2022 is now over, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being the last of the past year's superhero movies upon arriving in November. Since we’ve already ranked 2022’s Marvel and DC movies, it’s time to turn our attention to the Marvel and DC movies that are among the 2023 movie releases. On Marvel’s side, we’re getting Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, and DC will be delivering Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
With so many Marvel and DC movies coming our way (plus Kraven the Hunter over in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe), there will be a lot of characters from them to enjoy; some of whom we’ve already spent some time with in other projects, and others we’ll be meeting for the first time. So let’s go over the folks I think will steal the show in 2023. Also, to be clear up front, although the MCU and DCEU franchises now encompass both movies and TV shows, I’m only focusing on the former category, hence why you see anyone from series like Secret Invasion and Echo, as examples.
Kang The Conqueror
In 2021, we met a Kang the Conqueror variant named He Who Remains in Loki, but next year we’ll finally meet the main Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors will of course be bringing Kang to life, but don’t think he’ll just replicate his He Who Remains performance. Quantumania director Peyton Reed said that Kang is a “very different character” as "someone who has dominion over time, and he’s a warrior and a strategist.” Why Kang is trapped in the Quantum Realm and what sort of arrangement he wants to reach with Scott Lang hasn’t been revealed yet, but this should be a great first taste of Kang’s unique brand of antagonism before he starts causing wider trouble in the MCU, culminating in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Revisit He Who Remains’ appearance on Loki over at Disney+.
Batman (Michael Keaton)
I had Michael Keaton’s Batman on my list of Marvel and DC characters who would shine in 2022, but because The Flash was pushed back to 2023, I must do the proper thing and include him again. Unfortunately, with Batgirl having been scrapped, a Batman Beyond movie reportedly not moving forward and his appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom still up in the air, this may be the only time we see Keaton reprise his version of the Caped Crusader. It doesn’t matter though, because even though over 30 years having passed since Batman Returns, we know he can deliver the goods. More importantly, The Flash presents an opportunity to see how he does as a mentor to Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen.
Before The Flash arrives in theaters, rewatch Batman (1989) and Batman Returns on HBO Max.
Adam Warlock
One of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s end-credits scenes teased the birth of Adam Warlock, and in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Will Poulter’s version of the character will finally arrive. Granted, the Vol. 3 trailer only threw in a quick shot of Adam, so we don’t really know what’s in store with him other than being a weapon for Ayesha and the Sovereign people. Still, Poulter’s a dynamic actor and Adam is one of Marvel’s biggest powerhouses, so the combination of the two should achieve wonderful results.
The Guardians of the Galaxy’s previous MCU appearances can be watched on Disney+.
Hespera
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is unique among DC movies in that its antagonists don’t hail from the comics. As such, the sky’s the limit for what we can expect from Hespera, Calypso and Anthea, the daughters of Atlas, one of the mythological figures from whom the Shazam Family draw their powers. Helen Mirren’s Hespera looks to be taking lead on the villainous from in Fury of the Gods, and with the actress having already shown off her blockbuster chops in the RED and Fast & Furious movies, I’m confident she’ll delight in the superhero genre too.
The first Shazam! movie can be streamed on HBO Max.
Ms. Marvel
Disney+ subscribers have already spent a lot of time with Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan in the Ms. Marvel series, but if you didn’t watch Kamala’s origin story unfold earlier this year, you should at least carve out time to watch her team up with Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau in The Marvels. Vellani has already proven herself to be an amazing Kamala, so now the next step is to see how she does alongside two other superheroes, one of whom is her idol. Who knows, maybe we’ll also get more answers regarding Kamala being a mutant.
Catch Ms. Marvel Season 1, Captain Marvel and WandaVision (the debut of Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau) on Disney+.
Blue Beetle
Considering that Jaime Reyes is Blue Beetle’s main protagonist, it would be pretty disappointing if he didn’t shine at all in his theatrical debut. Fortunately, Xolo Maridueña performance as Miguel Diaz has been one of the highlights of Cobra Kai, and getting to play Jaime, the first Latino superhero to lead their own movie, clearly means a lot to him. While Jaime hasn’t existed as long as most of the other individuals on this list, he has built a sizable fanbase, and Maridueña seems like an excellent choice to bring this character to life on the big screen for the first time.
You can check out Blue Beetle’s appearances in animated projects like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice on HBO Max, or watch his sole live-action appearance so far, in the Smallville episode “Booster,” on Hulu.
The High Evolutionary
Chukwudi Iwuji already has experience working with James Gunn from playing Clemson Murn in Peacemaker, and that’s what led to him being cast as The High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Iwuji has described his character as being "hugely intelligent and unusually charismatic,” but also “a complete piece of shit” who believes he’s doing “the best thing for humankind, which all sort of narcissists and sociopaths do.” When you throw in that he’s Rocket’s creator, High Evolutionary has all the makings of being a villain you love to hate.
Watch Chukwudi Iwuji’s performance in Peacemaker on HBO Max ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s release.
Black Manta
Here’s another character who’s on this list again thanks to a delay. While David Kane, a.k.a. Black Manta, got some time to shine in Aquaman, he was always going to be second fiddle to Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master. For Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom though, it looks like Black Manta will be occupying main villain status. With a new suit of armor and an alliance with Randall Park’s Stephen Shin, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s character will once again try to exact revenge on Arthur Curry for the death of his father. Black Manta is widely considered to be Aquaman’s arch-nemesis in the comics, and this is the movie that will hopefully prove this is the same case in the DCEU.
Refresh yourself on what happened to Black Manta in Aquaman over at HBO Max.
Cassie Lang
Although Cassie Lang has been part of the MCU since 2015, Abby Ryder Fortson and Emma Furhmann’s versions were never given much to do. But now Freaky’s Kathryn Newton is playing her, and the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer makes it abundantly clear Cassie will have a lot to do. After all, it’s inadvertently Cassie’s fault that Scott, Hope, Hank and Janet end up trapped in the Quantum Realm, but we’ll also see Cassie donning her own supersuit, though it remains to be seen whether she’ll go by the codename Stature or Stinger. Either way, it’s nice to see her being officially added among the MCU’s Young Avengers lineup, even though this team hasn’t officially formed in the franchise… yet.
Cassie Lang’s appearances in the Ant-Man movies and Avengers: Endgame can be streamed on Disney+.
Mary Bromfield
Just like her siblings, Mary Bromfield was given the powers of Shazam by Billy Batson in the first Shazam! movie, with Michelle Borth playing her in superhero form. However, for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Grace Fulton will be pulling double duty as Mary in both her regular and superhero forms. It’s unclear if the sequel will directly address this change, but even if it doesn’t, at least Fulton has this unique opportunity that her other costars don’t. Hopefully this also means Mary will be given more to do in Fury of the Gods. After all, she’s arguably the second-most famous member of the Shazam Family, so a bigger platform would be appropriate this time around.
If you’re looking for something to watch Grace Fulton in besides Shazam!, stream Annabelle: Creation on Hulu.
Now we wait to see just how these 10 Marvel and DC characters do in 2022. Before these movies start premiering on the silver screen, be sure to read through our guides detailing how to watch the Marvel movies in order and DC movies in order.
