Marvel Studios returned to Hall H on Saturday night with an energetic panel that mixed nostalgia, a little bit more casting, surprise casting, and a clear push toward the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans who waited through a late start were handed Dr. Doom masks and cloaks and treated to a parade of footage, announcements, and a few celebrity cameos.
Marvel at Comic-Con 2026: What The Studio Revealed At The Opening
Gwyneth Paltrow, Brie Larson, Elizabeth Olsen, Tessa Thompson, Pom Klementieff, and Letitia Wright in Avengers: Endgame (2019) photo courtesy of © Marvel Studios
The evening opened with a reminder that the MCU began to knit itself into a global event: “Avengers: Endgame Encore” will be re-released in theaters on Sep. 25. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige introduced a special trailer that blended key scenes from the 2019 film with footage of audiences reacting on opening night. The screen said, per Gizmodo, “In 2019, one movie brought the world together. Reassemble the team. Return to theaters. Relive the experience. The story continues.” The re-release will include a new logo and a tease for “Avengers: Doomsday.”
Joe Russo, one half of the Russo brothers and co-director for “Avengers: Doomsday” and next year’s “Avengers: Secret Wars,” talked with Deadline about the importance of bridging “Endgame with Doomsday.” Per Deadline, he said:
“It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from ‘Endgame’ to ‘Doomsday’ in a very unique way, and because the movie was so successful, we have an opportunity to re-release it. You don’t always get the chance to re-release because it costs money, so the fact that we can enhance the story of ‘Doomsday’ by bridging it to ‘Endgame’ and these characters that we worked with for years that we love so much, and continue their story: It’s a really unique opportunity.”
Marvel Casting And New Projects: Ghost Rider, Spider-Man Clip And More
One of the night’s biggest surprises was the casting of Ryan Gosling as “Ghost Rider,” a film slated for 2028. The project will be directed by Shawn Levy, who helmed “Deadpool & Wolverine,” from a script by Jonathan Tropper. Feige said the idea came together while Gosling was on the set of “Star Wars: Starfighter,” a production Feige said he had seen and enjoyed; Gosling had long expressed interest in the role.
A clip from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” arriving in theaters July 31, 2026, showed an intense sequence in which Spider-Man and the Punisher team up against the Hulk. The scene plays out as a chaotic, close-quarters brawl: the Punisher opens fire and tries to protect, Spider-Man improvises with webs and gadgets, and the two briefly coordinate to push the Hulk back. It is also revealed that Frank was originally supposed to protect MJ (Zendaya), but she apparently told him to look out for and protect the web-slinger.
“Avengers: Doomsday” Update And New Cast Reveal
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo used their Hall H time to introduce a long list of actors who will appear in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Seventeen cast members were named. Many of them walked onstage from the back of the hall: Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, James Marsden, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, and Tenoch Huerta Mejía.
Also, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, and Hayley Atwell, who was officially confirmed to be in the movie after long speculation, joined them at the front. The Russos said the film has already been shot, though they left open the possibility of additional photography. The panel included a lighthearted moment when Ryan Reynolds, dressed as Deadpool in a grey suit, asked whether he might appear; the directors joked and suggested there could be room for more work if needed.
It has been speculated that Reynolds will return as the merc with a mouth in the opening sequence of “Avengers: Doomsday,” though the studio has neither publicly confirmed nor denied that speculation. Considering that Reynolds made a surprise appearance in the suit during the presentation updates for “Doomsday,” it may very well be a confirmation for many fans and scoopers who have speculated that he is in the movie.
Keep in mind that we won’t know if Reynolds’ appearance in “Doomsday” is true or not until the movie comes out on December 18, 2026. Before the cast departed, the audience saw a new “Doomsday” trailer that emphasized the relationship between Sue and Reed Richards and the film’s central antagonist, Doctor Doom. The footage leaned into family dynamics and the emotional stakes that will drive the story.
Marvel: “Black Panther III” And The Road Ahead
Closing the panel, Feige brought out director Ryan Coogler, who announced “Black Panther III” will open Dec. 15, 2028. Coogler said the film will be shot on film and will star David Jonsson as a grown T’Challa II, signaling a continuation of Wakanda’s story with a new lead. Denzel Washington, who is in the movie for an undisclosed role, didn’t appear in the presentation, though there were speculations that he would.
The Hall H presentation made clear that Marvel’s next phase will balance spectacle with character-driven threads: reissues of landmark films, star-studded casting, and a mix of established heroes and new faces. For fans who packed the convention center, the night offered both the comfort of familiar moments and the promise of fresh directions, and a reminder that, for better or worse, the MCU still knows how to make an audience roar.
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