Last year was not a banner year for superhero movies. Batman v. Superman won the most Razzies (alongside Hillary’s America), and despite Deadpool and Doctor Strange being great, the year as a whole just didn’t meet the hype. So, as you do when grieving over the loss of someone or something you loss, eventually, we have to move on, away from the superhero movies of last year, and on to the superhero movies of this year. With Lego Batman and Logan already out and getting unanimously high scores, the bar has been set high. Will the other superhero movies surpass what we have so far? Or are they going to continue to dig down?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5, 2017)
The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was a surprise hit, with Parks and Recreations star Chris Pratt taking on his first big role, and frankly, nailing it. With the controversy surrounding Ego, The Living Planet having being traded for Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and the pressure to be as good as its predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will have a hard time proving its worth.
The trailers have claimed that the movie will be similar to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but we’ll have to wait and see. Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) is in love with Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), Drax (played by Dave Bautista) has started his venture into metaphors, and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) is learning what not to blow up again. Whatever happens, what’s guaranteed is that the soundtrack will be great.
Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)
The DCEU has had a shaky start. Man of Steel was praised by some, while others found it boring, and Batman v Superman was divisive, but ultimately won the most Razzies. Suicide Squad was thought in general to be worse than Batman v Superman, however did better in the long run, being nominated for an Oscar. Albeit, it was for “best make up”, but the point still stands.
With Wonder Woman looking to be the first streaks of light into an otherwise dark cinematic universe, there’s a lot more riding on this movie than just its financial success. During the First World War, Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot) meets a man on a beach and goes on a journey through the human world, kicking some ass on the way. Just as Deadpool seemed to have opened the floodgates for R-rated superhero movies, Wonder Woman could possibly make or break superhero movies with female leads.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7, 2017)
Being the second reboot of the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger, Spider-Man: Homecoming brings Spider-Man into the MCU with his own movie. After a short, but not unimportant appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker is going back to school.
He’s a typical nerd in love with the hottest girl in his grade, and a typical nerd off to save his city from the Vulture. Obviously, he’ll need a little bit of help from Tony Stark on the way, because a little bit of money solves every problem. As long as we don’t see his uncle die again, Spider-Man: Homecoming should be good, unless it tries to follow in Spider-Man 3’s or The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s footsteps.
Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017)
Last year’s Captain America: Civil War left people asking: “Where the Hel is Thor?” The answer is simple. As we saw in the special features, he was spending some time with his human friend Darryl, trying to send messages to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, offering his help. He also meets Bruce Banner, and in Thor: Ragnarok, Loki is wreaking havoc once again.
Is anyone surprised? Thor apparently is, and enlists the help of Doctor Strange in finding his brother before he stabs Phil Coulson again. Meanwhile, the Hulk has found out that he is not alone, and fights to the death on an alien planet in the adaptation of the story that used to be a completely separate story arc. The first two Thor movies weren’t very good, so it doesn’t have much to live up to, but it could still be disappointing. We’ll have to see.
Justice League (November 17, 2017)
The Justice League movie has even more pressure than the Wonder Woman movie. If it fails, it could very well mean game over for the DCCU. In the indirect sequel to Batman v Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman attempt to find all the super-powered individuals that were in Lex Luthor’s files.
With Superman dead, they have no one left to save the world from real threats, like Steppenwolf, previously seen communicating with Lex Luthor in the Ultimate Cut of Batman v Superman. Will Batman and Wonder Woman be able to hold the team together? Or will they fail where Superman would have succeeded? We’ll have to wait until November to find out.
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