The 48th annual San Diego Comic-Con has come to a close and it is one for the history books. It was held at the San Diego Convention Center from July 20-23rd.
From trailers and teasers to surprise guests, this year’s con was one of the best so far.
Every year, Comic-Con showcases some of the best things to expect from different studios and upcoming projects.
Here are the best things we saw.
DC’s Justice League is here!
After the success of Wonder Woman, the DC Extended Universe needed to capitalize on the hype. In came trailers left and right.
The most talked about trailer was of course Justice League. Fans and skeptics alike were treated to this monstrosity of a trailer. The screenplay comes from Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder will direct this film.
Zack is no stranger to adapting DC comic books to real life. In the past, he has worked on bringing 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Justice League will have a ridiculously star-studded cast.
Make way for justice. Watch the SDCC Hall H Sneak Peek for #JusticeLeague now. In theaters November 17. #WBSDCC pic.twitter.com/bMPkO4Pw5s
— Justice League Movie (@justiceleaguewb) July 22, 2017
It will feature Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Adams, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons.
All signs point to Steppenwolf as the villain of this film, which means that the arrival of Darkseid will be coming up soon.
Justice League opens in theaters on November 17, 2017.
There were unsettling rumors that Warner Bros. Studios was set to “gracefully usher” Ben Affleck from the role of Batman and any future projects.
Thankfully, those rumors were set to rest when Affleck mentioned that he was happy working with director Matt Reeves on a Batman trilogy.
I think it’s safe to say that we are more than ecstatic that this is the case, seeing as how many people approve Affleck’s depiction of the Caped Crusader.
But that’s not all. Fans were also treated to an Aquaman trailer teaser, which has yet to hit the internet.
We can’t wait to see Jason Momoa take on the mantle as this will be the first time Aquaman will hit the big screen.
The teaser is said to have shown an armada underwater and when asked which villain Aquaman will be facing, Jason stated that it is Ocean Master, who happens to be Aquaman’s brother in the comics.
We are also expecting a new Suicide Squad film.
The Flash was also not left behind. The DCEU’s Flash movie is set to be titled Flashpoint.
For those unfamiliar to this amazing story arc, it takes place in an alternate universe where the fates of different DC superheroes are changed due to the Flash going back in time to save his mother, creating a rippling butterfly effect.
It is interesting news, especially since we have seen the Flash use the speedforce in order to warn Bruce Wayne in Batman vs Superman.
The Fox hit comic book show Gotham also previewed a trailer for season 4 that will be released this Fall. This season will show the journey of Bruce Wayne, played by David Mazouz, becoming Batman.
With all villains trying to seize control of Gotham, Jim Gordon, played by Ben McKenzie, will have a hard time keeping everyone in check.
It will also feature Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), Selina Kyle (Catwoman), Edward Nygma (the Riddler), and Jerome who everyone speculates is the Joker.
Marvel everything!
As if we didn’t have enough of Marvel Studios this year with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spiderman: Homecoming, we are spoiled with even more news.
During the two hours that Marvel panel had at Hall H, let’s just say we got enough to keep us satisfied.
Even though Black Panther won’t be hitting movie theaters until February 16, 2018, director Ryan Coogler’s film has a lot of fans anticipating what is called one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, with a “90 percent” Black cast.
The scene that fans were shown had Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, aka Black Panther, chasing Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaw, and an epic montage of fighting occurs.
They also got a glimpse of Michael B. Jordan’s character, Eric Killmonger, into the mix. Black Panther’s cast includes man Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, and Forest Whitaker.
Marvel Studios was just getting started. They also released information about a new upcoming Captain Marvel film that will introduce Skrulls for the first time.
The Skrulls, not to be confused with the Kree that were seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that have the power to shapeshift to whatever they choose. They were present throughout Marvel’s Secret Wars comic book series.
Though that may not be crucial information, the Skrulls were long thought to be property of 20th Century Fox as they are in Fantastic Four. However, they have been also introduced in ABC’s Agents of Shield.
As if that wasn’t enough, we were also given two more trailers: Thor: Ragnarok and a special footage of the long awaited Avengers: Infinity War.
Watch the brand-new #ThorRagnarok trailer that just debuted at #SDCC in Hall H! pic.twitter.com/eFEYGpyDXL
— Thor (@thorofficial) July 23, 2017
Ragnarok showed so much promise with the inclusion of Hela, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, and of course, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk.
In the trailer, we see all types of hell going loose, literally. The story is about the end of Thor’s home world, Asgard and him trying to defeat Hela, the movie’s antagonist. It will also incorporate Plate Hulk’s storyline.
Avengers: Infinity War will be on a whole new level. Though the trailer hasn’t been released online, footage was leaked that showed Thanos in all his glory defeating each Avenger. Let’s hope the trailer is released soon.
Don’t Call It A Comeback
Steven Spielberg also has an upcoming project. He is adapting Ernest Cline’s science-fiction novel Ready Player One.
Here's the first trailer for #ReadyPlayerOne! #SDCC2017 pic.twitter.com/UAB4g2PXTc
— IGN (@IGN) July 22, 2017
It features so many pop culture references that you should just see the trailer to figure out what to expect. We cannot wait for this film to hit the big screen.
Netflix, No Chill
Netflix is on a roll this year and it’s about to get even better. The trailer for Stranger Things Season 2 has been released. And it’s one for the books.
It features its original cast plus so much more. It begins with Finn Wolfhard‘s character Mike Wheeler, Noah Schnapp‘s Will Byers, Gaten Matarazzo‘s Dustin Henderson, and Caleb McLaughlin‘s Lucas Sinclair at an arcade playing Dragon’s Lair.
However, Will is distracted by a voice that calls his name. Then, we see him as he is alone in the arcade and finally, we realize that somehow he is still stuck in the Upside Down, the dimension in which he was stuck in for most of the first season.
What makes this trailer memorable is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in the background, which fits perfectly with this show. And at the end of the trailer, we find Eleven, by herself, stuck in the Upside Down.
Darkness falls across the land… Here is the first trailer for #StrangerThings2. pic.twitter.com/534mDf1Os2
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 22, 2017
The new season will premier on October 27th, right in time for Halloween.
Another Netflix original movie that has a lot of buzz is Bright, which stars Will Smith as a policeman partnered with the very first Orc cop, played by Joel Edgerton.
Yes, you read right, Orc. This movie combines realism with science-fiction and fantasy.
Though we don’t know what the movie will be about, it is centered in L.A. and will be filled with crime as both police officers try to contain peace in a world that is filled with racism against non-humans.
Netflix is also set to release an American version of the much appraised manga and anime series, Death Note. The premise takes place in Seattle where Light Turner, played by Nat Wolff, attends school.
He is sort of the protagonist of the film, based on which way you look at it.
The scene that was shown at Comic-Con has Light talking to the shinigami named Ryuk, voiced by Willem Dafoe and basically being persuaded to write down the name of a man committing a crime outside his house.
When a name goes down in the Death Note, it means that the person will die. We hope that Netflix can do justice with this show, especially since how a lot of Japanese works have been botched when being brought out to the big screen with white actors.
Marvel’s The Defenders is one of the most hyped up shows to be released this summer. If you have been keeping up with all of the Netflix/Marvel shows, then you know what’s going on.
New trailer. Happy now? #DEFEND pic.twitter.com/ILFYzqatlx
— The Defenders (@TheDefenders) July 22, 2017
The characters are still the same since the last time we’ve seen them. However, the villain of this show is on a different level. Taking the mantle as the main antagonist is the talented and iconic figure, Sigourney Weaver, as Alexandra. Coming back to the show are actors Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones.
They play Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. The battle for New York is on and only the strong will survive. From the funny remarks like Jessica Jones’ “nice ears” to Daredevil and Luke Cage telling Daredevil “I’m not hugging you,” this show will not only be serious but will have a unique sense of humor as well.
It will also be nothing but non stop thrills and asskicking. The Defenders is set to release on August 18.
The Walking Dead Season 8
AMC’s The Walking Dead has also released its Season 8 trailer.
After the arrival of Negan and the Saviors, Rick and his followers have had a difficult time surviving the hordes of zombies, especially since they are short on food and supplies.
Negan has made it even more difficult by taking half of whatever they have in exchange for protection. However, the season ended with Rick and the residents of Ezekiel’s Kingdom taking arms against Negan and his soldiers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l82kiUvnKM
This season will show the aftermath of that battle and how it will affect their way of living. The one thing that a lot of people took away from this trailer is a twist in the end in which Rick, portrayed by Andrew Lincoln, wakes up as an old man.
Some theorize that this scene is an indication that Rick has just woken up from the coma he was in during the very first episode of the show. We will just have to wait and see.
HBO’s Westworld and Game of Thrones
Finally, HBO also released a trailer teaser for Westworld and it seems as there is trouble fighting the robots. In the short teaser, we are shown Bernard, portrayed by Jeffrey Wright, looking at what looks like a tiger’s corpse.
Dolores, played by Evan Rachel Wood, is also in the teaser riding on a horse and pointing a shotgun at a few people that are running away. We also get the return of Ed Harris’ character the Man in Black.
https://twitter.com/WestworldHBO/status/888915499853074432
As for Game of Thrones, snippets from last Sunday’s episode “Stormborn” and next week’s episode “The Queen’s Justice” were featured in a single trailer.
We can’t wait for Daenerys to meet with Jon Snow for the first time.
All is right in the world of pop culture and comic books. Let’s hope it stays that way.