Article Image

Comic book fans get dream docuseries from History channel in ‘Superheroes Decoded’

Every superhero has an origin story and even if you know them, there is more to learn. The History channel will premiere Superheroes Decoded, a two-part documentary on their cultural importance, on April 30.

The History channel has the docuseries comic book fans have been waiting for, whether they know it or not. The network will air Superheroes Decoded, a two-part documentary on the origins and importance of iconic heroes like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and Captain America. The first part will air on April 30 and the second on May 1, Deadline reports.

To explore the origins and impact of these vaunted superheroes, History has help from those who know them best: Comic creators, film directors, fans, and other experts. There will be interviews from various heavy-hitters in the comic book world, including Marvel’s Stan Lee, DC writer Brad Meltzer, Captain America: Civil War star Anthony Mackie, and more. Even George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Fire and Ice book series that inspired Game of Thrones, will offer insight.

Viewers can also expect to see images of their favorite superheroes over the decades. The docuseries will use historical archival material and vintage comics as well as contemporary film clips. These will paint a picture of the emergence and evolution of superheroes along with how they have stood the test of time.

The first part of the docuseries will focus specifically on the making of these heroes, placed in historical context, and how they reflect our values. History highlights that “these all-American legends have endured through decades of war, triumph and scandal.” In the second part, the docuseries will delve into how iconic superheroes have traditionally been rule-breakers, willing to challenge authority in their pursuit of justice.

Superheroes Decoded is executive produced by Warrior Poets’ Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Chilnick as well as History’s Kristen Burns. Josh Mensch is co-executive producer.

Superheroes Decoded should be an interesting one for die-hard fans and history buffs alike. Look for it on History on April 30 and May 1.

China just gave Hollywood a cautionary tale about AI filmmaking. Sanxingdui: Future Past, billed as the country's first fully AI-generated movie, hit theaters on October 23 and bombed at the box office.

According to Futurism, the film's reported $1.5 million production budget landed on more than 10,000 screens. Yet it pulled in only about $181,000, averaging roughly $20 per screen, making the budget difficult to recover.

Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.

https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911

YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.

What is AV2, and why should viewers care?