When MARVEL said they weren’t coming this year, and with DC Studios only bringing PEACEMAKER, some questioned if this SDCC was worth the price of admission. And the answer was YES! Marvel and DC aren’t the only game in town. And Disney’s TRON panel delighted Hall H occupants with an impressive indoor laser show, with actor’s portraying characters from the film. It Wowed the 6,000+ fans, and the panel was great too.
Also, GEORGE LUCAS made his very 1st SDCC debut on Sunday, with GUILLERMO DEL TORO and QUEEN LATIFAH, which filled Hall H to capacity. As fans waited in long lines to get in to see their Star Wars idol, and listen to him talk about the new billion dollar “Lucas Museum”, which will debut in Los Angeles in 2026.
AND lets not forget all the new footage that was screened for PROJECT HAIL MARY, with RYAN GOSLING in attendance. Along with the director, and the writer. It was a very informative panel that got me very excited for the film. I know it’s based on a popular book, but I never read the book. So this panel was just what I needed to get me hyped for this new space adventure.
Then just before the PREDATOR: BADLANDS panel began, the studio gave everyone in Hall H their own Predator mask. And that was a nice surprise. Then the director Dan Trachtenberg showed us the opening 15 minutes of the film. And that was amazing! But there were more surprises to come as a new extended ending for the animated PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS was also shown. WHAT… WHAT! And the stars of Badlands was there as well, ELLE FANNING and DIMITRIUS KOLOAMATANGI.
There was so much more… I had made note of 35 panels I wanted to see. And unfortunately, or fortunately, there was so much going on there wasn’t enough time. But I did have time to see the COYOTE VS ACME panel, which was hilarious. The STAR TREK panel, which showed us a full episode of STRANGE NEW WORLDS, and introduced the new series STARFLEET ACADEMY. The BAD GUYS 2 panel was delightfully overstuffed with their celebrity cast and creatives. The CBS series GHOSTS appeared like always, and it always delivers. The PERCY JACKSON panel was legendary, showing us new footage of season 2. BLUMHOUSE brought FIVE NIGHT AT FREDDY’S 2 and it looks scary. And the PEACEMAKER panel was as kickass as you’d expect, with JOHN CENA in full costume…
And I’ll have to cover the off-site activations and cosplay in another post-con post. But if you ask me if SDCC was worth it. The answer is an overwhelming YES… And the things I mentioned above, are only a fraction of what was available. San Diego Comic-Con 2025 continues to be the best pop-culture fan-gasm, no matter who does, or doesn’t, show up….
I can’t wait for next year.
