5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend Presented by State Farm®

By Courtney Potter

Well, we’ve made it to the official start of summer—and while there are so many fun activities to take us out of doors, why not plan to spend at least part of this upcoming weekend with your favorite streaming device and some quality entertainment from around the worlds of Disney? We’ve got a brand-new series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the hip-hop stylings of a 12-year-old mathematical genius; a certain extremely popular chef and his crew; and so much more. Scroll on for a smattering of what to expect…

In an image from Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, from left to right, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) sit next to each other inside a warmly lit room. They have concerned looks on their faces. Maria is wearing a dark V-neck T-shirt; Nick is wearing a dark red sweater turtleneck and a black beanie; he is not wearing his usual eyepatch.

Secret Invasion—premiere episode now streaming on Disney+
In Marvel Studios’ new, original live-action series Secret Invasion, set in the present-day Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and the Skrull Talos (Ben Mendelsohn)—who has made a life for himself on Earth—and together they race against time to thwart the imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity. D23 recently attended the series’ virtual press conference—read up on how the whole exciting show came together by clicking here

In an image from National Geographic’s Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper, host Christian Cooper is standing in the Salton Sea, a vital stop for migrating birds. Behind him is a dead tree with nests that used to be homes to Great Blue Herons.

Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper—new series now streaming on Disney+
After premiering first on Nat Geo WILD last weekend, this brand-new series—perfect for the whole family—comes to Disney+. Life-long birder Christian Cooper takes us into the wild, wonderful, and unpredictable world of… you guessed it: birds! Whether navigating volcanic terrain in Hawaii for elusive honeycreepers; trekking into rainforests in Puerto Rico for parrots; or scaling a bridge in Manhattan for a peregrine falcon, Cooper does whatever it takes to learn about these extraordinary, feathered creatures and show us the remarkable world in the sky above.

In an image from FX’s The Bear, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is standing in his restaurant’s kitchen. He’s leaning over a counter and writing out a menu on the top of a pizza box. His arms are covered with tattoos and he wears an apron. Behind him are various ovens and burners, with pots and pans strewn about.

FX’s The Bear—Season 2 now streaming on Hulu
The new season of FX’s critically acclaimed series—recommended for mature audiences only—follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Golden Globe® winner Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), and Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot. As they strip the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertakes transformational journeys of their own—each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future.

In an image from the Disney+ original movie World’s Best, Prem (Manny Magnus) is seen performing with his father (Utkarsh Ambudkar); they’re both wearing black and white graphic button-down shirts, and are standing behind a microphone on a mic stand. The room is relatively dark, but you can see a crowd of people surrounding them, and light is shining on everyone’s faces from below. A neon sign that says “Wild” is seen on the wall behind them.

World’s Best—premieres Friday, June 23, on Disney+
This all-new hip-hop musical comedy adventure follows 12-year-old mathematics genius Prem Patel (Manny Magnus) as he navigates the tumultuous hardships of adolescence… and if that weren’t enough, he discovers his recently deceased father (Utkarsh Ambudkar) was a famous rapper, and immediately sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar. His actions may appear reckless, and the quickest way for him to lose everything—but Prem, empowered by imaginative hip-hop music-fueled fantasies where he performs with his father, is determined to find out if hip-hop truly is in his DNA. As his father always used to say, “The world’s best never rest!” Ambudkar—known for (among many other things) his work with the hip-hop improv comedy group Freestyle Love Supreme—co-wrote and co-executive produces the film, and also co-wrote the film’s original songs.

In an image from Disney Channel’s Hamster and Gretel, Bailey (voiced by Priah Ferguson) and Gretel (voiced by Meli Povenmire) are sitting on the branch of a large tree. They’re both smiling. Bailey is wearing glasses, a yellow sweater, and green pants; Gretel is wearing a turquoise top and orange shorts.

Hamster and Gretel—Saturday, June 24, at 9 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel
The episode’s two stories include: “Let’s Sea What You’ve Got,” in which Gretel (voiced by Meli Povenmire) and Bailey (voiced by Priah Ferguson) experiment with Gretel’s powers at the beach; and “Churro’s Day Out,” where Churro the dog has a day out while the family gets a portrait done. Listen also for the vocal stylings of Beck Bennett as Hamster, Joey King as Fred, Michael Cimino as Kevin, and Matt Jones as Dave.

Meet the Characters of Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion

By Emily Hewitt

It’s hard to know who’s friend or foe when the alien Skrulls are wearing their human “shells.” Deceit goes both ways, though, when a faction of Skrulls comes to believe that Nick Fury, the man who promised to find them a new home planet, has let them down in the new Disney+ Original series from Marvel Studios, Secret Invasion.

“I felt that the Skrulls could be used as a metaphor for the current state of the world,” executive producer Jonathan Schwartz says, “and the spread of disinformation and lack of trust.”

The live-action series unfolds in the present-day Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), several decades after the events of Captain Marvel. Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, leaves the space station of the intergalactic agency S.A.B.E.R. and returns to Earth, where he learns that a rebel Skrull group is plotting to abolish the human race to claim the planet for themselves.

As we get ready to dive into this espionage thriller, let’s introduce many of the characters we’ll meet along the way.

 

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)
When Fury comes back from S.A.B.E.R. to investigate the Skrull invasion, he knows he hasn’t followed through on his promise to find the alien race a new home. “He’s been sort of incognito and up there on S.A.B.E.R. for years, and it’s so long since he’s been in touch with people,” Jackson says. “He’s ghosted a lot of people, and so when they call him, he’s not coming back down to Earth super willingly.”

In place of his trademark black leather coat and eye patch, Fury now wears a tweed coat and wool sweater with his scarred eye visible. This new appearance reflects his vulnerability and exhaustion from decades of continually fighting—to the point that he doesn’t really know who he is anymore. Viewers will also see how his mistakes affect the people around him.

“The thing that excites me about Secret Invasion is that you get to see another side of Fury—a more human and grounded side of what you would imagine Nick Fury to be at this point of his life, where all of these things that he has experienced have caught up with him,” says Cobie Smulders, who plays S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill.

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, the Skrull Talos, played by Ben Mendelsohn, is in his human form, wearing a collared denim shirt and black coat. He has a worried look on his face.

Talos (Ben Mendelsohn)
Talos, the Skrull warrior we first met in Captain Marvel, is back and grappling with what it means to be a leader while at odds with those closest to him, including Fury. “His most powerful working relationship is gone,” Mendelsohn says. “Nick Fury’s gone. He doesn’t have the alliance and the advantage of having Fury on the ground with him on Earth.”

Talos is still searching for a place where the Skrulls can survive—a task that gets more complicated when his daughter, G’iah, is put in danger.

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders, sits beside Fury in a house, both staring off into the distance.

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)
Maria Hill, the decorated spy who’s always loyal to Fury, joins the fight against the Skrulls’ invasion. Just as she always has, she will continue taking risks to defend other people. Hill was first seen alongside Fury on the big screen in The Avengers (2012) and played a vital role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). The Maria Hill character seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) was revealed as a Skrull imposter!

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, Agent Everett Ross, played by Martin Freeman, stands in a dim lit room with a red light across half his face. He is wearing a gray hat and a dark green wool sweater.

Agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman)
CIA Agent Everett Ross—a major player in both Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022)—receives information about the impending Skrull invasion. With the information from Agent Prescod (Richard Dormer), Ross determines that Fury must return from the S.A.B.E.R. space station to help deal with the threat.

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, G’iah, played by Emilia Clarke, is standing in a dark cave with her face illuminated. She is wearing a pink and gray striped shirt and a deep pink jacket.

G’iah (Emilia Clarke)
We briefly met G’iah as Talos’ young daughter in Captain Marvel, but she is now a fierce and pragmatic Skrull warrior. Her relationship with her father “is incredibly complicated,” Clarke says.

“You get to see a domestic side to both Talos and Fury that you haven’t seen up until this point,” Clarke adds. “You get to see them at home, for want of a better word, in a very extreme situation, obviously. And G’iah is a part of that for Talos. And the world’s best dad award probably isn’t going to him. He’s raised a fighter, and the relationship that they have is built around her proving herself.”

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, Sonya Falsworth, played by Olivia Colman, is holding a syringe with a needle attached to it. She is wearing a burgundy coat and black shirt.  

Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman)
Fury meets his match when Sonya Falsworth joins the MCU. She’s a seasoned MI-6 agent who will protect England at any cost. With a tea-offering demeanor, she doesn’t come across as the deadliest of opponents. She believes all Skrulls are bad and has been tracking Gravik and the rebels for some time.

“Sonya is an old friend of Nick Fury, and they respect each other,” Colman says. “Even though they like each other, they still don’t entirely trust each other. They’ve got a long history.”

Colman performs the part with a humor and lightness that contrasts with Fury’s and Talos’ drama and intensity, according to director Ali Selim.

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, Colonel James Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle, is sitting across a table from Fury and wearing a blue blazer, maroon tie, and blue shirt while holding a glass.

Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle)
Colonel James Rhodes, introduced in the Iron Man movies and most recently seen in the Disney+ Original series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), is back and has to make some tough decisions when he learns of the impending Skrull invasion.

In a scene from the Marvel Studios series Secret Invasion, Gravik, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, is shouting in his Skrull form, meaning he is green with large pointy ears.  

Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir)
Gravik, a new face in the MCU, is the mastermind behind the Skrull’s mission to take over Earth. He believes the promise of a new home for the Skrulls has gone unfulfilled for too long. Believing Fury will never come through, Gravik takes it upon himself to make things right.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to Take Its Final Bow in Season 4

By Zach Johnson

It’s now or never.

Today, Disney+ shared the teaser trailer for the fourth and final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, streaming Wednesday, August 9, with all eight episodes. After an epic summer at Camp Shallow Lake, the Wildcats return to East High, where they prepare a stage production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year. However, plans are disrupted when Principal Gutierrez announces that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie on location at their beloved high school.

“After four years at East High, it’s time to graduate. This will be our final, endgame season,” series creator and executive producer Tim Federle, who continues his multiyear overall deal with Disney Branded Television, said on social media. “This show brought the most extraordinary cast—and crew, and collaborators—to my life. To the fans, who embraced our super-meta series: we ‘don’t not love you.’ We can’t wait to share this epic 4th act with you all.”

 

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series debuted with the launch of Disney+ in 2019 and has launched notable careers such as Grammy® Award winner Olivia Rodrigo; Tony Award® nominee Julia Lester; singer-songwriter Joshua Bassett, who recently completed a sold-out world tour; and Dara Reneé, who next stars in the upcoming Disney+ Original movie Descendants: The Rise of Red. The series has also featured outstanding guest stars, including Jordan Fisher, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jojo Siwa, and Derek Hough, to name a few.

High School Musical franchise alumni Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, and Kaycee Stroh will play themselves in Season 4, while also resurrecting their High School Musical roles as Chad Danforth, Taylor McKessie, Ryan Evans, Coach Jack Bolton, Ms. Darbus, and Martha Cox, respectively. The Wildcats will play featured extras during the filming of the Reunion movie.

In a scene from Season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Monique Coleman and Corbin Bleu play themselves. They are both holding microphones.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series stars Bassett as Ricky, Sofia Wylie as Gina, Reneé as Kourtney, Lester as Ashlyn, Frankie Rodriguez as Carlos, Kate Reinders as Miss Jenn, and Liamani Segura as Emmy. Recurring guest stars include Kylie Cantrall as Dani, Matthew Sato as Mack, Caitlin Reilly as Quinn, and Vasthy Mompoint as Krystal, who join familiar faces such as Mark St. Cyr as Mr. Mazzara, Matt Cornett as E.J., Larry Saperstein as Big Red, Joe Serafini as Seb, Adrian Lyles as Jet, and Saylor Bell Curda as Maddox. The first three seasons of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are all streaming on Disney+.

From Disney Branded Television, the Emmy® Award-nominated, GLAAD Media and Kids Choice Award-winning series was inspired by the High School Musical film franchise. Collectively, the films and series became the most successful Disney Channel (turned theatrical and streaming) franchise ever, and one of the longest-running series on Disney+.

QUIZ: Start the Party and Celebrate 15 Years of Camp Rock

By Courtney Potter

Hard to believe, but it’s been 15 years since we spent our summer at Camp Rock and first met Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) and the boys of Connect 3—played by Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas… collectively known in real life, of course, as the Jonas Brothers.

This fan-favorite 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie was filled to the brim with camp hijinks and more music than you could shake a guitar at… so we figured, in honor of its auspicious 15th anniversary, we’d test your Camp Rock knowledge. How well can you rock? Take the quiz and find out!

What kind of job does Mitchie’s mom Connie get at Camp Rock, so her daughter can attend?

Correct! Wrong!

Wanting to impress her cool new camp friends, Mitchie lies about her mom’s work—what does she tell them?

Correct! Wrong!

What does Jason ask Shane to make him at camp?

Correct! Wrong!

What not-quite-finished song does Shane sing to Mitchie next to the lake?

Correct! Wrong!

Rise and shine! How does Brown wake up Shane one morning at camp?

Correct! Wrong!

What food does Tess fling at Caitlyn in the mess hall?

Correct! Wrong!

Mitchie and Caitlyn are accused of stealing what from Tess (thereby getting banned from camp activities, until the end of Final Jam)?

Correct! Wrong!

Finish this lyric from “This Is Me”: “Even though it seems like it’s too far away, I have to believe in myself, _______.”

Correct! Wrong!

What early ’90s MTV personality appears in Camp Rock (and also co-wrote the script)?

Correct! Wrong!

Disney Channel U.K. created a singing competition based on the film, that aired for two seasons between 2009 and 2010. What was it called?

Correct! Wrong!

Start the Party and Celebrate 15 Years of Camp Rock
Don’t be embarrassed; not everyone knows the ins and outs of late 2000s Disney Channel Original Movies... but you can change all that, and quickly. “Play the Music” and check out Camp Rock posthaste—it’s available right this minute on Disney+!
Not too shabby! But you need a little more rehearsal... kind of like Tess, Ella, and Peggy in the lead-up to Final Jam. Put on your sweats (and don’t forget your baseball cap!), and we’ll meet you in the dance room.
Congratulations: You’re a Camp Rock expert! Celebrate by breakin’ out your keyboard and jammin’ some killer tunes like producer Caitlyn—you’ll have the whole camp dancing in no time!

Everything New You Can Stream on Disney+ in July 2023

By Zach Johnson

Starting this July, Disney+ will begin debuting a collection of 28 newly restored Walt Disney Animation Studios classic shorts. What’s more, the new The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Silly will debut on Disney+ on Friday, July 28. In it, Mickey Mouse takes a stroll down memory lane by watching old home movies, but when he accidentally unleashes hundreds of “Steamboat Willie” Mickeys from the film reel, he and the gang must stop them from wreaking havoc on the town with their old cartoon antics.

Earlier in the month, another animated series—Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire—will premiere on Disney+ with all episodes. The action-packed animated sci-fi anthology presents 10 futuristic visions from Africa inspired by its diverse histories and cultures. Throughout the month of July, Disney+ will add a number of SHARKFEST specials from National Geographic; new episodes of beloved Disney Channel series; and so much more!

All the titles coming to Disney+ in July are listed below:

Sunday, July 2
Bull Shark Bandits (Special)
Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead (Special)
Most Extreme Sharks (Season 1, 4 Episodes)
Return of the White Shark (Special)
Saved from a Shark (Special)
Shark Below Zero (Special)
Shark Eat Shark (Special)
Sharkcano: Hawaii
Sharks vs. Dolphins: Bahamas Battleground (Special)
When Sharks Attack 36 (Season 1, 6 Episodes)
When Sharks Attack… and Why (Season 1, 5 Episodes)

Wednesday, July 5
Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes (Season 1, 5 Episodes)
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (Premiere) (All Episodes Streaming)
Secret Invasion (Episode 3)

Friday, July 7
Aquamania
Bath Day
Building a Building
Figaro and Frankie
Goofy Gymnastics
The Skeleton Dance

Jeff Jenkins poses for a photo at an Adirondacks lumber yard in New York.

Wednesday, July 12
Bluey (Season 3, 10 Episodes)
UFOs: Investigating the Unknown (Season 1, 5 Episodes)
Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins (Season 1, 8 Episodes)
Secret Invasion (Episode 4)

Friday, July 14
Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Story 2023 “Gift” at Tokyo Dome (Premiere)

Zoey Johnson (Yara Shahidi) reclines on a gray couch and looks at her younger brother, Andre “Junior” Johnson (Marcus Scribner), in a scene from Season 5 of grown-ish.

Wednesday, July 19
America’s Funniest Home Videos (Seasons 20–22)
grown-ish (Season 5, 18 Episodes)
Hailey’s on It! (Season 1, 5 Episodes)
Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (Season 5, 6 Episodes)
Secret Invasion (Episode 5)
SuperKitties (Season 1, 4 Episodes)

Wednesday, July 26
Life Below Zero: Port Protection Alaska (Season 6, 16 Episodes)
Me & Mickey Shorts (Season 2, 10 Episodes)
Mickey Mouse Funhouse (Season 2, 5 Episodes)
Pretty Freekin Scary (Season 1, 7 Episodes)
Raven’s Home (Season 6, 5 Episodes)
Secret Invasion (Episode 6)

Friday, July 28
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Silly (Premiere)

Disney+ to Debut 27 Restored Classic Walt Disney Animation Studios Shorts

By the D23 Team

Disney+ will begin debuting a collection of 27 newly restored Walt Disney Animation Studios classic shorts starting on Friday, July 7, featuring such iconic stars as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and the studio’s first star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. This year marks the centennial of Walt Disney Animation Studios, which is being honored as part of the ongoing Disney100 celebration.

Ranging from classics to lesser-known titles, this package of short films includes examples of Disney’s earliest theatrical shorts, as well as a wide range of entertaining shorts featuring Disney’s most beloved characters. Chips Ahoy, a 1956 CinemaScope short starring Donald Duck and his chipmunk rivals (pictured below), will conclude the series in October, leading up to The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary on Monday, October 16.

In this image from Chips Ahoy, Chip and Dale skim across the surface of a lake from right to left, with Dale in front and Chip holding onto his tail.

The restorations were spearheaded by the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation team, led by director Kevin Schaeffer, working in close collaboration with creative advisors from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The latter included Dorothy McKim, special projects and 2D animation producer, along with color supervision by Mike Giaimo and animator Eric Goldberg. This same team recently restored Cinderella and is currently working on a restoration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

“We are thrilled to be working with Kevin Schaeffer and the Studio’s restoration team in presenting these beautifully restored versions of classic Disney animated shorts,” McKim says. “Two of our top artistic talents have lent their expertise and passion to the project to make sure that the films look their very best and are authentic to the creative intentions of the original filmmakers. We’re very excited to be sharing these wonderful shorts with the Disney+ audience. They have never looked or sounded better.”

A full list of the restored shorts follows:

A skeleton hunches over a tombstone in a scene from The Skeleton Dance short.

Premiering Friday, July 7:

  • The Skeleton Dance (1929)
  • Building a Building (1933)
  • Bath Day (1946)
  • Figaro and Frankie (1947)
  • Goofy Gymnastics (1949)
  • Aquamania (1961)

In this image from the animated short Mickey’s Steam Roller, Mickey Mouse drives a speeding steamroller from right to left along a city street. Minnie Mouse is in the cab of the steamroller, behind Mickey. A puff of smoke emerges from the smokestack at the front of the steamroller.

Premiering Friday, August 11:

  • Barnyard Olympics (1932)
  • Mickey’s Steam Roller (1934)
  • Donald’s Nephews (1938)
  • Goofy and Wilbur (1939)
  • Donald’s Cousin Gus (1939)
  • The Flying Jalopy (1943)

In this image from the animated short Playful Pluto, Pluto is in a grassy yard confronting a garden hose. He’s frowning at the hose and has one front leg raised to stomp out a leak in the hose while he also shakes water off his body.

Premiering September 5–8:

  • Trolley Troubles (1927)
  • All Wet (1927)
  • The Barn Dance (1929)
  • Playful Pluto (1934)
  • Mickey’s Kangaroo (1935)
  • Merbabies (1938)
  • Bone Trouble (1940)
  • Pluto, Junior (1942)

In this image from the animated short When the Cat’s Away, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse dance in the middle of a room, while other mice stand in the background. Mickey, on the left, is dipping Minnie. There’s a sign hanging on the wall behind them that reads Home Sweet Home.

Premiering Friday, October 6:

  • When the Cat’s Away (1929)
  • Fiddling Around (1930)
  • Camping Out (1934)
  • Wynken, Blynken and Nod (1938)
  • Old Macdonald Duck (1941)
  • Inferior Decorator (1948)
  • Chips Ahoy (1956)

We Like Him When He’s Angry! The Hulk’s Top 5 Fights in the MCU

By Zach Johnson

Ever since Bruce Banner first transformed into The Hulk in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, he’s made smashing impacts on some of the biggest villains—and heroes!—in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (It’s not always easy to tell who’s who when you’re angry all the time!) In celebration of The Incredible Hulk making its long-awaited Disney+ debut today, we’ve rounded up five of the so-called Strongest Avenger’s most memorable fights in the MCU.

The Hulk smashes his fists into the ground, causing it to erupt.

5. The Hulk vs. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk, 2008)

Perhaps the only person angrier than The Hulk is Abomination (Tim Roth). After he wreaks havoc in Harlem, it’s up to The Hulk to stop him. “Any last words?” Abomination bellows, swinging a metal chain in the air. Pounding his firsts into the ground, The Hulk replies, “Hulk... smash!” This turns the ground into rubble, giving him the upper hand. But after an appeal from Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), he elects to spare Abomination’s life.

The Hulk picks Loki up by his feet and slams him into the ground, left and right.

4. The Hulk vs. Loki (Marvel’s The Avengers, 2012)

The Battle of New York is one of epic proportions—and for the newly formed Avengers, it proves just how mighty they really are. After taking down countless members of the Chitauri army, The Hulk sets his sights on the “puny god” they serve, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). He tosses him around like a rag doll, leaving him to contemplate his total and utter failure.

Thanos holds The Hulk overhead, then throws him onto the ground.

3. The Hulk vs. Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War, 2018)

No one can shake The Hulk’s confidence quite like the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin). Having just acquired the Power Stone from Xandar, Thanos intercepts the spaceship carrying Asgard’s survivors—and easily overpowers The Hulk, to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki’s surprise.

In the town square, The Hulkbuster repeatedly punches The Hulk in the face.

2. The Hulk vs. Hulkbuster (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015)

Leave it to Bruce and Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Disney Legend Robert Downey Jr.) to think two steps ahead. Aware that The Hulk could cause a major catastrophe at a moment’s notice—as he does in Johannesburg—Iron Man deploys the Mark XLIV Iron Man Armor to restrain and contain The Hulk. Easier said than done, of course, since he won’t “go to sleep.”

Thor smacks The Hulk in the face with a weapon during combat.

1. The Hulk vs. Thor (Thor: Ragnarok, 2017)

After Thor crash-lands on Sakaar, the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) forces him to compete in the Contest of Champions. To Thor’s surprise, his opponent is none other than The Hulk—“a friend from work.” But it quickly becomes apparent that The Hulk isn’t going to take it easy on him. In fact, it isn’t until the Grandmaster intervenes that the fight comes to an end.

Behind the Scenes of Stan Lee with Director David Gelb

By Zach Johnson

Everyone knows Disney Legend Stan Lee... but they’ve never seen him quite like this.

From Marvel Studios and acclaimed director David Gelb, Stan Lee is the official documentary about Lee and his journey to become one of the most influential people in the world of comic books and pop culture. Tracing his life from his challenging upbringing as Stanley Lieber to the meteoric rise of Marvel Comics, the film tells Lee’s story in his own words. Using only archival material—from personal home video, interviews, and audio recordings—the film examines Lee’s origin story and what emerged from it: a universe of stories with three-dimensional characters that continue to resonate with people worldwide.

As Stan Lee makes its streaming debut on Disney+, Gelb joins D23: The Official Disney Fan Club for a Q&A.

A miniature of Stan Lee reclines on a couch with one hand behind his head. Paper is crumpled on the floor. A notepad, comics, and a coffee cup are on the table next to him.

D23: What made you want to tell Stan Lee’s story in this format?
David Gelb (DG): I’ve always been a big fan of Marvel Comics; they were my go-to when I would go to the comic book store. It had so much to do with the humanity, the relatability, and the interconnectedness of the characters, as well as Stan’s own voice—whether it was little editorial notes or things from Stan’s “Bullpen Bulletins.” My mom got me a big volume of Marvel Comics from the ’60s that had classic, hand-picked fan-favorite stories, and I also had How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Stan’s writing was always in my head when I was a kid. The way he used big words, he didn’t talk down to his fans. I’d have to go into the dictionary to look up what “loquacious” meant, for example. He had an immense respect for his readers, and he tried to bring comic books to a place where they really meant something. It was very inspiring to me as a kid; it was my favorite thing. I made a career out of telling stories of very inspiring people who have achieved great things, and so when the opportunity to make this documentary about Stan came to me, I leapt at the chance. I was really humbled and honored by the challenge of doing it. I wanted to make something he would’ve loved—that tells his story from his point of view and does it justice.

D23: With previous projects, you had access to your subjects. That obviously wasn’t the case here, as Lee is no longer with us. After sifting through archival material, how did you fill in the gaps in instances where he wasn’t available to elaborate or explain himself?
DG: That was the greatest challenge, even with the thousands of hours of material. He did so many interviews and so much writing; he was probably one of the most prolific authors ever. There were moments where I wished I could just call him and ask him what he meant, or I that could ask him to follow up on something. But thanks to our research team, we’d isolated the story points we really cared about, and then we really dug deep to find the pieces we needed to tell Stan’s story. We wanted to make the film a memoir of Stan’s creative life and his creative journey from his time working with Marvel. We had to figure out: How did he do it? And why did he do it? That was our compass—the humanity of Stan.

A miniature of Stan Lee makes a phone call from his desk.

D23: Once you figured that part out, how did you put it all together?
DG: We looked at in terms of, “What are the most important things that really inspire us? Who are the characters with the most interesting origin stories? Let’s dive into those and then portray them in the most visually entertaining way we can, using miniatures and animated comic panels—all the tools of cinema, really—along with Stan’s voice.” He was the master of telling other people’s origin stories, and we wanted to tell Stan’s origin story.

D23: Lee was larger-than-life. How do you distill that origin story into an 86-minute film?
DG: That’s why we had to focus our story and make it a memoir of his creativity, because his life was very big and very complicated, and there are many facets to it. What I was most interested in was getting to the bottom of what had inspired me as a kid, which is this universe that he had created, and these unique and interesting characters that he had co-created with his collaborators. How did he do that? And where did these ideas come from?

D23: Without giving anything away, where do those ideas come from?
DG: Something Stan often talked about was how Marvel Comics is the world outside your window. Those were things that inspired him. He wanted to take reality and then, through comic books, teach lesson or make a statement about inequality. In the case of X-Men, they were an allegory for the gay rights movement and the civil rights movement. All of these things come from the real world. His own experiences as a kid had everything to do with the experiences of Peter Parker. We were so inspired by the fact that nobody had done this before—that nobody had made a vulnerable, relatable superhero. We were really moved by that. It was really about Stan Lee’s perspective of the world—as well as his co-creators’ perspective—and how he translated that through his characters. That’s why his characters mean so much to people; they’re not just random guys with superpowers. They have an origin story that means something, and they’re fighting for something that means something. They make mistakes and learn from them. That is the experience of any human.

A headshot of Stan Lee director David Gelb

D23: Lee was an open book, but what surprised you about as you were making this film?
DG: Stan was a very sensitive person. He grew up in very uncertain circumstances in the Great Depression. He was anxious about money. He describes this moment of when he would listen to his parents arguing about money and the uncertainty it made him feel. He just wanted to get a job so he wouldn’t have to live in fear. He wanted to be able to provide for himself and, eventually, his family. He cared deeply about his family. He also went through some personal tragedies that are detailed in the film. Yes, he’s this larger-than-life character you’ve seen on TV, but he’s a real person. There is a delineation a little bit between the character of Stan Lee that he presents when he goes on late-night talk shows, cracking jokes and everything, and the real guy with real sensitivities. We cover the conflicts and the great highs and lows with his key collaborators, Steve Ditko and [Disney Legend] Jack Kirby. We have footage that shows his sensitivities and emotions regarding that—wanting to give them credit, and at the same time, standing up for what he came up with. These are real things that any person goes through in a collective creative process. We wanted to show him, just as he did with his own comic book characters, as a human being—to show him as somebody who has an urge to make an impact on the world, but who also just wants to make enough money to take care of his family, to make sure that the people working around him are satisfied and are able to keep working. It’s just very human.

D23: What do you hope Disney+ viewers take away from your Stan Lee documentary?
DG: Stan’s key message—which he talked about quite a bit—is to believe in yourself. If you have something you want to say, believe in it and you may succeed. You may not. But don’t give up on your vision because somebody else is says it’s a bad idea. Everybody said he was crazy for trying to make comic book characters that were relatable or vulnerable, that used big words. These are all things that people thought that he was nuts for, but it turned out he was right. I think that what Stan wants to convey—and what we want to convey—is that if you believe in something, go for it. And don’t let the pessimism of others bring you down.

Gathering Intel from the Secret Invasion Cast and Crew

By Zach Johnson

“Who do you trust?”

That’s the central question in Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, a new Original series premiering Wednesday, June 21, on Disney+. (It’s also the tagline in the Secret Invasion comics, a limited series of eight issues published in 2008 and written by Brian Michael Bendis.) Because, as it turns out, a faction of rebel Skrulls is done waiting for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to find them a new home planet. Considering that the alien race can shape-shift into anyone they choose, well... trust is lacking.

“It’s a very human show,” Ali Selim, who directs all six episodes, said at a recent press conference. “It’s the Nick Fury story. He’s a human. He does have his own version of superpowers, but they’re not like superheroes’ superpowers. It’s a story about him putting his feet back on the ground once again after some time. I like stories that come from the heart, that are human-scaled, then reach for a universal appeal, rather than the reverse.”

According to Kevin Feige, executive producer and President of Marvel Studios, it was executive producer Jonathan Schwartz who first imagined adapting this story for Disney+. “Jonathan came into my office a number of years ago—when we were thinking about what kinds of shows to do on Disney+—with this idea of translating the great Secret Invasion storyline from the comics in a darker, grittier spy show, which we hadn’t done,” Feige said. “We love to do different genres for everything, and this was an attempt to dive back into things we touched upon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but hadn’t in a while—really delving into the tone of a spy show and seeing this very different dynamic between Fury and Talos than we had seen in our [1990s-set] buddy-action movie Captain Marvel.”

The rebel Skrull leader Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) sits alone, with his hands clasped, in an abandoned room. Sunlight pours in from the broken window behind him.

Noting that the espionage series will play out like a “political thriller,” Selim said each episode will tackle “very simple human emotions, like trust and suspicion,” in addition to diving into “the personal life of Nick Fury and the inner life of Nick Fury”—something he’s managed to conceal from nearly everyone since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. more than 30 years ago.

Now that he’s left S.A.B.E.R. and is back on Earth (much to his chagrin), Fury will “lead you to all these other people that are really, really interesting,” Jackson said. For the first time in years, he will reunite with old friends such as Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Cheadle), and agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), as well as Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman). “They’ve got history,” said Colman, who makes her MCU debut in Secret Invasion. Like the carefully trained MI6 agent she portrays, Colman didn’t say much else about her role. “She’s quite funny,” the Academy Award® winner added, “and she’s potentially a little bit not that nice sometimes.” Ever direct, Jackson said Colman’s character is “possibly the most dangerous woman in the U.K.”

Naturally, Fury’s prolonged absence has damaged his longstanding partnership with Hill. “I think their relationship is quite strained,” Smulders says, “because she’s been calling, and he hasn’t been answering him.” After both Hill and Fury vanished during the five-year Blip, things got... complicated: “I think Maria Hill came back, someone else was sitting in her desk, and she immediately kicked them out and got to work. I think there was a mountain of cases to get to, which is part of her resentment towards Fury, because he wasn’t around.”

Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman) stands in a library and holds a wooden owl.

Audiences will soon be introduced to several new characters, including Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), a young rebel leader; G’iah (Emilia Clarke), Talos’ daughter; Pagon (Killian Scott) and Beto (Samuel Adewunmi), Gravik’s trusted followers; and U.S. President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney). “I love working with Ben,” Clarke said. “Obviously, there’s tension all over the shop, but there is a deep familiarity, and a shorthand, and a knowledge of each other. It’s just so easy and free, acting with Ben. It’s gorgeous. We had a giggle, didn’t we?”

Clarke added that none of the MCU veterans offered much advice about “being in the world of Marvel.” Rather, they simply made sure to create an inviting set that enabled her to give her best performance. “You’ve just gone to the top of the tree, and then you find everyone who’s there is just having a really good time,” she said. “That’s kind of how it felt.” Ben-Adir agreed Marvel “really looks after you,” while Mendelsohn said, “Marvel has the best people you’ll ever work for. In 40 years, no one has come close to working for Marvel.”

Colman, a longtime fan of the MCU, feels the same way. “After every Marvel film that’s landed in cinemas, I phoned my agent and said, ‘Please, can I be in a Marvel [project]?’” she recalled. “Finally, either she got fed up with me calling her, or it just happened. So, it wasn’t, ‘Why Secret Invasion?’ Secret Invasion called, and at the mention of the word ‘Marvel,’ I went, ‘Yes... Please!’ I had an absolute ball, and it’s lived up to everything I was hoping for.”

An Exclusive Sneak Peek at Villains of Valley View Season 2

By Emily Hewitt

What’s in store for the characters of Villains of Valley View this season? D23 got the inside scoop from Isabella Pappas (Amy Madden) and Kayden Muller-Janssen (Hartley) on the pleasures and perils that fans can look forward to in Season 2 of the hit series., debuting June 15 on the Disney Channel.

The new season follows Pappas’ character Amy who struggles to balance her life in Texas with deciding to take on her new role, leader of supervillains, in Centropolis.

“In the first two episodes you really get to see her kind of struggle over this decision,” Pappas tells D23. “It’s kind of what her family’s owed but then, at the same time, it would mean losing everything that really matters most to her.”

As an impulsive person, Amy grows into herself throughout Season 2 by learning to put her loved ones first, Pappas shares.

“She realizes, as the episodes go on, that she’s hurting her family and she has to deal with the fact that maybe she needs to feel a little bit guilty. Maybe she needs to change just a little bit,” Pappas says.

Along with Amy jumping in and out of the supervillain lifestyle, her parents, Eva and Vic Madden, will also get caught up in villainous activities that even Amy thinks are too extreme.

Amy’s loyal best friend, Hartley, meanwhile, continues to grow throughout the season as she goes on more supervillain excursions with the Maddens.

“The stakes are raised not only for Amy and the family, but also for Hartley,” Muller-Janssen says. “A lot of new threats come to town, which means a lot more messes that Hartley needs to clean up.”

Another familiar face this season? Hartley’s grandmother, Celia, who will continue appearing at precisely the wrong times when the Maddens are up to their villainous activities—providing even more comedic relief.

“I am concerned for Celia because I do not understand how she has not caught on yet. I’m at the point of thinking maybe she really does know that they are villains, but is trying to play it down because there has been one too many situations of her being in the middle of a villain altercation,” Muller-Janssen shares.

There’s a new supervillain in town who will play a big role in Season 2. This new threat will leave viewers on the edge of their seat as it is unclear if Amy will come out on top, according to Pappas.

“It was really cool to see a villain that was of our age,” Pappas says. “It’s more of an even chance because they’re sort of on the same playing field.”

Not only do the Maddens have to battle supervillains in Centropolis, but they also must face relatable real-life challenges, such as getting jobs, unraveling their family’s history, and being responsible.

“The things that they are going through emotionally and physically are things that we would actually go through when we were in high school or maybe kids nowadays,” Muller-Janssen says. “This season definitely just raised the stakes and also has a lot more life lessons to learn and very beautiful heart-to-heart moments that are going to be really lovely for everyone to see.”