20 Huge Stars Coming To NYCC 2024

New York Comic Con 2024 is set to be a spectacular star-studded show that will run from Thursday, October 17 to Sunday, October 20. Over the four-day period, many of the biggest stars from every corner of TV and film will appear in various panels, speaking about their upcoming projects, and, of course, meet fans face to face for photo opportunities and to sign some autographs. As normal, the convention will be hosted at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the largest convention center in New York, which is conveniently located within Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan.

While the guest list for the event currently stands at well over 650 individual actors, directors, cosplayers, YouTubers, comic book writers, and artists, and every kind of creative, there are some huge standout stars that are not to be missed. With stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Whoniverse, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and everything in between, there are plenty of huge names that will make this an unforgettable show with plenty of guests to satisfy the roughly 200,000 attendees. For anyone lucky enough to be in attendance, the biggest question will be what stars they are the most excited about meeting.

20 Elizabeth Olsen

Best Known For Playing Scarlet Witch In The MCU

Elizabeth Olsen is one of the headliners for NYCC 2024. Having appeared in five MCU movies, and leading the series WandaVision, Olsen has become a household name who is expected to return to the MCU again, although nothing has been confirmed since her characters apparent demise. Beyond her role as a superhero, Olsen has also been in numerous other movies that range from large Hollywood productions to smaller independent pictures. She also had her start in acting at a young age when she appeared in projects alongside her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley, although, Elizabeth has now overtaken the twins in terms of popularity.

All prices at Fan Expo Philadelphia 2024 are subject to change.

19 Ella Purnell

Best Known For Fallout & Yellowjackets

Ella Purnell is another actress who began her career at a young age, but in recent years, she has appeared in some of the most popular TV series currently running. In 2024, Purnell starred as Lucy McClane in the video game adapted TV show, Fallout, but she had already stepped out of obscurity when she played a central role in the 2021 series Yellowjackets. Purnell continues to gain momentum in her career with several major releases lined up, including animated shows like Arcane, and Star Trek: Prodigy, as well as returning for season 2 of Fallout on Prime Video.

18 Hayley Atwell

Best Known For Playing Peggy Carter In The MCU

Hayley Atwell made an impression on Steve Rogers as Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, when that film concluded, Peggy was left firmly in the past while Steve woke up in the present. Despite this, Atwell clearly impressed more than just Cap, and she became one of the first people from the MCU to receive a spin-off show, Agent Carter, which ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016. She was then brought back to voice Captain Carter, a variant from another reality, in multiple MCU projects. Outside the MCU, Atwell has also appeared in the Mission Impossible series, and recently voiced the character of Lara Croft in a 2024 animated series.

17 John Boyega

Best Known For Playing Finn In Star Wars

John Boyega is another British actor who rose to prominence when he appeared in Attack the Block in 2011. However, his career took a significant step-up when he was cast to play one of the three primary heroes in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Since then, Boyega has played Finn in numerous movies and voiced the character for video games, as well as continuing his acting career, branching out to appear in a variety of large productions. He is also set to appear in the long-awaited sequel to Attack the Block, where he will reprise the role of Moses.

16 Josh Brolin

Best Known For Playing Thanos In The MCU

Josh Brolin has been appearing in credited TV and film appearances since 1985. As a child, he starred as one of the kids in The Goonies, but following the film’s success, his career developed slowly. It wasn’t until 2007, when he appeared in No Country for Old Men, that Brolin had a significant resurgence, and shed his child actor notoriety. He has since been cast in numerous dramatic roles, and gained widespread fame when he played Thanos in the MCU. During that time, Brolin was also cast as Cable in the adjacent Fox X-Men universe for Deadpool 2.

15 Paul Bettany

Best Known For Playing Vision In The MCU

Paul Bettany began his career as an actor performing in theater. He found success early on and was cast in notable West End shows, which helped him to develop his talents as a performer and dramatic actor. By 21, he had also made the leap to acting for the screen when he was cast in a BBC production of Oliver Twist. His career continued to develop, and Bettany branched out into exploring other areas of acting, which led to him being cast as the voice of Tony Stark’s incredibly intelligent computer assistant, J.A.R.V.I.S. But several years later, Bettany found himself donning a superhero costume when he became Vision. Since then, he has starred alongside Elizaebeth Olsen several times, and he is set to return to the MCU as White Vision.

14 Walton Goggins

Best Known For Justified, Sons Of Anarchy, & Fallout

Walton Goggins has long been known for his roles as a tough guy in numerous films and TV shows. Most commonly, these roles present Goggins as some sort of cowboy, either literally, or in spirit, as his characters tend to play by a similar set of rules that resemble the wild west. His breakout role was in the TV series, Justified where he played the less than honorable Boyd Crowder opposite Timothy Oliphant’s sheriff. But more recently, Goggins has appeared as the horrifying Ghoul in Fallout with Ella Purnell. He is also set to return for season 2.

13 Andy Serkis

Best Known For Planet Of The Apes, Lord Of The Rings, The Batman, Star Wars, & The MCU

Andy Serkis has been in practically every major franchise, and his work both as an actor and director has gained him widespread acclaim. His first major role came when he played Gollum in TLotR, as a motion capture subject for the character and the voice. After that, his experience with motion capture made him invaluable to many other franchises, such as Planet of the Apes, where he played Caeser. He has since gone on to direct movies like Venom: Let There Be Carnage, play the live action Alfred in The Batman, and appear as Ulysses Klaue in the MCU.

12 Orlando Bloom

Best Known For The Lord Of The Rings, & Pirates Of The Caribbean

Orlando Bloom only had a handful of credits to his name by the time he landed the role of Legolas the Elf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He reprized the role in each entry, and then had another stand-out performance as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, which began almost immediately after TLotR’s original trilogy ended. Bloom continues to appear in films, though none have received quite the same response as either of those franchises.

11 Brian Cox

Best Known For Succession

While many modern viewers will recognize Brian Cox for his outstanding performance in HBO’s hit show, Succession, the actor has been a star for decades. His first big break came when he played the nefarious Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1986 movie, Manhunter, but his earliest acting credits stretch back to 1965. Cox also appeared as William Stryker in X-Men 2, opposite Hugh Jackman.

This panel discussing the upcoming movie will be hosted by TV personality, Stephen Colbert.

10 Cameron Monaghan

Best Known For Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, & Gotham

Cameron Monaghan is a young actor whose experience and skill have made him incredibly popular despite his young age. In 2015, he first began appearing in the CW series, Gotham, as twins Jeremiah and Jerome Valeska. However, while the show does not explicitly regard these twins as the Joker, it’s heavily implied that that is who the character would become. Then, in 2019, Monaghan became the face and voice of Cal Kestis, the protagonist of the Star Wars Jedi series of games, which is now rumored to be getting an adapted series.

9 Colin Farrel

Best Known For The Penguin

Colin Farrell is an Irish actor who had early success when he was cast as a villain in Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report. Since then, Farrell has had a talent for playing villains, having appeared in the 2003 Daredevil movie as Bullseye, an evil vampire in Fright Night, and now Oz Cobb in The Penguin. While Farrell does not play exclusively villains, he has a talent for transforming himself for roles, which has led to spectacular performances throughout his career.

8 David Harbour

Known For Stranger Things, & The Red Guardian In The MCU

David Harbour has been appearing in TV and film since 1999, but his breakout role didn’t come until 2016. It was at this point when Harbour was cast as Sheriff Jim Hopper in Stranger Things. The role was a perfect fit, and helped to launch Harbour’s career further, landing him a role in the MCU as the Red Guardian and several other large Hollywood productions. He also played Hellboy in the critically slated 2019 movie, and Senator Dexter Tolliver in 2019’s Suicide Squad. He is also set to appear in the DCU animated show, Creature Commandos.

James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and CEO of DC Studios will also be in attendance at the
Creature Commandos
panel.

7 Jason Segel

Best Known For How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, & Shrinking

Jason Segel is a comedy actor who first rose to prominence when he appeared in the Judd Apatow classic series, Freaks and Geeks. From there, he went on to have a starring role in the series, How I Met Your Mother, which lasted nearly 10 years. While appearing in HIMYM, he continued to appear in comedy and rom-com films, like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Muppets. Most recently, Segel has appeared in the hit Apple TV+ series, Shrinking, alongside Harrison Ford.

6 Jodie Whittaker

Best Known For Doctor Who

Jodie Whittaker is another British actor who appeared in hit shows like Broadchurch alongside David Tennant. When this series concluded, the showrunner, Chris Chibnall, landed the role of showrunner for Doctor Who, and having worked closely with Whittaker, he chose to cast her for the titular role. Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor became the first female version of the character in the more than 50-year run, and took her career to the next level as she was propelled to an internation stage.

5 Kevin Smith

Best Known For Clerks, & Jay and Silent Bob

Kevin Smith is a legend in nerd circles, where his passion for all things comic books and fandoms is well known and highly regarded. Smith is also a writer, producer, and actor, who has been able to contribute to the worlds of independent cinema and comic book shows like The Flash and Supergirl. However, his best known works are cult favorite films like Clerks, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob. In addition, he has also written and directed a series of horror movies known collectively as the True North trilogy.

4 Kyle MacLachlan

Best Known For Twin Peaks, Dune & Fallout

Along with Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan joins NYCC 2024 as another cast member from the hit series Fallout. However, MacLachlan’s career began long before when he was making waves for his spectacular leading roles in David Lynch movies like Dune, and his cult classic TV series, Twin Peaks. MacLachlan may be older now, but his notoriety and talents remain high as he tirelessly continues to work in numerous projects on both the big and small screen.

3 Mads Mikkelsen

Best Known For Hannibal, Fantastic Beasts, & Doctor Strange

Mads Mikkelsen is a sensational Danish actor whose chilling performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter made him a star on the global stage. Since then, he has played notable villains in the MCU, as Kaecillius in Doctor Strange, Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Galen Erso in Rogue One. However, even before he became widely known, he was cast as Le Chiffre in 2006s Casino Royale opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond.

2 Matt Smith

Best Known For Doctor Who, House Of The Dragon, & Morbius

Matt Smith is an incredible and energetic actor who managed to take the role of the Doctor from David Tennant, one of the most beloved actors to tackle the role of all time, with incredible grace and personality. From the moment he appeared on-screen, Smith embodied the character. However, every Doctor’s time must come to an end, and Smith has been busy since leaving the TARDIS. With starring roles in The Crown, House of the Dragon, Morbius and Last Night in Soho, Smith has proven to be incredibly versatile, playing spectacular heroes, and equally chilling villains.

1 Norman Reedus

Best Known For The Walking Dead, & Death Stranding

Norman Reedus played one of the few characters who appeared both in the first and last season of The Walking Dead, sharing the position for longest surviving character with Carol. As Daryl, Reedus embodied an incredible range of emotion that was tightly wrapped up in a tough exterior. Before the show wrapped, Reedus also went on to become the face and voice of the incredibly popular Hideo Kojima directed video game, Death Stranding. Reedus is now starring in a spin of TWD series, subtitled, Daryl Dixon, and is currently working on Death Stranding 2.