Nerdist’s Best Features and Articles of 2025

From explainers that help bring clarity to a fictional universe to exploring the weirdest culinary options on the market, we aim to leave no pop culture stone unturned. We aim for each feature to accomplish a specific mission, whether that is for pure entertainment and escapism, expanding your knowledge base, educating about real life history, bringing a spotlight to those creatives who aren’t mainstream, or lending our critical eye to an aspect of genre. We like to spark passionate debates among readers but we do not accomplish that by dishing out clickbait nor verbal lashings (unless a character realllyyyyy deserves the hate). We are a passionate group here at Nerdist but we are also guided by honor. 

Nerdist strives to be a champion of geeky and nerdy TV, film, comics, gaming, and more in a way that makes all fans feel welcome. There are no gates to climb over nor parameters any of us have to meet to label ourselves a fan of anything. We simply have to enjoy the thing. And there’s more than enough room in our universe—and every fictional one, too—for everyone to be included and celebrated. Period. 

Whatever you’re looking for, we got it. Thirst posts, odes to genre legends, lists that tally up a show’s bizarre moments, balanced and nuanced reviews, and so much more are a part of our offering. While we cannot spotlight all the features and overall great articles of 2025, here is a sample of the best ones we had to offer this year. See you in 2026! 

Nerdist’s Op-Eds, Impassioned Pleas, and General Features of 2025 

Everyone at Nerdist has strong opinions about a lot of areas of pop culture. Sometimes, we even make pleas to fandoms at large and creatives to either 1) stop doing something or 2) do it right away. And, as always, we are exploring our curiosity and digging into history, both fictional and real world. From press trips that give you insight into a series to features that celebrate specific themes, there’s so much variety in our content mix.

The Complete and Spectacular History of Spider-Man in Animation

Staff Writer Eric Diaz is quite literally a walking encyclopedia when it comes to many things, including Marvel and DC. He can recall specific comic issues and moments from 20+ years ago at the drop of a hat and there isn’t an animated show that he’s never seen. So of course he’s the right guy to take you down memory lane through Spider-Man’s animation history.

Internet History, Explained: The First and Oldest YouTube Video

Features Editor Tai Gooden is a total history nerd who spent a little too much time in internet chat rooms and on Myspace back in the early 2000s. To celebrate YouTube’s 20th anniversary, she dug into the story behind the first YouTube video ever uploaded. From the messiness of the site’s creators to the simple nature of the clip itself, this piece hits a nostalgic nerve.

The Ecology of Survival: Yellowjackets‘ Lessons on Climate and Community 

A show like Yellowjackets is ripe for exploring theories and gasping at brutal moments. But, the core of the series is about stripping away the constraints of our society with its laws and moral boundaries. Who do you become if you have to go back to the most arcane ways of living? Contributing writer Lindsey Romain examined this series and what we can learn about nature, climate change, social order, and what it means to foster community.

Hope Without the Force: How Andor Rewrites Rebellion 

Andor delivered a fantastic second and final season this year, cementing its place as one of the best shows to exist. Contributing writer Derek Pharr dove into how the galaxy far, far away tackles rebellion and how Andor challenged that in its narrative.

Superman Loudly Reminds Us That Knowing Right From Wrong Is Simple

Staff Writer Mikey Walsh can recall the intricacies of many TV and film universes with incredible accuracy. From his mind-boggling knowledge of the Game of Thrones universe to his Star Wars explorations, there’s essentially nothing that he’s not ready to cover for the website. Mikey chose an intriguing path for his analysis of James Gunn’s Superman film. It is all based on one seemingly small moment in the film, yet the message looms large about the character’s moral viewpoints.

The Strangest Trailers of Pop Culture History: The Exorcist 

In today’s times, production companies put a lot of money, time, and thought into crafting epic trailers, even for smaller scale projects. It makes sense considering we are in a digital world where your clip can reach potentially millions in a matter of hours. But, once upon a time, trailers were only seen in movie theaters, and some of them were forgotten with time… that is, unless they were super weird. Eric Diaz wrote about the sheer weirdness of The Exorcist‘s trailer.

Andor Is Star Wars Greatest Story 

Nothing in this life is flawless. But Andor is pretty darn close. Mikey Walsh gave the Star Wars series its props with this lovely ode, and there isn’t a single person on staff who doesn’t agree with every single word.

Our Guide to Universal Epic Universe & All of Its Lands and Adventures 

One of the coolest aspects of our jobs is getting to do fun press trips and explore film sets, theme parks, and other epic locations. A major fan of queer ships, fantasy epics, and all things Hannibal, our fab Editor-in-Chief Ro Rusak took on Universal Epic Universe and gave readers a wonderful guide to this world.

Welcome to Jurassic World Rebirth: An Epic Journey Through Thailand 

Speaking of cool press trips, Tai Gooden got the chance of a lifetime to represent Nerdist during a multi-day journey through Thailand. From rock climbing to running through grasslands in oppressive heat and humidity, this challenge was certainly not for the faint at heart.

Interview with the Vampire‘s Overwhelming Queerness Is Revelatory 

Just as much as we are willing to turn a critical eye to a franchise, we are also thrilled to celebrate the aspects that a series gets right. For Ro, IWTV and how it embraces queerness among its characters was worth lots of praise.

I Hope Ted Wheeler Is the Only Character to Survive Stranger Things 5

This might be the funniest Nerdist post of 2025. As Stranger Things 5 readied for its fifth and final season, Mikey decided that if one character must survive it all, it should be useless father Ted Wheeler. His reasoning why will delight you.

We Love Lists That Aren’t Full of Chores and Adulting S---

To-do lists? Nah. Lists about nerdy s---. More! A listicle will never, ever go out of style. They spark healthy debate among fans and perhaps give readers a new perspective about characters, moments, episodes, and more.

The Scariest Ghostface Phone Calls in the Scream Franchise

With Scream 7 and the franchise’s 30th anniversary coming in 2026, now felt like a great time to take a look back at the existing films. And Tai Gooden is absolutely the most diehard Scream fanatic on the editorial staff. One of the most iconic aspects of Scream movies is Ghostface’s phone calls, which are actually not all created equal.

The 7 Shadiest Moments in Marvel Comics History

The title is pretty self-explanatory. The Marvel universe is well known for large scale battles and some pretty bizarre characters, but some of the best moments come from some scathing verbal interactions. Eric Diaz details seven of his favorite for a fun read.

The 15 Best King of the Hill Episodes of All-Time 

If you told us five years ago that King of the Hill would return to our TV screens with new episodes and that they would be good, we would have laughed in your face. But that’s exactly what happened in 2025. To tee up excitement for the show’s return, our Senior Manager of Graphics and Design Ali Mattingly looked back at one of her favorite shows to choose the best episodes ever.

Nerdist‘s Reviews Are Revelatory 

Reviews are perhaps one of the best features that we offer at Nerdist. Always balanced and fair yet unafraid to give an honest opinion, we want fans to get an idea of what they are going into. From a major nerdy release to hot new games, we love writing reviews.

Weapons Is a Wild, Wicked Ride 

Our Senior Editor Kyle Anderson is known for his entertaining Nerdist videos, epic T-shirt game, and brilliant reviews. This year was no different as Kyle lent his unique critical eye to one of the best horror films of 2025, Weapons.

F1: The Movie Is One of the Best Sports Films EVER 

Mikey Walsh is also quite the prolific reviewer for Nerdist. While we love all his reviews because he NEVER holds back, this one really packs both an analytic and emotional punch.

Disney Lorcana‘s Fabled Set Is Its Most Interesting Release 

Why yes, we do more than reviewing TV shows and films. Contributing writer Christian Hoffer dove into one of Disney Lorcana‘s newest sets and parsed through the mechanics of it all.

We Have SOOO Many Questions, and That’s Why We Do Interviews 

One of the best parts of our job is getting to talk to creatives that make our favorite films and TV shows. Sometimes, they are celebrities and other times they are the minds behind a narrative. Either way, we love to dive into some awesome questions for them.

Cassandra Peterson on Her Deliciously Dark Elvira Tarot Cards 

Eric Diaz got to talk to an absolute legend about her upcoming tarot deck. As a major Elvira fan, this was a dream come true for him and his passion shines in this interview.

Noah Hawley for Alien: Earth 

Kyle Anderson is widely known for his reviews; however, he also takes on the interview beat quite well on both our website and via Laser Focus, our pop culture podcast. This interview with Noah Hawley gave our readers insight into Alien: Earth and its epic worldbuilding.

Eric Bogosian on Interview With the Vampire and Daniel Molloy 

Ro Rusak caught up Eric Bogosian for an extensive chat about his character, queer representation, and much more.

Our Exploration of Weird News 

This is pretty self-explanatory. We cover some strange things (ha) throughout the year, whether is it a pop culture tidbit or a gross food that shouldn’t exist.

Kieran Culkin Got Mark Ruffalo High on Stage for Real 

Mikey Walsh loves a “Did You Know?” kind of moment, especially if it is wildly funny or weird. And this is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes story that hits his funny bone. The idea of Mark Ruffalo getting baked in front of a live audience is what we call entertainment, indeed.

The Woes of Eating a Taco Bell Baja Blast 

Mikey is not only funny, but he’s also well known for handling our weird food news beat. But he wants to do more than just write about these culinary disasters. He wants to eat them. And we are sure he regrets nothing more than eating Taco Bell’s Baja Blast pie in one sitting. Yes, the entire thing…

Let Us Explain It to Ya

Who among us doesn’t love an explainer? Sometimes, you watch stuff and it just doesn’t quite click for you. Or, you’re wondering if you missed an Easter Egg or a crucial part of the plot. Either way, we are here to explain it all like Clarissa.

Fallout Season 2 Trailer: Easter Egg Breakdown

People love Easter Eggs more than life itself. Those little nuggets can be hard to spot sometimes but, in the words of Aerosmith, we don’t wanna miss a thing. Contributing writer Jess Harshbarger is a gamer who knows the Fallout universe super well, and this piece is evidence of that.

IT: Welcome to Derry‘s Black Spot, Explained

The Stephen King universe is expansive in Welcome to Derry, bringing in a lot from his novels. One of them is the Black Spot fire, an unfortunate event that transpires in the show. Eric broke down what happened and how it differs in live-action.

HIM Movie Ending, Explained 

There was perhaps no movie with a weirder and more open-ended finale scene than HIM. The Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers football horror film led to a blood show that Ro was more than happy to explain to confused viewers.

Nerdist Gives Gaming Love

While we are admittedly not the premiere place for all things gaming, that doesn’t mean we don’t add it to our mix. This is where our talented contributing writers often come into play as they lend their unique expertise about the latest in all games, including tabletop adventures and classic video games.

How to Start Playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game 

Sometimes, jumping into a nerdy new adventure can be daunting and downright scary. We aim to ease those fears by giving you simple how-to guides! Contributing writer Christian Hoffer is the guy to see for all things related to tabletop gaming, and his roadmap to understanding the ever-popular Poke TCG is fantastic.

7 Indie Games You Should Be Playing Right Now

Contributing writer Camila Buck gave our readers a short yet sweet guide to the games that may have fallen under their radar. One of our aims at Nerdist is to step outside the mainstream beat in all arenas and shine light on indie work.

Welcome to the Horror Show 

Features Editor Tai Gooden is a big time horror fanatic, so every day is the right time to celebrate all things spooky, gory, bloody, and downright diabolical. Horror gave us lots to play with this year, including another Pennywise adventure and Weapons. So, once again, our horror beat was unmatched.

11 Horror Dads Who Prove That Fatherhood Can Be Terrifying 

Yes, this post technically counts in two areas. But hey, why not cover multiple bases. Contributing writer Felipe Patterson took us down horror memory lane to detail out a few fathers, some who mean well and others who do not, to examine their place in the genre.

The Best Horror Movie Final Girls From the 2020s

When we think of final girls, the same names often come to mind: Laurie Strode, Sidney Prescott, etc. But there are so many powerful survivors in the genre who lived to tell their stories. Intern Sarah Campbell celebrated the best horror movie final girls from recent years to remind us all that horror is still absolutely thriving.

How The Thing Reflects Our Fears Now More Than Ever

The Thing is a classic movie that never feels old. The reason why is because its themes of not being able to fully trust what you are seeing resonate in a world being taken over by AI. Felipe dove into this and more in his exploration of this film and its lasting legacy.

The Scariest and Most Shocking Moments in IT: Welcome to Derry 

A smile is something special, and violence is anything but rare in Welcome to Derry. The show came in like a wrecking ball made of glorious terror towards the end of the year and a few of our staffers fell in love with it. So, Tai decided to write about every single horrific moment that went down in the series because, well, she’s delightfully morbid.

The Nerdist Link-Up 

There’s nothing more special than when the staff comes together to do a collaborative post. And, the best time to do that is when the year is coming to a close. It’s the perfect time to reflect all that we covered and cherry pick our favorite aspects of that.

Nerdist‘s Best Characters of 2025

At the end of every year, Nerdist likes to look back and honor the characters that really made an impact on us. This year is no different and our choices have a lot of variety, reflecting our team’s eclectic tastes.

Nerdist‘s Favorite TV and Film Moments of 2025 

Oh, and did you think we just did characters? Not at all! We also loved a lot of TV and film moments this year, too.