By Danielle Broadway
San Diego, July 25 (Reuters) – Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday to unveil a slate of upcoming projects, such as “Ghost Rider,” starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, and “Black Panther 3.”
Set for release on Dec. 15, 2028, “Black Panther 3” will introduce David Jonsson as a new T’Challa, the son of the previous Black Panther portrayed by the late Chadwick Boseman.
The release of “Ghost Rider” is also planned for 2028, though no date has been specified yet.
The panel also featured first-look footage from the franchise’s next major project after “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which arrives in theaters on Friday, “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“Is this really happening?” Gosling asked as he surprised fans by emerging onstage for “Ghost Rider.”
“If we’re going to do this, there’s only one director,” the “Barbie” actor added.
Shawn Levy, who directed “Deadpool and Wolverine,” then joined him on stage.
“We’ll see you in 2028,” Levy said.
Later, Ryan Coogler and some of the cast of “Black Panther 3” took to the stage, including returning stars Letitia Wright and Winston Duke.
“I want the screen to do the talking. But believe me, the honor is entirely mine,” Jonsson said of taking on the title role.
Audiences also got a glimpse of footage in which the villain Doctor Doom overpowers the Avengers in battle. The teaser also revealed that Doom commands an army of Sentinels, the giant mutant-hunting robots familiar from Marvel’s X-Men comic books.
The evening’s festivities were led by Marvel president Kevin Feige, who welcomed the large “Avengers: Doomsday” team to the stage with a mega-panel featuring directors Anthony and Joe Russo and cast members Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, James Marsden, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman and others. Hayley Atwell also joined the panel, confirming she will return in the new film as Peggy Carter.
Each attendee was gifted a Doctor Doom mask and cloak to wear, and invited by Robert Downey Jr., who began speaking in his Victor von Doom persona, put on their new apparel in support of the new villain.
“It isn’t easy being green,” Downey Jr. said.
Other highlights included surprise appearances from both Jon Bernthal, who plays the hardcore anti-hero, The Punisher, and Ryan Reynolds, who plays the raunchy superhero who dresses in red, Deadpool.
Marvel movies have generated nearly $33 billion at global box offices, the highest total for any film franchise.
“Avengers: Endgame,” released in 2019, is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time.
“Avengers: Doomsday” will be released on December 18, the same day as the third installment of Warner Bros sci-fi series “Dune,” setting up a box office battle dubbed “Dunesday.”
Following “Doomsday,” the next major franchise film, “Avengers: Secret Wars,” arrives in theaters in December 2027.
From August 14 to August 16, 2026, D23, Disney’s largescale convention centered on the company’s latest developments, will take place in Anaheim, California. Marvel will have a major presence at the convention.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Clarence Fernandez)
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