The line winds past the Gaslamp Quarter sign and the air smells like sunscreen and ambition. You and I trade a look—this weekend will decide which panels become water-cooler mythology and which vanish with the shuttle-bus delay. My phone vibrates with io9 updates; the convention already feels like a pressure cooker.
I’m on the ground at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 and I’ll tell you what matters, fast. I’ll point you to the panels worth losing sleep for, the stunts that will dominate feeds, and the small surprises that grow into fandom stories. Follow along, join the argument, and bring curiosity; I’ll bring the context.
When is San Diego Comic-Con 2026?
San Diego Comic-Con runs Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26, 2026. io9 reporters Cheryl Eddy and Germain Lussier are filing live from the show floor and panels for Gizmodo/io9, so if you want immediate flashes of news and photos, their feeds are where the first drops land.
Lines already snake past the Gaslamp Quarter sign
The Gaslamp always gets a makeover during SDCC; this year Avengers: Doomsday has claimed the marquee. That’s both a promotional flex and a social-media magnet—expect Instagram-ready moments and branded photo ops that push Marvel’s presence into the city.
Speaking of Marvel: their Saturday 5:30 p.m. PT Hall H slot is the kind of gravitational pull that shifts audience attention. Hall H is a gravity well—everyone gets pulled toward it and agendas change in its orbit.
What are the big panels to watch at SDCC 2026?
Thursday opens with Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender and an Aliens 40th Anniversary panel. Friday brings a Prime Video double—Blade Runner 2099 alongside The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power—and midday spotlights for Common Side Effects, The Vampire Lestat, President Curtis, and Lanterns. Spaceballs 2 and Pan’s Labyrinth take Hall H at 4:00 p.m. PT and 5:15 p.m. PT on Friday.
Saturday starts with Star Trek and Apple panels, Prime Video’s Carrie gets a moment, and then Marvel reshapes the day. Panel timing matters: trailers, exclusive clips, and cross-promotions with platforms like Paramount+, HBO Max, and YouTube land at precise moments—so if you’re chasing a reveal, set your notifications.
The show floor smells of new merch and brand activations
Peanuts x Super7 has a pop-up where you can “adopt” a Snoopy and leave with merch and a Best Friends Animal Society bandana—cute, charitable, and very Instagram-friendly. Laika’s Wildwood activation adds scent and set dressing to sell mood, not just imagery.
Brands—Hasbro, LEGO, Mattel, Dark Horse, McFarlane—use exclusives to create FOMO. If you collect, expect lines and limited runs; resale chatter will spike on platforms like eBay and Discord. For journalists and fans, these activations are primary-source moments: quotes, photos, and short clips that feed coverage for hours.
Panels feel like punctuated broadcast windows
Hall H and the larger rooms act as live TV studios: things announced there hit headlines faster than anything else on the schedule. I’ve watched a single trailer overturn the week’s narrative within minutes.
Prime Video, HBO, Apple, and Paramount+ all treat SDCC as a programming launchpad. If you want context, follow official YouTube channels for uploaded trailers and io9/Gizmodo for immediate analysis from reporters like Jen Lennon, Germain Lussier, and Cheryl Eddy.
Rumors travel faster than the shuttle buses
Collider’s Directors on Directing panel (Zach Cregger, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley) is whispering about a big reveal; that kind of rumor will metastasize across X, Reddit, and the trade sites. Treat early chatter as a lead to verify, not the story itself.
Live reporting is a relay: reporters on the floor send a short burst of text, an image, and a link. Then editorial teams stitch those pieces into evidence. If you want to ride the wave, watch io9’s liveblog, follow reporters on X, and refresh official studio channels for higher-resolution assets.
How can I follow live updates from Comic-Con?
Bookmark this io9 live feed and subscribe to Gizmodo/io9 on X and YouTube for trailers and panel clips. Follow Cheryl Eddy, Germain Lussier, and Jen Lennon for on-the-ground photos and quick reads. Tools to use: X for instant quotes, YouTube and studio channels for posted trailers, Reddit for thread-level reaction, and Discord for collector chatter.
Here’s the First ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’ Trailer
Avatar: Seven Havens premieres October 9 on Paramount+.
The First ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’ Teaser Reveals Humanity’s New Hope
‘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)
You 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
Word 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
We’ve Got All the Details About the New ‘Gundam’ Anime
The Next ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ Anime Is Coming From the Mind Behind ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’
Lego Unveils New ‘Star Trek’ Set at SDCC
The Next ‘Star Trek’ Lego Beams You Onto the USS ‘Enterprise’ Bridge
‘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)
‘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<\/em>, 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
Hasbro Spoils Its Own Movie With ‘Street Fighter’ Toy Packaging
The New ‘Street Fighter’ Movie Toys May Have Revealed a Huge Spoiler
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. —Jen Lennon<\/em>
The 15 Panels We’re Most Excited for at Comic-Con 2026
The Mythic ‘Star Wars’ Hotel Is at the Heart of Yet Another Documentary
DC Comics Is Bringing an ‘Absolute Batman’ Limited Edition Box Set to San Diego Comic-Con
A God-Tier Poster for ‘The Odyssey’ Is on Its Way Home [Exclusive]
The Must-Have Exclusives From San Diego Comic-Con 2026
San Diego Comic-Con 2026: All the Coolest Things We Saw on the Show Floor
‘Scott Pilgrim’ Returns in the Most ‘Sonic’ Way Possible [Exclusive]
‘WandaVision’ Fans Are Going to Freak for These New Marvel Legends [Exclusive]
If you want ongoing play-by-play, I’ll be curating the most consequential updates and context here while io9 and Gizmodo push photos, video, and quick reads live—think YouTube trailers, studio posts on Paramount+ and HBO Max, and immediate reaction on X. Which panel do you think will warp the next year of fandom arguments?