San Diego Comic-Con 2022 Day 2: ‘The Rings of Power,’ ‘BRZRKR,’ ‘Dragonball,’ ‘Archer,’ and ‘John Wick’

This morning, one of the year’s biggest TV announcements came from Amazon. The orchestra of The Rings of Power came on stage playing the majestic theme song to the show that will reveal the early ages of Middle-Earth. Moderated by late-night show host Stephen Colbert, the panel presented the directors, producers, and actors of the highly anticipated series that will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime. The appendix and the world-building around the original novels are so vast it would take the studio ten seasons to cover it all, but for the sake of brevity the show has only been greenlit for three seasons of ten episodes each.

Many beloved characters such as the elves Galadriel and Elrond will be at the center of the story, alongside new characters like  Durin, king of Moria. The show will visit many places such as Khazad-Dum and Numenor in their full splendor, before the downfall of the dwarves and the self-imposed exile of the elves. The Rings of Power promises tons of magic, death, fire, CGI, friendly hobbits, stubborn dwarves, hideous orcs, greedy humans, and noble elves. 

The panel presented in Ballroom 20 under tremendous applause and cheers is one of the most anticipated shows coming out in the near future on Disney+. The much beloved animated X-Men show from the 90s will have a continuation under the new title of X-Men97. The crowd of attendees could not have given a louder feedback to its panelists as they applauded for every character name, every detail, and every piece of news. The nostalgic theme song that will also be used for the new show brought the crowd to a cheering hysteria. Cyclops, Storm, Gambit, Jean Grey, Rogue, Beast, Jubilee, and of course Wolverine will all be back on the team just like in the good old days. Only one major plot twist was revealed during the panel; following directly after Charles Xavier’s death in the last season of the show, the team’s new leader will be none other than Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto. 

Keanu Reeves was the guest of honor at Hall H presenting BOOM! Comics’ BRZRKR in which he is an immortal god of war, fighting bloody battles throughout the ages driving him dangerously close to madness. His character tries to find sense in his bloodstained existence but catharsis escapes him as he finds that the only thing he can do is to keep killing. The fan-favorite actor has in recent years been in the John Wick movies and the Matrix Resurrections. 

Crunchyroll content manager Lauren Moore was moderating the panel introducing the newest Dragonball movie. Producer and writer Norihiro Hayashida traveled from Japan to present the sequel to Dragonball Super. After Dragonball GT seemed to be the last nail in the coffin for the show back in 1996, the franchise is now enjoying a sort of revival with fans all over the world demanding more content. Original creator and legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama is said to be involved in the project to appease the hardcore fans of the show. 

The panel for FX’s adult animation show Archer has become a veteran at San Diego Comic-Con. The panelists started by showing off the first episode of season thirteen and then remembering the late Jessica Walter who was the voice of Malory Archer with humorous anecdotes. The Agency of spies has been taken over by a new owner. Archer and company will have to decide whether to fight their corporate overlord or succumb to his every whim. 

Collider presented the last panel of the night with three renowned directors. Editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub introduced Chad Stahelski director of the John Wick films, Tim Miller from the Terminator franchise, and Andrew Stanton who has helmed multiple Pixar productions. Together they answered questions from their moderator, fellow directors of the industry such as the Russo brothers, and their fans. An interesting conversation about the industry’s ins and outs, plus and cons. 

Looking at this year’s attendees, the main themes for costumes and cosplays were overwhelmingly one-sided. Disney’s franchises whether in the form of Marvel superheroes or Star Wars characters were absolutely everywhere at San Diego’s convention center. One could spot the occasional Red Hood or Joker but they were lost among the armies of Stormtroopers, Mandalorians, Spider-Men, and Spider-Women.