The Avengers Assemble at the D23 Expo on Sat, Aug 20th!

It looks like we might be getting what we Marvel fanboys wanted at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 after all… just not AT SDCC 2011 (it’s a bit too late for that, don’tchathink?). Turns out that Marvel will be hosting not one, but two big panels at the Disney D23 Expo. Chief Creative Officer, Joe Quesada, will be overseeing both, but only one will feature the cast of the Avengers (that we know of)!

It has already been announced that Marvel had a slot on the D23 Sunday schedule, talking about all things Marvel, but it was just about an hour ago that a new panel was announced that would feature some or all of the Avengers cast and possibly our first look at extended footage from the film. I guess it’s understandable that new parent Disney would want to draw attention to their own mega-convention rather than show it off in the middle of the San Diego Geek Spectacular, where it could either get harshly, unfairly judged or blithely overlooked amidst all the noise that competes for our attention every year at the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter. Not counting Sony‘s promotion for the Amazing Spider-Man and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Marvel did the bare minimum when it came to showing off the Avengers at Comic-Con (which isn’t like them), with a piece of the Avengers set, Cap’s costume, a few random signings with director Joss Whedon and Captain America star Chris Evans, and a collection of character posters, pins, eye-patches, etc.

I think a lot of us wanted the stars and some footage at Comic-Con this year. Not just waving from the stage and smiling like last year (which was a great surprise, but it’s getting time to up the ante). We want at least a decent tease on what we can expect next summer from what could be the mightiest superhero franchise in history. I have complete faith in Joss, these actors, and these characters, but I think it’s time for them to stop holding out on us. I don’t need super-spoilerific stacks of stuff (I HATE trailers that give away the entire story). I just want to see these actors interact. And I want to see these heroes stand side-by-side in costume on a big BIG screen.

Hopefully, that’s what we’ll be getting at the D23 Expo, this August 20th at 10:30am in the Arena (seats about 4000). For more information on D23 tickets, directions, and event times, go to D23Expo.com or Marvel.com.

The D23 Expo takes place August 19-21, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, just across the street from Disneyland!