OM DENNE EPISODE
Episode Summary
D23 dropped a MOUSE-SIZED MOUNTAIN of nerd news, and Yung Phil & Jahmez are breaking down the biggest announcements from Marvel, Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and the Disney Parks!
Marvel's new X-Men cast is officially assembling, including Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm and Adam Driver entering the mutant universe as Nathaniel Milbury, aka Mister Sinister. Plus, we dig into Avengers: Doomsday, VisionQuest, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Namor rumors and the MCU's road toward Secret Wars.
Then D23 opens the floodgates: a revamped Tomorrowland, Avengers Campus expansion, Harrison Ford joining the new Indiana Jones attraction, a massive Disney Villains Land, Kingdom Hearts IV, a Disney+ Kingdom Hearts series, Pixar's Ghost Market, Hexed, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Incredibles 3, Zootopia 3 and more.
Finally, we jump to a galaxy far, far away for Star Wars: Zero Company, the Fortnite/Galaxy's Edge crossover and an Ahsoka Season 2 trailer loaded with lightsabers, Thrawn, witches, space battles and explosions.
Along the way, we ask why Tomorrowland still smells like gasoline, demand a Power Rangers anime, contemplate Toy Story 17 and Frozen 31, and discover the inevitable Disney sequel: Frozen Assets. 😂
⏱️ Timestamps & Topics
00:23 – Welcome to Chapter 287 03:33 – Marvel News: Straight From J. Jonah 04:00 – Spider-Man: Brand New Day box office 06:57 – Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2 09:54 – VisionQuest, Ultron & the original Human Torch 13:00 – Namor, Black Panther 3 & Doctor Doom theories 15:35 – Peggy Carter's possible Doomsday twist 17:00 – Avengers: Doomsday trailer & Endgame Encore 20:01 – Marvel's new X-Men cast & Adam Driver 26:41 – DC News: Watching the Watchtower 27:08 – Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner in Mister Miracle 32:08 – Lanterns discussion 33:55 – One Shots & farewell to Hayden Panettiere ~40:00 – More rapid-fire entertainment news ~46:00 – Why we NEED a Power Rangers anime 50:34 – THE D23 MEGA-BREAKDOWN begins 50:49 – Disneyland's Tomorrowland overhaul ~56:00 – Avengers Campus expansion & new Marvel rides 1:01:26 – Harrison Ford & the new Indiana Jones attraction 1:05:52 – Disney Villains Land 1:09:56 – Kingdom Hearts IV & Coco 1:11:32 – Kingdom Hearts Disney+ series 1:14:47 – Pixar enters horror with Ghost Market 1:17:15 – Hexed and Disney's marketing problem 1:20:36 – Jon Favreau's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit 1:22:58 – Incredibles 3 1:26:40 – Zootopia 3 ~1:28:00 – More Disney/Pixar announcements 1:40:10 – Star Wars takes over 1:40:42 – Star Wars: Zero Company 1:42:50 – Galaxy's Edge x Fortnite: Smuggler's Gambit 1:45:36 – Ahsoka Season 2 1:51:04 – Was D23 a win for Disney? 1:52:12 – What's next for Distance NERDing
💡 Key Takeaways
- Marvel's X-Men era is taking shape, with a young mutant roster and Adam Driver positioned as Mister Sinister.
- VisionQuest looks significantly bigger thanks to James Spader's Ultron and deep-cut Marvel Easter eggs.
- Disney saved plenty of ammunition for D23 rather than letting Marvel dominate every announcement.
- Villains Land could become one of Walt Disney World's biggest draws, especially with its Maleficent coaster and Magic Mirror attraction.
- Kingdom Hearts is expanding in a huge way with both Kingdom Hearts IV and a Disney+ series.
- Pixar continues experimenting with original ideas through the supernatural Ghost Market.
- Ahsoka Season 2 appears ready to dramatically increase the scale of its lightsaber action, space battles and Thrawn storyline.
- Disney's 2027-2028 pipeline is getting absolutely ridiculous. It is, as Yung Phil puts it, "a good year to be a nerd."
😂 Best Bits & Quotes
"Can we put them on a break?" Yung Phil's proposed Facebook solution for perpetually angry fanboys.
"There you go. Now we're paying Pedro." Jahmez finally gets the Reed Richards emotion he wanted.
"Why do the X-Men have so many Nathans and Nathaniels?"
"There better be a dragon on that." Yung Phil establishes the minimum acceptable standard for a Maleficent roller coaster.
"Frozen taxes. Frozen assets." The Disney sequel machine has officially entered accounting.
"It's for research." Jahmez, giving Yung Phil the legally binding excuse he needed to play Fortnite.
And after pitching a Power Rangers anime, the chat naturally escalates matters to a John Wick x Power Rangers crossover. Because apparently subtlety was never invited to Chapter 287.
📣 Call to Action
What was the BEST D23 announcement? New X-Men? Ahsoka? Villains Land? Kingdom Hearts? Let us know!
⭐ Subscribe and follow Distance NERDing ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share the episode with your fellow nerds ⭐ Join the conversation using #DistanceNERDing
Keep NERDing Together! 🤓
🔗 Links & Resources
🎧 Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 🌐 Visit: DistanceNERDing.com ⚡ Dubby Energy: Use code NERDING10 for 10% off 💥 Proud partner of the Geek Freaks Network: GFpods.com 👕 Merch Store: Distance NERDing Merch
📱 Follow Distance NERDing
Follow @DistanceNERDing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and X/Twitter, plus join us on BlueSky and Discord for more pop culture news, convention coverage, celebrity interviews and weapons-grade nerdiness.
Listener Questions: What should Yung Phil & Jahmez tackle next? Send in your questions, theories, hot takes or future episode topics!
