Comic-Con 101: The 9 Most Memorable Moments Ever

We take a look back at the annual convention, which is currently taking place in San Diego!

By Alyssa Toomey Jul 26, 2014 4:00 PMTags
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Comic-Con 2014 is officially underway, and as expected, there's already been no shortage of surprises (Mockingjay trailer, anyone?!).

And while there's undoubtedly loads of action going down in Hall H this weekend, we decided to take minute to look back at the biggest moments in Comic-Con history.

From Star Wars to Spider Man to Twilight, a number of famous faces have made a big impact on the annual San Diego convention.

Here are the 9 most memorable moments in Comic-Con history:

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1. Spider Man Comes to Comic-Con in Character: Andrew Garfield delighted every fan of the Spider-Man franchise when arrived in Hall H clad in costume while pretending to be a regular super-hero fanatic. Of course, nerds went wild after he removed his mask to reveal his true identity before he read a prepared thank you to the crowd for sharing "the coolest moment of my life...Peter Parker has been the one fictional character I related to most growing up, that and Holden Caulfield. I wore my first Spider-Man suit when I was 2 on Halloween." The handsome thesp then shed his get-up before he joined costar and real-life girlfriend Emma Stone, director Marc Webb, and producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad on stage. The entire panel wore Stand Up to Cancer T-shirts in honor of late Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin.

2. Pacey Con: Joshua Jackson opted to give us all a blast from the past in 2010, when he brilliantly used the San Diego convention as a means to resurrect his lovable Dawson's Creek character, Pacey Witter. With the help of the folks over at Funny Or Die, Jackson braved the Comic-Con crowd and invited loyal fans to "Pacey Con"— "the only convention that celebrates all things Pacey Witter and Dawson's Creek in the entire country." As for the story behind Pacey-Con? Jackson explains, "People ask me all the time why I'm working on the show Fringe, and the honest answer is I'm only doing it to fund my first love, which is Pacey fan fiction." Naturally, Paula Cole's "I Don't Wanna Wait" serves as the video's background track as Jackson schools fans in "the greatest television character of all time." Amazing. 

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3. Kristen Stewart and Co. Kiss Comic Con Goodbye: 2012 marked the end of an era for Twi-hards everywhere when the cast of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 bid their final farewell to the comic convention. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner stole the spotlight, while 11-year-old Mackenzie Voy, who played the half-vamp child of Edward and Bella in the final flick, made her official debut. "This has been the most indulgent experience I could ever imagine," K.Stew told E! News two years ago at Twilight's final Comic-Con. "And especially the last one, too...I'm not disappointed about anything not making it, I think that what we did is actually everything right." 

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4. Star Wars Comes to Comic Con: No nod to Comic-Con would be complete without a mention of the 1976 convention, which marks the very first time Star Wars footage was formally unveiled to the public. Back then, there were only a couple hundred fans who were in attendance at Comic-Con, which, at the time, was only six years old. But Lucasfilm's Charley Lippincott went to the right place to generate buzz for the out-of-this-world flick, which went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters—and franchises—in movie history. 

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5. Avengers Cast Revealed: During the 2010 Avengers panel, Samuel L. Jackson took the stage to talk about the Marvel film. However, his appearance was simply a precursor for the star-studded show that followed. The entire cast of the sci-fi flick, including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Clark Gregg (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), and director Joss Whedon all appeared together, bringing serious star power to San Diego.

Paramount Pictures

6. First Iron Man Trailer Debuts: Back in 2007, director Jon Favreau opted to give superhero fanatics the surprise of their lives when he arrived at the annual convention. While he was only expected to debut a few short shots from the very first Iron Man, Favreau decided to steal the show by premiering an extended trailer for the flick. Of course, the bold move created some serious buzz for the wildly-popular film, which has gone on to become one of the most successful franchises while cementing Marvel's place in cinematic history.

7. Ryan Reynolds Brings Green Lantern to Life: The studly actor proved he's both hot and kindhearted during Comic-Con 2010 when he was asked to recite the famous Green Lantern oath by a young fan. Of course, Reynolds couldn't say no to the youngster, and while seated next to costar and now current wife Blake Lively, the thesp broke out in to the famous pledge, much to the delight of the little boy—and every fellow fan in Hall H.

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8. Dark Knight Takeover: While a big celeb sighting always marks an exciting moment at Comic-Con, the swag at the event was the real score back in 2007. Fans arrived to find a number of defaced dollar bills floating around the convention, in which George Washington's mug had been replaced with the famous Joker smile. The words "one dollar" had also been traded for the tagline "Why So Serious?" serving as an early promotion tactic for the Christopher Nolan-directed flick. The marketing move generated some serious hype for the film, which went on to earn star Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar.

AP Photo/Denis Poroy

9. Joss Whedon & J.J. Abram's Smackdown: Fans had high hopes when Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams took the stage together at their Comic Con panel in 2010. And while the two served up a spoonful of disappointment when they revealed that they are not working on a project together, they shared enough good news to make up for the letdown. Whedon confirmed that he is officially directing The Avengers, while J.J. announced that he is working on the sequel to Star Trek. The Comic-Con legend also praised Abrams work on the remake of the famous flick, saying, "I have had actual moments of sheer f--king panic because I love Star Trek so much. I honestly watch it and go, 'This is a gold standard…for any movie that has come out in the last couple of years.' And it makes me throw up with fear."

Did we miss any of your favorite Comic-Con moments? Hit the comments with your thoughts!

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