Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the studio will make its long-awaited return to Hall H this July to no doubt steal the show. The San Diego Comic-Con has gone virtual in recent years thanks to the pandemic, but with the world starting to get back to normal, we can finally look forward to some big announcements again.
Chances are Marvel Studios will save at least some of them for this September's Disney+ Day and D23 events, but there are bound to be at least a few major reveals in San Diego next month.
In this feature, we share some of the big and small screen projects that we'd love to see made official at Comic-Con. Some have been rumoured to be in the works, while there are others we believe are likely to finally receive a green light from the studio. A few, however, are movies and TV shows we think it's about damn time get made, as these characters deserve the spotlight.
To take a look through these exciting possibilities, simply click on the "Next" button below!
8. Heroes For Hire
Marvel Television really dropped the ball with both Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and outside the former's first six episodes, there's really very little good to say about either series.
With all due respect to Mike Colter and Finn Jones, neither one of them should reprise their respective roles in the MCU. Instead, Comic-Con is the perfect place to announce a fresh start for both characters, with new actors given the chance to bring them to life in a movie or TV show we all wanted from the start: Heroes for Hire.
This would give Marvel Studios another previously unexplored area of this world to delve into, showcasing a couple of street-level superheroes doing what they do best: protecting normal people (for a small fee, of course).
With the likes of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel exploring pocket dimensions, now also feels like the right time to finally introduce K'un-Lun.
7. Doctor Doom
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured the MCU's first subtle reference to Doctor Doom when Earth-838's Mister Fantastic used a teleportation device based on one of Doom's Time Platforms.
Despite the fact that Victor Von Doom was put centre stage in Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015's Fantastic Four reboot, not one of those portrayals were remotely comic book accurate. Despite that overexposure, a true version of Doom in the MCU has the potential to change this shared world for the better on a number of levels.
A Disney+ series that explores Doom's origin story could follow the villain from childhood to his time in college with Reed and right through to the present day where he's Latveria's dictator. With that, he would be established as a very real and credible threat to Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
We'd also make exploring Victor's links to magic a priority as that ties him into both that realm and science.
6. Nova
We recently learned that Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada is working on a Nova project for Marvel Studios, so why not finally make it official at this year's Comic-Con?
Fans have spent years waiting to see this character brought into the MCU, and regardless of whether it's Richard Rider, Sam Alexander, or both, fans would definitely appreciate being told that this is really happening. Guardians of the Galaxy missed a trick not including the hero, but James Gunn isn't keen on him, so that's a big part of the delay.
Still, putting Nova front and centre is no bad thing and Marvel Studios can tie his origin story into the destruction of the Nova Corps prior to Avengers: Infinity War (something that hasn't been explored anywhere near enough).
We're ready to blast off with Nova, so fingers crossed for an announcement in San Diego.
5. America Chavez
We first met America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but had COVID not left Marvel Studios' Phase 4 slate in disarray, the hero would have also appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That suggests there were big plans in place for the reality-hopping teenager at one time.
We're sure that hasn't changed, and with her gaining better control over her powers in the Doctor Strange sequel, the next logical step would be for America to star in a Disney+ TV series.
In terms of what story that should tell, the hero jumping through the Multiverse on the hunt for her parents makes the most sense. This would be the perfect place to explore America's sexuality as well, while the show could include a lot of familiar faces, albeit in new and unexpected ways (something we hoped to see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).
America has been a hit with fans, so we're keeping everything crossed for this one.
4. Namor the Submariner
All signs point to Tenoch Huerta playing Namor the Submariner in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with rumours suggesting that the character will be reimagined as hailing from a hidden underwater city in South America. That may be a departure from the comic books, but it's one that should help differentiate Namor from Jason Momoa's Aquaman.
We're assuming Namor will be an antagonist in the Black Panther sequel, but don't expect him to be portrayed in a villainous light moving forward.
A movie or TV series can better explore Atlantis and its King, delving into the undersea politics and that nation's place in the wider MCU. A giant marble Celestial is currently sitting in the Indian Ocean, and we're sure that's also something Namor will want to deal with.
Alternatively, Namor could be brought into the wider MCU, with this spinoff telling a true fish out of water story (heh).
3. Daredevil
Netflix's Daredevil was far from perfect, but it did a lot right, and resulted in fans making it clear that they wanted Marvel Studios to #SaveDaredevil.
Well, they did when Charlie Cox showed up as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, something that came just days after Vincent D'Onofrio reprised the role of The Kingpin in Hawkeye. Rumour has it there are plans for the Man Without Fear in She-Hulk and Echo, though we recently learned Matt Corman and Chris Ord are developing a new Disney+ series.
Seeing as the trades reported that news, it's pretty much official, though we'd like to see it made officially official at this year's Comic-Con.
A logo would be appreciated, as would a first look at the new Daredevil suit, even if it's just concept art. All we're saying is it better have the "DD" front and centre this time...
2. Uncanny X-Men
The last time Marvel Studios was at Comic-Con, they announced the Fantastic Four reboot. Now, three years on, we think it's about damn time to make a new X-Men movie official.
It goes without saying that Fox has sullied the brand, particularly after Dark Phoenix, but there is a desire among fans to see these mutants make their presence felt in the MCU. Deadpool 3 is on the way, of course, and it would be no bad thing for that to also be officially revealed in San Diego.
Going back to the X-Men, we're still not sure how they should be brought into the MCU or the best approach to putting a fresh spin on them. Heading down the Krakoa route could work, though Secret Wars might reshape this world and add mutants to it in a way that makes it seem like they were always there.
Regardless, dropping a title card with Uncanny X-Men on it would be more than enough to blow the minds of fans!
1. Wolverine
It's always nice to have a cherry on an ice cream sundae, so after blowing the roof off Hall H with some X-Men news, why not follow that up with one more logo? We are, of course, talking about Wolverine.
Marvel Studios did that with Blade and brought Mahershala Ali on stage to cap their presentation off, so introducing the world to the new Logan could quite easily break the internet. Again, the studio wouldn't necessarily have to commit to a release date or even director at this point, but making their plans for the clawed mutant known would definitely be welcomed.
Fox gave us a couple of solo movies with Wolverine, but the MCU can do his story justice either on the big screen or across the course of a Disney+ series jumping from era to era.
Heck, if Marvel Studios really wants to shake things up, perhaps X-23 will be the MCU's Wolverine...