Thanks to the pandemic, Comic-Con has gone "virtual" the past couple of years, and to call it a non-factor really doesn't feel too harsh. Major studios decided to shift focus to their own online events like Disney+ Day and DC FanDome, resulting in the annual extravaganza that usually hails from San Diego falling somewhat into obscurity.
This left many fans wondering whether Comic-Con even had a future, but with the world slowly returning to normal, so too did the show. With Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. both heading to Hall H, it felt like the Comic-Cons of yesteryear, and delivered plenty of surprises.
With new trailers, huge announcements, and heaps of reveals, the weekend was non-stop here on ComicBookMovie.com. Of course, we appreciate that you might not have been online for everything or simply missed some stories that were overshadowed by a seemingly endless stream of breaking news.
With that in mind, we're now recapping the biggest reveals from Comic-Con, and you check them out by clicking the "Next" button below!
Marvel Studios confirmed X-Men: The Animated Series follow-up, X-Men '97, will hit Disney+ next Fall, and shared some huge story details at Comic-Con.
For starters, Magneto will now lead the team, while original characters Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee will all return. It was also confirmed that they'll be joined by the likes of Sunspot, Cable, Nightcrawler, Forge, Bishop, and Morph.
In terms of villains, it looks like Mister Sinister, Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, Callisto, Valerie Cooper, and the Sentinels are going to be taking aim at the mutants in the wake of Professor X's mysterious disappearance.
We'll get to those big announcements shared during Marvel Studios' Hall H panel, but wrapping that presentation up with the first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a smart move on their part.
Equal parts emotional and powerful, it confirmed that the late Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa has died and points to Wakanda going to war with Namor the Sub-Mariner. It even teases the MCU's new Black Panther, though it looks like we'll be waiting a while before actually finding out who has inherited the mantle (we'd put money on it being Letitia Wright's Shuri).
The sequel looks phenomenal, and we'd go so far as to say this is one of Marvel Studios' best trailers to date.
This news was somewhat overshadowed as it dropped right as Comic-Con was starting, but the U.S. version of Disney+ has finally added Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan. Those R-Rated blockbusters have been off-limits until now, but the streamer is growing up and becoming more than a service which only caters to families.
The addition of Netflix TV shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders prompted Disney+ to alter its parental control settings, and these movies becoming available to subscribers is long overdue.
That announcement also appeared to open the door to Marvel Studios' first R-Rated TV series...
In what feels like the beginning of a new era for Disney+ and Marvel Studios, it was confirmed at Comic-Con that Marvel Zombies will boast a TV-MA rating.
That's the equivalent of an R-Rating, so expect the show to pull out all the stops and deliver some seriously gruesome and intense undead action. As for the characters we'll see, there are lots of new additions, including many recently introduced Phase 4 heroes, and it was confirmed that this show will serve as a sequel to that memorable What If...? episode.
The Scarlet Witch, half of Captain America, Hawkeye, Abomination, Ghost, Captain Marvel, and Okoye will be among the show's zombies, with Ms. Marvel, Jimmy Woo, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Red Guardian, Shang-Chi, Katy, and Death Dealer among those fighting back against them.
Warner Bros. failed to bring any surprises to Comic-Con, and chose to instead focus on Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. That was disappointing, but we did get some fun new trailers.
The Shazam! sequel's trailer featured a giant dragon, lots of humour, and some great visuals as we reunite with the Shazam Family. Overall, it looks like another great, family-friendly fantasy blockbuster, and a movie perfectly suited to its Christmas release date.
As for Black Adam, you can watch that movie's new teaser by following the link above, but the big news was that Amanda Waller actor Viola Davis has joined the cast. Sadly, while Superman got a couple of mentions during this panel, there was no sign of Henry Cavill.
Charlie Cox reprised the role of Matt Murdock to serve as Peter Parker's lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, just days after we saw Vincent D'Onofrio return as The Kingpin in Hawkeye.
Now, his role in the MCU appears to be expanding at a rate of knots, as he'll lend his voice to Daredevil in Disney+ animated series Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Like What If...?, the show appears to be set in its own reality, but it will still tell Peter Parker's origin story as he finds a mentor in Norman Osborn and battles enemies like Doctor Octopus, the Scorpion, and Chameleon.
Doctor Strange will also appear, while supporting characters include the likes of Amadeus Cho and Runaways character Nico Minuro. The show won't debut until 2024, but will get a second season titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year.
That wasn't the only time we saw the Man Without Fear at Comic-Con, as the new She-Hulk: Attorney at Law trailer wrapped up with a first look at the MCU's Daredevil.
While the design of his costume appears largely similar to what we saw in the Netflix TV series, it is indeed red and yellow, harkening back to the character's original appearance in the comic books. The suit looks way better than expected, and we can't wait for a full reveal (fingers crossed he gets the "DD" logo on his chest this time).
As for the rest of the trailer, we got to see a lot more of She-Hulk in action and received confirmation that, like Deadpool, Jennifer Walters will break the fourth wall and talk to the audience.
Understandably, many fans have expressed concerns that Daredevil is only being added to the MCU in order to placate the #SaveDaredevil fans keen to see more of the hero on screen.
Well, if you needed proof that Marvel Studios is taking the Man Without Fear seriously, look no further than the news that he will take centre stage in the 18-episode Daredevil: Born Again. That's a huge number of episodes, and suggests Matt Murdock's story is an important part of Phase 5 (we're keeping everything crossed that he appears beyond this show).
Vincent D'Onofrio will be back as The Kingpin, and we can look forward to watching the show in Spring 2024. Needless to say, Comic-Con proved itself a good time to be a fan of Daredevil!
Marvel Studios blew the doors off Hall H with a Phase 5 slate reveal that confirmed it will kick off next year with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.
In 2023, we'll also have Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Echo, Loki season 2, The Marvels, Blade, Ironheart, and possibly Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Things will only get more exciting in 2024 with Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, Captain America: New World Order, and Thunderbolts (which will be the final chapter in Phase 5 according to Kevin Feige).
We anticipate more titles being revealed during Disney+ Day and D23 in September as there are still a lot of gaps that could be filled in. However, we really can't complain about the lineup as it stands, especially as we enter what we now know to be The Multiverse Saga...
Phase 6 will begin on November 8, 2024 with Fantastic Four. The movie was originally set to be helmed by Spider-Man: No Way Home's Jon Watts, but doesn't have a director that we know of (yet).
We don't know which movies and TV shows will follow that long-awaited reboot, but Kevin Feige did confirm that we're getting two Avengers movies the following year. The first, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty arrives on May 2, 2025 before Phase 6 concludes with Avengers; Secret Wars on November 7, 2025.
He'd add that the plan from now on is to conclude each "Saga" with two Avengers movies, signalling a new style of storytelling now Disney+ has given Marvel Studios the chance to tell more stories at a quicker pace. Buckle in folks, because this looks set to be an exciting few years!