We’re looking at robotic arms launching riders through simulated superhero training, rally cars bouncing over tough terrain, huge Audio-Animatronics, enormous physical sets, new coaster features and even a journey right into the Mayan Underworld.

Although Disney has also confirmed that a complete reimagining of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is underway, the most exciting announcement gave us a much clearer understanding of how Disney intends to make its new attractions stand out.

This was especially clear at Avengers Campus.

Avengers Campus Is Finally Getting Its Big E-Ticket

Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will finally open in 2028, including two new attractions: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.

Infinity Defense is by far the larger of the two. Iman Vellani will reprise her role as Ms. Marvel and will recruit guests to join the fight against King Thanos—a version of Thanos who actually won. Then, they’ll travel across the Multiverse to gather the Avengers to stop King Thanos.

Disney is committing to creating very large physical environments that combine with similarly huge media scenes as guests travel from one place to another, such as from Wakanda to Asgard and to New York City. The ride system will use the same fundamental technology as Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure at Tokyo DisneySea. Thus, Infinity Defense may incorporate motion, physical scenery, and large-scale digital environments.

The event will also see Jeremy Renner reprise his role as Hawkeye, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and, most excitingly for me, Robert Downey Jr. return as Tony Stark.

Guests Take Flight Thanks to Stark Industries

Downey won’t be stopping there; he will also be at the Stark Flight Lab alongside Mackie and Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel.

The kind of attraction seems entirely different since guests will board two-person “gyro-kinetic pods” which travel along a track before being caught by huge robotic arms. The arms will then lift the pods and perform high-speed flight maneuvers reminiscent of those in Iron Man and The Avengers. In fact, Disney has assigned individual personalities to the robotic arms, drawing on the character of DUM-E, Tony Stark’s robotic assistant.

One of the things I’m most looking forward to, as a huge Iron Man fan, is seeing Downey reprise his role as Tony Stark. Avengers Campus takes place in the Marvel Multiverse and has no ties to the main 616 timeline. This allows Disney to place Tony Stark beside Sam Wilson’s Captain America and other heroes who, in fact, could not have coexisted at that stage in the films.

Villains Land Is Going Big

Plans for Disney’s Villains-themed expansion of its Magic Kingdom were first revealed in 2024. Still, it wasn’t until D23 2026 that the official name, Villains Land, was announced, along with its story and a great deal more detailed information about its two main attractions.

This won’t be a minor addition; Disney has compared the size and scale of Villains Land to that of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

The main attraction will be a Maleficent roller coaster, along which riders will race through enchanted briars surrounding her mountain-top fortress, with Disney hinting that the coaster will include elements the Imagineers have never tried before.

The concept art makes the experience feel appropriately intimidating by depicting dragon-inspired coaster trains rushing through Maleficent’s collapsing fortress, green fire burning from the surrounding towers.

The next attraction takes you down into the ground.

Guests will go down into the catacombs under the Evil Queen’s palace, where the Magic Mirror will take them into a supernatural Mirror Realm full of Disney Villains. According to Disney, the experience will combine special effects with physical sets to bring the setting to life, and concept artwork depicts characters such as Cruella de Vil, Jafar, Dr. Facilier, Scar, and Ursula.

Villains Land is so exciting because Disney has never before devoted an entire park area of this size to its villains. It is impossible to determine whether attractions like Monsters Unchained at Universal’s Epic Universe place any extra pressure on Disney. Yet it is clear that competition has raised the expectations regarding what a modern dark-themed attraction can achieve.

The land will be as large as Galaxy’s Edge and include two main rides, indicating that Disney plans to meet those expectations vigorously.

Piston Peak Brings the Cars World into the “Wheelderness”

The idea of having Piston Peak National Park at Magic Kingdom always seemed like an unusual way of getting Cars into Frontierland. However, the new information about the new Cars ride has made the attraction much more interesting.

Instead of building a new version of Radiator Springs Racers, Disney is focusing on off-road rally racing.

Cars Ridge Run Rally has riders speeding over rough ground that is based on America’s national parks, with them climbing Piston Peak, arriving at a frozen mountaintop, going down a camelback drop, and then finally rushing through a field of active geysers before Lightning McQueen and Mater announce the end of the race for the Racing Sports Network. Disney is emphasizing the bouncing and rough terrain as part of the experience, not just scenery riders pass by.

Since I enjoy motor racing, the idea of a rally event appealed to me. Because rally racing is inherently chaotic, fast, and very bumpy, basing the attraction on that physical sensation could make Ridge Run Rally come across as considerably different from Disney’s current Cars attractions.

The ride next to it, Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, is quite different. This family attraction brings the demolition derby from Cars 3 to life using a school-bus-sized Miss Fritter Audio-Animatronic to supervise the chaos.

The secondary attraction also seems to have an enormous physical centerpiece.

Indiana Jones Is Heading Straight to the Underworld

There has always seemed to be a certain appropriateness about this change. Since DINOSAUR and Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure use the same ride technology, it is almost as if we have come full circle, with the former becoming a completely new Indiana Jones experience.

What Disney is doing isn’t just transferring the Indy ride from Disneyland to Florida.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will take place in an ancient Mayan temple close to a cenote. On this site, a local legend holds that a passage leads down to the Mayan Underworld, taking visitors into a situation much like Indiana Jones’. Various difficulties occur, causing the riders to go through a portal and leading them into encounters with monstrous bats, giant scorpions, fire, and the huge serpentine Tsukán. According to Disney, the Imagineers have been seeking advice from archaeologists, anthropologists, and experts on the Mayans while developing the attraction.

The company has also shown off a massive, hand-sculpted Audio-Animatronic replica of the creature, which towers over the Imagineers standing next to it. Harrison Ford is also officially joining the attraction, confirming that the ride will use his likeness on the Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic. This marks the first time his face has appeared as Indy in a Disney Parks attraction.

Disney Isn’t Finished With Tomorrow

The most unexpected thing about the showcase was also the announcement that gave the least detail.

Finally, Tomorrowland at Disneyland will undergo a complete reimagining.

Disney states that the Imagineers are just at the starting stage of development and therefore there are no final attraction plans. All the company has committed to is a transformation that will include new attractions, more open areas, and a renewed emphasis on the optimism, innovation, and possibility that originally characterized the land. Unfortunately, it’s also been revealed that the Tomorrowland refresh will take precedence over the Avatar Land expansion at Disney’s California Adventure.

If current developments in robotic flight arms, rally racing, giant serpents, vast physical environments, and experimental coaster technology indicate the direction to which Imagineering is moving, what specific plans does the company have when it gets the chance to reinvent Tomorrowland completely?

It is possible that we will not know the answer for a while.

But after what Disney just showed at D23, playing it safe would almost seem out of character.

The post D23 2026: Disney’s Next Generation of Rides Is Getting Wild appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

This year, HBO Max stepped it up for its Lanterns Training Headquarters activation, and it’s easily the top activation during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. This 30-minute experience really made fans feel like they were training to become Green Lanterns. There were different missions and routes, depending on your group number. In my group, we had to blend in with the locals at a local bar, train at the shooting range, and search for the Lantern left by Hal Jordan.

I chatted with a fan who waited 13 hours to participate in the activation. After having done the experience, he said it was worth it. It definitely left an impact thanks to the sets, special effects, and the actors.

Once we had completed two of our missions, we were all given our very own Green Lantern ring. We got to recite the Green Lantern oath. Once we finished the last line, “Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!” the rings lit up the room with a green hue. I literally got goosebumps.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nerd Reactor (@nerdreactor)

Lanterns will debut on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, 2026.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is a spin-off series of The Big Bang Theory. Available now on HBO Max, it follows Stuart as he is tasked with stopping a “multiverse Armageddon” due to accidentally damaging the device. Since Stuart is a comic book shop owner, it was fitting to hold the Stuart Fails to Save the Universe activation inside a comic book shop.

The experience includes going through the shop in search of The Device.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nerd Reactor (@nerdreactor)

The post Lanterns and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Are Easily the Best SDCC Activations This Year appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

However, the biggest surprise was when Coogler announced that David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk), who has made him one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars, will become the grown-up T’Challa from Wakanda Forever.

Jonsson’s casting also feels like a fitting continuation of what Coogler has built across the first two films. Coogler has consistently elevated remarkable performers and allowed the characters to define the story. Jonsson has steadily earned praise for bringing depth and vulnerability to every role he’s taken on. Thus, it makes him an inspired choice to follow in the footsteps of the late, great Chadwick Boseman.

’However, he’s not going to let the pressure of following Chadwick Boseman get to him. “I actually don’t want to say too much, because I want to let the screen do the talking,” Jonsson said. “But believe me, the honor is entirely mine.”

Black Panther 3 hits theaters on December 15, 2028.

The post SDCC 2026: David Jonsson Is Marvel’s Next T’Challa in Black Panther 3 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

During Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige started the panel with one of its biggest surprises. He confirmed that the studio has officially begun work on a new Ghost Rider film. Feige then welcomed Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy to the stage. “You know this is a character that I’ve wanted to play for a very long time. So, Kevin, Josh Horowitz, Hall H, thank you,” said Gosling.

Gosling will play Ghost Rider in what marks the Spirit of Vengeance’s long-awaited debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Levy, who most recently directed Deadpool & Wolverine, is attached to helm the project, while Jonathan Tropper is writing the screenplay.

For a few years now, Gosling has been actively and publicly stating that he would love to play Ghost Rider. Back in 2022, while promoting The Gray Man, he told interviewer Josh Horowitz that if he could choose any Marvel role, Ghost Rider would be the one. Kevin Feige even responded publicly at the time, saying he would love to find a place for Gosling in the MCU. Fast forward a few years, and that conversation has come full circle in the biggest way possible.

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes at Comic-Con, he said that Ryan pitched an idea and a vision for the film to his Star Wars: Starfighter director, Shawn Levy, and then pitched it to Kevin Feige. Feige loved the idea, and here we are, with Ryan finally landing the role he wanted.

Ghost Rider hits theaters in 2028.

The post SDCC 2026: Ryan Gosling’s Dream Finally Comes True as Marvel Announces Ghost Rider appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The trailer leans heavily on providing more information about Victor Von Doom. It’s also clear Marvel is taking inspiration from the Fantastic Four comics by emphasizing that Reed Richards and Sue Storm knew Victor long before he became an armored tyrant. Speaking to the assembled and seemingly defeated force of Avengers, X-Men, and New Avengers, Sue reflects on the man Victor used to be.

“Victor was always the smartest guy in every room,” she says. “He used to be different. He used to be kind, used to be caring. But then everything he loved was taken from him. I knew he was lost, but I did not realize that he was broken.”

As she speaks, the trailer cuts to the haunting image of the mother and child from the official Avengers: Doomsday poster—suggesting that whatever tragedy shaped Victor lies at the heart of everything that’s about to happen.

Next, Reed Richards confronts Doom amid massive destruction, with Thor visible among the devastation. “Victor, did you do this?!” Reed demands while Doom stares hatefully at Reed.

“All of you have lived stolen lives. Now you must give them back,” Doom says.

Reed shouts again, desperate for an answer. Afterward, Doom flies out the window; he glides downward with his cape spreading behind him.

“I swear, you will beg for hell long before I grant it.” Then, a montage also gives us a glimpse of Love, Thor’s daughter, and a shot of Steve with his baby and more dramatic shots of our heroes. Thor attacks him and blocks Stormbreaker with two fingers. He flings Stormbreaker aside and easily blasts Thor away. Doom then uses sorcery to raise an army of Sentinels from the ground. “Hell answers to me,” says Doom.

If this trailer is any indication, Marvel isn’t treating Doom as just the next Avengers villain. They’re presenting him as Marvel Comics’ most powerful and iconic villain. As a comics-accurate villain that Marvel fans have been waiting for.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th.

The post SDCC 2026: Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Brings Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four Together for War appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Creative Director Marcus Smith, Game Director Mike Daly, Senior Project Director Jess Reiner-Reed, and Narrative Director Walt Williams appeared alongside Marvel Games Executive Producer Eric Monacelli. Liam McIntyre (Logan) and Krizia Bajos (Jean Grey) were also there to discuss their characters and the relationship forming between them.

The biggest takeaway is that Insomniac is not simply dropping Wolverine into the familiar. There is no Xavier Institute. Mutants are scattered, frightened, and largely forced to survive in hiding.

Logan and Jean Grey’s uneasy reunion

The Story Trailer opens with an enraged Logan confronting Jean Grey, only for the situation to suddenly expose a far more vulnerable side of him. Whatever has happened between these two, Jean appears capable of seeing past the anger, sarcasm, and carefully constructed walls Logan uses to keep everyone at a distance.

Bajos described the two as sharing something close to a cosmic connection. It’s no secret to X-Men fans that Logan has carried feelings for Jean for decades. Although Jean hasn’t reciprocated feelings, Jean still cares deeply for Logan. Jean can see his wounds—presumably not just the ones his healing factor can close—and understands that there is more to him than the violent man standing in front of her.

In Marvel’s Wolverine, Jean has been moving from place to place and gradually discovering that other people like her exist. She wants to give those mutants something she never had: somewhere safe enough to stop running. Jean may be laying the earliest foundation for something that eventually becomes the X-Men, even if nobody in this world has thought of that name yet.

Then she meets Logan, a rugged stranger who does not exactly look like the community-building type, yet seems willing to put himself through hell to protect people he barely knows. 

The Hand enters Wolverine’s world

The Story Trailer also introduces the Hand as one of the game’s major enemy factions. For those unfamiliar with the comics, the Hand is an ancient, demon-worshipping order of assassins that serves a supernatural entity known as the Beast.

Although the organization is traditionally more closely associated with Daredevil and Elektra, their reach extends throughout the Marvel Universe. Of course, Wolverine has crossed blades with them many times—especially their leader.

Lady Deathstrike is leading the Hand

Insomniac’s largest change to the Hand may be the identity of its leader. Jess Reiner-Reed confirmed that Lady Deathstrike commands the organization in Marvel’s Wolverine and will be one of Logan’s most dangerous enemies.

Lady Deathstrike is one of Wolverine’s most personal recurring foes. Her father, Lord Dark Wind, developed the process that allowed adamantium to be bonded to bone. His stolen research eventually reached the Weapon X program, where it was used to coat Logan’s skeleton. Believing Wolverine’s body represented the theft and corruption of her father’s legacy, Yuriko transformed herself into a cyborg with long adamantium claws. She dedicated much of her life to hunting him.

She has worked with the Reavers and other anti-mutant forces in the comics, but she is not traditionally the Hand’s supreme leader. That is an Earth-1048 invention, and honestly, it makes a strange amount of sense. Deathstrike already has the design, discipline, Japanese background, and obsessive hatred required to stand at the center of an army of supernatural assassins.

The Hand also gives Insomniac a natural path to Japan. Japan is not just another stop on Wolverine’s worldwide journey. It’s a foundational part of his comic history. Some of his most important stories involve the Yashida family, his love for Mariko Yashida, his friendship with Yukio, his rivalry with Silver Samurai, and his struggle to live by a code of honor that does not always agree with his instincts. Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s original Wolverine miniseries from 1982 is the defining Wolverine storyline—presenting Logan as more than an animalistic berserker with claws.

Whether any of those characters appear remains unknown. Still, sending Logan to Japan while placing Lady Deathstrike and the Hand directly in his path feels very intentional.

Trask Industries is hunting mutants

The other major threat comes from Trask Industries and its billionaire owner, Bolivar Trask. Unlimited wealth combined with an uncompromising worldview can cause enormous damage, and Trask has both. He views mutants as an existential threat and is using his resources to remove them from the world.

In the comics, Bolivar Trask becomes the creator of the Sentinels. His fear of mutantkind leads him to build machines he believes will protect humanity, only for those machines to repeatedly decide that the easiest way to protect humans is to control or eliminate everyone who might produce mutants in the future.

The game has not abandoned that anti-mutant ideology, but Trask’s immediate weapon appears to be the Reavers rather than an army of Sentinels.

Insomniac describes the Reavers as a cybernetic militia operating as guns for hire. They capture mutants and deliver them to Trask. Similar to Lady Deathstrike and The Hand, the Reavers are established comic villains who don’t normally work for Trask. They began as cybernetic mercenaries and were later reorganized by Donald Pierce, a mutant-hating cyborg associated with the Hellfire Club.

Insomniac is effectively combining several different branches of anti-mutant hatred into one ecosystem. Trask supplies the money and ideology. The Reavers provide the technology and manpower. Deathstrike and the Hand bring something older, darker, and far more personal.

There are no X-Men—at least not yet

Eric Monacelli confirmed that the X-Men do not currently exist in this version of Earth-1048, the same universe used for Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games. In this world, Logan is not a member of the X-Men. There is no Professor Xavier available to explain mutant politics, unlock a hidden memory, or point him toward the next mission. The people in this world are still figuring out what mutantkind is and whether it can survive long enough to form any kind of community.

Nathaniel Essex and Team X

The closest thing the game has to an organized mutant team is Team X.

In Insomniac’s continuity, Team X was created during the 1960s by Nathaniel Essex as a special-operations unit meant to combat the threat posed by Bolivar Trask. Logan left the group three years before the events of the game, apparently under ugly circumstances. Essex felt abandoned by his departure, and Logan’s return is not exactly being treated as a happy reunion.

Anyone who reads X-Men comics should recognize Nathaniel Essex as the real name of Mister Sinister. Sinister is an immortal geneticist with a sick obsession to the studying, manipulating, cloning, and improvement of mutant bloodlines. Sinister has a particularly disturbing fixation on Jean Grey and the Summers family, even creating Jean’s clone Madelyne Pryor as part of his experiments.

Making him the founder of a mutant team is new, but it fits his personality in the worst possible way. Essex rarely helps mutants out of compassion. He collects them, studies them, alters them, and treats their lives like pieces in an experiment only he understands.

The comic version of Team X is different as well. There, they’re a covert unit with a connection to the Weapon X and Weapon Plus programs. Its roster has included Wolverine, Sabretooth, Maverick, John Wraith, Mastodon, and Silver Fox. Their memories were repeatedly manipulated, leaving the team unsure which missions, relationships, and betrayals actually happened.

Insomniac appears to be borrowing that paranoia while changing who brought the team together and why. In Marvel’s Wolverine, the Team X roster is Wolverine, Sabertooth, Mystique, and Sunfire.

Insomniac wants players to feel like Wolverine

Mike Daly said Insomniac set out to create its version of the Wolverine players already understand: cynical, candid, emotionally guarded, and far more compassionate than he wants anyone to notice.

That meant treating his abilities as more than a list of combat mechanics.

Of course, claws naturally sit at the center of the action. However, his healing factor, heightened senses, berserker rage, and adamantium skeleton also influence how he moves through a fight. Logan can track enemies, detect incoming danger, absorb punishment, and push forward with a physical weight that separates him from Insomniac’s much lighter and more acrobatic Spider-Men. 

Adamantium does not simply make Logan difficult to kill; it makes him extraordinarily heavy. Every leap, tackle, and claw strike should feel like it is coming from someone carrying hundreds of pounds of nearly indestructible metal inside his body.

Then there are the missing memories.

Memory loss has followed Wolverine through most of his history. The Weapon X program subjected him to experiments, mental conditioning, and false memory implants until even Logan could no longer separate his real past from the lives other people manufactured for him.

The game is not an origin story, but players will peel back the layers of Logan’s history and discover what happened during his years with Team X. That gives Insomniac a fresh way to explore different periods of his life without reducing the entire plot to another retelling of his story.

Wolverine crosses over with MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls

The panel also revealed a collaboration between Marvel’s Wolverine and MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

Wolverine’s stylized Tōkon costume will be unlockable through normal progression in Marvel’s Wolverine beginning on launch day. In return, the Battle Reborn suit designed for Insomniac’s game will arrive in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls as a free costume for all players on September 1.

A Wolverine prequel comic is available now

Insomniac also released an official digital prequel comic for Marvel’s Wolverine during SDCC.

Written by Narrative Director Walt Williams, with artwork by Luke Ross and a cover by Iban Coello, the comic takes place before the main game. It explores Logan’s difficult relationship with the other members of Team X during a mission to protect mutantkind.

Physical copies are being distributed at SDCC while supplies last, but the comic can also be read digitally through Marvel Unlimited.

Marvel’s Wolverine launches exclusively for PlayStation 5 on September 15th.

The post SDCC 2026: Marvel’s Wolverine is Angry, Haunted, and Ready to Fight appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Topics included their favorite anime, who would win in a battle royale, and the mystery behind the Prism Devices in their music videos.

Check out our video interview with cosmosy below!

cosmosy has been busy releasing a lot of new music this year, including “Paradise ~ I need you ~”, a super catchy song that features the members trying to get the Prism ring. They even channeled the music video’s aesthetic with some of their outfits in the interview.

cosmosy will be performing in Los Angeles at KCON LA 2026, which will take place at the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center from August 14 to August 16, 2026.

The post cosmosy Talks Anime, Music, and the Mystery Behind the Prism Devices at Anime Expo 2026 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Moderated by Lisle Wilkerson, best known for voicing Nina Williams and Christie Monteiro in the Tekken series, the panel was lively, entertaining, and engaging. The first half of the panel focused on the popular WEBTOON manhwa ELECEED, which is being adapted into a TV anime series by DandeLion Animation Studio and will premiere worldwide in April 2027. The shonen web series, translated into 10 languages and still ongoing, is currently at chapter 393, with new updates weekly. For fans of the manhwa, Penguin Random House will also be releasing the print editions in North America next year.

ELECEED

At the panel, special ELECEED guests included the illustrator ZHENA and the author Jeho Son, who shared behind-the-scenes stories with the audience. When asked what anime had first inspired their craft, Jeho Son said it was Laputa: Castle in the Sky, one of Studio Ghibli’s most influential films, that he kept watching over and over. For ZHENA, it was the Rose of Versailles that made her heart beat so hard that she hopes her work might do the same for others one day.

Fans of the manhwa also learned that the cat version of the character Kayden, was originally supposed to be a dog. Jeho Son said that while preparing to pitch ELECEED to ZHENA, he changed his approach at the last minute and presented it as a “fat cat on the streets” story rather than a heavily action-oriented one, believing the latter would’ve made her less likely to join the project. In response to this remark, ZHENA emphatically nodded. And since ZHENA’s own cat is orange, it eventually became the final look of the important character. 

ZHENA also kept expressing that she was nervous working on the project, and Jeho Son explained that it was because he kept on emphasizing to her that the human version of Kayden had to be the “best-looking and coolest character ever,” while the cat version had to be the “laziest and most pitiful-looking.” It all worked out since the manhwa is almost 8 years old now and still going strong.

When an audience member asked how much input the author gives the artist beyond the Kayden character, it was revealed that although Jeho Son spearheaded the story, ZHENA provided feedback on certain characters, especially the ones she had worked hardest to draw. He couldn’t bring himself to kill off characters she felt particularly attached to!

Fans can look forward to the anime premiering in April 2027, but in the meantime, here’s the newest trailer:

RE:BEL ROBOTICA

The second half of the panel brought in a new guest, illustrator Mika Pikazo, known for her vivid, colorful style and most recognized for her character design work on the video game Fire Emblem Engage. Mika’s work was also featured prominently at this Anime Expo, as she designed the newest promotional art for the official magazines, banners, flyers, and more. You can’t mistake her style, which focuses on expressive eyes, hyper-saturated neon color palettes, chaotic composition, and sharp line work, which was heavily influenced by her 2.5 years living in Brazil after graduating from high school. 

Now, she’s working on an anime that was originally a self-published manga from Comiket called RE:BEL ROBOTICA with animation studio SILVER LINK. When the producer first saw her doujinshi, he was drawn to her beautiful use of color and wanted to bring that unique visual style to life through animation. The work also asks what the world will be like in 2050. Will advanced technology really make people happy?

There’s an incredible team surrounding the anime, including:

• Director Shin-Onuma, known for the Fate Prisma Illya series 
• Screenplay by Ryo Yoshigami, known for Psycho-Pass
• Composer Yuki Kajiura, known for Demon Slayer, Sword Art Online, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and more

All we know is that the anime will officially premiere sometime in 2027. In the meantime, here’s the newest trailer, until we get more updates:

Anime Expo, the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America, will return next year to the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2 to July 5, 2027.

The post ELECEED Anime and Mika Pikazo’s RE:BEL ROBOTICA Revealed at Anime Expo 2026 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Fans in Southern California who want to meet them will get a chance at this week’s Fan Expo Anaheim at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series that was the template for the popular characters fans see today including Ahsoka Tano.

“When we first were announced and people found out about our project, they were not excited,” Taber tells Nerd Reactor. “Star Wars animation was not something that had been around. So there was a lot of skepticism, especially with the character of Ahsoka. We talk about this all the time. So, in general, people were like, ‘I don’t know about this.’ I always tell this joke that some of my friends, they didn’t even watch the show. They were like, ‘Oh, a cartoon,’ and then a couple of years later they watched Clone Wars, and they were like, ‘Dude, your show’s so good!'”

Fans will get to meet Catherine Taber this weekend at Fan Expo Anaheim, and she talks about her appreciation for them.

“I am meeting people who love what we do and are so grateful, and how can I not feel grateful for that?” she said. “So it’s like a mutual love fest, and then I meet the coolest young people. And sometimes they’re going through things in their life that are difficult. And I feel like I get to have a moment with them where I could be encouraging, and that’s been the greatest gift.”

James Arnold Taylor on Obi-Wan Kenobi

James Arnold Taylor’s credits include Magneto in Marvel Rivals and Tidus in Final Fantasy X, just to name a few. His most well-known role is Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars universe.

“I’ve actually, and I never say this with a bloated ego, but I’ve played more Obi-Wan than even Ewan McGregor and Sir Alec Guinness combined,” the actor said.

Taylor loves meeting people who love the world the actors were a part of.

“I have just felt like at every convention, I am meeting people that love what we do and are so grateful.”

Brendan Wayne, the Mandalorian

The Mandalorian series is a huge hit on Disney+ that spawned a live-action feature film, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Pedro Pascal is known as the voice of the titular character, but the actor underneath inside the suit is mainly portrayed by Brendan Wayne. Star Wars fans will instantly recognize that walk.

“I mean, honestly, it’s incredible,” Wayne said. “Like I could sit, come over and grab some tissue, I guess, and whine about something, but at the end of the day, dude, I really do have the best of both worlds.

There are positives to being an actor in a Star Wars project in a helmet.

“I get to be a part of my kids’ lives without interruption at dinners and things like that,” he explained. “I mean, I watch Pedro; I’ve been out with him. It’s rough, dude.”

Fans will also get to meet Wayne at Fan Expo Anaheim, and like everyone else, he’ll be excited to see Mark Hamill.

“But as far as going to cons, I’m gonna do Fan Expo Anaheim, and I’m doing it because Mark Hamill’s gonna be there.”

Fan Expo Anaheim is running from June 26 to 28, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Celebrity guests include Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), The Lord of the Rings‘ Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, and many more.

The post ‘A Mutual Love Fest’: Star Wars Actors Reflect on Fan Connection Ahead of Fan Expo Anaheim appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The inspiration comes from Tokyo’s alley culture, where guests will get to walk through an immersive corridor featuring Hulu’s anime lineup. From paper lanterns to cherry blossoms, anime characters and interactive moments are around every corner.

You can check out the image renders above and below:

Expect to see the following anime featured, which are available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.

• Naruto Classic
• Tokyo Revengers
• Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
• Rooster Fighter
• Mission: Yozakura Family
• Though I Am An Inept Villainess
• Undead Unluck: Winter Arc

Hulu Animayhem Yokocho will be showcased from July 2nd to July 5th at Anime Expo 2026 on the Los Angeles Convention Center floor.

Here’s the official description for each of the areas:

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Photo Opportunity

Step into the world of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War and take your place alongside life-size standees of Ganju, Chad, Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu. Fans step into the sixth spot in the lineup to capture a selfie station keepsake, instantly delivered in a branded digital frame.

Naruto Classic Photo Opportunity

Step into Naruto’s favorite restaurant and take a seat beside a 2D cutout of him at the open stools and pose for photos with bowls of (faux) ramen.

Rooster Fighter Interactive Activity

Join life-size cutouts of Keiji, Piyoko, and Elizabeth for the Rooster Fighter Dance Challenge, where fans can dance solo or with friends as animated character overlays dance alongside them in a recorded video keepsake. If you get lucky, you might just get a surprise visit from an actual rooster mascot.

Tokyo Revengers Dragon Graffiti

Step into the world of Toman with a full-width street wall featuring iconic Tokyo Revengers art and the legendary dragon tattoo at its center creating an instant, shareable moment that puts fans right where they’ve always wanted to be: standing with the gang.

Mission: Yozakura Family Interactive Activity

The Yozakura family overslept, and you only have 60 seconds to pack the family’s gear! Guests can participate in a collaborative puzzle-like game, packing the family’s case in a short amount of time.

Though I Am An Inept Villainess Photo Opportunity

Join Kou Reirin and Shu Keigetus on the Maiden Court. Guests will be asked a question and join either side for their court portrait photo opp.

Undead Unluck: Winter Arc Photo Opportunity

Face off with Apocalypse – the devilish book that always has something to say. Don’t get whisked into the Winter Arc confrontation!

The post Hulu Animayhem Transforms Anime Expo 2026 with Immersive Yokocho Experience appeared first on Nerd Reactor.