San Diego Comic-Con this year was, no cap, a whole vibe, showcasing a fascinating shift in the geek landscape. While the usual suspects like Marvel and DC superheroes, Trekkies, and ‘Star Wars’ stormtroopers still packed the Gaslamp Quarter, a fresh wave of fandom made its mark. The real ‘it’ crowd, according to reports, was rocking merch for ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl,’ a book series that has absolutely gone wild. Fans sporting Princess Donut tees, featuring the tiara-wearing talking cat, were everywhere, signaling a changing of the guard, for real.
This year’s Comic-Con was a big moment for ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl.’ Author Matt Dinniman’s series, which reimagines Earth as an alien video game show, has sold over 10 million copies. Just last month, Peacock ordered a live-action series, produced by none other than Seth MacFarlane. Dinniman hosted two panels alongside Jeff Hays, the voice actor behind more than 200 characters in the audiobooks. To the delight of the audience, Dinniman revealed that Hays would voice Princess Donut in the upcoming Peacock show. The well-known author also expressed his ambition for a full-on video game, specifically an MMORPG similar to ‘Fallout’ within the ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ universe, stating it would be ‘badass.’
Meanwhile, the OG titans held their ground. Marvel Studios made a highly anticipated return after skipping last year, hyping up ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ This flick is set to bring back Robert Downey Jr. as the new big bad, Doctor Doom, and according to the report, featured an A-list lineup including Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, and returning stars Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. The exclusive trailer gave fans a deeper look into Doom’s backstory. Big news dropped: Ryan Gosling is set to star in a Ghost Rider movie, and David Jonsson, from ‘Alien: Romulus,’ will portray Prince T’Challa II in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther 3.’ DC Studios had a smaller, focused presence, pushing previously announced projects like the ‘Lanterns’ HBO series starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. Pierre is set to reprise his Green Lantern role in next summer’s ‘Superman’ sequel, ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ and Tom Rhys Harries of ‘Clayface’ made a surprise appearance for a creepy new horror trailer.
The TV scene was absolutely crushing it this year. Apple TV made its major Comic-Con debut with a two-hour Hall H panel, showcasing established hits like ‘Widows Bay’ and ‘Silo.’ They also dropped a first look at the highly anticipated sci-fi drama ‘Neuromancer,’ starring Callum Turner, and ‘Matchbox the Movie,’ with John Cena and Jessica Biel. Prime Video brought out its heavy hitters, focusing on ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,’ which is riding high into Season 3 with the addition of geek-god Jamie Campbell Bower, alongside ‘Blade Runner 2099’ featuring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, and Mike Flanagan’s take on ‘Carrie.’
It wasn’t all about superheroes and sprawling TV universes; indie cinema also brought the goods. Distributors like Neon and A24 have consistently used SDCC as a launching pad for buzzworthy titles, particularly in the horror genre. This year was no exception, with back-to-back showcases for Na Hong-jin’s ‘Hope’ from Neon and Adam Wingard’s ‘Onslaught’ for A24. Na Hong-jin, making his first Comic-Con appearance, detailed the decade-long journey to create his alien invasion action movie and got the crowd cracking up by revealing that ‘90%’ of the characters don’t make it to the end credits. Meanwhile, the ‘Onslaught’ team, including SDCC veterans Wingard, Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, and Rebecca Hall, along with fan favorite Drew Starkey, debuted a blood-soaked trailer for their action flick, where Arjona plays a badass Army sniper protecting her daughter from genetically engineered super soldiers.
And you know the cosplay game at Comic-Con is always on point, but this year, some celebs took it to a whole new level. Rick Moranis made his Comic-Con debut, ending a 30-year hiatus to promote the long-awaited ‘Spaceballs’ sequel, ‘The New One,’ revealing himself from under a gigantic Lord Dark Helmet helmet to a berserk Hall H crowd. Johnny Depp went full method, transforming into Ebenezer Scrooge for a surprise appearance at an activation for ‘Ebenezer.’ But the grand prize, for real, has to go to Ryan Reynolds. He crashed Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation dressed as ‘Jeanpool’ – a Canadian tuxedoed Deadpool, possibly a nod to X-Men’s Jean Grey – to playfully beg for a role in the new ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ Post-convention, Reynolds spilled the tea, revealing he cruised the convention floor, shaking hands and taking selfies, all without handlers or security, and incredibly, without being recognized. That’s some legit stealth, dude.
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Livia Dorne covers film, television, music, and pop culture with a keen editorial perspective. She delivers engaging commentary, reviews, and behind-the-scenes insights that keep readers connected to the entertainment world. Her style blends critique with storytelling.
