Words by Olivia Aiere and Bill Bodkin
Marvel Studios took over Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, and mystery shrouded the event. With the studio having dropped the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, many wondered what on earth Marvel could be unveiling.
The rumors swirling all week ranged from the logical (footage from Spider-Man: Brand New Day) to the hopeful (cast news from the live action X-Men film) to the absurd (Iron Man 4 starring a de-aged RDJ). Well, last night Marvel dropped a range of news ranging from the logical to the unexpected.
Pop Break’s Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin and staff writer Olivia Aiere (who is currently reviewing X-Men ’97) teamed up to give their reactions all the news from Hall H.
Ryan Gosling Announced a Ghost Rider
One of the biggest rumors swirling around San Diego Comic-Con, thanks to scooper Daniel RPK, was that Ryan Gosling would be announced as Ghost Rider. Kevin Feige on stage brought up Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused Podcast and how Horowitz always brings up Gosling as Ghost Rider in interviews. Horowitz, who was in the audience after hosting the Apple panel in Hall H earlier, was goaded into asking about it again. In true pro wrestling fashion, there was a lights-on, lights-off moment, and then the Ghost Rider logo appeared on screen, followed by Ryan Gosling. Later, Director Shawn Levy appeared and was confirmed as the director of the film which will premiere in 2028.
Olivia Aiere: Starting with the hottest news from Marvel’s SDCC panel, Ryan Gosling has been confirmed as Johnny Blaze after much speculation. As an Agents of Shield fangirl my heart is a little broken over not seeing Robbie Reyes in the MCU anytime soon. However, Gosling has the charisma and swagger to pull off Johnny Blaze. And, it’ll be nice to see him finally take on a role in the MCU.
This great casting decision was announced alongside the film’s release in 2028 as well as with the confirmation of Shawn Levy as director. Levy and Gosling worked together on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter film, which is indicative of the chemistry they have as actor and director.
Admittedly, though, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Levy’s Deadpool and Wolverine. I understand that I am in the minority on this, but I can’t help being skeptical of how much I’ll end up liking Ghost Rider. Then again, Ryan Reynolds gets a lot of credit for the modern Deadpool representation, so it might be beneficial to see Levy tackle a character who isn’t so influenced by the actor playing him.
Bill Bodkin: One week ago, the thought of a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy was not on the minds of most. Most of us were hoping to get a trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. But here we are, and still seems wild that it even happened.
Gosling has not been shy about his desire to play this role, and that’s the exciting part. If the former Mickey Mouse Club member is all in on a role, you know we’re going to get something special. I totally understand Liv’s concerns about Levy, but if there’s one thing he’s good at it’s working well on someone’s passion project (e.g. Deadpool and Wolverine). The upside on this project is massive, and I can’t wait to see how this cast rounds out.
Black Panther 3 Announcement
The wildest rumor of the weekend was that Denzel Washington would appear in Hall H as a part of a Black Panther 3 announcement. Well, that didn’t happen. But we did get Oscar-winner Ryan Coogler on stage announcing the film will hit theaters in 2028 and we’d have a brand new Black Panther—David Jonsson who starred in Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk and the HBO/BBC co-produced series, Industry
Olivia Aiere: After Sinners, I’ll follow Ryan Coogler anywhere. While it seemed like Shuri (Leticia Wright) would take up the mantle of Black Panther, the title now passes to T’Challa’s son played by David Jonsson.
The Black Panther films have been consistently solid, properly exploring the nation of Wakanda within the MCU. It’s still unclear how big of a role they’ll have in Doomsday, given the trailers that hinted at their brief interactions with the Fantastic Four, longtime rivals of Doom. If T’Challa’s son steps up as leader of Wakanda, what happens to Shuri and M’Baku? Will he have a hand in aiding them against Doom?
Jonsson proved his acting prowess in The Long Walk, so seeing him paired with a stellar director such as Coogler can only mean great things. Coogler knows how to craft a story, so while I’m scared for the state of Wakanda after Doomsday, I have faith that something spectacular will hit screens in 2028.
Bill Bodkin:Black Panther is an all-time great Marvel movie. I watched it during the height of Marvel hate days, and even then I was 100% sold on this film. Hell, I even wrote an editorial on why it could win Best Picture… and again, this is when I could not stand the Marvel craze. Wakanda Forever is a good film that has a faulty third act and was in the unfortunate position of following an all-time classic, compounded by the fact that Chadwick Boseman had passed away. Now, we’re years removed from both moments, and this feels like something new, something fresh. No idea where this film takes place in the Multiverse of it all, but it’s exciting that we have a new actor taking up the helm of Black Panther to team with Shuri… and maybe against M’Baku? Not likely, Winston Duke made him too likable, so we’ll see those three against a bigger threat.
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool … What Does This Mean?
A question from the crowd came from a cosplayer dressed as a grey and black Deadpool. And yes, this cosplayer was indeed Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds asked Paul Rudd where Thor was and why he was crying? Rudd, retorted that Thor was a Wrexham FC fan. Reynolds quickly pivoted to questions about reshoots, additional photography, etc. implying whether his character would be in the film or not.
Olivia Aiere: It’d be remiss of me to ignore Ryan Reynolds initial comment of a Canadian Tuxedo, considering he didn’t actually seem to be wearing denim. It could be a light jab at Reynolds being Canadian, but with Marvel, you’re never truly sure. The #JeanPool caption in an all grey suit…I can’t help but think of my favorite telepathic redhead that Sadie Sink is rumored to play in Spider-man: Brand New Day.
The grey suit also seems incredibly similar to Deadpool’s fit in the Uncanny X-Force run from 2010. This suit could also hint at any characters from those runs making an appearance alongside Deadpool in Doomsday, although it seems unlikely since Psylocke and Angel only had brief appearances in FOX’s X-Men franchise. Wolverine, though–I’d say he’s on the table.
Deadpool would actually be really shocking to see in Doomsday even though everyone else is there. He has yet to show up in an actual MCU movie, either due to the rights to his character or his R-rated nature. That being said, a cheeky cameo from the silliest mercenary we know might be in our future. Given what we’ve seen of the film’s serious tone, I doubt Deadpool’s humor would be a welcome presence unless there’s some real whacky stuff happening. Then again, maybe the grey suit represents a change in his ways and he’s ready to work as a team player. All that to say…it’d be really funny if he defeated Doom singlehandedly. Is it likely? No, but I can’t help imagining.
Bill Bodkin: We are about one-year removed from the maximum overexposure of Deadpool. While, Deadpool and Wolverine was an undeniable box office juggernaut, it has not aged well. It felt like the collective fandom was like, “Enough.” And we weren’t wrong. Deadpool is a great character, but you can’t have dessert for dinner every day, and it’s better for all involved that he vanished from the world of Marvel film and TV for the better part of a year.
Absence does make the heart grow fonder and that made Reynolds’ appearance in Hall that much more unexpected and well-received. Now, we have some speculation: Is Deadpool on the table for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, the new X-Men film? We did see that scene of “Thor” crying over him – could that be foreshadowing? Or was that just a gag for Deadpool 3. Regardless, a wild Ryan Reynolds abounding in the MCU in a supporting role (and eventually starring role) feels right.
So does that mean Hugh Jackman is not far behind?
Captain Carter is Back
The cast of Avengers: Doomsday was at Hall H, and a new cast member was announced — Hayley Atwell as Captain Peggy Carter.
Olivia Aiere: Given that they’ve managed to squeeze so many characters into the cast of Doomsday, it’s not shocking that they have room for one more. With Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers, it was practically a given that Hayley Atwell would return as Peggy Carter. The twist, though, is that she is returning as Captain Peggy Carter, who was sliced in half in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
If Captain Carter is on the table, I’d say any character is fair game to return. Her appearance implies that some timeline antics are bound to happen. Maybe it’s wishful thinking but perhaps someone like Wanda Maximoff, who also died in the second Doctor Strange installment, could be brought back from the dead. In fact, the appearance of the Latverian Witches at Marvel’s booth on preview night caused much speculation about returning characters whom we may not know about.
It’s still unclear whether or not Captain Carter will have any connection to the Steve Rogers that is returning. They could be from the same timeline, but I think it’s more likely that they’re from different timelines and will run into each other in the midst of the action, causing much angst and yearning. It seems Peggy and Steve’s happy ending has an epilogue.
Bill Bodkin:It was inevitable that Hayley Atwell would return to Avengers: Doomsday as Peggy Carter. If Steve Rogers disrupted the timeline to find Peggy and have his happily ever after, you gotta have ol’ Peggy involved. Now, will she be Captain Carter – the one we saw in What If..? and Multiverse of Madness, Steve’s retired wife and mother of his child, Agent Carter or even a corrupted version of the character (see Liv’s reference to the Latverian witches) remains to be seen. The least likely of these versions is the British super soldier we saw in What If…? because that character got off’ed in Doctor Strange 2. This announcement wasn’t a blow-away one, but it felt good to know this beloved character and actress are back in the fold.
Final Thoughts on Hall H — How Do We Feel About the MCU Right as Opposed to a Few Days Ago
Olivia Aiere: Honestly, I’m just happy Simu Liu was in Hall H. Seeing Shang Chi on screens after his killer debut is what’s hyping me up for this December. I’m excited about the new releases they’ve announced, like Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3. I’m a little more skeptical about Doomsday and the addition of scenes into Endgame (Endgame Encore, as they’re calling it). With so many secrets, it’s hard to keep track of all the happenings in the MCU. But given the time they’ve taken to release new projects, I can only hope that they’ve slowed their production rates in order to focus on giving us fresh and meaningful stories once again.
Bill Bodkin:If you listen to Bill vs. The MCU, you know I have been on the fence (some may call it fence riding, but whatever dude) about Doomsday and the future of Marvel. I’ve maintained that I needed to see a full Doomsday trailer to fully form my opinion. After seeing the trailer, and hearing all the announcements at San Diego, I feel much better about the MCU than I have over the past two years. There seems to be more of a direction, and there’s an undeniable air of excitement around Marvel that has been absent over the past few years. Marvel has delivered a lot of good in forms of Agatha All Along, Thunderbolts*, Daredevil: Born Again and X-Men ’97. Could everything go sideways if Doomsday is just “okay” at best? Yes, it 100% could. However, there seems to be more of a confidence in the MCU and a potential rebound on the way after years of trying to find its footing post-Endgame.
