Up Your Nerd Cred

The Little Mermaid: A Gay Danish Allegory (Tentacles Optional) | Up Your Nerd Cred

Did you know the original version of The Little Mermaid is significantly darker than the Disney classic most of us grew up with? Before Ariel was collecting gadgets and gizmos aplenty, Hans Christian Andersen was writing a story about identity, belonging, and the cost of trying to fit into a world that might never accept you.

In this solo episode of Up Your Nerd Cred, CiCi takes a deep dive into the 1837 fairy tale that inspired the Disney...

It’s the end of Black History Month and we’re highlighting Black superheroes who don’t rely on lightning powers or “Black” in their codename. From Green Lanterns to War Machine, from Monet St. Croix to Queen Nubia, we’re breaking down the evolution of representation in Marvel and DC — and how modern storytelling is finally letting these characters breathe.

Plus: BAFTA controversy, Starfleet Academy queerness, and side-eyeing the BBC.

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Cici: @ciracdavis
A.M. Diaz: @AMDiazArt

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What does it cost to always be the strong one?

This week, we’re digging into grief, trauma, and emotional resilience across Marvel’s Black heroes — from Luke Cage’s incarceration and invulnerability, to Storm’s claustrophobia and PTSD, to Shuri’s rage on the ancestral plane, to Riri Williams building armor around her grief, and Sam Wilson proving that sometimes the most powerful move isn’t a punch — it’s a conversation.

Joined by licensed clinical social worker Dr. Mercedes Samudio, we explore how strength, leadership, and representation intersect with mental wellness — and why Black superheroes ar...

Were you the Black Power Ranger… or the Pink one?

In this solo episode of Up Your Nerd Cred, CiCi dives into what it meant to grow up as the token Black girl in 90s TV friend groups — and the quiet, uncomfortable pressure to “identify correctly.”

From Saved by the Bell and Clueless to Daria, Power Rangers, and that infamous “Pretty White Kids with Problems” sketch, we’re talking about:

We’re back with Part 2 of our deep dive into the Disney Prince pipeline — and this time, things get competitive.

CiCi, AM Diaz, and the Solving for X crew finish the conversation by putting these princes to the test: hotness, usefulness, and whether they were wildly out of their league. From Prince Naveen and Flynn Rider to Hercules, Aladdin, and the Beast, we rank, debate, disagree loudly, and absolutely overthink animated men.

Along the way, we talk emotional growth, healthy partnerships, why “nice” is not the same as good, and how Disney accidentally taught a generati...

This week, we’re stepping outside the Marvel and DC multiverses (just for a minute) to talk about the Disney Princes — and how they evolved from voiceless, last-minute plot devices into fully realized characters with agency, flaws, and emotional growth.

Joined by the Solving for X crew, we break down the different eras of Disney princes, what makes a “good” prince versus a functional one, and whether increased involvement actually strengthens (or undermines) the princesses’ agency. From early fairy-tale stand-ins to modern, ride-or-die partners, this conversation goes places.

So maybe put some headp...

Did you grow up thinking cartoons were just something you watched before going outside—only to realize later they were also 22-minute toy ads wrapped in surprisingly strong moral messaging?

This week on Up Your Nerd Cred, CiCi and AM Diaz dive into the cartoon blocks that shaped Gen X and Millennial nerd culture, from the Hanna-Barbera–dominated Saturdays of the 70s and early 80s to the crowded, competitive cartoon ecosystems of the 90s—and finally to the slow decline of Saturday morning cartoons in the early 2000s.

We explore:

Did you ever wonder why you still remember cereal mascots, toy commercials, and Saturday morning cartoons with unsettling clarity?

In this episode of Up Your Nerd Cred, we break down how entire generations—especially Gen X and Millennials—were deliberately marketed to as children, and how those strategies didn’t just sell toys. They shaped nostalgia, spending habits, and fandom itself.

We introduce the concept of “toyetic” media, explore how 1980s deregulation transformed cartoons into sales engines, and examine the psychological tactics—eye contact, scarcity, completionism—that made marketing to children extraordinaril...

Welcome back to Up Your Nerd Cred, and welcome to Season 2.

This week, we’re talking about toys-not just the ones we played with, but the ones that quietly taught us who we were allowed to be. From Saturday morning cartoons doubling as toy ads, to dolls and action figures that gave some of us freedom and others a box, this episode is about imagination, identity, and why nostalgia hits harder than people want to admit.

Joining us this week is the absolutely fabulous London Villamayor, official cosplayer for The Uncanny Experience, longtime Power Rangers fa...

If timelines keep breaking, and universes keep rebooting, eventually someone has to live with the consequences.

In the thrilling conclusion of our Flash trilogy, CiCi and AM tackle the fallout of Flashpoint, the collapse of the New 52, and the long road back to legacy through DC Rebirth. This is the episode where Wally West’s disappearance actually matters, where memory becomes a superpower, and where DC finally has to confront what happens when you erase generational heroes.

Whether your Flash is Jay, Barry, Wally, Bart, or Ace — this episode make...

The Flash isn’t just one guy in red spandex—it’s a whole family, and DC continuity has been putting them through a cosmic blender since the Silver Age. In this episode, we break down how Crisis on Infinite Earths reshaped DC’s multiverse, why Wally West had to grow from “Kid Flash” into the Flash, and how the Speed Force became the backbone of modern Flash mythology.

Then we get into the most chaotic redhead time-disaster in the family tree: Bart Allen (Impulse/Kid Flash II)— the gran...

Did you know there are FIVE different Flashes? Because CiCi sure didn’t — and AM absolutely did. 😭

In Part 1 of this expert-level two-parter, we start at the very beginning with Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash who got super-speed via the most 1940s origin imaginable (hard water vapors???), and then jump to Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash who helped revive superhero comics… and also helped kick off DC’s whole “wait, what timeline are we on?” problem.

We talk:

What actually happens when superheroes, gods, villains, and reality-warpers run headfirst into real-world law?
Today we’re diving into the wonderfully messy chaos of superhero legal theory and asking the question absolutely no insurance adjuster is prepared for:

Is Thor falling on your car… an Act of God?
(And if Wonder Woman does it in her civilian form, does that make it better or worse?)

In this episode, CiCi breaks down the surprisingly relatable 1L-level legal concepts hiding inside Marvel and DC storylines: torts, state actors, qualified immu...

This episode breaks down why Zan and Jayna — the Wonder Twins — are some of DC’s most underrated heavy hitters. Despite debuting in Super Friends (1977), their powers were far stronger than the show ever portrayed. We explore how Hanna-Barbera limitations, comedic framing, and shifting comic eras prevented them from ever securing their place in the modern DC pantheon.

In this episode, we cover:

Welcome back! This week CiCi dives into the tale of two Doctors Strange- Marvel’s Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (sometimes), and DC’s Hugo Strange, Batman’s underappreciated OG mad scientist villain.

We’re talking nature vs nurture, Golden Age chaos, Comics Code Authority shenanigans, and why one Strange sits atop a cinematic empire… while the other keeps getting yeeted off cliffs.

Instagram: @upyournerdcredpod
CiCi: @ciracdavis
AM Diaz: @amdiaz_art

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This week’s episode of Up Your Nerd Cred continues our Marvels duology with a focused deep dive into Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan.

We cover:
• Why Monica Rambeau keeps getting renamed and how her trajectory has been shaped by racism, sexism, and editorial decisions.
• The differences between Monica’s comics history and her MCU portrayal in WandaVision and The Marvels.
• Kamala Khan’s evolution from Inhuman to mutant, from solo hero to Champion, and why she’s the heart of Gen Z superhero storytelling.
• How corporate synergy, MCU needs, and shifting comics priorities impac...

Carol Danvers may be the Captain Marvel you know from the MCU — but she’s far from the only one to claim that name. This week, CiCi and AM Diaz explore the women who redefined what “Marvel” means: Carol Danvers, the Air Force pilot turned cosmic powerhouse, and Monica Rambeau, the light-speed leader who once captained the Avengers before most of the guys even made the roster.

From feminist icons to cosmic soldiers, from Kree DNA to the power of pure light, we’re unpacking how both women earned (and sometimes fought for) the same title — and how their le...

This week, CiCi celebrates Gotham’s favorite cat burglar-turned-antihero. From her 1940 debut to Frank Miller’s Year One reinvention, Selina Kyle has clawed her way from “femme fatale” to fully realized character, proving she’s more than just Batman’s on-again, off-again love interest.

We talk Comics Code censorship, Gotham City Sirens, her complicated relationship with Bruce Wayne, the One Year Later motherhood arc, and why being able to walk away from a billionaire with your ethics intact is the ultimate flex.

In this episode:

The Comics Code tried (and failed) to declaw Catwoman

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we’re taking our seats (and our sequins) at the Hellfire Gala — Marvel’s answer to the Met Gala, where mutants, diplomats, and icons walk the same psychic red carpet.

CC (@ciracdavis) and AM (AMDiaz_Art) are joined by special guests Jordan Blaza Olsen (@thegirlwithagreatsmile) and Colby Melvin (@colbymelvin | @coscolby) for a deep dive into the origins of the Hellfire Club, the rise of Emma Frost and Jean Grey as queens of mutant diplomacy, and how fashion, identity, and representation shape Krakoa’s most glamorous night of the year.

We...

When is a mask not a mask? When it’s an alter. This week, CiCi and AM dive into the complicated, chaotic world of Moon Knight — mercenary, avatar of Khonshu, and one of the few major Marvel characters officially diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

We unpack how Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and Jake Lockley came to be; how the show’s portrayal of DID compares to the comics; and how Marvel’s writers have tried (and sometimes failed) to balance heroism with mental health realism. From Werewolf by Night to the West Coast Avengers, from Khonshu’s divine m...

Thor’s hammer has a history that spans myth and Marvel. From Loki’s bet with the dwarves and Thor’s cross-dressing rescue mission in Norse legend, to Mjolnir’s Marvel Comics debut, worthiness enchantments, and all the surprising people who’ve lifted it — we’re digging in.

In this solo episode, CiCi explores:

The mythic origins of Mjolnir in Norse sagas

Thor’s many tests of worthiness in Marvel Comics

Beta Ray Bill, Captain America, Jane Foster, and other wielders

Why Original Sin’s “Gorr was right” reset mattered

How Jan...

Beast used to be the witty, Shakespeare-quoting professor, the one who could hold his own in a fight and in the lab. So… how did Hank McCoy become one of the most reviled figures in mutant history?

In this expert-level deep dive, CiCi and AM trace the slow burn of Beast’s fall:

From noble scientist working on a cure for the Legacy Virus…

To morally gray compromises and questionable alliances…

To his full “Heart of Darkness” descent during the Krakoan era.

Is this a tragedy of hubris? A story of hid...

When you think of the X-Men’s Beast, do you picture the witty scientist quoting Shakespeare from his cell in X-Men: The Animated Series? Or the fuzzy blue Avenger cracking jokes with Wonder Man? This week, CiCi takes you through Hank McCoy’s journey from his Silver Age debut to his role as the team’s gentle giant and resident biochemist.

This episode is Part One of a two-parter — we’re focusing on the “nice Beast” era before AM comes in next week to explain how and why things took a darker turn. From oversized hands and feet in X-Men...

Welcome back to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, CiCi and AM dive into one of the most chaotic family trees in comics: Mystique’s. From abandoned children to adopted daughters, from retconned baby daddies to Destiny’s prophecies, Raven Darkhölme has a parenting record that’s… well, let’s just say complicated.

We’ll talk about:

Mystique and Destiny’s relationship, and why Claremont’s original Nightcrawler plan got shut down

Rogue’s adoption and whether Mystique gave her stability or more chaos

Graydon Creed’s self-hating political crusade against mutants

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, CiCi dives solo into one of comics’ strangest truths: just how ancient some of your favorite heroes and villains really are.

From Martian Manhunter’s centuries of grief-snacking on Oreos to Wonder Woman’s millennia of Amazonian wisdom, from Loki’s thousand-year commitment to the horned helmet bit to Apocalypse’s 5,000 years of survival-of-the-fittest cosplay — the multiverses are crowded with characters who could probably qualify for senior discounts ten times over.We’ll cover:

13 Marvel and DC characters with canon ages over 120 yearsThe comic issues and stories that explicitl...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about Marvel’s most persistent mutant-hunting menace: the Sentinels. From their first stomping steps in X-Men #14 to their endless upgrades—Nimrod, Bastion, Prime Sentinels, and beyond—these machines have been a stand-in for fear of the other for six decades.We’ll dig into where they came from, why they keep getting reinvented, and how storylines like Days of Future Past, Genosha, and Krakoa turned them from clunky robots into full-blown existential threats. Plus, AM Diaz is back in the studio after his Wanda-imposed sabbatical, so CiCi doesn’t have to ar...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're raising a glass to Dr Harleen F. Quintzel.

Harley Quinn may have started out as Joker’s henchwoman in Batman: The Animated Series, but she’s long since carved out her own place in DC canon. In this episode, CiCi takes a solo deep dive into Harley’s unusual entry into the universe, how Mad Love gave her a backstory, and why she’s one of the closest to ever take Batman down.

We’ll talk about how Harley’s alignment is fully locked to chaotic neutral... f...

This week on Up Your Nerd Cred, we’re taking a break from multiversal collapse and reality-warping chaos to look at something a little lighter… or is it?

We’re diving into the wild world of MCU double casting—where actors get a second shot at superhero stardom. From Chris Evans’ journey from fireball himbo to America’s ass, to Michael B. Jordan’s redemption arc from Fan4stic to Killmonger with a point, we’re talking about all the actors who blew their Marvel shot—only to come back hotter, cooler, and way more plot-relevant.

We cover:

...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're wrapping up our two-part special about Wanda Maximoff and the mess that is her life. Sometimes you accidentally manifest children, sometimes it turns out that you're adopted, and sometimes you end up as all three aspects of the triple-headed goddess after you get a little bit killed. But at no time is there an option to be boring. [Side note, there's a brief spoiler-y discussion of Fantastic Four around the 10 minute mark]
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Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we’re diving deep into the chaos storm that is Wanda Maximoff’s origin story.

Was she born on Wundagore Mountain (with a cow midwife, no less)? Is Magneto her dad? Wait, is he not? Wait do mutants run everything? Wait, where'd all the mutants go? Scarlet Witch has had more backstories than most characters have costumes... And Janet Van Dyne was her coworker!

We’re breaking down every retcon, every heartbreak, every weird editorial decision—and asking: is she a good witch, a bad witch, or just Mar...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about the evolution of comic books and how popular culture helped them expand their bounds. We're talking about the major ages of comics, from the Golden Age to the Modern Age, and how societal changes influenced storytelling.

Also, put a little more respect on Archie Andrews' name! [Not that much... just a little]

Also, of course we're going to talk about Uncanny Experience, Senior Year is around the corner!

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Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about how the villains who were created because of the impact of the Comics Code Authority were... kind of embarrassing. The CCA was created to ensure that the children who might read comics wouldn't be exposed to... unsavory ideas. Instead, they were introduced to Kite Man, the Eraser, and Killer Moth. Even getting characters like Morbius took time to be allowed [because vampires were too scary]. And *don't* get us started about the refusal to acknowledge sexuality existing! Or do.

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! Happy 4th of July! Today, we're talking about The Star Spangled Man with a Plan, the former skinny kid from Brooklyn, the man who Assembles the Avengers, Steven Rogers, aka Captain America. The original Antifa, his first issue has him punching Hitler in the face... on the cover. Chris Evans has done an amazing job portraying him, and when Ant-Man said "As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass!", I didn't stand up and cheer because it's impolite to do that opening weekend in a crowded theater, but I digress. He's been around...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about multisexual characters in Marvel and DC. Kitty Pryde, Mystique, and Deadpool, repping Marvel, John Constantine, Harley Quinn, with Tim Drake and Jon Kent for DC. Let's be real, though, the CCA has definitely had an impact on how much queerness in general is allowed to be seen. We've progressed notably in allowed representation, but even characters explicitly stated by their creators to be intended to be queer tend to be in heterosexual relationships. Just remember, the first Pride was a riot! Be Gay, Do Crime!*

<...

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about Tony Stark and Peter Parker.

Specifically, focusing on Tony Stark's paternal role in Peter Parker's life (or honestly, lack thereof.) Turns out the cinematic universe adds things in instead of just leaving it out.

Peter and Tony's relationship in the comics is quite different than the MCU; Civil War is a very different vibe when Peter Parker unmasks as an adult. Plus, it lead to the One More Day arc... Le sigh

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Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred! This week, we're talking about the X-Triad, Scott, Jean, and Logan. Oh yeah, the only 3 in the Summers mansion with no specific doors between their rooms? It's definitely a thing.

Side note: don't forget that comic canon Wolverine is *very* differently sized than Hugh Jackman is

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Welcome to Get Your Nerd Cred Up! This week, we're talking about Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, and... no, that one's not a Robin.

Batman needs a Robin, and it turns out the original Boy Wonder can't be 15 forever. Plus, those winged booties weren't really giving. Join us as we talk about the ever expanding Bat-Family!

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Dropping June 6, 2025

Welcome to Up Your Nerd Cred!

We're here to talk about gods cosplaying as men, men cosplaying as gods, and how much the cinematic universes are leaving out. AM and Cici are here to bridge the gap between the Marvel and DC comic and cinematic universes, talk about pop culture, and nerd out together. Come hang!