Marvel and DC have a lot riding on 2026. After a year that ranged from decent to disastrous, it’s tough to argue that “fatigue” isn’t a factor, but true believers are holding firm that next year will change everything. Spider-Man is going back to the streets, Supergirl is poised to build on Superman’s momentum, and all eyes are on Avengers: Doomsday – the ultimate test of Marvel’s remaining muscle.
The stage is set for box office redemption and a new path forward for superhero cinema. It’s the end of the post-post-pandemic era, a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start. If they mess this up, the genre might be truly cooked; next year could be the last chance to save comic book movies and shows from their flop era. That’s why we’re looking forward to 2026, the make-or-break year for superhero media.
One caveat before we begin: All dates are subject to change. Schedules can and likely will slip, but as far as we know, this is what’s on deck for 2026. So, let’s start with the main event…
Marvel Movies
2025 was not exactly the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest hour. None of the three theatrical films released under the Marvel Studios banner were the breakout successes Disney hoped for, and two of them were borderline catastrophes. Captain America: Brave New World was plagued by strike-related delays and extensive reshoots, culminating in a box-office stumble that no one could spin as a win. Thunderbolts* was even worse: The movie was good, critics and fans loved it… and almost nobody else went to see it. That’s a problem, considering that Thunderbolts* was designed to establish the New Avengers lineup that would lead us into Phase 6. Then there’s the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s flagship “first family” meant to kick off the new phase and pave the path to Doomsday.
It did not.
Fantastic Four’s box office wasn’t quite so dire, but it barely cracked half a billion and left fans mildly pleased and largely indifferent. Now Doomsday has twice the work to do to win them back, which is an uphill climb heading into 2026. Marvel and Disney need to get their act together, and next year is their best chance to do it. There are only two movies on the docket for the year, both of which could be bangers. First up…
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release date: July 31, 2026
Face it tiger, Spidey is about to hit the jackpot! No one ever lost their shirt betting on the webhead at the box office, and the Tom Holland incarnation has only climbed higher with each solo outing; the last installment, No Way Home, scored the third highest gross of the entire MCU. Nostalgic blasts from the past were a key part of the film’s success, a factor Disney definitely took note of for the future.
The Spider-Man brand is massive right now. The last time Spidey was this popular, he turned the Pop Tarts purple. He’s got two active critically-acclaimed movie franchises, an animated show for older kids, and an absolute behemoth of a preschool phenomenon rearing a vast new generation that will only know of Miles Morales as “Spin.” The people demand more pictures of Spider-Man, and their standards are refreshingly high.
Sony’s long, embarrassing attempt to spin off their own universe, complete with the sickening acronym “SSU,” hasn’t really hurt Spidey’s image. Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven all became internet punchlines, but audiences expect more from the wall-crawler himself. There’s a reason Holland isn’t much involved in the streaming side of things; Marvel wouldn’t dare Disney+-ify Spider-Man.
Brand New Day has already banked a lot of goodwill in the run-up to release. The production has been fairly open for a big-budget blockbuster, deftly flooding social media with set photos from the streets of Scotland as Holland bounces on a practical rig in front of thousands of adoring Glaswegians. There’s a lot to be pumped about, including: Peter’s exciting, depressing new status quo; Tombstone, Mr. Negative, and other street-level surprises; and an incredible new costume that has upended the tier lists of Spidey suit sickos everywhere. The Hulk is also involved, which seems kind of strange, but the MCU has earned the benefit of the doubt so far.
Fans are genuinely rooting for this film to succeed, although Brand New Day’s performance won’t necessarily say much about the larger health of the MCU. Spider-Man has always been a thing unto himself – a box office draw regardless of his shared universe status. He’s in his own Batman-esque bubble, and largely immune to franchise fatigue. The real test of the MCU’s durability will come later in the year, with…
Avengers: Doomsday
Release date: December 18, 2026
Amid the vast discourse surrounding the stagnation of Marvel films, one refrain has remained constant among the franchise’s defenders: “Just wait until Doomsday, bro.” The next Avengers movie will fix everything, they say, returning the MCU to its dominant place in pop culture and bringing back the days of dependable billion-dollar hauls. The dark days of Quantumania and The Marvels will be a distant memory as the comic book movie grows ascendant once more.
Some call it prophecy; others call it ‘cope.’ Either way, we’ll know soon enough. Doomsday is nigh, and it has to deliver. Much has changed in the seven years since Avengers: Endgame, and the cultural landscape looks nothing like the one Marvel once ruled. Tragedy, controversy, and mediocrity has shredded Disney’s Kang-focused multiversal vision. Doomsday is a billion dollar audible, and it’s coming in hot.
Actors from across the Marvel multiverse have remarked on the strange, disconnected process of filming green-screened cameos in isolation, working with unfinished scripts that left them unsure with whom they were even sharing scenes. Everyone seems to be having a great time, but there’s an undercurrent of chaos in the background that has been largely ignored. The script was written on the fly, and production only just wrapped in September 2025. Reshoots are already looming and VFX work will undoubtedly be a goliath undertaking. There just isn’t that much runway before the end of 2026… but if anyone can land this beast, it’s RDJ.
Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos are back on board, fresh off an Oscar win and The Electric State, respectively. Going back to the well is a sensible if somewhat sweaty move on the part of Marvel, and the off-the-wall idea to recast Downey as Doom is at the very least intriguing. What are they cooking?
For the first time in a while there’s a genuine sense of rumor and mystery about a Marvel movie; it really feels like anyone might show up, and unlike No Way Home, the studio has kept a decent lid on things. While there would certainly be more hype if Fantastic Four had successfully primed the pump, Doomsday has a very real buzz behind it.
Most Marvel movies open huge as die-hard fans pile into midnight showings, but what they’ve lacked lately are legs – that zeitgeist momentum that gets your co-workers into the theater. Since the new crop of heroes haven’t become household names, Disney is pivoting to the past to secure its future. Deadpool and Wolverine proved there’s still an appetite for an in memoriam-montage send-off of the Fox-era X-Men cast, though Marvel Studios would be wise not to linger in nostalgia for long.
The Rise of Skywalker is a cautionary tale here; it was a bloated finale built on course corrections and callbacks that pathetically begged audiences to clap. Doomsday has all the ingredients to become a massive hit, but there’s also lots of ways it could go wrong. The good news is, even if they utterly fail, Disney still has the nuclear option to start fresh with a universal shakeup in Secret Wars. That’s more of a 2027 problem, however; we’ve still got more to explore in 2026, including a pivotal moment for the Distinguished Competition.
DC Movies
James Gunn’s Superman was, by all metrics, a success. It sparked conversation, made most fans pretty happy, and sold a lot of Milk-Bones. The ticket sales weren’t anything to write home and tell the folks about, but its relative trouncing of Fantastic Four left more than a few box office analysts with egg on their face. Corenswet and company had a huge task on their plate, but they pulled it off and delivered on the promise of a delightful new DC Universe with plenty of room to grow.
2026 is a building year for the DCU. While Marvel unleashes its heaviest possible hitters, DC is adding to their solid foundation with two more films – including one that may be a bit out of left field – that both have the potential to surprise. First up…
