Marvel gave fans a glimpse of its ever-expanding Cinematic Universe at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, in a robust response to rival Warner’s own star-studded presentation earlier in the day.
Marvel, which sat out last year’s convention, introduced a new company logo and played host to a number of big name actors.
“We only want to come when we have a lot to show you. We actually have a lot today,” said president Kevin Feige, who served as ringmaster.
Fans were treated to new footage of Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange, opening in the US on November 4, in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays brain-surgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Vincent Strange.
Mist descended from the ceiling of Comic-Con’s 6,500-seat Hall H and the lights lifted to reveal Cumberbatch onstage in a T-shirt and jeans.
“He doesn’t know anything — he’s just at the beginning of figuring out what reality is,” the 40-year-old Briton said of his character.
Derrickson, who joined the panel alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton, told Comic-Con the film was a “left turn in the Marvel universe,” focusing on magic rather than technology.
“The scale of it is something else,” said Cumberbatch, no stranger to playing beloved characters.
The scene showed focused in on Swinton’s The Ancient One teaching a reluctant Strange about his crazy new powers.
Derrickson said he wanted to make sure the “mind-trippy visuals” of the comics were an integral part of the film, which bows in November.
Kurt Russell drove the crowd wild when he made a surprise appearance to confirm he would play Chris Pratt’s father in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, which hits US theatres on May 5 next year.
Less popular, though, was the announcement that Guardians of the Galaxy would be overtaking the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland starting next summer with a new ride. Audience members booed at the concept image.
A trailer revealed for the first time that Sylvester Stallone also has a role in the Guardians sequel.
Pratt, who reprises his turn as Star Lord, took the stage alongside other cast members including Michael Rooker, who appeared as the Ravagers gang’s chief mercenary Yondu Udonta in costume and full blue body paint.
Costumed ravagers took the stage to help tease the film, out next year, as did Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. The crowd went wild for an extended look at a scene with the adorable Baby Groot — a CG tree character, who in the last film was full-sized and voiced by Vin Diesel — staging an escape from captivity with Yondu and Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper).
‘Vibrating inside’
Feige brought onstage Ryan Coogler, who helmed Rocky spin-off Creed last year and has turned his attention to the fictional world of Wakanda for Black Panther, which doesn’t start shooting until January for a release in 2018. While there weren’t any assets to tease, they did bring out the cast, including star Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, as Panther’s arch nemesis, Erik Killmonger, and the just-announced Danai Gurira, best known for The Walking Dead.
“The coolest thing about the world of Wakanda is they have a king, and we have an incredible actor playing that part,” Coogler said of Boseman, who first took on the role in this year’s Captain America: Civil War.
“I am literally vibrating inside,” Boseman said as he took to the stage for his first Comic-Con.
Oscar-winning actress Nyong’o plays the warrior Nakia.
“I’m looking forward to kicking some [butt],” Nyong’o said.
Coogler said that it was a very emotional experience being at Comic-Con. He actually came as a fan in 2009 and remembered sitting in the very back of Hall H.
“It’s absolutely crazy to be looking at my people from this view,” Coogler said.
Hall H was then treated to a “mockumentary” by Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi in the style of his vampire spoof, What We Do in the Shadows.
The crowd applauded as Chris Hemsworth was shown with a nerdy roommate who helps him send peacemaking emails to Captain America and Iron Man during their Civil War dispute.
