
The Ringer-Verse
byThe Ringer
TVFilm
The Ringer-Verse is your go-to nexus podcast feed for all things nerd culture and fandom, featuring:'The Midnight Boys': Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman react to the latest in fandom and share their instant reactions to the newest nerd culture releases, all while bringing the banter every week.'Mint Edition': Steve, Jomi, and Jessica Clemons gather every other week to share their unique takes on the movies and shows that are animating the fandom.'Button Mash': Ben Lindbergh and Jessica discuss the latest in the world of video games, from headline-making new releases, to industry trends...
Episodes(40 episodes)
'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Premiere Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back and they’re diving into Disney+’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 premiere! They discuss Fisk’s role in the new season, compare the Disney+ Daredevil to the Netflix Daredevil, and debate Daredevil’s ability to rival other MCU characters.
(0:00) Intro
(7:28) Spoilers ahead
(9:03) ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 premiere reactions
(1:17:28) Outro
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your...
Published: Mar 25, 2026Duration: 1h 24m 32s
‘Project Hail Mary’ Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back and excited to talk about all things ‘Project Hail Mary’! Come for the film review, but stay for the great food debate of 2026!
(0:00) Intro
(9:11) Spoilers Ahead
(11:34) ‘Project Hail Mary’ Instant Reactions
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Mar 20, 2026Duration: 1h 33m 58s
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’ Trailer Reactions! | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and boy, are they excited about the recent trailer drops! First, they dive into the trailer for the next installment of Tom Holland’s 'Spider-Man' series: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ Then, they discuss the ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer and go over all of the new additions to the cast. Plus, they look at plot changes from the books in the first two parts of the ‘Dune’ series.
(0:00) Intro
(7:21) ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ trailer reaction
(46:37) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer reaction
(1:32:32) Outro
Hosts: Van Lathan, C...
Published: Mar 19, 2026Duration: 1h 37m 1s
‘Crimson Desert’ Is Like Everything Else and Nothing Else | Button Mash
It’s real … but is it spectacular? Ben, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman gather to discuss one of the most ambitious, most anticipated, and most enigmatic games of the year, open-world action-adventure epic ‘Crimson Desert.’ They begin by breaking down why the game remained mysterious until its release, whether it lives up to the huge hype, how it incorporates some of the best aspects of other open-world classics, and some of its perplexing problems, along with their disagreements about the game, their shared wonder at its visuals and scale, and their sense of its significance. Then they predict the game’s M...
Published: Mar 18, 2026Duration: 1h 30m 44s
The 2026 Versies Awards | House of Midnight
House of R and The Midnight Boys team up to bring you the 2026 Versies Awards and celebrate all the highs and lows of fandom content from 2025.
Intro (00:00)
Best Visuals (04:52)
Best Line (12:35)
Best Character (19:19)
Saddest Moment (26:10)
Best Music (34:15)
Best New Character (42:35)
Best Director (49:03)
Best Showrunner (53:28)
Best Movie Performance (56:48)
Best Show Performance (01:02:14)
Best Movie (01:14:29)
Best Show (01:21:13)
Hosts: Mallory Rubin, Van Lathan, Joanna Robinson, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers...
Published: Mar 14, 2026Duration: 1h 34m 13s
‘Sinners’ Recast and ‘Lanterns’ Trailer Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and they’re recasting ‘Sinners’! But before they dive into that, they’re giving you their thoughts on the new trailer for HBO Max’s ‘Lanterns.’
(0:00) Intro
(10:16) Nerd News: ‘Lanterns’ trailer
(30:27) ‘Sinners’ recast
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Mar 12, 2026Duration: 1h 40m 29s
Are 'Marathon' and 'Pokémon Pokopia' What Sony and Nintendo Needed? | Button Mash
Gotta ’cast ’em all! First, Ben, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman form a fireteam to discuss Bungie’s long-awaited extraction shooter ‘Marathon.’ They forecast whether it’ll fare more like hit ‘ARC Raiders’ or flop ‘Highguard,’ examine the stakes for Sony’s big bets on Bungie and live-service games, and react to a possible revival of the PlayStation/Xbox console wars, followed by a “Rage Quit” rant about the backlash to promotional photos for video game adaptations such as ‘God of War.’ Then Ben brings on Charles Pulliam-Moore from The Verge to discuss the delights of Pokémon life-sim spinoff ‘Pokopia,’ its signific...
Published: Mar 7, 2026Duration: 1h 49m 34s
Armchair CEO: Paramount and Warner Bros. | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and this time they’re stepping into the role of CEO to discuss the projects they’d be green-lighting and IP moves they’d be making if they were at the helm of the Paramount–Warner Bros. megadeal.
(00:05) Intro(12:45) Armchair CEO(1:16:48) Outro
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve AhlmanProducers: Jamie and Devon BaroldiAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Mar 5, 2026Duration: 1h 20m 2s
Ringer-Verse Recommends: February 2026 (Featuring ‘Frieren’ and a Massive Month for Anime)
Short month, long episode! First, Ben Lindbergh and Charles Holmes extoll the virtues of one of their favorite fantasy stories, the anime series ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey's End,’ touching on its themes, influences, and characters, as well as why it makes a great gateway show for non-anime fans. They also discuss some other highlights of a peak period for anime (including ‘Journal With Witch’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’), preview a few coming attractions, and take a detour with discussion of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to top off another monthly roundup of fandom favori...
Published: Feb 28, 2026Duration: 1h 15m 59s
'Resident Evil Requiem' Reactions | Button Mash
Ben, Matt James, and Joshua Rivera team up to take on one of the most anticipated video games of the year: 'Resident Evil Requiem,' the ninth mainline entry in the 30-year-old survival-horror franchise. First, they analyze the significance of Sony's shocking closure of Bluepoint Games, and an Xbox leadership shake-up. Then they compare their 'Resident Evil' histories, have an in-depth (but spoiler-free) discussion about how 'Requiem' weaves together different strands of the series, and offer their final verdicts on the game.
Email us at ringerversegaming@gmail.com!
Intro (0:00)
<...
Published: Feb 27, 2026Duration: 1h 19m 21s
The Black TV Draft | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back and drafting the best Black TV shows of all time! From 'A Different World' to 'In Living Color' to 'Scandal,' they build their teams across five categories: sitcom, pre-'90s classic, UPN, Shondaland, and wild card. Who will come out on top?
(00:00) Intro(14:48) The Black TV Draft(1:50:00) Outro
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve AhlmanProducers: Jamie Yukich, Aleya Zenieris and Devon BaroldiAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Feb 26, 2026Duration: 1h 54m 7s
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Season 1 Finale Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and they’re ready to dive into the highly anticipated Season 1 finale of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’!
(0:00) Intro
(8:09) Spoilers ahead
(9:50) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Season 1 finale reactions
(41:14) Midnight Meter
(1:00:39) Outro
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Published: Feb 23, 2026Duration: 1h 6m 23s
'The Legend of Zelda' 40th Anniversary Draft | Button Mash
Hey! Listen! Ben Lindbergh gets together with three fellow 'Legend of Zelda' lovers—Mothership co-founder Maddy Myers, The Guardian games editor Keza MacDonald, and New York Times reporter Zachary Small—to celebrate the franchise’s 40th birthday. First, Ben, Zachary, and Maddy ask Keza questions about Nintendo and ‘Zelda’ inspired by her new book about the history of Nintendo, ‘Super Nintendo.’ Then, they each share their origin stories as ‘Zelda’ players, and the ‘Zelda’ games they have personal soft spots for. After that, they draft their favorite Links, world maps, items, bosses, dungeons, songs, and companion characters from across the series.
...
Published: Feb 20, 2026Duration: 1h 47m 2s
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 and ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Trailer Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back and they’re giving you a mid-week surprise pod on two trailers that the nerd-verse is buzzing about: ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, and ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu.' They sneak a bit of ‘Toy Story 5’ in there, too.
(0:00) Intro
(00:59) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Trailer
(18:05) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Trailer
(22:09) ‘Toy Story 5’ Trailer
(28:07) Post-credits
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell <...
Published: Feb 20, 2026Duration: 41m 38s
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5 Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and they’re ready to dive into the most recent episode of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’! They discuss Dunk’s character evolution so far, draw comparisons to other ‘Game of Thrones’ shows, and contemplate who is worthy of wielding Mjolnir.
(0:00) Intro
(5:09) Spoilers ahead
(7:30) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5 reactions
(1:05:59) Outro
(1:12:36) Post-credits
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jade Whaley
Additional Production Support: Arjuna...
Published: Feb 16, 2026Duration: 1h 17m 30s
February Games Blowout, Plus State of Play Reactions | Button Mash
Ben Lindbergh, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman speedrun the month's major gaming news and releases. In Patch Notes, they break down HBO's 'Baldur's Gate' adaptation, layoffs for developers of struggling free-to-play games 'Highguard' and '2XKO,' Sony's latest bid for live-service success with 'Horizon Hunters Gathering,' and the highlights of February's PS5 State of Play. Then, in the Minigames section, they share spoiler-free impressions of six recently released games: 'Nioh 3,' Dragon Quest VII Reimagined,' 'Romeo is a Dead Man,' 'Mewgenics,' 'Mario Tennis Fever,' and 'Reanimal,' featuring thoughts on the state of...
Published: Feb 13, 2026Duration: 1h 29m 59s
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 4 Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and they start off the episode by jumping back into the great lightsaber debate. Then they dive into ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 4, starting with a look at Baelor as a character.
(0:00) Intro
(18:52) Spoilers ahead
(20:44) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 4 reactions
(1:21:32) Outro
(1:24:29) Post Credits
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn mo...
Published: Feb 7, 2026Duration: 1h 28m 40s
‘Fallout’ Season 2 Finale Reactions (and Interviews!) | Button Mash
Welcome to the Wasteland—and farewell, for now! Ben Lindbergh and Van Lathan reunite, hug, and hold hands as they discuss the eighth and last episode of 'Fallout' Season 2, "The Strip." First, they share their thoughts on what a season finale should accomplish and whether they found "The Strip" satisfying. Then they catch up with the core characters one more time, break down the hardest-hitting emotional moments, and discuss several loose ends before speculating on the direction of the series in Season 3. After that, Ben chats with 'Fallout' cocreator and co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet about the finale and the future of...
Published: Feb 5, 2026Duration: 1h 57m 54s
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 3 Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys
The Boys are back, and they’re diving into ‘Game of Thrones’ lore in this episode!
They touch on Egg’s family lineage while also contemplating what each of them would’ve done if they were in Dunk’s shoes.
(0:00) Intro
(6:16) Spoilers ahead
(8:10) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 3 reactions
(1:09:12) Outro
(1:13:11) Post Credits
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Lea...
Published: Feb 4, 2026Duration: 1h 21m 43s
Ringer-Verse Recommends: January 2026 (Featuring ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’)
New year, new recommendations! First, Ben and Daniel Chin suppress their rage and bloodlust long enough to discuss the sequel to '28 Years Later,' focusing on the franchise's unpredictable appeal, what makes the new movie so special, and (in a clearly indicated closing spoiler section) what they'd be excited to see in the final film of the trilogy. After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to cap off another monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently but not yet covered in-depth on...
Published: Jan 31, 2026Duration: 1h 8m 36s