I am certain that 2025 is the most exciting year for the future of theMarvel Cinematic Universeand theDC Universein almost two decades. For as long as many can remember, the Marvel and DC rivalry has been raging. This will only continue, withupcoming Marvel moviesbeing compared to the DC movies of the past and future. As expected, the same is true for theupcoming DC moviesof the DCU, with many wondering if James Gunn can recapture what made Marvel so successful in the 2010s.
TheDCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monstersis getting into full swing in 2025, putting more pressure on DC to “catch up” to Marvel. I am under the impression that a rising tide lifts all boats and that competition will only breed success for both parties, which is why Iview it as somewhat negative that the MCU has been superior to the fracturedtimeline of the DCEUoverthe last decade, despite having its own issues of late. However, as of 2025, I think the future of both franchises looks equally bright for the first time since 2008.
2025 Is Shaping Up To Be A Massive Year For DC & Marvel
Both Franchises Are Set To Have A Strong Year
Firstly, it is worth examining 2025 in-depth and why this year appears to be particularly strong for Marvel and DC. The DC side of things is the easiest to sum up, with the DCU’s first official movie,James Gunn’sSuperman, releasing in July. The reaction toSuperman’s trailers has been excellent, and the early box office tracking suggests it will be nothing less than a much-needed commercial win for the DC brand. Early projections indicateSupermancould earn up to $180 million in its opening weekend, and that is only in domestic territories.
On the Marvel side,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsalso releases in July and is tracking to be almost as commercially successful asSuperman. Numbers for that movie indicate Marvel could haul up to $155 million in its opening domestic weekend. With both movies testing well and having a lot of hype around them,it seems as though both Marvel and DC will each have a hit on their hands in July 2025. This is without mentioning Marvel Studios’Thunderbolts*which, while failing to perform commercially, is regarded as one of the best MCU movies in the last half-decade.
The Wider Implications Of The DCU & MCU Make 2025 Even Bigger Than First Thought
Both Franchises Have Bigger Futures Than Any One Movie
When widening the scope of this inquiry and looking at the MCU and DCU as a whole, 2025 looks even bigger than justSupermanandThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsbeing critically and commercially successful. Again, the DCU’s broader implications are much easier to quantify given thatSupermanis the first installment in the shared DC Universe. The DCEU was fractured for some time, leading James Gunn to be hired as the co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran to create an interconnected DC franchise across film, TV, and gaming.
2026 will then see the release ofSupergirl: Woman of TomorrowandClayface…
Superman,despite the release ofCreature Commandosin 2024, has long been considered the first step in this plan. 2026 will then see the release ofSupergirl: Woman of TomorrowandClayface.IfSupermanis a hit, the former will likely only benefit from this and establish two of the key characters of the fledgling DC Universe.Lanternsis also set for a 2026 release date, with all of these projects hinging onSuperman’s success.If 2025 is as big for the DCU as it seems it will be, it will promise equally big years aheadas the franchise looks to find its feet.
On the Marvel side of the pond, 2025 is somewhat of a transition year for the franchise. The tumultuous production of Phase 4 of the MCU and the scrapping of an originalAvengersplan in light ofJonathan Majors' assault chargeshas caused the franchise to switch directions very suddenly. This, combined with a new quality-over-quantity mandate from Bob Iger upon his reinstatement as Disney CEO, means 2025 is much more important to the MCU than just having another potentially billion-dollar movie.
In a report byVariety, Iger classedThunderboltsas the first example of the MCU’s new quality-driven mandate, as evident by its very strong reviews.The Fantastic Four: First Stepswill tie intrinsically to this in terms of both storyline - thanks toThunderbolts‘post-credit scene- and in terms of being a strong, compelling, standalone movie for the most part. Both movies will then tie intoAvengers: Doomsday, a movie that will indicate whether the MCU is back to its interconnected best. Evidently, 2025 is just as big for the MCU’s wider future as it is for the DCU’s.
2008 Was The Last Time The Future Of Both Marvel & DC Looked So Bright
DC Was Focused & Marvel Reinvented Franchise Filmmaking
With 2025 looking so vital and promising for both franchises, I am certain this is the first time this has happened since 2008. There have been odd years in the last 17 in which both Marvel and DC have had success, but in terms of the future looking as promising as it does now, 2008 was the last time. That year is synonymous with the origin of the MCU thanks to the release ofIron Man, with audiences and critics alike loving the movie while having an incredible future teased by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the film’s post-credit scene.
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
While the future of DC was not as overtly promising as a shared universe in 2008, the brand still had its own success. This year saw the release ofThe Dark Knight, which is still considered thebest Batman movieand one of the best DC movies of all time to this day. The confirmation of a third installment in Nolan’sBatmantrilogy only furthered this excitement, and this hype was not marred by the uncertainty of an inconsistent interconnected franchise as the DCEU did not begin until 2013.
17 years later,2008 may finally be being rivaled in terms of both franchises having successful potential futures. The MCU’s period of uncertainty looks to be coming to an end, with the future only promising a return to what made the franchise so successful initially. The hype around the DC Universe speaks for itself, with many looking forward to an interconnected franchise with a singular vision, clear storytelling, and varied characters for the first time since the DCEU was announced.
It Looks As Though Marvel & DC’s Uncertain Periods Are A Thing Of The Past
2025 Could Be The Turning Point
All of this is to say that 2025 could be a turning point for both DC and Marvel. Both franchises have had overly uncertain periods in recent years for similar reasons. Both franchises have been unfocused and creatively uncertain for some time, especially where the DCEU was concerned. Ever since Zack Snyder departed the production ofJustice Leaguein 2017, the franchise became split in two in myriad ways; The films released were split between studio mandates and the will of their filmmakers, and the fans were left fighting between Synder’s vision and a new direction.
This continued all the way up until 2023, marking almost eight years of a franchise with such potential being torn apart by unsure leadership. While the MCU’s issues were perhaps not as prevalent, the franchise became a victim of its own success.Avengers: Endgamewas a perfect finale to the Infinity Saga, with many wondering whether the franchise needed to continue at all. Marvel Studios did so, leading to an unfocused Phase 4 that introduced many new characters, subplots, and storylines that are yet to go anywhere.
Jonathan Majors’ situation and the ruin ofAvengers: The Kang Dynastydid not help matters, only leading to a more uncertain future for the franchise. Thankfully, though, both of these franchises seem to have absolved these issues going forward. TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis building towardsAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warswith a renewed sense of clarity while theDC Universeis being ushered into a new era by James Gunn. 2025 is the starting point for both of these, marking the biggest year for both franchises simultaneously since 2008.
