D23 Preview: Here's What I'm Realistically Expecting For X-Men, Avengers Doomsday and More

D23 is tomorrow, and I want to break down exactly what Marvel Studios and Disney could realistically show us during their panel. This matters a lot right now because we got nothing on X-Men at San Diego Comic-Con, but multiple insiders are now saying the cast has finally been locked down, which means D23 could be the moment we finally get our first real look at the team.

We did not get anything for X-Men at all at SDCC, and from what I understand, that was because the full cast had not been locked in yet at the time. Now it looks like Marvel Studios has locked down at least the majority of the cast, and it seems possible they could announce or even show that cast at D23.

An Insider Says The X-Men Cast Is Already Set, With A Surprise Planned

I want to talk about a report from an insider that basically states the X-Men have been cast, and this is not the first time we've heard that from an insider. It seems like there is some kind of a surprise planned for D23, whether that surprise is simply the X-Men being announced at all, or a surprise in terms of which actors landed which roles, since there have been a lot of casting rumors and I think some fan-favorite actors may not actually be the ones who got the parts.

The account No More Mutants posted about getting a lot of DMs asking to reveal the entire X-Men cast, stating: "One, it's already been revealed and leaked on this social network and Reddit... I'm not going to spoil the D23 surprise. Interesting. Most of the actors have already been named by bigger accounts. Enjoy what's coming. The Marvel Studios reboot looks very promising with lots of new projects and actors and actresses. Don't pay for the information from basically Patreon accounts." I'm not certain if every character has been named at this point, but there have been a lot of reports circulating about who these characters will be.

James Mack's Leaked Lineup Includes Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Rogue, Angel And Iceman

As I mentioned in another video, James Mack has said from what he is hearing, the X-Men team in the first movie of the reboot will consist of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Rogue, Angel, and Iceman, though obviously other mutants will appear as the Xavier school takes shape, including a confirmed Magneto, Emma Frost, Storm, and Xavier. He later corrected himself to say Rogue will not actually be part of the core X-Men team, but she will be at the school and will play an important role.

It's worth noting that James Mack has a track record of being right on leaks, especially around the Doomsday trailer. Before that trailer dropped, he posted about a Yelena versus Mystique confrontation on the Avengers Doomsday set, and that scene did end up in the trailer. So this could be the cast, or at least part of it, that gets presented at D23.

Why X-Men Content Makes Sense For Marvel And Disney Right Now

Disney owns Marvel, and even though they're different departments with Kevin Feige running Marvel, both know fans want X-Men content. Now that Doomsday, Ghost Rider, and a lot of other reveals happened at SDCC, and we're past Spider-Man Brand New Day, Marvel is looking to the future. They obviously can't reveal anything for Secret Wars yet, so it's looking like D23 could bring a Vision Quest trailer, an X-Men '97 season 3 announcement or footage, possibly Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2, and an Avengers Doomsday trailer.

Global Ticket Sales For Avengers Doomsday May Go Live Tomorrow Morning

It has been reported by a lot of people that tickets might go on sale globally for Avengers Doomsday tomorrow, with a few different insiders talking about this. It's been rumored the sale would start at 9 a.m., though it's unclear if that's Eastern, Pacific, or Mountain time. From what I'm hearing, it's actually 9 a.m. Pacific time. Global ticket sales usually come with a new trailer.

I don't think they would put tickets on sale in the morning without a trailer and then wait until D23 to release a new one to the public. It's more likely they release the trailer in the morning alongside the tickets and then show that same trailer again at D23. They could surprise us with a one-off scene or piece of footage, but honestly I'm not expecting much new Doomsday material at D23 itself, since it was already covered heavily at SDCC and the morning ticket sale would likely include the trailer already.

That Leaves Room For X-Men To Take The Spotlight At D23

If Doomsday's trailer drops in the morning with tickets, that frees up the afternoon panel to focus on X-Men, which I think a lot of fans really want at this point since we already know a great deal about Doomsday. A lot of insiders online have said they expect an X-Men announcement, and the general consensus among them seems to line up on that point.

There could also be Daredevil Born Again season 3 footage and possibly something about Avengers Endgame content. The insider Doom Servant said what seems certain for D23 is Vision Quest, maybe something on Doomsday, and X-Men. However, there are mixed signals on Daredevil season 3: one source said it would be there but only with Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, while another said it wouldn't be included because it's such a packed panel. It certainly is a packed panel, since D23 covers Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic too, so Marvel doesn't get the same dedicated time and focus as something like Hall H.

Comparing This To SDCC, Where Ghost Rider And The Doomsday Cast Stood Out

Looking back at SDCC, some people were underwhelmed overall, but I thought Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider was really cool, and it was great seeing most of the Avengers Doomsday cast come together on stage. As far as what the biggest reveal at D23 could be, X-Men makes the most sense to me.

Why I Think Spider-Man Ties Into The Future X-Men Team

None of this is confirmed, but as Marvel ramps up marketing for Avengers Doomsday and the future of the MCU while riding the hype from Spider-Man Brand New Day, I expect X-Men marketing to increase too. Without giving spoilers, Spider-Man Brand New Day teased a lot of future things, not just one path, particularly around Spider-Man's involvement with different groups going forward. I do think Spider-Man will be one of the focal points even with the new X-Men team and that he'll be heavily involved with them. We've heard reports that some fans will love him and others will hate him because of events in Spider-Man Brand New Day, where he inadvertently caused certain things that eagle-eyed fans believe will lead eventually to the X-Men.

So I do think we should get something at D23, but I'd keep expectations relatively in the middle. They're going to give us something big, but whether it's as big as revealing the entire X-Men cast, I hope so, though it's not confirmed. We'll just have to wait and see.

Do you think Marvel reveals the full X-Men cast at D23, or are they saving that surprise for later?