Buckle up— there’s lots of exciting news that mxdwn covered on Friday at San Diego Comic Con!
At 10am, a panel for Blade Runner 2099 and Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power ran until 11:30 a.m. Blade Runner had Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Silka Luisa and Andrew Kosove as panelists. In an exclusive clip, Cora is stripped from her clothing by different soldiers, pouring water over her and put on a strap bed. Michelle Yeoh’s character asks her to kill again and Cora agrees. Luisa explains how she managed to explore Cora’s small life she is trying to protect. Blade Runner 2099 will be released November 25, 2026.
The panel was joined with The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power as new cast members were announced. The panel included Charlie Vickers, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniel Weyman, J.D. Payne, Jamie Campbell Bower, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Patrick McKay and Owain Arthur.
“The Dark Lord is on the brink of crafting a new power. One ring to rule them all.” Chaos erupts all throughout Middle Earth with scenes of characters running on horses, fire exploding, battle scenes, and the Dark Lord pulling out a sword. Other creatures aside from the Balrog include the war-elephants Mûmakils, Orcs and Fell-beasts. News of the other cast members joining can be read here.
TWD: Dead City panel occurred at 11:45 and concluded at 12:30 p.m. The panelists include Jeffrey D. Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Scott Gimple, Set Hoffman, Aimee Garcia and Raul Castillo. A recent announcement with the reappearance of Beth, which can be read further here.
The Vampire Lestat was from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
In an exclusive clip, one of the main characters is singing in a live rock band performing originals such as Bad Wolf, The Loneliness and Butterscotch B***h. The panel included Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Hannah Moscovitch, Mark Johnson, Jacob Anderson and Sheila Atim. Season four will be named Queen of the Damned.
The Lanterns panel began at 1:30 and lasted until 2:30 p.m. and shared three exclusive clips. The panel includes Garret Dillahunt, Damon Lindelof, Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Tom King, Poorna Jagannathan and Chris Mundy.
The initial clip shows Hal Jordan and John Stewart in training when Hal jumps out of a car and John is left to fend for himself, even though the possession of the ring is still in the car. As they meet at a designated taco shop, John reveals he used the ring to protect himself with bubble wrap.
In a second clip, Hal is interviewing an alien disguised as a human who knows basic knowledge such as who Barack Obama is but doesn’t know what school Harry Potter went to and the alien had a bomb inside his skull that ticks off when moved the wrong way. As Hal loses his temper, he pushes the alien to the corner of the interrogation room and builds a protective shield to prevent the bomb from exploding as he kills the alien.
The third clip is a flashback in a diner with John Stewart and a military guide that questions if his father is okay and receives another mission.
The fourth shows a teaser of Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardener with John Stewart.
During the fifth clip, Hal and John are in a bar where John converses with Hope and expresses how his “space partner” doesn’t trust him. As he holds the green ring, Hope jokes “are you going to say yes?” John is both skeptical and weirded-out by the comment. Meanwhile, Hal is seen fighting patrons. The sixth clip concludes with William Macon shoves John Stewart outside after he reveals he slept with Hope, Macon’s wife.
Lanterns premieres August 16 on HBO Max.
The final panel mxdwn attended was God of War: Laufey which started at 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The panelists were Deborah Anh Wall, Christopher Judge, Ariel Lawrence, Perlina Lau and Jack Quaid. Faye and Kratos held much connection within each other. Rue who is someone more mysterious and guarded whilst bold and blunt. Frank is someone who is grounded and in the moment. As Kratos grieves his deceased wife, he embarks on a journey in the woods. A golden phoenix is drawn at the end.
Moderator Cory Barlog also announced a new Kratos game is in the works.
God of War: Laufey will be available February 16, 2027.