Disney’s annual D23 convention occurred from September ninth to the eleventh. Much anticipation led up to the event, leaving fans theorizing about the upcoming projects. The hype was partially due to the vague promotional poster Disney released ten days before the convention. It included roughly 58 references to various characters and symbols significant to the brand, such as Spiderman, Winnie the Pooh, and Tinkerbell.

As attendees walked in, they were greeted with large booths of various brand endorsements. The most notable of these include Pandora, Funko, and Loungefly. Throughout the center, rows of exclusive convention merchandise dazzled fans, including hoodies, plushies, and a plethora of collectibles. Each convention room featured different parts of Disney, ranging from cartoons to Pixar to Marvel, etc. Disney hosted panels with many famous names announcing future projects and talking about their experiences with the company.

Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of Disney, revealed an upcoming series of animated shorts entitled Tales Of The Jedi. The series is said to focus on fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. This announcement was quickly overshadowed by Lucasfilm’s most significant event: the release of the trailer for a third season of The Mandalorian. The trailer depicted the titular mercenary having to deal with his new leadership position and further conflict with fellow Mandalorian Bo Katan.

The convention gave Marvel fans quite a lot of new information. Panels featuring actors, directors, and writers happened for projects like Daredevil: Born Again, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Trailers were released for the thrilling espionage show Secret Invasion and the upcoming special, Werewolf by Night. Fans were also overjoyed to see announcements of the returns of beloved characters like Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, and The Red Guardian. However, the most surprising reveal was the return of Tim Blake Nelson’s character of The Leader, who has not appeared in a Marvel project since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. This news was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Although Marvel revealed a lot of information on many projects, many fans were still dissatisfied with what they received. Many wished for more trailers or even some info on upcoming films like Blade and T.V. shows like Echo. Although Marvel announced that Matt Shakman of Wandavision would be directing the forthcoming Fantastic Four, many were disappointed that a cast list for Marvel’s “First Family” was not revealed.

The most emotional moment of the three-day convention came when Chadwick Boseman, known for portraying the iconic T’Challa in multiple Marvel films, was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend. Boseman, who passed away in 2020, is also honored in the new Black Panther movie. His brother, Derrick Boseman, delivered a touching speech as he accepted the award on his brother’s behalf.