Olly Dyche on his most anticipated superhero movies of 2023…
2022 delivered a bucket load of superhero movies, with the likes of The Batman, Black Adam and DC League of Super-Pets from DC, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from Marvel Studios, and of course the infamous Morbius. It was a mixed bag overall, with a growing sense of fatigue around the genre, but 2023 promises to offer a more diverse and exciting slate of superhero movies that we are sure will deliver. And so, here are our most anticipated superhero movies releasing in 2023…
Kraven the Hunter (October 6th)
At this point, we have to wonder why Sony keeps trying to build a cinematic universe around Spider-Man’s villains. Neither Venom movies were great, and Morbius was a new low for superhero movies, yet Sony continues to press on with its cinematic universe with the release of Kraven the Hunter.
Starring Kick-Ass and Avengers: Age of Ultron’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, little is known about the film at this point, and we suspect that even with a trailer we wouldn’t be overly excited for this next chapter in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25th)
The first Aquaman receives more hate than it deserves, and its sequel promises to offer more than the first. However, the infamous Johnny Depp v Amber Heard case unfolded, causing fans to cry out over Heard’s continued involvement, and the recent change in management at DC Studios seems to be altering James Wan’s original plans for the sequel.
Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are set to return alongside Heard as Mera (despite rumours of a late recasting). Other than that, little is known about this sequel, so at the moment there’s little in the way of anticipation. Hopefully the trailer will get things moving.
Blue Beetle (August 18th)
The Blue Beetle movie has been in development for some time, and with Batgirl’s tragic cancellation fans were anxious that Blue Beetle might receive the same treatment. Thankfully, James Gunn and Peter Safran, the new heads of DC Studios, have assured us that Blue Beetle will still release in 2023.
Much like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle hasn’t had the easiest of roads, but fans of the James Reyes’ Blue Beetle still have hopes that the film will do the character justice. The only real info we have on the film to date is its cast, with Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai starring in the lead role.
The Flash (June 16th)
We don’t really need to say much about The Flash movie that hasn’t already been said, at least in terms of its production hell and the troubles surrounding lead Ezra Miller. Yet most fans are curious as to how this movie will play out, promising to completely reset the nonsensical DC Extended Universe as we know it.
Most excitingly perhaps is that Michael Keaton returns as Batman to help the multiple versions of The Flash navigate through this Flashpoint -inspired multiverse storyline. As of now we still don’t know exactly what to expect, but audiences are certainly curious.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17th)
The first Shazam! was one of DC’s best movies, and while the trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods was sadly a little underwhelming, we still have high hopes that the sequel will deliver the same kind of fun as the original.
The film’s cast looks exciting, adding the legendary Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu into the DC Universe, and the action again looks pretty cool. However, one of the best aspects of the first film was its comedy and the trailer for Fury of the Gods didn’t manage to match up. Let’s hope the film itself can.
The Marvels (July 28th)
Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is shaping up to knock Phase Four out of the park, with three Marvel movies incoming this year, including July’s The Marvels which sees Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, teaming up with her biggest fan Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel as well as the daughter of Carol Danver’s best friend, Teyonnah Parris’ Monica Rambeau.
The sequel to Captain Marvel is set to offer a story that impacts the MCU in a big way, and this trio of awesome female heroes could turn out to be an incredible combination. As well as being helmed by a fresh face to the MCU in director in Nia DaCosta, The Marvels has the recipe to be a great flick.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (February 17th)
Kicking off Phase Five is the highly anticipated journey into the Quantum Realm with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The trailers for the film have been incredibly exciting, with the likes of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer returning to their respective roles, as well as adding Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang.
However, the most anticipated aspect to Quantummania has to be Jonathan Majors’ first full-on villainous turn as Kang the Conqueror. Majors has proven his immense and intimidating acting chops and based on the trailer, his Kang is going to be utterly terrifying. The first movie of Phase Five promises to kick things off with a bang.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (May 5th)
James Gunn has proven himself time and time again as one of the best comic book directors out there. With The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker and of course the Guardians of the Galaxy films being among the best comic book projects of all time, we’re expecting nothing less than pure gold for this trilogy closer.
As James Gunn’s final Guardians movie (and likely final Marvel movie following his appointment as co-head of DC Studios), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 promises to be the most emotional, colorful, musical and hilarious chapter of the trilogy, and for that we truly cannot wait.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2nd)
After a few delays, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse finally releases in 2023. The sequel to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse promises to be bigger and better than its impeccable predecessor while still keeping all the heart from the first film that made fans everywhere fall in love with it.
Its animation is once again as crisp and as colorful as ever, and its cast is to die for, with Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae and Daniel Kaluuya joining returning cast members Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson. Across the Spider-Verse promises to weave through a countless number of universes, which means a vast number of Spider-Men from any and every universe. The possibilities are simply endless, and as such, it’s our most anticipated superhero movie of the year…
SEE ALSO: The Most Anticipated Action Movies of 2023
What are your most anticipated superhero movies of 2023? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Olly Dyche
