Hello, I’m Tim Pyles. I host the FTP New Music Show (Thursday at 10 p.m.) and Stomping Grounds (Thursday at 11 p.m.), and I’ve had the privilege of attending Comic-Con in San Diego for many years.
Some of the highlights include attending Conan O’Brien show tapings, Metallica playing a small theater, anything Adult Swim, Dethklok of Metalocalypse on the USS Midway, meeting Anthony Bourdain (RIP), Gene Simmons of KISS, Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Machete… I could go on and on. The stars are always out in force!
This year was no different, and while I didn’t get to spend as much time at the Con, these are my highlights.
I should also mention: I do not wait in lines for Hall H, so I skip all of those events. I also missed out on the Super Troopers 3, Paramount+, Silo and Percy Jackson experiences, but like I said, you can’t do everything!
THE COVERUPS, BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG AND BRUCE DICKINSON
The highlight of Comic-Con this year for me was attending the Fandom party at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday evening, where The Coverups played, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
The band played a slew of covers and even brought Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden out for a cover of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.”
It was an open bar, and they had small bites being passed around. Set list at the bottom of the article!
WALKING THE ENTIRE COMIC-CON FOOTPRINT
This year I spent my Saturday walking the entire footprint of Comic-Con, inside and out, from front to back.
I didn’t experience everything, but you really can’t in one day, so plan for multiple visits. Hall H lines are sometimes overnight campouts, literally.
You’ve got experiences from Adult Swim, Hulu and Amazon featuring some of your favorite shows and movies. I didn’t attend, but Green Day did a pop-up to promote their new movie, Nimrods, and gave out free ice cream.
Johnny Depp made a viral appearance as Ebenezer Scrooge on 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter as well! I think the Ryan Reynolds story is the best, more on that below…
MARUMART: DEMON SLAYER KONBINI
One thing I was sort of into waiting for, but man, it was HOT out, was the MaruMart: Demon Slayer Konbini pop-up in the Interactive Zone.
The line was long, but if you didn’t mind the wait, plus it didn’t require a badge, then this was for you.
The MaruMart was a first-ever collaboration between Maruchan and the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Attendees were able to try complimentary, exclusive Yakisoba ramen samples inspired by major characters from the series: Tanjiro’s Beef Yakisoba, Zenitsu’s Chicken Yakisoba and Inosuke’s Spicy Chicken Yakisoba.
It looked like you could buy exclusive ramen packages at the end of the experience, which is what I really wanted for later, but I really don’t like lines.
Did I mention that?
Read about the Hall H debacle on your own…
COMIC-CON IS MORE THAN THE CONVENTION
I would recommend Comic-Con to any fan of pop culture to experience it at least once, from the convention itself to the transformation of Downtown San Diego into a walking free party with experiences for everyone, with a badge or not!
And the cosplayers from every fandom you could imagine!
I attached some photos of Comic-Con, but that is only a small part of it. I didn’t even take any pictures of the cosplayers!
The building wraps are always cool to see, so I included some of those for your viewing pleasure.
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, the 1977 holiday show, has always been a favorite, so I included some shots of an upcoming release that I want!
My personal favorite fandom is anything Star Wars and toys, from companies like Kidrobot, Super7, Funko, NECA and Mattel! Just take a look for yourself at how cool Comic-Con is. It’s got something for everybody!
THE ICONS I MET THIS YEAR
As for the icons I met this year, they included David Koechner (Champ Kind in Anchorman, Todd Packer in The Office), Chris Kattan (SNL alum), Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob) and Svengoolie, who should need no introduction!
These were some of the highlights and big announcements from Comic-Con this year.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ryan Gosling Is Ghost Rider
Marvel Studios confirmed Ryan Gosling is officially playing Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider, in an upcoming film directed by Shawn Levy.
David Jonsson Is the New Black Panther
Marvel officially introduced David Jonsson as the new Black Panther, alongside Ryan Coogler and Letitia Wright.
Percy Jackson Season 3
Disney+ announced The Titan’s Curse adaptation will premiere on November 20.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3
Showrunners revealed Simon Pegg will voice the Balrog, Durin’s Bane, for the upcoming season.
Coyote vs. Acme Victory Lap
After being saved by Ketchup Entertainment, the live-action/animated hybrid brought star Lana Condor to celebrate its upcoming theatrical release.
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED TRAILERS
DC Studios’ Lanterns
A highly anticipated first look at the upcoming Green Lantern series.
Blade Runner 2099
Prime Video unleashed its first teaser for the sci-fi miniseries.
Marvel’s Wolverine
Sony dropped a brand-new look at the upcoming PlayStation 5 game, slated for September.
Resident Evil
The latest footage captivated horror fans with a terrifying new cinematic trailer.
STAR APPEARANCES AND SHOW FLOOR MOMENTS
Johnny Depp Surprise
Depp shocked fans at Comic-Con by appearing live in full character as Ebenezer Scrooge to promote Paramount’s upcoming film Ebenezer.
P-Pop Sensation BINI
The popular girl group made its SDCC debut, performing “A Parallel World” at the Forgotten Island panel.
Hasbro Exclusives
Hasbro drew massive crowds for special-edition collectibles, including a special retro G.I. Joe “Cobra Island” music video rollout.
RYAN REYNOLDS
Ryan Reynolds shocked fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 by walking the convention floor entirely in a gray, denim-styled Deadpool suit before crashing Marvel Studios’ star-studded Hall H panel.
Dubbing the outfit his “Canadian Tuxedo,” Reynolds snapped selfies with completely unsuspecting attendees who mistook him for a standard cosplayer. He wandered the convention floor with no security, handlers or ropes.
He later shared a compilation video on social media thanking the fans.
Then Reynolds took his antics directly into Hall H.
He emerged from the crowd during the presentation for Avengers: Doomsday to playfully campaign for a role in the upcoming movie. He introduced himself over the microphone as “Ricky,” claiming it was a mononym “like Cher or Madonna,” and directly roasted Paul Rudd, asking him, “Where is Thor and why was he crying?” This revisited the viral future-tease gag from Deadpool & Wolverine.
When Reynolds pushed directors Joe and Anthony Russo about filming schedules and budgets, Robert Downey Jr. (returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom) jokingly shut him down by stating the film was already “in the can, bro.”
And finally, he trolled Marvel fans at San Diego Comic-Con by sharing a fake, custom Pantone color swatch named “Jean Grey.”
THE COVERUPS SET LIST
Here is the set list from The Coverups’ performance:
- Hello There — Cheap Trick cover
- A Million Miles Away — The Plimsouls cover
- I Wanna Be Sedated — Ramones cover
- I Think We’re Alone Now — Tommy James & the Shondells cover
- All the Young Dudes — Mott the Hoople cover, with Bruce Dickinson
- Sometime to Return — Soul Asylum cover
- Message of Love — Pretenders cover
- Summer of ’69 — Bryan Adams cover
- American Girl — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover
- I Fought the Law — The Crickets cover
- Do You Wanna Dance? — Bobby Freeman cover
- Do You Wanna Dance? — Bobby Freeman cover (not enough people were dancing, so they played it again)
- Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) — Buzzcocks cover
- I Melt with You — Modern English cover
- Rockaway Beach — Ramones cover
- Unknown
- Ziggy Stardust — David Bowie cover
- Last Nite — The Strokes cover
- Drain You — Nirvana cover
- Fox on the Run — Sweet cover
- Should I Stay or Should I Go — The Clash cover
- We Got the Beat — The Go-Go’s cover
- Crazy Train — Ozzy Osbourne cover
- Live Wire — Mötley Crüe cover
- Talk Dirty to Me — Poison cover
- Surrender — Cheap Trick cover
All the trailers and clips are out there and posted for all to see, so search your favorite fandom and see what happened at Comic-Con 2026!
Oh, and we can’t forget Spaceballs: The New One, as the cast and filmmakers, including Rick Moranis (who got a standing ovation) and Josh Gad, offered a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming sequel to the 1987 classic.
Comic-Con is a lot to take in, and you can’t do everything. But that’s part of the fun. See you next year!
