Hello, friends! With Agatha All Along in the rearview mirror, this past week appeared to be pretty quiet around the MCU. The next MCU movie was over 100 days away. The next Marvel Television show was even further away than that, and at Friends From Work, Kyle and Robby both had vacations planned for November.

But the quiet was interrupted on Saturday at Disney’s D23 Brazil event. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Brad Winderbaum, and a cadre of actors were on hand to preview many exciting projects and debut a couple of new trailers for public consumption (more details below on the specifics).

There was more than enough new information that I can assure you Kyle and Robby have found a time this week to record all their thoughts and reactions for you, the loyal listeners. So keep your eye on your podcast feed for at least one brand-new episode this week.

Now, let’s not waste any more time and head over to…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• We must start with the two trailers that Marvel Studios released at D23 Brazil. Coming to theaters on February 14th, 2025, Captain America: Brave New World gave us a fresh look at Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford replacing the late William Hurt) and an explosive plot involving the frozen Celestial Tiamut and the mysterious Leader (Tim Blake Nelson, last seen in The Incredible Hulk).

• Next up was a special look at Thunderbolts*, featuring Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and others. Footage showed an extended desert scene and appeared to finally reveal the identity of the mysterious buyer of Avengers Tower (a mystery dating back to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming). Thunderbolts* will be released on May 2nd, 2025.

• While those were the only two trailers released publicly, Marvel touched on several other projects at the event. Kevin Feige teased Fantastic Four: First Steps and said that filming is only a few weeks away from wrapping. President of Marvel Television Brad Winderbaum previewed Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and the final season of What If…? Winderbaum confirmed that this is the final season of What If…? and it will consist of eight episodes releasing once a day beginning on December 22nd.

• Members of Laughing Place attended Lightbox Expo a few weeks ago, where What If…? head writer Matt Chauncey shared even more details about what fans can expect. During a panel discussion Chauncey shared that the final season will include another original character (with a “dream casting”), feature the long-awaited debut of a popular Marvel character to the MCU, and will have a musical episode inspired by screwball comedies of the 1930s. Read the full breakdown of the panel here.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• In just a short while, the final episode of The Penguin will premiere on HBO and Max. The Batman director Matt Reeves shared a brief message to fans, which you can read above. It has been a thrilling season of television, and you can expect Friends From Work to check in again with more specific thoughts on the finale in the coming weeks.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK 

• As if three different trailers teasing the future of the MCU were not enough, if the rumors are true, the full trailer for What If…? Season 3 that was shown to attendees at D23 Brazil will be released publicly tomorrow. (Bonus rumor: the first teaser for Mission Impossible 8 is also expected tomorrow!)

That’s a wrap for what turned out to be a very busy week. Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read this newsletter each and every Sunday. While you are waiting for a new pod from Kyle and Robby this week, come join us on Discord to discuss all the new trailers and anything else from the MCU and beyond. We’ve recently streamlined our server to make it easier to navigate for newcomers and we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,

Greg