As thousands of superhero fans take to the halls and exhibit aisles of Comic-Con 2022, there seems to be one caveat that supersedes all others: Wear deodorant!

In fact, pack an extra stick of antiperspirant to re-apply as you endure the heat and excuse your way through throngs of zombies, Minions and characters that look like they just stepped out of the cantina from “Star Wars.” No stinky Jabba the Hutt is welcome here.

Personal hygiene is a commonly recurring kernel of advice from veteran attendees of San Diego’s Comic-Con. To underscore its importance, when asked for three etiquette tips, one fan repeated: “Deodorant. Deodorant. Deodorant.”

Showering daily also is high on the to-do list.

Longtime attendee Tom Galloway measured the exhibit hall floor and found that just traversing the main hall aisles without veering off to side attractions involved a 3-mile trek. That’s enough to work up a sweat.

Ted Tarris, who has been attending Comic-Con for 30 years, suggests spending time at the gym weeks in advance. “Walk a lot on the treadmill. But don’t go full speed. Cut it down to 1.0 ... Get used walking really slowly.” He calls the gait the “Comic-Con shuffle.”

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To avoid being harassed on the walk to and from the convention center, Janessa Finley suggests: “Wear headphones.” You don’t have to be listening to anything. “Just wear them.”

Many members of the Comic-Con Facebook group offer tips for getting the most value out of the four-day marathon, as well as etiquette do’s and don’ts.

The three tips Susan Rubin prioritizes are: “Be friendly. Wash your hands. Don’t block the aisle.”

Jesse Ledina cautions people carrying collectibles, poster tubes and props to be careful when they turn around. “You’re bound to whack someone in the head, over and over again,” Ledina warns. “Ask me how I know.”

Take measurements and know the radius of the over-stuffed backpack you’re toting, suggests another regular attendee.

Others caution never to back up without checking behind you. Alternatively, as Galloway suggests, say: “Beep, beep, beep, beep,” as you step backward.

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Not being stinky relates to more than body odor. Noses are on high alert in armpit-to-armpit lines and hip-to-hip seats occupied for hours in the hallowed Hall H, the huge auditorium where the crème de la crème of the Comic-Con panels appear.

This week’s visitors will see actors, directors and producers for such mega-productions as “Dungeons & Dragons,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Sandman,” “House of the Dragon,” the “Lord of the Rings” franchise and more.

The action is sure to whet one’s appetite. Even so, don’t bring smelly food to eat while watching panels, warns Darcy Fraser. Tuna sandwiches and egg salad sandwiches are no-no’s. Barbecued anything is offensive to the olfactory nerves.

There also are manners for waiting in lines — a requisite pastime at Comic-Con. “You wait in line just to wait in a line,” says Jason Doering, a longtime attendee from Rancho Bernardo.

He and many veterans recommend skipping the celebrity action at Hall H and watching the rerun on YouTube.

But if you want to brave the line, Comic-Con now hands out wristbands the evening before that entitle fans to join the line the next morning.

Some join informal line groups in which members are assigned shifts to wait in line and hold places for the others, freeing them up to visit other sights when not on duty.

Of course, you must contend with disgruntled queuers who resent your partners squeezing in at the last minute. Some people resort to paying someone to stand in line for them.

While it may be worth queuing for hours, you could be missing some random event on the floor.

About 10 years ago, Tarris was chatting with a friend at one booth when a fellow came by and said, “Carrie Fisher is signing in my booth next door in 15 minutes.” He went over and was rewarded 15 minutes later with the “Star Wars” actress’s autograph.

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Many celebrities dress in costume to roam the convention floor. One year, Mark Hamill ventured out incognito, dressed as a stormtrooper. In 2013, Hugh Jackman slipped into the crowd as Wolverine. In 2014, Daniel Radcliffe blended into the masses disguised as Spiderman. Ryan Reynolds ventured out as Darth Vader in 2015.

Doering has been attending Comic-Con since 2005 and estimates he has met almost 50 celebrities.

He found Jessica Alba at a booth promoting the 2005 movie “Sin City.” Another year, he got to chat with Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants. His childhood dream of meeting Hulk Hogan came to pass, and wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper put him in a sleeper hold for a photo.

Before the Comic-Con in 2005, Doering says he had just broken his leg, and a friend pushed him through the crowds in a wheelchair. What had been a painful injury became far less so when he was directed to the front row of many of the panels and led to the head of the line in some autograph sessions.

In fact, the VIP treatment was so good that the following year his friend suggested: “Jason, let me break your other leg.”

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