Written By: Bibi G. B.K.A. Kay-B ☺
It’s that time of year again—the end of an era, or rather a weekend where thousands of die-hard comic, gaming, TV/ film buffs and all around nerdy fans flock to San Diego for one of the biggest conventions of the year! Marvel wrapped up the biggest day, Saturday, by giving fans a sneak peek into what they have in store for the rest of the current year and the following year up until the next San Diego Comic-Con! There was nothing like the energy in the room of Hall H last night, and Marvel brought the house down with it’s wonderful panel highlighting Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Black Panther all slated to make their way into theaters in the 2017-18 film year and arguably our list of Marvel’s best work, in the massive film collection crafted by Kevin Feige so far. So, right off the heels of my favorite Spider-Man reboot in the franchise thus far, here are some pretty dope things I learned from the Marvel Hall H extravaganza about the upcoming jam packed film roster.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp will be the highly anticipated new sequel in the franchise! Michelle Pfeiffer will play Janet Van Dyne! Randall Park will play Jimmy Woo, Hannah John-Karen will be ghost, Walton Goggins will be Sonny Burch, and rounding out the newbies is Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster aka Black Goliath!
- Captain Marvel is coming, but there is a twist! It will be set in the past, the 90’s specifically and a time where Nick Fury (currently portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson) will have both of his eyes! The villains they will also be tackling will be The Skrulls!
- Thor: Ragnarok: I will admit that the first two films in the Thor franchise don’t land in my top five favorite Marvel films, but after this panel, I am very aware that this third film might become a strong contender on my list, when it hits theaters on November 3. Thor: Ragnarok looks to be the freshest out of the franchise thus far and I cannot wait! Thor, having lost his hammer, cuts his hair and goes on a bit of personal journey, ultimately leading to redemption. The fun and dynamic panel included: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Cate Blanchett (Hela), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Karl Urban (Skurge), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Taika Waititi (Director), and Marvel Mastermind Kevin Feige (Producer). Grandmaster, who is one of the Elders of the universe, is also the Collector’s brother. Loki, who remains one of my favorite villains in the MCU, starts off in the exclusive trailer still imprisoned, but by the end, could Loki be a hero? We can’t be sure just yet, but the trailer does show him fighting side-by-side with his brother. Valkyrie seems to have some secrets of her own, and you aren’t entirely sure what her motives are.
- Avengers: Infinity War: In the exclusive trailer, the gang is back! We start by seeing Thor land on the Guardian’s ship and when we wakes up, he is thoroughly confused. Peter Parker’s spidey senses start tingling and we see his ridiculously dope suit and a time where he apologizes to Tony for failing. We see clips of a longer haired and bearded Captain America, who is back but still seems a bit emotionally broken. We finally see Thanos (Josh Brolin) who is on a quest to destroy the world and therefore the team has no choice but to come together to stop him. Although we don’t see a ton of Peter in the trailer, my hope is after having successfully stopped Vulture and learning quite a few lessons along the way, Peter will bring a fresh perspective to the Avengers team in their quest to stop Thanos and this destructive war.
- Black Panther: Saved the best for last! I lost my mind during this portion of the Marvel panel. Black Panther received a standing ovation in Hall H. This cast and this film is the reason why representation matters so much. Seeing the exclusive clips and just entering into the World of Wakanda with beauty, bold and bright colors, and stunning costumes and details—bravo Ryan Coogler. I know this will be cinematic gold dripping in Black excellence. Reveals from the panel and trailer show that T’Challa is really struggling with the balance between being a Superhero and a King. Erik Killmonger doesn’t agree with T’Challa’s methods and in the exclusive clips we see hand-to-hand combat with the dopest suits in the land! Okoye becomes a trained weapons specialist for her county and for her people. Nakia is a warrior, whose passions lie in making sure that she knows everything about the World and the world knows nothing about Wakanda. Shuri is brilliant, resilient, and the epitome of a strong Black woman. That exclusive featured some of the best costumes, cinematography and music I have ever seen and mark my words that Black Panther will be the best superhero film of 2018!
