Summary
The 2024 San Diego Comic-Con has unearthed some stunning revelations about theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s plans for 2025.The prestigious event usually draws the eyes of many fans each year, hoping for bombastic announcements for massive cinematic franchises like the MCU. The MCU’s panel in the famous Hall H, hosted by Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, certainly delivered this year with some eye-popping news regardingthe MCU’s upcoming slate of films.
The panel focused mainly on three films;Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*,andThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Comic-Con attendees in Hall H got an exclusive early peek at footage from each film,preceded by a wonderfully entertaining live gospel cover of Madonna’sLike A Prayerto celebratethe success ofDeadpool & Wolverine.While lots of details were cleared up about the three main films, the panel concluded with some bombastic reveals regarding the fourth and fifth mainlineAvengersfilms.
Every Universe In The MCU Confirmed (So Far)
Since the beginning of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, many alternate universes have been introduced into Marvel Studios' live-action and animated stories.
10The MCU Passes $30 Billion At The Box Office
Disney’s cash cow is more alive than ever
It’s no secret that the MCU has been at something of a low point in recent years, with the box office failures of films likeThe MarvelsandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniastill stinging in the memory of fans and producers alike.Deadpool & Wolverineeven directly say as much, with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge the series' waning pop culture dominance. But the recent San Diego Comic-Con panel proved that the MCU is very much alive and well, despite what dissenters may claim.
At San Diego Comic-Con Kevin Feige announced that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had officially claimed a cumulative 30 billion dollars at the box office to-date.The recent financial success ofDeadpool & Wolverinemay have been the final iota of cash the MCU needed to pass this milestone,but the announcement makes it clear that the series is likely the most profitable film franchise of all time. Despite a few recent missteps at the box office, the MCU is clearly not hurting for financial incentive to keep going.
9Captain America: Brave New World Will Introduce Serpent Society
Fans will finally enjoy the promise of Civil War’s original subtitle
Way back in 2014, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige originally announced in a press conference that the third movie of the Captain America trilogy would be titledCaptain America: Serpent Society, promising the inclusion of the infamous supervillain group from the comics of the same name. WhenCaptain America: Serpent Societywas later revealed to instead beCaptain America: Civil War, the cloud of hype that followed overshadowed the fact that the Serpent Society was axed from the film. Now, it seems as though the group will finally appear.
Their appearance alludes toCaptain America: Brave New World’s return to the more grounded, political espionage story of films
While discussingCaptain America: Brave New World, the MCU panel at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H made it clear that the Serpent Society would indeed feature prominently.In the comics, the Serpent Society is a mercenary cabal of snake-themed villains, operating as one of the series' most successful criminal organizations. Their appearance alludes toCaptain America: Brave New World’s return to the more grounded, political espionage story of films likeCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
8Giancarlo Esposito Is Sidewinder
The beloved actor’s identity has finally been revealed
When it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito, a famously typecast villain actor known for roles likeBreaking Bad’s Gus Fring orThe Mandalorian’s Moff Gideon, would be joining the MCU, fans were keen to guess his character. After his appearance in the first trailer forCaptain America: Brave New World, possibilities ranged from S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clay Quartermain to the supervillain Machine Man.But Esposito taunted fans that no one had correctly guessed his identity, and San Diego Comic-Con confirmed this to be correct.
In an announcement that few fans could’ve guessed, the panel confirmed that Giancarlo Esposito would be playing the supervillain Sidewinder, the original creator of the Serpent Society. While multiple characters have had the name Sidewinder in the Marvel Comics,they all share a high degree of power owing to corporate ownership and the ability to use teleportation powers thanks to advanced technology. It’ll be exciting to see Giancarlo Esposite inhabit a role as an insidious villain in the MCU.
Is Sidewinder the right villain choice for Captain America: Brave New World?
At SDCC it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito is playing Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society, in Captain America: Brave New World, which was shocking to a lot of fans, myself included. There were many theories, but this one was not on my bingo card. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more excited I am that Marvel is bringing this lesser known villain into the MCU. He is more grounded because of his limited powers, which is what I think works well when it comes to the Captain America films. I also enjoy when characters that are not as popular are brought to the screen, because fewer people have high expectations of them, and it is easier for the writers and actors to play. Plus, Giancarolo Esposito can do not wrong.
7The MCU Will Officially Introduce Adamantium
Tiamat’s corpse will finally be acknowledged
If there’s one front the Marvel Cinematic Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 failed to deliver on, it was the presence of the X-Men in the MCU.WhileDeadpool & Wolverineofficially heralded Fox universe mutants into the series, as celebrated by the panel’s live performance of the film’s signature needle drop, few X-Men elements were hinted at being on the horizon for Marvel Studios. The glaring exception to this is the newfound presence of adamantium in the MCU’s world that will be discussed inCaptain America: Brave New World.
Despite vibranium already cornering the market on fictional super-durable alloys with incredible properties in the MCU, the panel revealed thatCaptain America: Brave New Worldwill introduce adamantium as a competitor.Specifically, adamantium will be mined from the massive corpse of the Celesital Tiamat that arose in the Indian Ocean followingthe ending ofEternalsback in 2021. This seems to promise that the world-changing implications ofEternals' ending will finally be meaningfully acknowledged in the MCU after four years.
6Sentry Actor May Have Been Revealed
Steven Yeun’s replacement is close to being confirmed
Thunderbolts*originally promised audiences the introduction of Sentry into the MCU. Essentially the Marvel equivalent to Superman,Sentry is an incredibly powerful hero that struggles with a villainous darker half, possibly prompting a response from the film’s motley crew of morally gray superheroes. Originally, Steven Yeun ofThe Walking DeadandInvinciblefame was announced for the role, only for Marvel towalk back Yuen’s casting as Sentrydue to unfortunate schedule conflicts caused by 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strike.
At 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con,Thunderbolts*has announced a new cast member that may serve as Yeun’s replacement, Lewis Pullman.Technically, Pullman’s character has only been revealed to be called “Bob”, and was briefly shown in a snippet of teaser footage. However, considering Sentry’s real name in the comics is Robert “Bob” Reynolds, this could be confirmation that the Marvel Cinematic Universe have found their replacement for Steven Yeun as the legendarily powerful character.
5The Fantastic Four Movie Gets A New Title
The latest iteration of the Richards family distinguishes itself from the pack
Considering that of all three films primarily discussed at the 2024 San Deigo Comic-Con panel, the MCU’s upcoming Fantastic Four film had the least amount of details already known,excitement was high going into the film’s portion of the festivities. The panel dropped the bombshell that the film, previously simply titledFantastic Four, would actually be calledFantastic Four: First Steps.This will help differentiate the film from its Fox predecessors, which have already used the titleFantastic Fourtwice.
As the title implies, the film will seem to serve as an origin story for the superhero group, taking place in an alternate world steeped in a 1960s-inspired retro-future.Brief clips of the film showed off the quartet embarking on the fateful journey that would give them superpowers as astronauts, as well as Benjamin Grimm appearing on a 60s-style dating show. With the new subtitle, fans have enjoyed a renewed interest in the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
How will the Fantastic Four appear in the next two Avengers movies?
One of the big reveals from 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con was the confirmation that the new Fantastic Four team will return for the next two Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars. Given their solo movie is expected to take place in the ’60s, the question on many minds now is how exactly they will be part of the epic crossovers since the MCU timeline is now in 2026. While Endgame saw the Avengers travel through time to acquire the Infinity Stones, it seems more likely the TVA will bring the Fantastic Four into the present to help.
4Galactus' Appearance Was Teased
One of Marvel’s most infamous villains is finally appearing
One of the juiciest details regardingFantastic Four: First Stepsthat had yet to be revealed prior to San Diego Comic-Con was the primary villain of the film. Previous Fantastic Four films relied on Doctor Doom as the primary villain, and while this hasn’t been entirely ruled out forFantastic Four: First Steps, the 2024 panel gave audiences a brief glimpse of none other than Galactus. One of the most infamous Marvel villains yet to join the MCU, Galactus is a terrifying Celestial being known for eating planets.
Footage forFantastic Four: First Stepsgave the briefest of glimpses of Galactus, confirming him for the film,showing his titanic eye peering into the upper floor of a building. Not only that, but Galactus will officially be appearing in all his comic-accurate glory, appearing as a giant-sized humanoid being clad in spectacular purple armor. AfterGalactus' last and only movie appearancereduced him to a boring sentient purple cloud, this was a welcome sight for eager Fantastic Four fans.
3The Russos Will Direct Avengers 5 & 6
The original Avengers brothers are finally returning
Joe and Anthony Russo are held in high esteem by most fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sibling duo originally gained acclaim as filmmakers during their time on comedy series like likeArrested Development, Community,andHappy Endings.However, their time in the MCU was truly responsible for their rise to fame, helming critical and box office hits likeCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame.
At long last, the Russo brothers have announced their return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time in years.Joe and Anthony Russo will direct the next two mainline installments in theAvengersseries,Avengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.Both films are still slated to release in May of 2026 and 2027, respectively. After the MCU’s recent directorial failures, the Russos were a sight for sore eyes for MCU hopefuls at San Diego Comic-Con.
2Avengers 5 Is Now Avengers: Doomsday
The MCU has officially pivoted away from Kang the Conqueror
The last few major entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe propped up Kang the Conqueror, a multiversal tyrant with a cabal of like-minded variants bent on taking over the universe, as the series' next mainline villain. However, in addition to the lukewarm reception of Kang’s appearances,controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors, Kang’s actor,Marvel seemed to be looking for a new overarching villain. The firing of Majors and quiet title change ofAvengers: The Kang DynastytoAvengers 5confirmed this.
At 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con,Avengers 5was given another title change, becomingAvengers: Doomsday.Feige confirmed that the film will feature none other than Doctor Doom,a highly-popular villain whose introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been hotly anticipated. Officially replacing Kang with one of the series' most popular villains was a smart move by Marvel Studios, even if previous film incarnations of Doom have been disappointing, to say the least.
Should the MCU have recast Kang?
With the announcement of Robert Downey Jr. as the next villain in the upcoming Avengers movie, it looks like Kang won’t appear in the MCU any further. This isn’t surprising, as Jonathan Majors was fired after he was found guilty on domestic violence charges. Yet, the MCU had the option of recasting Kang. If they had recast the role, I would have liked to see someone like John Boyega play Kang. A lot was set up with Kang’s character in the MCU that could have been explored with another actor.
1Robert Downey Jr. Cast As Doctor Doom
By far the most astounding announcement of the panel
While confirmation that Doctor Doom will be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the mystery of who will play him quickly became the most burning question of the entire panel.Astoundingly, this question was quickly answered, as an actor wearing a Doctor Doom costume strode across the stage only to unmask and reveal himself as Robert Downey Jr. Rumors of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU were boiling before San Diego Comic-Con, but few could’ve expected his return as Doom.
the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning as a flagship character in theMCUwas by far the biggest piece of information dropped at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2024
That being said, the reveal has had a somewhat divisive reaction, with some fans being weary of the decision. It still remains to be seen whether this interpretation ofDoctor Doom will be a variant of Tony Stark just because he shares an actor with the character, or if he will retain an iteration of his comic backstory. Either way, the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning as a flagship character in theMCUwas by far the biggest piece of information dropped at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2024.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
