Last night's Marvel Studios Hall H presentation at Comic-Con was big, there's no denying. We got new MCU movie titles, new casting confirmations, new character reveals, and the shock announcement of Robert Downey Jr.'s imminent Marvel Cinematic Universe return as Doctor Victor Von Doom (we're still processing that one too, don't worry!). One thing we didn't really get however was any major X-Men/Mutant-related reveals — no Avengers vs X-Men, no Mutant Saga confirmed, no Dafne Keen coming onstage as an all-Wolvied-up X23. But rest assured, the mutants are coming — and during Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World panel, fans were treated to a surefire sign that they're on their way from a very unlikely source.
During Kevin Feige and co's discussion about Sam Wilson's first big screen outing as Cap, fans at the convention were treated to an exclusive clip from Julius Onah's upcoming film. And whilst we've yet to see the new footage from the movie (surely soon to be released in the post-SDCC afterglow), per Variety's reporting, Brave New World will see Harrison Ford's President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross — aka Red Hulk — address Celestial Tiamut's emergence from the South Pacific Ocean in 2021's Eternals. Not only does this mean the "It's been [insert number of movies/shows] and still nobody's talking about the Celestial sticking out of the Earth" memes are finally over, but — as Variety's coverage confirms — Tiamut's corpse will provide the MCU's source of Adamantium, the rarer-than-Vibranium metal that Wolverine's claws (amongst other things) are made of.
Now, this doesn't necessarily mean we'll be getting a Wolvie recast in the immediate future (please, Deadpool & Wolverine is still in cinemas people!), but it does mean that Feige is ready to show fans that he has the material he needs — quite literally — to begin the MCU's 'Age of Mutants' now. But before before we get to the X-Men and some good ol' snikt-snikt'ing, we can look forward to seeing the next cinematic step along the path to Professor X and co's arrival in the MCU when Captain America: Brave New World hits cinemas on 14 February, 2025. (Also, Eternals hive, we see you and we recognise this win for us esteemed members of the Eternals appreciation society!)