It's a new golden age in Hollywood when it comes to the superhero genre of film. Movies from Marvel Studios, DC/Warner Bros. and others have been spewing out of Tinsel Town for years with the next few being no exception. While many of these movies are often exceptionally good, they can sometimes be... not so great. Seeing as how they cost a lot of money to make, you would think the studios would be more careful with what they release, but every now and then, a bomb drops at the box office and the wonderful bubble that is the superhero genre takes another step closer to popping. To combat this eventuality, we have compiled a list of 20 upcoming superhero films split right down the middle: 10 you should watch, and 10 you can skip.
Now, we aren't fooling anyone here; we all know we, the fans, will see these movies eventually. That being said, the movies attributed with a "Skip" may be better suited for streaming rather than packing a theater on opening night. That activity should be reserved for our "Watch" movies. Granted, a lot of these choices are admittedly subjective, which is why we are basing them on the past performance of prequel/original films, overall fan desire to see them and reported problems with production. Some of these choices are almost guaranteed to spark controversy, so make sure you shout out in the comments what you think we got wrong, what you think we got right and which movie you are looking forward to the most from this list!
20 WATCH: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
The next Marvel film to watch will be Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, set for a December 14, 2018 premiere. The movie will focus on Miles Morales shortly after he acquires the powers that make him Spider-Man. In addition to Morales, the film will feature Spider-Gwen, Peter Parker's Spider-Man and many other characters associated with the Spider-Verse.
This movie will not be a part of the MCU but will be the first in a potential franchise of animated films. The film's animation style has been praised for its "comic book" style and it will be the first to feature Morales in a main cinematic role. Morales first premiered in 2011 in the Ultimate Universe and has since made the transition over to the standard Earth-616 universe. This film looks to break the dimensional barrier with its inclusion of multiple Spider-People.
19 SKIP: VENOM
Venom is set to release October 5, 2018, and it stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock in the title role. The film is a collaboration between Sony and Marvel but isn't set in the MCU. Due to the film's placement outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it will not feature Spider-Man. This fact has drawn criticism towards the film long before anyone had a chance to see it.
While the movie features a stellar cast, it greatly changes the character. Fans don't tend to appreciate it when their favorite characters get a complete cinematic overhaul, which is the primary reason a lot of folks might wait for this movie to stream. Venom is planned to launch a new film franchise for Sony so the box office will determine if this is the first in a series, or a one-shot that fell flat.
18 WATCH: HELLBOY
It's never easy seeing one of your favorite characters recast by a new actor, but it's happening with the 2019 release of Hellboy. Following the success of the previous films directed by Guillermo del Toro with Ron Perlman sitting at the lead, it's time for a new cast & crew to take on the character. Neil Marshall is set to direct David Harbour as Hellboy. Rounding out the cast are Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Daniel Dae Kim and many more.
Hellboy will be a complete reboot so don't expect to see a continuation of what came before. This will be a new take on the classic character with a whole new creative team. We're throwing this one in the "Watch" category simply due to our love for the character and the people involved. Here's hoping they don't mess it up!
17 SKIP: AQUAMAN
DC is sending out its next big potential blockbuster for a Christmas release on December 21, 2018. The film centers around the titular hero played by Jason Momoa who previously starred as Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, in Justice League. The film will be the sixth in the DC Extended Universe and the production studio is banking an estimated $160 million on it.
This will certainly be a BIG movie, but given the DCEU's track record with underwhelming box office performance and heavy criticism, a lot of fans are waiting on the sidelines. The trailer has already been heavily criticized for being a clone of the MCU's Black Panther, which indicates DC may be trying to copy the more successful studio. This movie may surprise us, but at the moment, it's looking like a "Skip."
16 WATCH: CAPTAIN MARVEL
Captain Marvel is set to be the next film in the MCU making it the 21st in that universe's continuity. The film stars Brie Larsen in the title role. She will be joined by a host of characters previously seen in the MCU as well as many new ones. Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Clark Gregg and Samuel L. Jackson will all return to play their roles but will be joined by the likes of Jude Law, Gemma Chan and many others.
Captain Marvel will take place sometime in the 1990s, so anyone hoping to see a resolution to the events of Infinity War will find the film lacking. What it should do is set up a means by which Captain Marvel might come back to help in the future, which was hinted at in the post-credits scene in Infinity War.
15 SKIP: X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
When it comes to the X-Men film franchise, the movies have been hit or miss. Most of them have been excellent movies introducing new generations of fans to some of Marvel's greatest characters, while others... not so much. Granted, this is the franchise where films including Logan and Deadpool exist, but the convoluted and confusing timelines have turned away droves of would-be fans.
When the franchise was rebooted with X-Men: First Class in 2011, it was looking like a turnaround. Unfortunately, the third film in the series, Apocalypse garnered mostly mixed reviews suggesting the franchise was waning. The fourth film, Dark Phoenix, is set to release February 19, 2019, but many fans are apprehensive due to reported reshoots suggesting problems with the final cut. The reported reshoots were scheduled to take nearly a year, which is never a good sign.
14 WATCH: SHAZAM!
One of the reasons DCEU films take a lot of heat is due to their dark tone. We threw Aquaman up in the "Skip" category because it looks to continue this tradition, which hasn't worked well for the company. Shazam! looks as if it will flip the script and enter a more comedic film into an otherwise dark universe. The film stars Zachery Levi and is set to release on April 5, 2019.
After watching the trailer, the movie looks as though it takes the character seriously, but still tackles the fact that this is a kid who is suddenly turned into a hugely powerful superhero. This one may be a gamble for the DCEU, but we're hoping it pays off. Shazam is a great character and there's a lot to work with moving forward if the movie performs well.
13 SKIP: THE NEW MUTANTS
Fox is continuing with hits movie releases prior to the Disney acquisition, which means The New Mutants is finally getting released. The movie has been in development for years but is scheduled to release on August 2, 2019. Unlike the other films in the X-Men universe, this one is being presented as a horror movie, and will ideally be the first in a trilogy. There are a number of reasons we threw a "Skip" at this one, but we are hoping this prediction is wrong.
New Mutants wrapped back in late September 2017 but had to endure more than a year of reshoots to make it more frightening. The new genre may not play well for fans who expect to see mutants fighting supervillains, but you never know when it comes to a new concept on an old idea.
12 WATCH: AVENGERS 4
Can anyone who watched Avengers: Infinity War honestly say they won't be watching the follow-up film? While the movie has yet to receive an official title, it is scheduled to release on May 3, 2019. Without the title, we are simply calling it Avengers 4 alongside everyone else and there is almost nothing known for certain what we can expect. Seeing as Infinity War deviated enough from the source material to throw off even the most die-hard fans, it's anyone's guess what we can expect.
Speaking of guessing, just about everyone is doing that (including CBR), but there are some theories that may pan out. What we do know is the cast from the first film -- most of them anyway -- will return in what is expected to be one of the biggest future film releases in 2019.
11 SKIP: BIRDS OF PREY
DC has been developing a Birds of Prey adaptation since November of 2016. The film will be directed by Cathy Yan and will feature Margot Robbie in her role as Harley Quinn, but the rest of the cast has yet to be announced. If the comics are any indication, she will be facing Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary and Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress and Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. Birds of Prey is currently scheduled to release in 2020.
Robbie was one of the few redeeming aspects of Suicide Squad so we are absolutely excited to see her take on the role in a new film. Despite Suicide Squad's impressive performance at the box office, it's looking as if this project is a potential "Skip." That being said, no trailers have been made and we are hopeful.
10 WATCH: THE FLASH: FLASHPOINT
While there was a lot of criticism heaped onto 2017's Justice League, about everyone who saw it agreed the breakout performance was Ezra Miller's portrayal of the Flash. The Scarlet Speedster already had a prominent showing on the small screen thanks to Grant Guston's take on the character, but Miller solidified himself in the role in the film. Now, it's time for him to continue playing Barry Allen in his own film, The Flash: Flashpoint.
At present, all we know about the release date is that the movie will drop sometime in 2020. The plot should somewhat resemble the "Flashpoint" crossover event in the comics, which involved Allen traveling back in time to save his mother, which created an alternate timeline called "Flashpoint." We want to see more of Miller, so this one is definitely a "Watch."
9 SKIP: GAMBIT
A movie featuring the Cajun mutant has been lingering in development hell for years, but it is finally seeing a release on June 7, 2019. The movie is set to star Channing Tatum as the titular superhero, but there is little known as to who might join him on screen. The film has suffered as a result of the elongated production having acquired and lost three directors over the past few years.
In addition to the movie losing its director(s), its script has gone through massive rewrites with a complete overhaul being started from scratch as production initially commenced. As of this writing, there is still no director set, but Fox is adamant about keeping their scheduled release. None of this bodes well for the movie doing well, which is why it earns a "Skip" on our list.
8 WATCH: SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Hardly anyone who saw Spider-Man: Homecoming walked out of the theater thinking they had enough of Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man. As the youngest actor to take on the role, Holland impressed fans and made his mark on the MCU. He continued to knock the character out of the park with a heart-breaking performance in Avengers: Infinity War and will continue in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set to release on July 5, 2019.
There isn't much known about the film's plot, but it has been hinted that it will take place directly after the events of the fourth Avengers film. Seeing as Spider-Man didn't survive Thanos' culling, this suggests a favorable outcome for our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in his second outing we absolutely must throw into our "Watch" category.
7 SKIP: SUICIDE SQUAD 2
When the first Suicide Squad hit theaters, it had a lot going for it. With Jared Leto portraying the Clown Prince of Crime, Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn, it looked as if the movie couldn't fail. Then it did. Fans and critics complained about the film's directing, a weak plot, clumsily written characters and bad marketing. On top of everything, we expected to see the Joker and we got only 15 minutes of him in a 123-minute film.
Regardless, the movie earned just enough money to keep the train going and a sequel, Suicide Squad 2, is still happening. The movie is set to release November 1, 2019, and will feature most of the original cast. Considering the negative reviews and poor showing of the first film, we have to chuck this one into the "Skip" category.
6 WATCH: BATGIRL
After sitting on the cinematic sidelines for 57 years, Batgirl is finally getting a solo film set for release sometime in 2019. At present, the studio is looking to hire a female director after already signing Christina Hodson to write the screenplay. Batgirl will be based on the Barbara Gordon version of the character but will focus on the Gail Simone-scribed New 52 universe version as a starting point.
The actress taking on the role of Batgirl has yet to be announced, but there is a short list of potential candidates. Some women on the list include Bella Thorne, Olivia Cooke, Elle Fanning, Jane Levy, Emma Roberts and Naomi Scott. Whoever ends up landing the role will have big shoes to fill and we can't wait to see it on the big screen.
5 SKIP: CYBORG
With Cyborg, we have yet another DCEU film on our list we felt had to go into the "Skip" category. We know what it looks like, but we aren't trying to hate on the DCEU! Unfortunately for Cyborg, it looks as if it may suffer from the poor showing of Justice League seeing as it has a dark character who will likely continue the tone set in the previous film.
Even with the negative reviews for Justice League, Ray Fisher's performance of the character was spot-on and it would be great to see Cyborg done right on the big screen. Only time will tell, and unfortunately, we will have to wait until sometime in 2020 to see if our "Skip" determination is on the money.
4 WATCH: WONDER WOMAN 1984
Coming in with some redemption for the DCEU is Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. The first film was a welcome relief from the previous releases in the DC lineup and the sequel will likely only build on the success of the former. Wonder Woman 1984 takes place in... 1984. Seeing as the first film was set during the events of the first great war, this isn't much of a surprise — she does have a long story to tell before getting to the present.
The plot will see Princess Diana come into conflict with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Kristen Wig is set to play the film's villain, Chetah, and Patty Jenkins is set to return to the directing chair. WW84 is set to release on November 1, 2019. This movie is a definite "Watch" and we can't wait!
3 SKIP: GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
Margot Robbie really nailed her role as Harley Quinn, so it isn't surprising that DC is looking to feature her in more films. She was one of the only redeeming elements of Suicide Squad, which is why she is being thrown in with the other infamous ladies of Gotham City: Poison Ivy and Catwoman. A forthcoming film based on the comic went into pre-production in the Summer of 2017 with David Ayer set to direct.
As for who will be playing the other two leading ladies, it's anyone's guess at this point. It has been confirmed that Jared Leto will come back as the Joker, but this could change, seeing as a new Joker was cast in a future film. We had to chuck another "Skip" this film's way thanks to Ayer's involvement on the project (he directed Suicide Squad).
2 WATCH: X-FORCE
Ryan Reynolds recently confirmed Deadpool 3 will happen, but that project is pretty far in the future. We can expect to finally see the standalone X-Force film, possibly in 2019, thanks to the success of both Deadpool and Deadpool 2. There isn't a lot of information about the film's plot, but we do know it will star Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino.
While not confirmed, it is likely we will see Stefan Kapičić return as Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Shioli Kutsuna back as Yukio. There is no confirmed release date at this time and the plot could be pulled from any of hundreds of books, so it's anyone's guess until the movie hits theaters. There's no way we could skip this one; definitely a "Watch."
1 SKIP: JOKER
We have had 11-ish Batman films since the first was released in 1943 and it's finally time we gave his greatest villain the spotlight. However controversial, Jared Leto gave a personal spin to the role in Suicide Squad; and yet, DC decided to recast the role with Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime for his first solo outing scheduled to hit theaters on October 4, 2019.
The plot for this film is an absolute mystery, but we do have some members of the cast: Zazie Beetz will play Sophie Dumond, Frances Conroy is rumored to play Penny, and Robert De Niro is attached in an unknown role. While the movie has chosen an amazing actor to portray the Joker, we would have liked to see Jared Leto continue the role. For now, we are giving this a "Skip," but that could change once the first trailer drops.