San Diego Comic-Con 2024’s clearest winners were the events and creators that gave fans something memorable beyond a headline: Marvel’s Hall H spectacle, immersive offsites, comics programming, and hands-on fan experiences. Its most visible failures were access and balance—especially the Deadpool & Wolverine Hall H load-in, which two publications said left some lottery winners outside. This is an editorial scorecard, not an official award or consensus ranking; the selections weigh fan experience, access, announcements, and the breadth of audiences served.
How this scorecard weighs the convention
Comic-Con ran July 25–28, 2024, with Preview Night on July 24, at the San Diego Convention Center. The City of San Diego forecast more than 135,000 attendees, more than $160 million in regional economic impact, and $96.5 million in direct attendee spending. Those were pre-event projections, not final attendance figures or audited results. City of San Diego’s 2024 kickoff announcement
The selections below combine reporter assessments from TheWrap and The Comics Beat with the SDCC Unofficial Blog’s audience-voted Shruggie Awards. Those forms of evidence are not interchangeable: a reporter’s favorite panel, a crowd-voted activation, and a city forecast answer different questions. Disputed or experiential claims are attributed to the publication that reported them.
The 10 winners
1. Marvel and the Deadpool & Wolverine spectacle
Marvel produced the convention’s most obvious headline moment. TheWrap highlighted the Deadpool & Wolverine celebration, screening, downtown light show, and Saturday Hall H announcements: the Russo brothers’ return to the Avengers films and Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom. The response to the casting was not uniformly celebratory; TheWrap also noted skepticism. The spectacle was a major win for visibility, even if the announcement itself invited debate. TheWrap’s event coverage; SDCC Unofficial Blog’s Shruggie Awards
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2. Star Trek’s fan-focused presence
TheWrap praised the fan interaction at the Star Trek Universe panel and Paramount+’s Menagerie installation. This is a publication-specific assessment: TheWrap’s reporters disclosed their own Star Trek bias. Still, the combination of a panel and an on-site environment gave fans more than a news announcement to engage with. TheWrap
3. The Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge
TheWrap singled out The Penguin activation for its immersive nightclub setting and interactive tasks. It also reported that a nearby real fire interrupted a press preview before the activation reopened. That interruption is separate from the design of the experience itself, which the publication praised. TheWrap
4. Hulu Animayhem
The SDCC Unofficial Blog’s audience-voted Shruggie Awards recognized Hulu Animayhem for interactive activities, shade, snacks, seating, and giveaways. Those practical comforts matter at a crowded convention: an offsite can be entertaining while also offering a place to sit and cool down. SDCC Unofficial Blog
Rank #2
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5. Toddland’s booth and merchandise
The same audience-voted awards praised Toddland’s booth and its tees, pins, and plush, including its timed-edition approach to plush availability. The recognition speaks to the booth’s appeal and presentation; it is not a claim that its limited merchandise remains available today. SDCC Unofficial Blog
6. Alien: Romulus’s Face Hugger giveaways
The Shruggie Awards also favored the poseable Face Hugger giveaways promoting Alien: Romulus. They made memorable photo props, a small but effective example of promotional swag designed to be part of the fan experience rather than just a logo on an item. This was event merchandise, not evidence of a current retail recommendation. SDCC Unofficial Blog
7. The “Forgotten Creators” panel
The Comics Beat praised “Forgotten Creators: Ladies Behind the Monster,” a panel recognizing women’s work in creature and puppet design. It offered a corrective to a convention conversation often dominated by the most visible franchises: the people whose craft shapes memorable screen monsters also deserve attention. The Comics Beat’s winners and losers coverage
Rank #3
- Stitch Doorables Collection Peek Set - Bundle with 2024 SDCC Exclusive 8 Doorables Mini Figures Plus Stickers, More | Disney Stitch Mini Figures Comic Con Collectible Set.
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8. Artists Alley
The Comics Beat named Artists Alley among its winners. In interviews, artists told the publication that sales were below 2023 levels but above earlier years. That is a report from the artists the publication spoke with, not a quantified industry-wide sales measure; the broader win is the visibility and direct creator access Artists Alley brings to the convention. The Comics Beat
9. DC Studios’ on-site presence
The Comics Beat considered the new DC Studios logo and Creature Commandos trailer a success, even without James Gunn or a Superman-focused Hall H showcase. DC had announced an expanded booth, programming, and merchandise before the event, but that announcement establishes plans, not how well those elements performed. The positive verdict here rests on The Comics Beat’s account of the convention. The Comics Beat; DC’s pre-event announcement
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TheWrap praised LEGO’s Space-themed booth, large Star Wars builds, and hands-on rocket activity. That mix of spectacle and participation made the booth work for attendees who wanted to do something, not only look at displays. TheWrap
Rank #4
- Star Wars Doorables Hyper Peek Set - Bundle with 2024 SDCC Exclusive 3 Doorables Mini Figures with Trading Cards Plus Stickers, More | Star Wars Mini Figures Comic Con Collectible Set.
- This Star Wars Doorables set includes one 2024 Comic Con exclusive Hyper Peek box with 3 figures and matching trading cards. Figures include The Mandalorian Din Djarin, Baby Yoda Grogu, and Cad Bane.
- Sure to be a hit with Star Wars fans, the Star Wars Doorables mini figures are great to use as party favors, party supplies, goodie bag fillers, gift basket fillers, and more!
- This Comic Con exclusive Star Wars Doorables mini figures box makes the perfect gift for your favorite Star Wars fan. These mini figurines will match any other Mandalorian merchandise and collectibles!
- Officially licensed Star Wars Doorables Hyper Peek box is great for kids and adults, boys and girls alike. Set also comes with Baby Yoda stickers and a Star Wars bookmark.
The 5 losers
1. Deadpool & Wolverine Hall H access and load-in
The largest failure in this scorecard was access to one of the weekend’s most anticipated events. The SDCC Unofficial Blog described the load-in as its worst line-management experience and said hundreds of lottery winners were left outside. The Comics Beat likewise reported ticket holders being denied entry and non-winners admitted. Neither publication supplied an official reconciled count, so these remain attributed reports rather than an established total. SDCC Unofficial Blog; The Comics Beat
2. Warner Bros. Discovery’s film promotion
TheWrap criticized Warner Bros. Discovery for not using its traditional Hall H slot to promote several upcoming films. That criticism is about the film slate, not a complete absence from the convention: TheWrap noted a Superman & Lois presentation and other television activity. DC’s booth plans were a distinct part of the company’s broader presence, not a substitute for a major film showcase. TheWrap; DC’s pre-event announcement
3. Sony Pictures’ missing presentations
TheWrap noted that Sony Pictures held no panel or presentation for Kraven the Hunter or Venom: The Last Dance. The reason for that decision was not established in the cited coverage. For a studio with two upcoming comic-book films, the absence left a conspicuous gap in the convention’s film announcements. TheWrap
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4. A programming balance tilted toward entertainment
The Comics Beat argued that entertainment panels crowded out some less conventional programming. That is one staff member’s assessment, not an objective audit of the full schedule. The publication’s praise for “Forgotten Creators: Ladies Behind the Monster” shows the counterpoint: distinctive creator-focused programming was present, but its concern was how much room such sessions received alongside franchise presentations. The Comics Beat
5. Video-game companies in a labor dispute
On the convention’s first day, SAG-AFTRA declared a strike against major video-game companies. TheWrap described the performers’ labor panel as a must-see event and listed the companies as losers in the dispute’s public-facing moment. The strike concerned video-game performers and bargaining issues; it was not the already-ended 2023 film and television strike. The cited coverage does not establish the eventual negotiation outcome. TheWrap
What the scorecard says about SDCC 2024
Comic-Con’s most successful moments made fandom tangible: an ambitious Hall H event, immersive installations, hands-on booths, and programming that recognized creators beyond the stars on screen. Its most consequential weakness was the gap between demand and access. That tension matters more than any single studio’s decision to skip a presentation: an event can generate enormous excitement and still fail the fans who were told they had a path into the room.
Quick Recap
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