Entertainment
Marvel unleashes RDJ’s Doctor Doom, Galactus, and the Red Hulk
The next phase looks HUGE
Gone are the glory days of monumental Hall H. Formerly ground zero for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest announcements, the iconic venue has lost much of its luster over the years. Until this past weekend.
Rekindling the nostalgic hype of awaiting news for upcoming movies, Marvel has allotted three spots to wow fans during this year’s San Diego Comic Con, including its most shocking announcement, to date.
The return of the king
Let’s get the biggest news out of the way, shall we? After controversies rocked Jonathan Majors’s acting career, Marvel Studios has now allowed the Multiverse Era’s Kang to fizzle out. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has been taken out of the release schedule.
Instead of the multiverse-hopping villain, Marvel has gone to a familiar face to bring the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together for its next massive team-up movie — Victor von Doom, otherwise known as Doctor Doom.
Oh, and let’s be clear; it’s a very familiar face. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villain, sparking a controversial wave of both doubts and excitement. You can almost hear a foul-mouthed merc muttering, “…’til you’re ninety” over and over again.
RDJ isn’t the only returning alumni, either. Avengers: Doomsday, coming in 2026, will be directed by the Russo Brothers, who previously helmed Infinity War and Endgame. Avengers: Secret Wars is still coming as the follow-up to the retitled fifth film.
Just announced in Hall H:
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps begins production on Tuesday. Only in theaters July 25, 2025. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/iPAlXlajnr— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Introducing the First Family
Though the world already knows quite a bit about the return of the Fantastic Four to the MCU, Hall H teased the upcoming film even further. All four members of Marvel’s First Family showed up for the event. The studio also revealed the film’s definitive title — The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The title does thematically share in the familial nature of the superhero team. However, it also has a sense foreboding, especially since we already know that Doctor Doom is coming. It’s pretty much confirmed that Galactus is the film’s big baddie, too. There’s no rest for the Fantastic Four in the cinematic future.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres on July 25, 2025.
Harrison Ford is Thaddeus Ross.#CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld#SDCC pic.twitter.com/vRBCkUDLlu
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Painting the town red
Finally, Marvel teased the next film after Deadpool & Wolverine. Spinning off from the Disney+ series, Captain America: Brave New World will see the cinematic debut of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as the new Captain America.
Once again tapping into political intrigue, the upcoming film features two villains. One is played by Giancarlo Esposito. Finally, Hall H revealed who the talented actor is playing. He will play Sidewinder, the leader of the Serpent Society.
The event also unleashed Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, taking over from the late William Hurt. This time, Ross won’t just be hiding behind the American government. He’ll get his hands dirty as The Red Hulk.
Captain America: Brave New World premieres on February 12, 2025.
I didn’t watch The Devil Wears Prada when it first came out in 2006.
I came to it a few years later, at a time when I was still figuring things out—career, identity, even the kind of movies I allowed myself to enjoy. It wasn’t something I would’ve picked on my own back then.
At the time, it felt like a story about love versus career. I was about to graduate with a Mass Communication degree, unsure of where I was headed, trying to make sense of both ambition and connection.
Watching it again recently, it lands differently.
It’s less about choosing between two things—and more about understanding who you are, and having the courage to follow that honestly.
That’s what makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 feel so deliberate. It doesn’t just revisit the past. It builds on it.
Growth over spectacle
There’s a version of this sequel that could’ve leaned entirely on nostalgia. Bigger moments. Sharper outfits. A louder version of what already worked.
This isn’t that.
The film is grander, but in ways that feel earned. It embraces the 20-year gap instead of ignoring it, placing its characters exactly where you’d expect them to be—not in status, but in spirit.
Miranda Priestly still commands every room, but no longer feels as unassailable as she once did.
Andy Sachs carries experience. She’s no longer the green assistant, but an accomplished journalist whose relationship with Miranda still shapes her decisions.
Emily Charlton feels fully realized—no longer orbiting power, but owning her place within it.
And Nigel remains a pillar. Dependable to both Miranda and Andy, an almost invisible hand that guides more than it claims.
None of them feel stuck in who they were. That’s the point.
What it says about the work
This is where the film hit me the hardest.
Working in tech media, I constantly see the push toward generative AI—toward making everything faster, more efficient, more scalable. A lot of it is impressive. Some of it is genuinely useful.
But some of it is also unsettling.
We’re at a point where generative visuals can fool people. Where audio—music even—can sound convincing enough that you stop questioning where it came from. That’s the part that lingers.
Because music, for me, is personal. It’s how I process things. And realizing that something artificial can mimic that emotional weight—even if imperfectly—feels dangerous in a quieter, harder-to-define way.
This film doesn’t shout about AI. It doesn’t need to. Instead, it argues for something more fundamental.
That the human touch still matters.
That taste, judgment, and intention aren’t things you can replicate at scale.
That the pain of heartbreak, the joy of victory, and the complicated weight of living—these are things that come from experience. And experience leaves a mark. We leave a part of ourselves in everything we create, whether we mean to or not.
That’s something I don’t think can ever be fully replicated.
AI is a helpful tool. But it should not be relied upon for things that require a piece of our soul.
Direction that understands power
A lot of that message lands because of how The Devil Wears Prada 2 is directed.
Blocking and staging do most of the talking. Who stands where, who moves first, who stays still—these choices define power before any dialogue kicks in.
The camera follows emotion closely. Moments of uncertainty feel slightly unsteady. Scenes of control are composed and precise.
It’s not trying to impress you. It knows exactly what it’s doing.
Sound that knows its place
The sound design follows that same discipline.
Nothing competes. Nothing distracts.
Every element feels intentional–supporting the scene instead of demanding attention. It’s cohesive in a way that’s easy to overlook, but once you notice it, you realize how much it’s doing.
Dialogue that winks, but doesn’t linger
There are a few “wink” moments–lines that echo the original, callbacks that longtime fans will catch instantly.
But the film shows restraint.
It never lets those moments take over. They’re accents, not the foundation.
Nostalgia used with purpose
That restraint carries through how the film handles nostalgia as a whole.
It doesn’t rely on it. It uses it.
Parallels to the original are there, but they exist to highlight change—not to recreate what once worked.
It’s less about remembering.More about understanding what time has done.
Why it works now
What makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 land isn’t just that it’s well-made.
It’s that it feels necessary.
In a world that keeps pushing toward speed, output, and efficiency, this film slows things down just enough to remind you what actually matters.
The intention behind every line, every scene feels sharp—like it could only come from people who care. Who care about the craft. Who care about making something that connects.
It might sound like a tired argument. But it’s still true.
The breadth and depth of humans who care is irreplaceable.
The teaser trailer for DC Studio’s horror thriller, Clayface, has just been released. It is the studio’s first-ever foray into the genre, with the film co-written by Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins.
The R-rated standalone film is still part of the new James Gunn DC Universe, taking place within the main DCU timeline before the events of the 2025 Superman.
It stars Tom Rhys Harries as the titular Gotham City villain. He is joined by Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James.
The film opens internationally on October 21 and in North America on October 23.
Here’s a quick look at the film’s teaser trailer:
Clayface explores one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster.
The story revolves around the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and dark underbelly of scientific ambition.
Joining Watkins in his creative team are director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris, visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, costume designer Keith Madden, and casting director Lucy Bevan.
In addition, here’s a quick look at the movie’s teaser poster:
Entertainment
DC’s Clayface teaser shows off a horror-filled superhero movie
Our first taste of James Gunn’s Gotham City will be frightening.
Last year, James Gunn’s Superman sparked an impressive wave of excitement for the new DC Universe. Though this year’s spotlight is on Supergirl, Clayface is also getting an eponymous film, giving us our first taste of Gotham City in this bustling universe.
There’s been a lot of mystery surrounding this film. For one, Gotham City’s DCU debut is based on, arguably, a secondary villain, rather than any member of the Bat-Family. Secondly, Gunn has confirmed that the movie will heavily lean towards the horror genre, a feat others have tried but often failed.
Today, DC Studios has released the first teaser trailer for Clayface. And no, Gunn wasn’t kidding when he said this is going to be a horror film.
Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, a rising movie star suddenly scarred by a violent attack. Desperate to resurrect his career, he resorts to a scientific experiment that turns his skin into moldable clay.
As the teaser hints, the film will not shy away from body horror, including shots of Hagen’s disfigured face either from the attack or from the clay. It’s a big departure from the more traditional style of Superman or Supergirl. But it’s a gamble that might pay off for a universe as young as the DCU.
It’s also apropos that the DCU’s first horror film is getting a horror-themed premiere. Clayface will premiere in cinemas on October 23, 2026.
SEE ALSO: Superman sequel, titled Man of Tomorrow, comes out in 2027
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