Marvel Reveals New Castings and Footage at Comic-Con
At their famous Hall H Comic-Con presentation, Marvel remained relatively restrained while unleashing shocking revelations.
As Marvel’s only film this year, Deadpool and Wolverine continues to break every record imaginable, expectations were high. Normally, Marvel’s signature Hall H presentation is a time to announce their upcoming slate of films and series. However, this year, Kevin Feige chose to keep things relatively restrained. Instead of previewing a giant plan, he focused harder on the next handful of projects hitting theaters in 2025. In addition, a single Internet-breaking announcement came to close out the panel.
First came an interview with the cast of Captain America: Brave New World, which arrives next Valentine’s Day. Starring Anthony Mackie as Captain America, the film promises a return to the darker, political thriller aspects of the MCU. Joining Mackie on stage were Danny Ramirez, Giancarlo Esposito, and Harrison Ford, who takes over as Thaddeus Ross from the late William Hurt. Finally, Tim Blake Nelson, who last appeared in Incredible Hulk 16 years ago, teased his portrayal of The Leader. The footage shown seems to set up a battle over the fictional metal adamantium, encased inside the dead Celestial from Eternals. Julius Onah, who did not appear due to COVID-19, directs the film written by Malcolm Spellman
Enter a brave new world.
— Captain America (@CaptainAmerica) July 12, 2024
Marvel Studios' #CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld, only in theaters February 14, 2025.
pic.twitter.com/ExfZY8cvkT
Secondly, Marvel brought out the cast of Thunderbolts, which arrives on May 2. The film stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Val, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Lewis Pullman as Sentry. The film follows a group of former villains sent on a suicidal mission for the government. Thunderbolts is directed by Jake Schreier.
Thirdly, Marvel unveiled the first concept footage for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Directed by Matt Shakman, this film begins production on Tuesday in preparation for a release on July 25 of next year. Set in the retro-futuristic 1960s, this film is the first to star Marvel’s first family. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Mr Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bacharach as The Thing. The test footage has since leaked online.
Test footage of The Fantastic Four was shown at #SDCC, Pedro Pascal is shown teaching a science class. pic.twitter.com/EwYr5VxmDm
— CoveredGeekly (@CoveredGeekly) July 28, 2024
Finally, Marvel unveiled their big surprise. The Russo Brothers, who we previously reported might be returning to the MCU, came onstage to officially announce their return. They are officially directing Avengers Secret Wars, as well as the retitled Avengers Doomsday.
In addition, Marvel shocked the world with the announcement that none other than Robert Downey Junior is returning as Doctor Doom. The Oscar-winning actor previously headlined the franchise as Tony Stark and was thought finished with Marvel after the character’s death. However, now Downey has found his way back in such a role that does not diminish his legacy. We will soon see how this all plays out, and while some fans are confused, Marvel has been taking steps to not repeat their mistakes from the last few years.
I’m sure we will see the wisdom behind their decisions as the films come out. For now, it’s safe to say the Marvel Cinematic Universe has fully returned.
