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The Craziest SDCC 2018 Moments: Taco Bell, Castle Rock, Star Wars, And More

The Craziest SDCC 2018 Moments: Taco Bell, Castle Rock, Star Wars, And More

By GameSpot Staff on Jul 29, 2018 04:15 am

Each year, San Diego Comic-Con means a ton of trailers and clips for new movies are unleashed on fans who gather in Southern California to celebrate the things they love. What's sometimes easy to forget about are the moments that make SDCC special that have nothing to do with exclusive footage or teaser trailers.

Each year, with thousands in attendance, there are so many Comic-Con moments that stand out above the rest. Whether it's heartwarming fan moments in panels, certain activations that raise the bar for years to come, or even some truly awkward moments among panel members.

From celebrities in cosplay to the coolest Taco Bell you'll ever see to a press event that felt a little bit like a cult gathering, Comic-Con went above and beyond this year in terms of making the experience special.

After five days and one thoroughly exhausted GameSpot team, we've managed to come up without craziest moments of San Diego Comic-Con 2018. Were you present for any of these moments and what would you have added to this list? Sound off in the comments below!

San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Coverage

Joe Gilgun from Preacher inviting all of Hall H back to his hotel

A Preacher panel is almost guaranteed to be a wild ride, given the nature of the show and its creators Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. And there's the presence of actor Joe Gilgun, who plays Cassidy the vampire--and who's always down to say something crazy.

Gilgun was full of jokes during Preacher's Hall H panel at Comic-Con 2018, from claiming he'd choose heroin over whiskey to lamenting his general loneliness (yes, his humor can be both hilarious and depressing). But the best moment definitely came when he invited everyone in Hall H--which holds thousands of people--back to his hotel for a nightcap.

Of course, it would be amazing if thousands of Preacher fans all showed up to the same bar at the same time along with the cast--as Gilgun pointed out. But it would be slightly less awesome if the English actor let slip what hotel he and the rest of the Preacher ensemble were staying at in the middle of Comic-Con. His fellow cast members firmly asserted as they just barely stopped him from doing so. There was plenty more craziness during this panel; for a more in-depth breakdown of everything we saw during the panel, check out Mike and Ryan's video here. - Mike Rougeau

Ezra Miller cosplaying as sexy Toadette

The Warner Bros. panel in Hall H was crazy for a ton of reasons. It was the first time anyone got to see footage of Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam, or Aquaman, not to mention Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald. But that portion of the panel was nutso for a different reason: Ezra Miller's cosplay.

Miller plays Barry Allen in the DC Cinematic Universe, not to mention Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts 2 (the more relevant role in this instance). And he walked out onstage at the start of the WB panel dressed as sexy pink Toadette from the Mario video games. He even walked around the convention dressed the same way, taking pictures with fans and just generally being incredible.

But maybe the craziest thing about it was the fact that throughout the whole panel, no one actually mentioned Miller's outfit. Warner Bros. had so much to get through during its two-hour panel that it's understandable, but it still made the whole thing feel even more surreal. - Mike Rougeau

DC's Cult-Like Press Event

In my years of covering DC Comics, the press events for the company's upcoming major stories have always been bizarre in the best way possible. At 2018's Comic-Con, to give the press some insight into September's Heroes In Crisis, we were all invited onto a yacht. Upon boarding, we were all given large, white robes with the DC emblem embroidered on the back. We were then invited to sit on the deck outside on pillows while series writer Tom King discussed the book, with two mysterious men in golden masks sitting next to him. I felt like I was in a weird cult, and by the end of the conference, I thought we'd all be convinced to jump off the boat. I'm gullible enough to do that.

That didn't happen, but King explained the concept of the book, which revolves around a rehab-like facility for heroes who become mentally broken from their battles, and from there, things get crazy as someone breaks in and kills a bunch of people recuperating at this facility called "Sanctuary." The two men sitting next to King revealed themselves to be artists Clay Mann and Mitch Gerads, who will be drawing the book.

However, cult-like atmosphere aside, what really made this event wonderful was King explaining where the idea for this book came from. He gave a personal account of a time he dealt with mental instability, the stresses of life, and the need to restart. This is something any adult can relate to on some level, and it actually got me pretty pumped for this story. - Mat Elfring

The Iron Fist panel

The first season of Marvel's Iron Fist on Netflix was not good--that's a nearly universally accepted fact among fans and critics alike. Here at GameSpot, we're always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, which is why we attended the Iron Fist Season 2 panel at Comic-Con with an open mind. And we weren't disappointed.

Marvel head of television Jeph Loeb opened the panel wearing a karate gi and making Karate Kid jokes about Mr. Miyagi teaching him how to wash a car. They showed a ton of footage of the upcoming season, from fight scenes to--well, more fight scenes. They debuted Alice Eve as villain Typhoid Mary, a favorite from the comics, and they teased better flashbacks to K'un-Lun and the Daughters of the Dragon, featuring Colleen and Misty.

But the strangest thing about the Iron Fist 2 panel was that never, at any point, did anyone onstage (or off) acknowledge what a turd Iron Fist Season 1 was. I went because I was curious whether Netflix or Marvel would take the opportunity to tell fans, "Hey, we get it. This wasn't up to our standards, and we're going to do better." Instead, they made the crowd chant "Iron Fist! Iron Fist! Iron Fist!" before they'd even start. It was a sight to behold. - Mike Rougeau

Demolition Man Taco Bell

2018 marked my ninth year covering Comic-Con, and a month ago, I said no moment would be more memorable than my first year, when I was sitting in Hall H and someone got stabbed in the eye 20 feet away from me. However, I did not know that my favorite '90s movie and favorite fast food chain would come together for the best thing to ever happen at Comic-Con. Taco Bell had a pop-up restaurant and based the look, the menu, and the soundtrack on the chain's appearance in the 1993 classic Demolition Man.

The GameSpot Universe team enjoyed fine dining at the only restaurant to survive the Franchise Wars at Taco Bell 2032. The restaurant was filled with actual Demolition Man memorabilia and a decor that made me feel like I was in the movie. I could not stop giggling at it all--and you can see myself and Mike Rougeau doing so in our video--especially when the pianist played "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant." No, it wasn't Dan Cortese playing, but he totally appeared in a video playing above the bar.

Did I spend way too much money on Demolition Man/Taco Bell shirts? Yes, but nothing made me happier than Taco Bell 2032. I will be talking about that night for years. Be well, Taco Bell. Thanks for the joy-joy feelings. - Mat Elfring

Jamie Lee Curtis meets a Halloween fan

While the exclusive Halloween footage shown during its Hall H panel was a true highlight, there were also tears shed in the room filled to the brim with horror movie fans. When the audience Q&A started, a man got up to the microphone and thanks Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis for saving his life.

While it was confusing at first, the man then explained that he say Halloween as a child, then had his house broken into by a man with a knife. "I was scared out of my mind and out of nowhere this thought inside of me went, 'Well, what would Jamie Lee Curtis do?'" he said. "To make a long story short, I'm here today because of the way that you portrayed Laurie Strode. I'm a victor today instead of a victim."

At that point, Curtis immediately left the stage and went into the Hall H crowd to meet the man. The two shared tears and hugs as the crowd applauded and snapped photos of the truly special moment. In a time when toxic fandom seems to be widespread online, these are the Comic-Con moments that remind you of just how amazing it can be to be a fan. - Chris E. Hayner

#CloneWarsSaved

What fans of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars were expecting at the 10th anniversary panel was a celebration of the show and perhaps a hint as how its story would continue, post-Star Wars: Rebels. What certainly wasn't expected though was the announcement that Clone Wars was returning.

That's exactly what executive producer Dave Filoni announced though, with the help of a teaser trailer for the show's return. It included everything a Clone Wars fan would want, including the return of Ahsoka Tano. A release date hasn't been announced, but we now know Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be part of the programming lineup in Disney's upcoming streaming service. Thanks to the internet, we also have this video from the panel showing how elated the audience was to realize their favorite show is coming back. - Chris E. Hayner

Castle Rock's Creepy, Moving Georgie Statue

Off-site art installations aren't exactly a new concept for SDCC, but this year Hulu and Castle Rock decided to really take it to the next level by straight up crashing a car into the fountain area just beyond the convention center grounds. The car, however, was not the most unsettling part of Castle Rock's promotional efforts. Just beyond the wreckage in the fountain, there was the deeply unsettling statue of the raincoat-clad Georgie (you know, the kid from IT? The one who doesn't make it past the first ten minutes?) standing with his back towards the walkway out in the middle of the water.

As if the image of a little boy standing eerily still in the middle of a water feature weren't creepy enough, the Castle Rock team went the extra mile by having someone actually move the statue around the fountain area each night, leaving Georgie in a new place for coming day.

...At least, we certainly hope it was someone hired by Hulu, because, uh. That statue was definitely in a new position each day and, well. If that wasn't intentional then we should all probably start keeping an eye out for suspicious looking clowns in the San Diego area. - Meg Downey