‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’s’ Breakout, Ryan Reynolds’ Jeanpool Stunt and More Comic-Con Highlights
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- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman has sold more than 10 million copies; Peacock ordered a Seth MacFarlane-produced live-action series, and audiobook narrator Jeff Hays was announced as the voice of Princess Donut at Dinniman's two Comic-Con panels.
- Marvel Studios returned to Hall H after skipping last year with "Avengers: Doomsday" (Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom) and broke news that Ryan Gosling will star in a Ghost Rider film and Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther 3" will introduce David Jonsson as T'Challa II.
- DC Studios brought summer's "Lanterns" (Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre) to Hall H, and Pierre will reprise his Green Lantern role in next summer's "Man of Tomorrow" Superman sequel; "Clayface" star Tom Rhys Harries made a surprise Jim Lee panel appearance.
- Apple TV+ mounted its first major Comic-Con installation — a two-hour Hall H panel featuring "Silo," "Widows Bay," and a first look at Callum Turner's "Neuromancer," while Prime Video pushed "Rings of Power" Season 3 (adding Jamie Campbell Bower), "Blade Runner 2099" with Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, and Mike Flanagan's "Carrie."
- Ryan Reynolds crashed Marvel's Hall H presentation dressed as "Jeanpool" — a Canadian-tuxedoed Deadpool — to beg for a role in "Doomsday," then spent hours wandering the convention floor without handlers or security taking selfies, per his own post-con reveal.
- Rick Moranis made his Comic-Con debut to promote "Spaceballs: The New One," ending a 30-year acting hiatus, while Johnny Depp appeared in full Scrooge costume for "Ebenezer," ribbing the sweltering crowd with "Have you no jobs?" before debuting the trailer in Hall H.
Why it matters: Hall H still belongs to Marvel and DC, but the massive turnout for Dinniman's panels — 10 million book sales and a live-action Peacock order with Seth MacFarlane producing — confirms Comic-Con now doubles as a launchpad for non-superhero IP competing for the same audience. Studios that can't command Marvel-scale sizzle reels are using viral stunts (Reynolds in Deadpool cosplay, Depp in Scrooge garb) and indie horror showcases to claim attention instead.
