Recent Marvel releases like Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Ms. Marvel TV series are setting the path for the conclusion of MCU's Phase 4 and cooking up what's next for Phase 5. The San Diego Comic-Con 2022 hyped a lot of the upcoming releases and offered the first look at 2023 titles fans so eagerly wait for.
Reddit users have shared their picks for the most exciting movies of 2023, a year that promises a versatile release schedule, offering action blockbusters but also high-budget biopics.
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer seems like a big bet from Universal Pictures. With a budget of around $100 million, Christopher Nolan in charge, and a gigantic ensemble cast with plenty of big names, the movie challenges the blockbuster formula by offering the biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer, the man who led the development of the atomic bomb. Talking about Oppenheimer, DryWater101 states, "Tenet was my first true IMAX experience, and I've been hyped for this since then."
Set to release in the summer of 2023, Oppenheimer will face box office threats such as Barbie and Mission: Impossible 7. It's debatable whether Nolan's name and the presence of a fantastic cast will be enough to cover Oppenheimer's huge budget for a period drama. Thankfully, Nolan hardly ever disappoints, so fans might as well be hyped for what he has to say about such a controversial figure.
Dune: Part Two
The first part of Dune was a magnificent cinematic experience and the sequel promises a great conclusion to the story presented so far. While it is still unsure whether there will be more movies, the second part will most likely grant unforgettable action sequences in the hands of Denis Villeneuve.
Redditor theonewhoknock_s states, "still in disbelief that we not only got an amazing Dune movie but there's also a second one in production." Pushed to November 2023, the second part will cover the second half of the book and dive deep into the Fremen culture, thus fans can expect Zendaya to be a much more relevant character than in the first movie. Joining forces with what's left of the Atreides family, the people from Arrakis will prepare for a final clash against the Harkonnen.
Indiana Jones 5
Even though fans would like to see Harison Ford passing the Indiana Jones baton, Indiana Jones 5 will supposedly give the iconic character a deserving conclusion and probably pay homage to the previous movies of the successful franchise. Ford has opened up about the possibility of other people playing Jones and claimed he wants the character to die with him.
Set to release on June 29, little is known about Indiana Jones 5 but assuming Harrison Ford is much older than he was in the first movie, it will probably take place a few decades later, possibly between the '60s and the '70s. The final entry in the Indiana Jones franchise has everything to be epic and yeppers145 believes it could thrive at the box office, "a well-received reception could gross over $1B."
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Sequel
There's still plenty of time until the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, set to release only in December 2023, but speculations are already going on. The previous film worked as both a reboot and a sequel to the original Ghostbusters, bringing back old characters for a strong nostalgic appeal while introducing a set of new ones to conduct a new story.
While there's no info on whether the OG team of the 80s movies will show up for another cameo, the entire main cast of Ghostbusters: Afterlife is confirmed to return for the sequel, which could lead up to a successful legacy franchise. Redditor dtrevino2332 says, "it's a good time to be a Ghostbusters fan."
The Marvels
Ms. Marvel's season finale offered fans the first insight into The Marvels movie in the post-credit scene, when Captain Marvel and Kamala Khan switch places as she finds herself in Kamala's bedroom. The upcoming film will be released in theaters on July 2023, and fans should make sure to watch Ms. Marvel as well as WandaVision before since The Marvels will be addressing many of the events that took place in the shows.
The interaction between Captain Marvel and Kamala will most definitely generate great moments, and fans speculate which villain will be on the level of the two insanely powerful superheroes. DeweyFinn21 states, "hope The Marvels ends up amazing. I really enjoyed the first film."
Blade
Blade is a huge question mark: on one hand, they have the highly talented Mahershala Ali in the iconic role, on the other, it's hard to believe that an MCU entry will be rated R. While fans argue whether the rating makes a difference, Blade is a powerful, violent vampire hunter, and imagining a story of this nature with little to no bloodshed arguably makes fans wonder how good will the movie be.
As ILoveRegenHealth states, "we just don't know how Blade will turn out." Expectations remain high because the movie will finally offer the MCU entry of one of Marvel's most unconventional characters, delivering a possible tonal shift and perhaps aiming at something darker, with thrilling face-offs, a good opportunity to add good hints of horror in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-verse (Part One)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse accomplished the feat of satisfying both traditional Marvel fans and viewers that prefer something more ahead of the curve. Offering a creative animation style by blending 2D and 3D together, the movie was also visually stunning, filled with vibrant colors that add up to the chaos of the spider-verse.
Fans can expect the distinctive style back in the sequel and, most importantly, Miles Morales will definitely meet his spider-man friends once again, as well as a lot of other spider versions. While viewers only saw a glimpse of what the spider-verse looks like in the first movie, the sequel might dive heads down into it. "I'm so excited for it", says Puzzleheaded_Ebb9874.
John Wick: Chapter 4
John Wick movies are guaranteed to give viewers an adrenaline rush. The franchise reinvented the action-thriller genre by offering one of the most badass anti-heroes in recent years, and as each movie progresses, John Wick collects more and more opponents and the task of surviving becomes increasingly harder. What's up next in the fourth movie?
San Diego Comic-Con delivered a big surprise for fans of the franchise, releasing the first official teaser trailer for the sequel that is set to come out in March 2023. LostInTheVoid claims, "loved the world-building they've done and the high table leaders all now coming after him will be interesting."
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania
Redditor teri_ma_ko_chodu jokes, "the only thing I'm remotely excited about is Quantumania and that's only because of Paul Rudd!" Ant-Man And The Wasp will be back for another welcome dose of humor and creative action sequences. The teasers suggest Ant-Man and the Wasp will go on exploring the Quantum Realm and test the limits of the impossible.
Quantumania is scheduled to come out in February 2023 and has everything to be a fun ride into the unknown. Ant-Man is often related to the weirdest events in the MCU and as one of the remaining Avengers, he will most likely be a key character in the Secret Wars arc that will soon be explored, and Evangeline Lily will most likely steal the show.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
The Guardians of the Galaxy are arguably the funniest characters in the MCU, most definitely because of the weird, yet engaging dynamic that keeps them together. The third movie starring the galactic team will be released in May 2023, and will count on plenty of new stars in the cast such as Borat 2 actress Maria Bakalove as Cosmo, and Peacemaker's Chukwudi Iwuji as High Evolutionary, a major antagonist.
Gamora is rumored to come back and reunite with Peter Quill and the team, and Adam Warlock might finally make his first appearance in the MCU. With stills and teasers starting to come out, there are plenty of theories already going on, and QueBienTevez claims, "I can already tell this is going to be a tear-jerker."