San Diego Comic-Con 2018: Here’s Everything That Will Be There, and Everything That Won’t

As July quickly approaches, the collective geek community has one big thing on our minds: It’s almost time for Comic-Con!!!

San Diego Comic-Con, the most prominent comic-based convention in the country, will take place from July 19-22 in San Digeo, California. Most of our favorite TV networks, comic publishers, and movie studios will be present at the event to show off what they’ve got coming in the next year, and to give us plenty of opportunities to spend all of our money.

While the program schedule isn’t set quite yet, the announcements of who’s coming to the convention, and who’s staying home, are starting to trickle out little by little. To stay ahead of the game, we’re going to be keeping a running list of every thing that’s been confirmed for SDCC this year, and everything that’s made its absence official.

Keep checking back on this list in the coming weeks, as we will continue to update it when new information comes available.

Coming – Lucifer

By all accounts, many believed that Lucifer would be nothing but a fond memory by the time Comic-Con rolled around. However, thanks to Netflix, the show has a new life and will be appearing in San Diego this summer.

So far, it’s unclear as to what kind of presence Lucifer will have at the convention. A panel seems unlikely, considering the late entry. But there are various ways to make an impact at SDCC.

Either way, the cast and crew of Lucifer weren’t going to miss a chance to celebrate the return of the series, so they wouldn’t miss this year’s event.

Coming – Arrowverse & WB TV

Warner Bros. announced a massive slate of both new and returning TV shows that are coming to Comic-Con this year for panels and video presentations.

Things will get started on Wednesday night with screenings of NBC’s Manifest, a new episode of The 100, and the world premiere of Season 2 of Freedom Fighters: The Ray.

On Friday, the studio will present panels from Young Justice: Outsiders, The Big Bang Theory Writers’ Room, DC Superhero Girls, and Castle Rock. Saturday will include presentations from Unikitty!, Black Lightning, Krypton, Manifest, Legacies, Supergirl, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and The Flash.

Both Supernatural and Riverdale will have panels in Hall H on Sunday morning before everyone heads home.

Coming – Disney Channel

The Disney Channel is set for a massive outing at Comic-Con this year, with four of its shows presenting during three different panels.

Kicking things off is the dual panel of Star vs. The Forces of Evil and Big City Greens on Thursday, July 19 at 10 am in Room 6DE. The cast and creators of both shows will be in attendance for the Q&A and live reading.

The Ducktales panel takes place on Friday, July 20 at 3:30 pm in Room 6A. Stars Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, Bobby Moynihan, and Toks Olagundoye will be joined by executive producer Matt Youngberg, and co-producer/story editor Francisco Angones. The group will discuss the mysteries of Season 1, as well as preview what’s ahead for Season 2, showing off some never-before seen footage.

Finally, on Saturday, July 21 at 12:30 pm, Big Hero 6 The Series will head to Room 6A where the cast and producers discuss giving the franchise new life on TV, and reveal footage from upcoming episodes.

Coming – FOX

20th Century Fox Television is gearing up for another big year at San Diego Comic-Con, with multiple FOX TV shows set to present.

First up is the new vampire drama series The Passage, based on the book trilogy by Justin Cronan. In addition to the panel, Fox will be screening the world premiere of the show’s pilot episode.

Also coming to SDCC are Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, American Dad!, Family Guy, The Gifted, and The Orville.

Coming – FX

FX has a long-standing presence at San Diego Comic-Con, and this year is no different. The cable network will presenting three different shows at the convention.

Archer will hold a panel regarding its recent ninth season in the Indigo Ballroom on Friday, July 20.

On Sunday, the network moves things to Hall H for a presentation of the Sons of Anarchy spin-off series, Mayans MC, at 1 pm, followed by a Legion panel at 2:15. The cast and producers of all three shows will also have autograph signing sessions at the convention.

Coming – Krypton

After enjoying highly-praised first season on Syfy this year, Krytpton is once again making its way to San Diego Comic-Con. This time, it looks like the Superman prequel series could be a much bigger deal than it was last year.

Krypton will just one part of Syfy’s ever-growing presence at Comic-Con this year. The network is also bringing the likes of upcoming shows Nightflyers, from writer George R.R. Martin, and The Deadly Class.

The series has already been renewed for a second season, so fans weren’t entirely surprised to learn of its Comic-Con plans.

Not Coming – Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios will have a presence on the floor at Comic-Con, but this will be the first time in four years that the company behind the record-breaking Avengers franchise won’t be hosting a Hall H panel.

As you can imagine, Marvel’s choice to skip the convention is likely due to the studio wanting to keep as many details regarding Avengers 4 as hidden away as possible. Outside of a couple of sequels, very little is known about the post-Avengers 4 slate.

Kevin Feige noted that the studio wanted to “let the dust settle” on Infinity War. After seeing the movie, that phrase has a much more devastating meaning.

Coming – DC Films

Warner Bros. always has a Hall H panel at Comic-Con and, while the presentation hasn’t been officially revealed by the studio, one of DC’s latest announcements revealed a hint of what’s to come.

Last week, Aquaman director James Wan tweeted out a message to fans that were hoping to see the film’s first trailer. He revealed that the debut trailer would be arriving at SDCC next month, so we know for sure that the studio will have a presence.

The other films that Warner Bros. could present include Fantastic Beasts: The Curse of Grindelwald, The Nun, Shazam!, The LEGO Movie 2, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Mowgli, and Shaft.

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, an animated DC film, will open in theaters a week after SDCC.

Coming – The Predator

While no one is entirely sure how many movies Fox will highlight during their Hall H panel next month, we do know that the main attraction will focus on Shane Black’s upcoming reboot, The Predator.

The film is set to debut on September 14 of this year, and stars Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Sterling K. Brown, and several others. 

While there’s always a chance Fox could include films like Alita: Battle Angel and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, it seems as though the studio may just focus the attention solely on Predator this time around, just as they did last year with Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Coming – Castle Rock

Hulu’s Stephen King-inspired series is set to make a big splash at this year’s Comic-Con. The cast of the series will be in attendance for the show’s panel presentation, where the streamer will also premiere the first episode of the horror series, which is set to be released on July 25.

In addition to the panel, Castle Rock is set to have a major presence around the convention, with some sort of installment taking place in the area. Though, no official details regarding the other events have been released.

Most of the main cast will be attending the panel, but King and producer J.J. Abrams won’t be making an appearance.

Not Coming – Game of Thrones

Like Marvel Studios, Game of Thrones has been a Comic-Con staple for a number of years. However, with an odd release schedule for its final season, Game of Thrones is sitting this one out.

The award-winning HBO series is currently in production on its final season, which won’t air until 2019. With so much secrecy surrounding the show’s last six episodes, and still plenty of time left until they actually air, it’s likely that the network isn’t ready to unveil any information this early on.

Depending on the release date of the final season, there’s always a chance Game of Thrones could return for a final SDCC visit next summer.

Coming – George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers

Game of Thrones may not be coming to Comic-Con, but George R.R. Martin’s works will still have a major presence. 

Syfy is set to present one of its newest original series, Nightflyers.

The show is based on Martin’s novella of the same name, and follows the crew of a spaceship as they encounter alien life. It’s been described as a “haunted house story on a starship.”

Nightflyers is currently filming and is set to air its first season on Syfy later this year.

Coming – Deadly Class

Along with Nightflyers and Krypton, Syfy is bringing Deadly Class to San Diego this summer.

Deadly Class is a new series based on the comics from Rick Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott. While Syfy has already released a teaser trailer from the pilot, and is hoping to make a significant splash at Comic-Con, the show isn’t set to premiere until 2019.

Remender shared a photo of a train that was painted up to advertise Deadly Class, teasing its first appearance at SDCC.

Not Coming – Westworld

HBO isn’t taking either one of its heavy-hitters to San Diego this year. Along with Game of Thrones, the hit sci-fi series Westworld is sitting this convention out.

This may not come as much of a surprise though, given the timing of SDCC. The Season 2 finale of Westworld is airing this coming Sunday, nearly a month before the convention takes place. There would be little for the show to offer fans in the way of a panel, considering work on Season 3 likely won’t have even started by then.

Last year, during a panel in Hall H, Westworld unveiled a very early teaser trailer for Season 2.

Coming – Doctor Who

Last week, BBC America announced that Doctor Who would be coming to the convention again this summer, along with its brand new leading lady.

Jodie Whittaker is the first woman to ever play the iconic Time Lord, and she’ll be making her debut during this year’s presentation. The actress will be joined by co-stars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, along with showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens.

It was initially announced that Chris Hardwick would be hosting the panel. However, he has since been removed from all SDCC panels and festivities due to a letter released by his ex-girlfriend, citing sexual and emotional abuse throughout their relationship.

Coming – The Walking Dead

A Walking Dead panel is usually a given at San Diego Comic-Con, but nothing had been announced regarding the show until this past week. 

Like Doctor Who, the Walking Dead panel was set to be hosted by Chris Hardwick, which is no surprise given his work with the show on Talking Dead. AMC announced that Hardwick had been removed as the panel’s moderator. 

The Walking Dead panel will have plenty to talk about this year, considering reports that the upcoming season will be the last for stars Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan.

Coming – Iron Fist

With a new showrunner in Raven Metzner on board, Iron Fist has the opportunity to improve on a widely-panned first season.

It was earlier confirmed that at least actor Finn Jones — the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Danny Rand — would be attending SDCC to represent the Netflix show and it’s reasonable to think he’ll be accompanied by several cast and crew members including Metzner, Jessica Henwick, and Sacha Dhawan.

With Star Trek alum Alice Eve set to portray an undisclosed role in the show, a panel at the world’s biggest comic convention would be a great place to reveal who she’s playing.

Coming – Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is bringing quite a few properties to San Diego Comic-Con this year, including Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus!

The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel will take place on Thursday, July 19 at 1:45 pm in Room 6A, while the Invader Zim movie panel is set for the following day at 1 pm, also in Room 6A.

You can check out a detailed breakdown of all of Nickelodeon’s SDCC plans here.

Coming – Bumblebee

Paramount will be hosting a panel in Hall H this year, and the focus of the entire event will be on the upcoming Transformers spin-off, Bumblebee.

John Cena, Hailee Steinfeld, and others will be participating in the panel, and the film is scheduled to hit theaters on December 21.

The surprising thing about this panel is that Paramount will be putting all of its eggs into the Bumblebee basket, and the July release, Mission: Impossible – Fallout won’t be on display.

Coming – Star Trek: Discovery

There may not be a Star Trek movie for Paramount to advertise at Comic-Con, but the CBS All Access counterpart will have a Hall H panel to make up for it.

Star Trek: Discovery, heading into its second season on the CBS streaming service, will be presenting in Hall H on Friday, July 20.

In addition to the cast of Discovery talking about Season 2, the panel will act as a celebration of 50 years of Star Trek.