"Iron Man 2," "The Avengers," "Captain America," and "Thor." It'd be hard to pack more awesome in Marvel's upcoming slate than is already there, especially now that they own their own properties and can cross mingle their franchises.

But what of the titles that aren't there? Films like "Magneto," "Spider-Man 4," and "Ghost Rider 2." Are they still in the pipeline?

The simple answer, of course, is that Marvel doesn't own the rights to those films, and that they are going ahead as previously scheduled with other studios.

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That Samuel L. Jackson will play Nick Fury for a cameo appearance in the upcoming "Iron Man" movie is just about the worst kept secret in comic-dom, somewhere just south of "Jeff Bridges will play Iron Monger" and just a little less obvious than "Iron Man will fly."

Heck, super producer and Marvel movie mastermind Avi Arad himself let it slip to MTV News nearly seven months ago. As in, LAST July.

"The Sam thing was supposed to be the biggest secret of them all," he told us then, clearly frustrated. "It's amazing how it got out." See? It's right there! That makes it what we call "old news." But if you think that also makes it undeniable, well, than you clearly have never met Samuel L. Jackson. Read more...

Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee may be fond of breaking out his catchphrase "'nuff said," but when it came to the first-ever Marvel Studios panel, there was plenty of big news to talk about.

First up was "The Incredible Hulk," Marvel's relaunching of one of their most popular -- if theatrically flawed -- characters. Director Louis Leterrier, Marvel honchos Avi Arad and Kevin Feige, producer Gale Anne Hurd and actors Edward Norton and Liv Tyler greeted the crowd of 6,500. (Read the full article and see more photos after the jump.)

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After marshalling just about every successful Marvel comic to the big screen, what's left for mega producer Avi Arad to get excited about? "Magneto," he enthused. "I love it!" While we first met the diabolical anti-hero (played with gusto by Ian McKellen) in "X-Men," and followed his mutant crusade through two sequels, it's in "Magneto" that the character will finally get the origin story he so richly deserves, Arad revealed.

"Think of meeting him in [the first "X-Men" movie] as a young boy in a concentration camp. What happens to his life after the war?" he teased of the film's plot. Arad quickly answered his own question, telling MTV News that the flick will follow Magneto discovering "if [his powers are] real or not and the whole journey of [his] survival as a young man."

Directed and co-written by "Batman Begins" scribe David Goyer, the prequel has all sorts "of opportunities for the kind of things that [will] make [it] interesting," Arad contended, including a look at his early friendship with and ultimate rift from Charles Xavier, the mutant who would later become the leader of the X-Men.

Given Magneto is already the head of the militant mutant organization known as The Brotherhood in the first film, will the prequel detail the steps he takes to form that alliance, perhaps highlighting such mutants as Sabertooth and Rebecca Romijn's Mystique? "[Some] amazing surprises that happen in his life [are in store]," Arad coyly answered.

While Arad searches for an actor to play the young Magneto, he can only hope the casting will match that of Robert Downey, Jr., who Arad says is a perfect fit to play Tony Stark/Iron Man. "I think he is Tony. He is cool, he is quick, he is sexy," Arad said in praise of his lead actor. "Tony Stark was this guy who could get away with anything. He had this dual life and you need an amazing actor to play this dual character without superpowers. You have to be two men with one heart."

"Iron Man" arrives in theaters next May, while "Magneto" aims for a 2009 release.