Marvel announces it will continue making sequels to everything and then some other stuff

While the DC filmmaking universe languishes and prepares to go into hibernation after Man of Steel is released next year, Marvel is doubling down on every movie it's made already. Can you really blame them? I mean, they're kind of on a roll here. Marvel execs — such as Kevin Feige — might also might be convincing themselves that S.H.I.E.L.D. is real and they are S.H.I.E.L.D., what with their official announcement at Comic-Con of "Phase Two." No, really, Marvel's slate of sequels is being referred to as "Phase Two," as if it was a second wave of Chitauri arriving on Earth. I just hope that Phase Two includes a certain cellist-dating S.H.I.E.L.D. agent…

While there was no Diamond Jubilee for Marvel like there was two years ago when the cast of The Avengers was first revealed (remember that, you guys?), it was still "exciting business as usual" with the panel for Iron Man 3, which featured Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle (making penis jokes, according to the AV Club, and that's just delightful, because what better people to watch make penis jokes, really?), and Feige, the head of Marvel Studios. That's where Phase Two was mentioned, and it's pretty straightforward what it's all about: all the sequels to all the Marvel movies that have been made in the last few years. There's Iron Man 3 hitting theaters May 3, 2013, plus Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier (coming April 4, 2012) and Thor 2: The Dark World (November 15, 2013). No real plot details about either of the latter two movies were revealed, but readers of the comics are speculating that the Cap sequel will include the return of Bucky Barnes, who we all saw fall to his death in the first movie. But since Bucky was resurrected as the Winter Soldier in 2005, then it kind of makes sense for people to speculate about something so blatantly obvious.

What did get some special attention was the non-sequel news, specifically new information about Guardians of the Galaxy — expected to fill the August 1, 2014 slot — for which Feige provided some concept art (a tease of which appears above; see AV Club for the full picture) as well as one of the characters, the Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant himself, Rocket Raccoon.

Don't be fooled — just because you have seen a similar creature dead on the side of the road does not mean you should underestimate Rocket's superb marksmanship.

Edgar Wright, who was lying about being in London and not Comic Con while he was totally at Comic Con, also showed his test footage for Ant-Man also showed off his test footage for Ant-Man, which has also been officially confirmed. That video has not hit the web yet (because Wright must be holding a gun to someone's head), but Empire has a blow-by-blow:

It begins with two agents – ominous, shades-wearing – at the end of a long, white corridor. We pull back behind an air vent to reveal… Ant-Man, tiny as they come, sporting a red-and-black suit, with a mask that's a nod to the original Kirby design. … He then jumps through the vent, runs along the corridor and zaps to normal size. The agents draw their guns. Ant-Man changes back and leaps INTO the mouth of one of the agents, knocking him out. He then grabs the tie of the other and flips him through the window. Agents dealt with, he changes back to normal size, enters an elevator and then zaps back down again.

All we know is that Ant-Man is really, truly happening — no casting, no release date, basically nothing except precious hope.

Marvel unveils surprise plan to keep making Marvel movies [AV Club]