Comic-Con flashback: The 15 wildest moments ever from Hall H

The San Diego Convention Center had been home to Comic-Con since it opened in 1991, but it didn’t expand into Hall H (normally used as an event space or an additional convention floor space for vendor booths) until 2004. The first major panel held in the space was for Christopher Nolan’s . Though neither Nolan nor star Christian Bale appeared in person that year, co-star Cillian Murphy (who you might recognize from his latest team up with Nolan, Oppenheimer) and writer David S. Goyer did come down to support the film.

By 2006 Hall H was starting to become a destination venue for genre projects hoping to generate some early word of mouth among fans. That was the strategy for bringing , Zack Snyder’s film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, to the hall. Snyder would go on to become a Comic-Con regular as his relationship with DC and Warner Bros. continued to thrive. The first teaser for 300 was shown to fans during the panel and became so popular that thousands of uploads of it appeared on YouTube shortly after. For this reason, future panels would put strict restrictions on what fans could and couldn’t film on their personal devices and share with the public. Bootleg footage continues to be an issue, but there’s no question the hype ultimately helped 300 when it came out in theaters.

Hall H has hosted many memorable moments in Marvel movie history, and it all began with the introduction of at the 2007 convention. Director Jon Favreau—known mostly at that time for his acting roles in films like Swingers and, ironically, 2003’s Daredevil—introduced the cast, including Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Robert Downey, Jr. Fans got to see a four-minute sizzle reel and the first glimpse of the various Iron Man suits appearing in the film. The wildly enthusiastic audience response was the first indication that this film would be something special, and everyone in the room could feel it.

Looking back on the history of Comic-Con, experts pinpoint 2008 as the year that really put Hall H on the map. That’s when legions of fans showed up to camp in line overnight in hopes of securing a front-row seat for the debut of the big-screen versions of Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson), and Jacob (Taylor Lautner). It started a tradition that caused organizers to rethink the design of the queue and enact safety measures to ensure the massive crowd didn’t get out of hand. The panel was such a success that when the cast returned the following year to promote the sequel, , organizers had to reschedule the Avatar panel to ensure that it wouldn’t be filled with impatient Twilight fans.

Cinephiles are just starting to to understand what anyone who attended Comic-Con in 2009 has known for years— is an underrated gem. Universal went all out that year to promote the film to a receptive target audience, and although that didn’t wind up translating to success at the box office, the memory of director out of the Convention Center, across the Gaslamp Quarter and into the Balboa Theater for a surprise screening immediately after the panel will always be a cherished one.

In 2009, you couldn’t go anywhere at Comic-Con without hearing about James Cameron’s Avatar. Images of blue cat-like alien people appeared on banners throughout the Gaslamp Quarter and on free tote bags given out to attendees. For many it was the first time they’d seen or heard about the new film, and the buzz about it led to a packed Hall H presentation, complete with 3D glasses for viewing the footage. Cameron came on stage to introduce the film and its stars and premiered around 25 minutes of the film, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

The first time the MCU’s Avengers ever stood on a stage together was at the Marvel Studios panel in Hall H in 2010. Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige turned the microphone over to Samuel L. Jackson, naturally, to introduce the official lineup, including Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey, Jr. Then a giddy Downey took over to bring on the remaining cast members, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo (who had reportedly only just signed his contract earlier in the day), and director Joss Whedon. The film was still two years away, but the excitement of the announcement in the packed hall stoked anticipation.

While 2010 will mainly be remembered as the year the Avengers first assembled, there were a few other noteworthy Hall H events that Comic-Con weekend. Despite being part of some of the biggest genre franchises of all time, it wasn’t until 2010 that Harrison Ford made his first appearance at the convention to promote the largely forgotten . After director Jon Favreau introduced the other cast members—including Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell—Ford took the stage in handcuffs, flanked by security guards. The joke was that Favreau had to resort to force to get him there.

“In brightest day, in darkest night…” Every Green Lantern fan knows the words to the hero’s famous oath, including, apparently star Ryan Reynolds. In yet another big moment from 2010 (that was some year), Reynolds appeared on the Hall H stage alongside his fellow cast members to promote the DC film. In response to a young boy’s question about what it feels like to recite the oath, Reynolds recited it for him. The delighted boy’s reaction was precious, and Reynolds signed a comic book for him afterwards. Spontaneous moments like this are what fan conventions are really all about—or at least, they should be.

Another great moment at the Hall H floor microphone took place in 2011 when a fan dressed as Spider-Man stood up to speak before the start of the panel for . “I think this might be the most incredible day of my life,” the masked fan said. “I’ve always wanted to be at Comic-Con at Hall H as Spider-Man with all of you guys. It’s always been a dream of mine.” Then he took off his mask and revealed himself to be Andrew Garfield, the next actor to take on the role of Peter Parker in the upcoming reboot. Garfield’s sincere nervousness and excitement to be there and his clear love for the character made the stunt all the more, uh, amazing.

In 2013, actor Bryan Cranston dressed up as his character Walter White and walked the convention floor wearing a mask of his own face. Who knows how many unaware fans took pictures with someone they thought was wearing a really good costume when in fact they were taking pictures with the man himself. Cranston peeled off the mask when he arrived in Hall H for the show’s panel, to the delight and shock of the audience.

Tom Hiddleston fully embraced his Loki persona in 2013 without ever breaking character during Marvel’s Hall H panel. As the panel got started the lights in the hall suddenly went dark with Kevin Feige in mid-sentence. Then a deep, rumbling, and instantly recognizable voice rippled through the room, “Humanity,” it said, “Look how far you’ve fallen. Lining up in the sweltering heat for hours. Huddling together in the dark like beasts.” When the lights came on, Hiddleston was standing on stage in full Lori regalia, drinking in cheers of “Loki! Loki! Loki” It remains one of the greatest Comic-Con entrances of all time, and his devilishly rousing speech may never be topped.

Star Wars has been a part of Comic-Con from the beginning. It was actually the first big film franchise to come to the con, , when the event was still being held at San Diego’s El Cortez Hotel. One of the best Star Wars moments happened in 2015, kicking off the Star Wars trilogy in advance of . Director J.J. Abrams invited everyone in Hall H to a surprise concert at a separate venue behind the convention center. There, he introduced the film’s cast, including the original trio of Harrison Ford (who didn’t have to be handcuffed this time), Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. Fans were treated to a performance of selections from the film’s musical score and other recognizable themes by John Williams.

There were actually two big panels promoting in Hall H, the first in 2016 and another in 2017. The initial appearance is the most momentous because it was the first time fans got a good look at the cast members all in one place. Just as the first public appearance of The Avengers energized the crowd in 2010, the fans in Hall H lost their minds seeing Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, and Jason Momoa together on stage. Regardless of what eventually happened with the director, the film, the cast, and the DCEU later on, it’s a reminder of the tremendous bench of talent and potential they had back then.

After being paused by the pandemic, 2022 marked Comic-Con’s first year back in full force, and although some of the magic was already fading, there were a few times during the Marvel panel when it seemed like the Comic-Con of old. One of the most emotional and real responses we’ve ever seen on the stage in Hall H came after the premiere of the trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with director Ryan Coogler and the cast visibly moved by the loss of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. But a live performance led by African musicians Baaba Maal and Massamba Diop livened everyone up and brought the crowd to its feet.