WonderCon returns to its home planet of Anaheim next weekend when nerds of all nations will gather to geek out over Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, develop new skills at everything from cosplay and makeup to stop-motion puppet-making, and bid a final fond farewell to our beloved Princess Leia.

The little brother or sister to the much-larger San Diego Comic-Con has been held at the Anaheim Convention Center starting in 2012, after an earlier run in San Francisco, though last year aliens abducted the ‘Con, beamed it through time and space and held it captive in Los Angeles for a year. Think of WonderCon as Han Solo, frozen in carbonite in L.A. for year, now thawed out and back at the helm of the Millennium Falcon in spaceport Anaheim.

WonderCon typically pulls some 60,000 fans through the doors and if you are driving down Katella Avenue this weekend they won’t be hard to find, given that cosplay – dressing up in elaborate costumes – is a big, big part of the fun, and the exhibition hall floor will feature plenty of vendors selling everything from steampunk corsets to costume contact lenses in every shade of the rainbow.

While Hollywood isn’t quite the overwhelming presence it has become at San Diego Comic-Con, there are plenty of panels where fans can catch sneak peeks of TV and film projects set in the world of sci-fi and superheroes.

Practically everything in some way or another celebrates the obsessions of fans who proudly embrace the title of nerd, which no longer apparently means you have to worry about the bullies grabbing you by your cape. This year there’s actually a panel on Friday called Becoming Nerdstrong which promises to “discuss fitness, body image, and confidence in a geek world … and the simple ways you can mix your fandom, passions, and gamification into a new, leveled-up life.”

We’ve scoured the program to pick and choose highlights on all three days. So take the red pill, come to WonderCon, and we’ll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Friday, March 31

Noon: Disneybounders Unite! – Disneybounding is the practice of dressing up as stealth or contemporary versions of Disney characters — think of regular clothes but in the color blocks of a well-known character — and this panel promises to help you make a splash come the next Dapper Day, Villains Day or May The 4th get-together at Disneyland.

12:15 p.m.: In What Universe? – Creative workers such as costumers, production designers and editors on shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Mr. Robot” and “Key & Peele” will share secrets of how they help shape the stories seen on screen. Moderated by Tom Payne, who plays Jesus on “The Walking Dead.”

2:15 p.m.: “Prison Break” – Catch the debut of the first episode of the upcoming reboot of the “Prison Break” series and stick around for a panel with some of its stars and producers.

4 p.m.: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Two Decades With Feeling – The 20th anniversary of “Buffy” is a big deal to a certain demographic of TV viewers and the authors of an upcoming oral history of the show will host this panel to celebrate.

5 p.m.: Spotlight on Jim Lee – Lee came to fame more than 25 years ago as a co-creator of the hugely popular comic book series “The Uncanny X-Men,” later built on that fame as one of the founders of Image Comics, which got its start in Orange County, and for the past seven years has been co-publisher of DC Comics. In other words he’s a real big deal.

7:30 p.m.: Fanbase Press: Star Wars at 40 – This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the original “Star Wars” and this panel will look at the universally popular franchise’s past, present and future.

Saturday, April 1

10 a.m.: From Stage to Screen: Rock Stars on Becoming Film and TV Composers – Panelists include musicians such as former Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Charlie Clouser, who has done the music for the “Saw” franchise and Mac Quayle of Rise Robots Rise who has too perfectly scored “Mr. Robot” as well as “American Horror Story.”

10:45 a.m.: “APB” – Catch a sneak peek at what the new Fox police series has in store and hear from stars including Justin Kirk, formerly of “Weeds,” and Ernie Hudson of “Ghostbusters” fame.

11:45 a.m.: “Midnight, Texas” – This NBC supernatural thriller based on a book series by “True Blood” author Charlaine Harris doesn’t premiere until July but you can see the premiere episode here and then hang out for a Q-and-A with the cast.

Noon: Spotlight on Andy Park – He started out as a comic book artist but as visual development supervisor for Marvel Studios he’s worked on every Marvel film since 2010. Another real big deal and they’ve promised giveaways at the panel’s end.

1:30 p.m.: Gerard Way – The lead singer of My Chemical Romance was into comics before music and the success of his comic book series “The Umbrella Academy” is now spilling over into a line of books such as Young Animal for DC Comics.

3:30 p.m.: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A Shell of a Good Time Bonanza Panel – Head Ninja Turtles, including co-creator Kevin Eastman, talk about the long life of the franchise and what’s to come this year and beyond.

4 p.m.: Deadpool: Bad Blood panel – Orange County native Rob Liefeld is the comic book writer and artist who put Deadpool on the map and later this spring he’ll be out with a new Deadpool graphic novel, which he’ll talk about here.

4:15 p.m.: Warner Bros. Pictures – The program doesn’t describe this beyond saying it’s an early look at upcoming films from Warner Bros., New Line and DC Entertainment. Which means there’s going to be some cool stuff to see.

7:30 p.m.: U.S. premiere of “Doctor Who” spin-off “Class” – This new series set in London’s Coal Hill School tells the stories of students there who are dealing with all manner of real life and Whovian situations. Premieres on BBC America on April 15 but you’ll be first to see it here.

8:30 p.m.: The 2017 WonderCon Anaheim Masquerade – This is where the fanciest, most elaborate and over-the-top cosplay goes on display. The ultimate fantasy fashion show.

Sunday, April 2

10:30 a.m.: Tolkien Fandom: A Fellowship 80 Years in the Making – “The Hobbit” was published 80 years ago this year and so this panel will talk about all the activities and so forth planned throughout the year. It also promises an update on the 2017 Baggins Birthday Bash “including info on how you can party like a Hobbit,” which, c’mon, we all want to do.

11:30 a.m.: Princess Leia: A Special Star Wars Fan Tribute – This should be bittersweet fun as Star Wars fan clubs host a tribute to the late actress Carrie Fisher, who died in December and will forever be Princess Leia.

12:30 p.m.: “Lucifer” special video presentation and Q-and-A – This Fox series about the devil himself returns in May but you’ll get a look at what’s ahead in the second half of the season and hear from cast members here.

2 p.m.: How To Create Your Own Novel – Brittany and Brianna Winner are identical twins from Orange County who started writing and publishing sci-fi books when they were still young teens. Now in their early 20s they and their fellow panelists will talk about how to get that book started and maybe even sell it to Hollywood.

3 p.m.: Jack Kirby tribute – This year marks the 100th birthday of Kirby, one of the most important comic book innovators of all time. The guy co-created Captain America, for cryin’ out loud, and later teamed up with Stan Lee to create the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Hulk. This panel will touch on all that.

4 p.m.: “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” – It’s a WonderCon tradition that one of the last programs of the weekend is a chance for fans to watch and sing along to Joss Whedon’s fun sci-fi musical starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Go, sing, have fun.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7787 or plarsen@scng.com