In a pre-recorded video, Hugh Jackman asked Kevin Feige if he could squeeze into Avengers: Doomsday, only for Deadpool to coldly shoot back, "Just stick to the damn script." It was the most on-the-nose line of D23 2026, and it perfectly captured the vibe of the whole night: Disney wasn't unveiling a brand new universe so much as reshuffling and reinterpreting a mountain of familiar characters.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige personally announced the first wave of casting for the MCU's X-Men reboot. Sadie Sink plays Jean Grey, Kit Connor is Cyclops, Christopher Abbott takes on Professor X, Samara Weaving plays Emma Frost, Yndi Navarrete is Rogue, Maya Boyd is Storm, and the villain role goes to Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. This new generation of mutants will hit North American theaters on May 5, 2028.
Two Cyclops, One Night
Interestingly, the new Avengers: Doomsday trailer also showed James Marsden's Cyclops appearing alongside Magneto and Silver Surfer, facing off against Doctor Doom. In other words, on the very same D23 stage, Cyclops was being portrayed by two actors from two different generations — one closing out the old timeline, the other kicking off the 2028 reboot. Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit Taiwanese theaters on December 16, 2026.
Paul Bettany and James Spader brought the latest trailer for the Disney+ series Vision Quest, confirming Ultron's return as the story follows Vision grappling with the question of "who am I." It premieres October 14.
A Generational Handoff in the Animation World
Pixar and Disney Animation spent the night growing up their characters too. Incredibles 3 hands the spotlight to Violet and Dash, who start secretly heading out at night to prove themselves, while Mr. Incredible faces a midlife crisis after a new generation of heroes rises up; it's slated for June 2028. In Coco 2, Miguel has grown into a teenager, with Benjamin Bratt confirmed to return as the voice of De la Cruz — this time out for revenge against Miguel. It arrives November 2029.
A clip from Frozen 3 was unveiled, showing Anna and Kristoff's honeymoon accidentally leading them through a lake into a mysterious frozen world, where a woman surrounded by purple butterflies appears to share the same ice powers. Olaf will also be joined by a female snowman named Samantha. It's set for fall 2027. Zootopia 3 was also confirmed, this time shifting focus to a large cast of bird characters, though no release date has been announced.
On the Star Wars front, Ryan Gosling stars in Star Wars: Starfighter, playing a character named Cade Oberon in a story set during an era the franchise has never explored before, releasing May 2027. Ahsoka Season 2 was also confirmed to return to Disney+ in January 2027.
The final surprise was the confirmation of a Kingdom Hearts animated series, developed with Tetsuya Nomura and the Square Enix team, reimagining the world with an entirely new story. Also announced at the same event, Kingdom Hearts IV confirmed the inclusion of the Coco world and villain De la Cruz, launching simultaneously on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC by the end of 2027. No release date has been set for the animated Kingdom Hearts series yet.
