Ryan Gosling is Ghost Rider!
Marvel had the crowds cheering at Comic-Con 2026: Ryan Gosling takes on the role of Ghost Rider, Ryan Reynolds crashes the stage as a blue-grey Deadpool, and "Black Panther 3" gets a new titular hero. Only the X-Men left empty-handed.
Kevin Feige and a large part of the «Avengers» cast were in San Diego's legendary «Hall H» on Saturday evening – and delivered what is expected from Marvel at a Comic-Con: new movies, a surprise guest, and a bit of chaos.
Two Ryans and a Cameo
The biggest news of the evening: Johnny Blaze, better known as Ghost Rider, is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – played by Ryan Gosling. The casting had been rumored among fans for a while, as Gosling had hinted years ago that he really wanted to play the character one day. Now his dream is coming true. Shawn Levy, who previously directed «Deadpool & Wolverine», is directing.
The film is scheduled to be released in 2028. On stage, Levy humorously explained its creation: they had been working on «Star Wars: Starfighter» last year, and when Gosling described his vision of the character, the phrase eventually came up: «Bro, let's ride.» Whether the quote actually happened that way or was polished for the stage remains to be seen. Marvel itself has reported it as such.
After that, it was on to the film everyone is already waiting for: «Avengers: Doomsday». New footage was shown featuring Doctor Doom, who, according to Marvel, commands Sentinels and provides a retrospective of the relationship between the Fantastic Four and the villain. It was also confirmed that Hayley Atwell will be joining as Agent Peggy Carter. Fans of the character from «Captain America: The First Avenger» can rejoice.
However, another guest caused a big stir: a bluish-grey Deadpool suddenly appeared in the audience, revealing himself to be a costumed Ryan Reynolds, who bluntly asked the cast questions – including hinting that he would love to be in «Doomsday» himself. If that's not more than a hint.
«Avengers: Doomsday» will be released on December 18th. If you want to get in the mood beforehand, you can watch the first trailer.
One more thing
To conclude, Feige pulled a small surprise out of his sleeve: a third «Black Panther» chapter has been officially announced, with Ryan Coogler directing again. The lead role will be played by David Jonsson, known from «The Long Walk» and «Alien: Romulus». In the film, he plays the son of the late T'Challa, is set to show his journey into adulthood, and it is scheduled for release in 2028.
As entertaining as the panel was, for a studio that usually likes to show a grand master plan, this big party wasn't all that big this time. There was no news about the X-Men or a Phase 6 or Phase 7 roadmap – even though social media is currently teeming with fake news.
Perhaps they just wanted to play their two safest cards with Gosling and Reynolds and save the rest for later.
I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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