Entertainment

SDCC: What Will Marvel Announce At Comic Con 2019

Marvel Studios is all set to hold its legendary Hall H panel presentation at SDCC 2019. Audiences are lining up, excitement levels are through the roof, and after game-changing events in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame that wrapped up 11 years of MCU storytelling, everyone is looking forward to what the next phase of the MCU holds.

The last time Marvel Studios attended Comic Con, it made a big splash by showing footage from Infinity War. That SDCC trailer is still regarded as the movie’s best trailer thus far. Unlike the gap between Infinity War and Endgame however, not everything is in the dark. We know some movies are unofficially being developed, some are in the midst of shooting and some are certainly on their way to being confirmed. Before Marvel officially makes the announcement then, let’s delve into the list of titles and gauge their probability of being announced at Comic Con today.

Black Widow

In all likelihood, it looks like Black Widow should be the first properties that Marvel announces at its Hall H panel. The movie has been filming in Norway and Pinewood Studios for quite some time, with set photos popping up regularly. Scarlett Johansson is reprising her role and has been spotted in the images as well. Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow is being pegged for a May 2020 release. Considering the amount of filming done, it’s highly likely Black Widow will take the spotlight, with some footage being revealed at Hall H.

The Eternals

Another franchise that Marvel is looking to turn into a biggie, The Eternals could most likely see its entire cast confirmed and brought on stage. Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani and Richard Madden are pretty much a done deal while Keanu Reeves and Salma Hayek are in talks. We could expect a release date announcement, along with some concept art reveal, much like Captain Marvel during SDCC 2018.

Shang Chi

Before Endgame even hit theaters, Marvel Studios had reportedly begun fast-tracking a Shang-Chi movie. The film is now steadily building its crew and reports are betting on it getting a February 2021 release. It’s possible Shang-Chi gets an announcement during the panel at well with a logo or title reveal to go by. And how cool would it be if Marvel announced the lead actor playing the title role similar to how they brought Brie Larson on stage during 2018’s Comic Con panel?

Doctor Strange 2

Another property that’s reportedly some way ahead in development, we already know director Scott Derrickson is returning for Strange’s second outing. There have also been reports of Nightmare being the villain deliberated upon for Doctor Strange 2. An announcement at this point seems very likely, however it’s unclear if at all we’ll get anything more than an announcement and a release date. Perhaps some confirmations of returning cast and crew members, including Benedict Cumberbatch, whose return is a no-brainer.

Black Panther 2

Marvel Studios would be crazy not to do a Black Panther 2. Ryan Coogler has already expressed his interest in returning for the sequel and I expect Marvel could potentially announce it during SDCC. As we can see though, Marvel has a lot more franchises and sequels that they could fit in a year so it’s also possible SDCC 2019 is where Marvel officially confirms to switching to a four movie slate beginning 2021 (it looks like 2020 will only have two films).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

With the entire fiasco around James Gunn’s firing and subsequent rehiring, Guardians 3 has become a somewhat dodgy property to tackle. However, announcing an official confirmation and bringing James Gunn on stage would certainly win fans over big time, even if Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is not slated to happen for another 3-4 years at least. So while a release date or concrete announcement is unlikely, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for something on screen.

Fantastic Four & X-Men

Given the sheer amount of properties they have to touch, I’m skeptical for any X-Men related announcements. Dark Phoenix only came out last month and it would be weird for them to announce a complete reimagining of the mutant franchise in such a short span. Fantastic Four meanwhile, came out in 2015 so public memory of the series has eroded. There is a possibility that something could be mentioned in passing but previous rumors have suggested Marvel has too much on its plate to bother with these movies.

Captain Marvel 2

Once again, Captain Marvel 2 is surely coming in the near future but it’s hard for me to see anything announced at this point unless they’re moving to a four movie schedule.

Spider-Man 3

Again, too early to announce and it looks more Sony’s flagship property but it would be a missed opportunity to not capitalize on the hype generated by that monstrously exciting post-credits scenes. Bringing J. K. Simmons on stage could send the crowd into a wild frenzy but yet again, I doubt Marvel has enough time to pull this off.

Avengers: Tribute & Future

Lastly, the panel would feel empty if there were no tributes to the years gone by. I’m expecting some sort of video montage playing out to honor the original six Avengers, with the possibility of Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth on stage. A panel could send off our heroes with an emotional farewell as we settle in to take a peek into the future of the MCU.

Finally, there’s got to be some phase-capping event movie that ends the next few years of movies. I’m holding my arm out for an Avengers movie of some sort being announced as the film that culminates this phase of movies. It’s also very likely Marvel wouldn’t be announcing any movies beyond the current phase. The possibility of there not being a decade-long storyline like the Infinity Saga has also been floated in the past.

That’s all I have for now. And I’m sure I missed stuff. After all, Thor 4 was just semi-announced and Marvel would surely have a surprise or two up its sleeve that no one saw coming. Captain America: Serpent Society anyone?

Be sure to check back for the actual announcements in about half a day, right here on Appocalypse.