With Marvel Studios eager to get back to quality over quantity and DC Studios out to establish the new DCU, 2026 promises to be another big year for superhero movies (especially as the battle with so-called superhero fatigue continues).
Marvel Studios is going big with Sony Pictures' co-production, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday, the first half of the Multiverse Saga's finale (with Avengers: Secret Wars following in 2027).
On the DC side, James Gunn and Peter Safran are bringing two smaller budgeted feature to theaters in Supergirl and Clayface.
Each studio is taking a big swing, and all four movies are exciting for different reasons. Now, though, it's time to rank them from least to most anticipated. We're sure you'll have opinions on how these compare, so feel free to share your rankings down in the comments section...
4. Clayface
It may seem harsh, but Clayface is hard to really care about. Eden Lake director James Watkins being at the helm has us intrigued, as does an R-rating and the promise of body horror. However, of all the stories DC Studios could and should be telling, they choose...this?
The DCU's Batman still hasn't been cast, and we don't anticipate him making a surprise appearance here. Clayface doesn't need the Dark Knight to be a compelling story, or to succeed at the box office, but we've yet to be given a reason to care about the origin story of a C-list Batman villain.
Sure, the transformation of a handsome actor into a shapeshifting monster is definitely something new for superhero movies at a time when the genre is struggling, but Clayface isn't what we were originally promised. It was supposed to be Mike Flanagan's passion project; instead, he wrote the first draft, and DC Studios has since rushed it out because it needed a second movie in 2026 to fill the void left by Sgt. Rock.
3. Supergirl
The first Supergirl trailer was good, but it also made it abundantly clear that this movie isn't the adaptation of Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow that we were hoping for. Yes, the key ingredients are there, but it's missing one too many of them to make this the one-of-a-kind follow-up to Superman we'd imagined.
The comic's bright colour palette has vanished; in its place are what look like a few grungy, leftover sets from Guardians of the Galaxy. Even Krem of the Yellow Hills has the appearance of a Ravager wannabe, but don't fret, because we're not entirely writing this one off.
While it may not be the most exciting movie from a visual standpoint, we are excited to see what Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa bring to the table as Supergirl and Lobo, respectively. We also have a feeling that the story will be strong, and after Craig Gillespie wowed us with Cruella, fingers crossed he finds a way to bring similar flair to this one.
2. Avengers: Doomsday
The three Avengers: Doomsday teasers we've seen have definitely increased our excitement levels. While it's hard not to be sceptical about Robert Downey Jr. taking on the role of Doctor Doom—not to mention what may be an overreliance on nostalgia—it does feel like the Russo Brothers are cooking with this one.
Steve Rogers' return, a serious Thor, and a comic-accurate X-Men aside, Avengers: Doomsday boasts an impressive cast, and promises to give comic book fans the types of team-ups they could only once fantasise about seeing on screen.
How the pivot from Kang the Conqueror to Victor Von Doom will work is another big mystery. Still, it feels like the Russos are the right choice to help get the MCU back on the right track as the Multiverse Saga winds down. The long pre and post-production period also leaves us feeling confident that the right amount of time is being taken to perfect this story.
1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It's been far too long since we've seen Peter Parker on our screens, but something tells us that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will have been worth the wait. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton takes over from Jon Watts for a movie that promises to finally give fans a street-level Spider-Man in the MCU.
That means Spidey will cross paths with characters like The Punisher, Scorpion, Tombstone, Boomerang, and even The Hand. And lest we forget that this is a Marvel Studios movie, The Hulk is being thrown in for good measure!
Spider-Man: No Way Home ended on a major cliffhanger when the world forgot who Peter is, and how that's dealt with only makes this movie even more fascinating. Throw in the mystery surrounding Sadie Sink's character, how this tale ties into the wider MCU, and all those Symbiote rumours, and we're counting down the days...