Saturday is peak con with the busiest crowds, longest lines, most content packed into a single 24-hour window, and today did not disappoint on that front.
Tokidoki x BAIT Collab
First stop of my day was non-negotiable for me: the Tokidoki x BAIT collab pop-up over on 5th Avenue. I timed it for right around noon, which turned out to be exactly the right call because it wasn’t a long line. Tokidoki co-founder Simone Legno was doing a signing from 12 to 2 PM, so showing up at the start of that window meant I got to see him before the line stretched too far down the block. No badge required either, which honestly makes this one of the better “still get con energy without a ticket” stops this weekend.
The collab itself includes a curated pull of Tokidoki’s regular lineup plus three apparel pieces made exclusively for this BAIT pop-up that’s not available anywhere else. If you’re a Tokidoki collector, that’s the detail that matters most: these three shirts only exist here. I got a couple things including the Tokidoki x Bait collab t shirt.
Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary Takes Hall H
Then things shifted into something bigger with a full celebration of Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, opening with an introduction from Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, son of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry. What followed was genuinely rare: a lineup spanning almost the entire history of the franchise on one stage together. George Takei (Sulu, The Original Series), Michael Dorn (Worf, The Next Generation), Robert Picardo (The Doctor, Voyager), Connor Trinneer (Enterprise), Cirroc Lofton (Deep Space Nine), Doug Jones (Discovery), Michelle Hurd (Picard), Jerry O’Connell (Lower Decks), and Karim Diané (Starfleet Academy) all shared the stage, decades of Trek condensed into one hour.
It’s easy to forget just how long this franchise has actually been running until you see it laid out like that, actor by actor, series by series. Even the badges this year got the memo with SDCC’s official artwork has featured the Enterprise, flying right over the convention center. Sixty years in, and Trek still knows how to make an entrance.
Actors Turned Comic Writers
It’s a different kind of panel than most of what Hall H gives you. No trailers, no reveals just four people who’ve spent years being known as a character other people wrote, talking honestly about what it took to sit down and build something of their own instead. Oswalt’s been doing this the longest between Minor Threats and his other creator-owned work, so he anchored a lot of the conversation, but Mendez and Garcia’s perspective stood out too, especially coming off their creator-owned project Day of the Dead Girl. Hannah Rose May rounded things out talking about The Guy in the Chair.
If you get anxious in the Hall H crush, panels like this are honestly the move. Smaller room, way more candid conversation, and you leave with a completely different appreciation for the people you’ve been watching on screen for years.
Apple TV+ Makes Hall H History With John Cena
John Cena led the charge for Matchbox: The Movie, joined by Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, and Teyonah Parris. Yes, it’s a movie based on the Matchbox toy cars, and yes, the premise is exactly as absurd as that sounds on paper. Cena plays an undercover agent who returns to his hometown and drags his childhood friends into an international chase to save the world. The trailer dropped live and the response was a mix of genuine excitement and everyone quietly acknowledging how weird it is that toy cars now get feature films with this much star power behind them. It premieres October 9 on Apple TV+.
Beyond Matchbox, the panel also gave first looks at Widow’s Bay, Dark Matter Season 2, Mayday, and Silo, making this easily one of the most packed single-studio blocks of the entire weekend. Apple’s clearly not treating this as a one-off appearance.
The Sandlot Cast Reunites for Dugout Dads
To be clear, this isn’t a Sandlot sequel. The characters are all new, and the premise follows Renna as an idealistic Little League dad who quickly learns the real drama isn’t coming from the kids, it’s coming from the other parents and coaches including himself. But hearing this specific group of actors back in a room together, thirty-plus years after they played baseball on screen as kids, brought a genuine warmth to the panel that a lot of these more spectacle-driven Hall H moments don’t have. I’ve watched The Sandlot as a little kid so having them share stories from the original film, talk through what it’s actually like filming together again as adults, and it being clear the chemistry that made audiences fall for them in 1993 never really left.
Because, as they say — some things really are for-ev-er.
Marvel Returns to Hall H and It’s Packed
It’s been two years since Marvel Studios stormed the stage in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, but the House of Ideas always knows how to completely win the con with their traditional Saturday night panels. It was clear the wait was worth it.
The first real announcement of the night: Avengers: Endgame is heading back to theaters September 25 under a new title, Avengers: Endgame Encore, complete with a custom introduction, additional footage, and an exclusive look at Avengers: Doomsday.
Ryan Gosling is officially the MCU’s Ghost Rider, confirmed live in Hall H with Gosling himself walking out on stage. He’ll star in a solo Ghost Rider film directed by Shawn Levy, arriving in 2028.
Right after Ghost Rider, Ryan Coogler walked out on stage himself, joined by Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, to officially confirm Black Panther 3 that will be released on December 15, 2028, with the official logo revealed on the big screen.
Coogler’s returning to write and direct, closing out a trilogy that’s become one of the most genuinely beloved corners of the MCU. The bigger reveal: David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) is officially cast as T’Challa, stepping into the role as the character’s grown son. “The honor is entirely mine,” Jonsson said on stage, which got a big reaction from the room given how much weight that mantle carries after Chadwick Boseman.
Kevin Feige also confirmed VisionQuest officially releases on Disney+ October 14, closing out the Wanda trilogy following WandaVision itself and Agatha All Along. It’s a quieter announcement compared to the rest of the night.
The night closed with Robert Downey Jr. taking the stage as part of the full Doomsday cast walkout, leaning straight into character. He told the crowd “decisions were coming for everyone in the MCU going forward — you’re either standing with the good guys, or you’re choosing to join the family of Doom”. It’s a small moment on paper, but the framing matters: Doom isn’t being set up as just a villain to defeat by the end of the movie, he’s actively trying to recruit people to his side. Hearing RDJ deliver that line in person, still fully in Doom mode two years after his casting reveal, was one of those moments where you remember why this panel draws thousands of people every single year.
Saturday didn’t fail when it came to reveals. It’s the part of Saturday nobody puts in the headlines. It’s not the reveals themselves, but the way a few thousand strangers walk out of the same room and, for a minute, are all having the exact same night.
Back to Day Two | Continue to Day Four
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