Author: Dino-Ray Ramos / Source: Deadline
It’s been about 72 hours since Comic-Con has concluded. As fanboys and fangirls hang up their cosplay capes and various superhero accouterment and start to prep for next year ( all hotels for 2019 are probably booked at this point), I reflect on this year’s confab.
There were a lot of highs and a few lows, but despite all of the high-octane commercialization and ads taking over San Diego’s Gaslamp district, this year’s Chris Hardwick-less Con felt very much more for the fans than it has in the past years. As for the TV and film side of things, the Con definitely delivered on teasing and giving plenty of non-answers when it came to news.
With Marvel, Disney, Pixar, and HBO absent from this year’s confab, it seemed like there would be a gaping hole in the presentations in the major hubs of Comic-Con like Hall H and Ballroom 20. Actually, I wouldn’t say it was a gaping hole. It was more like an empty seat at the table. But that doesn’t mean we weren’t treated to some fantastic exclusive footage and trailers.
Before Marvel and DC movies were made, there was always a rivalry between the two comic book powerhouses when, in fact, there is plenty of room in the world for both universes. Even so, people LOVE to argue about who has the better franchise. If you stood in one of the many lines at Comic-Con, it is guaranteed that you would hear at least one heated debate between cosplayers about how the Justice League movie isn’t as bad as everyone says it is or how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is overrated. Seriously, the arguments can get intense.
The rise of the comic book movie has led to an explosion on the big screen and has bled into television. At this rate, we will be seeing superheroes of all forms in entertainment until the apocalypse strikes. That said, I would be remiss to say that Warner Bros’ DC universe became the hot ticket of Comic-Con while Marvel is waiting in the wings to unleash all their news, trailers and footage come D23 in 2019.
The Warner Bros. presentation quenched Hall H’s thirst for comic book movie fare, giving us trailers for Aquaman and footage of Wonder Woman 1984. They even treated us with bonus footage from Aquaman where we got to see Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman wield a trident against a bunch of bad guys. At the moment, I knew that this was the movie for me.
But the standout of the Warner Bros. DCEU slate was Shazam! With a Guinness in his hand, Zachary Levi stepped out on to the dais in Hall H and charmed the crowd with his humor and general presence. He was joined by director David F. Sandberg and co-stars Jack Dylan Grazer and Asher Angel to unveil the first trailer for the movie — which was an utter delight. Filled with comedy, action and Easter Eggs that only hardcore DC fans could make out, the self-aware Shazam! is going to be the Ant-Man — or maybe Deadpoool — of the DCEU.
The panels in the coveted Hall H delivered exactly what they needed — which is great. But it can also be a tad disappointing for those who have sat in there in years past. Comedian and actress Aisha Tyler, who moderated all two hours of the WB panel (by the way, she did a spectacular job) said it best when she joked, “I love Comic-Con…so full of non-answers.” And that couldn’t be more evident for this year’s event.
Normally, there are huge exciting reveals that come out of the various Hall H panels, but this year there wasn’t much of that. Marvel was a master of that as they were known for giving Earth-shattering news that would make the crowd go wild. Last year’s Infinity War footage drove the fans crazy and the announcement of Michelle Pfeiffer joining the cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp was a huge deal. Even on the Fox side, Noah Hawley revealed he was developing a Doctor Doom movie during last year’s Legion panel. And then there was the official unveiling of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel — which was a peak moment. This year, the biggest news and surprises to come out of Hall H were the trailers, but not much else. Sure, Johnny Depp came out to surprise everyone in character during the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald panel, but there was an…
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