The entertainment world, with its plethora of great characters and interesting universes, is no stranger to reboots and expanding universes. A reboot is often a chance to widen appeal and make it easy for new readers to jump in and offers an opportunity to update outmoded ways of thinking. These reinventions and expansions must navigate shaking up a formula, reframing a world, and bringing a contemporary eye to classic stories and iconic characters without alienating the core audience that fell for these characters so many years ago. Panelists Preeti Chhibber (Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter and Ned's Ultimate Travel Journal), Sina Grace (Iceman), Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), Jody Houser (Star Wars: Age of Republic), Sarah Kuhn (Shadow of the Batgirl), and Jackson Lanzing (Star Trek: Year 5) discuss how to breathe new life into old characters and avoid the unforgiving pit of the trite homage.
