What's Inside?
- Marvel and DC skip Comic-Con’s Hall H due to poor timing, cost concerns, and a lack of fresh promotional content.
- Superhero movie fatigue and recent box office flops are forcing studios to reassess their big-budget marketing strategies.
- Hall H’s absence of iconic franchises leaves fans nostalgic for the surprise-filled golden era of Comic-Con reveals.
San Diego Comic-Con has long been hailed as the holy grail of pop culture fandom. From surprise trailer drops to jaw-dropping Hall H appearances by A-list stars, the event has served as a powerful marketing machine for Hollywood’s biggest franchises. But this year, something feels off. Hall H— the iconic 6,500-seat arena known for making or breaking buzz— will see a surprising number of empty seats, and even more glaring absences from the studios that once dominated its stage.
Is this the end of Comic-Con’s Hall H dominance as Marvel and DC both pull out this year?
In what feels like an industry-wide pullback, Marvel Studios, DC, Lucasfilm, Sony, Lionsgate, Legendary, and Paramount are all sitting out Hall H’s film presentations in 2025. And while a few smaller panels— like James Gunn’s Peacemaker session featuring John Cena—will still happen, the days of thunderous applause following a surprise Avengers trailer or a full-cast superhero reunion seem to be on pause.
Behind the scenes, it all boils down to timing and money.
According to industry insiders speaking with TheWrap, the scheduling headache is real. Hall H commitments are typically locked in six months prior, and for 2025, most of the studios’ major films either drop too close to the event or are still too far out to show anything substantial. Marvel’s Fantastic Four opens during the same weekend as Comic-Con, and DC’s new Superman movie hits theaters just two weeks prior. That leaves little room for surprise or excitement when fans have already been saturated with trailers and marketing campaigns.
“You don’t really want to do something with a movie opening a week or two in Hall H,” one marketing executive explained. “There’s no surprise left.”
Even more pressing are the financials. Hall H isn’t just about flashing a teaser; it’s about flying in top-tier talent, creating exclusive content, and crafting a cinematic experience worthy of the fans’ dedication. That spectacle comes at a high price. One executive revealed that even a modest panel featuring a director and two actors can run into “hundreds of thousands of dollars.” For big-name stars, the cost of styling, travel, and accommodations pushes those figures significantly higher.
And for what return? Recent superhero box office numbers suggest the buzz doesn’t always translate into dollars. Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts failed to break $500 million globally—a far cry from the billion-dollar days of Infinity War and Endgame.
Fading Superhero Glow and Missed Opportunities
It’s not just about logistics or budget tightening; the shine is wearing off the superhero genre. What was once a guaranteed box office juggernaut is now being met with indifference, and even fatigue.
“The genre is now facing a harsh reality check,” TheWrap noted, referencing a string of underperforming comic book adaptations like Sony’s Kraven the Hunter and the declining interest in the Venom franchise. Even Marvel’s once-unshakable dominance is wobbling, with fans becoming more selective and less enthusiastic.
In response, studios are being cautious. Marvel has chosen to hold back until it has more to offer next year, when Spider-Man 4 and Avengers: Doomsday can finally provide something meaningful. As for DC, the decision to skip Hall H is more perplexing. Supergirl wrapped filming months ago, and with James Gunn spearheading the reboot of the DC Universe, one might expect a more aggressive promotional push. But insiders suggest Warner Bros. is eyeing a different Comic-Con-style event later this year—one that aligns more closely with release dates and promotional windows.
For fans, the shift is bittersweet. Hall H was never just a marketing event—it was a cultural moment. Who could forget Tom Hiddleston appearing in full Loki gear in 2013 or the chills that ran through the room when Robert Downey Jr. was revealed as Doctor Doom in last year’s finale? Hall H gave fans memories that trailers on YouTube simply can’t replicate.
So what’s left then?
— Knick🏴☠️ (@knickzred) July 3, 2025
It’s a shame none of them are having a panel, they are literally what Comic Con is all about 😔
— Dadnauts (@dadnauts) July 3, 2025
This is bad, we’re in the end game now
— TheMadFanBoyBlack (@MadFanBoyBlack) July 3, 2025
Even David Glanzer, Comic-Con’s chief communications and strategy officer, acknowledged the shifting tides. “While we hope every studio or network could attend every year, we know that can’t always be the case,” he said. “And if there are some who can’t make it this year, we’ll be here in 2026 and eagerly await their return.”
But the silence this year will echo louder than most panels. For an industry that once banked on Hall H to launch universes, skipping Comic-Con might just be the ultimate signal that the golden age of superhero cinema—and its marketing playbook—is being rewritten.
