The War has officially started. It's time for MARVEL and DC to face off...

Greetings,

Firstly, a very happy new year to all readers. I know it has been a long time since I wrote something but I have decided to flex my metacarpals today. This post is going to be different than my usual ones. It is not a review, rather a glimpse into what to expect from Marvel Studios and DC/ Warner Bros. in 2016. Without superhero movies being the Hitchcock equivalent of the 21st century, it is only natural that these are the movies that nerds are most excited about. 

In total, we have seven movies lined up for 2016. Marvel begins it year with Deadpool (owned by Fox Studios, not connected to the MCU films). Summer will bring us Captain America: Civil War from MCU and X-Men: Apocalypse from 20th Century Fox. Marvel will end its year with its most mystical movie yet, Doctor Strange which is scheduled for November and hopefully a Gambit stand-alone movie from Fox towards the end of the year. As for DC, the year starts with a bang with one of the most historic comic book showdowns being presented on the big screen in Batman v Superman; Dawn of Justice. The only other DC movie lined up for 2016 is Suicide Squad, focusing mainly on the antihero team of the same name. Here I will only be talking about the MCU and the DC movies so I will not discuss Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse and Gambit in detail. So let's get started.

                            

March 25: Batman v Superman

Batman v Superman will pick up where Man of Steel left off. This movie is to be the second installment in DC's extended universe. According to Zack Snyder, the director, the story is considerably different from the comic. From as much as we know, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) was somehow damaged in the Battle of Metropolis (Superman v Zod in MOS) and feels that Superman is a threat to humanity, so he dons the black cape once again to come back as Batman. Note that in the movie, we will be seeing a much older Bruce Wayne. The story will pick up after Robin's death, with Batman feeling responsible and hence hanging his cape. So it is looks like Batman will be coming out of retirement to fight the Man of Steel. The trailers have also pointed to some other important things about the movie. Firstly, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) will definitely be making an appearance in the movie. In one of the trailers we actually saw the Holy Trinity come together. Second, the main villain of the movie isThsi  Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). So Batman and Superman will be fighting but they will probably reconcile before the last half hour of the movie. We do know that Lex Luthor will be using kryptonite and Zod's body to create Doomsday. Essentially, Doomsday is the main villain but it is Lex Luthor who creates him. However, the highlight of the movie will be the Batman v Superman fight scenes. As Lex Luthor quotes, "Black v Blue, Day v Night, Man v God!" I do feel that the movie could be too cluttered up with characters but we'll have to wait and watch. The film is made on a reported budget of $200 million, so Warner Bros. are expecting huge profits from the movie.

Expected Rating: 7.2/10

May 6: Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is a movie that will definitely be successful, because it is basically Avengers 2.5. The movie has all Marvel heroes that we know as of yet, except the Hulk, Thor and the Guardians. The title of the movie makes the plot fairly self-evident. After the destruction in Sokovia during age of Ultron politicians  decide to form a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to call in the Avengers, which results in the fracturing of the team into two opposing factions–one led by Rogers who wishes to operate without regulation, and one led by Tony Stark who supports government oversight. The movie will basically be war between Team Cap v Team Iron Man. As far as we know, Black Widow, Black Panther, Iron Patriot and Vision will be in Team Iron Man while Hawk Eye, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Agent 13/ Sharon Carter, Winter Soldier and Ant-Man will be Team Cap. The Winter Soldier, a.k.a, Bucky will have a very important role in the movie. He is supposed to be the catalyst that really starts the war between Captain and Iron Man. The trailer also has footage of Black Panther/ T'Challa and he will be a having a pretty important role. The most exciting news is that Spider-Man will feature in the movie. Marvel hasn't released any footage of Spider-Man on set but then again, Marvel has a habit of not revealing their cards till the end. We are not sure how much of a role he will have in the conflict but he will definitely be in the movie. However, the movie will not completely focus on the war. We will have a villains Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) and Brock Rumlow/ Crossbones (Frank Grillo). However, since it is a Captain America movie, a lot of focus will be on Cap and we will be seeing the war through his perspective. The important thing to remember is that in the comics not every hero came out of Civil War unharmed. Since Marvel has many new heroes lined up in Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Mrs. Marvel, we could see the death of one or two heroes, just like Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. One thing for sure is that the war will have serious repercussions which will be followed up in future Marvel movies. It is time to choose a side.

Expected Rating: 9.4/10

                     

August 5: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad is a very interesting prospect because it is something different than the traditional superhero movie. Most of the things relating to the story line of the movie have been kept tightly under wraps and there are only a few things we know at this point. The basic plot is that a group of super villains accept a secret mission from the government, led by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), knowing that it will likely lead to their deaths. Why? We don't know as of yet. This movie will be picking up from where Batman v Superman ends so there are a number of ways that the movie could go. The movie will be featuring Batman but it will focus mainly on the villains. The villains include Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, Killer Croc, Slipknot, Diablo, Katana and of course, The Joker. The trailer did not reveal much about Joker's role in the movie, whether he is in the Squad or not, but it is him that most of the people will go to see. Jared Leto, the actor who is playing the role of the Joker reportedly went to extreme measures to prepare for his role, to make sure that it is something different than Heath Ledger's portrayal in The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's portrayal was so good that  it would be difficult to improve on that but it would be interesting to see what different dimensions Jared Leto brings to the character. As far the Squad is concerned, Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) will be the main members. Since this movie is so different than mainstream superhero movies, it could either be very good or very bad. The trailer has raised our hopes so it will be exciting to see whether David Ayer and his team can deliver on their promise.

Expected Rating: 8.5/ 10

November 4: Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is the movie in which Marvel really opens the gates for weirder things to come. Doctor Strange will be Marvel's entry into the world of sorcery and mysticism. The story will deal with Doctor Stephen Strange, one of the top neurosurgeons, who, after an injury due to a car accident which ruins his career, sets out on a journey of self-healing where he encounters The Ancient One. Now the Ancient One is one of the Supreme Sorcerers who becomes Doctor Strange's teacher and mentor and teaches him the ways of sorcery. The best part about this movie is that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing the role of Doctor Stephen Strange. The depth in the character and the skill required to bring, quite literally, such magic to life can be found only in Benedict Cumberbatch. This just makes the movie all the more exciting. The movie will also feature Karl Mordo (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a former student of the Ancient One who goes rogue after the Ancient One chooses Doctor Strange ahead of him. The movie will be largely unconnected to the other movies because it is such a different concept. If you guys have seen Ant-Man, the quantum microverse shown in it is the closest example of what to expect from this movie. Not much has been disclosed about the movie yet but ever since its announcement people have had great expectations from it.

Expected Rating: 9.0/10

As we can see, there is a lot to look forward to this year. I for one hope that all of these movies and others which have I not talked about can live up to the expectations. These movies will be essential to determine the future of superhero movies. The excitement will rise over the next few months.

Till next time,

HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED

(PS: Do comment your views about these movies.)

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