In 2022, the San Diego Comic-Con finally took place again on site and with an audience. The individual panels, where a number of highlights for the coming years were announced, were also conspicuously high-calibre.
The San Diego Comic-Con is THE international comic event. The fair has been taking place since 1970 and now has numerous offshoots all over the world. For example, the so-called “German Comic Con” has been around since 2015. For a long time now, the event has not been “just” about comics. The fair is now regarded as the highlight of the year for media related to fantasy, sci-fi, horror and co. par excellence. After Comic-Con had largely taken place virtually in the past two years due to the pandemic, there was a lot going on in 2022. TECHBOOK presents the highlights to you.
Amazon strongly represented with “rings of power”.
Hardly any other series is likely to get as much attention this year as Amazon’s “Rings of Power”. The Productions builds on Tolkien’s iconic Lord of the Rings world and will be released in September. After Amazon pursued a strategy of rigorous secrecy most of the time, the provider is now causing a sensation with well-placed marketing campaigns. The series was also prominently represented at Comic-Con 2022 – and how!
For example, a large part of the ensemble was at the start. Fans on site were also greeted by an orchestra and choir, which got in tune with the announcements. In addition to the release of another trailer, moderator Stephen Colbert, who is also a self-confessed Tolkien fan, asked a few questions whose answers should be of interest to fans. So it is now known that dwarf women in the series will certainly have beards.
Also interesting: All information about Amazon’s “Rings of Power”
Another Comic-Con highlight: “House of the Dragon”
2022 will be an exciting year for fantasy fans. In addition to “Rings of Power”, “House of the Dragon” is a spin-off of the successful series “Game of Thrones”. On the occasion of Comic-Con in San Diego, WarnerMedia has presented the “DracARys” app, among other things. Like a Tamagotchi in the old days, you raise a baby dragon here. Thanks to augmented reality, the winged creature can then interact with the environment via the smartphone display.
There was also a trailer at Comic-Con 2022 for the series that will be released on HBO and Sky in August. However, this had also appeared on various platforms shortly before. The spin-off follows the prequel to Game of Thrones, centered on the Targaryen family and their dragons.
Also interesting: All information about “House of the Dragon”
Marvel announces blockbusters at Comic-Con 2022
Traditionally, Marvel is also strongly represented at the San Diego Comic-Con, as it will be in 2022. And the group had several big announcements in its luggage. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, personally hosted the program. For example, there was news about already well-known projects such as “She-Hulk” – the series will start on Disney+ in August – and “Secret Invasion”.
End of MCU phase 4 announced
With the upcoming production “Black Panther – Wakanda Forever”, a series about the kingdom of Wakanda, Feige announced somewhat surprisingly the end of the MCU phase 4 – and gave a comprehensive outlook on phase 5, which starts right at the beginning of 2023.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- Marvel’s Secret Invasion (Spring 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (May 5, 2023)
- Echo (Summer 2023)
- Captain Marvel 2 – The MarvelS (July 28, 2023)
- Loki, Season 2 (Summer 2023)
- Blade (November 3, 2023)
- Ironheart (fall 2023)
- Agatha – Coven of Chaos (Winter 2023/24)
- Captain America – New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Daredevil – Born Again (Spring 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
In addition to numerous series such as a sequel to the “Daredevil” previously produced by Netflix, there were also several trailers for the audience to see. Marvel will likely release these for the rest of the world soon too. For example, there were already first impressions of “Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania”, in which Scott (Paul Rudd) is in quantum space in search of his daughter Cassie, who can already be seen on the film poster in her own suit.
First information about MCU phase 6 and 7
Feige even went a step further at Comic-Con 2022 and made the first announcements about phase 6 of the MCU. A “Fantastic Four” film is already being planned for November 2024. And the end of phase 6 is already certain and is probably called “Avengers 5 – The Kang Dynasty”. The planned start date is May 2, 2025. This should also end the so-called Multiverse saga; Phase 7 then heralds a whole new section in the MCU.
More highlights from Comic-Con 2022
In addition to the big names mentioned at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, there were numerous other announcements. While Warner Bros. (and DC) were a bit disappointing, there was at least new material on Black Adam starring Dwayne Johnson. Star Trek also revealed an interesting and unexpected crossover project between Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds.
The brand new trailer for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” also caused a sensation. The fantasy film planned for March 2023 has a top-class cast with Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Regé-Jean Page, among others, and takes up the bedrock of modern role-playing games. This year’s Emmy Awards nominee Abbott Elementary was also at Comic-Con; a second season was unsurprisingly announced.
It then got emotional with the original cast of the zombie series “The Walking Dead”. The actors talked about the last episodes – and announced several spin-offs. For example, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) will have their own series.