Marvel Studios will have a big presence at New York Comic-Con (NYCC) 2025, courtesy of some exciting projects being released on Disney+. Coming to the end of a jam-packed year of content for Marvel Studios, the comic giant is looking ahead to 2026 and more releases from Phase 6 in the Multiverse Saga. At NYCC 2025, Marvel is taking the opportunity to tease that future for a massive crowd.
Marvel Studios confirmed it will deliver updates for four new Disney+ series at its NYCC 2025 panel on Saturday, October 11, at 1:30 pm ET. Head of Marvel TV and animation Brad Winderbaum confirmed this information in an interview with Entertainment Weekly during NYCC's first day. The panel is titled "Up Next From Marvel Television and Marvel Animation," with new information set to be revealed on the following quartet of Disney+ series in the MCU:
4 MCU Disney+ Shows Set for Promotion at NYCC 2025
Wonder Man
While Winderbaum offered plenty of praise for Wonder Man, which was expected to be the MCU's final 2025 release, not all of his updates were necessarily positive.
He spoke on the show being "a story about acting and the journey of an actor in Hollywood," addressing its meta nature thanks to Simon Williams' status as a working actor in the MCU. Taking plenty of real-world inspiration, the show will highlight Williams "having to balance being an artist with making money" while also adjusting to life as a superhero:
"It's one of my favorite things I've ever been a part of at the studio. I'll start there. It's very different than anything the studio's produced. In terms of how meta it is, without getting into details, it is a show that takes place within the MCU, but it's a story about Hollywood. And it's a story about not just Hollywood, I would say it's a story about acting and the journey of an actor in Hollywood, of having to balance being an artist with making money and very grounded ideas that anyone who came up in Hollywood or in the arts in general can relate to. I certainly could on a very deep level."
He also compared this series to Apple TV's hit series The Studio, calling it "very different" while explaining how it is "very sincere and it's very focused on acting as a craft." While The Studio is "more about the big Hollywood system," Wonder Man is "a very intimate portrait of one actor trying to live his dreams" while having to make a living:
"It's funny you should say that. We all, obviously, are obsessed with that show. Sometimes it cuts a little close to the bone, but it's so funny and so great. ['Wonder Man'] is very different than 'The Studio,' actually. It's different tonally. It's very sincere and it's very focused on acting as a craft. 'The Studio' is really more about the big Hollywood system and the machine and the craziness that ensues. This is really a very intimate portrait of one actor trying to live his dreams while the world and the need to make money intervenes."
Agreeing that the how is the brainchild of executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton and head writer Andrew Guest, Winderbaum offered praise to both of them after their work on previous MCU projects. "They've crafted something that is really deep and wonderful and moving," Winderbaum explained, teasing plenty to be excited for from Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery:
"Yeah. Andrew Guest and I worked on 'Hawkeye.' He's been around and really is an amazing writer, amazing craftsman, really understands the industry, and was really able to dig into these characters. And Destin, obviously amazing filmmaker, he worked on 'Shang-Chi' with us, but it really hues closer to his more independent films, 'Short Term 12' and that kind of genre. They've crafted something that is really deep and wonderful and moving at times. It's for an MCU fan that knows the history of Trevor Slattery from 'Iron Man 3' to 'Shang-Chi' to here. There is a very interesting three-act structure for his character, as well. I don't wanna spoil anything, but it's very sincere. It's very earnest. It's not cynical."
Speaking of Williams and Slattery, Winderbaum confirmed the show would be something of a two-hander for them, discussing how they "connect on their love of acting" while being "wildly different people."
"Yes. They connect on their love of acting. Other than that, they're wildly different people, but because they have this very strong love of this craft, they have this really white-hot affinity for one another right away."
Discussing Simon Williams' love of the original Wonder Man in this show, Winderbaum spoke on the filmmakers' love of classic superhero movies like 1978's Superman and 1989's Batman. Addressing the "legacy of these characters that move from generation to generation," he hinted at this theme being important for Wonder Man's story:
"Yeah, yeah. That's definitely a big part of the premise. It gives us a chance to step back at what we do and our influence on the culture and the superhero genre, which we grew up with as filmmakers. Almost everyone in this office can recite the 1978 'Superman' film or the 1989 'Batman' film. There's a legacy of these characters that move from generation to generation and what it means, for one sliver of time, to carry that character from one generation to the next."
Unfortunately, Winderbaum finished his commentary on Wonder Man by confirming its release was delayed from December 2025 to January 2026. Taking a nod from WandaVision, which hit Disney+ in January 2021, he explained not wanting the show to "get swallowed up by people watching Home Alone and Die Hard and Elf" for the holiday season.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
Moving on to Daredevil: Born Again, Winderbaum celebrated Krysten Ritter's return as Jessica Jones for Season 2. Enjoying "the way Frank Castle played in the first season," he addressed Jones being "part of the resistance that Matt [Murdock] is trying to build" in opposition to Wilson Fisk/Kingpin:
"'Jessica Jones' is a great series. That first season with Purple Man I put up there with our best television Marvels ever done, and Krysten really embodies that character. We liked the way Frank Castle played in the first season [of 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 1]. Characters can come into his orbit from the greater universe. The first and best idea was to bring Krysten back and to have her be part of this resistance that Matt is trying to build in the midst of a lot of obstacles in duress in Fisk's New York."
When asked about other characters like Luke Cage and Danny Rand, the executive did not want to say much, only noting that the story is "clearly about a guy who runs around in a devil suit." Explaining how the show feels Game of Thrones-esque at times in terms of being a fantasy epic, he clarified that the main theme is the stakes surrounding what "Kingpin is building in New York City:"
"The less I say the better. Dario [Scardapane, showrunner] is trying to tell a story to great effect that is, like Stan Lee said, a reflection of the world outside your window. The politics of New York are a big part of that story. It's clearly about a guy who runs around in a devil suit, but what is amazing about Dario's work is the intricacy of the interplay of all these characters and how he really treats New York and the world of City Hall and the groundswell of the growing resistance against Fisk. It feels at times like a fantasy epic or 'Game of Thrones' or something. There's a palace intrigue-type storytelling that is really fun to read. I'm starting to watch the cuts. It's amazing. So I don't know if it's exactly about who's gonna show up. It's a little deeper than that. There are rewards to be had for fans, but it's really about the stakes of this world that this Kingpin is building in New York City."
Winderbaum moved on to MCU newcomer Matthew Lillard, revealing that he "plays a character named Mr. Charles." As Fisk pushes his influence over New York City, Lillard will play a new antagonist who is "as influential in many ways as Fisk is" while dealing with both Fisk and Daredevil:
"He plays a character named Mr. Charles. The story is about power. When Wilson Fisk takes over New York, not just as a mayor but as a king in a way, it puts him in a new class of power players on the international stage. Matthew Lillard's character represents that. So he's a bit of a new antagonist on the field, but he's as influential in many ways as Fisk is. That power negotiation at a very high level of politics and international diplomacy is also fun to watch. He is dealing with Mr. Charles up here and Daredevil down here for different reasons. So he's getting squeezed a little bit."
In terms of connecting to other MCU projects, the Daredevil team is "communicating a lot with the team on Spider-Man: Brand New Day" to make sure the story stays consistent between both. He addressed how they exist "in the same world" and that "everything lines up" between their stories:
"Yeah. We are communicating a lot with the team on 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' to make sure that there's coherence there. We don't want to spoil anything, but it very much exists in the same world and it is important. We're in a shared universe together, but I would say just the Daredevil comic books, the Punisher comic books depicted a certain tone and an idea of New York in a different way than Spider-Man's, but they both exist in the same universe. It's similar. Everything lines up and the impacts are felt, but we're able to tell different stories."
Finally, after Foggy Nelson star Elden Henson denied being in Season 2, Winderbaum clarified that he will be there for the new episodes, joking about people not knowing "what they're allowed to say:"
"I actually haven't seen the quote, but I can tell you he is in Season 2. People don't know what they're allowed to say and what they're not allowed to say, also. Do I play it coy? Do I be honest? It's always a dance."
X-Men '97 Season 2
Following a major change in leadership for X-Men '97 Season 2 with former showrunner Beau DeMayo's exit, Winderbaum hyped up what to expect in the next 10 episodes.
He explained how "the entire creative team" is coming back for Season 2, which is helping the show run smoothly due to everybody "rowing in exactly the same direction." Marvel is also working "very closely with Eric and Julia Lewald and Larry Houston," X-Men: The Animated Series' original creators, to make Season 2 feel like "a worthy successor" to Season 1:
"Well, first and foremost, it's actually the entire creative team. Same director, same producers, same cast, many of the same writers, and it's standing on the shoulders of giants. One thing that makes 'X-Men '97' work so well is that everybody's rowing in exactly the same direction. Everyone that works on the show knows that original series inside and out. And we work very closely with Eric and Julia Lewald and Larry Houston [creators of 'X-Men: The Animated Series']. They're here all the time reviewing material and talking to the artists. The second season feels very much a worthy successor to the first season."
In terms of specific plot points, Winderbaum addressed Gambit's transformation into the Angel of Death role, noting that this helps to tease Apocalypse's arrival as a major part of Season 2.
Addressing a quote from star Ross Marquand teasing multiple deaths in Season 2, Winderbaum compared the show to Marvel Zombies by saying it would feature far fewer deaths. The stakes are comparable to Season 1 of X-Men '97, with plenty of characters who "want to do what's right at any cost:"
"I saw something about that. I would say that it is the same stakes as Season 1. I wouldn't characterize it as a lot of characters die! It's not 'Marvel Zombies,' but like many great anime shows, like 'X-Men '97' Season 1, mortality's on the table and some of these characters want to do what's right at any cost."
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2
The final show mentioned in this group was Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, although Winderbaum did not offer as extensive updates on this one as the previous trio.
Speaking on series' greenlit for multiple seasons, the Marvel executive confirmed Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as one that is expected to "come out annually for a number of years." While story details are still unknown for Season 2, one of its stars teased to The Direct that the new episodes will be "more tragic" than what fans saw in Season 1.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
