Less than two weeks ago, Marvel Studios rocked Hall H at San Diego Comic Con. Now, in less than a few days, the studio will attempt to continue the hype during D23. You can make a strong argument that Marvel is Disney’s strongest IP and the Walt Disney Company plans to take advantage of that in a big way.
Let’s see what Kevin Feige and company have to offer during their panel at D23 this Friday evening and what we can expect to see and hear, as well as my big swing for the fences prediction.
What We Know Marvel is Bringing
Avengers: Doomsday is quickly approaching, and as we know at SDCC, the studio shared a new trailer and poster with fans in attendance, not to mention a majority of the “confirmed” cast was there. What I have been told as of recent is that additional cast members could be announced, and that the Comic Con trailer could debut online. Additional footage will likely be shown exclusively for those in attendance. This movie is the centerpiece of what will be highlighted, and I also expect to see the cast in attendance again.
Avengers: Secret Wars is expected in 2027, but as of this writing, the project has not yet begun production, and unless some sort of miracle happens, I think there is a small chance this movie could be moved back, and I am not sure how much the studio will even touch on this.
Here Come The X-Men
While Doomsday will be the centerpiece of Marvel’s night, all eyes are on the X-Men. There was no mention of them during SDCC, which was obviously intentional as Spider-Man: Brand New Day was getting ready to debut and casting on the film is currently ongoing. So the question remains: will the X-Men be discussed at D23?
All signs point to the project being officially announced and discussed with a title and logo reveal and a confirmation of its May 2028 release. The studio is finalizing the main cast as we speak, with the hopes they can be in attendance and/or announced. What we do know is the project has found its Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Cyclops in Sadie Sink, Samara Weaving, and Kit Connor, respectively. A plethora of names have been rumored for various roles over the course of the last couple of months, including Adam Driver, Bill Skarsgård, Charles Melton, Jayme Lawson, Christopher Abbott, Patrick Wilson, Cailee Spaeny, amongst many others. Let’s hope that casting director Sarah Finn can get this done in time.
Projects That Could Quickly Be Highlighted
A VisionQuest trailer is expected to debut this week, so this should very well be touched on. Director Destin Daniel Cretton is coming off the billion-dollar-grossing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and though the live-action Naruto is his next project, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a Shang-Chi announcement with Cretton confirmed back in the director’s chair. Ghost Rider was the surprise announcement at SDCC, and we know the star and director, so I do not believe we will see or hear more on this. A Nova movie was recently reported on, and sure, they may quickly touch on it, but a logo is the most I’d expect since it is still early days. A movie I think has a strong chance of being announced is Deadpool, and while I have not heard this personally, I could see this being another team-up movie with another character. Projects that have been rumored that I doubt are touched on are Scarlet Witch, Thor 5, Doctor Strange 3, and, sadly, Midnight Sons.
Swing-For-The-Fences Prediction
Let me start by saying what I am about to predict is something I had heard earlier this year but doesn’t pertain to D23; I am just tying it into my prediction for D23. We know Black Panther 3 is on the way from director Ryan Coogler and stars Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and newcomer David Jonsson. I believe Marvel will once again touch on the project and officially announce Denzel Washington, whether or not they confirm he is the film’s villain; I do not know. That’s not all; I am going all out and predicting that Storm will not be a part of the X-Men announcement and instead will be announced for Black Panther 3. The new Storm being the love interest opposite David Jonsson’s Black Panther makes too much sense.
We will see what Kevin Feige has in the works for us as the D23 Expo kicks off on August 14. Follow along in the coming days as we bring you all the news from Disney’s biannual event.
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