At the D23 Expo, Marvel Studios showcased a wealth of new content, captivating fans with both live-action and animated updates. This year’s presentations were split across two days, focusing on Marvel’s upcoming releases and future projects. Day 1 spotlighted major live-action titles with fresh trailers and updates, while Day 2 delved into Marvel Animation, announcing exciting new seasons and series. The announcements from the Expo revealed intriguing developments for beloved characters and introduced new storylines that promise to enrich the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Day 1: Live-Action Highlights
- Daredevil: Born Again: The highly anticipated series featuring Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil was highlighted with new trailers, offering fans a glimpse into the next chapter of Matt Murdock’s journey.
- Iron Heart: Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams is set to take center stage in this series, with trailers showcasing her transformation into the armored superhero Iron Heart.
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos: Kathryn Hahn returns as Agatha Harkness in this spin-off series, with trailers hinting at her magical exploits and deeper exploration of her character.
Day 2: Marvel Animation Updates
- What If..? Season 3: Announced as the final season, this installment will continue to explore alternate universe scenarios with an array of new stories. Highlights include a Voltron-inspired episode featuring an Avengers team led by Sam Wilson, alongside Moon Knight, Photon, Red Guardian, and giant mecha suits battling gamma monsters. The season will also spotlight characters such as Moon Knight, Ironheart, Shang-Chi, and White Vision.
- X-Men ’97 Season 2: Though footage was scarce, it teased the return of familiar characters in updated Grant Morrison suits. The season will include appearances from Havok, Polaris, Bishop, Apocalypse, and Danger. It was confirmed that Wolverine survived Magneto’s attack, but additional details remain under wraps.
- Eyes of Wakanda: This new animated series will explore the mystical city of K’un-Lun and its secret society culture, introducing a new Iron Fist character. Ryan Coogler discussed how the series will delve into Wakanda’s history and its intersection with other locations. The series will use 3D animation and cover different time periods, with the character Noni exposing corruption in Wakanda. It will be canon in the MCU and serve as a companion to the Black Panther films.
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: This series presents a different take on Peter Parker’s mentorship, featuring Norman Osborn (voiced by Colman Domingo) instead of Tony Stark. Exclusive footage showed a comic-book-inspired animation style and depicted Peter’s first day of Freshman Year, where he encounters Doctor Strange and a radioactive spider. The animation includes classic and modern elements, with comic panels evoking the feeling of a comic book.
- Marvel Zombies: The new TV-MA animated series will be a four-episode event featuring Shang-Chi, Katy, and Jimmy Woo battling zombies. The footage highlighted a kaiju-like zombie and a post-apocalyptic wasteland setting. Shang-Chi will receive the Ten Rings from the Mandarin, and the series will feature a light-hearted set-piece with Journey’s “Lights.” The release date for this series has yet to be announced.
These updates from D23 offer a glimpse into Marvel’s future, showcasing new directions for beloved characters and introducing fresh storylines in both live-action and animated formats.
