San Diego Comic-Con 2023 continues and as usual, the event is full of announcements for upcoming comics, games, and (most importantly) films and TV shows that we can enjoy on our favorite streaming services.
The event isn’t as crowded as usual – as some streamers and media brands are taking a break for the year due to the uncertainty caused by the ongoing writer’s and actor’s strike in the US – but there’s still plenty to enjoy.
Here are our four favorite announcements (plus a few extras) from SDCC 2023 so far.
1. The MCU Secretly Invades Hulu
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking a bit of a break this year from SDCC, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be Marvel The newest Marvel TV show, Secret Invasion, will no longer be exclusive to Disney Plus – at least for the next few weeks. That’s because from now until August 17 the first three episodes of the series will be available on Hulu (a streaming service also owned by Disney).
In our early preview of the series we found Secret Invasion to be a “grounded, tonally dark, and polished spy thriller with a talented ensemble cast delivering stellar performances.” Unfortunately, it “failed to become a true masterpiece.” While it may not be one of the best Disney Plus shows out there, it doesn’t hurt Hulu subscribers to give it a try. Worst case you like the first few episodes and pay for a month of Disney Plus to finish it.
2. Gen V will replace Prime in September
If you want The Men brand of gritty superhero action then we have good news! At SDCC we learned that the spinoff series Gen V has its Prime Video premiere scheduled for September 29.
Gen V – which occurs concurrently with the events of The Boys Season 4 – follows a younger crew of college-age cops as they continue their training. But don’t expect this to be a cutesy coming-of-age origin story, it is The Boys we are talking about. Amazon says we’ll see students put their “physical and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the most coveted ranking in school” as the class learns that superheroes aren’t always the good guys.
SDCC is also expected to reveal more details about Season 2 Invincible, an animated superhero show also on Prime Video. IGN has revealed a new poster for the series, and we can expect more news to emerge at a panel taking place at 5:45pm PT on July 21 (1:45 BST / 10:45 AEST on Saturday, July 22).
3. The end of Ash’s Pokémon Journey is coming to Netflix
Also coming in September is the end of Ash’s Pokémon Ultimate Journey farewell tour, which we learned hit Netflix on September 8.
The Japanese dub has ended Ash’s adventure and moved to a new cast of characters, but this Netflix release will allow viewers to finally watch the end of Ash’s arc with the official English dub actors.
We also got a sneak peek at the English dub of the Pokémon Horizons which follows protagonists Liko and Roy – and their respective Pokémon companions Sprigatito and Fuecoco – as they head off on their own adventure.
4. Maximize animated movies
Despite some major reductions in Max’s animated films after Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the streaming service is still home to a bunch of great cartoons. At SDCC 2023, we got announcements for both of them.
Ahead of the July 27 release, we’ve got a new trailer for the Harley Quinn which is also shared by DC Twitter. In a short speech before the trailer show, Harley (played by Kaley Cuoco) tells us that we can expect “more sex, more drama, more Bane Bane, and more Harlivy” in the series that focuses on her struggle in life as a hero.
Good and evil are about to collide. Season 4 of #HarleyQuinn premieres July 27 on Max. pic.twitter.com/rtH2utK8rvJuly 20, 2023
SDCC also gave us a new trailer and release date (August 31) for the Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake – a spinoff of Adventure Time. Fans of the show will remember Fiona the human and Cake the Cat as the female versions of Jake and Finn. When the show airs, we can tag along with Fiona and Cake as they go on a multiverse-hopping adventure that will see them face off against some new evil antagonist who wants to erase them from existence.
