Though their flights might not consistently take to the heights they used to, the superhero genre isn’t slowing down. As long as studios vie for box office and streaming supremacy and caped crusaders are reliable, recognizable IP, theaters will stay as full of tights and fights as ever.
Whether a DC die-hard or Marvel fan, 2026 has something to look forward to: James Gunn’s DCU experiment is in full swing; the Marvel Cinematic Universe is course-correcting its multiverse with a compelling Robert Downey, Jr. comeback as the villainous Doctor Doom. Exciting, sure, but, from a business perspective, the stakes are Avengers: Endgame high. With Warner Bros.—Discovery up for sale, Gunn’s fate as DC Studios co-CEO suddenly feels uncertain. Plus, Marvel has stifled its output for nearly a decade. Just like that, the Hollywood landscape is such that the next three years could either redefine superhero cinema or finally cause its collapse. Deep dive into the calendar that bears the great power and greater responsibility below.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Launches DCU’s Super-Family Franchise
Milly Alcock as Supergirl in supermanImage via DC Studios
James Gunn deepens his DCU with his 2026 slate, starting with Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and starring Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as Kara Zor-El, the June 26 2026 release isn’t a typical Supergirl origin story. Her Superman cameo and the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book source material by Tom King allude to as much. Kara is a drinker, a traumatized lone wolf roaming the cosmos, burdened by having been witness to Krypton’s destruction, and potentially, its corruption.
Pairing Gillespie’s filmography, filled with complicated women, with Alcock’s spunk makes for quite a promising pair to bring such a tale to life. Gunn even claimed Alcock in the Kara role “might be the best bit of casting I’ve ever done in my entire life,” while making an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. The cast also includes Jason Momoa as Lobo, a role fans and Momoa have clamored to see him in since before his days as Aquaman. If everything falls into place, this could be one of 2026’s sleeper hits and a crucial bellwether of the DCU’s ability to sustain multiple tones simultaneously.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Finally Deliver MCU Street-Level Spidey
Tom Holland will swing into a solo Spider-Man film for the fourth time in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, this time under the direction of Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher are confirmed to appear, but fans are still hopeful the July 31, 2026 release will let Holland’s web-slinger finally exist without the safety net of an MCU mentor figure looming in the background. After three films of mentorship from Tony Stark and Doctor Strange, this is the franchise’s chance to deliver on its most comic book-accurate Spider-Man yet—honoring the promise of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s street-level finale.
With Cretton coming off the killer choreography in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, hopes are high for an all-time entry in the web-swinging and combat department. The biggest question looming around Brand New Day is how it fits into the larger MCU machinery. Its release date has shifted in and around Avengers: Doomsday enough times to keep those who follow the trades puzzled over how tethered to multiverse shenanigans the movie might wind up being. The title itself references a comic storyline about fresh starts and new beginnings—but since it’s the last MCU entry before Doomsday, how unstuck could its webbing really be?
Clayface Brings Body Horror and Noir to DCU Experiment
Image via Warner Bros.
Written by Netflix’s scary-series wunderkind Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass) and directed by James Watkins (Woman in Black), Clayface is the DCU’s most bullish entry yet, a no-holds-barred thriller in the vein of beloved body-horror, with a premise that seriously smacks of The Substance. That should excite every genre fan.
Further distinguishing Clayface from the rest of not just the DCU but all superhero cinema, the September 11, 2026 release is also a period piece. The fresh-faced Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen in a lovely bit of tragic casting, poised to portray Clayface’s prohibition-era origins as an actor whose face gets disfigured after gang war goings-on. If DC can pull off a project like this—smaller character, smaller budget, niche conceit—then the sky may be the limit for James Gunn and company.
Avengers: Doomsday Gambles Everything on Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
Robert Downey Jr. wearing a green suit and raising his arms as Doctor Doom at SDCCImage via Marvel Studios
The Russo Brothers return to direct Avengers: Doomsday, with Robert Downey Jr. cast as Doctor Doom. The December 18, 2026 release brings Tony Stark playing Marvel’s greatest villain—the kind of meta-casting stunt that only works if the Russos commit to the bit, treating Doom as a completely separate character rather than a multiverse variant excuse to bring RDJ back for nostalgia points.
The prevailing theory is that Doomsday ends with the destruction of the entire multiverse, giving audiences God Emperor Doom and Battleworld, setting up Secret Wars. The risk here is diminishing returns. Infinity War and Endgame worked because they were the culmination of a decade-long journey. The Multiverse Saga has been messier—COVID delays, behind-the-scenes shakeups, mixed reception to several Phase Four and Five projects. Can the Russos recapture that magic twice? Can RDJ pull off a post-Oscar miracle? People might buy a ticket just to find out.
Doomsday will either reassert Kevin Feige’s control after a messy half-decade or confirm that the brand’s ability to world-build and fan-serve got dusted away with Endgame, Thanos snap style. The Russos are proven Marvel masterminds, but their post-MCU efforts are objective flops. Still, if they can restore momentum through their trademark style showcased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Infinity War and Endgame —delivering tighter storytelling, sharper villains, and a well-balanced ensemble— Doomsday could turn MCU cynicism into support once more. If not, it will make it official: Marvel will no longer be leading the conversation; it’ll be chasing it.
The 2027 Club Features Anticipated Avengers, Spider-Man, Superman and Batman Sequels
Couresy of MovieStillsDB
Miles Morales unmasked in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.Image via Sony
Image via DC Films / Jim Lee
2027 might be the most stacked year of super-sequels of all time. Beyond the Spider-Verse kicks it all off; the Spider-Verse saga conclusion arrives June 18, 2027. The trilogy is beloved by all ages and will surely tie Miles Morales’ coming of age tale up nicely. But the big question is, will the film pass the baton to the MCU in any way? Kevin Feige has cryptically said that “Beyond the Spider-Verse has to happen first” when asked about Miles joining the MCU. Since this is due before Avengers: Secret Wars, could Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and the animated Spider-Verse become part of the live-action multiversal saga? If Sony’s smart, the trilogy gets the finale it deserves while leaving the door open for bigger crossovers down the line.
Elsewhere, James Gunn will write and direct his sequel to 2025’s Superman, Man of Tomorrow, pairing David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor—this time as co-protagonists. Gunn used Peacemaker Season 2 to set some exciting events in motion with a new, attitudinal Lex. But, if his exclusive CBR interview is to be believed, the main concern for Man of Tomorrow will be whether he has the endurance to pull it off.
“Man of Tomorrow was an idea I’ve had for a long time. Honestly, I think I know the next few (movies) I’m directing. … Because it’s a part of the plan of the DCU. There is one big story. I don’t want it… on the one hand, everything is going to be okay to watch by itself. But also, there’s a bigger story being told that involves, say, Salvation. And so that story – it involves Rick Flag. It involves Lex and Superman. There are those movies that I’m going to be directing. That’s the plan right now, at least. I may get so fucking tired that I can’t do it. Because I’m pretty tired. But we’ll see. But there’s a plan that I’m going to do, you know, a couple more, at least.”
Speaking of elsewhere, in what Gunn calls a DCU “Elseworld,” Matt Reeves’ The Batman will finally get its sequel in the form of The Batman Part II. Due for an October 2027 release, The Batman: Part II will bring back Robert Pattinson as the title character, with confirmation of Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon also joining the fray. Despite its extended pre-production and myriad delays, little else is known about the project. Rumors indicated a script included Robin, but Reeves’ only comment on the matter was that there “probably [wasn’t] any character that we didn’t talk about” in the drafting process.
The biggest event of 2027 will be Avengers: Secret Wars. The culminating event of the post-Endgame era of Marvel, Secret Wars has the impossible task of both justifying why audiences have been sitting through multiverse hijinks for years and delivering payoffs that set up the MCU for a fresh future. It’s hard to speculate on what exactly is in store, considering how much the film hinges on the events of Doomsday. Needless to say, it’ll be Marvel’s most important movie to date.
What’s Still Cooking: Superhero Movies Without Release Dates or Uncertain Fates
The Engineer worked alongside Ultraman for Planetwatch in James Gunn’s Superman.Image via DC Studios
Between corporate turnover and audience fatigue, several would-be tentpoles remain stranded in development, their futures as hazy as a post-credits tease. Sgt. Rock was once among the most fast-tracked DCU projects, with Colin Farrell attached as the deep-cut DC war hero. That fell through, and the actor recently spoke about the cancelled project on the HappySadConfused podcast, saying, “God, that was a fantastic script. I wonder what’s happening with it. I know nothing about it, brother. I was gonna do it with Luca [Guadagnino], and we spoke a couple of times, had some really nice chats, but I have no idea where it is now. But it should be made. It’s really, really good. There’s some wonderful stuff in it.” Similarly, a first-phase DCU project, The Authority, has been back-burnered—and that’s despite characters like Ultraman and The Engineer taking center stage in Superman. Another villain-centric DCU title, Bane and Deathstroke, buffers in pre-production with scribe Matthew Orton attached. Swamp Thing, directed by James Mangold, is currently waiting on the director to finish other commitments.
“[Sgt. Rock] should be made. It’s really, really good. There’s some wonderful stuff in it.” — Colin Farrell
DCU’s biggest question marks, however, hover over Gotham City. Dynamic Duo and Batman: The Brave and the Bold promise the franchise’s rollout of the Bat-Family. The former, an animated project following two of The Dark Knight’s Boy Wonders, appears to be on a faster track than Brave and the Bold, the DCU’s live-action Batman debut. Dynamic Duo has a 2028 release date and some concept art already. Brave and the Bold might still have The Flash and It director Andy Muschietti attached to direct, but fans are largely in disbelief at the lack of movement on the project. The hold up? According to James Gunn, Reeves’ Elseworld crime saga has caused scripting challenges, admitting to Rolling Stone that, “Batman’s my biggest issue in all of DC right now.”
On the MCU front, Blade has effectively been shelved. After years of development hell—losing directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange, burning through multiple screenwriters including Nic Pizzolatto, and missing multiple release dates—the Mahershala Ali vampire hunter film was officially removed from Marvel’s schedule. Disney removed the July 23, 2027 slot from the schedule in September 2025, meaning Blade won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest—if it happens at all.
The movie landscape has changed dramatically since the Infinity Saga ended. James Gunn’s rebooted DCU is challenging Marvel’s, with a clear six-year plan. Matt Reeves’ Elseworlds Batman story has Dark Knight fans hooked. The MCU faces increasing pressure with the franchise frantically barreling toward a likely reboot with Secret Wars. Meanwhile, DCU has the flexibility to offer out-of-pocket options like animated puppet Robins. With the industry in flux, the fate of superhero cinema seems uncertain—except for one crucial detail: the next three years will determine it.
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- First Film
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Iron Man
- Latest Film
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The Marvels
- Upcoming Films
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Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*
- First TV Show
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WandaVision
- Latest TV Show
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Echo
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Daredevil: Born Again
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel battle threats to the Earth and to the universe.
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- Created by
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James Gunn, Peter Safran
- First Film
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Superman
- Upcoming Films
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Superman, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing (DCU)
- First TV Show
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Creature Commandos
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Creature Commandos, Waller (DCU), Lanterns (DCU), Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, Peacemaker
- Cast
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David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Milly Alcock, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Anthony Carrigan, Viola Davis, John Cena, Xolo Mariduena
Get ready for a brand new DC experience! The DC Universe (DCU) is coming soon, bringing together familiar comic book heroes in a connected storyline across movies, TV shows, animation, and even video games. It is an upcoming American media franchise and shared universe based on characters from DC Comics publications.