Over the last decade, San Diego Comic-Con has become THE major event of the year for everything related to ‘nerd’ culture. A yearly showcase for every major comic book, movie, or TV show releasing in the next few years. 2019 is no different as Marvel’s making their return to the convention after taking last year off. Not a Marvel fan? Don’t worry because that’s not the only thing to look out for over the weekend.
So, Def Pen’s put together a list of the top ten things to look forward to this year at San Diego Comic-Con. Whether it’s superheroes, mad scientists, or anything in between, there’s bound to be something on this list for you:
Marvel Panel
Can you believe that after all the success Marvel and Disney have had this year, they still have the audacity to hold a panel? What else do these brilliant minds have in store for us? The options are plentiful. After ending Phase 3 with Spider-Man: Far From Home (which provided us hints at the future), Marvel has options as to what it wants to show the audience. We might see a glimpse at the expected movies for Phase 4. We might get title sequences flashing in and out showing us different characters with movie titles. We may get a new look at the Disney+ streaming service and the shows that come with that. Regardless of what Marvel brings to Hall H, be prepared. They never disappoint.
-Es
The Witcher
As a ‘gamer,’ this series has me equally excited and scared. Scared because video game adaptations have a… not great history, to put it mildly. And this could easily be a disaster worse than that Super Mario Bros. movie. However, I’m’ excited because Hollywood has figured out the video game movie formula to an extent over the last few years and Henry Cavill is a much better actor than he’s given credit for. The world of The Witcher may be a hard sell to casual viewers but, if Cavill’s performance can ground the series like Geralt does in the games, I think we’ll be in for something special. One thing I hope we get a look at in the trailer is how some of the more disturbing, horror elements of the games will make their way into the series.
-Grant
Westworld Panel
Aaron Paul will be introduced into the mind-bending world of Westworld for Season 3 as he seems to be Dorothy’s guide through the ‘real world’. While there hasn’t been a lot of news surrounding the 3rd season of Westworld (mainly because it’s returning in 2020), we do know that they’ve added the Breaking Bad actor as a series regular and he will kind of ‘team-up’ with Dorothy. We’ll definitely get a better look at the season and how this time jump occurs and how Paul fits into the universe.
-Es
Rick and Morty Panel
So, somehow, Rick and Morty is already almost back for its fourth season. I thought for sure it’d be 3-4 years until we saw this show again. But, Adult Swim locked Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland into that 70 episode deal and got them to work. I’d for sure expect a trailer for the upcoming season but I’m not sure if the public will get to see it immediately. Also, something tells me that they may have a special surprise for panel attendees in the form of a full episode. Again, there’s no way the public gets this before the premiere. Not much else to say, if you’re a fan then get ready for more of the same greatness. If you’re somehow not a fan then move along I suppose.
-Grant
Star Trek Panel
I’ve never been a huge Star Trek fan but this year that may change. With at least three shows (maybe four depending on how that Discovery spin-off is coming along) to show off, Trekkers have a lot to be excited for. I think Star Trek: Picard probably has the most buzz around it going into the weekend but keep an eye on Star Trek: Lower Decks. The first Trek into pure comedy should be interesting at the very least but could become one of the franchise’s defining iterations if done well.
-Grant
HBO’s Real-World Watchmen Experience
I wish I was in San Diego. The Watchmen is one of the greatest comic books of all time and one of my personal all-time favorites. What HBO and Warner Bros. have planned for SDCC 2019 is something called a fully immersive ‘Real-World Watchmen‘ Experience. You will be immersed into the HBO version of the Watchmen universe and receive collectors edition memorabilia and smiley face pins. Along with that, HBO will be hosting its own panel later on in the weekend and show us a more in-depth trailer of the Watchmen, which is slated for release later this year.
-E
Amazon Panel
It’s a bit strange seeing an Amazon Panel on the schedule at Comic-Con. However, if Marvel weren’t poised to break the internet with their own panel, I’d say Amazon could win the weekend. With their extremely intriguing new series, The Boys, hitting the service next week and other series such as Carnival Row in the pipeline, Amazon’s original content rivals the big boys. Even outside their pure TV offerings, Amazon has stepped into the stand-up world this year so, expect at least one big announcement on that side.
-Grant
Snowpiercer Panel
Snowpiercer the film was one of the decade’s best and most underrated film. If you haven’t seen it I won’t spoil it but if you have then you know that TBS’ TV adaptation has the potential to replace Game of Thrones as the next hot shit. And, with an entire graphic novel series to draw from, there are plenty of places to take the story. It won’t connect to the film in any way, instead, the series will be more of a reimagining that tackles the same socio-political themes. I’m most excited to see how, if at all, the incredible production design of the film is changed for the small screen.
-Grant
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Panel
Supposedly, Guillermo Del Toro has been waiting since he was 10 years old to tell this story. Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark was his favorite book growing up and now he will be bringing it to the big screen. Hopefully, we’ll get a better look at the movie from the Oscar-winning director because it is releasing in under a month.
-Es
Star Wars Trailer
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set to be the finale of the episodic trilogies for Star Wars. I grew up on the new ones and it’ll be sad to let go of the characters we’ve grown to love but Disney and LucasFilm have decided to move in another direction. Regardless, the Star Wars universe is vast and immense so they should have no problem introducing new and exciting characters to make our jaws drop. Be prepared for a more in-depth look at Episode 9 and maybe some of their new Disney+ TV shows.
-Es
