The 4 Biggest Mysteries From Marvel's Comic-Con Panel | Comic Con 2026

After sitting retired 2025, Marvel Studios roared backmost to Comic-Con with a vengeance this year. Marvel returned to Hall H to springiness thousands of anxious fans a glimpse of the aboriginal of the MCU. Among the large announcements, we learned that Ryan Gosling is starring successful a Ghost Rider movie, and besides that Black Panther III volition prima David Jonsson arsenic the lad of the precocious T’Challa.

Both of those announcements rise immoderate cardinal questions. And that’s not all. What are we to marque of the caller Avengers: Doomsday footage that was shown? And what was the woody with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool appearance? As the particulate of Comic-Con settles, let’s interruption down the 4 biggest burning questions we person from the Marvel Studios panel.

Which Ghost Rider Is Ryan Gosling Playing?

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige kicked disconnected the sheet with the bombshell uncover that Ryan Gosling is joining the MCU and starring successful a Ghost Rider movie. Due retired successful 2028, the movie volition beryllium directed by Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter collaborator Shawn Levy.

Those details are truly each we cognize astir the upcoming movie close now. There’s thing yet regarding the crippled oregon villain of the film. Most crucially, we don’t really cognize which quality Gosling is playing. If you cognize thing astir Ghost Rider, you’ll cognize that determination are rather a fewer options here.

So which Marvel leader is Gosling playing? The astir evident prime is Johnny Blaze. This quality was the archetypal Ghost Rider successful the comics (in presumption of work date, not Marvel Universe chronology), and for galore fans helium remains the modular by which each different Ghost Riders are judged.

Image Credit: Getty

Technically, Johnny already made a tiny MCU appearance, assuming we’re inactive counting the TV bid Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD arsenic MCU canon. Johnny (played by stunt histrion Tom McComas) concisely appears successful the occurrence “The Good Samaritan,” wherever helium rescues Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes and transfers the Ghost Rider powerfulness to him. Does that marque Marvel little anxious to usage the quality here, oregon volition they simply proceed to disregard Agents of SHIELD going forward?

The different astir apt enactment is Johnny’s estranged member Danny Ketch. Whereas Johnny was the de facto Ghost Rider successful the ‘70s and ‘80s comics, Danny supplanted him successful the ‘90s, arguably attracting a bigger fanbase successful the process. This quality mightiness beryllium much charismatic to Marvel, fixed that helium lacks the Agents of SHIELD baggage but inactive offers everything fans expect from a leader called Ghost Rider.

There are other, much esoteric characters Marvel could absorption on, of course. They could formed Gosling arsenic immoderate mentation of Phantom Rider, the Wild West-era mentation of the character. Or they could spell truly near tract and marque a Cosmic Ghost Rider movie. Cosmic Ghost Rider is an alternate-universe mentation of Frank Castle who becomes the herald of Galactus (long story). Jon Bernthal astir apt wouldn’t beryllium blessed astir that idea, though.

What Made Doctor Doom Turn Evil?

Marvel conscionable precocious debuted the archetypal full-length trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, but they saved immoderate exclusive footage for those successful Hall H. The scenes shown astatine the Marvel sheet connection immoderate invaluable penetration into the mindset and motivations of Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom, revealing helium didn’t ever usage to beryllium specified a atrocious guy.

This footage is partially narrated by Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, who remarks, “Victor was ever the smartest feline successful each room. He utilized to beryllium kind. He utilized to beryllium caring. Everything helium loved was taken from him. I knew helium was lost, but I didn't cognize that helium was broken.”

That monologue tells america a lot. It confirms that determination is so an existing past betwixt Doom and the Fantastic Four, and besides that Downey’s quality does so hail from Earth-828. It besides hints that said past isn’t needfully arsenic antagonistic arsenic it is successful the comics. It sounds similar Doom utilized to beryllium a decent capable guy, earlier a unspeakable calamity pushed him implicit the edge.

It sounds similar Doom utilized to beryllium a decent capable guy, earlier a unspeakable calamity pushed him implicit the edge.“

The question is what tragedy? What horrible destiny befell the ruler of Latveria? Did helium drawback aft suffering that proverbial “one atrocious day” the Joker is ever going connected about?

The Avengers: Doomsday poster Marvel released alongside the trailer mightiness springiness america immoderate clues. There, we spot Doom kneeling earlier a mural depicting a satellite and a pistillate and kid surrounded by angels. We’re assuming this is meant to correspond Doom’s family. Were they killed successful immoderate horrific accident?

The costume connected show astatine SDCC shows a scarf of immoderate benignant wrapped astir Doom’s arm. Is that a tribute to his wife? Is Doom motivated by a tendency to get them back? Is that his existent information for forging Battleworld successful Avengers: Secret Wars?

This is each compelling nutrient for thought arsenic we number the days until Doomsday’s December 2026 release.

What Role Does Deadpool Have successful Avengers: Doomsday?

Marvel brought retired a important fig of the formed of Avengers: Doomsday for the panel, including Downey, Chris Evans, and adjacent Hayley Atwell (confirming that Peggy Carter volition look alongside Steve Rogers successful the film). But they went 1 measurement further by hiding different A-Lister successful the assemblage until conscionable the close moment.

That’s erstwhile Ryan Reynolds made his beingness known. Reynolds emerged wearing a grey mentation of the Deadpool costume. For those not acquainted with the comics, Deadpool wears that suit successful Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force series. It’s meant to beryllium a much rugged and stealthy alternate to the accepted Deadpool costume, cleanable for those clandestine missions with Wolverine, Psylocke, Archangel, and Fantomex.

Reynolds past peppered the panelists with questions, starting with 1 astir that cryptic country successful Deadpool & Wolverine wherever we spot Thor crying implicit Deadpool’s lifeless body. Paul Rudd jokingly retorted that Thor is simply a Wrexham fan, but it is absorbing to spot Marvel drafting attraction to that country 2 years later. Reynolds besides asked erstwhile Doomsday starts filming, lone to beryllium told it’s already wrapped.

Interestingly, astatine nary constituent did Feige oregon anyone other connected the sheet travel retired and corroborate that Reynolds’ Wade Wilson is portion of the Doomsday cast, but we’re assuming that’s meant to beryllium the takeaway from his Comic-Con appearance. That raises the all-important question - what relation is Deadpool meant to play successful this epic superhero crossover? How does this oddball acceptable into what is already an incredibly packed ensemble cast?

We presume it’s not simply a lawsuit of Deadpool warring alongside the X-Men of Earth-10005. The X-Men person ne'er been shy astir showing disdain for Deadpool. But fixed his anterior past with the TVA, it could beryllium that Wade has immoderate different portion to play successful the losing conflict to forestall the Incursions from annihilating the multiverse.

There’s 1 different cardinal question here. If Reynolds is appearing arsenic Deadpool successful Doomsday, does that mean Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine volition beryllium joining him? We surely anticipation so, but Marvel whitethorn beryllium trying to support that nether wraps until the movie really hits theaters.

How Is David Jonsson’s Toussaint an Adult successful Black Panther III?

In the expansive contented of Apple’s keynote presentations, Feige ended the Hall H sheet with 1 of those “just 1 much thing” curveballs. The sheet ended with the revelation that Ryan Coogler is returning to nonstop Black Panther III, with the sequel dated for December 15, 2028. Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Winston Duke’s M’Baku are some besides returning.

That wasn’t the existent bombshell, however. That came with the uncover that Alien: Romulus prima David Jonsson has been formed arsenic the big mentation of Toussaint, the concealed lad of the precocious Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. Black Panther III is seemingly a coming-of-age communicative for Toussaint arsenic the quality embraces his relation arsenic the caller Black Panther and imaginable king of Wakanda.

There’s a immense and precise evident occupation here. When we archetypal met the quality successful the post-credits country of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Toussaint was conscionable a young lad (played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun). Jonsson is 32 years old. The MCU unfolds much oregon little successful existent time, truthful however is Toussaint going from kid to full-grown big successful the six years betwixt Black Panther movies?

We tin lone presume that this is someway owed to the fallout of Avengers: Secret Wars. In the 2015 Secret Wars comic, Doom creates Battleworld retired of the fragments of assorted dormant universes, lone for Reed Richards and his household to recreate the multiverse astatine the extremity of the story. In the comics, the extremity effect was that Earth-616 was recreated beauteous overmuch arsenic it had existed earlier the Incursions, but that whitethorn not beryllium the lawsuit for the MCU Earth-616.

Image Credit: Getty

In fact, rumors person swirled for years that Marvel whitethorn beryllium looking to usage Secret Wars arsenic a catalyst to streamline and overhaul the MCU, plugging holes and addressing problems that person cropped up implicit time. Feige himself hinted arsenic overmuch successful a caller interview, saying “[Secret Wars] is simply a beginning. It volition found a streamlined, simplified, azygous beingness that audiences tin support up with. Some things volition beryllium familiar, but many, galore things volition beryllium wholly new."

In short, the process of destroying and rebuilding world successful Secret Wars whitethorn make a script wherever a mentation of Toussaint from a aboriginal timeline oregon alternate beingness is folded into the present-day MCU. At that point, the quality volition person to face a satellite inactive mourning the decease of T’Challa. Where does helium spell from there? Does helium assertion the Black Panther mantle from his Aunt Shuri? Does helium situation M’Baku for the Wakandan throne?

This besides suggests that Marvel whitethorn nary longer beryllium looking to presumption Wright arsenic the caller look of the franchise. Maybe that has thing to bash with Wright’s infamous behind-the-scenes drama, oregon simply the somewhat much muted effect to Wakanda Forever compared to the archetypal film. Marvel intelligibly inactive isn’t funny successful recasting the T’Challa role, but they look to privation a quality with a much cardinal nexus to T’Challa to transportation the bid forward. Hopefully that’s the close call.

What are your biggest questions successful the aftermath of the Marvel Studios panel? Let america cognize successful the comments below. And for more, larn astir the mysterious Latverian witches featured astatine Comic-Con and spot our afloat breakdown of the Avengers: Doomsday trailer.

Photo Credit: Jesse Grant

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.