Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San DiegoComic-Con2022 was one for the books. The studio unveiled release dates for a number of projects showcased a variety of trailers and teased their next big massive event for what Phases 4, 5, and 6 now dubbed The Multiverse Saga are building to in the form of two Avengers films titledAvengers: The Kang DynastyandAvengers: Secret Warsin 2025.
Along with the announcement, manymajor Marvel characterswere confirmed to be joining the MCU in projects likeBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Certaincharacters like Kang the Conqueror, Ironheart, and Daredevil were already confirmed through various other announcements, yet their first looks certainly got audiences attention.
However, the following seven characters were not previously known to be appearing in the MCU, making their announcements a big deal. Marvel has used Comic-Con as the place to announce characters before, like in 2016 when Kurt Russell was revealed to be playing Ego the Living Planet inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,or when they announced Mahershala Ali would play Blade back in 2019. While some characters announced at Comic-Con 2022 were rumored for quite some time, this marked the first official confirmation by Marvel Studios. Here is a breakdown of all the new characters confirmed to appear in the MCU by Marvel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Namor the Sub-Mariner
While it wasleaked that Namor the Sub-Marinerwould be inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, this was the first time the character was officially confirmed. Namor, alongside the original Human Torch, is actually the first Marvel character and was created by Bill Everett in 1939. The character is a major player in the Marvel Comics as he is the King of Atlantis, has close ties to The Fantastic Four, and is dubbed the first mutant in the Marvel universe. Often an antihero, Namor is half-human and half-Atlantian. For years the character’s film rights were owned by Universal Studios, and after over a decade of teases (Atlantis was teased on a map inIron Man 2in 2010), the character is finally set to make his MCU debut played by Tenoch Mejía.
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The film seems to position Namor as the film’s primary antagonist, and it appears Wakanda and Atlantis will go to war. The film is reimagining Atlantis with a strong Mesoamerican influence embracing the actor’s Latin American roots and posing as a mirror to the advanced civilization of Wakanda. The character is a staple in Marvel Comics and this is unlikely to be his last appearance.
Joining Namor inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveris Attuma, played by Alex Livinalli. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby inFantastic Four#33 in 1964, Attuma is one of Namor’s arch-rivals. Attuma hails from a tribe banished from Atlantis and has come into conflict with Namor multiple times.
Attuma’s appearance inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas leaked out in promotional material for the movie, but this official confirmation may hint at Attuma beingthe film’s primary villainthat will force Namor to unite with the Wakandians to prevent a war between Atlantis and Wakanda.
Black Earth Risingstar Michaela Coel was confirmed to be inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveras the character Aneka. In the comics, Aneka was created by Jonathan Maberry and Will Conrad and first appeared inBlack Panther(Vol. 5) #8 in 2009. The character is a combat instructor of the Dora Milaje who in the comics has a romantic connection to fellow Dora member Ayo (Florence Kasumba). The two go on the run and don Midnight Angel Armor, a prototype Wakandan armor.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverseems to be adapting part of this storyline as in the trailer Aneka is seen facing off against her fellow Dora Milaje, wearing an outfit with the same blue color scheme as the Midnight Angel Armor. Coel is a fantastic actor, writer, and director, with her work in thegreat seriesI May Destroy YouandChewing Gumbeing deeply memorable.
The High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary has been confirmedas the main villain ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and will be played by Chukwudi Iwuji, who recently worked withwriter-director James Gunn onPeacemaker. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appearing inThe Mighty Thor#134 in 1966, The High Evolutionary is a mad scientist on Earth who experimented on his body to give himself god-like powers while also creating his own species made from genetically experimenting on animals.
In the comics, The High Evolutionary has connections to the X-Men villain Mr. Sinister as well as the retconned origins of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to remove their mutant origin. He also operates out of Wundagore Mountain .which was recently shown inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It is likely the character’s origins have been reworked to be an alien, but it could be he originated from Earth and traveled the stars making him a dark mirror to Star-Lord.
Related:The Avengers 5 and 6: Breaking Down the Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars Announcement
Given his habit of experimenting on animals in the comics, many fans have been assuming since the firstGuardians of the Galaxythat The High Evolutionary would be tied into the origins of Rocket Raccoon, and the Comic-Con trailer seems to confirm that as the upcoming third movie will show Rocket Raccoon as a baby and be very much centered on him.
Cosmo the Spacedog
Cosmo technically appeared in the MCU as an exhibit in the Collector’s museum inGuardians of the Galaxyand was later shown to be free. The character reappeared inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2during the credits. The character appears to be getting a bigger role inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3andwill be voiced by Maria Bakalova(Borat Subsequent Moviefilm).
Cosmo was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, the same duo that created the relaunched incarnation of theGuardians of the Galaxyin 2008, and in the comics Cosmo was a long-established member of the team who ran Knowhere, the severed Celestial head seen inGuardians of the GalaxyandAvengers: Infinity War. Cosmo typically has a rocky relationship with Rocket Raccoon, and with the High Evolutionary now involved in the film tying into Rocket’s origin, the villain may be also the explanation for why Cosmo can now speak after being silent in the past films.
The Wrecking Crew
The newest trailer forShe-Hulk: Attorney At Lawshowed a quick clip of four men facing off against She-Hulk wielding some type of advanced weaponry. The fact that there are four of them wielding very specific weapons hints that these might be the MCU versions of The Wrecking Crew.
The Wrecking Crew first appeared as a group in 1974 inThe Defenders#17 created by Len Wein and Sal Buscema. The team was formed by The Wrecker (a villain created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in theThorcomics in 1968) who along with Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball are a team who are empowered by Asgardian magic that grants them superpowers and enchanted construction weapons. While they still may have the Asgardian enchantment connection asThor: Love and Thunderestablished New Asgard as a bustling profitable tourist destination. However, the weapons wielded in the trailer have a similar purple glow to the weapons created by The Vulture’s crew inSpider-Man: Homecomingsuggesting they are criminals who got ahold of these alien enchanted weapons.
M.O.D.O.K.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby inTales of Suspense#94, MODOK is one of Marvel’s silliest but also most iconic villains. MODOK is an acronym that stands forMental/Mobile/MechanizedOrganismDesignedOnly forKilling). Some incarnations, like the Hulu stop-motion animated seriesMODOK, embraced that silly nature in aRobot Chickenway, while other incarnations reimagine the character as a darker and more serious threat, like in the recent video gameMarvel’s The Avengers.
Fans have been waiting for MODOK for years, and many attempts have been made at adapting him. The character was considered as a villain inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, and was set to appear in both theAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.andNew Warriorsseries, but none of these appearances came to pass. However,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.was able to homage the character, as Anton Ivonav became a brain in a vat that took over Life-Model Decoys Designed Only for Killing making him L-MODOK. Rumors have circulated the character would appear inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and it is now officially confirmed by director Peyton Reed.
Few details are known about the character in the upcoming film, but the bigrumor is that Corey Stoll, who played the main villain Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket in the firstAnt-Manfilm, will play MODOK. While many assumed he died in that film, it is possible he went subatomic and found himself in the Quantum Realm and was rebuilt by Kang the Conqueror to now be one of his enforcers.
