Comic-Con 2025

Comic-Con is the only place where you can wait three hours to see a trailer you’ll pretend to love and actually forget by Tuesday.

A grown man in a Sailor Moon costume told me he was “reclaiming his childhood.” I didn’t ask from what.

There were more Spider-Men than bathrooms. One of them hissed at me when I got too close to the urinal.

Someone dressed as Pikachu accidentally tased himself and still stayed in character. That’s commitment or brain damage.

This year’s cosplay theme seemed to be “emotional damage with accessories.”

A guy tried to sell me a “limited-edition NFT of a Funko Pop” printed on a napkin. I paid $30 to avoid the conversation.

A woman dressed as Darth Vader screamed, “I am your mother!” at her son, who was dressed as Kylo Ren. He cried. The Force is not strong in that family.

I walked into a panel expecting sci-fi insights and got a TED Talk on the sociopolitical symbolism of Sonic the Hedgehog’s shoes.

Someone asked me if my press badge came with emotional health insurance. I said no. We both cried.

Hall H had more people praying for a trailer than most churches have on Easter.

I got elbowed by a man in full Mandalorian armor trying to get to a churro cart. This is the way, apparently.

You haven’t truly lived until you’ve watched an animatronic Freddy Fazbear short-circuit in front of sobbing children.

The LEGO zone was peaceful until someone stepped on a brick and declared war on Denmark.

A guy proposed to his girlfriend during a Tron: Ares teaser. She said no. He said, “That’s canon now.”

I saw a Deadpool propose to another Deadpool in front of a guy dressed as a priest. They kissed. The priest ran. The multiverse trembled.

One guy spent $600 on vintage comics, then asked if he could sleep under the vendor’s table to save on hotel costs.

Three different people told me their costume “represents trauma.” I think Comic-Con might need therapy booths next year.

I saw a man in a full Iron Man suit faint from dehydration. He was too committed to break character and ask for water.

The anime fan meetup turned into a 40-minute debate over which character would make the best therapist. Spoiler: none of them.

At least five people got lost trying to find the exit and ended up at a My Little Pony panel. Three stayed.