When the first public trailer dropped for Joss Whedon’s upcoming Avengers film, it was met with a collective sigh from many, including yours truly. It wasn’t very exciting and the only thing it had going for it was some pedestrian banter that relied solely on the charm of Robert Downey Jr. Even on a visual level, the trailer failed to deliver the scale expected from an Avengers movie. It’s with that attitude that I entered the IGN theater at the New York Comic Con this past Saturday. When the panel started, moderator Chris Hardwick walked out to a crowd that was already coming down from the high of The Walking Dead panel and introduced the film’s producer Kevin Feige. Feige commented on how the teaser just recently dropped, but that it was on the computer and then proceeded to ask the audience if they would like to see it played on the three giant screens in the theater. This was met with great enthusiasm.

Delivering a massive event with his trademarked smile behind the camera, Morgan Spurlock‘s Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope is the kind of joyous celebration that might also serve as a gateway drug for those not initiated into geek culture. It’s a documentary that easily straddles the line between service to those already fascinated by the subject and to those that haven’t ever heard of a comic book. It could have been annoyingly fluffy, but Spurlock has crafted a film that doesn’t just act as advertisement for the largest comic book/multimedia convention in the country. In fact, the question of whether the convention is still faithful to its comic book roots is at the center of the multi-faced exploration that gives the movie much more dimension than it initially lets on. The doc is composed of several stories – a pair of artists looking to break into the business, a costume designer and her crew looking to make a mark, a young couple who fell in love at the event, and a comic book dealer who is trying to justify coming back financially. All are woven together with expert timing (and a fun, comic book style art element that turns them into characters of a different sort).

The theatrics have almost all but gone from Comic-Con. Last year it was a genuine moment between a young fan and Ryan Reynolds delivering the Green Lantern Oath that brought down the house. This year’s biggest scene was more planned out, but it was nonetheless genuine. Before the Amazing Spider-Man panel in Hall H, a crazed fan dressed up as Spidey rushed the Q&A microphone and started raving about the comic books to great applause. Then he took off his mask. And there’s video.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s usually a rather tame and family friendly nightly column that rounds up all the best and most interesting news and views from the world of film. It’s worth noting, as it doesn’t always lead with headlines about Anne Hathaway’s rear end. It’s usually something Doctor Who or Michael Bay related. Pick your poison, I suppose. This will likely go down as the dumbest lead story I’ve ever run in MNAD, but the Sunday edition works on the conceit that movie news happens over the weekend. Spoiler: movie news doesn’t usually happen over the weekend, so we’re doing our best. Also, do you really have a problem talking about Anne Hathaway’s ass? Apparently the tightness of her costume and aggressiveness of her stunt work on the set of The Dark Knight Rises has given other cast and crew a unique view of her hind-quarters. There’s something news-worthy in that, I’m sure of it.

In recent weeks, news came out that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be returning to the entertainment industry, but not quite the way everyone expected. It appeared that Schwarzenegger would be teaming with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee to create a new superhero comic and TV series titled The Governator. It was then announced that in addition to the comic book and series, that a 3-D feature film was being put into production. But the question still remains… What can we expect from the project? Well that question has been answered with a trailer:

When you grab Mike Tyson to be in your comedy about drunk guys, it’s stunt casting. So what do you call it when you hire a former actor/former Governor to play an animated, superhero version of himself for a film? What do you call it when the entire movie is stunt cast? When The Governator was going to be an animated series, it sounded sort of silly, but having him come out in comic books, a television series, a web-series and a 3D movie just seems like culture being shoved down the throats of consumers who didn’t ask for it. The last time an idea was this bewildering was then Jerry Seinfeld chose to come out of retirement for Bee Movie. There’s a place for average children’s films, but as a return to glory from a long hiatus? Not a chance. That’s what’s going on here. Schwarzenegger is returning in a major way to movies, and his first definite “Yes” is to the cartoonification of himself that seeks to solidify a joke nickname he gave himself during his campaign. On the other hand, if this works, we can expect to see Dubya animated and up on screen alongside Tippecanoe and Tyler Too. According to Deadline Cannes, The Governator may or may not take on Muammar Qaddafi, which is absolutely reassuring. This whole thing sounds like senility has started to creep in.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s the hero you need right now; a way to get all the most interesting movie news without having to read through a bunch of padded articles. It’s quick, to the point and personable. An efficient killer of your will to waste time reading a thousand movie blogs before you go to bed. It’s also way into girl power, whatever that means. Hanna director Joe Wright, whose latest film is filled with the legitimate girl-power of a teen assassin played by Saoirse Ronan, has called out director Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, saying that the girl-power angle of the film was all “marketing bullshit.”

Morgan Spurlock is teaming with Stan Lee, Thomas Tull, Joss Whedon and Harry Knowles to deliver a documentary…and they want you.

A desperate cry for help from a major Hollywood director. For years, this epidemic has been shrouded in secrecy. Studios — the kind that make the films you love — have long held creative types, many of whom have slightly longer-than-average hair, under their thumbs. In this case, we find director Edgar Wright.

What does Stan Lee have that Dominic Cooper, Matthias Schweighöfer, Robert De Niro, Jude Law and Stellan Skarsgard seem to want so badly? A role in Thor, that’s what…

No, you’re not drunk. You read that title right. Stan Lee is suing himself to see if he can get more of that Marvel money he’s entitled to.

Stan Lee, the Marvel visionary behind some of your favorite comic book characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and of course Stripperella, is bringing the story of a gay teen superhero to Showtime to adapt into a possible series, and for sure an hour long special.

At a press conference to celebrate Iron Man’s DVD release, director Jon Favreau wet the whistles of fans by mentioning two interesting terms: 3D and IMAX.

Movie marketing! You can’t live without it. Trailers, tie ins, internet promotions, action figures, lunch boxes. They’re part of what drives the movie business especially when it comes to big budget action films like the new The Incredible Hulk.

Stan “The Man” Lee, the 85 year old genius that created some of our most beloved superheroes, plans to make some new characters for the fanboys to drool over.