Comic-Con 2025: The best things we saw Friday

It was hard to top Thursday at Comic-Con, but Friday bought the passionate “Outlander” fandom into Hall H, as well as Elle Fanning and the cast of “Predator: Badlands.”

RELATED: Here are some of the celebrities we spotted Friday in San Diego

Costume-clad fans known as cosplayers could be seen strolling through the Gaslamp Quarter and around the San Diego Convention Center, while inside the convention, “TRON: Ares” made waves.

Amid all the tens of thousands of people downtown were Union-Tribune reporters, looking for highlights. Here’s what they saw on Friday.

‘Phineas and Ferb’ reunion

The last time the creators and cast of “Phineas and Ferb” were all together on a panel, they were bidding farewell to the beloved animated show at Comic-Con in 2015. Ten years later, they have reunited to celebrate a new, somewhat unexpected season of the show. Creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh sat down with Vincent Martella, David Errigo Jr., Ashley Tisdale, Dee Bradley Baker and Alyson Stoner to talk about the new season and short-form series “Cartoonify.” “We weren’t sure we could do this when they asked for 40 more episodes,” said Povenmire. “Then we got in the room and it was so easy and wonderful.” The panelists also hosted a cosplay contest, picking their favorite “Phineas and Ferb” costumes and handing out exclusive hats, posters and signed Funko pops to the winners, pictured above.

– Olivia Petty

‘Brawl Stars’

Mobile game “Brawl Stars” has an activation, called Starr Park, on a 6,000-square-foot barge on the water behind the San Diego Convention Center. Users play carnival games to win pretend gems which they can turn in for prizes. Organizers said the line is up to five hours long for the free activation.

— Phillip Molnar

The ‘Pikmin’ community

A crew of Pikmin posed with fans of the Nintendo strategy game just outside the exhibition floor. The cosplayers can be heard as they warble and shake the leaves on the top of their heads replicating the Pikmin gameplay. The dozen or so friends hail from all over including Colorado and San Diego, they chose this costume because it was something that would work for such a big group.

— David J. Bohnet

The ‘Abbott Elementary’ experience

ABC’s television show “Abbott Elementary” is back behind the San Diego Convention Center with its activation. The Very Abbott Block Party brings elements from the show including Philly water ice, aka shaved ice, with themed flavors such as Tenure Tart Cherry, a community wall photo opportunity and a Ferris wheel. Plus, attendees can snag some free giveaways such as bucket hats and boom box bags. 9:30 a.m. to 7p.m. Thursday and Friday. 9:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Saturday. 9:30 a.m. 5 p.m. Sunday. Behind the convention center.

— Carlos Rico

‘Transformer’ pups

Dogs Lucy,5, (left) and Linus, 8, (right) were dressed Friday morning as “Transformers” characters Optimus Prime and Bumblebee outside the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

— Phillip Molnar

Droid alert

Two robotic droids from the Star Wars universe, Chopper and RX-24, were roaming through the convention hall lobby seemingly unattended. They were constructed by attendee James Henley, born in San Diego, using a 3D printer and are controlled via remote. Chopper — or C1-10P — is a droid from the movie “Rogue One,” and RX-24 was originally created for the Star Tours ride at Disneyland. Henley has attended the convention for 14 years, but it was his first time bringing out RX-24 as a trial run, taking note of any snags or malfunctions throughout the day.

— Olivia Petty

Ursula

Elaine Scott has been attending Comic-Con every year since 2013. She keeps coming back because she sees her favorite creators, and she feels like a celebrity — everybody knows your name when you are dressed up like she is. Ursula is one of her favorite villains, and she moved to San Diego in 2000 for college.

— Jemma Stephenson

‘Pokémon’ come to life

Brianna Bobadilla dressed up like a “Pokémon” trainer her first Comic-Con three years ago, so she wanted to stick with a “Pokémon” theme and dressed up like Sylveon. Her friend, Sarai Santana, went with the “Pokémon” theme for her first cosplay and second Comic-Con as Glaceon. They are from San Diego.

— Jemma Stephenson

Storm Trooper standing watch

— Jemma Stephenson

Celebrity signing

Actor and writer David Dastmalchian was spotted signing merchandise for fans at the Z2 booth on the exhibit floor. He is best known for his movie “Late Night with the Devil,” the television series “Murderbot,” the 2021 “Suicide Squad” movie and many more. Booth No. 1529.

— Olivia Petty

Cosplaying dogs

Cosplayers Chicago (golden retriever mix) and Grom (Labrador mix) attended Comic-Con as puppachinos with their family Jennifer and Mack Wirth. Chicago and Grom completed service dog training at Good Dog! Service Canines, a local nonprofit organization based in Fallbrook.

— Michelle Guerrero

Yzma and Kuzco

Kelsey Hantz as Yzma and Abraham Lopez as llama Kuzco, dressed up like the characters from “The Emperor’s New Groove” for their second Comic-Con. Lopez made the costumes for Halloween last year and said they took around two months to make, and Hantz said the make up takes three hours. The pair are from Fort Worth, Texas.

— Jemma Stephenson

A chat with Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk, star of the upcoming film “Nobody 2,” chats with Collider’s editor-in-chief, Steven Weintraub about his career as a writer and an actor. Odenkirk, best known for his work in “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” discussed his experiences on set and the growing popularity of both series. He touched on his lessor know roles and his time as a writer on “Saturday Night Live.” Odenkirk shared how he created the iconic character Matt Foley, who was played by the late Chris Farley. He expressed his love of writing, his acting style and his love for Comic-Con. “I love Comic-Con, this is my tenth Comic-Con. I love San Diego,” Odenkirk said. His upcoming film “Nobody 2” opens in theatres Aug. 15.

— David J. Bohnet

Bay area buddies

Bill Lizor, as Lakitu, and Juan Pagan, as Fire Flower Mario, came down from San Francisco for Comic-Con. It is Lizor’s third year and Pagan’s fourth. Lizor said the costume was something different, and Pagan said they love Nintendo and Mario.

— Jemma Stephenson

Gaslamp Quarter cameos

The cast of “Interview with the Vampire” from Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe waved at fans in the Gaslamp Quarter from a balcony at the Hard Rock Hotel. Sam Reid plays Lestat de Lioncourt, joined by his co-star Jacob Anderson, who plays Louis du Pointe du Lac, and Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel Molloy. All three actors will appear on a panel in Ballroom 20 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ahead of the release of “The Vampire Lestat” and “Talamasca.”

— Olivia Petty

Group cosplay

Cosplayers Brittani Dent-Tase, Lennon Therrien and Lea D. Eriksen dressed up as villains Azula, Mai and Ty Lee undercover as Kyoshi Warriors from the popular cartoon “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” They were joined by Davit Dent-Tase as Sokka and Martin Talamantes as the character Zuko undercover as the Blue Spirit. Nearly two-year-old Duncan is dressed up like cabbages, a recurring joke from the cartoon.

— Jemma Stephenson

‘Spongebob’ artifacts

Big heads

Mr. and Mrs. Poopybutthole from the adult animated science-fiction sitcom “Rick and Morty” are here at Comic-Con for their third time. Aubrinna Robinson (left) and Alexander Hoey are behind the cosplay, and said it took them about three days to put their outfits together. They said they dressed up because they love cartoons. Both are artist and teachers at the Little Fish Comic Book Studio, where they teach transitional kindergarten to middle school students how to draw and make comics. Robinson and Hoey are originally from the east coast and now live in San Diego.

— Carlos Rico

Wonder Woman

Rachel Pizzolato from New Orleans has been coming to San Diego Comic-Con since 2018. This year she’s cosplaying Wonder Woman as she appears in the 70s television series starring Lynda Carter.

— Michelle Guerrero

A robot takeover

Humans outside the San Diego Comic-Con found a robotic machine named Dalek Fax scanning the entrance of the convention center. Many con-goers stopped to take photos with the voice-modulated machine, which could be heard saying, “Make sure you get my good side — or else!” and “EXTERMINATE!” The mostly wooden robotic machine is operated by Andrew Maley from Fairfax, California. Maley worked with his son for two and a half months to build the exterior and finished the Dalek Fax in 2022. The robot has gone through upgrades over the years since its original idea began back in 2013. The addition of music, exterior lighting and a movable gun made this first time appearance to Comic-Con, a fan favorite from the start.

— David J. Bohnet

She-Ra

Xuan Hoang, dressed as She-Ra, rides Battle Cat from the “Masters of the Universe” cartoon inside the exhibitor hall at Comic-Con. This is Hoang’s first visit to the convention. The Oregon-based nonprofit Magic Wheelchair helped customize Hoang’s wheelchair. The nonprofit organization is also showcasing its talents at Booth No. 4013.

— Carlos Rico

‘Jaws’-themed pin ball

Stern Pinball is back at Comic-Con with a booth in the exhibit hall and an interactive arcade. The arcade is open to SDCC attendees with or without a badge, with 40 playable pinball machines from a variety of intellectual properties. They are specially highlighting the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” with a brand new remastered machine, for which there was a line of fans waiting to play. All of the machines on the floor are available for purchase, from pro-level to premium editions of the games. Some of the machine IPs included Metallica, “King Kong” and “Dungeons & Dragons”.  10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Marriott Marquis Pacific Ballroom.

— Olivia Petty

A ‘Dragon Ball’ character actor

Voice actor Stephanie Nadolny was seen signing photos and art for fans at Booth No. 737 in the exhibit hall. Nadolny is best known for her role as the English voice of Goku in “Dragon Ball” and Gohan in “Dragon Ball Z” (1995). She’s attended Comic-Con other years in 2000 and 2004 and is happy to be back 20 years later.

— Michelle Guerrero