Superhero films are the most hyped movies released in any year. In today’s film landscape, these movies are announced years before release so as to cash in on the hype that surrounds them when they finally are released to the public.
This genre has seen an upswing in popularity and nowadays we get dozens of films released in the superhero genre. It has also seen diversity in the form of the messages behind them; horror, thriller, comedy, and action are all elements found in superhero movies today. 2019 doesn’t feature as many superhero movies as you might think, but the year still has a number of must-see films to be released.
Glass
The Unbreakable series is unique in that each installment has had a very different feel to it. Unbreakable was a psychological thriller; Split a psychological horror, and Glass a superhero thriller film.
Glass plays it straighter than its predecessors in that the superhero aspect is faced head-on. The story deals with David Dunn and Kevin Crumb meeting one another while Mr. Glass orchestrates the events that led to this face-off. Glass didn’t set the world on fire, but it did bring a conclusion to the series which had been on since 2000, starting from Unbreakable.
Glass premiered on January 18, 2019.
Captain Marvel
The first offering of the year from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel looks to make the same impact that Black Panther did a year previously. The story showcases the protagonist turning from a normal human to seemingly the most powerful being in all of the MCU.
The introduction of Captain Marvel will also lead directly to Avengers: Endgame as Captain Marvel is poised to take a starring role in defeating Thanos. Her solo film will detail how she came about to be and also explain why we haven’t see Captain Marvel in action all this time as the film is set in 1995.
Captain Marvel will premiere on March 8, 2019.
Shazam!
The DC Extended Universe is now firmly shifting its gears from the initial dark and morose storylines to one filled with adventure and comedy. Shazam! will complete this turn as the film is an all-out comedy superhero flick that will introduce the titular Shazam.
The character has powers that rival Superman’s own and will look to cash in on the success that Aquaman has enjoyed. Trailers indicate it will be a coming-of-age film given the large-scale of a superhero film. Should this film meet with good reviews, and more importantly, commercial success, then we can expect further Shazam! films in the coming years.
Shazam! premieres on April 5, 2019.
Hellboy
Fans had been asking for a sequel to Hellboy II: The Golden Army for over a decade, but we’ll be getting a reboot instead. As of now, the trailer for the Hellboy reboot reflected what the official synopsis simply revealed, with that being Hellboy fighting a powerful medieval sorceress.
It will give fans an R-rated venture – one that edgy fanboys on the internet have wanted for ever since Deadpool started the trend – and will definitely be an interesting outing for the character. David Harbour of Stranger Things fame will be playing the titular hero, while Mila Jovovich plays the villain.
Hellboy premieres on April 12, 2019.
Avengers: Endgame
Without a doubt, this film will be the highest-grossing movie of 2019. Avengers: Infinity War has crossed the $2 billion mark and its sequel will do that easily as well.
Avengers: Endgamewill finish off all of the 22-film storyline that started with 2008’s Iron Man. It will also be the swansong of previously established characters with Chris Evans already bidding farewell to Captain America. The story will see the Avengers actually avenge something this time as they seek to reverse Thanos’ actions and bring down the Titan once and for all. Look for a lot of tears to fall as this film pulls out all the stops.
Avengers: Endgame premieres on April 26, 2019.
Brightburn
Brightburn isn’t a complete superhero movie in that it showcases the reality of what would happen should an infant superhero fall to Earth. Unlike Superman, this baby will be a malicious one and its superpowers will be too much to deal with.
The film takes a realistic view of things; instead of giving us a cool Mr. Nice Guy, we get a monster to top all monsters. James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy film is the brains behind Brightburn and it is sure to reshape the superhero genre. We might be in line for many similar movies if Brightburn takes off.
Brightburn premieres on May 24, 2019.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
X-Men: The Last Stand didn’t give us the comic book Phoenix character, so the studio has decided to take another shot at it with X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The film will be set in 1992 and will be a telling of the Phoenix force in the alternate timeline created during the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
This time round, it will be much younger versions of the X-Men squad, and even Professor X and Magneto, as the heroes seek to find a way to keep Jean Grey’s Phoenix force at bay. Let’s see how the second version of the Phoenix force works out.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix premieres on June 7, 2019.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
The third MCU film of the year will be its lightest outing. Spider-Man: Far From Home will have Peter taking off to Paris after his inevitable resurrection in Avengers: Endgame. Everyone other than Iron Man will return for the fun, with the addition of Maria Hill and Nick Fury.
The film will also feature former almost-Spider-Man Jake Gyllenhaal paying Mysterio; the villains of this story will be the Elementals. Marvel will be banking on Spider-Man: Far From Home to be a colossal success as this film marks the change in the MCU for perhaps the next decade.
Spider-Man: Far From Home premieres on July 5, 2019.
The New Mutants
The experimentation with the superhero genre continues with The New Mutants, which will be set in the X-Men film series but will be a horror movie. The film will have these mutants showcasing their superpowers, but these powers will be played off as something horrific.
It seems she loves these types of films, because Anya-Taylor Joy will be present in this after her outings in Split and Glass, with the other leading lady being Maisie Williams of Game of Thrones fame. The New Mutants will feature five young mutants held in a facility, with the group attempting to earn their freedom.
The New Mutants premieres on August 02, 2019 (assuming it still gets a theatrical release).
Joker
The superhero genre takes a Martin Scorcese-esque turn with Joker completing the releases from the genre for 2019. This Joker has already been more well-received than Jared Leto’s version by the internet fans in what is sure to be a superb crime thriller.
Joker tells an alternate origin story for the supervillain, but will still feature Bruce Wayne; albeit in younger form. It is set to be the first in a number of “real-world” DC comic-based films, and with a number of high-profile names such as Joaquin Phoenix and Robert DeNiro attached with it, interest in the film remains high.
Joker premieres on October 4, 2019.
