I don’t know if you’ve heard about this underground trend, but apparently, movies about superheroes from the Marvel universe have become very popular. So many of these features have been released that parents with jobs/lives often can’t keep the 18 movies (as I write) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe* straight.

Brief news items of note for Lifehacker readers, including: Amazon Australia adds laptops to its website, Disney shuts down Marvel Heroes, #1 relationship advice revealed.

In the late 2000s, film studios, particularly Marvel Studios, realised that they could tap into the potential for creating stories that laid out a trail of breadcrumbs. Rather than just a single film, viewers would be tempted to consume many in a series.

Coupled with the merchandising successes that the Star Wars franchise had enjoyed since the 1980s, Marvel realised it had stumbled on a goldmine - and cinemagoers are arguably all the poorer for it.

The movies of 2017 are a truly star-studded bunch. There's Spider-Man, Batman, Wolverine, Thor and Wonder Woman. King Kong, the Gunslinger, Power Rangers. Luke Skywalker, Peter Quill and Jason Voorhees. The return of Rick Deckard, Jack Sparrow and Optimus Prime. The list goes on and on.

To help you keep track of them all, here's our handy guide to the science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero and generally weird movies coming out between now and December. We've also included trailers for the most exciting releases - so bring yer popcorn!

Over the past 60 years, Marvel Comics has created more than 7000 characters, including hundreds upon hundreds of costumed superheroes. Many boast unique powers and compelling backstories that are ripe for TV - yet only a tiny fraction ever get to star in their own Netflix series. Often - as in the case of Iron Fist - the decision of what and what not to adapt seems bizarre.

During a recent set visit, we asked Netflix Originals' vice president to explain how the company picks and chooses its fictional crime fighters. If you've ever wondered how the process works, read on.

Netflix has declared 2017 the year of High Dynamic Range (HDR) programming. The popular streaming service has already dramatically expanded its 4K HDR content - and there's a lot more to come in the months ahead.

Last year, we were invited to check out the company's state-of-the-art colour correction suite in New York where Netflix Originals receive a fresh lick of digital paint in the HDR conversion process. Here's everything we learned.

Marvel's roster of costumed superheroes have been fighting crime for 50 years or more. In that time, everything from spandex choice to skin colour has changed considerably. (For example, did you know that the Incredible Hulk wasn't green to begin with?) This infographic charts the physical appearance of 11 iconic characters: from the original comics to the most recent Avengers movie.

Superhero movies may be hit or miss sometimes, but even mediocre movies often come with outstanding soundtracks. The best scores become ingrained in us. This playlist features some of the best superhero music of the last decade and a half.

On April 28, Captain America: Civil War was released in Australia. It's the thirteenth movie in the nearly ten billion US dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's also the culmination of a story between Iron Man and Captain America that's spanned nearly a decade of storytelling. Here's the lay of the land up until now.