Apparently, Marvel fans are disappointed, sad, and upset about the lack of announcements at this past weekend’s D23 Expo.
Rumors offered that Henry Cavill would be joining the MCU possibly as Hyperion in Loki Season 2 or even as Wonder Man.
That didn’t happen.
There were loads of rumors surrounding the casting of Fantastic Four including one YouTuber “calling it” that Jodie Comer has been cast as Sue Storm in the flick. In the scooper’s defense, he did leak that Charlie Cox Spider-Man: No Way Home scene.
Well, that also didn’t happen.
Then, as THR points out in their article titled “Marvel Disappointed the Rumor Mill at D23” with an SEO title of “Marvel Fans Sad Henry Cavill, Jodie Comer Rumors Were False” – where they attempt to hilariously scold MCU fans for having high expectations – a Twitter account mostly known for sports commentary and a racing podcast had been “reliable informed” that Marvel announcements at D23 would include Henry Cavill, Denzel Washington, John Krasinski, Giancarlo Esposito, John Boyega, Jodie Comer, and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
That also didn’t happen.
THR offers about all the rumors that they have “no apparent basis in reality.”
What is interesting is that apparently, Marvel is well aware of all the rumors as the article notes: “But false scoops have begun to impact, however slightly, the public opinion on official announcements and even shape the conversations surrounding films. It’s ultimately a minor concern at present in the grand scheme of things, but interesting in respects to how social media continues to drive fan-culture and how that relationship will continue to evolve.”
How does the scoop game work?
Regarding Marvel fans being “sad” about the scoops not coming true (yet?), I do think those fans that follow those types of things make up a small percentage, but I will say I was also disappointed with the D23 Marvel announcements (complete rundown here) as nothing was new.
I wasn’t so much disappointed about all the rumors not coming true, as I didn’t expect much, but I was really, really surprised nothing was mentioned about Deadpool 3.
I’ll add that regarding the scoop game, oftentimes it is from the studio or people connected to the studio who drop the information to see what the fan reaction might be as it is free publicity and keeps fans talking about the project.
What also can happen is that various producers (or managers) might want different actors cast in whatever role so they leak info to see the fan response. That could be happening with Fantastic Four.
Other times the scoops are actual leaks such as what happened when I revealed the Avengers: Endgame title before Infinity War came out. Truth be told now, the information came from my 13-year-old son who was at a sleepover where one of his buddies said the title. Apparently, the kid’s parents are friends of Marvel. Wow. What a lotto hit that was.
Following me leaking the title, it was hilarious to see what ensued as other scoopers tried to cover for Marvel and came up with all kinds of different titles including “Annihilation,” and I even think it was THR that ran that article about how “some guy” came up with the “avengers endgame” domain name out of the blue, but of course, it was after I leaked the title, and of course, THR and other shill sites didn’t credit me (lol).
I also know that leaks have happened because someone wants something promoted or feels it should be promoted while the studios or producers are doing nothing about it. That’s how my Crisis leaks from the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 came about (and Abrams on Superman). There were no DC announcements at Comic-Con and someone felt there should have been. I laughed seeing Guggenheim’s response.
Leaks so also come about when people are butting heads (ahem.. Zack Snyder and Geoff Johns) or if there is a disgruntled employee. Marvel better be careful how they treat their VFX artists. That’s all I’ll say.
Other times leaks come about from simply having conversations with friends who are connected to Hollywood. For example, Batman producer Michael Uslan was walking down the street this year near the San Diego Comic-Con where a friend I was with had a conversation. The same friend is the one who told me Henry Cavill can return to Superman if he wants to and that Dwayne Johnson wants to take over the DC films.
Other times it’s simply being in the right place at the right time. I’ve gone to NFL games where I’ve met people that work for Disney and who don’t mind chatting Star Wars. A writer on Marvel movies went to a local Catholic high school. A mentor to a Marvel director filmed a movie locally. Etc.
I’ll also add that some of the so-called scoops are pure BS as I know for a fact that a certain website out there got into trouble with Facebook for “fake news” rumors.
I’ll finish up and say that I really hope Marvel fans are not feeling “sad” by the “lack” of news, and while it’s true we are all hardcore about this, there is much more to life than feeling “sad” about some Marvel announcement or lack thereof.
Go out there and live! Go to a music concert. Go to a live sports game. Hang out with some friends or go make new ones!
