Credit: Inside the MagicMarvel Studio’s newest slate of films is undergoing schedule changes, and it may start a battle at the box office against superhero competitor DC Studios.
Marvel had a rough 2023, with two of its three theatrical releases essentially bombing at the box office (although making a significant comeback on Disney+) and facing a majorly disappointing series release with Secret Invasion. In addition, the Hollywood strikes forced the studio to delay most of their 2024 releases, with only Deadpool 3 remaining to help Marvel recover this year. As Marvel seems to have been struggling to maintain the success they once had, many have started speculating that audiences may be experiencing Marvel fatigue.
In the midst of Marvel’s upheaval, James Gunn was hard at work ignoring the final releases of the DC Extended Universe (which all flopped in theaters) in order to start announcing the plans for his rebooted DC Universe and upcoming projects. While confirming that none of the former DC stars would be reprising their roles, he announced that Superman: Legacy would be the first release of the new DC, which would also introduce several side characters up front.
However, it seems as though both studios have a renewed sense of purpose following an announcement earlier today confirming the official cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) inclusion of The Fantastic Four. Rumors have been swirling for months about who would portray Marvel’s other iconic superhero team, with a leak confirming that Pedro Pascal was attached to the film with production expected to start soon.
The Fantastic Four are one the most well-known and beloved superhero groups alongside The Avengers and The Justice League. The team was created by comic legends Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and has inspired a number of film and tv adaptations throughout the years. Marvel’s first foray in bringing the team into the MCU was as a guest appearance of a multiverse version of Mr. Fantastic, played by John Krasinski, after years of fancasting, appearing in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022). For the official MCU timeline, Marvel has just announced that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn will star in the movie as the titular four.
Along with an official cast announcement, Marvel also confirmed its release date, which bumps another 2025 Marvel release up. Initially planned for July 25, 2025, Thunderbolts will now be released on May 2, which will allow The Fantastic Four to take the July slot. This move will put Fantastic Four directly up against DC’s first iteration of Superman under the helm of James Gunn, with both films squaring off with a July 2025 release.
This move may come as a result of Marvel’s worry about Thunderbolts underperforming at the box office against the highly anticipated Superman reboot. While Gunn and DC have the opportunity to start fresh and wipe away the stain of multiple less-than-stellar adaptations, Thunderbolts is inherently a team-up with little name recognition outside of comic fans and made up of multiple Marvel heroes that never received solo film adaptations. Marvel could be hoping that an open slot in May would be better for a film whose biggest stars all started as side characters to movies with mixed successes. This would allow The Fantastic Four, a movie starring multiple award-winning actors as beloved and iconic comic book characters, to compete against arguably the most recognizable superhero of all time, under James Gunn’s leadership.
With the Fantastic Four possibly working as the new Avengers at Marvel and DC completely rebooting their cinematic universe, it’s possible that both studios will bring refreshing new releases to audiences, kicking off another era of superhero domination in the box office.
What are you more excited for: Fantastic Four or Superman: Legacy? Let us know in the comments!