellman said. "On a personal level, when you look at this character who's dedicated his life toward being the perfect soldier, to have that ripped away from you has an immense personal toll, and look at what it did to him as a character, right?" Spellman said people have to remember that when Walker acts out and kills a Flag Smasher, he's doing so "in response to his best friend being murdered." Furthermore, everything he does after that moment is as a result of losing his best friend and the way "his government basically [cast] him aside," with "no regard for what it means to be a veteran." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/23/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-6-review"] "Continuing that journey, look at the pain on his face when he's lying to Leymar's family," Spellman continued. "So everything doesn't have to be — I don't want to say superficial — but external, when a character pays for something, you know what I'm saying? I think John paid an immense personal price." "When it comes to how the government treated him, it would have been fake to have [...] taking into account that the Flag Smasher had been sort of an enemy of the state, and therefore what John did to him maybe not being warranted, but in the heat of battle, those kinds of excuses you make for people [...] that felt like what happens with people like Walker." Perhaps Walker as a character, who is now U.S. Agent in the MCU, will be explored further in the recently announced Captain America 4, which is being written by Spellman. He could even show up in a potential second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Catch up on everything that could be in store for Walker with IGN's US Agent explainer and then read about how the show might have set up Secret Invasion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Warning: this article contains for Star Wars: Darth Vader #11! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-how-marvel-continues-the-story-of-the-empire-strikes-back&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Marvel's current Darth Vader series continues to forge new links between the original Star Wars trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Thanks to the latest chapter, we now know more about the origins of Supreme Leader Snoke and what happened to Luke Skywalker's severed hand. Issue #11 wraps up the "Into the Fire" story arc, which has been following Vader's struggle for survival after Palpatine left him battered and helpless on Mustafar. In the aftermath of The Empire Strikes Back, Palpatine senses Vader's resolve waning, and he's determined to remind his apprentice that fear, anger and suffering are the path to true power. Having survived every obstacle Palpatine sent his way (including a clash with the Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon), Vader finally confronts his master on Exegol. He even attempts to destroy the Emperor with a little help from some Lovecraftian monsters he's picked up along the way. Unfortunately, Palpatine is truly in his element on Exegol, and he easily dispatches Vader's new minions. Vader is left with no choice but to walk through the Sith temple and confront the horrors within. [caption id="attachment_2506659" align="aligncenter" width="1640"] Art by Raffaele Ienco. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)[/caption] It's here where Luke's missing hand comes in. Palpatine has apparently recovered the hand from Bespin and added it to his medical laboratory. This issue also shows the cloning tanks full of failed Snoke bodies also seen in The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian. The takeaway here is that Palpatine was deep into his cloning experiments and preparing a new body for himself well before his "death" in Return of the Jedi. And with Luke's hand in his possession, it could be inferred that Luke's own midichlorian-rich DNA helped Palpatine cheat death in the first place. Maybe that helps explain why Luke is so disillusioned in The Last Jedi? Palaptine further tests his apprentice through a group of cloned assassins. While not true Sith, these clones are meant to remind Vader that even he can be replaced once he outlives his usefulness. Vader slaughters these clones and the dagger-wielding, Palpatine-worshiping Sith cultists. Finally, he discovers the true scope of his master's plans when he ventures beneath the temple and discovers an endless fleet of Final Order Star Destroyers. We even learn where Palpatine harvested the kyber crystal necessary to power an entire fleet of planet killers. Palpatine found a mountain-sized hunk of kyber, and his minions have been torturing this living mineral to bring out its destructive power. At this point, you can't really blame Vader for tabling his plan to kill the Emperor. But though he agrees to resume his place at Papatine's side, he continues to feel the gnaw of the Light Side deep within. This issue closes with another glimpse of Vader's mental anguish, a reversal of that iconic moment between father and son on Cloud City. [caption id="attachment_2506657" align="aligncenter" width="1640"] Art by Raffaele Ienco. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)[/caption] What do you think of these new Star Wars revelations? Does this mean there's a blood relation between Luke and Snoke? Does this pave the way for fan-favorite Expanded Universe villain Luuke Skywalker to appear? Let us know in the comments below. This is just the latest of Marvel's contributions to the Star Wars mythos. The current Star Wars series has answered lingering questions like how Luke recovered his X-Wing from Bespin and brought his yellow lightsaber into the official canon. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/21/star-wars-2021-upcoming-tv-shows-games-comics-and-more"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

When we were first introduced to Yuffie in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade's reveal, she was wearing an adorable moogle hood. According to FF7 Remake co-director Motomu Toriyama, this was inspired by Dirge of Cerberus and is used by Yuffie on covert missions, even if it's not very subtle. Square Enix recently sat down with Toriyama-san and his co-director Naoki Hamaguchi to talk more about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Episode Intermission, Yuffie, the aforementioned moogle suit, and more. PS2's Vincent Valentine-focused Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII also featured Yuffie, and she made her grand entrance in a similar moogle outfit. According to Toriyama-san, this was brought forward to this new episode, and shows more of Yuffie's personality. "Actually, the moogle hood draws its reference from the time it was used in [Dirge of Cerberus] — and Yuffie wears it whenever she is on a covert mission." Toriyama-san said. "She might think she’s perfectly disguised, but it actually makes her stand out even more in a metropolis like Midgar. I feel that’s just very ‘her’, and probably why I like it so much!" Dirge of Cerberus is a notorious game among Final Fantasy 7 fans. It turned the original RPG into a third-person shooter, and while it improved many of the shortcomings of the original Japanese version, it still fell short. Our original Dirge of Cerberus review was more positive than most, though. "Is Dirge of Cerberus the best use of the Final Fantasy VII universe? Definitely not. Is it a decent game with a strong story and occasionally-engaging rifle blasting? Absolutely." In the meantime, Toriyama and Hamaguchi reassured fans that, although this is very much the Yuffie we know and love from Final Fantasy VII, they won't have to worry about her stealing their materia like she did in the original. "Yes, in the original [Final Fantasy 7], she caused quite the hassle because she stole her allies’ materia! Don’t worry — in the new episode Yuffie’s the protagonist, so rest assured you don’t have to worry about your valuable materia getting taken away." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-ps5-extended-and-enhanced-features-trailer"] Hamaguchi added that not only will your materia be safe, there will also be brand new materia that wasn't included in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Episode Intergrade will be included with new copies of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for PS5, and will also be available as a separate purchase for those who own Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4. Those who purchased Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

When we were first introduced to Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade's reveal, she was wearing an adorable moogle hood. According to FF7 Remake co-director Motomu Toriyama, this was inspired by Dirge of Cerberus and is used by Yuffie on covert missions, even if it's not very subtle. Square Enix recently sat down with Toriyama-san and his co-director Naoki Hamaguchi to talk more about the Final Fantasy VII Remake EPISODE INTERmission, Yuffie, the aforementioned moogle suit, and more. PS2's Vincent Valentine-focused Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII also featured Yuffie, and she made her grand entrance in a similar moogle outfit. According to Toriyama-san, this was brought forward to this new episode, and shows more of Yuffie's personality. "Actually, the moogle hood draws its reference from the time it was used in DIRGE OF CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII- and Yuffie wears it whenever she is on a covert mission." Toriyama-san said. "She might think she’s perfectly disguised, but it actually makes her stand out even more in a metropolis like Midgar. I feel that’s just very ‘her’, and probably why I like it so much!" Toriyama-san and Hamaguchi-san also reassured fans that, although this is very much the Yuffie we know and love from Final Fantasy VII, they won't have to worry about her stealing their materia like she did in the original. "Yes, in the original FINAL FANTASY VII, she caused quite the hassle because she stole her allies’ materia! Don’t worry - in the new episode Yuffie’s the protagonist, so rest assured you don’t have to worry about your valuable materia getting taken away." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-ps5-extended-and-enhanced-features-trailer"] Hamaguchi-san added that not only will your materia be safe, there will also be brand new materia that wasn't included in the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Final Fantasy VII Remake EPISODE INTERgrade will be included with new copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for PS5, and will be available as a separate purchase for those who own Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 and upgrade to the PS5 version for free. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

DC FanDome is officially back. The DC Comics event will once again feature news and guest stars related to Batman, Aquaman, and the rest of the gang when it kicks off in October. The announcement on Twitter was extremely brief. To the tune of the Superman anthem from the Christopher Reeve films, a short clip invited fans to save the date for what it's calling a "global experience." It is unclear at this time whether it will be a live event or another virtual event. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/19/ranking-the-batman-movie-villains"] DC FanDome found success as a virtual event in August 2020, having been conceived in the wake of the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con that same year. Virtual panels covered many of the top films due at that time, including the Snyder Cut of Justice League and The Batman. The event was ultimately viewed by 22 million people in more than 220 countries. There will certainly be plenty to cover heading into 2022. Apart from The Batman, we can expect to hear about Black Adam, The Flash, Aquaman 2, and whatever else DC has in store for 2022. The event kicks off October 16, with full coverage here on IGN. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

DC FanDome is officially back. The DC Comics event will once again feature news and guest stars related to Batman, Aquaman, and the rest of the gang when it kicks off in October. The announcement on Twitter was extremely brief. To the tune of the Superman anthem from the Christopher Reeve films, a short clip invited fans to save the date for what it's calling a "global experience." It is unclear at this time whether it will be a live event or another virtual event. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/19/ranking-the-batman-movie-villains"] DC FanDome found success as a virtual event in August 2020, having been conceived in the wake of the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con that same year. Virtual panels covered many of the top films due at that time, including the Snyder Cut of Justice League and The Batman. The event was ultimately viewed by 22 million people in more than 220 countries. There will certainly be plenty to cover heading into 2022. Apart from The Batman, we can expect to hear about Black Adam, The Flash, Aquaman 2, and whatever else DC has in store for 2022. The event kicks off October 16, with full coverage here on IGN. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Sony has revealed that the PlayStation Plus games for May 2021 are PS5's Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last and PS4's Battlefield V and Stranded Deep. Announced on PlayStation.Blog, these three of these games will be available to all PlayStation Plus members to add to their library from May 4-31. Wreckfest, which was originally set to get a $10 PS5 upgrade on June 1, is a full-contact racer from the creator of FlatOut. Players will race and upgrade "patched-together cars" while battling others to reach the finish line first. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/23/wreckfest-review"] In our review of Wreckfest, we said it "is the long-overdue return of serious, high-quality destruction racing and, in that admittedly slim niche, it’s the king of the crop. It lacks a little spark off the track but out in the thick of it it’s some of the most frantic fun you can have on four wheels." Battlefield V is the latest entry in the beloved franchise and this game brings players back to World War 2. Battlefield V's arrival on PlayStation Plus looks to time nicely with the upcoming reveal of Battlefield 6, which is set to be the biggest in the series' history. In our review of Battlefield V, we said it "is a grand and addictive shooter with some smart ideas for improving gunplay and team dynamics, but at launch it has too many technical issues and holes in its content to excel." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/21/battlefield-v-review"] Stranded Deep is a game that will test your survival skills in an open-world adventure set in the "vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean." You are stranded after a mysterious plane crash and have to do what you can to survive. PlayStation also reminds players to add April 2021's PlayStation Plus games - Oddworld: Soulstorm, Days Gone, and Zombie Army 4: Dead Way - before they leave the service on May 3, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/21/stranded-deep-official-launch-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.