San Diego Comic-Con to return in person for the first time in two years

San Diego Comic-Con is set to make a triumphant return to an in-person event as the world famous convention gets underway.

Tens of thousands of pop culture superfans will descend on Southern California for the four-day event, which has taken place virtually for the past two years due to the coronavirus crisis.

Tens of thousands of pop culture superfans will descend on Southern California for the four day event (Chris Pizzello/AP)AP/Press Association Images - Chris Pizzello

Panels and fan events organised by the biggest brands in the industry, including Marvel, Warner Bros and HBO will provide exclusive glimpses into upcoming films and TV series.

The convention will kick off at the San Diego Convention Centre on Thursday where up to 130,000 fans, many in elaborate costumes, will vie for places in the exhibition halls.

Among the anticipated events scheduled are previews of upcoming Marvel films including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man: Quantumania, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which will be discussed by franchise boss Kevin Feige at a “mega-panel” on Saturday.

Warner Bros will also stage its own theatrical showcase, with new looks at blockbusters including Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson.

Fantasy fans are also sure to be satisfied, with an event for HBO’s highly anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, also scheduled for Saturday.

Panels and fan events organised by the biggest brands in the industry, including Marvel, Warner Bros and HBO will provide exclusive glimpses into upcoming films and TV series (Chris Pizzello/AP)AP/Press Association Images - Chris Pizzello

Series author George RR Martin is expected to make an appearance at the Comic-Con panel alongside House of the Dragon stars Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy.

Amazon will also give audiences a closer look at its upcoming Lord of the Rings series after last week’s release of a new trailer featuring Morfydd Clark as elf sorceress Galadriel.

Set thousands of years before the events of the world-renowned The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books, it will follow the events of the Second Age and the forging of the famous rings.

Comic-Con’s move to online in 2020 was the first time in the event’s 50 year history that the event had been held virtually (Chris Pizzello/AP)AP/Press Association Images - Chris Pizzello

Comic-Con’s move to online in 2020 was the first time in the event’s 50-year history that the event had been held virtually.

The event was also held virtually, and scaled down to three day affair, in 2021.