We Need to Talk About Marvel (Plus: What's Vinny Thomas Into?)

Black Panther is back soon, but what do you actually need to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be ready? And what if you don't care about the intricacies of Thanos or Dr. Strange's multiverse at all? Vox's Alex Abad-Santos catches Sam up on the MCU and explains that even if you don't care about the plot lines, you should care about Marvel's impact on the entertainment industry: "It's kind of like if you follow politics and you don't follow the Supreme Court. That's how big Marvel has become." We also ask comedian Vinny Thomas if he is into Rihanna's new single. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: What do the casting directors of Love is Blind know that we don't when you have a Shane/Shaina and a Cole/Colleen situation in two consecutive seasons? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices