Comic-Con 2018 schedule: All the panels and activations in San Diego

It's that time of year again when lovers of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy and all sorts of other entertainment trek to sunny San Diego for Comic-Con . This year, SDCC will be in full force from Wednesday through Sunday, with looks at new shows, movies and so much more. Even without a Marvel Studios panel, it will be a packed weekend as Wonder Woman, Venom and more vie for attention from Con newbies and veterans alike.

In addition to the events below, be sure to also check out our list of activations we are itching to try in San Diego, from the Jack Ryan experience from Amazon to The Experience takeover at Petco Park.

We'll be at these panels

Warner Bros. and the DC universe

In addition to the CW shows definitely headed to SoCal, we'll get a glimpse of the future of DC films in Hall H on Saturday. They're expected to make a big splash, specially with Marvel movies skipping SDCC festivities this year ahead of Avengers 4 and the next phase of the MCU. 

And Aquaman director James Wan has already confirmed that we'll definitely see a full trailer in San Diego.

I'd also expect to see teasers for Wonder Woman 1984 (even if it's just a logo!) and much more about Shazam. We might get some news for the Suicide Squad sequel, the rumored Joker project with Jared Leto (or even the Joaquin Phoenix one!) and (assuming it's even happening) news of New Batman. 

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Television shows: DC on CW, The Orville & more

Aside from TV Guide's five panels you can't miss, these are the ones we'll be watching.

WB is bringing all of the DC shows to SD this year: Arrow, Black Lightning, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham, Supergirl and Syfy's Krypton. Each show will have its own panel over the weekend, and both Supernatural and Riverdale will be featured in Hall H on Sunday, July 23.

We had previously heard Batwoman would feature in a the annual DC/CW shows' crossover, but now it sounds like the superhero will be getting her own show. While the role has not been cast yet, we expect more news on this show to at least trickle out this weekend during the Saturday block of CW super-shows.

Friday will host Hulu's Castle Rock panel, the new horror show from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King, and based on King's books. Hulu is also crafting a seriously large immersive experience for fans in the form of creepy Bed & Breakfast, some frights in the forest and more. I will be getting the bejeezus scared out of me Thursday, so stay tuned (you'll probably hear my screams no matter where you are) (no seriously, I am a wuss).

WB will also be screening its new show Manifest, which is set to air Sept. 24 on NBC. Manifest sounds a bit like Cast Away meets FlashForward, as it follows the passengers of a turbulent flight as they land a suspiciously long time, five years, after they took off.

The Orville on Fox is holding a panel at 4 p.m. Saturday, and we'll hoping to see a trailer or at least a teaser for season two. The panel will be: creator and star Seth MacFarlane with costars Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Scott Grimes, plus executive producers David A. Goodman, Brannon Braga, and Jon Cassar.

We'll also be checking out the Nightflyers panel on Thursday, the new GRRM show on Syfy. The panel will feature stars Eoin Macken, Gretchen Mol, David Ajala, Jodie Turner-Smith and Angus Sampson, plus executive producers Jeff Buhler, Gene Klein, and David Bartis.

Star Trek: Discovery

CBS has confirmed more than just a panel for Discovery. The show's panel moves to Hall H this year, on Friday, July 20. Stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, Mary Chieffo, Wilson Cruz and Anson Mount will join executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin.

Tig Notaro will moderate the panel -- she'll also be joining the cast this season as a guest star playing Chief Engineer Reno.

Much like last year, the network will also be bringing concept art, costumes and oh-so-much more to the Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts Gallery (badge not required!). 

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Doctor Who

The 13th Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, will officially make *her* first appearance in San Diego this year in a Thursday Hall H session. Co-stars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill will join the panel, along with showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens.

After this weekend's teaser, we expect a full trailer and a closer look at those new companions!

Marvel Comics

Marvel is bringing a whole host of comic properties to Comic-Con this year, including a meet-and-greet panel with the new Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. 

Other panels include: a behind-the-scenes look at how Marvel comics come to life; a deep dive into the Spider-Man series; a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Marvel Knights; a look at the future of X-Men; and an insider look at what the future of Marvel Universe holds.

If you're interested in that last panel, titled True Believers, you better be a paying Marvel member though -- that panel is only open to "Marvel Unlimited Plus members and Marvel MasterCard cardholders," according to the release.

Taco Bell? Yes please!

Uhm yes, most definitely will be seeing TBell in San Diego. Why, you ask? For the 25th anniversary of Demolition Man, obvs. That movie predicted a future where Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the Franchise Wars. 

To celebrate, not only is Taco Bell bringing back nacho fries, but the company is also bringing a recreation of Demolition Man's restaurant to life in all its glory in San Diego. 

Rest assured CNET will be there bringing you all the news of that experience because tacos are important (and because somehow TBell was just recently named the best Mexican restaurant in America?).

Star Wars: Sort of

There will definitely be a Clone Wars 10th anniversary panel, with special guests on Thursday, July 19. With all the Solo turmoil, we don't expect any movie announcements or panels, but we'll have to wait for the official schedule reveal.  

Marvel television: Legion, Cloak & Dagger, S.H.I.E.L.D. and more

After last year's "fan activation" featuring multiple Netflix shows, more of the same is coming. 

• Iron Fist gets its first ever panel on Thursday in Ballroom 20. Star Finn Jones will attend, along with Jeph Loeb, executive producer and Marvel's head of television, and surprise guests.
  
• Cloak & Dagger will get a huge fan activation at Petco Park near the convention center.
• The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast will make an appearance at the Marvel booth, but no official panel has been announced. Instead, only Chloe Bennet (who plays Quake) is confirmed for a Marvel Animation panel on Thursday with "surprise guests." (But yes, I'm willing to bet some of the cast will appear on some of these panels.)

Because Marvel is a co-producer on Legion and The Gifted, those panels have also been confirmed, with executive producers and cast members making appearances.

FX

We know Legion is definitely going to be there, which is great after an extremely mad season. Archer will also have a panel, as will the new Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C.

FX has previously featured large-scale "activations" for its shows, in the past including It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, American Horror Story, Atlanta and more. This year it'll feature more of the same, plus Legion and Mayans M.C. 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Fans of Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi can look forward to a panel celebrating the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, taking place Thursday, July 19 at 11:45 a.m. PT. Supervising director Dave Filoni and special guests will look back at the show's six seasons.

Fox shows, movies

We fully expect to see The Predator at SDCC (maybe we'll get Keegan Michael-Key to give us more details), as well as 2019's X-Men movies. Those two films, New Mutants and Dark Phoenix, have been pushed back over a year already, and while we expected to see at least some promotion around them in San Diego this year, the Disney-Fox merger news may throw those release dates into question yet again.

Whether or not we see the future X-Men films, we'll also likely get a glimpse at season two of The Gifted. 

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Netflix shows: Lucifer

Not to be forgotten (or die, apparently) Lucifer is also headed south after being saved from cancellation by Netflix. 

Sony: Venom, Spider-Verse Spidey

In another attempt to fill that Marvel opening, Sony is reportedly readying supersized looks at Venom, starring Tom Hardy, and the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Sony is likely to present both in its own Hall H panel this year, according to io9.

Disney: Wreck-It-Ralph, Mary Poppins

Since the first trailer for this November's Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 just came out, it's not likely we'll get a ton of new info about the film, but we do expect to see a lot of promo items around it. As the film expands from video games to the *entire* internet, it seems likely Disney will have at least some promotional materials popping up around San Diego.

In addition, we could see new trailers, teasers or news for December's Mary Poppins Returns, or for either of 2019's live-action properties: Dumbo or The Lion King.

Not coming to SDCC

Marvel's Avengers

There will be no mega Hall H panel for the Avengers this year. Yeah, it's a bit of a letdown after the record-breaking Infinity War, but then again, who would Marvel even bring on stage for the panel?? Anyone invited might be a spoiler! 

So no, we probably won't get news about Avengers 4, Captain Marvel or even the next Spider-Man (which now has a name). Speaking with ComicBook.com, Marvel President Kevin Feige said reveals are coming... just not at SDCC. 

"Marketing's coming up with all sorts of things," Feige said. "How to debut [those plans], how to debut Captain Marvel, lots of opportunities for fun, exciting stuff coming up. And after Avengers 4, being less cagey about it."

That being said, it doesn't mean you won't see the Avengers in San Diego at all. We're likely to get a look at maybe some Infinity War or Ant-Man and the Wasp costumes -- or maybe even a sneak peek at Captain Marvel's. 

HBO: Westworld, Game of Thrones

Sadly, after years of activations, panels and huge announcements, HBO has announced neither Westworld nor Game of Thrones will appear at Comic-Con this year, making our wait for both shows even *more* excruciating. 

Of course I'm still holding out hope this is all an elaborate Westworld-esque level of avoidance and we'll see at least something from GoT in San Diego. But who knows?

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This guide was first published June 25, 2018, and updated as we get excited about new announcements.

Wonder Woman and Doctor Who aim to fill Avengers-sized hole: No Marvel, no problem as DC and other franchises like Predator vie for the limelight.