I have to agree with everything you've said Marvel have certainly shown how much they value the fans of MCU.
I'm guessing here but I don't think Chris Helmsworth will have a large part in the next Thor movie as Natalie Portman will be picking up Thor's hammer and become Mighty Thor. There's a good write up
HERE on that. Perhaps he'll only appear for a short while for the handover, sort of.
Another thing I found surprising is that although they shoed a trailer for Black Widow at SDCC they won't allow it to be posted online for some reason. From what I've managed to pick up so far it'e going to be awesome!
There is a breakdown of the trailer though but it doesn't feature any footage from the film. Make of it what you will.