San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner and, after last year’s absence and no other major studio to compete with, Marvel Studios is eyeing to make an enormous splash in the biggest pop-culture event in the world. Though nothing has been officially confirmed, expectations are high that we might just get to see what the next few years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would look like. Thinking of the many possible and speculated announcements, MCU Exchange has prepared a wish list of everything we’d like to and may see when our lord and savior Kevin Feige takes the stage on Saturday afternoon.

SUREFIRE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Take these predictions to the bank. With one film already in the midst of filming and two about to enter production within the next 6 months, these films have guaranteed presentations this weekend.

Black Widow

Most likely the next MCU property to hit the screens, Natasha’s solo outing is already being filmed in Europe and production is expected to wrap soon. Scarlett Johansson will probably be at the Hall H, giving us our first glimpses into the project. Expect a logo, premiere date, and official synopsis, first looks and, if we’re lucky, a sizzle reel. Some casting announcements and confirmations are likely as well.

The Eternals

The MCU’s new team is getting revealed at SDCC, and we should expect to see some of its stellar speculated cast to be there as well. Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Richard Madden have all had their names attached to the project at some point. The official casting will likely be announced as well as the premiere date, official logo, and, maybe, some concept art. This one is further away than Black Widow, so it won’t have as much content.

Shang-Chi

Marvel’s master of martial arts is coming to the MCU sooner rather than later, though it’s not clear how far along with production the project is. Being officially announced is a given, a logo is likely and hopefully, we’ll find out who is going to play the title role. Speculation on names for the position have been rampant, so it’ll be good to finally put a face to the name. The same way Feige announced Brie Larson and Chadwick Boseman as Captain Marvel and Black Panther previously, we could see him bring out the next big MCU star. As with The Eternals, anything beyond a date, concept art, and synopsis is very unlikely, as these projects are still quite far away and no footage has been shot yet.

LIKELY SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

All these sequels are inevitable. If Marvel Studios is feeling extra generous this weekend, maybe we get a complete slate unveiling as they did at the El Capitan Theater in 2014, where Feige unveiled all their dates and films from 2016-2019.

Thor 4

We just learned yesterday that Taika Waititi was returning to the Thor franchise, making the God of Thunder the first MCU character to get a fourth solo film. The news of Taika’s return is very timely. We’re just days away from Marvel Studios’ biggest panel in their SDCC tenure and we get this bombshell of a report.

Black Panther 2

An enormous success both in the box office (US$1.3 billion) and among critics (nominated for 6 Oscars), a sequel to Black Panther is as given as any MCU sequel has ever been. The doubt is when is it coming. If we get anything, a title, logo, release date and confirmation of some stars returning for the sequel. As the film is in early stages of development, a synopsis is unlikely. We could see them bringing out director Ryan Coogler and some cast members as a way of celebrating the success of the movie.

Captain Marvel 2

Just like T’Challa’s debut solo film, Carol Danvers’ on-screen debut made an absolute killing in the box office so you know they’re bringing their game face for her sequel. As the most recent solo entry in the MCU, it’ll be unlikely to see the sequel come out in the 2 years but if they’ve got something to share about the movie, it’ll be this weekend.

Doctor Strange 2

A Doctor Strange sequel IS in the works and we know Scott Derrickson is coming back to direct it, but we still need official word on writer C. Robert Cargill’s return and an idea of the overall plot of the film. Perhaps SDCC is the place to do it. There’s a small chance of a premiere and title announcement as well, of course, but it seems unlikely. Out of all the sequels, movement on this movie has been the most silent.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Another given due to the franchise’s overall success, this is the most complicated film to come to fruition. The whole issue with James Gunn and his later involvement with DC’s Suicide Squad caused the third Guardians installment to be delayed for a while. Among these three, it’s probably the one furthest down the line. Total silence is a possibility, but there’s also a chance of a logo and premiere date.

Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man: Far From Home just premiered to great success so Sony would be crazy not to ask Marvel to at least announce plans for a sequel. Not that we need any assurance that there will be a sequel. It’s simply a guaranteed way to get fans more exciting for the wallcrawler’s future following the film’s crazy post-credit scene. Heck, an appearance from J.K. Simmons saying that he’ll be a main character in the third movie will drive everyone crazy.

Dark Avengers, Young Avengers, and Iron Heart

Long speculated and talked about by fans, these three movies could end up being part of the MCU’s future. Recently, some Facebook error page mumbo-jumbo showed that Marvel has inactive pages for Black Widow and Eternals, two surefire announcements, alongside Dark Avengers, Young Avengers, and Iron Heart. Those could be related to comic projects, of course, but given the speculation constantly surrounding these we should consider an SDCC announcement a possibility. We’ve been hearing about these projects over the course of the year so don’t be surprised.

ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT ARE UNLIKELY:

As much of dreams as these have been for MCU fans, this is not yet the time to do them. They’re surely being planned, but are far too early on the production process to have anything announced. We all want them and we all know they’re coming, but we’ll have to keep on waiting for now.

Fantastic Four

Fox properties have recently come into Feige’s grasp, and Fantastic Four is probably the one getting its MCU debut first. The last (bad) film was four years ago, and a franchise with such potential will not go too long without a new entry. Expect something about the first family to be announced in the next few years, but this year’s SDCC won’t be the place to do it yet. Plus, we imagine any sort of Fantastic Four announcement would instantly overshadow any of their announcements.

X-Men

Another Fox gold mine turned into an embarrassing failure over time, the mutants will surely be pivotal to the far future of the MCU. A lot has to happen before the next X-film arrives in theaters, as the final Fox-produced one is still showing, but we’ll definitely be seeing them in the universe. An SDCC announcement could happen someday, just not this time.

A new Avengers movie

Let’s face it, folks: it’ll be a while before we see another Avengers film. After the massive successes of Infinity War and Endgame, the MCU needs a little time to develop its already existing characters and the new ones before they bring them all together for one more hurrah. The Infinity Saga is done, so we need a breather before we enter another huge, God knows how many-films long arc. We are getting a fifth Avengers someday, of course, but we’ll have to wait.

There could be completely new projects that we haven’t heard a thing of, which be as crazy as it would be neat. Let’s hope for a long, shocker-filled Hall H panel that keeps us dreaming about the universe’s future as much as the Phase 3 announcement did in 2014.