Perhaps the marquee panel of recent years at San Diego Comic-Con (at least since the mid-2010s), the MARVEL HALL H panel has become something of legend. The year it brought out all the stars it had signed up for THE AVENGERS was truly unbelievable. And remember when Robert Downey Jr, dressed as Iron Man, danced all the way down the aisle up to the stage? And what about the time Tom Hiddleston, dressed as Loki, came out in full character to address the crowd? Yup, these are all monumental moments from San Diego Comic-Con, but they are moments that will not be upstaged or repeated this year, because Marvel is taking a pass. Marvel Studios and Comics will, however, still have a presence on the floor–and it’s typically a pretty sizable footprint. It’s just the Hall H announcement that rankled some fans.
The announcement comes as Marvel (and Disney) face considerable headwinds, caused mainly by the current writers strike, and some postponements of major films. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “This year’s convention, to be held July 20-23, comes as Marvel has pressed pause on a few titles — including Thunderbolts, Blade and Daredevil: Born Again. Work is not expected to start up until after the writers strike, and as a result, Disney also pushed back a few of its key films in a release date shuffle announced last week.”
You gotta ask — is this just the beginning of a lot more studios skipping? Seems like the Hollywood actors might soon be in on the strike action. The potential SAG-AFTRA strike could prevent actors from attending, with a strike possible any time after June 30, when the union’s contract with the studios expires.
So, HBO may have been the first domino to fall, followed now by Marvel. Is the whole Hollywood entertainment industry soon to follow?
You know, that would definitely SUCK! But it would also direct attendees back to the roots of Comic-Con itself—COMICS! We’ll see what happens. I, for one, think that this year is going to feel A LOT DIFFERENT than years gone by. (At least a lot different than years after 2009, when all this camping-out-all-night madness exploded!).
See at the Con!
