Getty Robert Downey Jr ay the World Premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War.'
As 2018 comes to a close, fans of the superhero action movie genre are looking forward to the blockbusters scheduled for release in 2019. Marvel and DC are adding to their cinematic universe with films that both reveal major heroes’ origins and push the superhero stories forward. 2019 will also see films that feature superhero characters and elements not sourced from comic book material.
2018 was a big year for superhero movies. Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, According to Indie Wire, the “biggest domestic hit of the year” was in February, when Black Panther was released; Avengers: Infinity War and Venom were also top performers. NBC reported that superhero films brought in 25.5 percent of total ticket sales,” of the over $11.38 billion earned domestically by Hollywood in 2018. Due to this success, it is no surprise that Hollywood continues to pump out films of the superhero genre, starring A-list celebrities as characters that have long been household names.
Here are the major superhero movies scheduled for theatrical release in 2019:
Avengers: Endgame
After Avengers: Infinity War shocked fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and did $2.049 billion in the box office), Marvel announced that the final film in the saga, Avengers: Endgame, will debut on April 29, 2019. Continuing where the action of Infinity War left off, (SPOILER ALER) “In the aftermath of Thanos wiping out half of all life in the universe, the remaining Avengers must do what’s necessary to undo the Mad Titan’s deed.”
Captain Marvel
The month before the final Avengers film, Marvel will be introducing Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson. The movie is scheduled for release on March 8, 2019. Though the film is a prequel, The Wrap reports that it should tie into the most recent action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying “we have every reason to believe the film will serve as a direct lead-in to the battle with Thanos.”
Hellboy
The reboot of the violent film, starring David Harbour as Hellboy, is set to premiere on April 12, 2019.
X-Men: Dark Pheonix
Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner stars as Jean Gray/Phoenix in this X-Men origin story on June 7, 2019. Jennifer Lawrence is credited as returning as Raven/Mystique, and James McAvoy will play Professor Charles Xavier.
Shazam!
This DC Comic-based movie, starring Zachary Levi as the title character, is set for an April 5 release date, which will put in in box office competition with Marvel’s Captain Marvel. IMDB teases that “We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.”
Spider-Man: Far From Home
The next Spider-Man film, starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker, is set to come out on July 5, 2019. IMDB says that in this movie, “Peter Parker and his friends go on summer vacation to Europe and where Peter finds himself trying to save his friends against a villain known as Mysterio.” The public is currently awaiting the release of the first trailer for the film; BGR suspects that the delay is because the next Spider-Man movie is inherently a spoiler for Avengers: Engdame, which will be released three months before it.
Joker
It is fitting that Joker, a film revealing the origin of the infamous Batman villain, will hit theaters in October, just in time for another wave of Joker-themed Halloween costumes. The movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the latest celebrity to take on the title role, hits theaters on October 4.
Glass
While not a Marvel or DC comic book superhero film, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller fits into the superhero genre. IMDB’s logline for the film advertises “Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.” The film joins characters from past Shyamalan films together, and Bruce Willis stars as Dunn. Of 2019’s superhero movies, Glass premieres first on January 18.