The first official day of SDCC kicked off early for me on Thursday. After enjoying ScareDiego and a night out with friends, I had to be up bright and soon for the Terminator: Dark Fate panel. It was set to start at 11:00 a.m., but you have to line up early to guarantee that you get in, especially since it was being presented in Hall H.
The upside to standing in line and listening to all the chatter is that you get to hear things right away. Even though their panel wasn’t until later that day, the announcement that Agents of SHIELD would end with season 7 was news that echoed throughout the line that morning. I quickly texted the folks back at the website to throw it up on social media because it sounded very official. Before you know it, it was up on our Twitter and Instagram, and soon enough other publications started posting the news. I’m not saying we necessarily broke the story, but I do know we were one of the first to get that up and that felt very satisfying. At SDCC, you always have to listen because you never know what you’ll be the first to hear.
I tackled the Terminator: Dark Fate panel alone because Morgan and Jake wouldn’t be arriving until later that night and Kenny and his crew decided to do convention floor activities instead of hitting up panels. Getting into Hall H for the first panel was quite the breeze, and I was able to score a decent seat for what proved to be one of the best panels of the weekend. My SDCC coverage of that panel has already been posted on the site so be sure to check that out.
As I was about to leave the Terminator: Dark Fate panel to take a break, a surprise guest rushed the stage that got me to sit back in my seat. Conan O’Brien, who moderated the ScareDiego panel the day before, made a grand entrance and demanded that we remained in our seats because he was about to introduce us to the most famous movie star in the world. It being Conan O’Brien I thought he was setting us up for one big joke, but it turns he was earnest because he then brought out Tom Cruise. Yep, Maverick himself entered the stage, and the whole Hall erupted into huge applause, something that Tom Cruise took in with his signature Tom Cruise smile and charisma.
Once the crowd finally calmed down, Tom Cruise explained why he was there. He wanted us to be the first to see the very first trailer for the Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. He mentioned that it was great to introduce it to a crowd in San Diego first because it’s where they shot the first film and it’s where they brought it back to film this latest installment. Soon enough, the lights were dimmed, and the trailer was shown to a very enthusiastic crowd. By now, most of you have seen the trailer, but there is this heightened excitement getting to see something like this first. I got goosebumps from it that I likely wouldn’t have gotten just viewing it on my computer and by the time it was over, I decided I was all in for the sequel.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:
Once Tom Cruise hysteria was over, it became clear that he would be hard to top. Thursday was a pretty easy panel day, and my schedule was pretty much up to me for the day. I did stay in Hall H for a bit and remained through the 20th anniversary Batman Beyond panel, which was a major throwback to my early teen years. I also stayed through some of the video game panels, the most notable being Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order which, if I were still into video games, would probably be fun to play. The crowd seemed to get a kick out of being able to unlock characters like Loki, Cyclops, and Colussus in gameplay.
After a bit, I got a call from Kenny and Ryan asking if I wanted to walk the floor with them and it felt like the perfect time because I had a bit of a lull in the day. The convention floor never ceases to impress me. From the cosplay to the artistry on display, it’s so great that they get to have this showcase for their work. When you’re there, you feel like you want to buy everything because it all feels necessary at the moment. Eventually, you come down to earth and realize your eyes are bigger than your wallet, but you do mentally checkoff certain items because you think maybe I’ll buy that on Saturday or Sunday before I leave. I think the thing that surprises me the most is how dedicated some people are for exclusives. I watched people get in line an hour early for an exclusive Batman Funko with the character carrying an SDCC bag. Kenny was one of those people, but thankfully he got in front when he did because the line eventually wrapped back to one of the main entrances of the convention center. People were buying them for $15 a pop and making references to being able to sell them on eBay for $200-250. For that kind of profit, I could kill some time in line too.
After walking the floor a bit, I had to go to my last panel of the day, which was for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. Given the news that the series would be ending with the upcoming seventh season, it was bound to be a panel that would be riddled with emotion. My first year at SDCC I attended the final panel for Teen Wolf and even though I never watched that series, I was caught up in how emotional the cast and crew got about having to say goodbye. Agents of SHIELD will likely be back one more time to say goodbye for season 7, but the news was very fresh, and it was always like they were bidding farewell to the event so to speak.
The panel included stars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain De Caestecker, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley and Jeff Ward while executive producers Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Jeff Bell, and Jeph Loeb were also on hand to discuss the remaining episodes of Season 6 and the final season.
From the start, emotions were on a high as Jeph Loeb took time to thank the fans for their dedication to the series. As you may know, Agents of SHIELD has perpetually been on the bubble almost every season it has been on, and the one constant has been a very vocal fanbase that has rallied behind the show each year. I know I’ve been one of those fans. I thought the show got off to a good but uneven start, but it eventually found its footing midway through season one and has only gotten better with time. For those that tapped out early, they’re missing out on one of the better comic book series on TV which makes its upcoming conclusion a little bittersweet.
Loeb introduced the entire cast but of course, saved Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) for last. Hall H gave him all the love worthy of someone who has admirably led this show since season one. The panel then transitioned into a montage overview of the series showcased its beginnings and where it stands as it begins to wrap things up with the rest of season 6 and season 7. Each season got their reel that was shown at the panel which only established how much the series has grown over time.
The cast had also had one of their last table reads which got the group a bit emotional. “We had our last table read on Monday and in the script they put our first call sheet from the pilot,” Tancharoen shared. “Now it’s really hard to believe that we’re at the end. I’m just so proud of everyone up here… and to all of you. Obviously, without you, we wouldn’t have made it this far.” Cheers from the crowd followed this, and some of the attendees visibly had tears in their eyes as well.
A lot of the panel was about reminiscing. There weren’t any spoilers dropped, and there was very little info given about the final season, but it felt like the panel was for the cast to say goodbye. They could make a final return for season 7, which will likely be airing its final moments during the next Con, but there was a bit of finality with this panel. As they knew, this would be their last hurrah – a theme that would permeate for a couple of other shows throughout the weekend. Jeph Loeb concluded the panel with this short but very telling statement about the series:
“This is the flagship show of Marvel Television, and the show that I love most.”
When the panel concluded, I got a call that Morgan and Jake had arrived in San Diego and were checking into the hotel. It was perfect timing because SHIELD was my last panel of the day and I had the rest of the day to enjoy the city with my friends. By the time we all met up, for Morgan, it was like she never left. She said she immediately felt the energy of being back. I was especially happy to have Jake take this all in because I don’t know if I know a bigger comic book fan. He tried to attend last year, but a family emergency derailed those plans, so this was a long time coming for him. I wish we had a party or event to go to on Thursday, but they were just happy to be out in the area and prepare themselves for the rest of the weekend. Eventually, we met up with Kenny and his crew, and before I knew it, old friends and new friends were mingling like they’ve known each other forever. Another day at SDCC wrapped up with being around the people that made this all special, and the next day would begin their full experience of taking this all in with me.
