“The nerds came back to paradise” this past weekend. I once worked with a colleague who dismissively referenced the San Diego Comic-Con with such snark, because the very idea of interacting with fans was to this person cringe-worthy. The irony was that this person was in charge of creative for a network that depended upon what are statistically called “gold cards”–people who watch a disproportionate amount of content for an atypically long period of time. People that not only watched shows but also that much more likely to watch commercials. In other words, the very folks that were effectively paying their salary.
Honestly, having interacted both in person and virtually with some of them, I can almost understand why this person felt that way. Uberfans of anything by definition tend to be seen as somewhat odd, and they are often the first ones who will own up to that reality. They confess to feeling isolated from friends and family whose passions tend to be somewhat more evenly distributed if they exist at all. When they dislike something you’ve been responsible for they consider it a personal affront and won’t hesitate to find ways to let you know it. But they do that because they come from a baseline of REALLY wanting something at all and when something does capture their fancy they will be downright evangelical about it.
But in an era where feudal media has become increasingly reliant on algorithms and AI rather than humans designing campaigns to promote their upcoming efforts–putting thousands of exceptionally qualified and auspiced marketers and strategists on the very beach that the San Diego Convention Center overlooks–it is actually somewhat heartwarming to see the very conglomerates that made such irresponsible decisions pivot back to old school boots on the ground marketing tactics that in a pre-digital world sure did seem to work when those now-beached creatives actually had assets to work with. People who could design impactful billboards and create compelling and provocative superteases that could play as well in a room as well as a personal device. People who could at least coerce talent to sit down at a table and try to answer occasionally insightful but always emotionally invested questions. And once you’ve gotten them to buy into even some of what you’re selling, what one does get in a digital world is an army of online preachers and influencers who are all that much willing to do what others would otherwise have to pay for.
They post incessantly on every platform from Instagram to TikTok to Threads the kind of images that DEADLINE’s Robert Lang shared in his mid-con writeup, which took note that the efforts that were once merely limited to the lucky few who would wait for hours in long lines in the cavernous complex toting water bottles and portable stools have now branched beyond that sterile epicenter:
San Diego Comic-Con 2026 is expanding beyond the convention center, with major entertainment brands taking over downtown San Diego with immersive activations, panels, free fan experiences and exclusive parties. Outside the convention center, Comic-Con attendees also gathered for a surprise Green Day event at Petco Park on Friday afternoon. Fans lined up at the branded ice cream truck where the band promoted the upcoming comedy film Nimrods. Inspired by Green Day’s early touring days before the release of Dookie.
Using the actual landscape of the city’s gorgeous Mission Bay waterfront and downtown was more than noticed by Lang’s colleagues Katie Campione, Natalie Sitek and Dessi Gomez:
(I)n a place where superheroes used to rule the world, more fandoms are getting a sizable spotlight as ads begin to flood the Gaslamp Quarter for the weekend.
Warner Bros Discovery…is throwing some weight behind its latest Big Bang Theory spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. In addition to a few posters, the studio has brought the “Comic Center of Pasadena” all the way to San Diego for fans to enjoy. That activation is at Sparks Gallery in 6th Avenue.
Paramount has noticeably scaled back its efforts in the SDCC marketing war in recent years, though the company still is putting its stamp on the event. The well-known Paramount Lodge is back at the Happy Does Bar and is sure to have a line down the sidewalk all weekend long. As attendees head into the convention center, they’ll also spot a massive poster for the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the side of the Marriott Marquis. The studio always is partial to Star Trek but is leaning particularly hard into the sci-fi franchise this year to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Disney also has claimed several of its other usual spots across downtown San Diego, including the side of the Hilton Bayfront and Petco Park. Wrapped around the Padres’ stadium Con-goers will spot posters for two ABC hits, The Rookie and Abbott Elementary, which both are vets at this point, having had some sort of ad presence during the past several years. Look to the right, and an ominous “13” plastered on the side of the Hilton Bayfront is preparing audiences for the upcoming season of American Horror Story.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is back in front of the convention center this year teasing the third season, based on Rick Riordan’s The Titan’s Curse. The series has another a titan-sized activation planned similar to last year’s, where visitors pick a path between Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava-Jeffries) or Thalia (Tamara Smart) after entering Poseidon’s trident when it branches into its three prongs. Disney Entertainment Television is definitely the winner when it comes to activations, also boasting Hulu’s Animayhem and an American Horror Story stunt.
It’s efforts reminiscent of what the studios typically reserved for executives at confabs like NATPE and MIPCOM–back when they were actually being held IRL and when enough different potential buyers existed that made the ROIs on such efforts palpable. More importantly, it provided some way for those without the kind of wallets and patience to wait for the storied Hall H megapanels to be able to grab a few selfies and produce a few Reels and even some live feeds. It turned many more folks into their own versions of Nischelle Turner and Ross Mathews that merely those who did have the resources to cosplay them with blogs and wordy posts. But DEADLINE and its multiple fellow Penske-verse stormchasers–not to mention just about anyone who qualifies as a pop culture journ–had that beat more than covered.
Literally dozens of stories were dropped between Thursday and Sunday that teased out upcoming premieres over the next year, some of which actually broke some news. The one that resonated most with me was the finger-in-the-eye panel which Gomez and Anthony D’Alessandro teamed up to share details on:
Just like the beginning of the original Spaceballs, which went really big in that long opening spaceship take that made fun of Star Wars, so did Amazon MGM Studios in its Hall H presentation Friday of Spaceballs: The New One.
A la the studio’s presentation of Project Hail Mary last year, they blew open the 180-degree wrap-around screens for the new Mel Brooks movie in what was the ultimate Comic-Con parody: A hysterical send-up of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s phase timeline from their 2019 and 2022 presentations. The screens displayed several iterations of Spaceballs through 11 phases including musicals and unidentified release dates. Genius.
“We’d make a really weird Blade,” the sequel’s writer, producer and star Josh Gad joked later on during the panel in response to an audience member’s question about what sci-fi sequel film the gang would make with each other. “But maybe it would finally get made.”
At first, returning star Rick Moranis, aka Dark Helmet, could not be found in the room, until the camera, following suited up astronauts combing through the crowd, quite literally, discovered him disguised in a group of fans wearing the character’s helmet. The former McKenzie Brother stood up and received a standing ovation.
Nerds they may be, but they’re a lot more self-aware and willing to play along than many of the folks that are actually reaping the benefits from them. And you’d best believe they came away from panels like this and the ones they were the butt of the joke from enthused, engaged and more than willing to open their wallets–digital or otherwise–to become de facto billboards themselves for their various passions. We know all too well how susceptible nerds are when the merch booth is staffed by compelling people who can’t be ignored. I confess to being one myself when my net worth allows. And when I have interacted with those with like minds, even the more off-putting, I’ve never not impressed by how freely they will spend whatever trust funds they may have access to. It’s far more than I could or would too, and G-d bless them for that.
See you in paradise again soon, fellow nerds.
Until next time…