The animation department from Marvel warms up the stage at San Diego Comic-Con this year with several Disney+ show announcements, some of which were more surprising than others. Here’s a rundown of the biggest news, from Spider-Man: Freshman Year to X-Men ’97.
For news about the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, check out our other article here!
First up, I Am Groot premieres on 10 August
Vin Diesel reprises his role as our loveable hero of few words in I Am Groot, a series of five shorts focusing on different points in Groot’s childhood. The first episode drops on Disney+ this 10 August with additional episodes to be announced at a later date.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year hits Disney+ in 2024
Peter Parker returns to his first year of high school in Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the MCU’s first Spider-Man animated series! Although no trailer was shown at the panel, they did reveal some iconic Spidey friends and foes.
Charlie Cox will be reprising his role as Daredevil in the series and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is slated to appear. Meanwhile, Peter’s new classmates are a mixed bag including Nico Minoru, one of the Runaways in the comics; Amadeus Cho, the new Hulk in the comics; a new crush that isn’t Mary-Jane or Gwen Stacy; and none other than best friend Harry Osborn.
Also joining the cast are classic Spider-Man baddies like Dr. Octavius, Chameleon, Speed Demon, Scorpion, and Butane the Pyromaniac. A second season titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year has already been confirmed.
What If…? returns for second season in early 2023
Based on the trailer at the event, we can expect to see some familiar faces this season including Captain Carter, Black Widow, and Steve Rogers in his HYDRA Stomper suit. The trailer also teased a fight between Shang-Chi characters and Odin, a racing episode with Iron Man and Valkyrie, and an episode based on Neil Gaiman’s limited series 1602. A third season was also confirmed.
Marvel Zombies will be the MCU’s first “mature” production
Spinning off from the popular What If…? episode, Marvel Zombies promises to be as gross and gory as the comics. The series will be rated TV-MA (a.k.a. television’s version of the R-rating) and feature a huge cast of characters including zombified Wanda Maximoff, Ghost, Hawkeye, Abomination, Captain Marvel, Captain America, and Ikaris.
The hero team also gets a refresh with new characters like Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Jimmy Woo, Shang-Chi, Kamala Khan, Death Dealer, Red Guardian, and Katy Chen joining the fray. The panel also revealed a biker gang of Skrulls and a group of former Black Widows trying to survive in this new world.
Last but not least, X-Men ’97 finally returns in Fall 2023
First announced last year during Disney+ Day, we finally have more news about the X-Men ’97 revival series! The story will pick up where it left off in the 90’s when X-Men: The Animated Series was still airing on Fox Kids Network.
With Charles Xavier in space, Magneto will be leading the original cast of X-Men including Rogue, Beast, Gambit, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Jubilee and Cyclops. Joining the X-Men on-screen are Sunspot, Cable, Bishop, Forge, Morph and Nightcrawler.
Beau DeMayo, formerly writer for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf on Netflix, will serve as the show’s head writer. A second season has already been confirmed.
Which animated series has you most excited? Let us know in the comments, although we know, it’s hard to pick!
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