“I’m a huge fan of Marvel and comics - this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he says excitedly, just minutes before San Diego Comic-Con Málaga gets under way.

Hundreds of people were waiting for the moment to arrive, with music from The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars playing in the background, lending the scene a certain epic feel.

The big pop culture and comic-book convention kicks off with the challenge of winning over fans following the problems of the long queues in the first event last year.

“It’s looking better so far,” says Francisco Pérez, from Almeria, who’s dressed as Marvel’s Loki. Beside him, Deadpool (Pepe Romera, according to his ID) nods in agreement.

“This isn’t The Hunger Games any more,” joke organisers. Without the rush seen last year due to the craze for special-edition Funko figures (access to the shop to buy them is now granted via a draw), admission to the venue at the start of the day was smooth. However, this is just the first day - a working Thursday and a school day - so visitor numbers will increase over the weekend.

Inside, 19,600 square metres of exhibition space, exhibitors, events and talks centred on pop culture await visitors - double the size of last year’s event.

And that is the first noticeable difference compared to 2025: wide aisles in the exhibition area, air conditioning cranked up to full power, and plenty of space to wander around the various stands in comfort and without crowds.

The queues to take home a photo with a Hollywood star (for a fee) or to try out a new video game are moving along at a normal pace. There are plenty of spots to rest, with beanbags on the floor or in the shade on the grass.

And something as simple as walking from one end of the exhibition centre to the other isn’t an ordeal. It helps that there’s more floor space available, but also that, for the time being, fewer tickets have been sold: there are still some left.

But those who are there are throwing themselves into the atmosphere. You’ll find the ‘mainstream’ characters there: Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America, The Patriot, the soldiers from Star Wars… And the more ‘indie’ ones, such as the sheep from the video game Cult of the Lamb (which took a month’s work to create, according to father and son) or the characters from Omori in a group of teenage girls.

Along the way, visitors come across the legendary Wall-E. “I don’t know how many photos I’ve taken now, I’ve lost count,” laughs his creator, Francisco Paniza, as he tries to make his way across the room.

There’s also Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings “after a long journey from Middle-earth”, which in his case was Seville. And a couple of Ghostfaces are doing what they do best: giving people a fright.

Inside, there’s a wealth of options for fans. Photobooths are a big hit, where anyone can have their photo taken inside the whale from Whalefall (in cinemas this October), in the kitchen from The Bear, with the giant doughnuts Homer Simpson dreams of, alongside Shrek, or sitting on the throne of Wakanda.

With the upcoming release of Avengers: Doomsday as the main draw, there’s a whole section dedicated to the Marvel universe where posters for the new film are being handed out and visitors can discover Doctor Doom’s armchair.

For those looking for a more lasting memento of this year’s event, in the Prison Break cell they are offering tattoos linked to three Hulu titles: the famous prison series, The Simpsons and The Bear.

“Why not?” laughs Rocío Ortega from Algeciras, after signing up to have a globe inside a Pyrex bowl tattooed onto her skin, just like chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). For the less daring, there’s the option of a sticker.