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With all the superhero movies already on record, you wouldn't think that either Superman or Fantastic Four: First Steps would be such a big deal, but both films represent something of a pivot for their respective studios, and both DC and Marvel have hinged a lot of their future plans on the success of either movie.
2025's Superman will be the seventh film to feature Superman as its main character, not counting the serial features and shorts of the 1940s, animated features and movies in which Superman was (arguably) a secondary character. This newest attempt at the Man of Steel follows Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a film which was the last entry in the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU. In the wake (if you'll excuse the slight pun) of the DCEU's implosion, 2025's Superman will serve as the first movie in the new DC Universe, or DCU.
Superman's director, James Gunn, has claimed that the new DCU will retain some elements of the DCEU moving forward, but I highly doubt that any of these elements will be especially obvious given the rather ignominious end suffered by that earlier cinematic universe. I could see them holding on to cast members or plot elements that Gunn was previously involved with, but I doubt we'll see any of the major players or events from the DCEU in the DCU.
Looking forward, Superman will lead into Supergirl, which will hit theaters around a year from now. That film is already in post-production. On the heels of that movie will be Clayface, The Authority and The Brave and the Bold, all of which are in various stages of development.
And I've got to say here, Clayface sounds a whole helluva lot like a CBM version of The Substance, a movie which was a surprise hit last year. Those involved in the production are comparing it to The Fly, but allowing for Hollywood logic I'm thinking The Substance. It might not even fall within the DCU proper.
The Authority and The Brave and the Bold, however, will definitely be connected to Superman in various ways. The Engineer, a prominent member of the The Authority, is already set to appear in Superman, and The Brave and the Bold, focusing as it does on the Bat-Family, seems like an ideal match for what Gunn is attempting in Superman. James Mangold's Swamp Thing, assuming he's still attached as director once that movie finally enters production, should also be part of the DCU.
There are also various television series in development, all of them following Creature Commandos' lead. There will be another season of Peacemaker, followed by Lanterns and maybe even Booster Gold if that series ever gets off the ground. I'm not that enthusiastic about any of these efforts, partly because I've lost a lot of my patience with the tie-in TV shows (thanks, Marvel), and partly because I don't subscribe to HBO Max. If a friend raves over one or more of them I'll give them a look, but otherwise I plan of having them pass me by.
Also, and I have to be honest here, I've always found the Green Lantern mythos boring. I get that some people love it, but for me the idea of a guy with a ring that can basically do anything is less than interesting. I've tried with some of those comics, but no, the concept just isn't working for me.
So much for Superman. What about Fantastic Four: First Steps? Well, to begin with it will be the fourth movie to feature the Fantastic Four, or the fifth movie if you count the Roger Corman version from the 90s. Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the 37th (!) film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first within its Phase Six. This phase will include Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
And let us not forget the two MCU films which rounded out the MCU's Phase Five this year, these being the disastrously bad Captain America: Brave New World and the far superior Thunderbolts. Even Thunderbolts, however, was something of a financial disappointment for the studio, despite the fact that audiences and critics got firmly behind it.
The MCU may not have gone down in flames like the DCEU, but Marvel Studios has definitely been put on notice that expectations are higher now. Gone are the days when something like Captain Marvel can skate by on its connectedness to other, bigger films. Audiences aren't willing to sit through that kind of thing any longer, not with movies like Ant Man: Quantumania, Eternals and Brave New World in our collective memory. The pressure is on Marvel to actually make this one good, and if it somehow fails (which, at this point in time, seems unlikely), it will have to return to the 'ol drawing board and revise its future plans.
TV shows aside, at the time of writing future MCU films seem to be either Doctor Strange 3 or Black Panther 3, followed by X-Men, which is a strong possibility for 2028 or thereabouts. The director of Thunderbolts has already been hired for X-Men, and this MCU adaptation of the world's most popular mutant soap opera is probably the MCU's most anticipated movie to date.
In my opinion any Marvel X-Men film that veers closer to Jonathan Hickman's work on the characters should do well. I know there are a lot of Chris Claremont fans out there, but no, that kind of angst wouldn't translate well into a movie. TV? Sure, some people loved it in the CW Flash, but it wouldn't work in a movie.
Of the two films, Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps, I'm definitely looking forward to Fantastic Four WAY more. I admire James Gunn, and I think what he did with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was amazing, but I've been waiting for a good Fantastic Four movie forever. I think John Byrne's work on that title in the 80s was classic, and I'd love to see some of that science fiction weirdness up on a screen.
Not that I'm not open to Superman being as good as, or even better than Fantastic Four: First Steps I'm very open to the possibility. If both movies are genuinely good we all win, and who knows what doors the success of both might open in the future? Maybe another shot at The Flash? Another Ghost Rider? I'd love either of those things to happen, and there is still a wealth of stories and characters to draw from in the comics. Dare I hope for a Captain Atom movie? A Punisher kills the MCU adaptation? Some of the weirder Epic and Vertigo comics from back in the day?
Anyway, see you at the local theater. Here's hoping July is a good month for comic book movie fans.
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