San Diego Comic-Con Malaga will have Arnold Schwarzenegger as the star guest

The San Diego Comic-Con is knocking on the doors of Málaga. It's like a geeky siege where the final battle takes place. Gandalf at the Pelennor Fields, the Starks during 'The Long Night'. Madrid has hosted the presentation of the last details of this great event for fans of comics, video games, movies, and science fiction series. Here, the name of the guest of honor for this first edition was revealed: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, Terminator, also Conan the Barbarian. A legend of action cinema in Hollywood and a true icon of popular culture, the brightest in the constellation of stars, will be present from September 25 to 28, 2025, at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga.

The announcement was made during the presentation to the media held at the BBVA headquarters in Madrid, which was also confirmed as the financial sponsor of the San Diego Comic-Con Málaga. Schwarzenegger is a living legend in the film world, starring in titles that the fandom adores. From bodybuilder to Hollywood icon and, let's not forget, also Governor of California. A career that has marked generations, an action cinema icon starring in essential science fiction genre productions like 'Predator' or 'Total Recall'. Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most recognized and influential figures in global popular culture and, without a doubt, the main attraction for this first Comic-Con event outside the borders of the USA.

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Alongside already confirmed figures such as Jim Lee, president and creative director of DC Comics, Jeph Loeb, producer and screenwriter of series like Lost or Daredevil, or Peach Momoko, star illustrator of Marvel, new names from the comic world were introduced. C.B Cebulski, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics since 2017 and one of those responsible for maintaining and continuing the legacy of one of the most influential publishers in the history of the medium, will come to Málaga. Meanwhile, Disney confirms its presence at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga with two of its most anticipated releases: 'Tron: Ares' and 'Predator Badlands', whose presentations promise to be spectacular, according to the organization. Star Wars fans could not be left out, and Lucasfilm presents the third season of 'Star Wars Visions', its acclaimed animated anthology whose vision expands the creative boundaries of the universe created by George Lucas.

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All these films join the two titles that recently opened the list of fantasy genre series. First was 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon', the third season of the franchise that brings major stars to Málaga, such as Norman Reedus or Melissa McBride. Then 'Talamasca: The Secret Order', based on the vampiric universe of Anne Rice's bestsellers; the presence of 'One Piece' from Netflix with its protagonist Taz Skyler, or 'Revival', which the Sy-Fy channel presents exclusively before its premiere on October 6.

Comic-Con in Numbers

San Diego Comic-Con Málaga brings names and also numbers. The Málaga event aims to become an "experiential theme park" that will host more than 100,000 fans from over 20 different countries during the four days and, for the first time, occupies the entire interior of the Palacio de Ferias de Málaga. Additionally, it includes an extension of 22,000 square meters of outdoor space with more attractions, a food offering, and its own stage. A total of 80,000 m2 including the main stage, the main stage of San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, with a capacity of more than 3,000 people, to which are added three more auditoriums, with capacities for 900, 600, and 200 people respectively. Spaces like 'Ludic Plaza', with more than 34 hours of programming and a total capacity of 1,200 people during the four days, will be the place to have fun and share with other fans the passion for board games, according to 'Sur.

According to the organizers, if the venue of San Diego Comic-Con Málaga is large, what will happen there is even bigger: 300 hours of unique, non-repeated content that collects the best of its main themes: comics, cinema, animation, literature, board games, gaming… completing a schedule that offers, simultaneously, more than 15 options to choose from and customize the Comic-Con Málaga experience to each attendee's liking. An overwhelming agenda that is complete on the website sandiegocomiconmalaga.com. From the organization, they warn that, with the aim of improving the access experience and reducing waiting times, visitors will be able to use their registration ID with which they bought their ticket to reserve a place in the various activities with limited capacity. This reservation system will be launched on the website on September 15. In the coming weeks, more details about the content, new confirmations, as well as information for access to the presentations and fan zones will be unveiled.

Names have been announced for weeks to make up the Exhibitor Hall, where the presence of Disney, Bandai, Funko, or Nintendo, which will present their novelties interactively for the fans, offering a whole parallel programming of fun and entertainment, is confirmed. More necessary collaborators, such as Movistar, Technological Sponsor that will facilitate the connection at all times within the meeting. It should not be forgotten that San Diego Comic-Con opens its European branch in Málaga thanks to the agreement with the Junta de Andalucía, through Turismo Andaluz and the Digital Agency of Andalusia, and the City Council of Málaga.

These announcements were officially presented this Thursday at the BBVA headquarters in Madrid, with the presence of Javier Barberá, Executive Director of San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, as well as with the institutional participation of Francisco de la Torre, mayor of Málaga, along with Alicia Izquierdo, councilor for the Area of Innovation, as well as Antonio Sanz, counselor of the Presidency and president of the Digital Agency of Andalusia, and Arturo Bernal, counselor of Tourism and Andalusia Exterior of the Junta de Andalucía. Representing the financial entity, Patxi Pérez Basurco, Territorial Director SUR BBVA, participated in the event.

In addition to the contents, San Diego Comic-Con Málaga prepares a unique experience for those who have made pop culture their way of life. This is the case of the Cosplay universe, which will have a special entrance and offers a space to repair any piece of costumes and armor. A Cosplay contest for the general public, together with Feroca, and also a specific one from the Marvel universe, sponsored by AK Interactive. For those who see life in panels, San Diego Comic-Con Málaga will become an opportunity to present their work to professionals from the best houses in the comic industry through the Portfolio Review. For the first time, lovers of K-Pop will have the opportunity to shine by participating in a dance contest that seeks to find future stars among the fans of this musical phenomenon.

The San Diego Comic-Con Málaga is assured continuity until 2027. That, for starters. So there will be a mega-event at least until September of that year, when the terms of the agreement of what has already become its first international leap outside the United States after more than half a century of history will be reviewed. Framed between the end of the August Fair and the celebration of the Comic-Con in California, which will be in November, the Málaga event has taken advantage of the end of the summer season on the Costa del Sol and, above all, the air connections to ensure a full house. So, everything is ready to jump into hyperspace: May the fun be with you!

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