2016 is shaping up to be the year of the superhero. Here’s all the action you need to look out for…
Deadpool
WHEN: February 4
WHO: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein
WHAT: The Merc With A Mouth finally gets his own movie, with that whole, awkward, WTF-is-this shit take on the character in 2009’s Wolverine solo outing thankfully forgotten about.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
WHEN: March 25
WHO: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
WHAT: Finally, Batman and Superman will be squaring off on the big stage! Oh, and Wonder Woman’s there, too. And Lex Luthor. And Doomsday. Er…
Captain America: Civil War
X-Men: Apocalypse
WHEN: May 19
WHO: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac
WHAT: …Apocalypse will see the reinvigorated X-Men franchise tackle one of the comic’s biggest and baddest villains. He’s big, he’s blue and he’s pissed.
Daredevil
WHEN: Spring (date TBC)
WHO: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson
WHAT: Netflix’s knockout series returns with more gritty storylines, dark undertones and kickass fight scenes – including bonus Punisher!
Suicide Squad
WHEN: August 5
WHO: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney
WHAT: It’s The Avengers but with baddies instead of goodies! Yaaaay! Although Jared Leto is playing The Joker! Boooo! But at least it’s got Harley Quinn in it! Yaaaay!
Gambit
WHEN: October 7
WHO: Channing Tatum, Léa Seydoux
WHAT: The Ragin’ Cajun makes his solo debut, with Channing Tatum bound to bring some goofy charm to the estranged X-Man. Via his pecs, probably.
Doctor Strange
WHEN: October 28
WHO: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejofor, Tilda Swinton
WHAT: Marvel’s most famous evil-fighting magician finally makes his big cinematic debut courtesy of Sherlock/Hobbit/Star Trek star Benedict Cumberbatch (seriously, what is this guy, King Of All The Geeks or something?!).
Luke Cage
WHEN: Autumn (date TBC)
WHO: Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi
WHAT: After appearing in last year’s ace Jessica Jones as Ms Jones’s brooding love interest, Luke Cage gets his own series – and it’s gonna rule.
Arrow
WHEN: October
WHO: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell
WHAT: Dude dressed like Robin Hood continues to stick arrows into the heart of crime! Expect to see Arrow’s fifth season officially announced very soon.
The Flash
WHEN: October
WHO: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker
WHAT: Dude dressed like giant M&M continues to run rings around the heart of crime! We imagine there’ll be plenty more Arrow crossovers, too…
