If you thought 2019 had a ton of superhero films, you ain’t seen nothing yet, friend. 2020 has 10 more superhero properties to explore on the big screen. 10! Get excited, get annoyed, get indifferent, it’s up to you! For those who choose the excitement route, here’s what’s next for caped crusaders on the silver screen this year…

Bloodshot: March 12th

The closest superhero film is based on an indie comic that is neither a DC or Marvel propriety. Instead, this 1992 character from lesser-known Valiant Comics explores the life of Raymond Garrison (played by Vin Diesel), an ex-solider whose been embued with experimental nanite technology. These nanites give him super-human strength and durability. The same group of scientists that gave Raymond his new abilities serves as the villain of the film, as his memories of life before the experiment are not all as they seem.

The New Mutants: April 3rd

Marvel’s Merry Mutants find a new face in The New Mutants, a team of teenage mutants fight for their lives to escape a secret government facility, bent on understanding the X-Gene. This film is the last of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films since it was the only film left in production at the time of Disney’s infamous acquiring of the studio. The New Mutants is an experimental take on the X-Men, as the film is set to be a horror film. The New Mutants’ most notable character is Magik, the witch sister of the Colossus character featured heavily in the Deadpool franchise. Magik’s alter ego is Illyana Rasputina (which, wow, what a name!) and her powers include a mystical sword she can summon out of her arm called the Soulsword and it! is! epic! Another prominent character, portrayed by Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, is Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane. As the name implies, Arya Stark is a werewolf in a horror film disguised as an X-Men movie.

Black Widow: May 1st

The first film in the next era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s storytelling involves a few steps back in the timeline. Pre-Avengers: Endgame’s notable sacrifice, Natasha Romanoff’s solo outing explores a long past and the even longer red ledger of the Black Widow that the previous films have only hinted at. Black Widow puts Nat face to face with her past, as the Red Room Program that trained her and several other Widow Soldiers resurfaces with new and even more dangerous recruits. As if that’s not enough, Natasha also has a new villain on her trail, the Taskmaster. Though in the comics the Taskmaster’s identity is known to the audience and the characters interacting with him, the MCU version is posing more questions. The trailer frames Taskmaster’s identity as a mystery but notes that he (or she) knows Natasha on a deeper level than a typical one-and-done villain.

Wonder Woman 1984: June 5th

A new era of wonder begins as Gal Gadot’s legacy character takes to the silver screen once more! Wonder Woman 1984’s spectacular trailer promises an all-new, all-different take on Diana Prince as she faces new threats during the Cold War Era. Warner Bros. has been especially steel lipped on the plot details regarding Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah, yet the trailer shows an excellent look at the film’s secondary villain Maxwell Lord. Pedro Pascal, of Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian fame, plays the eccentric and dastardly businessman that has thwarted the likes of Supergirl and the Justice League as a whole. Diana’s problems with both Maxwell Lord and Cheetah require more than just her sword and shield. To save the day, Wonder Woman suits up with her legendary Golden Eagle Armor and Invisible Jet. One of the greatest parts of the first Wonder Woman film was Diana’s heart and romance with Steve Trevor, and this sequel delivers in that regard. Despite dying in a noble sacrifice during World War 1, Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor is back for reasons unknown. Whether his apparent resurrection is the work of Maxwell Lord or another villain or is truly Diana getting her wish for love is yet to be seen. No matter the rhyme or reason for Steve Trevor’s return, Wonder Woman 1984 is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser in the making.

Morbius: July 31st

Spinning out of the same universe as Sony’s 2018 film Venom, comes Morbius, the story of a biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a pseudo-vampire after a self-induced experiment to heal his rare blood disorder. Morbius the Living Vampire, as he’s known in Marvel Comics, has come toe-to-toe with the likes of Blade the Vampire Hunter and, most notably, Spider-Man. Jared Leto portrays Dr. Michael Morbius in a way that heavily focuses on his scientific discovery and the madness spurned from Morbius’s desperation to find a cure for his terminal disease. Morbius has the potential to be a very moving film, as his character is very reminiscent of early gothic horror stories a la Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Dracula (though that last one is a bit on the nose). If that type of story feels like a stake in the heart of your anticipation, Michael Keaton is set to reprise his Spider-Man: Homecoming role as the Vulture. The schematics of how that works are still vague, but we know from the trailer that Morbius somehow takes place in both the MCU proper AND the Sony universe that Venom supposedly existed in by himself. Either way, Morbius is the next step for both Sony’s Universe AND the MCU’s Sinister Six roster. If you crossed your fingers hoping for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to face off against Tom Hardy’s Venom, Morbius may be the key to making that dream come true (while also being a great character study into madness and the dangers of moving too far in scientific progress, if that’s your fancy.)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: August 2020 on Disney+

Captain America fans rejoice! Two fan-favorite MCU characters are the first of many to have an 8-episode TV series in their honor! Marvel Studios and Disney want to press these characters forward in new and exciting ways! Fans were able to catch a short glimpse of what lies ahead for Sam and Bucky during the Super Bowl ad for the three closest Disney+ series in the MCU canon. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows the titular duo right where Avengers: Endgame left off, with Falcon becoming the next Captain America while Bucky Barnes finds his way in a world no longer at war. Emily Van Camp is set to return as Sharon Carter/ Agent 13 and Daniel Brühl makes his triumphant return as Captain America: Civil War’s antagonist Baron Zemo, this time complete with his iconic purple mask! Zemo isn’t the only foe the former sidekicks will have to face in the new series. The U.S. Government is quick to resolve Sam Wilson as his duties as Captain America and instead press their new candidate, John Walker aka U.S. Agent to wield the shield instead.

Venom 2: October 2nd
The untitled sequel to Sony’s smash hit Venom is set to release this October with Woody Harrelson slated to play the supervillain Carnage, a serial killer named Cletus Kasady bonded with an angry red symbiote born of Venom’s own homicidal tendencies. Fun!!! Carnage is by far the biggest threat on this list and, as the name suggests, will leave a pile of bodies in his wake. It’s up to our favorite chaotic duo of disgraced reporter Eddie Brock and his goopy murder buddy to stop him! Get ready for all of the symbiote-filled fun of the first film, but with a dash of horrific murders on top! Happy Halloween! 

The Eternals: November 6th

An epic tale spanning over the course of millions of years, The Eternals peers into the unknown corners of the MCU as we know it, both on Earth and beyond the stars. With the formal introduction of the Celestials and the origin of how the MCU came to be, as well as the introduction of the millennia-old Eternals. Their comic book history is few and far between, as they’ve only had 2 series between the 1970s and most recently in 2013. If that doesn’t fuel your fancy, how about a definitive backstory to the Mad Titan Thanos? That’s right! Thanos’ species is born from the same Celestial experiments as the Eternals. Thanos’ presence in the film is confirmed via leaked of the film.

Most of what we know about The Eternals has nothing to do with the titular team at all, instead focusing on Kit Harrington’s character The Black Knight and Gemma Chan’s wicked witch character Sersi. Budding romances ensue between the two, as well as the very first LGBT+ couple in the MCU as Phastos and his husband share the first gay kiss in both Marvel and Disney’s film history. The Eternals hosts many Hollywood A-Listers as well, as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Richard Madden round out the cast list. The Eternals wrapped filming in early February, so a trailer shouldn’t be too far out of reach!

WandaVision: December 2020 on Disney+

Also featured alongside The Falcon and Winter Soldier in Disney+’s Super Bowl ad, WandaVision is another bold move for Marvel Studios. Focusing on Wanda Maximoff’s reality-warping powers to develop her into the Scarlet Witch she’s destined to become will be a long and perilous journey. The way that Marvel has decided to take this route is by visualizing Wanda’s new realities as various American sitcoms from throughout the decades. I Love Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, and Full House show different attempts at Wanda creating her perfect life with the Vision after his untimely death in Avengers: Infinity War. WandaVision very cleverly hid a very big clue as to where the series could go beyond its initial premise, as the 1980s sitcom family involves two cribs and bouncing pacifiers. In the comics, Scarlet Witch and Vision use Wanda’s magic to bring twin boys into existence. Their names are Billy and Tommy, and they grow into the heroes Wiccan and Speed. Billy has a varied version of his mother’s powers, while Tommy takes after his late uncle Quicksilver. Both of these characters become founding members of the Young Avengers, and several more characters from that team are making their way to their MCU debut, meaning WandaVision could become an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.

Well, friends, we did it. Here at the end of the road, I want to give a parting gift to you, the Reader. Being a hero is about more than flight and super-human strength. You can be someone’s hero by doing kind things for others just because. Not sure if that’s the lesson you departed with, but I digress. Hopefully, these exciting new ventures into the ever-expanding superhero medium will inspire you to be heroic in your day to day lives and become the best hero you can be. Be sure to check out these films in theatres!