Marvel marks Comic-Con homecoming with a showstopper
SAN DIEGO — Marvel Studios took a year off from Comic-Con, but it came back with a pow on July 23, with a spectacle and star-filled presentation offering exclusive looks at Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
“We only want to come when we have a lot of stuff to show you,” Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said. Feige didn’t disappoint the 6,500-person crowd inside the convention hall with the nearly two-hour presentation. They kicked things off with Black Panther, which doesn’t start shooting until January for a release in 2018. While there weren’t any assets to tease, they did bring out the cast, including star Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong ’o, Michael B. Jordan, the just-announced Danai Gurira, best known for The Walking Dead, and director Ryan Coogler.
The rest of the films on Marvel’s slate, even those which have just started shooting, had something to show. Audiences saw a hilarious documentary-style Thor spoof from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi imagining what Thor (Chris Hemsworth), was up to while his buddies were off battling each other in Captain America: Civil War. Essentially, Thor moves to Australia and gets a dumpy white-collar roommate.
Thor: Ragnarok has just started filming for a November 2017 release. Fans also got a sneak peek at Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is just 10 days into its shoot. Marvel unveiled initial footage showing star Tom Holland as Peter Parker in the latest big-screen reboot of the web-slinger. The film comes out next July.
Marvel brought out the production value for Doctor Strange, starting out that portion of the presentation with a smoke and light show, which cleared to reveal star Benedict Cumberbatch on the stage.
“The scale of it is something else,” said Cumberbatch, no stranger to playing beloved characters.
The scene focused in on Tilda Swinton’s The Ancient One teaching a reluctant Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), about his crazy new powers. Director Scott Derrickson said he wanted to make sure the “mind-trippy visuals” of the comics were an integral part of the film, which debuts in November.
Costumed ravagers took the stage to help tease Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, out next year, as did stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista.
Kurt Russell, also present for the panel, was confirmed as the father of Star-Lord (Pratt). Less popular was the announcement that Guardians would be overtaking the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland starting next summer with a new ride. Some audience members booed at the concept image.
Marvel closed things out on a high note, however, with an obligatory all-Marvel photo, including the new Captain Marvel herself — Oscar-winner Brie Larson, who was greeted with a standing ovation.