Diehard Marvel fans packed into San Diego Comic Con’s massive Hall H Saturday night, some even camping out for more than 30 hours. But as the 40-minute panel wrapped up with just two surprise announcements — a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling and “Black Panther 3” — it’s hard not to feel like, “Is that it?”
After a 30-minute delay, the panel got underway with Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige acknowledging writer and producer Stephen Wacker’s new role as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief. He then rolled out a trailer for the “Avengers: Endgame” re-release, dubbed “Endgame Encore,” which will have an exclusive sneak peek at “Doomsday.” But fans were hungry for new announcements, not a re-edited trailer for a movie they’ve likely seen multiple times (and no doubt will see again).
Gosling and director Shawn Levy re-teaming for a Ghost Rider movie was a surprise, albeit one that the actor has been attracted to for years. The announcement capped off an extended bit with “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz, who recalled all the times he’s asked Gosling about the long-rumored movie in interviews. Unless fans have been glued to every MCU rumor, Gosling’s introduction from Horowitz didn’t track well on stage. After Marvel’s “Blade” movie never fully materialized, it’s hard not to take an “I’ll believe it when I see it” stance on the “Ghost Rider” — despite the fact that “Deadpool and Wolverine” director Shawn Levy is already locked in.
The other awkward moment from Marvel’s panel came during an confusing Deadpool cameo. As the sprawling “Doomsday” cast joined the stage, a very recognizable voice called out from the sea of fans. Deadpool, clad in his gray X-Force costume, appeared in the crowd — but never removed his mask to show who was underneath. It certainly sounded like Ryan Reynolds begging for a role in the movie, but it wasn’t clear if Reynolds himself was in the suit. Joe and Anthony Russo joked that production had wrapped on “Doomsday” but then…that was it. While it’s been highly speculated that Deadpool may cameo in both “Doomsday” and 2027’s “Secret Wars,” Feige skipped the opportunity to confirm Reynolds’ return to the MCU.
Instead, Feige and the Russos moved straight into showing an exclusive trailer for “Doomsday,” which featured more backstory for Downey’s villain, but also some recycled footage from the last teaser. We learn more about Doom’s complicated history with the Fantastic Four and his seemingly tortured past, but much of the plot is still shrouded. The most exciting moment came when Doom resurrected a fleet of giant Sentinel robots — robotic villains from the “X-Men” universe — to battle the heroes.
The panel ended with another long-rumored announcement, Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther 3,” but with a major surprise: “Alien: Romulus” actor David Jonsson is taking over the title role. He’ll play T’Challa II, the son of the late Chadwick Boseman’s hero, in what will no doubt be another emotional film for Coogler and the Wakanda crew. Jonsson is an exciting young actor on the rise and was excellent in last year’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Long Walk.” It will be impossible to fill Boseman’s shoes, but Jonsson stands to be one of the major pieces in the next era of Marvel.
So far, “Ghost Rider” and “Black Panther 3,” both slated for 2028, are the only movies in Marvel’s next phase after “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars.” Fans have long expected — and Feige has stated that — the X-Men to help steer the MCU’s future, but there wasn’t a single X-announcement on stage Saturday. Several of Fox’s “X-Men” stars are returning for “Doomsday,” but there was no indication if they’ll be back for “Secret Wars” or beyond. Rumors about the next cast of X-Men have swirled online, but at the panel, all the focus was on “Doomsday” — not whatever may come next.
Maybe expectations were set too high. Last time Marvel attended Comic Con was in 2024, when the studio made the bombshell reveal that Robert Downey Jr., the actor who carried the MCU on his back for over a decade, would return as its next major villain: Doctor Doom. That announcement nearly blew the roof off of Hall H, but nothing matched that intensity this year. Seeing the crowd of fans dressed in Doom costumes was fun for a few seconds, but watching everyone crowd together for a selfie — and not getting more information on “Doomsday” — was not.
Luckily, Disney has its D23 event in just three weeks, where more news will surely come. However, Comic-Con has usually been a film-centric event, where D23 has more TV shows. Everyone expects “Doomsday” to be a much-needed hit for the MCU later this year, but can it ascend to the two billion-dollar heights of “Endgame”? And how will it fare against Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part 3,” which is hitting theaters the same day on Dec. 18? As the “Dunesday” showdown approaches, Marvel needs every bit of hype it can get to pave the way for its future, and Comic-Con could’ve used a few more major announcements to cement it as a must-see cultural event.
