San Diego Comic-Con 2024: The Hall H burst into excitement with multiple announcements but taking the prize was Robert Downey Jr's return as Dr Doom
San Diego Comic Con 2024
Hall H was buzzing this evening for Marvel Studios’ Hall H showcase, bringing excited fans at San Diego Comic-Con a first look at what’s next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe—including huge news about Marvel Studios’ next two Avengers films.
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“Deadpool & Wolverine”
The Hall H showcase kicked off with a celebration of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in theaters now. A full choral performance of “Like a Prayer” welcomed the excited crowd with dancing Deadpool variants, which ended when Marvel Studios producer and president Kevin Feige looked for Peterpool amongst the variants, calling Rob Delaney, who stars in the film as Peter, to the stage. Delaney joined Feige as the showcase’s MC, mentioning the surprise “Deadpool & Wolverine” screening for con-goers Thursday, and the massive drone and fireworks show over San Diego’s Petco Park that followed. “Deadpool & Wolverine” has already broken box office records for an R-rated theatrical release, and the film’s opening officially pushed the MCU over the $30 billion box-office mark with 34 movies. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, and directed by Shawn Levy, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is now playing in theaters.
“Captain America: Brave New World”
With Sam Wilson about to make his big screen debut as Captain America in “Captain America: Brave New World,” Delaney welcomed to the stage Cap himself, Anthony Mackie. Joining them were Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Ramirez and Giancarlo Esposito, who confirmed he is playing Sidewinder. Together, they revealed exclusive footage, and much to the crowd’s excitement, invited Harrison Ford to take the stage. Ford makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as President Thaddeus Ross. The story follows Sam Wilson, who after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, finds himself in the middle of an international incident. Sam must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World” opens in U.S. theaters February 14, 2025.
“Thunderbolts”
Highlighting Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*,” Delaney welcomed director Jake Schreier to the stage alongside stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Lewis Pullman, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour. The latter showed up in full Red Guardian garb, earning laughs and applause from the crowd, which was treated to a scene from the movie. Marvel Studios, and a crew of indie veterans, who definitely sold out, present “Thunderbolts*,” an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” also stars Olga Kurylenko and opens in theaters on May 2, 2025.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps”
Feige returned to the stage to share details of the upcoming “The Fantastic Four,” which kicks off production Tuesday. Joining Feige on stage was director Matt Shakman and Marvel’s first family together on stage for the first time, Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing). They all shared some cosmic details about the upcoming feature film that sees Galactus and Silver Surfer target Earth for destruction—and revealed the movie’s full title: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” But then Hall H was overtaken by none other than the Fantasticar soaring over the crowd, drawing massive cheers as the screens were taken over by a retro-futurist vision of New York City. Featuring music by Oscar®-winning composer Michael Giacchino, Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four: First Steps” hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
“Avengers”
Just when the audience thought the show was over, Feige told them he had an Avengers update to share: Anthony and Joe Russo, renowned directors of four of the most successful Marvel movies and the studio’s highest-grossing directors with over $6 billion in global earnings, are set to return to Marvel Studios to helm “Avengers: Secret Wars” in May 2027 and “Avengers: Doomsday” in May 2026.
The reveal of “Avengers: Doomsday” left one major question: who would play Doctor Doom?
The directors pointed out that Doctor Doom is one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Universe, and needed a truly great actor to bring him to life. As Feige and the Russos prepared to close out the presentation, robed figures dressed in Doctor Doom masks took the stage and then parted to reveal Robert Downey Jr. who is set to return to the MCU. Hall H erupted, chanting “RDJ!”
The Russo’s company AGBO is set to produce both films alongside Marvel Studios. Stephen McFeely, known for his work on the "Captain America" trilogy and "Avengers: Endgame," will handle the script.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russo Brothers.
Following the groundbreaking conclusion of "Avengers: Endgame," the Russo Brothers founded AGBO in 2017, aiming to innovate storytelling across film, TV, gaming, and interactive media. As an independent studio led by a collective of seasoned artists, AGBO has achieved unprecedented success, setting new benchmarks with 11 number-one global openings and over $7 billion in box office revenue.
AGBO’s production "Everything Everywhere All at Once" earned seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while the "Citadel" franchise became Prime Video's second-most-watched show in history. Their Netflix ventures, including "The Gray Man," directed by the Russos and starring Chris Hemsworth, rank among the platform's most-watched content, with "Extraction" emerging as their most successful franchise to date.
Currently, AGBO is in post-production on Netflix's "The Electric State," directed by the Russos and featuring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, based on the acclaimed graphic novel.
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