With almost a full decade of hugely successful superhero movies under its belt, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now busier than ever, with three MCU movies releasing in 2017 and many more lined up for the future. Anticipation was naturally high for Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, which is traditionally a time for big announcements and breathtaking trailers.
This year Marvel once again packed out Hall H for its movie panel, giving fans a first look at Avengers: Infinity War, as well as bringing news on upcoming movies including Captain Marvel and Thor: Ragnarok. It can be difficult to keep up with the flurry of information that comes out of Comic-Con, so here's a handy round-up of all the major Marvel movie reveals.
Thor: Ragnarok
With its release date just four months out, Thor: Ragnarok was a big focus for Marvel at Comic-Con this year. The hype started with the release of new posters to build further anticipation for the Hulk vs. Thor battle that was teased in the first trailer. For many, the line "He's a friend from work!" raised a laugh, as well as hopes for a humorous, enjoyable superhero movie ahead. That fun vibe was strongly pushed again, with the release of the second Thor: Ragnarok trailer during Comic-Con.
With a lot of new footage featured - much to the delight of fans - the Thor: Ragnarok trailer has Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) front and center, as well a scene showing Loki (Tom Hiddleston) working alongside them as part of a team. Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) also has a prominent role in the trailer, as does Hela (Cate Blanchett). There's brief glimpses of The Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum, too.
Director Taika Waititi has really brought a different vibe to this, the third Thor movie. It feels much more like a Guardians of the Galaxy movie; fresh, fun, and hugely enjoyable. In fact, during the Marvel panel at Comic-Con, it was confirmed that Goldblum's Grandmaster is The Collector's brother. While this has already been established in the comics, the news will be new to those who follow the movies only. The Collector is played by Benicio Del Toro and first made an appearance at the end of Thor: The Dark World, before a bigger turn in Guardians of the Galaxy, where he explained the origin of the Infinity Stones. Of course, this connection could also have implications for Avengers: Infinity War, but as ever, Marvel are tight-lipped.
Ragnarok footage was also shown at Comic-Con, but Marvel won't be making that available online. Screen Rant was on hand to deliver a full description of what was shown, including Thor and the Hulk together in the arena once again. Marvel are really pushing that scene, so it hopefully it will be worth all the hype. Apparently, Thor doesn't hang out with the Avengers anymore because it all became "too corporate."
Finally, given the prominence of The Hulk in all that we've seen and heard regarding Thor: Ragnarok, it was only fitting that Ruffalo got a chance to speak about his character and the part he is playing in the movie. In the trailer, Hulk is seen engaging in conversation for the first time, albeit very rudimentary. We have heard him speak before, but two-way conversation is new, and could even hint at a bigger role for him in Infinity War or Avengers 4. Ruffalo says that when we pick up with Hulk in Ragnarok, he has been keeping Bruce Banner repressed for 2 years, and is very happy on Sakaar. However, it is also clear from the trailer that Banner will return at some point.
Black Panther
Black Panther kicked off its Comic-Con presence with the release of a new poster, showing T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) surveying his kingdom of Wakanda from atop a Black Panther statue. Another new poster gave more detail on the Black Panther suit; it can glow, in keeping with the current incarnation of Black Panther in the Marvel comics.
Andy Serkis took time to talk to Screen Rant about his role in the movie. Fans will recall that his character, Ulysses Klaue lost his arm during Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, Serkis has revealed that Ulysses won't be armless in Black Panther, in keeping with the comics, which see him replace his lost limb with a prosthetic. Serkis was tight-lipped about many aspects of the movie, but he did describe the film as being focused on the relationship between the Black Panther, T'Challa, and his father, T'Chaka.
Black Panther footage was also shown during the panel, but again, this will not be available in the public realm. There was no teaser or trailer, given that the first one wasn't released all that long ago, but the footage- which received a standing ovation- expands on the kingdom of Wakanda and the various heroes that King T’Challa surrounds himself with. Footage included Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, trying to exchange Diamonds for Vibranium, and Klaue's new arm turning into a gun and blasting a table.
A sizzle reel also showed T'Challa using nano-tech to change from a business suit to the full Black Panther suit while chasing Klaue through a city. Apparently, the nano-tech is just as cool as it sounds, and Klaue is being set up as the main villain of the movie, as opposed to Killmonger.
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Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War might be the third movie along in Marvel's lineup, but it's definitely the one everyone's most excited for - not least because of the huge, and very impressive, cast lineup. That was reflected in the poster released for Comic-Con, which featured some of Marvel's best-loved superheroes, including Spider-Man and Iron Man in new suits. The Guardians of the Galaxy also take their place in the picture; Gamora, Mantis, and Nebula, with Doctor Strange, Hulk, Hawkeye, War Machine, Bucky and Black Panther.
A second poster released highlighted Thanos and his Black Order team. We got our first look at them during D23 and now that they're officially revealed, Marvel are starting to use them in the marketing material. Thanos is the main focus of the poster, with the Black Order at the bottom. A third poster has also been released, and the three together will make up one large banner. In this one, we can see the bearded Captain America that was previewed in the footage shown at Comic-Con, and the blond Black Widow.
Director Joe Russo also discussed exactly why Thanos needs the Black Order as his henchmen, explaining that he didn't feel the movie could constantly have Thanos being challenged by Iron Man, Captain America, etc. So instead, the Black Order serve as the men they have to go through to get to Thanos, thus teasing the character out for just that little bit longer.
Footage was also shown, but guess what? Yep; that won't be publicly released either. What Screen Rant and the rest of Hall H did see, however, was the same footage that played at D23. Captain America has a beard, and Black Widow is now blonde, and the footage begins with a wounded Thor floating in space - where the Guardians of the Galaxy pick him up. There's also a shot of Spider-Man's spidey senses in full working order, and also Star-Lord apologizing to Tony Stark for something. Perhaps the best brief snippet from the footage, though, is the shot of Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, and Iron Man all fighting together against Thanos. So...the vast majority of fans won't see this footage until the actual movie, but a trailer should arrive sometime this fall, most likely around the time of Ragnarok's release. That's not too long to wait, is it?
Ant-Man & The Wasp
Ant-Man & The Wasp has barely started filming, so their presence at Hall H didn't contain any vast amounts of detailed footage, but it did deliver plenty of casting news. Michelle Pfeiffer joins the movie as Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp and long lost wife of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). This is great news for Marvel, who have manged to continue their trend of getting A-list stars to fill out their MCU roles, and also, good news for audiences; Pfeiffer is a talented actress and it'll be great to see her back in a comic book role.
It was also announced that Laurence Fishburne joins the cast as Hank's long-standing friend, Bill Foster, aka Goliath. Both additions likely hint at more of Hank Pym's backstory being told, and the history of the MCU is being rounded out nicely. It was also revealed that Hannah John-Kamen will be playing the villainous Ghost in Ant-Man & the Wasp, and the recently announced Walter Goggins will be playing Sonny Burch, thought to be the new corporate villain of the movie.
A new poster was unveiled, highlighting Giant-Man and Hope, and a short amount of footage and concept art was shown, including a shot of The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) flying up to a ledge and looking down, and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) riding on a backpack, thought to be his daughter's. Finally, the footage showed a car chase with a van shrinking and driving underneath another car, before then growing back to its original size, with Giant-Man peeking out of an alleyway.
Captain Marvel
Finally, Captain Marvel isn't slated to arrive until 2019, and is one of Marvel's final phase 3 films, but that didn't stop them making some huge reveals for the movie at this years Comic-Con. Last year, Brie Larson was confirmed to be playing Carol Danvers. This year, we got a look at some of the concept art revealing her suit, as well as confirmation of Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) involvement. Marvel also revealed that Captain Marvel will be set in the 90's, meaning we'll see Nick with two working eyes. Again, the 90's setting allows for Nick Fury's backstory to be fleshed out somewhat, as well as providing a great origin story for Carol Danvers. What this will mean for her appearance in Infinity War, though, is anyone's guess. Unless Marvel are going to reveal that she doesn't age, it's hard to see how Larson can smoothly make that time jump work. We'll find out in due course.
Perhaps the biggest (and most exciting) reveal, was the news that the villains of Captain Marvel will be the Skrulls. The shape-shifting aliens were shown in concept art during the Hall H panel, pleasing fans who have long been clamoring to have them appear in the MCU. Though many assumed the Skrulls belonged to Fox, along with the Fantastic Four, James Gunn explained that while rights to specific Skrulls do reside at Fox, as a whole entity, Skrulls are under shared ownership. They will fit well in Captain Marvel, and Marvel boss Kevin Feige says the movie will tackle the Kree-Skrull war. Their inclusion could also, eventually, lead to Secret Invasion making its way to the big screen.
