Marvel’s 8 Biggest San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Bombshells
Kevin Feige’s Hall H turn at San Diego Comic-Con brought a flurry of teases and a couple of genuine shocks — we’ve picked the ones that actually mattered.
Marvel Studios have made a real habit of stealing the spotlight at San Diego Comic-Con—think back to that legendary Avengers cast unveiling in 2010 or Robert Downey Jr.’s surprise casting as Doctor Doom not that long ago. 2026 was always going to be another biggie, with plenty of hype swirling around Avengers: Doomsday and the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day. And while Marvel still knows how to keep a bit up its sleeve, there was more than enough in their Hall H panel this year to keep the rumour mill churning right through Phase Seven.
Riders, Witches, and a Very Familiar Face
Let’s get the most headline-ready shock out the way first: Ryan Gosling is officially joining the MCU as Johnny Blaze, better known to Marvel nuts as Ghost Rider. Now, Gosling’s been keen on Ghost Rider since at least 2022—he half-joked about it back then—but now it’s official. The weirdest tidbit? Gosling’s wife, Eva Mendes, actually played Ghost Rider’s love interest in the Nicolas Cage version, so there’s a fun bit of symmetry for you.
Just as interesting—and frankly a bit Hollywood—Gosling’s not riding alone: director Shawn Levy is helming the new Ghost Rider film. If you’re keeping count, this is a reunion after their work together on Star Wars: Starfighter (due 2027) and proof Marvel will poach anyone from anywhere if the chemistry’s right. Levy is no stranger to the MCU either, having directed Deadpool & Wolverine. Marvel said the Ghost Rider film hits screens sometime in 2028, but wouldn’t get pinned down to which of their pre-booked May or July slots it’s landing in.
Ghost Rider, starring Ryan Gosling, will debut in 2028 as part of Marvel's Phase Seven.
Meanwhile, on the SDCC show floor, Marvel turned up with three mystery figures in Doctor Doom-style outfits, each labelled as ‘Latverian witches’, decked out in purple, gold, and green. There’s a bucketload of fan theories about who’ll be under those masks by the end—if you had Elizabeth Olsen back as Scarlet Witch on your MCU bingo card, you’re not alone.
Dooms, Panthers, and X-shaped Gaps
The real ‘is this a spoiler?’ moment in Avengers: Doomsday talk came courtesy of a little Fantastic Four history. Fans have spent ages speculating if Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will have proper ties to the Fantastic Four, after his abrupt mid-credits debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps left folk wondering which universe we’re even in. The new footage showed Sue Storm saying she ‘always knew he was dangerous, but never realised how broken he was’—which pretty much cements him as their classic nemesis.
Fans of the old guard, meanwhile, finally got what they’d been hoping for: after Chris Evans was confirmed to return as Steve Rogers, Hayley Atwell is now officially back as Peggy Carter in Doomsday, joining the main cast after months (and months) of speculation and her complete absence from all the teaser material so far.
Switching gears, Marvel went and locked in Black Panther III for a 15 December 2028 release. If that felt like an age away, try and make sense of this: Ryan Coogler confirmed this third entry will focus on an adult version of T'Challa Jr.—the son of the original king, introduced as a five-year-old at the end of Wakanda Forever. Now he’s apparently grown up, and David Jonsson (from Alien: Romulus among others) will play the new Black Panther. Nobody’s saying how he’s gone from primary school to cape and claws, but it’s Marvel, so presumably time travel, the Blip, or multiverse shenanigans are waiting in the wings. Each film now spotlights a different Black Panther, which is…one way to do things.
Black Panther III will be released on 15 December 2028 and will centre on T'Challa Jr. as the new Black Panther.
And finally, X-Men fans, brace yourselves: there was absolutely nothing about the mutants or their rumoured MCU reboot, despite Jake Schreier supposedly in the director’s chair since last year. Seems Marvel’s holding back, perhaps to keep the focus on those old Fox X-Men in Doomsday or to avoid upstaging a likely surprise cameo from Sadie Sink as Jean Grey in Brand New Day.