Marvel Is Trying To Mount a Comeback by Returning to Comic-Con

The last time Marvel had a prominent presence at San Diego Comic-Con was back in July 2022, and here’s what the studio had to work with:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: So far so good.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Alright, we’re getting wobbly, but could be worse.
She-Hulk: Oh… oh no. (Hey, I liked the show.)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: ABANDON SHIP.

So, yeah, it’s safe to say that Marvel did not have the best of times after storming Hall H, and it wisely decided to sit out SDCC in 2023 as the studio spent most of that year bleeding out in ways that would’ve seemed impossible not that long ago.

Jump to this week, where Marvel is apparently ready to get back on the horse. Not only is the studio returning to Comic-Con in late July, but it’s once again setting up shop in the big room. Deadline has confirmed that Marvel will be in Hall H, and obviously, details are scant on what shiny objects they’re going to dangle in front of fans and easily placated bloggers. (Hello!)

Despite still nursing several wounds, Marvel will head into this year’s Comic-Con with some wind at its back. The event takes place during Deadpool & Wolverine’s opening weekend, and Marvel has wisely cleared the field for that film to restore the studio’s former glory. It has all the markings of a massive blockbuster that Marvel desperately needs. The studio also has a significant about of goodwill built up from the shockingly excellent X-Men ‘97, but how much of that hype exists offline is a question I often ask myself.

That said, should Deadpool & Wolverine become a horrifying example that superhero fatigue is very real, Marvel should immediately pull the plug on, well, everything. Because looking at the studio’s upcoming slate, there’s not a whole lot to spike the football on at SDCC:

Fantastic Four: I gotta ask, is anyone but the Marvel faithful truly hyped for this movie? A solid Doctor Doom casting may juice things a bit, but the whole things feels mezzo-mezzo.

Captain America: Brave New World: This puppy is already in the middle of a massive retooling and cramming in new villains. Not to mention it’s using the depressingly lackluster The Falcon and the Winter Solider as a springboard. (I’m not even touching the Sabra business.)

Avengers 5 and 6: These films are still a ways out, but desperate times, so I would not be surprised if we see all kinds of shenanigans on this front.

Blade: Uh, the director quit.

Daredevil: Born Again: This could very easily be a gem, but not enough to anchor a massive Hall H rollout.

Of course, Marvel still has a very huge card to play here, and it’s one that could be a bigger bombshell than the Avengers: The X-Men. Are they even ready to do that? Probably not! The live-action movie just landed a writer last month. Then again, these things are storyboarded and pre-vizzed years in advance, and again, Marvel will be riding high on Deadpool & Wolverine and X-Men ‘97.

I’m not gonna lie: I live for watching these type of Hollywood machinations, and I’m a giant dork, so it’ll be interesting to see if Marvel can prime the pump again after spending an entire calendar year farting out. Just like with Star Wars, I actually want these things to be good because we all need bits of fun in this grim-ass thing called life.

EDIT: H/T to VampireNomad for pointing out Thunderbolts* is in the mix. I could be cheeky and say it’s Marvel’s fault that I forgot this movie is coming, but the very likely culprit is I’m an old bastard. There are some exciting possibilities with this film, including the whispers that it’s really Dark Avengers albeit without the huge amount of setup work from the comics and the notable absence of Norman Osborn, Venom, and Daken. But, ya know, minus all that crucial stuff, could be neat!

(Via Deadline)