One of the biggest casualties of the early days of the global COVID-19 outbreak was mass gatherings. In that vein, the year 2020 saw the cancellation of major entertainment industry events that normally draw crowds, the conventions ranging from videogames to comic books and affiliated media. The San Diego Comic-Con had hoped that 2021 will bring things back to normal. But now, even with vaccinations going at best attainable speed, Comic-Con International has been forced to make SDCC21 another virtual event. As the date for Comic-Com@Home approaches, its two US comic-book film studio pillars have announced their non-involvement in it.

Comic Book Resources reports that Marvel Studios and DC Films have decided to make it two strikes in not participating at the San Diego Comic Con’s reduced virtual edition, having also skipped back in 2020. The superhero movie-making arms of Disney and Warner Bros. have decided last year to instead go with their own events to showcase their upcoming features which traditionally have been promoted and hyped and SDCC to appreciative crowds. Disney Investor Day 2020 had an MCU segment, while DC consolidated its media features (comics, film, TV) into the Disney FanDome virtual event.

It seems that without the live crowds that a full comic-con can muster, the major super-film studios just cannot be bothered to join in. Only Marvel and DC’s respective comic-book departments will have a presence, reducing Comic-Con@Home to just the heart of the matter. Granted, Warner Bros. TV will still have its spot at the event, so The CW’S Arrow-verse and HBO Max will get represented. As for Marvel movies, Sony Pictures which produces “Spider-Man” related films has yet to announce if it will participate, so best-case scenario, they could hog attention for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Morbius.”

Fans of the MCU and DCEU would have to wait for Marvel Studios and DC Films to show their respective hands in separate events, again. While Comic-Con International is hoping to pull a special edition live event in San Diego by November, nobody really is holding their breath on account of the pandemic. That, and the special SDCC, if held, would be very late in the year, with most of the superhero films slated for 2021 already premiered by then. Nobody really knows when an in-person live San Diego Comic-Con will happen in the future.

Image courtesy of Bleeding Cool