Summary

  • Marvel Studios’ return to Comic-Con 2024 promises big reveals for MCU fans after a quiet period of hits and misses.
  • The future of the MCU hinges on the answers to big questions like Kang’s replacement in the Multiverse Saga.
  • Comic-Con may bring announcements on unannounced 2026 films, Avengers 5 details, and X-Men plans for the MCU.



San Diego Comic-Con is always a huge moment for Marvel Studios and the MCU, and 2024’s upcoming event will surely address plenty of questions that fans have. Every Comic-Con, Marvel’s Hall H panels are some of the most highly anticipated of the event. This year’s event will be no different, especially since Marvel will be having a doubleheader. In addition to the usual Hall H panel, Marvel will host “The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life” panel to celebrate Deadpool & Wolverine’s premiere that weekend.

Marvel’s Comic-Con re-debut will surely be bigger than ever since the studio skipped out on Hall H in 2023. The MCU has had a quieter few years with projects either being huge hits or criticized misses, so the future trajectory of the franchise depends on whatever Marvel content is announced at Comic-Con. There are plenty of unknowns even with the MCU’s current projects in production, and fans are hoping that these big questions will finally be answered at Comic-Con.


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10 Who Will Kang’s Replacement Be In Avengers 5?

Jonathan Majors Is Out Of The MCU

Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) before his transformation in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The biggest question undoubtedly on everyone’s mind is who Kang’s replacement will be going forward in the MCU. Kang and his variants were being set up to be the ultimate villain of the Multiverse Saga after his introduction in season 1 of Loki, so much so that the next Avengers film was named The Kang Dynasty. However, Kang actor Jonathan Majors was dropped from the MCU after misdemeanor charges in 2023. Marvel has likely needed some time to rework their slate, especially since Kang was seemingly the center of the Multiverse Saga.


Avengers 5 Concept Poster

Avengers 5

Director
Destin Daniel Cretton

Release Date
May 1, 2026

Cast
Kathryn Newton , Iman Vellani , Mark Ruffalo , Hailee Steinfield , Anthony Mackie , Benedict Wong , Simu Liu , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dominique Thorne , Xochitl Gomez , Chris Hemsworth , Brie Larson

There’s been no word yet on whether Marvel plans to recast Kang or shift focus to a new villain entirely. With the variant concept in the multiverse, it would be incredibly easy to simply recast Kang with a new actor without having to explain the difference in appearance.

The MCU might even try to feature a new central villain in Avengers 5 instead, with fans throwing around the likes of Doctor Doom, Galactus, and even Mephisto. It’s been a while of silence from Marvel, but they may have been waiting for Comic-Con 2024 to announce Kang’s MCU future.


9 What Will The New Avengers 5 Title Be?

The Kang Dynasty Title Was Dropped

Kang (Jonathan Majors) in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania in his classic costume

While Marvel Studios has been relatively quiet about what their plans are with Kang and the future of Avengers 5, they have made one concrete decision. The next Avengers film was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but the title has since been dropped and simply referred to as Avengers 5. If Marvel does update fans at Comic-Con about the Kang reworks and the future of Avengers 5, the film’s new name will likely be announced too.

The Avengers 5 rename will depend on which direction Marvel chooses to go in. If they are recasting Kang, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty can remain, but, the fact that the studio dropped the title almost hints that they will be moving away from Kang and focusing on a new villain. Depending on who Kang’s MCU replacement is, their name might be put into the new title instead, or Marvel may even choose to go with a more vague title after this incident.


8 What Are Marvel’s 3 Unannounced 2026 Movies?

Comic-Con is usually where Marvel can confirm their upcoming projects along with a timeline of where they will all fall in the slate. It was revealed at Comic-Con 2022 that there would be three additional films premiering in 2026, though the exact films remained unannounced. The announcement came before Marvel decided to change their output schedule, so the three unannounced MCU projects may be affected by the slowed-down slate. Whether they are or not, Comic-Con would be the place to announce them as 2026 is sooner than it seems.


There are plenty of guesses as to what these three films could be. Considering that they’re currently slated to come before Avengers 5 and 6, the most likely possibility is that they are follow-ups to previous projects. Shang-Chi and Eternals both haven’t gotten concrete confirmation about a sequel and if they aren’t part of the three unannounced films, that may seal their MCU fate. There could even be new projects about MCU characters that have already been introduced, like a Young Avengers film or even the future X-Men project.

7 Which Heroes Will Be Confirmed For Avengers 5?

Over 60 Characters Are Set To Appear

Marvel recently stated that over 60 MCU characters will return for Avengers 5 and 6, but none have been officially confirmed just yet. The closest to a confirmation that fans have gotten was when Benedict Cumberbatch said in an interview that looking forward to working on Avengers next year, seemingly confirming Doctor Strange’s involvement. Besides him, the rest of the future Avengers characters have been pure speculation.


There are a handful of heroes that fans can safely assume will appear in the upcoming Avengers films including Sam Wilson’s Captain America, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel. This will also be the film to introduce new members to the Avengers team, such as Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, and America Chavez. Marvel has confirmed their casts at Comic-Con before, and Hall H would be the perfect stage for the next generation of Avengers to gather.

6 Will Blade Be Delayed Until After 2025?

The Film Has Had A Troubled Production

Mahershala Ali in Blade MCU fan art

The MCU’s Blade reboot was announced back at Comic-Con 2019, and the film has seen little progress since. The film has undergone a notably troubled production, including the 2023 Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as two director changes. Blade currently doesn’t have an official director attached to the project, which is concerning for a film that is supposed to be released in 2025.


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It seems that Blade will luckily get to keep their big-name casting of Mahershala Ali as Ali is reportedly happy with where the script is finally going. This may just be a case of Marvel keeping quiet about the project until there is substantial development considering how many changes the production has already gone through. However, if the lack of progress on Blade really does require the 2025 release date to get pushed back, then Marvel will likely announce it at Comic-Con.

Blade MCU Poster

Blade (2025)

Director
Bassam Tariq

Release Date
November 7, 2025

Cast
Mahershala Ali , Delroy Lindo , Aaron Pierre


5 Who Will Direct Avengers 5?

The Russo Brothers Are Reportedly In Talks

the russo brothers posing for photoshoot and marvel's secret wars main fandom graphic

Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret War have yet to get their confirmed directors, and dropping the information at Comic-Con would surely get a huge reaction out of the crowd. Marvel could not only just announce the directors, but even bring them out on stage. Several names have been thrown around since Avengers 5 and 6’s initial announcements, but the most recent report about rumored directors is making waves just a week before Comic-Con.

2:39

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Russo brothers are reportedly in talks with Marvel to direct both Avengers5 and 6. Joe and Anthony Russo have a well-respected MCU legacy as the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame. The duo has already proven that they can handle directing a large-scale crossover project like an Avengers movie, and their MCU films remain some of the franchise’s most successful to this day. If there is weight to the rumors, the Russo brothers directing the upcoming Avengers films would be an announcement worthy of Comic-Con.

4 Will Armor Wars Address The Fallout Of The War On Skrulls?

Armor Wars Is Set To Be A Direct Sequel To Secret Invasion

Skrulls Fighting Kree in MCU


The MCU’s Armor Wars has been in the works as early as 2011 but has yet to receive an official release date. Don Cheadle stated in 2011 that a War Machine film was in the works, and the project has since evolved into Armor Wars as the actor is set to star as James Rhodes. It was first announced to be a television series but is reportedly being reworked into a theatrical film instead. Not much else is known about the project at the moment besides the fact that Dominique Thorne is supposed to reprise her role as Riri Williams.

Armor Wars Poster


There is an existing MCU project that hasn’t really been addressed since its release but is said to be the predecessor of Armor Wars. Secret Invasion premiered in 2023 with Rhodey being featured in a significant plot about the Skrulls. The series ended with U.S. President Ritson declaring war on Skrulls and other extraterrestrials, but the fallout of this hasn’t been addressed yet in the MCU. On the chance that Armor Wars gets a confirmed release date at Comic-Con, perhaps more information about its exact ties to Secret Invasion will be revealed too.

3 What Are Marvel’s X-Men Plans?

The X-Men’s Official MCU Debut Is Highly Anticipated


The X-Men have been the big topic on everyone’s mind ever since Marvel regained the rights to the characters in 2019. The studio stated that they’d need some time to properly introduce the group, but fans have already been getting hints of mutants in several MCU projects. X-Men ‘97 has been one of Marvel’s most successful television shows to date, and the likes of Professor X and Beast have already appeared in Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels respectively. With how meta the Deadpool films are, Wolverine’s involvement in Deadpool’s official MCU debut will surely be commented on.

In terms of what’s next for the X-Men in the MCU, Marvel has confirmed that an X-Men film is in the works. It’s likely that the film won’t be released until well into Phase 7 after the Multiverse Saga, so the mere fact that the film is happening won’t be enough to satisfy fans for now. Considering the huge success of X-Men ‘97, Marvel would be smart to capitalize off of the characters’ newfound popularity and announce their future X-Men MCU plans at Comic-Con.


2 Will Avengers 5 Become Secret Wars Part 1?

The Russo Brothers Wanted To Make Secret Wars

Deadpool on the ground with a Secret Wars comic in Deadpool & Wolverine's trailer

A way that Marvel could solve the Avengers 5 problems is by making it a part 1 of the following Avengers: Secret Wars. If there’s too much uncertainty surrounding an entire Avengers 5 rework, splitting the Secret Wars story up into two parts would be the easiest solution. Big franchises such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games have used this method before, and splitting the film into two parts might even be a marketing strategy in the long run.

Avengers: Secret Wars

Release Date
May 7, 2027

Cast
Kathryn Newton , Jonathan Majors , Mark Ruffalo , Benedict Wong , Hailee Steinfeld , Dominique Thorne , Anthony Mackie , Brie Larson , Simu Liu , Benedict Cumberbatch , Iman Vellani , Chris Hemsworth , Xochitl Gomez


In the reality that the Russo brothers really are cast as the directors of Avengers 5 and 6, a two-parter Secret Wars story would make sense. The duo has been asked plenty of times since their last MCU project whether they would come back to the franchise, and they’ve always stated that they’d likely only return if they could do something related to the original Secret Wars comic series. Getting the Russo brothers confirmed for the films would make the possibility of Avengers 5 being the first part of Secret Wars even more likely.

1 Is Sentry Thunderbolts’ Villain?

Lewis Pullman Takes Over The Character From Steven Yeun

Marvel's Sentry flying at lightspeed, as stars streak past


Sentry was confirmed to appear in Thunderbolts* when it was revealed that Steven Yeun had attended a costume fitting for the character. However, The Walking Dead and Invincible actor dropped out of the MCU project in early 2024 due to scheduling conflicts. Top Gun: Maverick actor Lewis Pullman has since been chosen to replace Yeun as Sentry, but it still leaves the question of what exact role Sentry will play in Thunderbolts*.

Sentry is a powerful Marvel hero, but his powers come at a cost. With a dark side known as The Void, Sentry’s character has always been about fighting his inner demons and maintaining his declining sanity. Since the Thunderbolts are made up of anti-heroes and former villains, Sentry would fit right into the group. Thunderbolts* is well underway with production and Comic-Con 2024 may be where Marvel drops more information about the upcoming MCU film, including who the main villain of the movie will be and whether it will be Sentry.




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