Unsurprisingly, Marvel had the biggest surprises up its sleeves at San Diego Comic-Con. Typically, the Marvel panel in Hall H ends up being the biggest panel of Comic-Con. However, this year, Marvel hosted two different panels at Hall H, and both panels were the most star-studded panels of the weekend.
Let’s start with the first panel that took place: Deadpool & Wolverine on Thursday, July 25 (opening day of Comic-Con).
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first panel at Comic-Con was a panel for the recently released film Deadpool & Wolverine. The panel included an awesome performance of Madonna’s Like a Virgin.
Fans were expecting to see stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in conversation with director Shawn Levy and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, but everyone was pleasantly surprised when Jackman and Reynolds announced that the panel was actually a secret, private screening of Deadpool & Wolverine with the film’s stars.
Right before the movie started, Jackman said, “We’ve been all around the world with this movie, but the icing on the cake is right here, right now,”
When the movie ended, Reynolds brought Levy, Feige and co-stars Jackman and Emma Corrin on stage, along with a bunch of surprise guests. Dafne Keen (X-23), Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum and Wesley Snipes all shocked the crowd when they walked on stage to join the Deadpool & Wolverine cast.
Garner was wearing a red dress in a nod to her Marvel character Elektra. Tatum was wearing a Gambit t-shirt. Lastly, Snipes played Blade, who many folks (rightfully) view as the Marvel character who saved Marvel films (and potentially even all comic book films) and helped kickstart the idea of a Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jackman said, “That [watching the film at Comic-Con] was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I feel so privileged to have watched it all with you. It’s been 24 years since I first played Wolverine. Thank you, everyone. Shawn and Ryan, thank you for giving me a reason to come back.”
Feige added, “If there was any doubt that movies are better with a crowd … that was one of the best movie experiences of my life.”
And Reynolds told the crowd, “That was the best movie experience of my life, from 2015 to now. I was a mess. I’m soaking wet. It is an enormous honor and a privilege standing up here next to the X-Man, Hugh Jackman.”
Now let’s move on to the other Marvel panel, which covered five of the upcoming MCU films. The panel also featured the biggest surprise of Comic-Con!
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’
When Jonathan Majors was convicted of reckless assault last year and removed from all future Marvel projects, fans were wondering who the next big villain of the MCU would be. Two years ago at Comic-Con, Majors was revealed as Kang the Conqueror, the next big villain for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Well, now fans finally have an answer, and it’s someone we never expected. Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU, and this time, he’s playing Victor Von Doom (Dr. Doom), one of the most iconic villains in comic book history. This is a big departure from his role as Iron Man, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Downey. He just wrapped up amazing character work on The Sympathizer, where he played multiple characters and pulled it off with ease.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be released in 2027.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’
The Fantastic Four is being rebooted for a second time, and we feel like this might finally be the Fantastic Four we’ve always been looking for. Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (the Thing) took the stage and got everyone excited for the film. It was revealed that the name of the film is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it’s inspired by a retro-futuristic version of New York City. It kind of felt like it had a Jetsons meets Marvel vibe.
Quinn said, “We are all collectively going to bring an essence that is a family. Rather than thinking about what individually we are going to bring, it’s a team sport. We are going to work very hard to bring a feeling of family to this film.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is slated to be released on July 25, 2025.
‘Thunderbolts’
The highlight of the panel was David Harbour dressing up in his Red Guardian costume. The cast wasn’t allowed to reveal much, but the cast is full of stars: Harbour, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Thunderbolts is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2025.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’
The Captain America panel featured two absolute legends on stage at the same time: Giancarlo Esposito and Harrison Ford. Ford is playing President Thunderbolt Ross, who transforms into the Red Hulk. The highlight of this panel was seeing Ford pretend to go through his Red Hulk transformation shortly after taking the stage.
This is the first time Anthony Mackie will be playing the titular role in an MCU film. This comes on the heels of Mackie’s turn as Captain America in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to be released on February 14, 2025.
