From Joe Peltzer

Another year of San Diego Comic Con madness has come and gone, yet (as per usual) the discussion continues after Marvel' Studios President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige dropped first-looks, reveals, and one wild piece of casting. Here are the highlights!

Captain America: Brave New World

After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Giancarlo Esposito will play Sidewinder, also known as the King of the Serpent Society, who has the primary power of teleporation. However, as per usual, there are multiple versions of the character throughout the Marvel comic books and we don’t know which we’ll get.

Moreover, we know for sure that we are getting Adamantium in the MCU as the footage shown confirms that the metal (which makes up Wolverine) is on Earth. Specifically, it’s present in the form of that Celestial in the ocean from Eternals, thus confirming that the beings are made of the metal.

Thunderbolts

Not much new was confirmed here, but we do know that Ghost is getting a new suit. Additionally, Wyatt Russell teased some sort of redemption arc for John Walker while Harrison Ford’s President Ross was shown transforming into Red Hulk in front of the White House.

Most interesting, in my opinion, was a clip that showed Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Avengers Tower, perhaps a hint that she is the new owner.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are finally bringing Marvel’s First Family to the big screen in a film now subtitled “First Steps.” Footage was shown with the characters in space suits, Reed (Pascal) teaching a high school class, and The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) on a dating show.

Michael Giacchino (Werewolf By Night, Spider-Man: No Way Home) will compose the score, and the Fantastic Four will appear in both upcoming Avengers films. Which…

Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars

Avengers: Doomsday (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) releases May 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars in May 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo Brothers, the pair that delivered with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (among others in the MCU).

Central to the stories will be Doctor Doom, one of the ultimate Marvel villains, who will be portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. Yes, you read that correctly. There is precedent for this in the comic books where Doom, in one storyline, takes over as Iron Man. Maybe this is an evil variant of Tony Stark/Iron Man from another timeline? Time will tell, but what a wild casting!

We expect more news coming from Disney’s D23 Expo, set for August 9th through the 11th. Marvel will likely be part of the Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday the 9th, so stay tuned.