It’s two weeks away from Comic-Con, and CCI is releasing the programming schedule for Comic-Con 2026 in its annual fashion. We’ll be bringing you the highlights of each day as they’re announced.

We’ll also be discussing our thoughts on this year’s lineup, including our top picks, what time to line up, room flow, and more in a special series of live podcasts this weekend. The first of which will cover Thursday’s and Friday’s lineup, and will be on Friday July 10 at 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT (which is tonight!)

With that said, let’s dive right into Friday.

Starting in Hall H, the day starts out focused on TV, before veering into films. We kickstart the day with Amazon Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099 and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in a split 90-minute panel. Then it’s a look at the upcoming season three of The Walking Dead: Dead City, before The Vampire Lestat takes a bite out of the schedule at 12:30pm (a major upgrade for the vampires, which I am thrilled about for them, but very sad about for me as a self-identified “Ballroom 20 Kid”). Then it’s Lanterns at 1:30pm for a look at the new HBO Max DC series, and Grimm gets a 15th anniversary reunion panel at 2:45. I still have many questions about why this one’s in Hall H, but… sure! Finally, the day closes out with the upcoming Spaceballs 2 (though it doesn’t list which cast will be in attendance), and closes out with the great Guillermo del Toro for a look back at his masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Over in Ballroom 20, it’s opposites day! Because they’re starting out with film, before transitioning into television (and comics… and video games…then back to movies again!). Up first is the DreamWorks Animation Forgotten Island with TBA “stars”, followed by CBS’ horror comedy double header of Ghosts and the new Eternally Yours. At 12:45, TV Guide Magazine’s Damian Holbrook (we love you, Damian!), presents his annual “Fan Favorites” panel with more TBA stars, though it typically includes exciting names from across the panels at the convention, particularly on the TV side (but it won’t star The Vampire Lestat cast, for those keeping score at home, because their panel is on at the same time — just me keeping score?).

Do you remember the unhinged 2014 short film Too Many Cooks that started off as an homage to 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s sitcom title sequences, before devolving into a surreal horror? (Also just me?) Well, the man behind it, Casper Kelly, is here to tell you all about his new project, Buddy, at 1:45pm.

Then it’s “Showrunners on Showrunning” with the minds behind Widow’s Bay, Lanterns, and The Office, followed by some comics legends including Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Robert Kirkman, and Eric Stephenson all sharing the Ballroom 20 stage. The day closes out with the video game God of War Laufey, followed by a special fan screening of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender at 7pm.

Over in Indigo, it’s the annual animation block, starting with Regular Show at 10am, and then followed by Adventure Time: Side Quests, Common Side Effects season two, the upcoming President Curtis, My Adventures with Superman season three, Rick and Morty, and closing out at 4pm (on the panel side) with King of the Hill.

Elsewhere on the schedule for fans of TV and film, X-Men fans can head to Room 6A at 2:15pm for a look ahead at X-Men ’97,  with “special guests” and a special giveaway comic. SpongeBob SquarePants gets a very different kind of retrospective at 6:30pm in Room 5AB, where Tom Kenny and Derek Drymon will revisit the show’s earliest days through rare artwork, live demonstrations, and stories about the creation of Bikini Bottom. The animation history continues at 5pm in Room 4 with the Comic-Con premiere of Hello Maggie!, the true story of a Japanese American boy and his pet bird during his family’s incarceration at Heart Mountain.

Live-action TV fans can stay out late for an exclusive screening of the Dark Matter season 2 premiere at 10pm in Room 6DE, with Joel Edgerton, Dayo Okeniyi, and more. Earlier in the same room, the costume team behind Percy Jackson and the Olympians will break down the divine designs of the series at 5:30pm, moderated by Grover Underwood himself, Aryan Simhadri.

At 7:15pm in Room 6A, San Diego’s most dangerous produce returns home for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, complete with the first trailer, exclusive footage, cast members, and an appearance by Norman the Killer Tomato puppet (!).

Horror fans have several options throughout the day. The annual “Bold Voice of Contemporary Horror” panel celebrates its tenth anniversary at 4:45pm in Room 6A, including Dan Stevens (Legion), Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil), and more.

Marvel Comics is also bridging the gap between page and screen with the X-Men ’97 panel, while IDW is celebrating 300 issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at 10am in Room 25ABC, where you’ll get news about The Last Ronin and at least one surprise guest lurking in the shadows.

BOOM! Studios offers exclusive reveals and new project announcements at 3:30pm in Room 5AB, with creators including Jeff Lemire, Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo, Sarah Gailey, and Tini Howard. Dark Horse follows later in the same room with two creator-focused panels: Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson discusses the next chapters of The Mandrake Project at 4:30pm, followed at 5:30pm by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Spencer, and more exploring the sprawling sci-fi mythology of Three Worlds/Three Moons.

Actor John Cusack makes his first leap into graphic novels at 2:30pm in Room 5AB, where he will discuss Momo with David Dastmalchian.

Comics fans can also hear Absolute Green Arrow writer Pornsak Pichetshote and Absolute Batman artist Jock compare their careers and creative paths at 4:30pm in Room 29CD. For those who would rather ask the questions, Mark Waid and Mark Evanier return for “Two Marks Explain Everything” at 2:30pm in Room 10, where no corner of comics history is seemingly off limits.

The great J. Michael Straczynski will also host his annual free writing workshop at 5pm in Room 11, offering practical advice for anyone interested in working professionally as a writer.

Star Wars readers can start the morning in Room 7AB, where Lucasfilm Publishing promises new book and comic announcements at 10am with Ahmed Best, Kristin Baver, and more. Later that night, fans can test how much of that galaxy they actually remember during the fourth annual “Star Wars Trivia Party” at 9pm in the same room.

Friday also brings several major anniversaries. Tamagotchi celebrates 30 years of digital pet ownership at 11am in Room 25ABC, while Stephan Pastis and Bill Amend (FoxTrot) mark 25 years of Pearls Before Swine at 1:30pm in Room 29CD.

Collectors can head to Room 6DE at 10am for a behind-the-scenes look at MeTV’s Collector’s Call with Lisa Whelchel, along with an exclusive announcement and a lenticular giveaway.

Voice acting legend Jim Cummings takes over Room 6BCF at 5:45pm for a look back at more than four decades of bringing characters including Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, Hondo Ohnaka, and many, many others to life. Avatar fans can continue exploring the Four Nations at 4:15pm in Room 6DE, where creators from Dark Horse, Abrams Books, WEBTOON, Magpie Games, and more discuss the expanding worlds of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

For something a little more grounded, the location scouts behind The Mandalorian and Grogu, Peacemaker, Loki, and more gather at 1pm in Room 9 to explain how real-world locations become the fictional worlds we see on screen.

There is also plenty happening beyond traditional film, television, and comics panels. Taskmaster LA returns to the Neil Morgan Auditorium at 3pm with another round of ridiculous challenges (and kudos for the “Electric Bugaloo” title in your panel name, team). Earlier at noon in the same venue, the cast of Rolled Table performs a completely improvised Dungeons & Dragons adventure shaped by the audience.

Todd Stashwick, Anjali Bhimani, Brea Grant, and more will also take part in a live ProgCore Fantasy adventure at 2pm in the Omni Grand Ballroom ABC. And those looking for a broader discussion of genre can catch authors Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl), Veronica Roth, Adalyn Grace, Robert Jackson Bennett, and Isabel J. Kim discussing how they mix, bend, and subvert familiar tropes at 11:30am in Room 24ABC.

At 3:30pm in Room 26AB, entertainment journalists will tackle the often blurry line between fandom and criticism, using the coverage and communities surrounding Interview with the Vampire, The Pitt, Heated Rivalry, and more as case studies.

Star Trek gets scientific at 7pm in Room 23ABC, where experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory join Rod Roddenberry and actor Rekha Sharma to examine what seeking out new life and new civilizations would actually mean in the real world.

The day closes out with the annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards at 8pm in the Hilton Bayfront, hosted by Phil LaMarr and Thomas Lennon.

You can also read the programming highlights for Thursday.

What will you be lining up for on the second full day of Comic-Con? Let us know in the comments.