Here we are. This is the moment that we’ve been waiting the entire day for. The showstopper has arrived. It’s time for the Marvel Studios presentation.
Thanks to the support of the fans here at the San Diego Convention Center, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become not only one of the most popular film franchises of all time, but also one of the most successful (already placing two films on the top five list of all-time box office earners worldwide).But that’s not the only reason people around here in Hall H are buzzing. Marvel is known for making major announcements and featuring big reveals during their Comic-Con panel, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2013. Last year they brought Ant-Man test footage and officially announced Guardians of the Galaxy. And even if they don’t make any major announcements, we’re still extremely thrilled about seeing brand new stuff from both Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Keep refreshing this page to keep up with the live-blog as I detail every single little thing I see. And once the panel is done, be sure to come back later as I will have full length descriptions of all the footage.
6:15 p.m.: We’re starting a few minutes late, but we’re finally ready to get going! Chris Hardwick of Nerdist is back as moderator.
6:17 p.m.: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige out on stage!
6:18 p.m.: What’s coming up next? Thor: The Dark World! The lights go out! Tom Hiddleston out on stage in full Loki costume! He’s quoting directly from The Avengers while putting a Comic-Con spin on it.
6:20 p.m.: “Where are your Avengers now?” he asks as he asks for loyalty He is totally owning this crowd and it is glorious. “It seems I have an army.” And now it’s footage time!
6:27 p.m.: Giant rock monsters! Jane Foster slapping Loki for New York! Thor slamming his hammer down in battle! Check back later for our full footage description!
6:29 p.m.: But we’re jumping ahead to Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Joe and Anthony Russo! Frank Grillo! Emily Van Camp! Cobie Smulders! Anthony Mackie! Sebastian Stan! Samuel L. Jackson! Scarlett Johansson! Chris Evans! All on stage!
6:30 p.m.: Evans says that getting the uniform on is better every time. Says it’s satisfying knowing that the products that are being put out are good. He can’t wait to see what they are going to do. He’s not yet fully comfortable in this world yet, and while he’s not saying “Ooh, internet!” the difference in the culture is what’s getting to him – like the fact that you don’t know who to trust.
6:31 p.m.: Scarlet says that Black Widow is an integral part of this movie. Kevin Feige says that they share this movie. They’ve been running missions together for a bit now, and while they didn’t interact much together in Avengers now they have a relationship together. They see it as an opportunity to show a more casual side of the character. She says that there is an odd couple relationship between them, as they are polar opposites in terms of morality.
6:34 p.m.: How does it feel every time Jackson throws on the eye patch? “Pretty badass.” Jackson adds that he sees these people as co-workers and subordinates, using them as tools. He has different relationships with everybody. For Steve Rogers, people who he thought were good may actually be evil. Jackson says that every word that comes out of Nick Fury’s mouth is a lie – and he may even be lying to himself.
6:36 p.m.: What’s going on with the Winter Soldier? Stan says he was happy to hear that the story was going to come to life on screen. Feige adds that they are staying pretty close to the Ed Brubaker arc in the comics. It’s a real surprise to Captain America that his former friend is back.
6:37 p.m.: Anthony Mackie says that Falcon has wings and guns – all you need! He and Cap are partners and just handing out the business.
6:38 p.m.: Feige says that Marvel likes to reward people who do creative and interesting things. And now it’s time for some Cap footage!
6:43 p.m.: The footage was absolutely amazing! Started out with an extended sequence of Cap fighting against Crossbones and a ton of dudes followed by awesome action footage that has Black Widow in full on action, Falcon flying around, Winter Soldier grabbing Cap’s shield and even the helicarrier crashing down to Earth! Stay tuned for a full description later!
6:44 p.m.: Cobie says that Maria Hill is still working with Nick and trying to keep the world in check. It’s about finding a way through this new world.
6:46 p.m.: Emily Van Camp says that it’s an intimidating experience, but she is thrilled to be a part of it.
6:46 p.m.: That’s sadly the end of the Captain America panel! What’s could possibly be up next??
6:48 p.m.: It’s Guardians of the Galaxy time! The audience is very excited for new things.
6:49 p.m.: Filming has literally just started and yesterday was either day 13 or day 14. They wanted to come to the panel…so they did!
6:50 p.m.: Director James Gunn! Michael Rooker (in a Mohawk) as Yondu! Karen Gillan as Nebula! Djimon Hounsou as Koranth! Lee Pace as Ronan The Accuser! Benicio del Toro as The Collector! Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer! Zoe Saldana as Gamora! Chris Pratt as Star-:Lord! All on stage!
6:51 p.m.: James Gunn says that he is working with new people and creating something new and different with Guardians.
6:52 p.m.: Chris Pratt jokes the weight loss and getting in shape was just a coincidence. He has been working for six months to get stronger. Describing the character, he first gets it confused with Cast Away - but then says that he is a guy who lives in space, kind of a jerk, had a hard time as a kid and now he goes around space making out with hot alien girls and being a bit of a rogue and a jerk. Teaming up with the rest of the team he finds a higher purpose to fight for.
6:53 p.m.: Zoe says that she’s been blue once, and now she’s trying green. She loves being in space and is exited to be a part of what Marvel is doing, being challenged and embodying challenging characters. She says that Gamora is an assassin from space.
6:54 p.m.: Dave Bautista says that he’s still getting his head around the character and still can’t believe he got this job. He has no idea what James Gunn saw in him, but Feige speaks up for his acting skills. Bautista says he broke down and cried like a little baby when he first learned he got the part. He is more inexperienced than the rest of the cast, but is learning by working with Gunn and playing off the other actors.
6:55 p.m.: How did Benicio del Toro get involved with the movie? James Gunn called him and asked if he would read the story and he said it is a great story. He says he is the new one here as he actually hasn’t started filming yet. He flew down from LA while everyone else flew out from London.
6:56 p.m.: Lee Pace calls Ronan a complicated Kree. He doesn’t want to say too much right now because we’re going to put it on the screen. Djimon Hounsou confirms a connection between his character and Thanos
7:02 p.m.: Karen Gillan reveals she has shaved her head to play Nebula and throws her red wig to the crowd accidentally! She says she was afraid she would look like an overgrown fetus, but she really digs the look. She says that everybody should do it.
7:03 p.m.: Michael Rooker gets a huge response thanks to The Walking Dead, but he says Merle is gone. He then rubs heads with Karen Gillan, and Rooker apparently has the softer head.
7:04 p.m.: It’s footage time!
7:07 p.m.: Footage was absolutely amazing! Really funny and action packed. Probably the best stuff so far!
7:09 p.m.: Joss Whedon out on stage! Avengers 2 officially announced as Avengers: Age of Ultron! Absolutely stunning!
7:10 p.m. And that’s all she wrote! What an amazing panel!
UPDATE Sean and I have recorded a video blog in which we discuss absolutely every second of footage we saw at tonight's panel! Watch it below!
