Fictional Characters

Kamala Khan isn't your typical Marvel superhero. Sure, she battles bad guys. But she's also a Muslim high school student living with her Pakistani-born parents in Jersey City — which makes Ms. Marvel the first show or film in the Marvel universe to feature a Muslim hero.

Anthony Horowitz's novels about a reluctant teen spy have been adapted into a TV series for IMDB TV. Horowitz is also the author of Moonflower Murders, a mystery for adults.

The HBO show uses sci-fi and superheroes to examine American racism. Cord Jefferson wrote the episode in which the main character goes back in time and to relive the trauma of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.

With The Old Guard, Prince-Bythewood becomes the first Black woman to direct an adaptation of a comic book.

The Netflix streaming service is presenting the first season of its newest collaboration with the Marvel comics group. It's called The Defenders and it's a small-screen teaming of superheroes that has been part of Netflix's programming plans since 2015.

Marvel returns to its Guardians superheroes in this sequel, but the resulting film is lacking. Critic David Edelstein calls Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 "a big mess — with dumb jokes."

Director Zack Snyder layers subplot on top of subplot in his film of battling superheroes. Critic David Edelstein says Batman v. Superman is full of fragments and teases, and overall, "just awful."

Crimmins, who died last week, mentored Bobcat Goldthwait when they were up-and-coming comics in the '80s. The two men spoke to Fresh Air in 2015 about their documentary Call Me Lucky.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is visually an eyesore — a kaleidoscope of bright, mismatched colors, and in 3-D to make your headache stronger. The movie makers hit the bull's-eye.

TV critic David Bianculli points to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Andy Samberg, and The Blacklist, starring James Spader, as shows to watch this season. Other debuts, like The Michael J. Fox Show and The Crazy Ones, show plenty of potential.

For the past 80 years, the Man of Steel has endured in books, movies, radio serials, comic books and cartoons. "Americans embrace Superman partly because he captured so many things that are part of our psyche and part of our sense of ourselves," says biographer Larry Tye.

McKenzie, half of the New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, wrote five songs in the recent Muppets movie. "Man or Muppet" is nominated for Best Original Song at this year's Academy Awards. [extended cut]

A shorter version of this interview was broadcast on Feb. 13, 2012.

McKenzie, half of the New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, wrote five songs in the recent Muppets movie. "Man or Muppet" is nominated for Best Original Song at this year's Academy Awards.

The filmmakers behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall have teamed up to create a new Muppet movie. "We set out to make a Muppet movie that harkened back to the late-'70s [and] early-'80s Muppets that we grew up with," says Jason Segel.

In his new book, Secret Identity: The Fetish Art Of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster, Craig Yoe explores the risque art of the man behind Superman.

Critic David Edelstein says the new Bond film makes plenty of noise — just not the seductive kind. Actor Daniel Craig, though, holds things together nicely enough.

Fresh Air film critic David Edelstein reviews Iron Man, based on the Marvel comics hero. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, stars Robert Downey Jr. as a billionaire weapons inventor, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Casino Royale the new James Bond film starring Daniel Craig.

Our film critic reviews Superman Returns. The new feature is directed by Bryan Singer, who made The Usual Suspects and X-Men. Newcomer Brandon Routh plays the man of steel, and Kevin Spacey is archenemy Lex Luthor.

Film critic David Edelstein has a review of the Batman installment, starring Christian Bale, Katie Holmes and Michael Caine. Is there room for one more film about the Caped Crusader? As the title suggests, this one goes back to the origins of a classic American character.