Thanks to last year's Hollywood strikes, 2024 hasn't been the most exciting 365 days for comic book movies. Marvel Studios released an instant classic with Deadpool & Wolverine, only for Warner Bros. to drop a dud with Joker: Folie à Deux.
We still have a couple of Sony titles on the way over the next couple of months but, in the meantime, we're ranking the five Marvel Studios and DC Studios movies on the way in 2025.
Next year will usher in the new DCU as the MCU starts laying the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. It promises to be a thrilling year for the genre, but which of these movies are we most excited about?
You can find out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
5. Blade (November 7)
We debated even including this here because the odds of Blade being released on November 7 are slim at best. For whatever reason, Marvel Studios has been unable to crack the Daywalker...five years on from first announcing his movie.
It feels like Mahershala Ali will announce his departure from the project any week now and it's a shame because this movie (which, last we heard, will be R-Rated) has unlimited potential.
There has to be a version of Blade that's worth watching but with the Michael B. Jordan-led, Ryan Coogler-directed Sinners on the way, the movie runs the risk of feeling redundant. Perhaps he's better saved for a future team-up project?
With no director attached, we can't get too excited about this one...at least not yet.
4. Captain America: Brave New World (February 14)
We've heard mixed things about Captain America: Brave New World and it's no secret the movie had to undergo extensive reshoots.
That doesn't mean it will be a disaster, though. Marvel Studios has fixed many projects during post-production and there's nothing to say this follow-up to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be any different.
We're hoping this movie will cement Sam Wilson as the MCU's new Captain America and set the stage for Red Hulk as a major threat both in this movie and beyond. That character is too good to be wasted on a one-off appearance, particularly with Harrison Ford playing him.
We think this one could surprise everyone, particularly if the action and story are strong enough.
3. Thunderbolts* (May 2)
While it's true that Marvel Studios isn't exactly sticking to the comic books with its take on this team, there are still heaps of reasons to get excited about what's to come in Thunderbolts* next summer.
For starters, there's a very good chance that the heroes left standing by the time the credits roll will be the MCU's New Avengers...or Dark Avengers. For the most part, each of these characters is compelling (John Walker, in particular) so seeing more of them will be no bad thing.
Then, there's The Sentry. That character's live-action debut is long overdue and given what a powerhouse he is, the unhinged superhero could change the hierarchy of power in the Marvel Universe as we know it (heh).
Expect this one to be a surprise in 2025 because we think that trailer only scratches the surface.
2. Superman (July 11)
Over the past few years, the DC brand has been damaged almost beyond repair thanks to movies like Black Adam, The Flash, and Joker: Folie à Deux. Can Superman right the ship?
That's the million-dollar question, though the Man of Steel does feel safe in James Gunn's hands. The filmmaker delivered a phenomenal trilogy with his Guardians of the Galaxy movies and, for many DC fans, The Suicide Squad was a step in the right direction.
Based on what we've seen in set photos, Gunn has done right by Superman and plans to tell an uplifting, ambitious story about this iconic character. The only concern we have is a bloated supporting cast full of C-List superheroes.
Still, we'd have said the same about the Guardians once upon a time so we have faith in the filmmaker.
1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25)
Having watched the trailer which premiered at Comic-Con, we believe Marvel Studios will finally deliver a movie unlike any other we've seen from them with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Whether it's the futuristic 1960s setting, that incredible cast, or the fact Marvel's First Family will battle Galactus. We have all the faith in the world that Matt Shakman - who did an amazing job on WandaVision - will do these characters justice on screen. At last!
Admittedly, we have some reservations about the team hailing from an alternate reality (and potentially not the same one as Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom) but there's got to be a good reason for that.
So, yes, of the two superhero movies being released in July, it's The Fantastic Four: First Steps we see winning the month...