San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is when Kevin Feige and team traditionally provide big updates about the future of the MCU. Due to the actors and writers strike last summer, however, fans were deprived of their annual MCU fix. Since Marvel has been keeping their powder dry for nearly two years, you can bet that Feige will ignite a fuse on stage.
Be ready for some pyrotechnics. What might we see from Feige and company at Hall H this year?
No doubt Feige and team will focus on the opening of Deadpool & Wolverine which will open on the second day of SDCC. Significant because Deadpool & Wolverine will officially merge 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise with the MCU, but also Disney's first-ever R-rated film, Disney and Marvel have A LOT riding on the success of this film. Some firms are tracking for an opening of $200M for the film.
In spite of the hype surrounding the film, the first appearance of Wolverine in Hulk #181 continues to trend steadily downwards according to GoCollect's Bronze Age CPI across 14 CGC grades.
The first appearance of Deadpool in New Mutants #98 has been on more of a roller coaster ride, but has also been moving downwards over the past year across seven different CGC grades according to GoCollect's Copper Age Index.
No official word yet on what else Marvel might reveal, but we'll likely see the cast from Marvel's upcoming Fantastic Four film. About a week ago on Marvel's first ever official podcast, Feige disclosed that, among all of Marvel's upcoming projects, he is most excited about the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four will begin filming in London at the end of July.
The value of first appearance of the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #1 has remained mostly steady over the past year across 20 different grades according to GoCollect's Big Spenders Club CPI. Will we see it begin to trend upwards as we hear more about the film over the next year?
We also know that Galactus will also make his MCU debut in the film. His first appearance in Fantastic Four #48 has fallen pretty dramatically across 13 different grades over the past year. Perhaps this film will serve as a shot in the arm and resuscitate this major Silver Age key.
We should also expect to see additional footage from Marvel's 2025 films including Captain America: Brave New World (February 2025) and the Thunderbolts (May 2025). If we see Harrison Ford confirm that he'll appear as Red Hulk in Captain America, we might see some continued upward movement on Hulk #1. We've actually seen a jump in value for this book over the past six months across five different grades, and especially in the two most common grades: a 9.8 and 9.6.
We're also seeing some signs of rising values for Incredible Hulk #449 which contains the first appearance of the Thunderbolts especially in the 9.0 and 9.2 grades:
The fact that these two books are rising in value even when most comic books are declining shows that demand for them must be very significant to overcome macro-level market forces.
What other projects do you think Marvel will showcase at SDCC? Iron Heart? Wonder Man? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below!
