Buena Vista(SAN DIEGO) — San Diego Comic-Con kicks off Thursday, although Wednesday night was preview night that saw fans rush into the San Diego convention center en masse to be the first to buy “con exclusive” merchandise.
No surprise, but ABC Radio’s Jason Nathanson found this year’s most sought after item was the First Order Stormtrooper that will be seen on the big screen in December in Lucasfilm’s eagerly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“Star Wars? Yeah, I think maybe the return of Star Wars might be squarely in the level of interest of con goers,” Nerdist.com’s Chris Hardwick joked.
Hardwick, usually the man who emcees Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con Q&A panels, is switching gears to another Disney-owned property: he’s hosting the Star Wars celebrity panel that is expected to be the convention’s biggest draw. “I am way excited for that,” he admitted. “It is going to be a very rewarding Comic-Con for people this year.”
Marvel Studios won’t host a Hall H panel this year, mostly because Age of Ultron came out in May, and Ant-Man is hitting theaters next week. While some fans are disappointed, Hardwick had another take on the studio’s tactic. “I think it was actually a benevolent thing to do for the fans, because if they had been self-indulgent, they would have just gone and kind of half-assed it, they didn’t really have much to show right now. So I think it was a really great move.”
Fear not, true believers: stars from Marvel’s TV properties, like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter will be on hand, and while the Studio won’t be hosting a panel, Marvel will be very present at the convention.
Fanboys and fangirls will also be able to feast on the final Hunger Games panel ever, see stars and footage from The Walking Dead and Warner Bros.’ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and more pop culture touchstones than you can shake a lightsaber at.
Star Wars and Marvel are owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
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