You might not think that the Funko Pop! Talk panel would be at turns hilarious, interesting, and moving. A few thousand Funko fans clearly knew. Or maybe they just wanted the exclusive Funko Pop figures they assumed were coming as giveaways. At any rate, the live version of the internet talk show gave away more than exclusives; it was genuinely entertaining and possibly a high point of Comic-Con.
Hosts Brian Mariotti and Mike Becker used the opportunity to promote comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, who seems to have his own subseries of Pops! available on his own website. Not listed in the SDCC program guide, his appearance surprised the audience, and he used his crowd work skills to establish a running gag teasing that Dwayne Johnson would make an appearance. (He did not.) Coming out sporadically to introduce each celebrity appearance, he proved why he’s such a beloved comedian.
Iglesias first brought out Cobra Kai’s William Zabka. His answer to the question, “what do you collect?” was on brand: second-place trophies. He pointed out that indeed, though he’s an Oscar-nominated filmmaker (for Best Live Action Short in 2013), he lost, so it’s a theme in his life. But hey, I knew he was deeper than his 80s asshole persona (his words), but I didn’t know he’d been up for an Oscar.
He did point out that he never really saw his character Johnny in The Karate Kid series as a bad kid, just one given bad guidance. The proof of that has been in the redemptive arc of Cobra Kai, the hit Netflix series which returns for its fifth season in September. And of course, Johnny has more than one Funko Pop!, so if that’s not redemption… well, that’s not exactly redemption, but it’s fun and the reason these celebrities were here.
Zabka was followed by Tik Tok sensation Bella Poarch, who also has a Pop! coming out and introduced Rosario Dawson. The internet may be abuzz today over Dawson’s orange dress, but possibly missing that it’s part of her own clothing line. Though Mariotti and Becker certainly meant to be light and fun with their questions, Dawson’s just too deep for that. She talked about the difficulties of her upbringing and why she adopted an older child. But she also proved her Comic-Con cred — not that she had to, because we know. After all, she was there this year because she is Ahsoka (with her own new Pop!). But let us not forget that she co-created an Image Comic, Occult Crimes Taskforce.
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