Marvel stars, Hollywood exclusives and thousands of fans dressed as their favorite fictional characters. It sounds like a typical weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, except this time, the action was unfolding on Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
I watched as Wolverine wandered through a convention center in southern Spain when another attendee stopped to compliment his cosplay.
“¿Una foto?” the fan asked.
The cosplayer happily obliged, and within seconds, they were posing for a picture. It was a scene I’d witnessed countless times at comic conventions back home in New York. The only difference? This conversation was happening in Spanish.
Welcome to San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, where Hollywood meets the Mediterranean and fandom knows no borders.
The iconic California convention made its first official international expansion to Málaga in 2025, returning October 1–4, 2026, with a lineup of Hollywood stars, entertainment previews and comic book legends.
I traveled to Málaga for its second edition, curious whether the European experience would feel different from the American conventions I’d attended.
But walking toward the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga, or FYCMA, I was struck by how familiar everything felt.
Fans in elaborate costumes streamed toward the entrance, groups of friends excitedly discussed their favorite characters and attendees hurried to make it to panels on time. It could have been New York Comic Con, except the conversations around me were happening in Spanish, English and languages from across Europe.
I met fans from Germany, France and other parts of the continent, along with Americans who had crossed the Atlantic for the event.
Thousands of miles from home, I felt surprisingly at home.
Málaga might be better known for its winding historic streets, late-night dinners and Mediterranean lifestyle, but for four days in October, the coastal Andalusian city was also home to some serious Hollywood star power.
And the convention’s second edition didn’t disappoint.
Netflix’s One Piece was one of the weekend’s biggest attractions, with stars Iñaki Godoy, Taz Skylar and Peter Gadiot appearing alongside director Lukas Ettlin.
The enthusiasm surrounding the cast was impossible to miss. Fans gathered to see the actors behind the popular live-action adaptation, bringing the kind of energy usually associated with major convention appearances in New York or California.
Disney, meanwhile, brought some serious Hollywood firepower.
During its Disney x Hall M presentation, the studio offered an early look at upcoming projects including Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Television’s VisionQuest and 20th Century Studios’ Whalefall.
The panel featured appearances by Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, Josh Brolin, Austin Abrams and filmmaker Brian Duffield.
Perhaps most notably, the presentation took place October 3, five days before New York Comic Con even began.
For a convention only in its second year, attracting that level of Hollywood participation was no small feat.
The star power extended beyond Disney and Netflix. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Karl Urban, Aya Cash, Winston Duke and Richard Dean Anderson were among the names on the lineup.
Comic book fans had opportunities to meet artists including Dan Mora and Bruno Redondo, while Japanese animation creators associated with Cowboy Bebop and Captain Tsubasa brought another dimension to the event.
It was the kind of programming that could easily fill an entire weekend without ever leaving the convention center.
Even with all that star power, one of the most memorable parts of the weekend was discovering just how universal the fan experience really is.
John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender on Futurama and Jake the Dog on Adventure Time, had a similar realization. When I interviewed him at the convention, he admitted he hadn’t known what to expect from his first convention in a predominantly non-English-speaking country.
“I was a little nervous because I wondered what the audiences were used to watching, as far as the stuff I’ve done,” DiMaggio told me.
With animated shows frequently dubbed into different languages, he wasn’t sure how familiar international audiences would be with the original versions of his characters.
But the reception surprised him.
“I had a lot of people come up and say hi and say that they were fans, and it was really kind of cool,” he said.
When I asked whether Spanish fans interacted with him differently from Americans, his response was immediate.
“No. It’s all the same. It’s all relative. People react pretty much the same way here than they do back in the United States,” he said. “It’s the same wonderful nerdy reaction. It’s awesome.”
He did, however, identify one noticeable difference: the heat.
When I asked what Bender would think of Comic-Con Málaga, DiMaggio slipped into character.
“It’s too hot. What are you guys walking around? It’s hot here,” he joked, before adding that the convention had impressed him with its scale.
“It’s the second year, and it’s massive. So thumbs up to these people.”
Of course, the real advantage of bringing Comic-Con to Málaga is everything waiting beyond the convention center.
For the Junta de Andalucía, the regional government of Andalucía, the event is an opportunity to introduce a new generation of international travelers to southern Spain. Through its Department of Tourism, Justice, Deregulation and Local Administration, the region is using pop culture, gaming and entertainment to showcase its cultural heritage in unexpected ways.
During the event, the tourism department unveiled a video game-inspired campaign featuring a young Japanese protagonist exploring a fantasy version of Andalucía, guided by an amulet inspired by the Bronze of Carriazo, an artifact associated with the ancient Tartessian civilization.
Even Andalucía’s ancient history was getting the video-game treatment.
But the real appeal of Andalucía became apparent once I started exploring Málaga itself.
Although the city sits along the Mediterranean coast, it doesn’t feel like a typical beach vacation destination.
The water is there, but Málaga’s personality lives in its streets.
Narrow pedestrian lanes wind between historic buildings, opening onto lively squares filled with cafés, restaurants and people enjoying the evening.
There’s an old-world beauty to the architecture, but the city feels anything but sleepy.
And unlike the rush of everyday life in New York, Málaga seems to operate on its own schedule.
Dinner at 6 p.m.? You’re early.
By 9 p.m., the evening is just getting started, with restaurants filling up and people settling in for meals that aren’t meant to be rushed.
The food was one of my favorite parts of the trip, from hearty Spanish dishes to leisurely dinners that stretched well into the night.
There’s something appealing about a city where eating isn’t simply another task to squeeze into a busy day. It’s part of the social experience.
And after spending hours navigating a packed convention, that slower pace felt particularly welcome.
Málaga also has a cultural pedigree that goes far beyond its beaches.
It’s the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, whose legacy is celebrated at the Museo Picasso Málaga and the artist’s birthplace.
The city’s cathedral, nicknamed La Manquita, or “the one-armed lady,” because one of its towers was never completed, rises above the historic center.
And Hollywood has a local connection, too. Antonio Banderas was born in Málaga and remains involved in the city’s cultural scene, including its theater and restaurants.
It’s the kind of place where you can spend the afternoon surrounded by Marvel characters and the evening wandering centuries-old streets before sitting down for dinner at an hour when many Americans are already getting ready for bed.
For the Junta de Andalucía, events like Comic-Con offer an opportunity to introduce travelers to a region they might not otherwise have considered. Someone might come for a Marvel presentation or a chance to meet their favorite actor, only to discover that Málaga itself is worth the journey.
Before arriving, I wondered whether Comic-Con in Europe would feel completely different from the conventions I’d attended back home. Instead, I found the same passionate fans, elaborate costumes and excitement surrounding fictional worlds that I’ve always loved.
Only this time, the experience came with Mediterranean sunshine, winding Spanish streets and dinners that didn’t start until 9 p.m.
As DiMaggio put it, “It’s the same wonderful nerdy reaction.”
And in Málaga, the fun doesn’t stop when the convention doors close.
