San Diego Comic-Con 2024 has officially begun, and fans are buzzing. Big news is expected to come from major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Transformers, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Interview With the Vampire, and many more. One highly anticipated movie that won’t be there is Superman, as director James Gunn and DC Studios have opted out of attending this year. While Gunn is busy filming Superman, it appears that is not the only reason.
Superman is still a presence on the convention floor, as fans can buy official DC merchandise with the new Superman logo, but there will be no big Hall H panel. While speaking with The Wrap, DC Studios co-president Peter Safran went into more detail about why Superman is not showing any footage at Comic-Con this year. While they are opting out of a stretched-out marketing campaign, Safran assures fans there will be plenty of Superman material over the next year. He said:
“From my perspective, it’s just too soon. A year is truthfully a long time for a campaign and so, from our perspective, I think we go stronger and harder over a shorter period, rather than stretching it out. That’s our instinct on that. Believe me, there’s gonna be no shortage of Superman in your life over the next 12 months.”
Superman Does Not Return To Comic-Con
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s approach to marketing Superman is very different from the previous DC regime. Man of Steel had a Comic-Con panel in July 2012, with a teaser playing before The Dark Knight Rises a week later and 11 months before the new Superman origin opened in theaters. The famous trailer for Suicide Squad that leaked online in July 2015 (and led to changes in the film’s tone) was 13 months before the movie was released. Gunn’s previous involvement with Marvel Studios had Guardians of the Galaxy footage shown nearly a year before the film was set to come out. Marvel Studios has perfected turning Hall H and Comic-Con into a marketing tool that builds momentum and hype for projects years in advance.
Following Iron Man‘s breakout Hall H trailer that eventually led to a $585 million global total and the start of one of the most successful film franchises of all time, every studio tried to make Comic-Con a significant part of their marketing strategy, hoping audience goodwill at the convention would translate into Iron Man-level box office numbers. However, this is not always a guarantee for success. Early high-profile movies that got big reactions from Comic-Con crowds but bombed at the box office include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Cowboys and Aliens. But the big money of the early DCEU films and, mainly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, made Comic-Con a go-to destination for blockbuster movies.
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What the New Justice League Team Means for Superman
Set photos from James Gunn’s Superman show David Corenswet’s Man of Steel fighting alongside a new DC super-team, the Justice League International.
Studios have started to rethink their approach to Comic-Con in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DC turned to its virtual event, DC Fandome, which did well in its first year, but the second attempt did not go over well, and the event has since been scrapped. DC returned to Comic-Con in 2022 with Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, neither of which became hits at the box office. Warner Bros. and DC likely want to regroup and plan an internet marketing campaign for Superman, with the first trailer probably arriving in time for the holiday movie season.
Superman is set for release on July 11, 2025, meaning there is a chance that Comic-Con 2025 will land on the weekend it opens. Superman could do the same thing as Marvel Studios’ special Deadpool & Wolverine panel for the films opening separately from their Hall H panel on Saturday. If it is after Superman, DC Studios might return to San Diego Comic-Con in 2026 with hints of what is to come, including possible first looks at Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Brave and the Bold, The Authority, and the many other films James Gunn has announced.
Superman
opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
