Ryan Reynolds gave maximum effort while angling for a role in Avengers: Doomsday during San Diego Comic-Con.

As the star-studded team for the forthcoming Marvel Studios film was onstage at SDCC on Saturday, Reynolds surprised fans when he appeared among the crowd while dressed in Deadpool‘s gray suit that has not yet appeared on the big screen but can be seen in X-Force comics. Doomsday directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo were among those participating in the panel alongside Kevin Feige to promote the Disney film that hits theaters Dec. 18.

Reynolds joked that his name was Ricky and that he was “cosplaying hard.” He went on to say, “First question is for Mr. Paul Rudd. Where is Thor, and why was he crying?” This referenced a moment in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, during which Chris Hemsworth’s Norse God of Thunder appears to hold a dying Deadpool in a scene set in the future.

Rudd quipped, “He’s a Wrexham fan?” in a dig at the soccer team that Reynolds and friend Rob Mac own. Reynolds fired back, “You know goddamn well why he was crying.”

Reynolds’ Deadpool continued, “This seems like an awfully expensive way to announce a film. When do you start filming?” This spurred Robert Downey Jr., who stars as Doctor Doom after initially playing Iron Man in the MCU, to reply, “It’s in the can, bro. Look around you. Did you bump your head?”

After a pause, a deflated Deadpool responded, “I see. So there’s no additional photography, no overages, hot costs — maybe last minute additions?” The star then said abruptly, “No further questions. Happy Hogan, fetch the Audi. We’re leaving.” Reynolds dropped the microphone and made his way out of Hall H.

Although Reynolds has not been officially confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, media rumors have persisted about a possible role for Deadpool. The opinionated anti-hero was last seen on the big screen opposite Hugh Jackman in Deadpool vs. Wolverine, which surpassed $1.3 billion at the global box office.

Earlier this month, Reynolds confirmed during an appearance at Fanatics Fest that a new Deadpool film would indeed come to fruition at some point.

Other highlights from this year’s Marvel panel included Ryan Gosling teasing his starring role in a Ghost Rider movie that Shawn Levy will direct. Additionally, Black Panther 3 filmmaker Ryan Coogler took the stage to announce that David Jonsson will star as T’Challa’s adult son for the movie that will hit theaters in 2028.

Nothing is scarier than trying to fit in at high school. 

During a Saturday panel at Comic-Con, Prime Video revealed an Oct. 7 release date for Carrie and the first teaser trailer that showcased all the hair-raising trauma that is in store: from classmates fainting on the iconic gymnasium floor to revealing Carrie White’s prom queen moment before her harrowing, blood-curdling scream amidst a raging fire. 

Aiming to be more relevant to today’s culture than ever, Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, based on Stephen King’s debut novel of the same name, will be an “honest” and “heartfelt” unearthing of mental health woes that teens go through, such as active shooter drills and the way simple mistakes live on forever on social media. 

“Here’s the thing,” said Flanagan. “Carrie was written half a century ago. Carrie was adapted spectacularly by Brian DePalma. It is iconic. It is untouchable. There is no reason whatsoever to try to follow in those footsteps and to try to walk on that path. However, the world has changed quite a lot.”

Marking the book’s first TV series adaptation, Flanagan explained how he updated the series in the 50 years since Stephen King created it. Explaining that he invited several high schoolers into the writers room to talk about their real-life traumas that helped shape Carrie’s narrative, Flanagan said: “They shared shocking one-off situations or constant treatment and microaggressions and things that are not necessarily present themselves as targeted harassment,” he said. “[We will dive into] the cruelty in today’s world and how the internet has encouraged cruelty, rewards and celebrates and amplifies it. This is awful for adults to deal with, and for teenagers even more so.”

The eight-episode series follows the titular telekinetic teen, Carrie White (Summer Howell), a misfit high-schooler who has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective and overtly religious mother Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.

Howell, who was chosen from more than a thousand auditions to play Carrie, explained, “It’s funny because it feels like Carrie, my Carrie goes into this very open and excited for the world and she wants to make friends and go to school and meet people. She’s never experienced people besides her mom and her dad. 

“But it felt like this backwards journey because for me, I’ve gone to public school my whole life. I’m done with high school now, but I experienced it all. So it was just this switch of going back to, how would I have reacted if I were Carrie? And I feel like I didn’t become me until 18 or 19. I started truly believing in myself and figuring out who I am and what I want in life and all of the above. And so it’s funny because Carrie, she comes in sure of herself and then she’s beaten down by everybody and this new world, the new landscape she’s forced into. And so now she’s on the self-discovery journey and kind of trying to get to where I feel I am now.”

Alison Thornton, who plays mean girl Chris Hargensen, noted, “It was so important for us to trust each other from the beginning because the show is very dark and set had to be a safe space. And that’s a credit to everyone here and Mike.”

Though it is based on the novel, they warned that there were “many surprises in store.” Meanwhile, Flanagan added: “It’s a thrilling way to adapt something. That is how we were approaching Carrie. That’s what got Stephen King very excited about this adaptation. I think a lot of people think they know what the show is. And the biggest thing I’m excited about today is just knowing what a big surprise our Carrie is going to be. It certainly was to me.”

After Deadline exclusively announced Flanagan’s Carrie in October 2024, he found his titular telekinetic teen in Howell, rounding out the cast with Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy and Joel Oulette as Tommy. Other additions include Heather Graham, Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Crystal Balint and Danielle Klaudt. Production wrapped last October.

In the first full trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday,” one thing that was notably absent amidst the dramatic shots of the X-Men, Thor and the returning Steve Rogers was what Robert Downey Jr. would sound like as Doctor Doom. That’s because it was being saved as an exclusive first look for Hall H attendees at San Diego Comic-Con.

After a brief joke Q&A with Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool — who is apparently NOT going to be making his “Avengers” debut — directors Anthony & Joe Russo rolled a sneak peek of the upcoming film that focused on Victor Von Doom’s past with the Fantastic Four, specifically Reed Richards and Sue Storm.

“Victor was always the smartest guy in every room. He used to be different,” we hear Sue, played by Vanessa Kirby, tell the other Marvel heroes. “He used to be kind, used to be caring. But then everything he loved was taken from him. I knew he was lost, but I did not realize that he was broken.”

Reed Richards, played by Pedro Pascal, is then seen amongst the wreckage that Thor was seen walking amongst in the “Doomsday” trailer, demanding to know if Doom is responsible. Doom’s response is simple.

“All of you have lived stolen lives. Now you must give them back,” he intones.

Doctor Doom was first seen in the mid-credits scene of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” looming over Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin. It seems that he is targeting the children of Marvel’s heroes — perhaps the impetus for Captain America’s return based on the first teaser for “Doomsday” — as the sneak peek ended with Thor protecting his daughter first introduced at the end of “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

“I swear, you will beg for hell long before I grant it,” Thor threatens to Doom. But as Doom advances with an army of Sentinels from the “X-Men” series, he simply responds, “Hell answers to me.”

Marvel fans’ hype for “Avengers: Doomsday” has been through the roof, as the film racked up $16.5 million in presales in the first 24 hours of availability. Those presales were notably only for 1,000 premium format screens as part of Disney and Marvel’s “Infinity Vision” campaign to draw moviegoers to premium screens aside from Imax, which will be exclusively screening Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part Three” this holiday season.

“Avengers: Doomsday” arrives on Dec. 18.