L.A. Comic Con 2026 Opens With 'Breaking Bad' Reunion, Nicolas Cage's First Visit for 15th Anniversary
Oct. 30–Nov. 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center: 1,000-plus exhibitors and 200-plus programs over Halloween weekend
L.A. Comic Con 2026, Los Angeles' largest pop culture convention, opens Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Launched in 2011, the show marks its 15th anniversary this year. Organizers are promising the biggest and most diverse talent lineup in its history.
This year's show brings together more than 1,000 artists, vendors and exhibitors. More than 200 panels and programs cover celebrity guests, comics, anime, gaming and cosplay. Last year's event set a ticket-sales record, drawing more than 131,000 fans.
"Fifteen years of L.A. Comic Con wouldn't be possible without the fans who show up year-after-year to celebrate the fandoms they love," said Chris DeMoulin, CEO/GM of parent company Comikaze Entertainment Inc. "This anniversary show is for them." He added that the show is "celebrating fifteen years in a big way with our largest and most diverse talent line-up ever, including several first-ever convention appearances."
This year the show falls on Halloween weekend. Saturday, its second day, is Halloween itself, bringing costumed crowds and free indoor trick-or-treating for kids.
Day One: Doors Open at 3 p.m.
Opening day runs six hours, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Badge pickup starts at 8 a.m. in the South Hall Lobby, entered from Figueroa Street between Venice and Pico boulevards.
The biggest draw on day one is Hayden Christensen, Anakin Skywalker of "Star Wars." He appears Friday and Saturday and hosts a separate paid fan panel Friday night in Room 408AB.
Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo of "KPop Demon Hunters" also meet fans Friday and Saturday. Krysten Ritter, Jane Margolis on "Breaking Bad," appears Friday. A duo photo op with Ritter and Aaron Paul is offered Friday only.
Gamers have reasons to come early too. Ben Starr and Jennifer English, the leads of "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33," sign autographs all three days. Marvel Comics portfolio reviews accept submissions on Friday and Saturday only.
Pre-purchased QR codes get priority for autographs and photo ops. On-site purchases are available at guest tables while supplies last. Guest schedules are posted in the official app.
A 'Breaking Bad' Reunion, and Odenkirk's First Con
The Main Stage's top attraction this year is a reunion of the "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" casts. Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman), Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman), Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring) and Dean Norris (Hank Schrader) are all on the bill.
It is Odenkirk's first-ever convention appearance and Paul's first U.S. convention appearance. Odenkirk, Esposito and Norris share the Main Stage to look back on the series. Paul gets his own spotlight on his career and Dos Hombres, the mezcal brand he co-founded.
"Nearly 20 years after Breaking Bad exploded onto the pop culture scene, it is still beloved and powerfully influential," DeMoulin said when Odenkirk's appearance was announced. A Jesse Pinkman Funko Pop with an L.A. Comic Con variant sticker is available for pre-order pickup at the SWAU booth (#1536) in South Hall.
Nicolas Cage makes his first trip to L.A. Comic Con. He appears Saturday and Sunday, with a Main Stage spotlight on "Spider-Noir" and a career that runs through "National Treasure" and "Ghost Rider." The show also sells an exclusive Marvel Comics variant of "Amazing Spider-Man" #1001, with Spider-Noir cover art by Stephen Segovia.
Christopher Lloyd, Doc Brown in "Back to the Future," returns as well. Organizers brought him back by popular fan demand after his 2024 panels.
The Voices of 'KPop Demon Hunters' Share the Stage
One of the weekend's most anticipated panels belongs to the cast of Netflix's animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters." Arden Cho (Rumi), May Hong (Mira) and Ji-young Yoo (Zoey), the voices of the film's Huntr/x trio, take the Main Stage together.
They are joined by Korean singer samUIL Lee, the singing voice of Saja Boys member Romance. Since the film, he has stepped into the real-world K-pop scene, registering with the Federation of Korean Music Performers in 2025.
"KPop Demon Hunters" headlined the show's first guest announcement this year. Organizers called it one of the few chances for fans to see all three stars together live. "K-Pop Demon Hunters has been one of the most requested properties we've seen in the last year," DeMoulin said.
Cho is a Korean American actress known for MTV's "Teen Wolf," Netflix's "Partner Track" and the live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Hong has modeled for Marc Jacobs and Gucci and has appeared on "Hacks." All three actresses meet fans Friday and Saturday.
Star Wars, Outlander, Futurama and The Office Casts Turn Out
"Star Wars" fans have plenty to see. Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano), Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren) and Eman Esfandi (Ezra Bridger) of Disney+'s "Ahsoka" share a panel. Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan, who have both played Boba Fett, take the stage together to talk about the bounty hunter.
From "Outlander" come Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser, along with Graham McTavish, Grant O'Rourke, Stephen Walters and Duncan Lacroix. Heughan hosts a paid fan panel Saturday night and offers small-group meet-and-greets on Saturday and Sunday.
The voice cast of "Futurama," now more than 25 years old, also takes the Main Stage: John DiMaggio (Bender), Billy West (Fry), Phil LaMarr (Hermes) and Maurice LaMarche (Kif). Rainn Wilson (Dwight) and Angela Kinsey (Angela) reunite for "The Office."
A Bigger Akiba Station; a New Card Show in the Gaming Hall
Anime fans should head to Akiba Station in the West Hall. The anime and Japanese pop culture zone debuted last year and has grown to 50,000 square feet. Fan-founded Otaku Collectives curates the space, which features cherry blossom installations, Japanese-themed environments and specialty vendors.
The voice lineup is deep. Sean Schemmel, the English voice of adult Goku in "Dragon Ball" since 1999, attends with Christopher Sabat, the voice of Vegeta and Piccolo. Sarah Natochenny, Ash Ketchum in the English "Pokémon," and Jill Harris, Fern in "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," are also coming. Johnny Yong Bosch, known as Ichigo in "Bleach" and Lelouch in "Code Geass," joins Dallas Reid, Asta in "Black Clover." The floor also hosts live painting by Kevin Bayashi and open auditions from dubbing studio Bang Zoom! Studios.
"Akiba Station was created by anime fans, for anime fans," said Johnny Chang, founder and CEO of Otaku Collectives. "Last year's response showed us that fans weren't just looking for more anime content, they were looking for an experience that felt like it belonged to them."
The Gaming Hall offers video games, tabletop, trading card games, tournaments and demos. New this year, The Card Show lets fans buy, sell, trade and play trading card games and sports cards. Toyota joins for the first time as the show's exclusive automotive partner with a 2,000-square-foot activation. At its center is a custom-wrapped RAV4 with playable Nintendo Switch stations inside.
Game voice actors are out in force. Ben Starr voiced Clive in "Final Fantasy XVI" and Verso in "Expedition 33"; Jennifer English voiced Maelle in "Expedition 33" and Shadowheart in "Baldur's Gate 3." Also on the list are Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel and Taliesin Jaffe of the Dungeons & Dragons web series "Critical Role," and James Mathis III, the voice of Black Panther in "Marvel Rivals."
Comics Legends, Cosplay and Halloween
Artists Alley, home to independent creators, is another must-see. Organizers bill it as the largest independent-artist exhibit hall of any convention in the country.
The comics lineup includes Scott Snyder of "Batman" and Tom King of "Mister Miracle." King wrote "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," the source material for the DC Studios film "Supergirl." Also on hand are Marc Silvestri ("Witchblade"), Ryan Ottley ("Invincible"), Amanda Conner ("Harley Quinn"), Greg Weisman ("Gargoyles"), Andy Kubert and Frank Cho. Marvel Comics associate editor Lauren Amaro reviews portfolios from aspiring artists.
Cosplay guests include TheBlackBobRoss, who won Best in Show at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Cosplay Masquerade. Saber Guild Skywalker Temple, a Lucasfilm-recognized nonprofit lightsaber performance group, and wrestlers from the 1980s women's wrestling promotion GLOW also appear.
On Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, free indoor trick-or-treating for kids starts at noon. Exhibitors hand out candy until supplies run out. On the final day, Sunday, Nov. 1, cosplayers 12 and under compete in the Kids Costume Contest at 1 p.m. on the Main Stage.
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