Even without star power, Comic-Con 2023 drew big crowds

In some ways, the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con was business as usual. Hordes of fans in cosplay descended upon the San Diego convention center this weekend, waiting in line for panels, shopping for exclusive merch, and geeking out over their favorite comic books. But there was one thing missing from the usual festivities: Due to the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, Comic-Con was decidedly quieter this year — and considerably less starry.

Under SAG-AFTRA rules, members are forbidden from participating in promotional events and fan conventions like Comic-Con while on strike. As a result, many studios and networks canceled planned panels entirely, while others shifted to pared-down events. The few actors who showed up were there either because they were granted waivers by SAG-AFTRA (like Tom Arnold, promoting his upcoming show Underdeveloped) or because they were non-struck work (like Jamie Lee Curtis, who spoke about her upcoming graphic novel Mother Nature).

Here are the highlights from this year's quieter Comic-Con.

Even before the start of the actors' strike, several studios were already planning a scaled-down SDCC. Marvel Studios has become a consistent presence in Hall H each year, delivering one of the most highly anticipated panels and laying out release dates years in the future. But in June, news broke that the studio would be skipping Comic-Con, after last year's massive presentation. (Despite sitting out SDCC, Marvel still dropped a trailer for its next film, The Marvels with Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani.)

Other studios and networks followed suit, with big names like HBO, Sony, Universal, and Netflix all skipping the usual events. Some companies forged ahead with planning panels, only to cancel after the start of the strike. (Some of the shows that were expected to have a major presence at SDCC this year included Amazon's Wheel of Time, ABC's Abbott Elementary, and Peacock's Twisted Metal.)  A planned panel celebrating the 25th anniversary of That '70s Show was also canceled.  

Other panels shifted to become fan screenings instead, without the usual appearances by actors or creatives. Fans gathered to preview exclusive footage of shows like Good Omens and the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover, even though actors and writers were absent.

Even though many stars skipped the convention this year, there were plenty of familiar faces on the convention floor, as cosplayers turned up in droves. Barbie and Ken were particularly popular choices this year, given the release of Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. (Other highlights include dozens of Deadpools, Mandalorians, and Spider-Men, many of whom would stop to recreate the Spidey pointing meme every time they bumped into each other.)

On stage, panels for comics and video games drew some of the largest crowds. Fans packed into Hall H to see footage from the upcoming game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or hear from acclaimed comic writer Justin Kirkman in a panel moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Patrick Gomez. Later, Oscar winner Curtis spoked to a crowded ballroom, opening up about her environmentalist graphic novel Mother Nature.      

All weekend, the strike was one of the biggest topics of conversation, both on stage and on the convention floor. Many attending panelists shared their support for striking actors and writers — like video game actor Yuri Lowenthal, who kicked off the Spider-Man 2 panel by declaring that he and his fellow panelists "stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and everybody at the WGA and SAG."

On Saturday, a group of actors, cosplayers, and even U.S. Rep Robert Garcia gathered outside the convention center, loudly rallying in support of the strikes. Later, SAG-AFTRA executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland joined a group of voice actors for a packed panel, speaking about the strike and how exploitative artificial intelligence can threaten both fans and creators.

Voice actress Linsay Rousseau moderated the panel, closing out the event by thanking attendees for even showing up — even without the usual celebrity attractions.

 "A lot of people love to come for the Hall H panels and see the big celebrities," she told the crowd. "A lot of us up here were really concerned, like, 'Oh, people are going to be so upset because a lot of the big stars aren't coming this year.' But I want to say thank you to all of you. With this strike, we have heard very few people saying, 'Oh, Comic-Con is ruined because I don't get to see the Marvel panel.' So, thank you."

Related content:

• See the best cosplayers at 2023 Comic-Con, from Barbie, Deadpool, and more
• Cosplayers join actors to support SAG-AFTRA strike at San Diego Comic-Con 2023
• T.J. Miller Zooms into Comic-Con in crypto-scammer cosplay: 'AI will not replace us!'
• Roseanne oddly pops up at San Diego Comic-Con 2023
• Danny Masterson cut from That '70s Show 25th anniversary activation at Comic-Con