SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marvel Studios kicked off its return to San Diego Comic-Con with dancing Deadpool variants and a choir, kicking off a panel expected to feature big announcements and surprise guests, including Harrison Ford.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that due to this weekend’s success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe had now topped $30 billion in box-office earnings. In a nod to a scene in the movie, a choir sang Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” before Feige spoke.
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” released Thursday, has already broken one record and could shatter more in its opening weekend. Feige is expected to use Saturday’s panel to chart the course ahead for the MCU, which released a pair of underperforming films last year.
The session comes after Marvel skipped the convention last year due to the Hollywood strikes, which prevented writers and actors from speaking on panels. Feige is being joined by several special guests, including stars of upcoming Marvel titles like “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts(asterisk)” and “The Fantastic Four.”
The cast of “Captain America: Brave New Wold” — Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Rameriez, Giancarlo Esposito and Anthony Mackie — joined the stage first and teased details about the upcoming film. Esposito revealed that he will be playing the villain, Seth Voelker, also known as Sidewinder.
The cast then stepped aside to share a scene from the movie on the big screen, which revealed that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Ford, is hoping to rebuild the Avengers with Mackie’s Sam Wilson. It also showed Ford’s character transform into the Red Hulk. Ford himself joined the panel after fans were treated to clips from the movie and flexed his muscles to the roaring crowd.
The cast and director of “Thunderbolts(asterisk)” also surprised fans with a short clip from the movie. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour (in full costume and speaking in character as the Red Guardian at first) stormed the stage and shared some more details about their characters.
The film is slated to be released in May 2025.
The final film teased at the panel was “The Fantastic Four,” starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The movie will begin filming on Tuesday in London, Feige said.
He said the film will hit theaters in almost exactly one year in July 2025.
Fans are speculating that Marvel will confirm cast members and show clips or trailers for upcoming films and Disney+ series.
Marvel already took over Hall H on Thursday with an electric panel celebrating “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in which the audience was treated to a full screening and surprise guests joining stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on stage.
The mounting enthusiasm for the film at Comic-Con was reflected across the country as the fans rushed to see it in theaters, securing the film as the new record holder for the Thursday preview for an R-rated movie. The comic book film sold an estimated $38.5 million worth of movie tickets from preview screenings Thursday.
The “Deadpool & Wolverine” success woke up a sleepy year for Marvel and assuaged worries about its box-office underperformance in late 2023. The superhero factory hit a record low in November with the launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million.