Popverse's top stories

• From John Carter to Anne McCaffery and beyond: 5 early romantasy books that shaped the genre
• Marvel's Scarlet Witch Elizabeth Olsen is coming to C2E2 2026!
• Members only: Ask Ming-Na Wen, Critical Role, Gail Simone, Karl Urban, Chris Claremont, Denys Cowan, and more your questions as part of ECCC x Popverse member exclusive!

Look at the calendar, midwestern fandom — it’s getting close to that time of year again when everyone gets together one more time to paint that town and all that jazz. (Yes, we’re going with Bob Fosse allusions; we apologize for nothing.) It’s just weeks out from the highlight of the Windy City’s pop culture calendar, C2E2 2026, which means that it’s time to share with the world just what is going to go down during the finest three days of Chicago’s year at McCormick Place — and we’re here to do just that very thing.

C2E2 2026 is once again taking over the venerable McCormick Place for three days this year, with the show running March 27-29. Celebrity guests at the show this year include Elizabeth Olsen, Fantastic Four stars Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd, Christopher Eccleston, Steve Burns, the voice casts of both The Little Mermaid and Pokémon, as well as the stars of the CW’s Superman & Lois, with more to be announced in the coming weeks as the show gets even closer.

The newly-announced panel schedule is packed with things to keep anyone and everyone busy for the entire show, as if the packed Artists Alley and Writers Block line-ups couldn’t do that by themselves. Check out the full programming schedule for yourself, but here are some of our highlights:

One Chicago Podcast Live Taping with Cast - NBC's trio of "One Chicago" series have become a mainstay in the Chicagoland area. The City's iconic streets and landmarks serve as a backdrop to these beloved shows, with fans regularly flocking to location shoots in hopes of meeting their favorite on-screen characters in real life. Join Chicago Fire's Hanako Greensmith and Jocelyn Hudon, Chicago P.D.'s LaRoyce Hawkins and Benjamin Levy Aguilar, and Chicago Med's Jessy Schram for the first-ever live taping of Wolf Entertainment and USG Audio's One Chicago Podcast as they share stories from set that illuminate how the Windy City became the real star of these shows. (Saturday, March 28 at 12:30 PM in Room S404)

Exquisite Corpses: The Game and Beyond! - Join the Corpse Crew as they dive into Exquisite Corpses: The Game (based on the best selling comic).  And chat about what is next for Exquisite Corpses! (Friday, March 27 at 1:45 PM in Room S403)

Cyanide & Happiness: A Sexy Game Show - Come join the minds behind Cyanide & Happiness as they play a live play-through of their card game, Master Dater! A SEXY match-making game with all of the Cyanide you could ask for. Who knows, you might even find love there too! (Friday, March 27 from 5:15 - 6:00 PM in Room S401ABC)

Rooster Fighter Screening and Ep 3 Premiere - Be the first to watch the Rooster Fighter English dubbed Episode 3 premiere after catching up with Episodes 1 and 2! Witness Keiji as he pecks through demons to defend humanity in this action-packed anime. Fly on by to score exclusive rooster masks - perfect for ruffling a few feathers back home! (Saturday, March 28 at 2:45 PM in Room S404)

Mortal Kombat 3 Tournament - A retro showdown featuring one of the most iconic entries in the MK franchise. Expect fast gameplay, classic combos, and big nostalgia energy. (Friday, March 27 at 2:00 PM, Show Floor in Side Quest)

And that, as they say, is not all. Jackbox Games is bringing a House Party to The Yard as professional comedians play the Jackbox hits in front of a live audience, the annual CB4K Awards take place Friday afternoon, and there’s even an Emo Social Party taking place later that same night for those who feel as if there will also be space in your hearts for Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy. You know who you are.

There’s a lot happening at C2E2 this year, and you should head to the C2 website to explore for yourself. If you still haven’t got yourself tickets for the show yet, you’re in luck: tickets for C2E2 2026 are currently on sale. For everyone looking to make the most of their three-day pop culture weekend, though, there's no better way to do that than becoming a C2E2 Popverse Superfan. If you're wondering just what that would mean to you, we're happy to share - C2E2 Superfans get access to the following:

• Guaranteed first access to tickets
• $15 voucher for Epic Photo Ops
• An on-site Fast Pass line for Celebrity Autos & Photo Ops
• Premium access to purchase photo ops, autographs, and exclusive merch
• Access to Popverse's exclusive Superfan Lounge
• VOD access to all the C2E2 2026 panels we film
• Access to the 3+ years of convention panels we've recorded from C2E2, New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, MCM Comic Con, and Florida Supercon

You can learn more about a C2E2 Popverse Superfan membership right here.

C2E2 2026 runs March 27 through March 29 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Popverse is going to be there from the beginning to the very end, and we're hoping we can say the same about you.

Can't get enough? Here's everything you need to know about Chicago's C2E2 2026.