Magic & Mayhem: San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Edition
Welcome to Magic & Mayhem, our periodic look at some of the good things that are happening at Disney as well as some of the bad. This edition is all about San Diego Comic Con.
Mayhem: This one isn’t Disney's fault — even though, in a way, they caused it. There were a lot of issues with getting into Hall H on Saturday for the Marvel Studios presentation. Comic-Con doesn’t clear rooms, so for those that wanted to experience the spectacle of Marvel Studios, they had to camp out in Hall H all day. This means that there isn’t much turnover as the evening showcase is the draw. Comic-Con uses a wristband system to set who can be accompanied in the first presentation (and de facto the whole day). Somehow, not everyone with a wristband was able to be accommodated in the first show and therefore also Marvel. While I would never encourage them to create an unsafe situation by overloading a space, there do seem to be major operational challenges in their plan. On days, and years, when Marvel isn’t presenting, the demand is manageable, but when they do present, the demand far exceeds capacity. I don’t have the insight to all of the options available, but something has to change. At the very least, those that were told they would get in, should get in. Even with D23’s abundant operational failures over the years, they have moved to the Honda Center for their showcases which means everyone knows their seat years in advance and the arena team can load the venue just as they would for a hockey game or concert. While there isn’t an arena near Comic-Con, they need to brainstorm what options are available for Marvel Studios.
Magic: Those that did get in were treated to quite the event. There are techniques to these fan showcases that Marvel Studios has mastered. Despite not being able to reveal too much as to not spoil Avengers: Doomsday, they still found a way to make it exciting — even if, upon further reflection, not much was actually revealed. The showmanship of Marvel was fantastic and set a high bar for the upcoming D23 showcases.
Mayhem: Comic-Con is known for its off-site activations. They aren't really off-site as they are just outside the convention center and throughout the Gaslamp area. Traditionally, Disney has had a lot of fun with Hulu, ABC, FX, and Disney+ participating over the last few years. This year, Hulu and Disney+ were the only ones who had any significant presence, while FX did a series of ice cream distributions to promote American Horror Stories. Unfortunately, the Disney+ Percy Jackson activation and the Hulu Animayhem experience were both extremely underwhelming especially when compared to last year’s more significant offerings. While I understand Disney is cutting back spending, and D23 is going to take a certain level of resources, it would have been better if they just took the year off. Marvel does not present when they feel they have nothing to share. Disney+ and Hulu should have followed their lead.
Magic: While the Percy Jackson activation was underwhelming, the Hall H presentation was fantastic. Although the premiere date was really the only news, it was great to see the camaraderie of the cast who have seemingly become close throughout the years of production. While we are excited to see The Titan’s Curse be adapted for the first time, it is even more exciting to see the young cast grow into caring and endearing young adults.
Mayhem: Somehow the Marvel booth seemingly gets more crowded year after year. With two merchandise locations and a video game activation, there were three queues taking up every available space. It is also disappointing to see the comic book signing of yesteryear replaced with merchandise sales and queues. DC has returned to the show floor and made comics the center of their experience. While I know we are all excited for Doomsday, and it was fun to see the daily costume reveals, there should be more of a focus on the booth experience, and less focus on direct revenue generation.
Magic: As the comics crew was deemphasized at the booth, they were front and center throughout the panels. The comics panels delivered despite the “editor-in-chief” transition and both the incoming and outgoing comics leaders were singled out by Kevin Feige during the Marvel Studios presentation. Feige rightly pointed out that everything they do started with the comics. It was great to see them getting some love from the entire Marvel organization. Despite the upcoming location change from New York to California, I hope they continue to create great comics that entertain while inspiring the next wave of movies, TV shows and video games.