I am a Marvel fan. Time to be real, get a little personal, Marvel is my slow jam. So over the last few years I have been known to get crazy excited for the Marvel Studios panel in Hall H. There has been an impressive display every year since the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading up to the huge unveiling last year of Marvel’s Phase Two. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lover of all comics, and I’m excited for the potential of a DC Cinematic Universe, but this year it’s Marvel.
This year we can expect more from Phase Two, including some probable first looks at the next slate of films. Probably some casting news and more revelations regarding Phase Three, which so far includes Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, plus 3 mystery movies we previously discussed here.
To properly prepare we need to cover a little of the news we have already received at SDCC this year regarding the MCU. First off, if you were lucky enough to catch the screening of the new Marvel One-Shot, Agent Carter, congratulations. For those curious about it, SuperHeroHype talks about the short and the panel which featured Hayley Atwell, Louis D’ Esposito, Kevin Feige, and more at the link.
Then of course there was the Joss Whedon panel, who is kind of a big deal in the MCU right now. During the panel, he answered a ton of fan questions that ranged all across the board, and Cinema Blend has crafted the 10 Things they Learned About Joss Whedon that any fan should check out. Touches on Dr. Horrible 2, the crew of the Serenity, and of course The Avengers 2.
And Speaking of Whedon and Marvel and Phase Three, Edgar Wright discussed a lunch he recently had with Whedon where they spoke about the script and Ant-Man’s potential role with the Avengers. SPOILER: We may have found our Ant-Man!
Not really, though. Also, yesterday Chris was at the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel where they screened the pilot episode, which he said was fantastic. So expect more from him on the pilot coming in the next few days here on Grizzly Bomb.
So that finally brings us to what to expect at today’s Marvel Studios panel. Obviously the biggest showings will be for Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We’ve seen a bit from Thor: TDW already, but chances are we’ll get an even bigger showing with an appearance from the stars. We’ve seen a few set pics and an official poster from Captain America: TWS, so expect at the least an extended teaser if not a full trailer to premiere and wow the crowd. Again, expect appearances from the cast and the rest of the Marvel elite.
There is a rumored preview of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which would of course lead us to believe there will be a full cast appearance, similar to the first Avengers cast appearance from a few years ago. This will be one to watch, as we still have some character reveals and casting positions left to announce. It will be nice to see the already announced Guardians make their first appearance together, so expect that to happen today.
Ant-Man may have a bit of a showing, but chances are we will still have to wait a bit for any real news. Unless they want to wow the crowd and announce some possible cast members who might actually be filling one of the Ant-Men roles. Last year we got to see the test cinematics, and the official announcement, so there might be less of a presence here this year.
Doctor Strange has the least amount of information out there, and a ton of speculation that we would love to see confirmed or thrown away. Even to hear a director named would be nice, but even better would be a possible star. It may be a little early, but we can still dream. Keep an eye out for our dream cast for the film in an upcoming edition of Grizzly’s Casting Couch.
Finally, that brings us to probably the most exciting possibility, and that is the announcement of more films from Phase Three, with some hopefully new editions to the MCU. We still have 3 mystery movies yet to be announced, and there is no better time than Comic-Con to get those out of the way and get the fandom talking.
Oh sorry, did I say finally? One other thing. THANOS. This may be a shot in the dark, but we could be finding out just who will be playing the ultimate baddie of the MCU. He was previously teased in the post-credits of The Avengers, and we haven’t really stopped talking about him since.
Now that we are all prepared for the Marvel Studios panel, we can sit back and… who am I kidding. Nothing’s changed. I’m still crazy excited and ready to LOSE IT…. Ahem.
Keep checking back here for all the news from Hall H you can handle, as well as the rest of our coverage from SDCC 2013!
Grizzly Bomb 