The Marvel Cinematic Universe is under more pressure than ever to get it right. After years of unchallenged box office dominance and widespread critical approval, the tides have begun to turn against the once untouchable theatrical juggernaut, with a major drop in box office performancea general atmosphere of “superhero fatigue,” and the conviction and sentencing of actor Jonathan Majors, who was previously destined to become the main villain of the next Avengers saga.
All of this and more has Marvel in retooling mode, releasing fewer new films each year and shuffling some titles around the calendar. But the calendar remains, and at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige offered a brief glimpse at what MCU fans can expect in the near (and distant) future.
What was missing from the announcements were the X-Men, Sheet (previously listed as a 2025 release, but not mentioned in their planned 2025 releases, suggesting yet another delay), and the usual grand upcoming timeline. While the Marvel panel was light on new release announcements, Marvel Studios still managed to generate a lot of buzz with one major casting announcement.
Here’s what Marvel announced at SDCC 2024 about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Russos return for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars
The closing credits for Marvel’s important, yet somewhat light, panel were all about the next installments in the Avengers franchise. While Marvel originally said that Kang would be the primary villain this time around, the company reversed course after Jonathan Majors was recast following his conviction for sexual assault and harassment, leaving the future of his various MCU films somewhat of a mystery.
Veteran Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo showed up to clear things up. The duo, who previously directed Avengers: Infinity War And Endgameare back for the next two Avengers films. The first film will be called Avengers: Doomsdaywhich will be released on May 1, 2026, while the grand finale will be Avengers: Secret Warswill be released on May 7, 2027.
Of course, no announcement like this would be complete without revealing who Doctor Doom himself is playing. But the Russo Brothers have made sure of that too…
Robert Downey Jr. Returns to the MCU as Victor Von Doom
…with the biggest mic drop of the night. Somehow, Robert Downey Jr. has returned to the fold. The Iron Man actor will play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsdaymaking his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The move marks a complete turnaround from Kang to Doom as the Avengers’ next Big Bad. The Fantastic Four will appear in each of the next two Avengers films.
“New mask,” Downey Jr. said. “Same job.”
Captain America: Brave New World has an official villain
We’ve known for a while that Giancarlo Esposito would be starring in the upcoming Captain America film, but it wasn’t until this panel that we found out who he’s playing: Sidewinder. Sidewinder is the leader of the Serpent Society, a criminal enterprise that tends to have less grandiose ambitions than some of Marvel’s other villains, which seems to suggest that this film will be a bit more subdued than some of its more fantastical cousins. As Feige said during the panel, this is a spy movie, more along the lines of Captain America: The Winter Soldier than the various MCU films about heroes saving the universe.
Thunderbolts* has premiered its first footage
There weren’t many real announcements about it Lightning bolts* — and we still don’t know what’s up with the * in the title — but there was some footage that was shown exclusively to those in Hall H. That clip looked pretty exciting: more than a few people posting on social media outside the panel compared what they saw to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squadwhich would certainly set a welcome tone for the MCU.
Fantastic Four got a subtitle and some footage
Fantastic four is the furthest removed of all the films that premiered footage during the panel, but also perhaps the most anticipated. The four members of the Fantastic Family — Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — appeared onstage during the presentation, and a bit of footage was shown that ended with our first look at Galactus. That footage isn’t available online yet, but we’ll update it when it is.
Here you’ll find all of Polygon’s SDCC 2024 coverage, including news, trailers, and more.