After sitting out 2025 entirely, the studio returned to San Diego with something to prove.
Kevin Feige spearheaded the one-hour presentation on Saturday evening, covering everything from the star-packed Avengers: Doomsday to newly announced projects like Ghost Rider and a third Black Panther film. "Today, we're mainly going to talk about movies," Feige told the crowd, "because that is what brings us together in the world."
He opened with an Avengers: Endgame theatrical re-release arriving September 25. Feige announced that this version will feature brand-new footage setting up December's Avengers: Doomsday. "2019 was a very long time ago," he said. "The world's a different place." A trailer spliced classic moments from the original with 2019 fan reactions.
Then came the panel's biggest surprise. Feige revealed that a standalone Ghost Rider film is heading to theaters in 2028, with Ryan Gosling portraying Johnny Blaze. "This is a character I've wanted to play for a very long time," Gosling told the Hall H audience. Shawn Levy, who previously helmed Deadpool & Wolverine, will direct from a script by Jonathan Tropper. Levy said the two spent downtime on the set of their upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter swapping Ghost Rider ideas. "Gosling is the absolute shit," Levy added onstage, grinning. "I say that with tremendous respect."
Jon Bernthal stopped by next to debut an exclusive clip from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the only cast member from the film to appear. The footage showed his Punisher alongside Tom Holland's Spider-Man facing off against Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. That film opens July 31.
Doomsday itself dominated the back half of the evening. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo were joined by cast members who appeared on specialized stages at the rear of the hall, one marked with an X and another with the Avengers symbol. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, James Marsden, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, and Kelsey Grammer were among those present.
Hayley Atwell's return as Peggy Carter was confirmed. "It's not easy being green," Downey told the crowd. "I need this whole family around me to finally assist me in being an arch-enemy, which is daunting."
Ryan Reynolds surprised the room as a gray-suited Deadpool sitting in the audience, joking, "This seems like an awfully expensive way to announce a film. When does it start shooting?" No confirmation came about whether he would actually appear in Doomsday. Pedro Pascal also teased that Reed Richards and Doctor Doom share a history the film will unpack.
Coogler closed the evening with the announcement that landed hardest. He is returning to direct Black Panther 3, exclusively in theaters December 15, 2028. David Jonsson, known for Alien: Romulus and HBO's Industry, will play the new Black Panther. Coogler explained the film will follow the son of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa: "In this next film, he grows up and he comes of age." Jonsson stepped out to a standing ovation. Coogler also revealed Black Panther 3 will be shot entirely on large-format celluloid, a first for the MCU.
Absent from the evening were Avengers: Secret Wars details and any X-Men solo film news, which Feige left for Disney's D23 in August. Still, the sheer density of what did get shown, two 2028 tentpoles announced, one December blockbuster fully paraded, and a re-release designed to prime audiences for it, left the impression that Marvel's year-long absence from the convention floor was strategic rather than cautious. San Diego got the message.
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