Comic-Con 2025 Kicks Off with Blockbuster Buzz

Comic-Con has officially opened in San Diego today to tens of thousands of people from around the world, and a once-in-a-lifetime presence has many longtime fans excited.

Legendary filmmaker George Lucas will make his first appearance at the convention on Sunday. The event has strong ties to Lucas’s “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises, but he has never attended the popular pop culture fan gathering before.

This year’s convention will be “extra special,” as David Glanzer, the event’s Chief Communications and Strategy Officer, said. “Nearly five decades ago, Star Wars made one of its earliest public appearances at our convention, along with a booth featuring [comic book artist] Howard Chaykin’s now legendary Star Wars poster as a promotional item.” Glanzer went on to praise Lucas for his influence on world-building and visual narrative art, as his first Comic-Con appearance is seen as a “true full-circle moment.”

Lucas will take part in a Sunday panel discussion moderated by Queen Latifah. The event will center on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will open next year in Los Angeles. Lucas will be joined on stage by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar-winning concept artist Doug Chiang, whose work has spanned Star Wars from the late 1970s through the most recent Disney+ series. They will share details on the art museum’s focus on illustrated storytelling across film, comics, and concept art, among other aspects. The museum is also set to include a permanent archive of Lucas’s collection.

Comic-Con Comes of Age

Comic-Con began in 1970 as a small local event for comic book collectors in San Diego, and over the years, it grew to be one of the largest celebrations of pop culture, with an attendance of approximately 130,000 people each year. Attendees purchase limited edition merchandise, engage with their favorite fandoms, and have the chance to see rare movie and TV show previews, fan events, and panels for upcoming Hollywood productions.

One of the most buzzed-about panels of this year’s Comic-Con is the world premiere of “Alien: Earth,” a prequel series to the Ridley Scott sci-fi classic, “Alien,” which was released in 1979. Noah Hawley, who directed a 2018 Alien anthology series, will be back at the helm for the new series. Airing a few years before the events of the original movie, “Alien: Earth” will premiere tomorrow in Hall H, Comic-Con’s largest and most anticipated venue, and is set to launch on streaming services this August.

Also exciting the crowd is the feature film “Predator: Badlands.” This new entry in the long-running science-fiction franchise presents an interesting spin on the creature: for the first time, the Predator will be the prey. “Predator: Badlands” director Dan Trachtenberg, who returned to the franchise last year with the much-loved “Prey,” will appear on the panel for the movie, along with Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who plays the alien, Dek.

One notable absentee at this year’s event will be Marvel Studios. The company has decided to hold a “Cosmic-Con” instead of a standard Hall H presentation. Marvel’s decision to skip the event is due to changes to the future of the “Avengers” film in the franchise. Per Variety, the studio faced production issues around the sequel after it continued filming in the U.K. amid major delays.

Sci-Fi Steps Up

Marvel’s decision not to hold a traditional Comic-Con panel has also not disappointed the event. Several other sci-fi blockbusters are set to hold programming and panels in Hall H throughout the weekend.

Ryan Gosling and Peacemaker

On Saturday, “Project Hail Mary” will make an appearance based on the Andy Weir novel. Known for The Martian, Weir’s new film, scheduled for next year, follows the story of Ryan Gosling as he plays a former schoolteacher, Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory and realizes he is the only remaining hope for Earth. The actor will take the stage for a Saturday panel with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of the Spider-Verse trilogy.

DC Comics and “Peacemaker”

Fans of the DC Comics universe will also get to see the second season of “Peacemaker.” The show’s creator, James Gunn, who was recently announced as part of DC’s overall cinematic relaunch with Superman, will be joined by the cast for behind-the-scenes footage and clips of the new season.

Comic-Con is a celebration of popular culture and fan communities at its heart. Costumed fans from every imaginable part of fandom will fill the center dressed as princesses, warriors, aliens, and superheroes. The event will be running through Sunday, July 27.

Whether Comic-Con-goers are here to see George Lucas make his first-ever appearance at the event, to get their first look at an alien-filled Earth, or to get closer to the characters, lore, and cosplay they love, this year’s event is sure to be a historic one for pop culture.