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While the films under the Marvel Studios banner have proven to be enormously popular with moviegoers (even in what’s presumed to be an “off” year for the studio, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man are both currently in the Top 10 grossing films of 2015), there’s no doubt that there are certain creative difficulties behind the […]

After a painfully long production process, Marvel’s smallest big-screen hero has finally arrived, and according to studio estimates (which could see some adjustment by Monday morning) Ant-Man is looking at about a $58 million domestic haul.

For what it’s worth, that’s the second lowest debut for a Marvel Studios picture, just shy of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk opening to $55 million and on the low end of Marvel’s projections for the property.

Ant-Man was always a bit of a dicey proposition for Marvel; he’s a little-known “C-list” hero, and while I doubt most members of the general audience know Edgar Wright from Edgar Bergen, there had been a certain level of tough buzz surrounding the production of the film due to Wright’s storied exit just before shooting was to begin in Atlanta.

Strangely enough, Guardians of the Galaxy was seen as an equally tough sell and opened in a worse month (August), yet it thrived. Both films had an “A” Cinemascore, the not terribly scientific polling of audience-goers who actually attend these screenings, so they were equally well received.

So why did Guardians thrive in its opening weekend (at $94.3 million) where Ant-Man failed to reach similar heights? If I had to guess, marketing was likely the key issue. It never seemed as though the studio knew how to actually sell the picture. Was it a fun romp for families? Was it a 20’s-30’s male leaning comedic affair? And Marvel’s last-minute attempt at stressing the connections to their shared cinematic universe with a number of ads to that effect didn’t really do the trick either.

That’s not to say $58 million is a flop by any means, because it’s not, particularly given Ant-Man‘s more modest $130 million budget (not counting whatever was sunk into marketing). But, this is a case of Marvel becoming a victim of their own success a bit. With each opening since 2010 ranging from $65-210 million, the inevitable film that hit below that was going to face some scrutiny.

It’s possible that Peyton Reed‘s newest directorial outing may find some legs in the coming weeks, and the international numbers are only now coming in ($56.4 million and counting), but as of now Ant-Man‘s “Avengers bump” is a bit non-existent it seems.

For the record, I don’t think if Wright stayed on as director it would have really done much, if any, better.

What did you think, readers? Was Ant-Man all you hoped it would be?

By Victor Van Scoit

We may know Marvel’s movie slate well into 2018, but there’s still some unknowns when it comes to their directors. While fans are waiting for confirmation on exactly who those directors will be, any information to minimize rumors can help quell the frenzy. Sometimes it’s just as significant to know exactly who that director won’t be.

Ava DuVernay (Selma) confirmed in an interview with Essence today that she will not be directing Marvel’s Black Panther. Apparently Ava did meet with Marvel executives to discuss the opportunity, so there was merit to the earlier rumors of her directing the property to feature actor Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up).

“I’m not signing on to direct Black Panther,” she added. “I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do. I loved that they reached out to me.”

“I loved meeting Chadwick and writers and all the Marvel execs,” said DuVernay. “In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn’t see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later.”

Seems like positive feelings on the part of Ava DuVernay regarding the experience. Kudos to her for peering far down the road and avoiding  a situation where Marvel needs to push their continuity agenda vs the director’s vision. That difference of ideas isn’t a new thing, what with Joss Whedon’s recent comments regarding Avengers: Age of Ultron, and directors exiting previous projects (Patty Jenkins on Thor 2, Edgar Wright on Ant-Man).  The MCU’s ever expanding continuity may end up creating more of these differences in vision, and influencing other directing prospects when it comes to not only Black Panther, but other MCU opportunities.

Abraham Riesman’s article over at Vulture, The Secret History of Ultimate Marvel, the Experiment That Changed Superheros Forever, provides a little morsel that’s food for thought. Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics influenced the MCU we know today, but it had its own continuity issues as it grew in popularity.

If a new reader tried to digest an issue of an Ultimate comic in 2011, she’d run into the exact problem Ultimate Marvel was designed to combat: confusing continuity. Wait, why was Mr. Fantastic evil? What had happened four years ago in Ultimatum? Remind me how Dr. Doom died? As [Jonathan] Hickman put it: “I think maybe the lesson might be that continuity eventually swallows everything.” (Incidentally, now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is 11 movies deep, this is becoming a concern for Marvel Studios. It remains to be seen how Marvel’s movie producers might learn from the pitfalls of the Ultimate world.)

As for Ava DuVernay she still wishes Marvel all the best. Let’s hope that Marvel is also able to get the best (director).

“I love the character of Black Panther, the nation of Wakanda and all that that could be visually. I wish them well and will be first in line to see it.”

There’s a nice piece in The Hollywood Reporter, that’s getting lots of ink right now, in which Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige goes pretty in-depth (along with Paul Rudd) regarding a number of details about their upcoming slate, Ant-Man, why they aren’t coming to SDCC this year, etc.

But one of the quotes that caught my eye was Feige’s fairly pointed response to Warner Bros’ Greg Silverman recently stating that the difference between DC and Marvel films is that WB’s slate will be filmmaker focused and that they make “films about superheroes rather than superhero films”. Of which, Feige had this to say:

Warner Bros.’ Greg Silverman told THR that the difference between the DC/Warners movies and Marvel movies is that Warners allows directors to fulfill their visions. How do you respond?

FEIGE My response is: Look at the movies. Iron Man and Iron Man 2 are as Jon Favreau films as you can see. Kenneth Branagh has his stamp all over Thor. Captain America: First Avenger is very much a Joe Johnston film. The greatest example of that, look at Guardians of the Galaxy with James Gunn. And the one I always point out is Avengers. We knew the general structure when we sat down with Joss [Whedon]. But I don’t want you to think we gave him a story. We gave him a “Here’s where we think the movie should start, here’s where we think this character should come into it; it would be fun if something like this happened in the middle and in the end a hole opens up and aliens pour out into Manhattan.” So arguably, there were many pieces in place, and yet now that everyone has seen the movie, it’s completely a Joss Whedon film. He was able to take all the elements that were handed to him – that were studio-imposed, if you want to look at it that way – and make it his own. We wouldn’t have hired any of the filmmakers we’ve hired if we just wanted somebody who would do what we say.

To be honest, I’m not sure I agree with Feige here, and it’s worth noting that he mostly only highlights “Phase 1″ films, whereas the offerings of “Phase 2″ have seemed far more of a piece with one another structurally. My biggest beef with Marvel films, beyond the fact that their stakes are constantly huge yet the danger never feels immediate, is that each film carries a very similar A to B to C plot structure. The fact that literally every movie in Phase 2 (except Iron Man 3, which people don’t like talking about for some silly reason) has something falling from the sky in its third act (or rising as the case may be in Age of Ultron) tells you that there’s definitely a formula, set by the first Avengers film, that these movies are being poured into.

Yes, there are some superficial differences, Guardians of the Galaxy has some of James Gunn‘s wit, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier covers itself in a fairly entertaining conspiracy tale, but criticism is definitely warranted in this case.

The fact that Phase 2 firmly kicked into place right around the time of the Disney buy-out of Marvel, well, I’ll leave you to make your own conclusions.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar nominated for the incredible 12 Years A Slave (also known as one of the few movies to ever make me openly sob in the theater), is the latest prestigious thespian to join the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ejiofor, long rumored to be a part of the upcoming Doctor Strange in some form or fashion, was confirmed today by Deadline to be playing the role of Baron Mordo, the Sorcerer Supreme’s long-time enemy. In the comics, Mordo is Strange’s fellow pupil under the guise of The Ancient One (reportedly being played by Tilda Swinton), and after Strange thwarts Mordo’s plans to kill their instructor, they become adversaries.

Deadline’s report is quick to note that this version of the character will actually be “an amalgamation of characters culled from Doctor Strange’s mythology”. This sounds a bit similar to the approach taken with Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2, but hopefully the results will turn out a bit better here.

Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and will see release on November 4, 2016.

So, readers, what do you think about the new Baron Mordo?

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Marvel’s next big adventure, the Paul Rudd starring Ant-Man. Today sees a new television spot that showcases some not yet seen footage, including a bit featuring Michael Peña, whose role looks to be along the lines of additional comic relief. That seems like a bit of a waste of a talented actor, but I will not judge until the finished product is seen (a repeatable mantra regarding this project if I’ve ever heard one).

Here’s the new spot:

After yesterday’s Valiant and Daredevil news items and today’s Eisner nominations, you’d think we could shut the door down on news for a while. But, surprise surprise, there’s still a few other items of note, here’s the rundown:

– Joss Whedon, while on the press circuit for next week’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, held court with Buzzfeed, and in a pretty revealing interview about his time at Marvel that is well worth reading, he happened to elaborate on his feelings regarding Edgar Wright‘s departure from Ant-Man:

I thought the script was not only the best script that Marvel had ever had, but the most Marvel script I’d read. I had no interest in Ant-Man. [Then] I read the script, and was like, Of course! This is so good! It reminded me of the books when I read them. Irreverent and funny and could make what was small large, and vice versa. I don’t know where things went wrong. But I was very sad. Because I thought, This is a no-brainer. This is Marvel getting it exactly right. Whatever dissonance that came, whatever it was, I don’t understand why it was bigger than a marriage that seemed so right. But I’m not going to say it was definitely all Marvel, or Edgar’s gone mad! I felt like they would complement each other by the ways that they were different. And, uh, somethin’ happened.

One you hear Whedon make a statement like that, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been (not that many weren’t already). I’ve long held that parting ways with Edgar Wright was one of the biggest missteps Marvel has made thus far and the loss of his idiosyncratic take on Scott Lang would be felt pretty heavily come this July. But, movies have to be seen before you can judge them, and we’ll find out soon enough.

On that note, Avengers: Age of Ultron is currently sitting at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes with 49 reviews in. If that score holds, it’ll put the film just below Iron Man (93%), The Avengers (92%), Guardians of the Galaxy (91%), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (89%) in the Marvel canon, if you care about that kind of thing.

– One more Ultron related note, those of you who are aspiring to be professionals in the field of journalism may not want to follow the example set by Krishnan Guru-Murthy from Britain’s Channel 4 news, whose junket press questions caused Robert Downey Jr. to walk out of the interview:

Seriously, save the hard hitting stuff for when it’s warranted and expected, not in promotional interviews for a superhero film.

– The third Star Trek film in the rebooted franchise now has a rumored title: Star Trek Beyond. The rumor comes via TrekMovie who discovered Paramount’s recent MPAA registration of the title. To be honest, I don’t love it, but it’s also a good sight better than Star Trek Into Darkness, which was an awful pun. At the very least, perhaps this ensures that exploration will be the key factor for the new Star Trek entry.

– With True Detective Season 2 just a couple of months away, HBO has released some ominous looking motion posters via the show’s official twitter feed:

We get the world we deserve. #TrueDetective pic.twitter.com/iTkuP2t04n

— True Detective (@TrueDetective) April 22, 2015

We get the world we deserve. #TrueDetective pic.twitter.com/CFJuv00Nws — True Detective (@TrueDetective) April 22, 2015

Creepy stuff!

– And finally, in a fun little piece, here’s what this Summer’s big blockbuster releases would look like in 90’s VHS form. Oh, do I ever miss Blockbuster, until I think about the late fees and scrambling to get the latest video tapes.

The new trailer for Fantastic Four wasn’t supposed to be released until tomorrow morning, but after another leak, 20th Century Fox moved fast to get the official trailer out for your Sunday viewing pleasure.

Get your first look at the team using their powers and a glimpse at this iteration of Doctor Doom:

Fantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank, hits theaters on August 7th.

Here’s a fun way to open your Monday morning; the next trailer for Ant-Man has appeared before your eyes.

In all the marketing push for Avengers: Age of Ultron (which opens next month), it’s almost easy to forget Marvel has another film opening this year, but here’s your newest look at the Paul Rudd-starring adventure.

There’s some nice humor here in small doses, but everything around it still seems rather stiff, unlike Guardians of the Galaxy, which sold its blend of action and comedy well in the first trailers. I’m not sure that’s the case here, but Marvel remains bulletproof thus far, and even a fairly rough Thor sequel hasn’t derailed them yet.

The last bit is very cute, though.

Ant-Man is the weird lost film of Marvel’s Phase 2 (it’s no longer considered a part of Phase 3), so its marketing push is coming at just the right time.

Ant-Man opens July 17, 2015

The latest Avengers: Age of Ultron television spot is here, and it’s a fairly extended look at the team with some new footage for those of us who just can’t wait another month and a half. I particularly like how it gives a showcase for each of its stars, including the first line of dialogue out of Aaron Taylor-Johnson‘s Quicksilver, highlighting how Joss Whedon and company have kept the character to his Eastern European roots. Obviously, we’ll have to assume the same for Scarlet Witch.

Television ads like these do most of the heavy lifting of getting the non-diehards to fill the seats, and given that this provides a lot of what audiences seem to love (Tony Stark snark, ridiculously awesome action beats, and a reminder that this is the same team you saw in the first billion-dollar grossing film) it seems likely that this’ll do the trick.

Thanks to the film’s official Facebook page, here’s a look at the new poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

I admire the talent of the designer that was able to get all ten Avengers in there, including Paul Bettany‘s Vision up top.

That first Infinity War poster will look like a Where’s Wally/Waldo? book if this keeps up!

Didn’t I tell you to follow Bryan Singer‘s Instagram?

Late last night, the X-Men: Apocalypse director announced another piece of news regarding the production: the casting of Kodi Smit-McPhee (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Let Me In) as Nightcrawler.

It was really only a matter of time before one of Singer’s favorite mutants re-appeared, as the director almost included a Nightcrawler scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but scrapped it at the last minute.

Smit-McPhee joins new cast additions Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, and Alexandra Shipp in playing a younger version of a role previously cast by Singer. In this instance, he will be taking over for Alan Cumming, who was one of the stand-outs of X2: X-Men United.

This isn’t Smit-McPhee’s first shot at the X-Men Universe, as he was originally cast as Young Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but dropped out to instead film The Road. He clearly dodged a bullet, hopefully his good senses have remained and it’s a good omen for Apocalypse.

X-Men: Apocalypse opens on May 27, 2016.

Fans have clamored for years for Spider-Man to return to the Marvel fold, especially after The Amazing Spider-Man series began to crash and burn for Sony by its second entry. And now, your wishes have come true.

A new Spider-Man is debuting, and it’ll be in a Marvel Studios picture per The Hollywood Reporter.

I’ll let that settle in for a second.

The terms of the deal are that a new, rebooted Spider-Man (that won’t be Andrew Garfield) will debut in an unnamed Marvel Studios picture, believed to be Captain America: Civil War. In turn, Marvel head-honcho Kevin Feige will team up with Sony’s Amy Pascal to produce a new Spider-Man film for Sony and provide a new direction for everyone’s favorite web-slinger. This new film will debut on July 28, 2017.

Here’s Feige on the new deal:

Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.

Tellingly, long-time Spider-Man producer Avi Arad‘s name is nowhere to be seen.

Also, due to the new Spider-Man film date taking the slot that Thor: Ragnarok was slotted in for, Marvel’s Phase 3 line-up shifts a bit with the new schedule as follows:

Thor: Ragnarok – Nov 3, 2017

Black Panther – July 6, 2018

Captain Marvel – Nov 2, 2018

Inhumans – July 12, 2019

It’s time to get those fantasy casting lists for Spidey together, Marvel Studios just got its biggest name back.

Happy Monday everyone! Hannah and I took today off from our regular gigs, but I didn’t want a few of the more interesting headlines to pass us by…so, let’s take a look at what’s causing a buzz in the entertainment side of things.

– According to TVInsider, Jamie Alexander is returning to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reprising her role as Lady Sif from the Thor films and her guest appearance in the first season of the ABC series. Alexander will guest star in the second episode of the midseason, where Lady Sif will be struck by amnesia after a massive battle with a yet to be revealed villain. Though executive producer Jeffrey Bell states that the memories that she hangs onto will prove very important in the on-going Inhuman-based subplots of the series.

– Over the weekend, OK! Magazine (via SpoilerTV) reported a rumor that Angelina Jolie (Unbroken, In the Land of Blood and Honey) was offered $20 million dollars by Marvel Studios to direct their upcoming Captain Marvel feature. This rumor caused a bit of a stir online, but let’s face facts, Marvel has yet to offer any director that kind of payday and it’s hard to imagine they’d start doing that now ($20 million dollars was Christopher Nolan‘s take for Interstellar for example). Most sources I’ve spoken with in trying to follow up on this report state that the rumor is fiction. The one thing it gets right is that Marvel is likely looking to hire a female filmmaker for the property, and that is a very exciting prospect.

– Another unsourced story (from Cinelinx) floated around yesterday that NBC/Universal, in the wake of not renewing Constantine for a second season, would be moving it to SyFy and renaming the series Hellblazer. It’s a great idea, yet I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Sadly, barring a sudden surprise renewal announcement, the upcoming finale is likely the last you’ll seen of John and company.

– Production on X-Men: Apocalypse continues, and Bryan Singer, ever the busy tweeter/Instagrammer, has posted a photo of interest:

I know. Old door. But there’ll be something new behind it. #XmenApocalypse

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Feb 9, 2015 at 9:59am PST

It sounds like the Danger Room is returning if I were to hazard a guess.

While we’ve seen a few smaller glimpses of Paul Bettany‘s Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron concept art, we haven’t seen the actual man in costume.

This still isn’t that, but thanks to the folks at Fathead Wall Decals (via ComicBookMovie), we now have our best look yet at Vision’s color scheme and how he’ll appear in the upcoming Joss Whedon-helmed sequel.

Looks good! Not much else to add here, except that Vision was always my favorite Avenger as a kid, so my own excitement is pretty palpable.

If you’re so inclined, you can purchase these decals, which include a limited selection of the rest of the cast, over at Fathead’s site.

Avengers: Age of Ultron releases on May 1st.

It’s finally here. We now have our first look at the ultra-secretive Fantastic Four reboot, and as promised, there’s a good deal of Cronenberg and a sense of scientific discovery in the scenes presented.

We don’t really get a great look at the team members utilizing their powers beyond a few brief glimpses, but perhaps that’s for the next trailer.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Fantastic Four, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Does this assuage your fears regarding the movie? Is the tone too dour?

Fantastic Four, which stars Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Toby Kebbell, will be released on August 7th.

For a few months now, rumors have floated around that Avengers: Age of Ultron would be Joss Whedon‘s final bow with the franchise. Said rumors were quickly followed with reports that Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) would step up to direct Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2 for a 2018 and 2019 release respectively.

While there hasn’t been official confirmation from either party, Whedon recently spoke to Empire (quotes via CBM) about his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

I couldn’t imagine doing this again.  It’s enormously hard, and it’ll be, by then, a good five years since I created anything that was completely my own.  So it’s very doubtful that I would take on the two-part Infinity War movie that would eat up the next four years of my life.  I obviously still want to be a part of the Marvel Universe – I love these guys – but it ain’t easy.  This year has been more like running three shows than any year of my life.  It is bonkers.

Based on the above quote, Whedon sounds like he’s ready to scale back his involvement with Marvel Studios. The popular filmmaker has been one of the creative forces of greatest influence for the studio since he came on board in 2010, particularly in providing re-writes to various scripts such Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor: The Dark World, along with completely overhauling Zak Penn‘s initial Avengers script.

It wasn’t too long ago when Jon Favreau was angling to direct that first Avengers entry. The years have really rolled by!

If Joss Whedon is indeed done after Avengers: Age of Ultron, who would you like to see take over? The Russos? James Gunn? Someone completely new?

Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1st.

We reported on this topic just a few weeks back, but now according to Variety, Bryan Singer has settled on his three younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm for the 1980’s set X-Men: Apocalypse.

Playing Cyclops will be Tye Sheridan, who blew my socks off in Mud and the recent David Gordon Green film Joe.

Taking on the role of Jean Grey is Sophie Turner, who you’ll probably know as Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones.

And finally, Alexandra Shipp will be the new Storm. She’s the name that’s probably the least familiar to audiences, but she recently played the late singer Aaliyah in a Lifetime biopic.

They’ll be joining a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Oscar Isaac. There’s still no word on whether or not Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine for this film, though the next James Mangold-directed Wolverine sequel is still set for 2017. If he does return, I’ll be curious to see how they handle the Wolverine-Jean relationship, given the big age gap presented now.

All the same, this is an exciting development. X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27, 2016.

“I’m going to tear you apart from the inside.”

Is it possible that Ultron is the first truly worthwhile “dyed in the wool” bad guy that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had since Loki? He’s striking a menacing enough presence in this new Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer that I’m hoping the end of toothless, dull villains like Ronan the Accuser and Malekith is nigh.

There’s quite a bit to absorb here, but watching scenes of Captain America and Ultron fight hand to hand, and Hulk and Iron Man in a massive brawl…it’s rather exhilarating stuff. I didn’t think it possible, but Marvel may actually be able to top their recent high-point in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Here’s hoping!

It’s fun to be excited about things!

Here’s the official synopsis:

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st.

Straight from the offices of Publishers Weekly, it’s More to Come! Your podcast source of comics news and discussion starring The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald.

In this week’s very special podcast the More to Come Crew – Heidi “The Beat” MacDonald, Calvin Reid and Kate Fitzsimons – discuss the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, its positive impact on the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and compare Warner Bros.’s DC Comics movie slate to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, all on PW Comics World’s More To Come.

Now tune in Fridays for our regularly scheduled podcast!

Listen to this episode in streaming here, download it direct here and catch up with our previous podcasts on the PublishersWeekly website, or subscribe to More To Come on iTunes

by David Fairbanks

Marvel’s House of Ideas panel at C2E2 2015 was hosted by Ryan Penagos and features Nick Lowe, Joshua Hale Fialkov, and Mark Waid on stage, focusing heavily on Marvel’s digital endeavors with brief mentions of the 75^th anniversary of Marvel Comics, the Marvel Gaming Universe, and a new documentary series called Tales to Astonish.

 Joshua Hale Fialkov and Juan Bobilo will be bringing Amazing Spider-man: Who Am I? to the Marvel Infinite Comics lineup, but unlike titles like AvX and Wolverine, Who Am I? will be released in a batch on May 6 containing the first four chapters, with another batch of chapters to be released approximately a month later.

Who Am I? will focus on what someone with the powers of Spider-man will do without his background, as he awakens in a body with his powers in the midst of robbing a bank. He has all of the power and no understanding of the responsibility. Fialkov says he was told “not to worry about print” and that the series will take advantage of digital-only techniques, worrying about their print viability later if needed.

Ultimate Spider-man (animated) will have a free Infinite Comics debuting soon.

Mark Waid’s Daredevil: Road Warrior Infinite Comic is coming to print July 2014 as issue 0.1, bridging the gap between his two Daredevil volumes. Waid admits that they are reverse engineering the title to make it viable for print, saying “there are two characters in particular that loan themselves beautifully to digital comics; Doctor Strange, who I have ideas for, and Daredevil. For Daredevil: Road Warrior, we faded the POV from the way you see the world to the way Matt Murdock sees the world.”

Marvel has provided new updates to their augmented reality app, Marvel AR. The updated version promises to be faster playing, better functioning, and offering more content with the relaunch of Amazing Spider-man showcasing some of the new features.

Updates to the Marvel Comics Unlimited app were announced, including the implementation of audio soundtracks—described by Fialkov as “so well done, so interestingly done,” highlighting a particular Captain America issue that “had a Cap theme, a Bucky theme, and more” that had won over a once-skeptical Fialkov. Described as music in a video game, with seamless transitions and a theme for a given “stage” that could change and then revert back as the story progressed.

Marvel Comics Unlimited will also have video added to the app. Currently available on the first six issues of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers, there will be behind-the-scenes footage, interviews (one example was a discussion with Hickman on the design he created for the Avengers roster), and other miscellaneous footage.

Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Marvel Gaming Universe is set to be intertwined. Penagos showed a brief preview that looked to be setting up a video game exploring the multiple realities that are colliding in the Marvel Universe thanks to Hickman’s current Avengers storyline, though he was unable to tell us what the video game is yet. Marvel’s video game staff are included in the editorial retreats to ensure that the whole of the Marvel Universe has a matching vision, with game scripts being written or supervised by comics writers to keep a consistent voice.

Finally, Marvel announced their Tales to Astonish documentary series. Directed by Emmy-winning Eric Drath (30 for 30), the first installment will focus on Civil War and clips featuring Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, and Tucker Stone were previewed. The series hopes to tie into the real-world events that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko were experiencing and trying to bring into their comics. There has yet to be any announcement as to how or when it will be released.