After skipping last year's San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios is returning to the event next month. Now, with no Warner Bros., the door is wide open for Kevin Feige and company to steal the show and make a lasting impact that will leave fans talking for months.
After all, Feige has said that Marvel Studios won't reveal its Phase 4 slate until after
Avengers: Endgame and
Spider-Man: Far From Home's arrival in theaters, and by the time Comic-Con rolls around, that will finally be the case. Throw in new characters, casting information, and Disney+, and it's fair to say that there's a lot we want from them in Hall H!
In this article, we take a look at ten announcements we would love Marvel Studios to make next month, and while we probably won't get all of them, even just a handful would be awesome!
So, to check out our suggestions, all you have to do is hit the "View List" button down below.
Give Nova His Due
I'm not the world's biggest Nova fan, but it's pretty clear that many people want to see the character brought to the big screen and Comic-Con would be a great place to shed some light on the hero's future.
Whether it's something as simple as his logo appearing on Hall H's massive screens as the panel ends or confirmation that we'll see him in a movie like
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, this would be an amazing way to make fans happy and would be something else to get excited about moving into Phase 4.
Kevin Feige has said he has plans for Nova, so why not reveal them on this grand stage?
The Full Phase 4 Slate
While I'm sure Marvel Studios will announce the movies we're getting in 2020 and 2021, I can't help but hope that they'll actually reveal the entire Phase 4 slate similar to what happened at that "Marvel Event" way back when.
They have release dates set in stone for years, so knowing what the next
Avengers movie will be called or even when the likes of
Black Panther and
Doctor Strange will return to theaters will finally clear some things up and get fans seriously excited about the future of the MCU.
We already have a good idea of many of the movies on the way (
Shang-Chi,
The Eternals, etc.), but here's hoping Marvel Studios brings some huge surprises that none of us could have seen coming.
One Final Captain America Adventure
As I've mentioned a few times on the site, there's a pretty interesting theory doing the rounds on social media which claims that the Russo Brothers might have shot a secret
Captain America movie while working on
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame.
It sounds pretty far-fetched if we're being honest, but there's a clear demand for Marvel Studios to delve into what happened to Steve Rogers when he travelled back in time and while it seems as if Chris Evans is 100% finished playing the hero, surely he could be convinced to come back for one final adventure with the Russos at the helm.
This would be a shock announcement for sure, but stranger things have happened.
What's The Deal With Disney+?
Some concept art from
Loki was recently shown off to investors, so you have to hope Marvel Studios will finally set the record straight on what is and isn't coming to this streaming service.
Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Loki, and WandaVision are all confirmed, but rumours have swirled about other shows and it would be good to get some clarification, story details, and premiere dates.
If these new shows are truly going to have an impact on the MCU, they should be included in a slate reveal!
New Concept Art
Back when Marvel Studios attended Comic-Con on a regular basis, a highlight would be the concept art reveals we would get throughout the panel. The
Captain Marvel artwork wasn't officially released until around the time the movie arrived in theaters, and it feels like a million years ago that they hyped up
The Avengers movies with those epic banners.
Well, with
Black Widow and
The Eternals on the way next year, you have to hope we'll see something, especially as a first look at the latter would really generate a lot of buzz about characters that even a lot of comic book fans aren't overly familiar with.
We know that Loki concept art exists so Marvel Studios must have plenty to show off, and it now remains to be seen whether we'll actually get anything new. As for footage, I can't imagine that they have enough from
Black Widow to have put together any sort of sneak peek for Comic-Con. We'll see.
The Eternals Cast Reveal
A number of actors have been linked to
The Eternals, including Richard Madden and Angelina Jolie.
Unfortunately, we've heard nothing official and if Marvel Studios hopes to make this 2020 release a
Guardians of the Galaxy sized hit, then bringing them out on stage seems like a smart move.
Even if it's just a handful of them, the buzz that would be generated would definitely pay off.
Clarify Spider-Man's Future In The MCU
It's hard to imagine that Spider-Man won't remain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it would be good to have it 100% confirmed, especially as it looks like Marvel Studios is setting Peter Parker up as one of the new faces of the MCU.
With so much talk about a crossover with Venom and Avi Arad's obvious desire to get his hands back on the wall-crawler, there's some concern that Sony Pictures is now confident enough to move forward with
Spider-Man movies that don't include Marvel Studios' involvement, and that's obviously cause for concern given their track record.
So, here's hoping we get an official announcement about a third movie in 2021!
Anthony Mackie Suits Up As Captain America
This could come in the form of concept art, Anthony Mackie appearing on stage, or a photo from a costume test, but a first look at Anthony Mackie as Captain America would be significant for a number of reasons. For starters, it would help usher in a new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but, perhaps even more importantly for Marvel Studios, it would get everyone talking.
After all, a reveal like this would be huge and would show that the studio is determined to do something new with Captain America after Steve Rogers passed the mantle on to Sam Wilson.
Right now, the character's future is up in the air; Anthony Mackie has talked about being the new Captain America, but the fact that he's going to star in a series with "Falcon" in the title on Disney+ has made some fans worry that it's going to be a while before he properly wields the shield.
Tell Us Something About The X-Men And Fantastic Four
The Disney/Fox merger is a done deal, and Marvel Studios has been free to develop new movies based on the characters for a few months now. While it's still a little too early for release dates to be set or concept art to be revealed, it would be nice for Kevin Feige to at least offer some insight into what he plans on doing with the heroes.
For example, what version of the X-Men and Fantastic Four are we getting?
Will they be experienced heroes or teenagers like in the Ultimate Universe? Even details as small as these would be appreciated, while a logo reveal for both teams would also be significant.
What About Some New Characters?
I mentioned Nova at the start of this post, and while we're all keen to see more of familiar faces like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, it would be nice to learn that The Eternals aren't the only new characters we're going to see make an impact in Phase 4.
Whether it's Black Knight, Captain Britain, the Young Avengers, or even Norman Osborn, some hints about a few new faces in the MCU moving forward is a must and would be beyond exciting. Honestly, it depends how much Kevin Feige wants to reveal here.
With any luck, though, we will indeed get some sort of Nova-sized reveal in Hall H.
Talking of the X-Men, continue reading below to find out how
we think Marvel Studios can make the ultimate X-Men movie!
Don't Make It All About Wolverine
The last time Wolverine was seen on screen was in 2017, and if we're not getting an
X-Men reboot until 2022/2023, that's more than enough time for moviegoers to have moved on from Hugh Jackman's version of the clawed mutant. In other words, it's inevitable that we'll get a new take on Logan, especially as the character can star in both the
X-Men franchise and one of his own.
As great as the character is, though, we do not need another series where he's the focus.
Iron Man received the lion's share of the spotlight in the marketing campaigns for The Avengers movies, but Marvel Studios always managed to do the other heroes justice as well. So, even if Wolverine is at the front of every poster, overlooked characters like Iceman, Cyclops, and Storm (to name just a few of the dozens not done justice by Fox) need just as much screentime.
Introduce Mr. Sinister
Fox has spent years teasing the eventual arrival of Mr. Sinister, but considering Simon Kinberg has since claimed that Dark Phoenix was always going to be a "finale," it seems that was never going to actually lead to anything. Well, after botched versions of the Sentinels and Apocalypse, it's about time we get a fresh villain, and who better than this?
Mr. Sinister brings something very different to the table and if Marvel Studios really wants to build the X-Men's mythology, they can delve into his obsession with Cyclops and the Summers bloodline.
Bryan Cranston has said that he wants to play the character, and there's a lot that could be done with Sinister regardless of whether they stick closely to the comics or do something new with him (similar to previous well-received reinterpretations of characters like Baron Zemo and Erik Killmonger).
Should Mutants Be Hated And Feared?
This is a tricky one.
Fox has pretty much covered this base, and why in a universe with The Avengers would people be scared of this team of superheroes? Plus, with so much racism, homophobia, and hatred in the real world, is this something moviegoers will want to watch in theaters? Those are tough questions to ask, but there's certainly a lot Marvel Studios could do with that concept.
If mutants start popping up everywhere, people more than likely would be frightened by them, so that initial question could be addressed fairly early and the chance to tell a fresh story and embrace the hatred this race faces is definitely there. Fox barely scratched the surface, but Marvel Studios must do more than just showing us shady types in the government plotting against them!
Give Them The Costumes
Has there been a single superhero costume in Fox's X-Men Universe aside from Deadpool that's actually been well-received by fans? The suits at the end of
X-Men: Apocalypse were pretty cool, but what we don't need in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more black leather!
Regardless of how the public feels about mutants, they are superheroes and should look the part. This includes finally giving Wolverine a costume, and if there's anyone who will finally be able to pull off those yellow and blue duds on the big screen, it will be Kevin Feige and his talented team of concept artists.
In fact, it's hard to imagine this isn't something they're already working on!
Continuity Is Key
Now, this is something Marvel Studios definitely doesn't need to learn given how successfully they've built a cinematic universe over the past decade, but it's still vitally important for these characters.
After all, we've spent nearly twenty years trying to make sense of movies that make, well, none. Stories have been wiped out due to new timelines, while others have ignored what's come before or seemingly taken place in the wrong timeline. Characters have been reused and storylines have been abandoned, all of which has made this franchise something of a chore to sit through at times.
A whole world can be built around the X-Men, and we now just have to hope Marvel Studios will make sense of it. Personally, I can't think of anyone better qualified than them for the job.
Make The Female Characters Matter
Jean Grey has obviously been a focal point of this franchise, but what about the rest of the female characters in the X-Men's world? Most of the time, they've been used as little more than plot devices or completely overlooked and that needs to change. When have we ever got any hints about Rogue being one of the world's most powerful mutants or Storm's leadership abilities, for example?
While we're all anxious for a decent take on the likes of Cyclops and Angel, there are so many great female superheroes who are mutants with the ability to really shine on screen that have not been given that opportunity by Fox. Emma Frost has been a huge part of the team's adventures in recent years, so just imagine a comic accurate take on her after
First Class' underwhelming version?
Take The Focus Off Professor X And Magneto
Pretty much all of the X-Men movies have revolved around Xavier and Magneto and it's time for that to change. I'm as excited as anyone to see comic accurate versions of these two in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we don't need to see the team once again squaring off with the Master of Magnetism.
Sure, he can appear somewhere down the line, but is there a fresh way to present him and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? If so, Marvel Studios will need to find it because it's hard to imagine right now.
As for Professor X, what if he's left on the shelf for a while? Perhaps the X-Men can just start off as a team of teenagers who come together by themselves before being recruited by Charles further down the line. After all, it will be hard for Kevin Feige to find a new interpretation on familiar ideas like Cerebro, the X-Mansion, and the X-Jet without this reboot feeling like a retelling of past movies.
Take Advantage Of The Crossover Potential
We recently heard that Fox was once planning an
X-Men/Fantastic Four movie that would have taken elements from the
Civil War comic book series to pit the two teams against each other.
For reasons that aren't clear, that never happened. However, Fox spent years failing to take advantage of the crossover potential its Marvel properties had and Marvel Studios should avoid making that mistake at all costs. After all, what's the point of having The Avengers and X-Men in the same world if they're never going to meet...and fight?
I'm sure that will happen at some point, but theories that the X-Men reboot will take place in its own part of the Multiverse need to be debunked sooner rather than later, as that would suck.
No More Love Triangles
For the love of God, please no more love triangles. We suffered through this with Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey over the course of a number of movies and there's simply no need for it. The days of superhero movies needing a romantic subplot are gone (Captain Marvel did perfectly fine without one and grossed over $1 billion), and love should not be on the minds of these mutants.
Honestly, I would completely avoid this when it comes to Jean and Scott, and pairing the latter up with someone like Emma Frost might ultimately be more interesting.
There's so much that can be done with the
X-Men franchise, that this mid-2000s thought process of including a love interest for the leads should be left on the shelf in favor of some solid storytelling that does the heroes justice.
A Truly Diverse Franchise
If there's one franchise that lends itself to diversity, it's the
X-Men. Providing Marvel Studios sticks to the comic books in terms of how these characters are portrayed, I see no reason why characters can't be gender-swapped, different races, or different sexualities. It would give the team a much-needed modern makeover, and could make this rebooted franchise truly special.
Which lessons do you think Marvel Studios should learn from the previous X-Men films before the reboot? Let us know your thoughts and theories on that and our suggestions below.