Bad news, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans: Marvel Studios won't be hosting a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
As reported by Popverse, Marvel Studios hasn't claimed its usual Saturday afternoon panel slot for SDCC 2023. This marks the first time that the production company has opted not to make a Hall H presentation since 2018, although as Popverse points out, SDCC 2020 and 2021 were both held virtually. It's also worth noting that Marvel Studios isn't skipping SDCC 2023 entirely, and will have a booth on the convention floor. That said, MCU devotees looking forward to a Hall H-style presentation complete with major reveals will no doubt be disappointed by this turn of events.
Exactly what Marvel Studios would've been able to announce had it gone through with a Hall H panel is unclear, though. The production company recently reshuffled its upcoming slate of MCU films, pushing back the release dates of Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Blade, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. As such, it's entirely possible that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and his team felt that they weren't in a position to speak to any of those projects, given fans will now have to wait even longer for them to arrive on the big screen.
Marvel Studios Weathers Recent Bad Press
The delay to the MCU Phases Five and Six isn't the only negative headline Marvel Studios has had to contend with recently, either. The studio has also had to deal with the public fallout of executive Victoria Alonso's dismissal, with Alonso's attorney Patty Glaser claiming that she was fired for her outspoken views about Marvel Studios' parent company Disney's stance on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. Disney and Alonso recently reached a settlement, the details of which are confidential.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Jonathan Majors' arrest on assault, strangulation and harassment charges in March 2023 has caused Marvel Studios' top brass headaches, as well. A recent rumor alleges that Feige and his team have already started mapping out a contingency plan in the event that Majors needs to be recast. Marvel Studios is supposedly pulling together a short list of actors in mind to replace Majors that includes Damson Idris, who currently headlines the FX crime drama Snowfall. However, as Marvel Studios is yet to publicly comment on Majors' MCU future, talk of the star being recast should be treated as pure speculation for now.
Source: Popverse