‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Director James Gunn Says Marvel Won’t Be At SDCC; Why Is The Studio Leaving The Fan Event?

"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn is confirming that Marvel Studios will not attend San Diego Comic-Con 2015. The director was questioned during a Facebook Q&A about whether he would be attending the July convention.

“I'm not sure. Marvel isn't going, so I'm not sure I will either,” Gunn wrote.

Marvel Studios has been a staple at SDCC since 2006. The Hall H panel was used to announce new projects and new casts. In 2010, the full lineup for “The Avengers” was announced at San Diego Comic-Con, and in 2014, “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” was announced for 2017. So why is Marvel leaving the event that gives them major publicity?

Well, the studio might not need to go to the fans and media when the fans and media easily flock to the it. Marvel has one of the most successful film franchises right now with “The Avengers,” and as a studio, it's gotten only more popular. In the fall, Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was introduced at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The studio invited fans, so it kept their audience happy, but it also gained just as much publicity as it would have at Comic-Con, if not more, because no announcements from rivals were crowding the spotlight. Marvel Studios may continue to stage its own events, eliminating competition for publicity.

But Disney, which now owns Marvel, may have something to do with this change, as Screen Rant noted. Disney hosts its own D23 Expo in August, and that may be the place to launch Marvel announcements instead of Comic-Con. The California convention states that it will be “uniting all parts of the Walt Disney Company under one roof, including the Walt Disney Studios (including Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm).” Although “uniting” doesn’t confirm a panel, it indicates that Marvel Studios might at least have more to do with D23 than SDCC.

While Marvel Studios won't host a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, members of the Marvel family might still appear. It isn’t clear if this will affect the Marvel Television Panel. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Marvel’s Agent Carter” shared a panel last year, and that might be ABC’s call rather than Marvel Studio’s decision. Also, Joss Whedon has been known to appear at non-Marvel panels and even hosts his own solo panels. Similarly, various Marvel actors may have other projects that are going to Comic-Con.

Are you upset about the loss of Marvel Studios at San Diego Comic-Con? Or would you rather skip the lines in Hall H anyway? Sound off in the comments section below!