Explainer

Whether an ending leaves you puzzled or you're missing a piece of deep-cut lore, Polygon's explainers help you understand.

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Kenjaku looms over Japan while overseeing the Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 may finally bring back one of the show's strongest sorcerers

The upcoming season will bring the Culling Game to its climactic end

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An image featuring Darth Maul from The Clone Wars. It shows him in the air, with vice-like grippy legs. He wields a red lightsaber and looks peeved.
A definitive Star Wars timeline of Darth Maul and his many robot legs

Having one set of limbs is for chumps

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Ryan Gosling wakes up in a spaceship in the Project Hail Mary movie trailer
Project Hail Mary is yet another Andy Weir movie with a cut cannibalism joke

Would you eat a burger made from your own muscle?

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Yuru and Asa pose against the backdrop of mythical creatures in Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Can the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist strike anime gold twice?

Daemons of the Shadow Realm aims for the peak with an impressive premiere — but it's a steep climb

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A crowd of people, some in bright yellow jumpsuits, peer through a round porthole into a dark space in Project Hail Mary
5 burning questions from Project Hail Mary answered in Andy Weir’s book

The adaptation cuts some explanation of the mission and its effects

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Yuta Okkotsu viciously cuts down a sorcerer with his katana in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen's latest episode exposes the tragic irony of the Culling Game

Kenjaku's deathmatch jeopardizes a world where the vulnerable can exist

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Cyberpunk figure in darkness with bright neon features
Cheat off my homework for Marathon's ranked mode

Bungie released a "Ranked Calculation Worksheet" to help explain the nuances

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Project Hail Mary’s directors are working on adaptation of Andy Weir’s least loved book

‘I wanted Artemis to be my big complicated world, but nobody likes it’

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An image of Matthew Mercer standing back to back with his Campaign 4 character from Critical Role, sir Julien Davinos.
Matt Mercer explains Daredevil subclass for Critical Role's Campaign 4: 'High risk, high reward'

Riding the edge of combat

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Mark, a teen in a long sleeved shirt, floats next to his father Nolan, who is wearing a superhero costume with a red cape in Invincible season 4
Invincible season 4’s biggest reveal feels a lot like James Gunn’s Superman twist

Robert Kirkman was inspired by DC Comics, but now DC seems to be following his lead

DUN3-T1-0049
Let's breakdown all the major characters in the mysterious new Dune 3 trailer

Here's what’s going on in the epic conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy

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Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, wielding two blades and surrounded by collapsed or collapsing soldiers in grey armor in Dune
Duncan Idaho died in Dune so who is Jason Momoa playing in Dune 3?

Jason Momoa's return in Dune 3 is part of a plot that connects all of Frank Herbert's books

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An image featuring Brennan Lee Mulligan behind a Dungeon Master screen. Behind him is a fantasy background, awash with blue light.
We finally know the reason behind that shocking Critical Role character death

House Tachonis isn't messing around

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A boy with light pink hair stares right ahead in shock in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is about to sideline its protagonist, and that's a good thing

The Culling Game is about to get deadlier

Yuji Itadori looks straight ahead with a somber expression in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen’s latest episode proves that Shibuya will forever haunt its main character

Yuji's cog of guilt keeps turning in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 episode 9

The Doctor (Robert Picardo) and Reno (Tig Notaro) stand on the bridge of the USS Athena looking worried in Starfleet Academy
What is an Omega molecule in Star Trek and why is it so dangerous?

Starfleet Academy has dug up a threat from Voyager

A destroyed Racoon City appears in Resident Evil Requiem.
Resident Evil Requiem’s endings, explained

There's a whole lot of lore to sort through

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A long haired man with stitches on his forehead looks straight ahead in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen just made Kenjaku’s endgame way darker

The true purpose behind the Culling Game is more sinister than it seems

A man clutches his face while looking upwards in distress in Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen just introduced the only character powerful enough to take on Sukuna

Even in a world shaped by cursed techniques, Domain Amplification is no joke

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A grotesque monster stalks Grace in Resident Evil Requiem.
The Resident Evil backstory you need to know before Resident Evil Requiem

Umbrella, Raccoon City, and all kinds of viruses, explained

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