While DC have two box office juggernauts in Man of Steel and The Dark Knight films, Marvel’s cinematic universe is far more ambitious and wide, split into the “Avengers Universe” and the “X-Men Universe”, headed by two different studios, with Spider-Man also involved.
The mega success of the Avengers and Iron Man has led Marvel and 20th Century Fox to take on more and more ambitious projects, further expanding their roster of character introductions, filling the calender for the next two years with Comic Book films.
The Wolverine (July 24, 2013)
Somewhat of a sequel to the disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine film from 2009, this time taking Logan to Japan, following the events of X-Men: The Last Stand,
facing him to fight without immortality to back him up.
Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013)
Thor was probably the most pleasant box office surprise of all the Marvel-Avengers films, considering the character has been in what’s been called development hell for a very long time. The sequel to Thor introduces Malekith the Accursed, the ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. It takes place one year after the events in the Avengers.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
The film will introduce Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier, who is pretty much a super-agent for the Soviets, and often cooperates with the Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson will reprise her role from the Iron Man and Avengers films.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2, 2014)
The film is currently in production, with more set pics coming out all the time. We know that Rhino (possibly not in Super villain form but in Aleksei Sysevich, a Russian mobster form, and Electro, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, bringing trouble while Peter Parker graduates from High School. Black Cat might also be making an appearance, and Norman Osborn’s role will expand, a little bit.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23, 2014)
A sequel to both the Last Stand and First Class from 2011, the next edition of Marvel’s mutants takes on one of the best comic book storylines ever written, with cast from the previous trilogy as well making appearances. The comics storyline deals with a dystopian alternative future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps. An adult Kate Pryde transfers her mind into her younger self, the present-day Kitty Pryde, who brings the X-Men to prevent a fatal moment in history which triggers anti-mutant hysteria.
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)
Maybe the riskiest of the Marvel films, as it expands the Marvel universe into a galactic scales, without a household name to lean on. The story will revolve around a “powerful object” that the group gets their hands on, forcing them on the run. The inclusion of Drax the Destroyer is also likely to have larger consequences. The character in the comics was specifically created to defeat Thanos, the enemy seen at the end of The Avengers, who has been confirmed to return in future Marvel movies, possibly starting with Guardians.
Fantastic Four (March 6, 2015)
The first two Fantastic Four films didn’t really create too much of a buzz, so a reboot is on its way, and will share the same continuity of the X-Men film universe. The title may be Fantastic Four: Reborn, or simply The Fantastic Four.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
Part of what might be a long planned trilogy (with Robert Downey Jr. signed on for a third Avengers movie), the second Avengers film will introduce characters that Fox will be using in their X-Men films such as Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch, and will be completely different from the X-Men universe. The creation of Ultron by Hank Pym will probably be at the center of the film, but it won’t be too tied up to any comic book story arc.
Ant-Man (November 6, 2015)
Ant-Man will be Marvel’s so-called phase 3, which is going to bring a more humoristic tone to the Superhero genre, and the rumors are that the film will focus on the character of Scott Lang rather than Henry Pym. Lang will be more of a loveable loser than a superhero.
X-Force (TBA)
20th Century Fox is creating its own universe filled with X-Men and hopefully the Fantastic Four, but they’re trying to expand it as much as possible, hopefully getting the X-Force project, which usually consists of more violent, militant mutants, who serve as Black Ops unit for the X-Men, with a script currently being written.
