It's nearly that time of the year again, but something's slightly off on this occasion. Excitement prior to San Diego Comic-Con is always at an all-time high, as fans expect world-shattering announcements regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How could they not? We're talking about the same event where it was confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. would be back as Doctor Doom, and where Avengers: Secret Wars was first unveiled. Unfortunately, the superhero giant won't host its acclaimed Hall H panel unlike previous years, and fans are feeling devastated.
With the MCU's Phase 5 officially coming to an end after the release of Thunderbolts*, many hoped some surprise announcements were in store regarding the upcoming Phase 6. After all, the next chapter of the Multiverse Saga consists of just four films so far: The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars. With that in mind, rumors of an unannounced World War Hulk adaptation have been making waves online, and Hall H seemed like the perfect moment to officially make it a reality. Unfortunately, that won't be the case, and we finally know why.
Marvel didn’t feel like the timing was right for a Hall H presentation
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision, Marvel won't host its classic Hall H panel for two reasons. First and foremost, the recent delay of Avengers: Doomsday means no MCU movie will be released after The Fantastic Four: First Steps until December 2026. Granted, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters on Jul. 31, 2026, but Sony will be in charge of promoting it rather than Disney. That means that next year's SDCC will take place before Earth's Mightiest Heroes' upcoming adventure, so it's best to save all the big surprises and announcements until then.
Furthermore, Marvel is currently hard at work filming Avengers: Doomsday, and the studio "didn’t feel like the right timing for a Hall H panel". After all, any star presence at Comic-Con would require the actors to put a pause to filming their scenes in the UK, fly to San Diego to make an announcement, and then head back to resume production. A similar scenario happened in 2011, when Marvel also skipped the Hall H presentation as it was working on the very first Avengers movie.
Fortunately, that doesn't mean we won't see any presence from the superhero giant at SDCC. Industry insider Alex Perez reported that Marvel will host its animation panel on Friday. Furthermore, there are many upcoming MCU series on the horizon, such as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2, Marvel Zombies, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, and The Punisher Special Presentation, meaning they could have the spotlight to their own as well.
Finally, it's being rumored that Marvel will showcase some of its upcoming video games at SDCC. While it hasn't revealed which titles will make their presence felt, the closest one to being released is Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Could this finally be the time for a gameplay reveal? Furthermore, Marvel's Blade, Marvel's Wolverine, and EA Motive's Iron Man are all in development, and it's been a long time since we've heard anything new about them. Hopefully, some of them could have the spotlight on their own.
While it's disappointing to learn that Marvel won't host its iconic Hall H presentation, it's also reassuring to know that the studio doesn't want any interruptions as they film their biggest crossover movie to date. With a bit of luck, Avengers: Doomsday will be even bigger than Endgame, and the wait will end up being worth it.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.