You’d be right in thinking “Avengers: Doomsday” had something to do with it.

Why Marvel skipped out on Comic-Con 2025

You'd be right in thinking "Avengers: Doomsday" had something to do with it.

By Nick Romano

Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano.

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Published on July 24, 2025 03:53PM EDT

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Robert Downey Jr. at San Diego Comic-Con. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Last year, Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con rocked the pop culture convention and broke the internet.

After a slew of exclusive reveals, from *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* to *Thunderbolts** to *Captain America: Brave New World*, studio head Kevin Feige brought out Robert Downey, Jr. to announce the former Iron Man actor would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to portray iconic comic book villain Doctor Victor von Doom, beginning in the next Avengers movie. Not to mention they hosted an early screening of *Deadpool & Wolverine* and carted out all the actors making surprise cameos in that Ryan Reynolds- and Hugh Jackman-led film. It was like multiple concurrent mic-drops.

This year, Comic-Con has a different vibe.

Marvel rolls out the surprise 'Deadpool & Wolverine' cast at Comic-Con 2024.

CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

Sacha Baron Cohen debuts physical transformation as he joins the MCU

'Fantastic Four: First Steps' director explains powerful baby Franklin Richards' debut

On May 30, press started to officially report that Marvel would skip the July event entirely, leaving the convention devoid of anything attendees might camp out in line for overnight. Many other major studios followed suit, leaving many on the ground, including members of other studios and networks, questioning what people were actually excited to see this year.

One of the reasons for Marvel's absence is *Avengers: Doomsday*, ** has learned. The film is currently filming in London with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind the highest-grossing MCU movies ever, back behind the camera; Downey now playing the chief villain; and a slew of stars from the lost era of Fox's *X-Men* movies reprising their roles for the first time in years.

The internal strategy is that, by keeping *Doomsday* out of the public spotlight for now, it'll further help drum up excitement and anticipation.

'Avengers: Doomsday' logo.

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A rep for Marvel emphasizes Marvel does have a presence at Comic-Con, just not a Hall H panel. Posters for *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* adorn nearby hotels and billboards around the convention space. There are also booth setups, including a display of the Fantastic Four costumes, on the convention floor.

This isn't the first time Marvel declined to have a Hall H presence at Comic-Con. Some years, the superhero studio skips in favor of making announcements out of their own conventions, like the D23 Expo or Star Wars Celebration. However, 2025 is a notable year for the studio in that it is fully in course-correct mode.

Marvel is actively trying to get back to its glory days of unfailing hit after hit. Their earlier mission to flood the market with more TV shows on Disney+ and movies in theaters than fans could handle backfired. It turns out fans could have enough, as evidenced by the ticket sales for *Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*, *The Marvels*, *Captain America: Brave New World*, and *Thunderbolts**, as well as the streaming numbers and cultural impact of shows like *Ironheart* and *Agatha All Along*.

There's no denying the impact a good Hall H panel at Comic-Con can make on the future success of a show or movie, but attendees are also looking to be blown away. And if Marvel doesn't have something on par with, say, announcing one of their most beloved stars as one of the most popular comic villains, it may work against them.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'.

20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios

After the new *Fantastic Four*, Marvel doesn't have another movie until *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* on July 2026. *Avengers: Doomsday* is then slated to follow on Dec. 18, 2026. *Eyes of Wakanda*, a four-part animated series, is next to come out on Aug. 1, followed by the animated *Marvel Zombies* show and a live-action *Wonder Man* series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — none of which gives that epic feel of a Comic-Con main stage event.

Instead of Comic-Con, Marvel went all out for the premiere of *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*, which opens in theaters over Comic-Con weekend. That film — bolstered by positive critical praise, early fan response, and everyone's favorite internet zaddy Pedro Pascal — is projected to have a solid debut in theaters, a good sign that Marvel's adjusted strategy could be paying off. Those main characters — Pascal's Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm — are all returning for *Avengers: Doomsday*, as well.

Timing-wise, hopefully, Marvel spells Doom for Comic-Con next year.

**Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2025**.

*Correction: A previous version of this article stated Marvel doesn't have another movie until *Avengers: Doomsday*. *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* is currently slated for release in July 2026. This article was also with a response from Marvel. *

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Comic-Con”