Whether they fly, throw shields, control lighting, run fast, or just being awesome, people love to watch superheroes kick butt. 2016 will be a year comic book nerds will remember. Eight films based on comic book franchises are being released.
Comics have been an ongoing sensation ever since the 2001 film Spider-Man was released. But the comic book film trend really kicked into high gear when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) released the first Iron Man film in 2008. Ever since then, comic book films have been a bigger trend than anything. It was so big that Disney– the multimedia giant of the world– purchased Marvel to add to its revenue, and it worked.
“Listen, if Marvel wants me they got me. They just can’t stop making great movies, they do it in their sleep. It’s wonderful directors and producers and actors and scripts, and it’s like a playground as an actor,” said actor Chris Evans on his role as Captain America to Slashfilm.com.
Marvel lifelong rival, DC Comics, has attempted to compete with Marvel since Iron Man, with Green Lantern. The movie was met with negative response, and DC decided to wait it out until everyone was over the Green Lantern remake. DC then rose from the shadows and released Man of Steel in 2012, an origin story of the world famous Superman. The film was a critical and commercial success, and then established the DC Extended Universe (DCEU.)
“I think it puts more pressure on us, the filmmakers, to not just crank out superhero movies for the sake of it. To me, the one thing I love working in the DC universe is that Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman are American mythology. It’s not about making a superhero, it’s a mythological universe that we live in,” Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) on the future of superhero flicks to Screenrant.com.
In 2016, Marvel and DC will release two films, featuring four of their most popular characters fighting amongst each other. DC will release “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” in March, and Marvel will release “Captain America: Civil War” in May. “Dawn of Justice” features the Dark Knight, Batman, fighting the Man of Steel, Superman, over fear of another devastating world crisis and suspicion of Lex Luthor. “Civil War” features Captain America fighting Iron Man against government regulation of superheroes and the arrest of Bucky Barnes, Cap’s friend.
“I just think there’s nothing else that occupies a space quite like it in any universe, in any comic book universe, and it’s been like that for a long time, so in a weird way waiting might have served us better than anything, because now’s the time for a movie like this in a way that five, six, seven years ago might not have been,” said Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern, X-Men) on “Deadpool” timeline to Collider.com.
DC also has their adaption of the anti-hero group, “Suicide Squad,” featuring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto as the crown prince of crime: The Joker. Marvel is releasing “Doctor Strange” as a part of MCU, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular doctor-turned-superhero. Marvel will also bring three new X-Men films under Fox: “X-Men Apocalypse,” and “Gambit” with Channing Tatum, and the fan favorite Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds as the potty-mouthed mercenary of the same name.
Nickelodeon is releasing the sequel to the reboot of the TMNT film franchise entitled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” with Megan Fox as April O’Neil, Stephen Amell as Casey Jones, and Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman.
As Plainfield North fans show, the film with the most anticipation is “Dawn of Justice,” with “Civil War” following close behind. 29% are excited to see “Dawn of Justice,” while 24% are excited to see “Civil War.” The other 47% are excited for everything else that is coming out.
“Most films with superheroes these days are extremely too dark for that character, [like] ‘Man of Steel,’ or far too light to be taken seriously [like] Marvel [films],” said senior Bryan Bott.
Movie goers are sure to ready their wallets this upcoming year. With the power houses of “Captain America: Civil War” and “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the tones of “Deadpool” and the “Suicide Squad,” and the antics of the “X-Men” and the “Ninja Turtles,” both the comic book fan and the average film watcher will be entertained each month in 2016.
Though many interesting genres of movies are to make it to theaters, the superhero genre will more than likely dominate the silver screen this year.