Every year, pop culture fans descend on Southern California in late July for San Diego Comic-Con. The long-running convention is a battle of attrition to see who’s strong enough to make it through four days of lines, crowds, and permanently late shuttle buses to emerge victorious, con exclusives in hand, on Sunday evening. It’s a real-life anime tournament arc condensed into one hot and sweaty weekend.
San Diego Comic-Con 2026 runs from Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26. According to io9 reporter Cheryl Eddy, who’s on the ground with fellow io9 reporter Germain Lussier, the crowds are already looking livelier than last year, when many major studios, including Marvel, skipped the convention.
This year, there are quite a few big panels to look forward to. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender and an Aliens 40th Anniversary panel anchor the day on Thursday. On Friday, Prime Video kick-starts the day with an early Blade Runner 2099 / The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power combo panel. Common Side Effects, The Vampire Lestat, President Curtis, and Lanterns all get their moment in the spotlight in the middle of the day, while Spaceballs 2 and Pan’s Labyrinth take over Hall H—aka the big one—a 4:00 p.m. PT and 5:15 p.m. PT, respectively. And sandwiched right in between everything, at 2:30 p.m. PT, is a panel called “Creature Feature Reboot: Monsters of Horror.” It’s a conversation between horror authors Max Brooks, Shane Hawk, TJ Payne, and Marshall J. Moore, and it’s moderated by our very own Cheryl Eddy. We’re extremely proud.
On Saturday, Star Trek, Apple, and Prime Video’s Carrie series get some last-minute panels in before Marvel shows up to suck up all the air in the room with its headline spot at 5:30 p.m. PT. We’ve already seen the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, so we’re not sure what the studio has in store for us, but whatever it is, we’ll be there.
Which brings us back to the whole point of this post: we’ll be bringing you live updates and news stories all weekend right here. Join us in the comments as io9 braves San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
‘Wildwood’ ‘The Forest Is Calling Portal Experience’: Good Vibes, Great Smells
Laika’s next stop-motion animated fantasy, Wildwood, hasn’t shared too many glimpses beyond a first teaser, but the film, directed by Travis Knight and based on the book by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, does have a bit of intriguing pop-up marketing at San Diego Comic-Con.
Dubbed “The Forest Is Calling Portal Experience,” it invites attendees to stand before a large screen covered with foliage, which then parts to reveal images from the movie—as if you’re peeking through the leaves to discover its secrets.
As far as “activations” go, it’s a pretty quick one, but it definitely conveys the vibes of the movie, complete with an aromatic component that really does smell like you’re roaming an Oregon forest.
If you’re at Comic-Con, the portal is located in front of the Hard Rock Hotel across from the convention center and will be open through Sunday, July 26. If you’re not at Comic-Con, keep your eyes out for similar activations in other locations, to be determined, as part of “a national experiential campaign” to promote Wildwood’s release. It hits theaters October 23. —Cheryl Eddy
‘Lanterns Training Headquarters’ Is Already Packed
To promote its upcoming HBO series Lanterns, DC has set up a “Lanterns Training Headquarters” experience so you can test your mettle and see if you have what it takes to become a Green Lantern. It’s fully booked for the whole weekend, though, and its website warns that “A standby line for those with immense patience will be administered on-site and admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Turns out that warning was, if anything, an understatement. Germain Lussier reports that the line is currently over two blocks long and the experience has only been open for just over an hour. Seems to me like if you make it to the front of the line, you should automatically pass the Green Lantern test, because your endurance is clearly next-level.
We’ll have more coverage of Lanterns Training Headquarters later this week. —Jen Lennon
All of Our Pre-Con Coverage
The first panels of the day don’t start for another hour or so, but we’ve been in SDCC mode for a few days now. Here’s a quick recap of all our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 coverage so far.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
