U.S.—Snopes has reached a multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix to provide on-screen fact checks of all of the service’s fictional shows, movies, and comedy specials.
As you sit down to enjoy content like Into the Spiderverse, Stranger Things, or Mary Poppins Returns, Snopes will be there with a helpful fact check of every element of the fictional universe you’re watching. Whether Snopes is verifying the existence of a multiverse of various Spider-Men, the fact that there’s a secret Russian installation underneath the Starcourt Mall in Hawkins, or the assertion that there’s a magical nanny named Mary Poppins, you’ll be sure to get “just the facts” from Snopes.com.
The feature is expected to be especially useful for the comedy specials. When someone like Jerry Seinfeld or Kevin Hart makes a joke, a Snopes bubble will pop up checking the fictional details of the bit.
“We wanted to make sure that no one laughs without first realizing what they are watching is entirely fiction,” said a Snopes spokesperson while reviewing footage of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. “For instance, you might watch this movie and assume there are UFOs buried underneath ancient civilizations, but that’s unproven.”
Netflix later called the Snopes fact-checker off the case, assuring him no one is watching Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.