Last year, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps all arrived in theaters before August. Here we are in June of 2026, and all the highly anticipated superhero movies are still ahead of us. Several are scheduled for 2027 as well.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is evolving their strategy while planning to develop content for many years to come. Sony Marvel movies have also been supplementing the genre with Spider-Man-adjacent protagonists all the way up until 2024; however, Sony is now solely focused on definitive Spider-Man content. On the contrary, DC has successfully relaunched their Justice League-based franchise, with big promises ahead from studio overseers James Gunn and Peter Safran.
We are here to help you keep track of superhero movie mania. What is the next big release? Will it be a part of a shared movie universe that you know and love? What cast members are set to return in the sequel?
The live-action movies that follow have confirmed theatrical opening dates. Here are the latest updates to the release date schedule.
Supergirl
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Ana Nogueira
Cast:
• Milly Alcock – Supergirl/Kara Zor-El
• Matthias Schoenaerts – Krem
• David Krumholtz – Zor-El
• Emily Beecham – Alura In-Ze
• Jason Momoa – Lobo
• David Corenswet – Superman/Clark Kent
James Gunn’s Superman is looking more and more like a launching pad for the DCU projects that will follow. After Nathan Fillion portrayed Guy Gardner in the inaugural event film, other Green Lanterns will glow in the HBO Max series Lanterns. Superman supporting heroes like Mister Terrific and Metamorpho will certainly resurface in future content. But a primary focus after Superman is the quickly approaching Supergirl spinoff.
Just like the original title for the Superman movie dropped its subtitle before coming to theaters (it was first announced as Superman: Legacy), James Gunn and Craig Gillespie have decided to ditch Woman of Tomorrow from Supergirl. The purpose of the secondary titles seemed to be to differentiate from Richard Donner’s groundbreaking 1978 Superman and the 1984 version of Supergirl – even the recent Arrowverse series starring Melissa Benoist was named Supergirl. Clearly, DC has quashed their concern for unique titles and is allowing Gunn to pump all the originality into the content.
House of the Dragon standout, Milly Alcock, cameoed as Kara toward the end of James Gunn’s Superman and revealed that she is the actual owner of Krypto. Then there is Jason Momoa making the jump from the old DCEU to the new DCU. Even if he is receiving a demotion from one of the franchise leads as Aquaman, his supporting role as Lobo may actually be a better fit for Momoa. And lastly, James Gunn will not be sitting in the director’s chair for Supergirl, but luckily Craig Gillespie has a pretty good track record.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release Date: July 31, 2026
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Cast:
• Tom Holland – Spider-Man/Peter Parker
• Zendaya – MJ
• Michael Mando – Scorpion/Mac Gargan
• Jon Bernthal – Punisher/Frank Castle
• Mark Ruffalo – Hulk/Bruce Banner
• Marvin Jones III – Tombstone/Lonnie Lincoln
• Jacob Batalon – Ned
• Sadie Sink
• Liza Colon-Zayas
• Tramell Tillman
The last time we saw Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not only did no one know he was Spider-Man, everyone’s memory of Peter had been erased entirely. The Spider-Man: No Way Home climax culminated in Doctor Strange casting this spell as a way to end the multiversal mayhem. This leaves Peter all on his own to navigate whatever trouble awaits in Brand New Day.
However, it looks like Spider-Man will again have some help in Brand New Day, in the form of Hulk and Punisher. Following in the footsteps of Iron Man, Nick Fury/Talos, and Doctor Strange for the first three Spidey flicks, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk will make his first MCU appearance since She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Plus, it will be his only post-Endgame cinematic portrayal of the giant green hero, save for a cameo, as Bruce, in Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. Another connection between that movie and Brand New Day is that both are directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was featured in the Marvel-Netflix universe in the late 2010s, and he reprised the role for the MCU’s Daredevil: Born Again series. This year, he starred in his own Disney Plus special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, while Brand New Day will mark his first theatrical appearance as Frank Castle.
Aside from the new additions for a solo Spidey flick, an exciting franchise re-emergence will take place in the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie. Michael Mando’s Scorpion had a quick run-in with Spider-Man in Homecoming, landing the criminal behind bars. After he started planning revenge against Spider-Man, Scorpion has not been seen since that 2017 summer blockbuster.
Clayface
Release Date: October 23, 2026
Director: James Watkins
Writers: Hossein Amini and Mike Flanagan
Cast:
• Tom Rhys Harries – Clayface
• Naomi Ackie – Dr. Bates
• Max Minghella
• Eddie Marsan
Clayface is the most unsuspecting piece in James Gunn’s DCU puzzle. Although the shapeshifter is a distinguished Batman villain, he will not be a part of Matt Reeves’ Batman catalog and will not fall under the DC Elseworlds brand, like the Joker movies. Clayface will live in the collective DC Universe; however, given the differences in disposition, the amount of crossover with heroes like Superman or Green Lantern may be extremely limited.
DC has options when it comes to the direction they want to take with this villain/anti-hero. Clayface could resemble the Venom trilogy, which has an inherent comic relief element built into its tone (some would say it is too light for the quintessential Spider-Man antagonist). Alternatively, it can follow in the footsteps of a fellow DC headliner, Joker; bleak from beginning to end. With the release of the teaser trailer, it is looking like Clayface will lean in heavily toward the latter.
The cast and filmmakers are seeking to breakout with a hit on this modestly budgeted project. British actor Tom Rhys Harries has been gaining in popularity in recent years and will now take center stage in Clayface. His co-star, Naomi Ackie, is known for embodying Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance with Somebody and gave standout performances in Blink Twice, Mickey 17, and Sorry Baby.
Director James Watkins can advance his career with a well-received horror movie that is not a remake. And screenwriter Mike Flanagan has achieved critical acclaim adapting Stephen King works Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck but has yet to find success at the box office.
Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: December 18, 2026
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Writers: Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron
Cast:
• Chris Hemsworth – Thor
• Robert Downey Jr. – Doctor Doom/Victor von Doom
• Chris Evans – Captain America/Steve Rogers
• Pedro Pascal – Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Vanessa Kirby – Invisible Woman/Sue Storm
• Anthony Mackie – Captain America/Sam Wilson
• Sebastian Stan – Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes
• Letitia Wright – Black Panther/Shuri
• Paul Rudd – Ant-Man/Scott Lang
• Wyatt Russell – U.S. Agent/John Walker
• Tenoch Huerta – Namor
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – Thing/Ben Grimm
• Simu Liu – Shang-Chi
• Florence Pugh – Black Widow/Yelena Belova
• Kelsey Grammer – Beast/Hank McCoy
• Lewis Pullman – Sentry/Bob Reynolds
• Danny Ramirez – Falcon/Joaquin Torres
• Joseph Quinn – Human Torch/Johnny Storm
• David Harbour – Red Guardian/Alexei
• Winston Duke – M’Baku
• Hannah John-Kamen – Ghost/Ava Starr
• Tom Hiddleston – Loki
• Patrick Stewart – Professor X/Charles Xavier
• Ian McKellen – Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr
• Alan Cumming – Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner
• Rebecca Romijn – Mystique/Raven Darkholme
• James Marsden – Cyclops/Scott Summers
• Channing Tatum – Gambit/Remy LeBeau
• Iman Vellani – Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan
• Kathryn Newton – Stature/Cassie Lang
• Mabel Cadena – Namora
• India Rose Hemsworth – Love
Ever since Marvel dropped Jonathan Majors, there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the fifth Avengers’ movie, which was previously called The Kang Dynasty. Major’s behavior in his private life has led to him losing out on the role of a lifetime, and the MCU has pivoted away from Kang-centric storylines. This giant hole will now be filled by Doctor Doom.
Unlike Thanos, who was teased with several cameos, as well as an extended sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy, before devastating the Avengers in Infinity War, Doctor Doom was singularly introduced in the most recent MCU film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Victor’s face was not even shown, only his infamous metal mask. After the foursome barely escaped without casualties while preventing Galactus from devouring Earth and claiming baby Franklin for himself, Doom is continuing to threaten Marvel’s favorite family by setting his sights on their youngest member.
Aside from the Fantastic Four returning for Avengers: Doomsday, many more heroes will team up to challenge Doom’s dominance. Currently, there are two factions of “New Avengers” – one led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America, with the other being the Thunderbolts team. The Russo Brothers will also juggle a few Wakandans and a pair of Asgardians. The X-Men will make up a significant percentage of the heroes in Doomsday, while the biggest surprise return will be Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Could other unannounced cast members show up for this massive collaboration?
Man of Tomorrow
Release Date: July 9, 2027
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Cast:
• David Corenswet – Superman/Clark Kent
• Rachel Brosnahan – Lois Lane
• Nicholas Hoult – Lex Luthor
• Lars Eidinger – Braniac
• Edi Gathegi – Mister Terrific/Michael Holt
• Isabela Mercred – Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders
• Nathan Fillion – Green Lantern/Guy Gardner
• Aaron Pierre – Green Lantern/John Stewart
• Frank Grillo – Rick Flag Sr.
• Skyler Gisondo – Jimmy Olsen
• Sara Sampaio – Eve Teschmacher
• Milly Alcock – Supergirl/Kara Zor-El
James Gunn finally got around to using an alternate title, rather than simply naming his movie after the primary superhero. His Superman film was first called Superman: Legacy, before dropping the "Legacy." Then there is Supergirl, which originally included the subtitle “Woman of Tomorrow”, and now is also just referred to as Supergirl. Both “Man of Tomorrow” and “Woman of Tomorrow” were popular comic book runs at DC.
Gunn states that his Man of Tomorrow will be the next story in his Superman saga, specifying that this is not a direct Superman sequel, hence the lack of the hero’s moniker in the title. Now it is expected that both Superman and Lex Luthor will somehow share a dual protagonist spotlight. Nicholas Hoult recently reprised his role for a scene in Peacemaker, where Luthor remained in prison, on the other side of the glass opposite Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr.
The big bad for Man of Tomorrow will be the uber-calculating android Brainiac. After closing in on about a dozen movies with the last son of Krypton, Superman fans are likely to celebrate the first live-action movie to present this major DC foe. Aside from decades of key comic book storylines, Brainiac has had popular animated and even small-screen live-action portrayals, most prevalent in the Syfy series, Krypton. Now, German actor Lars Eidinger will get his chance to show off Brainiac’s more cinematic appeal.
The Batman Part II
Release Date: October 1, 2027
Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlin
Cast:
• Robert Pattinson – Batman/Bruce Wayne
• Colin Farrell – Penguin/Oswald Cobb
• Sebastian Stan – Two-Face/Harvey Dent
• Andy Serkis – Alfred Pennyworth
• Jeffrey Wright – Commissioner Gordon
• Scarlett Johansson – Gilda Dent
• Charles Dance – Charles Dent
Most of DC’s focus surrounds James Gunn’s DCU, which is undeniably charging full steam ahead and across various mediums. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ DC division will still be producing unrelated superhero movies that the studio is distinguishing as DC Elseworlds. The Joker and Batman franchises fall under the purview of this extrinsic universe.
The Batman was slightly divisive among hardcore DC fans, but in the end, it earned enough revenue to warrant a sequel for the studio. The strangest part about this Batman series is how Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne revival in The Flash was only a few years ago, while Ben Affleck ended up hanging around for longer than expected, and someone new may even sign on for the DCU. One of Gunn’s projects in the pipeline is The Brave and the Bold with Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian. So, we could have as many as four different actors playing Bruce Wayne in DC films this decade.
Audiences returned to Matt Reeve’s universe in the spinoff show The Penguin. While that HBO Max limited series bridges the gap between the two cinematic features, the show is more of a deep character study for Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb. Aside from Penguin, Two-Face will be terrorizing Gotham, played by Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan; his Winter Soldier is still operating as a member of the New Avengers. Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, has moved on from Marvel and will also appear in the second Batman.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date: December 17, 2027
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Writers: Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron
Cast:
• Pedro Pascal – Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Robert Downey Jr. – Doctor Doom/Victor von Doom
• Vanessa Kirby – Invisible Woman/Sue Storm
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – Thing/Ben Grimm
• Joseph Quinn – Human Torch/Johnny Storm
“Secret Wars” was just as popular, if even more so, than the “Infinity Gauntlet” run of Marvel comics over 30 years ago. Preceding “Infinity Gauntlet” by several years, “Secret Wars” brought together a plethora of Marvel heroes and villains on a scale never seen before. While a lot takes place in its twelve issues, the plot simply follows the Beyonder transporting superpowered individuals to an inescapable planet so that they can battle each other for his entertainment.
With this kind of setup, there is the potential to include any (even every) Marvel superhero or villain throughout the Secret Wars storyline. This is clearly being explored by Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers, as the X-Men characters from an alternate reality are being brought over to the MCU for Doomsday. Secret Wars will likely continue the trend of crossing over with other franchises. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine have proven this tactic could yield massive success.
In Avengers: Secret Wars, Beyonder will likely be replaced by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. The rest will start coming together for the sixth Avengers epic after Avengers: Doomsday comes out. As the release date approaches, we are sure to gather more evidence as to who the inciting players might be and how a Secret Wars-like event could come into play.
Be sure to keep checking back in for updates in the upcoming superhero movie schedule, as more release dates are revealed.
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