San Diego Comic-Con 2026 runs Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26 at the San Diego Convention Center, and the headline is impossible to miss: Marvel Studios is back in Hall H after sitting out 2025, and it is bringing Avengers: Doomsday with it. The pop-culture calendar’s biggest weekend returns with a Preview Night on Wednesday, July 22, then four days of trailers, cast reunions, exclusive first looks, and surprise reveals across film, TV, comics, and anime. Marvel’s Saturday night presentation is the clear centerpiece, but DC, Crunchyroll, Apple TV, and Prime Video have all locked in panels too. Here is your grounded preview of the biggest reveals fans should expect from SDCC 2026.
Background: Why SDCC 2026 Feels Bigger Than Last Year
Comic-Con is the annual gravity well of geek culture, and 2025 felt noticeably quieter on the movie side. Marvel Studios skipped its traditional Hall H slot last year, leaving the convention’s marquee Saturday-night spotlight without its usual blockbuster tentpole. That absence made 2026’s lineup feel like a genuine comeback.
This year the studio system is leaning back in. Marvel has confirmed a return to Hall H, DC is fielding a packed slate of comics panels and exclusives, and the streamers are treating San Diego as a launchpad for their fall and winter slates. Layer in a robust anime presence led by Crunchyroll, and SDCC 2026 shapes up as one of the more loaded editions in recent memory. One scheduling note worth planning around: Sunday, July 26 is lighter than usual, with Hall H, Ballroom 20, and the Indigo Ballroom all closed that day, which pushes the heavy hitters into Thursday through Saturday.
The Key Details: Marvel Takes Back Hall H
The single most anticipated event is the Marvel Studios panel, scheduled for Saturday, July 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT in Hall H. Marvel has billed it as a roughly 60-minute presentation featuring special guests from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and an exclusive look at what is coming next.
The obvious focus is Avengers: Doomsday, which is set for a December 2026 release. The film is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the duo behind Infinity War and Endgame, and it repositions Robert Downey Jr. as the villain Victor Von Doom rather than Tony Stark. It is the first half of a two-part crossover event that continues with Avengers: Secret Wars, currently slated for 2027. Given the December theatrical date, a first-look trailer or teaser out of Hall H is the reveal fans are most hoping for, though Marvel has not officially confirmed exactly what footage it will screen.
On the DC side, the studio’s convention footprint this year skews toward comics and animation rather than a Hall H movie blowout. A standout is the Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall special presentation, an animated adaptation from Warner Bros. Animation scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m. in Room 6A. The creative team is expected to attend, with Michael Mando voicing Bane in the story that sees the villain free Batman’s entire rogues’ gallery from Arkham Asylum. DC is also running booth programming built around its Silver Age and Absolute Universe lines, plus artist-driven panels. Notably, this is an animated feature and not part of James Gunn’s live-action DCU slate, so temper expectations for a Gunn-led Hall H event.
What to Expect From Anime and Streaming Panels
Anime fans get an early anchor on day one. Crunchyroll is celebrating 10 years of My Hero Academia with a panel on Thursday, July 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. PT in Ballroom 20. The confirmed guest list is a reunion for longtime fans: Christopher Sabat (All Might), Justin Briner (Izuku Midoriya), Clifford Chapin (Katsuki Bakugo), and David Matranga (Shoto Todoroki). With the anime’s final season having wrapped its emotional conclusion, expect the panel to lean into reflection and celebration rather than a big new-series reveal. Crunchyroll’s booth (#4135) will also host interactive activations for attendees on the floor.
On the streaming front, Apple TV is showcasing its lineup, including Silo and the new title Widow’s Bay. Prime Video is bringing its Carrie series adaptation, and convention staples like The Walking Dead universe and Percy Jackson and the Olympians are on the schedule as well. As always, the smartest move for attendees is to build a plan around the confirmed panels and treat everything else as a potential surprise, because SDCC’s biggest moments are often the ones nobody put on the grid.
Fan and Industry Reaction
The mood heading into the weekend is decidedly more energized than a year ago. Marvel’s Hall H return has been framed across trade coverage as the studio reclaiming its traditional Saturday spotlight, and the prospect of any Avengers: Doomsday footage has fans planning overnight lines for the room. After a stretch of mixed box-office results and franchise fatigue talk, a strong Hall H showing is being treated as a bellwether for how much goodwill Marvel still commands with its core audience.
For the anime crowd, the My Hero Academia anniversary panel lands as a milestone moment, capping a decade that helped push shonen anime firmly into the Western mainstream. And DC’s comics-forward approach has drawn a warmer reception from longtime readers who often feel crowded out when a convention tilts entirely toward movie marketing. The industry read is straightforward: the studios that leaned back into Comic-Con this year are betting that a packed hall and a viral trailer still move the needle, even in a fragmented streaming era.
While you wait for the reveals to drop, dig into our deep-dive power rankings and collector guides. Start with our breakdown of the strongest anime characters of all time, settle the debate over the strongest My Hero Academia characters ahead of the anniversary panel, or browse the most valuable comic books if the convention has you thinking about your own collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is San Diego Comic-Con 2026?
SDCC 2026 runs Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26 at the San Diego Convention Center, with a Preview Night on Wednesday, July 22.
Is Marvel doing a Hall H panel in 2026?
Yes. Marvel Studios returns to Hall H on Saturday, July 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT for a roughly 60-minute presentation expected to focus on Avengers: Doomsday, after skipping Hall H in 2025.
Will there be an Avengers: Doomsday trailer at Comic-Con?
Marvel has promised an exclusive look at what is next for the MCU, and Avengers: Doomsday is the panel’s focus ahead of its December 2026 release. Marvel has not officially confirmed the exact footage, so a trailer is anticipated but not guaranteed.
What anime panels are at SDCC 2026?
Crunchyroll headlines the anime slate with a My Hero Academia 10th-anniversary panel on Thursday, July 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. PT in Ballroom 20, featuring English-dub cast members including Christopher Sabat and Justin Briner.
