Before Fantastic Four makes us all feel that little bit more unhappy with the concept of superhero movies in general—our apologies for those of you who've already tasted the disappointment—let's take a moment to remember that this really is the show that never ends. If F4 doesn't do it for you, don't worry: there are plenty more superhero movies coming your way in 2016—and beyond, as you can see below. This, as ever, is your pick of the week's superhero movie news.
The will-he, won't-he question of whether Mark Ruffalo will appear in next year's Captain America: Really Just Another Avengers Movie We're Calling Civil War took another turn this week with the news that the actor is apparently hanging out with the cast of the movie in Berlin. You know, Berlin: that city where American actors typically congregate when they're not working together in a movie with a massive cast that everyone thinks they'll appear in. Between this and Ruffalo saying months ago that Robert Downey Jr. had told him he'd be in the movie, it might be safe to assume there'll be more Hulk very, very soon.
Why this is super: Who doesn't like the Hulk? Well, sure, Thunderbolt Ross—but William Hurt's in Civil War as well, so at least we'll get to see that grudge match play out onscreen.
Good news, everyone who wasn't in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con this year (which is to say, the entire world give or take 6,000 or so of you)! Now you too can see Ryan Reynolds try to redeem Green Lantern with the first official trailer for next year's Deadpool, which made its debut during TNT's Conan, of all things. As far as why, the closest we can come to a thematic similarity is that Conan O'Brien is also a smartass most people associate with the color red? Maybe Conan likes chimichangas? We're honestly stumped.
Why this is super: Who'd've thunk that the first outright superhero comedy movie of the modern era—yes, we remember Meteor Man and Mystery Men—would be an X-Men spin-off and not, say, Spider-Man? Strange times, friends. Oh, and speaking of ol' web-head…
Okay, first off, we're so, so, sorry for that pun. Secondly, Heroic Hollywood is suggesting that Kraven the Hunter might be the villain of the big Spider-Man movie reboot, based on the fact that the VP of Creative Affairs at Sony bought a Kraven-centric comic book last week. It's tenuous, but let's be honest: stranger things have happened. Besides, it's not as if Kraven doesn't tick all the major boxes needed for a prospective movie villain for the reborn franchise: He's a big name villain from the mythos, relatively low-powered so as to be a match for Spidey in a fight, and he's not appeared in any of the movies so far.
Why this is super: Done right, Kraven could be a wonderful villain for the movie. He's bombastic, egotistical, and considering the apparent comedy leanings of the movie, peripherally threatening enough to keep things thrilling without making jokes seem out of place. Can we start an Internet petition to make sure this happens?
Hey, remember the rumors last week that Channing Tatum was bailing on the Gambit movie? Good news: rumors can be wrong. Over the weekend, the Hollywood Reporter reported Saturday that Tatum has closed his deal, and that it'll not only see him playing the character in his own solo movie, but includes the possibility of his replacing Hugh Jackman as the unofficial face of the X-Men franchise. Bad news for those who hoped that perhaps a woman or person of color could assume that mantle, but great news for those who've been hoping to build a unified Foxcatcher/Magic Mike/X-Men cinematic universe.
Why this is super: Tatum's charismatic, doesn't take himself too seriously, and seems dedicated to his X-Men role—in that respect, he pretty much already is the new Hugh Jackman. If we have to have a Gambit movie, let's just be glad it's with the guy who made it happen in the first place.
Obviously, Batman is going to appear in next year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; his name is in the title. The first official trailer for the movie also teased a Robin appearance, or at least flashback cameo, with director Zack Snyder's son reportedly playing the part… and now, Latino Review is reporting that Jena Malone will play Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl, in the movie. Quite what her role will be in the movie—especially given that we don't know if there'll even be a Commissioner Gordon—remains to be seen, but we like to think this means they're preparing us for future appearances by Batwoman, James Gordon Jr., and Ace the Bat-Hound. Especially Ace the Bat-Hound.
Why this is super: Let's be honest: if this rumor is true, BvS is going from an already busy movie to one that's beginning to look almost ridiculously overstuffed, unless some of these characters are making brief cameos to set up future appearances (and even then, that sounds like a recipe for disaster in another direction). Should we start being afraid…?
