Everything Announced At The Marvel Studios San Diego Comic-Con 2022 Panel

Marvel Studios closed off SDCC 2022 with a bang! The powerhouse superhero studio showcased a whole range of previously revealed projects, like Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man 3, Blade, and Fantastic Four, while teasing new Marvel movies and shows in the works, like Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars — hinting at what's to come for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by showcasing not just all of Phase 5 but most of Phase 6!

Here are all of the news, tweets, and trailers from today's Marvel Studios closing Panel!

Phase 6 Confirmed, Will Begin With Fantastic Four, End With Avengers: The Kang Dynasty And Secret Wars

The Marvel Panel certaintly did not disappoint. Not only was all of Phase 5 showcased, but they went ahead and right past it to talk about Phase 6. For starters, the series will no longer be called the Infinity Saga but will instead be called the Multivserse Sage, and Phase 6 will begin with Fantastic Four and end with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

Phase 6 will officially conclude the MCU's second saga. For the offical release dates of all three films, check out the article linked above!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Gets A First Trailer And Plot Details

The first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been released and it featured a tease of the next Black Panther, the Sub-Mariner, and so much more. Watch the full trailer linked below, and read IGN's breakdown of it here.

But wait there's more, as it was confirmed that Tenoch Huerta will play Namor in the film. Fans will get a chance to return to Wakanda when the film releases on November 11, 2022.

Fourth Captain America Film, Captain America: New World Order, Coming 2024

Marvel has announced that the fourth Captain America film, titled Captain America: New World Order, is coming to theaters on May 3, 2024. The movie will be Anthony Mackie's first feature film as the new Captain America following the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

No trailer was shown at SDCC, but Marvel producer Nate Moore previously said this film will explore "what makes somebody Captain America" and dive into Sam Wilson's underdog status as the new Cap.

She-Hulk And Black Panther Will Conclude Marvel's Phase 4, Phase 5 Revealed

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and chief creative officer of Marvel, officially confirmed that She-Hulk and Black Panther will conclude the Marvel Cinemaitc Universie's Phase 4, and he officially revealed the series's Phase 5.

Phase 5 will begin on February 17, 2023, with Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, and will end on July 26, 2024, with Thunderbolts. In between, ten more MCU films and TV series will air — check out the image below for the full timeline!

Marvel Shows Like Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Echo, Agatha Get Potential Release Windows

As Marvel's Phase 4 and 5 get underway, some Marvel Shows got narrowed release windows. These include Marvel's Echo and Loki Season 2, which will be coming out Summer 2023, as well as Ironheart and the newly-renamed Agatha: Coven of Chaos, which will come out in fall and winter 2023, respectively.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Trailer Showed Off Gamora, Maria Bakalova To Play Cosmo The Spacedog

The first trailer for James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was shown off, and it revealed that Maria Bakalove will be playing Cosmo the Spacedog. Equally important, the trailer also showed off Gamora, who doesn't remember anything about the Guardians (or Chris Pratt's Peter Quill), running a section of the Ravagers. The film is set for release on May 5, 2023.

For the full trailer breakdown, click here!

Secret Invasion Series Starring Samuel L. Jackson Coming To Disney Plus Next Spring

Samuel L. Jackson will once again play Nick Fury in a new Marvel show titled Secret Invasion, which will come to Disney Plus in Spring of 2023. Returning to the MCU for this latest instalment will be Cobie Smulders, best known for playing Maria Hill in the series — she even made an appearence in the panel!

New Daredevil Series Starring Charlie Cox Officially Announced

Charlie Cox is back as Daredevil, and he'll be getting his own official series, which will air exlusively on Disney Plus. The show will be titled Daredevil Born Again, and Kevin Feige confirmed that it will be launching as a part of Phase 5. The new project will feature Charlie Cox, now wholly a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will debut in Spring 2024. It will run 18 episodes.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Gives First Real Look At Kang The Conqueror And MODOK

Marvel Studios gave us the first real look at what's in store for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the action-packed trailer showed off Kang the Conqueror, MODOK, and Bill Murray. Though the trailer was only shown to those in attendance, you can check out IGN's breakdown of it here.

But that's not all, as just an hour before Marvel Studios was set to take the stage at SDCC, Andy Park, the studio's director of visual development & concept artist, took to Twitter to reveal a new poster image for the film, which you can check out here.

Marvel's Blade Gets Official 2023 Release Date

Marvel's Blade, starring Mahershala Ali, at long last has a confirmed release date of November 3, 2023. The movie will be making the 2023 slot after all!

Blade, however, won't be a part of the current Phase 4. It's being directed by Bassam Tariq and written by Watchmen's Stacy Osei-Kuffour. We already knew that Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (Krypton) would be a part of the movie, too.

New She-Hulk Trailer, Includes Cameo By Charlie Cox's Daredevil

Marvel has revealed extended footage from She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, and it includes the Hulk, a Hulk/She-Hulk training montage, Emil Blonsky/Abomination, Wong, and Charlie Cox's Daredevil. The new trailer drops just before She-Hulk lands on Disney Plus in just a few weeks, on August 17, 2022.

Marvel Studios' Twitter account also sent out a new poster image of the orginal series! Check it out down below:

Marvel's Thunderbolts Will Conclude Phase 5 In Summer 2024

It was revealed that Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts will conclude Phase 5 of the MCU on July 26, 2024. Though we don't know any plot details yet, IGN has put together an explainer on what we know about Thunderbolts from the comics that might give us an idea of what to expect from the supervillain team that will supposedly reshape the MCU.

For IGN's full breakdown of SDCC, check out this article here, and for all things Marvel, stick to IGN!

Diego Ramos Bechara is a Freelance Writer for IGN, and he's a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog, and Batman.

You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.

Tenoch Huerta Confirmed To Play Namor In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

After much speculation, the MCU officially has its Sub-Mariner. During today's Marvel Studios panel, Sub-Mariner -- better-known as Namor McKenzie -- was officially confirmed to be played by Tenoch Huerta. The character will make their debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will close MCU Phase 4.

First created back in 1939, Namor is the son of an Atlantean princess and a human. He is consistently cast as a villain -- the role he's apt to take during Wakanda Forever -- but he is also something of an anti-hero. In short, Namor is apt to continue being an important part of the MCU in the wake of Wakanda Forever. Notably, he's also considered Marvel's first mutant

Tenoch Huerta has appeared in Spectre, The Forever Purge, and other movies. He also had a role in Narcos. In addition to the casting info, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever received a brand-new trailer, as well as additional plot details.

"I’m so happy to be here. It’s an honor. I want to say something really fast about inclusion: Thanks to inclusion I am here. I wouldn’t be here without inclusion. And a lot of kids are there looking at us grinning at us because we’re here," Huerta said, while also delivering a message in Spanish. "Btw Namor is amazing!"

The reveal was part of an extremely busy panel for Marvel Studios, which included the confirmation of both Phase 5 and Phase 6 as well as two new Avengers movies. Now titled the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has effectively mapped out the next several years of the MCU.

There's ton more news where that came from. For everything announced during the Marvel Studios panel, check out our complete recap.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Tenoch Huerta Confirmed To Play Namor In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

After much speculation, the MCU officially has its Sub-Mariner. During today's Marvel Studios panel, Sub-Mariner -- better-known as Namor McKenzie -- was officially confirmed to be played by Tenoch Huerta. The character will make their debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will close MCU Phase 4.

First created back in 1939, Namor is the son of an Atlantean princess and a human. He is consistently cast as a villain -- the role he's apt to take during Wakanda Forever -- but he is also something of an anti-hero. In short, Namor is apt to continue being an important part of the MCU in the wake of Wakanda Forever. Notably, he's also considered Marvel's first mutant

Tenoch Huerta has appeared in Spectre, The Forever Purge, and other movies. He also had a role in Narcos. In addition to the casting info, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever received a brand-new trailer, as well as additional plot details.

"I’m so happy to be here. It’s an honor. I want to say something really fast about inclusion: Thanks to inclusion I am here. I wouldn’t be here without inclusion. And a lot of kids are there looking at us grinning at us because we’re here," Huerta said, while also delivering a message in Spanish. "Btw Namor is amazing!"

The reveal was part of an extremely busy panel for Marvel Studios, which included the confirmation of both Phase 5 and Phase 6 as well as two new Avengers movies. Now titled the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has effectively mapped out the next several years of the MCU.

There's ton more news where that came from. For everything announced during the Marvel Studios panel, check out our complete recap.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Gets a First Trailer and the Introduction of Namor the Sub-Mariner

The first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been released and it featured a tease of the next Black Panther, the introduction of Tenoch Huerta's Namor the Sub-Mariner, and so much more.

The trailer was released at the end of Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 and it was a very emotional one as it's the first time we are seeing footage of a Black Panther MCU story without the late Chadwick Boseman.

We are given a look at many of the returning characters, including Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Danai Gurira's Okoye, Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Ramonda, and Winston Duke's M'Baku. We are also treated to a glimpse of Ironheart star Dominique Thorne's debut as Riri Williams as she is creating an iron heart of her own.

It also confirmed that Tenoch Huerta will be playing Namor, a character first introduced in the comics in 1939. Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who is a mutant son of a human sea captain and a princess of Atlantis. He has been an Avenger, an X-Men, a founding member of the Defenders, and even fought alongside Captain America in World War II.

Namor is also considered Marvel's first mutant in the comics and has superhuman strength and endurance, the ability to breathe underwater, and has limited telepathic abilty with sea creatures and Atlanteans.

The smallest appearance by a new Black Panther suit was shown at the end of the trailer, but we still have yet to find out who will be taking on the role that was previously played so wonderfully by Boseman.

Marvel released a new plot synopsis for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and it is as follows;

"In Marvel Studios’ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death," the official description reads. "As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli."

A new poster was also released that shows the new Black Panther suit, and you can check it out for yourself below.

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler took to the stage to begin the panel and shared a few words about the late Chadwick Boseman.

"It’s been five years since I was here," Coogler said. "Five years ago I sat right there and we premiered the first footage from Black Panther and the late great Chadwick Boseman was sitting with me. And the cast hadn’t seen the footage yet so when we played it he was excited and he grabbed my left shoulder with his hand and was just squeezing down on my shoulder and he got so excited and squeezed so hard and I couldn’t even lift my arm. Standing here right now, I can feel his hand on me right now.

"Chad is no longer with us physically but his spirit his passion his genius and his pride in his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever. We put that passion into this movie. It goes to places of Wakanda we haven’t seen before, but it also goes places new."

The sequel to Black Panther had been announced early after the first film's huge success, but was "reshaped" following the death of star Chadwick Boseman. The role of T'Challa will not be recast, and Boseman will not be recreated as a digital avatar. The story has, understandably, been hard to predict until now.

The movie will also be missing Daniel Kaluuya, who played W'Kabi in the first Black Panther, but will introduce the character of Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne) ahead of her solo MCU series, Ironheart. We'll finally see what Wakanda Forever has in store on November 11 - and there's a Wakanda Disney+ series to come after that.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be the final entry in Phase 4 of the MCU and will be part of the newly named Multiverse Saga that encompasses Phases 4, 5, and 6. You can fill yourself in on everything that's been announced at San Diego Comic Con so far, Marvel and otherwise, with our roundup.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Gets a First Trailer and the Introduction of Namor the Sub-Mariner

The first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been released and it featured a tease of the next Black Panther, the introduction of Tenoch Huerta's Namor the Sub-Mariner, and so much more.

The trailer was released at the end of Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 and it was a very emotional one as it's the first time we are seeing footage of a Black Panther MCU story without the late Chadwick Boseman.

We are given a look at many of the returning characters, including Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Danai Gurira's Okoye, Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Ramonda, and Winston Duke's M'Baku. We are also treated to a glimpse of Ironheart star Dominique Thorne's debut as Riri Williams as she is creating an iron heart of her own.

It also confirmed that Tenoch Huerta will be playing Namor, a character first introduced in the comics in 1939. Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who is a mutant son of a human sea captain and a princess of Atlantis. He has been an Avenger, an X-Men, a founding member of the Defenders, and even fought alongside Captain America in World War II.

Namor is also considered Marvel's first mutant in the comics and has superhuman strength and endurance, the ability to breathe underwater, and has limited telepathic abilty with sea creatures and Atlanteans.

The smallest appearance by a new Black Panther suit was shown at the end of the trailer, but we still have yet to find out who will be taking on the role that was previously played so wonderfully by Boseman.

Marvel released a new plot synopsis for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and it is as follows;

"In Marvel Studios’ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death," the official description reads. "As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli."

A new poster was also released that shows the new Black Panther suit, and you can check it out for yourself below.

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler took to the stage to begin the panel and shared a few words about the late Chadwick Boseman.

"It’s been five years since I was here," Coogler said. "Five years ago I sat right there and we premiered the first footage from Black Panther and the late great Chadwick Boseman was sitting with me. And the cast hadn’t seen the footage yet so when we played it he was excited and he grabbed my left shoulder with his hand and was just squeezing down on my shoulder and he got so excited and squeezed so hard and I couldn’t even lift my arm. Standing here right now, I can feel his hand on me right now.

"Chad is no longer with us physically but his spirit his passion his genius and his pride in his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever. We put that passion into this movie. It goes to places of Wakanda we haven’t seen before, but it also goes places new."

The sequel to Black Panther had been announced early after the first film's huge success, but was "reshaped" following the death of star Chadwick Boseman. The role of T'Challa will not be recast, and Boseman will not be recreated as a digital avatar. The story has, understandably, been hard to predict until now.

The movie will also be missing Daniel Kaluuya, who played W'Kabi in the first Black Panther, but will introduce the character of Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne) ahead of her solo MCU series, Ironheart. We'll finally see what Wakanda Forever has in store on November 11 - and there's a Wakanda Disney+ series to come after that.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be the final entry in Phase 4 of the MCU and will be part of the newly named Multiverse Saga that encompasses Phases 4, 5, and 6. You can fill yourself in on everything that's been announced at San Diego Comic Con so far, Marvel and otherwise, with our roundup.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

MCU Phase 6 Will Begin With Fantastic Four, End With Avengers The Kang Dynasty and Avengers Secret Wars

Marvel has revealed some of its plans for Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con Marvel Studios panel, we learned that Phase 6 will begin with Fantastic Four, and end with two new Avengers movies titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel also confirmed that the end of Phase 6 will complete the MCU's second saga, which is now officially called The Multiverse Saga.

We also learned that Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is coming to theaters on November 8, 2024. The next Avengers movie will come shortly after, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty coming to theaters on May 2, 2025. Avengers: Secret Wars will hit theaters just six months later, on November 7, 2025.

Phase 1-3 of the MCU is called the Infinity Saga, and we now know that Phase 4-6 is called The Multiverse Saga. Marvel also announced today that Phase 4 is coming to an end with She-Hulk and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, meaning that Phase 5 will encapsulate projects released between November 2022 and November 2024. The finale of Phase 5 is coming in Summer 2024 with the release of Thunderbolts, a new movie starring a supervillain team that's about to reshape the MCU.

We'll have to wait and see how the remaining projects in The Multiverse Saga tie everything together. After the release of Thor Love and Thunder, we said that Phase 4 of the MCU needs a clear goal.

The MCU has been teasing Kang the Conqueror as its new big bad for some time now. A version of the character first appeared in the Loki Disney+ series, and just today we got a look at how Kang will look in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

As for Fantastic Four, after some unsuccessful pre-MCU movie adaptations, Marvel confirmed it would return to the Fantastic Four storyline in 2020. The film was originally helmed by MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts, who subsequently quit the project, saying he "needs a break from the superhero realm."

After years of fan-casting, John Krasinski made a cameo appearance as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Marvel had never committed to the Office actor taking on the role long-term.

You can fill yourself in on everything that's been announced at San Diego Comic Con so far, Marvel and otherwise, with our roundup.

MCU Phase 6 Will Begin With Fantastic Four, End With Avengers The Kang Dynasty and Avengers Secret Wars

Marvel has revealed some of its plans for Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con Marvel Studios panel, we learned that Phase 6 will begin with Fantastic Four, and end with two new Avengers movies titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel also confirmed that the end of Phase 6 will complete the MCU's second saga, which is now officially called The Multiverse Saga.

We also learned that Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is coming to theaters on November 8, 2024. The next Avengers movie will come shortly after, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty coming to theaters on May 2, 2025. Avengers: Secret Wars will hit theaters just six months later, on November 7, 2025.

Phase 1-3 of the MCU is called the Infinity Saga, and we now know that Phase 4-6 is called The Multiverse Saga. Marvel also announced today that Phase 4 is coming to an end with She-Hulk and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, meaning that Phase 5 will encapsulate projects released between November 2022 and November 2024.

After some unsuccessful pre-MCU movie adaptations, Marvel confirmed it would return to the Fantastic Four storyline in 2020. The film was originally helmed by MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts, who subsequently quit the project, saying he "needs a break from the superhero realm."

After years of fan-casting, John Krasinski made a cameo appearance as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Marvel had never committed to the Office actor taking on the role long-term.

Developing...

Marvel’s Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, and Agatha Series All Get Narrowed Release Windows

A host of Marvel Cinematic Universe content is headed to Disney Plus and theaters in 2023 and 2024 as Phase 4 concludes and Phase 5 gets underway. That includes Marvel's Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, and the newly-renamed Agatha: Coven of Chaos, all of which received narrowed release dates during San Diego Comic-Con.

Marvel Studios revealed that Loki Season 2 and Echo will be coming out in Summer 2023 while Ironheart will release in the fall. Agatha: Coven of Chaos — previously Agatha: House of Harkness — will be out that winter.

Loki Season 2 will continue the trickster's story after his very successful first season, while Agatha: Coven of Chaos will feature Kathryn Han in the role of Agatha Harkness following her debut in Wandavision. Marvel's Echo, meanwhile, will feature the Kingpin's adoptive daughter, while Ironheart will feature the eponymous character who will debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The release windows were part of a host of news that also saw the reveal of Daredevil: Born Again as well as the revelation that Phase 4 would be ending with Wakanda Forever. You can read our entire recap of the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Marvel’s Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, and Agatha Series All Get Narrowed Release Windows

A host of Marvel Cinematic Universe content is headed to Disney Plus and theaters in 2023 and 2024 as Phase 4 concludes and Phase 5 gets underway. That includes Marvel's Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, and the newly-renamed Agatha: Coven of Chaos, all of which received narrowed release dates during San Diego Comic-Con.

Marvel Studios revealed that Loki Season 2 and Echo will be coming out in Summer 2023 while Ironheart will release in the fall. Agatha: Coven of Chaos — previously Agatha: House of Harkness — will be out that winter.

Loki Season 2 will continue the trickster's story after his very successful first season, while Agatha: Coven of Chaos will feature Kathryn Han in the role of Agatha Harkness following her debut in Wandavision. Marvel's Echo, meanwhile, will feature the Kingpin's adoptive daughter, while Ironheart will feature the eponymous character who will debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The release windows were part of a host of news that also saw the reveal of Daredevil: Born Again as well as the revelation that Phase 4 would be ending with Wakanda Forever. You can read our entire recap of the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 New Trailer Shown Off at San Diego Comic Con

Today at San Diego Comic Con, we got treated to a brand new Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 trailer shown off in Hall H that shows some big changes taking place within the Guardians, including the debut of Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the (excellent) dog.

In the trailer, we see Gamora is running a section of the Ravagers. Peter Quill is shocked to see her, but Nebula isn’t. Unfortunately, Gamora doesn’t remember anything about the Guardians. Peter says that she was everything to him, and he thought she was gone, but she’s here and he misses her. Gamora tells him that person wasn’t her - it's the other Gamora, not the one that died. We see Groot as a big boy, and a baby Rocket Raccoon. The final question of the trailer asks where Rocket came from.

The panel at SDCC consisted of Chris Pratt (Peter Quill), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klemety (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), and Bakalova, as well as writer and director James Gunn. Gunn opened by saying that this is the final arc for the Guardians of the story that began at the very beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy. He noted that he had originally thought the idea of putting the Guardians in the MCU was "a little goofy...like Bugs Bunny joining the Avengers."

"If there is a talking cartoon, what makes him real? And I realized he was the saddest creature in the universe," he said.

Pratt explained that Volume 3 takes place at a difficult time for the Avengers, with Quill feeling he's lost the Gamora he knew and dealing with this version who doesn't know who he is, opening up vulnerability he's never had before. Other characters are seeing evolutions too, with Gillan remarking that Nebula "might be a little funnier" now without Thanos around.

We also got a cameo appearance at the panel from the High Evolutionary, who stalked around the hall being creepy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will be part of Phase 5 of the MCU, and debuts on May 5, 2023. This discussion took place during a deluge of news about the MCU, where we learned tons about Marvel's plans for the finale of Phase 4, as well as both Phases 5 and 6, now called The Multiverse Saga. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 follows after Secret Invasion in Phase 5, which itself follows Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. The Phase concludes on July 26, 2024, with Thunderbolts.

You can fill yourself in on everything that's been announced at San Diego Comic Con so far, Marvel and otherwise, with our roundup.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.