What to look at for this year’s San Diego Comic Con

Article by Kieran Burt

San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) makes its triumphant returns in-person for the first time since the pandemic. Fans will be able to head down to the convention floor, and the hallowed grounds of Hall H once again. And fans will have a lot to look forward to this year. 

Warner Bros is set to make a return to SDCC after missing the previous two and holding the online DC FanDome instead. In early July Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted out that Black Adam will have a panel at SDCC. This panel will not only include Johnson but also the actors behind the Justice Society of America. Black Adam releases on the 21st of October 2022. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods will have a panel, with guests including cast members Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Lui and more. Shazam! Fury of the Gods releases on the 21st December 2022. 

Both panels will feature a Q&A with fans, and it’s possible that Warner Bros might have a few surprises up their sleeves – perhaps a trailer for Shazam?

Star Trek is also set to have a heavy presence at SDCC. On Thursday, the actor William Shatner will be present to discuss and show footage for his upcoming documentary about his seven decade long career. While not part of the Star Trek panel, it’s something that fans of the franchise will definitely not want to miss. The actor plays Captain James T. Kirk in the original show, as well as making appearances in the films and animated shows. 

Paramount, the studio behind Star Trek, will be holding several panels throughout SDCC, ranging from comic book panels on the Thursday, looking back at the franchise’s deep history on the Friday and hosting talks on how to work for costume and TV. An official guide has been produced with all of the panel information onto it. 

With regards to the current slate of Star Trek television, fans can look forward to panels on Picard, Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds on Saturday. Cast members and producers from all shows are scheduled to appear, such as Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden from Picard, Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome from Lower Decks and Anson Mount and Ethan Peck from Strange New Worlds. 

Marvel is also making a reappearance at SDCC having also skipped it in 2020 and 2021. Fans have a lot to look forward to, with separate panels dealing with the live action and animated sides of the universe. 

On Friday, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television and animation division Brad Winderbaum will be attending, along with the head of visual development Ryan Meinerding and as of yet unnamed guests. This panel will give fans their first look at What If season two, X-Men ’97 and Marvel Zombies

All eyes however will be on Marvel’s second appearance on Saturday, where Kevin Feige himself will be taking center stage, and will be joined by special guests. While nothing has been announced, audiences can hope to receive more information on Marvel’s upcoming projects, such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever She-Hulk. Feige has teased that he will be a “little more direct in the coming months”, meaning Phase 5 reveals could be coming. Marvel will however have a large presence at the Disney D23 Expo, so it’s likely there won’t be many reveals. 

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will have its own panel on Friday, with its long list of cast members joining showrunners J.D Payne, Patrick Mckay and executive producer Lindsey Weber to unveil more information for the highly anticipated show. The Rings of Power recently got its second trailer, so while new footage is unlikely more information regarding the plot is bound to be shown. 

These four franchises are the biggest and are bound to give fans a lot of information on their favorite shows and films. The panels are likely going to be full of surprises and unexpected releases, and audiences only have a few days left to wait.