Live Updates From San Diego Comic-Con 2026 🔴

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.

Jul 23We Got a Sneak Peek at Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’

Jul 23‘Gladys’ and ‘Star Trek’ Updates

At Collider’s “Directors on Directing” panel, Zach Cregger and Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daly are talking about projects they have in the works. For Cregger, that’s Gladys, the prequel to Weapons. Gladys is still being written and Cregger is unsure whether or not he’ll direct it. For Goldstein and Daly, their upcoming Star Trek film is also still being written, and it won’t follow characters we’ve seen in previous Star Trek films. —Jen Lennon

Jul 23‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ Panel Details

Jul 23Here’s the First ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’ Trailer

Avatar: Seven Havens premieres October 9 on Paramount+.

Jul 23‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ Will Include a Suit Inspired by ‘Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ (And Vice Versa)

…And you unlock it by entering a Japanese arcade. Here’s a look. —Jen Lennon (text), Germain Lussier (images)

© Germain Lussier/io9
© Germain Lussier/io9

Jul 23You Can Adopt Your Very Own Snoopy at the Peanuts x Super7 Pop-Up

The Peanuts pop-up featuring Super7 is more or less just an opportunity to add more Snoopy swag to your collection, but dang it’s cute stuff. It’s open through Sunday, July 26 at 200 W. Harbor Drive (across the street from the convention center… follow the line). You can find all the details here but here’s some of our favorite merch in person.

You can “adopt” Snoopy or one of his siblings (Andy, Olaf, Belle, Spike, or Marbles) and you’ll get a little adoption certificate, a cardboard carrier, and a Best Friends Animal Society bandana for your new pal to wear.

There are also bag charms, t-shirts, a hat and apron that all dog lovers will covet, and more, including Peanuts merch featuring non-canine characters. —Cheryl Eddy

Jul 23Word on the Street…

…is that something big could be happening at Collider’s Directors on Directing panel (3:30 p.m. PT). The panel is set to feature a conversation between Zach Cregger and Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. We’ve already seen a new Resident Evil trailer today, so what else could be in store? Watch this space for updates; we’ll be reporting live from the panel. —Jen Lennon

Jul 23‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ Gets a New Story Trailer

Jul 23We’ve Got All the Details About the New ‘Gundam’ Anime

Jul 23Lego Unveils New ‘Star Trek’ Set at SDCC

Jul 23‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Takes Over the Gaslamp Quarter… Sign

San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter sign has stood since 1990, but this weekend, it’s getting an Avengers: Doomsday makeover. Bleeding Cool News has some close-up images of its construction and details. —Jen Lennon (text), Cheryl Eddy (image)

© Cheryl Eddy/io9

Jul 23‘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

© Cheryl Eddy/io9
© Cheryl Eddy/io9
© Cheryl Eddy/io9
© Cheryl Eddy/io9

Jul 23‘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

Jul 23Hasbro Spoils Its Own Movie With ‘Street Fighter’ Toy Packaging

Jul 23All 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. —Jen Lennon

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.