Every year, the city of San Diego gets “dressed up” for San Diego Comic-Con, from building wraps, trolley wraps, and beyond. But one of the surest signs that San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner is when the annual Gaslamp banners go up.

[UPDATE July 8]

Sing me a song, of a lass that is gone… to Comic-Con.

In addition to the official Comic-Con International banners, the banners closest to the San Diego Convention Center have historically been purchased by a studio for advertising. This year, that honor goes to Starz, with their “We’re all adults here” marketing. Up first is the original Outlander series:

Like, just look at that backdrop.

Followed by the spin-off series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood:

And finally, there’s also Spartacus: House of Ashur:

With all three series getting autograph signings at the convention, we’re sure panels can’t be far behind.

[UPDATE June 24]

Surprise! A third banner has appeared in the Gaslamp, this time for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as spotted by the ever-vigilant Cool San Diego Sights.

While we already know that Marvel Studios won’t be doing its full Hall H panel on Saturday night, a screening for the film similar to last year’s screening for Deadpool & Wolverine certainly does not seem outside of the question.

[UPDATE June 19]

Another San Diego Comic-Con banner has been spotted in the Gaslamp, this time for  Tron: Ares, the latest in Walt Disney Studios franchise, directed by Joachim Rønning. With an October release date scheduled, could this indicate a possible panel in Hall H? It’s been 15 years since Tron Legacy took the Hall H stage, we think it’s ripe for a comeback.

Two versions of the Tron: Ares banner were spotted by Kim from Outside Comic-Con; a double version with the image crossing over from one banner to another, and a single version with the full image.

Over the last ten years, Marvel has typically been the sponsor of the banners, but as they aren’t taking over Hall H with their big panel — that means the honor is instead going to 20th Century Fox and their film Predator: Badlands (with the same design on both sides).

All of this tracks. After all, Marvel Studios’ next big film is Fantastic Four: First Steps, which comes out the week of San Diego Comic-Con, but as last year’s banners were focused on that same film, they likely didn’t want to repeat themselves. 20th Century Fox has taken over the banners before, with the last one being in 2023 with their film The Creator.

While not a guarantee that Predator: Badlands will get a big splashy Hall H panel, it sure feels a lot more likely. The film, which stars Elle Fanning and was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, is releasing on November 7.

From Parks & Cons on our team, here’s a look: