Marvel’s Hall H panel proves why SDCC needs to make one big change

With its Hall H panel, Marvel just recrowned itself the king of San Diego Comic-Con – if only the whole world had the opportunity to bend the knee. 

It remains to be seen if this is true in-universe, but Iron Man was our Anchor Being. Ever since Tony Stark’s gauntlet-snapping sacrifice, the franchise has decayed; a once-unstoppable pop culture force suddenly defined by its spotty, relentless output. 

After five years of encroaching darkness, light is shining on the MCU again. Deadpool & Wolverine is on track to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and Kevin Feige and co. just blew the roof of SDCC and broke the internet. 

A cautious but palpable buzz is in the air again. It’s a re-emergence of faith (or at the very least, curiosity), and that has to be credited to the second coming of Marvel Jesus: Robert Downey Jr… only this time, he’s playing Doctor Doom. 

Why can’t we stream San Diego Comic-Con? 

Marvel’s panel was a masterstroke; a display of deft temperance after inadvertently ice-skating uphill with too-early-to-tease reveals. Mahershala Ali’s Blade, Armor Wars, Ironheart, and Spider-Man 4 were all quietly neglected – but it didn’t matter, because the updates on Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, and Avengers 5 and Secret Wars were substantial. 

And then came Downey’s unveiling as Doom, an eruption-worthy casting reveal that knocked fans, cynics, and everyone in between on their arse.  

Like me, you’ve probably soaked up all the secondhand serotonin from clips of Hall H’s ear-quaking reaction. I can only imagine how it felt to be in the room. For millions, that’s all SDCC will ever be: a vicarious dream.

Here’s the problem: excluding 2020 and 2021’s virtual cons (because of the pandemic that shan’t be named), San Diego Comic-Con doesn’t stream any of its panels. 

Why? Well, lots of reasons. If you make something available at home, people are less likely to fork out cash to attend in person. If everyone can stream it, it loses its exclusivity, like seeing never-before-seen footage from films and TV shows. 

There’s another problem with the footage: attendees are often shown unfinished sneak peeks that shouldn’t be broken down frame by frame, lest VFX ‘experts’ nitpick every shot that looks a bit ropey. If it’s all streamed onto the internet, there’d be more pressure on filmmakers to bring completed clips. 

It’s not just the panels, either. SDCC is an enormous marketplace that directly boosts the economy; on average, there’s $90 million in direct attendee spending every year. Footfall and tourism are important, so why even give people a cheaper, remote option? 

In short, like everything else in the world, it comes down to money – but as Paul Atreides foresaw, “I see a way… there is a narrow way through.” 

SDCC could become a PPV event 

I’m not suggesting SDCC streams its Hall H panels for free. Nobody would benefit from that, bar maybe the virtual attendees – and even then, the novelty would quickly wear off. 

There are other options… like pay-per-view. You could purchase varying levels of virtual admission: weekend passes, day passes, or individual panels (likely at a premium compared to the longer tickets). Availability could be limited too, emphasizing its exclusivity even if you’re thousands of miles away. 

Footage leaks from Comic-Con all the time (are you telling me you’ve not seen Fantastic Four’s Galactus on your timeline?), but panels could be watermarked to discourage anything being ripped and posted elsewhere online. 

Or better yet, SDCC could partner with a streaming service; Netflix is already getting into the premium live event market with WWE, so why not SDCC as well? 

Disney is utilizing its platform for D23 later this year, set to stream select portions to subscribers across the world. Asad Ayaz, its Chief Brand Officer, even said it’s “akin to our Super Bowl or Comic-Con weekend.”

As an entertainment event, a PPV livestream helps it self-sustain; people will still attend, it’s considerate of fans who can’t afford to fly to the US, journalists (me!) can report on panels without the need to track 15 different Twitter accounts, YouTubers can react to it and fuel the conversation, and interviews can be strictly in-person to encourage press attendance. 

Those practical considerations aside, the MCU still needs to regain its audience’s trust. Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t a fair test; much like Spider-Man: No Way Home, it coasts on borrowed affection. People need to believe in what’s new, not have fun with what’s old. 

Invite people into hallowed Hall H, allow them to marvel at its fan-making euphoria. “It’s a price I’m willing to pay. If I’m the only one, so be it. But I’m willing to bet I’m not.”

Check out our ranking of the MCU movies, our breakdown of the Marvel movies in order, and all of the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows.