One year after skipping the convention, Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige have officially been added to the line-up of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. (Via ScreenRant). The studio is coming off the blockbuster success of “Avengers: Endgame,” which almost bested “Avatar” as the highest-grossing box office returns of all time. “Spider Man: Far From Home” is another summer boost for the studio, surpassing expectations by earning $580 million globally in its first 10 days of release. “Far From Home” represents the official end of Phase Three for the studio, which began with “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016 and has included such beloved MCU entries as “Black Panther” and “Thor: Ragnarok.”
The official schedule for SDCC 2019 now lists a Marvel Studios event scheduled for Saturday, July 20th from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. PT in Hall H. The listing’s brief description reads: “Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige and surprise panelists provide an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
The promise of “surprise panelists” begs the question of whether an “Endgame” reunion might be in order. Hall H is the biggest venue at the convention center, and according to ScreenRant, Marvel only uses that room when they have something truly noteworthy to announce. Marvel plans their marketing schedule around SDCC, sometimes skipping the event altogether if it isn’t ready to announce, as it did last year.
Back in 2014, Feige announced his entire Phase 3 plan for the MCU at Comic-Con, prompting many to speculate whether he might share plans for Phase 4 at Comic-Con. While there are numerous Phase Four movies in development, no Marvel movie has been officially announced or dated for Phase Four yet. Franchises such as “Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel,” and “Doctor Strange” are all expected to land sequels, while new franchises to the MCU will include Chloe Zhao’s “The Eternals” and Daniel Destin Cretton’s “Shang-Chi.” Scarlett Johansson’s fan favorite “Black Widow” will also be getting her first standalone movie.
Many of these projects are in development, but Feige and Marvel made it a priority not to announce any Phase Four details prior to “Endgame.” The first Phase Four movie is already set for May 1, 2020.
