If there’s anything that could make a Marvel fan line up for hours in a comicon, it’s three words: exclusive movie footage—that, or Robert Downey Jr.
The doors of AsiaPOP Comicon’s “Hall M” on Aug. 28 were shut, and 1,000 lucky attendees were cut off from the rest of the pop culture conference as they entered the Marvel universe for a short while.
“M stands for what?” CB Cebulski, vice president of international development and brand management of Marvel, asked the crowd—to which they responded, screaming with confidence: “Marvel!”
“No, it stands for Manila,” he said. “Which has the same number of letters as Marvel.
“Marvel and the Philippines have a long relationship. You were one of the first people to embrace Marvel—from the films, comics,” Cebulski said.
And Filipino Marvel fans could only rejoice, as they would be among the first in Asia to witness Benedict Cumberbatch portray Earth’s protector from multidimensional and mystical threats in “Doctor Strange.”
The movie is set to show in local cinemas by the end of October, and fans can expect a perfect medley of great acting chops, epic scenes and unexpected humor (with laughter incited mostly by interactions between Wong and the Sorcerer Supreme) in the film.
“There are a lot of films in store for us—Black Panther will be out, then Spider-Man, and many others,” Cebulski shared.
All the videos shown in Hall M were never before seen outside the San Francisco Comicon, and aren’t expected to be released online (or anywhere else) anytime soon.
Behind the scenes documentaries on the second season of both “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” were played, revealing each protagonist’s preparations for the role, mostly in martial arts.
Clip after clip, excitement was ignited in each of the Marvel fans as they knew more about their favorite Netflix series than everyone else.
The upcoming series “Luke Cage,” a character originally introduced in “Jessica Jones,” was revealed to be set after his wife’s death, and focuses on Luke’s discovery and the development of his powers.
With the fourth season of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” set to premier on Sept. 20, Hall M’s exclusive clip thrilled fans as they revealed the show’s guest character—Ghost Rider, to be played by Gabriel Luna.
Bloopers of Brett Dalton (Grant Ward) and Chloe Bennet (Agent Daisy Johnson) were also projected in Hall M, with Cebulski saying that Marvel has turned its actors (literally) from zero to hero—where the cast members were once no-namers in the industry and are now being recognized by people all over the world.
Marvel is definitely taking over our world—but superhero geeks don’t need saving, not at all.
