In 2007 Marvel Studios was a few years away from being purchased by Disney, but the company was getting ready to conquer the entertainment industry. It premiered footage from the Robert Downey-starring original “Iron Man” to rave reviews at the San Diego Comic Con.
A year later “Iron Man” was one of the most popular films of the year, and the company was well on its way to making seemingly each and everyone of its characters into a household name.
Ever since Marvel, and most other entertainment companies with a film, TV show or doo-dad to promote, have made the San Diego Comic Con’s fabled Hall H a standard place to announce new projects.
Marvel hasn’t been to the San Diego Comic Con since 2019 for covid-related reasons, but it made its grand return this month. The event, at the San Diego Convention Center, runs from July 21-24.
At some point, Marvel and Disney (DIS) are expected to release more information about its upcoming films, including “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (due on November 11) and next year’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (February 17), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (May 5) and “The Marvels” (July 28). Additionally, fans are eagerly awaiting more information on the long-rumored reboot of “Fantastic Four,” as well as the Mahershala Ali starring reboot of “Blade.”
Marvel Studios/TS
Marvel Announces A Slew Of New Shows
“I Am Groot”
Disney has announced a number of short films featuring everyone’s favorite tree alien baby, with Vin Diesel, reprising the voice of Groot from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. (Diesel gets paid a lot of money to wring a variety of emotions out of the words “I,” “Am,” and “Groot.”)
All five shorts will premiere on August 10.
“Spider-Man: Freshman Year.”
First announced last year, this animated series is set to take place before the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” the film that introduced Tom Holland and MCU’s version of Peter Parker.
The series will follow Parker’s early days as Spider-Man and will reveal how he got his powers. (Well, we know he got bit by a spider. But under what circumstances?)
The series head writer and Executive producer Jeff Trammel has revealed that while neither Ned nor MJ would appear, the series will include characters from the Spider-Man comics such as Norman and Harry Osborn, Unicorn, Chameleon, Scorpion, Speed Demon, Tarantula, Rhino, Butane, Doc Ock and Doctor Strange.
Additionally, Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Daredevil, while the cast will be rounded-out Nico Minoru, a comic character from the series "Runaways," Amadeus Cho, a young boy who eventually becomes Hulk in one storyline; and a Wakandan student. Also, Tomkins will voice new character named Bentley Witman.
In footage shown at the convention, Spider-Man sports a comic-book inspired look, complete with glasses, and the homemade costume glimpsed in “Spider-Man: Civil War.”
The series will premiere in 2024, and second season titled "Spider-Man: Sophomore Year" had been ordered.
“What If…?”
Disney has announced a second season of the Disney+ show, which is based on a long-running Marvel Comic and tells the story of Marvel characters in radically different situations than the ones we know them from; a story from the first season in which Hayley Atwell’s character Peggy Carter ended up becoming Captain America was referred in the recent “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” when she made a cameo as the “What If?” version of the character.
Head writers Bryan Andrews and AC Bradley showed an episode from the upcoming second season during Comic Con, and reportedly teased the return of Captain Carter, a medieval episode taking place in 1602 and an episode where characters from the “Shang-Chi” film fight Odin from the “Thor” films.
Season two of “What If…?” will premiere in early 2023.
"Marvel Zombies"
One of the most popular episodes of "What If?" played on a popular comic (written by "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman) featured a Marvel Universe where most the heroes had become super-powered zombies.
Never shy about giving people what they want, Disney has revealed that Bryan Andrews and AC Bradley will also oversee a "What If" spin-off series called "Marvel Zombies," that will recent MCU additions such as Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel.
“X-Men ’97"
The '90s nostalgia moment seems to continue unabated, as Marvel has announced a new version of "X-Men: The Animated Series," which premiered on Fox in 1992. The new series will tell stories in that fictional universe and will include the characters Rogue, Beast, Gambit, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Jubilee and Cyclops, with a different voice cast and an updated animation look.
