If there’s one spot where all the magic happens at San Diego Comic-Con, it’s Hall H. Seating more than 6,000 people, it has been home to some mega announcements, one of the most notable of which was just last year when it was unveiled that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Yet, Marvel is opting out of doing a panel in Hall H this year, which may not be all that surprising, as it comes not long after the news that Doomsday would be delayed from May 2026 to December. The fact that the movie is currently filming doesn’t make it easy for the cast to fly back to San Diego from London for any panels, either.
So, if not Hall H, where does that leave Marvel for this year’s SDCC? Well, they’ll still be present and have plenty to promote, especially given that The Fantastic Four: The First Steps comes out in July – they just won’t be taking their spot in the famed room. It should be noted, too, that the 2026 SDCC will be partly held in Spain (so, no, it’s not really SDCC proper), with the timeframe set for late September. And while the venue doesn’t have the Hall H as we know it, Marvel can still capitalize on that new set-up since it will take place less than three months before the release of Avengers: Doomsday.
This isn’t the first time Marvel has skipped out on Hall H, as they have bailed numerous times. In some instances, it was due to movies already being in production and so having little to promote, while most recently, in 2023, the studio didn’t partake due to the then-ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
This does beg the question of who and what will land Hall H now that Marvel has bowed out. A bird, a plane, or something else could take over the room, but we won’t know for sure until the official lineup is announced.
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con will occur from July 24th to 27th.
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