This weekend, Marvel returns to Chicago with a nonstop schedule of star-studded signings, panels, stage events, and more! From Friday, February 28 – Sunday, March 1, fans will want to stop by the Marvel Booth (Booth #327) and experience a thrilling series of events happening all weekend long.

From the moment the doors open, fans will be able to get their hands on Marvel’s convention-exclusive t-shirts (while supplies last) featuring iconic characters like the web-slinging hero Spider-Man, the deadly assassin Black Widow, and more of their favorite Super Heroes. Fans will also have the chance to purchase an exclusive Black Widow Spirit Jersey only available at C2E2 this year!

For attendees at both C2E2 and ECCC this year, Marvel will also be offering an exclusive selection of individually numbered, bagged & boarded variant comics while supplies last, including:

· X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #1 GLOW-IN-THE-DARK VARIANT BY FRANK CHO (limited to 3,000 total copies)

· WOLVERINE #1 FLUORESCENT VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (limited to 3,000 total copies)

· GWEN STACY #1 GLOW-IN-THE-DARK VARIANT BY SARA PICHELLI (limited to 3,000 total copies)

Looking for more comics? Fans can snag an exclusive giveaway sketch variant of Excalibur #7 by artist Mahmud Asrar during the Marvel Fanfare with C.B. Cebulski panel, and Marvel Unlimited Plus members and Marvel Mastercard cardholders will be able to get an exclusive ultra-rare variant cover of Captain Marvel #15– for FREE!* Drawn by artist Todd Nauck, the cover presents Earth’s Mightiest Hero Captain Marvel soaring through the cosmos - rendered in the inimitable style of Cosbaby by Hot Toys!

In addition to grabbing your exclusive variants, be sure to swing by Marvel’s booth to check out Marvel Unlimited – Marvel’s digital comics app providing access to over 27,000 digital comics. Anyone signing up for a subscription at the booth will receive a free Venom box, including an action figure, comics and more.** And Marvel Insiders, make sure you attend Marvel panels and visit the Marvel booth to capture special codes to earn tens of thousands of Marvel Insider points!

Marvel’s signing schedule will include some of the biggest creators in the industry – including Chris Claremont, Al Ewing, Nick Spencer, Tini Howard, Ben Percy, Jonathan Hickman, Skottie Young, Eve L. Ewing, Rainbow Rowell, and many more!

Attendees at Skottie Young’s signing on Friday will also be able to test their abilities for the mystical and mysterious Strange Academy! Marvel’s first school of magic is in session this March, and Skottie Young wants YOU to apply! But do you have what it takes to train with the best of Marvel’s sorcerers? Drop by the Marvel booth to apply for admission and find out if you are accepted or denied directly from Skottie himself – and receive a signed Strange Academy poster while you’re at it!

*In order to redeem the comic, fans must come to the Marvel Booth #327 and present their Marvel Mastercard (if they are a Marvel Mastercard cardholder) OR Marvel Unlimited+ membership card or order confirmation (if they are a Marvel Unlimited+ member). One comic per member or cardholder. Comics are available while supplies last.

**Supplies are limited. Must subscribe to Marvel Unlimited on site. Auto-renewal and other terms and conditions apply.

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT PANEL SCHEDULE***:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28:

Marvel Artist Extravaganza: A This Week in Marvel Special Event

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Room S401

Marvel’s most amazing comic book series shine due to exceptional artists and storytellers creating each issue. This Week in Marvel invites writer & artist Skottie Young (Strange Academy) and other Mighty Marvel Guests who work on X-Men, Venom, Spider-Man, and more to talk about how they work with their creative teams and the unique storytelling process of the medium.

Marvel Fanfare with CB Cebulski

1:15pm - 2:15pm

Room S401

This is your chance to meet the head of editorial at Marvel! In an exclusive and intimate panel experience, Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski along with Marvel mega-stars Jonathan Hickman (X-Men) and Al Ewing (Empyre) will talk about anything and everything involved with Marvel Comics. Learn about the origin stories of these superlative storytellers straight from the source, and ask all of your burning questions during the Q&A! PLUS – Attendees of this panel will receive an EXCLUSIVE Excalibur #7 sketch variant, available while supplies last!

MARVEL COMICS: X-Men

2:30pm - 3:30pm

Room S401

X-ceptional writer Jonathan Hickman (X-Men) is joined by Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski, Senior Editor Jordan D. White, and a Krakoan Habitat’s worth of X-Men creators to bring you all-new data straight from the House of X House of Ideas! The Dawn of X has broken, and mutantkind has begun to leave a new mark on the world! But what comes next for Marvel’s Merry Mutants? Find out in this can’t-miss panel featuring Gerry Duggan (Marauders, Cable), Tini Howard (Excalibur), Benjamin Percy (X-Force, Wolverine), Ed Brisson (New Mutants), Vita Ayala (Children of the Atom), and Leah Williams (X-Factor).

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29:

MARVEL COMICS: Empyre

3:45pm - 4:45pm

Room S401

Come join us, brothers and sisters, as we enumerate upon the crimes of the intergalactic war criminals knows as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and take up arms in a mighty Kree & Skrull Alliance against them! The rally will be led by Ryan Penagos, with Alliance members Al Ewing, C.B. Cebulski, and Tom Brevoort in attendance in Emperor Hulkling’s stead. The Kree and Skrulls are ready to present a united front against the Avengers – and any other Terrans that stand in their way. This panel will detail the battle plans to be chronicled in Marvel's earth-shattering comic event series of 2020…Your presence is mandatory.

MARVEL COMICS: Next Big Thing

5:00pm - 6:00pm

Room S401

Al Ewing! Skottie Young! Donny Cates! These titanic talents along with Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort unite to bring you the hottest Marvel projects of 2020! What cosmic calamity awaits the Guardians of the Galaxy in the outer reaches of space? Is Venom prepared to face his deadliest foe yet? And which class at Strange Academy has the hardest midterm? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this premier panel event!

SUNDAY, MARCH 1:

Women of Marvel

12:15pm - 1:15pm

Room S401

Today, telling stories for Marvel means stepping into a long lineage of characters and a vast web of backstories. What's it like to take on that challenge as a creator? This year at C2E2, Women of Marvel invites some of Marvel’s celebrated storytellers to the stage to talk about how they stay true to their creative style while continuing the stories of comic book characters so many people know and love.

***Due to guest scheduling conflicts, Marvel's Storyboards World Premiere with Joe Quesada (originally scheduled for Saturday, February 29) has been cancelled***

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT BOOTH SCHEDULE (#327):

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28:

11:00am – 11:30am – Prop Store’s Marvel Television Live Auction Preview

12:00pm – 1:00pm – MARVEL COMICS: X-MEN SIGNING

2:30pm – 3:30pm – Marvel Becoming: Cosplay Photo Op

3:45pm – 4:45pm – Marvel Comics: Strange Academy Signing & Application Test

6:00pm – 7:00pm – Marvel Super Hero Happy Giveaway Hour

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29:

11:00am – 11:30am – Marvel Mystery Message

12:00pm – 1:00pm – MARVEL COMICS: EMPYRE SIGNING

2:00pm – 3:00pm – Marvel Becoming: Costume Contest****

3:15pm – 3:45pm – Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes Exhibit Preview

4:15pm – 4:45pm – Marvel Mystery Message

6:00pm – 7:00pm – Marvel Super Hero Happy Giveaway Hour

SUNDAY, MARCH 1:

12:00pm – 12:30pm – Marvel Mystery Message

1:00pm – 2:00pm – Marvel Civil War: Empyre Edition

2:30pm – 3:00pm – Marvel Becoming: Kids Costume Event

4:00pm – 5:00pm – Marvel Super Hero Happy Giveaway Hour

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT SIGNING SCHEDULE (#327):

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28:

12:00pm – 1:00pm – MARVEL COMICS: X-MEN SIGNING (feat. Jonathan Hickman, Gerry Duggan, Tini Howard, Benjamin Percy, Ed Brisson, Vita Ayala, Leah Williams)

3:00pm – 3:45pm – Al Ewing, Michael Cho, and Rachelle Rosenberg

3:45pm – 4:45pm – MARVEL COMICS: STRANGE ACADEMY SIGNING & APPLICATION TEST (feat. Skottie Young)

5:00pm – 5:45pm – Rainbow Rowell, Robbie Thompson

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29:

11:00am – 11:45am – Leah Williams, Tini Howard, Vita Ayala

12:00pm – 1:00pm – MARVEL COMICS: EMPYRE SIGNING (feat. Al Ewing, Tom Brevoort, C.B. Cebulski)

1:00pm – 1:45pm – Kyle Higgins, Rod Reis

3:00pm – 3:45pm – Benjamin Percy, Ed Brisson, Jonathan Hickman

SUNDAY, MARCH 1:

11:00am – 11:45am – Chris Claremont

12:00pm– 12:45pm – Nick Spencer, Pat Gleason, Ryan Ottley

2:00pm – 2:45pm – Eve L. Ewing, David Nakayama

****See Marvel.com/c2e2-costume-contest-rules for full terms and conditions

With HBO and DC Studios’ upcoming series Lanterns positioning itself as a grounded, detective‑style drama, fans are paying close attention to how the show will deploy one of the Green Lantern mythos’ most iconic figures: Sinestro. Officially confirmed to appear in the series and portrayed by Ulrich Thomsen, Sinestro’s inclusion signals that Lanterns is not just telling a crime story—it is laying the foundation for the moral and ideological conflicts at the heart of the Green Lantern universe. According to DC Studios’ official character description, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern who turned rogue after abusing his power. He is described as “ruthless yet undeniably charming,” with a manipulative obsession centered on his former mentee, Hal Jordan. Jordan is being played by Kyle Chandler. This immediately suggests that Sinestro’s role in Lanterns will be personal rather than purely antagonistic. Rather than functioning as a straightforward villain to be defeated, Sinestro is more likely to appear as a philosophical counterpoint to Hal Jordan. In the comics, Sinestro believes order must be enforced through fear, not willpower or trust. Translating that worldview into a grounded HBO drama fits perfectly with the show’s True Detective-inspired tone, where moral certainty is often elusive. Lanterns centers on Hal Jordan and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as intergalactic law officers investigating a murder in the American heartland. While the crime is Earth‑based, the implications are cosmic, and Sinestro’s presence may loom over the investigation rather than dominate it outright. Given Sinestro’s history as Hal Jordan’s mentor, one plausible role is that of a symbolic embodiment of Hal’s past failures. Sinestro may serve as a reminder of what happens when a Green Lantern decides the rules no longer work—or that he alone should decide how justice is delivered. This framing would reinforce Hal’s status as a seasoned Lantern nearing the end of his career, forced to confront the ideological consequences of the Corps’ authority. Production reports confirm that Sinestro is a recurring character, not necessarily the central antagonist of every episode. That opens the door for a more subtle narrative function: Sinestro as a background manipulator. Rather than openly opposing the Lanterns, Sinestro could be: Feeding Hal Jordan information to test his judgment, quietly steering events tied to the murder investigation or Serving as a warning figure for John Stewart, illustrating what a Lantern can become when certainty replaces empathy. This approach aligns with comments from Ulrich Thomsen, who hinted on social media that his time as Sinestro may not be finished, suggesting long‑term narrative relevance beyond a single season. While Lanterns is firmly Earth‑based, it exists within DC Studios’ broader DC Universe (DCU). Sinestro’s introduction here may function less as a payoff and more as setup. In DC canon, Sinestro is to the Green Lanterns what Lex Luthor is to Superman—a recurring ideological nemesis rather than a one‑time foe. By grounding Sinestro early as a calculating, persuasive presence rather than a spectacle‑driven villain, Lanterns could be positioning him as: A future architect of larger DCU conflicts, a connective figure between cosmic and Earth‑level stories or as a moral antagonist whose philosophy spreads rather than attacks. Nothing beyond Lanterns has been officially confirmed, but Sinestro’s stature in DC lore makes his appearance here feel intentional rather than incidental. Based on what is known, Sinestro’s role in Lanterns is unlikely to hinge on spectacle. Instead, he appears poised to challenge the core identity of the Green Lantern Corps—and of Hal Jordan himself. Whether he appears as a mentor‑turned‑enemy, a manipulative observer, or a philosophical provocateur, Sinestro represents the question at the heart of the series: Is justice about enforcing order—or believing people can choose to do better? In a show built around investigation, doubt, and moral consequence, Sinestro may not be the loudest presence—but he could be the most dangerous one. 

The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for his role as Xander Harris on the beloved television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brendon passed away at the age of 54, his family confirmed, stating that he died in his sleep of natural causes. News of his passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, friends, and fans who grew up with his work and were touched by his honesty and humanity. Born in Los Angeles in 1971, Brendon rose to international fame in 1997 when he was cast as Xander Harris, the witty, loyal, and often self‑deprecating heart of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Appearing in all seven seasons of the series from 1997 to 2003, Brendon helped shape one of television’s most enduring ensemble casts. Xander, the lone member of the group without supernatural powers, became a relatable stand‑in for audiences—grounded, flawed, brave, and deeply human. Following Buffy, Brendon continued to work steadily in television and film. His credits included recurring roles on Criminal Minds and Private Practice, as well as appearances in Kitchen Confidential, Faking It, and cult films such as Psycho Beach Party and Coherence. While none matched the cultural impact of Buffy, his performances were often praised for their sincerity and emotional openness. In later years, Brendon spoke candidly about his personal struggles. He was open about living with addiction, mental health challenges, and serious medical conditions, including a congenital heart defect and complications from spinal injuries that required multiple surgeries. His willingness to discuss these issues publicly resonated with many fans, who saw in him not just a television star, but a person navigating real and painful challenges while continuing to create. Despite these difficulties, Brendon remained creatively driven. According to his family, he found renewed passion in painting and visual art in recent years, sharing his work with friends and supporters. In their statement announcing his death, they remembered him as “passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” and asked for privacy as they grieve and celebrate his life. 

Multiple sites, including Deadline and Variety, are reporting that one of the stars of the upcoming HBO series Lanterns will be making taking his character to the big screen. Aaron Pierre, who plays new Green Lantern John Stewart, is now set to appear in the upcoming James Gunn film Man of Tomorrow. Though not officially a Superman sequel, MoT stars David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprising their roles as Superman and Lex Luthor along with other returning cast members Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo and Sara Sampaio. This film will also introduce another popular DC Comic’s villain, Brainiac, played by German actor Lars Eidinger. Pierre joins DC’s cosmic police force along with Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan as they team up to investigate a murder in Nebraska. The tone of the Lanterns series is much darker and grounded, in the style of a True Detective season, but this move drives home that the series is connected to Gunn’s growing DC Universe that also includes Peacemaker and the animated Creature Commandos. The interesting thing to note is that while Pierre’s Stewart will appear, there is no word on whether Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern introduced in Superman, will return. Fillion is also set to appear in Lanterns, having told reporters he has sworn more in his appearance in the upcoming series than in all of his previous roles combined. This may not bode well for the ring-wielding hero or his bowl cut. Lanterns is set to debut in August on HBO Max and Man of Tomorrow is scheduled for July 2027. 

The anticipated reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will not be moving forward at Hulu. The news was broken to disappointed fans by producer and returning star Sarah Michelle Gellar on her Instagram this morning. The streamer had originally ordered a pilot to be directed by Eternals director Chloé Zhao from a script written Poker Face writers by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Gellar wrote in her post, “I want to thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots. And thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means, not only to me, but to all of you. This doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes… you can still beep me.” Sources say that the initial reaction to the pilot were not good and while discussions were had about reworking the pilot, Hulu has decided not to proceed but remains excited about the Buffy IP and will likely regroup and find a new approach to move the franchise forward. 

You may have noticed that I’m not the biggest fan of ‘Industry Insiders’ who have paywalls set up to dole out rumors like… well, I couldn’t find a metaphor that wasn’t extremely insulting so we’ll just move on. Those ‘insiders’ need to have a ready supply of rumors to keep their subscribers coming back and since there is no accountability for erroneous rumors, one has to wonder if some of them are just made up out of thin air. James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, has a times come out and addressed a batch of rumors that fans ask him about on social media. He did this again recently and here are some of the rumors he addressed along with his response. A report that the upcoming Man of Tomorrow has changed its title to Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Gunn has said before that this was more than a Superman movie and confirms the title has NOT changed by simply saying, “Nope.” Another report says that the film with begin filming in a few weeks, and while it will begin shortly, he says “by strict definition of Few, nope.” Reports say that he’s trying to rush through Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga so he can then get to Brave and the Bold. That’s another ‘Nope’. Scoopers claim that Paradise Lost, the Wonder Woman prequel series was now dead or shelved. I know this will surprise you, but he said, “Nope”. And he did confirm one thing, that Superman does not believe in Santa Claus because, “He’s an adult.” Rumors can be fun to talk about and debate, but if they set unrealistic expectations that ruin the film for someone, then that’s a problem. And paying for rumors… that seems a bit crazy to me. 

Many MCU fans wonder why the events of Daredevil: Born Again won’t be even referenced in upcoming films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In Born Again, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the new Mayor of New York and has declared martial law along with creating a taskforce to hunt down vigilantes and you would think someone like Spider-Man (Tom Holland) would be on his radar. But that’s not going to happen on the big screen, no Fisk in BND and SFX Magazine thought that would be a good thing to ask Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane about. “I’d be into it, because I dig the comics! But no, that’s been kind of a fun and challenging thing. We know there’s a huge world out there of the MCU. This corner of it has crossovers. We’ve seen Daredevil in other shows, there are other characters that are going to be popping up in movies and stuff, and that all goes into the larger MCU of it all. The joke we make is, ‘Oh, those guys are uptown – we’re downtown!’ We kind of have a pocket that’s in this world of Hell’s Kitchen, in this world of New York. I always think that maybe these characters take a little vacation into the larger world but the story that we’re focusing on is really granular.” Let me translate that, “They can borrow our toys, but we can’t touch there’s.” A shame as we all want a real Daredevil/Spider-Man crossover.   

“You have failed this beach!” Okay, there is probably no way Stephen Amell will say that line in the new Baywatch reboot, but I can’t be the only one who thought about it. Fox announced yesterday that the former Arrow, Heels and Suits LA star would be the lead in the networks bid to recapture the popularity of their lifeguard themed drama from the 90s. Amell will be playing the role of Hobie Buchannon, a role first introduced in the OG series. Hobie’s world turns upside down when Charlie, the daughter he didn’t know he had, shows up ready to put on the red bathing suit and follow in the family business. The show got a straight-to-series 12-episode order back in September, so the network is moving quickly. An interesting note is that Amell is the right age if the network wanted to bring back David Hasselhoff to reprise the role of Hobie’s father Mitch for an episode or two. 

You may not have known this, but in 2021 a Zatanna movie was in the works. J.J. Abrams had given the project to Emerald Fennell to script as she was coming off 2020 directorial debut, A Promising Young Woman. So, what happened? According to Fennell, who recently joined the Happy Sad Confused podcast, what she had written was “probably too far away from the genre.” She was very honest about the work, saying: “I think it was demented because I was probably going through it at the time. And the thing is, I think what I can’t help but—and then, I’d just finished A Promising Young Woman, and there was this huge thing in this world I’d never operated in. And again, it was a kind of superhero movie, and I was like, ‘How do I make the version of a superhero movie that I would connect to emotionally?’ Which is sort of the woman in the middle of a nervous breakdown, so it’s a script reflective of a woman in the middle of a nervous breakdown. And in terms of what that means, I suppose it just meant that it was probably too far away from the genre.” For those of you who are not familiar with Zatanna, she was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in the pages of November 1964’s Hawkman and has been a consistent magical character in the DC Universe ever since, regularly teaming up with Batman, John Constantine and was a member of the Justice League. Fennell went on to describe the script, “It was really dark. I haven’t read it for a really long time, because I found it really difficult. Because, also the thing is, I love JJ [Abrams] so much, and he took a chance offering me to do it, and I really wanted to deliver something amazing for them. And I always felt like I hadn’t quite maybe delivered the thing that they wanted. So, I haven’t read it since, and I wonder if I read it now, I’d be more generous toward myself. But I felt like, I wished I’d been able to deliver the thing they wanted. They were really lovely about it, it’s even just remembering. You’re making me remember scenes, I’m like, ‘Nobody would have made that.'” I have to admit I totally want to read that script now. 

Don’t expect to see Vincent D’Onofrio show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It seems the rights to the character still precludes him from appearing in a film unless Sony wants him to. Which, yes, Brand New Day is a Sony/Marvel production… but while visiting the Bingworthy podcast, the Kingpin actor responded to the question about the current mayor of the MCU NYC showing up by saying, “No. I think I’ll just wait until they have the rights to my character and they put me in one of those movies, and then I’ll figure it all out.” This makes sense that Marvel can’t just have the character show up in any random film, like The Thunderbolts, without Sony saying okay, but he is available for television appearances. Why Sony has chosen to not let the character show up in a Sony film though seems a little odd, unless the actor is using the rights issue as a cover to keep from telling us that Wilson Fisk will not be the mayor after the events of the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again season two, which is scheduled to release in March and complete well before Brand New Day hits theaters. 

In 1989 writer/artist John Byrne was working on the West Coast Avengers title for Marvel and decided to have some fun. Since there was both an east and west coast version of the team, he decided to make a third one, in the middle of the country, and keeping with the body of water theme to the names… we got the Great Lakes Avengers. The team was made up of five founding members: Mr. Immortal, Flat Man, Big Bertha, Dinah Soar and Doorman and while the team has probably had more cease-and-desist lawsuits filed against them than real battles, they have been around for years now and have popped up a lot. The interesting thing though is that two of these members have now made appearances in the MCU. And not just blink-and-you-missed-it moments. Both Mr. Immortal and Doorman have had at least half, if not a full episode of a series dedicated to them. In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, David Pasquesi plays Craig Hollis aka Mr. Immortal who has his immortal ability and uses it to get out a marriages, which he has a lot of. When pressured by his own attorneys, he leapt out of a high-rise window and plummeted to the street below, slamming into the roof of a car, only to pop right back up and walk away. It doesn’t end well for him though as he is forced to pay off all of his exes. Then we get to meet DeMarr Davis aka the Doorman in the new Wonder Man series. Byron Bowers plays the man with the ability to use his body as a door in and out of the dark dimension. While he is a mutant in the comics, in the MCU he gets his abilities by touching toxic waste from Roxxon, similar to how Cloak & Dagger got their powers. DeMarr becomes a cautionary tale about chasing fortune and fame in Hollywood that may have cost the life of beloved actor Josh Gad. It also made the industry enact a law banning superpowered people from working in show business. This is a major plot point in the series. With two of the five characters both located in Southern California, could we end up getting the rest of the team at some point and them relocating for a fresh start? Sounds like the perfect idea for one of those Marvel Spotlight one-hour specials.