The superhero genre took the film industry by storm in the previous decade. The highest box office statistics in the 2010s were dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with films such as Avengers Endgame, and Infinity War earning billions of dollars.
Yet, in the current days, recently released films such as Ant-man and Shazam could be considered flops when compared to the success of the previous superhero movies.
This paired with the fact that the MCU and the DC extended universe are both almost fully reforming and choosing to focus on new actors and characters, many questions are raised about the future of the genre. And while it is undeniable that the interest in superhero films has gone down, it is a stretch to assume that the genre is dying. Interestingly, there are fans making predictions about the box office success of some of the upcoming films on popular online casinos in Canada, where, as it turns out, informed film enthusiasts have chances to score hefty prizes not only through traditional games like online roulette or poker but also through real money bets.
This paired with the fact that there are plenty of financially highly successful superhero movies this, and the previous year, says that there still might be future for the genre.
The Flash
Despite all of the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, it is confirmed that he will be returning once again to play the role of Barry Allen. Garnering millions of views on the official trailer for the film, the excitement for it is undeniable. The Flash is one of the most popular DC superheroes, and this film will be covering the events of the most popular comic book involving him.
The Flashpoint Paradox is an incredibly important story for the functionality of the DC universe, as it single-handedly explains why powerful speedsters cannot simply manipulate time to thwart any conflict. Upon attempting this and trying to save his mother from death, Barry alters the events of the timeline so much that the world around him becomes unrecognizable.
Timelines, as it turns out are very fragile, and disrupting their flow leads to terrible consequences. The scarlet speedster learns this lesson the hard way, as he has to stop himself from saving his mother, and inadvertently destroying the world through a time paradox.
This will be the core conflict of the upcoming film. However, the alternate timeline concept is very vague, thus the possibilities for exciting cameos or interesting events are endless. So far, it is confirmed that Michael Keaton, the actor who played the role of the iconic Batman in Tim Burton’s 1990s iteration of The Dark Knight, will be returning for this movie.
Other returning characters are Ben Affleck’s Batman, and Michael Shannon’s General Zod, the latter being the main antagonist of the first DCEU film, the Man of Steel. Notably, making her first appearance in the universe will be the popular character Supergirl, portrayed by Sasha Calle.
The film definitely has high expectations as it is covering a beloved source material, with the potential to balance meaningful drama-based character growth, as well as, creativity and style. A superhero film is truly at its best when it strikes a balance between the two.
Across The Spider-Verse
Speaking of striking a balance between fun and meaningful, this year will finally be offering the sequel to one of the most highly acclaimed superhero films, into Spider-Verse. It was a uniquely animated film, released in the year 2018, garnering appreciation for not only the visuals and the look but also likeable characters and uplifting, well-delivered themes.
Naturally, being a sequel to such a movie will earn you high expectations. From what we know so far, Miles Morales and the other Spider-Men will be dealing with a multiversal threat together. However, based on the trailer something seems to cause a rift between them, as in it, the popular versions of Spider-Men seem to be attacking our protagonist.
It will be extremely interesting to see the root of this conflict, as well as see how Miles deals with it. Also important to mention that there is speculation about some of the previous characters other than Morales returning, yet so far, the only confirmed one is Gwen Stacy.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
At this point, Guardians are a household name in the MCU, with both volumes one and two being highly successful. In addition, they are a group, which has participated in the events of Infinity War, and Endgame, in fact, having direct continuity with the latter, as Gamora’s return would make no sense without it.
Some fans might argue that it is cheap bringing back a character whose death had massive consequences in Infinity War, but it is important to remember that the current Gamora is entirely different. She never had the important adventures with the group that the original one did, and a talented writer can take advantage of that to craft a meaningful arc.
The plot for the film is entirely speculation, as we have nothing to go off so far, other than the poster for the film, which confirmed that the core cast from volume 2 is back. But this, paired with the fact that the film is still directed by James Gunn, makes the situation quite promising.
Conclusion
The three above-mentioned films are the biggest upcoming superhero projects. Of course, that is not all though, as there are films such as Aquaman, Blue Beetle, Kraven the Hunter, and The Marvels all coming up this year, looking decently promising.
As mentioned, the genre may never fully reclaim the previously held fame, yet the future is still far from bleak.
