Comic-Con 2022: five things we learned

That’s a wrap on Comic-Con 2022, and as a first-time attendee, I’ve got to say – it was an absolute blast. While some of my more experienced colleagues mentioned that the Con was curiously quiet this year, perhaps due to the lingering effects of COVID, it was still back in fine style, with tons of panels, superstars and reveals. Here are five key takeaways from my first year at Comic-Con.

1) Marvel knows how to put on a show:

All eyes were on Hall H Saturday evening when Kevin Feige walked out on stage to deliver the Marvel Studios Panel. As he mentioned, he hadn’t been in the room in three years and wasn’t at all sure he would ever be back. He noted that the entire slate of films they announced in 2019 has come to fruition (more or less), and then he did something no one saw coming. He announced the conclusion (which some say is premature) of Phase 4 but then not only outlined Phase 5 but Phase 6 as well. Some of the projects were huge surprises to fans, such as the 18-episode Daredevil: Born Again series, set for Disney Plus and starring Charlie Cox reprising his role (he also seems to be in She-Hulk) and the two-part Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Others were more expected, such as Fantastic Four. No casting announcements were made (wait for D23 in September), but we saw tons of footage, some of which is online and some of which isn’t (check out our breakdown here).

2) Black Adam looks promising, but where’s The Flash?

One of the disappointments was that WB didn’t show the fantastic trailer they cut together for The Flash, which premiered at CinemaCon, and featured our first glimpse of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne since 1992. This is probably due to the Ezra Miller situation, which has yet to be sorted out, but I’m surprised there wasn’t at least a tease. While some expected Henry Cavill to make his grand return as Superman, I would expect that reveal, if it ever comes, to be a part of DC fandom (if it happens this year). Judging by the answers we received in the Q&A, it doesn’t sound like the door is closed to his return at all. We also got the first trailer for Shazam: Fury of the Gods, while Black Adam unveiled the JSA in its awesome new trailer, which got the audience at ComicCon hyped.

3) Give Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power a chance:

While fans seemed wary of Prime Video’s expensive TV prequel to Lord of the Rings, the footage they unveiled at ComicCon won a lot of folks over when it made its online debut. This is a special show for the streamer, and indeed it looks like it was made with reverence to the source material. For more info on The Rings of Power, check out the interviews we did with cast members!

4) Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is funny:

While you wouldn’t know it based on the just-released trailer, Paramount’s adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons looks hilarious, with heavy doses of Monty Python-esque humor. The trailer is selling it as a straight-up fantasy, but I think directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are bringing something to it that fans will respond to when it comes out on March 3rd, 2022. Check out our interviews with the cast and director here!

5) The John Wick 4 trailer is awesome:

One of the most controversial things at this year’s Comic-Con was that Lionsgate did a world premiere of the trailer in Hall H, but no one was there to see it (except us and a few other members of the press). It was a surprise party of the Collider: Directors on Directing Panel, and the addition of the trailer was easy to predict given that Chad Stahelski was a guest on the panel, and Keanu Reeves had just done one for his comic BRZRKR earlier that afternoon. Alas, the room was empty (even if the discussion was really interesting), and thousands of John Wick 4 posters were wasted.

So that’s our wrap-up of this year’s Comic Con. We hope you enjoyed all of the coverage. Thanks to Lance Vlcek for joining me this year and Reel Action narrator/writer Travis Hopson, who showed us the ropes.
We’re looking forward to next year!

Check out all of this year’s coverage and news HERE. What Comic-Con trailer/announcement got you the most hyped?