Marvel TV is bringing The Punisher and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to New York Comic Con with panels held at the annual convention. Marvel Studios launched the first television offshoot from its Marvel Cinematic Universe when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted on ABC in the fall of 2013. The TV side of the MCU has since grown to include more ventures on ABC - Agent Carter, which ran for two seasons, and Inhumans - as well as a whole corner of the MCU on Netflix that consists of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. The first spinoff from this street-level side of the MCU will arrive later this year in The Punisher.
Frank Castle aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) made his Marvel TV debut during Daredevil season 2, and filming on his solo series kicked off last fall - announced by Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb during New York Comic Con 2016. Now, the series will get its first NYCC panel this year, while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return to the Big Apple for a panel of its own ahead of the series' season 5 debut.
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New York Comic Con unveiled the schedule of panels that will be hosted during this year's event, including an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel on Saturday, October 7 from 2pm-3:15pm in the theater at Madison Square Garden. Loeb will be joined by the series' cast for a Q&A and never-before-seen footage. The Punisher panel will be later that day in the same location, at 5:15pm-6:15pm, with Loeb, Bernthal, showrunner Steve Lightfoot, and executive producer Jim Chory. The panel will include a Q&A.
Based on the lengths of these panels, it seems likely Marvel TV will screen a full episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. following the cast Q&A (as the series has done in the past). Since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 won't premiere until after Inhumans has finished its run on ABC, it's possible Marvel will screen the premiere episode - or simply show a handful of clips from it. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 likely won't debut on ABC until mid-November, so early October may be too early for the premiere to be completed, but the listing for the panel indicates fans will be treated to at least some new footage during NYCC.
As for The Punisher, the first footage for the series screened during San Diego Comic-Con this summer, while the first teaser for Frank Castle's solo series debuted with the release of The Defenders on Netflix. The show is still without a release date, though it's possible Marvel will reveal that information either prior to NYCC or during the panel. If it's soon enough after NYCC, Marvel may screen the series premiere - as they did with The Defenders during SDCC this summer.
All that said, what exactly these panels entail remains to be seen until more details are revealed. Or, more likely, fans will simply have to attend to find out. Until New York Comic Con kicks off, we'll just have to speculate about what Marvel TV has in store for those fans able to attend.
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The Punisher season 1 premieres on Netflix sometime in 2017. Premiere dates for the new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have yet to be announced. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premieres after Inhumans wraps up its first season on ABC, on Fridays at 9pm.
Source: New York Comic Con