Thunderbolts* is all about reconciling with your past, moving forward and taking action so that the trauma and darkness of the past can be overcome with help from others. Convesely, I feel like that makes Wanda Maximoff's arc even worse, especially as it doesn't seem like any of the surviving Avengers came to and be there for her following the death of the Vision.

Thunderbolts* ed the total box office of The Marvels, the MCU's biggest bomb, in just one week. While it's impressive that the MCU movie managed to do it so fast, I don't think it was ever in question that the film would be able to leave The Marvels behind. With fan-favorites like Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, and Avengers-like team-up concept — later revealed to be a true Avengers movie, and more, I always expected Thunderbolts* to have a better box office run than The Marvels, so I wasn't surprised by its feat.

Michael Douglas recently revealed in an interview that he believes his time in the MCU might be over. Now that the Ant-Man trilogy has ended, I think it's okay for the franchise to move on from Hank Pym. However, I wasn't Douglas to come back one final time. In the past, the actor had commented on how he wanted Hank to die if he were to return, and I feel like such a death could add to the stakes of the next two Avengers movies, so I hope it happens.

I'm very excited about Jon Bernthal's Punisher Disney+ special, particularly after his return in Daredevil: Born Again. While the story is currently unknown, one thing I really hope the special does is continue the best theme from his original Netflix show, that being having a villain who represents a dark mirror to the vigilante. In being confronted by characters who represent an alternate life path for him, Punisher can grow and evolve to be a more well-rounded character. Plus, I think the special being him hunting down the NYPD's Punisher-inspired task force would be a great way to explore this theme, as their excessive force without oversight is a harrowing parallel to Frank's own actions.

James Gunn's Superman movie trailers have repeatedly shown David Corenswet's Superman getting beaten up and bleeding. While Superman is usually shown to be an extremely powerful hero who can't be hurt by much, I think Gunn is using this shocking move to show us how he understands the character. By giving Superman so many adversities, Clark Kent's humanity comes out more, and since that is truly the best part of the Man of Steel — his desire to do good and help others with his immense powers — James Gunn's Superman movie is on point.

While Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan did come up with some constructs of his own in the Green Lantern movie, I feel like we should have had more exciting and creative uses of the hero's power in live-action. After watching the new Superman movie trailer, Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner seems to be just the Green Lantern for the job. In the footage, we see him easily craft a giant hand to hit a truck and some soldiers. I want more constructs with personality and that look better onscreen, and Superman is doing that.

Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones is confirmed to be back for Daredevil: Born Again season 2. I believe that her return makes Cherry a possible death for the MCU series. Both of them are private investigators, but Jessica Jones is also a superhero, so her having a key role in Daredevil's army makes more sense than Cherry and also makes him redundant. With Daredevil: Born Again set videos showing Cherry getting beaten by Mayor Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force, I feel like he could be killed or severely injured, making Matt Murdock go after Jessica Jones to be his P.I.

As we get closer to the next two Avengers films and Doctor Strange 3, I'd really like to see Stephen Strange getting a similar arc to the one seen in the comics' version of Secret Wars in 2015. Realizing he wasn't strong enough to prevent the end of reality via multiple incursions, Doctor Strange s forces with Doctor Doom to save reality and create Battleworld. As such, I think this would be a perfect continuation of Strange's MCU arc, seeing how Doctor Strange 2 already saw Stephen making compromises and using darker methods in the name of the greater good.

The idea of having another Infinity War situation could be appealing, especially after Thunderbolts* teased a new sort of civil war between two teams of Avengers. While I think this is an appealing concept due to the desire for a darker ending, I think the Avengers should end up defeating Doom before unleashing an even more dangerous threat. I don't want Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom to be a prolonged character; he'd work better as a one-off.

Ironheart looks like it's going to have some great effects, and I'm pretty excited about the teased science vs magic storyline with Riri Williams and Parker Robbbins' Hood. However, I really hope that this series lays the groundwork for Mephisto as a supernatural big bad for the MCU. It be great if Marvel further explored the supernatural elements of the universe one the Multiverse Saga concludes.

Currently, it's look as though the DCU's Justice Gang is only comprised of Guy Gardner's Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific. However, Peacemaker season 2's trailer teased their actively looking to recruit new . With that in mind, I think Plastic Man would be a fun addition to the team, and the same goes for Black Canary. I'd also love it if the Justice Gang gave Peacemaker a second look by the end of Peacemaker season 2.

Jeremy Renner revealed that he turned down Hawkeye season 2 because he was only offered half of his season 1 salary. I hope Marvel/Disney and the actor can resolve their pay dispute to bring back one of my favorite shows and include the MCU debut of Clint Barton's brother, Barney. In a recent interview, Renner was asked about the rumor that Hawkeye's brother would appear in season 2, and the actor said there might have been some truth to it. Barney is an anti-hero who goes by Trickshot in the comics, and I'd love to see his MCU debut.

Robert Downey Jr. has shared the first set photo of himself on the Avengers: Doomsday set. While it does not show him as Doctor Doom, the photo reveals there are CGI dots on his face. I hope that turns out to be for Victor von Doom's scars or the villain's hood. However, if they are being used for Doctor Doom's iconic mask, I would not really be a fan of that. I believe the mask has to feel real and tangible, and we know how MCU CGI has made characters and suits look wonky in the past.

2026 will see the release of three exciting Spider-Man projects. The MCU's Peter Parker returns as Tom Holland leads Spider-Man: Brand New Day, his alternate universe animated self will also come back for more in the form of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2, and Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man Noir comes to life in a black-and-white world in Prime Video's live-action Spider-Noir series. While the other two projects are exciting, I have to put Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the top of the list, as it's the fresh start I've wanted for Peter.

We can thank the writer and actors' strikes and lingering COVID delays for why What If...? Season 3 was released before Ironheart. Based on the animated episode that saw Riri becoming one of the most powerful MCU heroes in a dystopian future and another episode that featured someone else wearing The Hood besides Parker Robbins, Marvel clearly thought they'd be releasing Ironheart first. As such, it seems pretty awkward to me that Marvel has already shown us alternate variants of Ironheart's two main characters before said characters have even gotten the chance to fully debut.

While I'm hoping to learn why Thor was crying when Deadpool got his inadvertent sneak peek into the future at the TVA, my biggest hope for Avengers: Doomsday is that the movie will end with Doctor Doom creating Battleworld, mirroring the comics and setting up what should be the best way to end the Multiverse Saga on a major bang.

Isabela Merced's casting as Hawkgirl is one of my favorite additions to the DCU, and I'd really love to see her get a spin-off series on HBO after the movie. The actress was fantastic in Alien: Romulus and she's currently killing it in The Last of Us. There's genuine star power in this casting choice, and I'm hoping they make the most of it instead of letting her become a background character.

On of the Marvel side, some of my favorite live-action superhero origin stories include Iron Man, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Captain America: The First Avengers, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Into the Spider-Verse. On the DC side, I'm a big fan of Batman Begins, Wonder Woman, and Zack Snyder's Justice League.

The way I see it, there are four potential options for Ultraman in 2025's Superman. The least likely is that it really is Ultraman, the evil Superman from Earth-3. However, there are also theories that it could be Doomsday given the containment suit similarities, as well as the classic Superman villain Parasite. However, I also like the theory that it might be Bizarro, the version that was a clone created by Lex Luthor, explaining why Ultraman has been shown as his bodyguard.

Co-writer Eric Pearson recently revealed that Wyatt Russell's John Walker was originally meant to be the main villain of Thunderbolts* before switching to Sentry/The Void, with Val manipulating him into believing his super soldier serum was wearing off, and was giving him medication that would lead to a Hulk-out-type moment. Pearson ultimately explained that it didn't feel tonally right for the movie, and I do kind of agree that it would have felt kind of out of place. The movie was kind of all about giving everyone redemptions, so going for a big fight like that against Walker would have worked against the movie's mental health discussion.