D23 Expo: New Marvel Studios Announcements & Reveals
D23 took place this past weekend, and we had a chance to attend the Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios.
Kevin Feige said he’s been coming to D23 Expo for years—taking in all the performances the other studios in the Disney family bring to the stage. “I’ve always been a little jealous,” Feige admitted. “Why can’t we get our own musical number?” That kicked off a show-stopping performance of the buzzy fan-favorite, “I Could Do This All Day” from the show-within-a-show Rogers: The Musical in last year’s Disney+ series Hawkeye.
Bringing it to life live on stage were 22 performers, a six-piece live rhythm section and composer and conductor Marc Shaiman, who wrote the song for Hawkeye.
Feige returned to the stage, reviewing recent announcements, including the Multiverse Saga—the conclusion of Phase 4, the Phase 5 slate and the Phase 6 titles that include Fantastic Four and two new Avengers films: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
Check out the major Marvel Studios announcements and reveals from the D23 Expo 2022 below:
Ironheart
Executive producer Ryan Coogler offered fans an early look at the new series that takes place after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Dominique Thorne returns as Riri Williams, a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world. Her unique take on building iron suits is both brilliant and flawed, and Ironheart delves into the dynamics of tech versus magic.
During the D23 2022, footage of the series was shown, and we got an early look at Riri Williams, a MIT student, talking into a high-tech necklace. We see her make things at school, as well as hack into systems. We also got to see a look at her in her Ironheart suit of armor. There’s also a scene of her friend, Parker Robbins, getting arrested.
Feige invited Anthony Ramos to the stage to greet fans and share a little about his character, Parker Robbins aka The Hood. Ramos stated, “It’s a deep dive into a dark place. Parker believes truly that he is doing good. He has a love for his crew and a love for his people.” Also during this portion of the show, we see a view of his Hood costume. The new series is slated for Disney+ next year.
Werewolf By Night
Streaming on Disney+ beginning October 7 is Marvel Studios’ first-ever special presentation. Werewolf By Night Director Michael Giacchino joined Feige on stage alongside stars Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly to give fans new details and the first trailer for the upcoming special that Feige called, “fun-scary.”
Secret Invasion
The thrilling new series Secret Invasion launches on Disney+ in 2023. Don Cheadle, who reprises his role of Colonel James Rhodes, was on hand to talk about the new show.
The cast includes Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos—plus Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Fans were shown a scene and the brand-new trailer from the event series that showcases a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years.
Armor Wars
Cheadle segued into another Disney+ project he’ll star in, Armor Wars. Rhodey fans will see the character in a whole new light, and considering the title of the series, audiences can look forward to all-new suits for the hero, featuring different types of armor. It was said that the events of Armor Wars are specifically connected to the events that happen in Secret Invasion.
Loki
Production for season 2 of LOKI is already underway. Arriving at D23 Expo directly from the set were Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino and Ke Huy Quan.
Fans also got a glimpse of the upcoming season that picks up from the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Quan’s new character appears to be a time librarian who works at the TVA.
Echo
Cast members from Echo, including Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Devery Jacobs, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning and Chaske Spencer, hit the stage in Hall D23, providing some insight about Maya Lopez. In Echo, her ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown.
Audience members were treated to a special look at the upcoming series that also stars Tantoo Cardinal and Zahn McClarnon. The footage shown at D23 began with Echo on her motorcycle, and an old man provides details by explaining, “Our ancestors were powerful,” and the scene cuts to a flashback of an Indigenous tribe. “Their strength echoes through you,” he tells Maya.
We also see that the voice talking is one of Echo’s elders. He gives Echo a prosthetic leg, and she signs to him that she needs to go home. There are some quick action beats intercut with clips of Indigenous people. Then the teaser ends with D’Onofrio back as Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin. His eye is bandaged, and he says, “It’s been a long time.”
Daredevil: Born Again
Production doesn’t kick off till next year for Daredevil: Born Again, but Feige and D’Onofrio were eager to chat about the new show coming to Disney+. Fans went wild when Charlie Cox appeared on stage to discuss the 18-episode new season of the show.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler shared an exclusive look at a scene and some highlights from the much-anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Black Panther. Much to the crowd’s delight, cast members Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda), Letitia Wright (Shuri), Winston Duke (M’Baku) and Tenoch Huerta (Namor) joined Coogler and Feige on stage. In the story, the Wakandans fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death.
The heroes must band together to forge a new path for the kingdom. The film also stars Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Florence Kasumba (Ayo), Dominique Thorne (Riri Williams), Michaela Coel (Aneka), Mabel Cadena (Namora), Alex Livinalli (Attuma) and Martin Freeman (Everett Ross).
In the footage shown, a group of world leaders are upset that Wakanda won’t share its vibranium because it’s very dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands. A military force breaks into a Wakandan research center in order to steal some of the vibranium. We also see the Queen say, “The king is dead. The Black Panther is gone. They have lost their protector.”
We see the Dora Milaje attacking the military that was breaking into the research center and the final scenes end with the new movie Black Panther landing. Although the build seemed like someone with a smaller frame, nothing was revealed.
“I’m most excited you guys seeing the beautiful story that Mr. Ryan Coogler put his heart and soul into–how the Wakanda family has expanded,” Wright explained. “We have so many great new characters attached. I’m excited about how impactful this story will be. I’m excited for you to walk out of that cinema and feel proud, and I’m excited for my bro to look down on us and smile.”
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Joining Feige on stage to officially kick off Phase 5 of the MCU were Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp) and Jonathan Majors (Kang).
The audience was treated to an exclusive look at the film that features superhero partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, who team up with Hope’s parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Scott’s daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), to explore the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.
The exclusive footage shown had Scott, Hope, and Cassie listening to Scott’s audiobook of his memoir, Scott and Hope on the red carpet, and then bailing Cassie out of jail. Cassie talks to Hank about having built a device that sends signals to the Quantum Realm. Everyone ends up sucked into the Quantum Realm, which includes Hank and Janet. We also saw Kang take Cassie prisoner to use as leverage to force Scott to steal something for him.
“This is unlike anything you’ve seen, certainly from Ant-Man and the Wasp,” Rudd said. “The first couple of movies are so near and dear to my heart as they are to Evangeline’s, and I was so excited to get ready to start this thing. This thing is bananas, and while it seems like a bit of an oxymoron that something so small could do something that’s so huge, this is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen from us, and not to mention [Jonathan Majors as Kang], he’s incredible, and it throws this whole thing into such new territory.”
The film hits theaters on February 17, 2023.
Fantastic Four
Feige officially confirmed that Matt Shakman, who directed every episode of WandaVision, would be directing Fantastic Four.
The film opens in theaters on November 8, 2024.
Captain America: New World Order
Continuing Sam Wilson’s journey as Captain America is a brand-new film heading to theaters in 2024. Captain America: New World Order director Julius Onah joined Feige on stage. Together, they welcomed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier returning stars Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres) and Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley). They join new cast members Tim Blake Nelson (The Leader), who was on hand at D23 Expo, as well as Shira Haas (Sabra).
Captain America: New World Order hits theaters on May 3, 2024.
Thunderbolts
The identities of the Thunderbolts were unveiled this morning as Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Sebastian Stan (James “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier) and Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent) joined director Jake Schreier on stage to thunderous applause.
The esteemed team also features stars Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster) and Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)—Pugh recorded a greeting for the D23 Expo audience.
Thunderbolts opens in theaters on July 26, 2024.
The Marvels
Feige capped the Marvel Studios presentation with The Marvels revisiting key moments in the MCU before welcoming to the stage director Nia DaCosta and cast members Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel), Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau) and Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel).
Fans were given a special look at scenes from the new movie. In the first footage shown, we see Monica Rambeau in space with Nick Fury, only for a portal to open up and swap Monica with Kamala. After a series of swaps, it ends with Carol in Kamala’s room, which was the post-credit scene at the end of the Ms. Marvel series. The trio realizes that they’re connected and that their powers can work together to create a team. We got a few glimpses of the team together with some funny banter between them. Chewie was also confirmed to be back.
The Marvels opens in theaters on July 28, 2023.
