Comic-Con 2022: X-Men, Fantastic Four and other big announcements to expect from Marvel Studios panel

Marvel Studios’ panel in Hall H of the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con is one of the most-awaited this year. It was the 2019 Comic-Conpanel of the studio in which several projects like ‘Eternals’, ‘Shang-Chi’, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ in movies and ‘WandaVision’, ‘Loki’ and ‘Ms Marvel’ among shows were unveiled. MCU fans expect the company to once again surprise with fresh, surprising announcements. The excitement is also high because most of Phase 4 has been a disappointment thus far and fans want the future to be brighter.

Here is what to expect at the panel:

More details about a Mutant/X-Men movie

After Disney acquired 20thCentury Fox in March 2019, properties like X-Men and Fantastic Four also came under the MCU umbrella. It is only a matter of time before characters like Wolverine (probably not Hugh Jackman’s as it’s a reboot) and Deadpool rub shoulders with Spider-Man and Captain Marvel and the Fantastic Four team up with the Avengers to take on Galactus — or something. We know a movie on mutants (better known as X-Men) is in development, but that is all we know. The only actor that we know will continue to play their role in Fox regime is Ryan Reynolds, who returns as Deadpool. Let’s hope Kevin Feige et al will release more details during the panel.

‘Fantastic Four’ details

Jon Watts, who helmed all the three ‘Spider-Man’ movies in MCU, was going to direct a ‘Fantastic Four’ movie, but he left the project to direct a‘Star Wars’ movie instead. This ‘Fantastic Four’ will be a reboot, so do not expect actors from previous films to return.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ sneak peek/teaser

After ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ disappointed critics and also many fans, all eyes are on Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. Perhaps we will get more clarity as to how exactly the film will work without the late Chadwick Boseman who died of colon cancer in 2020. Rest of the cast, including Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett return. Dominique Thorne debuts in MCU as Riri Williams, who forges for herself a suit of armour to rival Tony Stark’s in comics and becomes Ironheart. We need more details to understand what kind of movie ‘Wakanda Forever’ is going to be.

More details about Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’ movie

The Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali will make his MCU debut as half-human and half-vampire Eric Brooks, better known as Blade in an untitled upcoming movie being directed by Bassam Tariq. Technically, Ali already played the character, but only through his voice, in one of the post-credit scenes in ‘Eternals’. Feige should provide more details about the movie during the panel.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise will end with Vol 3, the third film in the series. The director has confirmed this. The film was supposed to come much earlier (in 2020) as Gunn had finished the script but then he was fired by Disney for his old Twitter jokes about paedophilia and rape. He went on to do a DC movie, ‘The Suicide Squad’, but was rehired. Now his conclusion to the current lineup Guardians comes out next year, so expect some promotional material to release during the panel.