Marvel Studios turned its Saturday, July 25, 2026, San Diego Comic-Con panel into a long-range reset pitch: David Jonsson is the new Black Panther, Ryan Gosling is joining the MCU as Ghost Rider, and both announcements point toward 2028 releases.
The short answer for fans is that Marvel is not just teasing cameos. Disney said writer-director Ryan Coogler introduced Jonsson as the new Black Panther for Black Panther 3, which is scheduled for theaters on December 15, 2028. Disney also said Marvel has started work on a new Ghost Rider film starring Gosling, directed by Shawn Levy and planned for release in 2028.
The announcements matter because they give Marvel two clear future anchors beyond the immediate Avengers: Doomsday cycle. Associated Press reported that Jonsson appeared onstage with Coogler, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, while Gosling appeared with Levy after years of fan speculation about whether he would ever enter the superhero franchise.
What Marvel confirmed
For Black Panther 3, the key change is generational. Jonsson will play T'Challa's grown son, continuing the thread introduced after the death of Chadwick Boseman and after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shifted the mantle to Shuri. Disney said Coogler is returning to direct and that Wright and Duke helped present the reveal in Hall H.
For Ghost Rider, Marvel confirmed the character is getting a new film inside the Marvel Studios slate. Disney said Levy will direct and Jonathan Tropper is writing the script. AP reported that Gosling told the Comic-Con crowd he had wanted to play the character for a long time.
Why 2028 is the real signal
The most important part of the panel may be the calendar. Avengers: Doomsday is still the near-term tentpole, with Disney listing a December 18, 2026, theatrical release. But the Black Panther and Ghost Rider announcements give fans named stars and recognizable characters for the next phase after that.
That helps explain why the reveals immediately drew search attention. In Google Trends' United States view for the past 24 hours, both "david jonsson" and "ghost rider" were active trends at more than 200,000 searches, each shown as up 1,000%.
What is not known yet
Marvel has not laid out a full plot for either 2028 film. The studio has confirmed the central casting, creative leads and broad release timing, but it has not answered how Jonsson's T'Challa will share the story with Shuri, how Gosling's Ghost Rider will enter the MCU, or whether either film will directly connect to the events of Doomsday.
For now, the practical takeaway is simple: Marvel is using Comic-Con to move fan attention from a crowded crossover moment toward two character-led bets. One carries the emotional weight of the Black Panther legacy. The other brings a long-requested actor-character pairing into the MCU for the first time.
