2026 is here, which means a new batch of movies. It’s an exciting year for comic book movies as it seems there are some anticipated stories to be on the look out for.
Since 2019, superhero movies saw a large decline in box office revenue. 2025 had only four comic book movies released, including “Superman.” Despite the rough years, comic book adaptations are still making their way. With 2026 just getting started, let’s take a look at the upcoming comic book movies.
Supergirl
Coming off her brief but unforgettable appearance in 2025’s “Superman,” this movie follows our titular character Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) who goes on a journey across the galaxy and is on a quest for revenge.
In “Superman,” her character seems to be a party girl with a strong attitude. This will be the second movie in the DC Universe (DCU) and is based on the comic book miniseries “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” Another notable thing about this movie is that Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, is playing Lobo. This is a character that has never appeared on the big screen before, so it’ll be interesting seeing how they bring him to life, mainly if he’ll be comic-accurate or something entirely different. So far, this is looking to be a fun spin-off to last year’s “Superman” that has its own distinct flavor.
“Supergirl” will release on June 26, 2026.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
There’s currently not much detail about what the plot of this movie is. Based on what happened at the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” this movie will follow Peter Parker (Tom Holland) being on his own, continuing hero work and trying to start a new life after everything he lost.
Unlike the previous “Spider-Man” movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Destin Daniel Cretton will direct this installment rather than Jon Watts. Cretton already has experience directing an MCU movie with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Whereas Shang-Chi is an adult with martial arts skills, Spider-Man is a teenager maturing into a young adult and has the powers of a spider. Plus, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings” is a martial arts movie with fantastical elements, whereas “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is more grounded and focused on character. This change in directors will be interesting because we can see whether or not they can make an MCU movie that’s paced differently from their known action-packed style.
There will be a mix of both familiar and new faces. For returning members, there’s Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, and even Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk. As for new faces, there’s Sadie Sink (“Stranger Things”), Liza Colon-Zayas (“The Bear”) and Jon Bernthal (“The Walking Dead”) playing as Frank Castle/Punisher. Despite how long it’s been since his last appearance, many people are looking forward to seeing their favorite web slinger again. Guaranteed that Spider-Man fans are going to be flooding the cinemas with excitement when this comes out.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will release on July 31, 2026.
Clayface
According to DC Studios co-chairman/CEO James Gunn and “Clayface” writer Mike Flanagan, this movie will tell the origins of the titular character. The story focuses on an actor named Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) whose face gets disfigured. He turns to a scientist to fix it, only to backfire as a result.
Not only will this be the third movie in the DCU after “Superman” and “Supergirl” but it’ll also be the cinematic debut for Clayface himself. Clayface’s backstory is finally making it to the big screen. Although the character has appeared in other pieces of DC media, he’s never had his own solo project. The movie is said to be a body-horror flick, which seems like a great match for this character. The director behind this movie, James Watkins, also seems like a fitting choice to helm this movie. With titles like “The Woman in Black” or “Speak No Evil,” this is a man who has clear experience in horror. There’s currently no marketing of any sorts yet, but from what we know, it sounds like it’ll be a unique take on one of the Caped Crusader’s many foes.
“Clayface” will release on September 11, 2026.
Avengers: Doomsday
In the 39th MCU movie, Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) has evil plans that are life-threatening to the universe. It’s up to the Avengers and other groups of heroes to defeat him.
Ever since its announcement in 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that it’s the conclusion to both Phase Six of the MCU and “The Multiverse Saga”, alongside “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Experienced MCU directors Anthony and Joe Russo will direct the movie and it has a stacked cast. Not only are the Avengers involved, but also the Wakandans, the Fantastic Four, the New Avengers and even the X-Men. As of now, we’ve had four teaser trailers for it, and the way that they’ve been marketing the movie so far has been grabbing the attention of many people. Out of all the movies on this list, this is arguably the biggest comic book movie of this year. It has a lot to live up to. Only time will tell whether this’ll be doom to the MCU or not.
“Avengers: Doomsday” will release on December 18, 2026.
Will 2026 fare out well for comic book movies?
For six years now, the 2020s have not been the greatest for comic book movies overall. The cause for this has mainly been on people’s fatigue and a drop in quality, as well as financial success. Both critics and audiences are more critical of the movies, resulting in lack of box office revenue. However, there are signs of slow improvements.
Three out of four movies from last year were well-received. Movies like “Superman,” “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” all fared well with audiences. The only one that didn’t do well was “Captain America: Brave New World.” This shows that comic book movies might be learning from their mistakes and it’s probably why people are fairly optimistic about this year’s lineup of comic book movies. Hopefully this year is just as good, if not better, than last year.
