Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con was packed full of one surprise after another. From breaking the internet with the announcement Mahersala Ali is the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s new Blade to Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder, there was a little bit of something for everyone.
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As entertainment journalists would, we instantly started analyzing each and every announcement as it happened and naturally, we wanted to come up with a top ten of sorts of last night’s biggest announcements.
Keep scrolling to see how I’m ranking last night’s Marvel announcements and let me know if you agree (or disagree) in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!
#10 – David Harbour is the Red Guardian!
Though Black Widow was the last film to hit the stage, we soon found out Stranger Things star David Harbour would be playing the Russian super-soldier Red Guardian. They managed to show some footage, even though principal photography has only been in progress for a month or so, which also seemed to confirm the mercenary Taskmaster would serve as the film’s antagonist. As of now, it’s unclear who’ll be playing Taskmaster.
But Red Guardian! Yes!
#9 – We’re Getting Spectrum!
Coming out of nowhere was the announcement we’re getting an older Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Spectrum. Played by Teyonah Parris, the older character will first be debuting in WandaVision and not Captain Marvel 2 as many suspected. Actually serving as Captain Marvel before Carol Danvers in the comics, Rambeau showed up in Captain Marvel as a child played by Akira Akbar.
It should be noted that it’s unclear if Monica will actually go full-on Spectrum in WandaVision or if she’ll remain powerless for now. Either way, it’s been confirmed an adult Monic Rambeu is on the way!
#8 – Baron Zemo Costume!
Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is back in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and according to footage shown in Hall H last night, the teaser clip showed Brühl pulling on his iconic purple mask. One of the only villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to actually win in a film (before Thanos, that is) is back and he’s bringing his purple mask!
#7 – That Incredible Shang-Chi Logo and The Mandarin!
Branding-wise, one of the best things revealed in Phase 4 is the incredible logo for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With the focus on the Master of Kung Fu in big, bold scarlet lettering, the threat of the Ten Rings looms large in the background. Throughout the main Shang-Chi wordmark, you can see what looks to be a dragon overlay, really adding another layer of depth to the logo.
We also got a good chunk of casting news with Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) set to play the titular character while Tony Leung (Theory of Ambition) will be playing the real version of The Mandarin. Also set to star is Awkwafina in an undisclosed role.
#6 – That Bonkers Doctor Strange Sequel Name
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I mean, c’mon, need I say any more? One of the first absolutely bonkers, full-on “comic booky” titles we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has the full potential to really be out of this world. With both director Scott Derrickson and star Benedict Cumberbatch on hand to pump up the Doctor Strange sequel, it was revealed that while still PG-13, the film will be the MCU’s first “scary” movie. Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch is also slated to appear.
#5 – The Entire Eternals Cast
Though it wasn’t necessarily a secret, Feige introduced the majority of the cast for The Eternals last night, which includes Richard Madden (Ikaris), Angelina Jolie (Thena), Don Lee (Gilgamesh), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Salma Hayek (Ajak), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), and Lia McHugh as Sprite. The incredibly gifted ensemble cast is sure to provide not only for an incredible movie, but an expansive franchise for years to come.
Wait, I think we did leave one actor off that list above…
#4 – Brian Tyree Henry!
…and for a good reason: he deserves his own bit! Brian Tyree Henry is an incredible actor and he’s now officially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Known for his role in Atlanta, the actor is one of Hollywood’s hottest rising stars, appearing in films this year like Child’s Play and the solo Joker film. The Tony-nominated actor’s resume is booming in the next few years, with Godzilla vs. Kong and A Quiet Place 2 both set to be release in 2020 all along with The Eternals.
Oh yeah, he also voiced Miles’ dad in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
#3 – Hawkeye Series with Kate Bishop!
You can’t get rid of Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton that easy. Though we knew a Hawkeye series could be in the works thanks to trade reports, Feige confirmed as much last night. He brought Renner on stage to release a killer animated teaser revealing that yes, Kate Bishop was going to make her live-action debut in the series. More Hawkeye? Check. Kate Bishop? Check. We’re all in on this one.
#2 – Natalie Portman Returning…as THOR!
If we’re being honest here, the Thor announcements could have taken up the majority of this post. Filmmaker Taika Waititi was officially announced to return with both Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Then they unveiled the name of the film as Thor: Love and Thunder before giving us this crazy, heavy metal 80s-style logo that looks like it was ripped straight from Masters of the Universe.
And then they blew everything up by announcing Natalie Portman was coming back to reprise her role as Jane Foster. Not just that, but Jane Foster was going to become Thor, much like Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s Thor: God of Thunder run.
#1 – Mahershala Ali as Blade
The thing no one saw coming. All Phase 4 announcements had wrapped up and the entire MCU family was on stage celebrating one another and then Feige dropped a bombshell by welcoming the Oscar-winning Mahershala Ali to stage. There, right in front of thousands and thousands of crazed Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, Ali put on a Blade hat, signaling he’d become Marvel’s next big franchise.
Though the movie won’t be in Phase 4, we’re still getting an Ali-led Blade movie and suddenly, all is right in the world.
