2018 San Diego Comic-Con: The Winners & Losers Of Geekdom’s Biggest Event

LOSER — “Aquaman”
When is a perfectly fine trailer a disappointment? Well, take a look at “Aquaman” for your answer. The film has been the subject of intense hype over the last several months. Since “Justice League” bombed for WB, all eyes were on Jason Momoa and Co. to revitalize the universe with the film “Aquaman.” For months, people were waiting for any sort of footage from the film. Rumors swirled about when we’d finally get a chance to see this film that Momoa called “’Star Wars’ underwater.”

And guess what? The trailer finally dropped at SDCC and it was…decent at best and a bit of a garish CGI-fest.  Outside of the diehard comic book fans, some of whom admittedly adored the trailer, it’s hard to find anyone truly excited about that trailer. It’s clear why the trailer took so damn long to release, with the sheer amount of CGI on display. However, from the opening narration from Momoa, there’s just something not right about the trailer. The CGI looks dated (some crueler takes described it as “Ferngully” underwater). The story looks very paint-by-numbers, harkening back to the original “Thor” (you know, with the evil half-brother trying to take over the kingdom and the reluctant heir trying to prove himself).

Yes, “Aquaman” probably stole the most headlines coming out of SDCC, but that’s just because there was so much hype surrounding this trailer that everyone wanted to take a look. And if this is the best they could do, maybe “Aquaman” isn’t the savior that DC fans hoped for.

WINNER — “Shazam!”
Surprisingly, what might actually be the salvation that DC fans were looking for is “Shazam!” With all the criticism surrounding the costume reveal and casting choices for this latest superhero film from WB, fan expectations were tempered. But it says a lot for “Shazam!” that after the WB/DC panel in Hall H, the buzz was about this superhero flick and not the Momoa-led underwater epic.

For a film that is almost a year away, DC presented a charming trailer that was incredibly polished, with great jokes, endearing acting from Zachary Levi (sporting that silly red suit that actually fits in the context of the film), and a tone that can best be described as “Marvel-ish” meets “Big” with Tom Hanks. Again, if you ask fanboys and girls, you might get a different opinion, but “Shazam!” is looking like a film that might be a breakout for DC and the film that helps restart their universe.

LOSER — Disney
Marvel Studios didn’t even have a massive Hall H panel this year, and somehow Disney— whose absence was felt everywhere — still managed to be the most talked-about topic at SDCC. On Friday, at the height of SDCC, Disney announced it was firing James Gunn from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and the whole comic book world was turned on its head. For years, Gunn had been one of the most popular voices in fandom, saying all the right things, making two fan-favorite films, and becoming one of Marvel’s biggest hype men. And then, like that, he was gone.

All the buzz around SDCC was about what people thought of Gunn’s dismissal. While there are a few outliers who agree with the Disney decision, by and large, most of the fandom community see Gunn’s firing as a horrible idea and the first real blemish on the record of Marvel Studios (albeit one made by Disney). And it wasn’t just fans that were upset over the ordeal, with many of Gunn’s own cast coming to his defense and bashing the Mouse House.

In a year where Marvel Studios pulled the confident, baller move of not bothering with Comic-Con— at this point you can argue Marvel don’t even need it — they inadvertently ended up creating the wrong kind of stir thanks to Disney’s (poor) decision.