San Diego Comic-Con 2016 EXPECTATIONS

Image Courtesy www.comic-con.org

Today is the beginning of San Diego Comic-Con!  Over the next several days we will get tons of information about our favorite upcoming movies, TV shows, comic books, and the like.  It has already been confirmed that the upcoming Marvel movies, Luke Cage, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be there this year, so let’s talk about what we expect to get from Marvel Studios.  I’m going to focus primarily on the Marvel Studios productions for this, though I may add in a few thoughts for Justice League and the like.

Marvel Studios

Doctor Strange

Image Courtesy www.ew.com

Expectations:

• They will have footage to show, probably in the form of a trailer (which will hopefully be released online simultaneously)
• Probably they will introduce the cast and confirm the characters, particularly Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen
• Perhaps some idea of when Doctor Strange will appear next

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• An announcement that Benedict Cumberbatch will appear in both Iron Fist and The Defenders as Doctor Strange

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Expectations:

• Introduce the cast and reveal who all will be on the Guardians team this time around
• They’ve finished principal filming, so they can show some footage

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• Nathan Fillion gets introduced with the cast as Wonder Man

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Expectations:

• My guess is that we won’t get a ton for this one; at the same time, Marvel and Sony really should do something for SDCC, considering that this is their first collaborative Spider-Man movie
• They may introduce some or all of the cast
• They may have some raw footage to show, but I doubt it

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• They announce a whole slate of MCU-set Spider-Man spinoff movies including Venom, Sinister Six, Black Cat, and Silver Sable

Marvel ABC

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Expectations:

• Some idea of where the show will be going in season 4
• Casting rumors for Aida and the “Latino brothers” (plus some official confirmation of who they are)
• News about other casting rumors, particularly for Eden Fesi and Sebastian Druid
• Answers about the possibility of Hunter and Bobbi returning to the show

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• An official reveal of the full Secret Warriors team

Cloak and Dagger (Freeform is an ABC channel, so…)

Expectations:

• Showrunner and casting information
• Some idea whether or not it will premiere this year

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• They introduce the cast and give a premiere date

Other

Expectations:

• I really want to know exactly why ABC didn’t pick up Marvel’s Most Wanted and why they cancelled Agent Carter
• Maybe they will have something to report about Damage Control and the other rumored/announced(-ish) MCU TV shows
• What’s going to take the place of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the midseason break?

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• An announcement of premiere dates for Damage Control and the John Ridley series, as well as news that they are working on a new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff to premiere in the spring which can tie in to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Marvel Netflix

Luke Cage

Expectations:

• Meet the cast
• They will probably have a full-length trailer to show (and later put on YouTube)
• They may reveal some cameos, such as Danny Rand

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• They show the first episode or two for the SDCC crowd (meaning that we get very early reviews for those episodes)

Iron Fist

Expectations:

• We will find out a whole bunch more about this show (not that we really know anything just yet)
• Artwork of Finn Jones as Iron Fist

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• They announce a release date, probably in January at the earliest

Other

Expectations:

• Some response to the fan petition asking for Agent Carter season 3 on Netflix
• News about Jessica Jones season 2 and The Punisher season 1
• An announcement of Daredevil season 3
• We finally see all four Defenders on stage together (and perhaps some concept art of them as heroes)

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• Production start date (and perhaps a release date) for The Defenders
• Announcement of several new post-The Defenders series for Blade, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and the like

DC

Expectations:

• DC and Warner Bros. will have a whole lot of stuff for Suicide Squad and Justice League, including putting the casts of those movies on stage
• They will probably be doing a lot of damage control after Batman v. Superman underperformed
• The CW will really start teasing the possibility of a Justice League on the small screen with the heroes from their several shows

What would be awesome but probably won’t happen:

• DC makes a huge announcement regarding Batman—either Batman appearing on Arrow, or Ben Affleck’s Batman movie getting added to the release schedule

Conclusion

So these are my expectations for this year’s Comic-Con.  A lot of these are low-hanging fruit, but there are a few that could be a little less likely.  I’m not sure which series or movie I’m most excited about; it probably depends on what the news is.  I am really interested in knowing more about the upcoming series, both those announced and those rumored.  Most likely, Marvel will focus most of their efforts on Doctor Strange, Luke Cage, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

What are you most excited to see?  Which productions are you most interested in learning about?  Let me know in the comments?