Marvel’s 2015 movie run may have just recently come to a close with the release of Ant-Man, but there’s still another four years’ worth of comic-inspired films in the works. Here’s a list of the five movies we’re anticipating most, with headliners who you might not have heard of before.
Number One: Deadpool. Okay, so Wade Wilson is definitely not as obscure a character as he once was, in fact, if you’ve spent even an hour on tumblr, chances are you’ve seen a panel or two featuring this psychotic Mercenary. If anything, actor Ryan Reynolds’ leaked test footage from over a year ago brought this antihero further into infamy.
Given his tendencies for annoying one-liners and breaking the fourth wall, this “Merc with a Mouth” is a pretty out-there super human. His origin-story is somewhat unclear due to his faulty-memory, but that’s just one thing we’re hoping to see the movie clear up for us. What we do know about Deadpool is that he’s completely unstable due to an accelerated healing factor, which has a negative effect on his brain, causing his neurons to regenerate too fast. Aside from that, he also has a thing for chimichangas.
Deadpool is set to be the only Marvel film with an R rating – hardly surprising given the source material’s subject matter. Rating aside, the real challenge to a Deadpool movie will be toeing the line between a grounded plot and the sheer, ridiculous hilarity that is undoubtedly Deadpool.
Number Two: Doctor Strange. Sherlock fans rejoice, Benedict Cumberbatch will be taking the stage as Doctor Strange this upcoming year. While it’s been two years since Cumberbatch’s last big blockbuster – or at lease his last blockbuster where he played a human being – fans are anxious to see the Brit take on the role of Stephen Strange. Add to that the fact that Tilda Swinton will be making an unearthly appearance in the film, and the rumors that Rachel McAdams will be taking over as the adaptation’s leading lady, there’s a lot to be excited for here.
Strange’s story is one of pure hubris – An arrogant surgeon is forced to reevaluate his life and choices after a near-fatal car accident robs him of his ability to practice medicine. In a quest for treatment, Strange is taken under the wing of the Ancient One (to be played by Tilda Swinton), who teaches the wayward Doctor the art of mysticism, until he eventually becomes the Sorcerer Supreme and vows to protect the world from evil. With a surname like Strange, one really has no choice but to become a world-class sorcerer and battle demons. Really, though, it’s about time Marvel traded in its science experiments and super-soldiers and showed the world its more supernatural side.
Number Three: Captain Marvel. Say it with me now: Female Superhero Lead. This movie is everything tumblr has been waiting for, and with DC finally giving in and making a Wonder Woman movie, there’s no better heroine for Marvel to up the ante with than one Carol Danvers.
The only thing we know for sure about Marvel’s Captain Marvel project is that it’s set to be released in November of 2018. But there’s a lot on the books in regards to this Captain’s history, like the fact that Danvers didn’t officially take up the title of “Captain Marvel” in the comics until 2012. Before that, she was simply known as Ms. Marvel. However, that doesn’t mean her powers are in short supply. Danvers received her cosmic abilities – which include but are not limited to super strength, a “sixth sense,” and the ability to absorb energy – after being on the wrong side of an encounter with the Kree, a militaristic race of aliens. And while the name Captain Marvel has been carried by many a superhero, Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, confirmed himself that Carol Danvers will be the MCUs Captain Marvel.
Number Four: Black Panther. Following up the reveal of a female-led superhero movie, Marvel has also announced its first movie with a person of color as the lead. Chadwick Boseman will be playing T’Challa, The Black Panther, who IGN rated as the 51st greatest comic hero of all time. Fortunately, fans don’t have to wait until The Black Panther movie’s official release in July 2018 to see T’Challa. The warrior chieftain will be making his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War.
Based on the IMDB synopsis, which only states that T’Challa must take up the mantle of The Black Panther after his father, the previous Black Panther, and leader of their tribe is killed, it’s safe to assume we’re looking at a pretty standard origin story plot here. But what set the Black Panther apart from other heroic storylines was his versatility. In one issue the man could be as tech-savvy as Tony Stark – he did send Reed Richards a ship powered via magnetic waves, not to mention the fact that Wakanada, the Panther’s homeland, is rich in technology – while also maintaining a sense of tomb-raiding adventure in his exploits. Marvel would do well to blend The Panthers propensity for tech with his ancient-artifact fueled missions as a means of bringing something new to its cinematic repertoire.
Number Five: Inhumans. If you’ve been following Agents of Shield, then you know Marvel’s been dropping some pretty hefty hints regarding the Inhumans team – most notably the reveal of Skye as one Daisy Johnson, better known as the Inhuman Quake. Now, it’s no real secret that Marvel is setting the Inhumans up to take the place of the X-Men in the MCU, given the fact that Fox currently owns the rights to the X-Men and, sadly, is not letting that franchise go anytime soon. But that’s not a bad thing. The exciting thing about Inhumans is that it opens the door to reveal a wide range of lesser known Marvel characters, such as Daisy Johnson, and give them a turn on a larger stage.
The Inhumans themselves are a race of genetically altered human beings who were experimented upon by the Kree. The idea was to create a race of human that could acquire the abilities of super heroes. It’s actually very reminiscent of the NBC series, Heroes, but with more espionage. What I’m really hoping, however, is that the Inhumans movie will function as a direct off-shoot for Agents of Shield, taking the team there on a Whedon-esque ride from TV screen, to silver screen (Think Firefly and Serenity). Why recast the characters when they’ve already been introduced after all?
