Summary
- In 2024, Marvel and DC are rebounding from lower release numbers with new TV shows and movies.
- Major projects include Deadpool & Wolverine, Joker: Folie à Deux, and Batman: Caped Crusader.
- Expect familiar characters like Harley Quinn, Penguin, and Creature Commandos on screen.
Despite the MCU taking a more measured approach to their releases, and the DCU having yet to release their first official title, there are a lot of projects coming from Marvel and DC still in 2024. The last few years have seen the number of prjects from Marvel and DC reduce significantly. With the pandemic, strikes in Hollywood, and higher levels of negative feedback for superhero movies and TV shows, there was a steep decline in official releases.
Additionally, with the negative responses surrounding Marvel TV shows on Disney+, and the restructuring of DC’s offerings with the newly established DC Studios, comic book-inspired projects were few and far between. However, in 2024, it appears that things are getting back to normal at a rapid pace with several TV shows and movies still to come from both Marvel and DC. Many of these projects are animated TV shows, but there are a few blockbuster movies and live-action projects still coming in 2024 for all fans of superhero stories.
Related
Is Jensen Ackles playing Batman in the DCU?
Batman will debut in the new DC Universe’s The Brave and the Bold movie. The Boys star Jensen Ackles has been rumored to play Bruce Wayne, which James Gunn, the DCU’s creative chief, has shot down. Ackles could still be cast as Batman; however, no actor has been chosen at the moment, with casting for the new Batman only starting when the movie has its script ready. Based on his dark and action-heavy roles in Supernatural and The Boys, as well as being the voice of Batman in DC’s animated Tomorrowverse, Ackles would be perfect for the DCU’s Dark Knight.
1 Hit-Monkey (Season 2)
July 15
Hit-Monkey, also known as Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, is set to release season 2 on Monday, July 15, in its entirety. The first season was released in 2021, during which time Marvel was restructuring their TV offerings and folding Marvel Television into Marvel Studios. As a result, between the first and second seasons, the oversight for the show has changed hands, with Marvel Studios officially leading the charge on the show, despite the series not being set in the MCU proper.
Now, all 10 episodes of the second season of the show will debut on Hulu at once, just as the first did and continue the story of the hyper-intelligent animal assassin. The first season ended on an explosive cliffhanger with Bryce returning from Hell after making a deal with Mephisto, and Hit-Monkey making some new enemies. The show is expected to continue with these events and follow the same adult animated themes as were featured in season 1.
2 Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
July 18
Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
- Cast
- Kaley Cuoco , Keith David , Jonathan Banks , Natasia Demetriou , Lance Reddick , Michael Imperioli , Stephanie Hsu , Judith Light
- Creator(s)
- Justin Halpern , Patrick Schumacker
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is a series based on an obscure villain from the comics who face off against Batman. However, his appearance on this titular show is not a debut for the character, but a return in the form of a spin-off from the adult animated Harley Quinn series. Kite Man has appeared numerous times on the show, voiced by Matt Oberg, who will be reprising his role here.
The series will tie in with the Harley Quinn show, featuring all the primary cast members, including Harley and Ivy. The first two episodes will be released on Thursday, July 18, with a further eight episodes appearing weekly thereafter on Max. The story is set to follow Kite Man as he and his girlfriend, Golden Glider, attempt to open a bar together on one of the seediest corners of Gotham’s mean streets.
3 Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26
Deadpool & Wolverine
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney
Deadpool & Wolverine marks one of the most highly anticipated films to come out of the MCU in a while. Not only will the film introduce Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool into the MCU, uniting the Fox X-Men timelines and the MCU within the Multiverse, but it will also welcome Hugh Jackman back as the Wolverine. Jackman has played the Wolverine for the best part of 25 years, and his arrival in the MCU has been something fans have cried out for ever since the MCU began in 2008.
The film will feature Deadpool and Wolverine as the titular anti-heroes in a story that will span multiple universe, and see Deadpool arrive in the TVA, which was first shown in the hit Marvel TV show, Loki. The movie is also expected to be filled to the brim with cameos from across various Marvel projects. While specific details are a closely held secret, the film is expected to perform well at the box office, and set the tone for the future of the MCU.
4 Batman: Caped Crusader
August 1
Batman: The Animated Series was one of the most popular animated versions of Batman’s story ever made. Airing from 1992 to 1995, the series featured incredible voice talent like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. Batman: Caped Crusader was set to be a spiritual successor to Batman: TAS, although the new series is set to explore the early days of Batman’s vigilante activism in Gotham City. However, when Kevin Conroy passed away, the show’s future was uncertain.
Now, the show is full of a strong cast of talented voice actors, with Hamish Linklater tackling the lead role as The Dark Knight. It also features some twists on the traditional iterations of the characters from comic books, bringing the show up to date in terms of the setting and story. Little else is known about the project, but Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere on August 1 on Amazon Prime Video, where all 10 episodes of season 1 will be released at once.
5 Agatha All Along
September 18
Agatha All Along
- Cast
- Kathryn Hahn , Patti LuPone , Miles Gutierrez-Riley , Aubrey Plaza , Emma Caulfield , Debra Jo Rupp , Joe Locke , Maria Dizzia
Another exciting MCU project, Agatha All Along, will see Kathryn Hahn’s character from WandaVision return to star in her own spin-off. The show will premiere on Disney+ on September 18 with two episodes. Then, the show will likely release the remaining seven episodes on a weekly basis until the show’s conclusion. The cast will see some of the familiar faces from Westview return, and a few new faces as well, including Joe Locke, who rose to popularity in Netflix’s Heartstopper, and Aubrey Plaza, from popular shows like Parks and Recreation.
The story will see Agatha trapped after her final encounter with the Scarlet Witch at the end of WandaVision. However, being the powerful witch that she is, Agatha will not take such a punishment lying down, and she will likely look for a way to escape her cursed enchantment. How this will tie in with the wider MCU is unclear, but as an official MCU TV show, it is likely it will introduce some details that will feature in the wider universe.
6 The Penguin
September
The Penguin
- Cast
- Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Clancy Brown , Michael Zegen , Rhenzy Feliz , Alex Anagnostidis , Craig Walker
Not quite in the newly revised DCU, The Penguin is a spin-off from Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The show will see Colin Farrell reprise his role as Oz Cobb, better known as Penguin, in a devastated Gotham City after high-profile figures and buildings have been destroyed. The film is set in DCU’s Elseworlds, the off shoot of the DCU, which is not canonically with the primary stories, but happening somewhere else in the Multiverse.
Whether Robert Pattinson’s Batman will make an appearance is unclear, although the series is set to follow directly on from the events of The Batman. With such a clear connection to the movie, and Reeves establishing a small Batman-focused universe on the outskirts of the DCU, it would make sense to lock in a cameo appearance to cement this branch of DC stories, especially with a new Batman and casting set to appear in the DCU.
7 Joker: Folie à Deux
October 4
Another DC Elseworlds project, the incredibly popular Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in 2019, is set to finally continue the story in Joker: Folie à Deux on October 4. Todd Phillips serves as writer and director for this compelling and twisted story about an alternative origin story for Batman’s greatest rival. And in the sequel, the Joker will be joined by his lovely therapist turned devoted assistant, Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga.
The film offers a twist on the usual superhero format with this R-rated picture being portrayed as a musical. However, the grit and violence is expected to be just as punchy and dramatic as the music, which will ensure the story of Arthur Fleck and his deteriorating mind will be told in as authentic a way as that narrator can offer. This is also expected to perform well at the box office, considering the first movie earned over $1 billion (via The Numbers), and managed to win 2 Oscars.
8 Spider-Man: Freshman Year
November 2
The final entry from the MCU comes in the form of an animated series based on the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. While Spider-Man: Freshman Year was initially set to explore Tom Holland’s early years as the Web Slinger, the series has since opted to include a variety of villains that only appeared for the first time in later Spider-Man movies, and thus the series is now a much looser version of the story set somewhere in the Multiverse.
The show will follow Peter Parker as he gets to grips with his powers, and as he fights against some of the greatest foes the hero has ever faced in the comics. At present, few other details have been revealed, but the show is set to feature the voices of Charlie Cox as Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin. These talented actors will be sure to bring the characters to life as they begin to appear more prominently in multiple MCU projects ahead of Daredevil: Born Again in 2025.
9 Creature Commandos
December
While Superman will be the first official movie to introduce James Gunn’s DCU in 2025, there is another project which will have the honor of being the first DCU project. Creature Commandos is set to debut in December 2024, and it will feature familiar voices from projects like The Suicide Squad, while also setting up new characters that will appear across the DCU. Gunn has promised that actors voicing the characters will play those roles within the animated and live-action projects, so Creature Commandos marks an exciting moment for the incoming DCU.
The story features a misfit set of monstrous powered people who are organized into a team. The series will feature Viola Davis in the role of Amanda Waller, who has also been seen in several DC movies and shows, including both Suicide Squad movies, Peacemaker and Black Adam. However, the rest of the plot for the show remains under wraps, but the series will begin streaming on Max from December.
10 Harley Quinn (Season 5)
Unknown Release Date
Harley Quinn
- Cast
- Kaley Cuoco , Lake Bell , Alan Tudyk , Ron Funches , Tony Hale , Jason Alexander
Finally, in an unknown release slot, Harley Quinn returns for season 5 of her animated adventures. The series originally began in 2019, with Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) voicing the titular character. Since that time, the storylines have gotten ever more entangled with villains and heroes, and R-rated humor. The show has proven to be one of the most popular DC animated shows in recent years, and with spin-offs like Kite Man: Hell Yeah! coming from the show, it’s proving to be a great testing ground for DC’s obscure characters.
Season 5 will continue to explore Harley’s journey of self-discovery as she becomes more heroic with each new season. As season 4 came to an end, Harley set up a team with Ivy, Barbara Gordon and Catwoman called the Gotham City Sirens. Season 5 will likely pick up where it left off, although it could connect in with Kite Man’s premiere season since the character will have cameo appearances on the show. Altogether, 2024 remains a packed year for new DC and Marvel projects.
