Disney Presents D23 Fan Event of 2022

’Tis the season of D23! It’s the weekend-long convention in which Disney brings out all of its newest projects and the stars leading them. Similar to Comic Con San Diego, it gives fans the chance to catch up with all of their faves while preparing to gain brand new ones.

This year’s announcements were especially exciting because there were as many new faces as there were familiar ones. There were sequels & prequels, spinoffs & reboots, and everything that’ll have fans rushing to the theaters when they’re not glued to their streaming services.

The 2022 D23 Expo took place at the Anaheim Convention Center from September 9th to September 11th. Not everyone had the privilege of attending the fantastic festivities. If you missed out, here are the upcoming projects that’ll remind you that there’s something great coming your way.

The legend speaks

Whenever it’s time to discuss upcoming MCU projects, there’s only one person for the job. Legendary producer Kevin Feige walked on stage to thunderous applause (very well-earned, of course). He then proceeded to tell us. . . well, way more than we anticipated.

But first, the audience was delighted by a performance of Rogers: The Musical showed up to perform “I Could Do This All Day.” Sound familiar? Disney+ series Hawkeye showed a quick snippet of them doing “I Could Do This All Day” and they smash smash SMASHED it so well, fans couldn’t wait to hear more.

Feige returned to the stage for a long night of introductions & speech giving. According to the MCU architect, we are officially entering the Multiverse Saga. Phase 4 has concluded and Phase 5 is in action. Meanwhile, Phase 6 is on the way with projects like Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Fantastic future

Speaking of which, WandaVision director Matt Shakman will take a spin behind the wheel of the newest Fantastic Four movie. However, he sat back in the audience and let Feige do all the talking – including sharing the November 8th, 2024 release date.

Shakman may be the face behind the camera, but the face of the multiverse was last year’s Disney+ series Loki. It’s only right that Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and new cast member Ke Huy Quan joined Feige to confirm Loki’s season 2 release in 2023.

They aren’t the only faves returning to the screen – big or otherwise. Don Cheadle joined Feige on stage to discuss Secret Invasion & Armor Wars. He couldn’t give us a release date. However, he did drop an awesome trailer and hinted at new armor for fan-fave James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine.

He’s baaack!

Hawkeye fans were just starting to calm their heart rates when Feige brought out the cast of Echo. The Disney+ series will follow Maya Lopez as she deals with the consequences of her path of destruction. Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Devery Jacobs, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning, and Chaske Spencer joined Feige to share a sneak peak, though no release date was announced.

D’Onofrio stuck around after his cast mates left and him & Feige were joined by Charlie Cox to discuss Daredevil: Born Again. Since the eighteen-episode hasn’t started production, fans were treated to a sneak peak of which She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode the horned vigilante makes his long-awaited appearance in.

Of course, no MCU panel would be complete without mentioning the star-spangled man himself. Director Julius Onah joined Feige along with Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), and Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley) as well as new cast member Tim Blake Nelson (The Leader) to discuss Captain America: New World Order, set to release in 2024.

For Chadwick

On a more somber note, director Ryan Coogler joined Feige on stage along with cast members: Letitia Wright (Shuri), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Tenoch Huerta (Namor), and Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda). Together, they presented an exclusive look at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

In the wake of the tragic death of beloved star Chadwick Boseman, it was uncertain how the project would continue. It was clear, however, that it needed to continue for Boseman and the people who loved him. The sequel to the culture-sharking 2018 Black Panther is set to release to theaters on November 11th.

While the discussion was a bit sad, it was also full of hope. The movie introduces Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, the newest hero picking up the mantle for Iron Man. In addition to appearing in the highly-anticipated sequel, she’s starring in the series Ironheart.

Next phase

Feige introduced the audience to Anthony Ramos, the face behind series newbie Parker Robbins aka The Hood. He gave a little bit of background into his character, but, in classic MCU fashion, didn’t give away too much. The series will premiere in 2023 on Disney+.

Feige then brought to the stage Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp), and Jonathan Majors (Kang). The cast confirmed the connection between Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, set for a theater release on February 17th 2023, and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Later, Feige was joined by director Nia DaCosta and The Marvels cast members Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel), Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau), and Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel) discuss The Marvels. The audience was treated to a sneak peak at select scenes to the newest MCU addition, set for a theater release on July 28th, 2023.

Marvelous mayhem

The newest phase isn’t just about the heroes this time. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), and Sebastian Stan (James “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier) joined Feige on stage to discuss Thunderbolts. The villain-focused movie is set for a theater release on July 26th, 2024.

Villains & heroes aside, we’re now officially in the spooky season. We know it and, more importantly, the MCU knows it. Feige brought out award-winning director Michael Giacchino to discuss the Halloween special Werewolf by Night. Airing October 7th on Disney+, it’ll be a frighteningly good time for all.

Beyond the stars

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas introduced us to the world of Star Wars. Forty five years later, the galaxy is still in conflict and in need of everyday heroes to put it back together again. Kind of like Humpty Dumpty, but with more severed limbs.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy took over from Feige to introduce these many wonderful limbs. Like the MCU, the upcoming Star Wars projects are a carefully curated mixture of new & familiar. They’re clearly interested in giving fans what they want while leaving them wanting even more.

In 2023, the Republic will live on in Ahsoka, as confirmed by the iconic Jon Favreau. The Disney+ series will follow the journey of beloved Clone Wars character Ahsoka Tano as she navigates this new world while dealing with what she’s lost. She’s not the only one figuring out the new rules of the Empire.

Galactic returns

Lucasfilms architect Dave Filoni joined Kennedy to confirm that The Bad Batch returns on January 4th, 2023 with the first two of sixteen episodes. The Disney+ series will continue presenting their unique perspective of what it’s like living in a post-Empire world. With Omega in tow, who know where their next adventure will take them.

Favreau & Filoni brough Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris, Giancarlo Esposito, and Emily Swallow to discuss The Mandalorian. Season 3 will follow Din Djarin (Pascal) & Grogu after they’re reunited for more galactic adventures. The return of everyone’s favorite child made up for the lack of an official release date.

Speaking of familiar, September 21st saw the return of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the Disney+ series Andor. This edgy spy thriller follows Andor in his pre-Rogue One journey. Only time will tell what’ll happen next in this episodic roller coaster that we all know ends in disaster.

Slice of life

Speaking of new, Kathleen happily announced new characters being introduced in new Disney+ series. Willow is the live action fantasy airing on November 30th. Jude Law made an appearance alongside Filoni to discuss Skeleton Crew. The live action series will follow four kids on their own special adventure through the galaxy.

Not all the faces are new, but some of the stories are. Tales of the Jedi will focus on familiar faves like Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex, and company in their pre-Empire days. Fans can look forward to all six shorts being released on October 26th.

Part two, baby!

As if the D23 fans weren’t being spoiled enough, two major sequels were confirmed. Harrison Ford & Phoebe Waller-Bridge confirmed Indian Jones 5. The two joined Kennedy & director James Mangold on stage to release exclusive footage. They also announced the official release date of June 30th, 2023.

Then producer Jon Landau was joined on stage by Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Kiri), Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and many more. If any of those names sound familiar, they should. The cast members of the hit 2009 movie Avatar were in attendance for its much-anticipated Avatar sequel: The Way of Water.

Audience members immediately donned their 3D glasses to enjoy exclusive footage of select scenes. It was a long night and, honestly, could’ve been longer. It was fun getting to see what’s coming next and being introduced to so many new faces. It’s proof that the next few years are going to be a fantastically good time for nerds everywhere!

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What are you most excited about? Do you have your viewing schedule all set up or are you waiting for new announcements? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!