The 12th annual Awesome Con is night, and this year it’s bringing a packed schedule full of exciting events and prestigious guests that attendees won’t want to miss. Awesome Con is a convention that runs yearly ever since its creation in 2013, celebrating all things geeky and pop culture related in Washington DC. In 2025, Awesome Con will be living up to its name with a stacked slate of incredible featured panels, including a TMNT movie marathon hosted by Screen Rant.

The three-day extravaganza of pop culture festivities will begin on April 4th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC. The schedule will run until April 6th, with each new day bringing a new host of tantalizing panels featuring celebrity guests and iconic voice actors from some of the most iconic science fiction and fantasy franchises ever made. Attendees will certainly have their itineraries jam-packed with all the excitement promised by the event’s calendar.

10

The Lord Of The Rings Cast

Sunday at 10am

• John Rhys-Davies
• Orlando Bloom
• Liv Tyler

Perhaps the single biggest headlining highlight event of Awesome Con 2025 will be the H๏τly-anticipated Lord of the Rings panel featuring some of the biggest stars from the films. Even years later, the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films remain the golden standard of fantasy moviemaking, continuing to captivate new audiences with their breathtaking adaptations of Tolkien’s work. Awesome Con 2025 is promising a riveting discussion of the beloved series led by some of its most high-profile stars.

If there’s one panel not to miss at Awesome Con 2025, it’s this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Joining the conversation will be Orlando Bloom, who played the archer elf Legolas, John Rhys-Davies, who played the gruff but reliable Gimli, and Liv Tyler, who played the stoic royal elf Arwen. This unforgettable reunion will get into the weeds of filming the iconic franchise thanks to some cutting questions posed by fans themselves, who were able to submit their biggest burning queries ahead of time. If there’s one panel not to miss at Awesome Con 2025, it’s this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

9

Ming-Na Wen Spotlight

Saturday at 11:15am

• Ming-Na Wen

Another of Awesome Con 2025’s most illustrious celebrity guests will be award-winning actress Ming-Na Wen. A performer an model, Ming-Na Wen has quietly made her way through the hearts and minds of millions of critically-acclaimed or world-renowned movies and shows, with her breakout hit being the poignant drama The Joy Luck Club. However, her years as Dr. Deb Chen in the long-running medical drama ER is what truly brought her into mᴀss popularity.

Attendees of Awesome Con will likely recognize Wen’s voice as Disney’s Mulan, a role she has reprized in multiple projects since the release of the original film in 1998. Ming-Na Wen has more recently made her way into a variety of big-name franchises, including Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent Melinda May, Star Wars as bounty hunter Fennec Shand, and the DC universe as Detective Ellen Yin in The Batman. This spotlight panel will be able to shed even more much-deserved light on Ming-Na Wen’s illustrious career.

8

Blue’s Clues

Saturday at 1:45pm

• Steve Burns
• Josh Dela Cruz
• Donovan Patton

Awesome Con is truly a family-friendly event, as evidenced by panels that are an all-star lineup of celebrities in the world of children’s entertainment such as Blue’s Clues. The adorable half-animated, half-live-action kid’s show focusing on detective work and critical thinking skills ran for an impressive 10 years, popular enough to enjoy a brief revival in 2019 with Blue’s Clues & You!. Awesome Con will be honoring the series’ legacy with a dedicated panel on Saturday featuring some of the series’ biggest creative names.

The shining jewel of the panel will be the adored Steve Burns, who hosted the first incarnation of the show with his own name.

Though known for moving on from the project to focus on his musical career, Steve’s tear-jerking address to old Blue’s Clues viewers in an anniversary video in 2021 sH๏τ him back into the spotlight again. Steve will be joined on dedicated Blue’s Clues panel by his legacy replacement host, Donovan Patton, a.k.a. “Joe”, and Blue’s Clues & You! host Josh Dela Cruz.

7

Simon Pegg And Nick Frost

Saturday at 10am

• Simon Pegg
• Nick Frost

Two of Awesome Con’s most significant celebrity guests in attendance will be the iconic British comedy duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Best known for their work in the unrelated Three-Flavours Cornetto trilogy of films, Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, H๏τ Fuzz, and The World’s End, the pair have an obvious friendship that bleeds into their on-screen performances wonderfully, resulting in uproarious laughs via a very English sense of humor. The pair also collaborated on the sci-fi comedy film Paul, featuring an alien played by the vocal talents of Seth Rogen.

Both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have also had distinctive solo careers, as well. Simon Pegg as wormed his way into many impressive supporting roles in mᴀssive franchises like Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Mission Impossible, whereas Nick Frost has found himself in a wide variety of vocal roles, and is set to play the blacksmith Gobber in the upcoming live-action How To Train your Dragon remake. The two will be able to discuss all of the above and more with fans in a highly-anticipated dedicated panel.

6

The Firefly Cast

Saturday at 4:15pm

• Morena Baccarin
• Sean Maher

Still one of the biggest betrayals in geekdom, the cancelation of Firefly has yet to dull fans’ longstanding appreciation for the space Western science fiction universe. Enter the Firefly cast panel at Awesome Con 2025, which will continue to celebrate the franchise twenty years after the finale movie Serenity supposedly brought closure to the science fiction series’ story. The presence of this panel is a testament to the enduring appeal of the show’s 26th-century world and brilliant ensemble cast.

The two have also tangled with the world of comic book movies independently, with Baccarin playing love interest Vanessa in the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool trilogy and Maher voicing Nightwing in multiple DC animated movies.

The panel will consist of Morena Baccarin and Sean Maher, two of the most important crewmembers of the Serenity. Morena Baccarin played the elegant onboard courtesan Inara Serra, whereas Sean Maher played the brilliant prodigy surgeon Simon Tam, who smuggles his sister aboard the ship as well. The two have also tangled with the world of comic book movies independently, with Baccarin playing love interest Vanessa in the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool trilogy and Maher voicing Nightwing in multiple DC animated movies.

5

The Goonies Cast

Saturday at 12:30pm

• Corey Feldman
• Joe Pantoliano
• Kerri Green
• Martha Plimpton
• Robert Davi
• Sean Astin

Nostalgia for the 80s is an important part of any pop culture convention, and Awesome Con will certainly be delivering in 2025 with a panel dedicated to the cast of The Goonies. The classic adventure film followed the тιтular gaggle of kids as they attempted to find the fabled treasure of pirate captain One-Eyed Willy, battling a family of criminals along the way. One of Awesome Con’s most comprehensive cast panels yet, this feature is sure to fill out the schedule of many attendees.

The lineup for the panel will consist of Corey Feldman, who played the cheeky Mouth, Joe Pantoliano, who played the criminal Francis Fratelli, and Kerri Green, who played the cheerleader Andy. Also joining will be Martha Plimpton, who played the snarky Stef, Robert Davi, who played another insidious Fratelli brother, and the iconic Sean Astin, who led the film as the asthmatic Mikey. An impressive culmination of a huge ensemble cast, this panel is by far Awesome Con 2025’s most star-studded.

4

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cast

Sunday at 11:15am

• Brian Tochi
• Josh Pais
• Judith Hoag
• Robbie Rist

Of course, far be it from Screen Rant to miss out on a pop culture celebration like Awesome Con 2025, hosting a panel celebrating the world’s most beloved quartet of fearsome fighting reptiles. Of all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptations, the 90s live-action movies are still some of the most beloved, with charming animatronics and the time-capsule atтιтude of the decade. Some of the original performers behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be stepping out of their shells at Awesome Con 2025.

The lineup will consist of Brian Tochi, who played the stoic leader Leonardo, Josh Pais, who played the cool but rude Raphael, and Robbie Rist, who played the fun-loving Michaelangelo. Also joining the panel will be actress Judith Hoag, who played human ally and news reporter April O’Neil in the live-action movies. Screen Rant is proud to be behind the long-awaited reunion of this classic incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

3

L.A.V.A. – Loud, Annoying, And Very Annoying

Sunday at 12:30pm

• Robbie Daymond
• Max Mittelman
• Ray Chase

As great as panels with high-profile celebrity guests from the beloved films of yesteryear are, it’s also important for any convention to keep the momentum high with some hilarious comedy-oriented features. Luckily, Awesome Con 2025 will enjoy the benefits of the traveling live show L.A.V.A., an acronym standing for Loud, Annoying, And Very Annoying. With a talent for laughs centered on the ridiculousness of pop culture, L.A.V.A. is sure to be one of the standout events of Awesome Con 2025.

L.A.V.A. consists of well-known voice actors Robbie Daymond, Max Mittelman, and Ray Chase, known for bringing life to a swathe of characters across movies, animation, video games, and anime. The comedy troupe trio will lead audiences through gut-bustingly funny games, skits, musical performances, and jokes, even giving out special prizes to those who can endure the laughs the best. L.A.V.A. is sure to draw the attention of many attendees on Sunday at 12:30pm.

2

Voiceapalooza

Sunday at 4:15pm

• Wes Johnson
• Tara Sands

Speaking of voice actors, the vocal talent of dedicated performers has been a long-standing pillar upholding the festivities of conventions across the world for years now. Recognizing this, Awesome Con will be giving some of the most iconic names in the business a chance to shine with the panel Voiceapalooza. In that pursuit, audiences will be welcomed to the dulcet tones of prominent voice actors Wes Johnson and Tara Sands, starting Sunday at 4:15pm.

Wes Johnson’s voice will be very familiar to fans of Bethesda video game RPGs like The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series, lending his talents to a wide variety of characters big and small in both franchises. Meanwhile, Tara Sands is easily the second most prominent Tara in voice acting history (after Tara Strong), filling out the roster of a wide variety of anime adaptations such as Digimon, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Hunter x Hunter. Both panelists will be able to give attendees an inside look at the world of voice acting.

1

Ross Marquand

Friday at 3:30pm

Wes Johnson and Tar Sands will be far from the only prominent voice actors lending their expertise to Awesome Con 2025. The great Ross Marquand will also be headlining his own dedicated panel early into the festivities on Friday, uncovered by other major features. Though he is a prominent voice actor, Ross Marquand first gained notoriety for his time on AMC’s The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ as Aaron, noteworthy for being the first openly gay character in the TV show.

Since The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, Ross Marquand has enjoyed notoriety as a prolific voice actor. He lent his menacing growl to roles like the Red Skull in Avengers: Endgame after Hugo Weaving refused to return to the series, and fills out a variety of flexible roles on the popular animated superhero show Invincible, including the latest season. Ross Marquand will be a valuable addition to the schedule of Awesome Con 2025.