“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!” Dang it. Didn’t work. We’re sorry. We tried to get the Ghost with the Most to come to Comic-Con, and bring his Warner Bros. friends with him, but even saying his name three times isn’t going to make it happen.
San Diego Comic-Con 2024 kicks off tomorrow night and while there are plenty of big, exciting panels and events taking place, we can’t help but be bummed that a few very obvious players aren’t going to be in attendance. Here are the 10 films, shows, or companies we were really hoping would be in San Diego this week, but are not.
Superman and the DC Universe
Superman writer and director James Gunn was very open with fans that neither he, nor his film, nor the DC Universe at large, would be at Comic-Con this year. The main reason? He’s still making Superman. Nevertheless, we were still kind of hoping he was lying—but Gunn doesn’t do that. We’ll have to wait until next year, after Superman comes out, to hopefully see if Gunn brings some more news on the future of DC.
Warner Bros.
In the golden age of Comic-Con, Saturday would be bookended by Warner Bros. doing a massive panel and then Marvel Studios doing a massive panel. Marvel is back this year, but not Warner Bros, which is a little odd considering in the next few months it has a ton of huge geek titles coming out: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice; Joker: Madness for Two; Mickey 17; the Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan vampire movie; the Lord of the Rings animated movie; Minecraft; and more. Maybe a panel was too expensive. Maybe the studio didn’t want anyone to expect Superman. Whatever the case, WB will be missed.
Spider-Man Universe
It’s not even worth asking for an update on the next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie but there are, in fact, TWO Spider-Man spinoffs opening before the end of the year. There’s Kraven the Hunter, a movie that exists, and Venom: The Last Dance. Both of those seems pretty spot on for Comic-Con, right? And yet? Crickets.
Severance
While Apple TV+ is bringing Silo to Comic-Con, it’s not bringing its even more popular sci-fi show, Severance. Which is weird because after Severance came out in 2022, Apple spent a crap load of money on an incredible Severance installation that was beloved by all. Now you don’t even have a panel with the second season finally coming out?
Jurassic World
This time next year, the fourth Jurassic World film directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Scarlett Johansson will be in theaters. Maybe. It seems pretty ambitious for a big effects film that hasn’t started shooting yet. Still, if that’s at least the aim, Comic-Con would’ve been a great place to get the cast together and talk a bit about what’s next for the franchise that was assumed to be finished.
Evil
It’s tempting to blame dark forces for Evil not having a presence at San Diego Comic-Con this year. As Paramount+’s hit horror show heads into the end of its final season, we’d hoped for one last SDCC appearance to bid farewell to Mike Colter, Katja Herbers, and the rest of the cast. Maybe there’ll be a Satanic miracle and the show will get a revival, and we’ll get another chance? – Cheryl Eddy
House of the Dragon
Game of Thrones and Comic-Con go together like, well, The Walking Dead and Comic-Con. But while that franchise has multiple panels this year as always, the Game of Thrones show House of the Dragon does not. Yes, it’s mid-season, but that’s all the reason to ramp up the hype, and tease the other spinoffs.
Rick and Morty
Rick and Morty will be at Comic-Con to discuss the anime, and that’s fine, but we’re talking real Rick and Morty. You’ve got that new voice cast, wouldn’t this be a great place to bring them out for the fans?
Wicked
Universal has already gone pretty huge on Wicked. There was a Super Bowl spot almost a year out. A massive CinemaCon presence. But now, nothing at Comic-Con. The Wizard of Oz-adjacent, massively popular musical fits right in with the Comic-Con crowd and a panel, maybe showing a song from the movie, would’ve been one of the top two or three big-ticket items of the weekend. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Star Wars
We know. Disney has the D23 Expo in just a few weeks and that’s where we’ll see more about what’s coming in the Star Wars universe, particularly the next show Skeleton Crew. But Star Wars has created some of the most epic events in Comic-Con history, so we’re always hoping for a little something. Even when it’s doubtful.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
