Kazakh superhero series Toxic to premiere September 10

The project follows Farkhat, an ordinary young man whose life is upended by an accident that leaves him with a different superpower every day. According to the creators, the premise inverts a familiar genre convention, since most comic book heroes are defined by a single fixed ability. Farkhat has to learn to control powers he cannot predict, make difficult choices and work out what being a hero actually requires.

Co-director Olzhas Bayanov told festivalgoers that the character stumbles into a capsule inside an abandoned building while filming a TikTok video with a friend. The story unfolds in the fictional city of Temirkazyk, which Bayanov described as "our version of 'New York' from 'Spider-Man.'"

The series mixes comedy, action and drama with modern visual effects. Its creators presented it as a domestically made take on the superhero format, a genre with little precedent in Kazakhstan's screen industry.

The idea belongs to director, screenwriter and producer Alisher Utev, known for the Kazakh crime series 5:32, about a hunt for serial killers. Aitore Zholdaskali directed the series, with Bayanov as co-director. The cast includes Almaz Merzhakypov, Bekaidar Kadyrkei, Adelina Yeralieva, Aida Kurmangaliyeva, Azamat Satybaldy and Nurai Zhetkergen.

Comic Con Astana 2026 ran in the Kazakh capital from August 6 to 9 across two venues, Barys Arena and the Alau Ice Palace. The four-day program featured an international cosplay competition, concerts, gaming tournaments, master classes, autograph sessions, lectures and exhibitions.

Among the international guests were Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who played Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, Paul Anderson, known for the role of Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders, and Iñaki Godoy and Taz Skylar of the Netflix adaptation of One Piece.

The festival is one of the largest pop culture events in Central Asia and has become a fixture of Astana's MICE calendar, the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment the city has been developing in recent years.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that British actor Paul Anderson, known for playing Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders, shared his impressions of Astana during his visit, pointing to the capital's wide multilane roads and the politeness of local residents.