WOW!!! This was an absolutely fantastic Comic-Con. So much news came out along with some great footage for upcoming films and television shows. This is going to be a really long article where I share my own thoughts and opinions on what happened at Comic-Con. I will not cover every panel, only the content that interests me.
Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders
On Thursday Marvel and Netflix came out strong showing footage for Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Luke Cage was first introduced in Jessica Jones and he left quite an impact. While I thought the show itself was okay, I was impressed by Mike Colter’s performance. The teaser itself showed off more of a fun vibe than previous Marvel Netflix shows, while also showcasing some amazing action. The show comes out later this year so I will soon have yet another show to obsess over. There is not much to say about the Iron Fist teaser, but it feels different from the other Netflix shows (which is to be expected when dealing with a character like Iron Fist) while looking as if it exists in the same universe. There was one more reveal: The Defenders teaser. Not much to say about this, but for those of you who are unfamiliar: The Defenders are a group comprised of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. They are like the street level Avengers and I am very excited for this series.
The Flash
The second season of The Flash ended with a pretty big cliffhanger in the form of FLASHPOINT. If you do not know what that is, I will not spoil it here but feel free to google it. The trailer itself was very interesting but it did not show much as far as what the whole season will entail. I know the first couple of episode will deal with Flashpoint, but I find myself slightly more interested in what follows.
Arrow
I have made it clear that the past two seasons of Arrow have been fairly disappointing for me. I thought the season 4 trailer looked pretty good and made me hopeful for a better forth season. I did not get that and this trailer for season 5 did not make me all that excited for a fifth season. I am still going to watch the show, but the trailer did not show enough change for me to get excited. The action did look a bit better than what we have see in most of season 4, but that was never Arrow‘s problem. The plot has been the main problem with these last two seasons, so hopefully this season they focus a bit more on making it as engaging as it once was.
Supergirl
I have not seen the first season of Supergirl, but I may have to check it out since it is coming to the CW. I have not heard great things about the show, but some people seem to really enjoy it. Not much news came out of Comic-Con, but shortly after an offical image was released of Tyler Hoechlin as Superman. I like the suit but not the look of the actor. His hair seemed all wrong and his face did not feel like it belonged to Superman. With that said, some pictures have emerged from the set of Supergril showcasing Hoechlin in costume as the man of steel himself and he looks pretty darn good. His hair is slightly different and he just looked more like the part. This may not be specifically Comic-Con news, but I do wonder why they did not reveal this during the big Con.
Star Trek Discovery
A new Star Trek show is coming out very soon and no new footage was really revealed. We still do not know the premise nor the cast. However now we know the title which is: Star Trek Discovery. Discovery will be the name of the ship that the crew will travel in. I have high hopes with this show mainly because of Bryan Fuller’s involvement, who was the showrunner on Hannibal.
Legion
Boy does this show look great. Not only is the creator of Fargo the TV show creating this, but it has one of my favorite rising stars: Dan Stevens. This is set in the world of X-Men, but I do not think it will rely heavily on the lore associated with the films. It seems like it wants to pave it’s own path, which I am completely fine with. The effects look top notch and the show gives off a very interesting vibe (tonally). One second it seems very dramatic, the next it seems almost whimsical. Needless to say I cannot wait until the show’s release
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Switching gears to films, I thought I would start off with the most underwhelming one of the bunch. I like Guy Richie, but there are certain films he simply should not direct. His style does not mesh well with the lore of King Arthur. The casting of Charlie Hunnam seems like a misfire as well. This is only from one trailer though. The film could end up surprising me, but it just seems very bland with some noticeably poor special effects.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
This trailer did not show much of anything new as far as the plot, but the effects seem to have improved. Some of the fully CGI creatures do not look all the impressive, but mostly everything else looked quite good. I am very curious about the relationship between the Muggles (called No-Majs in this flim) and the wizards. Clearly this film explores humans being aware of the wizarding world.
Kong: Skull Island
This trailer straight up impressed me. Not only do they withhold revealing King Kong, but they show enough glimpses that get me really excited for this film’s interpretation of him. The cast looks amazing, particularly Samuel “Blow your head off” Jackson. The visuals in this film also look exceptional. The shot of King Kong in during the sunset was absolutely beautiful. The plot seems to be fairly straightforward but I am fine with that. This is a monster film, so it should focus on delivering the promise of a monster (unlike the 2014 Godzilla).
Spider-Man: Homecoming
We did not get any footage from Marvel, but the lucky people who attended Hall H got a few scenes. What we did get is some concept art of both Spidey and the Vulture. I am a HUGE Spider-Man fan, but I am a bit disappointed with the depiction of the Vulture in here. It is only a concept art picture, but the design looks very similar to that of The Falcon. I am also not a huge fan of the helmet, but I do like the talons attached to the feet. There is still no word on who is playing Adrian Toomes/Vulture, but it seems like Michael Keaton will probably be the one. I still think Colm Feore (From Amazing Spider-Man 2) would have been perfect.
Doctor Strange
I was a fan of the first trailer and I liked this one even more. I feel like a broken record, but the visuals in this trailers were amazing. More so than any other trailer at Comic-Con the visuals here feel utterly unique. Some people have said that the visual style looks very similar to that of Inception, but it looks more like Inception on steroids. Benedict Cumberbatch still looks great at Steven Strange but I am a bit worried about Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius. They have not shown much of him, but what they have does not seem like he will be a memorable villain. Mikkelsen is a fantastic actor, but Marvel has too frequently squandered its’ villains. Hopefully they do not do the same to his character.
Justice League
My biggest problem with Batman V Superman was never the tone. While it may have been too dark for some, I welcomed the darkness. The plot and writing were the biggest problem for that film, so the tonal shift does not really get me all too excited. What gets me excited for this film is the proper introduction of the new Justice League members along with a more streamlined plot. The Flash did seem a bit overly jokey, but perhaps that will work better in the context of the film. Aquaman seems awesome though. He only has one line in the whole trailer, but he managed to be the highlight. Even though I was underwhelmed with their earlier attempts at establishing the DC film universe, I am a sucker for comic book films so I hope this one succeeds.
Wonder Woman
This is the trailer that I was most impressed with during Comic-Con. Sure, Kong: Skull Island certainly surprised me, but I have thought that the Wonder Woman film could be great and this trailer gave me glimpses of greatness. Gal Gadot seems to be settling into her role of Wonder Woman, even though some of her line delivery could be a bit better. I love the look of the Amazonian world and love the way that the action is shot. There is a lot of slow motion but I am fine with that. The action looks to be impeccably coordinated and unlike any other comic book film. The trailer is light on plot details, but it is only a teaser. I have heard that Ares (God of War) is the main protagonist, but he does not make an appearance in this trailer. Chris Pine looks like he will be a comical Steve Trevor and it seems like he and Gadot will have some strong chemistry.
Closing Remarks
So there you have it: My Thoughts and Opinions on Comic-Con 2016. I have purposely left out certain panels that I have seen just because I did not have much to say about it (i.e Suicide Squad). This was certainly a fantastic Comic-Con, but I was disappointed by two things: 1. No Star Wars presence. We had Star Wars celebration about 2 weeks ago or so, but it was very underwhelming. I was hoping to get some new Star Wars news at Comic Con, but alas they did not bring anything. 2. Nothing new was announced. To my knowledge, everything that was shown at this years’ Comic-Con was something that has been known. Nothing new was announced as far as a television show, or film. It is not a big deal, but I miss the days of old where an announcement of a new film would bring the house down at San Diego.