Marvel has had a tough time finding its footing since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home closed out Phase 3 in 2019. Even so, their Comic-Con panels are always highly anticipated because it’s where they make big announcements about upcoming films. Two years ago, the studio shocked and divided fans when it announced that Robert Downey Jr. was returning as Doctor Victor Von Doom. Marvel notably did not have a panel in 2025, but it was back this year to plug future projects and promote Avengers: Doomsday, which comes out in December.
The highlights from this year’s panel included a clip from the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the reveal of a Ryan Gosling Ghost Rider movie, and the announcement that David Jonsson was cast as the next Black Panther. IGN has a good recap of the full panel. Several Doomsday cast members, including RDJ, Paul Rudd, and Rebecca Romijn, were there. There was also a surprise appearance: Ryan Reynolds showed up in a denim Deadpool costume to do a mock Q&A. From People:
Ryan Reynolds surprised fans with a wild appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.
The actor, 49, appeared in Hall H on Saturday, July 25, as part of Marvel’s presentation for Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.
Reynolds was joined onstage by other Doomsday stars, including Robert Downey Jr. and Paul Rudd. The actor, whose appearance in the new movie hasn’t been confirmed, jokingly asked the cast when Doomsday would start shooting, to which Downey Jr. replied, “It’s in the can, bro.”
“Look around you,” he said, referencing the auditorium full of people eager to hear updates. “Did you bump your head?”
Reynolds jokingly appeared disappointed. “I see. So there’s no additional photography, no overages, maybe last-minute additions…?”
Reynolds last appeared as Deadpool in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide.
Ryan’s appearance was a fun moment that fans eat up at conventions. I predict Deadpool will have a small role in Doomsday that leads to a larger part in its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. The panel also confirmed that Hayley Atwell is returning as Agent Peggy Carter. Prior to his appearance, Ryan walked the convention center floor and posed for pictures like any other cosplayer. (Taking pictures of strangers in costumes is a huge part of Con culture.) His gray denim outfit even got fans wondering if it was an Easter egg for a future storyline.
There was a lot of drama around getting into the panel. It was held in Hall H, which seats around 6,500 people. About ten years ago, organizers instituted a system in which fans line up the day before to get a bracelet that determines their spot in line. Hundreds of fans with bracelets – who should have been admitted – weren’t let in. No one knows why, but there are rumors online of counterfeit bracelets. It was a huge mess.
This was my seventeenth Comic-Con. Thanks to the combination of fewer off-site experiences and San Diego’s heatwave driving attendees inside, the Exhibit Hall floor felt like a return to pre-pandemic crowd levels. The only “big” panel I went to was Prime Video’s joint panel for Blade Runner 2099 and The Rings of Power. I also attended a really fun one called “Showrunners on Showrunning,” which featured Damon Lindelof, Greg Daniels, and Katie Dippold. Dippold spent a lot of time asking her fellow panelists for advice on how to handle season two of Widow’s Bay. As they were mentoring her in real time, Lindelof and Daniels told behind-the-scenes stories from The Office and Lost that I’d never heard before. I love hearing those types of tidbits over the big reveals.
Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool surprise#Marvel #MarvelHallH #SDCC pic.twitter.com/t9RtcvNZ92
— Fenix Nests (@FenixNests) July 26, 2026
The fans got Deadpool off the ground so many years ago. Yesterday, 10 years after the first film and exactly 2 years after Deadpool & Wolverine, I felt so lucky to be on the #SDCC floor with everyone whose unapologetic devotion brings so much joy to this world. pic.twitter.com/IM7DSIjNfs
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 26, 2026
That is certainly putting a spin on the double denim “Canadian Tuxedo”. I think this is an excellent deployment of Reynolds as a sort of quippy outsider to the larger MCU, which fits his character.
I like both fine but in small doses.
Despite this bit, I’d be surprised if Deadpool doesn’t appear in either of the upcoming films (weren’t they filmed at the same time?). At this point, every actor will be in the movie for only a few seconds of screentime to be able to fit them all in.
I’m sure the fans got a lot of joy out of Reynolds’/Deadpool’s appearance, but after reading about his interference in Justin Baldoni’s film “It Ends With Us” and all the ensuing litigation, I’m also sure that this was an exercise in winning the audience back after some negative PR.
There’s a lot of Reynolds exhaustion at this point.
My favourite part of this year’s Comic Con was definitely the Spaceballs part.. I’m a massive Marvel fan, but I absolutely howled with laughter over their trolling of the MCU, lol