Upcoming Superhero Movie Sequels You May Not Know Were In The Works

With 2023 having more comics-based film flops than hits, it appeared as though superhero fatigue was finally coming to fruition. Even DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn admitted this fatigue existed and was a phenomenon the industry would have to reckon with. Of course, the truth is a bit more complicated than just assuming that moviegoers are 100% sick of people in spandex suits flying around. After all, the R-rated "Deadpool and Wolverine" still managed to gross over $1.3 billion at the global box office, proving that certain heroes and stories can still make an impact. 

At the end of the day, superhero cinema isn't going away entirely. Gunn himself will spearhead a new take on Superman, and Marvel Studios still has a full slate on its hands for the next several years. It'll be interesting to see what resonates and what doesn't, but for proof that these films can still be impactful, look no further than the myriad of upcoming superhero movie sequels. 

You probably know all about the likes of "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars," which will almost certainly make billions of dollars each. However, there are other projects that may have flown under your radar. Here are some of the biggest projects in the works, some of which come out pretty soon, while others are very much in the early stages. They all prove that, much like superheroes themselves, this genre will never truly stay dead. 

When a trailer for a comic book adaptation drops, it's normally met with widespread excitement and anticipation. But there was a markedly lukewarm reaction when "Hellboy: The Crooked Man" shared its first teaser, largely because many didn't even realize it was in the works. Hellboy fans across the internet all said the same thing about the trailer, which is that it looked far cheaper than other live-action films about the character. 

A lower-budget superhero movie isn't intrinsically a bad thing, but it may require some effort from Americans if they want to see Jack Kesy embody the red demon with filed-down horns. The film had a slow rollout across Europe in the summer of 2024, and will get released straight-to-VOD in the United States on October 8. There are presently no plans to release the newest "Hellboy" movie on the big screen, but there are still plenty of reasons for comic book fans to check it out. It's adapted from the miniseries of the same name from writer Mike Mignola and illustrator Richard Corben, and based on the trailer, it'll have more of a folk horror vibe going for it. 

Mignola, who's also the creator of Hellboy, worked closely on the film's screenplay. He told Forbes, "It's exciting for me to look at something and go, 'Oh, that's a whole bunch of stuff I never imagined I'd see onscreen.'" Hopefully, it gets a warmer reception than the 2019 "Hellboy" movie. 

With superhero movies no longer being surefire hits at the box office, it's understandable that studios may want to stick with what's worked in the past to a large extent. So it's perhaps no surprise there are going to be two cinematic Batman franchises running concurrently. As part of the new DC Universe shepherded by James Gunn and Peter Safran, a new Batman movie is in the works called "The Brave and the Bold." However, 2022's "The Batman" was a wild success that saw Robert Pattinson become the Dark Knight, and that film's getting a sequel called "The Batman: Part II." 

We already know the release date (October 2, 2026) for "The Batman: Part II" and that Matt Reeves is returning as writer and director. However, speculation has run rampant about who the villain could be, with some intriguing theories materializing online. 

Mr. Freeze is a popular choice, especially with Gotham City getting flooded in the first movie. While he could turn the town into a winter not-so-wonderland, he may be a bit too fantastical to adapt into Reeves' more grounded version of Gotham. The Court of Owls and Hush may be more realistic villains to adapt, while giving Bruce Wayne unique challenges he hasn't seen on the big screen before.

In an alternate universe, there's a world where "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" made its original release date of March 29, 2024. Naturally, that day has come and gone with still no conclusion to the epic saga of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Considering how these animated films are massive undertakings, it's perhaps no surprise the threequel required some extra time to get just right.

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" set up many important plot threads for "Beyond the Spider-Verse" to tackle. The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) is now a multiversal threat, and Miles learns from Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac) that his father must die in order for his universe to remain intact. On top of everything else, Miles isn't in his home universe, so Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) assembles the Spider-Team from the first movie to try and save him.

Releasing two complicated animated movies in back-to-back years may have been shooting for the stars, but word has been positive from those working on "Beyond the Spider-Verse." Karan Soni, who played Pavitr Prabhakar in "Across the Spider-Verse," said in an August 2024 interview with Times of India, "We're going to start recording ['Beyond the Spider-Verse'] in a few months which I'm so excited about. That movie is deep in production." A longer production means more time to make sure the story is as perfect as can be, and out of all of the upcoming superhero movie sequels, this one might have the loftiest expectations to live up to. 

In the 1990s, comic book adaptations were a novelty rather than the law of the land. Something like "Batman Forever" or "Blade" might do well, but then you have 1997's "Spawn." The movie was widely panned by critics, and fans were likely put off by the fact that the violent comic book received a PG-13 rating rather than an R. But it may be finally time to right the wrongs of the past by bringing Spawn to the big screen yet again in the upcoming adaptation, "King Spawn."

It doesn't sound as though it'll be a sequel to the first "Spawn" film; rather, it'll be its own thing, more akin to a reboot than anything else. But its development should be enough to get Spawn-heads ecstatic. The film is coming out courtesy of Blumhouse, known for its catalog of horror flicks and seemingly a good home given the demonic nature of the property. The "Spawn" comics are about a mercenary who makes a deal with a devilish entity to return to Earth to see his wife again, but it turns out to be a trick. 

For now, it sounds as though "King Spawn" is a working title, and the movie won't adapt the comic book run of the same name. But now that R-rated comic book movies have proven successful with "Joker" and the "Deadpool" franchise, it may be the perfect time to let Spawn really run wild. 

Released in 2005, "Constantine" could have easily been lost to the annals of time. It grossed $230 million at the global box office but received mixed reviews from critics. Unlike 1997's "Spawn" with its PG-13 rating, "Constantine" was rated R, which seemed appropriate given the darker source material. Director Francis Lawrence explained to Collider how they set out to get a PG-13 rating but were slapped with an R regardless. "It's like if we were gonna get an R rating, I would've made an R-rated movie," Lawrence stated. "We got a bit screwed on that front."

Due to that lackluster reception, it appeared as though a true R-rated "Constantine" film would remain out of reach. But with the original movie gaining a cult following over the years, talk of a sequel has been around for a while. Ultimately, rights issues held up a prospective "Constantine 2" for years, but a follow-up now seems to finally be in motion.

In 2022, it was announced that "Constantine 2" was in development, and when Looper attended a "Transformers One" Q&A in September 2024 with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, a producer on the original "Constantine," he provided a promising update about the script: "I haven't read it yet. Akiva Goldsman wrote it, and I'm super excited." Hopefully, news of production rolling forward comes out in the near future. 

Post-"Avengers: Endgame," Marvel Studios' output has been a bit of a mixed bag. It seems like for every "Spider-Man: No Way Home" that fans adore, there's a "Secret Invasion" the internet collectively piles on. 2021's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" definitely falls into the former category as a highlight of Marvel's recent offerings. It's an origin story for the titular Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) with stellar action and an emotional story. Critics and audiences connected with it, so it's odd that it's taking so long for Marvel to capitalize on its goodwill and get a sequel rolling. But a follow-up is still reportedly in the works. 

Liu clarified in April 2024 that "Shang-Chi 2" was definitely still happening. However, it might need a new director, as Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed the first movie, is in talks to direct the forthcoming "Spider-Man 4" starring Tom Holland. Depending on when exactly Marvel would want to release "Shang-Chi 2," it's possible Cretton could film both movies at different points, but that would certainly be quite the undertaking.

Marvel's Multiverse Saga will conclude with "Avengers: Secret Wars," and there are theories that Shang-Chi's Ten Rings could potentially tie into the multiverse. Releasing another "Shang-Chi" movie before "Secret Wars," which is slated to come out May 7, 2027, would make the most sense, but it remains to be seen when the character will surface again in live-action.

As just mentioned, "Spider-Man 4" is moving full speed ahead. Given that the character may be popular than Batman, it's understandable that Marvel and Sony would want to get their next installment starring Tom Holland off the ground as soon as possible. However, following the blockbuster success of 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," there were reports in early 2024 that Marvel Studios and Sony were fighting over what direction "Spider-Man 4" would take. While such reports should be taken with a grain of salt, Marvel apparently wants a grounded story while Sony is skewing more toward another multiverse installment that could bring back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their iterations of Peter Parker. 

With symbiote supervillain Knull appearing in "Venom: The Last Dance," it's possible Sony's setting up a massive multiverse-level story with the god of symbiotes factoring into the story. Knull is a huge threat in the comics, so it would make sense to use him in more than just one movie. However, Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) waging war against New York vigilantes in "Daredevil: Born Again" would also seem like a plot thread to explore in a New York-centric Spidey movie. Given "Spider-Man 4" and the high likelihood of the web-head having big roles in "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Secret Wars," Holland's going to be very busy very soon. 

You'd be forgiven for missing "Bloodshot" when it came out in theaters. It was released on March 13, 2020, less than a week before cineplexes closed as the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc across the globe. It obviously couldn't make a ton of money, and Sony promptly made the movie available on VOD on March 24. 

People must have checked it out at home because later in 2020, it was announced that "Bloodshot 2" was in development with Vin Diesel set to return as Ray Garrison, a soldier killed in the line of duty who's brought back to life with incredible strength. The project hasn't been canceled in the years since, but there also hasn't been much word on its progress or lack thereof. Diesel is working on the next chapter in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, so it may just be the creative team is waiting for his schedule to clear up before moving full speed ahead. 

The first "Bloodshot" had ample unanswered questions that a sequel could explore. But even if "Bloodshot" ultimately made its money back through VOD, it's not clear whether people will care if and when the sequel finally comes out. 

Disney and Pixar revealed at 2024's D23 Expo that "The Incredibles 3" was in the works with Brad Bird returning to direct. A third installment probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering that "The Incredibles 2" grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, with Pixar undoubtedly hoping to replicate that success.

There really isn't much known about the project yet. One would assume the main cast, including Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter, would return as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, respectively. Animated movies can take a long time to get off the ground, as evidenced by the prolonged development of films like "Frozen II" and "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse." It could be a while before "Incredibles 3" finally makes it to theaters, but there's already a ton of hype around this film. 

As for the plot, it's possible Bird could utilize a scrapped idea from "The Incredibles 2." He spoke with IndieWire in 2019 about other ideas he had: "I did have a superhero story about an invading artificial intelligence. I will find a way to do it somewhere else." Maybe that "somewhere else" could be "The Incredibles 3," especially with AI becoming a modern buzzword with a lot of animosity toward it these days. 

Sony Pictures wanted to get a "Sinister Six" movie off the ground back in the 2010s. This is why the ending of 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" found Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) talking about assembling a team — accompanied by shots of mechanical tentacles and giant wings stored in a facility — that hinted toward the future inclusion of Doc Ock and Vulture, respectively. That movie, originally to be set within Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man universe, was ultimately scrapped, but according to rumors, Sony hasn't let go of its Sinister Six dreams quite yet. 

It's good to stay skeptical on any "Sinister Six" news, but speculation in 2023 suggested that Sony wants a "Sinister Six" movie featuring the cavalcade of Spidey villains who have all starred in solo movies, including Venom (Tom Hardy), Morbius (Jared Leto), and Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). In February 2024, another rumor emerged, suggesting Sony may want to produce an animated "Sinister Six" film. It's unclear if that would be connected to the live-action Spider-Man villain films or be a standalone project. 

Nothing has been confirmed at this time by Sony. But if all those spinoffs don't lead to a "Sinister Six" team-up, what was even the point?

It's hard to overstate the influence of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" on modern animated projects attached to big franchises. One can definitely see that on 2023's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," which fully utilizes its unique animation style to tell a story that would have been far more difficult in live-action. Paramount must have been pleased with the reception, as the movie recently spawned a Paramount+ original spinoff series called "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and it's getting a sequel tentatively set to come out on October 9, 2026.

Director Jeff Rowe will be back to helm the follow-up, while the ending of "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem" really sets up what the sequel will be about. After Superfly (Ice Cube) fails to take over the city, his gang of mutants decide to team up with the turtles, but Shredder is also now on the way to New York. "Mutant Mayhem 2" will likely involve the Ninja Turtles going up against their most iconic foe, but who knows what other surprises could be in store?

There are a lot of Marvel projects that are seemingly active and in the works like "Shang-Chi 2" and "Thor 5," but there aren't a lot of details about them at this point. Another prospective film that falls into that category is "Doctor Strange 3," and this is the one that would make the most sense for Marvel to get started on as quickly as possible. 

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ends with Clea (Charlize Theron) taking Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on his next big adventure to correct an incursion. In "Multiverse of Madness," it's explained that an incursion is when two universes collide with one another and begin to deteriorate. More than likely, incursions will factor into the events of "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." It's the type of multiversal threat that would play well in those films and bring the Multiverse Saga to an epic close. 

It would therefore make sense for "Doctor Strange 3" to arrive before those "Avengers" movies (or maybe between them). Additional rumors suggest the plot of "Doctor Strange 3" will adapt the "Time Runs Out" comic book storyline and see the titular character deal with the fact that he's a common denominator when it comes to the destruction of universes. Out of all the upcoming superhero movie sequels within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Doctor Strange 3" has the potential to have the furthest-reaching implications, and we couldn't be more excited to see it and all the others on this list.