Breaking down Marvel’s blockbuster announcements at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con
Marvel released a full slate of fan-thrilling content, including new footage and character reveals
Art by @RESLUS.
Marvel Studios took San Diego Comic-Con 2024 by storm last month with a packed, hour-long presentation that brought exclusive footage and major announcements.
After thrilling fans with a screening of Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel showcased their upcoming slate. Here, we break down the biggest moments from Marvel’s blockbuster panel.
Deadpool & Wolverine
The panel kicked off with a musical spectacle as a choir dressed in red and yellow robes took the stage to celebrate the release of Deadpool & Wolverine in theatres. The choir performed Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” while a troop of Deadpool variants danced through the aisles. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige then introduced Deadpool & Wolverine star Rob Delaney as the evening’s host.
Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel unveiled new footage from Captain America: Brave New World, teasing Anthony Mackie’s next adventure as Sam Wilson. The first-look footage highlighted major players like Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, now the Red Hulk, who is looking to Sam Wilson to help rebuild The Avengers. The footage also hinted at the introduction of comic character Adamantium into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Mackie took the stage alongside Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Ramirez, and Giancarlo Esposito, who confirmed his role as Seth Voelker, leader of the Serpent Society. After the footage, Ford made a surprise appearance, greeted by roaring applause. Captain America: Brave New World is set to hit theatres on February 14, 2025.
Thunderbolts*
An unconventional group of Marvel misfits took the stage next. Feige and Delaney welcomed Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier and stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Geraldine Viswanathan, Lewis Pullman, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and David Harbour, who greeted the crowd in full costume as the Red Guardian.
Schreier described the film as an irreverent team-up movie, with Feige teasing the significance of the asterisk in the film’s title by saying, “You have to see the movie!” As for me, I’m excited to see if Sentry ever encounters Carol Danvers (if you know, you know).
The early footage showcased Yelena Belova (Pugh) facing off against Ghost (John-Kamen) and John Walker (Russell) while dealing with some personal demons. Thunderbolts* releases on May 5, 2025.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel’s “first family” made a stop at Comic-Con before filming their upcoming movie. Director Matt Shakman was joined by stars Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch).
They shared details about the film’s futuristic, 1960s-inspired setting and revealed the official title The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The presentation ended with the iconic “Fantasticar” soaring over the crowd to music by composer Michael Giacchino. The movie is set release on July 25, 2025.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars
Feige surprised fans by welcoming directors Anthony and Joe Russo to the stage to announce that they will direct back-to-back Avengers films Avengers: Doomsday in May 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in May 2027.
The Russos shared their excitement about adapting the “Secret Wars” storyline, and revealed that although they thought Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame would be their last Marvel films, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
As a final surprise, they introduced Robert Downey Jr., who revealed he will play Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers films, saying, “New mask, same task. What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.” Honestly, I can’t wait to see Spiderman interact with Doctor Doom. That’s not Mr. Stark, Peter!
While reintroducing Downey Jr. might seem like a cash grab, it also reinforces the structure that the MCU was built on. Is there enough talent already? Yes. Are they utilising it? Nope. Having Downey Jr. back is great, but what the MCU really needs is quality over quantity, not another “Marvel Jesus.”
