Why 2027 is Shaping Up to Be the Biggest Showdown Between Marvel & DC

If fans of Marvel and DC thought 2025 was an epic year for superhero films, with the release of blockbusters like "Superman" and "The Fantastic Four," among others, they are in for a big surprise in two years. Batman, The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Superman (again) lead the awaited blockbuster films announced for 2027, promising a box office war like no other.

Comic book lovers already had an idea of how exciting 2027 would get for both cinematic universes, but James Gunn's announcement today that the sequel to 2025's "Superman," titled "Man of Tomorrow," will be released on July 9, 2027, took it to a new level.

The second Superman movie with David Corenswet not only adds another film to a year jam-packed with Marvel and DC's biggest projects. The success of these comic book outings could determine the fate of each respective superhero universe.

Just three months after the release of "Man of Tomorrow," the long-awaited "The Batman - Part II," starring Robert Pattinson reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, will hit cinemas on October 1. With two high-budget films featuring their biggest characters, DC Studios are aiming for the stars in 2027.

The announcement comes amidst speculation that Robert Pattinson will join "Superman" star Corenswet in the new DC Universe. However, "Superman" writer/director James Gunn has denied this since the beginning of his tenure as the co-president of DC Studios. Other upcoming projects for DC Studios include the TV miniseries "Lanterns" and the movies "Supergirl" and "Clayface," all of which are currently in production or post-production and are scheduled to release next year.

On the other hand, DC's biggest competitor in the superhero business, Marvel, has some aces up their sleeve. 2027 will see the release of the final film in the critically acclaimed animated "Spider-Verse" trilogy, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse," which is set to release on June 25, 2027.

However, while Spider-Man is a Marvel property, the "Spider-Verse" films are exclusively a Sony product, as they have owned the cinematic rights to the character for decades. The Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films are the product of a collaboration between Sony and Marvel Studios.

But Marvel Studios' biggest project will be "Avengers: Secret Wars," the sequel to the highly anticipated "Avengers: Doomsday." "Secret Wars" will come out on December 17, 2027, almost a year exactly after "Doomsday" hits theaters on December 16, 2026. This likely indicates that "Doomsday" will start a story that "Secret Wars" will likely finish, not unlike the previous "Avengers" films, "Infinity War" and "Endgame." "Doomsday" will have a massive ensemble cast with several actors from both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Fox "X-Men" universe that started in 2000, reprising their roles.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has indicated that "Secret Wars" will serve as a vehicle for a soft reboot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with some iconic characters' stories being "reset" with new actors.

Before the upcoming "Avengers" films, however, is Tom Holland's fourth outing as Spider-Man, "Brand New Day," which is currently in production and will reportedly feature Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Other Marvel movies in development include the third "Black Panther," the second "Shang-Chi," and a brand-new "X-Men" helmed by "Thunderbolts*" director Jake Schreier.