The rumor mill has gone into overdrive for Disney’s D23 Expo, and it’s all coming to a head during tomorrow’s Marvel Studios panel. Get your popcorn ready for some big news.
It was only two months ago that Marvel Studios stunned the comic community with its massive San Diego Comic-Con announcements. From revealing the final push for Phase Four to the entire Phase Five movie schedule, the studio held the world’s attention during the July Comic-Con panel. Kevin Feige proceeded to bring the house down with two monumental reveals, namely that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars will close out The Multiverse Saga.
After such a stacked lineup for SDCC, what could Marvel have left in the tank heading into this weekend’s D23 Expo? According to the gossip, plenty, and Feige will prove once more why he deserves the title of Convention King. With that, let’s take a look at some of the biggest rumors swirling over Marvel Studios as we wait for Saturday’s panel. Of course, there’s always the chance that none of the scuttlebutt will come true, so take this all for what it is: rumors, gossip, and innuendo.
Disney Plus
At SDCC’s mammoth panel, Marvel rolled out the red carpet for most of its upcoming movie lineup. What Feige and company glossed over were the Disney Plus entries. Although he announced the animated arrivals of Spider-Man: Freshman Year and X-Men ‘97 while also confirming Daredevil: Born Again, there was little else in the way of streaming series. Considering the volume of Marvel shows on Disney plus, the studio clearly wants to keep up its game in the streaming wars. That leaves many pundits speculating that D23 will be filled with Disney Plus news, specifically these entries.
Secret Invasion
Since Marvel scrubbed Secret Invasion off the SDCC agenda, it has left many fans wondering if any news will land at D23. The hot rumor is that we can expect a full trailer for the upcoming show. While the full plot has not been revealed, what we do know is that Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill will be sniffing out Skrull imposters across the MCU.
Black Panther spinoff series
There has been talk for years that a Wakanda-based streaming series is in the works. Aside from the story being a direct spinoff of Black Panther with writer/director Ryan Coogler involved in the production, the details have remained a mystery. The prevailing theory is that the show will center on the Dora Milaje’s commanding officer, Okoye.
Marvel Halloween Special
Another highly-anticipated title that was missing from SDCC, there is rampant speculation that Marvel will reveal the details of its upcoming Halloween Special. The studio previously announced its first two cast members, Gael García Bernal as Werewolf By Night and Laura Donnelly possibly bringing Vampire By Night to live action. The gossip is that Marvel is planning to finally make good on one of its older Easter eggs by adding Man-Thing to the cast. For that matter, we can’t rule out Ghost Rider being added to the fun, either.
The movies
As much as we think we know about Marvel’s coming Phases, there is still so much more that we don’t know. However, fans are hoping to get some answers at D23, beginning with Marvel’s First Family.
Fantastic Four
Outside of possibly the X-Men, the Marvel fan club is enthralled with the Fantastic Four. After three bad movies under the Fox banner, the Richards-Storm clan is finally coming to the MCU, but who will play the parts? We saw John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but he was shredded by Scarlet Witch. Still, fans are crossing their fingers that he marches on stage as the one and only MCU Reed Richards. There’s also speculation that You star Penn Badgley will play Mister Fantastic while both Jodie Comer and Emily Blunt are rumored for the Invisible Woman. Don’t forget that Jason Segel’s name has come up in Thing gossip as well, not to mention Stranger Things’ Joe Keery as a possible Johnny Storm. Hopefully D23 will provide at least a few answers.
X-Men
The hints and nods toward Marvel’s Merry Mutants have become more frequent as of late. Sir Patrick Stewart appeared as Professor X in Multiverse of Madness, and we heard the familiar X-Men: The Animated Series tune when Ms. Marvel was revealed to be a mutant. Lest we forget, She-Hulk stoked the fires with a possible Wolverine Easter egg, not to mention Taron Egerton confirming that he has been in talks to suit up as Logan. That lays a clear path to the D23 doorstep, and fans are waiting with bated breath to get some official news.
Captain America: New World Order
This could be the surprise show stealer of D23. Feige confirmed that the fourth Cap film is on the slate for Phase Five. While there may be other movies garnering all the attention, rumor has it that both Red Hulk and the Red Skull’s daughter, Sin, will be announced for the film during D23. That would be enough to blow the roof off Anaheim Convention Center.
Thunderbolts
There are fan trailers floating about YouTube as audiences are thirsty for some Thunderbolts news. The prevailing opinion is that Abomination, Zemo, Black Widow Yelena Belova, and U.S. Agent will be the foundation of the team, but there’s plenty of room for more recruits. Similar to DC’s Suicide Squad, the Thunderbolts are a team of supervillains who opt for government service in lieu of prison time. That leaves many possibilities for the MCU’s brand of Thunderbolts, and the gossip is that some big casting choices will be revealed Saturday.
Deadpool 3
Feige has confirmed that Deadpool will indeed be in the MCU. Actually, he’s already there after he appeared alongside Korg in a commercial for Free Guy. The first two R-rated Deadpool movies recently arrived on Disney Plus, much to the chagrin of some parent groups. Marvel promises that the third film will not be a reboot, but it will continue the foul-mouth, raunchy comedic stylings established in the prior entries. There would be no better way to up the ante from SDCC than by having Ryan Reynolds grace the stage. That might be a longshot, but this is Marvel, so anything is possible. All we know is, we want to hear the Juggernaut song if he shows.
Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld may have rained on the R-rated parade, but when has that ever stopped us?
Nova
Just when you thought the rumors would end, there’s more. There’s so much speculation hovering over Nova and where he will first appear in the MCU. The project was first revealed by Deadline in March, though it was not clear if it will be a feature film or a streaming series. One of the most popular rumors has been that Ryan Gosling will play Richard Rider in a movie, though the actor has shot down that theory. Then again, we’ve heard MCU actors say that before appearing on the silver screen. Rumor has it Marvel will make some key announcements regarding Nova, and he could even be part of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
We’ll know for sure what tricks Marvel has up its sleeve during its D23 panel on Sept. 10, 2022.