Marvel Studios Will Not Be Taking Hall H At San Diego Comic-Con Next Month
After a post-pandemic return to form, it seems such presentation will not be pulled off consecutively
Last year at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios unveiled most of Phase Five and sprinkles of Phase Six in a schedule that has since been much-shifted at Hall H, the biggest stage at the San Diego Convention Center. It’s also where Phase Four was unveiled in 2019. However, a similarly flashy first-look presentation will not be happening this year.
While this is disappointing for someone who just got into covering such events even from afar, having written up the Phase Five reveals for CultureSlate, there’s a lot going on. The Writers Guild of America strike has entered its eighth week, passing the 50-day mark of studios not willing to entertain a fair deal for writers, at the cost of many as flashy an Upfront presentation. Similarly, SAG-AFTRA’s own contract expires next Thursday, and would not be able to do any promotion for their work if a strike is ordered after, and the vote was overwhelmingly for it.
Blade, Thunderbolts, and Daredevil: Born Again are among the productions that have already paused production awaiting resolution. Even with all the projects already announced, there are known projects with titles that have not been dated yet, like Armor Wars, which was announced in its initial series format back at Disney Investor Day 2020. The Wonder Man series has yet to be publicly announced, despite it already filming shortly before the strike began. Promises for the returns of The Eternals, Shang-Chi, and the Ten Rings are still unfulfilled nearly two years after the films were released. Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow Natasha Romanoff in the MCU, has a top-secret non-Black Widow project in the universe that while “still happening” will remain top-secret while it’s paused like everything else is. Surely they’ll have their announcement avenue when the time is right.
For probably similar reasons, Marvel Studios isn’t alone, as Universal and HBO are reportedly sitting out the annual celebration of nerddom too. The studio will still be on the convention floor as the event goes on from July 21-23. Let’s see where things are next year. There’s still got to be big news there from someone, after all.
