Convention - SDCC 2025 : The Booths Where Pop Culture History and Fandom Collided

By Mulder, San Diego, Convention Center, 23 july 2025

From the moment you stepped into the cavernous exhibitor hall of the San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2025, the unique sensory overload of San Diego Comic-Con wrapped around you like an old friend. The air buzzed with the rhythmic murmur of thousands of conversations, punctuated by the occasional cheer from a panel announcement or the unmistakable click of cameras capturing a perfect cosplay moment. This year’s show floor was a sprawling galaxy of creativity, from towering studio installations to the intimate, artist-led spaces that invited longer, more personal conversations. The booth in focus for many this year stood as a microcosm of SDCC’s greatest strengths—an intersection of pop culture history, fresh creative voices, and a hands-on, fan-first approach. Its towering walls and large-format displays caught the light in such a way that you could see the vibrant artwork even from across the hall, featuring vivid promotional pieces from major properties such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ highly anticipated second season, Avatar: Seven Havens with its lush, post-Korra setting, and cinematic event tie-ins like Predator: Badlands. These weren’t just static backdrops—they were conversation starters, the kind of visuals that pulled you closer until you found yourself in the thick of it, shoulder to shoulder with other fans comparing notes on Easter eggs hidden in the art.

Of course, Comic-Con’s magic doesn’t stop at the high-profile studio spectacles, and this booth cleverly embodied the balance that makes the convention so enduring. Nestled alongside blockbuster installations were curated spaces where creativity felt tangible, as if you could see the brush strokes and passion embedded in every detail. Just a few steps away, LEGO had transformed part of its footprint into a nostalgia bomb, revealing their surprise “Nintendo Game Boy” set amid displays celebrating everything from Batman: Arkham to One Piece. In another corner, the lore-rich Star Wars Memorabilia Auction—hosted off-site at the Comic-Con Museum—offered a fascinating mix of props, artwork, and collectibles that bridged decades of fandom history. These smaller, meticulously crafted experiences slowed the pace of the day, encouraging attendees to linger, ask questions, and in some cases, even handle rare items under careful supervision. Here, the line between exhibitor and fan blurred; creators stood by their work, ready to talk not just about the product but about the stories, collaborations, and even setbacks that had brought it into being.

The thematic range of the show floor this year felt especially eclectic, yet unified by a shared enthusiasm. Just as you were taking in the gentle shimmer of a The Lord of the Rings inspired diorama, you might overhear someone nearby animatedly dissecting the surprise Rick and Morty spinoff President Curtis. Around another corner, chatter about Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires mixed with buzz over two wildly different but equally fan-service-heavy crossovers—TMNT vs. Godzilla and Alien vs. Captain America. It was the kind of juxtaposition that could only happen here, where genres and tones coexist without irony. The booth became a sort of hub for these conversations, with people comparing panel schedules, swapping rumors they’d heard from “a friend who’s in the room,” and bonding over shared anticipations. This wasn’t a passive experience; it was an ongoing dialogue between creators, fans, and the pop culture itself, a cycle of excitement that fed into every reveal, every signing, every impromptu photo op with a cosplayer passing by in flawless armor or intricate creature makeup.

What truly defined the booth’s role in SDCC 2025, however, was how it embodied the convention’s deeper purpose beyond its commercial appeal. It served as both a launchpad for new creative projects and a living archive of fan devotion. Panels connected to the properties on display provided richer context—extended Q&As, behind-the-scenes breakdowns, and even exclusive footage that sometimes felt like a personal gift to the audience in the room. Off the floor, related events kept the momentum alive: themed parties where attendees could mingle with the very actors, writers, and artists they’d seen on stage; immersive experiences that reimagined city blocks as locations from beloved franchises; and exclusive pop-up shops where merchandise sold out in hours. And while exclusives and collectibles remained a core attraction—always sparking early-morning lines that wrapped around the hall—it was the unscripted moments that attendees seemed to treasure most: the knowing nod from someone who recognized your cosplay, the creator who remembered you from a past signing, the shared thrill when a panel dropped a reveal no one saw coming.

SDCC 2025 once again proved why it holds such a unique place in global pop culture. This booth, like so many others across the floor, was more than a display—it was a gateway. Every interaction, from snapping a selfie under the dramatic art walls to discussing speculative theories about upcoming storylines, reinforced the sense that for these few days, the convention center was the center of the fandom universe. Whether you walked away carrying an exclusive collectible, a signed poster, or simply a new connection forged in line, the experience was a reminder that Comic-Con is as much about people as it is about properties. It’s the rare event where the act of gathering—of celebrating creativity collectively—becomes the highlight itself, leaving every attendee with their own unique, and deeply personal, story to tell.

You can discover our photos in our Flickr page here and here

Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville