Selling Funko!: Marvel Animation Presents Panel at NYCC

Monday, October 9, 2017

Marvel Animation Presents Panel at NYCC

Hugh Sheridan reporting from NYCC for Bleeding Cool

Cort Lane (Marvel’s SVP Animation & Family Entertainment) and guests discussed the company’s upcoming projects at their “Marvel Animation Presents” panel at NYCC on Sunday.

First off they showed the first 10 minutes from an upcoming episode of Marvel’s Spider-Man featuring Venom. Spider-Man encounters the character and spends the episode trying to figure out his identity under the symbiote – he seems to think that it’s Tony Stark, and the show hints that Max Modell may be him. In the show they call the symbiote “V252”– a clear reference Amazing Spider-Man #252 in which the black costume/ symbiote debuted. One of Spider-Man and Venom’s fights in the show involves scenes in the Cup’ o’ Joe café – after the presentation Lane revealed that Joe Quesada will appear in the series and act as a kind of mentor to Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

The panel was joined by the voice artist for Gamora – Nika Futterman and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Season 3 -Mission: Breakout was discussed. She talked about how much fun she has on the series – they take more breaks and finish earlier than other shows and she thinks this is because the voice cast gel so well together.

Lane talked about how the symbiotes have appeared in the show before during the Planet of the Symbiotes arc, and now this will lead in to a full-fledged crossover with Marvel’s Spider-Man. That story will feature a cameo from Stan Lee where 3 symbiotes escape from The Collector and Lane showed a short clip from the episode.

An animatic breakdown from an upcoming episode was then shown. In the story the Guardians have been dispersed across different dimensions and Gamora ends up in world that resembles old Disney cartoons with her suddenly taking on the appearance of a Disney Princess –with predictable results as Gamora is not a cuddly character. The clip featured funny animals singing and dancing around her – but Futterman revealed that they switch very quickly and “turn in to bloodthirsty villains”.

Then Kathreen Khavari the voice of Ms. Marvel from Marvel’s Avengers: Secret Wars joined the panel. Cort Lane described Ms. Marvel as “the main point of view character in Secret Wars”. She is a “very passionate person” who” teams up with other heroes to save the other Avengers.”

He then talked about the fourth season of the show – Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest and revealed the storyline – “the core Avengers are taken out and Black Panther has to lead a disparate group to individually rescue the Avengers”

He then went through some upcoming projects, revealing design art from Black Panther’s Quest and showing some clips from Marvel’s upcoming Funko and Lego shorts. He also announced a brand new Lego short – Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda.

The audience got to ask Lane a few questions – could the Champions appear in any of the animated series? ”I can answer no to that” said Lane.

Will there be more continuity and crossovers between the shows?” There’s the most direct continuity between Guardians of The Galaxy and Spider-Man because there is not “a lot of conflict there” in terms of storylines but “This stuff” – continuity “has always been part of what makes Marvel great “so they are open to more of it.

Someone asked if any of the Web Warriors be introduced in Marvel’s Spider-Man? “There are some things I can’t talk about Season 2, but if you look at Season 1 there is a path to superherodom for Miles Morales, Anya Corazon and Gwen Stacy“

Finally Lane seemed to give away some major news – when asked if there could be a Squirrel Girl animated series Lane revealed that there would be – he said there were definite plans that would be announced “later in the year”.