With 2019 coming to a close in a few weeks, it makes us reflect upon the huge milestones that the superhero movie genre has made in just this year alone. Namely, the fact that Avengers: Endgame became the highest grossing movie of all time.
It also successfully concluded a major story-arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though this franchise is far from over as more films are being planned for 2020. The same is true of other superhero movies from different studios such as DC and Sony. While some we are genuinely looking forward to in the coming year, some we aren’t.
Looking Forward To - Eternals
Originally created by legendary comic book writer/artist Jack Kirby, the Eternals are a major part of the deep lore in the Marvel universe. This not only includes the Eternals themselves, but also their creators known as the Celestials who’ve only been hinted at in the MCU movies thus far.
As for the upcoming film adaptation, the story is apparently going to take place within 7,000 years. Presumably, it will go into the Eternals’ origins along with their evil counterparts called the Deviants. So it’s an ambitious project for sure, but hopefully with the same intellect as Doctor Strange and cosmic battles as Captain Marvel.
Not - Superman: Man Of Tomorrow
During this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, DC announced several new animated movies that will be released next year. Among these included Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Now this title may sound familiar to DC comic fans as there was a short series of the same name that ran in the 90s.
But supposedly, this upcoming animated movie won’t be so much an adaptation of the comic series as an “original” tale involving Superman during his early years as a superhero. Now, do we really need another story like this? Especially when plenty of comics movies and even an entire TV show have covered the same ground before.
Looking Forward To - Superman: Red Son
The one thing that DC arguably has going for it, which Marvel doesn’t always get, are the stories where popular superheroes are placed in alternate realities. Originally published under the Elseworlds label, these scenarios were sometimes interesting and even thought-provoking.
One such example is Superman: Red Son, an Elseworlds comic where Superman landed in Soviet Russia instead of the United States. It was not only nominated for an Eisner Award, which is like the Academy Awards for comic books, but it’s also getting an animated film adaptation next year. Thus, this critically acclaimed work will be getting the proper exposure it deserves.
Not - Venom 2
Despite its financial success, film critics were not entirely happy with Sony’s stand-alone Venom film. This is in spite of positive audience reactions, leading to the classic debate between whether critics get what general movie going audiences like or not.
Yet regardless of negative critical response, this isn’t stopping Sony from putting a sequel together which is set for release in 2020. This time being directed by Andy Serkis, it will feature Venom’s rival symbiote Carnage and possibly be R-rated. On the surface, these things sound promising though just because it has all the right elements doesn’t mean they’ll mix well.
Looking Forward To - Birds of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn
Since her debut on Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn has become quite the popular anti-heroine in the DC universe. This was further bolstered by Margot Robbie’s performance as the character in the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, despite the film’s overall mixed reception.
Now, a stand-alone film starring Harley Quinn and several other female characters from the DC comic universe will be coming to the big screen. Known as Birds of Prey for short, its recent trailer suggests a combination of grit and action-packed fun. Additionally, Birds of Prey aims to be the DC Extended Universe’s first R-rated movie.
Not - Morbius
While Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was one of the highlights in Suicide Squad, Jared Leto’s version of the Joker was given a mixed reception by contrast. And it’s only gotten worse with age, especially after Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the character got more praise from critics.
So it’s uncertain if Leto will redeem himself in Sony’s upcoming Morbius film. Like Venom, this is another stand-alone story featuring an anti-hero character who is a vampire instead of an alien. Though given the backlash against vampires following the Twilight franchise, and Morbius not being as well-known as Venom, the odds seem stacked against this project.
Looking Forward To - Wonder Woman 1984
Another character portrayal from the DCEU that has been received positively besides Harley Quinn is Gal Gadot’s take on Wonder Woman. Not only was she a positive element in the critically panned Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but her stand-alone film was great.
Thus, we’re getting a sequel/prequel in the form of Wonder Woman 1984. Based on the released trailer, it promises to have similar cool action pieces as the first one but with an 80s-style flair. On top of that, people are looking forward to the film’s debut of Cheetah, a longtime Wonder Woman adversary.
Not - Bloodshot
Before DC and Marvel Studios started butting heads with their cinematic universes, there was a time when superhero movies weren’t taken seriously. This was especially during the 90s with box office bombs like Steel, but a saving grace came in the form of The Crow.
Despite being based on an independent comic book, the film managed to get several sequels and a TV show. Now Sony is hoping to achieve similar success with Bloodshot, based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name. However, the trailer was heavily criticized for giving away too much of the film’s story and Vin Diesel not resembling the character whatsoever.
Looking Forward To - Black Widow
This has been a long time coming, though some are concerned that this film is too late to have the same impact it would’ve had several years ago. After all, we can’t ignore the reason Black Widow is even happening now is most likely due to the financial success of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel.
Still, the trailer for the movie seems solid enough despite not being entirely clear in terms of when it takes place in the continuity of the MCU. Plus, it won’t have Black Widow sharing the screen with a bunch of big-named male superheroes thus allowing her to shine on her own.
Not - The New Mutants
When the trailer for this movie was released back in 2017, Twentieth Century Fox was in a pickle. Their future plans for the X-Men franchise were being dashed with the Disney merger and the constant reshoots for The New Mutants caused its release date to be delayed.
Though delays aren’t necessarily a bad thing, examples like Dark Phoenix indicate otherwise. Plus, this film’s dark tone as seen in the trailer certainly won’t fit Disney’s child-friendly image. So depending on what Disney ultimately decides to do, we may see a movie that will either be forgettable and/or neutered.
