The spirit of vengeance lives! Ryan Gosling finally joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe at San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
Gosling, 45, made a surprise appearance at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel on Saturday, July 25, to confirm that he will star in a reboot of the Ghost Rider franchise. (Nicolas Cage previously played the character in two movies — 2007’s Ghost Rider and 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance — that exist outside the MCU continuity.)
He will team up on a new Ghost Rider movie with Stranger Things director Shawn Levy, who previously worked with Marvel Studios on 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. (Gosling and Levy collaborated on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.)
There was even more exciting news about the future of the MCU beyond December’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, including an update on the long-awaited Black Panther III.
Keep scrolling for the biggest news to come out of Marvel Studios’ Hall H Panel
Ryan Gosling Will Star in ‘Ghost Rider’ Movie
Gosling surprised fans by showing up unannounced to Hall H to confirm he will play the superhero Ghost Rider in a 2028 reboot directed by Deadpool & Wolverine’s Levy.
The Project Hail Mary actor has publicly campaigned for the Ghost Rider role in the past — revealing to the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast all the way back in 2022 that he’d discussed the part with Marvel Studios.
During the Hall H panel, Gosling described Ghost Rider as “a character I’ve wanted to play for a long time.”
For his part, Levy praised Gosling during the Comic-Con panel as “the absolute s***t” and promised Ghost Rider will be worth the wait for fans.
Ryan Gosling attends the Marvel panel during Comic-Con International. Getty Images/Chris DELMAS / AFP
“Let’s ride, we’ll see you in 2028,” the filmmaker teased.
Ghost Rider is an antihero who first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics in 1972 when Johnny Blaze, the first incarnation of the hero, sold his soul to the demon Mephisto to save his foster father’s life. After Blaze’s head was mystically transformed into a fiery skull, Ghost Rider jumped on his signature black motorcycle to wreak havoc on the underworld.
There have been other incarnations of Ghost Rider throughout the decades — including high school student Robbie Reyes, who was played by Gabriel Luna in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show.
Gosling’s longtime partner, Eva Mendes, starred in Cage’s 2007 version of Ghost Rider.
‘Black Panther 3’ Will Star Industry’s David Johnson
Acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler announced during the Hall H panel that he will return to write and direct Black Panther III.
Coogler and Marvel Studios chief creative officer Kevin Feige welcomed Industry and The Long Walk actor David Jonsson to the stage to confirm that he will lead Black Panther III.
Jonsson is expected to play T’Challa II, the son of the late Chadwick Boseman’s iconic Black Panther. The character was teased at the end of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever when Shuri (Letitia Wright) discovered that T’Challa and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) secretly welcomed a son named Toussaint. (Boseman died in 2020.)
Letitia Wright, David Jonsson and Winston Duke speak onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
“I want to say thank you so much,” Jonsson said in Hall H. “Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, Kevin. Thank you to this amazing family that I honor. [It’s] a privilege and blessing to join.”
He went on, “I don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking, but believe me, the honor is entirely mine.”
Black Panther III is expected to premiere in 2028.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Unveiled a Returning Star and New Footage
Some exciting casting news kicked off the Avengers: Doomsday portion of Marvel Studios’ presentation, as Hayley Atwell was confirmed to reprise her role as Peggy Carter opposite Chris Evans’ previously-announced Steve Rogers / Captain America.
Ryan Reynolds also made a surprise appearance during the panel as Deadpool’s denim alter-ego, Jeanpool, to beg for a cameo in Avengers: Doomsday. It remains to be seen whether the Merc With a Mouth will pop up in December’s blockbuster.
Fresh off the debut of the extended trailer for Avengers: Doomsday on Monday, July 20, fans in Hall H got an exclusive sneak peek at brand new footage on Saturday.
Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool cosplay at Comic-Con. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Per Variety, the new clip focuses heavily on Robert Downey Jr.’s villainous Dr. Doom sitting on his throne in Latveria as various clips of the MCU heroes in battle are interspersed.
Fantastic 4 member Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) provides some background on Doom, describing him as “broken as a person.”
“He’s always the smartest guy in every world. He used to be different. He used to be kind, he used to be caring … Everything he loved was taken from him,” she explains. “I knew he was lost but I did not realize that he was broken.”
The footage climaxes with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) questioning whether Doom could be responsible for mass carnage across Earth.
“All of you have lived stolen lives. You refuse to give them back,” Doom snarls.
When Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wields his trusty hammer Mjolnir against Doom, he is quickly pushed aside as the villain unleashes an army of Sentinels from the X-Men universe to fight Earth’s mightiest heroes.
While the trailer was a convention-exclusive, Marvel Studios publicly shared a new Avengers: Doomsday poster featuring Downey as Doom.
“Decisions will have to be made, you’ll have to be on the side of the good guys, or you’ll have to consider the alternative [by] joining a family of Doom,” Downey teased during the panel. “Come over to the green side.”
Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18 and will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027.
