It hasn’t been that long since Kevin Feige and Reddit for it all. Unfortunately, fan hype and anticipation did play a role in the response to D23, with some people claiming it was a disappointment. Nevertheless, Marvel showcased a lot of new footage and attendees got to hear from the casts of thirteen different film and TV shows, and Twitter was alit with reactions to every new piece of information.
For The Lucky Few
There were some promises made earlier that weren’t upheld, like further casting information and reveals of new projects, but there were still some exciting moments from Marvel’s D23 . The sad part of that is a lot of the footage is exclusive to attendees. The new official trailers dropped for everyone, but as for teasers and first-looks, that’s something fans online won’t see for a long while.
This isn’t anything new for D23 or Marvel. At Comic-Con they did the same, but in retrospect, they really laid into this being an in-person experience. In fact, of the thirteen projects featured, nine had footage shown, but only two were made public. As such, many fans do find it annoying that they are missing out, especially in a day and age of live-streaming.
Some Missing Prospects
The weeks leading up to D23 were full of rampant misinformation and false claims regarding what would be showcased at the event. This entails an inordinate amount of casting claims, like of Henry Cavill, Jodie Comer, and Denzel Washington to name a few. Whether any of it turns out to be true or not, it did build up a lot of hype for Marvel’s D23 , and in many people’s eyes, they did not meet their expectations.
Specifically, many hoped to learn Wonder Man projects.
A Fantastic Bummer
Perhaps the biggest disappointment came when Feige said they wouldn’t be revealing the Fantastic Four cast, as that was the big draw for many fans. That news should be coming sometime soon, but this decision might just mean that they aren’t rushing into anything.
Fantastic Four is set to commence Phase Six in 2024, so there’s still plenty of time for that announcement to come, but naturally, fans want it as soon as possible. Nevertheless, there was one exciting tidbit about Fantastic Four. WandaVision director Matt Shakman is back to direct the film.
The Terror Of... Werewolf By Night!
Beyond the unsettling omissions, there were still some great things to enjoy including the long-awaited official announcement and trailer for Werewolf by Night, the Halloween Special. This was announced a while back with Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly starring and Michael Giacchino directing. However, as is Marvel’s classic act, information about the special was incredibly sparse.
Now audiences know that they can watch the special on Disney+ on October 7th. The trailer also showed just how different Werewolf by Night would be from the MCU, paying a delightful nod to the monster movies of the 30s and 40s. The special will also introduce Man-Thing, bringing in yet another popular and complex supernatural character, and it is interestingly connected to Loki with the TVA appearing.
Who's Who In Secret Invasion
The other trailer available for everyone was for who might appear, whether new characters like Veranke and/or Spider-Woman or returners such as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
The trailer gave a first look at mystery characters played by Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Those quick shots are enough to excite about for many fans.
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Woo-Mania
Exclusive footage was shown of Ant-Man brand people have come to know, but in a good way.
A big highlight from this part of the was the announcement that Randall Park is back as Jimmy Woo. It makes sense he’d appear in the sequel, but that doesn’t diminish any excitement.
Kingpin Survives
Despite all the announcements that have happened since Hawkeye’s finale, viewers now have definitive proof Kingpin is still alive in the MCU despite Echo presumably shooting him. However, he didn’t escape their encounter unscathed, as the special footage they showed of Echo revealed that he has to wear an eye patch.
Echo is shaping up to be something special, and not just because Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are both reprising before moving on to Daredevil: Born Again. Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez will not only be the first Native American superhero with her own TV show, but also the first deaf hero to do so as well.
The Leader Is Back!
One thing many fans didn’t expect to hear was a mention of Samuel Sterns AKA the Leader, but they got one. It’s been nearly fifteen years since he played the role in MCU’s black sheep, main antagonist, others could surely appear too.
This got fans tweeting, sharing their excitement over the announcement, and giving further hope that Mark Ruffalo might finally get his own Hulk film.
Meet The Thunderbolts
Another enticing announcement was that of the Thunderbolts cast. The team of anti-heroes will be Yelena Belova, Winter Soldier, US Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster, being led by the Contessa. This was met with a positive response by many, while others called out the fact that it’s a team of Captain America and Black Widow knockoffs.
The roster is perplexing, but they all are either formerly-brainwashed assassins or government super-soldiers. This then brings up the ideas and theories of who the antagonist could be, including the possibility that Zemo could be heading up his own team.
A Marvelous Ending
They closed out their time by bringing out Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani with director Nia DaCosta to preview The Marvels. Of course, this teaser was just for attendees, but it got many people excited, and that got people tweeting. The film is set to explore the strange dynamics between the three heroes’ powers, quite literally having them trade spaces with each other.
The Marvels is definitely eagerly, and many are hoping to avoid the response Captain Marvel received.
