The Direct Podcast brings you the unofficial calm before The Batman storm this week.With Boba Fett and Peacemaker in the rear view, we spend today's episode deep diving into the week's top news. Marvel Netflix is (sorta) coming to Disney+! Thor: Love and Thunder brings us massive character updates! Loki S2 has its directors! All that plus many more stories from the worlds of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars.With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on the horizon, we assemble our dream rosters of the MCU's Illuminati. Which Variants made the teams? What actors are playing these alternate versions?Finally, we wrap our Nolan trilogy rewatch with a retrospective review of The Dark Knight Rises. We dive into the good, the great, and the fantastic from the last live-action Batman film.Thank you as always for rocking with us. Be a friend, tell a friend!Visit The Direct: https://thedirect.com/Follow Liam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiamTCrowleyFollow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattroembkeTIMECODES3:30 - Scheduling Reminder8:52 - Quick Questions15:14 - Sizzle Reel17:40 - Marvel Netflix Comes to Disney+25:29 - Thor 4 Updates31:11 - Loki S2 Directors Announced35:27 -  Jon Watts Directing Star Wars38:50 - Somehow, Palpatine Returned?43:28 - Assembling Our MCU Illuminati Rosters1:12:54 - The Dark Knight Rises Retrospective1:49:02 - Weekly Recs