Hall H proved once again that enduring hours of waiting in line is (almost always) worth it. Saturday marked a big day for Comic Con in which all the big studios decided to flex their movie-making prowess.
And Warner Bros. and Marvel did just that.
The panels for Warner Bros. consisted of Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi Pacific Rim, the mysterious Zack Snyder helmed Man of Steel, and the most anticipated film of Warner Bros. block—The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey. Stars for all films graced the stage giving fans a little peak into the hard work they’ve been slaving away on for the last few years. The Hobbit swept fans away even more with a gracious showing of a 12-minute long segment of never-before seen footage. Although the footage was sure to be epic for those who managed to squeeze into that afternoon panel, the mere presence of Sir Ian McKellan—a Con legend—was undoubtedly the coolest aspect of the Warner Bros. set. He has, after all, played the memorable good-wizard Gandalf and super-villain Magneto.
Following Warner Bros. tough act was Disney’s Marvel studios with their presentation of Iron Man 3. And boy did the Iron Man panel not disappoint.
The panel kicked off with Marvel’s President of Production Kevin Feige giving fans a healthy dose of Marvel news for the future. The official title treatments for Captain America 2 and Thor 2 were released to roaring cheers, solidifying Marvel’s careful consideration of fans and what they expect in a Marvel movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4, 2014 and Thor: The Dark World is projected to hit theaters Nov. 2013.
Along with Marvel’s Phase 2 announcements (yes, Avengers 2 will happen) the studio revealed two new projects that are looking for future releases. Ant-Man and some early test footage was shown to the Hall H crowd to a positive response followed by an even bigger announcement, the making of Guardians of the Galaxy with an amazing piece of concept art to reveal what the studio has planned for the newest group of superheroes to hit the production stage.
But, the real star of the show was Iron Man 3. And as the lights dimmed and Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” boomed over the sound system, it seemed as if Marvel had one more trick up their sleeves.
Tony Stark emerged from the shadows, Iron Man hand on and blaster lit, and danced through the aisles of fans that broke out into thunderous excitement at his fabulously ostentatious entrance. But what do you expect? Robert Downey Jr. knows how to work a crowd and he’s been known to express particular love for the Comic Con crowd. And, if we’re getting really specific, Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr. are one and the same. His Saturday night entrance proved that.
Downey Jr. and his alter ego took their place on stage and presented the Hall H crowd with a much-awaited footage reel—more like a trailer—giving fans a glimpse of what awaits Iron Man fans (and film buffs in general) in May 2013.
It was impossible not to fall under Downey Jr.’s charismatic spell during the 30 minute panel. Sarcastic, flawlessly arrogant and quick-witted, he and the other panelists—Don Cheadle (War Machine and James Rhodey, Stark’s best friend), Shane Black (the director), and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan and previous director)—kept the crowd riveted. Burning questions were answered—yes, Pepper Potts in the Rescue suit has been thrown around and could be a possibility—and fans received confirmation on the long speculated villain of the film. Yes, Iron Man fans everywhere, Ben Kingsley will be playing The Mandarin. And from what Shane Black has said about what he’s seen so far, Kingsley “is the Mandarin.”
