Comic Con in Manila with The Vision, Red Arrow, and Missandei

The very first AsiaPOP Comicon (APCC) debuted in Manila on September 17-20, 2015, a rare treat for the geek and pop culture community in the Philippines. Minor hiccups aside, APCC delivered on its promise to bring international stars to our shores and create the “ultimate fan experience” as they brought in 3 celebrities from some of Hollywood’s biggest titles.

Paul Bettany

Headlining the four-day convention was Paul Bettany, who was the voice (J.A.R.V.I.S.) and now The Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Next set to appear in Captain America: Civil War, the British actor revealed in jest that being in Marvel movies assures him of his dinner. “It’s the first time in my life that I had security, knowing that I have a couple of movies to make,” he dished, although he did not reveal a specific number. “There are Marvel agents everywhere!”

Bettany was also thankful of the experience to be in the Philippines where his fans also showed appreciation for his earlier works like A Knight’s Tale (2001), Wimbledon (2004) and The Da Vinci Code (2006). “When the films are well supported here, it’s really nice to meet fans and know what they wanna see in the next projects… it was such a lovely reception working out here. The whole thing’s moving, it’s really fun,” he acknowledged.

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Colton Haynes

MTV’s Teen Wolf actor Colton Haynes rose to star status when he was casted as Roy Harper, also known as Arsenal/Red Arrow, in CW’s Arrow. While he left the cable series at the end of season three, his APCC visit, however, gave hopes to fans as he hinted on his return to the role. “It’s one call away… you will definitely be seeing me back on Arrow and possibly a few of the spinoff shows,” he said at a press conference.

Haynes was just elated with the support of his Filipino admirers. “Seriously, the love that I got here is so overwhelming and so incredible. Five years ago, I was like washing dishes at a bar, and then all of a sudden I fell into this industry, and now I have amazing people like you around me.”

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Natalie Emmanuel

A big fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones before she was casted as Missandei (“I cried when I got that phone call!”), Emmanuel feels blessed with her continuing storyline, considering the show’s character death rate. “I joined Season 3 and the fact that I’m still going is amazing… considering my character in the books, she’s like 9, I think, and she’s dead, and she had not in the storyline. I’ve been blessed,” she revealed.

She also had her own fangirl moment at APCC when she introduced herself to Bettany. “He’s just a brilliant actor who I admire, and I was really excited to meet [him]!” As for the warm welcome from her fans in Manila, she has this to say: “You guys know how to welcome people! We had such a nice time… everyone’s so friendly and so polite.”

Celebrities who were announced to grace APCC but did not make it were Jason Momoa, Chad Michael Murray, and the cast of Checkpoint the Movie including Bill Goldberg.

Were you at APCC last weekend? Share with us your experience!

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Photos and article by Mina Loyola