Thor Blimey! Superheroes and villains descend on London’s Excel Centre for bi-annual MCM Comic Con
- Bi-annual Comic Con festival has returned to east London’s Excel Centre with a packed schedule
- Screen and stage stars including Simon Pegg, Jason Momoa and David Morrissey are selling out panel events
- Pop-up world offers tattoo parlours, a gaming centre, a Cosplay competition, talks and photo opportunities
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Thousands of superheroes have arrived just in the nick of time for the grand opening of the bi-annual London Comic Con festival.
Costume characters as wide-ranging as Batman and Robin to Mr Grumpy and Mr Blobby were spotted entering the ExCel London exhibition centre on the royal docks.
And fans were also hopeful of meeting some of their favourite film actors and writers in real life, with an appearance by Star Trek star Simon Pegg selling out, and Aquaman’s Jason Momoa heading a panel discussion on centre stage.
Also attending are celebrated former Doctor Who writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who are taking part in a panel discussion for BBC’s Dracula on Saturday.
The huge event’s organisers have planned a varied offering to cater to the variety of fans, and includes tattoo parlours, a gaming centre, an international Cosplay competition, and several talks and photo opportunities with celebrities.
For Batman fans there will be a screening of the first episode of Pennyworth, which uncovers the backstory to Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred, and how he went from being a former special-forces soldier to a dedicated servant of the Wayne family.
The screening will be followed by a panel with the show’s stars Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge and Paloma Faith.
Cosplayer Shaela Halcrow, 23, dressed as anime character Do Flamingo during the first day of MCM Comic Con at the ExCel London in east London. The convention attracts over 130,000 fans and will continue into Sunday
Marvel superhero Thor holds her hammer aloft in the foyer of the Excel exhibition hall
Batman related character have proved seriously popular yet again, with two revellers dressing up as different incarnation of the comic villain Harley Quinn
Girl (super)power: Female characters including Snow White, Elsa from Frozen, and Tinkerbell gather for a group photo
Two Cosplayers wearing Japanese anime Studio Ghibli-inspired costumes have a bite to eat and take a break from exploring the attractions at Comic Con
Two Cosplayers wear the muscly 1990s incarnations of superheroes Batman and Robin, made popular by George Clooney (Batman) and Chris O’Donnell (Robin) in the eponymous film
The weekend pop-up world offers tattoo parlours, a gaming centre, a Cosplay competition, talks and photo opportunities
Jodi Digweed arrives dress as Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations, complete with a thick fur coat and large cigarette holder
Not every character comes from a blockbuster film in an alternate universe. Children’s book character Mr Grumpy, and Noel Edmonds’ companion Mr Blobby were spotted amongst the revellers
Out in force: Star Wars fans appear as Princess Leia and two stormtroopers wearing costumes designed for 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back
What a Joker! A boy puts on a smile while dressed in a Joker outfit inspired by Heath Ledger’s turn as the villain in 2008’s the Dark Knight
A cosplayer sits in a feline pose on the hall floor dressed as a cat from the recent musical Cats
Red-faced: Superheroes Hellboy (left) and Spiderman (right) inside the Excel London at the Royal Docks in the East End