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What did I tell you! Marvel Studios has been dormant from SDCC for two years and they came back with a collective bang as President Kevin Feige announced Fantastic Four, Captain America, Thunderbolts and Avengers news. Oh, and RDJ AKA Robert Downey, Jr. is back baby but it’s not how you think! Check out my report on the Marvel Studios panel at SDCC 2024!
First up, Feige announced the full title for the anticipated Fantastic Four movie and it will be called The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The big announcement at SDCC came complete with a new logo and the news that production will begin on Tuesday and the film will hit theaters on July 25, 2025.
The cast includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm AKA The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn is Johnny Storm AKA Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm AKA The Thing. Other cast members include Julia Garner (Ozark) as a “Shalla-Bal version” of the Silver Surfer, with Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter) as the infamous Galactus. John Malkovich (Places in the Heart), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird), and Natasha Lyonne (The Russian Doll) round out the stacked cast in unknown roles.
We also now know who Giancarlo Esposito will be playing in Captain America: Brave New World. The actor will be playing the one and only Sidewinder who is the nefarious Marvel villain and is head of the Serpent Society.
The MCU film stars Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, with Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres AKA Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, and Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns AKA Leader. Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Seth Rollins, and Rosa Salazar round out the cast.
The official synopsis reads: “After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”
There was also a Marvel’s Thunderbolts section where star David Harbour came out decked out as Red Guardian but was humorously play upset when he notices that no one else dressed up for the occasion. The entire Thunderbolts cast was on hand including Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan along with the film’s director, Jake Schreier. A trailer was unveiled for the movie which I hope we get to see soon because this is one MCU entry I’m very curious about. What does the asterisk in the title mean? Well, unfortunately no one explained that part and they simply said that “you have to see the movie.”
The biggest reveal of the night is that The Russo Brothers will in fact helm the next two Avengers movies and we now know that the fifth film will be called Avengers: Doomsday leading up to the epic sixth film Avengers: Secret Wars. The plot for the next Avengers movies changed after Jonothan Majors, who was to reprise his role of Kang and be the main villain was fired due to legal issues. The new villain will be the one and only Doctor Doom.
Oh, and then this happened…
That’s right. After starring as the reluctant playboy turned world savior Tony Stark AKA Iron man for over ten years, Robert Downey, Jr. is now the bad guy as he will portray Victor Von Doom. How ill RDJ return as Doom. Well, we wait and see on that one.
The Russos will direct Avengers: Doomsday which hits theaters in May of 2026!
Marvel’s Avengers: Secret Wars also directed by The Russo Brothers will hit theaters in May of 2027!
Check out some exclusive footage from the Marvel Studios panel below courtesy of the official Marvel Studios X account!
Of course, the full Marvel Studios panel is on YouTube, and I shared one of them for you to view and see all the excitement for yourself. I feel the MCU is making a comeback so get excited because I know I am! Lock N Load right here at the Comix Zone courtesy of Action-Flix for all your comic book news!!!
