Marvel Studios has the headline slot at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, commanding a 90-minute panel on Saturday evening. So, what can we expect from an hour and a half of Marvel hype?
We’ll definitely see something from Thor: Ragnarok, which comes out on Nov. 3 and inspired unexpected excitement with its first trailer. However, we definitely won’t see anything from Marvel’s next two TV shows, Inhumans and The Defenders. They’ll get separate panels on Thursday and Friday, while Saturday’s panel focuses on the movies.
Black Panther
Black Panther is the next movie after Thor: Ragnarok, released on Feb. 9, 2018. Both movies already have a noticeable presence in San Diego, with fans spotting Black Panther and Thor banners around town. We can expect several cast members on the panel, which will be even more star-studded than ever. Marvel now has a huge pool of talent to invite onstage, and they’ll make the most of it.
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Avengers: Infinity War
Due out on April 25, 2018, Infinity War is the one we’ve all been waiting for. It’s also still in production, so you shouldn’t hold your breath for a trailer. The most we can hope for is a reel of clips that won’t appear online—an exclusive privilege for the fans who get into Hall H.
This portion of the panel will probably be very frustrating, with producer Kevin Feige hyping up Infinity War without actually telling anyone anything.
Doctor Strange 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp
Ant-Man and Doctor Strange both did well at the box office, paving the way for sequels. Ant-Man and the Wasp will come out next July, and SDCC will hopefully reveal a casting announcement for the original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne.
Doctor Strange 2 is more of a mystery, without an official release date. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a supporting role in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, but there are hints that Marvel will put Doctor Strange 2 on the backburner. We might see an announcement at SDCC, but Marvel could easily table the Doctor Strange franchise in favor of continuing something else. It has limited space in its release schedule, after all.
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Captain Marvel
After the success of Wonder Woman, Marvel may attempt a cynical reminder that they, too, have a female-led franchise in the works. But since Captain Marvel comes out in March 2019, and isn’t actually in production yet, they won’t have much to share.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2
Everyone loves Spider-Man: Homecoming, and everyone loves Tom Holland, so we won’t be surprised if Spidey makes an appearance to reveal the title of the sequel. Marvel and Sony plan to start filming next spring. At the moment, Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 are the only films confirmed after Marvel’s Phase 3.
Retirement announcements
This one is a wild card, but some of the original Avengers are due to step down after Phase 3. Some “retirements” will probably be kept secret, to avoid spoilers about characters are getting killed off in Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel. However, we could still see a farewell announcement from a major player like Chris Evans or Robert Downey Jr., passing the torch to the next generation of Marvel stars.