SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2026 … Was it worth it? And the really short answer is, YES. But there are crowds, and line-waiting, and crowds (100,000 people, so I had to say it twice). So planning and patience are a requirement. But as you walk through a sea of fandom on your way to your next Entertainment panel or Comic Book panel, you feel the camaraderie of like-minded individuals, and that’s a cool feeling.
There were 39 panels/activations I wanted to partake in, but there weren’t enough hours in the day. And I think that’s what makes SDCC so special; all the possibilities. I was only able to do four of the off-sight activations this year. I did “The Lodge – Paramount+”, “Adult Swim – On The Green”. The “Percy Jackson Experience”, and the Hulu “Animeyhem”… Each activation gave fans a chance to interact with their fandom. Making for a glorious experience…
The panels I went to were informative, and some had celebrities and surprises. Johnny Depp crashed a ‘Collider’ panel dressed as Scrooge. At the Percy Jackson panel they showed off what’s to come in season 3. The cast of ‘Rings of Power’ talked about their new season’s five-year time jump. And we also got to meet the cast of “Blade Runner 2099” and got our 1st peek at that future.
Then we met DC Studios’ three Green Lanterns and got a glimpse of their upcoming HBO series. Which is both grounded and not at the same time. We learned that ‘Interview With The Vampire’ is getting a 4th season, named “Queen Of The Damned.” Based on the book series. (Glad those Vampires are coming back.) And Star Trek celebrated its 60th anniversary. And showed off some ‘Strange New Worlds’.
John Cena strut his stuff, showing off his new “Matchbox” movie. Which is kinda ‘Fast and Furious’ meets ‘True Lies”… And they had to comb the audience to find Rick Moranis. Who showed up after 40 years to bring us an exclusive look at his ‘Spaceballs’ sequel.
And Marvel Studios proved to be this year’s MVP, bringing in the cast of Avenger’s Doomsday. Giving all 6,000 people in Hall H Doom Masks and hooded capes. As Robert Downey Jr. tried to turn everyone to the dark side. Also, Ryan Reynolds showed up as Deadpool. Jon Bernthal Interrupted Keven Feige to show us a new Spider-Man clip. And they introduced the new actors playing Ghost Rider (Ryan Gosling), and Black Panther (David Jonsson) YIKES! That was a lot for one panel!
And that’s not all I saw… Needless to say, I can’t wait for next year…
And oh yeah, there was a panel moderated by a talking tomato. Now that’s entertainment.
