Captain Marvel – March 8
The last piece of the puzzle needed for April’s finale, “Captain Marvel” explores Carol Danvers’ origin story as she goes from U.S. Air Force pilot to Kree super soldier. Touted as one of the strongest MCU heroes, she must team up with a younger Nick Fury and Phil Coulson to fend off a shape-shifting Skrull invasion of Earth. For what it’s worth, Danvers also has a cat named Goose.
Shazam! – April 5
Hot off the heels of an immensely successful “Aquaman” debut, “Shazam!” looks to continue DC’s resurgence. After escaping from school bullies on the subway, foster child Billy Batson is summoned by an ancient wizard who choses him as his “champion.” The wizard gives him the power to transform into Shazam — an adult superhero — simply by saying that very name. The premise seems completely over the top, but DC seems to have finally embraced its whacky heroes.
Max Rothenberg | Argonaut
Hellboy – April 12
David Harbour, the new Hellboy, described this film as a “character piece” with mature themes deserving of an R-rating. Then the trailer was released, and it currently looks like a slapstick comedy. Little is known about this film, but I can only hope director Neil Marshall embraces the character’s comic book roots and rises to at least the level of Guillermo del Toro’s prior films. Please, dial back the slapstick for this one.
Avengers: Endgame – April 26
This is it. If I could snap my fingers and travel to the future, I would go straight to April 26. Not only is this potentially the most hotly-anticipated film of all time, but it’s also the culmination of 21 prior films. With only a brief teaser trailer so far, we only know two things. Iron Man is stuck somewhere in space, and Captain America and friends devise some sort of plan to fight Thanos and bring back their dusty friends. It’s going to be a barn burner.
Brightburn – May 24
A child crash-lands on Earth from another planet, and is adopted by a couple in a small, rural town. He soon shows supernatural powers and is raised to be a hero. Sound familiar? Better buckle in, because that same child is going to become evil and slaughter the entire town.
“Brightburn” spins the traditional Superman origin story on its head, and embraces a more unknown superhero horror genre. This is one reimagining I look forward to — step aside Clark Kent.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix – June 7
This probably won’t be a good one, but hear me out. While the first two “young X-Men” films were incredible, “X-Men: Apocalypse” left a sour taste in my mouth and was quite disappointing. The concept behind “Dark Phoenix” seems far too familiar, particularly with an emphasis on Jean Grey that strongly parallels the events of the original (retconned) trilogy. After a space mission goes wrong, the X-Men have to prevent Jean from unleashing her phoenix form. Yet, this film may be redeemed by superb acting — James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender once again — and the fact this may very well be Fox’s last hurrah with the franchise. Try to go out with a bang, not another whimper.
Spider-Man: Far from Home – July 6
What more needs to be said about the 2019’s third and final MCU release? Questionable marketing aside — this takes place after “Endgame?” — the film follows Peter Parker and his class as they travel to Europe for a peaceful field trip. Of course, things don’t go as planned, and Nick Fury recruits Parker to battle the “Elementals,” a group of villains who have … powers? Oh, and there’s also Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, complete with iconic fish bowl helmet.
New Mutants – Aug. 2
With recent news suggesting a straight to Hulu release, this X-Men spinoff’s trajectory could vary wildly. The film follows five mutants trapped in some kind of secret facility, and it wouldn’t be a movie if they didn’t try to escape at some point. Similar to “Brightburn,” a horror-esque vibe may help elevate what seems to be a familiar plot. Additionally, young talent including Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams could potentially make this a critical success — I still have my doubts, but this may be the biggest variability on the list.
Joker – Oct. 14
Wrapping up the year is this rather strange film that continues the trend of poor naming conventions. Was there really nothing better than Joker? The only information we have so far is Joaquin Phoenix will be wearing green and white makeup and will step out of a subway car at some point during the two-hour runtime. “Joker” is separate from the DCEU, so unfortunately, we won’t be able to see Phoenix and Jared Leto team up in a “worst of” character piece. However, if by some miracle the film is a surprisingly dark and gritty origin story, it could set up a universe already better than the DCEU. Surely his take on the character can’t be worse than Leto’s, right?
Max Rothenberg can be reached at [email protected]