WonderCon, along with, we imagine, people dressed as Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Black Panther and many other characters, returns in person this weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center.
In a three-day celebration of movies, TV, games, and, yes, comics, WonderCon 2022 might not be as sprawling as it was in 2019, when fans last gathered, but it should feel almost normal.
We combed through the weekend’s shows for any hints of what’s happening this weekend (at first glance, more comic-related panels, less TV and movie-related) and came up with a list of highlights. Here’s a taste of what’s happening at WonderCon this weekend.
Alia Pyatt laughs with friends dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tim Wyckoff, dressed as Wedding Bowser from Mario Odyssey, outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Madison Pineda, dressed as Dr. Octopus, at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jayce Ford, dressed as Dabi from My Hero Academia, puts fake staples on her face outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ryan Omega, dressed as Mario, reenacts a proposal to Tim Wyckoff, dressed as Wedding Bowser from Mario Odyssey, outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lake Stephan, dressed as Mina Ashido from My Hero Academia, outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Little Spiderman, Hunter Kearns, 2, enters WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Spider-Man Sebastian G. poses for a fight with Mr. Negative Bryan Lee at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Spiderman; Caleb Weeks, left, Tom Iwata, center, and Sebastian G., stand outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Matt Eusey looks inside Jason Anderson’s homemade helmet as they dress up as characters from Fallout 76 during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ashley Mitchell gestures to people as she enters WonderCon dressed as Jean Gray from X-Men in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Carly Gallardo, 8, dressed as a Hamburglar offers a burger to her friend, Cory Jaffe, 9, dressed as Wandavision’s Halloween Wanda, outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, County of Orange Registry/SCNG)
Mike Valdez is dressed as a Funko Pop! as his parents Ron and Chinara Valdez enter WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Todd Felton made a matching mask to go with his homemade Ghostbusters costume during WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
John Cabreros, dressed as Spider-Man, hugs Mei Li, dressed as Mary Jane, as Derek Shackleton, dressed as Moon Knight, takes a photo of them at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Faeren Adams, the self-proclaimed “Mary Ann the Spider-Fan,” takes a selfie with webslingers at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Female characters from the Spider Universe pose for photos at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mr. Negative, Bryan Lee, at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Andrew Dougherty, dressed as The Riddler, stands on the fountain near the entrance to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Photographers take pictures of Spidermen at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kristina Spark, dressed in steampunk attire, watches as other cosplayers enter WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Andrew Dougherty, dressed as The Riddler, stands on the fountain near the entrance to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Henry Yi, dressed as Shang-chi, and Jasmine Ty, dressed as King George, enter WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chris Canole dons a homemade costume he calls Dude Vader, a mix of Darth Vader, C-3PO with a dash of Wonder Woman, outside of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Registrar/SCNG)
Emily Rivera, dressed as Scaramouche from Genshin Impact, near the entrance to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Andrew Dougherty, dressed as The Riddler, stands on the fountain near the entrance to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friday
Day 1 of WonderCon features panels with a variety of comic book and graphic novel writers and artists, including artist Michael Cho, whose work includes many of DC and Marvel’s superheroes, writer David F. Walker, whose credits include comics and a novel based on private eye Shaft, and writer Shannon Hale, whose works include Marvel’s “Squirrel Girl” novels.
The Behind the Scenes panel with the Borg Queen from “Star Trek: Picard” will feature actress Annie Wersching, the Borg Queen herself, and the prosthetics team that cast her as the Borg for the television series.
The fun behind the Funko! The panel looks like a must-have for collectors of wildly popular figures, while in the evening writer-director Kevin Smith will host one of his ever-popular panels.
There is also a lot of anime scheduled over the weekend, including a session with “Hayate the Combat Butler” on Friday, a race where we can’t decide if we want to hire or convert.
Saturday
The second day of WonderCon includes many more TV and movie panels, including sessions on the Disney+ reboot of fantasy competition series “The Quest” and Hulu’s second season of “The Hardy Boys,” for which the streamer he sent stars Rohan Campbell and Alexander Elliot into the scam.
Comic book writer and artist Rob Liefeld, co-creator of Deadpool and Cable, has a panel on 30 years of Extreme Studios, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman has one of his own on Saturday.
Cannabis is now legal in California, but the world’s leading stoner comedians, Cheech and Chong, remember when it wasn’t. They will be making an appearance at WonderCon on Saturday for their first graphic novel, “Cheech & Chong’s Chronicles: A Brief History of Weed.”
And on Saturday night, in a sure sign that WonderCon is back, the annual Masquerade cosplay competition will take place.
Sunday
The final day of WonderCon 2022 kicks off early with a preview of “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” during a panel that will feature most of the major voice actors from the popular animated series now making its leap to the big screen.
Later on, Shudder’s “Cursed Films” panel will present a new docuseries that explores the truth behind some of the fictional stories in popular horror entertainment.
Actor David Dastmalchian, whose roles include the goofy superhero Polka Dot Man in “The Suicide Squad,” has a panel and booth appearances Sunday to promote the return of his “Count Crowley” Dark Horse comic book series.
Sunday also features a panel titled Over 30 Cosplay: Costuming and Cosplay Advice for the Mature Cosplayer, which instantly makes some of us feel old enough that Crypt Keeper is our only possible cosplay.