So we just had San Diego Comic Con 2022, and while many studios laid out their future plans while teasing us with some jaw-dropping showcases about what’s in store over the next few years, nothing quite matched the vast quantity and magnitude of Marvel’s roster of announcements.
Now it comes as no surprise that Marvel has more projects in the works that we can keep up with, as they expand their universe, continuing to regularly release both new theatrical and streaming instalments. Despite this, we were still left reeling once they were finished revealing everything planned until the end of 2025.
Not only were we (finally) treated with the film that will mark the end to Phase 4, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but we also got to witness a far more fleshed out phase 5 and even the “endgame” of the now named ‘The Multiverse Saga’
So from the upcoming Avengers films to the introduction of Daredevil and possibly Deadpool into the MCU, let’s break down all the announcements from SDCC22 and the possible implications for the future of the ever-expanding Marvel universe.
Announcements
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
That’s right, we finally get to see the return of the Black Panther. As many know the unexpected passing of the late, great Chadwick Boseman lead to much speculation around the future of Black Panther and how this franchise would be handled.
Despite a very delayed shoot and some controversy around its cast, the sequel has wrapped production! And if you were hoping to finally get some answers about who will be donning the Black Panther suit well….keep on waiting. Despite getting a blink-and-it’s-gone scene in the trailer, we are still none the wiser on who will be taking over the mantle.
However, with the trailer boasting the great Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and the figure in which we saw from the suit, our best guess is that we will likely witness Letitia Wright’s ‘Shuri’ or Lupita Nyong’o’s ‘Nakia’ stepping in as the Black Panther.
It is likely Marvel have had to hold the reveal ready for Disney’s D23, so despite not being too far away we will likely have to wait until September 9th to officially find out who is the Black Panther.
She-Hulk
People’s favourite controversial show got it’s 2nd full trailer debuting at SDCC22 and although the quite literal monstrous CGI of the She-Hulk is definitely looking marginally better, Marvel were able to side-step our rants and abuse over this title by giving us something shiny to look at in the form of a Daredevil appearance.
Although Daredevil has been rumoured to be making his full showcase in the MCU for a while now, no one was betting on this taking place in the She-Hulk show. Although we don’t know the extent of Matt Murdock’s role in the upcoming disney plus series, it does make sense considering the show is court room themed (given Daredevils day profession).
However, many are still concerned that this is simply a way to distract people and sure up investment in a show that otherwise would have very little intrigue going for it. Although Mark Ruffalo will be reprising his role as the Hulk and we are even seeing a return for Abominations Tim Roth, given Marvel’s past few lacklustre projects, no one is holding their breath on a surprise hit here.
Guardians Of The Gamaxy Volume 3
Now for one that nobody saw coming – we got our first official teaser for GOTG Vol 3 and it was quite a sight to behold. No one truly expected this trailer to be on the roster of showcases quite yet, as it’s only recently wrapped.
It is worth noting however that the trailer did “hold back” according to James Gunn himself, as the VFX just isn’t quite up to scratch for public showcase just yet. So don’t expect a worldwide release of a trailer until the visual effects are looking a bit more pristine.
That said, from what we did see, we know that this will be a different and far more mature group of Guardians than we are used to. With the story looking to heavily focus on Rocket and his origins (baby rocket will have you in tears), as well as a likely reconnection with Gamora, it’s safe to say we think this is going to be hard-hitting, enjoyable story, exploring themes of where you came from and how this follows us through life.
Apart from that, not much is known about the new outing for The Guardians Of The Galaxy. Of course, we already know that this is likely to be the teams’ final instalment with James Gunn which means that any future guardians team will look very different, and it’s uncertain as to whether the cast will want to continue without the ever-creative director at the helm.
Release Dates
The other announcements came in the form of both fleshing out phase 5 and introducing us to phase 6, with far too many release dates to remember – so we are here to break it down for you, starting with what we can expect soonest. So strap in…
Phase 5
- Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania – February 17 2023
- Secret Invasion – Spring 2023
- Guardians Of The Galaxy: Volume 3 – May 5 2023
- Echo – Summer 2023
- Loki Season 2 – Summer 2023
- The Marvels – July 28 2023
- Blade – November 3 2023
- Ironheart – Autumn 2023
- Agatha: Coven Of Chaos – Winter 2023
- Daredevil: Born Again – Spring 2024
- Captain America: New World Order – May 3 2024
- Thunderbolts – July 26 2024
Phase 6
- Fantastic Four – November 8 2024
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – May 2 2025
- Avengers: Secret Wars – November 7 2025
The Missing Links
Now despite phase 5 already seeming quite bloated, believe it or not, we likely still have many announcements in the pipeline to emerge.
Despite SDCC being the biggest comic book event of the year, Disney were eager to save some of the other bigger announcements, trailers and reveals for their own event at D23 which will be on September 9th 2022 this year. So there’s not long to wait! But with that in mind let’s take a look at what could still be announced to fill some of the gaps in the phase 5 and 6 timeframe.
Black Panther Reveal
It is very likely that Disney wanted to hold the reveal of who will be donning the Black Panther suit for their own panel, as it is one of the most talked about questions since production started on the show.
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Teaser
Given that Ant-Man 3 will be roughly 5 months away from hitting our screens by the time of D23, it is not unreasonable at all to assume that we will be receiving some sort of extensive teaser trailer to show us what the film will be about and how it will involve the seeming overarching villain of the multiverse saga, Kang The Conqueror.
Marvels Halloween Special
It is well known that Marvel have been working on a halloween special to air on Disney+, and given how close Halloween really is, it was surprising not to hear anything about it all at SDCC. ut it makes sense given it is solely created for Disney to boast about more content and so understandably they want to be the ones to make the announcement come D23.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3/ Holiday Special Teaser
The Guardians went from being nowhere to everywhere, with them being out of sight (though not out of mind) since we saw the Guardians Of The Galaxy in 2019. e got a brief cameo in Thor: Love And Thunder, a teaser trailer at SDCC22 and their holiday special is now fast approaching.
Now although not much is known about the holiday special, James Gunn has insisted it makes sense in the circumstances and that it will follow the MCU timeline rather than in the vain of something like the cursed Star Wars Christmas Special.
Shang-Chi 2/Eternals Project
Given we have been given the “endgame” of this saga already, it feels slightly odd we are yet to see a sequel announced for any of the heroes we have been newly introduced to in phase 4. It is likely at least a Shang-Chi sequel or some sort of Eternals follow-on is in the works to release prior to the end of Phase 6, however nothing has been confirmed yet so here’s hoping for a D23 announcement.
Deadpool 3
Everybody stay calm, it might actually be happening. The merc with the mouth could be making his official debut in the MCU soon (ish). After the announcement of Thunderbolts, and as we know writing for a Deadpool 3 movie was in the works, it would make sense that our gun wielding, 4th wall breaking, chaotic anti-hero could be getting his own movie in the universe near the beginning of phase 6.
Now I think all of us are just excited to see the dynamic this iconic character would have with our more serious faces in the MCU, but it seems that these dreams might genuinely be a reality very soon.
Now we could go on about all our “theories” on what could be announced at D23, which would likely delve into more of a wishlist. But here are a few other honourable mentions to look out for come September.
- Armor wars Details/Teaser
- Secret Invasion Trailer
- Wakanda Series
- X-men Project
- Young Avengers Announcement
- Nova Announcement
What are your thoughts? Were you excited about all the announcements that came out of San Diego Comic Con or do you have your doubts the MCU can pull of another “Endgame” again? And what are you looking forward to seeing getting announced at D23 this year?
