Tech layoffs have continued in 2025. Much of that is being blamed on a combination of a slower economy and the adoption of automation via artificial intelligence. Nearly four in 10 Americans, for instance, believe generative AI (genAI) could diminish the number of available jobs as it advances, according to a study released in October by the New York Federal Reserve Bank. And the World Economic Forum’s Jobs Initiative study found that close to half (44%) of worker skills will be disrupted in the next five years — and 40% of tasks will be affected by the use of genAI tools and the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them. In April, the US tech industry lost 214,000 positions as companies shifted toward AI roles and skills-based hiring amid economic uncertainty. Tech sector companies reduced staffing by a net 7,000 positions in April, an analysis of data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed. This year, 137 tech companies have fired 62,114 tech employees, according to Layoffs.fyi. Efforts to reduce headcount at government agencies by the unofficial US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw an additional 61,296 federal workers fired this year. Kye Mitchell, president of tech workforce staffing firm Experis US, believes the IT employment market is undergoing a fundamental transformation rather than experiencing traditional cyclical layoffs. Although Experis is seeing a 13% month-over-month decline in traditional software developer postings, it doesn’t represent “job destruction, it’s market evolution,” Mitchell said. “What we’re witnessing is the emergence of strategic technology orchestrators who harness AI to drive unprecedented business value,” she said. For example, organizations that once deployed two scrum teams of ten people to develop high-quality software are now achieving superior results with a single team of five AI-empowered developers. “This isn’t about cutting jobs; it’s about elevating roles,” Mitchell said. Specialized roles in particular are surging. Database architect positions are up 2,312%, statistician roles have increased 382%, and jobs for mathematicians have increased 1,272%. “These aren’t replacements; they’re vital for an AI-driven future,” she said. In fact, it’s an IT talent gap, not an employee surplus, that is now challenging organizations — and will continue to do so. With 76% of IT employers already struggling to find skilled tech talent, the market fundamentals favor skilled professionals, according to Mitchell. “The question isn’t whether there will be IT jobs — it’s whether we can develop the right skills fast enough to meet demand,” she said. For federal tech workers, outdated systems and slow procurement make it hard to attract and keep top tech talent. Agencies expect fast team deployment but operate with rigid, outdated processes, according to Justin Vianello, CEO of technology workforce development firm SkillStorm. Long security clearance delays add cost and time, often forcing companies to hire expensive, already-cleared talent. Meanwhile, modern technologists want to use current tools and make an impact — something hard to do with legacy systems and decade-long modernization efforts, he added. Many suggest turning to AI to will solve the tech talent shortage, but there is no evidence that AI will lead to a reduction in demand for tech talent, Vianello said. “On the contrary, companies see that the demand for tech talent has increased as they invest in preparing their workforce to properly use AI tools,” he said. A shortage of qualified talent is a bigger barrier to hiring than AI automation, he said, because organizations struggle to find candidates with the right certifications, skills, and clearances — especially in cloud, cybersecurity, and AI. Tech workers often lack skills in these areas because technology evolves faster than education and training can keep up, Vianello said. And while AI helps automate routine tasks, it can’t replace the strategic roles filled by skilled professionals. Seven out of 10 US organizations are struggling to find skilled workers to fill roles in an ever-evolving digital transformation landscape, and genAI has added to that headache, according to a ManpowerGroup survey released earlier this year. Job postings for AI skills surged 2,000% in 2024, but education and training in this area haven’t kept pace, according to Kelly Stratman, global ecosystem relationships enablement leader at Ernst & Young. “As formal education and training in AI skills still lag, it results in a shortage of AI talent that can effectively manage these technologies and demands,” she said in an earlier interview. “The AI talent shortage is most prominent among highly technical roles like data scientists/analysts, machine learning engineers, and software developers.” Economic uncertainty is creating a cautious hiring environment, but it’s more complex than tariffs alone. Experis data shows employers adopting a “wait and watch” stance as they monitor economic signals, with job openings down 11% year-over-year, according to Mitchell. “However, the bigger story is strategic workforce planning in an era of rapid technological change. Companies are being incredibly precise about where they allocate resources. Not because of economic pressure alone, but because the skills landscape is shifting so rapidly,” Mitchell said. “They’re prioritizing mission-critical roles while restructuring others around AI capabilities.” Top organizations see AI as a strategic shift, not just cost-cutting. Cutting talent now risks weakening core areas like cybersecurity, according to Mitchell. Skillstorm’s Vianello suggests that IT job hunters should begin to upgrade their skills with certifications that matter: AWS, Azure, CISSP, Security+, and AI/ML credentials open doors quickly, he said. “Veterans, in particular, have an edge; they bring leadership, discipline, and security clearances. Apprenticeships and fellowships offer a fast track into full-time roles by giving you experience that actually counts. And don’t overlook the intangibles: soft skills and project leadership are what elevate technologists into impact-makers,” Vianello said. Skills-based hiring has been on the rise for several years, as organizations seek to fill specific needs for big data analytics, programing (such as Rust), and AI prompt engineering. In fact, demand for genAI courses is surging, passing all other tech skills courses spanning fields from data science to cybersecurity, project management, and marketing. “AI isn’t replacing jobs — it’s fundamentally redefining how work gets done. The break point where technology truly displaces a position is when roughly 80% of tasks can be fully automated,” Mitchell said. “We’re nowhere near that threshold for most roles. Instead, we’re seeing AI augment skill sets and make professionals more capable, faster, and able to focus on higher-value work.” Leaders use AI as a strategic enabler — embedding it to enhance, not compete with, human developers, she said. Some industry forecasts predict a 30% productivity boost from AI tools, potentially adding more than $1.5 trillion to global GDP. For example, AI tools are expected to perform the lion’s share of coding. Techniques where humans use AI-augmented coding tools, such as “vibe coding,” are set to revolutionize software development by creating source code, generating tests automatically, and freeing up developer time for innovation instead of debugging code.  With vibe coding, developers use natural language in a conversational way that prompts the AI model to offer contextual ideas and generate code based on the conversation. By 2028, 75% of professional developers will be using vibe coding and other genAI-powered coding tools, up from less than 10% in September 2023, according to Gartner Research. And within three years, 80% of enterprises will have integrated AI-augmented testing tools into their software engineering tool chain — a significant increase from approximately 15% early last year, Gartner said. A report from MIT Technology Review Insights found that 94% of business leaders now use genAI in software development, with 82% applying it in multiple stages — and 26% in four or more. Some industry experts place genAI’s use in creating code much higher. “What we are finding is that we’re three to six months from a world where AI is writing 90% of the code. And then in 12 months, we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a recent report and video interview. “The real [AI] transformation is in role evolution. Developers are becoming strategic technology orchestrators,” Mitchell from Experis said. “Data professionals are becoming business problem solvers. The demand isn’t disappearing; it’s becoming more sophisticated and more valuable. “In today’s economic climate, having the right tech talent with AI-enhanced capabilities isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s your competitive edge,” she said.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles uses a phone as she attends a National Day of Prayer event hosted by President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House, May 1, 2025 in Washington / Image credits - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The personal phone of Susie Wiles, the U.S. President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, was allegedly hacked, with the individual responsible obtaining access to a bevy of contacts, including high-profile officials. According to the latest report, a federal probe has been launched, but there is no confirmation on how the phone was compromised in the first place. The contacts present in Susie Wiles’ phone grew suspicious after the impersonator asked to move the conversation to Telegram, risking the leaking of sensitive information Shortly after gaining access to the White House chief of staff’s personal phone, the hackers leveraged AI to impersonate Wiles’ likeness and sent multiple contacts voice and text messages from a different number. It was only after the person or persons on the other end recommended continuing the conversation to a private platform like Telegram that the contacts realized that something was off. FBI Director Kash Patel shared the following statement with CBS News regarding the incident. “The FBI takes all threats against the President, his staff, and our cybersecurity with the utmost seriousness; safeguarding our administration officials’ ability to securely communicate to accomplish the President's mission is a top priority.” As for how Wiles’ phone was compromised, TechCrunch asked White House spokesperson Anna Kelly if a cloud account associated with the chief of staff’s device was compromised, or if her handset was a part of a more sophisticated attack involving government-grade spyware. Unfortunately, the outlet did not receive a meaningful response, suggesting that the investigation is still ongoing. This is the second incident in which Wiles has been targeted by hackers, with the first instance transpiring in 2024, when it was reported that Iranian cyber-espionage experts attempted to obtain access to her personal email account. A separate report claims that these individuals were successful in bypassing the security as they obtained a dossier on Vice President JD Vance, who was Donald Trump’s running mate at the time. Going over a few images, we realized that the U.S. President’s chief of staff is currently in possession of an iPhone, which should cause even more concern because Apple prides itself on its robust security and privacy. News Source: The Wall Street Journal

27 May, 2025 Most design studios run a meeting that looks back at the year just past, and forward to the year ahead. How can teams make the most of this important annual ritual? This article is part of our meetings series, looking at different types of design meetings, and how they could be improved. You can find all the articles here.  Although they call it lots of different names, most design businesses run an annual meeting where they look back at the year that’s gone, and forward to the 12 months ahead. When done well, these meetings can be extremely useful – to celebrate successes, re-establish focus, and course correct where necessary. But when done badly they can confuse staff, paper over problems, and damage morale. Gillian Davis, an executive coach and leadership expert who works with many creative businesses, points out there is often a huge gap between the way big client meetings are prepared, and the attention big internal meetings receive. We spoke with Davis, and three design leaders, to gather practical advice for running more effective annual get-togethers. Start with why Davis says the first decision for leaders planning one of these meetings is to work out why they are doing it, and what they want to achieve. “It’s too easy for these meetings to become a waste of everyone’s time,” she warns. “Ask yourself, what is the one message we need to get through going into next year? And then design the meeting around that.” That takes clarity, an ability to prioritise what the business needs now, and sometimes self-awareness. SUN’s Jamie Kelly says their most recent annual meeting was part of a “personal reinvigoration” to address a flatness he felt in the studio, despite a string of successful projects. “I wanted to use it as a spur, to look at all this great work we’d done, but also to get down and dirty into the things that we hadn’t enjoyed, or that hadn’t gone so well,” he says. “It was about mixing that celebration with some really honest conversations.” Context shapes content Communication begins way before the first words have been uttered. Where do you hold the meeting? How do you frame it? What do you ask people to prepare? All of these decisions shape how your message will land. For example, if a business is reflecting on a challenging financial year,  holding this meeting in a sun-soaked locale with a generous free bar will seem quite jarring. That may seem like an extreme example, but Davis says she has seen proposals that are totally at odds with the story the leaders want to tell. Number crunching Many leaders use these annual meetings to reflect on the company’s financial performance and its targets for the year ahead. Work out how much you want, and need to share, says John Wilson, CEO of Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office. “We try to be open and transparent, so there’s an understanding of where we are as a studio and there are no sharp surprises,” he says. “But I don’t think everyone needs to know everything.” For Guanglun Wu, founding partner and chief digital officer at Made by On, accessibility is key when it comes to this information. “We need to explain it in a way that can be contextualised by everybody within the organisation,” he says. “Some people understand what numbers and acronyms mean, and others don’t. So we put a lot of effort into those presentations in terms of the information design, so we can make that accessible.” SUN’s Jamie Kelly had a neat approach in his most recent annual meeting. He visualised the turnover as percentages related to specific client projects. “People could see how the projects they worked on contributed to the overall picture, and how their work has impacted the business,” Kelly explains. “I think the team found it interesting and maybe a bit surprising.” Who speaks – Leaders Gillian Davis says that the amount of time taken up by leadership presentations should depend on where the company is and how it’s doing. In tough times, she says, people want to see and hear from their leaders. In this context, she thinks 90% of the meeting should be direct communication from the most senior leadership. In better times, the teams themselves should be encouraged to present and lead discussions. Who speaks – Teams Most leaders like these meetings to include talks from specific teams but there are a couple of things to consider. Davis once saw an 150 slide deck for a company’s upcoming AGM, and every department had its own structure for their individual section. Some consistency is important, she says, as is avoiding it feeling like a long list of things that team has done. It’s great to celebrate successes, but it’s even more useful if that involves some reflection on how and why it worked well. Davis thinks “some element of interaction” helps elevate these sessions even further, so other employees can ask questions. For Made by ON’s Guanglun Wu, it’s all about teasing out what different teams can learn from each other. “What was really interesting about yout project that you want everyone else to know?” he says. “Explain the journey, what you learned and what are the future opportunities where we can be better.” This dynamic may be different in smaller teams. SUN’s Jamie Kelly runs these meetings as a two-way discussion for his seven-strong studio. “I pause after each section to ask questions. I want to hear what they think success could look like, so they can push my thinking,” he says. “It’s much easier in a small studio, where there is less hierarchy, to have that open dialogue.” Who speaks – Clients At its most recent annual session, Made by On invited a panel of current clients to take part in a fireside chat in front of the whole company. Guanglun Wu says it added a whole new dimension to the day. “When you have people come in and talk about their perspective on working with us, and how we enable their success, or how we communicate, then it builds that empathy.” Be practical and specific Let’s say leaders want to encourage more accountability in their teams. Saying that is the easy part, but it isn’t enough on its own. “Explain why you want to become more accountable as a business,” Gillian Davis says. “Say how you noticed it’s a problem. Describe the impact on the business. And then say how you are going to fix it, in a practical, day-to-day way.” Similarly give people the tools they need to make the changes you want to see. “Don’t just tell people something like you want them to develop their LinkedIn network,” Davis says. “Give them a playbook, a step-by-step breakdown of what that means and how to do that.” Beware of big surprises If you want to use the meeting to announce big changes around culture, structure or process, it’s worth getting some people on board first, says Made by On’s Guanglun Wu. “It’s important to give the people who need to instigate the change early visibility,” he says. “Explain the reasoning to the people it’s going to affect first, and give them a forum where they can give input.” Then when changes are announced to the wider group, you have a cadre of people who can help explain it to their colleagues, and allay any concerns. End on a high Like any performance – and Gillian Davis thinks these meetings do require an element of performance from leaders – the ending really matters. Think about how you want to leave people feeling, and tie it back to that one key message you were looking to land. Davis once saw a brilliant annual meeting at a big creative firm, which ended on a massive high. People were visibly enthused and excited. Until someone immediately grabbed the microphone to explain the travel arrangements for people who needed the shuttle bus. See annual meetings as part of a bigger strategy While these big set-piece meetings are important, they need to work as part of a consistent and coherent approach to leadership. Gillian Davis says leaders should look at how annual, monthly, and weekly meetings work together, some of which may be for everyone, and others for specific teams. “I think the monthly meeting should be a super-engaging company health check, and then the teams should have their own weekly rituals, where the real brass tacks of the work is discussed,” she says. For John Wilson, leadership is ongoing work, that shows up in myriad ways, big and small. “My gut feeling is that it’s not really about these big single meetings,” he says. “It’s about constantly iterating and refining and re-strategising and re-budgeting. “The best leaders I’ve worked with are not necessarily always standing up at the front, they are also gently pushing and prodding from behind.” Industries in this article What to read next Features How to run better meetings 27 May, 2025 How to run better pitches 27 May, 2025 “We need to talk about meetings…” 27 May, 2025

Harris Tweed, a Scottish textile brand, is working with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) to integrate 3D printing technology into its traditional loom systems. The integration seeks to improve part accessibility and support the long-term sustainability of its weaving operations in the Outer Hebrides. Kelly McDonald, operations manager at The Harris Tweed Authority, noted that while the organization takes pride in its craftsmanship and tradition, it also recognizes that innovation is essential to maintaining the strength and resilience of the industry. “Working with NMIS is a significant step forward in future-proofing the looms critical to the production of Harris Tweed. With the ability to replace parts quickly, easily, and affordably, our weavers can focus on what they do best without worrying about delays. This not only safeguards the future of our fabric but also supports the livelihoods of the island community who dedicate their skills to preserving the craft.” Harris Tweed Fabric. Photo via Harris Tweed. The Traditional Harris Tweed Process and New Innovations To address these issues, The Harris Tweed Loom Spares Co. partnered with NMIS—operated by the University of Strathclyde and part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult—to develop 3D printed loom parts. The collaboration focuses on improving access to essential components and reducing dependence on long supply chains. At NMIS’s Digital Factory in Renfrewshire, engineers applied reconditioning techniques and tested durable materials to create high-quality parts. One key loom assembly, initially comprising seven separate pieces, was redesigned into three components made from strong composite material. This new version reduces costs by 99% and can be printed locally using a desktop 3D printer in approximately two hours. “When a vital part of the loom breaks, it can halt production for weeks, which is incredibly frustrating. Finding a way to keep the loom running smoothly is essential, and it’s been great to be one of the first to try out the new 3D printed assembly. The ability to get what we need, when we need it, will make a huge difference, as it means we can minimise downtime and focus on our work without unnecessary interruptions.” Old and new assemblies side by side. Photo via Harris Tweed. Ongoing Development and Future Goals Andrew Bjonnes, R&D engineer at NMIS Digital Factory, stated: “This project really showcases how modern manufacturing can boost traditional industries and help preserve valuable heritage skills. With additive manufacturing, we’re promoting self-sufficiency and giving weavers a smart, cost-effective, and user-friendly way to keep their looms up and running. It has been an incredibly rewarding project, making a tangible difference and allowing weavers to concentrate on their craft instead of worrying about equipment failures.” Andrew Bjonnes with new assembly. Photo via Harris Tweed. 3D Printing’s Impact on Fashion Design  3D fashion printing is expanding the range of possibilities for designers, providing new tools and techniques that enhance durability, sustainability, and creativity in the industry. In February, the New York Embroidery Studio (NYES), a surface design studio specializing in embroidered designs and textile embellishments for high-profile events like the MET Gala, integrated the Stratasys J850 TechStyle, marketed as the world’s first additive manufacturing system designed for direct printing on textiles. This addition enables the studio to create detailed, tactile designs, improve workflow efficiency, and reduce material waste. “The J850 TechStyle is an extraordinary addition to our capabilities. Our clients are thrilled by the possibilities this technology opens up—from high-end fashion to VIP and entertainment projects. Combining the precision of 3D printing with our expertise in embroidery allows us to push boundaries like never before,” said Michelle Feinberg, Owner and Creative Director of NYES. Elsewhere, Coperni introduced its gel bag at Disneyland Paris, created using Rapid Liquid Printing (RLP), a technique developed by MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab. RLP fabricates objects directly within a gel suspension, enabling the creation of soft, stretchable, and durable designs. Made from recyclable platinum-cured silicone, the bag highlights how advanced manufacturing techniques can seamlessly blend with fashion design while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability. Take the 3DPIReader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content. Featured image shows Andrew Bjonnes with new assembly. Photo via Harris Tweed.

Raw Hospitality alex spatzier architects reimagines the kitchen as a factory line for June’s Pizza By Kelly Pau • May 29, 2025 • Interiors, West (Alex Spatzier) SHARE June’s Pizza, a no-frills concept by Craig Murli, got its start by slinging dough out of a shipping container in Oakland, California, during the pandemic. In 2021, the cult-favorite pop-up—which famously serves only two pizzas, a margarita and daily special—was forced to close after a failure to file proper permits. Alex Spatzier architects helped revive the long-awaited return of the restaurant, and in true Murli style, it’s unconventional. Located in an industrial building in West Oakland, the brick-and-mortar location lightens an otherwise cold, heavy building with warm materials, skylights, and a sparse build-out. Where the design is centralized is where the magic happens: the kitchen. Read more about the restaurant on aninteriormag.com. CaliforniaRestaurants

In early 2004, after defeating Krona, the Justice League and the Avengers said their goodbyes as each team returned to their proper universe. It was the last time that Marvel and DC would cross paths in any official capacity for decades. Well, unless you count the roundabout way of having them duke it out with Fortnite skins. In terms of comics, the two industry giants would keep separate, especially once Marvel was scooped up by Disney. After 21 years, the two worlds will collide once again. In September, Marvel is releasing Deadpool/Batman, written by Zeb Wells with art by Greg Capullo (including backup stories featuring talent like Kevin Smith, Chip Zdarsky, Adam Kubert, and more). Then in November, DC is doing Batman/Deadpool, written by Grant Morrison with art by Dan Mora. On top of that, this is apparently only the beginning, as there will be Marvel/DC crossovers happening on an annual basis. That does bring into question some choice narration from Doctor Manhattan in 2017’s Doomsday Clock. In the DC Universe/Watchmen event, the omnipotent, blue-donged god noted that in 2030 there would be an event known as “The Secret Crisis,” which would involve Superman fighting Thor across the universe and the heroic sacrifice of one unnamed green behemoth. A hopeful joke or something more? Regardless of what the future brings, starting things off with dual meetings between the Dark Knight and the Merc with a Mouth is a brilliant choice. They could have had Superman team up with Spider-Man all over again or something just as on the nose, but this is fresh and has tons of potential. Here are some reasons why. Deadpool Missed Out The first crossover between the companies was 1976’s Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. While there had been a few other attempts in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it wasn’t until the mid-’90s that they went absolutely ham with it. Over a six-year stretch starting in 1994, there were fifteen different team-ups and cross-company battles. This includes the memorable and oh-so-dated Marvel vs. DC event and its dip into Amalgam, the merged reality where Dark Claw (Wolverine/Batman) and his sidekick Sparrow (Jubilee/Robin) fight Hyena (Sabretooth/Joker). Meanwhile, though Deadpool was introduced in 1990, he wasn’t really cared about among comic fans until the 1997 solo run by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness. By the time Deadpool really picked up steam in popularity (Deadpool actually won a fight based on reader votes against Daredevil in 1999’s Contest of Champions II), the DC alliance was on its way out. The poor guy didn’t even get to be in Amalgam. They merged Deathstroke the Terminator with Daredevil instead. Centering this Batman story on a mainstream hero who wasn’t mainstream enough back in the ‘90s only adds a new coat of paint onto this novelty. The Previous Batman and Deadpool Crossover Then again, this wouldn’t exactly be the first time Batman and Deadpool have crossed paths. In an unofficial way, they have met. Sort of. As mentioned, the Kelly/McGuinness run of Deadpool was iconic and character-defining. That same creative team worked on Superman/Batman Annual #1 back in 2006. In a modern retelling of the pre-Crisis storyline where Bruce and Clark discovered each other’s secret identities on a cruise, the two had to deal with both Deathstroke and Deathstroke’s heroic Earth-3 doppelganger. Outside of the blue and orange color scheme, Earth-3 Deathstroke was Deadpool in as many ways as they could legally get away with. This included constantly getting interrupted with extreme violence whenever he was about to say his actual name. Still, even being in a separate company never stopped Deadpool from razzing on Batman. In his movies alone, he’s made fun of how dark the DC Universe is, crapped on the ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and joked about how Wolverine’s mask is like Batman’s with actual neck mobility. Speaking of… The Writers Understand the Assignment Zeb Wells might not be the most popular comic writer right now due to reasons involving Ms. Marvel’s death and… Paul. Still, he was one of the writers of Deadpool & Wolverine. People seemed to like that one. The guy knows a thing or two about putting Deadpool with a gruff, brooding superhero with reluctant father issues. This one will probably have less mutual bludgeoning… er, at least I hope it will. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! On the other side of things, we have Grant Morrison. Morrison is no stranger to the X-Men corner of Marvel, but he’s strangely never touched Deadpool before. Considering how much Morrison loves playing with the fourth wall and the boundaries between reality and fiction (Animal Man, Flex Mentallo, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna), it’s a real surprise that they never got to write for Marvel’s most self-aware antihero. Letting Deadpool Loose in Gotham On paper, the idea of having Deadpool specifically mixing things up with Harley Quinn might have made for a more fitting crossover. Unfortunately, DC kind of beat that into the ground with their “we can rip off your guy more blatantly than you can rip off ours” creation Red Tool, a regular in Harley’s comics. Regardless, having Deadpool mix it up with the worst of Gotham has legs. If anything, the very idea of Deadpool antagonizing the Joker is enough to sell issues. We could see him make Bane look nearly useless by recovering from a broken spine in seconds. We could find out what happens when Wade huffs fear gas. He could brutalize a confused Penguin for what happened to Victor in the HBO Max season finale. An official Deadpool vs. Deathstroke showdown is on the table. The possibilities are endless! As for Batman, he could… um… He… could fight… huh. Is T-Ray still a thing? Deadpool/Batman #1 will be released on September 17, 2025. Batman/Deadpool #1 is set to arrive in November.

It's no secret that we love a good gallery wall around here. Whether packed with paint-by-numbers, a grouping of salty seascapes, or an expanse of black-and-white silhouettes collected over time, gallery walls bring so much character to any room in your home. One type of gallery wall that particularly makes our hearts skip a beat is an arrangement that incorporates unexpected objects, giving a little wink into your design personality. Maybe it's a graphic game board you scored at a yard sale or three-dimensional finds like trophies, baskets, and other meaningful items that you collect. While square or rectangle framed photographs and artwork are common gallery wall ideas, consider objects outside the literal box to bring individuality and charm, adding visual interest that breaks the grid in the best way.Here, some of our favorite images of gallery walls that feature unique decor items to instantly elevate your own—and not a one of them is another frame or canvas. PedestalsPainted the same punchy color as the wall, a pair of pedestals displays trophies and figurines on a dog-themed gallery wall. Other objects of note: ribbons, brass instruments, and a saucer painted with a hunting scene. BasketsHelen Norman for Country LivingAdd texture and another shape to a gallery wall with baskets, like this set of vintage French ones. Here, the pieces frame a television in a family room.More Ways to Decorate Your Walls:Nautical-Themed ItemsRead McKendree for Country LivingIn this camp-themed boys’ bedroom, the gallery wall is made up of framed art with a sprinkling of nautical-themed items including flags, an anchor, and a pair of mounted oars. These items introduce different finishes, materials, color, and a strong sense of place.PlatesBuff Strickland for Country LivingA charming arrangement of Spode, Wedgwood, and other blue-and-white china mixed with handsome pewter trays perfectly fills a skinny wall area between dining room windows. This proves there is power in numbers! TOUR THIS HOUSEmore dining room decorating ideasPennants Dylan ChandlerAmong a sea of mostly square- and rectangle-shaped items like license plates, framed silhouettes, and signs, a vintage pennant breaks the grid. Above, a round sepia wedding photograph does the same. Game Boards and PaddlesAdam Albright, styling by Kelly Ryan KegansThis is hands down one of the most creative gallery walls we've ever seen. In this cozy breakfast nook, a collection of thrifted finds fills every bit of wall space. Featured items include game boards, paddles, and nautical knickknacks bring dimension and interesting shapes. The tight color palette keeps the arrangement looking intentional and stylish.TOUR THIS HOUSE For More Breakfast Nook Ideas:Antlers and MountsMax Kim-BeeThis gallery wall mix includes a little bit of everything. Framed and unframed silhouettes and oil paintings surround a gold-framed mirror. The entire arrangement is topped off with a majestic 1920s deer mount. Small mounted antlers are another way to add a nod to nature, as well as dimension.TOUR THIS HOUSEAmy MitchellManaging EditorAmy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topics—decorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amy’s experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as she’s previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.

When Tom and Lia Higgins (Barbara Corcoran's son and daughter-in-law) acquired their prewar apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side, they wanted to maximize every inch of the 1,900-square-foot interior. So the high school sweethearts, who have young kids and love to entertain, called upon Hee Designs to fully gut renovate the unit, requesting a balance between “child-friendliness and a sense of sophistication,” says the firm’s founder, Kellyann Hee.Hee, along with the firm's design director Julia Berner-Tobin, reworked the original three-bedroom, three-bathroom footprint, moving walls and ripping out flooring to fit everything from a large kitchen with a pantry and dining area for eight to a private bedroom wing so that the family could host guests without disturbing sleeping children. From there, they completely reimagined the home's furnishings, turning to durable-yet-timeless pieces that could grow alongside the family. The result is an elevated yet practical retreat that balances versatility with a timeless, tailored feel—an extra impressive feat, considering the quick nine-month timeline and the fact that the project was the hospitality-focused firm’s first foray into residential design.Fast FactsDesigner: Kellyann Hee and Julia Berner-Tobin of Hee DesignsLocation: New York City's Upper East SideThe Space: Three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath across 1,900 square feetENTRYWAYGreen velvet wall art sets the tone for a muddy yet dimensional palette.Andrew BuiTable: Interior Icons. Ottomans: Lulu & Georgia. Rug: Design Within Reach. Ceiling lights: custom, by Studio Luddite. Wall art: Leonard Meoni. Wall paint: Soft Chamois, Benjamin Moore. Ceiling paint: All White, Farrow & Ball. Door paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore.Throughout the home, the design team thoughtfully selected furniture with rounded rather than sharp edges and opted for soft materials, like wood over stone, “to create a safer environment for rambunctious kiddos,” Hee says. “We framed wall art behind glass or plexi to protect it, and used cordless window treatments.”As far as the color palette goes, the couple wanted to mix it up from their historically white-on-white style, so the team introduced warm neutrals and layered textures. In the entry, the velvet Leonard Meoni wall art, one of the only items the clients brought with them to the apartment, inspired further green accents throughout the space. “The entry opens into the kitchen and dining area on one side, where we have a dark green mohair banquette, and on the other side it opens to the living room with green accents in the art, book spines in the bookshelves, and mirror.”The finished design totally surprised us, in the best way.LIVING ROOMA plethora of seating caters to activities, day to night.Andrew BuiBuilt-ins: custom, by Rockaway Custom Cabinets & Restoration Shop Inc. Hardware: Lo & Co. Table: McGee & Co. Ottoman: Maiden Home.Andrew BuiSofa: Restoration Hardware. Mirror and lamp: Anthropologie. Throw pillow: Rejuvenation. Side table: Maiden Home. Sconce: Lumfardo. Ceiling light: Long Made Co. Wall paint: Soft Chamois, Benjamin Moore. Wall art: Eberhard Ross.Multiple seating arrangements ensure plenty of opportunity to work or unwind in the often naturally lit space. Custom-built-ins are encased in glass to keep everything out of reach of the kids but still allow the mix of books and decorative objects, like jewel-toned vessels, to be on display. “Our clients really love low lighting in the evenings,” Hee says. “So we backlit these shelves and included a few small lamps. At night, the bookcases become a warm and cozy element in the space.” KITCHENClever storage solutions keep the cookspace neat.Andrew BuiRange: Aga Elise Range. Cabinet hardware: MyKnobs.Andrew BuiCabinets: custom, by Rockaway Custom Cabinets & Restoration Shop Inc.Hee and Berner-Tobin relocated the kitchen from the floor plan’s center to a former bedroom location to bring in natural light, make the cookspace larger, and open it up to a formal dining room. “The combo of an open-concept kitchen and dining room is really popular in the city—and perfect for dinner parties,” Hee says.When customizing the kitchen, the duo prioritized storage with wide, pull-out drawers to hide appliances, pots, and pans, as well as narrow cabinets for stowing baking pans and cutting boards. The Caesarstone counters ensure the homeowners need not stress about stains, while the marble slab backsplash from ABC Stone adds a dramatic touch. “The fluted wall paneling softens a huge column that could not be relocated in the space, and similarly, a concealed pantry door opposite the kitchen sink,” Hee says.DINING NOOKThe customized spot mimics the feel of a luxe NYC eatery.Andrew BuiChairs: Restoration Hardware. Art lights: Pooky. Wall art (right): 1stDibs. Wall art (left): TRNK NYC.To fulfill the couple’s request for a dining area that seats eight, Hee and Berner-Tobin designed a custom banquette in green mohair fabric and a white oak dining table. Since the nook is open to the kitchen, it allows for easy cooking, serving, and dining for daily life with kids and evenings spent entertaining. “There’s a hidden table in the space behind the curve of the banquette that we had made custom to match the fluted wall, so the edges line up perfectly and no food or dust collects back there,” Hee says. “Also, it’s a nice place for a tiny vase for dinner party nights.”Overhead, simple flat crown molding “really adds that little extra layer of polish,” Hee says. The minimal, easy-to-execute detail is carried throughout other parts of the home, as is the parquet wood flooring. The team invested in permanent elements, like the flooring, over high-end, irreplaceable vintage furnishings that may not stand up to wear and tear.POWDER ROOMMetallic wallpaper maximizes light while creating an enchanting look.Andrew BuiWallpaper: Holly Hunt. Mirror: Rejuvenation. Faucet: Kohler. Sconce: Rich Brilliant Willing.Located off the kitchen in a small wing with a hidden pocket door is the glamorous powder room. “The [Holly Hunt] wallpaper here is a real stunner,” Hee says. “It has a raised foil pattern reminiscent of antique lace and acts as the perfect backdrop to a beautiful velvet photo collage commissioned for the room by Brooklyn-based artist Roxana Kadyrova.” PRIMARY BEDROOMA serene space reminiscent of a luxury hotel room.Andrew BuiTable: CB2. Chair: Residence Supply. Bench cushions: Custom, in Holly Hunt fabric. Throw pillows: Restoration Hardware. Rug: Enkay. Wall art: Brian Merriam, from Tappan Collective. Sconce: 1stDibs.Natural elements and rich textures drive the calming atmosphere in the primary bedroom. His-and-hers closets allow the main bedroom to remain minimal and uncluttered. Behind the door—which is modeled after the apartment’s original entry door to expand on the existing pre-war architecture—is the primary bathroom. Opposite the bed is a projector for movie nights.PRIMARY BATHROOMA calming backdrop for self-care rituals.Andrew BuiMirror: Wayfair. Sconces: Etsy, Smile Lamp Works. Fixtures: Brizo. Wall tile: NY Stone. Floor tile: Tilebar and NY Stone. Vanity hardware: Lo & Co. Wall art: Simeoni Art Studio.Travertine tiles maintain a serene, spa-like feel in the bathroom, which boasts a full built-in tub and separate shower.SON'S ROOMThe animal theme adds whimsy and wonder.Andrew BuiTable and bedding: Pottery Barn Kids. Doorknob: Baldwin Hardware.Andrew BuiSconce: Pooky. Rug: Crate & Barrel. Bear pillow: Fair Trade Winds.“We chose a subtle bear theme for the couple’s son’s room, with bear throw pillows on both beds and a soft bear-shaped chair in the corner opposite [from the side table,]” Hee says, noting they also customized the wallpaper into a printed mural to work better for the room’s specific layout. The couple requested a bunk bed for sleepovers, “and a bed low to the ground as he transitioned from his crib to the twin bed,” Hee says. An arched bunk bed from West Elm adds softness to the space. About the DesignersBased in New York's Hudson Valley and Portland, Maine, Hee Designs is primarily a hospitality design firm. But now, the team has also fallen in love with residential projects. Founder Kellyann Hee's approach aims to respect history while pushing forward to a sustainable future. With design director Julia Berner-Tobin, she creates deeply personal, intentional spaces that transcend time through a mix of vintage pieces, existing elements, thoughtful new additions, and custom creations. “We believe, when a home is designed with care, honesty, and a real understanding of both the people who live there and the place they live in, you can feel it,” Hee says.SHOP THE SPACEMulberry Ottoman$1,000 at maidenhome.comArches Bunk BedNow 20% Off$2,799 $2,239 at West ElmNodu Rug$548 at enkay.comGrey Marble Bistro Table$1,699 at CB2

One of the most notable features of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” passed by the House early Thursday is a series of tax cuts exempting tips, overtime, and Social Security from taxes. The White House said no taxes on overtime and tips “makes good on two of President Trump’s cornerstone campaign promises and benefits hardworking Americans where they need it the most—their paychecks.”  The so-called populist tax measures have garnered headlines and won praise from Republican lawmakers, as well as unions representing police and firefighters. And lawmakers in 19 states from Massachusetts to Mississippi have proposed their own “no tax on overtime” bills this year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. What has received far less attention, aside from a legal blog or two, is that the Trump administration just made it more difficult for millions of American workers to earn overtime—and actually benefit from the tax measure. The U.S. Department of Labor has quietly paused its appeals of a ruling by a Texas judge that reversed the Biden administration’s changes to the overtime rule—which expanded the right to overtime pay for 4.3 million salaried American workers. The rule had increased the salary threshold for overtime exemption from $35,568 to $43,888 on July 1, 2024, and then to $58,656 on January 1, 2025. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor did not immediately return requests from Capital & Main for comment. The rule was spearheaded by Biden administration Secretary of Labor Julie Su, who noted the irony of Trump’s tax proposal on overtime pay, telling Capital & Main: “You can’t benefit from ‘no taxes on overtime’ if you’re not even paid overtime.”  She added: “When you work longer hours, you should be paid for it. That’s why we expanded overtime pay to 4 million more Americans. This administration has walked away from that rule, showing yet again that you can’t have an administration of billionaires and depend on them to fight for working people. Cutting the number of workers eligible for overtime means less money in workers’ pockets.” Judy Conti, government affairs director of the National Employment Law Project, called the tax measure a “gimmick,” noting that the Trump administration “is already making it easier to classify people as independent contractors, rather than employees, and they aren’t entitled to overtime at all.”  Trump’s allies in the House, including Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, have claimed that the measure could impact more than 80 million hourly workers. But in reality, only 8% of them are estimated to earn overtime pay on a regular basis, according to the Budget Lab at Yale. “That Doesn’t Help Me” Among those workers is Terri, a cashier at a Dollar Tree store in Brooklyn, who was nonplussed when asked about “no tax on overtime.” “So what? That doesn’t help me. I don’t even get overtime, no matter how many hours I work.” The workers who would benefit from the exemption tend to be employed in sectors such as manufacturing, mining, and public safety. One of the most vocal supporters of the measure is the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose members often work many hours of overtime a month.  “Firefighters already work 53 hours a week before even qualifying for overtime pay. That’s 35% more hours a week than the average worker. The proposal to eliminate taxes on overtime would bring meaningful relief to firefighters, helping them keep more of what they earn while working long hours to keep their communities safe,” Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in a statement to NBC News. The measure is estimated to cost some $866 billion over the next 10 years, per the Budget Lab at Yale.  And state measures could have a devastating impact on their budgets, hurting their ability to pay for essential services. In Alabama, which became the first state to exempt overtime pay from state taxes, the measure cost the state $230 million in the first nine months of 2024, cutting off millions in funding for the state’s Education Trust Fund, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In the end, exempting overtime from taxes “is not a real pro-worker policy,” write EPI’s David Cooper and Nina Mast. “Instead, it is a giveaway to businesses that would create new inequities in the tax code while expanding employer power and draining public budgets of resources for all the things—schools, infrastructure, safety, health—that workers, their families, and their communities actually need to thrive.” This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.

This article contains some Mission: Impossible – The Final reckoning spoilers. In the most recent and supposedly final Mission: Impossible film, Ethan Hunt receives his briefing on a VHS cassette tape. That is a marvelous wink to the era in whichMission: Impossible, but these films have remained consistently at the zenith of quality blockbuster cinema. And through it all remains Tom Cruise, running, gunning, and smoldering with his various, luxuriant haircuts. Indeed, the first M:I picture was also Cruise’s first as a producer, made under the banner of Cruise/Wagner productions. Perhaps for that reason, he has stayed committed to what was once viewed as simply a “television adaptation.” It might have begun as TV IP, but in Cruise’s hands it has become a cinematic magnum opus that sequel after sequel, and decade after decade, has blossomed into one of the most inventive and satisfying spectacles ever produced in the Hollywood system. The final decade of the series’ run in particular has been groundbreaking. After five movies with five very different directors, aesthetics, and sensibilities, Christopher McQuarrie stuck around—alongside stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood. Together with Cruise, they turned the series into an old-fashioned, in-camera spectacle that harkens back to the earliest days of cinema. In the process, Cruise has added another chapter to his career, that of an onscreen daredevil like Harold Lloyd or Douglas Fairbanks. It’s been an amazing run, and honestly it’s a bit arbitrary to quantify it with any sort of ranking. But if we were going to do such a thing, here is how it should go… 8. Mission: Impossible II (2000) It’s hardly controversial to put John Woo’s Mission: Impossible II dead last. From its overabundance of slow-mo action—complete with Woo’s signature flying doves—to its use of Limp Bizkit, and even that nonsensical plot about manmade viruses that still doesn’t feel timely on the other side of 2020, MI:-2 is a relic of late ‘90s Hollywood excess. On the one hand, it’s kind of marvelous that Cruise let Woo completely tear down and rebuild a successful franchise-starter in the Hong Kong filmmaker’s own image. On the other, it’s perhaps telling of where Cruise’s ego was at that time since Woo used this opportunity to transform the original all-American Ethan Hunt into a god of celluloid marble. And make no mistake, there is something godlike to how Woo’s camera fetishizes Cruise’s sunglasses and new, luxuriant mane of jet black hair during Hunt’s big introduction where he is seen free-climbing across a rock face without rope. It would come to work as metaphor for the rest of the movie where, despite ostensibly being the leader of a team, Ethan is mostly going it alone as he does ridiculous things like have a medieval duel against his evil doppelgänger (Dougray Scott), only both men now ride motorcycles instead of horses. The onscreen team, meanwhile, stares slack-jawed as Ethan finds his inner-Arnold Schwarzenegger and massacres entire scores of faceless mercenaries in multiple shootouts. While gunplay has always been an element of modern spy thrillers, the Mission: Impossible movies work best when the characters use their wits (and the stunt team’s ingenuity) to escape elaborate, tricky situations. So there’s something banal about the way M:I-2 resembles any other late ‘90s and early ‘00s actioner that might’ve starred Nicolas Cage or Bruce Willis. Technically the plot, which involves Ethan’s reluctance to send new flame Nyah Hall (Thandiwe Newton) into the lion’s den as an informant, has classical pedigree. The movie remakes Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946) in all but name. However, the movie is so in love with its movie star deity that even the supposedly central romance is cast in ambivalent shadow. 7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) Yes, we admit to also being surprised that what is allegedly intended to be the last Mission: Impossible movie is finishing near the very bottom of this list. Which is not to say that The Final Reckoning is a bad movie. It’s just a messy one—and disappointing too. Perhaps the expectations were too high for a film with “final” in the title. Also its reportedly eye-popping $400 million only fueled the hype. But whereas the three previous Mission films directed by Christopher McQuarrie, including Dead Reckoning, had a light playfulness about them, The Final Reckoning gets lost in its own self-importance and grandiosity. Once again we have a Mission flick determined to deify Ethan Hunt with McQuarrie’s “gambler” from the last couple movies taking on the imagery of the messiah. Now the AI fate of the world lies in his literal hands. This approach leads to many long expository sequences where characters blather endlessly about the motivations of an abstract artificial intelligence. Meanwhile far too little time is spent on the sweet spot for this series: Cruise’s chemistry with co-stars when he isn’t hanging from some death-defying height. In fact, Ethan goes it pretty much alone in this one, staring down generals, submarine captains, and American presidents—fools all to think for one instance Ethan isn’t the guy sent to redeem them for their sins. The action sequences are still jaw-dropping when they finally come, and it is always good to see co-stars Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and an all too briefly used Ving Rhames again, but this feels less like a finale than a breaking point. If Mission does come back, it will have to be as something wildly different (and presumably less expensive). 6. Mission: Impossible III (2006) Before he transformed Star Trek and Star Wars into remarkably similar franchises, writer-director J.J. Abrams made his big screen debut by doing much the same to the Mission: Impossible franchise. With his emphasis on extreme close-ups, heavy expository dialogue dumps, and intentionally vague motivations for his villains that seem to always have something to do with the War on Terror, Abrams remade the M:I franchise in the image of his TV shows, particularly Alias. This included turning Woo’s Übermensch from the last movie into the kind of suburban everyman who scores well with the Nielsen ratings and who has a sweet girl-next-door fiancée (Michelle Monaghan). Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Your mileage may vary with this approach, but personally we found M:I-3 to be too much of a piece with mid-2000s television and lacking in a certain degree of movie magic. With that said, the movie has two fantastic aces up its sleeve. The first and most significant is a deliciously boorish performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman as the franchise’s scariest villain. Abrams’ signature monologues have never been more chilling as when Hoffman cuts through Cruise’s matinee heroics like a knife and unsettles the protagonist and the audience with an unblinking declaration of ill-intent. Perhaps more impressively, during one of the franchise’s famed “mask” sequences where Ethan disguises himself as Hoffman’s baddie, the character actor subtly and convincingly mimics Cruise’s leading man charisma. That, plus introducing fan favorite Simon Pegg as Benji to the series (if in little more than a cameo), makes the movie worth a watch if not a regular revisit. According to more than a few critics in 2023, the then-newest installment in the series was also the best one. I respectfully disagree. The first half of writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise’s Dead Reckoning In terms of old school spectacle and breakneck pacing, Dead Reckoning is easily the most entertaining action movie of summer 2023’s offerings. However, when compared to the best entries in the M:I franchise, Dead Reckoning leaves something be desired. While McQuarrie’s counterintuitive instinct to script the scenes after designing the set pieces, and essentially make it up as they went along, paid off in dividends in Fallout, the narrative of Dead Reckoning’s first half is shaggy and muddled. The second act is especially disjointed when the film arrives in Venice, and the actors seem as uncertain as the script is over what exactly the film’s nefarious A.I. villain, codename: “The Entity,” wants. That this is the portion of the film which also thanklessly kills off fan favorite Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) does the movie no favors. Elsewhere in the film, Hayley Atwell proves a fantastic addition in her own right as Grace—essentially a civilian and audience surrogate who gets wrapped up in the M:I series’ craziness long enough to stare at Cruise in incredulity—but the inference that she is here to simply interchangeably replace Ilsa gives the film a sour subtext. Still, Atwell’s Grace is great, Cruise’s Ethan is as mad as ever with his stunts, and even as the rest of the ensemble feels underutilized, seeing the team back together makes this a good time—while the unexpected return of Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge is downright great. 4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) There are many fans who will tell you that the Mission: Impossible franchise as we know it really started with this Brad Bird entry at the beginning of the 2010s, and it’s easy to see why. As the first installment made with a newly chastened Cruise—who Paramount Pictures had just spent years trying to fire from the series—it’s also the installment where the movie star remade his persona as a modern day Douglas Fairbanks. Here he becomes the guy you could count on to commit the most absurdly dangerous and ridiculous stunts for our entertainment. What a mensch. And in terms of set pieces, nothing in the series may top this movie’s second act where Cruise is asked to become a real-life Spider-Man and wall-crawl—as well as swing and skip—along the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It’s a genuine showstopper that looms over the rest of the movie. Not that there isn’t a lot to enjoy elsewhere as Bird brings a slightly more sci-fi and cartoonish cheek to the proceedings with amusing gadgets like those aforementioned “blue means glue” Spidey gloves. Even more amusingly, the damn things never seem to work properly. This is also the first Mission: Impossible movie where the whole team feels vital to the success of the adventure, including a now proper sidekick in the returning Pegg and some solid support from Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner. For a certain breed of fan that makes this the best, but we would argue the team dynamics were fleshed out a little better down the road, and in movies that have more than one stunning set piece to their name. 3. Mission: Impossible (1996) The last four entries of the series have been so good that it’s become common for folks to overlook the movie that started it all, Brian De Palma’s endlessly stylish Mission: Impossible. That’s a shame since there’s something admirably blasphemous to this day about a movie that would take an ancient pop culture property and throw the fundamentals out the window. In this case, that meant turning the original show’s hero, Jim Phelps (played by Jon Voight here), into the villain while completely rewriting the rulebook about what the concept of “Mission: Impossible” is. It’s the bold kind of creative move studios would never dare make now, but that’s what opened up the space to transform a novelty of ‘60s spymania TV into a ‘90s action classic, complete with heavy emphasis on techno espionage babble and post-Cold War politics. The movie can at times appear dated given the emphasis on floppy disks and AOL email accounts, but it’s also got a brisk energy that never goes out of style thanks to De Palma’s ability to frame a knotty script by David Koepp and Robert Towne (the latter of whom penned Chinatown) into a breathlessly paced thriller filled with paranoia, double crosses, femme fatales, and horrifying dream sequences. In other words, it’s a De Palma special! The filmmaker and Cruise also craft a series of set pieces that would become the series’ defining trademark. The finale with a fistfight atop a speeding train beneath the English Channel is great, but the quiet as a church mouse midpoint where Cruise’s hero dangles over the pressure-sensitive floor of a CIA vault—and with a drop of sweat dripping just out of reach!—is the stuff of popcorn myth. It’s how M:I also became as much a great heist series as shoot ‘em up. Plus, this movie gave us Ving Rhames’ stealth MVP hacker, Luther Stickell. 2. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) In retrospect there is something faintly low-key about Rogue Nation, as ludicrous as that might be to say about a movie that begins with its star literally clinging for dear life to the outside of a plane at take off. Yet given how grand newcomer director Christopher McQuarrie would take things in the following three Mission films, his more restrained first iteration seems charmingly small scale in comparison. Even so, it remains an action marvel in its own right, as well as the most balanced and well-structured adventure in the series. It’s the one where the project of making Ethan Hunt a tangible character began. Rightly assessing Ethan to be a “gambler” based on his inconsistent yet continuously deranged earlier appearances, McQuarrie spins a web where Hunt’s dicey lifestyle comes back to haunt him when facing a villain who turns those showboat instincts in on themselves, and which pairs Ethan for the first time against the best supporting character in the series, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. There’s a reason Ferguson’s MI6 double (triple, quadruple?) agent was the first leading lady in the series to become a recurring character. She gives a star-making turn as a woman who is in every way Ethan’s equal while keeping him and the audience on their toes. She, alongside a returning Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, solidify the definitive Mission team, all while McQuarrie crafts elegant set pieces with classical flair, including a night at the opera that homages and one-ups Alfred Hitchcock’s influential sequence from The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), as well as a Casablanca chase between Ethan and Ilsa that’s the best motorcycle sequence in the series (if only they stopped by Rick’s). Also McQuarrie’s script ultimately figures out who Ethan Hunt truly is by letting all those around him realize he’s a madman. And Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley gets this gem of a line to sums the series up in total: “Hunt is uniquely trained and highly motivated, a specialist without equal, immune to any countermeasures. There is no secret he cannot extract, no security he cannot breach, no person he cannot become. He has most likely anticipated this very conversation and is waiting to strike in whatever direction we move. Sir, Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny—and he has made you his mission.” 1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) If one were to rank these movies simply by virtue of set pieces and stunts, pound for pound it’s impossible to top Mission: Impossible – Fallout (forgive the pun). A virtuoso showcase in action movie bliss, there are too many giddy mic drop moments to list, but among our favorites are: Tom Cruise doing a real HALO jump out of a plane at 25,000 feet and which was captured by camera operator Craig O’Brien, who had an IMAX camera strapped to his head; the extended fight sequence between Cruise, Henry Cavill, and Liam Yang in a bathroom where the music completely drops out so we can hear every punch, kick, and that surreal moment where Cavill needs to reload his biceps like they’re shotguns; and did you see Cruise’s ankle bend the wrong way in that building to building jump?! For action junkies, there was no better adrenaline kick out of Hollywood in the 2010s than this flick, and that is in large part a credit to writer-director Christopher McQuarrie. As the first filmmaker to helm more than one M:I movie, McQuarrie had the seemingly counterintuitive innovation to meticulously hammer out all of the above action sequences as well as others—such as a motorcycle chase across the cobblestones of Paris and a helicopter climax where Cruise is really flying his chopper at low altitudes—with stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood and Cruise, and then retroactively pen a surprisingly tight and satisfying screenplay that continues to deconstruct the Ethan Hunt archetype into a man of flesh and blood. McQuarrie also reunites all the best supporting players in the series—Rhames, Pegg, and his own additions of Rebecca Ferguson as the ambiguous Ilsa Faust and Sean Harris as the dastardly Solomon Lane—into a yarn that is as zippy and sharp as you might expect from the screenwriter of The Usual Suspects, but which lets each action sequence unfurl with all the pageantry of an old school Gene Kelly musical number. Many will call this the best Mission: Impossible movie, and we won’t quibble the point.