Upcoming Superhero Movie Release Dates: From 2017 to 2020

• By Ajay shete

There’s no denying that the most popular genre around these days is the superhero movie. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy proved that comic book adaptations could be just as dramatic and heavy as non-genre films, Marvel Studios jumpstarted a massive interconnected series of superhero movies that were significantly more colorful and humorous, and audiences have been turning out to both kinds of superhero films in droves. With nearly every major studio now working to turn its own comic book properties into the next big thing, and with Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. plotting out half a decade’s worth of material, it’s sometimes tough to keep track of what’s coming out when, who’s in it, and how it fits into the overall picture.  Not to worry, though, because we here at Collider have you covered.

Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide of superhero movie release dates for every major comic book adaptation on the calendar, going all the way up to the year 2020. Moreover, we’ll be updating this guide regularly with the most current information, so if you’re ever at a loss for when exactly Captain Marvel is supposed to be in theaters, you can come right back here for a quick refresher.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Release Date: May 5, 2017

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Tom Flanagan, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

What We Know So Far: The main crux of the story involves the parentage of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, with the iconic Kurt Russell filling the role of Peter’s birth father, Ego the Living Planet. Also, Baby Groot.

Wonder Woman

Release Date: June 2, 2017

Director: Patty Jenkins

Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, and Lucy Davis.

What We Know So Far: Gadot made her first appearance as the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and will appear in Justice League, but not before she gets her own standalone film, and a World War I one at that.  This marks the first female-led superhero movie of the modern era, and it will fittingly be directed by a woman. However, while Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones veteran Michelle MacLaren was previously attached to direct, she departed over creative differences and Warner Bros. subsequently enlisted Monster helmer Jenkins, who herself was previously attached to Marvel’s Thor 2. Cast-wise, Pine plays Wonder Woman’s love interest Steve Trevor, a pilot who washes ashore on Diana Prince’s island paradise and tells her of the horrors of WWI happening in the outside world.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Release Date: July 7, 2017

Director: Jon Watts

Cast: Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Robert Downey Jr., Logan Marshall Green, Angourie Rice, and Michael Keaton.

What We Know So Far: Few thought it would ever happen, but Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios came to an agreement in which they will be sharing the character of Spider-Man, with the webslinger first appearing in an MCU movie (Civil War) before getting his own rebooted film. Marvel is taking point creative on the picture, which will bring forth a younger Spidey who is still in high school. The Cabin in the Woods co-writer/director Drew Goddard was first rumored to take the helm, but Marvel eventually settled on Cop Car helmer Watts with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Vacation) writing the script. Michael Keaton is playing the film’s villain, Vulture, and Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark will further his relationship with the young webslinger after first appearing together in Captain America: Civil War. The film will have a tech-bent when it comes to the powers of Vulture and Spider-Man, and no, there will not be another origin story.

Thor: Ragnarok

Release Date: November 3, 2017

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins.

What We Know So Far: The title most likely refers to the event from Nordic mythology in which catastrophic destruction comes to Asgard, submerging the entire world underwater and killing nearly every god.  Marvel says the “Norse End of Days” is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve tapped What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi to take the helm, making for a very curious hire given his background in comedy. Cate Blanchett will be leading the villain charge as Hela, Tessa Thompson is Valkyrie, and Karl Urban is the villainous muscle Skurge, while the MCU is about to get a lot weirder with Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe. The tone of the film is radically different from the previous Thor movies.

Justice League

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, and Amber Heard.

What We Know So Far: Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Justice League unites Affleck as Batman, and Adams as Lois Lane, along with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg.  The villain of Justice League is Steppenwolf, who we saw Lex Luthor summoning in a deleted scene from Batman v Superman. As evidenced by the first footage, there certainly appears to be a lighter tone, and the film will broaden the DCEU so far with J.K. Simmons as the new Commissioner Gordon and Amber Heard as Aquaman character Mera. And Cavill’s Superman is in the mix here somewhere/somehow.

Black Panther

Release Date: February 16, 2018

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, and John Kani.

What We Know So Far: The comics character made quite the impression with his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, and he gets his own feature film not long after. 42 star Chadwick Boseman is filling the role of the powerful native of Wakanda, an African nation that is isolated from the rest of the world.  Marvel says the crux of the film will be how this isolationist nation meets the world, so expect some friction. Selma director Ava DuVernay came close to signing on, but ultimately opted not to helm the film over concerns her artistic voice would be lost in the final product. Subsequently, Marvel hired Joe Robert Cole—who came up through the Marvel Studios writing program—to pen the script, and finally nabbed Creed and Fruitvale Station helmer Ryan Coogler to fill the director’s chair and co-write. He’s forging ahead with quite possibly the most exciting MCU film to date, and he announced his intention to fill out the cast with 90% African and African-American actors, already establishing a fantastic ensemble with the addition of Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Oyoke, and his Creed and Fruitvale star Michael B. Jordan as villain Erik Killmonger.

The story of Black Panther will find T’Challa returning to his technologically advanced homeland of Wakanda after the events of Civil War, only to find himself drawn into a dangerous conflict with an old enemy.