Marvel's Comic-Con panel excites Doomsday fans carefully
Marvel's Comic-Con panel excites fans for Avengers: Doomsday with an exclusive trailer and two 2028 surprises—Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3 starring David Jonsson—yet left Hall H cautiously optimistic. After hours of camping, the 40-minute session offered limited next-phase clarity beyond Doomsday and Secret Wars. Diehard Marvel fans packed San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H on Saturday night, some camping more than 30 hours, for a panel that stirred buzz but also questions about what comes next. For more streaming and film alerts, visit our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Key Takeaways
- Marvel screened an exclusive Avengers: Doomsday trailer with more Doctor Doom backstory and Sentinels.
- Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy will reteam for a Ghost Rider movie planned for 2028.
- David Jonsson will play Prince T'Challa II in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3, set for Dec. 15, 2028.
- Winston Duke is returning as M'Baku and said he trusts Jonsson and Coogler's vision.
- Fans remain cautious after no firm X-Men future slate and an unclear Deadpool cameo.
What did Marvel announce at the Comic-Con panel?
After a 30-minute delay, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige opened the roughly 40-minute Hall H panel by acknowledging Stephen Wacker's new role as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, then rolled out a trailer for the Avengers: Endgame re-release branded Endgame Encore, which includes a Doomsday sneak peek.
The session's clearest surprises were a Ghost Rider film starring Ryan Gosling with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy attached, and Black Panther 3. According to Variety's Comic-Con report, Feige and directors Joe and Anthony Russo also showed an exclusive Doomsday trailer that expanded Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom history with the Fantastic Four and showed Doom resurrecting a fleet of giant Sentinel robots.
A Deadpool figure in a gray X-Force costume appeared in the crowd without removing the mask. The Russos joked that Doomsday production had wrapped, but Feige did not confirm Ryan Reynolds' return despite speculation about cameos in Doomsday and 2027's Secret Wars.
Why are fans only cautiously optimistic about what's next?
Hall H energy was high, yet the panel never matched Marvel's 2024 reveal that Downey would return as Doctor Doom. Beyond Doomsday and Secret Wars, Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3 are so far the only titled films Marvel put forward for the next phase—both aimed at 2028.
Fans have long expected X-Men to help steer the MCU's future, and Feige has previously pointed that way, but Saturday brought no X-Men announcement. Several Fox-era X-Men stars are returning for Doomsday, yet there was no clear signal they will continue into Secret Wars or beyond.
Disney's D23 is about three weeks away and may add more news, though Comic-Con has traditionally been the film-focused stage. Doomsday lands Dec. 18 against Warner Bros.' Dune: Part 3, raising the stakes for every bit of advance hype.
When do Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3 hit theaters?
Both projects are slated for 2028, with Black Panther 3 locked for Dec. 15, 2028. David Jonsson, known for Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk, will play T'Challa's son, Prince T'Challa II, a character introduced as a child in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Ryan Coogler returns to direct, with Leticia Wright reprising Shuri and Winston Duke returning as M'Baku. Duke, who also appears in Avengers: Doomsday, told Variety he trusts Jonsson as an artist and trusts Coogler and Marvel's executive team, saying he thinks the casting "is going to be great."
The first Black Panther earned about $1.3 billion worldwide and three Oscars. Wakanda Forever grossed about $859 million in 2022. Whether Comic-Con's modest slate is enough runway for Doomsday—and the MCU after it—remains the open question fans are still chewing on.