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On Tuesday, Warp introduced Warp Factories, a new infrastrructure system designed to make building AI software factories as easy as possible.

⚡ Quick Take

• OREO is letting fans vote on which special new limited-time flavor—Banana Pudding, Deep Fried, or Chicken & Waffles—will get a second release.
• These flavors are available for pre-order and will hit store shelves on August 24.
• We will find out which OREO flavor is victorious on October 13.

OREO is never afraid to get weird, but there’s a big question that we must ask you. How weird are you willing to get? The iconic cookie company is releasing three new flavors: Banana Pudding, Deep Fried, and Chicken & Waffles. That’s a wide range of tastes. Which one will fans like you love the most? We’ll find out because everyone will get to vote on a weird OREO flavor to see which one sticks around.

Nabisco

The new Twist, Lick, Vote campaign from OREO invites snack lovers to do exactly that. For the first-time ever customers will choose which of the new batch of sweet treats will get to stick around. You don’t have to guess at which one you like, either. You can try all three contestants in this battle for a permanent shelf spot before naming your favorite. They are available for pre-sale now and will hit stores on August 24. OREO has provided an official description for all three:

• OREO Banana Pudding Cookies: Experience the flavors of the universally loved dessert through layers of sweet banana and vanilla pudding in a deliciously delectable dual-layered creme, sandwiched between vanilla wafer cookies.
  
• OREO Deep Fried Cookies: While state fair foods have long drawn massive crowds of their own, we’re bringing those carnival flavors straight to the cookie aisle—saving you a trip to the fairgrounds. We baked that iconic golden-fried, doughy flavor right into the cookie itself, with fried dough-flavored cookies wrapping layers of dark chocolate and fried dough flavored creme. Packed with all the state fair food flavor, minus the crowds!
  
• OREO Chicken & Waffles Cookies: The originally unexpected combo turned popular comfort food dish has made cameo appearances in the savory snack aisles before, but the OREO brand takes it to the next level. In a first-of-its kind for the cookie aisle, these sweet and savory OREO cookies feature a signature waffle texture embossment and dual-layered creme, both infused with sweet and savory flavor notes to give that signature fried chicken and maple syrup flavor in each and every bite.

Nabisco

I’d say those range from sounding “real good” to “real weird.” Which flavor profile will win? I have a feeling I know what you sickos are going to vote for, but not me. At least not blindly. I will be trying all of them first before picking. And we’ll all find out together on October 13 we’ll find out which OREO cookie will make a 2027 comeback.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @‌burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post OREO Wants You To Vote on Which New Flavor Will Stick Around appeared first on Nerdist.

ChatGPT for Teens adds age-appropriate safety measures, parental controls, and learning tools designed to steer teens away from harmful content — and from using AI to cheat on their homework.

Perplexity's India revenue rose about 60% after the Airtel offer ended for new users, even as downloads declined.

A video in a MacOS Tahoe release candidate version shows a user wearing AirPods, looking at a book, and talking to Siri.

⚡ Quick Take

• Kevin Feige announced Ryan Gosling would indeed play Ghost Rider in a movie coming out 2028 directed by Shawn Levy.

San Diego Comic-Con’s Marvel Studios Hall H panel kicked off with a big bit of news that confirmed a long-held fan belief. Kevin Feige addressed rumors that Ryan Gosling would play Ghost Rider, the supernatural spirit of vengeance with a flaming skull and a motorcycle. Turns out…it’s true! Feige welcomed Gosling to the stage and unveiled the new logo for the movie. It’ll be directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Gosling). It will hit cinemas on July 28, 2028.

Marvel Studios/Nerdist

The Marvel Universe has roughly 48 billion characters across its storied comic book history. By last count, the number of above the title actors in Hollywood is *checks notes* not that high. So for Kevin Feige to figure out which actor will play what character is a pretty tough proposition. You can’t just waste an Oscar-winner on a side character in a mid-credits scene who then never shows up again…

Ghost Rider enters the MCU 🔥

Ryan Gosling will star in Marvel Studios' Ghost Rider, directed by Shawn Levy. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/MR2HJww2Wg

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 26, 2026

But whether Gosling will play the Johnny Blaze version or the Danny Ketch version is anyone’s guess right now. Blaze was the very first Ghost Rider, appearing in all the way back in Marvel Spotlight #5 in 1972. Ketch, the edgier ’90s follow-up, debuted in the first issue of his own series in 1990.

Universal Pictures/Marvel Comics

Gosling appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (h/t Variety) to promote Project Hail Mary this past spring. As usual for host Josh Horowitz, questions regarding fallow projects flew the actor’s way. “We’ll keep hope alive,” Gosling said. “Some discussions have been had. It’s a complicated situation.” The actor first expressed his interest in playing Ghost Rider, the flame-skulled motorcyclist who acts as spirit of vengeance for Mephisto, in 2022.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.Originally published on July 25, 2026.

The post Ryan Gosling’s GHOST RIDER Sets July 2028 Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

The scanning and bloodwork health startup founded by Spotify's founder will officially launch in New York in about a month.

The Fairphone 6+ is priced at $649 and will be available on Amazon.

Reach Capital announced Tuesday an oversubscribed $265M Fund V.

Einride will buy the Tesla Semis, which will be made to Amazon and other customers.

The company has shifted from making van-life builds to custom outfitting vehicles for small businesses, all while the EV landscape in the US changed dramatically.

The model maker added $18 billion in annualized revenue in two months.

⚡ Quick Take

• Bluey, one of the BBC’s most popular children’s shows, is getting a feature-length movie with 3-D animation.
• The teaser doesn’t tell us much, instead showing a wholesome moment between Bluey and Bingo.
• We won’t be seeing this movie until August 2027.

Very rarely does a children’s show appeal to such a wide age range as Bluey has in its eight years running. The charming Australian show, following a family of four dogs, educates viewers in an empathetic way with genuine dialogue and realistic situations.

For the most part, each episode of Bluey introduces a new situation. Now, the creators of Bluey are creating The Bluey Movie, a feature-length story with a different animation style. The trailer dropped on August 14, take a look below:

As it seems studios love to do when they adapt a more 2-D-looking animated show (ahem… Spongebob) to a feature-length film, Disney has changed the animation style to look more 3-D and rendered. I’ll let you form your own opinions on that.

The trailer is 44 seconds long and focuses on Bluey and Bingo passing a red balloon back and forth. One thing I noticed personally was that the two characters appear slightly older (just based on them both appearing taller, really) than they do in the show. This may just be a trick of the new animation but it could also indicate the passage of time within their world. This could introduce new lessons and perhaps mean some character development happened offscreen.

Disney / BBC

The teaser doesn’t hint at the plot of the movie, but to be honest, I couldn’t care less. The charm of Bluey is the sisterhood between the two main characters. The lessons they learn from their parents, other adults in their lives, and their peers fill out the rest of the story. The trailer could just be showing a sweet moment between Bluey and Bingo and establishing the new animation style. However, it could be indicating that the sisters’ relationship may be a central theme, even more than it usually is.

We still haven’t gotten a look at “Mum” or “Dad” yet. The caption for the trailer was as vague as the video itself:

Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighborhood into her world of fun.

Hopefully, more details will come out before August 6, 2027, when The Bluey Movie premieres in theaters.

Ella R. Dunn writes about movies, TV, games, comics, and all things nerdy for Nerdist.

The post New THE BLUEY MOVIE Trailer Shows Bluey and Bingo in 3D appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Announced at D23, Spider-Man will be the first superhero to receive his own dedicated theme park land at Shanghai Disneyland, starting with a Spider-Man coaster in 2027.
• The attraction’s story will connect to WEB Slingers’ World Engineering Brigade from Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure.
• Riders will help Spidey defeat a giant Spider-Bot of his own creation.
• Nerdist’s take: Spider-Man getting his own theme park land proves his the world’s most beloved superhero.

Based on the truly enormous box office receipts for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s pretty clear that Spidey takes the crown for the most popular superhero in the world. Sorry, Batman, but the numbers just don’t lie. So it makes perfect sense that Spider-Man would be the first superhero to receive his own dedicated theme park land. And so, Disney announced at the recent D23 Expo that a Spider-Man land is coming soon to Shanghai Disneyland. It’s set to accompany its upcoming Spider-Man-themed roller coaster, already under construction. It’s set to open in 2027.

Walt Disney Imagineering

According to the presentation, backed up by a Disney Parks Blog post, this as-yet unnamed Spider-Man land will become home to the new Shanghai division of the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (W.E.B. for short). Fans of Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure will recognize W.E.B from its own Spider-Man-themed ride, WEB Slingers. In the attraction’s canon, Tony Stark created the organization to encourage young people to experiment with new technologies. Peter Parker created little Spider-Bots that wreak all kinds of havoc. And they will also now create chaos at Shanghai’s new Spider-Man roller coaster, the first-ever coaster for the character.

Walt Disney Imagineering

Disney describes this new Spider-Man coaster as a “high-speed, fully immersive experience.” One where riders will get the chance to help Peter Parker “get himself into a bit of a tight spot.” Based on the concept art, it looks like Spider-Man will swing above the ride vehicles, which should be very cool. According to the attraction’s description, “Inside the new land, Peter Parker and his friends have created a new set of Spider-Bots to help assemble their experiments and help them build their brand-new coaster.” Judging from the concept art released, you’ll encounter at least one giant Spider-Bot during the ride. Like Shanghai Disneyland’s TRON coaster, this one will also feature indoor and outdoor elements.

Walt Disney Imagineering

Shanghai Disneyland’s upcoming Spider-Man land will also feature some 20 murals from local artists depicting Spidey in action. No word yet on if the rest of the land will showcase other attractions. As for those hoping for a similar Spider-Man-themed coaster coming to the domestic Disney Parks, don’t hold your breath. At least not for Walt Disney World. Contracts with Universal Studios, who has Marvel Super Hero Island at its Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, prohibit any other park in its vicinity from showcasing certain Marvel heroes. Sadly, Spidey is one of them. But who knows what the far future holds. No one ever thought the X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Avengers could appear together on screen ten years ago, and here we are. As they say, money talks.

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.

The post Spider-Man to Receive His Own Land at Shanghai Disneyland appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• One of Disney’s big announcements at D23 was a new addition to Orlando’s Magic Kingdom.
• Villains Land will be about the same size as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
• The new area will include two rides (as of now) and plenty of shopping, dining and exploration opportunities.

This year’s D23 was full of surprises, from reveals from Marvel to updates about the Disney Parks. One of these exciting announcements was that the Magic Kingdom in Orlando is unveiling a new area called Villains Land.

Disney

The whole ordeal hopes to blend the old with the new. Because other areas of the park have “land” in the name, the creators of the new installation wanted it to fit in. Additionally, the new realm will feature classic villains in a brand-new and still fresh way.

Each area of the park has some kind of story behind it that characters and attendees play along with. Villains Land will be designed to resemble a forest. In the center lies a corrupted wishing well full of evil magic that has spilled over and affected the surrounding forest. It is a powerful place, and the park’s villains all intend to claim it for themselves.

The area was reported to be similar in size to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which spans about 14 acres. Villains Land will feature the forest, the well, and plenty of evil lairs. The Imagineers announced a Maleficent Coaster, which will take riders through Maleficent’s twisted briar and around her castle lair. They also revealed that there will be a Mirror Realm dark ride, a format that has become a Disney fan favorite, hosted by the Magic Mirror.

Disney

So far, this seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from Sleeping Beauty. However, the concept art for the Villains ride includes Ursula, Scar, Dr. Facilier, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil.

The Imagineers responsible for the Villains realm said in a panel that they took a character-driven stance while designing the area. They drew from the villains’ stories first, but got creative examining their artistry and style.

The new area has no set opening date.

Ella R. Dunn writes about movies, TV, games, comics, and all things nerdy for Nerdist.

The post Disney Reveals Villains Land, New Magic Kingdom Area appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Since the year 2000, we’ve gotten 14 movies utilizing the X-Men (or related characters).
• With a new X-Men cast announced for the MCU films, we thought we’d rank those movies, from worst to best.
• Nerdist Take: We like New Mutants more than most and dislike Deadpool 2 more than most.

We assumed after the purchase of 20th Century Fox by Disney, the X-Men movie universe would halt suddenly. Not so, as it turns out. Marvel Studios not only made Deadpool & Wolverine—a massive love letter to the wayward cinematic universes of Marvel past—but will give those versions of the characters (presumably) their final bow in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Now, with the announcement of a brand new cast of the MCU’s X-Men, I figured now would be a great time to rank all the previous

20th Century Fox 14. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) 20th Century Fox

The first solo adventure for Hugh Jackman’s Logan came in 2009, and it sure wasn’t good. And look, I know it was fashionable to crap on this movie for its weird pacing, terrible CGI, poor attempts at humor, and nerfing Deadpool, but it’s also accurate. Not a good movie. The one thing it did was prove Hugh Jackman could carry a movie, a thing we already knew by this point. Oh, and don’t get me started on how this movie alone messed up the continuity. Best to just forget this one.

13. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) 20th Century Fox

Following the departure of the franchise’s first super problematic director, they hired another super problematic director to helm the third movie. To say it’s messy is an understatement. They tried to put “The Cure” arc alongside “Dark Phoenix Saga,” and those two stories did not gel at all together. You get a lot of characters standing in a line opposite other characters standing in a line. It killed off Cyclops (sidebar: of all the characters done dirty by this franchise, Cyclops is perhaps the most egregious), completely wasted Angel, and nerfed Mystique. It also is unforgivable that it made the “I’m the Juggernaut, b****!” canon in a movie. So terrible.

12. Dark Phoenix (2019) 20th Century Fox

The second attempt at adapting the most famous X-Men comics arc is just as disappointing as the first. It’s less messy and more boring, but it still completely bypassed all the build up of what made the Phoenix Force interesting, and what makes the ending so tragic. Also, at this point, the timeline breaking down just makes no sense. Let’s hope they never do the Dark Phoenix Saga ever again. (I know they will.)

11. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) 20th Century Fox

Mercifully, the final X film from a very problematic director indeed. Despite very good films previous, this one—a third in the First Class timeline, more or less—just threw everything at the wall and hoped it stuck. It’s another enormous, messy hodgepodge of different X-characters and storylines. Oscar Isaac does his very best as the titular ancient mutant, and the new batch of Xavier students are okay, but it just turns into gloop. Another waste of Angel/Archangel; a major waste of Storm. And they had to turn Mystique into a main hero thanks to Jennifer Lawrence’s star power. Not even another frenetic Quicksilver sequence can save it.

10. The New Mutants (2020) 20th Century

Okay, so here’s where I lose some of you. I didn’t see The New Mutants when they dumped it during the pandemic. Pandemic and all. In fact, I didn’t end up watching it until a year or so ago. And you know what? Yes, it’s hacked to all hell. Yes, the third act poops the woods (Demon Bear joke). But I thought it was pretty fun! Creepy vibe, decent characterization, plus it was just nice to see an X-Men movie that didn’t even try to reference Wolverine. Should have gotten more love, and it’s a shame the planned appearance of Jon Hamm as Mr. Sinister never happened. But at least Sinister will show up soon.

9. Deadpool 2 (2018) 20th Century Fox

I’m gonna be real honest here: I was over Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool schtick pretty soon after the first movie came out. So while I was excited to see the sequel, I was wary of how annoying I found the character. The upsides were that the movie brought in a ton more X characters, and it was a joy to see Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino. The downside? I’ve never been a big Deadpool guy and, like the character, the movie seems to think its way funnier than it is. But the X-Force skydiving joke is pretty amazing.

8. X-Men (2000) 20th Century Fox

Here is an example of a movie that is so much more important than it is still good. It definitely set the stage for the modern superhero movie era and finally gave us some live-action mutants. (Sidebar: yes, I remember the 1996 Generation X TV movie. That doesn’t count.) And the casting is, by and large, really great, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman all standing out. But for all the good of the first X-Men, there’s always a sense that it’s half-apologizing for comic books being silly. In 2026, it’s just not as revolutionary as it once was.

7. The Wolverine (2013) 20th Century Fox

After X-Men Origins, I thought there was no way a solo Wolverine movie was going to be good. And then we get director James Mangold. A lot of this movie covers ground in the fan-favorite Frank Miller/Chris Claremont run of Wolverine in the ’80s, with his dealings with the Yakuza in Japan and various romances. I think it almost totally works. The ending is bad, I won’t argue it isn’t, but I think The Wolverine is still upper half of the movies. Jackman rules.

6. Deadpool (2016) 20th Century Fox

Remember everything I said about the character of Deadpool earlier? That’s still true, but even with that, I cannot deny how good, how funny, how effective, and how fresh the first Deadpool movie felt. After years of development, Ryan Reynolds’ passion project got the go-ahead and made just a ton of money with its heavy violence and foul-mouthed frat humor. This is arguably the best page-to-screen adaptation of any comic book character. And its success is 100% the reason he’s not getting rebooted (really) for the MCU. I won’t hold this movie accountable for the Deadpool-ifying of other superhero movies, though I could.

5. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Marvel Studios

Look, I’m just one of those big ol’ hypocrites. As over the Deadpool nonsense as I was with Deadpool 2, the addition of all the incredibly fun X-Men easter eggs—and strangely moving pathos—of Deadpool & Wolverine brought me right back. Yes, there’s still a lot of Reynolds being annoying, but finally getting to see X-characters (and some other non-MCU Marvel characters) within the MCU proper was absolutely delightful. Plus, I think Jackman gives an excellent performance as the Worst Wolverine. I think it’s possible this, over any of the other movies, captures what it means to be a fan of the X-Men universe comics.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) 20th Century Fox

The second most famous Uncanny X-Men comics arc (which was only two issues) ended up as one of the very best superhero movies of the era. I love the way this movie utilizes both timelines’ casts and sends the sole superstar character of Wolverine back in time to foil a future where sentinels take over the world. The Quicksilver “Time in a Bottle” sequence is still super great, and the finale where Magneto drops a stadium around Richard Nixon is wild and enormous, but manages to work because the characters are believable. Best use of Mystique in any movie. In my head canon, this is the end of the franchise (Deadpools and Logan notwithstanding).

3. X2: X-Men United (2003) 20th Century Fox

I think it’s arguable this and Spider-Man 2 are the reasons superhero movies kept going. They’re not just successful, they’re really good. X2 took what worked about the first movie and focused on it and heightened it. Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler is excellent, Brian Cox as Stryker is really good, and we got maybe McKellen’s best Magneto performance. Wolverine gets center stage here for real and they let him do what he does best (and what he does best isn’t very nice). Just a great example of what the X-Men on screen could be.

2. X-Men: First Class (2011) 20th Century Fox

Matthew Vaughn’s lone foray into the X-universe really was a fresh start. Not only did it get a whole new cast to portray some of the characters who’ve been around a while, but setting it in the early 1960s, contemporary to when the comics first came out, brought in a new style, a new energy, to the mutants. Young, swaggery Charles Xavier as played by James McAvoy was a great choice to offset Stewart’s austere portrayal. Michael Fassbender’s Magneto was damn cool; could have watched a whole movie of Erik Lensherr, Nazi hunter. Above all, it proved the franchise, which had already gotten a bit stale and silly, could reinvent itself, which proved to be just what it needed to continue for another decade.

1. Logan (2017) 20th Century Fox

Look, it was never going to be anything else at number one. Logan isn’t just a great X-Men movie. It isn’t just a great comic book movie. It’s a great movie, full stop. What was originally going to be the swansong for both Jackman and Stewart ended up a somber, elegiac reflection on regret and hope as Logan has to tend to a sickly Charles Xavier and try to save young, angry Laura Kinney (Dafne Keen). The action is as brutal as you’d hope with a Wolverine movie, and the story flows to a wonderful, sad conclusion. It’s the superhero movie as western, writ large. Took three goes, but Jackman really did make the best of this franchise.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

Originally published July 2023.

The post Every X-MEN Movie Ranked from Worst to Best appeared first on Nerdist.

"We have some really ambitious plans to help you work with AI in Chrome to get things done, and I’ll have more to share soon," Jacob Bank, Relay founder and CEO, said.

⚡ Quick Take

• The first teaser for Ahsoka season two is here.
• Grand Admiral Thrawn returns and wages war against the Rebels.
• Anakin’s ghost (once again played by Hayden Christensen) asks if Ahsoka is a Jedi or not.
• Nerdist Take: It’s been way too long since season one.

I still really can’t get over how long it’s been since the first season of Ahsoka, which aired on Disney+ in 2023. It’s even more shocking that we have yet another four months until we have more to see. January of 2027 sounds like a very futuristic date, doesn’t it? But finally, at this past weekend’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, we got our first look at the further adventures of former Jedi (but still pretty much a Jedi) Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and her once-animated Rebels cohorts. Grand Admiral Thrawn is throwing down, which does not bode well for anyone.

With Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) on the literal warpath, it’ll take all of Ahsoka’s resolve, and the considerable heft of the New Republic, to stop him. How very needly of Thrawn to say he declares war on “The Rebel Alliance,” a very snide way to make sure they know he doesn’t recognize the New Republic. Not a nice guy, Thrawn.

Disney+

It’s nice to see members of the Rebels cast reunite. Specifically seeing Zeb hug Ezra (Eman Esfandi) after all these years. It also looks like Ezra flies a B-Wing which is pretty fun. I always liked B-Wings, they were the most fun in toy form when I was a kid.

What we don’t know yet is if this season and its ostensible war with Thrawn’s forces will preclude the once-ballyhooed Thrawn-centric movie Dave Filoni planned, or if that’ll still happen. I can’t imagine we’d need too much more in the way of Thrawn after this, but perhaps I’m wrong.

Disney+

And, naturally, we got ourselves another appearance by Anakin’s force ghost, played again by Hayden Christensen. He poses an interesting question to Ahsoka: “It might be time to decide. Are you a Jedi? Or not?” We suppose we know the answer, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Ahsoka season two will premiere January 20, 2027 on Disney+.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post AHSOKA Season 2 Teaser Promises a Big Ol’ Thrawn War appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Brie Larson, and Iman Vellani reprise their MCU roles in new attractions at Avengers Campus.
• Avengers: Infinity Defense will take riders on a journey through MCU locales like Wakanda, Asgard, and New York City.
• Avengers: Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab open at Disney California Adventure in 2028. New Avengers rides are also planned for Hong Kong Disneyland.
• Nerdist’s take: These new attractions will greatly improve the currently lackluster Avengers Campus at DCA.

At the D23 Expo, we learned more details about the upcoming Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure, and the long-awaited “E-Ticket” ride Avengers: Infinity Defense. We also got more details about the second attraction coming to the land, the Iron-Man-themed Stark Flight Lab. Disney confirmed that both attractions will open officially in 2028. And at the event, later confirmed via the official Disney Parks Blog, several MCU actors are returning to reprise their iconic roles for these attractions, and they’re some of the most important characters within the universe. Or should we say, multiverse?

A few familiar faces are joining in on the action 💪 @RobertDowneyJr, Anthony Mackie and @ChrisHemsworth will be featured in Avengers Infinity Defense opening at Disney California Adventure in 2028 ⭐ #D23 #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/bPJaXJYmhl

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 16, 2026

For Avengers: Infinity Defense, the adventure will start with a special pre-mission briefing from Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani. Joining her in the attraction’s story itself as on-screen actors are Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and even Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Based on concept art they displayed, several other Avengers characters will also appear, including Black Panther, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. Because those characters wear masks or are fully CGI, their respective actors likely won’t return for this ride.

Walt Disney Imagineering

This new attraction will be one of the biggest endeavors taken on by Walt Disney Imagineering. Perhaps rivaling Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Like that attraction, Avengers: Infinity Defense will blend massive physical elements with giant media scenes, as the Avengers travel across different MCU locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City. Guests will help the Avengers battle King Thanos, a version of the Mad Titan from the Multiverse who defeated the Avengers. They didn’t announce Josh Brolin’s return to the role at D23. However, there’s plenty of time for that reveal.

Click To View Gallery Walt Disney Imagineering/Marvel Marvel/Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering/Marvel

But Avengers Campus will also have a less immersive, thrilling flight simulator attraction, the previously mentioned Stark Flight Lab. Robert Downey Jr. will give riders instructions on their mission as Tony Stark, joined by Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America and Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. Strangely, there’s no Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine. However, we think he’d be ideal for this particular attraction. There’s still time, Disney! In this ride, guests will sit in two-person “gyro-kinetic pods” and roll along a track, training as a flying member of the Avengers. 

Click To View Gallery Walt Disney Imagineering/Marvel Marvel/Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering

And for those venturing out into overseas parks, the Avengers will soon arrive at Hong Kong Disneyland as well. A new Avengers pavilion under construction will soon host the Avengers Research Testing Labs. This is a “drop” ride, like Tower of Terror in Orlando or Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout in Anaheim. In this attraction, you’ll be dropping through meany realms, including Asgard and Wakanda. Doctor Strange and Spider-Man will also appear in this ride, according to the concept art. This new Avengers Tower will create an imposing silhouette over the land. No opening date was revealed for this land. But Marvel fans will be eating well when it comes to Disney Parks attractions over the next several years.

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.

The post Iconic MCU Actors Will Return for AVENGERS: INFINITY DEFENSE appeared first on Nerdist.

Cybersecurity experts who investigate spyware attacks say the number of people who received a recent threat notification from Apple is unusually high.