WonderCon – along with, we imagine, people dressed up as Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Black Panther and scores of other characters – returns in person this weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center.
In a three-day celebration of movies, TV, games, and, yes, comic books, WonderCon 2022 might not be as sprawling as it was in 2019, when last the fandoms gathered, but it should feel close to normal.
We scoured the programs for the weekend for hints of what’s happening this weekend – at first glance, more comic book-related panels, less with TV shows and movies – and came up with a list of likely highlights. Here’s a taste of what’s happening at WonderCon this weekend.
Alia Pyatt shares a laugh with friends as she is dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid outside 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 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, dons fake staples in 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 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 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)
Spiderman, Sebastian G., poses 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)
Spidermen; Caleb Weeks, left, Tom Iwata, center, and Sebastian G., find each other outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Matt Eusey peeks inside Jason Anderson’s homemade helmet as the pair are dressed 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 Grey from X-Men in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Carly Gallardo, 8, dressed as Hamburglar offers a burger to her friend, Cory Jaffe, 9, dressed as Halloween Wanda from Wandavision, outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mike Valdez is dressed as a Funko Pop! as his parents, Ron and Chinara Valdez, walk in to 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 Spiderman, cuddles with Mei Li, dressed as Mary Jane, as their picture is taken by Derek Shackleton, dressed as Moon Knight, 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 in the Spider-universe pose for picutres 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 atop 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 a 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 atop 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, walk in to 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 mashup of Darth Vader, C-3PO with a dash of Wonder Woman, outside WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/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 atop 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)
Day 1 of WonderCon includes panels with a variety of comic book and graphic novel writers and artists, including artist Michael Cho, whose work includes many of the DC and Marvel superheroes, writer David F. Walker, whose credits include comic books and a novel based on the private detective Shaft, and writer Shannon Hale, whose works include Marvel’s “Squirrel Girl” novels.
The panel Behind the Scenes with the Borg Queen from “Star Trek: Picard” will feature actress Annie Wersching, the Borg Queen herself, and the prosthetics team who Borg her out for the TV series.
The Fun Behind Funko! panel seems like a must for collectors of the wildly popular figures, while in the evening, writer-director Kevin Smith will host one of his always popular panels.
There’s also a lot of anime programmed throughout the weekend, including on Friday a session with “Hayate the Combat Butler,” a career about which we can’t decide whether want to hire or become.
Saturday
The second day of WonderCon includes a lot more TV and movie panels, including sessions on the Disney+ reboot of the fantasy competition series “The Quest” and Hulu’s second season of “The Hardy Boys,” for which the streamer has dispatched stars Rohan Campbell and Alexander Elliot to the Con.
Comic book writer and artist Rob Liefeld, the co-creator of both Deadpool and Cable, has a panel on 30 years of Extreme Studios, while Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has one of his own on Saturday.
Cannabis is legal now in California, but the world’s preeminent stoner comedians Cheech and Chong remember when it wasn’t. They’ll make an appearance at WonderCon on Saturday for their first-ever graphic novel, “Cheech & Chong’s Chronicles: A Brief History of Weed.”
And 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 starts early with a preview of “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” during a panel that will feature most of main voice actors for the popular animated series that now makes its jump to the big screen.
Later, Shudder’s “Cursed Films” panel will introduce a new docuseries that explores the truth behind some of the fictionalized stories in popular horror entertainment.
Actor David Dastmalchian, whose roles include the ridiculous superhero the Polka Dot Man in “The Suicide Squad,” has a panel and booth appearances on Sunday to promote the return of his Dark Horse comic book series “Count Crowley.”
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 the Crypt Keeper is our only possible cosplay.
Related Articles
WonderCon 2022: ‘Expedition Bigfoot’ host talks science, skeptics and Jane Goodall
Long Beach’s Midsummer Scream horror convention returns in July
How Alex Segura’s novel ‘Secret Identity’ tackles comic books and crime in the ’70s
