San Diego Comic Con is over for another year (cue the sighs of disappointment), but many fans are still catching up on all the news from the Big Kahuna of comic-cons. There were a huge number of big announcements over the weekend, as per usual, on everything movie, TV, game and comic-book related, as well as plenty of sneak peeks and new trailers. Both DC and Marvel had some huge news to share on their upcoming TV series, but they weren’t the only ones getting fans excited for the upcoming fall season; Star Trek, The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf, Prison Break and Voltron all made the headlines, as did Netflix’s non-Marvel programming. From casting news to storylines, new shows to final seasons, and everything else on the small screen, this is the biggest news from SDCC!
Warning: This post contains spoilers for most of the shows mentioned
16. iZombie Will Feature Dominatrix Brains
iZombie will be entering its third season this fall, and while there are going to be plenty of larger story arcs explored in this upcoming season, SDCC also gave us a little news about some of the brains that Liv (Rose McIver) will be chowing down on this year. As fans know, when this new kind of zombie eats human brains, she takes on the characteristics of the original owner – at least, for a little while. She uses this ability to help solve murders – eating the brains of the victims and using the flashbacks and personality changes to help figure out who killed them.
Next season, fans will be treated to a range of new brain-eating adventures, including Liv and Major (Robert Buckley) eating “complementary” brains – aka, the brains of two people who knew each other in life. Liv will also be eating “dominatrix brains”, which means that we might get to see a whole new side to our crime-solving zombie.
15. Voltron: Legendary Defender Renewed For Season Two
The nostalgic remake of Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender premiered on the streaming service just last month. Created by DreamWorks, the reboot of the ‘80s cartoon mixes traditional anime with CGI, and was an immediate hit – the blend of old favorite characters and new technology making it a hugely successful new animated series.
At SDCC, Voltron: Legendary Defender made its panel debut, during which a second season was announced, with the audience even given a sneak peek at the follow up to Season One. The second season will feature much of the same talent as the first, including most of the original cast, writer Tim Hedrick, and co-creators and executive producers Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery. Although it was not revealed exactly when Season Two would be available to watch on the streaming service, a release date of later this year was mentioned – meaning that the show would first premiere, be renewed, and a second season premiere all in the same twelve months!
14. Legends Of Tomorrow Will Feature The Legion Of Doom
The time-travelling Arrow spin-off Legends of Tomorrow will be returning for a second season this year – and as we found out in the Season One finale, Season Two will include the Justice Society of America. This was huge news for comic book fans ready to see one of the big-name superhero collaborations make it to the Arrow-verse. Now, we have learned a little bit more about who will be appearing in the Society… and who they will be facing off against: The Legion of Doom!
The Justice Society of American will be adding comic book characters Dr Mid-Nite, Stargirl, and Obsidian to the show (although these have not yet been cast). Although there have been multiple Dr Mid-Nites over the years, all are blind, medically trained superheroes skilled in combat. Stargirl gets her power from a star-belt and star-rod, and with these she can fly, manipulate energy, shoot star-blasts, and create force fields (among other things). Finally, Obsidian, the darkest of the three new arrivals, has shadow-powers: creating darkness, creating objects out of shadows, becoming a stronger shadow-form, etc.
The Legion of Doom, meanwhile, will be assembled from existing Arrow-verse characters. Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Damien Darkh (Neal McDonough), Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher), and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) will be banding together as villains for Season Two.
13. Teen Wolf’s Final Season Is Announced
Teen Wolf returns for a sixth season in November of this year, but its devoted fans were saddened by the news that came out of Comic-Con from this year’s panel for the show – this upcoming sixth season will be its last. The hit show was confirmed for a sixth season at last year’s SDCC, and many fans hoped that the teen supernatural drama would continue for some time. However, this year executive producer and showrunner Jeff Davis announced that the series would end after the 100th episode.
That puts Season Six squarely at twenty episodes, ending in the spring of 2017. It’s a nice touch to end on a milestone episode this way – and on a year that the show’s fans are voted Fandom of the Year at the MTV awards. Described as “one last, thrilling adventure,” season six will wrap up the story of Scott (Tyler Posey), Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), Lydia (Holland Roden), and the rest of Beacon Hills as they face the Wild Hunt.
12. Katie Cassidy Is Now An Arrow-verse Season Regular
The Arrow-verse is certainly fond of having multiple Canary characters… and reviving them from the dead. Initially, it was Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) who appeared as the Canary. Then, after her death, her sister Laurel (Katie Cassidy) took up the Black Canary mantle. She also found a way to resurrect her sister, who became time-travelling hero White Canary. Finally, Laurel was killed at the end of Season 4, but a new vigilante rose up to take her place – Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin). Despite impersonating Black Canary in the past, Evelyn Sharp will be returning as Artemis, rather than as yet another Canary for Season Five.
Now, it seems as though the second Black Canary isn’t done yet – even though she’s technically dead. Katie Cassidy has been confirmed as a season regular across all the -verse shows, although we don’t know in what capacity she will appear. It’s unlikely that this will be a straightforward resurrection – the Lazarus pit has been destroyed, and the show has gone a bit resurrection-crazy recently. Instead, Cassidy is likely to appear in flashbacks, visions (potentially), during time-travel, and as her Earth-2 doppleganger, Black Siren.
11. Sherlock Reveals A Season 4 Trailer
Sherlock fans are known for their patience. Since Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman burst onto screens in 2010, we’ve only been granted three (extremely) short seasons of the incredible detective show. However, that just makes the announcement of a new season all the more exciting – as this year’s SDCC revealed a trailer for Sherlock Season Four. The fourth season of the hit show will debut in January of 2017, and the trailer gave us quite a few hints about what to expect.
Moriarty (Andrew Scott) looks to be making a re-appearance, although he did shoot himself in the head in Season Two, so there is some debate as to how he will return. The trailer does also make a point of mentioning old demons, so it’s possible that we will be seeing some of Sherlock’s old nemesis in flashback form. Toby Jones makes an amazing appearance as the villain of the piece, reported to be Culverton Smith. It also looks like Sherlock is going to be particularly dark this season, although many would argue that there is no change from previous season in that!
10. Ragman Joins Arrow
There are a lot of new faces coming to for Arrow's fifth season, some of whom we saw in the Season Five Comic-Con trailer, and some of whom we just got to hear about. Wild Dog (Rick Gonzales), Artemis (Madison McLaughlin), and Mr Terrific (Echo Kellum) were announced pre-SDCC, but the new trailer showed us this new Team Arrow in training.
We also got to see/hear a little about some of the Season 5 bad guys, including future appearances by Ragman. Ragman will be played by Blindspot’s Joe Dinicol, and is a comic book villain who wears a suit made of second-hand rags. It is this suit that gives him his powers, allowing him to access the souls of the rags’ previous owners. It’s a mystical choice that suggests that Arrow will still be connecting to the more supernatural elements of DC mythology. There is a shot of a hooded villain in the trailer, and although he is not named (and some believe that he is another DC villain, Prometheus), he looks like Ragman to us!
9. Trailer For Prison Break’s Return
We’ve known for quite some time that Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell would be returning as Michael Schofield and Lincoln Burrows – brothers who escaped from prison in the intense and bingeworthy original series from 2005. The mini-series will be hitting our screens next year, and we got to see the first trailer and a new clip at SDCC.
Both look fantastic – capturing the same intensity that made the first series so popular, but with a new story. With the original producing team and cast on board, it’s no surprise that these new videos seem to fit perfectly with the original show. The new season will take place several years after the last left off, with both Lincoln and Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) believing Michael to be long dead. However, the trailer reveals that Michael is alive, and being held in a prison in Morocco. The new Prison Break will introduce several new characters that have to help Michael in his escape, as well as some old favorites who will return.
8. Doctor Alchemy And A Speedster Are The Flash’s Next Foes
The Flash has battled many villains over the past two years, and every season has involved one or two “big bads” for Barry to go up against – usually speedsters. Season One saw Reverse Flash (Matt Letscher) make an appearance, while Season Two was all about Zoom (Teddy Sears). Season Three will follow the pattern, with Barry up against an unnamed speedster (to be revealed later). Barry will also be seeing the Reverse Flash again, as we see in the Season Three trailer, but it’s reasonable to assume that this is not going to be the eventual big bad speedster of Season Three.
The second big foe that was revealed at SDCC is Doctor Alchemy, the epitome of a mad scientist and a regular opponent of the Flash in the comics. He’s a particularly creepy-looking nemesis, and is voiced by Tobin Bell (Saw, The Firm). Given that he has already appeared in the trailer, it’s safe to surmise that he will appear early on in the season, before Barry meets his Season Three Speedster-nemesis.
7. Agents Of SHIELD Confirms Ghostrider
Fans have been guessing that Ghostrider might join Marvel’s Avengers spin-off series Agents of SHIELD since a promotional bus appeared featuring a flaming chain wrapped around the AoS logo – and at SDCC, those rumors were confirmed! Executive Vice President of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb confirmed at the convention that the Spirit of Vengeance will be riding onto screens at the beginning of Season Four, and that the character’s introduction will “change everything”.
The character will be played by Gabriel Luna (Matador, Wicked City), and has been confirmed as the Robbie Reyes version of the character – rather than the original Johnny Blaze. The show also revealed a short teaser featuring a flaming skull and the tagline “vengeance comes this fall”, a new logo with the burning chain in front of the SHIELD insignia, and the Ghost Rider car that will appear in the show. This fits with the Reyes version of the character, a young mechanic who drives a muscle car rather than a motorbike.
6. Flashpoint Is Definitely Happening
The finale of Season Two had everyone assuming that The Flash was going to explore Flashpoint, but the Season Three trailer confirms it. Barry’s decision to speed back in time and save his mom has changed history, and its effects are going to be felt across the Arrow-verse. Of course, the majority of changes are going to be seen in The Flash itself, and the trailer gives us a look at some of what’s to come – and a direct Flashpoint reference to make fans happy!
The most obvious change is that Barry’s parents are still alive, together, and raised him in his childhood home. However, this has had an impact on his relationship with the Wests. He didn’t grow up with Joe (Jesse L Martin) and Iris (Candice Patton), so they barely know him. He still has his speed, but he may not be the Flash – we saw Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale) as a speedster in the trailer, which might make him Kid Flash, or even The Flash himself. Barry also doesn’t know Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin (Danielle Pannabaker) – and Cisco is now the owner of Ramon Industries, and a very rich man.
5. Star Trek Gets An Official Title
Star Trek is returning to the small screen next year, and although there have been few details confirmed about this seventh series (counting the oft-overlooked Star Trek: The Animated Series) we did get to find out the title at SDCC this year. As part of the larger Star Trek 50th anniversary celebrations, a (very) brief teaser trailer was shown for the series, which is set to air in January 2017. The trailer doesn’t give away much at all – but it does reveal the name of the newest installment in the Star Trek franchise. It’s going to be called Star Trek: Discovery.
The trailer also showed us the ship that the show will (presumably) take place on board; the USS Discovery, which gives the show its name. The ship is the same classic design as the USS Enterprise, with a dish above and the propulsion systems below, and appears easily large enough to house the kind of society seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation. We get to see the Discovery heading out of a station, and the new logo for the series, but are still in the dark about the crew and the ship’s mission.
4. Iron Fist: First Look And Confirmation That Rosario Dawson Will Appear
Iron Fist, the fourth series in Netflix’s interconnected Defenders shows, is coming to the streaming service next year – and SDCC saw the first sneak peek for the series. The trailer came in at just under a minute, and is heavily focused on Danny Rand’s (Finn Jones) backstory (plane crash, being found by members of an ancient people), with only one shot of him actually using his powers, and almost no other characters in the trailer at all. We also got a look at the logo – which looks as though green is going to be Iron Fist’s color (in the same way that Daredevil gets red and Jessica Jones gets purple).
During the Luke Cage panel at SDCC, Marvel Digital Media’s Ryan Penagos was tweeting the event – and ended with a slightly cryptic tweet about Rosario Dawson, who plays Claire Temple. His tweet revealed that Dawson was currently filming a different Marvel project in New York (not Luke Cage), which we can only assume to mean Iron Fist. This isn’t too surprising, as Dawson has so far appeared in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and is confirmed to be in Luke Cage.
3. The Walking Dead Reveals Season 7 Trailer
Zombie comic book adaptation The Walking Dead is heading into its seventh year, and is still as popular as ever. Fans who were hoping for some hints as to who Negan killed were out of luck at the Walking Dead comic con panel (they are just going to leave us hanging!), but we did get to see a trailer for Season 7, including a confirmation of the Kingdom and a first look at King Ezekiel.
Fans have expected the Kingdom and the King to appear in this upcoming season since we saw some armored soldiers on horses at the end of Season Six. The Kingdom, another community that teams up with Alexandria to battle the Saviors in the comics, will be a huge deal for fans of the show, and was confirmed at the panel by showrunner Scott Gimple. Likely ally King Ezekiel will be played by Khary Payton, and the first images of him with his pet tiger are looking absolutely incredible!
2. Legion Releases First Trailer
We’re about to get the first live-action series connected to the X-Men team, as Legion comes to screens early next year – and SDCC gave us the first look at the new show with its first trailer. The series is set in a parallel universe to the X-Men movies, but many of the same people are involved on a production level (Simon Kinberg, Bryan Singer, Jeph Loeb). The new show will follow David Haller (Dan Stevens), a powerful mutant with multiple personalities, as he attempts to understand his powers and his fear of insanity.
The trailer shows us that there is going to be a lot going on in Legion – we are going to get to spend time in Haller’s mindspace, there will be lots of action, and it appears that there is a missing woman and a government investigation at the heart of the show. Although the trailer doesn’t provide us with any new information in terms of casting or the basic concept, it’s a fantastic look at this upcoming superhero show, and it has received a largely positive response from fans so far.
1. Defenders Releases A Teaser
Luke Cage was the biggest focus for Marvel/Netflix’s collaboration on a Defenders series, unsurprisingly, given that his series premieres on Netflix in September. The series panel included the first-ever live appearance of the cast, including Jon Bernthal (Punisher), and a brand-new trailer for the series.
However, Iron Fist also showed a trailer to enthusiastic fans at the event, along with a sizzle reel featuring characters from all four series; Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Finally, a teaser was shown for the crossover Defenders series that will be bringing together all four superheroes. The minute-long teaser zoomed in on layers of paper, made to look like the layers of posters pasted up in any big city. As the camera pans over, we get to see a scrap related to each of the four shows being ripped away to show their logos underneath, followed by the word “Defenders” created from ripped out letters, like a ransom note. The teaser is set to a slow version of Nirvana’s 'Come As You Are', and although it doesn’t reveal much about the show itself, it’s enough to have fans on the edge of their seats with excitement.