The annual San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) convention is a must for every superhero and comic book fan. Every year, fans witness the unveiling of some top projects from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Capcom games and many other entertainment publishing companies.
SDCC is an international hub for all entertainment, exciting the public with the content being made and the diversity in which it is showcased. This year, SDCC was held from July 25 to July 28 in San Diego, California. Here are a few highlights from the convention:
Marvel panel brings mixed reception among fans
Despite groundbreaking numbers and continuous profit, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has seen some of its projects targeted by the wrath of die-hard Marvel fans. Despite profiting better than its predecessor, “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022) has been a meme in the Marvel fandom since its release. “The Marvels” (2023) had the worst box office opening out of any Marvel movie and received a plethora of misogynistic, racial and exaggerated hate in return. Despite this, “The Marvels” also received praise from women and girls, especially people of color, for its powerful representation of female-centered experiences in the MCU.
So with the announcement of the MCU Phase Five and Six projects, there is a brewing excitement from the creativity seen. Phase Five, which started in 2023 and will end in 2025, has been fairly rocky since its beginning. It has received praise and just as much, if not more, criticism. The “Secret Invasion” (2023) television series and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (2023) have become must-sees in the MCU and examples of the story-telling and relatable content Marvel fans want to see. “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024) started the middle of Phase Five with a bang, breaking records by having the highest opening for an R-rated movie domestically and internationally.
Days before Comic-Con, the trailer for “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025) was unveiled, showing Sam “The Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) embracing his acclimated role of Captain America given to him in the 2021 series, “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.” At Comic-Con, Kevin Feige and Mackie showcased more footage from the film while introducing the Red Hulk, played by Harrison Ford, and the villain Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito).
Exclusive footage of “The Thunderbolts” (2025) was also released to the audiences in attendance. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Florence Pugh and David Harbour. While the visual details of the footage are mostly unknown, what we do know is that Pugh and Harbor are seen in true action-packed villain fashion.
Also at the Marvel panel were a concept trailer and details about one of its most anticipated films, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (2025). The 1960s setting of the movie had many concerned about its quality, but it sparked buzz with the introduction of a major player in the Marvel universe: Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Fans are eager to see Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby and Ebon Moss-Bachrach take on these fan-favorite characters to kick off Phase Six.
On top of this, “Avengers: Secret Wars” (2026) and “Avengers: Doomsday” (2027) were announced as a part of Phase Six with the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
DC Comics panels excite fans
DC Comics fans were left just as well-fed at SDCC. Fans got a preview of the final season of “Superman & Lois,” with a first look at the Superman and Doomsday fight full of choreography and graphics that put some blockbusters to shame.
News and interviews about Bruce Timm’s “Batman: Caped Crusader” project were shown at DC’s panel. The project, which was released on Aug. 1, 2024, has had die-hard Batman fans ecstatic by giving them the gritty sleuth detective feels of the original comics and television series.
The trailers for two other animated projects were released as well. The first is for “Watchman: Chapter 1” (2024), which has a balance of suspense and action and an art style reminiscent of “The Wolf Among Us” a video game by Telltale Games. Fans are also being reintroduced to Viola Davis as head of Task Force X Amanda Waller in “Creature Commandos.” The 2024 project, helmed by James Gunn, introduces audiences to the monster-verse of DC Comics in this spooky new branch of the Suicide Squad.
“The Batman Part II” (2026), starring Robert Patterson, is planned to start filming in early 2025. Details about the HBO limited series “The Penguin,” starring Colin Farrell’s titular role from “The Batman” (2022), were also revealed. The show centers around the Gotham mob scene and premieres September 19 on HBO.
Comic-Con had panels for everyone
Marvel and DC fans were not the only ones receiving exciting updates about their favorite franchises and projects. Lovers of AMC’s “Interview with a Vampire” are in for a treat with season 3, which premiered a teaser trailer at SDCC. While audiences say goodbye to Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) returns as the next season’s main narrator. In the trailer, Lestat takes the world by storm with his public announcement as a vampire as he tours the world as a rockstar.
The Walking Dead fans are getting a continuation of the story following the ending of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” (2024). Season 2 of both “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” were confirmed to still premiere in 2025 and September 2024, respectively. “Dead City” Season 2 will see Maggie (Lauren Cohan) on a journey to save Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) from captivity. In “Daryl Dixon” fan-favorite Carol (Melissa McBride) has tracked Daryl (Norman Reedus) to France, and joins him in his quest to journey back to America.
Amazon’s popular “The Boys” expanded with more projects in its universe announced at its panel. The release date for the second season of the college-centric “Gen V” series was confirmed to be in 2025. Season 5 of “The Boys” will air in 2026, with fan-favorite Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) being promoted to a main character for the show’s final season. Ackles also exclusively revealed a new series in development called “Vought Rising.” The series sees Soldier Boy and Stormfront (Aya Cash) return in a prequel, murder mystery show set in the 1950s.
A sequel to the beloved series “Dexter” was also announced at SDCC. The series will see Michael C. Hall reprise his iconic role as Dexter in “Dexter: Resurrection” next summer. The series is also a prequel, titled “Dexter: Original Sin,” which is in development. The prequel will take viewers back to the days before Dexter’s homicidal ways through his younger self, played by Patrick Gibson. Hall will return to the series as a voice-over only.
San Diego Comic-Con has put many upcoming projects on the entertainment radar. There is hope for superhero and comic fans to see the characters they love in the height of story-telling glory once again. However, this may be another phase of the struggling blockbuster. Viewers will have to stay tuned to watch each project unfold to find out.
